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mypoisonedvine · 2 years

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𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 | eddie munson x reader

𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 | maybe you're a little spoiled, but the fact of the matter is, you're used to getting what you want. you want eddie, and he wants you— that means you're going to do whatever it takes to stay together. if only you knew how far he would go to keep you.

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 | 8.6k

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 | smut (18+ only; including some dubcon, fingering, unprotected sex, slight dacryphilia, and referenced loss of virginity), graphic violence/murder, kidnapping, abusive parents (verbal and briefly physical), innocent reader, innocence/corruption kink, assorted crimes escalating in severity, controlling/toxic relationship, starts consensual gets fucked up quickly, yandere!eddie, romeo and juliet goes bonnie and clyde

THIS IS A DARK FIC. eddie's dark, smut's dark, whole thing's dark (by the end at least). it's not for everyone. if depictions of SA, murder, and manipulation sound like they might be triggering for you, please do not hit 'keep reading'.

"That boy is no good for you," she hissed. "That boy is no good at all."

"Mama, don't say that!" you whined, sounding just like the impetuous child she'd accused you of being moments earlier. "He's good to me and he loves me!"

"He's good to you because he wants something from you," she insisted. "He says he loves you because—"

"He doesn't just say he loves me," you interrupted. "He really does, Mama."

"Oh, does he?" she sneered, stepping up closer to you. "He doesn't only love you with words, does he? What else does he do?"

Her line of questioning made it obvious that she already knew. The terror of that realization made your eyes sting with tears.

"Don't tell me you spread your legs for trailer trash," your mother warned, and your fists clenched at your sides. Rage gave you the courage to look into her eyes and you found her own fury there— but it couldn't beat yours, not when you had your love for Eddie in your heart, telling you what to do.

"He made love to me," you informed her though your teeth, "and I—"

You didn't get a chance to finish your thought before the back of your mother's hand collided with your cheek, spinning your whole head to the side. It stung especially hard where her massive diamond ring had cut your face, and when you pulled your hand away from where it held your tingling skin, you saw little dots of blood on your fingers.

You started to sob loudly, so much louder than you already had. You were crying so hard you couldn't even form words.

"Okay, that's enough," your father decides, getting up from where he'd been sitting in his chair, staring disapprovingly at all that had been going on. When you told your parents that Eddie Munson was your boyfriend and that you would not be attending equestrian summer camp in Cape Cod this year because you wanted to stay with him, your mother was the one who had flown into hysterics while your father had just sighed and sat down, looking overwhelmed. You didn't see him looking like that too often, since he was such a respected businessman who handles so much every day, but it made sense that he was out of his element here.

"Daddy," you sobbed, running to him and colliding with his sweater-vest-clad torso, "Daddy, please, I love him…"

"I… I know, sweetpea," he sighed, "but… sometimes what we feel and what is expected of us don't….match up."

You buried your face into his chest, soaking the argyle cotton with your tears. "Daddy, he's not a bad person. He's so kind and he takes care of me—"

You heard your mother scoff, but thankfully she didn't interrupt you.

"You'd like him if you met him," you promised, pulling back enough to look at your father with hopeful, if teary and bloodshot, eyes. "Daddy, if you really gave him a chance—"

"Sweetpea," he said, such an adoring pet name losing its charm when he said it so sternly, "it's too late for that. You had sex with this boy, didn't you?"

You choked, looking away.

"Just don't make me go to camp this year, please," you sighed. "Please, Daddy, I wanna stay in Hawkins—"

"So you can do what? Spend more time with this boy who doesn't even have the respect to come speak to me himself and ask me for permission to court you?" he frowned. "Ride around in his decrepit van? Get pregnant?"

You let go of the tight hug you'd had him in; you'd spent your life crying to your Daddy about whatever upset you, and up until now, you'd pretty much always gotten your way. Eddie used to make fun of you, call you Daddy's little girl, call you spoiled rotten— but you never really understood what that meant, until now. Until you felt so stupid as you realized he wasn't as kind as you thought he was. He'd buy you anything, he'd let you skip a Latin lesson because you wanted to run around outside or not eat your greens because you didn't like them, but that wasn't love. You always thought he was proud of you, and that was why he liked to show you off at debutante balls and dinner parties.

But it had never been about you… it had been about him, and his perfect family. His beautiful wife and demure, well-behaved daughter. You were more like a porcelain doll to him, dressed up in little silk outfits and put behind glass.

You stepped back, bewildered and heartbroken by the way he was looking at you.

"You asked not to go to Cape Cod this summer? You won't," he informed you, but his tone made it obvious this was not going to be good news. "You'll go to a Catholic program for wayward girls—"

"No," you blurted out, under your breath.

"In rural France—" he continued.

You couldn't breathe, you felt like you were going to faint. "No, no no no…"

"—where you can practice your French, relearn your morals," he added, especially pointedly, "and spend time with the nuns. They'll set you straight."

"Daddy, no!" you yelped. "I won't go! You can't make me go!"

"I absolutely can!" he bellowed in return. Daddy was scary when he was angry, his voice was loud and echoed around any room, and you'd always run away and hid when you heard him yelling at a business partner who made a mistake or a housekeeper who broke something… but the way he spoke next was nothing like that. No yelling, no stomping his foot or pointing his finger, just a red face and breathing heavily through his flared nostrils. It was much scarier.

"If you act like a whore, you get treated like one," he informed you with searing coldness. "You remember that when you're with that boy, telling him that you will never see him again—"

"I hate you!" you choked out with your sob, shoving your father away before running for the door.

You heard your parents calling after you, but you tumbled out onto the porch and down the steps, grabbing your bike where you'd left it leaning against the whitewashed wood.

It was sort of tricky to ride a bike while constantly wiping tears away, but you made it all the way to Eddie's trailer without falling off. You nearly jumped off your bike to run to his door, never properly braking and just letting it fall on its side— the little bell dinged quietly when you dropped it, like a weak protest to the mistreatment, but you ignored it as you stumbled up to Eddie's door and knocked frantically.

It was a little too cold out for just your yellow dress and a cardigan, but you hadn't been planning to be out this late. You'd been planning on getting out of going to summer camp in Massachusetts, going to bed with a smile on your face, and waiting until after school tomorrow to tell Eddie the good news. God, you were so stupid…

Shivering and clutching your arms across your chest, you knocked rapidly on the door again— and Eddie finally swung the door open.

"I was just— oh, princess, what's wrong?" he asked, reaching for you instantly as you started to cry harder again. "Are you okay? Please tell me everything's okay…"

"Everything's…" you started, sniffling and trying to compose yourself enough to speak intelligibly while he ushered you inside, "everything's gone wrong, Eddie, it's so wrong…"

"Hey, shh," he soothed, pulling you into him and guiding your head to rest on his chest. His hands rubbed your back and you sighed, melting into him. "Just tell me what happened."

"I-it was going to be a surprise," you explained. "I was going to get out of equestrian camp this summer, and I was going to stay here— with you! We were gonna have the whole summer together… a-and it was gonna be perfect."

Eddie sighed; he must've realized where this was going, to a certain extent.

"But when I asked my parents if I could miss camp and stay home, they… Mama knew, she asked about you right away… I'm not much of a liar, Eddie, you know that."

In fact, he told you all the time: I know something's wrong, don't try to pretend. You're not a very good liar, princess, I know you want me. Don't lie, princess, I can tell you're getting wet…

"She said the most awful things," you whimpered, "and Daddy… he said he was going to make me go to France, just to keep me away from you. H-he called me a whore."

"He what?!" Eddie snapped, lifting your head away from his chest to look down at your face with wild eyes. "Princess, how could he say that to you?"

"I— I don't—"

You stopped when he reached up, holding your face and carefully swiping his thumb over your right cheek. You remembered there were cuts there, and you glanced down at the floor sheepishly, focusing on his dirty combat boots standing on either side of your shiny white Mary Janes. "Did he hit you?" Eddie asked, seriously and softly.

"No…" you whimpered, getting nervous to tell him the truth as he waited silently for the rest of your answer. "Mama did."

He sighed slowly, saying so much with just one breath. You'd realized you'd never really seen him angry before, not genuinely. But the weight of his breath showed how furious he was. "Those people…" he trailed off. Shaking his head, the anger seemed to fade and he gave you a gentle kiss right on your wounded cheek. "This pretty face, all cut up… it's just not right, princess."

You shut your eyes as he kissed your lips next, as tender and gentle as ever. If only your parents could see this, if only they could understand how sweet and patient he was with you, then maybe they wouldn't be trying to ruin your life.

"I can't let you go back to that house," he informed you. "If you go back there, they may not ever let you back out again— they won't let us see each other again."

You blinked up at him as he carefully wiped your tears away.

"So, don't go back," he pleaded. "They'll hurt you again— I can't let that happen."

You chewed your lip for a second. "Eddie, I can't stay here, they're going to send the police for me— they probably already have…"

"Then they won't find us here," he decided. "We'll go somewhere!"

"Where?"

"Anywhere! Wherever you wanna go. We'll drive there together and it'll be the way it's meant to be— us, just us."

He pulled your face closer and kissed your forehead, squishing your cheeks in his ringed hands. "Eddie," you mumbled, wincing playfully. "Are you offering to kidnap me?"

"Offering? Princess, I'm deciding," he grinned, grabbing you at your shoulders as you started to laugh a bit through your tears. "Just tell me where we're going."

You bit your lip as you thought about that. In a way, you were proving your parents right: this boy was about to steal you away, take you far from Hawkins in his beat-up old van, with no money and no plan.

"Come on," he encouraged, "you know just as well as I do that we're meant to be together. Forever."

It was a promise you'd made, just before he took your virginity. You were raised to believe that was something you saved for your soulmate, and though you knew it was certainly not what your parents would want for you, not being married yet didn't bother you much. Before Eddie, waiting never felt like a chore— and then suddenly it was excruciating, and he'd stopped you from taking things further more than a few times due to his fear that you would regret him being your first time. And then there was that perfect night, just over a week ago now, on a blanket by Lover's Lake. It was everything you thought it was supposed to be— sweet, sensual, beautiful— and so much more. And you'd sworn then that this was it, that there was nobody else for you and that you'd hold each other for the rest of your lives. Maybe it was your girlish naivete, but in your mind it was all but an engagement.

And this? Escaping together, fleeing your parents and Hawkins and everything you'd ever known? This felt like eloping.

You looked into Eddie's eyes, warm and brown and waiting for your answer with that sparkle in them like almost always. "Um…" you stalled, "well, when I was little, my whole family went to the beach in California. I've wanted to go back, see the ocean again…"

He grabbed you by your face again and kissed you, eyes shut tight; you could taste his latest cigarette and you could smell his aftershave, you could feel his optimism in the way he moved his lips against yours.

When he pulled back, he had another massive smile on his face that made the anxiety just melt away in a moment.

"Everything's gonna be alright now," he promised. "It's gonna be how it's supposed to be: us, together, with nobody there to stop us."

You nodded, still sniffling as you recovered from crying, and smiled as he kissed your tears away.

"I-I'm just gonna grab some stuff," he decided, "and we're gonna leave tonight. We'll be in California by Saturday."

~ ♡ ~

Not having had a chance to pack your own clothes, you'd been borrowing Eddie's for a while. You didn't exactly feel like yourself in a Motörhead shirt, but you loved being wrapped up in the smell of him.

That first night, Eddie had driven for fifteen hours straight before you insisted that he get some rest. The mattress in the back was straight from his bedroom in the trailer, so it brought some much-needed familiarness to such a foreign situation.

Breakfast at hole-in-the-wall diners all along the highway, stops at scenic outlooks and parks where you could stretch your legs, nights spent pulled over in the woods so you could sleep in peace (or, maybe, not sleep at all)… it was all a routine now, and the luxury of your old life was just a collection of memories now.

At times, you missed your family, your friends from school, your room and your shower and your favorite stuffed animal. But being with Eddie all the time was worth it, and you’d seen more of the country than ever on your road trip adventure.

“Can I help you find something, sweetheart?” a woman asked, and you turned to see an employee with a plastic name tag— DARLA, it read— watching you peruse the aisle of pre-packaged snacks.

“O-oh, no, thank you,” you smiled.

“You seem pretty young to be here by yourself,” she noticed.

“I’m eighteen— and I’m not by myself,” you assured, “my boyfriend’s here— he’s just using the restroom.”

“Oh, I see,” she nodded. “Your… parents know you’re here, don’t they?”

You wrinkled your eyebrows together. “Of course,” you lied, “we’re driving to visit them now, while we’re on break from college. Wh-why do you ask?”

“I’m sorry to pry, honey,” she sighed, “I just saw something on the news, and you look a little bit like this missing girl out of Indiana—”

You didn’t even hear what she said after that, you didn’t even stay to listen— you stormed across the gas station store, towards where a small TV mounted under the corner of the ceiling was showing the morning news. It was just politics at first, until the banner across the bottom of the screen changed to DRUG DEALER KIDNAPS INDIANA GIRL. You nearly screamed when you saw a picture of you, and a picture of Eddie, next to each other in the superimposed graphic.

“This news coming out of Hawkins, Indiana,” the reporter read, “the parents of an eighteen-year-old girl—”

Eighteen, as in, an adult, who left consensually, you wished you could yell at the TV, but all you could do was start to numbly cry.

“— are asking national authorities for assistance in locating their daughter, who disappeared from their home Wednesday evening. Local police suspect that a known criminal in the area, Eddie Munson— who is also missing— may be responsible and is wanted for his potential involvement.”

You saw the door to the men’s room start to open, and before Eddie could walk out, you dashed over to him and shoved him back in, locking the door behind you. “Hey!” Eddie protested, though he gave you a tilted grin as you pinned him to the wall. “Hey,” he purred, apparently misinterpreting your intentions with locking yourselves in the bathroom together.

“Eddie, oh god,” you breathed, “I—”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching down to hold your face. “Did something happen?”

“I— the news,” you managed to choke out, “we’re on the news, they’re saying you kidnapped me—”

“Well, I mean,” he shrugged, “I sorta did—”

“Eddie, please,” you whimpered, “this— this is really bad… the police are looking for us. Both of us.”

You weren’t sure how this happened, but you could guess; the Hawkins police probably, rightfully, told your parents that a woman of majority leaving her parents’ home is not a crime, and neither is having a boyfriend that they dislike. And then your parents flashed their money around until someone listened, and they managed to convince some sheriff that because Eddie had a past with the law, you were in some kind of danger. And then they took their money to any news station that would take it, and spread the story across the country. You were supposed to make it to the beach today, but you weren’t sure if it was safe to go anymore, or where this news was being shown…

“I don’t wanna go back,” you cried quietly, and he clicked his tongue sympathetically as he pulled your head into his chest.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he promised, “you’re not going back.”

“They’re gonna find us, Eddie, they’re gonna take me away from you—” you began to rush, your head swirling with thoughts and your heart pounding with anxiety. He grabbed you by the chin and forced you to look up at him, and you tried to calm yourself a little with your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Nobody can take you away from me,” he insisted sternly. “Ever. Do you hear me?”

You nodded, and he softened a bit, kissing your forehead as he wrapped his arms around you.

“We’re gonna work this out,” he stated confidently. “We’re gonna figure something out, okay? And everything’s gonna be how it’s supposed to be.”

Quickly, he had a plan, and he told you all you had to do was keep watch. He told you to stand near the back of the gas station, and stop anyone from coming to where he’d parked the van. He never told you why, but you figured it would make sense soon. Nervously tapping your foot, you tried not to look suspicious— or noticeable at all, really, with your face all over the news now— and waited for Eddie to finish whatever he was doing.

You could hear what he was doing, but you couldn’t quite tell what it was… just random clinking and banging of metal, not much to work with. “Okay, finished,” he announced, and you turned the corner to find him smiling as he stared at the back of his van, a screwdriver tucked under his crossed arms. “Voila!”

Stepping next to him and looking at the back bumper with him, you reacted instantly to the sight of a Nevada license plate. “Wh— how did you—?” you began, but you glanced over to a beat-up old truck with a missing tire that was apparently abandoned behind this gas station— specifically, you saw that it suddenly had Indiana plates.

“It’ll slow them down,” he promised, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and giving the top of your head a kiss. “Told you I’d work it all out, didn’t I?”

You swallowed, a little nervous to know he’d had to take these measures for your sake. Up until now, you hadn’t actually done anything wrong… this, though, was an actual crime. Still, a lot of people do little things like this— like dealing weed, like making an illegal U-turn or being late to get their registration done.

That was what you kept telling yourself as you sat in the passenger set, legs curled up to your chest while you bit your nails and blankly watched the Nevada desert roll by: that this was normal. That this was all fine. Not great, maybe, not ideal; but fine.

“Hey,” you heard Eddie’s voice, and it tore you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?” you mumbled, and he kept his eyes on the road as he swatted your hand away from your mouth.

“Don’t do that,” he corrected.

“Sorry— m’just nervous,” you admitted.

“What for?” he wondered.

“I mean— this is all pretty crazy, Ed,” you admitted. “I knew my parents weren’t going to understand, but getting the police involved? I just didn’t think it would be like this…”

“Listen, princess,” he sighed, “I get it. It’s scary— and your parents, they’ve been, like, over you your whole life, telling you what to say and how to dress and how to conform and everything… so they seem like this huge threat, like you can never really escape them, right? But you can. You did.”

He gave you a glance, as long as he could while driving on the highway, and you offered him your best I’m-totally-not-freaking-out smile in return.

“And the cops? Cops are no big deal,” he scoffed. “Deal with ‘em all the time. Still, if you wanna throw them off a little more, I could always do something to, you know, look different—”

He reached up with one hand to tousle his mane of wavy hair for a second, and you gasped. “No, Eddie,” you interrupted, “not your hair— you shouldn’t have to do that.”

“Okay, okay,” he smiled, “you’d miss it too much, I know. So would I. Maybe we should cut your hair, though…”

You nervously reached up to your own hair, suddenly self-conscious about it in more ways than one. “You think so?” you pressed quietly.

“I mean, if you’re up for it,” he shrugged, “but like I said— we’re gonna be fine. It’s really not that bad, princess— people go ‘missing’ all the time, and they’re really just going somewhere new like we are. And speaking of somewhere new…”

He pointed to the road ahead, and you saw the sign: Thanks for visiting Nevada— and then you saw the next one— Welcome to California.

“We made it,” he smiled. “Just a few more hours until we reach the ocean.”

But the sun had already set, and the last tints of orange were leaving the sky— the desert would be in total darkness in less than ten minutes. “Should we pull over for the night soon?” you asked. Something about being late made you especially nervous, even though if you were thinking more clearly, you might’ve realized that night was the safer time to travel while on the run from the law.

“If you want to,” he offered. “You wanna cuddle, don’t you?”

You nodded, and he smiled wide.

“Of course you do,” he hummed, “just lemme find a good place to park the car and we can go to bed, okay?”

When he pulled off the highway, kicking up clouds of red dirt with his tires on his way to a good, shady spot to rest for the night, you leaned back in the seat and shut your eyes. It’s going to be okay— Eddie said so, it’s really going to be alright…

“Come on, hop on back,” he suggested as he put the car in park and turned off the engine and headlights. You climbed over the console first, plopping down onto the mattress in the back with a sigh. He smiled at you as he followed you, climbing on top of you as his necklace dangled over your face. With his hands on either side of your head, he bent down to kiss you, sweet and familiar; it made you feel better, and took your mind off of your worries.

You reached up to start trying to push his denim jacket off his shoulders, and he moved his kisses down to your neck. “Oh!” you gasped when he grazed his teeth over your pulse. It almost hurt, it was almost too much— but then again, you were wrapping your legs around his hips, so it must not have bothered you that much.

A quiet, but deep, chuckle from him echoed inside the crook of your neck, just before he pulled away to look down at you again. “You look so good in my clothes,” he smiled, reaching up under the borrowed shirt to touch your waist, “but you look better without them.”

You giggled as he helped you take the shirt off, groaning a little at the sight of your bare chest underneath. He instantly latched onto one of your nipples, swirling his tongue around it as his hands held onto you a little tighter, and you relaxed into his embrace with a sigh.

“Princess,” he mumbled against your skin, reaching lower to start tugging your panties down, “fuck, you’re beautiful. And you’re all mine, huh?”

“Yeah,” you breathed. “Yours— forever.”

You’d started saying that, since the first night on the road; you were just so ecstatic to be together, not having to hide it anymore or worry about your parents or sneak out quietly in the middle of the night. The problem was, that was sort of what this thing had become, in the end: hiding, worrying, sneaking in the middle of the night. Wasn’t that what you were doing right now?

That thought fell to the back of your mind as he gently opened your legs, taking off his own clothes hastily before slotting his body right up to yours. “Eddie,” you moaned as he slid his cock over you, soaking his erection quickly in your arousal. You never kept your resolve for long when he teased you like that. “Please, I-I need you…”

“Where?” he asked. “Where do you need me, princess?”

“M-my… in my—” you choked, struggling to say the word. You managed to get it out (he’d been helping you get more comfortable with all this, slowly), but only when you whispered it: “my pussy…”

He laughed a little, and it made you feel even more insecure until he pushed his cock inside you— and then you weren’t thinking about anything else but how incredible it felt. “Aw, so innocent,” he cooed, staring down at you with half-lidded eyes as he began to move his hips back and forth. “Not as innocent as you used to be… guess I ruined you, didn’t I?”

You whined. “N-no, you didn’t— you made me perfect, Eddie…”

Laying down over you, he kept himself propped up on one bent arm as the other reached for your thigh, squeezing the delicate skin every time he filled you to the brim. “Fuck, you are perfect,” he agreed, “and so tight for me, always… still feel like a virgin, princess.”

You moaned far louder than you meant to when he started to suck on your neck, reaching up to grab onto the backs of his shoulders as your back arched harder.

“Y’don’t act like one anymore, though,” he added with a short laugh.

Grabbing your hips, he pulled you up to meet his own, forcing you to take him deeper than before— and you choked on your whine, digging your nails into his back.

“Not too much, is it?” he panted. “You can take all of me, right?”

Admittedly, you hesitated, but you did nod and he kissed your cheek.

“I know you can,” he agreed. “Such a good girl for me, yeah? Gonna take all this dick in your little cunt?”

The next thrust hit so deep, and so hard, that tears immediately sprung to your eyes— but you nodded again.

“C’mon, baby, say it,” he encouraged.

“I— I’m gonna take it all,” you promised, your own voice higher and more wavering than you expected it to sound.

“Yeah you are,” he grunted, fucking you faster, and you buried your face in the space between his neck and shoulder— you gasped in breaths against his skin, and he held you a little tighter.

His pace was speeding up, making your whole body rock as it was forced to go limp. “E-Eddie,” you sobbed. He started to kiss just under your jaw, and you knew that he knew how close you were— and yet, you still felt the need to announce it. “I’m gonna come, Eddie!”

“Shh, I know,” he soothed, “let it happen, princess— just come on my cock, fuckin’ soak me.”

Whimpering, your thighs started to shake and your head fell back. It gave him the perfect view of your face: he watched you with dark eyes and a mouth gone slack as he fucked you through your orgasm. He told you before that you scrunched your whole face up right before you came, and that he thought it was adorable. You were still a bit shy about it, but you did like knowing that he loved the way you reacted to how he made you feel.

“That’s it, fuck,” he praised, and you felt his fingertips dig into your skin a little harder. He slipped one arm under your neck, grabbing you at your shoulder, and used it to keep you steady as he started fucking you even harder, and faster… just ruthlessly, really.

“Eddie!” you shouted. You were trying to get him to slow down, but the words just wouldn’t come out, it was all screaming moans as he relentlessly slammed into your spot— more sensitive and swollen than ever, having just come and all.

Hoping to get your message across non-verbally, you reached down and tried to push on his thighs, but he was so much stronger than you and it didn’t seem to deter him at all. “You can take it,” he insisted under his breath, his own groans getting louder as he chased his release.

You dug your nails into his skin, not even really intentionally— you just needed a break, just a moment to process everything. Your eyes were shut tightly, but you heard him growl as his hands moved down to yours. He grabbed you by the wrists and pinned them down on either side of your head, rubbing his thumbs over your palms soothingly.

“Don’t fight it,” he ordered, “I know what you need.”

And god, he was right— he changed his pace, slower if not quite slow, passionate and focused. You breathed more naturally then, giving into the onslaught of sensation while he kissed you again. His kiss was just as gently dominant as everything else, his tongue exploring deep into your mouth— like he was trying to taste every sound of pleasure you made. You were babbling your affections from the moment that he broke away from your lips. "I love you, Eddie," you sobbed softly, "I love you so much…"

"Shh, I know, princess," he whispered back, "I love you, too."

He didn’t take much longer to come, filling you with a long, low groan and a whisper of your name. He released your wrists eventually, opting to hold you tightly instead. In a moment he seemed to gain all his energy back, rapidly shifting from panting and exhausted to peppering kisses all over your face. “Eddieeeee,” you whined, but you were laughing, too.

“Love you so much,” he mumbled. “God, you can’t even imagine how much.”

“I bet I can,” you replied. “I bet it’s how much I love you.”

“No, no— more than that,” he decided.

“What?! Eddie, don’t say that,” you frowned.

“It’s true,” he insisted. “I love you so much that this pretty little head of yours would explode if you knew—” he accented his statement by holding his fingers up to the side of your head and spreading them, making a pshh sound through his teeth to do his impression of an explosion.

You laughed and shoved him lightly on his bare chest. “You’re silly,” you mumbled, laughing more as he nuzzled his face against you, tickling you with the tip of his nose and his fluffy hair.

That was the way you fell asleep, tangled in his arms. You never slept as well as you did when he was holding you, even on a ratty old mattress in a beat-up van in the abandoned desert, even separated from your loved ones and so painfully far from home.

~ ♡ ~

The knocking didn’t wake you up— only Eddie grabbing you and shaking you awake, whispering to you in a rushed voice, made you begin to stir. “Princess,” he snapped, and you awakened as quickly as you could. It was still pitch dark outside… except for the flashlight shining into the driver’s side window.

“E-Eddie, what’s going—?” you started to ask, but he pressed a finger over your lips before pulling the blanket up to your neck.

“There’s a state trooper outside,” he informed you, just as there was another knock on the window, and your eyes went wide but you remembered not to say anything.

“Stay in the van,” Eddie hissed. “Don’t move or say anything until I come back, you hear me? Stay in the van.”

You nodded quickly, blinking away the watering of your eyes. He gave you a quick kiss on the forehead before he tossed the blanket over your face and hopped back up into the driver’s seat.

Another knock on the window made you startle with a jolt under the blanket, but you did your best to stay perfectly still and completely silent. “I’m sorry, sir— is this a no-parking zone?” Eddie asked as soon as he’d started rolling the window down.

“That’s not the issue— I was just noticing that your van matches the description of a suspected kidnapping out of Indiana,” the officer explained.

“Oh! Huh, that’s… actually not that unlikely, is it? A lot of cheap old vans out there on the road,” Eddie pointed out.

“Yes, but yours has a hole in the bumper, in the same place the one we’re looking for does,” the officer replied.

You struggled to keep your crying silent; was Eddie going to be arrested because of you? This was all your fault, you knew it—

“You don’t know anything about a missing girl, do you?” the trooper pressed. “Eighteen years old, about yea high—” you stopped paying attention as he continued rattling off a few basics of your description. They’d been right on your tail the whole time, hadn’t they?

“No, can’t say that I do,” Eddie answered.

“Well, then it shouldn’t be much trouble if I search the back of your van, right?”

You shuddered, biting down on the blanket over your head and praying that Eddie would find some way out of this. “Honestly, officer, it’s a bit inconvenient— I was just sleeping here and now I’m being asked about some girl, but I don’t know anything about that. I’ve been living out of this van for weeks, so it’s like you’re asking to search my home. And I really would just prefer to get back to sleep, honestly, I’ve got a lot of driving ahead of me tomorrow—”

“It won’t take long,” the officer insisted.

“That’s not my concern,” Eddie replied firmly. “You don’t have a warrant and I’d just prefer that you leave.”

“Your lack of cooperation could be considered probable cause,” the officer shot back.

“Only if you don’t care much for the constitution,” Eddie spat.

“And if I call the station and have them run your plates,” the trooper countered, “they’re going to come back to this vehicle, correct? Not, say, a 1967 Ford that reported its plates stolen this morning?”

There was a silence. A long, terrifying silence. Eddie said nothing. You weren’t even breathing. The trooper was the one that spoke next.

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to step out of the vehicle.”

You heard the door open, and shut. Steps around the vehicle outside, some talking you couldn’t make out. Knowing you were alone in the van, you let yourself start to quietly weep. It’s over, it’s all over—

The unmistakable, deafening sound of a gunshot outside made you scream in shock. “Eddie!” you shrieked, jumping up and using the blanket to cover your nudity as you hastily swung open the van doors from the inside.

You weren’t ready to see it, to see your boyfriend bleeding on the road, to see that cop point the gun at you next— you weren’t ready to imagine how your life would go on without him.

So, maybe it was a good thing that that wasn’t what you saw. But what you were looking at instead terrified you possibly even more. Eddie was standing there, holding a revolver, still as a statue as he looked at the officer on the ground beneath him. The man on the ground was still alive— breathing shakily, wide-eyed and shivering violently as his hands moved towards the growing patch of deep-red blood on his chest, but still alive. The click of the revolver turning made you look at the gun again, seeing Eddie aim it once more and begin to press down on the trigger.

It was like a horrible nightmare, the way you opened your mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The second gunshot was so loud, it forced you to wince— which spared you from seeing the exact moment that hole appeared in the trooper’s forehead, the moment his expression went blank and his whole body went limp.

When you opened your eyes again, Eddie was looking back at you over his shoulder. “I told you to stay in the van,” he reminded you flatly.

“E-Eddie,” you breathed, feeling light-headed and sick all of a sudden. “Eddie, what… what have you done?”

He turned to face you, stepping over the body and slipping the revolver back under his belt; you instinctively moved back when he took a step towards you, and his expression changed. “Princess…” he sighed, sounding heartbroken— like he couldn’t believe you were scared of him, but how could you not be? You didn’t even know he had a gun in the van— you didn’t know he could ever hurt someone.

You swallowed thickly. “Eddie,” you whispered, one more time. “What did you do?”

Something entirely new flashed across his expression— it reminded you of the way he looked when you told him that your mother hit you. But this was much, much worse, because this time, it was directed at you. “What did I do?” he repeated, livid. “What did I do?”

You started to cry harder, your ears still ringing from the gunshots, as Eddie stormed up to you, grabbing you by your shoulders roughly.

“I did what you told me to,” he insisted, raising his voice. “I saved you! And now you’re looking at me like I’m a fucking monster!”

“No,” you cried, “no, Eddie, I’m just scared— tell me you didn’t really kill him…”

“What are you scared of?” he laughed— actually laughed, at a time like this, though he didn’t seem particularly amused anymore as his lips curled into a snarl. “You didn’t mean it, did you? When you said you loved me, you were lying—”

“No!” you denied, sobbing so hard that it was barely intelligible anymore. “Eddie, I swear—”

“When you said we’d be together forever,” he continued, his jaw tight and his nostrils flaring. “I meant that, I meant every fucking word, princess.”

“I know,” you agreed, “I know— me too, Eddie, I love you!”

“Really?” he breathed, holding the sides of your face as you sniffled helplessly. “Do you really love me, princess? Don’t lie to me.”

“I love you so much,” you promised, “I’ve only ever loved you… I’m just so scared, I don’t understand—”

Your voice was starting to break, and he soothed you with a shhh and a kiss on the height of your cheekbone. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispered, switching back and forth between each cheek, “it can be scary, being in love for the first time. I said nobody’s ever gonna take you from me, princess, don’t you remember that?”

You nodded, but when you glanced away from where his eyes were boring into you, you could see behind him the lifeless hand of the man he’d killed, the puddle of blood navigating through the cracks in the dusty orange earth.

“Hey, don’t look at that,” he corrected you, turning your face so you’d have to look up at him again. “Look at me— that doesn’t matter. This, you and me, this is the only thing that matters, okay? I love you. I love you.”

Swallowing only seemed to make the lump in your throat bigger.

“Do you fucking hear me?” he growled. “I love you!”

“I-I love you too!” you finally choked out.

He slammed his lips onto yours, holding you there long after you tried to push yourself away from him. “Now,” he announced when he pulled back, “get back in the van. We need to go.”

~ ♡ ~

When you got sick on car rides, Mama always told you to look out the window. Well, you couldn’t see out the window from where you were curled up in a ball in the back of the van, your limp body jumping and swaying each time Eddie hit a bump or a turn— but somehow, you didn’t think getting in the passenger and looking at the desolation of rural California was going to help with this particular bout of nausea.

“Come on, come back up to the front,” Eddie pleaded. “I miss you, princess!”

You said nothing, burying your head into one of the pillows strewn over the mattress. It smelled like him— it reminded you of how it felt when you were only safe in his arms. Now you just cried all the time.

When the vehicle came to a stop, and Eddie got out, you wondered if maybe he was just getting gas. Until the back doors opened and he stood between them, arms stretched out wide to each handle, giving you a pouty look with a tilted head. “Poor thing,” he cooed, climbing in with you and shutting the doors behind him. You turned away, you even tried to scoot up closer to the wall, but obviously there was nowhere else to go as he laid down behind you and started to run his hands over you through the thin blanket. “I know you’re… not happy right now. Just tell me how to make you feel better.”

You tried to shrug him away, but his fingertips tickled your waist a bit while his whole body moved a bit closer, trying to coax you out of your hiding place.

“Princeeeesss,” he sing-songed, leaning in a little closer to kiss the back of your neck where the blanket didn’t cover it; you flinched and pulled it up over your head, only for him to yank it off of you roughly. “Hey,” he snapped, “don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m not here. Talk to me.”

Sighing, you rolled onto your back and gave him a quick look— it was all you could stand right now— before you stared up at the rusted ceiling of the van. “What do you want me to say, Ed?” you breathed.

“I want you to say that you’re not mad at me,” he admitted. “I want you to say that you still love me.”

You let out a long breath, reaching up to rub your eyes with the lowest part of your palm, just by your wrist. “I… I’m not mad, Eddie, I’m—”

“Scared, I know,” he finished for you, “you only told me a thousand times.”

You groaned and turned away again, curling up even tighter as he started to backtrack instantly.

“N-no, come on, don’t be like that,” he protested, sliding up behind you and spooning you even though his touch sent a rush of conflicted feelings through your body. “Princess, please— you can’t do this to me, you can’t treat me like this! You’re gonna kill me, I can’t take it— I can’t take not holding you, not kissing you…”

To emphasize his point, he started to kiss a trail along your neck; and as much as your mind swirled with confusion and fear and hurt, your body did respond to it. There was a warmth between your legs, a cry for something familiar and comfortable that only he could provide.

He turned you on to your back again, looking down at you with a tilted, sympathetic sort of frown. “Okay, so maybe I can’t make you happy right now,” he relented, “but…”

He moved a little closer, holding your waist with one hand as he mouthed at your neck.

“But I know I can make you feel good…”

You turned your face away, but he reached up and guided it back with a hand on your cheek, pulling you into a soft, patient kiss.

“I know you didn’t forget this, princess,” he breathed in between moments of slotting his lips with yours. “I know you can’t forget that we’re made for each other. You can feel it, can’t you? When we make love. It’s so right…”

You didn’t stop him when he pulled you closer, when he climbed on top of you, not even when he slipped his tongue into your mouth. You were just about ready to give into it, actually, when his hand started moving lower; and you instantly fought to push his hand away while it was slipping into your shorts. “Eddie, don’t—” you whimpered, but he brushed your hands out of the way and got back to what he was doing.

“No, don’t do that,” he instructed you softly, “I’m just making you feel better, princess— I’m gonna make it better…”

As his fingers expertly explored you, finding those familiar places right away and exploiting them for all they were worth, you shut your eyes tight and struggled to relax beneath him. You knew if you opened your eyes, you’d find him there, staring down at you with those eyes. You could see it all: the way his eyes looked when you first met and he made you feel so dizzy and strange and special; the way they looked when he took your virginity— no, when you gave it to him, when you begged him to have it— that night on Lover’s Lake, under the stars, promising you that this was forever; the way they looked when he told you he was going to whisk you, save you from a summer of solitude in France, that forever wasn’t just real, it was now; the way they looked at you over his shoulder, the gun still in his hand, the world completely still and quiet for a moment, once the sounds of an innocent man begging for his life were silenced.

You didn’t know you were crying, until you felt him kiss your tears away. “You’re doing so good,” he praised, “just like that— so good for me, you’re so beautiful…”

Hoping for a moment of comfort, you clung to him tightly, the building pleasure forcing you to let all of your emotions out; you sobbed, openly, and let every touch awaken your body and silence your mind.

“There you go,” he cooed, holding you tighter in return, “come on my fingers, princess— nice and easy, you know how, just let go—”

Whining his name, the first one hit you. ‘The first one’ because, immediately after that, he held your legs open and climbed on top of you and fucked you, taking you to the edge again as you held onto him for dear life. He didn’t stop talking for more than a moment the whole way through it, promising you that he was going to keep you safe, begging you not to leave him, reminding you of every time you’d told him that you loved him and that you were his.

When he was finished, he kissed all over your shaking body, whispering about how perfect you were. “Do you feel better now, princess?” he asked quietly when his journey of kisses brought him back up to your collarbones.

“I… I feel…” you panted. You didn’t know where to start. “Sleepy,” you finally decided, and you felt him press a smile to your cheek.

“Then fall asleep,” he offered, “I’ll wake you up when we get there, okay? Get some rest… you’ve earned it.”

You were exhausted physically and emotionally, so it didn’t take more than a minute or so once Eddie started driving again for you to lull into dreamlessness. Sleep was a welcome reprieve from existence, from thought and fear and pain. From trying to figure out if you were Eddie’s lover or his prisoner. From remembering how simple, how idyllic your life used to be— no, not perfect, but much easier. From imagining what would happen to you if the police found you again; from wondering what would happen to them if the police found you again.

It was just a shame you didn’t get to sleep longer.

~ ♡ ~

“Wake up, princess,” his voice gently wafted into your ear. “We made it, baby, look…”

You blinked your eyes open, feeling Eddie’s arms wrapped tightly around you— a little too tight. Maybe he still thought you’d run.

But where would you run to? All you could see out of the open back doors of the van was ocean, and sand. The beach was empty; and it was just as beautiful as you remembered. “We’re here,” he told you, kissing your cheek as he held you from behind, cradling you and resting his chin on your shoulder. “This is it— me and you, together. And we can go wherever you wanna go next.”

Shivering slightly, you felt your eyes water again. “I… I wanna go home.”

You should’ve been afraid that it would make him angry, but by now you were so numb… you just said it without thinking. He didn’t get angry, though, at least not on the outside. He just laughed a little and told you, “princess, we are home.”

He seemed to get a little more serious, sighing as he buried his face in the crook of your neck.

“You’re my home,” he belabored the point, “you’re my everything, princess. I know this is hard… love is hard, especially when it’s real. Just remember that you love me, okay?”

A gentle kiss landed on your shoulder, then your neck, then your jaw.

“Remember when we promised forever,” he continued, and as tears rolled silently down your expressionless face, he pressed his lips right up to your ear to speak directly into it. “And remember that if your parents come for you, I’ll kill them, too.”

One of the arms that he’d had crossed over your chest reached up, his thumb wiping your tear away on the opposite cheek from where he’d pressed his face up so close to yours— you could feel his hot breath on your skin, and it, along with his body holding yours so tight, kept you from shivering in the chilly morning breeze over the beach.

“You believe me, right?” he whispered, and you nodded slightly. “Good,” he cooed as he kissed your cheek. “I love you so much, princess… you can’t imagine how much. Your pretty little head would explode.”

He held his fingers up to your head, and stretched them out in a mock explosion, hissing the sound into your ear: pshh…

#dark!eddie munson x reader #eddie munson dark fic #yandere!eddie munson #yandere!eddie munson x reader

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orphicrose · 2 months

Text

The Co-Host (Alastor x FemReader) VIII

< >

Summary: You are Alastors Co host in life, perhaps more. But are separated by a sudden death. When you are finally reunited in the under world, it is up to Alastor to figure out why you don’t remember him.

Warnings ! ! Mentions of Death and Bl00D

@cannibalcoyote @kahlan170 @sugxryratz @multifandom-superlover

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Heart full of feelings that felt as if didn't belong to her. She felt like the shell of a person, not truly existing anymore. Having a constant out of body experience.

While he, he grieved. Grieved a relationship that never had the chance to fully blossom. Grieved what could have been, grieved who he used to be or had the chance to be. Oh, what his mother must think of him now. He never even had a chance to think about what everyone still alive thought of him, his little secret having an audience to witness. Lose ends ruining his reputation as a beloved media presence, turning him into a notorious serial killer. He knew he belonged down here, he knew he deserved everything that came his way. But the question still begged, why was she down here. Was it because she sold her soul to th devil? Or was it for a reason far to unruly to share to the light.

His hands sweat as the journal stay to close grip between his fingers. Never leaving his side. There was far more to read in a safer environment. His path was obstructed by a tall figure, appearing out of the thin air around him.

"So we finally meet, Alastor" Satans demeanor cold, as usual, and his stance meaning one of business. Hands tucked neatly into his trouser pockets.

"Satan, I assume?" Alastors smile gleamed in the light of the pentagram. Baring his sharp teeth like a predator. "How do i deserve this honor?"

Satan began to move towards the wendigo, towering over him. "As I'm sure you're aware, y/n works for me" He hummed, circling Alastor like he was going to attack at any second. "And you..." He paused to give out a deep laugh "Well, you are disrupting my line of production. You see, millions of sinners on Earth call my name daily. Wanting to make a deal. And the more souls I have, the more power I have. But y/n is the only one i trust far enough to have the duty of collecting said souls. and you" He leapt forward, holding Alastor's chin upwards with the tip of his cane. "You meddeling with her is distracting . You're costing me money, radio demon"

Eye contact was held strongly between the two, not wanting to fault to show weakness. "You want the closure of knowing your little pet isn't the saint you want to believe?" Alastor wanted to say no so badly, wanted to stay ignorant. Wanted to hold onto the belief that there was still hope for y/n to not be the same at him. He didn't want to be the Clyde to her Bonnie, he wanted to be the story she'd tell to friends in heaven. To her mother, or her father.

"She's just like you" His voice taunted, leaning closer into his ear. The words he oh so desperately never wanted to hear.

Y/n strolled through the lit up streets of hell, admiring the buildings towering over her. Something she had never really done before. Casual sinners in the streets cowering at the sight of her, leaving her a free path to walk in as they fled. Slamming doors behind them. What a skill to have, but how lonely it made her feel.

She arrived at the doors of her place of work. At first, hesitating to open the doors. Afraid of what might wait on the other side this time. But when she did open them, she found nothing. Silence and isolation filled the chambers of the rooms. It was eerie. Usually tensions built with high stress levels as soon as she walked in, demons bouncing off each other as they run from room to room. But the haunting recent history of this workplace made it seemingly abandoned. Of course, they wouldn't get away with holiday for long, for as long as Satan breathed. But for now, she would revel in the periodic silence of the structure.

Her office, the only untouched room in the building, brought her some comfort. Nothing having changed. Just as soon as she started to loosen up, her door flung open. The tall red demon appearing in front of her eyes. The same fear she felt the first time they encountered returning, sinking into her chair as he moved through the doorway and shut it behind him. "What do you want?" Her eyes showing a slowly boiling rage building up inside her. Seemingly, he was experiencing the same feeling.

He took a seat opposite her, hands sat on the desk. "I want answers, miss l/n" She stood from her seat abruptly, moving backwards. His eyes turned from frustration to a saddened look. Confused as to her shift in temperament towards him. Had he missed something?

"When were you going to tell me we knew each other?" Her question caught him of guard, looking up to her and waiting for more. She relived the memory, him covered in blood. "What is this?" She slammed down the leaflet on the desk. Alastor let out a loud sigh, he must have forgotten to put it away yesterday. She spoke loudly, halfway to shouting at him. Tears welling and dropping slowly to the floor in a rhythmic pattern.

"Are you the reason I'm down here? Did you murder me?"

"No!" His tone enraged by the accusation, rising to his feet to share her eyeline. "I think you'll find you're the reason I'm here, y/n"

She stood in silence, tears picking up there pace as they dampen her cheeks and collar.

"When you left, I struggled. I lost myself along with you. I turned into someone I regret heavily" Alastor's voice cracked, dropping any radio sound effect he may have had. Struggling to maintain an effortless smile. "But it seems you weren't so much of a saint either"

"What? What do you mean?"

"You still don't remember?"

The two stared at each other. Not truly understanding the wants or intentions of the other.

"I- Only a small fragment. I remember coming back to Earth to see you. That's how i got this" She calmed herself down, seeing that miscommunication between the two would make the situation worse. "We were close?"

"Very"

"And I did something to hurt you?"

"You died, y/n" Alastor rubbed his temple, suppressing any tears that dared to gloss his eyes. "I don't care, as to why you're here. We both did terrible things. Things that you may or may not ever remember. But..." A deep breath was taken to help steady his shaky words. "But for you to go to the lengths to forget everything, it must mean I was never held as dear to you as you were to me"

Alastor knelt to pick up the microphone left astray on the floor, brushing off his tie when he came back to his feet. Then turning to leave.

"I made myself forget because it hurt" She shouted, desperately wanting him to stay. "The pain of losing everything was to hard to deal with. I'm down here because of my own actions, that's on me. But I never excepted anyone I care about to follow me here"

She moved closer to him, needing more answers. Or some sort of closure. "What if i remembered everything? Then what? We continue where we left off?"

"No!" He turned "If you remembered me, and then realized what I am, you wouldn't even want to look at me" His face solemn. "I'd rather you only remembered one version of me, not both"

"So what do you want from me?"

He looked down to his feet. "Closure"

#fanfiction #x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin angel dust #alastor angst #hazbin husk #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor fluff #hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel alastor x reader #hazbin hotel charlie #the co host

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lixzey · 6 months

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must be love

“Over here, Jamie!!” You called after James, beckoning him over as you pointed to the broom closet behind you. The two of you were running away from a crime scene—you and James had just made Snape’s food blow up in his face in the Great Hall. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing at the sight of gravy and mash dripping all over his greasy hair while James sniggered beside you. In turn, you and James got caught by a livid Severus Snape—chasing the two of you out of the Great Hall.

As you reached the broom closet, you quickly dove inside and pulled James in after you, slamming the door shut just as Snape stormed past, missing your hiding spot by inches. You both collapsed against the wall, trying to catch your breath and stifle your laughter.

“Wow, that was close.” James said, trying to stifle his laughter.

“Totally worth it though.” You chuckled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“That was brilliant!” James grinned. “You, my darling best friend, are brilliant!”

“I know, I know.” You laughed, curtsying.

You and James have been friends since the two of you were six. He meant the absolute world to you ever since he saved you from playground bullies.

You had been happily swinging alone in the neighborhood playground when a group of older boys approached you and started teasing you, their taunts ringing in your ears.

“Look at the buck-toothed beaver!” One of the boys jeered, pointing and laughing at your crooked teeth. They kept on teasing you, making mean faces, and calling you all sorts of names, like carrot muncher and bunny rabbit.

You covered your mouth as tears threatened to spill from your eyes. Just as you were about to give up and go home, you felt a pair of hands grip your shoulders from behind. You jumped, startled, and turned around to see who it was. Standing before you was a boy your age, with messy black hair that stuck weirdly in every different direction and bright hazel eyes under round spectacles.

“Oi, leave her alone, you lot!” He shouted, his voice echoing through the park. "Go on, get lost!” The raven-haired boy demanded, pushing the older boy in the middle away. “I said get lost, you gits!” The boy yelled, the air around him cackling. The older boys scowled, surprised by the younger boy's outburst, before turning away and leaving the two of you alone.

“Are you alright?” The raven-haired boy asked, turning to face you.

“Uh-huh, I'm alright, thanks.” You mumbled, avoiding the boy's gaze.

“You can take your hand off your mouth now, you know? They’re gone, you can smile now.”

You eyed him hesitantly, skeptical. You shook your head, clasping another hand over your mouth.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make fun of you.” He smiled, offering his hand out. “I’m James, by the way. James Potter.”

You stared at his hand, still avoiding his gaze. “I'm Y/n L/n.” You mumbled, wishing the ground would swallow you up.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n.” James smiled at you, his hazel eyes bright and kind. “You know, you shouldn't let those idiots get to you,” James said, taking a step closer. His voice was surprisingly gentle, and for a moment, you were almost tempted to look up at him again. “They're just gits, jealous gits.” He added with a grin.

“Thanks, James.” You said, meeting his gaze for the first time. His eyes were bright and curious, and you found yourself lost in them for a moment. You couldn't help but smile back, feeling a little more at ease around him.

“No problem, Y/n,” James replied with a grin. “So, what are you doing out here all alone on a Saturday afternoon?” He asked, sitting down on the swing next to you.

You shrugged, looking away. “I don't really have any friends my age.” You muttered.

James raised an eyebrow at you. "Oh, that's too bad. Well, you've got one now," He insisted, nudging you playfully. “Now, what do you like to do for fun?”

Ever since that day, the two of you have become inseparable. You were the Bonnie to his Clyde, the peanut butter to his jelly, and the yin to his yang. You were the best of friends, always there for each other through thick and thin.

Growing up, you both shared everything, from secrets to dreams and ambitions. James was always there for you, and you for him. You were inseparable, and everyone in your neighborhood knew that if they saw one of you, the other wasn't too far away. There was nothing the two of you couldn't handle together.

You and James loved being best friends. You were comfortable with him, like he was your other half. He protected you from bullies and made sure you were always happy. The only thing that mattered to the both of you was being by each other’s sides. The both of you loved to dress up, where you were the damsel in distress and James was the knight in shining armor. You and James chased each other in their large orchards; sometimes the two of you would play hide and seek or would go for a swim in the river nearby—with their house elf, Tilly, looking after the both of you, of course. The two of you would lounge up in the tree house that James’ father built. James would talk endlessly about Quidditch—which you were never interested in—but you’d listen to him nevertheless. You would ramble about your favorite books, and James would listen with a huge smile on his face at your enthusiasm. You and James had dance parties, tea parties, adventures, and so much more. You’ve spent so much time with James that your parents had to literally pry the both of you away from each other at the end of the day—much to your parents and James’ parents’ amusement.

You loved James; you have loved him since you were eight. You loved him more than just as a friend. Your parents had their suspicions—the way you looked at James was a giveaway; you looked at him like he was the only person in the whole world. But James was oblivious; he was far more interested in going on adventures with you or obsessing over Quidditch than ever noticing the way you look at him.

Everything changed when you and James received your Hogwarts letters.

Of course, you and James were still the best of friends—with the addition of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew—though no one can ever replace you in James’ heart.

The two of you were ecstatic when you were both sorted into Gryffindor. You and James have been dreaming about setting foot at Hogwarts and learning more about magic since the two of you were nine. Both of you had lots of plans for the next seven years, like wreaking havoc inside the halls of the castle, finding secret passageways, and so much more. James wanted to be on the Quidditch team and someday hoped that he would be captain, while you wanted to become a prefect and someday maybe Head Girl. You had hoped that you and James would spend as much time as when you were kids, but that wasn’t the case when a certain emerald-eyed redhead came into the picture. James was absolutely smitten with Lily Evans, a muggle-born witch in your year and house.

You watched from the sidelines as James constantly tried to get Lily's attention and impress her with his Quidditch skills and charming personality—which always ends up failing because Lily despised James for bullying her best friend, Severus Snape. You were nowhere near competing with her. You couldn’t blame James for liking the feisty redhead—Lily was intelligent, kind, and gorgeous. It was always Lily this and Lily that, and it hurt you. You supported James, helping him think of ways to win Lily, even if it broke your heart in the process.

You sighed, snapping yourself out of your trance. There was silence outside; the only noise you could hear was James’ breathing.

“I think Snape’s gone.” You whispered, standing up and opening the door to check outside.

“Is he?” James asked, leaning over you. “We should’ve brought the map with us.”

You turned to face him, your faces a mere inch away from each other. For James, it was nothing, just close proximity inside a cramped broom closet, but for you? Your stomach was doing somersaults at the sight of his hazel eyes and soft lips—those lips you've wanted to kiss since fifth year.

You quickly brushed the feeling aside, pushing James slightly away from you. “Right, we should've brought it before we jumped into this. Where’s the map anyway?”

Suddenly, the door opened behind you, making you stumble back and fall to your bum. You looked up to see Sirius peering over you.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Sirius smirked, eyeing you and James.

“Shut up, Padfoot!” You hissed. “It’s not like that, you prick!”

“What are you two doing in here?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow as James helped you up.

“Just taking a little breather,” James replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

“You’re lucky I was the one who found you and not Snape,” Sirius chuckled. “He was fuming, you know.”

You rolled your eyes and shot a playful glare at James as the two of you stepped out of the broom closet. “It's all your fault,” you muttered.

“Come on, don’t be mad at me, Y/n,” James said, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Let’s go cause some more trouble, yeah?”

“Nah, let’s head back to the common room. I’m a bit tired.” you yawned, resting your head on James’ shoulder.

“Fine, party pooper,” James teased, ruffling your hair as the three of you made your way back to the common room. You couldn’t help but smile as the familiar warmth of the Gryffindor tower greeted you. Your eyes landed on Remus, who was sitting on a couch near the fireplace with a book in his lap.

You made your way to Remus with a warm smile, James and Sirius following behind you. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a quaffle came flying in your direction, hitting you hard on the head. You fell to the floor, your vision getting blurry.

“Oh shit, Y/n!” James yelled, rushing to your side and pulling you into his arms. “Y/n, shit, open your eyes! Padfoot, Moony, help!”

Such pretty eyes. You thought as the view of James’ face slowly blurred because of the concussion.

“I love you, Jamie.” You managed to whisper before everything went black.

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seeingivy · 10 months

Text

cornelia street

satoru gojo x f!reader

**part of my debut concert event

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

content: mentions of drinking, reader has diabetes, mentions of misogyny in the workplace, satoru and reader are lawyers, gojo calls reader bonnie bc they're bonnie and clyde, a teenager who pees on da sidewalk, and a bitchy barista

an: 50+ listens to cornelia street and she's done. a request from the lovely @skzismyhome I hope you love it pookie and thank you for your support always!!!

You look down at the contract in front of you, willing down the angry tears settling in your eyes.

You knew that this day would come. It comes for everyone, for every son and daughter in higher society. The day they arrange your marriage.

And you never really dreaded it. Or hated it. Utahime was nearly murderous when it was happening to her, Shoko almost eloped and moved to the countryside when it was her turn, and Mei Mei was the only one who actually disappeared off the face of the Earth.

But you didn’t really care. Since you were young, you knew that this was something that you were being primed for. Why you had to be the best. You just hoped when it happened, it would be everything like your parents.

They didn’t love each other. But they were partners. By each other’s side. More like friends who just also happened to be married and had kids together.

But like all things in higher society, you never get what you want. Because the idiot you’re signing the papers with is the most entitled, self-centered egotistical asshat you’ve ever met.

Satoru Gojo.

“Last matter of business. I think this decision lands on Y/N, since Satoru made the last one. Where would you like to live?”

You scribble your answer onto the page and sign the line next to your name at the bottom. Satoru follows suit, sliding the ring box to your side, as you both shuffle in your seats.

Satoru has no reason to hate you. If anything, he should be praising the fucking ground you walk on for what he did to you. You slide the ring on your own finger and collect the papers, sealing them into the envelope.

“Where did you pick? For us to live?”

“Cornelia Street.”

You and Satoru butt heads often. You start it. Sometimes he argues back. You’re both pissed off by the end of it.

“I’ll run the errands, Satoru.”

He groans as he swings open the fridge, pulling out his leftovers from the night before.

“It’s literally right next to my office. I could just grab it if you tell me what it is you need.”

“No, thank you. I can get my things on my own.”

“Why are you so stubborn all the time? You haven’t even let me do anything since-”

“I can do my shopping on my own, thanks.”

You would let Satoru do it. You would. Because it is really annoying to run down to the store every time you need something, but you’re not giving in.

Because that would require you to indulge Satoru in more personal information than you would like to, so you can’t. Because you don’t fraternize with the devil.

The thing you need from the store isn’t actually from the store, it’s from the pharmacy next to it. You’re out of your long insulin pods, because you’ve been so busy with work. Because your own pancreas is so stupid, it can’t produce it’s own insulin. You have to buy it from the store, in a stupid little patch that painfully pricks into your stomach every time you insert it.

He blocks the doorway as you try to walk out, blue eyes peering into yours.

“Why won’t you just let me do this for you?”

“Because that worked out so well for me last time, Satoru.”

He groans as he presses his fingers to his nose bridge, nearly rolling his eyes at you.

“You know. If you’d let me explain that, I’d actually-”

“There’s nothing to explain. I asked you to give me a shoo in for my dream job. You quite explicitly told them not to hire me.”

Three summers ago was the first time you were graced with Satoru Gojo’s presence. And hell, you actually tolerate him. Maybe even liked him. You were both doing an internship, at the Zenin’s law firm in Brooklyn.

You and Satoru were somewhat of a…dream team. Every case you worked on together gave you a rush, like he’d finish your thoughts before you were thinking. Like you picked up where he lacked and vice versa. You were Bonnie and Clyde. Partners in crime.

So when they gave Satoru the associate position first, you asked him to pick you for the second associate opening. Because the person who gets that opening gets to be his partner. And you had convinced him - that you two would be a dream team, that you would be unstoppable. He agreed, in fact - he promised he would give it to you.

Which is why you felt blindsided when they picked an outsider, Getou Suguru, as the associate. And when you asked the head of the Zenin’s, Toji, why he didn’t pick you, you were mad. Why you weren’t the associate when you ran to get coffee for all of them all summer, stayed up late on cases, and busted your ass off, he said that Satoru didn’t think you were a good fit. And he has to make sure staff has good personal relations.

“Why are you so stubborn? You literally won’t even talk to me about-”

“I don’t want to talk to you! What part of that do you not fucking understand? I don’t like you. I’m never going to like you because you’re an egotistical, sadistic little prick and-

“And what are you? You’re an entitled little know it all. You don’t even listen before jumping to your own fucking conclusions about-”

“It’s not jumping to conclusions when Toji tells me straight to my face that you didn’t think I was a good fit. You’re fucking dense as fuck if you think I don’t know that.”

You push past him, marching angrily down Cornelia Street.

You press your face against the glass, watching the mounds of snow out in the street. You and Satoru have been snowed in on Cornelia Street for three days now, the stupid climate change induced storm in the middle of November trapping you for good.

In theory, you would have loved something like this. A break from work for a few days, nice weather for you to watch movies and cuddle up on the couch. Except, there’s an intruder in your house who has the same ideas as you.

“Hey.”

“Shove a fork in your eye, Satoru.”

“You get more creative as time goes on. I appreciate that in a wife.”

You roll your eyes as you walk over to the kitchen, where Satoru’s rummaging through the kitchen.

“Did you eat all the food already?”

“You know, if you actually did groceries on time, maybe we would actually have food for emergencies like this, Satoru.”

“First you don’t want me to do groceries and now you do? You’re so unpredictable it’s like-”

“I’m unpredictable? You’ve got to be kidding-”

“Oh my god. We’re not doing this today. I get it. I stole your dream job. Ruined your life. You hate me. Just, shut up about it already.”

He’s swirling the spoon through the saucepan as he waits for it, your irritated, agitated retort. And it doesn’t come.

He looks over to find you all but leaning over the counter, your head pressing into your forearm as you wobble on your feet. He instinctively reaches forward, holding you up in his arms.

“Hey. What’s wrong? Why are you-”

You lean forward against his chest, pressing your hands against his biceps as you feel your legs go limp. Right. Day three on Cornelia Street. With no extra insulin pods left.

“I’m out of-”

You slump forward more this time and Satoru drops the spoon on the floor, securing you against him as he leads you to the couch, laying you down flat on your back. His hands are on your face, firm on your cheeks as his voice starts wavering.

“What-what do I do? Tell me how to fix this, I-”

“Candy. Or anything sugar should-”

You can’t even finish the sentence before he bolts up, rummaging through the drawers before he returns. His touch is so gentle, so featherlike, as he helps you up, his hands shaking as he helps you drink the juice.

His hand is rubbing circles into your back, his cheek pressed into the top of your head as you both slow your breathing. And when you level out, Satoru’s hands are pressed around your face again, cupping your cheeks again.

“You okay, Bonnie?”

Bonnie. Like that summer, when you were Bonnie and Clyde.

“Yeah.”

“You’re positive?”

“Mhm.”

“Perfect. Are you a fucking dumbass?”

You lean your face out of his touch, more confused and disoriented than before. You-you just passed out and he’s yelling at you?

“Satoru. You’re so rude. I just-”

“Yes, Y/N. I’m yelling at you. I’m yelling at you because we literally live together and are married and you didn’t tell me you have fucking diabetes.”

“Okay. And?”

“And? You can’t be fucking serious right now-”

He pushes off the couch, pacing back in forth in front of you as he starts yelling, angrily running his hands through your hair.

“You’re-you’re this fucking mad at me? It was one job. And you-you would compromise your health over it?”

“This isn’t compromising my health. I just didn’t know there would be a storm and-”

“Y/N. Oh my fucking god, get it through your thick head. I’m your emergency contact. If you were fucking dying in a hospital and they ask me what’s wrong with you, I wouldn’t know. And then they would probably kill you because I didn’t know you had diabetes.”

You lean your head back against the couch, feeling the strain all at once. You’re drained. And you hate it when Satoru’s right. Because he is your emergency contact, because he’s your husband - whether you like it or not.

After not responding right away, Satoru leans back onto the couch with you, a hand pressed in your hair. He’s brushing through the tresses, his voice soft when he speaks again.

“God, Bonnie. Just let me take care of you.”

“That didn’t work out wel-

“Well for you last time. Quit saying the same shit over and over again. That was three years ago. And we’re…married now. I’m..supposed to take care of you now and I’m going to so just let me.”

You deflate as he keeps running his hands through your hair, the lack of insulin and energy surely imparing your inhibitions.

“Fine.”

He turns over to you, a wide smirk pressed against his face.

“Fine? You, Y/N L/N, agreeing with me?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

He laughs, leaning his head against yours as he moves his arm down your back, squeezing your side once before he talks again.

“Got any other big secrets you’re keeping from me?”

“I murdered a guy. He’s in our attic.”

“Ouch. What did he do, Bonnie?”

“It was an accident. I thought he was you.”

He presses your face into his hand, rolling his eyes at you.

Satoru is pleasantly surprised to find out that you don’t argue with just him, your unfiltered and unabashed rage is something that you do with everyone. Your latest victim? Your little brother, Yuuta.

You’ve been screaming at him for a better part of the past hour, because Yuuta’s being a fucking idiot. Yuuta was never into the whole arranged marriage, higher society thing. And you knew that.

You just never think he’d come to your place, asking you and Satoru for money so he could run away with Maki.

“This is the wrong move, Yuu. You’re only nineteen.”

“I have to do this now. I can’t do what you did. I don’t care if you like him now and you’re friends or whatever, I just really…really love her, okay?”

“You love her? Then stop being a fucking idiot about it. You’re both making a stupid decision that’s just going to hurt you. You can’t just run away from your problems.”

“Y/N. You’re always think you know what’s best and you control-”

“Yuuta, you little piece of-”

Satoru stops you before you walk further, yanking you back by firmly pulling on your wrist. He leans forward, whispering I got this in your ear before yanking Yuuta out of your apartment and down the opposite block of Cornelia Street.

When they return, they both have the audacity to be smiling, Yuuta holding two cups of Coppola’s Coffee in his hand. He sets one in front of you, awkwardly brushing his hand against his neck.

“Sorry, Y/N. You’re right.”

You smile.

“What was that? I didn’t really hear you.”

“You were right.”

“One more time. A little louder, Yuu.”

He rolls his eyes as he grabs his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. He walks back, pressing a kiss to your cheek and bidding goodbye to Satoru as he drags out the door. You turn to your side, glaring at Satoru.

“What did you say to him?”

“Ah, you know. The usual.”

“The usual?”

“Just talked him down. Told him if he really likes this Maki girl then he should ask us for help. We are his older siblings and all. That you just get mad because you care about him.”

You roll your eyes as you lie face down on the counter, cheeks burning. You’re his older siblings. Because Satoru’s his brother in law. You feel him tapping on your head, gleefully grinning at you.

“What?”

“Guess what time it is.”

“You know, just because I pass out one time on accident doesn’t mean-”

He presses his fingers to your lips, rolling his eyes as he places it in your hands. A pack of almonds.

“Satoru.”

“Did you know that almonds are the perfect snack? Because they’re high in magnesium, potassium-”

“And vitamin E. Making the perfect nutrient-rich snack for those with impaired glucose tolerance.” you finish, mimicking his high pitched voice.

He opens up the packet, pouring them all into your hand. And then he watches you eat every single one. You come up with an insult for each one you eat.

“You’re a disgrace to humanity, Satoru.”

“And?”

“And a little pain in the ass. Like you know when you get a pimple stuck right in between your butt and it hurts to sit down? That’s what you are.”

“Descriptive. Just one more almond and you’re done, Bonnie. Make the insult good.”

“I don’t take orders from men. Least of all you.”

You place the last one in your mouth, chewing and then sticking your tongue out to Satoru, to show you did in fact eat the entire thing.

“That’s my girl. Not only does she eat all her food but hurls scathing insults at the same time.”

“Being your biggest hater is my full time job, Satoru.”

He laughs, pinching your cheek as he starts milling around the kitchen, preparing for dinner. Ever since you and Satoru got snowed in and he found out about everything, you…were both surprisingly tame. Not at Bonnie and Clyde pre-getting backstabbed levels, but he’s not…horrible to be around. And he never really was.

Because Satoru’s thoughtful. He’s googled all the ways to control blood sugar, reserached different pods for you to try, and always tries to balance the dinner (that you now let him make for you) to make sure that you’re eating all right.

And he’s funny. He’s convinced you into watching the Bachlorette with him every week. And you’re above corny reality shows but his commentary is just so ridiculous you can’t help but watch with him.

And he even got Yuuta and Maki to like him now.

And really, it’s all types of irritating because you like him. You actually like him. He backstabbed you into oblivion but he’s also the sweetest, most compassionate guy you’ve ever talked to and you like him.

You push off the counter, reaching for the cupboard and yank out the biggest glass of wine you can find. As soon as you finish pouring almost the entire bottle into the glass, Satoru snatches it out of your hand, cheekily smiling at you.

“Thank you, Bonnie.”

“I was going to drink that, Satoru.”

“Diabetics should drink in moderation. Can’t have you passing out on me now.”

“That was one time. You could share, you know.”

He rolls his eyes as he hands you the glass, your hands burning from it. How intimate it is. That you and Satoru are sharing a glass, all warm and drowsy from the drink. And when he grabs your hand, leading you onto the little patio just off of your roof, you follow. Blindly.

You’re both laying against the bricks, the lights of the city reflecting into the sky. There aren’t any stars out, only the tinted white of the fluorescnets against the dark sky.

“Why’d you pick Cornelia Street, Bonnie?”

“It’s quiet. And I always walked down it - when I used to go to class and then after when I started walking to work. I’ve always liked all the little people bustling by with Coppola’s on the corner.”

“Hm.”

“What?”

“So do you like that kid who peed on the block last week?”

“Ew. Gross, Satoru.”

He laughs, leaning back on the tiles, beckoning for you to move closer to him. He opens up his arm, which you lean into, his arm wrapped around yours. The tiles are kind of digging into your back, but you ignore it because you don’t want to move and risk Satoru moving away from you.

“Do you like Cornelia Street, Satoru?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m moved by the passion, Satoru. You can’t imagine yourself anyplace else, can you?”

He looks over, blue eyes glimmering under the shy flourescents of the building, his voice firm as he answers.

“No. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

And from the look on his eyes, the way your skin is itching from the way he’s looking at you…you know he’s not talking about Cornelia Street.

“Are you-”

“Talking about Cornelia Street? I’m not, Bonnie. I’m talking about the girl who loves Cornelia Street.”

You reach over, timidly pressing your hand to Satoru’s face as you shift his face over, his cheeks warm under your touch. He’s moving forward, eyes fluttered shut and you can feel your heart hammering under your chest.

And when he presses his lips to yours, soft and plush with a hint of wine on his mouth, you can’t help but feel it all untangling in your chest. Unraveling. The way you feel about him, those stupid blue eyes and that lopsided smile.

Because all of those summers ago, it wasn’t that you liked working with the Zenin’s. It’s that you liked working with Satoru. And it wasn’t a backstab to not get to work with the Zenin’s, it was that Satoru didn’t want you to work with him.

He snakes his hand under your shirt, his touch featherlike but blossoming searing light onto your skin.

“Satoru. This is public indecency.”

He presses his head into your neck, peppering soft kisses into your neck as he responds.

“Bonnie and Clyde were criminals, silly girl.”

“Almonds, Bonnie.”

“Satoru.”

“Nope. Eat ‘em and we’ll go.”

You roll your eyes as you tilt the packet back, shoving them all into your mouth. Satoru gives you a gleeful grin and a kiss on the forehead as he shoves you out the door. Satoru walks you to work everyday. And back home on the way back. To protect you from lewd street pee.

You get coffee from Coppolas every morning, the barista always giving the two of you a shining smile. Whenever the flower vendors pass by, Satoru always buys you the pink ones, which make your heart pound but you always clown him for.

Satoru insists that you wear your wedding ring everyday. And buys one for himself too, which he forces you to put on him. And he encourages you - to be better. Which is why you’re going to try again.

“Toru.”

“Hm, Bonnie?”

“Can you do me a favor on your way to work?”

“Sure.”

“Mail this for me.”

You hand him your job application, to work with the Zenin’s and Satoru, to fix what happened the first time. Granted, Satoru doesn’t really work with the Zenin’s anymore, but instead a different firm, but they do partner up sometimes.

In a way, asking Satoru to do this for you is righting a wrong. Because he should put in a good word for you this time, so you can actually get your dream job. Because whatever stopped him the first time isn’t there now - he’s told you hundreds of times that you’re brilliant, the smartest person he’s ever met - so there’s no logical reason for him not to.

So when you find the application in his bag, six days after the fact while looking for his phone, you’re a little bit confused.

“Toru.”

“Hm?”

“Did you hear back from Toji? About the job?”

“Ah, yeah. He’s not really into it. I gave it to him but he said there’s no associate openings.”

Liar. As always, Satoru Gojo is a fucking liar. And it’s stupid. It’s so stupid of you to think otherwise. You can feel the tears welling in your eyes as you shove your things into your backpack and swing it over your shoulder.

And you almost walk out the door before he catches you.

“Hey. Where are we going, Bonnie?”

“I’m leaving. You’re staying here.”

You watch the smile fall off of his face, the grip on your wrist loosening.

“Is something wrong, Y/N?”

“You really hate me that much, don’t you? You couldn’t even hand it in for real this time? You have that little faith in the work that I can do?”

“This-this isn’t about the faith I have in you. You’re brilliant and I’ve always thought that about you. It’s just that it’s not right-”

“Not right for me? Because working at one of the best law firms isn’t right for me? I should just slum it out where I’m at now.”

“Bonnie, I can explain-”

And you run straight out the door, flat off of Cornelia Street.

Satoru doesn’t hear from you for nine days. And it’s pure agony. Waking up without you next to him. Watching people mill by on Cornelia Street, getting Coppola’s without you. The barista doesn’t even smile at him anymore.

And when that stupid kid pees on the block again, he can’t even laugh at it. Because Cornelia Street without you is all types of wrong.

He wakes up every morning, promptly at 7:30. Because if what you said is right, you take Cornelia Street on the way to work when you walk from home. But you never do. He’s never seen you walk past, not even once.

You’re still going to work. He knows that because Maki told him so. Yuuta isn’t really talking to him anymore, but Maki begrudgingly gives him slivers of information that he lives off of.

She’s going to work, just a different way.

Yes, I gave her the almond packets.

No, she doesn’t want to talk to you.

But he knows you have to come back. Because your sewing machine and your vinyls and all your things are here. Because some selfish part of him thinks you have to come back because it’s him. Because some small part of you loves him the way the entirety of him has always loved you.

So much so, that he’s had selfish intentions from the start. To protect you.

If he was a smart guy, he would have picked you to be his partner when he was working with the Zenin’s straight out. Because you’re a dream team, because no one picks at his mind and makes him work in circles the way you do.

But when he brought you up to Toji, it eliminated any possibility you had of working here. Because the Zenin’s are disgusting, misogynistic pigs.

Toji said he would hire you on one condition. That Satoru shares you with him. Because Toji had caught on to the affections Satoru had held for you in earnest but still wanted his fair share of the cut. Because he’s still an old money lawyer, who uses his own power to his advantage. Because your pretty face is the only reason he hired you in the first place.

He picks Getou the next time he sees Toji. And he never hears from you again. And that’s okay, because you end up working with Utahime at a different firm and he knows that you’re safe from this. And dear god does he miss you, but it is better than the alternative.

And when your parents bring you together, because you’re both lawyers and that’s a common interest, he’s more than happy to sign the papers. Because it’s his chance to right his wrong. Because he still wants to be Bonnie and Clyde, in all the ways that matter.

You pass out in his arms and his world stops. Because he’s always wanted to protet you, and he recognizes that some part of that is selfish because you can protect yourself, but god he just wants to take care of you because you mean something to him.

And when you leaned over and kissed him, Satoru loves you. He loves you and he loves Cornelia Street and he loves everything you love. Because anything you like is anything he likes. You could tell him that you hate the sky and he’d never look at it again.

But when you hand him that shiny job application, asking for his support, he can’t. Because now more than ever, he can’t let his wife even stand near idiots like Toji. The thought of someone thinking about you like that, let alone doing something like that is enough to send him into a blind rage, that would most definitely get him blacklisted from literally any workplace.

And dear god does he wish you would have heard him out when you left. Because he would have told you. That you were all types of brilliant, that you keep him on his toes, that you’re the only god damn thing he’s ever wanted.

That he can’t let you work there because he loves you. Because he wants you to be happy always, to be surrounded by people who respect you for you, who think you’re just as brilliant as you actually are.

And he’d actually be able to do that if he could fucking find you. He wanders a different street everyday, hoping to catch you walking to work. It’s currently day nine and he has yet to find success. But when he sees them, shiny black loafers across the sidewalk, he runs into incoming traffic just to catch you.

He gets angry honks and yelling because New Yorkers are always rude, but he doesn’t care. You’re like a ghost. You can get away if he doesn’t walk fast enough. And when he catches your elbow, stopping you from walking, he knows he’s done it.

“Bonnie.”

“Satoru. Why are you…panting?”

“Ran into traffic.”

“Wish they hit you.”

He takes you in. And just like Maki said, you’re fine. Well, you look fine. A bit angry, that stupid vein bulging out on your forehead, but you’re okay.

“Why don’t you walk on Cornelia Street?”

“What?”

“You said you picked Cornelia Street because it’s on the way to work. That you like to watch the people on Cornelia Street and Coppola’s on the corner. You haven’t walked there for nine days. Why?”

He watches you roll your eyes as you shake his hand off, walking past him. But Satoru’s faster, basically pinning you into the wall by putting his arms around you.

“Give me an answer.”

“No, Satoru.”

“Bonnie. You love Cornelia Street. Have since you were a kid. Why aren’t you walking there?”

You can feel the tears rising up in your eyes, the anger bubbling out of you as you respond.

“Because of you, asshole. Because Cornelia Street is you. I see that dumbass teenager piss on the street and all I can think about is how you think it’s funny. The guy selling flowers? I think about which ones you would pick out and buy for me. Coppola’s? The girl does’t even smile at me anymore. I don’t walk Cornelia Street because I can’t. Because it’s all you now. Everything I like there reminds me of you.”

He can feel it. His heart burning. He can still make this right.

“She’s kind of a bitch, you know? She doesn’t smile at me either.”

You laugh, your chest heaving from the pain. Because seeing him again makes your chest burn. Ache. Because you miss him and because you love him. And when he opens his arms and shoves you into his chest, his smell in your nose, all you can do is cry, cheeks burning into his skin.

“Bonnie.”

“Shut up. I’m still mad at you. You’re a back stabber.”

“If you let me explain, I would-”

“Fine. Let’s hear your great explanation.”

So when you start making your way back, he explains. That he’s selfish. And a back-stabber. And when he tells you what Toji says, he doesn’t miss the way you cringe, the way your face goes blank when he thinks about it.

About how he knows he should have told you but he hates to see you down. How Bonnie and Clyde was always going to be more than a work thing, but the thing he wants forever.

And when you reach the front of the door, of your apartment on Cornelia Street, he can’t help but feel a weight in his chest. Because you’re quietly standing, staring at the door. Granted, you are holding his hand and it’s a good sigh, but…you haven’t said anything.

“Satoru.”

“Yes?”

“I really…messed this up, didn’t I?”

“What?”

And when you turn to his side, he’s floored at the fact that you’re crying. Begging him to stay with you.

“Satoru. I-I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t walk away I, I don’t-”

He clamps his hand over your mouth, shaking his head as you as he deflates.

“God, Bonnie. You have no idea how I feel about you, do you?”

“Huh?”

“I love you. I want to walk Cornelia Street with you. I want to buy you flowers and check the mailbox with you. I want Yuuta and Maki to pretend to throw up when they see us kissing and I want to take care of you. If you’ll just let me, I’ll do it right.”

And when you lean forward, the kiss is messy. Your tears are falling on to his face and he’s way too eager from the way he’s hanging off of your lips, the way he’s literally shaking you in his hold.

You walk Cornelia Street the next day. And you’re part of the constants of the street. The guy selling flowers, the fresh fruit cart on Saturdays, lewd pee kid when he’s drunk, and two very happy in love lawyers.

the satoru as taylor swift songs series masterlist

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cowboyfromh3ll · 6 months

Note

I'm a horrible writer, and I'd had this idea stuck in my head for weeks. If you have time, I'd love to see it in your writing style. Only if you want to, though.

Javier and fem!reader are in an established relationship, and have been ever since they were teenagers. They joined the gang together after Javier was run out of Mexico, and he asked her to run away with him. Like the bonnie to his clyde. When the gang arrives in horseshoe overlook, the reader starts to feel sick. She'd become close friends with Abigail, so she discussed how she had been feeling (Ex: Sore breasts, nausea in the morning or with smells of certain things)

and above all, her period is late. About 2 months late. She thought it might have just been stress, but Abigail suggested that she might be pregnant. The reader waited a little while before telling Javier, because she was nervous, scared, and overall afraid of what he'd say. They both knew how dangerous the world was for people like them. When getting ready to lie down to bed one night, Javier can tell that there's something wrong, and he pulls her aside. As they walk around the outskirts of camp, she finally tells him what was bothering her.

Maybe he takes her into town to celebrate? and by celebrate, I mean they get a hotel room. wink wonk

Let’s Go To Bed

(Javier Escuella x Fem!Reader Smut)

Forgive me I’m a busy little guy

Warnings: smut, unprotected sex, pregnancy kink, praise kink

An acidic stripe of vomit moved up your throat in a way that reminded you of mercury rising in a thermometer. You felt the familiar sensation of gagging tugging at the back of your throat as you began to overproduce saliva, your body's attempt at preparation for the bitter regurgitation of this morning's breakfast. You briefly managed to swallow it down with a silent burp before groaning and falling back to sit on your ass.

“You look awful.” Abigail remarked, wrapping a shawl around your shivering shoulders. You could only nod in response, a line of saliva dripping down the side of your mouth as your head lolled to the side.

“I feel awful.” You groaned, leaning into Abigail’s hold. She dug through her pockets, fishing out a bottle that she presumably got from the medicine wagon. She more or less bottle fed the tonic to you, holding it to your lips and tipping your head backwards. The taste alone made you nearly gag once more, and you let out a strained grunt when she pulled it away. She then handed a mug of coffee to you, hoping it would replace the flavor of the tonic.

“Thank you so much Abigail… But I’m sorry I woke you up so early.” You apologized, holding the mug beneath your nose. The coffee seemed to be the only smell around camp that didn’t make your head spin in a vomit inducing nausea.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I couldn’t just ignore how sick you were. In fact, I’m surprised Javier didn’t wake up…” Abigail narrowed her eyes at him in a way that made you giggle. She had a point; your retching had been so loud and so close next to his body, you felt that even if you had spilled your guts all over him he still wouldn’t have woken up. He slept as though he had traveled on foot across the country and back.Though other members of camp had been awake at the time, they weren’t as well prepared to handle your sickness the same way Abigail was.

“Yeah… I don’t know how he can sleep like he doesn't have a care in the world..” You sighed, envying your husband for not having to suffer the same way you did.

“Well you should be his one care in the world!” She rebuked, rolling her eyes at his sleeping form. The two of you broke into silent laughter afterwards. Abigail looked back at you, a motherly concern in her eyes.

“You’ve been real sick lately, (Name). I’m beginning to worry. It comes at random too.” She sat down next to you, studying your body. She held a maternal air around her, worrying over you the same way an experienced guardian would in consulting their child and giving them advice.

“Girl talk, but have you and Javier been intimate lately?” Her question was straight to the point, blunt in a way that suggested she was looking to get to the bottom of this. You blushed and giggled nervously, looking back and forth between Javier and Abigail. Part of you felt that you’d be doing Javier a disservice by sharing details about your intimate life together with someone else, especially while his unconscious body bore witness.

“Uhm, yeah. I suppose so…” You nodded slowly, unable to look her in the eyes. She raised her brows and nodded knowingly.

“And what else have you been feeling?”

“Well, I’ve been tired and pretty out of breath, I thought I was just unfit or something?” It sounded as though you were trying to convince yourself of that more than you were Abigail. “And my breasts have been pretty sore, Javier did say they got bigger…”

Abigail rolled her eyes at that last remark. “Of course that’s the first thing the man notices and not how sick you’ve been.”

As if you were catching onto what Abigail was getting at, you added “And I haven’t gotten my period in two months…”

Her eyes went wide as her jaw dropped, covering her mouth in disbelief. Your resting expression turned into one of squeezed panic, like a rabbit being held by its neck. A recollection of the events of the past few months came gushing back to you, and everything seemed to click into place like a gear shifting inside clockwork, finally striking on the answer. A shared sense of knowing settled between you two.

“I thought I was just stressed?!” You seemed to bargain with the idea, attempting to grapple with any alternative explanation that wasn’t as severe as this. But Abigail pursed her lips and shook her head, confirming your fear.

You supposed in all the years you and Javier had been together, this was something that was bound to happen. The topic of pregnancy and having children together wasn’t necessarily a topic that was out of the question, but it also wasn’t something you had anticipated happening to you so abruptly. Though it made sense, you could only have so much unprotected sex without conceiving a child; and you and Javier had done plenty of that.

Another reason the idea never came fully into fruition during discussions was because you were both very well aware of the world around you. After having run away from Mexico, the two of you lived your lives constantly on the run. Coming into the country alone and not knowing the language, the two of you were all the other had. Living your life squalidly before finding some sense of stability within the Van Der Linde gang, but it had been years since then. You also knew raising a child in a gang environment wasn’t ideal, but Abigail had been doing it. Albeit with difficulty, but she had the entire gang there to support her. And you knew you’d have the same support system as well.

Abigail remained by your side in hushed conversation, offering you any advice she had for your situation. She said you were fortunate to have a man who actually gave a damn about you, so you would definitely have his support there. But there was an underlying sense of apprehensiveness at what Javier’s response would be, one that neither of you wanted to acknowledge as to not entertain the possibility.

Abigail saw you off by allowing you to keep the shawl and tonic, wishing you the best of luck in telling Javier the news. She reminded you that regardless of his reaction, she’d have your back as well. You thanked her hurriedly, as Javier had begun to toss awake. You sat there by his side as he blinked sleep away, smiling at the fact that you were the first thing he saw when he awoke.

“Buenos días, mi amor.” He croaked, his voice still hoarse from sleep. He slowly sat up from where he laid and rubbed his eyes. He gave you a second look, concern crossing his features and startling him awake.

“You look so sick, are you okay?” He suddenly leaned forward, attempting to cradle you and check for anything that might indicate less than perfect conditions. His hand brushed your breast, making you audibly groan from pain. He reeled his hand back like a young child who just touched a stove, looking on in morbid confusion as if trying to figure out what exactly was the cause of your pain.

“I’m just feeling a little nauseous this morning… and I’m a little sore too.” You tried to reassure him with a half hearted smile, contemplating when would be the right time to tell him. Not telling him simply wasn’t an option, after being together so long, it would be dishonest. Though when you told him one of your bodily symptoms was soreness, his mind seemed to go to the gutter as he slowly smirked.

“Hm, guess I was a little too rough on you last night, no?” He laughed to himself as you groaned, pushing his face away to hide your blush. A reminder of what exactly got you into this situation.

The day was torturously slow. There seemed to be a constant veil over your consciousness that set you and reality five feet apart. Every action felt disconnected from your body, and it was only when you looked down at your belly, that you felt grounded once again. The idea of having a life growing inside you filled you with a fresh sense of panic, rattling through your rib cage and fully spreading through your shoulders in cold harshness. At times, you would think about your future excitedly, pondering all the different ways in which you and Javier would embrace parenthood. Though those thoughts would quickly become sour and twisted, a fork in the metaphorical line of thought forming as you fearfully included the possibility that Javier might react negatively. At some point you had even begun crying at the thought of your nearly decade long relationship ending, to which all of the camp girls and a few of the men would try to comfort you, asking over and over what was wrong. It was only until Javier came over to you that you blurted out the question “Do you still love me?!”

Of course, Javier was quick to comfort you, allowing you to blabber as many inconsequential questions as you wanted while he held you. And while he was definitely used to dealing with your emotional outbursts, he was a professional at it, he found their sudden consistency to be quite alarming. At some points he had begun questioning himself, whether he had done something wrong; to which you’d have to end up comforting him from. That or the two of you would confess your anxieties to each other tearfully while reassuring each other; it was rather theatrical.

As you changed into your nightdown that night, you stopped for a moment longer to look at the latent swell in your belly. You smiled widely and rubbed it, sighing contentedly before turning around to face Javier; your joy mixing unpleasantly with fear. Hurriedly, you changed (to which he insisted you stay undressed a little longer) before settling into your tent together. You were fidgety, unable to find a proper position to lay down comfortably. The hardness of your cot, something you had become used to, became ten times worse in your heightened state of awareness, the overstimulation turning you ill-tempered.

“Amor, what’s wrong?” He placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it as if it would get the answer out of you. As if a switch had been flipped in you, triggered by the very question, your eyes began to water and your bottom lip began to tremble. Javier looked on in horror, thinking back on every word he’s ever said to you, overthinking his tone and inflection, reflecting on the past few days; he tried to find anything in between that might have caused you to become so emotional. You let out a wail as you sunk into his arms, confusing him to no end.

“What happened?! Are you okay? Please, just talk to me.” Javier’s voice quivered as he begged, completely at a loss as to how he could help you. People from camp had begun to sound their concern outside your tent, asking if the two of you needed help or to ask what was wrong. Fed up with the unwanted attention, he led you outside of camp away from everyone’s curious eyes, whispering comforting words to you as he led you into the woods.

He took your shoulders and turned you to face him before cupping your cheeks to tip your face upwards. Your melancholic expression felt like barbed wires squeezing his heart, and he pulled you into his chest for a hug. He shushed you soothingly, rubbing comforting circles on your back. After a few more moments of silent crying, you cleared your throat and sniffed.

“I’m pregnant.” You blurted out, looking into his face to immediately catch any expression change. At first Javier’s eyes merely widened, his jaw opening in a way reminiscent of Abigail’s earlier. After a few seconds, he smiled widely, hugging you even tighter. The spreading anxiety within you diminished and was replaced by a flood of relief that made you feel ten times lighter. You wrapped your arms around him to return the hug.

“Are you serious?! Amor, this is amazing I… I’m finally going to be a dad!” He exclaimed in a whisper. He looked like a kid who just received the best present on christmas morning, uncontrollably giddy from excitement. You smiled widely and wiped away your tears, nodding.

“How long have you known?”

“Well, I was speaking to Abigail about how I felt this morning and we deduced what was up with me and… I wanted to tell you soon because it was the right thing to do but I was also scared about how you’d react and I was just so nervous all day…” Your lip began to pout as more tears threatened to fall, but Javier wiped them away for you with his thumb. He leaned in to kiss you, your worries melting away like warm butter. Your body relaxed and released a tension you had not realized you had been holding onto.

“We have to celebrate.” He suggested, smiling.

“Right now?!” You giggled.

“Yes absolutely, let me get my horse, we’ll go into town. I’ll treat you to something.”

You had never felt happier as you watched Javier retrieve his horse, giggling when you watched him excitedly whisper into his horse’s ear about how he was going to be a father. Javier was the gentlest he had ever been as he helped you onto his horse, giving your knuckles a peck before getting on as well. You held onto his waist tightly as he spurred his horse into a gallop, and as you did, you felt his body tremble with excitement. You saw the low glow of Valentine as you approached the small town, the constant buzz of work having died down and turned in for the night. As people began winding down for the day, they ventured into bars or restaurants, buying the last of their errands at the general store, or resting up at the Saint’s Hotel.

Javier had bought you a multitude of treats and food despite your insistence on him not spending money on you. He splurged a little extra on buying you the finest new clothes, cotton skirts and form fitting blouses (he claimed he wanted to be able to see your belly when it swelled better). He refused to drink that night, claiming he would join you in sober solidarity. For the last event of the night, Javier insisted he buy a room for the two of you to sleep in, saying he could not allow his dear pregnant wife to sleep on a hard cot.

Though the two of you seemed to have other plans, because as soon as you entered the room, your hands were on each other. Your eager mouths united in a kiss that was far from sweet and gentle. Javier began pawing at your ass through your skirt as he sucked on your tongue and lips, catching your bottom lip between his teeth before pulling.

As he undressed you vigorously, it appeared to you that the only reason he bought you the new clothes was to tear them off you immediately after. He nearly tore your bloomers off of you, leaving you stark naked as you sat on the bed. You laughed at Javier’s impatience as he threw his own vest off, followed by his shirt and jeans. And before long, he joined you in bed naked as well. He laid next to you and wasted no time in spreading your legs open, resting one of your legs atop his thighs. He prodded your lips with his middle and ring finger before pushing them into your mouth, shuddering at the feeling of your wet appendage circling his digits. He left his fingers in there for far longer than necessary, indulging in the feeling alone before retracting his hand, which still clung to your lips through a string of saliva.

He spread your folds open and gave your clit a quick flick, before sliding his fingers down past your vulva and to your entrance. He let out an involuntary moan at the feeling of your wet warmth as he dipped his fingers in, the both of you sighing in satisfaction when he slid in down to the knuckle.

“Fuck, you’re so warm… Can’t wait to be inside that tight cunt.” He whispered in your ear, the combined sensation of him fingering you and whispering into your ear causing you to shudder and mewl lewdly. He reached his thumb back and began rubbing your throbbing clit, and at the same time, connected his lips to your nipple. He kept in mind the sore state your breasts were in as he cupped one of them, kneading gently so as to not bring you any pain. But the light sting of soreness brought you some sort of pleasure, and your entire body began to squirm as Javier nibbled lightly on your nipple. You reached down towards his aching cock, which was leaking pre cum on the sheets below you (you felt bad for whoever it was that would be cleaning the sheets after tonight). You began stroking his throbbing erection, smearing his tip with your thumb, though your strokes were inconsistent and stuttered as he began fingering you harder, a smattering of your wetness soaking the sheets beneath your ass.

“It’s so cute how flustered I can get you with just my fingers, (Name)..” He hissed into your ears, kissing your lobe and tracing kisses down your neck. His cock was left forgotten on his lap as he fingered you to completion, cumming all over his fingers and hand. You let out a high pitched wail, rocking your hips against his fingers as he helped you ride out your orgasm.

“That’s it… Just like that… Such a good girl.” He smiled against your pulse before pressing a kiss to it. Your chest heaved as you tried to catch your breath, the corners of your vision spotted as you came back down from your climax. Your breath was stolen once again when Javier captured you in a kiss, far more tender but equally as passionate. He mounted your quivering body, holding your thighs open with one hand as he held your hand with the other. You moaned wantonly when he teased your clit and hole with his tip.

“Can’t wait to give our child a little brother or sister to play with one day… until then I’ll keep fucking you raw. We’re gonna have so many kids together…” He slid in as he finished talking, his voice turning into a whimper. Your wetness allowed for easy entry as he bottomed out.

There was a consistent wet slapping as Javier began fucking into you, throwing your legs over his shoulders. His expression was completely debauched, seemingly more aroused by the idea of permeating your womb with his cum. He shuddered at the very thought of you being pregnant, and was filled with a sense of anticipatory wonder and excitement when pondering the thought of expanding your family together.

“You look so good, can’t wait to see your belly swell…” Javier threw his head back and his eyes slid slowly closed, wetting his lips with his tongue as though his words left a decadent taste on his lips. His hips pistoned into you with determination, and within a few minutes he ended up cumming. Though you barely registered the fact he did, as he kept thrusting into you. You groaned at the feeling of his cum seeping out of you, only to be fucked back inside by him. He scooped up any that escaped, claiming that it all needed to be inside you. A white halo formed at his base, and his fascination with watching his cock disappear into you bordered on obsession.

“Take all my cum.” He breathed into your ear, his breath hitching as he came again. The two of you laid there together, dissolving into a chorus of breathlessness as you tried to recollect yourselves. You both became an amalgamation of combined limbs as you embraced each other, not minding the intense body heat the both of you emitted, even if it became unbearable.

“I love you, Javier…” You sighed, burying your face in his neck. He smelled of sweat and faintly of scented shampoos and products.

“I love you too, amor.” He kissed your forehead. He made it a point to shift his hips into a more comfortable position to remain inside you, harboring some sort of irrational fear that if he slid out, you might somehow wake up not pregnant.

He held you tight as you fell asleep, and oh, how quickly you gave in to exhaustion. His chest swelled with pride and excitement, and every time he felt himself getting closer to sleep, the thought of soon being a father made him skittish and ripped sleep away from him. And at once, all the violence and pain that it took to get to this point made sense.

Let's Go To Bed - The Cure

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead fandom #red dead redemption community #red dead redemption 2 x reader #van der linde gang x reader #writing #red dead fanfiction #javier escuella fluff #javier escuella x reader smut #javier escuella smut #javier escuella rdr2 #javier escuella x reader #javier escuella

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mrchiipchrome · 1 year

Text

The '23 Bonnie & Clyde

W.C: 2,9 K

You had started to play the guitar at the age of four when your parents bought you your very first guitar. It was one of those truly horrible plastic toy guitars with basically unusable strings. Two years later they put you in your first lessons and now 18 years later you are still playing your heart out, only now in front of unimaginable crowds. You and some of your childhood friends created your band at the ripe age of 15 as you started with making covers of your favorite songs in your garage and later uploading them to YouTube.

Soon enough your videos began to pick up some traction and you began getting gigs at local bars and cafes, and eventually you even began to write your own songs. You were the songwriter/guitarist, Benjamin was your bassist and backup vocalist, Amelia was your lead singer and Alexander was your drummer.

You’re the one who writes the lyrics as well as the actual music as you were the one who had the best visions of how the songs were supposed to sound. The rest of the band usually gave their input and you made sure to add as much of them as possible. In your fifteen year old minds you thought that calling your band The Summer Trucks was the most hilarious thing ever, now that was a household name.

Now at 24 you were incredibly thankful for everything that has transpired in your life up to this point. All your work and creativity has earned you a massive record deal and success all over the world with your songs being played practically everywhere. And yet everything paled in comparison to her, your girlfriend who you had met in a local coffee shop in North Carolina three years ago. You had just finished a gig, though this one without your band mates as the owner had requested that you be the only one there.

You hadn’t paid attention to where you were going, having had a song idea and needed to write it down before it slipped your mind. You were cautiously walking towards the counter to order yourself whatever drink you were craving that day when you felt another body colliding with your own, warm liquid spilling down your front as you let out a quick yelp.

You were incredibly surprised and as your now stained tee stuck to your skin you could hear a multitude of apologies fall from the other person's lips. When you looked up you were even more surprised, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl you had ever seen and you had let your eyes fall on celebrities who were classed as the most beautiful in the world. And yet none of those celebrities had even a fraction of the clumsy girl’s beauty.

You were simply speechless, the hot drink spilled on you earlier completely forgotten about. She took your silence as anger which was the complete opposite of what you were feeling. You reached your hands up to her arms, a way to tell her that it was okay and that you weren’t mad. She stops her rambling as soon as she looks into your eyes and seemingly recognises who you are, you can nearly see how the cogs turn in her head as she figures out where she has seen you before. Her eyes widened and you let a smile creep onto your face, looking down you spot her athletic wear and the iconic tar heels logo on the front.

“I’m so incredibly sorry, I don’t even know how I fell- God I’m so stupid” Before she can continue to put herself down you invite her to sit with you in one of the countless booths in the coffee shop. This led to you and the mystery girl, who later let you know that her name was Alessia, engaging in a conversation lasting hours.

By the end of the meeting it was dark outside and both of you had gotten countless texts from your teammates or bandmates respectively. But you felt like you had known Alessia for years and as you picked up your guitar from the guitar stand you asked her to put her number in your phone, even going as far as letting her know the code to your phone.

As you make your way back to the hotel where you and your bandmates had been staying all you could think about was Alessia and how her eyes were some of the most gorgeous things you had ever seen. When you had arrived at the hotel your bandmates could see the dazed look in your eyes and instead of trying to tease you about being out for so long, they left you alone knowing that times like these were when you would write masterpieces.

That night all you did was sit and write, you wrote everything that you had felt during your conversation and everything after. Then the process of rewriting your thoughts into songs began and by the end of the night your band had gained five new songs. Arriving down for breakfast that morning you were sluggish in your movements, dark circles surrounding your eyes and an accomplished smile on your tired face.

Those five songs plus an additional four amassed into an album to which you gave the name ‘Coffee Shop Love’, the band's third studio album. Made up of love filled songs and hopeful messages, it became one of the most listened to albums of 2020 with many songs topping the charts in countless different countries. You and Alessia continued to text each other and after two months of flirting and sweet goodmorning messages you had finally gotten together.

15 year old you never would have thought that this would be your life, touring with the band created in your garage and an amazing footballer as your girlfriend. Sure, it had been difficult few years with Alessia training and having games and you touring with the band and writing hit after hit.

You did take a break from touring when you attended the Euros final at Wembley, having been invited by Alessia. The pure joy expressed on Alessia’s face when that final whistle blew had your own eyes tearing up as you cheered and sang ‘Sweet Caroline’ with the rest of the crowd.

Lately you had become a hot topic between Alessia’s teammates as well as the media, having been spotted going to their games wearing an England jersey with the name on the back unknown. It had recently been revealed that the band was in the studio, working on new music and you were known for going to random and unrelated places for inspiration. Well, it had started that way but after meeting Alessia you had started to go to places that reminded you of her. Coffee shops, football pitches and different locations in Manchester were where you would be found most times.

Sometimes you could be found wandering the cold, narrow streets of Manchester before sitting down on a random bench under a tree with only your notebook and a pen to keep you company. When you would come home you would sit down and start to compose a tune which matches perfectly with the words that are jotted down in your notebook.

Returning to the matter at hand, Alessia’s teammates had been arguing nonstop for the past few weeks and it was driving her nuts. Most nights she’s heard complaining over facetime about how miserable it is to hear her teammates argue about who’s name was on the back of your jersey when it clearly was hers. And everytime she complained you just laughed and told her that it was your secret and every time she would give you one of her signature smiles, the one that could instantly light up your slightly brooding demeanor.

You and Alessia had never really had the conversation of going public, I mean you never really had to considering no one suspected anything despite going on numerous dates together and posting small hints about who you were hanging out with. There were a few muttered suspicions from people of both fandoms but nothing really took off, so ultimately it fell on our hands to reveal your relationship.

Now going about this was something new to the both of you, never having to reveal a relationship before and you had sat and discussed late into the evening on how to do it. There were many options, going to one of her games and kissing her at the end, dropping hints in your music, soft launching it or hard launching it. Eventually you both settled on making the announcement via instagram, with matching photos from the past halloween where you had dressed in matching costumes.

—————————

“Lessi! Where are you?” The vibrations of your voice carry throughout the apartment as you enter. This is normal, you asking where she is as soon as you enter wanting to locate her as soon as possible. Today a sense of urgency is noticeable as your voice sounds hurried, throwing out the words without a care in the world.

“In here!” Her downright addictive voice reaches your ears, seemingly coming from the direction of the kitchen. Unconsciously, your feet carry you in the direction of her voice in an effort to see and embrace her. Arriving at the kitchen the sight that meets your eyes is so domestic that you feel like you’re about to cry. Standing there over the stove is Alessia cooking some Italian dish you’ve forgotten the name of.

The heavenly smell wafts into your nose and you let out a small groan, waltzing over to her as she stirs whatever is in the pan and you wrap your rather muscular arms around her waist. You have started to join in on some extra workouts she performs at home recently and you’ve started to see the result, arms more defined as well as your leg muscles something you know Alessia enjoyed seeing. It isn’t that you didn’t workout before, it’s just that you didn’t do it as frequently as you do currently.

It warms your heart whenever Alessia cooks for you, to think that she takes time out of her day to cook you a home cooked meal just amazes you. She cooks for you even though she’s tired and sore from training, it just makes your heart burst with love.

“Do you need help with anything?” Shaking her head, she turns towards you while you continue to clutch her waist. When she finally faces you she moves her hands up and places them delicately against your reddened cheeks, leaning in to connect your lips for what feels like the first time today. When she pulls away she keeps her hands on your face, fingers gently running over your lips as a large smile takes over her soft features when your blush darkens.

Turning around in your arms, she takes back her earlier statement as she nods her head towards the living room where all your guitar equipment is.

“Some live music would be nice” Barking out a loud laugh at her statement you remove your arms from their place around her waist and start your short trek through the small Manchester apartment. It is a one bedroom apartment with a large living room and a nice bedroom.

There was a doorway that led from the kitchen into the living room and then when you reach the living room there was another doorway that led to a hallway straight into the bedroom you shared. The bathroom is just to the right side of the entrance, while the coat and shoe rack are to the left.

Picking up your favorite acoustic guitar, your very first one in fact, you start to walk back towards the kitchen all while picking up your capo and a plectrum. When you arrive back in the kitchen you see Alessia standing there, a glass of red wine in her hands as she continues to cook. Walking over to her you pluck the glass out of her hands, taking a quick sip before handing it back to her but not before getting fixed with an offended look.

Sitting down on the marble countertop you are in your natural habitat, with a guitar sitting in your lap. Your fingers are on the fretboard as you start to tune it, first playing the bass E while holding your finger on the fifth fret and the A string together to see if they sound the same. You tweak the E string a little bit before repeating the process and moving your finger down to the fifth fret on the A string and playing it together with the D string. It repeats until you reach the B string where you move your finger to the fourth fret as the high E has a lighter sound than what you could match with the B.

“Alright, I’m all tuned and ready. You have any requests for the performer, madam?”

“Yeah, could you do that Metallica song we listened to last saturday? I can’t remember what it’s called, Nothing happens? Nothing else…something.” Snapping her fingers as she tries to remember the song's name has a quick smile creeping up on your face.

“Nothing Else Matters, you mean? Sure I can play that for you!” You see the relieved smile on her face as you understand her ramblings. Playing the opening notes of the calm song you soon have to run your fingers all over the fret all while alternating between plucking and strumming with your right hand. You play with an unbelievable amount of class, alike to how Alessia behaves on the pitch in your element.

The song comes to a close just as Alessia finishes up the food and you put your guitar back in its place in the living room before joining Alessia again. You help her with the cutlery and the plates as she serves you both, you go over to the cupboard again as you search for a glass. Taking a hold of your chosen glass you move towards the refrigerator where you fetch the sparkling water. Sitting down across the table from Alessia, you take a bite of the food and nearly moan as the incredible flavour hits your tastebuds.

The sound of Alessia’s soft laughter wakes you from the trance the food has put you in and you look up and straight into her unbelievably blue eyes.Suddenly you can’t help but blurting out something you had thought about long and hard. Watching as Alessia takes a bite of her pasta,your mouth spills out the words.

“I want to reveal our relationship” All of a sudden choking sounds are heard and the only thing you can think about is when she told you about how she had choked on her pasta in Jordan. Going to her side to clap her back, you press a kiss to the side of her face when she seems to not be choking anymore.

“What?”

“I wanna tell people about us. I wanna be able to hold your hand and take you to award shows. I wanna be able to brag to people about my strong footballer girlfriend that I’m oh so proud of.”

“Yeah, yeah I can get behind that. How do you want to announce it?”

“Instagram? We can post the pictures from last halloween, you were so gorgeous drenched in fake blood.”

She gives you a weird look when you say that but you just shrugged as if saying ‘what? did you want me to lie?’. Getting through the rest of the meal without any other outbursts, you eventually settle on the couch after putting your cutlery in the dishwasher and you start to plan out how you were going to do this. Choosing your pictures and typing out matching captions based on your outfits in the pictures you press post at the exact same time, not having to wait for long until your phones start to blow up.

@ yourinstagram

Liked by leahwiliamsonn, alessiarusso99 and 2 863 657 others

yourinstagram all I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend @alessiarusso99

alessiarusso99 love you my Clyde❤️

↳yourinstagram love you even more my Bonnie ❤️

leahwilliamsonn you have to introduce us @alessiarusso99

ellatoone why wasn’t I told about this 😐

↳loveameliaclark yeah why weren’t we told about this

↳benmajorss yeah @ yourinstagram @alessiarusso99

↳alexgrant98 yeah

↳yourinstagram you just had to join didn’t you @alexgrant98

beyoncé ❤️

↳woso-fan BEYONCÉ?

ohgrays this is so nom x

y/nfan37 EXCUSE ME? Now this I didn’t have on my 2023 bingo card

barclayswsl hottest couple alert 🚨

thesummertrucksofficial w caption

↳yourinstagram thanks Matthew

@alessiarusso99

Liked by yourinstagram, ellatoone and 186 593 others

alessiarusso99 The ‘23 Bonnie and Clyde, Blondie and Rockstar @yourinstagram

yourinstagram I only need you my dearest Bonnie ❤️

↳alessiarusso99 and I you my dearest Clyde ❤️

loveameliaclark still mad that you didn’t tell us first @ yourinstagram, but welcome into the family Alessia!

benmajorss so you’re the reason why we have been getting sweet love songs lately…

↳yourinstagram BENJAMIN ANDRE MAJORS II

↳tstloml not the full name💀

alexgrant98 so who’s the best man?

↳benmajorss me obviously

↳loveameliaclark nah it’s obviously me

↳alexgrant98 @loveameliaclark ur not even a man

↳loveameliaclark I will hit you @alexgrant98

manutdwomen ❤️

russolover the matching captions, are they trying to kill us?

You repost each others post on your instagram stories before settling into the couch and spending the rest of the night together with Alessia basking in each others company, proud of the fact that you had just broken the internet.

Happy Easter/holidays everyone if you celebrate that! Hope y'all like that one. I've been playing the guitar since I was about 8, but I started to take lessons in fourth grade and I'm in eighth now. But yeah this was a fun one, What do we think about R being a manager for the next fic?

#alessia russo imagines #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo #alessia russo imagine #engwnt x reader #woso x reader #lionesses x reader #woso imagines

432 notes · View notes

lostheretics · 3 months

Text

PLOT TWIST (6)

▸ chapter 6; bonnie, clyde, and the others on the side

pt. 1 || pt. 2 || pt. 3 || pt. 4 || pt. 5 || pt. 6

✵ cast : jung wooyoung x fem!reader, kim hongjoong, lee juyeon, kim younghoon, ateez, mentioned oc and many kpop artists name or group

✵ genre : romance, marriage life, eventual angst, smut, mafia!au, non idol!au

✵ summary : there's you, and me, and us, and oh wait. perhaps there's more.

in which marriage is not always a paradise, honeymoon avenue somehow is far behind as you look through the rearview mirror. and beware of the road ahead, for accidents might happen. road work, traffic jam,

or some stranger trying to get a lift, perhaps for a permanent front seat.

✵ notes : 6k-ish. thanks for waiting, to those whoever awaits i guess. PLS REBLOG (i will appreciate this sm) AND GIVE SOME THOUGHTS IF U HAVE THEM. ENJOY

WARNINGS BELOW CUT

☒ warnings: bad words here and there (it's life, but still minors dni) but do remind me if i missed something.

☒ i do not condone mafia acts nor any acts that goes against the law at all. everything mentioned are just purely fiction, made to entertain myself and fellow readers in this particular platforms.

☒ do not repost this on any other platform without my permission!

✓ reblogging, liking, and commenting this post in tumblr (through comment or askbox) are very much appreciated.

i don’t know how exactly to start this one.

but it’s about younghoon, the crown prince of seoul, the heir of the seoul kim family and the huge problem he’s facing right now. he’s in a deep shit. the shit being the problem that could swallow him whole. the huge problem being falling in love.

how is it a problem? one might ask.

well, he fell in love with a woman he’s not supposed to fall in love with. for god’s sake, it was supposed to be just a one night job. a good friendship, a good business partner if it goes for more. but he overstepped. he couldn’t help it. not to mention the woman he fell in love with is already tied down to another man.

simply put, he somehow fell in love with jung y/n.

and most of all, over a single fucking ice cream night.

as he laid on his bed, his mind could only go back on repeating the moment, on and on again.

you were such a good dancer.

you’re a really good dancer.

younghoon’s brain kept on saying so as each of his hand held your waist and hand, guiding you through a dance in one of mrs. han’s party that you got yourself into.

he still couldn’t believe how easy it is for you to get an invitation over a single lunch and conversation with mrs. han.

safe to say you had charmed the lady.

and not long into the party, you had once again charmed your way into her heart. and her daughter’s heart more importantly, with the talk of younghoon’s brother, the main target of the whole operation. you charmed them so much to the point that mrs. han had set a formal date to meet both the families up. of course, with the thoughts of marital proposal and possible mergers of the two powers.

the outcome of it might still change, but you still got the two families to meet up with each other and that alone is impressive enough to him.

that’s why you and younghoon spend the rest of the evening dancing and chatting. the job is practically finished, and what’s left was easing up to each other.

“i owe you for this one. a promise and more, i think. you’ve landed my whole family a new ally, and my brother a possible wife. in less than a month, i might add.” he had said while leading you on a dance.

you’ve found that younghoon, more than just a charming man, is also a good and down earthed one.

you smiled at him, “it’s a possible outcome, but not yet certain, mr. kim.”

“younghoon.”

“huh?”

“younghoon. it’s kinda too fast, but we’ve come this far and i think it’s safe to say we can certainly be on first name basis now, y/n.” he said, “only if you’re comfortable with it, of course.”

“…if you say so, younghoon.”

younghoon smiled back. it might sound awkward still, but for that, time can be the cure. not everything can be done instantly anyways.

the dance stopped after a while. younghoon and you had several rounds of conversations around the room, keeping the couple act up. his hand would be guiding you by your back, fixing your dress or holding your drink or handbag whenever you need the help, including you in every conversation.

he truly is a gentleman.

mrs. han, as the socialite she is, invited many important guests. though filled with other socialite wives, there are some prominent figures like deputy chief of the police, in which younghoon is close to, several high ranked people from ministry of health, or even other well-known and successful businessmen and businesswomen from all around the country. everything fell like a domino effect to you, just by knowing younghoon alone.

after a while, you and younghoon came to the realization that you both were not a fan of the crowd. hence, you both decided to shy away from the crowd and opting to sit by the empty gardens, a bowl of ice cream in on one hand and your champagne glasses on the other.

quietness filled you both as you enjoy the way the star shone that night, while munching on the vanilla ice cream you got from the ice cream bar inside.

“this reminds me of the first time i met you, you know.” younghoon broke the silence. you turned to him with a raised eyebrow, telling him to elaborate.

“i was getting away from the crowd in juyeon’s party so i went to the gardens. instead of watching the sky, i had to watch this lady fainting in the middle of the garden in a party—“

“ugh.” you groaned.

“—and i had no choice but to help her, because i’m such a gentleman.” he jested.

you closed your eyes. “that’s the most embarrassing thing to ever happen in my entire life.”

“imagine the shock when i learned this lady who fainted would soon become my business partner? and great one at that?”

“great one? i’m flattered, younghoon.”

“and you should be. with the amount of achievement? so many in so little time.” younghoon said.

you chuckled lightly. you looked at the hem of your dress, playing with it to satisfy your fidgety urge.

“i had to. you know, for the family. for my husband, given the state we were in.” you murmured, “i only want stability, if not with peace.”

it wasn’t the first time you mentioned your husband’s name to him. some people in the mafia know that you are jung wooyoung’s wife, and he your husband. younghoon knew that too. but most of the times you were with younghoon, you never failed to mention your husband’s name. him being a great caporegime, good strategist, good husband who took you to meetings, et cetera. and always with a smile on your face. it never failed to amaze younghoon just how much love you have for him.

“how does it feel like?” he blurted out suddenly.

“huh?”

“to be married. to be in love in this… society of ours.” he said. “you seemed to be in love with your husband, which isn’t an everyday thing that happen here, you know? ‘cause most relationships are… benefit based. arranged marriage, forced ones… so how?”

“oh, that.” you smiled. “because there isn’t any benefit. we’re just… in love with each other. i didn’t came from any mafia group or family, it just happen that i worked for one without knowing they’re one, and i just met wooyoung. just like that. it’s unlikely in the mafia world, and the ways are also unlikely to happen in a normal world. but we dated, we fell harder, and decided to settle down.”

“and to me, at least, it feels great. i don’t think i’ll ever feel this way again. not before him, not after him.” you had mouthed in the end, unconsciously pouring up some of you heart contents.

younghood sighed. “must be beautiful.”

“you could’ve got all of it, you know. just now.”

“how so?”

“the arrangement with the han’s daughter. might be an arrangement, but a good and stable one at that. i mean, you’re the crown prince of your family. you have power. just treat her right, and tell her to treat you right, then you wait for the love to bloom. might take time, might not be the same as mine, but a win win solution still.” you expressed. “why giving it all away for your brother? no offense, he looks like a great guy like you, but why?”

younghoon chuckled. the usual question. after all, who in their right mind would give away all powers like just that?

“hm, where do i start?” he murmured to himself, then continued.

“to put it easily, i’m here, but i don’t wanna be here. my heart isn’t fully in this. despite my rank, birth and responsibilities, my brother is more suited for this job. that's why he's always around me, i might hand him this job. hence, the arrangement and all."

“what is it then, the thing you want to do the most?”

he leaned back a bit. eyes looking up, seemingly thinking and lost in his thoughts. you stared at him, stared at the way his eyes mirror the twinkling of the stars, and the way he tugged his lips up.

“a doctor.” he quietly said, after a while. “a real one. not for my family’s business. going all around the world as a volunteer, and actually helping actual people in need.”

“when i was in uni, i wanted to pursue a med career. but my dad didn’t really approve of it— of my future career choices in med as a volunteer. and med field are most held by my uncle and his children. so my dad offered me a chance for a med career, just not in the actual med field, but more on the business site. so i took law as my major and business as my minor and took over one of our hospitals.” he explained, before continuing, “but, i still make the best out of it. i volunteered a lot in uni, and my hospital is one of the best hospital in seoul in its practices, and we have a lot charity events to help people.”

you stared at him, awed. there was no words that could describe how amazed you are.

“wow.” was all you could say.

silence filled the both of you for quite some time. each of you let the conversation sink in deep, trying to understand each character, though perhaps in a light that’s slightly different from the usual one in the underworld. there were no hostility, no walls kept up too high, no tactics.

just two people in a mellow moment, enjoying each other’s company and in harmony.

following your own question, he then asked.

“what about you, y/n? what kind of life do you want to live?”

now, it was your time to be the one deep in thoughts. the one who stare at the stars, humming to yourself, thinking of the right answer.

“not a mafia one, to be honest.” you murmured, “but… ever since i met wooyoung, i feel like… i’ve lived my life. that i’m living in the life that i want,”

”with the one that i love most.”

somehow your words seemed so sincere to younghoon’s ears. so pure, so innocent, and so dreamy. something that he once dreamed of, something, or dare he say, someone that he wished for.

and somehow, you left younghoon star struck.

how will he ever move on? how will he ever find someone if he set such standard for his love life? a fairytale like love life, in this kind of environment.

he wondered about the life that you have with wooyoung, wondered if he ever will have those life. he wondered what if he was the one you met instead of wooyoung.

wishful thinking, eh?

but that’s all they are; thoughts. his gentlemanly self wouldn’t have it in his heart to steal like that. to take someone else away just for his own. no, he’s not that kind of man, and he stood by that.

yet it didn’t do anything to erase your pictures from his mind. at least for the night. it doesn’t lessen the warmth bubbling in his gut as he type his message to you in his phone; the eagerness to see you as soon as possible.

me: evening y/n. is tomorrow’s plan still up?

younghoon put his hand down, tapping his phone against his bedsheet as he anxiously wait for a reply; if any would come. the clock on his bedside table showed the time. 1:47 am. you must’ve fallen asleep, right?

right.

ding.

jung y/n: wouldn’t miss it. see u soon, hoon

younghoon think he might need to see a doctor now. his heart’s beating way too fast.

you: woo you: i dont think i can send lunch today cause im visiting the kims at their house. im sorry :(((((( you: pls dont miss lunch ok i asked the butler to send u some food. ilysm you: also idk when i’ll be home, so pls sleep early. i promise u’ll see me in ur dreams xo

you sighed, just after your thumb clicked on the send button for the last message.

sending lunch for wooyoung is one of your sacred daily routine ever since marriage, and this would be the first time for you not to do so. you sighed again, trying to get the uneasiness to subside so you can focus on your job today.

but it’s still there. prickling you slightly from the inside, initiating the thoughts and realization that you haven’t met wooyoung that much these past few days.

waking up today, you could only share a quick peck as wooyoung was in a hurry for a mission, so he said. last few days you could only drop his lunch and left as quick to continue your own job. suddenly everyone everywhere needed you.

you miss him.

last night you were together, you remember as if it was just yesterday, you recalled how you were talking about this exact problem, this exact thing. it fears you of how fast it came true to life. and you fear even more if it ever will go even further.

ding

woo: im gonna cry woo: jk but it’s ok babe i’ll be on a mission anw today, i dont know when i’ll be done. but i’ll be home tonight woo: come back fast if u can, ok? i love you too

just as you finished reading his replies, a sound of horn blasted as a black shiny car pulled up in front of you. the door to the driver side opened up, and you were gifted with the sight of younghoon emerging from the car, offering you a bright smile.

“ready?” was all he said while opening the passenger door, inviting you into his car.

you nod and said a small yes, entering his car. you stare at your screen for a little while, before typing a quick response.

wifey: i’ll try my best.

a sigh escaped through his lips after your last message to him. putting his phone back to the slot beside him, wooyoung could only stare far into the dark alleys in front of him. his mind filled with you it made his heart heavy.

it was never a problem before, when he had to go far or for a while on missions away from you. you’d miss him, he’d miss you, but right then he knew that whatever the circumstances, when he came back home you’ll always be there.

it’s not the case now.

he’s away for missions, and you’re away for business. when you’re home, he might not be home, and when he’s home, you might not be.

for that, he feels the subtle ache in his chest.

his fingers mindlessly tapped against the wheel of his car, before he was pulled back to his senses. the passenger door opened, showing jiwoo and her smile.

and her tight red dress.

“take a picture, it’ll last longer.” her snickers made him clear his throat, looking somewhere else to avoid jiwoo’s playful glint. he mentally slapped himself for even staring at jiwoo, but as a man, how could he not?

her neck is on display, as were her long legs. the dress short, but long enough to keep the gun and some knives hidden away. and with her features, anyone would be swooned by her presence.

maybe that’s why she got assigned for this mission, and again, with wooyoung.

what the fuck am i thinking? i have a wife.

“what takes you so long?”

“chill, i was getting some snacks for us. you said we’ll be spying and tailing a lot, so i figured we’ll be staying in the car quite a lot.”

“nah, change of plans.”

“what?”

“san called. seonghwa said we should go undercover into the club and get the stuff ourselves. so i’ll go as a gambler and you,” he eyed her up and down, “you, conveniently, will be enough as a distraction. did you knew we’re doing this for the mission?”

“nope, i was just feeling myself with the dress.” she shrugged. wooyoung raised a brow, but found nothing came up into his mind nor out of his mind, so he just started driving, wanting nothing more than to finish the mission.

“so what’s the stuff we’re getting?” jiwoo asked as they parked a few buildings before the club. the car came to a halt, the sight of the dimly lit club welcomed their eyes.

“san said it’s a ledger.” he got himself ready, “hongjoong needs something in there. it’s a proof, list of government officers getting involved in the human trafficking ring.”

“that’s terrible.”

“there are better words to describe how disgusting that is, but sure. now,” he turned to jiwoo, “i’ll go in, act kinda drunk and gamble some money for the ledger. you’ll be the distraction and a plan b; should i fail in getting the ledger, you should be the one getting it. okay?”

“okay.”

parting there, wooyoung got out of the car and walked to the club.

so here’s the thing about missions. they can be safe, they can be risky. zero to two means safe, something like spying or just plain investigating. on the other hand, field missions can have more risks, depending on the type of job. whether you have to stay low, or to kill as little as possible, or to not be seen yet has to be there on the spot. it depends.

and on a scale from one to ten, wooyoung is absolutely fucked.

it was supposed to be a ‘get in, get out’ type of job and without being seen. yet he managed to make a group of 10 people running after him in the club, after he tried to trick the dealer, a.k.a the owner of the club —the stupidest thing he's ever done in a mission.

“stop right there!”

a gunshot was heard, luckily not hitting wooyoung anywhere. but guns are out, which means his had to, whether he liked it or not.

he ran in between the crowd of people dancing and getting high, staying as low and as unseen as possible —which, he kinda failed in the first place, but he did his absolute best—, and he took out his glock from his hidden holster, shooting enemies in his sight. thankfully the music is loud enough to cover the sound of his gun. the ledger is safe in the bag, but if he’s not, then there’s no point in doing the mission any longer. but he had to hold on.

all while he ran and shoot, he cursed jiwoo for not holding them for long. she should’ve been a distraction, but perhaps not distracting enough.

“fuck!” he shouted.

and right after, the power went out in the whole club.

all the lights, all the music suddenly died, and the party goers could only ah-ed in unison clearly disappointed at the outcome. wooyoung couldn’t see anything in the dark, and had to stop for a while. he looked around, and found the group of men running after him starting to turn on their flashlights. he was about to run when suddenly someone grabbed his hand.

“it’s me, jiwoo!” the voice whispered loudly. wooyoung looked up and found jiwoo holding him, pulling him away from the crowd. she handed him a shirt and a new hat, rushing to cover him with it.

“let’s get out.”

jiwoo guided him out, away from the prying eyes in the darkness, before the power went back on. the backdoor was empty, leaving only wooyoung and jiwoo. jiwoo kept holding onto wooyoung, pulling him as they ran for their car a few blocks down. wooyoung almost threw himself into the car, sighed loudly when he felt the leather seat touched his back.

“what the fuck was that?” he spat out to jiwoo.

“you tell me! how’d you get chased by those guys? i thought we’re doing this quietly?” she spat back.

“that was the plan, but you failed to hold them back.”

jiwoo rolled her eyes. “no, you failed to realize that they have more security than what you think.”

“the fuck was that supposed to mean? i had mingi and san check everything before we go in. and they're doing a bidding for the ledgers anyways.” wooyoung hit back, making her sigh before explaining.

“you were already far into the club when i found out that the bidding is for tomorrow, so the ledger being there was still a top secret until tonight. reaching out would be risky, and i couldn’t explain it that fast, so i had to do plan c.”

“plan c?”

“i broke into their cctvs and jammed the whole thing so there’s no track of you, then cut out the power to get you out of there.”

he contemplated her answers for a while. sighing again, wooyoung laid back to his chair, trying to ease his breathing.

“thank you.” he said defeatedly.

“we’re partners. i protect you, and you protect me woo,” she shrugged. “now move your ass and let me drive. you’re hurt.”

“huh?”

he glanced towards his body trying to find the hurting part. he reached behind his shoulder, wincing when felt a cut wound along his upper shoulder blade. blood was evident on his fingertips when he pulled them back. it must be enemies’ knife cutting through when they fought, and didn’t realize up until jiwoo point it out.

“just a scratch.”

“yeah well that scratch probably needs a few stitches. c’mon.”

jiwoo moved into the driver’s seat, then drove the car away from the chaotic club. for a while, no one said a word, except wooyoung when he gave a call to san about the mission. the sight of endless trees and dark road made him drowsy, and soon he fell into his slumber.

“hey, wake up.”

wooyoung jolted awake, blinking his sleepiness away after jiwoo woke him up. he looked around in confusion, realizing they’re not back at their base.

“where are we?”

“other town nearby. let’s be safe and make sure they lost our tracks completely,” she pushed his seat back to create more space before shimmying herself into the tight spot. “take your shirt off.”

“w-what?”

the comical look in his eyes made jiwoo laughed as she reached for his shirt.

“yo! yes you’re hot–“

“i’m hot?” she chuckled.

“yes, no– shit– i got a wife ji–“

“’m not trying to fuck, silly. i’m trying to fix your wound. now take the damn shirt off.”

with jiwoo's determination, he had no choice but to take off his shirt hesitantly, glancing back to jiwoo, “look away.”

“shut the fuck up i've literally seen your body when we spar.”

off his shirt goes, showing his skin that glows under the yellow lights. jiwoo handed him a soju to distract him from the pain as she stitch his wound up. he winced a couple of times when the needle poked through his skin, but he held on.

jiwoo’s fingertips are cold, soothing to his hot wounded skin. despite the harsh words, she’s light with her hands. the sound of his and her quiet breathing filled the air.

“the pharmacist said there’s a motel just down the road, maybe we should crash there for the night.”

maybe it’s the soju he downed to the last drop. maybe he lost too much blood because of that wound. maybe it’s the fact that he’s half naked, tipsy, and jiwoo is wearing a red, absolutely sexy dress, but holy fuck, did jung wooyoung just glitched in the brain at the mention of a motel and staying the night out with another woman.

“why?”

“it’s almost 2 in the morning.” she murmured. “the drive to the base would take 2 to 3 hours, and honestly i’m tired. you’re wounded and no doubt tipsy, i’m not about to let us crash somewhere down the road.”

that makes sense. but he had other ideas, as he reached out to the console, trying to find his phone. maybe someone could fetch them up, wooyoung thought. he tapped on the screen a couple of times, clicking on the power button but to no avail. the screen stayed dark.

“shit, my phone’s dead.” he glanced towards jiwoo who just shrugged.

“mine’s dead too.”

and no one thought of bringing a charger with them.

he groaned, leaning back to his seat. after a few beat of silence, he just nodded. “well, i guess we have no choice.”

somewhere in him, it feels wrong. like something is poking through his chest as jiwoo drove down the road, right to the said motel and parked the car. like there’s an unseen stop sign in him, reminding him to not to do it as jiwoo pulled him to the motel room.

but what could go wrong? wooyoung doesn’t like jiwoo in that way.

not even the way she took her dress off carelessly in front of him, opting to change into a bathrobe that’s not even tied properly. not the way he clearly saw her pair of underwear.

shit.

but no, he doesn’t like her like that. and he’s sure of that. yet, the blaring sound of siren kept playing in his mind, reminding him that this isn’t right.

but perhaps it’s the soju that calmed the siren down, as he doze off into his slumber once again.

jung wooyoung woke up that morning, with a headache and pain on his shoulder. and that dull thing poking through his chest, and the same siren blasted again in his head when he saw himself; splayed on the bed half naked, with jiwoo and her loose robe, limbs tangled with each other underneath the sheets.

nothing happened last night, he's damn sure of it and remembered every single second that passed before he fell asleep.

yet, still, he doesn’t like this feeling.

“are you okay?”

younghoon nudged you, who immediately woke up from the empty daydream you had just now.

“huh?”

“you’ve been out of it for like, a solid 5 minutes. are you okay? did my father say something to offend you?”

“no. nothing important.”

yes. it was something that could change her whole life.

you sighed, “it’s just… i forgot to tell wooyoung that i’m staying out last night. he hates sleeping alone.” she lied. though, not entirely. she did forgot to tell wooyoung about the whole staying out for the night last night. wooyoung would absolutely gone batshit, but judging from the lack of his messages on your phone, he might not have known it yet. which is strange.

guilt bubbled up in younghoon, easily seen through his eyes. “i’m really sorry about last night. my father… tend to get too friendly and would sometimes step over the boundaries, like insisting for you to stay the night. i should’ve said no and took you home. god, he even made you stay up late.” he grumbled.

“it’s okay, he meant well. i just forgot to tell wooyoung, that’s all.”

“when i drop you off, i’ll explain everything to wooyoung and hongjoong, so they won’t have any weird ideas about it.” younghoon said, “you’re a married woman after all. we don’t want any trouble.”

you smiled and nodded, “thank you for the offer. i’d be thankful.”

younghoon smiled back, and continued driving towards ateez mansion, as you fall back to yet another set of daydreaming, or, more specifically contemplating your whole existence after the talk with younghoon’s father last night.

over some of his words.

01.59 am

a sigh almost left your mouth, along with a yawn, but you held back as best as you could. after all, you’re presented before kim younghoon’s father, the senior in kim’s family and not to mention one of the prominent figure in the business.

but you have no regrets, all the time passed wasn’t for nothing. and he’s a pleasant man.

“you work diligently, younghoon have said this a lot. he’s not easy to get close with,” the man chuckled, “well, it’s a shame that you’re married. i would’ve offered my son to you, he seemed intrigued.”

“you flatter me, sir. and more often than not, younghoon is the one who helped me a lot since i got into the business.”

he smiled, putting down his cup of tea. “so i’ve heard. ah, didn’t you meet younghoon through the lees?”

you nodded, “yes. lee juyeon, to be precise. though, i don’t know what younghoon has told you about it…”

“he told me everything. of why juyeon gave you to us, what you want and what he wanted. that boy,” he shook his head, tsk-ing, “ruthless as his father was. the whole people in the business had to tip toe around him if they want to be alive. jiyoung would never do that.” then he proceeded to say something that made you raise a brow.

“her child would never.”

“i thought that was just a rumor?”

the man smiled knowingly. “well, sweet lady, this old man here has a reason for supporting lee jiyoung when the sibling war happened, and still is, until now. i know a secret or two, things that others don’t know.” mr. kim explained with a longing gaze. “she’s my best friend, after all.”

“like, a secret marriage?”

you shoot your shot.

“i was one of the few to witness her marriage. she loved seo rim well, despite the fast that he’s just a bodyguard. going against his elder’s wishes of marrying someone more prominent in the business to secure her safety and her throne, me being one of them.”

“and now for that, she had to lose everything. but whatever people say, it was a lawful marriage.”

“seo rim?”

mr. kim laughed, “oh, oops. the name’s out i guess.”

you pressed him again, shooting your shot one more time. “but, what about the child? was it a girl or a boy? where are they?”

but to that question, mr. kim just shrugged. he downed his tea before filling his cup again. “dunno. but if i do, i’d protect them with all i have.”

you closed your mouth, only nodding to his answer. you laid back to your chair. the new information filled your head so it all circled your mind. secret marriage, possible offspring of lee jiyoung. seo rim. the name echoed in your mind. a name you never know before,

but now you do.

mr. kim hummed, staring into the fire in front of him, seemingly in his own mind. you stared at the old man, a few white strands of hair on his head, several lines on his face, and you wonder, what does it feels like to witness a war and survived. he lived long, enough to know the lee jiyoung, to witness things that others don’t. long enough to know people, wise enough to know what to do and what not.

hence the question.

“why me?”

“hm?”

“why did you tell me this? we just met today. and even if you do know me, it’s only from younghoon and that’s not even enough.” you murmured, “so why are you telling me this?”

the man hummed again. “because i know,” he said, making you raise a brow. he continued, “i know i can trust you.”

“where have you been?!”

san’s screeching voice was the first to greet wooyoung when he stepped out of his car with jiwoo. the said man had his hands on his hips, eagle eyes staring down judgingly at the two partners.

“bed’s empty, no note, car gone! you could’ve died!”

wooyoung massaged his temples. “now’s not the time to quote some harry potter line, san.” he groaned.

san shrugged. “it was a moment. and seriously, where have you been? you two! not even a text or a call, we were about to hunt you down!” he accusingly said. “you and y/n both, woo. thankfully y/n told us her whereabouts just this morning. but you? radio silent.”

“my phone died, and so did jiwoo’s.” wooyoung lifted his head when he realized san mentioned your name. “y/n did what?”

slowly, san lowered his hands from his hips. his eyes starting to grow wide with confusion in it. “she didn’t tell you?”

“tell me what?” wooyoung pressed.

“she’s staying out last night as well. at the kim’s.”

his brain short circuited, trying to process san’s words a couple of times. when he finally processed the whole sentences, it left him utterly dumbfounded.

“what?!”

just after he screamed, a black car stopped behind them. the sight of kim younghoon getting out of the car greeted them, along with you, whose door was held open by younghoon.

“speak of the devil.” san blurted.

wooyoung ignored his remarks, opting to trot his way to you. he threw a look on younghoon, before pulling you away from him.

“you didn’t come home last night? why? why didn’t you tell me?” he pressed, his hand still circling your wrist.

you quickly felt guilty. “i’m sorry love, it was younghoon’s father sudden invitation. i couldn’t really get my phone, that was my fault.” you ran your free hand over his bicep, trying to soothe the anger away. “won’t happen again. what time did you get home last night?”

“he stayed out as well.” san replied from behind you. your eyes widened, while he freezed.

“what? you didn’t tell me anything about it. what happened? wha-“ your palm acidentally touched to his shoulder blades, feeling the rough bandage underneath it, “were you hurt?”

but wooyoung turned away, pushing your hand lightly. “just a scratch, it doesn’t matter.” he turned his gaze back to you, once again giving you a questioning look. “why didn’t you come home? why would you stay at someone else’s place? baby, you’re my wife. what would other people say?”

younghoon slotted himself between the two of you. clearing his throat, he explained, “mr. jung, that was my fault. my father can be quite pushy, he insisted that mrs. jung must stay the night because he wanted her company and to talk. i’m sorry, i should’ve insisted on taking her home.”

“damn right you should’ve.” wooyoung spat, earning a slap on his chest from you.

“wooyoung!”

younghoon bowed slightly. “i’m sorry. i’ll make sure no one knows about this, and i’ll explain everything to hongjoong. if these words ever comes out i won’t hesitate to straighten things up and i certainly won’t let this ruin your or y/n’s reputations. once again, i’m sorry.” the man doesn’t even lift his head, bowing once again. “i’m sorry. excuse me.”

“hoon–“ you tried to call him but to no avail, as the man quickly got into his car and drove away. you watched in guilt as his black car went further. throwing a side eye at wooyoung, you detached yourself from him, grumbling as you walked away. he followed right behind you.

“i can’t believe you just did that!”

wooyoung scoffed. “am i not allowed to do that? you’re my wife, and your husband is questioning why were you staying the night at some other man’s house!”

stopping in your tracks, you turned back to glare at him. “i did nothing with younghoon, heck i even stayed at a different wing in his mansion!” you point your finger, “you were staying out last night as well! with your partner who, by the way is also a woman! did you see me complaining or accusing you of anything? no text no nothing, who knows what you did out there?”

…splayed on the bed half naked, with jiwoo and her loose robe, limbs tangled with each other underneath the sheets.

“how could you accuse me of cheating?we didn't do anything!”

“i didn’t even say the word. you put those in your own mouth.”

“i got injured, she was tired, both of our phones are dead, we had no choice but to stay out!”

“that’s exactly what happened to me! younghoon’s father wanted to speak, yes he’s a fucking pushover and that’s kinda annoying so i had no choice but to do as he says because he’s that important, but i did nothing other than talking.” you half shouted. “kim younghoon is an ally, woo. an important one right now. i’m not doing this for me, this whole thing is a business, but then you shouted at him, being completely unprofessional and irrational, i—“

you bit your lip, trying to held your emotions back. “if something goes wrong, hongjoong’s gonna be mad. i’m trying my best right now to gain his trust, to gain something for us, but y—“ you choked back your tears out of frustration, trying your best not to let out a single drop of it.

seeing how you almost broke down lessen his anger.

“baby….”

“you two, enough.”

hongjoong’s voice blared through the whole hallway, making you both turned your heads. you quickly wiped a single tear, trying to compose yourself.

hongjoong had his hands on his pocket, eyes icy as he stared down at the both of you.

“how many times do i have to tell you to keep your goddamn professionalism first in the business?” he gritted through his teeth. you and wooyoung could only stare at the floor beneath you. you heard a sigh coming out of hongjoong’s mouth.

“younghoon explained everything to me, even gave me a proof of y/n’s room. i know you’re angry, but you shouldn’t have shouted at him, woo. and y/n you should’ve known better than to stay at someone else’s place. the fuck is wrong with you two? i'm not even married but i at least know this.”

you and wooyoung could only turn away from hongjoong's gaze, clearly lost your faces.

he shook his head, opting to leave the problem behind. “make up later, however it is. now, you both clean after yourselves, especially you, y/n.” he pointed at you, “you have a lunch reservation with lee juyeon. i approved it for you. i’ll pick you up after for a meeting with stray kids.”

“she just came back from younghoon, now she has to go out with another man again?”

hongjoong only stared at him. “i said stay professional.” he said, before he turned back and walked away.

there’s something sour left in his tongue.

he’s fully aware of the cause, he just couldn’t say it out loud. so he just sat there on the edge of the bed, watching as you prepare yourself.

the both of you talked and sort things out, explaining each problems while you changed his bandage for a fresher one. both of you talked about how it was unavoidable, things you’ve said before, just with cool heads.

but it still left something unpleasant.

you were stepping into a nice green dress, zipping it up. you strapped your heels, then fixed your makeup. a little blush here and there, your hand danced oh so delicately across your face, it would’ve make him all giddy if it wasn’t for the fact that you were about to go out with some other man.

you caught him staring at you from the vanity mirror, the hardness on his face was unmistakable. you sighed as you turned around, walking towards him. wooyoung turned his gaze to the floor, so you reached for his hands, cradling in it your own.

bringing his knuckles to your lips, you kissed it. “i know you’re upset.” you murmured. he stayed quiet, so you continued.

“i don’t know when will all of this stop. but remember the promise we made? hm?” you cradled his face. “i’ll do anything to keep us together and safe. because i love you, and i need you to understand that there’ll be no one other than you.” you pressed.

“others don’t matter. just you.”

you looked at his lips, crouched down to give him a soft kiss. though a little unresponsive, he gave into the kiss.

“i love you too.” he murmured into your lips.

the same words came from the both of your lips. the both of you truly are each other’s halves, in one heart, in one mind, in one act.

even when the same unpleasant feelings resides in both of your hearts, and you both refused to address it.

kim younghoon: i’m sorry about this morning. y/n: it’s alright. i’m sorry my husband shouted at you. we’ve talked abt it tho kim younghoon: it’s okay. he did the right thing. (typing…) (typing…) (typing…) kim younghoon: he’s ur husband, i understand y/n: thank you kim younghoon: y/n y/n: yes? (typing…) (typing…) kim younghoon: we’re still up for tomorrow? y/n: yes. i’ll see u soon.

“ah! if it’s not the rising star of ateez.”

juyeon gleamed as soon as he saw you, smile so wide his eyes smiled with him. and to your surprise, he quickly reached for your hand, planting a kiss on your knuckles.

your husband, who escorted you there was right behind you with hongjoong. both of them were stunned at the sight.

but before anyone could say anything, juyeon excused himself, “i’m sorry mr. jung, i don’t mean anything bad. it’s just, i’m really happy to see y/n. i’ve never been so connected in conversations other than with her.” he grinned, “though, if she was available i’d definitely try my luck.”

he laughed, forcing everyone to laugh with him.

hongjoong spoke, “well, we understand. she’s pleasant to be with, perhaps that’s why our wooyoung loves her so.” he nudged wooyoung, “isn’t that right, woo?”

“yes.” he replied dryly, earning a glare and a squeeze on his shoulder. but he couldn't care less.

“well,” juyeon clasped his hand together, “we should go in. i’m starving, and i wish to have a good conversation today with y/n. if i may?”

juyeon offered his hand to you. glancing between juyeon and wooyoung, you have no choice but to take juyeon’s hand, careful in not looking too eager. you threw a guilty look at him.

while walking inside, you typed a quick text.

y/n: i’m sorry. i had no idea he’d do that, he never does y/n: i’m so sorry baby y/n: it doesn’t mean a thing to me

ding

woo: it’s ok. (typing…) (typing…) woo: come home whenever ur done.

23.47 pm.

you glanced at your watch, sighing defeatedly. you definitely won’t be home as quick as you wanted today.

you already miss wooyoung. but you have to do this.

the alleyway was dark. the sound of your heels clicking against the pavement echoed in the air. the small restaurant was about to close, the light about to go off altogether. you lightly knocked on the door. “excuse me.” you called.

a buffed looking man came out from the kitchen, a knife on his hand. “we’re closing. what do you want?” he gruffly said.

“uhm, sorry,” you stuttered, “is mr. kim’s soju… no,” you quickly regained yourself.

“i want to talk to the soju maker himself, mr. kim. there’s this… old soju i’m looking for, which i don’t know the brand is.”

the big man stood there for a while, processing your words. he went back to the kitchen, and you heard some murmurs before he came back outside, now smiling. “mr. kim is waiting for you in the kitchen.”

the man escorted you inside, through the messy wet kitchen up until a door. he knocked on the door, announcing your arrival. “come in.” a baritone voice responded. he opened the door, ushering you to come in, before closing the door.

an old man sat on his study, his white hair tousled and a pair of glasses sat on top of his nose. his weary eyes studied your form.

“it’s been a while since someone used that code. soju maker…” he chuckled. “people usually looks for fresher soju, something done, but now you’re looking for something older. tell me, what are you looking for miss?”

he pointed the chair across him, signaling you to take a seat. putting aside your handbag, you took a seat. there’s a beat of silence, before you let your voice out.

“it’s a who, sir.” you said, before continuing.

“i’m looking for seo rim.”

(to be continued)

—

damnnnn 8 months. i have no words for myself fr😩🤚

i hope y guys still enjoy this. i feel like i should add more things, but i’m afraid it’ll make the whole thing stale ykwim

but we’re getting CLOSER and CLOSER to the main problem, aka the timeline when y/n got shot (mafia!woo y/n caught in the crossfire), which is the very first fic that started this all

anyways. TOODLES. enjoy

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shelfthe-reader · 1 month

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I know I keep saying that I have a gut-wrenching post coming and WHILE THIS IS NOT IT, it’s also pretty sad sometimes. Also spoilers for literally the entire Riordanverse but I doubt that matters y’all saw this for a reason

Now I present:

Percy Jackson Characters as Theater songs: Part 1

Sally: Anybody Have a Map from Dear Evan Hansen. Literally any struggling parent, but ESPECIALLY for Demigods

Percy: 30/90 from Tick, Tick, BOOM. Birthday trauma. The End

Annabeth: Not For the Life of Me from Thoroughly Modern Millie. Aka Annabeth’s need to make a name for herself in TLT

Grover: Will I? from Rent. I’m getting “Searcher’s License” vibes idk.

Tyson: Travel Song from Shrek the Musical: while he was my UNBOTHERED KING in SOM, Annabeth was VERY bothered. It’s those vibes

Thalia: Unprodigal Daughter from JLP. I mean, she ran away for a reason!

Luke: This World Will Remember Me from Bonnie and Clyde. Luke’s delusions were up there with Clyde Barrow’s

Nico: Go Tonight from The Mad Ones. Where was Nico for six months? Grieving Bianca. He was her little shadow and this song captures that

Bianca: This one was kinda tricky but No One is Alone from Into The Woods. See: that one scene in BOTL

Will: Those You’ve Known from Spring Awakening. After Manhattan. Grieving literally his entire family (minus Austin and Kayla)

Kayla: Get Down from Six the Musical. It doesn’t match a scene or anything. Just my HC that she would belt this alone in the cabin.

Austin: Papers (Instrumental) from Hadestown. He 1000% would recreate this in the cabin. But not alone. Because he’s just like that

Connor and Travis Stoll: Two Player Game from Be More Chill. The most Bro Song to ever Bro

Clarisse: All I Really Want from JLP. It’s an angry song the end.

Rachel: Daddy Knows Best from Spongebob the Musical. AKA “Daddy Issues: The Musical” aka “Rachel in One Sentence”

Beckendorf: You’ll Be In My Heart from Tarzan. His love for Silena goes beyond the grave

Silena: The Real World from Almost Famous. AKA when she realized that Luke is a SCAM

Part two will be Heroes of Olympus characters!

#rick riordan #percy jackson and the olympians #musical theater #theater kid #yes i am a theater kid i dont just read guys #i did this for a powerpoint night and needed to share it here #annabeth chase #percy jackson #grover underwood

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royallyprincesslilly · 11 months

Text

Title: '23 Bonnie & Clyde {One Shot}***

Title: 23 Bonnie & Clyde ***

Den Of Thieves Ray Merrimen x OFC Aria

Warnings: Action, Blood, Violence, Heavy Cursing, 18+ Mature Content, Gun Violence, Crime, Angst, Smut, Rough Sexual Activity, Glove Free Lovin, Plenty of Words

Words: 15,575k

Summary: Picks up with Ray being pinned down by Nick and his team after the heist. With his team dead and 2 bullets making it hard to go on, Ray believes his ticket’s been punched. Unexpectedly, an angel swoops in to save the day. However, is she an angel of mercy or heartbreak?

Note: @waterfallsandsunsets As my first accepted commissioned fic, I hope you enjoy this, and I hope it meets your expectations. I want to thank you for requesting this and even more for wanting to pay for a story from me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Note II: Ray Merrimen and Pablo girlies I hope you enjoy this.

***Very Loosely Edited***

~~~~~~~~~~

-Ray-

Around him, he could hear the echoing of the heavy gunfire he was currently in the middle of. It sounded like he was in a hollowed tunnel making it easy to hear every sound. The crunching of footsteps that were attempting to stealthily creep toward him, failing miserably by his military training standards, the zing, and whizz of every missed bullet, the painful beat of his heart that was slowing with every minute.

A strong pang of pain gripped him making him curse out. He clapped his hand over his chest and grimaced. He didn't know how he would make it out of this one. All his life he'd lived by the gun and knew he'd die by it too but somehow he didn't expect it now. He thought he'd be old and grey before that bullet with his name on it punched his ticket.

He slid his hand lower just underneath his heart and felt wetness there. When he raised his fingers to his face the crimson liquid that coated his fingers confirmed it. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he dropped his head back to look into the sky. It was yet another beautiful California day. He knew it was a hot one but couldn’t quite feel the warmth of the sun anymore. A shiver rushed through him then he heard his name.

“Merrimen, it doesn’t have to be like this. You’ve got nowhere to go. Come out with your hands up!”

He scoffed. That son of a bitch, he thought. If he really expected him to come out and surrender he hadn’t read his file properly.

“Never surrender,” he mumbled feeling the drowsiness trying to overtake him.

Shaking it off, he wiped his hands dry then gripped his weapon. Checking the chamber, he realized his clip was empty. With slow, painful movement he dug into his vest searching for his ammo but found none.

“Sh—shit!”

He was truly fucked. Either he was going to be cuffed and saved at the hospital then sent back or he would die a free man, right here, right now. It only took him a few moments to make his mind up. He meant every word he’d said a week ago. He was never going back to prison. He took several breaths trying to psych himself up for the next round of pain he would feel. No man wanted to face death but he’d long prepared for his death. He didn’t fear it.

Suddenly, her face popped into his mind making him freeze. He’d often thought of her. Every night her face somehow wandered in through the slips of his mental blocks, the ones he’d purposely put up in heavy efforts to not think about her. In those wee hours of the morning, while he laid in his bunk surrounded by other men in their 9 by 5 cells doing the same, he’d think about her. Since his release from prison, he’d thought of her more and more as people, places and things often brought back memories, good and bad.

He heard the thud of footsteps creeping up on his right and they brought him back to reality. Pretty soon he’d stop thinking about her completely. Maybe in death, he could finally get peace.

“Nut up!”

He rose to his feet then turned to where he knew that Detective Nick was waiting. He came face to face with the man aiming his weapon right at him.

“Don’t do it Merrimen!”

He waited.

“We can end this peacefully. It doesn’t have to end this way.”

His vision blurred and his heartbeat slowed. “I told you—I’m not going back.”

The man across the way clenched his jaw and he almost saw a look of disappointment across his features, but he didn’t wait. He raised his empty gun knowing he’d take the shot, truly ending this.

“Don’t!”

Suddenly, rapid gunfire rained around him sending the man jumping to seek cover while he dropped back. Chaos reigned around him in the form of three white vans rolling up creating a “U” shape shield around him. His mind recognized it as an operational defensive tactic, one he’d done in his years of service. Again, his eyes went blurry as his heart slowed. Gripping his chest, he focused on the sky trying to get himself in control so he could make sense of the situation and defend himself if needed.

“Secure the perimeter. We’re out of here in one minute!”

The voice was garbled like he was underwater, and they were above it. He grabbed his gun and pointed it forward making contact with a chest. The figure above him was masked with only their eyes revealed.

“I got you. ‘Till the end imma ride wit’ you.”

Recognition flamed in his head. He’d heard those words before. He’d said those words before. Only one other person in the world would ever utter them. He froze but before he could move again, he lost consciousness with those eyes being the last thing he saw.

~~~~~~~~

-Aria-

“What a fucking mess!”

Milla was pissed. One thing she hated was a sloppy op and what Ray had found himself in the middle of was a sloppy op.

“From the stories about this guy never thought he’d be part of something like this.”

“Shit went sideways,” Jada replied.

“Hey! Fucking focus on getting us the fuck out of LA and to the fucking jet!”

If Milla was pissed, you were downright seething. She was right, it was a sloppy op and shit had gone sideways. Fuck they went way past sideways. You made a mental note that you’d find Donnie’s ass and put two bullets through his skull for this bullshit.

“Apply more pressure!”

You, Uki, Keturah, and Lyn were each pressing on each bullet wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Your efforts seemed pointless as his blood poured out of him like a calcified showerhead.

It was a good thing you got there when you had. As you pushed harder on his chest, you stared into his face. You didn’t know how it was possible, but he looked the same given some wrinkles here and there. His face was the same but weathered, aged to that of a grown man. Your heart beat painfully thinking of how serious his condition currently was.

“Aria, I don’t know if he’ll make it,” Uki announced.

Your eyes snapped to her and in the same second that they made contact, she looked down.

“I’m just saying. His vitals are not good,” you mumbled not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

“He’ll make it!”

The entire van went quiet. You hadn’t meant to scream at her, so you took a breath and looked back to Ray, and repeated your words in a calmer voice.

“He’ll make it. He’s lived through worse.”

The remainder of the drive passed in near silence. Except for updates from the other vans and checking in to confirm perfect execution of your plan and distraction no one else said anything that wasn’t mission specific. You split your focus between the next steps of the plan and keeping Ray alive. You’d estimated that the drive to the airfield would take 40 minutes and in those 40 minutes, he’d flatlined twice. You were glad that you were the type of person to bet on things going wrong. It was that foresight that found a mini hospital in every van.

With Uki’s help, you managed to bring Ray back every time he flat-lined with the aid of adrenaline and a defibrillator. Each time took longer but you refused to give up. It wasn’t his time; you’d make damn sure of it.

“Offload,” Keturah shouted as the van rolled to a stop.

Everyone sprang into action, tackling their tasks. Milla and Keturah handled stripping the van, and Lyn took care of erasing every bit of artillery so there would be not even a serial number left on anything left behind. You, Jada, and Uki lifted Ray to the waiting jet.

“Fuck he’s heavy!”

He sure was and from the looks of him, it was pure muscle. Prison had changed him. The two men in the jet hurried to help load him in.

“Let’s go. 40 seconds!”

Just then, the van went up in flames. As if that was the signal, all your femme fetales assembled and boarded the jet. Within a minute you were taking off. As the jet gained altitude the van on the ground exploded leaving flames, shards, and nothing else in your wake.

~~~~~~~

-That Night-

All was quiet, which was what you expected. This was your compound in Mexico, and it was heavily guarded. Only those who needed to know knew about it. You watched as the doctor finished his examination of your hurried work in the van and the jet. You’d had more than enough experience patching yourself and others up to know your work was sufficient, but you wanted to make sure you got all the shards out. You didn’t go through all this to have a bullet fragment sneak to his heart.

You sat on the window seat then continued tapping your combat boot-clad feet. The sound echoed in the room as dull thuds for several minutes before you sprang to your feet again to pace the room some more.

“You’ve never been anxious like this with anyone else,” Manolo said his voice filled with certainty. “Losing faith in my skill?”

“No. He’s just--not—anyone.”

He looked back at you and studied your face for a few moments then turned back to a still unconscious Ray. Manolo nodded then stood.

“Well, I think you turned a pretty horrible situation into a bad one, which is an improvement and impressive.”

“Will he make it?”

Manolo sighed and took his time before he spoke. The seconds that stretched only made you more anxious. You were milliseconds away from snapping at the man, but his voice stopped your outburst.

“It’s hard to say. His injuries are extensive. From what I can see you’ve got all the bullets and I don’t see any fragments so that’s good news, but I’ve seen men die from injuries less severe than these. It’s a miracle he is still alive.”

“What—what does that mean Manolo?!”

Your frustrations were getting the better of you now.

“I know you want a guarantee, but I can’t give one. If he—if he can make it the next 72 hours then I say his chances are very good but--.”

He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. His grey-speckled hair was coiffed in an effortless style that framed his face and showcased the wrinkles he'd acquired from years of work and little sleep. He and your father were good friends and one on the very short list of people he trusted, which meant you trusted him too.

“The next 72 hours I expect to be touch and go.”

You sighed and then looked at Ray. It wasn’t a death sentence, but it wasn’t a glowing bill of health. There was hope at least.

“Thank you, Manolo,”

He nodded then looked back to Ray. “I will stay close tonight in case you need me again.”

You nodded and watched him pack his things up to then exit the room. For the first time since you'd laid eyes on him, you were alone together. Half of you was relieved he was unconscious so you didn't have to talk but the other half wanted more than anything for him to wake up even if it spelled trouble for you.

You stood across the room for so long that the bottoms of your feet burned. It had been a long day and even longer 48 hours in prep for his extraction. Your body was exhausted, but sleep wasn’t an option. There was no way you could sleep now. Slowly you walked to his bedside never taking your eyes off of his face. you trailed over every detail of his face. Every wrinkle, every mole, every hair, everything that you’d missed out on. Your body buzzed to get closer, palms itched to touch him. The urges were so powerful that the exhaustion in your body was so strong that you gave in.

Sitting at the edge of the bed you slowly reached your hand to his full beard however when you were centimeters from touching him your hand stopped. Fear stilled your actions dousing whatever urges you had moments before. Looking lower at his torso, you decided to clean him instead of putting yourself in a position where things would quickly escalate.

As you wiped away the dried blood and sweat from his body your mind drifted to admiring what you now confirmed without a doubt was heaviness from muscle. For the love of everything holy, he was built like all he did in prison for those 10 years was pump iron. You tried not to think of the pictures you’d gotten over the last week of him disappearing into the blonde dancer’s house time and time again. You tried not to think of the things that happened behind that door that your cameras couldn’t get into.

Though you tried to keep the thoughts at bay, when you got to his “Peckerwood” tattoo you couldn’t help but drift to how she touched him, how he found solace after 10 years without in her body.

“Fuck!”

You threw the rag down into the water ignoring how it cascaded over the rim and onto the wooden floors. You stood, wiped your hands, and took a safer seat, across the room where your view of his body wasn’t clear.

Knock-knock

“Come.”

In walked a cleaned-up Uki with a tray. She placed it on the table near your chair then stood there watching Ray just as you were.

“Manolo told us.”

You nodded.

“I can take first watch so you can get cleaned up,” she offered.

You didn’t answer. In truth, you barely heard her.

Knock-knock.

“Come.”

Jada and Lyn came in next and stood to your left adding their two pairs of eyes to Ray.

“Found you some clothes,” Jada breached.

“Team 2 and 3 made it home without any problems after initiating endgame. Right about now they should have an ID on the body from the fire and that ID will be a one hundred percent match for 1 Mr. Ray Merrimen,” Lyn informed.

You released a slow breath as the final piece of your plan seamlessly synced with the others laid before it. That was it then.

“Come in Keturah,” you called before the knock you knew was coming sounded.

They all snorted as Keturah walked in and approached the bed getting a good look at Ray.

“Still can’t believe this famous Ray turned out to be a white man oh.”

That was just what everyone needed to hear before they busted out laughing. It went on for so long that you felt the stress that your body had harvested slowly leave you. You looked around at your girls. They’d been with you through thick and thin and you trusted them with your life. They were always there for you, and you were more than grateful.

“He might be a well-seasoned white man,” Lyn added which made them holler with laughter.

You’d expected their teasing once they saw him in person. You’d prepared yourself for all of this. In fact, you were enjoying their teasing. You’d been tense for so long it felt good to breathe for a change. You rotated your head trying to ease your sore muscles.

“You should eat, then shower. I know you’ll hate it if he sees you for the first time looking like you spent 3 nights in a hot hut.”

You pressed the back of your hand to your cheek. “I don’t look that bad.”

“Ya’ look worse,” they all collectively said.

Your jaw dropped but they only laughed more. The six of you sat around the room and chatted as you ate the meal Uki brought in. With each passing minute, you felt more and more like yourself. In the back of your mind, your fears and anxieties were still raging but they were quieted enough that you could celebrate small victories. After, Uki stayed by Ray’s side as you showered and made yourself less of a mess.

With your mind calm that Uki was around, and Manolo was in the house you took the time to pamper yourself a little. The hot water did the job of a pair of well-trained hands and melted away the knots in your shoulders and back while the scents from the diffuser worked on your mood and stress. You’d jumped over one hurdle and there were two more waiting for you, the final one was waiting for you at home.

When you went back into the room Ray was still unconscious and Uki was there on her phone.

“Ah, you look and smell a lot better.”

“Girl shut up!”

“Seriously, you look better.”

You nodded then sighed. “I’m holding up.”

“I just got word from Junu, and he is livid.”

You nodded. It was expected. You knew this whole operation would upset him especially since he’d vehemently forbade it.

“I’ll take the blame and whatever punishment he dishes out. You guys will be safe.”

“While your father terrifies me, I won’t let you be punished alone.”

“You all were just following my orders. I will take the heat.”

Uki studied you then looked back to Ray. “Is he worth it?”

She didn’t just mean the punishment you’d take but the risk and danger. You looked at Ray and slowly approached him. You knew the answer without a shadow of a doubt.

“Till the end!”

Seconds later you heard the click of the door as it closed. You were again alone with him. This time you dragged the chair closer and sat back down hunkering down for a sleepless night.

~~~~~~~~

You awoke to heavy shuddering and grunting. You’d only closed your eyes for a moment, or so you thought. However now, Ray was seizing in the bed, body riddled with violent thrashing.

“Shit, Ray!”

You moved to the edge of the bed and noted the way his body was drenched with sweat. Once you touched him you pulled back, he was burning up.

“Shit!”

You leaped up, grabbed the bowl beside the bed, and sprinted to the bathroom to fill it with cold water. When you returned you wasted no time applying the cold wet cloth to his forehead. When his seizing intensified you hollered for help as you turned him onto his side. With one hand you took up another cloth, dipped it into the water, and placed it in his mouth so he wouldn’t bite down on his tongue. It was then the girls ran into the room in a panic.

“Get Manolo. He’s seizing and has a fever.”

“On it,” Jada shouted before she disappeared.

The others approached the bed and tried to help you keep him on the bed and wipe him down. In what felt like a lifetime Jada returned with Manolo who sprang into action. He took your spot and administered an injection into the IV he’d placed when he first got here.

“This will help the seizure.”

Within minutes Ray’s convulsions slowed until they stopped altogether. Manolo then injected another needle into the IV.

“This will bring down the fever. He’s more than likely fighting off an infection. I already gave him something for that.”

“What do we do?”

“Nothing. We wait. I know you hate that answer, but I don’t have a better one. He has to do the work now.”

After thirty minutes of monitoring, Manolo left again satisfied that the seizure did not return. After that, you didn’t dare fall asleep again. Every thirty minutes you wiped his body with cold cloths and bundled him tighter, so he felt some warmth. By the time the sun rose the next day, he hadn’t gotten any better and your stress returned tenfold. He couldn’t be moved in this state, so your flight home was delayed until he made it through the other end of this.

The day passed with each of you sitting with him making sure his fever was kept in check and his seizures were managed. He fared well during the day but when the sun disappeared his seizures returned and persisted for much of the night. By the 2nd night there he’d begun spitting up blood. Manolo was hours away from making the choice to take him to a hospital when the sun rose on the third day and with that new day came calm.

“I think he’s passed the worst of it,” Manolo said as he took his glasses off after his very thorough examination.

“Are you sure?”

“His vitals are much better. Heartrate is not quite normal yet but considering he was close to losing a lung he is doing well.”

“Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

“Well, I induced a temporary coma to help him heal. I’ve started to wean him off so the medication I put him on should leave his system within the day. Perhaps tomorrow he’ll come to.”

“Will he live Manolo?”

“If this continues and he comes out of this tomorrow I feel good about his chances.”

You rubbed your face pressing just a bit so the tension would go.

“Thank goodness.”

“If all progresses, you should be good to fly the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Manolo.”

“Aria, you’re like family. I’d do anything for you,” he said placing his hand on your shoulder. “You should rest.”

You nodded knowing those were doctor’s orders you wouldn’t be following. Not yet.

~~~~~~~

-The Next Day-

You were sitting by Ray's bedside once again after another sleepless night. Uki's question had been playing over and over in your mind like an annoying one-hit wonder that you couldn't forget. The longer you sat with the question the more it warped. No, your answer hadn't changed but you began to wonder if he would also say the same.

The last 10 years or so couldn't have been easy. No one thrived in prison. The environment wasn't conducive to that. The system needed a change if it was tasked with reforming wrongdoers. You knew being inside chipped away pieces of who you were before going in so you knew he was hardened. What you worried about was; how hardened was he. Was there any bit of the person you'd known? Or was this man laying at death's door a stranger with a monster lurking within

Knock-Knock

“Come.”

You tried to make yourself look like you hadn't been hyper-fixated on watching the man before you all night, tried to look detached and nonchalant.

“You look like shit.”

“For fuck's sake Uki!”

“What? If I looked as bad as you, one of you better keep it real and tell me the same,” she replied as she put down another tray.

“Guess you're expecting a thank you for telling me I look like shit?”

Uki shrugged and crossed her arms as she took her place beside you.

“Fuck thank you. Just tell me you know and I'm right. That's my love language,” she joked.

However, it wasn't a joke. She did love being right. She got off on it. She constantly wore a smug look across her beautiful flawless features. It was as if she always walked with an air about her that she was higher than those around her. To tell the truth, it was one of the reasons you gravitated to one another and formed a quick friendship when you were children.

As The Viper's only daughter and heir, you knew you were above them in rank and status, and while most would relish the fact it always suffocated you. Being at the top of the food chain put you on a whole different playing field and on that field, you always had a target on your back.

“We may have trouble.”

Your head snapped to her waiting for her to continue. Of course you did, it had been way too calm and quiet.

“Razu,” Uki muttered.

Her one-word response didn't need to be followed up with anything else. You sighed so heavily that it almost sounded like the danger declaring hiss of the creature your father got his name from. Everyone knew you didn't disturb vipers; it was a “duh” rule in the animal kingdom. Do not disturb the vipers and never disturb the den. Razu was the one who never quite understood the unspoken rule.

“Where is he?”

“Downstairs with an entitled look on his face. He demands to see you.”

That almost hiss came out and filled the room this time.

“He heard whispers of you going to America and wants to talk about why.”

“Why? Ha, do I answer to him now oh?!”

Uki sighed and shrugged. “Seeing how he is…”

“Finish that sentence and we will have a serious discussion on how much of my coming punishment you will be taking.”

Uki zipped her lips with her fingers and allowed the silence to stretch.

“If he heard whispers then he probably suspects something. Our people in Los Angeles probably tipped him off.”

Your eyes slipped back to Ray. Shit, you thought.

Another near hiss escaped you.

“Yep. Either he is here to confirm his suspicions and try to use it as his proof you are not fit to take over on your own or--.”

“Ipenija is iku,”{challenge to the death},” you finished.

“Yep.”

“Fuck! There is no way Ray can do a challenge right now.”

“No. This white meat would be dead meat,” Uki teased.

“Really Uki? Right now?”

She smiled then shrugged again. She was right though. You had to make sure Razu found nothing. You reached into the bedside drawer and took out your 3 guns then checked the chambers. Locked, loaded, and ready for action. You tucked one in the front waistband of your jeans and the other in the back. You then took up your thigh holster from where it hung on one of the posts of the bed. Rather than bringing along the third gun you left it on the bedside table and patted your arsenal of knives loaded on the contraption. It was time to remind Razu who you were and who he was not.

Before you walked out of the room you looked back at Ray once more then hardened your features and resolve. Once you walked into the large living room of the opulent hacienda-style property you found Razu sitting in the largest seat in the room which was made from a slew of precious materials. One leg was crossed over the other with his ankle resting atop his knee and in his hands he played with a machete.

Your femme fetales assembled behind you in an arrowhead formation, the five of them flanking each other’s left and right. With his tamed beard, dark and smooth skin, and dangerous eyes Razu slowly broke out into a toothy smile.

“Come on Aria. I am not the enemy no need for the famous formation.”

His voice was smooth and silky like a goading predator slinking its way around to find an opening.

“I don't know Razu. You come unannounced--.”

“And unwelcomed,” Keturah added.

Razu's eyes turned to slits as he glared at Keturah.

“I suggest you keep your femmes in line or something fatal will happen to one of the pretty bitches,” Razu said.

You pulled your guns with quickness and closed the space between you to then press one gun to his temple and the other under his chin.

“Say one more fucking word about or to my femmes and the only fatal thing happening is your death by fatality. One hair on any of their heads is worth so much more than your entire existence. So, tread very, very carefully.”

The fire is Razu's eyes blazed uncontrollably. You saw how badly he wanted to speak again and retaliate but the facts were simple. You were your father's daughter. His empire would be yours soon and no matter how badly Razu wanted it he would never get it. Not by challenge, not by infiltration, and definitely not by arranged marriage.

The fire in his eyes faded and a smile spread across his face.

“Easy Aria, I simply came to make sure you were all right. The dens in LA heard you were in town. They said a lot was shaken up and the dens had to close up ranks to stay off the radar.”

You pulled back and walked back to your girls who hadn't moved an inch. They knew you were more than capable of taking care of Razu. Once in place, you spoke.

“Did your spies actually see me in LA or are they spreading false rumors?”

“Rumors? So, you weren't in LA?”

“Are you questioning me Razu? It sounds like you are but I am sure I am wrong because in order to be remotely qualified to do that, you have to be someone higher than me. Right girls?”

They each replied with confirmation. Razu's jaw clenched tightly and you knew just how badly he wanted to lash out. Smiling you watched him struggle. This was fun. It had been a while since you had fun and you realized how much you missed this.

“Why is it always rank with you?”

“Because you forget your fucking place! You are merely a sergeant in this den. One of many. You do not question me, you do not threaten me, and you definitely do not demand of me.”

“Your safety is important,” Razu carefully added.

“My safety? Do I look unsafe?”

You turned to your friends so they could inspect.

“You look safe to me,” Lyn said.

“Sure do,” Jada added

“Picture of health,” Milla chimed in.

You turned back to Razu. “I feel safe so I say you have nothing to worry about.”

Razu stared you down clearly upset this wasn't turning out the way he wanted. When you cocked your head to the side and then nudged it toward the exit Razu grumbled but stood.

“I'll head home and tell The Viper that baby Viper is doing well in Mexico.”

Your father didn't know where you were right now and you knew that Razu still suspected you had gone to the States which meant his reporting your current whereabouts would imply you had in fact been in the States. You kept your face unreadable.

“You do that. You'd just be giving him news he already knew, but whatever.”

You shrugged then examined your nails playing up how unbothered you were. As Razu walked toward the front door he chuckled.

“I'll see you at home, little Viper.”

No one moved until you heard the door close. Before they spoke you walked out of the room across the estate.

“Have them scour that room for bugs. I don't trust Razu.”

Milla nodded and walked off to get it done.

“He has definitely overstepped his bounds,” Lyn said.

“He sure has but he just revealed he has spies within our dens. I am sure my father would love to know that.”

The only great threat to queens were peasants thinking they were smarter. Your father ran a tight ship and usually got rid of those who had the balls to have big ideas. Razu's days were numbered.

“If he is going home now then he will be sure to paint a horrible picture before you arrive. We should leave tonight,” Uki proposed.

She made sense and it was probably the best move. Only 2 things were wrong. Ray was still not out of the woods yet and if you went back in a hurry Razu would know you were afraid of something.

“Have someone watch Razu until he leaves. I want to know if he so much as pisses and it's not yellow.”

You walked away up the stairs while putting the safety back on your guns and repositioning them in the waistband of your jeans. Halfway back to the bedroom where Ray was—your bedroom you had a thought that if you took Razu out here and now When you walked inside he was still lying on the bed which was a relief and disappointment all at once. You were glad Razu hadn't tried to lure you downstairs to have his men search the house, but more worried Ray was still unconscious. You knew the longer he remained so the worse his prognosis.

You pressed your back to the door and took some deep breaths and tried to push the annoyance of Razu out of your head. Every day your list of problems increased. You felt the stinging prickle of tears behind your eyes. They were tears you’d held in for so long, tears you didn’t dare shed, tears you knew would find their way down your cheeks one way or another.

You walked across the room to the side of the bed and peered down at Ray. His bandaged wounds were speckled with bright red blood reminding you how close he’d come to dying. The even rise and fall of his chest said his breathing was evened out and he was probably not in too much danger. You sat at the edge of the bed as the urge to touch him became stronger than ever. You brought your hand closer and closer to the tattoo swooped across his chest. Your eyes locked on the ‘A’ within the ‘KingHarbor’ tattoo and within seconds you could make something else written there.

You leaned closer and closer bringing your face right over his chest and it was then you saw it. Hidden within the ‘A’ was your name. Aria.

“No fucking way,” you whispered.

You turned to the nightstand ready to switch on the lamp for more light but an empty tabletop caught your eye. The cock of the gun and the warm press to your forehead said you’d caught it too late.

“Back—the fuck—up!”

You huffed a breath out half relief half annoyance. Slowly you moved back.

“Who the fuck are you?”

You turned to face him and saw the moment recognition hit him. The stone-cold set of his face turned to wide-eyed disbelief.

“A—Aria?”

“It’s me, Ray.”

Your voice was small. You hadn’t meant for it to be at all, but it was, small and timid. Ray’s expression went from disbelief to blazing fury. You brought your eyes to the gun still pressed to your forehead.

“You’re gonna shoot me with my own gun huh.”

“I can think of a reason or two why I should,” Ray gritted out through clenched jaws.

You could hear the pain in his voice. Sighing, you shook your head. You weren’t afraid of him.

“Put the gun down, Ray.”

“Like hell I will.”

You glared at each other for long moments. You got lost in the amount of hatred you saw in his eyes. He’d never looked at you like this before, never pressed a gun to your head either. You sighed again then used the move he taught you to unarm him. However, he did not let you have your way instead, he grabbed your wrist pulled you to him, and attempted to swivel you so he could put you in a chokehold. Evading the move, you in turn swung your legs over him and sat on his thighs.

“Stop! You’re going to bust your stitches!”

Ray didn’t listen. He still fought you as if he didn’t have three bullet holes in his body.

“Ray!”

He reached for the knives in your thigh holster but you grabbed his arm instead. When he tried to use his other hand to reach for your gun you stopped him. That was when the door banged open and your Femmes rushed in guns and chosen weapons drawn to see you straddling him and holding his wrists. It looked kinky.

“Uh—didn’t waste any time huh,” Milla teased.

Ray yanked his arm away then rammed the heel of his palm into your gut. He hadn’t used all his force, but he’d used enough to send you to the foot of the bed. The action took you by surprise and stole the wind from your lungs. Your femmes cocked and raised their guns and weapons.

“Stand down,” you choked out.

Ray laid there looking at the six of you as if he didn’t trust any of you and was expecting one or all of you to make a move any second.

“Are you okay?”

You raised to your feet then rested your hands over your knee while you tried to catch your breath.

“Fine.”

“You let him catch you off guard?”

You glared at Uki.

“Didn’t expect him to—pull my own gun on me.”

“Where the fuck am I and what the fuck is going on?”

“Thu, what a way to speak to the people who you owe your life to,” Lyn spat.

“What’re you talking about?”

Your eyes fell to the bandages that were speckled red before. Now they were soaked with his blood.

“Shit, you busted the stitches,” you said making a move to him.

Ray lurched back. “Stay away from me!”

“If I do that you’ll bleed out and after everything we did to keep you alive, I’ll be pretty pissed about it.”

He surveilled you then the other five women in the room trying to gauge the level of trust he could muster in this moment.

“If we wanted to kill you, we would have stayed in our country while your so-called heist went all the way to shit,” Jada said.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

You looked at Jada slightly annoyed she brought it up already.

“Later.”

“No, now!”

“The heist went south. Enson, Bosco, they’re all dead,” you carefully broke.

“Wh—what!?”

“Donnie ran a play in your heist. He knew all the players set it up with them and used you guys as the muscle. He set you up to take the heat and fall so he could take the money. Nick knew everything from him. Your life is burned. They shot the others and Nick would have got you too if we hadn’t gotten there in time,” you explained ripping off the rest of the band-aide.

His face was blank as he processed your words then the rage returned.

“Donnie that motherfucker!”

“That he is.”

Silence filled the room and slowly you got closer and closer to him. Once close enough you sat on the edge of the bed.

“Your only option now is to disappear and by disappear I mean dead man disappear,” you finished.

“Why the fuck should I trust you?”

It was a fair question.

“She risked her fucking life to save yours. She did all this for you!”

You looked back to your girls and shook your head hoping to disengage the situation.

“It’s okay guys, wait outside.”

“So he can try something? Like hell,” Jada voiced.

“He has three bullet holes in him. I’m sure I can take him.”

They nodded knowing you could then one by one exit the room. When it was just the two of you, you opened your mouth to speak but Ray beat you to it.

“You should leave too.”

“You’re bleeding. Let me redress those then I’ll go.”

He took a few moments to contemplate your words then nodded. You kept your actions slow and careful as you got closer then took off the soaked bandages. When you wiped at the wounds he barely flinched or made a sound. You could feel his eyes boring into you keeping an eye on every move you made. You knew he didn’t trust you and you understood completely.

With needle and thread in hand, you began stitching him again. Still, Ray remained quiet the whole time he watched you. Whenever you reached for something you felt him tense underneath you even more than when you worked. Was he really that leery of you?

“Where am I?”

“Mexico.”

He scoffed. “Mexico. Is this where you’ve been living it up in a Mexican hacienda?”

“Living it--,” you began but trailed off. Before you spoke again, you scoffed. “No.”

“Right. Is this your place?”

“It—belongs to my father.”

You peeped up and met his eyes and instantly regretted it. His eyes were cold, dead, and filled with anger.

“And those women? Who are they?”

You tied off the thread then reached for the alcohol bottle on the side table.

“This is going to hurt.”

In your other hand, you took up the tequila there and held it out to him.

“No. Go ahead,” Ray said not even trying to hide the distrust in his eyes.

You shrugged and took a chug from the tequila bottle then poured the alcohol. You watched Ray stiffen as the burn rushed through him. The veins in his neck and forehead pulsated just beneath his skin, his face got redder and the muscles all across his torso flexed and bulged giving you a show for the first time how much he'd changed. Before you right now was a very grown man, a very gorgeous grown man, a man you probably didn't know anymore. His groan cane out agonized and tight. Wanting to help you leaned forward and blew onto the freshly stitched and taut skin hoping to provide some relief for him.

You kept your eyes level with his chest and focused on blowing in a way that kept the air coming from you cool. You took up the cloth and dabbed the excess antiseptic from his bruised flesh taking care to be gentle the closer you got to his wounds. You happened to glance up and found his eyes on you. The anger in his eyes was gone as was the right clench of his jaw. He looked as if he were in some sort of trance. You didn't stop blowing but moved for the wound salve waiting to be applied on the table. Slowly, you spread some across each bullet wound. With every touch, Ray sucked in a breath like a startled gasp. You didn't know if it was entirely from the pain he had to have been on or something else.

By the time you taped down a few thick squares of gauze, the door banged open.

“Ah, you're awake. Good,” Manolo exclaimed. “How is he, Aria?”

“He busted open his stitches so I did the whole song and dance and voila,” you explained.

“It looks good. How do you feel amigo?”

“Who are you?”

“The doctor who helped save your life,” Manolo dryly said.

“This is Manolo. I've known him most of my life. He's a good doctor and an even better man,” you informed as you moved from his side to rinse your hands in the bowl of water beside the bed.

“How do you feel?”

“Like I've been shot.”

“Oh, my friend you have been…3 times. One of them was centimeters from your lung, another a hair from puncturing your heart. Jeez, I don't know which angel you have looking out for you but I need her.”

Manolo approached him and began taking his vitals, you sifted to the back of the room to watch on. Ray's eyes slipped from you to Manolo then back to you as if he expected either of you to make a move against him. Was this because of you or had prison made him this way? Milla slipped inside and came to stand beside you. She now had Ray's full attention. With her voice low, she spoke.

“Razu has men watching the hacienda from all directions. If we plan on leaving without him knowing there is only one option.”

You nodded and locked eyes with Ray.

“Is he ready to move Manolo?”

“He’s a walking miracle. I think he's good to fly.”

“I'm not going anywhere with you people.”

All eyes moved to him each with different emotions radiating from them. You sighed.

“Do you think you have a choice?”

Ray narrowed his eyes at Milla's question.

“Yeah, I do. I don't know you from Adam.”

“What else do you need to know besides I--.”

The door opened and the rest of your Femmes walked in and flanked your side assuming formation without even realizing it.

“We saved your life,” Milla continued.

“Enough. This is Milla, Lyn, Jada, and Uki. These are my Femme Fetales, you explained.

“Femme Fetales? What's with the name?”

“Let's hope you never have to find out,” Keturah slid in.

“If you don't come with us, what's your plan? Go back to LA? Wander around alone? Get into some more shit with some more untrustworthy fucks?”

“Those were my brothers! And now they're fucking gone!”

“I know and I know what a deep cut that is. I know you're angry but being angry doesn't mean you have to be stupid. I don't think you get it. Right now your only option is to disappear. No, returning to LA, no lone wolf shit.”

He studied you and you could see the storm of emotions swirling inside of him. He was rightfully angry. His world shifted yet again. When he didn't speak for a few minutes you sighed again.

“Well stay one more night, give you some time to think it over. If tomorrow you decide you still don't want to go with us then fine. You be on your way and we'll be on ours no questions no debates.”

“Aria,” Uki began but you held your hand up to stop her.

“Everyone out.”

“Would you like something for the pain?”

Ray shook his head and watched everyone pour out of the room one by one. When it was just you, he raised a brow.

“You too.”

You scoffed having half expected it. As you walked to the door he watched you. Before leaving you looked back at him.

“The windows have sensory alarms so they’re sensitive to touch and movement, you’re also three stories up. Patrol outside might miss you if you jump but the perimeter patrol won’t. You’re free to leave but use the front door. It’s safest. Say goodbye first.”

“Like you did?”

For the second time, you felt as if you’d been kicked in the gut and gotten the wind knocked out of you. Low blow, you thought as you nodded and left him. Pressing your back to the door you took several calming breaths and then walked down the hall to the kitchen. You needed a drink—bad!

~~~~~~~

-The Next Day-

“Did you sleep at all?”

You scoffed as you filled your coffee cup with freshly brewed Pu-erh tea. With the sleep you hadn’t been getting and the day ahead that you foresaw, you desperately needed it.

“Sleep? Don’t know her.”

Keturah snorted and shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it.”

You took a lengthy sip from the cup and moaned. “God that’s good.”

“Morning workout?”

“Just a little meet-up with the punching bag.”

“Ah, is this aggression release or sexual tension release?”

You snorted and shook your head before you took another sip from your mug.

“He is ripped, Aria.”

“That he is.”

“He is also a distrustful ingrate,” she added.

You laughed.

“The only reason he is getting a pass is because his friends are gone and he almost died.”

“He doesn’t trust me,” you solemnly said.

You could wallow in it, matter of fact you had already. The entire night you wallowed and sulked because his distrust of you was so evident, so strong that it tore you apart. You’d wallowed until you were at dirt level. Now, in the light of morning, you couldn’t afford to anymore.

“You sure he’s still up there?”

“If he can plan to break into the reserve and steal millions of dollars I am sure he can manage to sneak out of somewhere without raising alarms,” you said.

“Legend,” Keturah muttered.

He sure was. If Donnie hadn’t been a little asshole this heist would have gone down as an incredible legend. It was practically flawless. As Keturah filled you in on any new developments you flitted around the kitchen to put together some breakfast for him. The others rolled into the kitchen and brought you up to date with the new developments but then the conversation shifted to plans and prep to leave. When you gave the go-ahead to get ready to take off in an hour, you walked out with a tray full of food on your way to Ray’s room.

As you stood outside you contemplated if you should just try the door or knock first. You reached for the handle, turned, and cocked your head to the side when you realized it was open. With caution, you walked inside and found Ray walking out of the bathroom, shirtless with a towel hung low around his waist. What was air? You no longer knew because it ceased to enter your lungs. Your jaw hung open and eyes roamed all the skin on display. You remembered Keturah’s words from minutes ago and though you’d agreed then, those words were now your gospel. He was ripped like no one’s business.

“Holy shit,” you mumbled.

“No knock?’

You met his eyes then realized what you were doing. “Ehm. Sorry. I uh—I honestly didn’t expect you to still be in here.”

“You and me both,” Ray answered.

“Well, I brought you poison-free breakfast. Freshly made and still hot.”

You placed the tray on the bed then backed up when you felt him walking toward the food. He looked over the tray then at you then back at the food. You watched him ease down onto the bed then dig into the double stacks of pancakes, eggs, sausage, and tater tots. When he dipped a matter tot into the grape jelly you smiled, comforted that at least that was the same. The man loved his sweets.

You didn't know how long you stood there watching him eat but in no time at all the plate was empty and he was gulping down the tea you'd given him.

“Tea is not my thing.”

“I know but you were just shot and still recovering caffeine is on the list of no foods for a while longer.”

Ray stared at you with squinted eyes and underneath the scrutiny of his eyes you has to look away but your eyes went back to his body. God he looked good, you thought. Again your eyes went to the “A” part of his chest tat and stared. He'd tattooed your name on him. If he'd done that he couldn’t hate you could he?

“What game are you playing? Whatever it is I don't want any parts of it this time,” Ray said, draining the hot tea.

“I'm not playing any game, never have.”

“Right.”

You'd had enough. “Look say what you gotta say, I've had enough with the passive-aggressive you. Speak your heart, because we gotta move. I don't like being away from home after a job for too long.”

“Home? Funny I thought LA was your home, that I was…”

He trailed off leaving the words unspoken but still felt.

“Guess things change. You had no problem leaving LA and staying gone for 10 years. Had no problem letting me take the fall, the time, and all that came with it! No problem using me!”

“Okay, you wanna do this now? Fine!”

You pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. “I never used you. I also never asked you to take the fall for me. That was you, Ray!”

“Bullshit! You made a fucking choice and it wasn't me.”

“You told me to run. I ran.”

“Without hesitation you sure did.”

“Oh come on Ray! You don't know how hard that was for me. You have no idea what the fuck I've been through because of that night,” you spat.

“You!? I went to fucking prison Aria. Me! You disappeared. You never visited, never wrote, never called. Nothing! It was me doing the time alone. Me dealing with all that shit for 10 years. You abandoned me!”

His words hurt like 10 thousand blades slicing at your heart. He really had no idea and was just fine looking to the worst as the explanation. The fury rolling off of him doused your anger. In a way, you guessed it was true. You had disappeared. You didn't call, write or visit. You did run when he told you to. Everything he said was true at surface level.

“I didn't want to leave you, Ray. I wanted to stay and take my chances, serve the time with you.”

“Bullshit! Don't fucking lie to me Aria. I've had 10 years to sit with your lies. 10 years to comb through every lie you said, every lie you weaved into your movements, every lie spoken with your touch. The ledger is in the red, Aria. You can never pay it!”

He was right. You couldn't make up for what happened. It was too late too much had happened. You'd been stupid to think that if you just showed up again things would work themselves out. Even if he knew the whole story nothing would change. You clenched your jaw trying to stop yourself from crying.

“I'm sorry.”

Ray scoffed harshly.

“Fuck your sorries. They mean jack shit.”

This one wasn't a blade. It was a bullet and it made dead center impact. Unable to control yourself you stood and stalked to the door keeping your face turned from him. Before you walked out you stopped and took a breath.

“We're wheels up in an hour. The choice is yours on what to do.”

You grabbed the doorknob and half walked out but stopped again. “Every word I've ever said to you, every action, every touch, every single moment was never a lie. I got you. ‘Till the end imma ride wit’ you. I meant that on everything.”

You rushed from the room knowing you were seconds from exploding with every emotion you'd caged in the last 10 years. You zipped past your girls who'd no doubt heard the shouting and hightailed it to the shooting range under the house where you fired round after round at nearly every target there hitting dead center every time. As you released bullet after bullet tear after tear fell filling the endless well you now knew you'd carry the rest of your life.

An hour later you'd pulled yourself together and were clean, dressed, and strapped up ready to face your shit like the grown-ass woman you were and the queen you were set to become.

“Everything good?

“Yep. Is everyone here?”

No one answered which told me Ray wasn't here. You nodded and took a slow breath in.

“Did you give him the heist money and some gear?”

“An hour ago,” Uki replied.

“All right then. Let's go home.”

You pressed the elevator button and the doors opened.

“Where is home?”

Ray's deep baritone washed over you stunning you still.

“Why?”

“I would like to know where I'm going before I get there,” he answered.

Your head snapped back to him and your eyes locked. Hope swirled within you and it was stronger than any other emotion. It truly was dangerous.

“Nigeria.”

His brow crooked. “Hm, I've always liked the heat.”

“Let's see if you can take it, white boy,” Jada teased.

They all giggled and you caught a ghost of a smile on Ray's lips and your stomach flipped. Shit, you thought. You didn't need this right now.

“You have your money. Why not just take it and go?”

“I still might but right now I have nowhere I need to be.”

You nodded, hearing the words between his words.

“Let's move.”

You got in the elevator and everyone else piled in after you. Once under the compound you took to the escape tunnel and followed the 2 miles until you climbed back to ground level where the truck waited. After loading the bags, you sped away knowing Razu would have never seen this move coming.

It didn't take long to get to the jet and when you were securely in the air and exiting Mexican airspace you began to breathe more freely. For the first hour or so Ray kept to himself. He didn't speak or interact he just watched everything. It was a strength of his and soothing he'd honed in the services. By the time hour 4 came around Milla, Lyn, and Keturah had pulled him into a card game where they grossly took advantage until he got the hang of it. Then the tides turned in his favor.

Slowly he looked like he was beginning to fit in, and it made you relax a little more. Four and a half hours after takeoff, you were landing toward the coast where you would take a boat to the compound. Being the serviceman he was, Ray constantly checked the perimeter with one hand on his gun and the other hooked in the bulletproof vest he wore. He looked like a fish out of water amongst the backdrop of dessert colored dirt, rocky mountains, and free-roaming elephants, Zebras, and Antelope but at the same time, he looked like he belonged. Perhaps that was wishful thinking.

“Home, oh!”

You looked out to the palatial compound that rivaled the vastness of The Alamo and smiled. While you felt like a caged bird at times you loved being home.

“That is home?”

“Home sweet home,” Lyn added.

“Jesus, who are you people?”

They giggled while you focused on your return. You could already see movement and knew everyone around was gathering. Once the boat docked you unloaded and made your way to the walls. The men on patrol there were starting at Ray like he had three heads.

“Ehm!”

The guards shook out of their stupor and then opened the gate allowing you to enter. As you walked through, they saluted you with the respect you deserved. However, before you made it to the house you heard the murmurs of the arrival of the man you knew you'd have to answer to sooner or later. Everyone around except for you and Ray dropped to one knee while bending one arm at the elbow and clenching a tight fist. Your father's salute. You looked to Ray he was clearly confused but not intimidated.

The 6-and-a-half-foot man approached you with a stern look on his face and dressed like the world's best businessman. When he stood in front of you, Ray still didn't drop to his knee. You didn't know if it was ignorance of who was before him or indifference. If it was indifference, you were highly turned on. As your father eyed you trying to intimidate you into submitting you stood there head high, eyes locked on his not wavering. Your father's eyes shifted to Ray and you took a sidestep to stand in front of him.

“I'm home baba.”

Your father’s eyebrow crooked. “Baba? You still recognize me as your baba? You still recognize me as the leader of this organization?!”

Everyone continued to murmur as they felt the air shift from his anger.

“Of course.”

He scoffed. “I explicitly told you to stay out of the States. I told you that you can't break him out. I told you so many things and they were all ignored by you. All disobeyed!”

“Baba, I couldn't just sit here anymore. I had to.”

He stared at you, eyes still blazing with anger but slowly his features cooled. “You accomplished it too, I am impressed.”

You smiled.

“But what if I would have lost you? What then? Did you plan that far in your elaborate schemes?”

“You raised me and I had my Femme Fetales, how could you lose me?”

He sighed, shook his head then cupped your cheek. “You are of my blood, I don't know why I was surprised. I'm surprised it took you this long.”

You smirked.

“Fine.”

Your Father's eyes shifted back to Ray who was still standing.

“Still standing I see.”

“I bow to no one,” Ray defiantly exclaimed in that nonchalant voice of his.

Your father cocked his brow then laughed heartily. “Is that so?”

“Viper, it's been settled,” one of the men informed bowing his has to your father.

Ray's eyes went wide. “Viper? As in The Viper? The most feared and respected man in the game? The man who is at the top of everyone's wanted list and who has a hand and foot in every country and every market? That viper?”

Your father looked impressed. “And if I was that Viper?”

Ray looked at you then back to your father. “Then you'd have a lot more of my respect.”

He laughed again. “Interesting. Still standing?”

“I told you; I bow to no one.”

Your father smirked. “If you stay here when she takes over I can't wait to see you eat those words.”

He and Ray squared off both stating the other down as if sizing each other up. You knew your father was trying to gauge what kind of a man he was and get a feel of what value he posed. Usually, he was a great judge of character, but you wondered if he’d be biased because of the past, because of what Ray was to you.

“Everyone back to work.”

All the soldiers began walking away clearing the center but when you began to move he spoke again. “Everyone except Ray. We have plenty to talk about.”

You once again leaped in front of Ray shielding him. “No way.”

His eyes dipped down to yours and he mischievously smirked. “Why?”

“Because I know you. To punish me and prove a point you would kill him.”

Your father put his hand over his chest. “You wound me, princess. I promise I won’t kill him much less lay a hand on him. However, if he can’t so little as take a beating then maybe he’s not an asset here.”

“Baba he’s already taken 3 bullets, 2 came close to his heart and lung.”

“And I’ve taken a bullet right in the head and I lived to talk about it and run this empire. Near a lung and heart is child’s play.”

You opened your mouth to counter, but your father’s voice boomed over yours. “Either I talk to him alone now or I will see if he can take a bullet to the head and live. What’s 4 bullets?”

You knew better than to push him. He was your father, and he was soft on you, but he was still in charge. You hated it when he threw his weight around like this. Gritting your teeth, you sidestepped.

“Go and make sure everything is okay with the mission for tomorrow night.”

With one more glance at Ray, then your father you walked off. If Ray was going to survive here he had to learn how to fend for himself. What better opponent to start with than the king himself?

-Ray-

The fucking viper. He’d heard countless stories of this man’s empire. In LA there were plenty of his viper dens, plenty of his people dealing in so much shit. His gambling den was always packed and usually, the place everyone went for information, and that was just one of his businesses. He’d had no idea his reach came this far. Africa. Holy shit, he thought. They’d walked to a more secluded part of the compound, a part that looked like a luxury desert oasis.

He watched Viper sit, pull out something wrapped in brown paper then light it. With one puff came another and another until he was surrounded by white fragrant smoke. He took a deep breath in. It had been a long time since he’d had one of these. With parole checks and shit like that, he had to stay clean of everything.

“Here. Live a little.”

He held a similar one to him. He took it and mirrored his actions until he’d taken one long puff of his own. He groaned long and loud which brought a laugh from the giant’s mouth across from him.

“10 long years without one huh.”

He took in this man in a designer suit, diamonds, and gold. He had no idea you knew The Viper. It dawned on him then that he probably didn’t know anything about you anymore.

“I will give you one piece of advice and a warning all wrapped in one. Never have daughters because they will cripple you worse than any bullet ever could.”

Once he’d said the words it didn’t take him long to piece it together. Daughter.

“Aria is your daughter.”

He nodded. “She didn’t tell you.”

He sighed and took another lengthy puff. “One of many things I’m sure. I’m not surprised anymore.”

“Sounds a lot like animosity.”

He sighed but remained silent. He was bitter—very bitter.

“I’m sorry about your brothers. I know a loss like that—is a serious blow especially not being able to say goodbye.”

He balled his free hand. he’d hit the nail right on the head.

“If I know Aria and I do, she’s already found your snitch and he’ll be gift-wrapped to you by tonight.”

He snapped his eyes to the viper. “What’re you talking about?”

He sighed and blew out a puff of smoke. “I suppose it’s time to come clean.”

A few moments passed in silence, and he waited as patiently as he could.

“12 years ago I knew the moment you met, and I knew from that moment every move either of you made. I knew every secret rendezvous, every phone call, text message, every mini heist, every small job, every crazy scheme, and plan. Aria had no clue I knew and though I was leery about you, hell any man who wanted my daughter’s attention. She’s my only child and the future of this empire. But I like to give her small freedoms, so I let her live, I let her think she was living this secret life and I kept watch as the two of you fell in love—to my complete dislike. Of all people, a white boy oh.”

He kissed his teeth, then sighed. “I thought—hoped it would be young love, a fling, but I knew the night she shielded you from that vato, we’d move way past that.”

His interest was piqued but his gut rolled as if he knew he wouldn’t like what came next.

“The night of that lift off the PerriP crew I had my most trusted guys watching her. I knew the deeper in she got with you the more risk she would take. So when the shit hit the fan and you guys figured out there was a snitch you got cornered. They reported it to me, and I relayed my orders. Get her out at all costs.”

He paused again to take another drag from the substance lit between his fingers.

“When you told her to run, and you decided to burn yourself to save her I knew she would have stayed right there with you no matter what. You got separated it wasn’t because she actually ran. my men came in and sedated her to get her out.”

Everything felt like it collapsed then, his vision went tunnel, heart pounded painfully and loudly.

“What!?”

“My men followed my orders and when she came to, she killed several good men in an effort to get back to you. Of course, I couldn’t allow that. Within 2 hours, she was on the jet back here.”

As his heart thudded more painfully he pressed his hand over it. All this time, he thought.

“For the last 10 years, she’s been forbidden from making contact, forbidden from stepping foot in the States, forbidden from doing anything that he didn’t approve of. She hated my order and rebelled like hell. For years she hated me. I’m sure she still hates me for it, but I knew without a doubt that she would have served that stint with you. As her father, I couldn’t allow that.”

In the span of five minutes, his entire world had shifted. Everything he believed was flipped.

“You may resent me for it but, even knights are meant to be sacrificed for the queen.”

He met your father’s eyes and saw aloofness. He didn’t look remorseful, but he could see something that he thought was close. He wasn’t sorry nor did he regret his decisions, but he felt badly.

“Since the day she landed here, she’s been keeping tabs on you. She knew about your life on the inside and kept her ears to the ground so she knew when to step in if she had to. She was the reason you only served 10 instead of the 20 they wanted to give you. She wanted to break you out, but I wouldn’t allow it because that move would jeopardize my empire because of all the moving parts and people in law enforcement and government it would have taken. I don’t like to cash in debts.”

As your father spoke he sat there thinking about the last 10 to 12 years of his life. The happy years with you then the darkness of the last 10.

“She knew about your heist plan, knew about Donnie but she let it play out because she had a bigger plan. She managed to be one step ahead of everything and executed her plans seamlessly. She went against me and my orders and put the entire den in jeopardy just to step in and save you. She did all this for one man.”

He sounded as if he were in disbelief.

“Were you worth it?”

He scoffed. Was he?

“I see a lot of myself in you. Your ferocity, brains, drive, creativity, and foresight, I see so much potential for you here. I’m impressed with what you can offer the den. I always have been. Now that she’s gone through all this effort it is clear to me that how she felt then never died, it lives still. The proof has always been clear to me though I was reluctant to accept it. She is my princess, and no one is worthy of her. However, it’s become time for me to step aside and let her choose who stands beside her. I’ll offer you a spot in my empire, a place in the Den of Vipers, but the role is up Aria.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. All these years, all this time. Everything he’d thought was real wasn’t, everything was wrong. Your father stood then patted him on his shoulders.

“Take some time to think about it. Let me know when you’ve decided.”

With that, he walked off leaving him sitting there in this oasis with a head full of thoughts and a heart aching in more ways than one.

-Aria-

It had been nearly 2 hours now. What the fuck could they be talking about for so long? Being home you were supposed to be at ease but during your soak in the tub, you hadn't felt any ease. You were as tense and worried as ever. Not even half a bottle of rum had helped. You paced your room in your mid-thigh length robe as you thought about your options. Your father was pissed with you but you knew he wouldn't be too harsh. If you interrupted whatever they were doing he wouldn't punish you for it.

With your mind made up you flung your door open the gasped seeing Ray standing on the other side. Immediately he took your breath away. Mere hours ago, his eyes still held anger and mistrust in them. Now they were softer. What in the world had happened?

“Uh…what’re you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

You crooked your brow. Now he wanted to talk? Without waiting for your reply, Ray walked into your bedroom leaving you stunned. He couldn’t wait to get away from you before, now he was barging into the viper's den. After closing the door, you cautiously walked in. Ray was at the window scanning the perimeter. When he turned his eyes roamed over you taking in your attire. When he realized how little you had on, he turned his head then breathed out heavily.

“How did you find me?”

“I asked.”

“And everyone was so willing to give you, an outsider, the location of--.”

“The next Viper in line to rule?”

You took him in. Your father had told him.

“Your father must have given me the green light around here,” he said.

“What? After 1 conversation? What in the hell did you talk about? Did he pull a gun on you?”

“Nope. He gave me some weed.”

You gaped then shook your head because it sounded like something your father would do. “So, he gave you weed then approved your access, and bam here you are.”

“10 years of secrets. Don’t you think it’s time to come clean?”

You studied him for a few moments then sat at the foot of your bed.

“What’re you talking about?”

“I did 10 years for you. The least you could do is be honest.”

“You keep saying that like I made you take the fall, like--.”

“Like you didn’t leave me?”

“Ray you told me to run. I did!”

“Yeah, you did. You ran never looked back then disappeared.”

You pinched your nose bridge then pressed across your forehead. He had no idea.

“If I looked back I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave. I knew that we’d both get caught and then we’d both be fucked. I wanted to go back so bad Ray. I knew I could convince my father to plan a jailbreak for you before any sentencing even happened but then some of my father’s men grabbed me and the next thing I knew I was on a plane halfway across the ocean. I tried to get back. I swear I did but--.”

“Even knights are meant to be sacrificed for the queen,” Ray said in such a way that an eerie feeling washed over you.

He’d talked to your father. Those were his exact words to you when you tried to plead your case to go back for Ray or even plan a jailbreak. He’d told him everything.

“He told you.”

“Yeah, he told me.”

“And you’re still angry with me? Why?”

“There is nothing and no one that could keep me away from you. All it took was daddy’s words for you to give up on me.”

You sprang to your feet then, anger bubbling in your gut. “You don’t know my father. He would have killed you just so you weren’t a distraction for me anymore. I stayed away to keep you alive. I didn’t give up on shit. All these years I’ve been watching. All these years I’ve been trying to keep you safe. Do you have any fucking idea how exhausted I am?!”

“I don’t need your fucking protection Aria! I didn’t then and I don’t now! I—I fucking needed you!”

Your eyes were locked on his, jaw tight as a slew of emotions swirled within you. Ray was the kind of man who was quiet but expressive. When you were together those 2 years he wasn’t overtly expressive about his feelings. What he didn’t say in words, he said in plenty of other ways. However, when he used words he always took your breath away. Now, today was no different.

Slowly you watched his eyes fill with something else other than anger. Something—heart-wrenching.

“I needed you on visiting days. I needed you at nights. I needed you in the depressing darkness of the hole. I needed you in every fight, every attempt someone made to prove I was weak. I needed to know I still had you.”

Ray turned from you and looked out of the window again. Your tears fell from your eyes, and it hit you then. Yes, he was angry with you, but he was angrier at the situation you found yourselves in. Where you’d had 10 years to accept the shit, he’d just had it all flung at him. Ray’s shoulders were slouched, hanging low as if he now had all the world’s weight on them.

You wanted to touch him, but you were scared he’d shrug you off. So, you kept your distance but after a few minutes the urge became too strong, and you slowly crossed the room until you stood right behind him. Raising your hand, it took forever to close the space to his shoulder. When you laid your hand on his skin, he didn’t move or lash out.

“I felt like such a fucking fool to have burned myself for you. I took you disappearing as you proving how untrue you were that you didn’t mean anything you said. I hated you so much. I wished such horrible things on you but with every horrible wish, I felt worse and worse. I hated myself and--.”

You dipped under one of his arms that were pressed on the windowpane and came face to face with him. Holding his face in your hands you found the last of your courage.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

Ray raised his eyes and peered into your tear-filled ones. You repeated the words you’d wanted to say for years. You said them again and again and with each apology Ray melted. The tension in his shoulders crumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Ray croaked out.

It was your turn to melt. Within seconds of those words escaping his lips, you both crashed into one another, lips colliding for the first time in a decade. You’d often wondered if this was possible after everything, and if it were, how would it happen. Would it be slow and tender, teasing, and hesitant? It was neither. Ray kissed you with a hardness that wasn’t there 10 years ago. He kissed you as if he loved you and hated you all at once like he wanted to suck the very air from your lungs to have a piece of you with him always or to kill you so no one could ever have you. His kiss was delightful and torture, familiar but foreign.

Your lips and tongues wrestled never remaining still for long. He swirled his around yours, and you sucked his until he groaned. When Ray pressed your back against the window the hardness of his body made you whimper. This was the body of a fully grown man, not some young adult. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer. In response, Ray dipped down and lifted you into the air so you could wrap your legs around his waist.

All of this was muscle memory. Your body never forgot him. How could it? He’d been your first in so many things. You bit down on his bottom lip dragging a fierce groan from him. Ray pressed into you giving you the first feel of his hardness.

“Fuck!”

Like a command received, Ray quickly yanked open your robe then cupped your breasts. His hands were rough, calloused, and larger than you remember. Using his thumbs he flicked your hardened nipples sending jolts of pleasure through you that settled in your core and turned to molten lava.

“Now! I can’t wait anymore,” you rushed out in between kisses.

Ray must have felt the same urgency because he released your breasts then lowered his hands to fumble with his pants. As he freed himself then kicked the pants off they went across the room and banged into one of the lamps bringing it clattering to the floor. With the room in half darkness, Ray locked eyes with you and a second later he split you in half sending his large, thick cock to the hilt.

“Aah! Fuck!”

Ray shuddered as he pressed his forehead to your collar. When he pulled back he rammed himself inside of you again making you throw your head back into the window.

“Ugh!”

His thrusts started slow and punishing. Each quick flick of his hips sent a powerful message that both your brain and body received. You held on to him afraid he’d disappear and you’d realize this was yet another dream. His hands tightened around your hips then he moved you against him, so he was directing his hardness into you the way he wanted, the speed he wanted. Every time he sank into you, your body shook, and goosebumps peppered your skin.

Soon, you both were panting, grunting, and groaning as you fucked right in front of the window not caring who could see. He turned, leaning his back on the wall as he locked eyes with where your bodies were joined.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Uuuugh!”

“Fuck me, Ray. Fuck me!”

That was just what he did. His thrusts were unrelenting, his power all-encompassing and with every minute your pleasure became so intense you knew you would break in half once you came. Ray tightened his grip then moved you more forcefully against him losing all control. The veins in his neck protruded as he lost himself to the pleasure you were sure he could only find with you.

You felt him walking across the room then your positioning changed as he sat you on top of him.

“Take all this dick, Aria!”

He slapped your ass, and it was all the encouragement you needed. You planted your hands on his shoulder then slowly lifted your body up only to slide back down. He felt so good. Ray dropped his head back and closed his eyes. Every time he almost slipped from your heat he bit down on his bottom lip. Then when you sank down on him his nose scrunched. Soon you were bouncing on him using the power and skill of your hips and ass.

Ray gripped your derriere, spread your cheeks then thrust up.

“Mmm!”

That one thrust unlocked something inside of you, something rabid and primal. Raising onto your feet you bounced on him increasing your speed until sweat rolled down your bodies. You pressed your lips to his and kissed him with as much heat as you felt within. It was heat he returned.

“Mm, I’ve missed your tight little pussy.”

Locking eyes with him you bit his bottom lip. “Show me.”

Ray stood, pulled you off him then pushed you over the chair so your ass was propped up like a gift for him. Without warning he slammed into you making you fling your head back. Ray’s hand wrapped around your throat as he held you in the position you were in. With your back arched creating a ‘u’ shape along your spine he lowered his lips to your upside-down ones and kissed you senseless. When he pulled his lips from yours he fucked into you with reckless abandon. Every stroke make you shout his name and every time you did he only fucked you harder and harder.

In no time at all you were seeing stars and your body was begging for mercy. You didn’t dare listen though. When you felt his teeth sinking into your shoulder you screamed from the pain but your body convulsed from the pleasure.

“Still like a little pain with your pleasure huh.”

Ray pulled from your body. You turned to him on shaky legs and peered at him through lust-clouded eyes. He hoisted you into the air again then slid you down on his length. Again you kissed him as he began his torturous pleasure all over again. When you tasted copper, you pulled back to realize you’d bitten his lip and drawn blood. Ray smirked then slammed you into a wall and jackhammered into you.

“Yes!”

“Is this still my pussy, Aria?”

“Yes.”

“Do I still own it?”

“Yes!”

“Ah, ah, ah!”

With each thrust, you could feel his body shaking. He was close and you wanted everything from him. You were tired of the last 10 years of longing. You wanted everything now.

“I love you, Ray.”

His brow quirked then his face scrunched and that was when you felt him release deep inside of you. It was a release that triggered yet another orgasm from you and brought darkness with it as your body exploded.

When you opened your eyes you were in your bed naked and sore.

“What the--.”

“Welcome back.”

Beside the bed, Ray sat just as naked as you. It all came back then, and you couldn’t hide the smile that spread across your face.

“Was I too rough?”

You glanced at his chest and saw the blood soaking the bandages. You jerked up. “What happened?”

“I’m fine. Some of the stitches popped.”

You slowly looked around the room and saw everything was in disarray. Lamps were broken on the floor, sheets and clothes littered everywhere, broken glass and furniture were here and there, and blood was smeared on some of the walls and your body.

You snorted, “Just like old times I see.”

Ray smirked.

“I’m sorry,” Ray began.

“Don’t. Let’s stop with the apologies here and now. No more. We missed so much time, so much was missed out on. I don’t want to miss it anymore. I don’t want to keep going like this Ray. I can’t. I miss you so fucking much I can’t breathe. I’ve loved you for 12 years and I don’t see it ever changing.”

Ray walked over to you, his hard cock bobbing in the air. Once beside the bed, he took your hands and raised you to your knees so you were in front of him. When his hand cupped your cheek you melted.

“This is the second time I’ve lost everything. Now I have nothing else, and I don’t want to lose you again. I can’t.”

His hand slid to the back of your neck to cup your skull. “I have loved you since I was 20 years old. A decade later not a damn thing has changed. I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Your tear slipped from your eye and Ray’s thumb swiped it away.

“Do you mean that? Do you forgive me?”

“I mean it.”

Rau brought your face closer and gazed deeper into your eyes.

“‘Till the end Imma ride wit’ you. There’s nothing to forgive.”

You scrunched your face and tried to contain yourself. “Ray,” you whispered, voice full of emotion.

“Tell me again,” he pleased.

You pressed your forehead to his. “I love you Ray Merrimen. “I got you. ‘Till the end Imma ride wit’ you.”

He smiled and then pulled you into a searing kiss, a kiss that revived your very heart and set your soul on fire. This man was all you wanted and all you would ever need.

“Your father offered me a spot here. He said the role is up to you though.

You held your breath waiting for him to finish.

“I want it. So tell me what role you want me to have?”

“You cupped his bearded jaw.

“I want you next to me.”

He smiled then slowly nodded.

“As your knight?”

You pulled him closer.

“As the king in my den because every queen needs a king.”

Ray laid you down then climbed on top of you ready to make you blackout again but a knock on your door stopped him.

“What?”

“It’s here,” Uki’s voice sounded.

You smiled. “I got you a present.”

“What present?”

“Come.”

The two of you dressed, you in your robe and Ray only in his pants. He didn’t even bother cleaning up the blood off his skin. you like it, he looked fierce. Once you made it outside to the center of the compound, the men had gathered. You glanced at Uki who smirked and nodded at you clearly knowing what had gone down and that Ray would now be a permanent face around here.

“What’s going on?”

“Consider this your welcome present. A token of my undying love.”

The men parted to reveal someone kneeling in the center with a burlap bag over their head. Ray looked at you with confusion.

“Open your present, my king.”

Ray approached the body then yanked off the burlap and came face to face with Donnie. When Donnie looked up at him the terror in his eyes faded.

“Ray—Ray help me. What the fuck is going on?”

Ray looked back at you, and you smiled wider nodding at him. You approached and stood beside him.

“Who’s this?”

“The Viper.”

Donnie’s eyes widened. You loved when your family’s reputation preceded you.

“Fuck, wha—wha—.”

“Shh. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You’re not?”

“No. I have no quarrel with you. It’s him you have to worry about.”

Donnie looked at Ray again. You leaned forward to Donnie’s ear.

“He knows what you did. He knows everything you did,” you whispered.

Donnie now looked horrified. You smiled when you stood upright again then laughed.

“Ray look man don’t listen to her. She’s lying. I didn’t have anything to do with any of that. Shit just went south. I don’t know how Nick knew about the heist. I don’t know how the money went missing.”

“How did you know the money went missing if everyone who knew that is dead?”

Donnie stuttered at Ray’s question. He’d given himself away.

“Fuck. I’m sorry man. I just--.”

“Shhh,” you repeated. “What was it that you like to say—oh right. You’re in complete control of your environment?”

He looked like he was ready to piss himself. You smirked deviously. “Guess what. You’re in my environment. You always have been in my environment. My den sees and hears everything.”

Ray stared at Donnie with so much anger that you wondered how he’d handle this. Donnie was the reason his brothers were dead. He looked at you.

“Whatever you want,” you said.

Ray nodded then kissed you sloppily making you moan. He then pressed his forehead to yours.

“Gun.”

You repeated the order and took the gun that was given to you to hand to Ray. Donnie then began pleading using every slick word he could find to plead with Ray not to do it.

“I’ll get you the money back.”

“How can you give something you don’t have? I took the money back already.”

Donnie dropped to the ground realizing he had nothing left.

“You got my brothers killed. Do you know what happens to those dropped in a viper’s den?”

“Ray man please.”

“They get bit!”

You watched as Ray released bullet after bullet into Donnie. He didn’t stop until the bullets stopped and the gun clicked over and over and over, and Donnie lay dead on the ground. He dropped his head back and stared into the night sky.

“It’s done. Rest up brothers,” Ray said into the night.

You looked up and saw Razu standing across the way. his eyes wide and jaw clenched tight. You smiled then wrapped yourself around Ray who wrapped his arm possessively around you.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I mean it Aria. You’ve done so much. Thank you.”

You touched his cheek and then kissed him. “I told you. I got you. ‘Till the end Imma ride wit’ you.”

Ray pressed his lips to your forehead then the two of you turned to go back inside.

“Aria! I challenge you and that white abomination!”

You smirked and took the gun Uki handed to you, ever prepared for the shit that could rise. You turned, took aim, and shot quicker than he could realize what had happened. Your shot rang true sending the bullet dead center in Razu’s head.

“Spies and traitors don’t have the right to challenge. Uki will show you all the man Razu was.

She pressed a button on her wrist and the screens around played Razu’s dirty dealings within the den. Everyone whispered words of admonishment as they spat at and on Razu’s dead body.

“Let it be known that as of today I am his, and he is mine. If anyone objects speak now.”

Not a soul spoke and from the corner of your eye, you saw your father standing high above it all watching the events unfold. You held his gaze for a few moments and caught the smile on his lips. He nodded then pressed a kiss to his fingertips and sent it your way. His approval. It was 12 years later but better late than never.

Once you’d returned to your bedroom and ravaged each other thoroughly, you both laid there staring at each other both afraid to sleep for fear it was all a dream. Ray reached out and caressed your cheek.

“I promise to be loyal to you, to love you, and always come back for you.”

You smiled. “I promise to be loyal to you, love you and always come back for you.”

He rolled onto you and captured your lips.

“This is forever, Aria.”

“Forever.”

~End~

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