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ghostofwriting · 7 days

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Kildare Split Part Four: in another life

Rafe Cameron x reader

Chapter 4: in another life

Note: Here's part four!! I'm still crying over TTPD. Down bad is so incredibly Rafeit's insane. Anyway!! I love you all so much, thank you for reading and being absolutely wonderful. This part covers the smau up until part 26. Good luck soldiers!!

Warnings: none, not edited, angst, swearing, sadness, julio, mentions of drugs, mentions of suicidal ideation.

Word Count: 6,722

Synopsis: Everyone has noticed that there's been a shift in how Kildare Split acts around each other. Rafe and Y/N used to be so close, they were always pictured together, and always shared stories of each other and for the last few years, there has been nothing from them. A behind-the-scenes look at what went down between everyone's favourite band.

Chapter 4: in another life

It’s a nightmare. Everything feels off. The walls are caving in. His mouth feels as if he had chewed on cotton balls for the past hour. It’s spinning. He’s lost control of himself and he doesn’t know how he’ll get it back.

It started because of the thought of them together. Forever. Married. Having kids and living happily ever after clawed and his chest and ate him from the inside out. It was an ugly feeling. He wanted to be happy for her. There was no way he could be. Not when he was so deeply in love with her. Not that he ever stopped.

It was just one blunt. He stole it from Barry. He was careful not to disturb any of the other drugs he had in there. Careful not to look at them too long. He’s been good. Has been clean for more than two years without any missteps. And here he is high once again. It’s just weed he tells himself. It’s fine. He’s fine.

They’re about to go onstage when Sofia loses her mind. She goes absolutely ballistic. He’s pulling her off to the side away from prying eyes.

“Stop. Relax. Let me explain.” Everything comes out in a jumble as he’s trying to balance his damn guitar and get her to stop flailing her arms everywhere.

“There’s no explaining anything. We are over. We are so done, Rafe. Holy shit I cannot believe I put up with your crazy obsession with your friend who by the way you didn’t even date. You’re insane.”

“Can you calm down for a second?”

“No! For your information Rafe. She doesn’t want you! She’s moved on! And we could have too but no. You’re here still pining over something that doesn’t exist. You are so incredibly disrespectful to me. I have been nothing but supportive of you. And I have put up with so much shit from you so much hatred because what? Did I take you away from her? You chose me! You left her. And now I’m leaving you.”

“Sofia-“

“The way you have treated me the last couple of months with your album release and hinting that it’s about her? Do you have any idea how that makes me look? How it makes me feel? You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh! Sorry! You and her! And barely even yourself, you know how I know?” She looks at him, volcanic ash in her eyes. “Because you’re fucking high right now!”

“Keep your voice down.” He pulls her deeper into the corner they’re standing in.

“Fuck you, Rafe. I loved you. I did. I thought that once she moved on, we would be okay. I was wrong. Do not sabotage this for her. She’s happy. You’re not good enough for her. And not for me.”

She does a 180 and storms off away from backstage and away from him. He looks up and Topper is staring at him from where he stands beside Sarah, her hand is on his arm, a look of concern on her face. He shakes his head at them and turns to the stairs that lead to the stage. He spots Y/N and Julio, they’re talking quietly to each other, he sees her laugh and touch Julio’s face, and he kisses the palm of her hand.

Fuck this. He runs back to the green room. He knows he left it around here somewhere and he knows where the lighters are. He digs through three of Barry’s jackets before he finds the blunt. Barry must have moved it. When he pulls it out, a plastic baggie with four white pills comes up with it. He thinks about putting them back. He wants to put them back. He hears the 5-minute warning, stuffs the baggie in his jeans and runs to find a lighter.

+++

There’s something off about Rafe. She notices when they begin their second song. He’s swaying more than usual, coming up and singing to her face a little too closely.

It must be because they’re trying to be friends. And maybe the fight with Sofia. It was pretty nasty the way she went at him. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, the crowd and music drowning them out. Sofia looked upset. She must have cooled off because she’s in the audience standing next to Sarah. Not that their manager would allow her to leave even if she wanted to. It would cause too much speculation online and that’s something they don’t need more of.

She hasn’t had to protect Julio from how Rafe and her used to act on stage, during their no-talking years, they still put on an act but it was nowhere near the level of how they acted pre-everything. They were pretty heavy on the PDA, without confirming anything of course. It was more like singing into each other's mics while staring longingly into each other’s eyes. A lot of heavy petting, she would drape herself around Rafe, Rafe would swing her around and carry her. They would practically make out on stage every show. They did everything but have sex. It’s no wonder the theories and rumours started.

Post everything that went down, they tamed it and kept it to their side of the stage unless they were switching over. They didn’t share a mic and looking at each other too long was off-limits. And now, well now, it looks like Rafe wants to sing into her mouth with the way he gets closer and closer. Julio knows about their past and he knows that she would never do anything to hurt him but this is a little much. She doesn’t want to rub anything in his face or make him feel disrespected. She also can’t diss Rafe on stage. They have an act. They’re all best friends and nothing bad has ever happened between them.

So she plays along. And she sings into his mic, she whips her hair in his face and he sings over her shoulder. They’re closer than they’ve ever been. This should be a fun one to look at online. At some point, her shirt comes off. She’s a little angry at Rafe’s immediate switch-up. She feels that since they’re just figuring out how to be friends, he could give it a rest and not go all out. So her shirt comes off. It got stuck on the mic stand, she got pissed off that it ripped a little and she took it off, throwing it into the crowd. At some point Rafe is not even fully on the stage anymore, he’s lying down looking up at her as he plays his guitar. She’s standing over him, singing into the mic and playing the bass all while wondering what the hell has gotten into him.

Security is going insane over Rafe hanging off the stage and people are trying to grab his legs. Sarah is diving into the crowd trying to get a shot of what’s happening on stage. She kind of wants the show to be over but at the same time, it’s the most fun she’s had on stage in a while.

+++

Trying to find their footing after not being friends for three years, that much is clear. One moment he’s trying to make out with her onstage and the next he can barely look at her. It has been a little bit harder than she thought it would be.

It’s strangely painful. The realization that they can’t go back to how they were before anything happened. She knew it wouldn’t be easy but these awkward silences might kill her.

She’s sitting between Topper and Rafe, staring directly at Barry’s bored face as Ash explains who kows what. Something about which celebrities and important label heads are coming to tonight’s show.

She didn’t care about the label heads. One of their most important shows had been the one two days ago. Their friends had all flown in from different places to see them. Now back in the city she calls home, that’s still all that matters.

Cleo and Pope flew in from New York, John B and JJ had flown in from Hawaii. JJ would be leaving almost immediately after to continue training for the next big surf competition and John B would be staying at Sarah’s. Julio was at her house, she didn’t want him to have to spend the entire day at rehearsals so she told him to come by when he was ready. Ward was around somewhere too, probably with Sarah and John B. Kelce was at his hotel and would be arriving later with Kie after he got her from the airport, the only one that had missed the last show. It was an important show for them because of their people not because of some random celebrity they didn’t know.

After the show, they would go to one of their favourite bars to celebrate and then she would be off to North Carolina for a week before moving to Madrid for the foreseeable future.

She was so excited to be there a bit before Julio started filming so they could visit his friends and family.

After Ash is done running them through the guest list, they have some downtime before their private soundcheck and the fan soundcheck. Fan Soundcheck is her favourite because they get to play some deep cuts and answer some fun questions.

They’re standing backstage as one of their stagehands announces they’ll be out in three minutes. They’re standing in a circle making sure that their in-ears are on. Barry and Topper bickering about some random thing.

“Ready, buddy?” She looks at Rafe, her eyebrow raised as Barry laughs.

“Buddy? Good one.” Topper laughs as Rafe’s face turns red.

“Okay yeah, I’ll never say that again.”

“Please,” she laughs, “let’s go.” She leads the guys onto the stage as their fans start screaming.

They play a song right off the bat and then sit down for a few questions.

Everything is going fine, the mood is great, they’re all vibing with each other on stage, it’s great. Right up until it’s not.

“Hi, my name is Sammy, my question is for Y/N.” She smiles at the girl and waves.

“Hi Sammy, I remember you! You saw our last show too,” she speaks into the microphone.

“Hi! Oh my goodness yes. I drove here from San Francisco after getting tickets last minute.” The girl rambles. “Okay, so I was wondering, what are you most looking forward to doing on your break?” She mulls over the question before answering.

“I’m going to be semi-moving to Spain for a while so probably just exploring the city.” Sammy nods and thanks her as the mic is passed to the next person.

Something shifts on stage after that question. She doesn’t know if she missed something or what, but suddenly the mood is tense. Barry’s in between her and Rafe and she can still feel the tension coming off him in waves.

After the last question, they played one more song and bid the fans goodbye, telling them they would see them in a few hours for the show.

Barry goes and does whatever Barry does before a show, Rafe storms off and Topper follows him. She looks over at her guitar tech who just shrugs his shoulders and takes her guitar from her.

She texts Julio asking when he will be getting to the arena. When she doesn’t receive an answer, she sits in the green room, with no idea where the boys are.

She dozes off for an hour before her phone blows up with texts from Rafe. She opens Julio’s message first, telling her that he would leave her house in an hour. Then she goes to Rafe’s texts, saying something along the lines of needing to talk to her. She sees that she has notifications from Twitter as well and opens those. From Rafe too.

“I need you”

“Please don’t go”

“Y/N”

What is he doing? They just talked about trying to be friends, she knows about his feelings but he can’t go around blowing up her phone. He’s just sad about Sofia, how could he expect her to stay after he confessed to her that he still had feelings for his ex who wasn’t really his ex?

She asks him what he’s doing and he asks to meet her. She tells him no, and that it’s too late to d this. Too late in the day, too late because the show is about to start, and too late because she’s going and she doesn’t want him.

After telling Cleo to haul ass to the arena. Needing to speak to her about the Rafe of it all. She runs to the bus to hide. She doesn’t want to see him so she’ll avoid the arena.

She doesn’t think about how if he doesn’t find her inside, he’ll look for her on the bus.

“Y/N?” She hears him call. She’s in her bunk, curtain drawn and holding her breath. He walks closer and stands in front of her bunk. She can see his shadow.

“I know you’re in there.” She stays quiet still. “Please talk to me.” She sighs, not able to deny him when he sounds so sad.

She draws the curtain open and meets his eyes.

“We talked about this.”

“No, we talked about how I would try to be your friend. Not how you’re going to move away with your boyfriend.”

“What did you expect me to do? Sit at home alone for however long the break ends up being?”

“No, I thought we could hang out when we were both home and repair our friendship or whatever.”

“Rafe, I can’t do that. I won’t put my life on hold for you anymore.”

“Why are you doing this? Why can’t you just feel the same way? Why won’t you love me?”

She’s surprised by his words. For the first time, she looks at him. Takes in his dishevelled appearance, his jittering hands, and the dilation of his pupils.

“Are you high?” she swings herself off her bed to get as much distance between them as possible.

“No.” He’s lying.

“What the fuck Rafe? Why would you do this to yourself?”

“Because I’m fucking sad okay? And I don’t want to feel anything.” She can’t believe he would go down this road again, after being clean for so long. She can’t believe he would be around her like this. Not when he knows how many bad memories it brings.

“You have to leave. You have to get away from me.”

“Y/N.” His voice cracks.

“No. You know my history, the shit I have been through because of drugs. You know it very well actually. I don’t need to be around your erratic behaviour. It’s triggering, it hurts me.” Her voice is firm.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” he backs up turning around quickly and storming off the bus.

She sits back down, her hands slightly shaking. If he’s using again, she doesn't know if she can have him in her life.

+++

He’s happy Sarah’s the one that finds him. He’s spread out on the floor. The curtain covers him from the fans' curious eyes. The stage is quiet, with only a few people coming and going. The rest of the crew’s at dinner.

“What are you doing?” She stares from above him.

“Laying.” He mumbles

“Are you not going to come eat dinner?” She points behind her in the direction of the lunch room.

“Not hungry.”

“What’s wrong?

“Sad.” He sees the annoyance at his one-word answers cross her face.

“Rafe, full sentences please.”

“Y/N told me to go away. That she couldn’t be around me.” She crouches down next to him.

“I thought you two were trying to be friends?” she questions.

“I ruined it.” He can feel himself well up.

“How?”

“By being high.”

“You are not.” she kneels left to him now, grabbing his face roughly and bringing it so his eyes are aligned with hers.

“I am.” She looks angry at him. He feels tears start to gather. God, why does he make the women he cares most about in his life so upset?

“You can’t be high. You’re an addict.”

“Just weed. Nothing more.”

“I don’t care if it’s just weed. It’s not just weed for you. It’s a slippery slope. You go from weed to forgetting you’re sober, to cocaine.”

“I’m sorry.” The pity in her look makes his stomach twist.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up before the show. You need food and to sober up.”

“I’ll be sad though.” She stands up, extending her hand out for him to take.

“You’re high and sad, I don’t think it helped.”

“That’s what the cocaine is for.” He jokes, it doesn’t earn him a laugh, just a scowl.

“Don’t even joke about that.”

Maybe he can get drunk after the show, then he’ll forget how sad he is.

+++

The show goes off without a hitch. They are all smiles, dripping with sweat as they take the final bow of the tour. Tears are prickling her eyes as she looks over at Topper. His smile was big and shining. She looks at Rafe and he’s messing with Barry’s hair, a burst of laughter leaving him as Barry jumps on his back. Barry waves to the crowd as Rafe piggybacks him off. Topper grabs her hand and pulls her off the stage, waving one last time before they can’t be seen anymore.

Julio waits for her, a huge grin on his face and his arms wide open for her to run into. Once she lets go of him, she hugs Cleo and then Pope, and then she’s tackled by JJ, Kie, and John B.

“You all killed it!” JJ yells in her ear, making her jolt back.

“Fucking best show we’ve ever played!” Topper screams, coming up to her and hugging her. Barry joins the hug putting his sweaty arms around them both. Rafe hesitantly joins the group hug.

“Another successful tour,” he says, his eyes catching hers in the huddle. She smiles softly.

“Let’s go party!” Kie screams from down the hallway where she’s started to walk away.

Everyone starts cheering and following her lead. She finds Julio’s hand as they make their way to gather their stuff and leave the arena.

+++

He spots Julio come in through the back doors of the club, Y/N hanging off his arm, her lips swollen. His eyes soften when he looks at her. He sees how much he loves her, and how he would never hurt her. He would go to the ends of the world for her. And he hates him. He can’t stand that she’s not hanging off his arm. That he’s not the one kissing her against a brick wall outside a sleazy bar.

Sofia’s gone. They’re done. And he’s hurting for the relationship that he could have had if he had let go of Y/N. Not that he ever could have. It wasn’t in the cards for him. A world where he wasn’t irrevocably in love with her didn’t exist.

“You okay?” Sarah comes up next to him, planting her hands on the table to steady herself.

“I’m high again.” He confesses.

“Rafe, we talked about this.”

“I get that I just can’t stop. Everything hurts.” They look of pity from earlier returns.

“You need to stop.” He looks past her to where Y/N is.

“It’s just weed.”

“You don’t get to do weed. It’s not just weed to you. Slippery slope remember?

“I know.”

“I’m here for you. I think you need to go back to rehab. Either before you tour or after. It needs to be sooner rather than later. I’ll drive you there myself.” She offers.

The idea of going back to rehab irks him. He’s not as bad as he was last time. He has control over it. At least that’s what he tells himself.

“I don’t know how to be okay watching her be with someone else.” Sarah looks behind her at Y/N with Julio. Her smile lit up the room. Her laugh was music to his ears.

“You don’t get to break down about this. You made your choice. Let her be happy. you need to focus on staying sober, you heal, and you move on.”

“How?” He can’t rip his eyes away from the couple. Wishing with everything in him that it was him with her.

“By being her friend, Rafe.” She pats him on the back. He watches as she follows Topper out the back door where Y/N and Julio had come through earlier.

Everything he and Sarah talked about flies out the window when Julio of all people see him standing there with a little bag full of who knows what that Barry gave him. Barry’s drunk and high, that’s one of the only reasons he gave it to him. Barry would kill him any other time.

He’s been toying around with the idea of just doing it. Taking all these pills and getting it over with.

“You probably shouldn’t take those.” Rafe side glances at him but doesn’t speak.”

“If you’re doing that shit you shouldn’t be around her.” Rafe doesn’t like him and he likes him even less when he tells him if he can or can’t be around Y/N.

“Mind your business.” He barks out.

“This is my business, you know why? Because she’s my business. And she’s a recovering addict too, Rafe. Or did you forget?” He shrugs.

“Look, I don’t care if you care about your sobriety. But we both know you care about her enough not to risk hers. So if you’re going to do that shit, don’t bring it around her. And stay away from her.” This is the angriest he has ever heard the dark-haired man.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do on my tour with my friends.” Deep down he knows Julio’s right. Right now he doesn’t care what the man says. He wants to fight him.

“Do whatever the hell you want with yourself, I’m asking you to please, stay away from Y/N if you’re going to do drugs.”

“So you’re isolating her now too.”

“What does that mean?” Julio looks at him, one eyebrow raised, lips tight.

“You’re going to take her away. You’re taking her away from her family and her friends, to live in a country where she knows nobody. What kind of boyfriend does that?”

“I’m taking her away from you, right?”

“Yeah, you are.” The words spill from him before he can even think of denying them.

“She isn’t anyone’s to take away. She makes her own decisions and she chose to be with me.” Julio saying shit like that makes him feel like he thinks he’s the best option. The best man out there.

“Shut up. You’re not better than me just because you say that stuff.”

“I’m not better than anyone, just let her be.” He doesn’t say anything. Julio stands up.

“You had your chance. Let her go.” He stays quiet. Julio starts to walk away.

“I can’t.” He sees as Julio’s steps stutter.

“I’m going to fight for her.”

“There’s nothing left to fight for.” He walks away. Back into her arms. Where he wishes he could be.

+++

The two weeks back home in Kildare were filled with press and interviews. Filled with people asking them when the next album was and when they would be back. He was scheduled to go to rehab after two weeks back home but due to scheduling, they had to move his tour up. Y/N was already in Spain. She spent a bit of time with her family, made sure everything was good and then flew off to Europe, taking his heart with her.

They were okay again, he had explained that he would go to rehab and try to get himself under control again. She told him that she was proud of him and that she wished him all the best. She told him that she wouldn’t be able to make it to his first show but that she would be there for his last. She hugged him goodbye on her last day on the island and told him that he would see her soon.

The engagement scare still circulated in his brain. He’s so afraid that she would get engaged while she was away and he would truly lose her forever. Whenever he thought about it he felt like throwing up.

One month. One month and he would see her again.

+++

She stayed with Julio’s family for three weeks in Madrid before they had to go to Valencia where he had to film. She liked being in Madrid the most because she knew how to get around and she could stay at Julio’s house. In Valencia, they’re staying in a hotel so she doesn’t have the comfort of her things. She’ll go to the set with him most of the time but other times they are such long shoots she’d rather do anything else. She wants to explore but she’s so directionally challenged she’s scared to get lost and never return, her map couldn’t even save her sometimes.

Julio cooks for her every day, he teaches her how to cook some dishes he learned in his classes, they write songs together, and she runs songs by him which turns into them taking turns serenading each other. They drunkenly kiss under street lights and dance in the rain. She’s never felt happier, ever been so in love.

A month in and she’s back in Los Angeles where Rafe’s playing his last show. She’s excited to be here for him but she’s counting down the hours until she can go back to Spain.

When she gets home she checks to see that her house hasn’t been broken into and that all pipes are still in place. Her worst nightmare is returning to a flooded house. It all seems normal, she opens a few windows to air it out. Penny’s back in Spain with Julio so she feels extra alone.

She texts Rafe that she’s back in town and he texts her back within a minute.

“Thank you for coming, angel.” She smiles at the nickname and responds,

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

He sees her and his world stops. Her hair is in loose waves and it looks a little longer than when he had last seen her. His heart reaches out to her, begging to be in her presence. Sarah notices him there standing like an idiot and waves him over, the motion grabbing Y/N’s attention.

“Hey,” he says walking over.

“Hi!” She says putting her arms out to him, she goes on her tippy toes to reach him.

“How are you?” He asks her, slowly letting go.

“I’m good! Jetlagg is kicking my ass, but happy to be here! Look at you, rockstar.” She has a wide smile on her face that makes him feel like he’s seeing the sun for the first time.

“Yeah,” he laughs a little, scratching the back of his neck, shy all of a sudden.

“I heard a little rumour that Sofia was around?”

“I invited her to a show, extending a branch and all and we talked but that ship has sailed.”

“Are you on good terms?”

“I think we could be better, but it’s okay, I’m not holding my breath.” She links her arm with his, he looks at where their arms connect and feels like he’s on fire. How is he ever going to get over her?

+++

Rafe is amazing. He’s in a class of his own when he’s up on stage giving the show of a lifetime. It makes her tear up. She can’t help but think how he almost gave this all up when they were younger. She can’t imagine him anywhere but the stage. If he were working for his dad, his star would be caged. She’s so happy she could be a small part of his journey. He deserves the world.

For the first time since they started talking again, she feels like they can go back to normal. She loves him. She can have her best friend back.

+++

She doesn’t know how fast everything can fall apart. It’s perfect. Too perfect. She should have known that the other shoe would drop sooner or later. That’s how her life goes. She should have known she couldn’t have everything she wants. Things get ripped away eventually.

Rafe and Topper had mentioned that there were rumours they might have to go on a festival run. She hasn’t heard anything from their manager or their label. She likes the idea of a festival run, it could get them playing in front of people who don’t know who they are and expose them to new crowds.

She misses performing, she knows this would cut her time in Spain short. Much shorter than anticipated. She’s supposed to be there for almost seven months, with a bit of travelling back and forth until Julio finishes filming and they can stay in New York for a while.

She’s only been here for three months. It’s been so nice to be back with Julio full time, and get to do normal couple things after work. She doesn’t know how she’ll break the news to him. She chooses not to until she knows for sure.

The peace is short-lived.

“What is this?” Julio holds up the phone for her to take. She grabs his phone and looks at Boston Calling’s festival lineup. She reads trying to see what he’s talking about and finally finds what he’s asking about. Saturday, May 8th: Kildare Split B stage.

“I promise I didn’t know anything about this.” She tries to reassure him.

“That’s in two weeks.” He says to her, she feels the emotion in his voice.

“I know. I’ll talk to them.” She gives him his phone back and wraps her arms around him.

“I’m sorry.” They stay wrapped up in each other, silence overtaking them.

+++

“Ash, no one told me. I just thought I had more time.”

“There’s nothing we can do, we have the contract, you’re expected here.” She slides her hand over her face and sighs.

“Okay. That’s fine, but I’m leaving right after, no press.”

“Y/N, that’s not the only festival. You’ll be doing stops all spring and summer.” Her stomach drops.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“I’m sorry. The label will make no exceptions. You have to be here for every show.”

+++

She cries in Julio’s arms about having to leave so soon. He tells her it’s okay and that it’s nothing that they aren’t used to. She hates being used to being so far from him. She already misses him.

They try to get back to normal for the remainder of the time but something shifts. She can’t quite place it. She doesn’t know if it’s her or if it’s him. It feels off. For the first time since they met, it feels like they’re orbiting around different stars.

They’re returning to their apartment from lunch with one of his co-stars when her world starts to crack. She knows what he’s thinking before he even says it out loud. His eyes are sad and she can read him. She’s never hated him a day since they met. Not until now. She tries to distract herself, tries changing the subject, she tells him she’s going to shower and get ready for bed.

In the shower, she tries to scrub away the doubt and rubs at her skin to try and rid herself of the feeling. Impending doom. The world ending. A black hole fiding her universe and destroying it before she can do anything to stop it.

When she gets out of the shower he’s sitting on the edge of their bed facing her, she’s still trying to avoid it, she kisses his cheek and turns away. He stops her from walking away by grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. She doesn’t face him. She can’t.

“This is so hard.” His voice comes out hoarse.

“Then don’t do it.”

“I love you so much it hurts.” It’s not supposed to hurt. He taught her that.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“You said we could get through it. You said that it was nothing we hadn’t done.”

“I know what I said. I thought I could.”

“And now you can’t.” He looks at her, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I wish things could be different.”

“No. No. No. Stop, no, you don’t get to break up with me.” She’s screaming, the tears already spilling from her eyes. She’s never felt so crazy. And her world falls apart. She doesn’t remember a time before her life was him and her.

“Y/N. You know I love you, I would do anything for you, and this is the right thing to do.”

“No. You don’t get to choose what is right for me. I do. And I choose you. I always choose you.”

“It’s not feasible. Being away from you. It hurts too much. It hurts you and it hurts me. I can’t do

it. My heart breaks every time you leave.”

“I’ll do anything.” Tears fall from his eyes as he gulps.

“Moving here is not realistic for you, you were supposed to be here for way longer and look, you leave in three days. I don’t blame you. It’s everything you’ve worked for and I won’t be the person that holds you back.” She’s sobbing now, she can’t see him over her tears, she’s shaking and desperate to get him to listen. To keep him.

“I’ll quit the band.” It comes tumbling out of her mouth before she can stop it. she grabs his face and makes him look at her. “I’ll quit.” He looks at her eyes wide.

“No.”

“Julio, please.”

“You don’t mean that, you’ll resent me and you won’t be happy and it’ll ruin us.”

“I won’t. I promise.” She’d never heard these sounds come out of her body before, so guttural and painful from somewhere deep inside her.

“You will. You would never ask me to quit acting, would you?”

“No,” she whines, the tears flowing.

“Then how could I ask you to quit your dreams?” He’s right. She knows he is and it fucking hurts. She wants to rip her heart out. She’s never felt pain like this and she wishes she could have never met him.

That’s not true, the thought of never having him in her life hurts. No matter how painful this moment is, the realization that their relationship is over is, she would never take back the years she spent with him. He showed her what it meant to be loved. How it felt to be seen and wanted. He taught her selflessness in love. She would never take it back. She needs to numb the pain.

She falls into his arms, her face on his chest as she cries and cries. He holds her like he never wants to let go and cries with her. God how she wishes she could live another life. How she wishes they could be other people. In another life, she thinks. In another life.

He’s what she wants, but she’s not what he needs. Because she’s hurting him. She’s been hurting him and he can’t put up with it anymore. She’s not worth it.

She books her flight for that night. Not wanting to prolong their inevitable goodbye. She watches as he closes the door to his apartment. The last time she’ll be here. They hold hands on the way down to his car and then as he drives her to the airport where he kisses her for the last time. Kisses her goodbye. And she gets on the plane and cries all the way home. The flight attendant keeps bringing her water and the people around her are whispering. She closes the curtains around her pod. Her eyes focus on the sides of the window as the frost builds like little spider webs reaching out to her.

She loves him. She loves him. She can’t believe this.

+++

She gets to her house. Penny next to her. She sets her stuff down next to the door and collapses into a pile of skin, bone, and numbness. Her heart missing. Her heart was somewhere back in Spain with the boy he dragged her out of her isolation and brought her back to life. How could she ever be okay again?

She doesn’t leave her house or her bed until the day she has to be on a flight to Boston. She has about 100 missed calls and a billion unopened text messages. She doesn’t care to talk to anyone. Doesn’t want to explain the breakup.

+++

She can feel herself isolating. To the way, things were before him. She’s in a room full of people and she feels the most alone she’s ever been. She waves everyone off, not giving them a second glance. She marches on stage, she plays the show with a missing heart. Pretending she’s okay. The band sees right through her, the fans don’t know better.

Everyone is worried about her. Ash forces her to come out with the band and crew. She’s probably scared she’ll overdose if she’s on her own. All the telltale signs of how she used to be. They’re keeping an eye on her.

She doesn’t feel like she’s in her body, she’s floating through life right now. She walks out onto the balcony, needing fresh air.

Everyone’s dancing as she sits on the balcony and stares at the night sky. The wind makes goose bumps rise on her skin. She feels another tear try and escape her eye. She blinks it away before it can. She’s so tired of crying all the time.

“Hey, you.” Topper steps out into the crisp air.

“Hey,” she whispers, trying to cover that she’s been crying.

“You okay?”

“No.”

“It’ll be okay. Sometimes love just doesn’t last. It happens and it’ll pass.”

“We didn’t break up because we didn’t love each other. If the distance didn’t exist I would still be with him. I would choose him over and over again but I was hurting him and in turn, I was hurting myself and neither of us expected or would accept the other quitting their dream jobs to move. So we’re done and it fucking hurts, Top. I saw forever with him. I haven’t felt that way about anyone ever. Part of me thinks that one day, when we’re both settled and not chasing the next best thing, we’ll be together.” She’s choking up, tears spilling over.

“Come here,” he opens his arms to her and she falls into them, “I’m here for you.” she looks over his shoulder to where Rafe is with their friends.

“For now I just want to drink and cry and sleep for three weeks. I want the pain to stop. I don’t want to feel.” She pulls back from Topper, grabbing his arm and dragging him back inside.

She would forget. At least for tonight.

+++

Her head pounds in the morning. She would blame all the crying she’s been doing but it’s mostly the alcohol. Cleo would kill her if she knew how much she was drinking again. She opens her eyes and looks around the half-lit room, the morning sun peeking through the curtains. The curtains are on the wrong side of the room. She looks around some more and notices clothes thrown on the floor. Men’s clothes. This isn’t her room.

She remembers bits of the night before, kissing and touching in the elevator ride, the fight to find his room key, looking into his blue eyes and forgetting the name of the man with the brown eyes. At least for a moment. She blinks as if that would stop the headache.

“Shit.” She hears from beside her. She slowly turns her head until her eyes meet the blue eyes staring back at her.

“Top.”

“Fuck.”

#rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #rafe x reader #rafe obx #outerbanks au #rafe fanfiction #rafe fic #rafe outer banks #rafe imagine #outerbanks rafe #rafe cameron smau #kildaresplit au

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24hlevi · 2 months

Text

— THE IDOL

itoshi rin x male!reader

summary: y/n is a famous pop idol, and rin is his biggest fan. what happens when y/n announces his brand new album "mood swings in this order" along with a tour to be held later in the year? surely, nothing too bad. right?

warnings/tags: language, nsfw implications (cum is said)

wc: 2.6 k

chapter one of the PAPARAZZI series

Being a pop star was difficult at times. From dealing with promotions, tours, and interviews, to crazy fans, trolls, and stalkers. But, none of that fazed you. Should it? Compared to some other idols, you went through a bit more than others, purely because of you embracing your sexuality in both the romance aspect and the performance aspect. You weren't afraid to do crazy concepts that would make fans turn and hate on the idol immediately. You definitely weren't afraid to express how you liked men, and while that may have caused a ruckus during your debut, it all worked out in the end somehow.

At the current moment, you were doing a photo shoot for your new album that you were soon to release the first single for. You had been taking photos for at least two hours, and you were getting irritated by the photographer telling you to do the same pose you’d already done fifteen times. After one last shot, you clasped your hands together.

“Can we take ten?” You said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Murmurs of yes and thank gods came from the staff at your words, and everyone immediately split off into different areas of the house. With a sigh, you got up off the bed and walked outside where the balcony was, looking down at your backup dancers practicing the routine.

“So, how do we feel about the shoot, Y/n?”

You turned your head to see your assistant and best friend, Mikage Reo standing beside you. “Well, I’ve been taking the same photos for hours, how would you feel?”

Reo chuckled and nodded. “I know.” He followed your gaze towards the dancers before speaking more. “How do you feel about the choreo? Is it too hard? Do I need to make any adjustments? Do you not like any of the backup dancers?”

“Reo,” You said, placing both your hands on his shoulders. “Everything is fine, I swear. As long as things don't go shitty, everything will work out amazingly.” You reassured him.

Reo sighed and nodded again. “I guess,” he said. “I just want this album to be your biggest yet, and that's what Anri wants as well. She’s been super stressed recently trying to put all this together.”

“I understand,” You acknowledged, removing your hands from his shoulders. “But everything is going to be fine, stop worrying so much.”

“Okay,” He sighed again and nodded.

Meanwhile, your manager, Anri was dealing with a big problem with some of the other staff.

“What the fuck do you mean?” The woman spat out angrily at their social media manager.

“Look,” They handed Anri the phone.

She looked at the picture and her eyes went wide. “Has this hit the public yet?”

“Yes.”

“Shit,” Anri cursed, handing the phone back. “We have to tell him.”

“Are you serious?” The social media manager looked at her with shock. “What if it causes a breakdown of some kind?”

“He can deal with it. Follow me.” Anri told them, starting to walk to where you and Reo were.

“Y/n!” Anri called your name. “We have a big problem!”

You and Reo both turned to look at Anri speed walking towards you two, making you look at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“This.” Anri shoved the photo in your face. “What the hell were you thinking going to a club with Ryusei and having this happen?!”

Looking at the photo, your eyes widened at the image. “I thought- he told me he deleted it!” You defended.

“And you believed him?!” Anri exclaimed. “Y/n, this is already trending on all social media, and not in a good way. You and Ryusei are not together. But now that everyone has seen this image, it's chaotic. His management isn't responding and either we have to say it's not real or you admit it and we pray this doesn't fuck anything up. So what do you want to do?”

“I guess I should admit-”

“We’ll say it's fake,” Reo cut you off before you could finish, making you look at him with confusion. “This will damage everything if we say that it's real. Can you imagine what the public will think? How are we supposed to hold a tour when they have seen someone's fucking cum on his face?”

“It’s not like Ryusei is some stranger,” You said.

“It’s still not good, Y/n,” Reo replied. “We have to say it’s fake, and hope his management says the same thing.”

“This is the best decision, Y/n,” Anri told you. “This also means you cannot see Ryusei anymore, he is going to damage your whole career if you go out with him again. Do you understand?”

You felt cornered. It was rare for Reo to take this kind of side in things, and it made you feel like you were being cornered into doing what they thought was best. While, usually they were right in matters like this. It was like you had no real control over anything anymore. With a short nod, you responded. “I understand.”

“Good, now get back to finishing the shoot while I figure out how to deal with this,” Anri said before walking back inside the house.

As soon as Anri was out of hearing distance, Reo quickly turned to you. “Dude, what the fuck?”

“What?” You asked, looking back at him. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“You look like a whore!” Reo whisper-yelled to you. “Do you understand that? This is not good! Ryusei is going to ruin this whole album! You need to stop seeing him!”

You stared at your friend in slight shock. Yet, you knew he was right. Consistently time after time again Shidou Ryusei has done something to fuck over your reputation leaving you to rebuild it again and again. But, you couldn’t stop seeing him. It was hard. But, you had to stop now. “Okay,” You said quietly, nodding your head.

“Now let’s get back to the shoot,” Reo said, grabbing your arm and pulling you along with him back inside the house.

You sat back down on the bed, adjusting your robe as the photographer came back and stood in front of the bed. You stared at the camera with what they later called a “killer look” that you should’ve had from the very beginning in your debut album. But, they didn’t understand what that look really meant. Not even Reo, who had been your best friend since you two were in middle school. They said the distant look in your eyes was perfect for the album, but they didn’t realize that this was going to end up being just the beginning of things. It was just that no one knew it yet. Not even you.

…

“Y/n, wake up,” Reo’s voice woke you up as he opened the curtains of your room.

You groaned lightly, covering your face with your hands as Reo sighed, walking over to you.

“Come on, you have to get up. We have to talk with PR,” He said, handing you a cup of coffee.

“Oh, great,” You mumbled, sitting up and taking the coffee from him. “I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

“Not yet,” Reo shook his head. “Ryusei’s management finally responded an hour ago.”

“What did they say?” You asked, taking a sip of your coffee after.

“Well, they are with us on saying the picture was fake,” Reo started. “Which is good, but…”

“But?” You tilted your head to the side.

“But, they also want to say it’s for your concept of this album,” Reo finished.

“What?” You questioned.

“Anri already told them how terrible of an idea that is so hopefully that won’t happen. But, it’s obvious Ryusei is trying to work his way around things. You must not let him, do you understand?” Reo told you.

You nodded your head slowly. “I understand.”

“Good, now get up.”

…

After finishing the long meeting with your PR team, you were finally able to go back home. You sat at the pool with a drink in your hand, sunglasses on with your eyes closed when you heard footsteps approach you.

“Yo! Y/n!”

You opened your eyes and turned your head to see your best dancer for your career so far, Hyoma Chigiri. “Chigiri! What’s up?” You replied, taking a sip of your drink.

“Do you wanna go out tonight?” Chigiri asked you. “There’s this new club I checked out last week and it was killer. You should come with me tonight.”

“Will Ryusei be there? I’m not really allowed to hang around him anymore.” You said, stirring the straw around in your drink.

“Nope,” Chigiri shook his head. “But who knows! Maybe you’ll meet someone better.” He smiled.

“True,” You acknowledged with a nod. “Sure, why not?” You eventually answered.

“Awesome, I’ll be here at 8 to pick you up then,” He said, patting your bare shoulder before walking away.

You hummed shortly in response, waving your hand and taking a sip of your drink. Hopefully, this would be nice for you. If not, it at least couldn’t hurt to go out with your friend. You finished your drink in another sip and set it down beside you, putting your arms behind your head as support and closing your eyes again.

…

Chigiri showed up a little late, which you didn’t mind since you weren’t even ready in the first place. You put your shoes on and heard your phone buzz, making you look at it to see Chigiri’s message that he was there. You put your phone in your pocket and left your house, immediately spotting the car near the front gate and you hurried towards it, the cool air freezing through the light materialized shirt you were wearing.

You opened the door and climbed inside the car, seeing Chigiri and he smiled at you.

“Hey! Looking good,” He said to you.

“You too,” You responded, putting the seatbelt on. “So, where’s this place at?”

“Only where the best clubs are,” Chigiri answered, pulling out of your driveway and back onto the road.

“Awesome,” You said, leaning your head against the headrest.

By the time you two arrived, it was half past nine, and the club had just opened at nine. When you stepped out of the car, your eyes squinted at the bright neon lights saying the name of the club that you were unable to read.

“Come on,” Chigiri grabbed your arm and pulled you inside with him.

You were immediately met with the loud booming music and neon lights, making you look around in awe at the place. “This place looks wicked,” You said.

“It is,” Chigiri answered, pulling you along more to get drinks.

While waiting for the drinks, you felt eyes on you. You turned your head to see a man staring at you. He quickly looked away once you noticed his gaze on you, and you watched as one of his friends started talking to him. You looked away when the drinks arrived, and Chigiri took his and went off somewhere, leaving you alone at the bar. You took a sip of the drink and made a sour face.

“Not your taste?”

You turned your head at the voice, seeing the male who was staring at you now standing in front of you. “Not really,” You shook your head. “I like harsher drinks.” You answered.

“Hey! Rufio!” The man called for the bartender, who hurried over to you two. “Get this lovely man here a new drink. Let’s say, a double jack and coke?” He said, glancing over at you for confirmation.

“Yeah, that works,” You nodded your head.

The bartender quickly made the new drink and handed it to you. You took a sip and looked at the male in front of you. “You can sit, if you want,” You offered, gesturing to the chair.

“I was actually going to ask if you wanted to dance,” He said.

“Ah,” You let out. ‘Well, I usually like a drink or two before dancing.”

“But-”

“Hey!” A voice echoed throughout the club.

The man looked away from you and at the younger male approaching the two of you at a fast-paced walk, and he looked terrified.

“What the fuck did I say about you coming back here, huh?!” The younger male exclaimed when he finally reached you two, smacking him in the face.

“I-I’m sorry! I th-thought-”

“Thought what? Get the fuck out!” The male kicked the older man a few times, watching him scurry away.

You stared at the new male in front of you with shock on your face, not knowing entirely what the hell just happened. When he looked at you, his face dropped, making you look at him confused.

“Uhm, do I know you?” You asked politely.

“No,” He shook his head. “But, I know you.” He answered. “You-You’re L/n, Y/n.”

Ah. A fan, great. “Don’t tell anyone, please,” You said quietly, holding your finger up to your lips. “I really just wanted a night out with my friend.”

“I won’t say anything,” He quickly shook his head. “I’m Rin,” He held his hand out to you.

“Nice to meet you, Rin,” You shook his hand.

“Do you maybe wanna dance?” He asked.

Looking at your drink, you took another big sip and set it down, nodding your head and standing up. “Sure.”

Rin grabbed your hand and pulled you with him to the main dancefloor. His hand let go once you both were in the middle of everyone, starting to dance to the electronic music blasting throughout the club. You generally weren’t one for electronic music but you didn’t mind it at the current moment. You felt hands wrap around your waist from behind and a body press against you, turning your head to see Rin towering over you while behind you. His gaze was stuck on you as he moved against you to the rhythm of the music.

He leaned down to your ear and quietly whispered. “Is that your friend over there?”

You followed his eyes to where Chigiri was talking to someone else and started walking towards the exit, and you nodded. “Yeah,” You said.

“Looks like he’s ditching you,” Rin spoke quietly. “Is he your ride?”

You nodded again.

“Hm,” Rin hummed, his hands gripping your sides tightly. “How about you let me take you home?”

You looked up at him with a mixture of confusion and shock. “What?”

“You have no way home now, right?” Rin asked. “You can’t get an Uber cause of your status, and I’m the only one who knows a famous idol is in my club right now. So, I say you have no other choice.”

You stopped dancing by now, his hands keeping you in place as you thought. He was right in all sorts of ways. You couldn’t afford to let anyone else know that you were here, and who knows what would happen if someone took a picture of you out clubbing just after the issue with Ryusei? You were stuck. “Okay,” You nodded.

“Come on,” Rin said as soon as you spoke, grabbing your hand and dragging you out of the club through the back entrance where his car was.

You followed him out to the back, mentally praying that you wouldn’t die on this ride back to your house as he opened the passenger side door for you. You hesitated for a split second before getting in the car, letting Rin close it behind you. He got in a few seconds after and started the car.

“So, what way to your house?”

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

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#blue lock x male reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x male reader #bllk x reader #blue lock scenarios #blue lock smut #blue lock imagines #bllk scenarios #bllk smut #bllk imagines #itoshi rin #itoshi rin smut #itoshi rin x reader #rin x male reader #rin x reader #rin scenarios #rin smut #rin imagines #paparazzi series

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redstarwriting · 10 months

Text

his girl | v. a sweeter song

earth 42!miles morales x fem!reader | miles morales x fem!reader

word count: 2.4k

genre: angst to fluff

warnings: language, spoilers (!), probably bad spanish, mentions of stab wounds, mentions of death, dead parents, mentions of blood, arguments

a/n: i love elaborating on things and tying everything together! it’s so fun :) i hope you all enjoy this chapter, it was fun to write and hopefully the story is still ✨captivating✨ to everyone reading. enjoy, y’all 🖤

his girl masterlist

previous chapter: iv. what can make me feel this way?

now reading: v. a sweeter song

next chapter: vi. i guess

───────────────────────────────

42 Miles frowns at you. “What? Why would I help him?” You roll your eyes. “Because he helped the love of your life not die. He’s also you! Isn’t that a good enough reason?” you snap, and he sighs. He looks at other Miles, frowning. “He has things I would kill to have, and you just expect me to help him go back to that? When you and I have to stay here and suffer all the time?” he asks, clearly upset. “He doesn’t have everything, Miles.”

“You know he can hear both of you?” Miles says, and you both look over at him. “Look, man, I get that you don’t want to help me. And that’s fine. I can do it myself. Just tell me, do you have Alchemax on this world?” 42 Miles and Aaron glance at each other before looking at Miles. There was, in fact, an Alchemax in this world. It’s where Aaron and Miles just were. See, Kingpin needed Miles to steal a certain piece of equipment so he could build a collider of some sort, but he wasn’t revealing all the details to the two of them. But 42 Miles is starting to suspect this Miles might be able to do something with whatever Kingpin was making. Which is equally as alarming, because tech like that has the potential to level the city if used wrong. And something tells him the earthquakes they’ve been experiencing has something to do with it, too. “Why?”

“I need to go there. Like I said, I don’t need your help. I can do what I need to do without you.”

“No, Miles. He’s gonna help you. Right?” you say, and 42 Miles sighs. “Mi amor, por qué? He just said he could handle it, didn’t he?” he asks, slightly annoyed. “Miles. You remember when you pissed me off really bad that one time? When you first became the Prowler, and I knew you were keeping something from me, but you refused to tell me?”

“I was just tryna keep you safe, (Y/n),” he says, and you shake your head. “I know the reasoning, it’s a stupid reasoning. And when you left me alone that one time, I was done, right?” you ask, and Miles looks at you with a frown. “Yeah.”

“Well, that’s what that Miles is going through right now. I’m not talking to him. You remember how much that sucked for both of us, don’t you?” 42 Miles frowns.

It did suck. It was before the two of you were dating, but both of you were clearly in love at the time. From your perspective, he kept disappearing on you, arriving to hang out only to apologize and say he had to go 5 minutes into it. Barely texting back when you reached out to him. You would see his location pinging in various places throughout the night. You were worried for him.

It was right after his dad died. You’d figured he’d gotten involved with the Cartel in some way to put himself and his family off their radar now that his dad was gone, but you couldn’t help but worry. Especially because there would be times when you went to see him, and he would have a split lip or a black eye. One time his arm was wrapped up, but you could see dried blood that seeped into the outside of it.

“Miles, what the hell is going on? This is the fourth time this week you canceled on me!” you say, frustrated that he looked at his phone and saying he had to go not even 15 minutes into the movie thee two of you agreed to watch in his room, curled up together in his bed and staring at his laptop. “(Y/n/n), I’m sorry, I just have to go do something,” he says, trying to keep it as vague as possible. You scoff. “You always have to go do something. When is the something you have to do gonna be hang out with me?” you ask, and he sighs. “That is something I have to do, too, but you don’t understand–”

“Then tell me, Miles! I’m so sick of this! You always say I don’t understand but when I ask you never say shit!” you exclaim, and Miles huffs. “Maybe cause even if I said, you ain’t gonna understand, (Y/n)! Ever think of that?!” he says, frustrated now too. He’s just trying to protect you from the shit he has to do now. You don’t need to know what’s going on, you just need to sit there, look pretty, let him buy you shit, and, above everything, stay fucking safe. “You’re so fucking frustrating, Miles,” you say, and he rolls his eyes. “Whatever, (Y/n).”

“Whatever?! Miles! Just tell me what the fuck is up with you!” you growl, and he frowns. “I can’t, (Y/n)! I can’t fucking tell you so just shut the fuck up about it and let me do what I gotta do to provide for you,” he snaps, and you shake your head. “I don’t need you to provide for me.”

“Yes. You do. You do, mamá do, mi tío do, all of you do. And I can. And I do,” he says, and you glare at him. “Have you ever considered I don’t need you to just provide money, Miles? Materialistic shit isn’t the only thing in the world that fucking matters,” you hiss, and he frowns. “Just fucking suck it up, (Y/n). We can watch the stupid movie when I get back.”

You laugh.

“No. You can watch the stupid movie when you get back. I’m done with you. I’m done with this,” you say, your voice colder than Miles has ever heard it directed toward him. “Yeah, okay. Sure, (Y/n),” he says, walking out of his room and out of the apartment. Rio wasn’t home, as she was busy at the hospital. And Miles still to this day doesn’t realize how you stayed in his room, crying from worry and a minor heartbreak thinking this was the end for the two of you. He was feeling the same way you were. But he pushed his feelings aside, putting himself in a blissful ignorance of thinking you wouldn’t actually keep your word. That he’d come home and see you curled up on his bed, passed out, and he’d have to wake you up and walk you to your home. Aaron always says he was particularly brutal that night, but he just used the fighting as a distraction against his conflicted feelings that very obviously would not leave the forefront of his mind.So he doesn’t really remember it all that much.

What he does remember is coming home to find his bed empty.

Frustrated, he threw one of his pillows across his room. You were supposed to be here. He was supposed to shake you awake, slinging his arm around you as he guided your tired frame back home. But you weren’t. And you weren’t there the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. And when Miles texted you, you wouldn’t respond. Every time he would try to go to your place, you would quietly say “Stop, Miles.”

It crushed him.

He started going on more missions, improving his approach as the Prowler and getting on Kingpin’s good side to the point where he never tried to figure out who the kid behind the mask was. All he needed to know was that he worked with Aaron Davis. Being trained by Aaron Davis. After all, at this point only an idiot would oppose the Cartel, so he figured the Prowler wasn’t and never would be a threat.

It went on for a month.

And during that month Miles was trying desperately to talk to you. But you kept brushing him off. It was pissing him off, but what pissed him off more was realizing the way you were slowly breaking down in front of him. You didn’t smile as much, you looked a mess, and all he wanted to do was hug you. It was then that Miles started to piece his feelings together. Rio pointed it out to him, and he was in denial about it. “Mijo, you like her,” she would say, and he would shake his head. “Mamá I like her as a friend. Nothing else.”

“¿Cómo crié a un hijo tan estúpido?” she mumbled walking away as Miles started arguing to her that he wasn’t stupid and that she raised a very smart son.

Then, the incident happened.

It was the first time he ended up in the hospital from his new gig. And it was the first time you talked to him. The end of the two of you talking resulted in the two of you confessing. He was lying in a hospital bed, looking up at your swollen eyes from your tears, and he realized that you were the single most beautiful thing in this world. And that he missed you terribly. His heart ached as he heard your shaky voice. “I’m sorry, Miles.”

“What you saying sorry for?” he mutters, using all his strength to lift his hand and wipe a tear away. You grab his hand, holding onto it like he was the only thing keeping you anchored to the world. “If anyone should be saying sorry, it’s me, (Y/n/n).”

“No, I’m the one who–”

“(Y/n). Mi amor. Mi vida. Mi luna. Don’t be saying no bullshit. You had every right to not talk to me for as long as you did. I shoulda told you what was up, and I will… just… not here,” he mutters, and you sniffle. “Tu amor?”

“Sí, mi amor,” he wipes another tear from your face. “Your life?”

“You’re the only reason I survived this. I couldn’t leave you here, alone. You’re everything, you kept me here. I fought to stay here for you,” he whispers, and you tear up for a different reason now. “Tu luna?”

“Mi luna bonita,” he smiles softly, gently rubbing your cheekbone with his thumb. “Tú eres mi amor, mi vida, mi luna, y mi felicidad. Te amo, (Y/n).” You stare at him with a watery smile on your face. “Te amo, Miles,” you whisper, and he gently pulls your face down, the two of you sharing a long overdue kiss.

42 Miles sighs, glancing over at 1610 Miles. Thinking about that time is never easy, though the thought of your lips on his for that first time always makes a warmth spread throughout his chest. “Don’t be the bad guy they’re trying to make you be, Miles. That’s not you. It never has been, and it never will be,” you say, and he looks at you, then at Miles again. He nods.

“Fine,” he begrudgingly agrees, and you smile at him. “Gracías, mi amor,” you say, and he rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Tío, can you call mamá? Tell her that (Y/n) needs urgent medical attention and make sure she gets it?” he asks, and Aaron nods. “Yeah. I gotchu, little man,” Aaron says, pulling his phone out. “When I get this knife out of my shoulder, I’m going with you,” you say, and the two boys snap their heads in your direction. “No.”

“Absolutely not,” they say at the same time, and you sigh. “But–”

“Baby, you need to rest. You ain’t coming,” he says, and you frown. “How do I know you won’t just kill each other.”

“Killing ain’t his style, amor,” 42 Miles says, thinking back to the fight. None of the people Miles took down looked dead. Just unconscious. “But it’s yours,” you say, and he shakes his head. “If I wanted him dead, he’d be dead by now. Like you said. He saved your life. Which means he saved mine. I’ll help and then get back to you as soon as I can,” he says, and you nod. “Please stay safe. Both of you.”

“We will be, mi vida. Promise,” Miles says, leaning over and kissing you softly. Miles watches with an aching in his chest. He wants this. He wants you. He can’t believe it took him traveling to a different universe to realize just how much you meant to him. As soon as he gets home, he needs to find you and apologize. Then he needs to stop Spot, save his dad, and tell you how he really feels about you. All in a day’s work for Spider-Man. As long as you accept his apology and love him back.

“Tío, take her back home, please,” Miles asks, and he nods. “You want me to put her on the couch or in your bed?”

“My bed. She’ll be comfortable there and then when I get back, she won’t have to move from that spot for a couple days,” Miles says, and you grin. “Does that mean I get unlimited cuddles?”

“Yes. Obviously,” Miles says with a scoff, and you smile. “Yay.”

“Sorry, but won’t her parents be alarmed that she’s staying at your place for that long? Like, I know they’re cool with her staying over and everything… but that’s a little excessive… wouldn’t you say?” 1610 Miles asks, and you frown slightly. “My parents are dead, Miles. Ms. Morales is my legal guardian until I turn 18,” you mumble, and Miles’ heart drops. Your parents? His dad? Who else is dead that he cares about on this world. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Miles,” you say, and 42 Miles nods slightly. “There’s no way you could have known,” he says. Miles still feels terrible, but you just give him a small smile as Aaron walks over, picking you up. “It was nice meeting you, Miles,” you say, and Miles nods. “It was nice talking to you,” he says, and you giggle. “I can imagine. Don’t fuck it up, alright?” you say to him, and he nods. “I won’t. Not this time, at least.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon, amor. I love you,” you say, and Miles kisses your knuckles. “I love you, (Y/n). I’ll be home in no time,” he says, and Aaron carries you out of his apartment.

After a few moments, 42 Miles turns to look at 1610 Miles. The two of them stare at each other in a silence before 42 Miles sighs.

“Let’s get you home, man.”

───────────────────────────────

『 his girl tag list 』

@agustdeeyaa @akemiixx01 @angeli-fucking-cat @camilleverreault @dani111* @darlingdontwe @eitaababe @fiannee @gwennesy @hana-1235 @hana-yuri @hunnybunny78* @imaginarydreams @inluvwithneteyam @itzmeme @jonathanthor @kaaylvst @kdbsr-h* @kezibear @kikookii @kingsmanperfecthartwin @korehiiime @laurszd @laylasbunbunny @lazyotakuofficial @mama-2001 @miggyoharaswife @mividaasi @nightshxdex @notplutos* @p3rf3ct4ng3l @papichulo120627 @po55um @ptsmplekaramele @realityshifter111 @rksses @silly-norman @simp4miguell @shoyofroyoyoyo @shxxnz @snixx2088 @soy-garbage @sp1derm4nluver @staravity @storm-enika* @sweetteyam @tanchosanke @tenaciousduckpoetry @thatonehjpstan @unforgettble420 @violettathewriter @whoisgami @yasfrommiles @yourfavstalker25789* @zenxvii

『 itsv/atsv tag list 』

@1eonk @autismnation @briannaxox @februarybluues @fennecspage* @hearts4hobie @hobies-wrld @kitsunna4 @parkerpresentz @peyingbills* @smuuchies* @soseoulol @stoic0utlaws @tes-conscience @zombie-catz

*if you are italicized - i am unable to tag you for whatever reason, feel free to reach out and see if we can fix the issue

if you wish to be on either tag list, reach out and let me know! thank you to everyone for the support!🖤

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#miles morales x reader #miles morales x you #earth 42 miles morales x reader #prowler miles x reader #spiderman x reader #spider-man x reader #spiderverse x reader #atsv x reader #miles morales #earth 42 miles morales #spiderverse #atsv

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writeforfandoms · 5 months

Text

Waking Lions 20

Find the series masterlist

We're changing things up a little this chapter! I felt you guys needed a POV switch to really get a better picture of what's going on.

So, let's check in with Price and see how he's handling this, shall we?

Warnings: swearing, yelling, game typical violence, war crimes probably, Price needs his own warning, canon typical violence against nameless goons.

Word count: 2.3k

In his defense, Price had a lot on his mind.

But no. That was no kind of defense.

Especially not when it came to you.

He'd sent you away because he had to, because otherwise you'd be too distracting. He had to focus on the task at hand.

Not on thinking about everything he'd just learned about you. Everything you'd let slip in your fluster.

He knew you well enough to know that you'd be mortified, later. You kept so many things to yourself that knowing an entire room full of people had heard that would probably send you into hiding.

From the way Laswell glanced at the door after you left, Price knew that she was thinking the same thing.

But there would be time later to console you, to apologize for being an ass, to make sure you were alright.

For now, he had work to do.

Now that there were three groups involved, it was easier to split up the targets. Easier to send Soap with Alejandro and Rodolfo, to keep Ghost with him and Gaz, to let KorTac keep to themselves. This wasn't the kind of mission he wanted to test by putting together potentially explosive personalities.

(Price could admit, if only to himself, that he didn't trust himself to work with those three. Not right now, not with the new intel still so close to the surface, not with his own curiosity burning a hole in his stomach.)

The three targets were, of course, not near each other.

“I can arrange transport,” Laswell said. It was not an offer for the 141 or the Vaqueros, but it was an offer for KorTac.

“We've got our own,” Declan said, a relatively gentle refusal. “Timing will be tight.”

“Just have to coordinate,” Alejandro said, unbothered. “We won't give them a chance to warn each other.”

“Give me a little time to coordinate the flights,” Laswell said, stepping closer to Declan. It was as close to a dismissal as the rest of them would get. She didn't need them hanging over her shoulder while she worked her magic.

So Price stepped out of the room, his boys behind him.

“Think Ace is alright?” Gaz asked softly. He was a smart, perceptive lad. Cared so much still. Probably too much, sometimes.

“I'll check in on her,” Price murmured. He still had one phone number that worked for you, fortunately.

It rang through to voice mail.

Okay. Not to panic. Didn't mean anything.

Soap and Ghost ran off to get lunch for everyone, since planning was best done on a full stomach.

Price tried calling again. No answer again.

It could be a thousand things. You could have your phone on silent. You could be mad at him and ignoring his calls. You could be busy with something else.

But his paranoia was rearing its head, undeniable and ugly.

You were right in the middle of all this, of course he was going to be concerned about you.

So he went on a little walk. To help clear his head.

He didn't see any sign of you. Every bit of his hard-won paranoia was screaming that something was wrong. That this wasn't like you.

One more phone call. One more.

Then he'd move on to more drastic measures.

The third call also went to voice mail. You weren't picking up. One he could excuse, two was iffy. But three calls?

Something was wrong.

“Gaz,” he called as he strode back into the building. “Need the laptop.”

Gaz was quick to produce it, giving Price a curious look. “Need any help, sir?”

“Maybe.” Price pulled up one of the programs Laswell had given him. Normally this kind of work was more up her alley - CIA shit, as Simon more or less affectionately referred to it. But Price wasn't clueless, or useless.

Gaz behind him, watching over his shoulder. Price didn't discourage him, focused on putting in your number and letting the program do its job.

Let this be nothing. Let him be paranoid. He could handle your temper, your hiding, your embarrassment.

So long as you were safe.

The tracker put your phone in a mostly residential area, well out of the way. Not near the hotel, not near anything the two of you had talked about.

Something was wrong.

It didn’t take him long to pull up CCTV in the area, flipping through them. There wasn’t a lot, and his jaw tightened in frustration.

“Wait,” Gaz said over his shoulder. “Go back one.”

Price obliged, going back to the previous angle.

“There, in the grass on the far side of the street.” Gaz pointed, shifting closer.

Price’s heart sank right down to his boots. A cell phone lay in the grass, abandoned. He knew you well enough to know that you wouldn’t just leave your cell phone. Not without reason.

Wordlessly, he backed up the footage until he found you. He paused for a moment, taking in the scene. The car. You, standing back just a little. The man clearly encouraging you in.

He backed up until you came into frame.

But you weren’t alone.

“Laswell!”

The door slammed open and Laswell was at his elbow moments later, leaning over his open shoulder. “Fuck,” she hissed, which was all the confirmation Price needed.

The man with you was Gray.

“How did he get her into the car?” Gaz, quiet and reasonable.

“Threats,” Price grunted.

“Me,” Laswell added, lips tight, fury in the crease of her brow. “He’s using me against her.”

Price scowled. Gray needed to be taken out. Immediately. But they couldn’t give up the mission, either.

“Track the car,” he told Gaz, pushing the laptop to his sergeant instead. “I need to know where they’re going.”

“Sir?” Gaz blinked at him, even as he pulled up the program.

“I need some supplies.” He looked to Laswell next.

“I’ll have them for you.” Laswell glanced back at Gaz, putting things together a little faster. “The op?”

“Needs to move forward.” Price shook his head. “I’ll be back in time, or I won’t. Gaz, you and Ghost are still on.”

Gaz frowned but didn’t object. Good lad. “Car’s left the suburbs,” he reported, a map pulled up on his phone. “Heading south.”

“We’ll find it again,” Laswell said, nodding to Price. “Here. Go here, take whatever you need.” She handed him an address scribbled on a piece of paper. “I’ll update you when we find the car.”

Price took the note with a nod and strode away. He didn’t wait for the elevator, hitting the door to the stairs hard enough it bounced off the wall of the stairwell. He didn’t slow, even as he hit the front door and just sidestepped running into Soap.

“Captain?” Soap called.

“Ask Laswell!” Price called over his shoulder, car keys in hand. He didn’t have time to stop and explain.

It took very little time to get to Laswell’s supply stash, and he took what he needed. Fortunately, she was well supplied, and he made a mental note to thank her for it.

But for now, the only thing on his mind was you.

You’d been gone for hours by now, and from the time stamp on the CCTV, you’d been in the car with Gray at least an hour.

He stopped at the curb next to where Gaz had spotted your phone, getting out. And there it was, still sitting in the grass.

Still open to show a new recording.

Price listened the whole recording, jaw clenched tight, fingers gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

Gray knew more than he should. He had sources, clearly.

But Price couldn’t bring himself to care much about that. No.

He cared about the little waver in your voice, the way he could hear you putting up a brave front.

You were terrified. And he wanted to rip Gray limb from limb for making you so scared.

Gaz called. Price barely glanced at the phone before he connected the call.

“We’ve got a location,” Gaz reported, voice even. Almost too even. Price could hear the stress he was hiding.

“Tell me.” Price didn’t even pause as he memorized the address, just in case. “Picked up Ace’s phone.”

“Anything?” Gaz tried not to sound hopeful.

“Ace got a recording before she got in the car.” Price had to pause for a moment, clenching his jaw. “He knows too much. Knew about us, said he’s got something planned for Laswell, too.”

“Fucking hell.” Gaz drew in a deep breath. “Sure you don’t need backup, sir?”

“I’ll keep you updated.” Price barreled through a yellow light, ignoring everything not an active danger to him. “How are your preparations going?”

“Laswell’s got the flights arranged,” Gaz said, a little reluctantly. “Timing is coordinated. We’ll be leaving in a few hours.”

“Rog.” Price doubted he’d make it back in time. And if, by some miracle, he did, he didn’t know if he’d be in the correct frame of mind to be on mission.

“Take the next left.”

Price obeyed without question, only breaking one or two traffic laws. (It was fine, Laswell would clear it up later.) “The others?”

“Up to date,” Gaz reported. “Had to talk Soap out of going after you.”

Price snorted. Surprising - he hadn’t known that sergeant had much fondness for you. Then again, Soap could just be reacting because Price was fond of you. Sometimes that was enough. “I trust Ghost is behaving.”

Gaz huffed. “Define behaving,” he grumbled, overly dramatic. Breaking the tension a bit.

“He hasn’t killed anyone yet or there’d be a lot more yelling.” Price scowled at the driver ahead of him, who was going exactly the speed limit.

“Laswell’s on top of everything,” Gaz assured him. “Go right, cut up two streets, and then left.”

Price grunted as he followed Gaz’s directions, pushing his foot down as soon as he was out from behind the slow driver. “How far?”

“Rate you’re going? Fifteen minutes.”

Price breathed slowly. You’d have been alone with Gray for near two hours by that point. He had no idea what condition he’d find you in. If you’d even be alive. The thought sent pain through his chest, clenching and sharp, but he forced himself not to shy away from it.

It was a possibility, even if it was one he did not want to face.

If it was true… if you were already gone…

He’d burn Gray alive.

Price switched from the call to a comm unit he tucked in his ear before he headed out of the car. He’d parked a little ways away, just in case. The abandoned hotel was in clear sight, fortunately no taller than the surrounding buildings. Still too many hiding places, sniper spots.

That was fine. Price would just clear the entire fucking building room by room until he had you back.

“Careful, sir. I count six outside.”

“Together?” Price crept forward, using a parked van as a hiding spot.

“Spread out. Three teams of two.”

Price’s lips thinned. Time to thin out the herd, then.

The first two fell so quickly they were almost simultaneous. Price moved around the van, keeping low and creeping towards the next pair, the silenced pistol firm in his grip. This was normal, easier. It was easy to view these people as the enemy, easy to clear them out systematically, coolly, silently. And they were the enemy - they were working for Gray, who had clearly allied himself on the ultranationalists and terrorists.

Which all meant that Price felt no guilt, no remorse, not even a flicker of hesitation in taking down every single man between him and you.

“I have no cameras inside,” Gaz told him as Price finally approached the door.

“Copy,” Price grunted. “Going dark.” He breached the door as quietly as he could, looking around.

So far, so good.

The ground level of this building was an absolute wreck of furniture, graffiti, and rubble. Dust, dirt, and debris covered most of the floor. The main area was a mess of footprints and an open crate of supplies.

No good hints as to where Gray had taken you.

Price cleared the ground floor methodically, cold rage spurring him on. He didn’t spare any of the bodies that hit the ground a second look.

They were nothing more than obstacles.

The last door was more than just a room, though. There was a half-open door, with a staircase going down. Maintenance, at a guess.

And soft voices from down there.

Too far away to tell if you were down there. But if Price had to bet, he’d guess that you were. Gray would keep you contained and out of danger, at least until he got what he wanted from you.

“John,” Laswell said over the comm.

Price paused, pulling back from the open doorway, pitching his voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “Laswell.”

“I found some backup for you. You’ll recognize him.”

Price blinked but didn’t allow himself any other sign of surprise. “Copy that. I’m headed downstairs - room near the back of the building has stair access.”

“I’ll pass that along.” Laswell drew in a breath, and Price waited. “If you can, bring Gray back alive.”

His lips pulled back from his teeth. “No promises.”

“Good hunting, John.” Laswell clicked off the comm.

Price breathed in deep. Someone would be coming behind him, backup. He just needed to not shoot his backup. And possibly not shoot Gray.

That would depend entirely on how you were when he found you.

Price nudged the door open enough to slip through, descending silently.

The first guard went down silently, and Price dragged the body out of the hallway and into a closet. That would buy him a little time if any other guards came through.

A double tap through the com got his attention, and Price half-turned to find a familiar face walking down the corridor towards him.

Price grinned, probably showing a few too many teeth. “Good to see you again,” he murmured. “Let’s get on it, sergeant.”

#waking lions #john price x reader #john price x you #f!reader

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httplilyyy · 1 year

Text

𝐆𝐎𝐎 𝐆𝐎𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐊 | 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: it all comes down to this

warnings: descriptions of violence, gore, blood (lots of it), knives, guns, swearing, scream vi spoilers, bad writing as i wrote this with a broken hand so i apologise if there is any mistakes

words: 3268

a/n: due to the original chapter nearing 8000 words, and due to your feedback, i’ve decided to split this into two parts, so after this there is only one more to go. i also wasn't planning on writing an epilogue, but if it's something you want, i’ll write one :)

scream masterlist | prev. part | next part

006. goo goo muck - the cramps

‘you better duck, when i show up.’

“Are you sure calling Sidney was a good idea?” Tara questioned, watching as you rounded the counter to stand behind it.

“Well, I didn't tell her to come here. I just informed her about what was happening.” You shrugged, picking up some old milk duds and shaking the box.

“But what if she does come here?” Tara wondered, leaning against the counter, her fingers drawing shapes in the dust.

“She won't.” You said, turning to face Tara. “She needs to keep her kids safe.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Tara said, not fully believing you.

“What, you don’t think I can handle myself?” You said, tilting your head to the side, a small smirk making its way onto your face.

“I mean, you have been stabbed twice...” Tara trailed off, a smile of her own forming.

“Okay, smartass.” You chuckled, moving back round the counter to stand in front of Tara, her eyes never leaving yours.

“I’m only stating the truth.” Tara replied, a small laugh bubbling from her stomach.

“Oh really?” You hummed, walking closer to her causing Tara to take a step backwards till she felt her back hit the counter.

You placed your hands on either side of her waist, pulling her close to you so your chests were touching. You leaned your head down, your lips hovered over hers, unsure, a million thoughts running around in your mind.

“I thought you were waiting for the perfect moment to kiss me.” Tara teased, her lips almost touching yours.

“Who gives a shit about what I said.” You whispered, your grip tightening on her waist.

You leaned down, just a little more, closing the gap between the two of you. Tara’s eyes fluttered shut as your lips grazed hers, melting into the kiss. Her lips were soft against yours and when she pulled away, you found yourself leaning forwards, chasing after her for more.

“You’re eager.” Tara muttered, moving her hands up to your chest.

“Can you blame me?” You smiled, resting a hand up to cup her cheek.

She stared at you, her lips quirking into a small smile. When you leaned in again to kiss her, Tara felt her body erupt with butterflies.

You poured in every pent up emotion into the kiss, and she gave you everything and more back. Your brain short-circuited as her hands went around your shoulders, playing with your hair.

After a few seconds, you slowly pulled away, your noses touching as you looked into Tara’s eye’s deeply.

“I could kiss you forever.” You whispered, your foreheads resting against each other.

“So do it.” Tara replied, leaning back in.

Just as your lips were about to touch, Tara let out a loud yell. You pulled away with wide eyes, seeing a Ghostface behind her, pushing a knife into her shoulder.

“Shit, Tara!” You shouted when the masked killer pushed Tara into the counter causing her to fall to the ground.

You looked at the Ghostface with a new found anger bubbling up inside of you. They charged towards you, swiping their knife haphazardly, hoping to hit you.

Dodging another attack, you stepped back before punching the Ghostface in the jaw, sending them falling to the ground. You ran over to Tara, helping her up from the floor with a supportive hand around her waist.

The two of you rushed towards a door when Sam and Chad came bursting through, startling you both.

“Come on!” Sam yelled, eyeing the Ghostface on the ground, helping you pull Tara out of the room.

Chad closed the door behind you, running back into the main theatre. The four of you stopped, looking around trying to find a way out.

“It’s Kirby,” Sam spoke up, “she’s the killer.”

“No shit!” Chad yelled, going to run out of the theatre.

“That’s locked!”

“Fuck!” He exclaimed before running back to you, Tara and Sam.

“She made this whole theatre a kill box for us.” Sam said, disbelief in her voice.

“Hey, how about that? There's an exit door! Maybe it leads to the roof or something” Tara said, pointing up, causing everyone to follow her finger.

“There’s only one way to find out.” You shrugged, looking back at Tara.

You each ran towards a ladder, but you spotted the Ghostface running towards you out of the corner of your eye. You pulled Tara behind you as the Ghostface jumped off the stage, landing in front of you.

The Ghostface swiped their knife at Sam, the woman dodging the attack. Chad tackled the masked killer to the ground, quickly getting up, grabbing a camera from a table and swung it at their face.

“Smile for the camera, mother fucker!” Chad knocked the Ghostface down and followed as You, Sam and Tara ran onto the stage to find another way out.

“Over there!” You pointed out, seeing a hallway.

Sam nodded, taking the lead as you all ran through the hallway, the Ghostface hot on your tail. Tara yelled when she bumped into the wall, trying to run as fast as she could.

Chad threw the camera he was still holding back at the Ghostface, slowing them down slightly. You had done a full circle and you were back in the room you and Tara were in together.

You waited for Chad to run past you, pushing a popcorn machine over to stop the Ghostface. Standing face to face you waited for the Ghostface to make the first move.

They tried to stab you with their knife but you dodged it, stepping back as you calculated their next move. Sam and Tara took a hold of the Ghostface’s arms, pulling them away from you.

Chad ran forward and punched the masked killer, sending them to the ground once again. Tara kicked them in their face, making sure they wouldn't get up.

“Tara, come on.” You pleaded, taking a hold of her hand and pulling her away.

You walked back to Sam when Chad picked up a small bubblegum machine, stalking over to the Ghostface, going to throw the machine down.

When Chad went to throw the machine another Ghostface came up behind him and stabbed him in the back. Chad let out a scream causing everyone’s heads to snap towards him.

Tara gasped, going to help him, but you held her back by the waist. The Ghostface on the floor got up and started to stab Chad in the stomach too, the boy telling you three to go.

“No!” Tara shouted, fighting against your grip.

You watched as the two Ghostface’s pushed Chad’s body to the ground. The two killers stood beside each other, swiping their knives at the same time, getting rid of Chad’s blood.

“Go!” You said, handing Tara over to Sam as you pushed the sisters towards the door.

“No, y/n!” Tara screamed, watching helplessly as she was pulled back by her sister.

You gave the younger Carpenter one last look before you closed the door and faced both the Ghostfaces.

“Hello, fellas.” You said, waving your hand.

They looked at each other before looking back at you. One of them walked back, exiting the room as another stalked towards you.

You held your ground, watching as they got closer and closer but they walked past you, exiting through the same door Sam and Tara exited only a few moments ago.

“What the fuck?” You whispered to yourself.

Sam and Tara tried to get away, heading onto the stage when a Ghostface appeared, jumping down, pointing their knife towards the sisters.

The two turned around to go the other way but the other Ghostface blocked them, moving their knife from side to side as a way of saying ‘no’, the two killers blocking them from going anywhere.

Sam took a hold of two bricks, handing one to Tara and keeping the other to herself. They stood, watching as the Ghostface’s made their way closer to them, the sisters tightening their grip on the bricks.

“Sam.” Tara sobbed, looking around frantically.

“Ready?” Sam asked Tara but she didn’t get a response. Sam turned around to face her sister, taking a hold of her shoulder gently. “I need you to be ready. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.” Tara nodded, closing her eyes for a moment before turning around to look at a Ghostface with her sister doing the same thing.

The two sisters took deep breaths in, calming their nerves before putting on their game faces.

“Come on, mother fucker!” Tara shouted.

As the Ghostface’s were about to attack them a gunshot rang out in the theatre causing them to scatter away. Tara and Sam ducked, covering their heads.

The two thought they were alone when they heard footsteps coming from the stage. Kirby appeared looking rugged as she held her gun in her hand.

“It’s okay!” Kirby reassured, walking down the steps to Sam and Tara.

“Stay the fuck back!” Sam warned, pulling Tara behind her.

“We know it’s you, Kirby.” Tara said, taking a step forward.

Kirby shook her head as she limped forward, pointing to the stage as she tried to not let the tears fall.

“One of them knocked me out.”

“Kirby, stop!” A voice shouted, causing Sam and Tara to turn around to see Bailey, his gun raised at Kirby. “Get away from them.”

“What are you doing?” Kirby asked the man, pointing her own gun at him.

“Did you kill Quinn? Did you kill my daughter?”

“Jesus Christ! Whatever he has been saying to you, don’t listen to him. He’s probably the killer!” Kirby muttered before pointing her gun behind him, seeing the Ghostfaces reappear. “Behind you!”

Bailey didn’t look all that surprised and he pulled the trigger, shooting Kirby in the stomach. Sam and Tara watched as she fell to the floor, their mouths dropped open in shock.

Bailey smirked, the two Ghostfaces coming to a halt behind him.

“Great job, both of you.”

“You?!” Tara gasped, looking at the man.

“Eh, of course me.” Bailey replied, tilting his head as he looked at the two sisters. “Frankly, I expected more from the two of you after what you did to us!”

“What do you mean ‘us’?” Tara asked, confusion written on her features.

The taller Ghostface took a hold of their mask, pulling it over their head, revealing themself.

“Mindy was right.” Ethan laughed, a manic smile on his face. “It was easy to juke the roommate lottery. I mean, all I had to do to meet you was room with a conceited, condescending alpha, literally named Chad! Fuck, it felt good to kill him!”

Ethan held up his mask beside him, tapping his knife against it as he looked at Sam.

“This was your grandmother’s Sam, Nancy Loomis. It really runs in the fucking family, doesn’t it? Speaking of family…”

“Wait for it.” Bailey smirked, bouncing on his feet.

“My name’s not Ethan Landry!” He laughed, looking over at the man beside him. “Isn’t it, dad?”

“Dad?” Tara questioned.

“Wait, if it’s you two, then that just leaves… Mindy?” Sam wondered, looking at the second Ghostface.

They grabbed their mask, slowly pulling it off to reveal themself.

“Hey, roomies.” Quinn smirked. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”

“Yeah because you died!” Tara exclaimed.

“I kinda didn’t.” Quinn shrugged. “Though it was a good way to get off the suspect list. Stabbed Gale Weathers, and y/n, and stabbed Mindy on the train. That sort of thing.”

“Yeah. I just made sure I was first on the scene so I could switch her body out with the fresh one. A little fake blood and prosthetics, you’d be amazed at what a grieving father could get away with…”

Sam and Tara looked at the Man with shock and hatred but their gaze soon turned onto something moving behind the three.

“Oh and one more thing.”

Another Ghostface came out from the shadows and stood behind him. The two sisters soon realised who that person could be.

“Y/n.” Tara whispered out, heart breaking as she looked at you.

“What?” Bailey questioned, tilting his head to the side.

“Boo!” You said, from behind them. Quinn, Ethan and Bailey jumped out of their skins, turning around to face you.

You swung a knife at Quinn, slicing her arm causing her to real back in pain. You kicked Bailey in the chest and he fell to the ground, not getting up as he looked at you in shock.

Ethan threw a punch towards your cheek but you took a hold of his arm, twisting it till you heard a loud pop, the boy letting out a scream of agony before kicking him to the floor too.

Your chest heaved up and down, when you took off the Ghostface mask. You looked up at Sam and Tara and when you were about to walk towards them you heard a laugh along with slow claps coming from behind you.

“Well, well, well. Look at my baby sister following in my footsteps.”

“Wha- what are you-? But-” You stuttered, turning around to find the source of the voice.

“You’re all grown up.” They said, finally coming out of the shadows to reveal themself.

“Jill.” You gulped, watching as she walked closer to you.

Everyone else stopped to look at you. Tara and Sam held expressions of confusion and sadness whilst Ethan, Quinn and Bailey had looks of mischief and glee.

“I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What the fuck?!” You finally managed to spit out, backing up from the woman only to come in contact with Ethan’s chest, the boy holding you still as Jill continued to walk towards you.

“Surprise, y/n.” Ethan whispered in your ear, tightening his grip on you.

“What a lovely family reunion.” Bailey chuckled as he got up from off the floor, making his way over to you.

“Get away from them!” Tara shouted, trying to get to you but Sam held her back.

“How?” You questioned, looking at Jill. “Sidney shot you. She killed you!”

“I guess I'm in the clear.” Jill shrugged, stepping closer so she was only a few millimetres away.

“Mhm, great.” You said through gritted teeth.

“Oh come on, y/n. That’s no way to greet your sister after a decade.” Jill said, pouting as she lifted a hand to touch your shoulder.

“You are not my sister.” You said, hardening your grip on the knife in your hand.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Jill shook her head, her gaze tilting to the knife.

“Do what?” You asked, faking innocence, your knuckles turning white as your grip tightened.

“I think you forgot who I am.” Jill said, her hand shooting out to your forearm. “You’re not going to get away this time.”

Jill pulled you from Ethan’s hold, tugging you so your back was against her front. She took the knife from your hand and held it against your throat.

“One sudden movement and I slit your throat.” Jill whispered in your ear, pressing the knife harder against your neck, not enough to draw blood but enough to halt your breathing.

“Now I wonder why Sidney was the favourite.” You muttered sarcastically.

“Watch your mouth.” Jill said harshly, nicking your neck as a warning.

“Where were we?” Bailey asked rhetorically. “Oh yes…”

“I got Stu Macher’s mask.” Quinn said as she moved around the theatre and over to the mannequins. “He was my favourite.”

Ethan placed the mask he had been wearing on a mannequin. “That’s number three.” Bailey explained, holding up three fingers as he slowly made his way towards Sam and Tara, sparing a glance at Quinn who placed her mask down as well. “That’s two.”

“Which leaves your fathers.” Bailey said, pulling out Billy’s mask from his bullet proof vest. “This is what we’ve been counting down to, Sam. I'm gonna need you to put it on.”

Bailey held out the mask to Sam, slowly making his way towards her.

“Fuck you!” Sam exclaimed, slapping the mask out of his hands.

Ethan leaned over and swiped his knife at Sam’s arm, creating a large gash where blood immediately poured out.

“Ooh.” Ethan taunted as he heard his dad laugh at his action.

“You stay the fuck away from her!” Tara sneered, placing a protective arm around her sister.

“What- what is this?” Sam questioned, looking back to Bailey. “You did this as a family?”

“Oh yeah, bitch. You should know better than anyone.” Quinn responded angrily, walking closer to the two girls, standing next to her brother.

“They’re still not getting it.” Ethan chuckled.

“Look, I don't know what you believe. But I didn't commit those murders in Woodsboro, it wasn’t me.”

“Oh we know that.” Bailey scoffed. “Of course you didn’t, what d’you think this is based on some bullshit conspiracy theory? Come on, who do you think started the rumours about you in the first place?”

“You know how easy it was to turn Sam, from the hero of Woodsboro, into the villain.” Quinn said, raising her knife. “How easy it is to convince the world to believe the worst in people, rather than the best.”

“Because it’s not enough to just kill someone these days.” Ethan spoke up, going into further detail. “You have to assassinate their character first, so when dad here discovers your horribly mutilated bodies, posed with Sam wearing her fathers mask. He'll say some poor dumb bastard read on the internet that you’re the real Ghostface and took matters into their own deluded hands.”

“Exactly, that’s why it’s a perfect alibi and all the best lies are based on the truth.” Bailey said, pointing at Sam. “You’re the killer, just like your father.”

“No I'm not!” Sam shouted, her voice breaking with anger.

“Yes you are, you mother fucker!” Quinn yelled, anger pouring out of her. “You killed our brother.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said your brother died in a car accident.” Tara pointed out.

“No, no, no you sweet dumb thing.” Ethan said lowly. “He died in woodsboro, in the hands of your bitch sister.”

“You're Richie's family.” You said, as it all finally clicked inside your head.

“Well done.” Jill chuckled, moving the knife up from your neck to trace the side of your face. “I always thought I had the brains in the family.”

“I’m not nine anymore, Jill.” You scoffed, moving your head away from the knife.

“What did I say, hmm? Shut. Your. Mouth.” Jill tutted, adding a little pressure to the knife, cutting along the side of your face.

You let out a toe curling scream, the pain being unbearable but Jill just laughed, enjoying the way you squirmed in her arms.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Jill said condescendingly, “did I hurt you?”

You didn’t respond, gritting your teeth as you created a fist with your hands, trying to push through the pain.

“I asked you a question!” Jill snapped, creating another cut through your eyebrow.

“Stop!” Tara shouted, watching as you shook in Jill’s arms, tears welling up in your eyes, immediately feeling as if you were nine again.

“What was that?” Jill questioned, tapping the knife to the back of her ear, acting as if she couldn’t hear. “Keep going? Well, if you say so.”

“She said stop.” Someone said but it wasn't from anyone you could see.

Jill turned her head around, her grip on you faltering as she saw who the voice came from. You stumbled out of Jill’s arms and looked in the same direction as her.

“Sid.” You said breathlessly, looking at the woman in shock.

tag list: @andsoigotabutterfly @dksjskx @dreifhraniquo29 @karsonromanoff @btay3115 @bananasplits-world @youralphawolf72

#tara carpenter #tara carpenter imagine #tara carpenter imagines #tara carpenter x reader #jenna ortega #jenna ortega imagine #jenna ortega imagines #jenna ortega x reader #scream vi #scream 6 #scream

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elizabethwritesmen · 5 months

Text

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜

chapter 1 - i remember everything

pairing: firefighter!steve x reader

summary: in high school, steve and y/n were the best of friends. now, she’s moved back to hawkins, and he hasn’t seen her since her graduation 7 years before.

warnings: smut to come in later chapters.

a/n: this is a christmas fic, split into parts. this part does not mention christmas because it is not christmas time yet. also, steve is 28 and reader is 25. this fic is basically a hallmark script but make it sexy and angsty. italics paragraphs are flashbacks. all parts will be out by december 25.

chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4

I remembered everything.

The bumps in the driveway that tousled my car like a carnival ride. The sparkling lake glistening with the sun’s reflection, reminiscent of all the times I snuck out there with my friends for a swim in high school. The beautiful cabin, two story but still small and cozy, haunted by all the scary stories that were told in it by high school students goofing off because they didn’t know what real life was.

The crack in the window where Robin tripped and fell into it that never got fixed because we never told my parents.

The guitar picks Eddie left all over the place, never remembering to take them home with him.

The small stain on the carpet from where the kids spilled a beer they’d stolen.

The huge tree by the water with Steve’s name carved into it, right next to mine, and a poorly shaped heart scribbled beside them.

Yes, I remembered everything.

I sighed as I unpacked my boxes, putting things away where I thought they should go. I never thought I’d be back in Hawkins, and I hadn’t yet decided how I felt about it, but the cards were dealt to me so I had to play them. It wasn’t so bad, though. I moved away less than a week after I graduated high school thinking that if I went to college in another state and started a new life, I could get away scott free from the things that were weighing on me. But it doesn’t work that way. You never get away from matters of the heart. They stay, and stay, and stay.

I stopped abruptly when I heard a knock at the door, going to check it and seeing Robin standing on the porch. I opened it quickly, “Rob!” I exclaimed as I pulled her into a hug. She squeezed me back with just as much force.

“You’re really back,” she sighed, “Your mom told me you’d be here and I was worried it wasn’t true!”

“Well here I am,” I giggled, pulling away reluctantly and letting her in. She walked with me to the dining room table where I had my things laid out and started helping me put them away.

“So how was Florida?” She asked.

“Hot,” I blandly offered, and she laughed.

“Seriously. You disappear the day you graduate and I hear from you maybe four times before we lose touch. I wanna know everything!”

I sighed, pausing for a moment, “I’m sorry about that, Robin. I didn’t mean to disappear on you, you know you’re one of the best friends I’ll ever have and I love you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to apologize to me, honey. I was never mad at you, but only because I understood why you left. Steve and Eddie, though… they went through it for the first year you were gone. Don’t even get me started on the kids.”

“Eddie understood, I know he did. He knew I was leaving, he was the only person I told because he caught me talking about my plane ticket on the phone. And the kids would never have understood, they were too young. Just needing to get out for a while would’ve sounded like a lame excuse to them.”

“But you didn’t just need to get out for a while, you needed to get away from Steve for a while”

“That’s not the only reason.”

“But it was a reason. Right?”

Hesitantly and carefully, I answered her, “Yes. It was. I couldn’t keep letting him break my heart. I needed space.”

“You couldn’t have found space in Hawkins? You had to leave?”

“There was no space in Hawkins. Wherever I went, he found me. He never left me alone. Even when I asked him to.”

“Because he loved you.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” I sighed exasperatedly, “Can we talk about something else?”

“Of course,” she smiled, “We’ll discuss Steve more later.”

“No we won’t,” I rolled my eyes, tossing a trinket from one of the boxes at her. She dodged it with a laugh, carrying on the conversation.

“Really though, how was Florida?”

“It was good. I dunno, I don’t think I fit in there.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not all beachy and outgoing like most people there were. But they were all super nice anyway. I made some friends at the college I went to, but I didn’t stay close to any of them after I graduated and started working.”

“Is that why you moved back? Cause you had no friends?”

“Robin!” I scolded, mouth dropping open. She laughed again, lighting up the room. “I did have friends, I’m just not a very social person!”

“Then why did you move back?”

I shrugged, “Florida isn’t the place for me, but I don’t know where is, so my mom suggested I move back here in the mean time.”

“And she’s just, like, letting you live in the cabin?”

“Yeah. I mean, they didn’t pay for it, and I’ve spent more time here than they have anyway. When my grandpa left it to them, they thought it was more of an extra bill than a vacation house. That’s why they’re gonna put it in my name if I decide to stay.”

“What?” she squealed, her eyes going wide as saucers, “So you could be little miss homeowner! That’s amazing! As bad as the economy is, I’d take that deal in a heartbeat!”

“I know, I know. I’m thinking about it. It is nice to be around family again. And you.”

“Just wait til you see the others. They’re gonna be SO excited you’re back! As a matter of fact why don’t we have them over here for a little reunion?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do you even still hang out with them?”

“Eddie and Steve, yeah. We’re all still pretty close. The kids are all kinda doing their own thing now, but we still see each other a lot too, around town and such. And we still have a group chat, we just don’t send much but dumb memes in it.”

“Damn, Rob. Thanks for including me in this group chat!” I huffed, smacking her arm jokingly.

“You left, you gave up your groupchat rights!”

We laughed together and talked some more as we finished unpacking my boxes. I didn’t have much, no furniture or anything because the cabin was already completely furnished. My grandpa had impeccable taste, everything was extremely elegant while also being perfectly warm and rustic.

“Okay,” she sighed after we threw away the last piece of cardboard, “It’s dark now so I should probably get home, but let’s hang out again tomorrow! Come up to town! I opened up a music shop, you can come see!”

“That’s amazing! I’d love to come see!”

And with that, she was off. I breathed in a deep sigh, a smile on my face as I fell onto the couch and turned the TV on. It was nice to have Robin again. I was impressed with how quickly and swiftly we fell into old habits, gossiping and chatting like no time had passed and we were still just two kids. The person I was nervous to see again was Steve.

The next day, I woke up and showered, preparing myself to go to town. I needed to pick up groceries, and I also wanted to stop by Robin’s music shop, excited to see her hard work paid off.

I slipped on a pair of running shorts and a crop top, throwing a loose cardigan on over it and slipping into a pair of tennis shoes. My hair was curled and I had on light makeup. I felt pretty, but not overdone. I wanted to at least look decent enough that, if I ran into someone I knew, I wouldn’t be mortified.

The grocery store was desolate as I pulled into the parking lot, only a few cars in the spaces and a firetruck parked by the door. I supposed public servants do need to shop, too. I wondered if it was someone I knew, I remember my dad was friends with some of the town’s firemen when I was younger, but I shrugged it off, wanting to get in and out hassle free.

As soon as I walked in the door, though, I was greeted with a high pitched voice, “Y/N?”

I turned to see who it belonged to and was delighted to see Max, behind one of the registers wearing a store polo.

“Hey!” I grinned wide, rushing over to her and going in for a hug. She’d been like a little sister when I’d lived in Hawkins before, and I had to admit, I missed her while I was gone.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, leaning back to stare at me, “I haven’t seen you in like… five years!”

“I know, I know. I moved back!”

“What? Like forever?” she asked, hope creeping into her voice.

“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet. But definitely for a while. What about you? How long have you been working here?”

“Two years now. Dustin works here, too, but he’s off today.”

“That’s a shame. I’ll have to come back when he’s here and see him!”

“Oh, you should see everyone! We’ve all missed you so much! Even the ones of us that won’t admit it,” she giggled with an eye roll, “Mike has always been stubborn and dumb.”

“Well that’s okay,” I hummed, “I’m here now, so it’s all okay.”

“Yeah, but next time you leave, can you warn a girl first? I missed you a lot!”

“I know, I’m sorry. Scouts honor, next time I’ll shove you in my suitcase and bring you with me.”

“Perfect,” she beamed, her teeth as pearly white as always. She looked older, and she’d grown up beautifully. I didn’t know if she was still with Lucas, but if so, he was lucky.

I let go of her, getting started on my shopping. I didn’t get much, just the basics, and a few minutes later I was done and ready to check out. I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally bumped into the guy in front of me in line.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” I rushed out as I pulled my cart away gently. He turned around and my mouth fell open as I recognized his pretty face.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice steady but his face gave him away. He was in utter shock.

“Steve,” I offered back, staring at him, waiting for what he had to say.

Max interrupted the short awkward silence, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you Y/N’s back.”

He sent her a glare then turned back to me, scanning over me, settling on all the parts of me that had changed. I’d filled out more, and I could tell he noticed. I could tell he appreciated it.

I scanned over him as well, taking note of his khakis and the Hawkins Fire Dept T shirt he wore. So the truck was his. Interesting. He looked good, better than ever. He was more chiseled than I remembered, and it worked for him, from his head to his toes. And his hair was as iconic as always.

“Why’re you back?” he asked me, his voice devoid of much emotion.

“Just wanted to come back for a while.”

“A while? So not forever?”

“I dunno, Steve. I haven’t thought that far ahead,” I breathed out a laugh.

“You never did.”

My eyes dropped, shame creeping in. “I’m sorry for how I left, Steve. I just had to go.”

“Yeah,” he deadpanned, “It’s fine. Is what it is. It’s your business anyway.”

“Steve, please don’t do that,” I sighed.

“Do what?”

“That thing you always do where you pretend you’re not hurt.”

“I’m not. I might’ve been seven years ago, but I’ve had a lot of time for that wound to close, Y/N.”

“So you’re not happy to see me at all?”

“Not as happy as I would’ve been to see you on my doorstep that day.”

I knew exactly what day he was talking about. It was the Saturday, two weeks after I graduated. He’d asked me a month in advance to come over, and I agreed, not even thinking about the fact that I was leaving. He’d consistently asked me for reassurance that I would be there, and every time I promised I would. But I wasn’t.

“I’m just so sorry Stevie. I can’t even tell you how sorry I am. Of all the people I hurt, I regret hurting you the most.”

“It’s fine. Like I said, seven years,” he shrugged, grabbing his receipt from Max and walking out. I watched him go, dejected, melancholy overtaking me.

“You ok? That was rough to watch,” Max gave me a sympathetic look and I forced a smile.

“I’m good, Maxy. Like he said. Seven years.”

She stared at me for a moment, as if she was deciding what to say, an internal battle behind her eyes. “He had a party planned for you that day.”

“What?”

“Yeah. With me and the other guys and Robin and everybody. He was so excited, he never shut up about it. Then he found out you left and cancelled. He hasn’t really been the same since.”

“How’d he find out I left?”

“Your dad told him. He went over to see you and you weren’t there.”

I sighed, my eyes welling up. I couldn’t believe I’d screwed up that badly. All I wanted was a getaway, I never knew I’d be hurting so many people. I never knew he cared so much.

“Max, I-“

“Was in love with him. I know. Everybody knows. That’s why we didn’t understand why you left.”

“He wanted girl after girl after girl. And it was never me. I was never his type. I needed to get away to get over him or I was gonna live a life full of heartbreak and disappointment. But now I see how selfish that was.”

“It wasn’t selfish. Just not well thought out. Have you at least gotten over him?”

“I thought so, til I saw him look at me like that.”

I finished checking out and promised Max I’d be back in to see her, then headed to the music store. The exterior was nice. It was a painted brick building, colorful and bright. There was a huge mural on the side of it, and I knew it was all Robin’s doing because I remembered that particular building being boring and run down before I left.

I walked inside, looking around to see the inside was just as amazing. I was honestly impressed with how well she’d done everything, from organizing to decorating.

“Rob, this is awesome!” I exclaimed as I walked up to the counter. She’d been looking down, doing some kind of paperwork, but when she looked up and saw me she put it down and ran around the counter.

“You really came!”

“Of course I came, have I ever let you down?” I asked, laughing, then added, “Well, other than that one time.”

“You’re right. You did always used to come through. I don’t think you ever missed anything.”

“And I definitely wouldn’t miss this! If I’d known you opened it, I would’ve been here that day to watch you cut the ribbon or whatever!”

“Oh, it’s okay, it wasn’t that big of a ceremony. You know nothing is big in Hawkins unless you’re rich. But I get good business and I’ve kept the doors open. Plus, all the high school girls like to take pictures in front of the mural outside for their instagrams, and that’s actually drummed up a lot of business.”

“I’d imagine so. Show me around?”

She took me to the instruments section, explaining why she’d organized it the way she had and how it made the most sense. Then we wandered to the sheet music, and then to the records. Finally, we hit the cds and a little caddy full of Apple, Spotify, Iheartradio and Youtube gift cards. She also had a small section with assorted local snacks.

“This is great, really,” I smiled, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Well, I actually got the idea from you,” she nonchalantly shrugged.

“When?” I furrowed my brows and asked.

“One time, I was talking to you about how I’m just a band geek and you told me band geeks make it far in life. You suggested I either get famous or open up a huge store full of band stuff and make tons of money. You really thought I had it in me to do both.”

“You did have it in you. You could be in a real band right now if you wanted.”

She full on belly laughed, waving the thought off. “Whatever. Change of subject, I heard you saw Steve.”

“Heard from who?”

“From Steve. He called me mad because I didn’t tell him you were home.”

“Why was he so mad?”

“Well, he’ll say it’s because he just wasn’t expecting to see you and would be happy if you’d have just stayed gone. But I know it’s because he does want you here, more than anything, and all his old feelings are coming back, and he would’ve liked some wanting before seeing your face in the middle of the grocery store after seven years.”

“It wasn’t the middle of the grocery store,” I rolled my eyes, “It was the front. And he was not happy to see me, sorry to be the one to burst your bubble. Old feelings can’t come up if there weren’t any in the first place, Im just a girl he used to be friends with.”

“It was always more with you and Steve,” she shrugged, “Everyone else saw it.”

“If I’d known he planned a party for me, I would’ve been there that day.”

“I know. And he knew, too. That’s why he told us to never tell you. He didn’t want you to feel guilty, and he didn’t want you to have to come back just for him.”

I sighed, feeling even worse than I did when Steve was staring at me with that look in his eyes. I knew him, I knew his faces, and I knew what he looked like when he was hurt. I really did a number on him.

“I don’t know if I can make this one better, Rob.”

“You can. He’ll get over his anger, I promise. The way he felt about you doesn’t just go away, he has a big ol’ soft spot for you. There’s nothing he could ever hold against you, not even this.”

I nodded with yet another sigh, “Anyways, what about you? Any ladies on the roster?”

She looked shocked I’d asked, “Bold aren’t you?”

“Always have been!”

She proceeded to tell me about all the girls she’d been interested in, and all the ones she’d dated since I left. It was nice to see her so comfortable with herself, and it was even nicer to hear that she’d gotten some really cool girlfriends.

“So who are you dating now?” I asked, leaning on the counter, fully intrigued.

“Well, there’s this lady, Shelly. She sold me this building. She’s older than me, but goodness, what I wouldn’t do to -“

“You don’t have to continue that,” I giggled, “I catch your drift. Is she into you?”

“Well… she’s recently divorced from a man, but sometimes she flirts like she’s curious or something.”

“Maybe she is. Maybe she wants to taste your cherry chapstick,” I stuck my tongue at her jokingly.

We were interrupted by the bell above the door, and I turned to see Steve walking in, Eddie on his tail wearing the exact same uniform.

“Oh,” he stared blankly when he saw me, “I’ll come back later.”

“No,” I stopped him, “If me being here is that big of a deal then I’ll go.”

Robin scoffed, “Neither of you idiots are going anywhere. We’re all friends here.”

“It’s ok Rob,” I sighed, “Really, I’m fine with leaving.”

“Steve, she doesn’t have to leave, man. We’re not gonna be here long, and she’s not hurting anybody,” Eddie put in his two cents, and I smiled.

“Hey Eddie,” I walked over to him and he opened his arms wide for a hug.

“Hey Y/N. I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you more,” I poked him as I pulled away, taking in his short hair and muscles more formed than I’d ever seen them. “Fire department make you chop your curls off?”

“Unfortunately.”

“It’s a nice look,” I shrugged, “Very handsome and mature.”

Steve cleared his throat and we turned to him. “Relax,” Eddie sighed, “We’re not flirting, bro. That’s what you guys do.”

Steve blushed. He couldn’t stop himself. “Give it a rest, Eddie.”

“Not until you stop your temper tantrum and let the past go.”

“I’m not throwing a temper tantrum,” Steve rolled his eyes, and Robin took it upon herself to lighten the mood.

“Anyways,” she smiled brightly, “How’s work going today, boys?”

“Well, we have a kitten in the firetruck,” Steve sighed, and she laughed.

“A cat?”

“Yeah, Steve rescued it from a bush, it’s little foot was stuck in one of the branches,” Eddie patted Steve on the back.

“It looks like that cat Y/N used to have, the one that she cried for a week straight when it died,” Steve mused, smiling at me for the first time since I’d seen him again as if involuntarily. He caught himself though, and turned away.

“You remember that?” I asked.

“I remember everything,” he shrugged, “Wanna see it?”

“Of course!” I squealed, and he walked me outside, opening the drivers’ side door and pulling it out.

It was cute, white with silver spots all over it. It meowed as he handed it to me, climbing into my arms and clinging on to me for dear life.

“Oh, he’s perfect,” I hummed as I stared at him, holding him close to me and giving his forehead kisses.

“He’s yours,” Steve said, his eyes trained on me and the cat, “If you want him, I mean.”

I looked at him, seeing if there was any sign of joking but there was none. “I’d love to take him!”

“I thought of you when I saw him,” he admitted to me, staring at his feet and swaying nervously.

“I didn’t think you even still thought about me.”

“All the time.”

His voice was almost too low for me to hear, but I caught it and my heart sped up.

“Steve, I’m sorry again. Really. I missed you every day. If I could go back and be there that day…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” he sighed, “I was angry when I first saw you. I’m not now. I just needed to get over the initial shock, that’s all.”

“So you don’t hate me?”

“I couldn’t if I wanted to. You were my best friend. I just… I just wanna understand why you left. You never told me. Nobody ever told me.”

“It’s…” I hesitated. How could I explain it to him? “It’s a long story.”

“Of course,” he nodded, “Well whenever you’re ready to, we can talk.”

“Okay.”

We stared at each other for a moment before Eddie broke the silence, “You ready to go Steve? They’re gonna be sending out a search party soon if we don’t get back.”

“Yeah,” he nodded then turned to me, “See you later, Y/N. Take care of the cat.”

“I will. Bye,” I smiled, watching him walk away.

Well, at least the anger had subsided. But I was never going to be able to explain the reason I left.

The night of my graduation

The ceremony had taken ages. I wouldn’t have cared if not for the heels that had been cramping my feet all day and the tight white dress that I wanted to rip off. I groaned as I walked to the parking lot where my family was waiting, along with my friends.

The first person that greeted me was Steve. He was always the first to greet me, no matter the place or occasion. In his hand, he held my favorite slippers, fuzzy and cozy and just what my feet needed.

“Aww, Stevie, you brought me slippers?” I cooed, pouting at his kind gesture.

“When you told me you were wearing those ridiculous heels I knew I needed to bring them so I wouldn’t have to listen to you complain about your feet hurting.”

I ripped my heels off with a vengeance and replaced them with the slippers that had cute smiley faces on them, and my face matched the expression. I pulled Steve into a hug so tight I thought we might suffocate each other, breathing him in.

“This is why you’re my best friend,” I hummed into his chest.

We didn’t let go of each other for a minute or two, soaking in the moment. Our hugs were always like that. It always felt like we were never going to see each other again. Only this time, we really weren’t. He didn’t know that, though.

He pulled away, looking in my eyes, a sparkle in his that was all for me. His eyes trailed down to my open gown and the dress under it, and he raised his brows.

“You look good.”

“Just good?”

“Really good.”

And that moment dragged on with a heated glance shared between us, eyes locked on each other and refusing to move until Robin barreled over to us, kids in tow and Eddie following.

“Quit hogging her, dingus, she’s too pretty to only talk to you,” she rolled her eyes, hugging me tightly and chit chatting about the ceremony. Steve stayed quiet though, and that heated gaze didn’t dissipate. Something felt different. Something was off, in the best way.

My family joined us, offering to bring us all back to the cabin for a barbecue and we eagerly agreed. I rode with Steve, naturally, the kids rode with my parents, and Eddie and Robin took his van.

The ride felt longer than it should’ve, tension in the air.

“Steve, what’s happening?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve never run out of things to talk about,” I shrugged, leaning over to brush a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

“We haven’t run out of things to talk about. It’s just, sometimes when I’m with you, nothing needs to be said.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“I think so,” he glanced at me, his eyes sharp and cutting into my heart, right where I wanted him most. Right where he already was.

Minutes later, we pulled in the rough driveway, my hair flying all over my face. He chuckled, smoothing it out over my head before we got out, joining everyone else by the lake.

“They’ve got it decked out,” I commented as we approached, and Steve just smiled bashfully. “Did you have something to do with this?”

“Maybe.”

I giggled lightly, turning away from him to greet everyone else.

“Y/N, Steve, you made it!” my mom beamed, pulling us into a hug, “I see you ditched the gown!”

“Yeah, it was itchy,” I grimaced, remembering the horrible material.

“Well I wanted to take pictures but we can do it later,” she shrugged, leading us to the picnic table. The benches were full, though, so Steve pulled a big folding chair up and sat down, pulling me down beside him, my legs over his lap. That wasn’t unusual for us, we were always touchy and feely, always beside eachother somehow. Nobody even found it odd anymore, though the jokes about us getting together never ceased.

Everyone laughed and had a good time, and as the night wore on, I got a little sleepy. Steve and I had been up and about, but we were back in our chair, my head laid in the crook of his neck and his arms around me.

“Wanna go for a walk?” he asked me, watching everyone else continue their good time. I nodded, standing up. He stood up after me, grabbing my hand and leading me away.

We walked through a trail in the woods we’d found the first time we snuck out to the cabin together.

“Remember the first time we came out here?” he asked me, and I nodded with a laugh.

“I slipped in mud and fell on my ass. I fractured my foot, too, and I couldn’t walk. I was disgusting, but you still carried me back to the car.”

“I don’t mind getting a little dirty,” he shrugged with a wink, and I rolled my eyes. “Not with you, at least.”

Finally, we reached our destination, a clearing by the water. It had the prettiest view of the sky.

“Swim with me,” he stated, as if it was more of a demand than a question.

“Steve!” I huffed, “I can’t swim in this dress!”

“Then take it off. You have on a bra and panties, right?”

“Well… y-yeah, but-“

“Just do it. You only graduate high school once, do something crazy with me! We’re best friends, right?” he coerced, squeezing my hands and pulling me closer to the water.

I sighed, nodding slowly. “Will you unzip me?”

He walked behind me and laid his hands on my shoulders. They were warm and heavy, his grip on me soft but firm. his fingers trailed down my back to the little metal piece and he pulled it down, exposing black lace and my plain black thong. I turned to him, letting the white material fall to the ground, and the way his eyes lingered in all the places a friend shouldn’t look was hard to miss.

“Why would you wear that to graduate?” he asked, “Were you planning on getting lucky tonight!”

“I’m already lucky tonight, Steve,” I sighed, “I’m with you. Now take off your clothes and come on!”

He chuckled, his eyes darker than they’d been a moment ago, and pulled his shirt over his head, then kicking off his pants. I was greedy taking him in, his boxers tight and leaving little to the imagination.

Steve and I had seen each other like that before. We’d walked in on each other changing, and we’d swam in regular swimsuits. All of our insecurities had already been exposed so many times, so none of them even mattered at all. This felt different, though. Being in nothing but dainty lingerie had me shy, exposed.

He approached me slowly, his hands landing on my hips, his eyes meeting mine and staying. He was so close I could feel his body heat radiating off of him, goosebumps prickling my skin.

“Race you,” he smirked suddenly, twirling me out of the way and sliding past me, running to the water and jumping in. I rolled my eyes and laughed, following him and jumping on his back. We fell into a fit of giggles together as he tossed me off, pulling me into his front instead.

The giggles died out, replaced by heavy breath.

“I won,” he whispered.

“What’s your prize?” I responded breathily.

He groaned, leaning his head down into my neck and inhaling.

“You’re driving me crazy. You’re my best friend. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t…”

“Shouldn’t what?”

“Shouldn’t love you so much.”

“I love you too, Steve,” I giggled, but he stopped me, his thumb running over my bottom lip.

“I don’t think I could’ve made it these last couple years without you,” he admitted. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me. Don’t tell the kids.”

“Oh, I won’t, they’d be crushed,” I nodded dramatically.

For a second I thought he’d kiss me. I thought he’d kiss me and I wouldn’t have to leave. He leaned in so close, his lips were less than a breath away from mine. But then he pulled to the side and kissed my cheek instead, then trailed his lips down, ghosting over the sensitive skin of my neck.

I let out a raspy breath, “Steve,” I barely moaned. I needed him so bad I could feel it, I could hear it and see it. I’d been in love with him for far too long. His hand tangled in my slightly wet hair, tugging lightly, pulling me in. His other landed on my side, trailing down my thigh and pulling my leg over his hip. I could feel everything, and I didn’t know how to take it all.

All of a sudden, he pulled away, his hand still in mine but the warmth gone. I whined at the loss of contact.

“We’re supposed to be swimming!” he chuckled, haphazardly pulling me under with him. And like that, the moment was replaced with something lighter, friendlier, but still close.

Later that night, Steve drove me back to my parents’ house. As he parked in the driveway, he turned to me.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” he whispered bashfully.

I stared at my lap, not knowing what to say. I wanted to tell him I was leaving, but he would just beg me to stay and wear me down until I agreed, and I would spend the rest of my life hanging on his arm next to whatever girl he wanted more than me. I was never going to be it for him. I was never going to be what he wanted. I wasn’t enough.

“Goodbye, Steve,” I gave him a sad smile and got out of the car, running inside the house.

#steve harrington #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #steve x reader #fireman!steve harrington #fireman!steve

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gingiesworld · 6 months

Text

Family is Forever

Chapter Four

Wanda Maximoff x GN! Reader

Warnings: Smut. Amab! Reader. Angst

Taglist: @fxckmiup @ginnsbaker @gb12d @casquinhaa @angrywhisperslove @louxbloom @natashamaximoff-69 @wizardofstories @canvascoloredin

18+ MINORS DNI

Wanda looked over all of the brochures for the local colleges, seeing the night classes for the business course. Of course it was always something she had wanted to do, especially because of her love for books. Even though Y/N had told her to go for it, she still remained unsure.

So once the twins were off to school, she decided to head over to Nat's for a talk. Especially needing someone else's opinion on the idea. So as she explained everything, Nat only smiled at her.

"Do it." She told her. "If Y/N is behind you with this, you should do it." Wanda just sighed unsurely as she sipped on her coffee. "I still don't understand why you both don't want to work on it."

"There isn't anything to work on." Wanda told her firmly.

"You still love Y/N?" She questioned as Wanda only nodded. "And they still love you or they wouldn't have suggested you do a business course."

"I guess." Wanda whispered before she shook her head with a sad smile. "But we are set in getting a divorce after the separation."

"But will you get a divorce?" Nat questioned as Wanda just looked away from her.

"It was my decision to split Natasha and as much as I still love them, this is what's best for us. For our family." Wanda told her confidently as she finished her drink, grabbing her things before she got up and left, bidding her friend a goodbye before heading home to the empty house.

Once she went to their shared bedroom, the picture of the two of them at the cabin in college was sat on the dresser. Remembering how happy and in love they both were in their Sophmore year.

Both Y/N and Wanda had decided to spend winter break alone, heading out to Wanda's parents' cabin was the perfect idea. The two were sat in front of the fire, Wanda lay against Y/N as she was sat between their legs, watching as the fire burned.

"You know, there's just something about the peace and tranquility here." Y/N whispered as their hands absent mindedly ran up and down Wanda's arms. "It's just a perfect place to be still, to just exist really without anyone expecting anything from you."

"It is." Wanda whispered as Y/N's hands travelled to her shoulders, massaging them lightly. "It's even better with you here with me." She looked in their eyes, a gentle smile on her face as Y/N gazed at her lovingly.

"I love you Wanda." They whispered as Wanda beamed, turning around and kissing them passionately.

"I love you Y/N." She whispered against their lips before kissing them once more. Soon enough their clothes were soon strewn across the floor as the kiss grew more and more hungrier with each passing moment.

Y/N hovered over her as they lay her on the thick fur rug, brushing her hair from her face as she looked up into their eyes, two love struck idiots.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known." They whispered as their eyes never left hers. She played with the baby hairs at the back their neck as she soon pulled them down, kissing them with love and desire, their tongues dancing as Y/N used their hands either side of Wanda to keep from squashing her. Soon moving one hand down her side, fingertips grazing the skin as they felt every dip and curve. Although they had had sex before, this time was different, this was a whole new terrain for the two.

"Oh." Wanda gasped as Y/N's hand reached between her thighs, applying light pressure to her clit as widened her legs slightly, giving them the room to run their hands through her folds, gathering her arousal before they inserted a finger, thrusting at a steady pace as they pressed open mouthed kisses to her neck.

"So beautiful." They murmured into her neck as they added another finger. Wanda arched her back as they curled them, brushing her g spot and making her moan louder than before. As Y/N carried on with their movements, Wanda gripped Y/N's waist as she closed her eyes, her head tilting back into the floor.

"Y/N." She breathed out, squeezing their flesh within her fingers.

"Let go for me angel." They whispered as they continued their steady pace. Wanda moaned lewdly as she came, Y/N slowing down their movements as she calmed down. Once she opened her eyes, she kissed them firmly before she pushed them onto their back, already being on the pill and not needing to worry about searching for a condom, she lowered her already drenched core onto their hardened cock.

The two of the moaned at the feeling before Wanda started to lift her hips before slamming back down. Her hands on their chest as she rode them. Y/N soon sat up as they met her thrusts, holding her body close to theirs as they kissed sloppily. They were a mess of teeth and tongue as Wanda increased her speed.

"I'm so close angel." They husked out as she just nodded. They aided in her movements before the two climaxed, Wanda resting her head on their shoulder as they held her. Their sweaty bodies both relaxing and calming down before the dying firelight. Wanda soon pulled back as she caressed their cheek, Y/N's eyes closed upon the contact, relishing in the loving act before she kissed them tenderly.

Wanda knew that this decision was what was best for the family. Knowing the strain Y/N's job had put on them as a couple. Y/N always came home too tired to do much, so they put whatever energy they had left into the twins. That was always something she had adored about them, even in their most exhausted state, they made sure they had time for their sons.

Even as Y/N had walked into their new apartment, their bags in their hand. Heading towards their bedroom, already in need of buying furniture, they decided to make a bed on the floor out of the blankets they had, using their duffel as a pillow. Lying on their back as they looked up at the ceiling. Wondering were they went wrong in their marriage and why they never sought to fix it and make Wanda feel loved.

As the weeks went on, Y/N had managed to get thd furniture for the bedrooms and living room. Of course it was all second hand besides the twins bedroom furniture. They had decorated the rooms and Wanda had decided to visit before allowing the twins to stay.

So once she had some free time and the twins were at school, she decided to head over. Knocking on the door to be met by a tired Y/N. The bags under their eyes were darker as they seemed to have lost some weight.

"Wanda, hey." They let her inside before closing the door. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I know, I just wanted to make sure the apartment was suitable for the twins." She told them with a tight lipped smile, although Y/N wanted to scream at the silent implications, they kept their composure.

"I know it's not much but." They shrugged as they sighed. "I have spent the week off work decorating, and making sure the boys room is ready for them to stay."

Wanda hummed as she walked around as Y/N went to the kitchen to make two coffees before following Wanda into the living area.

"Your old PSOne." She pointed to the old console and the games they had nearby. "You got rid of your Resident Evil collection."

"I figured the boys might want to play some games while they're here and I don't want them to be bored." They told her as she took a sip of her coffee. "Besides, it's only until I can get an Xbox for here, and the RE games are in my room because they are most definitely not appropriate for them at all."

Wanda smiled as she tasted the caramel syrup that Y/N had put in her drink. The simple action warmed her heart as she knows they prefer their coffee black.

"This is perfect Y/N." She told them. "They are going to love the rooms."

"I'm sorry." Y/N whispered with tears in their eyes. "I know I haven't said this enough but I am sorry I didn't love you as much as I should have."

"Y/N." Wanda shook her head as she put the cup down on the table. "That isn't necessary, what's done is done and we have to do what's best for the boys." Y/N nodded as they sat down in their chair. "Besides, you should get some rest, you look beat."

With that Wanda bid her farewell as she left the apartment, Y/N flinched slightly as the door closed with the thud resounding throughout the apartment.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #marvel #elizabeth olsen #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda x you #wanda x y/n #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff x you #natasha romanoff

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lambtotheslaughterr · 1 month

Text

Rise : Chapter Eleven

A Rafe Cameron Series

[THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN THEMES OF NON-CON/DUB-CON, MENTAL-EMOTIONAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE, ETC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 18+. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT]

WC: 5.3k

Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics

CHAPTER TEN | MASTERLIST | CHAPTER TWELVE

Your head pounded. You winced at the discomfort, reaching blindly for the bottle of water you kept on the nightstand next to the bed. But when your hand only swept through air, you finally peeled your eyes open. The room you were in looked vaguely familiar. As you sat up, your head screamed & you held it in your hands, massaging it. Then you felt the lump just below your hairline. What the…

Then it all came flooding back to you.

Nuha’s health, Bear & you splitting off, your attempt to get to Adrianna, one of Rafe’s men knocking you out.

Asshole.

But you couldn’t be surprised. This was the new world. Assault first, questions later. Or at least you hoped.

Biting back the pain, you slipped off the bed. You looked around. It was the room you & Sayyed had shared when you all lived there. How fitting.

You went to the door, expecting it to open but it didn’t budge.

“Seriously?” You said to no one. There was no lock on the door, but they must have installed one on the other side. “Fucking great.”

In a fit of frustration, you kicked it once. But just after you had, the handle jiggled & turned, the door opening. You instantly bounced back, preparing for the same man who hit you to appear. But this time, it was a friendly face.

“Kai!” You breathed a sigh of relief, rushing forward & hugging him.

He hugged you back after closing the door behind him.

“I’m relieved it’s you.” You shared, pulling back to look at him. But the happiness you felt was brief. He looked fucked up, like lost a fight fucked up. He sported a black eye & had some bruising on his jawline.

“What happened to you?” You frowned.

Kai’s eyes shifted uneasily as he moved you backwards to sit on the bed, “What are you doing here, _____?”

You didn’t want to change subjects so easily, concerned about your friend, but you were forced to remember why you were here.

“I need Adrianna. It’s Nuha, she’s sick. Not that sick, but we think she won’t make it & we need Adrianna to help her.”

Kai sighed, looking forlornly at the floor. He shook his head as he peeked at the closed door, “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“But I had to. Nuha needs her.”

Kai chewed on his lip, “That doesn’t matter. Everything comes at a price now.”

“What are you talking about?”

But when Kai didn’t say anything, you shook him, desperate for answers.

“I’m talking about Rafe.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, his eyes constantly straying to the door as if he was scared of what was on the other side. Kai looked you in the eyes, “He won’t let Adrianna leave, & if he knows you’re here…”

“He doesn’t know I’m here?” That was odd.

“No, & I’d like to keep it that way. I want to help you get out of here before he gets back.”

You were grateful for his concerns, but you couldn’t worry about yourself, you had to at least try for Nuha.

“Kai, I can’t. Nuha, she—”

“I know what you said.” Kai cut you off abruptly, his voice turning harsh, impatient. He stood up then, staring hard at you, “But we can’t help you. You’ll have to find another way.”

No. You wouldn’t accept that.

“I am not leaving here without Adrianna. Kai, I’m not.”

He stared at you, his eyes filled with fear, worry, anger. But as you two held eye contact, he finally shook his head, “Then I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Kai crossed the room to the door. As he opened it, he glanced at you over his shoulder, “If you’re here when Rafe gets back, don’t expect to leave. Ever.”

“Wait, Kai—”

But he closed the door behind him & you listened as he relocked it.

“Goddamnit!” You spit, running your hands through your hair.

Now what?

So far, Kai had been right. There was no way out. Out of the room at least. The door still wouldn’t budge & the room had been wiped clean of any potential items that would help you break out. The windows themselves were nailed shut. They hadn’t been like that when you stayed here. Rafe had turned the lakehouse into a prison. And you were one of its prisoners.

Kai never came back to check on you, not even to bring water or food. And after scouring the room, your backpack wasn’t anywhere to be found either. They definitely had it, probably having already taken everything out of it for themselves, not that there would be much anyway. You tired yourself out after trying to pull the nails out of the window. Breaking them & jumping out would be an option but the sound of glass breaking would only bring notice to yourself. There was no way to get out without drawing attention. And the more you sat by yourself in that room, the louder Kai’s warning echoed.

You weren’t sure how long you were in the room for before you hear a collection of voices outside.

Moving from the bed, you peeked out the window. You gulped at the sight of Rafe just below. He was with Adrianna, Micah, & the second man you had seen with them a month ago. Kai & the man who knocked you out met them halfway on the deck. Their voices were low enough that you couldn’t make out what they were saying but as you continued to watch, Rafe’s eyes suddenly flew up to where you stood. You pushed yourself backwards, out of sight. There was no question that they were telling them about you being up there. Hiding was pointless. But you still hid.

Your heart was racing, your stomach flipping.

A door slammed downstairs & you stared at the door to your room. Footfalls sounded throughout the lower level until you heard them on the stairs. He was coming.

You quickly glanced around the room but there was no object you could use to defend yourself if it came to it. It would be you against Rafe & all his rage.

The door handle jiggled & you watched in horror as it finally unlocked, the door swinging open.

Rafe stood on the other side of the threshold, not stepping through, just staring at you. Everything about him scared you in that moment.

The lack of light in the hallway behind him only added to his sinister stance. He cocked his head as he took you in, as you took him in.

“It’s really you.” He finally said. But you couldn’t say anything. You hated how pathetic you likely looked but there was nothing you could say or do that would intimidate him. He was the boss here.

“Finally coming crawling back, huh?” Rafe finally stepped into the room, closing the door behind him though his eyes never left you.

“I’m not crawling back.” You responded in short.

Rafe chuckled darkly at that. He leaned against the door then, his arms crossing in front of his chest, “No?”

“I need Adrianna’s help.” You told him, trying to steel yourself against his heated stare.

“Okay.”

Okay? You frowned at his response. You knew better than to mistake that as an acceptance.

“Okay, so. Can I see her?”

Rafe smiled, shaking his head, “No.”

You pressed your lips together, not wanting to react the way you knew he was wanting you to. You inhaled sharply, trying to think a way out of this. But Rafe interrupted your thoughts.

“You really think you can come back here asking for help & getting what you want without consequence?”

“What consequence? I didn’t come here as a threat.”

Rafe’s eyes darkened at that. He uncrossed his arms & stepped forward, slowly moving towards you. You backed further but was met with the wall quickly. There was no more space to put between you as he continued moving forward.

“Are you forgetting about how you kicked us out? Sent us away like we were nothing, meant nothing.”

Of course you hadn’t.

“Or how about how you let your precious boyfriend pick a fight with me after you left me alone in the woods?”

You refrained from rolling your eyes. Is that what this was about? His pride? Ego?

“Rafe—”

“No!” Rafe shouted. He was now at the foot of the bed. Only a few between the two of you, “I’m talking. You’re listening.”

A shudder parted your shaky lips.

“You really think that we’re still friends?” Rafe grinned madly, “In this world? How…naïve. Friends don’t exist anymore.”

“Look, I know you’re upset about how everything went down but this is bigger than that.”

“I don’t give a fuck if Nuha dies.” Rafe revealed, “I don’t give a shit about any of them. What I care about is my survival.”

You wanted to rebut how selfish he was being but knew better. He was not who he was before the world ended. He said it as such, he didn’t give a shit about any of you.

“Fine.” You tried to appear unfazed by his admittance, “Then I’ll just go.”

The likelihood of surpassing Rafe easily, let alone actually leaving the lakehouse, didn’t escape you. But you tried to play it as coolly as possible. However, as expected, Rafe stepped in front of you. You nearly ran into him as he did, so you went to step back but he shot a hand out, gripping your wrist harshly.

“You’re not going anywhere, _____.” Rafe stared down at you, his eyes carrying that mischievous glint you knew so well, “We both know that.”

And you did. But you feared your stay here would end with you in the ground.

You felt like a piece of meat surrounded by ravenous vultures. Rafe had brought you down from the bedroom shortly after your reunion, & now you were surrounded by former friends & new enemies.

You were sat on the couch in the living room as the others stood around you. They were bickering, arguing about what to do with you. Right in front of you. You knew well enough that it was a scare tactic, & it was working. You were terrified.

“We should just fucking get rid of her.” Micah shared shamelessly. When he first laid eyes on you as Rafe brought you downstairs, you wouldn’t have been surprised if he was the first one to get his hands around your neck. The look in his eyes felt like you were staring at death itself.

“We’re not doing that.” Rafe responded, much to Micah’s disapproval. He cast you a murderous glare. How could he still blame you for Millie’s death?

The other two men—whose names were Matt & Robbie—were leaning towards Micah’s suggestion. You surmised it was easier for them to want to get rid of you since they didn’t know you, but what did that say about Micah? Fortunately, it was three against three though. Rafe, Adrianna, & Kai were against your death, while the other three were for it. But what the three who wanted you dead didn’t account for was that Rafe’s word was final.

“So now we’re just gonna have another mouth to feed?” Micah stared at Rafe.

“Maybe.” Rafe seemed wholly unbothered by Micah’s challenge, “But she’ll earn her keep first.”

“Kill me.” You interjected, much to the surprise of Kai who sat near you on the couch.

Adrianna’s brows creased, “What?”

“I don’t want to stay here.” You admitted, knowing it was probably stupid to say, but if they were going to kill you, they’d take you outside to do it & out there you’d have a better chance of escaping. “Micah will kill me the second I turn my back on him.”

“You won’t be alone with him.” Rafe informed you but you ignored him.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m clearly not safe here. I’m not a friend. These three,” you gestured to the three men standing across from you by the fireplace, “want me dead. And Micah is right. You’re not gonna take care of me either unless I pull my weight & if I’m being honest, I’m not going to.”

Adrianna’s concerned eyes flashed to Rafe’s to gauge his reaction.

“So, you want us to kill you?” Rafe rounded to the front of the couch to face you. You stared up at him.

“It’s gonna happen sooner or later.” You told him, “We both know that.”

Rafe narrowed his eyes, seemingly contemplating your words. Then he stepped forward, kicking your legs apart so he could stand between them. You leaned further into the couch, but it did little to ease you. He was asserting his authority before you, before everyone.

“Everyone out.” Rafe’s voice was hard, stiff.

“Dude, Rafe.” Micah started but Rafe tossed him a glare over his shoulder, “Out. Now.”

You wetted your lips, your nerves shot as you watched in your peripheral as the others filed out of the house. Kai was the last to leave & you noted the look of fear in his eyes. Once they were all out, the sliding glass door sealed shut, you were officially left alone with Rafe.

“Do you want to die, _____?” He remained where he stood between your legs.

You scoffed, trying to hide your own fear, “Of course I don’t. But I’ve seen how easy it is for you to get rid of someone who won’t pull their weight. I’m not stupid. I know what comes after that.”

Rafe nodded but said nothing. Then he bent over at the waist, placing each hand on the back of the couch until he was completely leaned over you. “You’ve seen me?”

Right. Rafe never knew about you seeing them in the woods across the lake a month ago. None of them did. It’s the only reason you & the others were able to escape.

“The old man.” Your voice was growing softer, lower.

“What old man?”

“The one you killed. Or Micah killed, whatever.”

“You saw that?” Rafe looked mildly impressed, “What were you doing out there?”

You gulped. Did you lie? Say you were out scavenging, or did you admit the truth? That you were seeking them out, to be with them.

“Ahh.” Rafe smirked, “I get it now. You must’ve found my note.”

Your lack of response confirmed his suspicions.

“I wouldn’t have wasted you like that guy. He was useless.”

“He was innocent.” You bit back, “And you still killed him. You’ll only do the same to me.”

Rafe stared at you, his eyes tracing the features of your face, “I’d never hurt you. Not seriously, anyway.”

A frustrated gasp left you, you shook your head, “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.” Rafe reached up to brush your hair behind your shoulders. A wave of goosebumps left in his wake. “You’re the last person in this world I’d hurt.”

“Then let me go.” You pleaded, “I’ll tell the others that I didn’t find you guys. We’ll stay separated.”

At the mention of the others, Rafe’s mood changed drastically. His eyes darkened as he stood straight, knocking your legs out of the way as he left you on the couch. You glanced over your shoulder, watching as he opened an ice chest. He pulled out two bottles of beer, popping the cap off both. He returned to you, offering you one. You ignored the offer. He sighed annoyingly before placing it on the coffee table. Then he sat down on the edge of the table, taking a swig of the beer himself before looking at you.

“Where are the others?”

You shook your head, “You know I’m not going to tell you that.”

Rafe smiled knowingly, likely having anticipated your refusal.

“Why? Scared I’m going to go after them.”

“I know you will.” You admitted, “You said it yourself earlier. About consequences for kicking you out.”

Rafe nodded in agreement, “You need Adrianna for Nuha.”

You said nothing, not liking the look in his eyes.

“I’ll let you take her.”

What? The mistrust on your face was evident as Rafe filled in the gaps for you, “But we come with.”

“No.” You replied fast. “It’s Adrianna alone or no one at all.”

“No one?” Rafe questioned, “Not even yourself.”

You released a deep exhale, “Not even me.”

“They won’t come looking for you?”

“I told them not to.” You revealed. It didn’t matter what Rafe knew as long as he didn’t know where they were.

“Wow.” Rafe laughed sheepishly, “It’s interesting seeing how readily you are to give yourself up to protect them. Where was that when Sayyed was kicking us out?”

“It was for the best & you know it.” Rafe would never understand, & you didn’t expect him to.

“The best?” He glared at you. You saw a vein pop in his neck. “You scared of me, _____?”

The answer was obvious, but you still couldn’t admit it out loud. So you ventured through another route, “I don’t know you.”

Your answer intrigued him.

“I used to.” You continued, “But not anymore. You’re violent, selfish, reckless.”

A scream burst from you at the sound of glass shattering. Your body shook as you stared at the wall to your left as beer dripped from the center of it.

“Violent?” Rafe stood up, his face growing red, “Selfish? Reckless?”

Before you could put up a fight, Rafe reached down & snatched your jaw, pulling you up from the couch so he could press his nose against yours, “Violent like how I kicked that creep’s ass for putting his hand up your skirt at last year’s summer break party?

You winced as he dug his fingers into your cheeks, his nails stinging the skin there, “Selfish like how I rallied the others to get Micah back from those fucking losers?”

“Rafe, please, you’re hurting me!” You winced as he used his other hand to grip the back of your hair, angling your neck painfully so you were forced to look up at him more, “Reckless like how I would go out there right now & put a bullet in Micah’s skull if it meant you felt safer?”

“Don’t.” You whined.

“Is that what you mean?” When you said nothing he pulled your hair harder, making you cry out, “Huh?! Is it?!”

“Let go!” You pushed against him, but he didn’t budge. Instead he tossed you onto the couch. You barely had time to recover before Rafe was on top of you.

“You want violent? Selfish? Reckless?” Rafe huffed in your ear as he reached for the top of your shorts. “I’ll show you then.”

“Rafe, no!” You screamed as his nails left scratch marks down your hips & thighs, ripping your shorts & underwear away from your body.

“Shut up.” His voice was low as he wrestled with you, “You stupid bitch.”

You flipped onto your back, aiming to kick him in the chest but he caught your leg before swiping your face with the back of his hand. A pained gasp escaped you at the physical assault. Rafe forced your legs apart & made room for himself between them.

“Stop, no, no, please, Rafe, no!”

He clapped a hand over your mouth as hot tears spilled from your eyes. Your fists did nothing to deter him as he shimmied his jeans down his hips, pulling himself out. The sight of his erect cock forced you to fight back harder but every pitiful punch or attempt to kick him off was futile. Rafe was going to take what Rafe wanted.

“Rafe!” A shout came from behind the couch, & you couldn’t see who it was, but in the midst of chaos you recognized it as Kai’s, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Get the fuck outta here!” Rafe hollered behind him as he used his hand to situate his dick near your entrance. Fuck, please no!

“Oh my god.” It was female this time, & that meant Adrianna. “Rafe, stop it!”

Over Rafe’s shoulder, you saw as Kai raced towards the two of you, but just as he was about to reach you two, Micah appeared & caught him by the back of his shirt, throwing him backwards. Rafe, much to your relief, paused in his assault to see what the commotion was.

“Get him the fuck out before I bury him next to Millie!”

Micah stared wide-eyed at the two of you, but unlike the looks of concern on Kai & Adrianna’s faces, he seemed excited. Like he was pleased with Rafe for doing what he was doing. In that moment, all of the happy memories of Micah in your mind were completely wiped. You didn’t know him either.

In the brief moment of distraction that you had, you swiped Rafe’s hand from your mouth & knocked your head into his. The impact was dizzying & you felt immediately nauseous, but you had no time to waste. Rafe rolled off you & you slipped off the couch, running for the back of the house.

“Goddamnit!” Rafe screeched, “Get a fuckin’ hold on him!”

But you were only reaching the corner to the hallway that led to the rear entrance when you heard Rafe running after you. You raced forward, the back door just a few feet away. You didn’t care if you had to run all night & all day with no backpack, half nude to escape Rafe. You wouldn’t quit running.

Just as your hand touched the doorknob though, you felt another yank on your hair. A yelp left you as Rafe turned you around to face. The look on his face was horrifying. You resisted against him, but he only glared hotly at you.

“I told you, _____.” Rafe began, “You’re not going anywhere.”

And then he slammed your face into the wall. Immediately, you tasted blood in your mouth as you collapsed to the ground. The hallway was dark & your vision blurred & swaying as you clung to consciousness. Rafe towered over you, watching as you slowly lost your grip on reality. This was it, you thought to yourself, Rafe would never let you go.

You woke with a start, practically falling off the bed you woke up on, but a pair of hands prevented you from doing so. You spun around & were faced with none other than Rafe. He was shirtless, lying under the sheets with you. A white hot pain flared at the center of your face & you whined.

“That’s what happens when you fight back.” Rafe commented as you gently touched your nose. You winced at the minor contact. Then you glanced down at yourself. You were completely naked but as you wriggled under the covers, you didn’t feel sore anywhere else except your face.

“They may have called me Roofie Rafe in school, but I actually prefer my girls awake.” Rafe shared, surmising what you were realizing.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” You spit. You wanted to get off the bed, away from him, but his hands were secure on your hips as he stared at you. “That you want me to be awake while you rape me?”

Rafe sighed, annoyed, “Would you rather I fuck you while you’re unconscious?”

“I’d rather you leave me the fuck alone, Rafe!” You yelled, “Let me go!”

And so the events of the previous night began where they left off. Rafe wrestled you onto your back, & you cried & fought against him as he found himself a place between your legs.

“Shh, shh.” Rafe cooed, attempting to calm you but it only provided the opposite, “It’s nothing we haven’t done before.”

You shed more tears, recalling your tryst in the woods. But that had been different. Somewhat. At least you had coke to fuel your desires then.

And as if reading your mind, Rafe reached into the nightstand on your side of the bed, pulling out a little baggie of white power. You realized it was the exact same one he had given you. You had kept it in your backpack.

“You never partook in my gift.” Rafe commented, “Maybe now you’ll want to. Whatever is easier. Because this is happening, whether you want it to or not.”

You shook beneath him, staring at the baggie dangling from between his fingers. You hadn’t touched the shit since your night with Rafe in the woods. You didn’t want to. But in that moment, it was the only sort of reprieve you could think of that would make what Rafe would undoubtedly do next easier.

“What do you say?” Rafe smiled, “For old times’ sake.”

Sniffling, you warily reached for it, but as you did Rafe pulled it away. He leaned back to stay kneeled on the balls of his feet, still between your legs. He then grabbed your forearm & pulled you to sit up as well.

You tried to calm your racing heart as you watched Rafe pour a bump out onto the fatty part of his hand. Then he offered it to you, his brows raised with expectancy.

“Open up.”

Leaning forward, you sealed one nostril as you inhaled the substance with the other. You smacked your lips together as you tasted the grains in the back of your throat. Rafe poured out another for himself. You two did two more bumps together. And for a moment, despite being fully naked together, despite the pain in your nose, despite how your former friends were downstairs knowing what was happening upstairs, you were cast into a memory. One where you & Rafe would sneak into his room at frat parties to do a couple lines. You remembered how this man was once a friend, a confidant. And now, there he was getting you coked out so he could have his way with you.

You knew in the morning you would never be able to look at yourself the same way again.

When there was barely any left in the baggie, Rafe dipped his finger inside & collected the remaining powder onto his index finger. Then with his other hand, he cupped your chin & angled your face upwards. At this point, you were high, scarily & blissfully so. It had been so long since you’d done coke, & you missed the euphoria of carelessness if always gave you.

Rafe used his thumb to tug on your lower lip, exposing your gumline, then he rubbed his finger with the coke on it along your gums. You watched through heavy-lidded eyes as his eyes stared at his finger in your mouth. Without thought, you closed your lips around his finger, sucking it lightly.

He smirked at that, “There she is.”

Pulling his finger from your mouth, Rafe then sealed your lips with his own. You felt yourself frowning as he kissed you, but you were having a hard time remembering why. You knew why, but you just couldn’t feel why anymore.

As Rafe continued to bite & lick your lips, you felt him gently push you back until you were lying flat on the bed. He threw the covers off the both of you & hooked one of your legs over his hips. It was then that you felt the prodding at your entrance. You gasped, pulling out of the kiss & felt your fingers dig into his shoulders as he slowly began to push into you.

A pleased sigh sounded in your ear as Rafe finally bottomed out. Then he leaned onto an elbow to look at you. You couldn’t look away from him as he shifted his hips & began to fuck you.

“You don’t have any idea how often I’ve thought about this.” Rafe confessed breathlessly. “How many nights I spent in that house hearing you, picturing you, wanting it to be that was making you feel good.”

You didn’t. Sayyed had been right. Rafe never saw you as a friend.

“Now,” Rafe kissed from your collarbone to your jawline back to your mouth, “I can fuck you as much as I want, whenever I want.”

Shivers shot up your spine as Rafe’s cock stroked your G-spot. You couldn’t help the mewl that escaped you. It felt so good, too good. But you shook your head. Images of him hitting you, ripping your clothes off kept flashing in your mind. Tears returned but you weren’t crying. You weren’t sure what you were. Neither here nor there. Not really. Somewhere in between, floating aimlessly.

Rafe’s hips snapped against yours as his pace picked up, & you could do nothing but cling to him as he fucked you mercilessly. Your thoughts, feelings, memories, fears all blended together, confusing you as you felt yourself getting pushed closer & closer to the edge. You fluttered your eyes closed, trying to make sense of the world but there was no world. That much you knew. And right now, your world consisted of only Rafe. How he would love to know that.

You felt a hand cup the side of your face, “Look at me.”

Without thought, you opened your eyes, & Rafe was all you saw. All you felt. He grinned a maddening grin.

“You’re in my world now, _____.” A strained moan left your throat as you felt your orgasm crash around you. Rafe’s face blurred into the background as you spasmed around his cock, milking it. He groaned proudly.

“And you’re never leaving it.”

It was evening when your mind became yours again. You sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the window. You couldn’t face the rest of the room. The unmade bed, the smell of sex in the air, all of it a brutal reminder about how you had let Rafe rape you. Fuck the coke, you had stopped fighting. You promised yourself you never would, but you had. Easily.

The only realization that brought you any comfort was that the others would be safe. Nuha may die, but if she didn’t at least her, Sayyed, & Bear would be safe, far away from Rafe. It was that thought alone that made what you had done okay. They would never know about your betrayal. And they would live.

A knock sounded on the door behind you. You stood up, facing it. After Rafe got what he wanted you, he rewarded you with your clothes. But you still felt naked as the person stepped into the room. It was Robbie. The one who knocked you out. He was tall, over six feet, & was built like a footballer. You thoughtlessly wondered why someone of his size hadn’t taken Rafe out, but small minds were easily corrupted, body size be damned.

“Come with me.”

“Where?” You stayed where you stood. If you didn’t trust Rafe & Micah, you trusted these strange men even less.

“Don’t worry, princess. Rafe says you’re not to be harmed.”

You scoffed internally at that. Rafe had hurt you the most.

“Now, come with me before I drag you out of here.”

Swallowing your refusal, you rounded the bed & slipped by him, sure not to touch him as he led the way down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Robbie brought you into the kitchen & you were concerned to see everyone waiting in there.

Rafe had a map laid out on the island but lifted his eyes to yours when you entered.

“What?” You asked.

“I never thought you were smart,” It was Micah who spoke first as he smirked snobbishly at you, “but you really are fucking dumb.”

Rafe cast him a look but said nothing.

Confused by what Micah was referring to, your eyes finally focused on the map. It looked like the one you had to help you navigate from the cabin you lived in with the others back to the lakehouse here. But as you stepped closer, you felt the air leave your lungs. It wasn’t just any map. It was your map. How could you be so fucking stupid? Because right there, circled in black eighty miles north of the lakehouse was the cabin.

Your eyes flashed to Rafe’s. He smiled.

“Looks like you’re gonna get your wish after all.” He said, nodding towards Adrianna, “We leave in twenty.”

a dooooooohoooohoooozzzzzyyyy! i've been so excited for this chapter so i'm excited to hear what you all are thinking/feeling too! so please, as always comment, reblog w reviews, talk to me in my ask box. you guys keep me going.

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cheegu3 · 7 months

Text

Enhypen - the glory (part 8)

summary; after rejecting one of the most popular boys at your new school, you soon realised that you'd done the gravest mistake of your life; these weren't ordinary boys, and now they were set on making your life a living hell - heavily based on the kdrama with the same name

warnings; swearing, mentions of sexual assault & masturbation, mentions of suicide, stalking, mentions of murder

genre; yandere

wc; 5.3k

pairing; enha x f.m reader

note; not really sure how to describe this chapter, maybe calm and then a storm right at the end ?? LMAO, but anyways thank you as always for your love and support <3 in case you missed it, I will be updating every Sunday now instead of every other Sunday, love youuuu !!

masterlist

You and the officer were pressed into the small space that was the security room in your apartment’s building. The guard was a small and old man far into his seventies who, at first complained about all the ‘’ extra work ‘’ you were giving him.

The nice officer had to show his badge and insist he was interrupting the investigation before he reluctantly sat down and started scrolling through the dates. You stood in silence, watching over his shoulder while the mouse scrolled and clicked frequently.

At last, he seemed to have found what he was looking for. The cursor glided towards a small picture in the corner with the date of the night before, when Jake visited your apartment.

‘’ I will just go through it briefly, ‘’ the old security guard mumbled, shaking his head when he saw just how much footage it was.

The video was fast-forwarded, while you and the officer watched, getting more impatient by the minute. Your eyes never left the screen. Many people who lived in the building passed by the cameras for a moment, it was so fast it was almost hard to tell them apart, but you were sure some of them were neighbors you had seen.

When the time at the bottom of the video got closer to when Jake visited your apartment, you leaned in. A young man with voluminous hair, carrying some bag passed by for a split second.

‘’ Stop! ‘’ you shouted out, startling the guard.

He reversed and slowed it down so you had the opportunity to confirm if it was him. This time when it was at normal speed, it was much easier to see that it was in fact Jake. You watched as he made his way over to your apartment door, strolling all too casually for what he was about to do.

As if he could hear you, his head turned terrifyingly slow towards the camera. He stared into it for several seconds; the camera’s pixels only making him look even more psychotic. An eerie smirk ghosted over his lips, sending shivers down your spine.

Then he rang the doorbell and you spotted your dad. Jake’s entire demeanor switched, too easily, like it was second nature to him now. It reminded you of when you had the altercation with your dad and Jake the same night, and how he’d done it with ease then too. One second, the lustful and cocky eyes to you - the next, the innocent and begging eyes to your dad.

Your dad stepped aside, letting him in. The video had no sound, but you could imagine what they were saying since your dad told you a bit of it. The officer scribbled down something in his notebook, and the three of you kept watching with a newfound sense of focus and bated breaths.

The clock at the bottom said that five minutes had passed. Had he been in there for so long? Your face dropped, no- don’t say he was in your room while touching himself? You couldn’t hold back the loud gag that slipped out.

‘’ Are you okay, miss? ‘’

You nodded to the officer, still not looking away from the screen. The old man pressed on a key and the video sped up again. One minute more passed, then two, and then three. Suddenly, the screen went completely black.

‘’ What happened? ‘’

The keys of the keyboard were pressed rapidly and repeatedly as the guard tried his best to reverse the footage. He tried everything; reversing didn’t work, so he tried going forward, reloading the footage, and even rebooting the computer - nothing worked.

You let out an exhausted sigh. ‘’ The footage is lost? ‘’

‘’ I’m sorry miss, ‘’ he squeaked back in response, now a lot more apologetic than before when groaning about it being a chore added to his daily stress at work.

It was very weird, almost like they knew you’d go back to your building for proof. It made sense however, when it dawned on you that they could’ve seen you at the police station if they were following you and hurried to get here before you and the officer did.

‘’ You can’t get it back? ‘’

The officer hurried to move when you while in distress tried taking control of the computer and almost pushed the security guard off his chair in the process, who only huffed at you.

‘’ Miss, there’s no use, ‘’ he calmly said.

But you felt anything but calm. You started trying to shake him off and break loose, gritting your teeth from how hard you were trying.

‘’ Let go of me! ‘’

The tightness only increased making you groan in pain. The harder you tried to fight him off, the harder he held you in place.

‘’ Miss, if you keep resisting I’m going to have to arrest you for battery against a police officer. ‘’

Your movements stopped and your passionate grimace disappeared.

‘’ What? ‘’

Seeing that you stopped fighting, you were freed. But you didn’t do anything. Your hands fell limp to your sides.

‘’ You scratched me, ‘’ he shrugged.

You almost felt like at a loss for words.

‘’ That’s not a big deal though, right? You’re supposed to be on my side. ‘’

It wasn’t a way of talking to a police officer that most would’ve felt was fine. You suspected that the fact that he was around the same age as you made you see him as an equal, and you hoped it made him want to help you more.

‘’ I’m still following the law. You were being aggressive. ‘’

His voice came out monotone, void of the same empathy it had carried before. For some reason it made you feel like a lump had formed in your throat.

‘’ Can’t you see why I reacted that way though? ‘’ you had to take a deep breath, that sounded very shaky when you felt like you were about to cry. ‘’ No one is helping me. ‘’

The officer looked at you blankly, taking a few seconds to answer. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his disheveled hair.

‘’ There’s not much we can do. We don’t have a warrant to go search his house for the item unfortunately, ‘’ a tear rolled down your cheek as you scoffed in disbelief at the situation.

‘’ For now, we will have to wrap this up. If anything new comes up, call us. ‘’

You had expected him to say that, but it felt so much more painful for it to actually be voiced out. You’d had high hopes for this; even if you didn’t have footage of him holding it, just seeing him leaving your house would’ve made you feel validated because the others saw him too.

It also felt like something huge had slipped right out of your hands. Something that could’ve been used against him in the end, when his support system had been taken down. For a moment you thought of going over to Jake’s house on your own, but you didn’t have any fight in you after everything. The officer told you to go home, and you did so with a heavy heart and dragging feet.

*******

Although it was a school day the next day, you didn’t feel like going. When your dad poked his head in, you were still lying in your bed, head turned away so he couldn’t see the dried tears from the night before.

‘’ I don’t feel good today, can I stay home? ‘’

‘’ Sure, hun. ‘’

You didn’t take sick days often so that was probably one of the reasons he let you this time. The door to your room was left slightly ajar, and it felt calming when he left the house and it was completely quiet. Maybe you could go to your part-time job and ask if they had a shift. You hadn’t gone in a while so some guilt gnawed at the pit of your stomach. But they were a small business that often didn’t ask for help either.

Before that though, you rolled over to the other side and picked up your phone while trying to rub the sleepiness out of your eyes. Several new messages greeted you. The ones from Yeonjun caught your attention in particular.

7:12 am

Grumpy cat: Soobin told me about the company and how we need to destroy them first to get to your bullies. We’re trying that today.

Grumpy cat: Text Yena to go to the building at around 4 pm today, wearing a suit, and make her bring her phone and headphones so we can tell her what to do.

7:43 am

You: How would we even get in?

Grumpy cat: Right under their noses

You: What? How the hell would we do that?

Grumpy cat: Fake it till you make it. Ask Yena if the people at the company would recognize her, otherwise, we’d have to change her appearance a bit.

You: She’s going in alone?

Grumpy cat: We know they’re watching Soobin for certain and maybe you and me as well. Who else could do it?

You: I guess you’re right…But where will we be?

Grumpy cat: The café across the street, I’ll tell you more when we’re there. Bring your school books so it looks like we’re studying and come at 4 pm.

You tossed the phone and slowly got out of bed, stretching and yawning as you did so. Your eyes happened to land on the wall with the post-it notes. It still looked very empty. Likely it would remain that way for a long time unless whatever Yeonjun had planned for the day worked.

Ignoring the homework that was lying on your desk, you went to the kitchen to get some food and get ready for the day. After eating you decided to go for a quick shower.

Everything felt fine at first. You undressed and then stepped in under the hot water that made you wince. Then a thought washed over you, a paranoid one, that made all the hairs on your body stand up.

What if he went in here too and put up one of those tiny spy-cams? You jumped out of the shower, bulging eyes scanning everywhere in the room. Things started to get thrown all over the floor as you went down on your knees to search the cabinets too. You looked there, in the top cabinet, behind the shampoo bottles, and under the folded towels - but nothing. In the end, you just stood there, staring at all the things on the floor and feeling like you were slowly becoming crazy.

Before you let your mind ponder over that thought for too long, you hurried to finish showering at almost record speed and then ran to your room; scared to admit that you imagined cameras all over your house now too.

Within minutes you were out of the door and running down the stairs to get to your part-time job. Just rounding the corner to the last few steps down to the entrance you raised your head and met eyes with Heeseung.

‘’ What are you doing here? ‘’ you complained, a bit breathlessly as you walked right past him.

Heeseung whipped around to look at you. He was a bit confused about where you were going, but a small amused smile still adorned his lips.

‘’ Going somewhere? ‘’

You hesitated. Would he be angry if he knew you weren’t going to school? Heeseung noticed the hesitation and stepped closer, tilting his head slightly.

‘’ Why aren’t you answering? ‘’ a smirk slowly tugged his lips upwards, ‘’ Are you that scared of me too? ‘’

‘’ No! ‘’

‘’ Then what is it? You know we don’t like when you lie, princess. ‘’

You looked at the door, and so did Heeseung. Sensing what you were thinking, he swiftly moved to put himself between you and the door. To make sure you weren’t going to run to another door he put his hand into yours as well.

‘’ Well, wherever you’re going, I’ll come with. ‘’

‘’ What? Fuck no! ‘’

You tried pulling your hand out, but it was no use. The more you struggled, the wider his smile stretched as he watched you silently. Eventually, you let out a frustrated groan like a little child which made him tauntingly say, ‘’ Good girl. That wasn’t so hard, was it? ‘’

Too riled up to respond you just pushed the door open and stepped out. It was a lot colder than you had expected. You sucked air in through your teeth and scrunched your nose as the wind hit you.

Heeseung rolled his eyes and you felt him move to take off his jacket, he was quicker than you thought, seemingly having read your thoughts again.

‘’ Don’t even think about running away. ‘’

You lied through your teeth, ‘’ I wasn’t. ‘’

The jacket was placed around your shoulders and despite it being quite oversized you happily put it on, sighing in satisfaction at the warmth engulfing you.

‘’ So where are you going? ‘’

‘’ My part-time job. ‘’

‘’ Not school? ‘’

‘’ Is that why you came here? ‘’

‘’ We didn’t think you’d come after your little…tantrum yesterday, ‘’ he snickered.

‘’ It wasn’t a tantrum. Jake was being a bitch, ‘’ you scowled.

‘’ Yeah right. ‘’

You decided to ignore him from then on. If he wanted to come with anyway, that was his problem. Hopefully, he’d go home quickly when he realized you weren’t going to give him attention because really, all of them were starved of just that.

Heeseung had a car waiting outside that drove you to the address of your part-time work. Inside, the warmth of the temperature but also the family working there greeted you. They agreed to give you a shift while eyeing Heeseung curiously who kept saying he was your boyfriend.

No matter how many times you denied it and pleaded with your eyes to them, they still let him stay, sitting at a table where he had a good view of you at all times.

It was hard to ignore both him and your phone simultaneously. There were probably a million messages from Soobin on there asking where you were and if you were okay. Maybe he’d grow sick with worry and skip school to go to your house and see if you were there, only to be met with silence since your dad wasn’t home either.

You served some more customers and then after an internal battle, you picked up your phone during lunch break. Just like you thought, he had sent about a dozen messages, and many more missed calls.

‘’ Who are you texting? ‘’

You were sitting at the same table as Heeseung and although you wanted to not be suspicious, you also didn’t want to risk him seeing the display so you pressed against the wall and turned the phone away.

‘’ A friend. ‘’

‘’ A friend? You have no friends. ‘’

You laughed, feeling offended.

‘’ Yes, I do! ‘’

‘’ Who? ‘’

You hesitated again, chewing at your lip anxiously. Heeseung knew it was a habit of yours so you hurried to answer before he’d point it out or think you were lying.

‘’ S-Soobin…’’

There was no use lying anyway, they already knew about the two of you.

He hummed. You didn’t miss the way his eyes narrowed.

‘’ And…what does he want then? ‘’

You scratched the back of your neck.

‘’ Just- asking why I wasn’t at school! ‘’ you exclaimed, a bit too enthusiastically as you were proud of yourself for figuring out what to say mid-sentence.

Heeseung nodded and then didn’t press further. Instead, he started talking about the other guys, right before your break was over and you had to do the last bit of the shift.

‘’ They really miss you. There’s probably not a single day that goes by without them talking about you. ‘’

You didn’t answer, just taking out the distaste you felt, at the poor rice on your plate that you poked angrily.

‘’ Especially Jake, ‘’ he tried to hide the smile that appeared on his face.

‘’ But also Sunoo and Sunghoon. Said they feel like they haven’t seen you in a while, ‘’

He watched you pretending to be very busy with your food and knew how you were feeling on the inside, you didn’t need to tell him.

‘’ We’re thinking of inviting you over again. ‘’

You raised your head to look at him and he looked pleased you were finally paying attention.

‘’ A…sleepover. I think it was Ni-ki’s idea. ‘’

You snorted, ‘’ Ni-ki’s idea? ‘’

He shrugged and smiled. You two almost looked like a normal couple until he had to ruin it, like always. ‘’ Well whatever you think about it, you still don’t have a say in whether to come or not.

You sounded tense, ‘’ Of course not. ‘’

‘’ Did you run into Jiyun yesterday? ‘’

‘’ No…who is that? ‘’

Liar

Heeseung would be sure to remember that for another time. He told you he doesn’t like liars.

*******

You were let go by Heeseung after the shift at your job, saying you were going home. You arrived at the café around the same time as Soobin and Yeonjun did, so you walked together, to a lone table in the farthest corner.

As soon as you sat down, Soobin started talking which immediately had Yeonjun rolling his eyes and pretending to cover his ears.

‘’ How did you run into them yesterday by the way? When you were running from them, ‘’ he asked.

‘’ I ran to the bathroom during lunchtime in case they would try to get to me. ‘’

‘’ And they were waiting outside? ‘’

You laughed humourlessly, ‘’ Yeah, but not for me. Remember that girl in the hospital? ‘’

‘’ With the burn wounds? ‘’

You hummed.

‘’ Her name’s Jiyun. We talked for a bit and that’s who they were waiting for. Seemed like they had her on a tight leash. ‘’

‘’ What did she say? ‘’

‘’ She said I should get closer to them, use them to my advantage. ‘’

‘’ Use them? Did she say how? ‘’ his eyes searched your face, but you were slightly caught off guard by his question and kept your own eyes trained in front of you.

‘’ Yeah, ‘’ you paused, chewing on your lip again, ‘’ Of course she did. To turn them against each other. ‘’

Soobin was quiet, making you feel a bit worried that he was going to press further. Just before you were about to say something again, he answered.

‘’ I guess that isn’t such a bad idea. But, it’s risky- very risky. ‘’

‘’ I’m not sure how to do it though. She didn’t tell me that part, just hope I figure it out quickly for my own sake. Oh, also she warned me about something! ‘’

‘’ A warning? ‘’

‘’ Yeah, she said she apologized for anything happening in the future because she didn’t have a choice. ‘’

Soobin frowned.

‘’ You always have a choice. ��’

‘’ Not with them, ‘’ you said softly.

As much as you dreaded what she warned you for, you also knew that having been told that beforehand meant you wouldn’t blame her. If put in the same position, with those types of people many wouldn’t feel like they had any other choice, no matter how much they try to insist otherwise from an outsider's point of view.

‘’ Let’s start setting things up. Have you texted Yena? ‘’ Yeonjun interrupted.

You nodded, ‘’ She should be there now. I told her to download that spyware app Soobin sent as well, so you can get to the Wi-Fi through her phone. ‘’

‘’ Good. Tell her to put headphones in, ones with a mic. Then when she has texted that she’s ready we’ll call her and tell her what to do. ‘’

The phone was brought out of your pocket and you sent her a quick text. When she responded you handed the phone to Yeonjun. Soobin put his textbooks on the table and pretended like he was a good student, practically putting his head inside the books.

‘’ That was quick, ‘’ he smirked, pressing the call button.

It was put on speaker so you and Soobin could hear as well. Yeonjun started tapping on his laptop, but you couldn’t see what it was from where you were sitting, just assuming he was preparing everything.

‘’ Hey Yena, ‘’ you said loudly when Yeonjun had been very impolite and not greeted her.

‘’ Hey. I’m outside the building now. I’m guessing I can’t talk much though. ‘’

‘’ Of course not, people would hear you. ‘’

‘’ Thanks, smartass, ‘’ Yena spat back.

You rolled your eyes and angled the phone towards you instead. ‘’ Tell me what to tell her. ‘’

‘’ First, she has to go in and sit in the café near the lobby, it’s open to the public. Eavesdrop employees' conversations. Then, when she sees a group going to the elevators, follow them and pretend you forgot your keycard- even better if they’re a group of men. Act dumb and aloof, but polite. ‘’

You said the same information to Yena who sighed so loudly you grimaced and held the phone away for a few seconds.

‘’ And then what, genius? ‘’

‘’ You go to the highest floor, the rooftop. Again, act the same way and try to find one or two guys, asking how to get the Wi-Fi because you’re a new employee. ‘’

‘’ Will that actually work? ‘’

‘’ I guess we’ll see. Either way, I might still be able to hack into the Wi-Fi as long as you’re there. ‘’

‘’ It will, ‘’ Soobin said, pursing his lips, ‘’ Pretty privilege, ‘’ he shrugged to you and Yeonjun who stared at him.

‘’ Okay, ‘’ Yena took a deep breath.

‘’ I’m going in. ‘’

No one said a word while the sounds of Yena’s heels clacking against the ground echoed on the phone. More and more voices started getting closer, but it was still hard to distinguish what was being said.

‘’ Hi, I’d like to order an iced coffee, ‘’ Yena said, making Soobin almost burst out laughing.

You patted his thigh to make him calm down and focus and it seemed to do the job, he stiffened and went quiet, joining the two of you with listening carefully.

‘’ Okay. That’ll be 7 dollars. ‘’

‘’ Thank you. ‘’

Footsteps could be heard again as she made her way to a table. You could hear from all the noise in the background that she had picked a busier spot to sit in. Your phone pinged with a new message from her, asking if you could hear them.

‘’ Yes, ‘’ you half-whispered, despite knowing she had headphones on.

You increased the volume on your phone and the three of you all leaned in to listen to the strangers’ conversation. It hadn’t been an important part of the plan but hearing a few keywords in the beginning, told you that you had lucked out on listening to the right people.

‘’ Did he say he was going to press charges? ‘’

‘’ Fuck no. You know what happened to the last guy that did. ‘’

‘’ Oh shit! The guy from marketing? ‘’

One of the guys in the group ticked his tongue. ‘’ Yeah, that guy. ‘’

‘’ He wasn’t here for very long. ‘’

‘’ Doesn’t matter. For some, they pick on them from their very first day on the job. It’s usually those that stick out, like speaking out against the CEO’s behavior or the work’s culture. ‘’

‘’ What about him? ‘’

‘’ I think he said something that pissed our boss off during the after-work thing. ‘’

‘’ Was he being weird towards the younger female employees again?‘’

A deep laugh slipped out of someone’s mouth. ‘’ What did you expect? That old man never stopped. ‘’

‘’ Not used to being told off, huh? ‘’

‘’ Yeah. So he bullies the ones who dare to relentlessly at the job. Usually, they quit quietly, but some…’’

‘’ Some…what? ‘’ a younger guy asked curiously.

‘’ Some commit suicide, or try to press charges and they end up dead like that poor guy. ‘’

‘’ And they’re never caught? ‘’

‘’ No. They’re way too good at what they do. There are some rumors that they have a whole team with just assassinators, you know? It always ends up being ruled a suicide and swept under the rug. ‘’

‘’ But if it doesn’t, because some rookie cop tries taking on the ‘ corrupted big CEOs ‘ on his own, then they’ll send some people to the police station, ‘’ a new voice chimed in.

‘’ They have people there too? ‘’

You already knew the answer, but it still felt like a knot in your stomach had formed.

‘’ Yeah. They take care of everything illegal they do and make sure the reports former employees make are never taken seriously. ‘’

‘’ I’ve heard they back up anyone who is connected to the top. ‘’

‘’ Their families and everything too. They might not have good relationships with their kids but at least they can pay their troubles away so they won’t bother them. ‘’

The group roared with laughter. You only scowled at their inappropriate reaction. It didn’t seem like they actually cared that much. They had just accepted it - that’s how it was and would always be.

‘’ Well guys, are we heading back now? ‘’

‘’ Into hell again, ‘’ one groaned.

The other side of the line crackled as Yena hurried to collect her things and get up in time. If she was too slow they would’ve already gone through the barriers.

‘’ Hey guys! Could you wait for me? I’m new here, I just forgot my keycard because I was in such a hurry this morning. ‘’

A few of the guys murmured or grunted in response which made Yena let out a gleeful sound, which was very much not like her.

‘’ Thank you, sweethearts. You are so kind! ‘’ she cooed with a faux, sickeningly sweet voice that made you cringe.

‘’ Of course. If there’s anything else we can help with, just let us know. We’ve all been new at one point, ‘’ one guy joked.

The three of you smiled as the perfect opportunity had just fallen into your lap. Yena didn’t have to go through the hassle of finding new strangers to ask for help from.

‘’ Oh, yes actually, ‘’ it seemed she realized the same thing. ‘’ I need some help with getting the Wi-Fi. They didn’t tell me anything about that. ‘’

It was quiet for some time before they agreed cheerfully.

‘’ Thank you so much! ‘’

‘’ No problem, always happy to help, ‘’ the guy said back, in a very flirtatious way which made Yeonjun gag and look visibly disturbed.

Next, you could hear that she rode the elevator. She got out after saying her polite goodbyes to the others getting off and then she could finally talk since no one was around.

‘’ Do I even need to go up anymore? ‘’

‘’ No, but it would’ve looked too suspicious if you just turned around there, ‘’ Yeonjun said.

‘’ Have you got what you need? ‘’

‘’ Yup. I can see some files on my laptop since you made me get a way into the Wi-Fi. ‘’

‘’ Thank you for doing this, Yena. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you, ‘’ you filled in.

A loud scoff came from the other side of the line.

‘’ You definitely wouldn’t, I’m too nice. ‘’

You and Soobin looked at each other, both grinning at the very false statement.

You hummed, ‘’ You should hurry home now so they don’t see us together. Make sure to take a route so that you’re not visible to us, because then you’re visible to them too. ‘’

‘’ Got it. I’ll send you more photos in a few days, bye. ‘’

You hung up and then started a timer for ten minutes. It was just to be sure there was no way you’d run into her, although if the worst case was to happen you could probably just pretend you didn’t know each other; mostly, you were worried about them seeing Yena near Jay’s dad’s building as it might make them think something was wrong.

While the three of you anxiously waited for the timer to ring, Soobin and you collected your things and Yeonjun tapped away on his laptop. After finishing with the last few things you leaned forward to try and look at what he was doing.

‘’ What are you doing? ‘’

Yeonjun raised his head, looking very unimpressed with getting disturbed.

‘’ Just organizing the files and sending them to you two. ‘’

You weren’t even sure what files he was talking about since he never told you, but you didn’t have time to ask. The café was getting a lot busier all of a sudden. Groups of students from the school a few blocks away started pouring in, filling the space up quickly.

‘’ Maybe we should go early, ‘’ you said, feeling a bit antsy.

There were so many people that it was hard to see everyone. Who knows if the one who followed Soobin today, and possibly you as well, decided to come inside the café?

‘’ Sure, ‘’ Yeonjun groaned.

You eventually made it out after having to push through a lot of people. While doing so, you tried to keep your head down and hoped that even if they were there they wouldn’t see you as the three of you exited.

‘’ Shit, ‘’ you burst out, ducking awkwardly inside an alley.

The others looked at you like you were crazy before Soobin’s eyes searched everywhere and when they finally landed in the same place, a low curse left his lips too. Only Yeonjun was left in the dark.

‘’ What the fuck are you guys doing? ‘’ he hissed, but crouched by your side anyway.

‘’ One of the guys is here. Outside the building to be exact. ‘’

‘’ Do you think he ran into Yena? ‘’ Soobin whispered.

‘’ I don’t know…maybe. ‘’

‘’ Who? ‘’

Yeonjun shuffled still while crouching to peek around the corner, he wasn’t really sure who to look for, however. Thankfully the café had just been on the other side of the street to where the building was, so you had a clear view of the stairs leading up to it from where you were now.

‘’ That guy, ‘’ you took Yeonjun’s hand into yours, making him stare wide-eyed at you.

Then you moved his pointer so it landed directly on the person you wanted him to see. It probably wouldn’t matter much anyway, but at least it confirmed you and Soobin weren’t crazy and paranoid. In the future, it could be helpful as well for him to recognize the guys in case he’d run into them.

Yeonjun’s eyebrows knit together, ‘’ That’s…him. ‘’

You and Soobin looked at him worriedly when he started shaking and his breaths grew more rapid.

‘’ Who? ‘’

‘’ The guy who killed my best friend. ‘’

Jungwon…

taglist; @peaceout97blog-blog, @ayadikreino, @beoms-sugar, @keikeu, @sunghoonnsupremacy, @lilyalone, @sweet-kisses-and-bloody-screams, @eunchaesmileyface, @nunugget, @seunns, @nshmrarki, @huening-ly, @espyluvsyou, @yncel, @loserwithnofriends, @enha-stan, @binchanluvrr, @ariek-divad, @obsessed1with1straykids, @yizhoutv, @taeyongzodiactwinkiri, @w3bqrl, @elleashn

#enha the glory #yandere kpop #kpop yandere

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leilani-lily · 2 months

Text

~Oh Deer~ (Chapter 5)

I'll admit, I had this finished a while ago, but couldn't post until now. I have a confession to make... my long term boyfriend of 6 years split with me a couple days ago. And it's been... hard, to say the least. I'm really hoping this wont deter me from continuing to write (especially since this story is kinda romantic, but also isn't? There's deep feelings involved xD) I hope maybe writing can maybe help me as it serves as a distraction? I honestly don't know... All I can ask for is patience as I deal with this. If I find I need a break I'll be sure to let you guys know. But I guess for now, please keep me in your thoughts if you can. Or if anyone wants to swap stories I'm more than happy to share. ꨄ But ok. Enough sadness. This chapter was a joy to write before all the bs happened. I hope it can make you smile! And as always, please feel free to comment your thoughts! SYNOPSIS: AroAce! Alastor x Chef!Singer! Reader. You settle into hotel life, and whip up Alastor's fave dish! But some drama ensues when you get a little too friendly with a certain Spider Demon~ Word Count: 4.4 K Chapter under the cut! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had developed quite a routine here during your time at the hotel, and you certainly found your days a lot busier than you had intended.

Your morning coffee with Alastor that usually blended into breakfast, then joining him in his tower for his broadcasts. He’d always pour two glasses of rye whisky and sit with you, asking for your thoughts afterwards. You’d discuss what you liked and didn’t like, and were surprised to learn he took criticism well (other than the occasional eye twitch). You’d bounce off new topics for future shows together before wrapping up and heading back down to the kitchen for the lunch rush.

After lunch was usually when Charlie would want to round everybody up. Either discussing how to make the hotel more liveable, how to recruit more sinners, or various exercises to improve everyone’s character. Sometimes these meetings were very boring and you’d have to pinch yourself constantly to stay awake. But for the most part they were fun, and you found yourself actually enjoying spending time with everyone. Especially goofing around with Angel and Husk, which usually resulted in Vaggie snapping at you all as you choke back laughter. Sometimes you would catch Alastor watching you with an unreadable expression, but you didn’t think anything of it.

When that would wrap up, it was time to whip up dinner. You managed to figure out everyone’s favourite foods, and every Friday you decided you’d rotate through and make someone’s special dish for them. Everyone enjoyed Friday dinners, always trying to guess what everyone liked, make bets on who was next, and were especially pleased if it was their night. It wasn’t much, but their praise always made you secretly feel warm and bubbly inside.

Finally, after cleaning everything up and ending your shift, you’d have some spare time. Depending on how the day went, you would either read and have a quiet night to yourself, or just completely pass out straight away.

Before you knew it, a month had flown before your eyes; bringing you into the present.

You knew you had no reason to be so nervous. Angel had loved his lasagna dish last week, and previously Charlie loved the pizza you had made (even if others had picked off the pineapple in disgust). You had proven you were a good chef since working here. But this Friday meal in particular… this one was different. It was Alastor’s. Your closest friend. And you knew just how important this particular meal was. It wasn’t just a dish, it was a memory. A way to remember his mother, and you had learned very quickly just how much she meant to him.

Your heart was fluttering nervously as you put the jambalaya out on the large dining table. No one was there yet, but you could hear the chitter of excited demons coming closer to you, so you knew they were on their way. You always tried to make Friday’s dinner special, it was the one meal where you all sat and ate together. Kind of like a little family. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, your heart fluttering warmly at the thought. You went back to the kitchen to grab the cheddar biscuits, your mind wandering back to Alastor. You shouldn't be overthinking this, it’s just a stupid dinner. Did his opinion really matter that much to you?

You re-enter the dining room, and your eyes immediately locked with the demon in question. Alastor’s smile seemed to brighten the moment he saw you, but his smile only made your hands sweaty.

…… Yes, yes his opinion really did matter that much. You really wanted to make a good impression.

“Ooooh and ya baked fresh biscuits??” Angel had zipped up beside you, eyeing the plate of goodies in your hands, “ya really know how ta spoil a demon Baby Cakes!” His fingers danced over a biscuit, causing you to snap out of your hold with Alastor and give Angel a quick slap on the wrist. He zipped his hand away in mock horror, making you snort a moment.

“You know the rules; no eating ‘till everyone’s here,” You scold him, but you can’t help but smile; you could never really be angry with him. Angel groaned dramatically, hugging himself with his four arms.

“You’re a cruel mistress y/n; makin’ a cutie like me practically starve to death! Jus’ look at me! I’m witherin’ away!” he leans up against you, arching his back as his full weight pressed on you. You let out a single laugh as you tried to maintain your hold on the plate and not fall over. He continued to groan weakly as his one arm grasped the air above him and another flopped over his eyes.

Wow. Someone give this guy an award. No wonder he was in show business.

You laugh again at the dramatics and roll your eyes. Finally, you sighed and grabbed a biscuit, offering it to the Spider Demon. Angel peeked over and immediately lit up, grabbed it eagerly before standing up straight, miraculously recovering from his ‘near death’. He took a deep whiff of the warm bread before smiling back at you.

“Yarra real doll toots~” he gives you a flirty wink to which you shake your head in amusement. Always the charmer this one.

“Yeah yeah, well, just don’t tell the others. Or else they might think you’re my favourite~!” You swing your hips to him and give him a playful hip bump, winking right back. He laughed as the nudge pushed him to the side, using the momentum to walk to his seat. But as he sauntered away, he looked back and grinned mischievously.

“Well maybe they should~!” he called back, doing a little suggestive shoulder shimmy and wiggling his eyebrows. You couldn’t help your snort. Cheeky thing.

You knew it was all in good fun; teasing and play-flirting had become your thing. He was like the gal-pal you had never had since coming to Hell, and you could tell he was happy to have a girlie here at the hotel. You knew his real bestie was some demon named Cherri (which he INSISTED you all had to go out one night), but having another chica just a couple rooms down from his own was fun and convenient. And you were happy to be that friend for him if it meant slumber parties and beauty routines.

You felt someone’s eyes on you, and you snapped out of your bubbly thoughts. Alastor was standing in the same spot he was before, not having moved an inch. He was still smiling, but this time it felt a little more strained. More forced. And his eye twitched ever so slightly. You also noticed his grip tight around his microphone. He caught you looking at him and immediately turned away, beginning to walk back to his seat with an unreadable expression.

… That was weird.

Before you could even begin to process, the rest of the gang entered the room. They all gave you a greeting in their own quirky ways as they arrived and made their way to their seats. Angel shoved the rest of the biscuit into his mouth to hide any evidence and happily trotted over to Husk. You smiled happily at the arrival of your comrades and set the tray of bread down on the table. Everyone looked at the spread before them and chittered excitedly, impressed with the effort you had put into tonight’s dinner.

As everyone sat down, you quickly made your way to your seat beside Angel. Before sitting down, you cleared your throat a moment to get everyone’s attention. As the happy chatter died down, you began to speak.

“First off, I’d like to thank everyone for joining in today’s special dinner. Today’s meal is inspired by our very own Facility Manager, Alastor.” Everyone clapped politely and Charlie even gave a small whoop of encouragement. Alastor sat up proudly from his seat at the head of the table, loving the attention he was getting.

“I’ll admit, I was a bit intimidated with tackling this particular dish, as we’ve all heard him boast about his mother’s recipe.” There were a couple chuckles scattered around the table, everyone very aware of how much he spoke of it. Husk in particular rolled his eyes and muttered quietly in disdain.

“I realize I’ll probably never meet up to her standards,” you look back at Alastor and give a sheepish smile, “but I sincerely hope it’s to your liking.” Alastors smile widened ever so slightly, his hooded gaze softening at your words.

“My dear,” he marveled, his eyes never leaving yours, “the fact that you were kind enough to take the time to prepare it with me in mind already makes it wonderful.” You felt your hand press up to your chest, your fist curling up tightly near your heart. Alastor always knew what to say to make you feel better. He could be really gentle when he wanted to be.

“Yea, and not only for ol’ Smiles ‘ere,” Angel spoke up, making you look down at him, “But you’ve made some bitchin’ good meals fer all of us.” he gestured to the crowd, gaining various murmurs of agreement and praise. You looked at everyone and their smiling faces and could feel your chest tightening.

“Seriously, Sugar, ya freakin’ amazing.” Angel continued, giving you a warm smile. He suddenly grabbed onto his glass and raised it high, giving everyone a cocky grin. “Let’s hear it for y/n ya filthy sinnars!”

Before you could comprehend, everyone had raised their glasses and gave a cheer of encouragement. You looked out to everyone and their genuine happiness and support, at a loss for words. You had organized all of this simply because you wanted to, but you had to admit, being recognised felt really good. A warmth began to spread into your chest, and a lump formed in your throat.

It… wow, it had been so long since you’ve had friends like this.

You did your best to blink back tears at the gesture, not expecting to get so emotional over all of this. As you took a moment to acknowledge everyone, your gaze finally turned to Alastor.

Oddly enough, he wasn’t looking at you, but he was looking at Angel. His eyebrows were tight as his grin stretched in an uncomfortable smile. You could tell he felt your gaze, cause soon his eyes flicked up to you, catching you watching him. In the blink of an eye, his expression softened as he grabbed his own glass, raising it high and giving you a heartening look. You shook the strange feeling from before and smiled back at him, grateful for his appreciation.

The excitement settled down as everyone started serving themselves, the smell of the cooking becoming too much for everyone to ignore. You finally sat in your chair and reached out for Angel’s hand. The Spider Demon looked to you in surprise for a moment, taking in your smiling face.

“That was really sweet of you to say Angel,” you whispered, your grip on him tightening for a moment. You could feel yourself choking up again. “Seriously… Thank you.” Angel's face softened as he twisted his hand so it could grip on to yours. He began to open his mouth to respond.

In a mere moment, you could feel your chair lurch backwards, a panicked yelp escaping your throat as your hand was ripped out of Angel’s. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, looking at you in surprise. Angel turned in his seat and looked at you stupidly.

“... What the fuc-?”

Angel didn’t even get a chance to finish his statement as suddenly everyone chairs in your row shifted to the right, causing everyone to cry out and grip onto their seats in fear. Everyone on the other side of the table looked on in disbelief as their friends were shuffled around.

To your surprise, while everyone shifted right, you slid to your left at lightning speed, the chair scraping loudly on the wooden floor. You suddenly jolted to a stop, and you held on for dear life at the force in which you were moving. Before you could recover, your chair lurched forward, propelling you back to the table and new place setting.

… Right next to Alastor.

You gasped in surprise, your heart racing in shock as you felt your knuckles turning white from gripping the seat so hard. You noticed something flicker beneath you, and your eyes managed to catch something. A shadow with a familiar Cheshire grin shimmied away from the feet of your chair before melting into the shade of the table.

Your head whipped up to Alastor in disbelief. The Radio Demon had just finished serving himself jambalaya, not even looking in your direction as he tapped the serving spoon against his plate. With a cool expression, he turned his head to you and tilted his head to the side, as if nothing had happened.

“... Jambalaya~?” He pointed the spoon to the pot and looked at you expectantly.

Everyone stared for a moment, the room eerily quiet.

“.......... Alastor what the actual FUCK was that?!” Angel suddenly exploded, clearly very upset that his bestie was now 2 chairs away from him. Everyone else in your row nodded in agreement, perplexed at the sudden change in seating. Alastor didn't turn his head, nor look at Angel. The Radio Demon simply took your plate and began serving you the ride dish, his expression surprisingly calm and attention only on you.

“Just say when dear~”

Your eyes darted from Alastor to Angel, unsure of what to even do or say. Angel’s face scrunched up into a scowl, clearly displeased with being ignored.

“Hey! Freaky Face! I’m talkin’ to ya!” he growled, his hands tightening into fists. Alastor continued to ignore the spider, continuing to serve you as if it was just the two of you in the room.

“My my, hungry now are we y/n dearest~?” Alastor grinned cheekily. You were still so dumbstruck, your gaze finally fell to your plate and you quickly realized just how full it was getting. Awkwardly looking between Angel and Alastor, you softly murmured a 'w-when'. Alastor gave a hum of approval and tapped the spoon on your plate before setting it back down in front of you.

“Hah, ok Asshole. I see how it is.” Angel chuckled darkly to himself, “I get it. Ya just hate ta see anyone else gettin’ cozy with our little chef. I’ll admit, I didn’t take ya for the jealous type.”

That seemed to catch Alastors attention.

It was only for a moment, and only you were able to catch it sitting so close to him. But you noticed the Radio Demon’s pupils flash, and his one eyelid twitch as his smile grew dangerously wide. But in an instant, Alastor calmed his expression and was back to his suave self. Taking a breath, he finally turned his head to Angel.

“Oh please.” He drawled, his eyes looking at him with boredom, “I simply figured it only made sense for our wonderful chef to sit next to the demon who inspired tonight’s dish. Wouldn’t you agree y/n~?” He turned his head to you and slowly leaned in, giving you a pleasant smile. You felt your heart leap at suddenly being caught off guard, unsure of what to say.

“I, ah, well-!”

Everyone's eyes were on you, and you suddenly felt very self conscious. Being put on the spot like this, and feeling as if you had to choose between your two friends, it was becoming very overwhelming. Unbeknownst to you, Charlie looked at you with such pity, and felt her own blood begin to boil at the situation these men put you in. Placing her hands on the table, the Princess of Hell rose from her chair, her face suddenly very authoritative.

“Both of you need to stop this nonsense.” She stated, looking down at both Angel and Alastor disapprovingly. “Y/n put a lot of effort into making this dinner special; and I won't allow you to ruin it over something so petty!” She continued to glare at them judgingly before turning her attention to you, giving you a quick comforting smile and nod. You felt your shoulders relax and smile back at her, feeling grateful for her support. She really was growing into her royal title.

Angel had his arms crossed and was clearly still pissed, but there was a mix of shame in his eyes after being called out. Alastor’s face remained surprisingly calm, turning to look over at you. He noticed your posture and expression, his eyes calculating as he assessed the situation. Finally he turned back to the table.

“Our Princess is right of course~!” He smiled, lifting a hand and placing it on your shoulder, “I would hate for all of dear y/n’s efforts to be neglected. She has worked so hard; let us forget about all this nonsense and enjoy this wonderful meal~!” His eyes slid to Angels and gave him a hard stare. The Spider demon glared right back, his jaw tight and eyes furrowed with hatred. But after glancing at both you and Charlie, and seeing your faces, he finally grumbled in defeat. With a huff, Angel reached for another cheddar biscuit and slouched in his seat, ending the feud.

You finally released the breath you were holding as everyone shrugged their shoulders and returned their focus to their plates. You felt Alastors grip on your shoulder tighten for a moment, making you turn to him.

“Are you quite alright my dear?” He asked, an eyebrow raised in question. Despite the calm look on his face, you knew he wouldn't be asking if he wasn't genuinely concerned. You sighed and felt a smile spread across your face, giving his hand a pat in reassurance.

“Yeah, I’m ok Al,” you started, beginning to shake your head and grin as you thought about the shenanigans he pulled earlier. “But seriously, there’s no need to be so jealous. If you want to sit beside me, just say so.” You looked up to him playfully, your previously conflicted emotions melting away. Alastor stared at you for a moment, his eye’s lidded and giving you a blank stare before turning to his plate. Removing his hand from your shoulder, he picked up his utensils and was suddenly very focused on his meal.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about y/n~” he replied. He scooped up a spoonful of rice and shrimp. You could feel your eyes crinkling as you watched him knowingly.

“Uh huh~” you smirk.

The Radio Demon ignored you and took his first bit of jambalaya. Your grin slowly began to fall as you watched him pull the spoon out from his lips, your previous nerves from earlier settling in again. You watched his expression with baited breath as he tasted your cooking.

His appearance didn’t change much; his eyes looking down at the food beneath him, eyes flickering over the plate. After a moment, his eyelids sank down closed as he continued to chew, allowing all of his senses to focus on the flavor. You could feel your leg begin to jiggle anxiously; seriously it was sad how badly you wanted this man’s approval.

The demon lifted his head and gulped his mouthful down, eyes still closed and lips in a small pressed smile. You held your breath as you waited for his verdict. Alastor’s smile grew wider as he lowered his head back to the plate, opening his eyes and looking fondly at the dish below him.

“Well well~” he chuckled, finally turning his head to you and giving you an impressed look, “I have to admit, this is as close as anyone has ever gotten.”

You felt your heart stop.

Is he shitting you right now?

“Of course,” he continued, scooping another spoonful and inspecting it, “it is missing a few things; she’d usually add sausage as well, and probably a bit more spice to it.” he looked fond for a moment, seeming to reminisce to days gone by.

“Nevertheless, it does still taste like home~” He took another bite and once again closed his eyes, savoring the flavors.

You felt lighter than a feather.

Of course you knew you’d never get it exactly right. But holy crap you were so relieved that it met his expectations. You were so giddy you had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from squealing, practically doing a little happy dance in your chair. Satisfied with Alastors response, you grabbed onto your own spoon and began to happily dig in.

You were so carefree in your own little world, you didn’t even notice Alastor sneaking a glance at you. Or how his lips curled up ever so slightly at your antics before turning back to his plate.

The rest of the evening went on without a hitch. Everyone gorged themselves until they were ready to burst, and complimented you on such a flavorful meal. You were so flustered with all the praise; despite the little quarrel that had happened earlier, you couldn’t have been more pleased with how the night went. And you felt more confident with your cooking now that you had Alastor’s official stamp of approval.

The group of demons eventually began to trickle out of the room, ready to immediately flop onto the closest comfortable furniture they could find. You giggled at their behavior and wished you could do the same, but you still had to clean up before you could clock off work. With a final stretch, you turn back to the table and are surprised to see Alastor still in his chair, leaning back comfortably and eyes closed.

“Truly a wonderful evening y/n dearest,” he sighed, opening a single eye to look at you, “There’s something about dining with a group of folks that brings out a certain camaraderie, don’t you think~?” You sighed happily as you approached the table.

“Honestly, it was something I had forgotten I had missed since coming to Hell,” you smiled, beginning to stack the plates and collecting utensils. “I’m just happy to do my part in getting demons to open up more and earn everyone’s trust.”

Alastor said nothing in return, simply watching you as you accumulated the dirty dishes. His eyebrow quirked up before he finally raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Shadows emerged from under the table, making you gasp and almost drop your stack of plates. The same shaded goons from your first week at the hotel appeared beside you and began collecting all the dishes. You begin to tumble over words of protests, but they didn’t pay attention to you as they continued to clean, one even grabbing the stack in your hands and waddling to the kitchen.

“Alastor!” you laugh, turning to him in bewilderment, “Call your minions off; seriously I can clean all of this up myself.” But the Radio Demon merely waved a hand to you as he rose from his seat.

“Don’t bother arguing with me my dear,” he sassed, “You’ve done more than enough tonight; consider this my way of thanking you for a marvelous feast.”

You sighed at him, slightly annoyed. But you had to admit, you were grateful for his help. Today had surprisingly taken its toll on you, physically and emotionally, and you were so tired from it all. You smiled up at him, rocking back and forth on your feet sheepishly.

“... Thank you Al. Honestly.” you paused for a moment, thinking about everything he had done for you in the month you’d been here. And asking for nothing in return. It was out of character for him.

“I just…” you sighed, making Alastor tilt his head quizzically to you. “I just want to say I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me. You gave me this job, helped me settle in and feel comfortable, and because of it all I even got to make new friends…” You saw Alastors eyes narrow for a moment and you had to bite back the knowing grin. You cleared your throat and continued.

“But I hope you know,” you hummed, “that I’ll always consider you my first real friend down here. And that I’m really grateful to have been given this chance to get close to you.”

Alastor looked at you long and hard for a moment, the air between you calm and quiet. His static sound shuffled for a second before he finally straightened his back and stood taller, his lips pressed together into a large smile. The red demon glided over to you, and softly patted your head, shaking his head in amusement.

“Ohhh y/n, y/n, y/n,” he sighed, opening his eyes and quirking an eyebrow, “I do often wonder how someone like yourself ended up down here.” Now it was your turn to cock an eyebrow as you gave him a cheeky smile.

“Al, you know exactly how I got down here.”

“Ah, that’s right.” A chuckle escaped his lips, and you knew for a fact he still found your death thoroughly entertaining. “By the way, you didn’t happen to sneak anything into our meal today, now did you~?” He gave you an impish grin. You burst out laughing.

“You asshole!” you guffawed, shoving his hand on your head away playfully, to which the demon snickered evilly. As your laughter simmered down, looked at you a moment before tilting his head up, eyes closed.

“I still stand by my previous statement,” he mused. “The type of folks in this realm are not worthy of such kindness. You should be careful as to whom you trust around here.” He opened his eyes, and his crimson gaze fell to yours. His expression shifted into a serious one at his last statement, making your grin falter for a moment. But only for a moment.

“Well, it’s a good thing I have you around then, isn’t it?” You smiled, taking a step towards him.

Alastors gaze widened a moment, his eyes flickering over your face. It wasn’t often that you caught the Radio Demon off guard, but the rare moments when you did, you couldn’t help but feel a little pride. Finally, Alastor began to chuckle, shaking his head at you again. After taking a breath, he looked back down at you, a surprising fondness donning his face.

“Hmmm, I suppose it is~”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

..... Alastor doesn't like to share ¬‿¬ Fun fact: Angel like's to give you food-related nicknames. Baby Cakes, Sugar, Puddin', Honey Bunz, ect.

FIRST PREVIOUS NEXT

#hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel #alastor x reader #alastor #oh deer #leilani lily

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vivwritesfics · 2 months

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This'll Be The Day That I Die

Chapter One - John B's Cousin

JJ didn't think he'd ever see her again. It had been ten years since she left and he'd never stopped hating her for leaving. When she returns he wants nothing to do with her, not until somebody else wants her. That somebody else just so happens to be Rafe Cameron

JJ Maybank X Reader, somewhat Rafe Cameron X Reader

1.7K

Okay so i watched season one when it first came out, never finished season two, but I'm back on my JJ shit with a... series (fuck i can't stop myself from starting series shit)

Chapter Two

When the twinkie pulled up to the Château, something wasn't right. The door was open and laundry was hanging outside to dry. It certainly wasn't the way the Pogues left it.

Pressing his finger to his lips, John B. climbed out of the van. He helped Sarah out and quietly pushed the door shut, while JJ, Kiara and Pope did the same in the back.

They had no kind of weapon, nothing to defend themselves if there really was an attacker. So, John B. did the one thing he could think of and grabbed a rather large stick.

He walked into his own house, defensively standing in front of his friends. He held his finger to his lips once again as they all walked forward.

There were footsteps. John B. raised the stick, ready to swing.

But, he didn't need to swing it. Not when he saw the person who had broken into his house. Well, did it count as breaking in if they had a key of their own? "Y/N?" He called, dropping the stick.

His cousin stood in the kitchen, looking through the cupboards and taken a note of everything they had. Or, rather, everything they needed. She whipped herself around and placed her notebook on the kitchen counter. "John!" She called and walked towards him. "Where the hell is my dad?" She asked and opened her arms.

But John B. was still in some amount of shock. He hadn't seen his cousin in, well, years. Just seven years ago she'd left the Outer Banks to live with her mother after her parents had split up. "What're you doing here?" He asked, still unable to process it.

She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. But her smile wasn't all there, wasn't quite as wide as John B. expected to see. "Doesn't matter," she mumbled. "Have you seen my dad anywhere?" She asked.

"He, uh, left," John B. answered honestly.

For a second, she was still. The chateau was where she'd been living before she left with her mother, with John B. and his father. They'd been a little family unit back then. She must've known about John B's fathers disappearance, which is why she wasn't asking.

The chateau wasn't the best place for four people to live. That was why she had left in the first place, because there just wasn't enough space for her. "I'm gonna set myself up in my dad's old room," she said and picked her bags up from the floor. "Maybe after you can introduce me to your friends?" She asked, mainly focusing on Sarah.

The other three behind him she recognised. Pope and JJ. Pope who was always one of the smartest people they knew, and JJ. It was hard to forget someone like JJ. He was the epitome of chaos, even when they were ten.

John B. nodded his head. That was usually JJ's room, but it was her home as much as John B's. So what was his was hers.

The room was a state. She didn't know when her father had left, or when big John had disappeared, but the room had definitely been lived in, and recently. She pulled the comforter back from the bed and let out something of a gasp.

"Why the fuck is there a cum stain on the bed?" She cried as she left the room, looking towards John B. and his friends.

JJ Maybank couldn't hide his smirk as he adjusted his hat on his head.

She made quick work of changing the bed, placing the dirtied sheets in the the hamper. When she went to unpack her things, there were already clothes in the drawers. They weren't her fathers, and they weren't big John's. A bunch of shirts with no sleeves.

She placed the unfamiliar clothes into a pile and unpacked her own things. It was easy work, there wasn't a lot that she had. But what she had have was nice, she wasn't exactly going to look like a Pogue.

When she left her room, it was like all of the Pogues were waiting around for her. They sat on the pull out sofa, some of them drinking, some of them sat waiting for her. Actually, JJ was drinking, the rest of them were waiting for her.

As uncomfortable was it was, she walked through to the kitchen and picked up her notebook once again. "I, uh, looked through the cupboards," she said to her cousin, but by the way all of the Pogues were looking at her, she definitely wasn't just speaking to him. "We need a fuckload of groceries. Do you think you can take me in the twinkie?"

"Can't you drive?" JJ piped up for the first time as he lifted his blunt to his lips.

Her eyes locked onto him, levelling him with a glare. "No, JJ. I can't drive," she spat back. "Besides, it's not my van."

"I can take you," Pope said suddenly. "It's no big deal."

She gave Pope a smile and shoved her notebook into the back pocket of her shirts. "Perfect," she said as JJ tossed Pope the keys.

They set out of the chateau, but she could still feel eyes on her. The place she had once known to be her home didn't feel very much like her home anymore.

"I'm surprised you remember us," said Pope as they pulled away from the chateau. "It's been, what, ten years?"

"Almost," she answered, leaning against the window. "I don't think I could properly remember living here without remembering you guys." She let out a breath, watching her old neighbourhood go past. "I don't know who the girl is, though."

Pope gave her a quick glance. "You don't remember Kie?"

She snorted and shook her head. "Not Kie," she mumbled, pulling her notebook from the back pocket of her shorts. "The other girl, who is she?"

"Oh, her. That's Sarah, Sarah Cameron," he answered.

But still, she frowned. "Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?"

Pope let out a laugh. "You don't remember the Cameron's? The richest people on the Island?" He asked and she shook her head. "How about her brother, Rafe?"

"The name rings a bell," she confessed. But still, she couldn't put a face to the name.

They pulled up to the store and she climbed out of the van. "Thanks," she said. "You don't have to come with me."

"I'll wait here," he said and pulled out his phone. But, as she walked away, Pope pushed open the door to the twinkie once more. "I feel so bad for saying this," he called. "But you might wanna get enough food for all of us. Or, at least you, John B. and JJ, since he practically lives there," he said.

She looked back down at her list and nodded her head. As she walked towards the store, she realised something. If JJ had been living in her room, then... that was his cum stain on the bed. A shiver ran down her spine.

***

"Yeah, I remember her," JJ answered as he made himself a sandwich. The bread was mouldy, but he didn't much care. What JJ remembered most was the day that she left, when she disappeared. But that wasn't what John B. had asked, so he kept it short.

She had been a Pogue through and through back then, but she'd changed. JJ hadn't recognised her, not until John B. had said her name. She wouldn't fit in with them, not now.

"She got out," John B. muttered as he stood beside him. "She left the island. Why did she come back?"

JJ shrugged his shoulders. He grabbed his mouldy sandwich, shoved it into his mouth and walked out to the porch. "Just ask her, man," he said and sat down, playing with the lighter he kept in his pockets.

JJ didn't about her. He didn't care about why she had left, didn't care why she was back. Why should be care about her when she was the one that had left?

He watched as the twinkie pulled up in front of the chateau. Pope parked up and she climbed out, sliding open the door to grab the brown paper bags from the back. Pope did the same, carrying the bags she couldn't carry.

"Groceries," she mumbled as she walked past JJ, into the house.

He didn't say anything. Did she really not remember what things were like before she left? Did she really not realise that he wasn't going to speak to her?

She walked past him and dumped her things on the kitchen counter. As soon as she did, John B. helped her to unpack everything, placing it into the cupboards.

As soon as they were done, John B. gave an awkward smile and patted his pockets. He looked around the chateau as she made herself something to eat. "Oh!" He said and strode across the chateau, to where Sarah was sitting. He grabbed a hold of his girlfriend and pulled her to her feet. "This is Sarah, my girlfriend," he said and Sarah sent her a polite wave.

She waved back as she made herself a not mouldy sandwich. The mouldy bread had been tossed in the bin (something that JJ would later protest, even though he really had no reason to).

"I think I'll turn in," she said awkwardly as she took her plate to her room. Kie and Sarah watched her. They tried not to wear the same judgemental expression, but it was the middle of the afternoon, far too early for her to be sleeping

But, as she walked past him, John B grabbed her arm. "Hey, you only just got here," he said and she desperately looked towards her bedroom. "Let us properly welcome you back to the Outer Banks," he said.

"What're you thinking?" She asked, somewhat exasperatedly.

That was where John B. smirked. "Kegger."

"Kegger?" She asked, with a frown.

He nodded. "Kegger."

Permanent Taglist: @urfavnoirette

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ghostofwriting · 22 days

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Kildare Split Part Two: Place In Me

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Chapter 2: Place In Me

Note: Me: I don't know when I'll post chapter 2 maybe on the weekend but who knows. Also me: posts 3 hours after saying that. Once again I wanted to thank everyone for reading and interacting! I appreciate all of you so much. Not edited so be warned. I confused everyone with part 21 and this doesn't provide any answers! Just more context for other parts of the smau. Enjoy!

Warnings: none, bad writing, Rafe being mean, y/n being mean

Word Count: 3,371

She thought that she made herself clear and that they understood where she was coming from after her speech in the green room.

She’s not expecting Barry to be sitting on the couch of the tour bus she had chosen to sleep in, her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead from her run, slightly out of breath.

When she opens the door and sees him sitting there, she jumps.

“Fuck, Barry what the hell?” Barry had a very specific regime for show days. He should’ve been napping on the other bus.

“We can’t go on hiatus. You’re being selfish.” She feels her ears start burning, she scoffs at him.

“Selfish? You better be kidding me. The audacity of you to come in here and accuse me of being selfish?”

“Y-” She doesn’t let him continue.

“I have put up with this bullshit for two years, Barry! Just because I’m tired and need a break doesn’t make me selfish.”

“If you would just talk to him.”

“No. Fuck you. No.”

“If you talk to him, and he explains himself, you’ll understand and this can all go back to normal.”

“No. I will not fix this. I don’t need to fix this.”

“What happened to be there for each other?”

“Barry. You and Topper were supposed to be there for me!” She snaps, her voice rising.

“You were the only people who knew exactly what I was going through not only with Rafe but with the fame and the drugs and the people wanting things from me. You were going through it too, I know you were. But you abandoned me the second Rafe decided to what? Get in a relationship? You threw me away, I was so alone!”

Tears are threatening to spill over now. She hates how she can’t get angry without crying.

“I went through everything by myself and the people I thought were my best friends abandoned me. I get it okay. You chose your boy. But I thought I meant something to you. I thought I was your friend. He broke my heart and my spirit.” She stops to catch her breath, “I was a shell of a person and you still didn’t even ask me if I was okay. In two years you haven't checked in.”

“y/n..”

“He told me he didn’t want to live without me and the next day I found out he was seeing Sofia. And suddenly I wasn’t his friend or his bandmate or even a person. I was just someone he fucked. And I don’t care why he said that. I don’t care if he meant it or not or if he was lost and scared. He still said it. I’m done. I’m done with him, I’m done with this Los Angeles, I’m done. I don’t owe him anything. I don’t need to talk to him.” She finishes her chest heaving. Barry is staring at her, eyes wide.

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay in the band. But it’s work. That’s all. We aren’t friends.”

Barry’s silent. Still sitting on the bus couch.

“Get out. Please.”

+++

The early days of getting over Rafe were hard. She wanted to go back to who she was before him. The version of herself before she got involved with him. Journaling and writing song lyrics and poems could only do so much. Everyone told her that she needed someone else. She understood that but she didn’t feel like it. She wasn’t ready to get her heartbroken all over again.

Not when she constantly got her heart broken on tour, not only when she saw Rafe making out with Sofia backstage but when Barry walked right by her without acknowledging her existence, or when Topper pretended not to hear her. Her heart cracked every time for the little girl who trusted these boys with her entire being and let them in only for them to stomp all over her.

She spent endless nights on tour, alone in her hotel room crying at the top of her lungs and on the tour bus muffling the sound of her sobs with her pillow. So when people suggested she needed to meet someone to get over him, well, it didn’t sound like a good idea to just let someone else in to break her even more when they eventually left.

It got better little by little, the heartache over her friends hating her. The heartbreak over Rafe choosing someone who wasn’t her, someone who was worth it. The loneliness never did. It was crippling how alone she felt. There were times when she wanted to go back to the drugs, drinking, and partying. She would feel so much better if she just couldn’t feel anymore. She didn’t go back on the promise that she made to herself. She would never be that afraid high out of her mind 17-year-old girl again.

She isn’t sure if she gets over Rafe or if she learned to live with the pain. Sometimes she thinks she’s so angry at him and that’s the reason she doesn’t want him. She misses him all the time, she thinks she’ll miss him forever. At least who they were before they had sex and fucked it all up.

She lets everyone know that when the time comes she’ll make them all aware. Cleo tells her that she better be the first one who finds out she’s seeing someone. She tells her that she wouldn’t have it any other way.

The day she met him was one of the most ordinary days she had lived in her entire life. She had woken up in her Los Angeles apartment, made herself breakfast, gone for a swim and gotten ready for the day. She didn’t have anything planned for the day, maybe tidy up a little, call Sarah, and run some errands. The craving to make brownies hits her out of nowhere, she doesn’t have any of the ingredients at her house though, the life of a touring artist.

She’s leaving the grocery store with her reusable bags filled to the brim with all her cravings. She’s digging in her tiny pink purse that can’t hold anything for her keys when she drops two of her bags.

She doesn’t want to get angry when she sees everything fall, she stares at it for a second, takes a deep breath and moves to pick it up. Once she gets everything together and packed up in her car, she decides that she needs a little treat for putting up with her groceries falling.

Her favorite pastry spot in LA is right by a hotel where all the celebrities who don’t live in the city full time. It’s usually a curse because everyone is hanging out or camping outside the hotel for a small glimpse of someone famous.

She thanks Caroline, the bakery owner and steps out of the store without looking at where she’s going. She feels herself collide into something strong and hard. Someone. Her pastries shake in the box. Of course, this would happen too. Why can’t she just keep herself from dropping her food today?

“I am so sorry.” She says to the man standing in front of her. He’s pretty, she thinks. Dark brown hair, almost black, brown eyes that look very familiar, and strong, and his arms are bulging where his black shirt sleeve ends. He’s hot.

“Don’t worry, you’re fine.” She hears his friend behind say something in a different language and the man in front of her shakes his head and smiles at her.

“Are they making fun of me for being a klutz?” He laughs.

“No, they think it’s funny that I would run into my celebrity crush. Literally.” Any other time, if someone confessed that she was their celebrity crush, she would run so far so fast. Something keeps her there, smiling like an idiot, at a loss for words. She says the first thing that pops into her head.

“Have we met? You look familiar.” She feels like she’s seen him somewhere but she can’t place him.

“Mira que te ha visto a través de la ventana.” one of his friends says, he shushes him not even turning to look.

“I’m an actor?” He says it like a question, his cheeks flush, and he’s embarrassed. It’s endearing.

“Yeah? Have I seen anything you’ve been in?”

“I doubt it.”

“So as your celebrity crush, it seems that I have a responsibility to watch whatever you’ve been in, don't you think?”

“No way.” He smiles at his friends doing a quiet chant of something behind him.

“No? Not even if you join me and walk me through it?” She knows she’s giving him eyes now, looking at him through her eyelashes, fluttering her eyelids a little too much. Her resolve is gone, she doesn’t know where her confidence is coming from and she’s going to use it until it’s gone.

“We could arrange that,” he pauses, “Julio.” He extends his hand out for her to shake.

“Y/N.” and maybe when she takes his hand she feels a shock run up her arm.

Maybe she’s being dramatic and jumping the gun but what if everything she’s been through led her to this moment? Right here with him.

+++

When Rafe finds out Y/N is seeing someone he tries not to lose it. He knows he has no right. His palms start sweating. He feels his breath shorten, he’s honestly a mess though he doesn’t show it.

At least not until Topper pushes him on the subject when they’re left alone.

“She’s seeing someone.” The room is eerily quiet, they’re in the studio recording their second album. Y/N had gone off to probably call her boyfriend and Barry was off doing who knows who.

“Yeah.” He’s short with his answer, scrolling on his phone to distract himself from the ever-intrusive thoughts of her her her.

“You good?” No. No, of course he’s not good.

“I have Sofia.” Topper clears his throat and continues his torture on him.

“Doesn’t answer my question.”

“Yeah.” He looks over at Topper, his eyebrows lifting in acknowledgement.

They stay quiet for a few more minutes, the questions and thoughts and everything eating at him.

“Who’s the guy?” The question forces its way out of his mouth. He doesn’t want to know anything about the man that holds her heart.

“Some actor,” Topper responds nonchalantly, looking at him like he’s going to blow up if he moves anymore.

“Cool.” He wants to claw his heart out. What the fuck is happening to him right now.

“Rafe.” Topper isn’t convinced that it’s cool at all. Because Rafe can lie to everyone in his life but not Topper.

“No yeah, that’s cool. It’s great, yeah, good for her.” He knows he still doesn’t sound convincing.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Let her be happy.” He’s going to be mature about this. He asked Sofia to marry him last year for god sake. If he gets to be happy, she does too. Is he happy?

“Rafe.” Fucking Topper and his questions.

“I’ve fucked her life up enough. She deserves this. Deserves someone.” It spills out of him again, his eyes meeting with Topper’s, begging him to stop.

“Do you ever miss her?” Topper’s not showing him any mercy today, wanting to know everything he’s kept inside for the past two years.

“More than anything.”

“You fucked up” understatement of his life. He ruined her and in turn, ruined himself. He was stupid and selfish and he deserved the worst.

“Yeah.”

+++

“You have to apologize to her.” Rafe’s once again fiddling with his guitar. The arena is empty except for the techs playing with lightingThe stage had been set up the night before. Y/N was with Sarah exploring the city before she had to be back for soundcheck. Barry was taking a nap and Topper was being a pain in his ass. He tweeted some bullshit at him and Rafe had called him back to talk.

“I don’t have to do anything, she’s leaving.”

“Yeah because of you. Because of what you did to her.”

“I seem to remember that you were included in isolating her.”

“That only happened because she was so hurt she pushed everyone away and I thought I would make it worse by forcing her to talk. Anyway, that’s between y/n and I. You need to take responsibility, Rafe.��

“For what? It wasn’t my fault I didn’t love her.”

“Oh fuck off Rafe. You loved her. You were just scared.”

“Of course I was scared! It could’ve ruined everything. The band, our careers.”

“You shouldn’t have ever gotten involved.”

“I couldn’t help it!” He closes his eyes, doing the breathing exercises they taught him in rehab, in therapy.

“Please, just talk to her.”

“She doesn’t want to hear it.”

“You have to try!’

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You won’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Because I’m engaged. I’m with Sofia and I’m happy and if,” he breathes “if y/n were to even give me the slightest greenlight I would burn my whole relationship to the ground. Her whole relationship.” He says the last part under his breath, hoping Topper doesn’t hear it.

“What the fuck, Rafe?”

“I know.”

“Why now?”

“I did and said some shit back then to not fuck up the band. It was wrong, stupid and childish. It’s not a question of ‘why now,’ I never stopped.”

“You still love her.” Rafe doesn’t confirm or deny it. Topper shakes his head.

“You need to apologize.” Topper leaves Rafe to strum his guitar in thought.

+++

Everything changes when he comes into her life. It’s like she was living in this deep black hole of anger, sadness, and endless turmoil. He’s her calm. He grounds her and she feels like she can finally breathe. She hasn’t felt wanted in such a long time and even though they are long distance most of the time between his film schedule and her tours, she has never felt alone since meeting him.

She has a video from him every time she wakes up in the morning. Sometimes it’s just him telling her something that happened to him during the day, or a funny story, and sometimes he sings. She wishes she could drop an album just to feature him on it. She wants the entire world to know that he’s hers and she’s his and she is so incredibly in love.

It’s scary going from such a low to such a high. The extreme contrast is intimidating at times but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She learned what she wanted in a relationship from an extremely difficult situation and somehow it was all worth it as long as she got to have him in her life.

They’re together for a year before it gets out. They chose to be private about their relationship, it’s easy when he’s halfway across the world most of the time. That doesn’t stop her from spending every single moment that she isn’t on tour or in the studio next to him in Spain, Italy, France. She loves him. She would do anything for him. She knew that he was the one three weeks into their relationship and when she told him and he told her he felt the same, it confirmed it.

It’s her fault it gets out, he said it was about time and he wasn’t mad about it at all.

Sometimes she still finds that deep-seated anger she holds for Rafe bubbling over. It’s all-consuming and she can’t stop the venom that leaves her body.

When Rafe’s engagement gets out, she and Julio step out on a date night. Cleo calls the paparazzi for her. It’s a great plan until everyone is freaking out because they’re convinced she and Rafe were dating this entire time.

She loves her fans but sometimes the theories and threads get a little too much. Mostly because they’re correct most of the time.

At first, she was scared of Julio seeing all those things and seeing how everyone wanted her and Rafe to get married. She was scared he was going to run away. It never seemed to faze him. He never not once doubted her. He understands how people get and believes her when she tells him she chooses him for the rest of forever.

+++

Topper’s words haunt him. He wants to apologize to her and give her and himself some form of closure. He doesn’t know how to approach it. They haven’t talked in years, not really. How does he talk to the person that he hurt so much?

He catches her after soundcheck one day, his wringing his hands together, riddled with anxiety.

“Hey, Y/N?” He calls out after her as she passes him.

She slowly turns around and crosses her arms, raising her eyebrows at him in surprise.

“What can I do for you?”

He gulps as she looks at him expectantly.

“I was wondering if you had listened to the album?” What? Why the hell did he open with that?

“Why would I listen to the album?” She asks incredulously

“Well, because I mean it’s about,” he stumbles over his words, “I just wish you would listen to it and maybe hear me out.”

“You want me to listen to your album so that I can hear you?” She nods her head and puckers her lips.

“It’s so stupid that after all these years you can’t apologize to my face so you what? Make an album? Is your apology hidden in there somewhere?”

“Yes-No, I just think that if you gave it a chance, we could talk about it.”

“You want me to pretend to give a shit about your album when you can’t tell me how you feel right now in person?” She’s laughing a little now. Shocked at his suggestion. He wants the ground to swallow him whole.

“Please, can you just listen?”

“No Rafe. I am so done with this. I have been done with this. I don’t care about your album, I don't care about you.” Her words hit him like knives in his heart.

“Why do you care about my opinion about your album? Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I don’t know that your album is about me? You called it Angel, Rafe! The fucking nickname that you gave me when we were 12 years old! I’m not some dumb girl who you can just manipulate and get whatever you want out of her. Not anymore. I am not that person for you.” She stops, her hands coming down from where she was waving them. He wants to say something but his mouth is dry and he has a ball the size of a grapefruit stuck in his throat.

“You made it incredibly clear to me that you don’t think of me as a person. Like- what did you say to me? That I’m just a fuck?” He grimaces when she throws his words from three years ago back at him.

“Yeah, you said I’m just some girl you fuck, ‘you’re just some girl I fuck I don’t care about you.’ Sound about right?” He can’t move. He’s frozen.

“You could have worded it a million different ways and still gotten your message across. You could have been so much nicer. Let me down easy. Let me know in a better way that you found someone that you wanted to get to know. I would’ve put everything aside and just been your friend but no, you decided that I meant nothing to you, that everything we had been through, everything we had built, Our friendship was not important to you.”

“Because I’m just someone you fucked. So, Don’t worry about me, don’t worry about my opinion because you’re just someone I fucked too and someone that I no longer care about. You are just my bandmate. You are just a coworker, I don’t think of you. I’m done with you. Keep your album. Good luck.”

He was so fucked. It would be a miracle if he ever got her to forgive him.

#kildaresplit au #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #outerbanks au #rafe x reader #rafe obx #rafe cameron au #rafe cameron smau #sorry if you hate it #don't tell me if you do

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carpetbug · 3 months

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ML Feline Blue AU Chapter Two: The Pont des Arts

1 • 2 [tw: blood and slightly gory imagery]

ao3

The last time Marinette had felt such paralyzing anxiety as she traveled towards the Pont de Arts was middle school. It was the day she realized she had a crush on Kim, and Socqueline - her best friend at the time, who left Francois’s Dupont at the end of 8th grade - had almost immediately shut down the immature day dream that was their future together. Still, Marinette had made her way to the bridge after school to stare at the locks of all the couples that had been here before her and conjure up sickeningly sweet fake scenarios of her new heartthrob. The craziest thing she had done that day was silently wish that Kim would magically reciprocate her romantic feelings, and still it had felt like she was walking some invisible tightrope, putting her life on the line for some spectacular balancing act she knew she could never pull off. She can still remember the way her hands shook and stomach churned while she perused the locks that decorated the bridge's walls. The fear she felt that day, that heavy stone of discomfort that lodged itself in her stomach, she felt it now all the same. Only this time, instead of feeling like she was merely risking her life, she could have sworn she was marching straight to death's door. And the miniature ladybug creature, this ‘kwami’, was doing little to put her unease to bed.

“You’re not listening, are you Marinette?” the alien-like red bug questioned delicately with a slight inflection to her already syrupy voice. Her eyes softened with guilt when Marinette met her expression with a lost look, lips parted slightly as she struggled to respond.

“I-I’m sorry.. uh.. Tek…?”

“Tikki” the small bug smiled patiently.

“Right. Tikki. I’m sorry Tikki” Marinette sighed and adjusted her hold on the miracle box. What a guardian she would be, she couldn’t even remember this kwamis name. How was she supposed to do.. well, everything else?

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“I died. That old man pushed me into the seine and I died.” Marinette stammered in disbelief as her limbs pushed her away from these freaks of nature without waiting for her brain's command.

“Don’t be scared, Marinette! We’re your friends!” The ladybug themed creature said reassuringly, dropping the intense tone with which she was speaking seconds prior. She, along with all the other small beings, floated effortlessly in the air. “I am Tikki, the kwami of creation. We aren’t going to hurt you, Master”

“Master?” Marinettes throat went bone dry as the words rattled her brain. She was their master? “Oh my god I’ve actually lost my mind.” She chuckled under her breath. The chuckle morphed to a steady laughter, and soon enough she was doubled over in hysterics, hands clutching her sides so tightly she could feel her nails digging into her ribcage. “That OLD man PUSHED me into the SEINE and I DIED!” She shouted in a side-splitting roar of laughter.

“Good job Sugarcube, now she’s having a breakdown.” Marinette heard a much more sour voice taunt. Suddenly what seemed like a million more voices chirped in, each unique in its pitch and pronunciation, and each more desperate to be heard than the last. She could only hear broken sentences and words through the plethora of noise from the kwamis and her own uncontrollable laughter, an occasional ‘We’re doomed!’ and ‘Master Fu!’ catching her ear.

“Just hush, Plagg!” the ladybug scoffed in annoyance. She darted closer to Marinette, small fin-like arm extending to pat her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Tune them out Marinette, you simply need time. Your bravery will surface soon.” She tried to soothe the frantic girl before returning her attention to the other beings. “Everyone, please listen! We can’t do this now, not to her.” Tikki spoke sternly, yet the words hung in the air like a plea. “I.. I’m certain none of us are ready to speak about Master Fu," a dejected tone began to cling to her small voice as she continued “But he wants us to go forward. And he needs us to guide the new guardian”. Marinette looked up as her voice began to catch in her throat, a pang of pity shooting through her unstable heart at the sight of the tears beginning to pool in the small beings eyes.

“Master Fu?” Marinette repeated softly, peeling her hands off her body and standing up from the rough cement platform that offered her safety. With a powerful shudder she became painfully aware that she was still soaked from the seine. Her hands traveled up to her hair, removing the smooth ribbon that held together her right pigtail - the left had come undone in the water. “Is that... was that the old man?” She asked the kwamis with a weary tone, eyes trained on her soggy shoes as her hands wrung out her dark hair of the water still wearing it down. “Why did he-?”

“Throw you in a river?” the sour voice chimed in again. It belonged to the black cat, who was now floating leisurely on his back with a yawn. Marinette was almost certain she could see sharp teeth in the kwamis mouth. Tikki shot him a deathly glare, but he went on. “I’m Plagg, kwami of destruction, lover of cheese” He stated with casual disinterest, as if nothing traumatic had just occurred. “Not his smartest move, I’ll agree. But-” he sat upright and narrowed his eyes, voice taking a more serious tone “-he did what he had to do to keep us all safe.” his long tail flicked, motioning to the other kwamis. “That includes you.”

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“I was telling you about the kwamis, '' Tikki chirped, following by her guardian's side while levitating in the air. Marinette nodded, quickly glancing up to check what street they had reached, then darting her eyes back down to the wooden box she had hugged to her chest. It was getting harder and harder to focus on the bugs' words, her mind occupied only with thoughts of Master Fu. Despite the kwamis, and the freezing water that seems to have seeped into her bones, and the distressed voices in her head yelling at her that she was alone in this, Marinette couldn’t shake the idea that this man was still alive. He would be waiting at the Pont de Arts, ready to retrieve his miracle box and kwamis, and he'd reassure her that she would never have to worry about any of this miraculous nonsense ever again. Marinette wasn’t going to find his body. She wouldn’t.

“There's nineteen kwamis in all, but two of us are missing. Nooro and Duusu are the kwamis of transmi-”

“Tikki, I’m- I can’t-” Marinette bit her tongue as she fought to find the right words.

“What is it Marinette?”

“I’m sorry but I just can’t talk about this with you. It’s just… too much” Marinette mumbled, wishing the earth would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. “Can’t this Master Fu just explain things to me when we find him?”

Tikki blinked in surprise and remained silent for a few seconds. Then, she nodded and feigned a weak smile. “Of course Marinette. If we find Master Fu he will explain everything” she reassured.

Marinette nodded absentmindedly, taking another brief glimpse at the street signs and sighing in relief at seeing they were close to their destination. Suddenly this all felt like some sort of fever dream, like she would go home and sleep tonight then wake up in the morning with nothing changed. Except maybe she would always think about being thrown in the seine, the cold and brutal water that had seeped through her skin, leaving her fingertips wrinkled and pruny against the wood of the miracle box. And sure, it might feel real enough that her knees still wobble a bit as she walks, but everyone has horrible nightmares sometimes - right?

“Marinette”

“One second, Tikki” she stopped the kwami, still stuck in her train of thought.

“Marinette!” Tikki had paused, and Marinette turned her head to see the small red kwami floating, arm extended to point at the bridge that suddenly seemed to appear in front of them. When had they gotten here?

“Oh. Great, we’re here! Let’s find this Fu-Man and let me get home so I can go to bed and forget all about this.” She adjusted her hold on the box and began to cross the wide bridge when Tikki darted in front of her with urgency.

“Wait! Master, I must tell you, thi-”

“Sorry, but please just call me Marinette.”

Tikki smiled and continued “Marinette, I have to quickly warn you that- even we kwamis are not sure of the lengths this villain is willing to go. We do not know if he acts with mercy, so this may be something you don’t want to see. If you’d like, I can go ahead without you and see for myself then come back?”

Marinette scrunched her nose as she thought for a few moments. Eventually she shook her head and smiled- a genuine and kind smile that made Tikkis heart ache. “No need, I’ll come with you. You’ve been here for me during all this, so I want to be here for you until you’re back in good hands” she promised.

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“He was being chased?” Marinette questioned, reeling from the information the cat kwami had just dumped over her head like cold water. Fu had been pursued by some unknown antagonist for several weeks, until they eventually found and attacked the guardian. Marinette had only been an innocent bystander, a stranger in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a helping hand when Fu was at his most desperate for any kind of savior. She was the only way to get the miracle box out of the villains' reach in such a short amount of time. And the seine had been the only way to get her out of danger.

“More like hunted” Plagg sneered in response and crossed his arms

“Plagg, you're scaring her!”

“She should be scared!”

While the black and red kwami hissed at each other, the girl's head was spinning, overwhelmed with this new world she was suddenly a part of. There were so many questions running through her mind, all begging to be answered. But the most desperate one came first “Can we go back to the Pont des Arts?” She asked softly, interrupting their argument.

Plaggs expression widened in shock, and he was about to protest when Tikki stopped him. “Good idea, I’ll have all the kwamis return to the miracle box.”

“Well, wait-” she stopped her “Will you stay with me? I would feel a bit better if I had someone more informed by my side”

The red bug smiled and nodded, still ignoring the bewildered look from the cat. Before he could say anymore, she turned back to the kwamis, leaving him grumbling and following after her.

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“God. It’s already three a.m, papa is going to be awake and getting started in the bakery soon.” Marinette muttered to herself while checking the time, her and Tikki moving at a slow pace across the bridge. It was dark, the moon providing the majority of the lighting cast down on them. And, it was almost entirely silent. Save for the constant rushing of the water beneath the bridge -the sound was making her hands begin to shake all over again-, and the occasional distant hum of a car passing nearby.

“A bakery?” Tikki whispered in response.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “My parents own a bakery. ‘Tom and Sabines’.” Her hands came together then spread like she was forming a rainbow in the air as she spoke, adding a loving touch to the simple name. Tikki gave a light giggle.

“Sounds amazing! What kind of sweets do they make?” the red bug questioned before suddenly gasping, “Do they make cookies?! I haven’t had a chocolate chip cookie in so long!”

Marinette was taken back by the kwamis sudden eagerness for one of the simplest sweets their bakery had to offer, but she couldn’t help but give an entertained laugh. “We make all kinds of cookies. Snickerdoodle, peanut butter, red velvet, oatmeal raisin, -”

“Yuck.”

“Don’t you dare say that about oatmeal raisin cookies.”

“Get to the good stuff!”

She stuck her tongue out teasingly at the kwami before continuing, “chocolate chip, chocolate chunks, and like a billion other ones I'm forgetting. Give or take seasonal and custom flavors my dad makes from time to time, too.” When she looked up, Marinette swore a line of drool was trailing from Tikkis mouth, but as soon as she had noticed it the bug was in her face in excitement once again.

“Wow!” Tikki exclaimed. “I can’t wait to try them.”

“How long has it been since you last had a cookie?” she asked. Marinette wondered what parts of human life the kwamis knew of and took part in, given the ‘secrecy’ about their existence. They were familiar enough to have opinions on cookie flavors, apparently.

“Oh, I'm not sure. I haven’t had a holder in a few decades, though I have left the miracle box during that time, - Marinette? Are you not listening again?”

Almost as soon as the kwami had started talking, Marinette had frozen her stare on something ahead of them, and she seemed a million worlds away. Tikki turned to look and her heart dropped.

Blood soaked into the wood underfoot, leaving a dark stain that seemed pure black in the night time. More sat in small pools and splatters, some spraying across the lock decorations and steadily drip-drip-dripping into the surface below. The longer she stared the more she realized the Pont des Arts would now always feel like it had been smeared with death. It was all too fresh, like someone had drained the old man of all his blood and used it like paint, spreading the viscous liquid on any surface they could. It seemed like both an introduction, and parting gift. The display was left with intent, the predator that had gotten Fu was leaving a warning for whoever tried to come to his rescue. It said ‘I’m here, look what I am capable of. Look at everything I did. Look at what I’m willing to do.’

Marinette took a step back, mouth agape as she realized breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Her blood pounded in her ears, droning out the seemingly fraught help Tikki was trying to provide the panicked girl. Another step back and her legs buckled, dropping her directly into the glistening pools of gore. Her hands clenched into fists, now stained a dark red as she kneeled in the blood, and she panted in desperate need for air. It seemed to hang in the air now, the metallic tang filling her mouth and nose.

“Marinette!”

The screech - almost directly in her ear - snapped her attention back to the ladybug creature, whose voice was feverish with alarm. “Tikki..” she breathed, still struggling to keep from hyperventilating. “Tikki, this is him, isn’t it?” Marinette brought her hands up, now holding them raised in the air to shine in the moonlight. The crimson liquid trickled from her palm to her wrist, then down her elbow and back to the bridge. “This is Master Fu?” the tears began to fall down her cheeks now, the reality setting in. She was the guardian. She was alone.

“You need to get home.”

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Marinette gets home, soaked (though no longer bloody, thanks to an alley hose she passed on her walk), and exhausted. Her breathing still awkward and unbalanced, lungs aching from whatever water she took in from the seine. Her emotions bubble inside her, threatening to spill over from her eyes once again. It was bad enough you could tell she had been crying already, she didn’t need her parents to see her in the act. Tikki rested on her shoulder, tucked neatly into her hair as they approached the bakery.

“Home sweet home” she said, waving her hands with pretend enthusiasm as she tried to revive the playful energy they had earlier. Instead her voice felt deflated and hollow. Her hands reached for the doorknob, shaking slightly as they hovered above it.

“Do you not want to go in?”

“Its not that.”

“Marinette. You can talk to me”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I can’t hide all this from my parents. Not yet, at least. If I go inside now and they’re awake, they'll know I was outside then they’ll see I was crying and I’m terrible at hiding things from my maman so one word from her and I’ll instantly spill everything that happened and then they-”

“Slow, Marinette. Is there any way you can sneak in?”

“Only through a window or my balcony, both of which I definitely can't reach from down here” she huffed, the puff of breath blowing through her still damp bangs that hung across her face. She was about to grit her teeth and accept the inevitable interrogation her parents would give when Tikki spoke again.

“I can fix that.” the kwami gave a sweet smile before phasing seamlessly through the wood of the miracle box and returning with a small case in her arms. “These are the miraculous of the ladybug. If you put on these earrings and say ‘Spots On’, you'll transform and be able to get to your balcony undetected.”

Marinette hesitated, then reached for the box and opened the lid to peek at the miraculous. Inside were two round, red earrings each with five small spots, which she carefully plucked from their resting places. They went through her ears effortlessly and lacked the weight that many earrings came with. “Please don’t tell me this is going to hurt” she wheezed, eyes drooping with sleep.

“Definitely not.” Tikki reassured quickly. “When you’re inside just say ‘Spots Off’ to drop the transformation.”

“Well… spots on?”

Tikki flew through the air, this time as if she was being pulled by some invisible force - one coming from the earrings. Her vision exploded with pink as bubbling, glowing masses appeared out of thin air and swarmed onto her body. She held her breath and pressed her eyes closed, still awaiting a sting or ache to overtake her body despite Tikkis reassurance. Instead the magical clouds felt light and tingly on her skin as they passed over her from head to toe.

The buzz came to a stop in a few moments which Marinette took as a cue to open her eyes. Nothing around her had changed, she was still standing outside the bakery clutching the miracle box, only now she was dressed in a sleek red and black spotted suit from neck to toe. She was a ladybug.

Marinettes breathing hitched in her chest as she ran her gloved hand across the material, then up to her face where she felt the grooves of a mask across her eyes. Built in secret identity, cool. She felt refreshed, the soreness in her legs was now just a weak discomfort. She took a relieved breath, and slowly stretched her limbs as she gathered her bearings. A yoyo rested on her hip, also a solid red with five black spots like the earrings, but with the same honeycomb texturing of her suit.

“A yoyo? I’m going to… yoyo to my room?” she mumbled to herself as she gave it a few experimental tosses. Looking up, she took a few breaths and prepared herself. She took a step back and threw the yo-yo towards a neighboring roof, then gave a slight tug when it had wrapped around some solid object. It pulled her effortlessly from the ground, propelling her upwards while she struggled, airborne, like a fish out of water. In moments she landed, almost entirely flat on her face, on the spine of the rooftop.

It took a minute for Marinette to figure out her next step, which ended up being just to drop from the roof to her balcony. It had seemed much more complicated in her head, like she would have to be some ninja, hiding in the shadows. But she had left the trapdoor to her room unlocked, so it had required no more effort than opening a door. She landed softly on her bed, and subsequently threw herself back onto her blankets with an exasperated sigh.

“Spots off” she mumbled, already fighting the alluring call of sleep. Another flash of the magic light and the suit was gone, leaving Tikki in its place. She looked around, observing her new environment before turning back to Marinette.

“Home sweet home” She echoed the previous statement, then burrowed into the crook of Marinettes elbow as the girl groggily put herself to bed. With the miracle box held firmly in her grip, and the deep ache slowly returning to her muscles as the magic of the miraculous wore off, she mumbled a barely coherent goodnight to Tikki and let herself fall into the comfort of sleep.

#ml feline blue au #ml fbau #carpetbug writes #carpetbug art #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml #marinette #miraculous fanart #ml au #tikki #ml fic #YIPPEEEEEE FELINE BLUE #still very excited about this story lmao #next up is origins!! i’ll try to update weekly but i make no promises #wasn’t too sure what to put for the trigger warning so i hope that’s good! please let me know if it is not

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mint-yooxgi · 1 year

Text

{9} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 9,094

Warnings: Whore Knee Thots, another lotr reference, I don’t think this one is too bad for things. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I forgot to add that a certain line of dialogue Yunho says in this chapter is cutesy of @synthetickitsune so thank you!!! And so part two becomes two of three lmaoo, I honestly did not expect this one chapter to get split into three, but with what I still have planned, it would have ended up like, 30k words by the end of it lmaoo. Hope you all enjoy, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Mini Masterlist

It only takes a moment for them to all catch up with you as you ride the escalator back down to the first floor. The only downside seems to be that you’ve closed off your mind from them again, your void almost perfectly back in place.

With difficulty, they all attempt to control their breathing for the time being; each male desperately tries to ground themselves, doing their best to keep their entire bodies from shaking as pure need courses through their veins. They didn’t think that they could fall anymore in love with you than they already are, but then you went and did this.

Anyone else have the desire to completely fucking ravish her until she passes out from pleasure right now? San’s gaze is locked onto your back as he licks his lips shamelessly, eyes dark and full of need.

That was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Mingi swallows the sudden dryness in his throat, gaze roaming freely over your figure as you head towards the cash line with them in tow.

Did you see the way her personality just flipped in an instant? Wooyoung is nearly panting at this point, barely keeping it together as he stares at your ass.

I didn’t know she had it in her. Yunho replies, somewhat breathlessly.

Pride swirls in his chest, reflected in his gaze as he recalls every detail of your instructions. He only hopes that they were able to impress you with how well they served you just now. Based off of the lingering thoughts he could hear echoing in your mind before you closed your void, he knows that that is most certainly the case. The fact that you seem grateful towards them, too, is simply icing on the cake.

Could she get anymore fucking perfect for us? Seonghwa bites his lip, needing to suppress the moan that shamelessly builds in his chest as he thinks back on the events that have just occurred. He can still feel his shoulder tingling from where you touched him earlier, too.

She has to know how this affects us, right? Jongho shoots them all a brief glance out of the corner of his eyes, seeing as he’s still standing next to you for the moment. The way you seemingly lean into him for support has a pleased growl building in his chest. What it means to us?

I’d be more than happy to show her. San’s lips part, taking some long, and what are supposed to be calming, breaths. Instead, it only makes his desire for you grow, becoming surrounded by everything you as his senses are overwhelmed. He swears he can practically taste you already on his tongue.

This day is turning out much better than I could have ever imagined. Yeosang admits, eyes roaming the side of your profile before taking a step closer and joining in on your conversation with Jongho in the next second.

I don’t think any of us could have imagined these pleasant turn of events. Hongjoong finally speaks, managing to calm himself down just enough to get his thoughts in order once more.

Ever since he saw you turn around upstairs after you had finished your little condemnation of that bastard, he couldn’t help but be consumed by his fantasies once more. All Hongjoong could picture was the two of you standing side by side, vanquishing your enemies together, followed immediately by the most passionate love making of his entire life as you bathe in the blood of your victims. He nearly had to adjust himself there for a minute, until he managed to calm himself down enough on the small journey back to the first floor.

At least all of them can agree: you will become theirs soon. Officially. In every meaning of the word. You just have to. They’ll make sure of it, for they don’t know how much more of this that they can take. You drive them so crazy, and you don’t even realize it yet. Or maybe, you do.

Though, they still would never force you into anything you were truly uncomfortable with. They just want you, and bad. To rule at their side. To love and to cherish. To have and to hold. To protect and to keep forever as theirs, just as they are yours. Until the end of time.

Finally, it’s your turn to be cashed out at the front of the line after a few more minutes of waiting. Making your way over to the register, you begin to pull out your wallet.

“What are you doing?” Yeosang’s voice catches your attention as he walks up with both you and Jongho.

“Paying for my books.” You reply as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“My Dear, I thought we already told you,” Yeosang smiles softly at you as he places a hand overtop of yours to prevent you from pulling out your wallet any further. In the next moment, he begins leading you out of the store. “Just let us take care of you.”

You blink, protests dying in your throat as you look back to see Jongho already holding a bag full of what you’re sure are your books. A second later, and they’re both ushering you out of the store to wait in the hallway for the others. As soon as they’re all in front of you once more, you’re crossing your arms in front of your chest.

“You know I don’t expect you all to pay for everything for me, right?” You shoot them all an expectant look.

“We know,” Hongjoong smiles, eyes crinkling at the sides.

“It’s different if we want to do so.” Yunho says, somewhat matter-of-factly.

“We’ve already told you,” San gazes at you with a fond look shining in his eyes. “You don’t have to worry about a single thing when you’re with us.”

“We are all more than ready and willing to provide for you in any and every way we can.” Jongho adds, eyes soft as he meets your own.

“Whatever you want,” it’s Mingi that draws your attention to him next, his eyes crinkling as he smiles widely at you.

“Whenever you need it,” Seonghwa breathes out, and only the eight of them truly understand the double meaning behind his words.

“Seeing you happy is all that we really want.” Wooyoung’s voice is gentle as the corner of his lips tug upwards in a grin.

“Just let us take care of you.” Yeosang repeats his words from only moments before, his hand settling on top of yours once more.

“Fine.” You let out a long exhale through your nose, lips tugging slightly downwards in defeat. “But I’m buying you all drinks later, or something.”

“You don’t have to-“

“Um, no.” You raise your hand, stopping the rest of the protest that begins to fall from Mingi’s lips.

“We don’t expect-“

“Ah-ah.” You wag your finger at Wooyoung next. “None of this ‘we can treat you, but you can’t treat us’ crap.”

“But-“

“No ‘but’s!” You round on San, quirking your eyebrow as you look between all of them. “Just let me treat my men to something, okay?”

They all blink, caught momentarily off guard by your admission. Pleased growls build in their chests as your words sink in, Though, from the way you continue, it’s as if you haven’t even noticed you’ve said them, or the affect you’ve just had on all of them.

“If it’s not mutual, I don’t want it.” You shake your head slightly, as if to emphasize your point, turning around in the next moment to begin walking down the hall. At seeing them still standing exactly where you left them after taking a few steps, you’re turning to look at them from over your shoulder with a quirked brow, “coming?”

In an instant, both San and Wooyoung are on either side of you, that single word enough to snap them all out of their daze. The others fall in line shortly after, following close behind as you lead them around the mall.

Just as you walk past your local game store, a product in the window draws your gaze.

“No fucking way,” your jaw drops, blinking in mild shock as you pause in the middle of the hallway.

“What?” It’s Yeosang who follows your gaze immediately, a furrow to his brow at what could have possibly drawn your attention like this.

There, in the front window of the store, sits a giant Snorlax beanbag chair. Though, from how it’s stuffed into the display, he looks a little squished in your opinion.

“Free him,” you chuckle, already making your way over to the storefront to see how much he costs. At the price you see glaring back at you, your eyes widen, “never mind.”

Immediately, San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang all begin to make their way towards the entrance. The only thought on each of their minds is buying that Snorlax for you, arguing with each other over who gets to pay. That is, until you’re stepping in front of them, successfully blocking their path to the store.

“No.” You shake your head.

“What did we just tell you?” San quirks a brow, crossing his arms in front of his chest expectantly.

“I don’t care.” You shake your head once more. “It’s not a need, or a necessity.”

“Yet, books are?” Yunho quirks a brow at you this time, an amused grin tugging at his lips.

“Books are different,” you begin, noticing Wooyoung attempting to step around you only for you to match each of his movements. For a third time, you shake your head. “I’m putting my foot down for this.”

“If you truly don’t want us to, then we won’t.” Hongjoong says, shooting a stern look at the younger demons who look back at him with pouts on their faces. We can buy stuff for her later, when she can’t complain about it. Or stop us for that matter.

“Thank you.” You tilt your head in acknowledgement in his direction, a soft smile adorning your features.

Hongjoong smiles back, following your lead once more as you continue on down the hallway.

I’m coming back for that later. Yeosang immediately projects, quite sternly, into his brother’s minds. All of you find something else to buy for her.

Fine. Wooyoung replies, a bit grumpily. I’m sure there will be plenty more where that came from, anyways.

Exactly. Hongjoong hums, noticing how you enter a store full of soaps, candles, and fragrances, amongst other products, next. I simply believe she isn’t used to being gifted the things she wants, especially when we don’t expect anything in return but her own happiness.

I still wish she’d let us treat her, though. Seonghwa grumbles, walking over to the display of colognes off to the side. Without pushback.

She will, Hongjoong replies, testing out a moisturizer on the back of his one hand. Eventually.

Yunho, keep an eye on her mind. Mingi adds, both him and San helping you decide on some candles as you continuously bring the different scents to your nose to test them.

Already on it. He grins, watching the scene fondly from the front of the store as Jongho and Yeosang stand beside him.

“Oh, I wonder if they have- they do!” Your eyes widen as excitement takes over your features.

In an instant, you’ve taken a few steps to your left, grabbing a specific candle off of the shelf and removing the lid. A smile tugs at your lips as your eyes flutter closed, a content hum escaping you as you take a deep breath in.

Each male cannot help the way their mouths suddenly go dry, that small sound of pleasure ringing through their ears just as it did last night.

“Mahogany teakwood,” you breathe, extending the candle out for both San and Mingi to smell. “My favourite scent.”

San leans in first to sniff it, smiling back at you in response as he straightens to his full height.

It’s musky. Mingi comments to all of them after his first whiff of the candle. Definitely something a male might wear.

Are there any colognes of the scent? San turns, spotting Seonghwa by the display.

Immediately, Seonghwa is scanning the labels, attempting to find the one he’s looking for before San can finish making his way over to where he is. Luckily for him, he spots the bottle a moment later, snatching it off of the display in an instant. It was the last one, too.

You bastard. San growls, noticing how the eldest grins smugly at him while waving the bottle in the younger’s face.

You snooze, you lose. Seonghwa repeats the youngest’s words from earlier in the day, beginning to move off to a different section of the store.

Relax, there’s also a body wash. Wooyoung comments, already pulling a bottle off of the shelf to check the label.

Immediately, it’s like a race between San and Seonghwa to make it over to where Wooyoung is standing. Each male practically shoves the other out of the way as they reach the shelf, arguing amongst themselves about who gets to use this particular scent as their own.

You can only blink from across the store in shock, an amused snort escaping you as you watch the chaos unfold before your very eyes.

“Are they always like this?” You lean into Mingi who has yet to leave your side.

He sighs, a small quirk to his lips upwards, “you’d be surprised.”

“Honestly, you’d think there’s a sale on toner or something, with how they booked it across the store.” You mumble, chuckling to yourself as you turn back towards the candles. “Oh, fresh pine!”

Taking another candle off of the shelf, you’re quick to open the lid. Again, a smile tugs at your features as you inhale the earthy scent deeply. Almost immediately, you’re extending it out to Mingi who leans in without another thought to smell the candle.

“Another one of my favourites,” you admit, tucking it into your arm beside your mahogany teakwood candle.

Yunho- Mingi glances at his brother from across the store.

Already on it. Yunho grins, heading over to the display to pull two bottles of cologne off of it. I’ll grab the body wash, too.

Mingi nods subtly in the other male’s direction, following you once more through the store as you go to check out the seasonal candles.

See if you can find out what other scents she likes. Jongho’s voice echoes through all of their heads, even if his comment is directed at Mingi for the moment.

Already on it. Mingi repeats Yunho’s words from mere moments before, a grin tugging at his lips as he watches your eyes light up.

“Fresh orchard? Don’t mind if I ‘yes’,” you reach for the candle shamelessly, eyes widening as the faint, crisp scent of apples reaches your nose. Your face light ups. "And the apples aren’t overpowering everything. Hell yes!”

Mingi cannot help but share in your excitement as you extend the candle out for him to smell. He has to agree, the scent of the apples isn’t overpowering the other aromas found within, giving rise for the subtle vanilla, cinnamon, and oak to come through.

Looking up, he catches gazes with Jongho who stands just outside of the store. An understanding passes between them, Mingi subtly nodding his head at the youngest in an instant.

Only, you turn your head just in time to notice him looking at something outside of the store. Following his gaze, that’s when you see both Yeosang and Jongho still standing in the hallway of the mall, the few bags from the bookstore held in their hands. Your brow furrows.

“Sometimes all of the scents overwhelm them and give them headaches,” Mingi informs you.

“I had no idea,” a small frown pulls at your features, lips tugging downwards as you continue to stare at the two males outside of the shop.

It’s then that you feel two subtle caresses brushing against your void, the water rippling beneath their touch. Tentatively, and probably against your better judgment, you’re opening your mind.

Little do you know of the way such a simple act warms their hearts.

Please, do not feel bad about this, Dearest. Yeosang’s voice is the first you hear resounding in your head. It is not your fault.

We are more than content to see you happy like this. Jongho adds as they both send you reassuring smiles.

You smile back softly, a subtle nod to your head before you’re closing off your void to them once more.

“I didn’t even know you guys could get headaches.” You say, turning back to Mingi beside you.

“It’s rare, but we can still suffer from the same ailments as you,” Hongjoong voices, walking up beside you with a few products in his hands. “Well, minus a few things, of course. Like cancer.”

“Huh,” you hum, nodding along with his words. “Interesting.”

“Granted, we can either let the ailment manifest, or heal ourselves immediately,” Hongjoong adds, watching as Mingi walks off to go grab some things of his own, including that fresh orchard scent for Jongho.

“It’s a little difficult to imagine you guys with something as trivial as a stomachache, if I’m being honest,” you reply, looking through the rest of the display before you.

“Yeah, that tends to only happen if we’ve ingested a really nasty soul,” Wooyoung pops up on your other side, reaching across to grab at a particular body lotion on display.

“Though, there are certain ailments that can affect us, but not you,” Hongjoong tells you, stepping out of the way as you go to move around him. “Others that affect us could potentially kill you if you ever caught them.”

“Gee, that makes me feel so assured,” you mumble, walking passed him for the moment.

“Don’t worry, Gorgeous, we’d take care of you,” Wooyoung grins, stepping in line beside you as you reach the back of the store. “We know all of the cures, anyways. If it ever came to that.”

“Not to mention we could just heal you if you got sick,” Hongjoong reminds you, the conversation he had with you about injuries in the garden flitting through his mind.

“Right,” you nod in acknowledgement, and he just knows you’re thinking back to that moment, too. “I remember you telling me that.”

“Or, we could just feed you our blood.” Wooyoung comments nonchalantly.

Your eyes nearly bug out of your head, “excuse me?”

“It would be the fastest way to heal you,” Hongjoong says, shooting a pointed look towards Wooyoung for just dropping that little tidbit of information on you. “Quicker and more effective than our healing abilities, with some added side effects.”

“Side effects?” Your brow furrows.

“Nothing bad, don’t worry,” Hongjoong assures you with a small smile. “We would never let you get to a point where you would need to ingest our blood to heal yourself, anyways.”

“Good to know,” you huff out a small laugh, lips quirking upwards in slight disbelief at the conversation you’ve just had with them.

Hongjoong smiles back at you as the others all come to join you in the cash line, seeing as they’ve also finished looking around for the moment.

“Got everything you need?” Seonghwa asks, a soft smile painting his features as you nod back at him in response.

“They stopped carrying my other favourite scent a while ago,” you sigh, a slight pout to your lips. “So, this is good for now.”

“What one was that?” San is a little too eager in his inquiry.

“Sea island cotton.” You reply, somewhat wistfully. “It was really light and soothing.”

Hongjoong’s brow furrows, holding out one of the bottles of lotion in his hands, “you mean this?”

Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head as you see the label facing you, your free hand coming up to snatch the bottle right out of his hand. Then, you meet his gaze. “Where did you find this?”

Hongjoong points over his shoulder at the back corner of the store, blinking at you in mild shock at the wide-eyed look you send him.

“I’ll be right back,” you immediately go to step out of line, but a hand on your shoulder stops you.

“I’ll grab it for you,” Seonghwa offers, not even giving you a chance to deny him as he steps out of line, already halfway to the display in the blink of an eye.

Hwa, can you- Yeosang doesn’t even get to finish his question before the eldest is replying.

I’ve got you covered. Reaching the display, Seonghwa grabs a few different bottles including a body mist, body lotion, and a few body washes before heading back over to the cash line.

As soon as you see the bottles in his hands, your eyes light up, and each male practically swoons at the sight. All save for Seonghwa, who instead feels his heart fluttering in his chest as you look at him like he’s just brought you the greatest gift you could ever ask for. He swallows thickly, attempting to keep his arms from shaking.

Yeah. They could all get used to this.

“Here, why don’t you give us your stuff and go wait outside with Yeosang and Jongho?” Yunho says, already reaching to take the few items that you’re holding from your hands.

Again, the protests you’re about to say die in your throat as Mingi grabs the final item from you. In the next moment, Wooyoung uses his free hand to begin turning you around gently, ushering you to take a step towards the entrance of the store.

“Fine,” you grumble, a slight pout tugging at your lips as you cross you arms in front of your chest, beginning to make your way out of the shop.

Both Yeosang and Jongho smile as soon as they see you, having gotten a glimpse of your excited expression only moments before curtesy of their brothers. They absolutely adore the fact that you choose to stand in-between them, too, even if you still have your arms crossed in discontent for the moment.

A few minutes later, the other six are all walking out of the store, bags held in their hands. You attempt to reach for some of them, only to be brushed off by each male holding a bag. Even when you complain that you can carry something, they assure you that it’s fine. They don’t want you worrying your pretty little head about anything today, or ever for that matter.

You pout once more, leading them further down the hall and towards the direction of the foodcourt for the time being. Still, you cannot help but mutter about those damn demons once more under your breath, causing smiles to pull at all of their faces.

“If you want to hold onto something that badly,” San begins, a mischievous glint in his eyes that his brothers know all too well, “hold on to this.”

In the blink of an eye, he’s grabbed your hand in his, interlocking your fingers together without a second thought. He can just feel the jealous glares of his brothers on his back as he watches your eyes widen, a momentary falter to your steps as he catches you off guard. At the way he cheekily smiles at you, you can only avert your gaze somewhat shyly in response, a heat rising to your cheeks.

The best part? You don’t pull away.

“I am curious, though,” you say after a little while, San beginning to swing your interlocked hands gently back and forth between you as he hears Wooyoung complaining to him about holding onto your hand in his head. “How exactly do you guys get the money for all of this stuff? It’s hard to imagine you all working any type of retail job.”

“Could you imagine us working at a grocery store?” Wooyoung laughs. “Seonghwa would bite someone’s head off within five minutes.”

You half expect the oldest to complain about what Wooyoung’s saying about him, but at the subtle nodding of Seonghwa’s head, you let out a snort of laughter.

Instantly, he’s turning to meet your gaze, a sheepish shrug gracing his shoulders as he grins back at you. “Guilty.”

“Jongho and Yeosang definitely wouldn’t have the patience to deal with difficult customers.” Yunho observes, receiving a loud ‘hey’ in protest from the youngest.

“San would be throwing out nearly all of the produce, complaining that it’s not fresh enough to be stocked on shelves,” Mingi joins in with a chuckle, a large smile painting his features.

“It’s true, though!” San retorts, an exasperated look pulling onto his features.

“Yes, yes, we all know about your two hour long rant on produce quality,” Yeosang practically rolls his eyes in response to the male’s reaction, eliciting another of the sweetest giggles from your lips.

“Anyways,” Hongjoong is drawing your attention to him as he speaks for the moment. “To answer your question, My Love, we acquire our wealth through many different means. The main ones being investing, and through real estate. We’ve been around for quite a long time, that we’ve learned a few tricks of the trade.”

“We are also the Kings of the Realm with the whole wealth of the underworld at out fingertips.” Jongho adds, nonchalantly.

The way you nod, clearly impressed, has pride filling their chests once more.

“That’s not to mention our other means of acquirement,” Wooyoung wiggles his brows at you suggestively.

“Never pictured you guys as strippers, but oddly enough, it’s very fitting.” You reply without a second thought, a store up ahead catching your attention.

Mingi nearly trips over his own feet as Wooyoung bursts out laughing, causing some heads of passers by to turn to look in your direction.

“We’re not-“ Seonghwa sighs, shaking his head at the younger demon with the skunk dyed hair. “We’re not strippers.”

“Ah,” your eyes go wide as you draw out the syllable, a teasing lilt to your voice. “Shame.”

“What Wooyoung meant to say, is that we sometimes acquire wealth through other, unfavourable means as well.” Hongjoong explains.

Your eyes narrow suspiciously. “Elaborate.”

“Gambling, the black market, assassinations: you name it,” Yunho informs you, a small shrug to his shoulders.

“Honestly,” you let out a sharp puff of air through your nose, “that doesn’t surprise me as much as it should.”

“Well, we are essentially demons.” Yeosang voices with a small shrug.

“Demonic entities,” you say, somewhat breathlessly, recalling the very first night when you learned of their true nature. “What does that even mean? Aren’t you guys essentially gods?”

San smirks, “you could say that.”

Then, as if recalling another one of your memories, you continue, “you all flinch whenever I say phrases referring to the catholic religion. Or at least, I think you do.”

“Force of habit,” Mingi replies honestly. “It’s difficult to not remember a time when people would use those phrases to curse our names.”

“Would it help if I told you that I don’t really believe in them, and I say those things more as a reactionary phrase just to say them over anything else?” You quirk a brow. Then, quickly, you add, “but I’ll never say them again if it hurts you.”

All of them are touched by your consideration for them right now, that they cannot help but fall even deeper for you in this moment. You all still may not be on the best of terms, but if today is anything to go by, you are both very receptive and accepting of them already. In the little time that they’ve actually been with you, they’ve been able to make tremendous progress. A fact which makes them beyond joyous in this moment here in time.

“It does indeed help.” Seonghwa smiles softly at you, probably the most touched out of all of them by your sudden consideration. “Though, don’t feel as if you have to stop saying those phrases now. Especially if you do not actually believe in them.”

You nod, turning your attention back to the front as you continue to walk down the hallway.

“Then, what do you believe in?” Jongho asks the question on all of their minds, curiosity reflected in all of their eyes as they shift their focus back onto you.

You stare ahead, blinking a few times as you watch the shop that you want to check inside of get closer and closer. Then, the corner of your lips is twitching upwards as you decide to let your thoughts actually be vocalized for the moment. You figure that there’s no harm in letting them know.

“I believe in all of you.”

For the second time that day, tears line the corner of Mingi’s eyes. Both Yunho and Jongho cannot help the way that their breaths hitch in their throats, while both Wooyoung and Seonghwa have to place one of their hands over their beating hearts to keep them from bursting right out of their chests. Yeosang pauses momentarily mid-step as his eyes close, his hand coming up to cover the lower half of his face as he absolutely revels in your words.

A soft smile tugs onto Hongjoong’s features, nothing but absolute fondness and adoration shining in his gaze as he looks at you. His heart swells in his chest, his throat bobbing as he swallows all of the words he wants to say back to you in this moment, in order to simply bask in this glorious feeling.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice San wiping at his cheek with the back of his free hand.

You blink, worry taking over your features immediately as you halt right in your tracks, conveniently right in front of the store you want to enter. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Of course not,” San squeezes your hand reassuringly, bringing it up to his lips to place a tender kiss onto your skin as he holds it there, revelling both in the feeling and meaning of this moment here in time with you.

“It just means a lot to us.” Yunho clears his throat, voice suddenly rough with the rawness of his emotions as he is overcome by the significance of your words. “What you’ve just said.”

“More than you’ll ever know.” Seonghwa smiles softly at you, his eyes shining with something that you don’t quite understand, but once it finally sinks in, you find it suddenly hard to breathe.

You take a moment to look around at the eight men surrounding you. You can see the adoration clear in their eyes, the fondness shining within causing your heart to race. No one has ever gazed at you so lovingly before. A fact of which causes your heart to then swell with an unfamiliar emotion, but a pleasant one, nonetheless.

For the first time in your life, you understand what it feels like to be someone’s first choice. You understand what it feels like to be wanted, to be desired by another person in a way that you are starting to desire them. You feel safe. You feel cared for. More than all of that, you feel comfortable in your own skin around them.

For the first time in your entire life, you understand what it feels like for someone to be in love with you. You, and only you.

A soft smile graces your features as you squeeze San’s hand back, looking between all of them once more as you all share in this tender moment together.

“I want to know more about you guys,” you say, watching as their features all light up in excitement. “But first, let me head in there to see an old friend,” you point to the jewellery store across from you as you gently drop San’s hand, much to his discontent, “and then we can all talk over drinks.”

Smiles pull at all of their lips, and you see a few of them nod their heads eagerly at your words.

“Sounds good,” Hongjoong meets your gaze, tone reflecting the happiness on his features.

“Great,” you smile, already heading towards the shop mere steps away.

The jewellery store is small in size, more of an antique shop than anything else as gems glitter in the display cases surrounding the area. In fact, a lot of the items look hand made, for each piece is unique in its design. Some of the pieces are rare, and some are odd: not typical items one would find in your average jewellery store.

There only seems to be one person sitting inside behind the counter at the moment, scrolling through his phone. However, as soon as he looks up to see you walking into the store with both Seonghwa and Hongjoong in tow, his eyes are widening.

An excited gasp of your name slips past the male’s lips as he hops off of the stool he had been sitting on in order to practically tackle you in a hug. At the way you hear two pointed exhales behind you, you can just tell the two eldest are staring daggers at this man right now. You chuckle.

“David, hey!” You smile, pulling away to hold him at arm’s length. “It’s been a while.”

“You’re telling me, Missy.” He shoots you a pointed look, voice full of sass. “I thought I was going to die of boredom if you didn’t come to see me again, soon.”

“You’d die of boredom, anyways,” you roll your eyes, smacking his arm playfully.

“Guilty,” he grins, a small shrug to his one shoulder. “Anyways, how’ve you been? I heard you’re no longer working at the mall, which is why you haven’t come to visit in a while. Thanks for letting me know, by the way.”

“Oh, you most definitely don’t sound upset about that,” you snort, rolling your eyes teasingly in the next moment. “I meant to tell you, I really did! Just, shit happened.”

“Oh my god, was it Henry?” Immediately, concern is written all over his features.

Behind you, you can practically feel both Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s chests rumbling with suppressed growls. So, for the first time, you attempt to do to them what they’ve done to you. With difficulty, you envision reaching out to them with your void, hoping that they’ll be able to pick up on it if they’re still constantly monitoring your thoughts. You’re sure they are, especially if their sharp inhales are anything to go by, which can mean one thing, and one thing only. It worked.

“No, no, luckily not,” you’re quick to shake your head. “I have a feeling he’s not going to be bothering anyone ever again.”

“Bastard finally got his comeuppance, did he?” David quirks a brow at you.

“A well deserved punishment dealt swiftly, and quite flawlessly, if I do say so myself,” you smile, and you fail to realize just how proud you’ve made the two males (and the six in the hallway) standing behind you at your words.

“Thank fuck,” David breathes, closing his eyes momentarily as a sense of relief washes over him. Then, it’s as if his whole demeanour flips, a bright smile painting his features as he meets your gaze once more. “What brings you in today?”

“Can’t I come in to see my lovely friend?” You quirk a brow, grin tugging at your lips.

“And here I was thinking you came to pick up that necklace you commissioned from me.” He replies, already moving back behind the counter.

“Necklace?” Your brow furrows only momentarily until realization is crossing your features. With so much going on, you completely forgot about the fact that you had him make one for you. “Oh, right! That necklace.”

“Honestly, woman, how do you survive?” He chuckles teasingly, opening the door to the backroom to peek his head inside. “Suzy, can you bring out order eighty-seven?”

“I honestly forgot about that,” you chuckle, somewhat nervously. You just know that this has grabbed the two male’s attention behind you. Two male who have remained unusually silent for the moment as they pretend to browse through the store on their own.

In the next moment, a shorter woman appears almost eagerly, holding a somewhat large black velvet box in her hands. As soon as she sees you, her eyes light up, an excited squeal of your name escaping her lips. “I just knew it was you as soon as David told me to grab this order!”

“It’s good to see you, too, Suzy,” you smile at her enthusiasm.

“Well, here you go,” she hands the box to you and you turn to place it on top of the counter.

David now stands across from you while the two demons step in behind you, casually observing from over each one of your shoulders. They have no idea what this necklace could be, considering your thoughts are closed off, and all they’re getting from both Suzy and David are how excited they are to see your reaction.

Slowly, you begin to open the velvet box in front of you.

A gasp escapes you as you take in the elegance of the design, noting the little details of the craftwork as you lift the necklace carefully out of the case. The way the gems gleam in the light has your eyes sparkling in awe. Your breath catches in your throat at the amount of effort you know David put into this for you, and you cannot help the way your heart warms at that fact alone.

There, dangling like the brightest star in the night sky, is a perfect replica of Arwen’s Evenstar necklace.

“I’m sure you two know all about her little obsession with that favourite series of hers.” David grins, directing his comment towards the two males standing beside you at the moment. He’s noticed how close they’ve been to you since entering the store, not only physically, but with how they seem to watch you carefully, a tender look in each one of their eyes.

“Believe me,” Seonghwa breathes out, projecting your beautiful, awestruck expression to his other brothers currently waiting outside in the hallway.

“We know.” Hongjoong concludes just as breathlessly, his own eyes catching on the way yours reflect the light just like the piece of jewellery in your hand.

“David,” you meet his gaze, the sincerity shining in your own, “I can’t thank you enough.”

“You commissioned it.” He grins back, seemingly shrugging off your praise for the moment. “I’m just glad I could deliver.”

“How much do I owe you?” You begin, settling the necklace back in its box for the time being as you softly close the lid.

“You already payed for it, remember?” He chuckles, reaching over and grabbing your free hand that you have resting on top of the counter before you, giving it a gentle squeeze in the next second.

“Right,” you chuckle along with him, “I did.”

“Sometimes you have to treat yourself to the things you want most.” Suzy directs her comment at you with a smile, repeating your very words back to you that you had told her when you first commissioned this piece of jewellery. “You should indulge yourself more often; let yourself have nice things.”

You smile softly. “Right.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it because it’ll make what I’m about to tell you less painful,” David leans against the counter, motioning behind you to a specific display with his chin. “It sold.”

Your jaw drops, immediately turning and stepping across the store to take in the case that held one of your two favourite items in the shop. “No way.”

“What sold?” It’s Hongjoong who asks the question, casually looking over all of the items in the case before him.

“Only her favourite jewelled dagger.” David grins, meeting Hongjoong’s gaze for the first time since he entered the shop. “It was ceremonial, too."

For the second time that day, Hongjoong needs to lean onto the display in front of him for support. His breathing nearly comes in jagged pants, were it not for the way he manages to control himself for the time being. Barely. Still, he cannot help the shiver of pleasure that runs down his spine at learning this specific fact about you.

“You don’t say,” his voice is airy, turning to look at the way you circle the glass case before you.

“I’m surprised whoever bought it didn’t buy the matching sword.” You hum, noting the jewelled handle with the same exact design as the dagger.

“I tried to sell them as a set, but the girl that bought it only wanted the dagger,” David replies with an exasperated sigh.

You scoff, “shame the set was separated, but they are both expensive items.”

“I guess so,” David sighs once more, resting his head in his open palm as he continues to lean against the counter. “Perhaps it’s a sign that you should buy the sword.”

At the suggestive wiggle of David’s brows, you let out a puff of laughter.

“You know that if I buy myself a sword, I’m buying a replica of Anduíl.” You shoot David a look, shaking your head in the next moment, muttering under your breath, “just wish it wasn’t over two-fucking-thousand dollars for one.”

The two eldest share a look.

“I didn’t know you liked blades,” Seonghwa voices, attempting to control himself as well for the moment. The mental image alone of you holding one of his swords in your hands has his knees weak, throat suddenly parched as he looks towards you for the time being.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s just the stereotypical bisexual in me,” you shrug, nonchalantly. “I’ve always had an affinity towards them. Swords, knives, daggers, you name it.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know you’ve got a knife kink,” David waves you off, standing back to his full height with a teasing grin on his face. “Goes hand in hand with that blood kink of yours.”

Your mouth falls open in horror, a heat rising to your cheeks. “David!”

Even Suzy looks caught off guard by his statement, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head as she leans against the wall.

Most importantly, though, you don’t deny it.

Little do you all know of how this little admission affects the two males in the shop, but especially one in particular. Now, Hongjoong barely suppresses his pleased growl, his mind running wild with this new information.

Perhaps he should take you to see his knife collection at some point, letting you pick out the ones you like most to use as you play out all of his darkest fantasies with him. The trust alone you would have for him at that point in your relationship sends a shiver down his spine as he envisions it now. Not to mention the added effect of you and him covered in blood, laving your tongues over each other’s skin to drink in the victory of vanquishing your enemies together.

You literally could not be more perfect.

“At least we still have the other item you always love to stare at when you’re here,” David breaks the growing tension in the shop, voice cutting through the silence as he moves back to his original spot by the stool.

“Really? It still hasn’t sold?” You choose to move on from the embarrassment you’re still feeling, hoping that the two males won’t bring up what they’ve just learned about you any time soon. Though, with how dark their gazes are as they look at you, you know they won’t be letting this go so quickly.

“Even I’m surprised,” Suzy adds, seemingly back to her normal, chipper self after those scandalizing comments from David about you.

“What is it?” This time, it’s Seonghwa who asks.

A knowing smirk pulls onto David’s features, “I’ll show you.”

“No, David-“ you don’t even get a chance to protest as he’s unlocking the cabinet in front of him and pulling out the item in question.

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa cannot prevent the way their breaths catch in their throats at the object now presented to them. Moans nearly spilling from their lips as they take in the sight before them.

There, on a red velvet display pillow, resides a beautiful crystal crown. Diamonds and white sapphires sparkle along the base, interwoven between the opaque quarts gems rising into a sharp point from either side. Small chains adorn the bottom, and as David lifts the crown, they fall, only to dangle with more small crystals hanging off of the ends. The intricacy of the design alone takes their breath away. Not to mention how it absolutely glimmers beneath the artificial lights of the store, each gem sparkling beneath their gaze.

Truly, a crown fit for their Queen.

“I think today should be the day you finally put it on.” David directs his comment towards you, seemingly nonchalant as he quirks a brow.

“We couldn’t agree more,” Seonghwa replies breathlessly, as both he and Hongjoong turn to look at you, eagerness shining in their eyes.

“Uh,” you hesitate, unsure of what to do.

“Oh, please?” Suzy whines, eyes shining and hopeful. “I’ve always wanted to see you wear it.”

Your breath hitches in your throat as all four of their gazes are now locked on you. Even as your eyes drift past Seonghwa’s head, you can see the six males waiting in the hallway just outside watching on intently, an almost pleading eagerness to their own features.

You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, voice but a mere whisper on the air, “Alright.”

Stepping towards David, you begin to do whatever you can to steady your nerves. You know this will mean more to the eight of them than to you right now, but if you’re being honest with yourself, you have always wanted to wear a crown. You’ve just never had a reason to have one before now.

For a moment, the shared memory of you in that field with Yunho flashes through your mind, and you cannot help but to smile softly. A sentiment which is shared by the tall male in the hallway as he catches a glimpse of that moment flitting through your mind. At least this won’t be the first time one of them is seeing you in a crown.

Shifting your attention back to the situation in front of you, you notice Hongjoong standing before David.

“May I?” He asks, and you think that this is the most regal that you’ve ever seen him.

“Be my guest,” David grins, handing the crown over to Hongjoong without a second thought.

Hongjoong’s hands are shaking, whole body trembling as he turns towards you with the crown now held in his grasp. Even Seonghwa, who stands slightly off to the side, is having a hard time keeping it together at this very moment as he supports himself with one hand on top of a display case. Both cannot help but to hold their breaths, waiting in anticipation for what is still yet to come.

Then, as if your body already knows exactly what to do, you take a knee, lowering your head as Hongjoong approaches you. Your eyes flutter shut as you feel his presence before you, your heartbeat ringing in your ears.

Ever so slowly, and with the grace of a thousand moons, Hongjoong places the crown gently upon your head.

The moment you feel its weight on you, your eyes open. In the second it takes for him to take a step away from you, you stand back to your feet, lifting your head to see all eight of them already looking towards you.

The sight of you, standing before them in a crown, nearly sends them all to their knees right then and there for the third time that day.

The first had been when you turned around in that bookstore, your condemnation of that bastard fresh in their minds as they all nearly went wild from your change in persona. The way you commanded their attention, and dealt your judgment, made them feel like a true ruler stood before them. Their Queen.

The second was when you told them you believed in them, only solidifying the fact that they are always ready and willing to do anything for you. They are so desperately in love with you, and to know that you trust them, that you believe in them, made them so unbelievably happy, their souls ascending like never before. Their confidant.

Now, they are finally able see one of their greatest desires coming to fruition before their very eyes, and none of them can deny the way that you look absolutely stunning. Words cannot even begin to describe your beauty to them right now, nor how much this moment means to them at this point in time. The love of their lives.

If they could, they would be on their knees in a heartbeat, worshipping and praising you in every and any way imaginable. After all, it’s what they’ve always wanted, and it’s what you’ve always deserved.

“You look absolutely regal.” David’s lips part in a gasp, pulling upwards into an excited smile in the next moment.

“I always knew you were a queen!” Suzy comments cheerfully, nodding her head enthusiastically.

Our Queen. Growls of approval build in their chests as they continue to take in the ethereal sight that is you before them like this.

If you don’t buy that for her right fucking now, Wooyoung begins, the sentiment being echoed by all of his brothers in this very moment, I will.

In your fucking dreams, I’m buying this for her. San retorts, his eyes swirling with that all too familiar darkness as he turns towards the younger male beside him.

As much as I agree, you guys can fight over this one, Yunho voices. I’ve already given her a crown of my own.

At this, all five males standing around him turn to glare harshly at Yunho. Were it not for the fact that they are in public right now, Mingi’s hands would already be wrapped around the elder male’s throat.

“How much is it?” Hongjoong’s voice manages to draw all of their attention back into the shop before them.

At the way your eyes widen significantly, you’re quick to take the crown off of your head and place it back onto the plush pillow on the counter.

“Don’t answer that.” You shoot a pointed look at David, shaking your head subtly as he glances at you out of the corner of his eyes.

Then, he’s making a quick zipping motion across his lips, shooting you a wink in the next moment before turning back to face Hongjoong.

“Sorry, brother,” David sighs, putting the crown back inside it’s case. “Lady’s wishes.”

The snarls you can see beginning to tug onto both Seonghwa’s and Hongjoong’s features have you reacting quickly.

“Anyways, we should get going!” You cut in, reaching over to place a hand each onto both Seonghwa’s and Hongjoong’s shoulders to turn them around and guide them out of the shop. Only, just as quickly as your touch comes, it’s gone, you reaching over to grab the velvet box with your necklace in it in the next second, shaking it slightly in your hand. “Thanks again for this, you don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“Of course!” David responds, coming around to give you a big hug once more. “Stop by anytime.”

“Come see us again, soon!” Suzy adds, scurrying around the counter to give you a hug of her own.

You chuckle. “I will, I promise.”

Waving a final goodbye to the two of them, you turn back around, noticing how the two eldest seem to be having a silent conversation with the six males outside of the shop. It’s only when you gently tap their upper backs, helping to guide them both out of the shop, do they move.

Stepping back up to the other six, you’re quick to continue making your way down the hallway once more. Only, there’s a slight nervousness to you now. They can see it clearly in the way your shoulders are tense, your hands gripping onto that velvet box for dear life.

It’s Yeosang who manages to break the sudden tension between the nine of you.

“Can I see?” His voice is soft as he falls into step beside you, eyes briefly glancing to the box held in your hands.

“Huh-“ you blink, seemingly pulled out of your thoughts as you turn to look at him gazing at you so fondly. You smile softly, “of course.”

Carefully, you open the case, slowing your pace to make sure you don’t accidentally drop the necklace now held in your hands. Again, that same twinkle in your eyes makes an appearance as you continue to gaze at it in awe, your heart racing in your chest.

“Would you like to put it on?” It’s Wooyoung who asks you, voice kind and caring as he glances between the necklace and your eyes.

You take a moment to consider his words before you nod gently in response.

Without wasting any time, Wooyoung takes the chain from your hand, undoing the clasp as he steps in behind you. He can practically feel you shiver against his touch as his fingers brush against the back of your neck, securing the necklace in place in the next moment.

He can’t help it. Wooyoung trails the tips of his fingers of his one hand along the nape of your neck and all the way to your shoulder as he steps around you to see the piece of jewellery now hanging from your neck. The way you shiver once more beneath his touch has the corner of his lips quirking upwards.

Despite the fact that it’s not something that they have gifted you, each male cannot deny how perfectly the jewel suits you. The gem gleams beneath their gaze, seemingly making you shine brighter than before. A fact which makes them swoon for a second time that day.

“Beautiful,” Mingi breathes, a gentle smile gracing his features reflected similarly on all of his brother’s faces.

Again, you avert your gaze, a heat creeping up your neck as you clear your throat. “So, how about that drink, then?”

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