#oh hey. welcome to the chapter in which my character made it real fucking clear that she's autistic :')

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

Word Find Tag

I was tagged by @i-can-even-burn-salad some time ago, and recently realized that perhaps word finds aren't the best tag game to save for editing rewards, so prepare yourselves for more soon lol. Thank you, Elli, for the lovely tag <3

My words: feel, fault, force, and fine

Your words: linger, last, lean, love, and a bonus, if you have it :) - livid

No pressure tagging (only if/when you want!): @outpost51, @oh-no-another-idea, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, and @silverslipstream

From my upcoming chapter of Hidden Depths :D

Feel

She blinked, feeling helpless as she returned her gaze to him. This wasn’t something she could fix with hardness or violence, and it had been a very long time since she’d been in a situation where that wasn’t the case.

Fault

Oh gods. Her fault, her fault, her fault.  She let him have his hand back, which he clenched into a fist, folding his arm over his stomach. “Cuz you wouldn’t tell him where I went?” Her voice quavered, a pit opening up in her gut.

Force

It didn’t really fit with the force of his motions as he caught the carriage driver’s attention or the hardness in his brown eyes, something Carr could say she’d never seen there before. Oh fuck, she’d pushed him too far. She hadn’t even been able to make it one fucking day.

Fine

The sound? He cocked his head when she dropped her hand and shrugged.  “It worked, it’s fine.” She hated high-pitched sounds, but it was a good method.  Resh whistled again, lower this time, and she furrowed her brows. Better?  “Y-yeah.” Carr flushed, looking away, then quickly looked back up. Gods, this was hard. She’d never realized how difficult it was to stare at someone’s face.

#i can't believe i found them all in one chapter lol #oh hey. welcome to the chapter in which my character made it real fucking clear that she's autistic :') #honestly though this is one of my favorite chapters in arc 2 so far #is it friday yet? :D #starlit plays tag games #word find tag #hidden depths #carr doesn't give a fuck #resh is a sweetheart #carr is just racking up the labels lol - aroace audhd riding a fine line with agender... you got any more you want to throw at me love?

[selina-meyer]

I'm back with more thoughts on 'beloved', because I really cannot get over how much I love this fic. And I absolutely LOVED how long this newest chapter was!! I made notes whilst reading😅

• So Rebecca joining Ted and Henry on their calls is adorable! And Henry wanting to spend more time with Rebecca on the calls *chefs kiss*

• OMG DONNATELLA IS BACK - THE REAL MVP OF THE FIC, NO QUESTIONS🎉

• Pregnancy foreshadowing - TEDBECCA BABY PLEASE AND THANK YOU

• I know there's more Ted and Rebecca, but I love the snippets into Roy and Keeley's relationship!

• The way they're cuddling up on the step outside, and the way you describe their relationship and the way they just know one another😭

• Ew Nate🖕

• Rebecca standing up for her man, yes please

• 'THANK YOU FOR BEING MY SAFE SPACE' 'THANK YOU FOR TRUSTING ME TO BE YOUR SAFE SPACE'

• Rebecca booking them a fancy holiday, is very Rebecca😂

• Ted using dickhead and knobhead is my new favourite thing😭

• Rebecca thinking she's 'too much' and Ted reassuring her like the loyal love sick puppy he is😭

• 'Ted Lasso, my boyfriend' has me SCREAMING

• Ted wanting to do cliche tourist-y things is so on point - and he definitely gets Henry to do this stuff when they go away😭

• But it's also so on point for Ted to love watching other people taking pleasure from art work😭

• Rebecca laughing and Ted just being like 'I love this woman so much I need to take a picture', boy is whipped🥰

• Just this whole sexy times is perfect - AND MORE TED CALLING REBECCA 'BABY'🎉🎉🎉

• Ted wanting to ask Rebecca to move in but being too scared, like boy THIS WOMAN IS EQUALLY AS OBSESSED WITH YOU!!

• 'I love you, Beard' MY HEART😭

• OH MY GIRL IS DEFFO PREGNANT

• 'Hi, love' and 'Hi, baby', I literally love that their most used pet names are the ones they let slip mid panic attack to comfort the other😭

• I love anytime Ted is called 'Theodore' 🥰

• Henry just wanting to sit with Rebecca😭

• And Rebecca getting to see baby!Ted pictures😭

• Rebecca getting all emotional cause SHE'S PREGNANT

• Ted is just so protective of her, and she's so protective of him - my idiots in love😭

• I FUCKING KNEW SHE WAS PREGNANT

• TEDBECCA BABY COMING 2022

This may be my favourite chapter so far (and not just cause my girl Donnatella was back and better than ever). Fuck, you're so talented I actually can't get over it😭 It is a privilege to get to read your work, and I'm so happy you share your writing with the world, you were truly an asset to the fandom! 💜

omg anon i love that you made notes while reading because i do the same thing when i read fics 🫶🏽

DT is the real mvp it’s true!!! I thought it would be so funny to have her just standing in the doorway before keeley walked into the room because it’s just a funny mental image to me. i love that damn dog.

the whole trip was so fun to write because i wanted them to get time away from everyone else where it’s just THEM being together and not having to worry about anything 🥹 and yes the sex 🤭 perhaps i planned that entire trip for them around that scene 🤭

i really love to incorporate a scene in all of my fics where it shows how connected beard and ted are without having to directly have to say “hey this is bothering me, can you talk me through it?” the show has made it so beautifully clear that beard and ted understand one another on a molecular level and i love getting to show that when ted is overthinking something, beard can immediately clock it and ask him what the deal is 🥹

and yeah “hi love/hi baby” clearly my favorite pet names for them fnsjdjsjsjs

It’s super important to me that Ted’s family meets Rebecca and is welcoming of her because they can see how much she loves him and how much he loves her and i absolutely love writing Ted’s mom which is why i use the same character in all of my fics LMAO judy lasso supremacy! 🫡

I’m also actually really happy that the reveal had been so well received in the comments this chapter has gotten because i know a lot of people don’t like baby fics but it was always clear from the beginning of this story that it was going to happen once they got together dnskdksksks i kept dropping hints everywhere

thank you for sending me this message!!! i really do appreciate when people take the time to message me about my fics 🥹🫶🏽

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 316: We've Had One, Yes, But What About Second Explosion

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all “[powers up like whoa because it’s time to end the fight]”, and he saved Overhaul from getting not-shot, and then smashed up Nagant’s arm with the power of his new rechargeable super knees. Nagant was all “yoooo this kid is crazy strong whaaaat, it’s like he’s some kind of protagonist or something.” Deku was all “I AM A PROTAGONIST, ACTUALLY, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN FORCES AND FIGHT BAD GUYS WITH ME?” Nagant was all “ah shit why the hell no -- ” and then AFO was all “SURPRISE” and everyone was all “?!?!?!” and AFO was all “TIME TO EXPLODE NOW” and made Nagant explode because he’s an absolute fucking dick. And then Hawks showed up, because Horikoshi just wanted to stuff as many plot points as humanly possible into a single chapter I guess.

Today on BnHA: Hawks is all “good job giving motivational shounen redemption speeches Deku but I’ll take it from here” and screams very earnestly right in Nagant’s face until she finally wakes up. Nagant is all “oh hey it’s my successor, you seem surprisingly unfucked-up from your own HPSC tenure, how did you manage that?” Hawks is all “fandom is going to love hearing this one, but basically it’s because I’m very upbeat and also I had the world’s best role model Endeavor to look up to,” and I swear this man stirs the pot on purpose, but damn it I still love him so damn much. Overhaul is all “HELLO AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT, THE BOSS!!” and Deku is all “MAYBE TAKE TWO SECONDS TO REFLECT ON HOW YOU TORTURED A LITTLE GIRL,” which, thank you, lol. Nagant is all “btw AFO’s hiding in a house in the woods”, and so Deku and the gang go to the house in the woods. Video recording!AFO is all “hi I’m AFO welcome to Jackass” and blows up the house. Sometimes I wonder if this manga is just a weird dream.

I am once again reading the Bean version because I think it was actually the best out of all three translations last week. and that is surprisingly including Viz’s. “faux” is not nearly as entertaining as “knockoff”, and also I have literally no idea why Caleb thought Deku was saying the Third’s lines lol

oh hey, Endeavor’s here too! not that you’d ever be able to tell from this first panel lmao

glad you received All Might’s call, mysterious unidentified glowing smudge

oh snap he says he’s weaker in the rain. is that why AFO told Nagant to attack then?? except that as we discussed the other day, I believe that AFO fully intended for Nagant to lose the fight, so him giving her info that would give her an advantage doesn’t really fit in with that. maybe he wanted Deku to be separated from Endeavor and the rest for maximum angst, though

btw Deku’s eyes are unsurprisingly back to the new normal here

alas, the angst continues. I say, pretending like I’m not totally eating it up each and every week and writing essay after essay about it lol

anyway so apparently Hawks can’t actually fly lmao. he was just yeeting himself with style

for some reason this is the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen omfg. wave to Hawks, kids! say “bye, Hawks!”

j/k of course Deku is catching them. -- except???

wow so he was just running on fumes there at the end. well, good to know there is actually a limit to his shenanigans, particularly regarding this new “knockoff” 100% OFA. it will definitely not alleviate any of the discourse, but it’s good for my own peace of mind because it’s solid confirmation that he still needs his pals in order to win this thing

anyway, but on to the rest of this conversation, which is basically Deku deducing what we all deduced last week -- AFO implanted some sort of trap into Nagant when he gave her Air Walk. though I’d still like to get the actual details from AFO and/or Horikoshi, because this was particularly wild even by quirk standards lol

omgggggg

she still has a face after all!! so it’s confirmed, Horikoshi has no idea what “blowing up” actually means. we might have guessed, based on what happened to Toga in the MVA arc, and also based on everything Katsuki does ever, but shhh

so now Hawks is all “NAGANT PLEASE WAKE UP, IF I SHOUT MY NAME AT YOU WILL THAT DO THE TRICK”

this is actually kind of touching though because even though we all know (or most of us acknowledge at any rate) that Hawks is a pretty caring person, it’s rare to see him actually panic over someone’s welfare like this

oh shit Horikoshi is really doubling down on it

I wonder how much Hawks knew about what really happened between Nagant and the HPSC. regardless, he probably sees her as a kindred spirit of sorts, and I’m more than happy for Deku to pass the redemption torch onto him now that he’s on the scene. like no offense Deku but they actually know each other and stuff lol

DAMMIT NAGANT CAN’T YOU SEE HOW LOUD HE IS YELLING

apparently being freed from his HPSC shackles has finally given Hawks the space to embrace his own inner shounen protagonist. is there anything more shounen than trying to motivationally scream someone awake when they’re lying in your arms inches from death?? 100% guaranteed to work

!!! IS THIS NAGANT’S POV OMG

SO SHE IS ALIVE. THANK GOD. Horikoshi doesn’t want to meet with my emotional distress lawyer today after all

love how she’s all “just gonna stir up the weekly Hawks Discourse pot here by implying that he probably committed a lot of Atrocities just like I did, so now people can get all hopped up about that, even though there’s no evidence he’s ever killed anyone aside from that one horrible ‘damned-if-you-do...’ situation with Twice.” no one asked for your provocative speculation young lady!! trust me Nagant, our rabbles don’t need the rousing lol

but nice save there with the “so how are your eyes so untainted” well you see it’s because even when he was following the HPSC’s orders he always went to great lengths never to go against his own moral compass. which just to be clear was incredibly difficult, and led to a ton of pain and suffering on his part, because the life of a spy is basically just one impossible situation after another. but in spite of that he never stopped trying to do his best to help people. I don’t really know where this tangent came from or is leading to, lol, but anyway p.s.a. I love Hawks a lot and he’s a good kid dammit

oh shit??!?

how is the League always able to swing all these fancy forest mansions. where do they find them. how many do they have

so Deku’s dropping them -- very roughly, not sure if he was reacting to finally getting AFO’s location, or if his energy really is giving out -- and now Nagant’s saying that AFO hired other villains as well. well of course he did. gotta keep chipping away at OFA’s ninth successor little by little

now Nagant is asking Hawks how he’s able to keep making “that” face. I assume she’s again talking about the fact that he somehow didn’t let the HPSC wear down his spirit

oh my god???

thanks for stuffing this chapter to the brim with good nutritional Hawks Feels, Horikoshi. what a good. he just keeps on trudging forward undeterred no matter what bullshit comes his way. what a steadfast little guy. I WILL PROTECT YOU FROM DISCOURSE MY SWEET SUNSHINE

lmaoooo

“SPOTTED THIS DUDE JUST CHILLING OUT THERE ON THE ROOF WITH NO ARMS, SEEMED PRETTY SUS” good job Endeavor

anyway so you don’t really need me to tell you that Overhaul is immediately starting in with the “BUT THE BOSS WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO THE BOSS YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD TAKE ME TO THE BOSS” stuff again. but I will go ahead and tell you anyway. so yeah. he’s doing that

OMG YOU GUYS LOOK AT DEKU’S “of all the fucking assholes to just randomly drop in on my life once again why did it have to be you” FACE THOUGH, OMG

fun fact, if you go back to chapters 124 through 160, there was an entire story arc where Overhaul imprisoned and tortured a little girl. yeah, I know!! suuuuuuuuper evil. anyways just an interesting little anecdote for you all that’s somewhat relevant to the current situation

OMG, YES. FUCK YES, DEKU

THEN WHAT ABOUT SPARING ONE FOR HER!!! YES!!! EXACTLY!!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, SOMEONE GETS IT

HERE’S THE PANEL OF DEKU SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING I’M SAYING LOL

(ETA: so apparently there’s some discourse about this because some people are interpreting this as Deku saying “you should apologize to Eri”, which would obviously be a terrible idea even if Overhaul actually wanted to do that, because Eri shouldn’t ever have to see him again. however I just want to point out that there is a HUGE difference between saying “it would be nice if you could direct that feeling of regret/being sorry towards Eri as well”, vs saying “you should also apologize to her.” all Deku is doing is rightfully pointing out that Overhaul has hurt way more people than just his boss, and if he really is remorseful, then he should extend those feelings of remorse to Eri and the rest as well. it’s not a directive to take any specific action, and I’m 1000% sure no one at U.A. would let Overhaul within 100 miles of Eri ever again.

tl;dr “try feeling remorse sometime” =/= “do you want me to fly you over to U.A. right now to surprise the little girl you traumatized”, lol.)

[slings an arm around Deku’s shoulders] you’re a good kid. I like you. I don’t know if I tell you that enough, but it’s true

meanwhile here is Overhaul’s “spare... a thought... for Eri...???????” face sigh

the struggle is real y’all

(ETA: and that’s... the last we ever saw of Overhaul, I guess? well all right then. I assume Deku will make good on his promise, so we know he’ll get that little bit of closure before going back to jail or whatever, and I confess I’m more than fine with leaving the rest of it open-ended, especially given his character’s history. I think this was pretty generous all things considered.)

lmao holy shit

All Might what did you do to those tiki torch guys?? did you thrash them. did you give ‘em those hands. did you deliver their own asses to them complete with a sticker reminding them Amazon Prime Day is on June 21. we missed out goddammit

so Endeavor, who wasn’t the one he was asking, is telling him that they captured (well let’s be real, Deku captured, give the credit where it’s due) Nagant and Overhaul. and so I guess they’re going to take Nagant to the ER now

fire is no one’s weakness

-- oh my GOD I scrolled down and audibly gasped

[is politely but firmly approached and asked to remove my arm from Deku’s shoulder by the physical manifestation of all this Dekuangst] “we’re sorry, he’s not allowed to have visitors right now” oh shit, my bad. [goes to stand behind a police barricade]

lmao what. did you run out of room on the previous page

what an exaggerated fade to black lmao

-- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I actually can’t see what he’s reacting to so maybe I’m just seriously jumping the gun here lol, but THE HELL WITH IT. the next panel appears to be a cut to Haibori Forest, so I’m just gonna go ahead and declare that Deku ran off on his own all wounded to go have more Dekuangst, just like I manifested. now go call Katsuki goddammit

[scrolls three more inches down] oh

yeah so like I said, Deku is walking very slowly a few feet in front of Endeavor, who’s telling him to wait up. yep. we’ve all gotta be so careful to not just jump to conclusions. I know we’re excited but still

anyway, so! welcome back to Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods (ARE YOU GUYS DATING) and Edgeshot! have fun walking into this obvious trap lol

dammit Deku why are you so determined to tempt fate

[monkey puppet meme faces]

OH MY GOD THIS IS PURE GRADE-A CHEESY COMIC BOOK VILLAIN 101 SHIT AND I’M HERE FOR IT

that’s such a weird way of clapping who claps like that

unlike certain other people who shan’t be named, AFO doesn’t feel the need to inexplicably take his shirt off when recording sinister villain monologues. I think we’re all pretty grateful for that

high fives to everyone who called it!! yep yep

anyway so this whole scene has major booby-trap vibes, which I’m enjoying immensely even though I don’t think anything is really going to come of it lol. probably just another long-winded AFO Speech. but wouldn’t it be funny if like the ceiling started lowering down to try and squish Deku afterwards lol

(ETA: well the explosion was still pretty funny too ngl.)

ffff

[“Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies]

anyway so yeah. he’s just hitting up all of his usual villain talking points. we get it, you’re so smart and you see right through the thin veneers of society and people who don’t conform are left to fend for themselves and labeled as villains and history is written by the victors, and blah blah blah dude are you just jumping randomly from one soundbyte to another lol. literally what are you talking about. what does this have to do with you blowing up Nagant

-- holy shit??

[”Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies MORE?????]

LOL WHAT

BRO. WHAT IS WITH YOU. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW TO LAY ANY OTHER KIND OF FUCKING TRAP GOOD LORD

“YOU’RE NEXT” THE CALLBACK?? THE PARALLELS?? THOUGH WHEN ALL MIGHT POINTED HE MADE IT LOOK WAY COOLER. AFO’S POINTING JUST LOOKS LIKE SMOKEY THE BEAR

HAS ANYONE CHECKED IN ON KAMUI WOODS I HEAR HE IS WEAK TO FIRE?? THE ONLY ONE WHO IS, APPARENTLY

r.i.p. to this particular forest mansion. don’t worry they have a ton of backups

remember last week when I said maybe AFO thinks explosions are gauche. well never mind. he fucking loves explosions

anyway so that’s the end of BnHA, everyone. hope you enjoyed. it was a good ride while it lasted. see you all, good luck in your travels

#bnha 316 #hawks #takami keigo #lady nagant #midoriya izuku #all for one #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #manifesting 317 opening with a slightly modified version of my previous fantasy scenario lmao #'WHADDYA MEAN THEY BLEW UP THE NERD' #that's *his* job #sorry lol I kid I kid

[guiltgoreglory]

Heat Waves (Chapter 1: A Warm Welcome)

(Very) Brief Summary: Reader is a government contractor joining the team in Benghazi.  (Eventual Tanto x Reader) (2,684 words)

Chapter 2

Foreword: In this series, the reader will be loosely based off of Nikita from the TV show Nikita (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_(TV_series)). The reader has an extensive background in black-ops and is currently an independent contractor working with the department of defense in coordination with the executive branch. If you have any questions about the character, feel free to reach out to me and I can clarify. The story will generally follow the plot of the movie with the exception of a few scenes. Lastly, the POV will shift throughout the story, a change in POV will be signaled by a line.

Author’s Note: Hey guys! I have a full plot already set up but it has been a long time since I’ve written a fic. I’m so sorry if the writing is kinda shitty but I really wanted to get it down in writing. I hope you like it!

You closed your eyes and rested your head against the headrest, trying to find an ounce of comfort in the cramped seat. The dull hum of the plane was cut through by various murmurs amongst the travelers. After a minute or two, you deemed the effort fruitless, letting out a frustrated sigh. Instead, you opened your eyes and looked out the window, watching as the monotonous view trailed by. For the next several weeks, maybe even months, you’d once again become acclimated to discomfort. This shitty seat is probably as good as it gets, you thought. The department will likely have you shacked up in some storage closet on a grimy 20-year-old cot. You have had worse and at least you’d be occupied. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Silva shift. You turned, watching him from a row back, across the aisle. He grimaced as he took off his wedding ring, putting it into a small metal container. He didn’t appear to notice your gaze as you turned your attention back to the window, the heat already radiating in. You felt sorry for him. Leaving people behind is never easy, especially kids. Luckily, you didn’t have that problem. 

As the plane began its descent you skimmed the team comp in your head. You’d been thoroughly briefed on the contractors, on top of all the research you had done on your own. You were joining alongside Jack Silva. A family man in real estate. Pushed to fly back overseas for the money to support his family. From all that you had seen, he’s a good guy. He seemed to be good company. It’ll be nice to not be the only strange face, you thought.

You readied yourself. Benghazi is far worse than most believed. Ever since the department even suggested you might be helpful here, you’d been keeping track of the chaos. It was only a matter of time before it erupted into a full-blown civil war. 

As the landing zone came into view you checked your hijab, making sure not a hair was out of place. You wore a casual white button-down shirt with a gray tank top underneath. You unfolded the sleeves, covering as much of your skin as possible. Given the heat, you’d love to run out in something a little more breathable, but the beige cargo pants would have to do. Next, you checked your “cello” case that sat in the seat next to you. Moving the strap towards you for a quick and effortless disembark. Being you had its perks, one of which was bringing some of your own firepower. 

You cracked your neck as a familiar ding came over the com. 

“Welcome to Benghazi.”

_

The two men settled into the car, watching over all the civilians walking past. Rone leaned forward, pulling a handgun out of the back of his pants. “It’s loaded.” Jack accepted the gun readily, cocking it within his lap. 

“How’s the team here?” 

“Good. Three ex-marines, one ex-army ranger. It’ll be nice to have some more team guys around.”

Jack briefly glanced back at Rone. “Guys?”

“Yeah. We’re waiting on one more before we head out.”

“You work with him before?”

“Nope. Defense department assigned her.”

Jack furrowed his brow slightly, pursing his lips in surprise. “Alrighty then, what’s she look like?” Jack looked more intently for another westerner standing out like a sore thumb. 

“No idea. I’ve been told that she will find us.”

“Oh how ominous.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lip. 

Rone hummed in agreement as he eyed the rearview mirror. Out of the crowd, a body began to beeline towards the car. “Think that’s her.”

Jack nonchalantly stretched, turning towards the back of the car to catch a look. 

_

You approached the dust-covered truck, already craving shade from the burning sun. Your sunglasses did little to protect your eyes from the glare off of the ground. As you got closer, you could see Tyrone eying you from the side mirrors. You adjusted the straps of both your cello case and your duffel, making sure not to make any sudden movements. You made your way to the driver’s side door, turning to face him. “You Tyrone?” you asked, knowing full well it was.

“Yes, Ma’am. And you are?”

“Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. Hop in.”

You nodded, moving back towards the rear of the car. Swinging the back door open, you threw your stuff onto the ground next to the seat. Leaving just enough room for you to climb in. As you sat down, you angled yourself towards Jack so that you could have a proper introduction. He noticed your movement, turning back to face you. He reached out his hand for a handshake. 

“Jack Silva”

You took his hand. “Y/N.” 

He settled back into his seat as Rone started the car. “Just Y/N?”

“Just Y/N.” You affirmed. 

As Rone made his way through the city they began to catch up, making friendly jabs at each other. You yanked your duffel towards you, rummaging through the various clothes. You could feel Jack’s eyes peeking at you ever so often through the mirror, making sure you weren’t doing anything unsavory. Trust is earned.  Finally, you found your shoulder holster. You unbuttoned your shirt, throwing it on the seat beside you. You put on the holster, adjusting the straps as needed so that it sat comfortably. After you were satisfied you again began to look through your luggage, pulling out two black pistols. You loaded a magazine into both of the guns. The sound quickly drew the attention of both men as the conversation briefly paused before they returned to their conversation. You paid them no mind, knowing that any response would probably make them more antsy. You then cocked them before placing them within your holster. Grabbing your shirt, you put it back on, leaving it unbuttoned. It was opaque enough to conceal your firearms as long as no one looked too close. 

“So, Y/N,” Rone directing the conversation towards you, “The Defense Department didn’t tell me much about you. What branch you from?” 

You turned from watching out the side of the car. “Covert operations.” 

That definitely piqued his interest. Jack let Rone do the questioning, but it was clear he was just as curious as him. 

“Alright. SEAL Team?”

“Uh, no. It’s a little more complicated.”

“Oh I get it, you’re on some James Bond shit huh.” He chuckled to himself as you smiled and rolled your eyes.

“Pretty much.”

Rone left the questioning there, knowing he’d probably not get much more of an answer, at least not until you’d come to know him a bit better. The two of them shared a look before the car came to a sudden stop. 

“Shit. No, no, no, no, no this isn’t good.” Rone’s body tensed as he assessed the situation. 

Civilians began to run around the car, whimpering in fear. You straightened up, readying for a shit show. You positioned yourself in the middle of the back, between the two men so you could see as much as possible through the windshield. 

“Fuck.” Rone’s discomfort quickly seeped through his cool resolve. “Who the fuck are these guys?” 

“What do we got?” Jack stayed still, his eyes scanning over the various armed men.

“Brigade we coordinate with, February Seventeenth Martyrs. This ain’t them.” He looked back past you and he switched into reverse. Moving back a few feet, the path was blocked and the car jolted forward. “Shit we’re boxed in.”

You settled on your knees, carefully unclipping the straps keeping your guns in place, just in case. Both men leaned out of the window. Jack looking up towards the man on the balcony readied to run.

“We bailing?” He asked, voice calm and collected.

Rone, giving no response, pulled out his radio. “Base this is Rone. Come in, over.”

“This is Base, go Rone.”

“I’m in a Jam off Fifth Ring Road. I’m lookin’ at about 8 armed tangos here.”

“Copy that, sit tight.”

“Sit tight, that’s great advice.” Everyone in the car became increasingly more agitated as the armed militia made its way in your direction. 

You took a deep breath. “If we’re bailing we gotta do it now.” You glanced at your bags. You could leave the duffel. There wasn’t anything particularly important in there. The case on the other hand couldn’t be lost to a rampant terrorist cell, if you did, the government would be up your ass about it for at least another 10 years. You fidgeted slightly, knowing that the opportunity to flee was about to pass.

Jack clenched his jaw. “They got a KPV.”

Fuck this is bad. 

“Base we ain’t got all day.”

“Hey, Rone. They’re trying to get Feb 17 to back you up, but we’re coming.”

Deeming that transmission utterly useless, Rone whipped out his cell. “Oz I’m in a jam of Fifth Ring.”

“Ty.” Jack interjected as the men became uncomfortably close.

“Rone, 17 Feb QRF is being alerted.”

“Fuck that, the only Quick Reaction force I want is my guys.” Without an immediate response, Rone continued on. “Send them. I want my guys.” He said more adamantly. 

“Negative, Rone. Just hang in there.”

“Maybe I’m not making myself clear. I’m looking at multiple radical insurgents with AKs and a 50-cal technical set to blow my rover all the way back to Zimbabwe. Over.”

You watched as a man dressed in a disheveled suit made his way around the vehicles and debris. He’s the big guy.

“It’s not my call, brother.”

Goddamnit. Looks like we’re either talking our way through this, or we go out quick. The thought gave you the slightest bit of comfort.

Rone looked towards Jack frustrated. You could sense he felt an inch of guilt for getting his friend stuck in this hellhole.

“Here we go.” Jack said nonchalantly as he could given the circumstances.

You crossed your arms, giving yourself easy access to your handguns without looking too conspicuous. A man stood at the front of the rover, yelling something you couldn’t understand. He pointed his AK right at you, maybe it wasn’t on purpose but you couldn’t help but mentally scoff. Well, that’s not very nice.

“Welcome to Benghazi.”

The man in front banged on the hood as the leader moved towards the driver’s side window. Jack raised his hands up innocently as Rone smiled at the man. 

“Salaam.” Rone raised his badge up to the man in the suit as he gazed at him incredulously. “Libyan visa. Official. Libyan government.” The leader looked him up and down. 

The guy with the AK was now in Jack’s face. His gaze shifted forward, doing his best to remain calm despite the barrel of a gun being inches from his forehead.

“Friendly? Hm? Friendly?” Rone again gestured with his badge.

Rone whatever game you’re playing it better fucking work because last time I checked a friend of Al-Qaeda is no friend of ours. You did your best to blend into the back of the car, feigning as the harmless woman. 

“Pull over for inspection.” The leader said sternly.

Rone shook his head. “No.” 

“Pull over for inspection!” He was now angry, his voice shaking with every word.

Alright, this is how it’s gonna go. You crept your hands slightly closer to your guns.

Rone’s voice remained steady. “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t do that.”

The man at Jack’s door yelled once more. Banging his palm against the dirty surface. Then the slightest movement came from Jack. 

It’s showtime. You thought. You gripped your pistols and whipped them forward, pointing them as the secondary soldier positioned at the front of the rover. Jack and Rone acted similarly with Jack’s gun pointed across at the leader, and Rone’s gun pointed at the soldier beside the door. The soldier at the front adjusted his AK, pointing it more fervently towards the car. 

“Look up.” Rone pointed towards the sky with his empty hand, never moving his gaze from the leader’s eyes. “Go ahead, look up.” Some of the aggression left the leader as he looked towards the sky, confused. “You see the drone?” The man looked back down. “No? That’s okay. The drone sees you.”

Nice play, Rone. You thought to yourself. A couple of Americans? No problem. We don’t pose that much of a threat. But good ol’ American air support? Now that carries a little weight. 

“Sees your face. We know who you are.”

Jack, facing the soldier at his door, swallows hard. Keeping with Rone’s power play, he maintains eye contact.

“If anything happens to us, your home, your family, boom, gone. Give us the order to let us go.”

Jack, looking past the AK in his face, doesn’t flinch as the soldier gestures with his gun.

 “I want the car!” 

Within a brief moment, Jack and Rone switched their aim, with Jack now pointing his handgun at the soldier and Rone at the leader. You flinched ever so slightly at the movement, but you remained steady, watching for any worrisome movement amongst the militia. Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you could feel your heart pounding in your chest. You ignored the harsh metal of the rover digging into your knees. This was your guys’ only shot to make it out of this cramped alley. They had to think your little caravan of three had the power of the entire U.S. military revolving overhead when in reality, you were just three Americans with a couple of guns in the middle of fuckin nowhere.

“No, I’m not gonna do that.” Jack shakes his head, leaning forward towards the man. The energy around the car was beginning to shift. Despite the KPV having enough firepower to destroy your car, and about 5 cars behind you, you three possessed the upper hand. They recoiled at the barrel of your guns, not the other way around.

The leader’s eyes began to soften, his harsh exterior falling at the thought of losing everything. For a moment, you actually pitied him. “I earn the right to decide the future of my country.” You understood the sentiment behind his words. Once again the U.S. had shoved itself into the center of a country, with no right to do so. But you, and the men sat beside you, just wanted to keep others safe. You had no agenda.

“You’re talking to the wrong guy. How willing are you to die for your country? I’m ready to go right here, right now.” Easy, Tyrone. Don’t push it too far. 

The leader’s frown deepened as he considered the weight of Rone’s words. He slowly backed away from the car. “Leave here. While you still can.”

You stopped yourself from relaxing your figure even though it felt like the weight of the world had just been lifted off your shoulders. Rone leaned back into his seat, beginning to maneuver the car between the debris. Jack slowly lowered his pistol to the door as the car inched forward. You followed suit and lowered your guns into your lap. You could hear the leader yelling to his men, and their posture relaxed enough to show they weren’t an immediate threat. Air filled your lungs for the first time in what felt like 5 minutes, before you looked behind through the dusty back window, making sure the leader was true to his word and you weren’t about to get shot in the back. You settled back onto your seat, leaning back against the warm metal. You debated holstering your weapons but decided it was best to have them at the ready until you were within the walls of the base.

“We got air support?” Jack’s voice was calm but demanding. You knew the answer to his question but left Rone to give him the bad news. Rone didn’t take his eyes off of the road as he did his best to make it back to base in one piece. 

“We don’t have any fucking support.”

#Tanto x Reader #Tanto/Reader #Tanto x Y/N #13 Hours #Pablo Schreiber #Tanto #Kris Paronto #Kris Paronto x Reader #Kris Paronto/Reader

[achliegh]

Golden

Yeehaw Leo… it's all because this song came on one day (I don’t even really listen to country anymore so it really is fate). Leo is based off that song, each chapter is going to be based off a yeehaw song too.

Characters belong to @lumosinlove

Beta: @the-most-slyterin-hufflepuff & @punkkkboi

TW/CW: Smut, terrible yeehaw sayings and jokes, injuries, mentions of past death/suicide, minor character death, underage drinking, mentions of past arrests, cringe

Chapter Songs (listening in order is recommended):

Chapter 12:

Jesus, Take the Wheel

It was 11 o’clock in the afternoon when Remus and Sirius got home, Reg was sitting on the couch under a blanket like the vampire he was on his laptop.

“Reg! We’re home! I’m glad the house is still standing!” Sirius goes over to the blanket before Reg can pull it off and hugs him super tight so the blanket makes him look like a little child dressed as a ghost. Remus smiles at them, walking past to set his bag by the basement stairs where they like to keep off their hockey stuff.

“Get off me! I can’t breathe!” Sirius lets go and Reg punches him in the shoulder after he slams his laptop closed and takes the blanket off. “Jerk.”

“Hey, you cut your hair.” Sirius grabs his baby brother's face and makes him turn his head to one side and then the other examining his hair. It looked really good on him, Sirius has always wanted to do something like this with his hair but always chickens out because of what the media will say. “It looks really nice, I’m a little jealous. I have always wanted to have my hair like that.” He ruffles Reg’s hair and gives him a sloppy kiss on the forehead like he knows Reg, acts like he hates, loves. “I am going to shower, I smell like bus, I’ll be back!” He passes Remus on his way upstairs and gives him a peck.

“I take it you won?” Reg stands up and follows Remus into the kitchen, Remus looks in the sink to see all the dirty dishes the trio had left because they didn’t want to do it. Reg was just kinda awkwardly floating around Remus as he worked on the dishes and Re had an idea that something was up.

“Okay, something is bothering you.” Remus turns around and leans on the counter to find Reg just messing with a fork left on the counter, spinning it on a prong. “Spit it out.”

“I just- I don’t know, I have kinda been… looking into some stuff that maybe I’m not just-” Remus has lived with Reg long enough to be able to pick up on his panicking. So he watches as Reg balances from one foot to the other, squeezing his hands into fists and opening them again.

“Hey, hey, Reg it’s okay.” Remus walks over to him and smiles, he doesn’t touch him but he lets him know he is there for him by looking him in the eyes for a moment and smiling. “You can tell me anything, I will be there for you no matter what.”

“I don’t think I’m… Maybe I’m not cis?”

“Here.” Finn dumps his bag onto Logan as he pulls out his keys to open the apartment. “Do you think Leo is waiting for us like a little puppy?”

“No.” Logan rolls his eyes and shifts the bag on his shoulder. “But we should definitely get a dog.” The door opens and all the lights are off, Leo’s boots are by the welcome mat so that means he is home. The tv is still on the NHL station playing highlights from what looks to be the Penguins and the Knights.

Walking over to the couch Finn smiles at what he sees, Leo wrapped up in a blanket with his hood up and his arm over the edge of the couch. His phone is on the ground below his hand, Finn picks it up and places it on the coffee table as Logan turns the tv off. They already dropped his stuff off at Dumo’s and will be staying the night but going back tomorrow morning. Finn reaches out and runs the back of his pointer finger over Leo’s soft face.

Leo might be a manly-man but he still can’t grow facial hair properly.

Finn moved his hand to push the hood down from Leo’s head and kiss his forehead, expecting to feel his soft hair but instead he felt prickles. He jolts his hand back from the shock and puts it over his mouth as he silently freaks out over the short hair. He waves his hand behind him until he grabs Logan's arm from where he was texting his parents that he got home safe and yanks him down so he lands on his ass next to where Finn is squatting.

“He has no hair!” Finn whispers-yells into Logan's ear. Logan spins around on his now sore tailbone and looks at Leo’s uncovered head. “Oh my god why does it look good!” Logan leans forward and notices a tattoo they have never seen before.

“Is that a strawberry? He has a strawberry tattoo.” Logan lighty pets over the inked fruit and smiles. “Aww how soft of him.” They both get up. “ We should let him sleep, nothing we ever do is too loud to wake him up. He SLeeps like a brick.” Logan takes Finn's hand as they grab the bag and start to unpack most of it.

Leo sleeps for a good hour before his body tells him to get up. Slowly sitting up he notices the tv is off and hears chattering in the kitchen. Standing up as quick as he can and slipping on his blanket a little he stumbles over to his boys and engulfs Finn in a hug. Surprising him.

“Good morning sleeping beauty.” Finn hugs him back.

“Let me in!” Logan scurries over to them and Leo opens his arms to hug both his boys. He picks them up a little and squeezes them, causing Logan to laugh and Finn to suffocate.

“Leo- I can't breathe.” Finn smiles but also can’t breathe. Leo lets them down and gives them both welcome home kisses. “Your hair looks great by the way, so short it shows off your face.” Finn ruffles his hair and accidentally bumps Leo's thigh.

“Ouch, that hurt a little.” Leo backs away a bit and puts a hand on his thigh. The boys looked at each other quizzically, causing Leo to pull up the leg of his shorts to show them his new tattoo.

“Oh my god! What is that!” Logan and Finn both bend down to get a better look at the blob of ink under the clear film. “Okay… for real what is it? Your ink sac is in the way….”

“Ew don’t call it that.” Leo smiles and looks down at the said blob. “It’s a pinup, she is actually based off that picture of Logan in your jersey, she has a mix of y’alls features and is also the only color tattoo I have… because she is so special.” Leo has the sappiest look on his face as he describes her. “You like?”

“I love… we should name her! I vote Matilda!” Logan smiles proud of the name he thought of.

“No, we need a better name! I like Veronica.” FInn and Logan continue to argue over names as Leo feeds his aggressive fish that Clay graciously named ‘Finlo… get it because Finn and Logan. Because it's red like Finn and mean like Logan!’ The name stuck somehow.

“Guys, guys. She can have two different names.” Leo smiles at them and leans against the counter. Watching them narrow their eyes at each other until one of them looks away.

“Fine! But can we have sex now? You know what your tattoos do to me, and now that you have one that has something to do to me.” Finn sighs and walks towards Leo who spins them around with a hand on either side of Finn. “whoa.”

“Sure we can, but we can’t fuck up her face… so I want to watch you and Lo.”

When Thomas walks in the door he is met with the cutest sight. Clay is asleep on Nolles chest on the couch with a back of frozen peas on his ass. Walking in and giving Noelle a kiss, he sits down next to them on the ground, reaching to grab Clay’s hand that is squished under him. He gets Clay’s hand and kisses the back of it.

“How long has he been asleep?”

“He was just pacing around the room and running to the window like a dog every time one of the neighbors slammed their car doors. It was really cute, but then I could tell his back and booty were hurting so I made him lay down and ice. He was not happy with me.” Noelle smiles and pets his hair back as Thomas leans in for another kiss, which she happily accepts.

“We need to sit down and talk with him about our sexlife, he definitely wasn’t what I expected in bed. A lot less ‘I want to be in control’ than I thought. He was very submissive and basically let me do what I wanted to him.” They both look down at the sleeping man. “He really really liked being fucked though. He said he has only been fucked once before, I think, but if he loved it that much then why has he never done it again?” Noelle furrows her brows in a way that means she is looking deep into the meaning of something.

“We just need to talk with him, I don’t think he would ever keep a secret from us unless it's really bad. I trust him, he obviously trusts us enough to A) Let you fuck him and B) Let us call while it is happening.” Noelle nods after a moment and sighs.

“We should wake him up, I want to use those peas for dinner tonight.”

“I’ll do it, he will probably jump on me.” Thomas smiles and scoots down until he is face to face with Clay, nudging him with his hand for a bit as he watches as those big puppy dog eyes open. They blink a few times and then finally focus on Thomas. “Hi.” The smile on Clay’s face blooms happiness in Thomas’ chest and before he knows it, Clay is off of Noelle and into his arms.

“Mm missed you.” Clay mumbles into Thomas’ neck and breathes him in. He smells like his cologne and a hint of sweat. Clay loves it. He pulls away a little as Noelle kisses both their foreheads and walks to the kitchen with the bag of peas in hand. Looking back to Thomas, Clay gets comfy by sitting between Thomas’ legs and hooking his ankles behind his back. His arms around his neck, just pressing their foreheads together as Clay’s still sleepy eyelids close.

“You’re so warm.” Thomas pulls away to cup Clay's face and smiles when Clay leans into one of his hands, keeping his eyes closed. His naturally curled lashes rest on his smooth cheeks. “You’re so beautiful.” Clay’s eyes open and he turns slightly red.

“No one has ever called me beautiful before…”

“You are, you are so beautiful.” Clay is looking at Thomas with a mix of millions of emotions flashing across his face.

“I don’t know how to respond.”

“You don’t need to. But that means I should keep telling you until you do know how to respond.” Leaning in their lips meet and they both smile.

Everything felt so right.

A week passed, Thomas and Noelle were busy with work and school, leaving Clay alone for most of the day. It was starting to take an effect on Clay as well. Yes He would walk around town with Tina when he was bored and his friends were busy or sleeping. He would hide William in places that he knew would make Thomas scream and run away. He also continued making little origami hats for William.

Tina hasn’t left his side recently and Clay really appreciates him greatly for that.

“Tina! Food time!” Clay puts Tina’s food in his bowl as William continues to tunnel his way through Clay’s hair. He doesn’t know why but William loves crawling in his hair. Thomas hates it because William scares him when he goes to Kiss Clay on the top of his head… and there is a snake there.

Clay goes to put William back in his enclosure, while he is closing the lid to the enclosure he hears the front door open and Noelle and Thomas call out at the same time.

“We’re home!” Noelle takes off her boots and hat and shakes out her hair from the snow flakes in it. Yesterday was the first snow Clay has ever seen, it was adorable. He ran outside in his shorts and sweatshirt. Standing in the middle of their tiny front yard and staring up at the gloomy yet bright sky as the flakes of snow land on his face.

He was looking up in awe while being barefoot on the damp grass since there wasn’t enough snow to stick and stay. He danced around getting his feet and legs all muddy. Thomas took a couple pictures of the flakes landing on Clay’s hair and eyelashes because Clay wants to remember this for the rest of his life.

They picked up the pictures on the way home today, Clay wants to add them to his little knick-knack collection. Clay is like a penguin in the way he loves to bring people he loves, little things from bobble heads to rocks and sticks that look like wands.

Thomas and Noelle both had a box that was almost already full.

“Hi! I missed you.” Clay runs into the room and hugs them both, giving them a bunch of smooches. “How was today?” Clay hovers around them as they unpack the groceries and the pictures, Thomas hugs him from behind and kisses his ear, making Clay laugh by biting it.

“Today was good, but we need to sit down and talk about our sexlife tonight.” Thomas mumbles in his ear and Noelle nods in agreement.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not, we just need to talk about what you like and don’t like.” Pinching his cheek Noelle smiles at him and Clay instantly relaxes, but he’s worried about what they will ask.

“Can we just talk now? I'm pretty open to everything. I’ll do anything you want me to!” His heart starts to pick up because he doesn’t want them to leave him because of things he doesn’t like in bed… he can always suck it up for them. Because he really likes them.

“Clay there has to be somethings you don’t like, I mean I personally don’t want to ever bottom. It scares me and yes I trust you both but it’s not something I’m interested in.”

“I like so be in charge during sex, so being bossed around really isn’t something I’m into. I also don’t really like anything like impact play… just no thanks.” Noelle hands Clay the can of Kiwi Apple Redbull he asked for earlier. He just holds it while he thinks.

“ I guess maybe… I don’t want to be tied up… unless you want me to be! Then I will!” He holds his Red Bull to his chest, really wishing it gave him wings to fly away from this conversation.

“Clay, we aren’t going to ask you to do anything you don’t want too, that’s why we are having this conversation, because communication and boundaries are important.” Thomas let’s go of Clay and walks over to where Noelle is trying to reach a cup on the top shelf that he puts there out of habit. He gets it down for her and they turn back to Clay. “You okay?”

“Umm I- I need to…” he’s trying to think of an excuse to leave because he wants to believe that they won’t leave him if he says no to something they do want but a voice in the back of his head sounding scarily like Ashley is telling him they will do whatever they want to him and he has to like it… or they will leave and find someone else. “I need to go to the barn!” Clay takes his RedBull and the keys to his new pick up and sprints out the door. Leaving the people he… really really likes behind.

He gets into the truck and turns it on and starts driving, with no place to go. Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood comes on over the radio and he listens to it for a couple of seconds before shutting the radio off as he pulls into a parking spot. He gets out and starts walking like his body is on autopilot. He doesn’t realise where he is until he is unlocking the door to Finn and Leo’s apartment with the key Finn gave him.

“Hey Clay.” Finn waves from the couch as he reads his book that Clay doesn’t care enough about to actually look and see what it is. “Leo’s in the kitchen.”

Clay walks into the kitchen after kicking off his boots that he doesn't remember putting on. Leo takes one look at him and knows.

Handing him a spoon, Leo points to the recipe he’s making from his mother's cookbook.

Chicken and Dumpling (minus the chicken)

Clay and Leo work silently together making this soup. Eventually Finn tells them he is going to pick up and take Logan home from the tattoo shop where he just got his half black and grey Japanese style sleeve done. He leaves the apartment.

“Should I tell them about Ashley?”

“If you feel comfortable enough too.”

“And if I don’t?” Leo looks at him and wraps a supportive arm around his shoulder as he stirs the simmering soup.

“They will understand.” Clay stays for dinner that night, eating with Leo and Finn. Clay and Finn talk about flesh pedestrians that Leo doesn’t believe in but add his thoughts into. After they finish eating Clay decides to go back home… yeah, home.

He walks in the front door and is suddenly off the ground in a vice grip hug.

“I told him you went to Leo’s but he didn’t believe me!” Noelle shouts from the other room, as she finishes chucking some socks in the dryer because Thomas would somehow manage to burn the house down.

“I was so worried! Are you okay? Did we upset you?” Thomas has set Clay down and is examining every inch of him. “You smell like soup.”

“I ate soup.” Clay smiles and hugs Thomas again, much softer. “I’m okay, I just am not used to people caring about what I like in bed. With my last girlfriend I was just told to take what she gave me and like it… so I’m sorry for just running out like that.”

“Hey it’s okay, but a text would have been nice.” Noelle joins in the hug and smiles at him. “Do you want to tell us anything else about her?” Clay shakes his head and Noelle and Thomas share a worried look but then nod because it’s not their story to know. “How about we go have a cuddle in bed and fall asleep to some terrible ghost hunting show? Yeah?”

“I’d love that.” And I love you. Clay thinks that in his mind for the very first time as he watched them walk to the bedroom. He loves them.

“I’ll have water too, thanks.” Finn was out at lunch with Sirius, Remus, James and Thomas. They all haven’t been able to hang out outside of practice recently so it felt nice.

“So, how are the boyyyyssss?” James puts his elbows on the table and flutters his eyelashes at Finn and Thomas who can’t help but chuckle.

“Leo is doing great, a little cold but great. He recently got a new tattoo that is a pinup girl of me and Logan mixed together and phew… it’s really hot.” Finn smiles and feels his phone go off but decides to ignore it for now. “How about Clay?”

“Clay and Noelle both got new tattoos, clays is vampire bites on his neck and Noelles is a Medusa with tentacles for hair on her Bicep. Pretty sexy.”

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo.” James smiles at the waitress who brings them their waters and straws, he shoots the straw wrapper at Sirius and then gulps down half his water. “I always chicken out though.”

“We should get together sometime.” Sirius flicks some of his water and James while he offers to get a tattoo with him. “What about you? Do you want one?”

“I’d rather have a piercing than a tattoo but I’m not against getting one.” Remus continues looking at the menu as he sips his own water.

As the conversation dies down a little Finn checks his phone, it’s a snap notification from Leo. Finn goes to open it thinking that it’s probably a video of him and logan having another stupid contest. What he is met with makes him choke on his water and start coughing but so he doesn’t miss anything he saves the video to chat.

The video is kinda dim but you can clearly see Logan, beautiful Logan, with his hands tied wrist to elbow behind his back as they stand in front of a mirror. Logan’s face is resting cheek to Leo’s chest so Finn can see his panting and whining. His hair is long enough it’s covering his eyes and most of his nose. All he can see of Leo is part of his chest that Logan is covering, the arm holding up the phone, his smirk that shows off his dimples… and his other hand that is currently fingering Logan.

He can see a bunch of Leo’s tattoos but it’s so dark he can only make out the Egyptian beetle on his neck. He watches as Logan jerks a little from what he knows is Leo hitting his prostate and at the end it looks like Logan whines ‘Finn’ but he has his volume off so he can’t hear it.

Fuck… now he can’t wait to get home.

#leo knut #logan tremblay #finn o'hara #james potter #thomas walker #Clayton Bruss #o'knutzy #o’knutzy #lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast

[whatifxwereyou]

Ashes Chapter 14: Calligraphy

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021

Pairing: Liu Kang x Reader

Warning: This chapter has SPOILERS and some upsetting content (character death) so brace yourself.

A/N: boy oh boy what have we here. smooches, folks. genuinely cried writing this chapter, but also had a ton of fun putting it together! hope you like it!

First Chapter << Previous Chapter Next Chapter >> Chapter Index

You were early to meet with the others in the lobby the next day. You’d finally gotten some greatly needed sleep and felt more like yourself. There was still a cloud hanging over your head of mixed-up emotions but there was no helping that. You’d gotten good at hiding it anyway. No one was there to meet you in the lobby so you went back to the little restaurant attached to the hotel. As you were about to be led to one of the tables, you spotted Cole and Emily waving to you to get your attention.

You thanked the hostess but let her know you would be joining your friends and walked past her.

“Y/N!” Emily beamed and offered you a hug, much to your surprise. You returned it and then took the seat between her and Cole.

“Glad you came to join us.” Allison smiled pleasantly though she looked weary, as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep the last few nights. You imagined this was much more difficult with a family to look after. “We just ordered so if we can catch the waiter then you’ll be right on time with us.”

“Perfect.” You then asked politely how everyone was doing that morning. It was nice to listen to them talk. It was such a normal conversation. Something you’d taken for granted in the past. You’d run from normal conversation for a while there. You’d run from any conversation now that you thought about it. You didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation but that was fine since Cole and his family were happy to talk. Emily showed you pictures that she’d taken while out and about in Los Angeles the afternoon before.

The waiter returned and you ordered granola and yogurt but even as you thought about eating it, your gag reflex kicked in. You just weren’t hungry. In fact, you were a little nauseated at the idea of it. The food was fine and you shoveled it down anyway but weren’t happy about it. It didn’t sit right either.

After you finished eating, Allison and Emily excused themselves to the restroom leaving you and Cole alone and waiting for the check.

“How’s things?”

“They’re about the same as yesterday.” You shrugged.

“How’s nothing?” Cole gave it air quotes this time, a bemused sort of look on his face.

“Are you really bothering me with that nonsense already today?”

“I wasn’t planning to but then…” He pointed to you as though you gave him an obvious reason to. You searched yourself but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“What? What is it?”

“I’m pretty sure that nothing left you a souvenir.” He made to push your hair away from your neck and you swatted his hand away. Was he serious? Or was he just giving you a hard time. Had Liu given you a hickey like some horny teenager marking his territory? There was only one real way to find out but any sort of reaction was going to give you away to Cole. Your silence had probably already done that. Cole was looking at you as if to say ‘yeah, nothing’ again. You narrowed your eyes at him. “Hey, I’m not judging.”

“Cole… It’s…”

“I know, I know. It’s none of my business.” He tapped a finger against the table. “Whatever nothing is? It seems complicated. I get that. I’m just trying to help you out before someone with less discretion points it out.”

You sighed heavily and pushed your chair away from the table. “We are going to have words later.” You left money on the table for breakfast. “I have to grab something from my room.”

“Sure you do.” Cole laughed as you walked away. “You’re welcome!” He called after you. You walked into the lobby and found the restroom there, hoping to avoid Allison and Emily in the restaurant. You checked yourself in the mirror which was something you’d avoided doing the past few days.

Huh, funny, you were a little pale even though you felt much better. Maybe you’d hid in the temple too long after everything. You avoided thinking of the reasons behind the word ‘everything’. Sure enough, right on the side of your neck was the bruise-like mark that Cole had pointed out. An unmistakable sign that you’d been making out with Liu Kang. Oh the audacity of that man. After all the drama you had between you, after how complicated it already was, he’d given you a damn hickey.

You laughed, hands on the bathroom counter.

“Fuck.” You had to cover it up. So you went back to your room and covered the mark with makeup. You’d do your best to keep your hair over your neck but changed your jacket to one with a higher collar just in case. Then you made your way back to the lobby and to the restaurant where you found Cole, Allison, and Emily still seated. However, Liu Kang had joined them in the meantime. When you approached, he stood and grabbed a chair for you. Cole couldn’t have looked more amused. Liu bowed to you politely in greeting and then offered you the chair.

“Thanks.” You tried not to sound annoyed but you were annoyed. You couldn’t just yell at Liu Kang for giving you a hickey in front of everyone so you had to pretend you weren’t annoyed which was also annoying. You made casual conversation but you caught Liu throwing you a glance now and then. Eventually you chose to excuse yourself and joined Jax and Sonya in the lobby. Sonya was just as grumpy as you were that morning which was nice. At least it wasn’t just you. She was likely not looking forward to spending more time with Johnny Cage. Jax didn’t seem too keen on it either.

The others joined you in the lobby where Allison and Emily wished you luck and then left to go about their day. Then the group of warriors made their way to meet with Johnny Cage. It wasn’t a particularly long ride but it was long enough that the silence felt awkward. You wondered again why Raiden had sent you all there. There was something he foresaw as a possibility that you didn’t. There had to be. You could see why he would send you and Liu somewhere to sort out your shit but why everyone else?

When you arrived, you found that the house was surprisingly modest. A two-story bungalow standing alone on the side of the highway. Johnny met you out front and greeted you jovially but you checked out pretty quickly. The conversations with everyone were fairly circular. Too many hands in the pot. You enjoyed Johnny for the most part. He was quite funny.

The truth was that your fuse was short that morning and you were better off staying out of the conversation. To you, it didn’t matter how the conversation ended because if Johnny resisted then you were going with the backup plan.

Kidnapping.

A word that you had thought so many times the last few days it was funny. You kind of wanted to make it happen now. Could have been a fun change of pace.

That probably wasn’t healthy.

When you were restless the idea of causing trouble became tempting and this was one of those moments. It was something you could control in a world of things beyond your control. Kung Lao had kept you in check in moments like this. He’d allowed you to cause trouble without actually causing trouble. There was no one there to do that anymore. Except Liu. But causing trouble with Liu was exactly the kind of destructive thing you shouldn’t do.

“It’s beautiful, right?” Johnny beamed next to you, proud of the view of the beach from next to his house. You’d been walking alongside the fence. Where the hell was everyone else? Weren’t they supposed to be talking to Johnny? This was going great. “It’s part of why I bought this place. I know it’s old school for someone like me, but the view? Can’t be beat.” He continued on and on about the things that had drawn him to the house. The smell of the ocean. The moment he’d known it had to be his. The renovations that he’d had to do. It was nice to listen to him drone on, honestly. Had the others already managed to lose him? So much so that he was babbling about nothing to you?

Kidnapping.

You considered this would be a good moment to just knock him the fuck out.

“That’s a great idea. We’ll finish this discussion on the beach. The gate leads right down there.”

“What?”

“You talked me into it, Y/N.” Johnny patted you on the shoulder then walked over to the gate and hollered for the others to follow him. Weather worn wooden stairs led from the gate next to the house and down to the shore. You hadn’t said anything so you had no idea what he was talking about, but fine. The others were soon walking past you. Sonya was grumbling something to Jax who was laughing in response. Liu walked past them all and was the first person down the stairs. Cole stood by the fence, hands in his pockets while he waited for you to join him. He nodded toward the fence. You shrugged and then joined him. You and Cole trailed behind the others.

“Now, hypothetically, if I agree to go on this journey with you then when exactly were you thinking we’d head out? Still unclear how we’re getting there but plane tickets are expensive short notice.”

“Tomorrow. Don’t worry about the flight. We have that handled.” Jax was the sternest negotiator amongst you and had the highest tolerance for Johnny Cage. You thought that Liu was more qualified and understanding at one point, but he was unpredictable now. So Jax it was. He was convincing and for some reason you trusted him immediately. That was not something that often happened for you.

“Yeah, that doesn’t work for me. I’ve got things to reschedule. I’m a busy man, I thought I made that clear.” He went on and on. You were over it. Just knock him out already. You walked past them to an old dusty picnic table in the sand. You’d let the others sort it out. Jax seemed to have it under control for now. Cole joined you at the table.

“Is this about what you expected?”

“Do you think if we let him keep talking until he’s tuckered out then we might get a word in edgewise?”

“I think that motormouth could go on forever if we let him.”

“Well, alternatively, we could just knock him out. Then I’ll call Raiden. Boom. Done. I’ll just drag him.”

Cole chuckled and ran his fingers through his short hair, elbows on his knees. “If it comes to that then I’m happy to help with the dragging.”

“I was hoping.”

Cole clasped his hands together, tapping one foot impatiently. You couldn’t blame him. You’d been given the runaround since you and Liu got there and you were certain it had been more of the same before that. “It’s strange seeing the beach this empty.”

“Rich people.” You gestured to Johnny and Cole chuckled again. “Look at those clouds rolling in. Looks like rain.”

“I didn’t see any in the forecast. Weird.”

“Weirder things have happened.”

Jax, Sonya, and Johnny were arguing. About nothing. You could hear their irate voices from there. Johnny had offended them, apparently. Liu was quietly trying to diffuse the argument but it seemed to be going poorly for him.

“You sneak over there and knock him out. I’ll carry him.” Cole joked. You laughed but when you turned to watch the waves roll out your stomach sunk.

There was a familiarity that you couldn’t shake and you couldn’t turn your gaze away. You got up and walked closer to the water. Even your shoes in the sand felt familiar. You’d walked here before. You’d seen these waves before. Even the clouds were ones you’d seen. Cole was following you.

“What is it?”

“I know this place.” But why? Why did you recognize it? You didn’t know. You just knew that you did. That happened to you sometimes but it had been years. With the visions you’d suffered as a child and the ones you’d had after discovering your arcana it had been a common thing once upon a time. It had been impossible to decipher what was a coincidence or déjà vu without help.

But this didn’t feel right and the drop in your stomach made you concerned enough that you had to say something.

“Liu?” You shouted with some urgency and he snapped his head toward you, stopping the conversation with Johnny with a wave of his hand. He started toward you but before he could ask you what was wrong, what was wrong made itself apparent.

The dark clouds spread unnaturally across the sky and the ocean shrunk back from the shore and crashed against an invisible wall instead of rolling back. Green mist swirled beyond the waves and gathered in a spiral energy. Opening at its center was a mirror of fire and darkness. You could feel the heat of it from there.

Your vision from the roof.

Unlike your vision where there had been a wave of bodies rolling in from the ocean, there were instead monstrous warriors with fire beneath their skin that rushed out of the hellish void behind the dark mirror. Was this why Raiden had sent you all there? Had he foreseen something like this happening? You stepped back into a defensive position and Cole joined you at the ready.

“What the hell is this?” Johnny shouted, lumbering through the sand to your other side, fists in a guard position. You were all ready for a fight. From behind the monstrosities emerging onto the beach an imposing armored man stepped from the portal of fire and green mist. Bald, gray skinned, symbols on his forehead and dark lines traveling up from his eyes, he was intimidating. Power radiated from him.

The monstrous warriors he’d summoned were snapping at you, growling, some holding weapons, others armed only with claws. With a wave of his hand, the monstrosities rushed forward.

You were ready for a fight but stumbled backwards in the sand. The déjà vu left you dizzy. Jax was in front of you smashing the creature that had come for you. You would have rolled out of the way but you appreciated the assist. “Get it together, Y/N!”

You put some distance between you and the others. You could handle the fight but you were better off in the back given what you specialized in. Then it was pure chaos. This was what the vision had warned you about. There was fire and the crashing of metal. Blades sliced and projectiles were thrown. Fingertips turning black, you summoned your arcana into blades and spun them at the ready.

Fire roared from Liu as he fought nearby. Jax was plowing through enemies while Sonya fought back-to-back with Cole who had not yet used his arcana but was doing just fine without it.

One of the monsters came toward you and you ducked beneath its blow then stepped back strategically in the sand. It rushed you and you twisted your blade and sliced the grotesque creature’s face. It roared, spit flying past its lips, then lumbered toward you even as your blade cut through it. You twisted aside and sliced across its chest and the creature fell into a pile of ash but you lost your footing on the sand. What the hell was wrong with you? It was like something had pulled your leg right out from under you but there was nothing there. Johnny helped you to your feet.

The creatures were no match for everyone’s arcana. Even Johnny Cage put up one hell of a fight which you were glad to see. One of the creatures struck him and he faked left, slipped beneath the blow, and then struck it repeatedly then kicked it toward you. “Catch!”

You spun and sliced the creature gracefully, relieved your body was obeying you this time. With a yell, Johnny kicked the creature to the ground. He stepped back into his stance and you grabbed his arm to pull him out of the way of a creature coming from behind him. He stumbled but caught himself quickly. Your blade pierced the monster’s chest and Johnny struck the monster in the face but then shook out his hand in pain. Then with a yell he kicked the creature so it slid off of your blade.

“Chill out, man!” He then targeted the wound your blade left behind and the creature fell to the ground and burst into ash with a comical spin. “Hey, can you do that thing where you duplicate me?” Johnny had nothing but excitement in his eyes.

“Is now really the time?” You laughed, shaking out your blade. Doing so would mean you had to take a back seat to the actual conflict.

“Come on, Y/N! Double Johnny! That’s my next damn movie!” He assured you with a big grin. “It’ll be a hit. No one will know how we did it!” There were more of those creatures coming through the sand toward you.

“You had me at Double Johnny.” You tossed the swords behind you and they disappeared in a spray of ink. Bracing yourself in the sand, you drew Johnny out of ink and had him join him at his side. While you controlled the drawing, you backed up and watched the others to make sure that they were holding their own. Cole had summoned the armor and tonfa of his arcana and was absorbing blow after blow before redirecting that energy back at his attackers.

Liu wielded fire in a graceful dance, holding his own with ease. Jax and Sonya held the front line, trying to make their way toward the man who ordered the monstrosities toward them from the portal by the water.

He made eye contact with you and then a horrible ringing began across the beach. You kept your grasp on the drawing of Johnny but it took tremendous focus not to fall. It was fighting more like you did but it was still doing its job. You dropped to one knee in the sand as the ringing in your head continued. You focused only on your ink and tried to drown out the horrible sound as it deafened you. Then an arm slipped under yours and helped you back to your feet.

“What happened? You hear something?”

“You don’t hear that?” You shouted over the horrid screeching.

“No, just fighting!” He steadied you then let go.

“There’s this ringing!” You shouted.

“There’s no ringing, Y/N!” Cole swung the grip on his tonfa and leapt before you, knocking the creature coming toward you aside, then spinning back and piercing it with the sharp end.

“Fuck this.” You muttered beneath your breath and then, despite the ringing, you drew Cole to join him in battle and together they batted back the flood of creatures rushing toward you. You were going to drive these things back to wherever the hell they’d come from. You stepped further back and drew Liu to join him. There was a deep pain in your chest and you pushed anyway. If you had to sleep for the rest of the evening it would be worth winning the battle.

The ink staining your fingers spread over your wrists and up your arms. You tossed your jacket off and into the sand. You drew Jax and the screeching in your ears was muted by exhaustion. The creatures were falling back, overwhelmed by the duplication of your fellow warriors. You kept scanning the beach to help your creations mimic their fellow warriors. You made to draw Sonya to help finish them off but then something struck you hard in the chest. There was nothing there but the blow was enough to knock you several feet backwards.

As you fell into the sand, you didn’t crash but were instead swallowed by darkness. You tried to fight it but your limbs snapped together and it was like you were bound, floating in a sea of shadow. You could hear combat below you, the grinding of a saw blade, and a familiar voice. It was like someone was controlling your body, guiding you through the wall of shadow against your will. It was like water, you couldn’t breathe.

Then your heart stopped.

You heard Kung Lao.

He was screaming in agony. Screaming for Liu Kang. Your whole body went rigid.

Then you fought to get free. You fought harder than you had ever fought in your entire life. He was screaming in agony and you were in the fight pit, floating above it. Shang Tsung had Kung Lao in his grasp and right before your eyes, you watched the life drain from the face of the man that you loved.

Liu Kang was running to him but it was too late. Anguish radiated from him but as he opened his mouth to scream, you heard nothing but that ringing again. In his last breath, Kung Lao froze. Then, quickly, the scene rewound before your eyes and you were forced to watch it play out again. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t think. You tried desperately to get to him, but you were trapped.

“You couldn’t save him.” A deep voice whispered, fading from one ear and into the other. “And you won’t be able to save them either.” You wanted to scream, to fight, but you could barely move, could barely breathe. The scene rewound again and you shook all over in terror. Darkness swallowed you and you tried desperately to close your eyes to it, to get away from the screams of the man you loved at the last moments of his life.

You tried to summon your arcana, to lash out like you used to in a panic with spears of ink.

In a burst of energy, you fell through the shadow, limbs free of where they’d been bound. You collapsed in a heap onto something hard and solid but it wasn’t the beach. You weren’t anywhere. You didn’t care where you were. You grasped your hair desperately, sobbing hysterically. Why? Why?

You hadn’t ever wanted to see that!

You didn’t want that in your head!

His last moments alive captured and replayed. You couldn’t help him. You pulled your hair, tried to get a hold of yourself but you couldn’t stop sobbing, couldn’t catch your breath. You were hyperventilating, shaking.

Footsteps approached you but you didn’t get up to greet them. You were helpless, sobbing and curled up on the ground. Whoever it was approaching you stopped right in front of you and crouched. You froze.

It was Kung Lao. You didn’t have to see him to know it was true.

He wrapped his arms around you and you sobbed against him, grasping onto him desperately. He felt so real, warm, and comforting. He was there. But you knew it wasn’t real. He wasn’t real. You could see the last moments of his life repeating in your mind’s eye. His lips brushed against your forehead, one of your fondest memories, something you were sure your subconscious was repeating to comfort you.

“They need you, Y/N.” He whispered. His voice was so familiar and comforting that you clung even tighter to him, your sobs catching in your throat. It hurt. To hear his voice so clearly in your head and know it wasn’t real. “Breathe, please.” His strong hands brushed down your arms to try and soothe you. You nodded and shakily took deep breaths. Even if it was just your subconscious, it felt so real that you took comfort in it.

He left that kiss on your forehead again.

“I didn’t… I didn’t, Kung Lao… I didn’t want to see you die, I… I can’t… I couldn’t… I’m sorry.” You sobbed, covering your mouth. “I miss you so much.”

“I know. I know you do. But you have to wake up, Y/N. I need you to wake up.”

“I don’t know how. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know… I don’t…” You wiped your eyes furiously but couldn’t take your eyes off of him. This was how you wanted to remember him. Not rotting away. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Yes, you can, Y/N. You have to wake up.” He tilted your chin up and just as his lips brushed against yours in a kiss, he was gone and you were alone.

Gasping for breath, you opened your eyes to the tumultuous skies over the beach. Liu Kang was pulling you from the sand and into his arms. It was chaos. There was yelling you couldn’t make out all around you. Green smoke engulfed the beach and your fellow warriors were falling back. Liu scooped you up into his arms but you fought him and he stumbled.

“Y/N! Y/N, don’t! We have to go!” Liu grasped again for you but you fought to get away from him and fell into the sand.

“He’s right, we have to go!” Cole argued and tried to help get you back up. Johnny stopped him.

“Let her do what she needs to do.” Johnny knelt next to you. You were shocked by how much he had chosen to trust you. Now you felt a little bad about the kidnapping thing but you were too emotionally raw to even be sarcastic. The monstrosities were rushing toward you, barely kept back by Sonya’s arcana.

Getting back to your feet, you focused on your arcana. Even if it took every bit of the strength that you had left, you would make them pay. You were furious. The last thing you’d remembered before you fell were the eyes of that man. He’d made you watch Kung Lao die again and again. He had imprisoned you in somewhere dark and he would pay.

You would do this for him.

For Kung Lao.

The ink covered your hands again and spread up your arms. You imagined the world as your canvas, the whole beach your art. You drew around the creatures running toward you and it felt to you that they moved slower than your arcana did. The stone walls that you drew on either side of them popped into existence and then slammed into the sand. They were huge, towering above the creatures. You collapsed to your knees in the sand but Johnny slipped his arm under yours and helped you back up. You made eye contact with the leader of these horrible creatures. He was scowling behind his warriors and then he turned and stepped back into his portal.

With a yell, you slammed your hands together and the stone walls crashed together, crushing every single one of the monstrosities that had come through the portal that was closing behind your arcana. The sound of the ink slamming together was deafening and the ground shook beneath you. Your ears were ringing now for a different reason.

Exhaustion.

You dropped into the sand, only kept upright by Johnny Cage. You sat back on your heels. The ink walls disintegrated and poured like rain into the sand, staining it. The creatures within had fallen to ash. Dark clouds grumbled overhead.

All that remained was the inky silhouette of a man.

Kung Lao.

Vision blurred by tears, you commanded the drawing of him to brush his fingers over his hat in victory. Then he disappeared into nothing. You let your weight fall back against Johnny Cage. He was talking to you but your head was spinning and everything was muted. Liu crouched in front of you and took your hands to help you up. He was talking but you were struggling to even read his lips. You blinked your eyes closed to try and focus. You swatted Liu’s hands away and then pushed Johnny off of you too.

You took deep breaths and regained yourself before getting to your feet. Then there was silence. None of you were sure what had prompted the attack or who had even been behind it. The only thing any of you were sure of was that it was not good.

You were still furious.

“Okay.” Johnny broke the tense silence. “I’ll clear my schedule by the end of the week and we can go. No more questions… well, about that, at least. I have lots of other questions.” He looked to each of you. “That okay?”

“End of the week? Did you see what just happened? We are at war.” Jax argued. You got to your feet and walked a little away from them to let them talk. You shouldn’t have but you didn’t have it in you to listen to them arguing about something that seemed so trivial to you in the moment. You knew it wasn’t trivial but nothing else mattered to you right now.

Sonya joined you closer to the water. “That was impressive.” The blond had her arms folded over her chest. She was scraped up and looked weary but you weren’t worried about her. Sonya had more than proven herself as a warrior.

“Thanks.”

“Couldn’t have done that earlier?”

“Draining.”

“What made you do it?”

“I’m furious.” You didn’t offer any further explanation. The last thing you wanted was to talk about it. You didn’t even want to think about it. But it wasn’t like you could get it out of your head. Who was that man who had done that to you? What were his motives? What good did he think would come of it? Why show you that? Why taunt you? To break you?

“I’d hate to be the one who made you that angry.” Sonya attempted to joke with you but you had zero sense of humor right now.

“I wouldn’t recommend it either.”

Sonya offered you a pat on the back. “Take it easy after that.”

“You too. Clean that up.” You gestured to Sonya’s arm. At least Sonya wasn’t treating you with kid gloves like the guys sometimes did.

“It’s just a scrape.” Sonya assured you. Liu joined you on your other side. The others were close behind now.

“We need to get back to Raiden.” You turned to Liu only for a second. You couldn’t look him in the eyes right now. You could only picture the anguish on his face in those last moments. “They weren’t from Outworld. They were from somewhere else.” Liu was watching you in alarm.

“End of the week is the best I can do.” Johnny spoke over anyone else who may have had something to say on the matter. “It’s only two days away. After that? I’m all yours.”

“That’s fine.” You agreed before the others could argue. If they disagreed then they could argue with you later. You were ready for a fight at this point. You didn’t care what their opinions were on the matter. Johnny had stood by you when you’d needed help even when he didn’t have to. You’d step up for him too. “It’s only two days. He’s right. By then Nightwolf should be up to speed and already training. With any luck it’ll be the leg up we need.”

“Nightwolf? Sounds like a Nordic death metal band or something.”

Sonya swatted Johnny on the back of his head inciting a laugh from Cole.

“Fine. Two days. That’s it. But we’re leaving first thing Saturday morning and if you don’t show up, then so help me, when we find you…” Jax continued to threaten him. Johnny insisted that his word was solid. You didn’t care what either of them said. If Johnny bailed then you would drag him kicking and screaming to China. But you had also accidentally bonded with Johnny Cage and trusted that he would do as he promised. You stepped away from the others, getting closer to the waves.

The ink had faded and so had the ash. The only signs of the battle that had taken place was the dug-up sand from the fighting. You felt Liu walking toward you before he was at your side. His energy was tangible and so uniquely him.

“What is it?” He whispered, voice nervous. “What do you know?”

“I know that I need to talk to Raiden.” You felt heavy, like another version of you sat on your shoulders. Grief. “I don’t know exactly what it is I know. I just know that it’s bad. That man… he’s trouble.” You knew that was vague but you had no other words to describe him without explaining what had happened to you. You knew so little other than a feeling. He had been trying to manipulate you. If that was his intent then he clearly knew nothing about you. All he’d managed to do was make you angrier.

You supposed it had beaten you down but you wouldn’t let it keep you down.

Kung Lao was still alive even if only in your head

Living enough to have comforted you when you’d needed it. The strength that you’d used to crush those creatures had been all because of him. You silently thanked him for watching over you as you admired the waves recovering from the magic of that horrible man.

“I can call Raiden. The others can meet us in China on the weekend.” Liu was terrible at hiding his worry.

You considered his offer but your gut was saying to stay in Los Angeles until you were all leaving. Raiden had to have known that something would happen. He had known you had to be there. Why? You hoped that he could shed some light on the truth of what was happening. This war had become more complex than any of you could have imagined. “No. I think we should wait. But I’m worried, Liu.”

“Yeah, me too.” Liu folded his arms over his chest. The tension in the air couldn’t have been more different than the last time you’d stood together on the shore.

“Are you okay?” You turned to give him a cursory glance. He was covered in soot. No surprise.

“I’m fine.” You felt the smile on his lips. “You’re gray again.”

“Well, I crushed an army.”

“Still.” He wiped the soot off of his shirt fruitlessly. “We should go.”

“I need a minute, Liu.”

“Okay.”

“You can go, Liu.” You didn’t necessarily want him to go but you didn’t want him to sit there worrying about you pointlessly either. You would be okay. Probably could use a nap but you would bounce back from that just fine. It was the rest of what had happened that no one else had seen that would stick with you. Liu bowed his head respectfully but didn’t leave you alone. You had plenty to discuss but you had no words. Cole joined you moments later.

“You okay?” He asked casually and you were grateful that he wasn’t nearly as concerned as Liu was.

“I’m fine. You good?”

“I’ve had worse.” Cole smirked, arms folded over his chest. “You saw something back there, huh?” You supposed that of all the people you owed an explanation to, Cole was pretty up there. He’d been there when you’d realized what was happening and that you’d seen it before.

“Yeah. That happens sometimes.” You weighed whether or not you should elaborate. Later. It wasn’t the time or place.

“Good to know.” Cole offered you his arm. “Come on. We’re heading back. No one feels safe here now.” You took his arm and then started slowly with him back toward the steps leading to the beach house. Liu followed behind you. Your mind was buzzing with anger. He would pay. You would make that man regret putting those visions in your head.

Next Chapter >>

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[wizardofrozz]

Welcome to Westview!

Warnings: swearing, mention of past character death, blood 

A/N: 😞 there’s only one chapter left after this

Chapter 21

Clint POV

The only sensation I could put words to was the pounding that reverberated through my skull; I couldn’t even place the origin. I stayed in darkness, wincing with every pulse of pain that washed across my brain; along with the unrelenting pounding, a soft buzz started to break through the void. Clint…Clint. Someone was calling my name; it was soft, almost too quiet to hear. Clint. I tried to reach for it only to come up short.

           “Clint!” the voice exploded through my head.

           “What!” I screamed, my eyes snapping open as I shot up.

           “Jesus,” Nat sighed, resting her hand on my arm. “You with me?”

           “Yeah…yeah. Give me a second,” I grunted, rubbing my fists into my eyes.

           “Wanda! Wanda!” Monica screamed near the window. “Wanda!”

           “Hey!” I yelled, glaring at Monica as she turned to face me. “Want to shut the fuck up for a second.”

           “It’s a waste anyway, babe. No one can hear you from in here,” Pietro mumbled. I snapped my gaze towards the man sitting on the couch across the room from me, eyeing the guitar resting in his lap.

           “Where are we?” I asked, gently grabbing Nat’s hand.

           “Apparently, Pietro’s apartment,” Nat sneered, glaring over her shoulder at ‘Pietro’. Monica wandered around the room, inching closer to the door, glancing over her shoulder, jerking her head slightly towards the door. I groaned, rolling to my knees, taking advantage of Nat’s outstretched arm to help pull myself to my feet. Nat’s eyes roamed over my body, and in hopes of lightening the mood, I winked at her, wiggling my eyebrows, which earned me a slap across the face.

           “Yeah, I deserved that,” I sighed, rubbing the sore spot on my face. Nat flickered her eyes towards the door, lacing her hand with mine; I nodded once, shuffling towards Monica, whose lips twitched up. I lifted my foot to take a step, but Pietro was already standing in front of Monica, raising an exasperated brow at us.

           “Super speed, remember,” ‘Pietro’ snorted. The smugness fell away when Nat yelled out, grabbing her head, breathing hard through her nose. I couldn’t even take a step when a similar sound tore from my lips, the energy coursing through my head, forcing me to fold in on myself. Memories flashed across my eyelids so fast I couldn’t make sense of half of them; Nat’s face smiling and bloody, lingered for a second as she lunged at me, kissing me. Snippets from New York flickered by along with a deranged Loki and a pissed-off Fury. Sokovia, Wanda, and the real Pietro, along with bullets tearing through him so I could live. Nat slapping me so hard I tasted blood before her lips were on mine.

The Sokovia Accords, fighting Nat and the rest of my friends. The Raft. The time I spent as Ronan before Nat found me again. Thanos. The Snap. The last memory seemed to play in slow motion, dragging out the pain I already knew was attached to it. Nat’s back to me as she tried to wrap her head around the concept of Vormir. The last time I kissed her, sweet and full of years of love and pain before she hurled herself off the cliff. I relived every painful second, watching her fall for what felt like forever; the image of her sprawled out below me, surrounded by blood, will never leave me. I opened my tear-filled eyes, instantly finding Nat straightening, a haunted look in her eyes when she finally met my gaze.

           “What was that?” Monica whispered, looking between Nat and me.

           “Mind control,” I croaked, reaching for Nat. “Natasha.” She started shaking her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she back away from me.

           “Don’t, Clint. Please. I…We can’t…I don’t want to talk about it,” Nat whimpered, still moving away. I surged forward, grabbing her arm, and forcing her to face me; her eyes snapped open, the familiar fiery attitude burning in her eyes.

           “I don’t care. Just…kiss me. Please,” I forced out, swallowing around the lump in my throat. Nat’s face softened, and she was on me in the blink of an eye; I savored every second of her lips pressed to mine, burning the memory into my brain. “I love you,” I mumbled against her lips.

           “I love you too, birdie,” Nat breathed.

           “What is this stuff?” Monica called, pulling Nat and me out of our own world.

           “This is my man-cave. A place to chillax, you know, while the missus is stirring up trouble,” ‘Pietro’ replied, raising an eyebrow at Monica. “You a fan of Steven Seagal?” Monica ignored him, wandering around the room again, only stopping to pick up something off a table. Nat hesitantly moved away from me, strolling across the room to look over Monica’s shoulder; she let out a breathy scoff at whatever was in Monica’s hand.

           “You’re Ralph Bohner?” Monica asked, raising an eyebrow at the man moving towards her.

           “Boner,” Ralph and I chuckled at the same time. I recovered first, clearing my throat, and making a point not to look at the glare Nat was undoubtedly shooting my way.

           “How is she controlling you?” Monica closed the space between them, baring her teeth at him, but Ralph only laughed.

           “You wanna tussle again? Hmm?” he taunted with a smug smile.

           “Enough of this,” Nat growled. Nat moved past Monica and in the blink of an eye, Ralph was slammed on his back; Nat ended up on top of Ralph, her forearm against his throat, snarling down at him, her red hair wild. My brain knew better than to find the entire exchange sexy, but apparently, the head below my belt didn’t get the memo.

           “Meow, she’s feisty!” Ralph laughed, winking up at Nat. Nat put more pressure on his throat, sounding feral with anger, and I shuffled in place.

           “You don’t know the half of it,” I mumbled, letting out a breathy laugh. Nat turned her head with the sole intention of glaring at me; Monica rolled her eyes, stepping closer to Ralph and squatting down.

           “The necklace,” she breathed, curling a finger around it and tugging.

           “Oh! Oh, God! Please, spare my life!” Ralph cried, shaking under Nat. I smirked at her eye roll but offered my hand to help her stand up again, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek.

           “Nice to meet you, Ralph,” Monica laughed, shaking her head.

           “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I offered, using my thumb to gesture over my shoulder at the door. Nat, Monica, and I sprint through the apartment building, bursting through the front doors; across the street we could see the twins holding off the soldiers, quickly disarming them. As the three of us get closer, another man climbed out of his vehicle, shouting for his soldiers to do something; Nat and I split off, cutting off the advances of the few brave soldiers. My elbow connected with a jaw, and before the man could recover, I slammed my shin into the backs of his knees and landing a perfectly timed punch. I rocked back when a fist connected with my face, recovering enough to avoid another fist, barely; a string of gunshots rang out, and everyone froze. Nat landed with a soft thud, punching the soldier under her before the sound occurred to her; I peered over the soldier's shoulder, that I was holding by the vest, looking for the twins.

           “No!” Monica shouted. My tongue feels heavy in my mouth, terror seizing my muscles as I watched the bullets bury into Monica, but nothing happened. No blood, no screams of pain, the bullets just disappeared.

           “Stop!” Nat yelled, freezing in place, an exasperated look on her. I followed her gaze to find the man turning the gun on Nat, scrambling back, throwing himself into the truck he got out of earlier. I let out a shaky breath when the gun was finally off Nat; the crunch of metal made me cringe. The sight of a box truck pinning the SWORD truck in place was too funny for me to contain the laughter that bubbled up in my throat. My joy was interrupted when the soldier started struggling in my grip; my fist snapped his head back, and I dropped his limp body, racing for Nat.

           “You okay?” I yelled, slowing to a jog as I get closer.

           “Perfect.” Nat raked her eyes over me, nodding to herself when she didn’t find any serious injuries. “Um, Clint.” I flicked my eyes to her face, noting that her eyes were focused somewhere above my head; I turned, finding the object falling from the sky.

           “Oh shit,” I mumbled, wrapping an arm around Nat’s waist, pulling her to the side as the object plowed into the grass behind us, skidding a few feet. Nat and I looked at each other with wide eyes before jogging towards the strip of destroyed grass; I laughed despite the situation as we got closer. “I guess he graduated from the God of Thunder to the Thor the fucking asteroid.” Nat made a point of grabbing my attention so I could see her exaggerated eye roll before she went to our friend’s side. “Come on; you seriously aren’t going to laugh,” I called after her.

           “Thor,” Nat hummed, gently tapping his face. His eyes shot open, the icy blue orbs snapping between Nat and me, causing him to relax some; a low groan pushed past his lips as he tried to sit up.

           “I’ll be okay,” Thor grunted, scooting back some, so his legs were stretched in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh, his hands dropping onto his legs with a muted clap; Thor tilted his head and leaned to the side, smiling softly at something behind me.

           “Everyone okay?” Bucky yelled, his boots slapping against the concrete as he came to a clumsy stop at the edge of the grass.

           “Seems like it,” Nat sighed, smiling at everyone.

           “We’re only missing Vision, Loki, and (Y/N). Wanda is dealing with Agatha, and Monica has the twins covered,” I added, smiling down at Nat.

           “Vision was fine as of a few minutes ago,” Thor provided, taking Nat’s outstretched hand.

           “So where are Loki and (Y/N) then?” Steve wondered aloud, glancing towards the streets leading to the town square. A loud explosion of thunder overhead sent a tremor through the ground, throwing everyone off balance; we all slowly raised our eyes towards the angry storm brewing above us.

           “Fuck,” is all I could manage as I watched two bodies hurdling towards me. I twisted in place, covering my head with my arms, and waited for the impact that didn’t come; I heard a thud mere inches from my head and dared to open my eyes. I started to straighten again when the sickening sound of bodies colliding made me flinch; Loki landed in the cradle (Y/N) materialized, but apparently more on her than the magic cushion. The shield of swirling magic was so close it almost touched the side of my head, allowing me to see (Y/N)’s eyes looking down at me as she lets out a relieved, slightly strangled sigh.

           “Are you okay, darling?” Loki stuttered frantically.

           “If you would get off me,” (Y/N) panted above me. Loki lets out a soft oh and (Y/N) sucked in a loud breath as he moved off her. “I can’t believe Wanda threw us out of the sky!” she hissed to herself. The shield disappeared, leaving Loki and (Y/N) to land softly on their feet.

           “Anyone else want to hurl themselves out of the sky at me!” I screamed, dropping onto the ground, resting my arms on my bent knees. Choked-back giggles started to bubble out of my friends and quickly turn into full-blown laughter; I tried to fight the smile pulling at my lips but failed miserably. I covered my face, muffling my own laughter. Everyone fell silent when another wave of deafening thunder rolled through.

           “Mom!” Tommy yelled, skidding to a halt beside me. I climbed to my feet, never taking my eyes off the witches above me; Nat came to stand at my side, glancing at the twins and Monica before turning to look at the sky again. Bucky and Steve stood rooted in place, mesmerized, both of their mouths hanging open, watching Wanda; Thor, Loki, and (Y/N) stood next to Billy, murmuring amongst themselves as they watched the battle. I shook my head slightly, watching most of Wanda’s attacks miss, flying high or wide, and I couldn’t make sense of it.

           “She never misses,” Nat whispered. I faintly heard the twin's voices again, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away until another voice cut in.

           “Wanda, what are you doing?” Vision mumbled. My eyes found him standing behind the boys, following suit and watching his wife and Agatha. Wanda launched one attack after another, getting weaker by the second; Agatha suddenly began pulling energy from her until Wanda’s body fell limp, suspended in midair.

           “Mom!” the twins cried, clinging to Vision. Everyone stood frozen in fear, waiting for the inevitable final attack that would end Wanda; I bit my tongue, hoping to hold off the tears of grief already clawing at my heart. But nothing happened. I squinted up at the sky, blinking a few times when I thought I imagined Wanda’s head lifting until I heard (Y/N) gasp.

           “Runes,” she laughed breathlessly. Odd shapes started to burn brighter against the flickering barrier, appearing behind the clouds one by one.

           “She…she wasn’t missing,” Nat whispered, sounding awestruck. Wanda opened her arms, pulling power in, draining Agatha’s magic with what looked like little effort. Wanda radiated power as crimson beams and ripples of magic engulfing her, burning brighter with each passing second. My mouth hung open as I watched the light start to dim, leaving Wanda floating above us; the clouds quickly started to clear as Wanda and Agatha’s figures moved closer to the ground. Agatha landed with a loud thud while Wanda landed gracefully, a few feet in front of us, her back still facing us.

           “Good girl. So now what?” Agatha panted, throwing her hair out of her face. “You just gonna lock me up somewhere?”

           “No, not somewhere,” Wanda replied, her voice flat. “Here.” I narrowed my eyes, my head jerking back slightly before searching my friend's faces, only to find similar looks.

           “Here?” Agatha scoffed.

           “Mhm. I’ll give you the role you chose. The nosy neighbor,” Wanda replied, almost playfully as she moved closer.

           “No. Please…” Agatha tried to plead. I snorted, smirking, but it was short-lived when Nat jabbed an elbow into my side; I looked around at our friends before leaning closer to Nat.

           “Everyone else is laughing,” I whined softly.

           “Quit being a baby,” Nat sighed, rolling her eyes for the thousandth time.

           “I’m sorry,” Wanda offered, tilting her head.

           “No, you’re not. You’re cruel,” Agatha snapped. “You… You have… You have no idea what you’ve unleashed. You’re gonna need me.”

           “If I do, I know where to find you.” Agatha tried desperately to plead with her, but it was cut short with a simple touch of Wanda’s finger; scarlet magic twisted around Agatha momentarily. Someone resembling what I’d imagine Agnes would really be like sat in her place.

           “Hiya, hon,” Agnes greeted cheerfully. “Say, that’s some kinda getup you’re wearing. Did I leave the oven on, or is that just you, hot stuff?” Agnes winked, chuckling softly to herself as she eyed Wanda standing over her.

           “You live here now. No one will ever bother you,” Wanda informed her.

           “Okey dokey, artichokee.”

           “I’ll be seeing you, Agnes,” Wanda finished, turning her back to Agnes.

           “Not if I see you first, hon,” Agnes chuckled. Everyone lit up, smiling at Wanda when her eyes lifted from the ground.

           “Mom,” the twins yelled, running towards her. Wanda’s face scrunched up in a way I knew was an attempt to hide her crushing sadness with a smile. Vision took a deep breath, trailing his eyes over Thor, Loki, (Y/N), me, Nat, Steve, and finally Bucky before smiling warmly and following his sons. I tried to focus on the present, ignoring the knowledge of what was coming, no matter how violently it beat against the inside of my skull.

           “So, it would appear that our dream home has been reduced to a fixer-upper,” Vision laughed dryly. “I know you’ll set everything right. Just not for us.”

           “No. Not for us,” Wanda rasped, looking down at the twins. My heart clenched at the thought that this was coming to an end; I cast my eyes down, desperate to hide the tears threatening to spill over.

           “It’s time. Should we head home?” Vision asked softly.

           “In a minute,” Wanda mumbled, lifting her eyes to look over Vision’s shoulder. Fabric shuffled as everyone straightened, sniffling softly in an attempt to collect themselves as Wanda moved closer. “I’m so sorry,” Wanda choked out, fighting tears. “I…I love you all. I never meant to cause you more pain.” No one dared to speak. A lingering sadness hung around each of us; Wanda sniffled, dropping her head, and nodded once. “Let’s go home.” The walk through Westview was quiet and tense, but no one had the heart to break it. Loki and (Y/N) walked hand in hand a few paces behind Wanda and Vision, with Thor on Loki’s other side. Bucky and Steve walked close, their shoulders brushing with each step but not touching beyond that. Nat was pressed against my back, her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms lazily circling my neck as I carried her towards our fake home. I made a point to memorize the feeling of her warmth pressed against me one last time.

Chapter 22 | Series Masterlist

Taglist:

@marvelfansworld​ @imagine-yourself-happy​ @alluringshawn​ @lovelokiqueen​ @somegeekychic​ @wandas-love​ @shadowolf993​ @jointhehunt67​ @starks-hero​ @neenieweenie​ 

#westview #wandavision #wanda x vision #bucky x steve #bucky barnes x steve rogers #stucky #clint x natasha #clint barton x natasha romanoff #clintasha #loki laufeyson x asgardian reader #bucky barnes #steve rogers #clint barton #natasha romanoff #loki laufeyson #thor odinson #wanda maximoff #vision #monica rambeau #the winter soldier #captain america #black widow #hawkeye #scarlet witch #god of mischief #god of thunder #photon #marvel

[shootybangbang]

[Talking Bird] Ch 16: In which the plot finally makes an appearance

[Ao3 Link]

[Content Warning]: suicidal ideation, mild gore

[Note]: this fic has gone through some serious revisions — mostly expanded scenes/dialogue. The chapters most heavily affected are 1, 2, 3, and 7, but I’ve added a changelog to the end notes of each previous chapter detailing the edits that have been made. To save you some time though, here are the three main things to note:

The reader character does not have the bonds

The reader character refers to Arthur by his last name due to unfamiliarity

The horniness from last chapter has been moved to a future chapter. sorry!

This chapter is also pretty long in comparison to the others. From here on out, the chapters will probably be 2000+ words.

———

You look out into the plains, at the last pale band of light disappearing beneath a horizon of prairie grass and dark, looming buttes. The shadows of the scant trees stretch long and thin, their branches like a thousand spindly fingers grasping, searching. The landscape is dimmed to a tableau of reds and blacks, anything not illuminated by the fire slowly sinking into the featureless canvas of night. All of it blurred and indistinct behind a curtain of rain.

It’s a prettier sight by far than any you’ve had in St Denis. Or San Francisco. Or anywhere else you’ve lived, really.

And yet it hangs like featureless gauze behind the endless reel playing out over and over behind your eyes, spinning round like the printed images on a zoetrope.

The O’Driscoll’s hands wet with blood and mud. His eyes wide and uncomprehending. Trying to put himself back together the way one might a broken toy, sieving his viscera between his fingers and scooping it into the cavity of his chest. That initial, stunned bemusement giving way at last to the dawning horror of his own end.

And accompanying it, the numb realization that what bothered you more was the bare abstraction of the act. The burden of this sin weighing heavy with all the others, its addition tipping some moral scale, and —

“Hey.”

Morgan’s voice, jarringly brusque against the murmurings of your own private judge and jury, is almost mercifully irritating.

“What do you want?” you snap.

“Get up,” he says. “Start strippin’ the wet bark off the firewood.”

“For chrissakes, at least give me a second to catch my breath.”

“Why, so you can keep sittin’ there feeling sorry for yourself?” He leans one hand against the stone wall of the outcrop and drags himself back to his feet. The barest shadow of a grimace flits across his face as he straightens his back. “C’mon. Sooner we get set up proper, the sooner we can get back to ignorin’ each other. Then you can sulk all night in peace.”

The cottonwood branches are covered in cracked, ash brown bark that scrapes rough against your palms and fingers, rasping the skin raw as you hold the wood firm for carving. One of the downsides of living easy for so many years, you suppose — all the protective calluses atrophy to nothing, and what remains becomes susceptible to old and familiar hurts. But habits run deeper than skin, and what the mind forgets the body keeps.

As you work your way through the firewood, Boadicea nickers and paws impatiently at the dirt.

“I’m sorry girl,” you hear Morgan say. “Been a hard day for us both.”

You snort contemptuously. Out of the corner of your eye, you watch as he unhooks the horse’s bridle and lifts away the saddle, then starts grooming her with a battered looking brush, brushing with quick, circular motions, going against the grain and fluffing up her coat to dry out her fur with a solicitous measure of care that seems wholly unfitting of a man of his temperament and occupation.

Boadicea makes a low, rumbly noise in the back of her throat that sounds almost like a purr. She dips her head down and chomps at the yellowed prairie grass lining the floor of the outcrop, tearing up mouthfuls with a sedate contentedness that makes you sorely wish you could share in her circumstances.

A sense of fatigue more complete than any you’ve ever felt before settles over you like heavy snow. For the moment, you feel blank and washed out, stripped bare of all pretense.

“Morgan,” you admit. “I don’t have the bonds.”

“Yeah,” he replies. “I know.” He unpacks his canvas roll and yanks free from it the saddle blanket of coarse, undyed wool, then unfurls it over the horse’s back, pulling it over her flank and adjusting the fit. “Figured as much before we left Strawberry.”

“Oh.” At this point, you haven’t even the energy to be surprised. “Huh.”

For a long while, the only sound is that of the knife scraping against bark and the intensifying patter of rain, fat droplets coming down hard and fast.

In a small voice, you ask him, “You’re not really gonna sell me to a brothel, are you?”

He scoffs. “What makes y’think that ?”

“Thought you seemed too… too decent to do something like that.”

“Me? Decent?” Morgan lets out a low, disbelieving whistle. “Thought you’d know better by now.”

He turns partway to face you. In the dim light of the fire only half of him is lit bright enough to see, the rest tapering sharp into dark silhouette. For the lapse of a heartbeat it’s as if all the irreverence and bravado has been ripped away like a sheet of paper, and underneath a viciousness, a suppressed violence that you’ve been too blind to see.

This whole time you’ve been treating him like a dog, when the teeth at your throat are those of a wolf.

Your mouth goes dry and your fingers tighten around the knife in your hand. You stare up at him like a deer caught in his sights — blind panic rising up in your chest and throat like cold water. You swallow hard and try to force it down so you can maintain at least a semblance of control.

“Mr. Morgan…?”

“You ain’t been half as scared of me as you should be,” he says. “holed up with a wanted man, nobody around for miles. Some of the men I’ve run with, they…”

He lets the sentence trail off, the implications clear enough without him saying so. Then he shakes his head, and there is a weariness in him, a kind of cynical exhaustion that ages him far beyond his years. “Girl,” he says. “You keep at this line of work, I guarantee you’ll be dead in a year.”

Morgan slicks his fingers through his wet hair to keep rainwater from dripping into his eyes, and you can see that the hangdog look is back on his face, all his suggested cruelty vanished like smoke. He shifts his attention back to the saddlebags. “No, I ain’t decent,” he continues. He pulls out a tin cup and the individual components of what looks to be a collapsible grill. “But I ain’t so far gone that I’d hurt a woman. Or sell one.”

“But you’d ransom one.”

“Figured it out, did you?” he says. “Thought you might.”

He sits back beside the fire and pieces the grill together, twists its winch tight and positions it over the fire. Then he fills the tin cup with water from the canteen and sets it atop to heat.

“If you don’t hurt women,” you say slowly, your right hand still holding the knife tight as a vise. “Then what’re you going to do to me when you find out I’m not worth ransoming?”

“Doubt that’s gonna be a problem.”

“Why not?”

“Had a brand new Mauser on ya. You know how much those things cost?”

Mentally, you kick yourself. Looks like begging the gunsmith to lend you the best pistol he had in stock has come back to bite you in the ass.

“The gun’s not mine,” you say quickly. “It’s a loan.”

“Those bloomers in your room were real silk. You gonna tell me those were a loan too?”

“You — my bloomers?! Why were you going through my bloomers, you fucking degen—”

Of all the things you’ve accused him of today, somehow this is the one that actually rankles him. “You think I like rummaging through women’s underwear? Had to go through ‘em to get to your billfold.”

You flush hard enough that even the tips of your ears feel hot. “I… I saved up for those bloomers. Not that I’d expect you to understand the importance of—

“That shirt’s custom tailored, ain’t it? Those boots, too. And that’s good leather right there. Far too good for your typical drug mule. Either you come from money, or you got rich friends.”

There’s not much you can rebut here. All you can manage is a lame, “You don’t even know who I am .”

“Got a friend not too far from here who’s plenty familiar with St Denis. He’ll know.” Morgan holds his hand out towards you. “Gimme that knife a second.”

The knife is the only scrap of protection you’ve managed to grab hold of through this entire ordeal. You squeeze its handle tight.

He lets out a short, impatient sigh. “If I wanted to hurt you, I’d have done it by now. So c’mere and hand it over.”

You’ve known men who take a certain vicious pleasure in abusing women. Merchants with cringing wives. Clients with kind faces who’d leave working girls battered and bruised. There’s usually a certain mien about them that sets you on edge and that Morgan, brusque as he is, thoroughly lacks.

You brush the wood shavings off your lap and approach him. When you reach his place beside the fire, he tilts his head upwards to meet your eyes, the look on his face calm and expectant. A self-assured confidence that you’ve seen many times before, in the guises of many different men. It sends a familiar shiver of resentment down your spine.

You could cut out his eye right now. You could sink the blade into the thick cord of his neck. And he’d shoot you dead just for trying it — oh, you’ve no doubt of that — but it’d be quick and it’d be painless, and here comes that pathetic urge again, that little whisper coaxing you deeper, deeper towards the welcoming dark —

But equally pathetic is the nagging insistence that always stays your hand, that strident, desperate plea born from bodily instinct. The shared fear of all life from the inevitable. Cowardice — that’s what it is. A cowardice you’ve never been able to shake, a resentful, stubborn tether that you’ve bitten and clawed at over the years, but that still stays looped firm around your neck.

( And what about Mei? What about her son? )

You hand him the knife, and he receives it without incident.

The water in the tin cup is boiling. Morgan slips the point of the knife through the cup’s metal handle, and delicately removes it from the grate to cool. As you stand there, wet and cold and resentful, but not sure what else to do, he saws the top off a can of beans and sets it on the grill to warm, then pulls something out of his satchel and tosses it in your direction.

Somehow, you manage to not fumble the catch. It’s a can of peaches.

“Don’t eat ‘em yet,” he says. “I wanna take a look at your arm first. Roll up your sleeve for me.”

You grimace. One of the pros of tailored shirts is having sleeves that actually fit. “It doesn’t roll up that far.”

“Then I’ll cut it off for you,” he says, putting the knife to the shoulder seam.

“Like hell you will. This is my last decent shirt.”

Morgan shrugs. “No way around it, unless you wanna take it off.”

A shirt nice enough to present a veneer of respectability costs at least $4. Your usual tailor’s fee runs about $2, plus tip. That’s $6 total: the equivalent of two week’s worth of food for Mei and her son. Good food — white rice and cabbage, maybe even a bit of pork belly. Not the bits of offal scrounged from the butcher and wilted produce she’d resort to otherwise.

You hold out your hand and say, “Give me something to cover myself with.”

Your time spent reading Ovid in college would have probably been better served learning to dress like him, you think to yourself as you try and try again to wrap Morgan’s blanket around yourself like a toga.

“I said I’d give you a minute to yourself,” he says. “It’s been more than three now. I’m gonna turn around.”

“Just ten more seconds,” you respond, hastily tucking the corner of the blanket into the horizontal swathe pulled taut across your torso.

The sheer amount of irritation he manages to convey in the sigh he lets out is really quite impressive. In it, you can somehow hear him rolling his eyes.

When you finally let him know you’re ready, he takes one look at you and has to stifle a laugh. “You could’ve just wrapped it around your chest. Woulda been more practical.”

“Oh, excuse me for wanting to preserve what’s left of my dignity,” you snap, keeping one arm pressed against your chest to keep the whole improvised garment from falling apart.

“Alright Caesar, c’mere. Let me see.”

The cut looks like an angry red furrow ploughed through the field of your skin. Its edges are ragged and torn, separated like poorly cut cloth. In between, the wound itself gleams red and raw, with particles and fibers mixed in with blood and indeterminate tissue.

Earlier, when you’d gingerly untied the makeshift bandage and taken off your shirt, you’d taken a silent moment to survey the damage, wondering with horrified fascination if it was perhaps your own muscle you were glimpsing, that particular facet of your body surfacing through its dermal barrier for the first time.

“I’m gonna hold your arm,” Morgan says. “That ok with you?”

You nod, a little dumbfounded that he of all people would have the foresight to ask for permission.

He lifts your arm towards the firelight so he can better examine the wound, and in doing so handles you with more care than you can remember any lover ever giving you. You tell yourself that it’s a rebuke of your own terrible taste than an indication of any extraordinary kindness on his part, then forcibly dredge up the memory of his gun at your back for good measure.

“You’re gonna have a hell of a scar after this,” he says, running his thumb along the unbroken skin below the cut. “No inflammation, which is good. I’ll patch you up the best I can, but we’re still gonna want to check on it every couple hours to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

He gets up to rummage through his saddlebags and returns holding a roll of gauze and a bottle of clear liquid. “You’ll be wanting this,” he says, handing over the latter. “This’ll hurt.”

You take a swig and nearly choke on it. “What the hell is this?”

“Grain alcohol.”

Grimacing, you bring it to your lips again and take in two more mouthfuls of the stuff before handing it back, gulping it down quick to get the burn of it down your throat and off of your tongue.

Morgan hovers his hand over the tin cup to test its temperature. “This needs to cool down first. Gives you some time for that liquor to set in too.”

“I think it’s going to my head already,” you admit.

Heat is spreading from the warm pit of your stomach to your neck and face, branching through your veins as sure as blood. The thud of your heart, previously an imperceptible thing, now asserts itself like a metronome.

He glances over at you and whistles low. “Not much of a drinker, are you?”

“Not usually.” You press your palm against your cheek. “Am I turning red?”

“Gettin’ there.”

It’s strange, settling into this oddly comfortable limbo between cordiality and aggression. Your sustained caution of him is beginning to wane so steadily that you have to consciously remind yourself the only reason he hasn’t shot you dead or at least seriously injured you is due to the fact that you’re worth more intact than otherwise.

“So,” Morgan says. “What’s someone with silk bloomers doin’ all the way out here runnin’ opium to Strawberry?”

“It’s a very long and stupid story.”

“Then give me the short version.”

You stare at the ground as though it’ll offer you some way to condense the sordid affair of your life into a couple easy sentences. He’d asked the question with what sounded like genuine curiosity instead of interrogation, and for once you feel inclined to blurt out the whole of it, like a girl in confession.

You want to tell him about how small the missionaries had seemed when you’d waved at them through the train’s grime-smudged window, not knowing it’d be the last time. The tweed jacket tossed carelessly onto the floor, and the cool, smooth sheen of mahogany against your skin. Feng fishing you out from the dark water lapping at the docks. The money, the opium, the blood.

The sight of the Heartlands for the first time, its blue horizon impossibly vast.

“I owe someone a lot of money,” you say finally, fiddling with a piece of grass between your fingers, tearing into halves and halves and halves. “He said it was either this or the brothel.”

“And you chose this. Runnin’ dope to those poor bastards working the railroads.”

It’s not the first time you’ve heard this particular tone of voice. The kind that implies its speaker’s higher moral ground as it categorically condemns you. But coming from him makes its sting especially hard.

“I don’t force them to buy it,” you say hotly. “It’s not just me that’s at fault here.”

“You ever seen a dope addict? They ain’t got a goddamn choice —”

“Well, d’you know what the average lifespan of a Chinatown whore is?” You don’t bother waiting for a response before plummeting to the answer. “Two years. After that she’s either dead from syphilis or suicide. At least with the opium I’ll die out here in the open and not in some squalid closet of a room that smells like piss and men.”

The liquor is starting to hit hard , and a part of you is fiercely grateful for it. It’s been a long time since you’ve been given an excuse to scream out the inequities of your life to someone, and a man who’s holding you for ransom seems as good a target for your vitriol as any.

“You think that just ‘cause it’d be better for the greater good or some shit, they should get to fuck me over? Is that what you think?”

Morgan seems a little taken aback. “I didn’t say th—”

“I don’t give a shit about the addicts. I don’t give a shit who’s life I’m ruining, as long as it isn’t mine. I don’t… I don’t care about anyone else because I’m a terrible excuse for a human being. That’s what you want to hear me say, right?” At this point, you realize that you’ve transitioned into a hysterical rant, that you don’t properly mean half the things you’re saying, but saying it out loud feels good nonetheless, like sucking venom from a festering wound. “But people like you don’t get to tell me so. Because at least I don’t hold people at fucking gunpoint . I don’t rob banks or kidnap women or beat debtors. I’m not a fucking murderer like you—”

The last statement barely clears the air before the image of the dead O’Driscoll, sprawled across the ground with his belly torn open, flashes through your head. You immediately clap your hand over your mouth, as if doing so will let you swallow back your words.

“No,” Morgan says, “You ain’t a murderer. And that’s why you won’t last long.”

“Good,” you seethe. The hot sting of tears begins prickling again at the corners of your eyes. “I don’t want to.”

He raises his eyebrows and regards you with a vague, detached kind of pity that makes you almost wish he’d just outright condemn you instead, then touches his fingers to the tin cup. “Water’s cool enough now, I think.”

You feel like a petulant child who’s just thrown an ineffectual tantrum. Rendered self-conscious and obedient for the time being, you allow him to secure your elbow with his hand and begin irrigating the wound with warm water.

“Jesus fucking god,” you hiss. You reflexively try and jerk away, but he holds you still and tells you to stop squirming, his grip firm as iron.

It’s the worst pain you’ve felt in years. Like a lick of flame passing over your skin, echoing its progenitor again and again as he washes the cut with a series of short, measured trickles of water, flushing away the combined grime of dried blood, dust, and lint.

“You think this is bad,” he says, unscrewing the bottle of grain alcohol. “Wait’ll I sterilize it.”

If the water was flame, then the alcohol is a streak of molten lava, wet fire soaking through the wound in a rush of white-hot burning pain. You don’t scream — you let out a weak, choking sob so pathetic that you cover your mouth again in an attempt to stifle it.

But you’re a little drunk and your subconscious recognizes this as an excellent excuse to cry, and so it lets flood the tears you’ve kept stoppered up for hours now. You whimper, meet his eyes briefly, then start bawling.

Your crying before hadn’t seemed to bother him, but now he looks almost comically alarmed. He must think it’s the physical pain sending you into hysterics, because he starts trying to comfort you the same way he did Boadicea when he’d led her into the river.

“You’re doin’ good,” he says, cajoling you in a soft, affectionate voice. He sets the bottle of alcohol on the ground and pats you awkwardly on the shoulder. “Just a little more to go, and we’ll be done.”

Another agonizing, scorching splash of fire. He doesn’t chide you this time when you try to pull away.

“Shhhh… I know, I know. Hurts like a bitch, don’t it? I’m gonna give it one more rinse, and — yeah, there we go. You’re alright.”

Morgan wraps the bandage over your arm with deft, practiced fingers, and you wonder briefly how many times he’s had to do this for himself, with no one to soothe him. Though better that than the shoddy job you’d done on him six weeks ago, frantically patching him up with just the barest idea of what you were doing.

He ties off the bandage, then picks the can of peaches off the ground, pops open its metal lid with the tip of his knife and proffers it to you like a peace offering. “Here. You’re hungry, right?”

It’s very hard to cry and eat at the same time. You decide to concentrate on the latter.

After tapering your sobs down to a series of quiet, resentful sniffles, you begin gulping down mouthful after messy mouthful of sliced peach. It’s the first morsel of food you’ve had in over ten hours, and you wolf it down so quickly you hardly taste it. Just an impression of cloying sweetness mixed with something faintly aromatic (cinnamon, you think) lingering as an aftertaste.

The old instincts of hunger are hard to shake off. All decorum thoroughly discarded, you raise the can to your lips and drink down what syrup remains, tilting it nearly perpendicular to the ground to get at the last few drops.

“My god,” Morgan says. “I seen dogs with better manners.”

“If you’d fed me earlier, then I— what’re you doing.”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” he asks. He holds his bandolier in one hand. The other is working at his shirtcollar. “I’m gettin’ the hell outta these wet clothes.”

You clutch at the empty can of peaches as his union suit reveals itself in a revelation of blue. A blue which, you admit to yourself with an uncomfortable surge of appreciation, suits the shade of his eyes extremely well. But when he begins unbuckling his belt, you quickly avert your eyes. “Really?” you ask. The scandalization you probably ought to have felt from the very moment he’d begun undressing finally begins to surface. “Your pants, too?”

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m keepin’ the union suit on.”

“Are you usually this brazen with the women you kidnap?”

“D’you usually sit around half-naked with the men who kidnap you?” he asks, jabbing his thumb towards your own discarded shirt, which you’d spread out neatly beside the fire to dry.

“That’s different,” you hiss, knowing very well that it isn’t. “I had a medical reason.”

“Yeah, and so do I. I don’t wanna get pneumonia.”

He has a point. You look down at your own sodden trousers, which cling to your skin in a cold, wet embrace, and your internal scale of comfort versus propriety tips decidedly towards the former.

“Turn your back again,” you tell him.

“What for?”

“I’m gonna take my pants off too, and I don’t want you trying to sneak a peek at my bloomers.”

He laughs, then winces and gingerly splays his fingers across his ribs. It’s the first sign of real levity you’ve seen from him. “Oh, that is the last thing on my mind right now, girl.” There’s a tired grin on his face, and were it not for the events of the day, you might have almost found it endearing. “Besides, you ain’t hardly my type.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” you reply, a little offended. “Because I’m not interested in men with terrible taste.”

But he does as he’s told, and when you’re satisfied with the oblique angle of his range of sight, you let the borrowed blanket fall from your shoulders and pull the ribbon securing your braid free. You rake your fingers through your hair until it hangs loose, then gather the ends of it in one hand and twist it tight to wring out the rainwater. Only then do you pull the blanket back over your shoulders and begin to undress.

First, your boots. Then the knee-length woolen socks, which have left their cable-knit weave as an imprint on your skin. After glancing at him one more time to make sure his face is turned discreetly away, you unbuckle your belt and wriggle your way out of your trousers. It takes some maneuvering, and some thoroughly indecent posturing, to finally get them off. You leave your cotton bloomers on, figuring that the warmth of the fire will dry the thin material soon enough.

When you look back at Morgan, you find that he’s since turned back towards you. Not to gawk, but to get a better look at his own wounds in the firelight.

His union suit is half-unbuttoned. Most of his bare chest is visible, and along with it, the bruises from the ricocheted bullet. A mottle of blue and violet, like a spill of ink that radiates from the negative imprint of the flask that took the impact in his place. And right below it, a glimpse of your own handiwork.

When you’d first found him, the cut had spanned diagonal across his torso, trailing shallow from his chest and biting deep near the ridge of his hip. Most of it’s healed over since, but the edges are angry and inflamed still, and you can see the fading marks of your inexpert stitches laid like railroad tracks over the land of his skin.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t looked at you,” Morgan says. He probes gently at an indigo patch and inhales sharply. “Too busy lickin’ my own wounds.”

If you look closer, you can see the remnants of multiple scuffs and scratches. A history of violence storied across his body, told in the pale lettering of scars, many of them recent. An unwelcome pang of guilt settles itself low in your belly. It looks like he’s been on the road for a while, healing sporadically through long stretches of hard journeying. Hard journeying made worse, no doubt, by your theft of his bonds.

“You… uh. You want me to keep carving off wet bark?”

“Nah,” he says distractedly, still trying to determine the depth of the damage left behind. “Should be fine leavin’ the rest of it to dry out by the fire.”

You draw the blanket tighter around your shoulders, then root around your head for something, anything to talk about. Anything to get this burgeoning sympathy for Arthur Morgan out of your head.

“Your friend in St Denis,” you say finally. “He’s not gonna know much about me if he doesn’t speak Chinese.”

Morgan absentmindedly scratches his chin as he begins buttoning his union suit back up. “Wouldn’t put it past him. I know he’s had dealings with ‘em in the past.”

Something clicks in the back of your head. Long overdue recognition like puzzle pieces fitting together. “What’s his name?”

“Josiah,” he says.

“Josiah,” you echo. The spark of some fit of emotion is beginning to rise in your throat. “Josiah… Trelawney?”

His bewildered face is enough to confirm your suspicions. Relief, anger, confusion — all of them flood you at once with such intensity that you have to take a moment to squeeze your eyes shut. When you open them, you take a deep breath and swallow hard. “Josiah Trelawney’s the son of a bitch I sold your bonds to.”

———

Massive thanks to @reddeaddufus for editing not only this chapter, but the entirety of this fic. This whole thing would be a lot more disjointed if it weren't for her.

Definitely give her fic Red Dead Pursuit a look. The main character is extremely compelling, the plot is fast-paced, and the porn is A+. Her writing style is also a delight to read.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan/reader #arthur morgan/oc #fic #red dead redemption #rdr2 #my work #talking bird

[amazildoessomethingstupid]

Chapter 68: December

Hey guys, welcome back.  As you can tell by the title, we have a very special rant in store.  As you guys may know, this rant series is meant to be about me catching up with BCB and where it’s been going recently, and give my thoughts about it.  But today we are going to be doing something a little different, instead we are going to go back.  And I mean WAY back.  To one of if not the most notorious, the most infamous chapter in all of Bittersweet Candy Bowl.  That’s right boys and girls…

WARNING: Very long Tumblr breaking rant below the break.

If you’re wondering why I’m doing this, it’s mostly because I wanted to do another Let’s Rant video but most of the boys don’t know about BCB.  So when I made comparisons to December, they didn’t really understand what I was talking about.  And I know that some of you new viewers may not understand why people hate December as much as we do.  To really understand, you must put yourself in the shoes of a dedicated reader.  Back to the year of 2011, a simpler time.  A dark time.  And we start off with one of my personal favorite pages in Bittersweet Candy Bowl.

SNOW.  FUCKING SNOW!

FUCK. YEEEAAAAAAAH! LET’S HEAR IT FOR FUCKING SNNNNNNOOOOOWWWWWWWW!

Alright that may seem like an over reaction, but let me set the stage for you alright, because at the time that this chapter came out I was a dedicated reader.  And I mean full blown fan, waiting for the hour to change to read the pages as they came out.  And at this time, Taeshi was going through a real rough time and it was quite apparent to everyone who was in the community.  The plot seemed to stagnate, and there wasn’t much happening.  Taeshi’s behavior had grown very strained and it was the common consensus that she needed to take a break.  

So she did, and in order to take a break the upload schedule turned to two pages a week… The problem was that up to this point, Bittersweet Candy Bowl was uploading on an every other day upload schedule.  Now the problem that comes when you slow down your schedule like that, is that it’s meant to be temporary, or that you compensate that with content in the pages and chapter that makes the wait more bearable or at least less tedious…

Now with all that in mind. Imagine if you will, that you had to wait 4 days for a new page to start a new chapter, and you were greeted by…

FUCKING SNOW! And a dread filled your heart as you realized you’d have to stare at snow for another full 2 days before you could look at something else, and hope that it’s more interesting than fucking. Snow.

The next page does not disappoint though, because now we actually have characters! And dialogue!

And look a joke, haha! Except

Look at all the characters in this page.  You got Daisy, you got Paulo, you got abbey, you got David, you got sir Noodles, and you got a reinforcing action to remind us about how Abbey and Paulo’s relationship is.

Guess how how many or which of these characters actually matter in this chapter or have an effect on it. Can you guess?

Yup, yeah that’s right none of em.  Not a single fucking one of these characters matter.  Not a single fucking thing in this page fucking matters at all, it barely even constitutes as a set up for the rest of the chapter.  Congratulations, we just wasted a week of your time. Actually I was wrong, you know what the one and only thing that this page does that means anything?

There! That one fucking line.  You waited a whole fucking week to digest two pages and all it really tells you that you didn’t know is what FUCKING TIME IT IS! EXCEPT EVEN THAT IS TOLD TO YOU

BY THE TITLE OF THE FUCKING CHAPTER! I am losing my shit this early because I want to make it abundantly clear just how infuriating this chapter was to read.  This was when I realized we were in for a LONG ride.  To better understand this, the chapters that preceded this one were centered around Lucy’s slow decline into depression, after her friendship with Mike had become fractured leading to her isolating (or at least distancing herself) from Mike (and the rest of the gang by proxy). This chapter was billed to be the culmination of all that fallout, which makes this pacing SO GRATING.

Thankfully page 3 actually does have characters that matter, and it actually is a set up for what the chapter is going to be centered around which is the kids working on a World War 2 Essay.  

And we finally get a bit of substance to sink our teeth into! But before we go any further I should tell you a bit about my. Man. Mike. So Mike is a moody bitch.  I talked a bit about what happened to Lucy, but Mike despite literally NOTHING happening to him directly since then aside from the rest of the gang not understanding why he wanted to separate from Lucy is still being moody and bitchy.  And here we see him reach PEAK MOODY MIKE!

Haha that’s an actually good joke.  I appreciated that when it came out.  

And so, because Mike is being a moody bitch he ends up sealing his fate and is paired with Lucy. And for a second here, I had hope. Since Taeshi is pretty much declaring how frustrating and stupid Mike’s moodiness has been for the past number of chapters.  Also while we’re here, I’d like to point out how everyone in this page apparently got their arm lopped off.  I mean look!

At least Lucy was able to find her right arm at the end there.  But also, look at Abbey!

Oh look at him, you can see how he cares about Mike’s position on distancing from Lucy!  Awww such a good friend.  Oh he’s definitely not going to make a heel turn and accuse others of not caring about Mike!

I am so glad I saved that image.

Anyway the next page is Mike and Lucy deciding to go to the library to work on the essay.

And then the page after that is Lucy trying to make an effort to ease the awkwardness, while Mike gives her the cold shoulder. Congratulations.  We have spent a week, walking to the fucking library.

The monotony is broken up though, as we get to see that Augustus is at this library.

It doesn’t stop the back and forth that we just got in the last two pages from continuing though, and as a reminder this is all that we’ve been given to sustain ourselves for three whole weeks!

At least Augustus is able to break up this feet-dragging by giving us SOMETHING different to talk about.

Ooh look, something actually interesting! We get some insight into Lucy and Augustus’ relationship. For context, Augustus has been a very interesting side-character; one of the best.  And his relationship with Lucy is a pretty nice one with its own complexities and great chemistry.  As I’ve mentioned before, Lucy had spent the last few chapters isolating herself from Mike to try to let things cool off and respect his wishes.  In that time, she ended up finding company in Augustus, the resident bad boy.  He was suspected of attempted rape on Daisy, but we’re not talking about that.

Well maybe a little.

Lucy expresses what she’s dealing with and like before, she’s trying to find understanding from Augustus.

And he is having NONE OF IT! As someone who actually has serious problems, he calls Lucy out for being a privileged blue-eyed white cat whose only problem in life is being rejected by someone she loves.  

But Augustus does give Lucy some advice, in how he sees and deals with his situation.  Showing that while he does think Lucy is stupid for even thinking about killing herself over Mike, he does want to help her.  It’s just…

He’s wrong.  He’s so fucking wrong.

We now know through the power of hindsight, that Abbey and Daisy’s relationship was a total sham! It wasn’t a healthy loving relationship at all! It was all a lie!

GOTTA LOVE THEM RETCONS AMIRITE?!

Nah we haven’t even STARTED to begin.

Anyway, Augustus leaves and we’re back to this bullshit.  Now Mike’s not just being moody, he’s being judgy!

Oh no, fuck you Lucy! I don’t want anything to do with you, I want you to be out of my life!

Hey, what are you doing, talking and having a conversation with someone I don’t care about?  Stop being such a leech! Just because I don’t want you to be in my life, doesn’t mean you can just go and move on to find company in other people!  Why don’t you just die alone and unloved like I tell you to?!

But don’t worry right after, Lucy breaks the ice and gets a smile out of the boy!

It’s a breath of fresh air, and we see the dynamic with the two is still there and-

No, I didn’t buy that when this page came out either. It’s meant to portray that Lucy can make Mike feel better and break him out of his funk, but…yeah at this point I knew better. By the way, it has now been one whole month of December.

And we’re only a third of the way through.

And thankfully we’re out of the library.  And even more fortunately…

Taeshi learned that you don’t have to spend two whole updates on moving your characters from one location to the other!  She’s learned you can smash two pages together and NOT WASTE YOUR AUDIENCE’S FUCKING TIME!

As for the actual content of this page, Lucy and Mike go to Mike’s house and we get a bit of Lucy interacting with Mike’s family, and how they get along well.  Mike’s still moody as ever though, and we get our first glimpse that things aren’t perfect for him.  Also

RIP the boy, Chris. he ain’t dead but I do miss him.

Anyway, the two go to Mike’s room to study, and it’s still awkward until Lucy breaks the silence!

Old joke is old, but I love it nonetheless.

Okay, enough foolin’ around. Actually Lucy decides that she’s tired of pussyfooting around, and decides to say, “fuck it” and let off some steam by playing some video games like old times!

Mike is of course denying it and content in stewing in his anger. But lucy is adamant about doing something to break this stupid cycle of drama.  I like it.  Even though I didn’t buy the bit of Lucy making Mike laugh by showing a funny face, this one I do like.  And while some (especially at the time) would point to this as an example of Lucy emotionally manipulating Mike to get what she wants in making him not angry at her, I would say-

SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME HAVE THIS ONE, JUST THIS ONCE!  I HAVE BEEN SO GOD DAMN CONTENT STARVED, THIS FUCKING DRAMA HAS BEEN GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS!  MIKE AND LUCY HAVEN’T TALKED OR ADVANCED THEIR POSITIONS IN MONTHS! LET ME EMBRACE THIS ONE LIGHT IN DARKNESS BEFORE IT IS SNUFFED OUT!  LET. ME. HAVE. HOPE.

THANK YOU!

And so after a bit of a timelapse we get to see Mike and Lucy playing together, and how the turns tabled!

It’s great, and we even get a glimpse at how Lucy has been progressing herself.  Perhaps the improvement in gaming being a metaphor of her own self-improvement.

We even get a bit of Mike reflecting and thinking how it is nice.  And remembering that Lucy isn’t really that bad.

The scene continues, and we get a peek into Mike’s circumstance.  As Mike kind of reveals that he himself has felt quite alone without Lucy there.  And it’s really touching, it’s good character development.

And Lucy continues to take initiative to stop the awkwardness, by giving Mike a distraction. Not looking to fill the hole in his heart, not looking to force him to accept her.  But allowing him to enjoy himself in the moment.  It’s nice.  It’s…

Really…nice…

Y’know…

It really was nice.

Ladies and gentlemen.

This is December.

[redacted due to Tumblr purposes.  insert the entire Mike yelling scene from January here]

One month.   That’s how long this scene lasted in real-time. Everyone who was a fan in 2011, everyone who had been so deeply invested in these characters watching them grow, interact, struggle, and suffer for years.  All of them could only watch for one entire month as Taeshi ripped their hearts out. People defended this scene when it came out.  There’s still people who defend this scene to this day, saying that Mike was right.  I wasn’t one of those people.  When this scene came out, I was shocked.  I couldn’t understand what was going on, but I knew it was wrong.  It was the first time I ever got into a discussion about BCB, because I just had to understand what the fuck was happening and why.  Why is this happening?  Why would Mike do this?  How is this possible?  And the only response I got, was that I just couldn’t understand.  And y’know…

They were right.  I didn’t understand.  I was never really abused as a child.  I never had bad friends, or was really bullied (except one time).  There was no way I could grasp what the fuck just happened.  Which felt so bizarre, because when this chapter came out…I was 15. I was the same age as these characters and I couldn’t fathom doing what Mike just did.  I couldn’t imagine any of my friends saying what Mike just said. And yet everyone else seemed to understand, to the point I thought that I was the weird one.   Did I just fucking win the social lottery or something and just not have any shitty friends?

Maybe so…But y’know after all these years, stewing and thinking about December which has haunted me as I’m sure it has, many other readers.  And after all this time, running it around my head, and arguing about it, I think I finally understand.  I get it…I finally get what Mike’s saying here.

That being said, no this scene is still bullshit.

Now let me tell you why.

First of all, look at this face.

Just look at this dopey doe-eyed cute cat right here, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER SEE THAT AGAIN.

But just to recap, let’s start with the actual preamble to the bullshit.  Mike gets a text from Sandy which makes him revert back to his moody Mike self.  And I will say at least here, Mike is in character.  He’s been a bitch this whole chapter, and he’s just snapping back to it because he is reminded “Oh yeah, Sandy exists!” so he tells Lucy to beat it.

Lucy is understandably frustrated because we were seeming to finally get to a better place between these two characters.  And instead of Mike being upfront about what his problem is, he chooses to shutdown the conversation and act like there’s nothing.  Or to put it in another way…

So what exactly is causing Mike to revert to his moody mode?

Right, right, of course. It’s because Sandy’s coming!  And just to catch up those of us blessed enough to not remember…

This is Sandy.  Mike’s long time long-distance girlfriend and central conflict for BCB for the last…well for pretty much most of BCB at this point.  Mike loves her, bordering on the point of obsession.  To where most of his actions in BCB can be linked directly to Sandy.  We’ll get to that later, but this is all you really need to know right now.  Just briefly keep it in mind,

Lucy is surprisingly taking it in stride, or at least trying to be supportive of Mike and Sandy’s relationship.  Obviously it does hurt her, but she is trying to make the best of it.  Taking what Augustus had said to heart, in accepting Mike and Sandy’s relationship but still trying to be there for Mike.  Using that to grow and maybe be a stronger person.

But sadly…this is December.

And nothing is allowed to grow in December.

Well…yes.  Partly because we were literally told NINE PAGES AGO!

I believe this is what the kids call…gaslighting. But I prefer to call it

BULLSHIT!

But now we’re getting into it…

Let’s dig into the real hard bullshit of December.

You ready?

I’m ready.

Yes, right.  Lucy is a bitch who has absolutely nothing for Mike, and never acted like a friend, or god forbid did something selfless for Mike like oh I don’t know…

Risking her life to try to save you from drowning, when she herself couldn’t swim and knew it could very well lead to her death.

Or what about when she was almost raped, and put literally put herself between you and danger!

TWICE! Wait, what the hell? They changed Confrontation! She’s supposed to say…

Because before mike got pinned he was saying…

That was like an actually cool and bad ass line.  One of the best moments in BCB, why would you change it?  Why would you change it to something as soft as that? And I’m the guy who wrote a comic where the moral of the story is that you can solve everything through the power of friendship!

But I digress.  Was Lucy mean to Mike?  Yeah.  Did she pick on him a lot in the early chapters? Sure!  But here’s the thing that people seem to forget about those early volumes…

Mike was kind of a little shit back then!

Lucy often picked on Mike because he was doing something wrong like trying to treat her like Sandy.

And lest you forget, Mike was more than capable of doing the exact same things!

Yes Lucy picked on Mike, but Mike also gave shit to Lucy.  They both were active participants in giving shit to one another, but no it’s not bullying.  It’s giving someone shit for doing something stupid, to keep them grounded, it’s a form of support that helps to build someone up not just through violent means, but because you care enough to want them to stop being stupid.  And as the saying goes, “A good friend will hold you and support you to tell you everything will be okay no matter what. Your best friend, will kick you in the side and tell you to stop being a pussy and get over it.”

BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS FUCKING DO! THEY DON’T LIFT YOU UP! THEY MAKE YOU PICK YOURSELF UP! AND Y’KNOW WHY MIKE IS THINKING THIS WAY?  YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT THE FUCKING CHERRY ON TOP OF THIS BULLSHIT CAKE IS?!

Sandy…

Mother…Fucking…Sandy. Up to this point Sandy herself had little to no presence as a person in this story. I mean she had an effect on a lot of things, but as an actual character we never got to see much of her personality outside of one standalone chapter: To the Top which only served to give us a shallow and basic understanding of her character.  But even then, as far as actual personality, writing, hobbies, and chemistry we really didn’t get much at all as far as understanding who she is. The only things we knew for certain was that she’s in a long-term long-distance relationship with Mike. She’s a model.  She goes to school.  And she’s beautiful.  That’s it. But that in and of itself doesn’t make Sandy a bad character.  I mean for cryin’ out loud, two my favorite characters that I shoe-horn into all my projects are McCain and Carter.  And they’re the most one-note characters in this comic! No, the problem with Sandy isn’t that we don’t know anything about her.  It’s that despite us knowing nothing about her, Sandy has her fingerprints on almost every fucking conflict in Bittersweet Candy Bowl.  And worse, the only purpose she seems to have on the comic is INFLUENCING MIKE! Let me pull some examples…

Mike and Lucy go on an adventure into the city which fleshes out the inner problems in their relationship.

Because Sandy might be there.

Mike and Lucy are starting to act awkward with each other, and it’s making everyone take notice. Why?

Because Mike is delusional about Sandy.

In the chapter directly after that, Mike is now suddenly obnoxiously happy and giddy, why?

Because he finally got to talk with Sandy!

It’s Christmas time, and Tess is having a party and Mike’s coming, why?

BECAUSE OF FUCKING SANDY!

Mike rebuffs Daisy’s advances during the carnival date…why?

Because of Sandy!

Although, to be fair of course there WAS a lot of other things going on in that scene, primarily Daisy being REALLY pushy, and needy.  So it’s not JUST because of Sandy.  It was because we just weren’t ready for Slut Daisy. The Free Daisy.

Tess is organizing a group vacation trip to Acapulco!

And what’s this? Mike doesn’t want to go? Is it because he thinks Lucy is gonna go and he wants to separate himself from her? Is it because he’s finally woken up and decided to stand up for himself?!

NO YOU FUCKING IDIOT! IT’S BECAUSE OF MOTHER FUCKING SANDY! AND THE WORST PART OF IT ALL, IS THAT NONE OF THESE SCENES ARE EVER DIRECTLY BECAUSE OF SANDY’S ACTIONS AS A PERSON! IT’S LITERALLY JUST BECAUSE SHE EXISTS! YOU COULD MAKE UP ANYTHING ABOUT SANDY, AND SHE WOULD STILL HAVE THE SAME FUCKING IMPACT ON THE STORY THAT SHE HAS HAD UP TO THIS POINT! All that Sandy’s character has been used for is just a means of influencing Mike!

And that’s not a character…that’s a plot device.  

And nothing makes that point more clear…than this scene.

We get a scene where Mike is talking with Sandy, and he shows how over and over, Lucy’s jabs and abuses which were played for laughs in Volume 1 apparently were a super serious problem and we should’ve seen them as such.  Now as a reader, I didn’t buy that for a fucking second, for reasons I’ve already explained.  However, Sandy being on the other side of that long-distance relationship doesn’t fully understand the situation.  But still she’s very worried and concerned for Mike, which leads to this.

Sandy making Mike hate Lucy. Some have pointed out that this is actually a good scene.  Because here we get to see that Sandy at least cares about Mike.  Except that, if you strip away those tears, and all the bullshit.  What little characterization we get here, which is shit we already know in Sandy caring about Mike and Lucy’s relationship.  Is something we should already know.  She’s in a long-term long-distance relationship with Mike SHE FUCKING BETTER CARE ABOUT LUCY! The problem though, is like I said… Sandy isn’t treated like a fucking character.  She’s treated like a fucking plot device! If she were an actual character, we should’ve seen her actually have a back and forth with Mike.  The whole conversation about Lucy should’ve come up a LONG time ago.  Because if she were treated like an actual character with agency…

She would’ve already known this.  

You telling me that after how many phone calls, in the time that elapsed between these phone scenes Mike never actually told her about Lucy; the other biggest part of his life?!  Did Mike never tell her about the amount of times that Lucy almost died to save his life?  Or the amount of times he did the same for her?  No! Because that would bring character growth.  And we don’t want character growth.

We want to push this narrative! We want to implant these thoughts into Mike.  We want him to have  a victim complex so that he can do shit like THIS!

We want to push this plot point.  And Sandy is the vessel to drive it off the cliff. This is why I fucking hate December. Because worst of all THIS…

Is no longer Mike speaking. This is Sandy’s influence speaking. Now LITERALLY ALL THE FUCKING SHIT THAT MIKE PEDALLED ABOUT NOT WANTING TO BE LUCY’S BABY SITTER AND BULLSHIT, CAN NOW BE ATTRIBUTED TO SANDY INFLUENCING HOW MIKE SEES HIS OWN FRIENDSHIP! And since we don’t have a clear timeframe of where these calls were made, and when exactly Sandy got through to Mike, that means you could pick any time where Mike was being cold or distancing from Lucy and blame it on Sandy! Including…

This scene…

Lest you think characters were the only casualty of December’s nuclear blast, it took with it one of the most emotionally tense and moving chapters of Bittersweet Candy Bowl: A Distance Apart.  

I’ve already talked about this chapter in my rant on Golden Hour (aka December 2: homosexual boogaloo) so I’m not gonna get too into how the perspective of this chapter was changed because of December, but I will say that lines like the above now are specifically what’s tainted because of December.  No longer is this Mike realizing that Lucy isn’t who he thinks she is, or him realizing that their relationship is not a healthy one on his own. It’s because as he said himself!

It’s Sandy’s fault.  Because all she heard about Lucy was the negative, and now all Mike can see is the negative.  And this chapter is saying it’s all Sandy’s fault that Mike now has a victim complex and it’s totally fair for him to say what he’s about to say.  

WAIT! DID YOU JUST SAY…

JANUARY?!

Hah, nah I’m just fuckin’ with ya.  We’re trying to stay focused here, so I’m holding off on the January references. Don’t worry kids, you’re safe for now.

For now…

Let’s unpack this first, because believe it or not we still have a LOT of ground to cover. Specifically, let’s talk about Mike’s glorious plan to leave the table!

God it is taking a lot to not just paste panels from Daisy’s rant in January.  You people have no idea… But to summarize, this is fucking stupid at best and manipulative at worst.  What Mike is talking about, is selfishly pide-pipering their whole friend group (minus Tess because Tess doesn’t exist anymore) away from Lucy, and he’s betting all of that on the fact that he knows Daisy is still head over heels for him.  And what’s absolutely stupid about this fucking idea (which by the way seems to be premeditated so this can’t even be blamed on Sandy) is that if this was Mike’s plan all along.  And December didn’t happen, and he did this table move guess what? Sure.  Daisy follows Mike, Abbey and Paulo follow Daisy, and David follows Paulo…and then they invite Lucy, because in case you forgot SHE’S THEIR FRIEND TOO! (also I just noticed Mike completely forgot about Susan.  That’s kinda fucked up, dude.)

But not as fucked up as this!  Seriously, that’s a fucking low blow.  And so fucking judgy.  I guess we now know where Abbey learned to stoop so low while grand standing on his high horse! And yes I have heard the “muh hormones” and “they’re just KiDs!” excuses.  But none of that really explains…

WHY THE FUCK DOES MIKE CARE?!  DO YOU SERIOUSLY CARE IF LUCY (as you would put it) LEACHES OFF OF PAULO?  HE’S LIKE ONE OF THE TOP OFFENDERS FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY ABUSED YOU! THE MOTHERFUCKER SICCED A GAGGLE OF GIRLS TO BEAT UP ON YOU FOR BEING A “CHEATER”! Or are you worried because if Lucy clings to Paulo, then it ruins your fool-proof plan of going to another table since she’ll follow Paulo?  OH NO, WE’VE FOUND A HOLE IN YOUR INGENIOUS PLAN!  But speaking of worst offenders…

THIS. LINE.  THIS FUCKING LINE!  I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what the fuck you think.  YOU DO NOT COME BACK FROM SAYING THIS.  YOU CAN NOT FUCKING SAY THIS SHIT, AND THEN BE THE GOOD GUY! This is the point where I and many others realized Mike, was too far gone.  And yet SOME PEOPLE WILL STILL ARGUE ABOUT THIS SHIT!

Oh you don’t understand, Amazil! He is just a stupid 16 year old ball of emotions and hormones!  This has been building up THIS ENTIRE TIME! You even pointed out how Mike’s frustrations have been hinted at since the Vacation Arc! Obviously this has been hinted at for years! You’re just too ignorant to understand what Mike’s doing here! Of course he’s being overly cruel here, he feels backed into a corner, and is facing off against his abuser!

Now listen here, you may be right.  I can’t, I hope, and I am grateful that; I don’t fully understand how it feels to be abused for all my life.    But what I do know, is that NO ONE. Child, Teenager, or adult.  Would fucking stoop that fucking low, and think they have any business.  Any chance. Of coming back from that terribly burnt bridge. No one is that fucking ignorant!  WHEN YOU BURN A BRIDGE LIKE THAT, WHEN YOU GO THAT FAR, YOU BETTER FUCKING BE READY TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES!  AND MIKE AT THIS POINT, SHOULD KNOW VERY WELL WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES MAY INCLUDE!  AS THE PERSON WHO KNOWS LUCY MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE ABOUT LUCY, HE SHOULD BE FULLY FUCKING AWARE WHAT SHE IS GOING TO FUCKING DO WHEN TOLD THAT SHE IS A PARASITE AND THAT NO ONE FUCKING LOVES HER, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT SHE WAS GOING TO FUCKING DO, MIKE?!

JESUS CHRIST, HE’S LITERALLY USING HER DEEPEST SECRETS AND HIDDEN INSECURITIES THAT ONLY HE KNOWS ABOUT AGAINST HER! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU SUPPORT THIS SHIT?  AND FURTHERMORE, “Like I’m the only one who cares about you.” TO QUOTE YOU LITERALLY A PAGE AGO!

YOU FUCKING TOLD HER THAT NOBODY LOVES HER.  AND THAT SHE’S A FUCKING PARASITE!  HOW ARE YOU THIS FUCKING STUPID!  HOW CAN YOU STILL THINK THAT YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT?  HOW DO OTHER PEOPLE THINK YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT?  HOW CAN YOU STOOP SO FUCKING LOW, WHILE GRAND STANDING ON YOUR HIGH HORSE?!

Now, imagine if you will, after 2 whole months of reading December.  You sit there and you wonder what is going to happen now.  What is left to say?  What more is Mike going to do? I mean there’s no way this chapter can get any worse!  There’s NO WAY that Mike can be any more of an asshole.  It’s not possible!  And as if to get one last knife twist out of you.  To kill the last shred of hope you had, that maybe.  Just maybe this could be salvaged, and Mike can’t be worse… Taeshi does this.

….

Y’know, I once heard a story that someone actually killed themselves over BCB.

And I completely believe that.  Two whole months we spent, having to watch week after week as this character we cared about.  Rips apart the other character we’ve spent so much time learning about, growing with, understanding, and learning to love.  And how do you end this chapter?

Grindingly slow.   With Lucy throwing up, then eyeing Mike’s phone.

Followed by a nothing page where Mike’s happy.

Another nothing page where Mike goes to his room.

Dialogue that means nothing.

A whole fucking page of Lucy leaving.

MORE FUCKING SNOW

And one last lie.

And that, kids.  Is the chapter of December.  The most infamous chapter in all of Bittersweet Candy Bowl.  And I hope you’re starting to understand why that is the case.  Although, I’m sure a lot of you may have some contentions especially given the newer chapters that have come out.  I mean, I often compare bad or infuriating scenes to December. And many may wonder or feel like those chapters are worse than December.  I mean sure Mike ripping into Lucy is bad…

But what about the one-sided and almost carbon copy of December in Golden Hour?

Or what about Guest of Honor with it’s Abbey Smash?

And what about the second coming of the Carnival Chapter, with its DISGUSTING implications?

Or lest we all forget the wonderous return of Lucy herself, in Love Again!  All of these chapters are fucking terrible in their own right.  And it’s debatable how they ruin some characters worse than December.  But there’s one very important factor that is lost to us now, that makes December in my eyes worse than any other chapter that Taeshi has put out.  One singular thing makes December worse than anything Taeshi has come out with so far…  And what is that factor?

Why, it’s TIME my dear reader.  Time is what sets December apart from every other chapter.  Readers at the time had to spend three whole months waiting for this chapter to end.  We stared at each singular page for days, waiting hours on end, hoping that the next page would somehow be better, or give us an out.  Instead it got worse and worse and worse.  But what also sets it apart from all those other chapters I’ve mentioned is that, unlike Guest of Honor, Golden Hour, or Return to Carnival chapter; December was a very important moment in Bittersweet Candy Bowl. Not only because of how it changed the character, but because it is one of the only times in this fucking comic where the plot actually starts to develop.  And we finally get a clear conflict to grasp onto and focus on.  

In the chapters that came before December, the conflict of Mike and Lucy was just slowly getting worse and worse.  And for the most part it just seemed to stagnate, with Lucy trying to keep her distance from Mike, and Mike constantly giving Lucy the cold shoulder.  And everyone else having to deal with that.  December was meant to be (and it did succeed in becoming) a bombshell chapter.  A big revelation moment where things finally kick into high gear.  Like, “Oh man that was brutal!” “What’s gonna happen now? Sandy is coming!”  “Lucy just got fucking REKT!” “What is she gonna do?”  “Taeshi just dropped the biggest bomb on top of us, where is she gonna take us?  How are we going to follow up this momentum?!”

BY RELEASING ONE OF THE LONGEST.  MOST NEEDLESS CHAPTERS EVER!

FOURTY EIGHT FUCKING PAGES. ALMOST FOUR MONTHS DEDICATED TO A PLOT POINT THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GIANT NUCLEAR BOMBSHELL THAT WAS JUST DROPPED ON US!  And it’s especially needless because the entire point of this chapter is to tell us that Abbey’s mom died.  Except that WE ALREADY THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD! Oh you mean this character who all we know about was that she in a terribly abusive marriage, who we have not heard from since Abbey was introduced into the comic, who was in such a terrible state that she left her son and daughter orphaned. You mean the person so fucked up, that the last time we saw them was on a fucking stretcher is…DEAD?!  SAY IT AIN’T SO! Y’know, it would’ve actually been more of a twist, and a lot more interesting if we found out ABBEY’S MOM WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE!  

INSTEAD OF BUILDING OFF THE FUCKING MOMENTUM THAT YOU JUST SET UP, WE GET STRUNG ALONG FOR FOURTY EIGHT FUCKING PAGES!  INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON LUCY, AND USING DECEMBER AS A LAUNCHING POINT TO DRIVE THE FUCKING PLOT, ALL OF THE MOMENTUM IS GROUND TO A FUCKING HALT IN SERVICE OF A PLOT POINT THAT ULTIMATELY DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER! And if you made it through that and was hoping, “okay NOW we can start to get into the actual plot! NOW we can focus on Lucy, and what the aftermath of December is!  Well…

Paulo tries to give a cake to Lucy, and he mostly fails, giving us

NOTHING!

Just beautiful! The one chapter where it would be okay to not give all the attention to Mike and Lucy’s relationship.  The one chapter where we could maybe get to see Sandy be a character!  Mike X Lucy is fucked, but maybe we can find comfort in Mike X Sandy!  Maybe we can have some sweet moments, and strengthen this central love triangle that we’ve been dancing around for all these years!  Maybe, just maybe, Sandy can be more than just a fucking plot device!

BUT NOPE! SHE’S JUST THERE TO BE USED SO THAT MIKE CAN REALIZE THAT HE WAS WRONG AND FEEL BAD, SO HE CAN TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO LUCY!  TOO BAD IT’S TOO LATE, SO IF YOU WERE LOOKING TO HAVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT EITHER FROM LUCY OR SANDY, I’M SORRY BUT YOU GET

TWO BIG HEAPING SERVINGS OF NOTHING!

AND IF YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE STARVING FOR CONTENT BEFORE,  BRACE YOURSELF FOR A ONE-PAGE CHAPTER THAT GIVES YOU

NOTHING!

AND I HOPE YOU FUCKING LIKE THAT ONE-PAGE BECAUSE YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT IT FOR

FOUR

WHOLE

MONTHS!

Although… to be fair, I think during that hiatus period Taeshi had guest comics and exclusive content to keep us occupied, but you get the point. As for the rest of the chapters…

Paulo breaks up with Jasmine in the most hackneyed fucking way possible, and we get a fake-out of Lucy’s suicide attempt.

We finally get the play chapter, and it teases us with the idea that Lucy and Mike are getting better except that no one falls for it because IT’S IN THE PLAY.  AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IT’S JUST AN ACT AND IT’S FUCKING…

And then Lucy finally attempts suicide and it’s all OFF-SCREEN! THEY KILLED OFF THE MAIN CHARACTER! THE ONE FUCKING BIT THAT WE WERE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO, AND IT’S OFF-SCREEN!

Do you see what I mean now? December isn’t just a fucking chapter. It’s an arc.  The most teeth grindingly slow, and agonizing arc Taeshi ever made!  This is why December is and always will be the absolute fucking worst!  It’s like Taeshi knew what we wanted and refused to deliver! Instead being content with teasing the readers over and over for almost two years, with the prospect of seeing Lucy go through a depression arc. Instead, we’re focused on literally everyone else and all of Lucy’s inner turmoil, heartbreak, thoughts, and progressions are just hinted at and we’re just left in the dark.  We never got to see Lucy in her final moments.  What was she doing? What was she thinking?  Where was she?  How is she doing?  We wouldn’t get that information for

Nearly four years! And even then, IT WAS ALSO BULLSHIT!  December is like a nuclear warhead of a bombshell that was dropped on us, except instead of going off and blowing us away, sending us to the greater plains. It just leaked radiation everywhere and killed us from the inside slowly.   Its carbon footprint can be felt to this very day, we can’t get over December.  Because THE COMIC ITSELF CAN NOT GET OVER DECEMBER! People who wanted to see Lucy become a better person, to see her try to get better, get help, or do SOMETHING! Would never get that relief.  When I thought about December and how it treated its characters.  I felt sorry for all the people who had to read this, who felt for Lucy.  Who wanted to see her get better… I felt bad because I knew deep down that we were never going to get that story…

So I did it myself…

Don’t act surprised. You knew I was gonna go there.  I literally warned you!  There is no way in hell I’m gonna talk about December without bringing up the comic I literally made BECAUSE of December in: January.  And this time we’re looking at January as a whole.  Because now that you know WHY and WHAT I hate about December, you can start to see why January was made the way it was.  I feel the need to explain this, because January still gets a bad rap by people saying that it’s “hate-filled” which it’s not.  January is not a death threat  , nor is it meant to say “I’m better than you”, it’s not a love note to BCB, it’s a Get Well Soon card.  Not necessarily saying that I can do it better, but rather this is what you could’ve done.  Whether or not it’s better is up to you to decide.  And with that context, you can see why January was written the way it was. And it all starts with one simple change.

Instead of just outright removing December, the only thing I changed was that Mike didn’t get paired with Lucy and throw a fit.  It doesn’t spitefully act like December never happened, in fact…

December plays out the exact same way as it did in the canon, just with Susan supplementing for Lucy. So Sandy’s still coming home, Mike’s still pissed at Lucy, and he’s planning on moving to a new table to get away from her. But because Lucy’s not there…

She’s able to fucking do something.

We get to see her try.

We get to see her fail.

We see how Mike’s plan comes to fruition.

We see how things fall apart, even with Lucy’s best efforts.

We see how December still takes its toll.

We get to see her snap out of it, briefly.

We see her at her lowest point.

We see what she’s thinking and why she’s doing what she’s doing.

We see her try to figure out what to do.

We see her picking up the pieces.

We see her take action to improve herself.

We see her getting help.

We see her taking action.

We see her getting better.

We see everyone come together to support her.

We see her at the end of her journey, come to terms with what she’s done.  And wanting to improve not only herself, but her friendship with Mike. She shows maturity, empathy, and most importantly GROWTH as a character.

And in the end, the reader never gets to see how Mike and Lucy end up talking things out, but they can rest easy knowing that everything is going to be okay.  And if THAT’S hate-filled, I don’t know what the fuck you’d call the canon’s handling of Lucy in the December arc.    

The fact that we never got to see Lucy try.

The fact that the comic kept dicking us around, and baiting us with the inevitable.

The fact it KEPT FUCKING BAITING US WITH FALSE HOPE.

The fact we don’t get to even see her at the end of the line. The fact we had to wait three years for her to come back and let us know that she’s even ALIVE!

The fact that when she does comes back, SHE’S A HORRIBLE CUNTY SHELL OF THE PERSON SHE ONCE WAS…

That… is why December is the most infamous chapter in all of Bittersweet Candy Bowl.  Not just because of what it did.  But because of what it didn’t do.  Because it promised the end to Mike and Lucy’s drama one way or another. It promised us that we were going to tackle these issues that Mike brought up in Lucy, but yet… Here we are.

Back to square fucking one. You know what they say…Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it. So you better brush up on your December knowledge, or at least I hope this rant serves as a good refresher. Cause from the looks of it, we’ve been repeating these plot points for almost 10 years…

Y’know I thought I was actually going crazy there for a second.  Obsessing and never getting over December for all these years. But now I see. This comic…never moved on from it. We’ve never recovered.  We’ve been stuck in December for almost 10 years…

0/10 never forget…

#Bittersweet Candy Bowl #rant #holy shit this pushed the limits of Tumblr

[thedevildomdaily]

Demonic Possessions Ch4: Drooling in Majolish

Find previous chapters HERE! Sorry for posting this one late. Hectic week! This chapter had was a way to show off how the triplets get along and for the OM! characters to learn about them. Things happening in between ***** are meant to show that it is happening at the same time as the rest of the story. People blankly watching as idiots do their thing.

Warnings: None. Just swearing this chapter. Lemony goodness will happen, just gotta build those relationships yo! n_<

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After 2 more classes, Lena and Leviathan met with the twins on their way to lunch. Of course they had to make haste in order to keep up after Beelzebub. He was excited for whatever was on special, or so he said. Satan clarified that he was excited for anything he could eat.

“Even the atrocious slop Solomon ‘cooks up’?” Lena asked. Immediately the three brothers at her side laughed. So it wasn’t just with the Devildom ingredients. ‘To be fair, Sol’s always had servants prepare his meals. Being this independent is a first for him…”

Just as they entered the cafeteria, Lena was able to spot the rest of the people she'd met in the Devildom, along with her brothers, and Solomon.

“Well, speak of the Devil…-contracting imp!” she chuckled. She returned a wave to him and approached the giant table they were congregating around. Before she could get a word out, Azri intercepted his sister.

“Le, who did you hair?” there was a serious look on the towering nephilim's face. There was over a foot and a half height distance between the two of them. “Oh, Asmo did it! He did a great job. And he braided it the night before so I had no tangles…”

Azri gave a sigh of relief and continued to examine her. The rest of the table and a few passers-by observed the siblings. “Dude, will you stop!? People are staring and you are embarrassing me…” Lena said with gritted teeth.

“Oh ignore them Le, I am just looking at this uniform of yours. It does suit you well...though this material is, well, a choice. And the color of the shirt...I don’t get what we’re going for. A Totalitarian....Spring? I just can’t! At least this shade of green brings out our eye color.”

“And I’m about to bring out your eyes with my fork if you don’t sit the fuck down and eat lunch!” The female nephilim took her seat between Lilly and Asmodeus, who wrapped his arm around her as a welcome. They and everyone else were taken aback by her threatening words except for Zak and Solomon who were chuckling as they began to eat.

Zak finally spoke, “Don’t take Lena so seriously guys. She’d have done that without warning if she was really pissed.”

“Yes, you should have seen her back in ancient Rome…”

“Don’t talk about Rome Sol!” Lena warned. “Seriously, you guys live to embarrass me don’t you? No! Don’t even answer.”

Azriel took a seat across the table from Asmodeus. Zak was to his left, and Mammon to his right. He had most of his classes with Lilly, Mammon, Asmo, and Satan. There were also the angels who were now joining the table.

“Asmo, you did a wonderful job managing Lena’s hair. It can be quite unruly for the untrained...and for her. Can you continue the upkeep since we aren’t staying together?” he really was the worrisome mother hen of the triplets.

The Avatar of Lust gave a sly smile and nodded, “Of course! It’s nice to finally have someone with long hair to play with. And she is quite the patient customer at salon de Asmo.”

“Don’t talk as if I’m not here…” Lena reminded them, “Though I am really grateful to you for helping me. Nephilim hair grows back within 10 minutes of cutting it. And all dye is temporary. We have cursed locks I swear!”

The rest of lunch was full of banter. Mammon and Satan got into it again over the book that was stolen and pawned. Asmo, Azri, and Lilly discussed fashion. Lena chimed-in every now and then, but had moved to see what Leviathan was playing. She ate half of her food and gave the rest over to the bottomless pit that was Beel. Lastly. Zak was talking to Simeon, Luke, Solomon, and Satan. He was a huge history buff and wanted to know things about both the Celestial Realm and the Devildom.

Before they all split up again for the day, a meeting place and invite for everyone was made. Lena decided to show pictures of her attic room to Azri so he might faint, just to spite him for that earlier embarrassment. Zak was interested in learning about the cool hang-outs and to get in on some Devildom poker and street racing. Of course Mammon had all of the information he wanted for that. Lilly made the demon agree not to go without her, their chaperone after the shopping ended.

~

When their last classes ended, Mammon flew down the hall to meet Asmo, Lena, and Leviathan. Lilly was left in the dust, trying to catch up to him.

“We need to hurry guys!” He exclaimed.

His brothers didn’t budge. “You’re trying to hurry off to collect your check from Hell’s kitchen so you can spend it before Satan takes it. LAME!” Leviathan called him out, hitting the nail on the head with his older brother.

“Dude, that’s really cold. To your own brother!” Lena shook her head, feigning deep disappointment.

“Ah, I dun wanna hear that from someone who threatened her sibling’s eye removal at the lunch table…” he narrowed his bright eyes at the short nephilim.

“I’d say touche, but he did provoke me…” was her only response. She wasn’t sure if they should go on ahead, or meet outside of RAD like they’d agreed.

Lilly frogged Mammon’s arm when she caught up to the small group. “Thanks for taking off on me you ass!” He barely felt anything from the tiny human, but was annoyed nonetheless. “Hey!”

“Let’s just go towards the meeting location,” Asmo said with a slightly annoyed tone, “If you wanna take off, then go. Just don’t involve us. If Satan asks, then I’m going to tell him what you’re scheming.”

Leviathan nodded, “Yeah, it’d be the wrong route choice siding with you over Satan.” They didn’t want the Avatar of Wrath on their case.

Mammon sighed and then decided to bolt anyways.

The small group went ahead to the meeting spot. Everyone was there, save for Lucifer, from the House of Lamentation. Satan had anticipated that Mammon would try an escape. Azri, Zak, and the rest of Purgatory Hall arrived shortly, and they all left together.

~

When they arrived at Majolish, a couple employees instantly greeted them and rushed to Asmodeus. They were all blushes and giggles while Asmo proceeded to charm them over and talk about his recent collaborations.

Lena and Lilly both ran over to the shoes. “A girl after my own heart!” The human shouted. They were both major shoe collectors. And, what was even better, the two learned they had the same size. “We can swap!” Lena insisted.

“You know what, I’m not gonna say ‘no’. Normally I wouldn’t want to risk it for the biscuit when it comes to borrowing expensive things...but shoooooeeeessssss!” Lilly squinted.

Azriel stood in the center of the store, with an index finger drawn to his face to indicate how deep in thought he was. He was observing all the textiles the store carried. He noted the locations of all accessories, the jewelry, the perfume. He looked intense, like a predator about to strike.

Then he instantly rushed to Lena’s side and told her to grab 4 specific pairs of shoes. Great, she was about to be dragged around. Mammon had been sulking in the entry way, watching everyone else happily shop. Seeing two of the nephilim start racking-up items made his eyes widen slightly. “Look at em go…”

*****

He was half talking to a sleepy Belphegor that didn’t feel like browsing, and Leviathan who was waiting to get to the crane game he’d mentioned to Lena. They both looked over to the siblings. Lena was becoming a walking stack of clothes.

“Weird……” Belphegor mumbled.

Lilly joined them, unable to keep up with what was happening. “It’s not weird...it’s cute.” since they didn’t have parents and Lucifer was hypercritical most of the time, it made sense that the brothers wouldn’t understand the way Azri was taking care of his sister, wanting her to look perfect. Which, in Lilly’s opinion, was unnecessary since Lena was stunning already.

“Yes, he is taking care of his little sister the way you and Beel take care of each other.” Simeon joined in their conversation. “Though it seems like he’s a little too involved.”

“LOL. He’s literally smothering her...with clothes!’ Leviathan laughed. “It looks like he's about to lose the game of Tetris he’s made out of her stack of clothes.”

“Did you guys notice it though…?” Lilly asked, “Lena is only a bit taller than me...and yeah I know she’s curvier than me, but look at how easily she’s managing.” They all nodded. So this was a tiny bit of her power on display.

*****

Zak had picked a couple of things out for himself, talking to Beel, Luke, and Solomon. When he caught his siblings in the corner of his eye, he let out a huge sigh, “Excuse me for a moment guys. Looks like I need to intervene.” He left his stuff at a counter with his new friends.

“Hey Azri, you’re going nuts with the clothes…” he called to his brother. It was no use though. Azriel was possessed by all things fashion. He wanted to know how things felt. The durability and the way they folded. What sewing techniques they used!

Taking half of Lena’s stack so they could actually see her face again, Zak cleared his throat loudly. He was trying to stay calm and civilized. It didn’t help that Lena was in a zombie-like state with the dumbest grin he’d ever seen. Was that drool?!

“Well I’m certain that’s a first!” Asmodeus appeared out of nowhere, “Someone is actually drooling in Majolish after my line of clothes!” Of course that boosted his ego even further. “You look so cute Lena Darling!” He quickly went to take her stuff for her.

“NO! She needs to try that on.” Azri came out of his fashion trance to stop Asmo, before continuing on enchanting cotton, latex, leather, velvet is gross, real silk.

Zack quickly put the stack he’d grabbed from his sister onto the counter at the checkout and returned to his deranged siblings. “OI, Azri! You are not wasting everyone’s time by making Lena try all of this stuff on. It’s not like this is our only day to shop!”

“B-But the Mary-janes, the stilettos with the skulls...batty boots! Zak, they have batty boots!” Lena whined. Zak was embarrassed, rolling his eyes as he took his sister’s hand.

He led her over to sit by Mammon. “Guys. Watch her for a moment. Do NOT let her wonder off.” There were a few nods.

Zak went back to Azri and Asmodeus, telling the demon to add the stuff he was holding to the pile at the checkout. It was no exaggeration that Azri and Lena picked one of every single thing out in Majolish. And this was their first store. They hadn’t actually bought any amenities for their rooms. And that was the only goal of their trip. “AZRIEL VAN HELSING!” he shouted.

Azri snapped out of it, “Oh my. What do you need Zak?” he looked as if he had no idea where he was. After looking around for a moment, he sighed, “I went over board-”

“You went overboard.” -_-

“I’m so sorry.” he scratched his head sheepishly, then bowed to the Majolish employees standing around dumbfoundedly by what was happening, and to his new companions who were just enjoying the show. “Let’s hurry and pay for this. Lena needs sheets and curtains and a proper dresser…” He was already starting to chant items to buy at the next store without knowing where it was.

*****

Mammon’s eyes widened so much, Belphegor had to ask what had him so shocked. “D-D-Did you just see...they have a Black Royal card!!!”

“What?! OMFD!” Leviathan responded equally as shocked. Of course Lilly didn’t know what that meant at all.

Simeon chuckled softly and volunteered to explain, “A Black Royal card is the only thing that trumps Mammon’s Goldie..er gold card. It’s so rare that I believe only Lord Diavolo and possibly Lucifer has one. If he does have one, I’d imagine he never uses it on account of being extremely frugal compared to these two.” He referred, of course, to Mammon and Leviathan.

Those two brothers had the biggest track records for blowing lots of cash on nonsense. The third worst was Beelzebub with food costs being outrageous. His saving grace is going to places that offer free meals for completing eating challenges. They were starting to pop up less frequently thanks to the parfait incident when the carnival came to town.

“Oh I see. Yeah, Lena told me that the Van Helsing family was loaded. They are, after all, the princes and princess of Solitva.”

“A p-p-princess?” Leviathan gasped, “She came from another world against her will to live with demon lords...this is just like that manga I told you about!”

“Ya know what, Levi, you’ve actually got a point with this one!” Lilly laughed. Lena had actually made the same remark when she was talking to her about it.

They watch in awe as the triplets paid for all of the clothes, with a promise to return soon. Zak lectured Azri, since he was the one in charge of family finances. “Ya know it’s pretty bad when I become the voice of reason!” His arms were loaded with bags. So were Azri’s, Lena’s, Solomon’s, Simeon’s, Lilly’s, and even Luke’s.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna even make it to the next store…”Lena sighed, feeling tons of regret.

“I’d carry it all back for you sis, but you know Azri will go nuts if I leave…” Zak said with a sigh.

Solomon gave his signature smile at the siblings. The smile that stopped them both in their tracks. Clearly the genius sorcerer had a solution and was waiting for them to ask.

“Okay Sol, spill the beans…” Lena said, taking the bait.

Beel perked up, “Beans? Where?” It bummed the redheaded hungry machine to learn from Lilly that it was just a figure of speech which caused Leviathan and Asmodeus to laugh.

“I have the perfect people for the job so you can continue your shopping trip..” In a flash, Solomon summoned 6 lesser demons he clearly had a contract with. “They will take your stuff to The House of Lamentation and Purgatory Hall for you…”

“HEY! Why don’t ya ever do that for any of us!?” Mammon complained. Asmo and Levi agreed since they were also avid shopaholics, ‘Yeah why not lend us some helpers?”

Azri handed his bags over and took the ones Luke and Simeon had and gave them to one of the lesser demons. Nonchalantly, he answered the brothers, “Probably because he doesn’t owe any of you an eternal debt of gratitude…” He flipped his long, flowing hair as he glanced at himself in the windows of Majolish, “And I do mean that.”

Solomon didn’t give a reaction; ever the poker-player. Asmo, on the other hand, had a good idea about that debt. It involved Rome, a certain female nephilim, tigers, and a huge fire. He grinned mischievously at Lena, but received a pair of sky blue eyes glaring back. They told him not to say a word, and he would keep his promise not to.

~

After the shopping bags were no-longer a burden on anyone, the large group finished the day of spending by getting all of their bedroom furnishings and extra amenities. Azri went into another designer-obsessed mania trip while Lena floated around in her zombie state. Zak chased his lunatic siblings about, but they ended everything on a high note.

“And you were all worried about them!” Lilly said to Belphegor as they all spectated the scene, “I see no difference between them and you guys getting into silly situations…”

Belphegor could see it. And after spending some classes with them, began to lift some of his suspension for the time being. He also wasn’t salty with Lena any longer for getting his Attic hang-out. She described the dorms at Belmont Academy, their supernatural school, that she shared a room with 4 others for years. He couldn’t imagine sharing a room with any of his other brothers besides Beel.

The group agreed that their next stop was going to be Hell’s Kitchen. Satan called ahead so they could reserve a large seating area and to warn them that Beelzebub was on his way. His excitement was so apparent that it spread over to Lena. She was a bit of a foodie herself.

The two of them seemed to rush ahead of the group. Beel was smiling, listing off all the menu items to her, recommending everything basically. Her mouth was watering after the weird-as-well-you-know ingredients she was about to devour.

Mammon was in third, after them, with an angry Satan on his heels. It was obvious that he planned to rush in, collect his check, then slip out during their meal to A. avoid paying for his own meal and B. void paying Satan his whole check for the dick move he pulled by selling his brother’s tome.

Too bad he picked the wrong one to screw over. The intellect; the crafty one; the avatar of WRATH! Was not someone that easily forgot who did him wrong. Not only did he see through his older brother’s schemes, he was going after him to make sure he did get his check and to directly hand it over to him. “MAMMMOOOOOOON!”

#obey me #obeyme fanfic #obeyme! #obey me headcanons #om! oc #obey me oc #obeyme #om! #om! shall we date #obeyme headcanon #obey me shall we date #lucifer #mammon #leviathan #satan #asmodeus #beelzebub #belphegor #diavolo #barbatos #solomon #simeon #luke #om mc #om oc #obey me headcanon #obey me fanfic

[neoniverse]

heal me. | chapter III

disclaimer: this series is a work of fiction. any businesses, events or incidents are products of my wide imagination. all of the character’s personality does not reflect and has nothing to do in real life.

warnings: smut, angst, usage of strong language, mentions of death, alcohol & drugs, cheating issues and lots of flashbacks (read each chapter carefully)

pairings: jung jaehyun x reader

a/n: i want to thank y’all for sending me messages regarding this series, i’m so overwhelmed with the support i’m receiving. :( heal me is ending in four more chapters so the next update might take long to write again for i will write the last chapters longer than the usual. again, thank you sooooo much :’( 

song association: storm - ruelle

« CHAPTER II / CHAPTER IV »

“You’re taking my heart, by storm

I’m lost in your love.”

The cold breeze of the whole fancy floor embraced a minimal exposed skin of my shoulder, allowing me to fix my white fur shawl to its place. I make my way down the carpeted hallway, knees quivering, and my heart in my throat thumping an unusual differing beat.

I am going to have a dinner with Taeyong Lee, and I don’t even like eating dinner—not to a place like this. But he kept on insisting earlier so I had to accept his offer.

“Bonsoir. Réservation pour Lee,” Taeyong pleasingly said to the lady in the desk, her hair was styled in a neat bun.

“Par ici, Monsieur.”

Another woman escorted us to a private room. Everything inside the restaurant shimmers, screams elegance, and luxuriance. I feel like a mere outsider, knowing that the man walking casually beside me is known to be really well off.

When we arrived at the dining room, the plates were already set. As if it forethought that there will be two people dining in. Taeyong pulled the chair so I could sit. He sat in front of me afterwards.

“So, are you Jaehyun’s girlfriend or ex-girlfriend?”

Taeyong randomly asked before putting the spoon inside his mouth. Just as I was about to swallow, he drifted his dark brown eyes to mine—making me choke on the food.

He forthwith poured water on the tall drinking glass; I immediately drank from it, hand over the chest.

He smirked. “Sorry. Based on your reaction, I really think you’re damn indeed my brother’s girlfriend.”

I shook my head miserably and smiled. Taeyong is softer and light to talk to than his brother. Though he immensely intimidates my soul; those dark stares, brow raise and playful grin is really something.

“What made you jump to that?” I asked him while my eyes were on the utensils I’m holding.

He went silent for a moment, giving me his infamous stare. I gave him back a look and felt my face heated so bad.

“Oh—holy shit,” He cursed softly. “You’re the one from Johnny’s house party two years ago!”

I tried to hide my smile but then, failed. Taeyong put his utensils down to hold his chin, as if enthralling.

“May I also ask now?”

He leaned back. “Yeah, sure. As what you are allowed to do so, gorgeous.”

I remained silent for a couple of seconds, thinking of the question that has been bothering me since the day I met him.

“If Jaehyun is your brother, how come you’re not a Jung?”

His brow shot up and fixes me with his dark stare. Oh, God. Did I, in any way, offend him? His mouth quirks up, and he stares quietly. If I tell you I was terrified, I do mean it.

“I—I didn’t mean to uhm, nevermind. You don’t need to ans-”

“Well, he’s my half-brother,” His lips curls in a wry smile then continues. “Father introduced him to me when we were eight. And I know what you’re thinking. I don’t hate him, Y/N. Jaehyun being my half-bro, and hating him for that is just so shallow and childish. But of course, I did hate him when we were little ones but he ended up becoming my best friend.”

I felt bad.

“I’m sorry for asking such an insensitive question,” I muttered.

Taeyong slightly shook his head sideways and proceeded to eat. He even joked about something that made me laugh. After the fancy dinner, he drove me back to the hotel I was staying at, and apparently, he was also staying there.

“When will you go back to Korea?” He asked before sitting on the solo sofa inside my hotel room. I insisted him to stay for a while.

“The day after next,” I sighed. “I have plenty of works to do.” I answered and dropped my white fur shawl on the edge of the bed.

“There is something about you that keeps me intrigued, Y/N.” He squinted his eyes that made me chuckle.

I shot my brow up. “Yeah? What is it?”

“Are you really a human or some type of goddess that walked to this planet?” He says, like a curious kid.

“That’s a secret for me.”

“Ah, whatever. I’ll go ahead now. Might be ruining your supposed beauty rest already.” He shrugged and stood up.

“Taeyong.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you, so much, for tonight. I really had so much fun.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, gorgeous. Have a good night.”

He smiled widely and winked before walking out of the room. The day after next, I went back home. Johnny fetched me from the airport and welcomed me with piles of paperwork.

“And here are the papers from Mrs. Han’s office. God, she annoyed me for the whole two days you were gone!” He continously rants. “She even told me, ‘Why did you left my poor Y/N alone”, when I’m not even fucking invited!”

 I let out a laugh. “Well, Mr. Johnny, it’s because Mrs. Han treats me like Sodam. You know how much she misses her,” I smirked. “Besides, be thankful that she didn’t make you fly to Paris just for updates about me.”

“Hm, yeah. Really thankful,” He rolled his eyes.

“By the way, I heard you went out with Taeyong.”

I froze on my swivel chair. Did someone saw us and mistakenly thought we were out on a date?

“Nope,” He answered, as if he read my mind. “Someone just told me.”

“Ah, yes,” I glanced at him. “I accidentally bumped into him when I was about to leave the event. He just compensated.”

I went silent, thinking of who could possibly saw us that night.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it as a secret.” He winked playfully.

I glared at him. He raised his hands—as if he committed. He probably thinks there’s something going on between me and Taeyong. I let out an exasperated sigh and before finishing the paperwork. Much for a productive day.

After Taeyong’s appearance on the site three weeks ago, I never saw Jaehyun again. Perhaps he’s also taking his distance from me. Which is something I should be least cared about. Until the following days turned into weeks then turned into months. April ended like a blink of an eye.

“Hey, you seem to be so occupied,” Rosé removed her hard hat and sat beside me. “What’s bothering you?”

I looked at her. I don’t even know what’s keeping me off. Maybe because time flies so fast.

“I really don’t know, Rosie. Something’s just bothering me lately.” I softly smiled. “It’s already October.”

She patted the top of my head and did a short storytelling of her embarrassing moments when she was still in college. She was full on energy and talkative. I listened to her jokes but I still felt like floating and tired.

“Let’s go out for drinks tonight,” She squealed. ”My treat, I swear!”

She pulled me to the near mall after work. Whenever I’m about to pay, she just hands me the paper bag and shows her black card. I wasn’t even dumbfounded about it. She came from a wealthy family, after all.

After the short shopping, we decided to go home and just meet at the club. I called Johnny to join us but he said he has to be somewhere else. While Seolhee, all I know is she’s in Chicago for a short leave.

The blasting music from the club was already heard from the parking. I took a quick glance to the rear-view mirror before going out of my BMW. I decided to wear a black lace bralette, short fitted leather skirt, and a pair of black opyum sandals from YSL.

“Holy shit, Y/N!” Rosé stood up when she saw me walking towards the reserved table. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You look bomb, babe, just so you know.”

I laughed. “And we both know you’re the head-turner here.”

She poured vodka in the shot glasses and gave me one. I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

“Cheers!”

I was about to tale the shot when someone snatched the glass from my hand. My eyes widen up when I saw Taeyong straightly drank it. He placed the glass back to the marble table, making a noise.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Taeyong greeted. He’s wearing oversized stripped long sleeves, two buttons are unbuttoned, and his hair was dyed with color green. Which I find hideous.

I smiled and tapped the space beside me. 

Rosé cleared her throat and stood up. “I’m leaving you two alone, I’ll look for my boyfriend.”

I nodded then turned to Taeyong. “What brought you here? It’s been months since I last saw you,” I asked before taking a new shot of vodka. “Your new hair color is so fucking hideous, by the way.”

His brows furrowed then he pulled his hair down to look at his hair. “You’re such a bully, y’know.” He put his elbow to the table and rested his chin to his hand.

“And I’m not a loner,” He joked. “Come with me, I’ll bring you to our table.”

We went to the VIP floor of the club, and as we walk, he was greeted by different people, most of them are socialites or models. Taeyong swiftly placed his hand on my waist that I didn’t even notice at first.

“Meet my dumb folks,” He softly tightened his hold that made me look at him but he just winked.

Winking is his signature move.

The table was filled with five boys, one of them was familiar to me and one girl. I glanced at his friends until I saw Jaehyun in the middle, staring at me. Down to Taeyong’s hand on my waist. His jaw clenched and he looked away. The girl beside him placed her hand to his thigh.

“Y/N, this is Yuta, Lucas,” Taeyong said, looking at the two guys who were laughing on the left. They stopped when they heard their name.

I gulped nervously when I felt Jaehyun’s bored eyes at me again. My hands was trembling and it was probably obvious but they didn’t seem to notice it when I took their hands.

“Oh, right. Taeyong-hyung’s babe,” Lucas said as he took my hand and shook it. He pressed his hand.

“Doubt that,” I answered. Taeyong chuckled and guided me to sit beside the familiar guy. “He has plenty of ‘babe’ for me to add in and join the crowd.” I continued, and gazed to Jaehyun.

God, he makes me so fucking nervous.

“The two on your right are Doyoung and Mark,” He continued. “Mark is Johnny’s cousin.” He motioned to the two guys beside me.

I gave them a smile. “Yeah, I know Mark. Johnny introduced him to me before.”

“Don’t drink too much if you don’t want to make things you will surely regret tomorrow morning,” Taeyong whispered, making me chuckle. He just smirked.

Jaehyun suddenly stood up and left the table. His jaw clenched when he looked at me then he went downstairs. I excused myself for bathroom break but I just followed him.

I realized we were already outside, at the parking lot. He approached a grey Aston Martin. Even if the area was a bit dark, I can still see his ears turn red.

“Hey, Jaehyun,” I grabbed his arm.

“Fuck!” He hissed, pulling his arm back. “What is it, this fucking time, huh?”

I bit my lower lip. “Let’s just talk, please.”

He scoffed sarcastically before releasing his hand to the car handle. I gazed down.

“Why are you being like this? Are you drunk?” I said softly.

“Are you for real, asking me why am I acting out like this? You left me and you came back again,” He pushed his hair back in frustration. “Bullshit!”

I looked at him with disbelief. “I left because I had reasons, and I never wanted to be back. It was you who keeps on wanting me near you!”

“Then run away.” He looked at me with a mocking smirk. “Run fucking away. I’m so tired and done of this shit, anyway.”

My throat felt dry. I couldn’t talk. I wanted to slap him across the cheek but somehow, I just can’t. He let out a frustrated groan before kicking his car door that made me flinch. Tears are starting to form at the corner of my eyes.

“Run away from me, Y/N. Run until you’re far and unreachable for me to follow.” His jaw clenched, for God knows how many times already and shook his head.

“Why do you want me to be far from you then?” A fresh hot tear fell from my left eye.

“Because I’m so tired of the chase. I’m so tired of running for you,” His voice broke. “I tried to forget you, I tried to remove you out of my system. God knows what my fucking limit is, baby, and there’s nothing more painful to that.”

He entered his car and stayed inside. While I was left dumbfounded, someone pulled me. My traitor tears started falling—no one was even able to stop it.

Taeyong, being the great savior that he is, ended up driving me back to my condominium. He remained silent whilst I muffled my sobs inside his car. When we got inside my unit, he told me to get a nice warm shower before sleeping. He even got himself the cotton pads and makeup remover on my vanity just to remove the remaining makeup on my face.

“I will leave once you’ve fallen asleep,” He said while putting the damped cotton to my face.

I just stared at him with desolation. My heart weighed down with sadness, causing my eyes to burn with tears. He cupped my face and wiped the shed tears away.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this,” I remained my eyes to his. “But thank you, Taeyong. I’m really thankful.”

He just gave me a soft pat on top of my head as a response that made my heart thump hard. I slowly closed my eyes, begging for the darkness to fill and enclose me in.

February 9, five years ago.

Johnny’s 20th birthday bash was definitely boring—or atleast for you because you feel like you don’t belong there. Johnny is a really famous guy ever since you met him when you were freshmen. Most of his friends are either models or socialites. As you feel the boredom reaching out, you left the ballroom to go to the hotel’s rooftop to wind up and inhale fresh air. At first, you thought you were alone.

A tall guy was standing near the edge, hands inside the pockets of his black jeans, eyes gazing the view of city lights. You crossed your arms over your chest before walking towards the man. But he just remained his eyes to the busy Seoul.

Minute has passed and no one even dared to speak. You were about to leave when the unknown man finally had the guts to talk.

“Would you mind me telling a story?” He said, his back was still facing you.

You don’t know what pulled your shit together into joining and listening to him. But you decided to stay because you didn’t want to go back downstairs and act as if you’re sociable.

“My father, he got fucking mad at me just for a petty reason,” He smiled. “I left the home I thought I would claim as my own. I feel useless just because for a fucking small mistake. I hate him so much. He cheated twice, now he’s doing it again. A fucking manipulative cheater—something I will never do or even try to be.”

“You also got daddy issues. Nice.” You scoffed. He locked gazes with you. “I’m Y/N.”

He laughed and a set of deep dimples appeared. “Mhm, your name suits you well. The name’s Jaehyun Jung.”

An hour has passed without the both of you knowing. You both shared shitty stories that happened to your lives while admiring the city lights and night sky. Things like this bored you to hell before, so it was very unlikely of you.

“And you know what’s shittier than that? My father—my own father abandoned us. I have like, zero knowledge to that man.”

“Holy fuck, we’re so fucking broken,” Jaehyun scoffed sarcastically.

“I don’t feel broken, though,” You looked at him. “Did my fucked up life story atleast, helped you forget what happened to you?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Now I’m thinking if you’re some angel sent from above to heal me for a moment.”

“Allow me to heal you further, then.” You gave him a small smile.

The night was so young, and you never thought a mere stranger would also help you forget your own problems. You already knew it from the very start.

You were the reason why he wanted to be loved by people and you—to heal him as he also heal the wound of your poisonous past.

#nct #nct 127 #nct jaehyun #jung jaehyun #nct smut #nct angst #nct scenario #nct fanfic #nct x reader #nct imagines #jung jaehyun au #jaehyun fanfic #jaehyun angst #jaehyun smut #jaehyun x reader #jeong jaehyun

[epochofbelief]

Breath Control, Chapter Seven

An A Court of Mist and Fury College Swim Team AU

All characters belong to SJ Maas!

Feysand.... and welcome to Elriel. 

Warnings: cursing

Let me know if you want to be tagged! 

Authors Note: This chapter is a BIG gateway chapter to a lot of things. . . also VERY lightly edited... and enjoy the new POV shift... ;)

Masterlist Link!

SEVEN

~~~Elain~~~

It was around 9 am. I’d been in the kitchen for an hour already, trying to decide what to make for breakfast. I’d started making pancakes, then switched to waffles, then omelets.  I’d be set on my decision for as long as it would take me to pull out all the ingredients for my choice, then I’d change my mind, put everything back, and pull a bunch of different things out. 

My father walked in at around 9:30, as I was pulling the muffins I’d made from scratch out of the oven. I’d decided muffins were neutral enough that everyone in the house would like them and that I could make them well enough to everyone’s satisfaction. Nesta said I worked too hard to please people. 

No clue where she got that idea. . . 

“Is no one else up?” my father said.

I shook my head. “Just me and the muffins.”

He took one, buttered it, and made to sit down. He seemed to think better of it, though, because he set his muffin down and stood up straight. “I’d better go wake Feyre. I want to ask her about all those paint cans and supplies she’s left in the garage, and someone has to be here to eat these muffins. Best to do it know while Mr. Night sleeps; I know how sensitive that girl can be about her painting.”

I nodded, standing alone at the counter before I remembered.

“Dad, Dad, Dad! Let me wake up Feyre. I--um--”

He was halfway up the stairs when I caught up to him, pausing to look down at me. I went with the oldest trick in the book. “Girl stuff.” I widened my eyes meaningfully. “Best if I check up on her first.”

I prayed my father didn’t see through my very feeble attempt to make him uncomfortable. But it worked. He clicked his tongue and descended the staircase. “I’ll take your word for it, Elain. Hurry down. And tell Feyre to hurry too…”

It was like he knew. Oh Feyre was so going to owe me. 

I bounded up the stairs, not slowing until I was at the top of Feyre’s own narrow staircase. I knocked and entered, ready to get a kick out of what was about to happen.

“Oh, Feyreeee, Dad needs you downstairs.”

Nothing for a few moments. I thought I heard whispers but from where I stood, I  couldn’t see anything besides the large lump of her white bed coverings. “I guess I could send Dad up here…”

The whispering became clearer, now, and I made out something like, “Shut up!” and “I’ll handle it” and “Calm the fuck down.” 

Feyre suddenly appeared in a very large t-shirt and nothing else. “Thanks, ‘Lain.” She practically hissed my name. She stalked across the floor toward me. “How’d you know?” She murmured.

“Got up for a glass of water last night. Saw Rhysand’s ass as it cleared the top of the staircase. Figured I’d save you from Dad’s wrath.”

Feyre rolled her eyes. “We didn’t do anything. And Dad has no right to dictate what I can and can’t do.”

“Obviously not,” I agreed. “But he could make things very awkward.”

“True. We’ll--I’ll--be down in a second. Please don’t tell Nesta. She’d be unbearable.”

“Tell me what?” A voice like iron floated across the small landing. 

Feyre shut her eyes and I cringed. Nesta’s judgment might be worse than our father’s.

“Hey, Nesta,” Feyre said guiltily. 

“Feyre. Hi Rhys!” Nesta raised her voice imperceptibly. 

A tan hand rose from the bed. “Why the fuck do you have so many sisters, Archeron?”

The light that shone behind Feyre’s eyes was like nothing I’d ever seen before. In either of my sisters’ faces. Or my own. I bit back my own grin. After Tamlin, and the shitty year Feyre had had, I just wanted her to be happy. And Rhys was so good-natured. Didn’t hurt that he was hot, too. She deserved to look all happy despite being caught out by her two older sisters.

“I’d get downstairs quick. And arrive separately.” Nesta was fighting back a laugh. “I can’t wait to hear Dad chew you out for your sex life. For once, it won’t be me.” She smiled wickedly.

“We didn’t--I didn’t--get out!” Feyre screeched at us. 

“You’re welcome,” Nesta and I said in unison, and we grinned at each other. Feyre pushed us out with surprising strength and slammed the door.  

“That was fun.” Nesta started down the staircase first. 

I was about to respond when my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out.

Azriel: Mooorning

“Who’s that?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb.” Nesta dropped her voice to a low whisper as we descended the main staircase and headed for the kitchen. “You’re grinning like an idiot, and not in the ‘I just caught my sister with a boy in her bed in my dad’s house’ way you were earlier.” 

“Uh, just looking at a meme.” Weak.

“Because you spend so much time scrolling through memes.”

Thankfully, Nesta let the subject drop. I honestly wished she hadn’t. Everyone had been treating me like a fragile piece of glass since the whole Greyson debacle. And while, yes, I wasn’t quite ready to share that I’d been secretly talking to Azriel for the past two months… I was strong enough to handle some sisterly teasing, or even fatherly teasing. Or any kind of teasing.

Instead, everything was, “Oh, Elain, your cookies taste so good!” and, “Oh, Elain, the garden looks wonderful!” and, “Oh, Elain, how’s nursing school?” Nobody wanted to talk about anything real with me, because they thought I wasn’t ready. And if I was the one to start down that road, they’d continue to tread on ice around me and just be grateful I was talking at all. Too grateful to really listen to what I had to say.

Which was why I’d downloaded a dating app two months ago, swiped right on all of two guys before I’d found someone worthy of deleting the app immediately after we started messaging. It’d been a constant stream of texting and snapchatting ever since, even if we hadn’t met up in person yet. My romantic past, Azriel’s loner tendencies, and the fact that he was one of Rhys’s best friends and Feyre’s teammate had made us decide to take things slow. But seeing how happy Feyre was with Rhys--and she didn’t even know it quite yet--made me think that I should tell my sister and then get Azriel to take me out. 

That would certainly surprise everybody. Elain made of glass, indeed.

Before I could lose my nerve, I texted Azriel back. Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I reentered the kitchen with a smile on my face, trying not to ponder on the message I’d just sent.

Elain: I’ve been thinking. . . We should meet up… Face to face. 

Elain: Like on a date. 

I got a response within a moment and didn’t need to check my phone to know what it said.

Azriel: Hell yes. 

~~~FEYRE~~~

I slammed the door shut. I looked behind me to find Rhys, breathtakingly shirtless, propped up on one elbow behind me. 

“What are the chances that both of your lovely sisters keep their mouths shut about this? Cuz I have a feeling even a mutual love for collegiate athletics won’t stop your father from kicking me out of the house for staying the night in your room.”

I slumped onto the bed and he was suddenly there, filling all the empty space in the room as he hovered over me. I closed my eyes, fighting back a smile. “They’ve had their fun. Sisters don’t snitch.”

He rested his forehead against my shoulder. “Great. Not that I care about you, of course. I’m just very concerned about where I’ll have Thanksgiving dinner if your dad kicks me out.”

I sat up and pushed him back against the blankets all in one motion. “You take that back,” I said playfully. 

“Make me.”

“How about I go down there and confess to my dad before Nesta or Elain can rat us out? Then I’d be rid of your sorry ass much more quickly.”

“Feyre!” Elain’s voice floated up the stairs tauntingly, interrupting our flirting.

“This isn’t over, Archeron,” Rhys said threateningly. 

I pointed to the door. “Go put on something presentable. Your hair’s a mess.” 

He scowled. But he kissed me lightly on the lips before he left the room and I almost told him to forget about family breakfast and stay up here with me, instead.

------

The day passed in a blur. We spent the majority of it in the kitchen prepping for Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow afternoon. After a while, we all retired to the living room and marathoned the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys sat next to me on the couch and as soon as it got dark enough outside that my father, Nesta, and Elain probably wouldn’t notice, he took my hand under our shared blanket and I set my head on his shoulder. 

I stayed in his room that night, although we were both too tired to do much other than fall into bed after a day spent in the kitchen. I woke before him the next morning and tiptoed downstairs to let him sleep.

I found Elain and Nesta arguing in my kitchen. 

“Why don’t you just tell me who he is,” Nesta was saying in a very low, very dangerous voice.

“Butt out, Nesta. It’s no one.”

“If it was no one, there’d be nothing for me to butt out of, now would there be?”

Elain was gripping the island countertop in the center of the kitchen. Nesta, surprisingly, was cooking up a huge skillet of scrambled eggs. It smelled as though they were starting to burn while her attention was focused on Elain. 

Elain’s phone vibrated. “Who is he?” Nesta shrieked.

“Fuck off!”

“What’s going on?” I asked. 

They both started speaking at once. 

“Elain’s being stupid--”

“Nesta won’t stay out of my own fucking business--”

“Help me convince her--” 

I held up my hands. “Oh, both of you shut up! Elain. Explain.”

Nesta mumbled something under her breath that I chose not to hear as Elain sighed. “Nesta thinks I’m talking to a boy. She thinks that she has a right to know who he is--if he even exists,” Elain added with an eye roll, “and that she deserves the right to approve. I told her to fuck off, but she’s not listening.”

I’d never heard so many “fucks” from Elain in one conversation. There was definitely a boy. 

“Well, why don’t you tell us? After everything…”

Elain pushed herself back from the countertop, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’m not some fragile teenager who doesn’t know how to speak to boys! Despite what you think about how terribly broken I am after Greyson, I know what I’m doing! And now I don’t want to tell you even more. So leave me alone.” 

She turned and pushed through the door that led from the kitchen to the side yard. 

I looked at Nesta. She looked at me. 

“She better be getting it reallll good to get so upset with us for asking about it,” Nesta said.

I took a seat at the barstools surrounding the island. “Do you think she. . . Do we really treat her like a teenager who doesn’t know how to speak to boys?”

“Maybe. But that’s because she doesn’t know how to speak to boys--or men, for that matter.”

Nesta thought she knew what was best for Elain--and she usually did. But Nesta also liked getting her way. When her way wasn’t Elain’s way. . . It was difficult for both of them. I resolved that no matter what Nesta thought, I’d try to give Elain some space when it came to her Mystery Guy. Even if I was dying to find out who it was. 

“Speaking of boys. . .” Nesta began, but at that moment, Rhys stepped into the kitchen. Thank God. I didn’t know what exactly was going on between us at the moment. Discussing it with Nesta would be torture. 

“Good morning,” I said brightly as Rhys took a seat beside me. 

“Is it?” He asked. Nesta had turned around to find her eggs burnt to a crisp, ignoring Rhys entirely.

“What’s wrong?”

Rhys leaned his elbows on the counter. “My father called. He’s in town. And wants me to spend the weekend with him in my hometown.”

I couldn’t help the fear that gripped me at his words. Was he just making this up because he wanted to escape me? I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Where’s that?” 

“Two hours north of here.”

“Well I can take you and drop you off tomorrow morning,” I managed to say. “Would that work?”

He blinked. “I did tell you that my father is a horrible person, right?”

“Not sure you mentioned it. . . But it’s Thanksgiving. You should be with family.” Which was true. Although I’d rather he stay here.

He rolled his eyes. “I can’t burden you with driving all the way out there and back just so I can spend the weekend with a very unideal candidate.” He gave me a look that told me who was the ideal candidate. Maybe he wasn’t making this up. . . 

“Um. . . Uber?”  Stay here, stay here, stay here.

“Too expensive.” He glanced at Nesta, and then turned to face me more fully. “You could stay with us. We can just make it ‘meet the parents’ week.” He smiled hopefully.

Relief flooded my body. “Well…” I definitely wanted to go with him. Right now I didn’t want to leave his side at all after the past two nights sleeping in his arms. But I didn’t want to offend my family.

Nesta banged the skillet against the edge of the trash can, causing both Rhys and me to jump about a mile. “Go with him, Feyre. I’ll talk to Dad.”

I couldn’t help the smile that exploded across my face. “I guess you’re stuck with me.” I grinned at him. 

“There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List: @sleeping-and-books​ @musicalfae​ @queen-of-glass

#acomaf #acotar #a court of mist and fury #a court of mist and fury au #a court of thorns and roses #a court of thorns and roses au #feyre archeron #feyre #rhysand #feyre x rhys #elriel #elain archeron #elain #azriel #sarah j maas #feysand fanfiction #breathcontrol #breathcontrol ar ff #acotar au #acomaf au

[erattum]

Asleep & Sleeping with

(Antipode PART 4)

Characters: Tsundere!Dong Sicheng x Y/N & NCT/WAYV

Genre: NCT College AU | NCT Heirs AU

Warnings: mentioned of sex, alcohol , cursing, fluff

Summary:

You could get pretty drunk and do some ugly stuffs you would regret tomorrow when you wake up.

(I’ve noticed that I wrote partly for what I would like to say to NCT and WayV as a real person. For example, to Lucas in this chapter.)

“Get ready to be part of the 99ang”

Y/N was standing in front of the four boys, weaking the same white shirt with ‘99ang’ (read as ‘gang’) printed on the chest and their names at the back of it. She was told by Lucas that there would be an accepting ceremony to be held for her as the newest member of their group of same age.

They are being watched by the other members, the older ones shaking their head for the silliness of their brothers. Some of the Dreamies protests that they wanted to be part of it but Xiaojun made sure to give them a pep talk about how it should be exclusive only for the people born in 1999.

“So now, we will proceed to the alcohol room!” Hendery clapped and they dragged her to the second floor, left wing of the mansion.

“Don’t do anything stupid!” Kun shouted to remind them how this initiation should be harmless.

“No breaking of stuffs, killing of animals as a tribute and chanting gibberish to call for evil spirit. Don’t make Y/N cry.” Doyoung stopped in front of five of them and the four boys only nodded out of excitement.

-

Lucas, Mark, Xiaojun and Hendery was now standing in front of Y/N in the alcohol room of the mansion. She was never been there before and she didn’t even have an idea that this room existed. It was an indoor 5ft pool with a bar on the side of it to where you can chill. It was strictly only for the legal age members and the Dreamies was banned to enter only to when they had reached their legal age.

“As the newest member of now the now largest ’same-age-friends’ in this household, we need to drink this tonight.” Lucas handed her the Dalmore 62 which she doesn’t have an idea what drink it is aside from the fact that it surely an alcohol with a pretty elegant bottle.

“Dude, Sicheng hyung told me she didn’t drink, what if we accidentally alcohol poisoned her?” Mark whispered at his friend while she was busy admiring the beautiful bottle she didn’t have a slightest idea it cost $250 000.

“Chill dude. It’s a one time thing. It won’t hurt.” Lucas answered him with the same tone of voice. Lucas cleared his throat to get her attention again.

“So, at the count of three…”

“ one…”

“ two..”

“THREE!”

Y/N could literally taste the bitterness of the alcohol and how it burns her throat. She bottoms up the shot glass and shove it back to Mark, wiping her lips and waiting for the bitterness to subside.

The four boys cheered on her and they all started the night of celebration.

-

“There are perks on being a member of this club.” Hendery utter while the five of them was lying on the inflatable pool floating on the indoor pool. Luckily, the roof where the pool was located was convertible and they turned it as transparent glass where they could see the stars at the night sky. They put pillows and blankets where they could lay down comfortably after they finished the bottle of drinks they could count.

“What is it?” Y/N turned her head to her left where Hendery was lying. She hug his arm when he continued talking.

“We could do this hang out from time to time. Talking about things, everything, and it will be protected by our friendship so it must not be shared outside of the group.” Hendery was looking at the stars, eyes sparkling like he was talking about his dreams.

“Is that so?” She answered and looked the the stars again.

“We all have concerns, you know. And it was a relief to hear other people’s concerns. Somehow it comforts us, a reminder that we are not alone feeling that way.” Mark who was positioned at the far right side with Lucas oh his left side.

“I really don’t feel that I deserve this luxury life.” Lucas spoked that made them startled because they thought he passed out from drinking too much. Lucas opened his eyes and look at the stars while his friends are looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

“ I grew up hearing that I have the face of being the heir of Wong, but I am sure to myself that it was only my physical appearance that look expensive like what they said.” You could see Lucas’ eyes got a little sadder for his confession.

“I want to explore the world. I am a child at heart with full of happiness. I maybe tall but I cry easily. I am not a cold hearted, or an asshole who fucks around leaving trails of broken-hearted girls crying.” Lucas got quiet for a minute, absorbing the words he said and being satisfied with it.

“I say I love you easily, whenever I miss people, or home, I say I love you to my friends, out of nowhere just to remind them.” Lucas continued and a moment of silence envelopes them.

“We love you for who you are Lucas. It’s my first time saying this but WayV would not be the same if you are not you.” Xiaojun answered him that made Lucas smile.

“It feel so good knowing that.”

-

“Sicheng, remind yourself to scold your brothers tomorrow” Sicheng was struggling to lift Y/N and bring her to her room.

“MarklEE stopit…” she slurred and pushed his hands thinking he was Mark.

“Stop moving. I am not Mark.” Sicheng held her arms again and they proceed to walk clumsily. Their little party was finished when Taeyong knocked to check them up only to found the five of them sleeping soundly in the floating pool. Taeyong called Johnny, Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Kun to help the four boys to travel back to their rooms.

“Dong Sicheng, your help is a must here.” Taeyong opened Sicheng’s bedroom door only to found him reading a book at his bed.

“What is it, hyung?” Sicheng closed his book and put it at the bedside table. He removed the comforter from his lap to stand up.

“Your girl is refusing to fo out of that room. I am done, she’s your responsibility now.” Taeyong told him only to furrowed his eyebrows.

“Okay, they welcomed her to be part of their same age friend group and she got pretty drunk.” Sicheng rolled his eyes and he lazily walk to the room to pick up Y/N. He saw her sitting but her eyes was closed and Lucas was crying because Jaehyun and Doyoung was trying to remove his long limbs from hugging Y/N.

Sicheng went to them and he lift Y/N up in bridal style.

“Y’all are a fcking mess.” Doyoung uttered under his breath and that was the last thing Sicheng heard after he exited the room.

“What the —-“ Sicheng couldn’t believe the misfortune he was facing when he tried to open her bedroom door. It was locked and he knew that it would take a lot of time to go to where the spare keys was located. Every step he made was heavy and he couldn’t do anything but to let her sleep to his room.

Sicheng groaned and stretched his back after putting her to his bed. She was sleeping and have no idea what’s happening around her.

“Dejun, why Sicheng hates me?” He was startled when she talked assuming that she was fast asleep. His eyebrows knitted at her drunk question.

She suddenly sat up startling her soulmate and she opened her eyes but couldn’t do it properly.

“He was always acting like I don’t exist. I tried to talk to him but he say… h-hurtful words.” She was now sniffling unaware that she was inside the room of the man she was talking about.

“ Hendery, tell him I’m not a bad person.” She was now assuming that he was Hendery. Sicheng kneel in front of her fix her hair that stick to her face because of her tears. It was out of his personality, but he didn’t questioned it and assumed that it was the soulmate thing that made him do it.

“ He acted in front of our family, I wish he was nice like that everyday and—- Lucas, why it’s so hot in here?” Sicheng couldn’t move from his sitting position when she started to remove her shirt.

“Hey—HEY STOP IT!” Sicheng was about to stand up but failed to when she clutched his shoulders, failed to remove her shirt and she vomited on his shirt.

Sicheng pushed her away and she fall lying down oh his sheet. He couldn’t take the smell of his ruined shirt so he go to the bathroom and remove his shirt. He cleaned himself using a wet washcloth and while doing it, he exited the bathroom to get a shirt but he stopped on his track when he saw her shirt and pants on the floor. He looked at her and she was sitting on the bed, eyes closed and fumbling on her back to remove her brassiere.

“STOP—- OH GOD!” Sicheng immediately closed his eyes, he dropped the washcloth on the floor to blindly walk towards her and stop her, but he couldn’t find her until he heard someone snoring. He hesitated to opened his eyes and thank all gods that she was lying on her stomach, her back facing him but Sicheng immediately blushed when he saw her black panty.

“You’re such a troublemaker.” He tried to not to think a lot, hands shaking when he tried to wrap her using his sheets. He came up to a plan that after wrapping her, he will get two of his shirts, one for him and one for her. He told himself that he will put her in his shirt while closing his eyes

But it was all broken when she drag him to lay down on his bed. He was unable to use his energy to resist her because he was busy on his thoughts.

Sicheng closed his eyes when she sat on his stomach, he have so much respect to her and he bet his life that she would regret everything when she woke up and he didn’t want to look at her body without her consent.

“So warm…” she whispered when she lay dow above him, arms and legs wrapped around his body, her head oh his chest.

His heart accelerated and his body got tensed when he felt her… chest… squished on his stomach. Sicheng tried to closed his eyes and tried to control himself not to think too much about their skin contact. He came up to the conclusion that he will just wait for her to sleep before getting out of the situation.

He look at his bedside table and his clock flashed 4:00 am. He was drained physically and emotionally so he just let her sleep. He drag the sheets that draped on her waist to protect her back from the cold air conditioning.

He waited and failed because he fell asleep on her warm embrace. He never remembered someone gave him this kind of warm that lulled him to his sleep.

—-

Y/N was stirred on her sleep when she felt a cold breeze on her back. She furrowed her eyebrows when she felt so cold at her back but her front body was warm. She noticed that she was hugging her huge pillow.

Huge pillow?

She touches her pillow, trying to identify it while still closing her eyes but suddenly her “pillow” took a deep breath.

Her eyes was shot opened and she supported her body using her palms to check what’s underneath her. She couldn’t speak for a second she saw Sicheng, her soulmate, the one who was ignoring her existence since day one, was peacefully and oh god so handsomely sleeping beneath her.

Sicheng on the other hand was stirred on his sleep, sensing that someone was looking at him. He opened his eyes and he was greeted by Y/N’s shocked face closed to him. On a cue, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Sicheng was fast to close his eyes and a hand blocked his ears while his other hand was still wrapped around her waist, supporting her when he suddenly sat up.

It was when she felt the sheets fell from her waist down to her butt and his eyes glanced for a second on her chest when she became aware that she was only on her panties. Her front was bare and clear for him to see but Sicheng only look at her eyes.

The situation didn’t get any better when the door suddenly opened, revealing Taeyong, with the whole 127 boys, on their way to have their breakfast and was about to wake up Sicheng to drag it from his bed, assuming that he was still asleep, just something to annoy him, but he’s not.

Sicheng was fast and nobody saw anything and they couldn’t process at first when he grab her to his chest and protect her “dignity” from the nine boys. He turned his back from the door and his back was the only thing displayed on their eyes. Sicheng grab the sheets and covered her lower body, avoiding the non existent distance of their chest.

“GET OUT!” and the boys was scrambling out of the door, shutting it closed and all the two of them heard was the running footsteps away from Sicheng’s room.

“AHHH!” She screamed and pushed him away, dragging the sheets on her waist up to her chest. Y/N was now crying her eyes out. She didn't know what to feel. So exposed? Taken for granted?

“Stop crying, ugh.” Sicheng got out of his bed and stretched his body. Her weight might be light but still his body didn’t got used to it. He let her cried, waiting for her to calm herself down.

“Why am I n-naked? At your b-bed?” She asked between her sobs. She was looking at his naked back, stretching, his back muscles flexing, but that was not the case for now.

“We had sex. You ride me.” Sicheng said on a monotone voice, like he was asked to what’s his name. She couldn’t believe on what she heard.

“W-we h-had?” Her lips were trembling. She couldn’t speak properly. How could she let her first time be with someone she didn’t love and worst, she couldn’t remember what happened. She planned all along that her first time is for someone whom she will love, marry and on her honeymoon. Basically, for Sicheng because he was her soulmate but they barely knew each other! They barely talked, never been in a date, or have feelings with each other and yet he already got did the home run.

“What’s that?” She asked, already felt down. Sicheng looked at her, he didn’t know what she was talking about. She was still crying and was afraid to hear anything about last night but still she asked him. It was her first time for crying out loud of course she will ask him, no matter how embarrassing it was.

“What’s what?”

“ Ride. What’s ‘ride you’ supposed to mean?” Her face was red, eyebrows furrowed to glare at him, lips pouting but her innocent question is what made him laugh.

Sicheng never laughed like this for a long time and to her perspective, it was strange to see him laughing, especially on their situation.

“Get up. Let’s have something to eat first and then we will get the key to unlock your room.” When Sicheng finished putting on a shirt, he grab a pair of white shirt and one of his boxer shorts, he helped her put it on after she found her bra hanging on his bedside lamp.

“When will you stop crying huh?” Sicheng was getting annoyed at her. He was dealing with her crying for the past 6 hours.

“What would you expect from me? Celebrating? After you took my virginity.” She sobbed after she put the shirt on with his help. Their gesture seems so natural for both of them and they even didn’t noticed that they are in sync.

“I was just lying, stop crying ok?” He saw how relieved she is but still looking at him suspiciously.

“Are you sure there’s no baby in my stomach?” She asked like a child that made Sicheng almost smile.

“There’s none. Let’s go. I’m hungry. You have a HUGE debt from making me suffer.”

-

The dining table was quite that only the utensils can be heard. The 127 couldn’t look at the soulmates, after they saw earlier.

“Why are you all suddenly so quiet like an innocent lamb?” Ten asked looking at Doyoung who was focused on his plate like he was inside the operation room and Jaehyun who’s ears were so red.

“We walked in Sicheng and Y/N having sex.” Haechan may be shy but it didn’t stopped his honest mouth to say what he saw, earning curses and choking reactions from the table.

“WE ARE NOT. WE DID’T DO THAT. NO. YOU TOOK IN ON A WRONG WAY.” Y/N was immediately on her feet to defend the two of them while Sicheng was quiet and peacefully eating his food.

“You’re not allowed to drink from now on.” Sicheng said, and they all looked at him.

“Who are you to say that?” She was annoyed on how he dictates her life as if he owned her.

“I am the one who didn’t left you to sleep outside your door and cleaned your mess. If you tried to drink again and got drunk, you’ll be straight up in my room.” Sicheng assumed that if he let her dink again and let her sleep to their room, she will start removing her clothes.

“You’re so mean.” She whispered and the boys couldn’t help but to smile.

Finally! The two of them are starting to talk to each other even if it’s basically bickering.

-

[My ask box is always open :)]

#nct #wayv #nct 127 #dong sicheng #nct au #nct winwin #wayv winwin #nct drabbles #nct fluff #nct imagines #wayv lucas #wayv hendery #wayv xiaojun #nct 127 mark #nct 127 taeyong #nct 127 johnny #wayv kun #nct 127 doyoung #nct 127 jaehyun #haechan #rosesichengmasterlist

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 39)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:5853

Warnings:  good news, stressing out, happy reader, mentions of kinks, teasing, girl’s night,bonding time between reader and OFC,over all it’s a really light chapter! Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​​. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three long months had passed.

You say long because as much as you felt happy being free, not seeing Loki all day was hell. Of course you had the freedom to stay with him, but the two of you agreed you needed to be outside of the cell. Unbeknownst to Loki, you were refurbishing the apartment. Updating some of the decor and furniture, ensuring every appliance worked.

Despite everything, you still slept with Loki, in the cell, every night. You would continue to prove to him you would never leave his side or abandon him. It was hard some nights. Nights you wanted to be alone, nights you spent up with Shannon having so much girly fun, nights you felt like working out of the apartment… But no matter what, rain or shine, tired or wide awake, you met Loki, each night, with open arms in the cell.

That was how you spent your nights, but during the day, you juggled the wedding and the work Bruce put on you. He was not shy or concerned with overworking you it seemed, mainly because you seemed to keep up with the heavy workload. Working side by side with Bruce was surprisingly fantastic. His calm nature was a good contrast from Loki who was brewing with angst nearly constantly.

With both of you being ticking time bombs, you didn’t speak much to each other except for strictly work related items, which was fine with you.

Shannon and you worked every day on something for the wedding. This was going to go down in history books, it had to be utterly perfect and planned down to the last detail. There were new tasks every day. Some big, some small, some just confirming previous arrangements she’d made, but you were determined to be the best maid of honor this world had ever seen.

Life for Shannon seemed to be going perfectly. Her and Tony seemed happier than ever, her work was excelling, and Tony was inventing things faster than you could blink. In just a few short months she would be getting married. Although, that was one small thing they did seem to disagree on -- the guest list. Other than that, all was perfect for your best friend and her groom.

Today, Shannon came to you in the lab with fantastic, unexpected news.

“Hey, Y/N, how’s work going?”  She peered at what you were doing at the moment. “You got a sec? There’s something I’d like to tell you.”

“Uh, I don’t know…” you trailed, not taking your eyes off the paper for a moment, running numbers in your head. “Wait just a sec….” You leaned back and looked over to Bruce. “Hey, do I have a second?”

Bruce looked up and over at you, glancing at Shannon. “Yeah, you’re fine,” he assured.

You smiled at him and put your work down on the glass desk in front of you. “I’m free now! What’s up?”

“Well I was talking with the team and a few people from SHIELD,” she started saying.  “And we’ve come to the decision that it’s time that Loki be given parole as well seeing as how well behaved he has been the past 3 months,” she stopped to let you process what she told you.

You stared at her for a moment, trying to take in what she just said. “Wait… Wait… Loki is up for parole?” you asked, the excitement in your voice rising.

“We’ve thought about it and did that some more and yes we believe it’s time he leaves that cell.” She sounded very serious. “But with that it means he would have his time with his parole officer, Dr. Strange, a fellow friend of Shield’s.” She pulled up the file on approving the parole. “So now you two will both be working and getting the chance to be outside of the cell, but I do have to warn you Shield will be keeping an eye on your progress.”

“Okay, that’s fine. Uh, how so?” you inquired. This was expected, but you wanted to know just how invasive they were going to be and for how long? You’d been on parole now for three months, and you still had to check in three days a week with Bruce. You had to physically walk into the lab, he had to shake your hand (to ensure it wasn’t an illusion by Loki), and then he would sign off on your reports, stating you’d been into work.

“Well they’ve been keeping track of you coming in to see Bruce and the work you do.” She gestured to what you’re currently working on. “Some of the work here is what they’ve sent over to have you do.” She walked over, pulling out what was sent from them. “And Agent Coulson will be around the tower more often just to see how you’re doing.” She reassured you. “The same will happen with Loki, it will be only a few times a month.”

You nodded. “For how long? When can we get back to… when can we start to have a real life?” you wondered,  clearing your throat.

“I wasn’t told how long exactly but I did ask them to make it short as possible. I know you two would like to enjoy your freedom,” she said sincerely. “I know how much this means to you, I’ll do my best to find out how long and cut that time in half.”

A warm smile touched your face. “Thank you, Shannon. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. I’m happy he’s up for parole… So, will he be released today? What will he be doing with this Dr. Strange?”

“He’ll be released tomorrow in the morning at the same time you leave for work.” She smiled seeing how happy you were. “As for what he’ll be doing is helping around the sanctuary where they guard the Time stone.” She went about bringing an image of it up. “Dr. Strange is a great person to work with and I believe having Loki there will help him control his inner turmoil and help him be a better version of himself,” she gave a lengthy response that she knew you’d want.

You couldn’t help the twinkle that hit your eye. You immediately grabbed Shannon and held her tightly. “Thank you, so much. This means so much, to both of us.” Then a second later, you pushed her away. “Oh my god! This means I have to completely fix up the apartment tonight! I have to get candles and proper food for real meals. I have to get his favorite shampoo -- I don’t even know what his favorite shampoo is!” you started, panicking. You and Loki had lived together, technically for nearly four years now, but it wasn’t exactly conventional.

“Y/N! Breathe woman, relax everything can get done one step at a time.” She gestured to follow her breathing. “I’ll talk to Bruce about letting you have the rest of the day off so we can get that apartment done, okay?” She grabbed your shoulders to steady you. “As for the shampoo, I’m sure you’ll know which it is. You could ask Thor what scents Loki prefers,” she suggested to you.

In an instant, your eyes widened. “Shannon, that’s genius! Oh my god. Will you come with me? Please? I have so much to do and you’ve lived with Tony. You know what I need to grab… I don’t want to miss a thing!”

“Yes, Y/N, let me talk to Bruce really quick.” She walked over to where he was deep in thought. After a few minutes she came back. “Okay we’re all set, he just wants you to hand over what you have so far to read through.” She pointed to the file on the table. “Now come on, we have some shopping to get done.” She clapped her hands saying that.

----------------

“Jesus, Loki is such a picky eater,” you mumbled as you pushed a shopping cart in the produce area, trying to think of the perfect “welcome home” dish. “Is Tony a picky eater?” you wondered. You knew Tony professionally, in a friendly way, but you had zero idea about his living habits. That hadn’t really come up between trying to kill Shannon and spending years in prison for it...

“Not really, he’s pretty casual about it. He’ll usually ask for whatever I’m in the mood for,” she said grabbing some stuff for her and Tony. “Which is nice unless it’s a date night…” she said. “He tends to want to go somewhere fancy, that’s not really my thing.” She grabbed a box of strawberries and took one out to eat. “What's one of Loki’s favorite dishes?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s easy. He loves spaghetti. I honestly don’t know why,” you admitted, a little befuddled. “I guess because it’s simple? Hard to fuck it up,” you muttered.

“Well make some of that and add some sides, like maybe some salad or something you like too,” she suggested trying to make it a welcome home for you two. “What’s your guys favorite dessert? I can make some.”

“An excellent idea,” you mused. “Oh, um. He loves strawberry flavored things?” you said, slightly unsure. “I don't think he has a top dessert, so long as strawberries are involved,” you informed.

You grabbed a few things for spaghetti when you nonchalantly asked Shannon, “Should I greet Loki naked, or in lingerie?”

Slightly coughing, “Lingerie, but wouldn’t that be best for after dinner?” she asked. “Would kinda ruin the whole dinner thing. We could go look for something if you want.” She turned to you. “Is there anything in particular that you’d like to find?” She wiggled her eyebrows attempting to fluster you.

You couldn’t help but giggle at her response. “I fully intend for me to be the dessert, but it is always nice to make him squirm through the meal,” you remarked. “I need something with leather, and lace,” you informed, thinking hard. “So tell me, is Tony an ass or a boob man? Oooh, or something else entirely?” you wondered.

“He’s something else entirely, a man of many many kinks.” She blushed. “There’s a few things he really enjoys but I doubt you’d want to hear,” she continued “What about Loki? Does he keep it simple there too?” she retorted.

You gasped, your mouth hanging open in an O. “Shannon! My, my. Has Tony been rubbing off on you? You’re getting rather cheeky,” you teased as you saw a smug look transform on her face. “If you must know, madam, he is anything but simple in bed.”

“Why, Y/N, dear if you knew half the stuff I’ve rubbed off on him.” She smirked. “You’d think he’d be the innocent one.” Winking at you she took the cart and went to the next aisle. “Sounds to me like Loki likes to get wild,” she sing-songed.

You audibly gasped at her first two comments before jogging to catch up with her. In a low voice, you nearly whispered, “If you only knew… but then again, I guess we were being recorded down in that cell,” you recalled. “Let’s just say, Loki likes to experiment with his magic,” you informed.

“After a certain time in the night we leave them to record only when the motion sensor goes off.”

“Oh, sorry. The thing must’ve gone off all night then,” you teased.

“It must have if you’d been in the living room,” she winked. “We noticed you two spend your time there the most so we keep them aimed there and the kitchen,” she said.

You frowned for a moment, stopping dead in the aisle. “I thought Tony said every room had a camera except the bathroom?”

“It does but the time you guys were there we noticed you two spent most of your time in the kitchen or the living room so we focused on those two most and we occasionally would check the others.”

“So, it didn’t record at night?” Suddenly you smiled. “Tony was just trying to be a cock-block!” you nearly shouted in the crowded supermarket. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Y/N! Lower your voice,” she told you, seeing as people were eyeing you two. “I told him to leave you two alone but insisted on adding one in the bedroom,” she explained. “And I was turning off that camera at night so you two would have privacy,” she simply replied, heading to the checkout area.

You smiled at your best friend. You couldn’t help but feel so much warm love for her in that moment. Even when you betrayed her, nearly killed her, she sought to it that you were left alone.

“Guess I could’ve walked around naked then,” you mused. “Gah, doing it under the blankets was always such a hassle… Speaking of, you have got to tell me where the weirdest place you and Stark have done it is,” you insisted. For most, this might be weird. But you and Shannon had been so close for so many years, it was practically nothing to talk about sex and partners at this point, trading juicy stories and secrets between you two.

“I could… or you could try and guess.” She giggled. “It was an unexpected one at that too.” She recalled the memory. “Guess we had forgotten there was a camera there.” She passed the things from the cart to the cashier table.

You stared at her in awe for a solid minute before you suddenly hit her arm playfully hard. “You little minx!” you nearly squealed. “Where? Wait! Don’t tell me… Is it in the city? In Manhattan?”

“Yes and yes” was all she told you trying to see if you could guess exactly where. “It's the one place a lot of people go to throughout the day,” she hinted at you with a coy smile.

“Time...square? Grand Central? Jesus, Shan, it’s New York, millions of people go everywhere, all damned day,” you remarked. Your eyes narrowed on her, awaiting an answer if either of your guesses were right.

“It’s a particular place I took you once when we were barely living here. Had a giant food on top of the roof,” she laughed. “Give up?” she playfully asked.

After racking your brain for thirty seconds, you conceded. “Yeah, I give up,” you admitted. Thanos must’ve taken more than you bargained for when he fucked with your memories.

“It's that diner with the giant donut, remember that place?” She pulled out her phone looking for the picture. “Tony had wanted to go there for dinner one night... one thing led to another and we ended up on the top of the dinner and on the donut.” She blushed remembering that night.

“Holy shit!” you exclaimed, hitting her arm, making the cashier look at the two of you. “You’re so bad! I had no idea you did that!” You looked down at your phone, checking the time. “Oh, shit. We need to run and look at lingerie then we need to head to the apartment.”

“We still have all night,” she told you looking over to see that it was getting close to 7. “We could pull up an all nighter if you want to make things perfect, that way there’s not much to worry about in the morning.” She pulled out her card to pay for everything and headed for the exit. “Just let Loki know you and I are going to have a girls night.”

You chewed your lip a moment. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll stop by his cell later or-- wait, could I use your phone? Your phone still has a direct line to the cell, right? I’ll just call and tell him I’m… working?” you tried. You didn’t like lying to Loki, but in this case, it was for a surprise, that you didn’t want to spoil.

Noticing the worry on her friend’s face she pulled out her phone and handed it to you. “It’s not like you’re going to lie to him because this would definitely count as a girls night because we’ll be having fun.” She bumped her hip with yours, hoping to make tonight fun.

You couldn’t help but smile. Always a ray of sunshine. You rolled your eyes lightly and laughed. “Okay, okay.” You found the contact and dialed the cell, opening up a video call with Loki. He was happy, yet confused to see you at first. But you quickly explained that you and Shannon were going to have a girls night together. At first, you were worried he would start to feel abandoned, but he knew sometimes you would have a life outside of him, and the cell. He was momentarily sad, but ultimately happy that you were happy. As soon as you hung up, you nodded at her. “Alrighty, we’re good to go! Let’s whip this apartment into shape, and get my ass into something sexy.” The two of you walked to the car. “Now, Loki’s gonna meet his boss-officer tomorrow morning, right, and then come home to the apartment after, right?”

“Yup, so basically Fury will have me and Loki head to Strange’s location so that he can become well acquainted with the workplace and see what’s where. And knowing you my dear, Y/N, I was given the okay for you to come along so that he feels some comfort,” she told you while she drove the two of you to a little shop she liked to get her lingerie. “Now in terms of sexy what did you have in mind?” She looked over at you at a red light. “The woman that owns the store can make something custom for you if you’re looking for something specific. Usually gets it done within an hour, so we could head next door to get our nails done while we wait.”

“Oh, you don’t have to take me tomorrow. I really appreciate you getting that done for me, but I have a big project with Bruce tomorrow… I’ll just visit Loki later at work,” you told her, giving her an apologetic smile. You clapped your hands together and then grinned widely. “Now, about the outfit. Oh, god. I have no idea exactly what I want. I know I want leather… lace… Hmm. What do you think? I have never had an opportunity to go lingerie shopping for him so I have no idea what he’s into, in that aspect.”

“Well let’s start with the basics, what colors are you thinking of getting?” she asked hoping starting out small will help figure things out.

You nodded your head side to side. “Black?”

“Great that’s a start, now in she has a new collection that I think you’ll like in terms of your new fashion sense,” she told you. “Is there any type of material you want it in; lace, silk, leather, sheer, fishnets, ecterera?” She gave you a bunch of material names.

Your eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “Uh, wow. Lots to choose from, hmm? I think for the first time, I would like to keep it simple with some lace and sheer material.”

“Mmm very romantic sounding,” she told you as she parked in front of the store. “Well let’s see what she might have that will catch your attention.” The two of you got out of the car. As soon as you two entered you were greeted by an older woman, upon realizing who you were with, she was a lot more relaxed.

“Hello, darling, it’s so good to see you again!” She gave Shannon a hug.

“It’s good to see you too. I actually brought my best friend to see if you could help her pick out something special for tomorrow night.” She winked at you. “I was hoping you could show her your new collection.”

“Darling, for you? Anything!” She went over to you and hugged you too. “And any friend of the future Mrs. Stark is a friend of mine.” She motioned for the two of you to follow.

“You have to stop calling me that!” Shannon simply said.

“Why should I, it’s true, is it not?” The woman looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of, your suit is almost ready. I bet he wants you wearing it all the time.” She addressed you next. “Alright, deary, what are you looking for? Something flashy?”

“Um, well… I guess. Okay, this is the first time I’m able to do something romantic with my guy, and I want to make it special,” you explained. “I’m thinking something… lacey, black. I’d like a sheer robe, if you have one? Do you have anything like that?”

“I believe I do. Let me show you to the smaller boutique,” she said, waving you over to a small, VIP room that had four walls filled with different styles and colors. “Let me pull some samples, and feel free to shop around.”

You thanked her as she went and grabbed a few pieces and you and Shannon grabbed a few of your own.

“I’ll set you up in this fitting room right here,” she said, walking over to a heavy drape, pulling it back.

“Thank you,” you said, holding several hangers. You looked to Shannon. “I guess if I like one, I’ll model for you?” you asked, hoping she’d be okay with that. You needed another girl’s opinion on if it accented all the right parts or made you look like crap in the back or anything.

“Sure thing! I’ll probably look for stuff too and see if I can show you what she’s making for me.” She smiled at you. “That way it’s two birds one stone.”

“Great!” With that, you disappeared into the changing room and slipped on the first outfit, which looked like garbage on you. This was more fit for a differently built girl, not quite the way you were built. Next, you tried a one piece lace number that seemed to look decent, but wasn’t a wow factor. But you modeled it for Shannon anyway. “Hey, Shan!” you called.

“What’s up, Y/N/N?” She looked up from the paper she had in her hand. “You find one that you like?”

“Uh, not sure. It’s okay.” You pulled back the curtain and let her examine you, your hands on your hips. You screwed your mouth to the side. “What do you think?”

She motioned for you to walk out. “I think it’s good but from what you were saying for what you want this might be a bit too simple.” She was walking around you looking at every angle. “This hugs you in the right spots but it still needs that awe factor.”

“I agree. Onto the next ones!” You jumped back in the booth, and tried on three more outfits, showing each one to Shannon, until finally, you think you had a winner. It was all black lace, a form fitting one piece, with a sheer green robe you’d found. You smiled appreciatively at the reflection before calling Shannon back over for (hopefully) the final time. “What do you think?” you said as you stood there. “I think it still needs heels, and maybe something extra like a garter or necklace but… I really like it.”

The moment you walked out Shannon’s mouth dropped open. “Y/N you look… WOW.” She looked you over. “Okay hold on, I think I know the perfect garter!” She ran off and you stood there for a moment. “Okay try this on.” She handed you a diamond wrap-around garter. “And for the heels, I bet you we could find something two stores down.” She pointed to the front of the store.

“Really? Oh, you’re a lifesaver! Okay, one second, let me try this.” You ran back into the room and slipped on the delicate, shining accessory. It hugged your thigh perfectly, making your curves really pop. You stepped back out into the showcasing room. “Thoughts?”

“Hmmmm the color is nice but what would you say to the diamonds being green?” she suggested. “We could probably ask Isabelle to dye them green if you want.”

“Ohh, yes. Yeah if she has this in green diamonds or emeralds that would be perfect,” you stated.

“Why don’t you change out of that and we can head over to her work table to ask her?” Shannon suggested, now that the outfit was picked. “That way you can see the garters and I can see how much more she’s gotten done for my honeymoon outfit.” She winked at you.

“Oh, naughty. I like it. Yes. Give me two seconds.” In a swift movement, you were inside the room, out of the beautiful outfit, and back in your street clothes. You grabbed the outfit you wanted and followed Shannon to Isabelle’s workbench.

“Isabelle, is there any chance you have a green diamond garter or in jade?” She walked over to the table looking at her outfit being almost finished and showed her the garter. “If not is there any chance you could dye this one in green?” She hoped either option was available.

“Let me check in the back. Meanwhile try on some of the pieces to see if they need adjustments.” She pointed to what was on the mannequin. “I might have something that would work.”

“Alright we’ll be right here.” She turned to you. “What do you think of what’s done so far?” She pointed to the cast of her own body. “It’s supposed to be a leather and mesh version of Tony’s suit but with less parts to it.” She walked over to it to try on the the top half.

Your eyes widened immediately. “Shan… This… Wow… Tony is going to fucking flip,” you said. “I mean… Look at you! You look like you should be walking in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! Does he know about this? Or is it a surprise?”

“Aw, Y/N/N, that sweet of you but I’m no model.” She blushed and waved her hand at you. “It’s a complete surprise to him, although I do feel like he’s been getting curious as to what I’ll be taking on the honeymoon.” She took off the top part of the outfit and walked over to the chest piece. “This part right here is supposed to shine in the light and glow in the dark.” She points to what looks sort of like Tony’s arc reactor.

“Holy cow, that’s amazing. This… He’s gonna love it,” you said, nodding at the ingenuity.

“I hope he does, to be fair I have no idea how she plans on making it do that but she’s done some amazing stuff.” She showed you some of the stuff that other people have requested.

“Maybe you could have one done too, to represent Loki.”

“Do you think he’d like it? I mean… what would I even do?” you wondered, thinking back to all of Loki’s outfits on Asgard. It was all leather, worn to protect him in battle at a moment’s notice, or formal for a political or social event.

“I’m sure you’ll find out what he likes once he gets used toEarth. Plus you getting more outfits and stuff will give you a sense of what he might like,” she said believing that that would be a big help. “Maybe even going out shopping with him might help”

Immediately, heat rose to your cheeks. “Uh, yeah. That’s a possibility. I’ll definitely think about Isabelle making me something. Thank you for showing me this place. It’s fabulous,” you said just as Isabelle came back.

“I don’t have green diamonds or jade but I did find this emerald one.” She lifted the garter and let the light hit it just right. “If you really like the diamond cut I could dye it and have it ready in an hour.” She handed you the band for you to look closely at.

You chewed it over, examining both. “I think I really love the emerald one. It’s so unique. I’ll take it, and these,” you said, holding up your ensemble.

“Great! Let’s get you checked out then, and since Shannon brought you here the garter is on the house.” She smiled at you as turned to Shannon. “As you can see I’m almost done with this piece and the last of the bottom half it should be done by the end of this week,” she assured her.

“Thank you so much for today, Isabelle,” Shannon told her. The three women walked back to the front of the store to get your things nicely wrapped and put away. “Now on to getting you some heels.”

“I think I know just the kind,” you stated with a coy grin.

The two of you got everything paid for and packed, and walked out the door, going a few storefronts down to a high end shoe store. Being with Shannon was actually nice in more than one way. People recognized her as the future Mrs. Stark. The woman on the front of every social magazine, in every celebrity coverage. She made accomplishments on her own constantly in her field of work, and now her engagement to Tony. It certainly made you blend into the background, which was sperfect. You didn’t need anyone remembering who you were or what you’d done.

You leaned over and told Shannon exactly what you wanted. “I want shiny pumps. Closed toe or peep toe are fine. But I want shiny,” you emphasized.

“Shiny as in glitter or like glossy pumps?” She looked up both types for you to see. “I think either one would work for the ensemble you have.”

“Glossy,” you clarified.

“Okay let’s see what we can find.”

Immediately, you two went in different directions. It was how you always shopped, covering as much ground as possible in the quickest time. A strategy the two of you had developed over years of work, and now it was like second nature. In no time, you had three pairs you wanted to try, and Shannon had two. A sales associate showed you to an area to try them each on. In the end, you found a pair for $500 that you really liked, that were perfect. The shoe was glossy black, but the heel sparkled with encrusted black crystals of various sizes.

“That pair looks amazing!” Shannon said. “Try them on. I wanna see how you look in them.” She pointed at a chair for you to sit in.

You did as instructed, strapping into the stilettos. You twisted your foot about before standing up, showing her each side. “What do you think? I think they’re perfect but, as always, I want your honest opinion.”

“This looks cute but I think that it would be better for like going clubbing than for that night.” She looked at the shoes now that you were wearing them. “But then again maybe if I see the heels with the outfit it’ll work,” she thought out loud about it.

You made a face. “You think? Well, do you want me to put on the outfit here or...?” you wondered.

“I’m sure if I asked we could get a private place so you can see all of them with the outfit,” she suggested. “That's if you wanted to though.”

“Sure. It shouldn’t take too long, and I want to make sure they go just right,” you stated.

“Then let’s get this, girl!” She walked away and got someone to give them one of the private areas to try the shoes on.  “Now let’s see which one of these shoes goes great with your new outfit.”

You nodded and slipped into the delicate ensemble, including your new favorite garter. Carefully, you sat and put on the first few pairs that weren’t your favorites, just to ultimately rule them out. You were hoping that Shannon could see how the other heels dulled in comparison with your favorites.

“I think that all the ones we found aren't the best option,” she said, seeing how they weren’t popping. “The only ones that work are the ones you picked, especially the ones with the encrusted black crystals,” she hummed

“Yay!” you all but squealed. You ran to hug her. “I think so too! I know he’s just gonna love these,” you stated with pure delight as you tore them off and dropped them back in the box. In haste, you undressed from your lingerie and slipped back into street clothes.

The two of you went to the cashier and paid for the expensive shoes. You turned to Shannon.

“What next?” you wondered, excited. “I’ve got all my lingerie, food for dinner. So… what now?”

“What are you missing for the apartment?” she asked now that they were done with those things.

“Some things for Loki. Razor, shaving cream, guy stuff. You know? I want it to feel like his space too. Not just a bunch of my shit crammed in there since college,” you noted. “Would it be possible to install the system that showed us Asgard, into one of the rooms in the apartment?” you wondered. “Other than that, I think Loki needs his own nightstand, maybe a lamp, oh, some of my favorite books for sure…” You prattled on about some things he might want.

While you named everything that was missing Shannon set about making a list so you two could get the stuff at an Ikea. She knew that the system with Asgard would be super quick to install and she could get that done while the apartment gets its final touches done.

“Alright. let’s go grab the last of the things and some dinner and head back to the apartment,” she told you as the trunk was closed after putting the bags away. “Let’s head over to Ikea and get the nightstand the lamp and a bookshelf for your books.”

“Sounds perfect,” you remarked.

Quickly, the two of you ran to Ikea, and you grabbed everything you needed from a new shower curtain, to a bookshelf, to nightstands. After that, you and Shannon grabbed pizza from your favorite place with a couple of 2 liters and headed to the apartment. You wolfed down the food and then you two sat to work. Hours of work poured into building furniture, taking down old decor, putting up new, and getting the fridge and pantry stocked.

Not to mention, tons of girl talk in between. Secrets and gossip shared about Tony and Loki. Little things you had forgotten to mention about Asgard. Funny things about the Avengers Shannon had encountered. You even talked about work, complaining about conundrums you found, which was nice to feel like a contributing member of society again with a real job and real complaints.

Before you knew it, the night had flown by and it was three am before the two of you passed out on your bed. In a few short hours, your alarm went off, waking you up to the day for your beloved to finally be free alongside you, marking a brand-new, hopefully happy, chapter in your lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List: @essie1876​ @magpiegirl80​ @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​ @iamwarrenspeace​ @marvel-imagines-yes-please​ @superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification​ @thejemersoninferno​ @rda1989​ @munlis​ @thefridgeismybestie​​ @bubblyanarocks3​​ @igiveupicantthinkofausername​​ @kaliforniacoastalteens​ @feelmyroarrrr​​ @kaelingoat​ @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo​​ @damalseer​​ @heyitscam99​​ @yknott81​​ @sorryimacrapwriter​​ @glitterquadricorn​​ @xxqueenofisolationxx @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @bittersweetunicorm​​ @alyssaj23​​ @sea040561​​ @princess76179​​ @thisismysecrethappyplace​​ @sarahp879​​ @malfoysqueen14​​ @ellallheart​​ @breezy1415​​ @marvelmayo​​ @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @cocosierra94 @hardcollectionworldtrash @capsmuscles @marvelloushamilton @paintballkid711​

Loki: @lostinspace33​​ @ultrarebelheart​​ @lenawiinchester​​ @esoltis280​​ @tngrayson​​ @wangdeasang​​ @harrymewmew @jayfantasyatyourservice​​

UC: @lokis-high-priestess​

@pandacookieowo​

#unforeseen chasm #loki x reader #loki fic #Loki Laufeyson #tony stark #tony stark x ofc #tony stark fic

[rwby-grimm-guardians]

RWBY Grimm Guardians Arc 2: Beacon’s Fragile Light Ch II

Hey guys! Welcome back and I apologize for the LONG-AS-FUCK WAIT! This is the second chapter of Beacon’s Fragile Light. Now then...a couple of changes.

After some thought, I’ve decided to use only certain chapters of the show in the fic. Everything else will be as original as possible. This chapter takes place during The Emerald Forest and Players and Pieces. As usual, please enjoy and give constructive criticism. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don’t own RWBY or it’s characters.

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(In Emerald Forest)

Needless to say, Gambol and Crescent were somewhat surprised by today’s events. Ozpin had given them, their wielders, and four others an assignment; find their partner as they group went through the Emerald Forest. Due to the weapons being part Soul Grimm, they could tell whether or not their wielders had a partner. Ember smirked, “Seems like Yang and Blake have partnered up.” “Ah, good!” Arktis smiled.

Crescent seemed to be in a daze, due to her not getting much sleep last night. “Cres?” Gambol called out, grabbing the taller Weapon Spirit’s attention. “Huh? Yeah?” She asked. “I totally heard everything.” The three other women each gave the red-clad Weapon Spirit a glance. Arktis sighed, “What’s on your mind, hun?” Crescent went silent and looked down, before saying, “.....Memories….”

She then sat down on a pile of leaves, saying, “So….I had...dreams that I think were…memories of my past life.” The three women nodded, motioning her to continue. “I was at...Beacon and I was with...Qrow, I think. As well as Taiyang….” Crescent said. Gambol and Arktis each raised an eyebrow, before Ember explained, “Qrow is Ruby and Yang’s uncle. Taiyang is their father.” “Gotcha.” Gambol said with a nod.

“There was...one other person.” Crescent said, catching Ember’s attention. “She...looked familiar. Like I...had a history with her before….” Before she could continue, the group were interrupted by Grimm. The four women jumped, all grabbing their weapons. Crescent looked at the pack of Grimm and noticed that they looked familiar. “What are they?” She asked.

“Grimm Sapiens.” Arktis said, albeit somewhat surprised. “I didn’t think they existed.” Just then, Crescent saw images of her and the mysterious woman fighting against creatures that looks similar to the Grimm Sapiens. She felt extreme pain in her abdomen, causing her to hiss. Ember looked at her, concerned, “Are you alright?” The red clad woman didn’t answer as she held her head as pain throbbed through it, causing her think that it would crack open. She didn’t even notice the three women calling out to her in worry as she passed out.

That’s when the Grimm began to charge at the Weapon Spirits, using the distraction as an advantage. Immediately, Ember brought Crescent to a shadowed part of the forest as Gambol and Arktis fought against the Grimm Sapiens. Despite being outnumbered, the two Weapon Spirits were able to defeat the horde and went to check on Ember and Crescent. “How is she?” Gambol asked. The blonde sighed, “Well, she’s breathing. Thank the gods.”

“How did she pass out?” Arktis asked. “Did she remember something?” “Maybe.” Ember said. “She also probably experienced phantom pain as well.” The Schnee nodded, “So now what?” Ember bit her lip and went silent. Gambol sighed, “You don’t know, do you?” “It was never this bad before.” The blonde said. “She usually has nightmares, but that’s about it.” The two other women nodded as Gambol asked, “So, do the Grimm Sapiens have to do something with her past life?” Ember paused, “Maybe.”

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Crescent looked around. She was in the middle of what seemed to be an area that had just experienced a battle. There were multiple bodies of Grimm Sapiens at her feet...and blood coming from her abdomen. She realized she was also being held by the same woman she thought she had a history with. Crescent then felt tears run down her face, “Am I crying?”

The woman seemed to be crying too, as the Weapon Spirit could feel her tears drip onto her. That’s when she heard the woman say to her, “Rwy'n dy garu di, Summer Rose.” She then kissed the Weapon Spirit on the lips, making Crescent realize that had a romantic connection to this woman. However, her mind was focused on what the woman called her. ‘Summer...Rose...? Is...that my true identity?’ Crescent thought. Before she could question the scene further, everything went black.

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The three women jumped when the red-clad Weapon Spirit took a sudden breath and began coughing. Ember and Gambol helped Crescent sit up as she tried to catch her breath. “What...happened?” She asked, through her fits of coughing. “We were ambushed by Grimm Sapiens.” Arktis said. “Though you passed out at the very sight of them. Almost like you were in pain.”

“I was...having another flashback…” Crescent said. “I...think I have a guess on who I was...or AM….” The group went silent for a few moments before Arktis asked, “Should we tell your wielder?” Crescent shook her head, “No. I’m...not sure if she’ll be able to handle it calmly.” Ember nodded, “Well, you can tell Yang, if you feel comfortable. She and I have had a pretty good guess on your identity.”

Crescent nodded. She...honestly wasn’t sure what name she should be called by now. Summer...no, SHE was Ruby’s mother. However, Ruby only knew her as Crescent Rose and the girl, as well as Yang, Taiyang, Qrow had been told that Summer died. The woman she had a relationship with SAW her dying. She didn’t know if she should be called by her true identity...or by her Weapon Spirit name.

The four were distracted by the sound of footsteps coming from behind them. Before they could draw their weapons, the source of the footsteps made a soft whine. It was a grey wolf pup…a few of them, actually...which Crescent immediately fell head over heels for. “Oh my god, they’re fucking adorable…!” Crescent whispered, smiling. The pups noticed Crescent's voice, almost as if it was recognizable and walked towards her.

As the pups went towards the red clad woman, Gambol stepped back as the baby wolves passed, almost being cautious around them. Crescent picked up one of the pups that now surrounded her with a laugh, “Oh, you are the cutest thing ever.” Arktis and Ember took note of Crescent’s happier mood as she looked towards them. “Do you want to pet them?” The red clad Weapon Spirit asked.

“No thanks.” The black clad woman replied. Ember looked at her, “Are you serious right now?” Gambol nodded, “They’re wolves. It doesn’t matter if they’re young or not, they are still canines.” While the two women were arguing over the age and possible danger of the pups, Arktis went over and accepted Crescent’s offer, petting one of the pups along its back.

“You’re hesitant.” The taller woman said. Before the Schnee could respond in embarrassment, Crescent said. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it’s natural for people to be worried. They’re STILL a wild species, even though they’re majestic.” Arktis nodded, albeit with a blush on her face as she attempted to pet the creature in the red clad woman’s arms.

“Did I...have a connection to wolves in my past life?” Crescent asked. “Hard to say for sure.” Ember said. “From what I heard about...Summer from Taiyang and Qrow, she did have a deep connection with them...to the point of them considering her their alpha.” The other Weapon Spirits, excluding Crescent, looked at Ember in a mix of confusion and shock.

The red clad woman stood and put the wolf cubs down, so they could return to their pack. “Okay, shall we head back for a bit?” She asked, standing back up. The blonde nodded, “That would be a good idea. Especially considering your current health.” The group nodded and cautiously left their currently location to meet up with their wielders. “Quick question…” The red clad Weapon Spirit started.

“Should we...tell the others?” She asked. “About me, I mean.” Ember shrugged, “That’s up to you, really.” Crescent went silent for a few moments, before saying, “Maybe we should tell a select few for now.” Gambol and Ember raised their eyebrows, while Arktis nodded. “I agree. After all, I was in a similar situation that you’re in currently.” She said. After that, the group went off to meet up with their masters.

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(Later that evening...)

By the time evening came, most of the group were already asleep. Gambol and Blake were still awake, reading, while Ember, Arktis and Weiss had fallen asleep quite a bit ago. Ruby was also fast asleep, obviously tired from today’s events. Crescent got up and put a hand on Yang’s shoulder, who was about to head to bed. “Hey. Could we...talk real quick outside?” The red clad woman asked. The blonde teen nodded, “Yeah, sure.”

The two went outside the dorm, before Yang asked, “Okay. What’s up?” The red clad woman bit her lip, before explaining, “So, you know how I get my memories back little by little, right?” Yang nodded, allowing the Weapon Spirit to continue. “So, today I was able to remember my name...I think.” The taller of the two said. The blonde teen nodded with a smile, “That’s great! What is it?”

The Weapon Spirit stayed silent for a few moments, before saying, “Promise me that you won’t freak out.” Yang raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway, “I promise.” The woman cleared her throat and finally said, “I...think I might be Summer Rose…” Yang went dead silent and stared at the woman. Needless to say, she didn’t see THAT coming at all.

Summer tightened her fists, waiting for the freak-out she knew was coming. Yang had every reason to freak out, to scream, to be frightened that someone who was DEAD was standing right in front of her, right? So it was quite a shock to her when Yang wrapped her arms around the woman and hugged her tightly. Even though Yang had her face buried in Summer’s shoulder, she could feel the teen’s tears.

“We missed you.” The blonde said, earning a soft chuckle for the taller woman. “Missed you too, sunshine.” Summer said, smiling and kissing the blonde’s forehead. “I...know my next request might be strange, but could you not tell Ruby about this?” Yang pulled back and looked at Summer with a raised eyebrow, “Why?” The former STRQ leader sighed, “I..don’t think she’ll be able to handle that truth. Not yet, anyway.” “Plus, I would like to make sure I have all my memories before then.” The woman explained.

Yang nodded slowly. It was a strange request, but her step-mother did have a good point. “I’ll try. What about Weiss and Blake?” Yang asked. “They can know if you want them to. Gambol, Ember, and Arktis already know.” Summer explained. “Arktis is Myrtenaster, in case you were wondering.” The teen nodded, “Alright. I’ll tell them when there’s an appropriate time for it.” Summer smiled and ruffled Yang’s hair, “That’s my sunshine.” Yang giggled and hugged Summer once more before the two went back inside for bed.

To be continued…

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HOLY SHIT, THIS TOOK A WHILE! Summer semester was a fucking nightmare and I also had Rosebird Week to do. Chapter 2 is done. I apologize if the ending seems rushed. I’m currently DYING to get to Raven and Summer’s eventual reunion in the Vol. 5 chapters! Anyway, I’ll see ya later.

#rwby #rwby ocs #rwby au #grimm guardians au #rwby fanfiction #Summer Rose #willow schnee #Gambol Shroud #ember celica #yang xiao long #ruby rose #rwby grimm

[cilliansaccent]

The Peaky Designer - Cillian Fanfic, Chapter 20

Hello, welcome back. Below is the next instalment of my fanfiction!

Leave a like or a comment if you liked it, or if I can do anything better! Please, it would mean the world and to understand if anyone is enjoying my writing. Also, sharing/reblogging would be even better.

PLEASE READ:

I will not be including Cillian’s family as it’s kinda weird since he has children lmao. Just a mention of his parents and a previous lover.

I will indicate in a chapter if there is smut in the beginning and before the actual scene!!

I will add trigger warnings if there is any!!

There is a variety of levels of swearing during a chapter, I will not hold back, everyone swears.

The timestamp for the Fic is now 2016 and onwards!!

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Background: Gabrijela Babic is a Croatian girl from Sydney, Australia. She is born in the year 1991 on the 24th of December. She studies a Fashion degree in a University with a major in Game Design as well. Her teacher in the fashion designer class managed to nail an Internship on the set of Peaky Blinders with the shows very own Costume Designer, Allison McCosh. There, she travels to London for under a year to learn how to be one, working alongside the actors as well the man she admires, Cillian Murphy. But, her platonic feelings for the man begins to grow into something more, and she wonders whether she should pursue them or let him go for fear of her strict parents and her three older brothers…

Characters:

Swantje Paulina as Gabrijela Babic (swalina on Instagram)

Cillian Murphy

Word Count: 4,972

!!Warnings!!: None!!

Date: February 2017

Chapter Name: Disaster

Brief Chapter Outline: Her Sunday gig went fine till Lucia came along and spilled some information to Leo, Gabrijela’s brother. The next day Gab faces off with her parents about who she’s been seeing with. It ends badly...

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It came around to her Sunday gig and tonight it seemed more people had joined in the club.

"God! I've never seen this place so packed!" Maya said as they were readying themselves on the stage.

"Literal madhouse." Ben nodded as he plucked his guitar to tune it.

Gabbie giggled and glanced up, Cillian was seated right at the front, drinking his favourite beer. He raised it and gave her a smile then mouth 'I love you'.

She blushed and repeated it in the same manner before it was time to start the show. They played mostly rock again this time, replaying some fan favourites from last night.

Cillian watched from his vantage spot since he had to move now as people crowded around the damn stage to dance and take photos. He was unable to see his love so he stood a little farther back drinking his beer. He took some photos but not much, he liked to remember the moment and not have a phone to aid him in remembering.

He was minding his own business when someone brushed up against him, "Hey, Cillian."

Glancing over, Cillian frowned and moved away. The girl was dressed in a leopard patterned tube top with a matching mini skirt that really was sitting at the edge of baring her ass. She had curly black hair and eyes that seemed to gobble him up and readying him for sex.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" He did not like how the girl had come on to him so strongly, and she stayed way to close for comfort.

"What? How can you not know me?" She looked totally hurt. "Lucia. You know, Gabbie's only best friend in this whole fucking world." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Ah... Yes. Lucia. Hi." He kept his guard up, he wasn't going to let this girl do anything to him. He remembered when Gab had told him what happened between Logan and Lucia.

"Hi. No how are you? Wow, thanks. I'm fine." She raised a brow. "You gonna get me a drink or should I stay here looking like a moron?"

Cillian was in total shock as to how she was acting. Rude and pushy. He never really came across anyone like her and so he stuttered when he tried to speak. No use.

"Of course. I know. I am so fucking gorgeous, I know that's what you are thinking and why you are so dumbfounded and not speaking. So, I shall forgive you for that." She touched his arm and gave him a smile that made him shiver. "Oh? You liked that?" She had backed him to a pole and he frowned.

"I don't. Please stop touching me." He had set down his empty beer glass and gently pulled her hands off him.

"What? You like, shivered so of course, you liked that." She went to reach for his shirt and he grabbed her wrists.

"Stop. I will call the security to kick you out. Now leave me alone, please." He stayed entirely calm.

"What's happening here?" Gabbie asked as she weaved her way through the crowd.

Cillian hadn't seen them finish and sighed, "Nothing. I was telling Lucia to leave me be."

"Shall I call the security?" Gab asked as she stepped to his side, locking her arm around his. She looked at Lucia, no hint of emotion.

"No! Oh my god. I wasn't doing anything at all, how can you think that? God, I missed you!" Lucia went to go hug Gab but she threw her hand out to stop her.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked with a deep frown.

"What? Nothing is wrong. I miss my bestie! Can't I hug you?" Lucia placed her hands on her hips.

"No. And I am not your bestie. I'm nothing to you. Now leave us alone, I don't want to see you at all." Gabrijela tugged Cillian away as Lucia watched them go with pure anger and hatred shining in her eyes.

"Sorry about that." Gabbie said as they came to the bar.

"No, no. Don't be sorry. Not your fault." Cillian leaned down and kissed her forehead. "What are you gonna have?" He asked her as he pulled out his wallet to pay.

"Uh. Nothing if you're paying." Gabbie placed her hand over his. "I got this. I swear."

"No, please. You've been playing all night. Let me treat you to something." He held her hand and smiled in a way that would so make her comply with him.

She groaned, "Fine. Only cause you're cute." She giggled and he ordered her a mocktail.

"I'm gonna head to the men's toilet, you good here by yourself?" He asked.

"Yep. I'll wait here." She kissed him softly and he slipped away.

Gab stood there, sipping her drink and enjoying the atmosphere. Until someone stepped up beside her.

"Who was that?" Leo, Gabrijela's brother, the youngest of the three older brothers she had.

"Wh- Leo! Hi, hello. Who was who?" Gab raised a brow. Her heart instantly kicked in fast mode, no one in her family knew she was dating a guy. Especially a much older guy who had knocked her up now.

"Gabrijela. The one you kissed." He raised a brow, dark eyes bore into hers in that familiar overprotective instinct.

"No idea what you are going on about. You must've mistaken me for another couple beside me." She turned away, facing the bar as she twirled her glass.

He muttered a curse word in Croatian and was about to tell her off when Lucia wedged herself between them.

"Hi, Leo. Nice to see you again." She battered her eyes at him.

"Lucia." Leo wasn't fond of Lucia one bit.

Gabrijela was getting worried now. She wasn't ready to tell her family that she was dating Cillian and Lucia was here now... Oh fuck.

"Has Gabbie told you the good news?" Lucia smiled wickedly at Leo.

"What news?" His brows furrowed.

"Jeez, she's been real secretive now, huh?" She turned to Gab. "Go on. Tell him."

"There is nothing to speak about. Now get lost, Lucia. I have no idea why the fuck you are here." Gab was going to lose her shit. She truly hated Lucia. She ruined her life and she wasn't going to let her do it again.

"Oh my god. Fine, I'll tell him." She sighed and rolled her eyes and turned to Leo, "She's fuckin' Cillian Murphy. You know, the dude from Peaky Blinders. Plays Thomas Shelby. The super old guy." Lucia dumped the news on Leo. "They practically fucked the first night she was in London, I saw it when I was speaking to her-"

Gabrijela snatched someone else's drink and used her own to just dump it on the bitch, "You son of a bitch! Stop ruining my life!" She screamed, totally losing her shit now.

Lucia screamed out and faced her, and gave one mighty shove which made Gabrijela hurtle backwards with Lucia on top of her.

Cillian saw it all unfold as he had arrived over and he and Leo jumped into action and yanked off the screeching woman off Gabrijela who almost clawed her face off.

"Fuck you! Why can't you see I'm helping you?! I am your best friend! Forever!" Lucia hollered as a security guard came over to drag her dumb ass out.

Gabrijela was in shock as Cillian's arms came around her and helped her to her feet, "Holy shit. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He did not let her go.

"I need air." She whispered to him as she held on to him for dear life.

"I got you." He whispered gently as they walked out of the bar and away from the people to a bench along the street a little way down the path.

Gabrijela sat and took in deep breaths, her hand subtly on her tummy as she calmed her nerves.

"What the fuck was that, Gab?" Leo had found them outside and wasn't too happy. "Talk to me now."

"Excuse me, it's clear she needs a moment, whoever you are." Cillian stood and kept himself between the guy and Gab.

Leo glanced at him, "She's my fucking sister. I need to talk to her."

"Give her a moment, then you may," Cillian repeated with a much more clear and authoritative tone.

"And who the fuck are you? You the guy that's fucking my sister? Huh? Are ya?" Leo was getting up into his face now.

"Leo. Fuck. Off." Gabrijela looked up, "Seriously. I do not want to talk to you right now. I need to be on my fucking own." She stood and began to walk down the street.

"Don't you talk to me like that, I need you to come right back here! Now!" Leo shouted.

"I said leave me alone! Do you not get that? LEAVE. ME. ALONE!!" Gabrijela shouted back.

Cillian was at her side and arm around her, "Hey. Relax. Come on. Let's go back to my hotel yeah?"

"Oh hell no she isn't. She's coming back home with me. Mum and Dad want to talk to you and I think I know what it is." Leo's eyes focused on Cillian now.

Gab saw the look and felt sick suddenly, then threw up all over her brother.

"Gah! The fuck!" He stumbled back as he glanced at himself then at Gabrijela. "You go back with him, Mum and Dad are gonna be so mad."

"Don't care." Gab stayed close to Cillian as he hailed a taxi and they got in.

"Gabrijela, come on- Fucking hell get out of that taxi!" Leo yelled as he watched the cab drive off.

Gab wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. "My god." She whispered.

"That was a mess," Cillian said, placing a hand on her thigh gently.

"It was." She murmured and leaned against him some more.

They reached the hotel finally and her phone had not once stopped buzzing from Leo or her friends. She replied to her friends she was okay and not to worry much. She sat on the bed as Cillian prepared a bath for her in which she was grateful for then undressed and eased into the warm water.

Cillian stayed close, "Want me to put music on?" He asked as he stroked her hair gently.

She glanced over and nodded, "I'd love that. And... Is it okay if I could be alone for a bit?" She murmured softly.

"Of course my love. You can take as long as needed." He leaned over and kissed her lightly and set the music up, turned the lights low which she was eternally grateful for and she was alone. She sunk back into the water a little and soaked up the oils and scents.

Tonight had gone good and then ended badly. Lucia had once again ruined her life and she had not expected Leo to be there. And what the fuck did he mean by Mum and Dad wanting to talk to her about? She thought hard and... Maybe... Oh god. Gab felt panic rise in her but she tried to push it away.

She had to find out tomorrow whether she liked it or not.

 -----

 Cillian had been the best to her all night and all morning. He had made sure she was comfortable, happy and well-fed. And by fed not just by food.

Gab flopped back on the bed beside Cillian. She was grinning, she had ridden him for most of the fuck session which his morning wood had woken her.

"God." Cillian looked at her, his smile wide, "You really take the breath out of me." He reached over and cupped her face.

"Do I now? Is that good?" She rolled over and placed a hand over his chest, fiddling with that fine hair.

"I think so. Or it's showing how old I am getting." He chuckled softly.

"Nah. I think you just haven't had someone like me." She leaned in and kissed him deeply.

"Mm, true." He murmured as he turned to pull her close to his body. He made to move on top of her to continue but her damn phone rang. Again.

"Ugh." Gabbie groaned as he laid back as she sat up and padded to her bag. She pulled out her phone and cursed.

"Who is it?" Cillian sat up, his back to the headboard.

"My Dad. And Mum. Called me like eight times." She let the phone ring to the end. Then listened to the voice message.

"Hi, Gabrijela. I've been calling you all morning now and you are not picking up. Leo informed me of who you got into the taxi with and you need to come home right this instant. We need to have a chat of what you have been up to and what you have been hiding from us. Get home now."

She rolled her eyes. Her dad was very pissed off. She listened to her Mum's.

"Hello, darling. Please pick up I want to know if you are safe, that is all. Your father is cursing up a storm here and it would be good of you to at least call one of us. Please come home, we need to discuss some things."

Gabrijela knew her mum was trying to be nice but she knew she was very disappointed in her. She sighed, "I have to head home, Cillian."

"Your parents?" He frowned as she began to dress.

"Yep. I am going towards a war zone right now. I need to mentally prepare myself." She had hoped nothing bad would go this arvo. She had plans for tomorrow with Cillian as it was Valentine's day. A surprise for him and she was quite excited about it. She had done the organising yesterday morning when they lazed around in bed.

"And you have to go now?" He asked as she came to the bed and sat down.

"I do, sadly. I'm sorry Cillian." She frowned and took his hand, "I don't want to but for the sake of my parents... I must." She let out a sigh through her nose.

He squeezed her hand, "Okay. I'll figure something to do today." He smiled, "I love you. Call me later if you can?"

"Always. Also, be ready by ten tomorrow morning." She leaned over and kissed him deeply.

"Why?" He returned it, moving closer.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise." She giggled and patted his cheek as they kept kissing and she was the one to pull away. "Bye-bye. I love you forever, Cillian." She murmured and he watched her leave the room.

Upon arriving home, she was glad her parents were not home and had gone to work. She spent time with her niece Tijana and her sister-in-law Tatiana who was married to Leo. She had spoken to Tatiana about what was to come tonight and she was happy that her sister-in-law was supportive.

"Leo was all mad." She said as they sat outside in the backyard, Tijana playing with her toys.

"I bet he was." Gab sighed as she took a drink of her coffee. "He yelled at me last night after Lucia attacked me and demanded me to go home. I seriously did not want to go home."

"You stayed with that man? What is his name? What is he like?" She asked with a small smile.

"I did. His name is Cillian." Gabrijela found herself smiling at the thought, "He is the most amazing man I've ever met. We got so much in common, we always have something to talk about. He cares for me, knows my likes and dislikes... He knows me very, very well."

Tatiana watched her and could see the pure love radiating off her, "You love him?"

"I am. So, so, so deeply in love with him. I cannot think of myself with any other person but him." Gab whispered, "I am unbelievably happy, Tatiana. I really am. I've never been in such a good mind before. He makes me crazy."

Tatiana laughed, "And... How old is he? I don't want to judge you or anything but..."

"He's forty-one this year," Gabrijela said softly.

"Wow. Uh... Yeah. That's a big gap. Mum and Dad don't know how old he is, don't think Leo has figured that out yet." Tatiana said. "Though, is he good though?"

"Good in what?" She raised a brow.

"You know. Sex! You must be having sex with him, right? Or is this just a no sex relationship?" Tatiana giggled.

"Of course I am having sex with him! Ugh, he is amazing. Like holy crap amazing. I'm always breathless afterwards." They both laughed and Tatiana beamed.

"And he treats you good?"

"Always. Trust me. He treats me good in many ways, not just in bed." Gabrijela blushed.

The girls spent their day in the backyard before it was time to head inside.

Then it was the sounds of hell rattling down the road and her fathers truck pulled up and parked in the driveway beside the house. Gabrijela was stressing when her mum came home soon after her dad had walked in. The usual discussion of how was his day and making coffee for him then for her mum.

It was about an hour that had passed, Leo home as well when Gabrijela came to the table with her family. She sat at the head of the table for a first and knew she was in for a ride tonight. The worst kind.

"Why didn't you come home with me last night, Gab?" Leo started.

"With the way you spoke to me, no way," Gab said bitterly.

"So you went back with that man? Is that where you went?" He asked.

"Yeah. Back to his hotel room cause I wasn't feeling well and stressed out, Leo. I got attacked by Lucia and almost had my face ripped off!" Gabrijela raised her voice.

"What happened now?" Liljana, her mother, asked with wide eyes. As if this was new to her.

Gab stared at her brother in shock, "You left that bit out? Yeah, Lucia attacked me after she was pestering me all night. She's a damn psycho. I poured wine on her to shut her damn mouth up." Gab shook her head.

"Yeah to shut her up from telling me that Gabrijela is dating a man. Who I know is an actor and a much older actor. I've seen him in that show I've been watching with Gab." Leo bristled.

Gab glanced between her parents, "Fine. Yeah. I've been dating a man who I am very much in love with, alright?"

"How'd you two meet?" Her mum asked.

"When I was overseas doing that internship for the show Peaky Blinders. He's the main character for that show, I had to prepare his costume for each day and help him dress and all that." Gab explained. "We talked. Got close but not close enough since I was with another guy, Logan. Though I had a bad falling out with him as Lucia had come to see me and she slept with him. After that, Cillian, the guy I am now dating, was there for me when I needed someone. And it... Just happened. We clicked after that and now we are inseparable." Gabrijela explained the best she could.

"And how old is this man, Gab? Hm?" Her dad now chimed in.

Gabrijela swallowed. This was it, "He is turning forty-one this-"

"Forty-One?! Gabrijela what is wrong with you? He is too old for you! No! I do not allow this stupidity of yours. You cannot see this man anymore. Whatever it is, it will not last. You are so young, you can do so much better!" Her dad yelled with anger.

"I love him, dad! I am not going to throw all that away just because you don't like it!" Gabrijela was beyond angry now. She was hurting.

"No! You do not know love. You got no experience in what is love. This man, clearly only using you because you are young and agile. He will not want you in a year or two. Do not make a fool of yourself, Gabrijela." Nikola shook his head, "Unbelievable. I thought I raised you better."

"Darling. We only want the best for you and this is not what we had in mind. Please, do not hurt yourself for such an old man. Really? Could you not have found anyone else?" Her mother tried to soothe the pain.

Gab felt tears in her eyes, "No." She pulled her hand back from her mothers, "Cillian is the one. Whether you like it or not. I will continue to be with him-"

"No, you will not. I forbid you from seeing him. If I see you with him I will make sure he-"

"What will you do, huh, dad? You gonna punch him? Ruin your daughter's life just because you can't accept my decisions? You never accepted anything I did. I had to always do what you both wanted me to do. I never got to choose what I wanted. I'm twenty-five years old. I can decide what I do with my life, not you. Not anymore." Gabrijela stood up.

"Not under this roof you don't. I make the rules here, Gabrijela! I do, and you better fucking listen to me." Her father snapped which made her wince.

"Nikola! Don't swear-" Her mother tried to calm him down.

"Yeah? And if I don't? Huh? What are you gonna do, huh? You can't do shit to me, dad." Gabrijela now faced off with her father.

"You will not speak to me like that. I am the leader of this house and you are to follow them. I don't care if you are twenty-five. That does not matter to me. What matters is you living under this roof and you making an absolute fool of your life. You are wasting it! What will happen when he is sixty? Huh? Like me, old and wrinkly. Will you still sleep with him? Hm? Will you still kiss him and be with him when you are in your prime life?"

"You don't know me as well as you do, dad. I love him and I will love him to the end of my fucking life. You better accept it because I will not change anything to suit your wishes. My life dad. My problems." Gabrijela kept her ground. She would not be trampled on like this.

"Enough! Stop it. Gabrijela you are not listening to us. You-"

"Oh, I am listening quite clearly. That's all that I've been doing my whole damn life. I'll take in your considerations but I will not put them into motion. I love Cillian, I will be with him and you have no way of stopping me."

"Get the fuck out of my house then," Nikola said, nothing but rage and spite in his voice.

"Nikola, you will not kick out our daughter," Liljana said.

"Tata, don't do this." Leo seemed afraid and shocked now as how much this had escalated.

"Shut up. She can leave if she wants to do whatever she wants. I do not want to see it then. Pack your shit and get out." Nikola slammed his hands on the table which made everyone jump.

Gabrijela let her tears fall as she stared hard into her father's eyes. "I want to know one thing though," She whispered, "How did you find out?" Gab never posted anything online whatsoever. 

It was her mother who replied, "Lucia had told us this morning when Leo mentioned it to us. We did not believe him but when your friend-" 

"She is not my friend. I hate her. She is a scumbag. And so, what she tell you exactly huh? Come on, tell me." Gab urged. Her heart hurt. 

"She said that you were being taken advantage of some old man and seemed lost by his charms. We are worried that you might be but we can help you get out of it." Her mother said with pure worry. 

Gabrijela laughed with no emotion, "Wow." She said shaking her head with utter disbelief, "Just... Wow. So you would take her word rather than mine?" 

"It's not like that," Liljana said quickly. 

"It clearly is. She's lost her mind, mum. She is becoming obsessive over me. I am not her friend no longer. It truly hurts to know you took her word than listening to your daughter. Really shows what kind of person you are. I'm glad I'm being fucking kicked out." Gab turned and then ran upstairs to her room. She grabbed her suitcase and began to pack her clothes in. Then her duffle bag for more items as books, chargers and her laptop.

"Gabrijela, don't listen to him. Stay. Let us work this out." Her mother had come up to see her.

"No." Gab shook her head, unable to stop her tears or her sobs. "I'm going to leave. I don't need this shit in my life right now. I really don't and you standing there staring at me as if I am some fucking failure isn't helping either." Gabrijela looked at her.

"Swearing isn't nice," Liljana said, arms crossed.

"Nor is kicking out your daughter which you clearly support. It's cool. I'm glad I've been kicked out. Don't have to be fucking trapped in this shit hole." She shoved as much as she could. She was surprised she had taken well over half her wardrobe.

"Gabrijela-" Her mother started.

"Move." She sauntered past her and headed down the stairs. She grabbed last bits and pieces as well as her car keys and dumped her shit in.

"Gabrijela come on. Don't be like this." Her mother raced out after her.

"Don't try and make me feel bad. This is your fault. Not mine. I feel bad for Tijana living in this house. I hope Tatiana and Leo get out before they're corrupted by your bullshit." Gabrijela did not listen to any more accusations her mother threw at her and she drove off.

Gab drove into the city, messaged Maya that she was using the car spot for their apartment for unknown lengths of time. Maya mentioned they had hidden the key in the walled-off spot if she needed the apartment to herself. She thanked her but she wasn't going to use it. Just needed a place to leave her car without paying stupid fees.

She grabbed her shit out and dragged it to the main street and headed to the hotel where Cillian was staying. It was already dark and she wasn't a fan of walking the streets alone in the city but thankful the hotel was in view.

In the foyer, she sat on a couch and called up Cillian.

"Hey, love. How are you?" Cillian's voice made her instantly better.

"Not okay. I'm in the foyer. Can... You get me? Please?" She asked in a small voice.

"Of course. I'll be there in a moment." He hung up and some minutes went by and he was there walking to her. "What is all this?" He frowned before she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms automatically wrapped around her as he held her as she cried into his chest.

When the sobbing subsided, Cillian helped her up to his room with her suitcase and duffle bag. Then they laid back on the bed, her head on his chest and her explaining what had happened.

"God... I am sorry, Gabrijela. I really am. I can't believe they would treat you like this." Cillian was in total shock as to how she could be kicked out. Just for dating someone.

"It's fine. Not your fault. They just can't fathom their daughter dating someone who is twice her age. I really don't care about the age gap, Cillian. I'm just hurt that they couldn't see how I am in love and happy for a change. It's always been their way and no other way." Gab sniffled.

Cillian stroked her hair. He could see her parents point but to kick her out for her decision? Unacceptable. "Parents should always be there." He murmured more like a spoken thought.

"I wish they were, Cillian. God, I can't even imagine now to tell them of the pregnancy." She felt fear shoot through her. There was no way she was going to live in that house ever again.

"We'll do that together if you want." Cillian offered and she looked up.

"You want to?" She cupped his face.

"I'd love to. I want to be there for you and support you. I don't want you to be alone." He placed his hand over hers.

She smiled, "Okay... Well, I guess I'll wait until this cools down before we nail them with another shit storm."

"Not a shit storm. A miracle." He kissed her softly.

After that, she showered and put on a nice dress and he took her out for dinner at a restaurant he had found earlier that day. They ate good food and talked about baby things and when to tell his family as well. They would do it tomorrow morning and Gabbie was very excited. She loved his family to the moon and back.

They walked along the harbour, hand in hand. The night was warm but comfortable, they went to a bar for a bit then headed home to relax in bed and watch a movie together.

Gabrijela was only in her bra and panties as she fell asleep in his arms, despite the day being fucked, she was happy in her lover's arms. She was warm and safe and loved. That was what mattered to her. Cillian being with her.

#cillian murphy #peaky blinders #thomas shelby #fanfiction #cillian murphy fanfic