#punisher is just keeping the bad guys away from a kid | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

atxxzist · 8 months

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the crown prince | c.s

summary: with the fall of the king, the kingdom of utopia rest on prince san's hand. but when bounties are put on his head as the consequence of his ancestors' actions, he realize there's a backlog of history to undo and a lot more to prove that he's deserving of being the rightful ruler

pairing: choi san x f!reader

genre: prince!san, commoner!y/n, medieval au, angst, fluff, suggestive

word count: 19k

(ao3) if you don't like lapslock

age 8:

you live in the fifth district, the poorest and most rundown of all districts, sitting at the bottom of the kingdom with a large body of water surrounding it.

the only remarkable thing about the place is the port that's often used for traveling in and out of the kingdom. other than that, rarely anyone from other districts would come down unless they want to be at risk of a flood--which always striked the district the hardest out of any others.

but even then, despite the limited portions of food your family has to survive on each day, or the hardrock wood mattress you guys have to sleep on that frequently gives your aging father back pain, life doesn't seem all that bad.

you still have your family and a roof over your head, and a mind too young and optimistic.

age 10:

just two years after, you soon find out how hard it really is for a kid living in the fifth district, and especially one without parents or someone to love and care for them.

the fishermen had said your parents fell overboard and their bodies couldn't be recovered.

you couldn't believe it at first that no one looked even the least concerned or urgent to search for your parents, but you soon learn that their lives are meaningless, and the people that threw you out after their death made sure you knew so is yours.

"ay, kid, we could leave you out here to die if we really want to," one of the tall, scary looking man says after your episode of protesting and crying starts to annoy him.

and easily like that, they both leave you in the orphanage that's already overcrowded with other children of similar circumstances.

you lose everything in one day; the house your father built from scratch, along with anything that's ever been handmade by your mother, it's all gone. they're both gone, and you feel yourself withering away with all the loss.

before the age of eleven, you become nothing more than a ward of the district and the responsibility to a bunch of strangers who probably doesn't care whether you live or die.

age 11:

it only takes a year for you to become almost nothing like the person you were once before who was cheerful and optimistic.

all of it beat out of you, watching every day as some of the children gets yelled at or punished for doing something so trivial, it desensitized you to the point you're no longer surprise to hear someone get told no one else would want them outside of the orphanage.

you don't talk to anyone or attempt to make any friends. you keep to yourself and would often read any books you could find or hunt for any sewing materials during the few time of the day they let you guys out.

age 12:

during dinner, you hear the group of kids sitting at the nearby table talk about the upcoming coronation of the prince.

"it's not even like we're gonna get to see it," one of the girls squeak, seemingly uninterested in the topic as she pokes her food because it's true.

events like that, especially any celebrations or gatherings are only reserved for those in the second and first districts, who are usually of noble and royal status. not nobodies like you guys down here living off of scraps and remnants.

"i want to see how the prince looks like," another boy adds with a mischievous tone.

you, too, want to see what the prince looks like, but you most likely never will. he won't come here and the chances of you going up there is damn near impossible, it might as well be good as a dream.

but all of the children agrees that he's the luckiest kid in the kingdom, and for that, they hate him for it.

age 13:

through the years, you've been watching as kids go and new ones would come in.

those that left were lucky to have gotten moved or adopted into a household that were willing to take them in, and you, like all the other kids in here, tired of the overcrowding and deteriorating state of the orphanage, hope that a kind family will one day swoop you away.

but it doesn't happen at age thirteen, and you continue to share a bunk with the same girl from three years ago who's been here longer than you.

age 14:

the states of the lower districts only seems to decline as you get older with the corrupted hierarchy and the rich taking all the resources for themselves.

for hundreds of years--you've learned, that it's always been bad, but everything's looking far worse than it has even four years ago.

but with the conditions in the lower three districts deteriorating, the citizens are growing more vocal, bitter, and resentful of those that resides in peace while everyone else is suffering.

the disparity not only made everyone despite the higher ups, but also each other as the stresses of the poor states get to them. and with you living in one of the three's, it made you harbor a hatred toward the top two districts as well, unable to see them past anything but greedy and power-hungry.

slanders of the royal family increased then. talks of overthrowing the king or starting a war for equal resources for all districts, and some even saying they'd rather swim across the ocean to reach kingdom aurora than to live in this "hellhole". but at the time, they were nothing but empty threats to make one feel better.

age 15:

you were so scared at first, hearing of all the horror stories told by the older, taunting kids who's gonna get moved into a family soon, that you're gonna be unlucky for the rest of your life and not get chosen like them.

that you're just gonna stay here until some lowly men decides to buy you off, or probably meet a worse fate.

but one sudden day when the director of the orphanage comes running into the dining hall and announces to all the kids to be on their best behaviors because someone from the second district is going to be coming down the next day, your life changes for the better at the age of fifteen.

you didn't think you had a chance at all, but you still wanted to try because no matter the intense dislike you hold for the two higher districts, if there's an opportunity for a better life, you're going to take it.

it's better than staying here and suffering. everyone else is becoming desperate and you're not any different.

the lady comes the following day as expected, her carriage alerting the entire place of her arrival as all the kids are on their knees with desperation in their eyes.

you guys have never had any visitors from a district so high up before, so this is very crucial.

when she walks in, everyone bows to welcome her, the sight as equally mesmerizing to others as it is to you. never in your life have you seen anyone with so many pearls and jewels, the gown she's wearing made of only the best materials.

it then hits you harder that however this lady decides to take you in, you're going to be living a comfortable life no matter what.

she takes one look around the room, all the children secretly crossing their fingers and it's when her eyes land on you and her lips turn up into a smile.

the director tells her you're a good kid. often guarded and doesn't really get along with the others, but well behaved nonetheless.

it feels weird to be the one everyone's envious of when you were usually on the opposite spectrum, but now passing all the kids as you make way to the front door, all their burning gazes planting a seed of guilt because you understand the feeling all too well.

but with the nation in this state, all anyone can do is look out for themselves. eventually, their time will come, and this just so happens to be yours.

the lady sits you down in the carriage next to her while the coachman leads the way back. she informs you will be working under the family as a servant but will be provided housing, food, and even freedom from time to time.

"i heard you like sewing."

you nod shyly at her words.

"i learned it from my mother."

"good. then you will have the opportunity to hone the skill."

the trip to the second district takes a total of three days, the only times you guys stopped was for food or toilet breaks. when the coachman announces the arrival, your first time seeing the scenery is that to of a fish fresh out of water.

you didn't even know trees or grass could be that green. or that it's not always supposed to feel like a sense of dread that takes the smiles off people's faces until they just look straight miserable.

it's as if you've entered a completely different nation, unable to comprehend the huge difference already, even in comparison to the third district.

the lady is quick to disappear into the house almost the size of the orphanage itself, calling for someone else to escort you around and show what the next couple of years (and possibly, the rest of your life) has in store for you.

you're to wake up at 5am everyday to prepare food for the noble family, and will be sharing a chamber with three other female servants: the main cook, the main cleaner, and another young girl about your age.

you're only allowed to wander during weekends with authorization and is only to go out for groceries or other necessities. other than that, any rule breaking will have consequences.

for the next couple of days, you practice the routine.

waking up in the early morning and prepping breakfast, then cleaning, and repeat for lunch and dinner. sometimes, you'd get to do different tasks like helping the noble daughter pick out a dress or shoes for the day, but that's only if you get called.

you pick up the cooking and cleaning quite fast because you used to help your parents a lot. and though the work hours can be tiring, the food you're eating and the place you sleep in is a lot better.

you also get the occasional freedom and access to improve your seamstress skills, and it's not the ideal life, but it is the best one for someone like you.

you hear a grunting sound close by one morning when you decide to wake up earlier than usual.

turning to the source, you see a figure far away near the tall gates, prancing around in his heavy armors with a sword in his hand. the sight definitely amazes you as you're only able to stare in awe before accidentally creating a ruckus that catches the attention of the stranger as he turns around.

it's still dark and you can't see his face very well, only until he starts walking toward you.

"can i help you?" he asks, voice a type of husky but innocent.

"oh, no." you shake your head, "i was just uhm... watching."

he chuckles and looks to the ground, your eyes trained on the way his dark hair ruffles along with his movements until he's staring at you again, finally out of the poor lighting.

he's cute and has childlike features. definitely not an appearance that gives away he could probably slice you dead right now if he wants to.

"you're the new worker," he vocalize, and it takes you a second to figure how he knew, following his gaze to the door of the chamber behind you.

"ah, yes i am." you nod.

"cool. well, i'm the gatekeeper. jongho."

"gatekeeper?" you crank an eyebrow, so far behind on rich people terminology, you have no idea what that means.

"i just protect and patrol the place in case of any intruders. it sounds fancy but it's really not. you don't have to keep it formal, though. we're all servants here."

"i see." you smile tight-lipped.

he also does look a little too young to be manhandling weapons or putting his life on the line, but you too, are also too young to be losing your parents and getting sold off as a servant.

for anyone in the lower three districts, it is all for survival.

you soon learn that jongho was born in the fourth district but he's been living and training here for so long, he can barely recall his time there.

and you're not sure what it is about him that makes you open up given the fact you've been closed off for so long ever since your parents death and the comprehension of the cruel world you're living in, but through the year and before you turn sixteen, you find your first true friend in choi jongho.

age 16:

you get acquainted with hongjoong, a friend of jongho and a messenger who travels in and out of the districts to deliver any important information.

you're not sure how he keeps his identity on the low in spite of the growing tension between all the districts, but jongho assures you he has his ways.

jongho spends his days training with many kinds of weapons; swords, spears, daggers, crossbows, and just about everything when he's not guarding the house--which he usually isn't because the second district is still relatively safe at this time.

but if there is any outside attackers, it would be jongho's and the other men's responsibilities to protect the noble family. it's what they've all been trained for.

you still cook and clean, and your sewing skills have gotten increasingly better that you also started picking up embroidery.

on the occasion, jongho would teach you how to use a dagger just so you'd have some knowledge of self defense and protection considering the alarming state of the nation.

and now that you're living under people of noble status, royal parties and balls were the standards. not that you'll ever get to attend them for yourself, always hearing about it for an alternative or watching the noble family dress up in pretty attires that cost hefty coins before they waddle off in their carriage into the first district.

hongjoong returns a week later, informing you and jongho that the conditions, especially in the fifth district, is really bad that some citizens have decided to risk their lives in hope of reaching the kingdom of aurora since ships and boats cannot be sailed without approval from the royal family.

"it's basically a death sentence to be living in any of the lower districts at this point. i fear if the king doesn't do anything about it, a civil war may be on the horizon."

age 17:

not much changes and hongjoong has said that the king, along with other royal and noble families, refused to take actions since the dividing of resources for all the other districts would cause the first and second to falter because they do not have enough for everyone.

it's better to keep some afloat than to put the entire nation at risk.

"but sir, that's only going to keep running the citizens out of the nation, and the ones that do stay are becoming angry. the first organization against the royal family already formed, calling themselves outlaws. and they're not just ordinary citizens. they could infiltrate the two higher districts if they want to. a solution is not to only keep them happy, but to also prevent a war."

"then strengthen the security. we also have equally skilled men, if not, more. send any able-bodied men to the gates of the first and second district and don't let anybody from the lower threes enter."

age 18:

things only get worse. nobody is allowed to travel freely between the districts anymore and anyone from the first two were strongly advised not to go down because the chances of getting robbed or assaulted are high.

the four working men in the house dwindled down to two because the other two, including jongho, would be sent to guard the entrance. but during rotation when he gets to come back to sleep and eat, he'd tell you that it's eerily quiet, but that all the lower districts know the higher ones are blocking off entrance and might retaliate soon.

"we should be prepared for the worst. hongjoong said the fact they're quiet might mean the organization is planning something."

age 19:

for a while, security at the entrance decreases when it looks like the lower districts weren't gonna try to do anything about it.

jongho and the other men in the house were able to stay around longer, sometimes even for a few days straight without going back, and the outrage did feel like it was just a false alarm.

no one in the higher districts, even hongjoong, were prepared for the storm that is after the calm.

"y/n! wake up!"

you groggily groan at the voice, sounding both hushed but eager as it jolts you from sleep.

it's jongho and he looks absolutely terrified, his figure hovering over your body still in bed.

"come on, y/n! we have to get going!"

you don't have the time to take in anything, jongho already pulling you up harshly to stand on your feet as you hurl out more groans and complaints.

"what's going on? i was sleeping, you know."

"the king is dead."

it's those words that makes you more awake than ever, unable to believe as you just stare dumbfoundedly while he ravages the drawers for more appropriate clothings.

"w-what? h-how?" you can barely form anything coherent at this point, your heart racing so fast.

"he was assasinated," jongho reveals, throwing a loose, oversized shirt at you. "we're not sure how they managed to get that far up the first district, but all this time, that must've been what they were preparing for--you need to get changed."

he throws you a pair of pants and continues speaking, at the same time going through almost the entire perimeter for anything that will prove useful.

you don't even care he's in the same room, your body going into shock and quickly pulling the night gown off before putting on what he gave you.

"hongjoong thinks they're planning a raid, starting from the second district and working their way up. if we stay here, we could get captured, held hostage, or whatever those outlaws want to do with us--here."

he finds the dagger he had given you sitting in the last drawer, pulling the extra sheath out of his pouch and running to tie it around your waist.

"keep this with you at all time, and remember what i taught you. just in case we ever get separated, you need to protect yourself," he demands, passing the dagger to you with an extremely serious look on his face along with the statement just now, making you queasy in the stomach.

you can't imagine having to part from jongho for whatever reason. you wouldn't know what to do.

he gestures to your shoes and you wear it quickly.

"now come on, let's go!" he grabs your wrist and your body flings forward, only managing to grab the pouch on top the dresser before your feet's following his steps out the door despite the lingering sleepiness and that you could be forgetting something else, but it's all happening so fast, your mind struggling to keep up.

you're about to ask him about the other servants, or the noble family, but as he whisk you into the nightly air, the breeze pushing past your skin, you realize that before jongho came, you were alone.

they all left you.

"where are we going?" you ask.

"down to the third district. hongjoong lended me a map and said to go through the forest, we'll catch less attention that way. he said we can stay at one of his hideouts for now."

for the next hours, you don't see anything but trees and branches in your way, and the moon high above the dark sky as it follows both you and jongho.

your feet tired and sore at this point, asking jongho to find a place to sit even for just a few minutes because you might just pass out.

"if we keep at this pace, we'll be able to make it to the third district by morning," he informs, handing over the costrel and telling you to drink.

you nod, passing it back after finishing, observing for a few seconds as jongho takes a couple sips.

"so where did everyone else go?" you finally bring up the question bothering you.

"to the lower districts. i heard some are hoping to reach the port so they'll get the chance to sail to aurora or dune, now that the royal family is in a crisis, people don't care anymore. but as you already know, we have limited ships and boats and it's going to be a bloodbath all around."

he goes on, "we only found out the king was dead when people from the first district started migrating, and then everyone in the second started panicking, and i honestly did too initially. i was about to start heading down until i remembered you."

you smile and nudge the boy with your elbow affectionately.

"if not for you, i probably would've turned into a corpse by tomorrow."

"pfft," he scoffs, "not a corpse but a captive maybe. their target is still the royal family, and now that the king is dead, they'll most likely go after the prince. the raid is just to scare people off so they can bask in the lavish that the first and second district has to offer. but still, it's better to be safe than sorry. they did killed the king, after all."

you take in the information, asking one last question.

"and where is hongjoong?"

"he was also in the second district at the time, but after lending me the map and instructions, he said he's gonna go up in order to get more details; hopefully talk to the prince and will report back in a few days."

"do you think he's going to be okay?"

jongho nods and stands up from the log, reaching his hand out to help you.

"he should be. he wouldn't be able to survive for this long if he isn't competent. but we should get going or else the trip will be delayed."

the hideout is a small shack in the corner of the wood, blending into the surroundings so perfectly, you and jongho almost missed it.

it's essentially a square with a single wooden bed, one chair, and a small table with an ewer sitting on top. jongho said the water in there should still be good to use, and that he brought enough breads to survive on for a few days.

"i can take the floor," he says, taking off the crossbow and sword that's been stuck to his body for an entire night and settling them down.

"we can take turns," you offer an alternative, pitying the boy because he's the one who's been doing most of the works.

"alright."

he nods it off. he wasn't gonna fight you on it.

you and jongho passes time by training for the majority of time. sometimes, you'd just watch, but when he isn't worn out by his own routine, he'd tell you the basics of a crossbow and a knightly sword and would proceed to watch you practice with the dagger.

"you're holding it like a coward who's never fought in their life," is his usual criticism.

"well maybe cause i am a coward who has never fought before," you will retort.

"when facing an enemy, you can't show that you're afraid. you have to believe in yourself."

"easy for you to say."

but regardless of his yapping that sometimes make you roll your eyes all the way to the back of your head, he's a good teacher and even complimented you. if saying that you're a lot less awful than when you started, counts.

three days later from when you both settled, the light, passive knock at the door alerts you and jongho, you almost wishing it was one of the outlaws, preferably a weaker member just so you can put what you've learned to use.

but it's hongjoong.

"so what did the prince say?" jongho asks, quick and eager.

"he's recruiting. said he'll take in anyone still willing to stand by his side while he figure things out. he needs time."

"what about the guards and men that were in the castle? isn't it their duty to protect the royal family?"

"more than half of them ran to the lower districts. the outlaws probably won't do much to a normal citizen, but they will be vile to anyone on the prince's side."

"and he didn't try to stop them?" you join, hongjoong turning his head to you and shaking.

"he said he wasn't gonna force anyone who didn't want to stay. but for those willing to fight by his side, he'll take them."

you don't mean to come off hypercritical, but you can't help but think that the prince is being careless.

"but the outlaws want him dead, no? he shouldn't be taking in just anybody. that's too dangerous."

hongjoong just shrugs.

"that was his order."

a silence hangs between the three of you after, and one glance at jongho, you see that conflicted look in his eyes and know that he's about to say something you won't like.

"i'll go."

you snap your neck to him so fast, there must've been a pop.

"what--jongho, no," you object, worry in your tone. hongjoong just standing by and watching the incoming dispute unfold.

"it's better than standing around and waiting for something to happen."

"but putting your life on the line? for all you know, there might not even be a solution at all. look at the state of the kingdom. people are running away, everyone fearing for their own safety. in the end, you could be dying for nothing. did you forget it's because of these people that us born in the lower districts have to live a shit life?"

by now, you're both facing each other and fuming through your noses.

"and did you forget that we haven't been to the lower districts in years? ever since we got the opportunity to move into one of the top two? even if we were just servants, we were living better than a normal family in the fifth district. i was guarding and blocking off an entrance because i was so much better than the people trying to get through. you think i enjoyed doing that shit? no. but it was my job. in some ways, we betrayed our roots, y/n. and you're right. the prince could be lying and stalling out of his ass, but you know... i'm hoping that he's not. because for once, i want to feel like i'm doing something worthy. i didn't train all my life just to guard gates where nothing ever fucking happens nine out of ten times."

you watch in disbelief as he turns to pick up his crossbow and sword.

"so whether you like it or not, i'm going."

he gives hongjoong a stern look, to which the older man returns one, but is soon carried away by your voice again.

"then i'm going with you."

and jongho knows he's going to sound like a hypocrite; the fact he cares for you as much as you care for him so he doesn't want you to put yourself in the face of danger.

he also understands that you share the same sentiment in regard to him, which is why you don't want him to go.

"no. it's safest for you to stay here. you don't have the same training and combat that i do. you can barely hold a dagger the right way and it's one of the most light and basic weapon. those outlaws will pummel you like a bug."

you roll your eyes and you can see hongjoong trying to hold in his laughter.

"well geez, thanks, master. but boohoo. all i know is that i need to stab," you snark, managing to pull a small smile from jongho before switching tone. "i'm serious, though. i know i'm not gonna be pounding anyone, but i'd still like to come with. it would put a lot of my worries to rest knowing you're alive and okay."

"i'll be fine, y/n," he assures, one hand on your shoulder, "and if it'll make you feel better, if hongjoong doesn't mind, he can come once in a while to inform you of what's going on."

you meet hongjoong's gaze at that and he nods with a thin smile.

but that's still not good enough for you because how can you possibly be okay with the only person you can call family, going off and risking his life?

you're not.

which is why when they both finally depart, you wait until they're a good distance away yet still visible to the eye, tying the sheath the way jongho did and sticking your dagger in before taking the costrel he left for you along with the remaining breads and following right behind them.

hongjoong used to travel on horseback but he has to be more discreet this time around, especially going up the higher districts.

you're somewhat thankful for that because you're not sure you can keep up if that was the case.

you stop when they stop, and rest when they rest. you would try listening in on their conversations but it's always inaudible from where you're at.

you put aside the pain of an aching feet or fear of the nightly forest, afraid you would give yourself out.

two days later, you're sure you guys are close. a part of you somewhat curiously pumped because you've never wander up the first district before.

with the sun setting and the stars soon to come out, you're hoping to arrive before it gets too dark because you really are dreading the idea of spending another night hidden behind itchy bushes.

dragging yourself up the steep hill, you can't help but to admire the scenery, the air of utopia still fresh and the birds still chirp like the nation is whole, resuming your steps only to see that you've lost sighting of jongho and hongjoong, and if you're any quicker, they will catch on.

you don't panic just yet, although you're getting nervous, but carrying on because the castle shouldn't be too far from here. as soon as you can spot it, it should be easy to trace it back to the two.

the only problem is how you're gonna get in once you reach it.

as you get closer to the top, you can spot the castle's head peaking, and once finally on flat land, you're able to see the entire thing, and the dazzling white architecture is hard to miss.

the heart and soul of utopia planted right in the center of the first district, and you've never seen anything more sophisticated in your entire life. but as you sneak closer, you're sure that you're not even gonna make it past the portcullis.

if you don't find jongho, you'd be coming all this way for nothing.

you've been watching the guards at the gate and their patterns of behavior for the last hour, every time inching closer to the entrance with the least amount of noise as possible.

but you should've known. you've overestimated your ability (by a large margin) thinking you can outsmart people who does this for a living, and of all places, it had to be royal family's. stupid.

you barely take a step when the pressure of a sharp object against your back make your eyes go wide in horror.

you're thinking this is it. you should've listened to jongho and should have not acted like such a know-it-all, because the next time he sees you, it will be in corspe form.

the beating of your heart is loud along with the stranger's breathing, their hand going retrieve your dagger from the sheath, and if they attack, you will have no other way to defend yourself.

"who the hell are you and why are you sneaking around my castle?" the deep, masculine tone drowns your ears.

my castle?

you foolishly turn around like an idiot, feeling the pressure of the object move to your neck instead, looking up at this mysterious stranger but unable to make anything out.

the running of footsteps and commotion can be heard from behind you, a series of voices and better lighting approaching with all the torches in the guards hands, and when you're finally able to make out the pair of eyes staring back, it feels as if you forgot how to breathe.

because if it isn't the most beautiful man you've ever seen, dark locks, sly and sharp eyes to that of a fox that looks disapproving of your choices before it turns slightly softer when he sees how harmless you actually look, the weapon in his hand lowering with a clear of his throat.

"what part of 'it's safest if you stay here' did you not understand?"

jongho's loud and frustrated voice echoes through the entire hall, pacing back and forth in place as he reprimands you in front of hongjoong, the prince, and his other royal companions.

the prince (who you have to make a point one more time that he's devastingly beautiful) was unexpectedly casual when you explained to him you were looking for your friends, even returning your dagger.

"i only came because i was worried about you. i know you would do the same for me."

"yes, but something could've happened to you. you could've gotten lost, or worse."

"as you can see, i'm fine. the most life threatening thing was the prince putting a knife to my back and neck."

"because you were limping around the castle like an idiot."

"well, what was he doing outside of it anyways?"

"why are you talking about the prince like that!" he yells, and the both of you having an awakening at the same time, registers how embarrassing and inappropriate it actually is to be having a screaming match in the royal family's hall, turns to the prince and bow in apology.

"sorry," you both mutter.

"it's fine," the prince dismisses.

when you were still living at the orphanage, some of the kids would often play guessing games about the prince just because the chances of ever meeting him were close to none, everyone might as well get creative.

some assumed he's a snob because kids being kids, they were all jealous of the fact he was living better, and so it's only natural he would think he's better than everyone else.

then some thought he looked like a troll, which was why the king and queen kept him inside most of the time.

none of you guys knew a lot about the prince, but there were words on the street that he almost never went out of the castle; some even using that as confirmation for why he's a stuck-up.

but after meeting him, he's nothing like the kids have predicted.

he definitely does not look like a troll or sound like a snob, at least so far. he's actually rather soft-spoken, though a bit aloof and stoic. but you suppose one isn't gonna be jolly after the death of their father.

jongho had insisted that you go back immediately, and you were considerate of the castle's deities enough to pull him outside just to object.

but you only got another line in the quarrel before the prince intervened and much to jongho's dismay, said you could stay for the night since it was getting late and traveling would be difficult.

"but you're leaving as soon as the sun comes up!" he proceeds to nag the entire time you tuck yourself to bed, the prince kindly offering a spare chamber for you to stay in.

"yes. i know," you reply, all snarky tone and turning to face the other way because he's getting on your nerves.

there's a quick silence before the edge of the bed creaks with his weight.

"look, i know you only came because you were worried about me, and you're right, i would do the same for you."

you toss slowly to look him up in the eyes from your position.

he goes on, now locking you in his gaze, "but it's way too dangerous for you to stay here, and we don't know when they're going to attack. and worse, if they see you're in alliance with the prince, who knows what they'll do? i'll be fine. this is what i've trained my whole life for. you just have to believe in me."

you sigh and frown, finally deciding to cave because you do know that jongho is capable. you've never doubted him. it's the opponents that you're unsure of, their next moves could be anything.

"i'll go back, but hongjoong still needs to follow the end of the deal."

jongho smiles warmly, relieved you're no longer trying to fight him on this.

"he'd be happy to."

you nod, figuring that since you're already here, you might as well ask.

"so how many men volunteered?"

"for now, three. me, someone named yunho from the third district, and another guy named minjun. but more might wind up later, who knows."

"i still don't think it's smart of the prince to be taking in just anyone. it's way too risky. you have good intentions, but what about the two other?" you voice concernedly, your forehead starting to crease from the distress.

you just met the prince, but you know that the idea is ridiculous and you don't want him meeting the same fate as his father.

"optimism maybe? i don't know. more than half of the royal family's protections are gone so he probably can't be too picky. but i'd like to think he knows what he's doing."

but he's also still young and is currently in a worse position than his father, the king, who couldn't even save utopia. you don't think anybody is ready to be in his place, let alone lead an entire kingdom that's falling apart.

"alright. then you should return to the others; help them look after the prince. he's going to need it."

"actually, he ordered us to stay with the queen and princess."

you shoot up from position, incredulity written all over your face.

"what--why? all of you guys? then who's going to look after him?"

jongho shrugs.

"i disagree as well, but after all, he's the prince. we can't disobey orders."

"you guys should be allowed to if it's foolish. what is going on in his head?" you shake your own, unable to believe it.

you just know that something bad is gonna happen, and it would be due to the prince's own incompetence.

jongho has no idea either given he only just met him as well, but he's crossing his fingers the prince will prove both of you wrong.

"i have to go. you should get some rest because you'll be leaving in the early morning. i'll see you then."

you're woken up by a heavy disturbance, the ruckus happening outside of the room but also sounding so close.

it might be best if you stay here; leave whatever the noises is to the guards in the castle, but you just feel it in your guts that your prediction have came true.

carefully opening the door, you peek your head out, immediately drawn to the bright light illuminating at the end of the hall, and soon, your quick and eager feet has taken you to the shocking sight.

the prince standing before jongho and another guard as they hold back someone you can't quite recall. one of his hand tending to the cut on his left arm, and you can see the red seeping through the thin white fabric.

the prince meets your eyes when he notices you standing outside.

"i knew it!" you screech, your turn to pace back and forth as jongho watches from the side. "he shouldn't have just taken in anyone!"

you found out it was minjun, one of threes who volunteered along with jongho, who attacked the prince. apparently, he had snuck away from the other guards and was in the prince's room within minutes, a sword aimed at the young royal that could've taken his life.

"luckily, he only got off with a cut. i can't even imagine what would've happened."

jongho groans anxiously, the first day on the job and the reality of it already showing its head.

"there's nothing luck-based about the prince's survival," hongjoong's voice has you both turning as he appears from the opened door.

"prince san isn't only highly skilled in all areas of fighting, but he's the best warrior utopia has to offer. he most likely knew about the attack beforehand, which was why he only got away with a cut considering minjun also isn't just an average member of the outlaws," hongjoong reveals, the new information makes you and jongho gawk at each other in surprise.

"y/n," he calls out, and you detach from jongho's eyes to look at him.

"yes?"

"i need you to do me a favor. i trust you enough, and you look rather... harmless."

you pinch in your brows. if he wants to go off about your terrible fighting and self defense skill, he might as well just spell it out.

"the prince said he has a plan, but we're going to need to buy time. and no matter how skilled he is, we can't keep dealing with people coming into the castle in attempts to severe the prince's head. it's best if he's away until we can figure things out, for his safety and the kingdom's."

you only hum and nod, wondering where exactly this is going.

"he'll be leaving with you in the morning."

your face falls in horror, unable to believe they're entrusting the prince to you. the thoughts of being alone with someone like him both terrifying but weirdly stimulating.

"oh my gosh, she's blushing..." jongho yelps, a smirk tugging at his lips. he's seen the way you'd ogle at the prince, definitely something you never did to any other men.

"i'm not!" you cry defensively, embarrassed. "i-i just don't think i'm the right person."

"we just need the prince away from the castle for a few days. for now, it look like the outlaws are not planning on moving up the first district entirely, so the rest of us should be safe as well for the time being. you still remember the way back to the shack, right?"

you nod hesitantly.

"good. then it's settled."

the following morning, everyone bids farewell to the prince, the queen and princess wishing him well as the guards and hongjoong stack him with equipments, while jongho makes you carry the food and water.

he takes off the royal attire, disguising himself in commoner clothings instead, as recommended by his companion, wooyoung.

hongjoong promises to report back once things get relatively better.

at first, it's nerve-racking because you just can't help it. the prince is so handsome and your touch-starved body just reacts naturally, but once you figure he isn't gonna talk to you, only gesturing or murmuring out short instructions, the spark wears off.

"we should stop and rest for the night," he speaks more than three words for the first time, laying down his stuff and nodding to the tall tree.

"alright."

you settle your things down as well, plopping against the tree and waiting for him to do the same but he instead pulls out the sword and starts slashing the air.

when he takes notice of your gawking from behind, he apologizes.

"sorry, i'm just... practicing, hope you don't mind. you can rest, i'll keep watch."

you nod it off, sleep soon taking over, but when you wake a few hours later, able to tell from the different color painting the sky, the prince is still practicing and seems just as eager as he was before.

"prince," you call out, his movements halting in place as he turns back at the sound of your voice.

"call me san."

you clear your throat, "uh... san, have you slept at all?"

he shakes his head.

"i was practicing."

you stand up, dusting off the dirts from your pants and growing concerned regarding the sleepless prince.

"you can sleep. i'll keep watch and if there's anything, i'll wake you up," you offer, but he's quick to reject the proposal.

"no need to. i'm not tired anyways. if you're feeling fully rested, we can keep going. the sun is almost up."

you watch in dejection as he goes to retrieve his things because you're not sure you can believe he's not even the tiniest bit tired from everything so far.

it takes almost an entire day to reach the destination, your body tired and aching for something to sit on, the minute you reach the shack, you're sprawled all over the chair.

the prince looks just fine, though.

"it's small, but comfortable," you assure the prince just in case he has any doubts in mind. because you initially did, too, but it was surprisingly homey when you last stayed with jongho.

he nods, eyes roaming the small interior.

"it'll do."

"you can take the bed. i don't mind taking the floor," you tell him, but he instead shakes his head.

"the bed's all yours. i'll be outside practicing."

you scowl and sit up from your seat.

"again? we've been traveling all day. you should really get some rest considering you didn't get any the night before."

but he's stubborn, grabbing for his sword again as you can only sigh in disapproval.

"i really don't feel tired."

"then you should eat, at least."

"i'm not hungry."

you end up going to bed alone, only listening to the prince's grunting and slashing outside as he practices like he's trying to reach out to something or someone.

the uneasiness consuming you, seeing him always looking so miserable as if something's bothering him, unable to rest or do anything else.

it's understandable because of the circumstances he's in, but you wish he would be kinder to himself.

you only give him another two hours before taking matters into your own hand, flinging the door open to his figure dancing around the area with his sword, calling his name softly that makes him stop in track to look at you.

"enough," you mumble, quiet but stern, prying the weapon out of his hold with so much power, you think jongho would be proud.

"no, i have to pr--" he reaches for the sword but you move back, the prince grabbing only the nightly air in place.

"no, you don't," you spit, your free hand going to grab his wrist and dragging him back inside. "you need to eat and rest."

the sword clinks the flooring when you drop it, sitting san down on the bed and grabbing some of the breads and dried meat before taking the seat next to him.

"i understand you're going through a lot right now and it's tough, but you need to take care of yourself. you can't wear your body out or punish it. you're not even fully healed from the cut. if something happens, if worst comes to worst, you need to be prepared to fight."

you push the food toward him but he doesn't budge the slightest. his eyes trained on it, but everything else completely frozen.

for a second, you think all the efforts is gonna go to waste because the prince won't listen, but much to your surprise, he starts talking.

"my father and everyone around me would always say i was the best fighter in the entire kingdom; that i was one of a kind, gifted from a young age, and the future of utopia. i used to believe that as well, but what kind of prick can't even save his own father?"

a small gasp fall, fussing under your breath, "san..."

"maybe i'm only as great because i had the access and materials to become great. but in actuality, i would be no more than average in any other scenarios."

"san, you are great. hongjoong said you are, and you even fought off minjun. it's not your fault what happened to your father," determination in your delivery, finding yourself oddly caring for someone you barely knew.

"father did always lived every day as if it was his last. he knew everyone was out to get him..." he fidgets with one of the breads before taking a small bite out of it. "i thought it would make me feel better if i caught his killer, but i really don't feel any different."

"so hongjoong was right. you knew about the attack?"

you watch as he ogles at the piece of bread like it's the most interesting thing in the world, noddling lightly and taking another bite.

"somewhat, yeah. i was the one who found my father's body, and you can imagine… it's not easy for any kid to see their own parent blue in the face, lying lifeless in front of them, and especially knowing their murderer got away. it made me vengeful, but i couldn't act recklessly. i had to set up a bait because i didn't know who it was, but i knew they were coming."

you listen to each of his words so attentively, and you make sure he knows.

"it could've been your friend, jongho, or the others that came along. it could be anyone. it could be all of them. but regardless, whoever it was wanted me dead just like my father and wouldn't have passed up the chance."

you exhale, looking at the prince with sympathy and sadness in your eyes, all this time you really gave him too little credits, one of your hand somehow finding itself on top his resting one and soothing it.

"i can't do much, but i'm here to listen. if we're going to be together for a while, we might as well have each other's back."

and when san finishes his food and actually goes to sleep for the rest of the night (although you did have to fight him about sleeping on the floor), you finally feel at ease, able to go to sleep knowing he's not pushing himself.

san is the first thing you see upon waking up, his figure bending down a couple feet away and drinking out of the costrel.

he knows you're up from the movements, turning to meet your tired eyes.

"good morning."

"good morning, san."

"you should eat first. i left some out for you."

"oh, okay."

you nod politely, throwing the blanket off and getting up from the makeshift bed, but first telling him that you're gonna go wash your face.

"i checked the ewer. there's no more water in there."

"hmm," you hum, attempting to come up with a solution. "i'm gonna go down to the river. i'll be back in a bit."

"wait." his call stops you in track, half your body out the door. "i'd like to come with."

"is that okay? i mean... will that be safe?" because now that the prince is with you, you feel it is your responsibility to keep him out of danger no matter how unskillful you are. you don't want a single sighting putting his life on the line (more than it already is).

"we'll make it quick. besides, i need to wash up as well. i don't feel too clean from all those practices."

the river is actually quite close by, having never been there during your stay in this district but following the sound of nature was relatively easy to do. and you suppose hongjoong chose the spot for this reason.

once there, you're splashing your face immediately and rejoicing in the cool sensation, only just registering san's been watching you the entire time when you turn and meet his piercing gaze.

his expression blank before dropping to a smile at your wide-eye. and the first time that he does, you realize you've never seen him smile, ever. your attention taken away by the deep indentations appearing from his cheeks, and for just a second, your heart feels like it might explode.

but it's his turn with the river, you observing as he mimics you until both your faces are wet and raining with droplets.

"here," you say, pulling out the spare handkerchief you had remember to bring before coming, offering it to him then using the other one for yourself.

he thanks you, about to wipe his face when the striking design catches his eye.

"this is beautiful," he comments, your head snapping his direction. "did you make it yourself?"

you nod shyly.

"i picked up embroidery somewhere after sewing for a while."

the conversation continues on the walk back, san asking the questions because he just grasped the revelation he doesn't know anything about you.

aside from trying to sneak into his castle and being the friend of one of his guards, that's as much as he can recall off the top of his head although you're quite literally in a life or death situation with him.

"you said you picked up embroidery, so are you from the second district?"

san knows almost everyone who lived in the first district, having spent his entire life and becoming familiar with the surrounding neighbors.

during the occasional balls and parties, he'd get acquainted with some from the second districts. but he's never seen you before. if he did, he would probably be able to recognize you.

but he knows that a hobby and skill like embroidery was something only those in the top two could afford. it was a luxury, as much as san hates putting it like that.

you giggle at the thought and shake your head.

"i was a servant for a family from the second, but i'm originally from the fifth. i picked up embroidery because the daughter of the family was pressured into learning and i was there to help sometimes."

"oh..." is all he says.

maybe he expected you to have some noble blood or be from greatness, but the only thing close to the two were the shoes you shined and the people you served.

your entire life, nothing about you was ever great or noble.

you may have ran from the lower district for a better life, but you were never ashamed of where you came from.

it made you who you are, and if anything, you're a survivor.

"yeah..." you mumble, stopping once reaching the shack again.

he picks it up from your tone, correcting himself to make sure you don't misunderstand, "no. i didn't mean it like that. i'm just, curious about you and your background."

"oh?" you squeak, "then what do you want to know, prince."

you take a seat where he was sitting before, reaching for the food he left for you and looking up at him from where you are, wondering what kind of prince would want to know about a commoner like you.

"an iris," he refers to the pattern embroidered on the handkerchief, "was there a reason why you chose it?"

you smile softly, the question taking you back to a lane of memories and nostalgia.

"it was both of my parents' favorite flower. they always did clung onto any sort of hope there was when it came to our living conditions, and father would always used to say the iris not only symbolized that, but also courage and bravery. i don't know how true that is, but i tend to associate the flower with my parents. it was all i managed to take when me and jongho ran from the second district."

"that's sweet," the prince says, making your eyelashes bat as he plops down at the end of the makeshift bed but he never once look away from you. "and where are your parents?"

the death of your parents was once something that was difficult to talk about; a reality that you used to deny because you couldn't accept that they're no longer by your side and sharing the same struggles. because you guys did suffered a lot, but you all had each other.

and suddenly, you only had yourself.

it wasn't until jongho that you started to open up again; learn to let someone into your heart; to share the same struggles and to suffer all over again, but at least with someone by your side once more.

and it's with that lesson that you allow the prince in as well, unveiling some parts of yourself, for some reason feeling like you can entrust it to him.

"they passed away. the fishermen said the sea took them. it's been a long time and i've come to terms with it."

you don't miss the way his chest fall and a sullen look takes over his expression.

"i'm sorry to hear."

his life experiences and pain could never compare to anyone from the lower districts, he understands that all too well; how good and privileged he's had it.

but grief doesn't discriminate, and the feeling is... debilitating.

it makes you go into denial, nothing but a directionless road laying ahead, unable to help but think if you ever will recover.

but he feels a little better after talking to you, a living proof that no matter the loss or grief one goes through, there's a chance he will make it out fine in the end.

you're about to go off to bed when you suddenly remember what hongjoong had told you.

"prince," you call from below, the title just naturally rolling off despite the plenty of time he's made clear you can call him by his name.

"we have to change the dressing on your wound."

you get up to go search through one of the heavy bags, digging for some clean linens and vinegar the others had made sure to pack for the prince.

"hongjoong said we should change it every couple of days," you tell him, sitting at the edge of the bed while he stands up from the sleeping position. "your arm, prince." you gesture and watch as he rolls up his sleeve.

your cheeks for some reason start heating up at the sight, the blinking and nervous twitch of your eyes give it away, causing a giggle to tumble out of the prince at your flustered reaction.

"y/n," he speaks, once you've stared for long enough and still have yet to remove the old cloth. "that's what jongho and hongjoong calls you by."

"y-yes." you nod.

"have you ever tend to a wound before?"

"well, no. but i've been instructed on how to."

"i see." he smiles, and you're about to crack at the man in front of you. beautiful smile, perfect features, and some muscular arms to go along with it.

once you've contained yourself (or at least look like it), you unwrap the worn cut-out cloth and replaces it with a new one, every steps of what hongjoong had laid out followed to the very best of your ability.

"thank you, y/n," the prince says one more time, and the last smile on him for the night makes you think he just might be teasing you.

the past few days that you've spent with the prince, he's proven your expectations and predictions wrong over and over again.

almost like everything you've assumed is untrue in the best way possible. his aloof and stoic ways melting into smiles and laughters when you'd tell him stories about the kids back at the orphanage and how they thought he was a troll.

spending days and nights confined to a small space with someone you just met, the idea sounding awful but the reality actually quite nice because it's comfortable with him.

he not only speaks well, his words always the most soft and unoffending as they can be, but he also listens well.

day by day, the doubts you had--whether he would be able to salvage utopia, changes to the hope and belief that he's more than competent to pull it off.

but there's still questions bothering you; the strangeness of the entire picture in how utopia managed to fall to a state this bad in the first place if the prince is as level-headed as he presents himself.

he at least should've been talking sense into the king.

so you finally ask, during a routine morning where you and san have gotten accustomed to waking up the crack of dawn, sitting facing each other and munching away on portions of food that becomes less the more days pass by.

"san," you start, his name now more comfortable on your lips. it makes him pick his up head from the food to you.

"hongjoong said you have a plan, right? the reason they sent you here was to buy time. i-i was just wondering where does it go from here?" you try your utmost best to not sound meddlesome.

you're just worried.

because as much as you enjoy the time together, the unknown makes you uneasy. you don't want to doubt him but you also don't want everything so far to be for nothing.

it's the prince's personal affairs and not yours, but you just wish for there to be assurances; some kind of proof that speaks he knows what he's doing, because the closer you get to him, the more you fear losing him.

"i have a plan, yes," he answers, the calm demeanor on him a complete contrast to the troubled one on you. "why? are you worried?"

you breathe out, eventually nodding timidly.

"it's just that the state of the kingdom right now is really bad and it's going to take a lot to please the citizens, especially the group of rebellions. the idea of peace just seems so... unreachable."

you already sound like you're about to break down, when the prince--the one actually having to deal with it, looks the most calm and collective.

he acknowledges the concern, thinking it's fairly reasonable. actually, he's surprise everyone's been able to restrain themselves from spiraling for this long.

if he was someone else, he don't think he'll be able to put his trust into an inexperienced prince in hope of him saving the entire nation as well.

"the people of utopia isn't aware, but about a decade ago, the king of aurora, the closest neighboring kingdom to us had offered to help the nation after witnessing the terrible conditions most of the lower districts were suffering from," san reveals, "but my father... he denied the help."

you squeeze your brows in disbelief.

"what--why?"

"the king of aurora only requested for utopia's protections and services in return. as you know, we may lack in every other aspects, but armed forces is our strength. almost every men in the nation has some kind of experience when it comes to fighting or self defense. aurora is a peaceful and harmonious nation, but their men do not have the same training, combats, or skills that we do, and the king of aurora acknowledged the fact. though aurora was very unlikely to get into an altercation with another nation, the king said he would feel a lot better with utopia behind them."

"my father didn't see a point in tying ourselves down, binding an 'unnecessary' responsibility to our back. he said our ancestors' done it for hundreds of years without help and it will continue to be that way. ever since then, aurora has shunned us. they're not gonna start a war over it, but in other words: they hate our guts."

there's a pause from the prince, something shifting in his eyes before he starts again.

"i love and cherish my father. he is my father after all, and most of everything i've been taught were from him. i also understand that some of the things he did were for my mother, me, and my sister. but i wouldn't ever tell him i also think he's selfish; that i disagree with his view of the world; with his way of running things."

the pain in the prince's voice and delivery is seeping, your heart curling at the amount of hurt he must keep to himself, but if you can be the one to lessen it just a little, you will listen to his every words.

"but still, he's my father and i miss him. no matter how selfish and unreasonable he was most of the times, i promise that after everything is over, i will hold a proper burial for him. i will also repay everyone that stood by my side... i promise that."

his volume tapers near the end, his gaze melting into yours at the last statement.

"i also promised i will correct the mistakes of those who came before me, and if it takes my life, at least i'll be content that i went down with my morals. that i fought for what i believed in, even if the ancestors come back to tear me to shreds for it."

you chuckle, attempting to hold back just the smallest tear pricking the corner of your eye because all you ever did was doubt and doubt, and every single time, he always proved you wrong in the best way possible.

"so you're going to attempt to make a truce with aurora?"

he nods.

"i have to try. if we want equality for everyone, we can't do it without the help of aurora. if we do it now, without aide, the nation will fall apart no different than it is now. no amount of transports based on utopia alone will be enough. but aurora's economy; the standing of their nation is stable enough that helping utopia back on its feet will barely feel like a lift of a finger to them."

"but how would the message reach them?"

"on the day that i got attacked, i sent out one of my men, seonghwa. he knows the way around the sea best. by now, considering it's almost been a week, he should have already reached aurora, but it will take another couple of days to return. that's why i need to buy enough time for seonghwa to come back. i know the citizens won't believe it until they see the king and prince yeosang of aurora for themselves."

"and just what if the king and prince rejects the offer?" you're just trying to touch upon all possibilities.

"you see... i've thought of that as well. in fact, there's probably a bigger chance of them dismissing it considering our history and all. but if that was the case, i had already told seonghwa to head for dune next. it will take him at least another week and a half because of the distance, but if worst come to worst, that's our last hope. dune would be a lot harder to get on our side because they're not lacking in anything, their only weakness is they don't have any kind of alliance. and i was hoping after we sign a treaty with aurora, we could try for dune because they'd be more willing then, knowing we also have aurora, but that's only wishful thinking."

"you really thought everything through, huh?" you have to admit, you're impressed.

"you have no idea. every night after my father's passing, i barely got any sleep... until you finally enforced it upon me."

you giggle, meeting a soft smile on the prince's lips.

"well you need it. and seeing as intricate the plan of action is, you're going to need it even more. don't overwork your body, get plenty of rest in preparation of the big day. i believe you'll be able to do it."

there's a quick silence in the air before the prince speaks again.

"thank you... for believing in me, and keeping me sane of all things."

"my pleasure."

"but if hongjoong doesn't show within a few days, or does with the bearer of the bad news, we'd have to be prepared for relocation. they will pick up that i'm not in the castle and will try looking for me. if dune is the alternative, we're going to have to buy even more time."

"here," san says, coming from behind to stand in front of you, pulling out his own.

after observing one of his practices, he had asked how familiar you are with daggers since he recalled ripping it out of your sheath that day.

you said all understanding you have of it were from jongho, though he liked to find fault in your execution, and after a couple demonstrations, the prince seems to agree that there's a few areas you could improve on.

"a dagger is a short distance combat. some of the most basic requirements in becoming somewhat skilled at is, is trying to master the three primary positions."

you watch him get into stance.

"the first one is a downward thrust, usually used for an opponent who's not experienced in knife combat."

he acts out the method, thrusting his weapon into the air and turning to you.

"you try."

you attempt to mimic what he just did, the weapon a lot light and easier on your grip because the training from jongho did pay off in some ways.

"not bad," he comments, "just more confidence, and don't be afraid. because trust, when the enemy is coming, they won't hold back."

he tightens your grip on the dagger before stepping away.

"this certain method can also be used when an opponent is equipped with another melee weapon, or a firearm."

you nod, his encouragement and gentle teaching style as he tries reframing from straight up saying you stink in some ways or forms, is definitely preferred.

"got it! you are a much better teacher than jongho by a mile. you're actually nice to me," you joke, and the most flattered smile acrossing san's lips doesn't go unseen.

you wouldn't ever say it out loud, not to the prince at least.

that though leaving the place and each other's presence will be for a good cause, in some parts of you, you're already starting to dread the separation.

the parts that already grew fond of him in such a short matter of time, you fear there will never be another chance like this. together.

after everything is over, things will go back to the way it was.

he is a prince after all, and you're just... you.

"so, prince, what is the best defense weapon. figure i should ask from only the most competent person in utopia," you talk from your seat, staring up at him as he preps for another hour of practice.

he promised it'll be only an hour today.

"pfft," he blows, "don't say it like that. you might end up unimpressed."

"i mean it."

"you haven't even seen me on the battlefield."

"but i believe in you."

you hop out of your seat to him, tilting your head, "so?"

"i would say a spear. distance is honestly the best defense there is, though i do enjoy practicing with a sword more."

and that's when it happens. all the long days and nights of peace and harmony comes crashing down, from the corner of your eye catching a cloaked figure from far away standing on top one of the hills with a crossbow in their possession.

"prince!" you cry out, pushing his body away from target the hardest ever as he falls to the ground, and then a short second after, the most painful sensation of your chest being struck takes your vision and breath away.

the last thing you see and hear before fading into utter blackness is the sheer horror on the prince's face as his hands are covered with blood, and the desperate call of your name.

"y/n!"

the sound of jongho's voice makes you think you're in a dream, only until your lids are fluttering open that you see the both, scared but relieved expression of your best friend.

"oh my gosh... thank goodness you're alive."

by how tight he's squeezing your hands, you're glad to know you're not dead just yet.

"where am i?" you ask, your voice barely a whisper.

"back at the castle. you were out for about four days."

"four days?" you repeat, when the memories come flooding back all at once and then some. "the prince."

you attempt to sit up but the dull pain from where you've been hit prevents you, your head falling back into the pillow.

"easy," jongho soothes your body back into position, "you lost a lot of blood, and not only that, the arrow had been poisoned. luckily, the castle has shelves of antidotes for it, but we were all worried that there was just the smallest chance you weren't gonna make it."

he pauses briefly, "the prince got you here in a day and a half... he felt really bad about what happened. he was by your side the entire time and only just left yesterday night when it was announced the king and prince of aurora have arrived."

"aurora have agreed to a truce?" your tone weak, but still filled with excitement, so happy for the prince.

"yes. and hopefully the prince can get them to sign a treaty. that's the plan. it's still going to take them another two or three days to reach the first district, but the prince wanted to go welcome them formally."

"will he be okay?"

"he's under disguise. but you should get some rest and stop worrying about someone else when you're in a worse condition than them," jongho snarks.

"just making sure..."

a smirk graces your friend, a coy look on him.

"what exactly happened back there that's now making you two act like an old married couple forced to be apart? i've known you for longer than the prince and he looked like he was in more distress than i was."

"nothing that is your business," you dismiss, hoping your cheeks doesn't tint a color that gives it away, a chuckle rolling out of jongho at that.

"you used to want to tell me everything. but fair enough. rest and wait until your body is fully healed. i'll visit you every day to update."

it's hard to wrap your head around the fact you didn't wake up for four days--which, more so, should've been the highlight, but you're more intrigued that the prince was by your side up until the last minute he had to go.

you don't want to get overly giddy about it; go beyond what's appropriate and assume that he did so because of another reason, and not just because he felt bad.

but you do wish to see him soon. even if just for a bit.

the next few days is a routine, usually consisting of jongho welcoming you with a wholesome breakfast that's more fulfilling than breads and dried meats, then another meal at dinner.

you're in bed for most of the time, your view usually the ceiling of the castle or the empty space around you, everyone busy and occupied now that the plan is becoming a reality.

jongho tries his best to visit you every day, and hongjoong on the occasion to check your condition, but if they're not patrolling outside, they're in halls discussing the next course of actions.

you've heard that the prince have returned just last night with the royals of aurora, not a single peace or quiet outside of your room since.

you can only hope that the loud and muffled voices outside is an indication that everything is going to work out for the prince; for the kingdom of utopia.

laying around in bed all day, only watching as the sun comes up and down as the wind sways the branches outside the window, wishing you could contribute more, if anything than just wait around all day feeling absolutely useless.

the first creak of the door ever since morning is heard, jongho having told you he won't be able to bring the next meal as he'd be out with the other guards but said someone else would.

and every time, no matter how hard you try burying the inappropriate sentiment, you wish it was the prince, even if just to see him for a minute.

you haven't seen him since that day.

but still, you're grateful to have any interactions at all. even if it's not the prince.

"hey," hongjoong greets, a thin smile on as he goes to take a seat on the stool facing the bed.

"hey hongjoong," you return, finally able to sit up without feeling like your gut's about to spill out.

"you doing better?"

you nod.

"a lot better compared to before."

"good. thought i should drop by to let you know about what's going to happen the next couple of days," his voice a deeper, stern tone, "the prince and royals of aurora will be going down the districts, one by one. the prince wants to let everyone know of the upcoming changes and fix that he has in plan. me and jongho will be away, but yunho and the rest of the guards will stay in the castle with the queen, the princess, and you."

"and how long are you guys going to be gone?"

hongjoong shrugs. "really depends. it could be a week, it could be more than that. traveling down to the fifth and coming back up here is gonna be a while. but as quick as possible, i hope."

"okay..." you frown. "just, stay safe."

you care for their safety and wellbeings more than anything. all three people of whom you're most familiar with, going off and risking their lives again. you're going to feel a certain type of way about it.

but they're doing it for a good cause. for the nation. for everyone. and so you allow to put your heart at rest just a little bit.

"don't worry. aurora brought some protections as well, and if we can convince the second district now overrun by outlaws, the rest of them should be easy."

hongjoong leaves after some last words of encouragment, and him wishing you a fast healing process.

later that night, they all left for the lower districts as stated.

the castle grows increasingly quiet, all ruckus from before now dwindled down to almost nothing.

the guards are usually busy patrolling outside, even more now that the prince is out, and the only people that seems to actually be around are the queen and princess.

the princess is the one to bring your meals, and you feel awful about the fact when it should be the other way around.

but she is wonderful. soft-spoken, elegant in her manners, and always with a smile on her face although you know it's not easy for anyone, especially what she's going through.

she bears almost no resemblance to san, but there's still some tell-tale features, like their eyes. the same foxy and slanted characteristic trademark on both siblings that looks so mellow on the princess, but entirely menacing on the prince.

"your tea."

the soft call of her voice would get you up from bed immediately, scooting over to thank her as you two meet eyes.

once you start feeling a lot better, able to stand on your feet and support yourself fully, you stroll the garden with the princess as she reminisce about everything crossing both of your path.

"i, too, wanted to be trained in weapons and self defense, but father said it wasn't suitable for someone like me. he would always take me out to the garden instead, in hope i'd develop a liking for it just so he didn't have to deal with the persistence. and i did... i did blossomed a love for gardening."

you scowl at the revelation.

"well, that's not right."

"it's not, but it was my father's order. he was a stubborn man and didn't like to listen to anyone. i wish i could say i saw anything else for father's ending."

both the prince and princess seems to share a mutual feeling regarding the father figure. though they understand the deeply flawed king, it's hard and conflicting when it's your own father.

"brother taught me what he could, which wasn't always possible because father was always around. but san is a good person... despite the amount of pressure father put on him, i believe he would be a great king. better than father himself."

a smile cross your lips at the mention of san.

"i believe he would be a great king, too," you add. you know he will be, and you wish for nothing more than all his dreams to come true.

"brother san seems to have taken a great liking to you," the princess brings up, recalling the signs and body language of her younger brother when he was with you despite your sleeping state and lack of awareness.

an act of affection and fondness she has never seen the prince give anyone before. not even the noble daughters that would show for events.

"oh, no," you deny, shaking your head, but the way your stomach swoops at the statement is real.

"why not?" she tilts her head, a brow raising. "do you not like him?"

"no--i mean, i do. i like the prince as a friend, but anything more than that would be innappropriate, i think." your volume tapers and your eyes shy away from hers, but the soft giggle makes you snap back.

"love is a beautiful thing. you shouldn't run from it, no matter the class difference or adversities. i know my brother wouldn't."

she smiles and pat your shoulder, abruptly taking your hand and leading the way out of the garden.

"so tell me, did you know that the kingdom didn't used to be divided into districts?"

you hum from behind, "actually, i do. i read it in an old history book i found back at the orphanage."

the kingdom used to just be utopia as a whole. no divisions of anything or labels to anyone. but when the capital found out they could cheat the system and hog all resources and supplies by dividing up the nation, the district system was implemented.

and those who lived furthest from the capital suffered the worst due to change, which was why the fifth district, a once fine ground for fishermen and access to the sea, declined overtime due to the lack of available care.

"yes," she mumbles, letting go of your hand and turning around, your feet screeching with the sudden stop. "brother wishes to abolish the system, after mostly everything gets taken care of, of course. by then, none of this 'social class' would matter as much."

you know she means it from the good of her heart; soul just as kind as her brother, but it is not only the struggle of being a fifth district kid, but also the reality of being a no one as compared to a prince.

you get accustomed to the newer routine, waking up the crack of dawn to go help the princess prepare breakfast the best your healing body can. just the smallest, throbbing pinch still there when you sit up, but you're fine nonetheless.

the morning when the sun hasn't even shown its head yet, your body still tired and mind hazy, the opening of the door gets a silent groan out of you as you turn to the source expecting the princess to have something for you so early.

but the sight jolts you from sleep, and you know that it's him, even in the faintest lighting.

"good morning," his voice like velvet has you sitting up, your gaze trained on him the entire time he goes to take a seat at the stool.

"good morning, prince," you return, the smallest amount of joy hiding in your delivery because you really are so happy to see him again.

he went back to the princely attire coloured in white, and his hair a slicked back kind that makes him so handsome, although some strands are loose and slightly messy from the many days gone by.

"san," he corrects you, the sound of his actual name so much better when you say it.

"san," you repeat, a short giggle after that he joins along. "so you're back already. how did it go?"

your expression changing to stern that instant, if you stare at him any longer, you might just burn a hole from how serious you are.

"a lot better than i expected," he answers, a thin smile on as he scoots closer. "i really owe it to the king and prince of aurora. if they hadn't took pity in me, i don't know what else i would've done. but for some reason, they chose to believe in me, and i really am so grateful for that."

he must've been so scared but unwilling to show it. unwilling to give away the fear that the kingdom in his hand is so close to crumbling down by a mere inch, everything could fall apart just like that.

but he had to persist through the hardships and doubts; masking any weaknesses because it would scare away the people if he did. if the ruler of the kingdom itself barely has any faith in the situation.

you reach for his hand, the stronge urge to comfort him as the soft look on you melt into his.

"san, they believe in you because they can see that you're capable. and i believe as well, that you from now on, you will make utopia a better place for the people."

he thinks that you always have such a way with words; how they always make him feel so warm and at ease every time. it's never felt so easy with anyone before.

"y/n," he calls almost in a whisper, taking his hands out of your grasp to now enclose yours. "i apologize for not visiting you. but as soon as i returned and had cleared everyhing with the royals of aurora, i came to you immediately."

"no. it's okay. you have a duty as the prince of the nation, i totally understand. there's no need to apologize."

you can feel his grip on you getting tighter, his eyes a type of desperate but also affectionate.

"but still, you saved my life. you traded yours for mine. to me, you're just as important."

you're surprise by the confession, an array of butterflies dancing in the pit of your stomach and you can see the prince growing more tense, but nonetheless, he persists.

"before i go any further, can i ask you one question first?"

you nod at that. "go ahead."

"you and jongho..." he starts, only to thin out before trying again, "are you guys... dating? or, well, do you like him?"

he's nervous and if he wasn't holding you, he would probably start fidgeting to hide the fact.

"me and jongho?" you quirk an eyebrow, failing to hold back the snicker from the thought while the prince just stares dumbfoundedly.

"i love jongho, but he's more like family than anything. we've been through a lot together but i can't see him in that light."

you've given similar answers out a couple times, especially to the other servants who thought you both had a crush on each other.

the prince's chest drop in relief and you can't hide the amusement you get from it.

"what? you thought me and jongho had something?" you can't stop giggling.

"well, i just had to make sure," he says, a hint of embarrassed and shy that is incredibly cute.

he wouldn't tell you that the one time he actually decided to come in the midst of everything, jongho was already by your side and if you didn't look so happy, he wouldn't have went back because he could tell jongho is someone special to you.

"so?" you await what he has to say, the eagerness only making him more nervous.

the grip on you loosening up to a more softer but more intimate one, one of his thumb running over your hand before he speaks.

"i know this might be too sudden and we haven't known each other for long, but, if your heart isn't taken by anyone, i'd like to ask for a vow."

you just stare ahead and wait for him to finish the sentence, your heart beating exceptionally loud.

"i understand it's a bit abrupt, but... i-i've never felt this way with anybody else. there's something special when i'm you, and i'd like to ask for a vow; a promise that we'll reserve our hearts for each other."

he's so scared, willing to take the chance at first because he will regret it if he doesn't. but now, he's afraid he might've ruined whatever he had with you in the first place, retracting immediately when there's only silence from you.

"but it's not an obligation. you don't have to. i'm just--"

"--i would love to," you cut, watching the panic on his face dissipate that instant.

"really?"

"yes. i would love to," you assure once again, the thinnest smile crossing your lips that soon turns bigger when he returns one.

he's absolutely over the moon to know the feeling is mutual; that what he felt and got from the time together wasn't just because you were compelled to treat him equal to his title.

that something more came out of it.

"but..." you mumble, the smile fading when reality sets in again. "is this going to be okay? you're a prince, and i'm just... me."

"of course it's going to be okay. i don't care who or what you are," he comforts, delivery incredibly passionate, you can't fight it. "but more importantly, before you give me your words once and for all, i need to know if you'll be okay with the conditions first. you can be honest. i won't be upset because i would never try to hold you back regarding anything."

"i'm listening," you acknowledge.

"the citizens of utopia have decided to give me a chance. that chance is not only to salvage the nation, but to also prove to them that i'm capable of leading and won't repeat the same mistakes those who came before we did. i don't know how long it's going to take; specifically how many years. but i will crack down on any remaining harmful outlaw members, i will be traveling in and out of the kingdom a lot, and i will be working on making this nation a better place for everyone. that is something i promised to do, and i will do just that."

he takes a deep breath and start again, eyes on yours. "so if you don't want to wait, i won't hold it against you. if there's things or someone better out there waiting for you, you don't have to accept my proposal. but just if you do... if you're willing to wait for me, once the nation is in a stable state and i don't have to stress too much about being all over the place, i promise then, that i will ask for your hand in marriage."

the bold declaration does take you by surprise, hard to grasp that the prince of all people would want to marry you.

"i know it's a lot to take in," he says, "but you don't have to give me an answer now. whenever you're ready."

you shake your head.

"no--i mean, i would love to. no matter how long i have to wait, i think it'll be worth it. after all, the nation is your priority and the people needs you."

he's taken aback by how fast you made up your mind, but overjoy that you want it just as much as he does. he can't be any happier.

"you're sure you want to do this?" he asks again just to be sure, but crossing his fingers you don't just so happen to change your mind.

you nod earnestly.

"i'm sure. besides, i doubt any guy would ever be interested in me let alone want to get married."

he chuckles, a sound you can to listen all day.

"even if they are, they can't get you now. so i don't want to see any of them trying to woo you or something. and you can't give in because you already gave me your words."

it's your turn to laugh, the jealousy endearing on him.

"well how would i know you'll keep your words, too? what if i wait and wait until i'm a grandma with grey hair only for you to take it back? marry someone else instead and say you don't want me anymore?" you tease.

"tskk," he sneer, "that won't happen, because i would never promise anything i knew i couldn't do. so you don't have to worry."

a reassuring smile spreads across his lips as so does yours, seconds passing by when the silence consumes the room and the both of you just stare at each other, completely smitten.

you notice the slightly fallen strands covering his eyes, going to move it with your finger but your hand stopping at his cheek after, a staring contest ensuing before something comes over you, leaning over to deliver a kiss to his other cheek.

when you pull back, the shy and flustered reaction of the prince brings another giggle out from you.

"i believe you, then. go and show everyone that they made the right choice in giving you a chance. go and make the nation a better place for the citizens. no matter how long, when you come back, i'll be right here... for you."

age 20:

you're twenty years old when the district system is abolished, and when you're nearing twenty-one, it will have been a year since you've spoken to the prince, and will be a few months that you've last seen jongho.

he had been given an opportunity to stay at the castle as one of the prince's permanent companions and took it.

as for you, you moved back to what used to be the fifth district, your heart and soul still full of regard for the place no matter how far you run because every last memory of your parents are rooted here.

you didn't want and couldn't ask for anything in return for the loyalty to the royal family during their toughest time, only taking the coins they had kindly insisted on giving and proceeded to find somewhere to settle. make a life for yourself.

the first few months after declaration of adjustments were as tough for anyone else as it was for you. no matter how positive of an effect, changes are always difficult.

the nobles having to reclaim their homes again after migrating from fear of the outlaws; the party finally retreating, and the former having to piece everything back together with the thought in mind that everything won't be the same, but it will be fair.

the lower districts benefitting the most from the changes but time is their biggest adversary, because though good things are coming, they're not going to come in an instant. having to wait days, months, years, for the full glory to show can be defeating.

but nevertheless, it's coming, and tomorrow will be better than yesterday and so forth. a year later and you can already notice the difference, especially the sea that once gave up on the nation ready to ripple once more.

where you're currently at, you couldn't have done it without the help of those around you. hongjoong who gave you full rights to his hideout in the fifth district because he won't have the use for it anymore, having also been promoted to work alongside the prince.

and with the coins the royal family gave you, you put it into materials to hone the skill you're best at, now finally making a living off sewing and embroidery.

over the year, you've renovated the small shack to your liking with the knowledge you carried from your father, building something for yourself you can call home.

you can still recall that feeling; the first sinking realization of being alone and the taste of freedom. you no longer belonged to somebody or owed anything to anyone. no longer the poor kid just waiting for a better life.

you were your own person, and it feels amazing to be free, though you think it would be even better if he was there.

the thought of him crossing your mind every couple of days, wishing for nothing but only the best for him, hopeful that one day, he will return to fulfill the promise.

"those are some fine handkerchiefs you have there," a young man's voice stops you, spinning around to greet him with a smile.

"you crafted them yourself?" he asks, his tone a type of mischievious that you don't even read into.

"yes," you simply reply, always putting on your best behavior when there's a possible customer. "would you like to take a look at them for yourself?"

"i'd love to."

you untangle the basket from your arm and start going through the many fabrics of your creation.

"wow. not only is the creator herself beautiful, but so are the creations. i've never seen these kind of patterns before," he comments, a smirk on that is both amused and flirty, you can't help the way your cheeks immediately reddens.

the man only seems to find the sight even more endearing as a snicker bubbles out of him while you're still just standing there because you've never met someone so shameless before.

you're about to say something when an arm is thrown around your shoulders instead, turning to the source and your body an immediate mix of relieved, joy, and a skipping heartbeat.

"san..." you say by natural instinct, his unreadable expression meeting yours before moving to the young man in front.

"i'm sorry, i told her to not go wandering by herself but she wouldn't listen. let's go back, honey."

he snatches the basket out of your hold with his other hand and hauls you back the other way.

"i've only been gone for a year and you're already flirting with another man?" he accuses once you're able to flee from his clutch, his steps following right behind you as a pout overtakes his face.

"i wasn't flirting. i was trying to make money," you weakly defend, focus on the path back to your place that you believe the word 'cottage' would be more fitting for.

"you're way too beautiful and talented to be out there spending your days talking to young men."

"pfft," you blow, "and you're way too handsome and princely to be traveling everywhere and going to other kingdoms in the presence of other noble and royal daughters."

"and i'd still choose you, baby."

your heels dig the dirt flooring, snapping around from the pet name, a laughter at the verge of coming out.

san can see the amusement on your face, only smirking in response.

"what? i know you like being called that."

this time, you really do laugh and he follows right after, absolutely in love with everything about you. whether that's snarking back or laughing at him.

"whatever you say, prince," you poke more fun at him before dragging him by the wrist into your place.

"cute what you've done," he pass a comment while you put the basket away.

"yes. and i have just about everything i need."

it's just a little bigger than the hideout back at what used to be the third district, but it has the same convenience in that it's close to the river, cutting out trips to the bathhouse which saves a lot of time.

he nods, the dimpled smile never leaving his face.

"so... what brings you here?" you eventually ask, sitting next to him on your bed, the atmosphere shifting because despite enjoying the banter and mischief of it all, you miss him and haven't seen him in over a year.

"we just returned and arrived at the port this morning, so i wanted to come visit and see how you're doing. you know, to make sure no one was trying to sweep you off by your feet."

you playfully land a slap to his shoulder, snickering.

"you're ridiculous. all year long and my love life is so dry, but the one day someone acknowledges me, you just have to come back," you reply with sarcasm.

"i'm sorry to ruin that for you, but you can't take it back. you promised to marry me, and i will make sure every guy in the kingdom knows that."

you remember the first time meeting san, his state of grief making him almost an entirely different person. quiet, stoic, and always in distress, it's the most wonderful surprise that he's actually a child at heart.

able to let loose once in a while and just have fun.

"no need to. you won't have any competitions at all."

he chuckles quietly at that and closes any remaining distance between you two.

"you speak too lowly of yourself when you're the most beautiful girl i've ever seen."

you bat your eyelashes, shying away from his gaze. you just blush way too easy.

he chuckles at the sight and moves the subject along, "but i also came because i have good news. the king and prince mingi of dune have agreed to a treaty."

"really? t-that's great!" you stumble your wording, beyond happy for him because this was everything he wanted and planned for.

"yeah. it wasn't easy but the fact we have aurora did most of the convincing. dune was... interesting to say the least," he says, briefly recalling the month he spent at the kingdom.

"you did it, though" you smile. "it's only going to get better from now on."

"i hope so. but it seems the real challenge just began. this place is going to need a lot of work."

"that, it is. but for now, you just need to relax. rest a little and eat if you already haven't. i can make you some soup, would you like that?"

he nods.

"i would love that."

he loves how comfortale and easy it is with you. when the weight on his shoulders gets too heavy, he can always rely on you to make it better, even if just for a bit.

"so where do i sleep?" he asks, walking back in after washing himself by the river with the towel you gave him.

the day had been nothing short of a dream, eating and cleaning together and just small exchanges that multiplies the butterflies in your stomach.

you wish everyday was like this.

"the floor," you joke, the response making him scowl.

"i'm carrying the nation on my back and you're gonna make me sleep on the floor?" he throws the towel over his shoulder, his wet strands of hair swaying along with his movements.

"that bed looks big enough for the two of us." he points with his chin. "besides, we're gonna get married anyways."

you roll your eyes, snatching the towel from him as you go to ruffle his wet hair with it, his shout of protests underneath coming out muffled.

"fine." you land the fabric back around his neck, crawling into bed and scooting to the wall to make space.

he lays down and faces you, your gaze burning into each other's when he cranks out a smile.

"i'll be leaving in the morning and you might not see me again for a while after. don't you think you should give me something to remember you by?"

your brows furrow, your mind jumping to conclusion considering the position you guys are in and the tone in which he said it.

"i'm not gonna have sex with you," you spit, prompting the loudest laughter ever from him, followed by confusion from you.

"no, of course not. i was talking about another of your handkerchiefs."

"oh..." you murmur, feeling embarrassed.

"not until we get married at least. then, we can do it," he states with confidence, the thought of taking you to bed and inserting control another way is tempting, and he can't wait for the day.

you smack his chest lightly, as flustered as you are, you can't help the giggle that slips out.

a few seconds of silence pass by before he starts moving closer, his breath ghosting your skin and finger going to caress your cheek.

"i really do want to kiss you right now, though," he confess, "if that's okay with you."

you nod as much as your pillowed head allows you to.

"that's okay with me."

you close your eyes shut, trying to keep from flinching as you await his kiss, moments later only for his lips to crash against yours, his hand moving to your jaw and his body pressing forward as the kiss deepens.

you kiss him like it's the last kiss between you and him; like your life depends on it, the bed creaking under as he takes it upon himself to connect your bodies.

he pulls back much to your disappointment, both of your chests heaving and trying to catch your breath, his forehead bumped with yours and tip of his nose brushing your own.

"good enough," he speaks, his breath still not yet returned, "any more than this and i might not be able to contain myself."

you giggle, placing a soft peck on his cheek, flashing one last smile.

"goodnight, prince."

"have a safe trip, and take care of yourself," you bless, blue in your heart as san makes his way back to you after speaking to the coachman.

all the laughters and butterflies of yesterday won't be experienced again until who knows how long. he will be away after this, and you will miss him dearly.

you wish he could stay but you know he can't. he has something bigger and better to worry about.

he stops before you, melancholy in his eyes as well. he doesn't want to leave you but he has to. and as much as he wants to take you along, he can't let you bear the same responsibilities and weight.

he wants for you to be there, when he already made everything better.

"you take care of yourself, too." his hands naturally finding itself cupping your cheeks. "don't overwork yourself."

"i won't."

you place your own hands over his, desperate to salvage his touch for one last time.

"when can i expect to see you again?" you ask.

"i don't have a definite answer, but i'll be back. i promise."

you two share one last kiss before you watch him go off, blue still in your heart, but you know that someday, he'll come back, and it will be to stay.

age 23:

you're twenty-three years old when there's a knock at the door one suspicious morning.

living in the middle of nowhere, and even over the years, you're only able to count on one hand the range of selection there is when it comes to who it could be.

"hongjoong?" you squint, the man you haven't seen in forever looking slightly more buffed; mature, his hair styled and attire new and shiny.

"great seeing you again," he greets, still on horseback and glancing down at you.

"would you like to come inside? for some tea or a drink?" you ask, figuring it's only proper etiquette you do.

"i'm good. i only came to deliver something."

you continue squinting, one hand shielding your eyes from the early sun, reaching out when hongjoong hands you a letter and unfolding it.

"an invitation from the prince?" you read, incredulity as you shoot up to look at him.

"yes. the prince is finally accepting his accession to king and the coronation will be held a week from now. that is all i have for today. i have to head back soon."

you have so many more questions but hongjoong already turns his back before you can ask them, settling for staring at the ink in awe when the sound of his voice picks your head up again.

"i hope to see you there. the prince will be expecting you."

you leave for the capital the following day, packing only essentials and enough coins, taking along pearl, the white horse you had purchased a year back for traveling purposes.

there's been a lot changes in the four years since san took the reign, all of them for the better, of course.

some of the homes have been revamped, some new ones added, and everywhere you passed, there are greens and beauty in each sceneries.

the citizens look happier, kids a lot less miserable and even those in the orphanages are coming around to the new implements along with those in progress to solve overcrowding.

members of the outlaws have dwindled over time and quieted.

for the first time in hundreds of years, utopia is able to live up to its name in some form; a place of ideal perfection.

so you couldn't fret too much; be upset that in the three years that have passed, san's only visited you once. because if it wasn't for him, the nation wouldn't have been able to achieve the current state.

you travel to the capital with hope, expectation, and excitement at the fact you will be seeing him again; a strong belief that everything will feel just the same as last time.

you stop at inns to rest when the nights fall and start again at dawn, reaching the destination in five days total, the day before san's coronation.

there isn't any difference to the castle, not even a bit. a touch of nostalgia hitting you when thinking back to the event four years ago.

entrance is easy to get through, showing both of the guards who seems to recognize you, the letter.

tying your horse to the nearest tree, you proceed to the door with a pounding heart, banging on it twice before the castle door creaks from the other side, absolutely no idea who the person could be.

"y/n!"

your eyes widen at the sight, that nervousness replaced by delight.

"jongho!"

before he can get another word out, you're already in his arms, the warmth of your best friend something you missed greatly in the full year you haven't seen him.

you can him hear giggling in your hair, pulling away to that goofy smile of his as one settles on your lips as well.

"you came," he simply says.

"of course i did."

jongho takes you inside, your nosy eyes wandering the interior that's also the same as before but still dazzling with all its history, cracks in some of the wall, and antiques.

you greet the queen and the princess who only gets more beautiful by the years, them welcoming you with warm smiles and you can tell immediately the new changes other than their appearances.

they sound happier; no other burdens or weight pulling them down, carrying it around like a haunting that won't go away.

you walk around the courtyard with jongho after, finally a time and place to catch up. all those time of being with each other, you didn't think you could survive if he wasn't by your side, but to have gone four long years only seeing him once in a blue moon, you'd say that's some character development.

"how are things here for you?" you ask him, walking alongside shoulder to shoulder.

"amazing," he answers almost instantly, "it's crazy. i never thought i'd get the chance to work in the capital, but the royal family's castle? with the prince? it's everything i've ever wanted."

you can't stop smiling, his tone telling of just how much he means what he just said.

"that's great. i'm happy for you. you did always say you wanted all those training to go into something."

he nods.

"and you? how are things down there?"

"much better. it's coming together. the people's the most tame i've ever seen them."

jongho hums in acknowledgement.

"i heard you're going to become queen," he suddenly brings up, and you almost choke in return.

"and who the hell said that?"

"--i did."

the familiar voice that isn't jongho makes the both of you turn around, your stomach dropping and heart palpitating because you know all too well who it belongs to.

you can only stare breathless as he takes a step closer, your throat dry.

he's just as mesmerizing as you remember but like hongjoong, time have passed and he has gotten more bulky, manly, and handsome if that's even possible.

"i'm glad to see you can come," he mumbles, a charming smile on that render your knees weak.

jongho clears his throat, attempting to hide a smirk as he goes to excuse himself politely and walks back inside, leaving you stranded in the presence of san.

everything still feels the same with him.

"yeah. i got the letter," you reply, glancing around the empty area, "though it seems i might have gotten a tad excited."

he snickers, and oh... how you have missed the sound.

"you're the only one i gave a personal invitation to," he unveils.

"oh." your eyes swell, only to break the tension after. "then i guess i'm special."

"you are," he assures, closing the distance and taking one of your hand. "i have promised you that once utopia is stable enough, i will ask for your hand in marriage."

you watch as he goes to pull something out of the pocket of his suit, one of his knees pointed to the ground, his entire body falling with it.

"and now that i've finally reached that goal... y/n, will you marry me?"

it takes a moment for you to process everything, overwhelmed with joy and happiness before you can properly nod.

"yes. of course."

and he will marry you, after the rise to king and acceptance of his title as the ruler of utopia, keeping the promise just as he did to every others.

permanent taglist: @moonchele

a/n: not me talking shit abt wanting broken era to be over only to go & write a 19k oneshot. but i loved writing this & had a lot of fun bc it was v different from what i'd usually write

#i don't know shit abt politics #so go easy #ateez x reader #ateez fluff #ateez angst #choi san x reader #san x reader #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

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brodieland · 29 days

Text

.˚ 𓈒 ࣪.𝝑𝝔 he's not just a man, mom.. ´ˎ˗

Luke Castellan x Fem!Athena!Reader Synopsis: Reader sneaks on a cruise ship with Percy, Annabeth and Tyson. Guess who she has a run in with !!!! Warning(s): slight angst. and uh swears ig Word Count: 1833 A/N: part 2 was requested😘 and I skimmed over a lot, I didn't want to copy and paste most of Sea of Monsters so yk Part 1

Months, well actually, an entire school year has past since your boyfriend, well ex boyfriend now, Luke turned to Kronos. And yes, the rumors are true! Time heals all wounds!! Sure you needed some more time but you were starting to get back to your normal self slowly but surely. And the Athena head counselor position was rightfully handed right back to you (until Annabeth comes back for the summer).

Normally time isn't real for a year rounder like yourself, but there's been an issue. The magic barrier that protects camp Half-Blood is held up by Thalias tree, except her tree has been poisoned. No one knows when or how it happened, but you decided to keep your guess to yourself. Well that doesn't matter now. With Thalias tree slowly getting worse and worse, the border surrounding camp is weakening, allowing monsters to start slipping through and find the camp. Defenses are thinning, and even with summer around the corner enrollment numbers are at their lowest.

Thankfully you weren't on Charisse's bad side so she didn't mind joining forces. And don't get it twisted, you love Annabeth, but you've never loved her more than when you watched her and Percy (and a cyclops??) run up the hill and help fight the monsters.

After the fighting was over, you weren't injured yourself so you went to help out at the infirmary. It helped keep your mind off stuff, and now you had Percy and Annabeth to keep you company. You were currently checking them for burns.

"Wow, 13 and no body hair?"

"THE MONSTER BURNED IT OFF."

You and Annabeth just laughed at the boy. After you both calmed down you started to explain whats been happening the last couple of months at camp while they've been away. Grim expressions washed over them as you finished, Chiron being fired and being replaced with TANTALUS was truly the cherry on top in your opinion.

"Well, time to eat right?"

This might've been one of the most interesting dinners yet. The cyclopes, also known as Tyson, ended up getting claimed by Poseidon (Percy wasn't the biggest fan of this particular development), and we have an upcoming Chariot race coming up (something Tantalus decided to start doing). You weren't planning on participating in the race, but Annabeth and Percy got into a fight so now you had too.

Finally the day came and instead of a friendly race, everyone was attacked by killer birds that were just barely shot out the sky. Maybe some help on Clarrise's end would've been nice, but she thought winning was more important, while you, Tyson, Percy and Annabeth just got punished.

The four of you were stuck washing dishes when the two younger campers got to talking. They were smart ones, basically we needed the Golden Fleece, simple as that. Except who did Tantalus give the quest too? The winner of the race. Clarisse.

"But Grovers my friend!"

"Yeah you guys wouldn't even have the quest if it weren't for us!"

Your yelling didn't help matters, the Ares kids just accused Percy of wanting the spotlight. They just never liked Percy after he beat up their dad, the fact he did that still amazes you. You and Annabeth just accepted the defeated and walked yourselves to your cabin.

"So Annabeth, how's it been in the outside world?"

"Cooler than I thought but please, how's it been with.. you know what?" You averted your gaze slightly and swallowed. You were getting better, but that certainly didn't mean you were over him.

"I haven't heard from mom in like eight months." Annabeth looked at you confused. You never told her about the last conversation with Athena.

"What? I thought you were like, her favorite or something?"

"To be fair I basically told her to fuck off," you shrugged like it wasn't that serious but your sister looked at you like you were crazy. "It was about Luke, you know she never liked him." She just nodded as you both walked back to your cabin. When you got there neither of you couldn sleep and decided to stay up late studying maps of the sea of monsters, where Grover and the Golden Fleece were. Suddenly Annabeth stood up.

"Annie whats wrong?" You asked, looking between her and the maps.

"You didn't hear that?" you just shook your head slowly.

"Maybe it's just time to sleep-"

"No it was Percy, he was screaming for help cmon!" You decided not to bother questioning it and started chasing after her. Annabeth was following the sound and you just followed her. You guys made it out to the beach, where you saw Percy, just fine and not screaming. Tyson came running out too.

"Percy are you okay? Why were you screaming?" Annabeth questioned.

"I wasn't screaming, but I'm glad you guys are here." Percy explained how he had a run in with Hermes. The thought of Hermes just makes you think of Luke. That kinda sucks.

"Anyways, we need to use this," Percy held up a jar and pointed to the cruise behind him, "to get over there."

"Seems... reasonable. We have to hurry the harpies are getting close." you urged.

"Yeah ask your dad for some help" Annabeth pushed Percy toward the ocean. Why did Percy start with small talk, we're on a time crunch. Never the less a bunch of hippocampi came forward and we were off.

"I've never been on a cruise before, I wonder what it's like." You said.

"Probably won't be like any normal one if Hermes sent us." Percy pointed out. If Hermes sent us you, you hoped it meant what you thought it did. And you hated that you were hoping for that. Luke. Ever since your last conversation with your mom, it's like you've been seeing things differently. The gods really did just use their kids, but could you really turn your back on them?

You were cut out of your thoughts when you finally made it to the ship. You all snuck on and wandered through the cruise. Everyone here was like a bunch of lifeless zombies. Now if that didn't raise your suspicious nothing would. You guys were sneaking around until you found an empty suite on the 9th floor. Sleep was a must right now.

"Us girls will be next door alright?" You said.

"Yeah, don't eat or drink anything either," Annabeth added. She was right, something was off here. You and Annabeth left to your side of the suite to change for bed. Annabeth was knocked out in seconds but you just couldn't sleep. You knew why Hermes wanted you guys here, and it kept you up. While your sister was snoring beside you, you took the chance the sneak out the room. All you had was an oversized t-shirt that hung to your mid thigh and a dream.

As you started walking around, there were no lights to be seen. You started from your floor and made your way up. When you got off the elevator on the 13th floor, you saw the room at the end of the hall had a light on. It was nearing 2AM, most people should be asleep. That's when your gut told you this is what you were looking for. You thought it was time to listen to it. You made your way to the door, and saw that it was unlocked. You slowly opened the door and saw a certain someone with his back facing the door, looking off into the ocean through his window.

"Hey Luke," you said. Luke didn't move for a second, but when he turned it was slow.

"Y/N.. I didn't think I'd see you again." Your lip quirked ever so slightly, and you walked up and sat down on the bed in front of you, now just a mere few feet away from him

"Likewise."

"Lemme guess, Percy and Annabeth are with you? Were you sent to kill me?"

"Yes, and no. We weren't sent here, or anywhere in fact."

"Wow, look at her. Ms. Rule Breaker. What would your mother think?" You swallowed at the mention of your mother. What would she think?

"Well, we haven't spoken in eight months." You looked at the ground.

"Hmm, what happened?"

"You happened, that's what." You looked back up at him, he had a shit eating grin on his face. "Wipe that smile off your face Castellan."

"Or what? You're already here, why waste our time together fighting? We both know you're not here for the gods," Luke teased. He was right, so why fight?

"Just come here," you lunged up and jumped in his arms, kissing him like the starved woman you were. You missed him more than you were allowed to admit. Luke was a sore spot at camp, but hey, right now that was not your problem. You knew you were probably disgracing your family by being here doing what you were doing, or WHO you were doing, but you didn't care. You just needed Luke, even if it was just one last time.

When you woke up after a few hours, you wouldn't say you regret it, but maybe it wasn't the best timing. You were facing the window while Luke held you close. You slowly moved his arm from your waist and sat up, seeing the little clothing you had scattered across the room. Crazy night. You untangled yourself from Luke and got redressed. You truly didn't want to leave, but despite everything you couldn't stand with Luke and the war, too many lives would be lost on his behalf. As you made your way to the door Luke woke up,

"So this is it?" You had your hand on the doorknob and turned back to face Luke.

"Yeah," you made eye contact with him, a single tear falling. "It is."

"Goodbye Y/N."

"Goodbye Luke." You made your way out the door and shut it behind you. You took a deep breathe before rushing back to your shared room with Annabeth on the 9th floor. You opened the door, making sure not to make too much noise, except Annabeth wasn't in her bed. You continued walking into the room when the bathroom door opened from behind you.

"And where were you?" Annabeth questioned as she walked out the door.

"With no one!" You said quickly. Annabeth scared the shit out of you. She slightly frowned.

"He's here isn't he? That's why Hermes wanted us to come here?" You just nodded. "Guess it explains the hickies," Annabeth yawned and headed back to her bed. Your face flushed as you ran into the bathroom. Wow.. awkward!!!!

"It was just a goodbye, I'm not joining him," you walked out the bathroom and laid down next to Annabeth. "I can't stand for a war, no matter how much I love him. Or loved."

"Glad you made up your mind, but it's 6AM, can we sleep a little longer?"

You chuckled, "Of course."

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #percy jackson pjo #percy pjo #percy series #annabeth chase #luke castellan #luke castellan pjo #luke pjo #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan x you #luke castellan x y/n

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honeybeefae · 2 years

Text

Cauldron Fated (Eris Vanserra x Reader)

KINKTOBER DAY SIX: MATING BOND

Summary// You considered Eris to be somewhat of a friend, having grown up alongside him in court and being there for him on the scarce times he confided in you. It just felt natural, and as you got older, it started to develop into a crush. He always held you at arm's length though, never dancing with you or joining you on morning rides, which left you with no choice but to move on. But when your engagement is announced at a ball a week later, Eris has a big problem with it…which leads to the discovery of something bigger than both of you.

(If I had the time I would have loved to expand this to a two-part series or longer, it has so much potential. This fic is 6711 WORDS. I am shocked and I really, really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy <3 )

WARNINGS: 18+, smut, mutual pining, angst, repressed feelings, jealousy, mating bond, friends to enemies to lovers, soft meaningful sex

Being born into the Autumn Court as a high fae was a punishment worse than death. The constant backstabbing of court members, the unrelenting criticism from your parents on how you needed to be better than the next person, and the wicked games everyone played were enough for you to want to run as far away as possible. Every waking moment of your life was full of fake smiles and feelings to try and pacify the ones in charge.

But for you to grow a crush on one of the most dangerous men in the Vanserra family? To lie awake at night fantasizing about life between the two of you? It was like adding poison to the never-healing wound.

And yet here you sat, lying underneath a great oak while the leaves fell around you while reading some silly romance and picturing Eris rescuing you from a tower. It was pathetic, and you knew in your heart after many years of him keeping you at arm's length, that there was nothing between the two of you.

You had grown up with him, chased him around the castle as kids and taken lessons together as teens. Both of your mothers were close, and so were you, or so you thought. As the years passed and his mother had more children, Eris grew more cold and distant.

If you did see him, it was only in hallway passings or the occasional dinners and dances. Even then he would turn you down, not even meeting your eyes as you would bow your head and go off with your other friends while trying not to look back.

Sometimes he would talk to you for a minute, though it looked painful for him, and every time he did it would rekindle that dying flame in your soul. You had never yearned for someone like this. And as the hopeless damsel in your book swooned over the prince who had just picked her for a dance, you realized you were no better off than her.

“Is it good?” A low voice said above you, snapping you out of your daydream and making you jump in surprise. Your head turned sharply, eyes widening when you saw Eris leaning against the tree you were tucked away in with a smirk on his face.

“E-Eris!” You exclaimed, pushing up to your feet immediately to address him properly. He watched as you bowed ever so gracefully, head tilted down, before rising back up to meet his eyes. “What are you doing out here?”

“I needed to talk a walk.” He explained while looking up at the sky, mouth downturned. “Fathers can be rather irritating, wouldn’t you agree?”

You nodded in understanding, your hands fisting the sides of your dress. Everyone knew how Beron treated his sons and his wife. He had no qualms in hiding his distaste for them and you always felt bad when one of them got publicly beaten or humiliated, especially if it was Eris. Your father wasn’t half as bad as Beron but he was still overbearing and demanding perfection, never taking your opinion into consideration.

It was the price you paid for being a member of the court.

“I’m sorry he’s being a pain.” You say sincerely. Eris’s eyes turned back to you, some unknown emotion flashing through them before fading away. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Ha.” He scoffed, looking you up and down in amusement. “Thank you for the laugh, Y/N. I needed that.”

“What? You don’t think I could take on the old man?” You grinned, taking a playful fighting stance as you used to as a child. “If I remember correctly, I beat you plenty of times so I think I could handle it.”

It was silly, acting like this in front of him and being a fully grown adult, but it was rare that Eris sought you out for company and you wanted to make the most of it. If anything, at least get him to smile. That was all you wanted.

“Oh yes, you are very fearsome indeed.” He smiled, his body relaxing for the first time in months. You saw the change and couldn’t stop the butterflies that blossomed in your belly, especially when he licked his lips and shook his head at your juvenile actions. “The entire Autumn Court would quiver under your feet.”

“I’m glad we see eye to eye. Just imagine it, standing on the-” You said while raising your foot proudly, not noticing the large root directly in front of you. It caught the toe of your shoe and you fell forward, cutting off your sentences as the ground rushed toward you.

You braced for the fall but it never came, two strong arms catching you before you could smash your face into the cold earth. The force of your descent sent the both of you tumbling and Eris groaned when his back hit the ground, his breath catching in his throat.

The air went still around you as you realized your circumstances, your body pressed against his own as he watched you with uncertainty and worry. Both of you were sharing the same breath, heartbeat thudding in your ears, and you could have sworn he leaned forward slightly into your touch.

But when the sound of footsteps approaching hit his ears, he pushed you off without so much of a warning. You cursed softly as a tree branch scraped against your cheek, rushing to stand and brush yourself off without so much as a hand offered from Eris.

“Eris? Are you out here?” Someone called, peeking over the ledge above you. It was one of his younger brothers. He saw the two of you and smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something, brother?”

“Hardly. She wasn’t watching where she was going and ran into me.” Eris responded, his tone now cold as ice. “What do you want?”

His brother didn’t look entirely convinced but didn’t push the subject, moving his gaze from you to his brother. “Father is looking for you, or rather sending us to look for you.”

“I’m coming. Tell him I apologize for losing track of time.” Eris growled, barely looking back at you as he started to climb the stairs.

“I just am hurt you didn’t share the name of your new lover, Eris. I thought we were closer than that.” His brother taunted, leering at you which made your skin crawl. The situation had gone from the moment of your dreams to a nightmare in a matter of seconds and the sting of Eris’s dismissal was making it worse.

“Please.” Eris scowled, removing a leaf from his hair and looking down at you. “She holds no interest of mine any more than the peasant woman in the streets.”

It felt like he had just stabbed you and twisted the knife to get as deep as possible, his eyes full of cruelty. His brother laughed as they walked back towards their home while you sunk to the floor, hot tears burning your cheeks.

How could you be so, so careless with your feelings? Why on earth did you keep this candle of hope alive for someone like him, someone who obviously couldn’t stand the thought of you?

It was a harsh reality check and you felt like your entire body had been dipped in ice water. The trees rustled around you in a song you didn’t want to hear, burying your head in your arms as you pulled your knees to your chest. After all this time, all the two of you had been through. You had finally reached your breaking point.

Eris Vanserra was not the man you thought he was. He had grown to be like his father, a comparison you never thought you would make. It was time to grow up and leave childish dreams behind, and that started with him.

You wiped your eyes and nose on your sleeve, the book from earlier lying on the ground. It was open to the page where they get married, sealing their love with true love’s kiss, and in a fit of anger, you grabbed it and chucked it into the woods.

There was no such thing as happily ever afters in your world.

It had been a week since the incident with Eris and although it was getting better, you still found yourself moping around late at night. Time would heal the wound but as your mother stood behind you, styling your hair to perfection, you hoped tonight would speed it up.

“Oh, my darling, I am so glad you agreed so readily to Cadoc. When he approached your father I was sure you would have your doubts but,” She sighed happily, looking at you in the mirror proudly. “You knew what to do…for the family.”

“Of course, mother.” You responded almost robotically, the fake smile you have perfected over the years gracing your face easily. “I would do anything for our family.”

She turned you around and patted your cheek before gathering her things and leaving, calling over her shoulder to be ready to leave soon. As soon as the door shut you let out the breath you had been holding and walked to the large mirror, taking in your attire for the night.

The dress fit you perfectly as did the accessories, making you feel like royalty. It wasn’t every day that you got engaged so you might as well enjoy how you looked. Your parents had orchestrated a grand dinner to be held in the great hall of the Forest House to celebrate. An invitation was sent out to every single member of the court.

Of course, that meant the Vanserras were attending but you didn’t want to focus on that. Eris was in your past, worth no more than a speck of dirt on the giant emerald ring that rested on your finger from your fiance.

And if you were being honest, you could do far worse than Cadoc. He was an affluent member of the court, his father owned quite a bit of farmland, and most importantly you had never heard of him laying a hand on a woman. It was a low bar to be set but you would take him over someone like Aagun who proudly boasted of the bruises he would leave on his wife.

Someone knocked on your door and you took a deep breath, squaring your shoulders and following your mother down the steps and into the hallway where your betrothed was waiting for you.

As you drew closer to the doors, you felt fear bubble into your gut, the weight of the situation dawning on you. You were about to walk into your engagement party, with a man you barely knew, and then in a month's time, you were to be wed. This was what you had been raised for, to be a wife and mother, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that what was happening was wrong.

Like you were going against fate itself.

But when Cadoc rounded the corner, his own parents flanking his sides, you knew you could not say anything. It would put your family at risk to deny such an advantageous marriage and embarrass them in front of everyone. You had to do this.

He stopped in front of you, his green eyes dull but soft, and lifted your hand to kiss. You smiled politely as you had so many times before, trying not to compare the way his touch felt to Eris’s. “You look beautiful, Y/N.” He complimented, not letting go of your hand as you both turned to face the doors that were about to open.

“Thank you, Cadoc. You look as handsome as ever.” You replied, the words tasting foul in your mouth. He gave you another reassuring smile just as the large, oak doors opened to reveal the two of you.

The sound of applause echoed around you as you let him lead you into the great hall, everyone’s faces blurring together as the lights shone too bright. You could feel the air get harder to breathe but you did your best to control it, smiling brightly as you finally arrived at your table.

“Thank you.” You murmured as he held out the chair for you, making sure you were comfortable before taking the seat beside you. Both of your families took their respective places and the feast began, music starting up from somewhere in the corner of the room.

You didn’t even wait for the server to finish pouring your glass before you all but snatched it and downed it one gulp. If you were going to get through this, you needed to be at least a little buzzed. Your mother shot you a glare and you apologized, placing the glass back down and turning your attention to the decorations.

It was beautifully decorated, all the colors of fall present with touches of gold. The candles were all lit, including the giant chandelier above your head, and it made the entire room glow like embers. You noticed how well dressed everyone was as well, though you were the only one in cream, and couldn’t help but think back to when you would attend these parties as a teenager. How you would think the bride-to-be was feeling, the excitement of wanting to be in her seat.

And the irony that now you sat, staring at the table of children, and envying their innocence.

A flash of red hair caught the corner of your eye and before you could stop yourself, you were now fully facing Eris. He was sitting at his family’s table, in the front of course, with a dark scowl on his face. All of the emotions you had been shoving down were threatening to rise to the surface, the memory of his wicked words bouncing around your brain.

So, with all the grace of the woman you were raised to be, you drew your lips into a tight line and turned away to face your fiance. Cadoc immediately turned to you and you took the opportunity to lean forward and give him a chaste kiss on his lips.

He seemed shocked at your boldness but fixed his face before anyone noticed, returning your kiss with his own. You could feel the eyes of everyone on you and you decided you needed another drink, the food now being served giving you an excuse to drink as many glasses as you wanted.

As the night went on you could feel your body relax, though the same couldn’t be said for your thoughts. You were having to consciously stop yourself from seeking out Eris and every time you stumbled, he was always glaring at you or Cadoc. It was starting to get on your nerves but before you could get too heated, or do something stupid, your fiance decided it was time to dance.

All the lessons you took as a child paid off well when it came to your ability to dance. The music made your soul feel light as you twirled in his arms, following his lead and smiling at the clapping of everyone watching. You were surprised at how well Cadoc danced, both of your bodies easily falling into line, and you started to think that perhaps your earlier concerns were just pre-engagement jitters.

That or the wine had really gone to your head.

As the song came to a close and you began to bow to him, you gasped as he pulled you into his body and kissed you deeply. You had no choice but to kiss him back, wrapping your arms around his neck as your friends and other members of the court cheered you on.

Cadoc finally pulled back and blushed, letting you take a step back as another song began. “I’m sorry about that, Y/N. I got caught up in the moment.” He apologized, scratching the back of his head. You knew he meant it and although the kiss didn’t feel right at all, you didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“It’s fine, Cadoc. I promise. Shall we have another dance?” You asked, motioning to the other people who had joined the dance floor. He let out a sigh of relief and nodded, reaching for your hand only to grunt when he was not so gently pushed out of the way.

“Excuse me-” He began to say before you both looked up and saw who had done it. Eris was staring at him as one might stare at a sworn enemy, his eyes full of fury as he raised an eyebrow in question.

“I’m sorry, did I interrupt?” Eris asked, already knowing the answer. You could feel the arrogance rolling off of him as he stared down Cadoc. “It truly was not my intention to break up such a happy couple.”

“What do you want, Eris?” You snapped, making them both turn to you in surprise. Cadoc looked worried, knowing you could easily be beaten for talking to him like that, while Eris seemed…hurt?

“I came to ask for a dance, if your fiance doesn’t mind.” He replies, barely glancing at Cadoc. When he went to answer you cut him off, the wine in your belly making it harder to control your emotions.

“If he doesn’t, I do.” You grabbed Cadoc’s hand and began to lead him away only to hiss when you were pulled back roughly.

Eris was fuming, his nostrils flared, and you met his rage with your own. He had no right to try and dance with you after what he had said. You knew he was doing this to get a rise out of you, to make you relive his words, and you were kicking yourself for not realizing just how cruel he had become.

Before the two of you could start an argument, you felt Cadoc let go of your hand. “It is no trouble, my lord. I was going to visit anyways.” He reassured while backing away, giving you a look that said ‘don’t do anything stupid’, and disappearing into the crowd.

A throat cleared in front of you and you let out a huff of frustration, facing Eris once more. He motioned to the group of dancers and you rolled your eyes, following his lead into the swarm.

The music was loud and dominating, much like the man before you, as he twirled you into his arms. You could feel his muscles underneath the flimsy silk of his shirt as you both battled for the lead. It reminded you of your dance lessons as children, neither one of you wanting to give an inch.

“Still a stubborn dancer, I see.” He said, smirking at the scowl on your face.

“I just don’t have the right partner.” You retorted, your skirts gliding between the both of you as the music began to pick up. “It’s why I am so glad to have Cadoc.”

Eris’s jaw ticked at the mention of his name, his hands tightening around your own as you spun around once more. When he pulled you back into his arms, he made sure you felt every inch of him, his head dipping down to your neck sensually. It almost made your knees give out, cursing your body on its weakness before you shoved away from him and went back into the proper stance.

“Don’t do that. Not here, not ever.” You warned him, trying to keep your voice low so as not to alert anyone around you. The last thing you wanted was for a rumor to start before your marriage could even get off the ground. “Do not act like you have a claim to me.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted.” His voice was teasing, his words making your head fuzzy. You couldn’t figure out what game he was trying to play, why all of a sudden he was acting like this of all places. “I thought you wanted me, my attention.”

And as the music reached a crescendo, both of you gliding through the mass of bodies, you realized what was happening. Eris was jealous. He knew your feelings, had known all along, and yet he only cared when you had moved on.

With the wine, the music, and the realization of just how fucked up this situation was, you couldn’t hold in your anger any longer. You pulled away from him forcefully, glaring at him with all the hatred you could muster. He looked taken aback by your show of emotions and you had to resist the urge to smack him across the face.

“Do not ever come near me again, Eris Vanserra.” You seethed, fists curling at your side as everyone continued to dance around you. “I hate you.”

You didn’t wait for his reply, turning sharply on your heel and storming past everyone and out the doors. Some people turned to look at you, whispering to each other, but you could care less. You needed to get away from everything.

The hallway was cool and dark as you started to run to your room, your heels clicking against the floor. You had to lift your skirts in order not to trip, not daring to look back in fear that he was chasing you. When you reached the staircase that led to your floor you finally stopped, taking a deep breath and leaning against the wall.

Tears were prickling the corner of your eyes and threatening to ruin your makeup but you were powerless to stop them. You placed a hand over your heart as you tried to process what had just happened, knowing people were going to start looking for you soon. All you had to do was make it to your room.

Just as you went to peek around the corner to see if anyone had come out yet, a warm hand slapped over your mouth and drug you backward and into the darkness.

After a moment you felt your feet hit solid ground and the hand release you. You wasted no time in raising your fist and swinging at your kidnapper, your eyes widening when your hand was caught by Eris. He glared at you, your fist inches away from his face, and pushed your hand back down to your side.

“Where are we?” You asked loudly, taking multiple steps backward as you surveyed the room. He went to cover your mouth again to hush you but you shoved him with all your strength, not wanting any part of him to touch you. “I swear on the Mother if you try to touch me-”

“Will you be quiet?” Eris hissed, thinly veiled anger lacing his words as he glanced toward the door. “They are sure to be looking for you and unless you have an explanation for the dramatic exit you just made, I would think you should be thanking me for rescuing you.”

If there were ever a moment that steam could come from your ears, it would be now. Your vision turned red at the edges as you laughed in disbelief.

“Thanking you? Have you gone mad, or is that your ego grew so much that your brain got squished?” You raged, the fire that lay deep within your bones making its way to the surface. “None of this would have happened if you would have stayed far, far away from me. You have no right to pretend that all of a sudden I am everything you desire now that I have moved on from you.”

Eris took a threatening step towards you, making your back hit the cool wall behind you as he stared you down. “Is that then? You’ve moved on because some boy gave you a pretty ring and promised you the moon and the stars?” He asked snarkily, tilting his head as your eyebrows scrunched together at his implication. “Do I mean nothing to you?”

You swallowed the burning lump in your throat and raised your head up high, your heart breaking as you said, “No more than the peasant down the street, Eris Vanserra.” The words were not what you felt, not at all, but after everything he had put you through you were not about to give in to him when he realized what he wanted too late. This was caused by his actions, not yours.

He stood there and you watched the words sink in, your soul crying out as you saw true pain in his eyes. You were no better, your hands shaking as you pushed past him and made your way to the door.

“Y/N,” Eris called painfully, grabbing your hand before you could touch the handle.

You knew you should have snatched your hand back, should have opened the door, and never looked back, but you couldn’t. There was something in his voice, a desperation, that pulled a string in your heart you didn’t know existed. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face him, bracing yourself for the worst.

“Don’t leave me.” He pleaded, sinking down to his knees in front of you. It was a sight you weren’t prepared for, to see the heir of the Autumn Court begging for you, and it made your eyes widen in disbelief. “I can’t lose you. I know what I have done, what I have said, cannot be taken back. I know that.”

Eris looked down at your hands, at how different they were, and took another steadying breath. “I thought I was protecting you. I did not want to subject you to the horrors of what my life is like, what my family is like, and so I did my best to keep you away.”

“I wanted to keep you safe but when I saw you with him, dancing and kissing like you had known him your whole life, I couldn’t stop myself.” You could hear the pain in his voice as he pressed on, looking up at you once more. “I acted out of spite. I thought I could endure it for you but I can’t, not with you not knowing the truth first.”

As he rose up, you let go of his hands, your brain trying to understand everything he just said. Eris had treated you like this to protect you from him and his family, wanting to keep you safe from what being with him would surely entail. It was a huge revelation and while your soul sang for the joy of the situation, you had one question that needed to be answered.

“You don’t hate me?” You whispered, your voice wavering in fear that this was all a dream.

He cupped your face in both hands, wiping away the stray tear that had escaped, and said earnestly, “I have loved you for my entire life, Y/N. My feelings for you have never waned nor faded, it is a love that the Cauldron destined and I have been the most ignorant fool to run from it for so long.”

As soon as he stopped speaking, you felt that same string from earlier tug you closer. It felt so real that it made you look down in confusion, wondering what it was. When you looked back up, Eris had an entirely different emotion in his eyes.

Hope.

“Can you feel it too?” You asked incredulously, the old stories of fated mates shimmering in your mind. It was considered a fairytale by most with how rare it was. Even you brushed it off as fantasy.

Eris nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face. “I’ve felt it for a while, though I refused to believe it. I couldn’t understand what I did to deserve you as a mate.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to your height, pressing your foreheads together intimately. Unlike with Cadoc, this felt entirely right. For the first time in years, your heart was content as he pulled you closer to his body.

“My mate,” You breathed, staring at him through your eyelashes as he gazed at you adoringly. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving of love than you.”

He closed his eyes, letting your words cleanse his body and give him the peace he needed. The room was quiet and warm as you held each other, sharing the same breath as you both basked in the radiance of finding your other half.

And when he brushed his nose against yours, you smiled and followed his lead into the kiss you had been dreaming of for years. His lips worked against yours slowly, savoring the taste and feel of your skin as your fingers threaded into his long, auburn hair.

With great care, he guided you backward until you fell onto his bed. You let out a soft laugh, smiling up at him and admiring the twinkle in his eyes that hadn’t shone since you were kids. He placed both of his arms beside your head and bent down to kiss you again, his hair creating a curtain around the two of you.

Your heart was doing cartwheels in your chest as you took a leap and deepened the kiss, licking his bottom lip shyly to see if he wanted more. Eris immediately opened his mouth for you, letting his tongue slide against your own as you moaned prettily underneath him.

The need you had for him to touch you, to claim you, was growing by the second, and if the tent in his pants told you anything, it was that he felt the same way. You gasped when his teeth caught your lip and tugged, a feeling akin to a branding iron filling your belly at the action.

“I want more.” You whispered, your chest rising quickly in small breaths. “Touch me, Eris, please.”

“Oh, how I’ve dreamt of you saying those words.” Eris purred, brushing a stray hair out of your face tenderly. “But I need you to understand what that means. If we go further, you will be mine, body and soul, no one else’s. Do you want that?”

You nodded and rose up to your elbows, making sure he held your gaze. “I’ve never wanted anything more. It’s always been you.”

Eris looked for any sign of doubt in your eyes but found none. He stood up straight and offered his hand, watching you take it without hesitation. “Then let me bed you properly.”

He pulled you to stand with him and turned you towards the giant hearth, the fire dancing for you as he began to undo the laces of your dress. Every graze of his fingers against your skin made you shiver in anticipation. You raised your arms and undid the pins in your hair and took out the jewels, letting your hair fall naturally.

“You are so beautiful, Y/N.” He murmured against your skin, tugging the sleeves down until your back and shoulders were bare to him. Your eyes fluttered closed as he kissed up to the nape of your neck, his hands holding your hips as he undid the final lace. “Every inch of you.”

Your dress started to fall off of your body, and you didn’t stop it, the material pooling at your feet as Eris took a step back to admire you. The urge to cover yourself was strong, but he spun you around before you could even think about it, his eyes full of desire.

His hands were itching to touch you, to feel how soft your breasts were in his hands, but he maintained control. Tonight was about you. “Never in my life have I seen anything so bewitching.”

A blush rose to your cheeks at all the praise he was giving you, making your insecurities float away with the wind. You took a deep breath and reached behind you, undoing your bra and letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud. He bit the inside of his cheek as you followed with your panties, watching him as you slid them off to join the rest of your clothes.

“I believe it is my turn, my lord.” You tease, sounding more breathless than you would have liked. Eris smirked and opened his arms for you to start, his eyes never leaving your body as you began to strip him down.

It was hard to put into words how intimate this was. You had dreamed of doing this with him, spent many sleepless nights touching yourself to the very idea, but as you stood here, you were nervous. So many questions on if he would like what he saw, and what you did, were swarming around your mind.

Eris must have sensed your uncertainty because as you went to remove his pants, he stopped you, fingers tight on your wrist. “We can stop at any time, Y/N.”

“I know, I just,” You faltered, memorizing every scar and freckle on his chest before looking up at him. “I’m nervous it won’t be what you want. I won’t be what you want.”

He sighed and placed a finger under your chin. “I can see I need to do a better job at making up for my previous statements.” He pointed out, lifting you without warning and carrying you to the bed.

You started to protest, but he shushed you, kissing you lightly before letting his lips go lower and lower on your body. Every kiss felt like fire, your hips arching slightly when he arrived at your breasts. He wasted no time in lavishing them with attention, sucking and licking your nipples until they stood at attention.

“Oooh.” You moaned, a wave of arousal making your sex slick as he took in your every reaction. The entire time he was toying with your body he was praising you as well, telling you how wonderful you were and how you were everything he wanted.

As he moved on from your breasts, your stomach began to flutter in excitement. He nestled himself between your thighs and spread you open without warning, groaning as the smell of your arousal and the sight of your gleaming cunt made him feral.

“Do not take your eyes off me, do you understand?” He told you, throwing your legs over his shoulders so he could eat you out properly. “I want you to watch as I make you cum.”

The words were filthy but made a tingle go down your spine, nodding in understanding. Eris smirked and then began his feast on you, immediately going for your clit. It was a pleasure that had you crying out his name already, your hips bucking against his face as he sucked it into his mouth and hummed to increase your heat.

“Oh my gods!” You moaned as he switched from your clit to your hole, licking up every drop of nectar he could. “Eris…”

“You taste fucking divine, Y/N.” He growled into your pussy, his fingers digging painfully into your thighs. His cock was aching to be free, to rut into you and spill his seed so that everyone knew you were his. Just the thought made him move one hand to shove down his pants so he could fist himself.

Your ears perked up as you heard him getting himself off, the visual making you even wetter as he continued to pleasure you with his mouth. He was going to make you cum soon, faster than anyone else had. You started to let out little moans and whines as you ground against his face, wanting this to last forever but also wanting to cum.

“Are you about to cum, mouse?” Eris taunted, his balls tightening as you cried out a small “yes!” He went back to your clit and flicked it over and over again, making the tip of his tongue just hot enough to send you spiraling into the best orgasm of his life.

“Eris!” You squealed, soaking his face as you threw your head back into the pillows from bliss. He burned the image into his memory as you reached up and started to pinch your nipples to prolong your pleasure, riding out the euphoria until you couldn’t handle the stimulation.

He sauntered up your body like a fox, kissing you forcefully so that you could taste yourself on his tongue. You met his passion with what strength you had left, grasping his face with both hands.

“Please, Y/N,” Eris panted into your mouth, kicking his pants the rest of the way off before rubbing himself across your slit. “I need you.”

“Take me, make me yours.” You commanded, spreading your legs further.

Eris looked down so he could watch himself sink inside you, the warmth and tightness of your cunt already making him want to bust. You groaned loudly at the stretch, grasping onto his upper arms as he continued until he bottomed out inside you.

Both of you were drunk on each other, the mating bond making everything feel ten times more intense as he pulled back out and slammed back in. The headboard rocked behind you, but neither of you cared. If anything it spurred you on.

“You feel, ah!” You whimpered, biting down on your lower lip as he lifted your hips with both of his hands to give himself a new angle. “Fuck me, Eris…”

He growled as your hands fell back to the bed, grasping at the sheets so hard he was sure you were going to rip them. The way your tits bounced as he fucked you was hypnotic, the firelight illuminating your sweat-slickened skin making you look like a goddess.

“All mine.” He swore, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he felt the first tingles of his orgasm in the base of his spine. “Forever.”

You nodded fervently, feeling another orgasm sneaking up as you watched him in awe. His muscles were rippling with each thrust, his hair stuck to the sides of his face, but what had you most fascinated were his eyes.

They were staring directly at you, pupils blown wide, and they were full of utter devotion. It showed you a man who would do anything for you, who would love you always.

And as you watched him throw his own head back in ecstasy, his throat bobbing as he began to fill you up, you knew you felt the exact same way. He was your mate, and you were his.

“Forever.” You repeated before chanting his name, your walls squeezing him unbearably tight as you came on his thick cock. The feeling of his hot cum made you crave more, clawing at his chest until he bent down so you could kiss him intensely.

Eris intertwined your hands together as he began to slow down, looking over when he felt cool metal on one of your fingers. It was your engagement ring. You were still coming down from your own high as he took it off and, without a word, threw it into the fire behind him.

“My mate.” He proclaimed into your neck, closing his eyes as he rejoiced in the words. You were his forever.

#acotar kinktober #kinktober #eris vanserra x reader #eris vanserra #eris acotar #eris x reader #eris x reader acotar #eris smut #eris x reader smut #eris x reader acotar smut #acotar smut #eris #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #acofas #smut

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firesnap · 6 months

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Man, okay, like I do think Wilbur's best RP monologue is still the are we the bad guys one from who are you go away BUT the best group RP moment he's ever had was still that scene in the button room with Quackity and Tommy from the speedy post-festival stream. Like Quackity getting to see The Horrors of how far Wilbur had collapsed right after he'd chosen to align himself with c!Crime? AndTommy just wanting to keep Wilbur safe and fix things when it was clearly well beyond what you could expect from some kid? And Wilbur just giving in to the fact that it wasn't about punishing Schlatt or winning anything back, but ending things? Marvelous. Will always be famous.

Actually, when you consider one of the other best RP streams Wilbur had was the custody battle stream in Las Nevadas you see a comforting pattern...

Need him doing some unhinged RP with Tommy or Quackity again soon. I miss it. Charlie's fun, and he and Wilbur are hilarious, but I think they distract each other and do a bit too much "and then" to really get into some super juicy dramatic stuff together. Phil is stepping up and really growing with his RP, but it's not really the same if you get what I mean. Need some RP with people who get as unhinged about the drama of it all as Wilbur.

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kittymeowmeows-stuff · 8 months

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miguel o'hara x spiderwomen!reader

- 6.3k words

cw: (AFAB), porn w/semi plot , degradation, size kink, manhandling, rough sex, brat taming, fingering, mating press, breeding kink, restraining, bad spanish, just pure filth

- you really didn't know how to keep your mouth shut, even in front of him. always had something to say, you irritated him to know yet god how bad he wanted to put you in your place.. and i guess today was the day

you always had something to say, rather that had been a order, or just a simple task. you always had something that you needed to say.

miguel could feel his resolve slowly slipping. you mouth always something to say back too him, and no matter his authority you still talked back. the only reason you haven't been punished too bad is because you do a damn good job at your work.

if only your mouth could say the same.

miguel had sighed, he knew you were coming to his office, you always did when you came back from a task. it almost a routine, one that he was growing sick of. he could feel the frustration building up, as he knew you were coming near.

he didn't hear your footsteps, but he could tell. you had that scent, a scent that had driven him crazy. he could feel a headache forming just thinking of it.

looking upward staring at the door, waiting for you.. waiting for you? now that was something that was new. why was he waiting for you? you had driven insane. maybe he was just thinking to much. looking back up he let out a sigh.

then there it was the door knob twisted, the door opened with a click, and there you were. with that damn grin.

"well well, it seems that you were waiting for.." you say walking up to miguel that was sitting behind his desk.

" didn't know you liked my company that much" you giggled. god you truly did drive him insane

" that's not.. what's you point in being here?" miguel says looking straight at you. annoyance displayed on his face very clearly. you looked at him, feeling another grin being formed on your face

" so cold" you say dramatically, closing your eyes bringing your hand over your face. acting out a scene. slightly opening one eyes you looked at his facial expression. distain clearly written on his face. he features had hardened a bit, his brows knitted. his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

" oh you know you love me" you say with a grin finally looking at him straight forward. his face hardened even further, his features tightened.

" stop playing around [name] just give me the report.." he said with a sigh. you pouted a bit but quickly looked collected yourself

"you didn't tell me that you don't love me" you say with a grin

"[name]"

"yeah, yeah i know, it well everything went in place. no troubles this time." you said finally taking things seriously.

miguel just nodded his head, turning his head to face the other way. he had so much stuff to do, miles had been making it even harder just to finish everything. why couldn't he just stick with the cannon event.

" you know, it's so rude of you to ignore me?" you said. you had made your way behind him. he body tensed up. he could feel your warmth near him.

"leave, i have stuff to do.." he groaned out, you being here wasn't helping. especially when your so near him.

"hmm, could it be the new guy .. what was his name... miles! is giving you such a hard time.." you say a teasing grin forming on your face, as you see his body tensing up.

"[name].. leave.." he stated, you really were testing his patience. he brows had been knitted tightly at this point. usually he wouldn't have felt like his patience slip so easily, yet with everything going on, you were really testing his limits.

you couldn't help but giggle, you really got him all twisted up, you knew that while you were away that a certain little kid was messing with miguel's plans. so with that knowledge you decided to tease him. you knew that he would have responded, yet this type of response was very well welcomed.

" it seems that i was right.. awe is miguel o'hara all worked up over a kid?" you said antagonizingly . you face twisting up it another one of your grins that you always gave him when you were teasing him.

miguel was slowly losing it, he has a whole universe to fix because of a kid, and dealing with your mouth right now it not helping

"Dios ayúdame.." miguel muttered underneath his breath, his native language always came out when he was angry or frustrated. his breath coming out heavy. he finally looked at you, his body turning around to face you.

your eyes had widen a bit, usually when he gets annoyed he just told you to go away.. but this time something had changed, this was new.

"oh wow, you really must be really stressed out from this new kid.." you say still rilling him up, knowing how every little word that falls from your lips always sent him mad. it gave you taste of satisfaction.

" i won't repeat this again.. leave.." he growled, his annoyance clearly displayed on his face. his fangs were popped outwards, your mouth was really getting to him. his fist were clenched tightly shut, in some type of restraint

" yeah yeah.. i'll go." you said, your grin had flattered a little. you turned you body around looking directly at the door, your feet finally moving. no sound was made, yet it was obvious that you were leaving.

miguel had finally unclenched his fist at noticing that you were leaving. he let out a sigh, but you would never leave without a few words. even if you were in serve trouble.

" i think i'll have to meet that miles kid.." you said underneath your breath, but you knew he heard it. you definitely knew when you heard the groan that left his lips. the deep growl that always sent shivers down you spine all the way to in between your legs. it always made your thighs to clenched together.

"That's it ....No more..I'm done.."

that was words that left his mouth before you we're quickly pulled down to ground by his webs.

your eyes widen, your arms were pulled upwards leaving you defenseless.

"miguel what the fuck?!" you spit out, sure you knew you were teasing him, testing his patience, but this wasn't the first time you've done this. yet this reaction was new.

yet for some reason you didn't mind as much as you probably should.

"Mira lo que causaste, mi querida.." miguel said in his native tongue, the growl coming out. his throat letting it vibrate deep in his chest. he was now walking up to you. his foot steps seeming so loud. you could basically hear your heart beating out of you chest.

sucking in a breath feeling the burn from in your lungs. god you were losing your breath. he looked so much bigger in this angle. looming over you. he was towing over, he's shadow covering you in darkness

" didn't i say to stop.." miguel said he's voice coming out a lot deeper, his annoyance clearly displayed on his face.

"uhh, yeah? but why am i pinned up like this.. oh don't tell me your into this.." you said. even in a situation like this you still had something to say. you mouth always fucking moving.

" esa boca tuya.. never knowing when to shut up.." miguel growled. he's features were now dark. he looked pissed. you started to think that maybe you should've have pushed him that far.

you felt yourself being pulled up by his webs, yanked upwards. you winced in pain at feeling your arms being stretched out.

"fuck.." you groaned in pain. you could feel your feet finally touching the ground, but your arms were still being held up by miguel's webs.

you looked upwards to stare at miguel, and let out some colorful words. yet before you could even speak, felt his rough hand gripping your chin, in a painfully way. you let a whine of pain. you tried to look the other way yet his grip was to fucking tight your chin

"you always have something to say, yet when you finally get called out. you turn your head act like nothing happened.." he spit out. he pulled you chin to stare into his eyes.

"and i'm sick of that mouth of yours.." he said he's words laced with venom. his fangs were very obvious because of his anger.

"y-yeah and why would i care.." you spit out still staring at him. you wouldn't let him just speak to you without you saying something back

"and to see you still think you have so many fucking words in your mouth.." he said his grip becoming more painful. he yanked you once more. this time you could feel his breath upon your lips. he was so close to you.

"miedra.." he growled, then you felt it. his lips on yours. it so much, teeth clinked together. you eyes widen, you groaned into the kiss. his fangs nicked your lip. you could taste the metallic taste in your mouth, yet you couldn't speak not when his tongue was tangled with yours.

his tongue bullied it way into your mouth, the muscle basically stuffed down your throat. your tried to push it out with your tongue, yet it only seemed to make him to kiss you even harder. his hand that was once gripping chin was now on the other side of your cheek. his thumb pushed on the side of your lips that were already being stretched by kiss. he put pressure onto the conjugation of your lips.

making your mouth open even more. leaving so much room for him to stuff his tongue farther down your throat.

you yanked your head backwards, needing a breath. panting out loud you felt the burn from the lack of oxygen, and sting from inhaling so much. a string of saliva connected you guys. your lips glistening from so much saliva from his mouth and your mouth.

miguel's thumb swiped across yours gently wiping the strand off your lip. he stared intensely at your lips, the redness and sallowness that formed from his fangs that nicked your lip. he eyes trailed to the blood that seeped from it.

he leaned closer to your face once more, his tongue slipping across your lip, tasting the blood that was coming out.

your breath hitched at his action. you were quick to speak once more, you lips parting to get your words out. miguel was quick to shut you up.

"you still don't know how to shut up do you.." he speaks in a low tone. the rumble in his chest being very obvious.

you breathe quickened at his words. your thighs clenching together. usually you would be able to bite back with your sharp tongue yet right now words couldn't even form. this was overwhelming.

" there, there no more words .." he spoke once more . the condescending tone of his voice, was sending you places that you didn't know you could go too.

he griped your chin once more, his breath hot your face. you could smell the scent of his cologne. the strong smell that always keep you awake at night.

" always having something to say.. irritating me to know end " he said he face leaning closer towards you. you to wanted to just grip his face bring him in for another heated kiss, but you couldn't do anything with the webs that held you upwards.

" but it seems that this worked.. i should've done this earlier if i knew it would work so well" he said with that smirk. he leaned closer his breath ghosting over your lips. you groaned.

"miguel.. you fucking tease.." you said with groan. you face flushed. you were so fucking pent up right now. not being able to move you arms.

he just sneered at your desperation, he licked his lips. his tongue swiping over his fangs. his eyes were darkened with a more carnal desire. his hand came back up to grab you chin and pulled you to look upwards. your eyes meet his.

that same damn grin was plastered on his face.

"look at you finally understanding what position you are in.." he said. his hand moving your face around like a doll. you really wanted to talk about, say something.. yet nothing came out. like you were in some type of trance.

you glared at him. he saw the intensity that your stare was showing. he just smirked at it.

"y-you bastard.." you finally spit out, you were really getting tired of your arms being in such a awkward position for so long.

" release my god damn arms miguel.." you said you feeling the sting of pain becoming stronger because of the position of your arms.

"no, cariño.." he spoke, his hand finally moving to rest upon you waist. you eyes widen at his warm hands on your waist.

"what the fu-" you were quickly cut off by a tight squeeze on your waist causing a slight whimper to leave your lips

"watch your mouth.." he said his hand siding up down your waist yet never going more down then your hip.

"and why should i?" you spoke out, not wanting to give in , even though you felt the warmth building up down there. you refused to give in without a little fight, that wasn't your style.

his eyes darkened at your words, yet he laughed.

"of course you still have something to say.. esa maldita boca" he growled, his eyes darkening as one of his hands trailing more downwards. ghosting over your hip.

your eyes widen, you body involuntarily squirming in his grip. you pulled at the webs that still held you upright.

he face lean forward to the conjunction of your neck, he's teeth grazing over your neck. ready to bite and tear into your skin, as his tongue protrudes out from his teeth. he licked up towards you neck.

he's warm breath hitting the shell of your ear. sending shivers down your spine all the way to your heat. you whimpered, you yanked once more on the webs trying to free your hands.

"stop.. fucking moving.." he growled. his hands griping your hips even harder. you winced at his grip. even though it was so rough it didn't help that you felt yourself becoming more hot. your face becoming flushed.

"see if only you behaved more like this.." his lips formed into smirk. his hands rubbing up and down your hips. finally trailing down your legs. he griped the flesh of your thighs before bringing your leg up to his hip. he's face nuzzled into your neck. his lips leaving soft kisses on the soft flesh. so tempting to bite.

you couldn't help let out a sigh of pleasure, the warmness from his mouth on your neck, the pleasure that it was causing making your squirm.

"stop moving.." he spoke in a deep voice, his words sending vibrations to on your skin. you felt your body listening to his words.

"mm.." a simple whine left your lips. you could feel miguel smirk against your skin. his mouth still trailing little kisses across your shoulders, towards your neck.

" see how easy it was to listen and be a good girl?" he spoke lifting his head from the crook of your neck. god you really wanted to just kiss away that smirk, go just cover his mouth with your lips. yet you couldn't do anything, not with your hands pinned upwards and his hand gripping your hip so tightly around. you swear you could feel bruises forming.

you shot him a glare, you wanted so bad to just pull on his hair and yank him into another kiss, but you couldn't move.

"hmm, it seems you want more? is that it." he said condescendingly. his fingers gripping your chin. you could feel his hot breath on your lips, it spread across your face.

"you act like such a brat, yet when i give you just a little attention you act like a fucking slut.. always ready to spread your legs.." he said, he was enjoying this. it was so satisfying to see you finally shut your mouth

" such a dirty slut.. it's laughable.." he said so fucking condescendingly, it was driving you mad, but god was it making you so fucking wet.

god you whimpered at his words. his words sending pleasure down your hot core. you turned your head the other way, not being able to look at him anymore. you felt his claws swiping over your cheek causing blood to spill.

miguel growled at your disobedience. he was quick to grip your face again. your face being squished together. blood spilling out even more

" fuck cariño, look what you've done." he growled. you couldn't help but still resist his hands that gripped your cheek.

the tight grip on your hip, tightened even more. you winced in pain. you finally stared at him, your eyes glaring at him.

" and you still don't listen.. maybe this might work" he said his grip on your hip finally releasing. you sighed in relief, the pounding on your hip now subsiding. you stared at him, not knowing what he meant.

his hand trailed down your hip. tracing across your lower abdominal. you sighed in pleasure. you couldn't help but shiver at his touch. his claws that were dangerously sharp, were causing you to feel more anticipation to build up. you couldn't stop but rub your thighs trying to relief some heat that had been building up from his touch.

you felt his fingers trail downwards, following down to your lower stomach. you whimpered softly. your mouth parting slightly. you sucked in some air, needing to feel the burn in your lungs. the desire building up. your core just aching for something.. it was aching for him.

"you know for someone who has such a dirty mouth, you have such a nice body." he said inhaling a deep breath as he continued.

" the same body, that keep me up all night. just imagining how soft your skin would feel underneath my finger tips..." he spoke his hand trailing even further downwards.

your eyes widened, you mouth opening to speak to get something, yet all that left was a sad excuse of his name, ending up like a moan

"fuck.." he growled his finger finally drawing down your core. his finger running up and down your clothed slit.

you whined , your legs slammed shut at his fingers rubbing up and down your sensitive spot. you could feel yourself becoming more and more wet.

"look at you so fucking wet, i could feel you soaking though the fabric.." miguel whispered into your ear. his hot breath hitting your ear sending shivers down your spine. your breathe hitched.

he moved his leg between your legs. opening them up to give him more space for his fingers

"keep them open..." he growled into your ear, his hands moving back to your clothes cunt. his fingers just moving up and down your slit never moving up to touch your clit, give you the stimulation that you desperately desired. your mouth couldn't stop but let out soft whimpers, with some quiet moans.

"fuck..." you whimpered out, you were getting even more frustrated that his fingers wouldn't touch your clit. it was driving you mad. god what you would do to just be able to just remove at least the clothes down there

" awe are you getting so frustrated? but your god damn pussy is dripping it's soaking my fingers though the fabric.." he said condescendingly.

" maybe i should remove this flimsy fabric, and maybe stick a finger in.. huh? you would like that wouldn't you?" he continued to mock you. he words making your drip with arousal. you grind against his fingers. you had become more and more desperate. not being able to move your arms. leaving you to the mercy of miguel who had you going places that you didn't know you could go.

miguel saw you pathetic attempt of trying to chase after your pleasure. it was cute, you thinking you would be able to get everything you want after all that back talk.

"hmm, it seems you want more huh?" he hummed, his breath becoming heavy on your neck. he felt him becoming more hot. he could feel the tightness of his suit. a bulge probably very obvious, yet he could care less about that right now. not when he finally has you on his fingers.

a daydream that he have dreamed many times while alone in the comfort of his own bed. you truly are something, he almost did give in for you, but you need to learn a lesson. you need to finally understand your place.

his rough hands continue to rub up and down your slit. his sharp claws so tantalizingly tracing over the fabric. just threatening to tear the fabric.

he placed open mouth kiss along your neck. his tongue running over the soft skin. savoring your sweet, soft skin. he breathed deeply though his nose. his mouth still moving across your skin. leaving sloppy sounds in the air. it being so intense in your ear.

he put more pressure on your core. you let out a yelp from the sudden pleasure. your face becoming more and more flushed. he really couldn't stop himself now. not after you made such a cute yelp.

his claws finally teared though the fabric. the cold breeze hitting your hot cunt, that was dripping in your arousal. you whimpered at the different temperatures that hit your cunt. you felt your clit twitch in desperation, needing something.

"is this what you wanted.." he cooed in your ear, his finger rubbing on your bare cunt. you could here the sloppy sounds that we're forming with ever rub in between your folds. you felt your core starting to drip out more of your arousal.

you let out a soft whimper as his fingers brushed against your clit, sending electric shocks to your core.

miguel saw your reaction, his index and middle finger, followed your folds to the hood. slowly moving upwards to rub against that small little bundle of nerves.

"fuck..." you whined feeling his finger's finally rub against the sensitive little thing, that you were craving. you legs once again squirmed against his finger. grinding down need more friction. you couldn't even form words when your pussy so desperately wanted

"so greedy, grinding on my hand like a slut.." he spit out, his eyes darkening as he felt the slick build up on his hand. the sloppy sounds becoming more apparent.

"i-i'm not a slut.." you tried to defend yourself, but it came out more like a whimper at his sudden fast pace on your clit. rubbing 8's on your clit. moving the little bud then pulling on it, causing you to let out a whine at the sharp pain and pleasure it caused.

"i wonder.." he said underneath his breath, his finger falling more downwards. falling down to you've leaking hole. rubbing around the rim.

"how you would sound if i were to stick a finger in, into this sluttly little hole." he said his finger sliding in. your eyes widen . you pulled at the webs that still held your arm upwards. the stretch of his thick finger in your hole, causing a sting. you sucked in a sharp breath of air though your teeth.

you whined, his finger pushing even deeper. you mouth opened into a "O" shape. you could feel his finger sliding more inwards. your velvet inner walls sucking them in greedily, wanting more. you could feel rough texture of his finger, adding more pleasure, the sting of pain that you once felt when he first added his finger into your pussy, now subsiding.

"fuck..." he mumbled, you stared intently at his finger moving deeper into your cunt. you heard him let a groan, just seeing his hand becoming wet because of the pleasure he caused.

he stared to curl his fingers, your walls tightening even more. you eyes shut close as his fingers rubbed against your walls. you let out a pathetic moan. you were enjoying this so much right now.

his finger continued to rub against your walls curling even more. he pushed even more in, the palm of his hand resting across your cunt. your let out a whine as you felt him grind the palm of his hand on your clit.

he groaned into your ear, sending shivers down your spine. this was so overwhelming, yet you wanted more. wanted so much.

his eyes trailed once more to your cunt that was being stretched by his finger. he let his other finger run through your folds before it found your hole, the one that was being stuffed.

he grinned slightly, his other finger going around your stretched hole.

"A ver si puedes, un dedo mas" he spoke in a low tone. his middle finger plugging into your tight hole. you shut your eyes closed at the sudden fullness, a silent moan leaving your lips.

"h-hah..fuck.." you whimpered, words not fully forming. you felt the muscles in your thighs start to flex from the sudden pressure.

you let out a whine when he started to move his fingers in and out your cunt. the sloppy and filthy sounds overwhelming your senses. it was so overwhelming, miguel was overwhelming all your sense. your mind all thinking of him, and the pleasure that he was creating.

"that feel good..i bet it does.." he groans into your ear. he continued at that pace, he fingers going in and out. the sloppy sounds of your cunt becoming louder because of how wet your pussy was becoming. your juices coving his hand.

you had shut your eyes, droplets of wet tears forming in the corner of your eyes. taking short and sharp breaths though your teeth. it was so surreal. the pleasure causing you to lose your own grip of reality.

you could feel yourself approaching that high really quickly. it was pathetic how you were so close to coming. you were tipping over the edge, and he could tell you were close.

your body was basically vibrating, your legs becoming tremblingly, you upper body squirm around. pulling at the webs that held you up.

"..don't move to much .." he whispered into your ear, his hot breath hitting the shell of your ear. sending shivers down your spine and pussy

you felt yourself clenching around him when he spoke.. and you knew that he knew at this point. you squeezed your eyes closed. moving your head the other way.

it was embarrassing, how close you were, how you were so turned on by him just speaking, and how he was stretching your pussy.

"..hmm you like that don't you.. fucking slut" he groaned into your ear. you whimpered at his words. you cunt clenching around his fingers once again.

you could feel him smirking, this man i swear. you would've tried to say something snarky yet you couldn't, not when his pumping his fingers in and out of your cunt so nicely.

the way he curled his fingers, and the way his palm rubbed against your clit. so overstimulating. you felt tears prickle in the corner of your eyes.

"..f-fuck-" you moaned out. his palm had rubbed once more your clit but this time you knew it was on purpose. he added more pressure and moved his palm of his hand up and down your clit, all while pumping in and out your pussy

"be a good girl..and cum" Miguel whispered into your ear, and that was it. the knot that had built up broke. you thighs flexed as you came.

your eyes rolling to the back of your head, you let out a broken moan of his name as you came. your juices soaking his hands , yet he didn't stop. he keep letting you ride the high, it was to much.

"h-hah...mm- no more.." you whined, your clit beginning to ache of pain from overstimulation. you felt miguel finger's finally stop. you were finally able to get a breathe of air.

your vision had gotten blurry from your orgasm. when you finally came to your senses, you saw miguel smirking over you.

"..w-what you smirking at..h-hah.." you snapped back.

"you and that mouth..." he spoke pushing his fingers in your mouth. your eyes widened tears pricking in your eyes as you gagged on his digits

"see isn't this much better?" he said condescendingly. his eyes stared intensely at your mouth as you choked down on his fingers. you could taste yourself.

he yanked his fingers out from your mouth. you let out a choked sound as you we're finally able to breath properly. as you were catching your breath miguel was quick to detach you from the webs that once held you up.

you let a sigh of relief, but a soon as that happened you were pushed against a desk. you looked up at him, opening your mouth to speak only to muffled by his tongue being stuff down your throat.

you let out another grunt, but you kissed him back your tongue tangling with his. your mouth moving in sync. you could feel his fangs just grazing over your lips and tongue. it was so overwhelming.

you felt his hands on your thighs, he gripped it tightly before pushing both your legs up to your chest. you let out a whine from the discomfort of your legs being pushed tightly against your chest

miguel eyes trailed downwards to your pretty little pussy.

"so fucking beautiful.." he said. he pushed himself against you. you felt more discomfort and the tightness of your chest from the pressure. his forearms rested against the desk right next to your face.

you took deep breaths as you looked at him with lusted filled eyes..even though your clit twitched in overstimulation. your cunt was wanting more, wanting something bigger. needed something bigger

"you ready..?" he spoke into your ear. you were gonna speak but before you could speak your felt the head of his cock rubbing up and down your folds.

you let out a pathetic whimper. he continued to rub the tip though your folds, collecting all your juices before he moved his cock to the entrance of your cunt.

you let out a whine. you felt so defenseless and vulnerable. you couldn't move anything, your whole body being held down just by his body. you couldn't wrap you legs around his waist and make him put it in. it was so antagonizing.

you looked down to see, his big cock just glistening in your juices . you were able to free your arms. you were quick to warp your arms around his neck. pull his face close to you. you were so needy at this point.

"watch yourself, mi cariño" he groaned into your ear. just the tip of his cock slightly pushing its way into your cunt

even though you knew you should watch your words..you couldn't you need him now.

"..please- hah i need you so bad..please full me up" you moaned into his ear, hoping he would just fuck you so hard that you would see the stars

miguel's face had changed at the words you spoke. his pupils becoming more dialaded. you heard him let out a groan.

then he put all in one thrust. you let out a high moan. your eyes rolling to the back of your head. tears pricking in your eyes. it felt painful at the stretch yet it felt so fucking good.

your walls clenched down on his cock like you were never gonna let hiknleave your insides.

miguel had let out a few grunts. his breathing becoming heavier. he let out a loud groan before he spoke

"f-fuck mi cariño, your so fucking tight." he said. he slammed his hands on the desk right to side of your head. he pulled back his hips just to slam back into your cunt and it sucked him back in like it was meant to be there.

he was so deep, your walls clamped down on him. you moaned like a dog in heat it was so pathetic but you didn't care not when he's cock was pounding your pussy like you were a toy

the loud sounds of skin slapping bouncing off the walls. your loud moans sending more blood to miguel's cock as he fucked you like a fucking toy.

his body pressed against yours that made you feel like you can't go anywhere. just simple a little cock sleeve for him to use with no regrets.

you felt so fucking good, squeezing down on his cock like a needy whore, and you we're finally shutting that mouth of yours. miguel continued to move his hips, his thrust being hard and so deep to the point he felt like he was in your womb.

your nails dig into the back, blood being drawn as you held on for dear life. the way miguel was fucking you made the whole desk shake, griping onto the miguel was the only thing that was stable. even you body was moving up with the way he was thrusting into your cunt.

the sounds of your wet cunt were so loud. even your moans coudnt cover the sound that your cunt was making.

miguel's looked down where his cock was pumping into you. he let groan, he slowed down his thurst as hd stared at how a white ring formed at the base of his cock. the way your juices were soaking his balls

he throw his back. fuck you really were gonna be the death of him.

with every thrust, you felt your cunt memorizing every detail of his cock. how his cock had a slight curve to it or how he had three big veins, two of them on the bottom near his balls while the other that ran upwards near the tip of cock. so overwhelmingly.

you could feel saliva leaking from your mouth. you were fucked out of your mind. nothing on your mind except him, and how his cock felt inside you.

"hmm, already fucked senseless huh?" he said condescendingly. he let out another grunt as he felt your cunt squeeze around his cock. some swear words leaving his mouth.

he throw his head back, letting out grunts and groans, and the occasional growl. he bit his lip. his fangs digging into his lips, blood being spilled. all he wanted to do at this point was fill you up to brim with cum. all the way into your womb.

he felt his cock twitch at the thought, breeding..getting you pregnant so you would just be a obedient little housewife. fuck he was so close.

he felt your cunt squeeze once more around his cock this time a loud moan falling it. then he felt the way your pussy pulsed..fuck you came again.

his hands came to your legs that were once pressed against your chest. he moved them over his shoulders. you felt the stretch of your legs though the post-orgasm

you let out a whine. he didn't stop his brutal thrusts. your pussy so stretched out from his cock, he felt like he had spilt you in half.

"fuck..i'm gonna fill you up with so much cum.." he groaned into your ear. he trailed kisses down your neck. you let out another pathetic moan at his words. you were so out of it, but you wanted to filled you needed to be.

"hmm.." miguel hummed, his thrusts becoming faster. your nails digging more into his shoulder blades. more blood being spilled, yet it didn't matter not when you pussy is just asking to filled

miguel press his body closer towards yours, pushing your legs even further, the uncomfortable sensation was soon turning into pleasure.

miguel leaned in for a kiss. the kiss was so sloppy. saliva being smeared everywhere. he nibbled on your lips before trailing his kisses down your neck. his kisses soon turning into sucking. his fangs grazing your neck.

miguel's thrusts became more sloppy. his groans and grunts becoming more and more louder.

he was so close, and he was gonna fill you up until your cunt was overflowing with his cum. he sallowed before he did one more deep thrust. you felt it hit that spot that sent you seeing stars.

you let out another choked moan, you came all around his cock. miguel let out a choked out grunt before you felt ropes of warm cum feeling your insides

your pussy pulsed around his dick miguel had throw his head back as he continued to send ropes and ropes of his white creamy cum filling your womb with his seed.

miguel finally catches his breath. you look down at we're you guys we're connected. he slowly pulled out. you let out a soft whimper as you felt his cock leave your cunt

miguel let out a soft groan as he stared at your cunt that was oozing out his cum. he rubbed the tip of his now soften cock up and down your slit before he pushed the tip back in.

your eyes widened when you felt him push his tip back in, though your post orgasm state you choked out a response

"..h-hah, no more..fuck i swear to got miguel" you spoke. you started at him with half lidded eyes. then you saw his face twist into a grin

" it's seems you still have some words left in you..i guess i'm just gonna have to fuck the rest out of you..mi cariño.."

#miguel o'hara smut #miguel x reader #miguel spiderman #miguel o'hara #miguel smut #smut

284 notes · View notes

getousatoruu · 6 months

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Must reads:

i’d like the sun to set with you by @chuuyasoup (T, 8.8k)

What changes is this:

Geto Suguru does not say, how arrogant. He does not say, kill me if you want, there’s meaning in that too. He does not look at Gojo Satoru with unfamiliar indifference and he does not assume that he won’t understand.

Or, Suguru extends an offer on that day in Shinjuku. Satoru accepts it.

愛のある場所; river of light (that brings me to you) by cosmichorrour (T, 66k)

A lesson in love is a lesson in swimming. Except for Suguru, it's getting dropped into the deep end with the tide licking at his neck, no kickboard or life preserver keeping him afloat.

(Or: This is how Satoru finds the ocean.)

Caesura by cielelyse (M, 85.5k)

The first time they meet, Suguru and Satoru do not like each other. Arrogant, cocky, insufferable, they think. Despite the smirks Shoko gives Suguru, or the sighs Yaga gives Satoru, they do not like each other.

Until a mission changes that.

paper cuts by HamsterQinghua (T, 36k)

“Hey,” he starts. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Understatement of the century. “My name’s Suguru Geto, what’s yours?” It’s a question asked purely for formalities, and he’s sure Gojo knows that, but he’s still unprepared for the other’s answer.

“Your mom,” Gojo drawls out, and Suguru realizes he’s starting to see why people want this kid dead.

or, Suguru is a contract killer. his final target is Satoru Gojo. this isn't a problem until it is.

The Traveller's Song by No_Ir (E, 23k)

When it comes, the death of summer is vapid and quiet. It tastes like stale water and smells like memories gone bad in the heat. Nothing mourns it and the air is speckled with bits of seawater that cling to the dampness on the back of his neck.

Crickets chirp throughout the night and the bed is too warm to sleep in, so he buries his face into pillows that smell like dust and salt and ignores the stabbing behind his eyes till he can feel the irritating warmth of another day on his back.

I miss the sea, he thinks, staring at the familiar outline of the window, palm resting on the friend-shaped dent on his bed. Exhaustion drapes itself over his shoulders and sweat beads like pearls at the roots of his hair.

I miss the sea like I miss my friend

Punishment For A Monster by @duckiemimi (T, 8.1k)

“Yeah! Oh, my name is Gojo Satoru, by the way.” He hides the hurt behind his teeth, his grin wide and friendly. He thought he’d only have to introduce himself once to someone he called his best friend. It’s strange to repeat words from more than a decade ago to the same person. “You can call me Satoru.” He hopes he calls him Satoru.

“I’m Geto,” he says back. You were Suguru to me, Gojo thinks. “Nice to meet you, Satoru.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” He leans against the wall beside him, tries to look nonchalant as he does. “So, do you come here often?”

Geto thinks Gojo is just a lonely guy who wants friends. Gojo just wants to know if he remembers him, even just a little bit.

bang bang, kiss kiss by bunkuto (E, 12.7k)

Suguru brings men home and Satoru wonders if, judging by the pangs in his chest and the sudden overwhelming urge to punt these hookups into the sun, he’s homophobic. They figure things out slowly.

Puppet On A String by @killjoyproductions (E, 6.8k)

Huh,” he muses. “Are you… saving yourself for marriage?”

“Nope.”

“Are you asexual?”

Satoru shakes his head. “I’m not asexual, just a virgin.”

Golden hour by damiselart (E, 38.6k)

the one in which Satoru doesn't run away at sunrise and has an existential crisis over morning sex.

love is all I ever yearned for; not this affection carved in stone by getoswrongs (juyang) (T, 15k)

“You’re a menace,” Suguru mutters.

“You do this all the time? Making clay dicks before you turn them into bowls and vases? And it took some loser dude you met at age 27 for you to realize you like dick?”

Suguru is a potter and Satoru is in love.

smile like brass by @chuuyasoup (T, 15k)

Upon arriving at the scene, it’s hard to say whether turning up just five minutes earlier would have made much of a difference.

As it stands, there is a lot of blood. Too much blood to be explained away, and too many strong residuals to be traced back to anyone other than Satoru.

Or, Suguru arrives at the Time Vessel Association hideout a little too late. This changes things.

129 notes · View notes

miguellover07 · 8 months

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Poor Baby (Miguel fluff)

While you visit your husband at work, a co-worker of his burst in with his baby. Miguel introduced you to him and you found out that he is the famous Peter Parker who often annoys your husband at work.

Right now he is shoving his baby in Miguel's arms while showing him all kinds of pictures of mayday, your husband is visibly annoyed so you decide to step in for him.

"Peter? Could you maybe leave me and my husband alone? I actually need to discuss something very serious with him." You try to be as friendly as possible. But honestly you're also pissed at this man who calls himself a friend of miguel while being this insensitive.

And he immediately obliges and takes mayday back in his arms, leaving the office.

You urge your husband to sit down on his chair, asking "do you need to drink something?" Miguel is visibly confused at your concern so he doesn't answer right away.

But that doesnt matter, because you're already filling a glass with water for him, "here you go, baby" handing it to him, standing between his legs and start pulling his head against your chest.

He looks up at you with even more confused eyes "wha-", but you're quick to cut him off.

"it's alright if you're not ready to talk about it. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to be around kids and not think about gabriella. I just want you to know that you deserve to heal, baby" you say with such soft eyes and keep stroking his hair, massaging his scalp.

He can't help the tears in his eyes with how close your words hit to home. So he burries his face against your chest and you feel your shirt wetting, his hands slightly shaking.

How? How would you know this? He always makes sure to keep a stoic or at least an angry expression. He even assured you that he doesn´t suffer from any kind of ptsd or trauma, when he told you about Gabriella.

But it seems like his wife is very attentive when it comes to him.

You notice the way he tries not to look at the pictures of babys, the way he avoids the subject of babys or children in general, the way his hands start to shake and the way his jaw tightens.

"Poor Miguel, I wish I could help you... I really wish I could..." as if you feel the pain in his heart, your eyes start tearing up as well, little tears, that you don´t bother wiping away, roll down your cheeks, while you hug your husband tighter to your chest.

And as Miguel sees your reaction, he can´t help the waterfall of tears on his face. You lift his face and kiss his eyelids as careful as possible, tasting his salty tears on your lips.

"Poor poor baby, how long have you kept these in? It´s alright now, I´ve got you, my poor baby" you coo at him, feeling your own tears becoming thicker at the sight of your husband.

You both spend the next hours like this, in each others arms, letting the ugly and hurting emotions go and appreciating that non of you have to go through this alone.

"Mi vida... thank you for being this good to me, I don´t deserve you" Miguel whispers against your lips before kissing them tenderly.

"No... I don´t want you to always portray yourself as the bad guy Miguel... you deserve everything good and more because you´re my poor baby" you answer him after pinching his cheeks, as a way to punish his way of thinking.

Chuckling he pulls you on his lap and presses you tightly against himself, inhaling your sweet scent while his head rests on your shoulder.

🕸🕷

Even though I think that he has a big breeding kink, I honestly believe that this man is severely traumatized but is too proud to get help or at least talk about it 🥺 he really is just a poor baby

P.s. no hate against Peter but he really is so insensitive like-💀

Masterlist

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara imagine #miguel o’hara x y/n #miguellover07 #spider man 2099 #miguel x fem!reader #spiderman 2099 x reader #miguel o’hara one shot #minnie07 #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel o'hara fluff #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara drabble

204 notes · View notes

gowonders · 7 months

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forgive me ♥ h.k + k.th

huening kai x vamp!reader x taehyun

notes : 1/2 halloween works done!! 😓 i kinda didn’t wanna upload this, but if it’s what gowonder nation wants it’s what gowonder nation gets! ummm honestly this may or may not be worse than the choi line fic… idk my writing has been so bad lately!! i’m so sorry!! 🥹 and yes, i brought in spoiled taehyun here ;3

minors dni with this!

warnings : read this over once.. , english isn’t my first language, fem reader, mean/hard dom hueka, mean/hard dom taehyun, mild cursing, vampire doing vampire things (basically marking..), unprotected sex, (please wear a condom omg.) reader wears crop tops, bulge kink, degradation (needy, slut..), orgasm denial, oral (f rec.), hair pulling, double penetration, mentions of spit kink( kai spits in readers mouth like once), taehyun is really strong so like.. mentions of bruising!!, lmk if i missed any !

you may or may have not been lying to your best friends.

sure, huening kai and taehyun were understanding when you explained the whole “i can’t go out in the sun much, i get sunburnt super easily” thing, but your fangs?? (the ones everyone found cute??) you just always said “oh, they’re just my vampire teeth!” and everyone just assumed you were kidding.

you really weren’t.

and your friends soon found out the truth.

you, huening kai and taehyun were all gathered at taehyuns place, and it was just you all gathered in his room, sitting on his bed, scrolling on your phones. which was just a way you bonded, even if it was a little unconventional. the silence was soon broken by taehyuns loud groan and him flopping against his bed. “i’m sooooooooo hungry guys. give me a sec, i’m gonna come back.” and with that, it was just you and kai.

maybe you didn’t notice it, but you had been squirming and not-so-subtly biting on your lip the whole time you guys were together, but kai did. “yn, what’s going on with you? you’ve been acting a little weird, are you that hungry?” he laughs, he knows that’s probably not it, but something is going on.

and that was your absolute need for blood, you really really tried so hard to hold back, but it was so hard for you.. “um. it’s nothing, i’m probably just hungry, yeah!!” you laugh awkwardly, laying back on the pillow behind you, and you can’t help but just keep your eyes on his neck, unmarked and flawless, and how perfect it’d be if you could just.. taste him. you were close enough.. maybe you could just., sneakily sink your teeth in? maybe kai wouldn’t mind.. he’d understand? for his friend?

“yn what the fuc-“ last words he said before your sharp fangs sink into his neck, whispering a “forgive me” before doing so, and a soft whine from you goes against his neck. and kai can’t say he’s not into it.. a broken groan is heard from him, and you dig your nails into his shoulder at the sound.

the moment is interrupted by huening kai lightly hitting your shoulder, trying to pull you off his neck. “y-yn,” but he gets cut off by taehyun, who’s about to drop the snacks he gathered for you guys. “what is going on here…..?” he asks, jaw slack and cheeks flushed in shock. as soon as you hear that almost condescending voice, you pull off, all teary eyed, he just tasted sooo good, and you wanted more. and your eyes snap to meet taehyuns darker ones, but all you can do is give him wide eyes and stutter.

“is our yn.. actually a vampire? who would’ve guessed?” he smirks, practically throwing the food onto his desk and walking over to stand over you. “may i?” he asks, not really letting you respond as his thumb enters your mouth, prying it open so he can see your fangs, his finger tracing around your teeth. “how cute.” he mocks, pulling his thumb away, but not before smudging the excess blood along your lip.

“guys.. it’s n-not what you think-“ you say, face warm with embarrassment. but taehyun cuts you off. “yn, really? because i think i know what it is. hueka, what do you think, should we punish her? she did ruin your perfect skin.” he laughs, eyes drifting over to his friend. “taehyun.. i don’t think that’s necessary.. like- i’m sure she just had to do it.. it’s fine, really..” he says, hand cupping over his neck, “mmm. no. i think we should. yn, go clean the little mess your needy self made, yeah?” his hand gestures toward kai who’s trying to not get blood on taehyuns (presumably expensive) sheets.

you whine with embarrassment as you move back to kai, moving his hand away from his neck, and with a shaky breath, you run your tongue along the wound, cleaning up the leftover blood you couldn’t get, and this practically flips a switch in kai. his large hand starts to pet your head as your clean him up, and in a quiet voice, he mutters to you; “you’re doing so well, yn.”

you pull away, and taehyun, who’s still standing over you, puts his hand on your back, leaning to your ear. “you okay with this?” he asks, you nod, and when you do, he asks the same to kai. “are you?” “mhm-“ hueka responds. “good, because i reallyyyyy wanted to see my best friends fuck. you’re at my house after all. so we do what i want, right? so kai, fuck yn?” taehyun says.

you hated how spoiled he was growing up. sure, it was nice when you didn’t really have money at the mall so he’d buy you some food, and you got a hell of a present for your birthday, sure! but he expected that he got everything he had ever asked for. and everyone obliged..

which is why taehyun is sitting in the corner of his room, on a chair, eyes laser focused on kai pinning your wrists to the bed. “that’s probably a good idea, kai. you don’t know, she could get needy again, keep her in her place…” he says as he snickers, and your face heats up in embarrassment even more, and kai rolls his eyes before smiling at you and mouthing “sorry.”

his hands trail down your body, stopping at the skin that shows from your cropped shirt, thumb caressing your stomach slightly before his fingers hook under the waistband of your shorts, pulling them down easily, his eyes dart to your panties. “yn, no way you have a little bow on your panties, you little tease! have you been planning this, huh?” kai mocks, finger rubbing over the small ribbon on the waistband. you just whine in response. “soooo needy, jesus. just fuck her already, kai.” you can hear taehyun groan from across the room, but huening kai does just that. quickly pulling his own pants down, and having his length positioned between your legs.

he inserts you slowly, as to not hurt you, making sure you’re okay before he starts to actually move, a small gasp leaving your lips once he does so, which makes taehyun and kai both chuckle. your eyes travel from kai to taehyun, and he’s just watching you two, and palming over his pants.

however, your attention gets sent back to hueka as he taps on your cheek. “look at me.” he says. “taehyuns not fucking you, i am.” slight jealousy could be heard in his voice, and if that wasn’t apparent to you, it definitely could be seen in the way his pace became ruthless almost immediately, making you let out a broken whimper. “don’t complain yn, im- we’re gonna punish you. like we said. maybe if you didn’t keep acting out, i would actually take my time with you, but needy girls like you don’t deserve that.” kai say, taking a hold of your hips and using the leverage to fuck into you harder, leaning his head back and groaning at the way your walls clamp down on him as he does so.

after a bit, kai takes a hold of your hand, squeezing it, before bringing it up to your stomach and putting it on your stomach, making you feel him through it. his hand is on top of yours, thumb running over your knuckles as he keeps your hand there. but seriously.. all you can do is whine in response. “i did not fuck you enough for you to be acting all stupid on me.“ kai says, rolling his eyes as he fucks into you at an even quicker pace than before, making you cry out in pleasure. “k-kai….! i’m close!!” you mumble. “oh? so you can say that but not anything about how grateful you are for this? what a slut.” kai chuckles, and just before you reach your high.. he pulls out. which pains him too.. but he knows that’s not all he’s going to get from you. “huekaaaaaa.. why..??” you whine, and he just scoffs, pumping his length over you before white ribbons on seed lay over your stomach and cunt.

“sorry. you were acting too good for this, had to punish you.” he sighs and shrugs, looking back at taehyun. “you wanna clean her up, taehyun?” he asks, and taehyun almost jumps out of his seat, and stands next to kai, admiring the little mess he made of you.

“did so good, kai.” he smirks, making kai laugh a little before taehyun positions himself between your legs, starting to lick up huening kai’s seed from your tummy, then slowly kissing down to your core, a low laugh leaving his lips as he inserts one finger in you, making you shiver, before he connects his lips to your cunt. broken whines leave your lips at this. “too much!! please, let me rest—“ you plead, but taehyun starts to use his tongue in you, along with his fingers, which really shut you up. “i was getting tired of hearing her whine, thanks tyunnie~” kai laughs, even if you were getting practically ruined before him, he couldn’t stop joking at anything.

your thighs close around taehyuns head in a weak attempt to get him to wait a bit, but this just spurs him on, using two fingers instead of one, and now using his tongue to rub at your clit. it doesn’t help that you were so close before, so the way you have to hold back is crazy, and taehyuns rough pace is definitely contributing to how you’re just about to break.

“taehyun.. pleasee-“ you whine, back arching off the sheets as your fingers lace through his hair, grabbing and pulling at it. “yeah yeah, fine.” he says in a rushed voice, he was gonna be the one to make you finish first, not kai. but like everything in his life, he got alot of things first. and this was going to be one of them.

and with that, your riding out your first high of the night against your best friends face. because he wanted it. he gets whatever he wants.

after that, they let you rest for a second.. not like they want to stop, but they know you’re probably a little out of it. letting you lay in taehyuns lap as huening kai strokes your hair. taehyun stares into the wall for a second, hand caressing your back before he speaks dryly. “hey yn.. i kinda wanna match with hueka, you’ll do that for me? pleaseeee?” without thought, you’re sitting up on taehyuns lap, his thigh slotted between yours.

your shaky breath goes against his neck, and taehyun has a wide grin on his face, looking at hueka, who looks almost nervous for him. you were not gonna deny the fact you still wanted to do it, but something about piercing him gave you more guilt than doing it to kai.. whatever. he wanted it.

you sink your fangs into taehyun, a hushed “fuck-“ leaving his lips as you feed on him, he was literally perfect. even if he was an asshole sometimes.

“o-okay.. yn.. i think i-it’s okay…” he mumbles? stroking your head, slowly trying to pull you off, making you whine in disappointment. “did you clean me up, yn?” you nod, sitting on your knees as you wait for something, anything else. taehyun motions huening kai over, whispering something just quiet enough so you couldn’t hear. of course. hearing taehyun snicker and kai sigh with a smile and wide eyes.

however, you soon find out when you’re placed between the two, and you look up at kai, who’s infront of you. “huh…?” you say, tilting your head as taehyun pressed his hard on against your ass. “well, we couldn’t decide who got to use you next.. so if you’re cool with it, could we both?” taehyun says. “even though it should just be me, technically.. i feel nice enough to share, right?” he mutters under his breath, waiting for you to respond. “s-sure.” you mumble, hiding your face in kai’s chest, making him chuckle. “noooo, keep your eyes on me.”

soon enough, you can feel them both prodding at your entrance. “guys. no way.” you mutter, you could barelyyy fit kai, no chance you could fit them both. “we’ll make them fit. cmon.. for me?” taehyun says, caressing your thigh as he kisses your shoulder. but, he always gets what he wants, huh? “yn, we’ll go sooo slow, if it’s still okay?” kai adds, giving you the most trusting smile he can, because in all honesty, he wasn’t too convinced, either. he didn’t really want to have to wait on taehyun though.. he doesn’t have his patience.

you sigh shakily. “alright…it’s fine.” you whine. you’re still kindaaaa prepped from earlier, but you feel someone’s fingers starting to enter your core, scissoring his fingers for good measure, before they pull out, and taehyun decides to slide into you first, a groan leaving his lips as he does so, and once you’re okay with it, he slowly moves in and out of you, just to prep you more. “okay… relax. kai’s gonna go in, okay? tell me at any point if it gets too much.” taehyun whispers, kissing your shoulder once more. with that, you can feel kai start to enter you so slowly, and you feel so full. a broken whine leaving your lips at the feeling of being stuffed by the two, and taehyun and kai are faring no better, taehyun groaning at the foreign feeling of kai’s cock sliding up against his, and kai letting out small whines at how your walls are basically sucking him in.

taehyun chuckles, still kinda too lost in how this all feels to actually move, but he’ll never not find a reason to tease someone. “kai, you’re whining more than our cute little slut right here, you’re more needy than her at this point..” he says, a smirk on his face as he studies the only face he can see, kai’s. who’s lips fall to a flat line as he sighs, looking away from taehyun to meet your eyes. at least he could see your pretty face, which totally made up for taehyuns teasing.

without warning, taehyun thrusts up into you, a groan leaving his lips, and that causes kai to mirror his movements, both of them taking a second but they finally match up enough to where it’s not awkward, and from there, it’s pure bliss. the way you feel so full and it’s a dull pain, but it’s a good one, and the way all of your sounds fill taehyuns very expensive room.. it’s almost too good to be true. there is no way you just got all of this.

your legs tremble from the sheer pleasure you feel, the way they stretch you out in the best way possible, and how good they sound to you. you have to hold onto huening kai’s shoulders to keep yourself up, and he weakly laughs, thrusting into your core with a harsh pace. “can you not keep yourself up? huh? we fucked you stupid already?” kai taunts. “most of the other girls i use like this take it so much better than you did.. so needy but you can’t even take us? pathetic.” taehyun adds, a grin on his face, taking the opportunity to speed his pace up even more, and the way his hips snap into you, you swear it’s gonna leave a bruise.

“not gonna use that mouth to answer us? only gonna use it to make those useless whines?” kai says, tilting his head at you. you shake your head, eyes squeezed shut so you can try and focus, but it’s almost no use. his fingers trace your lip, “open” he commands, and you comply, opening your mouth, and his fingers reach to your fangs, pricking his own finger with them before he spits in your mouth, making you feel inexplicably weak. “swallow, you’re not gonna use your mouth for anything else, right? might as well.” he says, an evil grin forming on his face as he watches you squirm, swallowing his saliva.

”jesus— kai….” taehyun says, gripping your hips even tighter, whichll probably also leave bruises. “stay fucking still, yn.” he pulls your head back by your hair, making you look back at him. “didn’t do all of this just to have you be all whiny and squirm like you don’t like it, if you didn’t, you’d tell us, but instead your moaning like some needy slut.” he rolls his eyes, his tip starting to abuse the weak spot you have, making you let out a staccato scream of pleasure. “p-please!!! so close!!” you beg, just to get ignored, but they share a look, maybe, just maybeeee they’ll let you cum.

as you get even closer, your pleas become incoherent. they definitely fucked you stupid, but they’re finally gonna reward you. “you wanna cum, yn?” taehyun asks, still pounding you as fast as ever, as kai whines in pleasure too, he’s really so into this, too. “yes!! please, tyunnie!! please!!” you beg, leaning your head back so your eyes meet his. which moves him enough to sigh and groan. “okay.. you earned it, yn.” making kai snap his eyes open, finally getting to watch you unravel on his length, and that’s all you needed.

your climax hit you hard, cries of pleasure leave your lips as you squeeze your eyes shut, velvet walls fluttering around the two as they help you ride out your high, your release triggering theirs, loud groans and whimpers bouncing throughout the room as they paint your walls white.

they pull out of you, and you clench around nothing as their seed drips out of your core.

“oh, shit, taehyun your sheets are gonna be ruined.” kai says, trying to catch his breath slightly as he laughs.

“you don’t think i’ll just buy new ones?” he asks, and his tone is serious… you cannot with this man,

.𖥔 ݁ ˖🕸️🕷.𖥔 ݁ ˖

happy october~ ♥ this is definitely one of my least fav works, but i hope you guys like it!

#gowonder: writes #gowonder: smut #taehyun x reader #taehyun hard hours #taehyun hard thoughts #taehyun smut #taehyun imagines #huening kai x reader #huening kai hard hours #huening kai hard thoughts #huening kai smut #huening kai imagines

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bippot · 3 months

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Ooo can I please request an Adrian Chase/Vigilante x fem!innocent!reader where she is Peacemaker’s younger sister who’s in her early twenties. She hasn’t seen her brother since she was around 5 years old because her Mom took her far away from the horribleness that is Peacemaker’s Father, not wanting her to grow up around that awful environment that Peacemaker was forced to grow up in. Peacemaker wanted to find his baby sister after he was released, but he got wrapped up in Project Butterfly. The butterflies find out about Peacemaker’s sister and threaten to go after her, but Amanda Waller won’t let him leave to go make sure she’s safe, so he sends Vigilante to go get her before the butterflies can get to her and bring her back to the team so that she’ll be protected from the Butterflies. Vig showing up at her apartment, not even explaining who he is or why he’s there before just picking her up in his arms and throwing her in his car lmao (leave it to Vig not to explain why he’s basically abducting her), she’d be crying and hitting him, trying to get away and he’s just like, “Hey hey hey, I’m just saving your life!!”and attempting to calm her down, she eventually calms down and he (finally lmao) explains that her big brother sent him to keep her safe, because bad people are after her. They have to hide out for a while, so it takes them a few months to even get back to the 11th Street Kids HQ. In that time, the two of them get really close and start a romantic relationship (starting to fall in love), him protecting her along the way any time danger happens. When they get back to where the team is, Peacemaker and Y/n have a sweet reunion, and also he’s pretty angry at Vig when he catches the two of them kissing lol

Summary ~ Peacemaker's mother fled with her unborn child when Chris was a teenager. He'd always wanted to find his family again, but he was too slow. After annoying Waller, he must send his friends out to help save his family, and Adrian finds out that he is more than willing to throw himself into danger to ensure that Peace's sister is unharmed.

Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Rescue Missions, On the Run, Enemies to Lovers, Fights, Car Chases, Car Accidents, Unexpected Visitors, Mild Sexual Content, Alien Invasion, Bad Parenting, Happy Ending, One Big Happy Family, Idiots in Love

Peacemaker, Adrian Chase Masterlist - here

August Smith had pretended to be a nice guy for the first couple of years that Annabelle had been married to him. He'd seemed like a gentleman when they first met. Yes, he held some old fashioned views but so did her father and he was a nice enough man, so Annabelle didn't have any worries about their relationship in the beginning.

It was when Keith was born when his rhetoric began to amp up. Back then Annabelle had chalked her husband's actions up to feeling misplaced because he'd been fired from his job and replaced by someone who was far better suited in that position - who happened to be born with black skin - and needed time to sort out his feelings. But, Chris was born a few years later and he was still spewing vitriol so she came to the realisation that this was who Auggie truly was.

The White Dragon appeared in Evergreen and anyone with a functioning brain cell knew who was behind the mask. There was one guy in town who was gathering a white evangelical cult and going to every protest or social issues discussion to act as abhorrent as they could. And Annabelle was married to that guy. At that point, she had her boys to think about. She wanted to leave her god awful husband in the dust, but didn't want her boys to take up his views and had to go along with what Auggie said or she'd be punished for it.

Keith and Chris were homeschooled for as long as Annabelle could convince Auggie to let her, which didn't take much arguing when she pretended that she was concerned with their boys coming into contact with 'unsavoury folk'. In all honesty, she knew that they deserved to be taught about right and wrong from their parents - Auggie taught them about wrong, so she would teach them about right - but eventually the cult got big enough that there were enough children to create a classroom.

Then, the curriculum was set by Auggie and Annabelle was replaced as the sole teacher by a racist radical. She still tried to guide her sons when they were at home - Keith, maybe due to his age, seemed more receptive to her preaching of kindness than Chris was - and had to make it very clear to her sons they should never repeat her lessons in front of their dad.

As the cult grew, so did the number of Auggie's wives. Annabelle no longer had to deal with whatever he wanted because he'd moved into a separate trailer where he'd be free to do whatever debauchery he pleased without being interrupted by his annoying sons.

When the boys were old enough, both of them preteens, Annabelle had decided to pack all their stuff and drive away with her children. Auggie must've caught wind of this or maybe it was just chance, but the date she'd set for their departure was the day Keith died. After that, all of her hope disappeared and she allowed herself to be trapped in the hellhole her husband had created.

Years passed. Chris became more violent. Auggie was building an army. Annabelle had given up on anything resembling a happy life outside their trailer. It was then that a glimmer of something appeared in her life - saying it was hope that appeared seemed too hopeful at the time - so Annabelle just referred to it as 'something'.

To give her one last shot at making him his heir, Auggie paid attention to Annabelle after ignoring her for so long - he'd been preoccupied with the other women of the cult who were younger and more radical for some time - but now, he was pretending to be the nice gentleman he'd been when they first met. She knew it wasn't true. He was manipulating her to get her pregnant. Yet, Annabelle was so tired and it was nice to live in that fantasy for a few months more, so there was a brief but blissful part of the late 90's in which August Smith didn't abuse his son or wife.

Obviously, once the White Dragon found out that the baby was a girl, he went back to being a piece of shit. Annabelle knew she was on thin ice. And she also knew that Auggie had killed people - so many people - before. She never would've guessed that he'd demand that their baby girl was to be 'discarded' as soon as she was born because he didn't want his followers to think his seed was weak enough to produce a girl and abortions were a sin (any good evangelical can tell you that). The second that came out of his mouth, she knew that this fire under her ass would cause her to flee.

And despite all of her pleading, Chris decided to stay with his father. He was almost 18 at that point, almost a man, and she knew there was no way he was going to be swayed at this point in time. Maybe when he grew up a bit would he finally realise that his father was an abusive, controlling bastard who needed to go to jail for the rest of his days.

14 weeks pregnant and completely alone, Annabelle took what little belongings she had, stole a bag of cash that she knew Auggie left under his bed, and hit the road, never to come back to Evergreen ever again. She changed her name, made her situation known to the police and witness protection services, kept off the Internet, stayed as low profile as possible and tried to give her daughter the life her son's deserved to get too.

Y/N knew all of that. Her mother had been very honest and up front about what the horror she'd escaped when Y/N was old enough, and the entire time, Y/N couldn't help but feel for her brother. He had to deal with that monster all alone and was turned into a weapon because of it. She had vowed that one day she'd meet him and offer a helping hand if he wanted one.

During the whole Butterfly thing, Peacemaker demanded that Economos needed to do him one small, tinsy winsy favour to get back in his good books. Because John had framed Auggie, John now had to discover where Annabelle Smith was as payment. Economos didn't find any paper trail on Annabelle's location, but he did find Y/N. She had school reports, college admission, job applications that all had been saved in a witness protection file that John certainly should not have had access to - obviously witness protection needed to up their security system - under the umbrella name of 'Dragon'.

The file had led him to another that had lots of information about Auggie and Chris that accompanied the two women. It was a simple deduction, but one that John felt really proud about. And just like Economos, the butterflies had people who were collecting data about Peacemaker. Since he'd become their downfall, they'd purposefully taken over a hacker that could get into witness protection just as quickly as John did. They had the same information to make deductions on.

There was a few Glan Tai like institution's around and as The 11th Street Kids made their way through another, Adebayo locked herself in a control room to escape from a horde and - later down the line - a bomb that Vigilante had stole from Peacemaker's belt because he wanted to see the huge jar the aliens kept their nectar in go boom. Whilst killing time, Leota had searched the room and found a file cabinet just under the computer desk that contained information about every member of their team and secrets the Butterflies had found out about them.

Weirdly - or not so weirdly because he rarely takes off his mask - Adrian's file was the shortest. It was a list of his crimes and, though it was a fairly long list, there wasn't a through line that could point to his identity.

Leota's was useless. The big secret they'd attributed to her was who her mother was and, yeah, she'd admitted that on national TV.

Economos had two restraining orders against him. He wasn't allowed to come 100 yards from both Joan Jett and Dolly Parton until they were lifted in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Inside Harcourts were pictures of a very pretty, dainty young ballet dancer. It took Leota a few minutes to realise that the girl was Harcourt. These weren't damning on their own, but when they were paired with the paper clipping that said, 'The Sun. Ballet Bash - Young Immigrant Taken In For Questioning Over A String of 'Accidental' Deaths' and an article about many suspicious murders that had happened when Emila had been a student at The Royal Ballet School in Covent Gardens, London.

Peacemaker's file was a hefty one. There was so much documentation. About his prison time. About Corto Maltese. About the White Dragon. And the situation around the White Dragon's death. About the cult. About Keith. About what little they could find about Annabelle. About Y/N.

In the depths of her search, Adebayo didn't hear when the remaining butterflies were shot and Vigilante yelled on the other side of the door for her to come out. She had noticed that whoever had been on the computer last hadn't logged out and was getting video updates about where the girl from Peacemaker's file was. As clear as day, whoever this girl was, she was walking around a grocery store without a single clue that she was being watched by a bunch of aliens.

Another one of Peacemaker's bombs was detonated to blast through the control room door. Peace and Vigilante entered, guns drawn, and were prepared to save Adebayo from an alien weirdo. "Dude! You're not dying?" Vigilante called out after taking in the scene in front of him.

She ignored him and chose to ask, "Chris, who is this?" as she gestured to grocery shop girl. Both heroes rushed to catch a glimpse of what the hell Adebayo was pointing to.

"That's my sister." Chris held his finger up to his ear and clicked on the comms to declare, "Harcourt, tell Waller that I need a team to put my remaining family back in witness protection."

Waller wasn't one to be ordered around so was it any surprise that she declined the request for Y/N and Annabelle L/N to be found and placed in a safe house until further notice? And she forbade Peacemaker from making contact with his family to warn them in any way. The 11th Street Kids were ordered to do another sweep of the facility and head back to HQ as quickly as they could.

"Why are you freaking out?" Adrian questioned, bewildered that Peacemaker hadn't come to the same conclusion he had.

"I swear your head is filled with dogshit rather than actual functioning brain goo sometimes, asshole," Chris sighed, slumping against the van seats.

He'd always intended to make contact with his mother again. Chris had no idea whether she'd want that but it was worth a shot, right? Once Economos dug up the fact that he had a sister, Chris had promised himself that as soon as the butterflies were dealt with, he'd reintroduce himself to them. It seems that life has a way of messing with your plans.

"That's rude but I know you're going through some mental shit right now so I'm going pretend that you said something really complimentary to me, and for that, I thank you."

"Can you shut up for five fucking minutes? I need to think and your annoying bitchass voice is interrupting that!" Peacemaker stressed and let his head fall to his hands, his thumbs rubbing far too aggressive circles on his temples.

"Woah, all I was going to say was that Waller said you weren't allowed to go."

"Yeah, no shit, dumbass."

Adrian pulled off his visor and nudged his elbow into the meat of Chris' bicep, suggesting that, "She didn't say I couldn't go. Or Harcourt couldn't. Adebayo will probably get loads of shit from her mom if she did so she's out too. Economos is a pussy."

For once, the idiot had a good idea. "I get your sister. Harcourt gets your mummy. Badda bing, badda boom. You get what you want without disobeying Waller," he explained as if it should've been the first thing on everyone's minds. He looked at Chris expectantly with a smug expression plastered across his face.

Everyone was astonished. They were speechless until Harcourt confirmed from the passenger's seat, "That actually works."

"I'm a genius, yeah," Adrian preened, leaning back against the cool metal side of the van, only to jump away and complain, "Wow, that's really cold against the back of your head! It's not comfy at all!"

It was settled. Vigilante had come up with a plan and they were going to execute it. They'd get to HQ. Adebayo and Peacemaker would stay back and feed other Vigilante and Harcourt updates on the L/N's position so they could have plausible deniability if Waller looked into it as Economos set up the safe houses.

Darkness had arrived by the time everything was ready to go. Harcourt was very polite when she knocked on Peacemaker's mother's door at an ungodly hour and she explained the situation to Annabelle so swiftly that left her house without much fuss. Vigilante went down another route.

In the dead of night, he decided that the best course of action was to smash one of her windows in and climb through there. He stalked through her house in silence but took a misstep and caused the floorboard under his foot to squeak and reveal his position.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

A baseball bat came swinging around a corner and, if he didn't have such good reflexes, would've hit him in the head. He dodged it expertly and dropped his shoulder closer to the ground so he could rugby tackle her into the next room, which happened to be a bedroom. His shoulder connected with her collarbone, the momentum of the push sending them both plummeting onto her mattress with a bouncy thump.

"Sh...Shh...Don't yell at me!" He whined quietly as he tried to calm her down. It didn't work. She tried to wiggle her arm free from under him and take another swing, but he caught her by the wrist and disarmed her. "You're being so no cool right now."

"Get off me, you rapey motherfucker!"

He eased off her because, duh, he was a random man in a mask who'd broken into her house and tackled her onto a bed. He didn't think of the implications of that when he'd done it. "Oh shit, my bad."

"What are you doing in my house?" she demanded, pushing him off her and sitting herself up. Obviously, she didn't trust him one bit and had clocked where he'd thrown her bat and four other things in her room that could be used as impromptu weapons if need be.

"Hi, my name is Vigilante - no, that's not my real name."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Sorry about the, y'know, breaking and entering thing. I know a guy who can fix that window for you in no time. I'll give you his number when we're done with this whole thingamajig," he said so casually it made her even more suspicious.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look that screamed, 'what the fuck are you talking about?' so he felt the need to do more explaining. "You're being watched, by the way. Just so you know. I saw on the cameras that you bought a bunch of pads and tampons at the store today so I know what's going on down there, don't you worry. I'll be gentle," he admitted and even winked at her in an attempt to assure her that everything would be okay. It didn't. Y/N was fully convinced that he was a creep about to kidnap her for nefarious purposes.

Just as she lunged for her alarm clock to smash over his head, he caught her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. No matter how much she punched and kicked him, he continued to march straight out the door and towards the Vigilante-mobile parked outside the house. None of her neighbours made any indication that they were aware something was going on, despite the fact a woman in pj's and fluffy socks was possibly being abducted right outside their windows.

"Put me down! Put me the fuck down!"

"Please stop making a scene! I'm trying to save your life and you're making that super difficult right now!"

Completely unfazed, he walked past the vehicle like nothing was happening, opened the back seat door and tossed Y/N inside before getting in the driver's seat. He turned to face her to warn, "You really should put your seatbelt on," and drove off to the coordinates John sent.

"Who is Economos?" she asked when John's caller ID popped up on Vigilante's phone in the car stand thingamabob. Vigilante pressed to answer the call and soon found out that it was a video call, the faces of Chris and Leota appearing on the screen.

"Is Y/N secure?" Chris greeted, his voice racked with worry.

"Yeah, she almost bludgeoned me with a baseball and kicked the shit out of me, but yeah. She's safe, I guess," Vigilante said, trying to sound nonchalant but failing. In the moment, he'd done a great job at pretending that her attacks hadn't hurt. They had. He'd definitely be littered in bruises tomorrow.

"Chris?" Y/N leant forward and got in between the gap in the front seats, her head emerging into view. "Hi, um, why did this masked guy just kidnap me?"

There was a brief moment where Chris just stared at the video call, his brain unable to process the fact his sister had just spoken to him for the first time in his entire life. Leota nudged him with her elbow, mouthing at him with wide eyes, obviously asking him if he was okay. "Hi?" Y/N repeated, waving at him and looking confused. "Can you guys hear me? Hello?"

"Hi sis," he managed to reply after a moment.

The smile tugging at the corners of his mouth made it apparent that despite everything, her brother must trust Vigilante enough that he knew she wasn't in any danger. Then, he realised that she was under the impression that she was being kidnapped and that smile faltered. Vig did say she tried to get away from him.

"Adrian, what the fuck did you do?"

"Dude, you know not to use my real name!"

"How did you approach Y/N's retrieval?" Adebayo cut in, preparing herself to calm Peacemaker down when he heard what Vigilante had done. She didn't know exactly - well, she had a guess - but she knew they hadn't had a quiet and peaceful introduction.

Y/N answered for Vigilante. "He smashed one of my windows in and I thought he was an intruder ready to assault me."

"Vij! I'm going to punch you in the dick when I see you next!"

"Hey, hey," Adrian interjected, "What did I do wrong?!"

"Speaking as a woman, that sounds really scary. I'm sorry he put you through that, Y/N," Leota apologised. "He means well but tends to not think things through. I doubt he intended it to happen in the way that it did. Still, Vig, you should really apologise."

Sheepishly, Vigilante rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, yeah, sure, sorry. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to... That was an accident. Not intentional, I swear to God. I thought you'd be asleep and I'd carry you to my car without any fuss and, yeah, saying it loud makes me realise how fucked up it sounds," he thought out loud, his focus flitting between the road and what her reaction was.

When all she did was stare at him, unimpressed, he felt the need to continue speaking. He began to ramble, "I imagined it like falling asleep on the couch when you were a kid and then waking up in your bed because your dad carried you there, and like, you're not mad because there's this brief window of time where you thought you had teleportation powers. Who doesn't want superpowers? I know I do, man, but..."

His rant trailed off and a small silence fell between them as he struggled to find the words to express himself adequately. The only thing he could think of doing was repeating, "I really am sorry" again. This seemed to ease some of her worries. She crawled into the passenger's seat and crossed her legs underneath her in an attempt to get somewhat comfortable.

"Why is this happening?" she wondered aloud, grabbing the phone so she was in frame. Vigilante looked across at her as she reached across the console, his gaze lingering slightly longer than strictly necessary on the expanse of bare thighs that were visible thanks to her sleep shorts riding up. He coughed and averted his eyes, focusing instead on the street signs as the city lights flashed in front of them.

"Some alien assholes are trying to get revenge on me but they can't get to me, so the next best thing is to get to you and mom," Peacemaker responded bluntly, yet as the subject of Annabelle came up, his voice got quieter and a little smaller as he added, "How is mom? Well, I got Harcourt to bring her to a safe house so I know she's physically okay, but how is she, like, doing doing? Generally? I haven't had the chance to speak to her yet."

Not having the chance wasn't exactly right. He did have a window of opportunity to video call with Harcourt and his mother but had been nervously freaking out at the time. It had been years since he'd talked to his mom, and he was scared she'd be disappointed with who he'd become. Y/N had never known him when he was a nice, naive kid so she had no idea how unsatisfactory he'd grown to be.

"Mama's doing great actually. She got her doctorate in child psychology last month and she's been working on some new programs for the kids she helps out at the community centre and stuff. Our mommy is a doctor," Y/N told him, pride evident in her voice as she spoke about her mother.

Times had changed, it seemed, and Chris felt a pang in his chest that he hadn't witnessed Annabelle in all her doctoral glory. He didn't know her while she was the best version of herself, but he would eventually.

"Yeah, that's cool."

Their signal got all wobbly as they got further away from the city, the trees thickening as their surroundings grew increasingly wilder and more remote. "We're breaking up, Peace. I'll message you when we get to the house," Vigilante announced before hanging up abruptly, not bothering to ask for permission. He glanced at Y/N. "Me and Peacemaker are BFF's, by the way. I mean, yeah, sure if you ask him he'd definitely say that Eagly is his ultimate best friend - twin flame kinda shit - but I'm his human BFF who saved his ass a bunch of times."

Letting out a sigh, Y/N let out a hum as a response - because, honestly, that's all she had to give - and shifted in her seat to try and get comfortable. She tested out a few positions and found that taking off her cardigan to roll up as a pillow, demanding that Vigilante turn up the heating so she'd be toasty (he was absolutely sweating in his suit and mask but thought he better get on her good side), and resting against the door window with her legs bent at the knee resting on the cushion was the best option. Her foot occasionally dangled near enough the gearstick that Adrian had to swat at them every once in a while so he could change gear.

"Stop touching my feet, creep."

"Stop getting in the way then, weirdo."

A smile crept onto Adrian's face as she stretched to kick him in the thigh. He caught her ankle in his hand and held it there, unconsciously caressing her skin in slow back and forth motions with his thumb, causing her lips to quirk up ever so slightly. When he was sure she was comfortable with him touching her, he pulled her foot into his lap then reached to the same with the other.

"We've still an hour and a half to drive, get some shut eye. I promise I won't shatter any windows and wake you if you promise that you wont try to batter me with the headrest as I drive. Deal?"

Y/N nodded her agreement and settled down to sleep. In her head, Y/N thought over exactly what had happened to her in the past few hours as she drifted off. It was a lot to make sense of and even if she somehow figured out how to wrap her brain around the fact she'd been kidnapped by her brother's BFF on his orders because aliens that look like little beautiful bugs were trying to hunt her down, she would've been more vigilant, but strangely, she felt comfortable enough in her kidnapper's presence to kick her feet up and turn her consciousness off.

There might be a lot more to understand in the future but for now she was too tired to care.

Looking at her, you wouldn't be able to figure out that Y/N and Peacemaker were siblings just by their faces. They didn't look anything alike. Adrian thought that his buddy was a good looking dude, but he wasn't on Y/N's level of beauty. As she slept, Adrian had to refrain from staring at her so he'd focus on driving to, y'know, not make them into roadkill but it was like tearing your eyes away from a Van Gogh painting or a Greek statue made out of the most perfect marble ever created.

Although, she snored so loudly that he had to turn the radio up just a smidge so he would actually be able to hear the songs that were playing in the background.

They were almost at the safe house when whoever was behind them drove straight into the back of the Vigilante-mobile, which perked Y/N up in an instant and made Adrian yell so many profanities. "What the fuck is going on?!" Y/N snapped awake, any grogginess that she might have felt directly after waking was pushed aside by her sheer panic.

"They found us!" Vigilante said, his voice tight and tense as he fought to hold the car steady, "There's a gun in the glove compartment, do you know how to shoot?"

The car sped up to come up right beside the side of the Vigilante-mobile and veered to smash right into it, breaking the window in one bang. "My mother escaped a redneck cult headed by a super villain, so yeah, I know how to shoot," she quipped, opening the glove box to retrieve the gun. She clicked the safety off, aimed the gun towards the vehicle's tyres when squeezed the trigger with no trouble.

"Shoot the people! Shoot the fucking people, not the car! Shoot the fucking people!" screamed Vigilante frantically, his voice growing louder and higher with each word.

"I don't want to kill anyone!" she yelled, shooting another bullet into the back tyre. "Oh my god! Oh my god, I'm gonna die. We're gonna die. Holy sh-"

"Give me the gun, Y/N!"

Vigilante snatched the gun out of her hands roughly and fired at the driver without hesitation or mercy. The driver was killed instantly, causing its head to slump against the wheel and press his forehead against the horn. The butterfly in the passenger's seat made a move to grab the steering wheel, but Vigilante took another shot and put them down quickly.

With the car now unmanned, it continued on its path to collide with the Vigilante-mobile, swerved it off the road entirely and pushed it onto its side. The moment it came to a halt, Adrian was urging her out of the broken windscreen - yeah, he accidentally put his whole palm on her ass to push her in the right direction - and scrambled after her to escape the crash zone.

"Oh shit, my car!" Vigilante whined as he saw his precious Sebring destroyed beyond recognition in a matter of seconds, his heart racing and feeling extremely uneasy. "Fuck! RIP the Vigilante-mobile, you were the fucking best. I fingered Tracey from the Starbucks opposite the cinema twice in there!"

"Do cars blow up? Or is that just a movie thing?"

"Fuck, I don't know. We better run just in case. Shit shit shit!"

He picked Y/N up like he'd done previously that night, but unlike last time, she went willingly and didn't kick him at all this time. He started running as fast as they possibly could away from the scene of the ambush. Once he was a distance he believed was adequate away, he gently set Y/N down.

"You okay?" Vigilante asked worriedly.

She sighed and glanced down at herself. Some of the broken glass had cut parts of her skin that was showing, so anything under the sleeve of her t-shirt and below the hem of her shorts was littered with nicks of varying severities and sizes.

"I think this looks worse than it actually is," she suggested, holding her arms up to show the cuts on her forearms and making Adrian wince sympathetically. He tenderly placed his fingers on her elbow and turned her arm so he could examine them further.

"They hurt."

"Yeah."

"Okay, shit... lemme think for a minute."

Adrian rubbed his temple as he pondered over his options. He knew there was a first aid kit in the safe house, but where was it? He'd never been great with orienteering and getting places without Google maps, and he'd left his phone in the Vigilante-mobile. So, he could either lead Y/N through a forest even though he had literally no idea what direction to go in, or risk climbing back into the possible exploding car to have a guide.

"I'll be right back," he warned Y/N before he started heading back in the direction from which they came.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She followed after him, her gaze shifting nervously around the area as if she expected to be ambushed again any second.

"Gonna find my phone. It shouldn't take more than two minutes."

Like an idiot, he climbed back into the car to retrieve his phone, the gun, and the packet of Jolly Ranchers he usually kept in the cup holder but had flown to the dash when the car turned onto its side. He also wrestled with the boot in an effort to get it open because there was extra clothes and snacks stashed inside a gym bag in there, and eventually yanked it open out of pure brute force.

Once he got the goods, he was hurrying back to Y/N. "Do you want a Jolly Rancher?" he offered casually, brandishing the packet in front of him. The packet was squished in between them as she trapped him in a hug.

"What's going on here?" Adrian wondered as he peered down at her curiously. "Are you at the cryie, emotional stage of your period?"

"I'm not on my period. Women tend to buy sanitary products before their periods start. That is, unless they've still got some or forgot and left it too late so that's the instance when they buy them during."

"Ah," Adrian said, nodding in understanding although he didn't really understand. She hadn't explained why she was hugging him, but it still was nice of her to do so and gave him some kind of comfort after he'd risked his life for a mobile phone.

Oh! She thought the car was going to explode and that he was going to die in a big fiery bang while she stood helplessly by as her mind raced in circles, wondering if she was going to have to fend for herself.

"I'm okay," he reassured, patting her hair softly and a little awkwardly. This kind of concern was new to him, giving and receiving. His hand lingered near the back of her head as he stroked her locks in what he hoped was a soothing manner since he certainly noticed that she leaned forward until her head laid against his chest piece and was taking deep breaths to calm her nerves and relax herself in his embrace.

He didn't know whether to feel happy or scared that someone cared enough about him to worry about his well-being, so he settled for a mixture of both. "We should start walking to the cabin," he suggested quietly and cleared his throat as he pulled away to get enough space to rifle through the bag to pull out some warmer clothes for her to wear.

"It's getting cold and your clothes have shards of glass and blood on them and your shirt is a little ripped, so yeah, you should put these on. I'll, uh, I'll give you some space to do that." He walked backwards, putting a few steps between them as he turned away shyly. "Just tell me when you're all done."

If somebody had told her that she would be changing out of her bloodstained pj's and practically getting naked on the side of a remote road in the early hours of the morning, she would've laughed at them and gone on her merry way to buy tampons in preparation for next week when Aunty Flow arrived with an achy fury.

"Does that bag have any shoes in there?" she questioned once she was dressed and tapped him on the shoulder, signalling him to turn around.

"Uh, no. I guess not." They both diverted their gaze to her dirty fluffy socks and realised they'd be less than adequate when trekking through a patch of thorny forest and mud. "I could give you a piggyback?"

"You really jump at any opportunity you're given to carry me, huh?" she teased playfully. "I'll take it, thank you."

So, with Y/N on his back like Yoda on Luke, the pair delved deeper into the forest and followed the inconsistent Google maps directions until they finally reached the safe house. They made it to the front door to find it open and a police officer already standing outside, inspecting the scene.

"Is everything alright?" the man inquired, looking up at Adrian from underneath his brows.

Vigilante let Y/N's feet drop to the floor and pointed his gun at the officer. Why was he here? Why was he the only one here? This was supposed to be a top secret location, so why somebody here? Economos was the only other person who knew. Was this officer at the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had they been compromised? Shit, they'd been compromised. How else would the butterflies have known on what road their car was on?

The cop was dead before he reached for his gun. Adrian pulled the trigger, and he heard the satisfying click as it hit its mark, killing the butterfly instantly. The sound seemed to echo in the forest for a brief moment before stopping, leaving nothing behind but the dead body of the officer - which wasn't a great look, but hey, the pig had an alien in his head - lying lifeless on the ground.

Kicking the body out the way, he pulled her through the threshold. "We don't have much time. There should be a landline in here, I'll call. You find the first aid kit," he ordered. Y/N nodded and ran off towards the bathroom as she assumed that was where it would be while Adrian found the landline to make the call.

"Economos? Hello... hello! Are you there? Hello?!" Adrian squawked into the receiver, panicking when the call wasn't picked up. "Come on, dye beard! Come on, man, pick up the fucking phone!"

"I thought I told you guys to stop calling me that," John complained on the other line. "What's taken you guys so long?"

"We were hit off the road and our cabin had a butterfly waiting outside it."

John swore under his breath and could be heard calling for Harcourt to figure out what to do next but she wasn't there. She was at Annabelle's safe house - which actually was safe and there hadn't been any problems on their end at all - and would have to be called to get her opinion.

Peacemaker, who'd been asleep because he fully believed his family had been safe when he lay down on the couch, was startled awake at the sudden yelling and rushed to his feet to investigate the commotion. "What's going on?" he asked, rubbing at his eye with the back of his hand.

"Dude, Economos's safe house wasn't fucking safe at all!" Vigilante whined to his best buddy.

"Is my sister okay?"

"She's got some minor cuts and scrapes, but she's fine," Vigilante assured him before glancing over to see that Y/N had come out of the bathroom with a bright red suitcase that had a cross stitched in the corner in her hand. "We've got a bandages and stuff but our main problem right now is that the butterflies know where we are, so we need to get the fuck out of here. Any ideas, gang?"

Adebayo spoke up, "What about your car?"

"Totalled."

Some rustling outside caught their attention and Adrian was handing the receiver over to Y/N so he could go to check that out, taking his sword from his sheath as he walked. "Hi, Vigilante has gone to - I don't know - do something incredibly reckless, so hi, it's me talking to you now," Y/N greeted the others on the other line, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot whilst keeping one eye on the window as she listened carefully.

"Yeah, he does that often," a male voice said. She knew it wasn't her brother's cause she knew what he and Adebayo sounded like thanks to their previous call, so this must be the one Vigilante named Economos. "You two have limited options, okay? We can't ask for backup or any additional means of transportation, but there should be a wad of cash in the jewellery box in the bedroom."

Y/N went to find that immediately and opened the top drawer of the jewellery box, finding the money neatly tucked inside it. It was only at that point she noticed that this safe house only had one bedroom - which kinda made sense as it's supposed to be small and inconspicuous - but she was a little conflicted about the fact she wouldn't get a 'there's only one bed, we'll have to share' romance cliche was the masked idiot.

"Okay, got it. What now?"

"There's a gas station about four miles down the road. Gather what you need. Pay in cash. Steal a car if it's possible. If it's not, there's a junkyard another two miles east of there that will probably have a working rust bucket or -"

Two shots rang out and thudded into the front door, interrupting Economos and causing Y/N to flinch involuntarily. Five seconds after that the phone line cut off and Vigilante was running in, yelling, "We've got to go now!" He grabbed her hand and began yanking her away from the cabin.

One more body was sprawled by the door - though this one had obviously been decapitated rather than shot that time - and another would hit the deck as the pair went to go around the side of the cabin and come across another butterfly. Once again, Vigilante was quick to draw his gun and shot at it, shooting the damn thing dead and sending it tumbling into the bushes nearby while Y/N watched, dumbfounded.

"You're really good at this!" she exclaimed when the last of the visible bugs were killed. He shrugged (his brain was going fucking wild and he was trying not to show it) and held his free hand out to help her step over part of a fallen tree.

It took them the rest of the morning to find the petrol station and, despite the fact he kept offering, Y/N declined when he offered to carry her. They had a lot of walking to do. It would slow him down, and therefore them down, if she was lazy and continued to be carried around like some damsel in distress - which, yeah, she technically was. She would have to deal with soggy socks that had so many rips and holes in them that she may as well have taken them off to venture into the forest barefoot.

As soon as they reached the gas station, they were both beelining for the bathroom, but since he hadn't surveyed the place yet, when Y/N went to close the door behind her, Adrian was barging his way in. "Hey!" she said far too loudly, so Vigilante pushed her further into the loo with his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet!" he whispered harshly. "There are other people here that can hear you."

"I'm not the one being suspicious! You just shoved a woman into a bathroom dressed in hockey pads and a ski mask, dumbass!" she hissed, yanking his wrist away from her face so she could speak properly.

His eyes widened comically for a second. "Yeah, it would probably make it harder for the butterflies to spot us if I wasn't in uniform," he mumbled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling. There was another set of clothes in the bag that he could use. "I'll clean your wounds and then I'll get changed, sound good?"

She made a face. What he said did sound good, but Y/N had some other things to take care of first. "I came in here because I need to pee."

"Okay, then pee." He turned away as he started to unzip the bag to pretend he was really thinking through his clothes choice - there was only one set of joggers and a black shirt, exactly the same as she'd gotten - and not watch her as she peed. He laughed to himself, "Go piss, girl."

Sat on the loo, Y/N reached out to swipe her hand under the automatic drier so the room wouldn't be filled with the sound of her pissing. Hey, everyone's gotta do it, but it's still awkward if that's the only sound bouncing off a gas station bathroom when you're stuck in there with a guy you met earlier that night. It wasn't her fault that his male anatomy meant that he was more than happy to take a break whilst they were in the woods to piss against a tree.

If she knew that hiking was on her agenda that night, she may have invested in a She-Wee.

"I'm, uh, I'm done," she squeaked once her bladder was dealt with. Her face scrunched slightly, but the embarrassment faded when she looked up to see the back of his head. The actual back of his head, showing off the hair that he'd been meaning to get cut because it was getting long enough that it was starting to curl again, and then he turned around slowly and she felt her heart rate spike.

They were staring straight into each other's eyes without any red pane in the way, neither backing down nor looking away, and Y/N couldn't help the smile that spread onto her lips as his lips parted and let out an involuntary breathy laugh.

"Um, hey."

"Hi." His voice seemed to crack, just a bit, and he cleared his throat before he tried again. "Hello."

"Hi," Y/N repeated quietly.

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and for a second she wondered if maybe she was dreaming - a really weird and violent dream - because this guy was so fucking cute. And hot. Like, super hot. Not just hot, but dorky hot too, with his adorable messy hair, and big, green eyes, the kind of jawline that could cut glass, and those lips.

"What's your name?"

"Adrian."

"Nice to finally meet you, Adrian."

In an instant, his face lit up as he heard his name come out of her mouth and he grinned from ear to ear, looking so relieved that his shoulders dropped down a bit, and the tenseness he'd been feeling about her seeing his face had been building up dissipated.

"I should, uh, y'know, start on your..." He trailed off but gestured to her wounds so she knew what he was trying to say.

"I think the ones on my arms are okay. There's a few on - on my - on my thighs that are, yeah, they're painful," she started, biting her lip before smiling softly, almost shyly.

"Can I see them?" She nodded but stayed perfectly still. "You'll have to... and I don't want you to get the wrong idea here; you're really pretty and, yes, if we were in a totally normal situation and I told you to take your sweatpants off, it would definitely be because I want to eat your pussy, but we're not in a sexy situation so it's for a complete different reason... and that reason is that you'll have to pull your sweatpants down so I can give you medical aid."

Without his mask on, Adrian lost whatever filter he may have had as he stared at her, his eyes wide, his breathing shallow, and it was obvious he couldn't believe that he was saying the words that were coming out of his mouth. He didn't want to offend her - god knows he doesn't want to offend anyone really - but the way she was looking at him like he was some kind of prince that had saved her from distress really made him nervous. He wasn't a prince, he knew that. He was a trigger happy imbecile with no immediate family and no prospects in life.

"Is... is that... is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

Y/N pulled down her sweatpants slowly, her face growing warmer with every inch of exposed skin exposed to the light, and as she sat herself down on the toilet lid, she braced herself for the moment the hot superhero dude put his hands all over her. He knelt between her knees and ran his fingers gently across the worst injuries first, his face screwing up in concentration. He paused momentarily to look at her thighs before moving on, making sure that her cuts hadn't got infected during their journey out here. Luckily, they hadn't.

Adrian was so gentle with her. It took her all her will not to cry because, fuck, it hurt like hell when he pressed a little too hard or moved a certain way, but she couldn't help it as tears pricked at her eyes, blurring her vision as he worked. When it became apparent to him that she was crying silently, he stopped altogether.

"Hey... hey, I know it feels so bad but you're fucking killing it. You're doing so good." He brushed the back of his hand along her cheek to wipe away some stray tears, leaning towards her and brushing a strand of hair out of her face that had fallen forward to cover one eye. "Just a few more for me, yeah? It'll be over so soon now."

Sniffing, Y/N nodded, hastily wiped at her eye and dealt with it. It was difficult not to squirm underneath his touch, but she managed it. When he was satisfied and gave her a thumbs up that everything was bandaged and cared for, Y/N thanked Adrian by giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek, which earned her an even bigger grin.

Then, it was her turn to look away as he got changed and she resisted the temptation to take a quick glance. That would be rude. He didn't take a peek when she got changed... Did he? She spent her time transferring the first aid kit into the gym bag so they wouldn't have to 1) have two bags, and 2) answer unnecessary questions about why they were carrying a bulletproof suitcase filled with bandages.

Obviously, it's not immediately suspicious to carry around a first aid kit, but it comes with the assumption that they had medical knowledge - neither of them had did - and that ensured that people could ask them questions that they'd have no idea how to answer.

They managed to leave the bathroom at the exact right time to see a drunk driver barrel into the gas station, park up and leave the ignition on as he went inside to buy a four pack of beer, slamming the door shut and giving them a perfect opportunity to steal his pick up.

"We're actually doing a good thing," Adrian reasoned as he drove away. "That asshole was drunk as a fucking skunk and it's, what, 8 am. He could've got in a serious accident and killed an innocent family of Mexicans on their school run."

"Is the fact that they're Mexican relevant in any way?"

"No, I don't know why I added that detail," he shrugged.

He kept checking the rear view mirror every now and again to make sure they weren't being followed as they got back on the road and headed towards the nearest populated area, where they could hopefully find a cheap motel to rent a night or two.

"Do you wanna switch? You've been awake all night. I can drive if you want a rest," Y/N offered, knowing full well how tired he must be after a long, strenuous night of car crashes, gun fights, fireman carrying her, and hiking through nature. Y/N had only done two of those and was feeling the exhaustion.

"Nah. I'm good." He flashed her another bright smile and patted her leg in reassurance. "Thank you, though."

Eventually, they came across a grimy and Bates Motel looking place and, although Y/N wanted nothing more than to sleep, she decided it was best that they check if there's a peephole in the shower. They'd find out that there wasn't one, thankfully.

It was just as dingy inside as it had been outside with its faded yellow paintwork, stained carpet and cheap looking furniture that were probably older than their entire lives combined. The whole motel had a creepy vibe but it was cheap and the receptionist didn't bat an eye when they didn't sign the motel ledger when they checked in. It seemed that they had to swap out comfort for their anonymity.

"One bed," he pointed out as they opened the door and stepped inside.

Ah, her 'there's only one bed, we'll have to share' romance cliche was back in full swing! Y/N smiled, shook her head, and placed a do not disturb sign on the handle before heading in behind him and setting the bag down next to the mini fridge. They stood idly at the foot of the bed for a while, not exactly sure where to go from there. They'd managed to survive long enough to earn a rest and, now it had arrived, neither of them knew what to do with themselves.

"Do you want to use the shower first?" Y/N suggested after about three minutes of silence.

"Sure."

"Shall I order takeout? I saw some menus downstairs that I could grab to see if they do lunch deliveries. Or something."

"On your own?"

It wasn't supposed to sound so patronising but it did, which made him cringe. He meant it as a 'remember aliens that look like ordinary people are after you so going out in public probably isn't the best' but his tone was far too condescending. He looked away, ashamed, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Shit, he didn't mean to sound that shitty.

"Fine! I'll sit down and - I dunno - read the fucking bible while you show off how competent you are! Wow, Adrian, do you want me to put in a good word for you with my brother? Maybe then he'll actually like you over his weird ass bird!" She stormed towards him and grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him towards her until they were eye to eye, staring each other straight in the eye. "Don't treat me like I'm a fucking child."

The look in her eyes was terrifying - he could tell exactly who her father was at that moment - and he couldn't help but feel intimidated. Adrian had a gun in the back of his trousers and she was completely unarmed, why did he feel so threatened? She was smaller, weaker, more defenceless than he was, and yet there she stood, staring him dead in the eye without blinking, with a look in her eyes that told him he better apologise.

But, he didn't. Words wouldn't form. His brain was running wild and somehow devoid of any coherent thoughts, his tongue felt heavy in his mouth, then his focus flitted down to her lips, just for a moment, and then back up again.

"Look, do whatever you want. Shower/don't shower, I don't give a shit. I'm hungry so I'm going to find some way to acquire food and if I get murdered by a bunch of bugs, well, at least you don't have to play babysitter anymore," she said before turning on her heel and attempting to storm out. She didn't get far however; Adrian reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her against him roughly, grabbing hold of her waist, holding her firmly against his body.

For a split second, she froze up, surprised by his sudden display of strength, then attacked him with a kiss that sent both of them tumbling backwards onto the wall. Adrian's back hit an awful picture of Elvis onto the floor as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, lifted her, and pinned her to the exact spot where Mr Presley had been hanging.

"You're so annoying," she snarled as his mouth moved along her neck and sucked on a particularly sensitive part of skin, causing her to gasp sharply and arch her back. Her hand automatically curled up against the back of his head, gripping onto his hair.

"You're a spoiled brat," he countered with a growl as he threw his glasses off and dragged his nose down her collarbone until it was firmly in her cleavage, inhaling deeply as he let a soft sigh escape him. It was intoxicating; she had gotten under his skin, taken control of his heart and made it pound erratically in his chest. If she asked, he would do anything she asked of him without hesitation. Anything.

It took a lot out of him to fight the desire, to keep his emotions in check because he knew it wasn't going to go down well with his BFF, but Adrian couldn't help himself. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in the warmth of her body. All he wanted was for the both of them to forget everything else, for them to live in this moment forever, with her clinging on to him desperately like her life depended on it and his hands travelling everywhere they wanted to.

There was no time for restraint anymore. There was only lust. A primal urge to taste and touch her, taste her and touch her in ways that left her breathless, touched her like it was forbidden, like it would destroy his sanity if it wasn't allowed to.

In 3 big steps, he carried her to the bed and laid her down. Their lips reconnected, their tongues tangling together hungrily, desperate sounds escaping as Y/N yanked Adrian down on top of her and pulled at his clothes to get rid of them as fast as possible. She mumbled, "Take everything off," into his mouth and he did just that.

Adrian stripped down to his boxers as quickly as he could, then did the same for her - although his touch was a lot less frantic and heavy-handed so he didn't press down into her injuries - and just stared at her chest, drinking in the sight of her naked body underneath him.

His attention was so consuming that it caught her off guard. The intensity of his stare was overwhelming and she had no idea how to react to such intense scrutiny. "Stop acting like such a virgin," she complained (half-heartedly) as she propped herself up on her elbows. Despite her words, he could tell she was enjoying his gaze immensely.

"Geez, you really need me that bad, huh? We only met yesterday and you're already so impatient," Adrian teased against the shell of her ear. He nibbled on her ear lobe gently before moving his lips behind her ear directly on her mastoid bone and perching his butt down on her thighs. She rolled her eyes, her cheeks burning, and she averted her gaze bashfully.

And when he added a cocky, "Either you really like me or you're desperate. Maybe it's both," she was tempted to smack the grin off his face, but she refrained from doing so because it was hot. So damn hot. Y/N bit down on her lip to stop herself from insulting him further.

Any and all of her sharp tonguedness vanished as the tips of fingers mapped the contours of her chest, caressing and teasing and leaving goosebumps wherever they went. "What's got you all quiet? Don't tell me you've turned shy, Y/N."

"You're so hot, oh my god," she breathed, saying exactly what was on her mind.

All of his life, Adrian never considered himself to be hot. He'd been a butt baby for most of his existence and had only noticed an increase of romantic interest in him in the past couple of years. Thanks to Vigilante, he knew he was more muscular and well built than he had been but he was still the same big ol' nerd who'd spent his formative years getting picked on and berated for being weak and small and lacking confidence.

One of the hottest people he'd ever seen considered him to be hot? Well, that surely meant that he was hot. It was a fact. And did he need an ego boost l? To those who didn't really know him, absolutely not. To anyone that made the decision to see past the bumbling asshole facade, they knew he needed it desperately.

"Why don't you show me how much you like me? Huh, babe?"

Peacemaker wouldn't be happy that Vigilante banged his sister but, hey, Peacemaker wasn't there. And he certainly didn't need to know that halfway through, the hotel cleaner clearly missed the do not disturb sign and walked right in to find a guy she didn't know with a girl she didn't know on his lap. Judging by her face and the monotone way she said, "I'll come back later," she'd definitely been through that situation so many times before.

They let out a bunch of giggles as the door shut behind the maid, both laughing away the awkward tension of the unexpected voyeuristic incident. Y/N let her sweaty forehead fall to his temple and let out a snort that sent them tumbling into another batch of giggles. It took a few minutes of catching their breaths until Adrian spoke up, his voice laced with amusement.

"I like your laugh. It's very cute."

"Shut up," she retorted a little shyly and hid her coy smile by kissing him. It wasn't an effective concealment, though, because Adrian could feel the way her mouth was upturned against his.

"You wanna start moving again, baby, or do you want me to take over? Cause I think you should cum again," Adrian taunted, gripping onto hips to begin rocking them both back and forth gently.

There wasn't any other interruption this time. They enjoyed each other slowly, unhurriedly, languidly, and it was wonderful to let themselves be held and worshipped and savoured like that, without any expectations or restrictions. And once they were done and satisfied, they simply lay there together.

Y/N glanced to the side, her breath starting to calm, and asked, "Are you a hugger?"

"Not usually." He mimicked her and turned his head to make eye contact. "Are you?"

"Sometimes."

He gripped onto her biceps and tugged her into a hug. She responded instantly, wrapping her arms tightly around him as her cheek pressed itself flush against his shoulder.

"Sorry that I was mean earlier. The stress finally got to me, I guess," Y/N apologised, her words coming out a little muffled because her face was squished against his skin.

"Don't worry about it," Adrian said. "It was super hot."

Another batch of giggles ensued and then, at some point, they just stopped and fell into a daze. It wasn't quite a nap but they weren't fully aware either. They were just quietly existing in the space that they'd created for themselves, content and comfortable.

Sure, actually getting some sleep would've been better. Or showering. Or finding something to eat. But they'd been moving and thinking and planning every single single moment for the past 15 hours and needed a moment to just be.

That was until Adrian's phone buzzed. It was at 7% and they were surprised it was still going strong. "Can you read this for me? I don't know where my glasses are," Adrian requested, handing Y/N his phone which had been resting on the nightstand beside him. He scooted slightly closer and watched as she took over reading it, a frown settling deep between her brows as she read the words aloud.

Unknown: HQ compromised. Stay on the road until further notice. JE will contact you with updates when we have them.

- LA

It took Adrian a while to remember who the initials related to - to make it easy, couldn't Leota have just said her and Economos' names? - and he could see Y/N working out what her life was going to be like for the next however long. She had a job, friends, and obligations she'd made time for that were being pushed to the side because of her brother that she'd never met before. She had no idea what was waiting ahead of her.

Hell, Y/N had no clue if Chris was still alive. What about her mother? How long would it be until they were reunited? Adrian could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out all of the possible outcomes and he wished he could give her something to ease her pain. Even briefly.

"Hey, looks like you'll have to find a way to deal with me for a bit longer," he announced, looking at her mischievously as he started stroking his hand along her bare hip in slow circles.

"Oh no, how will I ever do that?" she replied sarcastically and gave him a fake frown.

"Looks like I'm just gonna have to find a way to keep you entertained," he continued, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers tenderly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into his touch, allowing him to deepen the kiss and deepen it even further until it became feverish and passionate yet sweet and caring all at once.

From that point, they were inseparable - partly for survival, partly for their need to constantly be touching each other - and spent the next couple of months bouncing from state to state, city to city, gas station to gas station.

Their first move was to get as much possible of their bank account in physical cash so they took the maximum allowed from ATM's whenever they could. Obviously they were leaving a trail of where they'd been but the wad Economos had left in the safe house wasn't enough to sustain them.

They'd used half of it to buy a banged up minivan that someone had turned into a camper, but they still needed food and clothes and fuel and a charging cable for Adrian's phone.

Neither of them had been particularly well off before this - Y/N was still living with her mother, who at the time of her kidnap had been away on a job interview in the neighbouring state, and Adrian was a busboy that spent a lot of money on weapons - so that money was running out too.

Life in the camper wasn't so bad. It was cramped and tiny, sure, but it was warm and comfy, and it was far easier to flee from suspected butterflies in a house on wheels than have to decide whether to leave all their stuff in some random hotel or take the risk to attempt to retrieve it.

Still, when another update came in, they were more than ready to read it and get back to 'normal' life.

"Darling, your phone just went off," Y/N called out from inside their van, heating up their food from the night before on a tabletop skillet. Adrian was by the creek they'd parked next to, washing blood and dirt from their clothes after their most recent run in with the butterflies, and the moment he heard her, he let a pair of his underwear accidentally drift downstream as he walked away.

On his way to read it, he mumbled, "Smells good, babe. I'm so hungry," and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he passed Y/N, who smiled up at him in a way that made him feel like the most loved man in the world, and was a little confused at first before he realised Economos had sent him coordinates.

He was pushing his hand in her field of vision as soon as he googled where the location was, interrupting her as she was about to give their noodles a mix. Y/N made a surprised face and grabbed the phone to make sure she was reading the screen correctly. "Evergreen? Do you think that means that this is all over?" she asked, a hint of excitement and nervousness in her voice.

Adrian smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his nose poking into her cheek as he confirmed, "I think it means we should start the long drive home."

Y/N smiled and leaned her head back against his chest as she took a deep breath. "Let's eat then get moving," she concluded, laughing when he attacked her cheek with so many excited kisses.

They ate, they got ready, and then they drove. It took them a few days to get back to Washington and Economos' coordinates led them straight to Adrian's house. It seemed that Chris, Leota and Keeya, John, and Emilia had been using his home - without permission but he honestly didn't care - as a base for the past month or so because they'd run out of weapons and thought, 'Where would there be a bunch of unattended weapons that they could use without repercussions for stealing' and Chris remembered the time his buddy showed him his gun collection.

Harcourt and Annabelle had a relatively easy time. Their safe house hadn't been discovered at all in the mess and they only found out something was wrong when John called Emilia for advice about what to do. With the assurance that Annabelle would be fine on her own, Emilia joined her squad to come up with a plan that would wipe out the rest of the butterflies.

And then they managed to find out about a meeting of all of the remaining butterflies and planted a bomb. Completely wiping out an entire race didn't feel great, but they'd been a thorn in the 11th Street Kids side for long enough that that feeling was replaced by a sigh of relief. A 'thank fuck that's over' kind of deal.

Before Y/N had even gotten out of the car, her mother was running out of the Chase home. Annabelle pulled open the passenger's side door and yanked Y/N into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, sweetpea! You are okay, aren't you?" she gushed, tears in her eyes as she examined Y/N's face.

"I'm okay, mama," Y/N said, laughing a little. "I've been so worried about you."

"I know, and I've been worried about you too. I whooped your brother and his friend's asses for taking so long to deal with those bug things!"

Peacemaker emerged from the house and Vigilante yelled out a very excited, "Peace! How are you, man?"

"Surprised that a dumbass like you survived!" Peacemaker responded, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at Vigilante. It was obviously still Adrian, but he'd grown his hair out a bit, had a five o'clock shadow, and looked the exact amount of tired you'd assume someone would be if they'd spent months sleeping in their car. "You look like shit, dude."

"Chris!" Both women complained. Annabelle reprimanded, "That is not a very nice thing to say to someone!" while Y/N chose to go with, "I think you look very handsome, babe!"

Then, both mother and son turned to face Y/N and exclaimed, "Babe?!" in shock. Chris was horrified. Annabelle, the opposite - she didn't know the guy but he was her good books for protecting Y/N as well as he had. This hadn't gone exactly the way Y/N thought it would. Honestly, she hadn't really planned anything about how she was going to casually bring up the fact that she'd started a relationship with Adrian, but it definitely wasn't going to be like this.

"Hi," Adrian said, awkwardly, as his BFF and his girlfriend's mother stared at him like he was an alien life form. "Uh... hello."

"Dude! Did I say you could date my sister?"

"No! But you didn't say I couldn't! There were no rules like that!" Adrian turned to Y/N so she'd know that he hadn't accidentally duped her into a 'forbidden' relationship and he repeated, "There were no rules!"

Closing the gap, Y/N comforted her boyfriend with a side hug, a soft "Yeah, I know," and a gentle pat on the chest. "Why don't you show me inside your home, Ade? We've been in the van for so long, I think I'd like to have one night in a normal bed." She then playfully added, "You've got that, don't you?"

Adrian grinned. "Yeah, I've got that."

The pair walked inside to find that his living room had been turned into a technology den of screens and drones and weapons - although those had been there before - and Adrian almost didn't recognise his childhood home. And he definitely didn't recognise the dogs that were running all over the place.

"You have chihuahuas?" Y/N asked, in some surprise.

"No, I'm more of a cat person."

"They're mine!" Adebayo announced as she came in from the kitchen, another dog under her arm. "Sorry! Sorry, I thought Keeya would've picked them up by now. We were all staying here together, me and my wife, John, Chris and Emilia, and -"

"You guys had a sleepover at my house without me being here? That's SO not cool!" Adrian whined.

1) His only friends hung out without him. That sucks. And 2) They did their group slumber party in the very place he owned and lived. That majorly sucks.

"You were literally on the run!" Economos retorted. "And we often thought you were dead!"

"So you decided to steal my house from me?!"

Harcourt gave Vigilante one look, just one, and he stopped whatever he was about to say next. Y/N saw how terrified he was of his boss and part of her was prepared to stand up for her man (despite the fact he was slightly overreacting), but yeah, Y/N had to admit that Harcourt was a little scary and she had mad respect for that.

Everything else that night was smooth sailing. As a big group, they let Annabelle make her signature baked Sausage and cheese rigatoni, and every member of the team ate until they were stuffed and only had enough movement in them to make it to the couch, where they crowded around the TV to watch a bad movie.

There weren't enough seats. Keeya sat on Leota. Y/N on Adrian. Annabelle and Economos a safe distance away from each other on the couch. Chris was sitting on a lazy boy off to the right with Emilia on the floor between his legs. And Peacemaker thought he was being so subtle and slick about playing with the ends of Harcourt's hair, running his fingers through the strands before glancing around every now and then to see if anyone had noticed.

As the movie played on, Y/N dozed off with her temple against Adrian's. She only began to stir when she felt the sensation of being lifted from the couch, and her eyes slowly opened to see that Adrian was making his way up the stairs.

"Are you carrying me to bed?"

"Uh-huh, like my pop used to do for me."

"You're so cute," she slurred, her voice so groggy she wondered how coherent it was to his ears. "You're so cute and so strong."

"Anything else about me that you like?" He urged, hoping that she'd reveal everything because of how sleepy she was.

"I like your smile. It's big."

"Yeah, anything else?"

"I like how you go out of your way to make me laugh."

"I do love your laugh."

"Yeah, well, I love you."

He froze mid-step, an overwhelming giddiness sweeping over him. He'd never expected to even be in this position. He had a girlfriend. And she just professed her love for him! This was better than winning the lottery. Better than finding a huge mob of criminals to shoot in the dick! He loved her too. He was so happy!

"I'll say it back when you're fully awake tomorrow," he whispered before letting Y/N slip onto the bed. She was tugging him down with her, trying to force his body on top of hers.

"Say it," she insisted, pouting like she did whenever she wanted him to give in to her. "Darling, I'd love to hear you say it. Pretty please. Don't tease - " She yawned again. "Don't tease me with this, baby."

"I love you," he said, rolling over and pinning her under him. Adrian grinned down at her, unable to stop the glee from pouring through every pore in his body.

Her forefinger came up to trace his mouth. "Big smile," Y/N yawned out, before moving to get under the covers. "Big bed too."

Adrian laughed as he stretched out beside her, propping himself up on one elbow to watch her as she fell back to sleep. "How'd I get so lucky, huh?" he mumbled to himself.

"When did you get so sappy, asshole?" Chris suddenly said from the bedroom door.

"Shh....she's sleeping."

"Oh my god, you're totally pussy whipped!"

"What are you even doing up here? You saw me coming up here?"

"Economos stunk up the first floor bathroom so I came up here to, y'know, not smell his shit."

"Jesus Christ."

In her sleep, Y/N shifted closer to Adrian, pressing against his chest. He stroked her hair, feeling her strands between his fingers, and he continued to watch her, his eyes tracing every line and curve of her face.

"This is so fucking gross to see," Chris muttered.

"Leave then!" At his raised voice, Y/N stirred. "Sorry. It's okay. It's okay, just go back to sleep," he said, stroking her hair some more.

Vigilante just asked Peacemaker to leave? In what crazy world had they jumped to? Before all this, Vig would do whatever he could to be around Peace for as long as he could. Now? Adrian's idolisation had dampened a little. He'd come to realise that there were other people out there, other people who were willing to be nice and kind and apologise to him, and that he didn't have to put up with all the insults Chris threw his way.

That wasn't a way to have any relationship, friendship or something more, and having Y/N in his life had given him a sense of 'yeah, I'm better than that' that he wasn't going to drop just because his BFF was back in the picture. Plus, he always had the 'I'm banging your sister' card in his back pocket to use whenever Chris got too vulgar.

"You two are really serious then?" Chris asked, his voice a little quieter so he didn't wake his sibling.

"I'd buy a ring if I had the money."

Chris' eyes widened. "You serious?"

"Yeah."

"Ew, I don't want you as my brother in law."

Coming up behind him, Annabelle placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Hey pumpkin, let your sister sleep in peace, yeah?" She cooed and guided Chris away from the doorway.

Despite his muscles and big stature, Chris seemed to shrink back into a little kid when his mother interacted with him. It always amazed Adrian how much of a pushover he could be. In a small voice, Chris said, "Okay, mama. I will," and went back downstairs without arguing.

"Goodnight, Adrian. Watch over her for me?"

"Always will, Mrs L/N."

"I know you will."

Annabelle left the couple to snooze in peace. And they snoozed for longer than they had done in ages. There was no danger. No need to get up quick and flee. No knocking on the van windows to say 'you can't park here'. Nothing but peace and quiet and the quiet sounds of a house full of sleeping friends and family.

#adrian chase #vigilante #vigilante x reader #adrian chase x female reader #adrian chase x reader #adrian chase x y/n #peacemaker

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