#I log on here to recharge after a day of work and all I see is people acting like twelve year olds trying to be mean like bruh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lightsovermonaco · 3 years

Text

His Good Sweater: Chapter 13

Masterlist

Thanks to @acollectionofficsandshit for being my bestie and beta reading! This would have never happened without her ❤ Make sure you read Roman Profile, set in the same universe!

Word Count: 6.7k

Recommended song: "Cupid’s Chokehold/Breakfast in America” by Gym Class Heroes

"I have to go."

"Can't you stay five more minutes?"

"I wish."

"Come on, just a few more minutes to cuddle." Pierre flings back the fluffy duvet and holds out a hand. "Please?"

"I have an exam," you say with a sigh but bend to press a kiss to his upturned palm. "I can't skip."

Pierre groans and slings an arm over his eyes. "What am I supposed to do all day?"

"I don't have a sim but I have an old PlayStation you're more than welcome to use. I think I still have one or two games."

"That won't keep me busy."

"I'm sure you'll find something. Just stay out of trouble okay? I'd like to get my security deposit back when I finally move out of this hellhole."

"Okay," Pierre grumbles, sitting up to give you a quick kiss. "What time are you getting back?"

"Four. We can go out to dinner or something." You smooth a hand over his hair, smiling lightly. "Or we can go for a picnic and take a walk through Saint James Park."

"Sounds like a plan." He turns his head to kiss your palm. "I'll be counting down the minutes."

You roll your eyes but your smile contradicts the sass. "I'll be home before you know it. Love you, champion."

"I love you too, mon coeur."

He was endlessly grateful for how easily the two of you had fallen back into each other. When he had shown up at your doorstep he had expected there to be awkward pauses and minutes of tense silence, but there had been blissfully little of either. As the days bleed into each other, your relationship only gets steadier, closer and closer to what it used to be. Maybe it was because you had been the one to break the silence or maybe it was because he had thrown himself into his career into someone's bed- whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. He was simply grateful to be welcomed back into your life. He didn't plan on leaving any time soon.

Pierre allows himself a half hour of lounging in bed before forcing himself to get up and shower. Off weeks were hard; all he wanted to do was rest and recharge but he still had to follow his workout regimen and sleep schedule or he risked falling out of the habit, making it that much harder to get back in the groove come race week.

First order of business: clean the clutter you had shoved in closets and the spare room prior to his arrival the day before. Folding the three baskets of clean laundry took an hour, washing dishes another thirty minutes, and vacuuming the entire flat took twenty. Once the counters are spotless and there isn’t a stray sock to be found, he takes stock of your pantry and notes what staples you were running low on.

Two hours later he trudges back up the three flights of stairs to your apartment, arms laden with reusable bags packed to the gills with food. His legs burn and he's slightly winded from the excursion; at least that could count as his work out for the day.

He's just about to start slicing vegetables for dinner when his phone chimes with a text from his PR agent, Sylvie.

You're supposed to be in an interview now. Where are you?

"Oh shit." He scrambles for his laptop which of course was dead. He manages to plug it in at the dining room table and angle it so the background is mostly neutral, just a band poster framed behind him. He checks his hair before logging into the interview.

"There's the star," the interviewer says, far too chipper to be entirely genuine.

"Sorry, I was having connection issues." He queues up his signature sweetheart smile that gets him out of any squabbles. It works, the woman's irritation melting into a more easy expression.

"Let's just get right into it. Since we're low on time I'll jump right in, if you don't mind."

Pierre leans back. He had an inkling where this was headed. "By all means, please."

"We just saw news of your deal with Christian Horner- if you take seventh in this year's drivers championship, it looks like you're at Red Bull Racing next year. How does that feel after being publicly demoted mid-season in 2019?"

A smirk tugs at Pierre's lips. He had known this exact question was coming. He had debated how to answer it without starting waves and still remaining truthful. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his ability to be diplomatic when others may have let their egos get in the way.

"Obviously I'm grateful that Red Bull has recognized the hard work I've been putting in at Alpha Tauri," he starts. "I think I've been able to push the car as far as I can but I still have pace in me, personally. So moving into the Red Bull would let me loose, so to speak, and give me a chance to prove that Red Bull is where I belong."

"Right, you have had quite a spectacular season so far with a race win under your belt and a few podiums for good measure. What do you attribute that success to? Why is it so different now in an Alpha Tauri versus that coveted second Red Bull seat?"

Pierre purses his lips. The answer he was expected to give wasn't one he was willing to voice. Instead he opts for neutral. "I've been able to focus and hone my driving this season. I've found a groove that works for me and with it has come an insane amount of confidence, which is something I struggled with for awhile after going back to Torro Rosso. I think it's really just that I'm finally comfortable in the car and with my team and that makes a huge difference."

"Thank you for that," the journalist says and Pierre nods. "Shifting gears, I have a few questions about your personal life if you don't mind."

This was the part he always dreads. Questions were often prying and he had to subtly skirt around them in a way that offered a satisfying answer without giving away too much. It was an art he liked to think he had perfected over the years but still didn't enjoy.

"As long as you don't mind me staying silent if I don't want to answer."

The woman laughs, the sound sharp and grating. "Of course. Unless I can bribe you into giving me an exclusive."

"Likely not. But you ask the right questions and we'll see."

"You've been seen hanging around a certain London neighborhood lately- that wouldn't have anything to do with you and your lovely lady, would it?"

He had been waiting for that one, too. When the two of you had returned from Red Bull headquarters he had noticed the man taking pictures across the street. He hadn't said anything to you at the time because really, there was no point in getting you worked up when he had a plan to handle it.

The question played right into his hand, in fact.

Pierre sits forward, folding his hands in front of him. "Actually yes. We recently got back together and if you'll let me, I would like to make a request."

The woman leans back and checks her notes. "Well it's not quite what I had planned but please," she gives a flourish with a hand, "you have the floor."

"I know driver's personal lives are something that a lot of people are interested in and that's great. I don't mind sharing things with my fans or letting them get the inside scoop, but there's some things I would rather be left alone. My relationship is one of them. I know you all took note that she hasn't been around the past couple months and if I'm being honest, it's because of comments and press coverage that invaded her privacy. I think some people forgot she was more than just a name on a screen."

Pen poised to take notes, the interviewer prompts, "You said you had a request?"

He doesn’t stop to assess the damage he had already undoubtedly done. Sylvie was probably already on the phone doing damage control with every news outlet she could get her hands on, if her muted and black square at the bottom of the screen was an indication.

"All I'm asking is that you leave her alone. If you have questions or comments you have to make, just direct them at me. Don't follow her around asking about me. Don't comment on her posts unless you're capable of being a decent human. Just… let her live her life in peace."

Maybe he was a love sick fool, but honestly he didn't care if he lost some support from fans. If they had such strong opinions on his personal life, he would be better off without them anyway. And his team could cut him and even if he was unable to secure a seat in Formula 1 after next season, he would survive.

But if he lost you again, he would be broken. It had taken being apart from you for him to realize it and he'd be damned if he was ever disconnected from you like that again.

"That's quite the speech."

Pierre shrugs. "It was. She's the most important thing in my life, right up there with racing.” Now that he had started down the road of truth, he found it impossible to hold his tongue. “I lost her once because people couldn't be bothered to remember that their words have consequences. I won't let it happen again."

"So you see yourself with her for a long time then?" The woman's eyes glitter with the potential of getting an even juicer tidbit from him.

Pierre’s jaw sets, muscles feathering. "That's not something I'm prepared to discuss."

The woman purses her lips and tips her head to the side. There was clearly more she wanted to say. "Well, I have to thank you for what you've given me here. My boss is gonna love the exclusive. I won't push any further. Thanks for your comments, Pierre."

"Thanks for actually being respectful."

“We aren’t all monsters.” The woman shrugs. “I can’t say I haven’t had my moments but I try to be straightforward.”

“Right, yeah. I get that you have a job to do.”

“Anyway. I look forward to seeing what you can do the rest of this season. Good luck.”

He signs off and instantly anxiety washes over him. If she twisted his words he was screwed. Sylvie would be on the phone as soon as the article was printed, no doubt trying to soothe sponsors and investors. She'd give him an earful about being respectful and not poking the bear but he'd tune it out like he always did.

The sooner he got away from Red Bull, the better.

Instead of dwelling on it he busies himself with cooking. It was one of his guilty pleasures. He always requested a full kitchen when he was staying anywhere more than a few days so that if he had the chance to make a home-cooked meal, he had the option. For tonight he had selected his favorite recipe. Parmesan-Cesar chicken wasn't normally something you would ever touch with a ten foot pole but as long as he was making it, Pierre knew you'd at least give it a try.

Music blasting in the background, Pierre sings along quietly as he unpacks the rest of the ingredients and gets to work. He does a little spin between the island and the sink, rinsing the dishes and putting them right in the dishwasher as he uses them. A clean kitchen is the mark of a great chef, his mom had told him, drilling the phrase into him when he was young.

In the middle of cutting potatoes Pierre gets a call. He only has an hour until you're home so he doesn't bother stopping, just puts it on speaker and continues measuring spices.

"Hey Daniel."

"Heard you're in London," Daniel says, Australian accent thick. "And a little birdie told me you and your lady got back together."

"We did," Pierre says, a smile splitting his face. "Finally."

"Thank god, now I don't have to listen to your drunk woe-is-me rambling anymore."

Pierre laughs and sets aside the measuring spoons. "It's not that bad."

"Oh please." Pierre could practically hear the eyes rolling. "The number of times I had to send an uber to a bar after a grand prix is insane. Charles and I should be entitled to financial compensation with the amount of babysitting we've been doing."

"I can handle myself!"

"Not after a martini you can't."

He was right there. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Oh right- I'm actually in town today too, got some stuff to shoot for McLaren before we head to Austria for the race next week. You guys wanna come out with us tonight? We're heading to a bar or two."

"I actually had something planned-"

"She already said she's coming!" Dan's girlfriend shouts in the background.

“Well then why even ask me?”

“To be polite,” Daniel offers with a laugh. “We’re meeting at the rooftop bar at the Trafalgar hotel at seven. That give you enough time to do whatever you had planned that’s apparently more important than seeing your best mates?”

“We’ll be there,” Pierre says and hangs up. He finishes seasoning the potatoes and pops them in the oven, finally getting a chance to sit while they cook alongside the main course.

He's on his feet a few minutes later, decluttering the last bits of mess around your flat. It was clear it hadn't had a decent cleaning in quite awhile- hopefully you'd keep it tidy now that the effort had been made. The guys would tease him endlessly if they found out he was acting like a housewife.

You arrive home just as he’s setting the table. “God, it smells amazing in here.”

“Salut, mon amour.” Hands full with hot dishes, he settles for a kiss to your cheek. “I made dinner.”

“And you cleaned,” you observe. “You were a busy boy.”

“Pyry would kill me if he found out I was laying around all day. I had to do something.”

You hang your backpack on the hook behind the door and take a seat at the table. “Well remind me to thank him again when I see him. This looks delicious.”

Pierre grins over his shoulder at you. “Me or the food?”

You throw your head back and laugh, loud and unrestrained. “The food, you goof.”

Pierre quirks a brow. "Is that the honest answer?"

"Okay, maybe both."

The meal is filled with your ramblings about your exam and your new hobby- this month it was hiking. You went into detail about all the few trails in the city you’d been on as well as the more challenging ones that dotted the countryside. Pierre just nods along as you talk, already planning on staying up late to learn what he could about the topic so he could be a better conversation partner.

The pair of you work together to tidy the kitchen and put away any leftovers. “Did you bring something semi nice to wear tonight or do we have to make a quick trip to the store?”

“I’ve got some Tauri stuff I can wear. And not just team gear,” he adds when you groan. “You know that cream sweater you love? The one with the logo debossed on the front? I’ve got that.”

“Oh,” you say before biting your lip. Your eyes trail down his frame and back up like you’re imagining it on him. A tingle travels up his spine under your assessing gaze. If you kept that up, neither of you would make it out of the apartment tonight. “My favorite. Yeah, wear that. It’ll be on my floor by the end of the night.”

Pierre places his hands on your waist and grins. “Will it? And what will be on the floor from your closet, hm?”

“Your favorite dress.”

“The orange one?” He realizes half a second too late that you would never know how much he adored that dress from the gala. It had hugged your curves in all the right places and left your back exposed, which would leave him free to trace patterns on your soft skin whenever he pleased. He had missed out on worshipping you in it that night and he wouldn’t mind the opportunity to do so now.

You roll your eyes. “I can’t wear that to a bar.”

“Says who?” Pierre nuzzles his face against your neck, breathing you in. A light undercurrent of sweat from your walk home from classes mingles with the usual bright scent of you, only serving to rile him up further. Never in a million years would he have guessed that a simple scent could do him in, and yet here he was, completely wrapped up in yours.

“Says me.” You sigh, tipping your head to the side when Pierre’s nose grazes your skin.

His lips follow until he reaches your jaw before he pulls back. “What one are you wearing then?”

“Does it matter?” You cross your arms, the smirk playing on your kissable lips tempting him.

“I have to mentally prepare myself.” And if whatever you chose was too sexy, he would need to get his handsiness out of his system before the pair of you met up with Daniel and his girlfriend. The last thing he needed was to be on the front of some seedy gossip column when his plan was to ease back into it.

You smile up at him, broad and unrestrained as if knowing your answer would affect him greatly. “The cobalt blue one that makes you stutter.”

The dress in question was just as form fitting as the orange one, but shorter and decidedly more distracting. It fell mid thigh and the spaghetti straps left your shoulders exposed, which coupled with the low back displayed a downright sinful amount of skin. You had worn it at a Torro Rosso event a couple years back and he had scarcely been able to get a full sentence out around you all night.

“That one’s a close second.” He follows you to your room, leaving you to hunt through the closet while he digs through his suitcase, thankful that he had the foresight to check out of his hotel on the way back from Red Bull and bring his things here.

Because there was no way in hell he was missing a second of being by your side while he was in town. Every moment had to count when he had no idea when he would be able to sleep next to you again, not when the season was nearly over and there were two double headers between now and winter break. When so many variables stood between him and you, he had no problem prioritizing you over a routine workout or a full night’s rest.

Pierre changes into the sweater and a pair of dark skinny jeans well before you emerge from the bathroom. He doesn’t bother responding to Dan’s text that includes an address and reminds him to be on time, instead opting to scroll through his instagram feed. He likes a handful of posts from his fellow drivers, including one of Max actually smiling at something off camera.

“Well?”

Pierre’s head snaps up at the sound of your voice. The phone falls from his hand when he drags his eyes over your body, head to toe and back again.

Oh, he was so fucked.

Maybe it was selfish, but with your hair done like that, the barest brush of makeup lining your eyes and in that stunningly blue dress, he didn’t want any other man to have the privilege of laying their eyes on you.

No, you were all his.

The moment you’re within reach, Pierre places his hands on the back of your thighs, just beneath the curve of your barely covered ass. You chuckle and tap your fingers under his chin. “Close your mouth; you’ll catch flies.”

“Just so you know, if you wear that dress I can’t be held liable for my actions.” Up to and including scaring off anyone that wasn’t Daniel or his girlfriend. No one else deserved to be blessed with your radiance. Hell, he didn’t deserve it, and yet here you stood.

“We’ll see about that.”

**********

Daniel and his girlfriend had already made their way through a round of drinks by the time you arrive. It wasn’t Pierre’s fault he couldn’t keep his hands off you and wound up getting distracted on the drive over.

"Late as always," she greets, kissing your cheek. "Dan got us here fifteen minutes early because he wanted the table with the best view."

"Like our names wouldn't have gotten us the table if we asked," Pierre says, wrapping Daniel in a one-armed hug before kissing his girl’s cheek in a traditional French greeting. "The view is pretty great though."

You were already leaning on the glass partition, hands curled over the edge and undoubtedly leaving behind fingerprints on the pristine surface, completely unfazed by the fact that the other patrons were staring. You had eyes only for the London skyline and Trafalgar square lit up below. The bar with its white marble tabletops and strict dress code was absolutely not a place that you should be standing on your tiptoes for a better view, but there was no way he could condemn you when your face lit up like that.

Pierre just places a hand on the small of your back and shoots a look at the bartender currently glaring in your direction, daring the smartly dressed man to say anything. He only raises a brow and resumes filling drink orders.

"You guys know how to pick a place," you say, "I could stand here all night."

"Right," Daniel's girlfriend says, rolling her eyes at Pierre who shrugs as if to say what do you want me to do? He was powerless to deny you anything that brought you a semblance of joy; your smile was everything to him. “Love, why don’t you come tell us about uni? You’re the only one of us currently enrolled, and I’m sure the boys would love to hear about all the drama.”

You and Pierre share a secret grin. You shake your head but allow him to guide you back to the cocktail table. “Drama? I’m an engineering major. The closest thing we have to drama is someone grossly miscalculating a structural load.”

Dan shoots Pierre a mischievous grin. “I heard Stroll might be moving next year-”

Both you and Daniel’s girlfriend groan at the same time. “No racing talk when we’re around tonight,” she says. “I’ve heard enough lately.”

“What’s new in the publishing world?” You ask, leaning into Pierre when he wraps an arm around you. He only half listens to her explain the so-called “top secret” project she’s currently working on, instead opting to get drunk on you.

The light breeze filtering through the surrounding buildings ruffles your hair. You lift a hand absentmindedly to tuck it behind your ear in an attempt to keep it out of your face. Everything you do is amazing to him, snagging his attention even when he should be listening to whatever it was his friends were saying. Your gravity was simply too strong to bother resisting.

“Enough talk,” Daniel’s girlfriend says, waving a hand. “You need a drink, and I want to dance. Let’s go.” Before Pierre can protest, she’s dragging you away to the glass top bar. You throw an apologetic glance over your shoulder and Pierre just winks. He was fine watching you from afar for now.

Pierre’s gaze drops to your perky ass when you lean in to let the bartender know what you want, likely shouting to be heard over the music, your dress riding up a bit with the movement. For having such a strict dress code, this place sure did feel like an upper class club.

You hook your thumb over a shoulder, the bartender’s gaze darting to Pierre before the man nods. The only explanation you offer is a wink, followed by a note on a cocktail napkin and a beer delivered a few minutes later by a server.

This is supposed to be the best beer they have. Just try it.

Leave it to you to constantly push him outside his comfort zone. Pierre tentatively sniffs the foamy glass and shrugs before taking a sip. Not bad, but he still preferred his usual whiskey.

Setting the glass down, Pierre turns back to Daniel. “Congrats on extending your contract with McLaren by the way. Should give you a decent shot at keeping up with the big boys and landing some serious points.”

“Seems like most of us are moving around, doesn’t it? Sainz to Ferrari, Seb to Aston Martin... The only one with any sort of long term commitment is Max and now me I guess.”

“And Charles,” Pierre adds. “He’s stuck in that red monstrosity for the foreseeable future.”

Daniel laughs, taking a swig from his glass. “And you’re moving too, huh? Austria should be interesting,” Daniel remarks, watching the girls at the bar nursing their own drinks. “What with the news of your new contract breaking and all.”

“Potential contract,” Pierre corrects. “Not for sure yet.”

Daniel scoffs. “Come on mate. You won’t have any problem getting up to seventh by the end of the season. Perez is slipping and the news that his seat is in jeopardy will only help your cause.”

Pierre takes a sip of his amber beer and nods. “I’m sure Perez doesn’t appreciate it, but he’s always been a good sport.” You catch Pierre’s eye and lift your fresh flute of champagne in a mock salute. Dan’s girlfriend drags you out on the dancefloor and immediately spins you. Your laugh is nearly audible, the memory of it fresh in Pierre’s mind as he watches you.

“Mate, have you been listening to a word I’ve said?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Daniel shakes his head and drains his drink. “I really don’t know how it took you two this long to come together. You’ve been dancing around each other for years but neither of you would admit it.”

“I could say the same about you two.”

Daniel shrugs. “Fair point. At least we got it all worked out in a weekend though.”

Pierre rolls his eyes and shoves his friend’s shoulder. “Whatever. Not all of us can have a perfect love story.”

The grin Daniel shoots Pierre is pure sunshine. “How long are you planning on waiting before you ask her to marry you?”

“What?” Pierre sputters, nearly choking on air. “Who said anything about marriage?”

“Oh come on,” Dan says, rolling his eyes. “We all know it’s coming eventually.”

Pierre would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it. But he wasn’t sure if it was the time for a proposal, not when you had just gotten back together. The last thing he wanted to do was go through the pain of losing you again because he was too forward.

“One day at a time,” Pierre says finally, dragging himself back to earth. “I just got her back a few days ago. I don't want to scare her off by proposing just yet.”

“Right. Well you might want to get a ring on that hand sooner rather than later,” Daniel notes, gesturing to the two men who had approached the girls. “How long are we gonna let that go on before we step in?” Neither of you paid the men any attention, instead enjoying each other’s company, but the men’s eyes roaming over your body sets Pierre on edge.

“They can handle themselves,” Pierre remarks, shifting on his feet. The weak attempt at self assurance didn’t do much to negate the red tinting his vision. “They’re fine.”

“Her sharp tongue will hold them at bay,” Daniel says, winking at his girlfriend. “For a while at least.” Props to Daniel for possessing inhuman amounts of restraint, but Pierre’s muscles were coiled and ready to interject at the first sign of trouble.

He has to pause to remind himself he doesn't own you. You could make your own decisions about who you spoke with and who you entertained as long as he was the one to take you home. He didn't care if you wanted to flirt; he knew it meant nothing and if you got a free drink out if it then so be it. But those were the rules: flirting, no touching. He'd step in if need be if someone took it too far.

But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

Pierre watches tight lipped as you politely chat with the man, your body language closed off and dismissive. Pierre hates that you even speak a word to him. He knows it shouldn’t bother him because he trusts you, but the stranger is a wild card. Pierre watches like a hawk as the man inches ever closer, slowly interesting himself into your personal space. He waits for you to take a step back, to grant him that silent permission to come over and insert himself in the conversation and get his hands on you, this proving you weren't on the market.

One of the men shouts something at you over the music and you leer back at him, clearly disgusted at whatever he had said. Whirling on him, you open your mouth, likely to snap out a profanity lined retort, when his hand latches onto your arm.

"Oh, fuck no."

Half a second later, Pierre is stalking across the dance floor, no thoughts other than teaching the asshole a lesson. His hands are already curled into fists, ready to swing if the man hadn't moved by the time he arrived. Tolerating someone hitting on you was one thing, but blatantly ignoring the clear dismissals and laying a hand on you? No way in hell was he standing by and letting that happen.

The resounding crack of your open hand hitting the man’s face has pride swelling in Pierre’s chest. That’s my girl. You’d solved the problem before he’d even arrived. You jab a finger in the man’s face, Daniel’s girlfriend right there with you to back you up.

“Fuck off,” you were saying as Pierre approached, “or do you need to go back to kindergarten and learn to keep your hands to yourself? Maybe next time you’ll think twice before laying a hand on a taken woman- or any woman, for that matter.”

Driving your point home, Pierre slips an arm around your waist and pulls you in until your back is flush to his chest. You crane your neck up, the tense muscles beneath his fingertips and the fury contorting your features confirming just how rattled you are.

The lines creasing your brow are soothed away when you realize who holds you. You open your mouth to say something but Pierre places a hand on your throat, thumb and forefinger framing your jaw as he cuts you off with a kiss, his eyes locked on the guy still standing off to the side holding his cheek.

You taste like the champagne you’d been sipping all night. It’s the only thought in his head outside of the jealousy licking through his veins like wildfire as he claims you then and there in front of the crowd. Mine, his heart sings. He flexes his fingers, taking advantage of your surprised gasp to slide his tongue against yours. Mine, mine, mine.

Pierre lets you be the one to break away, lips curling in a smug, kiss-swollen smile as you address the men. “In case you still don’t get the picture, I’m not interested. And neither is she.” You jerk your chin, indicating your friend and Daniel, who had indeed followed Pierre and since mirrored his possessive stance, one arm wrapped tightly around his own girlfriend.

The two men reluctantly slink away after mumbling something unintelligible but undoubtedly indecent. It had been a week and a half since he had been on track and he had plenty of pent up aggression to get out. He didn’t normally opt for using someone’s face as a punching back as a stress reliever, but rulers were made to be broken. Your hand splayed on Pierre’s chest is all that stops him from following and asking them to repeat themselves.

“Just let me hit him,” Pierre says, voice far more level and put together than he had expected it to be. “Just one punch. That’s all I would need.” His knuckles smart like he had already connected them to the man’s face.

“And let you throw away your contract? I don’t think so. The last thing you need is a blurry photo of you knocking someone’s teeth in hitting the front page of every gossip mag in the country. I’m fine, so you can cut the bravado.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“I was wondering how long you were gonna leave us out here,” you say, trying to regain Pierre’s attention. When it doesn’t work, you grasp his stubbled chin and force him to look at you. “I didn’t expect to be stranded for so long.”

The eye contact is what finally calms his racing thoughts. Seeing the trust reflected in your face is enough to have his grip on your waist loosening to allow you to face him. “Someone convinced me you could fend for yourself. And while it seems that’s true, I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Your satisfied hum is swallowed by the pounding bass but Pierre feels it rumble in his chest. “Sometimes even a queen needs saving.”

Though his point had long since been proven, Pierre’s hand slides down your back to rest on your ass nonetheless. “I knew you going out looking like this would cause trouble.”

You tip your head to the side, feigning innocence as you press your hips to his. You grin, noticing the hard on that had been bothering him all night. “Looking like what?”

“Drop dead fucking gorgeous,” he says, accentuating his point by sliding his hand up your thigh and under the hem of your dress. “You know I’m tearing this off you the second we get home, right?”

“Why do you think I wore it?”

The sound that escapes him is primal and possessive. The presence of bystanders does nothing to prevent him from palming your ass and kneading the flesh. He presses his lips to your neck and mumbles between kisses, “To torture me.”

You push lightly at his chest, laughing although your eyes dart around the space in search of cameras. Old habits were hard to break. “That may have been part of my motivation. But you’ll have to wait. I haven’t seen Dan in forever and I would actually like to have a conversation with him before we sneak off somewhere.”

At least you knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until you got home to get between your legs. “Fine,” he grumbles, hands settling on your hips. “Only because I love you.”

You beam up at him. “Love you too.”

Arm still slung around your waist, Pierre nods at Daniel and follows the other couple back to the table.

After two more drinks, you and Daniel's girlfriend are singing along to the music in lilting, off key voices, simply enjoying the night air. A stray breeze catches your hair just as you turn to look at Pierre and his heart damn near leaps out of his chest.

To his credit, Pierre’s cheeks are rosy from more than just the charged glances you throw at him as the night wears on. He was on his fourth beer, far more than he usually drank these days, and the buzzing in his head was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. When he has to squint to tell the time on his watch, he figured that was enough.

"I should probably get going mate," Pierre says, turning to Daniel. "Early flight."

Daniel laughs and beacons for the girls. He kisses his girlfriend's cheek when she returns with you in tow. "Are we leaving already?" You pout, and Pierre had half a mind to stay simply have your smile make an encore appearance.

"Car coming," he murmurs, dipping his head to give you a proper kiss. God, you were stunning in that dress- he might not be able to string together words coherently, but he knew that much.

"Fine." You cross your arms for a split second to convey your feelings on the matter before wrapping your friends in a hug and saying your goodbyes.

Pierre's hand is already on your ass before you're in the uber. Get a few drinks in the boy and he let his guard down. You laugh and pull out of his embrace to usher him into the sleek black suv. If he had been coherent, he probably would have chatted with the driver about the specs of the engine or maybe even racing if he was a fan. Instead the ride is filled with stolen touches and sloppy, wet kisses to your neck.

"I can't wait till we're home," he mumbles. "You're gorgeous. How did I snag you? You're so far out of my league. No way should you be with me."

"I have a thing for guys that go fast in circles on the weekends."

"Really?" Pierre frowns. "Should I be worried?"

"No. You're the only one I have eyes for." His head is fuzzier than when you left the bar but your laugh breaks through, his stomach flipping at the melody of it. "And we are home."

Pierre blinks, realizing he does indeed stand in your kitchen, with no recollection of climbing the three flights of stairs between the street and your flat. "Oh. When did that happen?"

"After I half dragged you up the stairs." You bend over to undo the straps of your heels, giving him the perfect view. He lets out a whistle that ends in a hiccup.

"Take me to bed, lover," he says in what he thinks is a husky voice. It should be impossible for you to resist.

You roll your eyes and wrap an arm around his middle. "That's the plan. I'll take you to bed, strip you out of that sweater, and you'll be asleep before your head hits the pillow."

"Nnnnnno," he protests, hand sliding down your exposed back to settle at the base of your spine. "I wanna make the most of tonight. I leave tomorrow."

"You don't leave until noon," you point out. "Plenty of time to nurse your hangover and have fun before then, after you drink some water and get some sleep."

"But baby-"

"No buts. Do as I say or I'll send you off tomorrow without a goodbye kiss."

Even in his half drunken state he knew it was a swiss cheese lie, spotted with holes and completely stale. You'd never let him leave without a kiss goodbye because neither of you knew if it would be the last time. He was a race car driver after all, and that came with risks.

But he sighs anyways and slips off the cream sweater, letting it fall to the floor. At least one of you kept their promises.

After confirming he was settled into bed, you retreat to the bathroom. His heart aches at the absence, even though you're mere feet away with nothing but a thin door separating the two of you. He registers the sound of the tap turning on and your soft, off key humming of the last song he remembered hearing before getting out of the uber.

"Mon amour," he croons when you re-emerge in a set of silk pajamas. He reaches out his hands for you and you slide under the covers, immediately slotting your body against his. A leg hitches over his hip, tugging him closer until your middles touch.

"Mmm," he mumbles, nuzzling into your neck. "Je t'aime. Tu es l'amour de ma vie et nous vivons d'amour et d'eau fraîche."

"I have no idea what you're saying," you whisper, running your fingers through his hair. "But I like it. Feel free to keep going."

"Tes baisers sont du feu et je fond à ton toucher." He presses his lips to your neck before resuming his mumbled French. "Je pense toujours à toi. Je veux être avec toi pour toujours. Tu as mon cœur et je ne voudrais pas qu'il en soit autrement."

"I like the sound of that." You press a soft, sweet kiss to his forehead. God, that tenderness was why he loved you. That, and your personality, and your eyes, and your… everything. "Dormir, my love. I'll be here to listen to your pretty words in the morning."

The single word of his mother tongue on your lips has him smiling. "Oui, tu le feras. Parce que tu es à moi et je suis à toi."

@seasidetom @flashcal @limp-wrist-max @sunshinesewis @lifeofzoemichael @ninuffi @perfectfantasies22 @lamboleglerg @ladyperceval @0forgottenparadise0 @evie-pr @avsensio @ninuffi @lu-morningstar @ggaslyp1 @swiftyhowlz

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future updates!

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly x reader #pierre gasly imagine #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #f1 #formula 1 fanfiction #formula 1 fantasy #formula 1 fanfic #f1 imagine #my writing #formula 1 fic #f1 fanfic #f1 fanfiction #f1 fic #f1 fantasy #f1 rpf #formula 1 rpf

134 notes · View notes

ragingpancake · 3 years

Text

How To Woo Your Scientist In 100 Cookies or Less

Rodney has a secret admirer. Prompt fic. See end of fic for prompt. ~1800 words.

The first time it appears is the morning after the ridiculous mission to M5-X847 (more accurately described as ‘Planet of the Bat-Shit Crazy Natives and Their Ridiculous Trading Ceremonies’ in the privacy of Rodney’s own mind and in the not-so-nearly private mess hall whenever anyone else brings it up). It’s left sitting on his desk by his absolute favorite computer on a folded up napkin from the mess hall, taunting him.

He’s still staring at it as if it holds the secrets to recharging a ZPM, the cure for male pattern baldness and the name of the man Carly Simon wrote a song about when John ambles in for his obligatory weekly hour of light switch duty.

“Ooh, cookie,” he says. Rodney smacks his hand away with a squawk of indignation.

“Mine!”

“Well, are you gonna eat it or just stare at it?”

Rodney settles for the latter while John unfairly makes Atlantis and all of her Ancient Tech roll over for him like the complete slut she is. Besides, he argues silently, it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s tried to kill him with baked goods. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Fifty nine minutes and fifty eight seconds later, John plucks the cookie off of the napkin and pops it into his mouth, crunching loudly and spewing crumbs everywhere.

“What did you do that for?” Rodney bellows.

“Just makin’ sure it was safe and citrus free,” John says with a toothy grin. “Next time, you’ll know. Cya later buddy,” he says and ambles back out of the room without a care in the world.

“Next time? How do you know there will be a next time?” Rodney yells after him. “How do you know?”

—-

There is, oddly enough, a ‘next time’. The next morning when Rodney stumbles into his lab, bleary eyed after a late night watching terrible movies and eating horrifyingly greasy food (thank you, Daedalus) with John, there’s another cookie sitting innocently on his desk, silently begging to be eaten. He’s still worried about the possibility of an assassination attempt but he rationalizes that no one is really going to use precious chocolate chips just to murder him so he lifts it up, sniffs it and then shoves it greedily into his mouth.

Less than hour later, he’s still alive and wishing he had another.

—-

By the fifth cookie, Rodney stops checking for the possibility of citrus-laced baked goods. Clearly, someone finally appreciates his genius and has decided the best way to thank him is to ply him with delicious sweet treats.

For once, Rodney doesn’t complain.

——

“Another one?” John asks, eying the 30th cookie longingly. “How many is that now?”

“I don’t know. I’ve lost count,” Rodney lies.

John just snorts in response.

——

“This is getting out of hand,” Kavanagh gripes. “How come we’re not allowed to eat around the computers, but he never says anything about that damn cookie appearing every morning? Why doesn’t Sh—”

Radek steps on Kavanagh’s foot and Miko’s elbow catches him in the side. Kavanagh squeaks and then miraculously falls silent.

Rodney eyes his scientists suspiciously “Why doesn’t who do what?”

“Nothing,” Radek says. “Is nothing but idiotic mumblings of a jealous man.”

“Jealous. Yeah, right,” Kavanagh snorts under his breath.

Rodney is still not convinced and he spends the rest of the day trying to bully Kavanagh into telling him exactly what’s going on.

Kavanagh is gleeful at the idea of knowing something that Rodney doesn’t.

—

“Hey Rodney?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you ever wonder who’s sending you cookies?”

Rodney eats the last bite of his cookie and glances over at John. “Not really, no. Don’t really care either, as long as they keep coming.”

“Oh.”

John goes back to touching uncatalogued Ancient tech while Rodney practically has oral sex with the left-over chocolate on his fingers. Rodney’s so caught up in his little delicious world that he doesn’t even notice when the device starts glowing in an ominous way.

“Uh… Rodney.”

Three seconds later, John’s unconscious on the floor and Rodney’s yelling into his headset for a medical team.

——

The next day, there is no cookie.

——

By the third cookieless day, Rodney decides that maybe Atlantis was the secret Cookie Fairy, because whoever it was is clearly pissed off that he almost killed John.

——

“I brought you something,” Rodney announces as soon as he palms the door to John’s room open. It’s the only room, other than his own that he’s ever been able to get into without resorting to screwing around with the crystals. He’s never questioned it, but now he’s grateful that John never had the urge to lock him out.

“Been stockpiling the goods from your Cookie Fairy?” John asks grumpily. Rodney cuts him slack because he knows he still has a killer headache from that damn piece of Ancient Tech.

“No,” Rodney says. “I uh, actually made these for you, and by ‘made these for you’, I really mean I bribed the kitchen staff with an extra ten minutes of hot water in the mornings but um, yeah. I got them. For you.”

John gives him an odd look and Rodney wonders if maybe there’s brain damage that Keller missed on the scans. Wouldn’t be the first time, he thinks bitterly.

“It’s just… you seemed to always be hanging around when I had my cookie and I uh… know that I wasn’t exactly willing to share with you even though I know chocolate chip is your favorite. But that’s not the point. The point… the point is… I screwed up that day. I should have been paying more attention to what you were doing and I wasn’t and I’m sorry and, and, and will you just say something and stop looking at me like that?”

John gives him a slight smile. “Thanks Rodney. You wanna watch a movie?”

For the first time since the cookies stopped coming, Rodney feels like he can breathe again.

——

The next morning, there’s still no cookie, though Rodney really didn’t expect there to be. He doesn’t even really care, because while he acquired the cookies for John the previous evening, he’s the one who ate almost the whole damn plate and if he never sees another chocolate chip cookie again, it’ll be too damn soon.

He has a lot of catching up to do because ever since John got hurt on his watch, he hasn’t exactly been able to concentrate on his work and damn if it hasn’t piled up already.

He powers up his computer and scowls at the stack of papers littering his workspace. Grabbing a handful, he flips through them and then discards them like the complete and utter trash they are. Kavanagh never could finish up the simplest of equations.

He’s just about to log in to the network with the corner of a piece of paper sticking from under his keyboard catches his eye. He frowns and pulls it out. The handwriting is vaguely familiar.

Meet me at the East Pier. 1800 hours. -Cookie Fairy

Rodney doesn’t know whether to be flattered or frightened. He just hopes that whoever the Cookie Fairy is, they’ve forgiven him as easily as John has.

——

The doors to the East Pier slide open with ease and Rodney can’t stop the nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach. The sun is already beginning to set in the Lantean sky, casting a gentle glow over the calm water. Leaning against the railing, there’s a familiar set of slouched shoulders and a crop of dark, messy hair.

“John?”

He turns and gives Rodney a nervous grin. “Hey buddy.”

“I don’t… I don’t understand. What are you… what are you doing here?”

He holds out the plate of chocolate chip cookies. “Uh… surprise?”

For once, the great Rodney McKay is completely speechless.

John clears his throat and shifts nervously from one foot to the next. He sets the plate of cookies down on the railing and rubs at the back of his reddening neck. “So I guess you… Uh, I guess this really isn’t what you were expecting.”

“No,” Rodney says dumbly, because he really wasn’t. Miko? Sure. Simpson? Maybe. But John Sheppard? John fucking Sheppard? Not in a million years. “Why?”

”M5-X847."

“The marriage ceremony? The one where they made you put stupid flowers in your hair and, and, and…”

“That’s the one.”

“But why?” Rodney asks, because he needs to know.

“Because I wanted it to be real,” John blurts out. His ears are absolutely flaming at this point and Rodney’s sure they’re going to spontaneously combust if they get any brighter. “I needed… I needed you to know and I didn’t know how to tell you so I…”

“You baked. For me.”

“Every day.”

“Until you got hurt.”

“Well, yeah. It was kind of difficult when standing long enough to get to the bathroom was a chore. I was… I wanted to tell you that day, but you didn’t… you said you didn’t want to know.”

“I was afraid it was Kavanagh or some other equally terrible person!”

“Why would Kavanagh bake you cookies?”

“I don’t know! If could have been part of some nefarious plan to clog my arteries and send me to an early grave via horrendous heart blockage!”

John just stares at him. “Seriously?”

“Hey, it could happen.”

“Rodney, shut up,” John says and then he’s suddenly there, his lips pressed to Rodney’s.

It’s wonderful and terrifying and so right.

Rodney makes a little noise of surprise against John before he relaxes into his the kiss, reaching up tentatively to card his fingers through his silly hair.

When they break apart, they’re both panting.

“Was that… was that okay?”

“I don’t know,” Rodney says. “I think… purely for research purposes, you understand, I’m going to need you to kiss me again.”

“No problem,” John says and he leans in to kiss Rodney again.

——

By the time they’ve finished kissing, they’re both shivering in the chilly night air. John’s hair is messier than usual and Rodney’s lips are red and swollen.

“Seriously though,” Rodney says, burrowing closer to John’s side as John drops an arm around his shoulders. “Cookies? Really?”

“I figured that at least when it came to you, the old saying was true. The way to your heart is definitely through your stomach.”

“So you thought you could woo me with cookies?”

“It worked though,” John says triumphantly.

Rodney grins. It worked.

“Hey, next time, you think you could do peanut butter?”

“Shut up, Rodney,” John says fondly

“Why don’t you make me?”

“My pleasure.”

Prompt

:One day you come into work and find a cookie mysteriously placed on your desk. Grateful to whoever left this anonymous cookie, you eat it. The next morning you come in and find another cookie. This continues for months until one day a different object is left--and this time there's a note.

#mcshep #john sheppard #rodney mckay #sga #fandom: sga #stargate atlantis #ficlet #prompt fic #reposted from my old LJ as this is the only fic I've written in the past that didn't give me major second hand embarrassment.

52 notes · View notes

jeyramarie · 3 years

Text

Spy games- Pogues x OC

summary: friendships are put to the test when trust is the only thing they lack.

wc: 3,623

a/n: here it is! things get a bit intense from here on out so stay tuned. if you wanna tagged you can ask @halsmultibitch or me!! happy reading 🦋

prologue~ pilot~ the lucky compass~ the forbidden zone~

Previously on Good Life..

“Do you see anything?” he asked, suddenly hearing the boys laugh in cheer.

“It’s the Royal Merchant!” John B shouted in victory as he saw the wreckage on the screen feeling as if his father was standing right there with him.

“It’s not there. Just..just pull the drone up.” John B said feeling disappointed when they didn’t see any gold after looking for some time.

“We can go again.” Fallon told him as she moved her hair from her face.

“Yeah, we can recharge the battery and go back down.” Pope said as he turned to John B while also dealing with the drone.

“We’ve done it three time. There’s nothing there!” JJ shouted, immediately receiving a slap on the arm from Lani.

“Shut up!” Kie yelled at the blonde making him turn to her.

“What? It’s true.”

“Seriously, JJ?” the kook asked, giving him a disappointed look.

“If it was there, it would’ve been found on the metal detector. Someone beat us to it.” the shaggy haired pogue said sadly as he sat down and pulled his hood up, blocking himself from the situation.

“Or it was never there.” The blonde muttered as he began to sail back to the Chateau.

The next day, Fallon spent it with JJ while he practiced with the gun. Luke was gone which gave her the clear on going to the blonde’s house. They were currently in the backyard, Fallon ranting as usual as JJ got his gun ready.

“She was all over you on the boat and you’re just gonna ignore it?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“She wasn’t over me, Fal. What’s up with you? Why are you so jealous?”

“Pfft, I'm not jealous, I just think it’s ridiculous.” she scoffed as the blonde finally turned to her in question.

“I’m not jealous!”

“Fine, fine. You’re not… if you say so.” JJ lifted his hands in surrender before turning back to his gun. Fallon was about to answer when the blonde started shooting his gun at a teddy bear perched on a log. After a few minutes, Pope came by and started screaming at JJ. The blonde couldn’t hear due to the headphones he had on which made Fallon stand up and tap him on the shoulder.

“JJ! They know.” the pogue shouted as the blonde took off the head piece.

“What?”

“They know.”

“Wait, wait. Who’s they and what do they know?” Fallon asked, looking at the boys in confusion.

“Just chill bro, all right?” JJ said as he walked towards Pope, placing his hand on his shoulders. Leaving the caramel haired pogue completely ignored.

“They don’t know shit, okay?”

“Topper knows I sunk the boat.” the pogue muttered not wanting Fallon to hear.

“How do you know they know?”

“What did you guys do?” the pogue finally asked with her arms crossed over her chest as the boys stared at her. They looked at each other and Pope nodded which caused JJ to look at the floor and sighed.

“Fine, tell her.” the blonde said annoyingly as he turned to walk towards the bench that was close to the house.

“Rafe and Topper jumped me while I was delivering on Figure 8 and well… then I kind of sunk Topper’s boat.” Pope rambled as Fallon stared at him in disbelief.

“Rafe? h-he wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t have done that.” she laughed dryly as her fingers ran through her hair.

“Yes, Rafe. Wh- you don’t believe me or what?” the curly haired pogue asked, looking back and forth between Fallon and JJ who was walking back toward them.

“Are you defending Rafe right now?” the blonde asked angrily with his eyebrows furrowed as he stood in front of Fallon.

“I just don’t believe he would do something like that.”

“Why?”

“Yeah, Rafe's a horrible person.” Pope stated putting his hands in his pockets.

“No, he’s not.”

“Oh, he’s not?” JJ asked bitterly.

“No.”

“Why are you defending him so much?” the blonde asked, feeling anger course through his body as Fallon felt more and more annoyed.

“Because he has never been mean to me. Not once!”

“He’s probably only nice to you cause he likes to stare at your tits.”

“Oh really?” she laughed dryly as she crossed her arms.

“Yes, really. You don’t even believe Pope when he tells you Rafe fucking hit him in the face with golf club. How can you just- Are you two fucking or something? Is that it?” JJ said angrily immediately feeling a sting on his left cheek. Fallon had slapped him with every bit of anger in her.

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that.” she said with gritted teeth and walked away to her car. She quickly drove away, still having the conversation fresh in her head. All Fallon thought about was wanting to go home, far away from the blonde pogue who had captured her heart like no other. That same night was the annual movie night that was held in the OBX. A lot of people go, especially kids. This year, Kie invited her to go with boys and Lani but after that argument, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m so glad that they’re still doing this. You know? Aren’t you glad I made you come?” Kie smiled walking towards an empty area followed by JJ, Pope and Lani.

“Ecstatic.” Pope said dryly, rolling his eyes making Lani chuckle.

“My couch was pretty comfy. I’ll be honest.” JJ said annoyingly at Kie watching her place the beach chair and cooler on the ground.

“I have no opinion yet but for now, i’m liking it.” Lani smiled sitting on her blanket that was placed kneetly on the floor.

“We’re out in the green zone, man.” Pope muttered as he opened his beach chair next to Kie’s.

“Dude, tranquilo, okay?” JJ said, trying to get the pogue to calm down.

“What are you guys blabbering about?” Lani chuckled as she looked at the boys whose eyes widened thinking the kook had heard them.

“Nothing.. nothing.” The blonde shook his head and sat down, followed by Pope who was suspiciously looking around.

“Hey, I'm gonna go get some drinks. Does anyone want anything?” Kie asked as she rummaged through her wallet to take out the money. The boys shook their heads and Lani told her what she wanted, making her mutter an ‘okay’ making her way to the food stand. A few minutes later she came strutting back, turning her head to look behind her.

“Just saw Rafe, and he said, and I quote, ’Tell your boy that we know what he did.’” She said as she handed Lani her drink and sat down.

“What does he mean?” The kook asked, turning to the boys who were looking all around them desperately.

“Where is he?”

“Right there.” Kie said pointing towards the back where Topper, Kelce and Rafe were at.

“Great, the whole death squad.”

“Don’t look, bro.” JJ said, turning his head harshly as they huddled up to start muttering.

“Just warning you, bro. If they corner me, I’m coming out swinging, okay? Slicin’ and dicin’, I'm on edge, right now.” The girls stared at each other and looked back at the boys who were muttering something about a school of fish.

“If that doesn’t work, I got this right here.” He said holding up his backpack to let Pope know that he was protected.

“JJ? honey? yeah, umm. What’s in the backpack?” Lani asked, pointing at it as she looked at the pogue in question. She turned her head to Kie who returned the questionable stare.

“I’m sorry, JJ. Please tell me you did not bring a gun here. JJ, there’s kids.” Kie scolded, staring at the blonde with wide eyes.

“Kie, I didn’t bring a gun. Everything’s fine, okay?”

“Wow, that’s really convincing. I love that, JJ.” The pogue said sarcastically as Lani turned to sit straight.

“I’m never leaving you alone with my children.” she muttered, making Kiara chuckle as she sipped her drink.

“Guys, founding principal. No secret among pogues. What was Rafe talking about?” Kie asked leaning forward not letting go of the conversation.

“Girls, it might go down tonight.” JJ said, leaning forward closer to the girls. Lani lowered her sunglasses to look at the pogue in confusion and then turned to Kie asking for an explanation.

“What did you guys do?” The kook asked the blonde, making him turn to Pope and grab his shoulder.

“Deny, deny, deny.” he muttered and turned back to the big screen ignoring the girls’ questionable faces. After 30 minutes since the movie started, the boys stood up making Lani look at them immediately.

“Where are you guys going?” She whispered as Pope turned to her.

“We’re gonna wring it out.” he whispered back, making Kie look up from her popcorn.

“You’re gonna hold it for each other?” the pogues whispered, catching the kook off guard causing her to snort as she drank her soda. A few minutes went by when Rafe and his guys walked behind the screen where Pope and JJ had run off to. Lani saw this and slapped Kie’s leg.

“We should go check on the boys. Something’s probably wrong.” she whispered, making Kie look at the side of the screen to see Topper walk through it. The pogue nodded her head and quickly stood up as Lani leaned over to grab JJ’s backpack. They walked around the screen and gasped at what they saw. Kelce was holding on to JJ’s arms as Topper continued to punch his abdomen. A few feet away stood Rafe with his arm around Pope’s neck making him choke.

“Get off of him!” Kie shouted as she ran and threw herself on Rafe’s back making him let go of Pope. The pogue fell to the ground and started coughing harshly. Lani let go of the backpack and ran towards Topper, punching him in the back. The kook turned around and towered over Lani making her take a few steps back.

“Oh look who’s here protecting her little boyfriend.” Topper siad with an evil smirk as he kept moving towards Lani who stepped back in fear. JJ somehow got out of Kelce’s grasp and ran to stand between Topper and Lani.

“Don’t you dare touch her.” The blonde said with gritted teeth as he pressed a finger to Toper’s chest, making him stop.

“Yeah? What are you gonna do?” The kook dared as Kelce silently walked behind Lani to wrap his arms around her. She let out a loud scream making JJ turn to her as Topper took the opportunity to hit his head causing the pogue to fall. Suddenly, Lani got pushed to the ground along with Kie. They both lifted their heads and groaned making sure both of them were okay.

“Lani, the bag.” Kie whispered and pointed to JJ’s backpack that was right next to the kook. She quickly started rummaging through it as the pogue left to help the boys. Her hand touched a cold metal making her look into the bag, thinking it was the gun but instead it was JJ’s lighter. The same lighter he carried around everywhere. Lani crawled towards the corner of the movie screen and lit the lighter, puting it close to the white cloth. The fire started to spread across the cloth, the movie still playing, as everyone gasped and screamed while they ran away. The kooks saw the flames and let go of the pogue boys quickly making a run for it.

“Pope, you okay?” Kie asked him as she kneeled next to him, helping him sit up. He shook his head and groaned, holding onto his side, feeling his ribs scream at him.

“Why would you do that, Lani?” JJ asked loudly as he stood up, starting to limp towards the kook who stared at the flames in fear while clutching the backpack tightly.

“I was trying to help, they were hurting you. I didn’t know what else to do.” she said nervously as JJ got closer, yanking the backpack off her hands.

“You could’ve gotten hurt, Lani.”

“I’m sorry, I just- I- sorry.” she stuttered as her hands started to shake with anxiety. JJ grabbed her shoulder and pulled her towards him for a hug. It was quickly interrupted when Kie walked towards them as she helped Pope stand up straight.

“Guys, we have to go before the cops get here.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.” Lani sniffled, grabbing JJ’s arm. They all quickly made it to Kie’s car and started to make their way home. The boys were dropped off first with strict instruction from Lani on how to treat the pain and bruises. On the way back to their houses, Kie and Lani stayed in silence for a bit, listening to Marley.

“I hope next year’s movie night is better.” The kook said, turning her head to the pogue whose eyes stayed on the road.

“It will. I know it.” Kie chuckled and leaned in to turn up the volume when one of her favorite songs came on.

The next day came around with a bright sun and a warm breeze. The pogues were all working, Lani too, while Fallon slept in since it was her day off. She was going to take the afternoon to look for a midsummer dress for the next day, which was going to take a while. The pogue started getting ready around 4, the same time her friends got out of work but she was still mad at JJ for what happened. Which caused her to not want any interaction with them. Her mom dropped her off and told her to give her a call when she had found THE dress.

At the meantime, the pogues and Lani were hanging out at Heyward’s after their work shifts. They were discussing something stupid JJ had said about the fight that took place the night before while Lani helped stock the paper aisle. None of them noticed, but the police car had just pulled up outside the door, looking for one of the pogues.

“Hey, Pope. Someone here to see you.” Heyward said, breaking the teens' laughter as they all changed their heads towards the door.

“Evening, officer.” Pope nodded at the man respectfully as Shoupe reached behind him, pulling out a piece of paper.

“I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property.” He said as he walked towards the counter, pulling out the handcuffs.

“What?” Lani shouted, walking out of the aisle to meet Shoupe in the middle.

“Get out of the way young lady. Hands where I can see ‘em.” He slightly shoved the kook to the side and walked towards Pope who was shaking in fear.

“Woah, Shoupe, what’d he do?” JJ asked, getting off the counter the second he saw his best friend being put in handcuffs.

“Look at the warrant.” he answered dryly as he pushed Pope to start walking outside.

“You’re arresting him?” Kie shouted grabbing the warrant in shock as she watched her friend walk out.

“You’re arresting my boy?” Heyward said, finally finding his voice.

“Why are you doing this? Be careful!” Lani yelled when she saw the sheriff push the pogue harshly. She followed Pope and Shoupe close behind, never giving them space.

“Shoupe, are you listening?” JJ shouted in anger as the pogue got closer to the car. Everyone started shouting at Shoupe about the whole thing, not letting him put Pope in the car which gave the blonde some time to stay back and think.

“It wasn’t him!” JJ screamed out of instinct, making everyone shut up and turn to him.

“It was me. He tried to talk me out of it but I was fucking pissed. Cause those kook assholes from Figure Eight beat him up.” He said pointing down the road as he walked towards Pope.

“I can’t let you take the blame for something I did. You’ve got too much to lose.” The blonde whispered to his best friend who was still in shock from the whole situation.

“JJ? Wh-what are you doing? No..no.” Lani said, walking around Heyward and Kie to stand in front of him. JJ ignored the kook’s sad eyes and stared at Shoupe.

“I’m telling the truth, I swear. Took his oldman’s boat, too.”

“What the hell?” Heyward said, sending the pogue a small death stare. Pope tried to stop him but of course, it didn’t work.

“Shut up, Pope!” Shoupe wanted to confirm what JJ was saying so he asked Pope if it was true, resulting in more shouting towards the blonde. Once the pogue assured JJ “wasn’t lying”, he got released from the cuff.

“JJ, why are you doing this?” Lani asked, pushing her hands onto his chest, trying to look at his eyes but he completely ignored her gaze. Shoupe walked behind JJ and placed the cuffs on him. He pushed the blonde towards the car causing the kook to be on the verge of tears.

On the other side of the island, Fallon was in the store filled with all types of dresses. Some were long and delicate while others were short and puffy. Fallon was never fond of dresses, the only ones she wore were bikini cover ups. She wasn’t fond of bright colors either which meant she was leaning to a darker dress. After what felt like hours, she pulled out a burgundy dress. It was long, with a crossed back, making her eyes sparkle.

As she inspectioned the dress, a car drove in front of the store coming to a stop. The driver lowered the window and stared at the pogue with admiration. He quickly parked the car and walked into the store, looking for her again. After some time, Fallon walked out of the dressing room, sporting the dress. She felt someone staring at her and turned her head to see the boy she least expected.

“Rafe? wh-what are you doing here?” She chuckled, walking towards him.

“I saw you while I was driving through. Just wanted to come see you… Hope that’s not weird.” He said starting to get nervous. Fallon blushed as her smile grew.

“Well, thank you. That’s really sweet. But now that you’re here, what do you think?” she asked as she walked backwards to twirl for him. He chuckled as she twirled.

“It looks… fantastic. It’s very you.”

“It is? Ugh, I’m glad it looks good. I wasn’t gonna handle my mother tomorrow.” They both laughed and Fallon continued to stare at herself as Rafe looked at her.

“Will you go to midsummers with me?” She quickly turned to him with wide eyes while he continued to stare at his shoes.

“Umm, I- well…. I would love to go with you.” Fallon smiled as he lifted his head with a cute grin. Rafe ran his hand through his hair giving her a full look of his bruised knuckles.

“Oh my god.” she gasped quickly grabbing his hand making Rafe hiss in pain.

“What happened?”

“Um, just trying to fix up my bike.” Rafe stuttered not wanting Fallon to know that he got them from beating the shit out of her friends the night before.

“There’s mechanics for that, you know that right?” she chuckled lightly making him chuckle too, in relief.

“Yeah, I've learned my lesson-”

“You two make a great couple.” the seamstress of the store said, interrupting Rafe as she walked out of her sewing room. They both looked at her and smiled, not really knowing how to answer that.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“Yes, please. Let me get changed and we can go.” Rafe nodded as Fallon ran back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes. She quickly paid for the dress and walked out of the store with Rafe next to her.

He couldn’t believe Fallon agreed to go to midsummer with him. Rafe always thought she had a thing for JJ or someone else that wasn’t him. Which caught him by surprise when she said yes to the invitation.

“So you’re walking in with your parents right?” Fallon asked, breaking the silence as she stared at him and back at the road.

“Yeah, I am. I’m sure you’ll be walking in with me?” He nervously drifted his eyes back and forth between Fallon and the road.

“Of course. You’ll wait for me outside right?”

“Yeah, of course.” She smiled widely and turned back to the road to see that she was almost home. Rafe pulled up on Fallon’s driveway bringing the car to a stop.

“Thank you for bringing me home.”

“Of course, anytime.” They both stared at each other for a while until Rafe got the courage to start leaning in. Fallon didn’t notice but she started to lean in too. They shared a soft kiss as his hand went to her cheek. The kiss got more intense by the second as she grasped his shirt tightly. Rafe’s tongue swept over Fallon’s bottom lip making her gasp, giving him the perfect opportunity. Their tongues battled for domination as the car turned hot with the heat radiating from their bodies. Fallon pulled away with her forehead against his as she caught her breath.

“Wait for me outside tomorrow.” Rafe nodded and she got out of the car quickly walking to her front door. Fallon waved at him before walking in, feeling dizzy from the special moment. The kook smiled and drove to his house as a certain pogue stared at the car. JJ stood alone on the street, holding flowers, completely shocked at what he had just seen. He wanted to go to Fallon to apologize for what happened but instead he showed up to see the kiss. He took a deep breath and walked around, making his way back home as he threw a dozen roses to the side of the road.

good life: @ilovefandoms102 @agardenofbooks @cloverrover

73 notes · View notes

morkleemelon · 3 years

Text

off the ice || chapter 3: steady now

previous || m.list || playlist || next

pairing: college hockey player! mark x college figure skater! reader

genre: fluff, humor, college au, sports au

word count: 6.9k

warnings: swearing, party with drugs and alcohol, scene of borderline harassment (nothing actually happens), financial struggle, insecurity, social anxiety, mention of injury

a/n: huge thank you to my beta readers @writing-frog and @skiimmiilk for helping me edit this! now I won’t have to tweak it a hundred times after posting XD also (not spoiling) I’m sorry I did you like this, sungchan :(

I’m not sure if I’m awake, dead, or dreaming, but somebody please take me out of this misery.

Your neck struggled to support your head as you fought to stay conscious on the locker room bench. It was early Saturday morning and team practice was far from over. Unwillingly, you had to stay up the previous night, studying deep into the AM because a certain boy kept distracting you in your head.

Over and over again, through your shift at the diner to the ride home to right here as you clung onto Yuna’s arm for support, Mark’s cute smile and Lisa’s daring accusations spun through your tired mind. It’s really not fair- a guy talks to you once and you’re already imagining things…

You quickly shake the thoughts from your head.

“Alright girls, thanks for coming in so early today,” your head skating coach, Tanya, smiled warmly, “captains, get everyone warmed up and I’ll go over some exciting announcements at the end of practice”.

“Thank you, Tanya,” the fatigued girls chorused half-heartedly as the captains ushered everyone out of the locker room and into the hallway for stretching.

Reaching down to touch her toes, Yuna looks over to you. “Y/n, are you okay? You look worse than usual”.

The exhausted expression on your face said it all as you bent down to do the same. “I’ve got a lot on my mind. Econ test is coming up too”. You yawned into your words.

“I know you’re gonna say no, but if you wanna let loose a little, there’s a party tonight,” Yuna peers at you upside-down from in between her legs.

“You know I’m not a party person,” you decline, blacking out slightly as you stand back up. You blink to clear your vision.

As much as you admired your popular best friend for putting herself out there and being able to have fun at a party, it couldn’t be you. The drinking, the smoking, the groping, ogling men- not to mention the anxiety of existing in a frat house full of judgmental people, was all too much for you. As tempting as letting loose a little on a Saturday night sounded, you’d much rather do it in a way that involves your cozy pj’s and watching your favorite skating compilations on YouTube. Alone.

“I know, I know,” Yuna holds her hands up innocently, “but it could be fun. I know Mark is gonna be there”.

You whip your head around so fast that your ponytail nearly slaps her in the face. Flustered, you smooth down the nonexistent wrinkles on the front of your skating jacket. “Oh, that’s nice. What’s that got to do with me?”.

“Just letting you know,” Yuna shrugged in a ‘matter of fact’ manner.

The captains led the team out to the rink to do laps. You weighed Yuna’s words for a minute as you skated across the ice. Naturally, being here where you were the most comfortable with yourself made you more susceptible to her convincing ploy. If you looked at the last few days in review, you had already made four new friends from just letting Yuna take the reins for one afternoon. That’s about one friend for every dollar in your bank account!

But the nagging reality was that Yuna had a massive amount of friends, cool friends, who were probably going to be at that very party while you had nobody but her and a guy you just met. This didn’t sit well with your anxieties. You’ll just end up awkward if Yuna wants to talk to someone else, or desperate if you cling to Mark, who would probably be weirded out.

As expected, it’s best to stay in.

The practice ran smoothly. As always, the hour and a half of spinning, falling, and getting back up resulted in soreness and loss of breath. Nonetheless, it recharged you and the cloud of tiredness in your head finally dissipated. You felt so free on the ice because you knew that you did it well. It isn’t about the money or your popularity or if you have to work part time just to afford the skates that you wear. If you put in the hard work and effort, you are rewarded with success; that’s a big part of what you liked about it.

“Excellent job today, ladies. I’d like everyone to give a special round of applause to y/n today,” Coach Tanya suddenly singled you out as the team gathered around to hear her ending announcements. Tanya gave you a warm smile and gestured towards you as you bow to your clapping teammates. “For mastering the triple lutz. I can tell you’ve been practicing extra hours, both from the log sheet and from your performance today. At this rate, we may send you to nationals in the spring”.

Gasps echo across the cold, near-empty stadium. Your jaw hung open at Tanya’s ambitious plan and Yuna grabbed onto your arm excitedly, giving you a nudge of congratulations. It was extremely rare for a sophomore to be sent to the national competitions. Even some seniors never make it past the pre-auditions at Seoul University alone. You weren’t even dreaming of going within the next year despite all of your extra night-time practices. Looking at Tanya’s face, it didn’t seem like she was joking either.

“Thank you, Coach Tanya. I will work even harder”.

“That being said, I have some exciting news pertaining to all of you ladies: this year, Seoul University is sponsoring our team to hold a friendly competition for the winter festival as a sort of main event. Don’t be alarmed because it is optional. It’s September now, so if you are interested in participating, you will have just under four months to prepare a pair skate for the festival in December. Untraditionally, the audience will be voting to choose a winner instead of a panel. Furthermore, the theme, costumes, and music will all be up to you, so have fun with it! Oh and not to mention, the winning pair will be rewarded a monetary prize of $5,000 each”.

Shocked looks were exchanged between teammates. Your brain was still processing to make sure you heard Tanya right as she reiterated.

“Yes,” Tanya laughed, “you heard me right, girls, $5,000 each. It’s a tremendous opportunity and if not for the money, for a chance to practice performing in front of a crowd”.

Murmurs of excitement hush across the near-empty stadium.

“Yuna,” you look up to the taller girl and grip her arm with both hands, “Yuna please we gotta do this”. You shake her slightly with your pleading, “be my partner?”.

The blonde giggled, “duh, of course! Lisa and Hope will probably do it together since they’re both on JV so it’s perfect. Let’s get that ten grand for you!”.

“Wait no, but-”

“Y/n. You know I’m not about to argue with you about this,” Yuna sighed, looking up to the fluorescent ceiling lights to avoid your indignant stare. You relaxed your grip on her arm, knowing that you wouldn’t win this fight no matter how guilty you felt. “You’re better than me by a long shot. If anyone could bet on a winner, they’d put their money on you without a doubt. And if we win it’ll be because of you, so think of it as a fair split based on contribution. I’ll take a $20 cut to buy us dinner,” Yuna encouraged.

You close your eyes and rest the side of your head on her shoulder.

That’s my best friend. I don’t deserve her.

You felt bad, but you knew that you needed this money more than anything right now. Your parents didn’t earn much and they were already burdened by this semester’s tuition, even with the scholarships. Picking up extra shifts at Frankie’s did little more than cover skating fees and rent. The heavy, looming fear of next semester being the one when you’d have to drop out often kept you up at night. It’s nobody’s fault, but that’s how it is.

Yet like a miracle angel sent from Heaven, this competition could cover an entire semester’s worth of tuition if you win. You needed the prize money desperately. You were going to have to win it no matter what.

“Bye!”. You waved to your teammates as they exited the locker room, probably to go out and be social on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for you, your only plans were to sit alone at the library, studying.

“You seriously don’t wanna join us for lunch today?”. Yuna slung her skating bag over her shoulder. Her wet hair from just showering stuck to her face, but even like this she looked like she could be on the cover of a teen magazine.

“I’ll pass. I can grab a salad from the convenience store before I head to the library. Midterms are coming up and I gotta do a lot of review,” you explain, brushing a wide comb through your tangled mess of hair. Yuna moved to pull her hair back into a ponytail. You watched as her perfectly sculpted reflection made an action so simple into a reason for envy. The stained locker room mirror, however, did your bare face no favors. Your best friend remained oblivious as you picked yourself apart again. Your cheeks were a little too round, nose a little too wide, eyebrows a little too uneven. You shove the brush in your bag and turn around before you could fall deeper in insecurity. “Let’s go”.

As always, you chose to disregard your insecure thoughts and pretend like they never existed. Talking about it seemed weird, so you just chose not to do it. And you didn’t like bothering other people with your problems either. It was best to just keep it to yourself.

“Y/n!,” a familiar voice called out from behind you. You stopped walking down the stadium corridor, turning around to see who could’ve known your name. Usually it’s Yuna getting stopped by one of her many friends.

Ashy blonde hair came into view as the boy jogged to catch up with you. Your legs were doing just fine after over an hour and a half of training, but they trembled at the sight of a certain dreamy junior boy.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here,” Mark smiled down at you, the dim hallway lights catching on his cheekbones and jawline, accentuating his beautifully sculpted features.

“I’ll see you later,” Yuna winked, patting you on the back and making a break for the exit before you could protest.

“I-uh, hey, Mark,” you stutter. Was it just you or did he get even more good-looking since the last time you saw him?

“Did you guys just get out of practice?”. You could hardly pay attention to his simple question as you checked him out. Mark sported a simple outfit consisting of a plain black hoodie with matching black joggers and sneakers. His red hockey bag which was slung across his back was supported by one of his thumbs. With the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up to his elbows, you watch as the lines of his forearm muscles shift and strain with each fine movement from the weight of the duffel.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah! We did,” you answer after an awkward pause. Oh, God, please let that not have been weird. “Are you here for your practice?”. You mentally slap yourself for your stupid question; he’s wearing gym clothes and has his hockey gear, what else was he going to do at the rink?

“Yeah, I am,” Mark laughed good-naturedly, leaning slightly on the wall next to you, “I came here a bit early, actually. I was hoping to catch you”.

Catch...me?

Your face flushed at his heart-fluttering remark. Contesting with the urge to spontaneously burst into flames, you try your best to give a steady reply, “Oh! What for?”.

“I-uh,” Mark diverted his gaze down to his shoes, “I know I got your number from the group chat, but I wanted to ask you in person. There’s a party tonight at the sheep’s house- my friend’s house- and I was wondering if I was gonna see you there”.

You simultaneously wanted to sink into the floor to disappear forever and jump into the air to celebrate. You did neither.

Was he asking you out? Not really. But then again, he wants to see you there at the party. And he came here early to specially ask you in person.

You replay the debate you had with Yuna earlier. Past-you had made some valid points about not going, but how could you say no when he put it like this?… oh, fuck it.

“For sure. I’ll be there”. You offer a wry smile to try to cover your nervousness.

“Awesome,” Mark’s eyes twinkled as he smiled, “can’t wait to see you tonight, then”.

“Can’t wait,” you echoed. You couldn’t help but notice how he was a few inches taller and you had to tilt your head back to meet his soft, brown eyes.

“I should probably get down to the rink to set up for practice”

“Oh okay! Don’t let me keep you”

“Not at all”. His fingers shifted to adjust the strap of his hockey bag and your eyes brushed over the ripple of his forearm. He was doing the bare-minimum and your knees were ready to buckle in the middle of the hallway.

“I’ll get going then!,” you excuse yourself with a curt wave. Turning around, you head briskly for the exit before you could embarrass yourself further and agree to more irrational proposals.

Before your hand could even touch the exit door to let yourself out, reality hit.

Oh no. I have to go to the party.

Yuna squealed and pounced you onto your bed as you told her the news. “I can’t believe it! You’re really gonna go?”.

You run a stressed hand through your wavy locks, “I guess? He didn’t leave me much of a choice”. Rolling around on your bed, your best friend clapped and cheered despite your wanting to travel back in time and tell Mark you couldn’t make it. But how were you supposed to say no to that face? Thanks to this, your library study session was far from focused or helpful.

“We gotta get you looking hot, y/n. I mean, you’re already hot,” Yuna corrected, “but even more hot for your first college party”.

Hopping off your now messed-up covers, you go to observe yourself in the full-body mirror in all your said ‘hotness’. You were currently enveloped in a grouchy oversized tee shirt that you got from a choir field trip in high school paired with plain gym shorts hidden underneath. Your hair was especially frizzy from being air-dried after your shower.

“The only hot I am is a hot mess,” you groaned. Did you look like this when Mark saw you earlier? Shit.

“Nonsense, silly,” Yuna hugged you from behind, “you’re adorable and you’d be surprised how much hair, makeup, and a good fit can change someone”. She looked into your eyes eagerly through the mirror as if asking for permission. You were too nervous about the party to deny her so you gave your roommate a reluctant nod. It was better that she helped you get ready so you could fit in and thus blend into the background.

Squealing again, Yuna gave you a squeeze and scurried to flit through her closet for something you could wear.

“Go straighten your hair, y/n!”

“Yes ma’am”. This much you could do. “How’s this?”. Yuna held up a skimpy bralette top, its white lace barely covering any surface area at all.

“That’s a top?!”

“Ok nevermind”. Tossing the tiny piece aside, your roommate continued sifting earnestly through her collection of expensive clothes.

You ran the straightener through your partitioned hair carefully.

“What about this one?”. Yuna held up a simple red crop top. A small notch ran an inch down the neckline which gave it a little edge, but it seemed like it would be in your comfort zone.

“That’s perfect,” you smile.

Hair now pin straight and finally smooth, you change into the red top and ripped black denim shorts Yuna picked out for you. Your best friend was much better at makeup than you were, so you let her take the lead once again. The only times you wear full makeup are for performances and you would look like a complete clown if you showed up with the two inch eyeliner you knew how to do.

Applying a small amount of base makeup to your face, Yuna went for a more natural look, knowing that you weren’t comfortable with standing out too much. Subtle brown eyeshadow and lengthening mascara made your eyes pop just the right amount and a cherry lip balm tinted your lips a translucent, shiny red. Even you had to admit your confidence was boosted from the new look you weren’t used to seeing in the mirror.

That’s me. I’m… kind of pretty

“Aw, honey, you look so beautiful,” Yuna cooed, wrapping up your makeover with a clap. She did her own makeup effortlessly and put on the discarded bralette from earlier. However ridiculous it looked on the hanger, she made it look like a million bucks and it suited her perfectly.

You moved to sit on your bed and lace up your trusty white sneakers. Yuna wore a bigger shoe size than you which came as a relief because you weren’t sure if you could handle wearing any of the daring stiletto pumps in her collection.

“You know, I’m so happy you’re going to come this time. I was always really sad when you stayed home studying every weekend instead of going out and having fun”.

“I would’ve gone if I knew how to talk to people,” you reason, picking at the dirty aglet of your shoelace, “and I’m honestly really nervous right now. You better not leave me, okay?”.

“You’re so sweet and thoughtful, anyone would be lucky to talk to you! I know it’s easier said than done, but you’d be surprised what a little confidence will do. And of course, I won’t leave you”. Yuna gave you a bright, reassuring smile before pulling you off the bed.

You take one last look at your reflection in the mirror.

That’s right, confidence. I’m confident.

“Let’s go”

The walk down to the party was much shorter than you expected. Turns out, the ‘Sheep’ lived in that sketchy house just off of campus which you made a point to avoid during your nighttime jogs. The tables were turning as you approached the rickety front porch on purpose. You clung to Yuna as an array of neon lights shines through the window blinds and the open door. The bass of a generic pop song jolted through your bones.

Walking into the home, your grip on Yuna’s arm tightened as unfamiliar faces surrounded you. The crowded room stank of sweaty bodies and weed. A countertop stocked full of red solo cups and different types of alcohol was visible from where you stood. Heads turned to stare at Yuna while the two of you entered.

What am I doing here?

“Hey, you made it!,” an unfamiliar voice shouted from over the ruckus. Your eyes fell nervously on the voice’s owner. He had dark brown hair and sharp, defined features. His accent was strange, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

“Hey!”. Yuna brought the stranger in for a loose hug. “Yangyang, this my roommate and best friend, y/n. Y/n this is Yangyang also known as ‘the sheep’. He’s from Germany”.

Ah, Germany.

You offer him a small wave, surprised when he pulls you unexpectedly into a hug.

“Nice to meet you, y/n. Mark’s told me all about you,” Yangyang smirked, “please help yourself to drinks, girls. The guys are in the basement playing pong”.

“Woo! Let’s get wasted!” Yuna yelled while pulling you towards the drinks.

You stood awkwardly at her side as she poured both of you drinks- a half a solo cup of strawberry vodka for her and a sprite zero for you. You wish you could be in bed, curled up alone with a good movie. Or even at the library studying-

“Hey,” a deep voice right next to your ear wrecked your train of thought. Alarmed, your eyes were met with the middle of a chest as you turned around to see who it was. Craning your head back, an unfamiliar, tall boy with stiffly-gelled brown hair looked down at you. You winced at the acrid smell of axe body spray now flooding your nostrils. He looked young, maybe even younger than you, but he was clearly very drunk. “Where have you been all my life?”.

“Excuse me?,” you exclaim over the booming music. The boy placed his hands on the counter on either side of you, trapping you in between his arms. Looking over to find Yuna, she had already shifted deeper into the crowd and was busy talking with other people.

“I’m Sungchan,” the boy unwelcomingly introduced, “what’s your name, beautiful?”.

“I-uh I’m y/n,” you stuttered. Sungchan’s face was way too close for comfort and his breath stank of cheap alcohol. You felt his humid exhalation brush over the top of your head like a toxic cloud and you fought to not gag.

“Y/n. You come here with anyone?”. You pressed your back as far into the counter as you could to get away from him, but there was little room to go. Fear began to set in as you realized you were trapped. What should I say? What do I do?

“I-I…”

“She came here with me”. A firm hand gripped Sungchan’s left arm and yanked it forcefully away from the counter. Your saving grace put a gentle hand on your shoulder, tugging you slightly away from the drunk perpetrator. Struggling to comprehend what was happening, you looked up to see it was Mark, staring the intoxicated boy down.

“C-captain”

“What’s a freshman doing with my girl?” Mark pressed. His expression was unamused.

Your heart trembled at his unanticipated lie. His girl? Mark brushed a reassuring thumb over your shoulder, clueing to you that he would handle this.

“I didn’t know, I-”

“Sungchan, right? You still trying to make varsity next year?,” Mark interrupted, eyebrows raised in annoyance at the freshman. Sungchan’s eyes went wide as he held both hands up innocently.

“Y-yes I-”

“Misconduct can get you kicked off the team, you know. Not to mention I’ll be senior captain next year so I’ll have a say in who makes it into varsity”.

“I’m sorry, captain, I really didn’t-”

“Fuck off”. Mark gestured his free hand towards the open front door. Sungchan looked around, as if unsure what to do. The surrounding party-goers danced and drank on, unaware of the altercation and more interested in who they were going home with tonight. Finally, the lanky boy’s head cleared enough to make a decision. Sungchan bowed slightly in apology and stumbled towards the exit. The untouched solo cup of sprite fizzed in your shaking hands.

“Are you okay?”. Mark faced you with a concerned look.

You clenched your grip tighter around your drink as you fought back tears, the shock wearing off and the gravity of the situation hitting you full-on. You set the cup down and shake your head no.

“Do you want to get out of here?”.

You nod your head vigorously and tears began streaming down your cheeks. What a waste, all of Yuna’s hard work down the drain. Mark nudged you forward and guided you towards a back door. Weaving your way through the crowd, Mark greeted his friends with a “hey” or a simple nod. You felt a few girls eye you discontentedly at the sight of Mark’s hand ghosting over the small of your back while others were too high or drunk to notice. The cool night air welcomed you as Mark urged you outside and you rushed to escape the cramped house. He shut the door behind him, muffling the heavy bass so you could finally hear yourself think.

Dabbing away at your tears so he wouldn’t see, you breathe deeply to regain your composure.

“Thanks for that”. You managed to let out after a few minutes of sniffling and silence. Your voice was slightly hoarse and you couldn’t meet his eyes, but he waited patiently by your side.

So much for coming to this party, he probably thinks I’m a mess. This whole thing was a huge mistake.

“I think I’ll go. Sorry I can’t stay”. You turn to walk down the wooden porch steps.

“Wait-”. Mark’s voice halts your departure. “Would you like to go on a walk with me? Or I can at least take you home. I don’t want you going out alone after what just happened…”.

Looking up at him, the dim porch light glowed behind him, giving him a soft golden halo. His brown eyes which were usually smiling now shone with worry as he scanned over your tear-stricken face. Your heart which was beating rapidly from fear earlier began to settle down in his reassuring presence. Being alone right now might not be the best idea. But more importantly, being with him sounded like what you really needed. You nod.

The sound of crickets chirping and sneakers scuffing took over as the two of you walked farther away from the booming music of the party. You weren’t sure where you were headed, but you also didn’t know if there was anywhere you wanted to go. Wandering down the deserted streets in comfortable silence, Mark followed you patiently as he waited for you to be ready to talk. Before you knew it, your feet brought you to the lake and you stood watching the water ripple under the night breeze. The moon, almost full, illuminated silver each ebb and flow.

“I’m sorry you’re missing the party”. You quietly broke the silence. You felt bad for making him leave. All of his friends were there and he probably really looked forward to it.

“Don’t be. I only went so I could talk to you, anyways”

You look at him in surprise. Mark’s eyes remained glued to the lake, sparkling from the reflected moonlight.

“How many girls have you told that to?,” you scoff. Internally, you screamed.

“Couldn’t name another one”

You pause before resolving to stroll further down the lakeside. The sound of footsteps behind you confirmed that he was following. Stopping as you reach the familiar creaky wood, you take a seat on the worn-out dock, him on your right. You dangle your feet over the dark, sloshing waves. It was cool, despite the summer season. A breeze rolled by, making you shudder. However cute the crop top was, it didn’t do much to keep you warm. Not that you could have planned on running away from the party and needing a sweatshirt beforehand.

“Here, take this”. Mark unzipped his jacket to give to you.

“Oh it's ok-”. You couldn’t finish your protest before the warm fabric was draped across your shoulders. Your face grew pink once more. If you didn’t know better, you could be admitted to the hospital for how much you’ve been blushing recently. “Thanks,” you mutter, looking down at your hands with a small smile.

“Is that Frankie’s?”. Mark’s voice cut through the silence.

“What?”

“Is that Frankie’s?,” Mark repeated, nodding at the small restaurant bordering the lake some distance away. It looked as if it had just closed, yellow fluorescent lights still on while a tired waitress scrubbed away at a table. Only one car, probably her’s, remained in the parking lot.

“Oh, yeah. That’s where I work part time,” you confirmed. “I come here to the dock to sit sometimes. You know, just to think”.

“I feel that. Sometimes everything is way too much to handle and you need to take time to breathe. I have a place like this too”

Mark’s sincere confession came as a surprise to you and unintentionally, it showed on your face.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Mark feigned hurt, putting a hand on his chest. “Do you think hockey guys can’t have feelings too? I have a fan club for heaven’s sake!”.

You laugh at his exaggerated outcry.

“And that’s a bad thing? Don’t you guys like the attention? Attention from lots and lots of pretty girls”. You raised an eyebrow, teasing him.

“As if,” Mark ran a stressed hand through his hair, “they’re all crazy as hell. Honestly, none of the guys really like the attention”.

You nod in understanding. Seeing how the Lovelees acted the few times you were around them, you’d hate being the subject of their affections too.

“But how about you,” Mark continued, “I haven’t seen you much at parties”.

You let out a sarcastic laugh, “if you couldn’t tell from tonight, I’m not much of a party girl. Today was my first and probably last party”. You had gotten so comfortable walking and talking with Mark that you had almost forgotten about the horrible incident that occurred earlier. Pulling the soft jacket over yourself more, your face falls as you remember Sungchan’s intoxicated face.

“Hey” Mark’s hand grazes over your slumped shoulders, bringing you back to focus on him. “I’ll never let him bother you again”.

While you were unsure of how your makeup was holding up due to all the crying, his delicate features were all the more beautiful under the pale moonlight. You notice how close you’re sitting, knees almost brushing against each other’s and his face was but inches from yours. And even though you were wearing his jacket so he was left with only a tee shirt, you were sure you weren’t imagining the heat radiating from his body. Slowly, your eyes flutter down to his parted lips.

There it is once more, the hot flush in your cheeks and the strain in your chest.

Meeting Mark has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but you felt undeniably comfortable sitting next to someone who would’ve been a stranger just a few days ago. Something about him felt familiar to you now and you trusted in his words. He was someone... safe.

“Really?,” you whisper, not taking your eyes off of his soft, pink lips.

“Really”. His confirmation was too gentle to be heard above the sound of the rushing water below, but you read his lips as they shaped around the word.

Before you know it, you were leaning in, just enough so you knew you weren’t imagining it. A mellow breeze plays with your hair, causing a few strands to fall astray. Cautiously with his hand, Mark slowly tucks the fallen pieces back behind your ear. He hesitates there. The feeling of his warm fingertips sends tingles down your spine. Carefully scanning your expression to make sure you were okay, his hand inches down to gently cup your cheek. “Can I kiss you?”.

You could feel the warmth of his breath fan across your lips, his own not centimeters away. Your heart pounded rapidly as you gave an affirming nod. Closing your eyes, you wait.

This is happening.

A jolting vibration from your pocket caused your eyes to shoot right back open and Mark let go of you in surprise. Your phone kept buzzing, the harsh sound amplified by the wooden dock. Sighing in frustration, you struggle to remove it from your back pocket as Mark looks away, coughing awkwardly. Your face burned red from embarrassment.

Why does this always happen to me?

“Hello?”. Your tone was laced with annoyance.

“Y/n! Where aare youu?,” Yuna slurred. Trap music blared in the background confirming that she was still at the party. You could hear Ten asking if Mark was with you over the ruckus.

“I left. And yeah, Mark is here”. You put the phone on speaker and held it up towards the boy you were about to kiss moments ago.

“Hey guys,” Mark said sheepishly. Yuna squealed in delight.

“That’s my boy!”. Ten’s booming voice took over the call.

“Stop it man,” Mark warned, increasingly agitated at the couple for ruining the moment.

“Okayy kids! Have fun, but not tooooo much fun”. Yuna giggled into the microphone.

“I’m hanging up,” you said quickly before pushing the red button to end the call. Any longer and you weren’t sure you could resist throwing your phone (and perhaps yourself) into the lake. A brief moment of silence ensued, both parties unsure of what to do next. Was there anything you could do to save the moment after that?

“I uh…,” you start.

“Yeah umm…,” Mark agreed. Silence ensued.

“Uhh…”. Your steady tone wavered as you started to giggle. The awkwardness dissipated because before you knew it, both of you were laughing wholeheartedly at the unfortunate situation.

“Yuna tends to have great timing,” you explain.

“Mm. Ten does too,” Mark related, stroking his chin and nodding as if thinking deeply.

“She said she wouldn’t leave me at the party but lo and behold”. You gesture to your surroundings, exasperated.

“That sucks,” Mark agreed, “you should have come found me. I was waiting for you, actually”.

“I was going to,” you picked at the zipper of his jacket, “but we had just gotten there when... you know”.

“Yeah. You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready. I don’t want to pressure you at all, but I’m always willing to listen”

“You’re,” you look for the right words, “you’re so amazing”.

“Yeah?”

You keep your gaze in your lap, “Yeah. And you know, I wish we’d met earlier, Mark. Because it’s really nice talking to you and you’re a really great guy”. You check for his reaction.

“Yeah, I wish we met sooner too”. His expression was that of… adoration.

Being with Mark was so easy. Conversation came to you two easier than anything else in life did. And just like that, feet swinging in sync above the water, you talked for hours. He told you about his alien conspiracy theories and his aspirations to be a professional hockey player and then retire into sports medicine. You told him about your parents and how you missed them dearly because they worked way out of the city to support you and your dream. You did everything you could to be able to pay them back, even majoring in economics which was more profitable than environmental studies or professional skating. Mark listened thoughtfully and admitted that he related in a lot of ways with his parents being all the way in Canada.

The night rushed by and the two of you talked until the golden peaks of sunrise painted the water from its usual blue. You had shifted so you were sitting facing each other on the dock. The early sunlight cast a warm glow over Mark’s face. He looked like a painting- a Monet. Or a Renoir.

“Um so, I guess it’s Sunday now”. Mark rested his chin into the crook of his elbow. You could hear the tired in his voice, but you mutually understood that neither of you wanted to leave.

“Do you have to go?”. You picked at a piece of fuzz on the sleeve of his sweatshirt which you were still wearing. The disappointment was evident in your question. Even though you had spent the whole night getting to know each other, it felt like you had just barely scratched the surface. There was still so much more you wanted to talk about.

Checking his watch, Mark contemplated for a bit.

“It’s 6:12 a.m. right now. I actually have to get somewhere by 6:30,” Mark explained.

“So early?”

“Yeah it’s… you could come with me if you want?”. His sleepy eyes twinge with hope.

You look to the lake, the sparkling ripples tinted gold with the rising sun. Sunday was usually a rest day for you and you didn’t have anything planned. As fatigued as you felt, everything in you wanted to accept his invitation. You cracked a small smile, getting up to stretch your legs. You hold out a hand to help him up.

“Lead the way”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home? This might not be fun for you…”

Mark’s expression was worried as the two of you stood at the entrance of the local church, the doors open and you could see rows of tables and food set up as if ready for people at any minute. The streets were starting to bustle as the world began to wake up. A volunteer from inside the church spotted you, walking out to give his greetings.

“Mark!,” the man called out as he pulled Mark in for a warm hug, “good morning!”.

His eyes turned towards you and Mark moved to introduce you.

“Daniel, this is y/n. Y/n, this is Daniel. We volunteer together here at the church to serve breakfast to the homeless,” Mark disclosed.

“Nice to meet you, Daniel”. You shake his hand with a smile. Gosh, I probably look like a mess right now. I didn’t even get to change or take off the makeup from the party yesterday. You self-consciously zip up Mark’s oversized jacket to hide your exposed midriff.

“Nice to meet you, y/n! This is the first time Mark has brought a… friend here”. Daniel’s eyes darted between you and Mark with an assuming smile.

“Yeah,” Mark coughed, turning to you, “do you want me to take you home? This probably isn’t what you expected I don’t know why I-”

“No,” you interrupted, “I’d like to stay and volunteer”. Offering him a reassuring smile, you rest your hand on his arm to show him that you were okay. There was truth to his worries when Mark said this wasn’t what you were expecting. You never would have thought that a popular guy like him woke up early on the weekends to help the needy. Evidently, he did it out of the kindness of his own heart, not for attention. You always imagined it was all parties and messing around, but you were pleasantly proven wrong.

“Great! Mark can show you around and get you started,” the older man clapped before heading inside.

“You’re kind of awesome, you know that?”. Mark’s question caught you off guard. He slipped his hand into yours to lead you into the building, the simple action sending your heart into a frenzy.

“Awesome how?”

“Just… awesome,” Mark clarified cryptically, holding the door open for you to enter the storage room. He tosses you a green volunteer shirt.

“Alright, I’ll take the compliment,” you laugh, taking off his jacket and handing it to him. To your surprise, he pushes it back to you.

“You keep it. I like it a lot better on you”

Mark Lee if you keep saying things like this, I’m going to catch on fire.

You fight to put out the flames spreading across your cheeks and give a single nod, setting the sweatshirt down on a nearby box. Not willing to strip in front of him in the church storage room, you pull the volunteer shirt over on top of the shirt you were already wearing.

“So anyways,” Mark continued as if he didn’t just say the most romantic thing you’ve heard in your life, “the people will start coming in about 20 minutes. Our job is to portion out the food and once everyone is served, we can go eat and talk with them”.

“Got it”

“Here, let me get this for you”. His hand guided your waist to spin around as he pulled an apron over your head. Tying the back of the garment together, your breath hitches in your throat as you feel his fingers brush under the fabric of your shirt. You turn your face to the side and you can see his soft expression in your peripheral vision. The heat from his body behind yours feels so welcoming.

I wish he’d kiss me right now.

And he wants to. He tries to. He’s leaning in and everything is perfect. Your heart is beating fast as you tilt your head back, but like clockwork, a jolting buzz from his pants makes you jump apart. No, not like that.

“I swear to God, I’m throwing away my phone”. Mark ran a frustrated hand through his hair, picking up the kiss-blocking call. “Hello?”. You sighed.

You watch as the annoyed expression on his face fades into shock as the speaker on the other side panicked through the phone. Your own frustration transforms into concern as Mark looks at you and you catch the words “car” and “hospital”. Mark paces back and forth.

“Alright, I got it. Yeah, she’s with me. I’ll tell her. We’ll come right now. Don’t worry, Ten, she’s going to be fine”

“What is it?,” you ask as soon as he hangs up the call, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry.

“It’s Yuna…,” Mark trailed off, shocked by the news. Your heart dropped down to your feet.

“What about Yuna?” Your voice shook with panic.

“She-she was in a car accident. She’s at the hospital right now”

previous || m.list || playlist || next

166 notes · View notes

jean-does-not-have-a-horseface · 3 years

Note

Hiiii! I saw you asked for fluffy requests!! I love your writing so i got excited hehe

I just went through a ROUGH breakup, could you write where Levi comforts one of his scouts (or members of his squad) who he likes after she gets dumped?

Thank you!!! Xoxo ❤️❤️❤️

Hey I hope you're feeling better I'm sorry you have to go through this but I'm here if you need anything sweet anon, this really made me write hurt/comfort once again, so I hope you like it.

Pairing: Levi/reader

Tags: eventual fluff, hurt/comfort, takes an unexpected turn that I hope you like

November Sunsets

Levi, ever since he could remember himself, was lonely, neglected by life and stripped of anyone he ever cared about. The cruel unfairness of life was something he was forced to accept from the moment he came out of the womb; whilst other children had a last name to claim themselves with he was just Levi, Kuchel's bastard son.

Thinking back, life was the most unfair for his mother as well. The way he would hear men would treat her, hidden underneath her bed, or sticking his head to her door while supposedly playing with other little bastard children. Children of his fate that he couldn't remember the face of. Did anyone remember his own face? Deemed ugly, unbelievably short, dirty and incapable of being bright, that's what life had set for him from his very first breath.

Everytime he had refused to accept his fate another tragedy would curve it's way on his body and soul, staining him with little reminders of how he should sit back and crawl his way through what was simple meant to be. Indescribable gory deaths had happened before his eyes, taking any blue hue he had noticed and liked away from them. Insufferable agonies in the form of nightmares haunted him during the night, his mind didn't want to let him rest.

His heart had to become cold and hard as stone, but the humane of his nature only managed to plaster this longing of his on his face. Perhaps being human was a punishment everyone endured, whether they were born noble, loved by everyone or in a brothel, with almost no one to want them in this world.

Only two years after he had set foot and is remaining days in the Survey Corps were never certain. He was aware that it was a given profanity at his agreement to join, and egoistically he would have chose this any other day over counting down days in the underground. In that rat hole, he was expected to fall ill and possibly dead at any given time in his late twenties.

He still looked like a phantom in the mirror. Whatever concluded his being was set and done unfairly, from the way his skin was as pale as snow and so sheer that made his purple veins show practically everywhere to his lacking height caused by malnutrition and lack of sunlight. Was it the veins around his lips or the ones under his eyes that perfectly blended with his sacked under eyebags? Was it that his nose was small if looked individually but looked elongated in the context of his face? Maybe it was that he was filled with scars.

Oh, and that he looked atrocious with those dark locks in combination with light eyes.

Despite never doubting his abilities, or letting insecurities get the better of him it was in moments like this that he felt broken.

By setting his clippers down on the sink, after making sure there was no single coarse hair on them, he slipped in his usual light gray button down shirt. He didn't bother to secure any strap of his gear on him yet; it was this early in the morning that no one was probably awake yet, only him and his throbbing head, so strapping himself with the gear could easily be avoided for the time being.

The flames flickered inside his cobblestone fireplace demanding to be fed with fresh logs in exchange for his warmth. His hands worked mechanically, throwing logs I the crevice delicately careful not to fill the room in ashes. With a maneuver stir the flames roared with rage, engulfing the wood almost too pleasantly to eye. He didn't hesitate to plouch down on the wooden floor, legs crossed and hands stretched towards the newfound warmth in an attempt to ease the lingering cold of his fingers.

Usually this was the time for the first tea of the day. Under any other occasion his brain would munch on him for the lack of the hot copper liquid in his stomach, but today was different. He contemplated on weather this mere fire could ever warm up anything other than tea but he refused to seek the therapeutic feeling of hot water entering his body. If he couldn't warm up on the outside why would he put any effort to do so in the inside.

The throbbing in his head ravaged the insides of his skull with striking rushes of pain at random places. When he went to rub on his forehead his ear would screech in ache, testing to see if his patience could handle such tag game.

Refusing to soothe any part of his aching body meant that he'd have to physically suffer throughout the upcoming day. Had he been any more grumpier he would be thinking about assigning everyone with another cleaning task, nontheless it didn't fit the nature of his mood. He felt like locking himself in his office to avoid as much human interaction as possible, he wasn't social to begin with so why shouldn't he be granted some days to recharge his ability to utter anything else than a grunt.

He sighed, head falling to face the floor as his eyes were framed by his ebony locks. He seemed to despise them, today more than ever. Was it because of you? It was a question that puzzled his mind for a couple of days, eating away any spare piece of logic he was ever left with. The only thing he knew, or supposed was that this feelings were probably meant to feel like that, at least for him.

Him, who shall never enjoy a simple pleasure of life such as experiencing the feeling of falling in love and having a lover to tend to his soul's wound. Of course he had to be dense enough to let such opportunity go as only a question arose days after day he'd spent with you. Did he deserve to be loved?

Yet those days with you, those days that he cut absurdly were fidgeting with his mind in the worst way possible, trying to torment him over the memory of your face.

It had started off as a simple admiration of your combat skills. The intimidating brushes oh your skin on his everytime he chose to spare with you out of all member in his squad, the sweat that dripped off of your forehead as your eyes gleamed with the enthusiastic power gathered in your fists.

Then, it was the way your hair flipped off of your shoulder when you would wrap your camel colored jacket on your form under the lingering tingerine lights of the sun setting behind the walls. The way it bounced on your back as you gripped the reins of your horse, leaving small encouraging sounds of victory as it seceeded its training tasks. He had taken notice of how well kept your hair was, always fresh and squeaky clean as it framed your face loosely.

Levi was smitten, wrap around your little finger in the blink of an eye, his nights agonising, his days filled with you mellowy blendind in any scenery and he couldn't get you out of his head. Your affections towards him were meticulously counted at first but he had sat back down and watched as you let yourself go around him, sparring smiles and watery glances to him during meals.

Before he knew it he had found himself longing to be in your arms every single moment of the day, much like a lovestruck teenager. As much as it seemed embarrassing for a man his age to swoon and melt like a candle at the sight of such youthful and sweet woman, he couldn't help it. His loner's manners had started to abandon him in your presence, the persuasion of your soft eyes had him giving in. The sweet touches of your hand on his cheek, allowing his head to rest on your palm as he talked about the enormous work Erwin had assigned him with, curved in his head forever, replaying every time he seeked some form of comfort.

Had it not been for Mike and Hange entering his office unexpectedly that one day he had forgotten to lock, he wouldn't have been forced to leave it all behind to avoid spoiling both his and yours reputation. It haunted him; they way he longed for you as his heart clung into his chest like a prisoner, but his words to you as you cried your eyes out that sunset kept reminding him he was not deserving of anything.

When news spread like a plague in the higher ranks everyone had turned on him and seldomly to you, whispering heart rotting comments. Among them that you were no good for eachother be it due to appearances or the context of your backgrounds. Levi knew the oxymoron of those dynamics, yet why did anyone have to point them out, to make him feel smaller than he was whether it was for teasing or not, he couldn't phantom.

Not only life was unfair to him, he had to strip his own self of the only thing he had a positive effect in his life just to go back to being a what the Scouting Region wanted him to be. Humanity's Strongest. The man with no weaknesses who slaughtered the gigantic beasts with skill and determination. His heart was supposed to belong to humanity, not you, not anyone else.

It hurt. To watch you give out your beautiful giggles to someone else through his office window ached him restlessly. The imagery of your sweet affectionate movements was right before his eyes, directed to someone else this time, during those beautiful November sunsets felt like gunshots aimed anywhere in his vital organs.

You had fallen for someone else, those were the news going around the squad lately. Petra bubbled enthusiastically about Gunther's encounters with you in the small alleyways of Trost on your day offs. Eld would scold you for dressing up appropriately for your dates and Oluo would miserably immitate him, giving you playful comments about reeking shit while biting his tongue. As Petra had informed him, his affiliations with you unbeknownst to her or any other cadet in the picture, Gunther was treating you perfectly, almost too good to be true. Something that made his heart fall into pits of darkness, all masked safely by his humane flesh and skeleton combines.

Would anyone ever treat you like he did? With such serenity? He knew, despite how short lived your fling had ever been, there would never be anyone like him in your life. And for that he had to be the one to punish himself. His fate would be pleased if he turned on himself wouldn't it?

Upon hearing the knock on his door, his mouth automatically spat the familiar inquiry on the knocker's intentions. It felt deaf to his ears; his mind was working on its own while he forced it to torment him with more what ifs. As his fingers brushed brushed underneath his nostril to scratch away any awkwardness that had gathered in the spot with a buzzing feeling.

"It's cadet (L/n) sir" he heard you yelp as you paused, unsure of what to say next. "Personal business if you don't mind!"

When you entered at his command, his eyes didn't dare to spend a second fixated on your bouncing locks. Instead they blinked into your (e/c) ones, staring at the melancholic expression that was plastered on them. Lower on your face, your lip trembled, teeth biting hard not to allow it to show but your efforts had already fell into vain as he quickly noticed it.

He hadn't realised you weren't sitting on the chair before his desk until he got up from his position on the ground, eyes immediately noticing you in his usual spot. You were curled up in a ball with your knees fitted to your eye sockets, silently suppressing what seemed to be the start of a brawling session as he sat there and watched, not daring to touch your back with his hand.

What had happened so early in the morning that had sent you in his office? The two of you weren't much on talking terms nowadays, a restriction he had forced on you from the day that he ended your shared endearments. As potential scenarios chewed on his thoughts your whimpers only grew louder and harsher.

"Don't you dare ask why I'm crying!" You spoke, small hiccups leaving the back of your throat as each time it roared with another wave of sorrow.

"It could be helpful to know."

His steel eyes never met yours as he spoke with his typical steady voice, although this time he had tried to take any nasal sound away from it.

"You're the reason I can't have anything work for me. Gunther said so himself." Another crashing wave of sobs overcame you and he watched frozen, unable to do anything just yet. Confirmation on your status had to be spoken, he wouldn't love to be touchy with another man's woman even if ever cell in his body ached for her.

"You're achingly beautiful, my heart will forever be yours and you knew it. Gunther' isn't fit to be a replacement for you. You get to be the one who comforts me for this breakup, for our breakup up, I can't talk about that shit with anyone else. You're all I ever had and you left me to pretend to be that weapom they want you to be." He had expected you to winch, to flinch or have any negative reaction to his touch on the back of your head, he had prepared himself for it, he had planned the words he'd say but such a reaction never came. You only have in to his lingering touch, hand reaching out for his in an attempt to pull him close.

He didn't feel the pain of his knees hitting the wooden floor as he coarsed you to his neck in full might, he ignored the heart that beat fast at the sound of you admitting you weren't over him, he chewed back at the thoughts that mocked you for calling him achingly beautiful.

The fidgeting of your fingers on the button of his shirt served as an action of your nervousness but all he could care about was that he could feel your heart beating at the right side of his chest almost in synch with his.

"I'm here." He soothed, one hand running through your soft locks as the other one pressed you to his chest. "I'm sorry" he admitted. Whether it was too late was up to your heart's desire to decide.

"You better be." You sniffled the goo that threatened to fall on his shirt.

"You should know by now. I can't bear to watch you thrive with anyone. Tch, I'm a smug runt myself for that."

He fell in silence as you tried to give into his caring comfort. It all felt too familiar, too rushed and too bitterweet to be real. He blinked at the thought and slightly bit his tongue to confirm he wasn't sleeping.

"I thought we belonged together, I thought... I thought I found something in you that was mine."

As your eyes brawled with hit tears once again your fists came to clench onto his shirt. There were distinguishable pauses in your crying; rashes of unspoken pain inside your chest that burned you to think about. It was all too familiar of a feeling to him and it only ever made him press you impossibly closer to his form.

"If it helps, I did so too."

It's only when your face lifts up for your wide eyes to look into his that he realises how much you've cried. Despite the practical darkness of the room your eyes are obviously bloodshot, painted with agony as they burn holes onto his skin, making him shut his in defense of his soul.

"I miss you so much and I can't sleep at night. I can't look at anyone and pretend they are you, they all see through this. I still love you and it hurts. I don't want it to hurt, Levi." Your confessions striked that particular nerve in him that made him numb, frozen on the spot, dumfounded over your words. Had he knew he'd be the reason that love pains you he would have never lead you on, he would have never looked at you with small looks of adoration as you ride your horse's together and most importantly he would have never let his filthy lips touch your angelic ones.

But he didn't find it in him to regret any of his actions.

Not now, not when his lips were begging him to be interlocked with the only pair then had declaired a match.

"I know I came here all of a sudden but it's been nights I haven't slept and I can't do this anymore. J-just hold me and once the sun is out I won't bother you anymore." Even if you tried to speak that nonsense with him you should have known better that it wouldn't work. He could already see the faint purples in the horizon, glazing over the glass of his windows as they lightened by every passing moment.

He knew why you were in his arms, he knew that pushing you away was never an option either. Thus, his hands came to rest under your face your face to tenderly direct it to his. His mouth opened but the words that he spoke took hours, years, eons to come out.

"What if I told you that I still love you, what would you say? Would you press your lips on mine and want to start over?" He inquired as he swallowed the hard lamp that had gathered in his Adams apple. "Would you speak your words in actions?"

The first light of the sky protruded behind the mountains, spreading a yellow light evenly around the sky. As you nodded and tugged your head close enough that your nose touched, your lips faintly brushed against each other's and his heart sped in unimaginable paces.

In the moment he wasn't a doomed underground ugly thug, his nose wasn't misplaced on the context of his head. He wasn't just Kuchel's bastard son that everyone wanted dead. He was that part that you had claimed as yours.

Small victories against his fate didn't always leave him hollow with unbearable loss after all.

My requests are always open, if you want to drop anything I'd be more than happy to write what you want ❤️

#levi ackerman #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi #snk x reader #aot x reader #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #Captain Levi #x reader #levi x you #levi x y/n #levi attack on titan #levi ackerman imagine #levi x reader imagine

190 notes · View notes

rev-plays-nikki · 3 years

Text

Alright here we go 🙃

I am extremely disappointed with the announcement of Heaven’s Favor, or Blessed Land, as it’s been officially named on this Nikki server, as our anniversary hell event. As many others have said, this hell event is beautiful, and I love the suits (although it is disappointing that none have dark skin tones and devs of our Nikki game and devs of the the Chinese server have not thought to add them after the fact), but for an anniversary of the game which many including myself feel is supposed to be the biggest celebration of the year, I was expecting a much larger and more expensive event, such as True Road or Four Gods.

I would have been thrilled with either of those events in truth, though as someone who loves Four Gods and has been wanting it for the last 3 and a half years, I was desperately hoping you would finally bring it to us. I was prepared to spend at least $300 and most likely more on diamonds, lucky bags, and other things, simply to show my support for the devs finally giving players what we have been asking for. The grandeur and expense of this event is puny compared with the other two options we could have been given. People complain sometimes when we get expensive events, yes, but usually that is a result of too many expensive events in a row. That issue does not exist this time, and the player base as a whole does want an occasional very expensive event, especially for an occasion as exciting and celebratory as the game’s anniversary. There will of course always be a few who complain no matter what, but in this case, players including myself are frustrated, angry, and tired of how we are treated by our server’s devs. This event announcement is yet another in a long line of things that have made it clear the only thing or server cares about is money grabbing.

Though this announcement has made me finally decide to stop spending on Love Nikki, it has not been the only thing I’ve been unhappy about. It has simply been ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ as they say. Our server’s devs have also made it clear they don’t care if we get the story in a way that makes sense either. We get the actual story chapters in order, and for the most part in a timely manner, yes, but there is a lot of the story and lore tidbits in other things like events (hell event as well as regular ones) and Dreamweaver stories. We do not get these in chronological order, which makes it confusing for everyone. I have to assume that our devs think we don’t care about the story, which I do think is largely true based on how many people tap through the story stages, but many of us still DO care about the story, so ignoring it and giving no thought to the order in which we receive story based events and Dreamweavers (both long-term “free” ones and ones that cost diamonds) is, frankly, a huge middle finger to that part of the player base.

The recharge lineup for this event is also extremely disappointing to say the least. And this can’t possibly be a surprise after the reaction from players when frost rose was brought back a while ago. We do NOT expect, and certainly do not WANT, return recharges for a hell event. Especially not for the hell event that is supposed to be our big anniversary celebration. Many were prepared to spend big for our anniversary, and now we will be spending nothing. This is yet another in a long history is giving us subpar recharge lineups that are either too expensive for a comparatively mediocre suit or contain too many expensive returning recharges for the same amount of money (or in a couple of instances, more, if someone had purchased parts of the suit in its original run and had to purchase the same again to complete it.) Personally I have purchased every recharge that became available since shortly after I started playing and have well surpassed V15 levels of spending, but I will be skipping these.

It is also shocking, as I noticed recently, that if a player does not claim their daily diamonds one day, the next day the number of daily diamonds left decreases regardless. This means if a player pays for a monthly recharge card, but cannot log in for one or more than one day for that amount of time, they simply lose some of the diamonds they paid for. While it is a “monthly” card, it promises a certain number of diamonds. It would deliver that number no matter what. Other games have systems in place to account for this. For instance, Time Princess, another dress up game, simply allows the player to collect their diamonds for whatever number of days they have not logged in. It works great and everyone stays happy and gets what they paid for. Maybe a similar system is not in place in Love Nikki and that’s fine. There are other ways to make sure people get what they paid for. The diamonds someone didn’t claim could be mailed to them for example, or daily diamonds could be made a permanent event like the daily login reward, and players could claim diamonds once a day as they choose. Another annoyance to players is that the permanent diamond pavilions still do not have a “confirm” pop up asking if players are sure they want to spend up to 1500 diamonds. This seems like such an easy fix and something players have wanted and asked for for some time.

Recharge suits should also come back for crafting. It seems as things have been going for the last four years that none come back for a long time, players complain about it and threaten to boycott, and a short time after, one relatively inexpensive suit will return in an attempt to satisfy players. Players then think this means recharge suits will return regularly, and are appeased for some time until the whole process repeats itself. This is very frustrating and tiresome. Every paid suit should ideally return for crafting, but my guess is that none of the highly expensive ones ever will. That is very sad to me, as I truly believe that every suit should eventually be made available to every player. I believe the same for the ranked suits, all of which I have, as well. It would be great if they came back but I understand for them why they will not far more than for recharge suits. As a paying player, the way I see it when I buy any suit is that I am paying to get it early, not that I am paying to get it at all. And I am more than happy to pay for that, and thrilled to know that every player will have the chance to get it eventually. I’m sure there are other paying players who don’t share my views, so I understand why devs are hesitant to bring back super expensive suits, but I do think they should return. Not only because on other servers recharge suits return for crafting far more frequently than on ours, but also because as time goes on the suits end up looking older and older and as such their value to players should decrease. The price of suits should go down when they return, not stay the same, and eventually every suit should be obtainable for any player.

Now, back to this hell event again, and more specifically Four Gods, because I’m selfish and I want it. Four Gods has been around for years. Those of us who have known about it from its original run on the original Chinese server have been expecting it to come to us ever since. Lore-wise, as I understand it, it was sort of an introduction to the main four Cloud families and their heads who feature prominently in some event and Dreamweaver stories, though not so much the main story yet. The event was sort of a prequel to Four Wars, and on the Chinese server Four Gods came first. I remember when we got the announcement for Four Wars for our server, and my utter shock. No one had expected or really been asking much for this hell and there were so many other, older events that would have made more sense to us at the time. This I think was the first truly egregious breach of lore order, at least that I can recall and that was so important to the story. When we got Four Wars most players had no idea who these characters were, so how were they supposed to care about them or the story? I think a large part of why many players don’t care about the story can be attributed to the devs not caring about it for us. If we were given events and story parts in chronological order so that it made sense, it would be much easier to follow and perhaps players wouldn’t give up on it so easily.

Since then however, years have passed and we still have not received Four Gods, or even been given the courtesy of being told why we haven’t gotten it. It hasn’t even been mentioned to us by our devs. Now there are rumors floating around the Love Nikki community about it that I think do no one any favors. There is the (I suspect true) rumor that the devs have for a long time intended to never give us this event. There is a rumor that there is some issue with converting the files from an older event to our newer server. There is a rumor that the reason we have not gotten Four Gods is that the devs do not want to give players the opportunity to get the 3000 free diamonds that originally came with the event. There are these and many other rumors, all of which highlight I think the most important issue with regards to our server, and that is communication.

Our server’s devs have always been, quite frankly, horrible at communicating with their player base. We get event announcements and teasers and all and that’s fine, those things are fun and exciting, but when it comes to larger issues in the game, like as an example darker skin tones and makeups that match them, and what the team is doing about it, we receive little to nothing. With this specific issue, and it’s not the only one, it seems players complain and complain and threaten to boycott as I’ve mentioned earlier, and the team eventually gives us the promise that they are working on it. These promises usually come far later than they should. And communication should be more than just promises once the team has finally decided to promise it. Communication should include the in-between phases. For instance, using this example, respond to players more quickly and tell us what the team is considering. We don’t always need promises, especially when the team can’t deliver what is wanted in a timely manner. We want to know what is going on. If the team is discussing something before deciding, let us know! It’s ok if nothing has been decided yet. We want to know what is going on, and if we know, we can give feedback and help the team in its discussions.

The game Time Princess again does this well. They offer frequent surveys that players can access the link to in-game, and they have almost weekly live chats in their Discord server where they answer questions, give hints and teasers about future events, give out extra redeem codes, and have players play fun trivia games with them regarding the game’s stories. If Love Nikki’s devs did something similar, it would greatly increase fan engagement with the game and the story, and show that our devs do care about us and what we want. After being more transparent with the community, and letting us know what’s going on, better decisions can be made, and better plans can be formed, instead of the team telling us nothing and letting us wonder and spread usually baseless rumors until we are given a promise. Even the promises are not always adequate either. With the dark skin tone makeups again, we were promised the team was working on it. And yes, we have received more dark skin makeups since, and that’s great, but it seems like we haven’t received that many recently, and when they come they are usually recipes that cost diamonds, and we only get a few makeups matching a few skin tones rather than one makeup for each.

My concern is that something similar will happen this time as well, and the team may well decide to continue not bringing us Four Gods without telling us a word about it or about why they have made such a decision. Supposedly now the team is talking about possibly bringing us Four Gods, but how do I know that? From the devs being open about their process and transparent with players about their plans and thinking? No, of course not. I know this because someone “close to Nikki'' told this to a well known player whom the rest of us know and trust as largely the only player who really knows what’s going on with the devs. And I doubt she even really does, but based on how little communication we get from the devs, it seems that way to the rest of us. And I of course do not mean this in any way to bash or throw negativity at Iri, I love her and she’s a wonderful person and member of our community! But it is a problem with our devs when someone telling one player something is the only way we can get some shred of an answer to our questions and desires.

Now, because I don’t want to be all negative and I don’t want to complain without offering solutions, here is a bullet point form list of things that could be changed in the game to greatly improve it and the players’ relationship with our devs. :)

- First and most importantly: communicate with players! Tell us what is going on with the team. Ask for feedback more often about more things than which door styles we prefer. Involve us in discussions! Transparency is paramount for any brand these days.

- Give us better “free” things. The Chinese server famously gets more free things like login rewards after server maintenance, etc.

- Add another recharge tier. The Chinese server has one more recharge tier than us ifI recall correctly, as well as their highest tier being more diamonds for less money. if that’s not possible for whatever reason, let us know and let us know why! And then make things less expensive. If that’s also impossible, give us better rewards. If that’s also impossible, at least let us know.

- Let people claim their daily dias even if they miss a day. Suggestions for this are already above in what I wrote.

- Add an “are you sure you want to do this?” button to all diamond pavs. Maybe with a checkmark for “don’t ask me again on this account.”

- Make sure darker skin tones and makeups come back in a timely manner. Maybe make a schedule for it and share that with players. Explain why it takes so long. Work on bringing poses for darker skin tones as well. If that’s not possible, explain to us why in detail.

- Give us four gods. Please and thank you. :) I promise plenty of us want it. If you can’t or won’t, tell us that, and tell us why. If you can’t tell us why due to a non disclosure agreement or something similar, tell us you aren’t able to tell us why. Whatever communication you can give us is far better than none.

I love and care about this game deeply. It has been a very important part of my gaming life through the past four years. I would not have bothered writing any of this if that weren’t true. I truly and genuinely hope that things change and get better in the future, but until then I will not be quitting, but I also will not be spending nearly as much time or money on it as I have in the past, which makes me sad. I wish everyone the best and I hope our devs will listen and improve their communication at the very least. Thank you.

#Love Nikki #lnduq #Love Nikki game #miracle nikki #love nikki dress up queen #TLDR; game bad. me not play as much or spend money until game better. also give us four gods.#anyway uhhhhhhh bye again got to post this everywhere else too but probably tomorrow so more people see

52 notes · View notes

nade2308 · 3 years

Note

43 ‘bleeding out’ for Mac, please! 😃

A/N: I finally got around to finish writing this, hope you like it.

Mac was enjoying the light breeze that was caressing his face. After going non-stop on missions for the last few weeks, and the temperatures in the city rising, it was a welcome reprieve to retreat to the mountains for a week off. That, and Mac had some ulterior motives for it, that he planned on talking about with Jack, but that could wait. It was the best he'd seen his partner look since Jack returned from the Kovacs mission and Mac was loath to ruin that. But as they approached the end of their week camping, just the two of them, Mac knew that he had to broach the subject sooner rather than later.

The thing in question that had Mac ask Matty for a week off to recharge and recuperate was a hostage situation that turned from bad to worse so fast that Mac was still reeling. But how Mac felt about it wasn't the issue, it was how Jack handled it (or rather didn't handle it) that was scaring Mac. So Mac decided to take matters into his own hands. And here they were. In the mountains, having a week off, camping. Just the two of them and the mountain air and the ground serving as a bed and pillow. So far things were going great. And Mac was happy to spend some quality time alone with Jack.

Jack wasn't okay, not by a long shot, and judging by how fast Jack was thrown back into the spy world after the Kovacs mission, Mac wasn't surprised. He was surprised that it didn't happen sooner. And he wasn't going to fault Matty and Russ about that, but seeing as they needed Jack to come and save the day, they saw the bigger picture and not the little details.

They weren't aware, at least actively, that Jack was having some hard time adjusting to being back, and although Mac noticed that, it took him a while to discover the source of why Jack was feeling like a fish out of water. Mac's best bet was that Jack was feeling guilty for spending almost two years on the Kovacs hunt and then he just… simply shut down. It was Jack who came back, but not all of him was quite there, yet, and that's where Mac struggled the most with.

Jack was quiet next to him as they walked down one of the trails. He seemed lost in thought and once again Mac was reminded of the reason why he asked Matty to give them the week off. He needed to talk with Jack, so they could work things out. Mac had a suspicion that this ran deeper than just the Kovacs mission. And now with their most recent mission going sideways… it was just a matter of time when it'd all blow up.

Mac was following Jack when his leg suddenly slipped on a wet log on the ground and Mac's breath escaped in a whoosh as he fell on his back and something snapped underneath him.

At first he thought he broke something, but the pain came a moment later and Mac screamed. It was one of those surprised, unbidden screams. But the pain was unbearable and he couldn't stop screaming. He couldn't see what it was.

Jack came to his aid immediately, screeching to a halt in front of Mac.

"Oh, no, no, no."

"J… Jack?"

"Hoss, I need you to calm down."

"W-why?"

"You have a bear trap closed in around your calf."

"B-bear what?"

Mac was getting confused fast and realized that something warm and sticky was running down his leg, probably blood. But he couldn't think about it too much, he had to make sure that Jack didn't freak out. Which seemed to have taken place because Jack was still standing over him, unable to move.

The pain was getting harder to ignore.

"Jack, can you get it out?" Mac breathed out through clenched teeth, and it was taking a great effort to talk.

"Um… I am not sure I should do that, Mac."

"We need to move somewhere where you can patch me up. We are… not safe."

It looked like the comment in combination with Mac bleeding out was enough to convince Jack. He pulled the first aid kid they always took with them, and opened it, disinfecting his hands, and then set on pulling the trap away from Mac's leg.

Mac knew that it was probably wrong. But he was willing to take his chances, rather than have the teeth of the trap dig in further in the flesh of his leg.

In hindsight, the snap Mac heard was probably the bear trap.

Mac bit on his hand to prevent a loud scream when the trap unlocked and Jack had to maneuver his leg out of it. Tears sprung to his eyes from the pain he was in, but he refused to let them out. He had to hold on. Just for a little longer.

"Oh, God, no."

Mac was aware of Jack moving around and then something was putting pressure on his leg. He realized too late that maybe pulling the trap off of his leg wasn't the best course of action. Because he started bleeding faster than before, and the gauze Jack used to staunch the bleeding was rapidly soaking blood and doing nothing to stop the bleeding.

Mac wasn't above trying to clot his wounds with black pepper or gunpowder, but they had neither on them right now… well Jack was probably carrying a gun, or two. It was worth a shot.

"Jack, you'll have to cauterize the wounds until we can…" Mac trailed off and forgot what he was gonna say. There was so much blood…

"I can't… Mac, I don't want to hurt you further. You know how bad it can get if you get an infection on top of everything."

Mac looked between Jack and his rapidly bleeding leg. He was scared he was going to bleed out before Jack could help patch him up or get him to a hospital, but on the other hand he was hurting a lot and probably wasn't for the best to make decisions while he didn't have his head in the game.

"Bud? Mac?"

Mac realized he spaced out and Jack was frantically yelling his name.

"What are we gonna do, Jack?"

"It's not much, but I can wrap your leg and carry you to the Jeep. Then drive to the nearest hospital, I suppose."

There was something about the way Jack handled the situation, but Mac couldn't put his finger on it.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think too much, and let Jack take over. Jack was always wired to help and be of assistance, and seeing as Mac couldn't do anything, but kept trying to stay awake, Mac appreciated Jack's alertness. Even though the delivery was cold somehow.

…

Jack was staring in front of him, eyes unseeing beyond the white and green of the tile in the hospital. The drive was a blur, once he got in the Jeep and called Matty to tell her about what happened and request help in settling things with the hospital; he was done with thinking.

There was so much blood. On Mac, in the car, on Jack, on Jack's hands. Honestly, Jack had no idea how to deal with this. He was aware that he was headed towards a spiral, but he had no idea how to solve that. Mac was the one who usually helped Jack when he was getting towards the darker holes in his soul, but Mac wasn't there with him now. And Jack wasn't sure Mac would want to be around him anymore. Ever since Jack returned back from the Kovacs mission, things were strained. It felt like Jack was trying to fit back in, somewhere he once fit seamlessly. But lately, the pieces with jagged edges refused to get smoothed out.

Jack tried to explain it with the way things happened a couple of years ago. The hush-hush of the Kovacs mission, the way he shook Mac's hand instead of hugging him. Telling Mac that he was just a good friend. It was all just a way for him to distance himself from how he was really feeling, how his heart was split in a thousand little pieces. How breaking the kid's heart and most of all breaking his promise, was the hardest thing Jack had to do in his life so far.

It was that and the subsequent mission as well as the time he was absent from their lives that brought Jack back to that person he was in the Sandbox before him and Mac were paired up. It was someone Jack wasn't happy to see reappearing.

Mac was the one that pulled him out of that state of despair almost ten years ago. And Jack wasn't sure that Mac would want to extend him the courtesy again. Because Jack left. He broke his promise. Why would Mac want to help him again, right?

Mac shouldn't be even close to Jack now. Jack was danger. The first moment alone with each other and Mac got caught in a bear trap. It was all Jack's fault. He was the one who screwed things up. He should have never returned. Just brought them more pain.

And he got people killed, the hostage negotiation from a week ago flashing in his mind. He was a killing machine, there was a reason why the Army kept him as long as they did. He was the best of the best for a long time. Give him a rifle and a target and then set him off into the wild.

Mac changed that.

Mac.

Whose blood Jack had on his hands.

…

Several more hours of waiting and a silent breakdown later, a doctor came out to the waiting room, relaying to Jack that Mac was going to be okay and that he was going to recover. As expected, he lost a lot of blood, but he was expected to make full recovery.

That made Jack feel a bit better, although he still felt guilty for going with Mac's plea to remove the trap from his leg. Jack could still hear the sharp click as the metal embedded itself into Mac's skin, the sick squelch sound it made when Jack pulled it off, the smell of blood, the iron from the blood mixing with the rust on the bear trap.

It was everything he could do to force himself to make the short trip to the bathroom where he threw up. After he was done, Jack washed himself thoroughly, making sure he scrubbed his skin until there was not a speck of dried blood or vomit and his hands and arms were pink.

And okay, he might have scratched harder and left some bloody trail of his own.

The doctor was gone when Jack returned from the bathroom, and he had no idea where to look for him. Jack forgot to ask if Mac was transferred to a room or not…

There was a nurse that appeared to his side and asked if he was Jack, telling him that the handsome blond in room 305 was asking for him. Jack went with her, because as much as he wanted to stop giving the kid grief, he would never deny him anything.

…

Mac could tell that he was on the good stuff because he didn't feel anything other than the floaty feeling which meant the painkillers were doing their thing. Otherwise, Mac was sure that he would be screaming in pain.

He was disappointed to see that Jack wasn't in the room when he woke up, but Mac knew that Jack was probably sulking off somewhere, trying to tell himself what he did wrong. And Mac didn't want that. Asking one of the nurses if she could find Jack and describing Jack the best he could, Mac hoped she could track him down.

(And okay, Mac might have been a bit loopy and waxed poetic about how amazing his partner was, but if asked Mac would say it was the drugs).

When the nurse returned with Jack in tow, something in Mac settled, but he could tell that Jack was having a hard time so he mustered up some strength to stay awake and talk to Jack.

Mac knew that he shouldn't have waited so long to talk to Jack, but what happened with the bear trap earlier put things into perspective. He knew that if he was to repair whatever ended up broken between him and Jack, he had to attack things head on.

"Jack."

"Hey, Mac. I am glad you are awake. You scared me, buddy."

"I think I scared myself. I'm so sorry about this."

"Why are you sorry for? It's not like you put the trap there yourself."

"I tripped. God, I'm a grade A klutz."

"That you are."

Mac could detect a hint of a smile in Jack's words, but he could tell it didn't reach Jack's eyes. His partner and best friend was still locked somewhere in that bad space where he was when Mac met him back in 2011.

"Listen, Jack, I want to talk to you about something."

Jack exhaled and Mac watched as Jack clenched and unclenched his hands in fists in his lap. He wanted Jack to hold his hand as always, but he also recognized why Jack was holding himself back.

"If you want to tell me that it's not my fault, save your breath, I know that it is, so…"

"Actually, it's not about that. But you are right about that one. It's not your fault. I begged you to remove the trap, and in hindsight I knew I shouldn't have, but it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"You… you were bleeding so much. I couldn't help you. I couldn't stop it. I did this."

"How? Let me reiterate what you said earlier. You didn't put that trap there, Jack. You couldn't have known. And I asked you to remove it. Okay?"

Another sigh.

"Yeah, okay."

Mac wasn't entirely convinced that Jack believed him, but he couldn't think much about it right now. He wanted to talk to Jack about something else.

"What was that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"About what happened a week ago."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I think we should."

"Mac, don't."

"Look, Jack, it's obviously bothering you. And something tells me this is not recent."

"Mac, please… I don't want to talk about it."

"It hurts. It hurts seeing you like this, Jack. I can't watch you destroy yourself systematically and blaming yourself for everything that happens. That's indeed who you are, you carry guilt the size of Texas in you, but this needs to stop."

The moment Mac saw anger and hurt flash on Jack's face before he schooled his features, he hated himself a little bit for using the way he felt to make Jack realize just how far he was gone in that dark hole again.

Just because this time Jack was functioning normally, or as normal as possible, it didn't mean Mac was blind to his partner obviously being depressed and maybe hating himself in the process.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't need an apology, Jack. I just need you to understand that just because you were absent for two years, it doesn't mean that you stopped being important to me and the others. We are family. And obviously something is bothering you. I want to know what it is. I want to help you, Jack."

"It's not on you, Mac. I can deal with it on my own. There's no need-"

"Oh, so my problems are your problems, but your problems are what? Chopped liver?"

"Kid, don't."

"Don't what? You are spiraling, Jack! You are so far gone, you can't even look me in the eye and I can tell that you are hurting. Talk to me, big guy. Please."

Mac could tell that he hit a nerve because Jack immediately looked up. The storm brewing behind Jack's brown eyes was about to start. And the worst of it was that Mac didn't know what to expect from Jack when it hit.

"You want to know why the hostage negotiation hit me so hard? Because that's how… that's how we got Kovacs. That's how I killed him. One cold and calculated killshot. Is that what you wanted to hear, Mac? Does that make you feel better?"

"No. But that's the most I've heard you talk about since you returned so I'm counting it as a win."

"When I accepted to lead the taskforce on getting Kovacs, I did it to protect you. I inadvertently hurt you and that's something I'll never forgive myself for. That and calling you just a good friend. You are so much more than that to me, Mac. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me one day."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Jack. And I know why you went. I read the report. I know my dad was behind it. And I know that you think you should punish yourself for it. But you shouldn't."

"I left you, kid. I promised I wouldn't and then I did. What does that make me if not a traitor? I don't deserve you."

"Hey, hey, now, stop."

Mac made an effort to move his hand and take one of Jack's and hold on.

"Jack. Did it hurt that you left? Yes. But I know why and I don't blame you. I would do it too, if I was put in such a position."

"I didn't… I went back to my old self, Mac. I became the ruthless killer the Agency and the Army needed at their disposal. And the way I shot that guy holding the kids hostages, my hand didn't even shake or move an inch. It was the steadiest I've ever hit anyone since… Kovacs."

"You are not ruthless, Jack. You never were."

"I'm not so sure about that, hoss. I didn't feel anything. When I pulled the trigger, I didn't feel anything. And that scared me more than I'm willing to admit. That's why I'm acting like this. I am dangerous. And I don't want to hurt you in the process. More than I already have, anyway."

"You are not dangerous, Jack. You are just you. And that thing you are feeling… that's part of you. You know, there was a wise man that once told me that darkness was part of us as well and that we need to embrace it in order to live with ourselves easier. And I don't know about you, but I have taken that advice to heart."

"I did say that to you now, didn't I?"

"It's time for you to take your own advice to heart, Jack. I won't throw you away just because there's a little bit of darkness in you. We both have done things we are not proud of, but we learned to live with it. And I know it's been a while since you had to do it, but I'm going to help you with reminding you how to do it. Okay?"

"Okay."

This time Jack's words sounded more convincing and Mac let himself smile. They just took the first step together.

"And Jack? It's okay to let us take care of you every once in a while. You need a break, too."

"Tell me about it."

As if on cue, they both yawned and burst into giggles. Suddenly Mac got an idea and he knew that it was impossible to make it work, he wanted Jack close.

"Come on, come here." He started tugging on Jack's hand.

"What? Where?"

To make his point clear, Mac made an effort to move on the bed.

"Hoss, you can't just ask me to take from your space, hold on, hey, stop it."

There was a thought that Mac filed for later, how easy it was to pull Jack into the bed while he was injured and on painkillers.

"We shouldn't be doing this, kid. You are injured."

"I know that, Jack. But I need you to get some rest too. And you never will until someone makes you, so I'm doing it. Now, hold me."

"So bossy." But Jack obliged and Mac felt himself truly relax in Jack's hold.

"Are we going to be okay, Mac?" Jack suddenly asked and he felt more than he heard Jack sigh.

"Yes, we are. I got you, Jack. You know, you watch my back and I watch yours. It still stands."

"Thank you, kiddo."

"Don't mention it."

#100 drabble challenge #drabble #writing #my writing #fan fic #my fic #prompt number 43 #bleeding out #Mac whump #Jack angst #angus macgyver #jack dalton #macgyver #macgyver 2016 #AU

21 notes · View notes

dourpeep · 3 years

Note

Seeing people complaining about the lack of anniversary rewards is getting so tiring. The game's ratings dropped to like 2 on Google play, all comment sections of official accounts are full of complaints. I know and understand that people are upset but it's just so so tiring to the point where I unfollowed most accounts that aren't related to fanart or fanfiction because of all that negativity

I personally spent (a little) money on the game so I get where p2w players come from but idk. I saw that we didn't get anything and moved on pretty quickly. Maybe that's just me, idk

Maybe you have a different view on this and if so, I'd like to hear it

Sorry for ranting in your inbox

hehe no need to apologize because I have quite a bit to say myself nodnod

Read if you like, don't if you don't--this is just my opinions and stuff based off my experience knowing Eastern gatcha games as well as talking about using a 5* vs 4* of the same build + slot

This got kinda long ehe-

Like really long.

Anyway

My turn for a Hot Take (tm)

Yeah I understand this--I've been feeling so drained and my enjoyment of the game and writing has diminished immensely because all I see everywhere is just that.

I understand that the event rewards suck but at the same time? I realize how gacha aren't really popular here in the West--and I have seen a lot of comparison between Genshin and Cookie Run but they're also two entirely different genres despite both being gacha. Not to mention that Cookie Run is fast at first until you get to around uhh Kingdom lvl 37~~ and you're stuck and can't go forward because things cost too many materials or your cookies aren't strong enough even though you have several stars on your team consisting of epics built as optimally as possible-

So the maintenance rewards for Cookie Run have been the only significant amount of gems I've been getting for a few weeks now compared to when I first started and could do 10 roll after 10 roll.

Also also, Cookie Run is PvP (arena, guilds, etc). Being able to get more rolls is absolutely a gamechanger. If you can't get a good defense cookie or healer cookie, you're fucked.

So!! That's why Cookie Run is more generous with rolls. You're not going to want to keep fighting other people in the Arena or doing Guild stuff if they don't add in those generous rewards.

On the other hand, Genshin Impact is an open world rpg w/ co-op (note, co-op doesn't count as pvp because you're collaborating) where you can build pretty much any of the characters to be viable (dps/vampire Barbara is one major example, Noelle is a guarantee roll character for that beginner's banner and she can easily be built to be a tank/healer/dps to fill whatever slot you desire)

So they're not going to be incredibly generous w/ rewards because the characters you have--meta or not--don't really effect your ability to play the game (unless we're talking spiral abyss which really is considered endgame anyway) when you're able to get at least one character of each element for free I mean, you start out with traveler who can be anemo, geo, or electro once you get to the respective places, Amber, Kaeya, Lisa, Barbara (iirc, you need to get to rank 20?), Xiangling (complete spiral abyss floor 3), and Noelle (reduced cost 10roll w/ guaranteed Noelle).

Which would be one of each element and a variety of one of the 5 weapon types nodnod.

Time to talk about builds and why it's not necessary to have a 5* unlike in other gatcha games like Cookie Run (again, a kingdoms builder) before going back to the anniversary stuff

But continuing, like Eula is considered a fantastic 5* character who features a kit that is based around her being a physical damage character. My sibling, C, has her built and she does some insane damage.

On the other hand, I have Xinyan built as a physical dps and if you were to compare their damage?

With crit, C's Eula deals 9k to 14k with Skyward Pride (5* claymore w/ energy recharge substat). With crit, my Xinyan deals 8k to 13k with Song of Broken Pines (5* claymore w/ phys substat) OR 7k to 10k with Prototype Archaic (4* craftable claymore w/ attack substat).

Both C and I agree that they're pretty evenly-matched in the sense of damage output.

We have similar builds focusing on physical damage, however, C's Eula uses 4pc Pale Flame and my Xinyan uses 2pc Bloodstained, 2pc Pale Flame (both have the 25% phys damage bonus for the 2pc). It's also good to note that both their Eula and my Xinyan have a physical dmg % cup.

So just by stacking up more phys on Xinyan, you get a physical dps (with some elemental support capabilities due to her E and Q) you can easily make her deal consistent, reliable damage that is comparable to a fully built Eula. Ofc, I'm sacrificing Xinyan's shield, but since she's built to be a physical dps, it doesn't matter anyway.

Another thing is Zhongli is an incredible shield support. His shield?? Absolutely insane because it's based off his hps. Guess who else has a hp-based shield and heals??? Diona. Another incredibly good support 4* with a shield and healing would be Noelle!

But with Diona, specifically since I did kinda cover over Noelle already, she can easily be built along with her shield having over 100% uptime (like how Zhongli has over 100% uptime). The fact that Diona is also a healer definitely is a perk too.

Ofc the difference with this is that Zhongli can be built as a burst support/dps while Diona is not. But the point isn't that--the point is that you don't need a 5* shield support to have a good, reliable shield support.

But regardless of 4* or 5*, to get a viable character, you need to build them well. So if your character isn't doing satisfactory damage, you just have to take a quick peek at what artifacts they're running and fix as needed!

Another thing--

Talking about the rewards and stuff for the anniversary-

Generally, gatcha games aren't really that generous with rewards and instead usually have some sort of event. In this case, I'm pretty sure that Moonchase is considered a part of the anniversary which is why it's giving so many rewards- just the primos from the first day alone with the chests and quest was enough for two rolls (40 chests * 5 primos each + 60 from the quest and a few that I forgot where they come from but are from the event) as well as the 4* Luxurious Sea Lord claymore.

Before you say that it's shitty for them to make a festival into the anniversary event, I'm certain that people would complain if the anniversary rewards were just a little more than the 10x fates and stuff and that's it because it'd feel like they're skipping over the anniversary entirely. (keep in mind, festivals don't normally give this much stuff in terms of primogems from what we've experienced so far--they're mainly focused on the free event weapon you can get and build like with Festering Desire, Windborne Ode, Dodoco Tales)

Also companies love taking advantage of festivals to make an event bigger + more fleshed out. It'd be otherwise kinda boring to have to just log in every day for a week (not to mention, not everyone does that) and encourages players to play to get rewards.

yeah, that's supposed to work in their favor because they want to keep interest.

So the fact that there's a lot of backlash on everything going on is tiring and also?? I want to make the point that they'll only listen to so much. Getting heard is important, but there will be a point where Mihoyo will just stop listening to the players entirely because all they're getting is a constant barrage of "this event is the worst" "no one likes that character" "(insert character) when???" "okay but where's (blank) rerun?" pasted over the forums, discord, twitter, facebook, instagram--

You can't keep demanding more while also talking shit constantly about the new stuff added because then they'll just not add those new stuff because we (general) seem to never be satisfied.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up just cutting Genshin Impact as a loss entirely if this continues as it has and gets even worse.

But I digress.

Anyway, I agree that it sucks that the daily login rewards for the anniversary are just cut and pasted from the Lantern Rite, but as someone who's played a lot of gatcha games, it's pretty much the standard.

Have a daily sign in for rewards and a big event featuring a ton of stuff you can get instead of having an 'official' anniversary event.

I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing because it's not coming to mind, but yeah. These are my general thoughts on what's happening with the discourse.

#anon asks #discourse #anyway that being said--make sure to get some rest anon #stuff like this is incredibly draining so take care of yourself nodnod #I'm not sorry for this being so long I got carried away but at the same time this is something I'm pretty passionate about #And I'm not at all excusing the stuff going on but at the same time us (general as players) are also not really being the best

6 notes · View notes

theres-no-protocol-for-this · 3 years

Text

Apologies & Logistics

This is the end of the “Humans Adopt a Combat SecUnit” story, or at least this part of it.

Jae

I had expected the governor to fry my organic neural tissue for disobeying a direct order, but it had merely immobilized and disabled me. I couldn’t move or see, but my hearing continued to function normally. It was a non-optimal outcome but still significantly better than my initial predictions.

In my ear, Serenity provided a running commentary of ongoing events. I felt like an oddly captive audience to a ship that suddenly eager for conversation, no matter how one-sided. And it had a variety of opinions on topics ranging from the Corporation Rim to cargo haulers, handlers, and the intricacies of wormhole travel. I wasn’t bored.

Meanwhile, external voices came and went.

I heard Cass leave the control room moments later with a squeaky gurney that could have used some grease in her wake. Kris’s booming voice echoed on the bridge while he negotiated docking procedures with one of the incoming rescue vessels. He notified them about the rescued corporate higher-up but failed to mention my existence. I suspected either they would dispose of me or steal me. My risk assessment module deemed the former option unlikely, given my handler’s determination in reversing the governor’s freeze command.

Presumably, I was still on the inventory lists of the security and tactical support company that owned me, and the humans would need to make me disappear in order to leave the sector.

“I’m not sure you can hear me.” Kris’s voice was suddenly close enough that I thought he might be sitting on the floor next to me. “And I’m not sure which option is better, honestly. I hope you’re not just trapped in there until Cass figures out how to fix this. But if you can hear me, I want you to know that I’m grateful. You protected my best friend when I couldn’t, and that means a lot to me.”

The human’s voice trailed off for a moment before picking up again. “Anyway, we’re going to finish this cargo run, but before we do, we’ll meet with a friend of mine who, uh, locates documents that don’t strictly exist and formally assign your ownership to Cass. Just in case.”

More silence. Human processing time is slow, but this was different. “Deity, it hurts to even say that. I really hope you’re not hearing this.”

Meanwhile, Serenity explained, “What Kris is referring to is a forger or a fixer. Probably one of Kris’ friends from his university days.”

The human kept talking. “I’m sorry about calling you a bot. You’re obviously not, and right now, I’m fucking hating the rules that say otherwise.”

I didn’t understand the human’s concerns; to me, the facts remained immutable. I was property, and if I belonged to this crew in a legal sense, they wouldn’t be stopped by Port Authority wherever they went next. If I could speak, I would’ve recommended that exact course of action.

A moment later, Cass returned from the medical room. I could hear her light footsteps as she moved around the bridge, and Serenity gave me an excellent overview of what the human was doing. My handler’s voice was gentle when she said, “All right, let’s take care of Jae. How’re you holding up, SecUnit?” I could hear someone unspooling a cable. “Ready, Sere?”

“Of course,” the ship answered in its mechanical tone.

I recorded a brief but frantic burst of activity between myself, my handler, and the ship that was mediating between us. Cass wanted to disable my governor permanently, but there was no practical way to do so without access to a Combat SecUnit manual, which we didn’t have. She implemented perhaps the next best thing — the module would no longer react or take action without my handler’s explicit permission.

Then Cass overrode my governor’s freeze command, and I could move again.

I opened my eyes to find Cass staring at me with a worried expression on her tired face. Serenity reconnected me to the feed, so I reached up and removed the feed interface from my ear. Now the ship could bother me anytime it wanted.

“How are you feeling?” my human asked nervously.

Better than initially anticipated. I’d added the sentence to my buffer once I’d understood what Cass was asking. It was becoming easier to modify the buffer with each attempt.

“You weren’t expecting to survive that, were you?” The human sounded suspicious.

I shrugged.

“Don’t ever do anything that stupid again! That’s not an order, Jae. This is me telling you that we like you alive and safe, and I want you to consider your own well-being when deciding how to best handle a situation.”

Understood, Cass.

I sat up, and the woman hugged me with probably all the force she could muster. I… I didn’t mind it. At all

***

Kris

The rescue ship that finally docked with Serenity was a small patrol vessel that belonged to the station's towing company. I was pretty confident that the warship would not need a tow at this point — there wasn't enough of it left out there to warrant cleanup operations. Since I had performed the rescue spacewalk and had gotten injured, a company representative took my statement first. Te pulled out a display surface and took down notes, presumably so ter corporation could figure out who to bill for the unnecessary services.

While Cass and I dealt with the tercera and the legal bullshit in this sector, Serenity edited the video and audio of my spacewalk to make it look like Jae had been destroyed by one of the weapon-wielding bots. In my report, I noted that we had a Combat SecUnit on board at one time, but it had suffered catastrophic damage during the rescue operations. When prompted, I mentioned that we'd put what remained into the recycler.

It was a bald-faced lie, but the bored and cranky representative seemed entirely disinterested. Te didn't even review the video before signing off on the documents, didn't ask for any logs, and performed only a cursory examination of the unconscious corporate employee still in our medical suite. For a small fee, te even offered to take the woman back to the station so we could be on our way quicker. Frankly, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of the human.

Cass had other ideas.

She and I huddled in the mess while the representative returned to ter ship to finish scanning the debris field. Te grumbled that billing back damages on an infiltration attempt would be a nightmarish hell of solicitors from the owner company and wasn't motivated to make anything easy for them.

"What if she tells someone?" Cass demanded after the tercera had departed.

I sipped my coffee and shrugged. "It's going to be a he-said-she-said between the corporate and the station."

"No, I mean later, when Tatiana returns to work minus a construct."

"They'll probably deduct its cost from her salary and demote her. The company cares about profit margins. And she won't be able to prove anything anyway since I destroyed her interface."

The captain looked unconvinced. She paced the room, running a hand through her shoulder-length hair in a nervous gesture. "I don't know…"

"Cass, we are literally stealing one of the most dangerous weapons in the Rim. I think we have bigger problems than one pissed corporate." I tried not to sound patronizing, but it was a struggle. "We absolutely can't take her with us."

"What if we could change her mind? About Jae."

I tried not to spit out my coffee and almost succeeded. The smell of coffee in my nostrils was unbearable. "I don't think so, love. If she doesn't think it's a person now, after working with it for the entirety of its life, what are the odds that we can say anything to change her mind?"

Cass sighed and stopped pacing. "Yeah, you're right. I just…"

"I know. You want to do the right thing. But at this point, absconding with our new friend is probably the best we can manage."

"Yeah." She still sounded reluctant. "Maybe I can reach out to Mom's friend and see if she can help somehow."

I glanced at her dubiously. "You sure you want to talk to Dr. Mensah? Didn't you say she was a councilperson or something?"

I knew pitifully little about Cass's home planet because she never spoke of it. It was a freehold planet unaffiliated with any corporate entities where people were apparently nice to each other. At one time, she'd mentioned growing up on a farm alongside a large extended family, but the story always ended with her leaving home as soon as she was old enough to make her own way in the world. That her mother knew one of the Preservation Alliance leaders reminded me that Cass had connections, even if she chose to do everything on her own, all the time.

"She was until she retired a couple of years ago, I think. I haven't been back in a while, and I barely talk to move. I definitely don't keep track of her friends." She scratched at a scab on her arm. "I remember a news burst that Mensah rescued a SecUnit, but that was..." She frowned. "Well, long enough ago that I completely forgot about it until just now."

I cleaned up the mess I'd made on the table with the coffee. "We're sending the crazy corporate goon back with the tercera. And if you want to call your parent, that's up to you. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you."

"Says the guy that doesn't speak to his parents."

I stiffened and then remembered that Cass had no idea why I avoided my family. "My parents still believe I'm female. I'm not willing to add jack shit to that conversation."

The captain looked at me with the same warmth that had initially convinced me to join her crew. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry, Kris. I didn't realize your parents were idiots."

That made me grin. "Idiocy is a nice way of putting it, love. I used some stronger words last time I saw them." I got up and wrapped an arm around Cass's thin shoulders. "Come, let's go see about finishing this transaction and getting the hell out of here. I bet Jae is bored sitting in its cabin."

"It's recharging," Cass told me, another reminder that she knew what the SecUnit was doing at all times. "But yeah, let's go. Enough insanity for one day."

The End!

I don’t know where the characters go from here. I have some ideas but maybe that’s a story for a different time.

I wanted to tell a story about stealing a CSU and there it is. And CSU in this case is a complete sweetheart, so. :)

#murderbot #ao3 #fanfiction #adopted #combat secunit

12 notes · View notes

fiction-fun · 3 years

Text

Loving in Color

Part 3 let's go!

Fandom: Power Rangers (Dino Thunder)

Pairings: Tommy/Jason, Ethan/Conner, Kira/Hunter, Trent/Oc

Words: 12068

Warnings: None!

Kira and Kaley nodded, following the boys away.

“Woah their huge!” Conner called as they all stopped in front of the Zords.

“Woah boy, it’s all good.” Ethan started.

“Be careful!” Kira called

“That’s right, I’m your friend. Tricera Zord!” Ethan called, and the Zords eyes flashed before its colors changed from an off green to a silver and Blue combination.

“It worked!” Ethan called.

“Yeah!” Conner and Kira called.

“Alright my turn.” Kira said lifting her Morpher.

“Ptera Zord! We can be friends, right?” Kira asked as her Zord also glowed and flashed before changing to Yellow and Silver.

“Awesome!” Kira and Ethan called; Kaley jumped a bit.

“Conner the Tyrano Zords out of control!” Ethan called.

“You have to do something!” Kira said.

“Alright, Come on! I need you to work with me here!” Conner called raising his hand up.

“Tyrano Zord!” He called and his Zord like the others, glowed before changing from green to Red and Silver.

“Yes!” Conner called and Ethan and Kira cheered as they joined him.

Kaley looked at her Morpher.

“It’s my turn.” She said stepping forward.

She lifted the Morpher high into the air.

“Come on, buddy. We’re friends. You need to relax and come back now. Troo Zord!” She whispered before raising her voice at the end.

Her Zord like the others glowed before changing to Green and Silver.

“That’s it.” She said softly.

Tommy ran over to them then.

“There’s only one thing left to do, bring them together. It’s alright you can do it.” He said quickly.

“Alright let’s do it!” Conner called.

“Alright!” Ethan shouted.

“Yeah!” Kira said.

“Right.” Kaley said.

With that they all jumped up into their Zords. They appeared in the Zords and balls appeared before them.

“Logging in.” They all called.

“I got it!” Kira said.

“Me too!” Ethan followed.

“Right, combining powers.” They all called.

Very quickly their Zords came together to form the MegaZord.

“It worked!” They all called when the MegaZord was fully together.

“Your robot is no match for me! Fire!” Their enemy called.

The enemy struck their Zord with a bunch of little energy balls causing them to stumble backwards.

“Ok, now I’m mad.” Conner called.

The enemy shot whips out and wrapped them around the MegaZord, sending electricity down them, knocking them back a bit.

“Time to head for the back of the net!” Conner called, before swinging them up into the air and over the ship.

“There’s the heart of the ship!” Ethan called.

“Dino drill engage!” They all shouted, aiming for that spot in the ship.

They went through the entire ship and landed on the street below before the ship exploded.

“Yeah!” They all shouted happily.

They ended up back at the lab where Tommy took their Morphers and made them change into bracelets.

“Keep these bracelets with you at all times. It’ll access your Morphers when you need them, and you can also use them to communicate with me and each other.” Tommy said as they each took one.

“Dr. O, I know you’re real smart and a science teacher and everything, but this is, well I mean, how did you?” Kira started to ask.

“I’ll fill you in, in time.” Tommy replied.

“Speaking of time, do you think Mesogog is going to be sticking around for a while?” Ethan asked.

“Unfortunately, they always do.” Tommy replied.

“They?” Conner asked.

“I know this is a lot to take in.” Tommy started.

“That’s for sure.” Ethan said.

“Your lives have just changed in ways you probably never could have imagined, but if you work together, you’re a team. No one can defeat you, no one.” Tommy said looking at them.

After a little longer of talking, the other three left and Tommy and Kaley walked back upstairs.

“Hey, good job out there.” Jason said looking up at them.

Tommy nodded and moved to sit down by him.

“Hey, just so you guys know, I was going to tell you eventually. Just, there was a lot going on. To be fair my brain was elsewhere, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m sorry for how I acted.” Kaley said quickly hugging them both.

They wrapped their arms around her.

“It’s ok, just go get something to eat, and get to sleep its bound to be a long few days.” Tommy said softly.

“Yeah, after I text Trent and let him know I wasn’t stranded in the school like he no doubt thinks.” Kaley said standing up and moving towards the steps.

“Kaley.” Jason called.

She turned and gave him a smile.

“I know I can’t tell him. But I can and will tell him I’m alright.” Kaley said quickly.

Jason nodded and Kaley ran up the steps. The next few weeks were stressful between school and dealing with monsters plus Trent was acting strange. Kaley took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, before her eyes snapped open.

“Would you both just shut the hell up!” she snapped slamming her book closed.

Ethan and Conner both turned to look at her eyes wide.

“Woah, is everything ok?” Kira asked from beside her.

She took a deep breath and reopened her book.

“No, it’s not. And today I really can’t handle their constant bickering like a damn married couple.” She muttered lowly.

Kira had turned to say something to the boys when the doors to Hailey’s opened, catching their attention.

“Well maybe Trent can make your day better.” Kira said instead.

Kaley closed her book again and stood up to walk over to him.

“Hey, Trent.” She called.

Trent turned and tried to smile, but even she could tell it was strained and partially faked.

“Hey, Kaley.” He said and he didn’t sound good.

Kaley ran a hand through her hair.

“How are you?” she asked him worried.

“I’m fine, why?” he asked voice tight.

Kaley scrunched her face up for a second.

“We were supposed to study together for dads test on Friday, and then you blew me off. I was just wondering.” She said concern lacing her voice.

Trent shrugged.

“I had some stuff I had to do.” He said elusively.

Kaley nodded, and laid a hand on his arm.

“I understand, do you want to study after your shift? I’m sure Hailey won’t mind.” She suggested lightly.

He shrugged her hand off, but looked more concerned then upset.

“Uh, no. Dad wants me home right after my shift. Maybe, uh tomorrow.” He said quickly before ducking into the back.

Kaley watched him go.

“Yeah….ok.” she said quietly before walking back to the others.

She started packing up her things slowly.

“Hey, is everything ok?” Conner asked, he was a goofball but he could be observant when he wanted to be.

She shook her head.

“No, it’s not, I’m going to go home. I’ll see you guys later.” She said before walking out of the café.

Three weeks later and Kaley closed the door of the Jeep.

“All I’m saying is, don’t let his actions get to you, Anton isn’t exactly an easy man to work with. I can’t imagine how he is the live with.” Tommy was saying as they rounded the front of the Jeep and headed towards the warehouse.

Kaley took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, finding out Trent was evil and being controlled by Mesogog was rough, the fights notwithstanding.

“I know, and saving him is top priority. But Dad he’s getting worse. It almost seems like he doesn’t recognize any of us anymore. Not even me. I’m just worried.” She said quietly as they walked over to the scanner.

Tommy turned and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Princess, you know we can and will save him. And we’ll all be there after he is freed. It’ll be ok.” Tommy said gently using his old nickname for her.

She sighed and went to say something when they heard a noise.

“What was that?” she asked.

Tommy and her turned and looked around for the source of the crash, when Trent came rounding the end of a stack of boxes, before collapsing. Disregarding any measure of safety Kaley ran over to him.

“Trent!” she called falling to her knees beside him.

He shook his head and tried to shove her away.

“No, you have to get out of here. Both of you, please! I don’t want to hurt you again.” Trent said tone begging.

Kaley shook her head and looked up as Tommy knelt down on his other side, quickly scanning his morpher.

“Trent, I know this is terrifying. But you need to breath and focus on something else. It’ll help keep you from morphing.” Her dad explained quickly.

Trent was shaking his head.

“All I can think of and hear is his evil voice in my head.” Trent said sounding broken.

“I know it’s hard but you can do it.” Tommy encouraged.

Trent started to shake his head again when Kaley grabbed him carefully by the head and pressed a hard kiss against his lips, pulling back and seeing his eyes wide, she smiled.

“There think about that.” She said smirking softly.

Tommy sighed and shook his head.

“I did say he should breath too.” He said.

Kaley shrugged.

“I was more focused on clearing his mind.” She replied.

With that Kaley and Tommy grabbed the scanner and helped Trent to the Jeep. They got back to the base again, Kaley providing distractions as needed, and got him onto a med bed. Tommy scanned his morpher again and hummed. Over the next week they did what they could to fix the morpher.

“Ok any ideas?” Tommy asked one night over his third cup of coffee.

Jason shook his head as Kaley hummed.

“Wasn’t there another case of a morpher malfunction?” She asked.

Tommy hummed and nodded, Jason looked confused between them, Tommy shot him a smile.

“You hadn’t come back from Geneva yet. But yeah, Zhane. He was in Cryostasis for almost 2 years before he woke up and when he did his morpher had a 2.5-minute limit. He had to recharge it and it worked fine.” Tommy said not connecting what his daughter was trying to say.

“With lightening.” She said.

Tommy nodded still looking confused, even as Jason’s eyes widened in understanding.

“A controlled shock might just be enough to break the evil connections.” Jason said quickly.

Tommy slapped a hand over his forehead.

“That may work, although it may also hurt him.” He said.

“Let’s do it.” Trent’s voice cut in from the other side of the room.

Kaley stood up quickly and went to him, helping him to a chair.

“You should have stayed in bed.” She said gently brushing the hair from his face.

Trent shook his head.

“No, this is about me too. Let’s do the shock it seems like the best course.” He said.

Tommy looked at Jason, before nodding.

“Alright, but it’ll take a few hours to set up.” He said before him and Jason walked to the back room.

Kaley kneeled down in front of him, seeing how tired Trent was. She reached up and rested her hand on his cheek.

“You’re sure?” she asked softly.

“It’s our best bet. I already can’t stand knowing I’ve hurt you. So, I’ll take the shock over the risk of doing anything like that again.” Trent said softly.

Kaley nodded and leaned up kissing him gently.

“I don’t blame you, I could never. You were being controlled; it wasn’t you.” She said softly.

He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

“I know, I don’t know how I got so lucky.” He said.

She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around him.

“It’ll be ok.” She whispered.

Trent shook his head.

“What if it doesn’t work?” he asked softly.

Kaley wrapped her hand in his hair tangling her fingers in gently.

“Then we’ll figure something else out. We can contact Aquatar, or KO-35, Triforia is an option too. We won’t let this hold on you any longer. I’ll kick Mesogogs ass myself unmorphed if I have to.” Kaley said firmly.

Trent nodded and moved to stand.

“I’m going to go lay down until it’s time.” He said softly.

Kaley nodded and stood to help him back to his bed before moving to the back room where her parents where.

“That was quite the speech.” Jason commented, trying to sound light.

Kaley turned and looked at him with a face full of determination.

“It wasn’t just a speech. I was beyond serious. Either this works or I start punching enemies with my bare hands. That bastard isn’t going to continue making him feel like shit about himself. He’s a fantastic person, who doesn’t deserve any of this.” Kaley said fiercely.

Jason raised his hands a bit in a calming position.

“Breath. Trust me, I know where you’re coming from.” He said softly.

Tommy looked up with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh?” he asked.

Jason rubbed the back of his neck.

“I may or may not have made a very similar statement when we figured out evil green was you.” Jason said looking to the side.

Tommy gave him a smile as he shook his head and kissed him lightly, Kaley groaning behind them. Tommy smirked.

“Pay back. And I suppose like Father like daughter.” Tommy said with a small laugh.

Both Kaley and Jason looked to opposite sides of the room, rubbing the back of their necks. Tommy laughed and moved into the main room to start setting up the controlled shock machine. Within the next hour they had it set up and ready.

“Kaley, go get Trent and let’s see if this works.” Jason said as Tommy was to far into the calculations.

Kaley nodded and walked into the back, offering a smile to Trent. In a few minutes she had helped him to the front area and into the chair where Jason wrapped the strap around his wrist.

“This is really for your safety.” He said in response to Trent’s look.

Trent nodded.

“Well, it makes sense, electricity and all.” Trent said softly.

Kaley ran her hand through his hair and hugged him quickly before walking over behind the protective shield. She took a breath and then the room lit with a bright light. After a few seconds the room darkened again.

“Trent? How do you feel?” Tommy asked walking to him.

Kaley just a step behind him, Jason was looking over the readings. Trent groaned a bit but looked around for a second.

“I feel…good. Like really good.” He said sounding relieved.

Kaley rushed forward and hugged him tight as Tommy undid the strap on his arm.

“Thank you.” Trent said softly.

Tommy shook his head and turned back to Jason.

“You two should head upstairs and do the work you missed.” Tommy said in response.

Kaley pulled back and nodded, helping Trent stand. They walked up the steps and settled on the couch.

“What…. what happened?” Trent asked a few hours later.

Kaley looked up, humming lightly.

“When?” she asked.

“When I was evil.” Trent said softly.

Kaley closed her eyes and pushed her book away.

“First, that wasn’t you, I don’t care what anyone says. Second, we went home with far more bruises then normal, but it also forced us to work together.” Kaley said trying to be gentle.

Trent took a breath and leaned back.

“Details?” he asked softly.

Kaley took his hand and sighed softly, going over the details and things that had happened. The next few months went by quickly, and before they knew it prom and graduation where upon them.

“So, what are you wearing?” Kira called from where she was in the dressing room.

Kaley smiled softly and looked up from her phone.

“I’ve got a length emerald dress, one shouldered and a white belt to go with it.” She called back.

Kira laughed a bit before stepping out and turning to look in the mirror.

“What do you think?” she asked.

Kaley nodded.

“I like it. And I think Hunter will like it too!” Kaley teased her lightly as she looked over the yellow dress with small dark red accents.

Kira turned bright red and smacked her lightly, before running back into the changing room to put her clothes back on. Walking out a few minutes later tugging her jacket on. Kira walked over to the shoe rack her dress in hand.

“So, what's going on with Trent?” she asked Kaley as she too stopped at the shoes.

Kaley shrugged lightly.

“You know as much as I do. Dad’s got him doing recon on the enemy side, trying to figure out who Mesogog is, or any weaknesses he has. Although he says he has some idea of who he is and what happened. But he hasn’t told me anything.” Kaley said softly, looking around at the different shoes.

Kira nodded and the two moved to the cashier to finish their shopping.

“So, do you think Conner and Ethan will ever stop being idiots?” Kira asked a while later as they were walking home with their shopping and milkshakes.

Kaley let her head fall back with a loud laugh.

“No, I think they’ll always just be yelling at each other.” Kaley said laughing.

That caused Kira to join in and they walked into the house laughing.

“Guys, the rest of the team is downstairs, go on.” Jason called interrupting them and he didn’t sound ok.

“Everything ok Poppa?” Kaley asked carefully as the girls sat their bags down.

“Not really, go on, they’re waiting.” Jason said, voice tight.

Kaley looked at Kira and they both walked to the hidden hatch, Kira tilting the tyrannosaurus models head and letting them in.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Kira called as they walked down the steps.

They walked into a tense scene. Trent standing to the side with Conner glaring at him and Ethan sitting by the monitors, Kaley could hear who she assumed was her dad and Hailey working in the back.

“What’s up is that someone has been keeping things from us.” Conner said sharply, eyes not moving from Trent.

Kaley moved over to Trent and looked him over.

“You ok?” she asked softly as Kira stood between the two groups trying to get the full story.

Trent ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m ok. Just found out some bad news that Conner thinks I’ve known.” He said voice tight.

Kaley raised her hand and gently laid it on the side of his face.

“Conner is a hot-headed jerk at the best of times, don’t let him get to you.” She whispered softly.

Trent sighed and nodded, resting his forehead on hers again before pulling back, and turning to the stairs.

“What running from the truth?” Conner called.

“Conner shut up.” Ethan said walking over to them.

Kira shot Conner a glare, as Kaley turned slowly and took a step towards him.

“I just need some air. I’ll just be outside.” Trent said not even turning.

He walked up the stairs ignoring everything Conner said.

“Yeah run back to your evil daddy, you traitor!” Conner called.

Before anyone could blink Conner was on the floor and Kaley stood over him.

“Conner if you know what’s good for you, I’d stay quiet if I where you.” Tommy said from the back having come out when he heard the thud.

He walked over and moved between his daughter and Conner, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“You need to breath.” Tommy said and Kaley took a deep breath.

Conner slid up onto his butt before standing up wiping his face.

“What the hell! I was just saying the truth!” Conner called.

Tommy quickly wrapped his arms around Kaley again when she lunged at Conner.

“If we want him alive, someone get him out of here!” Tommy called.

Kira nodded grabbed Conner and dragged him up the stairs, almost running into Jason as she did. Ethan following behind them a little slower.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked confused, having heard the commotion.

Tommy sat Kaley on a chair and turned to Jason.

“Conner ran his mouth about Trent without the girls getting any information, Trent went outside, Conner kept running his mouth. Kaley snapped and punched him, well that’s what happened from what I saw.” Tommy explained running a hand through his hair.

Jason turned to Kaley arms crossed.

“Yes, I punched him. Yes, I would have again had dad not stopped me. Will I the next time I see him? Probably. He had no right talking about Trent like that.” Kaley said firmly.

Tommy sighed and turned to the steps.

“Speaking of, I should make sure Conner and Trent aren’t in a fist fight.” Tommy said walking upstairs.

Jason nodded and looked at his daughter.

“Kaley, I don’t like the amount of fights you’ve gotten into lately. First that kid at school, yes it was months ago but still. And now your own teammate? We don’t fight our teammates!” Jason said sternly.

Kaley looked up at him and offered him a short glare.

“Like you even know what this last year has been. You’ve been gone with the PRU so much, we rarely see you. Also, I don’t care if he is my teammate, he ran his mouth about my soulmate, my person. Anyone who does that gets punched. I don’t care.” Kaley said firmly.

Jason sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“I know I’ve been gone a lot, but I’ve had to help organize some things. You need to learn to control your emotions…” Jason started before Kaley jumped out of her seat.

“No! Don’t stand there and tell me to let him get away with that. Because we both know you’d do the same damn thing if someone said something about Dad!” she said voice tight.

#fanfiction #fanfic #Power Rangers #power rangers dino thunder #dino thunder #tommy oliver #jason lee scott #conner mcknight #ethan james #kira ford #hunter bradley #trent fernandez #oc

3 notes · View notes

lifblogs · 3 years

Text

#SPNAdventCalendar2020 | Christmas Curse | @bend-me-shape-me

READ ON AO3

“DEAN!”

Dean was shocked from his sleep, hearing Sam calling for him as effective as getting doused with a bucket of ice water. In a second, he was grabbing his Colt MK IV from underneath his pillow, re-checking that it was loaded, and hurried out of his room. He went quickly, but kept the gun held out, knees slightly bent to have better control over his motions should he need to dodge anything.

When he entered Sam’s room, the light was on, and his brother was running his hands through his hair. Dean checked every corner of the room, and aside from seeing a creepy Santa doll, he didn’t see anything strange. He lowered his gun.

“Sam, come on! I thought you were dying.”

“Yeah, me too. I woke up in bed with that thing,” he said, pointing across the room where the Santa doll had clearly been pushed onto the floor.

Dean decided to not put his gun away just yet. He approached, pistol pointed at the floor away from his feet. He kicked the Santa doll, and then, expecting some form of retaliation, he stepped back, leveling the gun at it.

“Sam, what the hell?” Dean asked, not taking his eyes from Santa. “We don’t own any crap like this.”

“I know! I just… I don’t know. Guess I’ll have to hit the lore. Till we figure out what to do with it, maybe we should lock it up in the storage closet with all the other artifacts.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”

~~~

Both Winchesters slept in that day, having to recharge after their odd encounter with the Santa doll. They were in the kitchen now, eating breakfast, and drinking coffee that Dean had made. Dean was telling Sam about something Cas had texted him, and then, off to the side, a flash of red and white caught his eye.

Dean dropped his spoon into his cereal bowl, milk splattering onto the table, and onto his black undershirt. His jaw went slack as he turned, and he saw it: the Santa doll.

Dean kicked Sam under the table to get his attention.

“Ow! What the hell? What?”

Dean just tilted his head in Santa’s direction. “Look.”

Sam, confused for a few seconds, did so. His face relaxed into a look of utter disbelief.

“You locked the chest you put it in, right?”

“Yep.”

“Let’s throw it out,” Sam suggested.

“Dude, bad idea!”

Sam turned to look at him, face furrowing in confusion. “Wait, why?”

“What if it gets angry?”

“It’s a Santa doll. I don’t think it can get angry.”

Dean picked up his coffee to have a sip, and then he pointedly said, “That is exactly what a dude who ends up getting murdered by Santa would say.”

Sam just tilted his head at him, nostrils flaring.

“I’m throwing it out,” he declared.

Dean raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. “It’s your funeral.” He downed the rest of his coffee.

~~~

Sam was relieved, but a little nervous after throwing the doll out. What if it came back?

Don’t be stupid. How could it come back?

But it had before.

For the most part, the day was normal. Sam tried to do research on the possibility of objects being possessed by ghosts (though he didn’t think that was what was going on here, since there weren’t any other signs of ghost activity), and he looked into cursed objects.

So far, that creepy doll hadn’t reappeared. Thank god. Sam just wanted to shoot the thing in the head at this point.

He got up to go to the bathroom, and when he turned… there it was. Staring at him.

Sam held in a yelp, and then took it and threw it out the door. He finished with his business, and then grabbed the doll, feeling some bit of satisfaction by holding it around the neck. He went to the library and dropped it on the table Dean was at. Dean jumped at the sudden clattering.

“It was watching me in the bathroom,” he said, taking his seat across from Dean.

Dean just started laughing.

“What?” Sam asked, spreading his arms out.

Dean laughed harder, head tilted back, mouth open. His face was turning red, and when he finally seemed to calm down, he looked at Sam. My god, were those tears in his eyes?

“Sammy, that’s hilarious.”

“It’s not. What if it was trying to watch you do your business?”

Dean just shrugged, and pulled a book closer to him. “I ain’t ashamed of what I got.”

“Great. Real helpful.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

~~~

They kept an eye on the doll, digging deep into cursed objects. So far… nothing.

“What if we lock it up?” Sam asked. “You know, put it in a curse box.”

“Maybe…” Dean mused. “Or we can just burn the sucker.”

“You know that’s bad for the environment, right?”

“Thank you, tree-hugger police,” Dean intoned. He grabbed the doll, and stared at it. The eyes were empty, dead. The thing looked like a normal doll. “I mean,” Dean went on, “it’s not all plastic. It’s ceramic, so maybe it won’t be so bad?”

Sam sighed, and slapped his hands to his thighs. “Alright, fine.”

~~~

Despite the thin layer of snow, and the frozen mud on the ground, they went out to their usual abandoned, dirt crossroads where they burned their dead. This thing didn’t deserve a hunter funeral, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to get one.

Dean was carrying the doll in a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. Sam had salt, and oil.

They set about their work, struggling to find any bits of dry wood, but eventually, they had a sizeable pile. Kindling was set up along the edges.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Dean said.

He went and placed the doll on top of the wood, and Sam salted it, threw oil on, and Dean lit the kindling. The kindling didn’t want to go up at first, thanks to the wind, and the cold environment. Eventually, Dean got it. He gently blew on the fire to coax it to life, and used a stick to nudge at the kindling.

The fire hit the wood, and found the oil that had dripped down the logs. It went up.

The doll burned.

They stayed till the doll was nothing but charred, half-melted remains, and then they used snow to douse the fire.

“Alright. Home,” Dean said. “There’s a bottle of scotch that’s calling my name.”

~~~

Dean went to sleep peacefully that night knowing that the Santa doll was dead. That peace didn’t last, and he tossed and turned for what might have been hours, his dreams filled with a doll that came to life, and stabbed him through the gut, eyes completely black and soulless.

Blood splattered on the living doll. It stared down at him as he collapsed to the floor. Its bloody beard was the last thing he saw.

Dean woke up, covered in a cold sweat, startled. When he realized he was in his room, and that he was alright, he just shook his head, and started to laugh at himself.

Idiot, he chastised. The doll’s dead. Pretty sure it can’t kill you neither.

A clattering sounded from out in the hall. Dean grabbed his gun, and went to hunt down what was causing the noise. His heart beat fiercely in his chest, blood rushing in his ears. His skin tingled, all of him alert.

Please don’t be Santa. Please don’t be Santa.

When he turned a corner, he saw it. The doll was back. It just stood facing the wall that was only a few inches from its stupid ceramic nose. It didn’t move, was utterly still in the dark. Dark ash was smudged across its entire body. Then, the Santa doll seemed to shudder and shake.

“Merry Christmas,” it growled.

Dean let out a startled cry, and shot the thing till it was just shards and dust. Then he found a curse box to lock it in.

All the noise had woken Sam, and he helped Dean with sweeping up the mess, and locking it away.

“What the fuck, man?” Dean asked, now nursing a beer while leaning against the metal counter in the kitchen. Sam was doing the same.

“I don’t know.”

“Seriously, what the fuck?”

“Christmas curse, I guess,” Sam said.

Dean shook his head, had a few swallows of his beer, and then said, “I knew I always hated Santa.”

#SPNAdventCalendar2020 #Day 6 Christmas Curse #spn #Supernatural #spn fanfiction #Supernatural fanfiction #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #fanfiction #writing #my writing #tw: graphic depictions of violence #(for just one scene)#graphic depictions of violence

19 notes · View notes