#you can instantly generate yourself a whole meal at the press of a button! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mobagehelllocal · 4 years ago

Text

“lucky ending”

First at all, I like do much your writing and I hope you are doing well. Second, I was wondering what would happen if the MC (Fem!s/o I guess) decided to not go back to her world, like she decide stay with her villain? Can you do make headcanons of this for the dorm leaders? Thank you very much.

-- from Anonymous

A/N: Hi Anon! Sorry for taking so long! Thank you so much for liking my work and for sending in this request! Since this was submitted before I opened my headcanons request, I’ll assume you wanted a scenario! It reminded me of a particular Japanese middle school/high school tradition... I don’t want to spoil it, but I do hope you enjoy it!

edit- additional pieces: ver i (this), ver ii (???), ver iii (rook & lilia)

“Hey, did you know?”

You looked up from your meal to see a grinning Ace.

“Well... you haven’t told me what this is about Ace.” you finally said in a dry tone. “So, no—I wouldn’t.” Beside you, Epel’s lips curled up in amusement.

"Are you sassing me?” Ace squinted at you.

“Who could say.” you shrugged your shoulders. “Anyways, what is it?” Ace studied you for a couple more seconds before he too seemed to ‘shrug’ it off and continue.

“There’s actually a tradition in Twisted Wonderland during graduation season.” Ace’s smile turned wicked, as he raised his hand and tugged at a button on his shirt.

“Please don’t strip. Nobody needs to see that.” you said—Deuce promptly choked on his food and Grim snickered beside you. On his other side, Jack sighed as he patted the man on his back.

“It’s not that!” Ace scowled. “Sweet Queen, if you keep going on like that, I swear—”

“Sorry, sorry.” you raised your hands—palms up. “So, what is it?”

“This button.” he pointed at the second button from the top. “Well, for NRC, they go with the fifth button—but either way...” Sebek leaned forward in interest.

“Is this the button tradition?” his eyes sparkled, “you see, I was thinking of giving—”

“It doesn’t work like that Sebek.” Ace said—at which the Diasomnia student immediately deflated in response.

"People give this out at graduation.” Ace continued. “It’s like the last chance to confess--before you leave the school life behind.”

‘Last chance huh...’ you thought, as you remembered Crowley’s words from the other day.

“In my generosity, I have found a way to bring you back home... but...” the Headmaster peered at you with glowing eyes. “Something tells me you don’t want that anymore.”

“And because I’m so generous... I will let you decide what you wish to do.” his eyes brightened behind his mask. “I hope to hear from you soon...”

"Why not the first button?” you couldn’t help but ask. Ace, who had just finished recounting how many buttons he had given out in his last graduation was startled by your question.

“Err...” Ace scratched the back of his head. “I dunno?”

“It’s the second button, because on the regular school uniform... it’s closest to the heart. Because graduations at NRC are in the summoning robes—that means the fifth button.” Jack finally spoke up, “what normally happens is... someone confesses, and the other party decides whether or not to give the button. When the other party gives their button—it means they return the love of the person who confessed.” Grim’s face twisted at that.

“In conclusion... disgusting.” Epel shrugged his shoulders, before he shot Jack a look. “I’m surprised you, of all people know that.” Jack’s whole body twitched, and his tail bristled in response.

“So. you were being a little shit.” Deuce told Ace.

“Yeah Ace, you’re an asshole.” Grim huffed.

“Not true, all of the people who wanted my heart, got it~” Deuce grimaced in disgust at his roommate’s response. On his other side, Sebek shifted upright.

“I don’t care what you all say, I’m giving—”

“Sebek, no.”

As your friends erupted into chaos your hands fell on top of your second button and you fiddled with it thoughtfully.

“Alright, what is up with you two?” Riddle turned around to glare fiercely at the squabbling Ace and Deuce. At his movement, the long cloak of the summoning robes shifted around his legs.

“Nothing, Dorm Leader!” the two immediately squeaked out, and Riddle sighed—exasperated, but continued to eye them suspiciously. As a fourth year, Riddle had no need to visit campus as often as he did. Ace was already made the Dorm Leader, and Deuce was his Vice Dorm Leader once the two had entered their third years but—

‘I know Trey told me not to worry…’

Cater and Trey had long since graduated from Night Raven College—but the former was still ever so interested in what his friends were doing. He had easily convinced Trey and Riddle to go on call that night to catch up. It was during that call that Riddle had confessed his fears about leaving the fate of Heartslabyul to Ace and Deuce.

“Wow~ Riddle is much more of a mother hen compared to Trey~” Cater had laughed, delighted. Riddle had instantly puffed his cheeks, ready to defend himself. Trey—sensing the argument that was about to come—quickly placated him.

“I don’t think it’s wrong of you to care so much, Riddle.” Trey had said, in his same soothing tone. “You’ve held onto the dorm leadership for three straight years… it’s natural that you worry about how Heartslabyul will do… but… I believe—the dorm will be what our juniors make of it.”

“That’s my worry.” Riddle grumbled in response.

“Well—the two of them did shadow you as Vice-Dorm Leaders during my fourth year, yes?”

“…Yes.”

“I think they know what they can and cannot do by now.” Trey consoled, “Have a little bit more faith in them—after all, you were the one who entrusted the Dorm’s future to them in the first place.”

“I suppose…”

“If all else fails,” Cater chimed in, “[Name] will be there, won’t she?”

“I’d like it if I didn’t have to rely on her for the two of them but…” Riddle unconsciously smiled at the thought of you. “but yeah… she… she certainly had a hand in how Heartslabyul changed to be the way it is today...”

“Ah~ I’m a little jealous you still have an excuse to see [Name]~” Cater hummed.

“I—” Riddle felt his cheeks flush at that, “It’s not like that!”

“Huh~? I didn’t say anything though~” Cater cackled knowingly. Riddle tensed, and Trey only sighed in amusement as the red head began to lecture the older man.

Despite Trey’s (and admittedly, Cater’s weaker) attempts at getting him to be more hands off—he continued to conduct surprise visits to the campus. Primarily to keep a check on both Ace, Deuce and how they were currently running his beloved dorm. He knew it almost always made the two panic, but he just wanted to ensure that—they were doing fine. Riddle worried endlessly—

“I don’t think it’s as surprising as you think.” You had told him once, a giggle on your lips. “Riddle… despite everything… you still genuinely want the best out of people. It’s the way you are.” He had flushed red when you put it that way, but he was incredibly appreciative of the fact that you noticed. He was also happy that you didn’t think it as something he should change immediately.

“Ace and Deuce—I can see why you worry but…” you had patted his hands gently, and shot him the same sweet grin you had given him that time—about two years ago—after his embarrassing Overblot. “You’re also improving yourself. Take it step by step—little by little, and I’m sure one day you won’t think twice about whether or not those two can do justice to the Heartslabyul in your vision.”

Seeing you as often as he did was just a bonus—or so he’d like to think. He hasn’t quite admitted to himself, how incredibly fond he has grown of your presence, and how much some of his visits was more to see you again—rather than visiting his juniors.

He could feel the way his lips unconsciously curled up just at the thought of you. He quickly turned away from his juniors—if only because he could not stop smiling.

“Come to think of it…” he mused, pretending that this was just a thought that came to mind—and not something he’d been eagerly looking forward to— “Where is [Name]?” When there was no response, he felt his smile drop and his brow twitched at their silence.

“Come now—if there’s anytime you’re going to be quiet…” he turned to look at them, only to realize that they had incredibly guilty expressions. “… Is something wrong? Is she hurt?”

“Well—no.” Deuce rapidly stuttered out, “It’s just—well—” he glanced hopelessly at Ace, whose eyes shifted around in an uncomfortable manner.

“Err—it’s a little hard to explain…”

“What is going on?” He demanded, his expression growing dark as he thought back to the last time, he had seen you. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with you—you had greeted him as kindly as you normally had. You had looked healthy to him and nothing had seemed to be weighing too much on your mind… “Tell me right now.”

“Thank you, for coming with me.” You had smiled, “but you can leave me here, really.”

“Do you even know why Crowley called you?” Ace asked, his hands crossed behind his head when he noticed the most subtle shift in your expression.

“[Name]?” he arched a brow, and you shook your head, a smile bloomed on your face at his concern.

“No, it’s… it should be nothing.” You looked down at Grim. “You’ll stay with them, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” The monster scowled. “I don’t know why Crowley wanted just you… It’s not like you won’t tell us after…”

“That’s true.” Deuce had agreed easily.

“I will tell you if it’s important.” Ace’s eyes narrowed at the way you phrased your sentence, and when you slipped into the office—it was only Ace who stayed, his gaze fixated on the door.

“Is something up Ace?” Deuce turned to see that the Heartslabyul Dorm Leader hadn’t moved from his position by the door.

“I think she’s not telling us something.” Ace said, before he approached the door and pressed his ear against it.

“Ace! That’s rude!” Deuce moved to pull him away, but Ace shook him off.

“Sssh! I can’t hear!” he hissed at Deuce before he leaned harder against the door.

“—I have found a way to bring you back home—” Ace and Grim immediately stiffened. Deuce looked on, wary of their reactions.

“What…” he swallowed, “what did you overhear?”

“She still hasn’t said anything.” Ace said after he told a frozen Riddle the story. “and… well… none of us have the heart to bring it up.”

“Well Grim certainly wanted to.” Deuce interjected. “But we figured… it was probably something we should wait for her to say… are you okay, Dorm Leader?”

“You don’t need to call me that.” Riddle replied immediately, before he exhaled. He raised his hand and pressed it against his forehead as he thought of the situation.

‘Of course, …of course, I should’ve thought of it.’ His hand fisted in his hair, as his brows furrowed. ‘This isn’t home to her this is… it’s the farthest thing from a home.’ He felt the blood drain from his face, and the minute shake of his hand at the realization.

Riddle made the two promise to not speak to you about it—and that he’d try to bring it up instead. Deuce looked like he wanted to protest. Riddle could understand—the three of you had a certain type of friendship that should mean that Ace and Deuce had a right to bring it up with you but… Ace had always been much more perspective than he actually let on, and agreed to let Riddle handle it.

Whether Ace understood the depth of Riddle’s feelings or not, was currently inconsequential given the circumstance. What Riddle needed to focus on—was speaking to you about the… issue.

No, it’s wrong to call it an issue—and neither is it a problem… It’s just… perhaps best called a big decision. One that Riddle knew your likely answer to, and how it’s not the answer he would want to hear.

In his defence, ever since coming back, Riddle did try to talk to you about it. He tried very hard to confront you—but whenever he’d try to tell you—he’d take one look at your smiling expression and think about how much he’d like this moment to last longer. ‘Just a little longer… Let me have their smile a little longer—’ because he knew that the moment, he brought it up—you might no longer smile at him.

Unfortunately, time is nobody’s friend—and during a break from his graduation practice, he ran into you.

“Oh, [Name].” he blinked in surprise before his eyes narrowed when he noticed that you weren’t smiling as usual. “Did something happen?” he asked, immediately anxious for you.

“Ah it’s…” you paused, and your expression grew even more distressed. “I don’t… know how to phrase it.” He grew cold at that—he had a general idea on where this conversation could head… Before he could get a word in, the doors to the Hall of Mirrors opened, and a bunch of other fourth years exited noisily.

“Do you want to talk somewhere else about this?” The slightest furrow in his brow, and the tiny down-turn curve of his lips expressed his concern for you. Your heart did a little leap, and you briefly got lost in his pretty grey eyes before you slowly nodded.

Your voice was soft as you explained the turmoil you’d been going through the past few days.

“I… want to stay. I want to stay so badly that I keep coming up with excuses to do so but… at the same time… I know that this means I’ll be abandoning my family… my old life behind and…” you looked down at your hands, and Riddle’s frown only grew as your voice got shaky. “that’s unfair to them—isn’t it? That—I’ll just up… and leave… and say nothing.”

“If you want to stay, then just stay.” You didn’t look to be convinced, and Riddle felt his heart twist that he isn’t enough of a reason for you to stay.

“It sounds so easy, doesn’t it?” you chuckled, your tone low, “maybe my life here is certainly far better than anything else I could dream of but… the guilt will eat me alive. That I just turned away from them… It’s so selfish of me.”

“I don’t think it’s wrong for you to be selfish.” Riddle disagreed as he reached out towards you and held your hands. At the action, your eyes fell to your twined fingers, and you observed the gentle way in which Riddle rubbed the back of your hand. “I think you earned that much. I don’t believe anyone’s ever been in your situation before so—there’s no right or wrong about what you’re doing. It’s all about what you want to do.”

“You think so?” your voice cracked, and he leaned forward so that you could see the honesty in those pretty grey eyes of his.

“I know so… and if you still feel guilty then allow me to bear it with you.” He took a deep breath before he slipped one hand away from you to tug at the fifth button of his summoning robes. Your eyes widened—stunned, as you recognized what he is about to do.

“Let me express to you my own selfish desire.” He pressed the button into your palms as he met your gaze evenly. “I love you [Name]—I want you to stay—so—can I be the reason you do?”

His deep red hair fluttered in the cool wind that passed through the open halls of the college. You could see sweat dribble down his temple, and the smallest shake of his bottom lip. He swallowed; his Adam’s apple bobbed. His own eyes peered and searched your gaze too—for any indicator of the answer you would choose to deem him with.

As you looked at Riddle, you knew that a part of you will always feel guilty about the choice you were about to make but—that honest affection in those eyes were enough for you to know that Riddle, as he is, was always going to be enough of a reason to stay.

“Yes…” you murmured, and Riddle’s nervous expression broke away for a joyous one—an expression that made your heart do a little dance. “Yes—I’d want you to be the reason I stay.”

It took all your courage (and the fact that it was his graduation—Great Seven did he look so good in those robes—) to finally tell Leona about what Crowley had told you.

“Good riddance.”

You felt your face pale, and your soul—shatter at Leona’s reply.

“What… what did you say?” you stuttered, “Did you just really…?”

“I said good riddance.” Leona rolled those green eyes of his at you. “You can finally go home. You can finally stop bothering me.” His eyes turned poisonous—and you felt your whole body weaken. You would have dropped to your knees if Leona’s glare hadn’t frozen you in the first place.

“You…” you swallowed, “you don’t mean that… you don’t… right… Leona…?”

“Good—” his green eyes became murky with an emotion you couldn’t quite understand, “��riddance.” He then scoffed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Now leave me alone.”

“But—”

He began to walk away—but desperate—you grabbed him from behind. Your hands wrapped around his chest, as you clung to him as tight as you could.

“Herbivore... The hell are you doing?” Leona hissed as he moved to rip your hands off him.

“Wait!” He froze at the command in your tone, and the way you pressed your head in between his shoulder blades.

“Let me... let me say something... Please...”

‘Were you crying?’ Leona tensed; his tail flicked about in irritation—ready to confront anyone who made his woman cry—

He hissed at his own thoughts.

“I’m not going to listen to your shit, woman.” He snapped, and he felt you flinch against him. Something deep and primal in him whimpered—because he knew he had terrified you.

He had to convince himself—this is for the best. This is for your sake.

You were not his woman. You were not his mate. You should not have a future with him.

You were supposed to be leaving.

He wanted you to leave.

It would be better that way.

You didn’t deserve the second prince. You didn’t deserve a rebel. You—

You deserved much better than him.

‘So please let me go.’ he thought, a little desperately, ‘because if you don’t... then I won’t be able to let go.’

“Leona... I... I really have no courage. I can’t even look you in the face because I’m...” He growled at that, and he felt you flinch again. “Let me do this...” He felt you move your hands, and you pressed something into his own palms. You curled your fingers around it, before you pulled away.

“I want you to have this. If you won’t let me say anything... then please let me do this.”

There was a brief silence—as you studied the way Leona remained tensed, his tail jerked around in irritation and your eyes shut in despair.

‘Of course... It’s Leona... what was I thinking?’

‘Of course, he wouldn’t want you to stay—of course—’ you realized your own foolishness. ‘Of course, he wouldn’t want you.’

“I’ll go. I’m sorry.” you said before you rushed off, as you tried, desperately not to make a sound as you cried.

Leona’s ears moved rapidly; despite your attempt to not make a sound—he could clearly hear you cry your heart out as you ran away from him.

“Tch…” he looked down at his hands, only for his brows to furrow in confusion. “This is… a button?”

“Does the herbivore…” He lifted his head to look off into the direction you took off in. “does she know what this means…?” His brow twitched in irritation; he pulled his hand back and got into a stance to throw the button away—but something in him couldn’t do it.

‘Are you really going to throw her heart away?’

“Shit!” He swore to himself as he threw a fist at the closest thing he could—one of the trees in the garden. He paused, as his eyes lingered on the patch of grass that he enjoyed taking naps on… with you.

He thought of all the things he would lose—

The way you smiled at him, despite how hopeless he was as a person. The way your skin felt against his own when he could get away with hugging you despite never saying those three words… The way you looked at him with acceptance—regardless of his glaring faults.

He thought of all the things he would never experience—

The way you would suit the crown of a princess—more than any other women he’d known. The way you could glow under the light of Afterglow Savanna’s sun. The love you two could’ve shared if he would just stop being such an asshole—“Stupid woman…” he growled low to himself, as he spun to give chase to you. His hand reached up to rip a certain button off his own robes. “I just can’t be selfless—”

‘Not when it comes to you.’

‘Not when I desperately need you.’

When he pushed open the doors of the Hall of Mirrors, Crowley turned around, startled.

“Kingscholar—?” the Headmaster gaped.

“Is that still connected to her world?”

“Yes but—what are you doing?” Crowley cried, alarmed as Leona rushed for the portal.

‘If there’s a god out there… if the ancestral spirits do exist… then please—’ he faltered at his own thoughts before he shook his head. ‘Please—don’t let me be late—’

“You’re back!” Your mother had only paused for a second, stunned when you popped out of the mirror in the living room, and fell to your knees. She quickly dropped down onto the ground before she reached for you and pulled you into her embrace.

“Mom—I’m—” you felt your eyes tear up, “I’m home—” you said—even if a part of you felt that home should have been two green eyes, a cocky smirk, and a warm patch of sunlight on the grassy ground.

“Oh… sweetie…” Your mother pulled back to cup your face in her hands as she studied your expression. “Never mind that—tell me what happened? I need to hear everything!”

You blinked rapidly and nodded. She brought you to the kitchen and sat you down as she whipped up a snack for you to eat as you recounted your adventures in Twisted Wonderland.

You were—baffled—she didn’t seem as terrified as you thought she would be. You had thought you would’ve come back to her crying—or, you don’t know—police in your house maybe? She was calm—and she was simply… interested in your story.

Like she knew all about it already—and she just… wanted to hear your point-of-view.

When you got to the part about Leona—you got all choked up. Regardless of how he treated you—you knew that a part of you would always love him. If anything—it would be something you would desperately cling onto, and in the depths of your heart—you will continue to nurture it. It was the only thing of him, you had left.

“You loved him.” Your mother held your hands, and you shook your head as you gently corrected her.

“I’ll always love him, mom.” You felt tears hang onto your lashes. “I’ll always… wonder… ‘what if.’”

“Would you go back if you could? Would you stay with him?”

“I… I would but—it’s not like he wanted me.” Your lower lip trembled, and you felt your chin wrinkle at that. “He didn’t want me.”

“I think he did, sweetie.” Your mother wiped your tears away. “Leona is pretty dishonest to others… and especially to himself.” You couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“He pretty much is.” And that’s when it dawned on you.

“Wait you—” you looked up at your mother with furrowed brows. “Why does it sound like you know him—? You—you haven’t met—”

That’s when the door swings open, and your father’s voice echoed in the house.

“We’re back!” You only had a moment to question what he meant by ‘we’ when he entered the dining hall with a familiar figure.

“Leona—?” Both males looked at you—surprised. Despite how happy you were to see both—your eyes naturally gravitated to Leona.

Your eyes met his, and he blinked slowly before a smirk crawled up his lips.

“Took you long enough.”

“Time isn’t exactly linear across two worlds.” Is the first thing Leona told you as he brought you to your room—or more recently referred to as his room. He dragged you onto the bed and pulled you onto his lap with relative ease—his fingers tangled in the cloth of your shirt. The only reason there was a distance between you two—was because of the way you Leona stared at you with a hungry fervour.

He looked at you like he was a starved man who had just caught sight of an oasis in the middle of a desert. There was also a difference in the way he held you—a certain desperation in the way his fingers pressed against your skin—as if making sure that you were no desert mirage. You had just seen him—but it felt as if he was seeing you for the first time in an unbearably long time.

“You entered the portal before I did.” Leona studied you with his vivid green eyes. “but when I went through the portal… I arrived a day after you were first taken to Twisted Wonderland.”

“Wait… so how long… did I miss out on?” you asked weakly.

“It’s been a year.” He replied quietly, and you looked at him—stunned.

“That’s—you—” you cleared your throat. “why?”

“Why what?”

“Why—why wait? Why—why did you stay?” you whispered, “you could’ve just gone back—” He scoffed.

“That’s simple.” He stared at you evenly. “If I hadn’t waited for you I…” he paused. “I might have never seen you again.” You felt your eyes go wet, but you inhaled sharply as you resisted crying. He pulled you even closer to him, his arms wrapped around your waist. Though you tried to move away—it was futile, Leona was stronger than you.

“Why—I thought you said—”

“I tried to be selfless with you.” Leona confessed lightly, his eyes studied your face—the way your eyes glimmered, the way your lips pouted as you attempted to hold back your tears—you hadn’t changed from whence he last saw you but—

Having lived in a world without you for one year—only strengthened his resolve to be with you.

“I tried to be selfless with you.” Leona repeated, “but I’m sorry—I can’t be. I have to be selfish because—the future I want… it’s one I can only realize by your side so—” He moved his hand away from you only to move it to his pocket. When his fist opened, your eyes widened to see an elegant black button on his palm.

“I’ve waited a year to return my heart to you.” He murmured softly, as you began to cry in earnest. “Will you accept it?”

“Of course, I will—you big—asshole—” you cried, as you hit his chest. Leona could only chuckle, as he raised his other hand to brush your tears away.

“I deserved that.”

“Yes, you did.”

With your fingers laced with Leona, you went downstairs to meet up with your parents. Your mother cooed happily, while your father nodded gruffly at Leona.

“You promise you’ll take care of her, alright?” Your father eyed him, and Leona nodded.

“I will.” He promised.

“You will visit, won’t you? Or call through the mirror?” Your mother asked hopefully, and you looked at her surprised, before you glanced up at Leona in a questioning manner.

“So, you would never need to choose.” He dodged your gaze; a light flush rose to his cheeks. “I worked with Crowley and Malleus,” your eyes widened—he willingly worked with Malleus? “to establish a proper connection between your world and mine. I kept in contact with the Crowley who let you through the door in the first place… and now we’ve managed to keep the timelines properly linked.” He raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “Basically… you’ll be able to keep in contact with your parents… or anyone else you wanted to keep in contact with in this world.”

“Leona…” you felt your eyes water at that.

“Don’t cry.” Leona reached down to wipe your tears away, “cry anymore—and your father will retract his blessing.” You looked at him, a little stunned—he didn’t seem like the type of person who’d ask for someone else’s blessing.

“Of course, I did.” Leona said as he figured out where your thoughts had headed, though he sounded slightly offended that you would think he would not have asked.

“It took him a year too.” Your mother said fondly while your father snorted. Leona swiftly cleared his throat before you could ask again.

“A story for another time.” He said way too quickly, before he offered you his hand again. “For now—” his green eyes softened as he met your eyes, and your fingers instinctively laced together once more.

“Shall we go home?” he gestured for the mirror that begun to glow. You smiled, and quickly jerked on his arm to pull him down. Surprised at the sudden motion, Leona’s face drew close to yours—and you leaned forward to press a kiss against his cheek.

“Silly kitty,” you giggled, “I’m already home.” He speedily pulled back. Despite the grumpy expression on his face, you were delighted to see the flush rise to his cheeks once more.

“And I… I am too.” He murmured softly, and your smile slipped into something much more tender.

You were excited to see what the future would hold for you two.

“Azul.” Azul blinked as he turned his head to the approaching Jade. He arched a brow at Jade’s bemused expression—the man rarely made that face. If Jade ever encountered something he didn’t understand, he was more likely to react to it with curiosity and excitement. So, for Jade to be confused—with the lightest flicker of worry… well, Azul immediately found himself to be anxious.

“What is it?”

“According to one of our juniors, [Name] came by to ask for you earlier—but we were at graduation practice. They redirected her to your office to wait.” Jade’s brows furrowed. “Apparently… she looked quite distressed.” Azul felt himself frown immediately at that.

“I was going there anyways because of this—” Azul raised his hand to present some documents. “I’ll speak with her.” Jade nodded; his expression looked a little bit more relieved.

“I’ll keep Floyd off for awhile then.” Jade decided, “there must be a reason why she specifically seems to want to speak to you.”

“Alright.” Azul agreed, before the two parted ways. He thought back to when he had met you earlier that day—you had been thrilled to see them. Floyd had happily picked you up and spun you around several times—before you needed to be saved by Azul and Jade. Shortly after that, you had to go attend class—at which point they bid you goodbye, with the promise of spending more time together, later.

Azul, Jade and Floyd had just returned to Night Raven College today for the graduation practice. They hadn’t seen you in person for quite a while because their internships took them far away from the College. Azul wasn’t particularly happy with it (none of them were, really—even you) but you had always known how important success was for Azul (especially him) so you had encouraged him to pick what he knew was the best choice for the future.

His heart sped up at the thought of how deeply you understood his feelings—and his desires. At that point, he promised that he would ensure—his future would be spent making you happy and that you would never be left wanting.

You will get the best from him because he knows how much you deserve it.

You deserved so much better than him—he knew that—he’s accepted it as an irrevocable truth. However—you had chosen to stay by his side, despite his past—and despite his inexcusable actions.

“Azul… I think you shouldn’t be ashamed of your past.” Your voice resonated in his mind, and he’s instantly brought back to that time the two of you quietly stood in front of his elementary school photo.

“After all, it’s because of that Azul—that you’ve become the Azul I see today and…” You turned to him with a tender smile that instantly made his heart soar like a flying fish and his eyes well up with tears.

“I think you should know—that the Azul before me today, is not as terrible as you like to believe.” Then you giggled, and his cheeks flushed red at your next words.

“It’s quite the opposite actually—you’re someone I can’t help but watch because… I think you’re amazing.”

So, he was going to do his best for you.

He was an inherently selfish person.

You were someone he wanted to hold onto for as long as possible. He knew that maybe one day you’ll realize that he wasn’t worth it. He knew that it will hurt him—but he also knew that if that day comes, he wouldn’t stop you.

He’d let you go.

As selfish as he was—he knew you deserved for him to be selfless for once. Especially if it meant you being happier.

It would hurt so much but—knowing how much better you could probably have—he would do it.

‘While you’re by my side…As long as you’re in my life… for however long I’m allowed too…’

Until the day that someone … or something—that was inarguably the better choice for you comes along—

‘I’ll treasure you… take care of you… treat you like a Queen—’

He stopped right before his office doors, and briefly fiddled with his hair. He inhaled, before he pushed the doors open. You turned to look at him with a despondent expression.

“Azul.” You hiccupped, and his heart dropped to his stomach at seeing your tears. There’s a part of him that immediately goes into a cold fury—‘How dare anyone make you cry—’

“Shh… It’s alright.” He slid the door closed behind him, dropped the paperwork carelessly onto the ground and opened his arms.

You immediately took it as an invitation to delve into his arms. Your breath was shaky, but Azul’s familiar and fresh ocean scent immediately calmed you down. You buried your head in the crook of his neck, and he rubbed one hand consolingly down your back. He slowly led you to sit down on the couch, and let you stay in his arms as he plotted a way to get back at whoever it was that made you show such a sad expression.

Once you pulled away, he immediately pulled out a handkerchief to pat away the wet tear tracks across your face.

“Are you alright?”

“I… yeah… just… I was… overwhelmed.” You said, breath still heavy. "I have something to tell you.” Azul hummed, as he moved to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear.

“The Headmaster... he’s found a way.”

“A way...?” Azul cocked his head, not quite understanding what you meant.

“...”

“...” At the sudden silence, Azul raised his head to see you look down at your hands. He noticed that you were trembling ever so slightly. Azul narrowed his eyes at such an action.

“[Name]?”

You looked up; your eyes were glassy—with one blink you would probably start crying again. He could see the minute tremble of your jaw.

“I can go home, Azul.”

“That’s...” Azul blinked rapidly—stunned but at the same time—his heart tightened in his chest, and he automatically clenched his fists.

‘Ah…’

‘I didn’t think it would happen so soon…’

‘I didn’t think I’d have to let go of you so quickly…’

‘I don’t want you to go.’

Azul was selfish—he has always known that he was selfish... but with you... he always tried to not be.

He would be selfless with you.

He promised himself that much.

You had always been more than what he deserved—so how could he ask you to stay with him?

Knowing that—he knew what he had to say to you.

“You must be happy.” He finally managed to speak, and he prayed that you didn’t realize how shaky his voice got. He was barely able to keep himself from crying too. “You will go home, won’t you?”

“Is that it?” you asked, heartbreak in your voice but he gritted his teeth in response.

“Well... what else did you want me to say?”

“I...” you stood up; your breath shaky.

‘I wanted you to give me a reason to stay.’ went unsaid.

“... Nothing. I just... came here to tell you.” you finally said, your voice soft. “I’ll... see you later Azul.” You turned quickly—but not fast enough for him to not see the tear that slipped down your cheek as you escaped Mostro Lounge’s VIP Room.

“...”

Azul laced his hands together, before he rested his forehead against his hands. A whimper left his lips, as he began to shake in his seat.

“Tch...”

His heart squeezed tight—and he idly wondered if this was the type of feeling that Floyd’s victims got. It hurt—it hurt so much. Azul’s pathetic whimpers turned into guttural sobs. His fingers spread to cover his eyes—and his glasses slid off his face, down to his lap and then to the ground—at his actions. His whole body shook as he cried his heart out.

The one time he tried to be profoundly good—

The one time he tried to be selfless—

It was only right that he felt this much pain over it—after all—he always believed that he deserved it.

He struggled to remind himself how much this was for your sake. How this was better for you. Even if you began to hate him for it (and witch, did the thought of you despising him made another disgusting whimper slip out of his lips—), he’ll watch over you—only the best for you.

When you rushed out of the room, you immediately slammed right into the twins. They are both briefly stunned by your expression, but just as quickly, you clung onto the closest twin—in which case, it was Floyd. The man immediately wrapped his arms around you. He began to coo comforting words to you as he shot a look at his twin. Jade’s eyes flickered between you and Azul’s shut door, before he ultimately decided to shuffle you and his brother into a nearby room. Once you were sat down, Jade quietly coaxed the story of what happened out of you.

Through your tears, you tell him. You grow a little terrified as both twins gain a quiet look of rage almost identical with Azul’s earlier expression at your tears. The two share a look, and Floyd almost immediately got up—until you stop him.

“Please… don’t be mad at Azul…” you muttered, “I… I don’t think he means it.”

You remember the expression Azul made. First—there was fear, pain—before it shifted to something more like acceptance.

You don’t understand.

Why wouldn’t he think he was worth it?

He had always been selfish—and you wanted him to be selfish with you—and yet—

“You must be happy.”

He had said, but you had immediately caught the slightest bit of wetness that had began to well up in his blue eyes. You had noticed the way he had stiffened, the way his breath and voice hitched as he did his best to hide from you what you were truly feeling—

Jade and Floyd exchanged another glance, before coming to the same conclusion.

“Listen [Name].” Jade reached and cupped your chin in a delicate manner. “Here’s what we’ll do…”

When Azul finally exited his office, he had to fix his robes, and his make-up—if only to keep his unflappable façade as Azul Ashengrotto of Octavinelle. What he didn’t anticipate was to be immediately blocked by the Leech twins.

“Ah. There you two are.” Azul cleared his throat, his voice still scratchy from the amount of crying he just did. “There are some things we need to do—” Floyd slammed a hand against the wall right next to Azul’s head, before he leaned closed—his eyes dark as he studied the octopus merman in front of him.

“Shrimpy ran by here. She was crying.” Floyd’s eyes narrowed, and Jade sighed from behind him. “What did you do?”

“Apparently, the dear girl is being offered a chance to go home.” His voice trembled at the last word, but he held fast to his belief that this is the best choice for you. “I congratulated her on it.”

“Why?” Floyd hissed, “why would you—Azul—”

“It was only logical to assume so.” Azul said in response. “I presumed she wished to go home.”

“What… makes you think she wouldn’t want to stay here?” was Jade’s quiet query.

“It’s obviously the better choice for her to go. There’s nothing for her here.” Both twins blinked, a little awed that Azul—their selfish, greedy Azul—just said that.

“… There’s nothing here worth staying for. Not for her at least.” Azul said—at the sight of their expressions. “I’m sure—she’ll be happier in her home world. She should have never even come here.”

And wasn’t that a terrifying thought?

He wondered what it would have been like to have lived in a world where he had no concept, no idea of you. He shuddered immediately—he would rather always be able to remember you. If he could not have you, then he would cup the memories you shared together in his palms and hold on as tight as he could.

Floyd let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Is that truly what you believe?” Jade’s eyes narrowed, “that there’s nothing for her here?”

“You can’t sincerely believe that!” Floyd snarked, his expression twisted in displeasure. “The Azul we know—he would be selfish.”

“Don’t you see?” Azul, fed up, finally yelled, “It’s because I’ve always been selfish with her that I should be selfless for once.” He gritted his teeth aggressively.

“Of course, I want her to stay! I practically need her to stay.” He inhaled sharply, as he looked at the twins with wet eyes—frustrated that, as per usual, he had lost control of his emotions and tears. “But I also need to acknowledge that it may not be the best choice for her! So, I don’t want her to consider me when she’s making this decision—It’s not about me. It’s about her.” He exhaled, a part of him satisfied that he had managed to stun the twins once more… that is until Jade let out a soft chuckle and stepped aside to reveal that you were standing right behind him. Floyd stepped back, while a snicker escaped his lips.

“Azul.” You peered at him with wet eyes, and he tensed.

“You two—” Azul looked up to glare at the twins, who shrugged easily as they retreated away.

“Azul… why do you think like that?”

“…” He looked away, he didn’t want to answer, but when he felt your soft hands cup his face so that you could direct him to look at you—seeing that familiar look in your eyes—the one that told him how badly you wanted to understand him—instantly made him soften. “I always think about it… you deserve better. Better than me.”

“Azul… you need… to stop thinking of yourself like this. I love you.” You added, and his eyes widened, “Regardless of what you think—I think the best option for me… is to be by your side Azul.”

“You… really think that?” his voice shook, and you sniffled too.

“Of course, I do! Even if you didn’t want me… or need me…” you lower lip trembled, and Azul wanted to kiss your worries away. “I would cling to you as tightly as possible—it hurts but—I’d stay. You’re always going to be worth it for me.” Azul’s whole body quivered, and without thinking his hand slid onto a button on his blouse. He took one of your hands off his face to press a button onto your palms.

“You have my heart.” He murmured, voice soft, and his eyes moist. “and you have my future… if you’ll let me share them with you.”

“It’s a deal, Mr. Ashengrotto.” You said, your own eyes pricked with tears—and he let out a little chuckle.

He will continue to do everything in his power to always—remain—the best option for you.

“What a couple of cry-babies.” Despite Floyd’s tone, a pleased smile made its way to his lips.

“Our cry-babies.” Jade murmured, a familiar smirk plastered on his own face as he watched you and Azul bawl into each other’s arms.

You were, once more, invited to Scarabia’s annual graduation party for their fourth-year students. It was… one of their grander parties and it was hardly the first one you had ever attended since befriending their Dorm Leader two years ago.

However—what made this party different from the others you’ve attended so far, was because a part of the graduating batch were your friends—Kalim and Jamil. The very fact Kalim was graduating, made the Asim family decide to sponsor this year’s party. This meant that even as far as grand parties would go—this year’s party blew the past other parties away in terms of extravagance. There were a lot of people (guests of the graduates), food (completely catered—for sure Jamil slunk away a little miffed that he didn’t get to cook), music (hired by the Asims) and dancing (right in the centre of the room too!)

It was incredibly beautiful—and just… something you have never believed you would have had the chance to experience. You expressed as such to Kalim, who, with a grin—laced his fingers with yours as he pulled you straight to the dance floor. His warm hand landed on the curve of your waist before he began to lead you in a complicated dance. You let out a few squeals here and there—especially because dances native to the Land of Hot Sands were quick, and nothing like you’ve experienced before. Kalim only grinned happily as he twirled you around then rapidly pulled you back into his arms. You could feel your cheeks flush red as you were pressed up against the man’s well-defined chest.

“Isn’t this fun, [Name]?” Kalim let out a boisterous laugh as he continued to spin with you at the centre of the celebration. His dark summoning robes shined under the opalescent light of the room.

“Yeah…” your eyes flickered away briefly, before landing back on his face. Luckily, Kalim had not noticed your slightest hesitation—nor the fact that you were lying.

It wasn’t that you weren’t enjoying yourself—you always enjoyed any moment you could spend with Kalim—that was the truth but—

You could feel the countless dark stares that many of the eligible young women of Twisted Wonderland shot as you hogged Kalim’s attention. Ever since you had arrived at the party, Kalim had happily, and staunchly stayed by your side throughout it—eagerly sharing with you details from the Land of the Hot Sands.

It made you… nervous… insecure.

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Kalim cocked his head to the side, bright red eyes curious—but you didn’t want him to feel upset on such an important day for him.

“It’s really nothing.” As the music finished, you pulled away. “I do think I’m a little tired… So, I think I’ll go rest back at the table.” He gave you a worried look.

“Are you sure?” he cocked his head in an innocently curious manner that made your heart hum in pleasure of his concern. “You’re my friend, [Name]! So, I want to make sure you’re well!”

‘You’re my friend.’

‘You’re just a friend.’

You felt your lips tightened at such a damning sentence, and you quickly looked away.

“Yeah, I just…” you paused, “maybe you can dance with someone else?” you suggested—even if you wished with all your heart that he’d notice how you were truly feeling.

“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Kalim beamed brightly, before he turned around and happily waved his arms. “Who wants to dance with me next?”

In an instant, the Asim Heir was surrounded by gorgeous women, and you were elbowed out of the crowd.

“Oof.” You grasped at your stomach after you were harshly pushed away, and some of the ladies at the outermost part of the circle, sniffed haughtily at you before they turned away.

You stood there for a moment, as you wondered if it would be too late to fight your way through the crowd to reach his side but… You watched Kalim offer his hand to one of the beautiful women. Something in you lurched, and you could not bear to watch so you quickly retreated to your seat—you felt like a coward.

Your table was devoid of your year mates now. Grim was hanging around with Deuce near the buffet table. Ace and Epel, on the other hand, were incredibly popular and seemed to be dancing with some other women too. Ace looked pleased, but Epel’s expression practically begged for someone to get him out of there. Jack on the other hand, claimed that the noise was too much for him, and had eagerly retired to his dorm. You let out a small giggle, as you briefly met Epel’s suffering gaze, before he and his partner turned again. In the process, your eyes landed on the ever cheerful Kalim… and his incredibly enthusiastic partner.

The woman had herself pressed up against his body and seemed to be saying something right into his ear… but judging from her slightly frustrated expression—whatever she was saying had no effect on Kalim.

“In my generosity, I have found a way to bring you back home... but...” the Headmaster peered at you with glowing eyes. “Something tells me you don’t want that anymore.”

You frowned as that memory, unbidden, returned to the forefront of your mind. You were supposed to tell Kalim about it but… Your eyes flickered up to see him dance away with the woman.

You doubted you would get the chance to do so now.

Which you definitely… did not do on purpose.

You just—did not know—

How does one bid goodbye to the sun?

As the music ended, the same hoard of women surrounded Kalim once more. Despite the pang in your heart—you couldn’t help the exasperated but fond sigh that left your lips as you see Kalim smile cheerfully at them all.

Not at all bothered.

Still of a kind heart.

The way he was right now…

‘He truly is the sun.’ you thought, you looked around and you noticed—that everyone was paying attention to Kalim. Their gaze fixated and focused on Kalim’s next actions.

‘Everyone here is a heavenly body, orbiting the brilliant sun.’

Kalim had always had a sense of magnitude to him—always had a spark that attracted everyone… even those who were never meant to stay.

‘And I’m a meteor off course.’

Your eyes hazed over and watered immediately at the realization of your position.

‘I cannot stay.’

You ducked your head frantically—as you felt the inevitable spill of your tears down the curve of your cheeks.

‘I have no place here… no place to stay.’

No one ever willingly bids goodbye to the sun.

They spend the rest of their lives trying to find the right way back to it.

And you know the path you must walk will take you universes away from the one sun that you wished you could orbit around for eternity.

You choked briefly, and instinctively grabbed a nearby napkin to dab at your face. You were glad Grim was enjoying the festivities at the table across—had he been with you, everyone would have probably noticed your complete breakdown.

You sniffled quickly and froze as a hand that held out a handkerchief, entered your line of sight. Your eyes traced the tanned forearm, up the toned arm, before your gaze was caught by deep dark eyes.

Jamil stared at you with a frown on his face as he pressed the handkerchief into your hands. You flinched, startled, before you grabbed it.

“Thanks.” You stuttered, voice low, and Jamil gazed at you unflinchingly.

“You’re thinking of going home.” He murmured in that soft spoken, delicate tone of his. “No… you’re already going home.” His eyes narrowed, and under the candlelight of Scarabia’s halls—the shadow of the flames licked his face and made his dead, calm expression somehow… even more terrifying than usual.

“Please… don’t look at me like that.” You bowed your head, as some of your tears slipped down your knuckles. You could hear Jamil sigh.

“You’re going to break his heart.” Jamil murmured, his voice as cool and collected as ever.

“How can I break something… that I’ve never held in the first place…?” You muttered as you lifted a golden goblet up to your lips. Jamil shot you an unimpressed stare at that.

“Regardless of what you believe,” Jamil pursed his lips. “You will hurt him.”

“It’s not going to last.” You said in defence. “He’ll move on…” you looked up; tears got caught in your lashes as you blinked rapidly. “He’s going to meet people even more amazing… Like someone who …”

‘Someone who will suit him.’

‘The best person that he could be with.’

“I’m sure of that.” You tried to sound convincing—but you couldn’t truly—not when your heart believed otherwise.

“… That… isn’t something that you alone can decide.” Jamil’s eyes slid to Kalim. The man was burning as bright as ever in the centre of the room. “Kalim should have a say in that as well.”

“I can’t believe you’re the one saying that.” It was wrong of you to say that. It was—without a doubt—a low blow. Judging from the most miniscule of movement above Jamil’s brow—you had guessed he thought the same.

He didn’t blow up and instead, the man sighed deeply as he picked up his own golden goblet for a drink. You look down onto the handkerchief that you clenched in your hands.

“Jamil…” you did not look up, and instead your hand reached for your own pocket. “would you… give him this letter?” you pulled out a wrinkled envelope—one you had penned immediately after learning from Crowley that you could go home.

You… you couldn’t bear the thought of watching Kalim get sad.

You had always figured that if something like this came up you would tell him in a letter instead.

So, that you would never have to face his sadness or his tears.

“… You’re a coward.” Jamil said quietly, before he grabbed the envelope anyways.

You don’t say anything.

He was right of course.

You were just a coward—as you frantically cupped your heart in your hands in the hopes that it would not burn away into nothingness.

“Then,” Crowley peered down at you with glowing eyes. “Are you ready?”

You had to drag your eyes away from the doorway—that you had stared at whilst you wondered if anyone would run after you.

Though you knew nobody would.

It had been what you wanted in the first place.

You didn’t want… you hated seeing people get sad. So—you had chosen to write letters to all your friends… and you had set them in places you’re sure they’d see. It was so selfish of you but—

You remember Kalim’s tears when Jamil had overblotted, two years ago…

‘It’s better this way.’ You reassured yourself before you looked at Crowley.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” You tried to smile, and something about the way Crowley tilted his head made you feel as if he pitied you. He chose not to say anything, and instead the Headmaster gestured to the glowing mirror.

You took one step toward the mirror before the door behind you dramatically burst open.

“[NAME]!” Your heart stopped at the voice, and you turned around to see that Kalim was standing right there—his hands on his knees as he panted in exhaustion.

“Ka…lim… why…” your eyes caught sight of a Jamil who slowly dragged his feet into the Hall of Mirrors before your line of sight was completely blocked out by Kalim’s red eyes.

“[Name]! Why—why are you leaving?” His lower lip wobbled, and your heart wrenched itself at the fact that you were the cause of such an expression. “And you didn’t even tell me—have I—are we not friends? Is that not enough reason for you to stay?” His expression looked so genuinely heartbroken, but you snapped into attention at his words.

“The thing is Kalim…” you tried to avoid his gaze. “It’s exactly because we are friends that I… that I cannot stay.” You managed to force out.

“What? Why?” he gaped at you, and your frustration at the situation made tears begin to slip out of your eyes.

“Because I love you, you idiot!” you practically yelled, uncaring of your audience. Kalim gaped at you.

“But—but—I love you too!” Your heart quickened at his statement, but you frantically shook your head.

“No, you don’t—you love me—as a friend.” You emphasized, “and I can’t stay knowing that—you need to end up with someone… better than me—”

“I mean it [Name]!” honesty shone in those red eyes. There was a flicker of desperation in those eyes before he quickly fell to his knees in front of you. You gaped at him in surprise as he reached for his chest.

Snap.

He looked up at you, as he stretched out his hand to offer you the gleaming button.

“I love you [Name].” He met your eyes head on—and the seriousness in that gaze of his made an exquisite shiver run down your spine. “So—won’t you marry me?”

As the graduation ceremony in the Mirror Chamber concluded, Vil and Rook exited first out of all the Pomefiore fourth years. They quickly approached their Pomefiore juniors, who were all, enthusiastically cheering for them.

"Congratulations Senior Schoenheit! Congratulations Senior Hunt!”

Epel shuffled forward and offered the two seniors a big bouquet of brilliant red roses each.

“Oh~ They are beautiful~ Merci, Epel.” Rook took the bouquet with a pleased expression, and happily sniffed the roses. “and very fragrant too~”

“You were so impressive, Senior Schoenheit! You got so many awards!” said one particularly awed junior.

“Naturally.” Vil inclined his head, as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of the roses. Around him, his juniors continued to give bouquets to his fellow seniors. Disinterested in that—his eyes flickered around in a slow pace... looking for...

Vil frowned behind the rose bouquet when he could not catch sight of you.

‘Now, where could you have gone, sweet potato?’

“Er...” Vil glanced back down at Epel, to see him quickly flicker his eyes in a direction.

‘I see.’

“Excuse me.” he murmured underneath his breath before he proceeded to move away from the Pomefiore gathering, down the path Epel had signalled him too.

“Congratulations Vil. I mean—I guess you didn’t need it but--ah... no... I’m saying this all wrong...” he heard you before he saw you. His glossed lips curled up in an amused smirk at the sound of you practising your congratulatory message. Vil turned the corner to see you seated at a bench in the middle of the open courtyard. Unlike him, you were dressed properly in your version of the school uniform. You had furrowed brows, a wrinkled nose and pouted lips as you stared into a bouquet of what looked to be dark coloured flowers. He almost called out to you when you began to speak to yourself again.

“Hi, [Name] here. I wanted to congratulate you and also... tell you... Agh! Is this really the time to tell him about that? God... I don’t want to...”

“Don’t want to what?” You jumped in your seat. You turned your head quickly, only to immediately loose both your train of thought and breath at the sight of him.

It was not the first time you had seen Vil in the summoning robes—he had been one of those students that had immediately caught your eye during that entrance ceremony—all those years ago.

But...

It was like seeing him for the first time—if that made sense.

His light blonde hair twisted into loose lavender waves that accentuated his sharp but delicate features. The sheer brilliance of his violet eyes in contrast to the paleness of his lashes were further accentuated by the dark make up that no one else but Vil Schoenheit could possibly hope to pull off. His lips were glossed gently with that pale lavender colour that had you dying. How long have you dreamed of kissing those lips? Smearing that lavender colour across his cheek? Ruining him, the way he’s ruined you?

How could you ever hope to fall out of love with Vil Schoenheit?

How could you ever hope to fall in love with someone else, after Vil Schoenheit?

He approached you slowly, with an elegant countenance only heightened by the way his robes swirled around him.

“Sweet potato?” He arched a fine brow. You were still silent despite that he had taken the seat next to you. While he may draw pleasure from the way he made you speechless, your earlier words still held fast to his curiosity. You snapped into attention after you realised that you had been staring for quite a while at him.

“T-That is—Senior Vil! Congratulations on your graduation!” you stuttered out as you simultaneously offered to him the bouquet in your arms. You peered up at him worriedly, and promptly got distracted by the way his long lashes tangled briefly as he blinked.

“Roses as well?” he tilted his head, pale blonde hair curled gently around his cheeks. You paused and saw that he also had a bouquet of vivid, red roses in his arms.

“Oh! Um! How presumptuous of me... I didn’t mean... that is to say...” he always turned you into a nonsensical fool. It was impossible to string words into sentences when everything would fall away in the face of Vil. He stared at you, bemused, as you babbled. “Sorry, I suppose you wouldn’t want this—Right, that’s that—I can just—”

“I did not say that.” Vil’s slender shoulders shook in laughter. Vil dropped the bouquet of red roses he had already been holding, to take the bouquet you offered him. He peered at it gently and noticed that what he had originally thought were black roses were actually—not. As he moved it under the light of the sun, the roses would shift between a dark violet or a deep blue. His breath caught in his throat. Red roses were—no doubt—classic. They were beautiful—but this bouquet you gave him… the roses were bewitching.

“What colour are they meant to be?” he finally asked as he leaned down to inhale the familiar, comforting scent of roses.

“What do you see?” At that, he looked up at you with a curious expression. You looked back, eager to hear what he thought.

“I can see violet and blue toned colours... they also seem to be black in some angles.”

“Oh.”

“Are they not meant to be like that?”

“No, no they are... I asked ah... Professor Crewel to help me breed these type of roses... It’s amazing what magic can do for plants.” you admitted, his eyes flickered quickly between you and the bouquet.

“You bred these... specifically?”

“Ah... yeah... back home...” you struggled briefly, “there were these roses that were either bred or coloured to look pink and yellow. I wanted to make ones that were violet or blue. Thanks to magic, it’s possible to actually create these.”

“Why?” he scrutinised your expression as you quickly flushed.

“Er... That’s because I couldn’t choose between either of the colours.” You said quickly as you licked your chapped lips—momentarily realising that you had forgotten to bring your lip balm. ‘Vil is looking at me, and I’m horrendously ugly. What hasn’t changed?’ you bemoaned to yourself.

“I figured... Pomefiore colours, yeah?”

You watched as he studied the way the colours of the rose petals would shift in the light. You were happy to note that there was a little glow of awe in those violet eyes, and—what you hoped was delight. His expression quickly shuttered after you noted that they were Pomefiore colors, and he dragged his gaze from the deep coloured roses to glance at you.

“You know sweet potato... lying isn’t very attractive.” he said, nonchalant, and you froze.

“What... lying?” you chuckled nervously. His eyes narrowed briefly, and you winced.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” You quickly avoided his gaze as you felt your eyes immediately begin to go wet, “Sweet potato, look at me.” You inhaled sharply as you slowly turned your head to face him again. You chewed nervously on your lower lip, and his eyes narrowed again.

“Don’t do that.”

“Sorry.” you knew he was referring to your habit of chewing on your lower lip.

“Well?”

“... I was hoping you wouldn’t notice until... later.” you finally admitted. “though who am I kidding—I wanted you to know... I wouldn’t have given that to you if I hadn’t wanted you to know that...”

“Violet roses mean ‘love at first sight’.” Vil murmured softly, “Blue roses mean ‘impossible love’... and Black roses have so much meaning... just what are you trying to say with this bouquet, [Name]?” you flinched as he named all the colours that appeared in the bouquet.

“Black roses... I... this is also me saying... goodbye.” Vil froze, as he turned to you quickly, his eyes turned even sharper.

“What are you going on about?”

“Headmaster Crowley... he found a way for me to go back.” you swallowed, “and... I think I’ll go.”

“And what about the violet and blue roses? Will you ignore what you just told me?” Vil demanded, and you looked away—unable to look at him—because you know that if you do, your resolve will falter.

“That’s... I just... I wanted to confess. To get all these feelings out because I know... I know it’s impossible.” Your lower lip trembled, but you held fast and tight onto your resolve.

‘Just let it out. Get it out of your system and... and maybe you could start again.’

“Why do you believe it’s impossible?” You hear Vil sigh, exasperated. “For the Queen’s sake—look at me [Name].”

“No, look at me.” you snapped back, and he recoiled briefly at the sudden flash of anger. "I’m more than aware that we...”

‘We have no chance. I, of all people—know that. It’s just some dream I cooked up in my head.’

“Look at us.” you said, miserable. “I... you’re so beautiful... and amazing... and I’m just... me. How could I ever suit someone like you? How could I make someone like you, happy?”

“You will stop talking like that.”

“Like what?”

“Putting yourself down the way you’re doing right now.” He replied, “and look at me when I’m speaking to you, [Name].” You feel a soft, gentle hand cup your cheek, and move it to face him. Vil had a frown on his face—and while he never looked less pretty because of it, you still hated that you were the cause of it.

“[Name]... you...” he paused, sighed before he dropped the bouquet of dark coloured roses down onto his lap and raised a hand to his uniform.

Snap.

Your eyes widened as you watched Vil rip a button off from his uniform before he offered it to you.

“Vil—that—you—” you stuttered. You remembered him talking about the importance of the uniform, and he was the last person you would ever imagine, who would actually—

“What normally happens is... someone confesses, and the other party decides whether or not to give the button. When the other party gives their button—it means they return the love of the person who confessed.” Jack’s voice echoed in your head.

“There’s a tradition at graduations in this world.” Vil began gently as he placed it in your hands, “when one person confesses—the other can chose to—”

“Give them a button.” you murmured and Vil tilted his head to the side in surprise.

“You know of it?”

“The others... Jack... told me.” you mumbled, “but this... Vil... you...”

“My happiness will not be dictated by others—no, Vil Schoenheit is a person who will grasp happiness with his own hands.” He leaned towards you and pressed his forehead against you. His eyes softened as your eyes watered and the tears began to spill. “I’m giving you this button because I’ve already found happiness by your side. Nothing you say will change that so...” He brushed your tears away with the thumb of his hands, and you found yourself lost in the gentle affection in those violet eyes.

“Won’t you stay with me?” Those lavender lips curled—and you’ve never ever wanted so badly to kiss someone in your life, “I’m not a generous person, [Name]. You can only answer yes… or yes.”

“Ah—[Name]!” Ortho signalled for you to come close quickly. You moved to the boy’s side, before he gestured for you to peak into Idia’s room. You had expected to see Idia as he fiddled away with his computer—as per usual. To your surprise however—Idia was in fact—just stared off into space. You gaped at him, before you peered down at Ortho who nodded worriedly.

“Big Brother’s been like that for a while.” You could hear the frown in Ortho’s voice. “I don’t know what to do—not even his games can pull him out of it.”

“Really?” at the disbelief tone, Ortho looked up at you with wide golden eyes.

“Really!” he nodded, his fiery hair bobbed at his movement. “He hasn’t touched a single game in a while! He’s actually gone to some of his classes—well I still needed to bring him there—but he didn’t resist like usual… In fact, he didn’t complain at all! He’s even gone to graduation practice! That’s why he’s—” Ortho gestured at his outfit, and you realized that Idia was, in fact, dressed in the summoning robes.

“What do I do?” Ortho asked, and you knew if he could cry—he probably already would be.

“I’ll… I’ll try to talk to him. You can stay here, alright?” Ortho nodded, and with a deep breath, you pushed the door open.

Idia, on the other hand, still stared off into empty space—unable to register anything. All he could do was think about what had got him so distracted.

Crowley had bothered him too much about graduation—and Idia just simply… didn’t want to think about it. Unluckily for Idia, the Headmaster could become incredibly annoying when he wanted to be. Whenever Idia just wanted to brush aside the issues—Crowley only pressed him even more. At his wit’s end, Idia had thought to mess around with his computer… or something. Perhaps jam Crowley’s ability to connect to Idia—or even better—plant something that will hear his secrets… (‘I sound like Azul,’ Idia had even despaired briefly).

It was as he hacked his way into Crowley’s system in the Headmaster’s office that Idia had accidentally listened into a particular conversation that he sorta wished he remained oblivious too.

“You asked for me?” Idia had jostled in his seat when he heard you speak. He rapidly looked around his room—wondering if you had made it in without him realizing (again). He had an excuse on his lips—ready to be said if you wondered what he was doing. (He had a feeling ‘annoying Crowley because he wants me to physically attend graduation’ might not up your support levels together much.)

“Ah yes [Name]! Please! Do come in! And sit, sit! For I am gracious.” Idia whirled around to look at his monitor. With some rapid taps onto his keyboard, he was able to get a visual of Crowley’s office. He quickly recognized your form from behind.

‘What are you doing in Crowley’s office?’ Idia thought. He didn’t need to wonder too long however because his question was quickly answered.

“My dear girl, I’ve done it!” Crowley said rather cheerfully, “For I am gracious!”

“That’s… great?” Idia could imagine your cute, confused expression. You made it often enough whenever he tried to explain anything about the games he played. Though your worlds bore many similarities when it came to consoles—there were minute differences that often slipped your mind. He let out a soft giggle at that—you were adorable, and just having thoughts about you made his mood all better.

“That’s great.” You had repeated slowly, “but ah… I’m confused—what is this about, Headmaster?” you inquired, genuinely sounding like you had no idea what he was talking about.

‘Maybe I should go off. I don’t want to listen in and… I’m sure she’ll tell me whatever it is about—yeah?’ Idia nodded to himself, and just as he’s about to click the button that would cut off the audio—

“Well, what else could it be about my dear girl~?” Crowley had cackled, “In my generosity, I have found a way to bring you back home—”

Idia’s hand slammed down on the keyboard in shock, as he began to choke. He stared at his black screen in shock—not sure how to feel about what he had just heard.

‘You’re going home?’

He shouldn’t… have been as surprised as he was really.

He remembered that day, around two years ago, when you were first isekai’d into Twisted Wonderland. He knew that the plan had always been to send you home as soon as Crowley actually found a way to do so but…

As he spent time with you—he had gradually forgotten.

No, he didn’t forget—he—

Put it out of his mind.

He was so caught up in enjoying the time he had with you, that it had slipped his mind that it wasn’t permanent. That it wasn’t something that could last for as long as he wanted.

He knew that you always had your past world—your family, friends, and life—in your thoughts. He would too—if he were suddenly isekai’d in some foreign world where he had nothing.

So, Idia thought little of the possibility that you would remain in this world any longer. He knew—

He knew you’d want to go home because—

“What would keep you here?”

“What would keep who here?”

Idia yelped and leapt off his chair at the sound of your voice. He turned around to see you, as you peered at him with an amused smile. His heart skipped a beat at the way you smiled.

‘This is illegal—! You shouldn’t have power over me like this!’ He wailed inwardly, ‘Especially when—’ He let out a strangled noise as you pressed a warm, soft hand against his forehead.

“You don’t seem sick…” you mused, and you tilted your head in a way that Idia squealed at. You were just… so cute. Perfect waifu material for sure—you were kind—always so kind to him, and always willing to understand him in ways no one else ever was able to do. Ortho loved you too—

“Idia?” you leaned closer, and Idia frantically moved back. A wire made him trip backwards, and he let out a pained grunt at that.

“Oh no—are you okay?” He raised a hand to prevent you from drawing any closer.

“I’m okay!” he squeaked out, “I’m fine—just—give me a moment—”

“Alright.” You drew back, and with little hesitation, you chose to sit down on his bed as you watched Idia slowly stand upright. He patted his behind and winced—at which you let out a soft giggle. After a few more moments, Idia shuffled to sit right beside you. He fiddled with his sleeves awkwardly, his eyes flickered away—and back to you.

“Why—why are you staring at me like that?” he finally managed to say, and you smiled.

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the summoning robes.” You said, “they suit you. You’re very handsome Idia.” Idia’s face quickly flamed up, and his hands rose to cup his own cheeks as he began to stutter rather fiercely.

“That—you—but—I—you lie!” he settled on; his face completely flushed with embarrassment.

“I’m not lying.” You shook your head, as you admired him in his summoning robes. You really weren’t—Idia can clean up rather nicely, and the dark colour of the robes accentuated the blue of his hair and the gold of his eyes.

“Thanks.” He said, his hands still covered the bottom half of his face.

“Are you really okay, Idia?” you asked, a little more concerned when your attempt at a conversation fell through.

“Yeah…?” he looked at you confused, and your eyes moved to the door. You knew Ortho was still there but…

“Ortho was pretty worried about you. Said you were acting all weird.”

“That’s because…” he chewed his lower lip, and he looked at you from the corner of his eye. “Well…”

“You can tell me anything.” You said—as you always did, when Idia worried himself to a frenzy at what you might think of the things he liked. “You know me Idia, I don’t mind.”

“Yeah… it’s…” he hesitated before he turned to you—Idia’s expression was different—it was, strangely serious and intense—not in any way you’ve seen it before. It instantly made you even more worried. “The truth is…”

He was never particularly good at lying—nor was he good at keeping secrets from you. You were a person he considered a dear friend—and he was always the type of person who ended up spilling everything to you. He liked being able to talk about the things he enjoyed—he liked that he had found someone who wanted to hear him out.

So, he told you what he had overheard, his eyes fell to his palms because he could no longer face you. He was worried about what you’d think when you found out that he heard what had happened—and he was worried that something on your face will make him break down.

Idia was afraid of losing you.

Idia was afraid of losing a person who was so willing to be his dear friend.

His fists tightened on his shirt, and he wondered if there was any reason, he could give you so that you would stay.

“Idia…” you began, but your sombre tone made him squeeze his eyes shut because he didn’t want to confront the truth—that you were actually going to leave and…

“Are you really leaving?”

“That’s—”

“Please don’t leave!” you faltered briefly, and looked at the way Idia was hunched over, with his eyes squeezed shut. It would have been quite the comical sight if it were not for the seriousness of the topic.

“Idia—I’m—”

“I really—I don’t want you to go—” he fiddled with his robes. “I know that’s… selfish of me—and I know you’re probably thinking of your family but I think—no—I know—” He hesitated, and he looked up at you, his expression shy, his chin wobbled.

“I… lo—” he shut his eyes quickly as finally blurted out how he truly felt. “I love you [Name]!” He tugged quickly on a button in his robes before he offered it to you with shaking hands.

You stared at him—stunned—you knew what Idia was like. You knew how much courage it must have took him to be tell you this—and to confront you about it too…

“Idia… won’t you look at me? Please?” you asked, gently. He glanced up at you, and you gave him a sweet smile that had his heart run a mile a minute. With that tender expression, you took the button in his hands and rubbed it gently with your fingers.

“Idia… you didn’t hear the whole thing, did you?” Idia furrowed his brows, before he shook his head.

“I accidentally quit the program…” he admitted, “and… I was too scared to go back on so…”

“Idia—I’m not leaving.”

“I guess it wasn’t enough—wait, what?” his head jerked back up to see your happy expression.

“I have no plans on leaving. If you had listened further, you might’ve heard that.” You giggled lightly, “I didn’t want to leave you—so I asked Crowley if it was possible to just… communicate with my world instead.” Idia gaped at you, completely surprised.

“Wait—you’re staying?”

“Yes.”

“For me?” he squeaked, and you nodded.

“For you. For us.” You held up the button between your fingers, and he looked at it for a moment before he met your gaze again, his face rapidly turned a bright red.

“So, I—I didn’t need to—do this—?”

“Technically… no?”

“Can you just forget the last few minutes please—”

“Absolutely not!” He made a strangled whimper-like sound at the back of his throat, and you laughed as you moved to embrace him. “I won’t forget it—because I love you too!”

“You—you do?”

You pulled back, to cup his face in your hands. His cheeks burned red, but you disregarded that to look into his gold eyes. His pupils shook, and you could see how nervous he was—you could feel the way he trembled in your hands.

“I love you Idia—and I’ll happily accept your heart.” Idia exhaled heavily, as he slackened into your arms, before he moved to wrap his arms around you.

“And… I love you…” he mumbled, less nervous—a little more assured—but for sure, deep in love. “Thank you… for staying with me.”

When Malleus himself invited you to Diasomnia—you gathered all your courage to go and tell him about what Crowley had told you.

"Ah [Name].” Sebek greeted you with a cheerful smile as you entered Diasomnia’s Main Hall. “Care for a button?”

Your brows shot up as you realized that he was carrying a bunch of buttons in his cupped hand.

“Err... Sebek... why...” you cleared your throat. “Why do you have so many... buttons?” Sebek brightened up at the question.

“You see, remember when Ace was speaking about the Second Button tradition?” At your hesitant nod, he continued, “I have come to understand that I shouldn’t be thinking about exchanging buttons with the Young Master—”

‘Oh dear.’

“As his vassal, I should be more concerned with the fact that should he exchange buttons with someone, it would ruin his attire—and by extension it may ruin his reputation.” Sebek nodded to himself, pleased with his own reasoning. “So, I chose to prepare a lot of buttons for the Young Master to pass out to those seeking his button.”

“I... I see.” You exhaled. If you had to describe what you felt for Sebek at this very moment—you would describe it as exasperated, but fond. He wasn’t a bad person--just... hilariously attached.

'Malleus...’

Had it already been two years since you came to Twisted Wonderland? Had it already been two whole years since you had met him in the gardens of the Ramshackle Dorm?

No matter how much you tried, you couldn’t remember how dark it had been that night—nor could you remember the exact reason why you had still been awake.

“Hm. Who are you?”

What you do know is that everything faded away in favour of remembering how you felt when you first laid eyes on Malleus.

“Well now this is a surprise. You are a child of man.”

Long dark hair that tumbled down to the small of his back, pale porcelain skin, and vividly green eyes that were framed by long, thick lashes. The light of the moon was bright enough to illuminate him and it made him all the more ethereal in the night.

As you had stared at him, you felt your throat dry, your heart picked up its pace and your cheeks burned. You didn’t know—you still don’t know—but something about Malleus just left you so speechless... and in awe.

You raised a hand to your chest, as you felt it skip a beat just at the thought of him.

‘I have it bad.’ you had to accept that much—even if you knew you had—practically—zero chance with him.

“[Name]?” Sebek brought you out of your stupor. You dragged your eyes back down to Sebek’s palm, and the shining buttons in his palm.

“I’m surprised you’re even offering.” you pointed out, and Sebek glanced at you thoughtfully.

“Regardless of my personal feelings,” Sebek sniffed. “I at least know that the Young Master thinks of you as an important friend.”

‘What was it that Jack said?’

Jack had said it was something of a serious promise (Ace completely disregarded it--but... well, you were more likely to believe Jack between the two of them). You also remembered that Malleus wasn’t even allowed to show up in front of the Ghost Bride because he was the sole heir of the Valley of Thorns...

‘It’s not like Malleus would give me his he...’ You couldn’t help but blink in surprise at the bitterness of your thoughts. ‘Since when did I...’ You quickly shrugged it off, before you finally nodded at Sebek.

“Sure, why not?” After you picked it up, you began to play with it in between your fingers.

“Come to think of it [Name], what are you doing here?” Sebek eyed you suspiciously.

“Ah that’s because—”

“I invited her here.” At the sound of his voice, a shiver ran down your spine—and you felt the tips of your ears burn with a blush. You both turned to see Malleus as he entered the main hall.

Your eyes widened, and a gasp slid past your lips at the sight of him dressed in the dark coloured summoning robes. As the robe billowed around his long legs, he moved with a certain grace that made it seemed like he was gliding towards you.

“Woah...” you raised a hand to your lips in surprise. In return, Malleus’s lips only curled—pleased at your reaction.

“Ah, Young Master! You look amazing!” Sebek exhaled, as awed as you.

“Thank you.” He inclined his head elegantly, before his eyes shifted back to you. You shuffled in place uncomfortably, before his lips raised into a gentle smile.

“I apologize I could not come to Ramshackle tonight. We were busy preparing for graduation.” Malleus said, “I thought we could walk instead in the gardens of Diasomnia... before I escorted you home. Not a bad plan, no?”

“Young Master...” Sebek furrowed his brows briefly, but Malleus only raised a hand—his eyes never leaving your form.

“It is fine Sebek. I will not take too long.” He tilted his head; his dark hair gently fell across his face at the motion and your struck by the motion to tuck it behind his ear. You had to curl your fingers together to stop yourself.

“Shall we?”

You walked quietly beside Malleus through the gardens; your heart pounded in your ears.

‘I have to tell him. I really need to.’ You glanced at him quickly from the corner of your eyes. His eyes had slid shut as he inhaled, his shoulders rose and fell at his action. Your heart twisted regretfully, and you could feel your eyes tear up briefly.

His smile was gentle—delicate, much like the fairy lights that naturally accompanied him every night.

He looked so peaceful.

He looked content.

He had once been so forlorn.

His eyes had been so viridescent and sad. Loneliness had wrapped him up in a cold embrace.

You wondered if centuries from now—Malleus would remember you.

You doubted it.

You were just a drop in the ocean of Malleus’s life.

As if you could ever...

“I’ve been wondering.” you flinched as he suddenly spoke, and you blinked rapidly—as you hoped that none of the wetness in your eyes fall out.

“Yeah?” you hoped he didn’t notice the way that you had been so overcome with your feelings that you had to choke that out.

“That.” Malleus pointed at button that you had been unconsciously playing with your hands. “Why are you holding a button?”

“Oh that’s...” you looked down at the button in your hand, “Sebek gave it to me. He said he was passing it out to people who would ask you for your button.”

“My button?” the dragon fae blinked slowly. You quickly told him about the tradition Ace had mentioned.

“Ah.” Malleus let out a soft chuckle. “Yes, I do believe Lilia mentioned it.” then he peered down at you again. “That begs the question... why did you accept the button from Sebek?”

“Well... that’s because...” you nibbled on your lower lip. ‘It’s not like I can tell him that I...’ you stopped walking, and when Malleus realized that you had stopped moving—he turned around to face you.

“Little one?”

“I just figured... well... I don’t think I’d ever get one.” you said in a self-deprecating tone. “So, I thought... might as well... It’s a cute tradition anyways.”

Malleus felt his brows furrow in response. He had easily noticed that your mood was not particularly bright. He frowned; he despised the things that would make you sad—it made your light dim.

Your brilliance saved him.

He would be damned before he let anything cause you to flicker out like a dying star.

When you saw his shadow approach you, you couldn’t help but flinch. You didn’t want him to look at you right now—when you know your feelings are all over your face—when you couldn’t control the way your heart hummed in pleasure—knowing he was with you.

Malleus grabbed your hands, and you swear he could probably feel the way your heartbeat moved into a rapid pace at his touch. At this proximity—Malleus’s scent—gentle but fragrant—of wildflowers and smoke—enveloped you, it made you instinctively relax. You looked at your hands as he gently pried your fingers open to take the button away from you.

“I see...”

Before your eyes, the innocent little button caught a flame and burned away.

“Malleus, that’s overdoing it—don’t you think—” when you looked up, you caught sight of the way he reached for the buttons on his uniform.

Snap.

“I wish you spoke to me first.” Malleus said softly as he pressed the button into your palms. He looked down at you, with those eyes—

Vivid greens--but so gentle, so loving.

Nobody had ever looked at you like that.

“After all, I would gladly give my heart to you, my bright light.” your eyes widened, and they began to sting.

“You can’t... you can’t just do that... You’re a fae prince... and I.... I don’t belong here... I... I...” Malleus listened intently as your breath grew uneven as you tried not to cry. “I... I don’t...” you tried to give the button back, but Malleus only pressed your fingers close. “Crowley told me I could go home...”

“You do not have to.” Malleus leaned down and lifted your head so that he could press his forehead against yours. Your eyes were too sad—too wet.

He could not believe that you thought of yourself like this.

‘You don’t understand little light... If there’s anyone who should be unworthy to bathe in your presence it would be I....’

“You could stay here, with me. You could be my Queen...” Malleus paused thoughtfully, “No... that is wrong. You already are my Queen.”

“I’m no fae. Not even a magician. Not a speck of magic in me.” your grief escaped you through your tears, “you still want that?”

‘Volatile as I was... so arrogant and self-assured in my own powers.... but you had not given up on me, little light.... that is why... I won’t let go of you either.’

"Of course.” he replied easily, “you possess more power than you think. You possess so much power over me.” he whispered, and his breath fanned over your face. “I do not mind how powerless I am against you.”

“I’m not an immortal. You... I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, bright light... I would prefer to live the rest of your life by your side... rather than spend centuries contemplating what it could have felt… to hold you in my arms.” Malleus professed. You were now openly sobbing, and Malleus pressed his lips against your jaw, onto your cheeks and over your eyelids.

“And should you worry about the centuries after... that is alright my bright light. I will simply find you again.”

As he pulled away, he noticed that your breathing was still shaky, and he leaned in again to give you several more comforting kisses.

“Won’t you... get bored of me?”

“Ah... but you are such a bright spark... I will never tire of you.” He made sure to stare straight into your eyes, “I will never tire of the way you look at me, the way you blush... the way you react when I call for you—and the feel of your heart...” He moved his thumb to feel the rhythmic beat of your heart.

“Will you not… let me…have your heart too?” He found the button—his button from earlier—and pressed it once more into your palm, to remind you of his earlier gift.

‘His heart...’

“...How... can I say no?” you choked out, “Yes... of course... Malleus.... I’d... there’s never been anything I wanted more.”

He could feel his shoulders slacken in relief at your response, as he bent down to brush his lips across yours.

‘I was terrified that you would slip away from me... Thank you...’

“Then let whatever years we have together... be ours only....”

#aiwrites #aiscenarios #female reader #twisted wonderland #twst #twst scenarios #twst riddle #twst leona #twst azul #twst kalim #twst vil #twst idia #twst malleus #inspired by: lucky ending by vickeblanka and the second button tradition #ai lucky series

2K notes · View notes

thebounty · 4 years ago

Text

Incompatible (Mandalorian x Hunter!Jedi!F Reader)

Chapter Two: This isn’t too bad, right?

Word Count: 6.4k

Warnings: tension, angst, nightmares, violence, soft Mando for a bit, soft reader for a bit, grammar mistakes most likely. I think that’s it!

A/N: I hope you all enjoy chapter two! I’m still on the fence about if I like it or not, but that could just be me. Feedback is always welcomed! Enjoy :)

Hyperspace was something else. No matter how many times you’ve gazed upon the fast-moving stars, it never bored you. It was calming even though you were literally traveling past thousands of planets at once. You could get so lost in thought while watching them go by, it was a type of Zen you’ve never experienced anywhere else. Not even with your family.

Glancing down at the tracking pad on the counsel, you read that you still had at least seven hours until you reached Voss. You ran a hand over your face and rubbed your eyes. You were exhausted, but you did not want to fall asleep. Partly because you didn’t know if Mando was going to use the com to call you while you slept for something, or just to annoy you. The latter seemed more likely. However, the overall factor of not wanting to sleep with the nightmares that sure to come.

Great. Always something to worry about, huh?

Groaning you slumped even further into your chair with your legs sprawled out in front of you, your wool socks grazed the hard paneling of the floor sending goosebumps up your legs. With a few pops and cracks on your back, you knew your body needed some rest. Your eyelids surely felt like steel as they began to flutter closed. You couldn’t help yourself as you drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.

The Mandalorian was in a similar state as you. Not wanting to sleep for various reasons as well. He did not have nightmares to worry about, but he was always on high alert. Plus, hyperspace was a huge escape for him, to just be and think. He knew that Voss was still extremely far away, so he busied himself. Stepping out of the pilots chair he made is way down the short hallway to the ladder and descended down to the hull of the Razor Crest.

It was a relatively big space, holding everything he needed. Small sleeping quarters, a small fresher, some cargo boxes, an armory, and his carbonite chamber. There wasn’t anything down here he would call a kitchen per say, but he had a few travels sized machinery he used as a makeshift kitchen set, like a portable microwave and a small stove top…thing. He wasn’t particular when it came to a home-made meal or rations. He wasn’t a cook at all, so he normally opted for the rations.

He turned towards his armory and pressed a few buttons before it sprung open, revealing many guns, knives, and various other kinds of weaponry. He had to admit, it was quite extensive. The number of weapons he had would be scary to anyone who weren’t Mandalorian. He took out the most recent ones he used and sat down on the nearest cargo box and began cleaning the blasters and knives. Using a worn-out rag, he cleaned every surface he could find that was dull or needed a polish. It was, soothing for him, almost as soothing as hyperspace. Most of the time his thoughts were flooded with a specific bounty hunter, so he used cleaning as his escape when hyperspace got boring. Now, he didn’t know what to do, since he is being forced to work with her now. Cleaning his weapons now, he didn’t feel his thoughts retreating from you.

“Kriff.” Mando muttered under his breath, taking out some of his frustrations on a hard blemish upon his blaster.

He was still coming to terms with how he felt about the matter. There was an emotion he couldn’t quite place, and it bothered him. His chest tightened whenever he looked into your eyes, those fierce and determined eyes. He hasn’t seen you smile often, or laugh around him, considering he was a pain in the ass towards you. He didn’t know what else to be. Mando wasn’t the best at expressing his emotions, and whatever this emotion was exactly, it didn’t feel like the one to verbally show.

You are, entrancing to him. You are insanely skilled with a dagger, blaster, and fighting in general. Your style of fighting was interesting as well, you move so quick and sly, like a loth cat he supposed. Mando recalls a time when you two pared once, he lost of course, that’s why he’s only pared with you once before. However, he loved to watch you when you fought other people, he could never take his eyes off of you when you did. He was thankful in those situations for his helmet, blocking his gaze upon you at all times. He wondered if you ever thought what he looked like under the helmet.

Of course you don’t.

He shook his head out of his thoughts when his hands stopped momentarily after homing in on a low beeping noise coming from the cockpit, instantly he knew it was the com link.

You were calling him?

Instinctively, he shot up and climbed up the latter in only a few seconds. A few hours must have passed because his back ached once he stood up from his hunched position. The door of the cockpit flew open to reveal the sound of the com link beeping at a low tone very rapidly. This only happened when the line on the other end was picking up some distress signal, or any sound of distress.

He frowned and tilted his head, not understanding what sounds of distress it could be picking up since the both of you were in hyperspace. He sat down and twirled around in his chair, hesitating before clicking the button of the com link. His blood went cold hearing a scream on the other end, knowing for certain it was you. He didn’t understand where this sudden act of care came in, he could easily press a button on the com and ignore it. However, the seemingly dense Mandalorian always let his guard down around you, but because of that, he feared it.

Mando said your name quickly but there was no answer just a few labored breaths on your end, causing him to jump into fight or flight mode instantly, gripping the com in his hand.

“Hey, is everything okay? Are you alright? What’s going on?” Mando spoke rather urgently into the communication line, hoping that you could hear him too. Thankfully, there was an emergency button to turn off your mute to him since you did press it before takeoff. You were mumbling something, but it was hardly loud enough to be coherent. His heart was hammering in his chest, he didn’t understand what was going on with you. He feared something happened to your ship, he hoped that whatever it was he could help fix over the communicator.

“Please, d-don’t kill them…my moon.” You sobbed clutching onto your tunic in your sleep. Mando knew then that you were having a nightmare, maybe even a night terror. It seemed terrible regardless. The sounds of your screams were vibrating his helmet. He had no clue what to do, especially being so far away from you, quite literally.

“Hey, listen to me, I hope you can hear me. You have to wake up.” Mando spoke loudly into the com. In all honesty, he had no idea if this was going to work. This was all new territory for him. He has never had to think about someone else’s needs before his own, let alone try to get them to wake up from a nightmare through a kriffing com link.

“Can you hear me? You’re having a nightmare. You need to wake up!” Mando yelled into the com line, uttering your name a few times before he heard a large gasp and some labored breaths after. You woke up with a start, your chest feeling as though Jabba the Hutt himself was sitting on it and feeling the nail marks in the leather that wrapped around your seat at your fingertips. You scrambled to your feet, feeling more discomfort than the last few times you’ve experienced nightmares. They have always been the same, but this time there was a different voice present. Something familiar-

“Hey, can you hear me? Are you awake? Are you okay?” You heard it again, but this time you knew who it was based on the blinking red light of the com link. You groaned running a hand through your semi-damp hair, probably from sweating. Guilt and dread made their way through your chest. You thanked the maker that he couldn’t see your face, it was probably red and soaked with tears. Your hair was a mess also, which added to the mentally ill look.

Great, he heard you panic. That’s- that’s, annoying.

“Yes. I’m fine.” You hissed before shutting off the com link entirely. You sat back down in your chair, finally coming down from the adrenaline rush you had minutes before. You were so embarrassed. He had to wake you up because of a nightmare, you never felt so childish in your whole life. On the one hand, there was no way you were going to shake this ‘good deed’ off of him for the entire duration of this job you two were quested to do. The Mandalorian on the other hand was speechless. He clutched the com in his hand before tossing it across the cockpit with a large grunt. He was fuming. How could he let his guard down so quickly? He needed to wake up before he made a fool of himself.

“Dang farrick! You di’kutla (you idiot)! How heartless could she possibly be? I just woke her up from a nightmare!? How ungrateful-” He rambled while pacing the cockpit floor. With a shake of his head, he all but jumped down the ladder to the hull to continue what he was doing before he puts a blaster hole in the nearest wall.

You didn’t need the force to tell you that the Mandalorian was fuming. You didn’t know what else to tell him.

“Oh yeah, thanks for invading my privacy of sleeping. Hey, yeah, let’s be friends now that you know nightmares haunt my dreams.”

You screamed of frustration before kicking your chair. Immediately regretting it when pain shot up your shin almost forcing you to sit back down again. To be completely honest, you didn’t know of any alternative scenario for the tin can after all, because you most likely would have done the same thing. However, you were in no hurry to apologize to him now after causing a scene.

These next few hours were going to be a pain.

Coming up on Voss you were greeted with the familiar yellowish atmosphere as you approached. The sky wasn’t necessarily foggy, but it was dense, and the color didn’t add to the fact that it was hard to distinguish where there was a break in the forest to park not only your ship but Mando’s as well. You haven’t heard a peep form him since you cut him off on the com link earlier, but you didn’t mind. It allowed you enough time to figure out what you were going to even talk about when you landed, or what an initial game plan would be for you two.

After what felt like ages, you both landed in a decently open area. You scanned the area upon landing and after reading the map you were about a day walk to the city and maybe a few miles from The Nightmare Lands, so that was great.

Mando parked and shut down his ship before advancing into his cot to gather anything he needed from there. It wasn’t much since he didn’t change clothes often, especially in front of others, so he was glad that he was wearing a new pair of fresh clothes. Descending into the hull, he slung his rifle over his shoulders, holstered his blaster, and made sure his vibroblade was in his boot. After stuffing his relatively small pack with the fracking fob and some rations, he pressed the button to open the ramp of his ship.

A gust of wind made its way through the hull causing him to stumble back a few steps. After gaining his bearings, he made his way onto the planet floor. It was relatively warm, pretty foggy, and just dense. He’s seen worse for sure, however being here with another person, just made it a tad more unlikeable. He scanned the area with his helmet before taking a few steps and sitting on a nearby log. Signing as he slumped down, he grumbled under his breath.

“Enteyor iviin’yc dala. (be fast woman).”

He was definitely wrong.

You put your ship on ground defense mode first thing before climbing down to the small hull of your ship to gather anything you needed. Landing on the floor you grabbed your backpack before folding in some extra clothes and a few rations to last you at least three days. Hopefully, this didn’t take that long. You were…hopeful about this bounty. You’ve never taken down a gang before though, that’s why you were strictly remaining just that, hopeful.

You were dragging your ‘getting ready’ for as long as you could, just to tease the Mandalorian a bit, but also for the fact that you did not want to confront him about your nightmare just yet. You strapped your lightsaber to your back after taking it out of its hiding place, which was a small sliver of metal that wasn’t attached to the hull of your ship. You pulled your cloak over your shoulders and tied it in the front of your neck and slipped your black gloves on before bracing yourself as you pressed the button to lower the ramp with a loud screech. Once the ramp was fully on the ground, it revealed a remarkably interesting image. The Mandalorian perched on a log that was definitely too small for him. You chuckled lowly before making your way down the ramp.

Mando visibly sighed before putting his hands on his thighs to hoist himself up. You were dreading any form of interaction with him to be honest, and so was he. You both didn’t have a single clue as to where to start with each other, or what lines that were never to be crossed. The basics for sure.

Where did you grow up? How is your family? Do you have a family? What dark secret’s can you unfold?

Those were a no go, even though you were both curious to know.

“Took you long enough. I feel like I’ve been sitting out here for hours.” Mando huffed stretching his back rather exaggerated. You laughed.

“Key phrase, I feel like. You didn’t actually sit here for hours, if you did, I bet you would’ve left by now. Try saying what is true and not try to be smart with me.” You smirked seeing his visor tear through your eyes. He knew you were right; he would have totally left you by now if it was just one bounty not a kriffing mob. The dense air didn’t add to the already blooming argument. You shook your head and sighed, bracing yourself or what you were about to say, and about to do.

Let your guard down.

“Look, I’m going to cut right to it. I know we both don’t want to be here. However, I know that we are more than capable of getting this done as long as we work together. I know it might sound impossible, but we need to not be at each other’s throats. I’ll watch your back and you will watch mine. I have no doubt that we can both do that, but I would much rather not argue in between. Especially since they have the advantage of knowing this planet better than we both do.” You said as calmy as you possibly could, trying to speak your phrase into existence, and have hope to any maker out there, that the Mandalorian would comply.

On the contrary, Mando was fuming under his helmet as he stepped forward towards you, pointing an orange leathered finger at you.

“Weren’t you the one earlier that shut off your com after I helped you? How am I supposed to help you if you won’t let me?” He seethed, not wasting time to go against your wishes. You would have groaned out of annoyance but Mando was awfully close to you, almost too close. You felt like you couldn’t breathe. Instead, you decided to sigh and look down at his boots, biting the inside of your cheek to try and regain some composure, before looking up at his visor, not even a foot from your face. You wanted to argue, but if you went against your own suggestion, there was no way he would comply then.

“Look, I am sorry about earlier. Truly. No one has ever seen me like that, so I shut down. We need to trust each other if we are to get this done. That is all am saying, and I am ready to do that. Are you?” You questioned, speaking slowly and quietly. Mando was still close to you, he could see your chest rising and falling with your steady breathing. His now returned to normal.

Mando nodded slightly. If you weren’t this close to him, you for sure would have missed it.

“I- “Mando started but you quickly cut him off. Not wanting to drag this on further than needed.

“Can we please just get on with this?” You quickly said, shocking yourself when you didn’t argue further, or want to. You usually never gave into an argument that easily, but you just wanted to forget about your nightmares for now and think about the task at hand. Mando was surprised too, his helmet tilting slightly looking down at you.

“Ni ceta” (I’m sorry).

Your heartrate picked up after hearing his thoughts as clear as day through your head. You didn’t mean to read his mind.

How did you do that accidently?

You looked away suddenly, not being able to meet his dark gaze for another second. He felt your discomfort and took a step back clearing his throat. All he could fathom to do was nod his head again, clearing his thoughts as he reached into his pack for the fob.

“Well, we should start walking near the last known location, Voss-Ka. It’s a long walk. But no longer than a day I’m guessing.” Mando spoke slowly while looking at the fob then back up at you. You were leaning on one leg, arms crossed, and brows knitted together listening to him. You nodded and secured your bag on your back.

“Well, lets get started then. I have no clue how the cycles work on this planet, so lets make do with the light we have right now.” You offered while Mando nodded quickly, starting in the direction you two needed to go. Taking a deep breath, you fell into step with him quickly before descending into the dense forest in front of you.

The trees were mostly only two colors, red and a dull yellow. The planet floor was also yellow, blurring everything together and making you slightly dizzy as you walked. The crunch of the ground was also annoying, well you certainly could not farm on this dry planet that’s for sure. Large rocks were present as you walked through the forest, and huge tree stumps in peripheral view, it looked menacing. However, those things are easily avoidable, but the smell of this planet was not. An interesting combination of sulfur and campfire smoke danced around your nostrils making you want to wrap your cloak higher on your face. This was the safest option for you two though to not draw any unwanted attention on yourselves. Hopefully, the forest would not have any unexpected visitors.

Mando was not fond of having to walk through a forest to get to this city, he would have much rather parked right outside of the city walls, but you insisted on coming in quiet as to not draw attention on a planet that held rather gruesome citizens. He agreed because unlike him, you’ve been here before, so he took your word for it.

“You said you’ve been here before, right?” Mando spoke, breaking the silence you two were previously walking in. Stepping over a fallen tree you nodded.

“Yes. Only twice though, and they were both relatively short trips. The bounties I’ve collected here were easy to find. Almost too easy.” You chuckled thinking back on the memories. They were both stupid bounties, hiding out in the villages scattered throughout the planet. If they were smart, they would’ve hidden in the city. It was harder to find bounties in the city.

“Hmm. Guess they hid in the villages then?” Mando questioned, understanding what an easy bounty meant. You nodded.

“Yeah. Stupid halfwit.” You shook your head with a small smile as you recalled the look on your bounties faces. Mando was happy you two were getting along for once, even if it was only a few sentences, it was a start at least. But that did not change the way he thought of you.

Obviously. Mando cleared his throat.

“We should try to get more than halfway there and set up camp. So, then we will be able to get to the city in the morning and track their last whereabouts.” Mando spoke while increasing his speed slightly to stay a head of you in the woods, however it was difficult given the terrain.

“I don’t want to see what might be in these woods any longer than we have to, so that sounds like a plan.” You added, moving a branch away from your face before it smacked you. Mando only hummed in response as he leaped down from a rather large fallen tree. He turned and offered his hand to you to help you down. Mando knew this was out of his nature, but like you said earlier, try to be nice to each other. You scoffed and jumped down next to him obviously not wanting or needed his help as you carried on. Mando sighed.

That’s more normal at least.

A few hours of silence flew by and a dozen fallen trees later, you both stumbled upon what seemed to be ruins of some kind. It was the first sign of life you both came across so far so it was somewhat comforting for a minute, before you realized you might have found something else.

You remember reading about some ancient Jedi and Sith temples that were abandoned on this planet, the thought made your throat tighten. You were not in the mood for anything else about you to be revealed to the Mandalorian. He seemed rather curious as he scanned the ruins for any life forms. Like there was any, you said in your head as you looked around as well. The setting sun created a rather jarring image in front of you. The shadows that were casted worked very well with the many oranges, yellows, and reds that the land was now covered in from the sun’s rays. Large stones were around in a circle, then some smaller ones in a semi-circle in the middle surrounding a large stone. Some stones were broken in half, and others fallen over. But the structure was nonetheless breathtaking in this lighting.

“The scan doesn’t pick up any footprints, or signs of life here.”

“Well obviously, look at this place. It’s been deserted forever.”

“Hey, I was just taking precautions- “

“Well can’t you just accept the obvious- “

“No, you listen to me I- “

A rustle.

“Wait Mando- “

“Oh, now what!? Can’t you just listen to me for once- “

“Stop! Did you hear that?” You half whispered to Mando after hearing what sounded like heavy breathing, almost panting, like you would be after running. It wasn’t Mando’s breathing. You could recognize his modulated breathing anywhere and it was certainly not you.

You frowned, how come Mando didn’t pick up on the obvious breathing from his helmet? It was a life form, right? Why did his scan not pick up the life form, or forms? Unless they managed to sneak up on you or it out of reach from Mando’s scanner.

You looked around slowly, as did he. You both turned your backs, so they were almost touching each other so you are guarding the vulnerable side to each other, as if on instinct. You gripped your blaster the same time he gripped his. If anyone was watching you both, it was like you two were mirroring each other, exactly the same movements, and even the same breath. You tried to focus on any sound that you might be able to pick up with your ears as Mando listened through his now heightened helmet. You had an uneasy feeling about this. Whatever it was.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” You whispered to the Mandalorian, now gripping your blaster harder.

“Oh- you should little girl. But it was quite entertaining to hear you two bicker.” Came a voice from the distance causing both you and Mando to point your blaster directly at them. It was a Devaronian man. He was tall, dressed in all black, with horns probably as big as your forearms. You knew they were strong creatures, but what is one of them against both of you?

“There are two of us and one of you, why should we be afraid?” Mando pipped in, as if he heard what you were just previously thinking, not faltering once with his blaster. Your chest tightened; he wasn’t the only one.

Kriff.

“Because he’s not the only one here, Mandalorian.” Chimed in another Devaronian from behind. You turned around while Mando still faced the first man, this next one had a few more friends. Well, at least five more friends.

Great, this was spectacular.

“You had to speak so soon?” You whispered over your shoulder, slightly seeing Mando tilt his visor towards you. The fob on his belt was not beeping, so this could not be the gang you were after. Your blaster was aimed high still as they surrounded you both. This was not good, not good at all. No matter how good of a fighter you and Mando were, there was no way you could escape as least three Devaronian men and four other humans. At least you guessed they were, it was hard to tell in this light.

“Ah, who is the pretty lady? This one wouldn’t happen to be yours now would it Mando? That would be a shame.” One of the men spoke. He was disgustingly pale, had long dark hair, and one tooth missing from the front as he grinned towards you. You could’ve vomited right at his feet.

“No. I am not his, and never will be. Now back up before I blast you in the chest.” You seethed, gripping your blaster even tighter. He only laughed as the other men moved closer into you both. A few more steps and they would have you pinned against Mando’s back, you could feel his cape on your ankles. You sensed that Mando was trying to think of a way out, as were you. But you could not think of a way out that did not require the use of the force. You were not doing that.

Mando was insanely tense. He didn’t like the way these men were starring at you like a piece of meat. No matter how many times you two would argue and get under each other’s skin, no one deserved that. With the thought his grip tightened even more, he knew if he didn’t have his gloves on his knuckles would be white.

“The little girl has a bark, but what about the bite? You both can’t take us.” Another man spat from behind you. Mando could see him, and he moved his blaster in their direction instead.

“Let us go, and you can all walk away with your lives. We are just passing through; we mean no harm.” Mando spoke, trying to reason with them. You knew it was a good attempt, but useless with these men. They looked to be smugglers, and they were not about to walk away empty handed. You were battling in your head. If you used the force to kill these men, then the only person you’d have to answer to was Mando, and maybe you could convince him to stay quiet about the matter.

The idea was starting to become more endearing as one of the men reached their arm towards you, cupping your face slowly. You didn’t dare move or even blast him as you lowered your arm, afraid of what his friends would do if you tried. Surly they would ambush you, and you weren’t about to let yourself and Mando die. Above all, they were not about to steal your lightsaber. Mando was all out of ideas, he was remarkably close to just surrendering and attacking when they least expected it. You felt it in his aroma. You knew you had to do something.

“I said, don’t touch me.” You muttered letting your voice quiver a bit, trying to sound as scared as you could to throw them off. You sensed Mando’s discomfort and- was that protectiveness you felt?

Nope. That couldn’t be true.

Your mind was made up. You knew what you needed to do. You reached out to Mando through the force, trying to get in his head for a moment. You felt the energy around you, having the advantage of being in an old Jedi temple, you felt strong. You heard his breath hitch slightly as you focused on what you were going to say. Mando suddenly felt as though someone was slightly squeezing his temples together, he dared not move, he didn’t understand what was going on. It felt…familiar a little bit. His blaster did not falter when the feeling of something tickling his brain increased, and then a voice.

Your voice.

“Blast the three in front of you when I say to.”

“Oh sweetheart, you can’t tell me what-” The man started but was hilariously cut off as you raised your blaster and shot him in the chest as fast as a millisecond. If someone blinked, they would have missed it.

“Now!” You shouted before you rolled on your back. Mando worked quickly shooting down the three men in front of him as you worked on the remaining men in front of you. Dagger in one hand and blaster in the other, you shot down one man and used your dagger to slice another’s leg. Mando reacted quickly and turned towards you, knowing you were outnumbered by yourself; he flung his arm out and shot his grappling line to the man you injured with your dagger. As it wrapped around him, he heard a scream from you. Turning momentarily, he saw that you were pinned to the ground by the large Devaronian. He had you in a choke hold, you gripped their arm as he slowly retracted his knife from your abdomen.

“You’ll die for killing my brothers.” He grinned at you wickedly.

Quickly, Mand retracted the line and brought out his blade and drove it into the man’s back he had trapped. Dropping the man hard on the ground, he aimed his blaster at the Devaronian on top of you before halting his movements at the scene before him. He was, floating- no levitating above you now, not moving. Not even a scream came from him.

Okay- what?

You moved your arms quickly and the man hit the tree with a loud crack! His back was definitely broken as he fell to the ground, dead. You were panting and felt a huge pain in your side. Placing your hand there, you brought it back only to find it dripping with crimson blood. You grimaced and groaned as you fell back against the ground. You felt someone above you, you hoped to the maker it wasn’t another attacker.

Mando was panting, still gripping his blaster. He was mostly confused but you felt his concern as well. You could sense easily that he had so many questions.

You don’t blame him.

“Ask me later, but please help me up.” You whispered reaching out the arm not currently clutching your side. Mando took it quickly and helped you to your feet and let his arm slide around your waist to help keep you up. If you weren’t in pain and not exhausted from using the force, you might have liked this.

No, you most certainly wouldn’t.

“Where were you hit?” Mando whispered as he walked you two away from the scene, he found a dense patch of trees, one large one was fallen over the top creating a small shelter.

Well, it checked off two boxes for you two at least. A place to help patch you up, and a place to stay for the night, that wasn’t out in the open.

He set you down gently, leaning against a tree. He kneeled in front of you, waiting for your response. Your breaths were staggered, but not shallow. That was a good sign at least, Mando thought as he checked you for any other signs of injury or discomfort. He mentally checked over himself, but he was not hit.

“His knife got me on the side. I don’t think its deep. But I could be wrong.” You stammered watching as Mando took off his pack to rummage through it, looking for a bacta patch for you, and maybe thread.

“I’ll have to look at it.” Mando said between looking through his bag and peering up at you once in a while. Your eyes felt heavier with every passing minute. He took his hand and secured it on your chin, forcing you to look at him. You stopped breathing for a second.

“Hey, I need you to stay awake, just as a patch this up. I need to lift this, is that okay?” He whispered as his fingers lingered below your long black shirt. Your cloak was already off next to you and definitely had some blood on it, leaving you feeling vulnerable. You nodded, knowing your voice would fail you if you tried to use it. Your breathing became ragged, but not because of the pain.

It- it was just the blood loss for sure.

Mando nodded quickly before taking his gloves off and lifted your shirt, setting it down on in the lower part of your chest. The cut was on the lower left side of your abdomen and traveled upwards in a slanted motion towards the center of your stomach. It was deeper than you both previously thought, causing him to sigh slightly. You for sure felt lightheaded as his fingers settled on the skin just below the cut. His skin was golden brown, and you knew it was somewhat of an honor to see a Mandalorians skin, they keep that hidden from people, it was a part of their religion. You tried not to think about it. Mando’s hands were oddly soft for how many callouses there were on them. You felt goosebumps erupt on your skin- no, stop.

It’s the blood loss, it’s the blood loss, it’s the blood loss, it’s the-

“I’ll need to stitch it. Then after I’ll secure it with a bacta patch.” He spoke lowly, glancing up at you with his visor. You were staring at your wound, saddened at the thought of a new scar. Your gaze shifted upwards to him again and nodded slowly, trying not to remember his hands on you.

“Do what you need to do.” You muttered gripping his forearm for reassurance before dropping it back to your side. You let your head hang back against the tree as you felt him get the needle and thread out of his pack.

“This might sting a little bit.” He assured as he assembled the needle and thread before getting to work. The first threading hurt the most, well, it was uncomfortable. You’ve done this countless times on yourself and for the first time ever, you were happy someone else was doing it for you.

It was relatively silent as he stitched you up, but you could feel his mind racing. Mando was confused to say the least, but he was more focused on the task at hand. He tied up the end of the thread before putting the bacta patch over it and lowered your shirt back over you.

“It should be fine, but you should change the patch in at least two days.” Mando informed you as he put everything away, slipping on his gloves again in the process. You nodded as you got comfortable against the tree behind you. Mando sat across from you.

“Thank you. I appreciate this.” You smiled softly as you brought your cloak over legs to keep yourself warm now that the sun was fully set over the terrain. The soft light of the moon reflected off of Mando’s helmet creating a wonderful glow. You had to admit, the beskar was beautiful, and if you truly didn’t despise the man in front of you; you might have enjoyed the sight.

However, you do this time. Considering he did just patch you up. He could’ve left you for dead, carried on with the bounty, and got the whole reward for himself.

Mando was silent as were you for a while, you felt his tension calm down from earlier as he sank against the tree across from you more. You could tell he was avoiding your gaze even under the dark visor. To be completely honest you couldn’t blame him. Working with someone he didn’t like and now finding out she had weird sorcerer powers? Yeah, he could not comprehend that. Mando always seemed to get into interesting situations. You didn’t even know where to start to try and answer any questions he had without giving away too much about yourself. On the contrary, you weren’t going to bring it up if he didn’t. Not until you two left this planet anyway, you could not have him spill this secret about you.

“It seems like we make a good team, huh?” You whispered, trying to lighten the mood and tread carefully.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Mando said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

You heard his next statement before he could utter it.

“Tell me how you did that, that thing,”

A beat.

“Or I’ll kill you.”

Oh. Oh shit.

Tag list: @tillytheslytherin

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

#mandalorian #mando x reader #din x reader #din djarin #hunter #bounty #din djarin x reader #din x female #jedi #jedi reader #baby yoda #mandalorian season two #mandalorian season one #mandalorian x reader #mando x you #din djarin x you #bounty hunter #razor crest

61 notes · View notes

halfwayinlight · 4 years ago

Text

I wrote a thing today. It was supposed to be for Valentine’s Day

Title: Holding Space Fandom: Star Trek TNG Pairing: Will Riker/Deanna Troi Rating: PG Notes: set between Season 3 episodes The Bonding and The Booby Trap

Commander Will Riker would be lying if he didn’t admit that he was disappointed Deanna had not yet come to the bridge to report she was back on board. It wasn’t an official protocol, but it was a courtesy that the senior staff generally observed. It was, in fact, out of the ordinary that Deanna didn’t report to the bridge officer on duty.

He told himself he would wait a full half hour past her anticipated arrival time to call down to O’Brien. It would be a very long half hour, and he knew that at least some of the bridge crew were very aware he was antsy. So Will had dutifully read through the various daily reports sent in. And he checked the logs three times to make sure there wasn’t some mental health crisis that would’ve pulled her immediately back into work.

Eventually, he’d taken to the ready room, vacant since the captain was off duty at the moment. Catching up on reports was no help in the distraction department because the only remaining reports they were still working on were the reports over the Mintaka III duck blind. It had been an utter failure in all aspects of First Contact. Not that the Enterprise crew had been able to really help it. It was more an Act of Fate.

Privately, though, Will still felt guilty about the whole thing. Guilty for leaving Deanna behind. He knew, rationally, that there was no help for it. Palmer had needed immediate medical care. There had been no reason to think that Deanna wouldn’t be able to slip quietly away and be beamed back on board.

“You’re beating yourself up over it,” she’d observed one night in Ten Forward, about a week ago. Her fingers played with the glass containing her Sumerian sunrise, idly tracing the bands etched around the cup.

He shifted, elbow on the table to lean against it for support, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn this evening was taking. Rather than answer immediately, he took a slow inventory of the lounge. It was a slow night, and they were relatively isolated. As his gaze swept the bar, Guinan had given him a long look and a subtle nod. He wasn’t even really sure what the nod meant, except that they would be given some space. “We should’ve come up with a better plan. One that had less risk.”

“We had limited intelligence. Given what we knew at the time, the risks seemed minimal. In retrospect, I don’t see what we could’ve done any differently. And, Will, I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt.”

He shook his head. “You were almost sacrificed to a non-existent deity,” he ground out, one hand lifting to rub his beard in frustration. “Do you know what it’s like to sit in a meeting with the captain and the current expert in Mintakan culture and hear that under these extraordinary circumstances, they might actually kill someone you care about?”

Deanna was leaning in now, arms resting on the table, hands clasped. He envied her level of calm and acceptance about this. “No, I do not. But,” she quickly added, “I do know what it’s like to sit on the bridge or in meetings and hear about missions where the people that I care deeply about may die. To see you and our friends leave on away teams when there are serious risks. To coordinate evacuations and general quarters, especially sauce separations, that leave me with the low-risk group and people I care for very much on the battle bridge.”

The intensity of her words hit him like a phaser blast, and Will was left speechless for long moments. He’d never taken much time to consider what it looked like from her end of things. And given her sympathetic smile, she realized this.

“It’s the life I chose, Will,” she added quietly after giving him some time to absorb her first statements. “We all signed up for Starfleet understanding the risks. Some of us have already lost loved ones in the line of duty…”

It was the line of duty that was the hardest to absorb. That reminder that her own father had died while serving. Amplified days later when Lieutenant Aster died on the archeological dig. It had impacted the crew, shocked them all because this had seemed like such a routine exploration. Worsened because she left behind Jeremy, now parent-less.

And in the last six days since that incident, Deanna had been on duty, more or less continuously caring for the boy. Worf had wanted to accompany both her and Jeremy to Starbase 24, where they would rendezvous with the boy’s aunt and uncle, but the Enterprise couldn’t spare him long enough. As it was, Deanna would barely make the connection back before they needed to jump to high warp in order to make their next mission. If she was delayed, it would be another week or more before a shuttle or transport would cross their path to bring her back.

In the end, it was O’Brien calling. “Transporter Room 3 to Commander Riker.”

“Riker here,” he replied instantly, straightening in his seat on the couch. He never used the desk in the ready room because it felt too much like the captain’s personal space.

“The counselor is back on board. You can take us to warp now.”

“Acknowledged,” Will replied, feeling a bit silly for not realizing sooner that O’Brien would be aware they were waiting for her arrival before moving on. That he would have anticipated the need to notify the bridge so they could go to warp.

Gathering the PADD he had been using, Will made his way back to the bridge. “Counselor Troi is back on board. Warp eight, on to our next coordinates,” he called to the helm before settling into the captain’s chair. He continued to fight his eagerness to see her back on board for himself. With a few commands from his PADD, he finished the plans he’d settled on the night before in anticipation of her return.

She had sent two communiques to him in as many days. They’d spoken only once through subspace, the first night after Jeremy had fallen asleep in one of the bunks on a small thirty passenger supply ship they’d caught a ride with. Deanna had looked very tired, eyes shadowed from lack of sleep that he hadn’t seen from her in a long time. It had been a rough past few months for her-- the psychological torment on Rana IV, nearly being sacrificed on Mintaka III, and the aftermath of Aster’s death. He’d set a hot bath to run in her quarters and left out some real chocolate that he’d managed to obtain on a recent starbase and kept a secret stash for the rough days when hot chocolate from the replicator wasn’t enough. Will had the sense from their subspace call that this would be one of those days.

And yet the bridge held only the scheduled crew members on a very routine shift. Textbook even. He’d rarely been so glad to hand over command to Data when it finally did end. In reality, he should be finding his way to the mess hall or Ten Forward for a meal. But he was determined not to wait any longer.

It didn’t take long to gain her quarters, and he politely pressed the button to notify her that she had a visitor. They came and went freely from each other’s quarters. They were both visitors with full access at any time. Besides that, as First Officer, he had override access to all parts of the ship. But he was a gentleman and would announce himself.

When there was no answer, he paused for a long moment. A glance up and down the hall confirmed that he was alone for now, and he was grateful. Everyone on board knew they were close. It wouldn't have been the first time either of them had been spotted outside the other’s quarters. Besides, their roles on the ship meant they often worked closely together. But he was also acutely aware that the crew knew their relationship was much more complicated than that.

“Computer, location of Counselor Deanna Troi,” he finally decided to consult on this, instead of simply assuming she was in her quarters. It would be easy enough to gain entry, but he hesitated to simply go in. She might be sleeping. Or she might want to be alone. A few dozen less rational explanations for no answer flitted through his mind, but he dismissed the various scenarios as absurd and unlikely.

“Counselor Deanna Troi is in Commander Riker’s quarters.”

Now that was not something he had not considered. With an about-face, he moved just down the corridor and through his own door. His lounge showed no evidence of a visitor, and he frowned to himself as he scanned the room to be sure he hadn’t missed anything. He gained his room and came to a full halt at the doorway.

There was a Betazoid in his bed. Soundly asleep. In the chair in the corner, her maroon uniform was folded neatly and her boots tucked out of the walkway. He was pretty sure he’d left at least a few articles of clothing on the floor, but it had been cleared out, most likely tossed in the laundry.

But what caught his breath was how small and worn out Deanna looked under the silvery Starfleet-issued blanket. The shadows under her eyes were more pronounced in the low light seeping in from the lounge. He wondered if she had even gone to her own quarters at all, and he suspected likely not.

For now, he was too awake to sleep. So he let himself linger for several moments more, absorbing that she was back on board. That she was getting the rest she so clearly needed. There would be time to catch up later. Will finally returned to his lounge and found something in the replicator menu that sounded appetizing and was able to focus enough to wrap up his daily report and close out two older reports before his mind wound down enough that he could think about sleeping, too.

A quick sonic shower relaxed him enough that Will knew meant he could finally get some rest. When he went in search of his usual blue pajamas, he found the top missing but tugged on the trousers and eased in beside Deanna. And he quickly found his missing top, which she had appropriated for her own sleepwear.

That particular realization touched on a mix of new feelings. Attraction. It wouldn't be the first time she had swiped something of his to sleep in. Secretly, he hoped it wouldn’t be the last time, either. And it touched on something tender, which surprised him all the more. That she was tired enough to borrow something, rather than make the effort of going to her own quarters, one room away, for her own things.

“Mmmm,” she murmured now, though Will could tell she remained on the other side of sleep.

“Sssh,” Will soothed, arms banding around her and pulling her closer to him, his body warmer than usual from the sonic shower. She relaxed into the comfort, as he’d hoped she would. “Back to sleep,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss into her hair. “I’m glad you’re back,” he breathed, thumb pressing at the nape of her neck, seeking those pressure points to soothe and relax her. He rubbed small circles until her breath evened out again, familiar and soothing against the crook of his neck and he followed her into deep sleep.

#imzadi #otp: imzadi #will riker #deanna troi #counselor troi #commander riker #my messed up space cinnamon nugget rolls

15 notes · View notes

peterthepark · 5 years ago

Text

born to die

pairing: billy hargrove x reader

summary: sometimes, it’s better to leave something broken than to fix it. after a two-year old breakup, billy finds her waiting tables, yet still as gorgeous as ever. he can only hope that the timing was never right for them, & that they can show each other how to live again. but hope... it’s a dangerous thing, especially for a man like billy.

warnings: angst, SADNESS, heartbreak, smoking, alcohol, instances of a toxic relationship, strong language, bad shit in the workplace, sensitive topics

A/N: based off of the song happiness is a butterfly by lana del rey & of course, born to die by her as well! this is a continuation to die for you. pls read that before you read this for the whole angsty experience, thanks! be aware this contains sensitive topics and i do not intend to glorify them.

The restaurant bustles noisily with the clatter of plates and cutlery. The air is warm, and you can instantly feel the sweat build up on your brow from the cheap air conditioning. Your body, however, stands frozen in the walkway between the tables. The yellow notepad trembles in your hand, and you stumble over your own words as you muster up the stability to speak again.

Meeting his blue eyes, it made you feel as if you were nineteen again - the same nineteen year old teenager, whose mind was clouded with lust and the need to be loved. Billy Hargrove never did, in fact, love you. Maybe that’s why you still had that aching need buried at the bottom of your heart. No chain and ball could ever pull down that feeling.

His gaze drops from your face to your shoes, taking in your frazzled state. Compared to him, you surely looked like a mess. At least your makeup was decent, unlike the stains on your uniform and apron. Billy couldn’t make it anymore obvious with how shocked he was, yet, the faint smile on his face was a giveaway of his lack of malice towards you.

But the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

And maybe you did lie - about him not loving you.

Maybe it wasn’t love in the first place. Maybe it was more.

Because he was still wearing the gold necklace you had given him on his eighteenth birthday.

It’s been two years. Get a fucking grip.

“So, just the pasta?” You clear your throat, scribbling off all the errors you had made on the notepad whilst taking his order. Stuffing the papers into your apron, you collect his menu, nearly knocking over the glass of water in front of him. “Sorry. My fault. Is that all?”

“Yeah, thank you.” His expression is fond. The words seem bitter on his tongue, almost as if he shouldn’t be speaking to you after all that guilt and shame that was placed upon him once you had left. “Y/N?”

Your heart flutters ever-so delicately, and you turn on your heels to look at him. His eye twitches before he bites down harshly on his bottom lip. “It’s good to see you again.”

There’s a small hitch in his gruff voice, and you internally wince at it before you head into the kitchen to compose yourself. You brush past the busy cooks and stressed waiters, shutting yourself inside the stock room as you attempt to even out your breathing. Bracing your forearms against the shelf, you rest your head against the cool metal, closing your eyes tightly as you mutter curses to yourself.

The door creaks open, causing light to seep through the crack by the doorframe. You raise a hand up, eyes still shut as you press your lips together. “If you could just leave me be right now, that would be great.”

“Y/N.”

Fuck.

“Billy, I - you aren’t allowed to be back here.” You finally look up, hair sticking to your cheeks while you wipe away the oiliness on your neck. You’re sure that your eyeliner has smudged with how much you’ve been touching your face.

You must’ve looked far from beautiful.

But Billy thought otherwise. Seeing you look like a broken mess was nothing foreign to him.

In fact, he was ultimately drawn to broken things.

Maybe two broken people are meant to piece themselves into a whole.

“Look, I’m... Y/N, I wanna apologize.” He steps inside, letting the door swing shut behind him. The only light that fills the room is the swinging red lamp above you, illuminating Billy’s sorrowful features.

“We can’t do this right now.”

“You need to hear me out.”

“Not here, please.” Your eyes glance down at his outstretched fingers.

You almost want to grab them and place his palm against your heart, to show him how fast it beats right now.

To show him that he still has that effect on you. To show him that maybe you do miss him. To show him that he could get a second chance.

But you shouldn’t.

You’ve killed yourself for him too many times.

Yet, the sound of his voice and the blue in his eyes is enough to bring you back to life.

“Y/N, I know I’m the last person who - who you’d want to see here. It’s just I... I’ve thought about what I did to you, and what I could’ve done so that I wouldn’t have lost you.” His eyes are soft, and his eyebrows furrow with every word he says. “I just wanna talk.”

“What even is there left to talk about, Billy?” He sighs at the mention of his name, and he struggles to keep his head lifted at the sound of it. You place your hands on top of your shoulders, arms crossing over your sternum defensively as you stare at him with a open mouth.

“Do you still feel the same?” He whispers breathily. “Do you still love me?”

A shaky exhale escapes from your lips, before they part and purse together; the words in your head are hesitant to leave through your throat, and a weak scoff comes out instead. The door clicks open, and you freeze when your boss walks into the stock room. His eyes bounce from you to Billy, and you curl into yourself under his degrading glare.

“Everything good, Y/L/N?” Freddie asks, adjusting the collar of his button up as you tug at Billy’s shirt for him to leave.

“M’fine, sir.” You mumble, straightening out your uniform as you step towards him.

Billy walks out first, and to his dismay, he quickly sees the disheartening interaction between you and Freddie. He doesn’t miss the way Freddie snatches your wrist, pulling you towards him while you struggle in his grasp. Billy catches your eye in the doorway, and you avert your gaze before Freddie finally lets you go. You stumble out of the back room, bumping shoulders with Billy as you hastily return to your job.

The expression on your face saddens him. It’s as if you had died over and over again in the last two years, constantly being thrown in the line of fire - only to pick yourself up everytime. Since when was it possible for it to become this bad?

With short breaths, you place Billy’s dish on the table, already knowing that he didn’t want any Parmesan on his pasta and that he would want a Coca-Cola to go with it. His lips curl up into a small smile, and a quiet thank you slips out. You nod courteously, stuffing your hands in your pockets while you ask him if he needs anything else.

“Can I see you after this?” Billy says as he twists his fork into his noodles.

You huff with a weak shrug. “I don’t - I don’t have time. Really.” He nods respectfully, and suddenly you feel a wave of regret wash over you. You pat the table with your hand, before you stride off to help your other customers. “Enjoy your meal, Hargrove.”

Closure.

It’s what you needed, right? Surely, closure would help mend the agonizing wound inside your chest. But maybe, the wound had gotten worse now that you’ve seen Billy once again - infected even.

Was it worth it?

Billy runs a limp hand down his face when another waitress hands him his check. He sorts through the receipts, digging out crumpled dollar bills from his wallet to pay off his food. His eyes skim over the numbers, until they land on a familiar set of blue handwritten words on the corner of his receipt.

We can meet at the motel down a few blocks. (The one where we stayed when your car broke down? Do you remember that?) Anyways, I‘m taking up room 20. Shift ends at 5.

He cranes his neck to look for you in the midst of the restaurant, but he doesn’t. Disappointed yet also relieved at your change of heart, he folds the note into his jacket, setting aside a generous twenty dollar-bill as his tip. With shaky legs, he stands, suddenly nervous at the thought of you confronting him about all that had happened - but he didn’t care anymore.

At least you’d be speaking to him.

Staring at the evergreen car freshener that hung from the mirror above the dashboard, Billy could feel his chest constrict as he thought of the things you’d say to him.

How pathetic he made you feel?

How he wasted your time?

How he struggled to show how much he truly loved you?

Billy plants his feet on the murky welcome mat in front of your room. Rapping his fist against the door, he bites down on the inside of his mouth as he listens to the lock click open. Your sunken face peers through the crack, and you slowly pull the door further to allow Billy into your room. He shuffles inside with heavy footsteps. The leather jacket rests heavy on his arms so he shrugs it off and hangs it on the wooden chair in the makeshift kitchen.

His eyes take in the state of your motel room. Clothes are scattered on the floor of the bathroom, while two suitcases hide behind the curtain of the closet. There’s an ashtray on the television stand, and a pack of unopened Marlboro cigarettes beside. The bedsheets of your queen mattress are messily pulled back, and it seems as if you had lacked the energy to clean up after yourself. After what seemed like forever, Billy finally pans over to you, eyebrows already furrowed with questions and mouth drawn in a straight line.

“Are you okay, Y/N?”

The question is enough to cause you to take a seat, otherwise, you’re sure that you wouldn’t have the strength to carry on. Not in a couple months has asked you that question. And in the two years you had gone without seeing Billy, you least expected him to be the first person who’d ask.

Visually, the answer is clear: you aren’t okay. But internally, inside your mind, beneath the mentality of pretending to be alright, you weren’t sure if there was anything left - besides the occasional pang of sadness or frustration, it felt as if your whole world had shifted into black and white.

It’s like the universe had died with you.

And so, you reply with the phrase that you’ve repeatedly rehearsed inside your head. “I’m not okay,” You swallow audibly, feeling your throat tighten. “But I will be.”

Billy, though sympathetic, is almost in worse shape as you are. However, he doesn’t let it show, not on the outside at least. Yet, he knows that you can tell something is wrong with him. There’s a slight frown on your face as you rest your arm on the back of the chair you‘re sitting on.

You raise your head to look up at him, “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” He smiles sadly, twisting the ring around his finger. His eyebrows knit together as he glances at you. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I should’ve been better.”

“I know, I know.” Strands of hair from your loose ponytail frame your face, and you stressfully push them away from your view with a sigh. “We both could’ve done better.”

“Fuck, Y/N.” He kicks his heel against the refrigerator with disgruntlement, tugging on his curly hair. “I’ll never find anyone like you. I fucked it up. I’m sorry. I fucked everything up.” He begins to pace around the room, footsteps heavy on the dark carpet.

“Billy...”

“Y/N, I still love you. And I know - I know that what I did was... unspeakable. I messed with your head, I made you think twice, I made you doubtful and insecure and I - I understand no one would ever want that. But Y/N... I was seventeen when we first got together, I was nineteen when we broke up. And now, I’m twenty, and I still miss you.”

“Billy, as much as I... I would like to go back to being seventeen again, and hope that we would last then... it’s impossible.” You play with coaster on the table, twisting it between your fingers as a method of distracting yourself. Billy forces himself to sit, letting himself slide down the cool surface of the fridge with ease. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “But... there are some days where I can’t stop thinking about you.” When you look at him, he meets your gaze through his lashes. “And other days, I wonder why I’m wasting my fucking time, B.”

He thinks that’s your way of telling him that you still love him.

Is it though?

“Do you want me or do you not?” Billy questions you. His eyes are narrowed. The hurt is finally visible, and you shrivel under his hopeful stare with clammy palms.

“You were supposed to be my once in a lifetime.” You clench your jaw, pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. “I don’t know if I can handle a second chance.”

The air smells of death.

You shouldn’t have done it. You shouldn’t have let him reach out. You shouldn’t have let this happen.

Your body shifts into instinct, and your feet scuffle against the ground as you stand up. Your shadow falls against Billy’s face as you step closer towards him. His eyes follow you as you sit down onto your thighs in front of him. The skirt of your uniform rides up, baring the skin beneath it.

“But what’s the worst that could happen to someone who’s already hurt?” You whisper, breath fanning over your lips.

His face is inches away from yours, and his attention falls onto your smudged lipstick, hesitant to reach out and touch you. Sitting between his legs, the tip of your nose grazes against his, then your mouths hover over one another - so close yet so far. Momentarily, he locks eyes with you. And you see nineteen-year old Billy again. You hold back a sob as you let your forehead rest again his. Gently, your fingers come to toy with his necklace, engraved onto it is a butterfly, and you smile through tears.

“I love you, Y/N.” Billy swipes his thumb under your eye, catching your teardrop. “I love you.”

His lips slowly connect to yours, capturing you into a desperate and longing kiss. His hands become grabby, clutching at the fabric of your top and nape of your neck. When he pulls away, you both are gasping for air.

Kissing him had revived you.

But kissing him was also the thing killing you.

How can you stay away from something that you were once so addicted to?

“So what happened?” Billy pipes up in a raspy voice. He rubs your arm, drawing butterfly-like shapes with his pointer finger as you rest your head on his bare chest.

Ever since he had sat down and talked to you, he’d visit you every few weekends, trying his best to prove himself to you again.

To gain back your trust.

It was almost too easy.

“I, uh, moved out of home last year for college. Remember Chicago? Yeah, couldn’t afford that shit so I was forced to drop out. Then, my parents got on my ass about it and I feel too - too ashamed to even ask for their help. Which is how I got to waiting tables at Rascal’s.” You scoff, “It doesn’t pay much, but its enough for two nights at a motel and some grocery.”

Billy shakes his head. “Jesus Christ, Y/N.”

“But I’ve saved up enough money... to leave.” You reluctantly glance up at Billy, burying your head against his collarbone. “You know?”

“Leave?”

“I’m going to California in a few weeks. That was my plan: to get up and go without telling anyone. Just - just disappear off the face of the earth. But now, you’re here. I’m here. And yet, I still want to leave this shithole.”

Billy looks over at the suitcases in the closet.

You were going to California.

What if he went too? After all, he’d die for you, right?.

You move to lean against the headboard, blinking at him expectantly.

Raising an eyebrow at him, you listen as he begins to ramble on. “Let me go with you to California.” Your jaw drops, and you start to shake your head while he frantically continues. “Y/N, there’s nothing for me here. This - I don’t have anyone or anything in this shithole.”

“You have Max.”

“She has her friends.”

“Billy,” You place your hand on his cheek, pulling him into your arms when he leans into your warm touch. “Wouldn’t that be a little too selfish?”

“Sweetheart,” He presses a kiss to your forearm and squeezes your hand. His eyes flicker up to you, and you blush deeply under his intense stare. “I’m always a little too selfish when it comes to you.”

The fact that he’d die for you was enough, right?

“So you’re coming with?” You chew on your bottom lip, tracing his tattoo with uncertainty.

“I’ll go anywhere you want me to go.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure, Y/N.”

Walking through the city streets

Is it by mistake or design?

I feel so alone on a Friday night

Can you make it feel like home if I tell you you're mine?

In a matter of weeks, Billy shows up to your motel room with two luggages in each hand. His hair is pulled back into a low curly ponytail, and he flashes you a charming smile as lightening booms in the sky behind him.

“When I said that we should runaway together at some point in our life...” You joke, hopping into the passenger seat of his Camaro with ease. Billy comes around to the driver’s seat after loading the trunk. “I didn’t think we’d be serious about it.”

“Well, there’s no backing out now, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Keep making me laugh

Let's go get high

The road is long, we carry on

Try to have fun in the meantime

“Can we stopover? Please? I gotta piss.” Billy complains, scratching his head dramatically as he fidgets in the seat. You drum your fingers against the steering wheel, finding amusement that he can’t stand the fact that you’re driving. “Y/N, I’m begging you.”

“The next stopover isn’t for like another hour. You’re an idiot. Should’ve went at the last one.”

“I di-“

“Fine! Fine. Alright, well, the closest thing to us is some random bar.” You chuckle, changing lanes. You turn up the stereo, tuning out Billy’s whining with Elvis instead.

Come take a walk on the wild side

Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain

You like your girls insane

The mattress is soft beneath you. Billy’s arm rests over your stomach, trapping you against his chest. The lamp beside you buzzes softly, and you take in the state of the apartment that Billy had managed to rent out within the month you had arrived in San Francisco.

Leaving Hawkins had left an unknown scar in your heart. You wanted this - California, having a life with Billy, a second chance at that. You felt euphoria once you had moved in with him; the feeling was fulfilling, and it made you feel complete.

Was there anything better than loving someone in a city far from home?

You blink sleepily as Billy stirs awake. He yawns into your shoulder, trailing kisses up your neck with exaggerated noises.

“Morning.”

“Hi.” You flip onto your other side to face him. The blanket tickles your nose as you cuddle into its warmth, locking eyes with Billy. The dark blue turquoise swirls with adoration and momentarily, you feel something.

He looked at you like you were his whole world.

You must be feeling love - love felt like this, right? It had to. What other feeling could it be?

Or are you just trying to convince yourself as you look into the eyes of the boy who had stabbed you in the heart too many times?

You wanted this, Y/N.

You wanted California.

But did you ever want Billy?

“Are you leaving for work soon?” He asks, rolling out of the bed. He slips on his sweatpants from last night, tying the drawstrings together.

“Yeah, I have about twenty to spare though.”

“Oh.” He huffs, arms limp by his side. “Well, you should’ve told me. Put on pants for nothing.”

You laugh heartily. But the grin fades instantly when he dips down to press a suggestive kiss to your lips.

Was it love? Will it ever be love?

Lost but now I am found

I can see but once I was blind

I was so confused as a little child

“Y/N, you want me to take table six?” Alex asks, holding a stack of menus in his hand. You push your hair back, nodding with a gracious gaze.

“Please? Thank you. You’re an angel.” You move to brush past him, but simultaneously, he tries to move past you as well. His taller frame hovers over you, and you unexpectedly blush when he touches your arm to scoot past the granite counter.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He chuckles shyly, scratching his head. A black curl of hair falls against his forehead, and you look at him fondly before he finally moves to accommodate the customers.

You catch the second glance he gives you.

And your belly bubbles with a cozy sensation.

It’s been forever since you’ve felt like this.

Tried to take what I could get

Scared that I couldn't find

All the answers, honey

“Okay, so you’re from Indiana? Tell me how it feels to grow up in a place like that.” Alex points at you with his spoon, chewing softly on his cereal. He glances up at you as he takes another spoonful of Cheerios. You shake your head in disagreement, staring down at your coffee bashfully. “No? So you’re from Illinois? Wait, Michigan?”

“No, no, I grew up here, silly. But... moved to Indiana for family reasons.” You shrug.

“Oh, alright, I see it now. You’re definitely a California girl.”

“What makes you say that?” He pauses, taking a couple minutes to study your face.

“You’re too beautiful for a small town, Y/N.”

You didn’t know that your own name could make you feel such emotions.

Don't make me sad, don't make me cry

Sometimes love is not enough

And the road gets tough, I don't know why

“Where have you been?” Billy rushes towards you, reeking of a bar.

You exhale sharply, tossing your bag onto the stool by the front door. “Working. Why?”

You take off the cardigan of your uniform and hang it on the coat rack. Walking past a concerned Billy, you head straight into the bedroom, too exhausted and too conflicted to even acknowledge him following you. He leans against the wall, eyes wide with disbelief as you start to undress.

“Working? Y/N, it’s been hours since your shift ended!” He shouts, gesturing at the clock on the nightstand.

You gape at him, slipping into an old shirt. “Billy, I’m home. That’s all that matters.” You start to raise your voice in irritation. “Why are you being such an ass about it?”

“Because - because...”

Happiness is a butterfly

Try to catch it like every night

It escapes from my hands into moonlight

“Because you don’t trust me? Is that what this is?” Scoffing at him with narrowed eyes, you dump your waitress uniform into the laundry basket, disregarding how piled up it is.

“You’re putting words into my mouth.” He paces around the room, while you sit calmly on the edge of the bed.

“You’re making assumptions.”

“Then tell me where you’ve been all day!” He explodes, tugging at his hair.

“With Alex.” You answer truthfully, finding no harm no the words you had uttered.

“Alex?”

“Just a guy from the café.”

Billy’s face hardens. “You’ve been at this job for how long? Three months?”

“B, just drop it. I’m tired.” You bury your head into your hands.

“Three months and you haven’t told me a single thing about this - this Alex.” His voice falters, and for a second, you think that’s he done being an asshole - but the anger and jealousy in his eyes tell you the opposite. “You like spending time with Alex? Huh? You’ve been gone for five hours, is that how much you like being around Alex? I barely get to see you anymore, Y/N. What the fuck is this?”

“Alex is a friend!” You stand up abruptly, fed up with Billy’s behavior. “I can’t be friends with other guys? You’re fucking crazy.”

“We move back to California and suddenly you’re a whore again.”

You realize that he’s been slurring this whole time - his words still hurt, though, and the intent behind them are enough to sting.

But drunk people often tell the truth. You weren’t a stranger to that.

If he's a serial killer, then what's the worst

That could happen to a girl who's already hurt?

I'm already hurt

Your frustration shifts into shock, then pain as you process what he had said to you in a matter of seconds. The tears don’t hold back this time, and immediately, your vision is blurry as the room around you spins.

Billy wobbles on his feet as the shame comes over him. He mutters your name when he sees your watery eyes and your quivering lip. You make a beeline for the door, but you’re pulled back when your hand comes in contact with the knob. Billy tightly wraps his arms around your waist, resting his head against your back as he whimpers an apology. The cracks in his throat don’t faze you. The dampness of your shift doesn’t faze you. The sound of him whispering your name doesn’t faze you.

This isn’t love.

Your love died when you had died for him.

If he's as bad as they say, then I guess I'm cursed

Looking into his eyes, I think he's already hurt

He's already hurt

“I don’t want this.” You say, shuddering as a sob racks through your body. “I don’t want you if you’re going to be like this.”

“Stay. Stay.” He cries. This is too familiar. This already happened. You can’t handle a second time. Not again. “I’ll change. I’m drunk. I’m drunk - just - this isn’t me, Y/N. You know me. This isn’t me.”

“I’m so fucking stupid.” You tremble, placing your hands on the door to hold yourself up as Billy embraces you even tighter.

You can’t breathe. He’s suffocating you.

“Y/N, I love you.”

“I’m sorry, B. I can’t.”

This isn’t love. No...

This is what it looks like when you’re lonely.

You pry his cold hands off of you, not once looking back as you slam the bedroom door behind you.

Billy doesn’t chase after you this time. He lets the tears roll down his cheeks. And he lets the emptiness eat him alive.

After all, people don’t come back from death.

I said, "Don't be a jerk, don't call me a taxi.”

Sitting in your sweatshirt, crying in the backseat

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anywhere else to go.” You sniffle, wiping away your runny nose with the sleeve of Billy’s crewneck. It hangs just above your knees, and you realize how disheveled you look.

Alex ushers you inside, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as you take a seat on his futon. The throw pillows smell of roses.

A funeral.

He doesn’t say a word. Rather, he sits beside you, rubbing your back comfortingly as your breathing becomes ragged. You try to speak, but all that comes out is a weak, pained moan.

I just wanna hold you tight down the avenue

I just wanna dance with you

Alex pulls you up from the makeshift bed on his couch, shushing you as you start to worriedly ask questions. The record player by his dining table sings airily, and you feel light as Alex begins to waltz with you around the living room.

“I’m not in the mood for this...” You mumble grumpily. Alex blows air into your face, and you flinch from the sudden action. “Ow, what is wrong with you?”

“Just trying to dry your tears. If you keep crying, I’ll run out of oxygen soon from trying to keep you dry.” He quirks a brow at you, laughing as you accidentally step on his bare feet. “And maybe I have to teach you to dance better. I won’t have any feet after that either, considering you keep fucking stepping on them.”

You shake your head at him with a small smile.

The cozy feeling from before fills the dark pit in your stomach.

“Is the California girl smiling?” Alex pulls back to look at you properly, scrunching his nose up when he sees you smile even wider. “Would you look at that.” His eyes drop down to your lips, and you don’t miss the way that his tongue slips out to wet his own. Clearing his throat, he speaks up again. “I got you a little gift. Just - just to cheer you up. Uh, hopefully. I don’t know if you’ll like it, but...” He steps away, digging through his bookshelf. When he turns to you, he holds out a minuscule box.

You hesitantly take it into your hands, popping the lid open.

A necklace.

A butterfly necklace.

The same one as Billy’s.

What a tragedy, to want to forget someone, only for them to flutter into your life undecidedly, especially when you don’t want them anymore.

But people don’t get to decide when the Reaper comes to sow.

And death - death is inevitable.

You were born to die from the beginning.

316 notes · View notes

fourangers · 4 years ago

Text

Fate and Choices (ch.06)

Summary: When Naruto discovered who was going to be his soulmate, he jumped straight at this opportunity, looking forward to spending the rest of his life with his better half. Sasuke well…he was less eager in this regard though. NaruSasu. Soulmates tattoos. M-rated.

Chapter 05

AO3 link | ffnet link

--.--

Sasuke was checking the monthly chart about follower growth alongside the monthly expenses to boost their social media account when his brother called.

“Good morning otouto-kun. How are you doing so far by yourself, you need any help?”

“Morning. So far nothing of the tragic nature. Thanks for asking anyways.” He tilted his head to one side to steady his smartphone in between his ear and his left shoulder, while he used both hands to type on his laptop. “By the way, you met your soulmate already?”

“I did! He was waiting for me at the airport. A very fascinating individual, knowledgeable and has a keen sense of everything since he traveled across the globe, learned all different kinds of culture and society. I had a wondrous time talking with him.”

“That’s great.” Sasuke muttered.

“Also, he shares some long-distance ancestry with us! Apparently, his great-great grandmother is an Uchiha that detected that her soulmate lived in the Netherlands and migrated here. The only clue he has some Japanese genes might be the fact that he has more of an almond shaped eyes, but his hair is curly unlike ours.”

“Huh, really? Interesting.”

“We’re going to do a city tour in Amsterdam. I mentioned that I like seeing anything related to art and history, so he already programmed an entire schedule visiting Van Gogh’s museum and other great places.”

“I see that he’s not wasting one second in trying to get into your pants huh. Give me his number so I can tell him that if he ever dares to make any wrong move I’ll tear him into pieces.” Sasuke scowled, frown in his face as his fingers pressed on the buttons loudly.

He heard Itachi’s amused chuckle. “Otouto-kun, don’t worry about it. He really appears to be a kind man and I believe I’m a good judge of character. I’ll keep you and mom posted about all this, because I know you two will be nagging me no matter what.”

“Hn.”

Even despite his current reservations, it was refreshing and odd listening to Itachi’s upbeat voice. He was glad that his older brother was acting his own age for once, since he was forced to be more mature in his teenage years to defend his own mother and protect Sasuke. So it was nice hearing Itachi’s honest excitement, proper from a young man such as him, which was the main reason Sasuke curbed most sarcastic and critical remarks, not wanting to put a damper on Itachi’s mood.

“Talking about soulmates, how did you fare with yours, by the way?”

Sasuke almost bit his own tongue, coughing dryly.

“That bad?” Itachi questioned, apprehensive.

“No, actually…” Sasuke cleared his throat. “We’re going to try and go on some dates.”

“…”

Sasuke could almost feel Itachi’s smiling on the other side of the phone. “Nii-san, your sudden silence is somehow more infuriating than your usual smartass quips.”

“So you say. Anyways, I have to go for now. Call me if you have any questions Sasuke.”

⏤.⏤

Sasuke yawned, adjusting his laptop settings so it’d pair with the TV screen. Neji and his crew would be arriving soon to adjust the overall schedule and other general alignments. Nodding to himself, he went to the bathroom (those meetings tend to drag for hours), only to see Suigetsu adjusting his hair style, straightening his clothes.

“Suigetsu, what are you doing?” Sasuke deadpanned, raising an eyebrow as his friend continued to turn in all angles, trying to get the best look in front of the mirror.

“Well, Uzumaki is coming here today right? I’m sure that you already dumped him at this point of the story so he’s free for grabs! I’m definitely going to try asking him out.”

Sasuke opened his mouth to elucidate the whole situation but they heard the receptionist’s voice so Suigetsu was first to go towards the entrance, Sasuke trailing behind. He saw Suigetsu affably shaking hands with everyone, before changing his tune when he saw Naruto. He was definitely feeling up the blond’s biceps while they greeted each other.

Sasuke frowned, stepping in with a grunt. “Naruto, Neji, everyone. It’s nice to see you all again.”

Naruto was positioned so his back was facing him, instantly turning around with an exclaim. "Oh hey, Sasuke!"

Sighing, Sasuke controlled the urge to blush witnessing how Naruto's eyes brightened up, grin widening as their gazes locked together. That dumbass looked exactly like an overexcited puppy. Neji even patted the blond head twice, before shaking Sasuke's hand. “Nice to see you again. I hope our meeting wasn’t too much of a trouble for you.”

Sasuke nodded, stepping aside to let them in as they settled in the meeting room.

“So, first things first, I’d like to present Takahashi Ayumi-san. She’s going to be Shinrei’s account manager from now on.” Neji explained, as the aforementioned woman bowed respectfully, giving Sasuke her business card.

“Is that any reason for such a change?” Sasuke exchanged their cards, bowing back at her while he glanced towards Naruto. The blond man on the other hand, didn’t look troubled nor guilty, settling some of his own fears aside.

“Naruto is our main social media manager and we’re getting new cases for him to take care of, so I thought that it’d be better for him to focus solely on his tasks.” Neji said.

“I’ll still go with you to meet any possible sponsor, or give reports to your current ones. But anything related to your social media accounts will go through Ayumi-san from now on, to organize our workflow better.” Naruto filled in the rest of the speech, also opening his laptop. “So we’re also here to make the transition go smoothly, and she’ll be up to date with the overall demands and so on. You don’t have any problem about that, right Sasuke?”

Sasuke shrugged, as everyone concentrated on discussing the rest of the procedure, covering all details. Once they finished the meeting and Neji’s team departed, Sasuke returned to his office, seeing Suigetsu’s roguish smile.

“Hey, I managed to get Uzumaki’s number. Well, obviously he still thinks it’s work related but…I’ll turn things around. I gotta tell you, I had a glimpse of a bright future when I saw him bending down to pick some paper, that’s a nice juicy butt that I haven’t seen in a while. Man, I just want to get in between that round asscheeks and thrust.”

Sasuke had enough. “Naruto and I are dating.”

Blinking, Suigetsu slackened his jaw then uttered out. “What?”

“Naruto. And I. Are dating.” Sasuke spelled out with gritted teeth.

“Again, what? He’s your soulmate, isn’t he?” Suigetsu saw how Sasuke clenched his mouth, frown in place. “I don’t get it, after all the time when you kept complaining about how the soulmate system sucks and you’ll never get together with your soulmate because it’s a waste of time and so on and so forth you’re dating him? Am I missing something?”

"It's a long story, let's just say we talked, and I'm going to try, see if it's going to work."

Suigetsu stared in awe, before snorting at last. "I knew you wouldn't last long. I mean, when you have a soulmate like that, you'd want to call first dibs. I would do that too if I were you."

"We're just dating, not having sex like some kind of horny animals." Sasuke muttered, glowering back.

"Right, as if part of the whole dating business doesn't have people fucking like horny animals." He quirked a haughty smirk, wagging his eyebrows. “Aw fuck, I was getting really turn up in asking him out! Maybe we should both try getting him on dates, and then make him choose between one of us⏤”

“Suigetsu.”

“Right right, jeez.” Suigetsu raised his hands in mock surrender. “You don’t have to get so defensive. I won’t make any moves, whatever.”

Sasuke snorted, noticing the message ping showing Naruto asking him to go to the lobby once again.

“So, you hungry?” Naruto beamed, while he was busy typing on his smartphone. “I asked Neji to stay for a while longer so we can go out for lunch.”

“Lunch sounds like a good idea.”

“Great! You’ll lead the way, but please don’t choose any expensive restaurant because I’m on a budget ok. Don’t pick anything weird that will make me taste shark semen or some weird shit like that.”

Sasuke smirked. “Actually, I’ve heard that in China it’s a good aphrodisiac so⏤”

“Yeah, see, that’s what I meant.” Naruto poked his arm repeatedly. “I just want to eat some Ramen for all I care.”

He ended up choosing a traditional Japanese restaurant, specialized in Teishoku (set meal). While they were waiting for the food to arrive, his curiosity got better of him so he questioned. “So, why did you and Neji ended up giving the task of managing Shinrei to Takahashi-san?”

“Hm, well…it’s something that I thought over this weekend. Now that we’re dating, that means it’s gonna be more difficult setting work and dating apart right? I don’t want to end up discussing with you over something work-related while we’re on a date, or flirt with you while we’re talking about work. Plus, I might get frustrated about having to solve some issues about Shinrei and then out of nowhere you might send something personal on LINE. It’s those things here and there that makes me afraid that it might hinder our relationship and I don’t want this to happen to us. So I talked with Neji, he suggested this solution and Ayumi-san was on board to help me out.” Naruto explained, while he adjusted the napkin in his lap. “You don’t mind that, right?”

“Not at all, I actually agree with your idea. Never expected that a usuratonkachi like you would be so thoughtful.”

Naruto rolled his eyes, then broadened a playful grin. "You know what does that mean too, right? That I'm free to send you dick pics, all to my heart's content."

"That also mean I'm free to block you once again if you step out of line."

“Aw, you wouldn’t do that, would you? Not after you accepted going on the Best Date Ever in History!”

“You’re pretty confident with your dating skills.” Sasuke shook his head in amusement. “I trust you already came up with a detailed itinerary then?”

“Maybe, but I’m gonna keep this as a surprise.”

Sasuke stared nonchalantly towards Naruto’s cheshire smile, snorting softly. Their food soon arrived, they enjoyed the fragrant dishes in between chuckles and teasing remarks. It was hardly a chore getting in tune with Naruto, lowering his barriers. It’s been so long he felt so relaxed around someone aside from his mother and older brother.

While they were going back to Sasuke’s office, Naruto read a message, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh. You know your employee Hozuki-san? He scheduled a meeting this wednesday but he just cancelled now, telling me that he fixed whatever issue he wanted to talk about, but when I asked, he just said that it’s nothing big. That’s weird, you know anything about it?”

Sasuke smirked, but schooled his expression to a neutral one. “Yes, but don’t worry about it, usuratonkachi. I assure you that Suigetsu wasn’t asking for anything important that really needed you help.”

“Hm…” Naruto wrinkled his nose, tilting his head to one side. “You seem to know him pretty well, he’s been working in your company for a while?”

“Actually, I’ve known him since college, I decided to ask him to work with me when Nii-san and I founded our company.”

“That’s cool, how did you guys meet?”

“We used to have a lot of classes in common, and then we formed our group of friends.” Sasuke muttered, recalling his memories. “Crazy friend, but at least helped me hook up with some guys.”

Naruto stopped walking at once.

Sasuke also halted his steps, turning around with a quirked eyebrow.

The blond man strode menacingly, glowering. “You did what? After what happened between us?!”

Seeing the indignant expression on his face, Sasuke instantly understood that he stepped on a landmine. He began a well-rehearsed speech. “Well, technically, at that time we weren’t in a relationship and also we were just young hormonal teenagers, so officially, there’s nothing that really binds us together so…”

“What the fuck Sasuke, what did you want?” Naruto snapped back. “Some official document, registered in the government with our signatures, stamps and even some blood pact for some special effect? We didn’t have any extra-official but I thought that, well, since we were in this together…”

“If there’s any consolation the number of hook-ups is under one single digit, so can we drop this.” Sasuke snarled, tensing his shoulders.

Naruto stared back incredulously, before giving out a sardonic scoff and crossed his arms. His eyes glanced up and down towards Sasuke, growling.

“Oh, so that’s how you justify yourself by cheating on me.”

“Again, back when we were teenagers, we’ve done nothing but fooling around together.” Sasuke emphasized, annoyed. “I honestly thought that you have done the same, considering that we lost contact while in college.”

“Sure, okay, cool, thanks a lot for pointing that I’m a fucking idiot for wasting my chances while I was waiting for you like a fool.” Naruto’s voice was bitter and angry, taking Sasuke off guard from this uncharacteristic behavior. “I should have followed after the first vagina or dick available while I was in college. Hey, maybe I should do this right now, to pick up since I’m behind.”

Whatever tight control Sasuke was attempting to reign in, snapped apart as he glared towards Naruto’s rebellious face. He knotted his shirt into his fists, Naruto mirrored this movement, wrinkling the expensive fabric. He growled. “I thought we were in agreement that we're dating now. A suggestion, might I add, that you gave it to me."

"Well, that was before I discovered that you probably slept with half of the campus or where else more. So sorry if I'm not taking this piece of news all too well." Naruto said with gritted teeth.

Sasuke huffed. "I already told you, it was only under one single dig⏤"

"Who the fuck cares, one, one thousand⏤! You cheated, that's what happened!" Naruto pushed Sasuke away, throwing his hands to the air. "You know what, fuck this shit, I'm outta here!" He turned around, already stomping away from him and yelled. "Have a nice fucking day, asshole!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw, his body tensing to pursue Naruto but he dug his heels down. He better wait till Naruto would cool his head. Who’d have thought that such pleasant lunch would end up this badly?

⏤.⏤

Naruto was ignoring him.

At first, Sasuke let it slide, waiting till Naruto would bounce back and forget about what had happened. However, days had passed and after few tentative messages were sent, receiving nothing from Naruto’s end.

On the other hand, this situation just made him mount considerable respect over Naruto. Only one week had passed and Sasuke was resisting the urge to barge in Naruto’s apartment to stop this silent treatment he’s suffering. And Naruto waited for seven years?? Sasuke resigned himself not to pressure Naruto after everything he had done in the past.

For such an easygoing man, that dumbass could surely hold some grudge.

Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to pester Naruto, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t gatter intel from other sources.

“So…how’s Naruto lately?”

Neji stared unsurprised while Sasuke drank his beer, glancing sideways. “He’s acting all the same, cheerful, energetic and everything. Why are you asking me if you can contact him anyways?”

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. “He didn’t tell you what happened a few weeks ago?”

Neji hummed, smiling. “You know that Naruto opens himself just to you. I mean, maybe Gaara and Shikamaru occasionally, but yes. Mostly you.” Then, he sighed, pouring more beer to his cup. “Though after years working with him, I could see that beneath all that smiles, he’s angry over something. And after you asked how he was, just gave me the easiest confirmation about my suspicions.”

“Hn.”

“I know I’m going to regret asking this…what happened?”

Rubbing his temples, Sasuke paused in contemplation before confessing. “I told him that I had some past flings back in college.”

For the record, Neji used a total of five seconds to show an incredulous expression before he mumbled. “For someone who used to be the genius back in school and have a master degree, you can be pretty stupid sometimes.”

Sasuke glared.

“Why did you do that?” Neji asked.

“We were just chatting, I said it without really considering much. I honestly thought he wouldn’t make a big case over it.” Sasuke huffed. “And well, I thought that since we haven’t seen each other for over seven years, Naruto would have his own flings too.”

“Yes, that’s the stupid part I’m talking about. You can’t expect that everyone would do the same journey as you did.”

“I know, which is why I’m patiently waiting to amend the mistake I did. I even sent him messages, writing that I’m sorry and all the bullshit you’re expecting me to do.”

Neji didn’t really trust Sasuke’s input. He snatched the smartphone out of Sasuke’s hand, scrolling down while he mentally shook his head. “Right. I’m only reading ‘Naruto’ ‘I can explain’ ‘stop sulking and talk to me’ ‘Naruto, it’s been five days you dumbass’ ah…I’m not finding any ‘Sorry for everything’ here. Perhaps you wrote ‘Let me grovel on your feet if it makes you happy’? Ah nope, nothing of this sort.”

Sasuke did not appreciate Neji’s sarcasm, grabbing his phone back. “It’s been more than a week and he still hasn't answered any of my messages.”

“Well…have you considered calling him?”

⏤.⏤

Usually Naruto was too lazy to answer phone calls, since most of the time it’s telemarketing or scammers trying to get his credit card. Suffice to say, he was flabbergasted seeing Sasuke’s contact buzzing on screen.

Sighing, he stared at his smartphone, hot anger burning on his gut. He willed it down, grumbling. “What.”

“…” Sasuke bit his lower lip, mumbling. “I see you’re still angry over what we talked about a week ago.”

Naruto closed his eyes, dropping himself on the sofa as he responded. “No, not really. I was actually kind of waiting you’d talk to me.”

“Well.”

“Yeah?”

Sasuke chugged some more beer down his throat, clearing his throat. “I don’t know what exactly I should say to make us return to the way it was. I can’t change it, it’s all part of the past.”

Naruto groaned, messing his head. “I know, I get it. It’s just⏤now I can’t get the idea that you got involved with other guys in my head. Were they one time thing? I mean…did you do it to satisfy some curiosity about how different it’d be having sex with someone who is not your soulmate? Or did you do it because you wanted a relationship with someone else? Or were you bored⏤”

“Naruto, I’m not answering any of these. It’ll only make you angrier.” Sasuke said in a quieter tone.

“That’s not fair.”

“It is, because it’s about my life, and my life only. I’ll reveal if I want to, but you got no involvement in it.”

“How so? But before you disappeared out of nowhere, we were⏤”

“We’re just two teenage boys who had nothing definite aside from two matching tattoos. We’re going on circles, this is going nowhere.”

Naruto stomped angrily, standing up. “That’s your fucking problem, you know. You used a loophole, used the fact that we didn’t cement anything before you just disappeared out of my life. You were always such a manipulative asshole, sometimes I⏤AAAARGH! I just want to reach your fucking neck and shake you. Really hard.”

Sasuke listened to the furious inhales and exhales, and mumbled. “I will…leave you alone if you prefer⏤ ”

“Yeah, I prefer it.” Naruto paced around the room, scratching his head. “We definitely went on different paths because we had different points of view. I still believed in the soulmate system, so the wildest thing I did in college is trying to steal some statues on campus. You got disappointed with this system, so there was nothing stopping you going after some other guys.”

“Still…” Sasuke clutched his smartphone tighter. “I admit that I hurt you. And I’m sorry about that. Like I’ve said, there’s nothing that I can change about the past, aside that I promise I won’t do it again. And if there’s anything I can do to make you feel better…just ask.”

“…HMMMMmmmmMMmmmmmm.”

Sasuke knew Naruto enough to understand that particular tone. “Anything that is not outrageous or sexual in nature, get your mind out of the gutter dumbass.”

“Not even you wearing a sailor fuku?” Naruto practically singsonged, his mind also picturing Sasuke with stilettos.

“I’m glad that even with all the current resentment you have on me, you still have enough imagination to come up with the most ludicrous ideas.” Sasuke teased back.

“Yeah yeah. Sasuke…” Naruto raised his eyes to stare at the ceiling, his body relaxing. “I’m still not giving up with the whole date thing, ok.”

Sasuke released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “I’m glad.”

To tell the truth, even despite some reservations and fears, Sasuke was looking forward to starting this relationship with Naruto, only to have it temporarily halted. But he’s willing to take the backseat until things would calm down if necessary.

Taken aback from Sasuke’s honesty, Naruto scratched his head. “So, you willing to wait some a little bit more? I guess I just gotta organize this new information in my head.”

“Sure.”

⏤.⏤

On the next day, Sasuke received a message from Naruto.

You free tonight?

Bewildered, since he originally considered that Naruto wanted more days to restart their date, he answered nevertheless.

Yes.

Ok, great. I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby from your office. I’ll be there in half an hour.

Sure.

Oh. Naruto stopped typing before sending this message. And bring your business cards. Tons of it.

Sasuke’s confusion further escalated, but he obeyed nevertheless. Naruto was waiting him with crossed arms, tapping his right foot.

“Hey.” He analyzed him, looking up and down before shrugging. “Alright, you look fine enough. But use this jacket instead.” He threw it in Sasuke's direction and he caught it with ease.

Black eyes studied the smooth fabric, clean cuts and the tag showing that it's a renowned brand, which all points to the fact that this tuxedo jacket was pretty expensive. “Where are we going?”

“Hm?” Naruto mumbled, his gaze fixed on his smartphone.

“Where are we going?” Sasuke repeated the question. Naruto never cared for appearances whenever they went out, thoroughly ignoring all the malicious glares and whispers focused on his gaudy orange jumpsuit and loud voice. But this time he was wearing formal attire (that looked pretty good on him, actually), also ensuring Sasuke would be decent looking.

“Yeah, I’m comparing if we’re going to be faster using uber or going to the subway. There are some points of heavy traffic, but nothing too drastic. I don’t want to ruin our clothes too since now the subway is definitely crowded so…yeah. Using uber. He’s arriving in three minutes.”

“Okay.” Sasuke waited while Naruto was still focused on the phone, muttering. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

Naruto gave him a lopsided grin. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that.”

“So. Do you intend to give me any explanation?”

“Nope.” Naruto intervened before Sasuke could further inquire. “Because I’m still angry about you.”

Then why did this dumbass go through all this effort to go out with him…Sasuke’s head was full of question marks but he expressed with a baffled glare. But that only caused Naruto to laugh in amusement, patting him on the shoulder while they entered the car.

On the course of the trip, Naruto continued to use his smartphone, not striking any kind of conversation. And as much as Sasuke valued quietness, seeing the usual blabbermouth behaving in such uncharacteristic way was unsettling to say the least.

“…Do you intend to talk to me any time or are you going to keep on this silent treatment till the end of this date?”

Naruto snorted, rolling his eyes. “I’m still considering it. Why?”

“If you’re going to act like that, I’d rather if we cancel everything then. I’d rather be alone than submit to whatever ill-intent you have stored for me.”

“Oooooh you’re making me sound like a villain, I like it.” Naruto grinned from Sasuke’s roll of eyes. “Don’t worry about it okay. It’s gonna be a surprise, trust me.”

“…hn.”

Sasuke vaguely recognized the tall buildings and elegant architecture, noticing that the car stopped in front of a high-end hotel. Naruto stepped outside, moving his head to signalize him to do the same, as the blond man was reading some instructions on his smartphone, following the sign arrows.

They arrived in what appears to be some kind of party, he could hear a constant buzzing even behind the huge mahogany doors. There were several security bodyguards, as well as a reception desk at the entrance, so Naruto approached while they questioned his name.

“Uzumaki Naruto.”

They bowed politely, confirming his name on the list and asked. “And the gentleman behind you?”

“He’s with me. His name is Uchiha Sasuke.”

They opened the doors, and his vision was suddenly inundated with bright lights, women wearing glittering dresses or kimonos, all men wearing formal attire. Waiters moved around smoothly carrying all kinds of tasty dishes, beverages and champagne. There was a classic ambient music echoing in the opulent room, and when he focused his eyes at the center stage, everything became clear when he read the huge banner:

Uzumaki Tsunade-sama for Tokyo’s mayor

He deadpanned back to Naruto. “Your aunt’s party? Really?”

Naruto scratched the back of his head. “I couldn’t say no, she’d kill me and you know that!”

“Fine, then why am I here too?”

“Well, even considering the current situation between us, I have to admit that you’re still pretty entertaining so I won’t get bored while we’re in this thing.”

“Glad to be at service.” Sasuke replied sardonically.

They heard a familiar shout.

“Naruto!” A blond woman came rushing towards them, widening a smile. “I’m glad you arrived. Well, here he is everyone, the mastermind behind my social media campaign!”

Naruto and Sasuke were swarmed by a group of men from all ages, gazes sharp and shrewd.

“You said that Naruto-kun is your nephew right? It’s my pleasure to meet such a talented young man.” One older man approached, offering his hand. Of all the people in that circle, he appeared to be the most astute.

“Thank you, but I’ve done nothing out of ordinary.” Naruto replied, shaking hands.

“What, really? That’s my nephew alright, so humble.” Tsunade squeezed his shoulder, beaming. “You know that due to your social media strategies I could get in close contact with the younger demographic.”

“Yes, and it’s thanks to her that she’s the frontrunner in this year’s election! The first female mayor in Tokyo. We’re looking forward to seeing you ruling this city.”

“Let’s not count the eggs before they hatch, the election will only happen in the next two months.” Tsunade warned. “Also, we don’t know who might be listening to this conversation.”

“True, but it’s still very impressive.” He responded, giving a significant glance towards the blond man. “Is Naruto-kun available to help other parliaments to win some elections?”

Naruto huffed silently, though only Sasuke could pick that subtle movement. “Sorry, I work only in the private sector. Helping my aunt is due to the fact I know her political history, so I know that I’m aiding someone I trust with my life.”

“Yes, too bad right, Honda-san.” There was an indignant twitch on Tsunade’s eye, as she focused on a newer topic. “Oh, I see you brought Uchiha-kun.”

Naruto threw his arm around Sasuke’s, grinning. “Yeah, a nice date with my soulmate.”

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow in response, but it garnered enough interest in the group.

“Oh? Your soulmate? Congratulations, I gave up trying to find mine years ago. But well, now that I’m on my 2nd divorce, I always wonder how wonderful it’d be if I got married to my soulmate.”

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged significant glances so Sasuke stepped in. “Actually, our Uchiha clan is renowned for finding anyone’s soulmate over the centuries, and now we developed a technology to match the soulmates all over the world faster.”

“He found me using these powers, as many others, it’s an ancient knowledge only their clan possesses.” Naruto further explained, though he could see his aunt narrowing her eyes.

“That’s really interesting. I would like to talk more about this. Here, my card.” They exchanged business cards as other people in their circle flocked around them, collecting Sasuke’s cards.

“Well…Naruto, let’s get some food for you while we get our conversation up to speed, right.” Tsunade made a face of ‘you better obey me or else’, so with a shudder, Naruto obeyed his aunt.

They walked to a more secluded place, so Naruto was first to protest. “You didn’t ask me to go to this party just so you can throw me more politicians to be his social media manager right?”

“Of course not, you really think I want to share my golden egg with everyone else?” Tsunade snorted, crossing her arms. “That Honda-san, I knew he was keeping an eye on you, I wouldn’t imagine that he’d have such audacity in asking right in front of my face, that old geezer…Anyways.” She smoothed out her glower, looking concerned towards her nephew. “Brat. I thought you were still angry over some things your soulmate had done back in college.”

Naruto glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I still am but…this party will be good for his company.”

Tsunade stared, then unceremoniously whacked the upside of his head.

“Ow! What the hell, old hag?” Naruto yowled, his hands nursing the painful spot.

“You deserved this. You really need to stop being too generous.” She harrumphed, placing her hands on her hips.

Blue eyes blinked, pointing out a bit baffled. “Um, usually people see this as a positive thing.”

“Not so positive when people use this to their advantage.” Tsunade sighed, smoothing the sides of his shoulders and squeezed them thoughtfully. “Be careful okay?”

Naruto gazed back, wordlessly nodding. Some of Tsunade’s staffers called her, so she walked away while the blond man went back to find Sasuke. He was talking with a new group of people, spotting him from afar as he whispered once Naruto positioned himself next to him. “That took a while. I thought I was supposed to entertain you, not random strangers.”

“Sorry about that, my aunt wanted to talk about some things.” Naruto shook hands with everyone in vicinity, scurrying them aside as everyone went on their own way. “Did you manage to get a lot of new contacts?”

“Yes, and even some possible businessmen that might buy some of Shinrei’s stock.” Sasuke replied, smiling in such a contented way that caused Naruto to beam in return. “Thanks for giving me this opportunity.”

“No problem, glad I could help you out.”

“It’s roughly 8 o’clock right now, I’m sure you’re dying to eat some dinner⏤” On this cue, Naruto’s stomach decided to growl. Loudly. Sasuke rolled his eyes. “There are dinner tables settled in front of the stage, I suspect they’ll call us to sit there once the food is ready.”

“Yeah, thank all gods. I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow. But it’s probably one of the fancy shmancy restaurant, they’ll probably give me some food the size of my pinkie telling me that it’s some reinvention of Japanese cuisine.”

“Sounds like something right up my alley. You’re the one who likes to eat junk food like Ramen.” Sasuke smirked.

“Ramen is comfort food and one of the main staple of Japanese food, how dare you diss them!” Naruto grumbled, when the waiters asked them to go their respective tables, redirecting to their seats. Considering his close parentage with Tsunade, they placed him right in front of the main stage, sitting in the same table with what they could recognize that those people were very influential and powerful politicians.

One of Tsunade’s secretary whispered something on Naruto’s ear, so he excused himself, bowing politely. In a few more minutes the room went dark and strong flashlights focused on Tsunade, who stood behind a podium.

“Hello everyone, thank you for participating in this beautiful event. I’m honored sharing this special moment with all my friends, allies, comrades. People who share this common goal with me and will bring everyone to victory. Others at some point have its fate intertwined with mine and now will help me to reach such success.” Tsunade’s voice was calm and commanding, bewitching all in vicinity. “Fate commands in many different twists and turns in our lives, making us grieve, laugh and learn. I’d like to believe that my fate has given me many obstacles to strengthen myself and grow. My late husband was the one who was interested in politics, and once he was murdered due to skirmishes with Yakuza, I inherited his will. My dearest little sister unfortunately passed away from a terrible disease but blessed me to take care of this bright young man, Naruto.”

She turned around, arm raised as Naruto approached her, bowing to the audience as he stood next to her.

“My nephew helped me in this campaign and I’m happy to say that we have currently 65% intention for votes⏤” Tsunade read on her iPad. “And I’m the leader to win Tokyo’s election that will be held in the next two months. Thank you everyone! Here’s a reminder to everyone who is and was challenged by fate, those who are still struggling and may we bring them to a brighter future!”

She raised her glass as everyone mirrored her, chanting together.

“Uzumaki-sama for mayor!”

⏤.⏤

“Maaaannnn. No matter how many times I was forced to go to these kinds of parties, it’s awkward as fuck just keep on standing there next to my aunt, and having to put that fake smile whenever she made me talk with other politicians.” Naruto groaned, while they were walking to the subway station.

“Hm, really? You behaved pretty well considering that you're usually a spazz, usuratonkachi.”

“One of my aunt’s secretary, Shizune-neechan gave me most tips. It was the most attention I could get since my aunt was, you know.” Naruto shrugged awkwardly. “Getting all busy being our town’s mayor and climbing in the political scheme. I mean, she raised me the best she could, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”

“I see, this is also the reason you were so fascinated being a pain in the ass and nagging me wherever I go back when we were kids.” Sasuke snorted when Naruto gave a squawk of indignation.

The blond man reconsidered and responded. “Maybe, I guess. We were the only kids with no friends back in school so I wanted to show you that I was there.”

“I suppose it worked. There wasn’t a day where I wasn’t forced to participate in your ludicrous plans of mischief.”

“It was entertaining!”

“You certainly entertained me better at the end of high school.”

Naruto snorted. “Yeah. Good ol’ times.”

“Is reminiscing those memories good enough for you to dismiss the current anger you have on me?”

Their steps diminished to a quiet halt, Naruto turned around to gaze at his childhood friend. Under the soft glow of street light, Sasuke looked austere, solemn though his eyes shadowed some bashfulness and guilt.

Naruto exhaled tired, muttering. “I’m still…⏤not as much as before but maybe there is some bitterness lingering. Sasuke, now I get why I couldn’t forgive you right off the bat. It’s not because you slept with other guys…”

A black eyebrow was raised and he chuckled, waving his hand in negative.

“No, it’s not what you’re thinking, I didn’t like that you got involved with other men, but it’s not the main reason. Sasuke, you didn’t give me any satisfaction when you went to college, you didn’t call me or message me something like ‘we’re over’ or ‘I want some time for myself so let’s be free to pursue other things’, so I was stuck in limbo. And, even regarding how much you don’t believe in the soulmate system, I thought that…considering that we know each other forever, you’d at least inform me.”

“I know. I regret not doing this, hurting you in the process. However, I cannot change the past, all I can promise is that I will correct my mistakes.” Sasuke promised.

Naruto nodded. “Another thing, is that what you said to me about the flaws of the soulmate system really made me change my point of view. I could tell that the fact I was angry is solely my own feelings, but another part wanted to forgive you. I wanted to analyze if this part is because you’re my soulmate or it’s also part of my own self.”

“And your conclusion would be?”

Naruto chortled, shrugging. “50/50, maybe. Sometimes leaning more to my own emotions. But I wasn’t sure. That’s why I took more than a week to talk to you.”

“And when am I going to get back to your good graces?” Sasuke wondered, and they restarted walking.

“I think I tortured you enough after tonight. I’ll be back planning the Best Date ever in History.”

Sasuke sighed in relief, a comfortable silence falling between them while they walked in the deserted street. He was guiding Naruto to the subway station, but took a detour to a darker corner that he knew no onlooker would bother them there. He stopped, staring towards the blond man.

“What?” Naruto muttered, a little unnerved from the piercing eyes.

“I’m impressed that you still hadn’t used your usual old trick of poking me on the shoulder and surprising me with a kiss.”

“I said that I’m not going to torture after tonight, but the day hasn’t turned yet. So I’m still in the angry mode.” Naruto grinned. “It’s a punishment for not being a good boy in the latest days.”

Snorting, Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Good boy? I wore this jacket you threw at me, I behaved well as your date in that party, I was exceptionally so good, that I’m sure I deserve a gold star.”

“Yeah, but I’m still smarting with the whole you cheating on me thing, that you got a demotion from childhood sweethearts to first daters. And while I was sure you were gonna get back to my good graces eventually ‘cuz I don’t hold grudges forever Sasuke, I needed some gradual steps till we’ll get to that much needed direction.”

“Fine. At least it’s over after tonight.” Sasuke concurred, smirking. “Do I at least deserve one kiss on this first date?”

Naruto peered back with increasing suspicion, then consented, giving a short kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke scoffed in derision. “Hm, I’m sure that even kids in middle school gave more significant kisses to their crushes than you just did right now.”

“Whaaa⏤wait a minute you bastar⏤” Naruto’s incoming diatribe was interrupted with Sasuke’s lips against his own, hands snaking around to grip his torso.

Naruto took a second in shock before melting in his arms, breathing out a happy sigh as he pushed forward, deepening the kiss. Surrounded by familiar senses and new ones, he explored the hard edges of Naruto’s body, scrawny arms now filling with muscular ones, though his mouth remained soft and pliant, always inviting to taste some more. When Naruto laced his hands behind his neck, tongue tracing over his lips, sliding in and wrapping with his own, Sasuke couldn’t contain the shiver in excitement, moaning.

After countless minutes kissing, lost in their own world, they retreated for a bit, Sasuke’s taste persisted in his mouth, making him lick his lips. Moist mouth softly caressed his own, whispering.

“See? This is how you were supposed to kiss me on our first date.”

Naruto’s cheeks flamed red, but he managed to roll his eyes, disentangling himself from Sasuke. “Whatever. See you later bastard.”

He turned around ready to walk his way before a hand held his arm and spun him back to Sasuke, receiving another peck on his lips. The light touch was innocent but when Sasuke released him, his stomach fluttered when he witnessed the heated gaze and the playful smirk.

“See you later dumbass.” Sasuke waved him, walking back to the brighter street. “I’ll be taking a bus, the subway station is on your left.”

Naruto grumbled with himself, cursing about stupid sexy assholes and the habit of making everything a competition.

He smiled all the way back to his home.

Chapter 07

⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤.⏤

AN: I’m sure that you guys are wondering “So Itachi’s soulmate is…” Yeah, he’s Shisui. I didn’t want to make his name a mystery, I just didn’t find a space in the dialogue for Itachi to tell Sasuke his name.

Onto good news. The story is shaping a little bit better, so my estimate is that it’ll take roughly 10 to 12 chapters long. I have all the sub-plots and main plot ready in my head, I just have to organize to sound more concise…

I guess what’s interesting in this story is about two people who know the other one so well but has to relearn to fall in love with his other half.

The most difficult part was writing the kiss. Not the act itself but it’s just that Naruto and Sasuke are officially japanese in this era, that means that Japanese people are usually way more reserved in PDA. Sasuke, on the other hand, doesn’t care about public opinion, which was why I was more ok with him initiating, and he also waited till the street was deserted and dark and went to a corner. I researched a little and in recent years Japanese are more ok with light PDA, but generally kissing (and long deep kissing) is frowned upon.

#NaruSasu #SasuNaru #snstext #sn fic #sns fic #snsfic #drabble

12 notes · View notes

unholyhelbiglinked · 5 years ago

Text

Summer of 89′ | 004

Read from the Start | Read on AO3

Declan Wolfe had been the bane of Beca Mitchell's existence for three whole years before her resolve finally began to crack in the slightest. That’s 1,095 days and 26,280 hours of her life she would never get back- but she wasn’t counting. Declan had one of those faces that would just sell whatever someone wasn’t in the market for.

He had once launched into a story about his foray into the door to door salesmen industry during their lunch hour. Buzzing like a gnat trapped against a windowpane. Beca went from wanting to gently open it to the summer air, to wishing she had a human-sized fly swatter dipped in bug spray.

But his stupid peppered hair and somber look had grown on her. The way he would listen intently when she spoke, the way he would only wear suits despite both of them taking up employment in a radio station where no one would see his efforts. The way he searched for the strange and other-worldly, just like her.

Declan Wolfe wasn’t so horrible. Not after he got her roses for her birthday and split a cheesecake with her when his wife had to leave for a work emergency, catching the nice flight from Maine to Tulsa. She even found herself picking him up coffee for their ungodly hours in the office.

“Right, I’m not completely dismissing the idea,” He said from his seat across the small table. The On-Air sign shaded his features in a bloody red. “I’m just saying that it’s human instinct to look away from something like that. The movie was unrealistic.”

“Oh, I beg to differ. Haven’t you ever been stuck in traffic after an accident? Half of the reason you can’t get to work is because they’re cleaning up the scene, the other is because all the drivers roll down their window in morbid curiosity.”

“You’re acting as if you’ve never covered your eyes during a horror movie.”

Beca leaned back in her seat, playing with the cord to the headphones strapped around her neck. This studio was quaint- a small round table that housed their equipment and two laptops to look up information in a matter of seconds. There was a glass window leading to the two producers that alternated out depending on the day. Alec Wexler gave her the signal to keep talking through the glass.

“When you go into a horror movie, you expect to get scared. That’s fun. When you see a fire truck whizzing by on the freeway a part of you wants to chase after it.” Beca countered “It has everything to do with the adrenaline, man.”

Declan laughed and shook his head. The two of them would banter between today’s greatest hits mixed with a splash of earlier decades. The station seemed to like the appeal of co-hosts that didn’t always get along, ones that weren’t afraid to tap into deeper topics while drivers sat bumper to bumper.

“Okay, if you’re so sure of yourself, let's take a few calls. See what Maine’s wonderful residents have to say about that.” He scooted forward and pressed the first button lit among many. Each phone line labeled with masking tape and most blinking rapidly. “You’re on with MER9, what’s your name?”

Beca tended to hold her breath during the first call. They had an intern from the nearby college screen the callers, even give them a little sheet with general information on it before they were greenlit. It was to avoid incidences- a system they refined greatly after Beca was hired as a co-host.

She had crawled into her car after her first day, drove the nearest parking lot, and cried until her throat was raw and she had nothing more to give. She could still feel the grooves of the steering wheel and the way the frigid air of her hometown snuck through a cracked window. All of her regretted flying back across the country at that moment. After the countless calls branding her a killer, asking if she had any remorse.

Four years later and her palms still sweat profusely when Declan pressed that little button next to line one.

“Hi, my names Jenny,” She said politely a part of Beca relaxing instantly. “And I just wanted to say, I agree with Beca on this one.”

“Oh, I like you already.”

“People want to know what’s going on in the world, or just on their street, ya know? That’s why we have news coverage of stuff like this and reporters that nearly kill themselves to get the next story. Which is why they make movies about it too”

Beca smiled triumphantly at Declan “Alright, thank you so much for your clearly correct answer, Jenny. I think it’s time we hear from another caller?”

She pressed the button for line two, settling into the routine they did every morning between the greatest pop and rock hits that the world had to offer. She had gotten used to the early call times and the scent of popcorn coming from the office kitchen, despite the fact that day had barely broken.

“Uh yeah,” A male voice, deep and scratchy filled the line. “I actually have a question for Beca.”

Declan lifted an eyebrow “Go right ahead.”

There was a silence that took over the studio, Beca casting a wary glance towards Alec. The producer simply shrugged and adjusted his headset, not bothering to tell her to switch the lines or cut to something different completely. Instead, they stared at each other and he lilted his head to the side.

“You were basically in a horror movie yourself, weren’t you?”

The man sitting across from her opened his mouth to speak but bit his tongue and watched her carefully. It wasn’t a statement outright claiming she had done something; not like the messages written on her car in spray paint, or the letters from listeners demanding that she was terminated. It was haunting and slow, curiosity at the crumpled-up cars on the side of the road.

“I… suppose so, yes.” She shifted, “That was a long time ago.”

��Thirteen years this Saturday.”

Beca struggled to laugh it off. “As I said, a long time. But that doesn’t’ change my stance on the topic. Stuff like that sells, it’s human nature to flock towards the unknown. Why do you think I wake up at four am every weekday? It has nothing to do with bigfoot sightings, I can tell you that much.”

“Do you remember what you did that night?”

“Ah,” Her attempt at steering the conversation away from her past had failed miserably, and Declan turned towards their producer with a strained look on his face. The producer wasn’t looking up, instead, he was scribbling something down on a piece of notebook paper. “That’s something that’s hard to forget.”

Alec slammed his message against the window. Keep him on the line. Tracking.

That’s just what Beca needed, another restraining order. It would have been easier to just hang up, to pass this off as someone else who made her whole entire body feel numb like black water was once again filling her lungs and clouding her vision. Like the muck of a lake was crawling between her toes and the salty taste of rancid water coated her tongue. She swallowed.

“How could someone do something like that?” He asked, voice raspy.

“Out of self-defense.” Declan answered automatically “She was seventeen. She did exactly what she thought was right. She got out of there. You all know the story by now, God it’s certainly written in a million different ways. She didn’t kill anyone.”

She didn’t’ know how many times she had to hear those four words. She had fired a gun, she had felt the kickback in her wrist. She had watched the blood spill against loose dirt. But in the end, she hadn’t taken a life. Not at that camp. She almost lost her own.

“Maybe not herself.” The man spoke coolly “But doing nothing is doing something.”

The line went dead then, and Beca shoved the headphones down to her neck as she moved away from the microphone and drew in a cold breath. Declan stumbled through another awkward statement before flipping on the music, followed by a string of commercials that would give Beca more time.

Alec burst through the doors, having removed his own headset. He looked frazzled, blonde hair falling into his eyes as he crouched down in front of Beca. The On-Air sign buzzed against the side of his features like the wrong side of the sun.

“Hey, you alright? That dude was just some fuckin creep. I don’t even know how he got through the interns.”

“They're interns, that’s why.” Declan proclaimed as he paced against the small space, avoiding the table. “I want all of them fired. Replaced. Whatever.”

“No,” Beca drew in a shaky breath, putting her hand on Alec’s. “It’s okay. It was a mistake I’m sure.”

Alec watched her carefully as she excused herself to get some air. The damp morning wind drawing in from the nearby docks. A funny place to put a radio station. She could smell the murky water and hear the seagulls searching for their morning meals. The light just peeking over the horizon, a blue hue filling the air.

Beca needed a cigarette.

#Beca Mitchell #Chloe Beale #Bechloe #Emily Junk #Aubrey Posen #Junksen

6 notes · View notes

prettywordsyouleft · 6 years ago

Text

Becoming Human - Chapter 9

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

“So far he seems to be progressing well, all levels of his intelligence have improved from last time he sat in this chair.” Doctor Jung spun around on his seat and smiled at me. “How have you found him?”

I glanced at Leo, offline for the very first time in front of me. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful in his resting state. I smiled. “It’s been an adjustment from just interacting at work with a robot. I admit my original stance has changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never understood the need for them. My background in psychology found some people who used them generally sounded like they could do with some psycho-therapy treatment for their social anxiety issues. I feel like my opinion is changing. Leo has made me question a lot about my own way of existing in the past three days.”

The doctor chuckled and took off his glasses. “Miss Choi, you mentioned to me about my thesis the other day and how this is a waste of my talent. This lab is creating miracles every day. Psychologists sit in an office and give an hour a week to their clients to help them. My bots can be in your home and be a listening ear. They won’t judge you for your faults but find ways to build you back up. Isn’t that a blessing?”

“Leo isn’t like that. He has opinions. He has experienced multiple emotions already. I feel like he could help people further. In a way, the current AI program is giving false confidence. Yes it works and I believe there is a place for it, but humans won’t build you up the same and can bring all that falsity right back down on the customer in one blow. I’m not saying everything about Leo’s mannerisms is desirable, but I’m learning a lot from him in how he views the human race. We are crueller than I imagined.”

“Do you worry about your own blurring of lines around Leo? You have stated in your files before that is your biggest concern of customers. Can you feel that?”

I didn’t respond immediately, my mind thinking over the small instances we’ve had. Even earlier this morning our fight had felt organic and I hadn’t even felt there was a difference in us. Human and robot weren’t a factor, even though I had used it as his weakness, on a whole, I had viewed him as just Leo during that moment. Biting my lip, I looked up at the man and finally sighed. “I’m unsure if I will fully blur lines but sometimes he does seem more human than he should.”

“In three days you’ve managed that conclusion. It will be interesting to see the version of yourself in a month’s time. Gunhee will keep me updated with your progress, but let’s meet up for another session of looking into his functions within a week’s time.”

I nodded and got to my feet, watching as the doctor pressed a few buttons on the screen that allowed the lines that were hooked to Leo’s neck to wake him back up. His eyes slowly opened and he looked around the room, his focus finally landing on me. He smiled warmly and I couldn’t help but feel at ease to see him alert again.

“Did you rest well, Leo?” Doctor Jung removed the cables and the robot glanced at him, nodding once. “Good. We need to let Miss Choi go to work now. You can come and watch how we do things in the lab if you like.”

“Really?!” He got off the chair and straightened himself up, waiting beside the doctor eagerly. “I can really have a place here?”

“I need to watch you in action too, come on.”

“One moment, doctor.” Leo then grabbed my arm and took me out of the room, leading me down the hallway before stopping. He smiled again at me and reached to muss my hair a little, my hand instantly moving to smack it away.

“What are you doing?!”

He leaned down into my face a little, still smiling giddily. “It’s my first day having a job; I feel very happy right now. And I get to do what I wanted to the last time you left me in that room to go back to work.”

“And what’s that?”

“Have a good day,” he said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll see you later.”

And with that, he went back to the Doctor’s office. I, however, was reeling from the interaction, my heart beating faster the more I repeated the sentence internally. I’ll see you later.

It felt odd to have someone out there waiting to see me again in their day. I found there was a bounce in my step as I made my way back to my department, smiling and greeting my co-workers happily. Even Daniel waved at my arrival and I grinned brightly back at him, before sitting down at my desk.

“Something good happened to you,” Sohyun stated, leaning around to observe me more closely. She gasped and grabbed onto my arm. “You have a boyfriend?!”

“Yah!” I hissed and shook my head rapidly. “You know that’s so not the case.”

“You look like you’re in love though. Like you have someone who waits for you.”

I froze at her choice of wording and then shook my head and hands at the same time. “Honestly, your imagination.”

“Right, you claim dating is for those who have too much time on their hands.” Sohyun tilted her head to the side and then laughed. “Maybe you should be forced into a situation where you have to interact with another guy. You might find yourself falling for him way too quickly because you’ve lacked dating experience.”

“Let’s work, yeah?” I told her, feeling a little haunted at how her words were lining up. Thankfully, once switching on my headset the first call was connected. I noticed the caller was calling from overseas and made effort to answer in English. “Welcome to KBoys Cyborg Call Centre, you’re speaking with Yerin, how may I help you today?”

“Hi Yerin, it’s Kate Sheparton here, how are you?”

Looking at the screen, I realised it was one of our top weekly callers and composed myself for what her predicament was today. She was sweet in nature but rang way too many times. Mostly for unnecessary things, like how to train her Junhoe to cook more authentic meals or how to stop him from looking in the mirrors more often than she did. I cleared my throat and smiled. “I’m fine, thank you, how can I assist you?”

“I’d like to trade in my Junhoe, please. He’s just a complete nightmare. I’ve had enough of his behaviours and need a new idol that can suit me better instead.”

I was shocked, just last week she was gushing to me about how she would marry him if it were legal to do so. “Are you sure that is something you’d like to proceed with? Once it’s done, we won’t be able to fully return him in the future if you change your mind again.”

“I’m certain, today was the last straw. I asked him who was more beautiful and he answered himself. Without even hesitating! I cannot be with someone so condescending anymore. So can I purchase a face-up please?”

“Certainly, who would you like to swap to?” I went through to the face-up request aspect in her file and waited for her selection.

“It’s an easy choice and someone who I feel is more mature completely. Johnny Seo from NCT, please.”

I paused, remembering crossing TV channels once and finding the idol in question doing bird impressions on Weekly Idol. Trying not to laugh, I clicked into the idol she requested and started the process. After explaining to her what to expect next, I finished the call and then thought over my reaction towards the girl.

I was starting to feel uncomfortable in who I was, realising how judgmental I could be towards some of the things I thought of customers. Although I was nothing but professional on the phone, it had never bothered me beforehand on how I would view some people. Vowing to be more productive and less opinionated for the rest of the day, I picked up the next call, hoping my work day would finish on a better note than I had started it.

Next chapter

A/N: Is that... expectation building in Yerin?! Doctor Jung is right, look at how many changes have occurred in three days. Who knows what else might change?

Next chapter will be posted Monday 3rd (NZST)!

Want to be added to the notified list? Leave a comment or reblog letting me know that you wish to get tagged in the upcoming chapters! Thanks everyone for the continued support!

@cramelot @chanyeolol @annoyingtiger888 @reddragon2 @this-song-thats-only-for-you @tanithrea @pastelsweaters-and-bubble-t @babybee05 @strwalight @chakkyeonie

Becoming Human Masterlist | Fiction Masterlist | Request Guidelines

#jung taekwoon #taekwoon #vixx #vixx leo #leo #vixx fiction #vixx fanfic #vixx imagines #vixx scenario #vixx au #vixx fluff #taekwoon fiction #taekwoon fanfic #taekwoon imagine #taekwoon scenario #taekwoon au #taekwoon fluff #prettywordsyouleft writes #pwyl; different kisses

50 notes · View notes

likeadove · 7 years ago

Text

fic: come back and sing to me (2/2)

Read part one here

Title: Come Back and Sing to Me

Pairing: Reylo

Summary: A Force bond is fairly inconvenient when neither participant wants anything to do with the other. Post-TLJ.

FFN

AO3

Kylo Ren's anger is shifting.

It is still there, pulsing and coiling inside of him, but…

He can't bring himself to direct it at her anymore.

Rey is alive. Her light still hums softly in the back of his head, dimmed and weakened. But she is getting stronger each passing hour. He feels a flash of pride at her strength, but a stab of apprehension as well. He never wants to feel that level of terror again. If her light goes out in the back of his head forever, then a part of him also dies. He doesn't know why he knows this so firmly, but their link has etched itself inside his very bones. He feels a rush of echoing warmth from her, from wherever she is.

Why is the Force connecting us?

The Force has not always been his friend, but he has never doubted it. He would not start doing so now.

Besides, hadn't he told Rey to let the past die? And here he is, still clinging to the dead legacies of dead Masters and dead grandfathers. Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

He'd murdered Snoke. What else could he kill?

Rey's leg aches for weeks, despite being patched up as best it could be. She walks around with a barely there limp and has taken to pouring over the ancient Jedi texts she smuggled from Ahch-To. One of the smaller editions holds passages upon passages on how to heal oneself using very specific Light techniques. But the language is dreadfully old-fashioned and difficult to interpret. Needless to say, Rey is not making much headway with her leg.

She has also scoured the Jedi texts for any mention of "Force-bonds" and found nothing.

But none of that matters anymore though, because, aside from her leg, she feels so much better. The color has returned to her cheeks. She devours every meal. She trains vigorously every day. Her arms and legs and middle are hardening with muscle and finally, finally she is sleeping. She sees him every night in her dreams now.

As she exits her quarters and makes her way to the mess hall so that she can start her day, Ben's shadow nudges her. She smiles, humming to herself, and lets her light answer in kind. And then he fades, but not abruptly like before. He recedes gently and slowly, and she knows that she can call him back so very easily.

But she doesn't.

The bond has grown sharper and more intense now that they've both hesitantly embraced it. At any moment she can reach out and feel what he's feeling, if he reciprocates. At any moment she can send a thought to him, can communicate with him, if he reciprocates. At any moment she can send him her own thoughts, her own feelings, if he reciprocates. And lately he's been reciprocating. A lot.

And so has Rey.

A slow but desperate determination is building up inside of her. There is still conflict in Ben Solo. She feels it potently now, whenever he reaches out to her. His confusion and bloodlust and loneliness fill her own head sometimes when he is not being careful.

Rey remembers her vision from so long ago, a future she had buried because it had been a supposed lie, a supposed poison leaked into her mind by Snoke. It is her and Ben standing side by side, her glowing with light, him shrouded with shadows. But her hand is clutched tightly in his. And they are at peace.

She clenches her fist, resolute. Snoke had been wrong. Snoke had lied.

Rey had just reached the mess hall, shoulders squared and ready for the day ahead of her, when General Organa steps into her path, Poe Dameron and a very guilty looking Finn flanking her.

"Rey." Leia Organa's tone is cheery and respectful, and Rey feels herself calm a little. Leia smiles. "Grab your breakfast and then come join us in the council room."

Rey swallows then nods quickly. "Of course." Leia turns away, Poe right behind her. Finn lingers.

"How could you?" she growls. She had trusted him, told him her biggest secret—

"I'm sorry Rey." And she can tell by the emotion in his tone that he really is. "But I'm scared for you."

She scowls and brushes roughly past him, ignoring the line for rations and following after Leia and Poe instead. Her heart is pounding at the upcoming confrontation—

And then Ben is there. Something is wrong. His shadow probes at her, relentlessly demanding an answer.

Rey resists the urge to groan out loud. Now is not the time. And then she gently pushes back against his him. He recedes, understanding she isn't in danger and with the smug air of someone knowing they're going to find out eventually.

Rey sucks in a deep breath, attempts to clear her mind as much as possible, and follows Leia and Poe into the private council chamber, Finn right behind her. General Organa sits at the head of the small table before noticing that Rey is already there. "No breakfast?" the General says, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"Not hungry," Rey grumbles, already feeling dread work its way up her spine. She has held onto this secret for so long, and part of her is loath to share it.

Leia doesn't look surprised. She gestures for Rey to sit down then says, "Finn, close the door would you?"

Finn obeys and Rey sits.

Leia gives her a long look that manages to be both curious and cautious. "Let's not cut corners here Rey. We all know why you're here. You can be honest with me. What's going on?"

And Rey, knowing there is no use in continuing to withhold the truth, sighs. "It all started back on Ahch-To—"

Finally finished telling her story from beginning to end, Rey is met with three equally stunned faces.

Finn and Poe both explode at the same time.

"You didn't tell me that he killed Snoke for you—"

"General, we need to get her off this base—"

"You're sure there's nothing in the texts—"

"I'm sorry Rey, but you're a complete and total liability—"

All General Organa has to do to shut up both men is raise her hand. Rey can't quite decipher the emotions rolling around on her face. Anger that Rey hadn't been honest until now? Hope that maybe they can get through this war after all?

"Poe," she says, eyes never leaving Rey's, "call Maz."

A few minutes later Maz Kanata blinks at them sleepily, her small eyes looking massive behind her multi-layered spectacles. "General Organa!" she exclaims when she stops blinking, all drowsiness gone. She sounds delighted. "How can I help you?"

Leia's answering smile is a little sad. "I was actually hoping you could tell Rey about your experience with the Force-bond you had."

The whole room quiets, and Rey, Finn, and Poe's eyes go wide.

Maz looks surprised for approximately two seconds before fixating her gaze on Rey. "Oh? What would you like to know?"

Rey's mouth opens and closes a few times, the months and months worth of unending questions she'd built up about this particular subject instantly leaving her mind.

Finn leans in and catches Maz's attention. "What is it?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like, you dummy. It's a bond through the Force, through two Force-sensitive individuals. They can feel each other's emotions, thoughts—"

Rey's brain has finally slowed down enough for her to form words. "Yes, but why does it start? How does it end? What does it mean?"

Maz is quiet for a moment. "There have been many debates about how one could start, but personally, I think it starts with two Force users feeling the exact same thing at the exact same time."

A memory hits Rey, sudden and unbidden.

Two lightsabers cross, snow falling all around them. Kylo Ren has her bent back as he pushes her toward the edge of a cliff. She can feel the heat and energy buzzing from both of their blades. Her foot slips a half inch. Her mind is going a thousand lightyears a minute, adrenaline and stress pumping through every part of her. Can't die must win fight have to save Finn. Kylo Ren grits his teeth and grunts and both of their arms are shaking and there's a feeling she gets as she continues pushing back against him, a feeling coming from somewhere deep inside of her, so small amongst the chaos of battle and yet so sincere—

I wish I didn't have to hurt you.

The room has gone quiet again. Rey clears her throat. "How do you make it…?" She trails off, suddenly feeling as if she has no more air to speak with.

But Maz Kanata didn't make it to be over a thousand years old by being stupid. "Stop it? You don't. One of you would have to die for the link to be severed. And then part of yourself dies with them. It'll be like an open wound inside your very being." A slight pause. "I should know."

Leia speaks up this time. "Can the bond be manipulated?"

The old pirate queen taps her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, if someone strong in the Dark Side sensed a Force bond, they could employ it to their whims. Not for very long, however. Soul-bonds are nearly impossible to corrupt. They come from the Light."

And then, completely unbidden, Rey's eyes fill with tears. Maz gives her a kind smile. "I told you once, Rey of Jakku, that the belonging you seek laid not behind you, but ahead." Then she snorts. "Bet you didn't think you'd find it with your enemy, huh?" Chuckling, she presses a button and her hologram form disappears.

Rey sniffs and subtly rubs at her eyes, embarrassed at being so emotional. Half of her wants to reach for Ben, to show him everything that she's just learned. The other half, the shy half that feels very young right now, wants to crawl in a giant hole and never come out.

General Organa stands and gestures toward the door. "Alright gentleman, out."

Neither of them protest. Finn gives Rey's shoulder a comforting squeeze on his way out, Poe a sad half-smile as they leave the room.

"I'm sorry," Rey croaks out, not able to meet the General's eye.

"For what?" Leia asks. She takes Rey's hands in hers and gives them a gentle squeeze. "When I woke up this morning my son was dead. And now, and now for the first time in a long time I feel hope. Hope for Ben." She leans forward. Her eyes… Rey notices how they soften like Ben's when they look at her. "He's tethered to a light now." The General stands and pulls Rey along with her, face beseeching. "He's tethered to you, Rey. You must go to him. You must try again—"

"No." And suddenly it's two years ago and Rey is remembering how he held his hand out to her, how he offered her everything. How tempted she had been, however briefly. She might not have left with him, but she had failed to bring him to her side. He might still be conflicted, and everything inside her might demand that she seek him out, but she could not survive failure like that again. It would break her heart.

Leia's mouth firms a little, suddenly looking more like a General again and less like Ben's mother. "Rey, I know you must be daunted, but this could be what—"

"No." Rey's voice is small but steely. She drops the General's hands and takes a step toward the door, gesturing with a finger so that it swings open with the Force. "I'm sorry General. I can't. Even if you order me to… I just can't."

Not yet.

And then she leaves and heads straight for the Falcon, ignoring Finn, who had been waiting outside the door for her.

She spends the rest of the day bent over Anakin Skywalker's broken lightsaber. She still has no way to fix it. Just like she had no way to permanently fix Ben Solo.

Kylo Ren has convinced a whole squadron of TIE fighter pilots to desert.

It was taxing, of course, manipulating so many minds over such a small space of time. But the absence of Snoke's whispers and the presence of Rey's light has been making him stronger, making every vein in his body spark with power. His cheeks are no longer sunken and the dark circles under his eyes have faded. He eats his meals with renewed vigor. And he sleeps, he finally sleeps. Every night he dreams of her.

Right now Hux is furious. His perfectly slicked back hair starts to become undone as he runs about the command bridge, screaming for the traitors to be caught and hauled back for swift execution. The subordinates under him scurry to do his bidding.

And then Hux turns to Kylo. He opens his mouth as if to say something but then snaps it shut, thinking better of it. But there is something brewing in the General's intelligent gaze, something malicious and mutinous.

And then Kylo Ren realizes that there is less fear in the room. Far less then there should be. He watches the First Order admirals and commanders and captains scramble to obey Hux's frantic orders, their gazes constantly switching between their work and their furious General. Very few glance in the direction of Kylo Ren, and when they do it is with an air of scorn, not dread.

He might be the Supreme Leader, but there is no one in this room that he truly leads.

It bothers him less than it should.

I can feel the conflict inside of you.

Kylo Ren hears the words she'd spoken to him on that elevator, and he almost reaches for her in his head so that he can truly hear her voice but—

Shame twists inside of him. Deep shame. Here he stands, a throne upstairs that belongs to him and him only and he just…

Doesn't fucking care anymore. About ruling, about how the Resistance and thusher have managed to stay out of his grasp for nearly two years, about Vader and his legacy and—

He can feel the Light taking root inside of him again. It rests alongside the Darkness in him, both sides of the Force ebbing and flowing within him like gentle ocean waves. Never fully Dark but never fully Light. Balanced.

Kylo Ren just wants to start moving forward. And the only future ahead of him worth anything at all is alongside her.

Rey and Rose are deep in tech talk during some down time when Finn sprints up to them, chest heaving.

"What's with you?" Rose asks with a raised eyebrow, a hint of fondness and curiosity in her voice.

Finn bends over and puts his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath. "Someone…from within this First Order…is leaking plans…coordinates��weapon blueprints-"

Both young women are instantly on their feet as Finn launches into a more official explanation.

And Rey reaches for that shadow, pushing with all her might, demanding and ferocious. He answers quickly. What?

Rey concentrates, centers her breathing and then lets him look through her eyes, at Finn excitedly using his hands to speak "—we might have enough man power now to catch them off guard! We know when and where they're getting their supplies, and Poe wants to dispatch a team to go and—"

"How to we know this information is good?" Rose asks smartly. "It could easily be a trick."

Oh, the information is good. His voice is deep and soothing and pleased in her head, and Rey isn't sure she's ever heard genuine amusement come from him before.

"The info is good," she tells her friends curtly. They both hush up instantly, eyes going a little wide, as if they're realizing the implication of her words.

Rey turns and sprints away from the corridor, shouting for the General. She feels the last of her fear of failure slip away from her for good. I'm coming for you, her light sings at him through their link. Ben's amusement fades and he recedes, quiet. But Rey doesn't care and she doesn't reach back out for him. She's coming for Ben Solo and she will drag him out of there kicking and screaming if she has to.

She finally feels confident that he might let her. For sure this time.

Like hell Kylo Ren is going to allow her to board his ship when it's in this particular condition.

He needs to take care of some of the riffraff first.

He calls an emergency meeting with all the leadership of the First Order in the middle of a night cycle. All the higher ranks that served under Snoke, that pushed for Starkiller Base, that have personal stakes in the violence and horror the First Order has sewed across the galaxy this past decade, he summons them all.

The room is filled with the sour taste of irritation and misgivings, and it is Hux that speaks first. "Ren, what is the meaning of this? Have you considered the hour—"

Kylo breaks Hux's jaw and nose before lobbing off his head with his lightsaber. That's when the screaming starts.

Some try to fight back, and others rush for the door. He keeps them all locked inside this room with the Force.

Captain Phasma rushes up to him, her blows furious and harsh. He stops her with his right hand, his left holding several blaster bolts aloft. A flick of his wrist and the bolts go flying toward new marks. He locks onto the Captain's mind, squeezing with his right fist. "You will fall on your own blade." And Captain Phasma whirls her massive sword around and stabs herself with swift, brutal efficiency.

It's easy to pick the rest off one by one after that. He enjoys it. The Darkness is surging up all around him, fueling every final blow. But the Light is there too, never letting his vision get too red, reminding him that each death is serving a purpose. This doesn't seem like murder. Not to him. It seems like justice.

The Resistance shows up ready to make a final stand.

All they're met with is escape pods and shuttles streaming from the First Order's main ship.

"What the hell happened here?" Poe asks, he and everyone important within the Resistance ranks watching from the main command bridge. All heads swivel toward Rey. Everyone knows now.

Ben's shadow is small in the back of her head. And sluggish, as if he'd just gone through a massive spike of adrenaline and is coming back down. She nudges him and his sigh echoes all throughout her head. She gets pictures, clips of action. There is the powerful thrum of his lightsaber and shrieks of utter terror.

There is blood. On the walls the ceiling the floor the equipment—

And Rey reminds everyone in the Resistance as well as herself that even though she is mostly Light there is still Darkness inside her too. She tells them that Ben Solo has performed a coup and eradicated most of the First Order higher ups, including General Hux. The few leaders he didn't execute have abandoned ship, with the rest of the Army in confused shambles.

She delivers all this news with a satisfied smile.

The bridge is quiet for awhile until, ever the leader, Poe steps forward. "Should we try to rendezvous, then?" He is asking Rey, and she can sense his fear. His apprehension at the frightening, hulking, enigma of a man waiting for them on the other ship. When she reaches out briefly with the Force she can feel that everyone is afraid.

Everyone except her.

Kylo Ren feels how near she is. He is up in the Supreme Leader's throne room, a room he has barely used since coming into control. And after today he suspects that he'll never have need for it again. But still, it seems fitting for their reunion to be here. He sits at the foot of the throne, bicep bleeding and sleeve torn from a blaster, waiting.

They are communing with one another through the bond, her light and his shadow so deeply entrenched in the other that it is like he is walking down his own halls with her.

He watches through her gaze as she stops at the nearly destroyed command bridge. As she takes in the bodies, the dead faces frozen in petrified screams. He watches her speak to his mother, watches Leia Organa's face go pale at all the blood, at the smell of death. He's prepared to tell Rey that she'll probably have to defy orders and sneak away when—

My orders are to find you. Rey leaves the destruction of the bridge behind, following his Force signature toward the elevator. That room? Really?

He starts, not bothering to keep his surprise from her. Surely they wouldn't want her coming near him after everything he'd just done?

On the contrary. And she gives him a memory, and oh, it is of his mother. "He's tethered to a light now. He's tethered to you, Rey. You must go to him."

As the elevator takes Rey up and up and up, bringing her ever closer to him, she floods his whole head with her light, with her warmth and her hope and everything that is good. And she shows him, finally, what she's learned about their bond.

Kylo Ren is bent over Rey, their lightsabers clashing as snow falls all around him. Hot blood trickles from his wounded side down his leg but he can't think about that now. He has to keep his focus straight. Win the fight take the lightsaber get off this base. His vision is going blurry as he pushes his strength into their locked blades, adrenaline and Dark power alone keeping him from passing out. But underneath all the stress of battle and the throbbing pain from his wound and oh god oh god oh god I've murdered my father, there is—

I wish I didn't have to hurt you.

When Rey finally steps into that red, red room she stops, suddenly frozen in place by that look he is giving her. A look that demands that she keep coming, how dare she stop moving—

She runs to him, suddenly overcome with how long they've been apart, with how long its been since she's seen his face in something beyond just thoughts and dreams and memories. He has his gloves off by the time she reaches him so that he can feel the soft skin of her neck and her cheeks and how her hair is so smooth—

He bends down to meet her and touches his forehead against hers, breathing her in.

Poe Dameron and General Leia stand at the entrance, both totally unnoticed. Poe had reached for his weapon out of sheer habit at seeing Kylo Ren, but Leia places her hand over his and squeezes firmly, shaking her head. The older woman can feel the hum of the Force here, powerful and potent and…

The scavenger girl suddenly throws her arms around her son's neck and Kylo Ren (or Ben or a mix of both) brings her close, pulling Rey off her feet a little in the process.

And Leia is able to put a name to it then, what she is feeling through the Force. Balance. And the General knows that there will be chaos and ramifications coming their way in the next month, week, day, hour…

But for now, there is peace.

I was lost, I was lost Crossed lines I shouldn't have crossed I was lost, oh yeah

Sing it, please, please, please Come back and sing to me, to me, me Come on and sing it out, now, now

“In My Place” by Coldplay

A/N: First off, thank you everyone for your kind words about part one! Was really cool to hear from some of my old readers that have seen me through several fandoms and ships. I hope this delivered a satisfying conclusion! Writing Kylo brutally murdering the First Order leadership brought me more joy then perhaps it should have. Anyway, this is it for this story, but I have plenty more Reylo coming up, including a couple of one-shots and a WIP, god help me.

If you liked let me know!

#bethany writes #reylo #reylo fanfic #fanfiction #star wars #rey #kylo ren/ben solo #the last jedi spoilers

24 notes · View notes

dont-hate-relate-pls · 7 years ago

Text

Best Fake Smile I

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader (platonic...or so it seems...)

Summary: Hitting the bar right after you caught your boyfriend cheating you doesn’t seem to be the best ideas at the time, but when a blind lawyer comes up to you, it may have been your only good thing that night

Warnings: none, I hope, except for swearing

A/N: This is what happens when you finish a season of Daredevil and suddenly feel like writing...

Nothing made anyone in the world feel more alone than anyone could be when you’re nursing a cold, shitty beer occupying a booth in the dark corner of Josie’s filled with jovial drunks, all of them noisily having a much, much better time than you were.

Of course, it wasn’t their fault that you found your boyfriend of 2 years cheating on you with a skinnier, prettier woman (and she was blonde!) right in the three-seater couch of the apartment you shared with him, no; it was almost too pathetic how you were there, alone, wallowing in your own ocean of beer-smelling self-pity while everyone else was so goddamn happy with their own lives, you attempting miserably to drown your problems out (and failing, to be honest). You were so helpless and lost, like a rabbit caught in a snowstorm; in a room full of intoxicated men and giddy women, you were a nobody, unnoticed amidst the drunks in the room.

This made you knock back your drink once again, letting the cool liquid seep through and tide you over for the almost-inevitable long night.

Matt Murdock tuned out of Karen and Foggy’s conversation about getting new furniture for the Nelson and Murdock office (Karen found the chairs vastly uncomfortable), opting to listen to the other conversations of the other people around him in Josie’s; keen ears picking up on the all-too-friendly flirtation going on at the farther left side of the bar counter, to the rowdy discussion of last night’s baseball match by a group of the no doubt baseball fanatics from behind him, to- Matt furrowed his eyebrows a little, picking up on the air of self-pity coming from a rather tipsy woman at the back of the bar, most probably recently dumped or something like that.

The man smiled softly to himself, taking a swig of his own beer before getting up from his seat by the bar, causing his best friend and partner Foggy to groan as he instantly caught on to what the dark-haired man was about to do, much to Karen’s confusion. “Where’s he going?” She hissed at the long-haired blond next to her, both of them watching their mutual blind brunet friend move slowly towards the back of the bar.

Matt grinned when he heard Foggy mutter grumpily about his affinity for attractive women despite being unable to see, navigating past other bar inhabitants with his cane until he reached the person he overheard earlier. “Looks like you had a tough day.” The blind man mused out loud, the woman looking up to see him.

“I wasn’t aware you could see.” You said snarkily, noting the cane he was holding. You also noted the fact that despite being a blind man, he was actually really freaking cute, with dark brown hair combed to the side in a slightly boyish haircut, only to be contrasted by the light stubble he had. His choice of clothing however, was enough to let you know that he was an office kind of guy, wearing a black blazer coat over a neatly-pressed button-down shirt. But what threw you off was the smirk on his admittedly adorable face, the kind that seems like he knew much more than he’d ever let on. “No offence.” You added a second later, the man waving it off as a joke.

“There are other, more important, ways to see, Miss...?” Matt cocked an eyebrow at you, silently asking for a name to match the face, which you told him, the blind lawyer smiling genuinely when he remarked that it was a beautiful name for a beautiful person, your slightly tipsy self fluttering at the compliment. “May I sit?” He asked politely, and for a moment you were about to say yes without even a moment of hesitation. Calm down, (Y/N), he’s just a really cute stranger who was nice enough to say hi, you told yourself, despite knowing that you were already halfway falling for his unassumingly charming demeanour. No need to freak out.

Once again, Matt smiled to himself, hearing your heartbeat slow to its regular pace as you made up your mind.

Somehow, you and Matt ended up stumbling into a well-known 24-hours diner that both of you frequented, taking up a whole booth with him sitting opposite you. While waiting on your shared order of a strawberry milkshake and a generous helping of extra salted fries, the lawyer continued with his string of jokes that you found extremely hilarious. “Okay, so, this rabbit and his friend, who is a tortoise, were racing against each other, with the pig as the judge. Who do you think won the race?” Matt questioned you, your forehead scrunched as if you could ascertain what the punchline was, but to no avail.

“I mean, logically the rabbit would win, right?” You replied slowly, watching him break into that cute little smirk you found adorable, yet still not quite understanding where the joke was going. “They’re faster than tortoises.”

“How would you know, are you the pig?” It took your drunk brain a couple seconds before you understood what he meant, bursting into loud, uncontrollable laughter at how easily you fell for the joke, him grinning as a response to your amusing reaction to the joke. Thankfully, you composed yourself just as the waitress came over with your milkshake and fries; but like the hungry drunk woman you were, you pounced on the fries as if it was your last meal, Matt going after the milkshake at a much slower pace than you, sticking a straw for himself and you into the drink. “Slow down there, you’ll choke on those.” The blind lawyer chastised you, making you decrease your speed in embarrassment.

“Hey, I have a question, and I hope I’m not crossing any lines or anything, but...were you always-”

“Blind?” He guessed, making you bow your head down as another wave of embarrassment wash over you. Of course you’d ask him something like that while drunk, you scolded yourself, only to look up when he began to explain. “No, I uh...I was in an accident when I was 9. Been blind ever since.”

“I’m really sorry-”

“Don’t be.” Matt smiled warmly at you. “Like I said before, there are other ways to see, not just with your eyes.”

“What...kind of other ways...?” You asked in confusion, taking a sip from your shared milkshake, wanting to know more about the blind man. He tilted his head to the side a little, possibly picking up on something, a telltale hint of whatever he could use to prove it, looking like a puppy when he does.

“See that couple by the window?” You looked to where he mentioned, and indeed, there was a couple having a meal together, seemingly very animated with each other, indicating that they’ve been in a relationship for a while now. “He’s nervous, and she’s excited, so I’m pretty sure it’s their anniversary, and he plans to-” You watched as the man went down on one knee in front of his girlfriend, clearly about to ask her to marry him. “Propose.”

On one hand, you knew you ought to feel happy for the couple, whoever they were, for being blessed with the opportunity to be bound together through marriage, but at the same time, you felt a sharp pang in your chest as you blinked back prickly tears, reminded too much of what could've been with you and your now ex boyfriend. Obviously he wasn't a good choice for you if he was already cheating on you a year or so into the relationship, but for the longest time, you were under the false illusion that he, with all his flaws, was supposed to be the One for you, the person you thought you deserved to marry. Now that you understood why he would sometimes come home at 4 am and behave all-too coldly to you, all you could do was to look at the newly-engaged couple forlornly, glancing down miserably at the plate of fries, unable to stop yourself from recalling the exact, heart-shattering moment when you found him with another woman, wave after wave of emotions suddenly crashing on you.

Matt must have noticed your sudden change in mood when he tentatively reached for your hand, providing comfort even without saying anything. "Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

You nodded as an okay before realizing he couldn't actually see you, so you let out a small squeak of consent, the man squeezing your hand once before letting go. "Who on earth could be so heartless to hurt you this much?" Your eyes flicked back to look at the blind man, him doing that head-tilting gesture again, but this time he was serious; he sounded like he wanted to wrap you up in a warm blanket and cuddle with you like a puppy, but at the same time he had the air of someone who would do anything to protect the people he cared about, even random strangers he found moping in a bar.

For a second you wished he would.

"It's my boyf- ex-boyfriend, he uh- he cheated on me on our couch. I...The thing is, a week ago I found a small velvet box and naturally, I thought he was going to propose to me, to seal the deal. I mean, I wasn't wrong, he was going to propose...just not to me." You smiled sadly to yourself, picking a fry up and dipping it into ketchup before placing it into your mouth, the saltiness of the fry soothing your emotions a little. "Of course I know I deserve better, much much better than him, but I think I'll just have this night to feel like shit about it."

"Amen to that." Matt took a fry from the plate and motioned for you to do the same, an odd toast using two extra salty fries shared between a blind lawyer and a heartbroken woman. "To feeling like shit tonight." He grinned as he spoke, coaxing you to smile as well.

"To feeling like shit tonight."

"No. Way!" You stared at Matt in shock, stopping in your tracks when he started laughing at your reaction; anyone walking down the street would probably find you two an odd little pair, and frankly, you didn't care much about that. "How the hell did you get away with that?!"

"I can't help it, people just fall for my overwhelmingly blinding charm all the time." He answered you with a straight face, only for both of you to burst into laughter once again, you composing yourself just enough to grab his arm and walk with him to wherever you both wanted to go, not having decided yet. "That was a bad joke, eye realize that." This comment only made you crack up even more. Unfortunately for the both of you, the sky decided that moment was probably the best time to open up and pour buckets all over Hell's Kitchen, drenching both you and Matt within seconds, you instinctively grabbing his hand, yelling over the rain to tell him that you could find shelter at your apartment, to which he agreed, you dragging him along, his cane abandoning its purpose as he trusted you enough to not let him fall.

At some point after a minute of running past several blocks, you let out a sigh of relief at the sight of your apartment building, hastily unlocking the door with Matt in tow, the man looking more like an adorable wet puppy. "You must be freezing cold right now, I think I have something of my ex's that could fit you for the night." You told the drenched man as you went up the stairs, a hand on his surprisingly really beefy bicep to guide him. Holy crap, he could crush skulls with this! You thought.

"I appreciate the offer, but I really don't want to trouble you." Matt declined your offer as you struggled to unlock the door, you turning to glare at him.

"No offence, Matt, but you do realize you're blind, right? I have enough morality to know that leaving a blind man to fend for himself in the rain is an inhumane decision that could land you in a manhole, and me in jail." This comment caused him to smile widely, probably knowing you'd bring that up in any case he'd try to turn down your offer to letting him spend the night.

"I'm sure I can take care of myself, (Y/N)." The dark-haired man told you reassuringly as you finally got the door to open, you stumbling inside your cozy little apartment, wet droplets of rain dripping all over your fuzzy carpet, leaving small puddles in your wake. Matt was still hovering by the open door, unsure whether he wanted to enter the confines of your home or not despite your invitation.

"It's no big deal, Mr Lawyer Guy, it's not like I'm going to screw you or anything." You huffed as he finally entered your home; even with your back turned to him, you could tell that cute little smile on his face had made a reappearance. "Now, do you want to share the bed or sleep in the couch where my ex-boyfriend cheated on me with another woman?"

@a-game-of-words @nekodresden85 @dare-the-punisher @secondhandsmokemoncherie @batsofanarchy @welcome-to-awesometown @instantangelstudent

Yeah. Um. Hey. I know I’m originally a Supernatural reader-insert fanfiction blog, but I’ve hit a very literal wall of writer’s block and I’m taking an indefinite break from Supernatural-ing...

#daredevil #daredevil fanfiction #daredevil fanfic #daredevil one shot #matt murdock #matt murdock fanfiction #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock one shot #matt murdock x reader

147 notes · View notes

samingtonwilson · 7 years ago

Text

Return - Part 8 - Jim Kirk

Part 7

Summary: series following the events of loot– takes place during events of star trek beyond. in this chapter, you’re reunited with a friend and it feels so good.

Warnings: language,

A/N: parts of this i love, parts of it i don’t. that’s life, though, i guess

It took more effort than you thought necessary to climb the extensive ladder in Jaylah’s “home” seeing as you were short a healthy arm and plagued with pre-existing exhaustion. But once you made it up to the dingy, dust-covered bridge that resembled models you’d seen in the San Francisco Starfleet Museum, you let yourself fall into a chair facing one of the many consoles.

You swiveled in your seat as Jim came aboard, Scotty walking ahead of him and gesturing to the ship exaggeratedly. You swung your legs over one of the armrests as your back rested against the other, you tipped your head back and shut your eyes.

“This is the USS Franklin, sir. Can you believe it? First Earth ship capable of warp four.”

You snorted to yourself, opening your eyes and mumbling under your breath, “Scotty would find that to be the most interesting factoid.”

“Went missing in the Gagarin Radiation Belt in the early 2160’s.”

Jim hummed, approaching the view screen and helmsmen chairs. “I remember that from the Academy. Captain Balthazar Edison, one of the first heroes of Starfleet. How the hell did his ship end up here?”

You looked at Jaylah as she stepped beside you, righting your head as the strain on your sore neck became too much. “So you live here?”

She glanced at you and nodded. Her arms were crossed over her chest, rumpling the grey shirt she wore. There wasn’t any malice in her eyes, just a general apathy— you found it amusing. “Yes.”

“It’s nice— I like what you've done with the place.”

“— but Jaylah has done a marvelous job of gettin’ the ship’s systems back online,” Scotty finished, gesturing to the tall woman beside you.

When Chekov managed to activate the bridge’s lights, you squinted at the sudden brightness, watching as Jaylah nodded once in appreciation and took the captain’s seat before Jim could plant himself down in it.

She ignored his “pardon me” seamlessly. “Thank you, Montgomery Scotty.”

Jim looked at you and tried not to smile at the amusement brightening your features, walking to you and pausing there.

“I think I’m in love with her,” you said, smiling up at him as he rolled his eyes.

“Mr. Chekov,” he called, still a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. “Plug in the coordinates. See if you can track the crew’s location from the ship’s sensors.”

Chekov took a seat at one of the larger consoles, nodding. “Aye, Captain.”

Jim nodded back. “Mr. Scott, tour.”

“Yes, the mess hall,” Scotty said, motioning towards the doorway behind you. “Jaylah, if you will.”

Jim nodded at you to follow, laughing silently as you groaned dramatically and rose from your seat. You walked beside him, pushing his shoulder when he stopped to pat the top of the captain’s chair.

“You’re such a child.”

He only laughed in response.

The corridors of the ship were dark. Each wall was a deep grey that didn’t seem to have the overhead lights the Enterprise was almost overly equipped with. The ceilings were lower and a faint damp smell tickled your nose as you followed Scotty and Jaylah, staggering a bit behind Jim to make sure he didn’t accidentally bump into your arm.

The mess hall was small— much, much smaller than that of the Enterprise— and was furnished with one large table surrounded by several chairs, a large black couch, and a few smaller tables covered in metallic tools on the other end.

Tucked into the side, though, only visible as you brushed past Jim, was an old-school motorcycle. It seemed out of place, but nicely so.

You smiled at it, looking around the rest of the room as Jim toyed with a fuzzy-screened console, pulling up a video showing the Franklin crew occupying the space in its hay-day.

“No clue what happened to the crew, huh?” he asked, still staring at the screen with a slight green tint.

Scotty made a noise from deep in his throat. “No, sir. They’d be dead a hundred years by now.”

Jim looked at you and you shrugged, his eyes leaving yours to spot the motorbike you were previously taken by. A sudden flash of recognition crossed his features and he smiled as he walked toward it. “Is that a— That’s a PX70.”

He chuckled, crouching down beside it. “Wow. My dad used to have one of these when he was a kid. My mom said he’d put her on the back of it, drive her nuts.”

Scotty cleared his throat when Jim reached up to touch the faded leather seat. “Sir?”

Jim nodded and stood up, wiped clean of his smile. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “So you’re telling me this thing’s been here this whole time and no one’s ever noticed it?”

When Jaylah and Scotty exchanged a look and beckoned Jim to follow them, you stayed put on the couch. You shook your head when Jim motioned for you to follow.

You unzipped your jacket once the three of them left the dusty commissary and tossed it aside. You placed your injured wrist atop your healthy hand and turned it gently, staring down at the aching appendage with a scowl.

With a sigh, you pulled the sleeve of your dirty red uniform over the makeshift bandage and stood up, tucking your phaser into your boot.

Before you could vacate the mess hall, you stopped at the screen. Pressing the play button, you watched the cheerful crew members have indistinct conversations and laugh as they shared meals or played games.

Something pinched at the edge of your throat when you thought of their fate, of their intentions to explore the universe only to plummet down on some unknown planet.

Shaking your head at the thought, you walked through the corridor from which you entered, made a pit-stop in a room you found to be a bathroom to wash your face, and headed for the bridge.

You greeted Chekov as you stepped through the door. “Find anything?”

He was smiling brightly— the sight made you smile, too. “I think so. It’s a Starfleet frequency!”

You motioned towards the door with sweeping hand gestures. “Then go! Go tell Jim.”

He left you on the bridge for a few minutes, your hip leant against the console with one of your arms hugging your torso as the team of four walked through the entryway. You smiled at Chekov as he excitedly took the same seat as before, toying with the static-prone console.

“Can you lock onto the signal?” Jim asked, his arms resting on the console from the other end, his voice as tired as his posture.

“Yes, but how do we get to them?”

Scotty raised his hand from beside you. He looked uncertain. “I have an idea, sir. But I’m gonna need your permission.”

Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you need my permission?”

“Because if I mess it up, I don’t want it to be just my fault.”

You frowned and nodded. It seemed reasonable to you.

Minutes later, as you watched Scotty tinker with the grimy and rusted transporter pad several decks below the bridge, you stood beside Jim and cleared your throat. “That was a cute story.”

He hummed in confusion, staring straight ahead at the engineer that would hiss after every pop of electricity.

You watched as said engineer jumped up with a scowl twisting his features, his hands covered in black soot. “About your mom and dad, and that bike.”

Jim glanced at you for a short moment and you felt his eyes run over your profile. He hummed again. “Frank got rid of it as soon as he could. Haven’t seen it since I was a kid. Just got a little excited, I guess.”

“There’s an old car lot on Shellmound Street in Emeryville,” you told him, running your fingers through your finally-combed hair. “It’s over the Bay Bridge and, like, five minutes out of San Francisco. I’ve seen plenty of bikes like that there before— red, black, blue, you name it.”

He stared at you then. Though he’d intended to only glance once more, something kept his eyes there, something prevented him from feigning nonchalance. “You think they’d still have ‘em?”

“Obviously I haven’t been on Earth for a while, but before I left for the artifact, the same ones stood there as from when I was in high school.”

You let yourself meet Jim’s gaze. You regretted it instantly when you saw the way he looked at you, you felt so undeserving of such a gaze, too small to be given so much. You had to clear your throat again. “It’s doubtful they would’ve gotten rid of them so soon.”

“And you just casually hung out at an old car lot in high school?”

“One of my aunt’s exes owns the place. He was one of the better ones— hid my every mistake from her, made sure I was out of sight when her temper acted up, really just protected me whenever he could. Bones reminds me of him sometimes— just, you know, somehow older.”

Jim laughed through his nose at that, still unable to shift his focus back to Scotty.

“After they ended, I still spent time with his sons and that meant being on the car lot often. It’s where I learned to drive stick.”

“You can drive stick?” he asked, raising his eyebrows with a frown of consideration. “You’ll have to teach me some time.”

“You can’t drive stick?”

“I can, I just think you’d be an awful teacher. Impatient, rude, overly concerned about the car.”

You elbowed his side and snorted. “I’ll have you know I’m a great teacher.”

“Yeah?”

You hummed. “You’d be lucky to learn from me.”

“I’ll pencil it in.” Jim’s smile was small as he finally looked away and gave you a chance to breathe. He cleared his throat. “So you can get me a discount? Since you know the owner.”

“You’re paid enough to not need a discount. And, I mean, I could just steal it for you as a birthday present,” you offered playfully, laughing when he looked at you incredulously. “What are you going to do with a bike on a starship anyway? Don’t you wreak havoc on that poor crew enough?”

He opened his mouth to tell you of his plans to stay on Yorktown, to ground himself indefinitely— but he’d gotten sleep last night.

He was able to sleep on the insect-infested, dirt-covered, twig and leafy ground— and he wasn’t tired. There was a renewed resolve in him, something that propelled him forward rather than keeping him on the carousel he’d likened the last two years to.

He thought it was funny that a good night’s sleep was all it took, but he reconsidered that notion the moment he glanced at you again to follow the slight curve of your smiling lips. It wasn’t the sleep.

“Wait,” he said after a few moments. “How’d you know my birthday’s coming up?”

“Bones,” you shrugged. “He said you aren’t looking forward to it.”

“He tell you why?”

You nodded. “He did, s’why I offered to steal the bike for you— give you a piece of your father before you move on to a chapter of your life he never got to experience in his.”

You looked over at Jim when he remained silent, nodding upwards with a small smile when you caught his gape. “What?”

There was a loud whirring as Scotty flipped a final switch and he made a noise of victory before planting himself in the seat behind the large, almost intimidating console. “We’re all set!”

Jim looked away and nodded. “Right, yes. Great.”

Scotty pressed a few more buttons that let out almost embarrassing beeps and, before you and Jim could react, a burst of white, silver, and blue static flashed about the pad and created the half-Vulcan you could never recall being so happy to see.

He staggered as he climbed off the pad, though. His skin was paler than usual and his uniform was stained.

Despite that, as he neared the three of you, Jim smiled at him. “Good to see you, Spock.”

Spock only nodded, placing his hand below his ribs.

“Commander, are you—”

You weren’t able to get another word out as another flash of static materialized a scowling Leonard in a defensive stance, fists raised before his nose.

He visibly jumped at the change in scenery, placing his hands against his stomach and widening his scowl to a confused one. He stared around him in horrified wonderment.

“Good to see you in one piece, Doctor,” Scotty said, now standing at the doorway.

“Oh, am I?” he asked, making you snort a laugh. He met Scotty’s amused eyes. “I feel like my innards have been to a barn dance.”

Scotty placed his hand atop Leonard’s shoulder. “Aye, well, these old transporters were only ever used for cargo, but a few modifications seemed to do the trick. I thought it was best to beam you one at a time, though. You know, in case you got spliced.”

Leonard spotted you and Jim, and relief washed over his features— it seemed to sober him up as he took steady steps. “Oh. I couldn’t imagine a worse scenario.”

“Not fooling anyone, Bones,” you sang as he pulled you into a tight hug.

He eyed you warily when you hissed at the contact between his body and your wrist. But, before he could ask you about it, Jim took his attention from you. “Good to have you back. You all right?”

The doctor waved his hand. “Yeah, I’m fine. He’s hurt— and, by the looks of it, so are you, sweetheart,” he looked at you once more.

You shook your head. “Commander Spock looks like a higher priority.”

“I am functioning adequately, Captain,” Spock said in a strained voice, his hand clutching Jim’s shoulder.

Leonard snorted. “In a pig’s eye you are.”

“Captain, we discovered that the stolen artifact appears to have come from this planet,” Spock added, grunting and teetering forward until the two men flanking him caught his shoulders and tried to hold him up.

“Damn it, Spock. Are there any medical supplies on this thing?”

Jaylah nodded and asked the trio to follow her as she rushed from the room down another dark corridor.

With a half nod, Leonard beckoned you to follow them and smirked a little at your protesting squeak and subsequent defeated sigh when he told you he could only sit in peace after checking you over.

When you entered the mess hall, Jim was speaking to Spock softly as the latter was laying on the couch and Leonard was handed a bag of medical supplies.

You traced the deep green blood stain darkening Spock’s blue uniform and chewed on your bottom lip as Leonard emptied the bag of supplies, toying with what looked like an ancient tricorder.

“Let’s get you patched up first, okay?” Jim told Spock, kneeling beside the couch and using as gentle of a tone as possible.

“No, Captain,” Spock pushed. “You must focus your efforts on helping the crew.”

“Well, that’s why I need you around, Spock.”

The glances Leonard and Spock exchanged didn’t go unnoticed by you.

Your eyebrows came together and you knelt beside Leonard, pretending to dig through the numerous supplies with him. “You want to tell me what that look was about?”

“What look?”

You clicked your tongue and Leonard sighed in resignation. “You let me deal with that arm you’re absolutely terrible at hidin’ and I’ll tell you anythin’ you want. Deal?”

You nodded and sat back against your heels. “Deal.”

Jim turned to look at the two of you questioningly and Leonard shrugged. “These things are from the Dark Ages.”

As he knelt beside Spock and revved up whatever tool he held, he sighed heavily. “I’m pretty sure this is a protoplaser. Should stop the internal hemorrhaging— ‘least that’s my hope.”

Spock, amidst his heavy breathing and grunts of pain, remarked, “‘The miserable have no other medicine but only hope.’”

As you snorted, Leonard replied dryly, “Death’s door and he’s quotin’ Shakespeare.”

The handheld machine whirred as Leonard ran it over Spock’s injury site, Spock’s torso not ceasing in its subtle writhing.

It was minutes before Leonard was satisfied with his work, bandaging Spock’s torso with what was available and sighing once more. He turned to Scotty. “You got any spare clothes? He’s bled right through these.”

Scotty nodded. “Aye, there are spare uniforms on board.”

“Jim, take him and help him— I don’t want him movin’ too much. I’ll see what I can do about (Y/N)’s arm.”

Jim nodded and assisted Spock off the couch, hobbling alongside him as they exited the mess hall with Scotty and Jaylah on their heels.

“Hop on, sugar.”

Complying easily, you sat on the couch and leant forward a bit to place your elbows atop your knees. You held your wrapped arm to Leonard and tried miserably to hide winces as he unbound the filthy yellow fabric. “Talk to me.”

“‘Bout what?”

“We had a deal and this—” you let out a loud hiss as your wrist shifted. “This hurts a lot. Distract me with gossip.”

“Spock’s thinkin’ about leavin’ Starfleet.”

You blinked, nearly choking on your breath. “I’m sorry, he’s what?”

Leonard looked up at you and snorted. “Yeah, s’why he and Uhura ended. He wants to help build and populate New Vulcan.”

“Populate.” You gasped a laugh. “Spock wants to get it in with a Vulcan?”

“Uhura’s frustrations make sense now, don’t they?” he asked, scowling at your wrist. “Darlin’, what the fuck happened?”

“You know the man I was deathly afraid of? The one I was supposed to steal the artifact for?” When Leonard nodded, you couldn’t help the rueful smile on your lips. “Yeah, he led the attack on the Enterprise and he might harbor some resentment.”

“Some?” he scoffed. “Speakin’ of that nuisance artifact, where’s it now?”

“Jim hid it on one of the shuttles.”

Leonard looked up at you to gauge your expression. When he determined that you were serious, he sighed. “So we’re fucked, ain't we?”

PART 9

tagging (tell me if you’d like to be added or removed): @outside-the-government@daughterofthebrowncoats @multifandom-slytherin @buckyy3s @cinema212 @caaptain @dani-fae @wonders-of-the-enterprise @imaginesofdreams @the-witching-hours12-3 @kaitymccoy123 @anyakinamidala @vevsee @afluffykiwi @curiositywillbethedeathofme @arielsimaginess @captain-what-is-going-on@micheladakenzo @avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes @eufeme @buriedinfandomsandfeels@ididntmeantobutiaccidentally @avoidthoseeyes @emmkolenn @heartofdixie14 @thnk-you-fr-th-venom @captainveromendes @wickedsingularity @vadersdaycare @samaxraph99

#WE'RE FUCKED AIN'T WE #YES WE R HONEY WE REALLY ARE #im listening to dua lipa as i make this post n i love her so much how talented can one person be #anyways i hope yall liked this part!#jim #jim kirk #jim kirk imagine #kirk imagine #jim kirk x reader #kirk x reader #star trek #star trek beyond #star trek imagine #star trek beyond imagine #captain kirk imagine #captain kirk x reader #imagine kirk #imagine jim kirk #imagine this part actually not sucking

100 notes · View notes

captainvictoryboat · 8 years ago

Text

Behind The Scenes 3 (15/???)

Author’s note: One day I will figure out how many parts there are... But for now, there are only like 3 or 4 cities till the end. I know I said I would do longer scenes, but for the sake of dramatic effect and my habit of procrastination, I need to buy myself more time to finish the last of BTS 3. Sorry for any errors.

Genre: Let’s say fluff for now (Jungkook)

Word Count: 2675

City: Manila (Day 3)

Summary: Y/n and Jungkook spend almost the whole day together.

Other parts: HERE

This is my GIF. I made it based off of this scenario series.

You opened your eyes to see that Jungkook had already woken up. He was sitting next to you as he watched TV.

He smiled down at you as you stretched awake. “Good afternoon sleepy head.”

In your groggy state, you stared up at him until the details of who he was, where you were and what year it was finally came back to you. “… Afternoon?” you mumbled.

“It’s 3pm on the dot!”

“Oh damn!” you muttered as you rubbed your eyes. “What did you do while I was asleep?”

“I washed up, ate, watched TV, took a nap with you, then Jimin and Tae showed up. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up, we were kinda loud as we ate lunch. Then they left when Tae had to go to the deal with Namjoon, so now I’m back to watching TV.

You sat up next to him. “It sounds like you had a long day.”

“Eh, it was kinda boring with you asleep… Go wash up and let’s go eat down stairs! Then we can come back and be lazy again.”

“Ok” you smiled.

It wasn’t long before you both were dressed in matching button down shirt and were enjoying a meal at the restaurant. For once, you and Jungkook had a fun and drama free time. The late lunch date was filled with laughter from making bad puns and having a staring contest while you were waiting for the food to arrive.

After the meal, you and Jungkook took a walk around the hotel grounds. Most of your time was spent walking in the hotel garden.

Jungkook being Jungkook convinced you to take the “most thug” pictures possible with all the flowers. At this point, you were having so much fun with him, you didn’t care how stupid either of you looked to the people around you.

Once it got dark, you and Jungkook headed back to the room.

Jungkook let you in the room first, but quickly pulled you into a hug after he closed the door. When he pulled you into a kiss, you pulled back, but kept your arms wrapped around him. “What was that for?”

He shrugged. “Nothing really. I just realized that I didn’t get a kiss from you today.” He said as he attempted to kiss you again. “Ya! You told me we get to be lazy when we got back.”

“Fine, fine. You get in bed and I’ll get my laptop ready.”

“Laptop?” you asked walking to the bed. “Why don’t we just watch TV?”

“TV? What TV?” He asked as he pretended to not see the large TV mounted on the dresser where he was typing in his password.

“Oh, you know, the huge ass one right in front of you!”

“Oh, that TV! Yeah, that doesn’t work.” He said, crawling next to you.

“It doesn’t work?”

“Not at all!” He kept his eyes glued on the computer as he typed in the website.

“Then how were you watching TV when I woke up?” you laughed because you knew you caught him.

“… That’s not important right now jagi. That was then this is now, stop living in the past.” He grinned.

You rolled your eyes at him and let out a small chuckle. It was probably just best to play along with whatever he was doing right now. You decided to just rest your head on his shoulder. “What are we going to watch?” you asked as you looked at what he was scrolling through on the screen.

“I’m not too sure. I just clicked whatever. I think it’s an anime.”

“Yeah sure, you “randomly” chose an anime.”

He smiled at you but only responded by pressing play and starting the episode.

The episode wasn’t even halfway through the intro when Jungkook paused it. “Let’s lay down. My neck hurts.” He laid back and rested the laptop on his chest.

You lay down and scooted a bit closer to him to see the screen.

Once again, the episode didn’t play for long before it was paused again. “Wait, my back hurts. I have a better idea.” He moved onto his side to face you and supported himself on his elbow. Then he moved the laptop over to the empty space next to you and played the video again. “This is better.” He mumbled as he left his arm draped over your waist.

You held back a laugh as you looked up at him. He was staring intensely at the screen trying to hold back his own laughter because he knew you were staring at him.

You rolled onto your side, taking his arm and wrapping it around your shoulders.

A small chuckle escaped him and he held you tighter.

The rest of the episode was constantly interrupted by Jungkook’s cute antics. He took whiffs of your hair, commenting how good you smelled despite having used the exact same shampoo as well. You proceeded to have trouble keeping track of the plot and the characters because Jungkook began playing with your hair. His attempts to braid it always resulted in knots and tangles.

Well into the second episode, you felt his stray kisses landing on your ear, your neck, and your jaw. At one point, his kiss on your cheek made his hair flop forward and he covered your view of the screen.

That was the last straw and you paused the show. “Hey!” you whined. “I missed what happened! I thought we were supposed to be watching the anime you chose.”

“Aw, I just want a kiss.” He pouted.

You pulled him down for a small kiss and tried to turn back to the computer.

“Ok, wait! Another one! Please~!”

You gave him another one so he would behave, however, that kiss lead to another and another and soon it was much more than just a kiss.

It wasn’t long before he was on top of you with your fingers gripping into his hair. He had learned his lesson from the last time and his hands didn’t dare move from your hips. From the way, his mouth and tongue moved with yours, it was obvious how bad he wanted you. You found yourself wanting to take things further and you knew it was wasn’t going to happen unless you said something.

As if he could read your mind, he went after your weakness. His mouth moved down your jaw and was sucking the sweet spot on your neck. Again, you let out a small moan and you knew you wanted to take things further.

You unraveled your arms from around him and brought them to your chest. Jungkook took it as a sign to stop and swiftly pulled himself back. “Jagi, what is it? Did I do something wrong?”

“Huh? No… It’s just…” your fingers played with the top button of your shirt. “… I feel like you want a bit more… I kinda do too… so then maybe we could…”

His eyes focused on your fingers “… Well, baby only if you want to.” But the look in his eyes begged you otherwise.

You very slowly unbuttoned the first button. The second you pulled back the collar to open your shirt a bit, his lips attacked your newly exposed skin. He kissed all he possibly could before he reached the fabric once again. You undid the next button and his lips moved further down, not letting a single spot go untouched.

You had just unbuttoned the third button, giving him access to your chest, when a stupid loud laser sound went off. You both knew that meant Jungkook just got a text from V. However, the sound itself was so unexpected, it practically scared the shit out of you.

The annoying ringtone didn’t stop and it was getting you out of the mood. The incessant ringing didn’t bother Jungkook though. “Just ignore it baby.” he said in between kisses. He had already finished unbuttoning your shirt and his hands were under your back, unclasping your bra. You let everything just slip off your upper body and Jungkook threw them across the room. The texts still didn’t stop. His phone became frantic with incoming messages and it was hard to ignore.

Jungkook unbuckled his pants and his hands moved fast to the waistband of yours, but you stopped him. “Jungkook, just see want he wants then turn off the phone or something. It’s so annoying.”

“Ugh, fine.” Jungkook stretched over you and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

As he scrolled through the messages,ou unbuttoned his shirt, letting your hands roam his body.

“Fuck!” He cursed through his teeth.

You stopped at his seriousness. “What happened?”

“Fucking Tae says he needs to fucking talk to me about some stupid shit.” He huffed.

“I thought he was out with Namjoon still.”

Jungkook sat up to catch his breath. “Well apparently they are back now.” he looked down at you disappointed that the moment was ruined.

“Oh”

He sent back a few texts before he got up and walked across the room to pick up your shirt and bra. “While I go to Tae’s room, you have to stay with Jimin.”

Your inside flipped around from guilt instantly. “Why?!?”

“Well according to Tae, what he needs to talk about is something he needs to tell just me… and its best you not be alone…” he said as he handed you your clothes.

You quickly put them on, avoiding his eyes. “Oh… well, yeah. I get that…” you mumbled.

Jungkook sat at the edge of the bed now. “Yeah?”

“Yeah…”

You felt the urge to cover yourself up as much as possible at the thought of being stuck in a room with Jimin, so much so that you even got up from the bed to get your shoes on, but Jungkook grabbed your wrist and pulled you between his legs. “It’s nothing personal jagi. We can’t leave you alone in general.”

“Yeah I get it, but why Jimin?” The last thing you wanted to do was face Jimin. There was already so much guilt and anxiety growing inside you.

“Well, you aren’t talking to Yoongi or Hoseok. You most definitely are not going with Hiro, Namjoon or Jin. Minho is your only other option, but he isn’t the easiest person to be around. He’s pretty weird sometimes and I don’t completely trust him all the time.”

You let out a sigh. “Ok, yeah, I get why it’s to Jimin’s room I go.” You gulped.

He grabbed your hips and pulled you close to him. “But when I get done talking with Tae, you and I can go back to what we were doing.”

Jungkook knocked on Jimin’s door and waited for him to open it. “Don’t worry baby, it shouldn’t take me long.”

“Don’t call me that!” you whispered harshly.

“What? It’s not like he’s gonna hear us through the-“

The door slowly opened and Jimin appeared. “What does Tae have to talk to you about anyway? I texted him about it but he didn’t really tell me anything.” He said to Jungkook.

You could feel your face on fire. You couldn’t even get yourself to look directly at Jimin because you felt he could read your mind or something.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know either.” Jungkook shrugged. “He just insisted that I go to his room and talk with him. It’s probably some crap with Namjoon and the deals or something.”

“That’s weird. It’s kinda late to be talking right now, but then again if they barely got back from a deal then I guess I get it… But it’s whatever. As long as I don’t get dragged into all the dealing drama, I’m good.” Jimin’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out to read his message. “Jungkook get your ass over there. He’s still waiting and I want these messages to stop.” He said as he typed away.

“Fine, you and y/n have fun.” Jungkook said as he walked off to V’s room.

Jimin gave you a smile and moved back to let you in. You very awkwardly smiled back and ducked your head as you entered the room.

“It nice to see you finally up.” he laughed. “How did your free afternoon go?”

“Ha-ha” you laughed nervously. “Uh, I was alright I guess.” You could feel your forehead sweating. “We- I mean- I didn’t really do anything different! Nope just ate and watched TV as usual…”

Jimin definitely noticed your behavior. “Y/n are you okay? You’re acting a bit weird.”

“Shit!” you thought. You tried to think of a lie to tell him. “Oh, uh, I’m fine! I just uh, I uh, I drank some espresso in my room cuz I wanted to see what it would taste like… I probably got a bit too carried away trying it. Ha!” you let your nervous jitters out and prayed that he believed you.

“Well then you must have been having some fun then.” He smiled again.

“I need to change the subject fast!” you thought. “So how do you like having your own room?!?” you blurted out. “I feel a bit weird not sharing a room with you anymore.”

Jimin smile grew. “Well, don’t take this the wrong way, buuut… I like having my own room again.” He blushed.

You dropped your jaw dramatically. “I take full offense!” you laughed.

LAILANI POV

Lailani stood in front of the standing mirror, doing one last check of her dress before he got to the room. She grabbed the cellphone from the top of the dresser and sent a text to Jimin. *Jk says y/n will be with you. send her to my room in 15*. She then went to the door to idly wait for the young idol’s arrival.

Finally, she heard someone knocking and she rushed to get it open.

She could see his face turned sour as he looked down at her. He was quick to shift his gaze on anything else but her and cleared his throat before he spoke. “Lailani… Just came to talk to Tae.” Jungkook said awkwardly.

She smiled up at him and stepped to the side to let him walk in. She closed the door, but made sure it didn’t click shut, as Jungkook went about the room in search of V.

“Um, so, uh, where is Tae?” Jungkook asked nervously.

His awkwardness was a bit off putting, yet completely adorable. Lailani had a feeling that was going to make things a bit more fun. “He’s not here.” She said blankly.

Jungkook looked confused and it only made her want to laugh. She held herself back and stayed as serious as possible.

“Then why did he text me?” He asked more to himself than to her.

“Oh, he didn’t text you, I did!” She smirked as she held up V’s cellphone that she swiped from his coat pocket before he left.

Jungkook rolled his eyes at her. His jaw clenched a bit. It made him look so much manlier than a few moments ago. “Ok! What is this about?”

She took a few steps up to him, just close enough to brush her chest up against his. “Nothing much, I just wanted to talk about old times.”

He scoffed at her. “You gotta be kidding me. I don’t have time for this.”

He tried to walk out of the room, but she dashed in front of him. “What’s the rush? Aw, you look tense.” She said as she slid her hands up his strong shoulders. “Why don’t I give you one of my massages. You used to love those, remember?”

He brushed her hand off him. “No thanks.” Again he headed towards the door.

In a panic she went straight to her last resort. “How do you think Y/n will react when I tell her about us?!? Better yet, how do you think the tabloids will handle the news?” Those words stopped him in his tracks. “If only there was a to keep me quiet.” She said tauntingly.

First of all, I want to thank you all for all the activity I got over the last scene. You all literally made my day. I had the BIGGEST smile on my face every time I saw how you guys reacted to my question and who you guys were choosing y/n to be with. Even on the stuff I got from some of you today, almost a week later (let’s be honest here, I couldn’t wait anymore to post this part up) , just made me feel so good. The activity and the reactions/comments I got from you all made me so happy.

Second, I didn’t think this would happen, but I kinda like writing now... so idk, I was thinking of starting a side blog for scenarios or something. I am not too sure yet. I have many idea for other scenarios/drabbles, but I don’t want to congest this blog with any more stuff. If I do make another one, the BTS series will still be post on this blog (I don’t want to deal with moving links and changing the watermark on the GIFs). I am still debating it though.

67 notes · View notes

lovelyfantasticfart · 4 years ago

Text

A Take a look at House Made Herbal Magnificence Products

Loads of Great Stuff You could possibly Do With Video Clip Video games As of late, there are providers that enable you rent out a video game previous to you buy it. Make certain to contemplate the acquisition that you really want your initiatives completed in. Guantee that your thighs and arms are parallel with one another. These are where you take a look at your drawback-fixing expertise, sleeping patterns, fast meals supply service goal setting, the way you handle nervous conditions, private networks and set your self a challenge for the next week. More immediately, a few small bodywork touch ups, a wheel refurb and a bigger brake arrange will likely be done - what the arrange shall be is under analysis! This could elevate an emotional concern that can bind him from the reality that it will probably happen to him when he has his own family. Occasions, Sunday Instances (2014)Can you make suggestions for chopping this e book again? The LCD monitor enables you to retain monitor of your progress, weight loss plan is important for actual fitness and the DVD's will present you ways to make use of the ab Glider appropriately.

It's essential to have to ensure that they have a approach to substitute something that they injury while they're doing operate in your residence. The front and rear fascias of the newest generation are instantly recognizable as a part of the Mercedes household, while the aspect views provide a new take on the classic look, with sleek lines and a trendy profile. Take delight and joy in your carry out though striving to appreciate yourself. With wonderful and correct webhosting, you could store all data and take care of issues that usually happen on your web site. One other large thought when buying an electric bike is the manner by which you mean to retailer and look after it. Be a respectful, specialist participant while you try out for a crew. Start out strolling a mile around the mall, and since it'll get easier bump, it up to two, three, or extra. Players might get easily annoyed if they create a whole to gamers that are not accessible to seize the tennis ball.

It also permits you get far more offensive rebounds and details. Specialist carpet cleansing organizations focus on deep cleaning your carpet, to aid give it that new look as soon as extra. When It Arrives To Using A Carpet Cleaner, We now have The Tips must be licensed through the IICRC. 鈥淒o not throw something away until you鈥檙e glad and done with the job, so in you have some wiring that wasn鈥檛 provided, it may be duplicated,鈥?Travis said. The store manual not solely contains the wiring (together with its coloration, gauge and path), however typically additionally consists of the right sizes for the bulbs. Sooner or later. I will improve the spreadsheet by automating the entry process (I do know, been saying that for 2 years now) and give you a approach to replace the driver scores easier. Following the C-Class service schedule and addressing issues as they come is an efficient strategy to keep away from advanced problems down the road.

Filtering the air is a natural, non-invasive, and proactive approach to remove not only the allergens that trigger allergies, but the necessity to medicate the symptoms that outcome due to them. The driver can lock in extra entrance torque distribution by the use of a Winter mode. This story was bought hook, line and pendant by the press, who by dint of their widespread upbringings can always be relied upon to swoon at a bit of glamour. Soon after trying by the sooner talked about article, anyone can flip into a large fan of baseball. What are some good locations to purchase cheap baseball bats? You probably have a superb number of colours in addition to designs, you will definitely always have one thing that matches your attire. This superb Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing is quantity 27 of the 29 autos in existence these days in aluminium physique. Do some searching on the web if you could. So attempt to overlook about the take a look at and just think through what it's worthwhile to do. If we have suggestions, you may see an inventory of them -- click the Add button so as to add these topics. In case you have a hoarse voice, it might be attributable to tummy acid rising into your throat.

At all times safeguard the ball when you are in possession of it. If they don't worship her, then they are competitors for your worship of her. If a group doesn't supply this, then that business will not be value making use of. Consider making your bedroom off limits to all but two-legged creatures. That is so much like making tea. Marchionne pushed aside suggestions he should delay his retirement at the top of this year. This entry was posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2018 at and is filed beneath Advocacy Groups, Advocates, Automakers, Automobiles, Markets, Personalities, Security, U.S./North America. Youngstown, Ohio, these prototypes have been moved with it, and wound up in the manufacturing facility there. The most common therapies for acne scars include laser therapy and floor therapies. Allergy is removed from being only a frame of mind, but coping with it becomes simpler when it's put into perspective, and whenever you encourage your self to comply with these 4 tips day by day. The Civic grew and grew and grew.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/30IWOji

#Blogger

0 notes

lexiseigneur · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter nineteen: Silence

Ao3

Preparations were coming to a close. The three major elements of their scheme were complete. The jamming devices to incapacitate the Master, his location and the site of his death. Never before had Quinlan worked with so many humans toward killing the beast. For thousands of years, he had failed over and over again. Always a step behind his father. Perhaps this was how he had erred for so long. He had been alone.

His hands moved automatically as he slid silver bullets into clips. Next to him, Lexi glued her balaclava onto her dog collar. The strong chemical scent made her crinkle her nose. Behind the bar, Gordo read the list of today’s deliveries and pickups. On a stool almost facing Gordo, Brevil typed keyed on his laptop. By the window, Antonio was on guard duty and utterly bored. The day was generally quiet and uneventful but Quinlan still repressed an impression of urgency. That feeling had birthed when Lexi had found him in her novel form and grew like a tumor with each passing moment. He wanted to be alone with her, not here surrounded by humans. Quinlan was about to propose spending the rest of the day in their bedroom when Raul climbed down the stairs.

He wore a black Partnership uniform with a utility belt as well as an assorted cap. The sleeves were too long and he rolled them up.

“How do I look?” he asked to the room in general.

Gordo threw a disgusted look his way.

“Like an asshole,” he said. The large man took the list and made his way to the stairwell. “Well, it works then,” said Lexi as she applied more glue between her balaclava and collar. She giggled at seeing Raul’s face. The man looked down at the clothes and grimaced.

“I'm gonna go change before I get stabbed,” said Raul.

Gordo slapped him in the back as his loud laugh boomed in the room. Perhaps now would be the time to suggest to Lexi to leave the communal space. Quinlan almost rolled his eyes when Amir chose this moment to climb up the stairs. His jaw was set and he sported a fresh bandage around his right hand. In his left, he carried a bucket full of loose silver bullets. He tossed the bucket on the table and threw himself on the chair next to Quinlan. The young man grabbed a dozen of empty clips as both Dhampir looked at him.

“Arturo said I should help you here.”

The cotton bandage did not entirely mask the stench of burned skin. What had he done now?

“What happened, Amir?” asked Lexi while the young man forced bullets in a clip.

“You make ONE mistake and suddenly you’re treated like a menace,” he grumbled.

Lexi turned away to hide her amusement. When her computer emitted a discreet beeping, she propped the leather collar on the ear of her chair. She walked to the next table dozens of jamming devices were laid out in piles of three. Quinlan observed her face as she read a series of charts and tables on the screen.

“They are done,” she said.

Sure now they could leave and be alone. Raul entered at this moment, spotted Amir loading clips and smirked. The young man noticed and took a chocolate bar from his pocket. He removed the wrapping and bit into it savagely while staring back. Raul’s smirk vanished and he mouthed a quiet “fuck you.” Quinlan’s patience was wearing thin.

“Did it finish processing?” asked Raul.

He peered at the screen above Lexi’s shoulder.

“Yes. Let’s test those three just to make sure.”

They placed the jamming devices in three corners of the room. Lexi stood in the middle of that triangle and gave a thumbs-up to Raul. The man pressed a single key and the faint hum of the activated devices filled the room. During the first testing of those machines, both Dhampir had detected a strange buzzing, as if the attic had filled with hornets. Humans had been completely unaware of it.

Of course, Quinlan had heard it before, that time in Eldritch Palmer’s penthouse when he had shoved the Master into a coffin. At the time, he had paid very little attention to it. Now he knew that those were the voices of the brains in the machines, so loud as to reach Dhampir although they were only half-Strigoi. When the Master had been injured by Abraham Setrakian, his voice had also pierced through. It was revolting, this reminder that they were in fact connected to this abomination.

“Those three are also a go. We are completely done with those things now,” said Lexi, louder than necessary. The corner of Quinlan’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Beloved, I know it is a bit loud in the trap area but I can hear you perfectly.”

Lexi gestured toward Raul and the hum disappeared.

“Sorry, it’s quite an annoying side-effect.”

Amir stopped filling the clips and observed the transparent machines and the organs within.

“Why did you use plastic for those brain thingies if they are that important?” he asked.

“Because it enables us to monitor the brains constantly,” replied Lexi patiently.

“Yeah but if they are healthy when we need them can’t you maybe…I don’t know, give them a helmet or something?”

Raul shook his head and massaged his temples.

“Dude, just…no,” he said.

“Why the fuck not? Right now they look like you shake them a little too hard and our whole plan goes to shit.”

Quinlan raised a brow appreciatively.

“The young one is not exactly wrong,” he said.

“Yes…brains are not the sturdiest of organs when outside of a skull.”

“What are you proposing we do?” asked Quinlan.

Amir squinted at the devices and stroked his chin.

“I don’t know. Some protective gear around the plastic at least.”

He then stared at the bullet between his fingers.

“Make it silver even. That should keep the Strigs away.”

“Could that interfere with their functioning?” asked Quinlan.

“We can check that now!” said Amir and he grabbed a cardboard of clips.

Lexi followed when he approached the first device and laid the clips on and around the plastic casings. Understanding his intention, Lexi finished the same process on the other two. Unconvinced, Raul stood by the computer with his arms folded.

“Light them up!” ordered Amir after rushing to the center of the room.

Raul glared and remained immobile. Lexi went to stand by the young man and gestured to Raul who activated the devices. The hum rose again and she smiled at Amir. The buzzing died down.

“And if you bolt them to the SUVs then it’ll be hard to get rid of them…”

Quinlan passed an index over his chin and despite himself, grinned at Amir’s gumption.

“He has a point,” said the Dhampir.

“Yes…that way it will be easier for the various teams to keep their respective devices safe.”

“Let’s draw what we want and the specs and Arturo will make it with the silver downstairs,” said Amir enthusiastically.

Quinlan would have to be patient as they were drawn into yet another task. The discussion grew animated as it always did when Amir was involved. His laughter was loud and slightly mocking when he addressed Raul.

Antonio’s radio beeped and Marcus’ panicked voice screamed through the speaker. Silence fell the room as Antonio pressed the button to open the gate. Downstairs, the engine of an SUV stopped and there were more screams. Above all else, like a flare in the night, the smell of fresh blood.

Quinlan and Lexi stood simultaneously. At the back of his throat, there was the faint trace of a burn.

“Dr. Brevil, please go lock yourself in your bedroom,” said Quinlan.

The scientist should be kept away from possible danger. Brevil closed his laptop and ran to the stairs leading to the living quarters. In his wake floated the stink of adrenaline. Quinlan and Lexi rushed down the stairs. The SUV’s doors hung open and a trail of blood ran from the back seat to the table where they usually gathered for meals. Marcus, Arturo, Miguel, and Julio finished depositing Gordo onto the table. The men were staring at their injured friend and at each other, unsure how to proceed. Arturo was the first to take some kind of initiative and he trotted to the nearest phone from which he called Gus.

“We have to do something,” said Lexi as she pulled up her sleeves.

They joined the men and instantly, she was pressing down on one of the three bullet holes in Gordo’s abdomen. The large man cried out in pain but she ignored him.

“You!”-she looked at Marcus- “Press down on those! Yes like that…but harder.”

“Quinlan…I need tools…scalpels, sheers, clamps, saline, suture kit, anesthetic. Lots of gauze.”

Quinlan cringed when Gordo screamed again as he sped down the various shelves of contraband. Within seconds he gathered all that she needed. He deposited the surgical instruments on a table that he pulled within Lexi’s reach. Three men were red in the face while attempting to hold down Gordo who howled and jerked from the pain. Lexi and Marcus would barely keep the pressure on the bleeding wounds.

“Knock him out! The anesthetic! Now!” she ordered.

He had done that before and looked down at the small bottle. Yes. This was the same chemical he had used on Lexi and he strained to recall the concentration required. He could not but he knew how much he had used on her and from that, estimated what the large man would require. He assumed Gordo would not care about the burn of the injection and he stabbed his thick neck and immediately pushed the plunger. Gordo’s eyes were bloodshot and crazed and that briefly turned Quinlan’s stomach. Within seconds, the flailing of the man’s arms ceased and his eyes rolled back. Gus arrived and stared at his friend in horror.

“Oh shit!” he yelled then clamped a hand on his mouth.

Lexi looked briefly at Gus, then back at her patient. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Of course, she would do that now, let that calmness rise from within. It was like Quinlan got punched in the stomach. This had happened once before when she had shown him that horrifying memory. Her warmth left him and the universe was cold and empty once more. Lexi frowned as she cut Gordo’s clothes apart. Then when she reached for the gauze, the frown turned into a grimace. Her head twitched violently to the side and Quinlan breathed again. She was back.

“This is bad…this is really bad. It distracts me not to feel you…this is bad,” she said and her eyes widened in panic.

Quinlan could only help Marcus press down on the injuries. The Bond was robbing her of the serenity she needed to work and that filled him with irrational guilt. Her gestures lost their confidence. She hesitated with a pair of clamps in her hand.

“Lexi! Listen! You can do this, you’ve done it before.”

“I don’t know what to do…”

“Of course you do! What did you do with me first?”

“I found the source of the bleeding…” she answered.

Her pupils dilated and Quinlan was shocked by her ability to innovate in such a situation. He too as he focused could see the blood vessels coursing through Gordo’s body. She shook her head, dropped the clamps and took a scalpel instead.

“What the fuck!” yelped Marcus when she cut at the skin above one of the wounds.

Her small hand disappeared inside the sliced flesh and her face contorted in revulsion. With her other hand, she took the clamps which she slid inside. When she removed her hand there was little bleeding left. Despite her despair and the gravity of the situation, he could not help but feel proud of her.

“Quinlan, get the saline going, he lost too much blood.”

“Marcus, press down on wound as well,” he said.

The man tried but blood poured between his fingers. Gus’ hands slid under Marcus’ dark fingers and they each pushed on the remaining bullet holes. Quinlan prepared the IV and allowed himself a single look around the room. The other members of their crew were now lined against the nearest wall and staring intently. Raul attempted to stop his tears by gritting his teeth. This was a familiar scene. Quinlan had lived through it hundreds of time. Those were soldiers waiting for another to die. Uncomfortable, he focused back on Lexi who had switched to Marcus’ position, repeated the process of slicing and clamping the bleeding vessels.

“You can let go, Gus, I found this bleeder as well.” She said as she finished shoving another clamp inside Gordo’s large midsection.

Suddenly she was alone, working on the still body. Quinlan felt completely useless. He had never been in the business of healing. At that moment, he regretted that lack of experience.

“I can’t get the stitches right…this is not like you were. His flesh is tearing and he doesn’t heal.”

Quinlan scowled for he had no idea what to tell her. He could not share words of reassurance if he did not mean them. Gordo’s heart was struggling to pump what little blood was left in his body. Although he knew it was pointless, Quinlan pressed on the IV bag to force the saline faster into the collapsing veins.

“Is he gonna make it?” asked Gus.

Lexi glanced at the Sun Hunter briefly. Her face was suddenly full of determination and she moved faster. Gus' hands closed into tight fists and he turned to his men.

“What the fuck happened?”

“Some security patrol spotted us and when they scanned Gordo’s armband, they started shooting,” said Marcus. He looked down in shame.

On the table, Gordo’s heart missed several beats. Lexi made a wry face and shoved handfuls of gauze in the wounds.

“Get me adrenaline!” she ordered Quinlan.

As soon as Quinlan ran back with a needle filled with adrenaline, Gordo’s heart stopped. Deodamnatus. Lexi whimpered and all eyes were on her again. She grabbed the needle and stabbed at the man’s chest. The heartbeat again, three times. Lexi groaned and jumped on the table to start massaging his chest.

Somber silence fell on the room only punctuated by Lexi’s grunts. Raul held his face and looked away. His back shook and Amir grabbed onto his shoulder and stared as their friend lay dying. Gus’ jaw was tense and his eyes very dark. A deep growl rose from Lexi’s throat. Under her fingers, the heart remained stubbornly quiet. She held her hands together and struck at his sternum. The heart beat once, but not strong enough to send blood through the body. She resumed the massage with a snarl and Quinlan grimaced when ribs snapped as a result of her pushes. Gus bit his lip and shook his head.

“Lex…you should stop now,” he said. His throat sounded full.

Lexi ignored him. Quinlan rushed to her as more ribs cracked.

“Listen. His bones are breaking and his heart is not restarting. It’s over.”

As certainly as her hands were damaging the lifeless body, her suffering in the Bond was tearing at his mind. His chest tightened painfully as he held onto her wrists. She did not fight him when he pulled her off the table. Her eyes remained focused on Gordo’s face.

“I did everything I could,” she said. Her expression swayed between confusion and pain.

“Yes…I know.”

“Then why is he dead?”

Because doing ones best still meant failing sometimes. She shook her head and once more, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Quinlan could not blame her for attempting to quiet her distress that way. But the coolness of her absence did not come. Lexi moaned and stared at her hands covered in thick blood. The wings of her nose flared.

“All this blood…it burns my throat. How can it make me thirsty right now? This is sick.”

She pulled a blue handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away at the blood. Her breathing had turned shallow and she was shaking. Quinlan could sense her gripping panic rising and he did not know how to stop it. Then she looked at the red stains on the light blue fabric and as if the handkerchief had burned her, she dropped it and took a step back. Her eyes were wide and her body tensed as she stopped breathing. Quinlan reached for his plexus as her anguish momentarily ensnared his own chest. Oh no. Suddenly he was immensely vulnerable, surrounded by all these humans.

“Lex?” asked Gus as he approached Gordo’s body.

Almost panicking, Quinlan picked her up and sped out of the room. In the staircase, between two levels, he hugged her tightly. She was screaming. Her lungs still clenched shut made her eerily quiet but inside this sliver of light they shared in their mind, her howls were deafening. Quinlan wanted to take all grief away. Just like he held onto her small body, he wanted to embrace her soul and remove that agony. The Dhampir closed his eyes firmly and let her voice guide him deep inside his mind. He had never been there that way. It was barely within reach even as she unintentionally showed him the way. He let his consciousness tip inside of this void he had previously carefully avoided.

Quinlan opened his eyes. He was not in the staircase anymore. As far as he could see there was nothing. He could feel the immensity of this space despite the total absence of indications that it spread forever around him. Around them. An urchin of light convulsed within his reach. Lexi. It was her but she was still unable to acknowledge his presence. Her distress echoed in the infinite space. When he touched her light, the usual warmth had a painful bite to it. Quinlan stared at his hand. It was incredibly bright but appeared encased in a hard translucent shell that her soul did not have. He wished it away, just enough to free his hands. As the glass armor receded, his arms glowed intensely. It looked as if he was holding onto two flares.

Then he reached for her again and the sensation was similar to that day on the roof when she had stepped resolutely toward him. But on that roof, he had felt the warmth of belonging while this was the searing heat of intrusion. This was not natural nor agreeable. He knew that if he were to hold her that way too long, he would eventually lose himself and she too would disappear.

For the briefest of moments, Quinlan saw his own face through her eyes. This was not memory because at no moment in the past had his blue irises glowed that way.

Her suffering slid within the bosom of his soul where it became diluted and harmless. Then he let go and the shell reformed around his arms. Her soul had lost its sharpness, it rippled in soft waves. Satisfied, Quinlan leaned back and landed in his physical body. When he looked down at his beloved, she stared at his eyes in fascination.

“I saw…” she said and touched her face.

“Me too.”

“How?”

“I reached inside your light and took the agony away.”

But this could not happen again. What made a person, a person? Would she remain Lexi if he chipped away at her experiences?

“For a moment, I didn’t exist anymore,” she whispered.

“I felt it too. I’m sorry.”

“No!…Thank you for doing that but…wasn’t that just like what he does?”

“I do believe it was similar but not identical.”

Quinlan doubted the Master would so readily observe through the eyes of his creatures if it turned his stomach that way. She pressed her cheek against his and they stayed in this position for a long while. During that time, Quinlan attempted to find the way leading to the vastness in his mind. He failed and when the frustration made him growl, he stopped to focus on the soothing warmth of her presence. When humans started moving about the building again, the Dhampir retreated to their bedroom. They washed away Gordo’s blood and as Lexi looked away, Quinlan carefully brushed the redness off of her nails. Then he waited until she fell asleep to return to the men gathered downstairs. Raul spotted him first.

“Where is Lexi?”

His stinger rattled lowly. This was none of his concern. Then he stared at the worried eyes and the way his chin still trembled slightly. Did he have the right to push those humans away from her? Did he have the right to be so selfish?

“She is asleep.”

“I know you guys are old and stuff and you’ve seen some shit but…she didn’t look alright.”

Because she was not. Quinlan’s eyes veered to the side as he recalled various instances of Lexi helping others. She often paid for that kindness with her peace of mind.

“She will recover,” said Quinlan.

Raul’s already puffy eyes filled with tears and Quinlan looked away in embarrassment.

“Please attend to the devices we left upstairs. I believe we left lying about and it would be unfortunate if someone were to trip over them.”

Quinlan waited until Raul’s footsteps echoed in the empty staircase. Gordo was already gone and so were several other crew members. There was not a single trace of the used equipment and though he could still smell blood, bleach was the most distinguishable scent in the room. The Sun Hunter leaned on a crate, stroking a knitted cap between his fingers.

“We regret deeply what happened to Gordo,” Quinlan told the Sun Hunter.

“You guys really tried. Thank you.”

But Quinlan had not left Lexi’s side to exchange civilities.

“Is this place compromised as a result of this event?”

“No. The guys were not followed and besides…”

He stood straighter.

“They’d already be here.”

The crew members who had likely been attending to the body were buzzed back inside and exited their car. Marcus was one of them and walked straight to Gus.

“It’s done,” he informed his boss.

Gus handed him the knitted cap. Marcus’ bit lowered his head while taking Gordo’s hat. The Sun Hunter enclosed his friend into a hug and Quinlan turned away, unwilling to be a witness to their grief.

“Quinlan?” called Lexi from the bedroom.

The Dhampir returned to her. She fell asleep again as he purred loudly to soothe her. His arms covered Lexi as if attempting to shield her from the world.

The Master could know everything his children knew. He stole their memories were as he robbed them of their humanity and then also took theirs every thoughts. After Lexi had found him and they had been uncovered the Bond, they too could share their thoughts. Quinlan referred to both as the Sharing even if it bothered him to compare what the Master did to what he had with Lexi. Then there was the Merging. This made him grimace. It was indeed similar to what the Master inflicted on his Strigoi. Right up to the glowing eyes.

Lexi whispered quietly inside her dreams and stroked her silvery waves. Just as he had told her the day they had discovered that Bond, theirs differed fundamentally from the link between the Master and his Strigoi. What bonded the Dhampir together was based on mutual respect and consent. And on reciprocation. There was no doubt in his mind that the Master had never let one of his creations see through his eyes. The Master took everything but gave nothing in return.

As she slept, he studied every detail of her face. Lightly, he traced the stripes of her cheeks and followed each dark undulations and the way they intersected. Her hand shot up, she smacked her own face and groaned.

“Tickles,” she whispered then fell back asleep.

Quinlan strained to repress his laughter but committed to only study her traits with his gaze.

The next day, Gus ordered everyone in the communal space and the couple accepted reluctantly. Their entrance was met with complete silence. By his side, Lexi hesitated to step further into the room. She looked down as if she expected her failure to save Gordo to be met by remonstrances.

“You dropped that,” said Gus and he presented her with the blue handkerchief.

The fabric was clean and folded into a neat square. Her jaw contracted as she accepted the memento but still avoided Gus’ gaze.

“Thank you,” said Quinlan on her behalf.

Gus looked at Lexi for a few seconds longer then turned to the rest of the crew.

“We’ve got a fucking problem now. Even with Gordo, we barely had enough people to protect the jamming devices when we use them against the Master. I need some ideas, right fucking now.”

There were whispers but no definite answer. Near the window Arturo eyed Brevil. The old looked like he had not slept since Gordo’s death and his face was harsher than usual.

“Brevil is not assigned to a team yet. We need everyone, no?”

The scientist cowered and scanned the room as if a solution to his problem would appear out of thin air. Quinlan pitied that man, so out of place in all this violence and chaos.

“That’s not such a bad idea…” pointed out the Sun Hunter.

Brevil looked at him as if those words had been a signature sealing his death sentence.

“Not you, Dr. B. If the volcano blows before they get there or something like that, we’ll still need you.”

The scientist took his face into his shaky hands. Arturo looked away in disgust.

“I mean that people like Brevil might help. There is a reason my contacts are my contacts. They’ve got good jobs with the Partnership and they won’t give that up to die with us.” – he snorted – “But that’s why they are useful.”

Quinlan knew where this was going and he agreed with the Sun Hunter.

“The Librarian got us Brevil but besides that, he was never really useful. ‘Cause all his people are rejects in this new shit world. He has a list of fugitives who have a lot to gain from this plan working,” said Gus.

“You want to drag other scholars into this?” said Brevil, while grabbing Gus’ arm.

Gus stared at the hand around his wrist, then slowly, at the man holding him. Brevil immediately let go and took a step back.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” said Arturo and his smile was more akin to a grimace than an actual expression of joy.

“No, it’s not,” intervened Lexi.

She looked at the blue handkerchief then put it in her pocket. All eyes fixated on her at once and Quinlan pulled at her elbow.

“Of course it is a good plan. We need more people or this won’t work.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” said Arturo.

“It’s shortsighted.”

“What are you saying?” asked Gus. He was neither annoyed nor angry but intrigued.

“Those people are needed later…for humanity to recover. Their roles should not be to fight but to rebuild.”

“There won’t be anything to rebuild if we don’t manage to kill the Master,” said Gus.

“Every time one of those people dies, that’s one fewer pillar that humankind will be able to rely on,” she retorted. “There is a good reason why the Master was targeting them…they are important.”

“And we’re not?” bellowed Arturo.

Both Dhampir stared at the old man. It had been quite some time since Quinlan had felt the desire to hurt one of those humans. Although Quinlan understood Lexi’s reluctance to involve those scholars, he suspected her hesitations might have been motivated by her grief.

“You are all important and everyone here will be needed to do what they do best.”

“Die with a stinger in their necks?” said Arturo.

Quinlan rumbled lowly in warning but Lexi put an appeasing hand on his arm.

“Fight. And yes, risk their lives while doing so.”

“So what? We’re stupid enough to get ourselves killed? But the smart ones are too precious to do the same? What bullshit.”

“May I remind you that you will have a chance to survive and see humanity come back from this. We, on the other hand, will not have that luxury. I guarantee you, we do not consider ourselves stupid and we certainly value our lives,” said Quinlan.

He did not bother to hide his contempt for Arturo. Lexi looked around the room.

“We all have a specific role to fulfill. But I do not believe those people belong on the battlefield.”

“With all due respect, Lex. This ain’t up to you,” said Gus as he walked behind the bar and picked up the phone.

“No, I know…” she said and her eyes half closed in biting sorrow. “It’s up to them.”

Quinlan grimaced at the poison of her pain pouring in his mind once more.

“Not everyone in this war should be cannon fodder. There should be things that we keep safe, that we save. I don’t want more pointless and avoidable deaths. Even if…”

Lexi did not finish her thought. Her head low, she walked out of the room and the agony in the Bond made him grunt until it suddenly disappeared. Quinlan sighed in shallow relief. She had rained in her emotions but those still existed, tearing at the one he loved. The Dhampir glared at the man who had cut at her with his words. For her sake, he would not kill Arturo. Quinlan rushed after Lexi and found her sitting on their bed. She held her face in her alabaster fingers. He pried them off and his heart broke. Lexi was not crying, and her brow was not furrowed in anguish or pain. She appeared empty.

“I am very tired, Quinlan.”

He bit the inside of his lip. How he wished he could fill her with happiness. Her dark hazel eyes became unfocused and his stomach fell. She was gone again. What she was doing was punching a hole in his head and he did not have a dying associate to distract from it.

“Lexi, please stop.”

She did not reply and her eyes remained unfocused. For two thousand years, he had lived without the softness of her soul but now that he had tasted it, its absence was torture.

“LEXI,” he screamed. His fists closed on the blanket on each side of her.

It struck him that she could not hear his thoughts. Wherever her mind had fled to was out of reach. He dry-heaved and put his head on her lap. She was in a place that only existed inside her and that only she was privy to.

“Come back…you’re hurting me,” he begged.

Lexi startled and she stroke his smooth skull. Quinlan breathed deeply as the velvet of her soul surrounded him. He was home again. The Dhampir held onto his beloved for dear life. At that very moment, he wanted to remove her from this situation. Drag her to a remote place where they could hide forever. Let the Master have the world as long as they could have each other. Quinlan was still stronger than she was…it would not take much to hug her neck until she passed out. His arms closed tighter around her waist. He could not do it. Because if he did, she might then be by his side physically but he would lose her. She would never forgive him.

“I am sorry…that was selfish,” she said.

“Where did you go?”

“I was in the dark…”

A knock on the door interrupted her thought. Raul stood in the frame and leaned backward to peer in the corridor. Quinlan stood, quite unable to bear a human seeing him in such a vulnerable posture. The man entered and trotted to them

“Gus and I are gonna meet with the Librarian now.”

Both Dhampir nodded.

“Just ignore Arturo. He can be a real dick sometimes but since Gordo, he is not okay...Usually, he only yells at Amir but now it’s everyone.”

Lexi gave him a small smile which did not reach her eyes. Then the man looked back at the door and leaned toward Lexi.

“Don’t tell Amir but…”

He took a chocolate bar out of his pocket and placed it on the bed next to Lexi. She stared at him, confused. What was the human doing?

“…I know where that fucker hides all the candy.”

He grinned and patted Lexi’s back. Her smile became sincere and she took the chocolate. Quinlan’s heart pinched when her eyes turned glassy. He forced himself to stay still but wished Raul would depart now.

“But you can totally eat it in front of him. ‘Cause if he thinks you found the candy stash; he won’t dare call you out. I wanna see his face when that happens.”

Lexi chuckled softly and looked down.

“Thank you, Raul. You should go, Gus is looking for you.”

“Shit,” he whispered and ran out.

When she looked up again, tears ran down her cheeks but she still smiled.

“He is sweet,” she said.

“Yes…a gentle soul.”

A puppy amongst wolves. But because he had managed to soothe her pain however slightly, Quinlan found himself respecting him for that gentleness and not in spite of it.

“When we were hiding from the Strigoi, he was shaking for an hour.”

Quinlan sat next to her then feeling it was not enough dragged her on his lap.

“For only one hour?”

Lexi laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Then I told him that the worst-case scenario was not that we ended up killed or hurt. It was that I would have to get rid the Strigoi around and unfortunately reveal my nature. Regrettable but acceptable.”

She put the chocolate in her pocket and intertwined her fingers into his. Quinlan breathed deeply into her hair. The citrus scent was intense there.

“I thought about you and how when I was human and in similar situations, I would feel safe,” she said.

“Do you still feel safe with me?”

“In your arms, I always do.”

She could not lie and he had thought that the day his side had been torn by that mongrel, she would have stopped trusting his abilities.

“Can we stay like this for a while longer?” she asked.

He placed a kiss on the wonderful stripes of her cheek. His only wish was to stay like this forever.

“Of course, for as long as we can.”

#quinlan #mr.quinlan #the strain #the strain fx #the strain fanfiction #the strain fanfic #quintus sertorius

0 notes