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dabilove27 · 10 months

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Chapter 4

Chapter 3 | Next Chapter

Paring: Shuji Hanma x Fem!Reader, Draken (Ken Ryuguji) x Fem! Reader

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 5.1k

Warnings: Pet name “Kitten, Babe, my girl.” Fingering, some possessive thoughts, edging, light dacryphilia, female receiving oral, sex. Mentions of smoking. Let me know if I missed anything!

a/n: Hello! If anyone is still waiting for this I'm so sorry it took so long! Life has been crazy with a toddler and work that just seems to get busier by the day. Thank you so much for being patient if you are still here! We get a little spicy with Shuji but I promise Draken will come up in future chapters. Thank you so much to my loves @lady-lunaaa and @gixxie for beta'ing! hopefully the next one won't take seven months!

To say things with Hanma became hot and heavy fast was an understatement. After the date at the coffee shop, the two of you began to see each other regularly.

And Hanma spared absolutely no expense as the dates progressed. At first, it was just trying to fit each other into your busy schedules. With school and his work, the two of you tended to meet late at night. Hitting up small ramen shops that stayed open late or just walking down the dimly lit streets, talking and getting to know each other.

You stayed far away from any subject that might bring up Draken. Instead, you focused on your studies and trivial things about your family. But Hanma always listened with rapt attention. Whether it was bent over a small table at a restaurant with golden eyes bearing into your soul or walking through the streets at night hands linked together. It was weird having someone get to know you and to be able to tell them only what you wanted them to know. It was so different from the childhood friend who grew up experiencing everything with you.

But as always, you stuffed those feelings deep down because you refused to let the past bleed into this relationship. And Hanma shared with you–well, maybe shared was the wrong term. Hanma spoke in riddles and encouraged you to figure out his underlying meaning. But just like the night you met him, you pushed back with each challenge, you worked on reading between the lines and uncovering what he was really trying to show you.

So far, you discovered that whatever gang he was in was well known. One of the top ones in the area. It made your stomach churn to wonder if he knew Draken in his work and what that might mean for your future with Hanma. You also learned about his closest friend, Tetta Kisaki. Hanma would reminisce about the transfers to different gangs before landing in his current position. He described Kisaki as a "hard ass" but spoke about him as if they were as close as brothers. He also talked about being known as the former "Kabukicho Reaper."

It was comforting because you knew this world of fighting for power and living on the edge. But it also made your heart ache because of how Hanma shared all of this with you, and it seemed like he genuinely wanted you involved in his life in a way that Draken never could.

But again, you didn't try to dwell on it. Instead, you focused on your future. Because honestly, you still had plans to travel with your degree and were still determining if you and Hanma would be long-term. You chose to enjoy the moments with him now and take what would come as it came.

Subtle changes began happening, though, as your relationship progressed with Hanma. Summer break came, and that opened up a whole new avenue for your relationship. You were finally available at reasonable hours, and Hanma could adjust his schedule to take you out on "proper" dates.

And apparently, proper dates included fancy restaurants. Restaurants that you would've never imagined. Incredibly fancy sushi places with a month's waitlist, a classy place in a high-rise hotel in Tokyo, and a small but exclusive spot right outside Tokyo Tower.

You had learned that Hanma liked to wow you. He seemed to take pleasure every time your words were taken from you as you gawked at each new spot. But along with the extravagant dates, you and Hanma couldn't seem to keep away from each other. Just like when his fingers grazed your lips from that first date, it was like an irresistible pull to touch each other.

It started out innocent enough with a gentle hand holding and his hand placed on your lower back. But with every date, the pull became stronger. The first time he kissed you was right outside of your apartment building. Like a typical romance movie, he pressed a gentle peck to your lips, setting your stomach on fire. You couldn't help but lift your hand to the back of his neck and pull him in deeper. The world seemed to crumble around the two of you, not caring who saw the kiss that was becoming deeper with each moment.

Hanma took control, his tongue swiping against your lips requesting entrance. You didn't even hesitate, and Hanma loved that about you. He loved how pliable you were in his hands but also how determined you were. You were soft but strong, and he liked that very much. Your tongues met in a fiery greeting, desperate to pull the air from each other's lungs. But just as it started, it ended quickly. The two of you pulled apart to catch your breath. And while you stood there like a newborn foal, your legs felt like they would crumble beneath you; Hanma stood there, utterly calm, as if this didn't phase him.

He made your mind race. He made you want to chase him but he always returned to you. Just enough for you to catch him momentarily before leaving you wanting more. You had to admit it was exhilarating. But the next step was an intimidating one.

You had only had sex with a few guys during your college career. And unfortunately, they were constantly being compared to Draken in your mind. Not that you and Ken ever had sex, but you can't pretend you didn't think about it. But you didn't want to do that to Hanma. You had actual feelings for him, unlike the one-night stands.

All you wanted for your first time with Hanma was to be Ken-free. The comparisons would drive you absolutely insane. You supposed that's why you waited so long to accept Hanma's invitation to his apartment. Because you weren't sure, you were ready. But after months of dates and wandering hands from both of you, you were dying to see what hid under those suits he wore. Deep down, you looked forward to connecting to him that way, even though you were afraid to admit it because it meant you gave a part of yourself to someone else. Because after what happened with Draken, you didn't ever want to be that vulnerable again.

It's July when you finally accept his proposal to spend the night. You packed a small night bag with toiletries, comfortable night clothes, and a lacy silk black night slip that showed enough skin to pique interest but covered what you wanted. You wanted to be sexy but still play this game of cat and mouse you enjoyed with him.

Hanma was intoxicating, always pulling you in. You had no idea what his place would be like, but you had to say you were shocked when you arrived at the high rise in Tokyo. In the cool early evening, the lights of multiple apartments lit up the sky of the towering building.

Steeling your nerves, you stepped into the lobby of the grand building. You knew that Hanma probably got paid well by his taste in dates, but you never imagined it would be this well. Just imagining the cost of a small apartment here made your head spin. But you tried to act like you belonged in this place. Holding your head high, you crossed the marble floor, your heels clicked with each step.

The elevator was just as lavish as the lobby, clean and crisp with a pleasant ding as it notified you of its arrival to the floor. You quickly glanced back at your phone to confirm the floor. Fifty-seven, jeez. You scanned the illuminated buttons as the numbers climbed until you finally reached the final one. He lives on the top floor!?

Your anxiety twisted in your stomach as you contemplated what this meant. Top floors meant penthouses or lavish apartments from every show you've watched. Well, this whole building was great, but you couldn't imagine what it looked like up there. But you refused to chicken out, reminding yourself that this is another step to moving forward with your life. To move past Draken.

The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the top floor, but finally, after what seemed like the most anxious few minutes of your life, it pinged to announce your arrival. Stepping out into the hallway, you glanced around and moved out slowly as if something was about to reach out and grab you.

Your eyes scanned a hallway that matched the opulent entry of the building. In the middle of the hallway, on the wall opposite the elevator, sat an all-black door with the number "570" on a silver nameplate next to it. Hanma's apartment was the only one on this floor, and judging by the size of the hallway.

Steeling your nerves, you ambled to the door wetting your lips quickly–a nervous habit that tended to leave your lips chapped. The door seemed more oppressive as you stood before it, knowing what's on the other side. Knocking quietly, you hoped Hanma heard it so you didn’t have to be awkward and knock again.

And thankfully, your silent prayers were answered. Within less than a minute, the tall man you've been spending time with opened the door. And fuck he looked good. Strangely even better than in his typical suits and ties. He's dressed casually, a sight you typically don't see, but he still looks like he could kill. His hair was messy, and his glasses were off, leaving no barrier between his piercing gaze and yourself.

"Welcome to my humble abode," his voice was light with a hint of mischief as he stepped away from the threshold to let you come in. You had to stop yourself from gawking as you walked into the entrance area of his apartment. It was so spacious. With much higher ceilings than you expected. If it wasn't for the floor-to-ceiling windows that show the tops of buildings reaching toward the night sky, you would've thought you were in a single-story home.

Hanma continued to talk about mundane things about his home as you slip off your shoes and continue to walk through the living area and kitchen. Everything was modern to a T. You were shocked at how clean it is. You hadn't expected a bachelor's apartment to be spotless and well-designed.

"You decorated this place?" The question slipped out before you could pull it back in. Warmth reached your face, embarrassed that you sounded so judgemental.

But typical Hanma rolled with the punches quickly as he always did. "Why kitten, you hurt me!" His voice was overly dramatic as he made an exaggerated shocked expression. "I have style, you know."

Rolling your eyes, you forgot all about the embarrassment because it was obvious he wasn't offended, and you were almost positive you wouldn’t get a straight answer out of him now. The two of you made quiet conversation as he showed you around, from the state-of-the-art kitchen to the sleek living area and the expansive view of Tokyo.

But the sexual tension in the air was heavy, and the palpitations of what's to come thrummed deeply in your chest. Hanma's words seemed fuzzy as he opened the wooden door to his bedroom. It matched the house's aesthetic; deep dark tones of modernized furniture paired with lowlights make it seem more sensual than just a place for sleeping.

But again, what drew your gaze the most is another set of floor-to-ceiling windows. You approached quietly, scanning the entire city, and twinkling lights from multiple buildings and homes dot the landscape. It was absolutely stunning.

"Shuji, I didn't take you for the exhibitionist," you turned around to stare back into his golden gaze, trying to break the unsaid sexual tension with some humor.

"For you, babe? I'll explore anything," his voice was low, sending a rush through you. You knew that he would stop at any time if you asked him, but the thrill of him watching you like prey only charged the energy in the room.

You tried to stay calm and collected, but your heart was hammering so loud you're sure he could hear it. But Hanma had gotten to know you better than that. He knew you were swallowing the anxiety and that your mind was racing with never ending thoughts. He moved closer to you, lifting one of his tattooed hands to cup your cheek, enticing you to move closer to him. The two of you were so close your nose brushed his as he gently brought his lips to yours, as his thumb caressed your cheek. Some of your anxiety eased as you smiled against his lips, thankful you never have to explain yourself. He just knew.

The kiss deepened, and you could taste him on your tongue, sweet and intoxicating. His hands slowly trailed down your sides until it met the hem of your shirt and slowly slipped inside. Your thoughts became clouded with excitement as those last anxious moments faded away.

His touch was feverish against your skin as he slowly moved you to the bed. He carefully guided you onto the plush black comforter and then stood back to tower over you.

His black and blonde hair fell before his golden eyes as he appraised you.

"What did I do to get so lucky? To have such a gorgeous woman in my bed?"

Hanma usually always had a sense of playfulness in his voice, but this time, it felt more serious. You always believed the praises he poured onto you, but tonight his words held a different weight. Hanma continued to explore you, trailing gentle kisses down your chest. Annoyance from the barrier between you two encouraged Hanma to remove your top and bra; his fingers continued to follow the curves of your body as the tip of his thumb brushed over your nipples.

It was like all that time the two of you have been waiting to explore each other exploded; he couldn’t seem to pull away from you. He brought his mouth down to one of your awaiting nipples and pulled it into his mouth. You couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped. He’s now climbed on top of you, his clothed knee between your thighs. You ached for any friction and contemplated moving down to rub against him. Each movement only made you needy for more. Running your hands through his multi-colored hair, you tugged him close to you, urging him to do more.

You watched him like a dog starving for attention as his hands quickly removed the button on his pants. But he was always in control and didn’t let you see all of him just yet. Instead, he returned to you, placing soft kisses down your shoulder, and followed the rest of your body until he met your clothed cunt. Every single touch, every single kiss added fuel to the burning desire inside of you.

Eventually, Hanma removed the rest of your clothing, leaving you bare against his black sheets. Hanma had only removed his shirt though and you ached for more. His long fingers skittered across your skin and down to your core, gently gathering the wetness.

"I want to hear everything from you, kitten. No one can hear us, I promise," Hanma purred as he finally inserted a long digit inside you. He was drawing it out, moving much slower than you wanted. But you couldn’t stop the whine that escaped your lips even then.

As he pumped his index finger in and out of you, his thumb found your aching clit, he began with soft circles, teasing you even more, pushing you closer to the edge. Your plushy walls pulsed around his finger as wet, squelching sounds met the large room.

"Look at you, already this spent, and we've barely started. Who knew you'd be so responsive."

All you could do is moan at his words, too excited to form a coherent sentence.

Hanma let out a dark chuckle as he edged your thighs apart. He cursed at the low lighting in the room because he would love to get a good view of your aching pussy right now as he moved his face closer. His fingering didn’t stop; it continued at a slow pace that was driving you to the edge. It felt a little embarrassing to have him so close to your pussy, but you couldn’t deny how good it felt to have him worship you so profoundly.

You were getting more impatient, though, and let out a whine, hoping it would encourage him to give you more. And finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he added another digit. The stretch felt good, but Hanma kept his steady pace, ignoring the bucking of your hips. He loved the way you moved beneath him, entirely under his control. You are his.

You tried to continue to encourage him to pick up his pace to give you something more. And finally, he conceded, curling his fingers inside of you. He was moving faster, bringing you closer to breaking that coil that is so tight inside of you. But then his ministrations stopped, and you couldn’t help but cry, defeated.

Hanma repeated this cycle multiple times, bringing you to the edge only to pull away before everything breaks. It left you breathless and begging for more.

"You're so fucking cute, you know? Begging so sweetly for me," his voice was light, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to respond. Your cheeks were wet from the tears rolling down your face. A wide grin stretched across his face as he took his other hand and wiped away one of your tears with a swipe of his thumb.

"I've never seen you cry before, but fuck it's a beautiful sight." You felt your insides flutter at the praise. But still, you couldn’t bring yourself to respond, your mind too caught up in a fog of pleasure.

"Okay, kitten, I'll let you cum now," his voice was playful, a clear message of how he loved toying with you.

Another whine escaped your lips, ready to have some sort of release. Hanma brought his head between your legs and, without warning, covered your clit with his warm mouth. His tongue moved expertly over the tight little bud as his fingers rammed into you.

And finally you came hard. A scream ripped through you, tired of being silenced for so long as your body shook from the dam bursting inside you. Your body began to settle into that post-orgasmic bliss, weighted down by the activity like you would float away on a cloud. But Hanma didn’t stop. He continued to tease you as his tongue glided over your clit over and over.

"Shuji!" you screamed, begging him to release you.

It all became too much, and you moved erratically beneath him, but he held you in place effortlessly. His large hands pushed down on your hips, leaving you no escape. He continued his onslaught on your pussy with his tongue, and you were singing into the evening with sounds of pleasure. Your eyes met his golden lust-filled gaze as he held you down; his arm was taut as you moved beneath him. There was danger in his eyes, like he was stalking his prey and finally had it right where he wanted it.

Everything was building up again, and a second climax roared through you. The shocks of your orgasm sinked into every part of you, leaving you numb. It was all overwhelming. You tried to get your mind back down to this plain, but it seemed to be floating away.

As you tried to gather yourself, Hanma moved above you. His warm hands, which were just ruthless moments ago, began to caress you. Soft movements of fingers grazed your tear-stained cheeks, and sweet kisses finally helped you calm down.

You looked at him again. The darkness of the room, only illuminated by the city sky outside his home, surrounded you. You could have never imagined a moment so raw for you, not after everything with Ken. Hanma was able to pull you so far away. Hanma was beautiful, with a sharp jawline, broad shoulders, and golden eyes.

Your eyes met his, and it felt like nothing else existed except the two of you.

"I'm going to make you mine."

Hanma's lips captured yours, hot and heavy, devouring you wholly. He pulled you closer to him, his hand wrapped around the back of your head.

You couldn’t seem to separate from him. You wanted to beg him to take you, but one breath away from him was too much to bear. Eventually, somehow, you ended up on top of him, every item of clothing discarded on the floor. His cock laid heavy between your wet folds as excitement moved through your body.

Every movement was driving you insane. Pleas escape from your lips as the head of his cock nudged your sensitive clit.

The two of you stared each other down, golden eyes smoldering in the evening as you finally sank down on him. You wrapped your fingers around his shoulders, allowing him to stretch you out. His cock was long and thick, feeling like heaven as it sinks deeper inside you. You took all of him, pushing his tip right against your cervix.

Slowly, Hanma guided you, his hands holding your hips as he helped you find a rhythm. It felt like he's waited a lifetime to feel you like this. He cooed sweet compliments in your ears over and over. His voice caught in the cutest stutter when you squeezed him.

His eyes were still locked with yours as you bounced on his cock. There was absolutely nothing that could tarnish this moment.

"You're so fucking perfect," his voice was low as he panted out the words. Everything felt intense like you were the only two people in this world that existed.

But the response you gave reminded Hanma why he fell for you. How you've always caught him off guard. "You're pretty good yourself, Shuji."

His hips crashed into yours as he allowed the emotion to fully take him under. The room was filled with the sounds of your bodies meeting.

Both of you reached your orgasms within moments of each other. Hanma couldn’t help it when your plush walls began to pulse around his cock. His balls tightened as he spilled himself inside of you. You savored the aftershocks and the subtle twitch of his member inside you.

The two of you were silent, Hanma refused to pull out just yet. The distant city sounds and your heavy breaths were the only things permeating the air.

Hanma finally broke the silence with a low chuckle before slowly pulling out of you with a soft hiss. He pulled back and pushed a strand of your hair back while leaving a gentle kiss on your lips.

"I know this is cliche, but that was fucking amazing," he whispered as he pulls back, lifting himself slowly off the bed. You met his wide grin with one of your own. Hanma beckoned you to the bathroom with an outstretched hand, and you didn’t hesitate before gingerly getting out of bed and following him.

After that, you and Hanma became practically inseparable. Spending almost every moment of free time together when he wasn’t at work or you weren’t at school. Private moments were heated, and no matter how long the time apart, you reunited like long lost lovers.

Hanma still kept his work relatively secret from you, which you understood from your past with Ken, but you couldn’t stop wondering if he ever had run-ins with Toman. But you tried to keep yourself from asking and possibly uncovering something that would hurt you. Deep down, you wanted the best for Ken. You hoped he's living a life that makes him happy.

Days turned into months, and months became a year of being together. The flame with Hanma was heavy, devouring every part of you as the two of you progressed. And eventually, Hanma decided to let you deeper into his world.

He initially didn't introduce you to Kisaki because he wasn't sure how long you would stay with him. While most girls he had been with liked the danger of his job, they would disappear when faced with the reality of meeting his cohorts.

But you were eternally different from all of them. Hanma loved that you hold a soft part of yourself and a part that took no shit. It kept him guessing, constantly wondering what part of you he would get next. And that only solidified him taking you to finally meet Kisaki.

Hanma picked a neutral place, a small family-style restaurant with enough hustle and bustle that there would be little attention if things got out of hand. He didn’t expect things to get crazy, but he has learned over many years to plan instead of dealing with the unexpected.

Hanma gently ushered you into the small doorway of the restaurant, his hand delicately placed on your lower back. The smell of fried food greeted both of you instantly. He began to search around the restaurant. Kisaki had already sent him a text that he had arrived.

Dyed blonde hair and a shine of golden framed glasses finally came into sight. Hamna donned a broad smile as he walked over with you across the wooden floor.

"Tetta!" Hanma called out across the restaurant with no regard for formalities. The man with blonde hair whipped his head in Hanma's direction with a scowl.

It was strange that the two of them were friends. Hanma even said it himself, they were polar opposites. Hanma was loud and acted impulsively, whereas Kisaki sat quietly and planned everything to the last moment. But somehow, the two bonded over years of working together, from what Hanma has told you.

Anxiety churned in your gut as the two of you approached the table. You wanted to make an excellent first impression, but by the intense scowl the other man was throwing at Hanma, you were still determining how well you’d be able to do it.

"Don't you have any wits, you idiot?" Kisaki snapped at Hanma as soon as you arrived at the table, and you did your best to not let any weakness show. You knew how these men worked.

Hanma only smiled at Kisaki as he ushered you into the booth. The maroon upholstery squeaked under your movement and then Hanma's as he squeezed in beside you. It felt like you were trapped, in a sense, with nowhere to look except at the intimidating man in front of you.

"Don't be so sour, Tetta. I'd like you to meet my girl." Hanma's voice was jovial as he motioned to you with one of his tattooed hands.

Steel gray eyes flashed over to your form, reading every part of you with his piercing gaze. Kisaki didn’t smile or offer a warm welcome which only made you want to melt away. "This idiot won't shut up about you," he motioned toward a smiling Hanma with his head. "I don't know what you've done to him, but he wouldn't give up until I agreed to meet you," his voice was bland, uninterested.

Your mind fumbled with how to respond to that. And without thinking, you blurted out the first thing that came to your mind. "That's odd. Shuji hardly ever mentions you."

Hanma bursted out with a loud laugh that only made the other man send him a sharp glare. "I can see you picked a volatile one," Kisaki's voice was flat as he gazed at the laminated menu.

Hanma had to admit the little exchange only endeared him to you more. Your quick wit and unwillingness to back down made his head spin. It only confirmed that he was right to stage this little introduction because the only way you would leave this relationship is if he made that choice.

Thankfully after some smooth talking from Hanma, the tense atmosphere was lifted for the rest of the dinner. Kisaki only talked when it's about himself, and even then, he gave you very few details. But he listened intently when you spoke, watched you and took in everything, making you a bit uneasy.

It was as if he was gathering as much information as possible, planning a grand scheme in his mind with each crumb you dropped. And while Hanma played aloof, sometimes he was far from it. In this, you saw the similarities that drew these two together. The ability to analyze, intimidate, and then take prey down.

They reminded you of the guys. Mikey, Baji, and– No. You had to get him out of your head; this wasn't the time to think about Draken.

Dinner ended less than an hour later as Hanma guided you out of the restaurant just as he guided you in. His warm hand on the small of your back comforted you and put you at ease around the volatile Tetta Kisaki.

The three of you stood awkwardly, each waiting for one of you to extend a farewell while Hanma dug in his pockets for his cigarettes.

You finally mustered up the courage to say goodbye as the tiny click of Hanma's lighter finally reached your ears. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Kisaki. Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon?" You couldn’t help how your voice goes up as it came out as a question, not entirely sure if you actually want to see him soon.

"Hopefully not. I did this to make Shuji shut up and don't plan on any other outings soon," His voice was sharp as a cruel smirk met his lips. You knew he was trying to hurt you. Hanma told you he probably would.

It's all a part of Tetta's charm, don't let him get under your skin. The words rang clearly in your head as you plastered a sweet smile.

This only caused the man in front of you to furrow his brows in confusion. Looping your arm through Hanma's free arm, you leaned into him and stared at Kisaki with large doe eyes, spinning as much sugar as possible in your voice.

"Whatever you say, glasses, see you soon!"

You didn’t give him a moment to react or retort, spinning on your heel and taking your laughing boyfriend with you.

After being far enough away, Hanma's giggles finally dissipated, and as he stared at you under the night sky, he couldn’t help but utter, "Fuck, I think I'm in love with you, kitten."

taglist: @mor-pheus @lady-lunaaa @gixxie @kenryug (if you would like to be added please send me an ask!)

#shuji hanma x reader #draken x reader #hanma shuji x reader #hanma x reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers fanfic #tokyo revengers fanfiction #hanma smut #shuji hanma smut #my writing #back home ch 4 #dabilove27 writing

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bitterlybisexualbard · 2 years

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(Also available on AO3)

They slip into the hot spring with varying volumes of moans, overworked muscles hitting the hot water and flooding in painful bliss. Geralt hears Jaskier's low hiss as the water stings his hands, grazed from all the scrambling around under tables.

Jaskier's eyes slip closed as soon as he finds a ledge to rest his head against. "I think I live here now."

"Steam'd do no good to your lute."

"Don't have one anymore, anyway."

Geralt winces.

Jaskier opens his eyes as though he heard it somehow. "Oh, don't pull that face. She was a beautiful instrument with great sentimental value, but she served me well through two decades of daily playing. I was lucky to keep her as long as I did. Besides, you hate my playing."

Geralt grumbles but doesn't argue.

"So," Jaskier asks as he reaches for the soap Geralt readied. "Where to now for the white wolf and his lion cub?"

Geralt pulls a face at the names, though it's subtle enough Jaskier probably won't pick up on it.

Jaskier chuckles to himself.

Or perhaps he did pick up on it. Jaskier's always been a lot better at that than he should be considering how much of their interactions are Jaskier himself being loud and self-involved. He shouldn't have time or attention to spare to pick up on the small tells that Geralt lets slip. Geralt shrugs. "Don't know. Haven't decided."

"Mmm," Jaskier hums thoughtfully. "Must be hard to think about leaving after everything."

Geralt doesn't answer. He doesn't have to.

"If Rience hadn't been here once already, then I suppose you'd probably just stay," Jaskier continues, as he often does when Geralt is in no mood for talking. Which is most of the time.

Geralt has no idea who told Jaskier the fire mage had found Kaer Morhen, but it doesn't really matter. Jaskier is the talkative type. He could've got any one of the witchers, Yennefer or Ciri talking. Probably Ciri. She likes to pretend she's as recalcitrant as Geralt -- another one of her childish mimicries of him that Geralt isn't sure what to make of between the burning fondness for her and the paralysing fear that she'll succeed in being like him -- but by nature she's a social little thing. Not as chatty as the bard, perhaps, but she blossoms under attention and interaction, even the gruff, unsuitable kinds she gets from Lambert and Coen, who for all their teasing Geralt about never expecting to be uncles, act for all the world like older brothers. Geralt should know. He is one. Jaskier and Ciri don't seem to have spoken much since the battle, Ciri off with Yennefer mending their budding friendship and trying to get Ciri enough control to feel somewhat safe again, while Jaskier's been helping the witchers with managing the aftermath, but it's not like Geralt keeps tabs on them at all times. Sometimes he has to sleep or relieve himself.

Geralt doesn't think he'll ever forget the warm press of Jaskier's hand squeezing his shoulder as Geralt decended to the caves with yet another of his brothers in his arms. None of the witchers offered each other comfort. They had been raised to know that comfort comes in the killing of monsters. The knowledge that other people's families will be safer as a result. It comes from purpose, from the necessity of the Path and the inevitability of the sacrifices they all make for it sooner or later.

With Ciri, some of that had softened in Geralt, relented until he had found himself offering Vesemir the same comfort he would usually give to her after Eskel's death. But the others, Vesemir included, held firm.

Geralt only realised with Jaskier's touch and his sympathetic gaze that he'd come to expect more than that. Between Ciri and Jaskier, and to some extent Triss and even Yennefer, he'd come to expect empathy and understanding where he should only ever have known purpose and clarity. It was hard to accept. Even harder to watch Ciri and Jaskier's attempts at sympathy be brushed aside by the other witchers. To witness Jaskier's low and earnest 'I grieve with you' receive derisive snorts and glares. Ciri's quiet requests to hear stories about the witchers the demon killed with her hands be met with bitter laughs and dissmissive comments.

He loves his brothers, and he loves Vesemir, but they are products of their training and that isn't always a good thing. It's often the opposite of a good thing.

He doesn't notice how long they've been sat in silence until it's broken by Yennefer's light footsteps and her tired greeting. She doesn't pause or step away for modesty, letting her gown slip from her shoulders with a sigh and wading into the water with them.

"Where's Ciri?" Geralt asks.

"On the training grounds with Coen," Yennefer tells him. "We had a frustrating lesson. I think it helps clear her head to throw herself bodily at dangerous things. Can't think where she could have got that from."

Geralt hums in response, not liking the clipped way the sentences come out and the distance and uncertainty it implies. They've talked things through, and her tone is as teasing as ever, but he knows they're both still having to try harder than feels natural to keep things amicable and away from darker waters. "What happened?"

Another sigh, this one less weary relief, more exhausted frustration. "Her powers are still entirely ruled by her emotions. She's scared, and she's angry. Usually that would fuel her. But she also feels a tremendous amount of guilt, and I think it's blocking her. She doesn't want to use her powers in case she hurts someone, but she knows that if she doesn't practice then she'll lose control again."

"Poor thing," Jaskier murmurs. He's distanced himself from them, seemingly so that he can lean back and dampen his hair, but Yennefer glides towards him and steals the soap from his hands before he can wash his hair. "Hey! I was using that!"

Yennefer smirks at him pulls him around bodily so his back is to her. "Let me. I've used more than enough Chaos on healing over the past couple of days, and I'd rather not add your hands to the list because you start crying about getting soap in your grazes."

Jaskier huffs but allows her to lather the soap in his hair.

It's intimate. Affectionate. It makes something tighten in Geralt's chest and throat, makes his eyes throb in the way they do since the Trials burned away their ability to water properly.

Yennefer has never washed Geralt's hair for him. She's run soap-smooth hands over his body in shared baths that were never as much about ridding him of the stink of horse sweat as she claimed. But she never tried to wash his hair. Geralt supposes that neither of them felt confident enough, or comfortable enough, to move through the murky space between sensual intimacy and the genuine affection and care that it would have implied.

Jaskier used offer to wash his hair sometimes. Geralt had always said no.

"She'll get better," Geralt offers. "Ciri is... she's stubborn. She'll make it work."

Yennefer doesn't pause in her ministrations as she answers. "I don't doubt it. I only wish the whole thing was easier on her."

That I could make it easier on her goes unspoken. Geralt knows from the little he's gleaned from Yen and Triss that their upbringing was only a hair more forgiving of emotion than Geralt's own. Sorceresses and witchers, it seems, both have the empathy and capacity for comfort stomped out of them for the sake of their purpose. Both children taken from their homes and forced into being something they never asked to be, or never would have had they known the cost. Triss seems to have found her way back more than any of them, but even she finds it difficult to give or accept comfort that serves no additional purpose. Geralt saw it in her gentle but shallow interactions with Ciri. In how easily convinced she was to help Vesemir with the mutagens.

"It's easier for her with you here," Geralt offers. It's stunted and awkward, but he knows how much Yennefer craves the reassurance, so he tries. He always tries for Yennefer. If nothing else, that's something their relationship has taught him. That sometimes people need more from you than you know how to give, and that sometimes you need to give it as much as they need to receive it. That sometimes loving someone is hard work.

Yennefer helps Jaskier rinse the soap from his hair and moves away a little to wash her own. "I suppose that's something."

She doesn't linger. Hair washed and body run over with soap as efficiently as she's able, she leaves the hot springs and marches back through the keep, barely pausing to wring out her hair or slip on the long robe she brought with her.

Jaskier watches her go with a tight expression Geralt can't place. "Do you think she's alright?"

Geralt frowns in surprise at the question. None of them are alright, and of all the people who might be concerned about Yennefer, he hadn't expected Jaskier to be among them. He should have, he supposes. For all that he can be careless and unthinking at times, the bard's always shown more care for others than they've earned from him. "She's fine."

Jaskier huffs. "Really? Because last I knew she was so wracked with guilt for putting Ciri in danger that she slashed her wrists in front of us all in an attempt to save her."

"It worked," Geralt points out. He doesn't know how or why it worked, or how Yennefer had known that it would, but he isn't about to question it now. Yen had made a mistake and she'd done what she had to to fix it. Ciri is safe, Yennefer's alive, the demon witch is gone. It all worked out.

"I know you still care about her, Geralt. There's no use in pretending you aren't every bit as worried as I am about her reopening those scars on her wrists," Jaskier says. It sounds annoyed. Geralt isn't sure why.

"Of course I am."

Jaskier raises his hands in a frustrated gesture he often uses when he thinks Geralt's being particularly obtuse. "So why not say that? Why pretend everything's fine?"

"You already know," Geralt says. Why should he have to find words to tell Jaskier things they both know Jaskier already knows?

"Because it's good to talk about it!" Jaskier snaps. "Like you just did with Yennefer about Ciri!"

"Yen needed-"

"And you did! You talked to her about Ciri because you both care about her," Jaskier says. It seems as though there's more he needs to say, but he droops and rubs his hand over his eyes, wincing at the catch of grazed skin. "I just thought... Well, we're friends, aren't we? You can at least admit that after everything?"

Geralt nods.

"Then why don't you talk to me?"

"What do you mean?"

Jaskier swallows and blinks rapidly for a moment, teeth grit as he pulls in slow breaths through his nose. "We've known each other for most of my life. I've seen you in almost every state it's possible to see another person in. I thought- think- that you trust me?"

Geralt nods again, slower this time. He's trying to understand, he really is, but this isn't easy like things usually are with Jaskier.

"But you won't talk to me," Jaskier says. "I tried, you gave monosyllabic answers when you had to, and we sat here in silence until Yen showed up. And then, well, then you become a regular chatty cathy. You talk to her about Ciri even after turning me away when I tried to do the same. And I get that you have this... this stupid bound fate connection with her, and that you're in love with her. But you literally only just stopped fighting after she betrayed you worse than anyone ever has before, and you already feel more comfortable with her than with me! I just don't understand."

It's baffling. Geralt's baffled. More than he ever has been by any of Jaskier's long winded rants.

"Please, Geralt. At least give me the dignity of a response," Jaskier says, not meeting his eyes but not backing down. All squared up like he's expecting Geralt to punch him in the gut or yell at him to leave. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.

"I'm not."

Jaskier's brow pinches. "I'm going to need more than that, Geralt. Not all of us have the ability to go digging through your head."

Geralt opens his mouth to speak, but he isn't sure what to say. Jaskier's always been able to read his face, his body language, his silences. Always made up for his shortfall with words. He's not used to having to explain himself. "With Yen." He starts and stops, fumbling his way through. "She needs me to talk to her. Tell her things. We're... not what we were. Talking... helps."

"Right," Jaskier says bitterly.

"You don't need me to. You already know," Geralt says. Or he thought Jaskier did, at least.

"Know what?"

Geralt frowns. "Everything. As you said, it's been a long time. You've seen everything. I don't need to explain to you."

Jaskier meets his eyes at last, puzzling him out. He'll get there eventually, Geralt knows he will. "You don't talk to me because you think I already know everything you have to say?"

Geralt maintains the eye contact.

"Geralt..."

"I'm not more comfortable with Yen," Geralt tells him, as softly as he's able with his rough voice and clumsy words. He can be eloquent if he tries. But he doesn't need to with Jaskier. He's never needed to. "Yen takes... effort."

Jaskier's lips twitch in humour even as he levels Geralt with a glare. "Are you calling me easy?"

"Yes." He is. He's the easiest person Geralt's ever known. In more ways than one, but mostly in the way that he's just easy to be around.

"Coming from Mr. 'I wish to be soul-married to this terrifying woman I've known for all of five minutes'," Jaskier mutters, but he's relaxing now.

"She saved your life."

"She did, didn't she," Jaskier muses. "I suppose that would endear her to me a little were the situation reversed."

"She understands parts of me that..." Geralt can't find the words. Shakes his head. "We recognised something in each other."

"Something I don't? I, who apparently knows everything?" Jaskier teases. Geralt can't stand the quiet sadness and defeat in his eyes.

"You know, but you don't understand. You can't," Geralt tells him. "I wouldn't want you to."

Jaskier looks at him a moment more, then sighs and moves to leave the hot spring. "Well, I suppose that's more conversation than I've got from you in years. I should probably let you recuperate from the effort." He pauses, a light of realisation in his eyes. "It is effort for you, isn't it? Talking, I mean?"

Geralt doesn't answer. He thought he'd made that pretty clear.

Jaskier sinks back down into the water, gaze turned inwards as he works through the thought. "So when Yen came in and you were talking to her... It wasn't because she put you at ease, it was because she needed you to talk."

Yes, that is exactly what Geralt told him less than two minutes ago. Geralt resists the urge to heave an impatient sigh and leans back against the rocks, waiting for Jaskier to finish whatever it is he's doing by repeating Geralt's own words back to him.

"And when you didn't talk to me and we were just sat here in broody silence..." Jaskier looks at him again. "I'm easy."

"Your words," Geralt smirks.

Jaskier rolls his eyes. "You could've said, you know."

"I did."

"All this time I thought you didn't talk to me because... when really you were..." Jaskier pushes his hair back from his face and holds it there with a hand to his forehead. "You don't talk to me because you don't need to. And that's... easier. More comfortable."

Geralt raises his eyebrows. He might never speak to to the bard again given he doesn't seem to have listened to a single one of Geralt's painstakingly chosen words.

"You're more comfortable with me." He says it like it's a revelation. An epiphany.

"Not right now, I'm not," Geralt quips. "You're being weird."

To Geralt's horror, Jaskier cries.

"Fuck." Geralt doesn't know what to do here. He's never made Jaskier cry before. Not in front of him, at least. He might well have cried on the mountain, but hadn't done it where Geralt could see and Geralt hadn't exactly been thinking clearly enough to consider that he might.

"You're...." Jaskier rubs hs hand across his face and turns away for a moment. "Fuck."

Geralt has another moment to panic before Jaskier turns back around and flings himself at Geralt just like he had in the jail cell, except this time he takes his time before pulling away. When he does, he slaps Geralt sharply on the arm and snaps, "you utter bastard," then goes back to hugging him. It's confusing to say the least. Especially when Geralt stops being able to ignore the fact that they're both stark bollock naked beneath the water. Geralt can't say he's ever had another man's soft cock pressed against his hip before, and it's a strange sensation. Not unpleasant. Just strange. Oddly vulnerable and intimate.

He also hasn't had his own soft cock pressed against another man's body before, and the few times he's had it pressed against a woman's body it's been just before or after activities where his not-so-soft cock was pressed against her. This lends some inapropriate associations to the contact now.

"Jaskier."

"No, fuck you, I've earned this," Jaskier mumbles against his neck, and tightens his arms around Geralt's shoulders. "You can endure some unabashed affection for a little while longer."

Geralt doesn't release his own hold, but he does grow a little tense as he resists the urge to squirm away from the confusing contact.

"Oh, alright," Jaskier sighs, and reluctantly steps back. "I suppose I can't ruin my status as comfortable company by being too clingy. Though I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to let me give you a hug once in while without it being a dramatic scene. Most people like hugging. It's nice."

"I don't mind hugging," Geralt says. Not in general, anyway. Not anymore. Ciri hugs him all the time. He and his brothers hug sometimes. Just not naked. Not that hugging Jaskier naked was entirely unpleasant, or anything.

"Could've fooled me," Jaskier says.

He's still close. Still half-kneeling, half-floating in the water just within Geralt's reach.

Geralt rolls his eyes and pulls him back in.

This time it's Jaskier that stiffens with tension, seeming to finally realise what had made Geralt awkward. He clears his throat and shifts his hips, presumably trying to reposition so that his cock isn't in contact with Gerat's skin. As Geralt had pulled him in by the shoulders, he's a little lower this time, as well as being off balance. Which means that as he tries to get his knees back under himself while also moving his hips away, but not breaking the hug which has his centre of mass pinioned against Geralt's chest, he slips and has to pull himself up by his grip around Geralt's waist. The whole thing takes barely a moment, but results in a slippery wet bard sliding against Geralt's skin until he finally hoists himself back up, bringing himself in closer by the action. And brushing his cock against Geralt's as he straightens up.

Jaskier's hands spasm on Geralt's skin and he holds his breath, heart rate picking up.

Geralt isn't sure how to reassure him that he's alright with the slip -- or, well, not completely, but it was an accident and he isn't upset -- so he hazards squeezing Jaskier's shoulder the same way he remembers Jaskier doing to comfort him. They're both awkward and tense and trying not to move and repeat Jaskier's mistake, but both are too stuborn to back down. Back down from what, Geralt isnt sure, though it feels like some sort of challenge has been issued.

Jaskier exhales at last and relaxes into Geralt's arms in stages, in what must be a conscious effort. His arms drift further around as they lose tension, hands skating across Geralt's back. His chin comes to rest on Geralt's shoulder.

Geralt eases back down onto his haunches without breaking the embrace, resting against the rock behind him, back angled slightly so as not to crush the bard's hands and arms. Their nether regions drift safely out of alignment. There's an unexpected edge of disappointment to his relief that's immediately headed off by the way Jaskier ends up effectively sitting on his thigh in the new position, straddling it as his own leg slides into place between Geralt's.

Jaskier laughs. "I think we've gone past hugging into cuddling. Maybe canoodling." He sounds out of breath the same way he does when he doesn't want to let on that he's winded from keeping up with Geralt. "Not that I'm complaining! This is... nice. Very nice. Not at all, um..."

Geralt twists his neck to raise an eyebrow at Jaskier, and finds Jaskier's face so close Geralt's nose brushes Jaskier's cheek as he turns. Jaskier's pulled his head back a little to meet Geralt's gaze, and now his face hovers so close Geralt could taste his breath even with human senses. He looks up into Jaskier's too-close eyes and lets go of a breath he hadn't realised had caught when he'd turned. Jaskier shivers, goosebumps errupting beneath Geralt's fingers.

He's aware that there's a line they're crossing. One he's avoided in the past for one reason or another. The reasons have changed over the years; from Jaskier's youth, to not wanting to get attached, to not knowing if he could give Jaskier what he needs, to not knowing if Jaskier could give Geralt what he needs, to there his relationship with Yen, to there being Ciri to worry about. Right now, it feels like one wrong move could prove fatal to their still-wounded friendship. But a move away could be that wrong move. He's taken too long to recognise what he was doing, and to pull away now could one rejection too many.

Besides, what reasons are there left to keep refusing what could be something good? Something they both might need?

Jaskier hasn't pulled away. If Geralt's honest, Jaskier's never pulled away. If he wasn't willing to try this, then he'd have made a joke by now, something about not being that kind of easy, and put some distance between them Maybe jostled Geralt's shoulder to keep things friendly and comfortable.

"Geralt," Jaskier says. He swallows heavily, then carries on like he's been thinking the exact same things Geralt has. "This whole...situation" He gestures at their position with his chin, "it's starting to give me certain ideas, and if you keep- keep holding me like this, then..." Another hard swallow. "I guess I'm saying that Geralt, if you don't stop this now... Well. My heart will probably be broken either way, but at least I won't have to contend with the humiliation of having tried to kiss you or-"

Geralt lets go of Jaskier's shoulders and lets his hands drift, one down to the centre of Jaskier's back, the other to his jaw.

Jaskier's breath stutters.

Geralt doesn't say anything, trusting his actions to speak for themselves as they're so seldom allowed to do.

"Right," Jaskier murmurs, mostly to himself. He leans in a little, a jerky, hesitant movement that he retracts halfway before he can reach Geralt's lips. His eyes flicker up to Geralt's again, though he can't possibly be able to make out more than a vague Geralt shaded blur from this close, and he dares himself across the final distance.

Geralt's arms tighten without him meaning for them to, pulling Jaskier deeper into the kiss and more firmly in against his -- still very naked -- body. Jaskier gasps into his mouth and Geralt decides not to loosen his hold again. They've known each other for over two decades, at this point they could get married and adopt a dozen war orphans tomorrow and they'd still have taken it slow.

At least that's how Geralt reasons his way into groping every damp, slippery inch of Jaskier's body over the ensuing three minutes.

"Fuck," Jaskier gasps as one of Geralt's wandering hands finally finds its way to his cock.

"Not in the hotspring," Geralt teases. "You'll get an infection."

"Arsehole," Jaskier mutters, but goes back to pressing kisses and bites into any part of Geralt he can reach without disentangling them, only now he peppers in the occassional disjointed sentence as Geralt works his hand over his cock. "Utter bastard- can't believe you choose now- fuck- to have a sense of humour." He slips his hand down between them to return the favour, and Geralt loses his breath a little. "Should've fallen for Coen. Coen wouldn't take the piss at a time like this."

Geralt hums. Coen would absolutely take the piss, provided he could leave Lambert's side for long enough to get someone into bed with him. Geralt would really prefer not to be thinking about his brothers and their somewhat codependent friendship right now.

"Shut up," Jaskier pants into his face. "You brought it on yourself."

Geralt captures his lips again and the incessant chatter hits a lull while Jaskier proves how skilled his tongue is with things other than words. Then he pulls away again, ignoring Geralt's grunt of displeasure. To be fair, he doesn't mind all that much, he'd just been enjoying said oral skills.

"I know now's probably a little late into the proceedings to bring this up," Jaskier starts ominously. Geralt twists his wrist as he pulls him off, other hand squeezing as his backside, and Jaskier breaks off into unintelligble curses, pressing impossibly closer and burying his face in Geralt's hair. He doesn't move back as he continues, words and breath playing through the white strands and across Geralt's scalp. "But I feel like it's important to- Geralt, fuck- to- to- oh gods..."

"Jaskier?" Geralt rasps, only half listening to the words but enjoying the low, intimate way Jaskier's been murmuring them into his ear.

"I love you," Jaskier gasps out between moans. "I've- I've always- I- Geralt!"

"Jaskier," Geralt says, the word barely more than a rumble in his chest, but Jaskier must hear it, must feel it as closely pressed together as they are.

Jaskier comes, open mouth still pressed right above Geralt's ear, on hand still jerking him off, the other tight around Geralt's back, fingers clenching into his skin, his legs caging Geralt in against the edge of the pool, making him feel penned in but in the best of ways. Jaskier starts up a quiet, mindless chant of 'I love you I love you I love you' in time with the motions of his hand, and when he nuzzles his way back across Geralt's scalp to press a clumsy kiss to his temple, Geralt follows him over the edge.

Between the steam and the endorphins, everything's fuzzy and warm and blissful for an eternity before Jaskier finally rouses himself with hum and a sigh.

Geralt watches him as he comes back to himself and starts a mental countdown to when Jaskier will start talking again.

But he doesn't. He just watches Geralt right back, wonder written over every inch of him.

"Come to bed?" Geralt asks eventually, trusting Jaskier to understand the parts he doesn't say aloud.

Jaskier smiles, wide and lazy and easy.

#geraskier #fanfic #smut #fluff #and smutty fluff

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hockeywhy · 3 years

Text

4 times you faked a relationship + 1 time you didn’t; m.tkachuk

WARNINGS: language. WORD COUNT: 17.2k. A/N: So, I didn’t want my effort for this fic to go to waste and I’ve decided to re-write it for Matty because he and the fake dating trope work so well together. I had to, so here it is.

one.

“I’d only be asking Matthew if I had no other options and needed a last resort,” you said. “Until then, I’m not even contemplating it.”

“Kind of sounds like you’ve just about reached the bottom of your list, right around where you’re keeping Matthew, Y/N,” your friend, Anna, responded and though her tone said sympathy, the look on her face reflected anything but sheer elation.

The invitation landed on your tabletop with a loud slap while you deposited yourself in a nearby chair unceremoniously, glaring at the decorative paper as if it offended you. Actually, scratch that. It did offend you. Greatly so. Honestly, it may as well have come in the form of one of those boxing gloves that sprung out of a box immediately upon opening and decked you square in the face. That’s how much it offended you.

The golden letters inked on the thick paper warmly requested the pleasure of your company to witness the love of Josh Reynolds to Louise Jones six weeks from now. The location stated was a hotel you knew only through word of mouth: one of those fancy establishments that served ridiculously priced plates that were more canapes than actual meals.

You doubted there would be much pleasure from your company.

You and Josh called it quits just over a year ago after a relationship that became increasing rockier, significantly more emotionally exhausting. The two of you started dating in high school and if the relationship started off with nothing but the sort of blinding fiery passion only teens could be capable of, well someone missed the memo on giving you the message that all fires eventually fizzle out. Gradually, it was the only way you could see your relationship heading and it seemed that Josh felt it too. It made the breakup easier: it was neat and mutual. Still, that couldn’t be considered an incentive for either of you to invite each other to such grand, deeply personal events. You couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that he found someone he wanted to tie the knot with so quickly but in retrospect, Josh had always wanted that while you were content as you were. That seemed to be the fork in your road with him.

On the one hand, you were angry at Josh for even considering jotting your name down on the list of attendees and on the other, you were angry at yourself for being angry about that. One moment you were dead set on declining the invite and the next, you considering that doing that would simply show you were bitter and unable to be civil about it. Besides, surely it was noted somewhere in the Rulebook of Ex’s that you just couldn’t do stuff like that. That seemed to just about do it. Like hell you’d given anyone the satisfaction of one-upping you.

You needed a plus one. Desperately.

“Ask your brother then. Pretty sure that’s bound to impress anyone there. It’s not often many will get to say they brushed shoulders with an up-and-coming professional athlete.”

“I don’t need that sort of plus one. If I did, I would’ve asked you—”

“Thanks,” Anna mumbled.”

“—but what I need,” you ploughed on ahead, “is, well, something that can come off a bit more serious looking.”

She rolled her eyes. “Saying the word boyfriend won’t jinx you into permanent silence, you know. You need a boyfriend.”

“A boyfriend for a day,” you agreed contemplatively.

She picked up the invitation to look through it carefully and after concluding her inspection, she slapped the papers back down on the table, grinning. “Matthew it will be then!”

Your younger brother, Jake, recently signed his entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, in a way carrying forward the family tradition of starting a career in professional sports with them. Your grandfather did, your father did and now, here you were watching your little brother take on the mantle. Your family’s involvement in sport and, specifically, the team meant that you were somewhat familiar with the organization whether that meant attending home games or a few events arranged by the team. You couldn’t say you were the best of friends with them, certainly nowhere near the level your brother was, but generally speaking you were fond of the C of Red.

That couldn’t also be said about Matthew, however.

It seemed that from the get-go, there was a personality clash between you. At first, you thought it was just Matthew picking on you, joking around as he disagreed with virtually anything you’d say but progressively, you were pretty sure the two of you didn’t even have the compatibility to keep things civil. Matthew had a way with pushing your buttons and it bothered you he could do that with so much ease, though the more you thought of it, the more it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to you: you were all too familiar with his on-ice shenanigans, after all. Whenever you knew you had to be under the same roof as him, you’d tell yourself to not let him get under your skin but that resolve would last for all of ten minutes. Fifteen if you had a particularly good day.

Much to your chagrin, it seemed your brother was closest to Matthew. Though you offered the spare room in your apartment, your brother was so warmly welcomed by Matthew. It was no doubt even Jake found your annoyance with his teammate entertaining.

The thought alone was frustrating enough. If one day, by chance, you caught sight of a white strand of hair on your head, you were dead set on blaming Matthew for it. Matthew and his smarmy attitude; Matthew and his smartass retorts; Matthew and the smirks he threw your way whenever your brother took his side, outnumbering you.

You clenched your teeth, glaring at the invite. From the corner of your eye, you saw Anna’s outstretched hand holding your phone out to you. A groan formed in your throat and you wished you kept in contact with the handful of guys you tried dating after Josh. None really stayed. Or better said, none managed to draw you in. It was as if Josh had put a jinx on you. If that was the case, you hoped that this whammy would disappear if it meant watching him watch someone else walk down the aisle towards him.

Anna waved the device at you insistently. “Do it. Come on. Even you know nothing says fuck you like turning up there with Matthew. Scrappy when he wants to be and he’s not bad to look at either. You know it.”

You arched an eyebrow up at her. “More than Johnny?”

She flushed visibly. Johnny and Anna were still a relatively new thing, dancing around their relationship carefully as if they were both doing this rodeo for the first time. It was pretty cute. ��Don’t change the subject.” She placed the device down on the table in front of you then patted your shoulder. “I have a feeling you won’t regret it. If he gets on your nerves too much, well…it can’t be worse than watching your ex get married, right?”

“Ouch,” you winced, but chuckled, knowing you were defeated. Matthew was the last resort, and you knew you were at the bottom of your list before you even started going through it. “You do realize if he declines, I’ll probably make a start on packing my bags and moving to Montana, right? The only time you’ll hear from me is when my handwritten letter goes through the nine circles of hell that is our postal service.”

Anna fixed you with a stare that could only read as ‘do it’. “I wouldn’t be so insistent on this if I knew Matthew would say no. I have a feeling he’ll surprise you.”

With a heavy sigh, you unlocked your phone and scrolled through your list of contacts, thumb hovering over his name when it came up. Anna wasn’t wrong: Matthew wasn’t bad to look at all, that much you could admit. But god, if he turned you down…. you knew you wouldn’t be able to ever show your face in front of him or the rest of the team ever again.

“I think I’ve had enough surprises from him to last a lifetime,” you mumbled but tapped the call symbol anyway.

He answered on the third ring. “Hel—

You didn’t let him finish. “I need your help,” you ground out, eyes closing while you rubbed at your forehead with the tips of your fingers.

There was silence on the other end of the line that had you biting your lip in anxiousness. You shouldn’t have done this. You really shouldn’t have done this. All it would take would be just hitting the ‘resume my account’ link on one of the dating apps you signed up for a while ago. Someone was bound to be attracted not only to you but the promise of an open bar—

“Music to my ears,” Matthew’s response came through. You could practically hear the smile in his voice and knew you’d regret it; you could easily tell from the tone of his voice.

You sighed quietly, leaning forward to rest your elbows on the table, eyes glued to the invitation. Fuck it, you could get someone else; easily, no doubt. The world of online dating was vast and there would always be takers.

“Uh, yeah actually, never mind—”

“No, no. Come on, Y/N. Pretty sure this is the first time you’re calling me first so can we take a moment to just let that sink in?” Silence again, then a chuckle. “Okay, now that we did. How can I help you?”

It wasn’t as if Josh had put you in the position to ask Matthew for a favor but still: fuck Josh, anyway. In a split second of sheer pettiness, you considered aiming to host the most extravagant, unforgettable weddings when your turn would come just to show him who does it better.

“Are you free the third weekend in June?” you asked tiredly.

“Don’t know. Depends what for and who you’re asking for.”

You should’ve asked him face-to-face. At least then, he would’ve had the chance to see you roll your eyes, turn on your heel and walk away. “I’m obviously asking for myself. Could you just be straightforward for once and answer yes or no? You’re making me hold the line for longer than I anticipated and I’m happy to ask someone else,” you lied.

“Let me get this right—” Here comes, you thought exhausted. “You’re calling me for the first time since you have my number to ask me if I’m free the third weekend in June? As a favor for yourself.”

“Matthew, I didn’t stutter—”

“What’s happening in June?”

You don’t know what it was about his words that downed you. It was nothing but a simple question yet the only thing you could think of was: the first boy I’ve dated and so far, the only one, seems to have moved on quicker than I anticipated and while I’m still trying to build myself back up, I’m sitting in my kitchen looking at a wedding invitation and wallowing in self-pity because regardless of how hard I try, of how much I’ve amended my standards, no one seems to do it so what if this is it for me? What if this is just the way it’ll be from now on? And now, I’m resorting to lying just to make myself feel better but also put a façade in front of someone who I know no longer cares about me like that. And really, nor do I about him but here we are. So, nothing much is happening in June, Matthew. Hopefully we get a lot more sunshine though!

What you responded with instead was, “just an old friend of mine getting married and I need a plus one. Nothing serious. Just go there for an hour or two, say some hellos and leave. It’s a quick in-and-out thing.”

More silence on the other end of the line other than the muffled shuffle of what sounded like bedsheets. “Why not ask your brother then?”

“Asked him already, said he’s got something lined up already. So, are you free or not?” you lied, quickly pressing on even if you knew that sounded a lot like desperation.

“For you, at a price.” He was smirking. You knew he was and more than ever, you wished 2021 was the year you could just reach through the phone and shake the person on the other end.

“Uh-huh. Right. No, just forget it. Forget I even—”

You were going to end the call when Matthew laughed, quickly calling out a “no, no! Nothing weird, I promise. Just owe me a favor in return, is all.”

“Do I get a choice?” you mumbled, more to yourself than towards him.

“I think we both know that you don’t. Text me the time and place,” he instructed and then, just as you were really about to end the call, he added, “hey, send me a photo of what you’re wearing also. I’ll match my tie to your dress, free of charge.”

“Can you maybe ditch the jacket while you’re at it? Just want to make sure your tie’s within reach so I can strangle you with it.”

Even after you cut the call, Matthew’s laughter rang in your ears.

Matthew matched his tie to your red dress. The color of the silk around his neck was so striking, you would swear it was made from the same material as your outfit. You sent him a photo of the material of the dress, more as a joke than having any expectations attached to it so you were pleasantly surprised to see he made the effort. For a moment, you allowed yourself to bask in sheer joy knowing that to any eye, the two of you could easily pass as a couple. At least, from looks alone if not from attitude. You were a proud person; fiercely so. Knowing you were now in debt to Matthew however he saw fit dealt a pretty impressive blow to your ego. You don’t let yourself linger too much on that thought, though. It was already difficult enough to loosen up and relax your stance as you climbed into Matthew’s car as soon as he texted you of his arrival.

“You look good,” he commented after you fixed the seatbelt on. He turned in his seat as much as space would allow so he could look at you properly and in return, you arched an eyebrow, refusing to give way to his stare. “Are you trying to one-up the bride?”

“Ha, ha. Funny. You didn’t even see the bride. I didn’t even see the bride.”

“Didn’t see her but I’m seeing you, so,” he shrugged, by way of explanation before correcting his position.

If asked, you wouldn’t deny that Matthew also looked good. Very good. But only if asked. It was impossible that someone with a face like that didn’t know they turned heads easily wherever they went. Matthew’s suit fit him as if it was sown on him. If the two of you had a better relationship, you would even dare ask him what it was he was putting in that hair of his that made it so shiny and gave those curls so much definition, taming them almost perfectly when he really put his mind to it. Whatever it was, you had a feeling he didn’t strain as much as you had earlier that morning to tame your hair and though you could give yourself credit for how well it turned out, your arms weren’t thanking you for it.

Thankfully, much of the drive was pleasant. Though you hated small talk, you decided to make an effort if only to ease your nerves as the navigation system indicated you were drawing closer and closer to that glitzy hotel. You learned that although the season was over, Matthew, Brady and the rest of the family would spend a few weeks in Canada before heading back home to St. Louis. In turn, you told him that some of the days off you booked from work would be spent somewhere just as sunny and warm but with more beaches. It was safe ground. That, you could do although progressively, you were becoming more and more distracted, and less focused on the conversation the two of you managed to keep.

“Want me to pull over?” Matthew asked suddenly.

“What,” you mumbled, turning your attention from the road ahead to Matthew who seemed amused by the situation. “Why would I want you to do that?”

“I’d want you to do that. You look pretty pale and honestly, I’ve just had the interior cleaned so—”

“Fuck you, Tkachuk, keep driving. I’m just a little…cold. How high do you have the AC on?”

He fixed you with a stare while waiting for the lights ahead to turn green, eyebrow arched. “It’s June, Y/N, and uncomfortably warm. If it makes you feel better, though, I could turn it off and we can roll down the windows instead?”

“No, sorry—you’re right. It’s fine. Just leave the AC as it is.”

The laugh he gave was nothing short of incredulous. “Repeat that back for me. Actually—hold on, do that when I can press record on my phone so I can have that on repeat. Did you admit I’m right?”

“God, you’re making me regret inviting you,” you muttered though without heat.

An uncomfortable silence slipped between the two of you or maybe, it was just your perspective on it. Matthew seemed perfectly at ease minding the road, only occasionally throwing a cursory glance towards the car’s navigation system whenever it announced a turn. Doing this seemed more and more like a bad idea. A terrible one. No one would’ve held it against you if you denied the invitation. In fact, you thought that was more expected than accepting it and turning up to the party as if you were seeing an old friend, not an ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t too late though. Matthew could still turn the car around.

“Listen, Matt—”

“You have now reached your destination. Your destination is on the right.”

You released a breath you weren’t even aware of holding, then threw a quick look towards the main entrance of the hotel. Already, a few guests whom you recognized were crossing into the lobby.

“You really don’t look okay at all,” Matthew repeated and there was less humor in his voice and more concern this time around. Even you weren’t ignorant to how much your mood kept fluctuating over the course of the drive: often, engaged in conversation but occasionally, withdrawn, barely just catching on to whatever it was Matthew was saying. Sure, he probably didn’t know you well enough to read you, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out something was amiss. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I felt like there’s more to this thing than you’re telling me. You could’ve asked your brother, yet you didn’t—”

Damn it. You made him swear to play along. You made a quick mental note to get back at him about it whenever you felt energized enough to do so.

“Matthew,” you said, your voice suddenly clear, tone neutral. You didn’t dare look him in the eyes so instead, you kept your stare fixed on the revolving doors ahead. “I’m only going to say this once and I hope that you won’t make me repeat it now or ever again. I’d prefer that you don’t mention it to anyone either. The person getting married today is my ex-boyfriend. Up until last year, we’ve been together since we were teenagers. I loved him. Since we broke up, I kept trying to look for parts of him in others, but I couldn’t find even a trace of who he was. I feel as I’ve been jinxed, and I felt that maybe if I come today, maybe if I see him with someone else, I can confidently say I’m fine with that. It hurt my pride when I received the invitation, so my first thought was to lie. If, for just a few hours, I can pretend I’ve also moved on and I’m not stuck in this…fucking weird limbo, then maybe it becomes true. A fucked up self-prophecy. So.” You pause, clearing your throat. Your mouth suddenly felt dry from your speech, yet you couldn’t feel a pang of regret in your chest or heat behind your eyes. “So. If you want out, that’s fine. After all, I’m asking you to pretend to be my date out of spite, I guess. And embarrassment. It’s childish and unfair and ridiculous but—”

You came to a halt when you felt a finger under your chin, and a gentle upward push forced you to raise your head up a little more. When you turned towards Matthew, you looked at him with a look of confusion on your face.

“Keep your head up. We have a wedding to go to.”

His encouragement sunk in faster than expected and as your expression relaxed, a smile formed on your face.

Yeah. The two of you had a wedding to go to.

The event hall was decorated minimally yet tastefully. It made everything seem even more personal and you received that impression from every detail: from the flower arrangements to the music, everything was a testament to a life united by love. Maybe your emotional outburst earlier accounted for it, but you felt lighter even as you watched the newlyweds glide along the floor for their first dance. Sure, you felt a desperate pang of want but it was distant. Muffled.

Despite your initial thoughts, having Matthew at your side felt very much like a safety cushion. It surprised you to watch him settle into his role with so much ease that eventually, even you didn’t have to remind yourself to not withdraw whenever his arm wrapped around your waist: sometimes loosely, sometimes a little tighter, reeling you in closer.

Fish, here is your bait, you thought wildly as you stood tucked at his side while he accepted flatteries from one of the guests who swore had been a fan of the Calgary Flames since before he could even talk.

“You must be so proud,” the man turned towards you. “Your family’s truly one of a kind to have all played for the team and now—” He gestures towards Matthew as if to say all of this. “Must be something about those Flames!”

You laughed tightly, just as Matthew squeezed your side. By that move alone, you could tell he was eating this up.

“Yeah, just can’t get enough of them,” you concluded, pitching your voice just a little higher towards the end. To the man, it was as genuine as could be, but Matthew cautioned you silently with the slightest narrowing of his eyes, effectively warning you to be more realistic. “Hey, I’ll get us some refills? Try to be a little more inconspicuous in the meantime. Remember this isn’t your day,” you joked.

“Only practicing for when our turn comes,” Matthew responded without missing a beat and released the hold he had on you.

Once at the bar, you allowed yourself some extra moments to catch your breath. Even off ice, Matthew was a force to be reckoned with. He struck conversation with others easily, drew their attention with seemingly little effort and easily set the mood for whatever situation or person the two of you would run into. A part of you thought his profession had a lot to do with his mannerism, but a bigger part knew different: mostly, it was really just Matthew.

He had a way with words and with people that you haven’t been witness to before and couldn’t help but wonder if it was all show. He was, after all, a face for the public: familiar with interviews, familiar with the attention, apparently not overwhelmed even by less conventional questions. Watching him play this role was fascinating to say the least. It certainly took your mind off the circumstances so credit where credit was due.

“Hey, it’s good to see you here.”

You turned from the bar and came face to face with Josh. His jacket was off, and his sleeves were neatly rolled up past his elbows; behind the knot of his tie, you could see he’d undone the top button of the collar. You’d seen him make countless rounds across the entire floor, greeting guests and ensuring everything was running smoothly. Occasionally, you watched him dance either with his wife, or family members, or even guests you recognized as work colleagues.

You smiled. “Thanks for the invite. It was a bit weird to receive it, I can’t lie about that, but I’m glad you sent it.” It surprised you to learn you weren’t even lying about that. Through the course of the evening, it dawned on you that maybe, it was more the thought of being here that made you anxious; the event itself, however, proved just how right you were. It felt…fine. You felt fine.

“Yeah—uh, I wasn’t… I wasn’t really sure but, well, before…” He trailed off into a sigh.

You chuckled softly. “Would you like to buy a vowel?”

That made him laugh. Truly, genuinely laugh. “Sorry. I guess it’s a bit weird for me also. But, well, before you and I were, well, you-and-I, we were friends. I would’ve hoped we’d still be friends even after…” He waved a hand in the air by way of explanation but that was sufficient for you.

“Won’t hurt to be friends. Whatever happened between us—well. Thing of the past. Build bridges and get over them, right?”

“Right. Function of a bridge and all.”

“Hey. Congratulations, by the way! I’m happy for you. Really. I wish the two of you all the best. She seems really great.”

“She is,” he agreed and cast a glance towards the room, eyes undoubtedly searching for her. “Are you—”

“Here you are.”

Saved by the bell. A weight fell around your waist that, by now, was warm and familiar. Unconsciously, you leaned into Matthew, flashing a wide smile at Josh. At first, he seemed surprised by the sudden appearance but then his features settled into something more comfortable; something so much like relief that for a moment, you wished you could just come clean about it. You and Matthew were less than meets the eye.

Before you could even introduce them, a kiss was pressed to your cheek, knocking all air from your lungs and almost making you choke because of it.

What the hell.

“You were gone for some time, so I thought to check on you,” Matthew informed you, all matter of fact. To Josh, he said, “congratulations on the wedding. Must be pretty great to finally get to this point. You two look great together.”

“Oh? Yeah. Yeah, thanks man. So glad you could come along today.” Josh turned to you, an eyebrow perked in interest. “I didn’t know you two were together.”

“Oh we’re just—”

You began but were promptly interrupted by Matthew. “We like to keep it lowkey. It hasn’t been that long for us but that’s not much of a problem when your gut tells you this is it. You know it well, right?”

You were entirely caught off guard. Instead of responding immediately, you bought yourself some time by taking a sip from your glass of—whatever it was. Strong though. Just perfect for the situation you suddenly found yourself in: ex-boyfriend ahead, fake boyfriend to the side, promising sweet nothings that you knew would come back to haunt you at some ungodly hour. You wished you could step on his shoe; pull on those shiny curls of his real quick, knock some sense back into him. There was a difference between play a role well and clearly, playing it too well.

Matthew pushed ahead. “It’s pretty good timing for us though. We could take some notes for when our turn comes, right babe?”

“I’ll let the two of you to it, then. Thanks again for coming.” Josh made a move to step away but before he did, he turned to you and caught your eyes. “I’m really happy for you, Y/N. You look good together. Just make sure you don’t take too many notes.”

“Wouldn’t dream to,” Matthew responded, and you could read the slight bite in his words. When Josh was out of earshot, he looked down at you. “You dated him? Just him?”

“Hey, what’d I say about not bringing that up again? And save your dick measuring contests for the locker room, Tkachuk. Now’s not the time nor place.”

“Now’s definitely the time and place,” he countered, making you roll your eyes but there was a smile on your face you couldn’t quite wipe off. “Come on. Let’s continue taking leaves out of their book.” In one swift motion, he took the glass from your hand and set it on the bar while above, the LED lights dimmed, and the playlist switched to a slower song.

You threw him a cautious look, easily reading where that was going. “I’m not dancing.”

“Sure, you are. You want to give the impression of being happily in love? You need to start pulling your weight in this thing.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Atlas. Do your shoulders hurt from carrying the burden of our relationship?” you mocked, yet still allowed him to lead you towards the dance floor. Right in the center of it given the bride and groom appeared to sit this one out; you expected nothing less from him. You weren’t even surprised when he made an entire show out of it, forcing you to do a pirouette when the two of you claimed your spot.

“You can’t even imagine the pain you put me through,” he sighed near your ear as the two of you began swaying to the music.

“Well, you’re still standing so clearly it can’t be that bad.”

“Baby, it’s torture.”

You were grateful the two of you weren’t exactly face to face or you were sure Matthew would never have let you live down the flush you felt rising to your cheeks. Sure, he didn’t use the pet name in a genuine manner, but just hearing it roll off his tongue like that… You stopped that thought before it grew into a whole new different monster.

After a few moments of silence passed, Matthew lowered his head closer to yours, his warm breath colliding with the skin on your throat. “Do you think now’s the right time to kiss? Are enough people watching?”

You stepped on his foot. Not hard, but just with the right amount of pressure to draw a wince from him. Satisfied, you leaned back just a little to look at him properly. “Don’t even think about it, Tkachuk—”

“Thought about it already.”

Through clenched teeth, you hissed, “you. Are. Incorrigible.”

He raised his eyebrows, surprised. “If only you could meet yourself.”

You snickered quietly then leaned back against him. “Thanks for doing this. I know it’s not the most convenient of things… and it wasn’t fair to tell you the full truth of it right on the day of. But—well, thanks.”

“That sounds like it was pretty difficult to let out. It’s very…. heartfelt.”

“Just fucking accept it as I gave it to you, Tkachuk,” you complained, more amused than annoyed.

More silence followed, filled in only by the general buzz of the room and the slow melody. “And now?” Matthew questioned a short while later. You allowed an extended silence to fill in for your confusion. He picked up on it within seconds. “Do you still feel jinxed? Stuck in the same place while he goes on ahead in life?”

You took some time to think through your answer, time during which the song faded into yet another slow one. Matthew didn’t give an indication of wanting to move away from the dancefloor, so you saw no purpose in you doing that.

“Not really,” you concluded. “Just seems like we’re both following different trajectories. Doesn’t mean I’m left behind if I’ve not yet met someone to settle down with like he did. Maybe I just need to be here to come to terms with it. Good for him though. I’m genuinely happy for him and his wife. I think lots of people imagine going through this very same moment.” You ended with a shrug but then, to lighten up the moment, you added, “don’t mock me for it. Between the two of us, I’m the one with the pointy shoes.”

Matthew laughed, a low, pleasant laugh right by your ear. “I’ll give you a free pass for what’s left of today.”

“Your generosity astounds me. Please could you also sign my jersey?”

“Is it my jersey?”

“Why would it be your jersey when I have my last name printed out on one at the expense of my brother being roughed up a little?”

“Don’t tempt me. That favor you now owe me? I might just use it to have you get my jersey so I can sign it since you so generously asked.”

“Your call,” you shrugged. “Just know it’s going straight in the wash right after you scribble on it.”

Matthew took a few small steps back, only to pull you back towards him. You played along and spun as you landed into his hold once again.

“You say that now, but when you’ll see yourself with it—”

“I’ll auction it on eBay.”

The laugh you got out of Matthew stayed with you through the rest of the night and like never before, his good disposition easily transferred to you.

two.

When the elevator doors slid open, your brother and Johnny weren’t the only ones to step into the hotel lobby. Matthew accompanied them, flashing a smug smile as the trio approached and his eyes landed on you. You cast a quizzical glance from your brother, to Johnny, to Matthew and then looked towards Anna as if to ask are you seeing this? She only shrugged at you in silent response, though she was grinning from ear to ear. At least someone was certainly enjoying this.

“Last I remember, there were only two of you,” you commented.

“Was that before or after your third drink?” your brother chirped back.

Instead of humoring him, you shift your gaze to Matthew. “What gives, Tkachuk? Can’t be left at home unsupervised during family vacations?”

“My house training has only gone so far,” he responded smartly, then nodded his head towards Anna and Johnny who were caught in a half-hug, apparently entertaining by watching you and Matthew bicker as if watching a tennis match. “They’re not family.”

Anna feigned a gasp on your behalf. “Y/N and I are part and parcel, Matt. Thought you’d know that by now.”

“Well, the three of us are part and parcel also, Anna. Thought you’d definitely know that by now,” he responded but you were already leading the way out of the hotel lobby and towards the busy square outside.

It was a hub of activity: from street vendors to dance and music performers, there was something to see regardless of which way you looked. Although you arrived at your holiday destination the previous day, the flight south coupled with the warm, sticky evening made you want to steer away from the busier parts of the town. Instead, you opted to lounge by the pool with Anna, having perhaps one too many cocktails to kickstart your vacation. Perhaps you missed Matthew’s arrival at some point then, though for the life of you, you couldn’t remember anyone mentioning he’d come along also. Not that it bothered you greatly.

Since the time you asked him to be your plus one some few weeks ago, the relationship between the two of you warmed slightly. Sure, he still knew which buttons to press to get a reaction out of you, but you saw it as being less ill-intended and more good-natured fun. You kept up with him easily and whenever it felt as if he was cornering you, you conceded with a roll of your eyes but never admitted defeat. You didn’t consider the two of you friends, but something changed on the day of the wedding right around the time you had spilled out your feelings about the entire deal to him. Looking back on it, you found it strange just how easily you did that, no second thoughts, no wishing for takebacks. You knew you owed him the truth given the position you put him in without plenty of heads-up, but you could’ve easily just simplified the entire thing.

It wasn’t difficult to stick together as a group but eventually, you wandered off towards a few stalls on your own that have caught your eye. Though you wanted some more time to have Anna to yourself, it was technically her first vacation with Johnny. You could catch up with her later in the room; surely, she’d have even more swooning to do over him by then. Not that you blamed her. Johnny was an incredible guy.

First, you stopped at a stall selling a range of baked goods that you simply couldn’t turn away from. And for good reason: the sour cherry churro you settled for was a dream come true. From there, you strolled towards a few small stores selling a range of products ranging from colorful graphic tees to earrings made from vibrant, colorful gemstones. You held a blue pair next to your ear, turning one way then another to watch as the light reflected off the gleaming gem.

“Those suit your complexion,” the attendant commented and when you looked towards him, he smiled bashfully.

A gentle heat crept up your neck, unable to keep the grin off your face but you couldn’t look away from him: his skin was lightly tanned, and a dusting of freckles covered the bridge of his nose and upper cheeks. His blond hair was messy in a way you could easily tell was styled to appear as such. He was cute in a sort of conventional way, but you liked the way he smiled at you, all shy but certainly genuine.

“Funny you say that. I always had a feeling blue was my color,” you responded, and his smile widened.

“Here for vacation?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, I just got here yesterday, and I’ll be around for a few days,” you added, a little hopeful.

Hey, if you could score some good company while in the area, then you weren’t going to turn down the opportunity to flirt a little and make good with someone more local.

“Good. That’s really good to know.” He regarded you for a moment and you were certain that caused your blush to deepen though at the same time, it made you feel a little…exposed. “Hey, are you free—”

“The red ones are nicer.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, frustration quickly replacing the feeling of near euphoria. You could recognize that voice anywhere. Of all times he could have run into you, the universe fixed it so he popped up when you least needed that to happen.

“I prefer the blue,” you countered, then held them up against your ear again though you knew you didn’t need to double check if they suited you.

“No, trust me with the red,” Matthew insisted, and you saw him appear behind you in the small circular mirror you were looking into. He was so close. “Goes well with that little number I got you the other day.”

You sputtered. “W-what?! Stop messing—”

In the mirror Matthew’s eyes flicked from you to the attendant. “Yeah, you know the one. I left the box on the bed in our room, thought to surprise—”

“Tkachuk, just shut up. There isn’t an our room—”

This was so painfully uncomfortable. So frustratingly annoying, you felt the blood warm in your veins, that familiar wave of anger coursing through your body.

“I’ll ring those up for you,” the attendant said, his voice carefully polite while he accepted the red earrings from Matthew’s outstretched hand.

You hated him. Passionately hated him. It was easy for Matthew to play games like those because he could easily get just about anyone, but you? It wasn’t quite as easy to not be a pro-athlete who had pretty much everything lined up and going for them. You tried catching the store attendant’s eyes again but he was busy accepting the cash from Matthew after packing away the earrings in a small paper bag. You knew he wouldn’t catch sight of it, but it didn’t stop you from casting a longing, apologetic glance towards him before leaving the store.

It felt as if for every two steps you took, Matthew only needed one and despite the crowds, he caught up with you easily, holding out the bag towards you while you powered ahead.

“Come on, don’t be mad. The red ones are definitely better than the blue ones,” Matthew tried to reason with you while holding the hand stretched out to you, insistent on his offer. When you didn’t respond and instead, tried to rush further ahead, Matthew pressed on. Him managing to keep up with your pace only added fuel to the fire. “Don’t tell me you’re upset over Ron Jon back there.”

You came to a halt, turning to glare up at him. “I am, Matthew. You didn’t need to do what you did back there. There was no reason for it. It was shitty of you, and I need you to back off while I try to enjoy the rest of my night.” You clenched your jaw, trying to suppress the overwhelming feeling of anger that normally resulted in tears. “You could at least pretend to be sorry about it.”

With that, you turned on your heel and squeezed your way through the crowds, ignoring Matthew’s calls to stop and come back and that he was only joking.

Too late for that, you thought bitterly, making a turn towards a street popular for its dining and bar venues.

The part of the archipelago more popular with tourists was truly a sight to behold as the sun went down, coloring the sky in some of the warmest, most calming shades of orange, red and yellow you ever saw. It seemed as if everyone gathered on the promenade, phones at the ready while taking photos of the sky, selfies and group shots. Even you couldn’t resist it and after taking a few well-centered selfies, a passing couple offered to take your photo which you immediately posed for.

Later, once the sight sunk in, you moved towards a nearby bar, first attracted by the pink, purple and blue neon lights and then, the music. A good cocktail, good music and a gorgeous sunset were all it took for you to feel more relaxed, leaving behind the event from earlier. He wouldn’t be the first cute guy you’d see, nor the last and indeed, it was easy for you to settle in the more crowded area of the locale where people were dancing either solo, with a partner or as part of a group.

Not long after you weaved your way onto the dancefloor, you felt a pair of hands settle on your hips, drawing you in. You went easily, accepting the embrace, accepting the way you were being led into the dance, swaying your hips along with his. You didn’t even miss a beat when he spun you around, but you kept your hands pressed against his shoulders, rather than wrapping your arms around his neck. You were tipsy, no doubt, and admittedly felt touch-starved but you weren’t quite in the mood for anything more. You even dodged his mouth when he tipped his head down to your lips so instead, he landed a kiss on your cheek. Still, he was pretty relentless. The dance took a turn that was significantly more sensual, crossing a line into discomfort, and you felt that was your cue to try and remove yourself from him. It was easy initially. You threw him a small smile and when he caught hold of your hand, you simply motioned you were only going to get a drink, hoping that would keep him where he was with the knowledge you would return.

When you finally pulled away, you made a bee line towards the exit of the venue but again, you were a step too slow. The guy caught you just at the door.

“Where are you running off to, pretty?” he slurred, his voice louder above the thumping of the music.

“Oh—Um, just getting a breath of fresh air, is all,” you said quickly and immediately wished you didn’t venture off in a place like this alone. It was as if you suddenly forgot everything that was common sense, pushed towards it by earlier frustration.

“Doesn’t look like it to me.” He frowned, but there was no clarity in his eyes. He was entirely out of it and his fingers squeezed painfully around your wrist. You flinched visibly, squirming under his touch and even if you tried pulling your arm away, it was useless. He overpowered you even through the drunken haze. “Wanna go? Fine, then let’s go together.”

“No—uh, I’m actually here with my friends. I’ve just—I saw them so I’m going to catch up with them. They must be looking for—”

“Then we can go to them together, sweetheart. Here, point them out to me.”

“No, really. I’m going to them alone,” you emphasized and put all your force into trying to free your hand. It may have taken him by surprise that led to his loosened grip, but as soon as you turned on your heel, you found out there was more to it than just that.

You almost faceplanted right into Matthew’s chest when you tried making a run for it. He stood there, eyes flicking between you and the guy with an unreadable expression on his face. Your heart was hammering wildly in your chest and instinctively, you almost glued yourself to his side. It wasn’t the first time someone tried to force a move on you, but it was the first time it was done so in such a thoughtless, drunken manner. Perhaps your fear was also enhanced by being alone in an unfamiliar place. To see Matthew this time felt like a blessing.

“Babe,” Matthew said by way of greeting, pulling you to him when he wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

You didn’t realize you were trembling until you stood so close to him, legs suddenly feeling like jelly in front of your salvation. Matthew could easily overpower the guy; even if they were roughly the same height, there was a big difference between the body of an athlete and the swaying one of a drunk guy. Still, it didn’t mean you wanted Matthew to get caught up in anything he’d later regret or would affect him in any way, so you pressed a hand to his chest trying to put some pressure into guiding him away from the scene.

“She yours?” the drunk guy slurred, head tilting back, chin pointing towards your general direction.

“Yeah. So, guess that makes the situation even worse for you,” Matthew responded. His tone was light, seemingly non-threatening to someone who didn’t know him but you did. You knew him and you could read him crystal clear in this moment.

“Matthew, please,” you muttered, looking at him almost desperately while trying to put all your body weight into guiding him away.

The guy scoffed. “You’ve gotta do better than that, buddy.” He snickered. “You’ve gotta keep ‘em on a tighter leash unless you want them to go—”

Matthew made a move towards him, but you quickly stepped in front of him, essentially forcing him to halt. “Matt, please. Let’s go, okay? Please. I really want to leave. Right now.”

He glared at the guy for a moment longer but the hard look in his eyes softened as soon as his gaze fell on you. You took the liberty of placing most of your weight against Matthew, allowing him to remove both of you from the situation and towards a less crowded area. That was easy to find: with the sun having long set, most of the crowds cleared away from the promenade so there was plenty of space for you to collect yourself in peace.

He didn’t pry into the situation, didn’t even make any smartass comments. Instead, he let you slip away from under the safety of his arm while you pace around a small area, trying to work off the anxiety as much as you could. You had to count your breaths, remind yourself to breathe in then out slowly. You were okay. You were far from that guy, and he couldn’t hurt you. At least, no more than he already did. Your wrist felt a bit sore, but you’d take that over anything worse.

“You okay?” Matthew asked at last, tone careful. “I can go back there and pull him out, you know, get him to apologize.”

“No!” you said loudly, desperately, then cleared your throat and lowered your voice. “No, don’t go. Please. I just need a moment, that’s all. Just a little. Could you not leave? I’ll be fine in a moment. Just—just need to catch my breath—"

“Hey, hey—relax. It’s over. He can’t put a hand down on you now, or ever.” Matthew took a few steps closer to you as if apprehensive to approach you in the first place. You knew what you must’ve looked like: pale, still shaken by what happened. He held a hand towards you, palm up. “Can I touch you?”

You looked from it to his face, then said, “don’t get any funny ideas,” but it lacked your usual punch. You took his hand though, letting yourself be drawn to him. Matthew smelled like the sea. You couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he’d gone down to the beach earlier to take a dip. You wished you did that rather than try and drink your frustration over missing out on a random guy. God, you could sleep right here if sleeping while standing was a thing. “I’m sorry for reacting the way I did before—with, uh—what did you call him?”

Matthew chuckled, a low, deep chuckle. “Ron Jon.”

“You’re awful, Tkachuk.”

“And you have a funny way of expressing gratitude.”

“Sorry—”

He laughed louder. “I’m messing with you.” A pause, and then, “I’m sorry I rained on your parade earlier with the guy back then. If you really liked him…” He trailed off, as if to let you fill in the sentence for him.

You laughed weakly, waving a hand dismissively. “Thanks. Again. Seems like nowadays, I just keep having to thank you for one thing or the other.”

You felt him shrug. “Fine by me. You keep adding to these favors you owe me.”

“It’s only one. Well. Two if you want to be a dick and count this one too.”

You took a step back, detaching yourself from him to run both hands through your hair. You felt exhausted, drained of energy yet relieved. Who would’ve thought you’d be pleased to see Matthew pull another one of his appearing out of the blue acts?

“You give me no other choice but to be one,” he joked. “Come on, let’s go back to the hotel. Everyone’s wondering where you were, so you kind of lost your right to vote on dinner for tonight.”

You sighed heavily. “Let me guess: you all ganged up on me in my absence and settled on lobster?”

Matthew grinned. “Can’t vacation in a seaside town and skip out on that.”

“Ugh. Sea critters.” You pulled a face, drawing yet another laugh from Matthew. It made you feel oddly accomplished but you cut that train of thought there, forcing it to derail elsewhere, to place more familiar to you, more comfortable. “Matthew, I mean it when I said thank you. That was—it was scary,” you admitted as the two of you started walking back towards the hotel. You pulled your wrist into your hand, rubbing at the skin gently. Focused on the road ahead, you missed Matthew frowning down at the gesture. “I don’t know how that happened. It’s just—it’s not my thing to do. Go out alone, especially in a place like that. Good instincts by the way,” you tried to joke but it fell flat.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, voice tight. “I don’t want to think about it again if I can help it.”

You cast a confused stare in his direction but by then, it was his turn to look ahead, a frown marring his features. You didn’t push any further though.

Later that night, after you and Anna decided to call it a day and switch off the lights, you lay in bed glancing a look up at the ceiling above. You didn’t think back on the evening’s events but rather, thought back to how a familiar small brown paper bag was taped to your room’s door before dinner. Anna had fixed you with a knowing stare as you plucked it off the door, tipping its contents into the palm of your hand.

Then, you thought how during dinner, Matthew had claimed the seat next to yours and complimented the earrings you wore, remarking how awfully familiar they seemed though he could swear he didn’t know where from. For the first time, you had an inside joke to share with him and neither of you bothered to offer any clarifications to everyone else around the table as they tried to press for details.

three.

The Flames’ first game of the season was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas and with a few days left of vacation, you couldn’t skip on the opportunity to return to the city you were inexplicably fond of, as well as watching your brother play on the third line. The night promised to be unforgettable, and you wouldn’t miss it for the world. Although there were plenty of things to keep you busy throughout the day, your eyes would occasionally wander down to your watch, counting down the hours until the start of the game. It seemed like most of the city was doing the same.

Often, you’d spot handfuls of people donning Knights jerseys and occasionally, there would be a few Flames fans wandering the streets and locales. You’d only spotted one person wearing your brother’s jersey but that was more than enough for you – he was a fairly new face in the professional league, but he certainly pulled his weight during every shift he had on ice whenever given the opportunity. Luckily, you managed to take a quick photo of their back before they disappeared into the crowds, sending it to your brother along with a thumbs-up emoji.

He didn’t respond immediately, nor did you expect him to. You could only imagine how quickly he racked up pre-game nerves and he had a pretty strict routine, which included avoiding his phone until after the game. You couldn’t really make sense of superstitions even if each member of your family who played, whether professionally or otherwise, had their own. Naturally, you were surprised when your phone pinged, indicating a new message almost half an hour later. Except, it wasn’t quite who you were expecting.

Matthew is that your way of saying good luck?

You frowned, but all it took was a little more attention on your part to notice you hadn’t sent the message to your brother but rather, to Matthew. Lately, he was one of your top contacts for frequent messaging.

You wrong number

You good luck to you too though, i guess :/

Matthew busy?

You don’t you have practice to get to?

Matthew [attachment: photo of an ice rink where a few players were captured in motion]

Matthew [attachment: photo of his skates, taken from the players’ bench]

Matthew on break, where are you?

You hanging around

Matthew what are you wearing?

You [emoji: middle finger]

Matthew ice cold

Matthew nice, i can handle ice cold

You then go handle ice cold so you don’t get handled tonight

Matthew wish me luck too

You i already did

Matthew i need it twice, it’s my superstition

You that’s a bullshit superstition

Matthew if we lose tonight, it’s on you

You [emoji: angry face]

You good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matthew :)

You dropped your phone on the table with a low groan, slouching in your chair. From across the table, Anna shot you a confused stare which quickly morphed into understanding when you rolled your eyes, shooting your phone a look of frustration as if the device itself was to blame.

“Anything interesting?” she asked in a singsong tone.

“If you count Matthew being his usual self interesting, then that’s what’s up. Otherwise, nothing new.”

“By his usual self, do you mean engaging? Funny? Witty? So good with his words that he yet again takes your attention and keeps it while the rest of us, mere mortals, struggle to do that for longer than a few minutes tops?”

You arched an eyebrow, somewhat amused. “All that – just empty words.”

Anna leaned back in her seat, taking her glass with her while twirling the straw, looking ahead somewhat thoughtfully. “You know what the two of you remind me of? Those two kids in the playground who think love can only be expressed through pulling hair and making snide remarks.”

“First of all, that’s a shitty way of trying to get someone to realize you have feelings for them and second of all, love is a pretty big word. You managing to carry it okay?”

“Okay, maybe not love. But like? It has to be like. Say what you want to say but it looks different from the outside.”

“Okay, you keep staying out there and let me know what you’re seeing. I like your imagination. Very vivid,” you commented but there was no bite to your words and Anna threw her head back with laughter.

You didn’t think much of your exchange with Matthew throughout the rest of the day, nor did you try to linger too long on Anna’s interpretation of your relationship with Matthew. You let it wash over you, knowing it’d give her too much satisfaction if you fretted too much over it and anyway, many of your thoughts seemed to fly towards the evening’s game.

By the time the two of you made your way to the arena, however, you moved from anxiety to excitement within the space of mere moments, apparently. Even if this wasn’t your first rodeo and you’d been to countless games before, there was nothing quite like the thrill of an opening game. You and Anna had spaces reserved in the upper stands along with other family members and significant others but both of you chose to watch the warm-ups close-up, so you hung around by the glass at ice level.

The Vegas Knights and the Flames stepped on the ice to a combination of cheers and the thump of a loud electronic mix. You spotted your brother almost instantly. He did a quick lap around the team’s half of the ice before pulling a puck towards him with his stick, sliding it this way and that before shooting it over towards the net. Once sufficiently warmed up, he cast a searching look around the rink and you quickly waved both arms up in the air to try and get his attention. You knew he’d spotted you, but he made an entire show out of looking over you until you smacked a hand against the panel. You knew the sound wouldn’t be heard over the general noise of the arena, but he still laughed. When he skated over, you held your phone up, giving it a quick shake and mouthing “selfie?”.

He flashed a thumbs up and you quickly turned around to take the photo, but it wasn’t until you inspected it afterwards that you noticed you were photobombed by Matthew himself. You had every intention to look up from the screen and somehow try and get his attention only to glare at him, but he was a step ahead. You almost jumped out of your skin when you noticed Matthew standing right there by the glass, smirking at you.

“Asshole,” you mouthed, not daring to voice it out given you were surrounded by kids.

Matthew winked, skated to collect a stray puck then threw it up over the boards towards one of the kids standing right next to you. The kid was clearly thrilled by the gesture, bouncing up and down with the puck held over his head as if it were a trophy. You couldn’t help it: your heart melted at the sight, so you simply nodded once at Matthew, apparently just in time as the warm-up countdown reached zero.

You weren’t surprised the home team were putting on such a show for the opening night. There was a little bit of Vegas in every opening act: from the fireworks set off outside the arena to the showgirls and mind-blowing animations projected down on the ice, it felt more of a Stanley Cup playoff game than the start of a regular season game. This was Vegas and no one did it quite like Vegas did, you had to give that to them.

Both teams were almost evenly balanced throughout the first period but stepping out of intermissions and into the second, the Flames started powering ahead. It was as if something had clicked together even better and they functioned as a well-oiled machine, both in offence and defense. By the end of that period, they were leading the Knights 3-2 and you were more than elated your brother had earned himself an assist. Like all games, tensions formed quickly, and the third period saw both teams play aggressively. On several occasions, you caught sight of players clearly chirping each other even while heading towards their respective benches after the end of a shift. Once, Matthew seemed to be involved in a seemingly endless yelling match with a player on the opposing team. There were more checks against the panels, an impressive number of penalties drawn by both teams, and it felt as if the atmosphere was just tethering towards a fight.

It happened right after the Flames scored the fourth goal with just two minutes left of the game.

The moment the puck was dropped at center ice, you watched as Matthew charged ahead towards one of the Knights players who didn’t hesitate to drop the gloves. Between them, Matthew had the faster instinct, and he landed the first punch, effectively forcing both players to fall to the ice while the referees scrambled to try and split them apart. They were there a moment too late, just mere seconds after you caught sight of knuckles scraping along Matthew’s mouth on the big screens above. At first, it seemed to be nothing more than a graze but once he was separated and made his way towards the Flames bench, you noticed several spots of blood on his jersey on the screens above that made you almost jump out of your seat.

Sure, this was a familiar sight, but it didn’t alleviate the sheer shock and restlessness. Whatever had happened between them must’ve been a pretty big deal to set Matthew off the way it did. There was no way of sugarcoating it: the fight was vicious. More than ever, you wanted the period countdown to reach zero so you could go down to the lockers. It wasn’t just a few nagging feelings towards Matthew that led you to react the way you did. He was a friend, after all, so worrying for him was simply natural. An expected way of responding to a situation like that.

“He had it worse before, remember?” Anna reminded you as you followed the small stream of relatives and friends down towards the players’ rooms.

“Still looked pretty bad to me,” you responded, briefly pulling your lower lip between your teeth. Before she could continue being the voice of reason, you added in a light tone, “I just want to see if he had any teeth knocked out of his mouth this time around.”

It took some time before the players filed out and as you watched them come out one by one, you almost wished you saved this for somewhere less…well, public. Sure, you were just a friend checking on a friend, but you wished you could do that without an audience.

Your brother emerged first, beaming, no doubt pleased with the win, and you hugged him tightly, easily sharing his joy.

“He’s just getting ready to come out now,” he informed you, heading nodding back towards the locker.

You blinked. “What? Oh—no, I’m just. I was waiting for you to say congratulations. What are you even talking about,” you mumbled but inevitably, your eyes were drawn towards the locker room as the door swung open and Matthew stepped out.

His hair was still damp but already curling again. He was dressed in the same suit he probably arrived in, a simple light grey number that fit him perfectly. He had his backpack on also and in one hand, he carried an apparently ice-cold bottle of water while the other was pressing an ice pack to the corner of his mouth. When you made eye contact, he frowned lightly and for a moment, seemed almost hesitant to approach you. This time, you were a step ahead and cornered him before he decided to walk away.

You nodded your head once, indicating in his general direction. “What? You’re trying to add to the family’s hefty dentist bill by getting a few teeth knocked out already?”

Matthew shrugged. “It’s not hockey without a few scraps now and then.”

“For a guy who got a goal and an assist, you sure don’t look too pleased with that.”

At that comment, Matthew’s expression shifted, lightening up considerably. “Are you keeping track of my stats now?”

“What? No, Tkachuk. I was doing what everyone else in that arena was doing: paying attention generally speaking.”

Suddenly, his entire face scrunched up in pain and he almost doubled over as he groaned. Instinctively, you reached out for him, eyes widening a little when bending down a little to try and look at his face.

“Oh my god—Matthew. Are you okay? Do you need me to get a medic to check—”

You frowned as soon as you felt his shoulders tremble under your touch. Slowly, it dawned on you he was laughing. Laughing. You slapped his shoulder lightly, the gesture more a tap than anything else and you started walking down the corridor quickly, trying to catch up with everyone else as they filed out of the arena.

“Hey, hey, wait, Y/N! Come on, don’t be mad,” he called out after you and you heard him jog to catch up with you. When he did, he took a couple more steps ahead then stepped in your path, walking backwards to match your pace. “I was only messing around. I couldn’t not do that. You should’ve seen your face, honestly.”

“My face? Hope you’ve seen yours. I’m not mad. Me being mad would basically mean you managed to get to me which you really didn’t, so don’t give yourself any credit, Tkachuk,” you responded. “You just reminded me you’re still a dick so thanks for that.”

“Give me a free pass. I’m injured.”

“If you’re searching for sympathy, you’re looking for it in the wrong place,” you informed him, side stepping him so that he resumed walking at your side instead. After a few moments of silence, you conceded with a sigh. “Seriously speaking. How’s your mouth?”

“Don’t think I’ll need fillers, let’s just say.” He removed his hand from his mouth, and you looked over.

Thankfully, it seemed that putting ice on it quickly was paying off. The area was somewhat red, but no significant damage seemed to be visible to the untrained eye. He was certainly miles better than he was just months ago.

“Looks okay, I guess,” you shrugged. “What happened? Honestly, it looked pretty intense from the outside.”

Matthew didn’t respond and you didn’t press him for details even after you stepped out into the balmy Vegas night. If he chose to not share with you, then you guessed it must’ve been either pretty personal or pretty stupid. You leaned more towards the former. You didn’t even complain when he followed you to the car you hired, claiming the passenger seat. Before you also stepped inside, a message pinged in from Anna informed you she had taken off with Johnny for dinner but promised to be back in the room in a few to catch up.

You didn’t start the engine when you fixed your seatbelt and instead, leaned your head back against the rest, watching a few other vehicles pull out of the car park. In his seat, Matthew was looking out of the window to his left, heading resting against a loosely formed fist propped up against the door.

“He was talking shit about you,” he said at last, but didn’t turn to you when he spoke.

“Who was?”

“The guy on the other team. He made a comment about you towards your brother at the end of the shift. Something about… I don’t know, something crude, vulgar. Don’t really remember it.”

You didn’t quite believe him on the last part, but you allowed it anyway. “Okay… Well, I don’t know the guy anyway, so it didn’t matter, Matthew. You should have let it slip by or left my brother to deal with it.” Then, out of curiosity, you asked, “why didn’t you?”

More silence. Occasionally, the muffled sound of a passing car would cut through it but it, too, would be gone in seconds.

“Because I couldn’t.”

You pursed your lips and your fingers clenched then unclenched in your lap. You placed your hands on the steering wheel, then dropped them away before settling them back on it after starting the engine.

“Thanks, I guess. You just keep making me owe you favors.”

“You don’t owe me—”

“So, I’ll clear that now with dinner. Just please don’t tell me you’re going to need to be on a smoothie diet. I’ll feel bad eating something really good while you’re there with a strawberry and banana drink. Not that I’d stop eating though, just so you know. But it’s the thought that counts,” you said and finally, finally he chuckled quietly.

“No smoothie diets this time.”

You sighed dramatically. “Maybe no smoothie diets ever?”

Matthew shrugged. He was still not meeting your eyes but that was okay. “Can’t promise that. Kind of comes with the job. Just in case though, I like the sweeter stuff more. Triple chocolate, Oreo pieces, peanut butter.”

“Thanks, Matthew. I’ll file that under information I don’t care to know about.”

“I’m injured. Show some sympathy,” he demanded without heat, finally turning to you.

You cooed then reached out with one of your hands to pat his cheek lightly. “Aw, really searching for it in the wrong place.”

“I’ll make do with what I can get,” he allowed, and you could swear he leaned into your touch, but you tore your hand away before either of you got too comfortable.

four.

Matthew called in his favor after a few of his teammates agreed where to host their Halloween party.

“Kind of sounds like you’re the one asking for a favor,” you commented, planting yourself at your kitchen table while securing the phone between your ear and shoulder.

Matthew sighed on the other end. “Sort of. Who does a themed Halloween party anyway? The theme itself is Halloween.”

“You’re not wrong about that. Could be fun though, a bit more unique. So, what’s the theme for this year?”

“Couple outfits,” Matthew replied without hesitation.

You stilled and were grateful he wasn’t in the same room as you. It took you a great deal more energy over the course of the past few months to convince yourself that Matthew didn’t attract you in one way or another. His looks aside, it was rare you came across someone who could easily keep up with your snide remarks and the more you got to know him, the more you realized that there was more to Matthew than just being a typical athlete with his share of well-deserved fame. He was funny, dedicated and undoubtedly, caring. You had some first-hand experience with the latter. After all, he didn’t owe you anything to make him obligated to jump into whatever weird situation you found yourself in.

You warmed to him little by little. If you found him attractive, well that was for you alone to know though it made everything just that more difficult. Thankfully, Matthew seemed pretty oblivious to it or at least, he was doing a good job at pretending he didn’t catch you staring at him on several occasions or the few times you took a discrete step back if it felt like you were too close to him. Knowing he was asking you to go together as a couple (pretend couple, you corrected yourself) only added to the difficulty of coming to terms with your…crush.

Puppy love, you assured yourself. It’ll go as quickly as it came.

“Y/N?”

“Sorry, still here. Guess it sucks another year will go by without the opportunity to bring out your Fortnite costume.”

“Oh, come on. I wouldn’t dress like a game character!”

“Matthew,” you warned.

There was a pause, then, “okay, fine. Maybe I would. So, can you come?”

You shrugged, then remembered he couldn’t see it. “I owe it to you, don’t I?”

“Great! Hey, choose something good for us. There’s going to be a prize for best dressed and I have my eyes on it.”

“I think we can both agree my creativity will not let us down. I’ll text you my idea. You just make sure you actually stick to it, so I don’t end up looking stupid.”

“Don’t worry,” he started, “I won’t dump you on Halloween.”

“Good to know I won’t end up traumatized and have my favorite holiday ruined,” you said, by way of goodbye.

“Hey, spin around for me once. You look good. Blonde’s not bad on you.”

“No color’s bad on me,” you responded but refused to entertain Matthew by complying with his request. Instead, you rang the bell to Noah’s apartment after the door didn’t budge when Matthew tried the handle.

“Come on, just a spin,” Matthew insisted, nudging his elbow into your own then pressed the doorbell himself once again – hard, as if that would make it ring louder.

“Only if you dance for me and do the entire Greased Lightning choreography without missing a step.”

Matthew feigned a groan and you shot him an amused look. Before you could even comment on that, the door opened, and Noah stood at the threshold. The ruckus from inside spilled out into the corridor and from what you could see beyond him, it was a full house of all sorts of characters.

“Wow! Sandy and Danny! Finally, someone with really good taste,” Noah said by way of greeting and he looked towards you pointedly.

You flashed him a grin. “Always a pleasure to exceed expectations,” you responded and stepped into his open arms, a clear invitation for an embrace that was shortly broken apart by Matthew.

“Hey, none of that man,” he said, pulling you back and easily holding most of your weight as you broke into a laugh that had you stumbling into his side. “I didn’t even get to tell her she’s the one that I want.”

“Yeah, well, you better shape up ‘cause I need a man,” you responded, without missing a beat though you couldn’t help but replay his words in your mind. They sounded a lot like a broken record that you desperately wished to stop immediately before this…thing went way too far and spun out of control.

You were both led towards a photo wall and if you had any nerves about striking good poses without at least some liquid courage first, all that vanished. To your surprise, Matthew easily took the lead initially, falling to his knees in front of you in an attempt to recreate the part where a smitten Danny fell before Sandy, completely and utterly overwhelmed by her presence. Despite it being difficult to control your laughter, you played along with ease. At first, you were simply grinning down at him but you couldn’t let all his in-character effort go to waste, so you turned, casting a glance down towards him over your shoulder. To your side, Noah’s flash was going off every few seconds as he tried to capture the two of you from the best angle, together with cheers of encouragement. For your second pose, you rested your arms on Matthew’s shoulders once he rose back to his full height and his hands held on to either side of your torso. Again, the flash went off and again, the two of you changed pose into something more casual: him, standing behind you with his palms on your hips while you place a hand on his face, grinning at the camera. The flash went off again and he whooped loudly.

“I’m never inviting both of you to a party with this theme again,” Noah muttered, feigning disgruntlement. “You can’t come into my home and kill it like that.”

“Blame the one who came up with this idea in the first place,” Matthew defended, holding both hands up in the air in a gesture of innocence.

It was true. The idea to dress as Danny and Sandy from Grease came to you fairly quickly. You knew the two were a popular go-to, but you enjoyed the movie greatly. Plus, it was a great opportunity for you to pull out a pair of red heels you invested a hefty sum of money into. And, well, admittedly there was something about Matthew that made you think he’d suit the role just fine. When you shared your idea with him, he was on board from the start without complaining or suggesting alternatives. You were grateful for that: when Matthew picked you up earlier, dressed in an all-black outfit, leather jacket and hair styled to rival John Travolta’s, you gave yourself a mental pat on your shoulder. If any photos would go up on the internet, you were pretty sure Instagram would be grateful to you. Certainly, you knew Chantal and Keith would get a kick out of it for sure.

“Guilty as charged,” you acknowledged. “I’m going to look for Anna. Catch you later.” You gave a wave to the both of them before making your way towards the hub of activity where couple costumes ranged from peanut butter and jelly to superheroes.

She was fairly easy to locate, in part because she told you she and Johnny would dress as Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. The red, blue and gold of her outfit were unmissable even in a sea of costumes. As soon as she spotted you approaching, she made a beeline and wrapped an arm around yours.

“Tell me you and Matthew will recreate the entire You’re the One That I Want scene,” she pleaded. “Please tell me that at some point this evening, you’ll tell us to clear the dancefloor so the two of you can have your moment.”

You rolled your eyes, dragging her along towards a table hosting drinks and small bites. “There’s no moment we’re going to be having.”

“Because you don’t want to or because you want to so badly that you don’t know how to ask him? I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes.”

“Neither,” you muttered but even you’d be able to hear the lack of conviction in your tone from a mile away.

To take your mind off it, you poured yourself a glass of red wine, taking a tentative sip from it. Across the room, Matthew had deposited his black leather jacket away and started making rounds around the room. You took a longer sip from your wine and looked away.

Anna fixed you with a knowing stare which you refused to acknowledge, but she knew you like the back of her hand. “It’s okay to say you like him, you know,” she advised, and you hated the soothing tone she tried to take when saying that. It felt more pitying than anything, as if you hadn’t already had your share of disappointments in love—or, relationships better said.

“Who said anything about liking him? He’s not bad to look at I’ll admit, but that’s where it stops.” You frowned, looking out of the nearest nearby window that gave a broad view of the city below. “That’s where I want it to stop,” you admitted, this time quieter.

You were well aware that you were occasionally trying to look for a narrative that was most convenient for late night thoughts when you had the peace and privacy to think of him as you wished. The reality couldn’t be more different, though, and you knew that. Matthew was helpful to you before because he was good friends with your brother and eventually, you realized that it was just part of his nature. Beyond being successful, beyond his fame and recognition, Matthew was kind and funny and respectful. It was just that you didn’t give him the chance to before and now that you got to know him better, you suddenly realized that…what? You’d like the first man who gives you a helping hand? If that were the case, you should’ve gotten the memo sooner: it would’ve been easier liking the tech guy from work who once debugged your laptop.

It wasn’t doing you any good to try and look for a ‘but’ in every situation: Matthew is helpful because he’s good friends with my brother but it’s not like that should force him to act as if we’re romantically involved not once or twice or thrice but now, four times. Regardless of how you looked at it, that reeked of desperation. You were in that weird period in your life where it felt as if everyone around you was in a relationship, so maybe that mood translated to you.

That’s right, you settled. That’s what was possibly behind these thoughts of yours. You found Matthew attractive – and what? So did plenty of other people. You saw him surrounded by girls after practice, after matches, while out. What you felt was nothing special. It felt easier to think of it that way, even if for a few hours to truly enjoy the party without having that lurking at the back of your mind.

You mingled easily, danced with Anna, danced with other players’ girlfriends and wives, danced with your brother, even attempted a few traditional Russian dances taught by Nikita, Artyom and a few of their friends, that left you breathless by their rapid pace and intricate footwork.

“I’m done!” you declared, breathless and almost swaying on your feet when another Russian folk song came to an end but thankfully, you managed to hold steady before you could catch a ride on the hot mess express. “Absolutely wasted. Knocked out.” You stepped away, tired but euphoric and dropped rather unceremoniously on one of the available couches pushed against a wall.

“Having fun?” Matthew asked and there was a light flush on his cheeks you knew wasn’t from dancing. There was even just a slight slur to his speech.

“The most,” you replied, breathless, and accepted the drink he held out to you. You took a sip without questioning him what was in the glass, only to find out for yourself he was settling for harder stuff tonight. “But never let it be said that anyone can keep up with Russians because let me tell you,” you whistled quietly, “we’re a couple of steps behind. Plenty of steps behind, actually.”

Matthew flashed a lazy smile and you briefly spared a moment to envy him for how kept together he remained despite being evidently buzzed. “’s okay. At least we’re the better dressed ones so we lose in style.”

You took another sip from his glass, holding it out to him with a smirk. “Tell me about it, stud,” you said in what you hoped was a low, alluring tone of voice but no sooner did you think that, and you were reduced to embarrassed laughter. “Forget about that! Forget it, forget it! Where’s the delete button?”

“I didn’t come equipped with that,” he declared proudly, finishing off what was left of his drink. “C’mere, you can show me a couple of those steps you learned.”

He stood, a little unsteadily initially then held a hand to you. You knew he wouldn’t have the strength to pull you up properly, so you stood easily fully intent to actually lead him through some of the steps. Except, Matthew was definitely swaying more than you thought he would. There was something inexplicably amusing about the situation and instead of directing him towards the center of the room, you steered him away from it and towards a small bathroom you were shown to earlier that night when you needed some time to re-touch your makeup.

“Where’re we going?” he asked curiously, looking over his shoulder towards the living room with a look that could only be read as longing.

“To cool down a little and then you can learn as many folk dances as you want. Believe me, you need to be alert for them. Can’t miss a step,” you advised, trying to steady him by wrapping an arm around him though the difference in weight between the two of you couldn’t compare. Still, you managed to get him into the bathroom safely without either of you making a mess of yourselves or the room.

“Are you gonna cool down too?” he questioned.

“Sure thing, definitely need it.”

“Good, we’ll cool down together.” With that, he made a move to open the glass partition for the shower cubicle but thankfully, you were significantly more alert than he was and managed to prevent him from doing anything more than that.

“Not that sort of cool down. Here, sit here,” you encouraged, lowering the lid on the toilet so Matthew could drop down. You doubted you’d be able to hold much of his strength above the sink if you were to help him splash some cold water on his face.

“But I want that sort of cool down,” he slurred. “With you. Us two. You said you want to cool down too. Could be a couple activity.” He grinned, as if proud of himself.

Thankfully, Matthew was buzzed enough to miss the flush on your face, the slight shake of your hand as you arranged a towel around his neck to prevent too much overspill before turning the tap on.

“Can’t do that, Matthew. Here, this will be much better, I promise.”

“Wanna try though,” he mumbled but was still compliant as you pressed a wet, cool palm against his forehead, then either of his cheeks. “Not cool enough.” His complaint was accompanied by a frown which only morphed into a lazy smirk when he leaned back, trying to pull you with him. “C’mon, Y/N. It’s a couple’s Halloween night.”

“Matthew, we’re not a couple,” you said gently, pushing your palms against his shoulders in an attempt to free yourself from his hold. Before it was too late. Before you allowed yourself to get drawn into a drunk man’s ramblings.

“But I wanna be. A couple, with you.”

You put all your strength into breaking away from his hold and thankfully, managed to do so. Your heart was hammering in your chest as if desperately trying to release itself from the cage of your ribs.

“Matthew, you’re drunk. Here, splash some cold water on your face so you can come back to your senses.”

“But I’m not drunk,” he insisted and as if to demonstrate, he stood up quickly. He swayed on the spot, stretching out his arms a little and once he found his footing, he looked towards you with an expression that mixed pride with hopefulness. “See? Definitely okay—”

You frowned, feeling a little caged in. You should’ve left the door open at least. “Okay, then let’s go back out there, yeah? I can get an Uber and I’ll take you home if you prefer that?”

“Yes,” he said, then leaned back against the door. “Only if you come with me.”

You exhaled, suddenly tired as if the exchange was working every ounce of energy out of you. “I’ll come to make sure you’re okay and can make it to your bed okay.”

“I can though. I can definitely make it there even on my own and you know why? Because I’m not drunk,” Matthew insisted and when you shot him a look of disbelief, he peeled himself away from the door. “Look, look I can prove it to you I’m not drunk.”

Before you could even ask him to walk a straight line without stumbling his steps, Matthew’s arm wrapped around your waist while his other hand pressed on the back of your head, bringing you closer until your lips met. Kissing Matthew was like everything you imagined and more. He even did that with the same passion with which he skated on ice, chasing puck after puck. It left you breathless how well he worked his lips against your own as if all along, he knew how to do that in such way that it’d leave your legs feeling like jelly. Beyond that though, it felt comfortable. Not forceful despite him having not asked if he could do it in the first place, yet it still felt right. You tasted sweetness on his mouth and the sharp tang of whiskey. Vaguely, you knew nothing else could compare. It was that thought that made you push away from him with as much force as you could muster, ducking under his arm and towards the door.

“I’ll ask someone to take you home,” you said without even looking his way before leaving dashing out of the bathroom.

“You okay?” Anna asked you when you ran into her. Quite literally.

“Uh—yeah. No, actually. I think I feel a bit unwell so I’m going to head home, okay?”

You made a move to leave but her arm stopped you. “Hey. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Above her shoulder, you saw Matthew emerge from the bathroom, a little dazzled, eyes searching the room. Before he could even spot you, you quickly freed yourself from her hold and nodded. “Will be. I’ll text you when I get home. Don’t rush back, okay? Tell Alex I said thanks for the invite.”

You didn’t stumble a step in your heels as you jogged towards the door, making a swift exit before you attracted even more attention.

+ one.

Matthew left no calls and no messages, but that was fine. You didn’t spend time trying to build your expectations of anything like that happening because drunk words weren’t always sober thoughts. The event was just something you had to deal with and if you had to do it alone, then so be it. Reasonably speaking, you and Matthew went from nothing to friends and if you caught feelings along the way, then that was your mistake for letting yourself slip like that. You were left broken hearted once, you really didn’t want to go through that again especially over someone that wasn’t even really and truly yours to begin with.

So, the next morning, you woke up at a reasonably early hour despite the late night but felt energized enough to sweep through your apartment and collect the garments you tossed carelessly on your way to bed after arriving at home. You said a heartfelt goodbye to Sandy, apologizing that in this scenario, her and Danny didn’t end up driving off in a red convertible. After that, you showered and changed in a fresh set of clothes even if the day would most likely be spent indoors. It was a fitting conclusion to the Halloween weekend, and you could do with some downtime, really.

Anna must’ve stayed with Johnny because regardless of how much noise you made, she didn’t emerge from the room and after fixing a quick breakfast and brewing coffee to continued silence, you knew you were right. It didn’t bother you. You’d make full use of the couch and stretch out on it properly as you flicked through your Netflix account and for the sake of sticking to weekend morning traditions, you selected a lighthearted sitcom. You were halfway through the third episode when your doorbell rang. You could’ve sworn Anna had a spare key of her own unless she misplaced it or forgot it home. Not entirely out of question.

Except, it wasn’t Anna who greeted you when you opened the door.

“Oh.” You coughed lightly, crossing your arms then unfolding them, then leaning one against the doorway before dropping it to your side. “Hey—uh. Hey Tkachuk, isn’t it a bit early for you to be out and about? You were smashed the last time I saw you.”

Matthew looked over your shoulder into the apartment, as if checking to see if you were alone. “Can I come in?”

Defeated, you stepped to the side and cleared the way for him to step inside before pushing the door closed. Part of you wished you’d dressed up as if you were ready to head off somewhere. You weren’t quite ready nor willing to face whatever music Matthew had in mind for you.

In the aftermath of the party, out of the flashiness of the costume, Matthew seemed to be perfectly clear-headed despite the state you’d left him in. The curls atop his head seemed soft despite the natural frizz and as he passed by, you caught a whiff of sharp cologne and fresh bodywash.

“Is Anna here?”

“Are we playing twenty-one questions?”

“No?”

“Kind of sounds like it, though?” You laughed quietly, trying to lighten the mood. It was bad enough the weather outside was gloomy, autumn settling in full force. Now, you had to deal with a Matthew who looked as if he wasn’t sure he came to the right place. “Coffee?” you asked, already leading the way towards the kitchen. You heard him follow behind you just moments later. While you poured a full cup for him, he hovered by the table, making you frown at him. “What’s wrong with you? You need an invite to sit down and relax? Seriously, Matthew, you look like you should be in bed.”

“You left last night without saying anything,” he said instead.

“Uh—yeah. I was kind of tired and I wanted it to call it a night early so—”

“Was it because of what I said or what I did?”

You almost dropped the coffee cup, but fortunately only startled enough for the liquid to slosh over the rim and down the back of your hand, causing you to hiss in pain. You cursed quietly and, in an instant, Matthew crossed over the room and took the cup from you, setting it down on the table before leading you towards the sink. As if used to this, he placed your hand under ice cold water and once the sharp pain numbed, you pushed his hand away, taking a step to the side in an attempt to put more distance between you.

“It’s fine, I’ve got this,” you mumbled, holding your hand still under the jet for a few more seconds before closing it.

It was hardly worth the fuss, but it gave you a reason to make yourself busy with something other than freaking out. It couldn’t be that he remembered anything. It couldn’t be that he was standing in your kitchen, thinking that it was a good idea to just open up that subject when you were so ready to take a shovel to it and bury it six feet under.

“Didn’t you get tired of it at all?” he tried again.

“Tired of what?”

“Of pretending. Of only acting like we’re together for one reason or the other—”

“Matthew, I asked you only once and you know why. I apologized then but if it helps you sleep better at night, I’ll apologize again for dragging you into my mess. I don’t know what the point is of this discussion—”

“The point,” he said, raising his voice but only to cut through your speech. “The point is that I’m tired of it. I’m tired of having to be by your side and pretend. It got to a stage where I don’t even know what’s real and what isn’t, and I feel as if the only time I’ll know that for sure will be when you find someone, so you no longer need to turn to me to pretend.”

“Matthew, I’m not using you, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re coming at me with this out of the blue and I don’t even understand what this is all about,” you argued, waving a hand between the two of you.

Matthew clenched his jaw. You watched as he flexed it and his eyebrows furrowed. “Do you need me to spell it out for you again? I thought I was pretty straightforward about what I want last night.”

“You were drunk last night, is what you were. You could hardly put a foot in front of the other.”

“You know that’s not true,” he retorts, lifting his arms then dropping them back down to his sides. “I was sober enough to know damn well what I said and why I said it. If you want to keep pretending even now, even at this point, then you go ahead and do that but let me be clear with you again and you take what you want from it: I don’t want to pretend with you anymore. I want to be with you. You want to know what that feels like? It feels a lot like being so close to something you want, literally having that thing dangled right in front of you only to have it snatched just when you think it’s yours. Me kissing you last night? I’m sorry I forced it on you, I could’ve gone about doing it differently but I’m not sorry for what I feel. That was all me and not the alcohol. So, you take this and do what you want with it.”

You stared at him, disbelieving your ears. It wouldn’t surprise you if that was the case: you did wake up surprisingly refreshed even after an emotionally charged night, so for all you knew, you could be dreaming this.

“Matthew, what are you—That’s, you’re kidding me with this right? You can’t. You can’t possibly think that.”

“And why not?”

“Because it doesn’t make sense. Are you even hearing yourself talk?”

“Why doesn’t it make sense? Want me to go about it differently? If you let me pull your hair, I’ll let you push me in the sandbox.”

You were suffering from a strange, ill-timed case of déjà vu. Part of you wanted to laugh at the situation but the bigger part of you triumphed, thankfully. You released a breath you had been holding, bringing both hands up to cover your face, taking some moments to yourself. Or perhaps, you’d lost track of time because eventually, you heard Matthew sigh and felt his fingers wrap around each wrist though he didn’t put pressure to tug your hands down from your face.

“Sorry. I’m just—I’m not doing this the right way. I don’t want it to seem like I’m forcing my feelings on you and that you should accept them. If I misread us—you at any point, then fine. Just, we can drop it here and I’ll deal with it but—”

You shook your head slowly. “No, I just need a moment. Sorry. You really caught me by surprise. I didn’t… I thought everything you said last night…what you did… I thought that was just, well, just the alcohol. So, I did the best thing I knew to do and, uh, left.”

“Drunk words, sober thoughts,” he reminded you quietly and this time, you dropped your hands away from your face so you could look up at him.

He was so handsome. Ridiculously handsome in his casual clothes. Briefly, you thought back to the time you first found safety in his arms and wondered if maybe… Well, why not. You closed the distance between the two of you, wrapping your arms around him, fingers clinging to the thick material of his hoodie while you faceplanted against his chest and breathed him in.

You liked Matthew. You liked Matthew so much that the admission overwhelmed you so much that you squeezed him to you, trying desperately to bring him closer. The gesture seemed to prompt him into action, and he returned the hug, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and then to the base of your throat once he’d lowered his head there.

“Me too. I want to be with you too. Really be with you. No more of this pretend stuff,” you told him, your voice muffled against his body, but you knew he caught every word.

He chuckled, the sound low and deep, sending shivers down your spine. “We won Noah’s competition last night.”

“Bet he did it because of your long face,” you commented, unable to help yourself. “What did we win?”

Matthew made a move to step back, but you clung to him, much to your embarrassment. It seemed as if your body acted out of sync with your mind, but who could blame it when Matthew stood right there, right before you. Turned out he only took a step back to lift you off your feet and instinctively, you wrapped your legs around his hips, arms resting loosely around his neck. You leaned in and pressed a fleeting kiss to his mouth as he stumbled away from the kitchen while you stole another kiss. And then, just because you could, a third.

“A voucher to a seafood restaurant,” he informed you, breaking into a laugh when you groaned, throwing your head back in sheer frustration even if you had a strong feeling he was only messing with you.

“Remind me to never put so much effort if that’s what the stake are.”

“Noted. Next time, I’ll tell you we could just stay home for Halloween and play by our rules. Outfits optional. Probably not recommended.”

“That’s…really not what I said.”

“I’m reading between the lines. See? We know each other so well.”

You laughed as he carried you all the way into your room without even as much as breaking a sweat. That was definitely some food for thought at a later point.

#matthew tkachuk #matthew tkachuk fic #matthew tkachuk imagine #nhl fic #nhl fanfic #nhl imagine #*

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fckwritersblock · 3 years

Text

The Other Sinclair

Stranger Things; Black!reader x Everybody

Description: Lucas’ older sister gets back in town and is not very happy to hear about the events that took place. Especially when it comes to someone putting their hands on her little brother.

Warnings: I mean.....mild violence, but again this page is 18+ so y’all be aite

(Unedited .)

“5 minutes Lucas! I leave you guys for 5 got damn minutes and everything goes to shit!”

Y/n was livid.

It wasn’t really anyone’s intention for her to find out. Lucas knew better than to involve her unless he really needed to. If there was one thing she didn’t play about it with her family. It would’ve all been fine too, however when Y/n saw Steve, she asked what happened to his face and he couldn’t help but blurt everything out. Now, being that she was included in all the events the previous year it didn’t come as a surprise that the moment she left for 2 weeks for the cheerleading competition they’d get themselves into more shit.

“I just want to know what made him think he could put his hands on you!”

Now she knew about the new kid and his rivalry with Steve. That was purely their egos and a mess full of entirely too much testosterone and high school cliche for her to bother with. That would come to pass as Steve was proving to be less and less of asshole everyday. But to hear Steve’s face, though healing, looked like that as a result of protection her little brother and the rest of the kids..

No, ma’am.

“Was anyone gonna tell me?” She fussed at the preteens.

“It’s over, we handled it.” Lucas groaned knowing his words were falling on deaf ears.

“Uh huh. I’m sure.” The elder Sinclair rolled her eyes, arms crossed and hip poked out. “And this Billy kid is related to who? Your little girlfriend right?”

Y/n’s gaze quickly shifted to the girl in question.

“Yeah. H-hi. I’m Max.”

Y/n said nothing, just continued to stare and assess the child. Finally she smiled.

“Max, you look like a sweet kid and I really don’t wanna not like you. So spill. What’s his deal?”

Max twiddled her fingers only hesitated for a moment before she gave her boyfriend‘s sister the backstory on her stepbrother and his dad. Giving her a little bit of detail about how he also felt about black people.

“Interesting. And where can I find this Hargrove?” Y/n inquired.

“The arcade.” Max answered.

Nodding she went over to the front door of the Sinclair residence and opened the door.

“Ma, I’m taking the boys to the arcade with Steve.”

Barely take time to get a response, she grabbed her house keys off the hook and closed the door behind her.

“Y/n I don’t think-“ Steve began but she cut him of.

“Don’t hurt yourself doing that.”

“This isn’t a good idea.” Lucas mumbled.

“I don’t remember asking you.” Y/n replied.

“I forgot that’s where Erica gets it-“ Dustin commented in a failed attempt to whisper.

“Shut up Dustin. Everybody in the car.” She snatched the keys from Steve. “And I’m driving.”

The ride to the arcade was quiet, everyone afraid to speak as Y/n drove them the short distance a little quicker than usual. Soon as they pulled up, she parked randomly and they all hopped out.

“Where is he?”

Max looked around before pointing him out.

Once Y/n laid eyes on him she scoffed before rolling them. There stood Billy Hargrove leaning against his car with Tommy and a few girls fawning over him. He looked like the king of douche bags like he had some grade A daddy issues. Any other time she’d feel for him, but he did the one thing he shouldn’t have and that was a mess with her little brother.

“Hold these.” She practically shoved her pompoms in Steve’s hands before heading for Billy.

“Babe,” but the look y/n gave Steve shut him up.

All The kids followed her protesting the entire way trying to get her to change their mind scared of what Billy might do to her regardless of the deal he made with Max. After all, she was just a stranger approaching him in a hostile way, and the gang expected nothing more than for him to react in true Billy. Steve on the other hand, was preparing to possibly receive another busted lip if Billy decided to retaliate and even think about raising his hand to her. He’d go out fighting again if need be. However Y/n wasn’t scared.

Less than a few feet away she bawled her fist, feeling all the anger toward the white boy surface.

“Hey asshole!”

He barely spared them a glance before doing a double take. Once he spotted his sister and her friends a cocky smirk planted itself on his face.

“Well well if it isn’t the losers-“ y/n held up her hand to silence him, her steps coming to a halt.

“You Billy Hargrove?” She pretended to smile flirtatiously.

“Who’s asking princess?” He asked with a cocky smirk, giving her a once over.

“Y/n Sinclair.” And with that Y/n cocked her arm back and punch him squads in face.

“Well, shit.”, Dustin said as the rest of the party gasped.

Wow they didn’t hear a crack or anything, they could see Billy’s now blooded nose, leaking while he grabbed it.

“Fuck! You bitch!” He quickly got in Y/n’s face to where she took a step closer staring up at him.

“I dare you.” Y/n challenged not even flinching as his nostrils flared and fist balled at his side as if he was thinking about retaliating.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but put your hands on my little brother,” she pointed at Lucas. “Again and I promise you’ll have bigger problems when my brother and daddy gets a hold of you and yours.”

“Brother?” Billy repeated sounding surprised.

“Howard Star QB.” She smirked.

Anthony Sinclair was older than Y/n by two years. Currently not present since he was off at Howard University but that could all change with a phone call from her or Erica.

“Are we clear?” She asked crossing her arms.

Billy continued to glare at her as he held his blooded nose, but nodded nonetheless.

“Manners, William. Use your words.”

“Yeah, yeah, now fuck off.”

“Glad we’re on the same page Willy.” She smiled before turning back toward the kids who all continued to stare in shock.

“Are you sure Mrs. Wheeler is picking you up?”

“Yeah-“ they chorused.

“Mom.” Dustin added.

“Good! I’ll see you at home Luke. Bye guys.” She smiled taking her pom poms from Steve and heading to his car.

“Oh. And don’t touch Steve either.” She called over her shoulder. “He’s also mine.”

“Wow,” spoke El and Max in awe

“She’s scary when she’s mad.” Mike commented.

“Yeah.” Steve agreed. “And hot.”

“Very hot.” Dustin added earning a punch in the arm from Lucas and A hit upside the head from Steve

“Come on Harrington.” Y/n beckoned from the passenger seat. “This ice cream isn’t going to pay for itself.”

The teenager grinned to himself goofily as he headed toward his car.

“Yes ma’am!”

#steve harrington #stranger things imagine #billy hargove imagine #billy Hargrove #billy harrington #stranger things #black!reader #Steve Harrington x black!reader #writers on tumblr

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nanatsumu · 3 years

Text

HIGH SCHOOL!SUKUNA x F!READER

thinking about bad boy itadori sukuna who all the kids at school try to steer clear from because they know he’s bad news and if you get involved with him then you’re bound to be tied with bad luck for as long as he lives. well, that is everyone except for the president of the student council who so happens to be his childhood best friend turned lover.

this is mostly written for my own self indulgence and to project my fantasies of having a boyfriend onto sukuna but feel free to treat this as any other headcanon! ps i am pretty sure canon sukuna would kill a baby at any given situation, but this is going to be a revamped version of sukuna written by yours truly ;) and its a high school au so sukuna won’t be a complete menace to society and will actually have a heart heh

also i didn’t realize how long this was going to be??? this is kind of all over place too because i just wanted to throw all of my thoughts onto this post so there might be some plot holes in this LOL

i feel like sukuna would be the type of bad boy who isn’t necessarily a bad boy but everyone at school just paints him as some kind of delinquent because of all the tattoos and piercings he has.

he actually shows up to school more often than you think he would (but that’s only because you’re in most of his classes so long story short: you’re his only motivation for attending class)

“forgets” to bring his work books to class more than usual (in reality he does this on purpose so he has an excuse to be near you) so he requests to sit next to you the entire class period so he can share with you for the meantime but whenever the teachers not looking he’ll go back to admiring your face.

his older twin brother, itadori yuji, is very fond of you since you three grew up together and you both had your chances of being a victim to his antics!

exhibit a: in middle school when you and yuji were watching tv together, the show you two were watching would keep switching to some wrestling match broadcasting on a sports channel and no matter how many times you turned the tv on and off, it just would not stop. but it wasn’t until you heard snickering from the kitchen that you realized sukuna had a spare remote and was the mastermind behind the whole thing.

exhibit b: sukuna and yuji’s mom was the owner of a bakery so every now and then she would have either one of the twins come deliver freshly baked pastries to your household! oh how wrong was she to trust her youngest. sukuna was now a freshman in high school, and by now you would’ve thought that sukuna would have grown out of his childish phase, but WRONG! sukuna was still a menace in your life even past childhood. so when you bit into one of the macaroons, instead of being hit with the overwhelming taste of [favorite flavor], all you could feel was the burning sensation of wasabi kicking into your tastebuds.

yeah after the whole wasabi macaroon freak accident, you stopped accepting everything sukuna offered to you and opted to only eating pastries out of the boxes that yuji delivered to you. (sukuna eventually caught onto this and was just TEENSY bit upset but he would rather down a whole tube of wasabi than to tell you upfront)

now, how did you two even end up dating??? oh boy now that is a story

you see, yours and sukuna’s dynamic growing up was similar to that of tom and jerry’s— you being jerry and sukuna being 10x worse than tom of course

but it wasn’t until a confession after school behind the cherry blossom tree that was known for bringing good luck to successful confessions that sukuna finally realized that maybe he really did like you just a little lot bit

sukuna overheard the boy who was planning on confessing to you talking to his friend group about how “sweet and caring” you are (although sukuna could argue otherwise, you were a little brat. *LIKE HELLO?!&:&:& YOU WEREN’T THE ONE WHO ATE A MACAROON FILLED WASABI**) and obviously his ears perked up at the mention of your name. he grew up with you after all so naturally he would be interested in a conversation that revolved around you.

but then the boys started going on about how “you looked like an easy catch” and how “your body was bangin’!” yeah no, that’s where he drew the line. sure sukuna was an ass and talked shit about you most of the time (in his defense it wasn’t like he was doing it behind your back) but if he ever caught someone else talking about you like that then he would be sure to give them a hard time.

he hid behind one of the bushes near the cherry blossom tree while the boy was professing his love for you. funnily enough, for a moment sukuna forgot why he was originally there because he was too busy trying to stifle a laugh as he watched the boy stumble over his words.

“okay shows over” sukuna thought as the confession was reaching its conclusion, but just as he was about to step in and give the poor boy a piece of his mind, he stopped in his tracks when he heard you roaring with laughter.

“did you really think that i wouldn’t hear about what you and your friends said about me earlier? you’re really pathetic if you think any girl would be easy enough to fall to her knees for you because news flash! you’re a disgusting pig and you deserve to rot in hell for speaking about a girl’s worth like that.”

“it’s kind of sad too, i thought you were a nice boy and i probably would have given you a chance but it seems like you’re even worse than scum! damn it, to think there was somebody out there who’s even worse than sukuna.”

of course sukuna was not pleased to hear that last bit, but he did have a proud grin forming on his face as he watched the boy run away, flustered from your rejection and the embarrassment he was put through.

“sukuna i know you’re hiding behind the bush.”

“huh? i came here way before you got here, there’s no way you could have seen me.” he said as he stood up to his full height.

“well, your laughter isn’t exactly the quietest, plus i can spot that hair of yours from a mile away.”

lets just say, sukuna was glad you didn’t ask him what he was doing there because he wasn’t sure if he could spare the embarrassment of telling you that he was planning on ruining the confession.

after that whole fiasco happened, sukuna started to feel(!&:&::&) things

like he started to notice how you styled your hair differently one day and how you switched to a new perfume that smelled like spearmint (was that weird? for sukuna probably not. he just excuses it as being highly observant)

you weren’t dumb either, you had a feeling sukuna was there that day of the confession because he too had overheard the conversation between the boy and his friends as well (you knew he was prideful and if you brought it up then he probably would’ve denied it)

so from there on out it was just mutual pining at the point except... well.... not really??

i feel like it was just an unspoken agreement between you two that you guys were “together” but not “together together” because he started to treat you differently than he would before. like for example, he’d carry your bag for you whenever you guys would walk home (yuji was confused by this at first because if anything, it would have made more sense to see sukuna make you carry HIS bag, but he eventually caught on to sukuna’s feelings for you because they were twin brothers after all), he started walking you to class more often even though his class was all the way on the other side of the school (you asked him why but he just shrugged and said he was just “killing time” so that he wouldn’t have to go to class and then you ended up scolding him), and there was also that one time you miraculously found a $20 bill in your backpack after mentioning to sukuna that there was this cute top you saw at the mall the other day but didn’t have enough money at the time to purchase it (you asked him about this but he said it was probably yuji, but you didn’t want to pry any further since you wanted to cherish the fact that sukuna cared that much)

but eventually you got sick of this whole push and pull game that you physically had to tug the collar of his school uniform and pull him in for a kiss (he was visibly shocked at this because he never would’ve imagined you as the assertive type. not that he was complaining though)

“oya? didn’t think you liked me this much kitten.” he said laughing while you rolled your eyes.

“as if, i got tired of you being a wuss so one of us had to wear the pants in the relationship.” you snorted, causing him to irk.

to be honest, your relationship with him is smooth sailing because you both were pretty chill people and you didn’t have to worry about him sneaking behind your back to see other girls because 1. literally all the girls at school are terrified of him and 2. he knew what you were capable of doing to him if you were to ever catch him cheating on you so he wants to stay on your good side

jealous and possessive don’t exist in his dictionary because he is the epitome of those two words. remember what i said about how your relationship is smooth sailing? i kinda lied.

he’s easily jealous like for example: when you were in english class and the teacher had you guys jot down some notes, you realized you forgot to ask for your pencil back when you lent it to your friend last period.

so you asked sukuna to borrow a pencil but instead of giving you a pencil, he called you an idiot for being so forgetful.

this makes you mad so you turn to your male classmate since he was sitting on your opposite side and ask him for a pencil instead.

sukuna was practically fuming the entire class period and once the day ended and you two were back at your place, he made sure to mark you real good. (oh he also went out to buy a pack of mechanical pencils to sneak into your backpack so that next time you forget your pencils, you’ll have 10 extra pencils sitting in your backpack as backup)

he’s not a big fan of pda in public, but on the chances he will show some of it, the most he will do is wrap an arm around your shoulder or waist whenever some dude is trying to hit on you.

BUT IN PRIVATE? better buckle up because your in for a ride wink wink

really likes putting hickeys on you to a fault! but will never put any visible ones on your neck because he doesn’t want your parents to view him as some kind of animal (but he has nothing to worry about because your parents really like him and are grateful for the fact that he’s very loyal to you, and you guys grew up together so it’s only natural that your parents are accepting of him since they already know he has a good heart underneath that tough facade of his)

oh, and yuji starts learning how to knock whenever you come over (or shuts himself in his room for the meantime if he thinks it’s unsafe to step out of his room) because chances are, you’re probably making out with sukuna in his room or smth.

now onto the spicy stuff

when you and sukuna first started dating, the first thing you told him was that you weren’t ready to have sex yet because you were nervous and sukuna understood and told you that he was willing to wait for whenever you were ready.

but when you were ready though, it was kind of spontaneous and you weren’t even wearing a matching pair of bra and underwear that day

you two were chilling in your room watching some stupid (according to sukuna) animal documentary when suddenly you felt his hand on your thigh

dating sukuna and all, it was normal for him to have his hands on some part of your body (whether it be your thigh or your waist) while you two were in bed.

but you were feeling a bit bolder HORNEE than usual so you began to leave a hot trail of kisses starting from his jaw all the way down to his neck.

sukuna obviously got the memo but before those kisses could escalate into something more daring, he asked you once more if you were completely sure you wanted to do it and once you gave him the green light, he was quick to tug his shirt over his head and pounce on you.

he started getting really into it though and accidentally bit your thigh which made you loose your high and scold him for it, but he let out a hearty laugh and muttered a quick apology before getting back into business

sike i lied, remember what i said about it being spontaneous? yeah, you technically didn’t loose your virginity to him that day because after he finished prepping you, you both came to a realization that you didn’t have a condom.

oh well, there’s always next time!

i think sukuna is a sucker for pet names: his favorite thing to call you is either kitten or princess and that’s it LOL he finds calling you baby or babe is a bit too cheesy for him

but he likes it when you call him baby or babe ;)

date nights consist of either staying in and cuddling in his room, going out for a walk at night (but very very late though. there’s still lamp posts that guide your way through the streets but it gives you the heebie jeebies to be out walking outside so late. sukuna always reminds you that nothing bad will happen as long as he’s right by your side), or just spending time with you and your families.

but if you’re really down to do it, he’ll probably initiate a make out session that’ll lead to y’all fucking one way or another (he only ever does it if he is 100% sure that you’re feeling it because he knows you get easily embarrassed if he asks you straight up)

(this part is mainly written for me because i love the idea of sukuna being over at family functions, but it can be applied as part of the general hc heh) if you took him to any of your family functions as your plus one for the first time, all the aunts and uncles would be a bit wary of him at first due to all of the tattoos and piercings he has (sukuna swears he has never felt so self conscious before) but after they strike up a conversation with him and find out that he’s actually a good guy who knows what he wants to do in the future and is very loyal to you, they start to like him more.

your little cousins adore him and love it when he comes over because sukuna is a very tall high schooler which makes him the perfect candidate as a monkey bar

so when you noticed that all the little ones started to climb on his body and mess around with his hair, you were quick to react because you knew your boyfriend was easily irritable which prompted you to think he hated kids

but there was nothing to worry about because when you saw him playing around with them and even crack a smile, you felt your heart grow fuzzy at the sight and you knew right then and there that you wanted to stick by sukuna’s side for the rest of your life

and in the unfortunate circumstances that sukuna is too busy to make it to one of your functions, the first thing everyone asks is “where’s your boyfriend?” or “where’s ‘kuna? i wanna play with him!”

so you have to facetime him and let him know that everyone is wondering where he is (your phone is dead by the end of the night because after the adults get their turn at saying hi to your boyfriend, the kids snatch your phone and end up talking to him for the rest of the night)

but in conclusion, everyone is waiting for the day he gets on one knee to propose to you and your parents are itching to get to get call sukuna their son-in-law :))

also don’t forget that your parents want two grandchildren: one boy and one girl!

#sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna fluff #sukuna hc #ryomensukuna #sukuna x you #sukuna x y/n #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen hc #jjk hc #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #anime #anime fanfic #jjk

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tokoyamisstuff · 3 years

Text

Scandal Ch. 5 - Loki x Reader

Summary: Loki returns to claim what is his - willing to kill everyone in his way.

Warnings: Angst.

Words: ~1800

I Story Masterlist I General Masterlist I

Taglist: @catlover092402152, @hi-there-x, @haloangel391, @misssilencewritewell, @babayaga67, @accioremuslupinn, @mochimommy2002, @just-someone-who-likes-to-write, @damalseer, @bethanystan, @loser-alert, @star017, @nina1800, @queenariesofnarnia, @n1fangirlsblog, @vengefulsokovian, @lunamoonbby, @freyagallileaevans, @emmojoy, @literate-lamb, @aninnai, @justsomerandompersonintheworld

A/N: Sweet little Feedback Anon, I took your suggestion. You know which one I mean if you see it. (:

Btw guys I have like 60+ Drafts I need to finish so pls be patient with me.

Word sure spreads fast among the folk of Asgard, about Odin’s shame and your innocence.

Since his lies had weakened the favor among his subjects, the Allfather was desperate to clean his name and reputation, ultimatively inviting you to come back.

But you declined, stating that this wasn’t your homeland anymore ever since they betrayed you to fullfill their selfish ambitions.

However, Asgard’s hypocrisy wasn’t the only reason you chose to stay on Midgard - you just knew that it would break your heart every day you’d spend on a place with so many memories connected to your deceased husband.

Earthlings, the people of S.H.I.E.L.D and especially Thor’s friends Jane and Erik Selvic had basically become like family to you. Even though they could never fill the void Loki had left in your heart, things being like this was more than you could wish for.

“Lady Y/N!” a familiar voice greeted you, yet his worried tone startled you. Thor was already standing in your room, practically kicking in your door as he was visibly upset.

Immediately, you put Liam into his crib and rushed to his side. “What’s the matter?!”

A strange mix of horror and excitement was stretched across his face, making your heart sink to your stomach.

Actually, you didn’t want to involve yourself with the Asgardians any further. All you ever wanted was for your child to be healthy and happy, no matter where this was possible.

But Thor was still your cherished brother-in-law, as well as a wonderful uncle, never ceasing to provide for you and Liam, even when everyone else had forsaken you.

Yet what he was about to tell you let your blood run cold:

“Loki is back.”

Immediately, all the walls you had built up over those past months were crumbling as you collapsed to the floor, crying out of anger and relief.

“H-How? How is this even possible?! He’s dead! Loki died!”

“Pull yourself together, Lady Y/N!” Thor has always been a rather touchy-feely kind of person, in opposite to his raw and bulky appearance.

But right now, he wouldn’t dare to hug or console you, like he’d usually do. Instead, he was offering you a hand to help you get back up - which you wouldn’t be able to take just yet. “There’s no use in overthinking this! We need to hurry!”

“What do you even want me to do?” you wondered, because if your husband was really alive, you’d doubt him wanting to see you. “He’s changed...killed a lot of people before he disappeared. And still, I don’t wanna fight him. How can I be of any help at all?!?”

“We know he’s probably after you and the child” the God of Thunder stated coldly. “So you need to be transferred to a safe location.”

What can be more safe than a base of S.H.I.E.L.D? If only you knew he had already demolished a whole, giant outpost of them with ease...

“I’ll explain everything to you on the way.” “Let me quickly get the baby.”

“What, did you forget the name of your nephew already?” you chuckled awkwardly, but seeming to have struck a nerve.

Thor was only slowly approaching the crib in which your lovely baby was resting, staring at it with awe while his trembling hand caressed Liam’s cheek.

“Incredible...” he whispered mainly to himself, as if this wasn’t the thousandth time he would lay eyes upon him. “He’s just like I remember him.”

Something was off.

Of course Thor had a spare key to your flat, but you had never heared him unlock it - he had just kind of appeared in the middle of the room. Could as well be that you had been to invested with something, or buried in thought to notice him, and yet...

“Wait” you stated, making him flinch away from the child and turn around. “My knees are still weak. Help me up first.”

With heavy steps, Thor would force himself away from the crib and towards you again, lending you another hand and easily pulling you up - just for you to point a sharp dagger to his throat.

“Lady Y/N, when did you summo-”

“Shut up!” you hissed, and the god held his hands into the air to assure his goodwill. "Drop the disguse. Now!”

The man let out an amused huff, a taint of green covering his body to revert it back to normal - revealing your husband.

His hair had become longer, and dark rings showed how devastating those past months went by for him. Yet still, he was unmistakingly your husband.

Yet a faint, mad spark in his eyes was what worried you the most.

Now he was holding a knife as well, both circling around the crib with a knife at each other’s throat, as if to dance with each other.

“So it’s really you, Loki?”

“The one and only” he declared, chest swelling with pride at his performance and completely ignoring your hostile undertone. “I missed you painfully, my sweetling.”

He looked to the side where your son was still sleeping soundly, regret clearly visible on his face. “Wha- what name did you give our child?”

“Liam it is.”

The smallest of smiles tugged on his lips, swallowing harshly to surpress the sobs wanting to break free. “Beautiful name. Very well chosen.”

Pain was stretching across your features, desperately trying for the dam of emotions to not break. The dagger in your hand vanished, rather choosing to reluctantly caress his cheek - to make sure this was really him, and not one of his illusions.

And it was really him, leaning into your touch with a content purr. “Yes, my love, just like tha-”

A loud noise drang to his ear, effectively cutting him off. He needed a second to understand that it was in fact you slapping him what caused the interruption.

“Dear, wait, I-” Another hit, this time it was your knee digging into his groin, making him gasp in pain.

With his current power, it would be a piece of cake to block you - yet he knew that after everything that had happened to you, and everything he had done...

...it was what he deserved. So he would allow you to let off some steam.

Yet much to his surprise, you were done already - now grabbing desperately on his cloak and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

He immediately reciprocated, dropping his weapon as well to embrace you fully, lips mingling with each other over and over again.

Oh, how long had both of you craved for each other?

“Sorry” you panted as your lips finally parted, “Just needed to get that off my chest.”

“Do not apologize, my love” Loki declared, chin resting atop of your head, still no intention to let go off of you. “I deserve far worse than that.”

You looked up to him, the kiss having made something surface in his eyes: So solemn, and incredibly fragile, it made your heart ache.

“Wha- what happened to you? Where have you been all this time?”

Loki’s face contorted at the question, as if the thoughts in his mind were physically painful. But his mind was clouded, unable to make his proper memory resurfacing. “Places far beyond your imagination, dear. And I have learned many things.”

“I-I thought I had lost you...” you ultimatively began to sob, face dug into his chest.

“No” the god whispered softly, his gaze still unwavering. “You always have me. I promise.”

“What now?” you sniveled as he gently pet your head, just as back in good old times. “Where do we go?”

“What do you mean?” Loki’s features creased into a slight frown, “We stay here. There’s no need to leave or flee.”

“Bu-” you hesistantly took a few steps back, to take in his full reaction. “But you’re a wanted criminal, Loki! On Asgard as well as Midgard!”

His manner became more defensive again, glee radiating off of him. “Oh, my sweet, innocent Y/N...still the idealist, I see.”

“And you are still insufferable” you scoffed back, crossing your arms. “What do you mean?”

Actually, you dreaded the answer.

The man seemed to be thinking about many things at once, eyes narrowing before he finally took a hold of your hand, squeezing it ever so slightly when he saw that you were still wearing his ring - even after everything that had happened.

“Y/N, my love, those deaths were a necessary evil.” He tried to peck a quick kiss on your hand, but you pulled away at those words. “The only crime I feel guilty for is having left the love of my life. But don’t you worry, I’ll make up for it.”

He summoned a staff, glowing in the same blue as the tesseract - and much to your terror, his eyes started to adapt to them as well.

“I will create my own kingdom, Y/N! Here on Midgard, with you as my queen! This is what you deserve, my love! You and our child will have everything you desire and more!”

“This is madness, Loki!” It wasn’t the first time he had heared that.

People always treated him wrongly, afterwards wondering why he was trying to create felicity on his own. “Is it?” he croaked, “Is it madness for a person born to rule two kingdoms to create a home he never had?”

His plan did not merit awe or any such feelings he hoped you to have - the only person in the world he thought would understand him.

“Loki, what your parents have done to you is inexcusable, yet-”

“They’re not my parents!” he screamed enraged, eyes then widened in shock that he had raised his voice at you. “My apologies, I...”

“They have kept the truth from you so that you’d never feel different. You know you’re their son, and the Asgardians are your family. You must know that!”

“You speak like mother” he spat, and still Frigga’s words he could not shake off as easily as Odin’s. “There is no going back to that place, and Jotunheim I never had a connection with. You most likely heared that I tried to kill Laufey, yes?”

Nodding in silence, you nervously bit your lip. “Please...” Wrapping your arms around him and placing one ear at his sternum, you could clearly hear how his heart was fighting a war, struggling to decide.

“You can still stop whatever you were gonna do. We can start anew somewhere, lead a peaceful life with Liam. I don’t need wealth or power, and you clearly know any of this wouldn’t give you the satisfaction you’re searching for!”

“As always, you’re right” he grumbled deeply, already regretting what he was about to do. “But it’s not that easy, my naive little dove.”

“No~” With his hand on the back of your neck, he infused a powerful magic inside your body, slowly shutting down your nervous system completely. As careful as possible, he cradled you in his arms and slowly led you to the floor, then proceeding to take his heir.

“The only thing I need for myself is our little family - and I will avenge you by murdering anyone that did you wrong, or tries to separate us again.”

#Loki #Loki x Reader #Loki x You #Loki x Y/N #Loki Laufeyson #Loki / Reader #Loki / You #Marvel #Disney #God of Mischief #Writing #Self Insert #Fanfiction

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arty-shadow-morningstar · 3 years

Text

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

#platonic jasonette #graveyard siblings #maribat #ml x dc #marinette meets the sirens

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fanficimagery · 3 years

Text

They’re So Not Holograms.

Imagine being expelled from school so your uncle Ray offers to take you in and offers you a chance to start over. You accept and you're in for one heck of a story when you realize you're not the only occupant of the Molina garage.

Words: 10K Warnings: This is my first work for JatP, so I apologize in advance for the OOCness of them all. I had no idea what was going to make the final edit, so yeah.. this is not my best work. Be warned that there's mention of an incident that involves a straight guy not taking no for an answer from a lesbian girl. I won't go into detail of that particular scene since it happened before Y/N shows up on the Molina's front doorstep, but it is mentioned which is why I'm warning you now.

Staring up at the large two story home you usually visit every summer and every spring break, you can't help but sigh and wish you were visiting rather than moving in. You love your uncle and your cousins, but you were forced to leave a lot behind in order for your parents to keep their jobs and their mostly in-tact reputations after your little incident.

The front door opens, the shortest and youngest of the bunch jogging straight for you. You drop your duffel bag and prep yourself for Carlos throwing his weight at you, and you catch him with a laugh as you spin from the momentum. "Carlos! Dang, little man, you're growing fast." Julie walks up soon after, shaking her head in amusement at the two of you as you settle her little brother back on the ground and then ruffle his hair. He swats at your hand before you give Julie your attention then. "Hey, superstar. How's it hanging?"

"Hey, Y/N," she muses, "was the drive okay?"

"Eh. I angry karaoke'd all the way here." You shrug. "So where's uncle Ray?"

"Upstairs trying to figure out how to divide Julie's room for the two of you," Carlos says.

Your smile falls and you look at Julie. "What? He's making us share?"

"Yeah. It's totally fine though," she says when she notices your expression.

"No way, Jules! I can't put you out like that. That's not fair."

"It's fine, Y/N. Really."

"Julie, we're both teenage girls. I love you, but you know our hormones will eventually make us clash."

"And on that note, I'm going back inside."

You grin at Carlos' hasty escape, but then quickly refocus on the situation at hand. "God Jules, I'm so sorry. I thought uncle Ray would put me in the spare room or on the living room couch or something."

"Well the spare room was originally the plan," she says, "but then we remembered all of mom's stuff was in there." You cringe, but she assures you it's okay. "And you're going to be here for a while. You are not sleeping on the couch."

You sigh and offer her a faint smile. "I'm sorry to be an even bigger pain in the butt, but I'm not staying in your room either."

"It's either my room or Carlos' room. I suggest you choose wisely, cousin."

"I-"

"Y/N!" Your uncle Ray suddenly appears in the doorway, walking down the sidewalk towards you. "Carlos told me you had gotten in. How are you doing, mija?" He wraps you in a brief hug, kissing your forehead in greeting.

"Hey, uncle Ray. I'm doing good. How are you?"

"I'd be better if I knew where you were gonna sleep." He sighs. "Carlos also told me we have a bedroom dilemma as you refuse to share with Julie."

"I'm really sorry." You frown. "If I were only staying here for a few weeks, I'd be stoked to share with Julie. But it's not a couple of weeks, uncle Ray."

"I know and I'm sorry for trying to shove two teenage girls into one space." You smile sheepishly at him as he seems to understand your reasoning as well. "But the only other space I can think of is the studio garage out back." You seem to perk up a bit, attention solely focused on your uncle that you don't notice Julie's eyes widening. "Julie uses it to practice with her band, but there's a loft that we've recently cleaned out. There's a bathroom in there already, so all I'd need to do is drag a mattress up there. That is if you don't mind all the musical racket."

"Y-yeah. Of course! I don't mind at all." You say, feeling just an ounce of excitement of having your own space.

"What? No," Julie laughs nervously. "I'm sure Y/N doesn't want to live in our garage all on her own. Right?"

"What? Are you kidding me?" You huff. "It'd be like having my own mini apartment, only my favorite cousin in the entire world gets to visit everyday!"

Julie looks like she wants to object some more, which is surprising, but she eventually slumps and shakes her head. "Okay. Just as long as you're sure."

"Of course I'm sure."

"Then I'll go move stuff around. Give me your duffel bag," she holds her hand out for you to pick up your bag and hand it over, "and I'll take it out back. You go inside and help dad bring the mattress out."

"Sounds like a plan." Feeling better about your situation now, you quickly hand your cousin your duffel bag and then follow after your uncle Ray inside their home.

Julie sighs, shaking her head in amusement as she catches the pep in Y/N's step. As soon as the front door is shut, she quickly runs around the house, down the stone steps, and into the studio garage where the boys are chilling. They, however, jump up to their feet upon seeing Julie's hasty entrance.

"Okay so we have a problem."

"What? What is it? Did your not dad not take the ghost secret well?" Reggie asks, whining. "Aw man. I knew we should have waited. Does he hate us now? He hates me. Right?"

Julie's eyes, having widened at Reggie's rapid fire questions, blink owlishly at him. "One, slow down. And two, no I haven't told my dad. I can't seem to find the right time."

"Okay then," Luke drawls. "So what's the problem?"

"My cousin got expelled from her school so my dad offered to let her move in and she's going to be living in the loft. In here. With you guys."

Alex slowly leans atop the piano, clearly intrigued. "Whoa. What'd she do?"

Julie opens her mouth to answer, but then closes it and settles for a shrug. "I'm not sure. Dad wouldn't tell us when we asked. He just said there was an incident and if Y/N didn't move in with us, then her parents would have to relocate and she already had a rocky relationship with them so.." she says, smiling fondly. "She's better suited for our family anyway. She's more like a sister to me than a cousin."

Reggie raises his hand as if he needs to, to ask a simple question. "Is this cousin of yours hot?" Alex is immediate to reach over and smack his friend. "Ow! What?" He wonders as he rubs his arm. "I'm just asking what me and Luke are thinking."

"Hey, bro, do not bring me into this!" Luke quickly defends himself. He then glances at Julie, lips stretching into a small smile. "You gonna tell her about us?"

"I'm going to have to, aren't I? I can't exactly leave her in the dark while you three are lurking about. I don't want her to do something she doesn't want anyone else to see."

Reggie nods, smiling. "Like getting naked."

Alex moves to hit his friend again, but then realizes Reggie is right. If he were in Julie's cousin's shoes, he wouldn't want to strip while three ghosts watched on unknowingly. Instead he sighs and Julie nods in agreement. "Exactly. I'm going to tell her. I just- I'm not sure when. So until I do, you three need to be on your best behavior."

"Jules," Luke feigns being hurt as he clutches at his chest, "it's us you're talking about. When have we ever misbehaved?" Julie huffs, crosses her arms over her chest, and raises an eyebrow at Luke. His façade cracks as he laughs. "Fine. We'll be on our best behavior until you tell her about her roommates."

"Thank you." She rolls her eyes, but before she can say any more Carlos is jogging into the room.

"Okay so Y/N and dad are almost here. Tell your ghostly dude-bros to chillax and not scare her like Reggie did tía Victoria."

Reggie squawks. "You scare an adult one time and he never lets you forget it."

Julie chuckles at her ghostly friend while her brother glances around in hopes of seeing them. Ever since Julie freed them from Caleb Covington's curse and was able to finally touch them, they had the choice of turning visible whenever they felt like it. But for some reason, they were more comfortable as ghosts and only turned solid when they got the desire to eat food.

The garage door suddenly opens wide and Ray walks in, one end of the mattress settled on the back of his neck. Y/N is on the other end, struggling slightly with the mattress in her hands.

"I am not meant for physical activity."

Carlos giggles at his cousin's words, jogging over to help her. But when they get to the steep stairs, both Y/N and Carlos leave it up to Ray to figure out how he's going to get the mattress up into the loft. He does, eventually, and then Ray drags Carlos back towards the house with him to retrieve sheets, pillows, and a blanket.

"Oh my god. She is cute!" Reggie muses.

Alex chuckles, but Luke is caught staring at Y/N with awe etched into his features. Alex nudges Reggie and gestures to their friend, and Julie tries her best to fight off a grin. Oh to be able to tease him right about now on having a crush on Y/N as he did to her with Nick that one time while she was in school.

"Listen," Y/N says as she nears Julie. "I know this was tía Rose's place and I know how much it means to you." Julie smiles sadly as Y/N starts to walk around, eyeing the piano, drums, bass, and guitar appreciatively. The boys make sure to stay out of her way as they watch her every move. "I promise to keep my place nice and tidy, and to not mess with anything down here." She goes to touch the drum set, but thinks better of it and pulls her hand back as she smiles sheepishly.

Alex is quick to point it out. "I like her! She knows boundaries."

"Just say the word and I'll be out of your way when you're here with the band."

"It's no problem. Really," Julie assures you. "I, uh, I already called the boys to let them know. They're excited to meet you."

You pause and meet your cousin's eyes. "Really? I-I mean cool."

Julie's eyes narrow at your reaction and the way you can't seem to meet her eyes. "You think they're cute, don't you?"

You cave with a relieved sigh of her automatically knowing. "So cute." Alex rolls his eyes with an amused smile as Reggie and Luke high five, chuckling at their good fortune. "But boundaries! They are your bandmates and I won't interfere other than offering my friendship. Heck I won't even let it be known that I find them cute."

Julie chuckles, angling her head down as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It's a little too late for that."

"Hmm? What did you say?"

Her head snaps up. "Nothing! Nothing," her chuckles now sound a little nervous. "So, uh, is there anything else we need to get from your car?"

"Oh yeah! I have some stuff that needs to come in." As Julie joins her cousin's side, Y/N asks, "Is there any place I can set up my laptop and printer?"

"Of course. Come on. Let's get you set up. I'm sure you're ready to get some sleep."

"So ready," you groan. "I don't have much to unpack, but I want to settle in before I start school on Monday."

As the two girl cousins walk out of the studio, the three ghostly boys watch them leave.

"Oh yeah. She's definitely hot."

"Hey. Come on, dude." Luke softly swats at Reggie. "That's Julie's cousin you're talking about."

"What? I'm just stating facts," Reggie says. "And besides it's you we should be worried about." He steps towards Luke, reaching for his face. "I think I still see a bit of drool. You might wanna wipe that off."

Alex laughs as Luke rolls his eyes. "Whatever. We're ghosts anyway. It's not like anything can happen between us."

"Can't it?" Alex muses, shoving his hands deep into his front pockets. "I mean we can turn solid now. If you want something to happen, it can definitely happen." Reggie smirks as Luke takes a moment to process his friend's words. "And while you think on that, I'm gonna go see what Willie's up to. See you later!"

Alex poofs out of the room, leaving Reggie and Luke. Reggie laughs at his friend's sudden ghostly crisis, stepping closer to him and clasping his shoulder in hand. "Dude, we're ghosts. If something happens, it happens. Just don't get attached." And with that, Reggie poofs out too.

Luke hears Julie and her cousin's laughter ring out, the two girls already coming back. His eyes widen and he poofs out as well. The girl was cute, he will admit that, but he needed to get his head on straight before he became a pining ghost.

You spend the weekend with Julie, surprising her best friend Flynn with your new living situation and then driving them around since neither of them had their driving permit. The girls had kept you busy at the beach and showing you their favorite food places. Sometimes you would catch your cousin mumbling to thin air, but Flynn was quick to distract you and you ended up forgetting Julie's weird behavior minutes later.

Monday morning rolls around and, after taking your time to get ready, you grab your backpack and exit the studio to head inside the house. Uncle Ray has cooked up a breakfast feast, and Julie and Carlos are just coming down the stairs as you're taking a seat at the table.

You smile through a yawn as a plate is placed in front of you. "Whoa. That was a big one," uncle Ray says. "Did you sleep well?"

"Sorry. And yeah," you say. "I love it out there, although it is a bit colder than I expected."

Julie freezes as Carlos snorts. "Sorry about that. It's just our resident ghosts. Ow!"

You frown as he glares at his sister, said sister laughing nervously as she glances between you and Carlos. "Don't listen to him. Ghosts? Pft. What ghosts?"

Ray chuckles as Carlos rolls his eyes, the young boy digging into his eggs and sausage as Julie quickly casts him a brief glare.

You glance between the siblings suspiciously, but don't give it much thought and start in on your own breakfast. "Well if you need a portable heater, we can get you one."

Carlos opens his mouth to retort, but upon seeing his sister's stare he thinks better about it. You fight off a smile, shaking your head at your uncle. "It's fine. I usually kick my blanket off in the middle of the night which is why I get cold when a gust of cool air hits me. I just need to learn not to kick off the blankets. I'll be fine."

"Alright. Well eat up, guys. I need to head into the office as soon as I drop you off."

Carlos nods, but you and Julie frown at him. She looks at you and you look at her, and then you look at your uncle. "Um, uncle Ray, did you forget I drive? I can take Carlos with Julie and I. We were going to pick up Flynn as well."

"Huh. I forgot you drove." You grin up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. From what I saw, Carlos' school campus is on our way to the high school. It'll be fine."

Uncle Ray seems to sag with relief. "Thanks so much, mija. I can actually head in early today then." Carlos cheers about riding with his cousin instead of being dropped off by his dad. "Well if you're all set, I'll see you guys after school. We'll go out for burgers tonight."

This time it's your turn to cheer. "Yes!"

- - - - - - - - - -

The first day of school went about as expected. Everyone was drawn to you as the new girl and Flynn thrived under the attention, but you mostly kept to yourself unless Julie introduced you to someone. You met Nick and thought he was okay, and then hid your amusement when Flynn would tease Julie about him breaking up with his girlfriend Carrie for her.

Of course not everyone was a fan of your cousin and you met the one person who seemed to dislike her the most. You knew Carrie from previous summers, but she and Julie had a falling out and no one would mention why. Not even Flynn. So figuring it was none of your business, you let it go but ended up staring Carrie down when she tried to intimidate you. Needless to say, the junior had nothing on you and didn't seem keen to start anything with a senior after your feathers didn't ruffle as easily as she thought.

Julie had more homework than you, so while she focused inside the house at the kitchen table, you went to the studio and up into your loft. The second you plop down onto the bed, a cold gust of wind sweeps up your back. You shiver, frowning, but then move on with a shake of your head.

From your backpack you pull out your Algebra II and History textbooks. You immediately start working on history, reading the assigned passages and answering the questions that follow. It takes you half an hour to complete it and before you move on to Math you reach over and grab your laptop from the bedside table. However when you open it up, your laptop automatically comes to life and you're left frowning at the YouTube page it's been left on.

"What the.. this is weird," you mumble. You briefly glance at the top Rock songs from the last decade before exiting out of YouTube and bringing up iTunes, choosing your Math Blows playlist and closing your eyes in brief bliss as Queen starts to play.

But the moment Bohemian Rhapsody ends and Aerosmith's Dude (Looks Like a Lady) begins, you get started on Math. It takes you a little bit longer to complete the assignment than History took you, but by the time you're done Julie has yet to find you. So after putting everything back into your backpack and setting it aside, you roll across your bed and reach into a hard plastic tote that holds some of your belongings. You pull out your drawing tablet and a stack of stickers, and then head on downstairs to the couch.

Drawing caricatures was a hobby of yours and you just so happened to have a friend who would take your edits and turn them into stickers. For now you have about five stickers of each member of your cousin's band- caricature style- and the name of whatever instrument they played curved underneath their faces. Lately you've been working on a sticker that said 'Julie and the Phantoms', but you couldn't get the font or coloring quite right.

You've just settled on coloring Julie's name in a purple that transitions into blue from one end to the other when said girl walks in, sodas in hand. "Finally," she sighs. "I didn't think I'd ever finish that homework. What are you doing?" She then asks as she hands over a Coke.

"I'm just messing around," you tell her as you show her what's on the tablet. "There's a small stack of stickers for you and the boys right there."

Julie glances at the table where you've gestured to and she walks over to pick up the stickers. She sets her soda down and skims through each sticker, a smile blossoming. "Did you- did you make these?"

You shrug. "I drew them, but my friend printed them. As soon as I finish this one I'm working on right now, I'm gonna email it to him so he'll make them into stickers as well."

Your cousin is so in awe that she's not paying you any attention, but you catch her murmuring beneath her breath and nodding along as if she were agreeing with something being said. She eventually looks up, chuckling. "These are sick. The boys are going to love them."

You smile. "I hope so. If you want more, just let me know. They're pretty cheap to make so I don't mind getting them for you guys."

"Can I- can I make a suggestion to the one you're working on now?"

"Oh. Yeah! Of course. What'd you have in mind?"

"Under the band name or wherever you think is good, can you add the words 'tell your friends!'?" She asks. "It's just something silly Reggie says every time the band is introduced."

"Yeah." You glance down at the tablet, trying to figure out the best placement. But then you look up, brow furrowed in thought. "Is this something only Reggie says?"

"Uh yeah. I guess so," she says, shaking her head at something off to her side.

You grin. "I have an idea. Let me try something out and see if you like it. Give me like ten minutes."

Julie sets the stickers back down, picking up her soda and cracking it open. You crack open yours as well, taking a sip before getting down to work. You make the sticker you originally had a little bit smaller, adding in a caricature of a waving Reggie from the waist up peeking out from behind the font. You add a speech bubble, filling it in with the requested 'Tell your friends!'.

When Julie sees it she can't help but laugh. "That's perfect. I'm sure he's gonna be stoked."

"Speaking of, when do I get to meet these hot friends of yours?"

Julie groans and you laugh as you finish coloring and resizing the sticker before sending it off to your friend to print. Closing your tablet, you give her your full attention as she's now sitting next to you on the couch. "Soon," she promises.

"Alright. So what are we doing until your dad gets home? You gonna sing for me, Jules? Give me my own private concert?"

She laughs. "No way. Just watch the Youtube videos. I'm sure Carlos posted every performance."

"Oh he did. And believe me when I say I've watched them. Repeatedly. That guitarist of yours has got some arms that are just- mmm." Julie groans some more, hiding her face in a pillow, and you laugh. "What? I need to get it out of my system before I meet them."

Julie lets the pillow fall into her lap, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "All I'm gonna say is don't be surprised if they know what you've said. They kind of have a sixth sense about these things."

"It's all good." You laugh some more.

You go to ask her if she wants to torment her little brother with you, but you see her amusement slowly die and you keep yourself from saying anything. "Hey Y/N, can I ask you something? You totally don't have to answer, but I'm really curious about it."

"Oh. Uh, sure."

"What happened at your old school that ended with you being expelled?"

Your smile falls. "Uncle Ray didn't tell you?"

"Not really. He just said there was a disagreement and a.. protest?"

You snort. It takes you a moment to collect your thoughts, but when you do you end up telling her exactly what happened. "I had this friend back at my old school. She's gay, but only those close to her knew. What it boiled down to was that some asshole found out and outed her to our entire school. Then this boy took things too far by, in his words, giving her what she was missing out on and trying to turn her straight." You roll your eyes, not noticing Julie smiling sympathetically off to the side. "He shoved his tongue down her throat, she tried to push him off of her, but he wouldn't budge. So I beat the shit out of him."

Julie chokes on her own saliva. "W-what?" And then she laughs.

"Well I hit him across the back of the head with one of those hard plastic lunch trays. And then when that broke I used the heaviest textbook I could get my hands on and hit him a few more times."

"Oh my god," she grins. "You're such a badass."

You laugh at your cousin's look of awe. "There was like a week of back and forth between the school and that douchebag's parents, and it made everyone at school show their true colors. I was disgusted that the guy practically got off with a slap on the wrist for assaulting my friend, so I contacted a few friends to make some signs for a mini-protest in front of the school and it kind of got out of control. A few friends turned into thirty and I think there were even a few drag queens in there. They had signs and Pride flags and it- it got pretty scary for a second when a fight almost broke out."

"I repeat," Julie smirks, "you're a badass."

"I was expelled because my protest drew in adult strangers to where many minor children attend school, but the expulsion wouldn't have mattered anyway because I had a restraining order slapped against me by that douchebag's parents and would have had to leave anyway."

"Screw them," Julie says. "That's so messed up."

"It is, but it worked out in my favor. I got out of my parents house and now get to spend the rest of my last year of high school with you."

"And your 18th birthday. You can't forget that," she muses. "It's only a few months away."

Your nose wrinkles. "No parties."

"But it's New Year's! Of course we're having a party," she gushes. "Your birthday is a rare one. Instead of blowing out a candle at midnight, you get to make out with someone."

Laughing, you reach over to nudge her. "You're something else, Jules. I don't know how you have your dad fooled about being so sweet and innocent." She giggles, batting her eyelashes at you. "Now come on. Lets go torment Carlos. It's been about a year since I've sat on him and made him listen to Barbie Girl on a loop."

You stand up, Julie laughing as you offer her a hand and pull her up off the couch.

By the end of your first week with the Molinas, you've settled into a routine that you're comfortable with. You had noticed Julie got a little squirrely whenever you mentioned the boys, so you dropped the subject of meeting them and figured it'd happen when the timing was right. Julie's tía Victoria was happy to have you around the family, she noticing a lightness around the house that she hadn't seen since her sister had passed.

Life with your cousins was going spectacularly well, so of course there had to be a bump in the road. And a major one at that.

You're sleeping when cold air suddenly seeps into your back, making you shiver and wake up briefly. You find your blanket and pull up over your shoulders, turning around in the process and.. rolling into something- er, someone solid. You're fully awake now.

"Ahh!" You scream.

The figure in bed with you jolts, screaming as well. "Ahh!"

"Who the hell are you?!" You move to punch at them, only for them to disappear right before your very eyes. You freeze as your heart drops into your stomach, your eyes blowing wide when he reappears at the foot of your bed. "What the- how did-"

Another figure pops in, grabbing the first by his ear. "Dude, not cool!"

Your sudden fear has you frozen and only capable of glancing between the two figures. Semi-slicked hair, leather jacket, flannel wrapped around his waist.. "R-Reggie?" You wonder aloud in confusion.

Both boys glance at you, the shaggy hair and killer arms in a cut off tee letting you know exactly who he was. You hold your blanket tighter to you, heart thumping wildly. Reggie grimaces in pain as he finally pulls free from Luke's hold. "Hiya. Sorry about waking you and all that. I totally should have asked before taking up the other side of your bed."

Luke shakes his head. "When Jules finds out she's going to kick your butt, man. We were supposed to ease her into the whole ghost business."

"G-ghost?"

Another figure pops in, the blonde sighing and shaking his head in disappointment at his friends. Alex. "I woke Julie. She'll be down here soon." Then he glances at you, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about all this. Reggie and Luke are idiots."

"Can you blame me?" Reggie whines. "Y/N's bed is really comfortable. And I actually thought she'd just roll through me. I didn't know I'd gone solid. It was unintentional."

"Um," you gulp. "H-how would you know my bed was comfortable?" Reggie freezes and then suddenly looks very interested in the ceiling, and your eyes narrow at him. You sit up a little straighter, staring at Luke, but he too averts his gaze when he notices you're staring at him.

Alex is the only one amused and he meets your gaze with a smile. "These two idiots like to nap in your bed when you're in school."

"WHAT!?" The two guilty ghosts poof out, making you flinch as you suddenly remember they're not exactly normal boys.

"I told them it was going to bite them in the butts. I guess they hadn't counted on it being so soon." You blink owlishly at him, unsure of what to say now. After all, HE'S A GHOST! Alex notices your stare and sighs. "Well if you'd like to get dressed or whatever, Julie should be here any second now. We'll explain things then."

Alex poofs out and you're left staring at nothing but air. Your heart is still wildly thumping and there are only three words running through your mind: what.. the.. fuck.

After what seems like several long minutes, but really it was only about a minute after the boys had left you alone, the studio door opens and a frantic Julie rushes in. At the sound of her panicked voice, you throw off your blanket and scramble down the stairs.

Julie stares at you in shock, still in her own pajamas, before her gaze falls towards your legs and then back up to your own gaze. "Uh, Y/N? You forgetting something?" You glance down, frowning and wondering what she's talking about. "Pants, loser. You forgot pants."

"Yeah? And you forgot to tell me that ghosts are real!" She sighs as you stare her down, but then you subtly glance around for a pair of pants or shorts or something. Black sweats hit your shoulder and you meet Alex's sheepish gaze. Hesitantly smiling at him, you quickly step into them and drag them up your legs. "If they've been in here this whole time it's nothing they haven't seen before."

Reggie giggles and Alex shakes his head at friend. Luke, however, can't seem to look in your direction and there's a telltale flush on his cheeks. Huh, that's odd.

"I'm really sorry," Julie says. "I was going to tell you, but it was never the right time."

"Jules, the right time would have been when uncle Ray gave me permission to sleep out here."

She frowns guiltily at you and you know you're not really upset with her. The adrenaline of bumping into someone in your bed was still rushing through your veins which is why you seem a bit cranky. "If it'll help we can explain everything now?"

"Might as well," you sigh. "I don't think I'll be able to fall back asleep." You shuffle over towards the couch, eyeing each boy on the way. Sitting down, you drag a pillow into your lap and hug it. "So.. what the hell is going on?"

Your cousin and the boys glance at one another, Reggie and Luke subtly shaking their heads. Alex rolls his eyes and steps forward to stand with Julie. It looked like they were going to be the ones to explain.

"Okay, so," Alex says. "Luke, Reggie, and I died twenty five years ago."

Immediately your hand raises and Alex falls silent. "Quick question. If you guys are supposedly ghosts, then why was I able to actually feel Reggie?"

"That part comes in later. Just please listen," Julie pleads.

You nod, gesturing for them to continue then. Alex flashes you a small smile. "So we died-"

"Death by hotdog," Reggie sadly muses.

Luke nods along. "I'll never look at another hotdog the same way again."

You can't help but snort, especially when Alex and Julie roll their eyes at the interruption. "Anyway, as I was saying," Alex says, raising his voice a little higher, "we died. We ended up in this dark room for what felt like an hour and then got spit out here in Julie's garage when she played one of our demo CD's."

"Only it wasn't an hour later," Julie says next. "It was twenty five years later." You shake your head in utter amazement. "At first I was the only one able to see them. Then when I had a performance at school and the boys performed behind me in solidarity, they could- they could be seen! The entire school could see them, but then as soon as the performance was over they poofed out."

"Hence the phantom part of the band name," you mumble.

"We let everyone believe we're holograms," Alex says. "Anyway, we used to be a band of four before we died. Sunset Curve. The only one to survive went on and skyrocketed to fame with songs that Luke wrote."

"He didn't!?" Your eyes widen. You glance at Luke to see him frowning. "What a dick thing to do."

The boys all snort, but a moment later Alex continues to tell their story. "We were pissed and ended up being introduced to this ghost who was supposed to help us get revenge on our ex-band mate. Only this ghost was old and powerful and wanted us to join his ghostly club house band."

"And when he noticed we weren't going to join him, he stamped us with a curse," Luke finally speaks up. "The longer we were away from his club, we got hit with these painful jolts. They started to become more frequent and would have eventually destroyed our souls."

"But our girl Julie," Reggie muses, "cried her big heart out and, we're not sure exactly how, was able to touch us. Her touch made us feel stronger, warmer, and it disappeared the stamps off our wrists."

"And now I have three ghostly brothers who can go corporeal whenever they feel like it," Julie says as she hooks her arm through Alex's. You grin at her. "I really am sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

You wave her off. "At least the truth came out before I was in a rush to go somewhere and whipped off my shirt. I'd have hated to traumatize the boys."

"Oh please traumatize me." The words are mumbled, but still heard by everyone. Every gaze darts to, surprisingly, Luke and his eyes widen as cheeks redden. "Did I- did I say that out loud?"

Reggie snorts. "You did."

"Well I- I didn't mean-" Luke rubs at the back of his neck, falling silent and then poofing out.

The second Luke is gone, everyone bursts into laughter. You laugh so much that tears gather in the corner of your eyes and Julie is hanging off of Alex's arm. Reggie is the first to recover and mentions going to check on his boy, and then it was just Alex with you and Julie.

You eventually stand up, intent on doing something now that you've had this big secret dropped into your lap, when Alex takes a step in your direction. He pauses and you quirk an eyebrow at him. "Can I just say thanks for being so cool about this? I mean you could have ran inside the house and alerted everyone like Julie first did-"

"Hey! Not cool." Said girl pouts, swatting Alex with the back of her hand.

"-but you didn't. Sure you freaked, but I would too if I woke up next to Reggie."

You chuckle softly. "You guys are just lucky I hate physical activity and loathe running." Alex grins at you. "Plus I guess your secret is pretty cool. I'm okay living with ghosts so long as no ghosts occupy my bed while I'm still in it."

"Noted. I'll be sure to let the boys know."

"Thanks." As soon as Alex poofs out, your chill façade drops. "Oh my god, Julie!" You hiss. "They're ghosts!"

Her smile falters. "Uh, yeah."

"They're ghosts who heard me talking about how cute they were and about Luke's arms!"

"Oh yeah." She chuckles. "Well if it's any consolation, Luke is clearly into you. He totally wants you to traumatize him with your boobs."

"It's not funny!"

She fights to contain her amusement. "It kind of is."

"Ugh. Julie," you groan. "This is so embarrassing."

"Relax. They'll probably poke fun for a few days before letting it slide. Just give them a chance, Y/N. They're really cool guys."

"God I hope you're right."

Now that the secret is out, the boys are corporeal more often than not inside the studio. Reggie and Luke take pleasure in teasing you, the two of them bringing up stuff you said about them when they were invisible or drawing attention to Luke's arms or Luke somehow suddenly needing to change to his shirt while in your presence. You made promises to get him back- to which Alex couldn't wait for to see what you came up with- but you've yet to fulfill that promise because there were more pressing matters at hand.

You're more than okay with keeping their secret, but it's only a matter of time before uncle Ray catches them. They like interacting with you, Flynn, and Carlos so they're visible quite a lot, but anytime uncle Ray nears it's a race to clean up any evidence of their presence and then poof out. You manage to convince Julie to tell her dad with promises that you'd be by her side the entire time, so she does. It had seemed uncle Ray was moments away from asking if she needed to see her therapist again when Reggie poofed in, followed by the other two boys who slapped him upside the head for doing so. Needless to say, Ray was shocked to his core but accepted the boys after seeing them interact with his two children and yourself. However, it was agreed by all that tía Victoria could not know the secret.

One day you had gone shopping for a couple new outfits with the girls and figured it was now or never to get Luke back. Sure they had seen you in an overly large shirt and boy short underwear, but they'd never seen you in proper lingerie. And when Flynn and Julie had caught on, they helped you choose the most daring piece of underwear to stun the ghost boy from the 90's.

When you get back to the studio, Julie pokes her head in first since she was the only one capable of seeing them when they were invisible. "Alex, where's Luke and Reggie?"

"They mentioned going down to the beach. Why?"

You and Flynn stumble in then, giggling. "It's payback time, my favorite ghostie. Your boy is not gonna know what hit him."

Alex's eyes light up. "Yes. What did you have in mind?"

"Two words," Flynn says. "Victoria's Secret."

"Oh no. You're gonna kill him all over again."

You mockingly glare at him. "He caught me ogling his v-line, Alex! He deserves to see exactly what I'm working with and not be able to touch."

He grins. "Can I see what you chose?"

"Duh. I need you to choose which set is going to make him lose his mind."

Walking over towards Alex, you set the bags down and sit on the couch beside him. Julie and Flynn sit on the armrests, eagerly waiting for you to dig out your purchases. And when you do, Alex's eyes widen before he bursts into laughter.

There are three identical sets of bras, panties, and garter belts in the colors of black, navy blue, and emerald green. You giggle as Alex takes choosing seriously, he picking up an article in each color and holding it to your arm. He hums in thought.

"In my opinion the blue suits your skin tone best, but I'd still go with the green."

You take it, carefully cutting tags off. "And this is why I love you. You're the best."

"Mhm. So how do you plan to have him see you in this?"

"I actually have an interview with the people uncle Ray works with in two days. I might not be able to take pictures, but I am good with all the technology stuff," you say. "I can pretend the straps to the belt are aggravating me and walk out to ask for your help."

Alex giggles. "You're evil."

"He started it." You shrug. "And besides, lingerie is such a confidence booster. You guys have no idea," you chuckle.

And then two days later you finally put your plan into motion. Flynn was bummed she couldn't be there, but Julie managed to be in the studio for your surprise after having pulled Luke into an impromptu writing session. Reggie, after having been given permission to use your laptop whenever he wanted, was watching Youtube videos, and Alex was flipping through a magazine not too far from his friend where he constantly glanced at the bathroom door rather anxiously.

Not too long after you enter the bathroom in a rush, you having screeched about being behind schedule for your meeting on the way in there, you start making a racket and cursing just loud enough to be heard outside the door. Outside, Alex does his best to fight off a grin.

Inside the bathroom, you've slipped into the emerald green lingerie, black garter belt, and black stockings. Both bra and panties are lace, giving the illusion of being sheer, but your important bits are still covered which is why you're more than okay walking out in this particular set. You spritz some body spray over your cleavage and abdomen, grinning when you see yourself sparkling as you move, and then quickly clip your garter belt to the tops of your stockings. However, for the clips in the back, you purposely twist the straps when you clip them on.

You curse some more to make everyone outside believe you're having some sort of problem, groaning for good measure, and then crack open the bathroom door to stick your head out. "Hey Jules, can you give me a hand?" You ask, already knowing what she's going to say.

"Mmm," she mumbles distractedly, writing in her notebook.

Luke glances between you and Julie, Reggie has clearly paused his video to see what's going on, and Alex takes his cue. "I can help," he calls out as he tosses his magazine aside. "What do you need?"

You frown at your cousin when she purposely doesn't look at you before looking at Alex, inhaling deeply before you straighten up and open the door wider. Given his position, Reggie is the first to take notice of your outfit and whimpers. Audibly. Julie and Luke look up then, Julie hiding her smile and Luke's eyes widening as his jaw drops open in shock.

"I'll do it! I can help you," Reggie blurts, cheeks red. He gulps. "What exactly is it you need help with?"

Walking towards Alex, you mockingly glare at Reggie and then ruffle his hair on your way to his blonde friend. You stop in front of him, turning around and then glancing over your shoulder at him. "The garter belt," you say. "I keep getting the straps twisted."

"On it." You see a smile threatening to break free as he immediately takes hold of the clasps and rights the wrong, and you turn around so you don't lose it yourself.

Only when you face forward, you can't help but snort at Reggie's awestruck expression and the fact that Luke is faring no better. But Luke is the one who seems to know almost immediately what you're playing at and his eyes narrow when his gaze finally meets your own. However, before he can call you out on your act, there's a distinct snap!, a brief stinging pain on the back of your thigh, and you whirl around on Alex.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry," he laughs, immediately sitting back and out of range of your swatting swing. "I couldn't help myself."

You shake your head in amusement before making sure the strap isn't twisted anymore and then make your way back towards the bathroom. It's oddly quiet as you finish getting dressed behind the bathroom door, and then exit in a cream-colored blouse tucked inside a black pencil skirt. Julie wolf whistles when you exit and you wrinkle your nose at her as you head towards your heels to slip your feet into.

Once your heels are on and you run your fingers through your hair to give it a very stylish, mussed look, you can't help but meet Luke's gaze. When you notice his slackened expression, you wink and finally allow yourself to laugh.

Red rushes to his cheeks as he narrows his eyes at you. "You're the devil."

"And don't you forget it," you immediately retort. "Keep it up, Patterson. I won't play fair and I promise my next look will drive you to take a cold shower." Alex finally loses the battle with his laughter, as does Julie, and Luke frowns at you. "Now that I've pranced around half naked, it's time I get to my interview. Wish me luck?"

"Luck!" Julie immediately shouts. As soon as Y/N disappears, there's a telltale beep and Julie lowers her phone. She glances between Luke and Reggie, shaking her head and chuckling. "God you straight boys are so easily distracted. Flynn's going to be so mad she missed this."

Luke points to where Y/N disappeared, stammering over his words before he finally gets proper hold of his thoughts. "She doesn't play fair!"

After what you would have called a successful interview, you went back to the studio where you found Luke all alone. You ended up calling a truce with him, but that ended up being a terrible decision on your part. Because interacting with a Luke who was as genuine as can be without the flirtatious behavior or teasing, well it turned out you found yourself liking the boy a little more than you should.

When Halloween came you found yourself dressing up alongside Flynn and Julie. Normally you'd have gone for something sexy, but after parading around half naked and knowing uncle Ray would not appreciate his underage daughter showing off too much skin, you settled for something that would make everyone laugh. You, Julie, and Flynn agreed to dress up as the boys, but you couldn't take their clothes until the day of. So when Halloween morning rolled around, Carlos and uncle Ray kept the boys busy while you and the girls raided their stash of clothes in the studio.

Julie took Alex's pink Champion hoodie and a snapback to shove down backwards atop her curls, Flynn wore Reggie's leather jacket atop a plain tee and wrapped a red flannel around her waist, and you took Luke's white Rush shirt with its cut off sleeves and a blue hoodie that also had it's sleeves cut off. You had giggled with each other when you all saw the final outcome and even took a few pictures to post to your personal Instagrams.

Then when the boys finally came in, it took them a moment to realize what they were seeing and it only clicked when you stepped forward and said, "Hey! We're Sunset Curve."

And then Flynn stepped forward, shooting finger guns at the boys. "Tell your friends."

Julie snorted and the boys burst into laughter, and then you took even more pictures with the boys- only when they were posted online you captioned them that you were the Phantoms from Julie and the Phantoms. Then when all was said and done, the six of you took Carlos trick-or-treating around the neighborhood while uncle Ray and tía Victoria cooked up a Halloween feast.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were emotional holidays for quite a few of you. The boys for obvious reasons- they being dead and not able to spend time with their loved ones- and you because while your parents could be more decent, you loved them all the same and wished the circumstances between you were different. But uncle Ray was understanding and made sure everyone had more than enough food and presents, and the night ended with everyone under the age of twenty falling asleep in the living room after admiring all their new belongings.

New Year's Eve rolls around and you're excited for two reasons- one being because of the fireworks that will no doubt go off at midnight and because at that exact same moment you'll be turning 18. Everyone expected you wanted a big party, but you surprised them all when you said all you wanted invited was everyone in the Molina household + studio, Flynn, and tía Victoria. You just wanted to have karaoke and a jam session, and some fireworks. You didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

The morning of New Year's Eve, you're woken up by Reggie bouncing on your mattress. But instead of being grouchy about it, you laugh and then yelp when Luke and Alex poof in to pop confetti poppers above you. You sit up, keeping the blanket across your lap as you shake your hair free of the shimmering mess.

"Happy birthday," Alex says, sitting down beside you and hugging you. "Ray said to be inside in twenty minutes. He's got a whole breakfast spread planned."

"Technically it's not my birthday yet, but thank you very much. I'll be inside as soon as possible."

Alex beams before Reggie takes his place, he leaning in and kissing your cheek with a loud smack. You giggle and accept his hug. "Happy birthday, my beautiful living friend. You don't look a day over 30."

You snort and then shove at his shoulder. "Shut up and get out. You don't get to be mean to the birthday girl."

"I thought it technically wasn't your birthday?" He winks at you. "Now hurry up. We can't eat until you do." And then with one last grin, Reggie poofs out.

Sighing happily, you stare up at Luke then. He grins as he readily lowers himself onto your mattress, laying on his stomach and keeping his expression directed at you. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Am I ready to be a year older? Not really," you say. "But I am ready for some sparklers."

He chuckles. "Age is just a number, Y/N."

"Says the ghost who's forever 17," you mumble.

"Do you want me to find you a rancid hotdog? Because I will. Then the two of us will forever be 17."

"You're such an idiot." You can't stop grinning, especially when he mentions the way he died. It was terrible they died, but absolutely hilarious that it was death by hotdog for them. "I still don't understand how you didn't notice the weenie was bad. Rancid meat smells disgusting and you ate it!"

"In our defense we thought the smell was coming from the trash in the alley." You can only shake your head at him. "And we were still riding the rush of sound check inside the Orpheum."

"Your idiocy amazes me," you deadpan. "Now go on. I need to put on pants and brush my teeth. I'll meet you inside."

"Oh now you want to be all shy about walking around in your underwear." Luke playfully rolls his eyes. "Okay."

"You know what? I was being considerate so my near nudity didn't turn you into a stammering fool, but now I think I'll just do it." You grab your blanket to throw it off of you, but Luke quickly scrambles up and off your bed.

"Okay. Okay! I'll see you inside."

As soon as Luke poofs out, you grin to yourself like an idiot. The tension between the two of you was obvious from the beginning and it's still there even after you called a truce. You giddily get up and head on downstairs, making your way towards the bathroom to freshen up before heading inside. But as you're brushing your teeth, you realize you can't stop thinking about Luke. Which is kind of a bad thing. For you.

Everyone who has eyes can see the way Luke looks at you and the way you look at him, but given he's a ghost and you're very much alive you've agreed that nothing can happen between the two of you. Not just because of his ghostly status, but because of his status as Julie's bandmate- which is another problem they need a solution for but they won't worry about it until they have a record deal in their clutches. After then, they'll worry about revisiting the boys' family they had left behind when they died.

Quickly fixing your hair, you pull on a pair of leggings afterward and start making your way out of the studio. You sigh and come to the conclusion that for now you'd just enjoy the company of a cute ghost. You can totally get over the silly crush in no time.

- - - - - - - - - -

As you're getting ready for the night, you're surprised there's a knock on the floor of the loft right before Luke's head pops up by the stairs. "Is it okay if I come on up?"

"Yeah. Of course," you say. You grab your boots before sitting on the edge of your mattress, slipping your feet inside of them and start lacing up. Luke stands off to the side, a little sheepishly, and you grin at him. "Something up? You're too quiet."

"Yeah. No, I'm good." He chuckles a little nervously and then finally moves to take a seat next to you. When he's seated, you nudge him with your shoulder to get him to lighten up. "I just- we got you a present and I've been nominated to hand it over."

"A present? From who?"

"Well it was originally from Ray, Jules, and Carlos," he says, "but when us ghosties wanted to get you something too, it kind of turned into a joint gift from all of us." Luke reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. You quirk an eyebrow at him as he hands the it over and immediately lift the lid. You coo at the silver charm bracelet inside and then lift it to examine the charms. "Ray, Julie, and Carlos had the laptop, dahlia, and lightning bolt charms already on there, but then we went back to the mall and had a microphone, a guitar, a bass, and drum sticks added to it."

"This is perfect. Help me put it on?"

You manage to unclasp the bracelet to slip it onto your right wrist and then Luke is scooting even closer to you so he can clasp it correctly. When he does, you twist your wrist back and forth so the charms jingle and fall correctly in place. Then you glance up at the same time Luke does, noses inches apart, and it's like both your breathing ceases.

Both your gazes seem to dart down to each other's lips and then you're jerking back while shakily inhaling. "You're trouble, Luke Patterson."

He smirks. "Fun trouble. You should try me sometime."

You can't believe the nerve of this ghost, so you roll your eyes, grin, and then climb to your feet. "Whatever you say, ghost boy. Now let's go. Tía Victoria was making me menudo for my birthday dinner."

Everyone at the Molina household is exactly who you wanted there and you get a kick out of watching the ghost boys attempt the menudo, watching the way they freeze when it's explained what exactly is in the menudo. Alex and Luke had slowly swallowed what was in their mouth before proclaiming they were full, but Reggie shrugged it off and kept on eating.

Outside uncle Ray grilled up some burgers and hotdogs for those who weren't fans of the menudo, and Julie had brought out bags of sparklers. You, Flynn, and Alex wasted no time in sparking some sparklers up while Reggie, Luke, and Carlos grabbed ahold of some small cannons to shoot off into the quickly darkening sky.

Many laughs are had, running amok in the streets with sparklers, and many pictures are taken. Your favorite, by far, had to have been when Carlos accidentally caught Reggie's flannel on fire and he stopped, dropped, and rolled in the street. You, Flynn, and Julie were never going to let him forget that terrified expression of his.

But then there's only five minutes to midnight, uncle Ray and Carlos are carrying several large firework boxes into the middle of the street and hurriedly untangling some wires, and a birthday sash is being draped over your head by Julie.

Seeing your uncle Ray and Carlos space out large boxes have drawn some of the neighbors to see what no doubt is going to a firework display, and you excitedly wait several feet away from the impending commotion.

Suddenly tía Victoria starts a countdown from twenty, Flynn hands out party horns, and everyone excitedly joins in.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE. HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

You blow your party horn, laughing when you spot Reggie jumping on Alex and Luke's backs in excitement. Uncle Ray hits a button in hand and the first box shoots off it's first firework. The explosions of white, gold, pink, blue, purple, and green has everyone making happy remarks, and you watch on, not noticing everyone pairing off to watch the show (Alex and Reggie, tía Victoria and Carlos, and Julie and Flynn).

You're smiling up at an explosion of white crackles that chase each other across the sky when two arms wrap around your neck from behind and a body presses up close behind yours. You chuckle as your hands come up to grab onto a forearm and you briefly glance over your shoulder. It's Luke.

As you go back to watching your uncle put on a spectacular firework display, you feel warm breath fan across your ear. "Happy birthday, Y/N," Luke murmurs.

"Thank you." You smile brightly even though he can't see it and then glance over your shoulder once more, holding his gaze as your faces are literally an inch apart. "Happy New Year, Luke."

He beams at you and against your will your gaze darts to his lips. Your mind is whirling and you know everything about you and Luke is a bad idea, but you just can't help yourself. And apparently neither can he.

Luke is the one to close the distance, softly pressing his lips to yours. You smile against his lips, giggling some before adding a little bit more pressure so he doesn't think you're laughing at him. The entire situation is just a little bit hilarious to you.

After a few seconds you pull apart and the two of you end up laughing before you go back to watching the fireworks. Fortunately no one had been paying you any attention, so you and Luke can keep the kiss between the two of you.

You know for sure nothing can actually come out of whatever is going on between the two of you, but for now you're willing to take it one day at a time and come up with official rules later on the down the line.

#julie and the phantoms imagine #julie and the phantoms x reader #jatp x reader #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson #julie molina #ray molina #reggie peters #alex mercer #carlos molina #julie and the phantoms

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readyplayerhobi · 3 years

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Jung Hoseok and the Magic to Happiness | 06 | End

; Hufflepuff Teacher!Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, angst, smut

; Word Count: 7.5k

; Warnings: Penetrative sex, potion influence (? what’s the correct term here), unprotected sex (kinda), creampie, Hoseok licks his fingers...

; Synopsis: An unexpected issue with your Ministry of Magic job leads to you taking the role of Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. It’s here that you meet your best friend’s younger brother for the first time in years, the Hufflepuff Head of House, Jung Hoseok. While you contend with seeing him once again, Hoseok tries to show you that he’s very much a man and no longer the gangly teenager you once knew.

; A/N: Final chapter! We’re finally here. I bet you didn’t think I’d actually finish this series, haha. Two series down though! SO...I’m very rusty with smut. I haven’t written it since like...October so please be gentle with me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have liked reading this series! Please reblog it so others can find it and send me comments/reviews/feedback via an ask or by reblogging this! :D I love to read them all and your support has helped to encourage me to keep going.

Last Chapter ;

Surprisingly, you don’t see Hoseok for a few days after the Winter Solstice Ball. He’s not present at any of the meals, nor do you see him around the castle either. It simultaneously confuses and concerns you as you worry that he’s feeling too awkward to be around you.

Seokjin, at a pre-Christmas meal at his house, had tried to confirm that he wasn’t avoiding you but instead was simply busy with preparing the magical creatures for the Christmas break. There were exchanges with other schools around the world that occurred at Christmas, meaning that Hoseok was constantly travelling with his creatures and taking custody of the foreign creatures which would be used for the next semester.

You’d viewed that with suspicion as you didn’t recall Hoseok nor Jisoo telling you that, but it did seem like a logical reason. Chaeyoung had backed the argument at the time, her mouth half full of roasted turkey. Given your suspicions about their involvement in trying to get Hoseok and you into a relationship had caused you to watch her suspiciously though.

It was only when Jimin, who had also been present for the meal, had confirmed it with a nod of his head that you’d finally believed them. As far as you knew, Jimin had no involvement and he’d genuinely fascinated with how close the two of you had been at the ball.

So even though it made you feel a little paranoid at his sudden absence after the kiss, you chose to trust your friends and believe what they said. You were already concerned about how to just interact with him when you saw him, you certainly didn’t need to obsess over the fact he ‘might’ be avoiding you.

Instead of letting your mind focus on that though, you instead throw yourself into any work you can do. The Christmas break sees most students gone and only a handful remaining behind. Some of those were because they wanted to continue studying or they didn’t want to leave their friends, others were because they didn’t have a stable home to go back to.

It made your heartache to know that some of your students had such poor home lives but it wasn’t something you could do anything about. Instead, you help to organise visits to Hogsmeade for the students so they can get to enjoy some of their break by just having fun and experiencing some of the Christmas cheer.

You’d also got through all the essays that you had to mark and the first month of the new semester had already been carefully planned out for when the students all returned. This meant that you’d done nearly all your work though and there were only so many books you could read without getting bored.

So you offered your services to the other professor’s who had remained behind, figuring that you could help them out while also reducing your boredom. This is why you were currently in the potion storeroom doing a stocktake; recording how many of each ingredient was left, if there were any that were running low or had run out completely, what potions were stored away and how much of each one.

It wasn’t the most interesting job but it helped to take your mind off things and you felt a little useful at least. You’d only been doing it for half-an-hour before you’d quickly realised why no one liked to do this job, though. The storeroom was bigger than it initially appeared and contained multiple shelving units, with each shelf packed full of ingredients, potions and spare potion-making ingredients.

There was a stale smell to the air which mingled with the faint remnants of potions that had been created in the many cauldrons that littered the room. Alongside that, there was so much dust in the room that you genuinely wondered if anyone used this place. Whilst you weren’t one to advocate using magic for stuff that you could just do by hand, there was no reason to not just do a quick cleaning spell in here.

Then again, you’ve never been amazing at potions so maybe that kind of spell might do something to one of the ingredients. So you just carry on, occasionally sneezing whenever you cause a small dust cloud to appear.

You end up so in the zone that you don’t hear the door open and close, nor the soft footfalls of someone walking in closer. This means you shriek in surprise when you hear your name in a familiar, low voice. Jerking forwards, you knock into the shelves in front of you and wince at the sound of glass hitting each other as bottles wobble dangerously.

“Shit!” Cursing, you miss the bottle with a mother-of-pearl sheen that teeters from the top shelf dangerously. Hoseok, obviously concerned with how he’d surprised you, rushes forward to help stabilise the bottles that are on the verge of smashing all around you.

As he grabs one that’s rolling towards the edge, you reach out to stop another one at the exact moment the top bottle drops. It hits your hand hard, bouncing before hitting the shelving unit and shattering. The potion inside splatters all over you, Hoseok and the shelf. Spiralled steams immediately begin to rise from where it impacts and you vaguely remember that amortentia looks like this.

But then you’re cursing loudly, sputtering as you get a mouthful of it. Without meaning to, you swallow it all and cringe as you feel it slide down your throat. The sound of Hoseok choking causes you to look over and you realise he’s got a mouthful of it as well, his face pinched as he sticks his tongue out from the taste of it.

“What was that?” He asks, blinking rapidly before wiping away what has splashed onto his face. For such a small bottle, it had managed to almost everywhere and even some stray strands of his hair were wet; steam rising slowly.

“If I remember my potions correctly...amortentia.” You say, lips twisting as you stare up at the top of the unit. Why this potion had been stored up there was beyond you as there was nothing else up there but dust. At least no other bottles had broken.

“Ah,” He muses before pausing, eyes widening as something clicks in his head. “Wait, isn’t that the love potion thing?”

“It doesn’t cause people to fall in love. If you remember back to your own potions lessons, no potion is capable of causing true love. Instead, it causes intense infatuation or obsess-oh…” Now your own eyes widen as you stare directly into Hoseok’s, warmth curling within your gut and rushing through your veins until your whole body feels hot.

Almost instantly, the two of you look away from each other. Coughing awkwardly, you shift to the other side of the storeroom, a hand pressed to your cheeks in a futile effort to cool them. Instead, they just feel even warmer.

What happened if two people took it? Especially if those two people already liked each other anyway? Did it just negate itself?

The slow burn within you said no and you let out a shaky breath, resting your forehead against the cool wood of the unit next to you.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me coming in...I wasn’t being quiet or anything.” Hoseok mutters and you glance over, noting the rosy pink gracing the apples of his cheeks. You wonder if it’s because he feels embarrassed or if it’s because he’s experiencing the same, intense feelings that you are.

Inhaling deeply, you tried to calm yourself only to realise that all you could smell was Hoseok. His scent was so strong that it was like he was standing right next to you instead of being on the other side of the room. Almost immediately, you knew it was the potion.

From what you remembered, amortentia caused those feelings for whoever administered it. Considering neither you nor Hoseok had been the one to serve it, you would’ve thought that it would just negate itself. Instead, it seems to have decided that you’ve both administered it to each other.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I was too deep into my work,” Giving him a nervous laugh, you try to reassure him so he doesn’t get too worried that he’s done something wrong. “How come you’re here? I haven’t seen you in days.”

“Err, yeah...sorry. I’ve been really busy. I forgot to tell you that we usually start doing magical creature exchanges around Christmas to help educate our students on foreign creatures while also allowing other nations to learn about our creatures. It’s been a little hectic as I’ve been exchanging hippogriff’s, bowtruckles and nifflers with Castelobruxo in Brazil. Which as you can imagine has been a little stressful because I think I’ve almost lost about six niffler’s and almost lost a hand to one of the hippogriff’s.” He turns away from you to tidy up some of the shelves, missing your sigh of relief as you realise everyone has been right.

He hadn’t been avoiding you.

“I’m finished now though, for the moment. It took me longer than I liked as the fire slugs we got from Castelobruxo have been continuously burning their cages but I have that completely fixed now. I thought that I’d come to find you as we haven’t talked in a few days and I got told you were here. So...here I am.” Giving you a weak smile, Hoseok turns to look at you while shrugging.

He looks slightly uncomfortable now; a sheen on his golden tan skin while his face looks redder than normal. His hands grasp at nothing on his sides and you find yourself hyper fixated on them. Have you ever really noticed how long and slender his fingers are?

Almost immediately, you imagine those fingers somewhere else and almost moan out loud as you clench inner muscles around nothing. Was this a normal side effect of amortentia? You didn’t know what was happening and you weren’t the best at potions so this was all foreign to you.

At least you’d come to terms with the fact that you were attracted to him and would like to perhaps try a relationship. Otherwise, this would’ve been even more awkward. Not that he knew that yet, which is probably why he’s looking a little distressed.

You don’t feel that it’s the best moment to blurt that out though. Sure, it would reduce any uncomfortableness between you both but was it a good idea to admit you find him attractive too when you’re both suffering the effects of amortentia?

Probably not.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. A few of the others told me that you’d be busy doing this. I didn’t even know that magical creature exchange was a thing!” Cheerfully, you smile at him when he glances at you.

“Still, I should have told you. I’m really sorry.” He mumbles, reaching out to gently brush a scratchy pouch idly. His insistence at apologising causes you to smile and shake your head amused at how genuinely remorseful he is that he’d forgotten to tell you this one thing.

“Honestly, it’s fine. It’s your job, don’t say sorry for doing your job, okay? You’re a great caretaker for the magical creatures and I’m not surprised you forgot to mention it to me. I don’t tell you stuff about my job all the time because you don’t need to know it! So don’t stress.” Reaching for the checklist that you’d been running through earlier, you note down the broken amortentia potion with a small reprimand for the untidy storeroom.

As such, you don’t see the way Hoseok’s face twists as he forces himself to remain quiet.

The two of you remain silent for the next five minutes or so with you attempting to carry on counting the ingredients and potions on the shelves while Hoseok merely lingers in the background. He was so cute.

It would have been a comfortable silence between you both, like you always had with him, if not for the lingering awkwardness of the untalked kiss and the flaring desire of the potion. Shifting awkwardly, your thighs squeeze together in an attempt to relieve some pressure. It doesn’t work and you have to stifle a groan at the small sharp jolt of pleasure.

“Merlin,” Hoseok whispers, causing you to open your eyes and look over at him. His face is even more flushed and you note a slight sheen to his skin as if he’s too hot. If he’s even remotely as warm as you are then it’s entirely understandable and you wonder what you look like to him.

Blowing out a breath, he attempts to fan his face before pinching some of his shirt and pulling at it to get some cooler air. You can tell it doesn’t work because you’ve been subconsciously doing that for the last minute and all it’s done is cause you to imagine Hoseok’s lips brushing along your chest instead of the poor imitation of a breeze.

What finally tipped you over the edge to deciding you’d done enough counting today was yet another glance over to Hoseok. His tall and lithe form has been almost hidden beneath his robes all this time, but an uncomfortable shift causes him to reveal more of his body.

You weren’t normally such a blatant person but you couldn’t help the way your eyes drag down his body, taking in every crease in his crisp white button-up. The key moment that told you to get out of the room now was when your eyes trailed even further below, taking in the leather of his belt.

And the obvious tent in his trousers.

Swallowing so hard that you choke, you quickly move towards the door. The rush of blood throbbing in your ears drowns out Hoseok’s call of surprise, your focus solely on getting out of the overwhelmingly hot room.

The room with the man you’d very recently had decided you were attracted to both romantically and sexually. Not a good combo when you were almost burning from within with lust for him, especially when you know he’s turned on right now.

Running a hand down your face as you rush through the corridors, you can’t stop the quiet groan that leaves your mouth as you do so. Your clothes feel too tight for your body, almost suffocating and the aching need for fingers or something more between your legs is becoming unbearable.

“Y/N, wait!” Finally, Hoseok’s voice breaks through, causing you to falter as you almost pause. Even shouting, his voice is low and sends shivers through your body. A tiny whine escapes and you push forwards, almost jogging now in your effort to get back to your quarters.

Maybe a shower would get rid of this. A very cold shower, or a cold bath. You’d make a potion to counteract it but you’re nowhere near good enough to combat an advanced potion like that.

As your door finally comes into view, and for a moment you marvel at how fast you’ve managed to move from the dungeons that house the potions classroom and the store you’d been working into your quarters.

Not quite fast enough though as Hoseok’s long legs finally let him catch up, his hand reaching out and gently grasping at your arm. He’s touching you through multiple layers of clothing and yet your skin is almost burning, the desire to have him against your bare skin stronger than ever.

You get the feeling that he’s experiencing the same as he suddenly retracts his hand, almost as if he’d burned it and lets out a hiss. The sound is sibilant and low, his breath escaping him quick and you feel a strong urge to hear it once more.

Still, he doesn’t let his surprise or shock stop him. A look at his face shows you that his expression is a mix of concern and worry beneath the flushed cheeks of lust and glassy eyes of desire.

“I’m sorry, did I do something? I didn’t mean to if I did. Please don’t run away from me!” He begs, one hand moving out towards you almost like it has a mind of its own. The way he looks at it, with a scowl like it’s doing something wrong, almost makes you laugh as you can understand his frustration.

You’ve had to stop yourself from reaching out to him at least twice now.

Instead, you give him a tense smile and try to ignore the fact that he’s standing a little awkwardly. It takes far more effort than you’d like to not look down because you know it’s because he has an erection that is probably uncomfortable. Something he likely doesn’t want to bring attention to.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I promise. I just...I just needed to get out of that room, you know.” You let your words trail off awkwardly, fidgeting with your hands and trying desperately not to look at his crotch. As usual, though, the temptation to look was made all the stronger by your knowledge that you couldn’t just ogle his groin openly.

“Ah...yeah, er, right. It was quite...quite warm.” He pauses in his sentence though, looking a little conflicted and you follow where his eyes are staring. Right down to your chest, which is currently covered by a soft, cream-coloured jumper that you’d happily pulled on this morning.

It feels more than a little stifling right now though.

As soon as he registers where he’s looking, he sputters and starts to resemble a tomato. An absurdly handsome, tall tomato. The longer you let your thoughts linger there then the more stupid they begin to become.

Still, his blatant want fuels your potion addled senses and you start to speak without thinking.

“Do you like me? Romantically and sexually, you know? I’m pretty sure you do. I’m sorry that I didn’t realise, I’m dumb apparently. I know you’ve been trying to subtly tell me for ages now but I finally did! And I liked our kiss and I really want to do it again. Actually, I wanna do more than kiss you-” Hoseok cuts you off by reaching out for your hand, his fingers slightly calloused but still so damn soft.

And hot against you.

“Yes. I like you, a lot. More than you probably realise. I just didn’t want to push you or make you feel awkward-” Now it’s your turn to interrupt him, twisting your fingers until you can thread them through Hoseok’s.

A slight tug has him following you with wide eyes, the door to your classroom being pushed open and closed as soon as he’s inside. Without another word, you push him up against the wood while grasping at his shirt to tug him closer.

Your lips connect with ease and this time, it’s nothing like the previous kiss. Where that was chaste, this had the flames of lust burning deep within and you moaned out as Hoseok licked into your mouth, stoking that heat within you even further.

Pressing yourself to his body, you let one hand trail along his shirt and sigh as you finally get to confirm that he is exactly as lean and toned as you’d initially thought. Your touch causes him to shiver, breaking away from your lips to press open-mouthed kisses to your jawline almost desperately.

“Hoseok,” Whispering into his ear, you let your other hand run your fingers through his hair before tugging on some of the black strands. “Ah, please.”

You’re not sure what you’re asking him but you don’t care either. Anything he can give you, you’ll take.

His fingertips scorch your skin as he lets them dance over your waist, slipping beneath your jumper with a hunger he can only show. As he does so, he captures your mouth once more and kisses you with such passion and strength that you’re momentarily left breathless.

Trying to kiss him back with equal fervour while your fingers move to unbutton his shirt, losing grip on them as you refuse to move away to look down. It causes him to laugh into it, the sound pleasant and light, before he gently pushes your hands away.

Pulling away from the kiss, he presses his forehead against your own and gives a breathy smile. Glassy eyes and dilated pupils greet you while his breath hits your skin with each puff as he tries to centre himself. And then he almost looks sad; his brow creasing and the corners of his lips turning down.

“We shouldn’t...not like this. I...I really want, oh fuck I want you so bad. But this wasn’t how I imagined...you deserve better. More romantic or some-” Reaching up, you gently place a finger on his lips to quiet him. He does so instantly and you’re pleased that he doesn’t look annoyed at your interruption.

“It’s not what I imagined either but I’m not turning it down. If anything, I’m glad that potion is helping to bolster my confidence because I doubt I’d have got the courage to do anything. So, please, don’t worry about me. I want you and I’m fully aware of myself. All that potion is doing is bolstering my feelings.” You hadn’t known if that was something he was worried about and you wanted to soothe any fears he might have.

It’d be understandable because part of you is also worried that he’s only doing this because the amortentia potion is fuelling an insatiable need within. The way his eyes widen at your words before his whole body relaxes let’s you know that has been a concern of his, causing you to smile, and reach up to cup his cheeks before pulling him into a quick kiss.

“Now, please carry on and don’t stress. We’ll talk properly after, okay?” Hoseok nods and you bite your lip, trying not to laugh at how eager he looks once more.

He doesn’t kiss you again though, instead turning and tugging on your hand. Brows rising, you follow him before watching in astonishment as he sweeps your desk clear of any papers or stationery. Part of you wants to complain, but the thought instantly vanishes when he backs you up until you can feel the solid wood against the backs of your thighs.

“Hoseok! My desk? Seriously?” Giggling, you glance around your classroom and feel a little scandalised. The door to your quarters is only a few metres away but he has an almost playful look in his eyes when he grins back at you. You’d protest doing something like this in your classroom louder if it wasn’t for the fact that you were desperate for him.

He doesn’t respond to those comments though, instead reaching out and ghosting his fingers over your cheek. It makes you shiver as you feel that touch all over.

“Once more...you want this, right? You’d want this even without the potion influence?” You wonder how much amortentia addles the mind but you reason to yourself that you’ve thought about this with him for the last week. About him between your thighs, deep inside you and pleasing you.

“I want it. I’ll want it after, too.” Purposefully lowering your voice, you look at him from beneath your lashes before reaching out and hooking your fingers around his belt. Now he’s the one laughing, the sound low and husky as he lets you pull him forward.

As if you’re magnetically attracted, your lips meet his once more and you sigh into his mouth as he pressed himself against you. Whimpering, you slide your hands around his waist and try to pull him closer. A wiggle on the hard surface has Hoseok’s erection pressing onto your clit, causing you to moan out.

He mirrors the noise, the sound hoarse from his throat and you find yourself grinding against him as well as you can. It doesn’t quite work as you have nothing to brace your legs with but neither of you seems to mind. Thankfully though, Hoseok seems to understand and begins a slow roll of his hips that drives you wild.

But it’s not enough though and you shift away from him, dragging your hands down his front and enjoying the way he moans as your nails scrape through his shirt. Reaching his belt, you fumble to undo it and frown in frustration as you struggle with it.

“Let me,” Hoseok says, undoing the buckle with practised ease and slipping the leather through the meal. The sound of it sparks something inside you, causing you to writhe on the desk and beg him to hurry up. A quirk of his lips tells you that he’s amused at your insistence.

Before he does anything else though, he reaches forward and pushes your skirt along your thighs. The soft material only adds to the overstimulation of your already wired body, causing goosebumps to form all over.

His fingertips on the freshly exposed skin feel even better though, the sensitive skin of your inner thighs sparking fireworks of pleasure and delight at his touch. Letting your head fall back, you just let yourself focus on the feelings and whine softly, pussy clenching around nothing.

Under normal circumstances, you would want to explore all of Hoseok and have the favour returned in full. You’d want the full experience with plenty of foreplay; his mouth and fingers delving into places that only he’s allowed to see.

You’re too desperate though and you pull your skirt up, shifting until you’re laying back on the desk and trying to tug your underwear off. It’s hard to do on the desk though and you’re thankful when Hoseok takes over, his fingers hooking into the soft material and then you’re feeling cool air.

“Fuck.” He curses, eyes focused solely between your legs. You’re almost embarrassed to realise how wet you are, the underwear in his hands sporting a prominent damp batch that has a shiny spot you can see even from here.

Being this close to him and now being half-naked, you want him more than ever and you try to grasp at his wrist, needing him to touch you down there. Anything you can get, you’ll take. Hoseok lets you take his hand, guiding his fingers until they’re pressing against the hardened nub of your clit.

The sound you let out is obscenely loud as you move his hand until he’s touching you in just the right way to send arrows of pleasure through your body. Letting go, you let him carry on and enjoy the heat of him on you, sighing in relief at finally getting what you wanted.

It’s not enough though and you try to shift your hips, lifting them in an attempt to line his fingers with your entrance. He can tell what you’re trying to do though and grins, the expression causing his cheeks to rise while his eyes sparkle down at you.

“Do you just want to do it? You’re already really wet.” He asks, raising a brow and you nod quickly. You don’t want to waste any more time and the thought of having his cock in you is more than you can bear. It doesn’t stop you from whining in displeasure as he takes his hand away to finish undoing his trousers.

To try and combat that, you let your fingers take over from where he was. You know your body better than anyone and almost instantly you’ve got a good rhythm going. The sight of him before you, cheeks flushed with his hair looking ruffled and his shirt creased, is unbelievably erotic.

Unzipping his trousers, he pushes them down his thighs alongside his underwear. You don’t even get to see what kind he wears but you find that you don’t care. Beneath the ends of his white button-up shirt, a prominent erection stands proudly towards you. The tip is swollen and red, unsurprising given how long he’s had it for now.

He’s not the longest, nor the thickest, but you don’t care. Hoseok’s cock is quite possibly the most perfect thing you’ve seen at that moment and all you want is for him to be inside you.

Before you can vocalise that though, he’s suddenly grabbing his wand before his trousers fall to the floor. Resting the tip on your belly, he mutters a quick spell and you realise that he’s got more control of himself than you do as he’d remembered to cast a contraceptive spell. A second spell on both you and him protects you from any diseases or infections, after which he practically throws his wand to the side.

You’d protest his lack of care about something so fragile but you can’t bring yourself to care when he moves forward, letting the tip of cock rest against your pussy. The weight, almost surprising given how it defies gravity, is delightful on your clit and he presses it down, moving in a slow roll that has you sighing.

More wetness coats your pussy, which in turn coats him and you grasp one of his hands. Linking your fingers together, you pull him a little closer and mewl as he slides against the sensitive bundle of nerves once more.

“Please, Hoseok. Please” You beg, causing him to smile with satisfaction.

Placing his free hand on your left leg, he pushes it up a little and out to the side, stretching you open a little more for him. Shivering as the air cools the slick excitement between your legs, you go to protest. It’s cut off though by the feeling of him penetrating you, the blunt head of his cock slipping into you with minimal resistance thanks to how wet you’ve gotten.

Moaning loudly, your eyes close as he stretches you with each inch. It’s been a long time since you’ve slept with anyone and the ragged cry Hoseok pulls from you is directly caused by how good he feels inside you. It’s like you can feel every inch of him as he slides deeper within, the nerves in your walls firing sparks of pleasure continuously until he finally bottoms out.

For a moment, the two of you simply stay in position and bask in the beautiful feeling. You’re panting a little and trying to resist the urge to shift your hips to encourage him to move. One glance at Hoseok tells you to let him move at his own pace.

His face is pinched, brows knitted together and his jaw looking sharper than ever as he clenches his teeth. The fingers wrapped in yours squeeze tightly and after a few seconds, he lets out a guttural groan that sounds as if it was ripped from his gut.

“Shit...Merlin’s beard, you’re so...I don’t know if I’m going to last,” He admits, his cheeks burning redder than ever. “I’m sorry if I don’t. I’ve imagined...this is…”

Grunting, he slowly pulls out before sliding back into you with one fluid motion of his hips. A broken cry escapes your mouth at the pleasure and you reach down to rub at your clit. You’re just as desperate as he is to orgasm, to feel him thick inside you as you convulse around him while waves of pleasure leave you boneless.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just...move. Please.” You reassure him, trying to smile before your eyes roll back into your head at the second thrust. Still, your words let him gain some confidence and he continues to move in slow and steady snaps of his hips, each drag of his cock better than the last.

Lifting onto your elbows, you risk a glance down to take in the sight of him thrusting into you. His cock is soaked with your wetness and you realise suddenly that it’s causing lewd sounds every time he moves. You’d be embarrassed at it but the sound is strangely erotic to you; the knowledge that he’s caused you to become this wet and experience this much pleasure intoxicating.

The two of you don’t speak for a minute or so after that, far too caught up in just enjoying yourselves and all the feelings that course through your bodies. You suppose the potion is a little to blame for the almost selfish nature of the sex, but there’s also more than enough longing and desire on his side mixing with eagerness and attraction on your own.

“Fuck, I think-I think I’m gonna cum.” Hoseok pants out, his whole chest moving as he gasps out from the strenuous effort of sex. His face has a sheen to it and the damper patches on his white shirt indicate how much he’s sweating from it. Probably also a little from just how warm you’d both ended up.

Moaning out in response, you tip your head back against the cool wood of your desk and let your hand do its work. The combination of his cock inside you and your fingers playing on your clit blend together perfectly and you writhe wildly.

“Ah...shit.” His entire body going rigid as he pushes into you as far as he can get. Watching him, you cry out at how beautiful and sexy he looks as he orgasms; his jaw tightly clenched to show off that beautiful line of bone while the tendons in his neck strain. The hand entwined with yours squeezes harder than ever and he seems to just inside you in tiny movements, almost like he’s extending his pleasure without wasting too much effort.

You can feel the subtle twitch of his cock deep within you and the knowledge that he’s orgasming inside you has your fingers swirling on your clit harder and faster than before. Tightening your inner muscles, you relish in the strangled moan Hoseok lets out and the increase of feeling.

Not long after he lets out a final sigh, deeper than anything else, and he strokes his free hand down your thigh. It’s almost an encouraging touch and even though he’s finished, he moves in you with a slow and lazy stroke. The slight wince he has tells you that he’s probably a little overstimulated but he doesn’t complain and you cry out as your whole body tenses up.

Back bowing and head pressing into the desk, you tighten your eyes closed as high pitched whines and breathes escape your throat. Hips rolling in a circular motion, you continue to stroke at the sensitive bundle of nerves between your legs until the sensation becomes too much. Pulling your hand away, you’re surprised when Hoseok grabs at it suddenly.

He slips out of you, his cock rapidly becoming flaccid nows that’s had his fill and you shift at the sensation of liquid that’s slightly thicker than your excitement beginning to leak from you. The knowledge that it’s come from him is surprisingly arousing and you try to push the thought away.

Something not helped by the fact that Hoseok takes the fingers that had been so busy with your clit and licks them clean, groaning out quietly as he finally gets to taste you. It’s probably not the way he imagined doing it, but Merlin, it’s certainly an attractive way.

“That was good,” He finally says, letting your hand drop and you miss the feel of his tongue already. “Better than I’ve ever imagined...and I imagined it a lot.”

He’s flushed from the intense exercise but the bashful look to his eyes tells you that some of that pink tinge is also from his shyness. You can’t help but grin at the fact he’s getting quiet after just fucking you so hard on your desk.

Sitting up slowly, you stretch and enjoy the satisfying feeling of multiple muscles in your body and the overall sense of contentment that washes through you. Reaching forward, you wrap your arms around his neck after he’s tugged his trousers and underwear back up before kissing him gently.

“How flattering, Professor Jung. I feel honoured.” There’s a hint of teasing in your voice but you keep it light enough to know that you’re not being mean to him. Instead, you’re pleased by his admission that he’s thought of you sexually. Perhaps you don’t want to know about what his teenage fantasies were but you’ll happily accept his adult fantasies.

It works to make him snort a laugh and shake his head, stroking his hands along your waist.

“And as amazing as the sex was...I’m feeling a little tired and sore from the desk. So let’s take this into my quarters, shall we?” Pushing him, you hop off the desk and let your skirt fall back into place. It’s creased now and there’s likely wet stains on the back alongside what will eventually become semen stains too.

Hoseok doesn’t follow you as you move towards the door leading to your bedroom, causing you to turn and give him an arched brow in question. Opening the door without looking at it, you smile brightly before winking.

“Well? Do you want me to be alone in my bed?” Turning away from him, you quickly pull off your shirt and throw it out of the door for him to see. It’s only seconds before you hear the sound of him following quickly, causing you to smile to yourself.

Yawning widely, you stretch out your arms and almost hit Hoseok in the face. Toes brushing against his leg as you do so, he lets out a laugh that’s more movement than sound. The rumble of his chest beneath your cheek is comforting and you sigh deeply in contentment. It had been only half an hour or so since you’d had sex and what was likely only three hours since you’d both fucked the first time.

You had to give Hoseok credit; he knew exactly what he was doing.

Just the thought of the frantic sex on your desk had you heating up in dual embarrassment and desire. Embarrassment because...well it was your desk! In your classroom. How were you ever going to look at the table without remembering what had happened on top of it?

The desire was a more obvious, and expected, emotion though. Experiencing that again would be very welcomed on your behalf and you suspected that Hoseok would be just as open to it.

Nuzzling your head into him, you took in a deep breath to get a concentrated dose of Hoseok mixed with sex. It was a heady scent and you squeeze your thighs, feeling the wetness that was still there.

Despite the horny monster he’s released, you feel a sense of tired contentment between you both. Hoseok hasn’t said anything since you’d both collapsed onto the bed after a rigorous second round and you hadn’t wanted to interrupt it yet. It was nice to just enjoy the tired aftermath of sex without the pressure of talking anything out.

Even if you knew that you both had to.

As if he can tell what you’re thinking, Hoseok takes a deep breath that has your head rising.

“I didn’t intend for...well for this. I swear,” He says, his voice a little nervous and you can tell he’s uncertain about how you’re going to respond now the potion has run its course. “I’m sorry for knocking the potion over, it was stupid of me.”

Pushing up onto your elbow, you reach up and place a finger against his lips to stop him from saying anything else. He looks at you, his cheeks adorably full from this angle and his eyes dark while he waits for you to say whatever you’re thinking.

What you’re thinking is that his lips are so soft beneath your fingertip, plush and swollen from the frantic kisses. Before you can think of anything else, you shift forward until you’re kissing him once more, the movement slow enough for him to stop it if he didn’t want to.

He lets you though, one hand coming up to cup the back of your neck in support, and opening his mouth to deepen it. A quiet moan leaves your throat as you slant your mouth against his, tilting your head to find the perfect angle and shivering as he slips his tongue into your willing mouth.

Any hint of a conversation disappears between you both, his free hand running down your naked back in a slow stroke that’s so sensual it has you quivering. But you know that he understands that you’re not annoyed at him; actually the exact opposite.

Pulling away, you lick at your lips and note the unfiltered lust in his eyes as he watches you do so, before smiling at him. Brushing some of his dark hair away from his face, admiring just how handsome he was.

“Don’t worry about it, honestly. I was fully aware of myself and wanted it. I already told you that and I meant it. The potion just helped me to get over my inhibitions. Trust me, I was already considering this after the Winter Solstice Ball. I just didn’t know how to get over the hurdle of being nervous about it.” Now it’s his turn to comfort you, his fingertips tracing across your face in a featherlight touch.

It’s almost painfully tender and the sparkling warmth in his eyes tells you that there’s something much deeper there for him. But you don’t push and he doesn’t spill. He’ll tell you when he’s comfortable with it, and you’ll be there to hear it.

Instead, he opens up with an entirely different kind of vulnerability. The confidence he’s shown so far disappears and you note fondly that it makes him look younger. Something he’d probably hate you saying.

You’ve finally figured out why he never likes conversation about the age difference between you both, at least.

“Really? Do you really mean that? I mean, about considering it?” Hoseok sounds awkward, his voice pitching higher than normal at one point and causing him to cough while his cheeks darken. The urge to coo is unbelievable.

“Yes, I mean it. I was a little taken aback when I first came here and I saw how much you’d changed since I’d last seen you. But you became one of my closest friends and the last few weeks has had me looking at you...in a slightly different light. You were...unreal at the ball and it made me realise a lot of things. And the kiss spurred that on, too. I talked with Jisoo and she helped me to see that...you’re not just her little brother. I’d been putting that label on you in an attempt to keep you at arm’s length, but I don’t want that now. I don’t need to, because I’ve accepted that I find you attractive and I would be open to more if you wanted it.” The words fall from your mouth in a rush, taking advantage of the confidence you had to get this out.

“I want it.” You don’t even get to say anything else because Hoseok interrupts you with those three simple words, the syllables fast as his enthusiasm takes over. Snorting quietly, you kiss his cheek affectionately and enjoy it when it pinkens once more.

“Someone’s eager.” Teasing him, you roll onto your back and let out a sigh as you stare up at the blank ceiling. There’s a slight chill in the air, common in such an old castle as Hogwarts, but you feel your nipples pebble from it. Shuddering, you go to tug the blanket over your naked body and Hoseok’s.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a while, so yeah. But we can talk about that more later if you want?” Looking over at him, you smile at the happiness on his face and note how he seems so much lighter than before. The knowledge that you’ve done this to him is a little overwhelming, causing you to let out a sudden breath.

And then you notice that he’s not only happy in the metaphorical sense but also in the physical sense, a prodding against your thigh causing you to peek under the blanket. Sure enough, his well-endowed erection was very prominent against you.

Raising an eyebrow, you look up at Hoseok with a mix of exasperation, amusement and admiration.

“Already? Three times in an evening?” Now Hoseok is the one smirking, the palm of his hand pressing flat against your stomach before slowly creeping down your body. The low lying flame of desire that had settled burns back to life now and you subtly wriggle in your bed, thighs opening as your body tries to get those long fingers where you want them.

“One of the benefits of a younger man,” Wiggling his brows, he grins when you chuckle before pushing at his chest. “If our age difference is ever mentioned again then I want this to be the thing you remember most.”

And with that, he flashes his teeth in a mischievous smile before disappearing under the blanket, ignoring your shriek of laughter at how his fingers tickle. That laughter soon dissolves into a moan when he reaches his destination though and as you grasp his hair tightly, glad that you finally took the plunge and realised what a wonderful man Jung Hoseok is.

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booksarelife-stuff · 3 years

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Handprints on my Soul

When Lily sees that mark that shows her soulmate has touched her; Lily, her best friend, and an unlikely ally go on the hunt to find her soulmate.

My entry for the Idiots to Lovers July Jily Challenge! @jilychallenge

My partner is @quietlycharmed

Prompt: we never touch each other so when you patted my arm lightheartedly, i literally think my heart leapt out of my chest and danced. please do that again.

I didn’t quite follow the prompt, but I really loved the idea of touch being the thing that makes them admit their feelings. I thought this Soulmate AU would be perfect!

Word Count: 2,946

Read on AO3 Masterlist

Lily trudged up the stairs to the girl’s dormitory. Patrols had been long tonight and she and James still had about fifty detention slips to fill out from the Hufflepuff party they busted. Lily had been willing to go to their office and fill them out, but James insisted she go back to the tower to get some rest.

She put up a fight, but she knew that when James got into his motherhen mode, there was no hope for winning. Lily found that hopelessly enduring and a little attractive but she refused to admit that.

The 7th year Gryffindor girls’ dormitory was quiet as Lily stepped in. She waved at Mary, who was reading one of her Muggle bodice ripper romances by the light of her little bedside lamp, with her curls tied up with a silk scarf. She waved absentmindedly back at Lily, only sparing a quick glance. Lily could hear Marlene’s soft snores from Dorcas’s bed.

Lily went to her bed across from Mary, pulling out her night things and quickly pulling her heavy uniform jumper off. She unbuttoned her white button-up and took it off quickly. Just as she went to undo her bra, she caught a flash of something on her arm.

On her arm was a handprint. Inky black against her pale skin. Bigger than her own hand by a lot.

Her soulmate had touched her today.

She had no idea who her soulmate was.

Lily stood frozen beside her bed as she stared at her right arm, eyes wide in shock.

“Everything okay, Lily?” Mary whispered loudly from her bed. Lily said nothing, she didn’t think she could even find the right words to say.

She heard Mary’s sigh, her getting out of bed, and then her quiet footsteps across the room. Then the gasp.

Mary clapped her hand over the mouth, stifling a scream.

“You found your soulmate!” Mary whispered, excitedly. “Who is it?”

Lily looked up at her best friend in alarm. “I have no idea.”

Mary made a face, her mouth twisting into a frown.

“Well, who touched your right arm today?” Mary prodded.

Lily thought hard, trying to remember. It was hard not to get jostled in the corridors, but she didn’t think anyone would have touched her enough for a full-on handprint to appear on her arm.

Mary gasped.

“Remus! He patted your arm at breakfast!” Mary whispered. Lily cringed. She had nothing against the lanky werewolf, but besides a small crush in third year that quickly got stomped out, she had no romantic feelings for him.

“But he’s already paired with Sirius!” Lily pointed out. “And Remus is like a brother.”

“It’s a place to start,” Mary said. “Put on a shirt. We’re storming up to the boy’s dormitory.”

Mary’s deep brown eyes had their determined look to them. Lily wanted to argue, but she knew she could rest better if she found out about Remus right now. Lily forwent her uniform and changed into her sleep shorts and one of her dad’s old jumpers.

She followed Mary out of the dorm, pulling her hair out from where it was caught underneath the jumper. Just as they hit the bottom of the stairs, they heard muffled laughter. Then a bark that was absolutely Sirius Black.

They wordlessly abandoned their course for the boys' dormitory and stepped into the common room, just to see Remus and Sirius start-up their snogging again.

Lily’s stomach filled with dread. She really did not want Remus as a soulmate, especially with how happy Sirius and Remus were.

“Oi! Boys!” Mary yelled, making the snogging couple jump a few feet in the air.

“Merlin MacDonald!” Sirius said, getting off the couch. He glared at the girls. “We aren’t breaking curfew!”

“We don’t care about that,” Mary said, putting her hands on her hips. “We have a… situation that needs to be taken care of.”

Sirius’s dark eyebrows shot up and he exchanged a wordless glance with Remus, who shrugged in return.

“What is it?” Sirius asked, crossing his arms. Mary turned to Lily, who took a deep breath.

She rolled up her sleeve and showed off the large handprint on her right arm.

“This happened, and uh… I need to find out who it is,” she said.

“And you need our help?” Sirius asked, eyeing the large handprint with interest.

Remus gasped.

“I grabbed your arm at breakfast,” Remus whispered, staring wide-eyed at Lily’s arm.

Sirius stilled instantly.

“But Remus is already paired with me,” he said quietly. Dangerously.

“Well, it wouldn’t be reciprocated then, would it?” Lily said, trying to pacify Black.

“We just need to see if it’s him,” Mary said diplomatically.

“And I don’t want Remus as a soulmate,” Lily said. She then grimaced. “No offense.”

Remus gave a small smile. “No, I know.”

“Well, let’s see then—” Sirius gestured between Remus and Lily. “—compare them.”

Lily stepped towards Remus as he turned on the couch. Lily gave a sad smile towards Remus, who looked more anxious than she felt.

He placed his hand on Lily’s arm. His slender fingers were too long and too skinny to match the handprint. It was definitely not Remus’s handprint.

All four breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank Merlin,” Sirius said, back to his normal self. “I never learned how to share. It would have been a trying experience for all involved.”

Lily laughed, the idea of having Remus as a soulmate seemed so absurd now that it was proven he was not.

“There would be more problems than that,” Remus added, turning back towards Lily. “As lovely as you are, I still much prefer men.”

Lily waved him off with a laugh.

Mary, who had been quiet, crossed her arms and strode next to Sirius.

“We still don’t know who it is though!” she pointed out. “We have to find them!”

“We can do that tomorrow,” Lily said, looking at her best friend's pleading stare. “It’s past curfew.”

“I agree with MacDonald,” Sirius said, bumping the girl with his shoulders lightly. “I won’t be able to sleep until we find out who has laid a hand on our dear Evans.”

“Did anyone else touch you today?” Remus asked.

She remembers Marlene grabbing her arm, but the handprint would have been in the other direction. It also didn’t matter who had touched her before. The mark only comes when both people are ready for their soulmates.

Like Marlene and Dorcas didn’t have it happen until Marlene kissed Dorcas after months of ignoring her feelings. Their lips were stained forever because of it. Remus and Sirius didn’t seem to appear until Sirius stood on top of one of the tables in the common room at a party and announced that he was gay. Remus had pulled him off the table and when he let go, his palm was stained and so was Sirius’s wrist.

Sirius gasped, loudly, and made Mary jump.

“Snape! You were his partner in potions today!” Sirius said, pointing a finger at Lily. Mary’s eyes turned wide as Lily felt the air get knocked out of her lungs.

“He grabbed my arm when I was shredding the mandrake leaves,” Lily mumbled. “He told me I was doing it wrong.”

Lily suddenly did not like the idea of soulmates anymore.

Mary crossed the room towards Lily, wrapping an arm around her. Lily leaned into her touch.

The girls in the dormitory were the only ones who really knew why she and Snape’s friendship had come to an end in their fifth year.

It had been a long time coming, Lily realized in the last two years. Before Hogwarts, Snape was her best friend, a brother to her. But when he realized Lily could have other friends, he got jealous, possessive almost. He hated all the friends she made on her own.

She hadn’t actually been friendly until Remus until fifth year when they patrolled together as prefects. She had always hated him and the rest of the boys because Snape told her how much they bullied him. Snape had told her about his suspicions about being a werewolf, but she brushed him away.

It wasn’t until Remus confided in her and saw the scars that she realized Snape hadn’t been the victim all along.

What was the final straw is when Lily started to really pull away, Snape had confessed his feelings for her and truly thought she felt the same. That conversation had ended with a swift kick to the crotch.

He had slept outside the Gryffindor common room for two weeks after that, begging for Lily. That killed all the regret Lily could have about their friendship ending.

“No,” Lily said, shaking her head. “It can’t be.”

“We need to eliminate him,” Mary spoke quietly to her. “We need to make sure it isn’t him.”

“We can’t do it now,” Lily whispered back. “We can’t break into the Slytherin common room.”

“Oh, but we can,” Sirius said, with a devious smile.

~~~

Lily and Mary followed closely behind Sirius. Remus had opted to go to bed but wanted a full report when they got back.

Lily’s wand was lit and she held it over his shoulder as he squinted at the most marvelous map Lily had ever seen. Sirius had pulled them through a mirror on the sixth floor that somehow had spat them back out near the Great Hall. They silently and quickly walked to the dungeons until they were standing at the door of the Slytherin Common room.

Sirius looked down at the map again.

“He’s in the common room by himself,” Sirius said. “Odd, but works perfectly.”

“Do we have a plan?” Mary asked. Sirius nodded.

“I’m going to go in first,” he said. “Give me thirty seconds and then you guys come in.”

“Why can’t we all go in at the same time?” Lily asked. “He’s a good dueler.”

“Don’t worry, flower,” Sirius said, waving his hand. “I have the element of surprise. Plus, I would expect you wouldn’t want him to see you, in case he remembers?”

Lily hadn’t thought about that, but once he said it, she was thankful for his forethought. They thought of Snape knowing that there was a little, bitter part of her that thought they could be soulmates made her stomach twist painfully.

“I’m not a coward,” she said, sticking her chin out.

“It isn’t cowardice,” Mary said, matching Lily’s pose. “He just doesn’t need to know. He doesn’t need this fodder.”

Lily sighed through her nose.

“Now that that is settled, who has the password?” Sirius asked, turning back to the black door.

“Black! I thought you had it!” Mary scolded.

“Why would I?” he asked, looking confused.

“All the passwords are in the Head Office,” Lily pointed out. “But we have to go to the fifth floor.”

Sirius grinned and reached into his pocket, which had to be magically expanded as he pulled a whole hand mirror out of it.

“James Potter,” Sirius said. Sirius’s reflection melted away and the mirror turned dark. “James! Prongs! Jamie! Emergency!”

“One moment!” James’s voice came out of the mirror.

The Marauders were constantly full of surprises. Lily wished she wasn’t so impressed.

The mirror showed light and suddenly they were getting pulled up and James’s face appeared. He looked tired but handsome. His hazel eyes were twinkling in the dull yellow light of his desk lamp in the head office. Lily’s stomach rolled.

“What’s the emergency?” he asked. “Please don’t tell me I need to find another closet you locked yourself into.”

Sirius scoffed.

“I’m doing some head girl sanctioned mischief. I need the Slytherin password.”

James’s bushy eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his curly fringe.

“Lily sanctioned this?” he asked.

Sirius moved the mirror, displaying Lily. Her cheeks heated up as James’s eyes narrowed.

“Hey James,” she said. She sounded pathetic, even to herself. “We need the password.”

James sighed deeply and his attention focused on something away from the mirror. He chuckled softly against the sounds of parchment crinkling.

“It’s Cobra,” James said, a warm smile on his face.

Lily went to say something else, but Sirius took the mirror away from Lily’s face. His smile felt seared into her mind as Sirius pulled away.

“Prongs, I love you. You’re amazing. Bye,” Sirius said, waving his hand over the mirror making James disappear.

He stuffed the mirror back into his pocket. He checked the map to make sure Snape was still there, alone.

“Thirty seconds,” Sirius said, giving them a look, pulling out his wand. “Cobra.”

Sirius stepped through, wand out. The door closed behind him silently.

Lily and Mary looked at each other as they counted, James’s smile fighting for dominance in her mind as she counted. As thirty passed Mary’s lips, Lily turned towards the door and said the password.

The Slytherin common room was cold and slimy. Everything seemed to be damp or have the appearance of being damp.

Sirius was sitting on the top of one of the black leather couches, pretending to check his nails as the form of an unconscious Snape laid on the floor to his left.

“I only needed five,” Sirius said, smirking at the girls.

Mary got on her knees next to Snape and lifted his arm. His arm went limp at the wrist.

Lily joined Mary on the ground, turning her back to her so they could get the right angle. Lily sighed, trying not to recoil as Mary guided Snape’s hand to Lily’s arm. Sirius joined them and made sure Snape’s hand lined up perfectly with Lily’s mark.

It was too small, the black mark stretching a few inches above where Snapes’s fingers ended.

“Thank fucking God,” Lily said, pulling her arm away and walking out of the Slytherin common room.

She fought the urge to run to the restroom and scrub her arm as Mary and Sirius stepped out of the common room.

“So, that’s great,” Sirius said, looking at Lily.

“Any other contenders?” Mary asked.

“I’m tired and I don’t want to do this anymore,” Lily said, shaking her head.

Mary nodded in agreement.

“We’ll worry more about it when you’re ready,” Mary said. Lily could see she wanted this mystery resolved now, but she didn’t want to push Lily.

Sirius pulled out the map and they started back up to the Tower.

By the time they got to the 4th floor, Lily thought of James in the head’s office, probably stumped as to why they needed the password. Lily thought of his smile and the way his eyes glinted in the dim light.

She wanted to see him. Maybe he would let her finish the detention slips or distract her. Maybe offer him an explanation.

“I’m going to stop by the head office,” Lily whispered. Mary raised an eyebrow in her direction and Sirius turned around to face her.

“James needs an explanation,” Lily said, simply.

Mary went to say something, but Sirius elbowed her.

“Okay,” he said with a shrug. “Fifth floor is clear to the head office.”

Lily parted ways with them at the fifth-floor landing. She walked quickly to the head office, murmuring the password so the door swung open for her.

James looked up from the paperwork in surprise. He was hunched over, his left hand cradling the back of his neck like it was aching.

“Come to tell me about the head girl sanctioned mischief?” he asked, his surprise turning to a smile. He sat straight up and dropped his quill.

Whatever response Lily had on her lips died as his left hand left his neck. The whole palm of his hand was a bright white against his dark brown skin.

Lily stared at him as she remembered saying goodnight to him, not even an hour ago.

“Fine, I guess I’ll leave all the boring paperwork to you,” she said. James laughed from her right side. They were on the fifth-floor landing.

“How kind,” he said. “Next one is on you though.”

“Deal,” she said, smiling.

He reached over and gave her arm a slight squeeze. “Have a goodnight Lils.”

She rolled her eyes at the nickname but smiled.

“You too, Jamie.”

“Lily? Are you okay?” James said, standing up from his desk and strode over towards her.

“Your hand,” is what she forced out when he stood in front of her.

James looked confused as he looked down at his hands, back of them first. He turned them over and froze as he looked at his left hand.

She didn’t feel the anxiety she had when Remus had stuck his hand out, nor the dread at the thought of Snape being her soulmate. Standing in front of James, she felt happy. Excited. She felt right.

James looked up at her in alarm but the words died on his lips as Lily pulled her sleeve up. He stared at her arm for a moment before he looked back at her.

“Can I borrow your hand for a moment?” she asked, smiling.

James gave her a guarded smile but nodded. Lily turned herself so she was in the same position by his side like when they said goodnight.

She didn’t have to grab his arm. Instead, he reached out, every inch of his hand covering her black mark perfectly.

Their eyes met. Both happy and hopeful.

Lily launched herself at James, pressing her lips to his.

#James Potter #Lily Evans #Lily Evans Potter #jily #hp #Marauders #marauders era #minor wolfstar #jily july challenge #idiots to lovers #Sirius Black #Remus Lupin #jilychallenge #jily fic #jily fanfic #Harry Potter fanfic #James x Lily

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skyeventide · 3 years

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I’m really really fascinated by your interpretation of Maedhros and I’d love to read more of it, I saw your comment on the post about earlier versions and then was super intrigued

-@outofangband

hello @outofangband ! thank you for the ask, I'm going to try putting it into words, though I'm usually much better at fanfiction to explain how I envision characterisation — and unfortunately I don't have any Maedhros fanfic other than To die in the light (which is less about him per se, and more about the ex thrall who interacts with him; but there's a good swathe of Maedhros as well). still, to explain:

essentially, what I meant with that specific comment is that I don't attribute to Maedhros any personal unwillingness to follow along the rebellion, the first kinslaying, or the Oath, certainly not at early stages. what I instead attribute to Maedhros is an aptitude for politics and a willingness to attempt diplomacy routes and handle public perceptions of facts, no matter how facts actually are.

a lot of this is, by necessity, extrapolation. the bare bones of characterisation are there in the text, but the flesh that is built on those bones varies, and can vary a lot. so mypersonal construction is informed by a few external things too. I basically just... don't really vibe with restrained good person Maedhros, cause that feels to me like the easiest route to construct a narrative that's contrasting, depending: his father's; his brothers'; sometimes other characters' (e.g. Elwing). and like, to each their own, but it's not my thing, and I'm not into singling out the good guy out of the bunch as a trope, it simply doesn't call to me.

I'll try to explain my points about early Maedhros (much as I'd love to explain my headcanons for the whole character arc, that would be so long and complicated that I give up without even trying lmao); also I'd like to add that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence but that's where both "personal construction" and "extrapolation" come into place. essentially, this is what I construct and extrapolate, and I'm not really interested in alternatives, I don't like them, or I just disagree with them. and by contrast, people may think the same of this.

firstly, not against the rebellion and the Oath: the early text in @undercat-overdog's post is to my knowledge the only existing text that gives insight with regard to the state of mind with which the Oath was taken. now the Silmarillion says "a dreadful oath", but the Silmarillion has reason to do so by virtue of hindsight. the entirety of the speech to the Noldor, fear and gloom of the moment aside, is a speech that pushes to action: it seems extremely fitting to me that the taking of the Oath itself should reasonably be something with an upwards push, taken without full acknowledgement of its lines and what they may entail when it comes to other elves. because the stated purpose of moving war to Morgoth is very clear throughout, and even though the reality of the war hasn't hit them yet, the awareness of its approach is very present — there is, imo, a readiness for fight and an acknowledgement of intent: killing a deity.

I also feel that "these leapt with laughter / their lord beside / with linked hands / there lightly took / the oath unbreakable" meshes fairly well with the Silmarillion version, where some of this is not kept but the sons still leap at Feanor's side, this time with their swords drawn. Maedhros in this is not called out as any different — in fact, Maedhros is not called out as being different during the feud either: "lies came between them" with regard to Fingon paints the rumour-spreading among the Noldorin factions as affecting them equally, just as it affects Fingolfin ("grew proud and jealous each of his rights and possessions").

the first kinslaying: again maedhros is not singled out as against it. and again, absence of evidence doesn't equal evidence of absence, however, my preferred method in reconstructing my understanding of canon through the skeleton of its textuality is at times trying to make sense of drafts and grabbing the fil rouge of their logical development. and, when there is someone called out as acting against the Noldor during the first kinslaying, that is Galadriel. Maedhros never even is named in this circumstance.

I also think that the modus operandi of the whole situation is a remarkable early calque of the second and third kinslaying. first, other options are exhausted first: the noldor go north, stop in Araman by foot, and decide the crossing of the ice is too costly, not doable, or otherwise not something they're willing to do (more: people directly blame Feanor for the bitter cold they're exposed to, before they have to cross, if they wish to reach Middle Earth); second, there is an attempt to convince Olwe and the Teleri via words; third, a passage that is textually absent from later deeds of the same sort, but which might be potentially inferred, the leader (here Feanor) sits alone brooding on his options; fourth, action. this is the same as what happens with the later kinslayings, even though the first was not meant to be a deadly undertaking in its conception (it was a theft). but, what I mean is, second kinslaying: failed first option, the battle of unnumbered tears, part 2 diplomatic attempt, the message to doriath, part 3, not textually stated, part 4, action. third kinslaying is muddier and I won't attempt to map it perfectly other than: delayed attack to the havens; diplomatic attempt via message; [not textually stated, may be incorporated in the delay]; action.

either way, my point is: whether Maedhros is outright leader or he isn't, there isn't any fundamental difference in the story beats of the kinslayings. inb4 "Feanor and Maedhros have different character traits" — yes, to an extent. and this is where the early draft from that post returns to my aid in terms of personality building: "the eldest, whose ardor / yet more eager burnt / than his father’s flame, / than Feanor’s wrath". now, I feel there's an important qualitative difference in ardour and wrath, but that line exists and the Silmarillion doesn't contradict it: the fire of life burns in Maedhros, the eagerness here mentioned does not fade from this draft to later versions. (inb4 “the circumstances don’t overlap perfectly”: yes of course they don’t. I’m not trying to argue that they do)

now, what happens when it's time to depart with the ships? Feanor takes counsel with his sons, and the decision is to take the loyalists and go to the other side with them first. what happens when Feanor tries to burn those ships? Maedhros gives his famous lines, "what ships and rowers will you spare to return, and whom shall they bear hither first". my extrapolation here is this: I think it's obvious that the burning was not supposed to happen; and I think it's obvious that the joint decision of Feanor and his sons, dare say of Feanor and his firstborn heir, was to send back a group and carry the rest of the Noldor to Middle Earth. Feanor says lmao fuck you and the rest is history. Maedhros doesn't take well to that, and here comes forth what I think actually distinguishes him as a character: the cool-headed pragmatism that will imo really come forth post-captivity, the diplomatic abilities, and weighing his options with a level-headedness that his father lacks — and I would like to posit, these options are not weighed in a particularly moral way: he appeals to Feanor about Fingon being carried first because Fingon rushed in and got involved in the kinslaying on their behalf (there may be different readings, but they don't appear to me as textually supported as this — and for the purpose of this I am making no difference between feelings of romance and friendship; the quality of the relationship is here irrelevant, the strength of it has more bearing). it isn't "Fingon because he's my friend", or "Fingon because he's a good guy", it's "Fingon because he killed for us". and after he is on this side, actually keeping the rest of their army, an army they need to effectively wage the war they said they would wage, becomes a cake walk.

also, I go back and forth on this, but: it's possible that Fingon gained his "the valiant" sobriquet before the Darkening; it isn't a given that it was gained in this instance, his Alqualonde attack. but I still feel like it's quite telling, whether the epithet is gained now or before, that it's brought up under these circumstances. the last "valiant" deed from Fingon has been saving the day during the kinslaying. whether Maedhros is saying it to convince his father or because he truly feels it's currently deserved, he's nonetheless saying it.

a last point is the envoy with which he accepts to meet with Morgoh's forces: this is very shortly after Feanor's death, and Maedhros goes in with more warriors than agreed, though it's still not enough to counter Morgoth's own breaking of the terms. Maedrhos in this demonstrates that he's willing to pursue diplomacy despite his father's own words, but he is neither blindly trusting nor a good person who's simply out of his depth: he goes prepared to be the larger armed force and brings none of his brothers with him. it's not enough, but the attempt is there.

which reads to me as an ardour and eagerness that are kept in check by pretty solid abilities to plan, and that do not, really, counter his father's wishes in any truly consistent way. yes, the ship burning, but in the long run having all the Noldor in ME was going to be a benefit; I feel he could have well patched-up the problems without giving up any crown. yes, the parleying with Morgoth, but they just lost their father and despite that the Dagor-nuin-Giliath is a victory: he's coming as the winning party and newly crowned king, and he might, perhaps, find another route to proceed.

so these are more or less the salient points of my personal reconstruction of "early Maedhros". it'd be too long to get into post-captivity and this post is already long lmao, but I hope this made sense to you? and clarified how I understand his character with that early draft included as an aspect.

*all opinions and analyses are personal and are not attempting to establish a true canon. they make sense to me; I’d argue that I try to make them as textually supported as possible with a canon so fragmented. if my readers’ here are different, go on y’all’s merry way.

#Maedhros #quenta noldorinwa #answered.#outofangband

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multiverse-muse · 3 years

Text

A Pretty Cage is Still a Cage

magic!reader x loki, not quite canon compliant, also on my ao3

“Have you enjoyed learning from the strange doctor?” You control your urge to grin wide as you turn to face Loki. You were taking a break in the compound’s library, which was barely ever occupied beyond yourself.

“It’s Doctor Strange.” You correct, shaking your head and rolling your eyes at him, but you can’t hide your smile.

“That’s what I said.” Loki said.

“I’ve actually been training with Wanda, thank you very much. Stephen’s technique was a little too...intellectual for me. Theory learning and such.”

“No wonder you left his teaching, your magic is inane and hardly helped through books.” Loki paused. “Midgardian books, anyway. I’m sure even his Sanctum does not have half the amount of material as my own library.”

“I can’t tell if you’re bragging or still trying to be mean about Stephen.” Loki simply grinned, giving an elegant shrug. You roll your eyes. “Welcome back, Loki.”

“I’m not back for long. Thor wanted to check in on something quickly and then we’re headed back. I was hoping you’d return with us.” Loki explained. You simply blinked at him for a long moment before realizing your mouth was hanging open.

“Wait, wait, me? Going to Asgard?” With you?” You sputter.

“And my brother, but yes, you’ve gotten the gist of it. You need a good teacher if you are to master your magic.”

“Oh, no way. I would stick out like a sore thumb in Asgard. A very ugly, very sore thumb.” You argue. A frown crosses Loki’s face.

“You should know, you’re quite a pretty thumb. Far and away prettier than most. Asgard can hardly prepare itself for you.” Loki retorts. You frown and squint your eyes at him.

“I still can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

You had not been practicing your magic very long. Nor had you known Loki, Thor, and the other Avengers very long. You had met them only a few months ago, when a Hydra unit hit your hometown, looking for mutants to use in an army. All they found was you: you who had only had your abilities awoken during the scuffle with Hydra. After they were defeated, the Avengers offered you a place at their compound. They knew plenty of magic users who could help teach you or, if you had preferred, they had connections to Professor Xavier. You had declined that offer, preferring to learn from Loki.

Loki himself had not been with the Avengers long. After the death of his mother and his own revelation of sorts, he’d given up on conquest. He still longed for the throne, but now he planned to simply outlive Thor. Which, really, he thought wouldn’t take long, considering how many foolish things Thor gets himself involved with. His presence in the Avengers Compound made him an easy teacher to access.

This set up nicely for the two of you to become quick friends. Both on the outside of the circle, looking in and feeling out of place. Loki was better at hiding it, of course, and to an extent he did prefer to stay out of the spotlight. At least, when it came to the Avengers.

Now, you stood between the two brothers at the Bifrost, having just passed through the nauseating space tunnel thing that Thor uses to travel. Asgard loomed before you, beautiful and decadent and otherworldly. Which it was, you supposed. That and incredibly overwhelming.

“Welcome to our home.” Thor said.

“I’ve already alerted King Odin of your arrival.” You turn and spot a man who could only be Heimdall. You can’t help but appreciate his form even as the thought of Odin terrified you.

“Thank you, Heimdall.” Thor introduced the two of you officially before the two of you and Loki approached the main palace.

“What if your father doesn’t like me?” It bursts from your mouth before you can stop it and you reach out and grab onto Loki’s arm. “What if he sends me back to Earth?”

“Then he’ll only prove his own foolishness.” Loki waved away your concern easily. He took the hand on his arm and placed it in the crook of his elbow, so he was now leading you as you walked. The three of you are met at the door by a guard, joined by others as you walked, and by the time you reached the throne hall, you all had an entourage of nearly a dozen men. Someone on the other side of the door announced your presence and the door began to open. You hastily try to pull your hand from Loki’s arm, though he held tight and sent you a frowning glance.You tugged again but couldn’t budge from him.

“My sons!” Odin greeted from the throne. He was just as intimidating as you’d expected and if not for your hand still being in Loki’s grasp, you’re sure you would’ve either fainted or ran back out the door. “And our honored guest! Welcome to Asgard, milady.”

“Oh, ah, th-thank you!” You squeak out, then whisper to Thor, “Do I bow? Curtsy?”

“You may do either, if you feel the need but I do not require anyone to do so, particularly guests who may be unaware of traditions.” Odin eased your worry. He and the boys spoke for a moment before his attention turned back to you. “Now, as I understand, you are learning magic from my son. I’m curious to see where your abilities lie now, before his teaching.”

“Ah, yes, Your Majesty.” You glance at Loki and Thor with wide eyes before facing King Odin fully. You take a deep breath and raise your hands. One thing you’d learned while training with Dr. Strange and Wanda was that your powers came from feelings, not thoughts. As such, your magic tended to be temperamental. This time however, you channeled your nervousness into a solid energy and opened your eyes to see orbs of pale yellow light floating through the chamber.

“It’s not much.” You admit, lowering your hands. The orbs hang for a few moments before they start to fade, one by one. One falls to the floor and changes shape into that of a cat, which nudges Loki’s leg before disappearing. “But I’m learning.”

“I expect my son will do a good job teaching you, I am curious to see your abilities develop. Now, I allow you all to retire and clean up, for there will be a festive dinner tonight to celebrate your arrival home.” You’re all escorted from the throne room and then led to your chambers. The boys obviously knew where their own rooms were but neither seemed sure where you were meant to go. That question was answered by one of the guards stationed outside Thor’s room.

“One of the spare rooms connecting to Prince Loki’s chambers has been fitted out as a guest’s chambers. King Odin assumed she’d want to be near those she knew.” You sighed with relief even as your heart skipped a beat. You hadn’t expected to be staying so close to Loki.

“Good, good! I will meet the two of you before dinner.” Thor grinned at you and Loki before entering his room. The guards continued to escort you and Loki down the hallway.

“Where’s your room?” You ask. You feel Loki’s arm tense and realize you’ve left your hand in the crook of his elbow.

“Just another hallway or so down. Impatient to get into my private chambers?” Loki smirked and you rolled your eyes in response.

“I believe I remember someone promising me that the baths here are fantastic. I didn’t know if I should take one before dinner.” You said. You’re led down a set of stairs to another floor. Loki takes a deep, steadying breath before continuing on down the stairs. The lights seemed to be more abrasive down here, the air cooler. The guards finally stop at a door and gesture you towards it.

“Well, here we are. Home, sweet home.” Loki finally lets your hand drop free and he strolls into the room. After a moment of silence and looking at the guards, you finally follow him through. The first room is simply an antechamber and had three doors leading out. One was still closed, one leading further into a living room style chamber and the last seemed to be a bathroom of sorts. There were no windows in any of the rooms that you could see. The colors were all muted and it felt even chillier in here than in the hallway. You followed Loki into the living room.

“Why is it so…” You trailed off, not wanting to offend Loki if this was how he had meant his rooms to be.

“Bland? Oppressive?” Loki offered.

“I was going to say cold.” You mumble.

“Yes, that too.” Loki lets out a long sigh. “They don’t trust me in the royal corridor. They want me somewhere easy to watch, so they can keep an eye on me. They trust me only enough to go out with Thor. When he is gone, this is where I remain.”

“That’s...sad.” You said. Loki turned to you with a mild glare.

“I do not want your pity.” He snapped. You shake your head.

“No pity, Loki, it’s just sympathy.” You look around the room. Loki had obviously lived here a while: books littered every shelf and flat surface, a few pieces of clothing were tossed over furniture. But it still felt stifling, like there wasn’t quite room to breath. “They’re still keeping you locked up.”

“At least I’m no longer in the prison even further below, locked in a cage among those mongrels.” Loki all but snarls.

“It doesn’t matter how pretty it is, Loki, a cage is still a cage.” You regard the room again while Loki regards you. He walks over to you, looking contemplative.

“You’re the only one who sees this the way I do. My father tells me he loves me, yet there’s chains on the door at night.” Loki muses.

“Really?” You ask in disbelief.

“No, of course not, simple chains would not stop me.” Loki gives you a sly grin and you just give him a deadpan stare. “But, thank you for the...sympathy. Now, go on to your room. Make sure you look decent. If you get bored, you know where to find me.”

Dinner was not as wild an affair as you’d feared it would be. Thor explained that feasts were more festive, but a simple welcome home ‘fancy dinner’ was not enough of a cause for the Asgardians to go crazy. Not since Thor and Loki now returned home regularly, anyway. You were quiet all through dinner, mostly due to nerves and the fear that you’d open your mouth and call Odin out for how he still locked Loki away like a bird.

Dinner and the next few days melted away quickly. During morning hours, Loki trained you to use your powers. Afternoons were spent exploring Asgard, meeting people, and warrior training. You didn’t participate in the warrior training. That was specifically for Loki and Thor, occasionally with Sif, the Warriors Three, and/or Brunnhilde. Mostly you read through these sessions, enjoying the outdoors but staying far removed from the scuffles.

“She’s not looking, you can stop trying to show off.” Brunnhilde said, clipping Loki on the shoulder as they were sparring.

“I beg your pardon?” Loki asked. Brunnhilde rolled her eyes and easily ducked the strike of his dagger. There was a reason Loki preferred magic to actual combat.

“You’ve been showing off, hoping she’s watching. We’re not dumb.” She glances over to Thor and Volstagg, who were tangled in some strange wrestling. “I’m not dumb.” She replied. She disarmed him easily and then knocked him onto his ass. Without thinking, he glanced at you, though you were too absorbed in the book you held and didn’t see him looking so foolish. Loki sighed in relief and then started when Brunnhilde snorted.

“You brothers and your Midgardians.” She strut off over to Sif and Loki had to help himself up out of the dirt.

“See, you’re not terrible at this.” Loki said.

“Thanks.” You reply sarcastically, concentrating on the pale yellow shield you’d managed to form around yourself. “That sounds an awful lot like you mean I’m not good at it.”

“I didn’t say that.” Loki grins. You roll your eyes and the magic shield drops. You lower your hands and throw yourself onto the nearby couch. It was easiest for you both to train in Loki’s chambers than to go to any other space where you’d have a handful of guards watching your and Loki’s everymove.

“Can I be done? For a little while?” You grumble. Magic was hard. Magic was tiring. And spending so much time with Loki was making you worry that your heart was going to give out.

“We’ve barely begun.” Loki replies, though he joins you on the couch.

“We can just chill for a while. You’ve been training me and then training with Thor, you must be exhausted.” You say. He simply hums in reply, waving his hand and making a book appear. You grin to yourself, before settling more comfortably into the couch. Every once in a while, Loki would read a passage of the book aloud to you, if he thought it funny or clever or interesting.

The next thing you knew, you were blinking awake slowly. You panicked a moment as someone touched you before realizing it was just someone playing with your hair. It took another moment to realize who it must have been. You were draped across Loki, your head in his lap while he kept reading, his free hand running through your hair. You close your eyes to savor the moment. Loki chuckles lowly to himself and you take a breath to steel yourself.

“What’s funny?” You mumble. Loki’s hand immediately disappears from your hair.

“Just the author being an incompetent fool.” Loki answers. You finally sit up, rubbing your eyes, while Loki gives you a mildly amused look. “Did you enjoy your nap?”

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” You whine, blushing. Loki sets his book to the side and shifts slightly to face you more.

“Someone came by while you slept. My father is preparing a feast to celebrate the beginning of Jul. As an honored guest of his sons, you are required to go.” Loki’s face formed into an unhappy frown. “As a son, I am required to go.”

“So...like the welcoming feast but worse?” You ask. Loki rises, returning his book to the shelf but answering you as he goes.

“The dinner you attended on your first night was not even a true feast. This feast will last for hours, go late into the evening, requires dancing, and almost certainly will end with my brother being so drunk he does something ridiculous.”

“Oh. Wait! What am I supposed to wear?” You ask. When you’d arrived, you’d been brought a variety of garments to choose from. You preferred pants and a top over the dresses that were offered to you, though they were pretty. Simple Asgardian clothing was still fancier than anything you’d ever owned back on Earth. Even still, everything you had at your disposal was not suited for a fancy gathering.

“Clothing, probably.” Loki’s grin turned mischievous. “Or nothing, if you’d prefer, though I would suggest keeping to the chambers if you decide to run around nude.” You throw the pillow from the couch at him, which he easily waves away with a chuckle.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you? You ass.” You scoff at him, trying to hide the blush rising. You rise from the couch, checking the clock on the wall. You’d barely learned to read the Asgardian script but you could tell it was time for lunch. Your attention was dragged back to Loki as he approached you.

“Is that such a problem, if I would enjoy it?” Loki asked lowly, reaching up and tucking some hair back behind your ear. You really were blushing now, hardly able to keep eye contact with him.

“Loki-” You were cut off as a bang! came from the door.

“Brother! Y/N!” Thor called from beyond the door. You rushed away from Loki, feeling suddenly very out of breath and very disappointed. You opened the door to reveal a grinning Thor. “Volstagg and his family has invited us for lunch, if you liked to join.”

“That sounds nice.” You say without thinking. You both look towards Loki who has an unreadable expression on his face.

“I’ll stay and eat here, I’d rather not deal with the miniature Volstaggs running around.” Loki comments. You deflated a bit but Thor looked even more disappointed. So you held your tongue, still agreeing to go with Thor, and waved goodbye to Loki, promising to see him later.

***

The next few weeks were spent as the last few, except now most attendees of Odin were running around in a buzz, setting up for the Jul feast. You and Loki had both seemingly decided not to acknowledge whatever it was that was happening before Thor had interrupted you both. Loki had assured you that he’d take care of your attire for the feast, so you had nothing to worry about other than learning Asgardian dances so as not to make a fool of yourself.

More often than not, it was Sif or Brunnhilde who took the time to teach you. Loki and Thor were getting pulled into meetings and off-world visitations with Odin, leaving you to the girls and Warriors Three. You didn’t mind it so much. Brunnhilde was certainly becoming a fast friend and who couldn’t like Volstagg? The others were still in the acquaintance category, though that was changing too.

The morning of the feast, you woke early (though there were no windows with which to really tell the time). You were a ball of nerves and as the day went on, they simply got worse. Loki was nowhere to be found in his chambers or the common areas you two shared. The guard outside the door (only one, since Loki wasn’t present) assures you he’d return to fetch you for the feast and that lunch would be brought to you. So you spent the majority of the afternoon into evening by yourself, fretting and pacing around, while occasionally trying to concentrate on practicing your magic.

You’re startled in the early evening when the main door flies open, Loki sweeping into a room with an armful of boxes.

“I’ve got your dress here, we’d better dress quickly, as my father is an impatient man and it will do us better to arrive fashionably on time rather than late.” Loki said this as he handed you a box. “I’d much rather wait and make a dramatic entrance, but alas.”

“Thanks,” You mumble, taking the box from him. It was quite heavy.

“I’ll have your shoes set out here whenever you’re done.” Loki’s voice followed you to your room. You shut the door softly behind you and then dumped the box on the bed, carefully pulling out the dress from within. The green fabric was a heavy velvet type, but soft and you hoped it wouldn’t be too warm. It wasn’t until you’d stripped and pulled the dress on that you’d realized the type of neckline it had.

“Loki!” You screech, all but stomping out of your room and into the common room. You hands held up the very low neckline and covered the expanse of chest and cleavage it left exposed. Loki’s door was slightly ajar and he poked his head around to look at you. A slow grin worked its way across his face. “I can’t wear this!”

“Obviously you can. Give me a moment to fully dress.” Loki disappeared back behind his door, though you could swear you heard him chuckling slightly.

You went back to the mirror in your room and examined yourself in the dress. The heavy velvet helped the dress lay in a flattering way across your body, down to the floor, though the long slit in the front made you nervous to walk. The bardot neckline would’ve been nice had it been an inch or so higher, but currently it showed off a little too much of your chest for you to be comfortable, especially considering the v-shaped notch in the front that showed off a hint of the skin between your breasts. The off-the-shoulder sleeves were just a thick band of the same velvet and surprisingly didn’t restrict your movement too much.

“Alright, what was the issue?” Loki called. You slowly trudged to the shared room, moving your arms back up to cover your chest. And you stilled in the doorway. Loki has always cleaned up nicely but you’d never seen him go all out in a suit and tie. It was a very modern, very Earth style outfit, all black except for the silky green shirt beneath the jacket (a green that nearly matched the color of your dress, you noted absentmindedly). He had smoothed his hair back so it lay across his shoulders but out of his face. As you looked him up and down, he did the same to you. “You’ve not even put on the shoes.”

Loki picked up a box near the couch before approaching you, opening it to reveal dainty and strappy golden heels. When you didn’t make a move to take them, he rolled his eyes with a slight smile on his face.

“You’re meant to put them on.” Loki said.

“I-I can’t bend over to put them on.” You said distractedly, eyes still lingering on his lean form. He huffed but tugged on your arm, leading you to the couch.

“Sit.” You did. You kept your arms covering your chest but almost dropped them in surprise when Loki knelt, slipping the shoes on your feet quickly and with ease. “There, now, up.” You stood shakily, though the heels proved to be sturdier than they appeared.

“I can’t wear this to the feast, Loki.” You repeated. Loki shook his head.

“And why not? I chose this style especially for you, picked out the fabric and everything.” Loki...was he pouting? “There’s no time for a new one to be made.”

“I didn’t need a special made dress. I would’ve stood out badly enough in a regular Asgardian dress. This is....too much. For me.” You almost reach out to him but at the last minute remember what your hands are covering. The small movement catches Loki’s gaze and he frowns again, nearly unnoticeable but there. He reaches out slowly, taking both of your wrists in his hands.

His eyes seek yours, anticipating you to stop him, but you don’t. You can’t bring yourself to do so. If there’s anyone is this realm you trust, it’s Loki.He pulls your hands away from your chest, bringing them down between the two of you. His eyes sweep across your figure and you can’t stop the heat rising to your face, your ears.

“Just a moment, dear.” Loki disappears into his room for just a moment before emerging again, something cradled in his hands. He pockets it before pulling your hair up and away from your neck , though if he makes it stay with pins or magic, you aren’t sure. Then from his pocket he pulls out the necklace he’d fetched from his room. It’s all dainty gold chain, except for the large emerald colored jewel hanging in the center.

You shiver as his hands go around your neck, fastening the necklace. It sits heavily along your chest, the many loops of chains almost tickling your skin. The stone sits nicely just above the middle of your breasts, a large shimmering stone that complemented the dress nicely. When Loki didn’t remove his hands, you finally gain the courage to look up at him. His gaze lingers a moment longer on your chest before meeting your gaze. He almost looks tinged rosy himself but he offers a soft smile and steps back.

“There. Perfection in mortal form.” Loki smiles at his work and, yes, it is a beautiful outfit, but you are still distracted with the amount of skin you’re exposing. “Any more unnecessary complaints?”

“No.” You mumble. Loki was not going to let you change, you’d finally accepted that. “Loki, are you really wearing an Earth suit? To an Asgardian feast?”

“I thought it looked quite fetching, and judging by your staring earlier, I would assume you did as well.” You shot him an unamused and slightly blushing look. “Besides, I am one of the royals Princes, and Gods know Thor never looks the part.” You snort at that, shaking your head.

“They’re gonna stare, so much.” You whine. Loki smiles.

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

***

“You look ready to die.” Brunnhilde says as she sidles up to you. You nearly jump out of your skin, your drink sloshing almost out of the glass.

“No one is talking to me, no one has asked me to dance.” You hiss at her. You’d watched as the evening wore on and many people had approached the other women for dances. Loki and Thor had been swept into the political meet-and-greets so you’d been sitting mostly alone, save for the few times Brunnhilde or Sif had stopped to check on you. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Well, you can blame Loki for no one trying to dance with you, you know.” Brunnhilde said. At your confused look she sighed and pointed at your necklace. It glimmered even in the dim room and seemed to swirl with magic. “That necklace is like a land claim. He’s using it to warn other men to stay away from you.”

“What?” You reach up to handle the stone, which was warm to the touch. You frown at the idea of Loki’s possessiveness and try to unhook it from your neck. Your fingers scramble against the back of the necklace but find no purchase: there was no way to remove it.

“To be fair,” Brunnhilde continues, sipping her drink, “You do look incredible in that dress. I can’t blame him for wanting to keep you to himself.” You clumsily excuse yourself from her company, heading straight for an empty balcony. You needed the fresh air, to breath. You stood out there for who knows how long before you sensed a presence behind you.

“Are you out here hiding?” Loki asked, joining you at the railing. You turn to him with a furrowed brow.

“No, not that it matters. No one in there would speak with me anyway.” You say and a confused look crosses his face, before you jab your finger towards the necklace around your neck. The confused look fades into almost a sheepish look but that too quickly disappears.

“I suppose Brunnhilde told you what it implies? I saw the two of you speaking.”

“Yes, she did tell me. Unlike you.” You cross your arms. The movement causes Loki to glance down and his eyes linger on your gilded chest. Realizing this, you quickly uncross your arms. You poke him in the chest. “Quit, just- Stop staring!”

“My apologies, it can be hard to look away from an image so tantalizing.” Loki curls his hand around the one you’d used to poke him. He didn’t let it go, simply held on to it, connecting the two of you.

“Stop teasing me.” You huff.

“How am I teasing? I am stating the truth.” He says it simply.

“Loki,” You start but nearly choke on the feeling of your heart in your throat. Why is it that Loki, that liking Loki, can make you so nervous?

“Yes, ástin mín?” You pause, taken aback by the use of the Asgardian language.

“What? What does that mean?” You ask. Loki sighs, not out of impatience or annoyance but as if to steel himself.

“I recognize I have perhaps been unfair to you, Y/N.” Loki says, his thumb lightly rubbing the one of yours that he is holding. “I had you wear the necklace for myself, not for you. I reasoned that it would protect you from untoward advances, thought it didn’t cross my mind you might would have wanted the attention.”

“I’m-what? No, no, I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with other people in there.” You shake your head. “I just felt like no one wanted to have anything to do with me because I’m an outsider.”

“I’m sorry that I am the cause of you feeling such a way. Might you forgive me?” Loki asks. You smile but smile meekly up at him.

“Only if you tell me what you called me a minute ago.” You say. Loki stills.

“Ask of me anything else and I’ll oblige.” Loki says. He keeps his eyes down, away from you. He tries to pull his hand from you but you hold on tighter to him.

“Nothing you could say could make me leave, Loki.” You say, sounding confident despite your nerves. “You could call me an old hag and I’d still...You’d still be my favorite person.”

“You would still?” Curse Loki and his unwavering attentiveness. You shake your head, unable to say the words. Loki’s expression lifts, a slight smile curling across his features. He takes one step towards you, then another, until there is barely any space between you.

“If you would stop me,” Loki says, his voice almost a whisper as he leans closer to you, “Do so now, before I cannot stop myself.” You say nothing.

The kiss is soft at first, a tentative touch. Loki was waiting for you to stop him, you realize. To refuse him. You reach up with your free hand and grasp his lapel lightly. It’s a light touch but it's enough for him to feel and understand. He drops the hand of yours he had been holding so he could bring both of his hands to your face, cradling your face between his hands as he pulls away just slightly from you.

The look on Loki’s face is an extraordinary one. All of his armor had fallen away and you were finally seeing him as he wanted to be. He was unguarded and looking at you as if you were the only source of warmth he’d found in decades.

“Ástin mín. It means my love.” You can’t help but stare at Loki at those words, heart pounding in your chest. Even as your heart stutters, you tug on his jacket, tugging him back to you.

This kiss is more heated, less slow. Loki’s hands still curl around your face, sliding into your hair and pulling you ever closer. You loop your arms around his neck, thankful for the heels that boost your height just enough to do so without stretching terribly far. The kiss is needy, as Loki pulls you impossibly close to him.

“Excuse me, sire.” The two of you part at the words, Loki barely tilting his head to look towards the guard.

“What is it?” Loki asks, bitingly. He hands dropped from your face to your hips, still holding you near him.

“Your father says that your presence is being missed.” The guard speaks uneasily, obviously unnerved by Loki’s glare.

“My father can wait. Now, leave us.” Loki orders. The guard does not hesitate to scramble back inside. Loki looks back to you, with an amused look on his face. “Do you even see what you’re doing?”

“What?” You look around and see magic orbs of yellow floating around the two of you, swirls of the same magic wrapping around the two of you. “Oh, my god.”

“Feeling-based magic is a bit of a giveaway, is it not?” Loki teases softly and you bury your head into his chest, groaning in embarrassment. He laughs lightly, a laugh you’ve so rarely heard. “I cannot complain, I suppose. It is gratifying to see the reaction I cause within you.”

“You are going to be so insufferable.” You mumble into his chest. You sense the smile on his face and end up smiling yourself when you feel him plant a quick kiss to the top of your head.

“I suppose we’d better head back to the feast, before my father sends Thor after us. That’s not a conversation I feel particularly up to. And if we’re lucky, we’ll sneak away early.”

#loki x reader #mcu reader insert #mcu imagines #loki x you #loki imagine #loki oneshot

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spaceshipkat · 2 years

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part 1 with the prologue - chapter 10 can be found here. (i was going to have 20 chapters per post as usual but it's getting too long)

part 2 of my h0sab recap will cover chapters 11 - 20

chapter 11: back in Tharion's POV, we learn he was a lazy student, vomits after torturing people, and doesn't know why he was put in charge of the River Queen's intelligence. he hacks into Sofie's email thanks to a system Declan set up for him. Tharion can't live Above (aka on land) bc he needs to be at the River Queen's beck and call. he also needs to return to water soon, after being in his human form for a day. Tharion doesn't live underwater bc he likes tv and food neither soggy nor wet. Sofie has a lot of normal emails in her inbox. as the timeline counts down for when he needs to return to water, he finds some strange emails between Sofie and someone who goes as BansheeFan56 who turns out to be Danika and the mention of a place where Sofie could lay low. Tharion sprints for the water with just three minutes to spare and gets into the airlock before it fills with water and wants to wait five minutes to ensure his body's properly hydrated. he spends the time thinking about Danika being involved with Sofie somehow. the location Danika gave was described as "where the weary souls find relief from their suffering". Tharion returns to his human form and looks through the field reports that came in while he was in the water, finding one that says an abandoned boat had been found in the Nelthian Marshes. the boat registration caught his eye bc it made berth in Pangera, and there was a lifevest from the Bodegraven found in it as had the lingering scent of a young man. Tharion wonders if Emile, Sofie's brother, had any reason to believe that Sofie had escaped the Hind with her life. after a page break, Tharion is on a "wave skimmer" up the Istros River in search of the aforementioned boat. he wonders if Emile was eaten by the sobeks (CCity's crocodiles). he sees muddy footprints in the boat that prove a child was indeed in it. there's plenty of fuel in the boat, so it clearly didn't run aground. Tharion follows the smell of blood to an arm that had clearly been ripped off, but there's no body and the scent is a day fresher than that in the boat. there's an insignia of the Lightfall Unit in the Ophion, the rebels. there are many scents here to indicate the Lightfall Unit was here in search of Emile. he returns to the boat and finds a map, then calls one of his officers to get them to set up a search party through the marshes, and if they find Emile he wants them to follow him to find out who he might meet up with or lead them to.

chapter 12: back with Hunt, he's watching Bruce eat ice cream and feeling horny about it. they're walking together, since her scooter was making strange sounds and she didn't want to risk getting back onto it. she asks Hunt to carry it for her and he agrees, though it's heavy. Hunt says he can take a look at it bc he knows how to work with machines due to his lightning and bc Sandriel wanted him to know how mech-suits worked so he could sabotage them, and he feels a lot of guilt over killing people that way. Bruce says he's sorry Sandriel made him do that. they move on to what they're gonna do about Pollux and Baxian. Hunt hopes Celestina can keep them in line and he says that the five minutes he spent talking with Celestina weren't enough to make a judgement on her character. Bruce says she spoke to Isaiah and Naomi on her way to collect Hunt and both of them seem to like Celestina. Hunt thinks the Asteri sent Pollux to Lunathion for a reason, perhaps to rile Hunt himself up, but Bruce counters that the Asteri told them to lie low so she can't see why they'd do something to make him do the opposite. Hunt finds it hard to believe that Pollux and Baxian being here isn't a sign that shit's about to hit the fan. Bruce tells Hunt she doesn't hold a grudge against Ithan anymore bc she doesn't have time for grudges, but Hunt points out she's immortal now so she technically does. since Bruce and Danika communicated via the Gates during her Drop, the city now uses them for announcements. Bruce asks Hunt to promise not to try to do anything to make Celestina punish him bc she couldn't live through his wings being chopped off again, and Hunt says he shouldn't have let Pollux goad him on. as the sun starts to set, they get up to leave but then a boat approaches the Black Gate with a Reaper on it. the Reaper steps onto the pier and walks past them into the city. they're about to leave when Tharion lands his wave skimmer at the pier and tells Bruce they need to talk. back in Bruce's apartment, Tharion says he found her bc he has eyes everywhere. Ithan says he knows Tharion based on scent and that he's "Captain Whatever" and Tharion says "Ketos". Bruce texts Ruhn to get over to her apartment "NOW". Tharion asks Bruce if Danika ever talked about someone named Sofie, and Bruce asks "Sofie who?" and Hunt asks what this is about and Tharion says he's just updating old files. Tharion says there's a cold case he's working on and Hunt cuts him off, ordering him not to lie to Bruce, so Tharion explains he's looking into Sofie Renast and gives a recap of everything we've already learned. he doesn't know why the River Queen is after Emile and Sofie, but it has to do with Danika bc of their emails. Hunt asks if Tharion is insane bc searching for rebels and not turning them is a good way to be crucified. Tharion tells them to not tell anyone about this and starts to leave but Bruce blocks his path bc she demands to know why Danika was involved with a human rebel. Ithan asks why Emile didn't use his power to get out of the death camp. Bruce says that Danika wasn't a rebel and she wasn't involved with anyone named Sofie Renast, but Tharion says the email account links them. Bruce demands to know what the emails said, and Tharion asks if Dusk's Truth or Project Thurr mean anything to her, but Bruce doesn't know anything about them. Bruce says he's stupid if he thinks she's not going to go looking for Emile and Hunt reminds her the Asteri ordered them to lay low, and Tharion says she should do that, and Hunt says the Asteri will kill everyone she knows if she gets involved with the rebels, that they won't get a trial, only an execution. Ruhn enters then and Tharion accuses Bruce of inviting him. Ruhn asks what's going on and why Ithan is here, and Bruce says that he's a "free agent" now and will be staying with her. Ruhn gapes when Bruce says that Tharion thinks Danika was in league with the rebels and explains everything Tharion has told them, leading to Ruhn wondering if it's possible that Danika really was in league with the rebels. Bruce says

no, Danika was far more concerned about junk food, and Tharion points out she wouldn't have wanted to mention anything to Bruce bc she'd worry it would only endanger her. Hunt tells Tharion that getting involved in this is likely a slippery slope, and Tharion apologizes for coming here bc this must be difficult for Hunt. Ruhn asks if she's sure that he thinks Sofie could be alive, and Tharion says yes. Tharion says the Hind may already be on her way to Lunathion bc Emile's powers will still attract people. Bruce asks why Tharion wants him and Tharion explains that Emile would be safe Beneath; he doesn't know what the River Queen wants with Emile, but he swears she wouldn't harm him. Hunt says the 33rd hasn't heard anything about the Hind coming to Pangera or that Ophion is here, and Tharion explains what he found in the marshes. Bruce accuses Tharion, again, of wanting Emile to be a child soldier, and Tharion says that it's either him looking into this or someone else who might not be as "independently minded". Tharion explains what was in the emails again when Ithan questions whether or not Danika really was a rebel. Bruce says she'll ask Fury about it tomorrow, though Tharion tells her to call her now, though Bruce says that it's date night and Fury won't want to be interrupted. Tharion sighs and gives Bruce a "sampling" of the emails bw Sofie and Danika. he then says to not put anything in writing and that he'll be back around lunch tomorrow. as soon as he's gone, Hunt tells Bruce that getting involved is a bad idea, and Ruhn agrees. there's a lot of back and forth about whether or not this is about saving Emile or learning more about Danika, and she tells Hunt she'll think about it and stalks away. Bruce reads the emails between Sofie and Emile and Bruce decides she can't do nothing. she then orders pizza and sees that Hunt's bedroom door is shut. in Hunt's POV, he turns on the shower and thinks about how Bruce of course wants to get involved and that her longing to help is what makes him like her. back in Bruce's POV, pizza has arrived and Hunt likes something called Carnivore's Delight. over pizza, Ruhn and Bruce have a conversation about how weird it is that Ithan is here, Ruhn points out that Bruce is technically a Starborn Princess and therefore Sabine could take this as an affront, so Ruhn says he can take Ithan in and pretend he's hiring him to work in the Aux, so Bruce agrees but says to give it a couple days so it doesn't look like Bruce is kicking him out. Ruhn points out Ithan never helped her when she needed it and she says she didn't help Ithan when he needed it, so Ruhn relents. Hunt points out that it's rude to have silent conversations. Ithan tells Bruce he heard she had her Ordeal and congratulates her, and she turns to Ruhn and says he had his Ordeal in Avallen and wonders if Cormac was there. then Flynn and Declan enter, telling Bruce that they took Ruhn's fingerprints to gain access to her apartment building after adding their own to the system and they also made physical copies of her apartment keys. Bruce demands the key and says she's gonna change the fingerprint system to something more secure. Flynn sticks the key in his pocket and tells her to come get it, to which Hunt is all huffy. Flynn comments on Ithan being here. Flynn says he heard Bruce mention their Ordeal and that he was there too and Bruce says that it was only Ruhn who got the Starsword. Ruhn says he was 27 and his dad sent him there to "check out the ladies" and Flynn explains that there was a fae the autumn king wanted Ruhn to marry, but so did Cormac until neither of them ended up with the fae. Bruce says she hopes that the contention bw Flynn, Declan, Ruhn, and Cormac isn't over women, and Declan says only partially since Cormac also tried to kill all of them. Ithan wonders about fae being allies with each other and Flynn is shocked and says no, Avallen and Valbaran fae hate each other. Declan, Ruhn, and Flynn talk about their Ordeal. Flynn asks Ithan if he's gonna keep his tattoos, Ithan says "what's it to you?" and Flynn

says he just wants to tell Ithan that Sabine and Amelie are horrible people. Hunt says he's sharing a room with Bruce tonight and Ithan says good bc she snores.

chapter 13: Bruce barely sleeps that night bc Hunt is sharing her bed. the next morning she has a terrible headache. when Ember calls, Bruce immediately suspects her voice is too calm. Bruce asks if they got home all right, and Ember says yes and she also got a lot of phone calls asking when the wedding is. Bruce tries to play dumb by asking if Ember and Randall are renewing their vows, and Ember asks if this engagement is some stunt to get Hunt to confess his love to her, which makes Hunt choke. Bruce says it's not a real engagement, and Ember says it sounds like it's real and asks if she knows who Cormac's dad is, and Bruce says she's not going to marry him. Ember asks why there's a photo of a meeting at work yesterday, to which Hunt's "wings flared with alarm," and Bruce says that Cormac ambushed her but reassures her mom it was in a "nonphysical way" and has no intention of marrying "Prince Creepster" but Ember has to trust Bruce to deal with it, shooting Hunt a look to include him there too. Ember says Bruce is playing games with fae royals who will outsmart her, but Bruce says she has to go bc she has an important meeting. Ember doesn't want to hang up so Bruce reiterates that she has to trust Bruce to handle it, that she doesn't get a say in what she does or doesn't do, and tells her mom to stay out of it, which causes stunned silence. Bruce continues that handling this engagement is nothing compared to what she's been through, so Ember needs to stop. Ember reiterates that she wants to help, Bruce declines, Ember says that she and Randall are there for her and then hangs up. Hunt asks why Bruce didn't tell him that Cormac came by yesterday and Bruce says bc she got a call from Celestina that Hunt was in a holding cell and then forgot to tell him, then leaves to get dressed for a meeting. when she returns, Hunt is in his 33rd gear and she tells Ithan to make himself at home, then clips Syrinx (her chimera pet) to his leash and heads for the elevator, Hunt joining her inside. Hunt asks why things are weird between them, Bruce deflects a little but apologizes for doing so when Hunt says he's serious, and Hunt asks about Cormac again and what he said, so Bruce tells him, and Hunt asks if he touched her while his lightning sparks a bit, and Bruce says no as they leave her apartment building behind, that Cormac is just a creep. before they part ways, she makes Hunt promise that he won't start any fights, and he agrees so long as she calls him when Cormac appears next. she promises and asks Hunt to tell her if he hears from Tharion or learns anything about Emile, though she doesn't say his name with all the cameras in Lunathion. Hunt says that he knows Bruce wants to help and that he commends her for it, but they really must weigh all the options, to which Bruce squeezes his hand and agrees. Hunt says that Tharion threw him last night and dragged up a lot of stuff, but if Bruce wants to move forward with it, they have to talk it through first. she agrees but says she's still going to meet with Fury right now, and he says all right but they're still gonna have to talk about all the weirdness between them. Bruce meets up with Juniper and Fury at a tea bar, Juniper saying she wanted to say hi to Bruce before practice. Bruce asks if they've ordered and they have, though Juniper's is to go. Bruce reminisces about dancing. we learn what Juniper did during the attack on Lunathion and what it might have done to her dancing career. Bruce asks if Juniper's given any thought to another ballet company, Juniper says "yeah" but they're a step down, so she wants to hold out for a year to see if anything changes. Fury and Juniper kiss goodbye, Juniper kisses Bruce's cheek goodbye, and then she leaves. Bruce asks Fury if she's "got it bad" and Fury says she really does. Fury asks what the urgent thing Bruce needs to talk about is, and she says "Danika," because Bruce thinks that talking to Fury about Danika but not Emile or anything else doesn't break her promise to Hunt that they'd talk about it before taking any actual steps. Bruce

thinks it's safe enough to talk to Fury about it here at the tea bar bc it's pretty empty so early in the day. Fury asks if it has to do with Ithan staying with Bruce, and Bruce is shocked she knows about that. Fury says Ithan still has a thing for her but Bruce says he has a thing for Nathalie. Bruce asks Fury if there's anything secret she was keeping for Danika, and Fury asks for elaboration, so Bruce tells her about Sofie etc etc etc. Fury says she believes Bruce but doesn't know anything about Danika and the rebels. Bruce asks if Fury thinks the meeting is in the Bone Quarter, but Fury says that Danika would never have sent a kid there and wouldn't have been that obvious. Fury doesn't know anything about Project Thurr or Dusk's Truth but Danika was always into weird shit. Bruce asks if Danika might have been keeping anything else secret, and Fury says the only thing is that Danika is a bloodhound, able to scent bloodlines and the secrets in them. it's dangerous to be a bloodhound. Bruce asks what the odds are that Sofie knew this, and Fury says no idea but probably slim. Fury asks if Bruce is sure she wants to go looking for Emile, and Bruce says it isn't just for him but also bc she wants to know what Danika was really up to and to find out if Danika really had things to do with Ophion and Sofie. Fury says it's dangerous and Bruce says Hunt said the same thing and that they're both right, but she wants to do everything she can to learn more about Danika's secrets. Fury asks what Bruce will do when she knows the truth and Bruce says hope she can accept it.

chapter 14: Hunt and Isaiah observe training on the rooftop of the Comitium. Hunt could barely sleep last night and Bruce is perfect bc she recognized what he was trying to say but couldn't beyond that they need to talk before shooting. there's an hour before Tharion is due to show up at Bruce's apartment to talk. Isaiah asks Hunt if he thinks they'll wind up back on the battlefields of a war, and Hunt knows Isaiah means the battlefields where Sandriel sent them to kill Ophion rebels when it first formed. Hunt wonders what Isaiah would think about Tharion, and recalls when Isaiah told Hunt that he and Shahar would kill all of them with their plan. Hunt and Shahar didn't agree, didn't listen, and a few hours later she was dead. Hunt shakes the thoughts away in favor of looking over the training again. Pollux and Baxian are overseeing shooting, Baxian in his black canine form. Hunt says it's wrong to see them there instead of Viktoria and Justinian. Baxian notices Hunt's attention and shifts into his humanoid form before approaching Hunt and Isaiah (who had warned Hunt to relax), saying that he expected Hunt was doing something more exciting in Valbara and is surprised he hasn't dropped dead of boredom yet, to which Hunt says some people seek quiet lives. Isaiah leaves the conversation. Baxian mocks him for wanting a "nine-to-five job" and taps the scar on his neck (the one Hunt gave him) and says that the man ("male" but i can't be bothered) who gave him that scar would be ashamed. Hunt says that man always wanted peace. Baxian says it didn't seem like that when Hunt's lightning flayed him, and Hunt says handed "that rebel family" over to Sandriel so Baxian deserved it. Baxian says that Hunt was always literal and couldn't read bw the lines, Hunt demands to know what that means, Baxian says that he may not have been a slave like Hunt but he had little choice in choosing to serve Sandriel. Hunt says it's bullshit, that Baxian served her gladly, and Baxian says that Hunt never asked him why he was in her triarii, not once. Hunt is "surface-level" with everyone and Hunt says fuck off and orders him to return to work, and Baxian says it is work bc the Celestina just ordered him and Hunt to team up. Hunt wonders if Celestina somehow knows about Tharion's search for Emile and thinks that perhaps Baxian is there to keep an eye on him, so he refuses. Baxian says he's been stuck with "that prick" (meaning Pollux) for 100 years and it's therefore someone else's turn (meaning Naomi). Hunt asks why they weren't told during the meeting, and Baxian says he thinks Celestina has been monitoring their behavior all morning and wouldn't want them to put up a front by altering their behavior. Hunt asks to what end and Celestina, as if summoned, texts him that she wants him to show him around the city, ease him into what life is like, teach him about Valbara. Hunt says Celestina put Naomi in charge of helping Pollux adjust, and Isaiah meets his gaze across the way after reading Celestina's message with alarm, but not bc he himself is meant to escort Celestina around Lunathion. Hunt says that there's no way Pollux will let anyone show him the ropes, and Baxian says that they should let Pollux dig his own grave bc he's too upset over being separated from the Hind to understand his new life. Hunt says he didn't think Pollux was capable of caring for anyone like that, and Baxian says he isn't, he just likes to "have control" over his "belongings", to which Hunt says that the Hind belongs to no one though he doesn't know her well. Hunt asks if the Hind really isn't coming to Lunathion and Baxian says no, Pollux heard this morning. Hunt asks if Mordoc (the head of the Hind's dreadwolves) is making his move, and Baxian says the Hind isn't his type and he doesn't want to go up against Pollux. Hunt asks if Mordoc went with the Hind to Ephraim, and Baxian says yeah they're all in Forvos rn, and the delay is pissing off the Hind and the Harpy. this means that the Hind isn't in pursuit of Emile at the moment, which he supposes means Ophion is now

Emile's biggest threat. Hunt says he thought Baxian and the Harpy were a pair, and he laughs and says that she would be a better match for Pollux than the Hind and Pollux. Hunt notes that Baxian refers to the Hind by her given name (Lidia). Hunt asks about someone known as the Hawk, and Baxian says doing what he does best, which is attempting to outmatch Pollux for brutality. the Hawk, a hawk shifter, had been Pollux's main rival for decades. Hunt says that Baxian is free now that Sandriel is dead, so why stick around. Baxian says he could ask the same as Hunt, Hunt says he needs the money, and Baxian says that Bruce must be an expensive girlfriend. Baxian says he likes Bruce bc she has balls. Isaiah calls to Hunt, and Hunt is glad for the excuse to walk away, but first tells Baxian that the first rule to getting adjusted to Lunathion is to not talk to Hunt unless he talks to Baxian first. he outranks Baxian as Isaiah's Second. Baxian says he's taking this assignment seriously, bc he's irritated at Hunt for that comment, and Hunt smiles "savagely" and says he knows and is doing the same. "Baxian had the good sense to look a little nervous." back in Tharion's POV, he wants to own Bruce's apartment but didn't make enough to afford it, nor would the River Queen allow him to live Above. Tharion knocks on the door, Ithan answers and says Bruce isn't back yet, and Tharion says he knows bc Bruce told him and shows Ithan the text exchange. Ithan double checks that the number under Bruce's name is really her number and says that he thought Bruce was involved with Hunt, and Tharion says she is but he and "Legs" have an arrangement about her underwear. Ithan lets Tharion in and he sits down on the couch, then says it occured to him last night that Ithan didn't say much about Danika. Ithan asks what he means, Tharion says that Ithan may be a jock but he's not dumb so he knows what he means, which is that he was referring to what he told Bruce last night. Ithan wonders why Danika would tell him anything about being a rebel, Tharion says that they were close, Ithan says that Danika was his Alpha, Tharion says he wasn't in the Pack of Devils, Ithan says no but he would've been. Tharion prods Ithan for answers about places Danika might have sent Sofie and mentions Connor and Ithan snarls at him to not talk about his brother, Tharion says noted and asks if Ithan really does know nothing. Ithan says they never talked about the rebels, and he hates that he and Bruce are both being dragged into this. Tharion says he has his orders and he's bound to obey them. Ithan says that Tharion is an idiot if he doesn't see the risk in spreading the intel, and Tharion says that what the River Queen would do to him pales in comparison to what Sabine and Amelie did to Ithan. Ithan snarls and Tharion notes to himself how Ithan used to not give anything away in sunball games so he's clearly lost the skill. Tharion says that Danika did a lot of "shady shit" before she died and Bruce knows that, so Ithan isn't protecting anyone by staying silent. this exchange happens. Tharion wonders if he himself is a sappy bastard bc he points at the tv and asks if it's okay if he joins Ithan in watching last night's sunball game against Korinth. Ithan frowns and Tharion assures him he has no secret spy stuff planned, he just wants to chill before Bruce shows up, and Ithan eyes him carefully but only says that there's leftover pizza if he wants some.

chapter 15: in Ruhn's POV, he meets Bruce outside the fae archives at lunch. Bruce puts on her sunball hat and sunglasses to go unnoticed. Ruhn says he's not putting on that getup bc people will notice one day or another, and Bruce says she's sick of the gawking. Ruhn asks if Tharion is already at her apartment, and she says yes "already grilling Ithan" which is why she asked Ruhn to come as backup. Ruhn says he takes it that Bruce didn't invite him to walk her home to provide "muscle" and Bruce says she wants to discuss something with Ruhn but doesn't trust the phone. Ruhn says he knows that everything with Cormac is absurd but Bruce cuts him off and says it's about Danika. Bruce says she saw Fury this morning, who told her that Danika was a bloodhound, and asks if Ruhn knows what that is. he says yes and wonders at her simply telling him this, and Bruce waves her hand and says that Danika kept a lot of things from her and she doesn't see the point in secrets now. Ruhn says it's okay to be pissed at Danika and Bruce tells him to spare her the "self-help lecture" and he says fair enough. he says he supposes this explains why Danika knew he and Bruce were siblings before anyone else. Bruce wonders if he thinks Danika being a bloodhound had anything to do with Danika's connection to Sofie. Ruhn says it seems like a stretch since Danika was a powerful Vanir who could've been approached by Sofie or Ophion for any reason at any time. Bruce wonders if Sofie thought Danika could help her free Emile from the death camp. Ruhn asks if Danika had that kind of sway, and Bruce shakes her head and says she might have been able to but she never tried to do anything, and she doesn't see why Sofie would reach out to Danika when Sofie was in Pangera and Danika was in Valbara. she wants to know what Sofie knew about Danika. Ruhn says he knows that and he knows why she wants to help with Emile, but he reiterates that she should steer clear from what Tharion and the River Queen are up to, especially if Ophion is involved, too. Bruce says nothing as they get in the elevator, and Ruhn says he knows that Hunt already talked to her about this but the Asteri could kill her for even getting involved, even if it's just to help Emile. Bruce says the Asteri could've killed her in the spring and didn't, so she doesn't think they'll kill her now, and Ruhn says that if they want her alive she should consider why, perhaps having to do with the Horn on her back. the Bruce before the spring could've helped find Emile, but not the Bruce now who is watched everywhere she goes. they enter the apartment to see Tharion and Ithan, but Bruce halts on the doorway, Ruhn reaches for his gun, Ithan and Tharion say that Bruce's cat is beautiful, though it scared the shit out of them when it ran in a few minutes ago. Bruce says it's not a cat. in Hunt's POV, he arrives just in time to hear Bruce say that and then Aidas appears. everyone is startled. Aidas, still in cat form, says he thought he and Hunt were friends. Ruhn has his Starsword out but Bruce pushes on past to greet Aidas. Ruhn, Tharion, and Ithan are all shocked they know each other. Aidas says hello in a creepy way. he wonders why Bruce doesn't know how to use her power yet, she says she does, he says that's just party tricks and he meant her real powers, her heritage. Bruce asks what powers, Aidas explains Bruce has the power of the last Starborn queen. Ruhn asks if Aidas knew the last Starborn queen, and Aidas says he does, he also knows the "sniveling prince" whose light Ruhn has. Ruhn doesn't react, but Tharion and Ithan move into position behind Aidas. how Starborn magic differs from person to person is explained. Ithan asks what's going on. Bruce asks if Queen Theia allowed Prince Pelias to "forcibly wed" her daughter, and Aidas explains she was already dead by that point. Pelias killed her and stole the Starsword, and thus the Starsword really belongs to Theia's female heir. Ruhn says he's never heard of any of this. Bruce asks why Aidas is telling them this now. Aidas says it's bc he was powerless

to help back then, arriving too late and with too few numbers, so he asked his elder brother for a favor to face Pelias on the battlefield and wipe him out. he tells Bruce this now so the past does not repeat itself and asks if she's doing anything to help end the endless war. Tharion asks if Aidas means the rebel cause, and Aidas says it's the same war that they fought 15,000 years ago in a different form but ripe for pushing. Ithan says Hel is the enemy, and Aidas asks who wrote the history, Tharion says the Asteri, Aidas says he presumes Tharion knows the truth in some form then, and Tharion says he knows the official history should be taken with a grain of salt. Aidas said the Asteri fed lies to their ancestors, made scholars write down their truth on pain of death, erased Theia from all record. the library Jesiba possesses is what remains of the real truth and the history of the world prior to the Asteri. he says Bruce knew that and kept it a secret all these years, Ithan is shocked at Bruce, the world before the Asteri was ancient humans and gods lived here but now their ruins are below the sea. where did the Vanir come from? Aidas poses to them. Bruce says it's enough with the questions, what does this have to do with her gifts, and Aidas says the war is approaching its "crescendo" and her powers aren't ready, and Bruce says it's such a cliché and she doesn't want her power, no matter what they are, if it links her to Aidas and the Asteri will consider that a serious threat. Aidas says 15,000 years' worth of people have died to get them to this moment and Bruce, so he says don't play "reluctant hero" bc that's a cliché. Bruce seems at a loss for words, so Hunt asks what about Aidas's elder brother's forces. they seem perfectly content to "slaughter innocent Midgardians" and Aidas says those armies are always there to help, not conquer, and Hunt says the attack on Lunathion in the spring suggests otherwise, to which Aidas says it was a mistake. Micah opened the door on the pens of the "pets" that attacked the city. fortunately, Bruce took care of it before the demon princes were needed. Ithan says a lot of people died, and Aidas says a lot more will die in the war but Hel's armies are at Bruce's command. Ruhn says it's bullshit, Aidas is just waiting til they're weak enough to be easily wiped out by Hel's armies. Aidas says not at all bc he already knows a way into the world: through Bruce and the Horn on her back. Hunt growls when Aidas calls her "my Bryce". Aidas says it's her choice in the end and always has been. Bruce says she wants to get it straight: Aidas is there to convince Bruce to rebel against the Asteri in front of all these people and, what, sign up with Ophion? in which case no thanks. Aidas says she should be more careful about where she talks about important things like rebellion with Fury, and says yes by all means she should join Ophion, though he informs her he knows nothing about Danika and Sofie. Bruce says she doesn't even know any rebels, and Aidas says yes she does there's one right there in the doorway of her apartment, and they all turn to see Cormac, who Aidas calls "Agent Silverbow" and vanishes.

chapter 16: Ruhn gapes at Cormac and asks "you're what?" and if his dad knows, or Ruhn's dad for that matter, and Cormac says no, nor will they ever. the star on Bruce's chest flares. Bruce suspects Aidas let Cormac through the wards with his "unholy" power. Cormac demands to know what they do of Sofie (remember, he was her lover and likely believes she's dead). Bruce demands to know what "Agent Silverbow" (as she calls him) knows about Sofie, but Cormac demands answers. Tharion asks who Cormac is in blasé tones, Cormac says he's Cormac Donnall and demands Tharion answers, calls him mer, and Tharion asks how Cormac knows he's mer. Cormac says it's bc Tharion reeks of fish, so Tharion raises his arm to sniff his armpit. most Vanir can apparently smell saltwater to know who's mer. Ruhn and Hunt aren't smiling. Tharion smirks and says he assumes Sofie is Cormac's girlfriend, and Hunt finds this impressive, but Cormac turns back to Bruce and asks if she knew Sofie. Bruce says no she hadn't heard of her before yesterday thanks to Tharion and asks if they can all sit down, taking a stool at the counter. Cormac remains standing. Bruce asks why Cormac's shadows appear different from Ruhn's and Hunt asks if that's really what she wants to ask, and Cormac ignores it to again ask how Bruce knows Sofie. Bruce says she doesn't as she told him and asks Tharion to finally speak. Tharion says he was asked to confirm her death and Cormac asks if he did. Cormac starts to have embers in his hair when Hunt says that he hopes Cormac realizes he's not getting any other answers or out of here alive if he doesn't convince them of a few key details, and Bruce is shocked to realize Hunt means that. Hunt says so sit down, take a breath, and "listen to the lady's advice" by sitting down. to Bruce's surprise, Cormac actually does take breaths, and she and Ruhn look at each other while Ruhn says he didn't expect that in her mind. then Cormac sits down, much calmer now, and the star on Bruce's chest goes dark. Hunt says "good" and asks how Cormac got in past the wards, and Cormac says the cat or not-cat (he doesn't know who Aidas is) left a hole in them. Hunt then asks why Cormac came here at this exact moment, and Cormac says it's bc he believes they're after the same person: Emile. he wants to know what they know about him. Tharion asks if Pippa sent him, and Cormac says no, Pippa is the reason Emile fled the Bodegraven. Tharion then asks who sent Cormac to find Emile, and Cormac says no one did, he was sent to Lunathion for reasons, many reasons, but not that. he says he made "her" (Sofie) a promise to look after Emile. Ruhn says into Bruce's head that either Cormac is an amazing actor or he's really in love with Sofie. Tharion asks why Emile ran, and Cormac says he's afraid of her and wise to be, since she's a fanatic who Ophion is likely desperate enough to soon turn to with so many bases having been destroyed. there aren't any lines Pippa and her Lightfall unit won't cross, and wonders if their news covered the "leopard massacre" a year ago. Bruce shudders and Ithan says "yeah" quietly and Cormac explains it was Pippa's idea. Cormac says that Pippa sees Emile as a weapon and couldn't stop heaping praise after he took down the Omega submarines, and that she wanted to get him on a battlefield ASAP, so he fled before Cormac could explain he himself was there to help Emile. he tracked Emile as far as Valbara, but after that saw Tharion inspecting the marshes, noticed Tharion kept returning to Bruce's apartment, and came to the conclusion that they all had to know something. he hoped Emile might even be here, and again asks for them to tell him where he is. Ruhn asks for clarity about Cormac being part of Ophion but working to keep Emile away from Ophion, and wonders if he worries what'll happen if Ophion finds out. Cormac says they won't bc he has other reasons to be in Lunathion. Bruce demands to know if Cormac really expects them to trust him and what he says after he tried to kill Ruhn during the Ordeal for the Starsword. Cormac says that that

was 50 years ago and priorities change. Bruce says "old school loser" fae never change. Cormac says Valbaran fae are such babies, and wonders if "Prince Ruhn" learned anything about his destiny thanks to him in the Ordeal, and Ruhn says that Cormac put a sword through Declan's gut. Tharion interrupts to wonder, assuming they buy his story, why a fae prince would join Ophion. Cormac says he joined bc it felt right and thus the details are unnecessary, but Bruce says not if he's working for the Asteri. Cormac wonders that she thinks he'd actually turn her over to the Asteri, since he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Hunt says he knows bc he was there. Cormac says Sofie became an Ophion agent bc the Asteri butchered her family and thunderbird ancestors, and all she wanted was to find Emile. Tharion opens his mouth to speak but Bruce holds up her hand and explains that Tharion came to her yesterday bc there might be a connection bw Sofie and someone Bruce knew (Danika), and that Tharion needs to find Emile by order of the River Queen. Cormac asks what she wants with him, and Tharion shrugs, but Bruce says she doesn't care about the politics, only that Emile is a lost kid she wants to help, and reminds us again that she wants to know how Danika was involved. Cormac's eyes soften, though Ruhn observes in Bruce's head that he could be faking that, though Bruce doesn't think so. Bruce says that the Hind is a pretty big deal and wonders if she went to all this trouble just to kill Sofie for freeing her brother, or if it's bc Sofie is a thunderbird. Cormac says that the Hind went to all that trouble bc of the information Sofie supposedly died with that could have changed the war. Tharion says the Asteri probably sent the Hind to kill Sofie before she could tell anyone. Cormac grins and says yes, but he suspects the Hind knew Sofie could hold out through torture and decided it was simply better to let the intel die with her. Bruce looks at her own manicured nails and wonders if she could hold out. Cormac turns to Tharion and asks if the Hind at least shot Sofie before dumping her in the water, and Tharion says he doesn't know bc her body wasn't there. Cormac is shocked. Tharion explains he found the chains and lead blocks but no body, and the shackles had been opened. and Cormac's eyes fill with a raw emotion Bruce can't decide is love for Sofie or hope that the intelligence she has lives on. Tharion says he doesn't know, but that's why he came to Bruce, bc of someone she knows (Danika) knew Sofie years ago. he wonders if that could lead him to Emile, and he has reason to believe that a safe meeting place was set up years ago, where Emile might be going, as well as Sofie if she's still alive. Bruce wonders if Sofie passed the intel onto Emile. Cormac explains Sofie made the Drop years ago at an illegal site where it wouldn't be recorded, and he hoped there was a chance she might have survived but she hasn't contacted him. he asks Tharion what else he knows, and Tharion lies and says that's everything, and Cormac smirks and asks "what about Danika Fendyr?" and Bruce is shocked and demands to know what about her, and Hunt gives her a look to shut up. Cormac says she and Sofie knew each other, and he assumes that Danika is the one who set up the safe place, Hunt says Cormac can't know any of that for sure, and Cormac says yes he can bc that's why he agreed to marry Bruce. in Ruhn's POV, he needs a moment to process everything and watches Cormac, while Bruce laughs and says she thought it was bc of her winning personality. he says he agreed to marry her bc he needed access to her and Ruhn. Hunt wonders why it couldn't be just a friendly visit (rather than marriage), and Cormac says that the Valbaran fae and Avallen fae aren't friendly--allies but also rivals. he needed to come here to find Emile so it was a blessing that Ophion also had a different mission in mind for him. Bruce says forcing her into marriage seems extreme, and Cormac says his breeding potential is the only currency he has. Ruhn thinks he and Cormac have more in

common than he realized and wonders why Cormac needs access to him. Cormac says it's bc Ruhn can "mind-speak", which he and his dad have suspected since the Ordeal when Ruhn, Declan, and Flynn moved like one. it's a rare Starborn gift and one Ophion needs, but Ruhn asks about Cormac's cousins the twins who can mind-speak, and Cormac says they're not trustworthy. Hunt cuts in to tell Ruhn to say no, bc the Asteri won't care whether they reject Cormac's pitch or not since he listened to it. searching for Emile on his own is one thing, that quite another. he also reminds them that if one of the Asteri saunters onto the battlefield, the humans are through, since just one Asteri is powerful enough to wipe out armies. Hunt goes on that if the Asteri find out that Agent Silverbow is trying to recruit Ruhn, all of them will be called in for interrogation if they're lucky, executed if they're not. Cormac says that Hunt didn't seem to have such concerns when he fell, and Hunt says he had to learn the hard way and would prefer to save his friends from that. it means something to Ruhn that Hunt calls him friend. Hunt says it's dangerous to tell them this bc they could very well sell him out, and Tharion points out that Cormac could be a mole, and Cormac says he doesn't bandy this information around recklessly. Hunt made mistakes in the past but Cormac won't, and Bruce says "fuck you" to Cormac for that. Ruhn says he won't get involved, no matter what, so Cormac doesn't even need to bother asking him to do whatever Ophion needs. he hates that Cormac knows he can "mind-speak" and that Tharion is now watching him with awe. Cormac taunts them that they can't put their lives on the line for all the innocents in Pangera that the Asteri forces kill, torture, and enslave. Cormac says he thought convincing them to help would make finding Emile a little easier, but it seems they want to put their own lives before others, to which Hunt says "fuck off" and asks if Cormac saw what happened this past spring. Cormac says yes, he saw how Bruce and Danika helped save the city, and how Ithan helped Bruce save the humans in the Asphodel Meadows. he thought that Bruce and Danika being close would make Bruce open to helping him. he asks Tharion where he thinks the meeting point could be, and Tharion says nowhere good and that he'll get the details when they're good and ready "princey". Bruce asks how Danika and Sofie met, and Ruhn realizes that trumps everything for Bruce. Cormac isn't sure, but Sofie told him that Danika suspected something about the Asteri and needed someone to go find out what, and that person was Sofie. Bruce says Danika died two years ago and wonders if Sofie had the intel for that long, but Cormac says no, from what he gathered Danika needed Sofie to go in three years ago but it took longer than they thought to gain access. Danika died before Sofie could get the information to her, and when she finally got it she decided to manipulate Ophion into upholding their bargain to get Emile. Ithan asks if Danika worked for Ophion, and Cormac says no, she was only connected to them; as far as he knew, Danika had her own agenda. Bruce says that, for what it's worth, she doesn't think Aidas would allow Asteri loyalists into her apartment, and Cormac is surprised that that was the "Prince of the Chasm". Bruce says he can talk all he wants about tracking and whatnot but she thinks Aidas made sure he would come to her apartment at the exact moment he says she needs to learn how to use her Starborn gifts, and asks Cormac what he knows about them. Cormac says nothing, so Ruhn says he told Bruce that Cormac learned everything he could about the Starborn fae bc he wanted the Starsword. Cormac glares at Ruhn but agrees that he spent much of this youth learning about the Starborn fae. Bruce calls him a rebel prince and a bookworm and says she'll make a deal with him: she wants out of this marriage but knows that if they ended it too soon her dad would send someone else less motivated to work with her, so they'll team up with Tharion to find Emile

as well as whatever intel Danika needed from Sofie, and in exchange she wants the betrothal over when she says it's time and for Cormac to teach her how to use her magic. if not, he can leave and they'll tell Pippa he told them everything. Cormac agrees but says the engagement can only be ended after his work for Ophion in Lunathion is done bc he needs the reason to be in Valbara. Ruhn expects Bruce to object, but she thinks it over and says they will need a reason to be seen together. Ruhn wonders if he is the only one who thinks this is insane. Ithan says he thinks they're all dead meat for even talking about this. Hunt says they need to talk this over before they agree, and Bruce touches his hand. Ruhn says Cormac has dropped a lot of info on them that they need to process so they'll be in touch. Cormac says he requires their blood oath to not say a word about this. Ruhn laughs and says no, Cormac can trust them so can they trust him, and Cormac says if he can trust "cowards who like painting their nails while the rest of the world suffers" then they can trust him. Bruce remarks at his charm, Cormac says she needs to swear the blood oath, she says no she has a manicure in ten minutes. Cormac says he requires their answer tomorrow and in the meantime he's trusting his life to them. he tells Ruhn that if he desires Cormac's pitch he'll be at the Archer and Ward bar, but Ruhn doesn't reply. Cormac wonders if Ruhn's dad remains unaware of Ruhn's mind-speak power, Ruhn asks if Cormac is threatening him, Cormac shrugs and tells Ruhn to meet him at the bar to find out. Cormac says that beyond Sofie and Emile, the world could be so much more if everyone was free and he can't understand why they don't want that. Hunt says it's hard to enjoy being free if you're dead, and Cormac says he can think of no better reason to die than freedom for all.

chapter 17: Ithan wonders aloud if anyone else feels like they're about to wake from a bad dream. Bruce looks at the time and says she needs to get back to the archives. Ruhn is shocked that, after all that, he's going back to work. she strides for the front door and looks at Hunt, and he follows her. she senses no lingering remnants of any of Cormac's magic. she wishes she had the "serenity" of Jesiba's gallery and Lehabah's friendship to return to. she tells the "males watching her" that they just had a bomb dropped in their laps but she still has a job she's contractually obligated to return to. Hunt puts his hand on her shoulder and she recalls the many times he's stepped bw her and danger, but she knows he can't do that now. she turns to Tharion and asks what he wants, not what the River Queen commands him to do, and he says "this apartment, for starters" and then says he wants to find answers and what he's to face, regardless of his orders. he's also compelled to believe Cormac since he didn't display any "signs of lying" and Ruhn says that Cormac is more skilled than Tharion knows, but Hunt says he doesn't think Cormac was lying either. Bruce wonders if there might be a connection bw Dusk's Truth and the Lightfall squadron, and Hunt says lightfall is also known as dusk. Bruce says that Project Thurr could mean the thunder god which could be some implication to thunderbirds. Tharion says that Thurr could be related to the thunderbird stuff since Sofie sounded really afraid of the Asteri in her email to Danika. Tharion speculates it's bc she was afraid of the Asteri finding out she's a thunderbird. Hunt says these are all hypotheticals and definitely big stretches, but it goes without saying that Danika and Sofie were aware of the Asteri and Lightfall threats. Bruce says she really does have to go to work, and Ruhn asks if she would rather do that than go to the Bone Quarter to look for Emile and Sofie, to which Bruce says she's not going anywhere unless she's certain they're there. Tharion agrees that it's too dangerous to go on a whim so they'll keep searching, and wonders if "weary souls" could mean something else. Bruce says no one talk to anyone about it, Ruhn says one word from Cormac and they're all dead, and Hunt says one word from them and Cormac will be dead. he tells Bruce to carry a gun and she says no, she doesn't even have a way to carry it, so he says she should take the sword instead and she should wear it as some kind of accessory. she glances at Ithan, and he realizes she never gave Danika's sword back, and Bruce says that Sabine can fight her for it. she says they should take the day to think about it and pray that Cormac isn't lying, then reconvene tomorrow, and they agree, so Bruce leaves for work. in Hunt's POV, he rides the elevator down from the apartment with Bruce, he notes how he was free for just a few months before getting tangled back up in yet another rebellion. Hunt feels panicky and tells Bruce he doesn't know what to do, and she says she doesn't either. Hunt explains things he's witnessed on the battlefield, and Bruce says this seems like spywork more than warfare, and Hunt says he'd rather die on the battlefield than in the Hind's interrogation rooms, and thinks to himself he'd rather Bruce die than ever get into the Hind's hands. Hunt pulls Bruce into an alleyway and notices how scared she looks, and she says they were never going to be allowed to have a normal life since trouble always comes looking for them. Bruce asks if Hunt really doesn't think Cormac is lying and luring them in with Danika, and Hunt says it's possible but there was already a connection bw Sofie and Danika in the emails, and Cormac seemed genuinely shocked that Sofie might be alive. Hunt thinks Cormac is now hopeful that the intel didn't die with Sofie, and Bruce asks if Hunt thinks Sofie told Emile any of it before they were separated, and Hunt shrugs and says there might have been time for Sofie to tell him since they were in Kavalla (the death camp) together. and even if he doesn't have the intel, he

might know Sofie is alive and where to find her. yet again Hunt says they need to really consider if they want to go through with this, but Bruce says that if there's a chance to find out what Sofie knew and Danika guessed the intel is worth the risk. Hunt asks why, so they can keep the Asteri from fucking with them about Micah and Sandriel? and Bruce says that Fury told her that Danika knew something dangerous about Fury so Fury learned something dangerous about Danika in return, and Bruce thinks they should do that with the Asteri--the Asteri know something dangerous about Bruce and Hunt (they killed Sandriel and Micah) so they need to learn something dangerous about the Asteri to keep them in line, though Hunt is doubtful the Asteri will even want to play that kind of game. Bruce knows that, but Danika thought the information was important enough to send Sofie after it, so if Sofie is dead someone needs to learn what she knew. Hunt tells Bruce that it's not her responsibility, she insists it is, and he decides he won't touch that yet and instead asks about Emile, to which Bruce says they need to find him too, since he's just a kid caught up in this mess simply bc he's powerful. Hunt wonders if Shahar would have cared as much about Emile as Bruce does, and surmises no, Shahar would only have viewed him like a weapon, same as Ophion or the River Queen. Bruce asks if Cormac's dream of freeing the world from the Asteri matters to Hunt at all, and he says yes of course it does, but he's not sure if it's worth it if he and Bruce don't survive to experience that freedom for all, and Bruce agrees. Bruce says that since they're "dabbling in dangerous shit" she doesn't want to wait until the Winter Solstice, Hunt asks for what, and Bruce says "for this" and kisses him. and then they make out in the alleyway, Bruce pressed to the wall, and Hunt decides he's gonna kick Ithan out of the apartment. Hunt realizes that anyone could walk by the alley and see them and it would only take one photo for Bruce's engagement to Cormac and the agreement they made with him to end. Hunt stops and Bruce asks why and he says that she's technically engaged so they have to keep up that ruse in public. Bruce asks if he's suggesting some "seedy motel" and he says he doesn't know what he's suggesting, and he asks if she's sure, he knows emotions are high rn bc of everything they've learned, and he says that whatever she wants is what he wants. she asks why it's only what she wants, what does he want, he says bc she's the one who mentioned waiting until the solstice. Bruce asks "and?" and Hunt says he wants to make sure Bruce is fully on board with ending their agreement, and she says all right but also wants to know what he wants. he says she knows what he wants bc he's never stopped wanting it or her. he notices her star is glowing faintly and she says they should just keep talking about how much he wants her. he puts his arm around her shoulders and steers her out of the alley, saying that he should show her later, and she says that's definitely what she wants.

chapter 18: back in Ithan's POV, Tharion says Ithan looks like he could use a drink. Ruhn had left a little while ago and Ithan decides he's going to sit on his ass and think about the shit he's now tangled up with. Ithan asks how long Tharion has been up to all this, and Tharion asks if Ithan knows what happened during the Summit, to which Ithan says yes the demons attacked the city and two archangels died, and Tharion asks if he ever learned who killed Micah and Sandriel. Tharion says that he got a call from Rigelus, the head of the Asteri, months ago to warn him to keep his mouth shut or Tharion and his parents would be killed, so Tharion is taking a risk in telling Ithan that Hunt ripped Sandriel's head from her shoulders after she threatened Bruce, and Bruce killed Micah after he bragged about killing Danika and the Pack of Devils. Ithan is shocked as Tharion explains further, and then Ithan wonders why Bruce never told him. Ithan realizes that Sabine knows that Micah killed Danika bc Sabine was at the Summit along with the Prime, but she never told Ithan about how his brother Connor died. Tharion explains that Bruce and Hunt were also given gag orders and says the only reason they're still alive is bc they've been lying low all summer. Ithan starts to shift into his wolf form (claws and fangs first) in anger and pain, and then he realizes he had the audacity to question Bruce's love for Danika and Connor and he stops shifting. he says he needs some time to process this. Tharion says he's sure Ithan does, but a word of advice is to not take too long bc Urd works in strange ways and Tharion doesn't think it a coincidence that Ithan was brought here right as shit started to hit the fan. Ithan asks if he's supposed to go along with it bc fate might be pushing him to, and Tharion says maybe and then says that Ithan should find him when he's done sitting on the couch bc he could use a wolf's sense of smell. Ithan asks for what and Tharion says to find Emile before Pippa or Cormac and then leaves. Ithan wonders if Connor or Sabine knew about Danika's involvement but doubts it, and finds comfort in knowing Bruce was also as in the dark as Ithan was. Ithan opens the closets in the apartment to search for Danika's sword but it's not in any of them so he hesitantly enters Bruce's bedroom and spots the sword leaning against the chair beside the dresser. the sword was gifted to Danika by the Prime, which pissed Sabine off. Ithan recalls how Sabine raged in the weeks after Danika's death while she tore Danika's old apartment apart in search of the sword. Ithan picks it up, recalls memories of Danika carrying the sword everywhere, and starts to swing it himself, fighting invisible opponents as he runs around the apartment. the front door opens and Bruce enters, staring at Ithan as he freezes in place on top of the coffee table. Bruce says she forgot her work ID and then the table breaks under Ithan, and Bruce runs over to find a stack of papers have fallen from within the coffee table. Ithan asks if there was a drawer in it but Bruce says no, so there must have been a secret compartment. the table was Danika's, just like everything else in the apartment, but Bruce has no idea why Danika would hide her old school papers in the table.

after a page break, we're in Ruhn's POV as he sharpens the Starsword, Flynn and Declan cleaning their guns nearby. he thinks about how he had planned to meet with them, see to their weapons, and end the day with a meeting about the new Archangel Celestina, but it clearly didn't go as planned. Flynn finally says "out with it" to Ruhn, and Ruhn asks "what," and Declan says whatever it is that has made Ruhn stand in silence for ten minutes and not once complain about Flynn's playlist. Flynn guesses Ruhn is brooding about one of three things: his dad, his sister, or his fiancée. Ruhn says none of them and slumps into a chair, then listens to make sure no one is outside the room before telling Declan and Flynn everything that happened during lunch at Bruce's apartment bc he trusts them and doesn't have anyone else to talk to about it all the way Bruce and Hunt have each other. Flynn says it should all be exciting and genuinely means it. Declan says he once hacked into the imperial military database and saw footage from the battlefields and camps and it made him sick, and Ruhn asks why Declan didn't say anything, to which Declan explains that there was nothing to be done about it, or so he thought, so whatever Ruhn needs Declan is willing to help. Ruhn is touched and loves his friends, and Ruhn says that if the Asteri find out they'll kill them, their family, and adds that they'd kill Marc too, but Declan says Marc would be the first to agree to help bc he hates the Asteri. Declan asks if Flynn can keep quiet, which offends Flynn, but Ruhn says that Flynn talks when he's wasted. Declan starts to tease him about something that happened twenty years ago and Ruhn says Flynn learned his lesson. Flynn asks if Ruhn is going to go meet with Cormac, and Ruhn says he doesn't think he has any other option.

chapter 19: back with Bruce, she looks through Danika's old college papers from within the coffee table, including documents and old newspaper clippings. it all seems to be about what firstlight is used for, in particular with weapons. Bruce looks through a few academic articles full of redactions about theories as to the origins of the world and who the Asteri even are. Ithan wonders if this is what Sofie discovered since he and Connor knew about Danika being a bloodhound before Bruce did. she wonders why it would even matter if Danika sniffed anything out about the Asteri, since they're "holy stars" aka beings that possess the force of an entire star within them, ageless and undying. but as Bruce reads the articles, she begins to see that the authors challenge that fact about the Asteri. Bruce knows she herself possesses starlight and if the Asteri are stronger than that, maybe they actually possess the full strength of the sun. Bruce wonders if Danika suspected that and that's what she asked Sofie to discover, but if the Asteri do possess the power of an actual sun the rebellion is over. Bruce wishes Hunt were here to see what she's discovered, and then thinks it's probably a good thing he isn't bc they'd bone, and she spends several paragraphs talking about the kiss and how much sex she wants to have with him. she then wonders if Urd sent her to the apartment right now so she could discover the papers Danika hid. the final papers in the stack make Bruce's breath catch bc it says Dusk's Truth. Bruce is shocked that Danika has been looking into this since college, but the next page is blank bc Danika never got the chance to write anything down about it. Bruce says that Dusk's Truth and Project Thurr are two things Danika mentioned to Sofie, but she doesn't know what they are. Ithan asks "what now" and Bruce says she goes back to work, then asks him to find a place to hide the papers and not play warrior hero anymore bc she liked that coffee table. Ithan says he wasn't playing warrior hero, Bruce says he looks good wielding Danika's sword, Ithan says he was just fooling around.

after a page break, we're back with Ruhn as he finds Cormac at the pool hall in FiRo. Cormac, playing a game of pool with a satyr who leaves, says he'd never tell Ruhn's dad and Ruhn says "and yet here I am" and that it seems like Cormac's threat worked, and Cormac says "desperate times". Ruhn picks up the satyr's discarded pool cue, finds the satyr's next shot, and says that satyr was probably going to kick Cormac's ass, but Cormac says he was letting him win bc it was the "princely" thing to do. Cormac says that Ruhn seems like the type of person who plays pool a lot (after Ruhn makes a good shot), and Ruhn asks "as opposed to?" and Cormac says "doing things," to which Ruhn says he leads the Aux and doesn't party all the time, but Cormac says his party suggested otherwise. Cormac says he just wants Ruhn to hear him out, and Ruhn agrees. Cormac says that Sofie was in contact with the most vital spy in the rebellion, Agent Daybright. Ruhn feels unease bc he really doesn't want to know this. Cormac goes on that Daybright has direct access to the Asteri, and Ophion has long wondered if Daybright is an Asteri themself. Daybright and Sofie used codes on crystal-fueled radios to pass along messages, but since Sofie disappeared it's become too risky to to use the old methods of communicating. thus, they need someone who can mind-speak to communicate directly with Daybright. Ruhn asks why he'd work with Cormac beyond telling the autumn king about Ruhn's mind-speak ability. mind-speak is a rare gift of the Avallen fae, given to Ruhn through his mother's bloodline. he was four the first time he ever used it, asking his mom for a sandwich, and when she'd freaked out and wondered if she was imagining things, he knew he needed to keep it a secret from everyone, especially his dad, even back then. Cormac says it's bc it's the right thing to do, since he's seen the death camps and they can't be allowed to continue, though Ruhn counters that the camps have been around for ages so why act now, and Cormac says bc Daybright came along and fed them vital information that led to successful strikes on supply chains, missions, and basecamps. the information Daybright has could save thousands of lives, but Ruhn counters that it could also take that many. he wonders if Cormac told Command about him, but Cormac says no, only that he had a contact in Lunathion who might be useful in reestablishing their connection to Daybright. Ruhn can't fault him for trying and agrees that the mind-speak would be useful for spying, but asks if it was a coincidence that it wound up happening at the same time Emile came to Lunathion. Cormac says "two birds, one stone," and Ruhn asks for specificity of what Cormac needs from Ruhn. Cormac says he's asking Ruhn to pick up where Sofie left off, since Ophion is desperate for Daybright's information since people's lives depend on it: Daybright has warned Ophion three times before an imperial strike on their bases, so they need Ruhn for the next few months, or at least until they learn what Sofie knew. Ruhn says he doesn't see what other choice he has but to say yes, and Cormac reiterates that he won't tell Ruhn's dad, he just needed Ruhn to listen to Cormac's proposal. Ruhn asks how Cormac got involved in the "rebel business" and Cormac says it's a long story but he joined up four years ago. Ruhn asks what Cormac's title is with Ophion, and Cormac says it's "field agent" technically, but specifically a field commander of the northwestern Pangeran spy network and Sofie was one of his agents. Ruhn asks if he's having doubts about the cause since he wants to keep Emile out of Ophion's hands, and Cormac says no, he never doubts the cause, only the people in it. there are only 10,000 people left in Ophion with twenty commanders, some of whom are human but others are Vanir, and those Vanir are sworn to secrecy. Ruhn asks how Cormac knows he can trust him, and Cormac says it's bc Bruce put a bullet in Micah's head and Ruhn has kept quiet about it. Ruhn says he doesn't know what Cormac is talking about, and Cormac laughs

softly and says his dad learned about it before the Asteri shut down the information. Ruhn asks why he treats Bruce like a party girl, then, and Cormac says it's bc she went back to partying after what happened in the spring, and Ruhn says "so did I" then brings them back to the topic at hand by asking what Cormac knows about Daybright. Cormac says as much as Ruhn does, so Ruhn asks how he makes contact with Daybright and what the process would be after doing so and getting info, and Cormac says Ruhn would pass the info to him and he would pass it on to Command. Ruhn says "And again, I'm supposed to simply...trust you" and Cormac counters that he's shared info with Ruhn that could land him in the Asteri's prison. Ruhn asks how he does it, just cast his mind into oblivion and hope someone answered, and Cormac says it's all hypothetical rn bc they've never before had someone with mind-speak at hand, but hands Ruhn a small quartz crystal and says to try to first contact Daybright by holding it, since Daybright has the sister to it, as it possesses the same communicative properties as the Gates in Lunathion. Ruhn asks how it works. Cormac says that there were seven crystals hewn from one rock, six within radios Ophion possesses and one in Daybright's radio. they're beacons on the same frequency, always trying to connect to each other to be made whole again. the other five were destroyed for safety. Cormac hopes that someone with mind-speak powers holds the crystal, they can link with Daybright the way the Gates can send audio to each other. Ruhn asks if that crystal is from Sofie's radio, and Cormac says yes while looking a little pained, and says that she gave it to Command before she went in Kavalla. Ruhn says that Sofie seems like a remarkable person, seeing the pain and grief in Cormac's face. Cormac says she was--is--and that he needs to find her and Emile, and Ruhn asks if Cormac loves her, and Cormac says that he doesn't try to delude himself with thinking his dad would be okay with him marrying someone who's part human, especially one who doesn't have fortune or name, but yes he loves her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Ruhn asks if Cormac really thinks she's out there, and Cormac says Tharion didn't rule it out so why should he. Ruhn notices Cormac's desperation and decides to take pity on him, saying that they think Sofie might have been told by Danika to lie low in the Bone Quarter. Cormac seems alarmed and says they'll need to find a way to secure safe passage to and from there as well as a way to go unnoticed. Ruhn says that, for what it's worth, Cormac should marry Sofie if they can find her. Cormac doesn't smile but says that Hypaxia is beautiful and wise, so Ruhn could do worse. Ruhn says he knows but won't say anything else, and thinks about how Hypaxia is stunningly beautiful but has no interest in him, which she made clear in the months after the Summit and he doesn't entirely blame her. Cormac says that when Ruhn connects with Daybright, he should say these codes to prove his identity and gives Ruhn the codes. as they near the end of their second pool game (they've been playing pool this entire conversation), Ruhn scratches the ball to let Cormac win but Cormac says he doesn't want a pity win, and Ruhn rolls his eyes and asks if there's any info in particular he should ask Daybright about, and Cormac says they've been trying to come up with a hit on the Spine (the north to south railroad that cuts Pangera in half), and that Daybright is their main source on knowing where and when to strike. Ruhn asks why risk the hit, wonders if it's to disrupt supply lines, and Cormac says it's that but also bc Daybright has been hearing rumors for months now that the Asteri are working on a new mech-suit prototype. Ruhn wonders if it's different from human mech-suits, and Cormac says yes, it's one for Vanir to pilot for imperial armies. Ruhn says "fuck" bc he can only imagine how dangerous they'd be, and Cormac says "exactly" and then says he needs to leave for the Black Dock to look for any hint

that Emile or Sofie might have been there, but asks Ruhn to contact Daybright ASAP so they can intercept the Vanir mech-suits prototype for study. Ruhn nods, resigned, and agrees to help, and Cormac says that Ruhn's friends won't be pleased, in particular Hunt, and Ruhn says to leave Hunt to him. Cormac says that when Ruhn wants out, Cormac will get him out and Ruhn says he'll hold him to that.

chapter 20: Tharion is in a dry dock of the Blue Court to repair his wave skimmer. he's sweaty so he stripped off his shirt. reeds got caught in his wave skimmer's engine during his trip to the marshes the other day. he wanted to repair it himself bc he wants the time to think about everything he knows now, especially what Aidas said. Ithan knows pretty much nothing, which is frustrating for Tharion, but at least Ithan agrees to help should Tharion need a wolf's senses to find Emile, since Tharion wants to keep Ithan out of the hands of anyone who would use his power as a weapon. besides, Tharion reasons, Ithan needs something to do. the River Queen's daughter walks into the dry dock and says she knew Tharion was here, and wonders why he continues to do his own repairs, and he says it's bc it gives him a "tangible task". she wonders if his work for her mom is so unfulfilling, and he smiles and says he likes to pretend he knows what to do with machines. she says she hasn't seen much of him lately, he says her mom has been keeping him busy, and she insinuates she thought they could bone. evidently they haven't done so in years, and Tharion assumed it was bc she'd had him once and moved on, since water spirits are capricious. he covers her hand with his and says it's late and he has an early start, and she points out that he's here working on machines, and he says he needs it for tomorrow's work. she asks if it's more than he needs her, and he thinks an emphatic yes but promises another time. she says she heard he went into the city and he says he's always in the city, and she looks jealous as she asks who he saw, and he recalls how these "interrogations" always end with him paying for it, as like what happened to prompt him to discover Sofie's body is missing from the Haldren Sea. he mentions he saw Bruce, Hunt, Ruhn, and Ithan, keeping Aidas a secret. the River Queen's daughter asks if Bruce is the one who saved the city last spring, and he says yeah and says Bruce and Hunt are dating, and the daughter says it's sweet. he lies and says he wants to introduce her to them someday, and she says she'll ask her mother, he says they could go on a double date but she doesn't know what that is, since TV doesn't exist here or in the River Queen's chambers, so he explains what it is. he says he really does have an early morning and he needs to finish working on the wave skimmer, and we learn that he does have some rights in that he can refuse sex and she has to accept it without argument, and that his duties as Captain of Intelligence are more important than her needs. she leaves and Tharion spots four mer guarding her, since she never travels alone anywhere. her guards would have fought Tharion to the death for the chance to sleep with the River Queen's daughter and so they hate Tharion for beating them to it, though he'd happily give it up. he doesn't know how much more of this he can take, since it could be weeks or years before the River Queen and her daughter start demanding a wedding and children and he'd be "locked up in a cage" under the surface until he dies, but he's Vanir so that would take ages. Tharion doesn't care about the rebellion, but thinks the investigation into Sofie and Emile could give him a brief reprieve from the River Queen and her daughter. in Hunt's POV, he's showing Baxian around the barracks. it's almost 10pm, though he'd been on his way out at 7pm before Celestina asked him to give Baxian a tour of the Comitium. Baxian opens the fridge in the barracks kitchenette and complains about the beer choices, and Hunt says "government salary" as an explanation and tells him where the takeout menus are and how to call down to the canteen, and starts to leave but then Baxian asks "what's that" and sounds curious enough that Hunt stops to look. Hunt says it's an "OptiCube" which is a gaming system, though Baxian doesn't seem to know what that is, so Hunt explains you can play games on it. Sandriel hated technology, so Baxian had never really been exposed to much of it before she died. Hunt hears Pollux, Naomi,

and Isaiah coming down the hall. Pollux is in the doorway of Viktoria's old room talking to Naomi and Isaiah and sneers at Hunt as Hunt edges by to take Baxian to Justinian's old room, and Hunt remembers Justinian's death by crucifixion. Hunt thinks how he's fucked up twice now--once with the Fallen rebellion and then this spring with the Viper Queen--and wonders if he's actually going to commit to something like that again. Baxian thanks Hunt for the tour, Hunt says he'll show Baxian how to play video games tomorrow, and they make plans to meet up tomorrow after the morning check-in so Baxian can shadow Hunt all day. Pollux slams his own door shut, so Hunt, Naomi, and Isaiah head for the common room, make sure the door is shut and the bathroom empty, and then sit down on the couch. Hunt says "this fucking sucks" and Naomi says that Pollux should be drawn and quartered, and Isaiah says he's surprised both Naomi and Hunt are still alive, but as their commander he's grateful they didn't brawl. Naomi says that Pollux and Baxian defile the rooms, Isaiah says they're just rooms and that Justinian and Viktoria aren't there, and Naomi snarls that Viktoria is still trapped at the bottom of the trench and Justinian is ashes. Hunt points out that Micah is too. Naomi asks if Hunt was really going to rebel this past spring, and Hunt says not by the end, bc he'd changed his mind after realizing the path wasn't for him, but he meant what he said on the boat. Hunt says that if Cormac and Sofie and Emile etc weren't around he wouldn't do anything, but that isn't how it turned out and it isn't what Bruce wants, and he can barely stomach the sight of the tattoo on Isaiah's forehead. Isaiah says he knows and that Hunt has a lot more on the line now. Hunt wonders if Isaiah intended to use a warning tone, and wonders if Isaiah remembers how he and the other angels had bowed to Hunt after he tore off Sandriel's head at the Summit. he wonders what Naomi and Isaiah would do if they learned about his involvement with Ophion. Hunt asks if Naomi and Isaiah are going to stay here in the barracks now with Baxian and Pollux here, and Isaiah says he signed a lease on a place this morning closer to the Old Square, but Naomi shakes her head and says no bc the barracks are rent free. Pollux and Baxian are to stay in the barracks until Celestina deems them acclimated enough to live in the city itself. Hunt asks Isaiah if he trusts Pollux and Baxian to behave bc he doesn't, Isaiah says they don't have any choice but to trust that they will and hope that Celestina sees them for what they are. Naomi wonders if it'll make any difference if she knows, and Hunt says he guesses they'll see and then says he's going home, but looks back at his two friends and marvels that they don't know the shitstorm that's coming. he knows it might be enough to free Isaiah if he learned about Ophion, Sofie, and Emile and turned that information in, and wonders if speaking up now could spare Bruce from the worst of it and save himself from crucifixion. if he played it right, could he safe Ruhn and Ithan as well? Tharion would be dead meat for not telling the authorities about his mission, regardless of him being ordered to do it by the River Queen, as was Cormac. Isaiah asks if Hunt has anything on his mind, and Hunt clears his throat while imagining himself saying everything, but then shakes his head and leaves.

#anti hosab #myth and kat read hosab #anti sjm #hosab recap #spoilers

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