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dylan-o-yumm · 4 years

Note

Hi how about Nero’s struggling with demonic feelings as he’s just activated his true devil trigger and he’s having sexual thoughts about being in devil trigger but he can’t do it with Kyrie because he’d rip her apart literally and he starts finding himself attracted to female devils? Just a random thought I was having lol

Warnings: Rough sex, biting, hair pulling, choking, breaking furniture, dt sex, tiniest bit of oral, fem reader, talk of cheating, but this is all consensual! Nothing about this is labeled as Nero being unfaithful to Kyrie.

Note: Look, we all know he’d never sleep with another person when he’s in a relationship with Kyrie, but for the sake of fiction… Lol (Also I haven’t written in MONTHS so this is trash, I apologise) IMPORTANT NOTE! I won’t be taking any more requests. I will go back to writing more, and you guys can always come fill my inbox with Nero thoughts or literally whatever, but I’m struggling with requests atm so I’m just gonna put that on hold for now. Thanks for understanding, lovelies.

“Look, you’re cute and all, but I’m not going to have sex with you. You’re not exactly single, Nero…” You state in a matter-of-fact tone as you enter the van after an easy and quick mission with the white haired devil hunter. A bunch of lesser demons here and there, nothing too big or scary to exhaust you of all your energy.

You’d been friends with Nero for years, going on missions with him whenever you could, meeting up on days off and hanging out with him and his beautiful soon-to-be wife. You had heard and done many odd things with him in the past, but this was definitely the weirdest thing he had ever asked of you… and most inappropriate? Mature? Sexual?

“You’re lucky I’m not going straight to Kyrie and telling her you’re an unfaithful, cheating, little—“ You begin, voice rising and getting more and more aggressive with every word. Even your eyes began to glow a bright red, getting beyond pissed off for your dear friend, the adorable little songstress. Nero had no right to ask you for sexual favours when he was meant to be in a happy relationship with her. If he wasn’t in a relationship with her though… well, that would be another story.

He was a very handsome devil, even more so after he cut his hair and… you know, grew an arm back. You even had a crush on him before you met Kyrie, following him around like a lost puppy until you quickly realised he had eyes for someone else. Eh, it happens.

“She’s okay with it! Jesus calm down…” Nero raised his voice, unable to meet your eyes as a dark red shade covered his cheeks. He was obviously nervous and embarrassed about what he had asked of you, yet here he was, still trying to convince you.

On your way back to the van only a few minutes prior, Nero was telling you how he was finding himself more and more rough and… a little over excited in the bedroom as they days went on. He was concerned for Kyrie’s safety since he feared he’d end up hurting her, and wondered if he could “let off some steam” with a demon girl such as yourself.

You knew he would end up hurting Kyrie if he kept trying to be gentle with her, all while his demonic side was screaming for more. Hell, he’d rip her apart. Sleeping with a human when you had a raging demon inside of you, desperately clawing its way out, hungry for more… it rarely ended well.

You knew what Nero needed and you guessed he had figured it out too, since he was asking you, of all people, to help him out. It just felt wrong while he was still dating Kyrie. If he left her, then you’d have no problem with it… only, he would have broken your best friends heart and therefore you’d stomp him into the ground… Okay, maybe there would be a problem with it.

“She’s okay with it? Am I meant to just believe that?” You frown, crossing your arms over your chest and waiting for Nero to stop lying.

“Yeah…? It was actually her idea.” Nero stated softly this time, scratching his nose in embarrassment. You couldn’t help but scoff and turn away from him. There was no way he was telling the truth! “Look, I know it’s weird, but you’re the only demon chick I know and actually trust. And Kyrie trusts you too, so doesn’t that count for something?” Nero continued, reaching out to you, desperately trying to get you to believe him, trust him.

That was the thing, you did trust him. So, why was it so hard for you to believe him on this?

Narrowing your eyes, Nero could tell you were still clearly suspicious.

“You wanna call her right now and see if I’m lying or not?” He waved his hand over to the phone sitting on the dash of the van, surrounded by Nico’s discarded cigarette buds.

“Yes, actually I do.”

~*~

Turns out Kyrie was okay with it. She set some rules and begged you not to sleep with Nero more than what was needed to help his demonic urges, to which you swore on your life it would never happen again without her say so. It must have been hard for the sweet, little songstress, but she seemed rather… okay with it, oddly enough. She trusted both you and Nero 100% and knew you’d both respect her wishes no matter the cost.

Which is why you were able to look down at Nero’s golden eyes and angelic blue skin as his pointed teeth sunk into the armoured flesh of your thigh. Your backside was resting atop the workbench in your garage while your clawed fingers scratch Nero’s scalp, combing through his long white hair.

The two of you thought you might as well bring things back to your place, save the van from any damage that was bound to happen from two demons fucking like wild animals. Also you knew Nico wouldn’t appreciate the stench of sex in her van… so there was that too.

The longer Nero’s sharp teeth teased your thighs and groin, the armoured plating between your legs slowly parted, opening up to reveal your slick, wet folds that were throbbing and clenching for him. You were eager to see and feel just how big he was, ready for him to fill your cunt and plow you as hard as he wanted. The thought alone made you bite your lip and inch your hips close to his face.

His eyes widened when he finally saw your heat, and you could see his cheeks reddening even when his skin was the gorgeous blue that it was. He inched forward shyly before parting his lips and letting his tongue slither along your slick, tasting your arousal. You hummed, wanting more. He growled, needing more.

“I would like for this to be a one time thing — for Kyrie’s sake, so make sure to be as rough and wild as you need to be… Satisfy all your demonic urges, handsome” Your voice was breathy and distorted, rumbling in your throat and echoing off your tongue. You continued to play with his hair, leaning back on one hand to get a better view of him between your legs, cursing yourself for already wanting this more than this one time.

He simply looked up at you with a newfound hunger in his eyes as he sunk his teeth into your thigh, breaking through the armoured skin and drawing blood. You purred, biting your lip and stifling the little smirk that threatened to pull at the corners of your mouth, watching his long, dark tongue lap at the crimson droplets.

“Should we have a safe word?” Nero wondered, his voice also distorted, sending tingles down to your core. Even now, he was still very sweet and caring, though he was licking your blood off his lips and the look in his eyes was dangerous and hungry, like a wolf staring down its prey. Your legs quivered in excitement.

“Nah. I’m stronger than you anyway, I’ll just push you away or knock you out if you go overboard” You hummed innocently, tilting your head to the side in a teasing manner. You couldn’t have him worrying or holding himself back, otherwise this would all be for nothing. He’s meant to be letting loose and satisfying the beast— or in this case, demon — within.

He scoffed and shook his head with a little ‘all right then.’

“Hey,” you grabbed his chin in your talon-like claws and forced him to look up at you. Your voice dropped to a commanding tone, serious and almost threatening as you leaned down to get closer to his face, your heated breaths making the strands of hair by his face sway back and forth. You give him the permission he needs, you demand, order him to let go.

“Go overboard.”

Nero’s eyes widen ever so slightly, his blue lips parting as he stares up at you like an innocent puppy begging to be pet. You can practically feel his heart beat thumping excitedly as you continue to hold his chin, being mindful of the cute little spikes.

“I can take it.” You whisper, nodding slowly as your eyes flutter down to his lips. You so desperately want to kiss him, but you refrain from doing so. Even though you were about to be very intimate with him, kissing him just felt too… wrong? Kyrie didn’t say she had anything against you kissing him, but he was still hers, you weren’t about to start selfishly kissing him just because you want to.

Either way, Nero doesn’t give you time to kiss him as he stands up abruptly and causes you to quickly flinch back, not wanting him to headbutt your chin on his way up. He quickly grabs your wrist before you can fall backwards, holding you steady as he slots himself between your thighs.

He smirks at you, and at first you thought it was just because he was being cocky, but as you raised an eyebrow to question him, his grip on your wrists tightened and he bought you hands up above your head, pushing you back roughly until your back slams against the workbench.

You legs instinctively come up to rest on his hips as he leans over you, the workbench being the perfect height for him to stand and fuck you while you lie down on your back. There was a slight pain in the back of your head from being slammed down, but you only purr in delight, too turned on to even care at this point.

The plating on his crotch was still hiding his cock, much to your disappointment. Meaning you had to work for it, just like he did for you.

Your hips grind and rotate against him as he leans down to bite and suck on your neck, the both of you panting and moaning as Nero’s plates slowly open up.

Your hands explore his back, tangling up his Rapunzel-like hair as your fingers dip over every curve and bump of his muscles. His body moving against yours as he grinds against your wet heat is addictive, his chest and stomach brushing up against your torso, as if teasing you that he isn’t yours.

But you’re okay with that.

Finally feeling his cock rutting against your sopping cunt and not the hard plating that shielded him away from you, you shiver in delight and bite your lip. Looking down, you see what you had been waiting for. His fully erect, thick, veiny cock, leaking precum and dribbling onto your plated stomach.

“Shit…” You cuss as your eyes widen at the sight of him, practically drooling.

“Don’t go runnin’ scared now” Nero smirks cockily as he looks down at himself then back up at you through his pretty eyelashes.

Your eyes meet his as you can only scoff, playfully shoving him away but just as quickly pulling him back to you. Wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down, you bite his ear harshly, earning a pleased shiver from the devil hovering over you.

“You gonna stand there all day talking about your dick, or are you gonna put it to good use?” You tease, purring into his ear after licking where you bit.

When he doesn’t speak or move, you wonder if you had offended him, placing your clawed hands on the sides of his face to get him to look at you. Though, when you expect to see him pouting or frowning, you’re taken aback when you see his lips curled upward and his sharp teeth shining at you. You open your mouth to question him, but get cut off abruptly by your own scream of pain, pleasure and surprise.

“Hnng—holy fuck! Give a girl some warning next time, asshole!” You screech as his cock rests comfortably inside your velvety walls. He had pushed himself all the way in to the hilt in one swift motion, giving you no chance to adjust to his thickness, but to be completely honest, his roughness only turned you on all the more.

“Still don’t want a safe word, you little baby?” He mocks, teasing you by not moving his hips an inch. All you could feel was his hard member throbbing excitedly against your slick walls, making you whine out, desperate for him to give it to you good and hard.

You shake your head, managing to smirk back at him as your hands move up to the back of his head, tangling in his white hair and pulling him down so you can latch your lips onto his neck. Biting, licking, kissing, pleading with your actions for him to please fucking move.

He seems to get the hint.

His hand suddenly worms its way between your lips and his neck, cupping your mouth as he parts himself from you. He keeps his hand there for a moment, leaning back to stare down at your awaiting body before he slowly drags it down to your neck. Wrapping his fingers delicately around your throat, claws digging into the back of your neck but he doesn’t squeeze or press down.

His long tongue snakes over his pointed teeth, that same cocky grin on his lips as he finally draws his hips back and slams forward as fast and hard as he can. Not giving you a second to adjust or brace yourself as he repeats the action over and over and over again.

“Oh, my fucking— ah!” You gasp and yelp, eyes squeezing shut. The pain subsided quickly as the tip of his cock brushed against the spongy spot within your walls, causing a whole slur of cusses and moans to spill past your lips as you claw and scratch at his armoured back.

“Fuckin’ tight” He growls, claws digging into you, eyes darkening and his movements growing harsher and harsher by the second.

You last about ten thrusts before you feel the workbench wobbling a bit too much for you liking, lurching back and forth in time with his thrusts. Your mind is a bit too focused on his thick cock nicely massaging your insides to even worry about potentially breaking the bench, though when you hear a crack sound from underneath you, your moans come to an abrupt stop.

Nero’s eyes are shining a dark red, much different to his angelic golden orbs that you’re used to seeing. He’s clearly giving in to his demonic urges like you wanted, only…

“Uh… Nero—“ You’re cut off when the bench suddenly cracks even louder and you’re suddenly falling to the floor. The wooden bench crumbles in pieces, the legs caving in and folding at an awkward angle as it finds its new home on the floor of your garage.

You wonder why your back hasn’t hit the floor yet, still waiting for the impact. Though when your focus pulls back to Nero — who hadn’t stopped fucking you — you are surprised to see two angelic, blue wings curled around to support your weight. Much softer than you imagined, cozy and warm like a nice blanket for you to cuddle into while you have your guts rearranged.

Your eyes roll back as you focus back on Nero completely, your hands coming down to grip at his forearms. You have no idea how the workbench breaking managed to take your mind off of what he is doing to you because, damn does he know how to put his hips to good use.

“You’re still holding back… I can tell” You whimper. While he was pleasing you very nicely, you had to remember why you were here with him.

He responds with a dark growl that shakes your entire body, even feeling it rumble deep within your chest. You gasp as he suddenly has you up right, slamming your back into the drywall and moving his wings to shelter you in. His hands grip your ass tightly, squeezing your cheeks as best he can while the plating protects your body.

“Better?” He growls, his voice somehow deeper and scarier, though the fact that he’s slowly letting loose and giving you his all has you dripping your arousal all over his cock and onto the floor.

You nod frantically as your eyes roll to the back of your head again, the new angle somehow letting him reach places you didn’t even know were possible to reach. The textured plating on his lower stomach brushed against your swollen clit from this angle, stimulating you everywhere you needed to be stimulated.

It suddenly dawned on you why you were here right now. There is no way Kyrie would ever survive this. This was far too dangerous for a human. The tip of his cock would be right up at your throat if he fucked you like this in your human form. You’d be split into two.

He effortlessly picked you up and dropped you back down onto his cock, all while thrusting up into you at the same time. Your moans turned into screams and you wouldn’t be surprised if someone came knocking on your door, asking if you were okay. Obviously, you were more than okay.

You hear a crunch beside your head, turning ever so slightly when Nero cusses under his breath to see his ethereal wing had crashed through the wall in his excitement. Flakes of white drywall fall onto his feet as he pries his wing out, sadly making an even bigger hole in the process.

You want to make a comment about him paying for the things he’s broken, but your words die on your tongue as you grip his shoulder tightly. He holds you down on his leaking cock as he brings you to the floor, sitting on his knees before setting you down.

“You keep squeezin’ my dick like that,’m not gonna last much longer” Nero snaps, almost sounding angry at you as he flips you over onto your stomach effortlessly. You hadn’t even noticed how your walls were acting to him, but now that you were aware of it, they were continuously clamping down around him and sucking him in deeper, trying to keep him trapped within your slick.

“Stop whining and fuck me, asshole” You huff back.

“My pleasure.” He purrs before gripping your hip with one hand, digging his talons into the softer part of your skin and scratching you up. The marks healed quickly, but he continued to tear into you, whether on purpose or not, you didn’t quite care. His other hand went to your hair, pushing your head down so your ass was up for him and your cheek was pressed against the cool cement of your garage floor.

Nero props his right foot up beside your ribs while the left lies flat on the floor, his knee supporting half of his weight, and his right foot supporting the other half. From this position, he easily grips your hips and fucks into you at a brutal pace, giving you no time to brace yourself.

His hips smack against yours loudly, causing you to lurch forward with each hit, but thankfully his large hands move you right back to his cock, keeping you nice and full. The stretch had you crying out, feeling his thickness split you open with every pass, all his veins rubbing against your tightness…

Your eyes roll back yet again and your tongue flops out of your mouth as you take everything he’s giving to you. You can’t help but smile dumbly, completely fucked out and you hadn’t even cum yet.

“S-so good…Keep g-going!” You moan, digging your palms into the floor and pushing yourself back onto him as best you can. The noises he makes in return are completely arousing, if you weren’t already dripping on his cock, you’d be soaking through your panties for sure.

He pistons inside you at a great speed, using all his demonic strength to please you and himself. Poor little Kyrie is missing out, you shamefully think to yourself. Your hips start to hurt after a while, the constant slamming of his against your own creating a dull ache. Nothing you can’t handle, you honestly loved it.

“I’m cl—oooh!” You moan as he shifts his hips ever so slightly so his cock hits your sweet spot over and over and over. You don’t bother trying to speak again, figuring he got the hint as he somehow sped up even faster.

Another minute passes and you’re a whimpering, moaning mess. Drool oozes out of your mouth and glides down your cheek while you struggle to even keep your eyes open as you dance on the edge of your orgasm.

Your thighs shake intensely as you cry out, tears pooling in your eyes as your claws scratch and permanently dent the floor. Your walls spasm around Nero’s cock as your climax washes over you, biting your bottom lip to keep from screaming too loud, but it doesn’t stop you from whining as loud as possible, almost sobbing as the pleasure begins to be too much.

Nero grunts and groans as he continues to fuck you roughly, snapping his hips against yours a few more times before his movements stutter and he’s moaning loudly up at the ceiling. You squeak from overstimulation as you feel his cock twitch excitedly inside you before a warm, sticky fluid is coating your inner walls and filling you up nicely.

Nero whimpers as he pulls out of you and collapses onto the floor beside you, while you continue to hold your ass in the air and let the cold air cool the heat between your legs. You stay like that for a moment, before letting yourself shift back to your human form, a bright, golden light shining in the garage before you’re laying there, no longer armoured or demonic looking.

Perks of devil triggering before sex? No need to get dressed. Your clothes were back on your body in an instant.

Rolling over onto your back, you pant heavily as you stare up at the ceiling. Covered in sweat, hair sticking to your forehead, thighs and groin burning, and a dull ache throbbed within your walls. Your pussy clenched around nothing, causing cum to dribble out of you and stain the floor. Perfect, you thought. You couldn’t help but grin as your mind stayed in its own little daze from the brutal, but delicious, fucking you just received.

Nero pants heavily as well, his body shining a gorgeous blue before he is back to his human form, laying beside you, also staring up at the boring ceiling. His legs felt like jelly, but other than that, he had this oddly calm and relaxed feeling deep inside him. It was like his demonic side had been completely satisfied and decided to go to sleep for a while.

He sighs with a smile, a sign that he’s relaxed and this whole… thing, seemed to work out. You turn your head to the side to look at him, beginning to chuckle softly, just at the sheer randomness of this whole situation. Nero starts to chuckle too until both your soft laughter is all that can be heard in the small garage.

“I hope you can make love to your fiancé without almost killing her now.” Reaching over, you pat his chest three times before forcing yourself to sit up, ready to go back to your normal life and go to cook dinner for yourself.

#Omg I'm back??#Nero x reader #nero #nero dmc #dmc #devil may cry

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otonymous · 4 years

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Origins (MLQC Lucien)

Description: Discover the truth about the MC (MLQC AU) Warnings: 18+: Explicit/graphic language — reader discretion is advised. Potential trigger warnings: mild mentions of violence, blood and gore; scientific experimentation & related unethical behaviour. Spoilers for chapter 13. Word Count: 1647 words (~8 mins of darkness, angst, and (hopefully redemptive) fluff at the end) Author’s Notes:

@marytheredqueen requested a drabble about Lucien with a s/o he created himself (like a romantic version of Victor Frankenstein). This was an intriguing Ask that took me in a very interesting direction which, unfortunately, was more conducive to angst than lascivious thoughts (and also turned out to be much longer than a drabble)! So apologies, dear requester! I do hope you enjoy this story nonetheless, as I had a lot of fun writing it 😊

This piece contains some spoilers for Chapter 13 of the game, but the rest is a conglomeration of speculative AU dabbling. The lines marked with an asterisk were taken directly from Chapter 1 of the game.

Please note the trigger warnings listed above, and happy reading! 👍🏼

All characters & Mr Love: Queen’s Choice owned by Elex

Blood splattered thick across bulletproof glass, crimson smear obscuring the view into the room, grey and bare save for a single straight back chair of brushed steel and an overturned table resting against the far wall.

And the woman, chest heaving as she stood beneath fluorescent lights, impeccable were it not for the wayward splashes of red marring her white gown like macabre polka-dots.

“I didn’t mean to do it,” she would later tell him, head bowed and gaze on the ground before it swept up to meet his, her eyes wet with tears. "I thought they were going to hurt me. I was scared. Do you believe me? Are you disappointed?”

Panic had set in her voice when her hand, delicate and small, flew up to encircle his arm in a grip firm enough to make even the strongest of men flinch. But Ares didn’t even bat an eye.

He could never turn away from his own creation.

“Of course I believe you, foolish girl. Why would I be upset with you for disposing of garbage?"

He placed a gloved hand over the crown of her head to see her smile of relief, felt the warmth seep through black leather as she nuzzled into his touch. Ignored the soft groans of the men in neon hazmat suits when they entered the room, trying their collective best to hold in stomach contents while gingerly sidestepping body parts strewn across the concrete floor.

“I hate having to clean up after his experiments. That girl is a fuckin’ freak, tearin’ apart all these guys without even having to touch ‘em. Scares the living shit outta me.”

“Shut your goddamn mouth or he’ll hear you. You may have a death wish buddy, but I wanna live.”

The faintest expression of amusement crossed Ares’ face. As if he had the time or inclination to deal with every small fry who spoke behind his back within those walls of black steel, the carbon towers of the Black Swan collective stretching high into the sky like impudent fists bucking the laws of nature herself.

Freak, they had called her, when beautiful was what she really was. Surpassing all of Ares’ expectations even when those convened in that hall of polished obsidian murmured objections under their breath, the organization’s top brass silently gloating that finally, finally…there was something that Ares, the golden child, couldn’t do:

“I heard the project was a failure. The subject’s too violent…”

“Out of control. Unpredictable. She’s a ticking time bomb.”

“Hiding in plain sight? Ha! The girl won’t even be able to integrate into normal society. It's out of the question...”

Even still, the lot had gone silent when Ares swept his cool gaze in their direction, the placidity in dark eyes sinister in a way that none dared to challenge. It wasn’t until a metal ring began to tap sharp against steel that the tension in the room was broken.

“They say the subject is unstable, Ares; that your project is unsalvageable. Why do you persist in a futile endeavour?” The voice projected from the shadowy dais, bouncing off expansive walls in an eerie echo.

“Oh? And who, pray tell, is best positioned to determine whether or not an experiment has yielded usable results than the scientist himself? Subject LUC13N is the most advanced prototype I have developed to date, and is, as it stands, our organization’s best chance at achieving its goals. But you don’t need me to tell you that. You’ve already witnessed first-hand what she is capable of.”

The metallic tapping ceased, an uncomfortable silence descending upon the standoff between the two men until it was finally interrupted by the one seated on the dais, speaking in a tone both amused and threatening at once:

“Proceed with your plan, Ares. But know that I do not tolerate failure.”

The scientist rose from his seat at the glass table, the long tails of his black coat sweeping behind him as he left the others in the rumble of discontent that erupted in the wake of the proclamation.

He had no time to listen to the fallout. There was still much to do.

“I’ll get better, train harder…try to control my abilities! Isn’t there another way?!” Her hysteria dies down the moment she sees the look on his face: firm, resigned. Studying the matte, black capsule on her palm, her voice grows small. “I don’t want to forget you, Ares. You’re everything to me…everything I know.”

His large hand reaches out to cup her face, thumb rubbing against the softness of her cheek when he says in a voice laced with fatigue, “It’s the only way.”

She blinks, delicate eyelashes fluttering to make the breath catch in his throat. The hitch in his movement is slight; Ares is careful to conceal it. She mustn’t know that as she had begun to change, evolving into something greater and far more complex than his initial designs, so did the way he had come to see her.

As something more than a test subject. A person. The woman who carried the genes he so painstakingly extracted and recombined within the mutating cells of her beautiful body. Tremendous power hidden in an unassuming package — soft and tender and always so pliant in his hands.

And — in what might be the most surprising discovery of all — a creature who had unwittingly breached the barriers to human emotion and learned what it was to love…teaching him how to love in the process.

Ares pulls away, reaching for the tall glass of water on her bedside table to hold it out in offering. She takes it in a trembling hand, hesitant.

“What’s going to happen? I swallow this and forget? What of my mission?” She looks again at the pill, rolling it about on her palm as if all its implications could be revealed in the contemplation of its featherlight weight.

Kneeling before her, Ares’ lab coat spreads about his legs in a bright halo on the muted concrete floor. He brings his face level with hers, slowly sliding the glasses down the bridge of his nose before resting them on her bedside table beside a pair of paper cranes.

“You’ll forget all of this. Forget Black Swan, forget me. I'll give you new memories: a happy childhood, friends and family who love you. You'll get the chance to know what it's like to live like a normal human being. Go to work, come back to a warm place you can call your home. Eat foods you’ve never before tasted. Laugh and cry at the movies. Maybe even fall in love-”

“I’m already in love with yo-”

Ares silences her with a long finger laid gently upon her lips. He hoped she wouldn’t catch the way it trembled with the force he exerted to keep himself from losing control, holding back the painful emotions that stabbed deeply into his heart. He couldn’t stand to hear her state what they both already knew to be true, even if they had refrained from confessing up to now:

That Ares had fallen in love with a creature of his own making. And in an unlikely miracle, she returned his feelings.

“In exchange, the pill will bury the power inside of you until the time is ripe for you to awaken."

The girl remains motionless save for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, slowly processing the words of the man who made her. “Awaken…and when is that?”

“That’s not for you to worry about, silly girl. I'll be there when it happens, watching over you. Or did you think I'd leave your side?"

At this, her head snaps up, eyes darkening as pupils expand in an attempt to capture this last image of the man more important to her than life itself.

“Never leave me,” she says, pinching the pill between thumb and forefinger and lifting it to her lips.

A faint smile, beautiful and bittersweet, graces Ares' handsome face when he nods. "I promise."

Her lips part, sealing their fates as the capsule disappears into her mouth to be swallowed whole.

“Hello, I’m looking for Professor Lucien."*

The woman approaches him on the stairwell of the research centre, eyes squinting for a moment as bright sun shone through the windows to set her face aglow in a way that took Ares’ breath away.

Finally, together again.

He schools his voice, trying to temper the euphoria that threatened to overwhelm him at their reunion. "Lucien? What do you want with him?"*

“I’m a producer from the Iridescent Images company. Here’s my card. I want to invite the professor to be our guest on the show ‘Miracle Finder.’”*

Ares looks at the delicate hand extending the business card in his direction, remembers the way it used to grip his arm whenever the girl was anxious or scared. Sees the shy hesitation in the eyes that once looked upon him with love and affection, and is warmed by the prospect that they could have that happiness once more.

And so, it begins…

Thank you so much for reading! Check out more of my work here! 📚

#otonymous COVID19 drabble #mlqc #mr love queen's choice #love and producer #mr love dream date #mlqc lucien #mlqc xu mo #mlqc fanfic #mlqc fic #fanfiction #my writing #marytheredqueen #all request line

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mxliv-oftheendless · 4 years

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Twist of Fate, Chapter 7

DATE TIME!!! As you’ll recall from last chapter, Starchild and Tomaziel are gonna have a DATE! Gonna take this a different route and have this be in Tomaziel’s POV. So enjoooooooy!!! Tagging @cosmicrealmofkissteria and @tanookiroxx.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tomaziel cursed to himself as he hurried down the hall, not quite in a flat-out run, but he was close to breaking into one. He hadn’t meant to get caught up in his work, but suddenly he checked the time and realized it was 11:31. He told Starchild he wouldn’t be late.

The memory came to mind of Starchild smiling and winking at him and he smiled.

If he was being honest, he still couldn’t quite believe this was happening—not only did Starchild not mind that he liked him, but he felt the same way??? A part of him wondered if this was all just an incredibly pleasant dream. But no, it was real.

His feelings had grown from simply thinking Starchild was rather handsome as he spent more time with him. He had interacted with Starchild before now, had even toured with KISS on Earth before with a band of his own, but had never been able to spend time with him like now. He was still the same lively, energetic person he was before, but there was something different about him now; Tomaziel hadn’t been able to describe it until Starchild told him of his desire to be a better person, but he seemed more comfortable with himself. Happier. His whole face seemed to light up when he smiled or laughed, and oh, what a wonderful laugh it was…

He finally arrived at the room Starchild had told him to go and gently pulled open the door. It turned out to be a smaller dining hall, perhaps for a more private affair, which Tomaziel secretly appreciated; as much as he liked Starchild, he didn’t want rumors to start flying around. The table was over beside a large window that overlooked the Garden Dome, and Starchild himself was already sitting there. His head turned from the window as Tomaziel entered the room, and a smile appeared on his face. “There you are,”

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he apologized as he closed the door. “I lost track of time.”

Starchild shook his head. “It’s all right, I understand. Please, sit.” He gestured to the chair across from him. As Tomaziel sat down, he asked, “I do understand, but I have to ask,” he batted his eyelashes and smiled innocently at him, “what could possibly be more important than me?”

Tomaziel felt his face flush, but couldn’t help laughing along when Starchild began to giggle. “You need to stop flirting with me,” he laughed, even though he really hoped he wouldn’t stop.

“I can’t help it,” Starchild giggled. “You always look so flustered, and it’s adorable.”

Tomaziel’s laugh turned into a shy giggle. He thinks I’m adorable… “Well, to answer your question, I was doing more preparations for the ball, and then…” he couldn’t help frowning a bit as he remembered the stack of papers that had been on his desk, “I had to do paperwork.”

“Ah, I see,” Starchild nodded as he spooned out food for himself. “Paperwork is always so time-consuming.”

“It really is,” Tomaziel couldn’t help sighing. “I realize its importance, but it really is so time-consuming. And it was so much.”

“No one ever tells you how much paperwork there is involved, do they?”

“They never do! Why is that?”

“I have no idea,”

Tomaziel looked up at him curiously as he served himself food. “I remember Ace complaining before about how much paperwork he had to do. Is it the same for you?”

Starchild sighed. “I try not to complain, but yes, it is. Ever since I began to take a more active role in running the kingdom, I have had to do more of it, and it’s exhausting.” After a moment, he gave Tomaziel a smile. “But enough about paperwork. How are you? I realized I never got the chance to ask how you’ve been since I last saw you.”

“I’ve been…” Tomaziel thought for a moment and shrugged. “I’ve been well.” He smiled slightly and added, “Though lately, I’ve had to be on my guard so the Princess doesn’t surprise me with a practical joke.”

Starchild laughed. “Really? What a little troublemaker.”

“She’s been running her poor governesses ragged all week,” Tomaziel laughed. “She kept trying to sneak away from them.”

“I know, Ace told me. She kept trying to sneak off so she could find me.”

“That sounds about right. It seems she’s a fan of yours.”

“Oh, I know; I finally got to meet her yesterday. I was waiting for her to suddenly and by pure coincidence run into me all week. I was even trying to be in easy places for her to look!”

Tomaziel couldn’t not smile at that; Starchild hadn’t been obligated to do it, but he did it anyway. “That was kind of you.”

Starchild chuckled, and Tomaziel couldn’t help thinking of how at ease he felt around the Prince. It was nice to feel this relaxed with someone. Then he thought of something Starchild had said and spoke again, “I just thought of something; it has been a while since I last saw you. The last time I saw you was…” How many years ago had it been?

“When you and your band toured with KISS,” Starchild finished. “Black ‘N Blue.” He smiled. “That was fun.”

“It was,” Tomaziel agreed, smiling back. “It was a little nerve-wracking; I had never been to Earth before. But I loved it, and everyone else did too.”

“How are they all? Do you still keep in touch with them?”

“I do. They’re all doing very well.”

“Tell them I said hello. Tell them Demon says hello, too. He will never admit it, but he enjoyed touring with you all.”

Tomaziel laughed and nodded. “I’ll tell them. They always say how wonderful it was to tour with you and the others.”

“I’m glad you had such a good time,” Starchild smiled happily. He gave a laugh. “You all certainly fit the part. I barely recognized you with your blonde hair.”

Tomaziel’s cheeks flushed at the thought of his blonde hair. “Oh… really?”

“No, I liked it!” Starchild insisted. “I thought…” To Tomaziel’s surprise, Starchild’s cheeks grew slightly pink. “I thought you looked wonderful with blonde hair.”

“Oh…” Tomaziel’s face grew warmer. “Thank you…”

There was a pause, in which Starchild’s eyes lowered to his plate and he ate some of what he had. Tomaziel did the same, but after a while couldn’t help looking back up and staring at him. His cheeks were still pink, and his fingers had drifted up to fiddle with a lock of his hair, and his eyes had turned back to the window. He looked… shy. Tomaziel had never seen Starchild look shy before. He never seemed the type to be shy; he sang and danced and laughed and always carried himself with confidence. It was a little odd to see him like this. And yet at the same time, Tomaziel couldn’t help thinking that Starchild looked slightly cute when he got the pink in his cheeks. It was sweet.

Starchild’s eyes suddenly flicked up to meet his. “What are you staring at?”

His voice was adorably confused, and Tomaziel just had to crack a smile at it. “Nothing. I just…” he set down his fork. “I’m happy you liked my blonde hair.”

A small smile appeared on Starchild’s face. “I did. It looked like hair from a poodle.”

“Is that good?”

“It’s very good. Besides, I have heard a saying on Earth about blonde hair.”

“What is it?”

For some reason, Starchild’s smile widened slightly. “Gentlemen prefer blondes.”

He burst into a fit of giggles, while Tomaziel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I… I don’t get it.”

“Have you never seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? With Marilyn Monroe? It’s an Earth movie.”

“Oh… No, I haven’t.”

Starchild gasped dramatically. “Well, that won’t do. I’ll have to show it to you sometime.”

“Is it a good movie?”

“Oh, definitely. Anything with Marilyn Monroe is amazing.”

Tomaziel smiled. “I’ll take your word for it. You seem to have good taste.”

“Actually, I don’t; her movies are just always available to watch in the hotels we stay at. But thank you.”

And with that, the lunch continued, both of them switching between eating and making conversation, but Tomaziel didn’t feel pressured to actively make conversation. He liked being able to sit there and be comfortable with Starchild.

It was a little difficult, though, to fight off the desire to kiss Starchild whenever he laughed. It was a joyful sound, and held such a sweet note to it, and Starchild’s entire face lit up and his eyes sparkled, and Tomaziel would find himself wondering what it would be like to lean across the table and press a kiss to those red lips. But he refrained from doing so, remembering what had happened the day before; Starchild had pulled him forward, but then stopped right before their lips met. Perhaps he didn’t want to kiss just yet.

When lunch was over, they both stood up to leave. Tomaziel felt slightly disappointed that it was over. “I enjoyed this,” he said as they headed for the door. “Really, I did.”

Starchild smiled at him. “So did I… Will you be free tomorrow?”

Tomaziel’s heart skipped a beat. There was a possibility of something like this happening again? He quickly recalled what he would be doing tomorrow, and his hopes died slightly. “I… I don’t think so…”

Starchild’s smile faded into a look of disappointment. “Oh…”

After a moment of hesitation, Tomaziel reached out to take his hand. “But… sometimes after I finish everything I have to do for the day, I like to go to the library.”

Starchild perked up slightly. “You do?”

Tomaziel nodded and smiled coyly at him. “I do. The quiet helps me to relax.”

“What a coincidence,” Starchild mirrored his coy smile. “I like to do the same thing. I was thinking I would go there to find a book to read after dinner tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll see you there?”

“Maybe. Who knows?”

“Who knows?” Starchild echoed. He turned away to open the door, sadly having to let go of his hand, then paused and turned back around. He stepped back over to Tomaziel and slowly leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. He pulled away and smiled. “Until then,”

Tomaziel watched him open the door and leave, following him after a moment and walking in the opposite direction. His cheek tingled, and he reached up to graze the spot Starchild had kissed.

A giddy smile bloomed across his face as he fought the urge to giggle uncontrollably. He definitely wouldn’t be able to focus at all for the rest of the day.

#Shandi's KISSteriaverse #twist of fate #yeah these two are gonna go slow as fuck with the development of their relationship #well... as slowly as possible considering starchild's only there for another two weeks lol #but i promise there's more romance coming for these two #i love them ok #i love them your honor #spacechild #kiss au writing #my writing #hope you enjoyed!#stay tuned for chapter eight!

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kitaychan · 3 years

Text

White Flame

Chapter 2

Rating: M

Warnings: Blood, Psychological Horror

General Summary: Royal/ Magical AU. As their two Kingdoms get closer to a war, the past keeps on hovering around their choices. Prince Ivan has a hard time controlling his magical powers while being tormented by a mysterious ghost and Prince Alfred embarcs in seeking a revenge that might cost more than it’s worth it.

Preview: He stared at the animal and frowned. “I don't want to be a king, I want to be that bird.”

Natalya kept laughing until his annoyed expression told her that he was talking seriously.

She took off the ribbon that kept her hair out of her face and folded it. “You can’t, people can’t be turned into animals but you can be a King and live very happy.”

Maybe he was just a boy.

Ivan wasn’t sure of what had happened.

The luncheon had been peaceful, his mother was sitting there, preferring hot chocolate over the delicious pork that Ivan requested, she was a bit paler than normal but it wasn’t strange, these days the palace was colder, perhaps winter would come earlier.

Katya, his sister was nibbling the dessert when his father arrived, scowling as usual and refusing to eat, offering his drink to the queen. He complained about the newly acquired mage saying he was “fooling around instead of doing his work”. Ivan felt bad for the poor man, he remembered his father brought him along in the last trip, from a foreign land in the east.

Ivan had tried to caught the oriental man around the palace, curiosity was killing him, he wanted to ask about the customs, the stories about dragons that he heard from the knights, but his father wouldn’t allow him to, saying that the man was unwilling to share the secrets of their magic. Ivan didn’t blame him, if he had a choice, he wouldn’t share his magic with his father either.

The king reminded the boy about their practice the next day, as if he was reading Ivan’s thoughts, he underlined the importance of it as well as the obligatory nature of the task. Ivan wasn’t keen of their shared lectures, his father was always scolding him, calling him weak and lazy. It wasn’t his fault that the spells did not work, though, his unwillingness to utter them or cast them among defendless servants might have something to do with it.

The day had been so boring that he didn't remember much of it, just that he had to dinner alone while some servants walked around hurriedly.

When he lay in bed waiting for his mother to kiss him goodnight, he could distinguish the sound of a clock, marking each second, the sound was distant, echoing in the halls.

He pondered the idea of searching the clock but refrained from it, he didn't want a punishment for being out of bed.

Ivan, waited and waited until his eyelids closed and he drifted to sleep.

His mother didn't showed up that night.

In the morning as he was sleeping soundly in his bed, glad that his father had ceased taking him on those long and horrible trips and happy that his dreams didn’t turn into the constant nightmare with the bloodied wolf, he heard his sister sobbing.

She was by his side, waiting for him to wake up. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks stained with tears. Ivan didn't know what to do, she hugged him tightly, assuring that she was going to be there for him. For what? Ivan didn't know, he only nodded as his sister kept crying and mumbling nonsenses to him.

Two days later the weight of the situation was setting in his mind. His mother was not going to greet him in the mornings anymore, she wasn’t there to wake him from his nightmares and lull him into sleep again. Though, Katya was there as she said, she was clueless, she didn’t know why the gray wolf mounted in the trophy hall was covered. She didn’t understand why Ivan dreaded the weekly practices with their father.

Somehow, in a short span of time his father had managed to look even more menacing, whenever he casted his glance at him, Ivan felt as if he blamed him for his mother’s death.

Ivan had refused to prepare for the funeral. There were relatives he didn’t know around the palace giving him pitiful glances and some of them even dared to speak to him about his mother. How could they? they’ve never showed themselves when she was alive, why should he listen to them now?

When the third unknown relative approached him at the table, Ivan left behind his untouched meal and ran directly to his room. Kicking off his shoes and tossing the black coat they had made him wear.

After some minutes his father and Katya entered in his room. His sister proceeded to silently dress him back.

“You’ll go downstairs, greet everyone and stay until they go to sleep.” The glare his father gave him was enough for Ivan to understand he shouldn't talk back.

Katya’s voice was soft. “Father, perhaps we should let him rest. Vaneshka hasn’t slept very well as of lately.”

“I didn’t ask your opinion, Yekaterina. Go and greet the guests.” The harshness of his voice made the siblings flinch.

While Ivan observed the way she was hurriedly tying his shoes, the thought that had been haunting him since he got the news from his mother’s death assaulted him once again.

Even when his sister promised to be there for him, which was precisely what she was doing. She had only a bit of influence in the palace.

Katya could not protect him from their father.

----

The day was sunny, the sound of the leaves rustling with the wind was all Natalya could hear, she was glancing out of the window, silent, she should be sleeping but she couldn’t, she was eager to go out of the carriage and spin around with that nice black dress her mother had prepared.

Today she was finally going to visit his cousin, her mother was always talking about him, telling her how to behave in front of him. Each year the king gifted her a portrait alongside some silk ribbons, she made sure to wear one each day.

She hadn't seen him since he was five years old or so they said, she didn’t remember very well, but it was not her fault to be younger than him, it was a miracle she knew whom they were talking about. But it didn’t matter, she knew that he was just as charming as they had told her. After all his father always said that she deserved nothing less than a prince. Natalya imagined he had to be just like that, a prince, just like the tales her mother read to her at night.

When the time finally came, Natalya glued herself to the carriage's window, to get a glimpse of him, they would be arriving soon. She admired the city, the ornamental gate, the beautiful gardens, the entrance with the servants all dressed in black.

Stepping out of the carriage, she observed in awe at the beautiful and obviously bigger palace his cousin lived in.

The doors were opened and she finally saw him.

He was dressed in a simple way, at least in comparison to her, who had been hours trying to look as well as possible. She greeted him and he responded shyly, hiding behind his sister.

To Natalia, it was confusing, she was expecting him to take her hand or to bring flowers like in the fairytales but she supposed it was going to happen later, after all they were just children, he was nine years old.

After the boring ceremony held for the deceased queen, her mother sent her to speak with the prince, to cheer him up.

Natalya complied, chatting and starting a silly game of hide and seek in the gardens. She let him win, that’s what her mother instructed her to do. It would make him happy but he looked bored and was more interested in the surroundings than in the game itself. Noticing this, Natalya tried to start a conversation.

“Do you like that tree?” she asked, leaning forward and trying to peek over his shoulder.

He pushed her back and sighed. “ No, I am looking at the bird in it.” Then he pointed at a branch in the tree.

There was in fact a gray bird with white and black rings around the neck and a fluffy white belly. Natalia thought it was a pretty simple bird, this wasn’t the kind of conversation her mother had said he’d be interested in, instead he was just as any other boy she had talked with. Perhaps, her mother was wrong, this boy wasn’t a prince just yet, maybe he was just a boy.

Natalya decided to act naturally and not how she had practiced, stating her opinion. “I don’t know much about animals, I think they are noisy, especially birds. Do you like birds?”

There was a small silence and Natalya shifted uncomfortably, had she done something wrong?

Her cousin smiled. “Not really,” -he shrugged- “I just think that one is cute.”

Natalya smiled back and lifted an eyebrow. “Why? Is it because it’s gray, like the wolf?”

He tensed considerably. “No...I don’t know, it’s big and fluffy, it looks like it has a beard.”

Natalia looked up at the bird again and giggled. “it does look like it has a beard.”

He sat in the grass and scoffed. “If it had a hat it would look like your father.”

Natalya frowned, was that an insult?

“I don’t think so, it would resemblance the priest.” She said sitting beside him.

“The priest?”

She nodded. “Yes, didn't you see him?”

“He doesn't look like that.” he looked confused.

“He does, I talked with him. I asked him when I could marry” she whined putting her hands on her lap, playing with the fabric of the dress.

He just turned to look at the bird again.

She shook his shoulder “Aren’t you going to ask me when I can marry?”

He looked at her for a moment, shaking his head. "No. My father is always saying that my sister has to marry, that he’ll pick with whom, why would you want to know when you’ll marry? If father is ordering Katya to think about that it can’t be good. You shouldn’t be excited."

She shook her head. “That’s not true. My parents say that marriage is a good thing, that it brings joy and wealth. You’ll have to marry one day too.”

He seemed surprised as if the idea hadn’t cross his mind before. He crossed his arms and denied childishly. “I don't want to.”

Natalya laughed at his response. “Why not? I could be a nice queen and when you are the king you can get more of those birds. We will be very happy.”

He stared at the animal and frowned. “I don't want to be a king, I want to be that bird.”

Natalya kept laughing until his annoyed expression told her that he was talking seriously.

She took off the ribbon that kept her hair out of her face and folded it. “You can’t, people can’t be turned into animals but you can be a King and live very happy.”

----

Later that night, Natalya was sneaking to his room, she was going to give him a gift to show him her affection. She tiptoed through the corridor and opened his door slowly. The floor creaked under her tiny feet and he woke up, seeming startled to see her there. She put a finger on her lips motioning him to keep quiet.

She gave him a box and a kiss on the cheek and left the room closing the door behind her. She was giggling, waiting for him to open it and to go out and thank her.

What happened next was a blur to Natalya.

A shrieking scream resounded on the halls, some doors were opened, and she heard hasty steeps getting near.

She was pushed back and the door of his room opened. She saw him, sobbing with the bird on his hands, his eyes meeting hers for a moment. Then, he started shouting at her, she didn’t understand why, all she had done was to get that stupid bird for him and there he was speaking nonsense to her.

She started crying, the king entered the room and he stopped his noisy cries. The hateful glace the prince gave her when he stood up made her shriek, what had she done wrong? She kept sobbing in the hall, while the prince pointed at her and accused her with the king. The icy glare of the latter stayed in her memory for years after the incident, alongside the sound of the door closing in front of her.

#hetalia #aph russia #axis powers hetalia #aph belarus #aph ukraine #hetalia fanfiction #hws russia #hws ukraine #hws belarus #hetalia world series

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pastelwitchling · 5 years

Text

All Hallows Fictober Challenge

Week 3: Outer Space

***

Alex had needed noise. Now that he was here in the Wild Pony, staring at his drink, he couldn’t remember why. Maybe it had been because he’d been alternating between his cabin and the bunker the past several weeks, and the silence had nearly driven him crazy. Maybe it was because he couldn’t hear the gunshots, the screaming, the bombs going off, and his own thoughts when he was surrounded by so much chatter and laughter and sports games. Maybe he’d just desperately needed to be somewhere familiar, somewhere that reminded him of better days, better moments.

What had he been thinking? The Wild Pony didn’t give him good memories, it brought an ache to his chest. It didn’t make him feel like he had friends, it reminded him that he’d created new distances.

Still, Alex had forced his way through the door, forced himself onto a seat, forced a smile when he asked Maria for a drink, forced himself to keep it when she insisted it was on the house (Guilt, Alex thought, and warned himself not to think of it again), and forced himself to sit through it as Maria came by every so often, trying to make idle conversation.

Please stop, he silently urged. Please stop talking to me.

But what right did he have to make such a request out loud? What right did he have to tell Maria that he couldn’t face her, couldn’t smile genuinely at her, couldn’t listen to what she said without hearing, Liar liar liar, echoing in his ears.

He got a painful jab to his chest, and winced, tightening his hold on his glass bottle. He didn’t need to run to the bathroom to check how much further the coloring in his veins had spread. He could feel it. The pain had stopped going away, even painkillers had stopped working.

“Alex,” Maria said, laying a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

Alex wanted to snap at her not to touch him, but he refrained. He was angry, and uncomfortable, and miserable that he just couldn’t explain it. And he didn’t think he was close enough to Maria to try. Not anymore. So he merely clenched his jaw and shook his head, refusing to move his arm from her touch even as another shock of electricity went through his body.

“You’re not okay,” she answered, her hold on him tightening. “Alex, what’s wrong? I can sense your pain.”

Why does that make a difference this time? he nearly said. Why do you care? Why are you asking? Is it because it doesn’t affect you? Because what I feel doesn’t get in the way of what you want? Now it matters?

No. Alex couldn’t think like that. He’d pushed Michael away. He hadn’t tried hard enough to keep him. Maria was beautiful, and smart, and funny. Why wouldn’t Michael have preferred her? What was Alex supposed to mean to him anyway?

Alex suddenly heard glass break and people screaming. He looked around. The windows had shattered, the walls were covered in cracks as if a thousand axes had been used to hack through them, and there were some people who were staring with horrified silence at the cuts along their arms or cheeks.

Alex barely had time to help a woman near him as Maria had rushed to help others before his arm and chest throbbed with an agonizing pang, and he nearly fell against the bar. He forced some shallow breaths through his teeth and rushed out, into his car.

When he had arrived at the hospital, he’d stumbled through the reception line, demanded to see “Doctor Valenti, now!” and Kyle had helped him into an examination room where he knew they would not be interrupted.

“Let me see,” Kyle said, and without waiting, knelt in front of Alex, pulled his sleeve up, then unbuttoned his shirt to find a stream of violet, gold, orange, and green spreading out across his skin. He stepped back, covering his mouth. “Alex, it’s getting worse.”

“I hurt people at the Wild Pony,” Alex whispered, shaking his head. “I hurt innocent people.”

“With those powers?” Kyle shook his head. “Why would you go to the Wild Pony?”

Alex didn’t answer for a moment. Damn it, why had he gone? “I thought it would be easier if I just forced myself to talk to her again. If I saw them together, then maybe I’d get some closure and move on.”

Kyle’s expression softened. “Alex.”

Alex shut his eyes tight. He grit out, “Stop sounding so sympathetic, I’m acting like a spoiled brat.” Before Kyle could argue, which Alex could see he was eager to do, the airman stood. “Forget about it, look, I’m thinking of going to see Mimi.”

“I don’t know, Alex, Maria’s mom? I don’t think it’s safe for you to be around Guerin or DeLuca right now.”

“Mimi is not Maria,” Alex said. “And when Edwards grabbed my wrist, he repeated the same words Mimi had told me before, only I didn’t know what she meant then. ‘We aren’t meant to touch things from another world.’ I think if anyone would know what’s happening to me, and how to stop it, it would be Mimi.”

Kyle hesitated, but he took one more glance at Alex’s veins, and relented. “Fine, but you listen to me, Manes. If this problem doesn’t get better by tomorrow, we do what we should’ve done in the first place, and we tell Guerin. Promise me.”

“Kyle –”

“Promise me, Alex!”

Alex sighed. Kyle’s eyes searched his face, and as if they’d never had any kind of falling out, as if they’d never been apart, as if Kyle had never been a stranger at all, Alex could read him, could blatantly see the raw fear in his eyes. It made him want to reach out to touch him, if only to be reassured that his friend was there, and that he wasn’t dealing with this alone. “I promise.”

The trip to see Mimi was a stressful one. Alex and Kyle had to make sure they were going at a time when Maria would definitely not be home, and Alex kept digging his fingers into the spaceship piece in his lap throughout the entire drive, imagining all the ways this meeting could go wrong.

Mimi could freak out at the sight of the spaceship, could freak out at the sight of Alex’s skin, and she could end up telling Maria everything. Alex thought of possibly damaging Mimi’s mind even more, and very nearly told Kyle to turn the car around. But he didn’t. This was important, and he was desperate.

“Alex,” Kyle muttered, and Alex realized that in the rush of his thoughts, the car windows began to crack around the edges. “You’re fixing that.”

Alex tried to huff a chuckle, but failed.

“You need to calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“Alex, I’ve seen you calm. You’re the walking embodiment of calm. And right now, you’re not calm.”

Alex closed his eyes, trying to his best to take deep breaths.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Alex clenched his jaw so hard he thought he could taste blood. He nodded without a word.

Once they’d parked in Mimi’s driveway, they sat in the car, hesitant.

“You sure you don’t want to just go to Guerin?” Kyle asked. “I already have a bad feeling about this.”

Alex said nothing as he stepped out of the car. They’d made it to the front door, and were just about to knock when it was swung open.

“I thought I heard you coming, Alex,” Mimi said, looking as frantic and upset as Alex remembered her whenever he’d show up at her door, beaten and bloody. “Come in, sweetheart, hurry. We have a lot to talk about.”

Alex and Kyle were taken into the kitchen where a pot of tea was already whistling on the stove. “Sit, sit. Alex, pull up your sleeve,” she said as she took the pot off the fire, and set three mugs on the table in front of them. “Let’s see what they’ve done to you.”

Kyle blinked. “You – you know?”

“Of course I do,” Mimi said. “I’ve been having strange dreams for days. I knew they had to mean something.”

“You had dreams about my arm?”

“I’ve seen you in pain,” Mimi said. “I’ve seen you holding your arm, like you’re doing now, trying to hide it. I figured you’d eventually come to me, though I have to admit, I expected you sooner. Now, let me see.”

Kyle gave Alex a nod of encouragement, and with a deep breath, Alex began unbuttoning his shirt. When Mimi saw the multi-colored veins clear through his skin, she gasped.

“Alex,” she breathed, her fingers hovering over Alex’s arm and chest. “Oh, Alex, Alex, Alex. You did it, didn’t you? You touched something from another world?”

Alex hesitated, then handed Mimi the blanketed spaceship piece. Mimi didn’t need to unfold it. Her fingers had barely touched it, and she snatched her hand back. “Put it away. Put it away, Alex, it’s not safe! How long have you had that?”

“A while.”

“Doesn’t it make the pain worse?”

Alex shook his head, looking down at the glass in his lap. “Everything makes the pain – ah!” He doubled over, clutching his chest, trying to breathe.

“It’s from outer space, Alex,” Mimi said, though she only rubbed his back soothingly as if he was suffering a stomach ache. “It takes away your ability to breathe. That’s what the vast darkness does.”

“Why is this happening now?” Kyle said. “He’s had that spaceship piece for months. He’s been with Guerin longer than that!” Then he quickly covered his mouth, worried about what he’d accidentally given away.

“Don’t panic,” Mimi said, rubbing rougher circles into Alex’s back, and oddly enough, Alex found himself soothed when she was near. It still hurt, but it was a lot more bearable now. “I’ve always known all about Michael, and Max and Isobel. That kind of energy only comes from one place.”

“And you never said anything?” Kyle asked.

Mimi shrugged. “It was never my secret to tell. And they’re good kids, they never gave me reason to worry.” She smiled. “Even Michael.”

Alex couldn’t help but grin along, though the pain wiped it away instantly enough. “How do I make it stop?” He held Mimi’s wrist in a tight grip.

“Tell me what’s happened,” Mimi said, running a hand through Alex’s hair. It only occurred to Alex now that Mimi was trying to stay calm for him. It reassured him. Maybe this was something he could fix on his own. Maybe Guerin never had to know what was happening.

So he and Kyle told Mimi what had happened, and as they spoke, Alex held onto Mimi’s wrist. He thought briefly of Maria, how he wished she could be here to listen to him, to hold him, to tell him that, “Pfft! This is nothing, Alex! We can fix this!”

She’d be lying, and he’d know it, but he’d believe her anyway because she would so badly want it to be the truth.

Would Michael care as much? Would it matter to him at all? The thought sent a ripple of electricity through his chest, and the colored veins spread even further, stretching towards his neck.

Mimi watched him the entire time, digging circles into his back, then his shoulders, then his arms. Finally, after everything she’d heard, she said, “Thinking of him hurts you, doesn’t it?”

Alex didn’t need to be told who. He nodded.

“Alex,” she sat across from him, taking both his hands in hers and rubbing them. “Do you know the fundamental law of every living being in the entire galaxy?”

“Fundamental law?” Kyle blinked.

“Home,” Mimi said. “Everyone looks for their home, the place where they belong. That spaceship piece you have, that shattered glass, it’s a part of a long line of a suffering race. It lives and breathes, and it’s pain, and pain looks for a home, too.”

“What does that mean?” Kyle said. “What’re you saying?”

Mimi searched Alex’s face. Alex remembered the times he’d thought Mimi was losing her mind whenever she’d spoken like this, of other worlds and realities. Could it be she’d been speaking sense, and no one had understood because no one had known the secrets that she knew? What a lonely place to be, Alex thought.

“Alex carries pain with him, wherever he goes,” she said, then leaned forward, her hold on his hands tightening. “Caulfield. You went there, didn’t you? You nearly died there.”

Alex swallowed.

“Alex, what’s she talking about?”

“They’re my family, Alex!”

“Alright, maybe! But you are mine!”

“No! Go! I don’t love you!”

The pain intensified, and Alex gasped for breath. It was, apparently, all the answer Mimi had needed.

“That’s when all of this started,” she said. “The pain of that spaceship piece has taken residence in you since the second you touched it. Caulfield helped it settle in the darkest corners of your heart, and what Edwards did was pull it out.”

“So it was dormant until Edwards touched him?”

“Knowing Alex, it would’ve come out at some point. But Edwards used fear to make the process go faster. What he said, it scared you, didn’t it?”

Alex’s brows furrowed. Everyone leaves. He shook his head. “Why are you so sure it wouldn’t have stayed dormant?”

Mimi sighed, and kissed Alex’s fingers. “You’re a brave man, Alex. You always have been. But sometimes for you, being brave means keeping the pain hidden inside. Max and Isobel and Michael, they have their powers. That’s their outlet for their pain. But you’re a human, you can’t get rid of your monsters that way.”

Kyle looked to the airman. “Alex is repressed? That’s why all of this is happening? That’s why the spaceship is affecting him so much?”

“Exactly,” Mimi said. “Alex, you need to let go. You need to come to terms with what hurts you the most, and it’s not this pain in your arm or your chest. You know what I’m talking about.”

The ride back to Alex’s cabin was silent for the most part. Kyle had told him not to worry about his car that was still parked at the hospital, that he would get it back for him by tonight. Alex barely listened.

“She’s right, you know,” Kyle said as they turned a long, empty dirt road that led to the cabin. “You are repressed.”

“I’m not repressed.”

“Alex, you keep forgetting that I know you. You’ve always been like this; nothing’s ever really bothered you, nothing’s gotten under your skin, nothing’s upset you.”

Alex shut his eyes, resting his head against the glass. Mimi had given them her word that what was said between them would stay between them, though Alex couldn’t help but be concerned. What if Maria found out somehow? What if she read it on her mother’s face? What if she told Michael?

The pain shot through his body, and he could feel the veins throbbing in his skin. He clenched his jaw.

“Of course I’ve been bothered,” he said, his voice strained to his own ears. “Of course I’ve been upset.”

“I know you have, but it’s like it’s some kind of secret you have to keep close to your chest!” Kyle said. “No wonder you’re suffocating!”

“Kyle –”

“Alex, just tell me! I know you hate this thing with Guerin and Maria, so just say it! It’ll help you feel better!”

“Fine,” he snapped. “I hate this thing with Guerin and Maria! Happy now?”

There was a brief moment of silence between them, then, “You don’t always have to be the hero, you know. You don’t always have to be the one that takes care of everyone else. It’s okay if you’re angry.”

But was it? Alex thought. He thought of his dad, the way he could so easily slip from kind and warm, to cool and calculating, to raging and monstrous, as if he couldn’t control that darkness within him. One tiny misstep, and that’s all it would take. I would fall into the cracks.

He said nothing as Kyle parked the car in his driveway. He tried not to wince as he sat up straight, and just as he touched the car handle, he felt Kyle’s hand on his arm.

“Please, Alex,” he said. “Just this once, listen to me.”

Even in his state, Alex couldn’t deny the concern in Kyle’s voice, couldn’t stop his heart from beating painfully to his friend’s fear for him. He wanted to say something comforting, to reassure Kyle that he’d work on what Mimi had said, that the pain was already receding and he was feeling better, but before he could utter a single one of those lies, his eyes caught someone standing on his porch, and his face fell.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, and Kyle followed his gaze with curious eyes. When he saw the stranger, his shoulders slumped.

“What’s Guerin doing here?”

Alex shook his head. “I have no idea.” He quickly thanked Kyle for the ride, made sure his jacket covered every inch of the infected skin, as well as the blanketed glass, and stepped out before the doctor could say anything else.

Alex looked over his shoulder as he approached Guerin. Kyle checked his watch, looked to Alex and Michael with transparent hesitance and apprehension, and finally drove off.

“Alex,” Michael said, glancing at Kyle’s car as it disappeared from view.

“Hm?” Alex made his way to his door, unwilling to give Michael a closer look at him. Would the cowboy even notice that Alex hadn’t slept in days? Would he notice the strain on his face, the way he was unable to help but hold onto his arm, the way his fingers trembled?

“I was – wait, hold on, I was waiting for you!”

“Why?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“I – Alex, would you just wait a second?” he held the front door open, trying to come in, but Alex stood at the threshold. “Uh, I,” he shook his head. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“But I –”

“Guerin, did you want something?” Alex asked curtly. He knew he was being snappish, but he couldn’t help it. Being so close to Michael, desperately wanting to reach out for him, to cry against his shoulder, to beg him to stay with him and never leave again – it was all too strong, and it made him feel so sick and hurt that he could only subtly lean against the door to stay standing.

Michael looked startled, and Alex felt guilt flood his chest at the hurt that briefly passed the cowboy’s expression.

“Alex,” his voice softened, and he stepped closer. “I – I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I haven’t seen you all week, and I…”

I miss you, Alex heard, but he closed his eyes. He was imagining things. Michael would never say that, and even if he did, what did it matter now? Things were far too broken between them for a few sweet words to fix.

“Guerin,” Alex shook his head. What would he say? I missed you so much. I love you. Everything’s horrible and I’m terrified, please don’t leave me.

“Hey,” Michael whispered, bringing his hand to hold Alex’s jaw. “What’s going on, Private?”

“You’re repressed. No wonder you’re suffocating!”

Tell him, part of Alex urged. Please tell him. Maybe he can fix things. Maybe he can help you breathe.

“I,” Alex started, and got a stabbing pain through his chest, as if someone had dragged a knife into his heart. He held onto the door with both hands, his head ducked.

“Alex,” Michael started, his eyes widening. “What the hell is that?”

Alex looked up to see that the poison in his veins had spread to his hand, covering more than half his palm. He couldn’t do this. Not now. Not with Michael.

“I’m fine,” Alex winced. “Please leave.”

“Alex –”

But Alex shut the door in Michael’s face before he could say anything else. He could hear Michael’s muffled calls for him, his voice coated with obvious alarm, but Alex was struggling more and more to hear him at all. He trudged his way to the bottom bunker, fell to the ground as his prosthetic missed a step on the ladder, and he took the spaceship piece he’d been hiding in his jacket, and threw it back into the wall. He stepped as far away from it as he could.

“Ah!” he fell to his knees, trying to breathe, but it was getting harder. He felt the cracks forming along the walls before he saw them. He looked up and caught his reflection in the now cracked mirror. His brown eyes had turned to that same beautiful, abnormal color of his veins, and then everything turned black.

Kyle had come back to Alex’s cabin that night to return his car, and he found Michael pacing the porch.

“Guerin,” he called out. “What’re you doing?”

But it was as if Michael couldn’t hear him. As he neared, he heard the cowboy muttering, “Don’t break down the door, don’t break down the door, don’t break down the door…”

“Guerin – hey, stop, what’re you doing?”

Michael stepped back, startled to see Kyle there. He looked from Alex’s front door to the doctor’s face, and relented. “Something’s wrong with Alex. He looked like he was in pain, and before I could ask, he shut the door in my face.”

“Believe it or not, not everyone’s in love with you, Guerin,” Kyle muttered, though he certainly didn’t feel in the mood to tease. Michael was the one person who Alex always listened to. If even the cowboy couldn’t get through to him…

He knocked on the door. “Alex? Alex, it’s me.” No answer. Kyle banged his fist. “Alex! Answer the door!” Still nothing. “That’s it.”

Without waiting for Guerin, Kyle slammed his shoulder against the door once, twice, and it banged open. Kyle stumbled into chaos, Michael at his heels.

“Oh my God,” Michael breathed.

The ground was littered with shattered glass, and shredded files, curtains, and couch cushions. The walls and tables were splintered, cracked, and hacked into, the kitchen was covered in explosions of various canned foods, and there was a puddle of deep-red something leaving a trail to the backdoor of the house.

“It’s not possible,” Michael said. “I was here the entire time. I never even heard a crash.”

Kyle thought of the way Alex’s power had acted the first time in the bunker, the way it seemed to silently break around him, the way cracks just appeared in the walls as if they’d always been there.

It was as if Alex’s pain was manifesting itself, Kyle thought. Silent, deadly, and harmful to Alex in a way that only became clear when it was too late to save him from it.

“Michael?” Liz’s voice sounded, and then the next thing Kyle knew, she, Max, and Maria were coming in. “I got your… text.”

They stopped at the sight of all the damage.

Maria hugged her arms. “The air… something horrible happened here.”

“I thought if anyone could help Alex, it was Liz,” Michael said, avoiding Kyle’s eyes. Kyle didn’t think Michael would ever admit that the closest person to Alex was him.

“Alex,” Liz said, her brows furrowing. “You’re saying Alex lives here? What happened?” She looked around. “Alex!” she called. “Where is he?”

“Michael, what the hell did you do?” Max demanded.

Michael looked like he wanted to argue, but wasn’t sure whether or not he really hadn’t done this.

“It was Alex,” Kyle said. “Something’s wrong.”

Michael glared. “What’s wrong? And if you knew this entire time, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Alex didn’t want me to,” Kyle said, glaring back. “He didn’t want you to know because he didn’t trust how you’d react. And who can blame him?”

Michael looked suddenly as if someone had slapped him. He started, but Max grabbed his arm. “Stop it, right now we have to find Alex. Kyle, do you have any idea where he might’ve gone?”

Kyle thought hard about it. “Alex always comes to me when he’s in pain. He hasn’t called me which means the pain must be bearable. He’s probably just scared he’ll accidentally hurt someone.”

“I knew something was bothering him,” Maria said quietly, looking around at all the damage. “I should’ve forced him to talk to me.”

Think, Valenti, think. Kyle ran through every possible place where Alex might’ve gone. Somewhere secluded, somewhere dark, somewhere he could be haunted alone.

His eyes widened. Without a word or explanation to the others, he ran out into the night, into Alex’s car, and drove. He ignored the calls to his phone, focused only on finding Alex. He must’ve run every stoplight along the way, but he didn’t care. Kyle stopped outside a small forest, and made his way down a dirt road long forgotten to find trees hacked at and cut into, big branches recently tossed to the ground, and when he finally came upon the large wooden bridge, he froze.

There was Alex, knees pulled up to his chest, his face hidden. The water of the stream ran quietly beneath them, that and the ruffled leaves the only sound for miles.

“Alex,” Kyle spoke, his voice soft but in this peaceful silence it echoed.

Alex looked up, startled, and Kyle had to repress a gasp. Alex’s eyes had changed to that very glowing color of the spaceship piece, the veins having spread to one cheek and a hand. The hand which he was clutching was soaked in blood, running between his fingers and splashing the wood at his feet.

“Oh Alex.”

“Don’t,” Alex stood. “Don’t come near me.”

“I saw what happened to the cabin.”

“I don’t remember doing it,” Alex whispered. “I was in the bunker, and then I was in my living room, and I – I cut my hand on something, but I don’t know what.”

Kyle shook his head, willing the burn behind his eyes away. “Alex, it’s okay. It’s okay, we’ll fix it.”

“Kyle, stop! I mean it, I’ll – I can’t hurt you.”

“You’re not going to,” he said, still making his way towards the airman. He could see water droplets, as well as pebbles, branches, and even large rocks slowly start to rise on their own around Alex, as if they were trying to protect him.

“All of this,” he said, “it’s a defense mechanism. Everything that hurts you, the alien power’s trying to keep it safe. You have to let it go so that there’s nothing left for it to protect.”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know – I tried. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You’re Alex Manes, you’re not just part of a broken legacy. You are not something to be fixed, Alex. It’s okay to be broken sometimes. So break.”

Alex hesitated, looking around him. Kyle had never seen his friend so afraid, and it tore at his heart.

“Break, Alex,” he whispered. “What Guerin and Maria did – I know you don’t want to face this, but you have to – what they did, how did it make you feel?”

“Kyle, I don’t have any right to –”

“Forget about that! Forget about how you can and can’t hurt. Just tell me. How did you feel?”

Alex clenched his jaw, inhaling a shaky breath as his eyes glowed brighter. Then, “Betrayed.”

“Okay,” he swallowed. “Okay, keep going.”

“Hurt. Dismissed. Pitied,” Alex spat, his veins and eyes shining like bright stars in a pitch-black sky. Kyle had no idea whether or not this would work. For all he knew, it was only making things worse, adding fuel to the fire. But it would help Alex finally breathe. If nothing else, it would do that, and for now, that was good enough.

Then a tear slid down Alex’s cheek, his anger turned more miserable, and the light dimmed just a little bit, enough for Kyle to feel hope blossom in his chest.

When Alex spoke again, his voice cracked. “Abandoned. Alone. Broken,” he whispered his last word, and the walls – the water, the pebbles, the branches and rocks – they all fell as Alex’s eyes turned back to brown, the color in his veins dimming. He sighed deeply, another tear silently falling. “They chose not to care. I thought they loved me, and I did everything I could. I tried so hard, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough for him.”

Kyle closed the distance between them, pulling Alex into his arms. After a moment, Alex slowly wrapped his arms around Kyle’s waist, though he didn’t cry. Alex rarely did for long. But Kyle could feel the airman rest his head against his shoulder, his breaths softer and slower. Kyle held on tighter. Alex was still Alex. It was reassuring to know.

The sun had risen by the time Kyle and Alex decided to return. Kyle had only sent Liz a “Found him” text after patching up Alex’s hand, and ignored the frantic vibrations of his phone as he and the airman sat on the bridge, side by side.

“How’d you find me?” Alex had asked after a long time.

“This was your quiet place when we were kids,” he’d answered, and at Alex’s questioning look, he’d smirked. “My memories with you are my favorite, Alex. All the adventures we went on – best moments of my life. I remember everything.”

“Our adventures are a lot different now.”

Kyle had considered this, then, “It’s always been you and me, Alex. From where I stand, nothing’s changed.”

Alex had looked at him with slightly wide eyes, the beginnings of a smile curling the corners of his lips.

“What?”

He had shaken his head, and rested his chin on his folded arms. “Nothing.”

“You don’t have to do this now,” Kyle said softly as they parked in front of Alex’s cabin. Michael realized who had come, and was rushing out to meet them. “I can tell them you’re fine, Alex.”

Alex’s eyes were on Michael, his heart flooded with warmth and love for the cowboy, with fear and anger, and – now that he was willing to admit it – with disappointment that he had turned out no different than everyone else in Alex’s life who he’s had to shut himself against.

“No more running away,” he said.

Kyle nodded, and opened his car door. Alex felt heavy. He tried to move, but Kyle was at his side before he could even sit up properly. Alex tried to muster whatever strength he could, and was grateful to have been able to get out of the car with as little help as possible, but was even more grateful to have Kyle to lean against as they made their way to the cabin.

“Alex!” Michael held his face in his hands, looking him over for injuries and settling on the hand wrapped in a piece of Kyle’s torn shirt as Maria rushed to his side.

“Where’ve you been?”

Alex looked to each of them, and moved away from Michael’s touch. He locked eyes with Kyle, and Kyle, understanding, nodded once before he left the airman to deal with his friends alone.

Michael glanced at Kyle unsteadily. “Alex, where were you? What happened?”

Alex rubbed his wrist. “I was fixing something.”

“Here, let me see,” Michael said, and gently pulled up Alex’s sleeve. The colors in his veins had faded, but not disappeared. Michael let out a sharp breath as he ran his fingers over Alex’s arm. “Alex.”

“Does it hurt?” Maria asked.

“Not anymore.”

“But it did,” he glared, “and you didn’t say anything?”

“I told Kyle,” Alex said, and Michael’s face paled, his grip on Alex’s arm tighter.

“Why not me?”

“Because I don’t trust you.” He looked to Maria. “I don’t trust either of you.”

Michael looked stricken. Maria only looked as if she’d expected this weeks ago.

“Alex –”

“No,” he said, taking a deep breath. It was time to deal with this. “Now I have to talk, and you have to listen. I’ve been trying to pretend that what happened doesn’t bother me. I tried to pretend like I could still talk to you, but the truth is,” he clenched his fists, “I can barely stand the sight of you. I know it’s unfair, and I don’t have any right to feel this way, but you broke my heart and just forced me to deal with it, like I didn’t even mean anything to you. And maybe I didn’t mean that much.”

He looked to Michael. “Maybe I was just a distraction or a confusing moment,” then to Maria, “and maybe I was just some old high school friend that you just happened to still know.” He sighed. “But you were the only family I had, and now, because of what you did, I don’t even have that. And I have to find a way to be okay with that because you know what? I am tired of having a family that hurts me. So I think it’s best that we just don’t talk anymore.”

“Alex,” Maria said, her voice calm but her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Look, you’ve had a long night, and –”

“And I’m thinking more clearly now than ever,” Alex said. “I don’t want to see either of you. I don’t want to be reminded that my feelings were dismissed by the woman I believed was my sister, or blamed by the man that I genuinely thought cared more about me than what my father did. I don’t want to be reminded of how wrong I was about both of you.”

And without waiting for another word, Alex walked past them, taking Kyle’s outstretched hand, glad to have the doctor to take some of the weight off his leg. He could hear Maria sniffle behind him, and absolute silence from Michael, and he ignored them both, pushing past the pang in his chest that almost had him turning around and apologizing again.

“How do you feel, Manes?” Kyle said softly.

Scared. Like I just lost a part of myself. Alex took a deep breath, and released it as they made their way into the cabin. “Free.”

“Alex. Look at me, Alex. Wake up, and look at me. LOOK AT ME!” Alex bolted up in his bed, his entire body in agony. He fell out, clutching his chest. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think.

Help! HELP! he tried, but nothing came out.

“No one here but us, Alex,” a familiar voice said, and Alex looked up. In the mirror, there was his reflection, but that Alex had multi-colored veins across his entire face, all over his hands. His eyes were of the same color, and he grinned as Alex crawled. “And I’m all the help you’ll need.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m you!” he laughed. “But stronger. I’m a completely unfiltered and unrestrained Alex, not caught up in all the feelings and guilt that you are.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry. You’ll start to see things my way soon enough.”

Alex breathed shallowly through grit teeth. “You’re from the spaceship?”

“Meh,” he sighed. “Glowing glass, outer space, the vast darkness that binds your heart to the one surrounding this pitiful planet – take your pick!”

“No,” Alex shook his head. “No, this isn’t possible! I stopped you!”

Mirror Alex stood and tilted his head at Alex. “There’s no stopping the darkness, Alex. You should know by now that it floods the Manes bloodline. Tell me; how good did it feel to crush Michael’s heart? To hear Maria cry? How satisfying?”

“No,” Alex clenched his jaw. “I did what I had to.”

“You certainly did,” he laughed. “And now, I’ll be here to fight for you. To get you the family you truly deserve.”

“What?” Alex panted, barely having enough strength to sit up. “What’re you going to do?”

Mirror Alex’s grin widened, and he crouched. He pressed a finger to the mirror, and Alex watched with horrified eyes as the surface rippled, as if it was made of nothing more than water. As he did, the veins on Alex’s own body brightened, the pain no longer bearable.

“I’m going to take over, Alex,” he said. “I’m going to fix everything.”

***

Week 3 is complete! I released an updated WIPs list yesterday of all the fics that would be coming out in the next few days. I don’t want to mention anything I’m going to start writing today or tomorrow, only what I’m already working on. I don’t know how I feel about this (to be honest, I don’t expect it to do very well), but I am glad to have it finished and out on time. I also don’t really know whether it’s kylex or malex (it kind of feels like both to me).

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope it made your day even the slightest bit better. I have an announcement coming soon which I think is pretty fun (it’s going to be a Christmas challenge! ❤💚), and I hope you’ll find it interesting enough to participate! I love you guys, I hope you have an awesome rest of your day! ❤

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flowerfan2 · 5 years

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Hāʻule Lau (Fallen Leaves) - Ch. 3/3

McDanno, M, A03, 5400 words. Complete.

The radiation poisoning Steve suffered years ago has finally caught up with him. But they're getting through it, together.

Chapter 3

Danny’s at the dining room table, tabbing back and forth on his laptop between real estate listings and a detailed email to Grace. She’s moving back to the island in a few months, and he’ll be damned if he can’t help her find the perfect place to live. Someplace with a nice yard for Annie, and not too far from her job at the university, or from him and Steve.

Steve.

And with that, Danny loses his focus on house hunting and feels that familiar ache start up again. On a good day, he can barely go ten minutes without worrying about Steve, but today it’s been even worse. Tomorrow they’ve got an important visit with Steve’s doctor.

It has to go well, Danny thinks. It has to. Not just because they’d like it to; they need it to. Danny doesn’t think Steve can make it through any more treatment.

Steve tries to be upbeat, to be optimistic. He works hard to put on a good front for Danny. But Danny sees how he folds when he thinks Danny isn’t watching.

Steve shifts on the couch, and Danny immediately goes over to him, perching himself on the coffee table, a hand on Steve’s shoulder. Steve can be disoriented when he wakes up from a nap. Ever since he panicked and fell off the couch, Danny’s tried to keep a closer eye on him. The moment Steve stopped protesting and gave in to Danny’s constant hovering Danny had to step away – the irony of it all – and go pound his fist on the bathroom sink for a minute, cursing at yet another sign of how this disease was eating away at his husband.

Steve blinks as he wakes, and carefully sits up. His strength has slowly been returning this past month since his last treatment ended. He’s a less tentative with his movements now, a shadow of his old confidence returning. But there’s an undercurrent of fear to every positive development – they both know Steve’s might only be feeling better because the meds have stopped, not necessarily because the cancer is gone. While his scans had looked good a month ago, the big question is what’s happened since then.

Danny sits next to Steve on the couch and presses himself against Steve’s arm. Steve sighs and leans his head on Danny’s shoulder.

“I suppose you’re going to tell me I have to eat dinner,” Steve says eventually, a hint of warmth in his rough voice.

“That’s generally what people do, this time of day,” Danny replies.

“Boring.”

“I could make pancakes.”

Steve twists and smiles at Danny, his eyes heartbreakingly bright. “Yeah? I’d eat pancakes.”

Steve excuses himself to the bathroom while Danny goes into the kitchen to get started. He refrains from watching the clock, or standing outside the bathroom door to make sure that Steve hasn’t fallen down and cracked his head open on the sink, and by the time he’s got the batter made up Steve has joined him in the kitchen.

“I want chocolate chips,” Steve says, examinging the batter. “And walnuts.”

“Yes, sir,” Danny says. “Stir this, I’ll see what I can find.” The batter doesn’t really need stirring, but it gives Steve something to do, and he accepts the bowl and spoon. Danny tugs the chocolate chips out of the back of the pantry and hands them to Steve, who dumps a huge pile into the batter.

“Those are going to be more chip than pancake,” Danny comments, lifting cereal boxes out of the way as he searches for walnuts.

“It’s okay. Sounds good. I haven’t had pancakes in a while.”

Danny freezes with one hand on the pantry door. When did he last make pancakes for Steve? Did he put the right amount of chocolate chips in that time? What if this is the last time he makes pancakes for him – what if he never has a chance to get it right?

“Danny?” Steve puts a hand on his shoulder.

“We don’t have any walnuts,” Danny chokes out. Steve moves closer, his hand squeezing tighter.

“It’s alright,” Steve says. “It’ll be fine. Danny. It’s fine.”

Neither of them are talking about the pancakes anymore.

After their pancake dinner, Danny makes Steve sit with him and look at the houses he’s marked as possibilities for Grace. Steve has strong opinions about neighborhoods and school districts. He’s distressed to learn that – shocker – things have changed since he was in elementary school, and he doesn’t automatically know which sections of town feed into which schools.

“At some point you’re going to let Grace weigh in on this too, right?” Steve asks, paging through Danny’s careful notes. “And maybe Mike?”

Mike is Grace’s husband, a tall, dark-haired young man, with an easy sense of humor hidden under a quiet demeanor. He’s also a pediatrician, which helps calm Danny’s nerves about Annie – she’s clearly in good hands.

“Nah,” Danny says, smirking. “Mike knows better than to argue with me. Although,” Danny sits back in his chair and frowns, “it probably makes school districts irrelevant.”

“You think they’ll send her to private school?” Steve asks.

Danny shrugs. “Probably.” They spend a few more minutes looking at houses, debating whether having a master bedroom on the first floor is a good or bad idea with a baby in the house, and then Steve yawns, an impressive jaw-cracking display.

“Bed?” Danny asks.

A nervous look passes over Steve’s face, because going to sleep means waking up and facing tomorrow.

“I’ll come with you,” Danny says, and Steve nods.

“Thanks,” he says softly.

They put on sleep pants and t-shirts and climb under the covers. Steve shifts around for a while, having trouble getting comfortable, and finally Danny just grabs him and hugs him tight. The hair growing back on Steve’s head is soft against Danny’s cheek.

Steve falls asleep quickly, rolling away from Danny, so Danny texts with Grace for a while. When he finally drifts off, he dreams of Grace showing him her new house, a castle on a mountaintop, with labyrinthine halls leading to a giant bedroom with windows stretching from floor to ceiling. Steve is lounging on the canopied bed, healthy and strong and full of mischief. It’s a good dream.

Danny wakes to an empty room. He glances at the clock – it’s only two a.m. – and shuffles out of bed. Steve is just outside, on the upstairs lanai. He’s leaning on the rail, looking out towards the dark water.

“Hey,” Danny says quietly from the doorway. “Can’t sleep?”

“I’m fine,” Steve says firmly. “Go back to sleep, Danny.”

Danny hesitates. It’s been a constant challenge for him since this whole thing began, knowing when to give Steve the space he asks for, and when to push through Steve’s walls. But right now, even though Steve might be stressed and worried, he’s got good reason, and he’s safe enough only ten feet away from Danny.

“You’ll let me know if you want company?” Danny asks.

Steve turns to face him, but the night is cloudy and Danny can’t make out his expression. “Yeah, Danno. Thanks.”

The next morning Steve comes downstairs wearing cargo pants and a dark blue short-sleeve button-up, instead of his usual sweats and t-shirt. It’s like a flashback to a better time. Danny doesn’t mention how the pants are hanging off him, just gives him a big hug and a sloppy kiss on his freshly shaven cheek. “You look great, babe,” Danny says into his ear, and Steve shrugs him off.

Danny still grabs Steve’s jacket when they head to the car. Steve may want to fake it ‘til he makes it, but Danny isn’t going to let him catch a chill in the doctor’s office.

They’re ridiculously early for their meeting with the oncologist, but when Danny tries to distract Steve with a dumb game on his phone, Steve just glares at him. Fine, he thinks, work yourself up into a panic, see if I care.

This doesn’t work, of course, because he does care. Danny’s contemplating having Grace call Steve and put Annie on the phone when the receptionist finally tells them it’s their turn.

They sit in the chairs facing the doctor’s desk, and Danny grabs Steve’s hand. Steve doesn’t protest.

“I’ll get right to it,” Dr. Akana says, and Danny feels like all the blood is draining from his body. “It’s good news. There’s no evidence of disease.”

She keeps talking, but Danny doesn’t hear her, only those miraculous words echoing over and over. No evidence of disease. It’s the best possible finding at this point. It’s Steve’s best chance at lasting remission.

Danny feels Steve’s grip on his hand tighten. Steve’s staring intently at his knees, and he’s sucking in deep breaths of air.

“Hey, hey,” Danny says, scooting closer to put a hand on Steve’s back. Steve looks up at him, his eyes wide. “She said it’s good. It’s good. You’re gonna be okay.”

Dr. Akana comes around and crouches down next to Steve, talking to him quietly. When he calms, she stands and smiles at them. “I’m sure you’ll have a lot of questions for me, and I have some instructions for you. But for now, go home, get some rest. Give me a call later this afternoon, or tomorrow, whenever you’re ready.”

The walk from the doctor’s office out to the car is a blur, Danny hardly aware of anything but Steve’s hand in his. When they climb into the car and sit down, neither of them move for a minute.

“No more chemo?” Steve finally asks, as if to make sure he got it right.

“No more chemo,” Danny replies. Not now, anyway. Not for as long as things stay this way. Steve’ll have to come back in three months for more tests, but for now -- no evidence of disease.

They drive home in silence, Steve tapping his fingers on his knee, and then grabbing Danny’s hand again. Danny squeezes it, and Steve shoots him a glance, a quick smile that fades away almost immediately.

“Wanna stop for something to eat?” Danny asks, as they approach the stretch of road with Steve’s favorite diner.

Steve shakes his head. “Just want to go home.”

Danny agrees. He still feels like he’s almost shaking, like the adrenaline rush after a firefight.

Inside the house, Steve stands in the living room, hands thrust into his pockets. He looks lost. Danny gets him a glass of water from the kitchen, and Steve nods his thanks, drinking it down in long gulps. He sees Steve stare at the empty glass, almost in disbelief, as if he’s surprised he managed to drink it all.

“You’re stronger already,” Danny says quietly. “And you’re gonna keep getting stronger.”

Steve lets the glass hang from his fingers and looks up at Danny. “I can’t believe it.”

Danny takes the glass and puts it on the coffee table, then reaches for Steve. “I know.” He puts his arms around him, hands going up around his neck and pulling him close. “But you did it. You made it through. The cancer’s gone.”

Steve sags against Danny. He falls back on the couch, bringing Danny with him in a tangled heap, and buries his head in Danny’s neck.

“What is it, babe?”

There’s a long pause, and Danny hopes Steve will give him an answer, talk about whatever’s going on in that brain of his. If he doesn’t, that’s okay too. Danny not sure he can articulate what’s going on in his own head right now.

“Danny… I’m still so scared.”

Danny clutches at Steve, tugging at him until they are more or less lying on the couch, wrapped up together. “Me too.”

They lay there like that for a little while, breathing into each other’s skin. Danny doesn’t notice when he starts to feel less like he’s about to dissolve, but eventually Steve shifts and pushes up on an elbow. His eyes are red, but his gaze is clear.

“We’re a pair of idiots, aren’t we?” Steve asks, fondly brushing a finger against the buzzed hair over Danny’s ear.

“Nah.” Danny presses a quick kiss to Steve’s lips. “We’re alright.”

“We’re alright,” Steve repeats. “We’re alright,” he says again, with more conviction. “So why are we…?”

Danny shrugs. He’s gotten used to the tsunami of emotions being with Steve brings. Given what they’ve been through lately, he’s going to cut them a break. They’ve been scared for so long, they can’t expect it to go away in an instant.

And right now, he doesn’t want to dwell on it. Because suddenly there’s a light in Steve’s eyes that Danny hasn’t seen a while, and that deserves to be acknowledged. “What, you think we should be celebrating?”

“Maybe.”

Danny sits up, hands still stroking down Steve’s body. He doesn’t really want to let go. “What did you have in mind? Steaks on the grill? I could run to the store. Get some beer, too.” It’s been ages since they’ve kept beer in the house.

Steve smiles at him, a little shy. “I was actually thinking of something else.”

It’s embarrassing how quickly Danny stands and yanks Steve up the stairs. He’d apologize, backtrack and reassure Steve that no, of course he isn’t desperately horny after going so long without, but Steve is grinning like a madman and employing all his ninja skills to get Danny’s shirt off before they even make it to the bedroom. Danny trips himself getting out of his pants, and Steve grabs him, thumbs digging into his hips and divesting him of his boxers at record speed.

Steve gets naked too, with Danny’s help, and they both dive into bed, eyes and hands roaming over sensitized skin. There’s a moment when Steve stalls as Danny runs a hand down his chest. Danny knows without asking that Steve is worried about how he looks, skinny as a teenager and lacking all the gorgeous muscles he used to be so proud of. But Danny kisses his collarbone, murmuring “love you” and “beautiful” as he nips and teases, and Steve relaxes into his touch.

Working his way down, Danny licks and sucks on Steve’s nipple, playing the other with his fingers. Steve digs his fingers into Danny’s ass, and Danny’s whole body throbs in response. Danny isn’t sure, really, how far this is going to go, despite the frenzy they’re both in, but then Steve’s hips thrust up at him and he zones out. Steve gets a hand around his cock, firm and sure, and starts to stroke. Danny hears himself keen with pleasure, and Steve gives a soft laugh in triumph.

After a few more minutes Steve rolls them so Danny is on his back, and Danny feels Steve’s length press against his side. He’s hard, and Danny has to pause for a minute, slow down and grab Steve’s face with both hands and kiss him with all he’s got. Steve kisses back hot and fierce, sliding over Danny until they’re both pressed together, rocking and grinding until sparks are shooting across Danny’s vision and he’s coming in a wet gush.

“Oh fuck, oh my god, you’re amazing,” Danny breaths out, sliding a hand down to find Steve’s cock, hard and leaking. “Your turn, come on, come for me, babe, you can do it.”

Steve is leaning over Danny, panting and thrusting into Danny’s hand, and then he comes with a long moan. He collapses on top of Danny, still shaking, and Danny pets him, hands in his hair and sliding down his back in smooth strokes.

“Holy crap, babe,” Danny says, still catching his breath. “I did not expect that. That was… fantastic. Wow.” He cups Steve’s face, runs a thumb over his eyebrow. “You okay?”

Steve opens his eyes and blinks at Danny. “Yeah, Danno. Yeah.” He beams, and there’s no better sight in the world. “I’m okay.”

#H50 #McDanno #Danny Williams #Steve McGarrett #Cancer #Recovery #my fic

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hornyorca · 6 years

Text

Hands of Gold.

Ivar the Boneless x Reader.

alright let’s see if i still got this??? i mean it’s been like forever and a half, sooooo -

warnings: nothing really, but it’s me, so.

It was when you realized you had lost your tour guide, your heels clicked against the stone, and the sound of a raven calling did you catch sight of him – tapping your pamphlet against your chin, digging the edge of it into the little dent that rested there, turning in a circle one last time you pierced sapphire eyes that stilled you in more ways than just your physical movement.

There was a thin brick wall that separated you from your companion, the air creeping along the surface and through the fabric of your jacket, spilling bumps over your skin. You listened to him talk through the window around the corner. If you would only lean back (or forward, whichever way you decided to stand), you would be able to see his face – those features that had seemingly haunted your nights ever since you first saw him. Though, strange as it was, if you were to walk only a few steps, you would find yourself alone, and vice versa. The words that were spilling from his lips were lost on your ears, his blissful voice drowning you in your thoughts as you reminisced away.

Never would you had imagined that a simple vacation would turn out to be a historical and ethereal event. Not once in your life did you ever wonder about the people who adventured the lands of the past, that sailed the seas and staked claim over kingdoms. People that slaughtered for kingship and power were not people you gave a minute too, not did you think that you would find companion ship in one. He was a Viking, a prince, a dead soul that should be lying 6ft under the harsh ground in a forgotten land that probably now had concrete and skyscrapers above it… yet there he sat against the stone sill each time you arrived at the ruins.

Neither of you could figure it out, why this was happening, who was allowing it to continue, but you had yet to complain, and as a man who enjoyed ‘adventuring’, he did not mind listening to tales of your time. Despite most of the time you were a liar and a hoax, and a lunatic with some of the things you ‘come up with’. Until you happily showed him your cell phone, and unfortunately found that he did not appear with in photographs. You continuously told yourself this was a dead man, though the way he would talk about his life, and tell you stories… some of the things he spoke as if they had just happened yesterday, or that day. You supposed perhaps maybe when a person dies, they relive all of their moments, continuously, as though it were a new happening. But you felt sorry for him, because there had been two times you mentioned him being dead, or a ghost, or a spirit, and he had yelled at you and had become offended.

You haven’t brought it up since.

You were becoming intensely infatuated with the spirit of a dead man who would cut your throat the moment he thought there was a spark of distance from him in your eyes. What you had learned in the past few days was that betrayal was not tolerated by Ivar the Boneless, not in the slightest, from anyone. Cautiously, almost timidly, it was found that he had even murdered his own brother. His own blood. It was for a fraction of the moment, you felt yourself still on that confession and you wanted to throw yourself off the ruins, onto the broken rocks at the bottom of the window.

You refrained.

Something small touched the side of your head and you flinched out of nature, reaching up to grab it, turning to meet his narrowed glare. “Again, you lose your head today. What are you thinking about that could possibly be more important than me, hm?” Ivar asked, tilting his head, and the corner of your lip twitched at his accent. The way his words rolled always made you want to smile, and listen to him talk for hours.

“You,” was a quick response, still rubbing your head despite the fact there was no pain, looking away from him as you suddenly felt warm at your strange confession. You were not a very shy person once you began to know someone, but there was something in his stare, his attitude, that made you feel less than significant to the life around you.

Creeping a look back around through your window, there was barely emotion on his face aside from a quirk of his lip that would pass by unnoticed had you not mapped his features so intently. “Of course,” he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back, shielding his face with his cloak. “You, only, would think of me in a different manner while I am around.”

It was no secret that you had a small bit of feelings growing for him, or something that made you feel complete around him. You had admitted right off the bat – no one ever said you were the smartest person in the world – that you couldn’t understand why he was still single, that you would love to see that face crawl to you every morning. Granted, you left right after that comment, but it had happened. Letting out a small hum, you felt almost oddly proud, clicking your feet together and glancing down at the watch on your wrist.

You felt his eyes follow your gaze, and the air around both of you suddenly felt heavy. It always did when time rolled by, and you knew the area would be closing off soon. There was a veil almost, one that seemed hard to walk through, and that a part of you was left behind when you would disappear from his vision, and his figure would no longer be present over your shoulder. “Do you…” Ivar’s attention turned, fully facing you now, leaning slightly out the window as you muttered. “ever wonder what I do when I’m not here? Like, do you think about me after I leave?”

A pause, and his head moved, looking down the opposite direction of what you assumed used to be a hallway, and he seemed to be lost like he had seen something move. The sound of crows echoed around you both, and a whistle caught your ear as wind bellowed through small cracks in the building. “Am I not here whenever you return?” he retorted as though you were stupid, turning back around and facing you.

No one ever said you were smart.

“Because you have nowhere else to go,” you told him, finalizing the conversation after nodding to his rhetorical question. Moving to stand, he shouted and you turned quickly, a fear running through your body that he had fallen out the window or something along that matter. Not that it should of worried you – he was simply a spirit. Already dead. Nothing could hurt him.

There he sat, his arm stretched out and his fingers straining in your direction. Furrowing your brows, you stared at him in question and his oceans rolled. “Touch me.” Ivar commanded.

If this were any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have to tell you twice, but until then, you hesitated. “Ivar, I can’t – “

“Touch me.” he ordered again, waving his arm a bit for emphasis, his gaze hard. “I won’t tell you to do it again.”

It was a threat, but what could he do? Walk over and touch you? A part of you wished he could, a part of you wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but there was something in you that didn’t want to admit that he wasn’t real or that he was in fact dead and you were completely crazy.

“I want to know,” he insisted. That was an open statement to you, and you wondered if maybe he was slowly coming to terms that you may be right, and he may be dead.

Hesitantly, you walked over, leaning out the window and stuck out your hand. You had seen enough movies to know that you needed to prepare yourself for a cold rush on your skin, and watching your own hand go straight through his, and a bit of a heart break. But what you did not prepare yourself for was when your fingers brushed against the tips of his, the rough skin grazing against yours, and almost instantly his large fingers grasped yours and his hand swallowed your smaller one.

You weren’t sure what to do, how to breath, or even how to speak as his mouth opened wide and almost became a smile as small clouds rolled from his mouth, and before your eyes you watched a figure walk behind him. The sound of a loud horn reached your ears, a smell of roasting food, and people shouting over one another, and his chest puffed out as his gaze became more intense. His hand slid around your wrist and his blunt fingers dug into your flesh, as though nothing could pry his grip from you. “You’re cold,” was all your brain could register, and for some reason that was not a surprise to you.

“For hands of gold are always cold,” Ivar mumbled to you, dragging his palm back across yours and he seemed to almost admire your fingers and the fact he could feel them. “but a woman’s hands are warm.”

#vikings #vikings x reader #ivar #ivar the boneless #ivar x reader #ivar the boneless x reader #reader-insert #ragnarsson #ivars heathen army #one-shot

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imagineyourstars · 7 years

Note

Since the Halloween season is upon us, could you do a scenario where producer and knights go to a haunted house for Halloween?, I also really love all that you guys do!!

happy halloween everyone !! there are more halloween requests to come after that one by the way ! i wrote it as Knights going to a haunted house as a group rather than individually, so it turned out pretty long ! (also this was a real haunted house rather than a fake one ?) it’s a bit ship-tease-y but still rather platonic and friendly, so i hope you still like it !! (it was super fun to write too !!) - mod mademoiselle

The evening was foggy, cloudy and gloomy : a perfect Halloween night. Even with all the fog, the huge house on the hill could be spotted froma distance. The environs were eerilysilent, at least before you arrived. The decidedly creepy atmosphere was kindaruined by Leo, who was singing happily and hopping towards the ominous mansion.

“Trick or treat, trick or treat,gimme something good to eat~ ! If you don’t, I don’t care, I’ll show you myBUT—”

“Oh my, Leo sure is in high spiritstoday !” You suspected Arashi to have raised his voice at that exact moment onpurpose. Especially with how triumphantly he glared at Leo, proud to haveruined his little moment.

“He’s always like that. Whenever hehas a terrible idea, he gets fired up. Seriously, how annoying…” Izumi fakedan afflicted sigh, but you knew full well that glimmer in his eyes. He wasprobably more than happy to have to be the reliable big brother of the bunch tonight, andwas dutifully carrying all the candy you’d gotten from neighbors. Or maybethat was to avoid Tsukasa eating all of them while no one was looking. Whoknew.

“What are you talking about ? I think thisis a pretty good idea too… ~” Ritsu seemed strangely fired up as well, andchuckled when he noticed you eyeing him with a smile. His eyes were glinting happily, and hewas even humming faintly to himself. A small and polite cough suddenly drew yourattention to Tsukasa, who was walking behind everyone else, and lookedobviously troubled.

“With all due respect, I do not thinkso. This house has obviously been abandoned for a long time. I believe noone will answer even if we ring. Isn’t this merely a loss of time ?” Well, hewas right. The closer you were getting to the mansion, the more glaring itsstate of disrepair became. The garden was unkempt, wild herbs growing as theypleased. The dog house was in ruins, some of the windows had been nailed shut and… were those huge holes in the roof ?

“Oh my, he’s right.” Arashi’s handinstinctively flew to his mouth as he was evaluating the damage in theproperty. Leo barely even touched the mailbox, which was covered in cobwebs, and it fellto the floor with a worrying squeaking noise.

“Maybe the person living here justhas eccentric tastes… It doesn’t look that bad.” Ritsu was admiring the crowperched on a dead tree’s branch, mouth pursed in a tiny appreciating pout. Hedidn’t look out of place here at all…

“Come on, there’s no candy here.Let’s just go back to the city center”, Izumi asserted, as he tried to take a holdof Leo’s arm to drag him along with the rest of the group. But before he couldso much as touch him, the latter jumped above the rusted gate and ran towardsthe mansion’s door, drawing his tongue at Izumi.

“I saw a light in there ! There’ssomeone inside !” Leo gestured for everyone else to join him, but no one somuch as took a step towards him. Especially not Tsukasa, who actually took astep backwards.

“Leader, you can’t be serious… Wecan’t ring here. If you would just come back already…” It was subtle, butTsukasa’s voice was trembling slightly. He seemed paler than usual too. Andthere was the way he was hiding slightly behind Izumi… You bit your lip torefrain a smile at the thought he was scared of that abandoned house.

“Just come back, would you, Leo-chan?Poor little Tsukasa-chan’s scared…” Arashi’s intervention made Tsukasa’s entireface sour immediately.

“I am not scared, I’m just… cautious.That is all.” Was he pouting ? How cute…

“I bet there’s no doorbell here anyway”, Ritsu commented airily. Strangely enough, this thought seemed to makehim even more enthusiastic than he already was.

“There’s not ! But I’m gonna knock !If you guys don’t come, I’m gonna take all the candy !” Leo chirped.

“Don’t ! Leader, what if—” Izumi’svoice cut Tsukasa’s panicked plea short.

“Leo, come back here now. You’rejust wasting everyone’s time.” Leo shot a bright grin to Izumi before knockingon the door. Izumi just sighed, massaging his temples, as the ginger bangedenthusiastically on the door.

“Open up ! We know what you did !We’ll call the police !” he chirped, banging louder with each passing second.By now, Izumi’s entire face was hidden in his hands.

“What’s with that character he madeup… Did we shift from a horror movie to a police procedural…” Ritsu feignedaffliction, but the corners of his lips were tugging in a small smile. Youcould tell he was fighting the urge to go join Leo with all his might.

“I do not know, but this isridiculous. As Sena-senpai mentioned, we are losing time.” Tsukasa was nowstanding a good ten feet away from the mansion’s gate, eager to just get awayfrom here. With a sigh, Izumi eventually climbed up the gate in his turn to gograb Leo and bring him back by force.

“Come on, stop banging on that door! What are you, a child ? No, don’t answer to that”, he added in a hurry, as Leo’s mouthwas already opening. “Just let go of that handle—”

“Izumi, lemme go ! I don’t wanna— Ah!” Leo suddenly let go of the handle, wincing in pain, as if it had just burnedhim. Izumi was about to sermon him, but his face got a shade paler when helooked up at the door.

“Leo, are you alright ?” Arashigracefully jumped over the fence, rushing to see what happened. “Isthere something— Oh my… Did this… Did you do it, Leo ?” Leo just shookhis head fervently, looking shocked himself.

“What happened… ?” Tsukasa regretfullycame back towards the gate, hiding behind you without noticing.

Ritsu’s eyes were bright as he spoke. “The door opened by itself… Lookslike we’re getting to see the inside of this house.”

Tsukasa’s audible gulp almostechoed in the heavy silence.

The inside of the house was just asunkempt as its façade suggested. The furniture was dusty, the air stale andheavy, the floor’s planks creaking with every step. There was this weird,almost palpable tension too. Or maybe this was just because of Tsukasa’sconstant shivering.

“Y-You can hold my hand if you’rescared.” He tried to look gentlemanly even as his lips were slowly turningblue, gallantly offering a trembling hand to you. You mostly took it out ofpity for him, gently squeezing his fingers in yours in a gesture that obviouslycalmed him down a bit.

“Don’t worry, nothing’s going tohappen…” You didn’t know if he even believed you, but the important thingwas that he nodded fervently.

“Yes, you are right… This is not one ofthose horror movies where— Gyah ?!” He suddenly squealed and rushed in yourarms, hiding his face in your neck. The culprit of his sudden outburst was acertain self-proclaimed vampire, who was visibly very much enjoying the effectsof his little joke. Ritsu was cackling, even wiping away a stray tear atTsukasa’s undignified reaction.

“You’re the best, Suu-chan… I just hid and pinched your leg, but youcried out like a little girl…~”

Tsukasa’s cheeks blushed profusely and he immediately turned away,furiously stomping down the hallway. Ritsu was still chuckling, getting out ofhis hiding place and removing the worst of the dust and cobwebs from hisclothes. You were intent on getting away from him before he played a trick onyou as well, but he grabbed your wrist and drew you to him instead.

“Be careful, alright… ? Monsters are out tonight, and they bite.” Trueto his words, he let his lips wander on your neck for just a moment, and youfaintly felt his teeth drag along your skin… And then he was away again,gesturing for you to go and join a sulking Tsukasa with an ominous smirk. Youdidn’t have to be told twice and hurried along the hallway, completely ignoringthe huge portrait depicting the six of you on the wall to your left.

Izumi was leading the team, lightingup the dusty rooms with his phone. Arashi was cowering behind him, wincingevery time something moved suddenly or made some noise.

“Come on, there’s nothing here…Let’s just go back, a-alright ?” The sudden noise of the door to the kitchenopening startled him, but he looked relieved to see it was just you joiningthem. “Ah, you’re here ! Where are theothers ?”

“In the hallway, having fun”, youreplied, barely restraining a smile when you heard Tsukasa squealing again. Nodoubt he fell victim to Ritsu’s pranks once more.

“Well, I can’t say we’re having funhere. He is, though.” Izumi gesturedto Leo, who was searching in every drawer and cupboard with passion. Hesuddenly gasped, causing Izumi to rush to him in a panic. “What’s wrong—”

“I found a super moldy plate ! Lookat that, Izumi ! I bet it’s been growing for, like, years !” Leo wasstarry-eyed, admiring his discovery with the pride of an archeologist whofinally found the rare fossil he’d been hunting for months. Or maybe that of afather holding his newborn child. You weren’t too sure. Izumi just gagged,turning away. He was visibly not impressed by Leo’s talents as an archeologist.

“Ugh, get this thing away from me…When you stop being a baby, tell us. It’s getting cold and late, and we shoulddefinitely go home—” Leo gasped again, jumping happily on place at his newdiscovery, and Izumi rolled his eyes. “What now ?”

“Look, look ! It’s the first time I’veever seen worms in a fridge !” Izumi and Arashi, who’d been curiously leaninginto the fridge to confirm Leo’s latest finding, turned away immediately.

“Oh my gosh, I feel like throwing upnow.” Arashi went out of the room in a flash, paler than you’d ever seen him.Izumi just breathed in slowly, running a hand through his hair.

“Seriously… Let’s just get out ofhere before we find something really disturbing— Oh fuck, where did you evenfind this ?” Leo was now holding what looked like spoiled meat and examined itcuriously.

“In the fridge ! It was in acontainer labeled ‘Teresa’… Hey, give Teresa back !” Izumi had ripped the meat(was it even meat ?) from Leo’s hand and threw it in the sink, holding backgags. “Izumiii ! Give her back !” Leo whined as Izumi dragged him to the sink,retrieving an almost-empty bottle of dishwashing soap.

“This is gross. Wash your hands,now, or else you’ll get sick.” Leo pouted but complied, and Izumi freneticallyrubbed his own hand (up to his wrist) in soap… until you interrupted their frantic washing.

“Wait… Why is there running waterhere ? I thought this place was abandoned ?” Izumi stopped at your thoughtful remark,eyebrows knitting.

“… You’re right, actually. The poweris cut off, though.”

“Oh no, the fridge is definitelyrunning”, Leo commented absent-mindedly. Izumi stared at him until he stoppeddrying his hands in a forgotten dishcloth. “Why are you looking at me like that… ?You’re scary, Izumi.”

“You’re the scary one ! We’re in anabandoned house and you don’t think it’s weird that the fridge is running ?!”Leo just shrugged, causing Izumi to let lose. “Don’t just shrug at me ! Do youeven have a brain inside that pretty head of yours ?”

“Aw, thanks Izumi. You don’t looktoo bad either, you know that ? You too”, he added to you with what wassupposed to be a seductive wink, but came out as the desperation of someone whohas something stuck in their eye. Fortunately, neither you or Izumi had toanswer anything to this, as the door to the kitchen opened and a very satisfiedRitsu peered into the room from the hallway.

“Oh, you’re there… What are youdoing together in the dark ?” He didn’t pay any attentionto your explanations and smirked instead, gesturing to the hallway. “Nacchanand Suu-chan are getting real scared… I’m having a lot of fun, but I’m thinkingone of them may have a heart attack anytime by now, soooo… maybe we should goback home soon ?”

Leo just whined in protest as Izumidragged him out of that kitchen. “He’s right. Let’s go home before you get acrazy idea again—” And Leo was gone with an audible gasp once more, running offinto the darkness before anyone could catch him. You and Izumi just exchanged ameaningful look, before he sighed deeply. “Let’s just go look for him. He’s adumbass, so he may hurt himself doing something stupid.”

You jumped up when somethingsuddenly brushed against your arm, but it was just Izumi’s hand, even as he wasdeterminedly looking away. “Stay with me, alright ? I don’t want you gettinglost or something.”

His eyes subtly widened when you caught his hand, gentlyholding it. “I won’t, promise”, you answered,low enough that only he could hear you. He smiled a bit, his features softeningimperceptibly as his eyes fell on your face.

“Good.” That’s all he said, but his fingers intertwining with yours toldanother story entirely.

“This is definitely going to break… I don’t want to get hurt, guys !” Arashi was grimacing with each step hetook on the creaking staircase, even as Izumi rolled his eyes.

“Nothing else broke, so I’m guessingit’s not going to break either. Just go upalready. The less time we spend in here, the better I’ll feel.” He graciouslyoffered his hand to you as you climbed the stairs together, and you had toadmit you did need it to balance yourself. There were no railings on that thing,and the wood was creaking dangerously…

“I’ll go next”, Ritsu hurriedlysaid, climbing right after you. Tsukasa raised an eyebrow but let him go, thatis, until he understood his hidden motive.

“Wh-Where are you looking ? Don’tlay such eyes on them ! This is unbefitting of a knight !” Ritsu just smirkedat Tsukasa’s embarrassment, seemingly not a bit flustered.

“The view’s the best in stairs,y’know. You’re missing out on a lot, Suu-chan ‘Goody Two-Shoes’.”

Tsukasa andRitsu kept bickering (playfully on Ritsu’s part, not so much so for Tsukasa) asyou, Arashi and Izumi were finally reaching the first floor after what seemedlike an endless staircase climb. Was the house even that big ? There definitelywere too many steps for it to be a normal first floor, right ? You started tosuspect that Tsukasa and Ritsu were talking about you, as you heard your namebeing dropped several times, but you had more pressing matters to worry about.Namely, Leo was still missing.

“Leo ? Where are you ? Can we gohome yet… ?” Arashi was getting crankier with each creepy discovery, andhonestly you couldn’t blame him. This house looked like a very realistic horrormovie set, and you weren’t sure you wanted to explore all of it.

“Leo, we’re leaving without you if youdon’t ans— what are you doing on the floor ?! I almost stepped on you !” Ah,sounded like Izumi had found him. You and Arashi abandoned your investigationof what looked like a storage room to go back to the end of the hallway, whereLeo seemed to be… writing a song ?

“Can’t you see ? I’m writing ! Nowshoo, you’re disturbing me !” You honestly wouldn’t have minded Leowriting a song on the floor, if only he wasn’t writing in something that lookedlike…

“Blood… ? Where did you find that ?Did you get hurt ? What happened ?” Izumi was now examining Leo’s entire bodyin a panic, while the latter just obediently let him do as he pleased and keptwriting his masterpiece with the tip of his bloodied finger on the floor.

“Did I hear blood… ? I’m here… What’swrong ?” Ritsu had appeared out of nowhere (you suspected he was hiding in theshadows to scare you again), licking his lips. Izumi barely even paid attentionto him, busy as he was rummaging through his pockets to find something he couldstop the blood flow with.

“This dumbass hurt himself. I knewsomething like that was bound to happen.” Well, he said that but he looked moreworried than you’d ever seen him. Leo just raised an eyebrow, shooting him aninquisitive glance.

“Did I ? I found that blood on thewall, though. Look, it’s gushing from a hole ! Funny, right ?” Izumi lookedliterally anything but amused, and you and Ritsu had to seriously stop anincoming nervous bout of laughter. No doubt Izumi would have killed the threeof you if you hadn’t.

“I can’t. I’m… I need a break.”Izumi just wobbled away, furiously massaging his temples. You and Ritsu crouched near the wall, examining the strange blood flow. It didn’t look exactly likeblood to you, now that you were closer to it…

“Isn’t it a bit too… thick ? Itlooks like the fake blood you can get in stores”, you commented. Ritsu noddedpensively, tilting his head on the side as he was thinking.

“It does, yeah… but then again,coagulation can do that too.” The black-haired boy paused a moment, then slowlyparted his lips again, eyes suddenly lighting up with his new idea. “Guess onlytasting it will bring answers…” You caught his hand before he could tryanything any of you would regret.

“Can’t let you taste blood gushingfrom a wall in a weird house, sorry. Izumi would choke me.”

“Always knew he was a kinky littlething”, Ritsu remarked airily, prompting you to roll your eyes.

“To death, I meant.”

“I don’t know, that’s kinda hot too,to me…” Before you and Ritsu could hold a serious debate over the matter, Leo’seyes shot daggers to you.

“I said shoo ! You’re seriouslydisrapping my concentration !”

“Didn’t you mean ‘disrupted’ ?”Ritsu lazily corrected, getting up again. The glare Leo threw him was seriouslyscary.

“Wow, congrats, you can spell. Now just go away, I’m writing !” Ritsujust mumbled a rather unconvinced ‘yeah’ before he took you away. You couldhear loud voices from the last room on the first floor, and it looked likeRitsu didn’t want to miss any of the fun.

“Can’t you just put that down ? Whatif, like, the owner of the house decides to curse us because we messed withtheir stuff… ?” Arashi was still hiding behind Izumi, whose sole function wasnow to light up the room.

“That would suck. But you know whatwould suck more ? Getting out of here without knowing anything about whatreally happened”, Ritsu answered as he was busy rummaging through the drawersof the nightstand.

Seeing he was going to stay at itfor a while, Tsukasa sat on the huge bed reluctantly, but got up immediately whena cloud of dust rose from the bedsheets.

“Just get this over with and let’sgo home. I’m tired of this all.” True to his words, Izumi did look like he wason the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“Yeah, yeah, got it. Let me justlook on the desk as well…” Ritsu was the only one who seemed to still be havingfun. Well, there was Leo too, but he was still writing on the floor in thehallway. Tsukasa was carefully looking at the antique dolls exposed on top of a dresser, andshyly tugged on your hand when he noticed one of them in particular.

“Don’t you think this doll looks abit like you ?” He whispered in your ear, causing Izumi’s eyebrows to knit ashe noticed the two of you standing so awfully close to each other.

You carefully looked the doll over,and sure enough, everything about it was fairly close to how you looked like.The hair was perfectly identical to yours, its face as well… Well, there werejust its eyes that were disturbingly lacking. As in, the sockets were plainempty.

“It does, but I’m not sure thatmakes me happy”, you answered with a small grimace. Visibly worried you’d feeluncomfortable, Tsukasa motioned to hug you but ultimately changed strategiesand briefly stroked the back of your hand with his thumb in a soothing motion.As subtle as the gesture was, it still caught Izumi’s inquisitive eye.

“We will get out of here very soon.Let’s just hold on a little bit more.” You nodded to his reassuring words, beforeRitsu’s pleased exclamation drew your attention.

“I found a diary… That’s what youget for looking thoroughly everywhere.” He looked mighty pleased with himself,and even more so when Izumi came examining the desk.

“Where did you even find it ?” Izumigroaned, and Ritsu hummed mysteriously in response.

“There was a fake bottom in the lastdrawer, and it was hidden inside… Shall I read it ?” Arashi fervently shook hishead, already motioning to the door.

“Ritsu-chan, I don’t think this is agood idea—”

“Sure, why not ?” Izumi answered,shrugging. Arashi looked at him like he’d gone completely mad, and so Izumi rolledhis eyes, explaining himself. “By now, we’re pretty much fucked anyway.”

Tsukasa’s hand found yours again,just after you’d let him go. “Don’t be afraid, I’m—” He caught Izumi’s deathglare and cleared his throat, immediately correcting himself. “We’re all herewith you.”

“I’m reading it then… Let’s justpick a random page.” Ritsu ceremoniously opened the diary, assessing hisaudience with a serious look before he gravely started to speak. “… She gaspedin delight, fingers grasping the sheets as her mind went blank. ‘Harder !’ shemoaned, as her muscular lover groaned above her. ‘You’re so tight’, he hissed,gazing down at her lovingly. She felt his hard—” Arashi rushed to Tsukasa tocover his ears, much to his annoyance.

“Just— Stop please. I don’t wannaknow what’s in there anymore.” Izumi was trying his best to look unaffected,but the tips of his ears were turning dark pink. Ritsu pouted a bit,regretfully eyeing the book’s next few pages.

“Eh… I kinda wanted to know whathappens next though…” Izumi’s glare prompted him to snicker. “Alright, alright,that was just something I made up. I’m really reading it this time.”

“Wait, you mean—” Arashiinterrupted, eyes wide, but Ritsu ignored him and started to read again.

“October 31st. Hey,that’s today”, he mentioned, but Izumi sighed.

“Just keep to the text, please.”Ritsu rolled his eyes at his interruption.

“Okay, okay. So, October 31st.Lots of lovely children are running about, tonight. I can see six of them headingtowards here. Maybe it is finally time.” Ritsu fell silent, and the atmospherejust froze.

“Did you make that up again ?”Tsukasa hesitantly asked, as Arashi was holding his breath.

“No, it’s all written here.” Izumididn’t seem to believe Ritsu, as he rushed to him and grabbed the small diaryfrom his hands forcefully. What he saw apparently shocked him enough to put thebook away with trembling hands. Arashi’s hands immediately flew to his mouthagain.

“What, Izumi-chan, is it true… ?”Izumi didn’t answer, and you faintly felt your breath hitch in your throat whenhis eyes fell on you again. He looked afraid, an emotion you’d never seen onhim until now.

“Let’s— Let’s get the fuck out ofhere. Now.” No one even questioned him, and you all rushed outside the room,almost fighting to get to the stairs first. Leo just watched you pass by himwith a confused smile.

“Where are you going right now ? Isaw something great while you were all busy ! Some grandpa came to tell methat— Ow, Izumi, that hurts… !” Izumi just ignored his complaints and draggedhim down the stairs with him, probably breaking one or two of his bones in theprocess.

“Shut up and follow us ! This is why you should listen to us when wetell you something’s a bad idea !” Leo’s whining could still be heard withinthe house, even as you all rushed outside,sprinting to the civilization with all your might.

A certain someone was stillsnickering behind the “haunted mansion” ‘s door, holding a cellphone in hand.

“Nii-san… ? Yes, I made sure to captureit all on video. I’m sure that will make for a rather interesting show. Let’sjust sell it to some TV station. With how popular they are, that should makefor a good prize.” His voice stopped a moment, as he listened intently to thevoice at the other line. “The young producer, you say ? You’ll have to thankthem for their help. If it weren’t for them, this would all have been ruined.” He paused a moment, lips pursing in a satisfied smirk, before his tongue briefly darted over them.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll make surelittle kitten is thoroughly rewarded for their precious help…”

#ensemble stars #enstars #knights #imagine #reader insert #izumi sena #leo tsukinaga #arashi narukami #tsukasa suou #ritsu sakuma #enstars x reader #ensemble stars x reader #mod mademoiselle #scenario

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sierrastownies · 7 years

Text

mr grumpy gills

Who? Brooke Kramer & Gabriel Young

When? January 25th, 2017

Where? Pike Central High

Brooke hadn't had a day off to herself at least in over a couple weeks, sometime before Christmas she would assume. She, naturally a early riser, got up that morning and found that baking made the time fly by, packaging up the assorted cookies into older gift bags to reuse and head out to the high school. She was welcomed warmly, having been friends with the secretaries for years. Her first stop would've been Seth's classroom but she was almost certain she missed his free period and had zero clue to where it could have been, so instead of roaming the halls, Brooke spotted a vacant room with a familiar face sitting at the front of it. "Knock knock," she whispered as she approached the doorway, not wanting to be too loud in the hallways to echo. "Got a sweet tooth?"

Gabe had been in a mood since Seth finally showed him who he had been on dates with. He didn't know why, really. He liked Brooke and all, she was nice and pretty but he didn't really know why he was so mad at Seth. It wasn't like Seth even knew that he knew Brooke too and it wasn't like he was actively trying to date or sleep with her. But it still bothered him. Which was the reason as to why he was in his classroom during his free period and not pestering Seth like he usually was. And it probably wasn't such a bad thing since he was getting a jump start on grading classwork from his previous classes. He looked up from the paper he was currently thinking about ripping up as soon as he heard the voice, actually a little shocked to see Brooke standing in his classroom doorway. "What are you doing here?" He asked quickly, completely disregarding her question.

Brooke knitted her eyebrows together and almost gave him a look as if he was obvious for her being here but refrained. "Haven't you heard? I'm going back to high school. Heard your the best history teacher around here." She joked with a brighter smile before she turned her slender body to hold the gift bag up. "I'm making deliveries."

Gabe "Ha, yea...tell that to my student's grades," he commented, setting his pen down for a moment to turn more toward her in his swivel chair. "Ah, got it. Well, if you're looking for Seth, you're way off. He's closer to the gym," he said, turning back around. "Also, he's got a class right now and he hates when people interrupts it so good luck."

Brooke "I'm sure that doesn't just reflect on you. They've got to be improving, right?" She asked with her head tilted and she stepped inside. "Oh, yeah. See. I haven't been here in years." She chuckled with a shake of her head before turning back toward him. "Do you know from experience?"

Gabe shrugged his shoulders lightly. He wasn't sure. He did try, really. And some kids seemed to get it. But others didn't even seem to try to get it. He glanced back over to her as she stepped inside, not expecting that. He assumed she'd be right off to go see Seth. "Mm, nope. I'm a serious professional here," he lied, being obvious about it. "I would never interrupt a student's learning experience no matter how boring the subject is. Which, Seth's course material...very, very boring."

Brooke "I'm sure you'll get through to them at some point," She said after the lackluster response, pulling the straps of the gift bag up to the crook of her elbow. "I can see that. Clearly you've gotten much work done." Laughing, Brooke came even closer to wave the bag in front of him. "AP English is not boring. I loved it!"

Gabe kept his eyes on her as she moved closer, waving the bag out in front of him. "Oh, am I on this delivery route too?" He questioned before reaching forward to take the bag from her. He crinkled his nose up as she defended Seth's subject. "Ugh, nerd. History is a million times better. Hell, Science is better too and I hate the Science department at this school."

Brooke "Yes, if you want. I've made more than I can eat and the hospital already got a ton." She chuckled under her breath as he took the sack before crossing her arms over her chest, leaning over to look at some of the newspapers on the desk. "Oh don't get me wrong. I loved it all. I was in AP for every close. History was a better subject of mine. Art and music theory was the worst."

Gabe "Oh? So I just get the leftovers?" He teased, pretending to be somewhat offended. He opened up the bag to look at what exactly she had made and brought to him. "Really not helping the nerd thing," he mumbled, setting the bag down onto his desk. "I disagree. Anything relating to the arts is very important. Children need a creative outlet and those classes provide them with one. However, I'll let that comment slide since art classes do tend to stifle students at times, forcing them to focus only on one subject and even grading them on their talent."

Brooke "I wouldn't say that... but... yeah, you can." Brooke joked as her fingers moved through the ends of her hair and curled around her fingers then. "I never denied being a nerd. I'm actually proud of it, I loved school." It wasn't a lie, either. She was the type who stayed after and got bummed out over a B+. "Oh no no, I don't disagree with you. It's very important. I was just... terrible. I couldn't draw for the life of me. I'd much rather break down polynomials and watch documentaries," She replied, pulling out a package of the peanut butter chip and whites chocolate cookies for him. "Rather than still life flowers."

Gabe let out a small laugh at her answer, watching her a moment before nodding toward a chair she could pull up to his desk. "You can sit if you want," he told her, figuring she might continue hanging out a bit longer since she didn't seem to be in a rush to leave. "Wow, you sound wild," he said in a flat tone, clearly making fun of her. He eyed the package of cookies she pulled out, reaching forward to take them. "Are these your specialty?"

Brooke turned her body and grasped onto the nearest chair to pull up, smoothing the back of her skinny jeans to take the seat. "Ha ha, very funny. You teach it for a living." Poking her tongue out at him, she crossed her legs and shrugged. "My specialty is poking people with needles and drawing blood, so no. But it's close enough."

Gabe "Doesn't mean I ever want to break down polynomials, nerd," he laughed. He playfully rolled his eyes at her response before opening the packaging up and grabbing one of the cookies. "You know, some of my students might get a little jealous knowing another woman brought me baked goods," he joked before taking a bite of the cookie.

Brooke "They're good brain exercises and I'll gladly take that title," Brooke replied with a soft laugh ringing from her throat, leaning back in her seat. "Would they really? Do you get baked goods delivered to you daily?"

Gabe couldn't deny that her cookie was damn good. He took another bite almost as soon as he finished the first, nodding his head lightly before swallowing the cookie. "I mean, not daily or even baked goods. But you know, you've got some students that...I don't know what they're trying to do, you know? Like, are they actually trying something or just playing some long joke. But they come in with snacks and stuff and leave it on my desk."

Brooke watched him, almost nervously, as he took the first bite. She baked literally whenever she had time off but she was always worried someone would just spit it right out. "Well as long as you don't encourage any advances, I don't see the harm in having some snacks here and there."

Gabe "Don't worry, not happening with any of the students here," he assured her, taking the last bite of the cookie, leaning back slightly in his seat. "That was a damn good cookie," he breathed out as he swallowed the bite. "Ruining the New Year diet already, Nurse Brooke."

Brooke "Well good, can't have you landing yourself with some jail time." Brooke joked with her lips turning into a crooked smile instead. "Oh, please. A little sugar is good for the soul." Waving her hand at him, Brooke continued. "The peanut butter ones are my favorite."

Gabe "Yea, no. Not into teenagers," he laughed. "Yea? You learn that in nursing school?" He teased, smirking over at her. "There's peanut butter in here?" He quickly asked, grabbing the bag to look inside. "You went a little nuts with baking, didn't you?"

Brooke "That's a relief." Brooke laughed along with him with her nose scrunched. "Nope, just from my mama. Only truthful though. How could you ever be sour with sugar in your system?" She asked, not even looking do an answer. "I mean... yeah, okay, I did. I just get a little bored on my days off so this is just a result."

Gabe couldn't help but to smile a little as her question, shaking his head lightly. "Yea, I guess you've got a point there," he answered, sighing lightly as he closed the packaging up for the cookies and setting them into the bag, grabbing the peanut butter cookies out. "Well, I'm not going to complain if this means I get baked goods."

Brooke caught the smile and perked up a little. She didn't know him insanely well, but he seemed much more standoffish with her than normal once she even entered the room. She was glad she at least got a smile out of him. Her lips was now a grin at that point. "Of course you aren't. It's something different than your ordinary apple." She chuckled. "Just watch out, I can't have you coming into the ER with a sugar overdose."

Gabe "Hey, an apple a day, keeps the doctor a way," he said, opening his drawer up to pull out the apple he brought in for breakfast but never found the time to eat since his morning classes decided to be extra rowdy that morning. "Doesn't seem to have the same effect on nurses," he joked, putting it back down, winking at her. "I don't know, I feel like you might actually like having another excuse to see me."

Brooke glanced down at the apple in his hand, a little amused with the fact he actually had one. "I think that only works if you actually eat said apple," She murmured in a teasing tone, keeping the conversation as light as possible. At his joke, she nudged at his shoulder very gently before speaking. "I don't think you being admitted in the ER is a good circumstance for me to see you. In fact, it's terrible!"

Gabe shrugged his shoulders up a little at her comment. "I'll get around to it," he said, an amused look on his face. "Maybe after I finish these cookies," he added. "I never said it was a good thing. Just that you wouldn't mind an excuse to see me," he pointed out. "Won't have to have an excuse to come hang out in an empty classroom with me."

Brooke "Probably a good idea. Wash the sugar away with some more natural sugar." She joked with her nose a little scrunched, adjusting herself in the seat so that her legs were recrossed and she was more comfortable. "Well, of course I wouldn't mind seeing you. You're good company."

Gabe "But it's natural so it's ok," he insisted, giving her a serious look. Gabe was only joking when he was talking about her wanting to see him. He liked hearing it but then he remembered she was probably more here to see Seth than him. "Mm, too bad we're both busy then," he said, looking back down at the papers on his desk, turning the sheet over to begin looking at the answers on the back.

Brooke "Only slightly better," She prodded again with her face only amused to his much serious one, straightening up her posture a bit. He might have been joking, but Brooke had always been a natural with welcoming new friends and gaining even more. She enjoyed spending time with people, and Gabe was no exception. "Is that a hint that I'm hindering you?"

Gabe shook his head lightly at her question, keeping his eyes down. He picked up his pen and began to mark the paper. "Nope," he answered, flipping the paper back over to add up the points and determine the student's grade. "You work, I work and I'm sure when you're off, you plan on spending that time with your new boyfriend."

Brooke creased her brows together in a v-formation as he spoke and turned back to his grading, which wasn't what the issue was. She understood he had work but the mood obviously shifted. "Are you talking about Seth?" She murmured after a moment. "He isn't my boyfriend, we're just seeing each other right now."

Gabe set the completed paper on top of the stock of others before he began looking over the next one, making a little face at Brooke's words. He stayed quiet for a moment before setting the pen back down to look up at her again. "Are you seeing anyone else while you're seeing him? Or are you only going on dates with him?"

Brooke watched him as he picked up and set down his pen, moving both her hands to her lap to toy with. "Well, no, I'm not." She answered honestly. "But that does not mean we're exclusive. This was more of a blind date type of thing. I hardly have time to date let alone date many."

Gabe laced his hands together and placed them on top of his desk. He was kind of in teacher mode now, since this was usually how he sat when he was having a serious conversation with one of his students. "If you're only dating him and he's only dating you, that means you're exclusive. You might as well be his girlfriend. In which case, you're too busy to hang out with little ol' me. You've got work and your non-boyfriend."

Brooke watched as his stance chanced and her brow naturally rose at the sight, feeling as though she was almost getting interrogated. "Well, he hasn't asked me or made anything official." Brooke confirmed with her head nodding. "And I make time for my friends."

Gabe 's jaw clenched slightly as Brooke insisted that she wasn't his girlfriend and that she made time for friends. Just the idea of them eventually making it officially annoyed him and he wasn't so sure he wanted to get closer to her if that was going to eventually happen. "Well, I'm sure your friends really appreciate the effort you put into them."

Brooke could sense the change in his mood and refrained from poking fun at it like she would to make it lighter, not wanting to make him grumpier than he currently was. "Is this short and over tense response a quick hint to leave you alone now?"

Gabe licked over his bottom lip, thinking off her question for a moment. Yes, he wanted her to leave because he was an idiot and jealous and it confused him, which made him a little mad. But no, he didn't want her to leave because despite being jealous, confused and a little mad, he did like her company and he liked seeing her and her pretty eyes and amazing smile. He sighed a little and leaned back in his chair, looking over toward the clock. His free period was a little more than half way over. Soon he'd need to start getting ready for his next class. "I don't know..."

Brooke was a bit confused at that point. The signals she was getting from him screamed annoyance but his words said something otherwise. Scratching the side of her slender neck lightly, Brooke let out a breath and adjusted her jeans. "Well, I can go. If you need me to..."

Gabe tapped his fingers lightly against his desk, weighing on the options for a moment before nodding his head lightly. "Yea, that's...I have to start getting ready for my next class and...continue working on grading these papers," he began giving reasons as to why she should leave. "Plus you don't want to be stuck in those halls after the bell rings. It's a zoo."

Brooke let her eyes move down over his desk at the half graded papers, simply nodding afterwards. The last thing she wanted to do was overcrowd somebody, especially Gabe. "I'd rather not relive my high school days of being bumped around in the hallways," Brooke joked with a sweet smile, dipping down to retrieve her jacket to slip on. "I better get going, anyway. You can keep the rest of the cookies."

Gabe let out a soft, breathy laugh, somewhat halfheartedly at her joke about being bumped around in the halls. Her leaving was truly bittersweet for him since part of him really did want her to stay and hang out with him, maybe even meet up for a drink later after he was finished with his last class. But he knew that wasn't something he could do until he was over whatever it was he was feeling when it came to her and Seth being together. He gave her a small smile and nodded, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Oh, I planned on it," he said, looking at the bag of cookies and then back to her. "I'll see you around, Brooke."

#bkpara

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biebsimagine · 7 years

Text

Blood Stains

Again, just a quick warning that this may not be for you, but it also might be. If you don’t like it, just move past it, but if you enjoyed the previous imagine, I hope you also enjoy this one💗

Sitting on the leather couch, it’s currently covered in old newspapers and crinkles whenever I make the slightest movement. The floor looks the same, I can see a car crash in the corner of the room and a half-naked model by my right foot. The red makes most of the images on the paper hard to make out, however.

I gulp the glass of vodka in my hand until it’s empty and put it beside me. It’s silent and I sigh, missing the commotion that has only just come to an end.

Red is in my vision, maybe it’s because my lust is growing and I’m no longer satisfied by just one knife across the throat, or maybe it’s the blood covering my face, reflecting into my eyesight.

Taking my hand, I slide its palm across my cheek. When it comes into view, it’s just as red as I expected. Before I can even decide, my tongue is pressed flat against my palm and travelling towards the tips of my fingers. The familiar bitter taste enters my mouth.

Once my hand is clean and glistening, I inspect my creation. A head lay abandoned just off of the layer of newspapers and I curse myself for not giving myself a larger area to work with. There’s a hand slowly burning in the fireplace and the smell is excruciating to my nose.

The body - or at least some of it - is already in the first few stages of rigor mortis and I sit and watch in silence. It seems impossible for it to be so quiet; only about an hour ago screams echoed off of the walls, which is the great advantage that comes with a house surrounded by nothing but land - I don’t have to tell them to keep their mouths shut and instead, relish in their sounds.

Ripped clothes lie draped over the back of the couch: a black set of underwear and a red dress that’s probably covered in blood, but it successfully hides itself. Beside the door there’s a set of red high heels to match, even though I find myself being a little annoyed because I told her to keep them on.

My tools are beside me, and just like everything else, covered in blood. The sight is almost enough to fuel me up all over again.

I have many options before me as I sit waiting for nothing in particular, I can either hit the shower (but that means the blood will be wasted), discard of the body now; maybe Thailand this time, or I could hit the gym to help keep my frenzy at bay.

There’s a knock at the door and it takes me out of my thoughts. My eyes stick to the pools of blood on the floor, so deep I can see my reflection.

“Shit,” I whisper. My shoes squelch under the soggy newspaper and leave dark footprints across the floor. “Who is it?” I shout and it echoes.

“Justin? It’s [Y/N].”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, pressing my back against the wooden door and running my hands up and down my face, the blood has dried now.

“I, uh, I thought I’d come and see you,” she shouted, although it was muffled.

As much as I’d adore the panic and disgust on her face once she saw the sight of my living room; blood now seeping into every corner, detached limbs lying around the place, and if she happened to look, she’s find a woman’s head in the fridge. I’d show it off to her proudly if I knew she wouldn’t run screaming.

“This.. this is a bad time. Go away,” I shout back. I don’t wait for a reply as I start to tidy up. I have to refrain from sinking my teeth into anything as I pile the remains into a body bag before dragging it up the stairs. A trail of blood follows.

****

“I was.. sorting something out, it’s not important,” I say into the phone, I can practically feel [Y/N]’s worry and it puts me on edge.

“Promise? You didn’t have a girl there, did you? Hold on one second, Justin,” she says and a thud follows.

“Yes, I had a girl over. I actually brought her back to my house so I could hack her to pieces.”

Another thud rings through my ear. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, no, I didn’t have a girl over, I promise. You have nothing to worry about,” I grin and twirl the lock of blonde hair in between my fingers.

“Good,” she mutters and says nothing else. I roll my eyes before sighing.

“Listen, baby. Let me take you out tonight, somewhere fancy, wherever you wanna go. I’ll make a reservation,” I attempt to sweeten her up, knowing she’ll accept and fall in love with me all over again. I like the idea of her being so dependent on me, I could crush her with one simple confession, or one peek into my closet.

“You know I don’t mind staying home, I can come over-”

“No.. uh, no, that’s not necessary,” I mutter, clocking the few blood stains that need a little extra effort. “I want to take you out. Let me.”

“Okay, fine. Where do you wanna go? What about that restaurant we went to last week? The food there was to die for.

“To die for? Really?” I lick my lips, involuntarily, of course. “You’d die for it?”

“Yeah,“she chuckles and I know I’d feel guilty for picturing her covered in blood, if I was capable, and I want so much to be capable of it. All I can manage is arousal and disgust, any other human emotion seizes to exist in my body.

I’m already looking for the card with the number of the restaurant on it, and when I find it, specks of blood have set deeply into it. I should remind myself to advise the company to make them laminate.

“I’ll book it now and I’ll pick you up at seven, okay?” I drag the hair across my cheek and it tickles, sending shivers down my neck.

“Okay, I love you. I’ll see you later.“

“I love you too, princess. Wear something sexy, preferably red- actually no.. don’t wear red. Anything but red.”

****

The lights are dim and the sound of people talking, rather loudly in my opinion, reaches me the second we arrive. My hand is pressed firmly on [Y/N]’s back.

She’s wearing black, much to my relief; not only does it soothe me, I happen to be wearing black, too. I swing the bag in my free hand.

The man stood at the podium by the door smiles at us as we approach him and [Y/N] smiles back.

“Table for two. Bieber.”

I wait for the man to find the reservation on the sheet, drumming my fingers the material of [Y/N]’s dress while we wait.

“Ah, yes. Follow me.”

He leads us to a table by the window, it just overlooks the city, meaning we’re able to see the bright lights and the tiny cars zooming around. It looks so alive and it bothers me.

“It’s so beautiful.” She looks off into a daydream - which I’m sure she did last time we were here - while I look around for a waiter. I raise my hand when I spot one walking, from afar, in our direction. “Thank you for doing this, Justin,” she smiles at me lovingly and I nod, taking her hand in mine.

“The pleasure’s all mine, baby.”

“Good evening,” the waiter smiles at us both politely and [Y/N] mirrors his actions. “Would you like to hear the specials this evening?” he asks and, of course, she nods her head.

He’s reading them out and it seems as though they’re never ending and I soon realise I’m not paying attention to the words leaving his lips, but to the veins in his neck and thinking about running a blade along them. My fists clench under the table.

“Any drinks before your meal?”

“Vodka. Please,” I say quickly, before he starts to read anything else, I wouldn’t be surprised if he offers to read us the entire bible and [Y/N] accepts. I don’t think I’d hesitate to slash my own veins after the waiter’s in that situation.

[Y/N] asks for a water before turning her eyes back to me. The waiter nods, says something, turns and leaves and I grab the bag from beside my foot almost instantly.

“I, uh, I got you something,” I smile and she gasps, it’s a wonderful sound.

“You did? That’s so sweet, Justin.”

I watch her take the bag, I watch her pull out the box; it’s rather light and she looks puzzled. My gaze intensifies as she opens it. I’m not sure if it’s sweat I can feel on my forehead.

Another gasp leaves her throat as she spots the red dress. Spotting it myself, I smirk involuntarily. “D'you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers, running her fingers across the material as it lays in the box, folded neatly. “What are the little patches?” she frowns and for the first time, I’m able to notice darker patches of red, probably due to the different lighting.

“It’s the pattern. The woman in the store said it’s their most popular item and I knew it’d fit you perfectly.”

She looked hesitant, but I was too occupied in obsessing over the idea of her wearing it to care.

“Maybe you can try it on when you get home, for me,” I cock my head to the side and she giggles, nodding her head.

“Sure, why not?” Those two words sound like music to my ears and I relax, even without the vodka that I’m still waiting for.

I want so badly to tell her, to tell her what that dress has seen and what those ‘patterns’ really are. The mere thought makes me chuckle. Despite this, I keep my mouth shut.

“I’ve never seen this dress anywhere before, where’d you get it?” she asks, and it’s understandable considering the woman it belonged to was French.

“That’s a secret,” I smirk and she rolls her eyes, but smiles while doing so. “The only thing you need to know is that you’ll look beautiful in it, I promise.”

I watch her and I can tell she can’t stop smiling for anything. I can see the waiter out of the corner of my eye, approaching us with a tray resting on his right hand.

“Seriously, Justin, I don’t think this is the pattern,” she mumbles after a few minutes, while still leaning over the dress that she’d placed on the table now. “What is it?“A deep frown has set onto her face.

“It’s blood. It belonged to the last lady that wore it,” I say calmly, taking a huge gulp of my vodka. “It’d do wonders to me if I saw you wearing it.”

Again, she rolls her eyes. “You’re so funny,” she grins and I grin back, we’re mirroring each other now. “You’ve got a very dark sense of humour, Justin, have I ever told you that?”

“Who said I was joking?”

“You watch too many horror movies,” she furrows her eyebrows at me, she’s beginning to look worried and I relish in it.

“Yeah, maybe I do,” I chuckle, but I know I’m just as good as any of those killers, maybe better; at least I don’t get caught. “So, you’re gonna wear it for me?”

“Of course, it’s beautiful.”

She wore it eventually. The next time I saw her, ready to take her out, there she was. I came to truly realise that blood-red compliments her greatly and I couldn’t stop staring. I only wished I’d given her the high heels too.

Of course, I was sweating and drooling and almost unable to raise my glass to my lips, but it was all worth it to see her, so oblivious she was wearing a dead girl’s blood-stained dress. She swayed her hips when she walked and I had to stop myself from growling.

#justin bieber imagine #justin bieber #justin bieber imagines #fake aus #justin bieber dark imagine #imagines #mature imagines #justin bieber mature #fake au #jason mccann #jason mccann imagine #justin bieber drabble #justin bieber one shots #one shots #fandom writing #dark imagines

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hexwritesfanfics · 5 years

Text

Behind the Mask [part 2]

A/N: The next part of Behind the Mask. Took me two weeks and five in a half pages but I wrote the thing.

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Pairings: oc x oc / Shouto Todoroki x OC

If any fortune teller had told Akatsuki Ryuu he was going to have coffee in a small cafe in Shibuya with the youngest member of HONEYlove, Ran Ringo, after helping her escape a mob of fans, the male brunette would have likely rolled his eyes. Never in his life would he have thought something like this would happen.

And yet here he was, sitting across the table of the slender brunette who actually tripped into his arms not even an hour ago. They had walked into the cafe and the owner--a kindly, elderly man--had recognized Ringo but had called her “Ai-chan” instead. It wasn’t until the old man showed the two a table in a private wing of the cafe that Ringo cleared things up. “Otonashi-san knew me before my friends and I became idols. He calls me Ai-chan to keep my identity safe. No one knows that Ran Ringo frequents this cafe and they don’t need to,” she explained, lowering her gaze to the wood tabletop. “I’m telling you this because you seem like the type who wouldn’t tell anyone, but even so...I still have to ask you not to tell.”

“It’s not my business to tell,” Ryuu replied bluntly, watching the girl’s head snap back up and those hazel eyes on him. Damn it, whenever there’s direct eye contact, it was as though his mind was slowly becoming scrambled--and only around this girl. “I wouldn’t...so you don’t have to ask me that.”

Those honeyed eyes squinted at him, almost scrutinizingly so. It was something to behold, seeing a world famous idol making a face like that. It was...cute.

“You’re a really private person, aren’t you?” Ringo asked suddenly, the scrutinizing expression softening to a more relaxed one as she tilted her head. She suddenly reminded Ryuu of a small kitten and his hand twitched against his thigh, as though wanting to pat her head. “How can you tell?” he asked in a soft voice.

The girl offered a smile, her eyes closed--and there was something that happened right then that caught the golden-eyed male off-guard. Ringo turned her gaze out toward the window they were seated beside, the sunlight seeping in and bouncing against her eyes, making the chocolate strands of her hair shimmer. It was such a rare image, so different than the pictures of her that exist in magazines, tabloids, and online that Ryuu itched to take a photo--before asking himself why.

“I guess it’s the way you carry yourself. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous. It’s not often I talk to anyone aside from Kari-chan and Shouto-kun,” she mused aloud, her gaze still focused on the outside before a soft giggle left her throat. “This is nice. I usually end up here alone if I need some air.”

“Has it been more than usual?”

“I suppose.”

“Then why not quit?”

The question left before Ryuu could even think it over before asking and he froze, watching Ringo return her gaze over to him, her expression switching to one of stoicism for a moment. She hadn’t answered him, not until after the cafe’s owner brought them both cups of tea and left the pot between them. It took only a minute for that stoicism to melt into an expression that wrenched Ryuu’s heart: sadness.

The girl was famous, part of a well-known idol group, and she was sad.

“I can’t quit. It’s...it’s complicated,” Ringo murmured in a soft voice, her hands circling around the steaming cup of tea, her index finger stroking the porcelain. Even her voice sounded so sad and, for some goddamn reason, Ryuu’s heart clenched despite the fact that he hated those two words: it’s complicated. “It can’t be that complicated,” he replied in a sharp, stern voice. “If you’re unhappy, just leave the group--”

“You don’t understand.” Ringo shook her head furiously, the distress rising by her voice. “You can’t possibly understand what it’s like.”

“You’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how a girl like you can be so miserable with the fame and prestige surrounding your name and you can’t even quit because it’s complicated?” Ryuu’s golden eyes narrowed, his expression hardening despite that his heart was bleeding at the rising stress mounting in those hazel eyes of the girl before him, he just couldn’t understand. If she was silently drowning under the weight of being an idol, why can’t she pull herself out?

“I don’t care about that. Fame, money--it’s not worth selling my soul for. Not when in the end, people only see what they want from me and not…” In spite of her outburst, Ringo’s hands slid from the teacup before her, her gaze having fallen to her lap. Guilt squeezed on Ryuu’s lungs. This girl was treating him to tea for helping her from being mobbed and he was lecturing her about things he had absolutely no idea about, as though it were something to be solved with a simple solution.

“No one sees me. Without Kari-chan and Shouto-kun, I’m invisible,” Ringo finished, not lifting her gaze, but the male brunette heard her all the same. A soft frown crossed Ryuu’s expression and his words fell from his lips before he could think about them: “I see you.”

It took a moment before the female brunette lifted her head, shock etched on her features. Ryuu wasn’t sure why until Ringo spoke again. “You...see me?”

Ryuu opened his mouth to answer until a soft chime echoed around them, momentarily breaking whatever spell the two were under. Ringo averted her eyes to rummage through the pocket of her skirt. She lifted a cell phone and hazel eyes scanned the caller ID. “I’m sorry, I need to take this,” she murmured.

“Go ahead,” Ryuu allowed with a brusque nod of his head, watching as the female brunette pressed the “Accept” on her phone screen, bringing the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Rin, where are you?!” A female voice all but shrilled into Ringo’s ear and Ryuu could hear it from across the table. “The boss is pissed off. Did you forget we have that meeting with the other group we’re collaborating with?”

“I’m at the cafe,” replied Ringo in a hushed voice, brows knitting over her eyes. “That meeting was today? Wasn’t it scheduled for next week?”

“If it was, I wouldn’t be calling you.”

“I’m on my way.”

There it was. Ryuu caught it, even if it was just for a moment. That heavy sigh in Ringo’s voice, the resignation. She didn’t want to go to this meeting, whatever it was. Yet because she was so dedicated to the group regardless of her wishes, she was going to go and he knew it. “I can take you to wherever you need to get to,” Ryuu offered after Ringo hung up the call. Hazel eyes flickered to him, clashing with gold, and the male could see the confusion in her eyes at the offer.

“You don’t have to. You’ll get caught up in the crosshairs and…” Ringo trailed off, looking down before she pushed away from the table to get to her feet. “I have to go. If I don’t, then I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Getting to his feet himself, Ryuu kept his gaze on the slender girl. “I’m offering because I want to. We don’t want to see you get mobbed and keep you from an important meeting, do we?” he added, his stern tone brooking no argument. It was strange; Ryuu never expected to behave this way before an idol and yet, here he was, arguing about his offering to escort Ringo to where she needs to go.

Even more surprising was that she agreed. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, okay?”

“Trying to scare me away?” Had they known each other this long for Ryuu to tease her like this, as they walked out of the little coffee shop that the male brunette was now privy to knowing was Ringo’s secret, safe space. Just this past hour and he suddenly felt as if he’d known her forever. Just watching the slender idol turn her annoyed gaze at him was satisfying--it was an expression that was far different than the look she would wear for magazine shoots and the drowning expression she wore with him just a little bit ago. “It seems like you are,” he added as the two walked down the road, Ryuu letting Ringo lead the way to the agency.

“Tabloids find something, anything to put in the magazines. They could start a whole rumor, just snapping one photo could ruin your life,” muttered Ringo, pushing her brown locks behind her ear. “You want to risk that and disrupt your normalcy?”

Her question hung between them, not an accusation, but Ryuu couldn’t help but focus on it. He already intervened today in Ringo’s life, saving her from a mob of fans, yet she was worried about his life being disrupted. Was she always like this when she wasn’t worried about herself?

Ryuu’s brain told him to walk away, to leave the idol back into her life will with glamour and fame while she struggled with whether to leave all of that behind. He shouldn’t disrupt his normalcy, his life, after just an hour in her presence.

And yet his heart was telling him something else, that he should stay, to be there as someone she could trust--someone whose life didn’t revolve around fame and being on stage, a spotlight constantly cast upon you. Maybe that was why he felt protective of her, though he barely knew her, and at the same time he wanted to.

“This meeting you’re going to sounds important,” Ryuu murmured instead, his right hand sliding into the pocket of his jeans. Her averted his gaze to their surroundings of Shibuya; if he looked at her eyes again, he might end up losing focus.

Ringo tugged at the strap of her bag. “It’s a collaborative project with another group. Our agencies think it may shoot up our respective popularities since we’re on the track of being big names,” she explained in a soft voice. “The threw the pitch and the other group seems to be on bored, so when this album drops…”

Ryuu refrained himself from looking at her. “You don’t sound excited about this project.”

“It’s a great opportunity, but...I’m not. At least, not for the reasons I should be.”

“Should be?”

“I’m an idol. I am part of a group. I have to jump at this chance for us to get shot into the stratosphere and here I am questioning everything I’ve ever known.”

“That isn’t always a bad thing.”

“It is when your life has been under a spotlight forever. People notice those things.”

His life never being in the spotlight, Ryuu vaguely wondered. If Ringo’s emphasis on “forever” was guessed correctly, she’d have been the spotlight since before she even became part of an idol group with her friends. Her re-evaluating her life would put her friends’ careers on the line. In that moment, he glimpsed how complicated it was for her to just quit.

“I never got your name,” Ringo changed the subject. “You know mine, but I never asked for yours.”

Ryuu’s eyes went to Ringo without even thinking, gold clashing hazel. “It’s Ryuu. Akatsuki Ryuu,” he replied softly.

Either he was imagining it or a faint smile touched her lips. “Ryuu...written with the character for “dragon”?”

He found himself returning that smile of hers with a soft one of his own. “Exactly.”

“It suits you.”

His eyes widened at that--and that faint smile became more present, genuine, and far more beautiful than the expressions she had to force for the public to consume; than the ones that enhanced her inner turmoil when she was alone. He didn’t realize until now how...beautiful her genuine smile was when it wasn’t for anyone else.

Oh, hell.

“This is it.” Ringo’s voice broke through Ryuu’s thoughts. Time seemed to have flown by, they were both in front of the building that housed the agency Ringo was under. She moved toward the automatic door, but hadn’t walked in yet. No, instead she looked back toward Ryuu. “Thank you, for escorting me. You didn’t have to and yet you took time out of your day to humor me,” she said before beaming somewhat. “Have a great life, Ryuu.”

Maybe it was his thoughts; maybe it was that brief amount of time they were in the same space; maybe it was the moment. But Ryuu found himself grabbing Ringo’s wrist gently before she could turn away, to walk back into that building--that prison--that she knew all her life and Ringo looked up at him beneath her lashes. Wordlessly, Ryuu pulled a pen from his pocket, uncapping it with his teeth, before writing against Ringo’s palm. Was this allowed? The female brunette wasn’t fighting him, but was it allowed for him to write on her like this in public?

The thought left as quickly as it came when he withdrew the pen. This wasn’t like the private male at all. “That’s my number. In case you need to talk to someone outside of the agency--outside of people you know,” he murmured hurriedly. Ringo hadn’t said anything to that, her eyes still on him and Ryuu could see a mixture of different feelings in their depths: confusion, gratefulness, others he couldn’t pinpoint right then. Then she spoke. “I have to go…”

He didn’t want to let her go. Something in him told him not to let her go, now that he saw a completely genuine side of the idol behind those photoshoots and album covers and tabloid rumors. Something told him to not let her walk back into that building.

But he did.

His hand fell from her wrist and she walked away, through those doors that opened quickly at her presence and closed just as quickly to remind the golden-eyed brunette that their worlds were completely, irrevocably different, to remind himself that he shouldn’t care, that what she chooses is not important to him.

But why was it suddenly becoming harder to believe that notion?

#hexwritesfanfics #behind the mask pt 2 #mha x idol au #oc x oc #canon character x oc

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