#I think I’m leaning toward option 2 for the face build but piercings/hair and all the little embellishments are still on the table

[mscribblz]

Been going strong with my Deep Gnome Tav but now that I’m in act 3 its time to start prepping for the next run~

He and Lae’zel are going to be BEST friends. Very agreeable and feisty. He’s a cuddler though.

#I think I’m leaning toward option 2 for the face build but piercings/hair and all the little embellishments are still on the table #it took a bit to work into a few options that actually looked like githyanki #bd3 tav #githyanki

[twelvelevens]

Hunting The Hunter (Chapter 2)

F!Reader x William Afton, explicit themes, bad language, eventual smut, reader is in her mid to late twenties Ao3 link Chapter 1 Heyyyy! I changed text formatting a bit in this one, cause it felt like the dialogues weren't easy to read. I really hope you'll like this chapter!

🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜🔪💜

Steve stopped for a moment, stunned. He glanced down and let out a chuckle.

“Well-well, what an impression I’m giving. Do you really think that of me?” He said endearingly, almost with condescension, as if you were a child asking if the moon was made of cheese. Do you? You honestly couldn’t be sure about anything, there was nothing but a wild guess, and his response made you even more confused about your own judgment. What if you were wrong about him all along? Every reply that never answered anything accumulated rage burning within your chest more and more, and feeling manipulated in the process definitely didn’t help.

“You can never be too sure.”

“I see. You still have an option to refuse my request.” The seriousness in your tone made Steve temper his enthusiasm.

“I accept it.” This is the first thing you were certain about in a long time.

“What if I’m a cold-hearted ruthless killer?” He was still annoyed at the fact you won’t play by his rules.

“Too bad for you.” You answered, knowing damn well you won’t give it up that easy.

An hour later, you’ve been preparing for the event in the comfort of your home. But even the coziest room at your parent’s house would not wash off the ice-cold feeling of Steve’s look frozen on your skin. It felt like he was still sitting in the office miles away, his piercing gaze seeping through hundreds of walls of the neighborhood to reach you anywhere. “And be extremely careful with the animatronics...” His raspy voice kept reverberating in your mind, and you weren’t sure if you’d simply wanted to remember the address and instructions correctly or it was something different entirely. Something otherworldly intense deep within you letting out a wild growl. “Damn… I could really use a sandwich right now.” You headed towards the kitchen.

After a while you were ready for the sortie, dressed all grandpa at a family gathering: cargo pants, military boots, and a big sweater to conceal a crowbar conveniently strapped to your back. You also packed a sports bag of tools you could find in your house, in case you’d have to get out or notice something of interest. There was nothing much, and you really wished you’d had a service weapon on you. Warming up, you tried to remember everything they taught you at the training. “Well, someone might get hurt today, if he doesn’t behave.” You said jokingly in an effort to ground yourself, because, frankly, you had no idea what to expect once you got to the place, and there was no reinforcement to call for help. You went outside and opened your ford’s door, throwing the bag on the passenger seat. This was gonna be a long ride.

You drove in silence, cool autumn wind flowing in through an open window, blowing hair over your face. You were anxiously twisting a small key with a shabby sticker of some fox mascot in your hand. Driving up to the restaurant, you saw someone else’s sedan standing in a parking lot. You parked and got out of the car. There was no one in the vehicle, but approaching it, you noticed a nodding bunny toy behind the windshield. As you turned around, you saw the pizzeria itself: it was nothing special, a simple restaurant building straight from the 80s, you remember spending a lot of time in these as a child, except this one had clear signs of wear on the facade, and a huge “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria” signage. You went straight to the side, just as Steve instructed, and… No way. He stood right there, leaning against the wall next to the back entrance. He looked you up and down as you approached, analyzing your outfit.

“Wow, all ready for the return of the living dead?” The man smirked as if completely forgetting how pissed he was at you two hours ago.

“Well, I don’t know about the zombies, but a nice living dad I think I can manage.”

Steve laughed, “Didn’t know you were that funny.”

You put the bag on the ground, “Didn’t know you liked bunnies.”

“Oh, I do,” He smiled, “And yes, I figured I shouldn’t be leaving you all alone, since you haven’t even been here.”

“Not afraid of burglars anymore?”

He chuckled at your teasing comment. “I never was. Sometimes you just have to leave the work to the professionals. Shall we?” He gestured at the door and took out a set of keys with a rabbit’s foot on it. You suddenly remembered seeing it on his desk in the office, but you didn’t notice it at the time. Yeah, this man definitely has a thing about these little creatures.

You patiently waited as Steve opened the shutters and unlocked the back door. Rolled up sleeves revealed toned slightly tanned arms of a working man, with muscles tensing and relaxing under the skin in a mesmerizing dance. Where did these even come from? The desk jockey has to be extremely responsible when it comes to the yard work. He let you in first and you hesitated for a moment, wondering if he’ll just lock you up in there, but he walked in right after you, closing the door.

“You could’ve just dealt with this yourself, couldn’t you?” You were walking down the gray hall, steps echoing off the wall. Steve said they kept it clean, but no amount of cleaning products could ever get rid of the weird smell of… oldness? Stale air filled your lungs with each breath you took.

“Of course I couldn’t. A pair of trained eyes would always work better in a situation like this.” He adjusted his glasses. “May I ask why you decided to give up on your career?”

“Well, let’s say it didn’t work out.” You sighed. “I guess I felt weird thinking about what was going on inside criminals’ heads all the time. It’s not that I wasn’t doing my job properly because of it, it’s that these obsessive thoughts tired me out. I even got to interrogate some of the guys but what they said was never enough for me. I had to know their exact thought process, why were they capable of doing what they did and… Never found an answer.”

“Huh, that is rather interesting to know. We're kind of similar in this respect.” Your heart skipped a beat as you heard him say it. “I like watching crime investigation documentaries for this specific reason. They usually try to dig deeper into the psychological aspect, gives you a better understanding. It’s… exciting.”

You glanced at him skeptically, but Steve suddenly stopped and looked you in the eyes with such kindness, taking you aback. You almost passed out seeing his smile, wondering how good your poker face actually was. Was he aware of the effect he had on you? But he only raised his hand to point to something at the back. You turned around to realize you were now both standing in a dining area with a performance stage on the right side. Worn out checkered tiles, dark walls and empty tables looked quite eerie, lit by a gloomy light of a couple neon signs. You reached into your pocket for a flashlight and pointed it at the stage. Turning it on, you almost jumped: three life-sized animatronics stood there, staring right back.

“Stars of the show: Freddy, Bonnie and Chica.” Steve put hands on his hips, standing there like a proud parent. “There’s also Foxy, a shy one, hiding right behind that curtain.” You listened to him silently, still processing the sudden encounter. You almost thought his smile was about you. Yeah, right. The man was definitely far too enthusiastic for someone who had nothing to do with this place. “Look, there’s a mark right there. On the floor.”

You shone the light in that direction, there was a scratch on the tiles in the corner. You came up there and saw that it certainly was not recent, filled with dust and dirt from all the years, it was as old as the building itself. “It’s nothing, Steve, it’s just…” You stopped there, noticing something far more intriguing. A trash can nearby caught your attention, with a piece of newspaper sticking out of it alluringly. You went and took it out, giving the photo in the corner a quick look. It was a picture of the pizzeria in its prime. “No… No, no, no, no...”

“Five children gone missing, a dishonorable end to the well-liked Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria,” read the headline. “Co-founders detained for further questioning.”

You looked around, panically waving the flashlight in a desperate attempt to find Steve. But there was nothing but a slow creaking sound of old metal joints in response.

#steve raglan x reader #steve raglan x reader smut #william afton x reader #william afton x reader smut #william afton smut #steve raglan smut #matthew lillard smut #matthew lillard x reader #fnaf movie smut #fnaf smut

[amythedvdhoarder]

Stockholm Syndrome - One

Pairings: Dark Stucky x Reader

Word Count: 1.1K

Summary: You would make the perfect wife for Bucky and Steve. A perfect mother to their children. They have dreamt of this, of you, for so long now. You just have no idea that they exist or how badly they want you for themselves.

Warnings: Kidnapping, Stalking, NonCon, Swearing, Smut,  NSFW. 18+ only

A/N: Venturing out from just writing fluffy smutty Bucky and into some dark Stucky instead. First attempt at a dark fic so fingers crossed it’s ok. This is an intro chapter to set the scene. Feedback always welcome, interested to hear what people think to this x

Also I made a pretty thing to go with the story!

Masterlist

Part 2

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

The music thumped through the club; the noise filling your ears and the vibrations guiding your movements. The alcohol had given you a pleasant buzz that vanquished the nerves you’d had prior to the evening. Going on date with someone from work was always risky. The saying ‘don’t shit where you eat’ had sprung to mind when Joel had asked you out. But you had agreed anyway, he was hot, young and could be the welcome distraction you needed right now. 6 months on from your last relationship you were ready to let your hair down. It didn’t have to turn into anything, if it only ended up being a quick fuck then that was absolutely fine with you. The date had started at a nice bar and a few drinks later you ended up here. Dancing with your bodies pressed against each other, sweat glistening on your foreheads, his hands on your waist, one of your hands reaching back holding onto his neck. All it did was build your anticipation for what you had decided could happen tonight. Yes, it was a first date but it was probably your last date too. So, when Joel suggested getting out of there, you willingly agreed.

After getting your coat from the cloakroom you headed outside into the cool New York air. You leaned against the wall casually as you waited for Joel, who had headed to the toilets. Pulling out your phone you glanced at the time, which at just after midnight, was still fairly early. You sent a quick reply to your best friend Serena who had messaged to ask how the date before taking a look up and down the street. The road was quiet, a couple of taxi’s loitering around hoping to pick up a drunk or two. You smirked as you spied a couple just down the street from you who looked in desperate need of a room. It made you think of Joel who really should have been there by now. He had been over 10 minutes now which seemed odd. Normally the men’s room was quieter, in fact  in the past you had used the men’s room a couple of times because the que was always shorter. But you let it slide, you waited for another 10 before calling him, the call going straight to voicemail. Brilliant you thought, the prick must have gone out the back or met someone else to use to get his dick wet tonight.  Sod him. You debated going back into the club to find someone else to hook up with but as the cold air started to sober you up, you thought better of it. Tugging the collar of your trench coat up, you turned you back to the club and began the 5-block journey back to your apartment.

By the time you had walked two blocks in your heels you regretted not getting a taxi. However, it wasn’t just the pinch at your ankles that was making you uncomfortable. You had the distinct feeling that you were being followed. It wasn’t for the first time either. For the last few weeks every time you went somewhere you felt as if someone was watching you, not that you had ever spotted anyone to confirm the suspicion, but it was a feeling that you could not shake. More than likely you were just being stupid but you still stopped briefly to have a quick look around.  Nobody seemed to be paying you the blindest bit of notice, in fact there were only a couple of people in sight in the halogen lit street. Despite this you still walked home in record pace, ignoring the stinging in your feet.

You were out of breath by the time you closed the door to your apartment, kicking off your shoes and shrugging off your coat. Heading over to the window, you opened the mesh curtains a fraction so you could peer into the dark street below. There was only one person walking along the pavement, unsurprising for that time of night. But what was surprising was, that as they walked underneath one of the street lamps, you could see that their face was obscured by a cap. Even from this distance and dim light you could tell it was a man, well over six foot, broad and muscly. You shook your head at your deductions and let the curtain fall, shimmying your dress down and letting it fall to the floor as you walked towards the bathroom.

After removing your make-up and brushing your teeth you pulled on a t-shirt left behind by an ex-boyfriend and climbed into bed. Despite how tired you were your mind was still on the events of the evening. Joel abandoning you mid-date. That familiar feeling of being constantly watched as you walked home and then the mysterious man, walking around at such an odd hour. You tried to imagine what his face could look like beneath the cap; sharp cheek bones, a strong jaw masked by a light beard and piercing eyes. How your mind and conjured up that image you weren’t sure, but it wasn’t the man behind the cap though that interested you. It was the question of why would anyone be wearing a cap at night? It definitely wasn’t to keep the sun out of their eyes. Maybe they were self-conscious; had a scar or an injury to cover up. You tried to exhaust all the innocent reasons but none of the seemed feasible. Leaving only one option. They didn’t want to be identified. Not that it was your problem, it was absolutely nothing to do with you what they had done or what they were planning on doing. Satisfied that you had a conclusion, you closed your eyes and waited for sleep to come, looking forward to putting the weird day behind you.

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

Steve stopped at the end of the street, his eyes trained on the fifth window across on the third floor. He waited for the lights to go off before pulling out his phone. “It’s me. Yeah, we got a problem… She spotted me…No I had my hat on, I’m not that stupid. We can’t wait much longer though, she’s getting suspicious…Yeah see you later.” Steve put his phone back in his pocket, sighed and walked around the corner. He got into the back of the van and immediately turned his attention to the row of screens in front of him. The live black and white feed showing a woman in bed, tossing and turning as she got comfortable for the night. Steve pulled off his cap and smiled to himself, a bolt of excitement passed through him as their girl turned to face the camera. It wouldn’t be long now. Just a few more days and she would be theirs.  

Taglist is open so let me know if you want in or out

Taglist: @stargazingfangirl18 ,  @silentcoyotesong, @queenofstarliqht​, @buckys-henley​, @lonelyheartsm​ @alexa-lightwood-blog​, @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​, @fandomfic-galore​, @holypicklelightnickel​

#dark steve x reader #dark bucky x reader #dark stucky #stucky x reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #bucky x reader #steve imagine #bucky imagine #stucky imagine #marvel #marvel fanfics #avengers #dark #captain america #winter soldier

[wastelandlovingscenarios]

companions react the sole taking a knife for them in the middle of a fight? The would is pretty bad, but nonlethal.

interesting request! i really like this one. i’ll make it romanced! i had this in my drafts for about 2 weeks cause it was hard to come up with ideas.. haha. thank you for requesting! ❤️

of course, out of all places they could’ve gotten into a fight, it was a bar. some drunk guy was getting all personal, talking about how (companion’s name) had stolen their caps. the man was too wasted to really understand what was going on. i mean, they both clearly saw him put the change in his pockets way before this situation built up, but they knew explaining the issue to him would be the equivalent of talking to a brick wall. “i’d advise you to step away.” he warned through gritted teeth, standing besides sole protectively. he was getting a little too close for his liking and comfort. the man scoffed and moved closer to him threateningly. “or what? you’re gonna shoot me?” he was irritated and troubled by the stranger, yearning for this issue to end, “if it comes to that, i may have no other option.” sole caught the evil glint in the mans eye and saw how he reached for his pockets, eventually noticing the knife he had partially pulled out. “i guess two can play at that game..” with panic, sole rushed in front of him, only to feel a sharp pain hit the side of their stomach.

Danse:

as the man pulled the knife back, danse watched in pure shock as sole fell to the ground and looked back at the weapon that the man had wrapped around his fingers. it was blood. soles blood. his other half’s - with little to no reaction time, he had charged at the man, tackling him down and throwing punches uncontrollably at his face. angry was an understatement he was feeling- he was furious. furious that someone had dared to harm his loved one, especially right in from of him. it took about a dozen people to pry danse off of the poor man who now was bruised and broken by his hits. the man whimpered quietly as he curled into a ball, covering his face. “if i were you,” danse spat venomously, catching his breath, “i’d suggest you don’t cross my line of vision ever again.” he quickly rushed over to sole, who was being assisted by a resident and took them into his own arms. he pressed down on the wound, hoping that it would somehow slow down the bleeding. “you’re gonna be okay, sole. just stay awake.” sole gave him a weak smile as they brushed their hand over his now bloody one from covering their injury. they felt the fear radiating off of him and knew by the look in his eyes that he was petrified. “i-ill be okay, don’t worry.” without another word, danse picked them up and ran to the nearest medical center, not wanting to waste another minute as soles life depended on it. sole was definitely gonna get a scolding on how they shouldn’t risk their life for him.

Deacon:

it was terrifying. terrifying on how slow everything moved. deacon was paralyzed, his mind trying to catch up with the events that were occurring; it just went too fast for him to process. the sound of soles body hitting the ground would snap deacon out of his daze and he would pull out his gun, shooting towards the direction of the man without sparing a single glance at his direction. the bullet had lodged into the man’s shoulder as he fell back, gasping in pain. deacon didn’t care. he only cared about the person who was laying on the floor near his feet. crouching down almost too quickly, he quickly flipped sole to face him and immediately felt the panic bubble up within seconds. “fuck. fuck. fuck.” he began moving his hands around them, not knowing how to handle the pressure of the situation. it only gave him bad memories after all. he lifted them off the floor, placing a trembling hand on their cheek gently, “h-hey, sweetheart, let me know you’re okay,” his voice faltered, feeling a heavy, familiar weight on his chest, “please, say anything,” soles eyes weakly fluttered open as they stared wearily into his eyes, “anything.” he brushed his thumb across their face as he let out a choked laugh at their gruesome sense of humor, “that’s why you’re my partner.” deacon leaned his forehead on theirs as he continued to soothe them until help came. soon enough, the doctor had rushed through and taken sole into his own care, carefully treating their wounds. deacon refused to leave their side and held their hand for the rest of their treatment.

Maccready:

“no!” maccready cried, seeing sole drop to the floor almost lifelessly. with anger building up inside him, he pulled up his gun and shot the man clean on the head. he didn’t care if there were bystanders who witnessed it or if he got into trouble. this man - no, this thing - hurt the only other person he’s ever loved and cared for in his lifetime. he dropped to his knees, a stiffled sob escaping his throat as he took sole into his arms. maccready felt his heart drop seeing soles eyes closed and their blood staining their skin and clothes. “no, no, no, no. please god.” he pleaded helplessly, shaking sole gently in hopes that they were still somewhat responsive. he didn’t want this to be another lucy. he didn’t want more blood on his hands and he certainly didn’t want to lose his better half when his life was just getting better. “someone get help!” maccready begged, hearing his own sobs echo the now quiet room. he looked around the bar frantically to find anything to halt soles bleeding, even just for a mere second- “mac..” his eyes met with them in an instant as he let out another strained sob. he buried his head into soles shoulder, his hat falling off of his head while doing so. with all the energy sole had left, they wrapped their arm around his neck. “i love you. i’m sorry.” he apologized hoarsely. as help came, maccready made sure that sole was resting for the remaining of the night. sole woke up to maccready sitting on a chair near the hospital bed. he slept on the edge as he tightly held their hand, tears stains on his checks.

Hancock:

in the matter of seconds, sole fell like a rag doll, letting out strained noises. he angrily looked up at the man who’s cocky look turned into a fearful one instead. the man backed up, dropping the knife as hancock inched closer to him, picking up the abandoned weapon in the process. as the man hit a dead end with his back pressing against the wall, he felt himself palpitate with immense terror. hancock leaned down to his ear, whispering calmly, “i think you dropped this.” hancock shoved the knife straight into the mans torso, and repeated the action twice, almost like he had done with finn. once he was finished, he threw the knife to the side and strided over to sole who was now sitting against a wall thanks to a settler that assisted them and went to call for help. he quickly crouched down in front of sole, only to meet eyes with his other half who was half smiling in pain and half in amusement. “almost like the first time we met, huh?” they joked, trying to lighten the situation. hancock put a finger on soles lip, shushing them as he assessed the wound on their side, tearing open the cloth that covered it. his eyes saddened at the sight of his other half being injured, “fuck, it looks bad, sunshine.” sole only snickered weakly. “looks can be deceiving, handsome.” even during this time, sole chose to be tough instead of acknowledging their pain. hancock placed a hand on the flooring near their thigh, and leaned over to kiss their forehead as he spoke softly, “i should be the one protecting ya sunshine, not the other way around. next time, let me take the hit,” soles eyes softened at the sight of remorse on hancocks features, “i don’t like seeing you in this state. it really breaks my heart.” with their free hand, they relaxed it on top of hancocks own which rested next to them. as sole got patched up by a doctor, hancock combed their hair with his fingers to somewhat distract them from the actual morbid situation occurring. from now on, he’d instantly become more protective of sole and make sure he’d go out of his way to ensure their safety.

Nick Valentine:

he flinched at the sound of their body hitting the floor. never in a million years would he ever think he’d hear something that would surely embed in his mind for a while. he swiftly brought out his gun, shooting the man in the thigh without hesitation. with an irate tone, he’d glare at the guy with his bright yellow eyes piercing through him. “i’ll let the authorities deal with you later. i’m not letting you take the easy way out.” he’d quickly attain to sole, who was now near to tears, “it hurts, nick..” they whimpered, holding onto their wound a little too tightly. nick lifted soles upper body off the floor, allowing them to rest on his lap as he spoke in a comforting tone, “i know it hurts sweetheart, but help is on its ways now, okay? “ though he was outwardly calm, he was screaming concern in the inside. how bad was the wound? how deep did the knife go? did it hit a vital organ? he didn’t know - he wasn’t a doctor. nick slowly removed their hand that gripped onto their wound and replaced it with his, which lightly covered it. he knew sole was panicking from the shock and sudden condition they were placed in. “nick, am i gonna be okay?” he continued to mollify them, trying to maintain himself in the process, “of course you will be, sweet pea. you’re stronger than anyone i’ve ever known.” sole trusted his words, eventually calming down soon after. as sole received help from a nearby medical assistant, he was beyond relieved to hear that sole was definitely gonna survive and had no serious damage to their organs. sole saw as he entered the room, immediately walking towards them and placing a kiss on their forehead. “don’t know if this old geezer could handle another one of those moments,” he half smiled, pulling back. “let’s avoid more of that in the future.”

#fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #fallout #fallout 4 companions react #fallout 4 reacts #fallout+4+companions+reaction #danse #hancock #john hancock #maccready #paladin danse #deacon #robert joseph maccready #nick valentine #angst #react

[undeadimmortality]

Unexpected Part 2

Not really chapters, just super long parts to the story. 

Hey, smut ahead!!! I’m bad at writing smut so felt right, but might delete later, idkidk. Fluff too! Is alcohol consumption a warning?? 

Weeks turned to months, and things started to change for the better, as well as the worst. Your time in the bunker was great. You were getting pretty close to Sam and Dean, even Castiel at times, but he always kept a mental distance. After a lot of late night talks, you had opened up about your past and they had opened up about theirs too. You could tell the boys took to caring about you, and you cared about them deeply. Even with everything that had started this relationship, you’d never had anyone who cared for you a single day in your life until you got to know Sam and Dean. Even in the short time of knowing them, you knew they were great men, and would genuinely try to keep you alive if they could.

There were demon omens coming from a town close to the bunker, and the boys decided to check it out. Leaving Castiel to look over you, while they were away for a day or two. This was the first time they’d decided to act on any sort of hunt since they found you, figuring it’d be safer to keep a low profile until they figure out this Lucifer issue. But, with demons possibly this close to the bunker, finding out why they were there was the safest bet.

They’d been gone the whole day, and after no replies to your texts you started to worry. A glass of whiskey in one hand and your cell in the other, Castiel watched as you paced back and forth for a good hour, deep in thought.

“Maybe you should check on them, Cass. They aren’t texting back.” You walked over to the angel, and sat next to him, opening your texts again.

“We have a plan in place, (y/n). It’s safer if I stay here with you.” Castiel said.

“You still don’t trust me?” It was more of a statement, rather than a question.

Castiel turned his body toward you and placed his hand on your shaking knee. “On the contrary (y/n). I want to keep you safe. If I left, and something happened to you, I could never forgive myself.” You stared deeply into Cass’s eyes and saw emotion there that you hadn’t caught before. You knew Castiel was indifferent toward you, and trusting at least, but maybe you had more of an impact on the Angel than you wanted to admit to yourself.

You sighed and stood to fill you now empty glass of liquor.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed, I know we’ve been building up a friendship Cass, I’m just worried.” You talked as you fill your glass and walked back over to the Angel. “I’ve just never had people who were ever in any sort of danger because of me, especially you and the boys, who I’ve grown to care for. I don’t know how you do it. They’re constantly putting themselves in danger. I would’ve had a heart attack at this point if I were you.” The leather couch squeaked as you sat next to Cass.

He chuckled, “Angel’s can’t have heart attacks, but I understand your meaning” He smiled at you. The only light in the room were candles you had lit. The bunker was quiet aside from some music playing quietly.

You laughed at his response, returning the smile. The soft light of the bouncing flames gave a soft glow to Castiels face. His tan skin and almost matching caramel brown hair looked soft. Those ocean blue eyes of his vessel did weird things to your stomach as you stared into them. His light pink lips were stretched in to a soft, genuine smile and slightly met his eyes. You were sure you could both hear your heart rate picking up.

Castiel POV

Castiel watched (y/n) as she studied his face. It seemed as though she was seeing him in new eyes for the first time. Not just the Angel, but the vessel, the human side of Cass. Cass had died, been human, and lived in Jimmy’s vessel for years, but he hasn’t been Jimmy for a long-time. He was Castiel now.

Castiel studied (y/n) as a pink blush lit up her pale cheeks, and she looked down in to her drink, lips piercing in deep thought. He’d studied her enough now to know her common emotions. Her deep in thought brought on pieced lips, sometimes a light bite to her low lip, and a small crease between her eyes when her brows furrowed. Her happy, meant a bright smile that reached the eyes, a slight squint to her lids, and sparkle in her irises. When she wasn’t looking, he would catch himself staring. (y/n) was beautiful, it was plain as day. She had long, dark red hair that contrasted her soft pale skin. Her pale blue eyes matched his by just a shade paler. Her light pink lips held a feminine shape, the bottom lip slightly thicker than the top.

The guilt he felt for the way he treated her was unbearable, and little did she know, he felt the need to make up for it for as long as he lived.

When they held her captive, all he noticed was the evil that hid inside of her human soul. A bright red glow in her irises that was more evident when she was chained up. Her hatred, fear, and pain protected the rest of her that he has come to observe and see. With still no real knowledge on her or her power, all he had was his observations. Her soul was made up like a human one, but it was vastly different. A human soul usually had a colorful aura that radiated around the vessel, but (y/n)’s was much bigger. Almost the size of an Angel’s aura that radiated their grace. Her Aura could cover the whole country if you were to put it in a human perspective. A bright red glow that radiated a powerful energy. Her soul held all the makings of a human soul, but hers was torn and battered, like it was being ripped apart by the power that lay untouched at the core. It scared Castiel to no avail, she was nothing he had ever seen in the millennia he had spent between heaven and Earth. Yet he was drawn to her intensity. He’d seen the love and kindness she showed him and the brothers. Her little acts of kindness, like cooking, or tidying up after the boys every night before bed. Humming to the music as she folded their clothes. She put love and purpose into her actions. And in return was slowly stealing Castiels heart if he had one. He’d known love and intimacy in his experiences on Earth, but his pull toward (y/n) was leagues more intense. It scared Castiel, but his courage and excitement overpowered everything. He wasn’t going to let her go.

(y/n) cleared her throat and brought Castiel from his thoughts, now realizing he had been staring at her. Her cheeks were a shade pinker than before, and she looked up at Cass like she was waiting for him to break the silence.

Embarrassment covered his features, and all her managed was a “Sorry”, before (y/n)’s phone started to ring and broke the silence.

YOUR POV

You jumped at the sudden noise that broke your weird moment with Castiel. Deans name popped up, and you answered it on the first ring.

“Dean?” You asked, standing up quickly.

“Yeah it’s me, me and Sammy are alright, we’re heading back to the bunker now, it’s not safe to stay here tonight, I’ll explain when we get back. There better be beer left when I get back!”

“Okay, I’ll wait up. Also a found the bottle of whiskey you stashed, so your beers safe!” you joked, causing a line of slurs from the brute.

“They’re on their way back.” You sat back down, gulping down the last sip of your second drink. The alcohol wasn’t taking tonight, even with the call from Dean, a pit in your stomach started to grow, and left you feeling very uneasy.

“That’s good news” Cass said, “Allow me” He reached for your empty glass, and you handed it to him and watched as he made his way over to the whiskey bottle on the table.

“I’ve got a bad feeling, Cass. Like something bad’s about to happen.” You started, watching him walk back.

“We’re warded here, this is the safest place for you.” He handed you the glass, and sat down turning toward you again.

“It’s not that, it’s not for me, it’s like I have this feeling of dread. Like…He’s close…” You took another sip, cursing your nerves for keeping you more sober than usual after three glasses of whiskey. “I want you to promise me something” You looked up and met Cass’s eyes. “If he get’s to me and I can’t do it myself, I need you to do it.” You didn’t need to explain further, the dread that covered Castiels features said it all.

Cass took your empty hand, and covered it in both of his. “He will never get his hands on you as long as I live. I will protect you (y/n), as long as I’m alive.” Castiel said.

“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of. You and the boys, if you died trying to save me-“ You stopped, tears glossing over your eyes.

“It won’t come to that. Everything will be fine.” Castiel smiled, but you could tell he was trying to convince himself as well. You leaned your head on the Angels shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around your back, in hopes of soothing you. You stayed like that for a while, and only broke away when you heard the bunker door open and shut.

Dean and Sam spent the next hour going over the details of their trip. With the fear of tipping Lucifer off, they decided to keep their distance, and basically got that the demons were close to finding (y/n).

“The wards on the bunker most likely helped to an extent, but with no knowledge on the Child of Cain, were pretty sure they’re still able to track her, however faint a signal they get, we think they’re still getting something.  

“No….”You whimpered. Standing up and pacing back and forth. “I have to run! If they are this close, I can lead them away form here! What other options do we have?”

“Not this one! You ‘re staying, end of story.” Dean growled.

“You we’re ready to kill me.” Tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes. “Maybe…”

“Not happening” Sam glared at you, “We’ll figure something out we always do. You’re part of our family now (y/n), and we protect our own. There has to be something we missed. If (y/n)’s power is “sleeping” as Cass put it, maybe there’s a way to wake it.” Sam thought, glancing towards Cass for an answer.

“I wouldn’t even know where to start. Besides I’ve seen her power. I can feel it. It isn't just apart of her, it’s at the very core of her human soul…Her soul’s already tarnished and flayed, there’s a very little chance she’d survive her power waking up, or worse, turning (y/n) in to something worse than Lucifer. It��s not just power Sam, it’s holds the mark of Cain, there’s no telling what would happen.” Castiel explained, deep in thought.

“My soul…it’s broken?” This was the first you’ve heard of this.

Castiel casts you a pitiful look. “Not broken (y/n), it’s still intact, but your power is at the source of your human soul, and it’s ripped and torn to shreds. The only thing holding it together is you. If you let that power out, I truly don’t know what would happen to you. I’m sorry”

Silence swept through the room, and you paced some more chugging down the third glass of liquor and went to pour a fourth. The only option you could see that got rid of the Devil once and for all, and left the boys and Castiel alive, was somehow finding a way to unleash your power on the Lucifer. If Castiel was right about how strong you truly wore, you were confident you could give the Devil a taste of his own medicine. The only options you saw were, continuing to run, and let the Devil run loose to kill more innocent people, kill yourself and still allow Lucifer to live, or kill the Devil yourself and take yourself down in the process. The choice was easy.

A few weeks went by, but with the wards holding strong, the Demons were only a town closer to the bunker and Castiel had secretly planted some false signals to keep them off your trail for as long as possible.

“It’s late” You stopped in your tracks, as his voice filled the silence. You’d seen a lot less of him lately, as he was out more and more trying to lead the Demons astray.

“Couldn’t sleep” You continued to walk through the library, running your fingertips over the spines of the dusty old books, a glass of whiskey in the other hand.

The tension in the bunker was almost overwhelming. After trying to flee a few different times, to no success. The boys came and went, looking for answers to anything that could give you the upper hand in the inevitable war that would soon unfold. You hadn’t been outside of the bunker in months, and it was taking it’s toll. The bunker that once held a state of content, not felt claustrophobic. You felt helpless being forced to stay here, while others put their lives at risk to help you.

You made your way over to the table, and popped the the cap off the liquor, and filled you glass halfway.

“(y/n).” His voice was soft and pleading. He placed a hand on your shoulder, and gently turned you to face him.

He looked tired, same as you. His demeaner slightly slouched from trying his hardest to lure the demons as far away from you as he could , no doubt.

“Have you heard from the Sam and Dean? They didn’t check in tonight.” You asked, bringing the glass to your lips.

“They’re fine, they’re about a day out with more research about The Mark of Cain. Sam’s hopeful about this research.”

“That’s good.” You’re eye’s only left Cass’s when you took another sip of you drink. And then back up.

Castiel grabbed the glass from your hand, and you let him. He set it on the table behind you, and with the same hand he pushed a few stray strands of hair behind your ear and cupped your check. You breathing hitched and his fingers sent sparks through your veins. His hand was soft and warm, and you reached up to cup yours over his, turning your head to place a kiss in his palm.

You’re feelings for the angel had grown immensely since the night you two had a moment on the couch, but both of you were never this forward about your affections with everything else going on. You were falling deeply in love with the feathered man, but as the Child of Cain, you never knew why he returned your affections.

You turned back forward, eyes meeting Cass’ and he swept his thumb over your bottom lip. His eyes were giving away his desperation for you. After moments of silence that seems to last an eternity, Cass leaned forward, painfully slow, eyes never leaving yours, before both your eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed against yours.

Both of you were unaware of the fate that was unfolding tonight.

The kiss sent shivers through your body, his lips were so warm and so soft. It was light at first; passionate and innocent, but a need for you unleashed inside of Castiel, and his hand moved through your hair to the back of your head, and lightly pulled your head to the side, so he could deepen the kiss. A small moan escaped you lips and you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer. You could feel his arousal press against your stomach.

Castiel was the first to break, as he swiftly gripped both your thighs, lifted you up, and carried you over to the couch. He sat down, and placed both your legs on either side of his and ran his hands up your sides, then your back, never braking eye contact. Your breath hitched as he gently pulled you in you in for another kiss, allowing your hands to roam freely over his chest. You arousal started to build, and a small grind of your hips along his arousal earned you a moan from Castiel that lit your spark.

His smell and taste mixed with yours was intoxicating. He smelt of fresh air mixed with a sweet musk, and his taste along with yours, and the lingering whiskey left your head in the clouds.

His kiss was getting sloppy, and your arousal was at it’s peak. As you started to unbutton his shirt, Castiel waved his hand and all your clothes were off, leaving his arousal to press against your sex. He broke from the kiss, your breathing becoming labored with lust, and held both sides of your faces, fingers tangled I your hair.

“Are you sure?” He asked, searching for the answer in your eyes.

“I want this, Cass.” You reached up and cupped his cheek. “I want you.”

Castiel reached down and gripped your hips, lifting your up, allowing him to line up with your entrance. His pulled you down slowly, his member stretching you to the point of pure bliss. The feeling was more intense than anything you’d both had ever felt. Castiels eyes squeezed shut, his mouth hanging open, a small moan escaping your lips, as he filled you up and stopped when you reached his hilt. The pleasure was so intense it took you a moment to get your bearings before your body ached for more friction. You started off slow, lifting up, and sinking back down on to Castiel. A knot in your stomach started to build, closer and closer, as you started to build up speed. You moans matching his, his grace shining brightly through his irises and yours shined through yours. A bright red, but not evil. You, as a being was shining through, two divine beings both human and supernatural, sharing this moment in pure bliss. Love radiating off your naked bodies.

As swiftly as before, Castiel lifted you up and placed you on your back, never breaking rhythm, he met your eyes, then lips, and then a string of kisses, down your neck, earning his name that spilled from your lips. His rhythm gaining speed, and becoming more frantic, and you both built to your releases. You name and a slur of phrases left his lips. His name escaping yours, as your moans grew louder and longer, giving him the know that you were close. One more thrust, and all the tension released, pure bliss exploded from the inside out, bringing you to heaven. You tightness clenched around Castiel, and your release brought him to the peak of his, both of your meeting eachother on the other side of bliss. The moment only last seconds but felt like they lasted years. Sooner than you wanted, you came back down, reality taking you back in its clutch. Castiel sank down next you, your breathing and heartbeat breaking the silence.

You looked up toward Castiel, him already looking down at you, a content smile gracing your eyes. You wanted to and tell him, but the moment didn’t need words, he already knew, and you knew he felt the same way. You graced him a your own smile and lifted his hand to place a small kiss in his palm. You both laid together, happily content being in each others arms, Castiel had waved his hand once more, and both of you were cleaned up and clothed. The night was late, and the candle flames were dying out, bringing the room close to darkness. Everything around you was perfectly set, and your worries would have to wait until tomorrow as your lids drew heavy and sleep soon took over as you lay in Castiels arms.

#castiel x reader #castiel fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #fanfiction #castiel #supernatural imagine

[linenwrites]

Reforget (Part 3 / Final)

Part 1

Part 2

_____________________

Elain was still trying to wrap her head around the last twenty minutes. 

Surely, she was still in some sort of blackout dream state because there was no way this was real.

After promising her elderly neighbor that she was fine and, no, the six foot tall muscular man sitting on the floor in front of her was not some would-be-assailant that Elain had managed to incapacitate by breaking the sound barrier with her ear piercing scream, Elain had just starred at Azriel.

We need to talk. 

Like hell they did.

Elain stepped over his sprawling legs and walked towards the side door at the end of the hallway that exited right onto the street. She heard his footsteps, marveled at how he always managed to be stealthy despite his aforementioned large body, and managed to get several steps outside the door before he appeared before her.

"Elain. I'm not joking. We need to talk." He practically growled at her.

"Not before I get my coffee." She said with an airy tone that was not at all in line with the anxiety coursing through her body. 

Elain sidestepped him easily enough and began taking long strides towards the coffee shop.

All of Elain's energy was focused on him behind her. She tried to identify his footsteps from the other pedestrians, ears pricking at each frustrated huff he let out.

He didn't speak during the duration of their walk nor while they waited in the queue. The only time he had truly made his presence known was when he made to grab for his wallet. Elain let loose a sound of disgust as she batted his hand away. 

The barista raised her eyebrows in concern at Elain. She was a regular and was friendly with the woman. Elain shook her head minutely before rolling her eyes. The barista chuckled slightly as Azriel crossed his arms but he remained silent still. 

They were now walking back to her apartment. Elain sipped on her drink as she considered her options.

She could always slam the door in his face once they got back to her apartment though he would likely just sit there again, waiting for her to come out.

She knew the words that she could spit at him that would make him walk away and never look back. Elain shook her head slightly. Even now, she couldn't bare the thought of striking such a blow. 

Azriel opened the door to the building and Elain breezed past him inside without so much a nod of gratitude.

She slid her key into the lock and opened the door, holding it open and gesturing him inside. 

It looks like they were doing this.

There was a stab of pain in her heart as she looked at him. He moved towards the spot on the sofa that he normally occupied with a familiarity that he had earned but now seemed so misplaced. How many times had she sat beside him, feet in his lap or curled up in a blanket as they watched TV or talked until her lavender and lemon candles burned out? 

It had all felt so right back then. Now it was messing with her head about how flipping wrong it was. 

Part of Elain wanted to sit beside him once again. She could say that they could forget her silly little confession so they could go back to the way things were.

But that was impossible. She knew that. 

Instead, she sat in the floral armchair that served as her coat rack during the fall and winter months when she was too lazy to take the few extra steps to the hooks in the wall. 

He looked at her and she looked back, taking the opportunity to really take him in.

She was struck by him. He was beautiful, he always had been, but his eyes were dull. There were bags under those dull eyes that normally weren't present. His skin, which normally was a warm bronze had an ashen hewn to it and his clothes were rumpled from his time sleeping on the floor. 

All together, he looked rather unwell.

Good.

Elain sipped on her coffee.

"You said you wanted to talk?" 

He nodded before letting out a long breath she hadn't realized he had been holding. 

"Why were you dancing with Eris Vansera last night?"

Elain blinked. Of all the questions he could have asked…

"I wasn't." She answered slowly. 

Memories of the previous night came back to her. She had danced with someone briefly before she got sick but it hadn't been Eris.

Right?

Her hands began to shake at the possibility. 

She hadn't seen the man's face. The man had grabbed her and she had let him.

"Oh god." She muttered, a hand flying to her neck in horror. 

"It's okay, it's okay." He looked like he was about to stand but thought better of it. Azriel leaned forward, leaning his elbows against his knees. "Feyre said she didn't think you knew it was him. I just needed to know."

His words cut through her disgust and horror like a knife. 

"'Needed to know'," she repeated. "Do you really think so little of me, Azriel?" 

"No. God, no, Elain." His face had fallen in horror but she wasn't having it.

"Get out." She stood up, "I don't need this from you, Azriel. I haven't spoken to you in weeks and I don't need you accusing me of this." 

Elain walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. 

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" He retorted, voice raised as he followed her. Elain whirled on him.

"What do you want from me? I told you that I loved you, you said you didn't want me. I am not going to be like-" She stopped herself, physically holding up her hand to stop herself from saying anything more.

"To be like what, Elain?" Azriel seethed at her.

"To be like you!" She exploded, "I'm not going to pine after you for years. I love you. I love you so much that it drives me crazy half the time but I will not be some lovesick fool, wasting my life loving someone who doesn't love me back. I deserve more than that and, goddamn it, so do you." 

She didn't know when the tears started falling but by the end, they were coming so hard that she could barely get the words out. Elain ran her fingers through her hair and she pulled on the strands. 

Maybe she was mad, after all.

Azriel stepped forward and she held up a hand again, stepping back so she was pressing herself into the counter.

"Don't, don't touch me. Please." Her voice broke on the last word. 

She wanted him to ignore her, to step forward and sweep her up into his arms. She wanted him to get the hell out of her apartment and never see him again. 

In typical Azriel fashion, he did neither of the things she wanted. 

"Is that what you think of me, Elain?" He asked instead, voice quiet. 

His eyes were bloodshot. She had never seen him cry, never seen him get truly emotional. It tore her in two to see him so close to the edge now. After all he had endured and all her promises to never hurt him, here they stood.

Elain wiped her tears and took a deep breath before nodding.

"Yes. No. I'm not sure. I know it wasn’t fair for me to tell you how I felt. You've told me how you feel about her and I've seen the way you look at her. But I had to. I couldn't just live with it."

Azriel nodded slowly and Elain wiped her face again as she sniffled.

"Have you said everything you wanted to this time?" She asked quietly. 

Azriel let out a humorless laugh. "I haven't said anything I came here to." 

Elain waited, giving him the time to say whatever was so important. 

"I went to see Mor last night."

"Great, I'm second to her yet again." Elain couldn't help herself, the words tumbled out of her before they had even fully formed in her brain. 

"Can you just let me finish, Elain?" He breathed. 

She could tell he was trying to keep his temper on a leash, could see the fury burning behind his eyes.  Normally, Elain would fight back, tell him he had no right to speak to her in such a way but she was exhausted. 

Elain nodded.

"Thank you. I went to see her last night. I needed to ask her why she never came out and told me that she would never want me in the ways that I wanted her. I hurt you in the same ways she hurt me, I was just too much of an idiot to realize. 

"See, you're braver than I am, Elain. I knew for so goddamn long but I couldn't handle the rejection. Mor thought that I would eventually just get over it but as the years passed it became something, insurmountable or whatever. I think that's the way it felt for us both. I just got so used to the idea of being in love with her that it became a default setting for me."

"Why are you telling me this?" Elain breathed. 

"Because I need you to understand. I always thought she would come first for me, no matter what. But when Rhys told me last night that you had been with Eris," a chill raked down her spine at the name, "I knew I needed to see you. I knew. Every part of me wanted to be with you in ways that I have never felt for Mor. I needed to know that you were safe. It's why I was outside your door this morning. I let my mind run wild. Lucien had known where your apartment was so, what if, somehow Eris did too? It was ridiculous and domineering of me but I knew you wouldn't let me in and I couldn't stomach the thought that you were alone."

Elain didn't let the words register, not really.

"Azriel, I haven't heard from you in weeks. Even if I'm not your second choice, I don't want to be with someone who only contacts me because I crossed paths with a sociopath."

Rejection, then confusion, then dawning comprehension flashed across Azriel's face.

"You blocked my number."

It wasn't a question but she nodded slowly in confirmation. 

Azriel reached for his phone, punching in the passcode before handing it over to her.

It was pulled up to their text thread, the last sent message from yesterday afternoon. 

- You still mad?

She scrolled up. And up. And up.

Countless messages from the last few weeks. Some were just the word 'hi' while others were paragraphs long.

She didn't ask permission, just flipped over to his outbound call log to see the same thing. Call after call, all to her. 

Elain fell backwards into the counter, reaching a hand back to brace herself. 

She felt dizzy but there was still one final thing, one final question she needed to ask before she let down her walls completely. 

"You told me you didn't love me."

Azriel flinched. 

"I care for you, El." She felt her heart sink as she prepared for the rejection but he held up his hands. "I care about you and I never stopped. Even if we were just friends, I would still care about you.

"I want to try, you know? To see if this could be something. But you can't fault me for not wanting to slide a ring onto your finger right this second. I've been really pissed at you for cutting me out the last few weeks and I know I've hurt you." He sighed. "And I still have my commitment issues so if we are going to do this, I want to take it slow. Okay?"

Elain nodded, feeling slightly dumbfounded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." 

Azriel sighed before pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. 

"Now what?" Elain whispered and he just laughed. 

"Can we.. Can we just take a nap?"

Elain laughed too before reaching out her hand to intertwine their fingers to lead him back to her bedroom. 

As she curled in beside him, her head resting on his chest, she breathed in his scent. 

They were not in the clear just yet but Elain was willing to fight for him, to reforget the pain once more and try to make this into something wonderful. 

_____________________

AN: I have been sitting on this for weeks now. Part of me wanted to go all in with the angst but, each time I sat down to write it, I kept writing it in this way. 

I’m going to blame COVID and just not really having the emotional capacity to have more doom and gloom in my life right now. 

That being said.. I may return to this eventually. My favorite bit to write was part 1. I found it really interesting to explore a part of Elain we never really get to see in cannon. 

This was originally inspired by Reforget by Lauv, in case anyone is interested. 

I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for sticking around. <3 

_____________________

@lil-mis-red

#elain #elain x azriel #elain and azriel #elriel #azriel #azriel x elain #azriel and elain #acotar #acowar #acofar #acofas #reforget

[doing-all-write]

don’t be a baby pt. 3

Pairing: Billy x Fem!Reader

Summary: Reader discovers that Billy isn’t actually dead. Which changes everything. But also, nothing at all. 

Read part 1 HERE

Read part 2 HERE

Word Count: 7K

Warnings: SMUT (only 18+ interact PLZ), swearing, blood, explosions, fighting and some SOFT FEELINGS FOLKS OH BOY.

A/N: SURPRISE! Here’s part 3 of don’t be a baby! I hope you all love this ending, I’m so happy with how it ended so please enjoy! 

💖💖As always, likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! 💖💖

“You bastard.” 

The growl that came crawling out of her throat came from the basest, most animalistic part of her. Billy felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. 

"You fucking prick." Finally wrenching her hand from his, she reached up, ripping his hood off, fully bringing Billy’s feature into the light. 

Her jaw went slack, her complexion ghost white as Billy stood there. Knowing there was nothing he could say or do to make this situation better or less confusing. 

"You-you-no. No. This is impossible. There was a coffin. We had a funeral. Billy. I mourned you. I am still mourning you. What the fuck-"

"One found me on the ground after that last mission. He offered me this chance and-"

She hadn't even been aware she’d been moving away from him until her back hit the wall and her legs gave out completely.

Sliding to the floor, she pulled her knees into her chest, bringing her head down to take deep gulps of air as Billy stood over her Clenching and unclenching his hands, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around her but not knowing if that would make things better or worse, 

"I couldn't not take it love-(Y/N)" catching himself before he called her the old pet name, "It was the best option for me. I got a fresh start. I get to help people. It's steady work and I get to do what I love. Plus, you deserve someone better than me, it was only a matter of time before you realized it anyway..." His voice trailed off as she went stock still. 

~

Watching the monitors, the rest of the team jockeyed around One for position as he relayed what was being said in the room like a sports commentator, "Ooo, he just went for the 'you deserve better than me so I faked my own death' route! That one never works folks. Trust me, I've tried." Five rolled her eyes as Seven snickered. 

"DAMN!" Three exclaimed as the rest of the team broke out in screams as (Y/N) launched herself at Billy, fists flying and teeth bared. 

~

He didn't think she wanted him? He hadn't even asked her what she wanted, they had never even talked about it but only because his selfish ass had gone and written the ending of their story before it had even had a chance to start. The shock drained away, to be replaced by anger. It rose through her blood stream, lighting her body up, until it reached her eyes. She knew that the look in her eyes was feral, bordering on unhinged so it brought her some small joy to see his face blanche at the sight as her (Y/E/C) eyes met his blue ones.

"You no good, lying, piece of shit, COWARD." She had tried her best to keep her voice calm but the last word scraped past her vocal cords in a roar as she launched her body at him. 

The rational part of her brain knew she wasn’t thinking straight but the other part of her brain that had been wallowing in depression, hopelessness, anger and loss for 365 days was ready to fight. 

"You promised. You said you would come back to me and you didn't. But you've been alive this whole goddamn time and now you're in front of me telling me that you didn't think I would want you? And instead of talking to me, you pretend to kill yourself?" Each word was punctuated by a well placed kick, punch or slap on Billy's person. 

“I thought ghosting was bad but this takes it to a whole new LEVEL.” she shrieked as she aimed a left hook to Billy’s kidney. 

Those boxing lessons paid off, she briefly thought to herself. 

There was a part of Billy that had prepared himself for this kind of reaction. He wasn’t even trying to defend himself from her. He knew this was the least he deserved and honestly, he was glad she was even touching him at all. 

Continuing her onslaught on Billy, she hoped she left bruises. A physical representation of the bruising he had caused on her heart over the past year. Growling, she kept up a running commentary of what exactly Billy was since he had left her behind. 

Billy kept his eyes trained forward, as her fists kept up a steady rhythm on his body. Shoulders straight, hands loose at his sides, waiting for some kind of sign that she was slowing down. He risked a glance down and saw her cheeks glistening with tears.

His heart broke into a million pieces. He felt his throat tighten as the tears that he had tried to hold back, welled up in his own eyes. 

She knew distantly that the wetness she felt wasn't sweat. She just prayed that Billy didn't notice them. She didn't want him to think she was weak. As that thought crossed her brain, she realized her punches were getting softer and softer. The rapid pattern she had been striking Billy with had slowed considerably. 

"You son of a bitch. You promised." The last word came out in a ragged wisp as she felt the adrenaline leave her body and despondency begin to take its place. 

"Don't you love me?" Billy's arms reached for her instinctually at those four words. Pulling her frame into his broad chest, he felt her crumble against him as her sobs echoed throughout the room. 

"Shh, love, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know, rest now. I'm so sorry, my love." He whispered, letting his head drop down so his lips grazed her ear as he repeated his apology over and over again. She felt herself getting irritated with her own body when it gave an impulsive shudder at the nearness of him. 

Distantly, she realized that the months of chasing the spark she had with Billy with other men had been pointless. There was no way to recreate it because Billy was the spark. There was no way to recreate what they had because there was no one else like Billy and she didn’t want anyone but Billy.

Feeling the cold concrete of the ground seeping through her leggings, she registered that she must have sunk to the ground as Billy kept his arms around her, both of them huddled on the floor as she sobbed and half heartedly struck Billy’s chest with a weak fist, whispering a few choice phrases such as "fuck you" or "bastard". 

The last thing she remembered was Billy whispering the words ``I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again as he rocked her back and forth as she felt herself drift into unconsciousness.  

~~~

It was the first sleep she'd had where she didn't dream. 

Eyelids fluttering open, she blinked the drowsiness away, forgetting about where she was and why she was on a cot with the desert sun piercing through the linen curtains over the window next to her.

Then it all came slamming back to her with such force that it pulled the air from her lungs. Crushing her knees into her chest she rolled into a ball, breathing into the cave she’d created for herself. Listening to her breath cycle through her body helped to ground her into the fucked up reality she’d woken up in. 

After a few minutes, she lifted her head and took a deep breath in. Exhaling, she swung her legs over the edge of the cot and walked toward a door that she assumed was a bathroom. 

Seeing that the door had been cracked open she hesitated, not wanting to barge in if someone was already in there. Leaning forward she tried to see who it was. 

Her breath was ripped from her lungs for a second time as her eyes were met with the broad expanse of Billy's back. He was twisting in the mirror, trying to rub gel onto the bruise that was blooming on his side from her fists. 

Guilt blossomed in her gut as she thought about how she had hurt him, then figured it was the least she could do to him considering he had caused her more pain and suffering than any one person should feel in their lifetime. 

A whine interrupted her thought process as Billy pressed too hard on the bruise that had flowered by his rib cage. The guilt came crawling back and she gently knocked on the door, pushing it open. 

"Do, uh, do you need help?" Feeling shy suddenly, she trained her eyes on Billy's feet which shuffled back and forth, as if trying to decide if he wanted to be closer to her or afraid she would hit him again.

“Yeah-yes. I need your help.” He cleared his throat, “I need you.” 

Studiously avoiding eye contact, she reached for the gel he had been trying to apply. She took it from his hands and rubbed some onto her palms. Feeling his gaze burning into her, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. 

The scent of eucalyptus filled the air as she pressed her palms onto his skin. He couldn't fight the hiss that leaked out from between his teeth. 

Her lips quirked up as she whispered, "Don't be a baby." 

Their eyes met and he couldn't help what happened next, he kissed her. 

Rising up to meet the harsh push of Billy's lips against her, lust roared to life in the pit of her stomach. Grasping Billy's biceps she leaped into the air, wrapping her legs around his waist. Billy's arms flew up to wrap around her as they both pressed their lips into each other, moaning as she clawed at his back. He deposited her on the sink counter as he reached a leg out to kick the bathroom door shut, praying that no one tried to open the door because fuck. He wasn't going to stop kissing her just to lock a damn door. 

She pulled back, ripping a wimper from Billy. Smirking, she nipped at his bottom lip, then ran her tongue delicately over the red spot that was blooming there. Moaning, he thrusted his hips forward, trying to find something to help relieve the pressure building in his cock. Her moans mixed with his as she pressed her own hips forward.  

Billy's hands gripped her waist as he stepped in between her legs, pumping his hips forward, meeting her needy thrusts with his own. Gasping at the feeling of Billy's length rubbing against her, Billy let out a groan as he wound a hand into her hair, pulling it to expose the line of her throat as he nipped down it, humming with each whine she let out. 

Running her hands down his arms, she moved his hands to grasp at her tits, pushing them into his hands to drive home where she wanted him to touch her most. Chuckling, he ran his thumbs over her breasts, brushing the pad of his thumb over the peak her nipples made through her tank top. 

Keening she reached forward, grasping the edge of his joggers, pulling him forward as she nudged them down, grasping his cock at the base, stroking it. 

Billy growled at the action, grasping the waistband of her leggings, he wiggled them down her thighs till they pooled around her ankles. Kissing her deeply, he brushed the head of his cock against her folds, moaning when he felt the wetness gathering on the head. 

Reaching down, he grasped her thighs, pulling them apart so he could finally, finally, dip his cock into the folds of her cunt. Throwing her head back she let out a stream of curses, Billy biting his lip as he rolled his hips forward, both of them falling into a familiar rhythm as she dug her nails into Billy's shoulders. 

Fingertips sinking into the flesh around her hips, Billy growled into her mouth, causing her to clench the walls of her cunt around his cock. Whimpering, she moved her hand down to rub at her clit. Billy batted her hand out of the way, “Let me.” he whispered before pressing his mouth more desperately against hers, as he began drawing circles over the sensitive nub. 

Moaning into his mouth, she felt her walls clenching even tighter as she rocked her hips sloppily against his own, knowing she was close. 

Feeling her grip around his cock, Billy knew she was close and he thanked the gods she was because he was positive he wouldn’t have lasted much longer. Pumping faster, he dug his hands so hard into her hips she knew there would be bruises there. 

Not that she minded. 

Feeling the fire gnawing its way through her, she clung to Billy desperately as he gave a few last rocks, pressing against her clit in the most delicious way, she gave into the pleasure sweeping over her. 

Her walls clamped around him, giving him the final nudge he needed to spill into her. Both of them groaned as the last few waves of pleasure swept over them. Her head came down to rest on Billy's shoulder. His hands still clamped on her hips, both of them breathing each other's scents as their fury wound down. 

The silence was interrupted by the crackle of the intercom, 

"Kinda pissed I wasn't the first one to get into those Nike leggings." 

"Fuck off." came their simultaneous response. Locking eyes, they both broke into smiles as Billy gingerly pulled himself from her. Helping her down from the counter, he cleaned them both up, helping her step out of her leggings but leaving her underwear on. As he pulled his own joggers up, he gently pushed her into the room she had just left. Stumbling back into the room, she felt exhaustion wash over her again. 

Collapsing once more into the bed, the last thing she remembered before dropping back into sleep was Billy padding into the room and her hand reaching out for him. Grasping for it so she could be sure he wouldn’t leave before she woke up.

~~~

Billy became suddenly aware there was a weight on his chest.

Stirring, he felt the mass curl into him further. Sniffing, he caught a whiff of the shampoo (Y/N) always used and knowing it was her curled into him was almost enough to have him break down into sobs. 

Bringing a hesitant hand to her waves, he gently stroked them as her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. 

Aware of the hand stroking her hair, she did her best to keep still so he wouldn't stop. She knew that when she woke they would need to have a serious conversation about...all of it. About Billy being alive. Them being on the same team. Would she be able to trust him again? There was a lot to discuss but right now she wanted to lay on his chest and pretend that it was the day after their first day together, the future ahead of them bright and unencumbered. 

Feeling her arm start to fall asleep, she figured it was time to wake up and face Billy. 

Feeling her stir, Billy's hand stilled on her waves, moving down to land on her hip as she shifted so she could shoot a sleepy smile up at him, "Morning" she croaked out and Billy thought he had never seen something so adorable in his entire life. 

Smiling, he replied, "Morning," then frowned, "or afternoon. I have no bloody idea what time or day it is to be quite honest with you." 

Letting out a wheezy laugh she brought her head back down to his chest as he wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer to him, feeling more grounded already with her next to him. 

He knew they should talk about what his being alive meant for them and for the future, but he wanted to be selfish and hold onto these few peaceful moments. He’d realized how greedy he was when it came to spending time with (Y/N) but he couldn't help it. Every second, every minute, he wasn't next to her felt like a moment wasted. 

Sighing, she turned her face up to him, "I guess we should talk about...well...the fact that you're not dead." Bringing his other hand up to rub down his face, Billy let out a sigh, "Yeah, I s'pose we should." 

"Don't sound too excited." 

"You gonna hit me again?"

"You going to keep having that tone with me?"

Cowing immediately Billy ran his hand over her back, "No, 'course not (Y/N). Sorry."

Sniffing she nodded to show she'd acknowledged his apology. Her next question came out on a sigh, "Why, Billy?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you do this?"

It was Billy's turn to heave a sigh as he chose his next words with care. He wanted, needed, her to understand why he did what he did. He needed her to understand it wasn’t because he didn’t love, it was because he loved her too much. 

"Because...well...One's offer was too good to pass up. Truly. I could do all my Sky Walker stuff but also be able to help people. It was my chance to make a difference in the world, to do some massive good on a global scale." 

Sniffing back tears, she nodded mutely as she absentmindedly drew circles over his torso. "I understand that Billy, but...why did you have to break your promise?"

The sharp intake of breath from Billy caused her to raise her head, shock flooding her veins as she saw tears start to leak out of the corner of his eyes. Raising her thumb up, she swiped them away. 

"I didn't want to, (Y/N). But...I had to. One explained to me how dangerous this job was, is, and how people will do awful things to anyone connected to you. I...I couldn't bear the thought of you being caught in the crosshairs or having something happen to you because of me." 

"Okay but, why didn't you talk to me about it? You just assumed I would be okay with it? That I would tell you One was right? That I wouldn't fight for you? For us? C'mon Billy. Give me a little credit."

"Yeah, because you took so well to my original job." 

Her body stilled as she realized he was right. Not that she was happy about it. Sighing she tilted her head up to look into his eyes, "You're right. But that was before. This is...now. I'm different. I've changed." 

Billy's eyes roamed over her face, memorizing every detail of it. He took stock of her eyes, how the light was boarded up tight, like they were the first few times he’d talked to her. When she smiled or laughed, he saw a flash of it peek through only for her to quickly shove it back down.  

As she studied his own face, she desperately wanted to let her guard down. It would be so easy to slip into how it should have been but there was something that was holding her back. She couldn’t figure out what it was until it hit her like a freight train.

What if Billy really died? 

Now that she knew his death had been a ruse and he was still alive, this time, if he did die in this life...there really was no coming back from that. Her heart tore in half at the thought. 

"Love..." he hesitated to see how she would react to the pet name. When she didn't hit him or tell him not to use it, he continued, "Love, listen. This is totally your choice. If you think we can do this, then, I'm all in. This will be our new life together. But if there's even a shred of an issue, then you get to walk out that door. And you'll never hear from me again." His heart leaped when she wrapped her arm around his chest more securely at that admission.

"I don't want that. But...Billy...what happens...if...if...you die. Again. For real." Her voice was shaky as she nestled her face into Billy's side, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears threatening to overwhelm her. 

Billy's breath left his lungs in a harsh whoosh as the full impact of that idea made his heart skip a beat. He hadn't even considered the possibility. Mainly because if he did, he would never do half the shit he did. 

"I wish I had a good answer love but, I don't." Hearing her sniffle he turned on his side, cupping her chin in his hand as he tilted her face up so she would look at him and know how desperately he meant the next few words, 

"I just, I have a feeling in my gut that I won't die though. The only reason I made it through half of these missions is because of the people around me and...you." Her eyes widened at this admission, 

"Yes, love. You. The very idea of you when I was off doing things that James Bond could only dream of," she snorted as Billy grasped one of her hands in his own, "is what made me more convinced than ever that I needed to get back to you in one piece. And if you join the team? Love, you will be the only thing that's going through my head when we're on a job together. The promise of being able to come home to you at the end of the day, to have you patch me up, to give me endless shit. I wouldn't want to miss any more of it than I already have. So please, believe me when I tell you, if you join this team? I will never, ever leave you again. I promise, (Y/N)." 

Raising her eyes to meet his blue ones, she felt her heart squeeze when she saw the tears streaming freely down his face. He had laid his heart bare for her and the love she felt for him in that moment made her glow with a warmth she hadn’t felt, well, since the last time they had been in a bed together. But part of her was still hesitant. She wanted to believe him but she couldn’t go through what she had already been through again. 

Billy knew that she was doing her best to figure out if he truly meant it. Sensing her hesitation, he placed the hand he had been gripping over his heart, "Do you feel that?” She nodded, feeling grounded as his heart beat beneath her palm, “Every beat is for you. For you and you alone, love. You bring me into the light and make me feel as if I deserve to be there. Please, (Y/N), do what you think is right but just know, that I want you, and only you, for the rest of my life." 

Crying freely, she nodded frantically as she curled herself into Billy's chest. Stroking her back, he let her cry as much as she needed to.  After a while, she pulled back, mumbling an apology for getting snot on his shirt as he laughed. Lifting her head up she realized she was right in line with Billy's lips. They were so perfect, reaching a hesitant finger out, she traced them. Feeling her heart beat harder when Billy’s breath hitched at the movement. 

Lowering her finger, she snuggled closer to Billy as she reached her lips up to press them against his own softly, tentatively, like she was asking a question more than providing an answer. 

Billy sighed as he brought a hand up to cup her face. Stroking the planes, he made sure to remember exactly how her lips felt as he wiped the last of her tears from her face. 

Deepening the kiss, she moaned softly into his mouth as he traced a line from her cheek, down her neck, down her side until his hand landed on her hip. Giving her a gentle nudge, she swung her leg over and straddled Billy as he adjusted himself underneath her. He looked up at her and was sure he had never seen a more beautiful sight. Clad in her black tank top and panties, no makeup, hair falling in her face, Billy's heart ached at the notion of being able to wake up to this sight every day of his life. 

Resting her hands gently on the broad expanse of his chest, she gave a small thrust forward, testing to see how hard he was. Gasping when she felt his full length twitch, he cocked an eyebrow at her, "You okay there, love?"

"Shut it." She mumbled as she leaned down to capture his lips with hers. 

"Make me" was his response as he kissed her back tenderly. Their movements were languid, the passion and tension that had gripped them last night burnt away only to leave the love, adoration and relief they both felt to be reunited with each other. Gently rubbing herself over his cock, he reached a hand down to nudge his pants out of the way. 

When his cock sprang free, she reached a hand down into her panties, running two fingers over her own slick, lifting her hand up to lick the juices off her fingers as Billy stared at her, slack-jawed.

Giggling, she moved her underwear to the side as she shifted her hips, positioning herself over his length then slowly lowering herself until he was fully sheathed inside of her. 

She gasped as his hands came up to caress the bruises he had left on her hips. His touches were feather light as she let herself adjust to the girth of Billy's cock. Both of them were making a conscious effort to not rush this time. They wanted to relish the feel of each others bodies. 

They both treated their bodies as dispensable when they were on a job, but with each other they gave into the feeling of being admired, of being adored, of being touched delicately and being delicate in return. 

As (Y/N) let herself enjoy how full she felt with Billy inside of her, Billy rubbed his thumbs over her hips, urging his own hips to stay still. He didn't want to rush this. He didn't want to rush her. He wanted to do this right. He wanted to make sure that she felt comfortable, that she could feel how much he loved and cared about her through his actions. 

In the same vein, (Y/N) wanted to treat Billy with softness. To show that she trusted him, that she wanted to be with him always and would trust him with her life. That he deserved to be cherished. Slowly, she started rocking her hips back and forth, finding a soothing rhythm as her fingers fluttered down to rest on Billy's stomach. 

Billy's hands caressed her thighs, brushing slow patterns, the roughness of his palms on her skin causing goosebumps to rise up as she started pumping her hips a little faster. Below her, Billy was making the most obscene noises she'd ever heard. Moans, whines and gasps, the whole time desperately searching for eye contact so he could watch her reaction to every movement of his body underneath hers. 

Leaning down to kiss him, he grasped her shoulders and flipped them so he was on top of her, using his forearms to prop himself up, staring down at her, he smiled, "You're the most beautiful woman in the world." Blushing furiously, she rolled her eyes so she wouldn't have to make eye contact knowing that if she did, her heart would explode with how much love she had for him. 

Leaning his head down, he nuzzled into the crook of her neck, inhaling the smell of her skin, the sweetness of her perfume, the slight tang of salt and something that was so unmistakably (Y/N). Pressing his lips into the curve where her neck sloped down to meet her shoulder, he heard her sigh and continued to nudge his hips forward. 

When her moans grew louder, he let out a small growl that made her clench around his length. Thrusting her hips up, she whined needily in the back of her throat. Smirking, Billy started pumping his hips faster into her. Feeling the pit in her stomach grow hotter, she ran her fingers over his head, feeling the pricks of his stubble rub against her palms. As he pulled back to stare into her eyes, she brushed the errant strands that had fallen in front of his eyes. She wanted to drown in their blueness. 

Continuing to thrust into her, Billy felt his orgasm building as he kept eye contact with her. Everything was quiet except for their breath. The sighs, the hitches, all of it was much hotter to Billy than any dirty talk could be. 

Feeling her heart beat start to speed up, she knew she was getting close. Biting her lip, she peered at Billy through her eyelashes, "Billy...I'm going to cum." 

Leaning down, she could feel the smile that was playing on his lips as he whispered in her ear, "Then cum for me, my love." With those words, the pit in her stomach expanded and swallowed her whole. Squeezing her eyes shut, she came with a sharp inhale and slow exhale as her hips rose up to meet Billy's as he pumped into her through her orgasm. Feeling her walls clench around him, watching her come undone below him, pushed him right over the edge. As the last vestiges of her orgasm left her, she felt Billy's hips pumping against her sloppily until with a final grunt, she felt him fill her up with his cum. 

Panting, they looked into each others eyes and she giggled as he smiled at her, looking a little dazed. Carefully pulling out of her, he cleaned them up. After pulling his sweatpants back up, he laid down on the bed, pulling her to his chest. 

Nuzzling her face into Billy she sighed. Feeling her body loosen and relax, Billy started to plant kisses all over the top of her head, moving down to pepper her cheeks with kisses, she giggled and squirmed away from him. Chuckling, he placed one last kiss to the tip of her nose, “C’mere love. We’ve been apart too long to have you so far away from me.” 

“Billy, I’m like an inch away from you.” 

“And that’s still too far.” he whined as he pulled her flush against him. Giggling, she flung her arm and leg over Billy’s form, attaching herself even closer to him, “Is this close enough?” 

“Not really but, it’ll have to do.” he mumbled as his arms wound around her, hugging her tightly into him. 

As they laid there, their breath evened out to match each other. And several hours later, when One was checking the surveillance cameras, that was how he found them. Entwined in each other, breathing in and out in synch, looking for all the world like pieces of a puzzle that had finally come together to create a whole picture. 

~One Month Later~

"Are you fucking kidding me?" 

"No, of course I'm not. You gotta get out of here and this is the best way to do it. C'mon." 

"Eight-" hearing her code name come out of Billy's mouth always made a shiver run down her spine. One time, he had growled it when they were having sex and the orgasm that’d ripped through her when it happened caused her to see God.

She had been lovely. 

"Four. I believe in you." Billy pulled up short as he heard those four words crackle through his earpiece. Then, 

"You two need to cut the foreplay and figure out a legitimate way of getting the fuck out of this building before it blows." 

"Hey, One? Why do you need to cockblock us at every opportunity?" (Y/N) laughed.

"Shut it Eight or I'm going to let you explode in this building." 

"You would miss my witty banter though. No one else can keep up with you like I can."

"Correction, no one wants to keep up with him like you do." Was Five's dry reply as she prepped the medical gear sitting in the getaway car. Shrugging, (Y/N) couldn't find fault with that statement. With a final ding, the files finished uploaded to the flash drive. Pulling it out, she gingerly stepped over the four guards that had rushed to greet her. 

Slipping into the hallway and gently closing the door behind her, she rushed down the hallway, looking first right, then left to see if Billy was there. She heard a thud to her right and drew her gun as she turned to aim it at whoever was trying to sneak up on her. 

"Gotta say, I'm afraid but also a little turned on." 

It was Billy at the end of her barrel, holding his arms high. 

Holstering her gun she rolled her eyes, "When aren't you feeling like that?" 

"Good point, it's been my constant state since you joined the team."

Laughing, she grabbed his hand and started running down the hall of the home of the mobster they’d been infiltrating. He’d been a kingpin in one of the biggest sex trafficking rings in the world. But they had busted him, and it, wide open. (Y/N) had just leaked all of his documents to the FBI and to all major news sites, while downloading a copy for herself. The rest of the team had been making sure she had clear access to the computer and had been extracted awhile ago, it was just her and Billy left.  

As they raced down the hallway, they felt a rumble, then, 

BOOM. 

An explosion rocked the building, bringing them up short, as they looked at where the staircase used to be. 

"Well, fuck." 

Feeling something tugging her arm, (Y/N) looked away from the inferno to Billy tugging her towards the window, "Trust me?" 

"Always." 

Smiling back at her, he gripped her hand tighter as they both took off for the window. As a second explosion racked the building, the glass erupted as they launched themselves through the window, body's rolled tight as they aimed for the bunting on the building across from them. 

~~~

"FUCK does that hurt. Jesus Christ." 

"You do this every time I have to patch you up. Why aren't you used to this? Better question, why do I still patch you up?"

"Because it's how we fell in love in the first place and you love taking care of me."

"Shut up" was her mumbled reply. Billy smiled smugly as he snuggled deeper into the chair he was seated in.

After they had landed on the bunting, rolling and thumping onto the street, they’d pushed themselves up and leaped into the getaway car as Two peeled out and away from the smoking wreckage. 

They hadn't even noticed the scraps and cuts they’d acquired until the adrenaline had flowed out of their system and Five was yelling at them, telling them what fools they were and how dumb could they be. 

Laughing, Billy drank in (Y/N)'s bright eyes, her mouth stretched into a smile as she hurled insults back at One and flirted shamelessly with Seven. He had slipped a hand onto her thigh with the first wink she’d aimed at Seven. Ignoring the weight of his hand on her thigh, she continued their banter. With every remark, wink or playful nudge, he moved his hand up her thigh until finally, 

"Your hand is basically on her pussy can you two please get a room." Three groaned. 

Two smacked him as (Y/N) blushed furiously, batting Billy's hand off her leg as Billy laughed, flicking his tongue over his lips. 

Getting back to HQ, they tumbled out of the van. Voices overlapping and mixing with each other as they stumbled back to safety, everyone ready for a well deserved rest. (Y/N) was listening to Five explain the latest state of the art medical equipment they’d gotten when she felt the roughness of Billy's palm engulf her hand. Smiling, she squeezed his hand, feeling his palm press harder into her own and giving her butterflies all over again. 

"That's even grosser than earlier." Seven snorted at One's comment but felt a tug in his heart at how easily they had slotted themselves back together. 

~

They had emerged from the room they’d been in a few hours later, only to be met by whooping, pats on the back, congratulations being passed around and One loudly declaring how impressed he was with how they "banged it out." 

Rolling her eyes she’d put her hands up, "Listen. Before this goes any further I just want to let you guys know what my decision is."

Billy's head had snapped up at that comment. Eyes widening he felt his stomach drop, she’d never specifically said what she had decided on. Feeling unsteady, he braced his hands on the back of a chair, sure he was going to snap it with his grip. 

The air in the room became thick with anticipation. Everyone stilled to hear what her final verdict would be. 

"I'm in. All in."

Her words were meant for everyone but her gaze stayed glued on Billy. The smile that broke across his face was enough to make her smile as his lips connected to hers, the rest of the room breaking into cheers and whoops and then disgusted groans as Billy deepened the kiss. 

~

Since then, she had fit into the dynamic of the team like she’d always been a part of it. This had been their first official mission with her on board and they were all pleased with how it went. One even offered her a compliment on her competency during the debriefing. 

(Alright, so it was a backhanded compliment but that was as good as it was going to get with One.) 

Now, she and Billy were back at their shared airplane husk at HQ. Billy's favorite part of their place was the cross-stitch she had done that said "Husk Sweet Husk" with an airplane underneath. It warmed his heart every time he saw it. 

Billy was in a chair as (Y/N) sat next to him on the same stool she had perched on the first time he arrived at her apartment. Five had taken care of the larger cuts but she still liked to patch him up whenever she could. It made her feel closer to him and it allowed them to come down from missions together. 

"Would you stop squirming? I swear, you're worse than a toddler."

"I'm just trying to keep your skills sharp, love."

"You're about to meet the sharp end of my knife if you don't stop fucking moving."

"And there's that sharp tongue I fell in love with."

"Oh shut up." She smirked as a blush climbed up her cheeks, causing Billy to lean forward and pepper them with kisses as she threw cotton balls at him.

"I give up! You're impossible and on your own to patch yourself up."

"C'mon love, don't be a baby." He snickered as he grabbed her hand to pull her into his lap.

Tucking her head under his chin she pouted, "You know that always works on me, that's not fair."

"Who ever said anything in this relationship is fair?" He tickled her sides lightly until he heard a giggle leave her mouth. Smiling he pressed a kiss to her head as she snuggled deeper into his chest. Winding his arms around her, he squeezed her close. Their breaths synching up as they watched the last of the sun dip below the horizon. 

Five minutes or an hour later, she wasn’t sure, she finally shifted with the intention of getting up when she heard Billy hiss. 

Looking up at him with confusion, she furrowed her brows, "What?"

"You can't do that, love"

"Why not?" Shifting again she felt something poke her and let out a gasp, "Is that-?"

"It's definitely not my gun so yes. I am very happy to see you." 

Laughing she unfolded herself from his arms, "Okay, sorry. I won't do that unless we're spooning and then I'll just 'accidentally' wriggle my butt around until you get hard again."

"It won't take long." The husky quality of Billy's voice caused her head to snap up. His eyes were hooded, boring into her own. The air between them thick with lust.

It had been like this ever since they’d been back together. Everything was a sexual innuendo or an excuse to touch each other. Seven thought it was because of how sexually frustrated Billy was after not getting laid for so long but they both knew it was because they needed the reminder. 

Every caress, touch, kiss and sigh against each other's skin was a reminder that this was real, they were with each other. Every time Billy would grab her hand under the table during a meeting a jolt of electricity shot through her. 

And every time (Y/N) brushed up against Billy or laid a hand on his back to move past him, his cheeks would flush, remembering that she was close enough to touch and he could touch her any time he wanted. 

Neither of them took for granted the simplest things anymore. Passing touches, kisses on the cheek, hugging, holding hands, it all signified something bigger for them. That they could reach out and touch each other whenever they could. Every morning that they woke up, entwined in each others arms was another day that was going to be good, because they had woken up where they belonged. 

(Y/N) broke their gaze first, cheeks burning as she shuffled back and forth, "Umm, Mark texted me by the way. He, Mary and Jean are going to FaceTime with us later so we better not get too heated." 

"Why does your brother cockblock me at every possible time?" 

"Because I'm his sister, it's practically his job."

It’d been tricky to navigate the after-math of the discovery of Billy's demise. She knew that no one knew if she was dead or alive but after negotiating with One, she talked him into taking Mark and Jean onto the team. Which hit another snag when they found out that Mark and Mary had started dating. 

One had thrown his hands up when this knowledge came to his attention and cursed the day he brought this, "cluster fuck of a circus" into his group. Begrudgingly he had allowed Billy's mom, sister, Mark and Jean to come to HQ. As soon as they stepped foot in the plane, he had put the fear of God into them about this job, the dangers and how it was of mortal importance they keep their "fucking mouths shut." At which point, he had gone to the door, flung it open and walked out, "Oh and by the way, here's the problem that started this whole mess." he called over his shoulder as Billy walked into the room, sheepishly holding his hand up in a meek wave. 

(Y/N) had let him have that moment alone. She figured that would muddy the waters and besides, everyone in there already knew she was alive and okay. They deserved to have time with just Billy. To process, to understand. It had killed her to wait for them to emerge from the room but it had been worth it when she saw Billy and his mother emerge from the room, their eyes red rimmed from crying, arms around each other. 

Mark and Jean worked remotely most of the time. One would call them in for missions occasionally but they stuck to ground work and passed information off to One when need be. 

Mary and Billy's mom kept quiet, still letting everyone believe that Billy was dead but buoyed by the fact that they could FaceTime him whenever they wanted. (Y/N) also knew that One sent updates to Billy's mom whenever he could and paid for her to come out to visit Billy at HQ when they were between missions. It warmed her heart and made his snarky comments easier to put up with. 

Sighing, Billy hauled himself out of the chair, ambling towards the bathroom, "Well, come on then, better make the shower sex quick." He clamped his hands down around her waist as he nudged them towards the bathroom as her laugh rang out, bouncing over the sand dunes. 

~~~

"FUCK. BILLY!" 

With a final moan, Billy came inside (Y/N), both of them breathing heavily as they came down from their highs. After cleaning up, Billy collapsed into the bed, unfortunately landing right on top of her.

"OOF. Billy, c'mon." Shoving weakly at his form she knew it was a lost cause as he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck.

"S'comfortable. You should just try to be less comfortable to lay on top of." 

"How would that even work?" 

"Get rid of your boobs."

Gasping, her hands flew up to her chest, "You know these are the money makers!"

"Of course I know that, love. Seven and Three know it as well."

Smacking his shoulder they both chuckled. As their breathing steadied, Billy rolled off her, bringing her into his chest where they snuggled deeper into the blanket they shared. Just as their eyes were closing,

BANG BANG BANG

"C'mon you two. Quit fucking for two seconds, One has a new mission for us."

Groaning, she buried her face into Billy's chest, "Tell One he can go fuck himself."

"You can yourself, darling. In about two seconds."

Dragging her body from the warm nest they had made, she stepped into the first pair of sweatpants she found on the ground, "Remind me again why I agreed to do this stupid job?"

Feeling Billy's hands on her shoulders, she twisted around only to be met with a deep lingering kiss from him, "Because I love you. And I can't do this life, or any life, without you being right next to me."

Pressing her forehead against his she smiled, inhaling deeply, "I love you."

"I love you, too. Also I'm so going to beat you to the control room."

Wha-?" her sentence was cut off as Billy raced from their husk, sprinting across the sand as best he could. An indignant snort left her as she took off after him, their laughter bouncing over the sand. Billy glanced back at her and didn’t know which was brighter, the full moon hanging above them or the warmth that radiated from (Y/N)’s laughing eyes as she raced to follow him to the ends of the world. Reaching a hand out, she grabbed his own as he tugged her forward into their next adventure. 

~~~

Tag List: @itsabenthing @vroboat @mrhoemazzello @gwendolyns-stacy @alliwantfromyouistomakelovetome @desperatelytryingtosavemyself​ @jonesyaddiction​ @xtrashmammalstefx​ @radiob-l-a-hblah​ @fairestkillerqueenofall @acciodallas​ @peter-sue-the-management​

#billy #ben hardy #ben hardy fic #ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy smut #billy fic #billy fanfic #ben hardy oneshot #ben hardy angst #billy smut #6underground #6 underground #6U #ryan reynolds #four #one #seven #five #two #three #ben jones #ben jones fanfic #ben jones smut #ben jones oneshot #ben jones angst #billy!ben #billy!ben hardy #6U!Ben #6U!Ben hardy #au

[pastpatientlywaitingforimagines]

If The World Was Ending | Diego Hargreeves x Reader Nonplatonic Songfic

WC: 2205

Warnings: Alcohol, apocalypse, romance

A/N: I was late to the Umbrella Academy train in the first place, and then I sat on this fic for months but I finally finished it! Based on the songs “We’re Not Friends” - Ingrid Andress and “If The World Was Ending” - JP Saxe ft. Julia Michaels

“I should go home,” you said aloud after a minute of trying to get your eyes to focus on your watch.

“You should go home with Diego,” Klaus said from his spot across the table from you, staring at the ceiling, “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you sleeping in his bed.”

You felt a blush creep up to your cheeks that was not caused by the wine glass in your hand as you inadvertently glanced over towards where Diego was sitting at the bar talking to someone he knew from the police academy.

“Shut up, Klaus. We’re just friends. It’s like 2 o’clock in the morning, I should go home,” you repeated, standing up and slowly bringing your glass over to the bar.

“Di?” you leaned heavily into the countertop next to the leather-clad man.

“Are you ready to go home?” he turned to you with a crooked smile.

“Will you drive me?” you asked as sweetly as you could.

“He can’t drive, he’s drunk,” Klaus called across the room. Diego rolled his eyes. In your slightly drunken haze, you didn’t notice the knife pierce the floor a few inches from Klaus’ foot, causing him to yelp as Diego answered your question.

“I haven’t had anything to drink in three hours. Of course I can drive you home. I should be heading back to my place anyways.” You thanked Diego every other step as he walked you out to his car, a hand on the small of your back. He helped you into the passenger seat, closing the door after you before going to his own side.

It was silent for a while as he drove across town towards your apartment. Despite the silence, Diego reached over to you and intertwined his fingers with yours as he drove.

He gave your hand a squeeze as your eyelids started to get heavy, effectively pulling you back to consciousness.

“We’re almost there, don’t fall asleep yet,” he said.

“Love you, Di,” you murmured, slouching into the seat and trying to keep yourself awake.

“Love you too, (y/n),” he said softly as he parked the car on the street outside of your building. Releasing your hand, he got out of the car and came around to you. You had opened the door on your own, and were unsuccessfully trying to balance enough to stand. Giving you his hand, Diego helped you up and walked with you to your door. You were able to locate your key and unlock your door. Diego followed you in, going immediately to your bedroom and then working his way around to the different rooms of your small apartment until he joined you back in the kitchen.

“Is it safe?” you asked him gently.

“Nobody here but us,” he said with certainty. You pressed a warm hand to his cheek, then rolled up on your toes to press a kiss to his lips.

“Thanks,” you said with a smile.

“Of course,” his voice was low, melting in with the darkness of your apartment. His face softened as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, then turned away from you and started rummaging through your kitchen cabinets. You made your way to your bedroom, changing into sweatpants and one of Diego’s shirts and brushing your teeth. When you were finished, you found Diego lounging comfortably on your bed.

“I brought you water,” he gestured towards the glass sitting on your nightstand.

“Your clothes are in the top drawer,” you countered, “I took the liberty of putting them away after you left them on my floor last time.”

Diego laughed as he stood, crossing the room to your dresser and pulling out the clothes you were talking about. As he changed you buried yourself under the blankets on your bed, settling in the spot he had just warmed with his body.

“Move over,” he teased as he returned to bed after turning out the light. He joined you under the blankets, back in the spot he originally occupied.

“Aren’t you tired of this?” you asked into the darkness. Your whole body wanted to fall asleep, but the question had been pressing on your mind since talking to Klaus earlier.

“Of sleeping with you in my arms? I don’t think that’s possible, (y/n).”

“I mean of not telling anyone that we do this. I don’t think anyone would be surprised. Klaus mentions it at least twice every time we hang out, and Vanya keeps giving me a ‘look’ whenever you come up in conversation.”

Diego was silent for a moment.

“You know what I do is dangerous. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt, emotionally or physically. We can’t be anything more than friends.”

“We’re not friends, Di. We keep trying to pretend we are, but the fact of the matter is that we aren’t. We can’t keep doing this forever,” you were honest with him even though it hurt. Again, Diego was quiet before answering.

“Go to sleep, (y/n). We can talk about it in the morning, ok?”

“I want to talk about it now,” Diego chuckled at how stubborn you were.

“You’re right, we can’t keep doing this forever,” he sighed.

“But…?”

“We still can’t be anything more than friends.”

“Di, we can’t go back to being just friends after this. Being just friends isn’t an option either, you know that,” you felt Diego shift, pulling you tighter into his arms and resting his chin on the top of your head.

“I know,” his voice was soft.

“So is this it then?”

“What will we tell my family?”

“I haven’t thought that far. Can we sleep on it? I can’t stay awake any longer,” you mumbled. Diego pressed a kiss into your hair.

“Of course.”

Diego woke up before you did, and reveled in the calmness that surrounded you. He thought about the conversation that had happened hours prior. You were right, the two of you couldn’t keep pretending this secret bliss wasn’t happening. He was so worried for your safety though. As much as he would love to be your boyfriend and give you everything you deserved, he was terrified it would lead to you getting hurt. While he knew cutting things off now would hurt both of you, it would be nothing compared to what could happen if he kept you around.

He watched as your eyes fluttered open, a sweet grin blessing your face before quickly falling.

“Would you like some coffee?” he asked quietly. You nodded, but tightened the arm draped across his abdomen. After another few minutes of quietly holding each other, you made your way to the kitchen. Sitting across the table and holding large mugs of hot liquid in your hands, you finally had the conversation you were dreading.

“So your family;”

“We’ll tell them you confessed your ‘feelings’ to me and I didn’t feel the same. No reason to have them hate you. You can still hang out with Klaus and Vanya, just tell them you don’t want to see me. They’ll understand. It’s not like I talk to either of them much anyways,” he said.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“We just weren’t meant to be, huh?”

“I guess not.”

You and Diego finished your coffee in silence. He gave you one last hug before he took all of his things and left.

Thus began your separation from the person you trusted most in the world. There were so many times you found yourself going to call him. You still spent a lot of time with Klaus and Vanya, both of whom were careful not to bring their brother up in conversation. With a blink a year passed, and you found yourself in Vanya’s apartment.

“I should go home, right?” She looked to you for validation.

“Your dad just died, V. I’m gonna support whatever you think is right,” you said gently.

“I should go home. They’re not going to be happy to see me, especially Diego…” she trailed off, “but I should be there.”

“You know you’re always welcome at my place if it doesn’t work out,” you reminded her as she stood.

After Vanya left you went home. You puttered around your apartment, doing some cleaning and odd jobs that had been abandoned in the past week of your busy life. Your life returned somewhat to normal in the next few days, with the only exception being the absence of the Hargreeves siblings. You didn’t think much of it, considering their father had just died and you knew many sides of the tension that sat between them all. Just as the thought crossed your mind that some semblance of normalcy had finally found you, you opened your apartment door to Diego pacing in front of your couch.

“Are you ok?” you both froze as the same phrase left your lips.

You recovered first,

“Is Vanya ok?”

“Where have you been?” Diego was crossing your small apartment, shutting the front door behind you before ushering you towards the kitchen.

“Is Vanya ok?” you were firmer in your words this time.

“Vanya is fine, why do you keep asking?” Diego slid a glass of water towards you.

“I haven’t heard from her in a few days, didn’t think you would be here unless something happened to her.”

Diego waited for you to take a sip of the water before speaking.

“The world is ending. Five came back, he- he time traveled to the future and the apocalypse is in three days.”

“Ok,” you took another sip from the glass in front of you.

A beat of silence.

“You’re going to try to stop it, right? Your siblings are all in town, if you all worked together…”

“Nobody’s doing much work except me at the moment,” Diego all but growled his sentence in frustration. You wanted to wrap him in a hug and tell him everything was going to be ok, but you knew that would do more harm than good. Still, you wondered why exactly the impending apocalypse had brought him to your apartment. It was clear he hadn’t completely forgotten about you, considering he remembered your preference for a glass of water while processing hard information. You couldn’t deny that being with Diego was easier than breathing.

“(y/n),” his fingers brushed your chin, bringing your eyes to meet his, “you’ll come over, right?”

“Of course. I’ll pack a bag, take anything here that you need,” you gestured to the kitchen as you brushed past him to your bedroom.

The drive back to the Umbrella Academy was unreasonably comfortable. Diego’s car was exactly how you remembered it, the muscles in your hand ached to reach over and intertwine your fingers like they had done so many times prior.

After Diego parked, he grabbed your bag from the backseat, then walked protectively by your side as you approached the door.

“It might still be heated in there. If it gets too bad, we’re going to the gym.” You nodded your understanding as he reached for the handle.

As soon as he pushed the door open you could hear the shouting.

“Diego?”

“Where did you go?”

“We need a plan, you can’t just walk out on a family meeting.”

“When did (y/n) get here?”

Diego didn’t flinch as words were thrown at him, his siblings rounding the corner to bombard him. You didn’t need to be there to know Diego must have chosen a poor time to leave to see you. Without much more time for thought, Diego’s hand slipped into yours and firmly led you up the stairs without a word to his siblings. He practically dragged you into his old room and shut the door. Your bag was dropped on the floor, then he face-planted onto his bed. You perched on the edge of the mattress, a tentative hand reaching out to caress his muscled back.

After a minute of quiet, he lifted his head from the pillow and turned to face you. Another minute and he sat up, pulling you further onto the bed and into his arms.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Di, but I can’t help but wonder why you’d bring me here if the whole point of us not seeing each other anymore was to keep me out of danger.”

Diego sighed before speaking, his breath warm on the top of your head.

“You were the first person I thought of when Five said the world was ending. At first I thought I needed to say goodbye to you, but that wasn’t good enough. Maybe we aren’t meant to be together forever but if the world is ending I just want to hold you and love you. So… stay the night?”

You settled deeper into his arms, letting yourself relax for the first time that afternoon. You had spent the past year trying to forget how this felt, trying to process the pain that came with the thoughts of this man. You couldn’t have fathomed that this is how your story would end.

“Diego?”

You felt his chest rumble as he hummed his acknowledgement.

“Are you scared?”

“Not anymore,” his arms tightened around you, “are you?”

#TUA #tua fanfic #diego hargreeves #diego hargreeves x reader #diego hargreeves fanfic #the umbrella academy #non platonic imagine

[ginger-canary]

Where Do Your Strengths Lie

For @flarrowverse-shipyard​ Femslash February bingo square “Powerswap”. Charlie/Earth-2 Laurel Lance. Rating: M due to heated makeout scene and my desire to play it safe. Words: 1221. AO3 Link: X

After the power swap, both of them are blown off their feet. Charlie crashed through the staff display, sending them everywhere as they rolled over the floor with loud curses. On the other side of the cave, Laurel attempted to push herself up from the training mat, her hair static as electricity prickled lightly. "What the fuck did you do?" Laurel growled as she made her way back to the platform, breathing deeply to get the air rushing through her lungs.

"Listen, love," Charlie jumped back onto the platform, keeping one hand on the railing. "I don't live here, that's you." The words were hard to get out, pushing past a newly formed dam inside their chest, fighting for air.

Laurel felt her control slip and reached for her chest, searching for her powers- the one thing that had always stayed with her. "What did you do to me? Where are my powers?!" Her words shook as her vocal cords couldn't decide on an octave, suddenly sounding remarkably like Nyssa.

Charlie scrambled backwards, flipping over the railing when Laurel showed them just what their powers looked like in progress. The glitching figure of a strong brunette mashed with Laurel's shape showed a mosaic of details. They screamed, no longer in the usual sound but in a touchable form, the waves visible as they bounced across the room knocking things over.

"Oh. Oh how dare you." Laurel started toward Charlie, balance weak as her body could not decide what it wanted to be. Dazed from their own new ability, Charlie pushed themself back up to a standing position. "Once again, princess, I didn't fucking do this. I am a fate, not a magician." Their voice was strong as a scream started to build within their chest yet again but Laurel towered over them in heeled boots.

Struggling to accept the dual tones of her voice as her form flickered, Laurel spoke "what. Have. You done to me? What have you given me?" She moved toward Charlie who stepped back a few feet.

"I haven't given you anything, that's mine! I'm a shapeshifter! Just undo whatever this bullshit is, your powers-" They paused, short nails raking over their chest but it was no use. "Your powers hurt."

With a slight hesitation, Laurel rolled her eyes and shoved Charlie back, sending them tripping over the bo staffs. "Your powers make me sound like a demon. Give me back my goddamn voice, Charlie."

With a growl, Charlie pushed Laurel back. "I've lived for millennia. This ain't my doing, love. I'd know."

The anger Laurel had collected in her chest rose like a wave as she connected the dots. "Are you trying to tell me you think some of the technology in the cave caused this?" She picked up speed, advancing before Charlie's eyes widened- not even paying attention to the extra inches she grew. "Are you trying to blame Felicity?" She grabbed hold of Charlie's shoulders, ignoring the way her many rings dug into the bare skin of Charlie's clavicles, quickening her breathing. Her gaze slipped down for just a second, eyeing the way Charlie's tight, off-shoulder shirt slipped.

Charlie backed up until they were no longer able to, their back against the stone wall, their feet together between Laurel's broader stance. "I don't know! Bloody hell, this is the third time I've been here. How should I know how things go around here?" Their breath hitched as Laurel's body was now almost pressing against them, Laurel's wild eyes focused lower than they were before.

With a deep sigh, Laurel finally managed to regain control of her voice, bringing it back to one. She shrunk back to her original height, still quite a few inches taller than Charlie. "Then what do you think happened?" Her voice shook as she balled her fists in the seam of Charlie's soft shirt.

The warmth of Laurel's hands caused Charlie's abdominals to flex, anticipation and adrenalin pulling their body tight, straightening their spine. There was nowhere to look but the crook of Laurel's neck. The sonic scream still lodged in their chest, Charlie spoke. "Maybe our powers are too temperamental to be near each other."

A moment of silence. Then, Laurel whispered, "Can't argue with that."

Charlie stretched their neck, latching onto the soft skin of Laurel's throat. The pressure in their chest broke through and it was too late to reroute the scream, Charlie clutching Laurel's hips with surprising gentleness. A silent apology for the pressure they released against her throat.

Her blood roared in her ears, her knees wobbly. Charlie's dancing fingers slipped underneath her jacket, hooking their pinkies into the waistband of her jeans as she struggled with the scream that had broken through their self-control, the feeling much like a powerful hickey. The world swayed as she released Charlie's shirt, her fingers travelling up underneath the fabric. "Fuck," she muttered, leaning down the moment Charlie breathed in. Taking a step closer, Laurel pressed Charlie between herself and the wall, crashing into Charlie's lips with frustration. This small shapeshifter had too much power over her.

Charlie met Laurel's enthusiasm with an open mouth, all teeth and tongue. Their heart was pounding, shouting at them to get closer closer closer. It was a need, the pressure in their chest easing with every gasp they let slip. With one fluent motion, they shoved Laurel's jacket off, the leather dropping at their feet. Instantly, they returned their fingers to exploring Laurel's soft waist- nails first.

Now that her arms were freed from her jacket, Laurel slipped one hand into Charlie's hair, pulling down just enough to expose their throat. Then, she realised the problem of their height difference. Cursing, Laurel pulled Charlie up, wrapping their legs around her waist and pressing them against the wall. She refocused on Charlie's clavicle, biting her way up. The fluidity of the shapeshifting power moved and twisted but settled down as she acted with more and more confidence.

When Laurel latched onto the sensitive skin behind Charlie's pierced ear, Charlie failed to swallow their quiet, needy whine. Leaning back, Laurel looked into their eyes with a softness they hadn't considered possible. She stroked Charlie's cheek, shifting one of her knees forward to keep Charlie stable. Her hands seemed to be made for Charlie's hips as she held them. An uncertain, curious gaze called for her attention. She faced the questioning gaze as the chaotic shifting power within her slowed. "May I..." The whisper died off as she tugged on Charlie's shirt, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah." And Charlie raised their arms, quickly slipping the shirt over their head before leaning back, their bare skin against the cool wall. They faced Laurel's intense gaze head-on, the power within their chest barrelling toward the dam, causing their breath to once again hitch.

Laurel licked her lips, her mind running through her options. "Fuck," she whispered, moving the both of them over to the training mat, pushing Charlie on their back. She positioned herself hovering over Charlie's hips, a knee on each side. Taking a moment, she kneeled there, taking in the view.

Charlie grinned as more control over the situation came within reach. They pushed themself up, pulling Laurel down by the collar. "Come on," they teased.

Laurel simply cocked an eyebrow and kissed them.

#zaritarazi #you liked a bunch of tweets about the development of this so here you go #charlie clotho #E2! Laurel Lance #sirenshifter #my writing #lot #legends of tomorrow #arrow

[musikfurfreiheit]

Second Chance (2/10)

The clock seemed to be moving in slow motion. Every second felt like a minute, her headache slowly grew as Merel’s blood made her way to her head, and the music barely reached her anymore. She was bored, so bored, but smiled when she saw her colleague walking towards her, upside down.

‘You look like a tomato.’ Otto frowned when he saw Merel hanging upside down on her chair.

The girl sat up again and looked at her friend while leaning against the back of the chair. She instantly felt better, but was still bored as hell. All she wanted to do was go home to Vincent and be away from humanity. Maybe shoot some virtual soldiers to get rid of her anger.

‘4 customers,’ Merel said ‘there have been 4 customers in the last hour.’

‘It’s a slow day, I know. Just think about the money and you’ll survive. Maybe we can go out for a beer when we’re done.’

Merel’s face lit up for a second. Otto was her best friend and it was great to spend time with him, especially outside of work. They both had a passion for music, they both worked the local music store after all, and could talk about it for hours. Their humor matched, their interests matched, and they both loved beer. At any given day, Merel would have accepted the offer, but today she had to decline.

‘I can’t.’ She sighed. ‘I have a new student this evening.’

‘Good, you’re meeting new people.’

Merel looked at Otto with a stern eye. She knew what direction this conversation was heading to, and she definitely didn’t like it. The main reason she worked here was to get away from the person Otto wanted to talk about, and Merel wasn’t having it.

‘Don’t.’

‘What?’ Otto smiled. ‘I’m just saying it’s great that you’re meeting new people.’

‘I do not want to talk about Alissa.’

‘You don’t have to, but you have to get out of your apartment more. Meet new people, make friends, stop being afraid of children. I know Alissa lied to you and betrayed you, but not everyone is like that. You can’t let her control your life.’

The door of the store opened before Merel could answer. She was glad that their conversation was interrupted, but even happier when she looked at the clock again. Her shift would be over in less than half an hour.

Unfortunately the costumer only spent a minute in the store before deciding she wouldn’t find what she was looking for. With a sigh Merel looked at the clock again, counting the minutes until the end of her shift. As soon as the bells of the nearby church started ringing, the girl almost ran towards the back to grab her bag and leave the store as quickly as possible.

Merel’s pace was slightly higher than usual, just to get home that bit earlier. It wasn’t for her new guitar student, the student wouldn’t arrive for another 15 minutes, but Merel couldn’t wait to bury her face in Vincent’s soft fur. Otto’s mention of Alissa had tied a knot in her chest, but she was determined to not let it get any tighter. The blue haired girl was no longer allowed to have that effect on her. Merel needed distraction, preferably in the fluffy form of her cat.

Already thinking about Vincent’s purring, Merel climbed the stairs to the second floor. The scent of smoke already filled the hallway. It was no surprise to find a tall, platinum blond woman in front of her door, nor was it unusual. Floor’s people came by at the most impossible hours of the day.

‘Finally!’ The woman let out as soon as she saw Merel, taking another sig from her cigarette. ‘I’ve been waiting here for at least five minutes! I need my stuff!’

Merel just ignore most of the what the woman said. These people lived in their own world, and there was no use in discussing with them. It was better to just give them what they wanted and stay out of their way.

‘What’s your name?’ Merel asked while opening the door.

‘Lilly. Now can you please hurry up?’

Once again, Merel ignored the last part. She took her time to open the door and take off her coat before walking over to the sideboard next to the door. Several plastic packages where displayed, each provided with a name. Merel easily found the right package and handed it to the woman. She closed the door again without waiting for a “Thank you”. There wouldn’t be one anyway.

As if he had been waiting for the door to be closed, Vincent made his presence known by rubbing up to Merel’s leg. A smile appeared on her lips and she kneeled down to pet him. His purring sounded immediately, making his owner smile even more. Vincent made her happy, happier than any human being ever would. He could be an asshole from time to time, but at least he would never betray her trust.

The sound of the bell made both of them look up. A glance at the clock told Merel it would either be her student, who would be early, or just another one of Floor’s people. Hoping for that first option, she made her way downstairs to the entrance of the building. She’d decided it was easier to meet her new students downstairs and guide them towards the right door rather than giving them instructions. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them got lost and accidentally knocked on the door of their neighbour. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem, but since the man living next door liked to walk around in his underwear, Merel preferred keeping her students away from her neighbour.

Trying to ban her neighbour from her mind, Merel opened the door and smiled when she took in the young woman standing in front of her. Red hair, leather jacket, nose piercing, nervous smile, and a guitar bag in her hand. This was definitely her new student, and she was beautiful.

‘Hi, I’m Charlotte. I’m your new student.’

#Charmer #Fanfiction #Second Chance #Chapter 2

[fantasyuta]

the first snow

[ haechan x reader: fluff ]

[ wc: 1872 ]

a/n: hnggg heard my boy donghyuck hurt his leg and i miss him a lot so 😔👉👈 here y’all go i guess! merry christmas if you celebrate! i’m too unmotivated to finish the ending well!

lee donghyuck’s been your best friend for nine years, but you had been sure for nine years it wouldn’t go anywhere past that. until senior year hits you like a bullet to the chest.

it’s winter, and the weather is dark and gloomy. even though it’s the afternoon, the sun has disappeared behind some grey clouds. you’re at the cozy cafe that happens to be walking distance from your high school with donghyuck, studying for finals and working on college applications. you sip at an iced americano out of all the options on the menu (‘cold weather makes me crave cold drinks, ok hyuck?’ you protest while donghyuck giggles at you), and donghyuck drinks a warm latte. papers are sprawled out between the two of you on the table like a madman’s work, and it doesn’t help that hyuck chose to sit at a tiny table, forcing you to squeeze in next to the wall. but the intimacy that you share, working in this tiny space, makes you feel a tiny bit more optimistic about your academic struggles.

everything around you feels like a blur; as a desperate attempt to stay awake, you stretch your arms and gulp at the coffee. hyuck frowns at you, asking a muffled question you can’t make out. you’re still yawning from spending too many sleepless nights writing up multiple essays that you (of course) wisely chose to procrastinate on. without warning he comes up right next to you, studying your eyes. he scrunches his nose in annoyance and he asks again: ‘y/n, how much did you sleep last night?’

you can’t respond. you’re too distracted by the suddenness of his presence pressing against you and his piercing brown eyes staring into yours, and your breath is caught in your throat. normally, you would laugh it off or retort with a joke. but now you’re flustered, your ears and cheeks blushing rosy pink. why the heck are you blushing?

hyuck frowns again. ‘why are you blushing?’ he demands.

you snap out of your daze, averting his gaze. ‘someone must’ve opened the door and let some cold air in. haven’t you noticed that it’s like 2 degrees outside?’ you finally retort.

donghyuck rolls his eyes and moves away, giving you a chance to catch your breath. ‘whatever. at least i’m not the idiot who decided to get a cold drink when it’s freezing outside,’ he jokes, his gaze softening.

‘but seriously y/n, please take care of yourself. even though school is important and all, your health is important too.’ he peers at you, pouting. ‘please?’

something about his words, his tousled brown hair and his concerned doe eyes, makes your heart clench, and you suddenly realize the mess you’ve gotten yourself into: even if you won’t admit it out loud, you know deep inside that you have caught feelings for donghyuck.

but you just force a smile on your face and say, ‘don’t worry about me, hyuck. i’ll be fine.’

you remember the first time you’d laid eyes on donghyuck. it must’ve been kindergarten or pre-school, when you were still learning to read and write. you’d giggled at the way he spelled his name in crooked letters, half of them backwards and even a couple upside down. he’d scowled, his round cheeks forming into pink balls like mochi, and scribbled all over your perfectly lettered paper as revenge.

but for some reason, he’d stayed your best friend. through elementary, middle, and high school, you’d shared ice creams together on hazy summer days and trudged through the snow with heat packs when it snowed. he acted as your makeshift boyfriend when guys asked for your number, and you let him come over to your house to do homework together. nothing really changed; he was still the hot-headed sassy donghyuck you’d known for almost a decade.

from the window, you watch the first snowflakes of the year fall out of the sky with childlike giddiness, and you excitedly wave donghyuck over. it’s winter break, christmas eve to be exact, and once again, you’re at donghyuck’s house. you were able to escape your own house by telling your parents you were having a sleepover at your friend’s house -- not a lie, exactly -- after deciding it would be a good idea to spend part of the holidays with hyuck since his parents were to be away the entire break.

‘they have some sort of business deal in japan or something,’ hyuck had shrugged nonchalantly the day before break started. ‘i stopped keeping track a while ago. but that means you can come over whenever you want,’ he added with a cheesy wink.

you had pushed at his arm, laughing. ‘okay, i guess i’ll keep your lonely butt company while your parents are gone.’

there’s a tiny sliver of hope in your soul. maybe it’s possible that donghyuck likes you too, not just as a friend.

you decide to focus on the present moment, the happiness that christmas is supposed to bring you. donghyuck hands you a warm mug of hot chocolate as he watches the snowfall with you, smiling.

‘you know, y/n, i haven’t had a snowball fight with anyone since i was a kid. sounds like a really good idea right now.’

‘is this an invitation to a snowball fight, lee donghyuck?’

he grins, grabbing his coat and gloves. ‘race you!’

you and donghyuck spend hours out in the snowfall, cold but carefree. you build snowmen and snow angels in the powdery snow, occasionally screeching at the boy when he steps in a snow angel or knocks over a snowman. and of course, you build snow forts on opposite sides of donghyuck’s huge front yard and assault each other with snowballs; finally, you overcome donghyuck as he protests, ‘i’m letting you win on purpose!’

‘whatever, you dork,’ you say, rolling your eyes. ‘please, let’s go inside, i’m freezing, and it’s getting dark. it’s been a few hours since we came outside,’ you pout. hyuck grudgingly obliges, whining as he trudges back toward his house.

once you’re inside donghyuck’s house, you shed your damp outerwear, shivering, and shyly ask hyuck for a pair of sweats, as your pants got wet and cold from the snow. after you get changed and dry, you huddle next to donghyuck for warmth in his huge bed. he wraps a fuzzy blanket around the both of you, and you lay your head on his chest, drowsily listening to his soft but steady heartbeat. you can feel yourself falling asleep, and you hear hyuck humming a christmas song you can’t pinpoint (white christmas?). above your head, you distinctly hear him say, ‘y/n, did you know that if you’re out in the first snowfall of the year with someone you like, then true love will blossom between you and that person?’

you look up into his deep chocolate eyes with your sleepy ones, and then your eyes shift to his mouth. everything feels like it’s in slow motion as his lips, still flushed pink from the cold, draw closer to yours, and you can’t help but close your eyes. you drift off to sleep, and the last thing you feel is a ghost of a kiss on your lips.

you wake up tangled in donghyuck’s sheets to see dim sunlight filtering through the enormous window in donghyuck’s room. you shut your eyes, wanting to avoid getting up, and cling to donghyuck’s warm body instead. donghyuck groans in his sleep as he instinctively hugs you back, making your cheeks blush. what even happened last night? you wonder, and you can’t help but think back to donghyuck’s words and the kiss. it might have been a weird dream your sleep deprived mind conjured up; nevertheless, your cheeks flush even redder at the thought.

hyuck slowly opens his eyes and blinks a couple times before smiling. ‘merry christmas, y/n,’ he croaks, his voice husky from sleep. luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice your blushing face.

you give a small smile in return. ‘good morning, donghyuck,’ you whisper. ‘merry christmas, you dork.’

the boy’s doe eyes begin to flutter shut again. ‘y/n… let’s stay here like this a little longer.’

you squeak an ‘okay’ as he shifts over and hugs your waist. you can’t help but giggle at the sight. his oversized grey hoodie, fuzzy bedhead, and clinginess makes him look like a big, soft koala. you pat his fluffy hair and let sleep consume you too.

when you wake up again, the light has shifted, and the bed feels empty without the presence of donghyuck; you blearily check your phone, which reads 1:32 pm. the smell of pancakes and the bustling of someone moving around (while clanging pans and singing to himself) hits you, and you quietly climb out of bed and tread downstairs.

you encounter a mess of a kitchen, with the counter covered in flour, multiple pans covered in burnt pancake, and a stack of pancakes in varying sizes piled up on a pink plate. there’s pancake mix splattered everywhere, even on the ceiling (how did that even get there?), but amidst the disorder, donghyuck is swaying around with a spatula in front of the stove. as you walk closer to the boy, you burst out in laughter, and hyuck whips around with a sheepish smile.

‘i tried to make breakfast?’ he confesses.

‘well, it seems like you’ve been having fun,’ you reply, pulling up a chair to his huge kitchen island and waving him over. he happily prances over, grabbing the pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup on the way. as you devour your breakfast/lunch, hyuck only watches you eat with a tilted head and eyes crinkled in a smile.

cheeks full of pancake, you peer up at him suspiciously. ‘whaf’s wrong? do i have somefing on my face?’ you ask, words garbled by your full mouth.

the boy only nods his head and leans forward, swiping his thumb across your lips to brush off crumbs. you almost choke on your pancakes at his sudden gesture, but you manage to swallow, cheeks reddening and eyes avoiding his gaze, instead focusing on your hands fidgeting in your lap and your feet swinging above the floor.

you hear donghyuck take a deep breath before he blurts out, ‘y/n, this is probably going to ruin everything, but i’ve had the biggest crush on you--’ your eyes widen ‘--and i know you’re my best friend, and this might ruin our friendship, and i’ve waited forever to ask you but then i kissed you yesterday a-and --’

he stammers before he takes another deep breath and grasps your hands in his warm ones, and you peek up into his worry-etched face. finally, he stutters, ‘w-what i really want to ask you is, will y-you let me be your boyfriend, y/n?’

you grin and respond, ‘well, how could i say no to that face?’ donghyuck’s face immediately brightens, and he leaps off his chair to embrace you. you hug him back, laughing at his enthusiasm and giddy giggling.

‘after all,’ you tease, ‘we were out in the first snowfall of the year together. looks like you’ll be stuck with me for a while, lee donghyuck.’

#haechan #lee haechan #donghyuck #lee donghyuck #nct haechan #haechan scenario #haechan imagine #haechan fluff #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #nct 2018 #nct fanfic #nct scenario #nct imagine #nct au #nct fluff

[vierafication]

Getting to Know: Faolan Kells

Was tagged by @an-honest-waltz for most of these AGES ago, so just gonna make one big ol’ post!

<STRENGTHS & FLAWS>

Bold those that apply, italicize if occasional or situational.

╳   FLAWS

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power - hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | masochistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous| oversensitive | rebellious | pessimistic | selfless

♔   STRENGTHS

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

🖌 SKILLS & HOBBIES

art | acting | astronomy | animals | archery | sports | beach combing | belly dancing | bird watching | blacksmithing | boating | calligraphy | camping | candle making | casino gambling | ceramics | racing | chess | music | cooking | crochet | weaving | exercise | swordplay | fishing | gardening | ghost hunting | ice skating | magic | engineering | building | inventing | leather-working | martial arts | meditation | origami | parkour | people watching | swimming | puppetry | pyrotechnics | quilting | reading | collecting | shopping | socializing | storytelling | writing | traveling | exotic dancing | minor potion brewing | tricks & trinkets | crow keeping | classical dancing

<BODY AESTHETIC>

[ BODY ]

Long legs. Short legs. Average legs. Slender thighs. Thick thighs. Toned thighs. Skinny arms. Soft arms. Toned arms. Muscular arms. Toned stomach. Flat stomach. Flabby Stomach. Soft stomach. Six-pack. Beer belly. Lean frame. Beefy/muscular frame. Voluptuous frame. Petite frame. Lanky frame. Short nails. Long nails. Manicured nails. Dirty nails. Flat ass. Toned ass. Bubble butt. Small waist. Average waist. Thick waist. Narrow hips. Average hips. Wide hips. Big feet. Average feet. Small feet. Soft feet. Slender feet. Calloused hands. Soft hands. Big hands. Average hands. Small hands. Long fingers. Short fingers. Average fingers. Narrow shoulders. Broad shoulders. Average shoulders. Underweight. Average weight. Overweight.

[ HEIGHT ]

Shorter than 140 cm. 141 cm to 150 cm. 151 cm to 160 cm. 161 cm to 170 cm. 171 cm to 180 cm. 181 cm to 190 cm. 191 cm to 2 m. Taller than 2 m.

[ SKIN ]

Pale. Rosy. Olive. Dark. Tanned. Blotchy. Smooth. Moles. Acne. Dry. Greasy. Freckled. Scars. Birthmarks.

[ EYES ]

Small. Large. Average. Grey. Brown. Blue. Turquoise. Violet. Pink. Green. Gold. Hazel. Crimson. Doe-eyed. Almond. Close-set. Wide-set. Deep-set. Squinty. Monolid. Heavy eyelids. Upturned. Downturned. Mismatched.

[ HAIR ]

Thin. Thick. Fine. Normal. Greasy. Dry. Soft. Shiny. Curly. Frizzy. Wild. Unruly. Straight. Smooth. Wavy. Floppy. Cropped. Pixie-cut. Afro. Pompadour. Shoulder length. Back length. Waist length. Past hip-length. Buzz cut. Bald. Weave. Hair extensions. Jaw length. Layered. Mohawk. Pony Tail. Braid. Locks. Box braids. Faux locks. White. Going Grey. Platinum blonde. Golden blonde. Dirty blonde. Blonde. Strawberry Blonde. Ombre. Ash brown. Mouse brown. Chestnut brown. Golden brown. Chocolate brown. Dark brown. Jet black. Orange. Ginger. Red. Auburn. Dyed. Thin eyebrows. Average eyebrows. Thick eyebrows. Plucked eyebrows.

[ TATTOOS / PIERCINGS ]

Full sleeve. Thigh tattoo. Neck tattoo. Chest tattoo. Back tattoo. Shoulder blade tattoo. One tattoo. Face tattoo. Hand tattoo. Henna tattoo. Wrist tattoo. Forearm tattoo. A few here and there. Multiple. No tattoos (for now). Monroe piercing. Nose piercing. Septum. Nipple piercing(s). Genital piercing(s). Industrial piercings. Earlobe piercings. Prince Albert piercing. Eyebrow piercing(s). Tongue piercing(s). Lip piercing(s). Top of the ear. Tragus piercing. Angel bites. Labret. Stretched out ears. Navel piercing. Inverse navel piercing. Cheek piercing(s). Smiley. Nape piercing(s). No piercings.

[ COSMETICS ]

Eyeliner. Light eyeliner. Heavy eyeliner. Cat eyes. Mascara. Fake eyelashes. Matte lipstick. Regular lipstick. Lipgloss. Red lips. Pink lips. Nude lips. Dark lips. Bronzer. Highlighter. Eyeshadow. Neutral eyeshadow. Smoky eyes. Colorful eyeshadow. Blush. Lipliner. Light contouring. Heavy contouring. Powder. Matte foundation. Shiny foundation. Concealer. Wears war paint from time to time. Wears make up regularly. Wears it from time to time. Never wears make-up.

[ SCENT ]

Floral. Herbal. Earthy. Fruity. Perfumes. Aftershave. Cocoa. Moisturizer. Shampoo. Cigarettes. Leather. Fur. Sweat. Food. Incense. Cologne. Whiskey. Wine. Fried food. Blood. Fire. Cold. Fresh. Metal. Rain. Chemicals. Baking!

[ CLOTHES ]

Jeans. Tight pants. Overknee socks. Tights. Leggings. Yoga pants. Pencil skirt. Tight skirt. Loose skirt. Tight/Form-fitting dress. Cardigans. Tunic. Blouse. Button up shirt. Band-T-shirt. Sports-T-shirt. Sweatpants. Tanktop. Cut off t-shirt. Designer. High street. Leather jacket. Thrift. Lingerie. Long skirt. Miniskirt. Maxidress. Sun dress. Tie. Tuxedo. Cocktail dress.High slit dress/skirt. T-shirt. Loose clothing. Tight clothing. Jean shorts. Sweater. Sweater vest. Waistcoat. Khaki pants. Suit. Hoodie. Basketball shorts. Boxers/Boxer-Briefs. Thong. Hotpants. Hipster panties. Bra. Sportsbra. Crop top. Corset. Ballerina skirt. Leotard. Polka dot. Stripes. Glitter. Cotton. Linen. Silk. Lace. Leather. Velvet. Patterns. Florals. Neon colors. Pastels. Light colors. White. Black. Dark colors. Fur/Fauxfur. Revealing clothing. Heavy armor. Medium armor. Light Armor.

[ SHOES ]

Sneakers. Slip-ons. Flats. Slippers. Sandals. High heels. Kitten heels. Ankle boots. Combat boots. Knee-high. Platforms. Bare feet. Loafers. Oxfords. Gladiator shoes. Leather boots.

~

<GETTING TO KNOW>

So I personally don’t like this prompt because it assumes the character answers IC, but how many characters would actually let someone come up and interview them with this barrage of questions, some very personal, out of nowhere, IC? So I think it works better to think of them as... filling it out as a form themselves?

► Name ➔   Which one? ► Are you single ➔ I think so. ► Are you happy ➔   I’d better be. ► Are you angry? ➔   Thankfully, no. ► Are your parents still married ➔  Who?

NINE FACTS ► Birth Place ➔ Somewhere where the trees are tall and green and overshadowing, I think. ► Hair Color ➔ Like the earth. ► Eye Color ➔ Like the leaves. ► Birthday ➔ I do not know. ► Mood ➔ Fluctuating. ► Gender ➔ Leaning towards male. ► Summer or winter ➔ Summer. ► Morning or afternoon ➔ Can I say evening instead?

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE ► Are you in love ➔ With life itself~! Mostly. Usually. Sometimes. ► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ It’s the stuff of faerytales. So of course I do! Would love to actually see it in action, though. It’s certainly elusive. ► Who ended your last relationship ➔ No relationships to end- so I have not suffered that terrible heartache so often written about! Ha! ► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔  Probably. I hope so. ► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ I think the answer is yes, because I do not want them, if I can help it! Don’t like strings. ► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Of course! Who or what, though, I cannot recall. ► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ I hope so! ► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ NO.

SIX CHOICES ► Love or lust ➔ Love! Incredibly useless, but really quite fun to mess with. ► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ Lemonade. ► Cats or Dogs ➔ Dogs are more reliable, cats are more fun. So... cats, then.. ► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ Yes. ► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ A wild night out leads to so many more interesting possible occurrences. The other option is boring on multiple levels. ► Day or night ➔ Oh, so this is where I can say night. Night, then.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS ► Been caught sneaking out ➔ Out of where? By whom? ► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ I am far too graceful for THAT, but it is very humorous to see! ► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ No comment. ► Wanted to disappear ➔ Not if I’ve enough distractions to keep me occupied at the moment!

FOUR PREFERENCES ► Smile or eyes ➔ Eyes tell a lot more than a smile ever could. ► Shorter or Taller ➔ Shorter people are easier to poke fun at, in my experience. ► Intelligence or Attraction ➔  Attraction. ► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ I don’t want anything THAT close to me, thank you very much.

FAMILY ► Do you and your family get along ➔ We fight sometimes. ► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ It is certainly abnormal by your standards! If only you knew. ► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ When I was a child, I tried to multiple times, but I just ended up running right back home again. Not voluntarily, of course, for the forest paths never lead you where you want to go, only where you don’t. ► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ Not kicked out, necessarily, but... locked up? Hidden away? I feel that’s a better term.

FRIENDS ► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ No! That would be silly. ► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ No. ► Who is your best friend ➔ I adore friends, of course, but I would not trust anybody to THAT extent. ► Who knows everything about you ➔ Only the ones back home, and I intend to keep it that way.

Thanks again Killian!!!! Not gonna tag anybody ‘cause y’all have already done these I’m sure. But if you haven’t, consider yourself tagged!

#prompt #about faolan

[softysuho]

Not Allowed

Genre: Soulmate!AU, mini series 

Pairing: Sehun x reader

Warnings: Rude mothers, possessive Sehun

Summary: Soulmates have been around since the first man was born. Everyone being fated with a half that completes them. A shape, color, design, you name it. Everyone had their own unique markings they shared with someone in the universe. But just because you meet your soulmate, doesn't mean things won't get complicated.

Part 1 | Part 2 (Final)

•••

You choked loudly as Baekhyun made a very vivid description of another one-night stand. "How do you even bend that way Baek I-" He laughed loudly, pulling you into the elevator of your parents company.

"I want to be skilled when I meet the love of my life." You rolled your eyes, a light scoff slipping past your lips.

"Won't she feel self conscious then? I would hate to know my lover fucked 20+ women a month before me." He whined, pressing the top floor button where you were asked to meet.

"It's only 5-8 a month Y/n! Come on!" His pout practically took over half his face, arms crossing as he slouched forward. "It's not my fault I'm that good. Do you want a go?"

"Ew! God no Baek that's disgusting!" Pinching the bridge of your nose, you sighed. "I want to maintain a pure image for my soulmate until he least expects it." Your finger ran over the grey heart, a beautiful golden arrow piercing the middle of it, golden bands sitting under the small heart that was located on the side of your wrist.

"I always knew you loved the kinky shit." You pushed the male and dashed out of the elevator doors. "Hey!"

•••

"So you mean to tell me, I have to go to the party, with Baekhyun, so you can get information on the Oh family!? Are you nuts?!" You parents had called you and your best friend in here to ask you to practically stalk Mr. Oh and his son, Sehun.

"Oh hush Y/n! It's not that big of a deal, we aren't asking you to get it on or anything. Just have Baekhyun be your 'date' to the party and socialize with Sehun and his father." Your mother was annoyed, with you or the Oh's was beyond you. Your family never got along with the Oh's. Something about property or money. It was hard to tell as they never gave you the details. Just that you were to loath the Oh family until you die. But how can you hate someone you've never met.

"Just shut up and go get ready, the car will pick you both up at 8 sharp." Your father grumbled, yanking his office door open in attempt to get you to leave.

"Just when I thought my parents actually cared about my opinion." You scoffed loudly and pulled Baekhyun with you. "This is fucking stupid." You whispered, slamming your hand on the elevator door button.

"Why must I go though? Why can't your parents go by themselves, better yet! Why don't they use that money of theirs and hire someone!"

"If I knew the answer, we wouldn't be here Baek." You both let out a sigh, stepping into the elevator as you thought over your outfit in your head.

"See you at 8 love! Can't wait to date my best friend for three hours!" Baekhyun yelled sarcastically, earning a soft chuckle from you.

"Bye Byun." You made your way to your car, plopping yourself in the drivers seat as you hit the steering wheel a few times. "God I have a bad feeling about this." You said to yourself, pulling out of the parking lot and speeding your way back to your cozy apartment.

You had approximately 4 hours until the party, enough time to cook yourself a proper meal and fix your appearance from a 4 to a good 8 1/2. You rummaged through your closet, pulling several dresses from deep within the clothes you never wear. One was a simple classic black dress, too plain and over used. The second was a longer dress, falling out in waves towards the bottom, the vintage blue highlighted your skin tone, the sparkles on the waist distracting everyone from your face. It was too extravagant, something you most likely couldn't pull off anyways. You looked down at the very light, silky, pink dress. The one that hugged your body like the black dress but always seemed to look like lingerie. Your last option was your navy blue dress. A belt around the middle to give off the seemingly 'tiny' waist. The back was open, a few straps criss-crossing, small jewels bursted from under the belt, spreading all over the chest area. Baekhyun had bought it for you when he made you attend a business dinner. You appreciated the flowyness of the skirt, seeing as it will give you release from a stuffy room.

You decided to make dinner quickly, munching on it as you watch an episode of your weekly show. You had 2 hours left to do your hair and makeup. Something that was achievable as long as there was no slip ups. The dress had put you in a better mood, you felt gorgeous in the blue dress, Baekhyun always seemed to know what looks best on you anyway.

Before you knew it, Baekhyun was knocking on your door. "The driver is dow- Holy shit, can I please smash." He choked on his words, eyeing you up and down in amazement. "Damn, I knew I was good." He smirked and pulled on your hand. "Ready, girlfriend?"

"No, you can't smash dumbass. Shut up and lets go." You locked your door and made your way down stairs of your building.

"After you m'lady." Baekhyun snickered, opening the car door for you. Rolling your eyes, you pulled yourself and the dress in the car, scooting over so Baekhyun could slide in next to you.

"I hope there will be an alcoholic beverage, I won't survive without." You sighed, playing with the fabric on your dress. "Why am I so nervous Baek?" 

“Because your parents, low-key, sent you to your doom.” He mumbled in your ear, you leaned back in your seat and stared out the window. “It’ll be fine Y/n.”

•••

The party room was breath-taking. The high walls were a beautiful cream color, the titles on the floor where a soft white with gold streaks and swirls. The room was full of the richest families out there, their elegant dresses and suits, make-up done perfectly. You wondered how anyone could live here without worrying they would get it dirty. Your luck, you’d spill wine on your dress and the floor and look like an idiot. 

Baekhyun took your hand, leading you further in the crowd where you began to socialize with some of the guests. Mostly the people you’ve never met before, keeping out the part about you and Baekhyun ‘being together’. You heard him sigh as he pulled you to the side, rubbing his cheeks as his eyes scanned through the crowd. “I don’t know how much smiling my cheeks can take any longer, where is that boy and his father anyway? Isn’t it their party?” His frown was prominent, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. 

“I don’t know Baek, mayb-”

“Uhm, excuse me-” A hand was place on your shoulder, a voice so deep and perfect rang through your ears. The rough hand against your soft shoulder felt warm, sending tingles through your entire being. Your body felt warm, happy and confident when your eyes met his. His dark chocolaty eyes stared down into yours with curiosity and excitement. Oh Sehun. You saw the same silver heart you’ve stared at for years on your own arm poking out from his sleeve. “I’ve found you.” Before you could blink, your face met his chest, his strong arms wrapped firmly around your build as his face nestled into your neck as if you were the last two pieces to complete your life puzzle. His hold felt safe, understanding and purely comfortable. Your hands gripped onto his expensive jacket, pulling yourself into him as close as you possibly could. He smelt like a cold fall evening, a mix of cinnamon and vanilla. 

Baekhyun had stared awkwardly at the two of you, realizing you had found your soulmate that just so happened to be someone your parents hated with their well being. “Y/n, I think you might want to snap out of your lovey dovey phase and realize who you were fated with-” He pulled you from Sehun’s arms and into his own chest, your eyes wide as you stared directly at the man who your family has wanted to take down for years. 

“You’re- oh no, no no no. This is bad.” You whined, your hand automatically reaching out to Sehun. 

“And why is it so bad? You could be a murderer and I wouldn’t give two shits.” Sehun glared at Baekhyun’s hold on you, reaching out for your hand in return as he ripped you from your best friend. “Do you not want to be fated with me? Is it because you know what family i’m from? They have no power over me sweetheart.” You silently chewed on the inside of your cheek, basking in the warmth Sehun had offered you in his arms. 

“Baek, why don’t I go talk with Sehun and we can decide what to do from there.” You whispered, fingers drawing small patterns on the males waist. 

“Fine, but if your parents come after me you’ll get it, no free food from me for a month.” He grumbled and disappeared into the crowd. 

“We can go up to my room if you’d like, it’s away from all the noise.” His lips were so close to your ear, his hot breath cascading down your neck. Your body craved for a more intimate touch, not even noticing when your face had turned towards Sehun, lips only centimeters apart from his. You nearly melted at the soft eye smiles he sent your way, Sehun’s hands delicately taking yours as he placed a gently kiss on the corner of your lips. “Let’s go so I have time to dance with you tonight. I want to show all these snotty woman how lucky I am, and show all those pathetic men what’s all mine hmm?” 

#baekhyun #sehun #exo #exo m #exo k #suho #chen #yixing #jongin #kyungsoo #chanyeol #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exo au #exo mini series #soulmate #exo osh #sehun series #oh sehun fanfic #sehun x reader #sehun mini series

[feverhalo]

@collegeanon-sickfics gave me the final push to write a fic about that one prompt I wrote about wearing the ugly Christmas sweater! I really wanted to but kept putting it off and being a goof about it, so finally having someone else say go for it got me to. It was super fun! Keith’s sweater is based off one I have actually seen out in the wild of the mall (h&m last Christmas if you want to look it up).

That Sweater Tho

"Yeah, sounds good we can meet you there,"  Lance said into his phone, "Tell Pidge to chill, we're on our way. Just gotta pick up something- pie would be good right? Pecan pie or something?"

Lance looked around the parking lot while Hunk was rambling in his ear about the different options and how close he, Shiro, and Pidge were to the farm they were going to meet up at. Keith didn't live very far, and said it wouldn't take him more than fifteen minutes to walk there, but Lance had been waiting for ages. 

"If he doesn't get his butt here in the next 2 minutes I'm just going in to buy a pecan pie. Pumpkin pie is so overdone, and you know Allura is going to bring homemade tarts- they could be pecan, but you know they'll be that cinnamon pumpkin whipped stuff. Thats her specialty... Oh! Tell Pidge I heard that! Puh-lease, we're so doing the wagon ride. Twice now."

"Lance!" Keith hollered from the edge of the parking lot. He scrunched his nose at the grating pain in his throat from shouting, but was too glad to finally be there. He had his side-slung bag over his shoulder and his hands stuffed into his pockets. The wind whipped through the parking lot and blasted his hair out of order again. The cold wind ripped through his clothes and made his nose start to drip as a shiver jolted up his back. None the less he started jogging over to Lance's car.

"Oh shit, the boy, he here. Look I'll get Keith to call on speaker while we're driving, gotta go." Lance swiped off the call and turned to watch Keith half-run-half-walk through the crowded lot. He crossed his arms on the roof of his car and watched with a half smile. "About time! I was going to shop without y- What is that?"

"What?" Keith slowed to a walk around the front end of the car. He stared at Lance's own windblown hair and chilled-pink face.

"Babe! Its not even Halloween yet, what on Earth are you wearing?" Lance covered his mouth and leaned to the side trying to take in the whole hot mess of an outfit. Those tight black jeans with the coffee-tinted distressed pattern, the heavy boots with the tops of his thick socks showing, the mess of hair thanks to the wind, and that sweater...

"Its the warmest one I have that I could find," Keith looked down at his sweater. Hunk and Pidge had bought them both god-awful sweaters last year for Christmas- it was supposed to be cute with the two of them being a matching set. It was horrendous, dark blue with cakes, gifts, snowmen, and pizza patterned into it. Lance's was the same sort of set up, but in a deep red with bread and snowflakes and fireworks. When they stood side-by-side the words on the front lined up to read 'Merry Crustmas- And A Toast To The New Year'. 

It was horrendous, but so god damn warm. For a joke gift, and for something from one of those pop-up kiosks at the mall, it was really well made. Tight knit, thick yarn, and comfortable.

"Its not going to get that cold," Lance reached for Keith's hand and pulled him towards the grocery store. "God, you're hands are freezing! Thats still a god-awful sweater."

"Love you too," Keith sniffled and rolled his eyes as Lance kissed the back of his frozen hand.

"I know."

Keith sat in the passenger seat, holding on to the box of hot chocolate mix and the fancy artisan tortilla chips they ended up buying. Lance's phone rested on the passenger side dash, and Pidge was whining through the phone about how long they were taking. Honestly, Keith was half-dazed and not even listening. He knew he was fighting off a cold the past few days- he was always one of the first to get 'the seasonal crud' every year.

"We'll Matt's lucky then, they didn't have any." Lance's voice pierced through to Keith, bringing him back to attention from staring at the scenery speeding by. Keith shook his head and smiled to himself; they debated brands for about 5 minutes before getting a text in all caps about Pidge's brother being allergic to nuts. Lance about shit when he realized he almost made a mistake there, but of course he would play the dork after the fact.

"Huh?" Keith had zoned out again, and heard Lance's voice and caught him glancing over for a second before he returned his eyes to the road.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Keith, we're almost there. Anyway, if you didn't hear," Lance hammed up his voice as he continued, "Pidge's brother is going to be there. Apparently he hates pecans-"

"Lance, he's allergic. Thats why Hunk kept telling you not to get a pecan pie." Keith huffed out a short laugh that turned into a small fit of coughing.

"I mean, logically you just say he's allergic, not offer eighteen different options without a reason. Anyway we're pulling up now- bye!" Lance grabbed the phone and shut off the call while Keith patted at his chest to try and bring the fit to an end.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, choked on that laugh." Keith swiped the back of his hand up under his nose as he sniffled again. His voice sounded rough, even to his ears.

"You sure? Are you feeling alright," Lance pulled the car into a parking spot under one of the huge, orange-leafed maple trees," that didn't sound very good."

"Yeah, I'll be alright." He sniffed again. His nose refused to behave and started running like crazy. "Think its the start of a cold, not a big deal."

"Aww, babe, no wonder you wanted that ugly ass sweater. God I should have realized, you wore that all through that flu you had last year."

"I did?" Keith started to unbuckle himself when he scrunched his face up, and jolted forward abruptly. "HEHtchh-huh" He gave a breathy sigh before he covered his nose with his sleeve.

"Yep-" Lance frowned and grabbed the bag of groceries off Keith's lap and threw them in the back seat. "You said it was the best for when you had the chills. Oh-" He moved to press the back of his hand to Keith's cheek.

"I'm chilly, but its the weather," Keith moved away at the first feather light touch of Lance's hand.

"Sure it is," Lance shifted back in his seat. He took in how Keith looked; his face was still pink like he'd been out in the wind despite the fact they'd been driving for forty minutes in a heated car. "You sure you want to go out? We were going to go on a hay ride, it'll be pretty cold."

"If it makes you feel better, I can sit at the fire pit while you all go." Keith opened his door and stepped out. He was pretty groggy- being a passenger made him pretty tired on the best of days. He groped in his pocket for a tissue while Lance sorted himself out and dug around in the trunk. Keith pulled out a tissue and bent his head forward to blow his nose only to have something thrown over his head.

"If you aren't feeling up to the ride, sure. I can sit with you," Lance offered. Keith tugged off the worn plaid blanket Lance tossed at him. He ran his thumbs over the fabric before wrapping his frozen hands up in it.

"I know you love those," Keith cleared his throat to rid it of the gravely tone, "probably won't get the chance again 'til we do the Halloween haunt stuff- and then it will be all chainsaw chases and jump scares."

"Awwh," Lance started walking to the little wooden building with his arm through Keith's. He gave him a peck on the cheek and frowned again. Keith was running warm, but if he was adamant he could handle it, Lance wouldn't argue. "If you're sure, we'll only go once. You keep yourself warm."

"I'm sure, I'll get some apple cider and wait here." The two of them finally met up with the rest of the group.

"You're not coming for the hay ride?" Hunk jumped from the conversation he was having with some guy who looked almost the spitting image of Pidge. "Aw man." "I'm just a little tired from the drive over-"

"Guys! This is Matt," Pidge interrupted, "Oh, well. Thats one way to make a first impression Keith. Nice shirt."

Keith looked down again, he had almost forgotten he was wearing it again. Matt extended a hand and Keith stared at it for a second before he shook Matt's hand and spoke up.

"Ah, hi. Um, I'm Keith." He jerked his thumb at Lance, "This big dork is Lance, and he really wouldn't try and kill you with food. He just has a weird sense of humor."

"Keith!" Matt laughed, Keith chuckled along until it caused him to cough again. He tucked his face into his elbow as he was wracked with gurgled, congested coughs. Lance started to rub his back, "Hey, you okay?" 

Keith nodded while he coughed. It took another minute before the fit passed. He shook his head after it was over to shake off the foggy feeling that lingered.

"Go ahead, I'll sit this one out and see you guys when you're back." His voice was rough, and he felt like must look pathetic. After that fit he felt the warmth in his face, but he wasn't going to hold anyone back because the crisp air was disagreeing with him. He waved them off with a few more reassurances. Once they disappeared around the bend he flapped open the blanket Lance gave him and found a seat on one of the logs near the fire.

He sat slouched forward, and stared into the flames for about ten minutes trying to decide if it would be worth the energy to go order some hot cider when he heard a group of footsteps behind him. He turned to see the whole group standing there chatting with each other.

"Hey, Keith, Allura texted and said she'll be at Pidge's early, so we're going to head over there now. We're sleeping over anyway, we can come back tomorrow for this stuff." Lance stepped over the log to sit beside his boyfriend. He bumped shoulders with Keith, "We'll get you some cold medicine when we get there too. You look miserable all crunched up like that."

"Sure," Keith sniffed back through heavy congestion, "I'd be fine with that." "Thought you would. Come on, before your crud turns into a full blown flu."

#a+ fic titles as always glass lmao #voltron sickfic #sick Keith #klance #fh fic #autumn fic #lmk if u need more tags #LMAO FORGOT THE READMORE OOPS

[coloneljamesmoriarty]

Vivere me dices, sed sic ut vivere nolim (2a/2)

Say That I Live, But So That I’d Rather Not Live

Tatiana does not leave Pilsen at age ten, she does not join the US Army, and she does not join XCOM. Her life is not better for it.

But, it’s better than it could be.

Hunter bad end, but averted. Read the start to the divergence point HERE.

She is collapsed and asleep on a cot when they find her in one of ADVENT’s prisons, and better looking than either Bradford or Volk expected for how long she had been gone. Bradford does a quick check but finds no wounds other than a few faded faded track marks on her inner arm. Not asleep, he muses, but sedated.

He carefully lifts Tatiana over his shoulder. Once he’s sure she’s secure, he turns to Volk to lead the way out of the compound.

By some miracle, they make it out undetected. Outrider rendezvous with them not far from the Reaper camp, Tatiana’s rifle slung over her back along with her own. “I found all that I could,” she tells the men, patting a satchel on her hip.

The three settle into the camp to grab what little rest they can. Bradford takes vigil beside Tatiana’s sleeping form in lieu of resting himself.

Volk sticks his head into their tent and eyes him knowingly. “We’ll have to set out again in the morning. Too close to that damn compound,” he warns. “Don’t expect me to carry you.”

“I don’t,” he assures.

Volk considers them for a second longer, then disappears to leave them be.

He misses the first signs; the twitching fingers, the slight change in her expression, the shift in her breathing. When Tatiana’s hand moves and thumps against the ground does he finally snap awake again.

“Hey,” Bradford murmurs, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

Even as groggy as she was, Tatiana flinches away from the contact.

He feels his heart sink. “You’re safe now, Tanya. You’re safe,” he assures.

She manages to crack her eyes open, and either the sight of him or the sound of his voice seems to pierce through the fog in her mind. “John?” she says weakly. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“Definitely alive.”

“Shit.”

He reaches out to take her hand to comfort her since words were failing him.

“I can’t go back,” she groans after a few minutes.

“No one’s getting captured again. If Volk suggests something that risky again, I’ll kill him myself.”

She shakes her head. Before explaining, she takes a moment to breathe deeply and squeeze his hand. “I can’t go back to the Reapers.”

“Volk is here, you two can discuss that in the morning,” he offers. “Until then, you should rest.”

She sighs and extends her free hand shakily towards him. He needs no other invitation to lay down beside her to get the rest they both so desperately need.

She rolls onto her side and presses her face into his chest.

Volk stares at Tatiana, dumbfounded, as the other Reapers pack up the camp. She had affixed all of her belongings back onto her person with the notable exceptions of her weapons. He was left holding her rifle.

“You’re not serious,” he says incredulously.

“I am serious,” she says gruffly. “I will not go back.”

“You’d just abandon our people? After everything we’ve done?”

“Believe me when I say it is safer for me to stay away from Reaper camps from now on. Safer for all of us, that is. Outrider has shadowed me enough, she can take over my duties as second,” she says, glancing over at the other Reaper.

Outrider stills at her mention, but her mask hides any emotion. She returns to packing up camp without interrupting their conversation.

“Traveling with John isn’t going to be any safer for you,” Volk says pointedly. He offers her rifle to her again. “At least you’ll have some protection if you stay with us.”

“I will not go with him, either.”

Both men look at her in disbelieve. “What?”

She crosses her arms and builds up her walls with the action. “Leave me at the nearest haven. I will find a way to manage.”

Bradford gets up and crosses over to them to properly join the conversation. “Are you sure that’s the safest option?” he asks.

“It is,” she assures softly. “They will expect me to return to the Reapers. They will not expect me to go somewhere I cannot lead or fight from. Everyone will be safer if I hide for a little while.”

They both turn to look at Volk. He crosses his arms and sighs. “If you’re certain. When you decide the time is right, you’ll always have a place among the Reapers,” he says.

“Thank you, Volk.”

He slings her rifle over his back and goes to make sure everything was ready for them to depart.

Bradford takes the opportunity to pull Tatiana into a hug. “I do wish you’d reconsider,” he murmurs.

“It is safer like this,” she says. Her voice lacks the same conviction it had just moments earlier. Nevertheless, she loops her arms around him as well and gives him a tight squeeze.

“I’ll visit, when I can.”

She leans in to steal a kiss. “Děkuji.”

Her grandmother always used to say that she knew when storms were coming in her bones, from old wounds improperly healed. She never quite believed her until she broke her arm for the second time and it ached all winter.

She wishes that this were just a storm on the horizon.

She wakes in the morning and knows - not just in her bones but in her very being - that disaster is coming, and it’s coming for her.

Tatiana shoves her belongings into her bag before anyone else can wake up. If disaster is on it’s way, she wants to be prepared, but she prays that her feeling is nothing. It’s pointless to pray, she knows. Ever since Bradford and Volk had rescued her two months prior, she was keenly aware of their presence.

After she crawls out of bed she warns the guard on duty about her bad feeling. It’s not much, but she hopes that even the slightest warning will help keep some people alive.

The day goes on as normal, or at least as normal as it can be with a sense of dread pulling at her very being. It’s hard to ignore and she wants to vomit for most of the day, but Tatiana manages.

The storm breaks just after lunch.

They barely get any warning before the first ADVENT ship appears in the sky, firebombing the center of their haven. Three transports arrive just after, dropping more troops than their meager defenses could handle.

Tatiana runs for the quarters to grab her bag. A wave of psionic energy washes over the entire encampment, though she is the only one to fall to her knees because of it.

“At last I have found you, Sister.”

The distaste in his voice is palpable as he spits out the last word, but it gives her enough energy to get to her feet again and keep running. A round from an ADVENT Captain clips her shoulder, but doesn’t stop her. She makes it to the quarters with only minor scratches and easily slings her bag over her shoulder.

She hears the distinct sound of psi zombies exploding and the blood curdling scream of death. The sounds make her stomach drop, but she pushes forward nonetheless.

“Time to come out of the shadows.”

The Warlock’s voice reverberates across the haven, but she does not let him stop her again. If she escaped, then there was the slightest chance he would stop his assault and lives would be saved. She doesn’t even pause to think about which direction she needs to go.

West, she thinks. John went west.

By the next morning, all the scratches from vaulting through a broken window and running through the brush have healed over. The skin on her arms and legs looks as good as new.

The wound on her shoulder has stopped bleeding and crusted over on its own. There’s a first aid kit in her bag, but she does not bother to use it partially out of spite and partially out of curiosity.

It’s a scar by nightfall.

When she heads out again at the next dawn, there is no indication that she was ever shot at all.

Of all the people he expects to run into at a haven in northern Africa, Tatiana is at the very end of the list. Bradford does a double take when he spots her distinctive coat among the haven.

He pushes through the crowds and grabs her arm. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

She flinches at the contact, but turns and looks just as surprised as he is to see her. “I was just passing through,” she explains sheepishly.

He’s not convinced at the answer, but he doesn’t push for the moment. He takes the opportunity to glance her over. She looks tired, but otherwise uninjured, despite still lacking her weapons. “Is everything alright?” he asks quietly.

“I’m fine,” she assures. She hesitates for a moment, then wraps her arms around him in a hug. “It’s good to see you again, though.”

“It’s been too long,” he agrees, hugging back. When they separate he keeps his hands on her arms, unwilling to let her go just yet. “Are you heading back to the Reapers? Or just traveling on your own?”

A frown twitches at the corners of her mouth. “Just traveling.”

He hesitates for a moment, his expression softening. “Come with me?” he asks.

Tatiana shakes her head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than traveling from haven to haven without any weapons?”

She at least has the audacity to look ashamed at that.

“I can defend both of us,” he assures.

Her frown deepens. After a moment she grabs a handful of his coat and pulls him away to an out of the way area so no one can overhear them. “If I stay anywhere too long, it gets destroyed. I’m being hunted, and I don’t want you to get hurt,” she says quietly.

“I’m not helpless,” he says firmly. “And neither are you, if you pick up a rifle again.”

She shakes her head furiously. “You won’t be able to stop this,” she insists. She looks him in the eye and he thinks he can spot tears in the corners of hers. “Have you heard anything about the ‘Chosen?’”

His shoulders slump. “Only rumors. I want to believe it’s just fear mongering.”

“It’s real, and he’s coming for me.”

He reaches up to cup her face in his hands. “So travel with me. We can keep moving, and if trouble starts brewing, I can defend us,” he assures. “We’ll survive.”

She shakes her head and shudders as though she’s about to sob. To prevent it, she takes a few deep breaths and squeezes her eyes shut. “You’re not going to let me leave this haven alone, are you?” she asks once she’s regained some semblance of control.

“Absolutely not.”

Despite everything, she chuckles. “Miluji tě.”

He leans in and presses their lips together.

Volk is their first stop once they set off again. Tatiana resents the mere idea of touching a rifle again, but he will not allow her to keep traveling without a way to defend herself. Bradford’s seen what happens when she’s handed an assault rifle, and it’s nothing compared to what she can do with a sniper rifle and a pistol.

He does not expect Volk to be waiting for them near the edge of the Reaper’s headquarters. He waves a greeting, and out of the corner of his eye he can see Tatiana tense.

“It’s good to see you again,” Volk greets. He eyes Tatiana, worried. “Both of you.”

“Same to you. Unfortunately we can’t stay for long, though,” Bradford says. “We just wanted to gather some supplies, see if there were any good rumors about.”

Volk nods and turns to lead them into the base. “Is it too hopeful for me to ask if you’re here to stay, Taňa?” he asks, glancing over his shoulder.

“I will stay with John,” she says firmly. “I will not get anyone else involved if I can help it.”

“So, that thing is still hunting you down?”

Tatiana blanches and stops in her tracks. “How do you know that?”

The men stop and Volk turns to face the two of them. “I wasn’t going to leave you unprotected entirely. I asked some Reapers to keep an eye on your haven. They told me you escaped unharmed from it at the first haven, and that three more suffered a similar fate in the time since,” he explains. “I’m glad to see you’ve survived this long.”

“Your people never bothered to try and help defend those havens?” she snaps.

“You were there. You know it would have just been more casualties for that thing.”

The accusation quells the fire building in her eyes and she motions for them to keep walking.

“Does this mean we can count on the Reapers if we run into any?” Bradford asks as they continue. “Having a few people out there we can trust unconditionally would help.”

“Of course! To you two, my people will remain loyal. You’re a friend, John, and Taňa will always be a Reaper,” Volk calls cheerfully over his shoulder. “What sort of supplies are you in need of?”

“Food, water, some vodka if you can bear to part with some,” he replies casually. “Mostly I wanted to retrieve Tanya’s weapons.”

Volk laughs. “You ask almost nothing of me, John. You’ll have everything you need.”

He leads them to what can only be called Volk’s office with the heavy table acting as a desk and the communications terminal sat upon it. Tatiana and Bradford eye the taxidermied heads garishly decorating the wall.

From a closet, Volk pulls out the items she had left with him when first settling into the haven. Despite the time passed, her rifle, pistol, and knife all look as good as new.

“Thank you,” she says tentatively. She clips the pistol and knife onto her belt quickly, as if they’d burn her if she held them for too long. The rifle she is a bit more delicate with, pulling an old towel out from her bag to wrap it in. Once she’s done, she does not sling it over her back as usual, but instead holds it in her hands, careful only to touch the towel.

“How long do you intend on staying?” Volk asks as she prepares her weapons. “At least stay for breakfast.”

“If you’ll have us, we’d like to stay until tomorrow evening,” Bradford replies.

Volk clasps him on the shoulder. “You can stay as long as you like, even with that thing hunting you.”

“No more than three days,” Tatiana warns.

Volk nods, but before he can say anything the door to his office opens and Outrider appears in the doorway. She freezes at the sight of the three of them. Her gaze falls to Tatiana and a trace of a smile forms on her expression.

“I did not expect to see you again,” she says once she’s found her voice again. “I’m relieved to see you’re still okay.”

Tatiana smiles and gently sets her rifle down. She crosses over to the doorway in a few strides and swipes the other up into a hug. “I missed you, too, Outrider.”

Bradford thinks he might be imagining it, but it looks as though Outrider leans into the embrace.

When they part, both women do their best to fall back into a more professional mindset. “Are you staying for supper?” Outrider asks. “I have some things to discuss with Volk, but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to catch up.”

Tatiana glances over her shoulder at Bradford, then back to Outrider. “We’ll be here for a couple days,” she assures.

The Warlock chases them like a shadow, casting the places they visit into darkness within days of their passing through. Rumors that the appearance of the two of them are an omen of destruction circulate through the havens, but most are willing to take the risk for Bradford’s connections.

Other havens are less kind and they are quickly escorted away at gunpoint. When it happens, they set up camp a safe distance away and try to get the rest they so desperately need and plan to move on to the next haven as fast as they can.

They are not always so lucky.

Tatiana wakes with a jolt and grabs for her bag. She starts shoving anything laying out into it, not caring for any sense of organization.

The sudden movement drags Bradford back into full consciousness. “You don’t need to be up yet,” he says.

“We have to get moving,” she says bluntly. “As quickly as possible.”

He stares at her for a moment longer, then grabs his belongings as well. With the two of them working together they break down camp in a matter of minutes.

Bradford stomps out any remains of the fire and glances up at Tatiana. She holds her rifle in her hands, freed from its wrappings. She stares at it for a moment, then sllings it over her back along with her bag.

“Got everything?” he asks.

She taps her pistol and knife, and judges the weight of her bag on her shoulders. At last, she nods.

Bradford clips his rifle to his belt and offers a hand to Tatiana. She takes it, and together they set off for the next haven as fast as their feet will take them.

Their fastest is not fast enough.

The Warlock makes his presence known with a wave of psionic energy that only just doesn’t knock them off of their feet.

“It’s been too long, Sister.”

Bradford draws his gun and Tatiana tugs on his hand to keep him moving.

“You can’t kill him,” she whispers harshly. “We have to keep moving.”

“We need to get some distance on him otherwise-”

A shot rings out and Tatiana drags Bradford out of the way as a tree branch falls on to where they were just standing. Through the trees, they can see a flash of something purple.

“There will be no more running,” the Warlock says. He approaches them, holstering his gun once more. “Do make it easy and give yourself over.”

Tatiana spits at him. Bradford raises his rifle and fires, hitting the Warlock in the chest. The bullets barely seem to phase the creature. Still, it makes him pause enough to touch the wound, giveing Tatiana a chance to grab Bradford’s arm and run.

Behind them the Warlock shouts, but there is no sound of pursuing footsteps. Instead, Tatiana feels a presence pressing at the edges of her mind. She shoves Bradford forwards to make sure he wasn’t as risk, then pushes back against it.

The Warlock cannot press into her mind, but the effort of fighting back causes her to lose her balance. She tumbles over a log and lands face first in the dirt.

Bradford stops and grabs her arm to help haul her up, but she shakes her head and tries to push him forwards once more.

She opens her mouth to tell him off, but another shot drowns the words out. Tatiana stiffens, the slumps slightly in Bradford’s grip. Blood blossoms from a wound on her shoulder blade.

She shoves with her good arm, but Bradford only tightens his grip on her. “You’re going to get yourself killed,” she grunts.

“I won’t let you get captured again,” he says firmly. He adjusts his grip on his gun with his free hand and starts trying to get the both of them away.

“I was told how much of a fighter you were, Sister,” the Warlock says, appearing in front of them. He stares down at Tatiana, hate and disgust evident in his eyes. “I didn’t think you’d try to run for so long.”

Bradford wastes no time in taking aim and shooting him again.

The Warlock steps back, stunned for just a heartbeat. He recovers before they can move and sends a wave of psionic energy directed at them.

Bradford falls to his knees, but Tatiana manages to stay standing.

The Warlock stalks forward, grinning like a cat who’d finally cornered his prey.

Tatiana takes a few steps away from him and swings her rifle off of her back. She presses it to her shoulder and glances through her scope for only a split second, then fires.

The Warlock screeches and brings his hands to his face. Where there was once an eye was only a bloody pit.

He shouts something in the aliens’ language, then disappears in a torrent of energy.

Once silence falls over the forest once more, Tatiana finally relaxes. She slings her rifle back into place and steps back over to help him to his feet. “Are you alright?” she asks softly.

“I’m not the one that got shot. Let me take a look at that,” he says, holstering his rifle again and giving her a nudge.

She resists and pulls away slightly. “I’ll be fine for now. We can make it to the next haven before nightfall if we keep moving.”

“Tanya.”

She hesitates for a few moments, then mutters something unintelligible under her breath. Regardless, she sets her bag and rifle on the ground and sits on the log she had tripped over.

Bradford follows and sits behind her, digging his first aid kit out of his bag. She pulls her shirt off to let him clean the wound easily, but he finds as he works that it’s already stopped bleeding on its own. He stares at it for a moment, then digs the bullet out. No more blood starts flowing with it. If he stares at the wound closely enough, he almost thinks he can see it starting to knit itself back together.

“I can explain,” Tatiana offers quietly after minutes of silence.

“Is this why he keeps referring to you as his sister?”

She tenses for a moment, then lets her body slump.”Please don’t hate me,” she says, voice barely stronger than a whisper.

They fall asleep in different cots when they finally arrive at the next haven.

Tatiana wakes early again to find Bradford pressed against her. Her slight movements are enough to wake him up, as well.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asks.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“Good.” Silence falls between them for a few, awkward moments. “I’m sorry about reacting how I did. I was just… shocked.”

“It’s fine,” she says, looking away from him and at the wall across from them. “We can go our separate ways in the morning.”

“Or we can keep going together.”

She rolls over onto her side to look at him, her apprehension apparent in her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. You’re still you, no matter what the Elders did.”

She loops an arm around his shoulders and leans in to kiss him.

The first few days at the Avenger are tense. Shen, Tatiana, and Tygan make their distrust of each other apparent, and Bradford has to play the part of peacekeeper if they ever want XCOM to get off the ground - literally.

Somehow, it works out, but not without some issues.

He finds her at the opposite end of the haven that the avenger was sitting, leaned up against a tree. Her glasses are perched on her nose and she'd managed to get ahold of a scrap of paper and a pen.

“Dobrý den,” Tatiana murmurs, not evening stopping to glance up at him. “How are preparations going?”

“Well enough,” he says. He sits down beside her and leans gently against her shoulder to watch her sketch the landscape before them. “I’m a bit surprised to see you aren’t helping out, honestly.”

A frown tugs at her lips and she hums noncommittally. “Being around your soldiers is frustrating.”

“They’re your soldiers too, you’ve every right to put them in their place.”

“I assumed you didn’t want me to be the one starting physical fights,” she retorts.

He leans in to press a kiss to her cheek. “If they’re causing trouble, they deserve it.”

She sighs and sets her pen down. She takes a moment to adjust to lean into Bradford a bit more while she considers her words. “They aren’t causing trouble explicitly. They’ve just made it clear what they think of me,” she says at last.

“Do I want to know?” he asks tentatively.

“It’s not very difficult to figure out. A woman who refuses to touch a gun and with no obviously useful talents like science or construction? To them, I’m only here because you’re in love with me,” she explains quietly.

He reaches over to cup her cheek and force her to look at him. “Prove them wrong. If beating them up will get them to respect you, then so be it. They’ll see your worth regardless, once you start leading missions,” he says. He leans in to press a kiss to her lips, then rests their heads together. “You could help train them. All of them have horrendous aim and could use the help of an accomplished sniper.”

“And risk them wondering why I’m so good? I’d rather not.”

“For all they know, you are just a good sniper. Nothing else. You were a Reaper, after all, and we know how Volk likes to boast.”

That draws a laugh from him, though it’s quiet and subdued. To Bradford, it’s still better than nothing. “I will think about it,” she says.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure Shen and Tygan would appreciate having some help, too.”

She snorts and shakes her head. “I’d be a hindrance to them. I know four languages, but none of them help me understand what they talk about.”

“You and me both, but they won’t object to an extra pair of hands around.”

She laughs again, a bit brighter this time. She kisses him, then gently breaks from his grasp to pick up her pen and slip it into her pocket. “I suppose you are right. The two appear nice enough, at least.”

“They are. It’ll be a good way to meet the rest of the crew, too.” Tatiana makes to start getting up, but he grabs her arm before she can. “Don’t have to go now, I’m taking a break.”

She sits back down and practically drapes herself over him. “You’re lucky I can beat all of your soldiers in a fight,” she teases.

The Menace team lands in the Warlock’s stronghold on high alert. There are no obvious traps waiting for them, nor does anything run out and attack right away. For the moment, they are still hidden.

Tatiana directs them through the stronghold and none of the squad so much as hesitates to follow her orders. Bradford would be proud of them for all the progress made, were it not for now nerve wracking assaulting one of the Chosen directly was.

The Warlock’s voice reverberates throughout the compound. “You have come far little humans. Boldly pushing forth into the unknown. If you only knew the truth of this place you would scurry back to the shadows where you were spawned.”

Menace keeps their silence and pushes forward.

“The Elders’ will permeates all around us… can you not feel it humans? Surely you can feel it Sister? Their reach is eternal. Even now their hand closes upon you.”

Tatiana tenses at being called out. Bradford reaches over and gasps her hand in his own to soothe her.

She orders Menace forward.

“For you are the true abominations. Microbes that think themselves greater than the gods. You taint this place with your infestation. Is it not the Elders who are the true saviors of your race? They who fight to preserve an entire universe. Yet here you stand. Willing to die to retain your ignorance. Did the Elders not show you enough, Sister? Did you not think to tell your precious pets of what is to come? You could have spared them all so much suffering.”

Horak takes aim at a MEC and the ensuing fight drowns out much of the Warlock’s remaining speech.

“These Chosen sure do like the sound of their own voice,” Bradford says lowly, shooting half a smile at Tatiana.

Despite herself, she offers him a small smile back. “It’ll be good to shut him up for good.”

Menace sweeps through the rest of the stronghold with ease, finally finding the ascension gate tucked away in one corner. They take a few minutes to prepare, then step through.

Kelly runs forward towards the sarcophagus to force the Warlock to appear. He does so in typical fashion in a torrent of energy.

“Oh, if only you knew the truth, the power in my hands. You would fall to your knees before me,” he says, looking down upon Kelly. He turns his gaze up at the rest of Menace perched on high ground, hate in his eyes. “Pity, I suppose we should begin, then.”

Williams hefts his cannon and opens fire.

The battle is long and drawn out, and the team takes more wounds than anyone had thought they might get, but at last Santiago puts bullet through his eye.

The Warlock teleports back in front of his shattered sarcophagus and glares at the few soldiers he can see. “At long last… I hear their voice… unobstructed. They- They are so near,” he gasps, stepping forward only to collapse to his knees. “They are everywhere. They come for me-”

Before he can say anything more, the Warlock turns to stone, dead at last.

Tatiana bows her head in respectful mourning as the squad returns home.

Inch by inch, XCOM takes the world back. Bradford strikes an uneasy alliance between the various factions that turns a disorganized resistance into something to be feared. The combined efforts of Shen and Tygan keep them moving forward, even with their distrust of each other. Most importantly, Tatiana’s tactics keep them constantly one step ahead of the Elders’ plans.

Both Tatiana and Bradford’s communicators shriek to life early in the morning, waking them from what had been a peaceful sleep. Tatiana reacts the fastest, grabbing the nearest one on the bedside table and shoving it in her ear. “What is it?” she asks weakly.

“We’ve completed the autopsy of the Avatar our troops encountered in the field, Commander,” Tygan says. “Shen and I agree that you and Central should hear this as soon as possible.”

She sighs and looks over at Bradford, still half asleep against her shoulder. “We’ll be in the labs in ten minutes,” she says.

“Thank you, Commander.”

The communicator goes silent once more and she tosses it back onto the table. Tatiana gently nudges Bradford who groans, but eventually shifts awake.

“They’re done with the Avatar,” she explains quietly.

“Couldn’t it have waited until morning?” he grumbles.

“The faster we deal with the Elders the faster the world can start recovering.”

He groans again, but leans forward to press a kiss to her lips. He trails down to press another to her neck, but she pushes him off.

“Ten minutes to get to the labs,” she tells him, flashing a smile. “Sorry.”

They arrive at the labs fifteen minutes later, still half asleep but each with a mug in hand. Tygan glances at them, taking in how full each mug is, then nods, seemingly deciding that their commanding officers are alert enough.

“The shadow chamber has completed its analysis of the Avatar’s DNA. It has identified the genetic sequence necessary to travel through the psionic gate,” he says, gesturing to a screen.

“Perfect. We can finally shut this Avatar project down for good,” Bradford says.

Tygan frowns at them. “However, the gate requires more than a mere transmission of genetic data.”

“The sequence has to be part of a live subject,” Shen cuts in. “The key only works in lock-step with the signal.”

“We don’t have time to find another one of those things, let alone capture it,” Bradford says quickly.

“No. That part we can handle,” Shen assures. “We make our own.”

“Through the specimen before us is damaged beyond repair, it has provided us with its complete genetic blueprint. We already possess an unaltered Avatar template from the Forge facility. That, combined with the genetic material we recovered at the blacksite should allow us to replicate the procedure here,” Tygan explains.

Bradford glances down at the Avatar, then up at Tygan. He takes a long sip of coffee to think. “So, what’s the catch?”

“Yes, that.” Tygan frowns again. “Without an Elder consciousness driving it, the new Avatar would remain as lifeless s the one before us. While I can develop its body, I cannot create the mind to drive it.”

“But I can, in a way. By manipulating the new Avatar via the psionic network,” Shen says.

Bradford looks at Shen, confused. “You want to operate one of these things… by remote control?” he asks.

Shen shakes her head. “Not exactly, and definitely not me. Someone needs to interface with the psionic network for this to work.”

Tatiana feels her stomach drop.

“Interfacing directly  with their network would cause severe, if not fatal trauma to an unprepared central nervous system. Not even your former commander survived it,” Tygan says. “Whoever volunteers to go in will likely not come back.”

“Then we have to find another way. I can’t allow any of our soldiers to volunteer for this. It’s-”

“We don’t have time to find another way, Central,” Shen cuts in.

“I will not-”

“I can do it,” Tatiana says, stepping forwards. She takes a drink of tea, then sets her mug down on the autopsy table, not once looking to meet Bradford’s eyes.

“You don’t have to volunteer Commander-”

“It’s more important that you stay here, Sir-”

“Tanya-”

She silences the three of them by banging her mug against the table. “Of all the people aboard the Avenger, I’m the most likely to survive this.” Tatiana hesitates and swallows, then looks up to meet the gazes of Shen and Tygan. “Several years ago, I was captured by ADVENT. The Elders began to experiment on me. They only got so far before Central and Volk rescued me, but it left me with, among other things, regenerative powers. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

The three stare at her in silence, but she can only feel Bradford’s burning into her side.

“We can find another way,” he says quietly. He reaches out and brushes his fingers over her hand.

She shakes her head. “No, if this is the fastest way to defeat the Elders, then it is a risk worth taking,” she says.

Shen and Tygan hesitate, then nod.

“If you’re sure, Commander, we will begin preparations immediately,” Tygan assures.

Tatiana nods then turns to leave.

The Avenger is filled with the sounds of the commanding officer’s arguing for the next few days, to the point where even their most trusted soldiers are hesitant to interrupt them. It only stops the day before the assault, when it becomes clear that Tatiana will not change her mind. She drags Bradford into their room that evening, and no one dares disturb them then, either.

In the morning they get everything they can prepared, then kiss one last time before Tatiana disappears into the labs.

Bradford can only watch in horror as Menace steps through the psigate, led by an Avatar.

“Such loss, such needless waste. You force our hand. Yet still we offer peace. Stop this senseless violence and your world will be spared,” an Elder says, voice reverberating through their heads as they arrive on the other side.

Tatiana begins to lead the squad through the compound without any heed to the voice that had once haunted her dreams.

“We were wrong about you, Child,” the Elder continues. “You were destined to be more than just one of our Chosen. You could have been more. You could still be more.”

“Commander,” Bradford’s voice cuts through onto their comms devices. “Don’t listen to that thing.”

She waves in view of one of the cameras so he can see it.

“She wants you to know that she wasn’t even considering it,” their psi operative says. “There’s also a lot of what I assume is swearing in Czech.”

Despite it all, the team hears Bradford laugh over the comms. They push forward through the base, killing everything in their path with precision.

They make it to the final room mostly in one piece by some miracle and begin to pick of the Avatars one by one. Jane Kelly gets the final blow on the first, Horak kills the second, and Tatiana herself kills the last one.

Tatiana holds the psigate open so that the squad can run through. She cannot follow.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

When she comes too again, the first thing Tatiana is aware of are a pair of arms, around her. She blinks and tries to focus and eventually she realizes that it’s Bradford holding her. She tries to lift a hand to pat his back, only to find that she is too weak to move while still confined in the stasis suit.

“You’re alive,” he whispers, more so to assure himself than anything else.

“John,” she manages to croak after a few moments.

“Mission accomplished, milačku.”

#xcom #my writing #xcom discord was a mistake #this is amazing #a horrible horrible mess #ihate like half of it im sorry #but i want to get hunter au done #this is what happens when i have to take a break for finals i hate eveyrthing now aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 2- Above City Lights

Your hands trembled with excitement as he handed you the paper.

 Before this, you were a hero. No one was looking for you any longer. You'd been out of the spotlight just long enough to be forgotten and this was the first real task you'd been entrusted with since you joined.

"Everyone has something do, so do it." Everyone dispersed, leaving you and Shigaraki to your own devices in the small room. He sat carefully on the couch, one leg over the other, staring out the window. Part of you wondered why he hadn't told you to leave yet."I forgot to ask," he mused rather quietly. "Why did you want to join?" His eyes suddenly turned to you, piercing you right through the heart.

With shaky breath you replied,"I thought it was what I wanted. The fame and fortune, the recognition. But it wasn't. Hero work is a cold, dark world full of imbeciles and people who don't even deserve to have a quirk. It's all contests and politics. I just wanted to help people." He was already staring out the window again, fingers tapping aimlessly on his leg.

"That's not a terrible answer. But I'm warning you now, if you have a change of heart suddenly, I won't hesitate. I gave you a a very important and difficult task. The locations on that paper are just the last known places they were seen."

You took another look at the list that seemed to get longer the more you looked at it. Why were you nervous now? It's not like you'd never been threatened.

"I'm glad for the concern, but there's no need for it. The only thing I'll say is that the less you know, the better for both of us." His eyebrow raised, seemingly offended, but he never took his eyes from the street below.

"Man, I say that and no one lets me get away with it. You guys bothered me about my name for weeks," Dabi cut in. You hadn't even noticed him trail into the room, Yuna leaning against the doorway waiting.

"That's because you look like a fucking dead man who'd come to life out of spite." It was hard not to laugh at that one.

"That's because I am," he snapped, taking a small notebook off the table and shoving it in his pocket. Yuna's eyes rolled as they continued to bicker on their way out.

"Anyway, please go now. We don't have a lot of time for this." He shooed you out the door.

"Magne," you whispered. The street you found yourself on was quiet, no people or cars in sight. Nervous wasn't quite the right word to describe how you felt. Neither was excited. You weren't sure what was brewing inside of you.

--------

You spent countless hours searching up and down for even a single person on that stupid list before deciding you needed help. The thought of asking Shigaraki was nerve-wracking. Maybe Yuna was done with whatever she was doing, so you chanced it and gave her a call.

"What's up girl?" She asked cooly.

"Hey. If you were, uh, tasked with finding everyone on a list of possible recruits with only their last known locations, how would you go about it? I'm having some trouble, and Shigaraki's expecting results."

"Oh. Wow. That's- honestly? I'd give up and make Dabi do it. Do you...want him to do it?"

Okay. Probably why he didn't ask her to do it, you thought.

"Uh, that's okay. I'll just figure it out, I guess." There weren’t many other options, except hoping Shigaraki was more forgiving than he seemed. -------

"Shigaraki, is there someone you talked to for this information?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask me sooner." Your nerves felt like they were on fire. The last thing you wanted to do was bother him. "There is someone. His name is Kagero Okuta. He deals in weapons and the like. You'll find him at the bar on Hoshin Street."

You bowed graciously and made your way to the exit.

"Oh, and Himaro? If you don't come back with at least four of the people on that list, I'll consider methods to get rid of you."A chill ran down your spin at the curt tone of his voice.

"Yes sir. I'll come back with five then," you boasted before taking your leave. ------

"Okuta-san?" You peered around the door to reveal an older man with gray hair and a mustache to match. If there was anyone that looked like they knew something about criminals, it was this guy. A skeevy smile spread across his face.

"Come in. To what do I owe the pleasure, beautiful?"

You tried not to smirk as your eyes darkened. "I need you to do something for me." The smile on his face disappeared as you slipped through the door.

"What is it?

"I need you to tell me everything you can about the people on this list. I need to know their real names, what the look like, and the last time you or someone you know saw them. And then when I leave, I want you to forget this ever happened." He trudged over and grabbed the list from your hand. Soon enough, you had as much information as you could fit into your head. "Thank you, Okuta. It's been a pleasure."

You scouted the areas people were last seen, but all of your handiwork turned up only three of them. Thankfully, it didn't take much talking to convince them to help out. They were also particularly tired of the heroes. But there was still a pit in your stomach.Was Shigaraki really going to kill you if you didn't come back with at least four? You were exhausted climbing and searching all day.

 He asked for four and naievely, you promised five without understanding how difficult it would be to track them down, even with your quirk.The sound of your cell phone ringing sharply pulled you out of your daze.

"Himaro, it's time for you to come back. I hope you kept your promise." Shigaraki hung up abruptly.One last attempt.

"Have any of you guys seen any of the other people on this list?" They all passed it around, but to no avail. Why had you assumed all villains knew each other?

"Thanks for trying, guys. It's time to face my doom," you muttered, turning to lead them back to the hideout. -------

Nervously, you pushed the door open. "How did you do?" Kurogiri asked quietly.

"I-only found three. Shigaraki said he'd get rid of me if I didn't come back with four and-"

"There's no need to worry, Miss Himaro. Shigaraki will do no such thing. He's much more intelligent than that."You felt  a weight lift off your chest. If anyone knew for sure, it was Kurogiri.

"How many did you get?" Shiagarki appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Th-three." He didn't look pleased, but he didn't look particularly angry. That just set you even further on edge. What was he thinking?

"After this meeting, I want to talk to you." Your head nodded emptily as everyone else came trailing in behind you.

Dabi first, a smirk on his face. Soon after, Toga and Twice. Ten minutes after that, Yuna rushed in, breathless. Before you could even think of asking, Shigaraki spoke up.

"Himaro, please introduce our new recruits." He had his back turned to everyone, eyes glued to the TV.

"Uh, this is Magne. Her quirk is attraction. She can polarize her body and manipulate metal." Magne took a grand  bow.

"I'm excited to work with you all! The passion and the glamour is almost too much!" She hid her face in the crook of her arm, lip quivering.

"...Glamour..?" Yuna's eyebrow raised.

"This is Mr. Compress. His quirk is, well, compress. He can capture anything into a small marble without damaging it." You waited a moment for another outburst, but none came. Mr. Compress just bowed.

"And this is Spinner. He wouldn't tell me his quirk, but he has a really big sword."

"Hah! My quirk is my supernatural ability to wield all these swords at once!" He idiotically brandished his weapon in close quarters with everyone, starting a commotion.

"Hey! Watch where you're swingin' that thing, Lizard!" Dabi griped, just barely stepping out of the way.

"It looks like your quirk is being really stupid," Yuna quipped, ducking under his swings calmly.

"It's Spinner, you asshole!"

"Enough!" Shigaraki yelled. "That's-enough. Everyone is welcome to stay here. I have something to do." As he walked by he grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward Kurogiri. You felt your heart race, though you weren't sure if it was because of the thought of him killing you, or something else entirely...

You found yourself at the top of a particularly tall building, the blowing wind biting at your cheeks.

"Do you see all of this? This could be ours, if we want it." You took note of the vast landscape sprawling before you. It was calming and endearing to watch all the lights of the cars and buildings cover the city. "But we have to get this right. Do you understand what went wrong for you today?" He turned his eye to you from beside.

You remained silent, body frigid in the cold wind as he stared at the city below. Why did he make you so nervous? You were sure that even without a defensive quirk you could knock him out in one hit if you needed to. Yet there was something to intimidating about him.

"You didn't manage your time wisely. If you want to be a part of this team, I need you to sop thinking your quirk will take care of everything for you. Did you use it today?"

"Yes. On Okuta." As soon as the sentence left your mouth you felt a foot there instead.

"Why?"

"To get information," you faltered, suddenly aware that that wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Was it necessary?" He took the hand off his face just to stare at you pensively.

"I-I'm guessing not since you're asking me that."

"You could have just told him I sent you, and asked politely. You have to understand that we have a goal in mind. We aren't here just to wreak havoc. We can't achieve this goal by cheating everyone out of their free will and trust. Next time, I expect better. As for your recruitment skills, what did you say to them?" You could feel yourself shrinking down with embarrassment.

"I just told them what we had planned. You've already made a name for yourself, so explaining everything was unnecessary."

"Hmm. There are ways to do better. You could have asked them to branch off and pull in the others. Any other person under my command right now would have had them all in much less time. I expect these little shortcomings to be taken care of before I give you another mission."

It was so awkward to stand there in the silence, only the sound of distant sirens playing through the air. You hadn't even realized you had better ways to do things, and now your shortcomings were abundantly clear. That sent a pang through your heart.You were doing this to prove everyone wrong, but if even Shigaraki was saying the same thing, maybe it was time for a change of plans. He sat cross-legged on the ground, patting the space next to him.

"Don't be discouraged by this. Learn from it. I want you to try not to use your quirk at all the next time I send you out." Your nerves were set on fire by that. He wanted you to act like you didn't have a quirk? That made you feel beyond uneasy. But you supposed that was the point.

"Don't take that as a punishment. Think of it as a way to improve. You can be strong without using your quirk all the time. I want you to thrive here with us. But you're holding yourself back."

Ouch. You took a look at the starry sky, mostly blocked out by the lights below, but just enough glistening to give you comfort. "I will get it right," you whispered. You could feel the familiar feeling of tears welling in your eyes, the hollow ache in your chest that preceded crying.

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

Could you really explain all of the heartache brought on from hearing those words? It was the same thing everyone else always told you, the same words that shamed you out of being a hero. There were so many complex emotions tied to the things he'd said to you. 

"It's just- there's a lot of bad feelings tied to hearing that. I'll keep it simple. It has a lot to do with why I'm here right now." He looked at you, a little surprised and a little uncomfortable, mouth agape as a couple tears fell from your eyes. Your knees pulled to your chest and you wrapped your arms around them, trying to hide your face.

"I-didn't mean to make you cry."

"I know you didn't Shigaraki. It wasn't you that did it."

"You can call me Tomura," he smiled. It was a fairly awkward smile, like he'd heard about it somewhere but never done it himself. But it was so heartfelt that you even warmed up from the chill, returning his smile without a second thought.

"Thank you, Tomura."