#in which Goose is too observant for her own good

[ghouljams]

with cowboy!simon he will be watching you with the animals or something and he’ll start smiling and you can see his eyes scrunch up, but if someone asks he says its the sunlight in his eyes when you can literally see the outline of his smile through the mask 😭

Old ask, so here's some early days Cowboy!Ghost, when he was trying to deal with the lowkey stalker urges.

There are some things Ghost never gets used to about the farm. The quiet, the heat, and you. The way the sun catches your smile, the way you push your hair up under your hat when you get hot, the way you kick your boots against the front steps to make sure all the mud is off. Fuck you're not even doing anything but living you life and yet you're all he thinks about. His eyes track you all over the farm, he can't help it.

How is he supposed to get any work done when his thoughts are so preoccupied with you? Every time he sees you it's a new distraction. But somehow not seeing you is so much worse. It's not enough just seeing you to collect meals, he needs to see you all the time. Like an itch under his skin he can't scratch. It's infuriating. He's supposed to be working.

Instead he's slacking off, looking for you. Just for a peak, just to see you and then he'll go back to work. He finds you in the barn, and- Shit, wait. This is crazy. He has no plan, no reason to come find you, and it's not like you're not also working. He can't stop both your days for his own impulses. Can he?

He just wants to see you. That doesn't have to stop your work.

Ghost shakes his head, he's got no reason to sneak around. There's no reason for you to suspect he came looking for you, and there's a million reason he could've stopped by the barn. The heat must be melting his brain.

You don't even look up when he walks into the barn, too focused on the orphaned calf you've been taking care of. Good. Ghost heads towards the tack hooks, looking over gear and taking stock. His eyes drifting to you and the eager little cow. You laugh and talk quietly to it as it suckles from the large bottle in your hands. You're gorgeous, you glow even in the dusty sunlight.

If you ever turn that smile his way he thinks he might just marry you. It's so soft and affectionate, your hand petting the calf's back as you smile at the creature. He wonders how many animals on this farm you brought up yourself, and whether they all received that gentle affection.

He doesn't even realize he's smiling, or that he's halted any pretense of work, until you still and look up at him. You smile cooling into something friendly. The warmth of it chafes when it's turned on him, more polite than affectionate.

"He's cute right?" You ask, your voice raised just enough to carry to him.

"What?"

"The calf," You nod to your charge, "You're smiling at him."

Ghost stiffens, fixes his face under his mask. "I don't smile."

"Yeah you do, your eyes get all scrunchy," You grin, all the warmth back in your smile, as you deal your final blow, "It's charming."

"It's the sun." Ghost tells you quickly, making his way out of the barn with just as much speed. He can hear you laughing behind him, affectionate not teasing.

He hopes he never gets used to you.

#simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost x reader #cowboy!Ghost #x reader #in which Goose is too observant for her own good #and Ghost forgets he's not allowed to stare #I like to think that during the first like two weeks of Ghost working on the farm with Goose #he accidentally catches her coming out of the shower and almost has and aneurysm #he stops coming over to the main house so early and just lays in bed thinking about her #the towel and wet hair #the soft surprised expression when she bumped into him and the way both of them looked away really quickly #ehehehe

[wintertimestoryteller]

Linked Universe X Reader Fairy Tale Collection

@luimagines . Second chapter in the act before it properly picks up into the title proper which is at the end of the act, gotta have that build and set up. It's short for that purpose only plus I don't want it to drag on too much.

Fun Fact: by Medieval Logic, Theaters would exist on LoZ, just be rare.

-Just an Anon on A Stroll 🐚/ Wintertime Storyteller.

Opening Act, Scene II

As Time predicted, you've all reached the village just before midday, it was idyllic and quiet, sleepy in the simple provincial way you hardly could experience back home. It's situated in between the Era of Time and Twilight, so the geography nor the culture had changed so much that you'd need to adapt quite yet, and strangely enough it reminded you a bit of the Kakariko in Legend's time or Four's Hyrule Town, with it's mix of local markets, a bustling farm an hour of it's gates, the citizens house's modest but charming in design and surrounded by the woods, it was a breath of fresh air to any weary travelers on the road, on the edges of being a town but not quite.

There was one very notable feature, though, a strong oak tree on the center of the square which a river cut through, and further out at it's outskirts a theater standing proud and tall, with a stained glass window above it's door in a crystalline, shattered array of rainbow flowers glinting against the early afternoon sun. It was enough to make you pause from where you've been examining the prices of potions and plotting how to best haggle for it's prices (a painstakingly learned skill, but one that's served you well, you send a mental thank you to Legend). Staring trasnfixedly at it with a tilted head, squinting.

The building stood proud and tall on the edges of the village, even above the town hall. Two story and almost like it's own miniature castle, it's walls painted a solemn gray and it's rooftop and structural beams made from dark wood, it's sign was oddly aged from what you could see from the stall though. You couldn't even properly make out the Hylian in it anymore from beneath the little carved raven holding a quill, from one of the windows of the upper floors, you swore you could see two prinpicks of crimson light.Though when you've blinked they were gone, and it could easily be attributed to the shadow cast by the rooftop, a wave of unease shot through your core and your hair stood on end as the very familiar cold of goose flesh overcame you, it made you rub your own arms to try and bring the warmth of the sun back but alas, twas a futile attempt.

Something about that place rattled you to the core with just a single glance, and you didn't like it.

"Cold deary?" Inquired the old lady, snapping your attention back to her and her wares, right, red, green and blue potions were what you were here for, the last ones a rarity but you've all gathered more than enough of the ingredients in between jumps so they wouldn't be as expensive, thankfully, she simply waved off your apologies with a knowing smile, "It's quite alright, must be the storm winds. The fortune teller did say weeks in advance to prepare for it will come today, so make sure to bundle up tight, they give anyone an awful shiver this far from the plains."

"Thank you." You smiled, gratefully passing her the necessary ingredients for the blue potions as she bottled up each of the potions from her cauldron, you catch Twilight's eye from where he's stopping Epona for a drink at the river and wave him over, someone will have to tell the other's sleeping in the open is off the table today, you see Hyrule come back with a pack to him and after a short exchange, it seems Twilight directed him to you. Good, the potions look to be of almost perfect quality from what you can observe, but it's always good to have a second opinion from the main group healer, "If I my ask, is there any nearby inn here we could possibly stay in until it passes? Or maybe a tavern?"

"Oh no, unfortunately not dear. My apologies." She shakes her head at you, finishing up with the red potions and moving on to the green ones, the sinking feeling in your stomach returns as she sighs, "A tragedy happened recently you see, monsters and bandits attacked our village in these recent weeks, while we mostly came unscathed. The inn was not so lucky and took some heavy blows when the men came to defend our home, the poor healer has been besides herself with overworking to fix up the injured, poor thing."

"Excuse me ma'am, if I may interrupt?" Interjected Hyrule as he reaches your side, polite as ever as he smiles, the old woman blinks in surprise but waves him on, "Did you notice anything off about those monsters? Anything unusual at all? And where is the healer if I may? They could probably use the help and I'm not half bad with injuries."

She bites her lip in though, humming to herself, while at it you pass one of the potions to Hyrule to observe, gotta make sure you weren't ripped off after all, "Well... There was an unusual amount of Wolfos and Stalfos for one, Wizzrobes too among the moblins, when the armored bandits were cut by our men. They bled black, like ink you see. The Wizzrobes were the ones to set the inn on fire, riding on beings with the head of a feline, body of a man and a horse's bottom." She sighs, moving onto the green potions, before smiling at Hyrule, "Almost though I'd die on the spot from fright, thankfully my granddaughter managed to grab me away to shelter. In any case, aren't you a nice young lad? Thank you for offering dear, but they should be fine, my granddaughter occasionally helps the healer in between her job at the tailor's. So they should be alright, you and your friends have bigger things to worry about than our woes as you seem like a burdened lot." She laughs, head raised high as she turns back, "If we all survived for so long, we aren't about to start lagging now! So don't trouble yourselves eh?"

You and Hyrule trade a look, your lips twitch at the light flush he gets from the old lady's words (because frankly they weren't wrong) before the good humor is tempered, Lynels weren't around in either Time's or Twilight's eras and between that and the black blood, you'd bet your trusty dagger that the Shadow was behind it, but why here? Why the inn? Hyrule coughs, "W-well, I wouldn't say it would be a trouble... If I can help-"

"Nonsense dear, really. It's quite alright." She sent him a stern look, shaking the ladle at him and making the Traveler rear back a bit, you chuckle, patting his head.

"It's alright 'Rulie, we should probably take her word for it before you get brained. Plus you need to rest a bit anyway." The road seemed to get more arduous as time went on and unfortunately, that meant more injuries, pushing Hyrule when he already did so much for you all would just be cruel. He deserves a break. "Is there anywhere else we can stay to wait out the storm, then?"

"Oh yes, you're quite in luck actually. You see the theater?" She nodded to it, you have been trying very hard not to think about it actually, you though to yourself, tensing up a bit, Hyrule looked over at the building with a blink before looking over at you with a small, worried frown, "The director is a very kind person, they're willing to offer shelter and food to any travelers and performers free of charge. I'm sure if you've talked you could work something out, their theater is the pride and joy of our little village, and quite cozy too backstage."

This all feels... Too convenient, or too suspicious, but hearing the distant rumble of thunder and spotting the circle of clouds in the sky, you soldier on and send a reassuring smile to Hyrule, no matter how uncomfortable the view of that place made you, you refused to let your companions sleep in the rain when it's the clearest option available, you then nod to the old lady, "I see, where can we find them?"

"Usually it would be in the theater, but it's closed today to give the actors some time for rest, so your best bet is beneath the square's tree. They like to sit there and tell stories to the village's children or anyone who'll listen until the moon is high in the sky." Chuckles the old lady, smiling merrily. It makes a part of you uncoil a bit, maybe you're just being paranoid, anyone willing to take the free time out of their day just to entertain kids can't be too bad right? (... Right? Though you've all been proven wrong before), So you nod and turn to Hyrule, handing him the rupee pouch with the payment for the potions, "Thank you then ma'am, can you handle it here, then find Time and tell him about this, Rulie? If he doesn't already know what's going on that is and if it isn't any trouble."

He shakes his head, taking it from you before placing his hand on your shoulder, leaning away from the old lady to talk quietly into your ear, "No problem at all, but will you be okay? You looked shaken back there. If anything we can just wait until the others are done."

You smile, gently squeezing his hand back, "I'll be alright, it was just something that was nagging at me. It's better if one of us try catching them now to talk or else we might miss them entirely before the storm starts and you're better with medicinal items, so let me handle it while you finish up here, okay?" He still doesn't look convinced, "Tell you what, if I run into one of the others. I'll ask them to accompany me, deal? We'll meet by the bridge anyway, so it will save time."

He still looks reluctant, worried in that way you knew Hyrule could get in the way he always made sure to round the members of the group up after battles to heal all of their wounds, in the way you, Legend, Time and Wild practically had to pin him down so he could take a break and let others handle it himself, remember him that he didn't need to keep pushing until he broke and had to rebuild himself from scratch like the kingdom he was named after, before nodding, albeit giving you a stern look and poke to the shoulder, "Alright, but you better be careful you hear? Healer's orders, everyone's well being is important in all ways."

You giggle, saluting, before nodding to the old lady an heading off with a wink, "Sir yes sir!"

Passing through the stalls, you spot Legend and Four at the blacksmith's, Wild and Twilight talking shop with the owners of spice and vegetable stalls, Calamity at their side a silent but observant shadow, eager to learn even if he wasn't the best cook, waving to them (and studiously pretending you didn't notice the sharpening of Twilight's eyes and the traded look with Wild, their instincts unparalled when someone they considered part of their makeshift pack wasn't at their best, you prayed to Farore they wouldn't worry much for a repeat of the Hateno Camp Incident was not something you wanted), soon you cross the bridge and reach the village square, following the sound of a strong and animated voice you presumably find the director.

They looked over all common, at a glance, almost bewilderingly so given the world you've been taken to. With long salt and pepper hair, black rimmed glasses, open dark and light gray coat over a black vest and trousers, they'd could pass by as a citizen in Warriors' castle town, the one notable feature was the blood red gem round their throat in a crimson ribbon and a similar crystalline, feather like ornament on their hair, they made animated gestures as they spoke to the small crowd of enraptured children, oddly enough their coat sleeves reminded you of sweeping wings, flapping this way and that as they made dramatic gestures.

"-The mirror shattered, and the hero could finally, truly, see himself again, returned to his true form and able to see his beloved once more after so long. Held in the arms of the witch at last, they walked hand in hand, towards freedom, towards a new sunset, the end." Concluded the narrator, chuckling themselves at the clapping and slight snickering from the children, they bow theatrically and clap their hands together three times, before winking, shrugging as they turned away, "Of course, that's not the end of their story or of their many many misadventures. Though I doubt any of you little rascals would like to listen..."

"Tell us another one! Tell us another one, Storyteller! No fair! You can't leave it at that" Cried out a little boy from the crowd, making the director laugh before their eyes set on you once they spin on their heel, even with such friendly visage, you can't help the slightly chill of discomfort on your skin before they look at the sky quickly turning cloudy, patting the boy's head after crouching to his side, they wink, "Tell you what, once the storm passes. You all come to the theater, and I'll put in a proper show for you lot, alright? Now scram! Shoo! Your parents must be worried about you little gremlins by now." They shooed them off, to the children's many protests,n qa before leaning against the tree with a smile, "Couldn't help but notice you there, let me guess, have business with little old me? Seems like an awful lot of new faces do, recently."

You take a deep, deep breath, steel yourself with the knowledge that you're all in a very public square, some of the children are watching curiously still and should anything happen, that you can see Wind, Spirit and Wars on your left just exiting the general shop with supplies, any of your friends would have your back should your bad feeling be true, "Yes, hello there, apologies for cutting in, it sounded like they were having fun." That much was true, children loved stories, so making them wait to hear more when they were so clearly exited was a small stab of guilt, the director only laughs, waving you off.

"Oh none of that, they get me almost everyday in the theater and out of it. So I can spare the time to talk to strangers." They offer you a low bow, "The name's Raven, everyone calls me that, now! What do you need?"

"Me and my companions were just passing by, but as you can guess, plans got a bit derailed."

"The storm, yes, plus the monster reports I'm guessing." They tilted their chin to the west, and once you looked over a cringe runs through you, the inn really was reduced to rubble... It reminded you of some of the ruins in Wild's time, for a second there. Yikes, the Shadow definitely did a number in it in compensation for not getting to the rest of the village.

"Precisely, we heard from the potion maker that you offered lodging and meals for travelers temporarily as a result."

"For a price, you'd be correct." They added, smiling and chuckling at your expression, "Oh no need to make that face, that's just how the world works. Though I'm not interested in money, stash whatever is going through your head back in the chest of your mind and slam the lid shut!"

You breathe a sigh of relief, so the old lady wasn't lying after all, though it makes that niggling feeling of unease rise up again, "I see, but then what-"

They raise an eyebrow at you, "Isn't it obvious?" They sigh, shaking their head with a disappointed tsk, "I'm a storyteller at heart you know. Even above my love for theater, is my love for stories, you can stay the night as long as you all stick around to listen to thirteen of my tales to completion as they are performed on our humble stage."

... You blink, "...That's it? That's all you want?"

The person crosses their arms in front of their chest with a hmph, chin raised, it makes the blood red gem on their neck all the more obvious and for some reason, compels you to look away, "I'm half offended that you said 'that's it' of all things, but I'll let it slide. Yes that is indeed all I want." They smile, it's a small, eager thing, they look to almost bound into place with excitement, and the sight made you smile, "Me and the troupe rarely get to perform for new people anymore, you know? The village is small and we rarely get any travelers nowadays. At best we are a pitstop unless something like this happens, can you blame me for wanting to capitalize on it? Boredom is as lethal as a sword to the head and heart I say!"

You giggle with an agreeing nod, "You're not wrong... But are you sure?"

"As a traveler on the road you and your companions would know best I wager, consider this a break for you all and a gift for me. I'm as sure as the sky is blue and the grass is green." They nod, before looking over your shoulder, smiling in amusement at something, before turning to you, "Your friend with the wolf pelt is looking this way, so how about this: You gather all of them and decide what to do, after that, you can all come to me before the storm starts with your choice, my doors shall be open for you."

"Thank you." You nod, before turning on your heel, true to form. Twilight was waving you over, Hyrule by his side and Time on the other, seems he already told them of the circumstances. Your wariness forgotten, you keep an eye on the sky and go forth to discuss the possibility with time.

You miss how the director smiles, teeth a bit too sharp, before they turn towards the theater, their shadow shifts just so, and a black cat comes to join their steps as they pull out a black book and the quill from their head. "Not at all dear, if anything... Thank you."

The clouds seemed to get darker as they wrote and murmured to themselves, a dense layer where there once was a sunny day. And had anyone looked too closely, they'd notice that with the sharp snap of the book closing, came the roar of thunder and the howling of winds.

Opening Act, End Scene II

#linked universe #linked universe x reader #linked universe au #lu x reader #lu chain #because tagging every one would be disorganized inaccurate and messy xD #the director's name is simultaneously a pun and a reference #the story they're telling is made up but it does it's job for now. #they won't appear much after the opening act as most of it will be from the perspective of the boys and reader's #lu hyrule #Twilight Wild and everyone else from last chapter is here too but they don't do much yet.

[pearlsoflongago]

Of Plum Pudding and Other Pleasures

Flour of England, Fruit of Spain Met together In a shower of rain, Put in a bag Tied round with a string; If you tell me this riddle I’ll give you a ring.

—traditional English riddle

Mrs. Cratchit’s Christmas Pudding

But now, the plates being changed by Miss Belinda, Mrs. Cratchit left the room alone—too nervous to bear witnesses—to take the pudding up and bring it in.

Suppose it should not be done enough! Suppose it should break in turning out! Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goose—a supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid! All sorts of horrors were supposed.

Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that! That was the pudding! In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered—flushed, but smiling proudly—with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

—from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

An Old Christmas Fire

On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard, in spite of all the noise of the others. Charles and Mary also came in, of course, during their visit, and Mr Musgrove made a point of paying his respects to Lady Russell, and sat down close to her for ten minutes, talking with a very raised voice, but from the clamour of the children on his knees, generally in vain. It was a fine family-piece.

Anne, judging from her own temperament, would have deemed such a domestic hurricane a bad restorative of the nerves, which Louisa’s illness must have so greatly shaken. But Mrs Musgrove, who got Anne near her on purpose to thank her most cordially, again and again, for all her attentions to them, concluded a short recapitulation of what she had suffered herself by observing, with a happy glance round the room, that after all she had gone through, nothing was so likely to do her good as a little quiet cheerfulness at home.

—from Persuasion by Jane Austen

Brown Bread Recipe

One cup of sweet milk, One cup of sour, One cup of cornmeal, One cup of flour, Teaspoon of soda, Molasses one cup, Steam for three hours, Then eat it all up.

—traditional American

Winter

A wrinkled crabbed man they picture thee, Old Winter, with a rugged beard as grey As the long moss upon the apple-tree; Blue-lipt, an icedrop at thy sharp blue nose, Close muffled up, and on thy dreary way Plodding alone through sleet and drifting snows. They should have drawn thee by the high-heapt hearth, Old Winter! seated in thy great armed chair, Watching the children at their Christmas mirth; Or circled by them as thy lips declare Some merry jest, or tale of murder dire, Or troubled spirit that disturbs the night, Pausing at times to rouse the mouldering fire, Or taste the old October brown and bright.

—Robert Southey

#art #literature #old masters #poetry #dickens #christmas #still life #anthology #winter poetry #charles dickens #dickens december #books & libraries #culture

[bippot]

Summary: When the new government issued 11th Street Kid arrives, the team soon finds out why Waller picked her. They don't really know how Adrian pissed off their boss so much, but he sure isn't happy with their new colleague.

Additional Tags: Manipulation, Past Relationship(s), Co-workers, Angst, Secrets, Canon-Typical Violence, Broken Engagement, Double Agents, Emotional Hurt, Betrayal, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Family Drama

Music Recommendation: I Knew You When by Marianas Trench

Peacemaker, Adrian Chase Masterlist - here

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Chapter 1

Economos, Peacemaker and Vigilante were too male. Harcourt too thin. Leota too curvy. So, that left Y/N. It was literally her job description. Why would've it been anyone else?

Henry Blaghart was rich enough that the butterflies had been after him for a while. He'd also always been a sucker for a pretty woman who'd go along with his every whim without complaint. After hearing through the rumour mill that he was the next target to be 'flied', the squad soon found out everything about him.

There was a fancy bar that he frequented every Friday night and that's when they would strike.

"Ade, can you zip me up please?" Y/N asked as she managed to catch him as he passed the room where she was getting changed into her dress.

"Still looks so good on you."

His fingers found the zipper of the only fancy enough dress she owned - the green one he'd bought her when they were younger - and slowly tugged it up.

The fabric felt so smooth against her skin as his rough fingers brushed against hers, making goose bumps form. He grinned mischievously as he caught her eye in the mirror before them and leaned down to press his lips to the bare skin of her shoulder.

"I'm surprised it still fits," she breathed, pinching at her tummy self consciously, as he started to stroke circles on her hips. "I've put on a few pounds since the last time I wore it."

"That only means there's more of you to love."

With that, he continued to brush the pads of his fingertips against her curves as he nuzzled his face in her hair, taking in her fragrance once more. It took all of her willpower not to melt under his attention. And if she let her mind wander a little farther than usual, well, they would never get this mission completed, would they?

Their eyes met in the mirror and she gave him a soft smile, letting his actions and words wash over her like a wave, washing away any worries she might have. He grinned back sweetly, pressing a light kiss against her cheek before turning to face the door.

"Alright. Let's go kill this guy," he mumbled, walking towards the door.

"We're not killing him yet."

"I hope Harcourt knows that if he touches you in a way you're not comfortable with, I'll shoot his dick off."

Y/N burst out laughing as she followed him out of the room and closed the door behind her. She shook her head fondly at him, grinning as he linked her arm with his. They walked side by side in silence, their hearts heavy but somehow filled with determination.

If he was forced to observe her flirt with another guy, Adrian made it his personal mission to have her attention until they had to part ways. If they were going to do their job, he had to wait in the wings whilst she performed, and if she needed him, he would step in to execute the target in a covert and calm manner. For her safety.

Because he didn't want anything to happen to her because of some dumb, racist (probably) sexist asshole who was only involved in this shit since he was born rich.

"Your tie is wonky." Her hands came up to fix it for him, but soon realised that he'd managed to do it completely wrong yet, somehow, it looked fine from the outside. She undid it and re-tied it properly before she glanced up, catching sight of the smirk that curved his lips. "You look very handsome tonight."

Decked out in the only suit he owned - which, sadly, was the one he'd originally bought for their wedding - Adrian looked suave and debonair. His hair had been nearly styled into an elegant and sophisticated style and his deep green eyes shone brightly against his pale complexion. He had the most dazzling grin that made Y/N swoon internally whenever she thought about him.

"Not half as good as you, angel."

"Nonsense. Maybe ol' Henry will take one look at this absolute stud and realise he'd like to try sodomy."

He laughed as she wrapped her arm around his waist, playfully nudging his side as she spoke. A flicker of annoyance flashed through his eyes, but it disappeared as he smiled down at her in adoration. The rest of the drive to the bar was taken in companionable silence, the car ride punctuated only by music that played faintly through the speakers.

Neither wanted it to end. But, alas, they had a job to do. Y/N was quick to exit the vehicle, bidding her partner goodbye with a smile as he watched her walk away before following after a considerable enough gap. The night air nipped at the skin of his cheeks as he made his way inside, his eyes scanning the crowd eagerly for any sign of Blaghart.

Y/N was at the bar waiting patiently for their target to order a drink, her hands resting lightly on the cool surface. When she saw him appear from the direction of the dance floor, she gave him a faux coy glance over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the bartender, her eyes glued to her drink.

A couple of moments later she heard him approach her, sitting in the bar stool beside her with a loud thud as he rested his arms on the table. He gazed up at her through half lidded eyes, a cocky grin playing upon his lips.

"What are you drinking, doll?"

She smirked and leaned forward, whispering to him in a husky tone, "Whatever you buy me."

"Oh, that's bold."

She shrugged, reaching forward to grab her glass and holding it close to her lips. Her eyes met his as she tipped the glass and took a sip, feeling the alcohol coat her tongue as it slid across her bottom lip. When she looked back up at him, Blaghart's eyes were locked firmly onto her mouth and she couldn't help but smirk wider at how blatantly lustful they appeared.

The thing about seduction is that you have to alter the approach depending on the target. Someone like Adrian would need to be eased over time to appease him because he was hard to know, hard to categorise. It would take a while to gain his affection truly. Lust was fleeting for him, yet often entirely superficial. Deep down, he sought companionship.

A target like Henry Blaghart was entirely non-committal. He wanted the prettiest toy he could find in his life but no further than that. He would fall prey to any girl in an instant, especially since Y/N already possessed the best attributes to lure someone into becoming entranced by her - a willingness to say what they wanted to hear.

"Are you gonna order something?" She asked him as the corners of her lips turned upwards ever so slightly into the faintest of smiles.

Henry hummed thoughtfully as he tapped the edge of the counter, "Let's see..." He pulled out his wallet and dug through it for a moment before he settled on a card and slid it towards the bartender. "Get us two bottles of whatever's strongest that you've got here."

"On it."

As soon as he heard the sound of the cash register chime, Y/N turned to meet his gaze again and raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to impress me...sir?" she questioned him teasingly.

"Is it working?"

"It is now."

Adrian watched from the sidelines with his jaw clenched tightly, his chest tightening when Blaghart suddenly leaned forward to whisper something to Y/N, who giggled in response. He could feel the blood running through him like fire as he tried to keep himself from throttling the target right there and then. Instead, Adrian narrowed his eyes as he stared back at the man with pure hatred radiating from each pore on his skin.

How quickly she guided Henry to suggest they should go to his hotel room was a testament of how good Y/N was at her job. Less than twenty minutes of flirting was all it took for the pair to get up off their barstools and make their way out into the hotel next door. As she stood, Y/N subtly caught Adrian's eye and gave him a wink to show that everything was going according to plan, before slipping out of the room in pursuit of Henry.

He was sticking to the shadows when following the pair, giving Harcourt updates through comms when needed.

Once they made it to Henry's room, Y/N waited until the door was fully closed behind her before she reached into her bra and retrieved the nanosecond electrical pulse device (which is basically an optimised taser but Economos hated when someone called his invention that). While Henry had his back turned, Y/N jabbed the device against his neck and he fell unconscious in the blink of an eye.

"Target is unconscious. Vigilante can enter now."

"Outside the door, Angel."

Y/N opened the door, put on the gloves Vigilante handed her from his jacket pocket and the pair hoisted the unconscious dude onto the bed before they ransacked his belongings in search of any information possible about the butterflies. They found a folder which contained some documents and maps that told them exactly where they were going to relocate the water buffalo that they'd managed to 'fly' after the previous mission was cut short.

"Please let me put a bullet in his head."

"Siren, under no circumstances should Vigilante shoot the target," Harcourt warned sternly. "This is too important to jeopardise."

"Please, baby."

"No. We've got the documents, let's go."

She gently pushed Vigilante towards the door, but as soon as he went to turn the handle, there was someone standing directly on the other side of the wood. Fuck, they had to come up with a distraction.

"Oh fuck, Henry!" Y/N moaned loudly, making a show of doing the most pornographic noise she could make. "Right there, baby!"

"What are you doing?"

"Just go with it."

So, he did. Two grown adults were making sex noises at each other, both of them getting whinier as time went on. The man outside the door got the memo that whoever was inside clearly needed some privacy and they no longer could see the soles of his shoes at the bottom of the door.

"Thank god for that."

"Is it weird that I'm hard?"

"Do we need to wait a minute for you to calm down?"

Unknowingly, their little performance had caused the once unconscious man on the floor to not be that anymore. He was awake and managed to swipe the taser from Y/N before she even had a chance to face him. His hand swiftly grabbed her wrist and tugged it so he'd have the perfect line of sight on her neck, zapping her and letting her body fall without a second thought.

Vigilante rushed to catch her once he'd snapped out of his boner daze, placing her gently on the ground before he dealt with her attacker. "That was a big mistake, dummy," he taunted as he approached Henry, glaring daggers at him. Usually, his menacing stare was covered by his visor, but today, this victim was going to see every movement on Adrian's face as he killed him.

The man didn't answer, instead opting to stand his ground, his eyes locked on Vigilante in defiance. "My name is Adrian, by the way... actually, I'm better known as Vigilante so that's probably more appropriate in this situation," he introduced himself with faux politeness, his voice dripping with venom.

"V-Vigilante?" the man stammered, staring wide eyed as he realised how deep of shit he was in. Adrian smiled, enjoying watching the fear grow within the stranger's eyes as he slowly backed away, trying to flee the scene in hopes of being successful, only for Vigilante to reach forward and wrap his fingers around his throat just before he got out of Adrian's threatened area. The guy gasped for air and clutched at his throat, trying to pull free but to no avail.

Adrian continued to chuckle darkly as he squeezed his grip tighter around Henry's neck, watching him struggle to breathe. "Knife, taser or choking, how would you like to die?" he mocked. "Any preference?"

Henry couldn't answer. His hands had moved to claw uselessly at Adrian's wrists, trying desperately to pull his hands away from his windpipe. His feet scrambled against the carpeted floor trying to locate something to use to defend himself but found nothing. He had nowhere to run to and he was utterly terrified and completely unable to speak a single word.

It seemed as if Adrian was forced to choose for himself. He was in a choking mood; his mind was set on killing the man, and he wasn't about to be denied his satisfaction. With rough squeezes of his hand, Adrian made sure Henry Blaghart could never be the butterfly's puppet anymore.

As soon as that horrid business was done, Adrian rushed to take Y/N into his arms and get the fuck out of there with all the documents.

Now, carrying an unconscious woman out of a hotel looks sketchy and suspicious, but tried to look as nonchalant as possible when they emerged from the elevator into the lobby. He held her tightly as they headed for the doors, ignoring the stares of people as they passed them.

Honestly, if he wasn't stopped, his faith in people would drop even more.

Unluckily for them (but luckily for society), the bouncer at the door held out their hand, palm up for Adrian to stop walking. He did as he wanted him to.

"My wife has had far too many drinks," Adrian lied, keeping a straight face but his voice got significantly higher pitched as he said the word 'wife'.

The guard narrowed his eyes at the couple. "Your wife?" he repeated sceptically, looking down at the woman being carried bridal style.

"Ma wife."

"Was that a Borat reference?"

"Yes it was, sir."

At that moment, Y/N began to come to. She groaned softly as she woke up to a very soft pillow beneath her. Opening one of her eyes to check what was happening around her, and even in her dazed state, Y/N could tell that she needed to play her part.

With a yawn, Y/N rubbed her eye lazily with the palm of her hand, cooing, "Hey, baby. We going home?" Adrian looked down at Y/N, nodding and smiling warmly at her, before turning his attention back to the guard, who still eyed the pair suspiciously for another second before he shrugged his shoulders in acceptance and allowed them to pass.

Once they were safely out of the hotel, Adrian took the opportunity to put her down on her feet. "Can you walk?" He asked, concerned as she blinked up at him.

"Just give me a few moments to regain my bearings."

Adrian nodded in agreement and helped Y/N to lean against the building wall beside her for support, holding her up as if she weighed less than a feather. After taking a couple of shaky breaths, the two of them were ready to get the fuck back to HQ and report to Harcourt.

"How many times did we tell you not to kill the target?" Harcourt yelled when he saw Y/N and Adrian walking through the front door of the headquarters.

"You killed Blaghart?" Y/N asked Adrian before turning her attention back to Harcourt.

"He saw our faces."

Harcourt sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "Also, why did you go fucking radio silent as soon as you found the documents?" she added, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance.

"Siren was unconscious and we needed to look as normal as possible when leaving. Talking to myself and carrying a sleeping woman out of a hotel isn't a good combo, boss lady."

He had a point. But now that the danger was over and everything was fine again, Harcourt couldn't really blame Adrian for reacting in such a way. So, instead of yelling at him, she simply shook her head in defeat.

The documents were handed over and the pair were sent home. The mission was mostly a success, so Y/N nudged Adrian and offered, "I was planning on buying a bottle of wine to drink and watch Will Ferrel movies till I pass out, want to join me?"

"As long as I get a whole bottle to myself."

"Looks like I'm buying two bottles then."

"Are you supposed to drink alcohol after being tasered?"

"Probably not."

Y/N winked at him before she started off towards the liquor store. A small smirk appeared on Adrian's lips as he followed her, his heart warming as he caught a glimpse of her in the dim light of the streetlamps, swaying her hips and swinging her hands as she walked, all signs of worry and stress gone from her face.

They were back in her cold hotel room and opening two large bottles of cheap wine whilst laughing loudly at Stepbrothers in no time flat. Now that was like old times.

Half a bottle in and Adrian couldn't help but tuck his head against her shoulder and wrap his arm around her waist. Y/N leaned her cheek atop his head as she ran her fingers through his hair in slow, soothing strokes. It felt nice to forget for a brief moment everything else surrounding them...

Until the phone rang. Y/N jumped at the sudden noise as she pulled away from Adrian, looking frantically in search of her phone. Her fingers finally grasped onto her phone and she saw the caller ID. "I, uh, I'll just be a second-" she said hastily, hurrying into the bathroom before he'd even had a chance to respond.

Yet, she hadn't managed to close the door quick enough and he heard as she greeted, "Hey mush. How are you doing, baby?"

His eyes widened before narrowing dangerously at the sound of her words. Who was this person? Questions raced around his head as he watched the bathroom door click shut and tried to work out exactly what that meant. Was she talking to some other guy?

All Adrian could do was listen.

"I know, I know. I've got a surprise for you. It will arrive on Monday." The person on the other line spoke for a bit. "Well, telling you would ruin it, wouldn't it?"

Adrian slid off the bed and creeped closer to eavesdrop further. This new conversation intrigued him. He wanted to know who she was talking to and who this mystery person was. He felt a little uneasy with how friendly they sounded.

Maybe it was another guy...

"No, I refuse. No hints. I want it to be a total surprise. You have to trust me, mush," she laughed, sounding so happy.

Another pause followed, causing Adrian to tense in anticipation as he waited to hear more.

"I love you, baby."

Just like that, his heart broke in two again.

"This is where you say it back, you know."

Oh no...he thought in utter shock as the realisation struck him like a brick. She loves this person...and they're not him. What kind of twisted game was this woman playing? She didn't love him. Not any more at least. Not like she used to.

Someone had taken his place. Someone had taken his love away from him. Again.

Suddenly, without warning, the bathroom door swung open suddenly. Adrian jumped as Y/N stepped through, a shocked expression plastered on her face as she almost walked straight into his chest. For a moment, neither one dared move or breathe.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He didn't bother hiding his disdain, his eyes staring daggers at the girl who had once loved him.

The hurt that crossed her features almost tore him apart. Almost. A bitter smile curled on Y/N's lips as she raised an eyebrow at him, challenging his glare. His gaze dropped to her lips for a split second and he just went for it, crashing his lips onto hers. He tasted bitterness and something sweet at the same time, and he immediately became distracted by the feeling of Y/N pressing herself to him with a sigh, her hands moving to hold his cheeks as she kissed him back fiercely.

It felt different, though. Before, there had been heat and passion, but now there was something completely different. There was hate there.

Pulling back, he trapped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and forced her to look into his eyes. She refused to meet his gaze, however, only letting out a small whimper when he pressed harder against her jaw.

"Gonna tell your boyfriend about how you've been leading me on for the past couple of months?" he sneered.

Boyfriend? Well, that was easier than the truth. She could work with that.

"I wasn't planning to."

It wasn't a lie. Why did it feel like one?

A frown etched itself onto his forehead, making him furrow his brows even more tightly together. The silence that followed gave Adrian ample time to search her face once again, looking for any trace of a lie in her eyes, yet finding none.

"Tell me that you still love me," he demanded, his voice coming out hoarse as his emotions overwhelmed him, and he began to panic slightly when he realised that she didn't seem to have his best interests at heart anymore.

Forcing the corners of her mouth into a wicked smile, Y/N slowly removed his hands from her with ease - he could easily overpower her, yet he didn't even try - and cradled his face in her hands to lean in for a kiss. Like always, he was at her mercy. Like always, she knew exactly what buttons to press.

Getting closer to his ear, she whispered, "I mean this with one hundred percent certainty, I wish I had never met you," and pulled away as soon as her sentence was over. Adrian stared at her in horror, his lips trembling slightly as he attempted to form a single coherent word, his mind struggling to make sense of the situation.

The tears that pricked the corner of his eyes threatened to spill over as Y/N leant back against the headboard and grabbed her bottle, taking a long swig of the amber liquid inside as if it could cure the pain that was currently radiating through her entire body. She hated having to say those things to him.

"You...you don't mean that. You love me..." he croaked, barely able to form complete sentences. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to convince himself otherwise.

It took everything in her to retort, "Why'd I leave you then?"

And before Adrian even knew what hit him, his cheeks were wet. Hot angry tears fell down his face, burning his skin as they dripped down. His throat tightened, closing up his airways for a few seconds before he let out a sob as he wrapped his arm protectively around himself.

"I don't fucking know why you left!" he screamed in frustration, tears blurring his vision. Everything was starting to fall apart again. He had just come to terms with her being back, but now that he was finally starting to accept it, reality was beginning to sink in once again.

He was still stuck in a world of darkness; nothing could change and he might as well accept the fact that he was destined to be alone forever. Even if he did have Y/N back in his life, it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"Why'd you give me up, huh?!" he continued, ignoring the way he was shaking, and instead raising his voice and slamming his fists down on the mattress. "I never stopped loving you! Every day, every night, every hour, every second, I love you...and you just..."

Y/N gulped down the contents of her bottle as silence enveloped them once again. They stared at each other, unable to speak because all that was left to fill the space between them was the deafening silence. Neither had anything to add to this, both too lost for words. Both were too scared to admit it. But the fear had already won out.

And with that loss came another wave of anguish as Y/N remembered that there was no longer any hope. Nothing would ever go back to the way they used to be. Nothing would ever be the same. And yet, despite the painful ache within her chest, she once again forced a smile onto her face.

Pitifully, he got to his knees by the side of the bed and reached a hand towards her, hoping that, somehow, he could persuade her to open up to him. To talk to him. Just to see if she still loved him, to find any hint of a spark that still resided inside her heart. Maybe then she'd be willing to come home.

"Baby please...please tell me you love me." He begged quietly, desperately reaching forward with one shaking finger, hoping it would be enough to prove to her that he really was worth her affection.

Y/N blinked in shock as she gazed into his sad eyes, her lips pursing into a thin line. It was true. Her heart still belonged to him. However, she pushed all that down.

"I can't."

Adrian's hand instantly fell back to his lap with a thud and he let out another heavy sob before bolting out of the room. The door slammed behind him and Y/N finally broke. With a loud cry, she buried her face into her pillow, pulling the covers up over herself, blocking out the rest of the world, including the tears streaming down her face, staining the white cloth underneath her.

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Weekly, Adrian made sure to visit Chris' house. When Peacemaker was in prison, he still did it. Saturday. 12pm. One sweep around the perimeter before a swift knock on the door.

And, it was his time to check up on his buddy.

Y/N knew that too and made sure she arrived at Peacemaker's at 11.40 am. She ubered so it wasn't obvious that she was there and roughly knocked on the door. When Chris opened the door, his bright smile immediately faded, morphing into a worried frown as he took in the sight of her.

"Got booze in there, pissmaker?"

She didn't wait for his response and walked inside quickly before Chris could protest. The door shut closed behind her and she heard Chris curse loudly as he followed her.

Chris frowned once more and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's midday," he pointed out as they stood in the kitchen area.

"That's never stopped you before."

He snorted. "Well that's true."

Silence settled over them. Y/N leaned casually against the counter top and watched Chris walk slowly towards the fridge, rummaging through it until he found two beers. He opened them and handed one over to her, eyeing her sceptically as she took a sip.

"You know, Chris, I want to thank you," she started suddenly, turning to glance at him. His lips twitched upwards but he didn't reply. He simply tilted his head curiously waiting for her to continue. "Did you know that you're part of the moment I realised I had more than friendly feelings for Adrian?"

His expression softened, though he couldn't help the amused smirk appearing on his face. "Oh yeah?"

The corners of Y/N's lips turned downwards into a frown. "Remember our prom?"

Why would he remember their prom?

Well, because he'd ruined it.

Adrian had been so excited to have one night where he wasn't Adrian Chase: the nerd. He was the guy who finally got a girl to go to a school dance with him, and to make it even better, he got the girl he'd been drooling over since he'd met her to go with him.

So, he was all dressed up in his fancy clothes. His father had helped him pick out a suit that was so nice and made his confidence had a little spike, which was a rare thing at that time of his life. And his mother had guided him on what flower Y/N would like. He was on cloud fucking nine and, as he parked up on Y/N's driveway, he thought nothing could dampen his mood.

Then Gut and Chris ruined it like they always did. Adrian's mix of bad eyesight and focus on meeting Y/N's father completely blindsided whilst walking up to her door as he was shot with paintballs. His lovely suit was splattered in an array of colours before he'd even registered what had happened.

Plus, they had shot him at a close enough range that he'd definitely have deep purple bruises appearing across his skin in no time.

"Your face, dude!" Chris teased, pointing a thick finger straight at Adrian's cheek, not trying to hold back a laugh.

"Good luck with your date, loser," Gut joined in with a mocking grin on his face, and he slapped Adrian on the back.

When he reached back, Gut's hand was covered in paint, so to make it even more difficult to get out, he rubbed his hand all through Adrian's hair.

All the noise had alerted Y/N and she opened her front door wide. Her eyes widened as they fell on Adrian's dishevelled form, her mouth agape as she gaped at him in disbelief.

As she saw Chris out of the corner of her eye, she called back inside, "Dad, get the gun: the White Dragon's son is on the driveway!" and smiled as Chris and Gut ran away.

Her eyes softened. "Let's get you cleaned up, mush," she cooed gently, taking a hold of his hand to lead him inside.

Mrs L/N immediately rushed up with a thousand and one questions for Adrian, but Y/N quelled them by asking, "Mom, do we have some spare clothes?" The woman nodded before rushing off to fetch something while Y/N led Adrian to the bathroom.

"They came out of the bushes," Adrian mumbled as he sat on the edge of the bathtub and peeled off his jacket and shirt, tossing it carelessly over the toilet seat. He was starting to feel nauseous just looking at himself.

Gut was right. He was a loser.

Y/N could see the self doubt forming in Adrian's eyes, and she sighed softly, making her way over to him and kneeling between his legs.

Without saying a word, she began untying his shoelaces and removed his shoes as she went along. Adrian didn't say anything as he watched her, allowing her to take control of his clothes and actions. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he felt in those clothes.

After undoing his tie, she pulled the buttons undone and left him in his undershirt. "Prom wasn't our scene anyway," she said simply as she grabbed a washcloth and started running it under warm water to wipe away any paint from his face and glasses.

Not so subtly, he glanced down at his hands as she continued wiping at his face. They were shaking slightly. He tried to suppress his nerves. And, like usual, she noticed. Her non-dominant hand conjoined with one of his as she continued cleaning his face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly as he looked down at their hands. His breathing was coming out heavily. He tried to calm his heart rate, hoping she wouldn't see how much it had thrown him.

"No need to apologise. You don't have anything to be sorry about," she replied, standing and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Wasn't your fault. Far from it."

Slowly, Y/N assessed his hair; his curls were tangled and messy, his dark brown hair sticking everywhere and globbed together with clumpy paint. "Should wash away, I think. I'll bring you a towel and some dry clothes, okay?"

With that, she got up and moved out of the bathroom. A few moments passed and Adrian stared blankly at her bathroom wall. His gaze eventually travelled to his hands, now resting limply on his lap.

How pathetic.

"Hey there, handsome." He jolted as he saw Y/N's familiar smile appear next to his head. She held a pair of grey sweatpants, a plain black t-shirt and a towel in her hand, smiling kindly at him as she handed them over. "Here. Take a shower."

A shower sounded good. It sounded better than sitting around feeling awkward in a ruined tux. As soon as his head hit the cool, soothing spray, he felt some tension leave his shoulders and he let out a soft sigh. He needed this. He stayed in the shower for longer than necessary and when he dried himself off, he noticed all the bruises once he looked into the mirror.

His lip trembled slightly as he looked at his battered reflection, a look of pain crossing his features. What a horrible night he'd had. All because...?

Gut and his friend didn't want him to have one fun night? Why would they do that? Was it really such a big deal? Or were they trying to humiliate him or push him into freaking out? Or maybe they wanted him to cry? He sighed again as he looked into his own tired eyes and brushed back his wet, unruly curls as he thought about the fact that he would never, ever have a chance with her now.

Not after this, that is.

There was no point in him trying.

Not anymore.

"You changed, mush?" Y/N called out from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Just a moment."

For some reason, he took that as his cue to scramble his clothes on, attempt to tame his hair and get out of the bathroom as fast as he could. She was waiting patiently outside the door when he emerged, her expression softening as she caught sight of his appearance.

"You've changed too?" he asked curiously as she guided them to her room. "You could've gone without me, angel."

"I could've, but it would've been so fucking boring without you."

Back in those days, she always knew what to say to make him feel better.

"Besides, I've got a new plan. Wanna hear it?" He nodded. "You. Me. Your dad's car. We buy overpriced takeout for the fun of it. We drive to the lookout and completely stuff our faces and talk and hang out till twenty minutes past our curfew when we realise 'Oh shit, we should be back by now' and we get in a little bit of trouble but it's quickly blown over."

She took a breath. "What do you think?"

He couldn't help a chuckle slipping out. "Sounds pretty cool."

That's what they did that night.

Taking a sip of his beer, Chris chuckled, "Oh, you had to see his face. Fucking priceless," and Y/N's jaw clenched. That wasn't the response she wanted, but it had been the one she was expecting.

Her expression was one of pure anger as she glared daggers at Peacemaker and his lack of remorse at the situation. If looks could kill, he'd have been burnt to a crisp already.

Though, she kept her voice steady as she explained, "Years later he told me that he'd been trying to gather the courage to ask me for weeks. Every day when he thought he'd finally worked up the nerve, he'd try and somehow you or Gut would do something that made him rethink everything."

Chris grinned. "That does sound like us alright."

"Eventually, he did. To his and only his surprise, I said yes. He was so excited. You know how he gets," Y/N sighed fondly and shook her head, musing out loud, "The same happened after our engagement but multiply it by ten. He would've been insufferably excited after the wedding."

"He would've been," he agreed. "You know when he gets so overwhelmed that he starts vibrating? I swear he would've internally combusted as you walked down the aisle."

Y/N let out a dry laugh as she sipped her drink, nodding in bitter agreement as she thought about the possibility of that day.

That day could've been the happiest day of her life if it weren't for Gut.

"Anyway," she continued, shaking herself free from these memories as she refocused her attention onto their surroundings, "My, um, reminiscing has a point. I want to thank you, which is a sentence I never thought I'd say. Thank you for - somewhat - looking after Adrian while I was gone."

Both of them knew for a fact that Chris had barely tried. If anything, he urged Adrian to go deeper into the whole Vigilante side of his life. She had been so mad, so furious when she found out about all of the crimes Vigilante had committed when she was allowed back into society.

"He's going to need you again, just to let you know."

It sounded like a threat.

That's because it was.

A familiar sounding Sebring could be heard pulling up on Chris's drive. He was five minutes early. Y/N noticed. Chris did not.

She moved closer to Peacemaker. "I want you to actually care for him this time, and to be honest I'm worried that he might not be able to bounce back from this one," she confessed, lowering her voice. Chris remained silent as he gave her a confused expression. He didn't understand but he soon would.

Seeing Adrian out of the corner of her eye, Y/N slid her hand to the side of Chris's face in a faux loving manner and placed her lips against his. He stood still, shocked at first, but because he was actually getting some action and he was never one for turning that down, Chris kissed back almost instantly.

Adrian watched as the two people he loved most in the world shared a kiss and it left him speechless.

No words came to mind as he glared at the love of his life and his best friend. The people who had broken his heart and had stolen away his happiness for years and years. The people who hurt him more than anyone else ever did.

Without another word, Adrian stormed back to the Vigilante-mobile, climbed inside and slammed the door behind him, glaring out the window and gritting his teeth. He was seething. He was so, so mad. The mere idea of that person touching his Y/N again angered him so deeply that he felt tears forming in his eyes.

This wasn't fair. This wasn't right.

Had it always been Chris? Of course it had been. If someone had to pick between cool, muscly Chris Smith and nerdy, weak Adrian Chase, there was an obvious winner.

Shit. How long had it been going on? Maybe years? Who knows? Did this start when they were still together? Did Adrian ever hold Y/N's heart?

Or had she always preferred Chris?

Chris must've been the man on the phone the night before.

Pulling back from the smooch, Y/N let a tear fall down her cheek. "Thanks for help, pissmaker. I hope we never see each other again," she muttered sadly, wiping the tear away with her sleeve as she turned around. "Please, just make sure he doesn't blow his brains out. I'm not worth it."

Still, Chris was beyond confused.

"Y/N, what the fuck? You can't just say shit like that," he yelled angrily, grabbing her wrist in an attempt to keep her from leaving. Y/N struggled to break free but gave up almost instantly. Pulling a frustrated sigh from her lips she turned around once more, staring straight into Chris's eyes.

"I thought you guys would have put it together by now. I disappear and Gut is found dead the next day. Hardly seems like a coincidence."

Silence.

Chris's breathing became heavier as he tried to process what he'd just heard.

"Wha...?" he mumbled, unable to speak clearly due to the shock of hearing all of this.

"Did you know he was dealing? I didn't... until I happened to kick a criminal a little too hard and send him flying into a brick wall."

Her face contorted into a grimace as she recalled how Gut had screamed out in pain upon impact as his client bolted in the opposite direction. She laughed sadly under her breath.

"The ambulance couldn't save him in time."

The atmosphere grew heavy after her statement. Neither spoke for a long, painful moment as Chris processed everything Y/N had just dumped on him. Y/N's words reverberated around his skull as he let her go. She left silently as he tried to figure out how to respond to what she'd just told him.

What was he supposed to do with any of that information?

All this time, Y/N had been the one who killed Gut. Why she left made sense now.

Who knows how much time passed before he was startled by Harcourt's icon appearing on his phone and Chris hesitantly answered the call. "What have you done? Where is Y/N?" She exclaimed on the other line. His brows furrowed as he sat down on the floor.

"Y/N? She-" his voice trailed off as he glanced up at the clock. 12:24.

Adrian hadn't arrived yet...

There was silence from the end of the phone before she spoke again, her voice filled with rage and concern all mixed together. "Why has Vigilante just insisted that we never contact him again?"

Chris swallowed hard, feeling the dread rising in the pit of his stomach. Only then he understood why Y/N had come to see him today.

"Fuck."

As Y/N drove to the only place she knew would help her calm down, her mind continued the rest of the story she'd told Chris. It was hard to drive with tears in her eyes but despite all that, she managed.

Sat shoulder to shoulder on the hood of Adrian's fathers car, the teenagers shared a huge pizza that there was no way they were going to be able to eat it all. The car radio could faintly be heard as they gazed out into the night sky. The stars above seemed incredibly bright compared to the city lights below.

Despite the day he'd had, young Adrian was happy to spend his night with a regular clothed Y/N. "You looked really pretty in your dress, by the way. Sorry I didn't say it earlier," he admitted nervously, scratching at his neck with a grin spread across his face.

"I did?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You look great. I mean, you're beautiful, y'know. You always look pretty, but that dress was, like, bam!" He paused. "You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Y/N smiled softly before turning back towards the starry night, her cheeks flushing pink. Adrian let out an embarrassed chuckle as he leaned back on the hood, stretching himself out as he did so. The wind whipped through his hair as he let out a sigh.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Adrian hummed in response, shrugging lightly as he turned his head towards her.

"Honestly? Yeah. I'm okay," he answered, his gaze falling downward as he stared at the ground, fidgeting slightly. His hands reached up unconsciously, running them through his hair in nervousness.

After a few moments of comfortable quiet between the two teenagers, Adrian broke the tension. "They did a shitty thing, I know that. It's not gonna change if I get angry or something, though. But..." He took a deep breath, finally raising his eyes to meet Y/N's once more. "Thank you, by the way. For taking care of me."

"Oh mush, I'll always take care of you."

"No! I don't want it to be like that anymore!" he protested. "I... I mean I appreciate it but I wanna help you out in return! Y'know?" Y/N smiled softly at Adrian and nodded her understanding.

There was a minute of silence, then Adrian reached over and grabbed Y/N's hand with his, lacing their fingers together. It was a bold move in his head but for some reason, Adrian felt confident that it would work. Her cheeks flushed pink as she shyly raised her eyes toward his as well, giving him a tiny smile and squeezing his fingers gently.

And he felt comfortable enough to say, "All I wanted was to have one, like, movie prom night. Somebody spikes the punch. The one weird girl - maybe Stephie Andrews or one of her friends - catches the eye of one of the jocks. Two of the teachers spark up a romance.... I don't know, maybe... the nerd finally gets the balls to ask the girl he likes to dance."

At least, that was his plan.

"I knew it wouldn't be perfect. Nothing ever is. I... I just wanted to be a guy. One night where I'm a normal dude and not some idiot that people laugh at."

When he finished his confession, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't dare to look at Y/N for fear that she'd think that he was just being ridiculous. Instead, he focused on their intertwined hands instead. The longer he stared, the more he began to blush and his heart rate skyrocketed.

His body tingled and buzzed with excitement and butterflies danced in his stomach, making him feel giddy. It wasn't often that he felt such overwhelming emotions and the thought of confessing his love and getting rejected made him extremely sad.

However, with Y/N there, he felt safe and happy. As long as he was with her, he'd never feel alone again.

Then, she let go of his hand and he was preparing himself for the worst. But no, she hopped off the hood of the car and rushed to turn the radio up.

"Adrian Allen Chase, I've been dying to dance with you all night - would you do me the honour?" she begged with a wide smile. He grinned widely before hopping off the hood as well.

They began dancing slowly, both smiling widely and laughing as they held each other close. They swayed awkwardly back and forth, giggling like children as their bodies brushed against each other. Their hearts thudded loudly in their chest as their eyes locked onto each other.

The dancing itself was as awkward as two teens who had never done it before had expected, but they didn't mind in the slightest. There was nothing wrong with stumbling around like fools and holding each other.

All that mattered was that they were together.

"So...you asked the girl you liked to the dance, huh?" she teased gently, causing him to groan and roll his eyes.

"You picked up on that?"

Before Adrian could reply, Y/N raised her hand to his cheek and gave him a kiss on the other one, which caused his mouth to open in astonishment. He blushed furiously as she rested her head against his shoulder and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"Hey, it seems like our feelings are mutual."

He couldn't contain the giggle that escaped him when he realised what she meant. With an astounded shake of his head, he closed the distance between them and went in for a kiss.

On the first try, he was too excited and bumped their foreheads together.

The second try, she forgot to turn her head and their noses squished against each other.

They finally got it right in their third try.

Slowly, the pair pressed their lips against each other for the first time after years of waiting. It was experimental at first - the need to take things slowly with each other overwhelming both of them - but quickly grew more confident as they lost themselves within it. It didn't matter where or how they touched each other; their entire being was consumed by pure adoration.

As the passion increased, Adrian had no idea what came over him as he walked Y/N back over to the car and pressed her up against the bumper. Her soft gasp of surprise was all he needed to hear to know that he'd done something she liked. He kissed down her jawline and across her exposed collar bones. He could feel himself growing more aroused and desperate to taste her skin, to breathe her scent.

It was all too much - the hunger he was feeling, the desperation, the warmth, the pressure.

All of the feelings coursed through him. He wanted her, needed her. Adrian didn't know whether he should break the kiss to pull away or continue kissing down her neck and collarbones - his hands wandering everywhere as he explored her body.

"Sorry! Sorry, got carried away. Should've asked," he mumbled apologetically, resting his forehead against hers. Y/N shook her head slowly, her breathing still heavy as she tried to catch her breath.

"I liked it." He looked up at her with shock on his face as a faint blush crept up his cheeks.

"What? You did? Really?"

Y/N couldn't help but laugh softly as she leaned up on her toes to press another gentle kiss to his lips.

Adrian felt like his brain was short circuiting. He was sure that this had to be the happiest moment of his life. He wrapped his arms tightly around Y/N, pulling her closer to him as he peppered her face with kisses.

"Oh angel, you're never going to be able to get rid of me now, you do know that, right?" he asked quietly, nuzzling into the side of her neck gently.

"Wouldn't want to."

More and more smooches were given and received. It didn't take long before the couple found themselves in the back seats and giving and receiving other things too. Prom night things. Things neither of them were entirely sure about how to do, but tried their best at nonetheless.

└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘

Parking up in the same spot from her memory, Y/N let her gaze fall on the horizon, which looked a lot less vibrant and hopeful now she'd grown up. It was almost scary seeing the familiar landscape that she had come to rely on to comfort her now seemed bleak and empty.

She bit her lip as the sobs started in her shoulders, tears streaming down her face as she struggled not to cry harder. She wiped the tears off her face harshly as she sniffled and blinked rapidly to keep herself composed. Her vision was blurry as her breaths hitched painfully. Her chest tightened and her throat burned as she fought to choke down the lump that had begun to form. She didn't want to be here anymore, she didn't want to be thinking about everything that she'd gone through. Everything that she'd sacrificed. She had to get out of here.

"Hey Mom, can you put Eowyn on the phone for me?" Y/N pleaded as her mother picked up her call, her voice slightly shaky. Her mother was quick to oblige and handed the phone off.

Though it was quiet at first, Y/N heard her breathing before she said anything. Then came the excited "Hi mommy!"

"Hi baby. How are you, my lovely?"

The little girl replied by talking about everything she had been doing and asking her mother all sorts of questions. After a while of hearing Eowyn talk about what fun she was having, Y/N managed to compose herself and stop crying.

Even though she couldn't see her daughter, she smiled fondly at the image of how she always spoke with her hands. How'd she pushed her glasses up, but very frequently missed and poked herself in the eye. How her green eyes sparkled whenever she spoke about what toys she played with that day. She always made Y/N proud.

That was what mattered most. Even if she wasn't there physically, Y/N was always thinking about her, looking forward to spending time with her and talking with her.

Everything Y/N did, she did to ensure her little girl never found herself in Waller's clutches. To prevent her from losing any of her innocence. To make one hundred percent sure that she never followed her parents' illegal ways.

"Are you ready to start school soon, mush?" Y/N questioned, getting out of the car and sitting down on the dirt with her back resting against the bumper of her car.

"I'm ready for you to come home," her daughter pouted cutely, causing Y/N to roll her eyes playfully despite the fact that Eowyn couldn't actually see her. "I miss you," the girl added in a quieter tone, causing Y/N to feel her heart swell with affection.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll be home sooner than you think," she promised her daughter before adding softly, "I'm ready for me to come home too."

Once again, the sound of a familiar sounding Sebring was getting closer and closer to the viewpoint. Recklessly, Adrian pulled his car next to Y/N's - not even realising she was there - and slammed his car door. He mirrored his ex-lover and sat against his car.

"Hey little one, I better go. Okay? I'll see you soon," she cooed into the phone lovingly.

"Okay momma, I love you lots. Bye bye!"

"Love you too. Tell Nana that she'll hear from me soon."

With that, Y/N ended the call. She sighed quietly, staring down at her knees while she listened to the sounds of the music drifting towards her ears once more. She didn't move at all, didn't speak. She knew this conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

Looking up, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw Adrian had decided to come over and sit next to her. Though his expression remained stoic and distant, she could tell that he was nervous as hell. His leg was bouncing underneath him and his knuckles were white as he gripped onto his cardigan.

"Why?"

Now that was the question that had been swimming around his head since the night before.

Letting out a deep huff, Y/N simply said, "I need to get out of my contract with Waller." Her face scrunched up in distaste as she thought back to how she found herself at Waller's beck and call.

As much as she hated being indebted to someone like Waller, it had to be done. Pregnancy and prison don't go together, even if you are a crime fighting vigilante. Y/N made that decision to ensure her daughter would be born in the comfort of Y/N's mother's home, without the presence of shady doctors that could do tests on the newborn or the menacing glares of her fellow inmates.

What Y/N never could've guessed was the sneaky clause Waller added in the small print. "Amanda Waller owns my body and anything that it produces. I didn't know that when I signed."

There was no hesitation in her tone and no fear that she might have upset him by saying this. If anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Adrian. After all, they'd gone through hell together and she wanted nothing more than to give the puzzle pieces to why she'd messed his brain up. She owed him at least that much after what she'd put him though.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck. This was one conversation he really wasn't looking forward to having but there was no avoiding it now. At first, he came to the look out to be alone yet, clearly, they both had the same idea. That thought gave him a small amount of hope; maybe things could work out.

"Anything that it produces," he repeated her words. The phrase sent a shiver down his spine because he knew exactly what those four words meant. Releasing a deep groan, Adrian buried his head in his hands as he cracked the case.

Chris wasn't who she spoke to on the phone. She'd never spoken softly to him before, never in her entire lifetime. Once Adrian realised, 'Oh shit, Y/N has been manipulating me', he knew that Peacemaker was just a buff pawn of hers. A stupid pawn at that.

Weirdly, it felt like his world was coming together, slowly but surely. The clues he'd picked up on and thought, 'huh, weird', made sense. Every time the pair got too close and things seemed too real for Y/N's liking, she'd either tell him it was getting late and he should get home or she'd hurry into the next room where he could hear her muttering to herself about breathing exercises.

Every time she was reluctant to kiss him.

Or hug him.

Or talk about her personal life over the past five years.

Or that time she was inconsolable for days when the team was instructed to assassinate a flied four year old girl with green eyes and pigtails.

"You have a kid." He pointed out, breaking the silence. His eyes were trained on hers, watching for any hint of a lie, any sign of deceitfulness. But the way she looked away and fidgeted with her fingers told him everything he needed to know.

Her eyes fell to the floor, her cheeks flushed pink as she murmured, "Yes." She looked so vulnerable right now, almost afraid. And that scared him.

For a second, he actually wondered whether he could love another woman. Whether he could love anyone else but Y/N because that would be a whole lot easier. Then reality hit him square in the gut and he realised just how ridiculous such thoughts were. Y/N was Y/N and he loved her, always will love her.

No matter what kind of baggage she carried with her, or if she was under the thumb of an evil mastermind like Waller, she was still Y/N underneath it all. Despite how many masks she wore, her heart was still there to remind Adrian that she was still the same girl who cleaned him up on prom night, the same hero that he fought beside, and the same woman he'd proposed to.

In the end, no matter what Waller tried to pull, he wasn't letting that bitch win.

"How old?"

"Wynnie will be five on Monday."

Strange. Five. It may have been a coincidence but Y/N and Adrian had been together around the same time as the conception...wait a minute.

It took every bit of willpower not to reach over and hold her hand; to pull her closer and wrap her in his arms. Instead, he kept his arms folded across his chest, refusing to let anything show in front of her. Even then, his hands twitched slightly, wanting desperately to feel her soft skin beneath his own.

"Her full name is Eowyn Grace L/N."

Oh, how he could start sobbing and never stop. "G-Grace? Like my mom?"

"Your mother was a very nice lady."

Tears brimmed the corners of his eyes as he stared intently at Y/N, but he sniffed and blinked them away, forcing himself to stay stoic. He wouldn't show weakness in front of her, not when she could so easily use it against him.

Before he could ask the question on the tip of his tongue, Waller decided to do her daily report with her employee early. Y/N shot up her finger to stop him from speaking before answering.

"Mission achieved, my little Siren. Vigilante has officially been kicked off the team."

The words felt like a dagger going straight through Adrian's stomach. Especially the phrase 'my little Siren' as Waller seemed to take pride in her acquisition of Y/N's being. In that moment, he couldn't bear to watch anymore as Y/N's gaze met his. Her beautiful eyes were glassy, rimmed red with dried tears as the pain etched itself upon her face. Adrian couldn't stand seeing her like that.

Still, Y/N held her forefinger to her lips and placed the phone down, putting it on speakerphone to be completely transparent.

"I did as you wanted me to."

"Yes you did."

"Now I've fulfilled all my requirements, have I not?"

Waller laughed. She actually laughed. And not only did that make Adrian's blood boil but he couldn't help the anger that welled up inside him. "Well, there was this mission in Arizona that I put your name down for, but after that? I'll think about it," Waller explained, her voice oozing with smugness.

"I was told that this would be my last mission," Y/N protested, trying hard not to stutter as she clutched tightly onto her shirt.

"By who?"

"By you."

"Oh, did you get it in writing?"

Y/N's bottom lip quivered as she shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling her shoulders sag. How could she've been so stupid. Of course Waller wouldn't let her leave. In anguish, Y/N hit her head against the bumper behind her causing her hair to fall into her face. She quickly brushed it away as she heard Waller chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Without any physical evidence, it's your word against mine." Y/N let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared out into nothing. Waller spitefully added, "You know, I distinctly remember you agreeing to let young Eowyn join our minor unit during our last talk."

Amanda could practically be seen smirking, knowing full well Y/N was just seconds away from snapping and punching her through the phone line. It took all her effort to stay calm.

But Waller wasn't done yet. "Or did I put you down for two missions? Could've been five for all I know. Maybe you'll be booked up for the next year."

Swallowed thickly, Y/N was fighting hard against the urge to slam her fist through something. She hated the smug bitch, she hated what she stood for and the power Waller held. But more than anything, she hated the way she treated those who she felt owed her, especially Y/N. The feeling of resentment towards someone like Waller who used them as tools to achieve her own goals was one that would ever go away.

And so, she bit back the retort that had formed on the tip of her tongue and instead opted to remain silent, hoping to avoid provoking her.

Silence hung heavy in the air, filling the space between the pair until finally Waller broke it by sighing dramatically, "Look, kid, you know your options. You. That brat of yours. Or that third option that I think your friend sat beside you would love to hear."

Shit. Of course Waller would track Adrian's phone and know that it was right next to hers. How stupid of them.

Almost comically, Adrian's eyes widened in shock. "What's the third option?" he asked, whether it was to Y/N or Amanda he had no idea.

"You want to tell him or do you want me to?" Waller questioned in an almost teasing manner. Adrian swallowed dryly, suddenly becoming anxious.

The words wouldn't come out of Y/N's mouth.

"Siren's taking too long. Option three is to blow your brains out, Chase."

Adrian visibly flinched. His mind went blank, unable to think of what to say. He wanted nothing more than to break the call off, he didn't want to hear anymore. He couldn't breathe. He felt trapped. Waller didn't seem to care, didn't care at all about anyone but herself.

Then, something overtook every rational thought that occupied his mind. "What about an option four?"

"Illuminate me with your idea, Vigilante."

"I serve the rest of Y/N's contract. Full contract. That's another five years, right?"

"Correct," Amanda confirmed, intrigued by what he was offering. Waller wasn't surprised, they could tell just by her tone. He gulped loudly, his breathing becoming quick as he prepared himself for the inevitable outcome of his decision.

"I'm an excellent marksman and fighter. Although I'm not as... socially experienced as Siren, I can kill and I can kill with ease."

Beside him, Y/N was furiously shaking her head. This was a bad idea. It was her sentence to complete, not his.

"Strange that you'd offer to serve in her place after what she did to get it in." Waller paused. "Did you ever tell him what you did, Y/N?"

"She killed my brother."

Over time Adrian had noticed that every time Gut had come up in conversation, Y/N would get quieter. Her eyes would begin to water slightly before she excused herself to the bathroom. He would always watch her leave, wishing to follow after her and comfort her, to hold her and hold her tight, but he knew that she would brush away his help.

The timing of her departure and Gut's death had always seemed off. The coroner had ruled his death accidental and, while the police claimed it was due to some form of drug deal gone south - which was sort of the truth - Adrian had always had his suspicions.

At his admission, Y/N's hands were trembling as she brought them to her face and covered her cheeks. Without hesitation, Adrian reached over and grasped her hands between his, rubbing soothing circles into her skin with his thumb. With her eyes still firmly shut, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against Adrian's shoulder, hiding her face once again.

"Five years and then we're both out," he spat down the phone. He could feel the blood running in hot torrents through his veins and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He could feel the weight of Waller's gaze from the other line. "I would like time to go over the contract once you send it."

"We have a deal. Good luck, Vigilante."

Click. Waller hung up.

After hanging up the call, Adrian huffed, "Wow, she's so scary!" He let himself smile for a brief second before it faltered again as he looked down at Y/N, worry etched across his features.

"Sorry. Sorry, I got snot all over your cardigan and I-"

Adrian lifted his hands to cup the side of Y/N's face and caressed her cheekbones, trying his best to distract himself as he watched as the colour drained from her face when his deal finally sunk in for her.

"You didn't have to do that," she whimpered, placing her hands on top of Adrian's. "I'm not worth it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it doesn't matter. Let me look after you for once."

Y/N let her forehead drop onto Adrian's chest as a soft sob escaped her. Adrian wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his body as he kissed the top of her head. He rubbed small circles in Y/N's back, gently swaying side to side, comforting and consoling his girl in the very place they'd originally got together.

She opened her eyes to him, her expression blank as the memories of everything she had seen flashed across her mind. All the missions she'd gone on. All the horrid targets she had to seduce. All the nice people she'd tricked and manipulated on Waller's behalf.

"I'm so sorry. I've ruined your life."

"See that's the thing, without you? I don't really have a life. Not one that I want to lead," Adrian pointed out calmly, a slight smirk gracing his lips. "I'd much rather have you in my life and things be a bit rocky than to go without you and angrily jerk off into your underwear every night."

A snort left her throat as she pushed herself upright again and ran her fingers along Adrian's jawline as she stared into his eyes. There was a lightness to them now, almost mischievous even. "You kept some?"

"Yep, burned a few but I still have my favourites collection. You remember the ones with Garfield on? Yeah, let's just say he's skipped out on lasagna and had a healthy diet of my cum for way too long."

"Gross!" she laughed. A grin tugged at the corners of Adrian's mouth and his dimples reappeared. Y/N couldn't believe how easily her laugh was coming back to her. It was still so foreign to hear it again.

They remained in each other's arms for a long period of time before finally pulling apart, Y/N reluctantly breaking away. After clearing her throat softly, she tried her best to sound composed as she looked up at Adrian, "Would you like to come on a road trip with me? I promised to surprise Wynnie and it's a long drive. I understand if -"

"She's my daughter, isn't she?" Adrian's voice was soft, but she understood. There was a look in his eye that screamed of hurt and frustration at the fact he'd missed the first years of his kid's life. She reached forward, gently taking his fingers in hers and intertwining their hands together.

"Yes. Yes she is."

"Alright then."

Y/N's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "... Alright?"

"Well, obviously I would want to go with you. I want to meet her, obviously." Adrian smirked as he let out a breathy chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "What's she into? I want to get her a birthday present."

Like her father, the answer was "Dinosaurs."

"Oh, fucking sick!" Adrian yelled gleefully, startling Y/N a little as she jumped a little at the sudden outburst. He'd never liked being quiet. But now? Because, honestly, the fact that he got to see his daughter, to spend time with her, made him want to scream from the rooftops in delight.

The ride to Y/N's mother's house was long but the pair didn't waste a single moment. They spent the entire time going over everything. Y/N divulged everything that had happened during the past couple of years, giving detailed descriptions of Waller's treatment of her, her coercion, and even the times she'd threatened to hurt Eowyn.

Obviously, Adrian was outraged by the mere mention of it all. He swore revenge. He vowed to protect his child, and if anyone dared to lay a finger on her again, he'd end them. No doubt in the fact that Waller would pay dearly for insinuating that she'd hurt his child.

"I don't know if you want to know this -"

"I said to tell me everything, so tell me," Adrian cut Y/N off, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"You were both my easiest and hardest target. It's easy to fake love if the love is real, but because I love you, every single move was like twisting the knife in even further." A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "I can't apologise enough, especially for all those things I said that made you cry."

Honestly, he was still hung up on the mid part of her little speech. "Say it again," he demanded, his jaw set firmly and determination swimming through his eyes.

"Say what?" Y/N asked in confusion.

"That you love me."

For a split second, Y/N hesitated. The words felt heavy in her mouth. But there was no going back. If he didn't hear her say those words, she would never be able to let them go again. As far as she was concerned, they belonged to him. "I love you, Adrian," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper as she watched as a grin began to creep up on the corner of his lips. "So much that sometimes I can't stand it."

He chuckled slightly and squeezed Y/N's hand. "Then make sure you keep saying it every day, or else I might forget." He bent forward and planted a kiss to Y/N's temple. "I don't trust you at this moment, but I do love you."

That was fair. That was completely fair.

With a happy sigh, she turned her body towards him so she was completely facing him. "I love you." Her words were slow, careful. "I always have. I always will." She watched the light flicker on in his eyes before leaning over the gearstick to kiss his cheek and muttering the same words over and over again. "Love you so goddamn much."

One declaration of her love then a kiss. This action was repeated until a small smile appeared on his face. "Did I say you could stop?" he mumbled when she went to pull away and she gave a quick chuckle before resuming the cycle. It was so simple but it worked wonders as his smile grew wider and happier and the tension in his shoulders slowly eased away. He held onto her hand and placed a kiss on it, before forcing himself to focus solely on driving.

"Wake me up in an hour so we can switch," Y/N murmured drowsily before closing her eyes and letting sleep overcome her.

What would be considered a grateful grin rested on Adrian's lips as he watched Y/N fall asleep against the passenger seat window, the steady purr of the engine lulling her to rest. His heart swelled and ached at the sight of her; she truly was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Even if she had been a scheming little bitch recently, she was his scheming little bitch.

Once they'd switched, Adrian managed to get some sleep before they reached their destination. He wanted to be as prepared as possible for the biggest moment of his life. Making a good first impression on his daughter was paramount. And if he was being honest with himself, the idea of it was making him feel rather nervous.

In no time, he was being woken up to a gentle nudge on his shoulder. "We're here," she whispered, gently rubbing the nape of his neck to help soothe away the anxiety that was bubbling inside. It took him a while to collect himself.

"Baby, she's a miniature you. Seriously, you have nothing to worry about," Y/N reassured with a smile when she noticed the slightly apprehensive look on his face.

"Need a good luck kiss?"

A scoff slipped from her lips as she rolled her eyes, but leant in to place a soft peck on his lips nevertheless. Well, it initially was soft. As soon as their lips touched, Adrian quickly deepened the kiss. He pulled Y/N closer towards him as his hands travelled under her shirt and found themselves tracing up and down her spine as he moved their mouths together with renewed passion.

She moaned quietly at the contact, allowing herself to melt into his touch, her mind going numb for a moment as their kiss became more passionate and heated. It wasn't long before he broke the kiss. He looked down at Y/N as she blinked rapidly, looking somewhat dazed, though her cheeks were flushed red.

He was instantly transported to all their teenage rendezvous'. All of the times they'd kept their romance to the inside of whichever parent allowed them to use the car for the night. Mr L/N would be turning in his grave if he knew how many times the young couple defiled the backseats of his old car.

"Ade, I think you're trying to distract yourself," she mumbled between kisses, giggling when his hands squished her hips playfully in response. She ran her fingers through his messy brown curls, feeling how they stood on end beneath her palms. "And I think we should probably go inside before the neighbours start talking."

A mischievous smirk came across his face. "I don't really care about who sees us right now," he replied huskily, his hot breath fanning across her skin and sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. "Let's give them a show, huh?"

"As fun as that sounds, the neighbours probably aren't too fond of loud noises," she smiled, her hand resting gently on his chest to push him away. Adrian pouted, but relented. He couldn't fault her reasoning - he was a loud boy. And while it wouldn't be terribly surprising if the whole neighbourhood heard them, he did not feel like dealing with that.

"Okay okay, fine. Let's go." Adrian sighed, reluctantly pulling himself away from her. The two got out of the vehicle and started walking towards the house.

Due to all of Waller's threats, the front door looked like a fortress. There was a keypad that Y/N showed him the password to and unlocked the door with ease, leaving them standing in the entrance hall where he turned and looked at her.

"You'll have to write the password down for me."

"Will do."

Usually, the sound of the door alerted the occupants that a certain someone had returned home. Since it was her birthday, Y/N guessed that Eowyn was too busy with her presents to hear it.

"Miss Wynnie, I think you have another gift at the door," Y/N's mother told the little girl who had suddenly stopped playing with her toys and looked up at her curiously.

Eowyn's excitement skyrocketed when she neared the door. "Mommy!" she exclaimed happily, jumping on her feet and running toward Y/N without hesitation. In a heartbeat, she ran straight at Y/N's legs with her arms extended outwards, gesturing that she wanted to be picked up.

Y/N grinned as she scooped Eowyn up into her arms. "Hey baby, did you miss me?" She pressed a kiss to her forehead and bounced her gently in her arms, her laughter escaping her lips at Eowyn's happy giggles.

As she looked up at Y/N with wide eyes and a huge grin plastered on her chubby face, the little girl suddenly froze. "Who are you?" she blurted out, her little face scrunching up in confusion as she saw the stranger standing beside her mother.

Adrian had no idea what to say. 'Hey, I'm your father. Sorry I haven't been around, but I had no idea that you existed until yesterday.' seemed far too blunt, and quite frankly, he couldn't think of anything better. But before he could say anything, Y/N beat him to it.

"Mush, you know the photo on the coffee table? The one of mommy and daddy?" Wynnie nodded. "Can you go get it for me?"

Without a single moment of hesitation, Eowyn took off running in the direction of the living room. Moments later, she returned holding the picture frame, her cheeks tinged pink due to exertion as she handed it over. "Thank you very much," Y/N smiled as she lifted the girl back in her arms so they could both look at the photo together.

Pointing to herself, Y/N asked, "Who's this, baby?"

"Mommy when she was younger."

Then she pointed to Adrian. "And this?"

"Daddy when he was younger."

To put the pieces together, Y/N held the photo next to Adrian. The little girl looked suspiciously between the photo and the real thing until she realised. Her eyebrows to knitted together in concentration, but as soon as the penny dropped, they relaxed and her eyes widened considerably. And to check, Eowyn looked back at her mother for confirmation that she didn't make a mistake. "Is that really Daddy?"

The question made Y/N smile. "Yes."

"Wow," was all the child said as she reached out to poke her finger at his nose, before moving to pinch his cheek. It was almost as if she was checking if he was real or not. If it wasn't for Adrian's chuckle, which made the little girl pause, Eowyn was just about to try and jab her finger under his glasses and into his eye.

Luckily enough, she decided against it, deciding instead to wrap her tiny arms around her mother's neck, burying her face into Y/N's shoulder. She sniffled quietly, clearly overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"Hey Eowyn?" Adrian spoke up, causing the little girl to lift her head up and glance back at him. "I've got this birthday present here, but I can't remember whose birthday it is."

"It's my birthday!"

"It is?" Adrian asked in faux surprise. Eowyn giggled and nodded enthusiastically, her momentary dip in energy forgotten by the promise of gifts. "Do you want this present then?" Adrian inquired, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Bringing out the hastily wrapped present that he'd been hiding behind his back, Adrian held it out to his daughter. She let out a gasp in response and eagerly crawled out of Y/N's embrace to sit on the floor and unwrap it carefully; her big, green eyes never left the gift as she peeled away paper, revealing its contents.

"Oh! Ohhhh!" Eowyn yelled, showing off the dinosaur onesie that she received. "Fucking sick!"

For the past couple of months, one of the children's clothing shops in Evergreen had the green t-rex onesie in the window and every time Adrian passed it he thought, 'Wish I was small enough to fit in that.' And now, he had a reason to buy it. Sure, it wouldn't fit him, but it would be perfect for his little girl.

"Wynnie, what did I say about swearing?" Y/N's mother chastised as she came to see what all the fuss was about. Now, had she expected Adrian to be there? No. Was she surprised? Also, no.

"Sorry, grandma."

Eowyn couldn't help but giddily stare at her new clothes, hugging them tightly as her little heart swelled up from her happiness. Just as she'd done to Y/N, she barrelled herself at Adrian's legs and hugged him tightly, pressing her tiny cheek against his pant leg. He chuckled softly and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Happy birthday, pumpkin," he muttered as he bent down to lift her up in his arms, swinging her side to side slightly so she squeaked with delight, her smile reaching her ears as well. He placed a quick peck to the top of her head and rested his cheek against her hair.

There was no denying that he now understood one hundred percent of why Y/N had done what she'd done. If given the chance to protect Eowyn in any way, he'd throw himself into any danger he possibly could to keep her safe.

"Baby, why don't you go and put your onesie on while me and your dad go unpack the car?" Y/N cooed, smiling down at the little girl lovingly. Eowyn nodded enthusiastically and scampered off towards the bedroom, already looking forward to wearing her new outfit.

By the time the dinosaur outfit had been thrown on, Y/N and Adrian had brought their bags inside. The couple had just sat down on the couch when they heard a very cute "Rawrrr!" coming towards them followed by a pair of small footsteps.

"Hi princess."

"Not princess - I'm a vicious dinosaur." Eowyn replied matter of factly, staring at Adrian with narrowed eyes. Her words were met with a chuckle, which soon turned into a soft 'oof' as Adrian was hurled into the back of the sofa with the sounds of a battle cry in his ears.

Y/N, however, laughed out loud as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. When the little girl jumped onto Y/N and tried to get her in a headlock, Eowyn's smile didn't dim in the slightest.

"She was right about the vicious part. You are a ferocious beast, Eowyn," Adrian exclaimed, laughing like crazy while trying to catch his breath.

"She's definitely your kid, mush."

Before the adults knew what was happening, Y/N and Adrian found themselves tangled underneath Eowyn, with the little girl clinging onto each of them as though they were her jungle gym. The little girls hands tightened on their arms and chests as she buried her face into their stomachs and laughed loudly at their muffled grunts and groans.

"Rawrrrrr! Rrrrrrr!" the little girl shouted, shaking both her fists in the air excitedly. The sound of her childish voice resonated around the house. It echoed through the air and filled the atmosphere with a sense of warmth, laughter and joy. It felt so pure, so pure like nothing else Adrian had experienced.

Naturally, Adrian was completely captivated by Eowyn and her antics, loving every second of it. Every time she laughed, Adrian couldn't help but join in, feeling his cheeks heating up from the sheer happiness that flowed out of her.

"Ah, gotcha," he cheered when he managed to catch her in mid air as she was about to lunge at him again. He then proceeded to tickle her stomach relentlessly, making her laugh even more than she already was. His actions made the little girl giggle hysterically, squirming helplessly on his lap and struggling to escape his grasp, her little face beet red from laughing so hard.

As he finished tickling her, she began playing dead, her breathing heavy and her body still convulsing with laughter. Once her chest finally slowed to a steady pace once again, she opened her watery eyes, fixed her glasses and looked up at him with an expression of utter adoration. He stared down at the little girl as he gently tucked away some stray hairs behind her ear.

Looking at her, Adrian could see the parts of him she'd inherited. Her eyes and, therefore, poor eyesight. Her nose. Her excitable nature. He saw it everywhere. But, he couldn't deny the undeniable resemblance between Y/N and the little girl. Her hair was Y/N's. Lips. Cheekbones. Eyebrows.

"Daddyyy, you're crying."

Her little fingers touched her father's wet cheeks, but he tenderly pulled them away and wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm happy, my little monster," he assured her, cupping her delicate face in his palms and kissing her forehead. "That's all."

His statement seemed to satisfy her as she snuggled deeper into his chest, wrapping both arms around him and letting out a sigh that sounded half exhausted, half contented.

"Tired yourself out, huh?" Y/N asked as she brushed her hand through Eowyn's hair soothingly, knowing that the little girl was too tired to continue fighting anymore.

"No...I need cuddles."

Needy. Just like her father. But Adrian didn't mind. Not one bit. In fact, he could have happily stayed like this forever. For the rest of his life.

Father and daughter were glued at the hip for the rest of the day. When she'd decided that she'd had enough cuddles, Y/N could finally give her daughter the gifts she'd bought her - a bunch of school stuff that were dinosaur themed and a load of plushies that she knew would end up living on the end of Eowyn's bed as soon as they got upstairs.

Over time, Adrian ended up sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch with Y/N's knees on either side of his head, and playing with the plastic figurines Eowyn had given him. She'd 'forced' him to come up with a bunch of different weird noises and voices for each figure. Y/N sat there and massaged Adrian's head as he made all these stupid sounds, giggling quietly in amusement when he did so, enjoying the sweet feeling of being able to relax after such a stressful couple of months.

For the first time, she had hope that they could be a regular, happy family. Admittedly, it wasn't as orthodox as most other families, but they would work at making Eowyn's upbringing as normal as possible.

"Bed time, Miss Wynnie," Y/N's mother said as she walked past the living room.

"Can Daddy stay over tonight? Please?" Eowyn asked. The pleading look on her little face told Y/N everything she needed to know. Of course, it wasn't a surprise.

"Up to him, baby."

Before Adrian had agreed - because it was a no brainer to him - Eowyn brought out the puppy dog eyes and Adrian knew why Y/N always used to give into him back in the day. They were so big and so sparkingly green - it was impossible not to succumb to the child's pout even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. There was no resisting that adorable look of hers.

"I'd love to stay."

With a bright grin, Eowyn practically skipped towards the stairs, grabbing Adrian's arm and dragging him along with her. Y/N giggled before trailing after them, watching fondly as Eowyn threw herself onto the bed as quickly as she could and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

"I think you've forgotten to brush your teeth, stinker."

"Carry me to the bathroom?"

Adrian chuckled softly before picking up the little girl, carrying her towards the bathroom and depositing her on the counter top. He grabbed the toothbrush, squished some toothpaste on and initially went to hand it over. But then she opened her mouth and gestured for him to do it for her instead. He smiled and did as he was told, helping the girl brush her teeth.

Sneaky. Just like her mother.

"Eowyn Grace, you know you're capable of brushing your own teeth," Y/N pointed out as she placed a cup of water near the sink for the little girl.

"Well, dad wanted to do it for me," the little girl stated, grinning widely. Adrian just shook his head in response, chuckling slightly, before placing a kiss on his daughter's head.

Then it was onto the story time. Eowyn listened intently as her father read her a story, who was occasionally glancing to Y/N who would give him encouraging smiles or thumbs ups whenever he looked over at her.

"The end," he announced with a satisfied sigh as he closed the book and placed it aside. Eowyn's big eyes drooped as she yawned loudly. "Sleepy?"

She nodded her head, her eyes slowly drifting shut as she let the exhaustion settle in. After checking the little girl was fully asleep, Adrian turned back to Y/N with a soft smile on his face. "Come here, mush," she whispered before pushing off the doorframe she'd been leaning on and wrapping her arms around his torso as soon as he reached her. Adrian wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, hugging her close and planting a deep kiss on her temple.

"Thank you for coming," she mumbled quietly, tightening her grip on him. "It really means a lot to me. And to her." She glanced over at the sleeping little girl, her heart swelling at the sight of her peacefully resting in her onesie and clutching a pterodactyl plush to her chest.

"I'll always make time for my girls from now on."

Y/N melted at the sound of those words and stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. As usual, Adrian pulled her impossibly closer while wrapping his arms even tighter around her waist, lifting her off the ground and carrying her out of the view of their daughter. "Which bedroom is yours?" he asked teasingly, his lips hovering dangerously near her cheek as he spoke.

"Left."

With a chuckle, he walked in that direction and opened the door with ease, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Y/N was pushed against the wall and kissed hungrily. She returned the kiss passionately, tangling her fingers through Adrian's thick hair and pulling slightly at the strands, smiling contently as he deepened the kiss with her.

"Want to make another kid?"

It was a lovely sentiment, but "Oh, I was advised to, uh, tie my tubes."

Shit. There was that idea out the window.

"Was it your choice?" Adrian questioned, his fingers running along her jawline before dropping to her collarbone.

A soft nod was her only response as she wrapped her leg around him, tugging him closer to her and pressing her lips firmly against his. "Yeah," she whispered against his lips, causing Adrian's breath to hitch in his throat, his hands gripping her hips tightly. "Only wanted you as my baby daddy, and back then I thought I'd ruined my chances."

Tenderly, Adrian nuzzled his nose gently against her, pressing kisses across her jawline and down her throat before moving on to her pulse point. A gasp slipped through her lips as he sucked on her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her body and her stomach to flutter excitedly, a blush spreading all over her cheeks and down her neck.

"You're so damn beautiful," he murmured against her lips, his hands wandering up her sides as they pressed further into her chest, eliciting a moan from her lips. Adrian couldn't help the grin spreading across his face when he saw how flushed she was, how affected by him, and he pressed another kiss against her lips.

"You're so fucking gorgeous and sexy and..." he trailed off when he felt her legs wrap around his hips, her arms going around his neck. "I can't get enough of you."

The way he whispered those last few words sent a shiver down her spine. Her hands moved to the bottom hem of his shirt, fiddling with the edge to get it off. The moment the garment dropped to the ground, she dragged her lips away from Adrian's and gazed up at him, her pupils dilated as she stared deeply into his emerald pools.

"Bed?" she breathed, running her finger down his chest softly, causing an intake of breath from the man beneath her touch.

"Bed."

They wasted no more time in getting undressed, both of them stripping off every piece of clothing between them until they stood before each other naked and completely unable to keep themselves from kissing. Needy kisses devoured their lips hungrily as wrapped himself around Y/N from behind, grinding his pelvis against her butt feverishly.

"Fuck, you gotta tell me if you get uncomfortable at any point," he mumbled as he slid one hand under Y/N's panties, gently caressing her swollen clit in small circular motions. She moaned softly, letting her head fall back as she arched her back off the bed, allowing him better access to what he was doing to her.

"I trust you, Adrian. I'm good," she breathed out in response, her eyes falling shut with pleasure as she felt him slip two fingers into her, slowly beginning a rhythm that matched perfectly with the way her body moved.

His other hand was splayed across her neck, rubbing his thumb against the skin below her ear as he watched her reaction, admiring how she seemed to be in complete bliss. It was something he would never be able to get enough of; seeing Y/N looking utterly satisfied due to his actions. He could feel himself growing harder and harder as he watched her; his fingers pumping faster and deeper within her and sending her into an ecstasy she hadn't experienced in years.

"Look at me, sweetheart. Look at me." His voice was low, husky and commanding and Y/N complied, opening her eyes slowly and meeting his heated gaze, her eyes blown wide open and filled with lust, with desire and with need. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning out loud - her mother and daughter still could hear, after all.

He smirked, his eyes trailing down her body. The sight alone was enough to send a rush of blood flowing through his veins, his cock throbbing painfully in its place. Her eyes were glued to his face and a small whimper managed to escape her and that diminished his final bit of patience.

"Suck on my thumb," he demanded and she obeyed instantly. Although, she did seductively drag her tongue up his digit before she took it into her mouth, sucking and swirling her tongue around it playfully.

"Such a slut..." He stopped. "Do you still like being called that? Is that okay?"

There was a slight pause as she thought about it, but she nodded.

"What about whore?"

That one was a little too far these day. Yeah, it had a different implication now. She shook her head.

"Got it."

Consent checked, they got back to the sexy times. "Be good and continue sucking, baby. Gonna need something to muffle you as I put it in," Adrian growled, sliding his hand under Y/N's thigh and lifting it so he had more room to slide his cock inside her wetness. He thrusted slowly at first, watching her facial expressions carefully to make sure she wasn't having second thoughts or anything.

But upon noticing how eager she seemed, he picked up the pace, thrusting harder and faster with each pass. A string of curses fell from his mouth and soon he was burying his face into the crook of her neck. His eyes screwed shut as he gritted his teeth together and grabbed at her breast roughly, pinching it between his long fingers as he fucked her with every inch of his cock.

"I've missed this pussy so much," he groaned between ragged breaths and deep throated huffs of air. His voice sounded gravelly as he pulled out of her quickly, making her yelp in surprise as he slammed back in.

They both panted harshly as he pounded, feeling the waves of pleasure roll through her body and pool in his cock. She let out a staggered breath at the feeling, her hands finding his head and holding onto his hair tightly as he pumped his hips into hers, feeling her clench around his cock repeatedly.

"So good, baby," he muttered against her ear.. "Just feel how good I am inside you, baby, just feel it and take it."

He pushed her so she was fully lying face down, propped a pillow under her stomach and crawled above her, placing kisses all over her shoulders and back before continuing to pound inside of her. Y/N was grasping at the pillow under herhead as he continued to fuck her like his life depended on it. His lips moved to her neck and shoulder, leaving tiny little marks there until he instructed, "Stick your tongue out for me."

Y/N obliged without a moment's hesitation, extending her tongue out so he could spit into her mouth. He chuckled lowly before giving her a big wet smooch. "You're mine, aren't you, angel?"

She nodded.

"Mine forever and always?"

Another nod.

"Say it for me."

"Always yours, Adrian," she uttered, her voice strained, a tear slipping down her cheek as she felt Adrian tighten his grip around her waist, driving into her harder than before. She cried out weakly as he continued to pump in and out, his head thrown back and breathing heavily in a mix of exhaustion and arousal as his hands tangled themselves into her hair tightly, desperately in order to stay connected to her.

"That's right, angel," he whispered, his lips crashing into hers in a heated kiss as he felt her orgasm ripple throughout her entire body.

A shudder ran through her body as she tightened around him, squeezing him hard before she came. He could feel it, his own orgasm rushing through his veins, making every nerve ending in his body buzz pleasantly as he spilled into her warm wetness. He collapsed onto her with heavy gasps, his fingers curling into the mattress beneath her and his forehead resting against hers as he fought to regain control of his breathing once again.

Then, a smug smile crept across his lips when he noticed the dazed expression on Y/N's face. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked teasingly and leaned forward, his nose nuzzling her cheek softly. He felt her giggle before he heard that familiar sound coming from her throat.

"For the first time in years, yes. Yes I did." He grinned widely. "Now get off, you're squishing my boobs."

Adrian rolled his eyes, chuckling quietly to himself as he removed himself from her, crawling off her back to lie next to her. They turned around to lie on their sides facing each other; their faces only inches apart, his head propped up by the palm of his hand while she laid on her side facing him. He ran his fingers down her arm lightly, enjoying the softness and smooth texture of her skin.

However, she didn't say anything, instead staring up at him in a dreamy sort of way, as if she had no idea what else to do or where to look. Her lips were parted slightly, just barely moving with each breathe she took and her beautiful eyes were clouded with emotion. She glanced around the bedroom before turning back to Adrian.

"I love seeing all this." She gestured to his naked body. "But, our daughter tends to lie about having a nightmare so she can sleep in the same bed as me for a night or two, so we better get some clothes on before we traumatise her."

"No problem," he said with a laugh, grabbing his discarded shirt to throw at her. She caught it before rolling off the bed with a playful glare. She slipped on the shirt, gave him a wink as she moved to find a pair of shorts and left for the bathroom.

This was the life, huh? It might not have been exactly what he had thought he'd end up. A year ago, if you'd asked Adrian where he'd be, he would've said 'Probably out killing bad guys and being sick as fuck'. But here he was, a father, happy as hell, and reunited with the love of his life.

As he scrambled to throw his pj's on, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he thought about everything that had happened. He'd come home to a completely new world full of life and happiness.

When Y/N returned, he let out a quiet wolf whistle at the sight that greeted his eyes. "Forgot what it feels like to see you in my clothes," he stated as she entered, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a quick kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's get some sleep while we still can."

"Yes ma'am."

A couple of hours later, the pair were awoken by the sound of a cute little voice asking, "Mommy? Mom? Mom...wake up!" Eowyn shook her mother awake gently, looking up at her with huge pleading eyes and a pouting bottom lip.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yup."

Y/N groggily patted Adrian on the hip so he'd move because she knew for a fact that Eowyn would position herself in the exact same way he was currently sleeping - head tucked under Y/N's chin and almost entirely sleeping on top of her. He sat up straight with a grunt, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly as he stared at his daughter, whose bottom lip was now sticking out even further than before.

It was impossible to say no.

"Come here, lovely," Y/N cooed softly, holding her arms out to Eowyn as she crawled onto her chest and snuggled into her arms. "Baby, can you put your head on my other shoulder please? Daddy needs a pillow too."

Eowyn nodded and lifted her head up, leaning onto Y/N's other shoulder and letting out a sleepy whine. Y/N rubbed the child's back as she felt Adrian's head fall back down to its previous spot, his arm wrapping around the two of them protectively.

"Say goodnight to your father, mush."

"Night daddy. Love you," the little girl mumbled, closing her eyes and falling asleep in seconds.

"Love you too, princess."

Waller may have won the battle, but to him, Adrian won so much more than the war. He'd finally found happiness after going through so many ups and downs. And that victory meant far more to him than he cared to admit. As he watched his daughter's breathing ease into sleep, he closed his eyes and knew that it would all be worth it in the end.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or health, as long as his girls were by his side, nothing could ever keep them apart.

#Youtube

[molloyborg3]

Ikea Responds To Balenciaga Copying Its 99

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[gomezcullen8]

Ikea Responds To Balenciaga Copying Its 99

Let’s say that’s just a bad pair of pretend Balenciaga Speed Trainer with poor quality control. Then, the fake Balenciaga Speed Trainer isn’t as curved because the legit one. The counterfeit Speed Trainer is less curved and this is a crucial issue of our real vs faux Balenciaga Speed Trainer comparability. As you'll be able to see in the picture above, the 2 replica Balenciaga Speed Trainer pairs have the “C” and the “G” wanting too massive than the remainder of the letters. The faux Balenciaga Speed Trainer pair has the text a tiny bit smaller than the legit one, but this can be tougher to identify. Mostly authentic poetry but the writer frequently unknown. This web page additionally contains a small comic book on Roger Wilco's journey as a prisoner of struggle Stalag Luft I . https://phoenet.tw/balenciaga-replica.html [newline]And with “And Just Like That…” now streaming on HBO Max, we can’t help but surprise what new kinds will soon turn out to be iconic in their own right. 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[cherryskyies]

Hello I have to say you are a one hell of a writer! Very nice work.

Could I request more hisoka content? That clown has my heart in a chokehold!

Random Hisoka headcanons

Thank you!! I am very glad you enjoy my writing! 

Here are some random Hisoka headcanons I put together.

Main Masterlist

He has cold hands, and you never thought you’d find cold hands comforting until they were his. Hisoka likes to trace circles on your hip when you’re lying in bed together, the coolness oddly comforting and it puts you to sleep instantly. 

Whether you’re in public or in the comfort of your own home, he is always touching you in some way. He likes holding you close, it gives him a sense of security that he isn’t alone, that he has you. And, since you give him this feeling of security, he won’t be willing to give you up. So be prepared to be with this man until he decides he no longer wants you.

He holds all the power in the relationship, and he knows you know this. Everything you do is controlled by him. Now, Hisoka isn’t super harsh or anything, but he isn’t above isolating you to a single room and depriving you of human contact.

“Keep that up and I might just have to kill your parents,” is a common threat from Hisoka. He likes to make those types of comments every now and then to remind you he is in control, not you. It’s his way of keeping you in check, and trust me, he is more than willing to go through with his threats.

While Hisoka does have his bad side, he also has his good one, which you see often. 

He enjoys planning little picnic dates. Often, he will take you to the local park to feed the geese together and eat the lunch he packed. 

One time, he got a little too close to a momma goose and her babies, which ended in him being chased for a good 5 minutes. “Those things are monsters,” is what Hisoka said, panting and laying on the ground next to you. 

Needless to say, he hates geese now and observes them from a distance while you feed them.

Hisoka likes to take you shopping and buy you expensive clothes. It’s his way of spoiling you. And, it is useful when he takes you on the more extravagant dates. 

“I don’t like people touching what is mine,” is a common sentence you hear from Hisoka. Anytime someone flirts or gets too close to you, he gets annoyed and there is a high chance they’ll disappear for daring to touch you.

Please do a spa day with this man, he would love it. 

#Hisoka #hisoka hunter x hunter #hxh hisoka #hisoka x reader #hisoka fluff #hisoka headcanons #x reader #hisoka morow #hxh #hxh headcanons #Headcanon #Hunter X Hunter #hunter hunter #hunter x hunter headcanon #hunter hunter headcanons #hunter x hunter x reader #hisoka x you #hisoka x y/n #hisoka x oc #hxh x hisoka x reader #hxh x reader

[gone-daddy-gone]

 TW: gang bang :), maybe coercion? lots of degrading. lots of smacking

DT: @koiibito​ @the-grimm-writer​

 just imagine being a team manager, you get done putting everything away after practice. you stand there, sweaty and tired, ready to go out and treat yourself to some matcha tea, when you hear it. grunts and moans, mixed with a bunch of slapping sounds. you think to yourself, hm, we’ll that’s strange? maybe some of the third years had brought someone back into the closet to have some fun... so you let your curiosity get the best of you. you decide to look through the crack of the already open door. to your absolute dismay, there was the third year from not only your team, but every other team jerking it off in a circle. if you would of just been a little bit more quiet. a little bit more tactful. perhaps you could of closed the door and got away with the mental image of your schools jocks pleasuring themselves burned in the forefront of your brain. but unlucky, or lucky for you, however you choose to see it, they spot you. you freeze immediately in your spot. you get this, scared feeling as goose pimples form all over your body as you spot aaskahi smirk, side glancing at bokuto, who was currently licking his lips. you just shake your head a little, trying to back away, throat too dry to whisper about it being an accident.

 the first one to move is suga, to your surprise and horror. he wraps his fingers around your elow tugging you inside, it takes everything in you to not look down at the pre cum dripping down his cock. you begin to sputter out how you didn’t mean to walk in and that you were sorry but daichi shushes you, telling you that its ok baby girl, this will be fun. daichi grabs the upper part of both of your arms and pulls you against him, rubbing himself on your behind. you yelp and your face flushes up in embarrassment. the boys in the room all giggle at your shyness. there’s a slight hint of excitement mixed in with your fear, and aakashi is quick to point it out. he really is as observant as they say. he goes on about how he knows you look at all of them and drool over their body’s, he watches as your eyes always go directly to their stomach when their shirts go up. he wages that you touch yourself to them at night, don’t you manager? you blush even harder, trying to wiggle out of daichi, which just makes him moan louder, pulling you closer to his body with your forearms now beginning to bruise. kuroo is the first one to actually begin to touch you, keeping those cat like eyes on you while he slips your pants down, even as you try so desperately to keep them on. but he’s stronger than you, they all are. 

 he slips his finger into your pussy, which to his delight and your discomfort, you’re soaking. he slips the fingers out to show everyone, a jouster of cheers and whistles echo through the closet, some “wow, slut” and “she gets off on this?” he fingers you, watching you moan and rub yourself on daichi. asahi just watches, slowly stroking himself as you begin to loose yourself on just his fingers. after he has warmed you up, he lets himself plunge himself all the way into you, you go to scream out in agony, as the man his huge and didn’t give you a second to adjust. bokuto took this opportunity to shut you up with his fat cock. you squealed like a cute little piggy on him and he let out a loud grunt. that’s when daichi went to move inside your virgin asshole. you began to kick and squirm, screaming into bokutos crotch hair. they all let out a giggle, you watched like you were just a mere co pilot to your own body as suga and aakashi took it upon themselves to use your hands for their selves. 

 you were beginning to feel bubbles of pleasure form in the pit of your stomach, and soon you were moaning on bokuto, which made him grip your hair and fuck your face way too hard and fast, knocking out the wind you barely had from your lungs. the lack of oxegyen and pleasure from kuroo pounding into your tight little pussy made you spasm and leak your own fluids all over kuroo. he smacked your ass a few times, telling you that you were such a good slut and he would give you his reward soon. after a few hip crushing thrusts he came and fucked it into your womb, before he pulled out and let ushijima have his turn. the cum shooting down your throat, almost forced you to not be able to see the size of what was about to go inside of you, almost. you scream that its not going to fit when bokutos still hard cock slipped out of your slobbery, cum filled mouth with a loud pop. ushijima just mumbled about making it fit before forcing your tiny little body on his monster cock. you cry out in pain, begging for him to go slower, especially because daichi was still ripping your poor little asshole in two at the same time. you felt him shoot his load into your ass before pulling it out slowly, letting tenduo get behind you, and slip it into your already sore asshole, you felt a liquid leak out and you didn’t know if it was cum, blood, or both. while ushijima was jack hammering straight into your G spot making you flip around in their grips, that were all bruising you in different places. you were panting and moaning, it was all too much as your second orgasm washed over you, ushijima pounded into you still, overstimulating you to the point of tears. 

 aakashi moved from your hands and went to your gaping mouth, fucking into you just as relentlessly as ushijima. you felt him hit the back of your throat and you could only imagine the punishment if you gagged so you willed yourself to not gag. you could feel suga rubbing circles onto your clit, watching as you moaned and tried to rub yourself onto his fingers, even going as far as to push you hips onto ushi’s fat cock. like the whore you are. do desperate for release even after you had cried so hard about not wanting it. you came hard and fast again and felt the familiar feeling of cum being shot into your abused cunt before ushi slipped out rubbing some of his cum on your stomach, and pushing some of it back in....you thought your sore pussy was going to have a much deserved break...you were wrong because when you looked up, there was asahi, pushing into you. much gentler than the other boys tho.

 if the fucking wasn’t absolutely brutal, it was the degrading words all the boys were saying to you. tenduo was telling you about how much of a cum slut you are, how many times have you came on their cocks, five, six, god did that dumb slut brain of yours even know? does it feel good to be forced? you were expecting that from him, but not your sweet, sweet suga. but he joined in, making you beg for more cum on your tits, beg of him to pinch your nipples and smack you in the face like the fleshlight you are. make you cum again just from him rubbing tiny circles into your clit. at first you just sobbed and shook your head, but it didn’t take much of sugas biting your sensitive nipples and laying brutal assaults on your ass to change your tune.

 this went on for hours as the boys wanted a try in all of your holes. by the time they were done, you had cum too many times to count, had bruises on nearly every part of your broken body, cum and blood leaking out of your loosened holes. you even fell asleep multiple times through out the experience, only to be awoken by you cumming, or one of the boys cumming, or an intrusion in your body. maybe a harsh slap to your sore face. the last thing you heard before you finally passed out for the last time, was “we’re gonna do this again right?” “just gotta make sure she doesn’t open her mouth and ruin our fun.” “she needs to know how to stay in her place after all.”

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu!! fanfiction #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu headcanons #haikyū!! #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #bokuto x reader #sugawara x reader #daichi x reader #kuroo x reader #aakashi x reader #ushijima x reader #tendou x reader #asahi x reader #haikyuu smut #tw coercion #tw degrading

[wtfevenismypage]

Observer, not Profiler PT.2

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!reader

Summary: You’re similar to a profiler, but you can tell almost anything about a person just from a single glance. What they had for dinner, if they took a bath or shower, their name, favorite color, if they lie, even if they’re good in bed. You’ve been running from the government ever since you got caught hacking into their systems and since then you have been diagnosed with Extreme anxiety, anxious tics, and paranoia. But now the BAU need you’re help in Identifying killers.

Warnings: mentions of murder, mentions of child porn(for the case, doesn’t go into detail), mentions of corpses, probably a few curse words.

You watch as everyone separates, and you follow The three agents to a room with a round table and a board of pictures with dead women.

“what can you tell us about this man?”

Agent Aaron sets a file down on the table as Spencer gestures for you to sit down.

You open the file, looking at pictures of a man with short hair and a muscly build.

“His name is Maxwell, He’s thirty four. In this picture he had just finished... killing a woman. He probably had to force her away from a crowd because his social skills are lacking, he treats women like toys and men like competition. He’s a severe liar. He won’t just lie when it’s essential he’ll lie about anything for no reason. He’s killed before, but this time was for fun. He was bored.”

Agent Prentiss stares at you with her jaw on the floor, and your gaze drops to the floor.

“Okay that’s awesome. How do you do that?”

You shrug shyly before meeting her eyes.

“I’ve been able to do it ever since I was a little girl. I’m not sure why though. Don’t think I really want to know either...”

“He killed for fun?”

You nod at Aaron’s question, looking back down to avoid his steel cold stare.

“Okay, that got us much further than we could have gotten by ourselves, thank you Y/n.”

The scary agent says, returning to the victim board and analyzing everything.

-

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-

It’s been hours. You’ve sat in this room for hours and they have nothing else. 

To say you’re tired was an extreme understatement. You’ve gone three days without sleep and another three days without eating. You’re body is screaming at you to go to sleep, to just pass out right then and there, but you know you can’t.

“Y/n, are you alright?”

You nod, staring at the pictures of the dead, mutilated women. You didn’t understand how someone could do this.

“I don’t understand how you guys do this job... Staring at dead bodies all the time... You guys gotta have some sort of super power to be able to stomach this...”

Emily stifles a laugh before setting a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it gently before patting it twice.

“You get over it eventually, but it always haunts you.”

You let out a quiet yawn before closing your eyes and turning away from the board, the dead body sticking on your eyelids.

“Hey, I’m going out to get food, what do you all want?”

JJ says, standing in the doorway as Spencer, Aaron and Emily request their food.

“What do you want Y/n?”

You look up shocked, not expecting the offer of food.

“Umm... I’ll uh... Anything is fine I guess... Thank you.”

She smiles and nods before walking out. You sit down on a chair, your feet screaming hallelujah at the feeling of finally resting.

Spencer sits down next to you, handing you a bottle of water which you accept gratefully.

“You need to sleep, how long has it been since you last slept?”

You let out a chuckle, rubbing your sore eyes.

“I don’t know...Maybe, two, three days?”

Aaron- Hotch, turns to you with furrowed brows and mock concern. 

“You need to rest. Reid, set up a cot for her in an empty office.”

You shake your head with lidded eyes.

“No no, I’m fine I’m-”

You’re cut off by your own yawn. A faint blush creeps up on your cheeks while you rest your head on the table.

“M’ fine.”

The world slowly fades out as they call out your name again, but you’re already out cold.

When you wake up, you’re in a small sleeping bag on the floor, a pillow comforting your head. You’re up in a bolt, looking around warily before remembering what had happened withing the last twenty four hours.

Oh yeah... The FBI is using me..

You walk to the door with a sigh, looking around at the somewhat empty police station, a few officers working the stations, but it’s practically empty.

A blonde woman in colorful clothes walks by, pausing when she sees you.

“You, with me, now.”

She continues speed-walking on after that, and you run after her, following right on her heels.

“The team went out on a wild goose chase after the unsub, I need you and your magic hands to help me get into this guy’s computer, it’s blocked like nothing I’ve seen before, together we should be able to get in.”

You cringe at the thought of hacking, you haven't since the incident, but this woman is in the FBI and you’re pretty sure it’s unwise to disobey her. 

“Yes ma’am.”

She smirks and turns to you, but doesn’t say anything as she leads you into a room with five computers.

“Alright, we have to be quick. This guy is gonna kill again in ten minutes. I have the team on the line, anything you find, anything at all, tell them.”

You nod and sit at one of the two wheely chairs, looking at the database of the killers computer.

“A hash tree data structure, this dude likes things in groups. He has a NoSQL object oriented database and heavy protection on everything, he’s spent a lot of time protecting his files. This isn’t gonna be easy and I’m really rusty.”

You begin typing in every word combo you can think of, typing as fast as possible.

“Just do the best you can.”

Hotchner says over the speaker, you listen, continuing with any word combo you can think of when remembering his face.

Six minutes pass and you and Penelope still have nothing.

“Can I see another picture of him?”

She tosses a file to you, which you yank open, looking at the photo’s of him.

“Try anything star wars related, specifically characters, maybe a villain of the series.”

You tell her before tossing the folder aside and using your own advice.

Finally, you hear that satisfying noise of success from Penelope’s computer.

“We’re in.”

She enter’s the password into the computer you’re manning, which leads you to a killer’s screen.

A mutilated woman is the background, and you flinch away.

“Oh god...”

You click onto google, but it’s no better, every tab is war and chaos and horrible things. Child porn seems to be popular with him.

“Go through his stuff, look for anywhere he might be.”

You ignore all of the destruction on his desk top, clicking through everything before discovering a location.

“Got it! Go to the daycare at the Starrmole mall!”

“Copy that, all units to the Starrmole mall.”

You close the computer tabs, looking away and turning to Penelope.

“We did it my wonder girl!”

You smile as she holds her hand out for a high five, and you happily smack her hand before sitting back.

“Y’know, you would be really helpful around the office, specifically our offices?”

You look at her, shocked. Was she really recommending that you join the FBI? You couldn’t even say the word without spiraling into a tic attack.

“W-what? You... You want me to... To...”

“I think you would be great at it. You could help me out here, You don’t have to go on the field, you and I could do some serious damage together. The job pays fairly well too!”

At seeing your conflicted face, she sighs before setting a hand on your shoulder.

“Just think about it, okay?”

You nod with furrowed brows before the two of you walk out, waiting for the rest of the station to arrive.

It could be a smart Idea, working for the government instead of against it. Plus, you could do what you love again without fear of being locked up, but then again, you would have to get over looking at dead bodies everyday, you had to be ready to see them at any time.

Instead of thinking about it any longer, you direct your focus to something, or someone, else.

How the hell am I not able to read him?

You think to yourself when the image of the young Doctor fills your brain. You didn’t understand how he managed to avoid your reading, but it made you incredibly curious.

“So, what can you tell me about Dr. Reid?”

You ask Penelope with a slight blush on your cheeks. She looks at you, eyes wide and Jaw on the floor.

“Do you like him?”

You shake your head no, you had just met him! Yeah sure, maybe he was cute, but you didn’t like him like that!

“No way! Not like that! I was just confused at why I couldn’t read him! I don’t like him like that!”

“Like who like what?”

You jump in the air at the new voice, the tall Reid apologizing before sitting down across you and Penelope.

“No one! Like no one like nothing!”

You say rather aggressively, making Reid raise his hands in faux surrender, a smile plastered on his face as he laughs.

“Sorry I asked. So are you thinking of joining the Bureau?”

Your head tilts in confusion as you look at him, how the hell did he know that? As if he could hear your thoughts, he gives an answer.

“Garcia forgot to hang up, so we heard the conversation. Well I heard, everyone else shut their devices off, but I was pretty far away so I just turned around and came back.”

You and Penelope nod, but you look away.

“I’m not sure... I just... I spent my entire life running, but you guys found me, and now I’m supposed to join the forces of good and fight crime? I’m just having a difficult time deciding.”

They look at you with an understanding look, they know you’re having a difficult time with all of this, suddenly being pushed to let down all of your walls now. They knew you hated being center of attention.

Damn profilers...

You almost laugh at your thoughts, but you can’t, because the rest of the profilers and the Police just walked in with a serial killer.

“Well, you might want to choose quickly. We leave first thing in the morning. If you want to join the Bureau, I can talk to Hotch about bringing you with us on the jet, if not, we’ll arrange another jet to take you to any city you want, and you can start living there.”

Your mouth hangs open, it was already ten p.m, and you only had until morning to figure this out? Fucking perfect.

“I’ll go talk to Hotch about it. Spencer, give the girl some space to think, alright?”

The two nod at each other before walking off, Garcia going to inform Hotch and Spencer going to talk to the killer.

“This is a fucking mess.”

-

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You’ve spent the entire night thinking your options over, but you were still no closer to a choice than you were four hours ago. 

The night is silent. The entire office is asleep and you’re sipping on a cup of coffee, watching the stars as your debate marches on in your brain.

“Hey.”

It’s a deep voice, Derek, he sits in a chair next to you, plopping an arm on the back of your chair.

“Can’t sleep huh?”

You chuckle.

“That’s an oversimplification. I’m just trying to decide what the hell I’m going to do. If I join you, there are so many good things that’ll come out of it, but if I don’t-”

“You aren’t joining the FBI because you’re scared. You think you’re betraying yourself. I’ll tell you right now you aren’t betraying anyone. This is a chance to help yourself. To try something new. It’s a great job believe it or not, and I think you’ll fit right in with the team. Reid, Garcia, Emily, and I already think you’re great, but if you really don’t want to, nobodies making you okay?”

You nod, tears in your eyes as Derek brings you to a realization. You never even thought of it that way, but it made complete sense. Of course you held back because you didn’t want to betray yourself, you always did everything for your past self.

“Thank you Derek...”

Reid already thinks you’re great.

A smile crawls onto your face at the friendships that could be made. Just imagining working late nights with Dr. Reid made you happy.

“Does... Does Dr. Reid really think I’m great?”

He laughs before standing up and walking away.

That didn’t answer my question...

You think to yourself before returning your gaze to the sky. It was so bright, the stars were so easily seen at night. It was gorgeous, the way that the night sky was illuminated with constellations.

The rest of the night is quiet, you let yourself forget about the debate of the FBI job and you let yourself relax, listening to the hum of quiet jazz playing on the speakers.

When the rest of the police department wakes up, the FBI profilers included, they’re saying goodbye to the team and writing in their files. 

The team walks over to where you sit, looking at the sky as you sip on coffee.

“Well, have you made a decision?”

Hotch asks, you look down and spin around to face them,  glancing at their shoes nervously before speaking.

“Well, I have decided... And my decision is that...”

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A/N: I gotta be honest, I didn't expect that many people to enjoy this story! Just so ya’ll know, Requests are open! If you would like to request a fic for Reid, hotch, morgan, emily, dad!rossi (No romance for rossi, sorry) or any marvel character, just go ahead and ask! Keep me busy guys!

Taglist:

@imsuperawkward @ithinkilovetruecrimetoomuch @l0ve-0f-my-life @hopebaker @spencerreidisbootiful @thatsonezesty13 @nightlygiggless @holybatflapexpert @aberrant-annie @wasabiwitteks

#spencer reid #dr. spencer reid #dr spencer reid x reader #dr spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fan fiction #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds fandom #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fic #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner #penelope garcia x reader #penelope garcia #emily prentiss x reader #emily prentiss #derek morgan x reader #derek morgan #jennifer jareau #jennifer jareau x reader #david rossi

[thenukacolachallenge]

All the odd numbers for Cash 🖤🤍

yey ty Goose~ <3

1. How does your OC feel about their full name?

She got to choose it herself, so she really enjoys it! Some days she does wish she gave herself a middle name, but she knows it's for the best she didn't. she'd probably choose something stupid, like "Danger". or "Godzilla".

3. How does their social personality differ from how they act when they’re alone?

It's fairly similar, but she's a lot more chill on her own. She doesn't have to keep up the jokester persona, so she can be more serious and introspective. Sometimes that's not a good thing, though, and can lead to her having freakout moments where she feels the need to self-medicate. she much prefers being around SOME people most of the time.

5. Do they have a “tell” for when they’re lying?

Cash actually doesn't like to lie, unless it's for a joke or to fuck with someone. She's a naturally fidgety person(i headcanon undiagnosed adhd lmao) but if she gets especially fidgety while talking, she's probably lying.

7. What is their hair texture like?

It's not great, to be honest. She doesn't take much care of it anymore. When she was younger she did. it was longer then, too. she cut it off after her Pops died, and then after getting involved in shadier mercenary work she shaved it into a mohawk and started dyeing it crazy colors. that was probably when it was at its worst, fried to shit from the bleach and always full of hair glue and desert dust. she still has it in a mohawk these days, but she doesn't dye it or style it anymore, so it's back to its natural color and texture, which is medium thickness and texture.

9. Do they have a word or phrase that they tend to overuse?

Pretty much any swear word! She cusses like a sailor. Also, if she spends too much time around Erron, she accidentally starts picking up his Texanisms lmao.

11. What color do they look strikingly good in?

She doesn't wear white very often bc it's hard as fuck to keep clean, but she looks great in black and white!

13. Do they make strong/frequent eye contact when they talk to someone?

Usually yes! She's fairly extroverted and loves to communicate with people, and that comes with eye contact.

15. Are their greatest flaw and their greatest strength related and in what way? (ie very caring and helpful but a doormat, or very observant and shrewd but often paranoid)

I'd say so! Her greatest flaw is her reckless behavior, which helps her as often as it hurts her, due to the luck powers she has. It means that she usually has the gall to do shit that nobody else around her will, but it also is the number one cause of injury for her.

#OC: Cash Black

[slvtbible]

girls need love

pairing: frat!harry x cheerleader!y/n

word count: 2500

summary: just a hot cocky frat boy harry who determines to show you a good time rather than your boyfriend

warning: alcohol and drug use, hints of smut, vulgar language

a/n: i've always been tempted to write frat!Harry for a while now but I don't want it to be a typical high school cliche kind of piece. I’m adding a few different spices to it. Enjoy!

*

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y/n carefully zips up the short pink skirt she’s wearing for tonight. Straightening the skirt with her hands as she admires through the mirror how good the material looks on her figure. Topping it off with a white fitted crop top and crystal heels. She doubts herself for putting on too much effort for the party but her friends convinced her otherwise.

“You look fucking hot, not gonna lie” her best friend, Luna chimes while applying a lip gloss on her lips. Scanning y/n’s body. “Boys are gonna be all over you tonight!” she squeals excitedly, squeezing the tube back in her make up bag.

That causes y/n to roll her eyes. Boys this and boys that. As if she’s not dressing up tonight for herself. “I know what’s on your mind Luna but that isn’t going to happen. I’m just gonna there, drinking a few glass of Grey Goose or Jagermeister, smoke a few cigs and cuddle up with Brandon… hopefully”

Luna raises her eyebrow and exchanges looks with her other friend, Maria. Who has a ‘there she goes again’ look while brushing her jet black hair to remove unwanted knots.

“He’s a piece of shit. Why are you sticking around with him anyway?” Luna points bluntly, crossing her arms as she stares y/n from behind, who’s busy searching through her favorite pair of earrings.

“Exactly. He gives me bad vibes, y/n. He has a shitty reputation plus that boy only wants you for sex. I’m sorry to say that but we’re your friends and we’re only looking out for you.” Maria adds, putting her brush down before standing up from her dresser. “Jordan told me he’s bad news too.”

y/n sighs, attaching the golden hoop earrings as she hears her friends giving a lecture. “Appreciate it guys. But I can handle myself. If anything goes down south, you guys will be the first ones to know.” she smiles at both of them, messing with her thick long hair that falls above her hips.

The two seem quite unsure about it but let it slide anyway. Luna throws thumbs up to her way while Maria nods with a smile.

“Okay then” Luna says, slipping on her heels and grabbing her bag and car keys. “Come on ladies. I’m looking forward to getting hammered tonight. So y/n is driving” she gives a playful smile before tossing the keys towards her direction,

y/n laughs and shakes her head, easily grasping the keys as the three girls walk out.

As y/n arrives, there are already a few people on the outside. Drinking and making out shameless without any care in the world. The music is pumping loud even before she enters, which y/n can guess the fraternity is putting on Big Sean’s ‘Bounce Back’.

“Another typical frat party to attend. Quite getting tired of this shit.” y/n mumbles as she steps in, the two girls paying no attention to her while scanning over the crowded room.

It’s way too packed. She’s squeezing her way through a sea of sweaty bodies alone while Maria and Luna are looking for their boyfriends. y/n releases a breath of relief when she manages to get out of that. Finding herself standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“Baby! You made it!” She hears a deep voice from behind, spinning on her heels and finds her boyfriend, Brandon. A blue snapback place on top of his blonde hair. Hand gripping a red solo cup and eyes are slightly jaded. She assumes he has been smoking a lot of pot before she came here. “I’ve missed you so much” he mumbles, stepping closer towards her figure and pushes her towards his chest.

She gives a small laugh and hugs him back before pulling away slightly from his grip. Examining his red eyes and large pupils. “How much did you smoke tonight?” she asks straight away,

His hand gripping onto her waist, staring back at her as he shrugs. “Three or five? I don’t know. Why does it matter?” he sips on his alcohol,

“Just want you to be safe. Everytime you get high as a kite, you do something stupid.” she points out the obvious, her hands moving towards his shoulders quickly as he is about to fall. “And i bet this is not the second or the third glass you’re having” she firmly states,

“You’re right. It ain't. But I'm doing perfectly fine. Stop worrying” he says, hand moving down her ass and giving it a squeeze. “How about you and I go upstairs right now? Hm? Wanna fuck you so bad.” he utters against her neck

y/n resists the urge to roll her eyes at him, knowing it’s gonna make it worse. As a response, she shakes her head, moving his hand back to her hip. “Not while you’re like this. Take a breather, seriously. Drink some water” she suggests softly.

Brandon scoffs, lifting his head up and pushes her hands off his shoulders harshly causing her to widen her eyes. Mouth slightly agape at his harsh attitude.

“I didn’t make this party with my boys only for you to always bitch me around about how much I smoked or drank. It’s fucking annoying. Every time you walk in here, you’re always up to ruin my night.” he finishes the drink with a big gulp before chucking the empty cup down the floor. “Here’s a tip for you sweetheart, try to have some fun alright? Don’t come back until you’re ready for me to blow your back out” he snaps, glaring at his girlfriend before turning away to blend with the crowd again.

As she watches him leave, she sighs tiredly. Honestly, that wasn’t the first time she had ever seen him like this. She puts up with his nasty attitude and defends him in front of her own friends countless times because she believes deep down, he genuinely cares about her. When he’s sober, of course.

Because despite everything, he’s 100% different when he’s sober,

Well… okay, not really. She doesn’t know which one is true anymore.

y/n brushes of his attitude quickly and heads towards the fridge. Grabbing herself a can of beer before getting herself completely drunk tonight.

“Perhaps i should listen to Luna more” she mumbles, tasting the cold liquid as she sips it. Leaning her front against the counter, her elbows resting on top of the tiles. Observing the party while bobbing her head slowly to the music.

“That was extremely painful to watch”

She turns her head to where the voice comes from. Seeing Harry Styles, another member of the fraternity leaning against the doorway. His arms crossed causing his muscles to bulge out a little, he’s dressed in his usual attire. A white v neck and blue flannel with the sleeves roll up to his elbows. Chocolate curls tucked into a green snapback that he props on backwards along with dark skinny jeans he put on.

He shoots her a flirty smirk, causing his dimples to pop out. Pushing himself off the wall before walking towards her figure.

“Harry.” she speaks out his name, faking a smile when she watches him getting closer. “Surprised not to see you exchanging saliva with a girl in the corner of the room… like usual” she says sarcastically, moving her gaze back forward and taking a couple sip of the beer.

Harry winces playfully, pressing his hand to his heart pretending to get hurt by it. “Ouch princess” he leans sideways against the counter, propping his elbow on top as he laces his fingers, staring down at her who’s too busy looking away. “Always come up with horrible assumptions every time you see me. Never did once hear you say something nice”

She rolls her eyes, now glancing up to him who’s smirk never leaves his face. His lower lip taking in between his teeth. “Everybody knows you’re a player, Harry. What’s the nicest shit you could possibly gain from that?” she questions, eyebrows furrowing as she tilts her head back.

“At least I never humiliate you in front of people. You know i’m right” he shrugs, referring to what Brandon did earlier as he clicks his tongue against his teeth.

“What do you want, Harry?” she sighs, clearly showing she’s not in the mood to play tonight. “Can’t you see i’m busy?”

He chuckles, scratching his nose with his thumb. “Busy as in, isolating yourself from the party with a beer on your hand?” his finger points at the can, making her drop the can quickly. “Thought so. I'm here to keep you company.”

She can’t help but exhale a laugh, shaking her head. “Don’t act like I'm a damsel in distress. I don’t need a company. I’m pretty much capable on my own.”

“Again, you’re breaking my heart. By rejecting me.” he jokes, eyebrows raising as she watches him in amusement. “A guy wanting to have a chat with a pretty girl at the party isn’t allowed? Are there any policies about that?”

Her heart flutters a bit when he calls her pretty. Yeah, okay she does think Harry is hot. Like, really really hot. Who doesn’t think so? With that charming smile and seemingly soft curls that makes her go crazy a little bit. The vice captain of the football team that has every girl on campus swooning over, making it easy for him to flirt with a girl way into her panties.

“I’m flattered, truly I am. But flirting won’t get you anywhere Mister.” she tsks, wiggling her finger at him. “Especially flirting with a girl who already has a boyfriend. Another bad image for you, Styles.” she mutters, watching him chuckle with his green eyes staring back at hers.

“I am very much aware that you’re taken. But come on, harmless flirting? You’re gonna snitch on me? To him?” he asks, moving closer to leave a small space between them,

y/n takes a sharp breath as she feels how close they are right now. Clearing her throat and regaining her posture. “I might” she plays along, biting down onto her lip,

She sees how his eyes flicker down to her mouth, puffing out a deep breath from. Finding it hard to remove his gaze from her soft plump lips.

“You’re making it harder for me now” he mumbles, grabbing a cup filled vodka before chugging it down his throat. “I’m blaming it on you.”

“Harder to what, exactly?” she curiously asks,

“To not want you.” He replies bluntly, his flirty tone changes into a deeper one. Eyes lusting over her face and down to her body.

She feels herself swallow a lump on her throat, crossing her arms as his back leans against the table now. Eyes never leaving hers.

“That’s not the right thing to say to your best friend’s girlfriend.” she slowly stands in front of him now, hands on her back. “What happens if he heard you? You don’t want that.”

“I’ll take my chances” He smirks, putting the empty cup down. Standing up straight as his palms firmly plants on the table. “Besides, Brandon is way too drunk to care right now, princess. He’s fucking shitfaced.”

She giggles, nodding to herself. “Don’t need to see it for myself, I know you’re telling the truth.”

“He treats you like shit. Do you know that? Or are you on that ‘blinded by love’ stage at the moment” he queries in a serious tone. Searching for an answer on her face.

With a sigh, she nods. “I’m aware. I just. . . don’t like being alone. Seems like every cheerleader must have a frat boyfriend, kind of like a thing somehow. I don’t wanna miss out” Honestly, she sounds quite stupid with the reason she’s giving him but it’s actually the half truth.

He looks at her quizzically, finding it hard to believe every word she said. “You’re making no sense. Brandon maybe my best mate but he’s still a fucking asshole” he responds, standing up straight, looking down at her. “I fucked girls, yeah. But not as many as you thought and certainly not as heartless as you thought, y/n. Believe me.”

She feels her knees weaken when his lips are inches away from hers. Pressing down her lips as her eyes look over his shoulder.

“I can treat you better.” her eyes bug out at his confession. “Been watching you over the past couple years and goddamn it y/n, you’re the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen. Not to mention, sweet and smartt.” his fingers softly tucking a hair behind her ear. Grazing his knuckles gently against her bare arm,

“I can fuck you better too” his voice fills with lust, hand moving down to grab her hip gently. Thumbing the material of her skirt. “I know you’ve been thinking about me. Your sneaky glances aren’t exactly sneaky at all, baby” he whispers.

y/n already knows how wrong it is to be in this position. With his hand gripping her hip and her not halting his actions. Brandon might be the biggest ass she has ever encountered, but that doesn’t mean she’ll cheat on him. Despite how bad she wants it from Harry, she needs to stop. Yet she doesn’t. Why?

Because she actually wants this as bad.

“Is that a promise?” she flirts, flickering her stare back at him. Brown eyes glinting with desire and lust. Feeling his hand moves towards her cheek, cupping it gently as his thumb brushes against her light glossed lip. “Would be a shame if you’re nothing but an all talk, Harry”

The way she rolls his name off his tongue is causing his cock to twitch in excitement. Especially with that sexy stare she’s giving him, eyes wide and a naughty smile on her beautiful face saying how she’s ready to give it all to him.

‘Fuck you Brandon, your girl mine now.’ he thinks to himself cockily,

“Oh I promise you, darling.” he speaks slowly, pulling her close against his chest. “By the end of the night. The only name you’re going to remember is mine.”

He speaks so confidently and that causes her thighs to squeeze together as she feels her panties to slightly dampen. The sexual desire in her begins to grow even more, and she knows he feels the same way.

“I like the way you talk” she tells him, soft fingers running up and down his heavily tattooed arm.

He gives her a large wicked grin, leaning down a bit to brush his lips against her ear and whispers, “I want you to go upstairs and stay inside my room. You know which one. I expect your clothes are already on the floor once I get there. I’ll be up in fifteen.” he pecks her soft cheek, hearing her let out a soft whimper.

“I’m gonna wreck you tonight, darling.”

*

*

this is short i apologize but tell me if you want part 2 to this! hope you all liked it!

#harry styles x reader #harry styles blurbs #harry styles au #harry styles imagines #harry styles smut #harry styles one shots #frat!harry #frat!harry styles #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfictions

[hopeaterart]

Evil Ozpin AU: Dinner with a bird

Context: Ozpin and Salem more or less swap place, it's a bit complicated. This fic is here to explain how it happened by way of Ozpin monologuing to a (still on Salem's side at the time) Qrow. There's some hints of Ozqrow in there. Like, you're definitely supposed get Vibes. For those unaware: here's my Evil/Swap!Ozpin.

"So... You're Salem's latest pawn." Qrow scowled, eyes narrowing at the monster sitting from across him. How he'd ended up sitting at the same table as Ozpin, also widely known as 'the Wizard', was a blur in his memory, and granted, not that great a story.

Went on a mission for Salem to find his base of operation, with the only info being that it was somewhere in the forests of Sanus. Had to go alone because Tai and Raven had their hands full with Yang and a pregnant Summer. Got caught by Ozpin's latest apprentice- a blond woman about his age with the ironic name of 'Goodwitch'. Letting himself be captured in order to get taken to Ozpin.

One trip to an old monastery latter, he was now separated from Harbringer, had Aura-suppressing manacles on his wrists (thankfully with no chains), and was sitting in front of the Wizard himself. They were on some kind of balcony with only a small table between themselves, and there was a plate on the table with bread on it that neither were touching.

"And you're the guy who's trying to burn down Remnant." He bit back. Ozpin sighed, silver eyelashes fluttering as he narrowed his eyes.

"Is that what my traitorous ex-wife told you?" Ozpin asks, smiling like a predator about to eat it's prey when Qrow's eyes widened in confusion. "I mean- she's not wrong, but Salem isn't exactly the hero of our tale."

"Wh- your ex-wife!?" Qrow exclaimed, before gritting his teeth. "You're lying." He accused Ozpin, who didn't even flinch at the accusation.

"So she didn't tell you." He observed. "Oh, what am I talking about? Of course she'd keep that hidden, that self-righteous hag." Ozpin hissed as he took one of the small bread. "Doesn't want to acknowledge me being a thing is her fault, after all." He opened his mouth, momentarily exposing too-sharp canines as he bit the bread in half. He stared in Qrow's eyes as he chewed, before swallowing. "It's garlic bread. An entrée before the main dish, if you will. I'm not going to poison you, erm... Qrow Branwen, is it?"

Qrow grit his teeth. "And I should believe you, because?"

"Sheer pragmatism on my part, really. We're eating the same food, and I am not interested in poisoning myself." Ozpin explained, shrugging as he finished eating the bread he had in hand. "'Poison damage' is not really the kind of pain I like."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at that. He'd heard stories of Ozpin letting anything and everything hurt him with ecstasy written all over his face, but hearing what seemed like confirmation was a bit... much. "Uh... so what's the deal? Why are you having me eat here with you instead of- oh, I dunno, locking me in some kind of torture dungeon?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty bird?" Qrow averts his eyes at that, his gaze landing on the plate of bread as his cheeks warm up. He hesitantly took one of the bread, shoving it in his mouth and chewing quickly.

He took another one, eating slower and actually savoring it this time as Ozpin turns to look at the scenery. The forest stretches beyond the horizon, any traces of Grimm hidden from sight. Qrow's not fooled, he knows the monastery probably hides a few nasty surprises. The marble-skinned weirdo in front of him is proof enough.

Credit where credit is due, whoever cooked this is a damn good cook. "Who made this?" He asks as he takes another bread. "Didn't expect you to have a five-star chief."

It was Ozpin's turn to be caught off-guard. "I'm... glad you like my cooking." What. Qrow stared at his third half-eaten bread. "Oh, don't be a baby. I have literal centuries of experience behind me, and my cycle of immortality is different from Salem's. Since I need sustenance, might as well be good at it."

"Still not entirely convinced you're not poisoning me." Qrow noted.

Ozpin groaned in exasperation. "If I wanted to kill you, there's a myriad of ways that would be easier and less-headache inducing than this." Ozpin snapped as he got up and started walking away. Qrow turned to look at him as he went behind his chair, before going rigid as cold fingers dug into his shoulders. "Stay there. I'm getting the side and main courses."

Ozpin left the balcony in a puff of smoke, and Qrow let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding. He reached inside his jacket, relieved to see his Scroll was still there. Only for his mood to immediately crash when he realized that this part of Vale didn't get reception.

"Trying to call for help, are you?" Qrow whirled around, scowling when he saw Goodwitch. "I'm telling you now, it's not gonna work. Ozpin has taken precautions."

"What, precautions against modern tech!?" Qrow snapped, getting up as his chair rattled. He didn't care if Goodwitch had one of the most powerful Semblances he'd ever seen while he couldn't even activate his Aura right now. He brought misfortune wherever he went, made sense his shit Semblance would turn against him one day. "Does the guy think we still live in the Dark Ages?"

Goodwitch bristled. "Why, you insufferable- Ozpin is trying to offer you a chance to redeem yourself from working with Salem, and you're squandering it for-"

"Glynda." Both stilled as Ozpin came into view. There was a disappointed frown on his face. "That's no way to treat guests."

"But sir-"

"No buts, young lady." Ozpin reprimanded, waving his fingers as floating plates, glasses and a bottle of something came into view. "Help me with putting on the table, will you?" He asked Glynda, who nodded and took the two plates with food on them to put on the table. "Sit back down, Qrow."

"Don't call me that." The huntsman hissed even as he sat back down. He glared at his plate, which had fish and some kind of salad and... something else in it. He raised his head slightly as the bottle landed on the table, Ozpin dismissing Glynda with a 'thank you' before sitting back down. He pointed at the weird stuff. "What is that?"

"Oysters." Ozpin told him. "I opened them earlier, they're all good. Do you know how to eat them?" Qrow shook his head. "Alright, so first you need to loosen them up..." Qrow followed Ozpin's instructions, pulling a face after eating his first one. Ozpin frowned. "Don't like it?"

"Texture's weird." Ozpin hummed, before taking the bottle and popping the cork off and pouring Qrow a glass.

"It's champagne. Laurent-Poirier. Goes well with oysters, use it to wash them down." Qrow nodded, taking the flute and taking a small sip. "Not a fan of alcohol?"

"Opposite, actually." He started, remembering how his father got after too many bears. "Runs in the family." Ozpin thankfully didn't push the subject, simply turning toward his own plate and taking a bite of his salad.

The two ate in silence for a while. Ozpin opened his mouth again as Qrow tried his second oyster. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Does it matter if I say no?"

"No, but you don't have to answer it." Qrow nodded. "How did you end up working for Salem? I thought the Branwen were a bandit tribe from Mistral?"

Qrow hissed in between his teeth. "I... me and Raven, we... Our parents, they- urgh. Look, all that matters is: we're not going back, and we're never going back."

"Raven..." Ozpin seemed deep in thoughts, as if he was trying to remember something. "That's your sister, right?"

"Yeah." Something occurred to Qrow. "Say, the whole reincarnating wizard thing. You used to be, like, a regular, not-Grimm person, right?"

"That's one way of putting it, but yes." Ozpin answered. "I used to be mortal."

"Did you have siblings? Before the whole..." Qrow made a vague gesture in the other's general direction. Ozpin stilled at that, a faraway look on his face.

"No, none by blood. I grew up in the mountains with only my parents before obtaining my powers." He answered. "I... did have someone I considered my sister, but I was already well into becoming what I am now when I met her." The look on Ozpin's face was absolutely miserable. "Salem killing her pushed me over the edge."

"... Ah." Qrow took a sip of his champagne. "That sucks. Sorry for your loss."

Ozpin waved a hand. "I- it's fine. You're not the one who blasted her with magic for the crime of trying to help me stay me." He quickly ate an oyster, seemingly cheering up. "Anyway, my turn to ask you a question!"

Qrow snorted despite himself. "What is this, 21 questions?"

"My crush is no one, if you're wondering." Ozpin joked, before straightening in his chair. "What did Salem tell you about me?"

Qrow shrugged as he cut some of his fish. "You want to burn down Remnant. You can do magic. Whoever you reincarnate in dies the moment you come into the picture. You started the whole thing with Salem. And she doesn't know how to stop your cycle."

Ozpin hummed. "I see. Your turn."

"How... much of what I told you do you agree with?" Between the ex-wife comment and the very real grief he had when talking about his sister, it was clear had a different version of the events. Besides, the monster Salem had described to him wouldn't simply sit him down to talk.

Ozpin hummed, a piece of fish on his fork as he waved it in the air. "I do want to do some burning, but it's more 'everything Salem ever worked for' than Remnant. Come on, Qrow, I live here. And I'm stuck here." He ate his fish. "If I really wanted to destroy Remnant, I'd simply use the Relics."

He hummed. "Yeah, that's fair- wait. You know where the Relics are!?" The amount of people that were on wild goose chases to find them... And this whole time, Salem's sworn enemy could get to them the moment he decided to stop playing around.

"Of course I know where they are. I'm the one who hid them in the first place." Ozpin noted. "Can't have Salem blowing up my body with the Sword again... urgh, retrieving it and the Lamp was such a pain!" Qrow numbly nodded. "Anyway, you wanted to know about my magic?"

"Uh-" Ozpin snapped his fingers, whisps of green and gold rising from them as pitch black eyes burst into green flames. Like a Maiden's. "Oh shit!"

Ozpin smiled as the magic faded, Qrow numbly realizing there were brown irises somewhere in those pools of tar. "I can. And unlike Salem, I'm willing to share."

"You- you're the guy who created the Maidens!?" The fairytale explaining their origin spoke of an old, cruel magician, who took four sisters under his wing and taught them how to use magic.

"Ah, yes." Ozpin spoke with fondness. "The first Maidens. They reminded me of the first daughters I had, and they were so very loyal to me... loyalty deserves to be rewarded, don't you think?"

Qrow frowned. "Is that why they keep turning against Salem when she finds them first? Something to do with your magic?"

"What- no!" Ozpin exclaimed, clearly offended. He then frowned in confusion. "I think. If it is a thing, then it wasn't intentional." A pause as Ozpin downs his flute, before pouring himself more champagne. "Anyway, my reincarnations..."

Qrow raised an eyebrow as Ozpin downed more champagne. "Sensitive point?"

"More angry about Salem being right on this one. Or..." He chuckled. "Was right. I proved her wrong, in this life. Ozma isn't in control anymore."

"There's literally nothing in what you just said that's reassuring." Qrow noted, Ozpin smiling at him as he finished his salad. "Who's Ozma?"

"The name of the first soul in the cycle." Ozpin told him. "He used to absorb whoever he reincarnated in into himself the moment he was in their bodies, but his soul weakened over time, and it took more and more time and efforts to absorb them. By the time he reached me, it him almost twenty years for our souls to fuse, and then..."

"... you're the one who absorbed him." Qrow finished. He frowned. If Ozma's soul was driven by anger at being betrayed by the woman he loved, then... "Holy shit, what did Salem do for you to hate her that much!?"

"What would you do," Ozpin started. "If you wanted to live, but someone wanted you dead? Because you know of something you couldn't care less about that could destroy her life? What would you think if someone thought of you as nothing less than the latest stain on her self-inflated ego? Proof that she's just human, if not worse than that?"

Qrow frowned at that. Was that how Ozpin saw the conflict? But nevertheless, he knew the answer to that question. It wasn't one he was happy with, but... "I'd kill her before she killed me."

"Good answer. And the answer to who started our conflict: as far as I'm concerned, it's all. Her. Fault." The two finished their plates in silence after that, Ozpin first and spending the next few minutes watching Qrow.

They stared at each other for a while. "Uh. All that fancy stuff, and no dessert?" Qrow joked. The tiniest bit of relief struck him as the corners of Ozpin's eyes crinkled.

"Now, you're speaking my language!" The pale-skinned man clapped his hand, and Qrow nearly jumped out of his skin when a Grimm came out of the shadows.

It was unlike any Qrow had seen before. A glossy sphere with bone shards on it's lower half, floating with an array of thin tentacles trailing under it. There was an ominous light coming from into the sphere, even if it wasn't really visible in this light.

It was also green instead of red, which meant Ozpin had created the fucking thing. Black smoke rose up from under the plates at a wave of the Wizard's hands, handing them to the Grimm. "Bring these to the kitchen, and bring back the dessert. It's on the pastry cart." The Grimm simply took the pile of plates and floated back in the darkness of the inside.

Qrow inhaled sharply. "What the fuck was that-"

"Seer Grimm. I've put enchantments all over the place so we don't end up getting detected by the CCT, but I need a way to communicate with my followers when they're away." Ozpin explained with a shrug of his shoulders as he poured himself yet another glass of champagne. Qrow stared at him. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm pretty sure most of my bodily fluids have been replaced by Grimm sludge, it takes an insane amount of alcohol for me to get drunk."

"Yikes." That word alone could describe at least half of what Qrow had learned about Ozpin today.

"Want a refill?" Qrow looked at what Ozpin was pointing at. His own flute, now empty. He nodded, letting the wizard pour him a second glass. Ozpin got up from the table after that, his glass in hand as he leaned on the balcony, back to the Huntsman. "Anyway, there's still one part of your question I haven't answered yet."

Qrow frowned, before remembering. "Is there a way to stop your cycle of reincarnation?"

If he had seen the manic smile on Ozpin's face, Qrow would've been scared for life. "Nope~. There was, but Salem would've had to die, and she was unwilling to. And now, the only way to get rid of me has been made useless."

"What do you mean by that...?"

Before Qrow could get his answer, the Seer Grimm was back, pushing a tray with a plate that had a mountain of what looked like chocolate truffles on it. Ozpin turned around, snapping his fingers as he did so. The Seer rotated, floating toward Ozpin as the wizard reached a hand out, caressing the smooth surface. He looked at the Grimm warmly, before turning those same eyes on Qrow, making something in his chest flutter. "Slit my throat open."

One of the Grimm's tentacle morphed into a blade, and faster than Qrow could see, Ozpin's throat was opened with a gush of tar-like blood. Ozpin gurgled, more of the black sludge coming out of his mouth as he took a few steps back, before falling backwards over the edge of the balcony. Qrow's better nature took the better of him as he rushed out of his chair, rushing to try and catch the wizard. "OZPIN!"

... Only for the man to raise into the air, eyes ablaze as a gentle breeze carried him. Ozpin laughed awkwardly as the other man stared at him in shock. "Were you scared for me?" Qrow took a step back as what he realized was a nothing less than a living god touched down on the balustrade. "Don't worry, there's no need to! I know it's always a bit scary when I take risks like that, but I assure you: there's no need to, since I-"

"Can't die." Qrow finished, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "You can't die."

Ozpin frowned sympathetically at him as he sat down on the balustrade, looking up at Qrow. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

His answer came in the way Qrow crumpled to the ground, breathing harshly as if he was trying to refrain himself from crying. "No one wanted me-" He started in between gasps, Ozpin frowning as he came to kneel down next to him. "I gave my life to her because she gave me a place where- where I belonged-" He continued, letting the other man manhandle him into a hug. "I thought I was finally- finally-"

"Doing some good?" Ozpin finished for him. That opened the floodgates, Qrow burying his face in Ozpin's chest as he sobbed. Ozpin gently carded a hand through his hair, resting is lips on the top of his head. "You poor thing..." He muttered. "I'm afraid meeting Salem was the worst luck of your life."

Qrow continued crying, not noticing Ozpin manhandling him further until he was sitting in Ozpin's former chair. The wizard had his back turned to him, taking the plate with the truffles. "What are you...?"

Ozpin turned toward him, a kind smile on his face. "After everything you learned today, you must be exhausted. I just want to make you feel a bit better, is all." He came to sit on the table, plate next to him. He picked the truffle at the top, bringing it to Qrow's mouth. "Open."

Qrow nodded, opening his mouth and letting Ozpin handfeed him sweets, the wizard occasionally cradling his face or petting his hair. Ozpin smiled, picking up Qrow's discarded glass of champagne and sipping on it as the other leaned in his hand.

I win this time, dear~

#writing #my writing #ozpin #rwby ozpin #professor ozpin #qrow branwen #rwby qrow #evil ozpin #evil ozpin au #alcohol #tw blood #food #glynda goodwitch #rwby glynda #rwby au #rwby

[swan-of-sunrise]

Specs and the Flyboy (Chapter Two)

Summary: Jack is less-than-pleased that Daniel’s decided to hire a codebreaker for the West Coast SSR and needless to say, he and (Y/N) end up getting off on the wrong foot.

Pairing: Jack Thompson X Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I’ve been blown away by all the positive reactions the first chapter got here on Tumblr and on AO3, so thank you so much for that! Hope you all enjoy this one too!

Chapter Two West Coast Strategic Scientific Reserve, Los Angeles (Previous Chapter)

“Sousa, I’ve got more important things to do this morning than interview some egghead pencil-neck geek with you. Go get your gal to do it.”

Jack glanced up from his paperwork in time to see Daniel roll his eyes in exasperation before answering. “I already told you, Jack, the codebreaker’s an old friend of Peggy’s and it would be a conflict of interest if she were present. Besides, she’s busy tracking down another lead on that shooter of yours.”

“Oh.” At Daniel’s words, the freshly-healed gunshot wound on his chest twinged uncomfortably, so Jack brought a hand up to furtively rub at it as he continued. “All right, Chief, when’s this shin-dig supposed to happen? ‘Cause I ain’t got all day to wait around, you know.”

“Peggy said not until eleven, but it could be any time between then and now. Say, you mind waiting here while I take these files down to Samberly, in case the codebreaker shows up early?”

“Sure, just hurry up, would you? I don’t wanna be stuck talking gobbledygook alone with this guy.”

If there was one thing Jack truly despised, it was the way smarter people flaunted their intelligence and made others feel like crap for not knowing about things like quadratic equations and iambic pentameter. Jack was smart – he’d gotten into Cornell on his own merits, after all – but he was certainly no Einstein and that was fine by him. But he’d met way too many people in college who thrived in making others like him feel that they were beneath them; he already believed the SSR had too many scientists on their hands, so he couldn’t understand why Sousa would hire yet another one to clutter the West Coast office.

Daniel stood and slid his arm into his crutch. “Aye aye, Chief.” After giving him a small salute, he grabbed his files and limped out of their shared office.

Unable to refocus on his paperwork, Jack tossed his pen down on the desk, leaned back in his chair and crossed his ankles on the edge of the desk as he allowed his thoughts to wander. Nearly a month ago, he’d been shot in his hotel room as he prepared to head back to New York after they solved the Zero Matter case; the hotel staff had found him right after and from what the doctors said, he’d have been a cooked goose if they’d shown up any later. But unfortunately, since he’d been the target of an attack by an unknown suspect or organization, he was forced to stay in Los Angeles with the West Coast SSR until the case was either solved or closed.

Hopefully that’ll be any day now, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw in annoyance; he hated everything about Los Angeles, from its absurd traffic jams and sweltering heat to the utter lack of any decent food. He hated the fact that he wasn’t a real chief, that as long as he was in Los Angeles, he was virtually useless. The women were all good-looking but with the open case and…well, his own off-the-books investigation, he sadly didn’t have any time to chat up dames…

“Um, Chief Sousa?” Jack’s eyes flew open and landed on a woman standing in the doorway with a hesitant look on her face. Speak of the devil, he thought with an inward smirk. “I’m sorry to, ah, disturb you, Chief Sousa, but we have an appointment…?”

Jack yawned and stretched his arms out. “You’ve got the wrong guy, doll, the name’s Jack Thompson. Sousa’ll be back any minute, though, he’s just takin’ care of some paperwork.”

The woman nodded in understanding. “Do you mind if I sit here and wait for him, then?”

“Go ahead.” She gave him a nod of thanks and took a seat in the chair beside Sousa’s filing cabinet; she immediately pulled out a file from her purse and a pair of wire-framed glasses, which she slipped on before beginning to skim the file. Jack observed her with mild curiosity from his own seat; the sunlight streaming through the office’s window illuminated the woman’s smooth skin and made her styled (Y/H/C) hair nearly glow, and her (Y/E/C) eyes, although partially obscured by her reading glasses, had an intensity to them that intrigued him. The women of Los Angeles were all knock-outs, sure, but the one sitting across the room from him had a quiet and effortless beauty to her that had instantly caught his attention; it wouldn’t hurt to try your luck with her, he told himself, could be worth a shot.

He was jostled from his thoughts when she suddenly spoke up, her eyes still trained on her file. “I’d appreciate it greatly if you’d stop ogling me like that.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He bit his lip as he tried thinking of another approach. “So, um, what’re you here to see Sousa about?”

“I’m afraid that’s between me and your boss.” The woman looked up from her file with a raised eyebrow and after appraising him for a moment, her gaze softened. “But if we’re asking questions, then why’re you in the chief’s office and not in the bullpen with all the other agents?”

Jack leaned father back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head with an easy-going shrug. “Just keeping his seat warm, helping him out with some cases, that sort of thing. You know, it’s a wonder how the branch managed to get anything done before I came along.”

“Well, then, I suppose it’s a good thing you’re here holding down the fort.” She quipped, closing her file and taking off her glasses. “I’ve heard talk that this branch was having a, ah…well, a challenging time running smoothly.”

He chuckled. “You could say that again. You know what the chief’s doing now? He’s gonna hire another egghead, this time a codebreaker. Can you believe that?”

The woman didn’t smile or laugh, but instead furrowed her brow. “I take it you don’t approve of codebreakers, Agent.”

“I don’t mind ‘em but let me put it this way: it’s post-war America and the last thing the SSR needs at a time like this is another pencil-necked, stuttering brainiac who thinks they’re better than everyone else just ‘cause they’re a little bit smarter. And it’s actually Chief, not Agent.” Jack corrected, grinning with self-assurance as he swung his legs off the desk and leaned forward in his chair. “Chief Thompson. What about you, doll, what’s your name?”

The woman crossed her arms and spoke, her voice all of the sudden dripping with malice. “Two chiefs for one office? I guess Peg was right about this branch…not that I was expecting any better of the SSR, of course. In my experience, government agencies have always been prone to stupidity.”

For the first time in a long while, Jack struggled to find his words and finally settled on, “You know Marge.”

“If you’re talking about Peggy Carter, then yes, she’s the one who recommended me for the open position of pencil-neck, stuttering brainiac.” She rose from her seat with narrowed eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “And it seems to me that all the issues with the SSR could be quickly resolved if there were more of us around and less of you arrogant, self-absorbed flyboys.”

His indignation rising, Jack jumped to his feet and stepped around the desk to stand before her with his arms crossed. “And apparently I was right about specs always needing to be the smartest in the room. You know, that sort of attitude could get you into a lotta trouble someday-”

“Are you threatening me, Chief Thompson?”

“So what if I am?! I outrank you, and I-!”

“Hey!” Daniel voice cut through the room, and Jack’s head whipped around in time to watch the chief limp into the office and slam the door closed behind him. “What the hell’s wrong with you, Jack, the whole damn building can hear you!”

Jack pointed an accusing finger at the woman. “Sousa, you can’t seriously be considering hiring this…this dame!”

“Call me ‘dame’ one more time and I’ll take that finger of yours and shove it right up your-”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Let’s all calm down, shall we?” Jack let out a huff of frustration and flopped back down at his chair, watching as Daniel took a step towards the woman and offered her his hand. “I’m really sorry about all that, Miss…?”

The woman hesitated a moment before giving his hand a shake. “(Y/L/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N). It’s good to finally meet you, Chief Sousa, Peggy’s told me quite a bit about you.”

“All good things, I hope. Peg told me a little bit about you too, but I was hoping to learn more during this interview.” He gestured for her to sit in the chair facing his desk and as she situated herself, he made his way around his desk and set his crutch to the side before taking a seat. “Um, just pretend Chief Thompson isn’t here. I’m legally required to have another SSR agent sit in on interviews and he’s the only one not busy right now, so…”

(Y/N) shot Jack a contemptuous glare before smiling kindly at Daniel and handing over her file. “Oh, that certainly won’t be a problem, Chief.”

“All right, then let’s get things started. Can you tell me a little about your background and your experience with codes?”

“Of course. I graduated from Stanford University in 1940 and served five years overseas; two years stationed at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park in London and the other three in the field with the OSS. You’ll see in my file that while I was officially an OSS operative, I was loaned out to the SSR to serve as a field codebreaker and upon Captain Rogers and Colonel Chester Phillips’ recommendation, I was assigned to the Howling Commandos to serve as their personal codebreaker from 1943 to 1945. I’ve worked with and have mastered dozens of variants of codes, and I was one of the minds behind the Native American Code Talkers. In the field, I took part in over fifty missions with the OSS, the SSR and the Howling Commandos; the intelligence I decoded aided in the take-down of all Hydra bases and was integral to several other highly-classified operations that I’m not at liberty to discuss.”

Daniel let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. “That’s quite the resumè, Miss (Y/L/N). It says here in your file that you trained Agent Carter in codebreaking at Bletchley Park?”

While (Y/N) gave her reply, Jack jotted down a quick note on the corner of his report. Once he finished, he gave Daniel’s foot a nudge and tilted the report in his direction so the chief could read it.

“So, um, Miss (Y/L/N), have you…?” Daniel’s eyes darted between Jack’s note and the codebreaker’s face. “Ah…” Sighing, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Jack, your handwriting’s shit so you might as well ask her your own damn question yourself.”

Jack scowled and met (Y/N)’s annoyingly expectant gaze. “Have you actually been trained as an agent or did the Howlies babysit you during the war?”

“Thompson!”

“It’s all right, Chief Sousa. To answer your question, Chief Thompson: yes, I received basic training before I was assigned to the field, the same as any other soldier.” She raised a questioning eyebrow. “Do you have any other questions for me? I want to be sure that you’re on the same page as we are.”

Jack clenched his jaw. “Where do you get off-?”

“Thank you for coming in, Miss (Y/N).” Daniel got to his feet and shook her hand again. “I still need to run a couple routine background checks but as far as I’m concerned, you’re hired. You’ll get a call from me once everything is set.”

The codebreaker’s face broke into a grin as she stood. “Thank you, Chief Sousa. I’m looking forward to working with codes and the SSR again, and I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for that phone call. I hope you have a good rest of your day!”

She collected her things and walked out of the office without so much as a passing glance at Jack, who let out a snort of derision. “Sousa, you must really be flipping your lid this time, you can’t seriously hire-”

“Don’t tell me how to run my office, Thompson. We needed a codebreaker and she’s easily the most qualified applicant we’ve had.” Daniel snapped, sitting back down and resuming his paperwork. Jack couldn’t help but feel a little impressed; Daniel had come a long way from being a meek agent in NYC, even if he occasionally made stupid decisions like hiring (Y/N) (Y/L/N).

After about fifteen minutes, Daniel looked up from his work with a curious expression. “You know, I’ve never seen you so antsy about a woman before. What’s up?”

Jack shrugged. “I dunno, but something about her just rubs me the wrong way. We better find my would-be murderer soon so I can get the hell back to New York and never see her again.”

Daniel appeared as if he’d reply, but at that moment Peggy entered the office; the chief’s expression softened as he gave her a smile, looking every bit the lovesick idiot he was. “Hey, Peggy, how’d your lead pan out?”

“It didn’t, unfortunately. My potential witness was involved in an automobile accident early this morning, I arrived at the scene just after the coroner.” Peggy’s eyes flicked to Jack’s and softened with sympathy. “It seems as if you’ll be staying with us a while longer, Thompson.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! If you haven’t checked it out yet, I created a Spotify playlist for this series and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21pWY7OiMFj8LaYpxhtVtW

Chapter Three

“Specs and the Flyboy” Masterlist

Tagging: @nnon-it-up​ @fluffymadamina​ @remmyswritings​ @ourstarsailor​ @darkusangelus​ @josis-teacup @marvel-jackt-loki-buck​ @yeetyeetchickenmeat​ @sameoldbaby​ @theserenityspace​ @seeing-but-not-observing​ @supervoldejaygent​ @momc95​ @brooke0297​ @kinda-c0nfused​ @outoftheregular  @mads-weasley​

#jack thompson x reader #agent carter #jack thompson #daniel sousa #marvel cinematic universe #strategic scientific reserve

[one-boring-person]

Heyy 😊👉🏼👈🏼 it’s me again... I know that I literally just requested one, and received, which you did a fantastic job on btw! I’m like in a Top Gun love state right now, and I wanna warn you like I will probably be like a repeat customer 😅 so if it is not too much to ask, whenever you feel like, could I have a maverickxreader where he admires reader from afar and Goose knows he likes her and messes with him and somehow Goose helps them get together 😘😘 I’m sorry if it’s too soon 🤞🏽❤️

Of course, I'm glad you liked the first one!!💛💛

Buy Her A Drink.

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x reader

Warnings: alcohol consumption

Masterlist

"...Earth to Maverick? You there?" A familiar voice calls over the loud music, a hand waving in front of my face to get me to tear my eyes away from the point I'm staring at, my gaze easily finding Goose as he passes me a beer, smirking knowingly at me as he leans back against the bar.

"Where else would I be?" I respond, taking a deep drink from the bottle, my eyes quickly flicking back to the object of my focus, a sigh inadvertently escaping me as I watch her.

"In (Y/n)-dreamland, I reckon." The RIO points out, laughing as my head snaps round to face him, "Oh come on, you're not exactly being discreet!"

Frowning, I look down as a blush starts to creep up my neck, the bottle returning to my lips as I deny him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Goose scoffs, rolling his eyes dramatically at the look on my face, looking over in the direction I was staring in, still grinning.

"Oh yeah? So you haven't been making heart eyes at her for the last month, hmm?" He lifts an eyebrow, nudging me as he gestures in (Y/n)'s direction, "Last time I checked, you haven't been able to get enough of her since we first got here."

"Stop it." I warn him, setting my jaw as he makes a noise of amusement.

"What? I'm just pointing out the facts." He grins widely at me, "Remember when we first flew together and you let her take the finishing shot? First time that's ever happened. And the time when we were playing volley ball altogether, when you let her win everytime?"

"I never let her take the first shot, or let her win. She's just a really good flyer, and she won all the games fair and square!" I protest, waving off his points as a blush continues to cover my cheeks, taking a sip of the beer to disguise it.

"Keep telling yourself that, Mav. I'm not the only one who remembers you getting all flustered that time when it was so hot her uniform was sticking to her skin. You couldn't keep your eyes off her." Goose remarks, leaning back against the bar with a conspiratorial smirk.

By now, my cheeks are probably bright red, my jaw clenched painfully as I recall that time, my eyes now finding the skilled pilot across the room from me, eyeing her as she jokes around with Iceman and Slider, the three of them having grown particularly close over our time at Top Gun. At the sight of them, I feel my teeth grind together, though I force myself to relax as I admire her appearance instead, subtly observing how her uniform hugs the curves of her body, and how her hair is neatly styled despite her more relaxed demeanor, the bottle in her hand appearing half empty from where I am. Her smile seems to light up the room as the three of them burst into laughter, her hand reaching out to rest against Iceman's arm in what is probably a purely platonic manner,

"Just buy her a drink or something, man. I'm sure she likes you back." My RIO encourages me, looking me in the eye as he says this, completely serious despite the grin still on his face.

"She looks happy enough with Ice and Slider." I grumble in response, finishing the rest of my beer in one long drag, turning and slamming the bottle on the bartop, trying to fight the urge to keep watching her, knowing I'm probably coming across as creepy.

"Oh come on, don't be like that, Mav! I think she'd much prefer your company. She does keep looking over, after all." Goose consoles me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders reassuringly as I look over at him.

"She doesn't." I murmur quietly.

"And how would you know?" He smirks again, knowing that I've been watching her nearly the entire night, "I tell you what, I'll help you out. Cath you later, man."

Before I can protest, he's gone, giving me one last part on the back as he goes, a few bills left on the counter for me to use, an unspoken rule we've always had: if trying to persuade the other to get a girl, we always pay for each other's first drinks. It helped get Carole and Goose together, but unfortunately it hasn't yet helped me. Growling to myself, I snatch up the notes and stuff them in my pocket, straightening and turning, banging into someone immediately, my hands instantly coming out to steady them as they yelp and stumble backwards, their drink spilling over our shirts.

My eyes widen as they find the person in my arms to be (Y/n), her own eyes locking with mine briefly, before she looks away, chuckling awkwardly, a blush dusting her cheeks, her own hands wiping at her front.

"Err, hey? Goose said you wanted to talk to me?" She questions me, looking up at me imploringly, features softer in the dim light, giving her a different appearance to the experienced pilot I know on the runway.

"Did he now?" I respond, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, "I'm really sorry about your drink. Want another? It's on me."

A grin spreads across her face at my offer, the pilot nodding softly at me as she moves to sit on a barstool beside me, uncaring of her now-damp uniform, telling me her order. Requesting it from the bartender, I scan the room for Goose, quickly locating him next to Sundown, shooting him a scowl as he lifts his bottle in salute, grinning at me.

"So what was it you wanted to say to me?" (Y/n) inquires as she receives her drink, eyeing me carefully as I adjust myself unsure of what to say.

"I think Goose made that up so you would come talk to me, actually." I admit, looking down at the bottle in my hand, embarrassment rendering me incapable of keeping eye contact with her.

"Oh." She giggles, the sound storing itself in my memory as she takes a drink, her smile wide and cheerful, not weirded out at all, "Well, at least he succeeded."

"True." I murmur, finally mustering the courage to lock eyes with her again, drowning in their warm depths.

For a few minutes, we sit there in silence, during which I start to doubt myself, my self esteem lowering even further as I struggle to come up with a topic of conversation, my head suddenly going blank for the first time in my life. Beside me, (Y/n) quietly drinks from the glass in front of her, clearly having the same problem as I am, fingers tracing idle patterns on the smooth counter. Looking over at her, I finally decide that I've had enough of this, turning to face her properly, drawing her attention to me almost immediately, confusion etched into her face.

"Goose got you to come over here because he wants me to admit to you that I like you, because he thinks that you like me back, which is ridiculous because I'm not your type at all, and I'm probably not what you're looking for, and I'm too nervous to make a move anyway, so he got you over here when he knows I've had a bottle or two of beer to loosen my tongue, so that I will finally confess to yo-" I gush out, rambling on as I try to organise my thoughts into one steady stream.

"Wait, you like me?" She suddenly cuts me off, having gauged something from the tirade of words.

I freeze in place before replying, unsure if how she'll react.

"...Yeah, I really do. I think you're amazing, the way you fly is incredible and you're a really nice person in general. You're sweet and funny, and I don't think I've ever come across someone who actually tolerates my flying style like you do, so yeah, I like you."

She is quiet for a minute or so, the suspense killing me as I prepare to make my excuses, ready to up and leave in case this now gets awkward. When she does speak, I try to expect the worst, knowing I'll be rejected.

"I mean I wish you'd told me sooner. At least the I could've spent less time fretting over whether you liked me back or not." She finally comments, remarks offhanded and surprising, my mind having to replay the words a few times before I actually understand what she means.

"You like me, too?!" I nearly exclaim in disbelief, happiness exploding inside me as she nods, reaching a hand over the table to lace our fingers together, a soft smile gracing our lips as we look at each other.

"I do, but you're gonna have to take me on a date before we make this official." (Y/n) chuckles, making eye contact with me.

"Well, in that case," I take her hand and press her knuckles to my lips, kissing the soft skin with a smirk, "Wanna go on a date with me?"

#top gun #top gun iceman #top gun imagine #top gun: maverick #Tom cruise #request #ask #answer

[sleepmusicland-1]

Gone Chapter 4

Ella POV:

For 4 months now I was already in New Orleans, the De La Crux circle was more dangerous than I would have thought. They acted in secret, used the other circles to get their way and, above all, they acted against Mikaelsons. Something that had already cost many witches his life.

Something that had amazed me was that no one, neither Isabella nor her members in the circle seemed to have been touched by the fact that someone had died. Murdered, only by whom was not clear.

For exactly 2 months I lived in a small apartment, on the edge of the French Quater, why the witches left me alone, although I supposedly played such an important role that their ancestors had torn me out of my life, was a mystery to me.

But one thing I could do undisturbed, both on the Internet and in the library, looking for information about what an Earth angel was and what my gift had to do with it, because since I was here, I kept encountering deceased souls and could also feel the presence of other people, vampires, werewolves and witches, I knew exactly who was near me. Even though I did not know these people, I knew when it was a human being and when it was not.

The scent of old books struck me as I entered the library, Getrud, an 80-year-old who had made her love of books her profession, greeted me with a cheerful "good morning" and informed immediately afterwards how my day had been so far.

I had to get used to communicating with someone in my mother tongue, because when I was still living in my own world, I had only spoken Dutch, simply because there was no one with whom I could have German spoken and then I often had to speak English, because the companies I had worked for often had English as the only official language.

But Gertrud was simply happy that she could talk to someone in her mother tongue and so I had learned early on that she knew about the supernatural and was one of the few people who had never gotten between the fronts. Because no one bothered to ask the librarian what she knew and she knew a lot. But in my search for the meaning of the earth angel, she could not help me either.

Gertrud wished me "good luck" before she turned to her work, although more and more people no longer borrow books, the library was still received by a sponsor. She had told me this right when I first came here, and she was so proud of her library, the treasures that were just waiting to be discovered in it.

"Thank you", I thanked her and entered the library myself.

The room itself was large, on both sides’ shelves upon shelves, full of books of all kinds, the smell of old books, dust and for me knowledge was in the air. Ever since Isabella decided to find out more about Earth's Angels before she wanted to start the ominous training, which I still did not know what the training meant, it gave me time to find out how I got here and how to get back to my old life, because I was not satisfied with one that Isabella claimed I could not go back.

I did not believe her, I would tell myself about the same thing in her place, in order to prevent people from trying to get back home.

I had just walked between two books shelves as my neck hairs lined up, the tingling that normally crept from my neck over my back started this time on my stone leg and goose bumps told me that I was no longer alone, but it was not a spirit, it was a supernatural being.

How did I know it was supernatural beings and not a spirit? I had no idea; it was as if my gut feeling had improved so much since I was here that I had developed a radar for supernatural beings and spirits.

Said supernatural being in this was Marcel Gerard, one of Isabella's allies, and even though he did not know where I came from and what I seemed to be, he had not even tried to get to know me better, as if it was enough for him that Isabella had said that I was important for her plan, whatever that plan was.

Because she had not told me that, I was supposedly the key to making an old prophecy come true, but how exactly she planned to prevent it was a mystery to me.

"Ella, right?" he spoke to me and seemed to let his charm play, maybe even worked for other women, but I was not like other women, like cliché, that sounded too. As an asexual person, it was not easy anyway.

"Yes?" I answered questioningly and did not expect an honest answer, but only an excuse why he was here.

"Someone wants to get to know you and he has a few questions, questions that Isabella does not want to answer", he answered me, immediately my neck hairs lined up, this someone wanted information from me. Maybe he even wanted to know where I came from.

And I could not say that I came from another world, where this was a series. That sounded stupid even to my ears, even if in my case, it was reality.

"Who is this someone?" I asked, I would certainly not go anywhere to meet some mysterious person who had questions that Isabella did not want to answer.

"Ever heard of Elijah Mikaelson?" Marcel informed himself and I somehow managed not to let my heartbeat beat treacherously faster than I heard Elijah's name. I still couldn't believe that the version I had seen on the show wasn't the same one I had come to know for a moment months ago. "Don't tell me anything, I'm not very good at remembering names," I answered him and that wasn't a lie. It took me several weeks from time to time until I could assign the names of the respective persons to their face and remember it.

"Don't worry, he just wants to ask a few questions, nothing more if you would please follow me?" Marcel asked me in a tone that did not tolerate any contradiction.

Elijah POV:

Marcellus took the young woman I had met in the cemetery a few months ago to the arranged meeting place, an old, abandoned church, where I could be surethatnone of the witches would eardrop on us.

I watched her body language, she appeared consciously confident and did not let herself be intimidated by her surroundings, she looked around and when her gaze fell on me, she seemed to recognize me again.

"What do they want?" she informed after the reason why she was here, no greeting, she got straight to the point. "Normally one greets his interlocutor" I answered her, where I did not miss that Marcellus was amused, since she did not adhere to the customs.

"Normally you don't get ordered to a conversation like they did," she contradicted me and slapped her arms on top of each other.

Either Isabella had not told her who she was dealing with, or she was one of those people who did not let themselves be intimidated by vampires, which in my eyes was not only incredibly stupid, but also dangerous.

"On the one hand, I would like to know where they come from, because they are not American," I answered her and she looked at me with her head tilted to the left, „The country where I lived or the country where I was born? Even then they don't get the answer they seem to be looking for, because my nationality is and will always be, Dutchwoman", she answered me, she was born in a different country than where she lived now? Where did it come from? What had Isabella done? The slight undertone of bitterness had not escaped me.

"May I guess that they were born in Germany?" I informed myself and Ella looked at me, "Because I have such a strong German accent?" she indirectly confirmed my suspicion that she had been born in Germany, to which Marcellus replied that he had German heard her talking to a few German tourists and that she had no accent, which made him suspect that it was either her mother tongue, or that she had lived in Germany.

And with that, she now knew that I had let her observe, but I did not know a detail of Marcellus's connection to Isabella at the time.

"Because I speak accent-free German, am I automatically born in Germany?" she asked and looked at me from Marcellus.

"This is actually the only explanation, because according to my contacts, they do not have a social insurance number, nor other documents to confirm their identity," I replied to her statement and observed her reaction, her heartbeat was calm, no signs that she was surprised by my statement or the fact that there was no documentation about the woman in front of me.

"The only explanation? I can think of ten other possibilities", she contradicted me, I was honestly amazed at how often she contradicted me and showed no fear.

"But why am I here? Why am I being executed here?" she added, and it amazed me how good her pronunciation was, because she had indirectly confirmed that English was not her mother tongue.

But I did not let this be noticed, a sign of weakness and your counterpart took advantage of it for their own goals. "I want to know what exactly Isabella is up to, especially because when I first found her near the Bone Mausoleum, the mausoleum that is only used for the witches of New Orleans when it is very important," I explained to her the reason why I had ordered her and commissioned Marcellus to bring her here.

"And I should know why? Ask Isabella herself, I'm not a witch and I have no idea what the meaning of whatever mausoleums have, which as you yourself have already noted, I don't come from here, so how am I supposed to know what exactly any mausoleum has for a meaning", Ella answered me and for the first time I noticed that she was wearing a chain, she was wearing several pendants on a black string, but I could not see which pendants they were.

For the moment I pushed my observation aside, there were more important things, especially because Ella really did not seem to know what Isabella had used the bone mausoleum for.

"Can I leave now? Or do they want to know more?" Ella hinged slightly annoyed, her attitude had changed, instead of standing bored leaning against one of the old banks, she stood upright, and her attitude revealed that she perceived something, we were no longer alone.

Could it be that she was paranormally gifted? That would be the only explanation, because their attitude had changed and not only, I noticed the change, Marcellus had also noticed the change.

A click echoed deafeningly loudly through the old, abandoned building, for vampire ears it sounded noticeably clear and loud in the ears, for people ears it was not audible.

I would learn more about the mysterious woman very soon and discover an old secret...

#elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson imagine #elijah mikaelson fanfiction #the originals #Gone fanfiction #elijah mikaelson x oc #chapter 4

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe

Pairing: Steven/Connie

Rating: Teen Audiences 

Words: 2.6K~

Summary: In which Connie’s subconscious, innocent touch helps Steven realize just how nice the sensation of gentle fingertips gliding across the surface of one’s gem can be. (Just a bunch of teen romance fluff, + first kiss)

This is set like... a few weeks before Steven leaves Beach City. I imagine he’s been recovering from what happened in I Am My Monster for at least 6 months by this point.

His days aren’t always great- there’s a lot of ups and downs- but thankfully, today is a markedly pleasant one.

_____

His house is still for once. Impossibly so. No Diamond business, no new arrivals to Earth, no disgruntled Gems kicking down his front door. No more battles, beyond his own internal ones. Admittedly, a part of him is happy for the peace and quiet. He’s appreciative of the way all his family and friends rallied around him in support months back after... erm- after his breakdown, but every guy needs some space eventually.

‘Some space’ never has to mean alone, of course.

Steven sneaks a doe-eyed glance at the girl flopped next to him on the living room couch, her mind lost in the pages of her own fantasy world. It’s a new series, something about a human accidentally falling into the world of the fae. (It’s only been like, half an hour, and she’s almost a hundred pages in already!) A pliable smile teases his lips as he watches her eyes flicker back and forth, digesting each passage with a voracious hunger. Sighing in content, he turns his attention back to his own book, externally making as if he’s busy exploring the world of fiction to hide the sappy fact that instead he’s been thinking about her all along. Honestly? He adores quiet days like these. Even if they’re not doing anything special, it’s just nice to get to spend time alone together. It’s a comfortable together.

Connie shifts, instinctively curling closer, her free arm slung against his side. With a soft hum of content he leans into her welcomed embrace, trying his best (and— caught in her innocently bewitching presence— failing abysmally) to focus on the wandering lines of text.

Everything is peaceful.

No hard knocks, no frenzied phone calls, no family disruptions. The domestic warp hasn’t even activated once this whole lazy afternoon. In recent days, he’s pretty sure that’s a record.

At long last, his house is still... and yet in a flash, his hormone riddled teenage mind— ever foolish— is everything but.

Because Connie’s touch is tickling him.

It’s subconscious, almost imperceptible at first. At some point her free hand has roved so that it’s no longer pressed against his side, but against his midriff— which is currently exposed, his shirt bunched up at the waist from all his slouching. Teasingly, her fingertips dance upon the facets of his gem with the pinpoint expertise of a prima ballerina, encoding an endless rhythm directly into the sum of his being, the feather-light contact sending vibrations almost too faint to notice coursing through his hard light veins. But not too faint for him. Not now, not while host to this kind of silence. Not when the girl draped on the couch next to him unknowingly commands every shard of his attention with the slightest twitch of her index finger.

It’s taking all his willpower not to squirm at this ticklish contact right now. It’s so... weird when other people touch his gem. It’s certainly not something he’s used to.

(Steven promptly buries the memory of the last time someone touched it, refusing to let old terrors tarnish an otherwise pleasurable encounter. He can feel the pink threatening to rise in his cheeks, that instinctual rush of panic he’s grown so numb to over the past months rearing its ugly head. It’s so, so hard to wrestle away from its thrall sometimes, but thankfully his therapist has been teaching him ways to mitigate these sorta reactions. His eyes clamp shut as he breathes deep through his nose and focuses on the tangible, on what he knows: the plump, lumpy cushions of the couch under him, the slight scent of garlic and cumin in the air from the lunch he cooked a few hours ago, the rhythmic crashing of waves outside the house. The warmth of his best friend by his side—)

Tap, taptaptap, tap, taptaptap...

His cheeks bloom a human red as her lulling rhythm continues.

Like he said, it’s obviously subconscious. It has to be, right? It would certainly make sense. From his observations, Connie’s always been a tactile thinker. It’s part of what made her such a quick study in sword fighting. Whenever her mind is alight, those beautiful neurons firing back and forth like a firework display, her body is in motion. Sometimes it’s her foot, tapping impatiently into the dirt as she parses through memory to find the precise words to say. Or it’s like how she memorizes facts for tests easier if she’s jogging, listening to audio recordings of the test materials she made herself. And then there’s times like now, when Connie is reading. When her fingers tap and glide with an almost impish touch across the diamond gemstone in his belly’s center as her eyes— by all appearances entirely disconnected from both her hand’s motion and his reaction— skim effortlessly across the unfolding tale on her page. Her hands... oh, those hands... calloused, warm, digits lithe and curious in their movement. They’re always shifting, always tapping, always twitching to some identifiable rhythm. Is this just another example of her sway towards more kinetic-based thinking? Or... is it something else? A silent yearning that extends its roots from the heart into object reality, innocently unaware of the power of its call?

Stars, Steven thinks, mustering with all his strength to ignore his burning face, so maybe I’ve been thinking a little too much about her lately...

Eventually, it all becomes a bit too overwhelming to handle. If this continues in silence any longer, well... well, heck. He doesn’t even want to imagine what embarrassing things could happen. Mustering up all his courage, he flips his book shut and drops it on the cushion beside him.

“Um, Connie? By the way? That’s kinda ticklish,” he squeaks out, voice high and reedy.

Upon his words, she notices where her fingers are subconsciously tapping and immediately pulls her hand away, her cheeks flushing dark. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she says, quickly tossing her book aside and shifting upright on the couch. “I didn’t mean to goose ya’! I wasn’t even thinking abo—“

“No, it’s okay!” he interjects with an open hand. “I’m fine, really, I am. I- it’s not like, uh- It isn’t like a bother, and- well, it just—“

Burning up with such a ferocity that he’s about one impulsive decision away from high tailing it out of this fraught social situation and dunking his glowing pink head right into the Atlantic, he forces himself to hush before he says something super stupid and humiliating in front of his best friend in the whole world that he’ll regret and replay in his dreams forever and ever for the rest of his days.

Okay, Steven, stop running your mouth like a lovesick fool for one second and think. How can you say this in a way that doesn’t sound entirely stupid and/or weird?

Watching him closely, curiosity written across every vibrant feature, Connie inclines her head ever so slight, a subtle, wordless gesture— one only a Jam Bud could understand— for him to keep going.

The phantom sensation of her fingers tapping against crystal rushes through his nerves like the physical analogue to a bad ear worm. He reaches up to itch at the side of his neck, unable to fully stifle his nervous laughter.

“Honestly, it uh- it actually felt pretty nice?”

“What, me touching your gem?”

“Yeah,” he manages to croak out, voice cracking like it hadn’t since he was freshly fifteen.

She isn’t able to fully stifle her giggle at this, pressing her hand tight to her mouth far too late.

His heart nearly plummets at the sound of her teasing laughter, the constant thrumming of his hard light veins steadily quickening as a flood of energy pulses just below the surface. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything, he knew it was far too much after every other recent misstep he’s made in their relationship! Why couldn’t he have just kept his trap shut?

“Aw, geeze,” he says, voice thick and his every muscle ready to bolt, “this is so embarrassing—“

“No, no! I shouldn’t have laughed, it’s okay!” she jumps in, pressing her hand to his shoulder to help ground him “It’s just bodies, Steven. It’s not weird. It’s just how skin-to-skin contact works. It’s supposed to feel good, because we’re meant to be social creatures, y’know?”

He hums softly in agreement, taking the offered moment to ease himself down from brink of panic. He focuses intently on the weight of her hand, resting feather-light against him. It’s a small gesture, but a powerful one. More than anything, more than words alone could say, it’s a promise. A reaffirmation, moment by moment. I’m here. We’re here. It’s a truth even the sobering reality of shared trauma can’t hope to erase: that even when the going’s tough, they have each other.

Connie brushes a stray stand of hair behind her ear then, shifting on the couch. Perhaps out of a sum of bashfulness, her eyes drift, not quite able to meet his.

“I- it’s silly, but I guess I never considered that you could even feel sensation through your gem,” she admits.

“Really? But you’ve had a gem before. Well, shared a gem,” he corrects himself, though in the end it’s all semantics.

“Well, sure, but when we’re Stevonnie, they don’t tend to think about stuff like that, because you’re used to it, and I’ve never thought about it. It’s simply... normal for them, I guess.”

“Hahah, yeah. It’s always been that way for me,” he says with a soft chuckle. “I never crawled like a normal kid, d’ya know? Dad says I always used to move around by scooting on my butt. When I tried crawling my gem would scrape against the floor, and apparently? I hated it.”

She laughs for real this time, (with him, not at him), her voice ringing true and beautiful and clear like a bell. His heart swells with joy.

And then...

Connie’s lithe fingers reach towards his midsection, hesitantly at first, before— in careful consideration of boundaries— pausing in their voyage entirely.

Her eyes lock with his, her shy expression wholly giving up the chase on what her request will be before she ever shifts her tongue to ask in words. “Is it okay if-?”

“Always,” he says, gently leading her hand under the hem of his shirt and towards the gemstone at his core.

He can’t help his sharp inhale when he feels her fingertips dance across his facets once more. Even when he knows what’s coming, knows to expect this contact, it’s funny. Not funny in a ‘haha’ way, funny in an ‘I’m not used to this’ way. After all, he’s never exactly made a habit of touching his own gem beyond periodic cleaning, and (almost) no one else has ever had a purpose to. It’s for this reason that a small traumatized segment of his mind still can’t help but spiral in panic about the mere concept of any external being brushing against this treasure, this tangible half of his very essence. Given the nightmares he’s been through, he’d have every right to deny her touch. But with Connie... beyond everything else, allowing her in this way is the greatest show of vulnerability he knows how to give.

It’s his proof to her that in this moment, he trusts her implicitly, without question.

Gracefully, she traces her finger around the edge of his gem, lines each individual facet in turn. It’s ticklish at first, much like before, but as she grows more confident in her gentle exploration he finds himself relaxing under her touch. He feels warm, a faint buzz of content flooding his system through his hard light veins. With her, he feels safe.

“It really is beautiful, you know that?” she says, a peaceful expression settling across her features. “Your gem.”

“Nah, you’re beautiful...” he murmurs bashfully, cheeks flushing.

“So are you,” she replies in swift measure, eyes soft with endless adoration.

His fluttering heart extends its gossamer wings and soars. If it weren’t for her nestled at his side, lithe fingers running across each facet in even measure, her tactile presence tethering him like an anchor to this present reality, he’s pretty sure he’d have floated halfway to the ceiling by now.

Daringly, his gaze locks with hers. He swears his heart’s beating its own drum solo within his chest, but this time it’s not because of fear, not at all.

It’s the feeling of freedom.

His fingers loop around a stray strand of hair that’s fallen in front of her eyes. That seems to happen a lot, he’s noticed. As delicate as he can manage, he hooks it back over her ear.

“Can I...?” he whispers, his warm breath brushing against her lips.

She replies in wordless affirmation, leaning forward to close the narrow gap between them. Hooded eyes drift shut. Her hand still rests on his gem as they finally move to cross that final barrier, that fuzzy, oft indistinguishable line drawn between childhood sweethearts and could-be couple, and kiss.

Well, attempt to, anyways.

To be fair, despite his schmaltzy roots, Steven only has movies and books to pull from as an example.

Their noses bump against each other’s at first. Both giggling, they tilt their heads to compensate and then mash their lips together, reveling in every ridiculous moment of their joint inexperience. It’s definitely sloppy, and he doesn’t have a clue where he’s supposed to put his hands or how long is too long, or how he’s supposed to move his mouth against hers, or— stars, did he even remember to brush his teeth this morning?? He sure hopes so— but because it’s with Connie all of that doesn’t matter. It’s perfect in every way.

“OoooOOOoo, looks like loverboy’s finally gettin’ some!”

He and Connie startle at the interruption, pulling apart from each other with equally flushed faces to match eyes with their surprise visitor.

It’s Amethyst, leaning against the kitchen table with a downright roguish smirk, probably thinking she’s the funniest Gem that’s ever emerged. Of course, who else would it be? (Though, which entrance did she come in from? When did she sneak past them? Were they really so involved with each other that they just... failed to notice??)

“Crude,” he says, brows creased with faint annoyance.

In return, she cups her cheeks and serves him the most ridiculous, schmaltzy expression she can muster. “Sap!”

Connie stifles a laugh at her exaggerated antics, but on his side he can’t help but be salty that her interruption yanked the two of them away from the blissful throes of blossoming teenage romance.

“Oh, get outta here, you,” he chimes back, and playfully tosses one of the couch’s pillow straight towards her face. “Shoo!”

The quartz Gem catches it out of midair and grins, no stranger to tests of reflex these days. Adopting a fake posh voice, she fires back her retort. “Your wish is my command, Sir Sappington...”

Tucking the pillow under her arm, she turns on her heels and skips up and over the warp pad’s platform, stalking towards her room with a victorious air. She doesn’t even try to mask her lovingly teasing snickers as the door splits in two at her command and she crosses the barrier into the temple’s dimension warping interior. The last they hear from her before the passageway shuts is an overly triumphant ‘whoop.’ Steven can’t help but raise a scandalized brow at this. What, were the Gems hosting a betting pool about him and Connie, or something?

But thankfully, in time, the beach house grows peaceful again. They’re alone together, and together they’re content.

“Geeze, sorry about that,” he says bashfully, scratching at the nape of his neck. “You know how Amethyst is, heh heh.”

Connie smirks with loving, mischievous intent, comfortably cuddling up against his shoulder. “She’s kinda right, though...”

“About?”

“You can be pretty sappy sometimes,” she says fondly, and tilts her head so she can smooch his cheek. “Just one of the many reasons I love you.”

____

Notes:

So, given that I’ve also written a fic wherein Steven wakes up feeling a hand against his gem and has a panic attack, a word of explanation with my headcanons-

Ultimately, I imagine there’s a very stark difference between a trusted individual like Connie touching his gem when he’s fully alert and it’s just them, alone, safe... and him waking up and being groggy enough to not immediately realize who it is next to him.

In the end though, I just hope Steven would be able to reclaim a once-terrifying experience (someone else touching his gem) as something that is also able to be loving and comforting when it’s done with consent.

#su #su future #steven universe #connie maheswaran #connverse #su fanfiction #steven/connie #amethyst #my writing stuff