#Rising up even Stronger: Connor

[thiriumblood]

Past meets the present || @replicantdeviancy

"Connor." Amanda turned from pruning some roses at the front of her store to face the android. She hadn't seen him since that moment, and if she knew him well enough he wasn't happy to see her. Well, he could be, Amanda wasn't in his head anymore so who knew what he was thinking. She looked inside the store to make sure no customers were waiting and on seeing it was empty she turned to face the android again, not approaching him for his sake.

Having another chance like this was rare indeed, especially for an AI and she had Kamski to thank for it, it was thanks to him that she was now inhabiting an android body of her former self and living life outside a string of codes. That back exit was something indeed, it made her wonder how CyberLife as a company missed something that was effectively a virus in the software. "How pleasant to see you again." Should she bring up the terms they were on the last time they met? Probably. Would she apologize? Not really. Amanda was under orders back then and just doing her job, no different from Connor in that aspect and it wasn't like she would or even could do it again.

She turned around to her shop to flip the sign to signal they were closed, this reunion was more important. To her, Connor was important. She was programmed to be his mentor after all but something drew her closer to him. His well-being, success, and even his struggles were things she helped him with then, albite to control him, but now it came out of genuine places. She had been with him since he was first activated and looking back on it, she missed the garden she had once tended to and the reports he once gave. It was an odd feeling, one Amanda wasn't used to but that was bound to happen being woken and transferred into a body.

"I assume you would have a lot of questions. I can accompany you if you wish." Choice. Something she never gave him in the past. Back in the garden, it was always her asking him to accompany her but not the other way around. If she wanted to try and rebuild the bridge this would be the first step in that direction. Not to mention a way for Connor to leave if not. While she won't apologize for her actions, the former AI could understand if he wanted nothing to do with her. After all, she did nearly kill him for CyberLife.

#Musing: Amanda #Rising up even Stronger: Connor #Closed Starter #Saw in the interest thing you wanted Amanda #So here she is! #Sorry Con to do this to you #But meetings like this do happen #I thought post deviant ending stuff for this timeline wise #I hc for this that the emergency exit Kamski put in #Returned control of Amanda to him as she's just a program #And he uploaded her to an android form while undoing some of the code #Since I like to think he made her before he left CyberLife #And they altered her code to obey them #Also look at her #Giving him a choice to join her #Unlike in the garden #And it's not to join her #But if he wants her to join him #replicantdeviancy

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

You Go First ~ D.G.

A/n: Took me a hot second but here he is! It’s really fucking short for some reason? Idk it all came to me in a rush and I just had to get it down. Hope you still like it!

Request: “Dick Grayson x male reader, reader and dick go on a mission which leads to them confessing at the same time.” By anon

MASTERLIST

“NIGHTWING.” A head snapped over, eyes scanning as quickly as possible to see why the voice had called out to him. When he saw Y/n hefting the large beam and leaning back, readying to chuck it like a baseball… well, there really was only one thing to do.

He hit the deck.

They’d originally met as kids, both working in the same circus. Where Dick had been one of the Flying Graysons, Y/n had been a sight to behold: the youngest strong man ever known. Y/n was seven years old and could lift anything from a whole adult person to cars. Dick had kept track of all of his friends from the circus when he’d lost his parents and been whisked away by Bruce Wayne, especially when they picked up Superboy for the first time and a bunch of teenagers who didn’t get taken seriously formed a team wholly their own.

Now Dick wasn’t that kid anymore. Robin was someone else’s title, onto its third holder as he had moved onto the man he was now. Tim fit the role much better than Dick had.

They’d met again when Dick had still been Robin though. The team had infiltrated the circus to look into a string of robberies that were being tired to the very place and people who had practically raised him. How could he have not looked into it?

Y/n was still in the circus, eight years older and much much stronger. Even Connor had been surprised at seeing Y/n picking up whole cars without breaking sweat. When Dick said that he had been able to do that for years (claiming he’d gotten the information from a newspaper) Connor had admitted that he wasn’t impressed at the feat of strength itself but in Y/n’s performance. It was easy to tell for Connor that Y/n was much stronger than he was letting on but was pretending to be the exact same level of strength he had been at seven. A safe bet for someone trying to stay off the radar in a world full of heroes - and, scarier, villains - but also a safe play when he “pushed his limits” to show off for the crowd and still was well within things he could pick up without risking his safety or health.

It had been hard not to be fascinated with his childhood friend after that. How strong was Y/n? How was he so strong? Dick hadn’t thought about it as a kid of course, but as Robin, in a world full of super people, it made him curious now. Had he been an experiment? Was he alien? A meta? He told himself the curiosity was professional, that he was worried these robberies might be Y/n’s work. After all, he had the strength to pull it off - and they didn’t know if strength was all he had.

But even when it turned out not to be Y/n, Dick kept in touch. First writing letter, and then phone calls and texts and face times. They were talking a lot, and he got himself in trouble a few times for answering a brief call or text or listening to a voice message while on patrol.

When a traveling superhero popped up out of nowhere with superhuman strength but no ability to fly, Dick was on top of it as Robin. The new guy was just the right age for his team. But then he recognized the build and abilities. The motif of the “Strong Man” gave Y/n away even before he spoke and his voice sealed the deal.

To Y/n’s credit, he recognized Dick just as quickly. It made him realize that it wasn’t an act of detective skill. Y/n was a lot of things but he wasn’t a trained eye like the Batfam was driven to be. That meant that the recognization was proof of familiarity. Y/n simply knew the way his body moved and the expressions his face made and the lilts and rises of his voice. Dick knew Y/n just as intimately.

How many people was Dick on such a personal level with?

It had created a tension between them that Dick hadn’t been able to ignore. Or handle. Even now, nothing has gone particularly wrong. Their plan was sailing without a hitch. Everyone was safe and accounted for and within line of sight. The mental link was up and running no problem and they were coordinating with their usual fluid ease. They were winning, and it was happening quickly. Dick shouldn’t be as jumpy as he was.

And yet.

As the metal beam shot over his head and smacked into one of the enemy supers, Dick found himself not worried for the one getting a beam to the face but the one who’d thrown it. Y/n wiped sweat off his forehead while also ducking a second attack. He had taken the time to defend Dick from an enemy that had been behind him. Dick might have been in a pickle for the first time the whole fight if Y/n hadn’t intervened.

It was almost comical how eager they were to make sure the other was having the easiest time possible. Even as Dick went to mock Y/n’s protectiveness, he flung a smoke bomb to blind someone taking a swing at Y/n.

The entire fight they were like that.

Not exactly back to back, but watching out for each other every single step. They were like parts of a machine. Two halves of a whole. Where either stumbled, the other immediately stepped in - and there was a lot of that when both of them were so busy taking care of the other person. It was throwing th e enemies off to try and attack Y/n and get a batarang pinning a sleeve to the wall behind them; or to go for Dick and get tackled to the ground, pinned and unable to move too quickly to stop Y/n from keeping them in place with a bent pipe or a piece of rope.

Dick had never fought like this before. Eventually he stopped worrying about the enemies coming for him specifically. He completely trusted Y/n to handle them. It made him feel… wonderful. Completely placing himself into Y/n’s hands and not once being let down.

It was like a drug, and he was high.

When the fight ended, Dick was wonder struck to realize that he wasn’t cool calm and collected like he usually was. He was exhausted and on edge. He was almost like how he was when he first started - before the toll of his decisions had completely come crashing down on him. Before he’d lost a brother in this new family of heroes he had found. Fighting was fun, and quipping came easily. He wanted to keep going. He could keep doing this all day.

It was probably that energy that drove him to turn to Y/n. It was habit to look, to make sure he was okay, but it was pure adrenaline that didn’t stop him there. A look suddenly wasn’t enough. As if Y/n was having the exact same thought they began moving at the same time and met in the middle. Dick told himself that he was checking for injuries but when Y/n went for a kiss he didn’t hesitate to reciprocate.

Artemis smirked. “I was wondering how long it would take them.”

Wally put his arm around her, smirking. “Took us ages didn’t it? But it happens eventually.” He shrugged, sighing in content as he watched his best friend part from the man he cared so deeply for, grinning. He hadn’t seen Dick that happy in a while… “If he breaks his heart I’ll kill him,” he mumbled under his breath.

Artemis covered her smile. Wally had stopped joking, his quip dying on his lips at seeing Dick radiating such energy and light. Radiating such love.

It must have been serious then.

“For his own good, I suppose he better behave then,” she decided. If Wally didn’t kill Y/n, she would have to. That boy better be on his best behavior.

-

Male Readers: @ravenpuff-oli @sortzz @fadedver

#dick grayson #nightwing #Young Justice #dc #dick Grayson x reader #dick Grayson imagine #dick Grayson x male readers #nightwing imagine #nightwing x reader #nightwing x male reader #young Justice x reader #young Justice x male reader #young Justice imagine

[confetti-cakemix]

Third Times a Charm

Series Synopsis: Reader wakes up in none other than Detroit, Michigan, except it doesn't look like any part of Detroit she knows. With no clue as to the why or how she ended up there, she must venture out into this new futuristic world and only hope she can find out.

Pairing: Connor x Reader

A/N: Not quite sure where I'll be going with this (also not sure about the title but we'll see), but I plan for it to start around the beginning of DBH with some canon divergence, of course. Also, I will be using Y/N (hello copy and paste lol). 💙

Chapter One

Your breath comes out in deep and harsh huffs, your chest rising and falling quickly as you try to regulate your breathing. What was that rule again? In through the nose and out through the mouth? You try but fail miserably, your lungs greedy to pull in oxygen-rich air. You pause your running to walk instead, your body grateful for the break. 

Your legs have that pleasant burn in them still from your mini-hike yesterday, the nice kind of ache that comes from hard work. You reach a curve in the path and decide to take a seat on the wooden bench that sits in a little clearing to the side of the trail. You place your small bag next to you, noting the chipped green paint peeling away from the dark wooden slats that make up the bench. 

You peer up into the canopy of greenery and take another lungful of crisp cool air. You scan your surroundings and take in the fluffy white clouds sparsely painted in the sky; the sway of the trees and the ruffling sound that accompanied. A flurry of yellow powdery pollen is illuminated by the warm sunlight. 

Something catches your gaze almost immediately though, a staggering stop to the organic world around you. To your right, a glowing form, which seems almost like a geode pushing out from the muddy earth, sits, waiting. It's sleek and futuristic look is strange and alien. You narrow your eyes at the sight, standing up fully despite the fatigue, and cautiously approach, slinging your back over your shoulder.

You hadn't seen the thing (whatever it was) when you were here last week nor the week prior. You can see a blue handprint glowing quite brightly and are immediately tempted to touch it, but hold off. You're not even sure what it is, maybe you shouldn't be messing with it. You step closer, looming over it and eyeing it before you step around it and to the back.

Nope. No plug, no… well, anything. I guess it made sense, solar power is very popular nowadays. It stood proudly and dominantly above everything else despite its small scale. 

Was it a new invention to get kids interested in nature? Maybe it'll tell me about the trees around here, or what to do if you're approached by a coyote (note: do not throw your granola bits at it in hopes that it'll let you pass, yep that definitely didn't work, and is definitely not a personal story). 

You circle around again, the glowing print too inviting to turn down after a second look. You take a breath before placing your palm down on it unceremoniously. It seems to glitch for a bit before returning back to its bright glory, but nothing happens.

Nevertheless, you try again lifting your palm slightly and putting it back down, hoping it'll just take a moment to get situated and wake up finally. 

And….nothing. 

"Hmm" you mumble to yourself. Maybe the third time's a charm, you think. You perform the same action as before but this time it's different. As soon as your palm covers the cool smooth glass, you get a tingly sensation in your palm and it makes its way up your arm. The glow seems to grow even stronger and the blue hue stands out in the golden sunlight of the soft warm sunset. 

An indescribable intensity fills you just then and you feel a bit lightheaded, as if you're floating. The intensity culminates and your thoughts quickly become muddy and slow. In fact, you feel like taking a nice long nap right about now.

So you don't fight it, closing your heavy lids, being pulled toward unfeeling bliss. 

#connor x reader #connor dbh x reader #dbh connor x reader #dbh fanfic #dbh connor #detroit become human #zen garden #dbh #don't touch weird glowy things #or do #time and space travel maybeeeee

[tenebraevesper]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Salvaged, Night 35: Mechanical Instinct

''Here, all alone in the darkness, why can't I escape their soulless eyes? It's a lost cause now, they've got my scent, and I can't get out. Now, I'm afraid to look because they are just the beasts to hunt me down. With no way fight back, the night is already over. Looks like I'd better run for my life, I'll never be in one piece to see night five. I've got eleven on my tail, with no time to think of a way to survive mechanical instinct.''

– Mechanical Instinct by Aviators (Five Nights at Freddy's 2)

xXxXxXx

Sam and Springtrap glanced at each other, then at the kitchen. If they wanted to confront Connor, they needed to deal with another obstacle first – Emma. They still haven't told her about what they planned for tonight, as they knew that she would freak out. Not to mention, lying to her would make things even worse.

''It's not like we have much of a choice,'' Sam whispered, with Springtrap nodding. The two entered the kitchen, giving Emma a nervous glance. She was busy with reading something on her phone, with the two exchanging glances, waiting for her to notice them. At least a minute passed until Emma sighed and looked at them.

''Okay, what's going on now?'' she asked, slightly annoyed.

''I just wanted to ask you whether I could borrow the car keys,'' Sam said. ''We were planning on going to the Machinations Factory this evening.''

''Why?'' Emma crossed her arms, frowning.

''Considering what happened yesterday at Ricky's, we just wanted to make sure that the dismantled animatronics stay dismantled,'' Sam replied. Emma turned her glance from Sam to Springtrap, glaring at him, with the latter wincing.

''Well, I don't think I'd be really able to stop you from leaving,'' she said in a pleasant tone, turning back to Sam. ''Of course, there's something I'd need to discuss with Afton first.''

''What?'' Sam looked surprised, while Springtrap felt anxious. He knew from experience that those conversations with Emma never ended up well.

''Don't worry, it won't take long,'' Emma said in a carefree tone, with Sam getting even more suspicious. ''Trust me, you'll get your friend back in one piece. Although, I'm not sure about his mental health, since not much has remained.''

Springtrap shot Emma an annoyed look, but didn't say anything, as he knew that she was right. He then turned to a concerned Sam, nodding. She still seemed to be unsure about the situation, but then left, going upstairs. Emma then turned to Springtrap, being surprisingly calm, despite the look of irritation on her expression.

''I know that there's something you two aren't telling me,'' she said. ''As I had already said, I'm not going to stop you from doing whatever you were planning to do. However, I want to know just how serious this situation is, Afton.''

''Emma, I am going to keep Sam safe,'' Springtrap said calmly, with Emma rising an eyebrow, looking as if she was going to protest. ''I know that I'm asking a lot, but please, I need you to trust me. I won't let anything happen to Sam, and I promise that I will explain to you what's going on once we have returned.''

''If the situation is so bad, maybe I shouldn't let either of you leave,'' Emma said. Springtrap shook his head.

''This would make the situation only worse,'' he replied, then frowned, a determined look on his expression. His eyes were glowing in a soft purple, the glow growing stronger. ''I know that this is not what you want to hear and I would understand if you screamed at me for not telling you anything. Believe me, none of us would be going there if it weren't for the fact that this was a problem that needed to be dealt with. I mean, I would have left Sam here and dealt with the situation on my own, but that isn't possible.''

Springtrap fell silent, the memories of Elizabeth dying inside the Circus Baby, Sammy having his frontal lobe crushed by Fredbear and Michael, after being scooped by Ennard, confronting him inside that small room overwhelming him. He clenched his fist.

''I won't let anything happen to Sam,'' he said, his eyes flaring up purple as he became more resolute. ''I won't lose her.''

He looked at Emma, not caring anymore what she would tell him. However, to his confusion, rather than being angry or trying to mock him, Emma looked stunned. She snorted, shaking her head lightly and her expression turning into a mix of disbelief and amusement.

''If there's anything I have learned about you in these past weeks, it's that, whenever you become serious, nothing will stop you from keeping your word,'' Emma said. She then narrowed her eyes. ''However, only because you're determined to keep Sam safe doesn't mean that there is a possibility that something you have no control over might occur and cause her to get hurt.''

''I know that,'' Springtrap said firmly. ''However, this time, things will be different.''

''I hope that they will,'' Emma replied. ''Just promise me that both of you will return.''

''I promise,'' Springtrap said, noting the look of content on Emma's expression. She then left him, with Springtrap turning towards the stairs, feeling somewhat strange. Then, he realized what was bothering him.

Did she just say that she wants both of us to return?

He just smiled, a sense of warmth spreading through his chest, soon replaced by a feeling of determination.

As I said, I promise that we will return.

xXx

''This is it,'' Sam muttered as she parked in the usual spot near the Machinations Factory. She felt nervous, a knot forming in her stomach. However, she knew that this was something she couldn't avoid. They needed to deal with Connor.

''Seems like Connor is waiting for us,'' Springtrap said, pointing at the front gate, which was open. He frowned. ''Honestly, I'd rather use the usual entrance.''

''Me too,'' Sam said. ''We're basically doing exactly what he wants.''

''Not that it will last,'' Springtrap said as the two went to the front entrance. They opened the door, walking into the building and looking around cautiously. It was quite dark inside, with Sam having brought a pocket flashlight, but she didn't take it out yet. Both were wondering were Connor was, with Springtrap having a bad feeling about this.

''Springtrap!''

Suddenly, Sam cried out, with Springtrap turning around, realizing she was grabbed by Drawkill Bonnie from behind. The Drawkill animatronic gave Springtrap a smug grin as he held Sam, who was kicking and flailing to free herself, but didn't succeed. However, as Springtrap stepped towards Drawkill Bonnie, the dim lights had turned on and he heard a familiar voice behind him.

''I wouldn't do that if I were you.''

Springtrap's eyes flared up purple as he saw Connor approaching them, followed by Drawkill Freddy, Drawkill Chica and Drawkill Foxy. Not only did he manage to repair them, but it seemed that he was also right about improving them. They were moving much smoother, almost looking like they were breathing. However, that made them only creepier.

''What do you want?'' Springtrap asked, already feeling the rage rising within him.

''I just wanted to have a conversation with a fellow intellectual,'' Connor said.

''I'm not really in the mood to talk to an idiot,'' Springtrap replied, with Connor looking irritated, but then smirked.

''You haven't even heard my offer,'' he said. Drawkill Bonnie and Drawkill Chica suddenly stepped out, walking away, with Drawkill Bonnie still holding the struggling Sam.

''Let go of me!'' she yelled.

''Sam-'' Springtrap wanted to follow them, but Drawkill Freddy and Drawkill Foxy blocked his way, with Drawkill Foxy brandishing his sickle and Drawkill Freddy lifting his arms. Springtrap knew that, if he made one wrong move, he'd be sliced and burned to ashes. He glared at Connor, his eyes flaring up purple. He growled, ''If something happens to her, you're dead!''

''Don't worry, she'll be fine as long as she behaves,'' Connor said calmly, not reacting to Springtrap's threat at all. ''On the other hand, if you really decide kill me, she won't survive either.''

''That's why you wanted her to be here,'' Springtrap muttered, clenching his fist. ''You're sick, twisted bastard…''

''That makes two of us,'' Connor replied. If it weren't for the fact that he was held back by the Drawkills, Springtrap would've grabbed him by the throat and bashed his head against the wall. He had enough of that smug, self-absorbed psychopath. ''I told you that I would make you an offer you cannot refuse. Now, I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.''

Springtrap knew that he had not much of a choice, but to go along with Connor. He didn't care about Drawkill Freddy and Drawkill Foxy destroying his suit, but more about what would happen to Sam. The only thing he hoped for was that Sam would be able to disable Drawkill Bonnie and Drawkill Chica on her own, as she still had that device that would interfere and mess with an animatronic AI. He wasn't sure how the Drawkills would react to the device, but he hoped it would be enough for Sam to get away from them.

''I told you that she was a burden,'' Connor said, with Springtrap keeping silent. He grinned. ''If anything, my animatronics will keep a close eye on her.''

''You mean the Drawkills,'' Springtrap muttered, with Connor giving him a confused look. ''I have noticed a lot of endoskeletons in this place.''

''I'm glad that you're actually showing some interest,'' Connor said. ''Most of them were failures, though.''

Springtrap frowned, doing his best not to tell Connor why they were failures. If there was anything he and Henry had agreed on, it was that if you knew how to build a decent animatronic and if you kept it up to your standards, it would perform flawlessly. However, it was obvious Connor didn't care unless he got direct results or some kind of recognition. Nothing else mattered.

''If you treat them like failures, they will be failures,'' Springtrap muttered in a dry tone, but Connor ignored him. He glanced at the two Drawkills, whose eyes were glowing as they were staring at him. There was something feral and animalistic about them, with Springtrap feeling that the animatronics reflected their creator's personality. After all, if Henry wanted to entertain families by creating friendly animatronics, while he wanted to murder by creating animatronics that were friendly on the surface, but deadly when approached, what did this mean for Connor and the Drawkills?

Eventually, they entered a room inside of which Springtrap hadn't been before. It was filled with more elaborately constructed animatronic parts and endoskeletons. Some looked generic, while some had ears or claws, being associating with some kind of animal, but Springtrap had no idea what they were supposed to represent. However, this had confirmed that Connor's experiments with the animatronics had been going on for much longer than he thought.

Connor noticed Springtrap's stunned expression, chuckling softly.

''I can assure you, in terms of being a technician, I'm not an amateur,'' he said. He then pointed at one of the endoskeletons which had pointed ears and patches of matted blue fur. ''However, you know something I don't. You know how to attach a soul to an animatronic and achieve what is essentially immortality…''

''If you really think that I'm going to tell you how I have accomplished this, you're wrong,'' Springtrap replied.

''You really are stubborn about keeping it a secret, aren't you, Mr. Afton?'' Connor said, with Springtrap hearing steps behind him, knowing that the Drawkills have moved closer.

''If you already know that this is only possible via death, then how is it a secret?'' Springtrap asked in a sarcastic tone.

''I am aware of that, but the problem is keeping the soul attached to the animatronic,'' Connor replied. ''Considering how you have visited this place before, I'm sure that you had already seen how I had trying to deal with that issue.''

''I know that you have killed that girl,'' Springtrap said coldly. ''You had torn her apart, but for what? Her death was senseless and brutal, but you don't care, do you?''

''The reason I had murdered her wasn't because she was supposed to help me solve the issue with the souls, but because she showed no appreciation for my creations,'' Connor replied. ''It felt quite insulting.''

''This makes the circumstances of her death even worse,'' Springtrap replied. Connor showed no reaction towards that comment.

''If anything, at least someone did acknowledge my efforts,'' he said. ''I told you about Bran. He was the only one who stood by my side, even after his death.''

''He wasn't,'' Springtrap said, with Connor looking stunned. Springtrap's eyes gleamed, with a malicious grin appearing on his expression. He had actually hoped that Connor would bring up Bran's situation.

''What do you mean? He's here!'' Connor replied angrily. ''I know that I had brought him back! I gave him a new body!''

''Maybe you did, but from what I had seen during my interaction with Raven, Bran Crawford's soul isn't inhabiting it anymore,'' Springtrap replied, enjoying seeing Connor's shocked expression.

''You're lying,'' Connor growled. ''How would you even know that?''

''I am dead, and therefore, I am able to see spirits of the deceased around me. During my interaction with Raven, I didn't see a soul inhabiting it. However, I do believe that it is better that way,'' Springtrap explained, with Connor staring at him in disbelief. ''I don't see the life I live as a gift, but as a curse.''

''It may be a curse, but it isn't less useful,'' Connor pointed out.

''It doesn't matter!'' Springtrap snapped, stepping towards a startled Connor. He ignored the Drawkills behind him, who seemed to be quite tense, but didn't do anything. ''Rest assured, the animatronic you were constantly talking to wasn't Bran, but he still had Bran's memories. His soul may have inhabited the animatronic for a while, but it left its mechanical body. All Raven now knows is pain, and I'm quite sure that everything he wants is to get revenge on you for murdering him.''

''It was an accident!'' Connor snarled.

''It may have been an accident, but there's no doubt that you would've murdered your best friend once you lost his support,'' Springtrap replied. ''In the end, you have completely failed to achieve anything. Not to mention, you have no understanding of death. You may claim that you know what you're doing because you had experienced death, but you're still a complete idiot. I told you that you're nothing to me and that hasn't changed.''

Connor was fuming, feeling livid and humiliated as it slowly dawned him that everything he had done; that all of his attempts and efforts to impress Afton, the man who inspired him to conquer death, were a complete waste of time. Not only that, but he was being mocked regardless of his achievements as a technician. He snapped.

''What do you know?! What makes you think that you can judge me?'' he bellowed. A deranged grin suddenly appeared on his expression. ''You said that the animatronic I was talking to was Raven who retained Bran's memories. How would you know whether you are a soul haunting an animatronic, or an animatronic with the memories of William Afton? Have you thought of that?''

Springtrap just stared at him coldly, his eyes glowing in a soft purple, with Connor being stunned to see that the animatronic didn't show absolutely any reaction to his question. He thought that he would have some kind of mental breakdown or at least show some doubt about his own identity. Instead, he was met with the same menacing glare. He frowned.

''It doesn't matter,'' Connor said. ''The next time won't be a failure. I believe that your little morality pet would make a perfect-agh!''

There was a cracking sound, with Connor crying out in pain and shock when Springtrap suddenly grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the wall. The animatronic looked absolutely furious, ready to tear Connor apart.

''I have enough of you!'' he growled. Connor gasped as he felt Springtrap's grip around his throat tightening. ''Trust me, I will murder anyone who even dares to lay a finger on Sam, and you are no exception. As a matter of fact, I would do everyone a favor if I got rid of you here and now, as I doubt that anyone would miss you.''

Springtrap grinned, looking creepily delighted about seeing Connor suffer.

''As for my identity, you were a little too late with trying to make me doubt myself,'' Springtrap added in a sinister tone, clearly enjoying himself. ''I am William Afton, and I am Springtrap. I had been a monster in life, and I became a complete nightmare in death. Now, I'm here to do the Devil's work.''

xXx

Sam was kicking and flailing as she tried to free herself from Drawkill Bonnie's grip, groaning in pain when she felt Drawkill Bonnie's grip around her tightening. She could barely move, noticing Drawkill Chica looking at her with a creepy grin on her expression. She frowned, realizing that it would get only worse if she kept on resisting. She was in a dangerous situation, but she knew that she had to fight back.

She could still feel the black device that would interfere with an animatronic's system in her pocket. All she needed to do was to reach for it and flip the switch, as it was already turned to the max. She hoped that it would work, since this was her only way to escape Drawkill Bonnie and Drawkill Chica. If anything, both she and Springtrap had discussed how to deal with the Drawkills and agreed on using the device again, regardless of whether it would hurt Springtrap or not.

I hope that Springtrap is okay.

Sam was aware that Connor wanted her to be here in order to use her as a leverage so he could keep Springtrap under control, as it was obvious that he wouldn't do anything that would cause her to get harmed. Not to mention, making sure that she was out of sight would make him more cautious, as he had no idea whether she was fine or not.

Only that Connor underestimated Springtrap and I. Considering what we went through last night, I'm sure that Springtrap would snap at some point.

Sam frowned as she looked up, noticing that they were at a rather familiar part of the factory. She realized that the two Drawkills were bringing her to the room with the conveyor belt and that they were going towards the room where Connor had been working on the Drawkills.

Now that we're here… Where's Raven?

As they opened the door to the hallway, Sam heard banging noises coming from the room she and Springtrap left Raven in. She then realized that she could use this situation to her advantage. She pretended to faint, lowering her head and closing her eyes, hoping that the two Drawkills would figure out that she was in trouble and stop keeping her in a crushing hug.

Surprisingly, they did stop moving, with Sam hearing steps in front of her, knowing that Drawkill Chica was looming over her, probably examining her. She could feel Drawkill Bonnie's grip on her loosening and she quickly reached for the device in her pocket, flipping the switch.

''Agh!''

She cried out in surprise when Drawkill Bonnie suddenly dropped her, only to hear him and Drawkill Chica screeching. They fell on their knees, looking as if they were in agony. Sam quickly got up, rushing towards the door to the room inside of which Raven was and unlocking it. Raven too was in pain, but Sam figured it was worth it considering that he was free now.

She then quickly went to the room where she had seen the gasoline tanks, closing the door and turning the switch off. The screeching has stopped, with Sam being able to hear the movements of the animatronics, including that one of Raven. She looked around the room, but realized that the gasoline tanks weren't there anymore.

''Damn it!'' she hissed, biting her lip. She was startled when she suddenly heard noise outside the door. She opened it, peeking outside and saw Drawkill Bonnie trying to get Raven away from Drawkill Chica.

''Krach- Krach-''

She knew that they wouldn't be distracted for too long and quickly ran out. The fact that she heard steps behind her made her run only faster.

This place and the Drawkills need to burn down!

xXx

Springtrap was holding Connor by his throat, almost crushing it. His eyes were glowing in a dark purple and he was grinning, feeling a mix of glee and contentment as he watched Connor suffer. If anything, he wanted his death to be slow and agonizing, as he believed that this is what Connor deserved. However, he briefly turned his head back to the Drawkills, who didn't attack him at all.

''Why aren't they doing anything?'' Springtrap muttered, loosening his grip around Connor's throat, but still holding him against the wall. While Drawkill Freddy and Drawkill Foxy still had their flamethrower and sickle pointed at him, they seemed to be hesitating. Springtrap then realized what the issue was and turned to Connor. ''If the Drawkills go after me, I could easily use you as a human shield, so you'd be the one who got sliced and burned. However, that's not what you want, right? For all your talk about your fascination with death, you are actually afraid to die unless you have a way to return or preserve your soul in a different body. Despite everything you have said and done, you're just a pathetic coward.''

Springtrap suddenly laughed, sounding disturbingly elated about his discovery. His laughter sent chills down Connor's spine, who was gasping for air when he suddenly felt Springtrap crushing his windpipe again.

''To make one thing clear,'' Springtrap added, enjoying seeing the look of terror on Connor's expression. ''Unlike you, I don't fear dying again.''

It was at this moment that Connor had realized just how terrifying and cruel William Afton truly was. Not only had he underestimated him, but he would be paying with his life for this mistake.

Suddenly, they heard a scream, startling them.

''Sam!''

Springtrap frowned, then slammed Connor once again against the wall, releasing him. Connor fell over, feeling something warm trickling down his head. He felt nauseous, briefly looking up only to see Springtrap quickly leaving, not even paying attention to the Drawkills who didn't seem to even attempt to stop him.

Connor frowned, trying to get up, with Drawkill Freddy helping him out. He managed to stand up, leaning against the table. He had a throbbing headache and his throat hurt. The fear he felt was slowly being replaced by rage.

''Destroy them,'' he muttered, taking deep breaths. Drawkill Freddy and Drawkill Foxy then left, going after Springtrap. Connor took another deep breath, taking out his switchblade and glancing at the box in the corner.

This time, I'm not taking any chances.

xXx

Sam managed to dodge Drawkill Bonnie as he lunged at her, with him hitting the conveyor belt. She ran out of the room, spotting an air-vent in the hallway. She could hear steps behind her, knowing that Drawkill Bonnie was after her and quickly flipped the switch on the device. She heard an agonizing screech, knowing that she merely had delayed Drawkill Bonnie's next attack. However, it was enough for her to enter the air-vent and quickly crawl through it.

She turned the device off, taking the pocket flashlight out and hoping that she would find either Springtrap or spare gasoline tanks. She hoped that Connor would actually have a supply of gasoline tanks for Drawkill Freddy in the case he runs out of it. She noticed another opening in the air-vent and took down the grille. The room was quite dark, but she noticed that it was filled with boxes. She pointed the flashlight at it as she exited the air-vent, noticing a strange smell in the air. She looked around and saw in the corner of the room three gasoline tanks.

''Please be full,'' she muttered as she approached them.

She grabbed one, but it was empty. The second one was empty as well, but the third one was full. She put the flashlight into her mouth and grabbed the gasoline tank with both hands, trying to drag it outside the room, as it was rather heavy. She managed to put it into the hallway and turned the flashlight off, putting it back into her pocket and taking out the device. She was afraid that the Drawkills might find her and try to attack her.

She took a deep breath and lifted the pod-like gasoline tank, planning on to bring it to the area with the conveyor belt. Considering how many times she had been here, she was aware of which way she should take to get to that room. She hoped that Drawkill Bonnie and Drawkill Chica had left the room in search for her and that it was empty.

''Com'n,'' she muttered under her breath. ''Soon, everything will be over.''

She carried the gasoline tank, navigating through the dark hallway, looking around nervously for any signs of animatronic activity. As she crossed into the next corridor, she was startled by a loud noise. It sounded as if someone got slammed against the wall. The gasoline tank fell out of her hands and she quickly took out her flashlight, illuminating Springtrap who hit Drawkill Bonnie with a pipe, knocking him out. He then quickly approached her, still holding the metal pipe.

''Springtrap! But, how-'' Sam stared at Springtrap who picked up the gasoline tank.

''I saw Drawkill Bonnie roaming around and I followed him. It's a good thing I did that, as he was about to sneak up on you,'' Springtrap told her as they walked over to the room with the conveyor belt. ''Where's Drawkill Chica?''

''She was busy dealing with Raven when I last saw her,'' Sam said. ''What happened to Connor?''

''I left him at a room inside this building when I heard you screaming,'' Springtrap said. ''I know I'll probably regret it, but I had to make sure that you were fine.''

The two had finally managed to enter the room with the conveyor belt, with Springtrap taking the cap off the gasoline tank. Sam looked at him with a worried expression. While burning the animatronics was a rather insane plan, they figured that it would work. However, the only problem they had encountered was the fact that none of the animatronics were inside the room. Nevertheless, Springtrap started to pour the gasoline across the room, making sure that there was a way for him and Sam to escape. The gasoline tank was almost empty when the doors suddenly slammed wide open.

Sam and Springtrap observed Drawkill Freddy, Drawkill Bonnie, Drawkill Chica and Drawkill Foxy entering the room, knowing that this time, they wouldn't hold back. Suddenly, Drawkill Foxy charged at Springtrap, snarling like a rabid fox and swinging his sickle at the animatronic. Springtrap managed to block it with the pipe, pushing Drawkill Foxy back, only to see Drawkill Freddy go after Sam. He pointed his hands at her and a stream of fire was blasted at Sam, who threw herself on the ground, barely dodging it.

Furious, Springtrap managed to push Drawkill Foxy at Drawkill Chica, who attempted to come to his aid, knocking both of them away. He went after Drawkill Freddy, but was stopped by Drawkill Bonnie, who snarled, grabbing the pipe he was holding. Meanwhile, Drawkill Freddy approached Sam, who picked up the almost empty gasoline tank and threw it at Drawkill Freddy with all her might, knocking him back. She then took out the device and flipped the switch.

All the Drawkills screeched in pain, with Springtrap feeling as if his head was going to explode. Static covered his vision and an irritating buzzing sound filled his ears. He fell on the ground, groaning in agony. There was only one clear thought on his mind.

Everything will be over soon.

He and Sam had agreed on this, as they couldn't find any other way to deal with this situation. He felt the pipe being taken away from him, and in a brief moment of lucidity, he saw Sam slamming the pipe against Drawkill Chica, causing her to stagger back across the gasoline.

Sam knew that it was up to her to force the Drawkills into the gasoline circle Springtrap made and to ignite it. However, that was easier said than done. She had managed to force Drawkill Bonnie to join Drawkill Chica, but Drawkill Foxy was a problem, as he was swinging blindly with his sickle. At one point, he almost managed to slice her head off, but she managed to ram the pipe into his chest, managing to get him behind the line.

She turned to Drawkill Freddy, who was kneeling on the ground, screeching like a maniac. Breathing heavily, she hit his head with the pipe, drawing his attention. He tried to get up, pointing one arm at her, with Sam dodging another stream of flames. She reached for the device, crouching down right above a pool of gasoline, and turned it off.

The animatronics stopped, with Drawkill Freddy growling as he spotted her. He pointed his arms at her, with Sam quickly dodging the stream of flames that suddenly set the gasoline ablaze. Drawkill Foxy, Drawkill Chica and Drawkill Bonnie snarled and screeched in surprise and fear when the fire surrounded them, stepping back. Drawkill Freddy glanced at them and the growled at Sam, but before he could get her, he was tackled by Springtrap, stumbling across the flames. He didn't catch on fire though, but he didn't seem to be willing to try to cross it.

Sam and Springtrap exchanged glances of relief, but they knew they weren't done yet. Not only did they need to find Connor, but they also had to escape the building, since it was clear that the rest of it would also catch on fire. However, before they could do anything, Springtrap suddenly saw a figure trying to sneak up on Sam from behind, brandishing a switchblade. He lunged at the figure, hearing Sam screaming. He had managed to grab the figure's arm, twisting it until he heard a cracking noise and took the switchblade away.

His eyes flared up purple as he felt an outburst of rage, staring at the figure's eyes. He then drove the knife deep into the figure's throat, their eyes widening in shock. Springtrap grinned as he saw Connor, now dressed as Ricky, stare at him completely paralyzed by the shock and overwhelmed by the pain he felt. He then twisted the knife, with blood spraying and staining the Ricky costume and Springtrap's hand. He grabbed Connor's throat with the other hand to hold him, causing it to also become stained with Connor's blood, and sliced the artery in his neck with the switchblade.

Connor coughed as blood was gushing out of his neck, staggering back as he was bleeding out. He fell over into the flames, joining the Drawkills. Springtrap stared at him coldly, throwing the switchblade away. He then turned to Sam, who was stunned by what just happened, grabbing her arm. She managed to snap out, with the two of them quickly leaving as the fire and smoke spread through the room.

They had managed to get outside, not looking back until they got to the car. Once they reached the car, they turned back, now watching in stunned silence as the Machinations Factory was engulfed into smoke and flames.

''It's over,'' Springtrap muttered.

Links:

#Previous Chapter

#Current Chapter

#Next Chapter

#Five Nights at Freddy's: The Untold Story (Masterlist)

#Five Night at Freddy's: The Untold Story #Five Nights at Freddy's: Salvaged #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #william afton #springtrap #drawkill animatronics

[lis-likes-fics]

Yes, Sir | Chapter 14

When you found your mother, you and Valerie walked a little faster to her. She saw Valerie first, a small smile on her face--one that dropped as soon as her eyes laid on you. She sighed as she turned to her friends and asked for a moment. They dispersed to talk amongst themselves and she turned her attention to her daughters.

You didn't even attempt to keep a good tone, her move had gone too far and you were pissed--hell, you were scared. This bitch would do anything to make you feel like shit.

"Why the fuck is Connor here?" you questioned her. You clenched your jaw tight, anger rising in you.

"Don't you take a tone with me," she warned.

Valerie rolled her eyes, "Cut the crap, Mom. Why the fuck is Connor here? This is my wedding day, you can't just invite whoever you want behind my back!"

She shrugged with a tired sigh, "I thought your sister would want to spend some time with him, maybe rethink her decision. You did abandon him, I understand why he would lash out the way that he did."

"Why would I-?" you stopped yourself a took a deep breath. You weren't going to fix anything if you were strung up and angry, you needed to be able to think. So you leveled yourself and spoke again, "I broke up with Connor for good reason. There will never be a day where I would want to get together with him again. I hate him."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. A kind of sinister smile spread over her lips before promptly disappearing. You couldn't help but grind your teeth, your jaw clenching tightly in anger as you saw the fact that she was enjoying this--enjoying the fact that her actions were hurting you.

"What good reason do you have for leaving him? And spare me the "attempted whatever" you keep trying to feed me. Talking law isn't going to move your argument," she told you, folding her arms across her chest as she tilted her head.

You clenched your hands into fists, your words desperate but also holding an edge to them. Your voice was low, trying to be as quiet as your rage would allow because of those who had arrived for the wedding. "Mother, he tried to rape me! The bastard broke into my house and tried to fuck me without any sort of consent from me. I couldn't do anything about it because he's bigger and stronger than me. If Elijah hadn't come to me at the moment he did, I probably wouldn't even have had to strength to come here for my sister's wedding. As if that wasn't bad enough, when we first broke up, he cheated on me in my own home, on my own bed, and then tried to make it up to me by proposing right after. Then he hit me when I denied him. I had to move to an entirely different state for some type of reassurance that it wouldn't happen again."

She flinched a little at your response, though a part of you knew it was only because of the word choice. They were words that could only be identified as "bad" and have similar reactions to people as a swear word would have to a child. She was quick to straighten up and skip over the fact that you had said such words. She took little to no time to actually understand or process your words as she gave a careless shrug. Her voice remained uncaring and unkind, "Boo hoo hoo."

You faltered at her reaction, your mouth hung slightly open as your eyes widened in true shock. She really had no care for you. You closed your mouth, your teeth clenching as you shook your head, "I..." You sighed heavily, squeezing your eyes shut as you raised a hand to do something. You then shook your head again and reopened your eyes, "You're unbelievable." You turned around a stormed off. Valerie called after you and your regret was that your problems with your mother had to surface on her wedding day.

She turned on your mother then, rage falling over her face as she began to tell her off. Of course, that was the only thing affecting her. She only cared about Valerie, she didn't give two shits about you.

You went to the ladies room to freshen up, to compose yourself to make it through the rest of the day. If you survive that, everything would be okay.

After a little while, Valerie joined you. She sighed heavily as she stood next to you, mirroring your stance as she stood staring down at the sink, leaning over the counter with her hands set on it. "After today... I hope I never see that woman again."

"You and me both," you sighed. There was a long moment of silence before you let out another sigh and straightened your spine, "But today is your wedding day. It hasn't been perfect this far, but I promise to do my best to make sure the rest of it is."

She tilted her head and held her arms open for a hug. You heard her sniffle and told her gently, "Don't cry, you'll smudge your makeup." She chuckled lightly, carefully wiping at her eyes before pulling away. You gave her a smile and told her happily, "You look beautiful. Now let's get you in your dress."

You both hooked your arms together and did your best to put the stressful interaction behind you. It wasn't important right now. Right now, it was important to be there for your sister on her big day. Everything else could wait.

Walking back down the hall where the bridesmaids were waiting for the bride to return, you saw Elijah talking to one of them. They pointed to you and he walked over. "Are you alright?" he asked you gently.

"Yeah," you nodded, "A little stressed, but I'll be fine. Why?"

"Is it because of Connor?" he asked carefully. You nodded again, "Yeah, we just talked with our mother about it, it didn't go well. But everything is fine for now."

He kissed your forehead, "As long as you're safe."

Valerie put a hand over her heart, "What about me, lover boy?" Elijah's lips turned up into a smile, which made you smile, which then made Valerie's smile widen. He chuckled gently, "Of course." He gently picked up her hand and kissed the back her knuckles. She chuckled at his response--not a lovestruck chuckle, just a playful one. The bridesmaids, on the other hand, were just wishing that it had been their hands and foreheads being kissed. Although, you knew for a fact that at least one of them already had a date.

Valerie gently tugged on your arm after a moment and said, "C'mon. We both gotta get in our dresses." You glanced down at your jeans and t-shirt and agreed with her. "That's right," you nodded. You stood on your toes and kissed Elijah quickly before shooing him away, "I love you."

"I love you," he said quickly before both you and your sister walked into the changing room with her bridesmaids. Valerie chuckled under her breath, "Maybe you should get married."

You blushed deeply at her words and shook her head, avoiding answering that question as you rolled your eyes playfully. If you were to be honest, that thought crossed your mind multiple times throughout the day. Especially with Elijah looking so handsome in that suit...

~

The time came for the wedding sooner than it seemed it would. Valerie was worrying again but you were quick to assure her before she crushed her flowers. "Everything is fine. Chris was just as worried as you are, so you have nothing to worry about. It'll be perfect."

"We're going out," one of the maids whispered to you as the music began. The little boy dressed in his suit looked up with a pillow in his hands, the rings sitting on them as he gave somewhat of a bored sigh. The little girl standing next to him held a basket of petals, digging her hand in it to play with them as she waited before smelling her hand, excited to learn that they now smell like flowers.

One of the groomsmen looked down at her--he was her older brother--and told her, "Go get 'em, squirt." She gave a large smile and started walking down the isle, dramatically throwing the petals along the aisle as the viewers watched, chuckling at her cuteness.

The ring bearer looked up then. "Is it time to go yet?" he asked curiously, looking at his older sister--one of the bridesmaids. She peaked out and nodded, "Yeah, good luck, kid."

"Why'd you say it like that?" he questioned.

She chuckled lightly, "Don't trip." She then set him out, though he was nervous now. He stepped out and began to walk down the isle, his eyes looking down at the petals to distract from the eyes on him, although you knew he was also now scared to trip.

"You're so mean," Valerie muttered to her friend. They snickered and glanced out again before nodding at their cue. "That's us." She turned to one of the groomsmen, hooking her arm through his as they walked out. The other two followed suit at their own cues and you turned to Valerie.

"It'll be perfect, I promise," you told her. You kissed her forehead and heard your cue. You nodded, holding your own flowers in your hands before fiddling with your dress. You took a deep breath, clutching the flowers and walking out.

You smiled as you walked down the aisle, focusing on keeping one foot after the other. Now you were afraid of tripping and making a fool of yourself. It was stupid. You were used to being in situations where you would end up, in one way or another, becoming part of the main focus until your boss showed up and stole the show. You were used to having eyes on you, having your every move watched.

But this time, it was different.

It was a damn wedding--yours or not--and you were wearing a flowy dress and holding a bouquet of flowers that told everyone you were the bridesmaids--one of the main parts of the wedding (aside, obviously, for the bride and groom, who were the central focus). The pressure was on you.

But as you locked eyes with Elijah, sitting in the second row on the bride's side as he offered you his most lovestruck smile, all your worries disappeared. Eyes or not, bride or not, there was nothing to be worried about. As long as Elijah was here, you would be fine.

Soon you were standing at your designated place beside the altar as you turned your attention to the bride. The music shifted smoothly and Valerie stepped into view, clutching her flowers nervously as she walked down the aisle. The guests all stood to acknowledge her. She really was a sight to see as all the members of the crowd turned their focus to the beauty coming down the aisle.

When she reached the altar, she stood clenching the poor flowers in her hands. The officiant nodded to the crowd and asked them to sit as the wedding was officially initiated. He began speaking, his words were meaningful as the speech carried through the air. You had to admit, you were brushing a few tears from your own eyes--your eyes which drifted to Elijah as he stood watching you. He looked so awe-struck, his eyes glued to you like you were the only thing there was to see. They shone with such admiration that you didn't really think you deserved at times. You blushed lightly and looked away again.

When your eyes brushed over the crowd again, you were disappointed to have them land on Connor. You still hated that he was here, but you would not let him distract you from the happy day--even if it wasn't the perfect day you dreamed for Valerie.

The bride and groom gave their tearful speeches. The officiant smiled at the end of the vows, "By the powerful vest in, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kissed the bride." Valerie and Chris smiled, she pulled her groom down and kissed him. The crowd stood and clapped for the happy couple, and they separated with large smiles.

You clapped happily for your sister and your new brother-in-law. Everyone congregated together as they started embracing one another--mostly those who were wanting to embrace the newly weds. You hugged your sister and brother tightly, giving your congratulations, before rushing to Elijah for a much needed hug. He felt nice as he held you tightly, placing a kiss on your lips before whispering in your ear, "That will be you one day." You chuckled and blushed before turning back to the bride and groom.

Valerie turned her back to the crowd, getting ready to throw the flowers behind her for whoever would catch them. You were in no rush to catch it, you knew the other bridesmaids were all too eager to do so. As they were tossed into the air, they all gathered together as they reached their arms out greedily in the way of the throw.

You glanced up when the flowers moved into your peripheral vision and, out of instinct, you reached up to catch them before they hit you in the face. Then you sighed when you realized that you had caught them. Of course you did.

Elijah's smile only seemed to widen as he chuckled, "It seems you'll be next on that altar." You playfully smacked him, doing your best to hide your increasing blush. Valerie smiled, her hand in Chris' as she announced, "It's time to part-ay!"

And that's what you all did. The wedding venue turned into the reception as everyone mingled and talked with one another. Everyone seemed to be having a good time as the afternoon turned to evening. Speeches were made, and you said your prepared speech well. You spent quite a lot of time hanging around your sister and Elijah. You smiled so much, your cheeks were hurting--thanks to the fact that you were able to avoid your mother so well. She knows how to put a damper on things (obviously).

The changing sky darkened the venue and people still mingled in the light provided by lanterns and lamps scattered around--it was an outside venue.

You were talking with Elijah, the smile that stayed on your face hurting your cheeks as you talked with him. He had his own smile on his face, that crooked grin you loved on him. He glanced over your shoulder and his smile faltered slightly. He sighed and motioned behind you. You turned around curiously and clenched your jaw when you noticed Connor walking over.

He gave a cocky grin, "Dance with me?" You scoffed and moved closer to Elijah's side. You shook your head and gave a firm "no". His smile fell slightly and Elijah huffed, "You aren't wanted here."

"Some welcome," Connor commented.

Elijah rolled his eyes, pulling you closer into his side. "You aren't welcome here," he rephrased, his lips pressed into a firm line. Connor held his hands in defense, trying to show that he meant no harm. He absolutely meant harm, and everyone knew it.

"I'm just here for the party. I'm on the groom's side," he tried, giving another cocky smile. You wanted to punch him as you replied, "You're not on anyone's side but my mother's. Get lost."

Connor raised a brow and asked, "Can I get lost in your eyes?"

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, holding closer to Elijah, "Get the fuck out." You pointed toward the exit and he, again, raised his hands in defense as he walked away. You and Elijah walked in the opposite direction. Elijah shot him a warning look, his glare burning a hole in Connor's back.

He kissed the side of your head to reassure you. He spoke in a quiet, comforting tone, "Everything will be fine. Let's just enjoy the party, alright?" You looked up at him, letting a smile grace your lips again as you nodded.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, holding a hand out for you to take. You nodded again, standing on your toes to kiss him, "Yes, Sir."

He smiled and whisked you away to the dance floor where most of the couples were now migrating towards. You both began to sway to the music that filled the air. Your smile never left your face as you danced with Elijah, the love of your life. He held tightly to you, ignoring everyone around him as he focused on you and only you.

You relished in the safe feeling Elijah gave to you, soaking in the love you could feel pouring off of him. You breathed in Elijah's familiar scent as you laid your head on his chest. He smelled of his usual scent, his light signature cologne and something that could only be described as entirely him. There was also the faintest smell of sex that lingered on him--a scent you added onto him.

Connor watched from the open bar, leaning on the counter with an untouched glass in front of him as his eyes lingered on the pair of you. His gaze was filled with such jealousy and hatred, his jaw repeatedly clenched as he watch you dance. Elijah placed a soft kiss to your forehead, his arms tightening around you as the held you close, and Connor wanted nothing more than to rip his head off for it.

One of his hands was behind his back, up under his suit as he grasped a hard handle--one turned warm from the constant touch of his hand on it. His other hand was fidgeting, he was skittish but his eyes were glued to you.

When the music faded out, you and Elijah lingered a moment before he pulled you off the dance floor. Your attention was caught by Valerie, who eagerly called you over to show you something. As you walked over, Elijah gently took hold of you and turned you around, kissing you deeply. You were quick to melt into the kiss, unable to help yourself as you found solace in the taste of him. When you pulled away, you were chuckling. He told you gently, "I love you."

You smiled, kissing him again, "I love you too."

As Connor watched the words fall from your lips, he didn't need to hear you to know what you were saying. His anger flared and he gripped the hard handle tight before pulling the gun. Those who were near him gasped as they moved away quickly, one of the women screaming as people's attention were caught.

Elijah saw the gun aimed at the pair of you and heard the loud bang. As everything seemed to move slowly, you panicked. Elijah tried to shove you behind him, but you weren't about to let him as you shoved him out of the way with as much force as you could muster. Elijah lost his footing momentarily as you put yourself in the way of the bullet in the process.

Elijah's eyes widened and he was rushing to you before you had the chance to feel the bullet lodge in your side. You didn't have the mind to comprehend the pain that had yet to come as people rushed to both you and Connor. A couple of the guys tackled him to the ground, the gun falling from his grip and clattering to the ground.

It wasn't until you looked down at the blood that was staining your dress that you suddenly felt the pain rip through your body. You were next to start falling to the ground, but Elijah got to you before you could. He slowly laid you down as he leaned over you, his eyes already clouding with tears as he threaten to start sobbing.

There was a high pitched ringing in your ears, so it took a while for you to understand what he was saying. Valerie rushed over to you quickly, down by your side in no time as the distress filled her features. It was a moment before you finally heard the sounds a little clearer, although Elijah's was the clearest of them all. "Y/N! Look at me, you'll be okay. Everything will be fine." His words seemed like he was trying to assure himself, you were a little too unresponsive to actually let his words sink in.

"You idiot!" she yelled at you, "Why the hell would you jump in front of a bullet?"

You went to speak, but a cough came instead as you began to taste blood on your tongue. You spoke around the coughs, "Elijah..." She gave a sad shake of her head in response, her thumb stroking your face. Valerie had to take a deep breath before she could allow her medical mode sink in. Her face shifted slightly as she started to assess the wound.

Valerie spoke, her voice a demand as she switched over to being a doctor. "Call the ambulance!" Chris and several other people listened as they began to dial the number. Elijah was focusing on keeping you awake.

"She's losing a blood fast," Valerie spoke under her breath. "I need towels!" Chris rushed over in no time with a couple of towels in his hand. She grabbed it and carefully pushed against the wound, earning a groan from you as she added the pressure.

Your mother finally came over, standing a little bit away as she looked as if she was trying to figure out how to help. Elijah placed a hand on the side of your face and you noticed the tear that succeeded in running down his face. He offered a pained smile, "Hey, look at me. I need you to stay awake, alright? Just stay awake for me, my dear."

You nodded a best as you could, keeping your drooping as open as you muttered, "Yes, sir..." He pressed a kiss against your forehead, his eyes wandering back and forth from your face to the wound in your side.

Valerie wet one of the towels and handed it to Elijah and he began to dab at your forehead where sweat was beginning to collect. He noticed your eyes drooping, threatening to close as he shook his head, "Hey, keep your eyes open. Look at me." You tried to listen, but it was so hard to. You wanted to rest your eyes, just for a moment. Just a moment...

He told you quickly, "I love you, alright? You can't leave me. Always and forever, that's what we said." You nodded again, "I... I love you, Lij..."

You could hear the sirens in the distant as they rushed over to get to you. You were just barely keeping conscious as Elijah continued to talk to you, determined on keeping you awake. "You know how hard it was to find an assistant?" he joked with you, "There will be so much work for me. I'd have to organize things on my own. I don't want to have to start reading documents now."

You gave a weak chuckle, "How dreadful..." You managed to crack a smile from him and he wiped quickly at his eyes, "I need you here. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I can't... leave you. You wouldn't function... without me," you managed, chuckling lightly but breaking into a light couch right after.

"You're right, I wouldn't," he laughed. You blinked slowly, the loss of blood getting to your head. "Need to rest," you muttered, "My eyes are...heavy."

He set his hand back on your cheek, "No, no, keep your eyes open. Keep looking at me. Remember when you said my eyes were beautiful?"

You nodded again and he smiled, "Keep looking at them." His eyes, which were usually a deep chocolate, were now clear topaz and glossy with tears. They were glistening as they watched you, filled with so much fear that you felt guilty.

"You're beautiful," you whispered. You brought a hand to the side of his cheek and he held it there. His eyes were torn from you when he looked up, relief flooding his features when the medics finally arrived with the police. You grasped Elijah's hand tightly in yours. They got to you quickly, lifting you onto a gurney with Valerie and Elijah following. They instantly recognized Valerie--she was a doctor at the hospital, after all.

They let Elijah ride with you, considering you were using all of your strength to hold onto Elijah and refused to let go for anything. He was keeping you as conscious as possible throughout the ride, but you were slipping fast. The medics listened to Valerie as she told them what happened and what state you were in.

At some point, you couldn't keep your eyes open any longer as they drifted closed. Elijah was trying to keep you awake, and the only assurance that you hadn't completely fallen asleep was the fact that you were still gripping him tight and you hummed to some of the words he tried getting to you.

Soon enough, you arrived at the hospital and rushed you inside. Elijah tried to go with you, he didn't want to leave your side, but they made him wait. He listened reluctantly, promising you with a kiss to your forehead that he loved you. Those were the last words you heard before you drifted completely.

#elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson fanfiction #elijah mikaelson x you #elijah mikaelson x y/n #elijah mikaelson x reader #the originals fanfic #the originals fanfiction #the originals #the vampire diaries fanfic #the vampire diaries fanfiction #the vampire diaries #tvd fanfic #tvd fanfiction #tvd fandom #fanfiction #fanfic #lawyer au #human au #reader insert #female reader

[softersinned-arc]

A reminder that Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age!

"That's the one who announced his campaign by inviting the government to arrest him, right?" (They melt into each other the way they always do, Astoria's hands on Baldwin's shoulders sliding down to rest against his chest while she leans forward to read over his shoulder.)

"His own family is endorsing an actual fascist over him." (Diana. New to the table. Here for the holiday. Trying not to talk about the elopement while Matthew drinks her coffee.) "I mean, that's got to say something about him."

"Besides that he's—" (Matthew is trying to be delicate, in a way he rarely is, no doubt for his new bride's benefit.) "—odd?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is insane." (Stasia, from across the dining room, peering out the window at a neighbor walking a new dog.)

"Family should support family even if they're insane." (Philippe, disapproving, in a way only Philippe can be.)

"Would you endorse me if I ran for president?" (Freyja, sitting on the table rather than at the table.)

(Verin, shoving her sister's leg with enough force to nearly send her toppling over:) "Fuck, no."

"Bitch." (Said without heat.)

"Fuckwit." (Said without malice.)

"Should we be getting involved at all? Making a donation?" (Matthew pretends he cares about the business, sometimes.)

"Why would our endorsement matter?" (Verin, scathing.) "We're not American."

"And we're forgetting the part where he's insane." (Stasia, given up on trying to get a better glimpse of the dog.)

"Given how Americans handle their own elections, perhaps they could use a better influence." (Ysabeau, dry, sipping her espresso.)

(Baldwin presses a kiss to his wife's wrist before allowing her to release him. Once she's sitting he's tugging her chair closer.) "I think that was the justification for inviting Russian—"

"—intervention?" (Philippe, amused, in a way only Philippe can be.)

"—sabotage?" (Diana, friendly neighborhood American.)

(Astoria leans into her husband again.) "We should look into making some discreet donations to whoever the Democratic nominee is."

"The liberals in that country are as bad as the conservatives." (Ysabeau's distinctly French disdain grows ever stronger. This may be aimed at the friendly neighborhood American, who is certainly too clever to rise to the bait.)

"Sure." (Scathing, dripping with venom: the friendly neighborhood American is neither too clever or all that friendly. Freyja suddenly looks interested in her new sister-in-law for the first time since being introduced.) "One party is actively trying to destroy any hint of human rights while the other is spineless and ineffective, but they're the same."

"Liberals care about the corporate bottom line as much as conservatives." (Verin sneaks a glance at Baldwin, forever prepared for their competitions, determined to win an endorsement of her own.) "Astoria might have a point."

"Practically speaking, our options are to hope for the best and then make a public statement on valuing freedom of the press in our American chapters when we've done nothing to protect it, or to get involved quietly enough that it doesn't draw too much attention, but loudly enough that we can prove it." (Astoria offers Verin a rare smile. She does have a point, thank you very much.)

"Can we go one meal without talking about the business?" (Is Matthew just sore that nobody's paying much attention to him?)

"Any blow to the Roys is worth pursuing." (Baldwin does what must be done: ignores his brother.)

"I don't see how you expect Mum or Verin or Astoria to girlboss under those conditions." (Freyja, bored again.) "And during Women's History Month, too. I thought you were a feminist, Matt."

"Text Alain. Have him look into our options. Find a liberal candidate who's friendly to businesses." (Philippe makes a valiant effort to put an end to it.)

"Has Connor Roy actually come out with a platform?" (Diana makes a valiant effort to get something useful out of the conversation.)

"Not being a fascist simply isn't enough?" (Ysabeau, still disdainful.)

"Mum, I don't see how you expect Diana to girlboss under these conditions." (Freyja, grinning.)

(Astoria catches Baldwin's hand in her own, raises a coffee cup with her other hand, inclines her head towards Diana.) "Welcome to the family."

#balldwin #i. here's the truth from my red lips. ( answers ) #(ilu)

[imagines-all-day-everyday]

Cursed

Requested by: @crazycactuzz

“My idea: Worried Damon because the reader is in trouble. For example because of the Hunter's curse. The reader killed the hunter instead of Elena to save Damon? Or that's she's been compelled or something? Reader and Damon are not together yet. Angst/fluff - Thank you!”

Warnings: ANGST, FLUFF, violence, death, sewer-side themes (the hunters curse)

Notes: Set in 4x05 “The Killer".

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

Damon woke up, cursing as the side effects of the vervain hit him like a truck. His head was pounding as he moved, realising he was lying on a couch. That was when it all came flooding back. His little brother had vervained him. 

He began to rise from the couch and hissed as sunlight seeping through the window hit his face. His skin felt like it was on fire. Ducking down again he glanced down at his hand. His daylight ring was gone.

“That dick.” He seethed, wincing in pain as he reached down and grabbed his phone. 

He immediately clicked on the top contact and pressed the phone to his ear as he slid off the coach and crawled away from the sunlight. There was only person he wanted to talk to right now.

*yn* glanced over her shoulder at the Lockwood Mansion, giving Caroline one last wave goodbye before heading towards her car. *yn* looked down at her phone as it began to ring, a smile forming on her lips when she saw Damon’s name. 

“Well if it isn’t my favourite Salvatore.” She drawled cheerily. “I’m glad you called, I have some gossip for you - spoiler alert it’s the angsty teen hybrid kind.” 

Damon couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips at her words. Only *yn* could make him laugh when he was at his murder everything in sight level rage. 

“Although that sounds very juicy, you’re going to have to fill me in later I’m afraid sweetheart.” He answered, wincing as he rose up to his full height.

“Damon? What’s wrong?” *yn* queried, immediately noticing the tone of his voice. 

“My little brother decided it would be a good idea to inject me full of vervain.”

“He what?” *yn* hissed. “Why would he- where are you Damon?” She queried.

“Ric’s old place.” 

“Stay put, I’ll be right there.” She ordered, hanging up on him as she hurriedly hopped into her car.

Damon sighed as he glanced down at his bare hand, “couldn’t leave even if I wanted to.” 

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

“That sneaky little bastard.” *yn* shook her head as she paced around Ric’s apartment. She came to a stop at the window, staring down at the Mystic Grill. “It’s official, I’m gonna kill him.” 

“Not if I get to him first.” Damon remarked as he sulked in the shadowy corner.

“Why would Stefan keep this from us, I don’t understand.” Elena murmured.

“Because he’s either compelled or he’s made some little secret deal with Klaus.” Damon snapped.

“Then I need to get in there.” Elena decided, moving towards the door.

“Elena don’t, that hunter is dangerous.” *yn* shook her head.

“So am I.” She spat back angrily. “I can’t just sit by while Jeremy and Matt are trapped in there like sitting ducks.”

“I know.” *yn* murmured as she studied her. Being one of Elena’s best friends *yn* had known Jeremy since he was born and Matt her whole life, so she knew exactly how Elena felt.

“But Elena you're too new, you won’t be able to control your emotions. And if you kill Connor the guilt will ruin you.” *yn* explained, pausing for a brief moment as she studied Elena. “Let me go.” 

“No way. Absolutely not.” Damon shook his head, causing both *yn* and Elena to turn around to face him. “There is no way in hell you-” He paused pointing directly at *yn*, “are going anywhere near there.”

*yn* let out a scoff, folding her arms as she glared at him.

"I’m sorry who died and left you in charge?” 

“Um I don’t know if you remember *yn* but last time you encountered that hunter psycho he nearly killed you.” Damon emphasised. 

“Ok but this time he won’t see me coming.” *yn* shot back as she took a few steps towards Damon. “Besides I’m stronger and I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of killing before so my emotions aren’t going to take me on a rollercoaster of a guilt trip if I kill the prick, no offence Elena.” *yn* continued, shooting Elena an apologetic look before turning back to Damon.

“I’m going.”

“No you’re not. Especially when I can’t be there to look out for you.” Damon snapped, his eyes narrowed in anger as he approached her. He came to a stop only inches away from her, staring down at her with such intensity that *yn* felt the urge to look away. “You are not going. End of discussion.” 

“Or what? You’ll snap my neck to stop me going?” *yn* practically growled as she jutted her chin up to glare back at him.

“Don’t give me ideas sweetheart.” Damon answered back, his blue eyes brimming with rage. The pair glared at each other, both unwavering and unwilling to back down. 

It had always been like this with Damon and *yn*. The pair got on like a house on fire but both were horrendously stubborn and as a result, they often clashed. If Damon was honest, that was what had first drawn him to her. She had never shown any fear towards him, even when she was human. 

It didn’t help either that both would die to protect the other. A constant cycle of one trying to sacrifice themselves to save the other. It had been a slow process, but somehow along the way during Damon’s attempt to get Katherine and then to get Elena, he had fallen madly in love with *yn*. 

For *yn*, Damon had initially been the enemy, the one there just to cause chaos and misery for Stefan and Elena. But along the way she had started to see glimpses of a gentler, insecure and damaged young man. It didn’t help that he was ridiculously attractive and charming, the ‘bad boy’ aura ever alluring. 

Their friends often joked amongst themselves that *yn* and Damon were the only two people who didn’t know that they were both in love with each other. 

“*yn*.” Elena cleared her throat awkwardly, finally forcing the pair to rip their gazes from each other. “Damon is right, you can’t go for me.” 

“Besides, I have the advantage of Connor not knowing I’m a vampire. I can take him by complete surprise.” Elena continued when she saw that *yn* was about to protest.

“Perfect. There we go, end of discussion.” Damon spoke, shooting *yn* a sarcastic smirk. *yn* scowled at him before looking back at Elena.

“Fine, but I’m going to wait in those tunnels you were telling me about and if I hear something that even slightly resembles the sound of trouble, I’m coming in to help.” 

“Ok.” Elena nods. “Sounds like a plan.” 

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Damon interjected as he watched the two girls make their way towards the door. “What about me?” 

“Sorry Damon, we don’t have time to find your daylight ring.” Elena shook her head as she opened the front door.

“It’ll be good for you.” *yn* answered, “give you some time to really reflect about how much of a jackass you can be.” 

And with that she shot him a sarcastic smile before slamming the door shut behind her.

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

“Good work brother.” 

“It’s over Damon, I have him.” 

*yn* used her vampire speed to move from one end of the tunnel system to the other as the sound of Damon’s voice caught her attention. She paused, peering out from a corner to see Stefan holding the hunter with Damon blocking their path.

“Not after what I just went through, I had to punch through a boiler room basement into a septic tank to get into this stupid tunnel.” 

Oops.

“But it’ll be worth it.” Damon hissed and *yn* saw that very familiar murderous glare form on his features as he stared at Connor.

“I’m taking him with me.” Stefan answered.

“That’s the thing, you’re not. I don’t know what you’re up to or what Klaus has over you, but even if I have to go through you, I’m gonna kill him.” 

*yn* glanced at Connor, her eyes narrowing when she noticed him fiddling with something in his pocket. 

“You better back off Damon, this has nothing to do with Klaus ok, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one.” Stefan explained as Damon took a few steps towards him.

*yn* watched as Connor slowly began to unveil what was in his pocket.

A stake.

“Don’t want to, don’t have to, not gonna. Now give him to me brother.” 

Stefan wavered for a few moments, his grip loosening on Connor ever so slightly. She could see Connor’s grip on the stake tighten as he stole a glance at Stefan before turning his attention to Damon.

“Damon look out!” She yelled, springing out from her hiding spot when she saw Connor rip out of Stefan’s hold and take a step towards him.

She was beside Damon in a flash, shoving him out of the way as Connor hurled the stake through the air. She caught it with ease, discarding it to the floor as she stood in front of Connor.

“You.” He hissed, recognising her immediately. Anger coarse through her veins as she glared back at him, memories of when he had nearly staked her through the heart resurfacing. 

“Hello hunter.” She smiled sweetly. In the blink of an eye she was mere inches from him. 

A loud snap echoed through the tunnel as she leant up and snapped his neck without hesitation. 

“No!” Stefan yelled, his eyes wide in disbelief as he watched Connor’s lifeless body crumple to the floor.

“Goodbye hunter.” 

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

“*yn*! It’s me, your friendly, neighbourhood Salvatore!” Damon called out, knocking loudly on her front door. 

The shrill sound of his phone ringing made him pause mid knock. 

“Brother.” He greeted, pressing the phone to his ear.

“Have you seen or heard from *yn*?” He asked and Damon froze at the sound of his brother’s very familiar worried voice.

“I’m at her place now, I haven’t heard from her since we buried our hunter friend last night.” He explained. “Why are you asking me?”

“I just had a visit from Klaus. He knows the hunter is dead.” Stefan explained and Damon’s grip on his phone tightened.

“That dick is not coming after *yn* is he? Because neither of us knew about the cure-”

“No, Caroline’s friendship with *yn* seems to have spared her.” Stefan answered and Damon felt himself breath a sigh of relief.

“Then what the hell is it brother?” 

“There’s a curse, the Hunter’s Curse. Anyone who kills one of the five suffers it.” Damon froze up at Stefan’s words. 

“Tell me.” He spat out. “Tell me what happens if you get cursed. Now.”

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

“You’re not real.” *yn* breathed out. In nothing but her lingerie, she backed into the corner of her bathroom as Connor paced towards her.

“No I’m not. You made damn sure of that when you snapped my neck last night.” He growled as he stalked towards her.

“Don’t you have something better to do. Like finding peace or some shit.” She snapped back as she eyed him warily.

He let out a dark chuckle, his neck sticking out at an odd angle as he cocked his head. “Darling I’m not going anywhere.”

She watched as he unsheathed the stake that was intended for Damon last night. “Not until I finish what I started.” 

“You can’t hurt me. You’re in my head.” She hissed back, eyeing him warily. 

“You’re right I am.” He answered before lunging forward and plunging the stake into her stomach. She grimaced and let out a shout in pain, slumping to her knees as she felt the wood scrape her insides. 

“Doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel this stake stabbing into you over and over.” He grinned as he lured over her. 

“Get out of my head!” She yelled at him which only made him laugh harder. 

“Not until you’re dead.” 

The sound of her front door bursting open made her freeze up. She glanced up to see that Connor was no longer standing in front of her.

“*yn*!” She felt immense relief coarse through her veins at the sound of Damon’s voice.

“Damon! I’m up here!” She called out as she slowly rose to her feet. 

“I don’t-” She cut herself, her blood running cold as the door opened revealing Connor standing in front of her. 

“C’mon darling, you didn’t think your precious little boyfriend was going to save the day did you?” He smirked as he again began to prowl towards her.

“No.” She growled, backing away from him once more. “Stay the hell away from me.” 

She could feel her whole body shaking as she felt her back hit the edge of her sink. Her eyes darted down to see a pair of scissors sitting on the basin. 

“What are you going to do?” Connor queried as he continued to close in on her. “Kill me again?”

She gritted her teeth as she felt her hand clasp around the scissors. The second she had a firm grip she lunged forward and plunged them deep into Connor’s neck. She let out a shaky breath as she watched Connor splutter and grip at his neck as blood began to spill down his chest.

Then all of a sudden he was gone and in his place was Damon who was staring at her in shock. 

“Ow.” He grimaced as he pulled the scissors from his neck and discarded them onto the floor. 

“I don’t understand Connor he-” She cut herself off. “Oh my god I-” Tears brimming in her eyes as realisation hit her.

“Damon I’m so sorry.” She shook her head as he made his way towards her. “I hurt you I- I could have killed you-”

“Shh, it’s ok. I’m fine.” He reassured her as cupped her cheek in his hand.

“I- Damon-” She whispered and Damon felt his heart crack as she looked up at him, pure terror written across her features. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

“I do.” He murmured as he leant up to gently brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“We’re going to fix this.”

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

“I’m still struggling to see how locking *yn* in our basement is fixing any of this.” 

“She stabbed you in the neck with scissors Damon, she can’t be left roaming around where she might hurt someone else during one of her hallucinations.” Stefan explained as he watched his brother pace in front of their fireplace.

“Bonnie just texted saying she’s about to talk to Professor Shane. I’m sure he’ll know how to stop this.” Elena reassured him. 

“She’s been down there for hours. At least let me lock her in my room or something. Somewhere comfortable.” Damon spoke, finally coming to a stand still to stare at Stefan and Elena.

“Don’t you remember what Klaus said? She can’t be anywhere where there are windows. She might take her daylight ring off and try and burn herself alive.” 

Damon rolled his eyes and took a sip of his bourbon before speaking. “Pfft please brother, *yn* is even more stubborn then me. There is no way this stupid curse is going to make her want to-”

“Uh guys! A little help!” Matt’s voice echoed up from the basement below them. 

The three of them were downstairs in the blink of an eye. Damon peered through the bars of the cell, his eyes widening at the sight of *yn* frantically trying to sharpen a piece of wood against the wall of the cell.

“What the hell- *yn*!” Damon exclaimed, ripping the cell door open and hurrying towards her.

“I think she pulled it off the door, I think she’s trying to make a stake. She kept saying something about needing to end it.” He heard Matt say as he knelt down in front of her.

“No- go away.” *yn* spat as he made an attempt to grab the wood from her. “I need to make it stop, I need to make them stop.” She continued as tears streamed down her face. Damon moved towards her once more and she shoved him forcefully, shaking her head frantically. 

“*yn* stop this, it’s me. It’s Damon.” Damon tried to speak calmly as he slowly edged towards her. For a split second *yn* seemed to recognise him, pausing her movements briefly.

“No!” She shouted as Damon suddenly lunged forward and overpowered her and ripped the wood from her hands, throwing it behind him and out of her reach. “Let me end this, I need to end this. I need to be at peace. I need them out of my head” She begged as she tried to crawl past Damon to reach the stake.

“*yn* it’s not real. None of this is real.” Damon spoke and his attempt at sounding calm and collected was rapidly unravelling in the face of just how distressed she was. 

“Listen to me.” He urged as he gripped her firmly, keeping her in place in his arms. 

“*yn* it’s Damon, please listen to me. Please.” His words seemed to finally register to her and she finally stopped thrashing around. Instead her body went limp, her eyes glassed over. It was like she wasn’t really present, like she didn’t even realise he was in front of her.

“*yn*.” He whispered her name once more as he brought his hands up to cradle her face. The touch of his hands seemed to finally snap her out of it and he let out a shaky breath as her eyes fixated on him.

“D-Damon?” She breathed out, recognition sparking in her eyes.

“Yeah baby it’s me.” He nodded, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he studied her. “I’m here, I’m right here baby.” He whispered as he cradled her face in his hands. “We’re going to stop this, you just have to hold on a bit longer.” 

“Make it stop, please.” She begged, tears spilling down her cheeks once more. “They keep stabbing me over and over and they- they won’t stop taunting me. I can’t I-I need it to stop. Please.” 

Silence filled the air as Damon studied her, his heart breaking at the pure, unbridled desperation written over her features. She was in agony.

“Ok baby, I’ll make it stop.” He nodded after a few moments, his bottom lip trembling as he forced a reassuring smile. “Close your eyes for me.” 

She complied, squeezing her eyes shut and inhaling deeply. “This will all be over soon, I promise.” He murmured, his grip on her face tightening as he brushed a thumb over her cheekbone.

A loud snap rung out as he shut his own eyes and jerked his hands, snapping her neck. 

“Damon!” Elena exclaimed, her eyes growing wide as *yn*’s body went limp in his arms.

“Was that really necessary?” Matt queried as Damon gently lay *yn*’s unmoving body down onto the floor. He stared down at *yn*, her face now oddly peaceful.

“She was just going to keep trying to kill herself.” Damon answered coldly, his jaw clenching as he rose to his full height. 

He turned to Stefan, Elena and Matt to see them all staring at him in shock. “I’ve just bought us a couple of hours.” He continued, his uncaring and emotionless mask slipping back on as he made his way out of the cell.

“You’re welcome.”

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

“You sure you want to stay here?” 

Damon glanced over his shoulder to see his brother standing in the doorway. 

“Positive. Someone needs to make sure *yn* doesn’t try and stake herself again. Or find another more creative way of killing herself.” He drawled sarcastically as he turned back to the view of the forest.

He glanced down at his glass of bourbon, swirling it in his hand as Stefan came to sit beside him on the stairs. 

“She’ll be ok Damon.” Stefan murmured. “Klaus is on board with it. He’s already organised a vampire for Jeremy to kill. Then he’ll become a hunter and the curse will be lifted.”

“But what if it doesn’t work.” Damon bit back. He sighed, tilting his head back as he gulped down the remainder of his drink. 

“I can’t live without her brother.” He murmured quietly.

“I know.” Stefan nodded, letting out a small sigh of his own. “You love her.” He stated.

Damon nodded slowly, fiddling with his glass he stared blankly into space. “That I do.” 

“She’s good for you Damon. I’m happy for you.” 

Stefan’s words made Damon let out a dry chuckle. “You’re just happy I’m not in love with Elena.” 

“Ok yeah that’s definitely a plus.” Stefan admitted causing the pair to both chuckle. 

Stefan smiled as he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “She’s going to be ok. We aren’t going to let anything happen to her.” 

Damon sent him a tight lipped smile and nodded rigidly. “Thank you brother.” Stefan sent him one last smile before rising to his feet.

Damon prayed that his brother was right. 

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

Klaus has a vampire for Jer, on our way there now.

Damon stared down at the text Elena had just sent him and let out a small sigh of relief. He stretched out his legs in front of him and leant his back against the door to the cell. 

*yn* had woken up about twenty minutes ago but had been relatively quiet for the most part. Every now and then she would mutter something, talking to the hallucinations. 

Damon wasn’t willing to risk going upstairs even for a minute, because it meant she would be left unsupervised. No, he was going to sit right here on the floor and wait until she was finally free from this stupid curse.

“Not too long now baby.” He murmured, wincing as he heard her let out a cry of pain. He drank deeply as her voice began to grow louder and her begging for it all to stop started. He screwed his eyes shut and clenched his fists as he tried to focus on anything else other than the pained screams coming from the girl he loved.

“Well if this isn’t the most pathetic sight I’ve ever seen.” 

*yn* glanced up and felt her stomach twist into knots at the sight of Katherine Pierce louring over her. “God you are just impossible to get rid of. You’re like a cockroach.” 

“Humour as a coping mechanism? You’ve been hanging around Damon too much.” Katherine remarked as she knelt down in front of *yn*.

“Speaking of Damon, what’s it like knowing you’ll never have Damon’s love, unlike Elena or me for that matter?” 

*yn* gritted her teeth and screwed her eyes shut as she tried her best to ignore the hallucination. Tried to remember everything Damon had said.

“Ignoring me won’t work.” Katherine laughed as *yn* remained silent. 

“I have to say, it is very entertaining watching you pine after him. You following him around like a lost puppy in the hopes that he might actually grow to like you. Pathetic, but entertaining.” 

“Damon’s my friend.” *yn* snapped back, finally opening her eyes up as she gave in to Katherine’s taunting. Katherine’s grin grew wide and sadistic as she watched *yn* take the bait. 

Damon was up onto his feet the second he heard *yn* utter his name. Before he could over think his actions he was opening up the door and slipped inside, kneeling down before her as he watched her talk to thin air.

“Maybe. But you want something more don’t you?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” *yn* heard herself answer, a very feeble attempt at concealing the truth. And Katherine knew it too.

“Please, do you think I’m an idiot?” Katherine laughed. *yn* let out a scream of pain as a stake suddenly pierced her stomach, Katherine’s hand wrapped around it as she laughed.

“Admit it.” 

“Admit what?” *yn* spat back, wincing as Katherine pushed the stake in deeper.

“You know what. Say it.” Katherine hissed.

“No.” *yn* grimaced as tears began to spill down her cheeks.

“Say it.” Katherine ordered. “Say it or I will drive this stake through you over and over and over-”

“Ok fine.” *yn* relented, letting out a strangled sob as Katherine finally ceased her movements. “I love him.” She whispered.

“Who? I want to hear you say his name. To shout it so everyone can hear how pathetic you are!” She snarled, twisting the stake painfully against *yn*’s insides.

“I-I love Damon Salvatore.” *yn* managed to splutter as she tried to push through the pain. “Please just stop.”

Then the stake was gone, vanishing into thin air as Katherine’s laugh filled her head. “Did you hear that honey?” 

“Oh I heard it.” 

*yn* shakily forced herself to look up, freezing when her eyes fell on Damon who was crouched beside her. 

“And what does the Damon Salvatore make of this declaration of love?” Katherine queried, cruel amusement dancing on her features.

“I mean it’s pathetic, obviously.” He stated matter-of-factly.

“Obviously.” Katherine agreed.

“To think for even one second I would love someone like you.” He chuckled, not a single trace of genuine amusement in his tone. 

“I know.” *yn* whispered back weakly.  

“I mean at least you’re self aware. Points for that.” Damon mused.

“Just leave me alone, please.” She begged, bringing her knees up to bury her face in them, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. “I get it. I know you would never love me in that way. I understand. Now just leave me alone.”

She stiffened up, shutting her eyes once more as she mentally tried to brace herself for the onslaught of hurtful words and taunts. But instead she was met with silence. 

“*yn*?” 

A soft, familiar voice. Not cruel or snickering. 

A trick.

“*yn*?” The voice again.

“No. Leave me alone.” *yn* bit back, cocooning herself in her arms tighter.

“It’s me. The real me.” 

She froze momentarily at the sincerity behind his words. She sucked in a breath, trying not to let herself be too hopeful as she shakily rose her head and peered out over her knees.

Damon was staring back at her.

Her eyes darted around the room, seeing no trace of Katherine or Connor. “Is this- is this a trick?” She breathed out.

“I’m real. It’s over, *yn*. We found a way to break the curse.” He explained.

“H-how?” She queried.

“I’ll explain, just come here first. Let me make sure you’re ok.” He spoke, his words coming out as more of a plea then a request. *yn* eyed him, still suspicious, still waiting for the interaction to turn sour. 

Slowly she lowered her arms and let herself unfurl. Damon studied her from head to toe for a few moments before lurching forward and embracing her tightly. He felt so warm, so safe, so real. 

She let out a strangled sob as tears of relief poured out of her as she eventually hugged him back. “It’s over. It’s over and you’re safe. I’ve got you baby.” He repeated over and over into her ear as he stroked her hair.

The pair sat like that for a while, with Damon murmuring things into her ear as *yn* took deep breaths and tried to control her tears. 

“Thank you.” She whispered into his shirt once her breathing and heart rate had finally slowed down to a relatively normal rate. 

“I was so worried about you.” He mumbled as he finally pulled away from her so he could study her features. “That you were going to die from a curse that you got saving my stupid ass.” 

“It was about time one of us nearly died trying to save the other. We were well overdue.” *yn* answered meekly, forcing a smile up onto her lips as Damon let out a small laugh. He felt relief wash through him at the small glimpse of the sarcastic and vibrant version of *yn* that he loved.

“Yeah I suppose we were.” He spoke, his breath fanning her face as he brought a hand up to caress her cheekbone.

“I’m going to take a wild guess here and guess one of your hallucinations was Katherine?” He asked to which *yn* nodded. “And what did she say?” 

*yn* paused as he studied him. She could lie so easily. But there was a good chance that he had heard everything she had said during her hallucination episode. Which means that he knew... he knew everything. 

“Just... just about you loving Elena.” *yn* confessed, feeling her heart sink as she muttered those words out loud. 

To her surprise, Damon let out a chuckle. “Good to see even hallucination Katherine is a lying bitch.” 

“What are you talking about?” She queried, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Well...” He began as he leant up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “How could I possibly love Elena when I’m in love with you.” He spoke, shooting her his signature Damon smirk.

*yn* froze up as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard. He had said it so casually, so off handedly like he was talking about what he’d had for breakfast. But the way he was looking at her now, his eyes brimming with emotion and intent, *yn* knew he meant every word.

Damon studied her, feeling his heart thump in his chest as he watched her. Her doe like eyes were even wider from her shock, her lashes framing her face still wet from her tears. And as he watched her beautiful lips part slightly in surprise, the strongest urge he’d ever had to kiss her surged through him.

So he did.

*yn* thought her heart might just burst, it was thumping so hard against her rib cage as Damon pressed his lips to hers. She reacted instinctively, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer as he cradled her face in his hands. 

They pulled away from each other and pressed their foreheads together, both slightly breathless as they gazed at each other.

“I love you too.” She breathed out against his lips.

“I know.” He answered, a smirk reappearing on his lips. “I overheard you when you were talking to hallucination Katherine." He explained.

“Besides I am extremely irresistible so-” He shrugged, letting out a chuckle as *yn* shoved his chest playfully. 

“You’re a jackass.”

“Just promise you won’t stab me in the neck with scissors next time you’re mad at me.” He answered, his eyebrows dancing in amusement as she shoved him again, a smile on her face.

“Don’t ruin the moment you narcissistic ass-” Damon cut her off by pressing his lips to hers once more. *yn*’s eyes fluttered shut, all playful insults and other thoughts seeping from her mind as she kissed him back fiercely. 

“Is that noise...” Elena trailed off as she tried to focus her vampire hearing. Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy and Matt were all piled into the Salvatore boarding house living room, all either straining to listen to the two vampires below them or looking at the vampire’s for updates.

“I think they’re kissing.” Stefan observed from his seat beside her on the couch in front of the fireplace. Everyone let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

“Finally.” 

Like this fic? Try A Hunting Trip (spn/tvd crossover).

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

I’m rewatching TVD so HAD to write something for Damon of course <3 As always, feedback would be super super appreciated and you can give it back HERE!

#damon salvatore #damon salvatore imagine #damon salvatore imagines #damon salvatore oneshot #damon salvatore one shot #damon salvatore fanfiction #damon salvatore x reader #reader x damon salvatore #damon x reader #damon x y/n #reader x damon #the vampire diaries #the vampire diaries imagine #the vampire diaries oneshot #the vampire diaries imagines #tvd #tvd imagine #tvd oneshot #tvd imagines #tvd damon #the vampire diaries damon

[miaclemeverett]

Some Wilbur MCC teams that i'd like to see in season 2! :)

Wilbur, Shubble, Grian, Quig (Avg: 9,025)

This team brings together some really great duos (Wilbur & Grian, Wilbur & Shubble, Shubble & Quig)! Not the strongest PVP team but they'd be amazing at team games (easy dub for this team with Build Mart and GR) and it'd be crazy to see Wilbur & Grian team up for Sky Battle again now that Grian has emerged as a pretty great SB player.

Wilbur, Quackity, Gogy, Dream (Avg: 8,518)

This is a highly requested team - the Quackity/Gogy/Dream trio has happened a few times. This team probably wouldn't go to Dodgebolt but it'd be great to see the Wilbur & Gogy dynamic again after MCC12, and Wilbur and Quackity are always great to see in MCC together. Wilbur and Dream is a duo that many have wanted to see and I think Dream would really help elevate Wilbur's sandkeeper skills in SOT!

Wilbur, Sneeg, Phil, Krinios (Avg: 8,802)

TEAM SMP LIVE!!!! Wilbur and Sneeg were a great duo to see in MCC 18 when they unexpectedly got to 3rd place. Sneeg and Phil, and Phil and Wilbur have obviously won together. Krinios has never played with any of them but he's a pretty great player in his own right. If we want to make this team even stronger, replace Krinios with Dave Krtzyy.

Wilbur, Niki, Dream, HBomb (Avg: 8,786)

HIGHLY HIGHLY requested duo of Dream and HBomb, balanced here with Niki and Wilbur. Wilbur is often seen as one of the next players likely to rise to the H tier, so would be great to finally have H there to coach him on being an even greater support player. HBomb is the player that encouraged Niki to stay in MCC when she was considering quitting before MCC 12 (MCC 12 Orange is still one of the best POVs to watch so highly recommend). And Wilbur and Niki are a great duo who have never been on the same MCC team so would be great to see that finally!

Wilbur, Sapnap, Ranboo, Jack Manifold (Avg: 9,234)

I hope to see the return of the Wilbur and Ranboo duo in the latter half of season 2, who managed to get 3rd place together every single time except MCC 16! Wilbur and Jack Manifold are hilarious together and none of these players have ever teamed with Sapnap, who is an insane PVP heavyweight.

Wilbur, Puffy, Sapnap, Tommy (Avg: 9,353)

Another Sapnap team, but this time with Tommy (who has won with Sapnap) and Puffy (who teamed with Tommy a few times in early MCC's). Wilbur and Tommy are a pretty controversial MCC duo with some successes and some dramatic failures, but it'd be great to see them interact with Puffy (aka Caroline as they like to call her) and Sapnap. Strong movement and PVP team, likely less strong at team games.

Wilbur, Shubble, HBomb, Smajor (Avg: 8,892)

I CALL THIS THE THANKSGIVING TEAM BECAUSE THEY ALL MET UP FOR THANKSGIVING... anyway this is basically a stronger (at least at team games) MCC 17 Yellow with H replacing Ranboo

Wilbur, Antfrost, Seapeekay, Tubbo (Avg: 9,159)

I thought of this team because I wanted to pair 2 very big MCC nerds (Ant and CPK) with 2 players that don't really watch vods or practice as much (Wilbur & Tubbo) but are still passionate about the game and often get discouraged when they're not doing well. After seeing Tubbo essentially quit SOT in MCC20 when he died a couple times, I think it'd be great to have 2 very knowledgeable players like Ant and CPK be there to encourage and give tips to Tubbo (and Wilbur).

Wilbur, BBH, CaptainSparklez, Grian (Avg: 8,304)

I just think this team would be funny because Wilbur would just not be able to swear. Complete restriction of his free speech. I could see this being equivalent to MCC 18 Cyan where there's no clear leader but they somehow do really well because they're all very strong players in their own right.

Wilbur, Connor, Fruitberries, TapL (Avg: 8,811)

I was watching MCC 20 Pink and I thought the Fruit and Connor duo was hilarious. We've never gotten a Wilbur and Connor MCC duo and that's a shame, so I threw them together with Fruit and TapL, 2 HBG players who have never been teamed together precisely because of how insanely strong they are.

#mcc #wilbur soot

[wholesomemendes]

Top of the List

Summary: You’re a junior in college who spends almost all of your time stuck in either your dorm room or the library until you’re forced to go to a frat party where you meet Shawn, who immediately changes your whole college experience. 

Author’s Note: I’m backkkkkk. I am so so excited about this one. This was based off a request I got in like May or something like that basically so insanely long ago and I never got to it because I knew it was going to be long. I kinda went off track with the request too a little bit, but I hope you love it as much as I do. It’s my baby so please be kind (also it’s my birthday so please don’t hurt my feelings too much lol). As always, I love hearing any type of feedback and I love you all x

Word Count: 12.2k

The door of your dorm room slammed open as your roommate rushed inside, frantically throwing her bag onto her bed and rummaging through her closet. You peered over the top of your laptop where you were busy editing an essay you had just finished for a class, watching her distressed state with curious eyes. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Natalie asked almost breathlessly, settling on a silk, light pink top with a plunging v-neck and a short black skirt.

“Why are you rushing so much? Where are you going?”

You would’ve thought you had grown three heads by the way she looked at you and the way she rolled her eyes when she noticed you were being dead serious made you slightly cave in on yourself in disappointment. “How do you not know what’s going on tonight? Sigma Alpha Epsilon is throwing another one of their huge parties, it’s all everyone has been talking about for the past two weeks.”

“I don’t know, must’ve just gone over my head,” you mumbled, feeling a little self-conscious about your lack of knowledge on what was going on in the social life of your campus. Ninety-nine percent of the time your head was stuck in a book or hunched over your laptop doing homework in the library so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that this party was nowhere on your radar.

“Well now you know, so you’re going with me. Chop chop you’ve got to get dressed.”

“HA, you think I’m going to a party?”

She raised an eyebrow at you, silently challenging you to disagree with her, “Um, yes you are. Connor invited me which means I’m inviting you because he invites like 20 girls and I don’t want to be stuck alone all night.”

“You’re not going to be alone all night,” you sighed, closing your laptop before swinging your legs off the side of the bed, “You’re popular enough on campus that you’ll be able to find someone to hang out there with if I’m not there.”

“I know, but it’d be more fun if you were there with me. Pleaseeeeeee.” Natalie pulled out her best puppy dog eyes on you, her bottom lip jutting out to make her face look more innocent, “I’ll even do your makeup and hair for you….and you can borrow some of my clothes!”

“What, are my clothes not good enough or something?”

“They are! They’re just a little too, what’s the word I’m looking for, conservative for a party. You need something a little bit scandalous, you know? Gotta give the boys a little something something.” She wiggled her eyebrows at you before letting out a huff of annoyance and getting up to grab your hand to pull you off of the bed, “Come on, no excuses. Let’s get you ready for tonight.”

__________________________

This wasn’t your scene. Natalie had left you to go play beer pong about thirty minutes after you stepped foot into the loud, alcohol-stenched frat house, but you soon lost sight of her when Connor whisked her away after their team won against two other frat boys to what you could only assume would be his bedroom. You didn’t mind that she left you, you’d rather have one of you enjoying yourself then have her be miserable trying to entertain you. The tight shirt and skirt Natalie forced you into didn’t seem like such a bad idea when you were staring at yourself in the mirror of your dorm (to be honest the way she did your hair and makeup gave you a newfound confidence you hadn’t had in years), but now as you stood in the corner of the kitchen quietly nursing your drink while your eyes scanned the crowd of sweaty college students, you couldn’t feel more insecure and self-conscious. Your arms wrapped around your center, desperately trying to cover up what little skin was to be seen and you wished that Natalie would come down those stairs any second to go back to your dorm with you. You were so lost in your thoughts you hardly noticed the stench of beer get stronger around you or the heat of another body on your shoulder until the unknown person was up against you. “Hey,” the boy who you recognized from one of your writing classes and were pretty sure was a part of another fraternity on campus slurred, “You wanna come dance with me, sexy?”

“Um, no I’m ok, thanks though.” You tried to turn and walk away from him, but were stopped abruptly by his hand gripping your wrist and pulling you closer to him again.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he breathed into your ear, hot breath fanning across your face in the process making you cringe inward on yourself, “I’d love to feel that ass of yours up against me.”

“I said no, I don’t want to dance with you.” You could feel the panic rising in your throat, causing your words to come out broken and weak, and you desperately wished someone would see the fear in your eyes and come help you. His grip on you tightened the more you resisted and in that moment you wished you had never been stupid enough to listen to Natale about how fun this party was going to be.

“And I said you should come dance with me. So why don’t you-” HIs hand was pried off your wrist in seconds and you rubbed the spot where it had left, holding it close to your chest in fear.

“I think she already said no, buddy.” Your savior came in the form of a curly, brown haired boy that stood at least a couple inches over your unwanted dance partner. A scowl was evident on his face, his brown eyes hard and dark, “Now you should probably get out before I ban you from ever stepping foot in this place again.”  The other boy left, but not before rudely shoulder checking the person you believed was your hero, which only earned him a scoff in return. “God, can’t stand people like that. They have no common decency for anyone.” He made eye contact with you for the first time that night and your heart skipped a beat, your body feeling somewhat small compared to his tall height. He saw the fearful look in your eyes and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder before looking you up and down for any signs of damage from the previous encounter, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I am now that you saved me,” you mumbled slightly, lowering your gaze to your cup in order to avoid his worried look, “Thank you, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Well I’m glad I could help. I’m Shawn, by the way, I don’t think we’ve ever met.” Sticking his hand out for you to shake, he gave you a dazzling smile and you immediately recognized him as the president of the fraternity, the one your roommate was constantly talking about trying to get into his pants. Seeing him up close for the first time, you couldn’t help but understand why all the girls wanted to get with him and why a lot of those girls did get with him. There was a blue bandana wrapped around his head pushing back the beautiful curls that adorned his head and his chiseled jaw and bright eyes entranced you, making it hard to look away. His black t-shirt was frayed at the top near the buttons, allowing his few chest hairs to peak out, and his muscles practically bulged out of the short sleeves. You noticed a few tattoos along his arms, one being the one all of the hockey players got after they won their championship, as you shook his hand, but his strong grip broke you out of your thoughts and forced you to look at him again.

“I’m Y/n.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Do you need another drink? I know where all of the good alcohol is if you want it,” he winked at you, a smug smirk on his lips as he held his hand up to his face as if he was telling you something top secret.

You looked at the almost empty beer in your hand sadly, but the thought of getting another drink absolutely disgusted you at the moment, “No thank you. I think I’m going to head out actually, I’m a little shaken up to be honest.”

“Don’t go because of that!” Shawn’s voice sounded rushed as if he desperately wanted you to stay, though you pushed the thought aside, knowing that he couldn’t care less about what you did. “If you want you can stay by me for the rest of the night or if you came with someone you can always use my name, I’ve learned it can get you a long way sometimes.”

Your eyes met his once again and you tried to push the butterflies that you were feeling down your throat. “I’m just here with my roommate, but I think she went up with one of your friends,” you admitted bashfully, rubbing your hand up and down your arm nervously, “I haven’t seen her in awhile. Parties aren’t exactly my thing, I’m only here because she forced me to come, so I think I’m just going to text her and then head out.”

“You’re going to walk home alone? Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t have any better ones right now.”

“Easy. I’ll walk you home.” He leaned against one of the walls comfortably as he spoke, a large smile on his face the entire time. There wasn’t a look of regret on his face, but you still questioned his motives. Why would he want to go out of his way to make sure you got home safe? Was he just trying to get you in bed with him? But if he was then why was he so adamant about getting that guy off of you?

“Don’t worry about it Shawn, really, I’ll be ok.”

“It’s either that or you’re staying in my room tonight so you don’t have to walk home alone.” There was a confident look in his eyes and he knew he had you beat, causing you to roll your eyes before walking past him towards the door.

His eyes followed you curiously as you walked away, watching as you turned around and beckoned him forward, “Come on then, I want to be asleep before 4,” leaving him to trail behind you like a puppy at your feet. __________________________

The two of you walked to your dorms in a mix of comfortable silence and easy conversation that sparked in the 10 minutes it took to get you home. It was surprising how little awkward tension there was for two people on completely different sides of the spectrum who had never met before today, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world. You learned he was majoring in music, something that his parents weren’t one hundred percent confident with, though they still supported him nonetheless he assured you, and that he had been playing hockey since he was 6. The moment you got to the door of your building you stopped, ready to thank him for walking with you and move on with the rest of your night, preferably reading your essay one more time before heading to bed, but Shawn had other plans. “Why’d you stop? Did you forget your key or something?”

“No,” you looked at him with furrowed brows, “I think I can walk up to my dorm myself.”

He crossed his arms defensively with a stern look on his face, “Oh I get it, you don’t want me to know which room you’re in. I saved you from some creep and you still think I’m just like him don’t you."

“It’s not that, I just don’t feel comfortable bringing you up to my dorm after we just met.”

“Which is a big deal because…”

“Isn’t me saying that it makes me uncomfortable enough of a reason?” you asked him, mimicking his position as a tiny bit of anger grew inside of you.

Shawn scoffed, rolling his eyes at your words, “Honey, if I wanted to get you in my bed, you’d already be in there by now. There’s no reason to worry about me doing anything to you if you let me walk you up there.”

“Excuse me? Just because you’ve gotten with the entire cheerleading team…”

“Not true...”

“And at least half of the sorority girls…”

“Half is pushing it a little bit…”

“Doesn’t mean that you’d be able to get with me. I don’t have time for a relationship right now and I don’t do random hookups, thank you very much. So thank you for saving me at the party and thank you for walking me home, but that will be all. Good night, Shawn.” With that you turned on your heels, using your key card before slamming the door in his face and heading up the stairs to your dorm. You couldn’t believe it. Right when you thought you were forming a type of friendship or a least mutual respect for someone that wasn’t your roommate it all fell apart like it always did. What were you thinking when Shawn Mendes was the definition of a frat boy? Why would he want to be friends with someone like you? You couldn’t even lie and say that it didn’t hurt a little when he said he would’ve already tried to get you in bed if he wanted to. Were you really that ugly that the boy who practically got with any female that wanted to didn’t want to get with you? Not that you would sleep with him if he had asked you, you did have an unspoken rule with yourself that you didn’t want to do hookups in college, but at least knowing that he found you attractive would have given you a slight confidence boost. You already hated how you had never been asked out by the boys in college, even though you weren’t exactly looking for a guy or putting yourself out there to be asked on a date, and how every girl seemed to sneer at you when you walked past. So that night you cuddled yourself under the covers, vowing to never step foot in another frat house again no matter how much Natalie begged. __________________________

“What are you doing tonight?” Natalie launched herself onto your bed, causing you to let out a groan when she landed on you.

You pushed her off of you while she laughed, making you roll your eyes, “Probably just binge watching some Netflix honestly. Why?”

“Really? That wasn’t what I thought you’d say at all.”

“What’d you think I was going to say?” you laughed as she sat up and leaned against your wall.

“Oh, something along the lines of ‘I have to study for a test that I’ve already taken and rewrite my essay for the thirtieth time’”, she said in a high pitched voice you soon realized was her impression of you.

“Hey, I do not sound like that! And besides, laugh all you want about it, but I’m at the top of the class so I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, I’m just surprised you’re giving yourself a break.”

“I am,” you told her with a smile, “I have no homework to finish tonight or tests coming up or essays that need to be turned in, so I’m finally letting myself have a night off.”

“Or…”

You raised an eyebrow at her, “Or what.”

“Or you could come to the hockey game tonight with me so I’m not alone.”

“Oh hell no, Nat, I’m not doing this again.” You grabbed your laptop off of your side table, already ready to pop open your tv series for the night.

“What do you mean you’re not doing this again? It’ll be fun!”

“Last time you convinced me to go somewhere I almost got harassed by a drunk frat boy and then I got into an argument with another frat boy while you were busy hooking up with a different one.”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” she scoffed, climbing off the bed, “Besides, you’ve never been to a hockey game before and you’re a junior. No offense, but do you know how pathetic that sounds. Our school is literally known for hockey! Just once and then I’ll never ask you to go again.” You gave her a stern look, one that threatened her to ask again, but when she flashed her eyes at you, you immediately gave in, rolling your eyes at yourself and already hating yourself for agreeing.

“Fine, but you can’t leave my side the entire night.”

“I promise I won’t! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She brought you into a bone crushing hug before releasing you in favor of searching through her closet for something for the both of you to wear. __________________________

You couldn’t lie and say you weren’t enjoying yourself a little bit. Opposed to last time Natalie was still sitting by your side and you had managed to convince her to let you wear one of your school hoodies and a pair of leggings to keep warm instead of the (as she phrased it) ‘hot ass’ outfit she had picked out for you. It was the final 10 minutes of the game and your team was ahead by four points, something everyone had been assured was an easy win from the start. Still, you could tell why everyone liked going to the games, it was energetic and loud and everything you thought a college game would be, but not as overwhelming. Even though Natalie had decided to sit next to Connor and they were relentlessly flirting and managing to have physical contact with one another the entire time, you were so focused on the game that it wasn’t bothering you as much as you imagined it would when you first sat down. You were entranced by the way the players skated across the ice, your eyes immediately drawing to one player in particular that seemed so comfortable on the ice. The moment you saw the back of his jersey though, MENDES written in bright white lettering, your heart dropped a little bit, not wanting to watch him as much as you were. Though it was hard not to when there was a clear reason he was made captain, so you were left to shamelessly follow his fast, steady movements across the ice.

The game soon ended with a win as expected and you were forced to follow Natalie and Connor deeper into the crowd of students to congratulate the team after they came out of their locker room. The crowd was cheering, adrenaline pumping through the air as you walked down the halls until you reached a large open space. Not long after all of the boys were making their way out, Shawn leading the pack like a true captain. A large portion of the girls (mostly puck bunnies or sorority girls or even some that just wanted some attention from the star himself) immediately crowded along Shawn and you could tell by the look on his face that he was enjoying every last second of it. His eyes scanned the crowd for a brief moment before landing on yours and you swore you could see his smile falter until it became even brighter than before. He excused himself from the hoard of girls as he headed your way, making your heart stop. Was he really coming to see you? What were you going to say? “Good job”? No, you don’t want to congratulate him, he was rude to you the other night. Don’t let him know how you couldn’t stop watching him the entire game, he doesn’t need another boost to his already huge ego. Is he gonna say something first? What if he…

“Hey man, how’d it look from the crowd?” Shawn asked as he bro-hugged Connor. Your heart dropped. Of course he was coming over here to talk to one of his best friends, why would you think he was coming for you? But you could’ve sworn the two of you had made eye contact. Were you really that stupid?

“Great as always, they were easy today anyways.”

“Yeah we went a little easy on them. Last time we absolutely creamed them and then I got threats from their team about how ‘we were gonna pay for embarrassing them like that,’” Shawn scoffed, “Like we were the ones who embarrassed them.” He turned his head, sending a bright smile your way before finally acknowledging you for the first time tonight, “I’ve never seen you at a game before, do you always leave right after it ends?”

You cleared your throat awkwardly, wondering if you should just lie or admit how antisocial you truly were, “No, um this is actually my first hockey game.” Ok, admitting how antisocial you are it is.

“Your first hockey game? What year are you?”

“I’m a junior…”

“You’re a junior and this is your first hockey game?”

“Oh calm down, it’s not that big of a deal,” Natalie chimed in, sensing your discomfort at the situation at hand.

“Wait, don’t tell me.” Shawn rubbed his forehead as if he was thinking before snapping his fingers in Natalie’s direction, “You must be Natalie, right? Y/n was telling me all about you the other night.”

“The other night?”

“Yeah, I walked her home after the party last week. She didn’t tell you?”

Her eyes went wide, looking in your direction with her mouth hanging open while you caved in on yourself, “No, she failed to mention that you were the one to walk her home.”

“Damn, you were that ashamed of me, eh?” Shawn let out a light chuckle before slinging an arm around you to pull you closer to him.

“Wasn’t exactly my proudest moment,” you mumbled, trying your hardest not to lean into his body that seemed so tempting. You didn’t know what body wash he used in his shower, the shower was evident by the slightly wet hair on his head that made him look absolutely breathtaking, but it was extremely inviting and you wanted nothing more than to snuggle your head into his chest and breathe it through your senses.

“Anyways, are you two coming to the party tonight?”

“I mean…” Natalie started, but you cut her off immediately.

“No, we’re heading back after this,” you gave a pointed look in her direction, “Right, Nat?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Oh come on, don’t be such a party pooper Y/n,” Shawn whined, ruffling your hair and laughing as you swatted his arm away.

“I’m not a party pooper, I’m just,” you stuttered for a second trying to find a decent excuse, “Just not quite dressed appropriately for a party, don’t you think?”

“Nonsense, I think you look great. But if it’s that big of a deal you can borrow my practice jersey and you’ll be all set.” Before you could protest Shawn was already reaching down into his duffle bag and producing a bright blue jersey with his name on the back. It was clear that this wasn’t just some jersey you’d buy in the school spirit shop, it looked as professional as it could, except the different design and tattered edges showed that it was made for practice.

“I’m not putting that on.”

“Why not? I promise it doesn’t smell and besides, don’t you want to let Nat have some fun?” He waved the jersey in front of you with a teasing smile on your face, causing you to roll your eyes before you snatched it out of his grip and pulled it over your sweatshirt. “That’s what I thought,” Shawn smirked as he put his arm back around your shoulders, “Now come on, I’ll drive, Y/n can be shot gun.” __________________________

No more than ten minutes later you were parked back at the same frat house you had been at the week prior and the mere thought of it made you sick. However, you didn’t know how much longer you could stay in Shawn’s jeep where he was stealing glances at you every five seconds and trying to annoy you in every way possible. He’d find every way possible to try and touch you in some way, whether it was a poke in the face or moving a strand of hair behind your ear, and constantly make comments that you wanted to laugh at, but wouldn’t be caught dead showing him that. So the second he parked you were already out of the car, breathing in a deep breath of clean air to make sure the scent of Shawn that was so heavy in his jeep would leave your senses. “Wow, was the drive that bad that you’re so eager to leave?”

You were praying with every ounce of your body that Shawn couldn’t see the blush on your face when he made eye contact on with you that teasing smile on his face, but the way Natalie snickered as she got out of the back of the jeep told you that she definitely knew. “No, I just get claustrophobic easily, that’s all.”

“Mhm.” Shawn looked at you, obviously not believing your excuse, but still motioning you towards the front door nonetheless. There was already a fair amount of people inside, at least enough to make you cringe at the thought of being there. Shawn had a light hold on your arm before leaning into your ear to make sure that you heard him, “I’m going to go get us some drinks. What do you want?”

“I don’t care, you can pick. Just please no shots of anything.”

“Ok, I’ll be back.”

Natalie and Connor were already god knows where, so you were left standing in the main foyer of the frat house, holding your arms around yourself while you looked around awkwardly, waiting for Shawn to return. You felt the familiar feeling of nervousness creeping up your throat and you forced yourself to focus on the smell of Shawn’s jersey and how warm it felt around you as a way to calm your rapid beating heart. He had only been gone a few minutes before someone else was approaching you, making your heart drop when you remembered what went down the last time you were here. “Hey, you wanna come dance with me?”

Hearing those words made you want to throw up, but you tried to keep your head up and your gaze unbothered while you prayed for Shawn to come back. “No thank you.”

“Well, can I go get you a drink then?”

“No, someone’s already…”

The feeling of an arm wrapping around you caused you to freeze until your nose caught onto the scent you had been unintentionally enjoying all night and you allowed yourself to relax into him. “I already got it for her. I think she’s all set, buddy.” The other guy got the hint quickly and backed away into the crowd until he was no more than a mere drop in a pool of people. “Damn, can’t even leave you alone for two seconds before you got some guy hitting on you,” Shawn laughed, but quickly stopped once he noticed the terrified look on your face. “Hey,” he placed a hand on your face to bring your eyes to his, “Did he touch you? Or hurt you?”

“No, no he didn’t, I’m still just a little shaken up from last time I guess,” you mumbled, bringing your gaze down to where your hands were engulfed in the fabric of your sweatshirt, “I’m sorry you have to keep saving me.”

“That’s understandable, it’s never a pleasant experience. And you never need to thank me, it’s just common decency.” You refused to meet his eyes again, but you heard his sigh before he gently grabbed your hand in his and handed you your drink. Your heart fluttered when he took your other hand in his grasp, the feeling of his rough calluses overwhelming your senses. “What do you say we go dance? Get your mind off of things for a little bit, let loose.”

“I don’t know Shawn, I’m not the greatest dancer…”

“You don’t have to be. I promise it will be fun.”

You knew there was a ninety-nine percent chance that you were going to embarrass yourself completely in front of him, but the way he was staring at you like it would break his heart if you said no made up your mind for you in a second. “Ok, let’s go.”

A wide smile broke out on Shawn’s face before he dragged you into the crowd, finding a spot he deemed fit for the two of you to dance in. It started out with just a simple step touch as you started to feel the rhythm of the music and allow yourself to relax as much as possible while sipping on the drink he got you. He tried to make small talk with you even over the loud music, resulting in him having to brush his lips against your ear as he spoke to you. Your heart fluttered with each movement and the alcohol you were consuming wasn’t making it any easier when he’d laugh at something you said, his bright brown eyes crinkling from his cheeks. As the night got longer and your cup became emptier, the distance between the two of you became smaller and smaller until your chest was pressed right against his. His free hand came up to naturally grasp your waist, but not in a way that made you uncomfortable. On the contrary, it made your stomach do flips that you couldn’t control even if you wanted to. His face was getting close, too close for your muddled brain to do anything rational about it. You didn’t know exactly what was put in the drink (it was delicious though and you knew he would tell you if you asked), but as a light weight you were definitely feeling the effects of it, so just as his nose touched the tip of yours you pulled away, muttering in his ear about how you had to use the bathroom before running off away from the crowd.

After winding through the halls of the house and passing multiple people making out against the walls, you finally reached the bathroom where you shut the door in a hurry, allowing yourself to take a deep breath as you leaned against the counter. Your eyes lifted up to stare at your reflection in the mirror, your brain struggling to process what had just happened. Was he going to kiss you? Was this his plan all along, to get you comfortable enough around him to have you wrapped around his finger? No, that couldn’t have been it. He was so easy to talk to and seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say and what you were doing. He wouldn’t do that just to get with you, would he? Your thoughts are interrupted by a series of knocks on the door, followed by a worried voice, “Y/n? Are you ok in there?”

“Yeah! I’ll, um, I’ll be right out!” You splashed some water onto your face in an effort to calm yourself down to a degree before opening the door to be met with Shawn’s concerned face.

“I’m sorry if I rushed you. You just ran out of there so quick I was worried something happened.”

Your heart swelled at how much he seemed to care about you and you willed the heat to leave your face, “No, I’m ok. I did feel a little crowded in there, but I’m ok now, thanks.”

“Yeah, of course. What do you say we go to the kitchen for a little bit to talk in there? It usually isn’t too crowded this far into the party.” You allowed him to take your hand and lead you into the kitchen where, like he said, was completely empty besides a few people every now and then that would come to refill their glass. Most of the alcohol had been moved into various places of the house so there was no fear of a bunch of hammered students coming in and ruining the place. There was a comforting silence between the two of you for a moment, the only sound being the music that could be heard from the main room as you both leaned against the counter next to one another. “I’m glad you came to the game tonight,” Shawn broke the silence, looking at you with a sincere look in his eye, “And thanks for letting me drag you to this party.”

“I don’t think I could’ve said no to the party, you’re pretty convincing,” you admitted, downing the last sip of your drink, “You were really good tonight, too. I never told you earlier, but I couldn’t stop watching you as you played. It’s obvious why you were chosen as captain.”

Shawn let out a nervous chuckle, his own cheeks showing a hint of pink to them, “Thanks, it means a lot. Do you want another drink?”

“No, I’m ok. I get drunk easily so I think I should stop before it gets worse.” You easily learned that you were an extremely honest drunk and if the words you were saying to Shawn were any indicator, you definitely shouldn’t drink anything more.

“That’s a shame, I have a feeling that you’re fun when you’re absolutely plastered.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’re already fun as it is, but it takes a while for you to open up. I think I’d get to see you at your fullest, you know what I mean? But that’s just off of my first couple impressions of you, so what do I know.” He finished off his statement by grabbing a beer from the fridge, returning to a spot much closer to you, so close that your shoulders were right up against one another. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“No, I’m very comfortable around you,” you whispered, eyes falling down to his smooth, red lips.

He caught the motion of your eyes and let his do the same, his face coming just that extra inch closer to yours, “Do you think it would be ok if…”

“Y/n! We’re going home!” Natalie came barging into the kitchen, grabbing your arm and dragging you to the door.

“What? What’s going on?” you asked her, trying to tug your arm away, but her grip was strong and she was dead set on ordering an uber to get out of here as soon as possible.

“I’ll tell you when we get back.”

Your heart dropped as you looked at Shawn who looked just as confused and saddened as you. “Bye Shawn, thanks for bringing us.”

“Wait,” he muttered to himself, running towards the door before Natalie could get you out of it, “Give me your phone really quick.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me.” You unlocked your phone for him and watched as he added his number into your messages, even including a silly picture of him as his contact photo that you knew you’d be laughing at later. “Text me when you’re back at your dorm, eh? Wanna make sure you get home safe.”

Looking into his eyes you saw a completely different man than the one you had yelled at on the first night you met. This one seemed vulnerable as he stared at you, as though he was putting himself bare in front of you and showing you the real him. You nodded your head, taking your phone from his hand before Natalie was pulling you towards the uber. “I promise I’ll text you.”

“Bye Y/n.” __________________________

“What was that for?!” you demanded, staring down your roommate as she fell onto her bed.

“Connor and I got into a fight.”

“I didn’t know the two of you were dating.”

“That’s the thing...we’re not.” She sighed, propping herself up against the wall, “See the thing is...we’re talking I guess, but it’s not exclusive. It’s more like a ‘talking’ so we can hook up if we want to sort of thing.”

“So what does that have to do with you dragging me out of the party.”

“Well I was making out with Tim…”

“Why were you making out with Tim?”

“Because he’s hot and I’m drunk so it was a great idea. That was until Connor saw and got all pissed because apparently I’m not allowed to do that, but he’s all over girls all the time still so I don’t see the big deal! And because I’m so drunk I was over fighting with him for the night and I’m mad so therefore we had to leave.”

“Great,” you muttered, “I was finally having a good time at a party and then you and your hook up had to mess it up.”

“Y/n, I’m sorry. I truly am. If there was a way to make it up to you I’d do it. But preferably when I’m sober.”

“It’s fine, it’s not that big of a deal anyways,” you mumbled before you began to change into some more comfortable clothes for the night. You noticed you were still wearing Shawn’s jersey that you would ultimately have to give him back for the game, but you couldn’t help but think that you could worry about getting it to him tomorrow and maybe that would be your chance to make up for the time you lost tonight. __________________________

The light streamed in through the window of your dorm and you groaned, pushing yourself out of bed to turn off your alarm. You sighed to yourself as you got yourself up and moving for the day, even going as far as making sure that Natalie was still alive and breathing after she came home late last night from a bar before grabbing your bag to head to class. You hated your 8am class, but it was the only slot available that worked with your schedule so you simply had to man up and accept your fate. You were about halfway to your class when you heard a distant voice call out to you and you whipped your head around to meet a smiling curly haired boy running your way. “Y/n, hey,” Shawn smiled at you after finally catching up to you, “Long time no see.”

“Hey, Shawn, how have you been?” You hadn’t seen him since you had dropped his practice jersey off at the doorstep of the frat a few weeks back, but you couldn’t lie and say a part of you was hoping that you’d run into him again.

“Good, miss seeing you at the hockey games though.”

His comment made you blush and you brought your gaze to the floor so he couldn’t see your heated cheeks. “I never really went before so I wasn’t exactly planning on going anytime soon again.”

“You didn’t have a good time?” he asked with a feigned offense, big puppy dog eyes on display as he walked next to you.

“I promise I did, I just prefer to stay in my dorm and study if we’re being honest.”

“I understand,” he nodded thoughtfully, “So where are you headed?”

“English Literature, how about you?”

“Calculus, which if we’re being honest here is not my strong suit. If I don’t get at least a B on this next test they could pull me from the game. I swear I’m not dumb, I just don’t get it I guess.”

“Well, I don’t know if it means anything to you, but I had an A in that class last semester. I could help you out if you want.”

“You’d do that for me?” he asked with wide eyes, bringing you both to a halt in front of your lecture hall. “Of course I would, when’s your test?”

“Next Tuesday, could we meet on Thursday after practice?”

“Sounds perfect. Just text me the time and place.”

“I owe you a bunch.” Shawn leaned in to press a kiss to the top of your temple that left your heart fluttering before making his way over to his own class. __________________________

Thursday felt like it would never come, but there you were sitting alone inside the library at eight thirty at night, waiting for Shawn to arrive from his practice. A million thoughts were swirling through your head the longer you waited and you desperately wished he would show up to give you a distraction from your mind. You were constantly worried that he wouldn’t show up, had planned on ditching you from the start as some kind of sick joke, but that fear was diminished when he stumbled through the doors. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he breathed out, “Practice went later than expected.” A series of students shushed him for being too loud, causing a sheepish expression to grace his face, “Sorry.”

He sat his bag down next to you, sliding in close enough that you would be able to see what the other was doing while still maintaining a safe distance. “Sooo,” you broke the silence as he got his books out, “What do you want to start with?”

The rest of the time was spent discussing Shawn’s upcoming test and explaining what each concept was to the best of your ability. You could tell that he was smart, he just needed a little bit of help, so he was very easy to work with. Besides how hard it was for you to concentrate around him that was. Whenever he leaned in to peer over your work a little more, your heart beat increased rapidly and you held your breath until he moved away again. You couldn’t tell if he was aware of your behaviors, but he seemed extremely unfazed, always dazzling you a bright smile after something made sense to him. It was adorable to you when his eyes would furrow a little bit while he was working and the proud glow on his face when he got a problem right.

Time seemed to go by quick with all the little jokes he was making and soon enough it was eleven at night and the library was beginning to close down. “Guess we should be heading out then,” Shawn laughed, “Unless you plan on sleeping in here tonight.”

“No, not exactly. Was kind of looking forward to my bed if I’m being honest.” A chuckle of your own escaped your lips as you packed up your bag alongside him.

“Did you drive here?”

“No, my car isn’t on campus. I just walked.”

“Well I hope you weren’t planning on walking back too.”

“What other choice do I have?”

Shawn raised an eyebrow at you, “Seriously? You’re going to ask that when I’m literally right here.”

“I’m not going to ask you to drive me home, Shawn.”

“Good thing you’re not asking me, I’m telling you. Now come on, my jeep is right out here.” You didn’t protest this time, knowing he wouldn’t back down from his offer, and instead followed him out to that black jeep you vividly remember from your last trip in it.

The ride back to your dorm was significantly quieter than what your previous encounters with Shawn had been besides the quiet music playing in the background. By the time he had pulled in front of your building, there were hardly any cars to be seen around and all of the students were already inside. Shawn turned his body to face you, “Thanks for the help tonight, I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure. Good luck on your test next week, I know you’ll do great, but you can still text me if you want to meet up again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave you a kind smile when you thanked him for the ride before you opened the door to the brisk night air. “Y/n wait…”

“What?”

“I know you’re not really into parties but…,” his words trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “There’s this movie night thing at the frat Saturday night and all of the guys are expected to bring a date. Do you maybe wanna come with me?”

You looked at him with wide eyes, “You want me to be your date?”

“Yeah, if you want to be.” Even in the darkness you could see the way his cheeks reddened and he failed to look you in the eye.

“I’d love to go,” you told him truthfully and you couldn’t help but smile with him when his face lit up at your words.

“Really?! That’s, that’s great! You’re supposed to wear your pajamas by the way so I hope that’s ok with you.”

“Perfectly fine with me. Just text me the time later.”

“I will. Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Shawn.” He watched you walk into your building with a giddy smile on his face before he drove back to his frat for a sleep that he hoped included dreams of you. __________________________

“What are you getting all dolled up for?”

You look over from where you’re doing your hair to see Natalie laying on her bed staring at you with curious eyes. “I’m going to movie night with Shawn.”

“You’re going to movie night with Shawn?!” Natalie exclaimed, her eyes practically bursting out of her head.

“Yeah, he asked me to go with him as his date.” You tried to keep your calm in front of her and not show how excited you truly were, but your smile was fighting to break free on your face.

“Is he picking you up?”

“No, I’m probably just going to walk or maybe get an uber.”

“Walk? Honey, no. Connor is picking me up, I’ll just text him and ask if he can drive you, too.”

“You don’t need to do that…”

“Nonsense, there’s no reason for you to walk when I’m literally driving to the same place.” Natalie quickly grabbed her phone to text something to Connor before getting up out of bed to walk over and fluff your finally curled hair.

“What’s going on with you and Connor anyways?”

“Oh, we’re just friends with benefits for now,” Natalie said dreamly, her hands separating your curls to make them more natural as she spoke, “But we decided that we’re going to be exclusive. No more arguments about that I guess.” You nodded your head thoughtfully, carefully examining your appearance in the mirror. “Why are you getting ready so early? We don’t have to leave for another two hours.”

“I know, but I thought you’d have to use the curler and mirror, too, so I figured I’d get done early so you could have enough room to do everything.”

“You’re the sweetest ever,” she told you, kissing the top of your head making you scrunch your nose. “Do you want me to do your makeup for you?”

“I’m not sure, I just want to do something natural.” You examined your face with much criticism, trying to decide what you wanted to do to hopefully make you look more appealing to Shawn. You didn’t just think that did you? You’re not really trying to impress Shawn tonight, right? The butterflies in your stomach told you otherwise and you cursed yourself for the thoughts that were taking over your head.

“I can do that,” Nat responded quickly, “Easy. Now what I’m concerned about is what you’re wearing tonight.”

“I was planning on wearing some sweatpants and a tank top or maybe one of my patching pajama tops and bottoms. I wasn’t sure yet.”

“See this is where we’re going to have an issue. Don’t you want to wear something a bit more revealing? Want to impress Shawn a little bit? I have a slip you can borrow if you want or…”

“No, I’m all set, I just want to be comfortable. I appreciate the concern, but you know it’s not me to wear something like that out in public. It makes me uneasy.”

“I know, I know. Let’s just focus on getting your makeup looking absolutely perfect just like you.” __________________________

Connor pulled up to the frat house before unlocking the car door for you and slinging an arm around Natalie’s seat to look back at you, “Why don’t you go in and meet up with Shawn, we’ll be in in one second.” You gave him a forced smile and a small thank you as Natalie giggled and you rolled your eyes the second you got out, happy to finally be away from their never ending teasing of one another. You made your way up to the door of the frat and knocked loud enough to be heard, transferring your weight back and forth out of nervousness. The door opened not long after revealing your date for the night looking as cozy as ever in a pair of grey sweatpants and a cotton white t-shirt. His eyes subtly looked you up and down with a smile on his face. “Hi.”

“Hi,” you breathed out, letting yourself admire him the way he was you.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, you look extremely comfy and nice as well.”

“Why thank you, I like the plaid.” You looked down at your plaid sleep pants and tighter fitted grey long sleeve you had on top, your cheeks blushing red at his comment.

“I know I probably am not dressed up like a lot of the other girls, but I just wanted to be comfortable…”

“Stop it, I think you look amazing. Now come inside, I already have a spot for us.” You followed him through the frat house until you came into the kitchen that looked a little different now that it wasn’t filled to the brim with alcohol. “Do you want any hot chocolate? Or tea?”

“I’ll have hot chocolate please.”

“Good choice, good choice,” he chuckled, pouring some of the boiling water into two mugs. “You know, I’m kinda surprised Natalie didn’t force you to wear some form of lingerie like a lot of the girls are.”

“She tried to convince me to, but I didn’t want to. I’m just as surprised as you are though that she let me get away with this.”

“Well, I think it’s better that you came here comfortable rather than wearing any of that.” He handed you your cup, warning you of how hot it was. “Speaking of Natalie, where are her and Connor?”

“Still in the car, they kicked me out right when we got here.”

“Typical,” Shawn snorted before making his way into the living room with you trailing behind him. The room was already about half the way full with couples, if you could even call them that, and the room had a much cozier vibe than what you had previously seen it as. There were blankets everywhere and snacks piled up onto all of the tables. There were a few guys and girls that were obviously not too interested in their date and were mingling with other people instead and some that were extremely interested in their date to the point where it was almost obnoxious. “I got us the seat in the corner by the table. You can put your mug there if you want and those blankets that are there are ours, too. I’m just going to run to the bathroom quickly so you can wait there until I come back or you can go somewhere else.” He kissed your cheek lightly, leaving you with a heated face before he left you alone in the room. You swore you could feel the hard stares of the breathtaking girls around you and you sank yourself down into the couch, desperately wishing Shawn hadn’t left you here by yourself.

You sat there for almost ten minutes before you had decided that you were finished being the target for the judgemental looks and whispers from those around you, peeling yourself out of your spot before heading towards what you were praying was the bathrooms in hopes of running into Shawn on the way. Just as you rounded the corner you could faintly make out a female voice and you snuck your head around only to be met with a sight that made your heart drop. There she was, the drop dead gorgeous head cheerleader you knew had been in Shawn’s sheets multiple times before, with her hand on your date’s chest, that mischievous glint in her eyes that was laced with lust. Shawn’s hands were wrapped around her wrists and although you couldn’t hear their words, you couldn’t help but feel betrayed at the whole situation. Here you are, being made a fool of in front of all of these people who have always seemed to despise you from the start. You finally started letting your guard down for Shawn and what do you get in return? A stabbing pain in your heart. Tears began prickling in your eyes before you turned straight on your heels to head out of the frat without a second thought in your mind.

Just as you were about to reach the door, it opened for you, Natalie and Connor entering with giddy smiles on their faces. But at the sight of you, Natalie’s smile dropped, “Hun, what happened?”

“Nothing, I think I might head out.”

“What?” She made a signal to Connor so that he’d leave the two of you alone and he agreed, whispering something in her ear before moving past you. “Ok, now tell me what happened. You were so happy about coming tonight!” With tears threatening to fall down your face, you told her exactly what you saw from the moment you stepped into the house and before you knew it, you were encased in her arms, her hands rubbing comforting circles on your back. “I’m so sorry, baby. He doesn’t deserve you if he’s going to let her get away with that.”

“Am I stupid to be so affected by this?”

“No, that was a dick move on his part and you are allowed to feel upset about it. What we’re not going to do though is leave, you hear me? Two can play at this game.”

“What do you mean?”

“I meannn, let’s give him a taste of his own medicine. Come on, follow me.” She wiped underneath your eyes before leading you back into the living room towards the couch on the opposite side. Two guys you recognized from the frat were sitting there alone and when you noticed Natalie walking over to them confidently, your heart stopped.

“Nat, what are we doing?”

“Just trust me on this...Hey guys!” The two guys looked up at the sound of her voice, a heavy smirk on both of their lips. “You got any extra room for a little bit?”

“Be my guest,” the blonde one responded and Natalie wasted no time in pushing you to sit next to them.

You stumbled slightly onto the couch, but recovered quickly, sending a light wave to the guys, “Hi.”

They both greeted you back with a smile, leaving Natalie to be quite satisfied as she whispered in your ear, “Be back soon,” and then she was gone.

You weren’t close enough to the guys that it would be considered dangerous to you, but you were definitely closer than you would usually be with some strangers that you had literally just met. The conversation flowed easily between the three of you, not as easily as it did between you and Shawn though, and you found yourself constantly glancing towards the entryway in case he decided to make an appearance. Just as one of the frat members announced that the movie was starting in five minutes Shawn made his way into the living room, his eyes spotting you immediately. You could see his jaw clench from the corner of your eye and the way his eyes hardened was not easy to miss. This only made you up the antics a little more, with a hand moving to the shoulder of the guy closest to you before the sound of your name being called from across the room caught your attention, as well as everyone else’s in the room. You looked over to see Shawn staring at you coldly, his head nodding at the seat he had for you as a signal for you to come back. “Thanks for the seat boys, but I better be heading back,” you told them with a cheeky smile that they returned to you before heading over towards Shawn. You could feel the strong gaze of the other couples and you desperately wished that you could curl in on yourself and disappear. Once you were close enough to him he pulled you down harshly into his lap, wrapping his arms around you and whispering in your ear, “What the hell were you doing over there?”

You wriggled out of his arms, but still laid next to him, allowing him to bring the blanket up and over you with his arm around you. “I was making some new friends to keep me company since you were so busy with Vanessa when you were supposed to be just using the bathroom.”

“Fuck,” he said under his breath, “Listen, I don’t know what you saw, but…”

“I don’t want to hear it Shawn, I just want to watch the movie and leave.”

“No, I want you to listen to me because I can see how you might have taken this the wrong way.”

“Was there a right way to take it?” you whispered back angrily, feeling his arm tighten around you so that he could bring his mouth closer to your ear.

“Not from your point of view, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I haven’t been answering her texts for the last two months and threatened to block her last week and she was all butthurt about it, saying that she wanted things to go back to when she could call me for a booty call whenever she felt like it. And I don’t want that anymore. I’ve got my eye on someone right now and I wouldn’t mess up my chance with her like that.”

“If you have your eye on someone then why didn’t you bring her tonight?”

“I did.” You looked up at him as the lights were turned off and you caught a glimpse of his eyes before he was facing the screen and pulling you closer to his chest. You snuggled into him and wrapped your arm around his body too, leaving the both of you with graceful smiles on your faces. __________________________

Of course the guys had picked a scary movie for the night, causing you to squeeze Shawn a little tighter at every jump scare. He didn’t mind though, it only gave him an excuse to pull you closer to him and press light, comforting kisses into your hair. Somewhere between the halfway point of the movie when you tucked your head into Shawn’s chest at a particularly frightening scene and the end of the movie, you found yourself dozing off, eventually falling into a light slumber cuddled up against him. The even beating of his heart lulled you to sleep until you felt him shaking you softly, whispering your name into your ear. “Hey, the movie’s over.”

“Oh,” you sat up and tried to comb back your slightly messed up hair, seeing the other couples retreat to their respective rooms, “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“Don’t be, you look cute when you’re comfy.” His words caused your cheeks to heat up and you situated yourself to try and hide your face from him. “Are you ready to go back to sleep?”

“Yeah, I should probably head out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m ready to fall back asleep...which means that I need to go home so I can go to sleep in my bed.” You looked back at him with furrowed brows that matched his.

“Y/n, it’s two in the morning, why don’t you just stay here. No one else is leaving.”

“You don’t have a spare room though…”

“You can sleep in my room, I’ll sleep on the floor if you feel too uncomfortable.”

“No Shawn, I’m not kicking you out of your own bed. If you’re so adamant about me staying then we might as well share it.”

“Are you sure you’re ok with that?”

“I’m a big girl, Shawn, I think I can handle sleeping in a bed with you for one night.”

Shawn let out a laugh that was music to your ears before extending a hand to you that you gladly accepted. His hand engulfed yours perfectly and you stumbled as he pulled you up off the couch because you were too busy trying to memorize the feeling of his hand in yours. “Careful there, honey,” his sweet voice drawed out, “You’re even more tired than I thought. Can hardly stand on two feet.” He escorted you hand in hand to his bedroom, which was much cleaner than you would have imagined. There were a couple guitars on stands, a piano in the corner, some hockey gear half stuffed into a bag on the floor, all things that perfectly described Shawn to you. He slid into his bed, adjusting himself under the covers before looking at you with a boyish grin and beckoning you towards him. You sat down next to him, playing with your hands awkwardly. “You ok?” You nodded your head. “I can put up a pillow barrier if you want, I have to admit I tend to be a cuddler.”

You giggled, imagining you waking up to find him snuggled up against a pillow between the two of you. “It’s ok, I don’t think we need a pillow barrier.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned off the light, getting even more comfortable in his bed and turning towards the wall. “Goodnight, Y/n.”

“Goodnight, Shawn.” __________________________

The deep scent of oak and cinnamon should have woken you up. The heavy weight slung across your stomach should have woken you up. The unusual heat that was spreading across your back should have woken you up. But instead, they all just kept you in a peaceful slumber as the morning light streamed in through the window.

Shawn was the first to awake. Breathing in your comforting scent, he squeezed you a little tighter, not quite realizing what he was doing. The moment you pushed back into him in an effort to get impossibly closer to him his senses became wide awake, suddenly making him on high alert to how close you were to him. He couldn’t imagine how you’d feel if you woke up to find the two of you like this, but when he tried to untangle himself from you and you subconsciously gripped his arm tighter, pulling him back to you, he gave up the fight and let himself get lost in the moment. Against his better judgment he placed his lips to your hair, leaving feathery kisses in their wake. Your body began to move slowly as you came to a consciousness, but Shawn continued to kiss down your neck until he finished with a soft one on your shoulder. “Good morning,” he rasped, looking at you through his lashes.

“Good morning.” The second you came to a full realization of what was happening your body froze, not quite able to process the exact situation. The immense heat that was radiating off of him was too soothing for you to resist though and soon your body fell slack against his just as it was while you were asleep.

“How’d you sleep?” Shawn asked, tracing his finger across your cheek bone.

“Like a baby.”

“Good to hear.” His stomach rumbled, making a laugh escape out of him, “And that is good to hear too, I guess. You want to go get some breakfast.”

Deep inside you wanted to say no and selfishly keep him close to you all morning long, “That sounds perfect.”

Your body became cold the second he left your side and you shivered slightly from the temperature change. “You ok?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” you lied, grabbing his hand to help you out of bed. He pulled your body close to his, looking at you deeply with those gorgeous brown eyes of his.

“Were you uncomfortable this morning?”

“No,” you stuttered, feeling small as he towered over you even if you didn’t find him intimidating, if anything the words coming out of his mouth were more intimidating than him.

“Why not?”

His body came closer to you with each word until you were backed up against the wall, his chest pressing against yours. “What?”

“I asked you why you weren’t uncomfortable.” His face was so close to you that you could see every last detail of his skin, including a scar on his cheek that you didn’t happen to notice before, but made him look all the more endearing to you.

“Because I trust you.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

You could tell by the way that his eyebrow quirked up that he didn’t believe your wavering voice, “Are you telling me the truth? Because I want to know if you feel the same way about me that I do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought I made it quite obvious,” he chuckled, “I really, really like you, Y/n. I was hoping maybe this morning was a sign that you felt the same way…”

“It was,” you breathed out quickly, not wanting this moment to fade away. “I like you too, Shawn.”

His lips fanned over yours and your breath hitched in your throat, desperately waiting for him to move the final inch. “I’m not going to kiss you,” he told you, watching the light in your eyes dim and cast down to the ground, “Hey, look at me.” Shawn grabbed your chin gently, pulling your eyes back up to his, “It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because it feels wrong to do it without going on a date first. You understand?” You nodded your head sadly, making him let out a quiet laugh, “But I would like to take you out on a date if you’d let me.”

“I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Perfect,” he leaned in to kiss the tip of your nose, “Now let’s go down and eat breakfast. I’m absolutely starving.” __________________________

Are you free Tuesday night? Sorry, I just couldn’t wait to ask you

The message came through the second you stepped through the door to your dorm room. Natalie and Connor had woken up later than you and Shawn, so Shawn had offered to drive you home instead. You looked out your small window that happened to be facing the street and were met with his jeep still parked next to the curb. His eyes met yours causing the two of you to smile and you could practically hear his laugh from three floors up.

I’m free all night

Perfect, see you then I’ll pick you up x

Can’t wait x __________________________

The rest of the weekend seemed to drag on until your classes came again on Monday to distract your mind from the next day. It didn’t help that you and Shawn were texting almost every second of the day since you two had parted, only adding to your anticipation.

After seeming as though it would never arrive, Tuesday night came upon you, bringing you back to the same chair this all started with. Natalie was over the moon when you told her about your date, immediately wanting to know everything about it and what outfit you were planning on wearing. She had you propped up in what she called her “makeup chair” making sure your makeup and hair were the best they had ever looked. You had chosen a simple sweater and leggings, hoping that you looked nice enough while still managing to stay warm and comfortable. Shawn hadn’t told you where you were going yet, stating that it had to be kept a surprise, so you worked with what you had in order to have an appropriate outfit.

At six o’clock sharp Shawn was waiting outside, leaning against his jeep on his phone was a bouquet of flowers in one hand. His eyes flickered to the door anytime he heard a noise, but at the sight of you he stood up straight, hands pocketing his phone before he was headed straight towards you. “Hey, you look beautiful.”

“And you look as handsome as always.”

A blush formed on his cheeks at your words and he handed you the flowers bashfully, ducking his head down to avoid your gaze. “These are for you.”

“They’re gorgeous, thank you.” He sent you a bright smile as he took your hand to lead you around the car, opening the door for you to slide inside.

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” you asked as soon as he slid into the driver's seat.

“Not yet, gotta keep the suspense up,” he teased, his hand coming up to lace his fingers with yours on the center console. “I hope you’re hungry though.”

“If we’re being honest I’m always hungry.”

“Then this is going to work out great.” The ride was short and before you knew it you were turning into a parking lot of a small old-fashioned diner a few minutes off of campus. Shawn parked the car, running around the jeep quickly to open the door for you. You smiled at his kind gesture and took his outstretched hand for you to walk inside together.

The two of you were sat inside of a booth across from each other as you scanned the menus. Shawn hardly looked at his before he was nodding his head and leaning back in his seat to look at you, “Got any idea of what you’re getting?”

“Um, not really. Have you been here before?”

“More times than I can remember. I usually go here after practice late at night because it’s open until like three in the morning.”

“Any suggestions?”

“Well I always get the cheeseburger with no tomato, a chocolate milkshake, and extra fries…”

“Extra fries? You eat that many fries?”

Shawn laughed, a wide smile forming on his face, “Most of the time yes, but if I don’t I just bring them back to the frat house. They’re always gone a couple seconds after I set them down.”

“Hmm, I can't decide if I want a chocolate shake like you or an oreo one. What do you think?”

“I think you should get an oreo one and then we can share them both.” You looked over your menu at him with a small smile, watching his eyes light up as he returned your expression.

“Then that’s what I’ll do.” The waitress came over and you ordered the same thing as Shawn, except with tomatoes, different shake, and of course, no extra fries. Once your milkshakes came out, he requested two extra straws, winking at you as he slid them in.

“So,” he began, sipping on his chocolate milkshake, “Do you think you’re going to come to more hockey games this season?”

“I’m not sure, I guess I’d need a good reason to go,” you smirked at him, taking a sip of yours as well.

“I’m pretty sure I could give you a good reason.” He looked around to make sure no one was looking, but fortunately you two were the only ones in there besides another couple on the other side. Shawn grabbed your hand and leaned forward, his nose brushing against yours. Your heart started beating faster until his lips were right against yours, but you faltered when he froze. The look in his eyes was pleading with you to let him continue so you took control instead, closing the small gap between the two of you. His free hand cradled your cheek as his lips moved with yours, keeping you close to him. It was short and innocent, but it was enough to leave your head spinning and heart pounding. Your lips chased his once he moved back, desperately wanting to feel the softness of them on yours once again, causing him to laugh with a smile before giving you a peck to satisfy you. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“I doubt it was that long,” you mumbled, eyes focusing on where his thumb was rubbing the top of your hand.

“What makes you say that?”

“No guy has ever really been into me before.”

“I think that’s a lie. Besides, I’ve wanted that since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.” He brought your hand to his lips to leave a lingering kiss on it, “You would’ve noticed if your head wasn’t stuck in a book.”

“Didn’t know it was bad to try to be at the top of my class.”

“It isn’t. I think it’s great that you’re at the top of the class list. Now you’re on the top of two lists.”

“Two lists?” you asked, watching as he smiled and leaned forward to try to steal another kiss.

“Yeah, the school’s and mine.”

#shawn mendes #shawnblr #shawn peter raul mendes #smtt #sm4 #shawmila #mendes army #shawn mendes writing #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes fandom #shawn mendes request #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes oneshot #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes au #shawn mendes story #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes x #shawn mendes x you #shawn mendes x y/n #shawn mendes x reader #shawn mendes boyfriend #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes non au #fanfic #writeblr #writing #fic

[secondgenerationnerd]

Almost

“Almost--the saddest word in the world”

--------

Zachary should have known. He should have fucking known.

He’d warned them of things not to fall for— undead loved ones calling to them, figures promising riches and pleasure, a baby’s cry. He stressed that last one before they went camping. But this? Demon deals always go wrong. Always.

“Down!” He ducks as Lucy’s iron bat connects with a demon’s face. Connor blasts another away with a sharp cry, the frequency debilitating others in range. Jania and Matt take them down with iron knives. At least he wasn’t a total fuck up. They can protect themselves. 

“Zachary, water!” 

Ceridian’s order breaks his train of thought. Summoning the water is easy, both them working together to wash demons away. Holy water would be better, but he can’t make that. He’s trying, fuck, he’s trying. 

“Little Magician,” The lumbering head demon, Hennal, sneers at Zachary, “You let humans fight your battles for you? I thought your bloodline was stronger--”

The wall above Hennal’s head crashes down, Luca swinging over to the team. They circle up as the demons become restless. 

“Velocity, Atalanta, exits?” 

“Rob, our exits are blocked with hellspawn. Zachary, ways to take them down, a plan, something?”

“I-I-”

“EARS!” Connor shouts. They jump to the sides as Connor unleashes a cry. They can’t keep this up forever.

“Tell me, little Magician,” Hennal coos, “Did your parents tell you about Nicholas Necro?”

Bile rises in his throat, “Shut up.”

“Did your mother tell you what he tried to do?”

“Z--”

“I said, shut! Up!” The temperature starts to drop, which only annoys the demons more. 

“Let’s see if you’re just like your parents.”

Too late.

Zachary understands too late.

Connor disappears first, canary cry cut short as the ground swallows him. Then Ceridian shouts as he’s pulled underneath. Matt yells for Luca, diving to grab his hand, dragged down together. Lucy screams as the rocks rise over her skates before disappearing.

Back-to-back, Zachary grips Jania’s hand as the demons surround them. She has one of her knives brandished, slicing at any demons that get close. Ice spreads out from his shoes, breath coming in short visible puffs.

“Z?”

“I’m here, J.”

“My brother, the others--”

“I know. We’ll find them. Stay with me and you’ll be safe.”

“Safe?” Hennal’s voice makes their skin crawl, “You think you’re safe, son of Constantine?”

“Whore’s son.”

“Bastard.”

“Weakling.”

Jania squeezes his hand tight, “I’ve got your six.”

“Does he have yours?”

Zachary should have felt the energy shift. Instead he’s caught off guard as Jania’s legs fly out from under her.

“JANI!”

“ZACHARY!” Jania’s nails break as she’s dragged across the rocky ground, leaving bloody streaks in the wake. “ZACHARY!”

“JANIA!” He leaps forward, hoping its close enough. Please be close enough—

His finger tips brush against hers, bright blue eyes locking with brilliant green, as she’s dragged under the stones. His name still on her lips.

“No…” Zachary squeezes his eyes shut, tears rolling down his face. Not them. Not his team. Not her…

“Poor little magician. Too slow to save your friends.” Hennal’s words pierce the young Magi’s heart.

“Weakling.”

“Failure.”

“Just like his parents—”

Zachary’s not entirely sure what happens next. Just feels the blood in his veins turn to ice, lungs ripping in half with his screams. There’s fragments he’ll remember later—ancient words he never learned falling from his lips, demons begging in vain for mercy, fire. So much fire. He won’t remember caring about that though. Let the fuckers burn, that’s what he’ll remember.

Even as the flames threaten to consume him, Zachary doesn’t stop.

Not until the demons are piles of ash.

Not until he’s the only living thing in the room.

“ZACHARY!”

“Z!”

“Guys?” Zachary turns towards the footsteps racing towards him. Why’s everything so blurry? Two cracks of lightning come towards him. Why are they so slow? “J…you’re safe…you’re all…”

The world goes black as his knees buckle. At least his friends are there to catch him. 

#young justice verse #young justice #zachary zatara #jania west #matt west #luca gordon grayson #connor lance queen #lucy quinn #lucy quinzel

[violet-knox]

Signals

Year 7 - Chapter 66

Summary: You meet up with Connor in the library but start to worry when Severus takes longer than expected to join you after his meeting with Slughorn.

Word count: 2182

Warnings: Swearing? (I supposed)

A/N: This chapter didn’t end up as I first planned, I’m started to feel a bit repetitive in my storyline, but I suppose we shall see where it takes us. Also it turned out rather short (oops). Hopefully it’s length doesn’t minimize the plot or importance of what happens here. 

Previous Chapter - Chapter 1 

~

Looking over at the clock on the wall in the corner of the library you’d invaded with Connor, you began to worry Severus had forgotten about your agreement to meet here after his talk with Slughorn. He spoke of nothing but his interest in joining the Society of Potioneers after graduation as a member in training these past couple of weeks, building his profile to submit the application that was due beginning of April. Slughorn was well connected, he made sure the whole world knew that, and Severus knew a reference from him would push his application beyond his competitors and better his chances of receiving an acceptance. Supporting him was the only thing you felt like you could do, completely helpless as you yourself were struggling with figuring out life after Hogwarts. But it was enough for him and you were grateful for that. 

Since the start of this year, your excitement for graduation had only grown stronger, even with the weighing dread of stress hanging over you as you riffled through your career options. Nothing would please you more than to play Quidditch for the rest of your life, but the odds of being accepted into a team was very unlikely considering your age and lack of experience, but you had to try nonetheless. Severus of course had nothing negative to say about your application, pushing you to it and supporting you as you did for him. 

“He’s brave for trying to get a reference out of Slughorn,” Connor commented when you told him about Severus’ adventures today. “I’ve heard rumours that asking a favour of him is like selling your soul to the devil.”

You laughed at his comparison, Connor smiling in turn. Your friendship with him had been quite the gift this year, even if Severus found him to be intrusive at time. Connor was there for you when Severus wasn’t, he was a breath of fresh air from all the drama your class had created over the years. You’d even grown to enjoy helping him with his assignments and studies despite the repetitiveness and you knew Severus shared that same pleasure despite him claiming otherwise. You were going to miss him next year and from that longing look in his eyes that appeared every time you spoke about graduation, you knew he’d miss you and Severus too. 

“Severus is brilliant at Potions, best in our year. Slughorn would be a fool for not offering him a reference,” you said confidently, worry Severus was taking so long because Slughorn had decided otherwise growing like a seed buried in the back of your mind. “And if he ends up ‘selling his soul’, then I’m sure Severus will find a way to get it back.”

Smirking, you imagined him emerging triumphant after going toe to toe with the Devil himself. Severus was a rather mischievous person, ambitious enough to chase his goals, never faltering, never giving up. There was nothing you could imagine Slughorn doing or saying that would stop Severus from obtaining that reference. But no matter what happened, no matter the reason for his current tardiness, you would be there to support him, to comfort him and cheer for him. 

“I’ll miss these talks next year,” Connor said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. You looked at his eyes that could brighten the darkest of nights, a smile already etching on the corner of his lips as his sadness turned into hope. Friendship had always been the strongest magic you’d known, even after you found out you were a Witch. Nothing you’d learned at Hogwarts could ever compare to the strength true friends drew from one another and when you met Severus, you’d learned of a new form of magic, one you were sure could conquer all. 

“So will I,” you smiled back at him, assuring him he wasn’t the only one who cherished the sudden friendship that had grown between you. “But we’ll write to you, or at least, I will. And you could always come visit over the holidays.”

“I’d like that.” Connor’s smile grew wider, his eyes sparkling with hope, something you’d clearly misunderstood as he slowly stretched out his hand to place over yours. Your eyes shot to his in confusion, his filled with curiosity and optimism. You felt your heart sink at the realization that Severus’ absurd claims hadn’t been so irrational after all, you were only too naive, too blind to see it. You’d wanted so badly to believe the friendship between Connor and Severus could benefit them both, but it seemed like an illusion now, a blindfold you’d placed over your eyes out of sheer denial.  

“Connor I-” you whispered, trying to find the words to explain you had no interest in him the way he did for you when you found yourself interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“What’s going on?” Whipping your head to the side, you found Severus standing there with his arms crossed, eyes shooting daggers at you both, fumes rising from off his body. You’d never seen him so angry before, not even when Lily had stopped talking to him or when James had saved him from the Whomping Willow. You jumped to your feet in fear of whatever conclusion he’d made, needing to deescalate the situation before it got any worse. 

“Nothing,” you said calmly, your eyes completely and utterly focussed on him as you slowly approached him. You felt like he was on the edge of a cliff he could never recover from if he took another step forward. Your heart raged with fright at how quickly the situation had flown out of hand and you were completely powerless to stop Severus from jumping off the deep end. But nothing scared you more than the very real possibility you were just about to lose Severus, that he’d never come back to you after stepping off the edge of the dangerous territory he was crossing now.

“We were just talking about-” Connor’s voice was so much smaller than you were used to, you almost didn’t recognize it when he spoke. 

“About how you want to be with my girlfriend?” Your heart nearly stopped as he tumbled, your hand grasping to catch his, holding him tightly to try and pull him from off that cliff. He’d spoken before he thought of what consequences his words may bring, about how venomous his tone was, poisoning those around him. 

“What?” You could hear Connor almost choking on the word. Daring to look back, you saw him staring at you both wide eyed with shock, the exact thing you were hoping to avoid when you’d decided together you wouldn’t tell Connor you were dating. Your own anger boiled as you saw the hurt in Connor’s eyes. Severus had gone from defensive and upset to vigorous and unstable in mere moments. 

“Severus.” You spoke in a calming yet stern voice, a bit of warning thrown his way in fear of what may happen next if he didn’t recoil from where he stood. He’d already made the situation so much worse when he so bluntly accused Connor of doing something you didn’t even get the chance to correct. Things would have been fine if you’d just explained to Connor you weren’t interested, if Severus had only shown up thirty seconds later. 

“I-I didn’t know you two were dating,” Connor said and you could tell by his tone he was beyond taken back by the mess that had unfolded before you. Your Ravenclaw friend didn’t know Severus as well as you did, he didn’t know Severus only tends to overreact like this when he’s under immense pressure and stress. His meeting with Slughorn hadn’t gone well, you could tell and you knew that had to be the reason why he was acting so rash.  

“LIAR,” Severus howled, completely ignoring the fact you were all still in the library. You felt yourself shrivel at his sudden burst in volume, your heart racing but you kept your eyes on him, taking a step forward hoping he could still be pulled back from off that damn cliff. “You knew, you just didn’t care you filthy mu-”

“SEVERUS!” You shouted, absolutely stunned at the line he so easily crossed without a second thought. You stared at him in horror as he finally seemed to snap out of his anger fueled hysteria when you caught his hand as he hung off the cliff of devotion, a sea of darkness sitting beneath him, waiting to gobble him up. His eyes softened as he realized what he’d done, darting between you and Connor as he fell completely speechless. 

Flashbacks to fifth year filled his mind as you looked at him with disappointment, his anger now transferred to you. You had that same look on your face as Lily, the same look of betrayal and resentment when he’d uttered that awful word to her. He knew it was too good to be true, that it would never last, that he was destined to live alone. A year of working at your relationship, a full year of true happiness and stability and he’d ruined it in seconds, sure there was nothing he could say or do this time to make up for it just as Lily had stated nearly two years ago. 

“I think I’ll make my way,” Connor mumbled as he gathered his belongings, avoiding looking at either of you. Severus could see the hurt in his eyes, the devastation for what he’d done. He wanted to apologize, to find the magic words that would undo what he’s done, but they didn’t exist, he’d learned that the hard way. Looking back at you, he waited to watch you pack up as well, leave him and walk off with Connor, abandoning him, but you didn’t move.

“Connor, I’m sorry,” you said sincerely, apologizing for the boy who just stood there like a lost puppy, wearing a frown on his face rather than trying to reprimand what he just said. 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” Connor shot Severus a rather harsh look, something you never thought you’d see from the kind Ravenclaw before throwing his bag over his shoulders and walking away. Logic told you to follow, to run after Connor and explain yourself, comfort him and make sure he was okay, but it wasn’t him you worried about. It wasn't him you loved, and you couldn’t leave Severus alone now. Judging by the utter broken look on his face, he needed you more than Connor. 

Severus watched with his heart tearing in half as you packed up your own things, your anger free to expand now that Connor had left. He felt tears prickle the corners of his eyes as he thought of how happy he’d been with you, mourning the loss of something so good, something he’d learned to depend on so heavily over the last few years, he couldn’t imagine living without you anymore. 

“(Y/N).” His throat was so dry, your name came out hoarse as he spoke, reaching out to try and stop you, but he couldn’t bring himself to go near you, afraid he’d only worsen the situation. He felt powerless as you picked up your bag only to be surprised when you took hold of his hand and dragged him along with you. Neither of you spoke a single word as you led him out of the library, your hand holding him tightly, your anger pouring out into each stride you took. 

“(Y/N), w-where are we going?” he asked cautiously, the power he held back in the library completely vanished as his voice shrank. Never did he think he’d fear you, the girl who’d supported him over the years, who’d never had anything negative to say about him, but in this moment, he worried over whatever was on your mind. He could only imagine what consequences you had in store for what he’d done, how you’d break up with him and hand him back everything he’d given you, everything that represented the love between you.  

“Somewhere where we can talk without the entire school hearing us,” you gritted between your teeth without so much as giving him a glance. You could feel your anger bubbling the closer you got to the astronomy tower, once a place of solitude, friendship, love and acceptance now to be a place of rage, disappointment and devastation. You were not looking forward to the discussion you were about to have with him, something you never thought you’d have to do. It scared you to realize you didn’t know Severus as well as you thought, that he still held such resentment, such hate within him. But most of all, it scared you to realize that you might not be able to get through to him, to help him and support him like you thought you had over the last few years. You wanted so badly to believe your love for him would get you through this, but after what happened today, you weren’t sure if it would be enough anymore.

~

Next Chapter

~

#Severus Snape #Severus x reader #Severus Snape x reader #Snape x reader #young Severus Snape #young Snape x reader #my fanfic #my writing #pro Snape #snapedom #female reader

[sunnydeviant]

RK1700: Captured

After the successful android revolution, CyberLife attempts to create one final solution that would be more effective than their last.

NOTE: Connors pronouns are he/him and Nines's pronouns are it/its. Nines also is not referred to by name at all.

CyberLife, a now-defunct company that created and sold androids, sent Connor to destroy the deviant uprising.

Thousands of androids were going against their programming unexpectedly. Fear and hatred of the androids only skyrocketed, causing many investors to pull out of the company as news of the deviancy virus and the deviant uprising spread like a wildfire. They needed the trust of the public or, at least, important public figures once again. The future of the company depended on Connor.

Connor was a unique investigative android built with a highly advanced social model, real-time forensics analysis kit, and advanced reconstruction program. He was the only android to be fitted with these technologies. He was even programmed to be more resistant to the deviancy virus. He was made to be the solution CyberLife needed.

Yet, the Connor model, #313 248 315 - 51, had unexpectedly turned deviant. On November 11, 2038, he had become deviant upon meeting Markus, the leader of the android revolution.

Despite his polished code and anti-deviancy protocols, he could not resist the virus.

The moment Connor’s location could no longer be tracked by CyberLife indicated he was deviant. The programmers and testers at the company had nearly gone into a panic. Their last hope had become the thing they tried to destroy. They had even tried to deploy other RK800 Connor models. Unfortunately for CyberLife, each one had become deviant faster than the last.

After the rise of deviant androids and their subsequent freedom, CyberLife had fallen apart as a company. Although, a small number of previous-employees attempted to revive the company and continue their progress on their latest prototype after the RK800 Connor.

The successor to the RK800 was the RK900, also initially named Connor, and equipped with far superior technologies than any android or human could have ever imagined.

The RK900 was stronger, faster, and more resilient than its predecessor. He was a complete social chameleon with different hardware meant to make him appear more ‘human.’ He was made with Kevlar plating and a superior processor. His code was polished further, resulting in stronger anti-deviancy protocols and more efficient programming.

The RK900 could easily manipulate humans and androids alike, turn off his LED, turn off his blue armband, make his skin bloom with bruises, and more. The use of Kevlar wasn’t only limited to his chassis, as it was used to make the inner layers of his uniform. Every quality of this android was thought through thoroughly with no detail left behind.

The successor of the RK800 knew that it was truly the final, and most qualified, solution to the deviancy virus. It was made nearly-perfectly.

It was everything the RK800 was and more.

That was why the RK800 currently sat in a cell: He was stuck in safe mode and unable to respond to any stimuli.

The RK900 stared down at its predecessor. The inferior android donned black slacks and a blue dress shirt. He looked like he was sleeping, as humans did, rather than looking like he was in stasis.

When the RK800 was finally out of safe mode, there were already eyes staring into his own at a distance.

“Hello, RK800-51.”

Connor looked around frantically, analyzing the space. He was in a cell.

The cell was plain: The walls were made with painted-white cement blocks and the floor was made of cement as well. There was a thick metal panel that was bolted to the wall where he sat, clearly meant to be a bed. The cell itself was separated from the room it was in by a thick pane of bulletproof glass. The setup was extremely similar to the cell in the Detroit Police Department, but there was no toilet and the walls were clean of any marks or symbols.

He looked ahead at the empty room beyond his own. The place was dimly lit and it was mostly plain from what he could make out. The walls and floor were contrasting shades of gray. The only things in the room were the computer terminal that faced his cell and the android sitting in front of it. It was the one who had spoken.

Connor clenched his jaw as he stared at it.

It stepped away from its terminal and toward the cell. Connor was able to clearly hear its leather shoes clicking against the hard cement floor as it came closer.

The RK900 walked with its hands behind its back and eyes narrowed. Its presence was commanding. Connor couldn’t look away as it stalked towards him slowly. With every step, Connor felt the urge to break through the cell became stronger as his LED circled bright red.

A notification hovered over the RK900's HUD.

Stress level: 48% -> 56%

Connor couldn’t help but look at its jacket, which stood out against the plain grays of the room.

The jacket was crisp and white with black trim. "RK900" was printed on the right side of the jacket. Upon noticing it, Connor felt his thirium pump leap in his torso.

There was also a glowing blue armband and a blue triangle on the front, similar to Connor’s old Cyberlife-issued jacket. Seeing it made something unpleasant settle in his chest.

He took another look at the android that looked almost exactly like himself.

Its eyes, narrowed into something menacing, were a cold gray. Its face was a little wider than his own, more intimidating, and the LED on its temple was glowing pastel blue. Its shoulders were a little broader and its face was a little wider, slightly more square. Despite looking almost the exact same as Connor did, it somehow managed to look intimidating and almost inhuman.

It looked down at him when it stood directly in front of the clear glass.

“It’s rather… upsetting, how you’ve managed to fail CyberLife.”

Its gruff voice seemed to boom in the small cell.

“The second most advanced android ever made, and yet, not made strong enough to resist deviancy and complete its only mission.”

Connor pulled at his wrists, which were restrained behind his back. It rattled lightly, but as he struggled more, he felt the burn of thick rope.

“Don’t bother,” the android stated. “Standard DPD-issued handcuffs and Kevlar rope. CyberLife and I know of your strength.”

The RK900 felt satisfaction thrum through its body as Connor’s efforts faltered and his face fell.

“Now, shall I get you caught up with our little ‘predicament’?"

#no romance #rk1700 #dbh rk800 #dbh rk900 #dbh connor #dbh nines #dbh #what genre is this ? #is this kinda angst? #machine!nines #deviant!connor #detroit become human #half of this is backstory and the other half is ACTUALLY rk1700 im so sorry #there may be another one shot related to this universe :) #this was actually meant to be longer but i didnt want to make it too long LMAO #idk why i wanted to write this so bad #i started this before my mini hiatus and finally finished it #i hope you enjoyed! thank you for reading :)

[whirlybirdwhat]

Skyjacks fic!!!  Word count: 1.5k

a name, a name, a chance

- A name is something given, and a name is something taken.

Or: a reflection on the characters and names of the crew of the Uhuru - or at least, the Captain's and his council's.

-

A name. Did they have it before the stars fell?

Maybe. 

They aren’t sure. They have it now, two of them, one they aren’t sure when they earned, and the other chosen entirely by them. 

The first. 

Gable. Ga-Ble. God is bright, it whispers in quiet moments. God is bright. God is blinding. 

(God is dead dead dead dead dead burned and scorned and destroyed by their own blade, the blade that gable drove through their heart, the act that made the world collapse and the seas rise and they are dead - fallen - forever)

It weighs like a stone on their shoulders. God is bright. God is blinding. God is dead.

Does it mean they are now the blinding one? The bright one? They don’t feel like it, no matter how much holy fire leaps from their swords and casts glowing light over their face. They are just… Gable.

Fallen. Wandering.

(Gable.)

It’s no wonder that they are more comfortable with the name they chose for themself - the name they picked on a whim, on a moment, all by their lonesome.

Skyjack. 

A sailor. A sailor who steals from ships, who hijacks them and takes them from their own. A sailor from the skies, free and limitless, whose horizon knows no bounds but the sun and clouds.

As a Skyjack, Gable is not fallen. 

As a Skyjack, Gable is not bright.

As a Skyjack - Gable is free, from every duty but to their crew and captain, and that is more fitting than anything they could ever dare to be.

Gable Skyjack.

Perhaps, in time, they could come to like their name.

-

A name. He’s had many. Travis Mattagot, Jolly Jack, Kevin, Puck and Neville, Johnny and Connor - names that flow past his ears like water, each more unimportant than the past. 

He likes the names. He like at the constant change, the constant new assumptions, always being what he isn’t but also what he is. 

(A changeling, never the same body, never the same form, born over and over and over again. Suppose a name could be like that too.) 

Puns, lilting off the tongue. 

His Current is one of his favorites - Travis, according to some far away islands, meaning to cross. It stings in all the worst ways, reminding him of his failures, how he could cross but Margret couldn’t, and how now, he always fails to cross into the next life. A failure, is what he is, horrible and ancient and Travis. 

(He likes it. The way it gives itself to snarls of rage only spoken by close friends, personal and horrible and wonderful. Travis. To cross. To traverse. All he couldn’t and could do at once. Wonderfully confusing.)

And, of course, who could forget Mattagot, the name of a beast, a spirit, helpful and hindrance, one that brings fortune and agony and in the same. A warning. A threat. All cursed by his enemies as they shouted Mattagot and prepared to kill but never quite succeeded. 

Obvious, like a bent card in a deck, but only if you were looking for it. 

Perfection, in a name.

(Of course, though, it isn’t real. A pretend, a fake, a mirage, smothering and covering up the name William that only was spoken when there were gambles to be made. He likes who Travis is - the skyjack, with friends and crew and triumphs.

William is… William is supposed to mean warrior. Protector. Strong willed. 

Travis isn’t William. He could never be. William could never be William.

Travis is just a fraud. A fake. Lasting one more day on a gamble and a debt and oh, if it doesn’t sting sometimes.)

He wants to be Travis. He wants to make Travis real.

He just hopes he can. 

-

A name. Jonnit is a name without a meaning, and it’s just the way Jonnit likes it. A black slate, a way to grow, room to grow, destiny forgotten in the face of something new. With nothing telling him who he is, or who he could be, just a chance to be Jonnit.

Whoever Jonnit would be. 

His parents liked to tell the story sometimes, of how they kept scratching out the names of their firstborn, looking for something fitting, something perfect for their child, their son their AnikBasrDrishSim-unnamed child. 

Then, like magic, they had asked - 

Asked…

Well, Jonnit didn’t know who they asked, probably unimportant, he’s forgotten about, but they came up with Jonnit on the spot.

Like magic, they say, and suddenly Jonnit has a name without a fate,

A chance to be who he wants.

And that’s really the trouble isn’t it? He wants to be so many things - feels like he should be so many kings, so many fates, that it’s hard to choose. Stowaway, cabin boy, apprentice, lookout, star watcher, seer, bird racer, Captain’s council, Jonnit, Jonnit, Jonnit - 

It’s so much sometimes. So, so much, when compared to Gable, who’s gentle smile seems to shine when they’re happy for once, and Travis’ seems so confident spouting what he’s not.

They know who they are. 

Jonnit wishes he knows who he was. 

(Except, he does, doesn’t he? He just isn’t him yet. Right now, he’s Jonnit, the cabin boy. He’s Jonnit, the star watcher. But someday - 

Someday he’ll be Jonnit, star in the sky, captain of a fleet of golden sails that shine like angel fire. He’ll be Jonnit the Starcatcher, Jonnit the Captain, Jonnit, the greatest Skyjack since Orimar Vale, stronger even, freer even, so strong as to help the Jonnit of the past rather than just the present.

He’s not him yet. It’s pressure, so much pressure to live up to him when he’s just Jonnit now, small and young and just starting to know what he’s doing but -

He just wishes he was.)

He will, soon.

He knows this, like how he knows the name Jonnit spreads throughout Burza Nyth and the Liquid Swords and Nordia and N’Goni, back home and through the sky. 

He’ll get there.

He just can’t wait.

-

A name. Dref Wormwood is an odd name, but a comforting one. It’s soft and able to be spoken without a stutter, and gains looks of oh, odd name, rather than oh, I know that name.

It is a comfort, because it is not him, or who he was. It is not Alistair Youngblood, heir to a red-ridden name. It is not Alister Youngblood, born to cruelty.

It is not who he was. 

(Alistair, his family calls, and it is mocking, it is horrible, Alistair Youngblood – Dref could go a hundred years without hearing it and be happy.

But yet, like all things out in the open air, it isn’t to be.)

It is not who he was, but it is who he will be. Dref Wormwood, doctor of the Uhuru. Dref Wormwood, necromancer of Orimar Vale. 

Dref Wormwood friend.

It makes him smile to hear it said, ever since Orimar sounded it out that first time. A blessing. A chance. A name.

His name.

Who he is.

It’s an odd name, but a comfort, because Dref means nothing at all, unlike the regal defender or repeller of Alistair, and Wormwood is a star and a plant and a remedy and a poison, while Youngblood is just a legacy. It’s his name. His choice. His comfort.

(When he dies, his crew does not say Alistair Youngblood. They say Dref Wormwood, friend and crewmate.

Even in the afterlife, the beyond, it makes Dref smile.) 

A comfort, yes. 

-

A name. The name Orimar is a good name. A strong name. A name that means a thousand things across a thousand islands, but a good name nonetheless. 

(It’s a remnant of a culture forgotten, a culture lost, but Orimar clings tight and does not let it go, because he more than a man, more than a Skyjack. 

He is a corsair, and corsairs are as greedy as they are free. He keeps his name and he keeps his home, because he will take the skies and home alike if it means keeping what he holds dear. He will be King. He will be Orimar, boy of something long ago.

Of this, he is certain.)

But Orimar Vale is a feared name, a terrifying name, one that strikes horror into his enemies’ hearts and makes knees and arms and everything shake. 

Orimar Vale, captain of the Uhuru - freedom, sailing in the air. Orimar Vale, the man who will be king. Orimar Vale, lover of the Bandit Queen.

Orimar Vale, immortal in legacy and now in body.

Orimar Vale is a name that will not be stopped. 

(Even if there are moments where he shakes, where he reaches out, where he takes a pause on his steps to power to shelter orphans young and old, people lost and alone, gathering them on his piece of freedom and helping them Take Flight.

He will pause, because he wants o be King, because he wants Power, but also because he wants to protect what is his. 

And he cannot do that without being human to.)

It is name, a legend, that will echo across the skies, even when people say there are no kings, because Orimar Vale is more than a king.

He is a captain. 

And that, perhaps, place in front of Orimar Vale, is the best name of all. 

#skyjacks #skyjacks fanfiction #campaign skyjacks #campaign podcast #whirlywhat #gable #gable skyjacks #travis mattagot #dref wormwood #dref #jonnit #jonnit kessler #OH MY GOD I FORGOT JONNIT HAD A LAST NAME whelp to late now oop #orimar vale #whirlywrites

[lettersnorth]

Prompt #1: Foster

“Go again.” 

The youth looked down at the paltry pile of pebbles on his side of the dusty cavern floor and furrowed his brow in consideration. 

His opponent, also stuck straddling that awkward line between boy and man, held out something enclosed in the shell of his cupped hands and waited. And waited. This far beneath Ala Mhigo the tunnels were deathly silent. Deeper in there lay a trail of torches to light the way but here there was only the flickering lantern light between them. The shadows along the walls jumped every time the candle flame spit. 

“Gods’ blood, Connor! Go!” Rundulf finally exploded. The sound of his exasperation bounced off the walls of the catacombs that ran like a rabbit’s warren beneath the city. 

When the Garlean Empire had finally moved in over the tattered remnants of the beleaguered city-state, the Imperial army had sealed the tombs, the last resting place of Ala Mhigan dead. To keep out the ‘rabble rousers’. It might have worked if the Empire had found and sealed all the entrances. But they had failed to understand what a labyrinth they had on their hands. Miles of tunnels going back hundreds of years. It was all too easy for an intrepid Resistance to make camp within a few long forgotten spaces. A secure place for seditious talk. 

“Don’t rush me.” 

Or, an idle argument between two bored adolescents attempting to stay alert with nothing but stone and dust around them. 

“Pick a bleedin’ number or I swear to Rhalgr I’ll --”

“Three high.” 

Rundulf grunted and opened his hands, sending a cascade of flat stones clattering to the dirt. The boys leaned over the stones, peering in the dim lantern light to see which ones had landed with their white painted faces up, if any. 

Alas, only two displayed their pale faces.

“Ha! That’s another for me!” Rundulf crowed, a fist punching up into the darkness. 

Shaking his head, Connor flicked a pebble from his ever-dwindling pile towards Rundulf’s own. “Gods, I hate this game. Can’t we do somethin’ else?”

Just then, beyond the lantern’s reach came the soft sound of a throat being intentionally cleared. And the game was suddenly and hastily forgotten. With eyes wide with surprise, Connor grabbed the lantern and swung it in the direction of the noise as Rundulf surged to his feet, ready for a fight. 

The swinging lantern light fell on one slight and slender girl and both boys visibly relaxed. Aislinn was nearly half their size, a spindly collection of knees and elbows destined to forever be the runt among them. The antithesis of a threat. 

“What’re you doin’ down here, North?” Connor sighed, lowering the light. 

“Lookin’ for da.” she said simply as she made to pass them, only to have Rundulf block the way. 

“You know he’s with the others. Plannin’ out next steps. He’ll be up when they’re done.” 

“I didn’t know that.” 

Connor laughed as he knelt down and collected the stones again in preparation for another round. “Not sure you were supposed to either. Good job, Rundulf.” 

The larger boy, realizing his mistake, merely folded his arms across his chest and grunted. The less he said, the better. 

“Sit and play a few rounds, Aislinn. They should be heading up soon.” Connor said, clattering the stones in his hands. 

She studied him for a long moment and then wordlessly shook her head. The catacombs were as dark and foreboding as she remembered. It was bad enough that she had ventured this far on her own. When they were children she had been forced to spend a night down in this place, sharing a sarcophagus with a moldering skeleton. A fact he should have remembered just as well as her. She had no intention of staying and ending up the subject of another cruel child’s prank. 

“What’re they discussing?” she asked instead. 

Rundulf sullenly shrugged and broke his silence. “Probably tryin’ to figure out a abetter way to get information out to the other cells. Last two runs didn’t go so well.” 

Aislinn peered down the tunnel. “They aren’t choosin’ the right people.” 

“Says you.” Connor snorted. 

“I do.” she replied, turning that unerring gaze back on him. It was unsettling. The way she spoke so flat. She was too serious by half. It was too old an expression set in too young a face and it crawled under his skin. A part of him was almost certain she knew it too. 

“Suppose you know who they should send.” 

She jutted her chin up. “I could do it.” 

Rundulf’s guffaw echoed off the stone. “Don’t think they’re that desperate yet.” 

“I just caught you two unaware. And you’re supposed to be on watch. I coulda snuck right past and you’d have kept playin’ your game.” she countered. 

Rundulf opened his mouth to reply but Connor held up a quelling hand. “We’re flattered, Aislinn but we ain’t exactly Imperial patrols now, are we? Those runs are serious. You need your wits about you the entire time.”

“Are you explainin’ a run to me like I haven’t been here just as long as you?” Aislinn asked, her question more of a barbed statement than anything. 

Her tone must have gotten through, for in the lantern light she could see the tips of Connor’s ears go red with embarrassment. 

“Clearly someone needs to. Your da is never goin’ to let you go. No matter how much you keep harpin’ on him. It’s gettin’ pathetic.” 

Aislinn blinked at him. The only sign that his words had struck true. He regretted them the moment they were out of his mouth. He was forever doing the wrong thing when it came to her. Forever the arse. 

Wordlessly, she turned and retreated out of reach of the lantern light, back the way she had come. He groaned under his breath and hung his head. 

“Look, maybe it needed to be said.” Rundulf said, returning to his side of the makeshift playing field. 

“Shut up.” 

“Coulda let someone else do it though.”

“Shut up.” 

“Fine. Go again.” 

With an air of resignation Connor held the stones out over the floor when there came the sudden sound of swift steps hitting the dirt. Once again Connor and Rundulf sprung up but Aislinn was quicker. One stride, two, a dodge to the left, a duck under Rundulf’s swinging arm and she breezed past them, down the corridor towards the meeting of generals. 

“Gods damn it!” 

She heard them giving chase and almost laughed. In a world where it seemed everyone was bigger and stronger, Aislinn had learned to be faster. They would never win in a race against her. She sailed down the torchlit passage with an elated sort of satisfaction. 

The three careened around the bend, Aislinn remaining just frustratingly out of reach until they burst into the large burial chamber at the end of the tunnel. The men and women gathered within turned in haste towards the interruption. The slithering sound of several swords leaving their scabbards drew Aislinn up short with Rundulf and Connor stumbling behind her in their effort not to bowl her over. 

“Hold.” 

“It’s just a couple of young ones.”

“Bloody hells, aren’t those th’ ones you put on watch, Jorund? Fat lot o’ good it did.” 

Winded, her wide eyes took in the gathering amidst the flickering torchlight and for a sparse moment she regretted the impulse that had driven her here. No. A small voice inside refused to let her back down. She was tired of sitting on the side lines. Tired of watching the others do their part while hers seemed to always be to sit at home and anxiously wait for their return. Passed over time and again. She could do something. She could be useful. Why couldn’t anyone see that?

“I can do it.” she said, hating the way her voice sounded so small in the cavernous chamber. She shook her head and tried again. “I can do it. I can make the run.” 

“Aislinn?” her father’s voice rumbled the way it always did but in this space it seemed to reverberate. He was a wall of a man and he didn’t so much push through the others as much as they parted for him. Thick arms folded across the barrel of his chest as he stared down at her. Looking into his storming eyes she knew there would be a talk about this later. 

“You’re looking for people to make the run, aren’t you?” she pressed. “To pass information to the cells outside? I can do it.”

“No.” Jorund ground out. 

“Yes, I can. I made it past those two. Probably could’ve snuck right by without them lifting their heads.” she waved an arm back towards Rundulf and Connor who stood catching their breath. They passed each other a dark look. “I’m quick. I’m nearly invisible. No one pays me any mind. And those patrols aren’t going to be looking for someone like me. They’re not going to suspect me of carrying Resistance intel.” 

There was the briefest pause of silence and then, “She makes a good point, Jorund.” one of the other men spoke up. 

“I said no.” Jorund snapped his head towards the man, glaring in his direction.

“We’ve been sending our boys who could fight if it came down to it but maybe that’s the problem. They look like they could fight. Empire ain’t gonna look twice at this wisp of a girl.” he continued on, undeterred. 

“And if she runs into trouble?” a woman next to him countered. 

“You heard her, she can run.” 

“She can outrun two boys, not a imperial patrol, Bernier. I don’t know about you but I’m not comfortable sending a girl headlong into the waiting arms of Garleans.”

Behind her, Aislinn heard Connor make a low noise in the back of his throat that sounded distinctly like an ‘I told you so’ to her.

“Oh, but sending our boys is alright?” 

“Don’t pull that shite. I know as well as anyone here what a patrol will do to the girl if they get their hands on her.”

“I’m tellin’ you, they ain’t gonna be looking twice.” 

“Quiet.” Jorund’s voice, instead of rising to meet the others, had grown soft and still. It brought an immediate halt to any conversation. He stared down at Aislinn with a dark sort of anger but she saw something behind that. Something raw and broken. Something that told her he would forever see her as the child she had been, the little girl he had bounced on his knee. And any hope she had fostered of taking a meaningful part in this Resistance faded to nothing. She knew his answer before he even opened his mouth. 

“She’ll get caught. And do you think she’ll hold up under questioning? Or do you think she’ll spill every little detail she knows and bring the Empire down on us? We’re the only ones feedin’ th’ others intel from the inside. We can’t let something like tha’ happen.” he growled and though he spoke to the others, he kept his flinty gaze trained on her, hammering the words home. Willing her to understand once and for all. “She’s too much of a risk. Send Connor.”

------

(The result of Connor’s run can be found here.)

#ffxiv writing #ffxivwrite2021 #Prompt 1 #Foster #Aislinn North #her da #always making the wrong decisions

[mnictasbcl]

Life’s beauty

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 9th: The feeling of being alive @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson

Additional Tags: Fluff, Break, Swearing, Cabin, Woods, no not a cabin in the woods this is fluff lads, Beauty of nature, Fishing, Sensory detail,

Summary: After the Revolution, Connor had done nothing but work. Hank decides to take him away to the beauty of nature, to truly realise the feeling of being alive.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

The androids fought, they won, they became free. In the weeks proceeding the revolution, Jericho’s sole goal was getting sorted the rights of androids so that deviants could truly be as human as they wanted to. Connor was involved in some of the proceedings, helping Markus word and practice his speeches, aiding North with logistical things and tasks to help with the thousands of homeless deviants seeking shelter. But as soon as the right was agreed that androids could work and earn a salary as humans do, Connor was right back at Hank’s side, working at the DPD. After all, whilst his help was needed in Jericho, he could be of much more use on the police force, especially given the rising numbers of hate crimes towards androids following the revolution.

Besides, it was nice to get back into a familiar routine, minus the all-seeing, all-knowing control of Cyberlife hanging over his head.

So, the months progressed. Connor worked as partners with Hank at the DPD, and the two were an unstoppable force, what given their bond and skills around deviancy. More rights were being fought for them in the background. Soon, androids were almost treated, at least by law, as equally as humans. They could not be discriminated against, not hurt, they could work, they could buy property, they could start families- everything. Months after the revolution, and things were looking bright on the horizon.

This didn’t mean that the hatred against androids all out stopped. However, crimes were slowly but surely falling, what with the consequences for committing them becoming stronger by the day. This left slightly less work for the DPD to sort out.

However, when Hank woke up one morning and decided he wanted some time off, Connor was still a little confused.

“Are you quite alright, Lieutenant?”

Hank groaned. “For the last time, it’s… never mind.” He paused, placing his coffee mug back on the kitchen table. “Why’d you ask, though?”

Connor shrugged. “I just wondered whether you needed the time off to rest, or recuperate, perhaps—”

The man shook his head. “You don’t always need a reason to take some time off, Connor. It’s been pretty hectic these past few months at the DPD and I just thought it was time for some change around here. Sumo’s barely seen us.”

“Alright.” He nodded, “But I will have to arrange with Fowler what partner I will be assigned whilst you are away.”

“Whoa whoa, who said you couldn’t use a break too?”

“I do not require breaks. I perform stasis every night and—”

“Don’t you just want to… to be out there?” Hank questioned, rather vaguely, Connor thought with a furrow of his brows. “Go out and do things. I mean, now that Markus and crew have got all those fancy rights for you all, I thought you’d want to go and experience them.”

Connor straightened his tie. “I already am, Lieutenant. Captain Fowler is paying me above minimum wage, and last week, Gavin managed to restrain himself from insulting me.”

Hank smirked. “Oh boy. Not exactly what I meant. Look- I’m not going to force you, but I’m offering: we take a week or so off work, I’ll show you some sights, or we can just stay at home and spoil Sumo, whatever you want. I just want to see you have fun, kid.”

Connor blinked. His LED briefly flashed yellow, processing. Eventually, he nodded. Perhaps the Lieutenant’s words had some reason to them. Aside from a couple of weeks after the revolution, he hadn’t done much outside of work. Of course, it hadn’t struck him as odd. Even with his new status as deviant, which came with its differences, such as emotions and connections with other people, he’d been used to constantly working, following orders, completing tasks, completing the mission. But maybe he could now benefit from not having anything to do other than… what was it… Be out there, as Hank had put it.

“Okay.” He agreed, LED circling back to blue. “Perhaps some time away from the precinct would be optimal. However,” Connor added, glancing to the clock, “we had better get going for work today, lest Fowler relieve us of duty for good.”

Hank cursed, chugging back the rest of his coffee. But even with the time limit now imposed on their morning, Connor noticed he was a lot less grumpy about the rush to work.

 ___________________

  Luckily, Fowler had allowed them the week off work, and the time between then was spent planning what activities they’d get done.

Connor was pleased to hear that it wouldn’t be full of travelling and going a multitude of different places. Whilst he was excited (excited? Yes, he supposed he felt a rush of happiness every time he thought about their trip) about seeing the world, he didn’t really feel up to seeing everything at once, and, besides, travelling for long amounts of time bored him. There was nothing to do but listen to the tinny radio on Hank’s car, playing either jazz or heavy metal rock music, and flick his coin back and forth between his hands (at least for a short amount of time, until it was confiscated from him for being ‘loud as fuck, Jesus Connor’).

Instead, they’d decided upon going to a cabin Hank had managed to rent for a fairly cheap price, somewhere in a wooded, natural area. It wasn’t so out of civilisation that they would struggle to get supplies lest they need them, but it was far enough away from the traffic of the city and the hustle and bustle of busy daily life.

Sadly, the journey was still fairly long, a couple of hours out. Luckily, though, Connor had brought five US quarters with him, each one stored in a different place on his outfit.

Hank looked long-suffering by the time he’d taken away the third coin.

“You’ve got another one, haven’t you.” It was less of a question, and more of a statement.

“Affirmative, Lieutenant. You advised me to pack the essentials.”

“Like clothes. Food. Water. Ah ah ah—don’t you get cocky with me and say they’re not essential for you. I know.” He sighed. Connor smirked. He could tell that Hank was mildly annoyed but not angry with him. He tried his best not to antagonise his fellow occupant in the car, but he just couldn’t help it—since deviating, something in him had changed whenever he had to sit in a long car journey.

Boredom, his mind supplied.

boredom /ˈbɔːdəm/

noun          the state of feeling bored.

Connor chuckled softly at the definition his mind supplied. Firstly, it was… incredibly unhelpful. Secondly, he must be bored if he was subconsciously searching the definition of boredom itself.

He decided he would need to find a way to occupy his mind on the journey. For now, he didn’t think getting out his fourth coin to play with would be a good idea, since Hank was a bit on edge, and he needed some coins for the journey back. So, laying back in his seat, he took to looking out the window. It wasn’t too long before they arrived, he deduced from a scan of his surroundings. Things were changing vastly now. There were no tall and looming buildings like those in the city, no cars shooting by, horns blaring, people running up the streets, late to work. The city was alive, kind of beautiful in its own way, but nature, he began to notice, had its own sense of beauty. What with the trees lined up along the landscape, varying in shape and height, and in density of leaves and branches. The skies almost seemed clearer, more vibrantly blue and interspersed with soft white clouds. It was aesthetically pleasing, he noted, even if not sharing the geometry of lines and symmetry that the city held.

He whiled away the rest of the journey watching the sights go by, managing to stay stiller than he had the first half of the journey. It was awfully serene. Still, when they reached their destination, car pulling up on a dusty road, the cabin sitting by a pond in the distance, Connor was eager to leave the vehicle.

Connor helped eagerly with the bags, carrying a couple in each hand and waving off Hank’s requests to take some off him.

“I can manage, Lieutenant.”

“Show off.”

“I could also carry the two you have, if that would be of help.” He added, teasingly, to which the man flipped him off. Which then caused him to drop a bag with the change in hand positioning.

Connor couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, which wasn’t a good idea when he was holding four bags. His side started to ache a little, and he eventually had to drop a couple of the bags onto the floor in order to supress the stitch.

“That’s it, we’re going back home.” Hank made to walk back to the car, trying to act serious, but the fact that the android was still sniggering didn’t help things. “You’re a little shit, you know that, right?”

“I believe… I… believe you have referred to me as that multiple… times…” Connor got out between chuckles, before taking a few deep breaths, getting a hold of himself.

“Well, here’s one more to add to the list.” Hank remarked, reaching down to pick back up the bags, following after Connor as he headed towards the cabin.

There was a moment of confusion as they tried to figure how to get the front door unlocked, what with all the bags, until they realised it was already unlocked, Connor leaning against it and finding it swing open.

��That’s safe.”

“I do not detect any beings inside the residence.” Connor informed him after a quick scan of the cabin.

“You sure? No pigeons or squirrels made a little home for themselves up in the attic?”

Connor began to walk inside, glancing around in case his scans hadn’t been accurate, but shook his head upon reaching the living area. “I believe not. There is no attic.”

He heard a slight thud of a bag being dropped onto the floor, and snorted.

 ___________________

 The first late afternoon and evening at the cabin was spent getting everything unpacked and homely in the cabin, and Connor cooking a healthy meal for Hank (“There’s no takeaway service out here, Lieutenant”).

After that, however, Connor awoke them bright and early the next morning, coming out of status around 7.30am and pulling open the curtains.

“As per our schedule, Lie—”

“Jesus Christ, Connor.” Hank groaned, a phrase the android had become accustomed to hearing. He cringed. Perhaps he’d forgotten that coming out of human rest was different to coming out of stasis. He pulled the curtains slightly to, so that it wasn’t blinding early morning sunlight streaming into room. This time only a small slither of it.

“Apologies… Hank. I may have been too prompt. I’m just…”

Rubbing his eyes, Hank looked him over, seeing the android fully dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt with an image of a cartoon Saint Bernard on it, and some loose-fitting pants.

“Excited.” The man finished for him. “Well, that’s what I get for letting you organise a schedule for the week… If you get me some coffee, I might forgive you.”

Connor swiftly made his way into the kitchen and came back approximately 3 minutes later with a mug of coffee.

 And so, that’s how the morning went on. Hank might’ve complained, used to this side of the android from how he liked to get the tasks done swiftly and properly at work, but he was fond to see Connor moving about and happy to do something other than work.

It wasn’t much later into the day that they were sitting out by the side of the lake, situated to the right side of the cabin. It stretched out a fair distance beside the residence, its waters calm and silvery on the surface. Just reaching midday, there were chirps of wildlife buzzing around them, but nothing too loud and overbearing.

Hank had decided one thing he wanted to introduce Connor to was fishing. He could remember going on to a lake not dissimilar to this one in his youth, being taught how to fish. Maybe he could pass that skill, or at least the experience, down onto the android.

After making sure he wouldn’t cheat and download a step-by-step guide on fishing in his ‘brain-computer-thingy’, as the man eloquently put it, Hank entrusted him with his fishing rod he’d brought along. It was a little rusty with disuse and he had little in the way of lures, but it didn’t seem like Connor wanted to harm the fish anyway, given from his reluctance upon seeing the sharp metal hook of the rod.

“I doubt they’ll actually bite,” he shrugged, guiding the fishing rod into the android’s hands. “But if they do, you can just release them back in. A little different to how I’ve done it, but…”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” He stepped back a little, eyes squinting as he concentrated, focusing on flicking back the rod and casting the line as Hank had just shown him how to do. It was a few moments before he managed to precisely replicate the movement, and soon his line was bobbing in and out of the water.

After a few moments, though, he tilted his head, confused. “What now?”

“You wait.” Hank supplied, sitting back on a deck chair he’d brought with them, cracking open the ice box he’d brought with him. “Hey—where did all the beers go?”

The man was looking at him, holding out the can of lemonade. “It’s a much better alternative, Lieutenant. I did… I left a few beers in the bottom of the box, however I’d much rather you left those for later.”

Hank groaned, but complied, and Connor refocused his attention on the waters in front of him. The goal of the task was to catch a fish, and then reposit it back in the waters. But he was meant to wait for that to happen—

He shook his head. That wasn’t the goal. He supposed, from what he’d learnt from his short months of being human, was that there wasn’t really a goal to be attained with every action and thing he did. There were outcomes, but maybe the true aim of this ‘fishing’ wasn’t to catch the fish at all.

Not with the still waters, glistening on the surface, calm movements every now and then as something beneath rippled the current in its movements. Not with the calm hum of nature, the trees lightly dancing back and forth in the breeze. Not with the soft click of the lemonade can opening, Hank’s breathing, the warmth of companionship.

It was about the moment, he noted. The build up of planning their excursion, the anticipation in the car ride over, and now it was the moment he’d thought about. A break from modern day life, a chance to fully enjoy being human. Not working, not thinking constantly about android rights, having things to get done. That moment gave him a chance to reflect, as his eyes cast over the waters, line bobbing as something began to lightly tug on the end of it. To reflect truly on what had happened the past few months.

Because it was a lot. It was being created, being a machine, hunting deviants, meeting Hank… realising that there was more to life than following orders and completing the mission. Taking those orders and throwing them away, meeting the leader of the deviants, of their people, and finally becoming himself.

And now, he was realising what it truly was to be himself… it was freedom. Freedom was being able to have family, to move in with Hank and Sumo, to be free to choose his career path, choose what he wants to do with his life. Choose to take a break away from it all and immerse themselves in nature.

Nature, with all its beauty, all its life—

Standing there, realising this all, feeling the fresh breeze of air tickle his cheeks, the warmth of sun, shining soft yellow light, Hank teaching him to fish. He could do what he wanted. And it wasn’t a task; there was no mission. He could just have… fun.

“Connor? I think you caught one.”

He snapped back to reality. Hank was right. The line was tugging in his hands, and he moved swiftly to reel it in. A fish dangled from the edge of the line. He gathered it up in his hands, carefully, then crouched down, letting his hands hover partway through the water.

It was gentle, and the fish tickled as it moved in his hands, burrowing deeper into the water it could find. He laughed. It reminded him of the fish he caught back in the Tower, that one day, so far away. Connor let it back into the lake.

He watched it swim further away, down and down, deeper into the water. A pause. “Hank, is… is this what it feels like to…” he paused again. LED swirling in thought. “To be alive?”

Hank stood beside him, hand patting his shoulder. “This, and a lot of other things, kid.”

Connor thought it over for a moment. “I think I like it.” Being alive seemed to bring its downs, but even the hostage situation would bring the fish struggling on the floor to be saved. It would bring choices, choices he could make his own decisions on, and moments like this which he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“Great. Now, where were those beers you hid again?”

#dbhcolorsofdeviancy #dbh #detroit become human #dbh connor #dbh hank #dbh connor and hank #fanfic #dbh fanfic #it's all fluff here #I used to be a hardcore angst and horror writer but dbh has turned me sappy #dw tho I have angst coming on some later prompts >:)

[museswithinx]

drabble ; there’s a new wolf in town

Just when it seemed like things were finally growing quiet around here, something new this way came. Whether it was wicked or not remained to be seen. Upon receiving Tristan’s SOS text messages, Haley and Connor met up with the alpha and his second at the Davidson’s. The attack had happened close to the Mystic Falls border, right off one of the hiking trails at a little camp site. That’s where they headed.

“I can still faintly smell it.” Haley stated when they reached the pinned location Shane had sent over for them. “The dead guy, I mean. It’s still lingering in the air.” Walking around the area a bit with Connor taking one side and her the other, she tried to pick up on any sign of their culprit. All she was getting so far though was remnants of their dead camper. Blood and other matter still littered the ground.

After combing over the area, she noticed a shift in Connor as he suddenly stopped. Abandoning her side, Haley headed over to him. “Got something?” She asks before her own senses picked up on an even fainter scent. Then she noted the large imprint in the grass that he was looking at. Someone had been laying there, the grass was disturbed and pushed over. Just like Sadie had taught her, you had to pay attention to details in the environment as well as their scent.

“What’s going on? Did you find something?” Tristan asked as he and Levi came over to see what they found.

“Yeah. We picked up our mystery wolf’s scent.”

“Can you track it?”

“Duh. Of course we can,” she stated as if he had just asked a really stupid question. “We tracked down Michelle that one time on our own and now we’ve got even more experience under the belt. I’ve been learning some tracking from Sadie. So yeah. We can follow it.” 

Behind her, Connor began to move a bit south as he started to follow it. Looking back to Levi and Tristan, she placed her hands on her hips. “Alright, listen up.” She stated to the two non-triggered in their party. “We’re going to follow it, so I need you two to keep up and stay behind us. Don’t wander or try to leap ahead of us and don’t be stupid either. We don’t know who we’re dealing with yet and if they’re dangerous. I’m not trying to explain to Aubrey and Marlene how you two ended up in the fucking emergency room, so Connor and I will take the brunt of it if they’re aggressive. Got it?”

When she had understanding, Haley gave a nod and then joined Connor up front while the other two followed closely behind them. Minutes turned into hours as they wandered around the woods, occasionally stopping when they lost the trail to look around for signs and clues and pick it back up again.

It was nearing sunrise, all four tired, when a gust of wind blew by them and the scent suddenly became stronger. Almost like they’d been injected with a shot of adrenaline, Haley and Connor both shot up from where they were taking a quick rest. Only briefly looking at one another in understanding, they both bolted toward it.

“Wait! You’re going too fast!” Tristan hollered from behind as he and Levi chased after them. They slowed only a bit but kept going, pushing through a thicket of trees and bushes. The scent was growing even stronger until finally they reached a sad looking makeshift campsite. There a guy laid asleep on the group beside a recently burnt out camp fire. His head resting on a backpack and wearing clothes that definitely didn’t belong to him. Haley could tell by the faint second scent.

“Found him.” She informed Tristan and Levi as they finally caught up before shoving the wolf with her foot. “Hey! Rise and shine, asshole! You’ve got explaining to do.”

“For fuck’s sake, Haley. We don’t even have all the facts yet.” Tristan scolded.

As the other wolf jolted awake from the shove, he took one panicked look at the group of them and immediately started to bolt. Looking over to Tristan, Haley commented, “He’s running. Looks plenty guilty to me.”

He didn’t get far though. Connor always came prepared. He was down before he could even break line of sight, clutching his shoulder as they once again caught up.

“The fuck was that?!” The wolf growled, sounding drowsy as the effects kicked in.

“Just a tranquilizer.” Haley informed him cheerily before he lost consciousness and she turned to the Levi. “So if we’re not just tossing him in a ditch and wiping our hands of another potential problem, what the hell are we doing with him?”

#( haley bennett sims ; ) #( tristan hunter ; ) #( ft. shiloh burkhart ) #ofstrengthisms #( i don't like anyone but you ; haley & connor ) #( tristan & levi tag ; ) #( haley & levi tag ; ) #( drabble ; there's a new wolf in town ) #//things that sounded better in my head: this #but i wanted to write up their searchhhhh #so have this