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senacal · 3 years

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👀 just found this blog and I'm loving your writing!! Could I request some charles xavier x reader where the reader stands by charles through the events of dark phoenix and after they go to paris together instead of him and Erik. They do lovey dovey shit and charles proposes.

Through Thick and Thin

Request: Requested by a lovely anon.

Pairing: Charles Xavier x Reader

Prompt: Charles Xavier x reader where the reader stands by Charles through the events of dark phoenix and after they go to Paris together instead of him and Erik. They do lovey-dovey shit and Charles proposes.

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of the events of Dark Phoenix, Minor Character Death (happened in the movie)

Author’s Note: Thank you so much! I appreciate the love ^.^ I absolutely love this idea! I hope you like what I came up with! 💕💕 I wrote this one as fem! Reader, so let me know if you’d like me to change it to Gender-Neutral. And I am so sorry this took me forever to write 🥺 🥺

After everything that had happened with Jean, Charles needed a getaway. It was as if all of his responsibilities were too much to bear now that Jean was gone. She was his responsibility, and now she was gone. Not only had he lost Raven, but then he lost Jean. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t continue his role as headmaster, but he no longer felt like doing so. He just wanted a new start. He finally realized what Raven had been talking about. He had let the fame and recognition go to his head. But as he had defended weakly before, it was much better than the latter. He hated the hostility humans had shown towards mutants and him when they found out that he too was a mutant. So yes, he had let the admiration from those who once hated him affect him. However, now he realized how ignorant and “pompous” he had been, as (Y/N) had mentioned before. His only regret was that he couldn’t tell Raven how sorry he was. If there were an afterlife, he hoped to apologize and beg for her forgiveness; she was his sister after all.

Despite his regrets and urge to fix every damage he has caused to his students and friends, he chose to retire. He had some encouragement from (Y/N). She told him it was ultimately his choice in the end, but she was his rock through it all. She stayed by his side when he had meeting after meeting. She stayed when he let his ego get the best of him, though she was angry at him and chose to bunk with Raven when that would happen, the point was that she always came back in the end. (Y/N) was there when Jean ran away, and she was there again when Raven died. That was one of the hardest days of Charles’s life. He had lost his sister and his friend.

He knew it was his fault; If he hadn’t blocked the truth from Jean, perhaps Raven would still be alive. He said as much to (Y/N), but she wouldn’t let him continue with that thought. When Hank lashed out at him, he acted as though the other mutant hadn’t affected him. He refused to admit the truth to his friend because he knew how angry and hurt Hank was. Hank needed someone to blame, so why shouldn’t it be Charles? At the time, he truly believed what he did was the right thing. Jean needed to be protected from the pain and hurt her father would have inflicted on her. It took Raven’s life for him to realize that he had been wrong. (Y/N) was there to pick up the pieces when Charles had that realization.

(Y/N) had always done so much for Charles. She came out to her parents and admitted that she had the mutant gene when Charles had come into the picture. She quit her job to join the X-men, and she stayed by his side when he lost his ability to walk. She had truly sacrificed so much to ensure that Charles was safe and happy. But it wasn’t only her sacrifices that made him love her. (Y/N) was beautiful inside and out. (Y/N) always put others before herself, and her personality always brightened up any room she was in. (Though Charles could be biased about this aspect of her).

With everything they had been through, it was a wonder Charles hadn’t proposed already. They’ve talked about it before; hell, they’ve argued about it. The thought of how idiotic Charles had been made him cringe. He loved her more than anything, and he liked to think she loved him more than anything too. Of course, she wanted an assurance that their relationship was headed somewhere more permanent. And after so long, Charles finally managed to find the courage to buy a ring. Okay, so maybe he still hadn’t asked her, but it was on his to-do list. It was why they went to Paris in the first place. Sure, his retirement allowed for a long-needed vacation, but it was only a bonus. (Y/N) had mentioned before that she would have loved for the chance to go to Paris, but with their busy schedule, it had never happened; until now.

Charles used to hate being stuck in the wheelchair while (Y/N) had to walk beside him, sometimes pushing his chair, but not anymore. He realized that she liked helping him, and she never felt bothered by it, so why should he?

At the moment, (Y/N) was on the phone with someone from back home. Charles looked up from the table and smiled at her. (Y/N) was happy for once; truly happy. From a distance, Charles could hear her laughter and see her radiant smile. He never wanted that smile to disappear. While he had hesitated before, there was no way he would hesitate now. It was perfect. The air was warm, but not uncomfortably so. The sky was clear, and the smell of the café they were at smelled divine. All he needed now was for her to hang up and join him at their table.

(Y/N) said her goodbyes to whoever she was speaking with, shoved her phone in her purse, and happily joined Charles at the table.

“Who was that, darling?” He wondered.

“It was Hank. He said everything was running smoothly, and Ororo has enraptured the students almost immediately,” She picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip.

“No surprise there, Hank always had that leadership trait; it was just a matter of when it would emerge. As for Ororo, I always knew she had it in her. She’s a fast learner,” Charles fidgeted with the watch on his wrist.

“Hmm, why do you seem nervous?” (Y/N) raised her brow in question. She could always tell when something was the matter, another reason Charles lover her so.

“No reason, love.” Charles grabbed his coffee cup so he’d have something to occupy his hands.

“Why don’t I believe you?” (Y/N) narrowed her eyes slightly, “Is it the school?”

“No, no. Nothing of the sort. It’s… I have a surprise, so I can’t tell you exactly what it is. But I promise that you will love it. ” He added as an afterthought, “I hope.”

(Y/N) smiled brightly, “and when do I get this surprise?”

Charles blew out a raspberry; that was the question of the hour. The confidence he had had before seemed to have vanished now that she was back in his presence. Anytime he thought he found the courage when it came down to it, Charles always lost his nerve. He was better than this dammit! He used to make any girl swoon. He was confident, smooth, and attractive if he did say so himself. So, why couldn’t he manage to utter the words, ‘Will you marry me?’ He kind of wished (Y/N) could read minds instead so she could hear the mantra of those words in his mind. Then again, he wouldn’t change her gifts for the world. Her ability to manifest fire made her powerful, dangerous at times, but she had complete control now.

“I’ll let you know once it’s finished,” Charles shrugged.

“So it’s something that involves parts?” (Y/N) guessed.

“Hey, no guessing, that isn’t fair,” Charles scolded.

(Y/N) huffed and pouted, “You’re no fun.”

“Of course not. I only brought you to Paris, after all.”

“I suppose you have a point.” (Y/N) finished her cup of coffee. “So, where to next?”

“I was thinking the Eiffel tower? You did say you wanted the full tourist experience, right?” Charles got to thinking about his own words. Even though it would be cliché, (Y/N) loved that cheesy romance stuff. He could propose there. Or maybe at the Louvre Museum… This was a harder decision than he had originally thought. He had hoped proposing would be easy; He already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with (Y/N), so all he had to do was ask. But (Y/N) deserved the best even though Charles wasn’t the best, he wanted to give her a memorable proposal and a memorable life.

“That sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see it,” She grinned.

When Charles had mentioned going to Paris for a getaway, (Y/N) had thought that he was kidding. She knew he wanted to step down from the school, but it surprised her that he wanted to travel. It appeared that his retirement didn’t apply to everything. She wasn’t complaining, she was having fun and she was happy that she was able to enjoy herself now that she didn’t have to worry about the kids (though she would worry from afar). Thus far, (Y/N) was enjoying their vacation together. It was almost odd to not see Charles on his phone all the time.

By her side, Charles took her hand in his. One thing he was grateful for was the chair that Hank had made for him, it made strolls through the town much easier. Despite their differences, Hank and Charles had left on good terms, they both accepted the faults of the other and learned to move past them, ((Y/N) being a mediator helped).

The couple walked for some time together, taking in the sights of Paris. It was quite beautiful to see. They had good reason to call it the city of love. They idly talked as they walked the streets of Paris, laughing together when one was being silly. (Y/N) couldn’t help the swell of love in her heart for the man beside her.

“Here we are,” Charles hummed.

The couple stood in front of the tower, taking in the sights of people, tourists, and locals alike.

“It’s more beautiful than I imagined,” (Y/N) breathed astonished.

Charles watched her expression, a smile forming on his lips. He could say something cheesy like, ‘not as beautiful as you,’ and he knew she’d tease him for it. But the moment would be ruined if he spoke now. Instead, Charles kissed her knuckles.

“Can we go up?” (Y/N) asked eagerly.

“Of course,” Charles motioned for her to walk ahead of him, “after you, my love.”

(Y/N) happily walked ahead of him. Meanwhile, Charles was trying to convince himself that now was the time; however, it didn’t feel right. Something was still off, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. The atmosphere was perfect, they were in Paris at the bloody Eiffel tower for Christ’s sake! He inhaled deeply and followed her to the closest elevator.

“Thank you,” He nodded at the man who held the doors open for him.

“What kept you?” (Y/N) asked curiously from his side.

“Uh. fear of heights,” Charles lied terribly.

“Really? Cause you do well on flights. You always ask for a window seat,” (Y/N) raised a brow in question.

“Right, but this time we’re outside. There are uh, birds! Birds everywhere, pooping and-and flying willy-nilly.” He rushed.

(Y/N) laughed slightly, “Birds?”

“Yes, birds,” Charles nodded, sticking to his excuse.

“Okay then…” (Y/N) shrugged. If Charles wasn’t ready to tell her why he was so nervous and jumpy, then she won’t press until he is ready.

Once they were at the top and settled near the side, observing the sights of the city, Charles finally got the courage to ask for (Y/N)’s hand in marriage.

“(Y/N), my love,” He cleared his throat, “I-”

“Yes! Yes!”

The couple looked to their left distracted by the commotion. A couple was hugging and kissing while others were clapping.

“Bollocks,” Charles grumbled below his breath. He forced a smile and clapped for the couple. It wasn’t their fault that they proposed before he could.

“That’s so sweet,” (Y/N) turned back to Charles with a bright smile, “You were saying?”

“Uh, right,” Charles cleared his throat, “I was going to say that I uh… I have to use the loo.”

“Oh, uh, I can wait here then,” (Y/N) shrugged.

“Thank you,” Charles’s cheeks flushed as he made his way to the restrooms. God, he was stupid. He waited a minute near the restrooms until he thought it was time he met with (Y/N) again.

“Better?” (Y/N) asked.

“Yes, although, I am hungry, want to get something to eat?” Charles glanced at his watch. Their reservations at the Seine River cruise weren’t until 8 PM, they had three hours until then.

“I could go for some food,” (Y/N) nodded.

“Brilliant,” Charles glanced back at the couple once again, mentally cursing himself. It seemed as though he would never get the courage to ask for (Y/N)’s hand in marriage.

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

Time seemed to fly by once Charles and (Y/N) had eaten. Charles made sure they only had a small bite to eat because he didn’t want them to ruin their appetites. After all, the River cruise wasn’t exactly cheap. Not that he would have minded of course. He just really wanted things to be perfect. Now if only he could utter the words he has been trying to say that whole day.

The couple was now seated at a table near the window so they could enjoy the view as the cruise traveled along the Seine River. It was quite beautiful at night, the lights were shining and the river was flowing peacefully. Charles had just ordered an expensive wine for them to share and they were waiting on appetizers. (Y/N) and Charles shared a look, (Y/N)’s eyes shining in the dim lights of the restaurant. This was truly a romantic spot.

“And what’s occupying your mind now?” (Y/N) couldn’t help but ask. Charles had been distracted all day and frankly, (Y/N) wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“Nothing, just… you look extremely beautiful tonight,” Charles quirked his lips into a smile.

“Just tonight? Well, if that’s your way of telling me to put more of an effort-”

“No! No, that’s not what I was saying at all,” Charles’s eyes lit up in a panic. It seemed he couldn’t say anything right.

(Y/N) threw her head back in a laugh, “Calm down, love, I was only teasing,” She sipped at her wine.

“Right, I knew that,” Charles reached for his glass, knocking it over in his rush to hide his embarrassment, “Oh fuck.”

(Y/N) and Charles quickly grabbed their napkins to stop the wine from trickling off the table.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” (Y/N) looked at him in concern. He wasn’t himself tonight and it was starting to make her a bit nervous if she was being honest with herself.

“Yes, I’m fine, I just,” He sighed and apologized to their waiter when they stopped by to clean the mess Charles had made. Once they were alone again, Charles reached for (Y/N)’s hand, “I’m nervous.”

(Y/N) furrowed her brows, “Nervous? What for?”

Charles cleared his throat and released her hand. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a velvet black box, “(Y/N-”

“Oh my god,” (Y/N) gasped when she realized what he was holding.

Charles huffed a small laugh at her reaction, “(Y/F/N), I have been dying to ask you this for a long time now, and I had planned to do so on the Eiffel Tower but-” “But someone else proposed,” (Y/N) sat astonished. How had she not known? He was clearly nervous and she was too daft to realize why.

“Precisely. But that doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that you’re here with me now. We have been through so much together and I can’t explain how much you mean to me. Everything I’ve done, and everything I will do has always been for you. Will you marry me?”

With tears in her eyes, (Y/N) nodded eagerly, “Yes, Yes I will marry you, Charles.” She wiped her eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. Everything they had been through had led to this moment, while they had lost people they loved along the way, neither could imagine their lives without the other.

_______________

Taglist: @internetgremlin

A/N: let me know if you'd like me to add you to all fics for Charles Xavier 😊

#charles xavier #charles xavier x reader #x men #x men imagine #x men x reader #ask #fem reader #after dark phoenix #spoilers #?#This movie has been out for a while now #Sabrina writes

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dulafer · 3 years

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TWIN REVENGE

This is an old one, just thought I’d share..... Its of my shortest stories. Any feedback appreciated - [email protected]

REUNION

I’ve always been the odd twin out. Will and I were both named William C. Witt with the only difference being our middle names – Charles and Conner. I’ve never liked being called ‘Willy’ while William preferred ‘Will’. Growing up, our parents couldn’t tell us apart - we even have the same birthmark on our chins.

I’ve always been jealous of Will for being the favorite. Many times, I’d answer to my brother’s name on purpose or force Will to swap places with me. The first time I was Will was when he was failing algebra in 9th grade and didn’t want our parents to find out. We swapped places so I could take his tests. My condition was that I stay as him for the day – soaking up my parent’s adoration and love. Will was definitely our parent’s favorite which pissed me off the older I got, often lashing out for attention. In high school I started impersonating my brother to get him in trouble. Sometimes, I would get caught because my brother would have an alibi with friends backing him up, or I’d would slip up wearing my hair differently or some other little detail.

By our junior year, I started hanging with another group of friends and dealing drugs. My reputation for trouble followed me as my ‘business’ grew. Will knew what I was up to because people would mistake him for their dealer. Weeks before graduation, the principal caught me selling drugs red handed, thanks to a tip from Will. Since Witts are a powerful family, Dad worked a deal to allow me to graduate on the condition that I spend the summer in rehab. The deal was made and the day after graduation, Dad drove me to the rehab center. I lasted a week before escaping and never being seen again.

My drug pals smuggled me out of Los Angeles to northern California. San Francisco was the perfect spot for me. With my college age looks, I blend in on local high school and college campuses where my business grew exponentially. I wear the college gear that fit the campuses I was working daily. I’ve always been thrifty with my earnings and always a light user myself so I saved my money for a future free of drugs. When I can, I sit in on college classes, mostly political science since my father was always drilling politics into Will and I.

Will on the other hand, was the perfect son. He attended college for political science, becoming a staunch conservative. But Will wasn’t always perfect. After two years in college, he dropped out and was hired at Prager U as a campus correspondent to interview students and follow trends. Will quickly picked up a fan base nationally and within months was buying a condo and new car – with the help of a proud rich father. Will travels the country giving speeches, interviewing people and blogging.

Mom and dad have all but forgotten about me. I faked my own death and changed my name when I heard my family was looking for me. It was convincing enough that the Witts even had a funeral for me.

CAMPUS LIFE

I’m at Stanford University working my regular ‘route’, supporting my boys with product. A few girls spot me, come running over and one screams. “Oh my god, Will! I’m your biggest fan.”

I wonder why they’re calling me Will and fawning over me? “Hi, thank you so much.”

“We can’t wait to hear you speak. You going to do a ‘man on the street’?” the other one squeals.

“Sure am.” Not knowing what that is even. I see one of my boys coming over for his weekly stash. “Excuse me ladies, I’m meeting an old friend.”

Tyler comes over with his usual swagger carrying his backpack. “Do I have competition bro?”

“No, not at all! You know you’re my main man.” We do his frat’s handshake. Anyone watching us would see us both in Stanford gear and just assume we’re students. We take a seat on a nearby bench, talk business, two minutes later, he’s leaving with my backpack full of drugs.

I walk around campus, wondering about those two girls calling me Will. When I get to the campus hub, I see my face plastered all over the board. The flyers reads ‘Will Witt, Prager University, Topic: Campus Diversity’. I pull one off the board, fold it up and place it in my backpack pocket. I’ll be damned, my little brother in town. I have to see this for myself.

I get home and study the flyer, find the Prager U site and start watching my brother’s videos. We’re so alike with our political beliefs – neither of us have fallen far from our father’s tree. We both have the same attitudes and beliefs as good old dad. He even sounds like dad did, around the dinner table our entire life. I then log into his Instagram account, using Will’s password he’s been using for a decade. I’m getting envious of my brother’s life – he’s still the golden boy and I’m sure dad is super proud of him. He’s traveling all over the world thanks to this Prager gig. On top of that, he’s become famous on Fox and other mediums for being very articulate and full of energy.

As I watch him, I’m getting very envious of Will. I’m as smart and talented as my brother. I could have been the favorite son, the celebrity. ‘Should be, could be, will be.’ I think to myself. That should be my life.

The next day, I head to a theater supply store and buy a fake belly, beard/mustache and some make up. I’ve got to see my brother in action today. Will is scheduled to do a ‘man on the street’ interview on campus this afternoon, then the speech later tonight.

I show up for his man on the street interview but hang way back, out of sight of Will. With my disguise, I’ve gained 50lbs, a full beard, sunglasses and wearing a tie dyed hoodie. I watch and listen as Will, his producer and camera man set up everything. I record everything with a shotgun microphone - hearing the back and forth banter between Will, his cameraman Gavi and Mike, his producer. That evening, I attend the lecture in another disguise just to be safe. I’ve haven’t seen Will in over two years but he’s still the same arrogant Will in private. In public he’s very friendly and charming. As I’m listening to Will speak, a plan starts to formulate in the back of my mind. Willy is already dead to the world, so why not become Will. It’s not like I’m inexperienced in doing it. It would always piss Will off when I would steal his identity and fool his girlfriends. While he was taking a shower, I would get dressed first, take his clothes, phone, car and pick up his girlfriend who was clueless. Will would be pissed but I would apologize and he would forgive me. One time Will called his girlfriend while I was impersonating him and couldn’t convince her that he was actually Will – I was that good.

I start tracking my brother via his emails, calendar and social media. Will is flying from Los Angeles to Washington for a week, with Turning Point USA to promote Prager U and himself. Our parents will also be gone on vacation to Europe for months, with plans to hook up with Will in London for lunch and a show in a month.

MOVING TO LOS ANGELES

I need to formulate a detailed plan. Will has lived the good life long enough, it’s my turn now. I start with cleaning up my life here – telling my friends that I need to disappear again. They buy it easily as it has happened before. I clean out my bank account – about $1m, and drive to Hollywood where Will lives.

I rent a furnished apartment across the street from Will’s condo. It’s perfect – from my living room and bedroom, I can see his entrance and garage. I keep my fake beard and baseball cap on all the time, and only use the back entrance to go anywhere. On his departure day, I watch him being picked up by an airport service and confirm his flight took off on schedule. I head to my bathroom and remove my beard and hide my longer hair under a baseball cap. The condo manager gladly provides ‘Will’ with a spare key when I tell him I lost mine.

Will’s condo is very nice with an open floorplan. There’s 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The lower level is a 2 car garage, lots of storage, a large video recording studio and utility room. His silver Porsche 911 Cabrio is parked next to a motorcycle. On the wall is some leather gear, boots and helmet. The 2nd floor has a large living room with exposed brick walls, huge flat screen, fireplace, bar, gourmet kitchen with top end stainless steel appliances and a personal office. The 3rd floor is all bedrooms with a huge master suite with large bathroom and large walk in closet. The one spare bedroom is sparsely decorated with just a bed, dresser and chair. The other bedroom is mostly empty. It’s a great ‘crib’ but I’m certain daddy helped pay for most of it.

I get to work quickly with my plans. I try to check out his studio’s computer but its password protected and I can’t get it to unlock. This isn’t a problem after I plug in a thumb drive with keystroke tracker and some other tricks. In a minute, I gain access to all his computers and social media accounts. The password was his usual password but backwards.

His iMac Pro is a wealth of information – full of his unedited videos, speeches and even a digital diary. I thought he stopped doing a diary in 11th grade but apparently not. He updated it just this morning before leaving. I’m sitting there for hours reviewing his life since I left. His comments about my death and funeral are cruel to say the least. He blames me for fucking up life with my death, how mom & dad are glad it’s over and they’re all better off. Even my father agreed with him. That’s fine by me, they won’t miss Will at all when I take his place.

I decide to spend the night here and continue my studying. In his basement studio there is a green screen, professional video cameras and teleprompters set up in one corner which he uses to make his cutesy videos. I turn on the equipment, click on a file and up pops the words to his last blog on the teleprompter. On another display in front of the green screen pops up the empty stool where he sits. On the stool is a remote I believe is for controlling everything. I plop my ass down, face the camera, and see myself, or Will on the display in front of me. I fuss with my hair to give me Will’s prominent cowlick, press ‘record’ and the words start moving for me to perform. “What’s up guys, Will Witt for Prager U” I repeat his performance, then delete file before passing out at 2am, after seeing his posts on landing in Washington DC.

LOOKING THE PART

My brother prides himself on his hair, especially the huge cowlick that he’s proud of. According to his calendar, he had a haircut a few days before leaving for Washington. I make myself at home taking a shower, and pulling on some of his clothes – dark gray skinny jeans, t-shirt, jacket and his black high top converse sneakers. I’m missing his clunky watch and ring he wears all the time, and also his rope crystal necklace he’s been wearing since he was 15. The one time I was with one of his girlfriends, not having that necklace on, gave away my identity. I jump in Will’s Porsche and find a salon with a great google rating. I ask for my usual and show her pics from two days ago. They’re very close up and detailed. In half an hour, I’m smiling at Will in the mirror, running my hand through his cowlick.

Back home, I pull in to the garage and before I can close the door, some pretty little thing is running over to me.

“Will! Hey there, I’m glad I caught you.”

“Oh hey, you caught me.” I smile and act surprise.

“Tammy and I are having a party tonight.” She hands me a flyer ‘Jen and Tam’s Big Party’.

“That sounds like a blast, ‘Jen’.” Hoping she’s the ‘Jen’ on the flyer.

“I was just going to slip it in your mailbox. Thought you were going to Washington or someplace exotic again.”

“My DC trip was postponed, so I’m here.” I give her a typical Will smile.

“Washington’s lost is our gain. You have to come. Besides you can crawl home if you get drunk like unlike last time.”

“I’ll try my best but super busy here.” I chuckle with her, not sure what she’s referring to but Will’s diary will probably help me remember some of it. I’d love to go but there’ll be lots of iPhones around and plenty of pics/videos posted on social media.

A friend sent me a lot of WiFi HD fiberoptic video cameras and microphones to bug my brother’s place. I place a few in each room then sync them to my iPad. Walking from room to room I test them all for activation. It takes all day to hide them properly. Later on, Will’s latest VLOGs and antics from Washington start appearing on his desktop.

His video reminds me how different our styles are. Will was always conservative dresser while I went for the grunge look. His videos confirm his tastes haven’t changed at all except becoming more expensive. I’m making myself at home – it’s going to be my future home soon anyway. With my new haircut, it only takes a little of his gel to look exactly like him.

It was always fun turning myself into Will when we were younger, it’s still a turn on now. I print out some pics from his PC files, showing various outfit he’s worn. I’ve got to nail his ‘look’ perfectly for my future life. There’s one of him in a sharp black suit, white shirt and black tie playing a piano, with a red lapel thingy at a Prager U gala a month ago. We both took piano lesson but I was always a little better.

It’s easy finding the outfit in his very organized closet. He took it off, left the lapel pin in and probably hasn’t worn it since. There’s a video of the gala in his files that I watch, providing me glimpses of his shoes and watch. I strip out of his jeans, and into the outfit. I couldn’t find his watch – it’s probably in Washington on him but I slip on his pinky ring and a different watch from his jewelry box. Back in the studio, I start a new file – Prager Gala, pretending that I’m Will being interviewed about the night’s events. I sit on the stool, hit record and adlib the event starting with Will’s signature “What’s up Guys” intro, including flashing his two fingers. Being Will is all very natural for me. I’m up half the night learning the equipment, checking out his videos and closet. I just need a few weeks of studying him before I replace him.

To access his cell phone, a friend puts me in contact with a local guy who clones Will’s iPhone. It costs $2000 but I now see his text messages, calendar and listen to his voicemails. I can also listen in on his calls while he’s talking to people. I can’t speak to them, and they can’t hear me but it’s perfect timing. With him in Washington, his entire life is going through his cell phone, providing me with up to the minute information. He’s working on his schedule for the next few months. With access to all this, I’m learning who his coworkers are, listening to work conference calls, what they’re working on and what Will’s job entails as Prager’s ‘social media influencer’.

Will has a spare set of keys for our parent’s place so I visit just to see what changes have been made while I’ve been gone. The most obvious change is the lack of pictures of me. Their mantel has no pics of Will and I together. It almost looks like they have only one son – that I never existed. Everything else is pretty much how it was three years ago. As I was leaving, Mrs. Tarantolo, their neighbor sees “Will” and comes running over to say hello. She thought it was sweet I was keeping an eye on their place while they were away “Such a good son.” She claims to be my biggest fan and hasn’t missed any of my videos. She’s clueless about me, as she should – when even our parents couldn’t tell the difference, I’m not worried about anyone.

My week consists of listening, watching and reading everything he’s up to. I take his Porsche out to grab lunch or dinner to remote places so I’m not seen by anyone that could know him. A few times, fans mistake me for Will and I sign autographs using “What’s Up Guys”. They’re thrilled and its harmless fun for me.

The week flies by and I return to my apartment across the road. I return the spare condo key to the manager after making a duplicate of it. On schedule, Will returns via LAX shuttle service. My surveillance system works perfectly as he moves around his condo. I see him taking a shower, changing into sweats and working in his studio. His buddy Mike arrives later with pizza and they brainstorm in the studio about their next VLOG and ‘man in the street’ topics. Listening to their banter helps me learn the lingo and their personal relationship.

Will has not changed a bit since I left Los Angeles – same old anal retentive asshole. It’s fun watching and learning about him. He’s still an avid runner, and like clockwork, he does five miles around a nearby park most mornings. Prager U is just a few miles away and he’s there daily unless he’s traveling. He has a new girlfriend he casually hooks up with but it’s not serious, so that’ll be easy. He writes about meeting her in his diary. He’s got his work schedule planned for the next few months and I know enough to handle it. After a few weeks, my gut is telling me I’m ready to be Will Witt.

Will’s next major trip is to London for a scheduled Turning Point USA promotion/MOTS and speech at Oxford University – same as he did at Stanford. My plan is to replace him when he arrives home. This gives me another 10 days to get up to speed with his life. I watch him pack, see LAX shuttle service pick him up and confirm his plane took off as scheduled. I make myself at home but keep a low profile, rarely going out.

Between his phone and computer, I’m kept busy 24 hours/day just keeping up with his life. He’s definitely a video freak, not only recording content for Prager but also everything else like his hotel room, what he had for breakfast, his shopping excursions. I can’t wait to wear his new $7000 bespoke suit he purchased during his shopping expedition on Saville Row. I listen in on his phone calls with our parents, his friends and girlfriend Lisa. This helps me get up to speed with what’s going on in his life. Mom & Dad meet Will for lunch at his hotel, then go to see Hamilton. There’s plenty of selfies and videos to make his life mine. He’s spending a fortune on food, wine, clothes, cigars and trinkets.

A few hours before he returns, I’m armed with chloroform, truth serum and various knock out drugs. I hide in his bedroom, ready to pounce with a heavily soaked rag of chloroform. It’s almost enough to knock me out just holding it.

HONEY I’M HOME

The door lock jiggles and Will enters, plopping his luggage inside the door. He makes a beeline to kitchen and opens the refrigerator. He’s there quite a while before I hear him dragging his very large suitcases up the stairs. I’m crotched in the corner, behind the door as he struggles to get both bags through. The perfect moment happens when one of the bags get stuck in the door jam and I hear him say ‘fuck’. In a split second, I pounce and have the chloroform soaked rag over his nose and mouth. A split second after that, he almost falls to the floor as I catch him. I drag him out into the hallway, and finish putting his bags in the bedroom.

“Welcome home Will, have a good trip?” I look down at him passed out and ask.

“Awesome trip man, had fun with the TP USA team, saw Hamilton with the parents, and hit up lots of pubs and cigars. I’ll have to show you all the pics I took.” I respond to myself in Will’s typical enthusiastic lingo.

I drag Will to the empty bedroom and start stripping him. Of course, he’s in a sport coat and tie to travel. It’s so ‘Will’ I think as I carefully remove everything from him, amazed at how alike we still are. I strip off my old sweat pants and t-shirt and put them on him. I pull him up into a metal chair I anchored to the floor, then handcuff his hands and feet so he can’t move an inch. I kneel down next to him, grab his face, then rotate it side to side to check his appearance close up. My sideburns are about a quarter inch too long so I head to my bathroom and trim them to match exactly.

I carry ‘my’ clothes back to my new bedroom and slowly start my transformation into Will. I love pulling on the outfit he’s been wearing all day—his sweat and scents mixing with mine. Everything is still warm as I put on his black briefs and socks. His charcoal dress pants fit perfectly as I pull them up. His shirt has gunmetal gray cufflinks and is monogrammed on the sleeve with our initials ‘WCW’. I pulled the black lace up shoes off his feet without untying them. I wiggle into them, tuck in my shirt and fasten my belt. In the bathroom mirror I put on his tie using the same technique dad taught both of us. I pull on his cool black sport coat with large dark gray plaid patterns. There’s a video of him wearing this outfit for red carpet Oscar interviews. I check his breast pockets, locating his iPhone, keys and wallet. Tucked inside an outside pocket are his glasses. Slipping on his ring, leather wrist band and watch completes my transformation into Will Witt. I adjust my hair using his Cremo hair cream—Will is always fussing with his hair. Staring in the mirror, I only see Will Witt, just as he was traveling first class earlier. I grin at myself as I adjust my shirt cuffs and admire my looks. I do his usual MOTS intro flawlessly – “What’s Up Guys”. From this moment on, I’m Will Witt and no one will have a clue I’m not.

My iPhone buzzes in my suit pocket, it’s Will’s girlfriend, Lisa calling.

“Hey Lisa, I just got in the door babe.” I answer watching myself in the mirror, smiling and playing Will flawlessly.

“I thought you would be, I’ve missed you so much Will.” She whispers seductively.

“Same, may I take you out for dinner?” I ask as charmingly as Will does, remembering their conversation from a day ago, and Will promising dinner and a surprise.

“I would love that.”

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 7, Let’s dress up and go someplace nice. I’ll wear a suit and tie.” This gives me the afternoon to get settled into my new life.

“Okay Will, can’t wait.”

“Bye Babe.” Will’s cutesy name he uses for all his girlfriends.

‘It’s show time’ I think to myself. I head back to my brother who’s finally starting to stir from the chloroform. I start slapping his face and he becomes more aware.

“Wake up Willy, Willy wake up.” I say playfully.

He looks confused, slowly recognizing me, his eyes bug out, then starts to struggle. “But you’re dead?”

“Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. Don’t struggle bro, you’ll only hurt yourself.” I laugh at him.

“What’s going on Willy? Why are you in my clothes?”

“From now on, please call me Will and they’re now my clothes. I just got back from London and I’m really jet lagged.” I stand proudly, straighten my tie then reach into my breast pocket for my new wallet.

“Asshole, what do you think you’re doing?” he yells and gets pissed as he’s now fully awake.

“Well, remember when you planted drugs in my locker, turned me into the school principle and ruined my life?”

“Yeah, that was a good one! They all bought it too. Got rid of you for good.” He laughs.

“Well, laugh all you want. I’m borrowing your life.”

“You’ll never get away with this. Whatever you are planning, won’t work.” He predicts.

“Well I’m taking Lisa out to dinner tonight to celebrate my return. In other words, I need pussy but Will doesn’t talk like that. Let me rephrase it – I’m taking my girlfriend out for dinner and hopefully make love to her. Better?” I leaf through my wallet checking it out, pulling out the debit card. “Bro, is your PIN still 8991? I may need some cash for my date. You only have a $40 in here.”

By the look on his face, I know he never changed is PIN. “Thanks bro, just needed to confirm that.”

“She’ll know you’re not me, don’t even try it.”

“Bro, you’re talking to the guy who fooled all your girlfriends in high school. You’ve been dating her for what? About 6 weeks after meeting her at Jen’s last party where you got wasted and don’t remember getting home.”

“You’ve been reading my private diary?”

“Well, you could say it’s my diary. So, I was just reviewing my life for the past few years.” I laugh at him. “Which brings me to a new issue – where should I take her for dinner, and do afterwards?”

“Fuck yourself.” He yells.

“Bro, I’m hoping to fuck her, not myself. You don’t want me to do something brash, ‘unWill like’ and ruin your relationship do you? I bet she doesn’t even know you have a twin brother, am I right?” I laugh at him.

“Willy, what are you doing? Just untie me and I’ll forget this ever happened. I promise.” Trying to soften me up.

“Let’s get this straight, for the time being, I’m Will Witt, you’re nothing, don’t call me that again.” I yell at him. “Now, you’re going to help me be you or I’m going to really fuck up your life. You know I can do it. If you lie to me, there will be repercussions. Do not test me.”

“Okay.” He responds defeated.

“Okay, what?” I demand.

“Okay Will. Lisa loves Italian and there’s this little family owned restaurant called ‘Papa Joe’s’ near her house. She loves it and so do I. That’s where I was planning on taking her tonight. I always get the ‘Lombardo’ dish with an ice tea of course.” He answers defeated.

“That’s good information bro, I really appreciate that.” I watch his face and have always been able to tell when he was lying. “What after that? What are her limits? I need everything to be you with her. Give me the full history.”

He proceeds to tell me everything I need to know about Lisa – at least I hope so.

“Now I need details about my job. I know where you work, and what you do but more details about the people, office layout, where your office is and how I get in?” He gives me looks that could kill. “What’s up guys?” I mock him with his catch phrase.

“My work ID badge gives me complete access anytime. It’s in the front pocket of my backpack. I have an office on the second floor, just left as you get out of the elevator. My name is on the door. You can’t miss it.”

“What do you do when you first get there, in the morning? Routine? Pals? Coffee? conference room? Where do you go for lunch? I need it all Willy. You don’t want me to mess up your perfect little life, do you?” I subtly threaten him.

Once I pump him for everything, I grab the bag from the corner, pull out a needle and inject him. He screams at me for about two minutes then become docile. I walk him to the bathroom and order him to relieve himself. Once secured back in his chair, I give him dose of Midazolam that will keep him out for 12 hours and put a ball gag in his mouth. I shut and lock the bedroom door, head back to my master bedroom finishing my unpacking.

I slip easily into Will’s routine. My shirts and suits will go to my cleaner per the receipts in the Porsche, the rest go into the washer. Carefully tucked inside his luggage is his new Saville Row Huntsman, a few new dress shirts and the Big Ben charm I bought Lisa in London. I can’t help but try on the new suit, admiring the fit and material. I head downstairs and see Will’s work backpack he has with him all the time. I take it down to the studio office and start going through the content…. A few cameras, my passport, iPad and MacBook Pro. There’s a printout of my next Prager assignments and hand notes he made in the margins. I find his work ID, clip it to my suit, repack his backpack and head to the office.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

I’ve followed Will to Prager U but have never stepped foot inside. I pull into an empty parking lot, and park in his assigned spot. Will says no one is ever there but he sometimes goes in to get a jump on Monday. My ID badge opens the main door. I easily find his office and make myself at home. On the wall I notice the signed photograph of Reagan that dad treasures and wonder how Will has it. I plop my backpack on the chair next to my desk and start exploring. I open my MacBook and it starts syncing with the LAN. I easily log in and upload my videos as Will does after all his events, according to his logs.

I explore the entire building and everything is as he described – Boss’ office, video production, media center, studio, executive conference room etc. I confidently walk around taking in the names of my coworkers. In the men’s room, I smile at Will in the mirror and clean out my coffee mug.

Back in the office, I settle into my desk and go thru my drawers, check my work email and respond to some. I hear someone coming up the stairs, calling my new name, approaching my office. I recognize it immediately as Will’s producer and friend – Mike.

“In here.” I yell out to him.

He pops his head around the corner. “Welcome back, how was your flight?”

“Uneventful, good to be home but jet lag.” I casually answer.

“My flight yesterday was delayed an hour from Chicago but not too bad.”

I heard their last conversation before Will took off this am, and continued it. “I’m good with the final edits from MOTS, just uploaded it so Alexander can add the graphics.”

I pull up the video, knowing Will made a few cuts on the flight over, and show it to him.

“You’ve been busy man, looks great. You want to grab lunch?”

“Sure, you drive and pick.” I can’t resist the thought of testing my ‘Will skills’.

Mike takes me to ‘In & Out’ for burgers. He doesn’t suspect a thing, readily accepting me as his friend and coworker. We talk about the trip, work and future trips. I feel as if I was actually there. He drops me off and I head back to my office and continue to familiarize myself with everything for a few more hours.

My big test will be ‘my’ girlfriend Lisa. I stay in Will’s slick outfit, donning his favorite Ray-Bans for the drive. She’s waiting for me outside and jumps into my car. Her unexpected full tongue kiss surprises me but I quickly adjust and give her full tongue back. We make out for a minute then I take her to Papa Joe’s. Will was telling the truth, Lisa lights up as I pull in front and valet the Porsche. I use my brother’s pics, diary, blogs and text messages to talk about my London trip. When desert comes, I spring the Big Ben charm on her. She leans in tenderly, kisses me deeply and invites me to spend the night.

At her place, we strip and jump right into bed. In minutes, she’s moaning as I work her pussy, slowly penetrating it with the tip of my head. She starts moaning softly ‘oh Will, oohhh Will’ making me harder, pushing deeper into her as she climaxes. I explode in her, then collapse onto my back as she curls up under my arm and we fall to sleep. She wakes me up with a blow job and homemade pancakes – Will’s favorite she notes. I’m not a big pancake fan but eat them eagerly as Will would. I’ve replaced Will completely and now have his sexy girlfriend.

DAY TWO

I check on Willy when I get home and he’s starting to stir. My schedule today calls for video editing at Prager U with Gavi and Mike. I take a quick shower put on an outfit that screams ‘preppy conservative’ – which isn’t difficult as that’s all Will has in his closet, making my job easy.

I pop my head in to the bedroom and see that he’s wide awake.

“Morning sunshine.” I cheerfully say.

“Let me the fuck out of these straps now!” he mumbles as I remove the ballgag.

“Sure thing, but first a little shot so you can take a dump and eat a little something. Hungry?”

“No, don’t drug me, it’s a fucking weird feeling.” He pleas.

“Sorry man, I can’t chance you getting free and having a fake Will running around.”

“You’re the fake Will, ass wipe.” He screams.

“Hmmm Lisa and Mike didn’t think so. I ran into Mike in the office yesterday while uploading my latest VLOG and MOTS video, then had lunch with him. He’s a good friend of mine. Oh, and Lisa… Damn did I hit her sweet spot last night as she moaned my name softly in my ears. She really loved the Big Ben charm I got her and the ‘Big Will’ I gave her. I think I’m in love bro.” I grab my crotch so he knows what I’m talking about.

“You fucking bastard!! Fucking asshole!! You’ll be caught. You can’t slip into my life that easily.” He screams.

“Now, now, Willy. Guess you didn’t notice the video and audio bugs I installed throughout my new condo or the keystroke tracker on your computers. I’ve been catching up with you since Stanford. Your condo manager was gracious enough to give me a key after you lost it.” I run and grab my iPad and play some of the videos for him, then I show him the cloned phone and play his last conversation with Mike.

“Guess I don’t need this cloned phone any longer. I have to admit, you’re quite the busy person. Your phone never stops ringing and beeping but don’t worry, I’m keeping up.”

“Fuck you Willy! When I get free, you’re going to jail or worst.”

“If you get free, which I doubt. If you haven’t noticed, you’re bolted to the floor. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll have new carpet installed at some point. Nice thing bro – between my bank account and yours, I’m quite wealthy with a lot of future potential. In fact, after this gig, I’m thinking of running for office. Dad would love it and back me financially.”

He mutters. “Fucker.”

“Hey bro, don’t worry, I’m taking good care of your life. Enjoying it immensely, especially Lisa. She really knows how to wake me up but I’m not big on the pancakes.”

He thrashes back and forth in the chair screaming more obscenities at me.

“Bro, seriously, how do I look? Do you approve my work outfit? I’ve noticed this sport coat is one of your favorites. Oh, and my new suit from London fits great and feels incredible. I just had to try it on.” I taunt him while adjusting my shirt sleeves and checking my watch.

“What are you doing here?” he quietly demands.

“Well the drug career pays quite well but is extremely dangerous. After seeing you at Stanford, I decided a career change was necessary. Don’t you agree it’s a good career move?”

“You’ll never fool them for long. There are things only I could know. You’ll tripped up. What about mom and dad?”

“Are you serious?” I laugh out loud. “Mom and dad could never tell us apart, you know that. I did visit the house while you were in London and from the pictures displayed, it looks like I, Will, am an only child. They’re the least of my worries.”

“Oh, they’ll know you’re not me.”

“Why would they? Just look at me bro. I was always a better you than you, when I wanted to be. I do have to get fully up to speed with my new life, friends and girlfriend but that’s what all my new drugs are for. I kind of like your style so I’ll only wear what you already have in your closet. I’m enjoying your preppy style. I think I’m rocking the Will look, you have to admit it.” I tug on my sleeves not interested in his rants.

“What about work?” He counters.

“Oh bro, that’ll be easy too. I’ve watched all your videos – the work and personal, edited and unedited. I taught myself iMovie to edit my MOTSs for uploading. I’ve seen you brainstorm with Mike on MOTS topics and question. It’s amazing how we even think alike politically. I’m ahead of schedule for today. Like the anal person you are, I was in the office all afternoon while you were sleeping. I cleaned out my scummy coffee mug, organized my desk and left a note for Alexander on the graphics I’d like to see before the end of today. I can’t wait to meet the boss, have been a fan of his for years.”

“You can’t be me!” He slumps his shoulder in deeper defeat.

“I am you, no one will have a clue I’m not.”

I inject him with truth serum and a powerful muscle relaxer. By the time I come back with breakfast, he’s docile and defeated. A few protein bars, quick trip to bathroom and he’s safely secured again. The truth serum is remarkable. I have a totally different discussion with him.

“Hey bro, how do I look? You like?” I spin around to model my outfit.

“I’ve worn that exact outfit before I think.”

“Thank you, now see, it wasn’t too hard to be nice, now was it?”

He spills his guts to me about all his coworkers, and what he thinks of them. While he’s drugged, I hit him up on family issues and his feelings towards me. He basically threatens to kill me and will since I’m already dead. It’s been on his mind since he woke up chained to the chair. I snicker to myself, knowing he’s the one who’s days are numbered. It’s almost time for work today, so I knock him out for another 12 hours.

My first day of work is a breeze. I visit Alexander and review the graphics I want. Mike and I review the schedule and brainstorm future MOTSs and VLOGs. Will has the easy part and probably makes the most money. Prager’s staff writes his MOTS questions and helps him with upcoming speeches. He provides the topic, they handle it from there. Will was good enough to do my outline for his University of Texas speech next week. I turn them in and talk to Marissa, our content producer. I have the best gig – I just need to be the hip preppy conservative face of Prager U and get to travel all around the world.

When I’m leaving Marrisa’s office, I run into Dennis Prager, the president of Prager University. He puts his arm around me and leads me back to his office.

“Will, good to see you, how was London? I just saw your rough video and it’s great”

“Thank you, Mr. Prager. London was great.” I respond and his face immediately looks puzzled.

“Since when am I Mr. Prager?”

“Dennis, sorry it just came out. I’m still out of sorts with jet lag and the British are so formal.” I try to recover.

“I understand boy, plus you probably had too much wine and cigars I’m sure.”

“I sure did. I brought a few Charatan Robustos back with me” I chuckle knowing their conversations about them and using them to solidify my identity.

“And you’re not sharing? Will, Will, Will, how could you?”

“I’ll bring them in tomorrow.”

“Let’s grab lunch son.”

I can’t believe I’m having lunch with Dennis Prager. He’s thrilled with ‘my’ work, wants me to do more TV appearances like Fox & Friends but also liberal networks. My ratings are through the roof. I talk about my London trip, showing him pics of my parents and selfies I took. We talk politics, going back and forth on issues. We get back to the office and I easily fit in and learn the ropes. By the end of the day, I’m very pleased with my new life. I pass on happy hour claiming I’m still of out sorts due to jet lag.

CHECKING IN

Back home I check Willy. He’s awake but groggy.

“What’s up guy? How was your day?” I ask cockily as I strut in.

“How do you think, you sick fuck.”

“So sorry to hear that. My day was awesome. My latest VLOG and MOTS are killing it. I had lunch with my friend Dennis and he wants me to do more TV spots. It was probably the best day of your life, I mean my life.”

“My life! You fucker, my life.” He screams with pure rage.

“Wow bro, you smell. We’ll have to get you a shower but first I need to change. Be right back.”

I run to my closet and throw on a pair of running shorts and a Prager t-shirt. I keep my cell phone on me as it’s been going off all day. When I get back to Willy, he starts yelling at me.

“What are you up to? Did you get me fired? The truth, you owe me that at least.”

I laugh. “Now why would I mess up my career bro?”

“It’s my life and career. You’re going to pay for this you fucking asshole.” He continues to rant.

“I’ve had enough of you already.” I grab the ball gag, shove it in his mouth and he starts thrashing again. My phone rings, it’s Mike calling.

“Hey Mike, What’s up?” Willy’s eye light up watching me.

“No, I’m fine, it was just jetlag and you know me…I tried all the beers and cigars in the pubs…Yeah buddy…thanks for your concern.” I hang up and look at Willy. “Hey that Jetlag excuse will be good for another few days till I get the groove completely.”

He starts mumbling again but the phone rings again with Lisa calling.

“Hey babe, how was your day?” I sincerely ask. Willy starts squirming and getting louder.

“Hey babe, hang on, I’ve got my producer calling.” I put her on hold, walk over to Willy and gut punch him with all my force. I impale him and he shuts up.

“Sorry babe, did I thank you for last night?...Oh yeah, I’d love to but I’ve got a lot to catch up with…My parents are coming back Wednesday from their European vacation and we’re suppose to do dinner Thursday? Would love for you to meet them….Okay… love ya.”

“Bro, see how easy this gig is for me? I still need you for some additional information like the combination to the safe in your office.” He stares at me but is keeping quiet. I grab my little box of drugs and mellow Willy out. A quick shower, shit and change of clothes and he’s back in his chair. I feed him a sub and water that he quickly inhales.

“Now Willy, what’s the number to my safe?”

“Go fuck yourself.” he mumbles.

“Willy, you know I could give you some truth serum or beat it out of you.”

“17858” he spits out as in disgust.

I head down to his safe and open it up. Inside is a gun, his birth certificate, social security card, and a stack of other seemingly important papers. I grab it all and take head up to review with Willy.

“Nice Glock Willy, let’s review what’s in my safe and why it’s there. Some quality bonding time. Most of this I know but the rest?” I ask nicely.

“My contract with Prager U, noncompete, mom & dad’s will, my will, some stocks dad gave me.”

I leaf through it, reading it all and ignoring Willy. In between docs, I feed him some granola bars from the kitchen. I play with the unloaded gun in front of him, on purpose. I’ll have a use for it soon.

“Ok brother, more work questions. There’s ‘PR shots’ on calendar for tomorrow afternoon. What’s with that?”

“Joel, our CMO set them up. It’s just ‘glamour’ pics for his new marketing campaign.”

“Oh, so that’s what my new suit is for I’m guessing. The email to Joel saying you’re all set after you bought it?”

“Yeah, please don’t fuck things up for me Willy. I’ve worked hard this past year.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m Will.” I gut punch him again.

“I’m sorry Will.” He cries in pain.

“That’s better Willy. So, tell me what to expect.”

“Easy, take suit to work, some of my shirts, ties and jewelry. Collette in our makeup will take care of the rest. Just smile and do what they tell you in front of the camera.” he answers, still in pain.

“Shoes?”

“The black derbies I had on yesterday, I bought for shoot specifically, wanted them broken in. Doesn’t matter though – they only shoot from waist up.”

“Now that’s more like it. Don’t fight me, help me so I don’t fuck up your life.” as if he’s ever getting it back, I think to myself.

“Yes Will.”

HANGING WITH FRIENDS

“Now, my friend Tommy wants to go out tonight, grab dinner. What would ‘Will’ do?”

“He wants to do 71Above – it’s the highest restaurant west of the Mississippi. Tricia, his friend is host there and can get us in. Very high end, suit and tie required.”

“That sounds great.”

“Yeah, he’s picking me up, I’m paying.”

“I’m paying!” I correct him. “What were you going to wear?”

“There’s a black Tom Ford suit with a red lapel pin on it, I’ve only worn it once for a few hours. White shirt and any tie.”

“Oh yes, my outfit from the Prager gala where I played ‘blue moon’ on the piano. What tie, what shirt?” I demand.

He looks at me shocked. “There’s a new gold paisley tie, white spread collar shirt with cufflinks.”

“Why thank you brother. I better go and get ready.” I shove another granola bar in his mouth.

I easily assemble the outfit he was going to wear. After all my spying, I’m sure I would have selected something as tasteful. I skip the gold paisley and decide on a ‘men in black’ look, almost exactly as he had on at the gala. A quick shower, 20 minutes with my hair and another 20 to dress and I’m still 36 minutes early for Tommy.

“How do I look Willy? Now be honest.” I ask walking into the bedroom.

He checks me out head to toe. “You look good Will. You’re wearing my good watch?”

“My good watch brother, remember? You wore your smaller ring at the gala but I stuck with what I had on coming back from London. I think I looks great. Went with the gold black onyx cufflinks. And dude I even had my name embossed inside the suit, sweet!” I open up my jacket.

“You’ve been watching my videos.” He realizes.

“Of course, and reading your diary, all the way back to when dad drove me to ‘New Starts’ and abandoned me. I’m good Willy, been watching you for a month.”

Just then my phone rings in breast pocket. I pull it out and see it’s Tommy.

“Now keep quiet Willy or you know what’ll happen.” I warn him as I answer. “What’s up Tommy? On your way…yeah early is good, I’m ready… Okay, that sounds good, see you soon.”

“Please don’t drug me bro, I’ll be quiet, I promise.”

“Sorry Willy, can’t take any chances. Besides, Tommy mentioned about having a drink when he gets here. Sounds like it’s routine for you guys. What does he drink?”

“Rum and Coke, lots in the fridge just for him.”

I grab the knock out needle and give him a dose. He doesn’t fight me at all.

“Why thank you bro. I’ll see you later tonight maybe, if you’re awake.” I laugh as I leave and lock the door.

Tommy walks in without knocking, making his way to my bar as I make my way down the stairs. He sees me and lifts the glasses.

“The usual?”

“Sure, sounds good to me.” he’s right at home, grabbing the rum and coke.

“Cheers!” he hands me one, we clink glasses and swig.

I follow Tommy’s lead the entire evening but I know enough about Will to discuss his trip, girlfriend and work. Tommy talks about his auditions for a few movies and a commercial. Sadly for him, I’m a bigger celebrity than he is, as a few people ask for my autograph while waiting to be seated. Tricia has seats for us right next to the window with the best view of LA. It a fun night as a few of Tricia’s friends join us. It’s easy playing Will and his friends. I have everything put on my tab. Thank god he has an early audition for a new Marvel movie, so we leave and I’m home by midnight.

MORE WORK

I’m up early but Willy is out cold still. He looks like death, probably from all the injections and being upright on the chair for days. Not that I really care as it gives me more ‘Will Time’. To keep in character, I put on some of his work out gear, grab my iPod and do my usual run around the park. I work up quite the sweat but it probably helps with all the alcohol Tommy and I consumed. I check on Willy and he’s now awake and not happy. A quick injection allows me to get him relieved and toss him in the shower. He’s not putting up any resistance so I give him breakfast, leave him in the tub but making sure to securely handcuff him to a grip bar. I take my morning shower in the same shower so I can keep an eye on him.

Willy is so beaten that he’s stopped resisting completely and is cooperative even. Believing that by helping me, I’ll get what I want from him and leave him to his old life. What he’s doing is sealing his fate faster. Once I no longer need him, we’ll head up to my parent’s cabin in the mountains and he’ll be fertilizer.

After I towel off, I sit on the toilet seat next to Willy.

“How you feeling Willy?” I ask trying to sound concerned.

“Please Will, can I stay here in the tub all day? I promise I’ll be good.”

“I think I can do that but you have to be knocked out. But sure thing. Tommy is a fun guy bro. He sure loves his rum & cokes. We had a blast. I think he was hurt that women were coming up to me for my autograph but not him.”

“Yeah, that’s happened before when we’re out.” He looks really down.

“What is it bro? you look sad.”

“What do you think? I’m chained up and I can’t believe people are falling for your act.” he gets a little feisty.

“Come on bro, how could they not think I was anybody but Will Witt? Don’t worry, no one suspects a thing, so we’re good but I need your help with today’s schedule – sorta of ‘what would Will do’ session just to make sure I don’t fuck anything up for you. Okay?”

“Sure Will, it’s what I live for.” he responds sarcastically.

“How do you come up with the topics for your MOTSs?”

“Who do you think? Dad, you know how opinionated he is. When we had dinner in London, he rattled off six topics for me to cover and things he’d ask these snowflakes.”

“Ah I thought you sounded a lot like dad when interviewing people. That explains the notes on your iPad. By the way, I’m having dinner with the rents Friday night, having them meet Lisa.” I just smile at him. “Now about today’s pics, what should I wear? ‘What would Will wear’?”

“We’ve been through this – my new bespoke suit.”

“Exactly what you’d wear today – into the office and for the shoot. I’m just trying to help you Willy.”

“Dennis is always pushing for me in more suits and ties, to be taken more seriously outside the campus forum. Keep it simple – black button down shirt, my charcoal brooks brothers suit. For the shoot, the bespoke of course and take all my new dress shirts and ties, many pairs of cufflinks. I love my gold paisley tie, the one you wore last night. Hopefully you didn’t ruin it.”

“No, I went with a black tie, so the paisley is fine.”

“There’s a large suit bag in the back of my closet that can hold everything you’ll need.’

“I have to tell you bro, I’m gaining a real appreciation for your closet. My tastes have really matured in the past months. What’s with the glasses though?”

“They’re for eye strain bro, giving my eyes a break now from the contact lenses. I also wear them for important interviews or meetings where I want to look more mature and smarter.”

“Well your glasses and contacts work great for me too. My eyes have been changing but I never had them checked. Now, what about the shoot? Who’s going to be there? How does it work? What does Will do?” I press him.

“It’s a larger version of my down stair studio. Someone will come get me when it’s my turn, take me to changing room, then make up, then to the set – green screen. It’s easy really. There’ll be people in and out all day long.”

“People like who?”

“Candace, Charlie Kirk, Dave Rubin, Guy Benson and many others. It’ll be a few days of craziness.”

“Nice! Do I have any nicknames or personal things with any of them? Like, how do you address Candace? or Charlie?” He stutters and hesitates. “Spill it or more drugs. Besides, you don’t want me to fuck up anything with your friends now do you?”

“Candace is ‘Candy’ jokingly, she’s getting married in a few weeks.” He continues with the others. I’ll use the information but it sounds childish – something a more mature, evolving Will would never use. I’ll phase that nonsense out.

“Good to know. Thanks. I’ve got to get ready for work.” I grin at him.

Dennis Prager alluded to my evolving image during lunch and that I should be wearing more conservative outfits. I agree completely with the boss and love the image. With that in mind, I ignore Willy’s suggestion and go ultra conservative. I remember a beautiful light blue shirt with white contrasting collar and cuffs that ‘I’ve’ worn a few times. It would be ultra conservative with my gray Brooks.

In Will fashion, I lay out my work outfit on the bed, adding all the details. When I’m satisfied, I pull it on my underwear and socks, pull on my pants. After I add the belt, I pull on the Brooks shirt. To keep with the Brooks theme, as Will likes to do, I select the Brooks tie that he wore previously. The whole image screams ultra conservative and looks great. I add white gold cufflinks, his smaller ring and gold watch. I pull on the jacket and stare at myself in the mirror. I put some gel in my hair then fix it exactly as in the pic I found in an old MOTS video. Oh, almost forgot my tie clip. He’s famous on Instagram for his tie clips? I clip one on and it completes my image. I flash a Will smile and fingers. “What’s Up Guys?”.

I must have nailed the look because when I entered the toilet, Willy’s mouth dropped. In the bathroom mirror, I admire myself, tug on my cuffs and adjust my tie. I don’t say a word.

“Well aren’t you Will Witt.” He comments snidely but I ignore him for a few more minutes as I run my hand thru my hair.

“Who else would I be?” I turn around to face him. “What’s Up Guys, Will Witt for Prager U.” flash my peace sign to him, pretending I’m holding a microphone.

“Probably a better choice for today. No pocket square Will?”

“Oh shit, totally didn’t notice.”

“In drawer under jewelry box.” He answers me without even asking. I run to his closet, find a nice silk white one neatly folded in a square. I tuck it in my suit pocket and check myself out in the mirror quickly.

“Better?” He’s silent.

I pull out his preppy glasses and put on and off. “Glasses, no glasses?” I look at him.

“I don’t care, up to you.”

“Know what, think I’ll have pics taken both ways. I think they make me look older, which would kill my ‘frat boy’ image on college campuses but might help me with the older generation.” I turn to look at his expression but he looks broken. “I love this suit bro, it fits me great. I made sure the knot was right by noting the length of the tie, and location of stripes. Not used to wearing one, almost forgot the tie clip – my fans would have blown up over such a faux pas.”

“True, they watch everything I post.”

“Ok bro, I need to get to work, busy day ahead. I’ll probably be late tonight because Mike wants to do Furley’s for happy hour. I’ll let you in the bathtub so you’re comfortable but how about something to help you sleep?”

“No don’t do that please, I’ll be good.” He begs.

I ignore him, grab the needle and knock him out for the day.

I jump in my 911 and head in for another day in the life of Will Witt. The suit bag weighs about 30lbs and takes up the entire seat of my 911. Everyone accepts me and I keep learning more and more. The lingo is coming naturally to me. The routine of emails, small talk and understanding my role is easy.

I hang my suit bag and jacket on the back of my office door, grab my coffee mug and ease into the day. Just before lunch, Nicki, one of the film staff comes for me – it’s my turn. I’m seated in in one of the dressing rooms, in a makeup chair, in front of the mirror. Collette comes in all smiles.

“Will, you’re looking great.”

“You too, so let’s get started. I’ve got a lot to do today on top of these pics.”

“There’s something we’d like to do different this time.”

“Oh yeah? That sounds ominous.”

“Well, how about we cut your hair some?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that Collette, it’s my signature, my “conservative with the best hair”.” Sounding uncertain for effect.

“Well, I was talking to Dennis and Joel, and we feel you should be the focus, not your hair. We’re not talking about shaving your head, just toning down the cowlick some. If you don’t like, it’ll be back in a few months.”

I think about it for a minute, running my hand through my cowlick, looking at Will in the mirror. I’ve seen videos where the wind destroys his giant flop, part of his gig but in the end, I nod in approval and let Prager U redo my image.

The ‘Will’ PR shoot was so simple, but time consuming. They brought in some famous stylist from West Hollywood to cut my hair – it took an hour! They went through my suit bag and laid out a number of outfits but didn’t question my taste. They took multiple pics of me in 5 different outfits including what I wore in this morning. I was there for hours. At the end of the day, we head to Furley’s as planned for happy hour. I left on my new suit and last outfit I was photographed in. What a happy hour – hanging with Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro and other famous conservatives was incredible. Thanks to Will’s unedited interview videos, I knew exactly what small talk he had with a number of these conservative celebrities and played them perfectly.

When I get home, my first stop is to taunt Willy still tied up in bathtub.

“Hey bro, this suit is simply amazing. You were right, the shoot was really easy, except for having to change every 20 minutes. Like my haircut?” I tease

“What did you do to my hair?”

“Willy, remember, it’s my hair. It’s a shorter, more mature, conservative cut. Everyone loves it. I still have the best hair of any conservative. I texted it to mom and she loves it too.” I open up the iPhone and scroll thru pics from the shoot, then laugh and leave to change into sweats. Following the same routine, I inject Willy, help him to bathroom, feed him and put him to bed. In just a few days, he’s totally changed from being in control to being dependent. He’s definitely a shadow of himself but I’m now casting his shadow.

Every day as Will gets easier as I seamlessly take over his life. I’m sure I’ve slipped up a few times but since no one knows Will has a twin, who would suspect me? Wednesday at work was incredible. I helped with the rest of the PR shoot, chatted with all of my new conservative friends. I especially liked talking to Dave Rubin and Candace Owens. I had dinner with everyone that evening and it went really late. By the time I got home, Willy had wetted himself. I was so pissed that I shoved a hot pocket in his mouth, hosed him off and drugged him heavily.

On Thursday Gavi and I do a man on the street, at Santa Monica Pier. I nailed it – quickly picking up Will’s attitude and methods. It was easy after watching all his videos from the past year. Back in the office I sit down with Gavi, edit his video and work with Alexander to add the graphics.

Willy is awake when I get home. His eyes scan me from top to bottom then he starts yelling through the ball gag.

“Hang on Willy.” I pop out the ball gag.

“I hate you Willy and I’m done playing your game.” He spits and hits me on my shorts.

I gut punch him with all my force, then inject him to keep him docile. “Now Willy, we’ll get you on the potty and fed quickly. I don’t have a lot of time, Lisa and I are going to dinner at mom and dad’s. I really like her.”

I get Willy settled, take a quick shower and head out to pick up Lisa. Dinner is a breeze as Lisa is the center of attention. There’s no discussion of Willy at all – just about me and how proud they are of everything I’m doing. As I expected, they were totally clueless I wasn’t their precious little Will. I have to admit, it felt great being home. I showed Lisa my old bedroom and got a BJ on Will’s bed. It was like old times, like his other girlfriends I fooled. Mom and dad announced they’re heading to Hawaii to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and ask me to watch the house while they’re gone. More time to get reacquainted with my new life as their loving son Will. I spend the night at Lisa’s but get up early to take care of things at home, then work.

Willy is awake and pissed more when I check in on him.

“Morning Willy.” I cheerfully announce.

“You’re Willy asswipe.” He yells back.

I gut punch him with all my force. “Don’t make me repeat myself Willy, now who am I?”

“You’re Will, Will Witt.” He’s barely able to speak, I hit him so hard.

“Now that’s much better Willy. Let’s get you to the bathroom and fed.” I inject him and continue talking while it takes effect.

“So, mom and dad love Lisa bro. I think she’s really falling for me. She gave me a BJ in my old bedroom. Sadly, your old bedroom is now a workout room with no trace of you at all. I showed Lisa my swimming and track trophies, tried on my old letterman jacket and gave her the whole Will Witt history. Can you believe mom and dad are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary? I can’t!” I lay it on thick as the caring son that Will is.

“Fuck off.” The mumbles.

“Oh Willy, don’t make me hurt you more.” I warn him. I can see the drugs have kicked in, and start untying him. Just as I loosen the last night, Willy tries a fast one on me, trying to tackle me to the floor. I’ve wrestled him too many times and know his ‘plays’ and another gut punch and I’m dragging him into the bathroom. A quick shower, shit and breakfast bar and he’s good for another 12 hours.

Once he’s secured, I jump in shower and prep for another day in the office. Fridays are so routine with a team strategy meeting for upcoming projects/videos/content. This is followed by lunch and office time till happy hour at Furley’s. After happy hour, I meet Lisa and a bunch of her friends out for more drinks and dancing, then back to her place.

END OF THE ROAD

I’m up early and skip out of Lisa’s, telling her I have some chores to do for my parents and I’ll be tied up all weekend. Willy is awake and thrashing about trying to get loose. I enter the bedroom smiling, and clap my hands.

“Willy, good news! Road trip bro! We’re going to the cabin to take care of some things for Dad. I thought you’d enjoy it.”

He stares at me, blood shot eyes, a week of facial hair, looking like crap. “Good, could I sleep in one of the bunk beds?”

“Sure thing bro, then we’ll talk about next steps here.” He calms down, feeling better, probably thinking he’s getting his life back. He’s not.

I drug him, give him a shower, get him dressed and fed. The next morning, I get him ready for 4 hour trip to the cabin. The dosage I gave him should keep him out for most of the trip. I pack some clothes and fishing gear in case I get the urge. We leave at 5am to avoid any traffic.

He sleeps the entire journey and I don’t stop once. I’m careful to drive the speed limit to not attract any attention from state police. I pull up to the cabin before 9am. There’s no one around, no one on the lake even – all peaceful and quiet. With Willy securely tied up in the car, I walk around the cabin inspecting the place, reminiscing about our family outings and fishing trips. In the rear about 500 feet from the house is an old well that’s been dry for years. Dad has been talking about filling it in for safety for years, but never did. It’s the perfect place to hide a body.

When I get back to the car, Willy is stirring. I help him out of the car and walk him inside the cabin.

“Will, untie me please. My arms and wrists are killing me.” He pleas.

“Sure thing.” Knowing he’s drugged still and couldn’t run anywhere or harm me.

We walk out to the back porch and I hand him a coke and sandwich. He sits on the step eating and enjoying the partial view of the lake. I laced the coke with enough fentanyl to kill him – he’ll just pass out and die peacefully.

“So what’s the plan Will? I guessing this is it for me. Am I right.” As he takes a large chug of the coke.

“Yeah that’s about it Willy. You won’t feel a thing though, you’ll just fall asleep. Hope you enjoyed the coke, no after taste?”

“Nah, it tasted fine. You know I need a few cokes a day to keep the energy up.”

“Yeah, it’s a habit I’ve had to adopt. You know Willy, I’ve always been a better you and this life is perfect for me. Don’t worry, I love my new life and have seamlessly integrated into it. I’ll take good care of it.”

He’s in a daze now, the drug is kicking in. I help him up and over to an Adirondack chair near the fire pit. He puts his head back and starts breathe erratically. Within minutes he stops breathing. I waste no time stripping and dumping him in the well. I grab a shovel and start shoveling dirt into the well until I can’t see any evidence. For good measure I add another foot of dirt on top of that.

I’m exhausted after that, take a shower and dress in clean clothes. In town I grab a bite at Palmer’s diner – a dive with good food. As I’m sitting there finishing up with a piece of Apple pie, Rob Decker, an old friend of me and Will come up to me. He’s a local who owns a few small businesses, most inherited from his father.

“Will! How are you man? Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” He grabs my hand and shakes it hard.

“Rob, good to see you! Dad asked me to check on the cabin and I needed a break from LA. I’m heading back to tomorrow.”

“Dude, got your gear?”

“Of course, was going to try the old creek before heading home.”

“I’ll join you, heck, even Tommy will go. He’ll be thrilled to see you. He was talking about your videos on Facebook.”

“Sound great Rob, stop by tomorrow morning whenever.”

Back at the cabin, I start a campfire and relax. Once it’s burning good, I grab Willy’s clothes and toss it all in. I have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and freedom now. I have a few beers and watch the fire slowly burn out. Sunday morning Rob and Tommy show up at 6am. They don’t even mention my brother Willy even though we were all friends growing up. We have a blast and they want to come to the big city and party with me soon.

I fly back late Sunday afternoon and clean up my condo – unmounting the chair, smoothing over the holes in my carpet, cleaning the bathroom and tossing out the rest of Willy’s clothes. I call Lisa and invite her to my place tomorrow night for dinner and love making.

Monday morning I’m in full Will Witt mode. I wake up and take my run, shower and fuss with my hair for 20 minutes. In keeping with Dennis’ wishes, I up my conservative appearance to match my new haircut. My new bespoke Saville Row suit anchors my identity as the only Will Witt. It’s teamed with my favorite blue Brooks Brothers shirt with white contrasting cuffs and collars. I pair it with my new shoes and favorite tie I’ve worn a few times. Joel loves my new attitude and appearance. At lunch, I pull a typical Will move – I escape to a nearby restaurant, hang out and work on my schedule as is habit.

Life is great now. I have tons of friends and fans. Prager U is very lucrative and I’m in demand across the US and world for speaking appearances. No one suspects I’m not Will. I love the notoriety and acceptance. I even love my preppy wardrobe and new style. It’s grown on me and I’ll maintain it.

#twin #imposter #transformation #revenge #straight sex #stolen identity #evil twin #twin swap

22 notes · View notes

pradaksj · 4 years

Text

7 Rings | 03

♛ pairing: taehyung/reader

♛ rating: mature

♛ word count: 7,000+

♛ warnings for this chapter : light descriptions of anxious behavior (but nothing intense)

♛ summary: In desperate need of money, you and your best friend come up with a plan to infiltrate one of Seoul’s richest families, the Kim family. The plan was simple, garner some money and disappear, but of course things don’t always go as planned. Especially not with someone like Kim Taehyung.

━ ❝ Whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve 'em.❞

♛ chapter index/masterlist || series masterlist

Chapters⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08

Present Day: Thursday Morning.

This was not supposed to happen, no, no, no. This was not what was planned, rehearsed, nor memorized. No, no, no!

You anticipate for him to scream, to snap at you and tell you off in front of everyone. It seemed fitting for someone like him to do, it’s what you expected.

You could feel all eyes on you, the venue itself had gone deaf silent, almost as if everyone else was holding their breath along with you, waiting to see your demise. You couldn’t blame them, you had spilled your drink on one of the most prestigious guests here, and though it wasn’t as if the world was going to end because of this, to you it felt like it. Your “mission” was going to end before it could even start.

Panic immediately overwhelms you. This was not at all how this was supposed to go. You wanted, no, you needed words to come out of your mouth, to say something, anything, but you couldn’t. Your mouth was completely frozen in place, and all you could do at the moment was stare at the big blob of red on his white buttoned up shirt, to which you were at fault for. Slowly you watch his mouth open, your mind immediately beginning to think the worst, but what comes out of his mouth completely surprises you.

He laughs.

The formation of a boxy smile takes its place on his face, his eyes now crinkling out of sheer laughter, and his hand now covering a portion of his face.

“I really didn’t mean to do that, oh my—” you finally blurt out, quickly grabbing a napkin and beginning to uselessly blot onto the already bleeding stain, but almost immediately feeling a hand grab at yours, stopping you from what you were doing.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he reassures, slowly pushing your hand away from his shirt.

You immediately shake your head, your words now faltering in cohesion, “No it’s not, I r-really didn’t mean to do that, I just—”

“And I’m telling you it’s okay,” he repeats himself, “I think you’ve done the most interesting thing around here in a very long time,” he whispers, sticking his hand out for you to shake, “I’m Taehyung,” he introduces himself, as if you didn’t know who he was.

The words themselves come out exactly like how Yuna would imitate during “rehearsal”. Though his voice was of course much deeper, almost reminding you of silk, seductive in it’s own way. You finally look up to see him, to actually see him face to face, immediately feeling your face get red.

It surprised you really, you had seen Kim Taehyung a countless number of times on TV, on several gossip blog headlines, posters, magazine covers, and an endless number of promotional advertisements all across Korea, but wow did they do him no justice. The man was truly stunning, and with every passing second you made eye contact with him, you could see why he was South Korea’s most sought out person.

From the sharp facial features, to the slightly sun-kissed skin that seemed to have its own natural glow, and his (what you assumed was permed) black softly-waved hair, made him in every way … dangerous. Kim Taehyung was dangerous, and you knew it. And it was important that you remembered that, because if you didn’t then things were not going to go as planned and quickly at that.

It took you, what felt like a whole hour, to finally process that his hand had been stuck out for who knows how long. “Get a grip of yourself y/n,” you thought to yourself, the only reason you were so nervous was because you knew what your intentions being here were, no one else here did.

“Don’t panic, breathe, recuperate, and adapt,” Yuna’s words rang in your head, as it was what she’d emphasize you do, just in case something went wrong or unplanned, “You are someone confident, you are someone poised, and most importantly you are someone rich,” she’d scold you, practically drilling the words into your head. You just hadn’t expected that you were going to have to use her advice this early on. “You got this,” you silently whisper to yourself, just breathe.

And so just as you saw him beginning to pull his hand back, you quickly grabbed it and began to shake it in return, “I’m y/n,” you nervously grin, “I’m so sorry about that, I just—” you faintly pause, “I guess you can say I just get shy around people I don’t know and well I just got so nervous,” you embarrassingly ramble on, pushing your hair behind your ear.

“Like I said it’s fine, really,” he says, looking down at the stain which for the most part was no longer as wet as before, now only damp in moisture, “It’s just a shirt really,” he chuckles.

“I know, but still,” you reiterate. You silently take a look around the venue. People had seemed to have quickly forgotten about what had transpired, going back to their regular day to day conversations without a care in the world, “It’s just that I’m new around here and well I just want to make a good impression on people,” you explain, your words clearly catching his attention.

“Oh, where are you from?” he harmlessly asks, genuine curiosity emitted from his tone.

“I’m from—”

The Day Before: Wednesday Evening.

“The United States?—No, No! Seoul! No! Uh—” you immediately feel the squirts of ice cold water on your face from Yuna’s plastic spray bottle, the twentieth time today.

“Wrong!” she scolds, spritzing you one more time for the heck of it causing Hoseok to burst out in fits laughter, for again, the twentieth time today.

You dramatically let out a huff of air in irritation, as well as pouting and crossing your arms in annoyance, “How many times do we have to go over this y/n!” Yuna screeches, grabbing her metal pointer stick, and harshly hitting the cheap whiteboard covered in red messy scribbles that you two bought the night before, “You’re from Seoul, but you moved with your rich old family to the states a couple of years ago, and you’re back here on vacation for the next ten weeks because you were “homesick”, which explains why he’s never seen you before in his life!” she explains, “What’s not clicking?” she says, now tapping her forehead with her index finger.

“You don’t have to be so mean about it,” you sneered.

“Well y/n! We can’t afford any mistakes, and it’s very important you know the basics because the moment he catches you in a lie, all bets are off on that money,” she sighs, her face now softening, “I know that right now you may think I’m being a bitch right now, but trust me, you’ll thank me later,” she snaps her head towards Hoseok’s direction, who for the past hour had been doing nothing but devouring snacks while watching the two of you bicker, “Am I right or wrong?” she asks, causing him to raise his hands as a way of saying he wanted no part in this.

You squint your eyes at him, “Maybe if we had more time, I’d be less strict about all this, but time is on the essence! Ten weeks will go by in the blink of an eye,” she adds, causing you to grunt because sadly she had a point, “So back to the top!” she yells, her facial expression going back to being firm, “Where are you from?”

You roll your eyes, “I’m from—”

Present Day

“Seoul, but you’ve stayed in the states, huh? That’s really cool, I’ve only been to LA and New York a couple of times for certain events… so what was your experience like over there?” he asks, taking a sip from his mimosa.

You don’t hesitate to answer, the response ingrained in your brain, “It was really nice, though I found myself being homesick quite often if we’re being honest,” he nods his head.

“Ah, yeah I completely get where you’re coming from, I—” he catches himself mid-sentence, shaking his head, as if disappointed with himself, “There’s just no place like Seoul huh,” he says instead, to which you nod in agreement.

You proceed in planting the seed to Yuna’s plan, “I have to go back in a couple of weeks though, I still have a year left to go for my bachelor’s, and well I’m really just here for visits sake,” you explain, your nerves slowly withering away. The more you spoke, the more natural things were beginning to feel, smooth and easy like melted butter on toast.

And in a way you weren’t entirely lying. You were going to have to leave at some point, you did have a year left in school, and technically you were just a temporary visitor in this whole world of the rich. Of course, there were some major differences between the truth and what you were leading him on to believe, but at the end of the day this wasn’t going to hurt anyone.

“Oh I see, what are you majoring in?” he politely asks, silently hoping he wasn’t intruding too much. Taehyung for the first time in a very long time, felt nervous. For one thing, you were very pretty, breathtakingly so, he almost felt like a kid with a schoolboy crush. It was quite embarrassing really.

But Taehyung was waiting. He was waiting for you to do something or say something that would confirm that you weren’t the person he’s hoping you to be, that you were in fact a stuck up brat just like the many he’d seen and met before. That you were just like anyone else here who solely cared for numbers, and their own personal riches. It was as if he was anticipating the feeling of disappointment.

“Business, accounting if we’re being specific,” you respond to his question, breaking him from his train of thought, “I’ve always been pretty good with numbers,” you say, “but not enough to become a full on STEM major or anything like that,” you joke, garnering a light chuckle from him, which you could easily tell was completely fake.

Maybe he was right, maybe you were just like the rest of them.

“I see, I see, I just finished my studies recently,” he comments, “I majored in finance though,” he says, which ultimately doesn’t surprise you. Not only because it seemed fitting for someone like him to get a bachelors in that field, but because you basically memorized his Wikipedia page as well. Supposedly having gotten into and graduating from SNU based on his own merit. Though you had your doubts of course, it was probably just best to keep your thoughts to yourself.

What you needed to focus on was getting him to ask you out on a date, considering an awkward silence on both ends had now arisen. A part of you was now severely worried about that date not happening anytime soon. Did you say something wrong? Maybe he wasn’t as interested in you anymore? Business is a pretty boring major, but it’s what Yuna told you to say, and well it is what you were actually majoring in. Maybe you should say something? No, just stick to the script. He isn’t saying anything though….

“Originally I wanted to major in photography,” you blurt out, catching him by surprise, “I was gonna minor in it, but being an accounting major was hard enough as it was, and well family pressure,” you say, your fingers tapping against the surface of the bar, “Nowadays it’s more of a hobby I do, here and there,” you say, curiosity now apparent on his face.

What you were telling him was in fact true, you loved photography, at one point even wanting to make a career out of it, but to become a professional photographer was hard enough as it was. In all honesty, you respected those who had the ability to confidently pursue their dreams. People like Yuna for example, who despite the risk of failing being high, never gave up. It was a risk you were unwilling to take, preferring a secured financial future over the latter.

“I especially like candid photography, there’s just something about it,” you ramble on, “it’s relaxing in a sense, like you learn to be more appreciative of what’s in front of you,” you gush, almost forgetting why you were talking about this topic to begin with.

Taehyung on the other hand looked at you with a grin on his face, finding your babbling amusing to say the least. It was in every way adorable.

“I have these binders at home filled with—” before you could continue on, the sound of a phone ringing interrupts. A look of annoyance now appears on Taehyung’s face, as he begrudgingly took out his phone from his pocket, hesitating to accept the phone call.

“You don’t mind if I—” you quickly nod your head, flashing him a superficial smile, as he momentarily stepped away from the bar.

You quickly took a sigh of relief once he was no longer in view, taking this as an opportunity to take a breather. Personally, you didn’t like this tense feeling, and you could imagine how much more heightened it’d be in these upcoming weeks. “Could it perhaps be … guilt?” you think to yourself, you quickly shake off the idea.

“I’m sorry about that,” you hear his voice, failing to hide the peeved look on his face.

“No, it’s fine, really,” you insist. A pregnant pause now in the air.

“I was hoping—”

“Are you—” both of your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Oh my bad, what were you going to say?” you ask.

“No, you can go first,” he smiles.

“No, no, you go ahead,” you persist.

“You sure?” he asks, to which you nod in return.

“Well I have to go right now, attend to some personal errands and stuff,” he glances down at the stain, “also change out of this shirt,” he jokes, “but um,” he momentarily hesitates, “But I was hoping we could go out some time, grab some coffee or something.” Bingo. Step one, check. “I mean unless you don’t like coffee, I don’t know why I assumed you did, we can always get like smoothies or something, um,” he falters, his hand now scratching the back of his neck. “Hm cute,” you think to yourself.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” you grin, “I was going to say the same thing actually, but yes I would love to get coffee with you, ” you respond.

“Perfect! I was thinking maybe tomorrow evening, around 10AM? I’ll pick you up,” he states, the excitement clearly evident.

“Yeah, sounds great,” you giggle.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he waves, before turning around and beginning to walk away. But after a couple of seconds he abruptly stops in his tracks and turns back around, causing you to genuinely laugh as you knew why he had stopped.

“I really forgot to ask for your number…” he facepalms himself.

Thursday Night.

“You had one job!” Yuna dramatically flails her arms around, she and Hoseok now having been filled in on everything that happened this morning.

“And I got it done, didn’t I?” you retort, causing Yuna to roll her eyes, mumbling a sassy “I guess” in return.

“You’re so lucky I don’t have my spraying bottle on me right now,” she jokes around, but a part of her was more likely than not actually serious about it.

“Anyways, I’m surprised he actually ended up going up to me after all,” you mused, “Didn’t think it’d actually work.”

“Well with what I had you wearing, of course he was going to go up to you little miss y/n! A ruched floral dress with a summer straw hat at an all white attire event? Do you have no faith in me woman! Actually no, have some faith in yourself!” she loudly lectures you, playfully hitting the side of your arm. “The bad posture was something you already had experience with on your own merit,” she teases, causing her to start dying of laughter at her own joke.

You scowl in return, “Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny,” you grumble out, subconsciously fixing your posture.

“Anyways, what was the famous Kim Taehyung like? Is he really the heartthrob everyone makes him out to be,” Hoseok chimes in, his chin resting against his hand, eager to know the more about your encounter, “Come on, I need details, not no flimsy recap.”

“Um…” you hesitate with your next choice of words, “he’s um..” how could you describe Taehyung? He certainly wasn’t what you thought he was going to be like, “He’s a,” you pause, the two in front of you now looking at you with eager eyes, “He’s a nice guy… for now at least,” you conclude, surprising both Hoseok and Yuna alike. “I—” you sigh, “I think apart of me, like a very little tiny part is already starting to feel gu—”

“Ah! Don’t you even say it!” Yuna interjects.

“You didn’t let me finish!” you scold, immediately causing Yuna’s mouth to go shut. “Though a small part of me does feel guilty,” you pause, “at the end of the day Kim Taehyung is nothing but a rich boy with a grand old penthouse, flashy cars, and has enough money that could last him for several lifetimes. His father is a multi millionaire tycoon who from what I’ve heard exploits people for his own personal gain. Two sides of the same fucking coin. And so maybe right now he may seem like some nice guy, but it’s probably all an act. I’m not the bad guy here, I know I’m not. And I’ll be damned to let anyone, even if it’s myself, convince me otherwise, not with what I have at stake,” you finish off, staring at the invoices which were held up by magnets on your refrigerator, a reminder of what you were doing all of this for.

Kim Taehyung is nothing more than a pawn in a game of chess, and it was your job to make sure he stayed in that position. Nothing more, nothing less.

Earlier That Day.

“You called me?” Taehyung enters his father’s office, still feeling aggravated at the sudden interruption from earlier. His father doesn’t even bother to look up from his pile of papers, only making a quick motion at Taehyung to sit down on the arm chair placed across his desk.

The sound of silence filled the room, as his father continued to scribble down who knows what, on his sheets of papers, clearly focused on what was in front of him which only bothered Taehyung more. “Was there a point to all of this?” he thought to himself.

“Yes there is,” his father suddenly said, causing Taehyung to straighten up, not realizing that he must’ve said what he was thinking aloud. He finally looks up to face Taehyung, the stern look he always had on, well placed on his face. He quickly pulls open his drawer and grabs what seems to be a magazine out, smacking it on his desk for Taehyung to see. He sighs, “So you care to explain what this is all about?”

The title, in a big bold yellow colored font, reads, “Kim Taehyung Gets Physical With Paparazzi, Trouble in Paradise?” accompanied by a collage of photos which included Taehyung post physical-assault on the paparazzo and his argument with Sunhi, all painting him as some kind of villain. Taehyung remained silent, instead avoiding eye contact, only causing his father to let out a sardonic laugh, his frustration clearly evident.

“Ah Taehyung,” he starts off, “I feel like we’ve had this conversation many, many, times,” he lets out another sarcastic chuckle, “and I have to say, you had me fooled when you told me you were ready to come back,” he continuously taps his fingers on his desk in a rhythmic pattern.

“You don’t get—”

“I don’t care for the sob stories Taehyung, I really don’t,” he interrupts, finally snapping, “In fact I have staff telling me that is was Sunhi who cheated on you, something along those lines,” he mumbles, “What you do on your free time, or who you’re seeing is really none of my concern,” he pauses, “until it has the potential to affect my business, and the image it upholds,” he clarifies.

“I know,” Taehyung hisses.

“Then those little antics you used to like to pull off shouldn’t be making a return,” he narrows his eyes at his son, “because we all know the results of those,” he harshly reminds him, causing Taehyung to ball his fist in anger, “So I suggest you get a hold of yourself, quickly at that, so that I don’t have to clean up your messes like before,”

“You don’t have to remind me every waking fucking moment,” Taehyung harshly says, getting up from the chair. His father is quick to do the same, the two now facing each other, the desk being their only barrier.

“And who the hell do think you’re talking to like that,” his father spits, “It was me who got you out of that mess that night, hell if it weren’t for me you’d be behind prison bars at this very moment,” Taehyung looks away, his eyes now watering, “You should be nothing but grateful,” Taehyung quickly wipes the tear that uncontrollably rolls down his cheek. The feeling of shame now overshadowing the feeling of anger he originally felt. He attempts to take deep breaths, anything to prevent himself from looking any more like a coward. He didn’t want to cry, no he refused to cry, especially not in front of his father.

“A house made of glass trying to throw brick stones,” his dad scoffs, “Ironic really,” a vile smirk now on his face, “just get out my sight already, consider this a warning,” he concludes before sitting back down and continuing his work, acting as if nothing had happened. Taehyung stood there for what felt like forever, his eyes still brimmed with tears, before silently making his way out into the hall.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” he kept telling himself as he made his way down to the lobby, but it was hard. He could feel the lump in his throat waiting to be let out, as well as how his lip would quiver whenever he’d force himself to smile at the several staff members who would politely greet him. It was almost as if he was suffocating.

He unlocked his car door and made his way inside, immediately punching the steering wheel in subdued frustration. He looked at himself from the car mirror, staring at his red puffy eyes, still refusing to allow himself to cry despite being alone. Instead he took more deep breaths, once again tucking away the turmoil he’d been feeling for a very long time back into the depths of his heart.

Turning on the ignition of his car, he made his way out of the building’s parking lot, quickly shaking off what had happened. He had a date to look forward to tomorrow morning, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that.

Friday Morning.

“Ta da!” Yuna shimmys her hands, proud of the outfit she’s ensembled. She was definitely making use of Mrs. Choi’s closet, “You don’t think this is a little too much?” you question, feeling slightly insecure about what you were wearing, the tan beret on your head slowly becoming crooked. This was definitely better than anything you’d pick on your own for a morning cup of coffee, that was for sure.

“Oh of course not!” Yuna exclaims while quickly fixing your hair, “Now put this on top of the turtle neck,” she says, passing you a brown plaid double-breasted coat, “and then,” she glances at the two bags in her hands, debating which color would look best before ultimately picking the cream colored cross-bag, “put this over it.”

She claps her hands together, clearly proud of her fashion sense. “The perfect outfit for your date, doesn’t she look so pretty Hobi?” she gushes. Hoseok looks up from his phone, the three of you were now on a nickname basis.

“So she does,” he smiles, “but maybe a black bag might fit the outfit better,” Yuna’s eyebrows quickly furrow.

“Hey leave the fashion to me, computer boy!” Yuna playfully squints her eyes at him.

“I’m just saying! A white turtleneck and a cream colored bag isn’t the look you think it is.”

“Yeah well,” she puckers her lips like a kid, unable to think of anything to counter with, she instead says, “that uniform you’re wearing is ugly!” causing a dramatic offended look to appear on his face.

“Oh I’ll have you know—”

“Will you two stop with the bickering?” you interrupt him before he could attack in return, “Taehyung is going to get here any moment, and you,” you point at Yuna, “need to start heading to work, while you,” you point to Hoseok, “need to get back to work,” you reaffirm, silencing the two who were now staring at you like lost puppies, “Well what are you waiting for, shoo!” you commanded, your statement coming off a little more harsher than you intended, but you blamed it on your nerves. You couldn’t help it because well, you were indeed very nervous.

“Ah okay, okay. Let us know how it goes!” Yuna says, before dragging Hoseok by the arm and leading eachother out. “And remember to stay calm and collective!” he shouts before being yanked on by Yuna.

You let out a deep breath of air. You hadn’t been on a date in a very long time, and though one could consider this a “fake” date on your part, it was a date nonetheless. You needed to leave a good impression, enough that he'd be willing to take you out again after today.

[From: Taehyung]

[9:55] Hey, I’m around the corner from the address you texted me :) I should be outside in like 2 mins

[9:55] i'm in the black mercedes benz btw

[To: Taehyung]

[9:55] perfect ☺️ i’ll be out right now then.

You fix your hair one last time, making sure everything looked perfect. “It’s not a date, just two strangers getting coffee together,” you reassure yourself one last time before making your way out.

The car ride to the coffee shop per se wasn’t awkward, but formal to say the least. Of course, Taehyung didn’t exactly expect you to immediately be talkative once you stepped into the car, but judging by how stiff you remained the whole car ride, and the lack of conversation there was, he also knew that he didn’t want you to feel timid to talk or as if you had to hold yourself back in front of him. He wanted things to feel natural, like how you were when you were talking about photography, where he could tell you were genuinely just being yourself.

Honestly he was used to women usually going out of their way to show off in front of him, or to make themselves seem like someone they weren’t simply to impress him, so this was definitely... different than what he was used to. But for some reason it made him even more curious to get to know you, eager to see what you were hiding behind that brick wall of an exterior you’ve seemed to have set up for yourself. He assumed it was going to take time for you to warm up to him, but the problem was that Taehyung wasn’t much of a patient person to begin with.

“After you,” he says, politely opening the door to the coffee shop for you. You whisper “thank you” to the small, but kind gesture.

The coffee shop in itself was very cute. From the cushioned cream-colored loveseats decorated by pillows you’d find overpriced on Wayfair, to the bright lighting provided by a massive roof skylight, and lastly the wooden bookshelves decorated with a variety of different novels, all which gave the coffee shop a very pleasant home-like feeling to it. If you could describe it in one word it’d be “warm”.

You stood there like a lost child for a moment, unsure of what to order as you studied the menu. They had a variety of drinks, things you were sure you had never even heard of, either that or they just had a fancy way of describing everything in order to boost up the price. “So any idea on what you want?” he asks.

“Um,” honestly you really weren’t much of a coffee drinker, having ordered the same drink at Starbucks for the past several years, “Surprise me,” you awkwardly smile, before making your way (practically running) to a wooden table next to a window view.

You were definitely peeved with yourself because you knew that you needed to stop being so damn quiet because God was that car ride awkward, insufferable almost. But you just weren’t good at this kind of stuff, never had been.

Even during high school when you had gone on your first ever official date, you ended having an utter meltdown in the restroom after your date awkwardly pointed out that you had a piece of spinach stuck in between your teeth, a waitress on break had to comfort you before you could even step out again. Even then you had your mouth glued shut afterward, paranoid about embarrassing yourself again.

And that wasn’t the only embarrassing incident you’ve encountered in past dates, there had been plenty more, but that would take a hefty amount of time to talk about.

Point was, you’d always find yourself acting like a turtle hiding in its shell or like a pufferfish, blurting out the most random and embarrassing things at any given moment. It was always one or the other and it always left you with a humiliating story to tell Yuna, a prime example being accidently spilling your drink on the son of a multimillionaire. You kept anxiously bouncing your leg as you watched him order at the cashier register, thinking of ways to start a conversation.

“I got you a heavenly toffee, it’s an espresso with toffee nut syrup, caramel cream, almond milk, and whipped cream,” he places the drink on the table for you, “I figured you could never go wrong with something sweet,” he smiles.

“Oh wow,” you say, genuinely delighted with his choice, “their mugs are so pretty,” you quietly comment, observing the intricate design on the ceramic mug.

“Yeah it’s definitely one of my favorite coffee shops in the area, I also recommend this one called Seoul’s Magnificent Mocha, they have good drinks as well,” he chuckles, recalling his last visit there.

“Well if I’m being completely honest, I’ve never been too enthusiastic for coffee, but,” you take a sip of the drink in front of you, “I have to say this is really good,” you laugh, pleasantly surprised at the sweetness of the drink, you could hardly even taste the bitterness of the coffee.

“So y/n, tell me a little bit about yourself,” he says while taking a sip of his own coffee.

“Oh well hm—” you try to recall the things Yuna would tell you to say, but with Taehyung intensely staring at you, your mind had gone completely blank, “well,” you felt your face getting red at the pressure you felt, your ears definitely feeling hot, “there’s not much to say really. I’m a pretty boring person,” you let out a very awkward chuckle, looking down in embarrassment.

“Don’t say that,” he says, “we could start off with something simple, like,” he looks up for a moment in thought, “what’s your favorite color?”

“Yellow,” you simply state, no commentary, no “What about yours”, no nothing, Yuna would probably squirt you with her bottle 100 times if she was there. Your brain was having a “we threw out his name” moment from Spongebob. Nothing but fire and chaos going on in there.

“Oh…” he pressed his lips together, slightly disheartened at your lack of enthusiasm. Was there something wrong with him? Maybe he was just badgering too much? Before he could dwell on it too long, the sound of a camera flashing caught both his and your attention.

“Oh no,” you quickly think to yourself, immediately turning away from the window in order to cover your face. Taehyung didn’t bother to question as to why you had turned so quickly because he was quick to do the same. Your reason being was that you couldn’t afford to land on the front cover of a magazine or appear on a gossip channel because the moment your mom saw from her hospital bed, it’d be a wrap for you.

“Damn it,” he groaned, “I thought it’d be too early for them to follow me out here,” he says. Honestly, Taehyung didn’t mind the paparazzi taking pictures of him, at this point he was used to it. But what he didn’t want was to put you in the spotlight with no say on your part, especially knowing how stalkerish the paparazzi could be. The moment they got a clear identity as to who you were, you’d be followed until the end of time, and he would definitely feel guilty for that.

“We gotta get out of here before more of them arrive,” he cursed, “Just don’t look back,” he directs, slowly turning his head back to see if he could spot where the person taking pictures was. “Alright the guy seems to be planted from afar, so I think we can walk out the entrance, just make sure you cover your face with your hand or something or you could use your beret,” he jokes around. “You don’t gotta tell me twice,” you think to yourself.

You nod at his directions, the two of you quickly getting up and putting your mugs away, before speed walking back to the car. You could only cross your fingers that a clear photo of you wasn’t taken.

Taehyung quickly zoomed out of the area, but despite his efforts, everytime he glanced at his rear-view mirror he could spot the black van still following him, which only put him in a bad mood.

“I’m gonna have to drop you off at the back or something, or else you’ll find men always outside your building for the rest of your trip until they find out who exactly are you,” Taehyung scowled, mad at himself for being so careless. You wordlessly nod your head, a little intimidated at how angry he looked.

The car ride back to your place is quiet, nothing different than the car ride to the coffee shop. “I’m sorry,” he exhales once you guys are outside the building, “I should’ve been more careful,” he mutters, internally scolding himself.

You shake your head in disagreement, “Trust me, it’s fine, it’s expected really,” you mumble, your words causing him to feel a slight sting to the heart. Though he didn’t even know you well enough for your words to genuinely hurt, for some reason they did.

“Well I’ll text see you some other time Taehyung,” you formally bow your head, getting out of the car, and quickly walking into Mr. Choi's building, leaving him taken aback by your words. One could say he was looking into your word choice a little too much, but no, he knew exactly what you meant. And so with that he left feeling disheartened.

“So how’d it go?” Hoseok catches you right as you enter the elevator.

“Horrible, it went horrible,” you state, the elevator doors closing before you could say anything else.

Saturday Morning.

“Your kimchi came out way too salty,” your mom criticizes, taking a bite of the food you’ve brought, “should've added root vegetable or something,” she shakes her head in dismay. She expects you to fire back with a remark, but instead she watches as you just sit in the hospital chair, eating your food in pout.

Today was your visiting day, and though you tried to hide your dismay at yesterday’s date when talking to your mom, it kept popping up in the back of your mind like an annoying itch. Of course your mom had noticed your odd behavior from the moment you walked in, but for you to be eating in pout meant that whatever it was that was on your mind, must've really been bothering you.

“Now are you gonna care to explain why you’re feeling so down,” she questions, “or are you going to keep sulking in your seat,” she chuckles.

You wrinkle your nose, “It’s nothing ma,” you try deflecting the conversation, your gaze wandering to the TV.

“Ah so it’s about a boy,” she laughs, causing your head to snap in her direction, a puzzled look now on your face.

“And what makes you so sure?”

She shrugs, “Because I’m your mom and I’ve seen that look many times,” she grabs the remote from the hospital’s bed stand, subsequently turning off the TV, “come on, I’m in cool mom mode now,” she cringely says, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Oh god,” you mumble, loudly sighing before beginning, “so there’s this boy,” you start off.

“I knew it,” she sings, jokingly winking at you.

“I went on a date with him the other day and well I don’t know, I tensed up, you know how I get,” you explain, downwarding your gaze to the floor in shame as you recalled your behavior from the day before.

“Mm,” she hums, sounding unconvinced, “well there must be a reason as to why you got so tensed up, and I’m sure you know why,” she deadpans, her face now becoming stern. So much for being in “cool mom” mode.

“Well I don’t—”

“No, no, no, I’m not accepting your excuses,” she vigorously shakes her head.

You sigh, “I just,” you pause, remembering that you needed to be careful with your words, “I just really want him to like me that’s all.”

“And?”

You groan, “And well I feel like I have to act a certain way or be a certain way in order for him to like me,” you explain, “and I just don’t think I have it in me. I don’t think he’s the type of person to like me, well for me, I guess you can say he’s like the popular kid in those high school movies, you know?” you let out a dry laugh knowing that the situation was much more than that.

“Well can you tell me a little about this boy?” she quieres, grabbing a strand of your hair and beginning to play with it.

“Well I’m not going to give you details because for all I know we might end up bad,” you say, making an excuse so that you wouldn't have to give a name, “but this guy, well he’s been told to have a reputation. He’s selfish, he’s reckless, he’s rude, and the only person he cares for is himself,” you rant, your mother now seeming taken aback by your description.

“Is that what people tell you, or is that what you think?” she laughs, “because the way you just said that, it seems like those are your personal feelings about him, and so I can’t help but wonder why you would want to go out with someone like that,” she wonders. “Oh honey, you have no idea why,” you think to yourself.

“Well because that’s what people like him are, that’s what they’ve always proven themselves to be, it’s what—”

“You assume he’s going to be like,” she cuts you off, her tone now dismissive.

“It’s what I know he’s going to be like,” you retaliate, crossing your arms like a little kid, causing her to laugh.

“Oh y/n y/n y/n,” she continues playing with your hair, “I want you to listen to what I have to say, okay? And then once I’m done, you can either take my advice to the heart, or let it go in one ear and out the other, alright?” you hum in response.

“Okay so the first thing I want to talk about,” she clears her throat, “is that it’s wrong of you to make assumptions about this person, or anyone in general.”

“I know but—”

“Ah, what’d I tell you about listening. You didn’t let me finish,” she scolds, gently tugging the strand of hair she was playing with, “I want you to go on another date with him, but open minded this time y/n. No preconceived notions, no overanalyzations of the things he does so that you can make him fit into the mold you’ve made for him, no nothing, and the same goes for you,” she takes a sip of her water bottle, giving you a chance to quickly say something.

“But ma, the girls I’ve seen him date in the past, I’m,” you sigh, “I’m nothing like them,” her eyebrows immediately furrow.

“And who said you had to be anything like them?” she grabs your hand, causing you to quietly stare at her, “but this leads to my second point. No more putting pressure on yourself to be someone you’re not,” she softly nudges your shoulder, “Just give him one genuine chance, just one, and if it’s not meant to be then it’s not meant to be,” she says, finishing her little speech.

“But I want him to like me,” your voice cracks, desperately wanting to replace the word “want” with “need”.

“Hey don’t cry,” she chuckles, quickly pulling you in for a hug, “Trust me y/n, as long as you be yourself, any boy who's lucky enough to get to know you will fall in love. I promise you that.” she softly whispers into your ear. And with her words you could immediately feel the pressure come off your shoulders, the words not only comforting, but hitting home. “Okay so I need you to promise me that the next time you see him, it’ll be a fresh new slate for both him and you, alright? Shake off, whatever you have on your mind, and just enjoy what’s in front of you.”

“Okay,” you breathe out, deciding that your mom was right, things needed to change, and you were going to do just that.

Saturday Night.

“So how did that coffee date of yours go?” Namjoon mentions, causing Taehyung to frown at the memory.

“If I’m being honest, not that well,” he sighs, pouring himself a glass of whiskey from his alcohol shelf.

Namjoon’s face scrunches in confusion, “Well, what went wrong this time?” he laughs.

Taehyung shrugs, trying his best to seem unfazed, “I don’t know, I guess she just wasn’t that into me,” he comments on you lightly, “Maybe it was for the best, I don’t really have time for another relationship anyway, not with my busy schedule,” he says, taking a sip from his drink.

“Busy schedule, but you had the time to go get coffee immediately the next day after meeting her, with no second thought? Yeah that makes sense,” Namjoon teases, causing Taehyung to roll his eyes.

“Like I said, I don’t know, she just was not budging, it was like speaking to a brick wall the whole time, and I’m sure if the paparazzi hadn’t interrupted it would have remained like that the whole time,” he sneers while pushing his hair back, “which is weird cause I don’t know there was just something about her, I just can’t describe it, but I just know she was holding back.” he explains, causing Namjoon to snort, “But anyways, it’s my fault, I set my expectations too high, thinking I was going to find love at first sight, actually no I blame you for putting those thoughts into my head.”

Namjoon raises his hands in defense, “Hey, all I did was pressure you to go up to her, everything else was your own head’s doing.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right, I’m just gonna be a lone wolf for a —” the sound of a “ding” interrupts Taehyung before he could complete his sentence, and so he checks his phone to see who could’ve texted him.

Namjoon stares at Taehyung who was now intently staring at his phone, looking quite flabbergasted, “Well, what is it?” he questions, a goofy grin now slowly appearing on the wavy haired young man’s face.

“I,” he lets out a chuckle, “I think I’m going on a date tomorrow night,” he faintly blushes, turning his phone to show Namjoon the text he just read, which reads:

[From: y/n]

[9:02 PM] you + me, tomorrow @ 5:30 , Ilsan lake park, i’ll bring what we need.

[9:02 PM] yes or yes?? 😇

[To: y/n]

[9:03 PM] i’ll see you then 😅

a/n 🧚🏻 : did I mention this is slow burn???? LOL. originally I was going to include date #2 on here because I only want this series to be a max of like 8-10 chapters, butttt I also wanted to update so ... but all the buildup will (hopefully) be worth itttt. the smut is coming soon in other words LMAO. I also took a while to update bc I was trying not to make y/n too annoying and just make the characterization how I pictured it to be, like I needed to establish the generalization she has on the Taehyung but IDK lmk what you think, message me, comment, send an anon, anything is welcome 🤍

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mental-dilemma · 4 years

Text

A Quick Meeting Part 4?

Damian’s an exchange student in Paris taking it easy until an Akuma attacks and he gets to meet ladybug. -----------------------------------------

Ok before everyone starts pancking: I am Emu-Lumberjack I just decided to create a Sideblog for all my writing so that way those who follow me exclusively for that don’t have to deal with the chaos that is my main blog

also I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post this but just between school and work and school and just general exhaustion it’s been hard for me to write.

and as always all credit to the Au goes to @ozmav

pt.1

pt. 2

pt. 3

“I don’t suppose I could bribe you to drop the matter.” Damian said sitting down in Tim’s office. He and Ladybug were situated next to each other while Tim was on the other side of the desk.

“Nope.” He turned to Ladybug, “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself, making sure Damian didn’t disappear and all that. Anyway I’m Tim Drake, Co-Ceo of Wayne enterprises and Damians older brother.”

Ladybug turned to Damian and quietly said, “So does everyone in your family constantly talk like they’re trying to impress a victorian lord?” Damian snorted. Tim, unable to hear what she just said, looked to the two agape.

“At least I have a reason.” Damian responded, this time loudly enough for his elder brother to hear. “Anyway Tim is in CEO mode right now, which is pretty rare. Usually he’s a bumbling zombie dependent on coffee to function. In fact I remember one time when Dick took the last cup he----”

“I’d suggest stopping right there or I’ll tell her about the batcow incident.” Tim interrupted.

“Did you just say batcow? Because I understand each of those words separately.” Ladybug said, and even though her mask still concealed half her face Damian could tell she was really confused.

“Don’t ask. Just don’t.” Damian said quietly.

“Anyway. I never caught your name and considering the fact that your in a mask I assume you’re a hero. Which is surprising because none of us knew Paris had heroes.” Tim cut the two of them off before more could be said.

“Yes that’s becoming a common theme I’m finding,” Marinette began. “My name is Ladybug in the mask. I have a partner, Chat Noir, but he’s currently indisposed, something about paint in his hair.” Damian stifled a laugh as Marinette continued, “We have been operating out of Paris for the last few years, early on we tried contacting the Justice league but Green Lantern told us not to prank call him.”

“Oh did he now.” Tim said, leaning his head forward.

“Yes he did. Thankfully my power allows me to reverse all damage done during a fight. Including any lives lost or monuments destroyed.”

“That sounds like a very useful power. I'm sure that the heroes of Gotham would love to work with you.” There was a twinkle in his eye that Damian knew meant Tim was concocting some scheme. He was about to jump in, but Marinette got there first.

“Yes I’m sure you would but the issue is we currently have our hands full here although from what Damian told me you guys sound much more fun to work with. At least the villains have better costumes.”

Tim noting her wording turned to Damian, “Did you tell her the family secret? You know what Alfred will do if he finds out.”

Damian smirked “I’m not an idiot Drake this was all her. She could rival you for deductive reasoning.” Marinette just sat there looking innocent.

“Well that explains why the two of you were sneaking around together, Ladybug should I assume Damian knows your identity as well?”

“Yep.”

“Well this is going to be a nightmare. But this just means I can formally invite you to Gotham at least. Ha just leave it to the Ice Prince to leak the identity on his first civilian trip abroad.” Tim leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

“Actually it was you guys who tipped me off.”

Tim suddenly opened his eyes and looked her straight in the eyes. “Come again.”

“Well it was the fact that no one had spied Robin around Batman while Damian was in France. Then the fact that you were patrolling rather than him tipped me off that Robin might be on a vacation..” Tim just face palmed.

“Of course that would happen, how did we not see it coming.” He muttered to himself. “Wait, that begs another question: how did you two meet.”

Damian blushed and before Ladybug could respond he said “not important, there was an akuma. Now do you need anything else.”

“Actually yeah. Ladybug you mentioned the video you sent to Green Lantern, well Batman found it and wanted us to investigate. He didn’t know Green Lantern had seen it or otherwise he’d be on his way back to Ooa healing from a scolding from Alfred. Dick and Jason wanted to come but Bruce needed someone he could send discreetly and who better than the Co-CEO of Wayne industries who could just be checking up on the Paris branch.” Ladybug was impressed by the scheming having Dick Greyson or Jason Todd come in would stir up villain or media activity but Tim the third son wouldn’t.

“Well if you want we can meet up with my partner later and you can formulate a list of questions. Plus it seems you and Damian have some catching up to do.”

“There was a reason I came to Paris Ladybug. Being forced to talk to Tim was not one of them.” Damian made to leave only for a yoyo to catch his leg. Ladybug smirked at him. “Maybe a five minute chat couldn’t hurt anyone. Family reunion and all that.”

“Great then as long as everyones in agreement I can set up a time with chat later this evening for all of us to talk things through and get a strategy in place.”

“Are you sure about this having the league involved is going to cause a lot of chaos and even more dangerous villains could target Paris.”

“Tim I have dealt with so much crap the last couple of years that at this point I will take Darkseid over Lila…… Oh crap. We forgot about Lila.” Marinette looked at Damian who was coming to the same realization she was. He called out Lila in the bakery, and outed himself as a Wayne.

“Do I want to know?” Tim said rubbing his temples. He did not miss highschool.

“Lets just say school tomorrow’s going to be interesting, and I think we’re going to have to put the meeting on hold till after it. Ladybug and I are going to need to deal with school tomorrow, and caffeine isn’t gonna cut it.” Damian said.

“Then again if we aren’t lucid tomorrow might not be so bad….” Marinette began

“Do not even finish that, you even more than me need sleep. Between fashion, school and heroing you function off an hour.”

“You.. have a point. I’ll brief Chat on the situation on my way home. In the meantime I’ll leave you too to the brotherly bonding I’m sure you need.” she pulled her yoyo from her pocket, “See you tomorrow Damian, and whatever plan you hatch up make sure nit doesn’t include killing anyone.”

“Goodnight Ma--- Ladybug. And no promises.” The boy caught himself before revealing Ladybug's identity. She gave him the look of ‘don’t fuck up my secret identity bird boy’ before jumping out the window to run from rooftop to rooftop.

“So. how long have you had a crush on her.” Tim pulled Damians attention, and Damian was sudden;y very glad he had said nothing about not killing his brother.

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

“Do you think they’ll actually help this time?” Chat’s voice rang over the phone, Marinette had stopped behind one of the chimneys to talk to him in private.

“I don’t know, at least now they are actually considering it rather than just brushing us off as children.” Marinette was tired but they needed to have this chat now, there wouldn’t be any chance to in class tomorrow.

“Yeah, just don’t get your hopes up. They left us to fend for ourselves for 3 years and are only doing this now because of Damian if you didn’t know him then none of this would’ve happened.

“Ok but why does that matter that it’s Damian? They could’ve been doing it because of Jon too.”

“Oh please, you're more dense than our class sometimes. Jon would’ve noted it then forgotten to tell someone, but Damian told Batman right away. Why do you think he did that?”

“Chat I am too tired for this.” Marinette could feel Adrien facepalming through the phone.

“Oh I am not spelling this out for you, this time you get to figure it out yourself.”

“Fine. but next time you need help on your calc homework don’t come running to me.” Marinette hung up on him and made her way home. The parisian streets were nice and quiet for her, no akuma meant maybe another hour of sleep.

Once she was out of the suit she let Tikki rest and got right to work on the new piece she was making for Jagged, he wanted to somehow have the score of his newest piece sewn onto the pants for his next concert, and she had to brainstorm.

Twenty minutes went by.

Then an hour.

Then two.

Finally she put up her pencil and put on her pajamas, as she was falling asleep Adriens words kept replaying in her head, and the meaning slammed into her like a truck. Pulling out her phone she sent one message.

Oh fuck off

tag list: @clumsy-owl-4178 @pawsitivelymiraculous @yuulxd @smolplantmum @inarachi02 @notmycupoftea26 @laurcad123 @unknownvsworld @jeminiikrystal @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

#The dilemma writes #Maribat #damian wayne x marinette dupain cheng #Damianette #Damientte #Chat noir #Kwamii #fics #fanfic #myfic #damian x marinette #platonic ladynoir #platonic adrienette

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our-time-is-now · 3 years

Text

June 8, 2019 - Moving up a level

(previous play)

You can find more information about the authors, translators, content warning and additional information about the plays in the pinned post on our blog.

Saturday, 9:56 pm:

Matteo: *is lying in one of the corners of the couch, a vodka-o in hand* *the flatshare party is in full swing* *everyone is there* *even Laura, who has already talked to Linn, and who luckily seem to get on quite well* *most of the people are in the living room, even though Matteo thinks that probably a few of them have occupied the bathroom* *next to him are Carlos and Kiki and he'd rather not pay too close attention to what they are doing* *on the other couch Hans and Amira are talking about something he doesn't quite understand* *on the other side of the room he can see Hanna and David and Jonas talking* *then sees Hanna nod, turn the music down a little and declare loudly* DRINKING GAME! No backtalk! Everyone gather in a circle! *groans slightly and simply doesn't move* *his plan works as the circle that forms includes the sofas*

David: *has introduced Laura to all the important people and is glad that she immediately made friends and is talking to people* *has spoken a little bit about the vacation plans with Hanna and Jonas and has learned that the girls haven't really gotten far with their planning, either* *they have then observed the people together for a little while until Hanna got the idea of playing a drinking game* *simply sits down with everyone – across from Matteo as the seats next to him are already occupied* *hears Hanna: "Okay... I'll start and spin the bottle and I have to tell the person it points to what my first impression of them was. Okay?” and Carlos: "Huh? And when do we have to drink!?”* *laughs and hears Abdi: "that doesn't matter, you can drink whenever you want", and Carlos again: "Yes but this was supposed to be a drinking game!”* *hears Hanna sigh: "Then call it spin-the-bottle!" and Carlos' protest "but I want to drink!”* *sees that Carlos wants to argue further but he gets interrupted by Mia: "You can drink when you're not happy with your first impression" and Hanna quickly add: "I'll just start"* *watches Hanna spin the bottle and how it stops pointing at Alex* *hears her laugh: "That's easy. Arrogant snob! Sorry, Alex..." and sees Alex simply shrug: "Who would have thought?! And now it's my turn, or what?"* *watches Alex spin the bottle and how it stops pointing at Matteo* *hears him say: "Easy! Constantly stoned"!* *hears everyone laugh and is curious to know who the bottle will point to when Matteo spins it*

Matteo: *isn't really convinced by the game but plays along when everyone else does* *only grins tiredly at Alex' first impression of him* Well that's not really a surprise... *sighs slightly and spins the bottle* *sees it point at Laura and her looking at him expectantly* *thinks that of course that had to happen and finishes his drink first* *hears Jonas: "Don't let us wait, Luigi"* *shrugs slightly* I thought: shit, she looks good! *sees Laura gape at him and how everyone else looks at him a little horrified, as well* *feels Carlos lean towards him and how he tries to whisper, but everyone can hear: "Dude, Brudi, David's right here!"*

David: *sees Matteo's bottle point at Laura and really is a little curious what his first impression of her had been* *then hears his words and remembers when and under what circumstances Matteo had seen Laura the first time* *grins broadly* *hears Carlos' "whisper" and has to laugh out loud* *notices the confused and partly horrified faces turn toward him and explains* Matteo thought that Laura was my girlfriend when he first met her... *now also sees Jonas' grin, who seems to be the first one to understand: "Haha, and then you thought she looks so good, I don't stand a chance against her with David…?"* *lovingly and grinningly looks at Matteo and remembers their almost-kiss after the party and the relieve in Matteo's eyes after he told him that Laura was his sister*

Matteo: *looks over at David when he hears Carlos' words and is relieved to see him grin* *is glad that he seems to remember under which circumstances he first met Laura* *quickly lowers his gaze when David explains it* *feels a little embarrassed by it now* *only shrugs one shoulder at Jonas' words* *then feels two arms wrap around him and notices only now that Laura has gotten up to hug him and to grin at him* *hears her say: "Thanks for the compliment!"* *has to grin a little* Yeah, yeah, all right... *sees Laura sit back down* *hears Kiki: "Hang on, was that at the neon party? Did you already have something going on back then?"* *shakes his head and because his glass is already empty grabs Carlos' glass and takes a sip* *ignores Kiki* Okay, Laura, you have to spin!

David: *sees his sister spin the bottle and how it stops pointing at him* *looks at her provokingly* You better not say anything other than: "What a cute little baby!" *grins and sees Laura grin, as well: "Well, to be honest I thought: "And because of this shriveled little thing I couldn't keep playing with my Playmobil?!”* *laughs* Very nice! *they continue to play a few more rounds until the game dissolves and everyone starts conversations among themselves rather than play* *at some point disappears to the bathroom and when he comes back notices that the spot on the couch next to Matteo is no longer taken* *plops down next to him and wraps Matteo's arm around his shoulders* *looks up at him and presses a brief kiss to his mouth* Everything all right? *has the suspicion that parties sometimes get too much for Matteo, but thinks that he's actually doing quite good today*

Matteo: *by now has gotten himself another beer but managed to take his spot on the couch again* *smiles slightly when he sees David come toward him* *laughs a little when David moves his arm but simply lets him do his thing* *kisses him back and then puts down his beer so that his hands are free* *grabs David's hand with his free one* *feels a warm tug in his stomach when David asks him how he's doing* Everything all right... *turns around slightly so that he can kiss him again* And you? Is everyone being nice or do I have to scold someone? *grins slightly*

David: *smiles when Matteo says that everything's all right and murmurs* Well, that's good, then... *moves toward him for the kiss and then cuddles closer to him* *laughs quietly at Matteo's question* Everyone's being nice... *grins* Although Laura was a little rude... shriveled little thing... pfff... *but relaxes in Matteo's arms and says* But the scolding can wait... right now it's so comfortable... *peeks over at Laura, who is talking to Linn again, and adds with a grin* And you'd probably scare off Linn if you scold Laura right now... but thanks for the offer! *pulls his hand toward him and presses a kiss to his fingertips*

Matteo: *laughs slightly* Okay, okay, I'll scold her later... *looks over to Linn and Laura* But I'm happy that they get along... *smiles when David kisses his fingers and then slaps his face, simply because he can* *hears Kiki: "And here are Matteo and David"* *looks at her and sees her filming with her phone, probably for Instagram* *grins broadly and holds out his middle finger to her and hears her say: "Charming as ever..."* *shrugs and sees her move on* *laughs slightly and takes his hand from David's to grab his beer* Do you also want a sip?

David: *nods to Linn and Laura* Yes, so am I... I guess we'll really have a guest during Pride... *grins at the idea of the four of them having a nice evening* *removes Matteo's fingers from his face with a sound of protest and reaches for his hand when he holds his middle finger into Kiki's camera* *pulls a face into the camera himself and relaxes against Matteo when Kiki moves on* *automatically reaches for Matteo's beer when he offers it to him* Sure... thanks! *takes a sip* *had only had one beer today and only drank cola for the rest of the night* *then realizes that the beer is almost empty, grins slightly and takes another sip* *gives Matteo back the empty bottle*

Matteo: *takes the empty bottle back from David and only then notices that it's empty* Seriously? *laughs and shakes his head* Should I go get more? Can you drink another one? *sits up a little and slowly takes his arm off David* *waits for his answer that he also wants a beer* *quickly kisses him again and then gets up to go to the kitchen* *to his surprise notices that the kitchen is empty and takes two beers out of the fridge* *sees Hanna enter the kitchen* You, too? *points at the fridge and hands her a beer when she nods*

Hanna: *goes into the kitchen to get another beer and sees Matteo in front of the fridge* *grins at his question and nods* Sure! *takes the bottle from him and opens it with the bottle opener on the fridge* *cheers at Matteo* To us! *grins slightly and leans against the fridge* Cool that you're throwing a party again. Is there a special occasion?

Matteo: *laughs tunelessly* Yes, exactly, to us! *takes a sip and leans on the counter next to Hanna* No, not really... thought it would be fun... and Laura wanted to meet everyone again... *grins slightly and shrugs* Of course we could also celebrate you and Jonas sorting things out... Congrats, by the way, I'm really happy for the two of you...

Hanna: *grins* Yeah, it's always fun... but of course Laura is also a good reason. She seems to be really nice. I've talked to her for a moment earlier. *then blushes slightly, has to smile and lowers her gaze when Matteo congratulates her* Thanks... I'm also happy! *looks back up again and laughs* I really didn't believe in it anymore for some time... but that makes it even better that it worked out in the end. We're really happy! *takes another sip of beer* And what about you and David? Still on cloud 9?

Matteo: *only nods at what Hanna says about Laura and agrees with her* *grins when she blushes and pokes her slightly* That’s obvious… you deserve it, both of you… *grins slightly when she mentions David* Yep… we’ve decided that we’re sappy and that we’re proud of it… *laughs slightly* No, seriously… we’re doing great… if someone had told me this a year ago…or even two months ago… I wouldn’t have believed it… *looks at her and grins* But we’re probably similar in that respect, aren’t we?

Hanna: *laughs at Matteo’s words* Well as long as you agree on it everything’s great! *smiles about his disbelief and nods* Yes, probably… *hesitates for a moment but then says* Considering that only a year ago you’ve been in love with Jonas… *looks at him smilingly and scrutinizingly because she doesn’t know if it’s okay to confront him with this, but she simply has to talk about it at some point and if not now, when all four of them are happy, when else* *takes another sip of beer*

Matteo: *hears her words and for a moment feels like somebody had pulled the rug out from under his feet* *never told anyone about that and was never planning on doing it* *feels as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head* What? I… nah, that… that was… wasn’t like that… *isn’t able to look at her and quickly takes a huge sip of beer and wishes that he would have gotten something harder*

Hanna: *immediately notices how insecure Matteo gets and almost feels sorry for simply saying it* *then hears him deny it and looks at him skeptically* Well, I don’t think that you’ve been in love with me back then… *bumps her shoulder against his* Hey, come on, it’s okay…

Matteo: *swallows when he remembers the excuse from back then and nods embarrassed* True… sorry… *looks at her carefully* You’re not mad or anything? I mean… *shrugs a little helplessly*

Hanna: *immediately shakes her head when he asks if she’s mad* Nonsense… as I said back then: Jonas and I would have broken up anyways. I somehow had to realize first that I can also exist without him… *takes another sip of beer and then says* To be honest, I even thought so back then… but now it’s somehow obvious in hindsight…

Matteo: *sighs slightly and takes another sip* Yeah… now it’s probably obvious… *hesitates a little and collects his words* By the way, what I told you back then is true… I never thought that it would escalate like this…

Hanna: *shrugs* I guess no one would have expected that… but it’s okay… *sighs quietly* It’s been over a year… let’s just put it behind us and continue our lives, okay? *takes another sip and then asks carefully* Is it okay for you now? I mean, sure, you’ve got David now… but the thing with Jonas? Are you over it completely? I mean, is it okay for you that Jonas and I are back together or is it somehow weird?

David: *as some point wonders why Matteo is taking so long with the beer, but thinks that he’s probably talking to someone somewhere* *decides to get his beer himself, gets up from the couch and goes through the surprisingly empty hallway towards the kitchen* *can hear Hanna and Matteo talking while he is still in the hallway, but can’t make out what they’re saying, but now knows why his beer still hasn’t arrived* *grinningly takes a step into the kitchen to complain but then hears Hanna’s last words* *stops dead in his tracks, immediately stops grinning and at first thinks that he misheard something* *takes a while to realizes what Hanna has just said*

Matteo: *still stares at the floor* Ey, you can’t compare that at all, that’s… *looks up and sees David standing in the doorway and freezes* *doesn’t know what to say, simply stares at David* *doesn’t really notice how Hanna turns around, notices David and murmurs “sorry” before she leaves* *swallows hard when he sees David still standing there frozen* Hey, that is… was… nothing… just stupid… and besides, it’s long over… *doesn’t know what to do as David still hasn’t reacted at all*

David: *only hears what Matteo says through a ringing in his ears and somehow notices Hanna leave the kitchen walking past him* *on the one hand has a thousand questions but on the other hand doesn’t know what to say* *only feels the urge to run away get stronger every second* *wonders why Matteo never told him about it and if he still has feelings for Jonas, if he’s maybe only a distraction for Matteo as Jonas obviously or probably isn’t gay, and if Matteo would even be with him if Jonas returned his feelings* *somehow can’t really bear those thoughts right now and can’t bear the laughter coming from the living room* *automatically takes a step back but keeps an eye on Matteo and simply asks the first thing that comes to mind* You’re in love with Jonas?! *doesn’t really notice that he isn’t speaking in past tense and that it doesn’t fit together with what he had just heard* *turns around like on autopilot to check if his Jacket is on the hook*

Matteo: *gapes at him* What? NO? I’m not, not at all. *takes a step towards him but then stops in the middle of the kitchen* *sees David turn around and starts to panic a little* Please don’t leave. I swear, it’s over… that was just a stupid crush, it didn’t mean anything and it’s long over… *talks quickly and a little chaotic* That has nothing to do with you, at all…

David: *hears Matteo’s words and wants to believe him, but somehow doesn’t understand anything right now* *shakes his head and feels the urge to take another step back but would then stand in the middle of the hallway and draw attention to them from the living room* *notices that his voice is shaky and that he has a lump in his throat when he says* If that’s the case, why did Hanna ask you if it’s okay for you that she’s back together with Jonas? They have only been back together for a few days… Why didn’t you just tell me about it if it was so stupid… I… *hears the others laugh and roar in the living room and only wants to get out of there* …I want to get out of here… I can’t go back in there, Matteo… and laugh and drink and act as if nothing was wrong… I… I have to understand all of this first, somehow… *sees the panic in Matteo’s face that he might leave and feels another sting because of it* *remembers his promise to him and for a moment wishes that he hadn’t promised him that* *takes a deep breath and says* Okay, I know I said that I wouldn’t just leave again... but this right now is different, okay? I… could we please talk about it later? I can’t do this right now… I… I promise that I’ll come back… or you could come with me and we can talk, but… *doesn’t know what else to say, only knows that he can’t stand a party right now* *runs a hand through his hair and feels the lump in his throat grow bigger* *murmurs with a very husky voice* I’m sorry… *takes a step into the hallway, grabs his jacket and leaves the apartment*

Matteo: *shrugs* Because Hanna doesn’t know, either? *wants to say much more, wants to justify himself* *but sees how done David is and has a suspicion of what comes next* *then hears that David wants to leave and starts to panic again* David… please… *is glad when he gives him a choice* *immediately answers* I’ll come with you! *but then sees David already move and doesn’t know if he heard him* *grabs a Jacket and hopes that it’s his, grabs his keys and hurries after David* *catches up with him on the staircase* *doesn’t say anything at first but simply follows him* *never would have thought that his stupid feelings for Jonas would one day catch up with him like this* *always thought that nobody would find out, ever*

David: *feels Matteo walk next to him on the staircase and knows that it’s okay – that he has to be alone right now but that Matteo is already such a big part of him that it’s okay that he’s with him – that maybe it’s even a good thing* *still has Hanna’s words and Matteo’s explanation-attempts in his head but somehow needs more information to really believe him* *leaves the building and takes a deep breath in the cool night air* *briefly looks at Matteo but doesn’t want to talk to him while walking so he lowers his gaze again and simply starts walking* *turns around two corners and eventually passes a construction-site fence behind which he knows is an old playground that had been shut down years ago due to disrepair* *walks to the end of the fence because he knows that one of the boards is loose, pushes it aside and lets Matteo pass* *follows him and determinedly walks toward an old balancing beam* *slowly sits down and looks at Matteo* *doesn’t really know what to say and starts to sort his thoughts first* *feels a little calmer due to the walk but is still afraid of what Matteo is going to tell him* *feels this lump in his throat again and tries to swallow it down* *somehow feels pretty unreal right now*

Matteo: *walks next to David silently, but his mind is spinning* *has no clue how he can explain everything and feels the panic that he will screw it up rise, that David won’t understand him and that he’ll be alone again* *goes through the fence and follows David* *stops in front of David when he sits down* *swallows hard and sorts his thoughts but realizes that it doesn’t really work* *so simply starts talking* Okay, yes, I had a crush on Jonas… but it was really only a crush… it was just… safe somehow? He was there and I was… I don’t know, it was easy… and I really screwed up because of it but… *shrugs slightly* Then I met you and I didn’t feel like that anymore… somehow, it didn’t matter anymore, at all… that wasn’t and still isn’t comparable, at all… that doesn’t even come close… you have to believe me! Please… *swallows and quickly continues* And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about it… but it doesn’t matter to me anymore, so I didn’t even think about it…

David: *notices that Matteo has stopped and finds it difficult to look at him while he talks* *but listens to him and thinks about his words* *tries to somehow imagine it but finds it difficult to think about the fact that Matteo and Jonas have known each other for so long and know each other so well and that there is so much familiarity between them and can’t really imagine him being able to top that* *thinks about his words again and with a cracked voice tries to make sure if he understood him correctly* This means you had a crush on him until recently? Until you met me? *swallows hard against the lump in his throat* *then honestly says* I don’t get it… you know each other so well. You know him a lot better than me… how can I top that? *laughs drily and shrugs* I mean, just in theory: If suddenly Jonas had returned your feelings then you’d probably be with him right now… would be a lot easier, wouldn’t it? *looks up at him now and digs his fingernails into the rotten wood of the balancing beam* *doesn’t really know if he even wants to hear an answer to his question*

Matteo: *swallows hard at his question* *because somehow he’s right and somehow he isn’t* *because he doesn’t think those feelings are comparable, at all* *hears him laugh and feels like it hits him right in the heart* *only shakes his head at the questions that follow* Easier? Nah. *shakes his head again* I think I had a crush on him /because/ it was obvious that this would never lead to anything… I always knew that… it was safe, you know? I never would have had to come out… It was only… like… looking at cars even though you don’t have a driver’s license… *swallows because he finds that the comparison is stupid himself* And you are… I mean, okay, I haven’t known you for that long… but I saw you… in the hallway at school and it was… it was as if the world stood still… as if suddenly everything was falling into place… *pauses for a second to sort his thoughts* And we got to know each other and I’ve never felt like that… with /anyone/, okay? From this moment I only wanted you… I wanted you so much… It isn’t comparable /at all/… as if I’ve moved up a level or something like that… *finally manages to sound more determined* And I want no one else, okay? I only want you!

David: *listens to Matteo and lets his words sink in* *tries to understand the thing with “having a crush because it will never lead to anything” and remembers that Matteo wasn’t out back then* *from this point of view can even understand him a little but still finds it difficult that it’s Jonas of all people, Jonas, who Matteo knows so well* *then hears the thing about the hallway at school and getting to know him and thinks that it’s similar for him, that he’s never felt like this about anyone but Matteo, either* *then even has to smile a little and quietly and amusedly asks* Moved up a level? Because of me? *somehow can’t really believe this* *feels his heart starting to race when Matteo says that he wants no one else and closes his eyes for a moment* *wants to believe him so badly* *wants so badly for Matteo to take him into his arms and doesn’t want these stupid doubts* *wants everything to be like it was an hour ago* *reluctantly lifts a hand and carefully reaches for Matteo’s hand*

Matteo: *immediately nods when David asks* Yes, at least one level… maybe even two… I’m not that familiar with the levels of “gay and being in love”* *bites down on his bottom lip and nervously runs a hand through his hair* *immediately grabs his hand and gets a step closer* But I swear to you that there isn’t anything anymore… that was just some stupid crush… I… *directly looks at him and determinedly says* I /love/ you, okay? All of you and everything that comes with it… I understand if all of that sucks for you now, and if you need time, then I’ll leave… but I don’t want you to think for even a second that I would want anyone else okay?

David: *laughs quietly when he talks about moving up a level but then gets serious again* *looks up at Matteo when he steps closer and listens to him* *feels his heart race again and suddenly thinks that he knows Matteo, that he’s familiar with exactly the Matteo that’s standing here in front of him and that he shouldn’t compare some familiarity-levels* *slightly shakes his head when Matteo offers to leave and is suddenly glad that Matteo followed him and that they talked about it immediately* *gets up when he hears his last words and takes a step toward Matteo* *pus his forehead against Matteo’s and murmurs* I don’t want anyone else, either… *closes his eyes and puts his head on Matteo’s shoulder* *murmurs I believe you… really… I just have to get used to the thought… okay? I was just really shocked earlier… that was completely unexpected…

Matteo: *feels like a huge load was taken off his mind when David gets up and wants to be close to him* *says with a husky voice* Good… *slowly wraps his arms around David and takes a deep breath* *immediately nods* Yes, of course… I understand… sorry that I haven’t told you… *hugs him a little tighter and quietly says* Should we go to your place? Or you’ll go and I’ll come over later if you need some quiet or something… *didn’t really see him shake his head earlier*

David: *also carefully wraps his arms around Matteo and takes a deep breath breathing in the typical and familiar Matteo-smell* *smiles slightly when Matteo hugs him closer and nods at his question* *shakes his head at his next question* *murmurs* I don’t need quiet, I only need you… *would like to tell him his thoughts from earlier, when they were walking to the playground, about his flight-instinct and the thing about “being alone together with Matteo” but isn’t really able to put them into words and doesn’t really want to talk right now* *instead searches for Matteo’s lips and kisses him*

Matteo: *is incredibly relieved and can’t really talk right now* *sighs quietly at David’s words* *kisses him back and lets his hand slide up to David’s neck* *looks at him after the kiss and smiles slightly* Are we gonna go on the swings now?

David: *returns Matteo’s look after the kiss with a smile* *then hears his words and laughs quietly* *realizes how good that feels and that some of the heaviness is falling off of him* *lets go of Matteo and looks for the swings* *looks back at Matteo* If they can still bear us and don’t collapse… *suddenly and grinningly starts running towards the swings and simply assumes that Matteo follows him* *realizes that the movement also does him some good and is the first one to reach the swings* *sits down on one of them and grins at Matteo* I won!

*spends some more time with Matteo on the abandoned playground before they make their way to his’ and Laura’s apartment – sometimes holding hands, sometimes wrapped around each other* *once there, he routinely takes off his binder first while Matteo is in the kitchen making hot chocolate for them* *sits down on the kitchen table with Matteo and recalls the evening* *feels that it’s still weird to know that Matteo used to have a crush on Jonas but feels that he’s calmer about it and that he believes Matteo, or at least wants to believe him that he really only wants to be with him* *at some point asks* How does Hanna know? Did Jonas tell her? *sees Matteo immediately shake his head: “Jonas doesn’t know…”* *draws up his eyebrows and looks at Matteo astonished and questioningly* *watches him run a hand through his hair, apparently searching for words, and eventually sigh: “I did something really stupid… a little over a year ago…”* *looks at him attentively and waits while he exhales and eventually continues: “Hanna made out with some guy while she was still with Jonas. Apparently it didn’t mean anything, but… Jonas didn’t know about it. Anyways… I didn’t only have a crush on Jonas, he also was my best friend – and somehow I mixed all of that together… I wanted to protect Jonas and I wanted him to know, but for some reason I didn’t want to be the one to tell him, okay? I didn’t want to be the cause for fights… I don’t know, maybe I even wanted Hanna and him to break up, but somehow I also didn’t because Hanna was also a good friend”.* *doesn’t really know where he’s getting at but continues to listen to Matteo while sipping his hot chocolate* *hears him continue: “Anyways, the guy Hanna made out with also had a girlfriend. She didn’t know about it, either. And so I told her…”* *nods when Matteo looks at him* *doesn’t know how he would have reacted in a situation like this – there probably would have been a lot of better ways to react but he can see in Matteo’s face that he’s afraid of being judged and therefore doesn’t comment on it* *only asks* And all of that came out? *sees Matteo nod: “Yes – and it was pretty bad. Hanna was bullied pretty badly and she was threatened and called the slut of our year. She even considered changing schools. And Jonas was feeling really awful, as well… I didn’t think that it would get this bad. I thought that they’d either break up because of it or that they’d patch things up and at least Jonas knows about it then”.* *nods again and then says* Gosh, so that’s the reason they broke up back then? *sees Matteo nod again but then shake his head: “At some point Hanna found out that I… well, that I was the one who told the guy’s girlfriend and she confronted me about it. She wanted to know why I did it and somehow I… I don’t know, I guess I tried to talk my way out of it and said something like just think about it. I guess at first she thought that I had a crush on her – at least that’s what I’ve always thought. I apologized to her and she said that she and Jonas probably would have broken up anyway, because it wasn’t going too well”.* *sees Matteo run his hand through his hair again and how he’s searching for words again and then quickly explains: “You know, before Jonas got together with Hanna he was with Leonie, and Hanna and Leonie were best friends… When Jonas broke up with Leonie because of Hanna and they got together, Hanna only had Jonas for quite some time – that was before she became friends with Mia and the other girls – and she says that it wasn’t good for either of them… that she herself didn’t really know who she was anymore and so on…”* *sees him shrug and nods in understanding* *then asks* So she wasn’t mad at you because of it? *sees Matteo gnaw on his bottom lip for a moment, shrug and explain: “I think she was pretty mad at first… but she’s Hanna. Hanna’s never mad for long. We were okay again relatively quickly. But not as good as before all of this happened. Sometimes I miss our friendship, the way it used to be… and sometimes it’s like it used to be again…”* *smiles slightly when Matteo says that he misses his friendship with Hanna and tries to comfort him* Maybe you’ll get closer again… now that she’s back together with Jonas… *watches Matteo absentmindedly play with the handle of his mug and eventually take a sip* *then asks* And how did Hanna know that you had a crush on Jonas? *sees him shrug again slightly while putting down his mug: “I guess she simply put two and two together… when she learned that you and I are together she probably figured that I didn’t have a crush on her but on Jonas. Don’t know… maybe she knew about it even before that”.* *sees him smile a little bitterly and then hears him say: “I didn’t think anyone knew… I didn’t want anyone to…”* *meets Matteo’s gaze, which is now intense and hears him say: “It really only was a crush… I never thought about the fact that it could come out. I never really saw Jonas and me together, you know? I mean he had a girlfriend, he was my best friend… it was safe to crush on him, because the chance of it being more one day was so slim…”* *tries to understand it and reluctantly nods because he knows that it’s important for Matteo that he understands, but probably has to think about it for some time to really understand it* *then asks* And Jonas still doesn’t know about it? *sees Matteo shake his head: “No. He neither knows that I had a crush on him nor that I was the one who ruined their relationship… well, that I was the one who made sure that it came out”.* *nods again and thinks about the fact that it’s somehow a bummer that his best friend doesn’t know about it – at least that it was Matteo who made sure that the thing with Hanna making out with someone got out* *eventually asks* And what if it does come out one day? *sees Matteo grimace and shrug: “The thing with the crush wouldn’t be bad, I think. That’s in the past… the other thing… I don’t know…”* *nods again and reaches over the table to take Matteo’s hand* *squeezes it slightly and smiles a little* *murmurs* Thanks for telling me… *really likes it when Matteo tells him more about himself – likes listening to him – and thinks that it’s a real proof of trust when Matteo opens up to him and that they get to know each other more and more because of conversations like this* *sees Matteo only smile and take another sip of hot chocolate*

*suddenly hears the front door open and automatically checks the time* *realizes that it's already a little after 2 am and briefly feels bad for completely forgetting Laura once again* *sees her walk in with a grin and hears her say: “I should have figured that you’d be here… I’ll just stop to complain about the fact that I don’t get informed when you two disappear. At least now you disappear together…”* *grimaces apologetically* Sorry… *sees his sister shrug it off: “Oh, don’t worry… is everything okay with you two”?* *briefly exchanges a look with Matteo, smiles and says* Yes, everything okay! *sees his sister nod and hears Matteo say: “Umm… there’s still some hot chocolate in the pot if you want some”!* *sees Laura grin and grab a mug: “At least there’s one thing you think of! Thanks”!* *for a few minutes the three of them sit in the kitchen and talk. Laura tells them about the party and that it was fun and nice after they left and that she really likes Matteo’s friends* *is glad to hear that it probably didn’t seem weird to anyone but Hanna that he and Matteo suddenly disappeared*

*a little later he and Matteo are lying in bed – Matteo’s arm wrapped around him and his head on Matteo’s shoulder while he absentmindedly strokes over Matteo’s chest* *has to think about the fact again that it was good that he and Matteo were able to immediately clear everything up; how good it was that Matteo came with him and how good it was that this time he let him come with him instead of also running away from Matteo* *at some point murmurs* It was good that you came with me… *only then realizes that he was talking without context and can’t really blame Matteo for not knowing what he is talking about* *hears him quietly ask: “Huh”?* *searches for words to somehow explain it while also searching for Matteo’s hand on his chest* *entwines their fingers and says* Earlier… when I… had to get out of there. *is briefly distracted by Matteo running a hand through his hair but then continues* I don’t know if this urge to run away when… something like this happens… will ever go away… but I realized today that… it’s not a bad thing if you come with me. That it’s even a good thing. *feels Matteo press a quick kiss to his forehead and hears him whisper: “Well that’s good…”* *nods and continues* I have to be alone in situations like this, but somehow… you are already such a big part of me that it’s a good thing when you come with me… and if I’m alone with you… I’m somehow not alone, at all… *has to laugh a little because his sentences sounds somewhat scattered and asks* Does that make any sense? *feels Matteo also laugh quietly and shrug his shoulders* *then remembers something and quietly adds* So… in case of a natural catastrophe I’d still run away and still hide and wait… but I’d definitely take you with me… to not be alone…

(next play)

#Druck #og druck #matteo florenzi #david schreibner #davenzi #davenzi plays

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bebepac · 4 years

Text

WIP 07.22.2020

Guess what day it is, guess what day it is WIP WEDNESDAY!!! LOL. Is anyone else wondering where the heck this week went? Because I really am. I’m still a little whipped from working 6 days last week, but this is what I’ve got going on.

I’m also planning on redoing my tag list on my fics next week, to see if people want to be on and off and shifted around, If anyone wants to be officially perma-tagged as when I started this blog I didn’t know what TF that meant. LOL. Also if you are interested in my Ellie Fic, Chapter 1 is done, so if you would like a tag on that please let me know, I posted a little more below as a teaser.

I totally worked on these in the wrong order as inspiration struck me, so the fic I have finished, is the one I for real started last. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Because in my mind that made perfect sense. Blame it on the alcohol yo.

I am leading first with Pop’s Place, as this is the one that surprised some people ALOT with what Liam told Mia about Drake’s relationship he’s still currently in.... apparently....

First up:

Mom’s Birthday

Pop’s Place Chapter 7

*still in the writing process*

"Did you show her the pictures?"

"You were right she didn't even look through them all. If she did she would have realized they were from last year."

"And how did she take it?"

"It really hurt her feelings. I wasn't planning on her crying. We shouldn't have done this Mollie."

"Oh good grief Liam, don't be a baby and get a conscience now. You’re gonna reap all the benefits, if you play your cards right. The way he broke up with me here, IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!!!!! Neville even thought it was funny. Drake has it coming. Where are you?"

"I'm at her place. She went to get us some drinks."

"He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend, when he got home you know. From the vibe I got, he was pretty sure Mia would have said yes. So you're welcome."

"Thank you Mollie."

"You know we wouldn't have been able to do this to him, if he cared about social media. I'm surprised he even has his cell phone, not that it's working. He's going to walk into a shit show when he gets back. So if you want to make her yours, you better move fast."

"I'm invited to her Mom's birthday party."

"Get you some!"

"I intend to."

"Damn, she's in for a treat, you're great in bed you know, Liam Rys."

"Oh I know."

Liam quickly put his phone away when Mia came back out of the house with their favorite apple juice.

*^*^*^*^*^* Next Up *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The Fight Within

Fast Forward Chapter 12

*still in the writing process*

Are you happy with the way your life has turned out?"

"Yes My Love. I love you, and our children more than life." He gently touched her stomach. I can't wait to meet our second little girl."

She placed her hand on his. "Can we talk about children?"

"Of course."

"This is going to be our last baby Liam, I don't want any more children."

"Riley why? You are an excellent mother."

"I feel like my attention is so divided."

"Well I know we were both against having a nanny, maybe that would help."

"It won't because, I don't want any more children. We will have two babies in diapers again. Two breastfeeding again. Do you know how tiring it is? Especially when none of them start out wanting to take a bottle? And don't look at me like that Liam, you have always been helpful there. Diaper changes, nightly cuddles and snuggles, but sometimes babies just want Mommy. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had more than 2 consecutive nights of more than 4 hours of constant sleep? After I give birth, I am going to get a tubal ligation or you're gonna get snipped. And I can already tell by the look on your face Liam, you don't want it to be you."

"Riley, I carry the royal bloodline of Cordonia."

"So do our children. When this child is born, I will have given you four heirs Liam."

*^*^*^*^*^*^* Next Up*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Chapter 1: Crown Princess Blues

Ellie (Ali) Rys: Hartfeld University Student

*finished*

She wondered how Nic was going to take the news.

She walked out of the palace down the walkway to the practice arena. That is where the Junior Guards were practicing. Being a Junior Guard was a stepping stone to get into the King’s Guard Academy, which Nicolai was planning on doing to follow in his father’s footsteps.

She always went on Tuesdays when Nico, her mother’s guard, was training them.

“Your Highness,” he greeted her when she walked in.

“I wanted to see our future guards in action, that will help defend The Crown someday.”

“We live to serve The Crown!” The group chanted, bowing to Crown Princess Ellie.

She nodded in return.

“As you were.” He saw Ellie’s eyes find Nic’s from across the room. A large smile quickly crossed his face. He could tell by Ellie’s eyes, which were Riley’s beautiful eyes, she was smiling too, but her mannerisms were just like her father’s. King Liam had taught her to hide her true feelings very well. But Ellie’s eyes were her mother’s, and they were a dead giveaway.

Nico immediately saw how his son Nic’s demeanor had changed, and the bright pink flush that was on his face.

After watching them spar for about 30 minutes, He decided to get them a break, which gave Nic a little time to talk to Ellie. They quickly disappeared into a secluded alcove. Nic couldn’t wait to kiss Ellie as soon as he knew it was safe. She ran her fingers through Nic’s hair as she kissed him. Their kiss was so brief. Nic leaned in again.

Ellie pecked his lips again softly. “Save some for later,” she smiled at him.

“There’s something I need to tell you. I picked a University.”

“That’s great Ellie. Let me guess where.”

Ellie noticed Nic’s smile start to fade after time after time she said no.

“Ellie where are you going to university?”

“To America, Hartfeld University.”

The color drained from Nic’s face. “Break’s over, I have to get back.”

He didn’t even kiss Ellie goodbye, he just walked away. He walked away quickly because he didn’t want Ellie to see him cry.

“Nicolai, wait!” Ellie called after him, but Nic walked even faster. Ellie sighed walking back in the direction towards the palace.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* next up *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

At Long Last

150 followers fanfic Giveaway

*still in writing process*

“Are you ready for bed my Love.”

“Yes, I will be in a few minutes.” Riley kissed Liam’s lips.

“Excuse me?” Jason said.

“We’re getting ready to go to sleep.” Liam said, he tried to keep his voice level, as he didn’t know what Jason Brooks was getting at.

“Not in the same bed with my daughter you’re not.”

Liam let out a surprised laugh. He immediately felt Riley hit his arm.

“You’re serious.”

“Yes the hell I am. She’s not your wife yet, you’re not sharing a bed with her as long as I’m under this roof.”

“Dad this is his palace.”

“Jason you have lost your mind. Siri what are Cordonian jails like?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck. You’re not married to him yet Jelly Bean, and I want to keep your virtue intact.”

Riley thought of all the things she had done with Liam… Yep… that virtue has been gone a long time ago.

She watched Liam and her father stare each other down.

Liam’s ears turned bright red, as he turned to Riley. “My love. I will have some things moved to your old suitor room. I will see to it that it is properly cleaned for you in the morning.”

Liam watched as Riley gathered some of her things, to take to the other room.

He slipped his arms around Riley’s waist. “Maybe I can sneak down the hall and spend the night with you instead.”

“Don’t even think about it, I’m a light sleeper. Do you need any help with your things Jelly?”

“I got it Dad.”

She settled in her room. Liam sent her a selfie from the bed with him pointing to her side of the bed, where Chance was curled up. “We miss you Love.”

“Still want to marry me?”

“Of course… but your dad is quite the character.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* next up *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The Indescretions of the Father

Heroes and Villains Chapter 7

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* earlier that day *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“Love you look upset, what's wrong?”

“Your father…”

“I know I was supposed to be at your confessional and at the last possible second he told me I would not be attending and it would be him instead.”

“That’s not what.. Your father said some really inappropriate things to me.”

“Like what?”

She went over the things Constantine had said during the confessional about her body and lust.

“My father would never talk to a woman like that. You have to be taking what he’s saying out of context Riley. I know you are still upset about the task Riley. I am too….”

“Are you saying you don’t believe me Liam?”

“No that’s not at all what i’m saying Love. If you would just cal.…..”

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down Liam Rys!!!!!!! Your father is disgusting, and talked about you and me together, and he stared at me like I was a piece of ass Liam.”

“Riley please….”

“You know what, don’t bother coming by the next couple of nights, I don’t think my schedule can accommodate you this week anyway.”

Liam watched Riley walk away slamming the door behind him.

“He didn’t believe you Riley? How could he not believe you? I’ve seen the way Constantine stares at you when he knows Liam isn’t looking. King Constantine is a dog.”

“So you believe me?”

He stroked Riley’s cheek gently kissing her lips.

“Of course I believe you Riley. I know you wouldn’t be this upset if it didn’t happen. Prince Liam can’t see who his father truly is because he’s too close. I’m sorry he hurt you.”

He hugged Riley.

“I know a place that makes the best american cheese burgers and chocolate milk shakes. Go put your sweat pants on girl, we’re gonna go there and eat until our stomachs are full and happy.”

“No Greek tonight then?”

“You can have some Greek Meat if you would like later.”

Riley laughed.

“That was dirty Nico.”

“Yet you’re still laughing.”

Still in the pipeline: Life of Riley: Beach Vacation: It’s in my brain, just nothing concrete typed out yet.

*^*^*^*^*^* end of chapter teasers *^*^*^*^*^*^*^

What are you guys working on @burnsoslow @loveellamae @dcbbw @queenjilian @indiacater @hopefulmoonobject @bbrandy2002

Tagging some peeps that really expressed interest or had some very strong responses from the previous chapters of these. @hopelessromanticmonie @atha68 @queenwalton @debramcg1106 @axwalker @kingliam2019 @kimmiedoo5 @texaskitten30 @sanchita012 @mom2000aggie @gabesmommie1130 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @marshmallowsandfire @jared2612 @cordonia-gothqueen @batgirlassociationofgothamcity @losingbraincellseveryday @mrsdrakewalkerblog @sadlibrahours @cordonianroyalty @blueaster-blog1@choicesficwriterscreations

#bebepac writes #pop's place #fast forward #heroes and villains #at long last #ellie rys #crown princess ellie #trr fanfic #trr fandom #trh fanfic #trh fandom #trr mc x drake #trh mc x liam #trr mc x liam #riley brooks #king of cordonia #queen of cordonia #cordonia

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years

Text

Take Cover

Series Summary: After the events of Civil War, Steve and his team are stuck in their compound. Following a mission, you disagree with your stalwart leader but he does not take kindly to your defiance.

Sequel to Insubordination, Pulling Rank, Misconduct, and Furlough

Chapter Description: The reader struggles to relax on her vacation.

Warnings: non-con/explicit sex, violence, mentions of birth control/contraceptives. Obviously 18+ (like this whole blog)

Note: Okay so this got fucking crazy. It starts out slow but I promise, it is worth it. Drama, smut, darkness! Omg, thank you guys for your patience and I hope this was worth the way. Love you ❤

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send an ask, reblog, or reply of your thoughts:)

Even upon returning to you room, you were not to meet with any sleep. You were still tender and mortified. Steve had used you so easily. The more you allowed him to bend and contort your body to his whims, the more it tore you up inside. What had happened to the man you had once respected? Something was missing inside of him. And you couldn’t help the tremor every time you thought of him cumming inside of you. Of the possibility that he would linger within you.

You sat on the floor beside the ebony dresser carved with tribal insignia. You unpacked your bag into the drawers as the sun rose just outside your window. You felt so numb and yet there was a pain deep inside of you. You stood as you closed the drawers and changed into the outfit you had set aside. A billowy blouse and torn jeans. You did your best to look human in the mirror and slipped into a pair of flats.

You stared at your door before you found the will to open it. Your hand slowly turned the handle and you clicked it shut carefully behind you. You listened for any noise of your team. You neared Steve’s door and pressed your ear to the wood; you could hear his sound snores from the other side. Bastard. He was entirely unfazed by what he was doing to you. A bitterness settled on your tongue and you walked quietly down the hall.

You found your way to the throne room by chance but only after getting lost several times. You were surprised to find Shuri there. She was staring out the windows of the palace onto the mosaic of wilderness mixed with industry below. You neared her and she swore in her own language as you spooked her; your reflection appearing just beside hers in the glass. You smiled meekly and tucked your hands in your pocket.

“You’re awake early,” She grinned at you in the window, “I’d thought you and the rest would be sleeping off your jetlag.”

“I’ve always been an early bird,” You returned, “I was actually hoping to ask you something. Um, or someone. Not really sure who to ask.”

“That’s what I’m here for. To answer questions. If it’s not that white boy in my lab prodding at my work, it’s my brother.” She chuckled.

“I was hoping to travel around the city today...just for an hour or so. Cooped up in that compound…” You stared down at the colourful streets. “I’m getting a little stir crazy.”

“Ah, yes, I can get you a car. And my brother had your credentials prepared. They’re in the lab waiting for you.” She turned to you at last. “It must be hard; leaving it all behind for the solitary of that place. I told my brother, it was little more than a prison. So boring.”

“I’ve found that the friends you lose are worse than any material,” You said solemnly, “Some things you know you can never get back.”

“I think you and the white boy would get along. You’re both rather pessimistic,” She shook her head, “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll get you sorted.”

“Thank you,” You followed her as she turned away. She flicked her fingers over her shoulder for you to follow and you did so eagerly. A couple hours away had only been a fantasy; the last you clung to in surviving the horror of your reality.

Wakandan currency, a fake passport, a map, and a mod to Google translate and you were ready to go. A car awaited you downstairs and you slid into the back with a suppressed sigh. You felt almost free even if you knew it wouldn’t last. You asked the driver to take you to your first and most important destination and wrung your hands eagerly. When he stopped, you stepped out with a thanks and stared up at the pharmacy. That at least resembled its western counterpart.

It was a full five minutes before you worked up the courage to enter. You looked around the shelves of beauty products and medicinal aids. You walked down the center aisle and meekly approached the pharmacist’s counter. You neared with a nervous smile, waiting behind the other customer as you clutched the thin strap of your purse.

It was your turn and you stumbled as you stepped up to the counter. “Um, I...is there any way to request a private consultation?”

“Certainly,” The woman smiled; her braids twisted back in a ballerina bun. “Come with me, hon.”

Her English was clear and you were relieved that you didn’t need the app to understand her. She led you to a small room and assured you that the pharmacist would be in soon. You sat in the clinical white chair and shook your leg. When at last another woman appeared in a white coat, you greeted her in a small voice and she closed the door behind her.

“Hello, I’m Anula. How can I help you today…?”

“Y/N,” You introduced yourself, “I, uh, I, well, I’m sure you can guess that I’m not from around here and I wasn’t sure even if you could help…”

“I can try,” She smiled warmly, “Do you have a passport?”

“Y-yes,” You unzipped your purse shakily and held out the document provided by Shuri. She took it and read it over carefully.

“You are a guest of the king,” She turned to the fourth page; a large stamp with a panther’s head on it.

“I am,” You confirmed softly.

“Anything you need would be covered under the Crown’s hospitality.” She assured you.

“Even without a prescription?” You wondered.

“If it is required, we can arrange a doctor’s visit within the hour,” She offered, “Really, we are not so strict as America. Our healthcare is here to care, not to profit.”

“I...I need birth control.” You admitted shyly; your voice didn’t feel like your own. “And...Plan B, if you have it.”

She nodded but not judgement marred her face. Her expression was that of understanding. “Easy. We can have the birth control readied within twenty minutes. Just a few questions first and the Plan B is not a problem at all. I’ll have my staff put it together at once.” She stood and offered her hand, “You don’t have to be afraid. Not here.”

You swallowed the pill at the counter and left with slightly less anxiety. You hid the rest of your haul in your purse and walked along the street as you stopped in the local shops. You paused to watch the traffic and rush of people around you. You could just disappear. You laughed at yourself darkly and continued to the corner to meet the driver. Steve would find you, you knew that.

By the time you returned to the palace, your head was achy and your stomach had begun to roil. You thanked the driver again and dragged yourself up the royal stairs. Inside, you traversed the maze as best you could and eventually found your way back to the throne room. From there, you could recall the path Shuri had led you along last night.

Wanda turned the corner at the same time as you and you nearly took her out as you grabbed onto each other. She giggled and you tried to but the unexpected run in had only spiked your already fragile nerves.

“I’ve been looking for you!” Wanda greeted in her subtle accent, “Nat’s in the common room with Shuri. She wants us to play some games with her.”

“Oh?” You raised your brows and resisted the urge to touch your stomach. You felt sick. And tired. “I don’t know. I’m exhausted.”

“And yet you went running around Wakanda,” She mused, “What were you doing anyway?”

“Just...exploring. As much alone time I’ve had during my suspension, doesn’t really feel like I’m alone, you know?” You spoke quietly.

“I know,” Her hands clung to yours, “But you shouldn’t always be alone. Please...for me. You can just watch.”

“Okay,” You gave a reluctant smile, “You know I can’t deny you.”

“I know,” She preened.

“I’ll just put my purse away and catch up to you, okay?” You slowly untwined your fingers from hers.

“Alright, I’ll walk slow…” Her eyes washed over your features before she finally stepped past you. “You better catch up.”

You sat on the long sofa as Shuri, Wanda, and Nat moved along with the figures on the television. You would’ve loved to play but you felt like shit. You were mostly just tired and quite tempted to fall asleep on the couch. Instead you just leaned on the arm and yawned. After Shuri came out the victor of the Shakira battle, Nat turned to you with a mope.

“Come on, Y/N, just one song,” She pleaded. “Maybe it will wake you up.”

You squinted at her and sighed. You definitely felt like a party pooper. You hated it. These last months you had been shrouded in gloom. You just wanted to enjoy life again; even if it was something as small as a round of Just Dance. You dropped your shoulders and grinned. You pushed yourself to your feet.

“Fine, where’s my controller?” You asked and Wanda smiled over Nat’s shoulder.

You took the small controller, slipping on the wrist strap, and lined up with the rest. “No, not Despacito,” You argued as Shuri began flicking through the catalogue.

She settled on some Lady Gaga instead, “Fine. Something a bit more palatable for you.”

You started moving along with them as best you could. For someone trained to fight, you weren’t the most co-ordinated. You blamed that on your lack of rhythm and sleep. You were really starting to enjoy yourself as you forgot your eventful arrival the night before. You ignored the movement you sensed at the other end of the room, lost in the rhythm and shared giddiness. The song ended and Shuri gloated again as she came out on top.

“Shit!” Nat’s natural competitive nature was starting to boil over. “I swear. You’re cheating.”

“Or you’re getting a bit rusty,” Sam taunted and you turned.

He stood just inside with Steve and Bucky at his shoulders. The three were thoroughly amused by the scene and you would’ve dropped your controller if it wasn’t for the strap. Steve’s eyes were on your formerly swinging hips and you knew he had seen a few too many of your ill-timed moves. You unhooked the strap from your hand and set the controller aside. You looked away, trying to avoid a direct stare down only to catch Wanda’s pale eyes. Slowly she peeked over at Steve and you saw the thoughts swirling.

“You four are like the second coming of the Spice Girls over here,” Sam teased as he crossed the room.

“And it looks like Scary just showed up,” Nat countered.

Steve and Bucky trailed behind; the former moved like a predator. The warmth of his gaze lingered on you. You crossed your arms and kept your distance. You edged closer to Wanda and whispered as you turned your back to the room. “I think I’m going to lay down now.”

She nodded, her eyes still glued to Steve. “I’ll come with you. Just to make sure you’re alright.”

“Wanda--”

“I insist,” She looked at you at last. “Come on.”

You waited as Wanda excused you and followed her to the door. In the hallway, you walked in silence, picking blindly at your nails.

“I don’t look into peoples’ heads anymore. I don’t like it.” She began quietly. “But I can still get a sense of what’s within. It doesn’t take my powers to see there is something going on.” Your eyes were wet as she spoke and you gulped. You couldn’t talk; wouldn’t. “Tell me and I can help you. We’ll all help you.”

She stopped short and turned to you. Your eyes were stuck to the carpet. “I can’t…”

“Even if you don’t tell me, I know. Something isn’t right.” She touched your elbow gently, “What has he done to you?”

“I let him do it.” You raised your head, staring her down defiantly as a single tear slipped down your cheek. “I can’t stop him and neither can you.”

Her face paled and her fingers gripped your arm. “Oh, Y/N… I can. We can.”

“No. I don’t want you to,” Your lip trembled. “This isn’t your problem. It’s mine and--” You inhaled and shook your head, “I don’t want everyone to know what he’s done. It’s humiliating.”

“I won’t tell them then, but I can stop him. Please.” You lowered your head and her hands cradled your chin, forcing you to look at her.

“If you do, he’ll make me leave. You too. We’ll all have tossed it away for nothing.” You croaked. “At least when he’s out there, when’s he’s leading the team, he’s saving people. What is my life against theirs.”

“He’s not the only one helping--”

“Don’t! Okay! Don’t you understand? If I do anything, I’ll be left out in the cold. All alone.” You pushed her hands away. “And what do think will happen to you? You think he’ll let your little tryst with Vision continue? He’ll find a way to tell Tony.”

“That doesn’t matter. You’ll have me and no one could ever keep me from Vis.”

“No, he could. That’s what you don’t get.” You backed away. “Wanda, if you’re my friend, you’ll just let it be. I’ve enough regret on my shoulders.”

You spun and marched away from her. You could feel her watching you. The tears spilled freely as you turned the corner and you sniffed them back as you wiped them away. How had everything become so fucked up? Why did you always have to fuck things up so entirely?

There was a knock at the door after the windows had grown dark. It was late. You had heard the doors of the others as they had returned for the night. There wasn’t a second knock. The door opened unanswered and you didn’t need to roll over to see who it was. Steve’s heavy footsteps neared the bed and he huffed as he stared down at you. You stayed still beneath the covers with your back to him.

“There’s a pool on the other side of the palace,” He sat down and the bed dipped beneath him. His thick hand was on your hip, “Hot tub, too. Thought you could use a few laps, soldier.”

You didn’t respond. You didn’t move. You just laid there.

“You know the rules,” His voice deepened, “Keep it up soldier and I’ll have you running down the halls.”

“Yes, sir,” Your voice was small as you rolled onto your back. You pushed yourself up carefully as you faced him.

“Why’d you leave so soon today?” He asked as you draped your legs over the edge of the mattress.

You looked at him sharply as you stood. “Are you serious?”

He chuckled and grabbed your arm. He dragged you towards the door as he spoke. “No, I just like watching you squirm.”

“Wait, shouldn’t I get a bathing suit?” You tried to plant your feet but only tripped yourself. He kept you from falling and opened the door with his other hand.

“You won’t need it,” He smirked and pulled you into the hall. The door closed behind you just as swiftly and you were struggling to keep up with his long stride. You were still half asleep. Irritable even.

“Stop,” You tried to wriggle free of him, “I can walk by myself.”

“Oh, are we gonna be mouthy tonight?” He clung to you even tighter as he pulled you onward. “Because I can put that mouth to good use.”

“Just, Jesus Christ, let me just walk,” You planted your heels and were surprised when it drew him to a full stop. “Please.”

He turned and looked you up and down. You were tired and worn out. You just wanted to feel like your body was still your own. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He grabbed your forearm and shoved you ahead of him. “Then walk, soldier.” He ordered as you stumbled.

You righted yourself and pushed your shoulders back as you walked. You weren’t sure where exactly you were going. At the corner, Steve directed you with a single word, “right,” then “left,”; his directions carried on through the halls until you reached a pair of carved door which glowed with an unnatural lustre. “Inside,” He commanded.

You reached out and slid your fingers through the handle and pressed inward. Within was a sparkling pool of water at the centre of the room. There was a lounge area along the far wall with reclining beach chairs and a round table with chairs. At the other end of the pool, was a smaller basin; steam rising from its core. The door closed behind you as Steve followed you inside.

As you stood admiring the ethereal glow set by the windowed ceiling upon the room, two hands rested heavy on your shoulders. “You’re tense,” Steve remarked. You could hear the smirk in his voice. You withheld your dry retort of him being the reason for that and instead lowered your chin. “The steam should loosen you up.”

You drew away from him as you crossed your arms. It was laughable that he should even pretend to care about you. Painful even as you recalled those days when you truly thought he had. How could you have known those years ago that this valiant crusader would become so corrupted?

“I thought we were past this, soldier,” Steve was close again. His hands were on the hem of your shirt. “But I’m always up for a fight.”

You sighed and remained as you were. “Sorry, Captain.”

“Very good,” He pulled your shirt up your torso and you pliantly raised your arms.

The loose tee was easily lifted over your head and he dropped it at his feet. He grabbed the waist of your pajama shorts and you resisted the urge to fold your arms across your bare chest. He tugged the shorts past your thighs and they fell naturally to the floor. You were entirely naked before him; a familiar vulnerability swept over you. The strength left your limbs and you closed your eyes in shame.

“Your turn,” He grabbed your wrist and turned you to face him. You stared up at his dark eyes; they used to be so bright. “Undress me, soldier.”

You reached over numbly and pushed the cotton up his stomach. He stooped to help you get it past his arms and shoulders, the tee discarded with your own. You were eager to be done with the ritual but he caught your hands and placed them on his broad chest. Your palms were pressed to his firm muscles and he held them there. Slowly, he slid your hands down his torso and you struggled not to pull away.

“You’re already wet, aren’t you?” He asked as he stopped your hands at the low belt of his pajamas. He removed his hands and nodded. “Go on.”

You gulped and pulled the elastic past his erection carefully. You bit down as you contemplated letting it snap back at him. That wouldn’t be good. Not for you. You rolled his pajamas past his thighs and let go. They puddled at his feet and he stepped out of them. He pressed his cock to your stomach, “Touch me.”

Your eyes went to his stomach; frozen there as you brought your hand blindly to his cock. You ran your fingers along his length and gripped him firmly. He shuddered and his hand wrapped around yours. He guided you up and down a few times as his breath came in dusky growls.

“Come on,” He pulled your hand away from his cock and clasped it in his. He led you along the polished geometric tile toward the steamy hot tub at the end of the room. He released you and nudged you ahead of him. “Get in.”

You cautiously neared the brim and dipped your toe in. You descended the underwater steps one at a time as the hot water embraced you. Despite your company, it was welcoming. You just wanted to sink under and never emerge from the depths. Your feet met the bottom and you crossed to the ledge which lined the basin’s perimeter. You turned and sat, the water moving noisily around you.

Steve’s eyes were on you, his head lowered in predatory observation. The corner of his mouth twitched and he descended into the tub with a splash. He sat on the bench across from yours and spread his thick arms over the edge of the hot tub. He hung his head back and sighed. Your legs and arms crossed without thought. What was he doing?

“Just relax,” He lifted his head and peeked at you with one eye. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Slowly, you tried to do as he said. You dropped your arms to your side and set your legs side by side. You stared at him as he just sat there, totally at ease, as if unaware of your presence. Despite the soothing waves of the jets and warmth all around, you just couldn’t relax. The more you watched him the angrier you were. You thought of your conversation with Wanda; of the shame that still burned in your spine. What if someone were to stumble in here with a similar idea as Steve? How would you explained the two of you skinny dipping so late at night?

Your shoulders were just above the water and you peered down at the distorted vision of your body. You turned your hands palm up and tried to trace the warped lines along them. You didn’t feel like a person anymore. This man across from you had made you feel like nothing more than air. You weren’t truly there; a part of you had broken. The same part of him that had fractured, only in a different way.

The water shifted suddenly and you looked up just as Steve pushed through the water. He settled beside you, his arm stretched behind your shoulders. You stiffened and raised your head. You focused on the far wall; willing yourself to drirft away. His hand was on your cheek; his wet fingers left a trail down to your jaw, then your neck, and along your collarbone. His heat added to that of the water as his fingers crawled beneath the surface.

He nuzzled your neck as you fought to stay still. His teeth grazed your throat, tickled even, before he bit down. The sharp twang caused you to grunt and you pushed against his head desperately.

“Stop! Don’t!” You could feel him sucking, your flesh throbbing. He cupped your breast and finally let go. You knew there would be a purple welt left in his stead. You reached up to touch the teeth marks which framed the blemish. “Why would you do that?”

“Because, you’re mine,” He rasped into your skin as he rested his head against your shoulder. He toyed with your breast as he spoke; kneading pinching, and tweaking. “Wanda knows, doesn’t she?” You swallowed but didn’t answer. “But you told her not to do anything, right?” Again, silence. “Right, soldier?”

“Yes, Captain,” You whispered.

“She’ll mind her business if she knows what’s good for her and the robot,” His hand slid down your stomach, “You’ll keep her from doing anything stupid.”

“Yes, Captain,” You gritted out as he pushed between your legs.

“Good,” He pressed two fingers against your clit and held them there. He applied more pressure as he raised his hand and breathed in your ear. “I can feel how wet you are.” He dipped his fingers lower and you felt it too. “It’s all for me, isn’t it, soldier?”

“Y-yes,” You stuttered out as he dragged his fingers back to your clit.

His rough fingertips flicked back and forth and your thighs tingled. His breath was hot on your cheek as he played with you, caressing you gently only to deepen his touch. When you were ready to dissemble, he let off and slowly built you up again. He drew circles this time and you bit your lip as you tried to hide your face from him. His other arm wrapped around you and he pulled you close so that his lips were flush to your temple.

As the tension spiraled around his fingertips, he retreated again and you grunted without thinking. He chuckled, his free hand was on your head as he held you even tighter. “Do you want to cum, soldier?” He asked. “Hmm?”

“I...Yes, Captain,” You said breathily.

“Then ask,” He snarled.

“May I cum...Captain?” You forced out as his fingers kept a delicate pace.

“Mmmm,” He purred, his fingers sped up and you gasped. “Yes, you may, soldier.”

Your back arched as he stirred your nerves and the tensity met a fever pitch. Your hand was on his thigh without thinking, your nails digging into his flesh as you came with a suppressed moan. He didn’t stop until you were shaking against him. You felt so weak; so helpless. Why did your body do this to you? Why did you allow it to?

Steve’s body rippled the water as he moved. He came up in front of you as he spread your legs wide. He lifted you as he brought his knees up onto the bench. He reached down to align himself with your legs splayed around his thick torso. He rubbed his cock along your folds before pushing inside and you sank back against the ledge. He pressed himself to you, your shoulders against the lip of the tub as he impaled you entirely.

You were trapped between him and the wall of the tub. His arm bent behind you as he began to work in and out of you slowly. He bent his head and nuzzled your hair, inhaling you as he picked up his pace. A rush of water added to the whirlwind as you were rested just in front of a jet. You moaned and braced the side of the tub as Steve rutted into you in sharp jolts. His grunts filled your ears as he covered your body with his. You felt as if you were suffocating against him.

Steve thrust deeper and harder into you. The water splashed around him noisily and mixed with the animalistic noises that rose from both of you. Your walls were trembling, clenching around his cock as you came again. Your entire body shook as you were caught in a cluster of delight and detest. He slowed and his motion grew more deliberate.

His pelvis rocked against you in long thrusts and his head dipped down beside yours. He groaned, a gravelly rasp in your ear, and you felt his release. He bottomed out as he spasmed erratically. He leaned against you heavily and stilled, his breaths deep and throaty. You trembled and your heart raced. Your lungs felt as if they were filled with rocks and your body locked up.

“Get off!” It was a thin croak. “Please, get off of me.” You pushed on his shoulders. “Get off!!” Your voice only grew louder as the panic swept over you. “Steve, get off of me!”

He sat back, still inside of you as he caught your hands as you struck out at him. “What the fuck?” He tried to still you but you couldn’t stop. “Get a hold of yourself, soldier.”

“No, no, no,” You twisted your arms away from him. “I can’t--can’t---breathe.” You clutched your chest.

“Shh,” He made to pull out but only pushed back in again. “Let me calm you down.”

“No!” A wave of anger came over you as quickly as the panic.

This time, you didn’t miss. Your fist met with Steve’s jaw and his cock slipped out of you as he staggered. You brought your legs up and kicked him away from you. You struggled to push through the water and evade him but he latched onto you swiftly. You swung around with your elbow and caught him in the mouth. As he stumbled, you shoved him and he caught himself on the edge of the tub. You acted without thinking; you grabbed a hank of his dark hair and bashed his head into the raised lip.

You let go and retreated without looking behind you. He groaned and rolled over so that he was sat limply on the bench. His head lolled and blood ran from his lip and eyebrow. You covered your mouth as you blindly climbed the steps. Slowly his hand came up to hold his battered head. The adrenaline coursed through your veins and you searched around for your clothes. You dressed clumsily as you rushed across the room.

You could hear the water move and you knew he would come after you. You ran to the door and glanced back. Steve gripped the side of the tub as his other hand cradled his head. He was unsteady but not unable. You pulled open the door and dash out into the hallway. Your wet feet clapped on the floor as they echoed away from the pool room; away from Steve.

tags: @meaganottiz02 @patzammit @thepettyavenger @biasedtitties @thosecikinnn @glitterypinkkitty @thoughtlesstales @selinbaskaya @lattaex @vitamingrant @lilithhellfire @bbyspiiice @ironlady1993 @blackpantherimagines @kweenkxtrina @heavenlyblyss @letsagomario @shikin83 @collette04 @breezy1415 @alexakeyloveloki @beautiful-and-strange @phoenix21love @momc95 @buckycaptspideypool @justballoonfishthings @ms-munchkin @whosmarisaaarw @kxllyxnnx @calspixie @imdiegohargreeves @satinprincessxo @amethyst-the-thot @docharleythegeekqueen @iiqueer-vibesii @carol-damn-vers @l0rd-disick @jilldsumner @hufflebucky @lanabanana-86 @nerdypinupcrystal @notyourtypicalrose @pink1031 @agent-spidey @wassupbitchesssss @lucifersnipnips @thirstyforsomeyandere @xxm3xxj @roses-and-absinthe @stuckybarton @ruff-m3rc @secretlyactivated @asleep-amid-the-flowers @sunstarskyhappiness @xxxelettaxxx @honeyofthegods @rainbowkisses31 @alphabloodfur @xdatbitch @quant-um-fizzx @couldntbedamned @scarletlingeries @directionerfae @bodhi-black @kyllorren @captainarp @sargeant-bbarnes @tuyetnhivo @heartislubbingdubbing @kiwihoee @vanishingod @aekr @purpliepanda @arkhamsanity @lazinessisalliknow @grossceleste @fkngparadise @karabear0091 @jordysgirl87 @amelia-acero @praziameia @heartbeats-wildly @tea-with-seb @the-lululemon @abesottedlass @poppyshawn @obsesseds-world @jazztherebel @heartislubbingdubbing @desir-ae @adreamemporium @ashrod98 @buckyxwintersxldier @buckybarneshairpullingkink @lazinessisalliknow @kastheabsolutepessimist @daggersofloki @odinson-barnes @amelia-acero @marvelmaree

#dark!steve rogers #dark!steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers #dark steve rogers x reader #dark!fic #dark fic #dark!verse #darkverse #series #insubordination #pulling rank #furlough #misconduct #fic #au #marvel #mcu

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laws-hat-headcanons · 4 years

Text

10 + 10

I realised after I had posted this that I did it on a reblog that was already pretty long... so I have now done a separate post to try and make it smaller! Sorry!

I was tagged twice to do this and was writing out my answers when Coop tagged me AGAIN!! So I am sorry to all of you, this is long and you're going to learn more about me than you probably wanted to!!

Answer 10 questions then add 10 of your own:

@lucynnamonroll thank you for the first Tag flower!

1. A dream that you still remember?

I dreamt once that someone was chasing me and my dog and they bit me, took a big chunk out of my arm. And then my dog gave me this big blue fruit and my arm grew back. My dreams are always very strange.

2. What job did you want to do when you were younger?

I wanted to be a vet but I am way too emotional around poorly animals and also not smart enough to learn how to treat them haha!

3. And now? Did it has changed?

Yeah, I don't think I was ever cut out to be a vet. I'd like to work with animals though, maybe kennels or something? Zoo Keeper would be cool.

4. A favorite game?

I'm gonna take this as video game... There are a lot. I love Mass Effect and Dragon age, Gears of War... but Horizon Zero Dawn was amazing. I loved every single thing about it. Beautiful game, great story – just.. chefs kiss

5. Where did you have traveled? (Either it’s in your country or not)

I've been a few places- France, Spain, Somewhere else hot but I can't recall where... Ireland, Scotland. I was supposed to have gone to Bulgaria at the beginning of May but Coronavirus done fucked me over.

6. Did you have a totem animal/a favorite animal?

Ever since I was about 6 wolves have been my favourite animals. I originally started drawing so I could create a wolf fursona …. siiigghhh

7. Did you/Do you have a teddy bear to help you to sleep? How it was looking?

Yes, a little dog called Custard. He is a beige colour with brown ears but is still in pretty good condition. He sits on my desk chair when I'm not using it.

8. THE animated (or not) serie of your childhood/teenage years?

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – heroes in a half shell, turtle power!! I was also hella into Dragon Ball Z on Toonami when I was a kid. I remember we went to see some family up north and they didn't have Toonami and I cried because it was mid way through the Buu arc and I was gonna miss it.

9. Do you have anime/series/movie/whatever things merch?

I have a few bits. A Hatake Kakashi figure, one for Katakuri and Zoro. A heart Pirates hoodie. I think I have Kid's wanted poster somewhere...

10. How was your day?

Oh. It was a day. I slept through most of it. My energy/motivation levels are pretty low at the moment. But it was sunny, so that was nice.

@luffytarhoe thank you for my second tag!! 💙

1- What’s your favorite show/anime of the moment ?

I don't watch a huge amount of anime despite the focus of this blog. So probably One piece on that front. Otherwise I am watching Outlander atm, which is pretty good but there is sooooo much sex. An ungodly amount of sex.

2- What type of music are you into?

My music tastes are quite varied. I like stuff that you can listen to and put into a situation, so usually sad stuff where I can imagine I am the main character weeping over the bodies of my fallen comrades. Also Goo Goo Dolls!

3- If you could have one superpower , what would it be ?

Probability, or luck. Like Domino in Deadpool. That's always been such a cool concept to me.

4- What’s your favorite color ?

Blue and all it's hues. Maybe teal if I had to get specific.

5- Do you prefer animated or live action shows/series ?

I am happy with both. Though some animated shows should stay animated – looking at you ATLA...

6- Do you believe in ghosts ?

I believe that energy never disappears, only changes forms and I don't think that's any different for whatever happens to people energy once we die. I'm a big wimp though so it's easier for me not to believe in them!

7- Do you speak any foreign language(s) ? if yes which ones ?

No, sadly I never had a talent for languages. I'd love to speak Gaelic though.

8- Your n°1 fictional character ?

Probably Stone from the Raksura book series. He's just a fun grumpy old shapeshifting man.

9- Would you say you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert?

Definitely an introvert. I like me time. And all my hobbies are single person hobbies so that doesn't help haha.

10- What was the best vacation you ever took and why?

I haven't been on holiday in over 10 years but we went to a zoo in Spain once and a Monkey sat on my head. That was pretty rad.

@doctorgerth and finally, thank you for my 3rd tag!!

1. What are your zodiac signs (sun, moon, rising, if you know them) and do you think they fit you pretty well?

I am an Aries and that is pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject. Aries are meant to be pretty hot headed and outgoing and I can only really claim to be one of those thing and only when I need to be. So no, I'm not sure it fits me.

2. What is your favorite clothing item and/or accessory?

I don't reallllly care a lot about clothes and or stuff. So I guess either my glasses because I need them to see long distances (and to drive) or my phone if that counts as an accessory because that has all my crap on it.

3. Any future children or pet names?

Noooooooooooooo and no

4. If you could meet anyone (can be past, present, future, real, or fictional) who would it be?

I would have liked to have met Steve Irwin I think. He seemed pretty chill and I grew up watching Crocodile Hunter on TV so he was a big hero of mine for a long time. Also the Rock or Jason Mamoa because of reasons....

5. Brag on yourself! What’s something you love about yourself?

I am passably amusing and guess I write okay too haha

6. What is a movie or show that you could rewatch a million times and never get tired of?

The film Evolution is endlessly funny to me and it makes me laugh every time I watch it. I used to have it on VHS and I kept a video player in the house to watch it until my cousin got it for me on DVD (Yes I am old.)

7. What is your favorite album of all time?

I haven't listened to it in a long time but I really loved Maroon 5 – Songs about Jane.

8. Do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens? If you have stories to back up, plz share.

I want to belllieeveeeeee! Ghosts, yes, hesitantly but I think I answered that in a previous one. Aliens 100% because I refuse to believe that we are the only sentient life the universe. It's just... statistically impossible.

9. What do you do/who do you look to for inspiration?

I guess human being wise my mum is my inspiration for a lot of things? She's just a lovely person and she's very kind and sweet. I am very aware that we are not much alike, but I look to her as the sort of example of a good person. Creativity wise it's just a clusterfuck of books and badly organised pinterest boards.

10. What is your happiest memory?

Practically anything that has my nephews in it I guess. They're just... hilariously weird little dudes and I love them so much. They always make me laugh.

And here are my questions!!

1. What is your favourite book?

2. What is you most loved item and why?

3. If you got the chance to travel to another planet (knowing you would never see your friends or family again) would you do it?

4. One song that makes you cry?

5. Do you believe in supernatural stuff? Ghosts and Monsters and Fairies? Any experiences with it?

6. What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever witnessed or had happen to you?

7. What one thing would you buy if you had the money?

8. What is your worst habit/personality trait?

9. If you could alter your body with one cool feature, what would it be? (camera eyes, monkey tail, etc)

10. Do you have the patience to play a full game of Monopoly with no breaks?

I'll tag @pinkhatlizzy @nakunakunomi @lirulee @one-piece-dumpster-fire and anyone else who wants to answer my dumb questions!! Tag me because if you decide to do it so I can see your answers 💙

#hat talks #tag game

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excindrela · 4 years

Text

12 Days of Demon Ayno - Day 5 (M)

Supernatural AU

Pairing: demon! Ayno (Noh YoonHo) VAV / Female reader

Genre: A touch of Fluff/ a dash of soft Smut/ and A N G S T

Warnings: occult, fingering, unprotected sex (be safe people!), implied sex

Word Count: 3352

AN: Welcome back to the 5th Day of Demon Ayno’s holiday! This one got away from me and turned out way longer than I expected. I love feedback- so if there’s something you like, or something you want to see- tell me!! Thank you to everyone who has continued to read this, and especially to those who have re-blogged! There is no way I will have this finished by Christmas, but please stay tuned for days 6-12!

Demon Ayno: Summoned | Thanksgiving | 12 Days: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9

On the 5th Day of Christmas: You & Ayno Got Out of Town

You were doing the dishes on Wednesday night as Ayno sat at the kitchen island reading to you from the community newspaper.

“The culinary school is going to have weekend baking workshops. Perhaps I should go since baking seems to not go well for me. This Saturday is Christmas stollen…whatever that is.” Ayno said.

“It’s a German bread that has fruit in it”, you laughed. “Sounds fun, but we can’t go. We’re going to be gone this weekend.”

“We are going somewhere? Together?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes. We are going to Caston Marshall’s engagement party. I’ve known her since pre-school. Her wedding is June 15th, but it’s here in downtown. The engagement party is at The Sugar Pines – it’s a posh ski resort in the mountains a few hours drive from here.”

“So, we will go to the mountains on Saturday?” he confirmed.

“Actually…I thought it seemed like a nice getaway…and I wanted to spend time with you, so I’m taking Friday off work. We can drive up Friday morning and spend half of Friday and all Saturday morning enjoying the resort – and each other- go to the party Saturday night, and come home on Sunday after brunch.”

Ayno came up behind you and gave you a full body back hug and turned your face to his so he could kiss you softly. “First vacation together! Thank you- looking forward to spending time with you somewhere new.”

* * *

The resort was lovely with lots of warm wood and brick, open gathering spaces, large fireplaces and huge windows overlooking the ski runs. You didn’t have a particularly fancy room, but it had a king size bed with high thread count sheets and a down comforter; and a 2 way fireplace- one side faced the bed, and the other side faced the giant sunken oval bathtub that dominated the bathroom.

After getting settled in, you went for a walk to check out what the resort had to offer. The concierge got you a window side table for 2 for dinner that night in the restaurant at the top of the runs, and you rented snowshoes for Saturday morning from the winter sports desk.

You found Ayno out on the terrace watching riders going down the tube run. “Do you want to try?” you asked him.

“We can ride that?” he asked excitedly.

“Yep! Let’s go get tickets!” you said, grabbing his hand to jog down the stairs to the hut with the tubes.

You spent an hour riding up the hill on the magic carpet and then sliding down in the candy colored donuts, over the rolling bumps to the bottom, over and over again. You loved watching Ayno’s blonde hair float and fly as he bounced his way down the tube run and hearing his shrieks of joy and laughter the whole ride down. It was so much fun, and his childlike enthusiasm made you sorry when your time was up.

You went back to the room and changed to dinner clothes and rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain to have dinner. Your table overlooked the ski runs and the lodge below, and between courses you admired all the colors the setting sun cast on the white mountains and then the beauty of the stars emerging in the dark above the lights adorning the resort as they winked on.

Considering Ayno’s background, you were surprised at how well he adapted to romance. He held your hand all through dinner, gazing at you adoringly. After dinner, you moved to a love seat by one of the fireplaces; where you sat drinking Bailey’s & coffee with Ayno’s arm around you while you talked softly with each other and Ayno occasionally left soft kisses on your temples and cheeks.

You ended your night the way you’d hoped ever since you saw the room: with the fireplace blazing, in a hot bubble bath with Ayno. You had started out relaxing seated between his legs, leaning back against his warm smooth chest. But wasn’t long before your hands were stroking his thighs, while he kissed your neck and his fingers worked inside of you while his thumb teased your clit. He knew how to push you over the edge so easily, that in no time he had your fingers digging into his thighs, whimpering his name as your toes curled and you saw stars.

You rolled over to straddle him, taking his hard length and running your hand up and down it a few times before guiding it inside of you. You loved the way Ayno’s body fit inside yours: he filled you completely, but not uncomfortably. The feeling was always pure bliss- like something that had been missing was replaced and you were whole again.

He brought his lips to gently suck and lick your nipples while he rolled his hips beneath you. You sighed and ran your fingers into his hair.

“Are you happy now that I am inside you? Do I please you?” he asked as he worked kisses up the column of your throat.

“Mmmm yes...I love this feeling”, you confirmed. “You always please me Ayno.”

He smiled contentedly, “I know you want more, but you will have to give up this bathtub for me to give it to you, otherwise you will need a kayak to get to the toilet later.”

You had to laugh. He was right, you desperately wanted to feel his hips bruising your thighs, his hands at your throat, but you hated the idea of un-joining your bodies for even a moment. As though reading your mind, Ayno smiled and said “Don’t worry baby, I’ve got this. Hang on.” You wrapped your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck; and in one strong graceful movement he leaned forward and undid the tub stopper before standing up and wrapping a towel around your bodies. You moaned softly at the sensations the new angle created, and from the feeling of him inside you as he walked. “Mmmm…going to have to remember to do this with you again…” he said as he laid you down on the bed to finish what you had started.

* * *

Room service delivered your coffee, pastries & fresh fruit right on time at 8. Ayno eyed the cheese danish dubiously, and it took a good 10 min to convince him to take a bite. Once he did however, you were glad that you liked plain croissants with butter because the rest of the cheese danish along with the cherry and chocolate ones disappeared with lightning speed. Then you introduced him to fresh squeezed orange juice, and by the look of ecstasy on his face your grocery bill was going to be going up.

At 10 you picked up your snowshoes from the winter sports desk and made your way to the south lodge to catch the snowcat out to the back country where the show shoeing and cross-country ski trails were.

You reached the cat stop and waved good-bye to the skiers as you followed the trail into the woods. About a half mile later you emerged on the other side in a small meadow. Ayno looked around at the field of snow, brightened up and said, “In the meadow we can build a snowman!” You laughed, “This does seem like the place for it!” “How?” Ayno asked. You put your hands on your hips and surveyed the drifts. “Well, you look for the hardest, most frozen snow you can find, and you make the biggest snowball possible, and then you start rolling it through the snow patting more and more onto it until it’s the size you want. Then you do it again, and stack that one on top of the first one and do it again and make that one the head. Then you decorate it!”

“Ok!” Ayno said as he got to work. You decided to start making the body piece. A couple minutes later, you realized that Ayno was just standing there.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“I am having a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” you asked, concerned.

“This” said Ayno as he reached down and scooped up a handful of snow. You watched as it rapidly melted and ran through his fingers.

“Oh.” You said, realization dawning, “You’re too hot. You’re more than 40 degrees hotter than the average human and your hands don’t get cold. You actually melt the snow before you can pack it.”

He looked disappointed and irritated. “It’s ok Ayno” you soothed “At least I know I will never freeze to death with you. How about if I build it and you can decorate it?”

“No, it is too much to do alone.”

“Ok, how about if we make a mini snowman? We can use the piece I started as the bottom.”

He considered this for a moment before agreeing.

An hour or so later, you had a very fine, very small snowman. Ayno had found rocks for eyes and a mouth, a pinecone for a nose, and twigs for arms. When you were satisfied, you both laid in the snow next to it and Ayno’s long arms captured your snowman selfie.

You headed off down the trail, when a mischievous idea hit you.

You formed a snowball and pelted it at Ayno. “Hey” he yelled ducking as it hit his shoulder. You made another one and fired again, this one connecting with his back. “Not fair!” He yelled as he tried to run. You laughed and chased after him, scooping up snow and making ammunition as you went. He yelled and ran, as you made several snowballs you began pelting him with.

“Ahhhh!!! Noooo! Stoooop!!” Ayno laughed and whined.

“You know, for a minion of evil with red leathery skin and black wings, you’re awfully soft.” You teased him.

Ayno whirled around and stared at you, his eyes already glowing a bright pink color…he was irritated. “Who told you my wings were black?!”

You arched an eyebrow at him. His irritated overreaction to your teasing was irritating you.

“WHO?!” he demanded, his eyes slowly turning to a deeper shade of hot pink with anger.

You remained unfazed. “Ooohhh…so you have wings.”

Ayno realized that you had just tricked him into revealing something about his demon form, and he growled in anger and turned away from you again. This was getting ugly fast.

Suddenly your buried resentment with Ayno’s unwillingness to be open with you bubbled to the surface. “What else do you have? Horns? Fangs? Forked tongue? Spikes down your back?” you pushed.

Ayno turned and stared at you with eyes turning magenta and anger visible on his face. “Why are you asking these questions?! Why do you even want to know?!”

Although he had raised his voice, the pitch and timbre had dropped- he no longer sounded like Ayno…more like The Beast from Beauty and the Beast.

“Because?! I’d like to know something about you! Anything! Who are you really? You tell me you’re a demon, you say that I choose your appearance…well, you must’ve looked like something before I got ahold of you! I’ve never seen a demon before, so show me the beast! Go on Ayno- turn! There’s no one out here- nobody but me will see! It’s not like you’ll be cold…”

He was horrified at the suggestion. “NO! NEVER! This is not for you to see! Ever!!” he raged, his eyes burning almost red, and his voice now 3 octaves lower and with a slight echo – it sounded like something straight out of a horror movie.

You were emboldened by your own frustration and anger, and you knew you should be afraid of him like this; but you were too fascinated at the change these emotions brought about in Ayno.

“Aren’t you bound to me? Don’t you have to do my will? Show me your true form Ayno”, you said authoritatively.

Ayno fixed you with a cold look of defiance. “I have virtually no control over my existence. My Master, my Patrons – you all command me, and I am forced to obey. But this- this one thing- I have control of. And under no circumstances will I show you my true form!”

“Why not?! You realize that I know virtually nothing about you, right? You came into my house through a mirror! And I let you stay…I trust you- although I have no reason to- I just let you into my life. You know things about me…you have met my family…and yet you will tell me nothing about yourself, or show me who you really are”, you spat your words at him as you turned away.

Ayno slumped down on a fallen tree and put his head in his hands. You watched him for a few moments before coming over and sitting near him. You sat in strained silence- still angry, but wanting so badly to reach out to him- to touch him and bridge the gap between the two of you. It felt like an eternity passed before he spoke, but you were relieved that his voice was almost normal when he did, although he continued looking at the ground.

“In my life, I have often been made to look handsome or rugged, but I have only been ‘beautiful’ a few times. You have made me so beautiful. I see the way people look at me- how they smile, and respond to my smile, treat me favorably …I hear heartbeats quicken and smell pheromones surge when I get near. I like this feeling… I like being pretty and well built. But more than this, I like the way you look me. There is kindness, tenderness and affection in your gaze and your touch. My true form is hideous and frightening – I am supposed to be like this- it is appropriate for a demon and I am not ashamed of it – but I am so afraid that it would be something that- how do you say it? You could “not unsee it”? …and you would never look at me the same again. I do not want you to look upon me with fear and pity, and to shrink away and refuse my touch. I …I think that might break me… I do not know how I would recover…” He dropped his head to his elbows and wrapped his forearms around his head.

There was a long silence where the only sounds to be heard were the wind in the pines, and the stuttered breaths of Ayno’s soft sobs. You weren’t sure what to say or how to comfort him: you felt badly for making him hurt like this, but not sorry for forcing the subject into the open.

“I’m sorry Ayno. I didn’t mean to hurt you or make you angry.”

Finally, he spoke again, “I am not angry with you. I understand that you have almost no knowledge of my kind or the place from which I come. I know you are curious, and just want to know and understand me. Thank you for this – I appreciate that you are interested in me and want to learn.” He paused, “I am sorry that I yelled at you. I was…frightened. Asking questions about my appearance caught me off guard; and made me afraid that you had been visited by someone- or something- else.” He took a deep breath and turned to face you, “If you will promise never to ask me to show my true form again, I will promise to truthfully answer any questions you have; with the understanding that if I tell you I cannot or will not answer, it is not because I am keeping a secret, it is to keep you safe.”

You nodded. “I can live with that.”

“Can you still live with me?” he asked cautiously, his eyes not meeting yours.

“Oh, Ayno…” you said gently as you climbed into his lap and wrapped your arms around him, hugging him tightly. You lifted his puffy tear stained face to look at you. “Of course I want you. Yes, ok, you are a demon- but you are my demon, you are my boyfriend. Every relationship takes work because every relationship has issues…ours are just a little unique. It’s still about both parties caring so much for the other person that you are willing to talk, and compromise, and find solutions instead of just giving up. …and I am not giving up.” Your heart was pounding in your ears- you were sure he could hear it. “I want this Ayno. I want you…I want us.” Your admission terrified you…you thought of all your failed relationships...and that he had never actually had one.

He pulled you back into his arms and held you tightly. “I am scared too. But in my whole existence, I have never wanted anything more than I want to be with you.” You squeezed him tighter. You sat like this for awhile, letting the last of your anger dissipate and allowing the weight of your admissions to soak in.

Eventually you reluctantly broke away from each other and decided to head back down the trail to the cat stop so you could return to the lodge and get ready for the party. As you walked down the trail hand in hand, Ayno took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want to know?”

You thought for a moment. “Do you really have black wings?”

“Yes.”

“Are they big? Can you use them – like can you fly?”

“Yes, and yes.”

“Really? That’s cool.” You paused as you assimilated the knowledge. “Do you have horns?”

Ayno hesitated slightly, “Yes.”

“What are they like?? Where are they??” you asked in wonder.

“Medium? They are smooth, and black, and they have a twist. They are on my head, where else would they be?”

You gave a small laugh “Well, yeah, but top? Side?”

Ayno stopped walking, took your hands and placed them on his head looking at you meaningfully. “Am I touching your horns??” you asked.

“Yes. Your fingers are resting on them.”

“Can you fee-“

“Yes. Everything is still there- you just can’t see it…it morphs to fit inside my human shape”, he explained.

“Oh. So, is this your normal height?”

“No. I am about…” he looked up, muttering softly in a language you did not recognize as he did mental calculations, “roughly 10 ft tall.”

“Really? Wow.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I am big and scary. I think I am rather attractive as demons go, but I am still generally considered hideous to humans.”

“Not this one. I think you sound pretty awesome.”

Ayno just chuckled and shook his head at you.

* * *

When you got out of the shower, Ayno was still laying naked in bed, wrapped in the tousled sheets, drawing something with a ball point pen on the hotel stationary. You stood towel drying your hair, looking at his work. “What is that?”

He looked up at you and smiled faintly, “Self-portrait.”

You took the paper and examined the rough sketch. Nodding you said “Very nice! You have a tail? Where do you put that?”

He looked up at you and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. You burst out laughing.

“I see! Well, I think you look menacing and foreboding. I have clearly landed myself an excellent demon.”

He laughed and pulled you down onto the bed, pinning you in place with his torso as brought his mouth to yours in a passionate kiss.

“Stop that!” you laughed against his lips “I just got out of the shower!”

“But I find that I like make-up sex…”

“We already had make-up sex. You only get make-up sex after a fight. This would just be sex”, you laughed.

“Hmmm. Then I will be happy without make-up sex, because I do not like fighting with you.”

“Agreed. C’mon- let’s get ready. We can do this as much as you want after the party.”

“Ok. …I hope it is a short party…” he murmured.

You couldn’t agree more.

#ayno #vav ayno #noh yoonho #vav angst #vav fluff #vav smut #demon #kpop fanfiction

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mischiefandspirits · 4 years

Text

Who is Iron Man?

After a three month imprisonment by terrorists, child genius Tony Stark was rescued by an unknown entity. Who is this Iron Man? The world wants to know.

SI Founder Found Dead

By Kate Mallory - December 17, 2009

Today we mourn the loss of a technological superstar.

Last night, a car accident took the life of Stark Industries founder and CEO Howard Stark (age 87) as well as his wife Maria (age 79) and daughter Amanda (age 34). The family was reportedly on their way to the airport for a vacation in the Bahamas when, according to police representatives, one of their car’s tires blew out causing the vehicle to crash into a tree on the side of the road. Howard and Maria were pronounced dead on arrival while Amanda died en route to the hospital.

As Amanda was an only child and never married, the family is survived solely by her son, child genius and media rascal Anthony “Tony” Stark (age 8). A sudden illness had sprung up that morning, causing him to need to stay home with a family friend and saving him from the deadly crash.

Questions have begun to rise up over the future of both Stark Industries and the young Stark, but SI has only given a quick statement before closing all lines of communications for the time being. The statement, in short, revealed that Stark Industries COO Obadiah Stane would be taking over as CEO temporarily until Stark’s will can be seen to. Likewise, young Tony is set to remain with the mentioned unnamed family friend until such time.

Read on for a full obituary and discussion on what this could mean for the future of Stark Industries >>

BREAKING NEWS: A Stark Disappearance

By Tech-miss - January 26, 2011

A late-night posting, I know, but I’ve got big news, readers! A leak from within Stark Industries has just revealed that the company’s prized heir is currently MIA on the other side of the planet.

Two days ago, Tony Stark had been in Afghanistan for a demonstration of the Jericho Missile -- a revolutionary missile system utilizing SI’s repulsor tech -- when the military convoy escorting him fell under attack. When backup arrived, many of the soldiers were either dead or injured while Stark was nowhere to be found. A team has already been formed for search and rescue, headed by Colonel James Rhodes: USAF officer, military liaison to SI, and friend of Stark’s.

That was all the leak was willing to say, but requests have already been flooding in for further comments from the airforce, SI, and Stark’s legal guardian Obadiah Stane so I’ll be sure to update you all the moment I get more information!

Comment down below with your thoughts and theories my fellow techies!!!

The Child of Death Back From the Dead

By Ryan Prince - May 2, 2011

The business and technology worlds are in a stir today and unsurprisingly it’s all due to Tony Stark.

The nine-year-old returned to the states today after having been rescued less than a week earlier from his three-month imprisonment at the hands of the Ten Rings terrorist organization. True to form, he immediately made a scene.

Mere moments after Stark was reportedly supposed to have stepped off his plane, his minder and personal assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts reached out to the Stark Industries public relations department to call together a press conference for Stark. Bolts&Blogs was on the list and I was lucky enough to be free to represent the site even with the short notice.

Stark opened the conference without the usual flare that has become his signature over the past year, though he did start it by sitting down in front of the podium with a cheeseburger and asking everyone to join him on the floor. He explained it away as an attempt to make everything less formal, but the boy was (justifiably) visibly exhausted by recent events.

Little information has been revealed about Stark’s imprisonment, but it’s hard not to imagine what he might have gone through and his appearance only makes it worse. He was thin with malnourishment and the rush makeup job he had gotten hadn’t managed to completely cover the bruises across his face or his sunburned flush. One of his arms was tucked into a sling and his artfully styled hair was now long and limp. There was also a seriousness about him that looked alien on the formerly excitable and mischievous boy.

Once everyone but those operating cameras had sat, Stark then proceeded to greet his legal guardian, Stark Industries CEO Obadiah Stane (Why Stane hadn’t been at the airport to greet his ward sooner is unknown at this time), before setting into a monologue about his grandfather, the late founder of Stark Industries Howard Stark (More information here). He wondered over what Howard had thought about the company, if he had doubts or was as confident in everything he did as the news painted him.

He then mentioned the soldiers from his escort that had died due to, as reports have hinted, Stark Industries made weaponry, stating that the company had “grown from arming the knights into arming the dragons.”

When questioned about what had happened in Afghanistan, Stark answered as such:

“I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. I know I have no power to change the company until I’m legally declared an adult and can claim my inheritance, so that is why, effective immediately, I am leaving the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries until such a time as I am capable of deciding what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take and is consistent with the highest good…”

Whatever more he had to say was lost as Stane escorted him off the stage into Potts’ waiting grasp. The man, despite his ever-present smile, had clearly been caught off guard by his ward’s statement and quickly concluded the conference.

As anyone who knows anything about technology could tell you, nothing worth talking about comes out of Stark Industries without the tiny fingerprints of the company’s resident genius on it, which begs the question of what this means for their weapons department? Will they still be able to stay ten steps ahead of their competitors without Stark’s designs? Where will Stark’s focus go now as Stark Industries has always been first and foremost a weapons manufacturer? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

[Subscribe] to Bolts&Blogs for the most up to date information from the world of technology and feel free to join the discussion down below!

Hidden Hero

By Tech-miss - June 27, 2011

New information has come out regarding Tony Stark’s rescue, readers, and it’s a doozy.

For starters, it wasn’t the USAF that did the rescuing.

According to the report published early this morning, an “unknown entity” (Let’s call him Uno) launched an attack on a Ten Rings base which the air force later realized was being used to hold Stark as well as a second unnamed prisoner (aka Doc) who had been brought in to treat the injuries he’d gained during his kidnapping. Uno then staged a rescue, freeing Stark and Doc before destroying the base. Afterwards, they watched over the two until a USAF chopper began to close in, at which time they took off and disappeared.

As far as anyone can tell from the report, the USAF doesn’t appear to have any idea who the rescuer is. Stark apparently didn’t have a clue and if Doc did, we’ll never know as he, unfortunately, fell unconscious shortly after being picked up due to wounds he received protecting Stark and died not long after while in surgery.

Of course that means theories abound. Everything from a secret SI black ops team to the stereotypical ALIENS!!!! have flooded the forums. I’m particularly interested in one such theory that posits Captain America was the one to save them, if only because all the OP said to justify it was “Cap could do it!!!!!” and I find that hilarious.

Hopefully, we’ll get some more information soon. Here’s hoping Zombie Cap didn’t save Stark for his brains.

Comment down below with your thoughts and theories my fellow techies!!!

Who is Iron Man?

By CamicsComics - October 27, 2011

Hey there CamComs! Today’s post is going to be different from my usual stuff, but that’s because we’ve got confirmation that a real-life superhero is flying around!

Some background that you might be missing if you live under a comic book-lined rock like I do: Five months ago child celebrity and genius Tony Stark was rescued by an unknown person after he’d been kidnapped in Afghanistan. If you’re wondering who would think sending a nine-year-old into an active war zone is a fine idea like I was, then I’ve got two words for you: attempted murderer. But we’ll get to that.

Theories have flown about regarding who might have saved him, and today the world got its answer.

Well, at least we got his alias.

See, while the kid was in Afghanistan he found out his company’s weapons had ended up in the hands of the very guys who were keeping him prisoner. Since most of the weapons were his own designs, the kid understandably decided to leave the weapons business. Honestly, the kid shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but again, his legal guardian was super sketch.

Said guardian was Obadiah Stane. He’d been a partner to Stark’s grandfather Howard Stark and took over as CEO after the man’s death. He’d allegedly been a pseudo uncle to Stark’s mother so people said it made sense the man was given guardianship. Apparently those people never considered the millions of stories about evil uncles killing off their nephews to become king.

Honestly, from what I’ve read, I’m surprised Colonel James Rhodes wasn’t given custody. The guy was friends with Stark’s mother, had a rapport with his grandparents, and is still close with Stark.

Stane had never even met Stark until he was given custody!

I’m getting off track though.

Today during a press conference, Stark revealed that he’s been looking into the dirty weapons. A few days ago, his assistant Pepper Potts found evidence on Stane’s computer that not only has Stane been dealing under the table, but he had put a hit out on Stark. When Stane realized he’d been found out, he decided to finish the job. He attacked Stark and nearly killed him before using an experimental piece of SI technology to try to kill Potts and the agents (they didn’t say who the agents were with, just that they were agents) that had accompanied her to arrest Stane.

Which brings us to the reason for this post.

Apparently the person who had rescued Stark from Afghanistan had been looking into the weapons too and arrived at the mansion Stane and Stark shared just in time to save Stark. Using information the boy gave him, he then flew over to SI to take down Stane.

And yes, I did mean flew. Because this mysterious person the media had dubbed Iron Man is exactly what you’d expect from a name like that. He’s got a high tech suit of armor that can fly and shoot lasers!!! Like I said real-life superhero! Not only that, but he’s got a team of robots to back him up.

Don’t believe me? Look it up! Stark leaked pictures online of said Iron Man taking down Stane to prove he’s not just some kid telling stories, which was quickly followed up by a bunch of different people posting their own pics all over social media to back him up.

When questioned on Iron Man’s identity, Stark refused to comment. However, he did admit that the rumors about Iron Man being his bodyguard were false.

“Although IM came to Afghanistan for me, it was because he’s was a good friend and not because he was being paid as some rumors have suggested. Also, any and all rumors that I created the suit or bots are not only untrue, but also super insulting. The suit is a work of art straight from IM's genius mind and he deserves all the praise for it.”

Of course, people picked up on the “good friend” comment when it comes to trying to figure out the man behind the suit. A theory that Col. Rhodes was Iron Man seemed the most likely as he is close to Stark, headed the search and rescue unit, and graduated MIT with degrees in engineering and physics. However, as some have pointed out, there are photos and videos showing Rhodes with Stark and Potts during the fight between Stane and Iron Man.

That’s it for the past, but what about the future?

For Iron Man’s future, it seems like he’s going to be working with the US military to track down all the dirty SI weapons. For little Stark, things are still up in the air.

Since his legal guardian is out of the picture and he has no living relatives, there is some debate on where he’ll go. Both Rhodes and Potts are trying to get custody. I’ve covered the good on Rhodes, though I should point out his position as SI’s military liaison does put him in an awkward place. Potts is in a similar position as she’s currently Stark’s employee. That said, there’s no denying Potts knows how to take care of him as she basically became his nanny after Stane took control and shifted her from her former position (the PA to the CEO) to being Stark’s PA and minder, which basically means she took care of the paperwork aspect of his job, made sure he was on time for appointments, got him to eat and go to bed, kept him out of trouble, and other such things his legal guardian should have been doing instead of plotting to kill a nine-year-old.

She’s also clearly fond of the kid. There are pictures all over of her and the kid together and even at her most scolding she never really seems to be angry with him (such as in these pictures from a gala where Stark apparently decided to set off a CONTROLLED EXPLOSION!?!?! “For some entertainment”! And apparently this is typical behavior? No one’s ever been hurt, but seriously kid?). In fact, she’s often caught indulging in his more playful mischief (such as these pics that show the two of them dancing at the recent Firefighter's Family Fund benefit where Stark apparently gate-crashed his own party).

We also know she has no fear telling off her boss no matter what considering we’ve got multiple sources to prove that the reason the woman got her job in the first place was because she -- and I’m not kidding here -- forced her way into Howard Stark’s office back when she was just a financial jocky to make him correct an error he’d made on some paperwork. She’d earned a face-full of pepper spray, a job, and a nickname for her bravery, the last courtesy of Tony Stark himself.

Well, sweet CamComs, as much as I’d love to keep talking about this, unfortunately, that’s all I got for now. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Iron Man and Stark (because there’s zero chance that kid won’t get caught up in something again. Heck, maybe he’ll even build his own suit and become the hero’s sidekick. Seems right up the kid’s alley) and keep you updated, but unless something else happens, I’ll be back to my usual content on Tuesday.

Subscribe, like, and share, CamComs! Until next time, be the hero you want to see in the world!

Iron Tweet

By Ryan Prince - November 12, 2011

Does the mysterious superhero Iron Man have a Twitter? It would seem so!

Two days ago, @1r0n_M4n opened with the name 0111 01 1011. At first glance, one might think it was just a fan account, but the accounts first Tweet -- “Is this how I do it @ Tony?” -- was not only liked by Tony Stark, Virginia “Pepper” Potts, and Col. James Rhodes, but Stark also replied to it with “Yeah, but you actually have to use my thing, @1r0n_M4n”. Rhodes followed suit with “Was Iron Man spelled out normally seriously taken already?” and Potts responded with “Yes, but @1r0n_M4n wanted it spelled like that to begin with.” By that point, many had taken notice of the account and it only increased when the account became verified late last night.

While the account has since been flooded with questions about the hero and suit, none have been answered. However, when someone jokingly asked for help with a math homework problem, Iron Man responded with a picture of the problem worked out. This began a slew of people asking for Iron Man’s help with their varying homework problems until Potts spoke up with “@1r0n_M4n you can’t just do people’s homework for them. They need to learn how to do it themselves.” Iron Man immediately apologized and afterward only responded to such tweets with links to varying sites that proved to have useful information for whatever the problem might be. While most gave up afterward, some --usually college-age -- continued to request assistance with grateful thanks afterward.

The account currently has 500k+ followers and growing, but only follows six accounts. Stark, Potts, and Rhodes are obvious, but people have become curious over the other three: @GirlFriday, @Uuuuuuuuuu, and @DUM_E.

@GirlFriday (named F.R.I.D.A.Y.) appears to be a graphic artist. The account boasts no personal tweets, but many designs have been posted, some of which are said to have been sold to different companies. A few Stark Industries logos have even been found on the site, including the current one.

@Uuuuuuuuuu’s (named U) account consists entirely of retweeted music videos with genres ranging from classical to rap with the only comments being a sad or happy emoji for each to apparently give the account owner’s approval or disapproval.

@DUM_E (named Butterfingers) is a more wildcard account. It mostly consists of retweeted recipes and cooking videos, but there are also links to recipes on what appears to be @DUM_E’s own personal cookbook website as well as original cooking videos featuring far less appetizing mixtures (such as the one which features what appears to be motor oil being blended with strawberries, a banana, and almond milk). This seems to be the most curious account though as it is the only one with personal comments, though they are all coded in an odd mix of binary and morse code. Most of the comments either review recipes they’ve tried out or complain of annoying brothers and sisters without giving any names, but that’s not the curious part.

You see, those that put in the effort to decode @DUM_E’s comments realized that the same code was used for @1r0n_M4n’s name. Translated it reads Jay. Although that’s not much to go on, it is more than we had before. That’s not all though, because people have compared pictures from Stark’s workshop to screenshots from @DUM_E’s videos and website to show that the videos were filmed at the kitchenette in the lab. This has led some to believe the account might be a “shitpost” account of Stark’s, though others have argued that the comments about siblings wouldn’t make sense for him. When questioned, @DUM_E responded with a pair of tweets that, when translated, read, “Tony could not make good food like me.” and “If I didn’t make him food and bring it to him, he’d never eat.”

Before anyone else could respond, @1r0n_M4n added, “The recipes in @DUM_E’s videos are his more experimental ones and @TStark rarely partakes in them. @DUM_E usually feeds him the recipes from his site.”

Stark’s Twitter was immediately bombarded with questions of which of the video recipes fell into the “rarely” column, which Stark refused to reply to. Rhodes, however, posted a none too subtle tweet a short time later about how Tony and he agreed motor oil tasted better with bananas than chocolate.

Who could these mystery accounts belong to and how are they connected to Stark and Iron Man? How are Iron Man and Stark connected in the first place? Could these mystery accounts be the key? How many times has Stark eaten motor oil? Time will tell.

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#Iron Man #j.a.r.v.i.s.#tony stark #rhodey #pepper potts #fanfiction

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anewworldorderseries · 5 years

Text

A New World Order (BB x NB AU) - Chapter 1

Author’s Note: Hello! I have updated both the prologue and this chapter to reflect the changes to the story I’ve decided to make. The biggest difference is Isabel (my BB mc) IS a vampire because this is now set after book 3. This also makes some changes to the canon epilogue because the secret about vampires is still going to come out involuntarily instead of by choice. Also both Jax and Lily are still alive and will be present in future chapters and Isabel isn’t married or living with Adrian yet (that will be after the events of this series are done).

Also, for the first few chapters (including the prologue) I’ll be posting them both on here and on my main blog @adrianadmirer . But, eventually, I’ll only be posting them on here so if you’re following me there and not on here and want to stay updated, be sure to do so!

I’m still working on chapter 2 but I hope to finish it some time in the near future. I just want this all to be good quality so, it won’t always be quick releases between chapters. I will be writing one-shots of Bloodbound and other fanfic on my main blog so, you can read those when I post them in the meantime.

Characters: Isabel Martinez (BB MC), Adrian Raines, Kamilah Sayeed, Phoebe Laskaris, Cal Lowell, Zelenia Laskaris (NB MC), Nik Ryder (briefly)

Rating: PG-13

Summary: When the Order of Dawn rises from the shadows once more, it lifts the veil of secrecy that’s protected the vampires in New York and puts them and humans in danger.

@endlesshero1122 , @kinda-iconic , @lovemychoices , @desiree-0816 , @bloodboundismylife , @embarrassingsmartphonegame , @voseho , @something-in-red , @mrsmatsuo , @galaxyside-0 , @jlpplays1 , @brightpinkpeppercorn , @tabithacarlisle , @shelley-parah , @ladykateofhousebeaumont , @ella-raines , @furiouscloddonutpeanut , @itlivesinpixelberry , @fluffy-cat-whisper , @strangelycami , @heatherfilliez , @edgaluten , @parrotdrama

Manhattan, New York, USA

Watching the still darkened streets of the city through the windows of her new apartment, Isabel smiled as she sipped her scalding cup of coffee. It was a necessity for waking up at this early in the morning despite being a vampire and needing less sleep in general. This was one of many changes that came with her recent promotion to VP of Operations and even though she already had a week under her belt, her nerves still threatened to drown her. Ever since Adrian first broke the news that she had been chosen by the board, she still had doubts about her abilities.

She had been with the company barely over a year now and at almost 24 she was still the youngest executive at Raines’ Corps. But, somehow six out of nine old mostly white men thought her limited experience was better than the three other candidates in the running. Adrian in fact had nothing to do with the process expect signing off the board’s choice.

Letting out a sigh, the sound of her phone going off pulled herself out of her head the self-critical thoughts that clouded it.

A crease formed between her brows as her gaze latched onto the shiny new device on the kitchen counter. She set her coffee mug on the table and picked it up, frowning as a sense of foreboding coiled in her veins when a video popped up all by itself.

Had her phone been hacked?

The dread grew as she remembered the last time this had occurred. It had been awhile but, being a Bloodkeeper meant being unable to forget much. Back then, it had brought death and destruction. Swallowing, Isabel tapped on the small white triangle and after a minute of loading, it began to play.

At first, the screen was staticky like from the old TV her parents still kept in the attic. The black and white dots cleared to reveal grainy security footage that made a chill run up her spine. The familiar pink and red surroundings of Serafine’s club were easily discernible. Isabel’s eyes widened in horror as her intuition worked its magic. That night in Paris soon after Gaius’s return.

“No.”

Much to her dismay, the familiar images of the raid from months earlier appeared. First, the empty VIP room that they had just vacated. Then the Order of the Dawn stormed in and Jax and Seraphine running inside, the first of their group to do so. Isabel then saw Adrian run in before she followed a minute later.

She already knew what came next but, she couldn’t make the video stop no matter how hard she tried. She was forced to watch his chilling massacre of the Order soldiers, ripping their hearts out one by one and her desperate pleas for him to stop. The video continued until the footage finally cut right before she had gotten through to Adrian.

Isabel barely had time to process the footage when the much clearer image of an older brunette woman appeared. A loud gasp sounded as she recognized her as Derek’s aunt. His family had always given off a strange vibe, being oddly secretive and around all the time. Then, her gaze homed in on the tiny gold pin engraved with the Order’s emblem fastened to one of the white lapels.

Her mouth went dry and she almost dropped her phone as she realized that the two were connected and that they were back.

"Good morning my fellow Americans. I am Phoebe Laskaris,” the woman stated, her voice as hard as steel. “You know me as President of Laskaris Industries, the proud leader in the safe and reliable source of fossil fuel energy around the world."

Isabel’s impression of her hadn't changed since the last time they had seen each other. She was too pristine and a bit abrasive and had always made her feel like she wasn't good enough for Derek's highbrow family. Both she and his father had even blamed her for his abuse of her. Only Phoebe's daughter, who Isabel had befriended during their relationship expressed any concern for her until she abruptly stopped talking to her.

The plastered on smile disappeared on the woman's face and her expression hardened.

"But, today I come to you as the co-leader with my brother Alaric of a different organization--The Order of the Dawn. We are a society that is dedicated to the protection of the public from the darkness that has lived among us since the Mayflower landed at Plymouth rock. It is time that you become enlightened aware of the truth that our government is trying to hide. The occult, monsters of the night including vampires are real and every bit as cruel and ruthless as the legends have stated. They have even climbed to the top of our society to bend us to their will in secret. You have just seen the video of what these wretched creatures have committed against our people. Since ancient times they have gotten away with murder and bloodshed. But, their reign of terror ends now. Because the Order of the Dawn is here to stop it--to keep you safe. We just need your support. Together, we can take our country and the world back. This is only the beginning, there will be more to come so that you will know the truth once and for all. Goodbye for now, and may there be peace and order soon."

Isabel sat there paralyzed as the screen cut to black, immediately understanding what this all meant. The Order had come back stronger than before with a plan to eradicate all vampires, and Derek’s family including his own father and aunt were leading the charge. She wondered why she hadn’t run into any of them during the raid in Mydiea but quickly dismissed it since it didn’t matter.

What did was that her past was threatening what she had now, the best thing that had ever happened to her. Her worst fears were coming true.

Running over to the living room where the TV was, Isabel fumbled with the remote and switching through the news channels, they all showed the video with panicked headlines about vampires overtaking New York City. She felt herself become slightly nauseous with anxiety as the remote clattered to the ground.

The one thing that had guaranteed their safety for decades had in fifteen minutes been ripped away.

It seemed that everyone got the video at the same time and the news would make sure that those who didn’t saw its contents. She hastily turned off the TV and dashed into her bedroom to get ready. She had to be there immediately now that they suddenly had a dangerous crisis on their hands. Isabel threw on the first outfit that came to mind and headed into the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth and ran a hairbrush through her thick mane just enough to get the tangles out before throwing it into a bun. It was just enough to be presentable. She didn’t even bother putting on any makeup, tossing the products into a small bag instead to take with her for if she needed it later. Right now, it only kept her from being where she wanted and needed to be.

Taking one brief look in the mirror, she sighed. Her suit and blouse were still covered in wrinkles and her face and hair made her look as distressed as she felt. But, this would have to do for now. Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed her things and rushed out the door. A minute later she was in the elevator.

While it made it’s way down, she sent a quick text to Adrian letting him know that she was on her way. As soon as it reached the lobby she dashed out and exited the building.

She swallowed, her stomach tightening as she saw the crowds of people swarming the streets, panicked shouts and screams filling the air. Chaos and fear had already begun to set in and she felt painful anguish for the city she had become completely enamored with. It had already gone through so much when it was destroyed by Gaius while his humanity was still shut off. Now, it was having to go through yet another upheaval that threatened to be even worse.

Passing through Times Square, she stopped suddenly, her face frozen in sickening shock.

The Order had hacked into every billboard, Adrian’s annihilation of their soldiers and Phoebe’s chilling message on full display on the large screens in an endless loop. Her already increased heartbeat now skyrocketed as anger and panic surged through her. She increased her pace to a full sprint, but was careful not to go inhumanely fast.

Eventually, when she finally saw the silver skyscraper within view, she was hit with a swarm of reporters. Slowing down, she pursed her lips. Patience was never something she had much of, especially when she was in a hurry.

“Ms. Martinez, did you know about this?” one of them asked her, sticking the microphone in her face. “Do you still have confidence in Mr. Raines?”

Isabel plastered on her best smile as she took a step back. “I have no comment at this time.”

She thanked God her parents made her take speech and debate as one of her many extracurriculars in high school. as she deftly evaded giving them a substantive answer. As she made an effort to step around the man, another recording device entered her personal space causing her annoyance to turn into full aggravation.

She bit down on her tongue as unpleasant thoughts raced through her mind for a minute.

“Is what was in the video true? Are you working for a vampire?”

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to take a deep breath. Now was not the time to let her fire out and make this worse. She would have to resort to tactics she only brought out for men who she couldn’t call out for being misogynistic in business meetings.

Turning to the gaggle of people with cameras behind her she told them in a commanding tone, “I cannot tell you anything or answer your questions right now but, I’m sure there will be an official statement sometime soon. For now, that is all I and the company will say on the matter.”

With that, she spun on her heels and weaved through the reporters and the public still trying desperately to get more out of her. But, she was able to outmaneuver them and make it into the building.

But, there was little relief and she let out a small groan. It was every bit as frenzied inside as it was out. Only a handful of the couple hundred employees had known who Adrian truly was. The rest had found out twenty minutes earlier, just like the rest of the country. Unlike her abrupt introduction, there was no gradual process or a hand to guide their way through. Instead, they were thrown into the very deep end and that meant fear and bedlam.

She ignored the bombardment of questions and exclamations from her co-workers as she made her way to the elevator. Digging into her purse, she found her key card and inserted it. The doors opened a few seconds later and she stepped inside the empty space.

As she traveled up to the executive floor, Isabel’s scattered thoughts drifted to Adrian. He had to have gotten the video at the same time as everyone else did. She knew that he wouldn’t handle this well. He already hated himself for what happened ever since that night and since then he was working tirelessly to put that darkness away for good. He even helped her overcome her own in the opera house.

This attack also put the company in jeopardy since investors and clients needed to trust him and now that was in danger of disappearing. He would take all the blame and self-punishment for the risk his employees faced. All of this meant that he was probably devastated and in need of her now more than ever.

Pulling out her phone, she became concerned when she saw that he hadn’t answered her text. Even in the most hectic times, he always made sure to respond. He was either not there or sitting in his self-destructive thoughts and both scenarios were equally troubling.

Swallowing, the doors finally reopened onto the executive level and she hopped out, her long strides allowing her to quickly reach the closed door to his office. She pounded on the door harder than what was necessary.

“Adrian? It’s me.”

Hearing no response, she pressed her ear to the ornate wood and discovered that he was in there, the muffled sounds easily audible to her acute hearing. He just didn’t want to let her inside.

It was one of the habits he had that frustrated her to no end. The times he needed people the most was when he stubbornly wanted to be by himself. But, she couldn’t let him drown in his sorrows alone and quickly decided to take matters into her own hands.

Luckily, she had recently learned a new psychic power of hers. Concentrating on the metal knob she willed it to move. Ten seconds later, she heard the lock click. Sighing with relief, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. However, she didn’t get very far, abruptly stopping just a few feet from the door frame.

Adrian sat at the giant desk, his head buried into his hands. This was the image of a man whose previous wrongdoings had all come back to haunt him at once. Hard. She had seen him at many low points since fate had brought them together. This though stood out among them as one of the worst.

Leaving her purse by the doorway, she rushed to his side in mere seconds. Hearing her light footsteps, he brought his head up to look at her. Her heart broke when she noticed the pink staining his eys and the glistening wet tears that traversed down his cheeks.

“Oh Adrian...” she murmured, engulfing him in a tight embrace.

His strong arms locked onto her torso, clinging to her in despair.

“This is my fault,” he lamented. “All of it. And now people are in danger, including everyone here. All because of me.”

“Hey.” She gently brought his face down to hers. “No, it’s not. You weren’t yourself then. And we all suspected that The Order would come back, maybe even stronger without Xenocrates.”

He shook his head adamantly. “No, it is my doing Isabel. If I...if I hadn’t lost control that day...they wouldn’t be able to use that...use me as a means of terror. And now our people all over the world are in danger. Everything we’ve worked towards...us trying to live in peace, creating a better world. It's all gone.”

The amount of pessimism in his words startled her. It didn’t take much for his idealism to wear thin these days, a permanent scar from what they went through to defeat all their enemies. But, she hadn’t seen it this low since that one conversation they had in The Order’s headquarters. She had proved him wrong then, and it looked like she would have to do the same now.

“That’s what they want us to think,” she reassured him. “But it definitely isn’t. We just have to find a way to win over the public again, be more convincing than they are.”

He blinked at her dubiously. “Fear is hard to overcome Isabel. Especially if it turns into hate, history has proven that. After everything we’ve done to each other, there may be no peace with vampires in it. Maybe...maybe we were doomed from the start, ever since the sap left that damned tree.”

His voice shook with emotion and her already knit brows moved closer together. She opened her mouth to speak but, before she could do so a familiar voice entered the space.

“Adrian, are you in here?” Kamilah asked, her commanding tone filling the room as she stepped inside.

Her appearance was unusually unkempt and her eyes were enlarged, shooting around the room before they fixed on the two of them and a hint of recognition and greeting flashed. Upon seeing her, Isabel felt the need to be a little more professional and untangled herself from Adrian’s arms. She quickly found a chair to sit in beside him instead.

“I’m assuming you’ve seen everything?” she asked.

She received a weary nod. “Unfortunately. I can’t believe they managed to get it on those billboards.”

Adrian’s eyes widened in horror. Apparently, he hadn’t realized that. “What?”

Isabel bit her lip before confirming it. “They’ve got the video playing on a loop, every single one in Times Square. I saw it on my way here.”

“That’s not all,” Kamilah said. “They’ve also just released a list with the names of every branded vampire in the country. Including everyone on The Council and our clans.”

After Rheya’s defeat, a new version of the Council was created with three new leaders and some changes to make it more democratic and egalitarian. Every vampire in the city received their protection now.

A new surge of anger coursed through Isabel as their situation went from bad to worse. “They really wanted to make sure everyone knew.” Then, a pang of guilt welled up in her as she thought back to the last few meetings. “I’m sorry I’ve been pushing so hard for you to come out in the open. If I had known that these would be the consequences...I wouldn’t have even suggested it. This should’ve never happened.”

“No, it shouldn’t have. But, don’t be sorry, you were right Isabel. I knew we couldn’t stay a secret forever, it was a matter of when not if. I didn’t think we’d be outed like this before we could do so ourselves. But what’s done is done. We can’t debrief 300 million people even if it were possible, it wouldn’t be right. All we can do now is figure out how to stop the Order and adjust to living out in the open.”

Adrian reiterated his sentiment from before Kamilah arrived. “Is that even possible? You’ve seen what they can do, especially now that they’re all mortals and the American public can be quick to hate with not a lot of rhetoric. They’re only going to get stronger and their arguments are right. We’ve done so much harm, Kamilah, it might be too late to change that now.”

His oldest friend quickly sported an incredulous expression which matched Isabel’s inner feelings.

“Do you even hear yourself? Of course, we still can, we can at least try. And we have to try. If not for our people, then for them. Humanity. Because we all know that the Order won’t hesitate to kill as many mortals as it takes for our destruction. You and Isabel are the ones who taught me that Adrian, that they’re worth fighting for. Our job should be to save them not hurt them.”

There was a pause as the weight of Kamilah’s words continued to flow through the room.

Then, Isabel nodded, standing up as tense energy flowed through her. “I agree. It’ll be extremely difficult, but it’s not impossible. Nothing is. We just have to figure out how to play their game and then beat them at it. Turn the public against them. All we have to do is tell the truth, expose who they really are.”

At this, Adrian’s expression only became more troubled. “I don’t know. There’s no way anyone will have confidence in me after this. The whole country thinks I’m nothing but a monster.”

“I don’t,” she countered immediately. “Adrian, I was in the room when that happened, mere feet from you. I’m still here, believing in you. I know I won’t be the only one. People are more understanding than we give them credit for. They just need to feel like that’s okay.”

“But I--”

She couldn’t take it anymore, her brown eyes becoming ablaze.

“Adrian Henry Raines, listen to me!” she yelled, the bluntness of it shocking him into silence. “If you don’t want to let people down, if you don’t want them to think that you’re a monster, then prove to them that you’re not. We can make a better world by being the ones to end the cycle that Rheya created. None of you have to be like her, or like Gaius or Xenocrates. They’re all dead. Take it from me, the person who came the closest to becoming her.”

Taking a deep breath, the fiery heat extinguished almost as fast as it started to burn.

With a softer tone, she continued. “I know that the majority of people can still be reached if we put in the effort. Remember that one recruit we spared in the tomb? If he could be persuaded so can they, I promise you. But, the longer we sit here and do nothing, the closer The Order gets to winning them over.”

Her demeanor softened as addressed what he had told her before Kamilah arrived. “Because you forgot about hope, Adrian. The one thing that is stronger than fear. We still have it, but we won’t for long. Unless we do something, stand up for what is right.”

Both her and Kamilah’s gazes fell on him expectantly. After a minute, resolve slowly hardened on his face as their words sunk in.

“Okay,” he told them with a nod. “Let’s fight, for them. Even if we don’t make it out ourselves.”

Isabel sighed with relief before it vanished as the gravity of their situation weighed them down once more. A sense of urgency began to flow through her once more.

Looking at the two of them, she asked, “What should our first moves be?”

Her mind began to conjure up possible remedies and tactics but, her insecurities about her work made her want to hear their opinions first.

“Well, for starters we’re definitely going to have to call an emergency Council meeting,” Kamilah told them. Then, a grimace appeared on her face. “We’ll have to talk to our own Clans too. If we are to stand a decent chance against the Order, they’ll not only have to be on the same page, but fight with us too when the time comes.”

Isabel traded an uneasy look with Adrian, both sharing her apprehension about this task. The new Clan system had tried them since it’s recreation. While the leaders were all friendly with one another having been hand-picked, the members within each continued to struggle with getting along. This new crisis would only make that worse.

Adrian expressed this sentiment out loud muttering, “I don’t like asking them to risk their lives for us, and it’ll take a lot of convincing for them to do so.”

“I know,” Kamilah sighed. “Arguing against their self-preservation has never been easy, even when there is this noble of a cause. However, it must be done. They have to join us or they’ll be in danger.”

Isabel followed along with this conversation etching the important details permanently into her memory. Until suddenly she became more than just a spectator.

“As for managing things with the public, what do you suggest Isabel?” Adrian asked her.

She looked at him with a start as it took a moment for it to register that they wanted her opinion, that this was her job now. When it did, she sat up straight as her mind worked on overdrive.

“Well, reassuring all our employees is the most important thing,” she eventually replied. “I think a company-wide meeting is one of the first things we should do. I also recommend addressing the public with some kind of statement soon before The Order can release any more propaganda. The press nearly trampled me as I was on my here. They’re anxious for answers.” Then, she came up with an ambitious idea. “In fact, I recommend that we do a full press conference.”

He carefully considered her advice. “Hmm...why’s that?”

Even though she knew that he simply wanted to hear her reasoning it still unnerved her. Luckily she already had her answer.

“Because they need to hear our side of the story unedited while their minds are still pliable. The best way to do that is to have the reporters come to us. If we do that, we control the narrative and there’s less chance of our words being misconstrued. Plus, we need to reach a large, countrywide audience and this will likely be broadcasted by both the local and national outlets.”

Kamilah nodded approvingly. “It’s bold Adrian, but that’s exactly what we need to be right now. I would have this be first and then your company meeting.”

“How come?” he questioned.

“It will calm some of their fears and make them more comfortable being in the same room as you.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips before it flattened. “That’s what we’ll do then.” His eyes flicked back to Isabel. “But, you should be the one giving it,” he told her.

Her eyebrows rose off her forehead. “Me? But, wouldn’t they want to hear it directly from you?”

“Yes, and they will eventually. But, right now they’re scared and less likely to listen to what I have to say, to believe it. They need to be reassured first. You’re the perfect person to do that.”

It didn’t take long for her to catch on. “Because I wasn’t turned that long ago.”

“Exactly. You’re the person who can bridge the gap between us. If they see you, having confidence in me, that will go a long way.”

It made perfect sense to her immediately. Plus, PR was the department she was in charge of directly. “Okay. But before I do, I need a moment to freshen up.” She pointed to her haphazard appearance. “Right now this...does not inspire confidence.”

The comment caused Adrian's lips to twitch up in amusement. "Go ahead, you've got a key to upstairs. I'll call the other council members in the meantime."

"And I'd better check on things at Ahmenet," Kamilah said. "If I'm not back sooner, I'll be here for the meeting. Good luck Isabel."

“Thanks.”

With a final nod, the senior vampire slipped out of the office, Isabel following suit a minute afterward.

A little less than thirty minutes later, she stood in the lobby of Raines' Corps, trying not to be blinded by the flashes of cameras in her face. Outside, she herself had installed a TV monitor showing a live video where a large crowd had gathered to hear the words. It was also being broadcast on every local and national news channel. A million butterflies fluttered aggressively in her stomach as she went over what she wanted to say in her head.

Sighing, she flashed a composed smile, looking back at Adrian. He stood a few feet behind her and despite his stoic expression, she could see the anxiety behind it. Meeting her gaze, he gave her a reassuring look. Even though it wasn’t completely authentic it instantly melted her nerves away enough for her to look forward once more, ready to begin.

Clearing her throat, she stated, "Hello everyone. I'm Isabel Martinez the new Vice President of Operations for Raines' Corps. I'm here to make a brief statement on behalf of the company and Mr. Raines himself about the Order of Dawn video and then I will open things up for some questions from you. Anything that we can answer we will, we want to be as transparent with you as possible regarding what has surfaced today. That includes confirming that the video of the nightclub is real and so is the existence of vampires. This also means that it's true Mr. Raines is one of them." Closing her eyes, she felt her fang descend before she opened them again. “And so am I.”

A cacophony of gasps and shocked whispers erupted from the reporters and she could see a similar reaction from the crowd outside through the special protective windows. It took a few minutes for her to get them under control again enough to speak.

"I know that a lot of you are shocked and frightened right now. I was too when I first discovered the truth, in a similar fashion to you more than a year ago. But, as someone who has worked closely with and befriended many Vampires since then, and then become one of them, I can assure you that there is more to us than what the Order of Dawn wants you to believe. It is true that over the course of history, our kind, including Mr. Raines have done some unspeakable things to humans. But, it's because of how we were taught to behave by the first generations of vampires. Since ancient times, they espoused that humans were the enemy and that there could never be peaceful relations between us. And for a long time, it went unquestioned. Yet, for the past century, this ideology has begun to change. We have begun to realize that there is a way for both worlds to live and thrive without hurting the other. Mr. Raines was one of the first to commit to this idea and since then the amount of vampires who want to cause harm has decreased significantly. And to be honest humans don't really have a right to judge, when they’ve been an equal participant in this bloody conflict since the beginning.”

She paused, her eyes briefly flicking down to the microphone in front of her. As she thought about the Order and what they'd done across the centuries, her blood began to boil with a simmering rage.

“The truth is The Order of Dawn is no innocent victim. They may have started out with a desire to end the violence but for centuries they’ve become just as bad as vampires. I was there that night, you can see me in the video. So believe me when I tell you this: The Order is the one who started this by attacking the nightclub. They slaughtered both vampires and humans alike. They were just collateral damage to them. Adrian and the other vampires were defending themselves and the humans that were in there, including myself at that time.”

Looking back at him, she collected herself before saying, “Now, that doesn’t excuse his actions, the fact that he went overboard. He knows this and ever since that night, he’s hated himself for it. That person in the video is only a tiny part of who he is. He is still the caring man who is trying to help humanity all around the world. The person who’s helped our city recover from the attack a year ago. He wants you to be safe. A lot of them do. In fact, the very reason why this was kept from you was for your protection.”

She took a sip of water before getting to the crux of her impromptu speech. Her hands curled around the sides of the podium, leaning in towards the crowd.

"Because this is what it all boils down to,” she stated. “Both sides have been fueled by fear and self-preservation for millennia and in response, have hurt each other. It can't go on this way. Which is why we're going to do everything in our power to find a better solution, one where we can live together in peace. And that starts with getting rid of the Order because until they're gone, there will be more violence. We're not expecting you to adjust to this revelation overnight, we know that this news will take time. But, we're hoping that while you do that this doesn't discourage you from your normal routines and we'll do everything we can to help you with that. We've just brought this city back to life after the events of last year and we want to guarantee that it remains safe and thriving for years to come. That will only happen if our two kinds can learn from one another and realize that we are so much better together than we ever were apart."

As she said the last sentence she realized that everyone was completely silent, their attention squarely on them. They had listened. This meant her damage control strategy working, something that surprised her more than it should have. She also realized that because they weren't so afraid, now they would be receptive to Adrian as well. In fact, they probably needed to hear from him. He could explain the details of his world to them better than she could. This caused a daring idea to suddenly fly into her head, one that he would certainly balk at. But, her intuition told her that this risk was worth taking.

And so without his permission, she went with it.

"Now, I will let Mr. Raines answer some of your questions about vampires.” She could imagine what his expression looked like, and she felt herself begin to sweat. “Like I said at the beginning, we're not going to disclose everything today but, hopefully, we can provide you with enough information to reassure you we are nothing to be afraid of."

She stepped to the side and finally looked back at him behind her. He stared at her with widened eyes, his complexion now a few shades paler than normal.

"Look, I know I put you on the spot, but they need to hear from you. I know you can do this," she whispered reassuringly. "All you have to do is answer their questions in the same way you did for me."

After a brief hesitation, he gave her a nod and approached the podium, toying with the microphone. "Who wants to go first?"

A young man in the front raised his hand. "How long have vampires existed?"

Adrian gave him a startled look before it faded into a smile. He obviously didn't expect them to be so benign. "Good question. My kind has been around since the 8th century BCE. Here in America, since the 1700s. Next?"

"How old are you?" A petite blonde asked next before her pale skin reddened. "Oh, was that rude? I'm sorry, I'm just curious!"

At this he had to bite back a laugh, the corners of his eyes creasing. "You're not being rude, that's the first question a lot of people ask. I'm 265."

The reporter's eyes widened. "Woah, that's...pretty old."

"To you yes. But for us vampires, I'm still pretty young. I know some who are thousands of years old."

“Seriously? Wow, that’s...amazing.”

Again, this comment took him aback, and he had to pause for a moment before his smile returned. “You know what? It is, I’ll be sure to pass that onto my friends. Thanks for the question.”

Soon, he had settled into a rhythm and visibly he started to relax.

"Is it true that the sunlight harms them?"

He nodded. "Yes. However, there were a couple of really old vampires who could walk in the sun without repercussions, but they've all been killed over the years."

"Do you actually drink human blood?"

"Yes, we'll die without it. But, we don't have to kill to get it. The amount that's necessary at one time is small enough that it can easily get replenished naturally. About the same as a small blood donation. In fact, here in New York, we have rules about this."

"What are they?"

"Well, one is that we can't feed on anyone who doesn't give us permission. And you'd be surprised how many people let us. There have been some vampires who have broken these rules but, we've been able to discipline them."

An older man raised his hand next. "Does the government know about vampires?"

Isabel's breath caught. Tapping Adrian on the should he met her gaze. "You don't have to answer this one if you can't."

"I'm sure no one will mind if I do," he told her before looking at the crowd once more. "Yes," he announced. "In fact, several decades ago I and five other high profile vampires made a deal. Protection in exchange for secrecy. That's why most people haven't been informed until now. It was for the safety of everyone."

Then, the first reporter asked another question. “Gaius Augustine...the person responsible for the attack last year. Was he...one of you? A vampire?”

Adrian exchanged another look with Isabel. “What do you think? he whispered away from the mic.

She swallowed, then told him, “Tell them the truth. They...deserve to know.”

He nodded and turned back to the crowd. “Yes, he was. At first, he...wasn’t so cruel. But, he was influenced to develop a personal hatred for humans, partially from what the Order has done. While most of us are nothing like him, he tried to manipulate his progeny, myself included, into believing the same for centuries. What you saw in the video was leftover from that. But, I don’t believe that and I’ve been working hard to move past what remains of his teachings. Even Gaius, before he was killed a couple months ago in opera house incident.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Does that mean Rheya Apostolus was one too?”

“Yes. She was the first vampire, turned by the sap of a special tree thousands of years ago.”

This seemed to satisfy him. Adrian answered several more questions as the topics shifted from fearful ones to curiosity about what was fact and what was fiction. In fact, they were similar to what Isabel wanted to know when she was first catapulted into all of this. They were slowly becoming fascinated instead of frightened.

Eventually, she decided it was time to end the press conference while they were on a high note before the atmosphere could turn negative once more. She could only imagine what The Order had up their sleeve next.

Taking the helm once more she issued a closing statement. "Thank you so much for coming out and letting us tell our side of the story. I'm sure that as the days and weeks go by that we'll be able to provide more information and reassurance. We wish you didn't have to find out this way, but now that the information is out there, we hope that we can continue our mission of making a better world for everyone."

Stepping away from the podium, she stood with Adrian for a moment so that the press could get their photos before ushering them back outside.

As soon as the last of the press left the lobby, Isabel let out an audible sigh of relief. "That went better than I thought it would."

When she met Adrian's intense stare, she found it tinged with adoration. "I know. How you captured their attention, how you pacified them...it was incredible."

She felt her face become scalding hot at the comment.

Biting her lip, she responded, "It wasn't that special. I just...told them the truth, that we're nothing to be afraid of. And my delivery was definitely not perfect, I counted at least ten mistakes." She fretted frustratingly, her nerves ticking back up again. She could never go without her constant self-critique for too long. "But, still...somehow it reached them anyway."

He responded with an incredulous scoff, his gaze softening at her while it filled with even more warmth than before.

"Iz, I know you can't help it, but please don't sell yourself short," he expressed tenderly.

He knew almost as well as she did where the self-doubt stemmed from and tried not to take any of her insecurities about herself or their relationship to heart which she was grateful for.

Taking her hand in his, he continued. "I've seen no one in the nearly three hundred years of being alive who can inspire people the same way you can. Winston Churchill would be envious of you."

At this, her eyebrows rose at his praise, especially with his mention of one of history's greatest orators. "You think I'm really that good?

"I know so. Isabel, I almost gave up today...I came so...so close. More than...I ever have," he stressed, taking her hand in his. "Just like every time before, you're the reason why I didn't. Every time I've come close to the edge, you're the one who's brought me back. Because you're right, hope is stronger than fear...and your words and you're ability to bring people together is why mine is still burning. And now, you've given millions of people that gift too."

She stood there speechless for a few minutes, his remarks stunning her, despite all the times he'd made similar statements before.

When she regained the ability to think, all she could do was close the gap between them and press her lips to his. The kiss didn't have the feverish intensity they usually did, but it still left them both breathless. It was the kind that spoke of sweetness and security, a warm blanket that made Isabel feel like no matter what chaos they would go through, everything would turn out alright in the end.

"Mmm," she murmured, reluctantly pulling back and bringing them back into the real world. "Thank you, I needed that."

He gave her a fake pout. "I'm sensing a but here."

Their biggest enemy filled her head once more, and another tense exhale escaped.

"You're correct. The Order isn't going to destroy itself and we have a lot to do today, we can't celebrate this first accomplishment too much longer. Especially since we've only just begun to win them over. They're still terrified Adrian, I felt it on them even as they left. It's going to take weeks if not a few months for it to go away completely, and I'm sure whatever the Order does next will extend that timeline even longer."

"I really hate that you're right," he replied.

Her smile returned briefly. "I know, so do I. I love you."

"I love you too."

Neither one of them made a move to let go, savoring this last minute or two of tranquility that they would have for a while. Then, Isabel's phone rang and she was forced to untangle herself from him to answer it.

Fumbling with the expensive new device, she didn't even look at the Caller ID before answering.

"Hello?"

"Isabel, thank god you're not busy," a male voice she knew well said.

This caused her to gasp. "Cal, hi.”

The name made Adrian's brows rise with curiosity. It wasn't weird for him to call them since they had all befriended him a year earlier. He had done so countless times afterward. In fact, he even paid them a visit only a couple of months ago. However, the timing of this one gave them both pause. This had to be more than just to say hi.

Swallowing she asked, "You sound tense, is something wrong?"

She vaguely heard the sounds of a bar in the background. A very noisy one.

"I...uh...yes," he replied. "We got the video of you guys here in New Orleans.”

She let out a groan. “I figured as much. How are they handling it down there?”

“Not great. They released a bunch of names of the families of vamps here. Everyone is freaking out, both supernatural and not. Which means things could turn ugly at any moment and my three Nighthunter friends are the only ones who are equipped to police it all."

Isabel's high spirits took a nosedive. It was worse there than it was in New York. Way worse. Looking around, she realized they couldn’t discuss things in the open like this. Not before they had a chance to address everyone.

"Okay, stay on the line while I find somewhere more private and then I’ll put you on speaker," she told him.

“Roger that.”

She took off towards the elevators, urging a now concerned Adrian to follow. The closest place she could think of was her new office which was located halfway up the building. Frantically getting inside she smashed the button to close the doors until they shut.

"What did he--?"

She turned to him with and briefly summed up with Cal told her

The implications hit him immediately and his face hardened. "They don't have the rules against killing humans like we do. If they can't get it under control...no one will be on our side.”

"I know. Which is why we can't have any of the employees eavesdropping on us. I guarantee they won't want to be employees anymore if they do."

After what felt like an eternity, the elevator finally stopped on the thirtieth floor and they quickly walked to her office. Stepping in, she locked the door behind them and finally put the phone on speaker.

“Hey Cal, are you still there?”

“Yep.”

Then, they heard several voices in the background. But, there was less overall noise so, it was clear he had relocated as well.

“Who’s there with you?” Adrian asked after saying hello.

There was a brief pause. “Oh! Um, these are two of my Nighthunter friends. You know, the ones I’ve told you about. I told them that I knew you and they...want to talk to you. Since you are the people this cult has used to start all of this.”

“What do you need us to do? I’m assuming if your friends are hunters they don’t really trust us.”

“Correct,” a husky baritone remarked before telling them, “You better have some answers for us before this city turns into a freaking bloodbath!”

He was hushed by a bell-like voice. “Nik! We need their help and insulting them won’t help. Sorry about that, he doesn’t think of you New York vampires very highly. I, on the other hand, am reserving judgement for now.”

Isabel had stopped paying attention after the first few words, her mouth open in frozen shock. As soon as she heard the girl's voice, it triggered a wave of bittersweet memories all at once. She hadn't expected to hear it again for a long time, maybe ever.

Seeing her demeanor change, Adrian's brows furrowed. "What is it?"

"Z-zelenia? Is...that you?" she finally whispered, feeling numb from all the emotions suddenly coursing through her.

She heard a sigh on the other end. "Hey Isabel. Things have certainly changed since I last saw you.”

The exchange left Adrian speechless and there was silence on the other end as well.

"Wait, what? You two...already know each other?" Cal exclaimed.

Isabel nodded even though Adrian was the only one who could see it.

Meanwhile, she heard Zelenia exhale.

"Yeah...it's...a long story," she said.

She was right about that. Isabel had so many lingering questions about the way things ended between them, ones she couldn’t ask out loud. But, one thing was clear to her. While most of Derek’s family seemed to be involved with the Order’s new reign of terror, she felt certain that Zelenia wasn’t one of them. That she had finally rid herself of them.

Her intuition began to tug at her once more and she sensed that this was only just the beginning. That they would have to bring their two circles together and unite the vampire communities to defeat the Order and in the process, she would also get those answers she’s craved for so long.

She thought she would be angry talking to her again and while she did feel hurt she also felt relief as well. Maybe even a twinge of happiness. It was her family that was the problem, not her.

After a minute, she replied, “One that’s...apparently not finished yet.”

~*~

#playchoices #choices stories you play #bloodblound #nightbound #adrian x mc #adrian x isabel #a new world order au #adrian raines #kamilah sayeed #cal lowell #nik ryder

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