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#i have an appointment in the city next week though so I'll be able to pick it up at least

corvid-language-library · 2 months

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2024 Goals Monthly Check-In

I actually didn't do this last month because I was ill all of February and didn't make much/any progress with anything so I felt it was kinda pointless 😅 Let's see where I'm at now!

Japanese

1) Reach ~N3 level - I've not really been focusing on this so much. I've started using HelloTalk again and occasionally trying to learn a little new N3 grammar/kanji/vocab, but I should probably study in a more focused way.

2) Learn 10 songs by heart to a level where I could sing them at karaoke - Oh yeah I haven't worked on this at all, I kinda forgot it was a thing lmao

3) Finish reading another book of short stories - No progress made whoops. I try to read articles on Todai/NHK Easy a bit more but I've not touched my short story book.

4) Finish both Minna No Nihongo books - I'm about halfway through unit 11, so I'm a little behind but not too much. Hoping to finish unit 11 tonight and unit 12 at some point this week, but we'll see what happens!

Norwegian

1) Read at least 2 books in Norwegian - Not started yet

2) Maintain an overall B2/C1 level - I think I'm maintaining, but I need to immerse more for sure

3) Finish Enjoy Norwegian textbook - I've completed unit 2 so I'm a little behind where I wanted to be, but I should be able to catch up relatively easily.

Life in Japan Goals

As with last time, I'm just gonna focus on the goals where I've made progress rather than listing all 11. So:

1) Get my hair cut - Did it! And it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be :D

4) Have a 10-minute conversation with a native speaker in Japanese that’s not an italki lesson - I managed to chat with the hairdresser, so I can definitely say I did this!

6) Go to the dentist - I've booked an appointment and I'll be going next Monday. Absolutely terrified :D

7) Go to a prefecture I haven’t been to before - I went to Tochigi last weekend!

11) Be able to point to every prefecture on a map and name their capital cities - I can still more or less do this, but I sometimes mix up some prefectures or can't quite remember a capital

Non-language

1) Read 36 books - I've read 11/36 books, which means I'm 3 books ahead of schedule.

2) Complete a first draft of a novel manuscript - no progress made lol

3) Comfortable two-block oversplit with back bend - my oversplits are there but they feel very tight and not comfortable, so I need to work more on them.

4) Consistently hold a handstand for 5 seconds - I can barely balance on my hands at all atm lmao but I'll keep trying

5) Noticeably improve my demi pointe - I'm using the strength in my feet a lot more than I used to but I'm not getting much higher. I'll keep at it!

Health/diet goals under the cut:

Diet & health goals

1) Tackle my diet soda and sugar addictions - I've come a long way with the binge eating! I bought a multipack of chocolate marshmallow biscuits and managed to just take one with me to work every day instead of sitting and binging the whole lot. And right now I have a family-sized bag of mini eggs in my cupboard and I'm managing to eat a controlled set portion each day. I still mess up my diet sometimes, but I'm very happy with how I'm doing!

Diet soda is still a huge problem though lol

2) Slim down enough that none of my clothes are tight anymore - I look and feel SO much better about myself! For ages I've not wanted to dress up nicely because I felt like I looked frumpy or chubby or shapeless in my nice outfits. But when I was packing for Utsunomiya, I tried on all my cute outfits and I thought they looked good! I still want to lose a bit more so that I can see my abs, but I'm really happy with my progress here.

#2024 goals #nutcracker norsk #nutcracker nihongo #jackdaw in japan #a rook reading books #flight of fitness #chough chatterings

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fitrahgolden · 8 months

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Should You Need Me: 11 - Can't you see I'm shining just for you?

Kate was sat on the sofa in Anthony's office, her computer on her lap, reclining against an armrest, working on her lesson plan for the upcoming month. Her fractures had thankfully healed with no complications, and she had been back at work full time for a few weeks.

She could feel Anthony's eyes on her. She always could.

"Stop staring at me."

"No," he said plainly from behind his desk, any pretence that he was actually working long abandoned.

"I'll just have to keep ignoring you, then."

Anthony stood and walked to the other side of his desk, and took a couple of steps towards Kate. "Cute. When have you ever been able to ignore me?"

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't look up from her screen.

"Anthony. Go back to your desk."

"Mm, 'Go back to your desk'? What did I tell you about what your teacher voice does to me? Tell me to go back to my desk again, but call me Mr. Bridgerton and threaten to give me detention."

Kate bit her lip and was determined not to look at him, not to lock eyes with him and thus be at his mercy, have him at hers.

"The studio, then." She looked briefly at the door to the hallway, which was closed and locked; Anthony had made sure of it. "You promised you'd keep your mind on work if I came here with you."

Anthony smirked and kneeled down next to Kate. He hooked a finger under her chin and turned it so she'd have to finally look at him. He stared at her lips and then back up to her eyes.

"If I admit I'm a liar, will you let me fuck you?"

"Ugh." Kate pushed his hand away and turned back to the screen of her laptop. "Romantic," she said as she rolled her eyes. But she squeezed her damn thighs together, unable to fight the urge when his words, however inelegant, awoke that feeling low in her belly. And even with her computer on her lap,of course the cocky bastard clocked it; Kate knew it.

She received confirmation that he did when he grinned, slowly closing her laptop and setting it aside. "You like when I tell you what I want, though." He leaned in and bit her earlobe.

"Don't you, Kate?" Anthony slid a hand across her collarbones and rested it gently on her throat.

"You like when I tell you exactly what I want to do to you. Where I want to do it. How I want to do it. It may even be fair to say you love it. Don't you?"

"I don’t want to feed your ego." Her voice was weak and she knew she was fighting a losing battle to play it cool.

It was abundantly clear that Anthony knew it, too. He grabbed Kate's hands and pulled her up to him, spinning her around and pressing her back to his front.

"I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ I told you that you've ruined this sofa for me, didn’t I? How am I supposed to see you sitting here and think about anything besides bending you over it, adding your soaked knickers to my collection, and taking you so hard, you'll have to explain to your physical therapist that you've been too thoroughly fucked by your boyfriend to do your exercises today?"

"God, I hate you." Kate breathed, giving up and feeling all the better for it.

"Yeah?” Anthony ran his fingers around the inside of her waistband with one hand as he pulled her hair loose with the other. “Show me how much you hate me, then."

—

“Why are you being so quiet?”

Anthony pulled up to the curb in front of the physical therapy clinic and looked over to Kate, who was looking out the window from the passenger seat.

"I'm meeting Tom after PT. He’s gonna take a break and come down after my appointment."

Anthony just nodded. He was expecting this. It was just his luck that the best physical therapist in the city worked in a clinic that was located inside the hospital where his girlfriend's ex-fiance and kinda sorta maybe still best friend also worked.

Kate leaned forward to try to catch his eyes. "Anthony."

He shook his head. "You don't want to hear anything I have to say about this, baby. It's my problem, not yours. I'm working on it." He turned to Kate and gave her the most genuine smile he could muster in the moment. It wasn’t much. He desperately didn’t want Kate to think he was trying to make her feel guilty.

Anthony's hand had been on her thigh during the drive and he squeezed it before he got out of the car and walked around to open Kate's door for her. Once she was standing, Anthony closed the door and boxed her in against it before she could walk away. She didn't seem to mind. Kate wrapped her arms around Anthony's neck and kissed him sweetly.

"So, just come pick me up like an hour later than usual."

"An hour?"

Kate shook her head and laughed softly, whispering his name. She pulled Anthony down for another kiss. This one turned filthy rather quickly, which was Anthony's doing. He was being possessive, greedy, jealous, all of the outdated Neanderthal things. She was letting him, so he’d take it.

Kate held his face as she pulled back. “You don’t have to prove anything, Anthony. I love you.”

Get yourself the fuck together, he chastised himself. “I love you, too.” Anthony kissed her forehead and backed up so she could go.

—

The weather was pleasant, so Kate got some tea and a ginger biscuit from one of the hospital’s cafes and texted Tom that she was going to be sitting outside. They had been texting back and forth since her accident. It wasn’t much, mostly him asking about her recovery and her asking about how work was going for it him. She figured anything more substantive could wait for if and when Tom was ready to see her in person.

“Hey, Katie.”

Kate looked up as Tom approached her table, holding a cup of coffee. She stood, but wasn’t sure what to expect by way of a greeting. “Hi–” Tom hugged her and she smiled to herself. It was brief but warm. They sat down. And they looked at each other for a few moments before Tom looked around and asked, “I’m surprised Anthony isn’t standing guard somewhere.”

Fuck, not a particularly good start. “Tom…”

“No, no. I’m sorry. That was a shitty thing to say. I don’t, um, I don’t want to be that guy.

“I know you aren’t that guy.”

Tom smiled wryly. “I think I have been lately.”

“But it won’t last.” Kate said confidently.

“You still think so highly of me?”

“I never stopped. I meant it when I said you’re the best person I know. That’s not going to change.”

More silence. Kate took a chance and reached across the table. She placed her hand on top of Tom’s. He looked at her, his expression soft, inviting, very…him.

"I miss you, Tom. I miss my friend. I know I blew everything up, and I have no right to ask, but do you see a future where we could still be in each other's lives? Maybe things will never be like they were before. I know they probably won’t. But whatever you want, whatever you feel comfortable with, I want you to be in my life.”

There it was. Kate decided this would be her final plea. Anything else would be up to Tom. It was scary, but if Tom decided he simply wanted to move on, she needed to do the same.

"I miss you, too, Katie… But…”

“But.” Here it comes.

“Katie, I was in love with you for years before I asked you out. And now I keep asking myself, if you had turned me down from the start, would I have stuck around? Could I have moved on, fallen out of love with you, while still being so ingrained in your life, in your family’s lives?”

He paused. Kate took a deep breath.

“And the answer is, I don’t know. Seeing you in the hospital, seeing you now… It’s still there. I still feel it. So, I just don’t know. What I can tell you is that I want that future, where we’re friends, where Eddie is like a little sister to me, where I get to eat The Mum’s amazing food, which, of course, is what I miss the most.

They both laughed softly and smiled. It felt genuine.

“Will you take a short walk with me, Katie?”

Kate nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Their walk was filled with what honestly could be called small talk, but Kate enjoyed the light conversation, seeing bits of the friendship they had before, when they would talk about everything and nothing at all.

“Um, I need to get back to work,” Tom said, a little regretfully.

“Yeah, of course. Anthony will be picking me up soon.”

Kate almost avoided saying his name, but if she and Tom were ever going to be friends again, she couldn’t selectively pretend Anthony didn’t exist, and she didn’t want to.

“OK. I’ll talk to you later, Katie.” Tom pulled her into a hug and held her hand for a moment as they parted.

As Kate walked away from him, Tom called out to her.

She turned, eyebrows raised. “Yes?”

"You're going to marry him, aren't you?" His mouth twisted to the side.

Kate shook her head in confusion. "What? We aren't…"

"You don't have to be engaged to know, Katie."

Kate thought for a moment before looking Tom in the eye and nodding slowly. "Yes. I'm going to marry him."

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pbandjesse · 1 year

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I let myself get very very stressed today. But everything was fine and would be fine. It was just a little bit of a lot of stress!

But today was a good day. I slept alright last night though I had bad dreams. I gave myself an extra couple minutes. And when I got up I tried to shake off my upset belly from being tired. I hate when I feel like that. It makes me want to call out of work but I know I'm not actually sick. Just tired. So I have to just work through it.

James made me a bagel to go take to work. I would take the car and they decided they would bike to their doctor's appointment. They promised to be careful. And I left for the museum.

There has been a lot of traffic around the city the last week. So it would be a 20 minutes drive each way. Which is annoying but not the end of the world.

I got to the museum and my schedule was full but hadn't been effected by the people that did call out today. Poor Jessica would have to teach and run around all day. But I had a relatively chill morning. Though when I got there I rang the doorbell and it got stuck and wouldn't stop ringing!! Felt like a psycho. Phil laughed at me.

I had a cannery, a tour, and an assembly line. I got a little frustrated when a coworker took over the flow when the group got there and gave them bad directions and when I tried to stop her she got snippy with me. And I was like. Cool cool cool. And walked away. Which ended up with me having the largest group of 30. But they were excellent kids. And I think I won in the end.

The cannery went pretty well. Though we were running a few minutes late. So I would have to cut the end but that was fine. It was a good cannery and the kids were fun.

This is where my stress started. I looked at my phone. Missed calls. Texts. Emails. A phone interview. A mistake with the national guard program I had to fix. A possible collaboration with the musuem. Just so many things. It was a very stressful half hour. But I had to take a deep breath and make it work.

I went and called back the place that is interested in a phone interview. Which lead to am in person interview next Tuesday. So that's cool! But then I had to change my schedule slightly next week. And then puhtok had a bunch of more dates for me. Which is great! Except now I'm not positive I'll be able to fit in the other job. When it rains it pours right?

The biggest thing was the national guard. They basically said if we were going to work together again I need to be a company or have a company backing. They suggested the musuem. So I had to swing the idea past Auni. Who loved the idea of doing something for military children but wanted me to have a meeting with Beth. Which would happen later. And in the mean time Jess did some research about making my own LLC. Which seemed like a huge step. But I was willing to look into it but man was that a stressful half hour.

Once all that was done as much as I could in that lunch break. And then it was tour time.

Tour went fine but the kids were really chatty and I struggled a little. But we did it and it was fine. The parents said they really enjoyed it so it was a win.

Finally we had our assembly line. Which was fun. They were not great at weaving but they were very good kids and worked hard and it was good. Though my lipgloss exploded in my pocket and there was so much purple berry lip gloss on my phone and hands and everything and it was terrible.

But it was fine. And then I took the kids to the car. And then it was time to go.

Once they were passed off to the lunchroom I went to find Beth. Who encouraged me to open an LLC. But also wants to explore the idea of partnering with the national guard youth program like the science center is. She wants me to keep getting paid well though and doesn't want to split the payment like I was suggesting, so we will see what happens.

I went to sit with my coworkers in the cannery. Borrowed a hot glue gun to try to fix my lipgloss. And talked to Jordan about conspiracy theories. It was fun. It made me think about a conversation me and James had last night. I discovered a website I used to read about conspiracy theories was taken off line a while ago. But it was all written in the way that it had so much info and images but was very up front that people that believe them are very stupid. My favorite is hollow moon and hollow earth.

I headed out of there soon though. I wanted to go home.

But almost not really. I kept thinking about shopping. I have done so well this month trying to break my aimless and compulsive shopping. But like. What if I went shopping. I don't want stuff but would I still buy stuff? I decided to go home but I was still feeling weird about it.

When I got home it was icy raining. I was happy to be home.

James was having a late lunch. And I made some fries. James looked into creating an LLC and it turns out it's not hard. So they did it right then!! In 6 weeks I'll be a real company!! Terrifying. Also exciting!!

I got to work on some embroidery. I did another two rows of my blanket. 60% of the way done!!!

James made us pasta for dinner. It was great. I got tomorrow's embroidery drawn out. And it was a nice evening.

After dinner and some more crafts I noticed that the frog tank in the living room was very warm. I changed the temperature and put some ice cubes to quickly drop the temp because I was worried it was to warm. Waffles seems alright though so that's comforting.

I gave James a hair cut. And after they were done taking a shower I would take my own. And I felt a lot better for it.

Now we are in bed. Watching videos. Talking. It has been a nice day. Even with the stress. Tomorrow I am at the nursery. And I hope it is as nice a day as it was last week. I hope you all sleep well. Take care of each other. Good night everyone!!

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nettheworldonfire · 1 year

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Okay, so I did that thing again where I fell off the face of the Earth for a bit. And in full disclosure, my memory is so bad these days, I don't know what you've "missed" while I was "gone," but I'll do my best to play catch up.

In September we got Covid (after successfully avoiding it forever) and had to reschedule our DisneyLand trip. Luckily, we were able to move flights and hotels and make it work). This meant though, in October, while floating through "It's a Small World" with my family, I got the call from Dr. Soulen -- the liver specialist. Through the spotty reception and tiny multicultural voices, I was able to hear his short, expert opinion - the Lanreotide injection has been doing its job, but probably won't by this time next year. The happiest place on Earth meets impending doom convo kind of left me a bit lost. And to be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel about it, because it means we're into the next phase - and while this is a "marathon not a sprint" it also will eventually end. Despite any weird feelings the call caused, and maybe because of it? I savored the trip with my family and I'm so glad we were able to make it work, even with the Covid curve ball.

Then, in November I had jury duty that was expected to last a week, and my upcoming Gallium scan got me dismissed. The scan showed very minimal growth (as expected) and Dr. Teitelbaum again discussed me at a conference for good measure. She keeps telling me she doesn't want to get "complacent," and I appreciate her being diligent. So, in December the docs decided to continue the Lanreotide injections, at least until my next scan in April.

Later in December, I had bloodwork (as always) and a physical with my primary where I had the pleasure of learning that the injections have given me type two diabetes. I've known this was a likely side effect (along with thyroid issues), but I was hopeful I was avoiding it. Like all issues with me, a metastatic anomaly, no one wants to just form a treatment plan without me seeing 500 specialists. I made an appointment with an endocrinologist at Doylestown Hospital (that was a month out) and then was given another appointment with Penn for the same week, so I canceled my first in effort to keep my doctors in the same circle. (Joke's on me because this circle is in West Philly and a 2 hour drive apparently). Took a day off, because Charlie also had an appointment at CHOP. My mom and Olive came along, so we could make it all work. Left the house before daylight, only to get pulled over for a left turn my GPS insisted I make. (Neither my mom or I saw any sort of sign saying I couldn't). I got a $165 ticket and was late to my appointment and couldn't get the whole "new patient" treatment so I had to schedule yet ANOTHER appointment. Fast forward to today -- took a two hour drive into the city -- I took a half day since my appointment was at nine, but I was still there with the docs at 12:20 so I had to call into work to take the whole day. Had I known I wasn't going to work, I probably would have dressed for comfort at least.

Now, I've finally had my specialist appointment with Dr. Sachum and a consult with Dr. Burns. They want me to eat a low carb, high protein diet (which I completely understand except my other gastro issues from the Whipple make me feel crappy when I eat veggies and meats, so that's fun). Currently I am wearing a Libre 2 meter (which is attached to my right arm for two weeks) to monitor my blood sugar. It gives me port vibes and I don't like it. The kids, however, are intrigued and Olive fell asleep caressing my arm (as usual) making sure she was touching the device. Weirdo.

I also have to test my sugars ocasionally using the finger prick meter (One Touch). That is not fun.

Everything is Bluetooth connected. How crazy is that? And what's super cool is that since they are linked to my phone, I get notifications and alarms sound to let me know it's high (or low, or just for fun maybe?) and they tell me that I cannot disable notifications, and it's all being reported to the diabetes police. (It's legitimately going off as I write this).

This should identify my patterns of highs and lows, and when the doctors see how things are working (or not working) we will formulate a plan. I've started Metformin (which they expect will cause me GI discomfort, but what's new) and they intend to slowly increase the dose over the next month or so. They may add another med if this doesn't do the trick alone. If cancer doesn't kill my liver, I'm pretty sure the 98 medications will.

So, I'm feeling annoyed and somewhat defeated by this all, which I'm sure is normal, but it's hard to keep up with life when I feel tired, nauseous, and generally down all the time. I'm working on the mental health stuff (new therapist) and hope to start feeling more like me again soon. I know there are people who have to deal with diabetes their whole life -- and I can certainly suck it up and deal with it as long as I have to. Hopefully, when the Lanreotide isn't working anymore and we move onto a new treatment, the effects of it will also go away and I won't need any of this crap. We shall see.

I plan to meet with Owen's aunt Monica, who is a nutritionist, and perhaps get some tips. Happy to accept any good recipes or ideas for school lunch (or coffee replacement options since I don't enjoy black coffee and can't justify wasting my carb intake on sugar).

Friday, I have my 36th injection - it's been about three years. It's insane. Let me say a hallelujah for that being an in-home visit. I couldn't handle going to Penn every month. My next scan is April, then a telehealth visit with Dr. Teitelbaum. May is the follow up with Dr. Sachum and then I hope any other appointments can be virtual because my PTO is being annihilated. Til next time!

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marchtomydrums · 3 years

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In the beginning 6

Alex Cabot X Casey Novak X Reader

Alex’s POV:

Today has been extremely long and I’m ready to go home. Walking into my office I see you sitting on the couch crying.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?” Your headshot up at my voice quickly drying your tears.

“Alex, sorry I thought you’d be in court. I just came in here for privacy.” You stuttered.

“Why are crying?” I ask sitting across from you holding your hands in mine. You shake your head “Jack fucking railed my ass today. He doesn’t think I’m cut out for this.”

Anger spikes in my body. How dare he? Seeing you hurt and crying because of his words pissed me off.

“I’ll kill him.”

“No Alex, I have to deal with this on my own.”

“But he’s wrong. He doesn’t see you every day as I do. You can do this y/n. He’s full of shit.”

You chuckle at my words squeezing my hands.

“Well, I appreciate that Alex but again I have to do this on my own. I just came in here to be alone. They’re vultures out there.”

“Yes, I’m all too aware. Either way, don’t let Jack or anyone else cause you to doubt yourself. Take it in stride and keep fighting. Understand me?”

“Yes. Thank you.” You lean in to hug me and I kiss the top of your head. As you pull back I can’t stop myself from taking your lips into mine. I don’t stop until my lungs burn for air regretfully I pull away. You lean your forehead against mine our breath mingling together. You stayed like that for a while until you calmed down.

“ Sorry.” You mumbled quietly to me as if you were embarrassed.

“It’s okay. We all have bad days.” I tell you.

“What time is it?”

“7:30 why?”

“Shit! I missed the bus. I’ll have to wait for the one at 9.”

“I can take you home or you can come back to the house with me.”

“I would but I have an appointment tomorrow and the office is closer to my apartment.”

“Okay, well I’ll drive you home.”

“It’s out of your way. I’ll be fine.”

“You think I’d leave you here?” I ask you.

“Get your stuff, I’ll drive you home.”

The drive there is quiet. I keep looking between you and the road trying to see if I can read your expressions. As we pull up I notice it’s not a very good neighborhood.

“This is where you live?”

“Yes.”

I put the car in park as you quickly lean over to peck my cheek and try to exit the car.

“Wait!” I say tugging your arm. You stop to look at me.

“Can I come up?”

“Do you want to?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. This place doesn’t really seem like your scene.”

I chuckle “let’s go up.”

Walking into the apartment I notice how small it is. The layout is similar to a studio and I’m sure you pay an arm and a leg for it.

“Well, this is it?”

I take a minute to look around. Even though it’s small you’ve made it cozy. My eyes are drawn to the photos on the wall.

“These are beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

I stop to see the blush across your face.

“Wait. Did you take these?”

“Yeah. “

“Y/n these are really good.”

“It’s just a hobby.”

I smile at you as I continue to look around.

“You have a nice book collection. You read a lot?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too. This your siblings?” I question holding the framed picture.

“Yeah, two sisters and my brother.”

“You close?”

“Yeah. But I don’t really see them much since I moved.” You say sadly.

“Umm, you should go. Casey is probably wondering where you are.”

“Casey’s visiting her mom tonight. I already told her where I was. She said she was going to call you later on.”

“Oh.”

“But if you want me to leave I can.”

“No.! I just I don’t know Alex, I don’t know how to do this with you.”

“Do what?”

“This! I mean one minute your nice and you want to spend time with me and the next you’re tearing my head off. I don’t know what to do here.”

I’m quiet for a minute processing what you just said. Mentally kicking myself for making you feel this way. Why can’t I just open up to you? Why do I feel like I need to be on guard all the time? I look over to see you watching me.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying. That’s why I came up here. I want to know more about you. I want to have what you and Casey have. I keep fucking it up.” I breathe out heavily.

“Alex, you don’t have to try so hard. I get being guarded but like I’ve said before I won’t make Casey choose. You really need to figure out what you want.”

“I want you.”

“Well, your actions speak louder than your words Alex,” you tell me as you're about to walk off. I grab your arm stopping your escape leaning in to kiss you gently on the lips.

“I want you,” I whisper against your lips. I can feel your smile.

“Let's watch a movie. And ill stay the night if that's okay.” I ask you trying to prove to you that I want this to work. You nod your head yes and we do just that. As much as id love to touch you and kiss I refrain. I want you to be ready and sure before we do anything. I want to be able to love you the way Casey loves you.

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

Today has been rather quiet around the office much to your surprise. Alex has you copying some documents and running flies from here to there. You're about to head back to your desk when you see Casey standing across the room. You walk up beside her and lean over to see what she's looking at. There's a girl in Alex’s office, she is young and pretty. The two are laughing as they talk oblivious to the world around them.

“Whose that?”

“Emma something, she wants a job here.”

“And flirting with Alex is going to help her to get it?” I ask Casey jealousy evident in my voice.

Casey chuckles “I guess she thinks so.”

“Hmmph.”

“Yup. I'm just watching.”

The two of you watched as Alex and Emma talked. Emma must be a comedian the way Alex is laughing. You roll your eyes at the laughter that rolls out of Alex’s chest. Casey seems indifferent about it until the girl's hand is on Alex’s shoulder. Her body tenses up for a moment.

“You know if she gets this job she’ll be

Alex’s right-hand man. You will answer to both of them. “

“So you're telling me I not only work for the Ice Queen but Malibu Barbie as well?”

Casey laughs “that's a good one! We should call her that.”

You roll your eyes at Casey as Alex and Emma are walking out of the office. You both smile at the girl as she walks by before making a beeline to Alex’s office.

“Can I help you two or do you just like watching me work?” Alex asked looking between the two of you.

“Does she work here now?” you asked sharply. Alex is taken back by your attitude and is quiet for a minute.

“Yes, she does. She starts tomorrow.”

“Hmmph. “

“Is there a problem?”

“Nope. Not at all. Do you need me?”

“Uhh no. You can take lunch if you want. I figured the three of us would go out.” Alex says looking at Casey for some sort of explanation.

“I’m actually meeting my brother he's in the city for two days. So I'll see y'all later,” you say walking out the door. Alex looks over at Casey shocked.

“What the hell was that about?”

“You were flirting with Emma.”

“No, I wasn't!”

“Looked that way to us.”

“So you're mad at me too?”

“Nah, you know better than to cheat on me.”

Casey tells her nonchalantly. Alex chuckled shaking her head as Casey walked out of the office swaying her hips.

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

It's been a week since Emma started and she's already on your last nerve. When she's not asking you to go fetch her coffee she's talking to you about how hot Alex is. You've already told Casey to get the bail money ready because you are about to lose it on Emma. Casey assured you that Emma isn't Alex’s type however, Alex hasn't said a word to you about it. All day long they spend talking to each other and laughing. Meanwhile, Alex barely pays you any attention unless it's to run files or get coffee.

It's late in the afternoon and almost everyone has gone for the day. Casey left early to stay with her mom for the night and you are supposed to be riding home with Alex. However, Emma is still in there talking her up. Finally, Emma is leaving but not before talking to you.

“Your still here?”

“Yup, I'm here when Alex is here so.”

“Oh yeah. She's great isn’t she?”

“Yup. She's something alright.”

“Do you know if she's dating anyone?”

“What?!”

“Alex. Is she seeing someone?”

You're looking for the words but it seems that Malibu Barbie has rendered you speechless.

“Umm.”

“I think I might ask her out. She's hot, god I bet she's good in bed too.”

Emma is going on and on and all you can do is just stare at her in disbelief.

“Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow bye. “

You sit there for a minute replaying her words in your head. Jealousy taking over your body. You shot up out of your chair and into the office slamming the door behind you. Alex jumps at the noise looking at you confused. She called your name but you ignore her as you make your way behind her desk. You pull her up on her feet and kiss her. Your tongue demanding access in her mouth. You grab her ass pulling her closer to you Alex moans in your mouth. You pull back with your lungs burning for air. You look up at Alex who still has her eyes closed.

“Your mine,” you tell her pulling her body into yours.

“I never said I wasn't,” Alex says confused.

“Emma wants to ask you out. She thinks you are hot and good in bed.”

“Well, she's not lying.” Alex chuckled.

“Your mine,” you growled.

Alex looks at you with a smile, her eyes are a darker shade of blue.

“I'm yours,” Alex says nodding her head as she leans in to kiss you once more. This kiss is slower this time. Pulling back you rest your forehead onto Alex’s trying to catch your breath.

“I want you, Alex.” you barely whisper.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Y/n if this is about Emma I promise you that was never going to be a thing. I'd never do that to Casey or You. “

“I know that. It just pissed me off that she was thinking about you like that.”

“So we don't have to do this if you aren't ready. I don't want you to feel obligated or regret it.” You smile at Alex’s words seeing just how sweet she could be. Brushing her hair behind her ears you can’t help but stare at her.

“You’re so beautiful.” Alex blushes at your comment.

“I want you and I know that if I changed my mind you’d still hold me tonight. But I want you Alex. I need you.”

Alex leans in to kiss you again grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go home.”

#lgbtq #wlw #fiction #law and order svu #law and order x reader #television #writing #stephanie march #casey novak x reader #diane neal #age difference #smut and fluff

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abreathofthewild · 3 years

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I Need A Hero, Chapter 1/?

Summary: After Y/N finds out that her late grandfather has willed his rural Montana ranch to her, she decides it’s time for a little change of scenery. At least until it’s in a condition to sell. Along the way, Y/N finds a renewed appreciation for hard work, new friends, and possibly even love. She has the land. Can Thor help make it a home?

Word Count: 11559 (I have no idea either, trust me)

Warnings: non-main character death, mentions of alcohol, some thematic elements, eventual smut.

A/N: I have so many people I could tag on this post, so many. For now, I'll just say thank you to @spacelabrathor for allowing me to use this idea and to @itssimplydior for going above and beyond in helping me grammar check and just being a great hype person. Thank you thank you thank you! And thank you to everyone who has waited so long for this. I have an amazing circle of friends on here. I hope this first chapter was worth the wait!

Edit: The banner is by the amazing @frankiemorales who designed this moodboard because she loves the story so much ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

Links: Thor Odinson Masterlist and AO3 Version

Skyscrapers cut through the blue sky like ancient monoliths; they weren’t ancient at all but the way the sun glinted off the glass and steel of their structures made them look like modern interpretations of old gods. Car horns and shouts and ongoing conversations hummed through the air, the constant buzz of life an undercurrent that was all at once hard to ignore and easy to be lost in. There in the middle of it, beneath the heartbeat of the city, you sat in an office chair trying to clear your head around a different type of ringing in your ears.

Your grandfather had passed away. Your estranged grandfather. And yet here you were, listening to his attorney tell you that he had willed you his ranch. The ranch you had spent almost six summers at as a child. The ranch where you had learned to ride a horse. The ranch where you had learned how to skip rocks and climb trees. The ranch where you had decided that one day you’d have a big ranch of your own, “just like Grandpa”.

“Miss? Miss, are you still there?” A breath rattled from your lungs as you tried to form a coherent sentence. “I’m sorry, I can imagine this is difficult but were you able to hear me on the line? Hank has passed away and he’s left you his ranch. We’ll need you to come sign some paperwork. There are some stipulations that I’d rather discuss in person. Then you’re free to get the details settled to sell it if that’s what you want.” Another pause.

“Um, yes, I’m sorry. I heard you. Can you email the initial documents?” The barely-managed response felt odd on your tongue, stiff.

“Ah, yes, I’m sure we can manage that. I’ll have to apologize, things move a little slower around here so sometimes it slips my mind that electronic signatures are an option now. Like I said though, the final details will need to be worked out here, in Dove’s Reach.” After that, you tuned out; the man’s voice on the line seemed to drone on. Your brain honed in on “it’s not really in a state to sell” and “I’ll put you in touch with a licensed appraiser just to make sure”. Then the call ended and you realized somewhere in there you must have hung up the phone but you honestly couldn’t remember.

A ranch. A whole ranch. 500 acres of rolling hills in Montana. Your breath caught and you quickly brushed away the tears that had welled in your eyes, pursing your lips and glancing at the paperwork spread in front of you. There was so much work to do here with the Harrison case. Your eyes roved from the physical documents to the spreadsheets on your computer screen and back again. It would be foolish to take time off now when you were so close to finishing it up. You could see your father’s frown as if he was standing in front of you.

And yet… Your grandfather hadn’t been a part of your life for so long. In the beginning, when your parents had told you abruptly that Grandpa had done something bad, been mean to them, you took it hard. Seven years old is a horrible time to lose a grandfather who taught you how to milk a cow and showed you the wonder in the small things. But as you got older and your parents became more embroiled in work, more distant, you put it to the back of your mind. You were still young enough that you had no choice but to take their word for it. The thoughts tripped around your head like a broken record; you felt a little queasy. You wiped brusquely once more at a stray tear and, taking a deep breath, turned to your monitor. You minimized one tab and opened another, preparing to write an email. It was a little more difficult than you had anticipated though and ten minutes later when your assistant walked in reminding you of your 2 o’ clock, you startled from a blank daydream and an even blanker screen. Your surroundings rushed back in around you on a pinpoint vortex and all at once, you knew you had to go. Regardless of parts of the will needing to be handled in person, something split in your heart. Right now, your place was at the ranch.

“Reschedule that appointment please. Let Clark know we’ll be switching it over to a Zoom call. Actually, cancel the rest of my appointments for the next two weeks. I’ll let you know if I need you to move anything around after that.” She widened her eyes but nodded all the same, turning and exiting your corner office with purpose. You began typing out the email to your father letting him know that you’d be taking advantage of all those vacation hours you had stored away for a rainy day. You would take the Harrison case with you and could easily finish it remotely. It would be on his desk by the deadline. Your rainy day was today but despite the circumstance, you were beginning to catch the feeling that there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The ranch house flashed across your mind’s eye and you blew out a breath from your lungs you hadn’t even realized you were holding.

You clicked send and stood, throwing on your coat and gathering the necessary paperwork from your desk. You let your assistant know you were leaving and walked out the door, not bothering to pay attention to a few pairs of wandering eyes who watched as you entered the elevator and headed down to the ground floor. With each minute of descent through the high-rise building, you felt your heart beat faster. It felt like there was a balloon in your chest waiting to burst. Your heels clicked on the marble floor and as you pushed through the doors into the spring air of New York City, you felt just a little more alive than you had moments before.

The redeye flight and extra two-hour drive put you in Dove’s Reach before the sun had completely risen. Last week if someone had told you that you would be standing here right now looking at your grandfather’s ranch house with the notion that you could fix it up, you would have laughed in their face. But as the sun rose in the east, it felt as if anything was possible. To the north was a range of mountains that could have looked menacing, but from your vantage only served to leave you in awe. The immediate land was just miles and miles of green fields that met with forest. The trees were behemoths; the sun bathed everything in a rich golden light adding unbelievable depth to the scene before you. The air smelled clean and fresh and alive.

You resisted the urge to pinch yourself because if this was a dream you never wanted to wake up. There was your grandfather’s house right in the middle of all of it. It still held the country charm that you remembered but there was so much that was… off. From what you could see with the naked eye, the wooden fence was sagging and falling over in a lot of places. The barn was missing slats of wood and one door hung precariously on its hinges. The house was a relic, the paint dry and peeling. You knew your grandfather as a strong, stout man who even in his older age was capable of running a whole ranch. The state of things now left a hollow feeling in your stomach and left so many questions unanswered.

A suitcase, carry-on, and laptop bag was all you had with you as you took the key from under the mat and opened the front door. It groaned loudly as if it hadn’t been opened in a long while but it made you smile to know that your grandfather had left the key in the same place after all these years. You walked to your left into the kitchen and set your keys on the counter. The familiarity of it all suddenly made you pause with a sudden sense of Deja Vu. The magnets on the fridge, the little table with four wooden chairs, and an old fashioned clock hanging on the wall that had faded from a once dark blue. The checkered yellow and white curtains were rolled up above the farm-style sink and an old mason jar with some dried flowers sat in the sill.

You found yourself choking up as you realized your grandfather’s coffee mug, the big one with some western painting of a bucking bronco, sat ready next to the coffee pot. You walked over to it and cradled it in your hands as the feeling washed through your bones that it was your mug now. There was so much you remembered about him and yet so much you never got to know, never would know. It nagged at you as the realization began to set in that there was so much to get done to sell this place. And after it was gone, there would be nothing of your grandfather left. A shaky sigh escaped from your lips.

Sleep. Right now you just needed to sleep. You made your way upstairs, the wood groaning in protest as you went, and headed to the right where one of the two guest rooms were located. Again, it was like a museum, in a state of preservation. With a wrenching in your stomach, you wondered if he’d ever had visitors after you. The bed sat against the opposite wall under the window and the sunlight filtering in passed the tree outside left dappled patterns on the patchwork quilt. You brushed your fingertips across it and marveled at how soft it still felt.

The room smelled faintly of dust so you cracked the window. You were rewarded by the cool breeze laced with the scent of pine wafting gently into the room. It was the beginning of spring but mornings were still chilled with the end of winter. You were pretty sure that in the shade of various trees on your way in there were small drifts of unmelted snow and the dried grass in the fields outside had sparkled with frost. You flopped down on the bed, covering yourself with the knitted throw that was tossed across the bottom.

As your eyes fluttered shut, you had a distinct feeling that you had always lived here. The thought crossed your mind as you edged into sleep that maybe you should stay.

It was well past noon when you startled awake. This time, it felt like there was a weight on your chest. You cracked your eyes and let out a small ah when you were greeted by a plump silver and white cat with green eyes sitting on your stomach. It chirruped when it realized you were awake. The cat hadn’t been in the house when you arrived (that you had seen). Maybe it climbed the tree and hopped in the window. Either way, it had been a long time since you’d last had a pet (your long hours didn’t allow for it back in New York) and your heart did a light skip as you scratched behind its ears. Its purr sounded like a motorboat.

The breeze coming through the window was a little warmer now and after a while of trying to stay lost to the world outside, you knew if you didn’t get up right then, you wouldn’t feel motivated to do so for the rest of the day. And there was a lot to do. With an exaggerated grunt, you deposited the cat on the other side of the bed. It sat there licking a paw and periodically giving you an irked look. You let out a small snort and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the desk and began writing down your goals for the day.

The main one was a basic grocery list (you were pretty sure there was nothing in the fridge or cupboards), and now getting some cat food. If you remembered correctly, the actual town was about another half hour from the ranch in the opposite direction you’d come. You stood and winced as pins and needles prickled up and down your legs from sitting cross-legged on the bed. You glanced at your computer bag tucked in next to the desk on the floor. The Harrison case would have to wait.

Main Street hadn’t really changed much from what you could remember of your time here. A lot of red brick and dark wood. It was quaint and about as small-town as you could get. Something lurched in your chest when you pulled to a stop in the grocery parking lot. Everything was so foreign to how you lived in the big city but at the same time… it sang of a home you had not experienced before. Part of you thought it was a shame that you had to go back in two weeks. You brushed the thought aside as quickly as you allowed yourself to feel it. There was no use indulging that line of thinking and besides, it was the first day. You were sure you would feel differently at the end of that time after you’d put in the work that would be required.

The grocery store was bigger than you remembered; you were pretty sure it had been expanded. Maybe the town wasn’t as little as it used to be. A cartful of basics and what felt like 500 mental notes later, you brought your groceries to the front. You daydreamed for a moment as the steady beep of the register sounded in the background.

“You’re not from around these parts, are you darlin’?” You came back to yourself, shaking your head. The woman ringing you up was older, with short-cropped white hair and glasses perched on the end of her nose. Her name tag read “Rose''. “I thought so. We don’t get many people around here that buy tofu. Is it any good?” She wrinkled her nose in such a way that made you giggle. You shrugged your shoulders.

“There’re a few different ways I make it that taste pretty good. I’m not vegetarian or anything, I just like all sorts of foods.” She brightened at that; you guessed there were also not very many vegetarians in Dove’s Reach either. “I’m actually here to handle my grandpa’s estate. He just passed away…” You trailed off, surprised by the lump that was suddenly in your throat. Her eyes widened just a bit before she reached out to pat your hand.

“Do you mean Hank? Was Hank your granddaddy? Yes, he must be, I can see you have the same eyes now. Well, I’m so very sorry, hon. He was a good man. It seems like only yesterday he was here picking up groceries.” There was a tear in her eye now and it made you wonder how close the two were. “It had actually been quite some time since he was able to make it in here on his own. Months at least.” Months? So he had been sick for a while. Why hadn’t he told you? Rose saw the look flash across your face. “Oh,” she breathed out quietly, “you didn’t know, did you?” She clucked her tongue as you paid. “That Hank, always thinkin’ he didn’t need help. We were all surprised when he finally had Jonesy coming ‘round to do things in town for him. Jonesy was his attorney, you’ll probably be speaking to him soon, I’d reckon. Well, if you need anything, you just let me know, okay?”

You grabbed your bags and put them back in your cart. There would be time to ask Rose questions about your Grandpa later, you hoped. But right now, you needed to focus on getting help with the ranch.

“Well actually, Rose, I’m looking for some help to fix the ranch up. Do you know anyone off the top of your head?”

Rose had told you to go across the street to On The Wings of A Dove, the local hang out after a day’s work had been finished for a lot of folks. It was surprisingly modern with an old feel. Deep red brick, exposed black pipe, and low lighting. The smell as you walked in the doors made your mouth water. Luckily the owner, Gus, was in and was more than happy to help a young lady such as yourself.

“Thor! This lady here needs some help fixin’ up her ranch to sell. You lookin’ for work?” You glanced in the direction the portly man was facing, down the bench, and around a couple of other patrons. A man leaned out and smiled in your way; the flash of white teeth made your heartbeat stutter.

“As a matter of fact, Gus, I just finished up at the Finch’s farm helpin’ them with that young colt.” He stood and walked over to you. If he looked big from a distance, there was no denying it now as he moved into your space. You looked up at his face and the golden hair framing blue eyes was enough to make your brain go foggy. He held out a hand, the chorded muscle across his chest and in his broad shoulders evident even with such a small movement. You took it and something bloomed in your chest when his hand enveloped yours. His skin was rough with calluses. It was warm and a vision flashed across your mind unbidden: those hands grasping at your face, roving down your arms, across your chest, gripping your hips, and moving lower… You shook your head and tried to listen to the words coming out of his mouth.

“The name’s Thor. Thor Odinson. How may I be of service, pretty lady?” Normally, someone being so forward would irk you. But somehow hearing Thor say the words “pretty lady” in a slow drawl didn’t bother you in the least. You offered him a smile back, quirking your head to the side. Taking inventory. He couldn’t be much older than you if he was older at all.

“Thor Odinson? That’s an interesting name.” He nodded, ducking his head and running a hand through his hair. It looked ridiculously soft to the touch and you had to stop yourself from snorting in good-natured annoyance.

“Yes, ma’am. My family comes from the Old Country. They wanted a strong name for a strong man. Gus said you’re lookin’ for help though?” He crossed his arms and leaned in, the white t-shirt he was wearing stretching across his chest. You forced your eyes to move back to his face where you were met with a little crook of his lips. You were pretty sure he saw that but there was no embarrassment in the knowledge. “I can help you do just about anything. Pick your poison.”

It was a lot. And you were certain there was more than you even realized with your knowledge of how to run a ranch being zero. You listed off how the house needed a good cleaning but you could take care of that. It probably needed a new coat of paint inside and out. Several of the shudders on both stories needed repairing. The barn looked pretty run down but you hadn’t gotten up close to it yet. One of the doors had definitely been hanging crookedly on its hinges. Then there was the fence… You could probably use more than two people for that. You had no idea of what state the ranch hand cabin was in. You looked up at him and gave him a shrug. His eyebrows were up near his hairline as he leaned back and whistled.

“Boy, we’ve really got our work cut out for us, don’t we? Well, I think we’d better start with those things you mentioned first. Trust me, if there’re other problems we’ll find ‘em real quick. Might cost ya a pretty penny. Are we tryin’ to stay within a certain budget?” He looked you right in the eye and Lord help you, it had been a long time since someone looked you in the eye with any sort of sincerity. You were used to working with less-than-savory types in your corporate world. You cleared your throat and shrugged again.

“Not really. If we fix it up good enough, there won’t be a loss. It’s a pretty place. Just needs some TLC. And the land is worth its 500 acres in gold.” The silence was palpable but not in an uncomfortable way. Thor leaned in and you caught a slip of his scent. Sweat and leather and woodsmoke. You took a deep breath, pulling the smell with it. You realized he was listening. He wasn’t just hearing your words, he was taking them in and mulling them around in his brain. “But wait. Does that mean you’ll do it? We haven’t even talked about wages or anything like that.” He waved a hand in dismissal, rolling his eyes.

“We can talk about that later. What matters is you need help and we like to help people ‘round here. Maybe that’s not somethin’ you’re used to where you’re from? It’s all right though. I’ll introduce ya to small-town hospitality. When are you wanting to get started?” You threw him a sheepish grin before glancing down at the floor as if the pattern there was the most interesting thing in the world. If your parents could see you now, you knew they’d be appalled. Thinking of doing the work yourself, of hiring someone you literally just met and someone who was only suggested to you by a cashier at a grocery store. It was a little ridiculous you admitted but you brushed the thoughts away.

“Tomorrow? You can stay in one of the guest rooms in the house. There’s a ranch hand cabin but I have no idea what it looks like. As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been a working ranch in a while so there’s really no telling what state it will be in…” Again, he held his hand up slowly, politely putting a stop to the words pouring from your mouth.

“The cabin is just fine. I don’t need much anyway. Depending on how long I’m there, the only thing I ask is to bring my dog, Tucker, with me. He’s as good a help as any man I’ve met and twice as friendly.” You nodded enthusiastically. “Well, all right then. Sounds like everything is as settled as it gets for now. Can I get the address from ya? I’ll head over around 5 PM, get settled in if that suits your plans for the rest of the day.

“Perfect.” You smiled as he shook your hand again.

It occured to you that this is the first contract you’d ever made without a signature on paper and yet somehow, it felt like the most foolproof one as well.

It didn’t take long for Thor to settle in. He had insisted on taking the ranch hand cabin despite your protesting. When the two of you looked it over, it wasn’t as bad as you would have guessed it to be, even though there was a thin layer of dust on every surface. You searched through some of the cupboards and luckily came up with a spare sheet set. You took the old one to wash, holding your breath against all the dust motes that flew into the air as soon as you took the sheets off.

“Tucker didn’t want to come?” You asked with a teasing tone,one that Thor responded to with a laugh. He took his baseball cap off and roughed his fingers through his hair. He shook his head.

“No, ma’am. We’ll see how things go here but guessing by the fence line I saw on my way in, he’ll definitely be coming to stay here with me. Don’t worry, either way you’ll get to meet him. He’ll be tickled pink.” Again, a duck of his head that made you wonder how someone could have such good manners. You looked down, shuffling your feet. That seemed to be a regular thing for you now as well. Not being able to look someone in the eye? Not a good look on a big time lawyer. But you had an excuse, right? You glanced up through your eyelashes as he turned away and looked around.

He stood tall, straight-backed. You absently wondered if it was from riding horses. He probably looked great on a horse. He was no longer in just the white shirt from earlier but his Carhartt jacket didn’t swallow him, it just somehow emphasized how big he was. Every movement brought that into sharp focus. The floor creaked beneath his boots as he flipped switches on and off, watching with concentration as each lightbulb somehow still worked. They took a few moments to crackle on but crackle on they did. And with each one his smile somehow got bigger. After a little while of inspecting the little space he turned to you again.

“This will do just fine. No worries need be wasted on my behalf. Tomorrow I’m thinking we should head down to Redwood Hardware and see if we can get an order in for some fence posts. They might have some in stock already but the amount we’ll need is probably not gonna be in store. You might also wanna consider hiring other help besides me. I stand by my work ethic but we’ll get the job done a lot faster with more people.” You blew a breath out of your mouth and pursed your lips. He was closer in an instant, placing his hand on your shoulder. He lowered his head to make sure you would meet his gaze. It threatened to take your breath away. “I know it might not seem like it right now, but we’ll have this place up and running, sale-worthy in no time. A place your granddaddy would be proud of.”

You did meet his eyes then, glancing back and forth between them. You nodded. If anyone was going to tell you how a thing was going to go and you would believe them… It was going to be Thor.

The day came when it was time to actually set up the new fence posts instead of just staring at them with a certain bit of dread each day when you went outside. The sky was a blue that seemed to go on forever and the air itself smelled alive but still, you stood, hands on your hips, ticking off all the other things you could be doing. There were loads of things. But Thor stood next to you, a smirk on his face and you knew there was no way you could put off starting this any longer. He placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed.

“It’ll be alright darlin’! It’s a lot of work, hard work, but you’ll get the hang of it. I’ll be right there every step of the way to help ya out.” Again, the uncanny wave of reassurance swept over you at his words and so it was you found yourself climbing into the passenger side of his old Ford and marveling at what pristine condition it was in. The last couple of days you’d been driving your rental car; there was an old Jeep in the barn but it needed more repairs than you could focus on at the moment. You’d seen his truck the day he drove up to the house and the days after but you hadn’t seen the interior and you were impressed.

You didn’t know many hyper-specific details about any vehicle but you guessed this one was old and yet… the seats were a rich brown leather, worn in certain places from use but not split. It even had a sheen to it still, as if he wiped it down on a regular basis. There was one little piece of plastic up near the passenger air vent that was slightly cracked but the rest of it still shone as close to new as it would ever get again. A reddish brown darker than the seats but just as fine. Nothing had been replaced or updated it seemed, just kept in the same condition it always had been. But looking around, you knew it had been used. It had worked many long years. You quirked your mouth and glanced at him as he shifted the truck into gear and drove through the gate, driving along the rutted pathway that ran along the length of fencing. The field stretched out for miles and miles beyond you in gentle sloping green hills. There were some wildflowers starting to sprout up but from what you understood, it was nowhere close to peak season yet. The fence closer to the buildings was in better condition; the farther away from there you got, the more obvious it became that the ranch had been non-operational for some time. As it was apt to do regularly now, your mind wandered. You were lost in two vast landscapes, one physical, the other in your memories. It took Thor slowing and then parking at the point where the fence literally ceased to exist to bring you out of yourself.

The two of you hopped out and started grabbing supplies. After figuring out how much you wanted to get done for the day, the two of you started in on the fence posts. Or more like Thor jumped right in and you took a split second to watch him as he began working. Almost immediately he shrugged off his flannel; he was in a simple white tank top and those ridiculously well-fitted Wrangler jeans and boots. Even the gloves on his hands looked slightly tight as if his hands were too big even for the large size. His motions were smooth and concise; he turned away from you, leaving his back on full display. You leaned on your post hole digger for a minute, taking in the way all the parts of his body worked together. From the muscles in his arms, the ones chord across his shoulders and back, all the way down to how his hips swayed with the movement.

An eagle cried out overhead and you moved in about ten feet away from him. You wanted to think that you knew how to do this right away just from watching him. The soil was no problem. It was soft and dark and easy to dig. The smell curled through the air and reminded you of being a kid, when the most you had to worry about was if the dirt was the right consistency for a mud pie. But after a few tries, you realized you must be doing something wrong because your hands kept slipping and Thor had already moved past you to dig and place two more wooden posts. Still, you don’t say anything just yet. You were determined to do this.

As the day waned on, slow as molasses, you could feel him watching you. He didn’t move in to stop you, didn’t tell you you were doing it wrong. He let you struggle. There was a war inside of you at that moment, part of you wanting him to jump in and show you how and the other part being refreshed by him letting you figure it out. That inner monologue went on for a while before he nudged you and handed you a bottle of water. You stopped, relieved. The sun was somehow high overhead now. For every one post you were finishing with difficulty, Thor was getting two done. Frustration flared over your whole body. He cleared his throat and raked his hand through his hair.

“I noticed it looked like you were havin’ a bit of a hard time diggin’ the post holes. Would ya like if I gave ya some pointers?” You watched him, the earnestness in his blue eyes, and nodded. A smile lit up his face and you wondered how many people got to see it. It was bright and put the endless Montana sky to shame. “Perfect. Let’s eat lunch now and then I’ll show ya a thing or two.” You munched on the turkey sandwiches you had thrown together, sitting on the ground in front of the truck where there was still some shade. The ground was cool beneath you, the air around you smelt like something that should be written about in a book; the earthy smell of grass , the distant hints of pine, the promise of wildflowers. Thor was sprawled out next to you but not in an overbearing sort of way. He just took up a lot of space. You tried not to concentrate on the fact that your knees were touching.

“So your granddaddy left you all this? I’d be pressed to sell it. It’s too bad ya can’t keep it.” You stiffened before catching yourself quickly, though you were pretty sure he had noticed He took his last bite before standing up. “You’ve got a life back home though. It’d be hard to leave that behind.” He held out his hand and you accepted it, wanting to push that cagey feeling behind you. He looked off in the distance, hands on hips, then back to you. “Well, ya ready for those tips?”

“Yes, sir.” You brushed dirt off your backside and put your gloves back on. “It is too bad,” you mumbled. Mumbled because you were too afraid that saying it out loud would change something for you. “That I can’t keep it, I mean.” He turned to you, not the least bit of surprise on his handsome face. But there was understanding there. He got it. You grabbed your post hole digger and went ten feet from the last post readying to dig the new hole. Thor watched your position for just a moment before you heard his footsteps come up behind you. And then he was standing there, at your back. If you took one half-step back you would be met with his chest. The day was warm but heat radiated off of him like a steadily growing fire. Something pooled low in your belly and your mouth went dry as he moved into your space and then you were flush with him.

His arms came around yours, his hands engulfing your own. His breath was warm near your ear as he rumbled “No, darlin’, like this.” He shifted your hands from the middle of the handles to the top. You were hyper aware of the way his arms felt around you, acutely aware of his scent. Sweat, and musk, and dirt. “That way you have more leverage and you’re not leanin’ over when it goes in the dirt.” He stayed like that for a moment, probably only seconds, but it felt like longer. You heard his breath catch from behind you before he slowly removed his hands, backing up just a pace. You immediately tried to retain the feel of him against you, the way his voice settled into you when he spoke. The way his smell engulfed you, making you feel like the safest person in the world. When was the last time you had felt that way?

Your limbs moved slow, as if your body was now full of lead. He moved back in again, briefly, sliding his boot between your feet and nudging them just a tad bit farther apart. “That’ll help too,” he said. And this time, when you raised the digger up and heaved down, you immediately noticed a difference. While it didn’t necessarily feel easier, it definitely didn’t hurt as much and your body didn’t feel as stiff, didn’t feel like it was being pushed into an awkward angle. You took a couple more plugs from the earth, digging down far enough to keep the pole stable and when you stood straight and looked at him, there was that grin written all over his face again. This time, that smile leapt to your face.

Thor pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, red with a white paisley pattern, and raised his hand, slowly, as if he was touching a wild animal, wiping a streak of perspiration from your cheek. “That’s my girl! Keep that up, we might not need help like I said before,” he exclaimed with a wink. Time seemed to slow to a halt. That’s my girl. That’s my girl. That’s my girl. The words thundered through your brain, down out your limbs, between your legs. That’s my girl.

You looked down at your watch, surprised to see the hands tick forward without delay. As the day went on, a thought tickled at the back of your mind, like a horses’ whiskers on your palm. It’d be easy to be his girl.

The night came in cold enough that you were filled with relief when Thor stood to his full height and stretched, slotting the post hole digger in a pile of soil and suggested the two of you call it a night. Goosebumps had already peppered your skin and the breath coming from your mouth was visible in the air. You nodded and stretched a little too, trying to ignore that stiffness you knew would turn into full-blown pain by tomorrow morning. Thor watched you quietly as you slowly put your jacket on; he glanced from the ground then to the sunset when you looked his way. You let out a small barking laugh and almost immediately regretted it, wincing as the cold night air ripped its way into your lungs.

You managed an uncomfortable grunt as you stuffed your gloves in your pocket and Thor grabbed the keys to his truck. You examined your hands; your palms looked like one huge blister. The skin was bubbled and inflamed and if you were being completely honest, it was one more thing you really had no idea how to take care of on a scale like this. Thor started the truck and even though it was only a ten-minute drive back to the house, you were already thankful in anticipation of him cranking the heater just a bit. It would hopefully be a small relief for the contracting sensation in the muscles along your shoulders and arms and back.

There was not a whole lot to gather since the only portion of the fence that went up today was the posts; still, you moved in to help him by grabbing some smaller loose supplies and your post hole digger. You could feel his eyes on you, feel the way he noted you navigating around your raw hands. It took a moment but soon he was wandering over to you and taking the items from you, nodding his head kindly to the truck. You mumbled your gratitude as you got in, frustrated with yourself. It was only the first day but Thor was already picking up your slack. You watched him from the passenger side mirror as he slammed the tailgate shut. There was not a bit of annoyance in his expression. You had small inkling you were being a bit too harsh on yourself.

When he got in, the truck groaned and immediately the cab that felt huge and open before now felt full; crowded but not in an unpleasant way. You sneaked a sideways glance at him as he settled in. He didn’t shift the truck into gear right away but instead sat back, gazing out the windshield at the sunset. Even from your vantage point, it was stunning. The sky was a variation of colors from deep black-blue, to a soft blue, to pink, to orange. The sun slipped back below the mountains to the north and west and the only detail you could make out on them now was their peaks; they were in shadow and looked like a great set of black teeth.

The light coming into the truck had softened, illuminating the planes of Thor’s face. The slip of his golden brown hair, the strong cheekbones and slope of his nose, the clean jawline that now had a five o’ clock shadow. It was quiet, save for the lulling roar of the truck engine and somehow you knew in that second, you wanted more of these moments. Your brain hadn’t quite latched onto how you would get them but you were going to try. Maybe it was Thor. Maybe it was the gentle heat in the cab with the chill outside. Maybe it was the clean smell of spring scented air. Maybe it was a hard day’s work that was so different than the long hours you kept at home. Right now, it didn’t really matter. You sat back with a sigh of content, able to ignore the subtle aching in your limbs. Finally, Thor let out a gentle hum, a sound you guessed actually reverberated through his body.

“When we get back to the house, we’ll take care of those hands, all right?” You nodded and he shifted the truck into gear, turning back the way you came this morning and it was suddenly all you could do not to reach out and rest one of those hands on his arm.

The gravel crunched under the wheels of Thor’s truck as he dropped you off at the front of the house, telling you he was gonna take a shower and then he’d be back up to bandage your hands. You tried to tell him you would take care of it, really, but he insisted. Deep down, you knew you had taken care of blisters on your heels before but nothing like this so you gave in, hiding a smile as he drove the truck down to the other cabin.

When you got to the bathroom, it took every effort not to just quit and wallow right there on the old tile floor but after a few struggling moments, you peeled your clothes from your body and stepped into the warm water, ignoring the stinging of the wounds. It took a few tries with washing off the dirt of the day, with every contact with soap intensifying the hurt in your hands. As you stepped out, you knew you’d be popping some Advil tonight; it would be foolish not to, you guessed.

You threw some leftover chicken noodle soup on the stove and plopped unceremoniously into one of the kitchen chairs, leaning your head against the wall as you relaxed. The fact that you hadn’t worked on the Harrison case for two and half days now nagged like a trapped rat at the back of your mind. Your laptop was currently upstairs though and there was no way you were forcing yourself up those steps again until you absolutely had to. Instead, you checked your emails on your phone, briefly scanning over the subjects on each of them and filtering out the spam. You set it back down with satisfaction. You’d just worked one of the hardest days in your life and you guessed it was probably going to remain tough from here on out. Despite that, you felt more nervous energy bubbling in your veins.

You decided to pull out the old maps you had found at the little desk in the living area. The house was small compared to the expanse of the land itself. Your grandfather hadn’t been a person who needed extravagance, that was for sure. Maybe you’d convert one of the guest rooms into a study. It would certainly be a lot easier to spread out property maps in an office rather than a little desk in the living room. You put little x’s where you thought the boundaries were. You were somewhat familiar in your work life with reading property maps but these… the maps were old enough that you were second-guessing if the plot already marked was accurate. Another thing to put on the to-do list for a town run. Land maps would be public record, especially in a town as small as Dove’s Reach.

A knock on the front door snapped you out of your thoughts. You hollered that the door was unlocked as you rolled the maps up and put them back on the desk out of the way. You ladled soup into bowls, setting them back on the counter to cool just a bit. You heard him knock his boots on the door jam outside and then set them with a thump just inside the door as he ambled into the kitchen. You reprimanded yourself as you turned and got caught off guard again by his size. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against the wood of the kitchen entrance, completely filling it up, quietly surveying your movements. You thought he was zoning out but you were not entirely sure.

“Uh, I hope chicken soup is okay,” you let out. His eyes met yours and he nodded enthusiastically as he shot you a dazzling smile. You gave him one back. “Somewhere else just then?” He nodded and you took one bowl at a time to the table, a heavy cloth in between your skin and the bowls. You hissed as the edge of one of the bowls caught a patch of the blister, the hot ceramic making the burning more intense than it should be. Thor was behind you immediately, taking the bowl and steadying it. It was a good thing because you were certain you couldn’t have prevented a spill at this point.

“Let’s take care of those blisters first. Looks like that soup is a little too hot to eat just yet anyway.” You nodded as he placed a gentling hand on your shoulder, maneuvering you to the chair you were sitting in earlier. The pain was pretty bad at this point; you had taken Advil about fifteen minutes ago but it hadn’t taken effect yet so here you were, miserable, and trying to fight the hot tears welling up in your eyes. It was embarrassing. Thor cleared his throat. “Did your granddaddy have a medicine cabinet around here?” You took a shaky breath and pointed to the little doorway off the kitchen.

“There’s one there in the laundry room on the opposite wall from the door.” He stepped away from you and into the little room. You could hear him open the cabinet door and rummage around. You hadn’t looked in there yet to see what supplies were available but you doubted any of it was still usable. Yet here was Thor, a huge grin on his face, some bandages in one hand and a questionable-looking jar in the other.

“I knew if your granddaddy was as much of a working man as you had mentioned that he’d have some of this here with him. Best ranch and farming remedy for just about anything.” You knew the look on your face was one of clear skepticism because he laughed, a deep booming thing that made you want to listen over and over again. “I know you city folk probably like to go to the doctor’s for everything but let me tell ya, if we put this on your hands twice a day and keep them all wrapped up, those blisters’ll be gone in no time. Three days tops,” he murmured as he finally looked at the ragged state of your palms. He was moving slower again, pulling out a chair and placing it right in front of you.

He sat down and despite the pain, or maybe because of it, your breath hitched when he caged your knees with his own. “Let me see ‘em up close, darlin’” he breathed as you held out your hands for closer inspection. He let out a low whistle as he gingerly took one, then the other to examine the raw skin. He rubbed a small circle on the inside of your wrist and you were acutely aware of every little detail as his calloused thumb against the soft skin there elicited an erratic heartbeat. He sat like that for a moment before seemingly catching himself; leaning back and reaching over to open the jar of salve. It was not a bad smell but you wrinkled your nose a little at it. He glanced over at you and smiled.

“This might hurt a bit. But it’ll help.” You nodded and braced yourself just a little. The balm itself didn’t sting but the contact of fingers on the blisters definitely did. There was no use hiding your grimace so you just let yourself go, taking deep breaths and letting them slowly out through your mouth. He was so gentle. This close and with his concentration on your hands, you allowed yourself to watch him unhindered by the threat of getting caught. His fingers were steady and slow and he was so sure of himself. You found yourself leaning into his touch, holding your breath. After he was satisfied with one hand, he took the roll of bandage material and slowly wrapped it around your palm, down around your wrist, and back up again to secure it in place.

“You did real good today,” he said quietly, still looking down, almost as if he was unsure he should say it. As if he thought you may not want his opinion. A smile spread across your face as you let out an exasperated groan.

“If you say so,” you replied, willing him to look up at your face to see that you mean it. He must have felt your eyes on him because he turned to you then, looking back. Searching. You felt the heat rise in your cheeks and creep down your neck and something leaped in your belly. He was so close. You could see his eyelashes. See how his eyes weren’t just one shade of blue but several different ones. You could smell him. A similar scent to when you first met him but also mixed with a fresher element from his shower. You could smell his wet skin and how it went from a day of work to warm water to the chill outside to the warmth of your house. It made you want to lean forward and bury your face in the place where his neck meets his shoulder.

You must have been staring a hole into him because he bit his lip then leaned back, finishing up with your other hand before grabbing the supplies and heading to the laundry room. “I do say so,” he rumbled from the little room. When he came back out again he’s smiling. His hands were on his hips and for whatever reason, it was exactly the release of whatever emotion that had transpired moments ago. You laughed, grabbing some bread slices and dropping them in the toaster. They popped up and you spread on some butter, ushering him to sit back down.

The conversation was easy, more idle chatter than anything else. Questions about each other’s lives. How long had he lived here? All his life. When did you know you wanted to work in law? As long as you could remember. You wanted to help people at the heart of it. How did he learn to train horses? From his daddy and his grandaddy before him. Would you ever consider keeping the ranch? The question caught you off guard and a rush of emotions flowed just beneath the surface of your calm exterior. Your pause told Thor what he had guessed the moment he saw you go to work on the land that morning.

“Of course I would,” you murmured as you pushed your empty bowl aside. You leaned onto the tabletop, one arm across its surface and the other supporting your face as your eyes stared off into space. “I just… I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me right now. If it had fallen into my lap under different circumstances or at a different time, maybe. But now? I don’t think so.” Your words trailed off and sounded empty even to your own ears. But as you glanced back up at Thor, there was no judgment there. Looking into his eyes, you could almost imagine a future here.

A future here was a dream though. A dream you were not keen on indulging. You tossed him a smile and grabbed the bowls to put them in the sink. Dreams were good. They could keep a person going. But you were already living a dream back home so you plastered your best convincing expression on your face just as he stood and brought the toast plates to the sink. You watched as he washed both of the plates, slowly, like he was waiting for you to amend your words. But you didn’t and he thanked you for dinner and headed for the door.

You followed him to it, leaning in the doorway as he stepped outside into the cold night air. He zipped up his jacket and turned back to you, a curious expression on his face. If he had thoughts about any of the night’s conversation, he didn’t voice them. Instead he just gave you that lopsided grin and bid you goodnight. Without a second thought, you reached out and grasped his wrist. He turned to you, looking at where your hand held on and then back to your face. You let go immediately.

“Um, thanks for… for today? For your help. Thanks for your help so far. I really appreciate it.” He chuckled low and quiet, a sound that seemed to continually get under your skin, and warmed you up from the inside out. He nodded.

“The pleasure’s all mine, ma’am.” You watched from your place as he stepped off the porch; you could still see how his breath fogged up the air. “Good night,” he called over his shoulder.

You did not retreat into the warmth of the house until the darkness swallowed him up.

“This is ridiculous. What do you mean there’s a stipulation?” Another ten days had gone by and you were just now getting around to meeting with your grandfather’s attorney. Thaddeus Jones was emblazoned on the golden placard on his desk. The man before you did look like a Thaddeus but at the beginning of the meeting, he had insisted that you call him Jonesy. He sat back in his chair with a look somewhat like that of a golden retriever being scolded.

“Well, your grandfather wanted to give you time to… enjoy the little things in life again. He thought that maybe you’d need a break from all the hustle and bustle in New York. As such, in his will he specified that you could only sell the ranch if you stayed there for one year. If at the end of that year you decide that you still want to move forward with the sale, then you are more than welcome to and will receive any and all profits made from said sale. If, however, you have a change of heart, the ranch is also yours to run as you please. But if you decide to sell any time before then, all profits made from the sale will go to our local youth program.” There was no use trying to hide the stunned expression written all over your face. You had to stay here for a year? How were you even supposed to go about this without feeling torn about one thing or the other? You weren’t in it for the money. You knew that with a certainty that sat deep in your gut. And donating to a youth program was a great use of anyone’s money.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I just thought this wouldn’t be so complicated.” Jonesy nodded solemnly, his round spectacles sitting towards the tip of his nose. “I thought this would be a sign and done deal. I thought I wouldn’t feel so conflicted about leaving,” you finished quietly and suddenly it was as if the air had been punched from your lungs. There it was. There was the real reason this whole thing felt so ludicrous. It wasn’t the stipulation itself--it was the fact that you were actually considering it. You glanced out the vaulted window of Jonesy’s office. It was on the second story of his building and gave you a sweeping view of Dove’s Reach. It also gave you a focused picture of the huge storm brewing outside. Massive cumulus clouds gathered not so far away, the heart of them dark and foreboding. It mirrored the storm in your heart.

“I suppose the good news is that you have a while to make a decision. I’ll just have you sign some preliminary papers today and then you take all the time you need. It is a lot to take in but your grandfather was a good man, one of the best. I’ve known him since we were young colts ourselves. I’d like to think he knew what he was doing when he made this decision.” It was difficult to argue with any of that, considering you didn’t get the chance to know him better yourself. Maybe this was a good thing.

“Thank you, Jonesy. I really do appreciate it.” You bit your lip and glanced outside again. “That should work for today. I have a feeling I should be getting hom--getting back to the ranch before that hits.” You pointed and Jonesy watched you for a moment before nodding.

There really wasn’t much for you to sign at this point. Mainly papers about you having seen the will and that you had a knowledge of what was going to come of it. You gathered your copies and shook Jonesy’s hand before leaving; you were instantly glad that the two of you had decided to speed things up a bit because as soon as you exited the building, a cold gale hit you in the face, ripping back the hood of your jacket and nearly blowing your hair out of its braid. It would have been twice as cold had Thor not given you direction on which clothing was worth spending money on. You gave him a call, letting him know you were on the way back. It was a new routine, one that you had started. It felt good to have someone to stay in touch with. It was unlikely you’d get lost in such a small town, but still.

“Drive safe, darlin’. The closer you get out here, the harder the wind’s blowin’. I already put all the tools away and got most of the larger open spots on the barn boarded up. Also dropped some buckets on the front porch just in case. From what I could tell, the roof seemed pretty sounds but just in case.” A pause. “How did the meeting go?” You sucked in a breath.

“Different than how I thought it would go. I’d rather talk about it later though. I’m thinking I’m gonna head straight to bed when I get back. It’s just a lot. See you tomorrow morning?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The drive back was definitely worse than the drive out. Wind and rain pelted your vehicle, so much so that by the time you got home your knuckles were white and your hands were aching when you released the steering wheel. Thunder rumbled closer and closer and lightning flashed in the distance. A warm bath and warm pajamas were currently at the top of your list. Then bed. You smiled when you saw there were indeed buckets on the front porch, all mix-matched colors and various sizes but they would do if the roof started leaking. At least you wouldn’t have to be scrambling to find anything if it did. There was also a note taped to the door, scrawled in surprisingly loopy handwriting.

Grabbing some clothes and things from my place, won’t be back for a couple hours. Call if you need anything :)

You smiled and stepped inside, glad to be out of the weather. As you turned again to glance out at the land, the sky darkened visibly even as you stood there. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

Your phone screen was too bright in the dark space of the living room. 8:30 PM. The power had gone out and it had taken you a little bit of time to scrounge up some candles to keep things lit. You knew you should just go to bed but quite frankly, you knew that wasn’t a possibility. The storm raging outside was unlike any storm you’d experienced before. Sure, there were big storms back in New York but this… the wind and rain was coming down so hard, you were sure the roof was going to tear off. It was doing surprisingly well right now but with each big gust, the whole house groaned. The thunder and lightning were even worse. The sound of both was so close, so loud, so frequent that your ears were ringing. There was no way to research now with the internet out but you were pretty sure you had read something about lightning being able to strike you in a house.

You paced, already familiar with the location of the furniture, every wall, every corner. It was a comfortable dance around the couch, passed the coffee table, to the window by the fireplace and back. A flash of lightning burst in the sky, illuminating every contour of the layout of the house. Almost immediately the clap of thunder sounded like some ancient drum and despite the logical part of your brain telling you it’s fine it’s fine it’s fine, you dropped to your knees.

“Holy shit,” you breathed through clenched teeth. Your hands were shaking as you brought the phone to your ear. Thor was probably already asleep. He had gotten back about an hour ago and was a naturally early riser because he somehow was able to fall asleep early every night. He was probably asleep--

“What’s wrong?” The sleepy gravel in his voice sent shivers tripping down your spine. He had been asleep. But those two words were still calm. Concise. Protective. You were silent. Now you felt stupid.

“Uh, it’s--it’s nothing. I’m sorry I woke you. I can’t sleep. This storm is pretty wild. Um. I thought maybe you’d still be awake and wanted a drink but it’s fine. We have--” You didn’t know if it was your rambling or if he sensed the fear in your voice.

“I’m comin’ up.” That was that. A dial tone. He had already hung up. There was no chance for you to object. You waited by the front door, listening to the rain and watching for more flashes of lightning. You heard Thor’s heavy footsteps as he came up the porch steps, saw him as a flash of lightning illuminated his outline from behind. You hastily opened the door. He hesitated for a moment, only long enough to watch as you nearly leaped out of your skin when another boom of thunder cascaded about you.

He stepped into you, wrapping you up in a hug. It was unexpected but you felt yourself sag into him. His jacket was wet from running through the rain so he slipped it around you and suddenly you were enveloped in warmth. You buried your face in his chest, as he rested his chin on the crown of your head, rubbing his hand down your back. You took deep pulls of his scent as his voice rumbled above you, into you from his chest.

“Aw, it’s just a little lightnin’, darlin’. Just a little storm. You’re safe. Nothin’ to worry about, I promise. You’re safe.” He kept murmuring it as he nudged the door shut behind him with his boot. Murmured your safety into existence like a mantra. As you rested there in his arms, your hands under his jacket around his back, you tried to remember the last time you felt this way, like nothing could touch you in the world. The house could crumble around you and you would be fine. In his arms, you would be fine. You gripped a little tighter, noticing with mirth how your hands could barely touch around his abdomen.

“How about that drink?” You said it into his chest as he stilled above you, breathing in slow and steady as he nodded into the top of your head. You reluctantly backed up from him as he slipped passed you into the living room making straight for the fireplace. He had it roaring as you brought two glasses of whiskey on the rocks and set them on the coffee table. You sat, dragging the blanket around your shoulders and allowing yourself to zone out while you stared into the fireplace. The crackling of its embers still couldn’t drown out the maelstrom outside, however. Thor took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door. When he sat next to you, the couch sagged under his weight. He took a sip of his drink before sitting back and opening his arms in invitation. You didn’t wait this time, instead scooting over to nestle up against him. Heat radiated off of him.

“Did you know the diameter of a lightning strike is actually only about the size of a quarter? Think about that, that big ol’ powerful force of nature the size of a coin.” No you didn’t know that. Another flash of lightning, another clap of thunder. This time you didn’t jump. “And thunder can actually be heard as far away as twelve miles from the actual strike.” Another sip of whiskey. “Lightning can also strike outside of the rain zone. Those strikes are called anvil crawlers.” A log shifted in the fire and your eyes drooped. He chuckled quietly as he intoned “In Norse mythology, the sound of thunder supposedly comes from my namesake as he rides his chariot across the sky.” You offered a lazy smile even though he couldn’t see it.

Thor continued on with more various facts about thunder and lightning and the storms that brought them. The taste of the whiskey sat light and spiced on your tongue, and your eyelids became heavier as you relaxed into him more. The fire burned steady and even though the storm continued to rage outside, at a certain point Thor’s voice faded into nothing as you fell asleep.

You woke up to the sun shining directly in your eyes. You groaned, shielding them from the crisp light and instantly regretted taking your hand out from under the blanket away from your heat source… Thor was stretched out behind you on the couch. It could barely fit the two of you but his arm was locked around your waist, caging you in. His breath came slow and steady on your neck. You could hear the rooster calling from his coop by the barn, hear his hens clucking about him. The cat you still hadn’t named was curled up on the rug by the fireplace, the embers almost completely died down. Thor took a huge breath, tickling the hairs on your neck as he rumbled something into the skin there. Your heart ballooned in your chest.

“I guess my facts weren’t that interestin’, seein’ as how we both fell asleep. Want some coffee?” You nodded as the two of you sat up. The cat chirruped from his place on the rug. He stood and arched his back in a stretch as well, coming over to the two of you for his morning pets. You both reached down to touch his hand, your hands meeting in the middle. Thor offered you a sheepish grin as he stood. “Uh, coffee is… ?”

“In the cupboard above the pot.” You smiled back, not bothering to hide any of the warmth in its shape. You stood, letting the cat out the front door. He seemed a little indignant at the fact that it was so wet outside but his ears swiveled and he was out the door and racing down the steps. You added some kindling and more logs to the fire, satisfied as flames leaped into existence. Thor handed you a mug of steaming coffee, with cream and a little bit of brown sugar. How he knew how you liked your coffee you didn’t know. But you liked that he knew.

The storm had cleared. A peek of blue sky could be seen from the window. With the clear sky came clear thoughts. It had been two weeks already since you had come to Dove’s Reach. Two weeks since you learned you had the rights to a whole ranch. A day since you had learned that you had to stay here for a whole year if you wanted to see any profits from selling. And only a night since you had realized that a year was no time at all.

#thor x reader #thor odinson x reader #thor #thor odinson #cowboy thor #western thor #i need a hero #inthorantine writes #i did it!!!!#i finally am posting it!#i hope chapter 2 will be just as good

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lethargicsunlight · 3 years

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'Demon' Chapter 9 : "A Worthy Student" Bakugou x Fem!Reader (book 1)

(Interesting that this chapter just so happens to come out around the same time as his birthday! Happy Birthday Kirishima!) (Promise I will write for you babe <3 ilu)

Work has been sucking the life out of me, but I've been able to add bits together during breaks. I've also managed to do some rearranging of plot-points, so things should be a bit easier for me moving forward. Unfortunately though, that does mean this one turned out a bit shorter than usual, but that's par for the course. Hope you guys are doing well! <3

As always, Thank You for Reading!

A03 LINK

Chapter Master List: LINK

Book Summery: A slow-burn action/romance where you begin in the bowels of a Villain base and rise up to join U.A.’s top Hero Class. This life was your choice. In the event of learning then losing the love of a friend, you make a decision that changes your reality at the core–to become an imposter among villains and bring them down from the inside out. The organization that ruined your premature perfect life was known as H.H., after their leader Head-Honcho. His crime of choice: intelligence. Training and conducting espionage agents and assassins across Japan as a means to further the dark underground network. Your training began at thirteen, after managing to impress the multi-faced villain with your stealth and your conviction. Rumors would soon spread through the dark alleys of Naruhata City of a masked assassin known as Demon, whose bare face could steal the souls of her targets. Everything appears to be going to plan; but the Hero Agencies you’ve been slipping information to are calling for an end to your superior sooner than you had anticipated. Your time as 'Demon’ is limited. What will happen when your world comes crashing down? Where will you go, when everything you had known you helped to destroy?

WARNINGS: SFW, BLOOD, minor injury

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The blue and white practical training uniform was more comfortable than you expected.

It was much too brightly colored to be useful for hiding in the shadows, but the movement was amicable.

"Alright, we're going to keep this simple." Aizawa's voice cuts through the chatter of students, all bright-eyed as they looked around the court yard. "Since the exams are coming up next week, we've decided to give everyone some time to themselves in the afternoons for training. After today, you'll have the freedom to choose what you want to work on. I'll still be here to supervise of course, so I expect everyone to be on their best behavior."

"Yes sensei!" Iida salutes from the back of the group, "It's very generous to give us time like this to prepare!"

Aizawa's eyes drag briefly to Iida's form and he simply offers a "Hn." In response. "Today though, I will be leading some demonstrations and giving some useful tips on how to make the best of this opportunity. We'll start with some sparring."

"Aizawa Sensei?" Iida's hand now raises into the air. "I'm only asking out of concern--I thought we were scheduled for Hero Training today?"

"You were." Aizawa shifts his weight, looking even more tired as though he dreaded having to explain the following excuse. "All Might had to take up an appointment today, but he will be back tomorrow. Your Hero Training will take place then."

"Right!"

"Anymore questions..?" A second ticks by, before he quickly cuts off the opportunity. "Good."

With lanky arms, Aizawa removes a small notebook from his trousers and begins to read it to himself. "Ah. First two, Y/n and Kirishima."

Shit.

How long has it been since you've 'sparred' with someone? Why couldn't you remember? For a moment you're almost frozen in place. You had heard every word the teacher said, but it hadn't felt all that real until right now.

"Oh hell yeah!" Kirishima's voice rings in your ear, and he pumps a fist into the air. "Didn't know I'd get to see your skills up close so soon! Let's do this." Despite the fact he was about to fight you, he seemed encouraging. Happy. Genuine.

You had barely been able to watch his fight with Tetsutetsu at the Sports Festival, but you understood the basics of his quirk; and you were automatically at a disadvantage. You didn't even have weapons on you--not that a knife would break his skin anyway. What were you going to do?

It's delayed, but you give him a silent nod before following him out of the crowd and towards a patch of dirt that Aizawa was gesturing to.

"Now remember, this is sparring; not a battle. I'm not saying you have to hold back, just know when to stop. If anyone get's too injured," He pointedly looks between Midoriya and Bakugou--one that looks bashful, and the other that just grunts and looks offended--"there will be serious consequences. Got that?"

"Yes Sensei!"

"Good. Now, continue."

Kirishima widens his stance in front of you, still smiling, and hardens his forearms. "Alright, ready!"

"Ready." You say, but you aren't as confident as you sound. Sweat builds on your temple, and an unwelcome stiffness enters your bones.

He's bearing down on you in seconds. Considering what he knew of you, for some reason, you had expected him to become more defensive--but that serves you right for making assumptions.

Why was your mind drawing a blank?

You were in a fight!

Swipe!

You dodge, but it's a narrow miss. Everything feels unnatural. From the sun shining on his features to the bare wind on your face--it's all wrong.

It was like stepping into someone else's body. Like you weren't Demon anymore..

And you weren't.

Putting some distance between his fists and your pounding heartbeat, you try to regain some resemblance of composure. Everyone was watching you, everything was riding on this, you had the world you always wanted--and it was slipping. Slipping through your fingers like bloody water.

It's panic settling beneath your breastbone that makes your body all the more rigid. You can see the blur of Kirishima's hair and hear the words that he bellows--but your mind refuses to make sense of it. Within the moment of his next well aimed swing, you can't dodge for the ice in your veins. Only able to sway, you manage to barely shift his momentum away from you--enough the punch doesn't take you down, but his hardened skin clips your cheek.

You twist, stumbling, and there's just the slightest sting as blood dribbles down to your jawbone. Staying upright, you touch at it while Kirishima takes a moment to find his foothold again..

It's not the fresh blood on your skin. Nor, is it the reality of the situation sinking in.

It's the look of sympathy in Kirishima's eyes as he turns back to you.

Like you were weak, and he had just hurt you. Like he felt bad about it.

It's the look of apprehension in your classmate's features, wondering if you should be fighting him. Midoriya's worried expression. Ururaka's concerned and pinched eyebrows. Bakugou's quiet 'tch'.

That wakes you up.

Everything around you seems to settle. Your eyes finally draw focus, and pin-point certain features on your opponent. Something familiar seems to 'kick in', like a computer going through a software reboot.

And this time, you go for him.

In the moment he might have suggested stopping the fight, you took a little advantage. Slipping in close, getting in behind, jabbing a soft spot beneath his shoulder blades and causing him to rock forward with a surprised noise.

When he whirls around and prepares a counter attack, you whirl with him. His movements are slower than yours now, and you fluidly keep up with him--testing and learning as you keep up with his shadow.

He was using his quirk in an offensive and defensive combo. He would predict where his opponent intended to land a hit, hardening a moment before--though he seemed to keep the majority of his torso protected all throughout. Since you were behind him, he had hardened his back. This made movement a little difficult for him, and you could hear the metal-like friction from his shoulders.

You had a plan.

Kirishima growls in frustration, "You just gunna hide behind me all day or what?!" He calls out, trying to reach back, trying to spin on a hardened calf to get at you.

"Fine, have it your way!" He says, hardening the majority of his upper torso and just shoving himself backwards, which lands him on the ground--with nothing beneath him. "Huh?"

He finds you in the air. You twist like a cat preparing for the earth, and land with the quietest thud in front of him. You'd simply leapt over him.

His eyes sparkle for a moment, and there's renewed vigor in the way he pulls himself up from the ground with his hands balled into fists and his lips drawn back in a predatory smile.

You allow him to get up, and as you expected, he's immediately hardened almost allover once he's standing. It sends jagged lines across his forehead and along the creases of his lips. "Alright! That's what I'm talkin' about!" He yells, getting more excited.

You smile.

----

The two of you continue to dance in this fashion, and the crowd of students gradually lean in; who would be the victor?

Midoriya moves a hand to his lip, studying the fight intensely.

"What are you thinking?" Iida asks him, surprised to find that he hadn't started mumbling about it already.

"If what l/n said about her quirk is true, then she's at an obvious disadvantage. Without any weapons, she can only perform hand-to-hand combat; and because Kirishima can harden any part of his body, her attacks really can't do a whole lot of damage. She's much faster than him but even if she manages to dodge all of his attacks, Kirishima won't really lose any stamina using his quirk since she isn't actually attacking him."

"You mean, she might be trying to tire him out like Bakugou did in the Sports Festival?"

"Mm." Midoriya nods, "It seems so. But as I said, that won't really work. There's not enough impact behind her attacks to actually chip away at Kirishima's ability to harden--not like Kaachan's explosives. That would take way too long, and it would tire her out also. Unless her adrenal function gives her extended endurance.."

"I see.." Iida adjusts his glasses as he continues to watch the match.

Bakugou, who had overheard them, returned his attention to you also. He hadn't missed how stiff you were in the beginning--in fact, he had almost felt disappointed by the idea that you weren't the opponent he originally thought you were. It was like you and the masked Demon he had fought in the Industrial Park were completely different people..

But now, as you deftly slip beneath Kirishima's extending fist and find yourself behind him again, Bakugou realizes that you were indeed one and the same. Tch. Being quick won't get you far, you know. He thinks, brows deepening. If this is really all you are, you don't belong here.

The blonde glances at Aizawa, and it confirms his suspicion. Their teacher had claimed that this was a demonstration, but he had barely said a word since the fight begun. He was watching you intently--and while this could be excused as their teacher preparing his quirk in case the fight got out of hand--Bakugou could discern differently.

This was a test.

----

Both of you were sweating now. You could feel the fabric of the uniform sticking to your body.

Almost time.

"Come on, you gunna hit me or what!" He yells, another swipe going wide as you sidestep and flip around him. You jab a soft spot you can see, but it barely does more than make him grunt.

"Rrrgh! That's it!" He hardens his arms out in a 'T' position, and spins his whole body around. It's nothing for you to jump back and out of the way, but it leaves you both bent and panting with hands on your knees. You watch as a drop of sweat darkens the ground.

Perfect.

"I don't want to stand here all day." Aizawa says from his place at the edge of dirt. "Hurry up."

Kirishima groans, straightening his back and re-hardening his pectorals. He really did think you were cool, but this was getting annoying. He blows some hot air from his nostrils and readies up to come at you again--

but you're gone.

"Huh--?"

Your kick lands hard against his cheek, before he could manage to harden it. It doesn't move him much, but the blow makes his head fuzzy. His arms fly up, wrists jagged and flat to take the next blow--but you're on the other side now. Your elbow meets his mid-thigh and he cries out in pain, shoving you away and hardening allover.

You tumble, but as soon as your feet find purchase you're running back at him.

That's more like it! Kirishima thinks, despite the stinging imprint of your kick on his face. That hardens too as he prepares for your advance. I just need one good hit!

You're right in front of him, hand raised like you're going to punch. He knows better. He knows you'll fake him out, so he rears back--one arm over his face just in case, and the other drawn taught out to the side. One good hit! His muscles bunch in that arm, prepared for anything, his fist and forearm hardened but nothing else so the movement would be quicker.

And he's right. You fake him out, and step towards the arm that's drawn back. He grins at the idea of finally making contact and throws his arm towards you--

Kirishima had not noticed, as the tempo of the fight increased, that your uniform top was missing. Nor that you held it in the hand not poised to hit him, close to your side.

Now in both hands, you wrap the fabric around his wrist--the damp material able to withstand his sharpened skin. And using his own momentum, you step unto his bent knee and flip over his shoulder--sending his own hardened fist straight into the same cheek you had kicked earlier.

WHACK

Kirishima feels a crack form along his jaw, and the force of his somehow self-inflicted punch sends him backwards.

You release the sleeve of the uniform top so it unravels as he falls, and you're able to slide across the dirt to avoid being pinned beneath his back.

He crashes to the ground with the breath stolen from his lungs and ears ringing from the impact. He's trying to scurry backwards, but the world is swaying. What just..? His eyes attempt to refocus on your figure, watching as you now crouch low to the ground; the blue and white practical training uniform top now braided and stretched between both hands like a weapon.

There's a surprised silence that falls over the court yard, and a droplet of blood appears along the cracked skin of Kirishima's cheek. Aside from the length and direction of the cut, it mirrored the one on your own.

"Alright, I think that is enough." Aizawa says, hands slamming his small notebook closed. "This was a good example. You both focused on your strengths and learned from your opponent. I'm sure with more practice, the two of you could learn a lot more from each other."

----

The sound of his teacher's voice seems to fade into the background as Bakugou's vermillion eyes scorch the grass between his shoes.

He liked the fictional version of you he had created before you were introduced into the class--the one where you had just been lucky and opportunistic in the Industrial Park. But now, there was no denying your presence. He saw the shift in Aizawa's eyes when it happened--when you were deemed worthy of being his student. And it made him..

He didn't know how to feel.

You were too simple. Too small. His failure in their last Hero Training class with All Might was a wound that still hadn't scabbed--and you were another laceration to his pride. Like Deku, you should have been easy to topple; not standing after a fight with the only other student in the class he had bothered to learn the name of with nothing but a scratch on your face.

----

"Man did you see that?!" Kirishima loops his thumbs through the straps of his backpack, giving Bakugou a toothy smile. "I told you she was cool. Improvising like that was a super manly move!"

Bakugou growls, eyes in cat-like slits as he focuses on the citrine sky with hands stuffed into his pockets and jaw jutted forward.

"I kinda started to think she wasn't doing well." Kaminari then appears off to the side, butting in on the conversation. Usually, Bakugou was able to outpace them on his way home--but they were persistent this time.

"You saw it too then? If I didn't know any better, she seemed kind of stiff at first." Kirishima admits, hands leaving the straps in favor of resting on the back of his neck. "Maybe it's the change of environment, you know?"

"Maybe. She kinda kicked your ass though."

"Hey, we didn't get to finish that fight! You don't know how it would have went!"

"Whatever, she was running circles around you."

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Bakugou shouts, hands sparking. "I'm tired of hearing about this new girl like she's a damn spectacle. She's a no-body, just like everyone else!"

"Whatever you say, Kaachan. I mean, she technically kicked your ass first, so.."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

"Uh-oh--" Kirishima manages to outstretch a hardened arm to stop his friend, giving Kaminari some time to escape. "Come on man, it's not worth it--"

"COME BACK HERE DUNCE FACE, SO I CAN KILL YOU!!"

#bakugou x reader #bakugou x f!reader #bakugou x you #katsuki x reader #bnha fanfiction #slow burn #deku #todoroki shoto #iida tenya #eijiro kirishima #demon #bakugou x y/n #katsuki x y/n

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jlpat82 · 6 years

Text

Not Our Home

Chapter 5

The underground is always very dimly lit, most of the over head light were smashed long ago. There is one uncovered bulb every fifteen feet, I know I've counted. It's one giant hall that zig-zags under our city with rooms that branch out the sides. The dulo's that live here have very few necessities. Buckets filled with human waste are placed in closets and are only emptied once a month. They have their own set of rules and life styles and the yulo police never venture here.

Once upon a time most of these people would of been homeless, making camps in woods or under bridges. Now they live beneath the homes and stores, bartering for food or clothes. It's a stark reminder of how luxurious my life was compared to these individuals.

"This is the underground." I announced as we walked the corridor.

"It reminds me of.." Reaper was cut short.

"Yo Rabbit, watch you doin' bringing a yulo wit you?" I heard Razha's voice boom from behind us. I turned, he's a large man with skin the color of onyx. He has the attitude of a rapid wolverine and would not hesitate to beat the holy hell out of anyone.

"He's fine, Razha, he's with me." I replied sternly, my heart pounding. I have never brought any one down with me before.

"We don't want no yulos down here!" He kept walking a brisk pace towards us. People started to peek out from their rooms, checking the commotion out.

"I said, he's with me. He's no yulo!" I placed myself in front of Reaper, he was starting to tense and the last thing I needed was a brawl to happen.

"Well, he ain't no dulo's or lulo, I knows them all."

"You're right, he's not a dulo or lulo. Trust me, he's kenta. And he's with me!" Razha stopped, towering over me, puffing up at Reaper.

"You swear he's kenta? He's looks like pulo to me."

"I swear he's kenta, I would never bring a Pulo here." Razha's fists slowly unclenched, his jaw muscle slackened. I could see him slowly start to relax, even if by a bit.

"He better cause no trouble, rabbit. I won't hesitate to bust him and you for bringing him here." He gave us the side eye, before turning and slowly walking back down the hall. I let out a deep breath. Crisis avoided, for now.

I turned back to Reaper, his hand were clenched tight so much so his knuckles were white. To be honest I'm not sure Razha would of made it out of that fight, and trust me I've seen him in many fights, no body has walked away. Reaper was the same height as him but wasn't as muscular, still something told me Reaper would end the fight.

"Come on, I'll show you around." I said, he gave one last glance in the direction Razha had left before turning to follow me.

"Who was that guy?" He finally asked, looking around, taking in the abysmal setting.

"Razha, he is one of the self appointed rulers, for the lack of a better word." I replied, stepping over an unconscious man. "There about five men who over see the underground, criminals policing criminals really."

"Ah, what's kenta and a..."

"Pulo," I interrupted. "Pulo, is the yulo militarized police, not that I've seen them. They are brought out in emergencies, like the riots fifty years ago. A kenta is someone who is safe, harmless." I stopped, putting my hand out in front of him. I turned to face him. "It's a whole other world down here, their own language, rules. I don't stay down here for very long, hence the reason for the name rabbit. White rabbit, from Alice in wonderland."

"This isn't how everything was supposed to turn out." He said to himself look down the hall, there was a sadness in his eyes.

"Well, it did." I look around, the reasons I didn't stay here long was it was depressing. These were the forgotten people.

We continued our walk, I showed him the various trade shops that I frequented. We kept going farther in, farther then I intended. I started to feel antsy, I had been down here long enough and craved being topside again. I looked over at Reaper, he kept eyeing behind us and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I think we should turn back." I said quietly as I stopped. Some one was standing a good twenty feet ahead of us surrounded in darkness and I was barely able to his silhouette.

"We have two tailing us, been there since the last shop." He whispered, he turned sideways under the light. He looked one direction and then the other. "Three ahead of us."

"Underlings." I breathed out, we were their prey and now they had us surrounded. Reaper swiftly brought his fist up and the glass from the light shattered down. We were surrounded in blackness.

"Smart one, old man. It'll be easier to take that pretty lulo now." A nasally voiced echoed. Rapid foot steps came from both side of us, I pressed my back to the wall. Someone grabbed my right arm and pulled, small boney fingers wrapped around my wrist. Hand cold as ice, his palm was slick again my skin.

"You'll fetch a good price you will." A voice hissed in my ear, I felt something wet press against my cheek.

"She's not for sale!" Reaper's voice replied, I felt the hand jerk away from me instantaneously, followed by a yelp and gurgling. The scuffle continued, I couldn't see what was going on. Blind to what ever was happening, a fight was just inches from me and I wasn't sure who was winning. I heard something break to my left, and then a gasping on my right. Part of me wished to know what was going on, the other half told me it was good that I couldn't see.

I smelled copper in the air above all the scents of the underground. I heard a crunch, a small yelp, followed by yet another wet gurgling. Deep in my gut I knew these underlings wouldn't see their next fix. Something suddenly slammed to the wall just to my right, I could hear him gasp.

"Tell the rest of your kind, she is not to be messed with. I see one more of you pathetic humans come within ten feet of her and I will personally see to it that you are all exterminated." Reaper hissed, I heard the underling scurry off in the darkness. I felt a large warm hand on my elbow, guiding me back the way we had come. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." We came past the last shop just as my nerves had settled.

"Rabbit, I heard there was a problem comin' from this area." Razha's voice boomed a head of us.

"We were jumped by underlings." I replied already moving ahead of Reaper.

"You sure is wasn't him. We ain't had no problems with underlings in weeks. Now they's been comin out of the wood works." His muscles twitched as he eyed Reaper again, I looked over my shoulder. Reaper was standing behind me, arms by his sides, hands covered in blood. His shirt ripped, with a gnarly gash bleeding.

"I assure you, sir, I have had nothing to do with your underlings seeping out into society." Reaper spoke out, his words soft and firm. Razha's eyes narrowed, his lipped curled a bit.

"You think you funny homeboy?" He brought his fists up, and popped his knuckles loudly.

"Not at all, just stating a fact."

"You want to fight? You keep flipping attitude that's what's going to happen."

"That would not be in your best interest." Reaper's voice fell cold, his eyes turned bronze once again as they narrowed. He didn't move, just stood watching Razha over my head. This was not what I wanted, I really didn't need a fight to break out between these two. Razha gets pummeled I won't be welcomed back down here, Reaper gets pummeled and, well, I'll still be banished for bringing him down here.

"Razha, we were leaving." I tried to divert him.

"Nah, first what happened to the underlings?" He turned his glare to me finally, something told me any answer was going to be the wrong answer.

"I don't know, does it matter?" I held my ground. "Why should it matter? They don't contribute to anything in the underground, you're the one that told me that."

"What happened, yulo?" Yep, we're done here.

"Razha, we are done. And we," I point to myself and Reaper, "are leaving."

"Not until," Reaper gently pushed me to the side, cutting him off. They were standing nose to nose.

"She said we are leaving, and that's what we are doing. Regardless if you think otherwise. So I suggest you politely remove yourself from our way or I will be forced to move you." Every word was tense, dripping with ice. This was not a request, or an argument, Razha puffed up. He didn't like being told what to do, he was the one that generally barked orders around here.

"I think your mistaken, outsider, I don't take orders." Razha went to shove Reaper, before I could comprehend what was going on, Razha was on the ground crying. His forearm had been snapped in two places and was flopping around. My jaw slowly dropped as Reaper calmly walked over the wounded man.

"Shall we keep going?" He asked me, holding his hand out. I took it dumbfoundedly as we followed the hall back to the elevator. Once we stepped on, I pressed the button to return us back to my apartment.

"You’re bleeding." I remembered the gash on his side. I reached out to pull the tattered shirt away. He stepped back, I looked up at him. His brow was knitted with confusion. I reached again towards him, this time he snatched me by my wrist. "Let me look."

He didn't respond, his eyes tracked my movements as he let go of my wrist. I reached out again a little more hesitantly this time. My heart hammered in my chest, I knew what he was capable of if he wanted to hurt me. What would happen if I injured him further?

"Are you afraid?" His voice low, barely audible above the creeks coming from the elevator cab. I slowly pulled the torn shirt back, the two and half inch gash didn't look to deep. It would need to be cleaned as the odds of the blade from the underlings was no doubt disgusting.

"No, it wasn't till this moment I realized exactly how dangerous you could be." I replied, I saw the bottom of another scar next to the gash. "I need to clean that though."

"There was fear in your eyes." I raised my head, meeting his graze. They were filled with pain.

"I'm not scared of you, I don't think you would intentionally hurt me. But you are stronger and faster then anyone I've ever met, I think I know what you did to the underlings but it wasn't till you stopped me that I realized how dangerous you really are." He looked down at his feet. "I don't know you, I don't know why you keep coming to my aid but something tells me you won't hurt me."

"You remind me of someone from my past. Someone I failed." The elevator dinged as we had reached the top. He was the first out, he was at the end of the hall and at the stair case door before I had a chance to exit it. I didn't understand what he meant, I imagine I'll never know what had happened to him.

I slowly walked back to my apartment door, trying to wrap my mind around this revelation. I was also worried that the wound on his side would become infected.

It was at this point I notice my door was ajar and hanging ascewed from its hinges. My blood ran cold, as I pushed it opened. The apartment had been ransacked, furniture turned over. Papers ripped and thrown about, dvds busted and littered the floor. Who ever had been here destroyed everything inside.

I walked in confused, hurt, and violated. I know I had locked the door when I left. The person responsible wanted to instill fear, and had succeed. I slowly walked through the living area, and peered into the kitchen.

Every cup, every dish was shattered on the floor. Drawers opened and removed laid upside down, adding to the mess. The fridge was ripped away from the wall and the cord slashed, it was left open and the food smashed everywhere.

I walked through continuing my assessment of it all. I made it to my room, all my books torn up, shredded. My mattress was gutted and flipped against a wall, my clothes were on the floor in pieces. I backed out slowly and walked to my sister's room. I opened her door, nothing was out of place. It was as if the hurricane hit everywhere but her sleeping area.

I passed by the bathroom, and everything was as it should be. Nothing out of place, towels still hung from their hooks. Curtain rod in place as it should be. The only thing missing was Reaper's clothes. They were gone.

"Julianne?!" Elise practically screamed from the doorway. I ran out to meet her, and threw my hand over her mouth.

"Shh." The air didn't feel right, I didn't know how to explain it. "Follow me." I whispered, walking towards the staircase. I made my way down four flights and into the tube, holding her hand.

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#dystopia #dystopien #government break down #soceity breakdown #violence #1st person #scifi #slowburn

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