“Wondrous Escape” ( Reno x Reader )
Sure the mission was a complete bust but this moment- this place was more gratifying than the punishment glare that you’d both receive fromTseng. Plus, being stuck with Reno didn’t help the situation either. You’ve been eyeing this man for a while now keeping your distance a bit; even though you were on good terms with each other. But you didn’t want to jeopardize anything in the event things would build up to this moment.
“Dammit I’m covered in sap!” Reno growled agitated with the sensation. You smirked and eyes rolled to his comment. Picturing him still tumbling down the ridge as if he were the actual landslide that occurred you couldn’t help but hold back a giggle. Sure he was agile but his footing wasn’t so great today.
“I’d say take a shower but where? No waterfalls nearby” You tossed the idea semi teasingly. He pouted and remembered hearing water earlier. His eyes glittered a bit as he made the connection.
“Maybe not but I know where I heard water before, c’mon” He grasped your hand and started walking. You blushed. His hand was holding yours…
------------
“Yes! I’m a genius!” he crowed as you couldn’t help but take in the beautiful view.
“What a sight huh Y/N” Reno claimed softly as he stretched his arms behind his head arching his back a bit. You tried to not steal a glance at that glorious chest of his but you nodded to his response.
“Well, I don’t know about you but I’m not gonna stay sticky till we get back to Midgar..” He stated as his gloves came off and he undid the clasp on his jacket. The jacket fell softly to the grown, then his shirt followed, along with goggles tossed to the side and his electro-rod onto the rocky shore. You couldn’t help your eyes wandering but you did try to hold back a yelp and blush harder. For a split second blinking a few times as the sound of a zipper flew open and his slacks gave way around his bare thighs. Reno always was so wonderful, a true vision right before your eyes. And the man knew it too, teasing you every chance he’d received.
Refreshingly winsome as the redhead seemingly morphed with the water ever so gracefully. He started wading out a bit before delving deeply into the pristine mirror; cerulean and clear as the skies. Not a cloud in sight really; on the contrary his acute hindquarters was in full vision, even beneath the deep waters. You could’ve sworn he did this deliberately but you weren’t going to fight it either. He was so carefree and live-like, a bit childish at times but he was never dead in spirit. He was the definition of pure abundance and exhilaration.
Just as the sights of the lake were breathlessly captivating your attention an audible disturbance of water was heard before the sudden gasp as he emerged for air; the droplets rolled from his vibrant hair down his rapturous face, glorious neck, along the able-bodied forearm which he flexed with his hand remaining tangled in the newly moistened strands. The water did not stop but in fact decorated perfectly along his shoulders and his completely exposed chest. The water line lapped against his porcelain skin scarcely covering deliciously tastefully above his groin the red haired line mischievously guiding your sight towards his shaft. Something bewitching about how bendable the water’s natural law made your cheeks creep with blush thinking of this man’s agility. Nimble and lethal. Loving and free. Flowing quite handsomely. Wondering what it would feel like to be loved in such a manner under his grasp; Reno was always a sensual lover who you envisioned to deliver a love that only felt liberating and true. As you came too from your blissful imagination you shook your head as your name was called.
“Huh?”
“You okay? You’re adding more to the lake” He teased. Your body practically cried out for him. You couldn’t help but pout a bit as your eyes ran along with a few droplets that clung to him. Jealousy grew steadily in your thoughts for you wished it were you instead. You were also a bit timid and envious of how confident he was with his self imagine; regardless if he spoke before of how he wasn’t a fan of his own bodily image as a kid growing up.
“C’mon, the water’s fine. Not too cold.” his eyes were shimmering like the water within the sunlight of high noon. The warm air caressing the two of you rustling the trees and your hair framing your cheeks. He loved every inch of you. Whether it was from the way you smiled, to how you carried yourself, or simply straight up how you developed a sense of heart and forgiveness. He loved it when you were around more, you brought him sensations of admiration and refreshed outlook on everything. He raptured your mindset and adored your emotional self. There was no one like you and he couldn’t help but fall more to you, he surrendered to your hold over him. Today was that day and little did you know it now but soon enough he’d confess.
Before he could say another word his vision blurred a bit as you started to undress. A creeping blush dusted his cheeks as he witnessed your clothes lacking and then falling to the ground. He noticed the colorful lace that was hidden well under the suit, smirking at the tasteful set within a split second. Your eyes stayed low to the ground as your hands gently unhooked the front of the bralette loosening your barren breasts a little. Reno blinked again looking away as he felt a fish gently nip at his hip; this was his chance. He knew you were self conscious so he improvised; he wanted you to experience and enjoy yourself. Reno wanted you to live a little more as a return of how you made him feel so renewed.
“Crap!” he slipped and fell right in with a huge splash. You looked up and bit your lip from laughing out loud. But this was it, you were now completely exposed as he and working quickly you submerged yourself. Reno came up for air as you swam out towards the mini island closest to a miniature waterfall. You gasped for air as the waterfall hissed. Smiling as Reno still fought with the school of fishes and cursing them as next dinner’s menu. Again you laughed and blushed as he looked at you, sneering mischievously and slapping water towards your direction.
“Gah! Hey!!” you bubbled as he laughed. You both splashed each other until things began to cool down. Reno smiled handsomely towards you, a hand gently cupping your cheek.
“Glad to see you loosen up for a change. It suits you” He stated, you blushed.
“And developing more confidence…” His eyes wandered a bit before you realized you didn’t cross your arms over your breasts. Blushing crazier as his thumb tilted your vision back up to his eyes.
“Y/N… You don’t have to hide. It’s alright.” He claimed softly as his lips neared yours enveloping you in a tender kiss. Your breath hitched as his warm kiss pressed against eyes fluttering closed. His free hand trailed down your back and rested along your hips as you both kissed slowly and sweetly; gradually quickening the pace as passion rose higher. A soft sigh escaped as he broke the kiss momentarily to breathe.
“Reno..” as your voice quivered. He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Am I going too fast…” he sounded a bit confused as you shook your head.
“No… please… I-I wanted-..us.” the truth was out. Your eyes widened as he slightly did the same. He couldn’t believe his ears, she wanted him. Loved him from afar. The same confession he was going to make to her today.
“What? You mean.. You wanted me? How come you didn’t tell me sooner yo?”
“I was afraid. I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship. I wanted you so much. You’ve been so good to me I figured that’s as far as we went. As friends.” You whispered as Reno reached out for you and kissed again. Passionately along your lips as you pulled him closer; hands daintily draped along the back of his shoulders.
“Not as friends.. My partner..” He said in between kisses as you melted against the rock gently locking onto his hips with your thighs.
“I love you Reno” You stated as he groaned from the feel of your body against his.
“I love you too Y/N” His voice low and ravenous. Kisses trailed from your lips down your jawline, along your nape and just above your breast as he worked his love along your complexion. Your hands traced along the back of his shoulders as you rolled your head back from the sensation; curling your fingers once tangled in his hair. Hissing escaped as you cooed for him and the wrong time for you to recognize that time was running out. You both had to head back to Midgar soon and make it post-haste judging by the sun’s position.
“Reno. The time.. We’ll be late!” you claimed as he remembered as well biting his lip in defeat.
“Damn.. We were getting it too..” He mumbled to himself as you tilted your head slightly. He shook his head and gently eased you back into the water.
“Let’s go, we don’t want Tseng anymore aggravated than normal.” Reno spoke with a hint of disdain. Quickly you both swam out of the lake and dressed before Rude showed up in a hummer shaking his head in disbelief.
“Failed again Reno?” He claimed as Reno brushed his hair with his fingers, pouting.
“So?” he stated bitterly as Rude sighed.
“Why are y’all wet? What happened?” Rude asked as Reno glared at his partner.
“Er nevermind… I don’t want to know”
“Landslide issue and then water trouble. But this place is nice I swear.” Reno started to speak as Rude drove the car towards Midgar. The mission wasn’t successful like you planned it to be but at least you got to be with Reno and not with Elena or worse Tseng himself. Too bad you have to report there soon but you didn’t want to think about the ‘punishment glare’ that you’d both receive fromTseng.
“But on the bright side we now have a secondary resort for Rufus and the Turks should we need it.” You claimed as the two nodded in the front seat.
“Bet you 50 gil they’ll name it something weird like Helen.” Reno teased as Rude smirked. Rude turned the vehicle into the ShinRa parking lot as Tseng glowered in the upstairs bay window. You swallowed hard as you imagined the worst to happen, then a gentle squeeze was present on your thigh snapping your eyes towards Reno.
“No worries, I’ve got this. Afterwards I’ll take you home okay?” He seemed genuine and sweet as you smiled. He smirked reassuringly as the sound of car doors opened. Stage time.
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Contrition: Chapter 4
Pairing: Chase Collins x Female!Witch!Reader
Summary: Your and Chase’s bliss quickly turns to horror with the arrival of some unexpected guests.
Warnings: Swearing (always), mentions of murder, struggles with addiction, mentions of sex, nudity, violence, blood, death
Word Count: ~4,578
A/N: *evil laughter* Also, thank you to everyone who’s been reblogging and leaving comments! I really, really appreciate all of it!
Masterlist // Previous Chapter // Next Chapter
You let out a long sigh and relaxed into Chase’s arms, breath catching ever so slightly as he moved, dragging one of the blankets that had been shoved aside over both of you.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” he murmured, though he already sounded nearly asleep.
You grinned and placed a lingering kiss to his chest before murmuring a “Goodnight, Chase,” and falling asleep immediately after.
You awoke a little groggily, mouth a little dry, limbs a little sore, and it took you a moment to realize what woke you up and why you couldn’t move.
You opened one bleary eye and stared at the breathtakingly serene image of Chase asleep next to you, big arms wrapped securely around your waist. The blanket had fallen low around your waists while you slept and you almost wished he was far enough away that you could take a peek at him in all his naked glory, but the thing that woke you up caught your attention again.
Someone was knocking politely but a little insistently at the front door. You let out a long sigh and tried your best to shuffle out of Chase’s arms, noting a little petulantly that he’d slipped out of you at some point in the night, but he snuffled and stirred before you got very far and reeled you back into his chest.
“Dun’ go,” he murmured, voice deep and a little croaky from still being half asleep.
You fought back the urge to laugh at his sleepy, frowny face, and placed a firm kiss right between his eyebrows. That, at least, softened his scowl for a second, but it returned with a vengeance when you began extracting yourself from his embrace again.
“Gotta get the door, Sweet Thing,” you whispered. He didn’t even open his eyes as he leaned forward to kiss you. One of his big hands cupped your face gently and he used it as a guide to let him find your lips, but you laughed and clapped a hand to his mouth before he could get too close. “I’m not kissin’ you ‘til you brush that nasty mouth of yours,” you teased gently.
Chase groaned in earnest at that and finally released you. “No fun,” he muttered, though his lips were quirked up at the corners as he opened one of those stunning steel blue eyes and pointed it blearily at you.
You chuckled and ducked in to place another kiss on his forehead, laughing harder when he tried to pull you in for a real kiss. You dodged his outstretched arms and danced away from the bed, winking playfully at him as both of his eyes opened a little comically wide at the sight of you completely naked. The show was over fast, though, as you pulled on the nearest clean-looking shirt and pants.
“It’s probably my neighbors Marianne and Roberto and their daughter Angelina. They always stop by my house during Girl Scout Cookie season because they know I’m a soft touch. I always end up buying a case of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs each.”
Chase’s nose crinkled up in disgust. “You have terrible taste in cookies.”
You scoffed at that as you finished buttoning your pants. “Alright then, cookie connoisseur. What kind do you want?”
Chase smirked up at you from the bed, his smile only growing when your gaze kept drifting down his body. “Trefoils. 24 boxes, please.”
You stared at him in horror. “Shortbread? Really?” You were about to give him a piece of your mind, but the knocking at the door was growing louder and a little more impatient. You didn’t blame them. It was getting cold out fast these days. “Coming!” you called down the halls. You fixed Chase with a pointed stare. “Teeth. Brush,” you said, pointing at him threateningly before you disappeared through the doorway, the sound of his gentle laughter following you and making you smile.
You couldn’t help but grin like an idiot all the way to the door. Last night had been… amazing. And now you were getting cookies.
So lost in your own thoughts of Chase, it took you a split second longer than it should have to realize it wasn’t your nice neighbors, the Samsons, standing on your porch.
The overwhelming stench of rotting, rancid meat hit you like a wave and it was all you could do not to spill the contents of your stomach on the spot. You did however, gag a bit, which only seemed to anger or amuse the Sons of Ipswich staring at you, expressions ranging from apprehensive to mocking to furious.
“Where is he?” the oldest- Caleb- asked, anger boiling behind his eyes.
You glared at him, mind kicking into overdrive. They know about Chase. They know I have him. They know he’s probably here. Fuck. Please, stay in the fucking bedroom. Don’t come out here right now. “Who the fuck are you talking about? And why the fuck do you think you have the right to just show up at my house? What if the other hedge witches find out? I’ll be a laughing stock at the convention!” you hissed.
One of them- Pogue, if you had to guess- frowned at you in confusion. “You have conventions?”
Your baleful gaze turned on him. “Yes. We swap potion recipes, rare crystals, useful tomes, cookie recipes, and knitting patterns,” you said dryly. You turned back to Caleb, who seemed to more or less be the leader. “Now, I’ll ask again. What the fuck are you doing at my house uninvited?” Why the hell didn’t my wards warn me? They should have blocked them from teleporting themselves within ten miles of my house. They shifted a bit and you could barely see a loud yellow SUV (A Hummer, maybe? Did people still drive Hummers?) sitting in your driveway. Ah, they drove in. Great.
The loud-looking, angry one finally took a half step forward, only stopped from entering your house by one of Caleb’s firm hands shooting out to stop him. “Quit fucking with us, Hedge Witch. We know he’s here.”
You narrowed your eyes at him. He was the most impulsive of all of them and it showed. Even though he ascended close to last he looked at least a few years older than the others. “I’ve already told you, I have no idea who you’re talking about. Now leave me the hell along before I hex your asses into next Sunday.”
Reid pushed past Caleb’s arm at the threat, his temper flaring dangerously. You would normally have been afraid- a double ascended warlock and three ascended warlocks were far beyond your hope of defeating conventionally- but the need to protect Chase overrode all of it. “Don’t threaten me you fucking bitch,” he spat. He got all of one toe over the threshold of your house before your wards etched into the doorway flared to near-blinding brightness and sent him flying back so far that he landed in the middle of the field across the street from your house.
The other three watched this happen with wide eyes, but Reid was up within a second of hitting the ground, eyes black and face twisted with fury. He was back in front of your door again in a blink of an eye, staring balefully down at you with those soulless black eyes.
“Reid,” Caleb said carefully, but Reid didn’t so much as flinch.
“I wonder how long these can keep us back,” Reid spat, raising a hand to slowly press on the field your wards created.
“Reid,” the last one- Tyler- hissed, looking between you and Reid nervously.
The wards on your door flared again, but Reid was able to stand his ground with his powers backing him up this time. You watched with wide eyes as your wards began to sputter and black out one by one. Only a few more seconds and-
Caleb’s hand shot out and wrapped around his wrist, finally tearing Reid’s burning gaze from you. They had a silent, furious conversation for a moment before Reid tore his hand from Caleb’s and fisted his hands at his sides, eyes clearing to their usual blue.
Caleb gave him one last, wary look before turning to look back at you. He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped it for a few seconds before he flipped it so you could see the screen.
There, on what was likely footage from a traffic cam, were you and Chase in your dirty little black Jeep. The picture was clear enough that there’d be no mistaking the two of you.
Caleb was studying you closely, but your face remained carefully impassive as you panicked internally. “We know he’s been seen with you on multiple occasions. We also know there haven’t any been suspicious, unexplainable deaths since you visited Ipswich all those months ago. We thought he was gone when he didn’t show up for seven years, but then this. You. The sightings. It’s only a matter of time until he comes after us again or hurts someone else.” Caleb paused then, eyes softening a little. “Is he hurting you? Controlling you with magic?” he asked gently as though you were some delicate little thing that would break with the slightest pressure.
But you could work with this. They believed you an unwilling participant in your relationship with Chase (how wrong they were!), a pawn in his scheming. You prayed that your luck would continue to hold out and Chase would stay out of sight just a little bit longer.
Time to hope those acting classes in high school payed off. “I-” you bit the word back and grimaced as though it hurt for you to talk. “He-” you choked out again, face twisted into a grimace.
“What? What did he do to you? We can help,” Pogue said urgently.
“Not here,” you breathed, hands flying to your head to clutch at the sides, breath coming in gasps.
“He’s not here?” Reid inferred, scowl seemingly permanently attached to his face.
You nodded quickly. “Doesn’t- Leaves- Shows up-” You hoped that Chase wouldn’t hear any of this from his spot in the farthest part of the house. They had to leave quickly, or this charade wouldn’t matter at all.
“He comes and goes?” Tyler guessed, and you nodded quickly.
Caleb shifted uncomfortably at the sight of you in what seemed to be so much pain. “Let us help you. We can undo what he did and-”
“No!” you hissed. “Thought of that. Failsafes.”
They stared at you for a moment longer before understanding passed across Caleb’s face. “He knew we’d find the two of you eventually. He made sure you wouldn’t be able to talk to us if we tried to remove his spells.”
Another quick nod and Reid and Pogue were swearing under their breath while Caleb and Tyler looked troubled.
After a moment, Caleb nodded. “Alright. We’ll fall back until we come up with a plan to save you and-”
“Hey, Honey. Did you finish buying those cookies yet? I-”
The six of you froze in unison as Chase turned around the corner, sweatpants slung low on his hips, bare chest completely exposed.
The moment hung in the air, then many things happened at once. Chase dove forward to put himself between you and the other Sons. You activated all your emergency house wards which would hopefully be enough of a distraction to give you and Chase a chance to escape. Caleb and Reid reached forward, eyes black as coal, and nullified your wards with a flick of their wrists, dashing your hopes for a getaway. Pogue and Tyler stepped forward and used their power to freeze you in place.
Chase flung himself in front of you, arms stretched out wide and and a vicious scowl placed on his face. Under his arm you saw Reid and Caleb step forward, faces set as they gathered power in their hands.
No, you don’t have powers, you wanted to scream at him. You’ll be ripped to pieces by that attack. Your mouth tried to form the words, but no sound came out. Pogue and Tyler’s spell was oppressive in its power and a wave of renewed hatred for the Sons of Ipswich rolled through you.
Chase turned his back on them and stared down at you with soft, open blue eyes and you stared up at him in horror. No, I don’t want to see you die, you screamed in your head.
“I love you,” he whispered so softly you almost didn’t hear it. His smile was sad but resigned and you wanted to scream at him, tell him to run. He had come so far. He didn’t deserve to die. Not now.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, leaning forward to place a feather-light kiss to your forehead. His eyes were closed but he took a step back, ready to accept their judgement if it meant you’d be saved.
Fuck. No. No no no no no no.
You felt more than saw the spell begin to finish. The air sparked dangerously around you, setting every nerve of your exposed skin on fire.
You didn’t think. You only knew that Chase was completely incapable of defending himself from their attack. Power coalesced in the wards etched into your skin, nearly overpowering the static of the Sons’ spell, but all at once you were able to move again.
By the time Chase realized you’d moved, you were already diving in front of him, digging frantically in your pockets for your warding crystal; the one you usually kept on yourself in case of emergencies.
But it wasn’t there, and by the time you were looking up, mid-step, the spell was flying at you, a see-through warping of the air around it, deadly sharp and fast.
You felt as though you’d been shoved backwards as it hit you.
“Huh,” you whispered, staring at the Sons, mouth open in a perfect “O” of surprise.
And then the world tilted and you went down. Voices on either side of you cried out in alarm and it was with great difficulty that you focused on the one you cared about most. You blinked a few times, confusion clouding your thoughts like a sticky paste. Why was everything so slow?
“No, Sweetheart. No. Why? Please, look at me, Sweet Thing.”
That was Chase’s voice.
With what seemed like a monumental effort you turned your head to look at him, a dopey smile lighting your face up when you saw that he wasn’t hurt. Dimly, you realized he was holding you in his arms. Those thick thighs were under your legs and both strong arms were wrapped around your torso, clutching you tightly to his chest.
“You gotta run, Chase. They wanna hurt you,” you breathed. You lifted your hand up to his face, wondering why it felt like lead as you brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. They were dark without the light of the sun to brighten them, even more so with the confusion and unease that seemed to be running through every fiber of his being.
He just shook his head forcefully and pulled you tighter to his chest. “Why did you do that, Baby? Why?” he gasped. It wasn’t until a droplet of moisture landed on your nose that you realized he was crying almost silently, tears running down his face.
You smiled up at him, but couldn’t muster the energy to wipe his tears away. The amount of energy it must have taken to block their attack must have been enormous. You hoped you’d at least be able to drag yourself to your bed. “You’ve done so good, Chase. Can’t let them take that away,” you said, though your tongue felt like cotton in your mouth, making you slur a word here or there.
Chase tried in vain to blink away his tears, and his gaze turned furious as he looked up at the other Sons. “Fix her,” he hissed venomously at them.
You frowned in confusion. What was he talking about? You were tired, maybe, but you’d be ok once you rested for a week or two. What was he waiting for? He had to run away while he still could. You used some of your quickly dwindling strength to reach up and make him look at you, but you took one look at your hand and gasped.
Your hand, which had been resting against your stomach, was now covered in red, tacky blood.
Oh. That makes sense. I’m dying.
The other Sons might have responded, but you could barely focus now. The world was getting very dark very fast. Somehow, you weren’t afraid. You knew the In Between intimately and what was this but the next great adventure?
With the last of your strength you reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. It was hot as coals compared to your chilly touch, but it drew Chase’s attention immediately.
Black eyes met yours and you let out a tiny, shocked exhale. You were so weak your seal on his powers was breaking.
“You can’t use,” you said hoarsely, with as much conviction as you could muster.
Chase shook his head quickly, eyes clearing to their usual ice blue. “No. You can’t, (Y/N). I can’t- I’m not strong enough. I know I- I can’t,” he lamented. “Please don’t leave. Not now,” he pleaded.
You smiled sadly at him. You could only really see him at this point, but at least your last few moments would be filled with the stunning beauty that was Chase. “Don’t think... I have a choice here...” you whispered. Some of the words were hard to get out and sounded a little garbled; something- probably blood- was beginning to block your airways. If you had the strength your body would probably try to make you cough it out, but those automatic responses had already shut down.
At least it didn’t hurt.
“Please, Baby. Tell me how to save you. I love you, Honey. I can’t lose you,” he gasped, clutching you tightly against him.
You were thankful he pulled you close. You couldn’t see him anymore. You weren’t even sure if you managed to say, “I love you too, Chase.”
Because everything after that went black.
Two Weeks Ago
Chase’s POV
Six years, two months, twenty-five days, seventeen hours, thirty-one minutes.
That was the amount of time that Chase had lost since that fateful showdown with Caleb all those years ago.
And now he was losing even more time to a damn Hedge Witch.
He needed his powers like he needed to breathe and now, almost three months after he’d been pulled out of the In Between by you, the burning, nauseating feeling of not being able to cast had reduced to a low thrum in every cell of his body. Still there, still painful, but not as sharp and all-consuming as it had been.
He sat up in bed a little less gracefully than he might have liked, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair with a heavy sigh. He half expected his feet to be tender with the pain from all the cuts he’d accrued yesterday but, as always, you’d healed all of his physical injuries before you went to sleep.
He always woke up well-rested from magic-induced slumber and you always woke up looking like shit from all the energy you used to heal him and fix your house every night. At first it was perhaps a bit petty that he hurt you in this way- the only way he could- but as time went on he found himself testing you, even though you had nothing to prove to him.
Every day he went down to the kitchen and began shattering your belongings before moving onto the living room, dining room, patio, hallway. Everything but the single room you still hadn’t let him so much as look in.
He watched you more closely than you probably realized. Not once since that first day had you raised your voice at him. In fact, the only time he saw any sort of real reaction from you at all was when he started moving towards that single secret room.
Chase wasn’t stupid. He knew it was your bedroom. Judging by the smell it was also where you prepped most of your little witchy spells and items.
He swapped out of yesterday's ratty, torn clothes and slipped into one of the seemingly endless pairs of sweats and well-fitting t-shirts. He threw the ruined clothes into a pile near the door, knowing that you’d find them wherever he hid them. What you did with them, he didn’t know. Maybe you repaired the damage to them like you did to the rest of your belongings. Chase didn’t look closely enough at the clothes to care.
He padded barefoot into the kitchen, staring balefully at all the pristine appliances. No matter what kind of damage he exacted on your house day in and day out, you managed to repair it all. Not a single scratch on the windows that he’d broken countless times. The lights on the oven all worked perfectly, displaying the correct time. The refrigerator hummed almost silently in the corner, although Chase knew he’d taken a crowbar to it at least ten different times and pried it apart until it was tiny pieces (you’d hidden the crowbar after he’d gotten particularly gleeful with it and gone after your Jeep).
As he walked past the counter he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it, ravenous from barely eating anything every day the last few months. His eyes spotted the jar of peanut butter sitting on the counter and snatched it and a spoon, digging a huge glob of peanut butter out to eat with the apple, nearly moaning at the taste of the simple meal. Why couldn’t he remember the last time he ate? He flicked his hand in the direction of the coffee machine to start preparing some coffee, only to freeze when nothing happened. The fridge hummed mockingly in the corner and a pipe gurgled softly, laughing merrily at him.
And like that, the relative calm feeling he’d woken up with shattered, throwing razor-sharp shards into his hazy, magic-deprived mind.
Before he knew it the kitchen was in ruins, food and broken appliances on every surface. The fridge was on its side, no longer thrumming its mocking hum throughout the room. The lights on the stove were blinking on and off as the wires tried their best to carry the electrical current and failed, as Chase had at some point taken some sort of sharp object close enough that they cut halfway through the cord. It was a bit of surprise he hadn’t started a fire. Maybe he had. You could have stopped the fire before it spread and he would have been too engrossed in his rampage to notice.
He turned to stare at you, knowing exactly where you’d be before he looked at you. You always stood in the same spot every morning while he destroyed your kitchen: The walkway between the couch and the wall, with the hallway to the bedrooms and bathrooms behind you. The living room window let in the bright morning light and always silhouetted you in the most stunning glow except for those rare mornings where it wasn’t sunny. On those days, he could easily see your face: the dark circles under your eyes, the sag to your shoulders than hadn’t been there the day he’d met you, your still-messy hair that you hadn’t bothered to brush because you came straight from your bedroom the moment you heard him breaking things to make sure he wasn’t doing anything too drastic.
I didn’t mean to, he wanted to say as he looked away from the vision that was you backed by the radiant glow from the sunrise. Of course, the words didn’t come. They never did. The shattered plates and glass on the floor offered no comfort.
Why are you helping me?
You should be angry.
Give me my powers back.
Why aren’t you yelling?
I don’t know why I snapped.
I’m going to ruin you.
What did I do? I don’t remember.
You always look so tired.
If you just gave me my powers back this wouldn’t be happening.
How long until you kick me out?
Will you turn me into the police?
Why don’t you ever say anything?
I forgot what your voice sounds like.
I know I liked it.
You’re being too kind.
I’m not worth this.
Please give me my powers back.
Those thoughts and hundreds like them bounced around in Chase’s head in his clearer moments.
Recently, though, he was conscious during his rampages, even if he sometimes couldn’t stop the rage that boiled to the surface.
Need my magic.
Need it like I need air to breathe.
Need it like a plant needs the sun.
I’m nothing without it.
Need it to live.
But he was living now, wasn’t he?
No, I’m surviving. Not living, the magic-addicted part of his mind would scream back at such a volume that it drowned out that new, tentative voice. She took your magic from you. She wants you powerless and useless. Weak. Deprived of your birthright.
His fist curled at his side and a second later he was driving it through the plaster of the wall. You didn’t flinch, of course. You had no reason to anymore. He couldn’t hurt you physically. Couldn’t even bring himself to talk to you, much less string together a coherent insult.
Not that you deserved it.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? The two sides of Chase’s mind were warring with each other and now he had to scramble to collect the tattered scraps to try and piece together something resembling sanity.
The longer the access to his magic was blocked, however, the harder that new, frightening side fought. Though all that meant now was that he had even more trouble thinking straight.
So Chase kept destroying, always watching you and your impassive, resigned face. Looking for any chink in that armor. Any sign of change or a glimmer of insight into what you were thinking.
Chase had to stop himself from staring.
God, but you’re beautiful. Cunning and resourceful as hell, too.
He gritted his teeth as his mind heaved and shook so hard with the thought that he almost wanted to puke.
This time, when he marched past you into the living room and began throwing everything in every direction, he watched you closely. Even as a vase sailed within a foot/half meter of your face you didn’t flinch.
No matter what he did, you didn’t react, merely watching him with those indifferent, cold eyes. Not a single spark of emotion flickered across those irises and it made Chase want to scream.
He didn’t know how many hours had passed since he’d woken up and started his rampage, but he finally did the one thing he knew would get a reaction out of you:
He walked straight over to your bedroom door and reached for the handle, turning his head at the last second to witness the tortured look on your face as you hurtled the deep blue sleeping crystal through the air at him.
There. Emotion. A reaction. That spark in your eyes that he hadn’t seen in almost three months. The light that he’d snuffed out due to his actions every day.
The moment before the crystal hit lasted for a small eternity as Chase stared into your eyes, drinking in the stubborn set of your jaw, the flash of anger and frustration, then the brief glimpse of sadness.
Chase’s heart twisted with regret and shame.
And then he fell asleep.
Next Chapter
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