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aetheternity · 3 years

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Draken, Chifuyu, Mitsuya, the Kawata twins and Kazutora in:

When they see you with your ex.

Disclaimer: E/N means Ex's name. The ex changes gender for each one to be more exclusive I'm sorry if it feels confusing. Kazutora's has mild angst but otherwise this is really sfw.

🌟 Draken

☆ He'd kinda crashed Mikey and Emma's day out. You'd told him you had something to do this weekend so what else was he supposed to do with his free time? The three of them had stopped to eat on the outdoor patio at a nice restaurant and while Emma and Mikey chatted away about something school related. Draken sat quietly sipping his tea.

☆ You'd been kinda weird when he'd asked why the two of you couldn't hang out today. You didn't even tell him what it was you were doing instead. And you always told him literally everything about your life. Sometimes unprompted.

• "Hey, isn't that Name?" Emma's voice suddenly caught his attention.

• "Who's the guy?" Mikey questioned in between bites of his food.

☆ Draken's head shot in the direction Emma had pointed in. Sure enough there you were, talking with a guy who was about the same height as Draken. Weirdly enough Draken felt like he'd seen this guy somewhere before.

• "Is that?.. E/N?"

☆ Draken squinted still staring at the two of you talking. You didn't exactly look happy but you and your ex were standing way too close. He felt a little pang in his heart.

• "Maybe she just.." Emma cut herself off. Your arm came up to wrap around your ex's neck. Pulling him in for a hug which he just as soon reciprocated.

• "Let's just go." Draken said and Emma seemed to immediately agree. As soon as Draken and Emma squeezed back into the open doors of the restaurant Mikey hightailed it in the opposite direction.

• "Dammit Mikey!"

• "Mikey!" Emma called but it was definitely too late for that.

☆ Mikey ran up behind you tapping your shoulder as Emma and Draken made their way down to the scene that was now forming.

• "Are you cheating on Ken chin?" Mikey questioned with zero hesitation. His face stern and his shoulders bared.

• "Mikey.." You said

• "I would've preferred to do this later." Draken grit. Though Mikey didn't even spare him a glance.

• "This is.. your new boyfriend right?" E/N asked

• "Name." Emma began "I know you wouldn't cheat on Draken.."

☆ You sighed putting some space between Mikey who looked two seconds away from punching someone and your ex whose confusion seemed to grow the longer this went on.

• "I'm not, I would never.." You sighed before continuing on. "He's dating my friend now and since we had some bad blood between us.. I figured I should try to get along with him since he's staying in my life. But I'm so sorry Ken Ken, I should've told you yesterday when you asked."

☆ Mikey stepped to the side as you held out your hand for Draken to take. He wasted no time pulling you into his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of your forehead.

• "Don't ever do this again."

• "Go out with my ex without explaining myself? Or get caught going out with my ex without explaining myself?"

• "All of it." Mikey interjected, hands placed in his pocket but his normal smile was starting to reappear.

• "Go home you two. I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon with these two."

• "Oh? Is it because you're worried something will happen?" You asked Draken laced your finger tips slipping your hand into his pocket.

• "I was never worried, I just wanted to spend time with you." He explained

☆ Definitely should've just invited him in the first place because within a couple hours your ex and Draken have become better friends than the two of you were supposed to be.

🌟 Chifuyu

☆ Him and Takemichi decided to spend the afternoon in Chifuyu's favorite manga shop since sitting at home had become tiresome.

☆ Takemichi had organized a small pile of books around his body like a nest while Chifuyu just searched the aisles aimlessly. He didn't have a book in mind before coming here so he figured he'd pick one out from his favorite section once they got there.

• "Hey Chifuyu?" Takemichi looked up as Chifuyu flipped through one book while he held another in his hand.

• "I can't buy both of these. Takemichi which one do you think is better?"

• "Isn't that Name?" Takemichi pointed over the stack of books on his left sure enough just outside the aisle was you with a girl chatting away.

• "Who's the girl Name's talking with?" Takemichi asked looking up at Chifuyu, though Chifuyu had already ducked his way behind the bookshelf peering out of the aisle at the current scenario.

• "What the hell are you doing?" He asked coming over.

• "That's Name's ex."

• Takemichi fell in line next to Chifuyu peering over his head, "I didn't know Name dated girls too.."

• "Yeah.. it's not a big deal.." Chifuyu said as the two of you giggled about something a couple feet away.

• "If it's not a big deal why are we hiding?"

• "Shh!" Chifuyu ducked back as you and your ex walked a little ways away. "Come on let's follow them."

• "Why don't we just go talk to them?" Takemichi followed reluctantly.

• "I don't want Name to think I came here because I was stalking-"

☆ Just as Chifuyu had made it to the next aisle he tripped over a snag in the carpet causing an oblivious Takemichi to bump into him. A loud oof from both of them alerting you and your ex of their presence.

• "Chi?" You called annndd now you were coming over. "Hey Chi, what are you doing here?"

• "This is my favorite manga place." Chifuyu answered with a grunt, stepping into the aisle.

• "I know.. I just thought you and Takemichi would be at your place."

• "What's going on?.. This is what you were busy with?" He gestured between the two of you.

• "Chi." You stepped forward and Chifuyu took one step back. "You know how me and, E/N are childhood best friends and how my grandmother is sick right now? My grandmother is basically a second mother to her so she invited me out to take my mind and her's off things, She suggested we come in here and I said ok but it wasn't right of me to not tell you, I'm sorry baby."

☆ Chifuyu looked between you and your ex his eyes slowly beginning to soften.

• "I'm not mad love. It was just weird you don't normally do underhanded things like this." He pulled you into his chest for a hug and you wrapped your arms around his waist.

• "You should come with us." E/N said pointing to Chifuyu and Takemichi. "Name won't stop talking about how wonderful you are as a boyfriend anyway."

☆ A bright pink flutters over both you and Chifuyu's cheeks as Takemichi snickers behind you both.

• "Next time you can bring Hina and we can make this into an outing." Chifuyu said, poking Takemichi in his side with his elbow before wrapping his arm around your midsection.

☆ You guys probably end up staying in the store for a couple more hours honestly because if there's anything you and Chifuyu have in common it's your love for manga.

🌟 Mitsuya

☆ He'd been running errands for his mother all morning so by the time he reached the supermarket he was completely exhausted. He pushed his shopping cart through the aisles with a long sigh, checking off items as he went.

☆ He rounded the last corner glad that his day was nearly over and already thinking about what he was going to prepare for dinner when the sound of your voice caught his attention.

☆ His first assumption was that he was so tired he was imagining it but the airy ring of your laugh soon validated his suspicions. You'd told him you were hanging out with friends today after all.

☆ He grabbed the last thing on his list deciding to go say hi. He wheeled the cart directly into the next aisle walking up as you and a person he didn't recognize were having a chat with an elderly woman.

• "You two are so cute together." The woman gestured with a small smile.

• "Oh.. no we're exes and friends." E/N explained

• "Aw I'm sorry things didn't work out for you two." The woman nodded

☆ You opened your mouth to respond but Mitsuya's warm gaze caught your attention first.

• "Suya, hey!" You greeted, walking over to greet your boyfriend with a small hug.

• "That's the actual boyfriend." Your ex explained to the woman.

• "This is the friend you told me about yesterday?" Mitsuya asked looking at your ex with a blank expression.

☆ The tension in the aisle could be sliced with a knife and the lady from before quickly walked away to another side of the store.

• "We are just friends now I promise. There's nothing going on between us and they're having a party tonight that's why we're here." You gestured to your ex who awkwardly waved back. "I was going to invite you later so that you could sneak out when Luna and Mana are asleep."

• Mitsuya nodded his expression softening as he reached up to cup your cheek, "I wish you had just explained that earlier, next time just tell me I won't be angry."

• "I will, I promise." You gave him a quick peck which he reciprocated. "I'm going to head with Suya but I'll see you at the party later?" You asked turning to your ex.

• "Yeah, I'll see you then." They replied as they left.

☆ And yeah sure Mitsuya said he was cool with it but you two ended up skipping the party and after dinner you both stayed in bed all night.. (Do with that what you will. 🙃)

🌟 Nahoya/Smiley

☆ You'd only been dating Nahoya for a month and everyday you two met up at the same place after school.

☆ Sometimes (like today) he'd grab Souya/Angry and head out to meet you. Today the three of you were just supposed to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the Toman meeting.

☆ The second the two of them had stopped their bikes Souya pointed you out where you were holding a box and talking to some stranger.

• "Who's that guy?" Nahoya's grin tightened as he watched the way the guy yapped away while you just silently listened.

• "He looks like somebody." Souya pondered for a second before his gaze fell on his brother. "I recognize his face he was in some picture on Name's wall."

☆ Nahoya didn't wait another second to storm over to the situation Souya trotting along behind with his teeth grit.

• "What the hell is this?" Nahoya grunted though his smile never wavered. The indent of anger extremely noticeable on his forehead.

• "Hoya, this is E/N he-"

• "E/N as in your ex?" Souya chimed up before you could finish.

• "You invited your ex here when you knew I was coming? What kind of shit are you pulling here Name?"

☆ His smile began to dip at the edges but it was obvious he was trying to keep up his natural facade. His fists clenching at his side, book bag carefully slipped into Souya's arms behind him.

• "I just needed my stuff back, I promise." You tried to explain, shaking the box in your possession for Nahoya to see.

• "I didn't mean to intrude on your-"

• "You shut the fuck up!"

• "Hoya!"

• "So you thought you should invite him on our date? Are you trying to piss me off?"

• You stomped your foot exasperation slowly starting to take over in your face and tone. "Hoya, I didn't invite him! I told him I was here and he's gonna be on vacation for three weeks but I needed my camera back." You hold up the camera that you'd fished from the box, Desperation thick in your voice. "So he decided to drop my stuff off with me and you just happened to get here before he could leave." You rest your fingertips on the bridge of your nose. Glad for the silence that soon arises.

• "I should go." Your ex whispers doing a little scoot around Nahoya who still hadn't completely cooled off.

• "Hey, stop it." Nahoya grips your chin pulling your shaky form closer to himself. "You should've just asked me to get your shit for you."

• You muster a little giggle, sniffling and wiping your face with the back of your hand. "You would've kicked his ass then brought me my stuff."

• "He would've deserved it."

☆ You pull Nahoya closer though he's still a little hesitant to return your affection.

• "Let me make it up to you please? You and Souya." You turn to Souya who's still holding both his and Nahoya's backpacks.

• "You're paying for lunch today." Nahoya replies pulling you into his side. He lowers his voice leaning into your ear as Souya walks ahead to his bike. "And if I ever see that jackass again I'll break his jaw."

🌟 Kazutora

☆ Baji and him had spent the day riding their motorcycles until they decided to take a break not too far away from the shrine where Toman meetings were always held.

☆ They soon found themselves parking their bikes and skipping stones by the riverbed.

• "So, why is it that you're hanging out with me instead of your partner today?" Baji asked as his stone plopped into the water.

• "They said they had something going on." Kazutora replied

• "If I was with someone that gorgeous I'd be willing to go with them but whatever."

• "Maybe you should have someone before you start dishing out relationship advice."

☆ Baji grinned wide throwing a soft punch which Kazutora caught with a snicker pretending to right hook him. It soon lead into a chase with Baji dodging all of Kazutora's playful jabs walking backwards and making sound effects to go along with each swipe of his fists.

☆ Baji grabbed both of Kazutora's fists pushing him back until he nearly tumbled onto his ass. His laugh unbridled in its volume.

• "Come here Kazutora I'll show you how to throw a real punch."

• "What the fuck.." Kazutora's gaze followed two people walking along the path that went just overhead.

☆ Baji's head whipped around to track Kazutora's gaze stopping on the two people walking side by side almost out of sight at this point.

• "Is that-" Kazutora was nearly gone by the time Baji had processed the words. "Hey!" He called out running to catch up but Kazutora had already sprinted to the top of the bank, jogging along to catch up to the people they'd spotted.

• "Name!" His voice boomed closing the distance scarily quick.

☆ You'd stopped dead in your tracks, turning to face the chilling look in your boyfriend's eyes as he stood before you. Baji right behind and practically out of breath.

• "Who is that?" Kazutora pointed

• "Tora.. baby don't freak out.."

☆ His earring clinked against his face as he stared into your eyes.

• "Are you leaving me now? Is that it?"

• "Tora!" You huff, putting your hands out.

• "Kazutora.." Baji called out already sensing the weight of the situation.

• "She's my ex but listen-"

• "So you are cheating on me.." Kazutora's jaw locks and when you reach out for his sleeves with pleas of his name he just slaps your arms away.

☆ When he leaves he runs for his bike. His leg anchored over the side already gripping the handle bars tightly when Baji's loud scream of his name rips through the air.

☆ He's got his bike out of park but just as he starts to drive away you dash out from nowhere and yank his handle bar.

• "Dammit Tora listen to me!!" You beg, he can clearly see the beginnings of tears stinging the corners of your eyes as you hold onto the hand still clutching his handlebars.

• "What could you possibly say? That it didn't mean anything? That you love me?!"

• "Yes! I do love you! You mean everything to me! I needed to be with E/N today because her mom went missing a couple days ago! The woman that took me in and loved me all my life is out there somewhere and no one knows anything about it so dammit Kazutora if you love me even half as much as I love you, don't leave me right now!"

☆ You latched onto his jacket letting your loud sobs fill the now quiet air.

• "You told me.. You love me.." His whispered tone barely reaches your ears as you continue to choke on your own tears.

• "I.. love you.. Tora.." You hiccuped

☆ His arms wrapped gently around your waist, face deep in the crook of your neck as you slowly began to relax.

• "I'm sorry." You felt him tremble as he held you closer than he ever had before. "I love you.." He reciprocated. "I'm here.."

🌟 Souya/Angry

☆ Souya tended to listen more than you realized. Like when you go on and on about a band you absolutely adore to the point where he stays up until almost 12 am to snag tickets for the two of you to go see them on the weekend. And this was that weekend.

☆ He'd been nearly bursting with excitement over it and now he could finally surprise you with the news after holding it in for a solid week.

☆ He parked his bike across the street from your house, reaching into his jacket pocket for the umpteenth time to check that both tickets were there. After a few more minutes of preparing, blowing into his hand to check his breath, smoothing his sweaty hands over his jacket. He rung your doorbell. The heel of his toe tapping against the floor as he waited for you to answer.

☆ When the door finally opened a person much taller than Souya answered.

• "Yup." The person pursed their lips one hand on the tool belt wrapped around their waist. For a second Souya pondered if he'd somehow rung the wrong doorbell until he looked at the number in plain view embellished on your door front.

• "Who are you?" It definitely came off more aggressive thanks to Angry's naturally violent resting face.

☆ Before the person could answer you came bounding down the stairs, pulling the door open wider.

• "Why the hell would you answer my door?" You spit at the person standing beside you as you pull your boyfriend inside, shutting the door behind him.

• "I think you mean thank you."

• "Fuck off." You tell the person who was already walking back to the kitchen.

☆ The naturally angry imprint on Souya's face seems to deepen as he makes eye contact with you.

• "I wish you had called." You sighed, tugging Souya into the living room by his jacket sleeves.

• "Who the hell is that?"

• "You remember how I said my ex is in the remodeling business.."

• "That's your ex?"

• "Yes but listen! If I work with him I can get a discount, I just want that wall taken out to open up the space a bit more." You gesture to the kitchen where your ex is currently examining the wall. "I would've told you sooner but between my friend coaxing me into doing this remodel and that drunk night with you and Nahoya it was hard to find time."

☆ Souya dipped his hands into his pockets, staring blankly into the distance. His brow furrowed deeper than normal and his foot tapped against the hardwood.

• "If you're uncomfortable with this I'll get someone else.."

• "Get someone else."

• "Wait before you answer." You scoot closer to your still ticked boyfriend and he makes eye contact with you again. "This kind of remodel normally costs way more than the bargain I'm getting with them."

☆ Souya blinked blankly at you.

• "Sou plllleeeeaaasssee, you can be here whenever they are." You gesture to the kitchen.

• "No I can't I have a job."

• "Fine.. I'll call you the entire time." He sighed with a roll of his eyes. And you rubbed both his arms with a long groan of his name. "How about this, I bring you and them to dinner. Once you see how disinterested I am you might be more for it."

• "Not worried about you, I'm worried about them." His forehead rubbed against yours and you giggled.

• "I promise I only love you."

• "Would you love me more if I got tickets to your favorite band for today?"

• "I'm never leaving you." You proclaim wrapping your arms tightly around Souya's midsection. "That's a proposal by the way we're engaged now. I don't make the rules."

• "E/N I'm engaged now!" You yell towards the kitchen.

• "I heard, congrats!" They yelled back

☆ Souya just scoffed but his cheeks bloomed into the deepest shade of red as he walked upstairs with you to your bedroom to help you pick out an outfit for the concert.

#gender netural reader #tokyo revengers headcanons #tokyo revengers x reader #draken x reader #chifuyu x reader #mitsuya x reader #nahoya x reader #kazutora x reader #souya x reader #draken hcs #chifuyu hcs #mitsuya hcs #nahoya headcanons #nahoya hcs #kazutora hcs #souya hcs #souya headcanons #Kazutora when he sees you with your ex: This is all Mikey's fault

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wrenhyperfixates · 3 years

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All I Need is You

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: You do so much for everyone else and so little for yourself that when you almost collapse, Loki finally gets you to agree to let him take care of you. Warnings: the reader skips some meals; a lot of fluff A/N: Its really just Loki taking care of you. But please remember to take care of yourselves too everyone!! Hope you enjoy :)

Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedficrecs @lunarmoon8 @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan @lowkeyorlokificrecs @gaitwae @whatafuckingdumbass @castiels-majestic-wings @kozkaboi @cozy-the-overlord @birdgirl90 @myraiswack @mythicalgarlicknot @what-a-flammable-heart @marvelouslovely @laurenandloki @fallinallinmendes @sophlubbwriting @mooncat163 @lokislittlesigyn @wolfish-trickster

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

Loki was watching you even more carefully than normal these days. Yes, you’d caught his eye even on your first day in the Tower back when you were just a new recruit, a SHIELD agent with some kind of sixth sense that let you anticipate things, recently transferred to the Avengers Tower. Even now no one was entirely sure if it was a power or just an uncanny knack you had that made you extremely good at your job. Regardless, the trickster god could see how the ability had shaped you.

You’d only been in the Tower a week when you’d started running errands all over the city, offering things to people before they could even think they needed it themselves, then going to pick it up for them. Loki had declined the offer after hearing all the places you were already going. He’d hoped it was a fluke, that you wouldn’t make it a habit of taking care of everyone. Not that it was inherently bad, he just knew how tiring it could be to please everyone, worried that you would burn out. Of course, you had kept doing it, and his worries turned out to be justified.

“Darling, are you going out again?” Loki asked as you passed his seat in the common room on your way to the elevator. He set his book down, frowning. “Did you not just go yesterday? Unless, of course, this time it is for you. Then by all means, please be on your way.”

“No... It’s just Steve and Bucky were talking about some cereals they used to like and we don’t have any in the Tower so...” you trailed off, shuffling your feet.

“And can they not wait for it until the next scheduled trip to the supermarket?”

“Well, yeah, they said they could. But I don’t mind.”

Loki stood and sighed, walking over to you. Gently, so you didn’t have to comply if you didn’t want to, Loki lifted your chin to look at him. You looked tired. Admirable as it was that you wanted to do things for others, you needed a rest day.

“And tell me, darling, when was the last time you did something for yourself?” He waited a moment for an answer, but was met with silence. “What about that drawing you started two months ago? Have you worked on that more?”

“It wasn’t any good, anyway,” you shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”

“It was wonderful,” he reassured you. “What about eating, though? Have you eaten today?”

“I... I had a mint.”

“That does not count.” Now he was outright worried. You did this every once in a while, saying you just got so caught up in other things, you forgot to eat. Whatever the reason, it troubled Loki. “You have had some water at least? You know what, do not answer. I am sure I know already. Just wait here a moment.”

You waited by the lift as Loki padded to the kitchen, searching for a water bottle. The problem went beyond just these shopping trips. Sometimes when Tony or Bruce got stuck on one of their projects, you’d pore over books and blueprints for hours, searching for the answer, losing sleep. Then other times, you took it upon yourself to plan events for the team. It was more than a simple, casual invitation. No, it usually involved at least three days of extensive planning. Everyone enjoyed them and was appreciative, needing a break from their day-to-day lives, but it just took up more of your time and brainpower. Pile that onto your own training and missions, it was enough to wear anyone out.

But what he both loved and hated the most was how you’d always be there to talk. Not just for him, but for everyone. And not merely a laid-back chat, either. No, they were practically therapy sessions. Again, just like all the other things you did, that would be all fine and good, except for the fact you never talked about your own issues. You just did so much for everyone else and practically nothing for yourself, even something so basic as remembering to eat, that it broke Loki’s heart a little more every day.

“Here,” he said, handing you the plastic bottle. “But I am coming with you.”

Smiling brightly, you led the way out into the city streets. You chatted as you went about your task, and Loki was yet to take his eyes off of you. It wasn’t until you started the journey back, however, that he began to grow worried. You hadn’t taken even the smallest sip of the water he’d fetched for you, and on this hot day, it was clearly taking its toll. You stumbled a little, suddenly looking more out of it than Loki could stand. He gently gripped your arm to steady you and led you to a bench. Grabbing the water out of your backpack, Loki uncapped it and held the bottle to your lips.

“Drink,” he ordered, but with kindness in his tone.

One of your hands that was gripping the bench a bit too tightly in an attempt to ground your dizzy mind came up to take the bottle from him. Complying, you downed nearly half the bottle in one gulp. It seemed that was a mistake as your empty stomach gargled, rebelling against the sudden intake. Loki rubbed large circles on your back while you scrunched your eyes closed, breathing deeply as you tried to force yourself to feel better.

“Are you alright, darling?” Loki asked when you felt well enough to take another few small sips. You nodded your head, eyes still closed. “Now do you see why it is important to take care of yourself? Will you please get some rest this afternoon?”

“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry, I-”

“That is madness!” Both Loki and you flinched at his sudden increase in volume. He removed his hand from your back, feeling unworthy to make contact with you after snapping like that. You were his friend, and he was yelling at you for something like this? It made him disappointed in himself. He sighed. “Listen, I am sorry. All I mean is I care about you. I do not like to see you like this. It is not healthy, and I believe you know that.”

You opened your eyes, blinking at him. “You-you care about me?”

Loki felt heat flood to his cheeks as he realized that he had, in fact, said that. “I do. So will you please let me take care of you?”

You bit your lip for a minute. “I will,” you sighed, giving in.

Satisfied, Loki coaxed you into accepting a piggyback ride the rest of the way home. You placed your forehead in the crook of his neck, enjoying his cool skin against yours, which was noticeably overheating. He quickly tossed the grocery bags of cereal onto the counter and brought you to your room, your own little pocket of the world that you trusted Loki enough to share with him if even for a moment. Laying you down on your bed, he told you to rest for a minute, lips placing a ghost of a kiss on your forehead.

The god moved to your bathroom, looking for what he needed. After preparing a bubble bath with nice, cool water, Loki left you to sink into it with only the order to relax. While you did, he hurried to prepare you a light meal, something that wouldn’t upset your stomach. When you padded out of the bathroom in the soft pajamas Loki had left for you and saw the meal on a tray on your bedside table, a smile tugged at your lips.

Loki peeled back the silken sheets he’d put on your bed so you could get under them. With a little bit of difficulty—Loki never had gotten a firm grasp on understanding Midgardian technology—he flipped through the channels on your TV until you found something you wanted to watch while you ate.

“Is there anything else you need?” he asked once you were done eating, before leaving you to your own devices.

You bit your lip as you thought before ultimately shaking your head no. “I’m good thanks.”

“Please, darling, be honest with me,” he pleaded. “Anything you want. Name it, and it is yours.”

“Will you stay with me?” you blurted out. “No, I’m sorry, that’s ridiculous. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“Darling,” he tsked. “The only thing on my schedule today is taking care of you.”

You smiled as he slid under the sheets next to you, wrapping his arms around your body and pulling you onto his lap. You twisted your body so you could look at him and tuck a few locks of his raven hair behind his ear. You were living in your own place in time, the two of you finding a safe haven in each other’s arms.

“You know what would make me really happy, Loki?” you began. “If I got to give you a little, thank you. Would that be alright?”

The god hesitated for a moment. “I suppose. Depending on what it is.”

“Can I... Would it be alright if I kissed you?”

“Well, that depends, again.”

“On?”

“On whether or not we can make it a regular occurrence,” Loki replied with a playful grin.

“You know, you are always saying I should do things that make me happy. So yes, yes we absolutely can.”

“In that case,” he said, already leaning in, “what are you waiting for?”

Giggling, you bridged the gap between you. As Loki smiled against your lips, he realized something. No matter how stubborn either of you were when it came to accepting help for yourselves, you’d always have the other to take care of you. And even more importantly, Loki thought, you’d have each other to love.

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anne-i-write · 3 years

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sweet love

| who would have known that the local bakery could get sebastian to show his soft spot |

sebastian moran x reader

word count: 3609

tw: sexual implications but no actual spice (mostly from sebastian’s “flirting”)

a/n: a little new years gift from me to all of you! i’m sorry it took so long to get another post up but i enjoyed writing this one! hopefully sebastian isn’t too ooc in this idk ig i just have a thing for making characters ooc but it’s very sweet and possibly tooth rotting. i also realize that i got carried away making this one and now you can read through my brain rot lol. ALSO APPARENTLY HES 6’6 THE MAN COULD ABSOLUTELY PUNT ME WHAT anyhow, i hope you all enjoy!! p.s. if you see grammatical errors and incoherent sentences, i just copy pasted from google docs lmao good luck

Sebastian grumbled under his breath, annoyed with the work that William had him do.

“‘Those who do not work in this house aren’t treated as people.’” Sebastian scoffed as he glanced over at the list. “Louis should be glad I’m on good terms with William.”

The ex-colonel should’ve been back at the estate an hour ago but he felt somewhat spiteful and decided to stay out longer. He had finished everything he needed but he had no clue what to do. It was already lunch and his stomach was silently growling but he refused to face the brothers just yet.

That was until he stopped in front of a quaint bakery with the words Fox’s Biscuits painted on a hanging sign.

“Isn’t this…” He looked at the bakery window, mouthwatering biscuits on display for everyone to see.

“These are the biscuits Father bought for me when I was younger.”

Longing for a sense of his childhood, Sebastian walked into the small shop.

In an instant, the sickly sweet smell of chocolate hit his nose and the bell above the door rang out. It was a small space but one could feel the dedication put into the little treats. “Hello?” Sebastian called out as soon as he realized he had been alone for at least two minutes.

“Just a moment!”

Crashes and clangs could be heard from behind a door that presumably led to a kitchen. You burst through the door, your apron stained with chocolate and your right cheek was covered in a light dust of flour.

Sebastian stared at you with wide eyes, not sure if he should focus on the disorderly ruin that was yourself or the absolute charm that you carried. “You have a little something—” He pointed to his cheek and your cute eyes widened a smidge.

You frantically turned around, swiping at both cheeks and turning around when you felt like you were clean. “How may I help you today?”

Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat when you smiled widely, his cheeks feeling a little flush. He shook his head.

“Those biscuits by the door; how much are they?” You took a step to the side to see which one he was talking about. “Oh, it’s 10 shillings for each one.” You informed him, walking to the stacked treats with a cloth in hand. “How many would you like?”

A sly grin painted Sebastian’s features and he turned to face you. “3 pieces please.” You barely picked up the second biscuit before you felt a presence looming behind you. “Perhaps, I can have you too if I pay extra.” He whispered in your ear.

Heat spread across your face as you quickly shoved the rest of the biscuits in the small bag. You shoved the biscuits his way and held out your other hand expectantly. “Th-That’s 30 shillings!” You cursed the way you stuttered.

Sebastian laughed at your flustered state as he handed you the payment. He shot you a teasing glance.

“I can’t bake very well but I can show you how good I am with my hands.” Your eyes widened again at the implication and you shoved him towards the exit.

“Thank you for coming to our bakery!” You breathed out a sigh of relief. One patron down… only many more to come.

The ex-colonel swung the bag leisurely as he strode into the manor, forgetting about lunch. “Where were you, Sebastian?” Louis asked as soon as he opened the door.

“Getting myself food.”

The bell rang in your little family shop and you smiled, heading out to greet the next customer with freshly baked biscuits in hand.

“Good afternoon–” Your smile dropped when you realized who came into the bakery.

“What’s with the frown, sweetheart?” Sebastian cooed and you narrowed your eyes at him. “Did you not wish I would come back?”

“I wish you never came at all.” The man stilled for a moment but laughed when you walked past him to restock the display case. “You were here yesterday, were you not?” He turned to see you carefully placing the treats on the platter. “Yes but I’m here to buy more of those delicious biscuits you sell.”

Sebastian stalked closer to you just as you spun around to point the tray in his face. “Personal space, please.” He raised his hands in resignation and backed up. You walked back to the counter to place the warm tray on top. “You weren’t complaining yesterday.”

“I didn’t expect yesterday. Now, how many biscuits would you like?” Before he opened his mouth, you continued. “And buy enough so I don’t have to see you again.”

Sebastian laughed again, enjoying your quips. “You seem very spirited today, m’love.” You rolled your eyes. “Either you buy something or you can get out of the shop.” The man walked towards you but you stood your ground this time, arms crossed.

“Your biscuits are delicious but I bet you taste even better.” Your face heated up and Sebastian grinned. “Th-The way out is right behind you.”

Why do I always stutter?

“You’re adorable when you get shy on me.” You shot him a pointed glare and he chuckled. “I’ll have the whole display.” Sebastian thoroughly enjoyed the way your shy attitude appeared when he spoke.

“Th-The whole—” Sebastian chuckled and leaned on a nearby wall. “Yes, sweetheart; the whole case.” Of course, you needed the money but could the man even afford it?

“Th-That’s 100 shillings.” Sebastian took another glance at the display and shook his head. “Come now sweetheart, all of that is at least 600 shillings.” You shook your head.

“600 shillings is too much!” The thought of even getting mad at his previous words flew out of your head as he insisted on paying the full price. “Please, I’ll lower the price.”

Sebastian smiled as he reached into his coat and pulled out a satchel of coins. “It must have taken a painstakingly long time to make all those biscuits, it’s only right I pay you in full.” He placed the bag on the counter and you slid it back towards him. “I don’t have time to count 100 shillings! Please, that would be more than enough.”

This continued on for another ten minutes before he finally got you to settle on paying half of the original price.

“Enjoy your biscuits!” You called out to him just as the door barely closed behind him. Thankfully the door had a large glass pane and he turned around, offering a small wave before walking off.

You watched as he left the front of the shop and your eyes drifted to the empty display case.

“What in God’s name happened.”

Sebastian was aware that the last time he saw you was the other day, but he did comprehend that coming back the day after buying 60 biscuits would look rather odd. Telling Louis he had to run an errand in the town, the ex-colonel set off to your little bakery. Considering how empty it was the last two times he saw you, Sebastian expected it to be the same.

What he didn’t expect was a large crowd that seemed too big to be inside of the bakery.

Sebastian carefully opened the door and was greeted with the bustling sound of people chatting as they waited for their treats. Being the tall man he was, he searched for you in the crowd until he saw you rush out of the kitchen with your hair a complete mess.

“Thank you for being so patient, have a great day!” You said breathlessly and the patron nodded, wishing you well before leaving. They passed by Sebastian and he watched as they left the shop. He turned his attention back to you, who wore the same smile that made his heart stutter as you helped the next customer.

God only knows how long Sebastian was in the shop but the last customer left and you slumped against the counter. “Is that how you hold yourself in front of your patrons?” You groaned and he laughed.

“You bought 60 biscuits the other day and I still have to make the next batch, why are you back?” You glanced up at him and he shrugged. “Can I not wait for the biscuits?” You kept staring at him and he shot you a questioning glance.

“I can give you an estimated time for when the biscuits are done.” You yawned as you stood up and stretched. “I saw you come in a while ago, do you not have anywhere to be?”

Sebastian leaned against the counter and sighed. “Not today.”

Not having the energy to make him leave, you simply walked back into the kitchen and he watched as the door swung behind you.

It had been three minutes since you disappeared behind the doors and Sebastian was about to leave before you emerged from the kitchen. “If you’re staying until I make the next batch, then I want you to try this.” You said as you place down a small plate with two chocolate covered biscuits. “My father doesn’t know about these so I want to see if these taste good.” He took a glance at the plate and looked up at you.

“You couldn’t try them yourselves?” He asked as you stood across from him, arms folded. “I’d be favored to like them because I made them.” A beat of silence passed as you stared at each other.

“They’re not poisoned, if that’s what you’re worried about.” An impressed look crossed Sebastian’s face as he picked up the biscuit and ate it. You watched closely as the man in front of you chewed your creation. “Is that jam and cream?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, it’s indecent.” Sebastian snorted as he took another bite. “You sound like my mum.” You smiled softly as he started to reach for the second one.

“Keep staring like that, I might have to eat something else.” He said as he winked at you.

“Y-You—!”

Sebastian’s visits became routine and each time he came in, your day got a little better. You scoffed. Like you would ever tell him that.

“Darling!” Sebastian called out as he opened the door. “You know, I don’t even know your name and you’ve been coming here for two weeks.” You stated as you cleaned down the counter.

“Aw, you want to put a name to a face so you can moan it tonight?” He cooed and you slammed your towel down, flustered. “O-One day without suggesting those things! I-Is that too much to ask?” Sebastian laughed and you went back to furiously wiping down the counter.

He smiled as he walked towards you and placed his hand on yours. “If you keep scrubbing like that, the wood will wear down.” You sighed and relaxed your grip on the washing cloth. “Your hands are warm.” You said and he chuckled.

“The cloth’s gone cold.” He pointed out and you rolled your eyes. “I didn’t realize.” Sebastian snorted and took the cloth out of your hands. “Here.” He took both of your hands and held them in his, breathing out slowly on them. He looked at you, taking note of the dark circles under your eyes.

If you were working yourself that much, he would make you take this short break to relax.

You looked up at your hands and suddenly felt shy at the intimate contact. “(Y/N),” you muttered, looking away.

Sebastian glanced up at you and huffed softly. “Sebastian.” You continued to let him warm up your hands.

A serene silence fell over the two of you as he exhaled softly on your hands.

That was until your sister barged into the shop, back from the market. “(Y/N)!” All three of you paused as you stared at each other. You watched as your sister’s eyes traveled from yours to your intertwined hands and you instantly flared up.

“I was just handing him biscuits!” You yelped, yanking your hands out of Sebastian’s. You looked at him and nodded your head towards the exit. “Thank you so much for coming!” Sebastian grinned and he leaned in closer to you. “I’ll come back for you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

He knew he said this loud enough for you sister to hear. “Good day!” He smiled innocently, nodding to the girl by the door and walked out.

You watched as he left, not noticing your sister walking up and taking her place next to you. She watched with you as Sebastian walked away and took note of the subtle starry gaze in your eyes.

“Now I understand why you always want to watch the shop.”

You fidgeted as Sebastian walked into the shop once again. What was this? His 40th time at the shop? You shook your head. It didn’t matter.

I will ask him!

“What’s troubling you, sweetheart?” Even through the teasing tone, you could hear some worry and you just decided to spit it out.

“Would you like to accompany me to the moorish dance tonight?” Sebastian’s eyes widened as you stared up at him with unintentionally large eyes. The man knew he had a persona to hold in front of you but felt himself failing as he struggled to fight the blush rising on his cheeks.

“Only if you’ll accompany me to my bed tonight.” He watched as your eyes narrowed and you puffed out your chest, crossing your arms. “Forget I asked.” He laughed as you turned away from him. “I’m just playing around!” You stuck your tongue out childishly and turned away again.

“You’re pouting!”

“No I’m not!”

You two continued to bicker until he apologized, albeit through laughs. “I’m serious though, Sebastian.” He looked at you with a fond smile and he exhaled.

“I’d be honored.” You turned to face him with the same smile you used when you first greeted him, except this time it was wider and you looked like you were about to bounce over the counter. “But I really thought I would be the first to ask you.”

“Let customs lay themselves to rest for a bit, Sebastian.”

The dance was some time later at night so you decided to close shop early and walk around the town with Sebastian.

He had never seen you so talkative before and it was very interesting to see you speak without having to put him in his place every five minutes.

“So, do you and your sister run the bakery by yourselves?” Sebastian asked as you walked down the bustling road. “Lately. My father had been overworking himself so my sister and I decided to take over for him.” You smiled as a girl ran past your legs, her little brother following shortly after.

He watched on with a fond look as you continued talking about the bakery and all the baking mishaps that made you the person you were today. “That sounds like it requires a lot of effort.” You chuckled as you reached a secluded tree, not too far from the town but enough to be alone.

“It does, but the son of my father’s friend likes to help from time to time.” The sound of a possible competitor peaked his interest and sat down beside you on the grass. “The son of your father’s friend?” You nodded as you stared at the town and leaned on the tree.

“He’s a wonderful boy, very enthusiastic about helping me and my sister.” You turned to face him with an excited expression. “Oh, I’ll introduce you at the dance later! He’s helping the men set up but we should be able to see him!” The alpha male in Sebastian refused to let himself lose the one good thing he could possibly have in his life.

“You hid the whole jar?”

“Mrs. Pettor makes the best jams! I wasn’t going to let my family finish it!” Sebastian laughed as you defended yourself.

It was almost time for the dance and you both were walking to the town center.

“I’ve been talking all this time.” You realized and you turned to Sebastian. “Tell me more about—” You cut yourself off with a squeak as you were lifted off of your feet.

Sebastian watched as a blonde boy swung you around. “A-Alexander!” The boy put you down, a grin on his face.

The blond boy looked at you and you smiled back before Sebastian cleared his throat. “Oh, right!” You turned to face Sebastian and grinned. “Alexander, this is Sebastian! Sebastian, Alexander!” The shorter man held out his hand, blue eyes instantly hardening.

“Hello Sebastian,” Alexander said as Sebastian shook his hand. “Alexander.” You looked between the two and felt a tense aura emanating from them before you clapped your hands.

“Shall we go to the dance?” Alexander let go of Sebastian’s hand and immediately faced you. “Of course!” The blond grabbed your hand and you were barely able to get ahold of Sebastian’s before Alexander took off running.

Cheers and music filled the air and the sound of shoes hitting stone echoed throughout the streets. Despite knowing most of the faces, you spent most of your time talking with Sebastian about stories from each of your lives.

“(Y/N)!” You turned your head and saw Alexander heading towards you, out of breath and sweaty from dancing. You excused yourself from the conversation and Alexander stopped in front of you. “I never did thank you for working more than you should have these last few days.” You laughed as you waved him off. “It’s nothing you should thank me for, Alexander. My sister helped so it wasn’t all bad.”

Alexander took a glance at Sebastian, who had been mobbed by most of the town women and looked like he was trying to hold his own. “Would you like to dance?” His question caught you off guard. “I invited Sebastian, I couldn’t leave him…” You turned to see a group of girls crowding around the man and your smile faltered. “One dance wouldn’t hurt.”

“Sebastian!” He looked up from the group of girls and saw you waving. He was about to move until he saw your hand in Alexander’s. “I’m going to dance for a bit!” You laughed as Alexander pulled you to the dance area. Alexander chuckled at you as you told Sebastian of your whereabouts. At least you had the decency to tell him you were dancing with another man.

“So how’d you meet Sebastian?” Alexander asked as you danced to the music. “He came into the shop one day and just kept visiting!” You smiled and the boy in front of you exhaled softly, deciding to drop the topic and talk to your sister about it later.

The former colonel no longer focused on the girls in front of him as he watched you laugh hard at something Alexander said and his heart beat faster in his chest. Out of jealousy or awe, he couldn’t tell. But the way your eyes shone under the golden glow of the street lamps told him to move and get you.

He pushed his way through the crowd of ladies and kept his eyes trained on your carefree figure. Your skin looked so beautiful under this light, maybe you were the one who lit up the town. Your smile alone had enough energy to do so anyway.

“May I have a dance with (Y/N)?” Sebastian asked as he reached you and Alexander. The blond man smiled and your eyes sparkled in delight. “Of course.” Alexander gently let go of your hand and placed it in Sebastian’s.

“Thank you Alexander!” You called out and he turned around, sending you a soft smile and a small wave before walking towards your sister.

You turned your gaze back to Sebastian and you grinned. “Did you get jealous?” Sebastian scoffed before shaking his head. “I don’t get jealous.” You laughed as you felt Sebastian pull you closer. “I saw you looking at Alexander like he was going to steal me away.” You pointed out with a smug smile.

“He did steal you away.” You grinned at him.

“You’re pouting.”

“N-No I’m not!” You laughed and watched as the tips of his ears turned pink. “Aw, you’re adorable when you get shy on me!” You cooed, using the exact same words he said to you a while back.

“You—” He picked you up by the waist and you squealed as he lifted you up. “You think you’re so smart.” He muttered as he placed you back down and you looked up at him, your skin shining from sweat and short breaths leaving your lips.

He instantly leaned in, placing a short kiss on your lips and your eyes widened before trying to chase him before he pulled away. “You do taste better than your biscuits.” You buried your head in Sebastian’s chest in embarrassment and he laughed as he started to lead the dance once more.

“Because of that, I’m charging you the rest of the 60 biscuits you bought.” Sebastian feigned hurt. “But that’s too much!” You rolled your eyes and smiled up at him. “I’m sure if you don’t want to pay, Louis can help me find something for you to do to pay me back.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed and you giggled at the sour look on his face. “I’m sure you can help around the shop to pay them off, if you don’t want Louis to get involved.” His eyes softened before gently grabbing your hand and placing a chaste kiss to it.

“If it means I get to see you everyday, it will have been worth it.”

tags: @zoehanji @infinitebells

#moriarty the patriot #moriarty the patriot x reader #yuukoku no moriarty #yuukoku no moriarty x reader #sebastian moran x reader #sebastian moran

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sisterspooky1013 · 3 years

Text

Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 14

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

“It was so good to see you, Will,” Valerie says in a muffled voice against his chest as he has her wrapped up tightly in a bear hug.

“I know, I’m so glad I ran into you,” Mulder replies, brushing his hands over her back. He pulls away and kisses her softly on the cheek.

“It makes me really happy to see you so happy,” she says with a smile, her long brunette hair lifting softly in the breeze, brown eyes holding affection that can only be held between two people who have the type of bond that can withstand a breakup and then a transition from lovers to friends.

“Likewise,” he says, nodding towards the small swell of her growing belly.

“I’d love to meet your girlfriend someday, if you think she’d be okay with that,” she says, collecting her purse.

“Yes, I’d really like that. I think you two would get along really well, actually,” he says, and she smirks at him.

“You’re not afraid we’ll bond over having to sit through your shitty movie collection?” she teases, and he laughs good-naturedly.

“Hey, Scully likes my shitty movies, that’s why we’re a perfect match,” he retorts.

She squeezes his arm.

“Call me sometime, okay?”

He nods and watches her walk away, feeling like he’s on cloud nine. A great friendship with his ex-girlfriend, a promising new love with the woman of his dreams; he can only imagine what lies in store next. He practically skips on the walk back to his car, wondering if Scully might let him come by tonight, hoping that he won’t have to wait until the weekend to see her again. He decides to call her as soon as he gets home.

The first few times he gets her machine, he assumes she must be at her mother’s. When she still hasn’t answered or called back by 9:00 pm, he’s confused. When he emails her the next morning and still hasn’t gotten a response at 10:00am, he’s officially worried.

Something is wrong.

———

She had eventually turned off the ringer on her phone and put the volume all the way down on her answering machine so she wouldn’t have to hear his increasingly obsessive attempts to get ahold of her, then slept fitfully all night.

She knows that she needs to give him some kind of response or he’ll show up on her doorstep, but she can’t bring herself to face him, even in voice. Every time the image of him with that woman pops back into her head, she feels a lump form in her throat immediately, a sick sadness welling in her belly. She’s pored over every memory in her mind, every interaction they’ve had, searching for signs. Signs that he was seeing someone else, that he wasn’t interested in anything other than getting in her pants, that he was lying to her. Her thorough inventory brings up next to nothing, which almost makes it worse; how adept he must have been at creating a false reality for her to exist in. Perhaps he’s garnered some tips from the sociopaths he studies, or maybe his background in psychology allowed him to manipulate her.

When she arrives at work, she is unsurprised though still dismayed to see an email waiting for her.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5, 1997 7:57 am

To: [email protected]

Subject: Where are you?

Scully, you’re freaking me out. Are you okay? Please respond.

She deletes it immediately and tries to focus on work. She performs an autopsy and teaches a class, both welcome distractions from her emotional torment. Just before 11:00 am, the phone rings.

“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy…yep, she’s here, one second.”

Trudy turns and opens her mouth to speak, but sees Dana waving her arms and shaking her head. She makes a confused face and puts the phone back to her ear.

“Oh, actually she just stepped out, sorry. Can I take a message?”

She watches as Trudy scribbles something on a piece of paper.

“Uh huh…yes. Okay, I’ll tell her…you have my word.”

She replaces the phone on the receiver and hands Dana the paper with a sympathetic frown.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asks rhetorically.

Dana looks down and deciphers Trudy’s messy scrawl.

Call Mulder immediately. Send a sign of life.

She crumples it up and tosses it into the trash can.

“You wanna talk about it?” Trudy asks.

“Nope,” Dana replies, turning back to the computer.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:03am

To: [email protected]

Subject: PLEASE RESPOND

Scully, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but if you don’t reply to this within an hour I’m driving down there.

Please respond

She feels fresh tears well in her eyes. Why is he trying so hard if he’s seeing someone else anyway? Why is he doing this to her? With a surge of anger, she hits reply.

From: [email protected]

Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:05am

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE:PLEASE RESPOND

I’m fine, Mulder. Please just give me some space.

With that she closes her email, begs someone to take her second class of the day, and goes home.

———

He feels like he’s stepped into an alternate universe. He’d left her happy and satisfied, and out of nowhere she’s shutting him out. What does she need space for? Space from him? Why? Did he come on too strong and freak her out? He thought they’d moved past that. He picks up the phone again.

“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy.”

“Trudy, it’s Agent Mulder again. Look, I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, but is Dana there?”

She pauses. “No, she went home for the day. She seemed pretty upset.”

“Do you have any idea why?” he implores.

“No, other than the fact that it seems to be directed at you.”

“Yeah, that much I gathered. Thanks, Trudy, sorry to bother you.”

“No worries, good luck.”

He slams the phone down, grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and leaves.

———

She is half expecting his knock, but it still makes her jump, nearly causing her to spill her wine. She wants to just ignore him until he goes away, but she knows his proclivity towards persistence won’t let him do that. Better to just get it over with, she thinks as she slumps towards the door.

The second she lays eyes on him in his slacks and dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie discarded, she feels her chin pucker and tears threaten her eyes. As angry as she is, she immediately wants to go to him, to curl up within his embrace so he can comfort her. The problem is, what she needs comforting from is him.

“What is going on?” he says with a mix of frustration and fear.

She stands in the open doorway, not making space for him to enter.

“I saw you,” she says, her voice strained with emotion.

“You saw me...what?” he asks, his face a mask of confusion.

She lifts her chin, clenching her jaw and summoning strength.

“I saw you with her. Yesterday, at the Bluebird Cafe. After I had lunch with my family.” her voice holds steady, anger carrying her through.

His face falls and her gut twists. She wishes she didn’t have to watch this.

“THAT is what this is about?” he asks, but there’s no shame or regret in his voice. If anything, he sounds a little mad.

She nods curtly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he spits out, and she recoils a little at his vitriol. “Let me in, Scully. Right now,” he demands, and against her better judgement she moves aside.

He pushes past her into the apartment and she closes the door softly, leaving it unlocked in case either of them decides to make a hasty exit.

“Did you consider,” he begins, his back to her, “maybe, I don’t know, asking me about what you saw?” He turns to face her, one hand on his hip and his face contorted with anger. “Or were you just planning to avoid me until I gave up and went away again?”

She doesn’t know what to say. She’s confused about why he’s yelling at her when he’s the one who did something wrong. She just looks at him, expressionless.

He juts his chin out expectantly, waiting for an answer, but gets none. She averts her eyes.

“Is that all this is worth to you, Scully?” he continues, “you’re ready to throw this away over a simple misunderstanding, without even talking to me?”

She lifts her head and looks at him with a pained expression. “Okay then, talk,” she gets out.

He drops his head in frustration. “The woman you saw me with,” he says flatly, lifting his head to meet her eye, “was my ex-girlfriend, Valerie. I ran into her while I was running errands yesterday, and we had lunch. She has a boyfriend and is three months pregnant. We spent the majority of our meal together talking about you.”

She shakes her head gently, her throat closing as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I saw you kiss her,” she whispers, her jaw quivering.

“You saw me kiss her on the cheek? I also kiss my mother on the cheek, Scully, it’s hardly an intimate gesture.”

She feels a new wave of sickness pass over her, but this time it’s entirely different. This time it’s the sick feeling of realizing that she was very, very, wrong, and that she has, yet again, hurt the man who loves her. She opens her mouth to speak but she can’t find the right words.

He steps forward but doesn’t touch her. When he speaks, his voice is softer, more defeated than anything else.

“I’m sorry that you saw something that upset you. But if you actually thought for a single second that I want to be with anyone but you, you’re fucking insane. I meant what I said the day you left my apartment last year. I felt it then, and I feel it now. I want this to work more than anything, Scully, but for that to be possible you have to trust me. I can’t live with the knowledge that you might just shut me out at a moment’s notice when you get scared.”

She keeps her head down, overwhelmed by a combination of shame, embarrassment, and gratitude that he wouldn’t let her walk away. She does not deserve this man, but she wants to.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, still unable to meet his eye.

“I know you are,” he replies, moving towards the door. “Take the space you need, and let me know when you’re ready to trust me.”

When she hears the click of the door closing behind him, she collapses to the floor, sobbing for so many reasons she couldn’t possibly name them all. When it’s faded to snivels and hiccups, she stands and goes to the hallway, picking up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Missy,” she chokes out, “Can you come over?”

———

He’s not sure if leaving was the right thing to do. The risk that she might not come back around is one that sends his stomach into knots, but at the same time he finds it hard to accept that she wasn’t even going to give him the opportunity to explain. He’s been actively working to temper expressing his feelings so he doesn’t overwhelm her, but then she gets it in her head that he’s not invested. It feels like he can’t win.

He goes back to work and stops by Kirkbride’s office to apologize for disappearing. Kirkbride just gives him a quizzical look, clearly not having noticed he had left. The rest of the day he buckles down on his caseload, distracting himself from the catastrophic thoughts that dance through his head, and gets more work done than he has in quite a while. When he leaves the office just after 5:00 pm, he feels melancholy and grouchy, and annoyed that he left the ball in her court.

The elevator dings to announce his arrival on the fourth floor and he steps out with a takeout bag in his hand, eyes downcast. Halfway down the hall, he readies his key and looks up, startling when he sees Scully sitting on the floor against his door, knees tucked up against her chest and her forehead resting on her kneecaps. She’s very still, and as he gets closer he realizes that she’s asleep. His heart aches knowing that she’s been waiting that long, that she didn’t want to leave without talking to him.

He crouches down beside her, setting his dinner on the floor, and gently touches her shoulder. She jerks, her head snapping up and her eyes wild for a moment while she tries to orient herself. When she focuses on him, she immediately starts crying, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. He’s surprised by her uncharacteristically emotional response, but says nothing and just holds her until his knees start to ache, at which point he sits down on the floor and pulls her into his lap. They stay this way for several minutes, long enough for one of his neighbors to walk by and politely avert their eyes, entering their apartment as though there was nothing out of the ordinary happening in the hallway. When the crying seems to have subsided a bit, he gives her a little squeeze.

“Wanna go inside?” he asks, and she nods against his chest, his shirt damp from her tears.

She stands unsteadily and he follows her, grabbing the takeout bag off the floor. They enter the apartment and Priscilla plods up to them with an excited meow. Scully leans down and picks her up, tucking the cat against her neck as they nuzzle each other. Mulder smiles at them with a bemused expression.

“She was talking to me through the door,” Scully says with a small smile, “she heard me knocking and was meowing from the other side. We had a conversation.”

Affection swells in his chest and he steps forward to kiss her. Her shoulders drop and she lets Priscilla down so she can get closer, threading her arms around his waist and kissing him back in earnest. Desperate, thought I’d lost you again kisses that are as arousing as they are a relief, because he knows that they will be okay.

He pulls back a little and she makes a whimpering sound in protest.

“I’m gonna go change really quick, okay? Then can we talk?” he asks, and she sighs and nods. “You can have half my Chinese,” he adds, and she gives him a tight-lipped smile.

When he sits on the couch beside her five minutes later, she scoots closer so they are pressed against each other, and he gathers that she needs physical closeness right now. He loops an arm around her shoulder and she crawls right back into his lap, curled against him as though trying to fuse her body to his own. Her head tucked beneath his chin, she holds one of his hands in her lap, fingers laced tightly together, and begins to speak.

“After you left, Missy came over and we talked for a long time. I’ve come to realize how much I’m still affected by...what happened last year. I harbor a lot of guilt for being unfaithful to Ethan, and that’s actually largely why I married him even though I knew my heart wasn’t in it.” She pulls in a deep breath, pressing their joined hands tight against her belly, trying to get even closer. “When you and I reconnected, in a way it felt like a chance to validate it. As though things working out with us would mean that what I did wasn’t as bad, because there was something real between us. But at the same time, a big part of me doesn’t believe that I deserve to be happy.” Her voice remains steady, but he feels the wet drop of a tear on the back of his hand.

He tightens his arm around her waist. “I’ve always been a person who values doing the right thing, and integrity was something that was very important to my father. It was his measure of a person’s character, and that’s something he instilled in me as well.” She sits up a bit so she can look at him, and his heart breaks at her red-rimmed eyes, her icy irises so mournful. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Mulder. You haven’t given me any reason not to. It’s just that I don’t feel like I deserve this, especially with you, and I’m waiting for the moment it all comes crashing down. So when I saw you with that woman, it was almost like I’d been waiting for it, expecting it. Getting what I deserved.”

He brings his palms to her cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs.

“Thank you for telling me that,” he says softly. “I wish I could change how you feel, but I know that I can’t. I do know how it feels to spend your life harboring guilt over something you could have done differently, and I can tell you that punishing yourself won’t make it any easier. It makes me really sad that you’ll always regret how we met.”

She closes her eyes and shakes her head gently. When she opens them, her expression is more tender than it is mournful.

“I don’t regret it, Mulder. I do feel guilt, and shame, for not ending it with Ethan so we could have done things the right way, but I could never regret meeting you.”

He pulls her back into an embrace, her arms wrapping around his ribcage, and plants a kiss to the top of her head.

“Are we okay?” he asks softly.

“I hope so,” she says hoarsely.

“Is this a bad time to tell you that Valerie wants to meet you sometime?” he asks, and she laughs.

“I don’t know, did you tell her that I freaked out on you because you had lunch with her?” she replies, and he can already hear her tone shifting back to their typical lighthearted banter.

“No, of course not. That’ll be our little secret. Well, plus Trudy. I think Trudy knows too much honestly.”

She laughs again, and god he could spend the rest of his life trying to make her laugh. In fact, that’s exactly what he hopes to do.

“Speaking of meeting people,” she continues, “Missy mentioned you to my mother yesterday and she wants to meet you.”

A grin stretches across his mouth, but he doesn’t say anything. She pulls back to look at his face, to gauge his reaction, and smiles softly in response.

“You want me to meet your mom?” he asks, the delight on his face carrying over to his voice.

Her mouth screws up shyly. “My little brother will probably be there too, and Missy. Is that too much?”

He shakes his head. “Sounds perfect. But, there are some friends I’d like you to meet too, if we’re meeting people.”

“The Lone Gunmen?” she asks with a skeptical lilt.

“Those are the ones. They’re my only friends, actually. Aside from Val.” Just then, Priscilla hops up onto the couch beside them. “Oh, and you Priscilla, sorry,” he adds.

Scully smiles at the cat, and then at him. “Can I bring Missy as a human buffer?” she asks hopefully.

“Of course. You may set a record for the highest number of female visitors to their lair in a day.”

“Lair?” she asks with wide eyes.

He chuckles. “They’ll grow on you, I promise.”

#the x files #dana scully #fox mulder #gillovny #txf #msr #sculder #x files fanfic #alternate universe

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carryonmywaywardcaptain · 3 years

Text

Miles of Memories- 1

We’ve Got Tonight- Bob Seger

Miles of Memories Masterlist CarryOnCap’s Masterlist

Dean x reader Best Friends to Lovers AU

Summary: Feeling anxious about heading off to college, you make the most of your last night in town with the help of your best friend, Dean.

Warnings: fluffy, adorable Dean and fun banter. Slight angst (goodbyes are hard). Minor mentions of childhood trauma

WC: 2,900

A/N: This part is like a “prelude” to give you a glimpse of Y/N and Dean’s relationship (5 years before the main storyline). I hope you stay tuned for the slowest of Dean x fem!reader slowburns. I’m so excited to share this story, so please let me know what you think! MASSIVE thanks to my spectacular and badass beta crew—@christopher-evxns @deanwinchesterswitch @ezilyamuzed & @wonder-cole—for all of their help and input!! I edited even after their feedback, so all mistakes are my own. Credit to Bob Seger for the song :)

Zipping your suitcase closed with a heavy sigh, you worked through your mental checklist for the hundredth time to make sure you hadn’t forgotten to pack anything.

“Jeez, you act like it’s the last time you’ll ever see this place or something.” With a smile and a roll of your eyes, you turned to see Dean leaning casually against your doorframe. “Y’know, I figured I’d talk to Bobby about renting this space out anyway. Save you the stress of missing it while you’re gone because it’ll look completely different the next time you come back.”

“I’m not too worried. I think you’re the last person Bobby would trust with anything—let alone a space in his house.”

Dean grinned, pushing off the doorframe to mosey into your room. “See, normally I’d agree with you. But it just so happens that he gave me my very own key to the garage, so I think he’s coming around. This ready?” He pointed at the suitcase on your bed, and you nodded.

“Riiight. I’m supposed to believe that Bobby would actually give you a key to come and go at the shop anytime you want.”

Dean shrugged, spinning on his heel with your bag in hand. “Guess he’s looking for a new favorite since you’re skipping town to go be successful out in the real world.”

You snorted and shook your head, silently following him to the door. He stepped out of the way, placing his free hand on the doorknob as you scanned the bedroom one last time. Gnawing your bottom lip, you sucked in a deep breath and tried to alleviate some of the tightness in your chest.

This room had been a safe haven for most of your life, and it was hard to remember the days before you called it “home.” Your mother had passed away when you were a toddler, and your father was a drunk, in and out of jail and your life until one day he didn’t come back. Bobby had often been the one who took care of you when your father needed to pass you off onto someone else.

You didn’t remember much about the “Travelin’ Man” (as Bobby not-so-lovingly referred to him on the rare occasions he was mentioned), but you could easily recall the night Bobby told you this would be your room for good. The relief and excitement you’d felt upon learning you’d have a space of your own were still vivid. Knowing you had a place you could always return to provided a sense of stability and consistency you’d never known.

Bobby may not have been your father by blood, but he was your dad in every sense of the word. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges and tended to be a hermit, but he also had a heart of gold, and not once had he ever made you question whether he cared about you.

A few weeks after settling into your new home, you had met Jessica and Sam during recess at your new elementary school. Although they were a grade younger, you’d instantly hit it off with them. Jess and Sam had always been there for you over the years, too, willing to lend an ear or make time for movie nights and spontaneous trips to the diner. Eventually, Sam had introduced you to Dean, and the two of you had been inseparable ever since. Each and every memory you had growing up involved at least one (if not all three) of them. But while it was difficult saying goodbye to everyone in general...you still hadn’t been able to grasp the idea of saying goodbye to Dean.

Dean was the one who had been by your side through everything. From heartfelt life chats and your deepest moments of self-doubt to car ride sing-alongs and your loudest belly laughs. He was always there to comfort you, remind you not to take things so seriously, and even drag you into trouble once in a while.

The thought of leaving him and your safe, familiar home brought yet another wave of apprehension and doubt. What if you were making a huge mistake?

“Y/N...” Dean’s gentle voice coaxed you back to reality. “We’ve still got a lot to pack into our night, so don’t go checking out on me yet.”

Without looking back, you slipped past Dean and heard him shut the door as you made your way downstairs.

“You know, this wouldn’t be so hard if you would’ve just applied like I told you to. Then we could both be going off to college together, and you’d find out what an honor it would be to have me as a roomie.”

“Okay, well, let me remind you that you’re the one who decided to go ‘see what’s out there’ and get a fancy college degree under her belt. And, even if we did survive being roommates without making the other want to pull their hair out, there’s no way in hell that town would be able to handle both of us.”

“That’s fair.”

“Besides, I won’t have much of a chance to miss you. You’ll probably flunk out and be back here by the end of the semester anyway.”

“Also fair,” you laughed. “Taking a year off to work at The Roadhouse and pretend to get my life together seemed like a good idea at the time, but I’m a little worried about getting into the groove of studying and all that crap again.”

“You know, if you need help, all you gotta do is pick up the phone. I mean, Sammy’s a real bookworm, and he’s only a phone call away.” Dean winked as he held the front door open and motioned for you to lead the way.

Sticking your tongue in your cheek, you fought to hide your amusement at the way he threw his brother under the bus. Before you made it through the door, you whirled around toward the stairs again. “Dang it. I forgot my bathroom bag. Do you mind tossing that one in the car? I’ll be right back!”

“Another bag? Where are you gonna put all this crap?” he muttered.

After retrieving the pouch from the bathroom upstairs and making sure you hadn’t left any necessary items in the drawers and cabinets, you hurried outside to find Dean patiently waiting beside your car. You tossed the small bag and he caught it with ease, pitching it in the backseat before closing the door.

“And done. Any last-minute stops to make along the way?” he asked.

“Nope. I caught Ellen, Jo, and Jody at the end of my shift yesterday, and Charlie was over for a bit this morning. And, you know, Sam and Jess ditched us for California last weekend. That means you and Bobby are the only two left to put up with me until I leave in the morning.”

When your voice cracked unexpectedly, you cleared your throat and surveyed the scrapyard until the faint prick in the corners of your eyes faded. As your departure drew near and you considered everything you were leaving behind, venturing out into the world was quickly beginning to feel more daunting than exciting.

“Hey…” Dean gripped the tops of your arms, stirring you from your thoughts. “We’ve got tonight. Who needs tomorrow? We’ve got tonight...babe. Why don’t you staaaaaaaayy—”

You had thought he was going to say something sweet and comforting, but you playfully shoved him in the chest when you realized he was speaking in Bob Seger lyrics. He stumbled back a step, laughing as he walked around the front of the impala and climbed inside.

***

There was an old park on the outskirts of town where Bobby and John would occasionally drop you both off when they had errands to run. As the years passed, you began riding your bikes the few miles across town, taking turns balancing Sam on your handlebars until Dean was old enough to drive. Eventually, Sam stopped tagging along, but somewhere along the way the park became a place you and Dean cherished.

A large pond stretched across most of the area, and there was a stately willow tree near the water’s edge that served as your designated “spot.” It was a hideaway often overlooked by others, but it was the perfect escape when the two of you needed a place that was all your own.

“Alright.” Dean plopped down beside you on the blanket. “You’ve got your grub, an amazing view, and the best company you could ever ask for. What else could you possibly want?”

“You’re right. Baby’s good company and all, but she’s not much of a conversationalist.”

Dean grimaced. “Just for that, I might eat your food.”

“Depending on what it is, I might let you.”

He smirked and unrolled the brown paper sack in his hand. “PB&J’s, just like Mom used to make! I asked if she could whip up a few before she flew out to make sure Sam got all settled at Stanford. She said to tell you she’s sorry she couldn’t catch you and to wish you good luck. This seemed like a, uh, better idea at the time...now that it’s been a couple of days, these might taste like shit.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you took the sandwich Dean offered. “We’ve probably eaten worse, but I appreciate the sentimental twist. Seeing as how you’re in your 20’s and you had your mom make us sandwiches.”

“Hey, I was going for authenticity! Trying to help you feel like a kid again before you start adulting or whatever and—you know what? Just shut up and eat your food.”

The two of you unwrapped your sandwiches and continued bantering back and forth between bites. Even though the bread was soggy from marinating in jelly for a few days, and it certainly wasn’t the best thing you’d ever eaten, it brought back a flood of nostalgia.

When a comfortable silence fell over the two of you, your thoughts began to drift to dozens of adventures you and Dean had had here. You gazed out over the water, watching the willow branches graze the surface as they gently swayed in the breeze. You tried to commit every detail to memory as you soaked in the peaceful atmosphere, not knowing how long it would be until you returned.

After a while, Dean chuckled under his breath, and you looked at him curiously.

“You remember that day we were pretending to be pirates, and Dad ended up coming to pick us up early?”

“Of course.”

“Man, he was so pissed when he saw us standing on top of that picnic table we managed to drag out and ‘sail’ into the middle of the pond. Sure made an awesome ship, though.”

You smiled at the memory, though it was anything but funny at the time. “I think he was a little more pissed at the fact that we left Sam playing alone in the gazebo. And obviously what made the ‘ship’ great was the pirate flag I made.”

“Uh-huh,” Dean snorted. “You mean the crappy skull you drew on our lunch bag and stuck on the end of a stick? Pretty sure we were having a blast with the ship because it was my brilliant idea in the first place.”

“I was like 8, and it was still better than anything you could’ve drawn.” You crumpled up your trash and threw it at him. “And I was having fun--right up until you pushed me off anyway. I nearly choked to death on all that nasty water I sucked in.”

“Okay, well, you shouldn’t have been trying to be Captain when I’m the oldest, and it was clearly my title to begin with. There was no plank to walk, but obviously, you had to go overboard.”

He grinned, keeping his gaze fixed on the water. As you studied his face and noticed the faraway look in his eye, his smile faded. You figured his thoughts had drifted back to his dad, who had passed away a couple of years later.

“I felt so damn bad, though. I really was afraid you were gonna drown. And Bobby was ready to kill me when he found out.”

“Lucky for you, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

The two of you joked and reminisced for several more hours, eventually watching the sun set over the water until it sank below the horizon. When it was time to head back to Bobby’s, Dean took the long way home so you could crank the radio and sing along with your hand hanging lazily out the open window. Back at the house, you sat on the kitchen counter and talked with both men until Bobby finally bid you goodnight--but you still weren’t ready to call it a night, knowing morning would come soon and it would be time for you to leave.

After convincing Dean to stay a little longer, you grabbed a couple of old blankets and spread them in the bed of one of the pickup trucks near the house. With your head on his chest and your body tucked comfortably against his side, you chatted beneath the stars until you drifted off to sleep.

***

“Got everything all packed up?” Bobby asked.

“I think so,” you answered.

“Better double-check because I’m not driving a few hours just to bring you a lost shoe or something.”

“Is that a challenge?” you teased, seeing right through his gruff quip. “Because I bet I could talk you into it. We both know you’re not gonna know what to do without me.”

He frowned a little before smiling fondly, and you could’ve sworn there was a misty glaze in his eyes.

“Yeah. I s’pose you’re right.”

“Oh, don’t get all sentimental on me now. You could probably use a little break. Besides, I’ll be back so often you’ll just get sick of me all over again.”

“C’mere, kid.”

Bobby reached out and pulled you into a hug. Much too soon, he let go and stepped aside so you could say goodbye to Dean. His soft green eyes had been fixed on you, but he glanced away and clenched his jaw when you took a step toward him.

“So, uh...don’t forget about us when you make it big out there in the real world—catch a break as an artist or an author or some music critic.”

“Yeah, okay,” you scoffed. “I haven’t even picked out a major yet, but I think I have an advisor who can help me figure out a good fit...eventually. Maybe I’ll be a doctor—or follow in Sam’s footsteps and be a lawyer!”

“There you go. Why not just do it all while you’re at it? Jack of all trades, master of none. Whatever you end up doing, you better come back to visit soon.”

“You got it. Try not to turn into a grumpy old man while I’m gone.”

He shook his head, cracking a smile as he met your eyes. “Only a couple years older than you, brat. Anyway, I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night, so I made you a playlist for the drive. Figured I might as well do something useful while I was awake. I sent it to you while you were getting ready.”

Pulling out your phone, you found a message already waiting with a link to the playlist.

“This is awesome, Dean, thank you. But if it ends up being six hours of nothing but Zeppelin, I’m gonna be pissed.”

He tossed his head back and laughed, making the knot in your throat grow once again at the thought of not seeing him almost every day. You couldn’t help but wonder if he’d miss you as much as you were going to miss him.

“Don’t worry; I think it ended up being a decent mix. Not too many classics and not too much of the more modern crap. There was, uh... a certain thought process behind each song, let’s just say that.”

“We all know some of that modern crap is a guilty pleasure of yours. I mean, Taylor Swift?”

“Yeah…” His gaze lingered until his grin faded to a sad smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Pressing your lips into a thin line, you leaned forward and threw an arm around each man. Squeezing your eyes closed, you hugged them tight.

“All joking aside...you got nothing to worry about. You’re gonna kick this college thing in the ass,” Dean murmured.

“Thank you.”

Clearing your throat, you slipped out of their embrace and quickly made your way to the car.

“Drive safe--and call when you get there!” Bobby hollered.

Stealing one last glimpse over your shoulder, you waved and slid behind the wheel. You hit shuffle on the playlist, letting the music fill the vehicle while you fasten your seatbelt.

I know it’s late

I know you’re weary

I know your plans don’t include me...

You shook your head and smiled, blinking back tears at the irony of the song—the lyrics perfectly encapsulating your night with Dean.

Look at the stars so far away

We’ve got tonight

Who needs tomorrow?

We’ve got tonight, babe

Why don’t you stay?

As you started the car and drove away, seeing him and Bobby grow smaller in the rearview mirror, you finally began to cry.

Part 2

CarryOnCap Crew (Forevers):

@abswritesfandoms @amanda-teaches @cosicas-cuquis @crist1216 @droidyouseek @emoryhemsworth @ericaprice2008 @flawless-disaster @janeyboo @jenn0755 @ksgeekgirl @maresmiley @memyselfandmaddox @notyourtypicalrose @randomparanoid @rynabarnesrogers @sandlee44 @scarletsoldierrr @shann-the-artist-moon @sheerioasteroidpanda @shynara51 @someday-when-you-leave-me @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @thisismysecrethappyplace @torntaltos @waywardbaby @waywardrose13 @weebid @whimsicalrobots @wintersoldierbaby @yesfanficsaremylife

Cap’s SPN Crew:

@adoptdontshoppets @akshi8278 @alexwinchester23 @chevyharvelle @deangirl7695 @dean-winchesters-bacon @fandomoniumflurry @pisces-cutie @supernaturalenchanted @superromijn @thoughts-and-funnies @waywardnerd67 @x-waywardaf-x

Miles of Mems Tags:

@bobbie3939 @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @mlovesstories @onethirstyunicorn @peridottea91 @valsworldofcreativity

Also tagging those of you who seemed interested when I posted the masterlist. I don’t want to pester you, so I probably won’t tag you in future parts unless you let me know that you’d like to be tagged!

@badlittlehabit99 @cajunquandary @devvoon @flamencodiva @hybrid-in-the-making @impalackless @janicho88 @themoonblooms

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bluebirdsbluebells · 4 years

Text

Love Lost - part two

JJ Maybank x reader

Words: 4.7k

Warnings: swearing, angst, cheating, mention of drugs, slight hot n heavy part…

A/N: you guys asked, and i delivered. i hope it’s worth it. also sometimes the italics don’t work on mobile, but fingers crossed that they stay good this time!

Part one

You had noticed he was beginning to change. Maybe you had known all along that something was wrong, and you were just waiting for it to all fall apart. Maybe you were just in denial. Maybe maybe maybe. You had so many questions, and part of you desperately wanted the answers, but the other half of you didn’t want to hear anything else about it.

You lay in Kie’s bed, curled up in the fetal position. She had one hand on your back rubbing circles over your shirt, and the other was brushing your hair off of your face. Your head was in her lap.

“Shh,” she whispered, pulling on a strand that had fallen into your eyes. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“How could he do that?” You choked out, your body shaking with yet another sob. “It’s okay,” Kie cooed. She then shifted her body so your head was off of her legs, and then she laid down beside you. Her arms wrapped around your torso, and she squeezed your shoulders lightly.

It was a pain you had never felt before. It was deep beneath the surface of your skin, and it ached like hell. Like an itch you couldn’t reach, it tingled and pinched and only got worse and worse with time. Every time you believed you could get in a breath, your throat closed. You felt like you were fighting for your life, but with no life support; no IV, no medication, no mechanical ventilation; nothing. It was just your mind and your body, and you were losing touch with both. Your body suddenly didn’t feel like your own, and it seemed as if you had no control over your thoughts.

“Three girls, Kie. Three girls.” “I know,” she said, and you could feel her breath against your neck. “John B. kicked them all out as soon as he saw them.” Your eyes filled up with tears once more at the thought of those girls on JJ. Their hands on his body, their breath in his ear, their lips on his skin…

Your mind jumped to the worst.

Kie had the full story, but she hadn’t seen it. John B had though. He walked in on them. He said the room was mostly dark, but he could see that JJ was with three other girls. One of them was on his lap, whispering things in his ear, and the other two were at his sides, giggling at him. When John B entered the room JJ threw the one girl off, then yelled at John B to get out. Apparently he was scrambling around the room trying to gather up his shit.

Everything after that was hard for you to process.

It was well into the afternoon before you finally climbed out of bed. You crossed the room, briefly glancing at yourself in your vanity mirror.

You were a wreck. Red puffy eyes; messy knotted hair; clothes that were wrinkled. You just looked like shit, and you felt just as bad as you appeared. There was a light knock at your door. “Yeah?” You called quietly, pulling on a hoodie. From behind you Harry cracked open the door, his head poking around the side.

“It’s almost one,” he said, and then he pushed the door open further. “I didn’t sleep well,” you replied, your eyes darting up to your reflection as you grabbed a brush. You ran it through your hair aggressively, trying to yank out the clumps of tangled hair. You looked at Harry in the mirror, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking back at you.

“I was going to go into town,” he said. “I need to run some errands.”

“Errands?” You snorted. “What kinds of errands?” “Dad wanted me to pick up some things at the store. I think he wanted me to drop something off at Ward’s too.” You set down the brush. “And?” “I wanted to know if you wanted to come?” Harry raised his brows in question. You chewed the inside of your cheek, your eyes falling to the floor. “It’s okay,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m fine here.” Harry didn’t hesitate. “I think you should get out. Get some fresh air.” “I was outside all day yesterday,” you fired back, a hint of irritation in your tone. “I said I’m okay.”

“Come on Y/N,” Harry said softly. “We can talk.” You glanced over your shoulder, but didn’t meet his gaze. Yes, you had been down to the beach, but you hadn’t actually gone around town in a while. You had spent time with Kie, but no one else, not even Pope or John B or anyone. “I don’t have to talk to anyone else, right?” You whispered, looking up at Harry. He shook his head back at you.

“No, not if you don’t want to.” He gave you a small smile. “Just to get you out of the house.”

Slowly, you nodded at him. -

“He’s outside again Y/N,” Kie said as she hovered by the window. “He’s just sitting there.”

You swallowed hard, but didn’t look up. “He’s not gonna leave. It’s happened a million times before and he never leaves.”

“I’m going to tell him he can’t be here,” Kie said, shaking her head as she stepped away from the window. “My parents aren’t going to like him just sitting in the front yard.”

“He won’t leave Kie,” I whispered. “It’s no use.” “Well I’m trying,” she said, shooting you an exasperated look. “Why can’t he just get the fucking message?” Before you could stop her she stormed out of her room. You could hear her skipping down the steps to the front door, and you wanted to look, but you couldn’t. Your brows furrowed as you heard voices from outside; his voice. It was crisp against the silence of Kie’s bedroom. You felt a knot twist in your stomach as you pushed yourself up to your elbows. You couldn’t see him out the window, so you shifted towards the end of the bed, peeking out. And there he was; faded grey shirt and black shorts; his usual baseball cap resting atop his head. Your breath hitched as he glanced up towards the window, then did a double take. His face fell when he spotted you, and you instantly dropped to the ground. You heaved heavy breaths until Kie appeared back in the doorway. She rushed over to you, then enveloped you in a hug, pressing a soft kiss to your hairline. “What did he have to say?” You whispered, and Kie pulled away. She frowned at you. “I don’t think you really want to know.” You dropped your gaze to the floor, chewing on the inside of your cheek. From the bottom of your stomach you felt a knot beginning to form.

“Just tell me.” “Y/N-” “What did he have to say?” Kie sighed heavily, her hands dropping from your shoulders. “He wanted to talk to you. It’s the same thing as always Y/N. He says it wasn’t what it looked like, and if you would just give him a chance…” “No chances,” you whispered. “No.” “That’s okay,” Kie said, nodding at you. “You don’t have to talk to him now, or later, or ever.” You gave her a sad smile, and your lip quivered slightly. Kie noticed, and she pulled you back into a hug, resting her chin on your shoulder.

You waited in the car as Harry grabbed his things at the store. The sun was nice against your skin, and it felt good to be out and about, you couldn’t deny that. But your mind wasn’t at ease. It still raced just as much as it had during the night, and you found yourself pulling anxiously at the hem of your shirt, or tapping your fingers against the middle console, or constantly checking the time.

Maybe if it was any other day you would’ve been better, but the fact that it was your and JJ’s two year anniversary just made it a whole hell of a lot worse. Or what was meant to be your anniversary.

You couldn’t help but think about where it all went wrong. Had you changed? Had he stopped loving you? You shook your head at yourself. Your friends told you over and over and over again that it had nothing to do with you, and you never did anything wrong, but what if you had? Were there signs that you had ignored? Had he been pulling away from you the whole time?

JJ and you had been laying in your backyard for hours, eating and laughing and talking about all kinds of stupid things. By the time you finally decided to get up and head inside, the sun was low in the sky. You felt groggy and tired, and you laughed as you collapsed into JJ’s arms.

“Whoa there.” He caught you, grinning as he placed a gentle kiss on your lips. You kissed back slowly, and JJ’s hands slid down to your waist. He slipped his fingers under the hem of your shirt, and the skin on skin contact gave you shivers. Reaching up to grab a loose fistful of his hair, you pulled him in closer. “Ahem,” Harry cleared his throat, and you pulled away from JJ, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks. Your brother hovered by the fridge, one eyebrow raised.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” JJ chimed, but he then leaned down to whisper “not really” in your ear. You giggled, grabbing his hand and leading him up to your room. “I think he purposely walks in on us, just to piss me off,” you said, shaking your head. JJ scoffed, clicking his tongue. “Well it sure as hell pisses me off,” JJ said, kicking your door closed with his heel. He then turned back to you, a smirk toying at his lips. “But… where were we?” You giggled as he approached you, his hands instantly making their way back around your waist. He pulled you close to his chest, and you stared up at him; looked into those bright blue eyes.

His lips were soft as he kissed you, and after a few seconds he swiped his tongue along your bottom lip. You smiled into the kiss, as his hands slipped under your shirt yet again. The pads of his fingers trailed up and down your back, and slowly he walked you towards your bed, where you dropped down lightly. With his lips still on yours he hovered over you. “Been waiting to do this all day,” he mumbled, pulling his lips away for a moment to look at you. You gave him back a smile, your fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Could’ve done it in the yard.” “With your brother around the corner?” He chuckled, peppering kisses along your jaw. “I don’t think so.” “Well,” you breathed, tilting your head back slightly.

JJ’s lips travelled down your neck, and exhaled shakily. You could feel him smirk against your collarbones, and you rolled your eyes slightly. He always knew.

One of his hands rubbed small circles over your hip bone, and then slowly his fingers moved down your thigh, squeezing it lightly. Your own hands moved down from his neck and to his chest, where you slid them under his shirt. He tore his lips from your skin for a brief moment so that he could pull the shirt over his head, but then he was back on you, his kisses becoming hungrier.

“Jesus,” he mumbled as your fingers ran along his toned chest, and then across his stomach. You playfully slipped them along the top of his boxers, and he grumbled something against your neck. You dropped your head to the side, your breathing beginning to quicken. JJ could do that to you. In a matter of seconds you could completely flip, and it drove the both of you crazy.

Slowly, he began to work your shorts down, and then you kicked them off, sliding yourself further up on the bed. JJ’s chest grazed your stomach as he moved his lips from your collarbones to your chest. He tugged back the fabric of your shirt, then glanced up at you before placing a few kisses on the exposed skin of your breasts.

Another shaky breath escaped your lips. JJ slid his hands down your thighs, his lips making their way from your chest to your stomach. You could feel a tingle between your thighs, and you sucked in a breath as JJ kissed your lower stomach. Your fingers instantly went to his hair, and you tugged on his blonde locks lightly.

“JJ,” you breathed, and he only hummed in response. “My parents…” “We’re fine,” he replied, his fingers exploring the skin of your inner thighs.

But you weren’t fine, because just then JJ’s phone went off. The first call he ignored, but the second he groaned to, then pulled his lips away from you to check the screen. You tilted your head at him as he looked at it, and then his brows furrowed. “Everything okay?” You asked, propping up on your elbows. He was still between your legs, and with one hand he traced patterns on your thigh.

“Yeah,” he said, glancing up at you quickly. “Just a second.”

You sighed lightly, then dropped back onto your back, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling as JJ wrote back to whoever he needed to write back to. “Shit,” he finally said, and you tilted your head to look at him. “What’s wrong?” “I have to go,” he said, giving you an apologetic look as he stood up, collecting his shirt from the floor. You frowned slightly at him, propping yourself back up on your elbows. “Right now?” “Yeah,” JJ said quietly, sticking out his bottom lip. You did the same, then crossed your legs under you. “I promise I’ll come by again tomorrow though.” You felt a slight pang in your chest, but you let it go. That wasn’t the first time that JJ had to leave abruptly, but you knew that he had other priorities. And sure enough, if he said he was going to drop by the next day, he absolutely did.

“Okay,” you said, smiling softly as he gave you another kiss on the forehead. You leaned down to pick up your shorts, then pulled them on as you stood up in front of him. “I love you,” he said as he backed towards the door. He gave you a wink, and then he was gone.

You chewed on the inside of your lip. That wasn’t the first time that JJ had left you while in the middle of something, and it wasn’t the last.

Your mind jumped to every single conclusion; every little thing that you hadn’t noticed before suddenly seemed so… strange. Signs. They were signs, ones that you hadn’t seen while in the moment. Maybe if you would’ve recognized them before, you could’ve stopped him from hurting you. Or possibly it was inevitable; something that was bound to happen eventually, whether you expected it or not.

Harry cracked open the door behind you, then placed the bags on the floor. You glanced back at him, then pulled your seatbelt back over your chest. “Hey,” he said as he climbed into his seat. “You were right,” you said quietly as the car started down the street. “About what?” “It’s good to get outside,” you said, looking over and giving him a smile. Harry smiled back. “Good.”

“Where are we going now?” “Ward’s. I have to drop off something for Dad and then we can head back home.” You nodded at him. Maybe you would see Sarah. Not that you really wanted to -- you knew that she would get all emotional around you -- but maybe it would’ve been nice.

“Do you want to go out surfing after dinner?” You asked JJ just as the two of you were finishing up your meals. Your parents had eaten prior to the two of you, so it was just you and him. God knew where Harry was. “Uh,” JJ started, setting his fork down. You raised your brows at him; you thought that it would’ve been a yes without hesitation. “I don’t know if I can do tonight.” “Oh,” you said. “That’s all good.” “We could go out for a bit but I just have some shit to do.” “No no!” You assured, shaking your head at him. “It’s no worries. We can go out tomorrow, or Wednesday.” “Wednesday would be good.” JJ gave you a smile. “I’m sorry.” “JJ,” you laughed. “It’s okay.”

“Okay,” Harry said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he looked over at you. “I’ll be like five- ten minutes maybe.” You nodded at him. “Okay.” “You want to come in?” “It’s okay,” you told him. “I’ll just wait here.” “‘Kay,” Harry said, then he climbed out of the car, grabbing a bag from the back before heading into the house.

“Kie and I were going to grab lunch later, do you want to come?” You asked your boyfriend. He poked his head up over the couch, lifting his hat up to look at you. “Later?” He repeated, and you nodded. “Maybe two or something.” He sucked in a breath. “I don’t know if I can… I’m sorry Y/N.”

Your smile faltered slightly, and you felt a pang of disappointment, but you shrugged it off.

“That’s all good!”

You tapped your fingers against your thighs, chewing on the inside of your lip. It had already been a good ten minutes, and Harry was still inside. You sighed heavily, crossing your legs impatiently. “Y/N!” You turned your head, and you were met with a familiar face. “Rafe,” you mumbled back, cursing yourself for leaving your window rolled down. The boy jogged towards the car, a grin on his face. He had on a pair of gloves, and his arms were covered with dirt. Had he been… gardening?

“Haven’t seen you around in a while,” he said, tilting his head at you. You looked away. “How’s your summer been?”

“Fine,” you breathed, wringing your hands in your lap. He was a fucking smarts sometimes, he knew exactly what kind of summer you had had. “Yours?” “Good,” Rafe replied, propping his arm up on the window. “You been up to much?” “Not really,” you answered quietly, your eyes darting up to the house. Where the fuck was Harry? “Just chilling around the house and stuff. Surfing a bit.”

“Nice,” Rafe commented. “Hey I uh- I wanted to say that I was sorry about what happened with JJ. Real pain in the ass.” You looked up at him, a blank expression on your face. Rafe raised his brows, then gave you an apologetic nod. You felt your forehead crease as you stared at him, and then the corners of your lips turned down in a frown. “... thanks,” you said quietly. You couldn’t tell if he was mocking you or actually being serious. Rafe and you had never been close. You were never super close with Sarah either. She had started to hang out with your friends more since she started dating John B, but you two never spent time one-on-one. You just weren’t all that close with the Cameron’s in general, so that comment from Rafe really caught you off guard. You doubted that he actually cared.

“I know the chicks too,” Rafe said, giving you a look as he shook his head. “One of ‘em; Krissy? A bitch.” You swiped your tongue over your bottom lip, sucking in a breath. “Mhm,” you murmured, unsure about what to say. “She’s always on something. Always fucking high. Rude too.” Rafe whistled, pulling off his gloves. “I’m surprised JJ stooped that low. Obviously you’re a catch.”

You chuckled uncomfortably. You just wanted to go home. Rafe was known for being an asshole, and even with his ‘apologetic’ words, you were feeling no sympathy. And what was he to talk about being high? You knew how often he did drugs, and you hated it. You fucking hated it. About 95% of the time that you saw him he was on something. You knew that it wasn’t really his fault anymore -- he was so addicted -- but it still made you upset.

“Well it’s over now,” you said, your eyes darting everywhere except for the boy beside you. “Can’t go back in time.” “Wish we could sometimes,” Rafe laughed, nudging your shoulder with his fist. “Would save a lot of fucked up things from happening.”

“Mhm,” you mumbled, giving him a tight lipped smile. “You know,” Rafe started again, nudging you a second time. “There was this one time that I-” Suddenly you frowned, and your thoughts began to race. “How did you know it was that girl?” You asked Rafe, cutting him off. His eyebrows shot up as he stared at you, one hand hovering in the air -- you had interrupted his story.

“Huh?” He frowned back at you. “Oh-! Krissy?” At the name you felt your stomach twist. “Yeah. Her. How’d you know it was her? Apparently…” you trailed off, and your throat began to dry. “Apparently JJ didn’t even know her. Or- or any of them.” Rafe gave you a funny look, and then he let out a laugh. “Well it was Barry,” he said, shrugging. “He told me.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “Barry told you.” “He did.” “How did Barry know?” “Jesus, does it matter?” Rafe laughed, but when he saw your cold expression his smile faltered. “Okay, sorry.” He shrugged. “They’re friends or some shit like that. I don’t know! Ask him.” Rafe dropped his eyes to the ground, where he was kicking at something with his shoe. “Ask Barry?” “Yeah. I don’t know, okay? Barry knows a shitload of people.” “Barry deals drugs, Rafe.” Rafe looked up at you, and then he held up his hands as he shrugged. “I’m just telling you what you asked for.”

“I know.” Your gaze dropped to your feet.

Rafe was silent for a while longer, but then he sighed, taking his arm away from the window. “I gotta get back to this shit, but I’ll see you around.” You watched him go, a pit sinking in your stomach.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to leave a little earlier tonight,” JJ said, pressing a kiss to your hairline. “I have a shit ton of things to do tonight.”

You looked up at him. “Okay.” “I’ll call you later, okay?” “Okay J.”

Harry was taking a bloody fucking long time. You were starting to get extremely impatient, and when you checked your phone and found out that nearly twenty minutes had gone by, you were done with it.

You sighed as you climbed out of the car, shooting Harry a quick text to tell him that you were going to walk home. Ward’s wasn’t that far from your place -- maybe ten minutes -- so you knew that it would be fine. Plus, the car was beginning to feel stuffy. So much for fresh air.

“I have to go babe, I’ll see you later.” It hurt.

“Love you.” “I love you too.”

The sun was warm against your back as you walked. A couple cars breezed by, but other than that the street was dead. Your eyes lingered on each house that you passed, and you breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass.

- “I can’t make it later.” “Why not?” “I have some things to do, I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.”

You sucked in a long breath, then exhaled heavily, trying to clear your head. What the hell was Rafe talking about -- that Krissy chick?

“I’m busy then, I’m sorry sweetheart.” “It’s fine.”

If JJ didn’t even know the girls, then why were they there? Had he invited them? Surely John B. hadn’t. So why did Rafe know the girls, and why did fucking Barry?

“Tomorrow night? I don’t think I can.”

It didn’t make any sense. -

“I love you.” “I know.”

You shook your head. You had to let it go. It was a thing of the past.

- “Where are you always going?” You asked one day as JJ and you sat in your room, you laying on the floor and him sitting in the armchair by the window. “Hm?” He asked, looking up from his phone. “You’ve been leaving early lately,” you said, propping yourself up on your elbows. “Why?”

“I’ve been busy baby,” JJ replied, setting his phone down. “I’m sorry.” “Busy doing what? I thought you were working morning shifts. I don’t mean to be nosy...” “I am,”JJ said. “I just…” he trailed off, and you frowned at him. “My dad. He just has been really up in my shit lately and his temper has been-” “No no,” you cut him off, then you slid yourself over to sit in front of him, putting your hands on his. “It’s okay, I understand. You don’t have to explain yourself.” JJ gave you a soft smile. “I’m sorry, I really want to stay around later but he just gets in these moods and I…”

You nodded. “I completely understand.” He took your face in his hands, then brushed back a piece of hair from your eyes. “I love you Y/N,” he said quietly, and you kissed the side of his palm. “I love you more.” -

You didn’t hear him the first time he called your name, but you sure as fucking hell heard the second.You froze just as you were about to step off the curb to cross the street. Your body went rigid, and your breath hitched at the sound of his voice. “Y/N?” He asked again, and you could tell he was closer to you that time. Ever so slowly you turned around, scared of what you would see. And he was right there. Right there in front of you, maybe ten feet away. It was the closest you had been to him in weeks. At one point in your life he was the only person you could spend time with for days and days and never get bored, but then he became the person you tried to avoid the most.

“Oh my god,” JJ rasped, his hands coming up to pull at his hair. You opened your mouth, then closed it, completely at a loss for words. “Oh my god Y/N.” “I- I have to go,” you finally choked out, and then you turned on your heel and jogged across the road, feeling the weight of your heartbreak starting to creep back over you. You couldn’t look at him; couldn’t ever look in those eyes again, for they were the eyes that you had lost yourself in so many times.

“Y/N, please listen to me.” JJ jogged up beside you, his voice laced with desperation. You wouldn’t look at him. “Leave me alone.” “I need to talk to you, please.” “There’s nothing to talk about,” you said, and your voice broke. You kept your eyes to the right of the sidewalk, but in your peripheral vision you could see him walking briskly beside you. “I can explain it all if you would just listen-” “I don’t want to talk to you JJ,” you said. You tried to block out his voice, but he just continued pleading with you. You were only five minutes from home.

“I know you don’t want to see me, but can we just talk?” It wasn’t really a question, it was a statement, but still you shook your head. Your slowed your pace, trying to keep your breathing even. You looked over at him, but not up at his face.

“JJ, you need to leave me alone. Please. I may be able to talk to you one day, but not today.”

He was quiet, and you stared at the ground between the two of you, and then at your shoes. He had on his usual black boots, and you had on flip flops.

“That’s fair,” he said slowly, as if he was struggling to get the words out. “That’s fair. But please-”

“That’s it JJ,” you muttered, and then you stepped away from him, picking up your pace yet again. Tears brimmed your eyes, and suddenly your skin stung, and you swiped at your nose with the back of your hand. From behind you, you heard JJ let out a long string of curse words followed by one exclamation:

“It wasn’t what it looked like!”

Blinded by your hate and your hurt, you didn’t believe him, but little did you know that it was in fact, not what it looked like.

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank fic #jj maybank series #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank fanfiction #outer banks fic #outer banks #outer banks imagine

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whatcouldgowrong-ohthat · 4 years

Text

Us and Andie Ch. 4

Summary: Bucky works as an Avenger because it’s what’s right. He feels he has sins he’ll never be able to make up for, but he’ll spend the rest of his life trying. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he comes across Andie, the daughter of recently divorced Y/N. The life he had once “maintained” in hopes of surviving changes as his heart warms for a tough-as-nails nurse and her wonderful daughter.

Word Count: 3373 (I know, it’s back to the shorter chapters)

Warnings: I mean, cussing is always a thing? But there is a lot more interaction between Y/N and Bucky in this chapter. Finally getting more of that ball rolling.

Series Masterlist - Masterlist

Y/N woke to noise outside her room. But as she opened her eyes and blinked away the bleariness that came with just waking up, she realized something a little important.

She wasn’t in her room.

Y/N sat up, yanking the sheets off her body and hurrying to her feet. She stumbled over the comforter she had kicked off, catching the dresser before she could fall flat on her face. How long had she been asleep? Running her fingers through her tangled her, she kicked off the comforter before getting to the bathroom. She needed a shower. Desperately.

The hot water was steaming, relaxing her muscles and helping her clear her head. She’d forgotten what it was like to just enjoy a shower without being in a rush. But as she scrubbed away the grim from yesterday, she started remembering the events from her night with the Avengers.

“Oh, my god,” she murmured. “I met the Avengers…I…I criticized the Avengers.” She pressed her forehead against the cold tile. It was a stark contrast to the warmth hitting her back. She didn’t even remember how she got to bed. Oh, she wanted this day to end. Nice shower aside, she was definitely overstaying her welcome. Turning off the shower, she could only hope she could get out of here without being noticed.

And Andie.

Fuck, she hoped Peter had gotten Andie to school in time.

Finally drying off, she started picking up the clothes she had worn the night before. She had to get back to Brooklyn, get a fresh change of clothes, and run errands before work tonight. She rubbed her forehead, gnawing at her lip. She needed to get Andie from school later too. What time was it? However, all her worries and concerns were tossed out of her mind when she saw clothes on the dresser. She frowned, remember that she had told them she didn’t need to borrow anything from Natasha.

Picking up the sticky note waiting on top of the fabrics, she read the extremely messy handwriting that told her:

Wanted to let you sleep, but when you wake up – these are Wanda’s. Thought it would be better than the clothes you slept in.

There was no signature. Y/N flipped it over, wanting to double check, but still she found nothing. She looked at the clothes and made a mental note to grab a ‘thank you’ card when she was out later. When she sent the clothes back, she could send the card with it. Leggings, underwear, a sports bra, and…Well, that looked way too big to be Wanda’s. But she didn’t pay too much mind. She liked wearing baggy clothes and perhaps the Avenger did too.

Who was she to judge?

Stepping out of the room, she closed the door behind her and started rolling up the sleeves of the blue Henley. It was long, skimming past her butt. The sleeves weren’t too bad, but she preferred not constantly pushing them out of the way. Y/N pulled her still damp hair out of her face, tugging it into a ponytail as she heard movement in the kitchen.

So leaving wouldn’t be so simple.

Stepping around the corner, Y/N saw Bucky was cooking in the kitchen. The smell of pancakes hit her stomach and a rather loud, far too obnoxious growl left her stomach. She winced as Bucky looked her way.

“I’m guessing you’re hungry?”

Y/N smiled sheepishly, trying to tell him, “It’s okay. I can get food back at my place.” But when was the last time she actually had a chance to go grocery shopping?

Bucky knew he shouldn’t push or put himself out there, but the truth was, he already ate. Everyone did. It was 10 AM after all. “These are for you, Y/N.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I wanted to.”

She shifted from one foot to the other, hugging herself. “Did Andi…Was she taken to school?”

“Peter and Steve took her this morning.”

Y/N hesitated but watched as he flipped the pancakes and started pouring her a cup of coffee. It was so domestic. So simply kind. When was the last time someone did something like this for her? It seemed that was enough to make up her mind. She took a seat at the island, crossing her arms on the counter as he passed her the cup of coffee. She wrapped her hands around the cup, allowing it to warm her fingers. “Thank you.”

The smile that slipped past her lips was enough to make Bucky’s heart skip a beat. He quickly looked away, listening to the clinking of a spoon as she doctored her coffee just the way she liked. She didn’t take milk with it. Only sugar. He didn’t want to make a note of that. He really didn’t. But Bucky was already tucking the information in the back of his mind before he had a chance to think otherwise.

Silence fell as she sipped at the warm caffeine, watching as he took care of the pancakes. When she heard the commotion earlier, she thought that maybe there had been more people around. Taking a quick sweep of the room, she was confused when she saw it was only them. Before too long, there was probably going to be someone coming back in. Gnawing her bottom lip, she looked back at Bucky. He was wearing a red Henley and for the briefest moment, she wondered if the one she was wearing belonged to him.

Stop. You have been alone too long. It is a shirt for crying out loud.

“What – “ She took another sip of coffee. “What pancakes are you making?”

“Just regular ones. I wasn’t sure if you had an allergy or anything.” He slid a couple pancakes on a plate, passing them to her. She grabbed the syrup across from her, dousing the pancakes and absolutely soaking them. Bucky watched her, barely able to hide his own smile. It wasn’t everyday he saw someone enjoying pancakes as much as he did. “Do you have a favorite kind?”

She looked up right in the middle of stuffing her face, forgetting for a second that she was supposed to have manners. Oops. Taking a smaller bite than she initially planned, she shrugged. “Andie does. I make them for her once a month.”

“Why so rarely?”

Y/N giggled as she recalled the last time. “Well…it’s a special thing we do. When I manage to get off work for three or four days, I let her pick a night. And we go to my cousin’s house.” She looked out the window, shrugging. “It’s probably a couple hours north of here. Sorry – I…just realized I’m rambling.”

Bucky was already leaning forward, elbows propped on the counter and watching her with absolute curiosity. “I really don’t mind,” he assured her. Hesitating, he explained, “I never really had a tradition…” Silence fell as she realized that, with his life as the Winter Soldier, something small like this might be nice to him. Different.

Taking another bite, she decided maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to share. “It’s a little country house type thing. They even have a barn and they have it set up where Andie and I can star gaze all night long.” She chuckled, staring down at her plate. “There’s even a projector set up there. I’ll have her pick out a movie and we’ll watch it. Then I’ll point out constellations to her, tell her their stories while we eat pancakes and other junk food.” To anyone else, it would seem utterly ridiculous, but this tradition was one of the most important things in her life. She dreaded the day Andie got too old for it.

“Andromeda.”

She looked up, noticing the smile on his face.

“That’s where her middle name comes from?”

Y/N nodded. “There are so many meanings behind the name, it’s hard to keep track. But the one I named her for is ‘to be mindful of men’.”

“Which meaning is her favorite?”

Y/N stared at him, surprised that he would know she had her own favorite meaning. “Whether it’s true or not, she believes it means ‘leader of men’. And she’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.”

Bucky laughed at that. Even though he hadn’t interacted with her much, that didn’t surprise him one bit. Andie took charge in any room she was in and he admired that about the kid. “She’s…You raised a good kid.”

“Still raising her. Just hoping I’m not fucking it up too much.”

Bucky watched her as they ate. How could Y/N think she was fucking it up? She was a good parent. Andie was a great kid. Except for when she ran off and hid from the world. But that probably wasn’t something to bring up right now.

“Probably should get back on the road,” Y/N told him, taking the now empty plate and walking to the sink. She washed it off, immediately going to work on the rest of the dishes.

“You don’t have to do that,” Bucky told her, rising to his feet.

“It’s second nature at this point.”

“Still. We have a whole house of people that could benefit from doing more chores.” He came up behind her, his chest pressing against her back as his hand caught her wrist. “Just let it go, yeah?”

Her body tensed as she realized how close he was. God, she needed to get a grip. Eight years of not dating and here she was reacting to some guy’s chest against her. But...It was Bucky. There were certainly worse men to be freaking out over.

Hell, she married one.

“Sorry, I think it’s hard for me to slip out of ‘mom’ mode.” She dropped the dishes and he took a step away from her. Turning to face him, she realized they were still close. Only a couple feet apart, each leaning against an opposite counter. Up close, she realized he was even more attractive. Not only had he looked out for her daughter twice, but he had the kindest eyes. A sweet smile. It was hard for her to believe this man could hurt anyone. That is, until she took in his massive build. Even before she worked in labor and delivery, back when she worked in the ER and came across all kinds of people, she had never met a man built like Bucky. He was like a brick wall. Still…her favorite thing was his eyes. And his smile.

Stop it. You are not a horndog.

“I – I should probably go. I still need to stop by my place. And run errands. And then I have work. I just…I have a lot to do.”

“Do you need help?”

The question surprised them both.

Y/N because he was an Avenger. Bucky didn’t need to be wasting his day running pointless errands. She was sure they had ‘people’ for that sort of thing. So why the hell would he ask? Why would he do something so simple and so unnecessary? But then she remembered everything she had learned about him. He had been through a cruel life. A part of her wondered if he really remembered having any sort of life that was what one would describe as “domestic”.

Meanwhile, Bucky couldn’t believe he had managed to ask. To put himself out there in any sort of way was hard. He failed more often than not. But with Y/N, things felt almost easy. Almost normal. And he wanted more of that. He needed more “normal” and less “hero”. He knew he wouldn’t get that with the Avengers. Just walking down the street wasn’t even normal anymore. Not when you were friends with the one and only Captain America.

“No, I don’t.”

The words left her lips and Bucky felt his shoulders drop. He knew he shouldn’t have asked, but it still hurt to hear her so adamantly not want him around. Was he making her that uncomfortable? Was even having a meal with him so –

“But I want it.”

Bucky jerked his head up, unable to contain the smile on his face. “Really?” Someone wanted him around. Not to beat up bad guys, but just help.

Y/N held up a hand, telling him her only requirement was, “So long as you won’t be judgey. I can’t stand judgey.”

Bucky laughed. “I can do that.”

-.-.-.-

Bucky stayed close to Y/N the whole time they were in Brooklyn. It turned out, he hadn’t been wrong when he guessed that Y/N and Andie lived in one of the more run-down communities. Everything in him wanted to move them out of this area and into the compound. He couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was because he thought a family like them deserved better.

But he wasn’t being judgey.

He really wasn’t.

She unlocked the door to her home, not even noticing the way Bucky was observing the hall. What he was making notes of, only he would ever know. “We’ll be quick. I just need to make a list.”

Bucky followed her inside and when Y/N turned to look at him, she could barely keep herself from laughing. She knew her apartment was small but seeing him in it reminded her just how small it was. “Try not to break anything,” she teased.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around. The living room and kitchen were one massive room. There were few cabinets, limited counter space, and a fridge. The sink still had a few dishes in it. She probably meant to do them the night before. The living room had a small TV, probably something she bought on sale. There was a couch no doubt run down from raising a rambunctious kid like Andie. And there was a coffee table with a stack of mail. Looking around, he knew he was tense. There wasn’t exactly a place to hide if someone broke in. There were two windows in the ‘living area’ directly across from the front door. It wasn’t safe.

Not even close.

But he wouldn’t judge, and he wasn’t going to say anything.

“I’m going to get a list put together so I can keep my head straight,” Y/N told him, pulling her hair out of her ponytail and combing through it. Almost immediately it went back up as she grabbed a pen and envelope from the pile. She started scribbling on the back, opening the fridge and making a note of what she needed from the store.

Bucky got a glimpse of the contents inside. There wasn’t much. When was the last time she got a chance to go shopping? He ran a hand through his hair, taking a slow breath. He needed to calm down and stop worrying about them. It wasn’t like this was his responsibility. Still – he was curious what the rest of the apartment looked like.

Making sure she was occupied, he slipped away. There was a small bathroom with only a shower. The bedrooms were right around the corner. He was relieved that Y/N at least had a bit of privacy and in that moment, he knew he should respect it. So he only caught a glimpse through the open door. Her bed was unmade and there was a stack of clean clothes on the dresser and an overflowing dirty laundry basket by the door. Other than that – there was nothing about the room that showed it belonged to her. In fact, it could have been anyone’s.

It made his heart hurt. Sure, he had even less when he was the Winter Soldier, but that was different. He was a machine then, following orders and nothing more. She had a life, but it seemed she wasn’t really living.

Walking across the way, his steps fell silent. It took only a stride and a half for him to get to Andie’s room. The door was wide open. And of course, Y/N had given her the bigger room. There were little plastic stars covering the wall and ceiling. A dark blue comforter covered the bed along with a couple of toys – both looking like they were massive and used for late night cuddles. One was a faded frog missing an eye. The other was a black bear that was clearly limp from overuse and had patches where fur had been rubbed off.

They were clearly her favorites.

In other parts of the room, there were toys here and there. A plastic Mjolnir, a stack of coloring books, several packs of crayons, and other toys littered the floor. When he’d first met Andie, he’d gotten the impression she was one of those “tomboys”, but judging by her room, she was just a mix. She liked what she liked.

He picked up a couple of her clothes off the floor, dropping them in the laundry basket. However, he paused when he picked up a black t-shirt. It was clearly painted on and unfolding it revealed a red star on the chest.

“She had me paint that for her.”

Bucky hesitated, staring down at the massive red star. It practically glared at him. How could a kid want to wear such a horrible sign? He looked back at Y/N. A part of his mind registered that she had put on a jacket, but that wasn’t his priority. No. That was the shirt. “Why?”

“You’re her hero.”

Bucky’s fists clenched around the fabric. He didn’t understand. “Why?”

Y/N leaned against the doorway, watching him as if he was a child trying to figure out a puzzle. There was no pity there. Just…hope? Excitement? She couldn’t place the word. Wrapping her arms around herself, she asked, “Has she told you what her powers are?”

“No.” He turned his eyes to her. They were bright, intense in a way that could only come from Bucky. “Why? What are they?”

Y/N shook her head. “That’s for her to tell you. Not me.” She stepped forward, taking the shirt out of his hands. It wasn’t her place to remind him that he wasn’t that creation anymore. It wasn’t her responsibility to tell him that he’s a good person. No, he needed to know that on his own. Still… “You know, Andie and I have a lot of experience with people who refuse to even try and do the right thing.” She looked up at him, holding his gaze. “I know a bad person when I see one.”

Bucky felt frozen to the floor, hanging on every word she told him. His voice was barely above a whisper as he asked, “And what do you see when you look at me?”

Y/N bit the inside of her cheek, debating whether to tell him or not. “That’s for me to know.” She took a step back, breaking whatever small spell came between them. Now wasn’t the time to get hung up on Bucky.

In her reality, there was never a time for that.

She tossed the shirt in the laundry basket. “Let’s go. You told me you were going to help me with errands, remember?”

Bucky nodded, surprised when she took his hand and dragged him through the apartment. He couldn’t bring himself to tear his gaze away from their intertwined hands. It wasn’t the first time a woman had touched him. He wasn’t a nun. Far from it actually. But this touch was different. It wasn’t with an intent for something more. It was simple. Nice. It was in that moment that he realized…

He didn’t want her to let go.

When she finally pulled him out of the apartment, she also released his hand to lock the door. He watched, a part of him hoping that she would take his hand again. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, she slipped her keys and list in her purse and shoved her hands in her pocket. He flexed his hand, ignoring the sudden emptiness there.

It shouldn’t matter. It was just a moment.

Following her, he made sure to stay close by. He refused to let anything happen to her. He refused to dwell on whatever weird feeling still resided in his fingertips. It wasn’t that it shouldn’t matter.

It just…didn’t. It truly was just a moment.

“So where’s the first stop?”

-.-.-.-

Tag List:

@mr-robot-x

@lets--be-honest

@buckyssoul

@purplekitten30

@amnahs9695

@booktease21

#bucky x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #us and andie #marvel au #bucky barnes fluff

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bambigoose · 4 years

Text

Master Manipulator

Kelhani was freezing, its four degrees out in Toronto today and it didn’t matter how tightly she wrapped herself up nothing was generating more heat for her. A vast jump from the sixty four degrees it was when she left Cape Town, South Africa yesterday afternoon. Her internship with Apex Shark Expeditions had kept her halfway around the world for the past six months. Currently the sharks have migrated out of the area for the next few months and Chris her internship overseer gave them free reign to work from wherever they’d like for the next two months as long as they had the research completed for their due dates and were present at the weekly meetings over skype. This was going to mean a few nights of waking up at three am for a skype call, but she got to come home for a bit so it was worth it. Besides, there were days she was walking up at three am to head out on the boat, skyping would be easy.

Waiting for the crosswalk to change, she chuckled to herself. Looking up ahead she could see Stephanie jumping up and down attempting to use Mitch’s shoulder as support in an attempt to spot her. Having stopped to do an errand before meeting up with them, Kelhani was approaching from a different direction. Hearing the beeping of the light change she proceeded across the street weaving in and out of people in a desperate attempt not to be noticed. Clumsily tripping over her own two feet she was forced to admit walking like a normal person may be in her best interest.

“Mitch do you see her?” Stephanie asked as Kelhani approached. The petite blonde kept leaping into the air using Mitch’s shoulder for balance and lift like it’ll make her see further up the street.

Mitch was sputtering, moving his girlfriend’s hair out of his face, “Babe, I can’t see anything through your hair.” He laughed. On her next landing, Stephanie punched Mitch in the arm with a soft thump.

“Hey now, don’t injure the super star Steph, the entire city might come after you.” Kelhani said wrapping her arms around both of them from behind. She was pretty sure the warning did nothing to help. Stephanie shrieked before throwing herself into her, arms flailing, and whacked poor Mitch right in the nose.

“IMISSEDYOUSOMUCH,YOU’RENEVERALLOWEDTOLEAVELIKETHATAGIAIN.” Spewed out of Stephanie’s mouth in one breath, her face turning red towards the end of it.

Kelhani laughed, “You have two months before I have to take off again.” while dipping out of Stephanie’s arms to hug Mitch properly too. Despite his calm demeanor the second the opening presented itself Mitch had her in the air spinning around and giggling like a little child.

Stephanie beamed seeing her best friend and boyfriend get along so well. Kelhani and she met the summer they both turned six. After years of supporting each other, sleepovers, joint family vacations, graduations, and break ups they’d remained incredibly close despite all of their differences. Their relationship was put to the test when they elected to attend different colleges, Kelanhi leaving to attend the University of Pensacola in Florida while Stephanie remained in Toronto. Previously, she stressed herself almost to the point of sickness over Mitch and Kelhani meeting for the first time. It turned out to be completely unneeded. The two of them had been talking through the Whatsup App without her knowing once their relationship had reached the six month mark. She almost dropped to the floor when Mitch ran through the apartment to greet his “second girlfriend” when they got home from the airport. Now, she fights with her own boyfriend for time with her best friend during their visits.

“Can you even breathe in all these layers? Mitch quipped, dropping Kelhani back on her feet.

Looking down at her down jacket, with a north face and a sweater on underneath it, her scarf kept inching up her face forced by the jacket and mittens covered her hands. “My blood thinned out okay! It’s freezing out here.”

Stephanie laughed, linking her arm through Mitch’s left while he reached out linking his right arm with Kelhani. “Let’s get the beach bum inside.”

Mitch started walking leading the girls through the crowds toward their lunch destination while Kelhani leaned forward to look at both of them, “Should we start skipping and singing we’re off to see the wizard?” She smiled as her two best friends laughed, she was home and this moment made freezing her ass off worth it.

….

Lunch with Mitch and Stephanie was always an adventure is the best way to describe it. Entering the restaurant they bicker over who got to sit next to her. Mary, their usual waitress at the diner rolled her eyes when they entered, used to the bickering of the couple. Kelhani greeted the sixty-six year old waitress with a hug. Their pseudo grandmother catching up with her quickly as Mitch attempted to rant with arms waving that it was the quality of the friendship not the length that should dictate seating privileges. Both of them were so engrossed in their argument, neither noticed Kelhani and Mary walk over to the round corner booth for about five minutes. “Where’d Kel go?”

“She decided she interfered too much in your relationship and elected to go home.” Mary responded, eyes narrowing at the pair from behind the counter.

“Look what you did.” Stephanie whacked Mitch with the back of her hand in the chest.

“What I did? I called her mid walk! You just didn’t like that I did it before you!” Mitch lightly hip checked Stephanie to emphasize his point.

Mary looked ready to interject before Kelhani called from the back, “You two are the least observant people I know!”

Whipping their heads around like excited Golden Retrievers hearing a treat bag being opened, they both beamed seeing Kelhani straw in mouth sucking down on a chocolate mint milkshake with their favorite flavors on either side of her. A moment later, Kelhani had to wonder if this is what it felt like to be running with the bulls. Mitch and Stephanie took off in her direction, bumping each other out of the way and knocking into booths before finally sliding into her on either side with enough force to cause her to spill part of her milkshake.

Mitch ignored Kelhani’s pout, reaching over her for the menu, “Why do you even bother looking? We get the same thing every time.” Stephanie leans forward grabbing the menu out of Mitch’s hand causing Kelhani to jolt her milkshake again.

“What if they have good specials today?”

If looks could kill Mitch would be dead, the city of Toronto would be in mourning, and Kelhani would have lost her Canadian citizenship. Whipping up the third milkshake spill of the day, “You two do realize you are why we can’t have nice things, right?”

Mary came to the rescue with a new milkshake as the couple cringed. She smirked and looked directly at Kelhani for an answer. “The usual sweethearts?”

Mitch eagerly leaned forward, “Well, if I could look at a menu…”

He was interrupted as Kelhani placed her hand on his face and pushed him back fully into the seat. “Yes please ma’am.” With a glare to either side of her, “The children are going to behave or we’ll be getting out of your hair.”

“WE’RE NOT CHILDREN!”

“Experience suggests differently you two.” Kelhani chuckled as they both attacked her sides. It was good to be home.

….

It was not good to be home. Mitch and Stephanie surprised her with a “small” house party they were throwing that night, which she absolutely had to come too because “we’ve missed you so much and it wouldn’t be right to do this without her.” The two of them had taken off to different areas and she was surrounded by Maple Leafs and their families who she had never met. A truly excellent way to make her anxiety feel like it was suffocating her while she contemplates how to leave without upsetting Mitch and Steph. Feeling the pressure building in her chest and finding an open route out onto the balcony Kelanhi attempted to make her escape.

Halfway across the room she collided into a brick wall, a quick sorry and a glance told her it had been Freddie Andersen. Her squeaky apology and accidental bumping pushed the anxiety almost into a full blown attack. She rushed towards the balcony missing the equally as quiet “it’s okay” and concerned look instead focusing on opening the door with the next to impossible to use handles.

Her breathing increased, almost gasping as she continued to struggle with the handle. The room appeared to be getting louder and louder while spinning the more she struggled before suddenly it was cut off. A large hand covered hers and pushed the handle opening the doors while barricating her with their body and shuffling forward out onto the balcony. Kelanhi braced herself on the railing and looked out over the Toronto skyline. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she took a moment to reorient herself and calm her body down before turning to look at the quiet presence off to her side.

Freddie was leaning on the corner of the balcony, looking out of the skyline while subtly looking out of the corner of his eyes at her. A loud exhale left Kelhani and Freddie turned to face her, leaning his hip against the railing. “Mitch’s place is too small for this many people…” he utters to her quietly.

A surprised gawf left Kelhani, her eyes rolling. “Don’t go telling him that.”

“I can go tell him we’re both leaving? Bulldoze our way to the door.” he suggests with a smile, Stephanie’s fairy lights twinkling in his eyes. Kelhani returned the smile with a slight nod of relief. “Of course I’ll need something for it.”

“And what’s that?”

“How about dinner? Don’t think I didn’t see you avoid all of the healthy apps too.”

For the second time in under two minutes another surprised gawf left Kelhani. “Who knew you were such a master manipulator Mr.Andersen.”

“Gotta keep people on their toes.”

Three minutes later as the two left the door. Mitch leaned over to Stephanie, “Your planned worked perfectly.”

“Well obviously, we gotta figure out a way to make sure she comes back here after her internship. Unless of course you’re looking for a trade.”

“Let’s just keep manipulating our friends.” Mitch laughs pulling her close in a celebratory hug.

#freddie andersen #mitch marner #Toronto Maple Leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #mitch marner imagine #freddie andersen imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagines #Hockey Fanfiction

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kazbrkker · 4 years

Text

Chapter 6: Distant Reminders

Chapter summary: Finally a glimpse of the day Farah, Hadir and Alexis met, told from both perspectives. Some fluff between Alexis and Alex. Slight confession (blink and you miss it.) [3870 words]

Warnings: pretty dark chapter – please be careful. Mentions of wounds, burns and blood. Implied mentions of sexual assault.

27 October 2019, 0600 "Alexis" & "Alex" | Codename Aces CIA agents with Urzik militia Liberation Force Base, Urzikstan.

Truth be told, Urzikstan was starting to grow on the CIA agent. Used to working in much less hostile environments than this, Alexis figured it would take time before she could adapt. But between the constantly rowdy, yet lively compound and the unpolluted Urzikstan night sky that smiled down at her—it wasn't difficult for Urzikstan to imprint on her.

It was 6 on the clock when she awoke, a wired response. Judging from the unslept sleeping bag, Alex was still on lookout duty. Five minutes later, he entered the room.

"Wow, cute bed hair."

"Morning to you too." Alexis ignored his sarcasm, starting to roll her sleeping bag but halted at Alex's request—questionably saying hers was more comfortable. "They're the exact same," She deadpanned.

"Fine, I like your smell. Consider me obsessed." Alex lazily pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed his towel. Her laughter was airy among the morning stillness.

"Dial the creepiness to a min, 'kay?"

They walked to the makeshift showers that Farah had shown them—grimy and borderline filthy but they couldn't be bothered, instead, grateful that showers were even a possibility. Alex stepped one foot in when Alexis opened her bathroom door, "Quick proposition, wanna save some water?"

Alex dramatically clasped a hand on his chest at her vexed jab.

"What? It's our part to save the Earth, isn't it?" His voice lowered to a whisper, as if he was sharing the best-kept secret. Their foreheads were practically touching, his breath fanning on her cheeks. Their height difference made Alex peer down at her, thumb boldly rubbing across her cheekbones. "I'm just offering, I take my responsibility very seriously."

"Mm. I bet. Just get your ass in the shower." Back against the bathroom door, Alexis chuckled at how ridiculous he was, but it was a normalcy she got used to. Even at 6 in the dead morning, there was already an irrepressible smirk on display. The warmth that radiated off his bare torso did nothing but intensified her need for a freezing shower. He didn't even budge under her shove.

"Ooh. Grumpypants."

Rolling her eyes, she briefly glanced at the muscular arms that encaged her, silently tracing the intricacy of his tattoo sleeves, "Can I leave now?"

"Sure, excuse me then." He gripped onto her hips as though squeezing through a narrowed pathway—except it wasn't, there was plenty of room. All he had to do was release her.

It was pointless to try and ignore the heat of his touch, her thin cotton t-shirt could only do so much.

Alex stepped away, chuckling knowingly. She almost felt cold. A flustered Alexis stood rooted for a few seconds before rapidly blinking, breaking the... whatever this was. "I hope the water doesn't run out when you have shampoo in your eyes!" She shook the feeling out of her system, harshly biting her lip to reprimand herself.

'Jesus. Drag your mind out of the gutter, will you?' Although the devil on her shoulder tempted her with an exhilarating idea. Alexis swung the door shut with a bang, hopefully, loud enough to scare those thoughts away.

She heard his muffled yells from outside. "Point taken, you're a devious thing, aren't you!"

After a much needed shower, she found her partner back in their room. His hands tucked behind his head, droopy eyelids signified his sleepiness but held open with resistance. She entertained his cheeky statements while drying her hair.

"You look great."

"Tuck me in?" His persistence eventually honeyed her. This half-asleep state was endearing, albeit laughable and unbelievable to anybody else.

"Night." She squatted down to face the now tucked-in Alex. He answered back, words blurred from exhaustion, clearly delirious since he audaciously asked for a goodnight kiss, but was met a splash of cold water. "Well, it's officially morning, but... semantics. Answer is no." Refusing to witness her smug face, within two minutes, the said man passed out.

An amused curve played on her lips, observing her friend. Once he was truly asleep, judging from his unfurrowed eyebrows and slightly parted lips, she kneeled to land a soft kiss on the crown of his head. Her movements trembled ever so slightly as her lips brushed against his forehead, diligent to not rouse the light-sleeper.

Otherwise, she'd never hear the end of it.

Alex had slipped into unconscious blissfulness by now, leaving her alone with her raging thoughts. Looking at him, she thought of a few words that she would never utter out loud, even if her life had been beaten to shy of an inch. She was no idiot, nor a teenage girl struggling to analyse her feelings.

Alexis had feelings for Alex, she resigned to it ever since her return from St. Petersburg. Staring death in the face can do that to somebody.

It was a fool's errand to think it would ever work out. A bigger mistake if she destroyed the most important person in her universe. It didn't help that they were in the middle of a war, and they always were.

Besides, love was overrated. But try telling that to her defying heart for not letting it go even after five unreciprocated years. Alexis quietly untied the curtains covering their partition of the compound, leaving more than one thing to rest.

It was a nightmare to work out in jeans, but to respect their culture, she obviously had no complaints. Alexis convened with Farah, Hadir and another group of militia fighters for their first training today. Today's lesson resolved around stealth—her speciality. She taught them everything to know about sneak attacks, efficient knifing and using unconventional weapons like a belt or a pen.

They were an easy bunch to teach, like a sponge readily soaking up whatever she had to give. Somehow standing here reminded her when she was an insignificant recruit back in Fort Benning, how time flew. "Being stealthy is more than sneaking around and keeping quiet. It conserves ammo and your energy. Tradecraft 101: if you can't identify the target, you are the target."

They wrapped around 9.15am, concluding the lesson by teaching them her neat trick, emptying her shoes to reveal razors pasted against her ankle. "Hide these in your socks. It will get you out, trust me." She drawled out the last part, unintentionally grinning at a funny memory.

Farah smiled, asking her fighters to head to breakfast. Hadir, with his stomach growling embarrassingly loud throughout the training, eagerly led the beeline to the kitchen. The commander spoke gratitude to her informative lesson again, before a small tap on Alexis' shoulders pulled her attention away. It belonged to a young woman, not older than 15, she guessed.

"I... want to learn more... Can you teach me?"

"Your English is flawless..." Alexis waited for her name, the young woman was fidgety, only met her gaze meekly upon asking.

"Alia."

"Beautiful name." A smile fell on both the commander and the agent's lips. "Well, nice to meet you, Alia. Maybe we can meet back here after breakfast?"

The young woman nodded eagerly, shoulders now loosened. There was a slight skip in her steps when she walked in the kitchen's direction, joining the rest.

The corpse of the young child she witnessed the yesterday unwillingly flashed before her eyes. If she shut her eyes, she'd bet she could still smell the unholy putrid decay of human flesh.

"Alen– Alexis?" The sound of her name dragged her out of her thoughts, the excitable yells and rowdy chatter from the kitchen now of tangible existence. Farah waited for her expectingly, "Lost you for a minute."

They walked away to the rooftops. "Oh. Sorry, just... I didn't see her when I was here the last time... She's so young."

"War waits for no one," Farah replied truthfully. "We found Alia in a sewage tunnel three years ago, she was the only one left in her family. We found her before the soldiers did..."

She didn't explain further; for they both knew the tragic outcome of a young girl living alone in this occupation. Farah continued on a solemn note, "Barkov does not inflict pain only from his bombs and massacre. He tears families apart, ruin our children's innocence. Barkov and his army do... unspeakable things..."

Farah didn't explicitly state it, but there was a shared understanding. It was terrifying to be a woman in Urzikstan. Or really, be a woman anywhere near this life...

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you the last time."

Fazed by the unexpected mention of old events, Farah replied a few seconds later. "It's okay. You came back."

"Still, five years is a long time when freedom is on the line."

"Alexis," Their gaze connected meaningfully, "I have waited all my life. Five years is nothing. Plus. you came with backup. You brought me victory."

The agent's nose scrunched in grimace, "Don't jinx it." The commander looked perplexed at her words, "It's bad luck to say you've already won before you actually did."

"You believe in luck?"

"I didn't, but after you saved me... Let's just say I'm a believer." Although there was nothing cheery in her tone. "Luck can go a long way, I'm living proof." The distant look in her eyes and made Farah caution around her next words.

Farah remembered the day she stumbled upon Alexis. Stumbled would be the right word, seeing she literally walked in a chamber with Alexis in it.

Same shit, different day. Only today Farah and her fighters received intel of a new mob that moved operations just outside the borders of Urzikstan. As if Barkov wasn't enough, they were terrorising and robbing farmers of their already piss-poor life.

They utilised the element of surprise, showing up in the dead middle of the night. Also dousing the enemy's compound in petrol was an easy and foolproof way to get the job done.

"Sister!" When Hadir yelled for her, she was terrified something had happened to her brother—who was still inside, drenching the house with more petrol. "There is a woman... Prisoner! She doesn't look like she's with them!"

"Bring her out!"

Hadir balanced a bloodied woman on his back, carrying her all the way back to their waiting trucks in the woods. Farah immediately demanded her male fighters to look away, covering the skimpily dressed woman with a canvas mat. Not that it mattered, really—the unknown woman's face was unrecognisable, bruises and blood littered all over her body, her natural skin colour a mystery to them.

"She's alive! Barely breathing, but still here." One of her fighters announced. At that, they floored back to their compound. Farah was the one to clean her up, horrified by the state she was in. The commander had seen her fair share of gore, but even she didn't want to imagine what the mob did to the woman. Under the cuts, wounds and burns Farah could see a peek of the woman's skin colour. After dabbing some water on her face, her American features came into view.

There was no patch on her, no dog tags to identify her. Soldier? No, spy, she concluded. The woman looked far too beautiful for a wise commander to send into an active, hostile battlefield like Urzikstan.

Farah shook her head dismissively. "You give me too much credit, Alexis. You were the one strong enough to live through all that."

"If it weren't for you, the mob would have killed me. Hopefully." The agent swung her legs freely over the rooftop's edge. Her solemness didn't bypass the commander. "I'm serious, Farah. If I wasn't so lucky to meet you, even though it was in a burning fire, I wouldn't be here..." Their sight fell upon a faintly wrinkled patch of skin that covered a part of Alexis' left shin. "You saved my life, Farah. Thank you."

Through blurry vision, it was hard to make the commander's face, but she roughly pictured the curve on her lips. She made no efforts to hide her tears, knowing Farah had seen her worse. Recalling St. Petersburg drained every ounce of life in her, a dark stain of her past that no matter what, she couldn't scrub away.

And believe her, she had scrubbed her skin raw trying to erase it. But it still lived, crawled under her skin.

After the annoying tear dropped, her vision cleared. Now facing Farah, who seemingly had the same sentimental expression on her face, the two women engulfed in a tight embrace. There was a kind of serenity residing in the knowledge that Farah still smelled the way Alexis remembered.

When Alexis, then Alena first woke, she was quick to hold a scalpel against the first person she saw. It didn't help that it was a man.

Digging relentlessly into the guy's neck, she ignored the electrifying pain all over her body yelling at her to stop.

"Stop! Stop!" A young female dashed into the room, frantic arms flailing about. Alexis recognised the authority that radiated off this woman, so she jerked her head at the exit.

"I cannot let you leave. Look at you, you need to recover."

Displeased, the scalpel pierced through the man's skin. Eyes averting in a frenzy, she tried to work the best escape plan in her jumbled mind. "I'll recover somewhere fucking else. Let me go."

"We are not the enemy here–"

"'Cause the bad guys are so honest?" Alexis spat, using the guy as her human shield to inch towards the entrance. Her antics were gaining a ton of spectators, lining alongside the exit with firearms. "Tell your men to back off. Now! Or I fucking shoot my way through."

Alexis dropped unconscious after that statement, apparently, someone had hit her with a dose of anaesthetic. She half-imagined she would be restrained, but surprisingly, not only was she not, but the same woman slept beside her bed defenceless too.

Maybe it was pure stupidity, or kindness.

"Hate to interrupt, but Laswell's calling." Alex's voice boomed from the rooftop's entrance, making her jump. Back-facing him, she hastily wiped her tears and at a confirming nod from Farah, she turned around—all traces of tears disappeared from her face.

Farah watched the brunette agent retreat, a sad yet proud smile resting on her face when she thought about how far they both had come.

"Everything okay?" Alex inquired warily, shutting the door behind him for complete privacy.

"Yeah, perfect. Why?"

"Nothing. Just looked intense, that's all. And you're usually not big on hugs."

An uncharming snort escaped from her. Leaning against a table, she said, "Maybe that's just when it comes to you. Enough, where's Laswell?"

Alex was about to probe further but an unceremonious ring of the satellite phone stopped him. He huffed, having half a feeling that Laswell was a genie or something borderline supernatural, summoned at the mere mention of her name.

"You got Saint and Echo 3-1 on the line."

"Sorry for the early call, but I got good news. The attic of the Al-Qatala townhouse was a gold mine. It looks like we found the Wolf."

"Good news indeed," Alex commented.

"Communications from the laptop were tracked to Ramaza Hospital in Urzikstan, where the Al-Qatala leader is believed to be holed-up. Farah's forces will track terror activity at the hospital while a Marine ground force will advance on the complex."

At that, they arched a questioning brow, "Why the extra heat? We already have Farah's forces."

"Not my call, Saint. Colonel Norris suggested it and the General agrees. We only have one shot at this, the plan needs to be flawless." She almost scoffed at the same old excuse, but couldn't really blame Laswell. "You two will link up with Sergeant Griggs, the main priority is to capture the Wolf. Saint, you will lead interrogation about the stolen gas. I want him alive, can I trust you?"

Alexis shrugged casually. "Of course, death would be too easy for the bastard... Excuse my language, Watcher."

"Agreed. But, I still want him to look presentable, got it?"

"Are we talking face? Or waist down?"

"Saint..."

The female agent received a defeated laughter from her partner, mouthing at her to stop it. Suddenly the minuscule guilt in him for executing Alexis' punishment for "insolence" disappeared. She had a true gift for pushing the limit, and then some. Consider it her cheap thrill—testing how far she could resist the CIA's chain of command. Alex sometimes wondered if Alexis was actively trying to court her death.

It was humorous watching her try though, knowing she was too precious of an asset to the CIA and JSOC to really punish. She'd only get a light slap on the wrist for trying—only irritating her further.

"Just kidding, Watcher. You can count on me."

━━━━

28 October 2019, 0530 Rammazan, Urzikstan.

Soldiers or agents, everyone had their pre-mission rituals. The familiarity of routines helped to comfort soldiers who fear they might not return from their voyages.

Every day might be their last.

For Task Force Black, it was a last-minute poker game until somebody won three streaks in a row—freeing themselves from carrying claymores for that mission. Usually, Commander Maddox would win, but observing their games for a prolonged period of time, something told Alexis her commander was playing cheat.

Their games, albeit entertaining, was not her thing. She liked her silence, enjoy the isolation before entering another war—she'd never know how long a mission was. Days, weeks, months.

Her incident changed her, after that, she could never really be alone anymore—feeling the urge to always be surrounded by people. So there she was, sitting on yet another rooftop that oversaw the hospital the Wolf was in, even though it wasn't her shift.

A waft of smoke filled her nostrils unpleasantly, immediately catching her attention. "I can feel you looking," Farah said from her right.

Busted.

"6 minutes." The agent subconsciously mumbled, earning a confused look from the commander.

"She means you're killing 6 minutes off your life." Alex continued after Farah's narrowed eyes, "She used to annoy me with this every time I pick up a stick. Mildly efficient. If you have iron willpower like me...Alexis can be very persuasive." He winced at the reminder of her 'detox' sessions, truly terrifying.

Alexis rolled her eyes.

Their conversation ceased when Farah's walkie-talkie announced Al-Qatala was firing in the hospital. "My soldiers confirm that the hospital is under siege. Al-Qatala is taking civilians as human shields. They're protecting someone."

"Or something."

Farah shrugged, "The more we find out... Hadir is my best sniper. You can rely on him and all my fighters."

"Well... This one is my best sniper. You can rely on her as long as she's well-fed— Ow! See my point?"

"Keep talking... I'll leave you to die."

Taking the opportunity when Hadir and Alexis engaged in small talk, seemingly part of their ruse, Farah successfully sneaked Alex her cigarette. He managed to pass it back before his partner swivelled back.

"Marines want their pound of flesh. They're leading the charge on this."

"I told you we would help you."

"And you're keeping your word."

"I don't do this to keep my word." Farah hesitated, "The invaders of my country have no regard for human life. The gas kills all things. Even food in our gardens. If you use these tactics, you are my enemy."

"No exceptions?"

"None. Al-Qatala has given my people a bad name, and we have paid dearly for their crimes. I want to see the Wolf punished."

The two CIA agents nodded coherently, "We'll make sure you're at the embassy for the handoff to Price."

"And you? Where will you two go when this is over?"

"Wherever they send me," Alex stared into the distance, casually nudging Alexis, "Hopefully this time to somewhere with a view."

Alexis chuckled, rolling up the hems of her jeans, "Urzikstan isn't so bad... you know. After we kill Barkov."

At their sighs, the commander finally understood. "You don't choose?"

"Ha. Not exactly." There was a price to pay to be the best out of the best, spoiler alert, it sucked.

They spilt, each taking different corners to defend until sunrise. Knowing his best friend couldn't be alone, Alex's fingers thoughtlessly slipped between hers and pulled her along.

Hadir called for the female agent, "Want to spot for me?"

Alex's grip tightened significantly. Her blood spiked from being put on the spot. "Um. I don't know... Hadir said he kept my fried rice—" Alex grumbled an insincere apology on her behalf before dragging her away. He hoped she couldn't hear the way his teeth grounded in irritation.

They settled on an isolated corner, away from eager ears. "Okay, I really wanted to eat that–"

"I'm a better eating partner. A better partner, overall, not that I'm trying to compete." He boasted with a wink, "But if I have to, I'll definitely win."

"Ah, the lovely smell of testosterone. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're tiptoeing on jealousy," Alexis mumbled sardonically, the scope on her sniper rifle clicking rhythmically.

"I'm not jealous."

At the realisation, a wry smile appeared on her lips, taking a break to harshly shove Alex's left shoulder. "My goodness, you are jealous! Don't worry, Hadir won't sweep me off my feet, pretty sure he has bigger things to worry about..." Alexis cleared her throat sarcastically, "Like a war?"

"You know me, I hate sharing. Especially my best friend." He shrugged dismissively after flicking her nose, only to be met with a pair of mocking eyes. "Can't you pretend to love me, just once? Come on, Lexi, say it. I'll cover your eyes." He whispered, the best friend part doused her with a bucket of cold water. Undeniably her heart lurched, though it was a simple joke, her stubborn heart had a mind of its own.

The rifle laid in her hands, forgotten. Under the rising sun, her voice was reduced to a whisper. Alexis swallowed a thick gulp, deciding to wave the white flag so she could calm her fiercely pounding heart.

"I don't have to pretend, Alex. You are my best friend. There's nobody else I can physically stand being in a room longer for five minutes."

For a cynical person like Alexis, this was basically a confession.

Alex arched a brow, still waiting.

"Fine. Love you."

Just as the Urzikstan sun finally pierced through the clouds, shining streaks of blood orange on their faces, it charmed a spell in Alex. The man couldn't help but be enamoured at this gorgeous sight.

"Yeah." He replied mindlessly, chewing down his lips while watching Alexis close an eye in concentration through her scope.

"Love you too."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓

alex, deadly c.i.a agent/prev delta force soldier: "tuck me innnnnn. 'kay gr8, now give me a goodnight kiss."

a/n: i gotta admit, i was so sleepy writing the first half i typed "fuck me in?" instead of "tuck" i mean... if u insist 😳

taglist: @flyboidameron

want to be tagged? just let me know!

#call of duty x oc #call of duty x reader #alex modern warfare #echo 3-1 #alex cod #john price #kyle garrick #farah karim #hadir karim #kate laswell #oc: alexis #fanfiction #call of duty #modern warfare #killer instinct #ysr writes: kl #please read tw carefully

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myhockeyworld87 · 4 years

Text

Nervous Regrets - Tyler Seguin - Part 22.5

Word Count: 3422

POV: Tyler

Warnings: Language

Notes: So I decided to do the proposal from Tyler’s point of view, since he went through a lot to ask (Y/N) to be his wife. I tried not to make it too repetitive. Hope you guys like it. Peace, Love and Hugs all!!!

Present day….

As you held (Y/N) in your arms on the dance floor, part of you still couldn’t believe that she’d agreed to be your wife. The last time you were this nervous, was when you’d been in this exact same place only months ago, trying to win her back. Now here she was, your fiancé. Your heart was so full at this moment, it felt like it was going to burst. Looking down at (Y/N), you could see her eyes sparkling with happiness.

You expected her to ask you all kinds of questions about tonight, that’s just who she was; though you didn’t expect them now. “Ty, I can’t believe you did all this for me? Jenna said there are even cameras somewhere around here. How in the world did you do this?”

“Well it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it; you’re worth it.” And though you were teasing her about it not being easy, there were times you’d thought about calling the whole thing off; and just making the proposal simple. “You know, I almost cancelled this whole thing.”

“What? Really?”

“Yep. There were so many times I thought I was just hurting you and I didn’t want to do that.”

“You mean yesterday?”

“Well yeah, but it actually started….”

Sometime in November….

She was crying and it was all your fault, that’s the only thing you could think of, when you found (Y/N) in the baby’s room sobbing after the phone call to her mom. She had no clue that none of her family or yours were going to be coming for Thanksgiving because they would be here about a week later. The only thing you could think of to do, was to gather your hockey buddies who would be home and make new traditions. She seemed totally excited about the idea, and you knew Candace and Cassidy coming would distract her for a little bit.

What she didn’t know, was the reason behind their little jaunt down to Dallas. They were bringing her ring which was finally finished and you couldn’t wait to see it. Luckily you were able to pull Candace aside after the tour of the house. “Do you have it?”

“Of course I have it!” You pulled her further into the bedroom she would be using, and put your finger to your lips to shush her. “Sorry. Yes, I have it and it’s absolutely gorgeous.” She started digging through her purse looking for the box. “Like seriously Ty, I hope some guy gives me something even remotely close to this someday.” She held the box out and your hands shook as you took it from her. When you opened the velvet clad box and saw what the jewelry designer had done, you were speechless. It was everything and more than you ever imagined. “I know takes your breath away doesn’t it? You did good big brother.”

“Thanks. It’s amazing.” The emerald cut five carat diamond, lay nestled in a trapezoid diamond ring mounting. There was a smaller diamond on each side of the emerald cut one, to accentuate the large stone. The band was also encircled in diamonds, while the entire ring was done in a platinum setting. “I hope she likes it.”

“She’d be crazy not to.” It was the answer you were hoping she would give you, even if it insinuated (Y/N) was a bit off her rocker. “So where are you hiding this until the big day?” You thought about this for awhile now, and knew it would be hard to keep it hidden in this house from (Y/N); but you’d finally decided on the perfect place.

The back of the walk-in closet in Candace’s bedroom held some of your spare shoes and their boxes in it, so you decided it was the perfect place to hide the ring. You placed it in the third row, in the third box down, which made it easy for you to remember; but also some place (Y/N) wouldn’t look right away. If she would by chance come in here, she would probably just grab one of the top pairs. “There, perfect. This will be one of the last places she’ll ever look. Now we better get downstairs before she notices we’re missing.”

“Wait.” Stopping in your tracks, you turned around to see what else your sister had to say. “So, like on the way home Cass totally lied to (Y/N).” You gave her a quizzical look. “Well, she was wondering why we weren’t coming for Thanksgiving and well at first she blurted out that we were Canadian.”

“Oh my god, you’re kidding me? Why would she say something so stupid?”

“Well she did cover that up, by saying I’m dating some guy; that you basically wouldn’t approve of. So if she says something to you; it’s not true.”

“You sure about that?” You couldn’t miss an opportunity to tease your sister about a boyfriend.

“Yes I’m sure, you ass!” She swatted at your shoulder.

“Ouch!” You rubbed your shoulder even though it didn’t hurt. “Alright, I’ll play along. Now let’s get going.”

By the time you got downstairs, (Y/N) and Cass were in deep conversation about the Bachelor or some such nonsense. Eventually you were able to butt in and tell her about your fake gala. When she asked you to skip it, you thought you were going to die. Luckily you had back-up in the form of your sisters; who offered to take her shopping, on your dollar of course. Though if it got (Y/N) to go, you had no problem footing the bill.

The rest of the time with your sisters flew by and soon you were headed off on another road trip. Thankfully Candace and Cassidy stayed a few extra days with (Y/N). You were extremely grateful that they did, knowing that (Y/N) was having a hard time with Thanksgiving coming up. The holiday itself ended up being a huge success, as about twenty or so of your teammates gathered at your house for the feast. (Y/N) was in her glory, cooking and hosting everyone; and you could really tell how much she enjoyed being surrounded by your hockey family.

However, the joy was short-lived as you had to head out of town again for several days. Luckily, when you got back (Y/N) still hadn’t found the ring and was still blessedly unaware of any of the plans you had for her. Enlisting the help of two of your teammates significant others, you planned for (Y/N) to spend most of the day at the spa getting ready, though there were things that you needed to have done before the actual day of the proposal. The idea was to meet (Y/N)’s best friend Jenna and a few others, as well as the event planner, to make sure everything was perfect in the ballroom. You wanted to run through everything one time before the big day; after all, just like hockey, practice makes perfect. Which is how (Y/N) found you in the guest closet. You’d just put the ring in your pocket and were placing the shoe boxes back when she came in.

Thankfully she thought you were trying to peek at her dress, which she’d kept hidden from you. When she suggested that she run errands with you, you’d just about died. There was no way you could take her with you and get everything that you needed done. Why you’d insist that she stay with the dogs, was beyond you; you’d chalk it up to your brain being fried from planning this proposal and keeping everything from (Y/N). It would’ve been easier to say that you had practice or needed to watch films, she would’ve easily accepted any of those excuses. Instead she stormed out of the room, obviously upset, and you had no idea what to do. So you left.

By the time you arrived in the ballroom, you were already fifteen minutes late and Jenna was on the phone. “Sorry I’m late.” She shushed you quickly, so you assumed (Y/N) was on the other end. Ugh! It must be bad if she was calling Jenna about you. You couldn’t have her hating you, the day before you were going to propose. Hopefully Jenna would be able to help you make things right with her.

“Jesus Seguin, have you been hit one too many times in the head or what?”

“Is it that bad?”

“Fuck yeah it’s that bad. She thinks you’re cheating again.” Your heart literally sank into your stomach and you felt like you were going to throw up its contents.

“You can’t be fucking serious.” All you could think of was that all these plans were going down the drain, because if she truly believed you were cheating on her, she’d never say yes to marrying you.

“She said you’ve been acting weird lately and that’s all that she can come up with.” Before you could say anything, Jenna continued. “Remember, she’s pregnant and hormonal, so of course she’s going to jump to conclusions; but I covered for your ass.”

“Really?” So there was some hope in salvaging all this.

“Of course, I couldn’t let her think that you’re cheating on her when you’re doing all of this.” The ballroom you were standing in was coming to life. Flowers everywhere, shimmering lights, glowing off of beautifully decorated centerpiece. The room all done in white and silver, as the only details of the dress your sisters gave you was the color. You turned your attention back to Jenna. “I convinced her, that you were just doing something special for tomorrow night, like getting a limo or something to that effect.”

“A limo?”

“Hey! You’re lucky I came up with anything at all.” This was true. “She actually didn’t think you’d be renting a limousine either. So I told her it was probably something more extravagant.” She just shrugged at you, as if to say what else could I do.

“Ok, so what do you suggest?”

“I can’t do everything Seggy.”

Which was also true. You should be able to come up with something on short notice. “What about jewelry? Earrings or a bracelet.” There was a jeweler close by that you’d used in the past. They usually had beautiful pieces on hand that wouldn’t have to be specially made.

“Jewelry’s good. Nothing says ‘I’m sorry, I’m a fucking ass’ like diamonds.”

“The fucking ass part was a bit much.” Again she shrugged and cocked her head at you. “Alright maybe not, but I am making up for it all with this.” You gestured to the room with your hand.

“Fair enough, but don’t mess up again; or I may have to punch you into next week.” You both laughed, however you knew in the back of your mind, that Jenna would follow through with her threats.

“I promise, you’re never going to have to do that. Now let’s get to work on this place, because apparently I have to make a stop at a jewelry store.”

You had wanted all of your friends and family to hear the words you spoke to (Y/N) when you asked her to marry you. So you and the event planner had worked a way to stream a live feed to the room adjacent where everyone would be hidden. She even had multiple cameras hidden all over the room, and a videographer who would be switching between so everyone would be able to see her reaction. A hidden microphone was placed high above in a chandelier directly in the center of the dance floor, which would pick up every word the both of you said. With one last run through of the whole thing, you said goodbye to (Y/N)’s friends and headed out to the jewelers.

On the way there you decided to call Candace for advice, as to what would look good with her dress. “I’m not going to give you all the details…”

“Really? I’m struggling here can you not help your big brother out?”

“If you’d let me finish.” You kept your mouth shut. “but…it has a low plunging neckline, so I’d go with some sort of necklace.”

“Perfect. Necklace it is.” Pulling into the parking lot of the jewelry store, you added. “Thanks Candace. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Good luck brother.”

The jeweler greeted you as soon as you walked in the door, and you explained what you wanted in short order. He took you over to a case which contained several pieces, but only one stood out to you. The necklace contained three stones, two smaller ones and one larger pear-shaped diamond at the bottom. It was the combination of the three stones that drew you. Of course, most people looked at them as, the past, the present and the future; which could totally be true in this case. But when you looked at it, you only saw that each smaller stone represented you and (Y/N); only leading to a larger one that represented not only the love that you shared, but the culmination of that love which was your child.

“I’ll take it.” It didn’t matter what the cost was, you knew then and there that your future wife needed to have this when you proposed to her. You could already picture (Y/N) wearing it on your wedding day, and then a thought struck you. It was picture almost clear as day, your daughter wearing it on hers, it would become a family tradition. Of course you still didn’t know if you were having a boy or a girl, but you were sure at some point you’d have a daughter and she too would wear this. They wrapped it in a black velvet box, then placed it in a gift bag for you. Now all that was left to do was give it to (Y/N).

It was later than you anticipated when you walked through the door of your house, but what surprised you more, was that you couldn’t find (Y/N). She wasn’t in the office or the kitchen, which is where you’d assumed, you’d find her. Instead, she lay sleeping on your bed, surrounded by her ever-faithful protectors, your dogs. She lay there so peacefully, yet you could see the tears that stained her face. It tore at your heart, and though part of you hated to wake her, there wasn’t much time for an apology, given you’d be leaving for the game soon.

Fortunately for you, (Y/N) forgave you and totally thought that you bought the necklace for her to go to the gala. Though you didn’t get to tell her it’s significance until later that night, as you were too busy worshiping her body with only the necklace on her. It wasn’t until later that night as you were lying in bed, after making her put the necklace back on; that you were able to tell her why the necklace was so special to you.

Pointing to the first stone, closest to the chain, you started to tell her. “This one right here, that’s me.”

She smirked at you before saying, “I thought you’d be the largest one.”

“Haha…you’re so funny.” You poked at her ribs, causing her to giggle. When her laughter finally subsided, you continued. “The one in the middle, that’s you; and the last and biggest stone is our love, this one right here.” You placed your hand on the baby, softly caressing her skin, then moved your lips close so you were talking to your child. “See little one, you get the largest stone, because mommy and daddy’s love is so great, it made you.” Gently, you placed a soft kiss on (Y/N)’s stomach, then looked up at your soon to be fiancé. There were tears in her eyes, but you knew they were happy ones.

“I’m the worst girlfriend ever.”

“No you’re not baby.” You moved so you could gather her in your arms.

“But I totally ruined your surprise. I swear I’ll never doubt you again, Ty.”

“Babe, you didn’t ruin anything.” Which was completely true. Buying this necklace had been an added bonus, that you didn’t know you both needed. “Though I won’t lie, I love knowing that I’m earning your trust again.” “Oh Ty, I do trust you. I think this pregnancy is making me a little crazy, but I love you so much; and I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. I’m so sorry for thinking that. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to forgive.” To empathize the point, you kissed her with all the love you had in your heart. Which soon lead to other things.

When the alarm went off in the morning, your heart was racing for what was to come today. (Y/N) had plans with a couple of the wags today, which left you free to put all the last-minute finishing touches on everything. There wasn’t a lot to do, but it gave you time to meet up with some of your family and friends before everything. As the day continued on, you felt your nerves picking up. It wasn’t that you were nervous about proposing, in fact, it was the exact opposite; you were excited for it. The only thing that bothered you, was the slight chance that (Y/N) could say no. Of course, you knew she loved you; it was just every time you’d brought up the topic of marriage, she’d always claimed it was too soon.

“Stop worrying. She’ll say yes.” It was your mom’s voice that broke through your thoughts. She knew you all to well.

“I sure hope so mom, cause I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t.”

“Tyler honey, she loves you so much. Anyone can see that. She’s just been scared, and rightly so.” She patted you on the shoulder. “But lately, you can see…she wants this as much as you do. She wants you guys to be a family.”

“I hope you’re right mom.”

She wrapped you in a tight embrace. “She’ll say yes honey; trust your mom on this.” A sigh of relief escaped you, as her words sunk in. Squeezing your mom one last time, you headed back home with one thought on your mind; the next time you saw your family and friends you’d hopefully be an engaged man. That thought made you smile the whole way home.

When you saw (Y/N) walking down the stairs of your home, she literally left you speechless. You knew she’d be gorgeous no matter what she wore; you just hadn’t expected her to look so…well, stunning, but then that wasn’t the right word either. The sparkle of the gown cast a magical glow about her, while her smile captivated you with it’s radiance. She looked truly enchanting, and not that you hadn’t known this before; but you realized in that moment how lucky you were to have her in your life. Hopefully that luck would carry you through tonight, and you would be calling her yours forever.

You knew the moment she went to call Andrea and Alandra, the fake gala plan had worked. She was still clueless about your proposing. Holding her in your arms as you moved about the dance floor was almost surreal; yet it calmed nerves. This would be the last dance you would have as just two people, the next time you held her like this you would be on a path to becoming one.

You weren’t sure if you’d said everything you wanted to say to her, or if you fumbled getting all the words out, but what you were one hundred percent sure of, was that (Y/N) said yes. And now she was here in your arms dancing again, just like you were moments before only this time she was your fiancé; and now she knew everything that had gone on up until this moment.

“So now you know, how we pulled it all off.” There were tears in her eyes, and you reached out and brushed them away. “There’s one more thing you need to know though.” “Oh Ty, I can’t think of anything else you could tell me. You went above and beyond anything I could’ve ever dreamed of.”

“What if I told you, I’d do it all over again, even the part where you thought I’d cheated on you.” She smiled through her tears at you, and you wiped them away again. “And you know why I would? Because the love we share is worth everything.”

#tyler seguin #tyler seguin imagine #tyler seguin imagines #nervous regrets #dallas stars #dallas stars imagine #dallas stars imagines #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction

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marvel-ousnesss · 4 years

Text

The pirate and the witch (part three)

Part one

Part two

masterlist

Part four

Word count: 3082

Pairing: Harry Hook x daughter of narcissi!reader

Summary: Y/N, an orphan vk who was taken to auradon at a young age, returns to her old home by request of the crown prince. However, things tend to go south at the Isle of the Lost.

Warning: Mild cursing, parental abuse

A:/N: Here's part three! Sorry it took me so long to write this, I’ve been running some college-related errands. Anyway… remember you just need to ask if you wanna be tagged and comments are always welcome. Alsooo, I wrote this on my phone so it may have a few typos and other mistakes.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE DISNEY DESCENDANTS CHARACTERS NOR THE SANDERSON SISTERS. All credit goes to the creators, writers, and producers. Same with the HP charms, credit goes to J.K Rowling.

...

— Did you really have to hit her with the bat?

— What would’ve you done, dipshit?

Two kidnappings in two days, that must really be a record. However, just FYI, the second one was kind of on purpose.

…

On my way to the hideout, the night replays inside my head as I glance around.

Even if I did cast a quiet protection charm on myself, I'm only shielded from weapons or magical harm; because I haven’t managed the appropriate technique yet. ‘Right, right, left and down the alley’ I repeat the route to my place like a mantra, terrified by the thought of getting lost in the middle of the night.

Already approaching my destination, I have come to notice that I’m being chased by the same two bandits I saw both at the market and back at the Lost Revenge. Carlos and Jay were trying to sneak up on me , but were betrayed by a subtle movement in the shadows present in the corner of my vision.

What they’re trying to do is predictable, to be honest; either they want to get to the pirates by kidnapping me (which would be useless) or they want information, to be sure I pose no threat.

Having this in mind, I wouldn’t be able to approach them in half-friendly circumstances. So, out of intuition, I let them get me. What’s the worst that could happen.

…

— Would you guys shut it already? — hisses Mal, — she’s waking up.

I try to speak but no sound comes out, that’s when I become aware of the burning sensation in my throat. Similarly, I try to move, but groan when I encounter ropes that are tightly fixed around my wrists and ankles.

My first instinct is to try and use magic, but I remind myself of what I’m here for. Ben’s words invade my mind, “figure out which of them are worse, and report.”

Carlos notices my confused gaze skipping through what seems to be a ….. shop, so he explains, — Look, it’s nothing against you or anything, just against the pirates.

— You don’t have to explain things to her, you dickhead— Jay rolls his eyes and smacks the younger boy on the back of his head.

— Wrong person, bud, I’m not important to them.

It’s not hard to see, you know, — Evie fidgets with her necklace, — They don’t invite random nobodies to their parties, so you must be someone.

—I just saved myself yesterday and Hook happened to be lucky.

— Yeah right, — The fay’s eyes roll to the back of her head. — Look, this doesn’t have to be as painful as I’d like it to, but it’s up to you: either you comply and we get over with it, or you don’t and we stay here as long as needed.

—Okay, don’t believe me if you don’t want to, just saying.

Minutes go by and the four friends seem to be slowly losing their patience. I keep rambling and circling their way questions so, following Mal’s orders, they cover my mouth and continue with their own bickering.

—We can’t just throw her to the hyenas, she wouldn’t be useful! — Carlos paces across the room, with his hands gesticulating wildly.

— Well, she says that she’s not important to them, so what use would she have anyway? — sighs Mal, seemingly more interested on the crisped polish on her nails.

Carlos is about to reply, but Jay cuts him off before a word is emitted. — Guys, whatever we do, it has to be now, dad will come back soon. We need to leave.

—Shit. Okay, let’s put her inside the storage closet.

Okay, maybe this was a pretty dumb idea.

…..

Time becomes blurry as I fall in and out of sleep inside the closet of the empty store, they must’ve given me sleeping herbs. The only thing I hear is the steady rhythm of my own breathing, until two pairs of feet storm through the front doors.

One of the voices, I recognize it to be Jay’s; but the other one seems to be of someone older and louder, Jafar.

— You had one thing to do, you filthy, insignificant riff raff. — The rage that’s laced to the villain’s words makes a chill run down my spine. — You’d be of better use rotting in the sewer where you came from, can’t even steal candy from a two year old.

I gulp when the sound of wood hitting skin bounces all the way from the entrance to my current spot.

— Not so intimidating now, street rat?— he avows. — Aren’t you gonna defend yourself?

With my eyes shut and my fists tightened, I visualize the ropes getting looser. They give up, so I mutter “alohomora” in order to open the door.

As I contemplate the scene, a gasp escapes my lips.

The boy is on the floor, curled in a fetal position; trying to avoid major strikes of the wooden cane that has no mercy on him. The coldness in his father’s stare and the cruelty and force of every hit emit a dark energy that floods my senses, making my blood boil.

I charge toward the former visir, pushing him aside. Jafar falls, shattering one of the shelves. He is immediately buried in a pile of stolen antiques and other goods.

Jay’s eyes project an almost unperceivable light of hope when he meets my eye, yet he doesn’t move. I place myself between him and his father while Jafar is still recovering his stance.

When he’s about to hit again, I hesitantly mutter, — Petrificus totalus, — as I look away from him and shield myself with my left hand.

To my surprise, Jafar’s legs tremble before failing him and, disturbingly still, he falls down face first. Considering that the situation is now safer, Carlos decides to walk inside the shop, confessing that he saw everything and apologizing for not doing anything.

He proceeds to help Jay stand up, and quietly thanks me, but the thief still doesn’t look at me. His breath is uneven, and his legs are shaking slightly.

— So, you have magic, — states Carlos, as Jay finds himself quizzically looking at me with his bloodshot eyes.

—Yup.

An awkward silence takes over the room and all of us seem to be completely taken aback by the adrenaline of the situation fading away.

— Thank you, — Jay takes off his beanie and fixes his sweaty hair into a messy bun.

— What was that about?

I feel like I’m intruding, but if I don’t ask about their situations, my ‘let’s get kidnapped’ stunt would be to no avail.

He sighs, debating whether telling me or not, but settles with shrugging, — he’s just angry.—

I cannot help but let my face contour into a horrified and pained expression, to which Carlos responds with inquiring, — I mean, it happens often around here, haven’t you been hit by your parents?

I shake my head, — My mom died years ago.

— Lucky you, — Jay voices. He’s now evidently weakened, with more than evident bruises and paler skin; not to mention that he’s still shaking slightly.

— Are all your parents really that bad?

It is Carlos who responds, — Well, you already saw Jay’s. — He shrugs, — Evie’s mother is just plain crazy, Mal’s is the most feared villain of the isle; and, as for me, my mom just treats me like a servant or something. It’s not that bad, really, at least I don’t have to deal with any dogs.

— Are you afraid of dogs?— I quirk a brow at him, but my question is ignored by the two guys.

— What the hell do you mean with ‘not that bad’, Carlos?, — Jay looks at Carlos when he asks the rhetorical question, then he faces me. — She gives him fucking ridiculous chores, and would totally get rid of him in exchange of more furs! I mean, touch up her roots, fluff up her fur, and scrape the bunions from her feet; what the hell does bunion even mean? — Even in his weakened state, Jay jumps to his friend’s defense in the moment he saw that Carlos wasn’t standing up for himself.

The younger boy cringes, but manages to let out a chuckle, — you don’t wanna know, trust me.

— We should probably get out of here, the effects of my curse will wear off soon.

— Speaking of, how come you can practice magic here, — questions Jay.

As we walk outside the shop, I try to come up with something but, without knowing, Carlos comes to my rescue.

— Remember the hole I made? Some magic manages to sneak in, you just need to be strong enough to channel it.

Mental note, there’s a freaking hole in the Isle’s dome. That would explain the Sanderson’s magic, but how come Maleficent or Ursula remain powerless?

The conversation seems to be dying down, which would take me to a complete failure, so I press on the topic.

— So it was you! — i gasp. — how did you even do it?

His eyes shine with passion as he explains with impressive detail the way I which he used a broken laptop, an engine, and some wire to weaken the magic dome just enough to create a personal backdoor to the Auradon network.

— That’s really awesome, Carlos.

He seems taken aback, — not really, it wasn’t that hard.

Jay glares at him, silently scolding him for not recognizing his talent.

So, Carlos settles on claiming, — I mean, it is pretty cool.

We continue walking down a street which I don’t recognize, with the deemed (and damaged) streetlights being the only source of light.

The sound of my combat boots kicking a can brings the boys’ attention to me, — So, you didn’t answer my question: what’s up with you and dogs?

Carlos seems defensive when he answers; his shoulders tense up and he struggles to utter the words. — I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with them. They’re horrible, man-eating creatures.

I wonder where he got that from.

— Or, at least, that’s according to my mother. — Carlos checks his watch and immediately tenses up (even more). — Shit! Sorry guys, I have to go, mom’s sculpture collection , er, I, I have to be done by ten, and I haven’t even started!

…

After we said goodbye to Carlos, Jay and I went back to the shop, just to check if Jafar was still there. The thief refused to face his father after their previous encounter, so I went in, made him forget my little stunt, and went back out. In a comfortable silence, we abandon the shop once again, and this time I figure we are heading toward the center of the isle, where the vks’ hideout is located.

— So, how’d you manage to escape the wicked, soul-eating witches? — Jay walks in long strides, which means I almost have to double my normal pace in order to keep up with him. If I remember correctly, we’re almost four blocks away from our final destination.

— You followed me all throughout yesterday?

He shrugs, — Mal’s orders.

— Don’t the Isle’s most powerful have better things to do? Candy to steal, kittens to kick… I mean, the usual. — We both chuckle, — but, just in case, I mean no harm, really.

He scratches the back of his neck and turns right, the building is right in front of us.

— How do I know this isn’t a trap? — I cross my arms and quirk a brow.

— Seriously? You just defeated one of the most feared villains here and freed yourself from us. Even if I wanted to, you’d probably kick my ass with your hocus Pocus shit. — when making the last statement, his eyes widen and his gesticulations become more dramatic.

— Fine, — I roll my eyes, then smirk. — And, you know? Thanks for admitting I’d totally kick your ass. It’s nice to agree on something.

We go up the stairs and arrive at what seems to be their version of a dorm. There are four decent beds and the walls are covered in graffiti of their faces and signature colors. They also have a few bags of what seems to be food, and a phone that, I assume, only connects them with nearby places.

— So, if this isn’t a trap, why are we here? — I didn’t ask him anything on our way here, but my curiosity is beginning to get the best of me.

— I just needed to make sure we didn’t have eyes or ears on us.

I cross my arms to prevent myself from fidgeting, — okay, now you’re beginning to scare me.

He lets out a breath and throws himself on a bag of clothes that serves the purpose of a puff.

— I’m not stupid, — he states. — You’re not from the isle, now spill.

Shit, now this is bad.

— What d’ you mean? —

— Magic, manners, compliments, and, on top, spontaneously helping your kidnappers? — Jay shrugs. — Not from around here.

— Of course I am, — much to my distress, my voice comes out higher than normal. — I just don’t leave home very often.

— As I said, — his hands fly behind his head, — I’m not that dumb.

— Okay, so, even if what you’re saying is true, why would I admit it? — I quirk a brow and lift my chin up, trying to keep my cool.

—You wouldn’t have to. Your nose gave you away.

— What do you mean ‘my nose’?

— It wrinkles when you lie. Both when you said Carlos was the one who gave you magic and just now.

— No, it doesn't — again, my words are emitted in a high pitched voice.

I glare at the thief, who seems to find me amusing.

— Also, your voice gets higher, — he scoffs, giving me a closed lip smile.

Now that he knows, everything we’ve gotten for Ben’s plan is on the line. I only see one suitable way of protecting our project, trusting Jay or, as Chad would put it, ‘making a deal with a fucking villain’.

— Fine, I do come from outside the Isle. — I raise my hands in defeat. — Just, please, don’t tell anyone.

— What’s in it for me?

— Consider us even. I just saved you, after all; despite the fact that you and your friends fucking kidnapped me. — I keep my eyes on his; according to my dad, that’s a diplomatic way of pressuring your counterpart.

— Fine,— he crosses his arms. — But I get to hear the whole explanation.

I sigh, — not here.

…

I lay on my bed, playing on the tablet I brought with me, while Jay devours a sandwich that was supposed to be my dinner. The sunlight that reaches the Isle has already began to coat the room through the window, making me aware of the fact that my time here is about to end; I’m leaving this evening.

— Okay, I already told you my story, time for you to tell me yours.

— what do you wanna know, — his words come out between bites of food.

I scratch my chin, pretending to think; but I know where to begin.

— How did the trouble with Uma’s crew first begin?

He stops eating and looks directly at me; then he sighs, taking his time to begin.

— Long story short, there has always been a power struggle around here. When it comes to us villains, there's no 'fair' or - I don't know- ‘morally correct’ way to gain power—.

— So you just fight for it, — I deduce.

— Yeah, and not just for the power, y'know, for the validation that comes with it. Anyway, stopping the deep shit, Uma's crew has always been in our way and, there has always been something going on between her and Mal; things just tend to get fucked up when they face each other. — Speaking and munching on the remaining bits of food, he makes the sandwich disappear in the blink of an eye.

The riot between Mal and Uma is crucial for me to keep in mind for Ben's plan to work. It would be a recipe for disaster to have both Uma and Mal come to Auradon, and the same would happen with their respective circles.

The only sound left is the quiet humming of my virtual Trophy game. So, out of curiosity, Jay stands up from his spot on the desk and takes a look at the content on my screen. Then, quirking a brow, he begins to ask about it.

—It's like a computer, but without a keyboard. — I try to explain, but his confused expression doesn't even begin to fade.

I sigh, looking for the right way to clarify things. — It's an electronic device for storing and processing information, you can use it to see pictures, play games or access the internet.

— It's like the one Carlos used to hack the dome, — he inquires. — but that one is way smaller, and why doesn't it have the buttons with the letters on them.

— Exactly, — I smile at him. — A computer, but with no keyboard; well, the letters appear on the screen when I need to type.

— And what are you doing with it?

— Playing tourney, it’s a sport.

— Like dueling, right?

— A bit less violent, but yes. — To be fair, I thought the vk would be less intrigued about Auradon and other aspects of our life there, but the explanation about tourney leads to a conversation that would have lasted the whole day if only a certain rock hadn’t hit the small window beside my desk.

Tags: @criticizing-blogger @aspitefullittlebeing @treestarrrrrrrr

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evil-overlord-scriptology · 4 years

Text

But I Don’t Want to be a Sensei! Pt 4 (ARCHIVED)

Chapters 14 & 15

Chapter 14: Round 2 with Peach-boy

I nudged Naruto's side with the toe of my sandal. He didn't even twitch. Squatting down I poked the brat's cheek with a rigid finger, “Hey, dumbass...” I said loudly, knowing that a knucklehead like Naruto would react if I called him names. He still didn't move. “Obito Mini-me. Brat. Idiot. Dumb blonde. Dead last. Coward.” When the brat didn't react at all I stood back up with a sigh and turned to the others standing in the doorway.

“Well either he's dead or out like a light post.” I told them, scratching the back of my head. Hinata gasped a little, her hands going to her mouth as she no doubt thought that her precious 'Naruto-kun' was dead.

Tsunami looked as equally worried as the little Hyuuga heiress, “You don't think he overdid it in training, do you? He was looking pretty exhausted last night.

“Hn. He was passed out in the forest yesterday morning.” Sasuke commented thoughtfully.

I groaned and hung my head, I really didn't need this at the moment, “Fine, Sasuke will be on guard duty today and Hinata will train.” I said defeated. I hated it when people screwed up my schedule! “Hinata you know the rules. If anyone suspicious shows up, head for the bridge and warn everyone.”

“H-Hai.”

Sasuke frowned, “But that was the rotation yesterday.” I glared at him. Like I didn't know that already, idiot.

“Hinata still needs to train in her stealth and since Naruto is stealing your rest day, you can take his spot on guard duty. Don't complain, Duckass, true shinobi don't protest orders.” Like I predicted, Sasuke snapped his jaw shut and didn't make another sound.

Really, it was insulting how predictable that kid was.

“Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll go with you that way you can relax at the bridge.” Everyone but Inari gave me strange looks. I returned their gaze with an unamused look, “Stop staring like calves at a new gate. I'm bored.” I snapped, perhaps just a little too defensively. By Sasuke's sudden smug look I was guessing he knew why I really was going.

I was worried about the brat.

With good reason though. There was no such thing as a jounin who didn't have a sixth sense for danger; and I felt more jittery than when Obito accidentally released those rabid squirrels in the house.

I mentally shuddered at the memory.

I moved past the miniature crowd and lead them outside. Turning to Tsunami I began issuing orders, “When Naruto wakes up, just tell him to practice his taijutsu; you also have permission to send him on any errands you have. Hinata, I want you to try and sneak up on as many woodland creatures as you can. If you catch five animals in a row then join Sasuke and I on the bridge. Duckass, Grandpa Dunk, let's go.” I turned on my heel and immediately started for the bridge without waiting for the two idiot males catch up to me.

“Geez, for a woman you walk pretty fast.” Tazuna panted when he and my cousin finally caught up. It was really pathetic that we were almost to the bridge by that point.

I gave the old drunk an unimpressed look, “Not all women are geishas or civilians who don't have anywhere important to be. The success of a mission could rely on fast feet, I could possibly save a life that would otherwise be lost if I arrive quicker than my enemies anticipate.”

Tazuna pulled a face, “Hey kid, are all shinobi like this one or is it just her?” He asked Sasuke.

Sasuke just shrugged and didn't comment. He practically had to jog to keep up with us adults; I couldn't tell if he wasn't answering because he didn't want to or because he was too focused on not falling behind. I was guessing it was a little bit of both.

“Tazuna, how long do you have before the bridge is finished?” I asked the old man. Now wasn't the time for fun and games. That sense of dread I had been feeling all morning was getting worse the closer we got to the bridge.

Grandpa Drunk shrugged, “Depends. If I have a full roster of workers, it should only be a few weeks. But with Gatou controlling everything and scaring the people, I keep losing my workers. Just yesterday I had one of my foremen quiet! I don't even have half of a roster now, it could take months with the amount of workers I got.”

Grimacing, I halted at the entrance to the bridge, “That's what I feared.” I muttered.

Tazuna gaped at his unconscious employees littering the bridge. I could tell by their chakra levels that the men were still alive, but only just. “What tha-?!” Tazuna exclaimed, his face twitching in horror. I glanced at him then at Sasuke. Sasuke looked back at me, his eyes gleaming with an odd shine of excitement. He was ready.

A sudden mist blew in from the ocean. I snarled in frustration and stepped in front of Tazuna, “Stay behind me.” I said sharply. Tazuna didn't say anything, but he didn't move.

That stupid creepy chuckle drifted out from the fog, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Uchiha. I see you still got that brat with you, but what happened with the other two? Did they run off?” I heard a slight clicking behind me, but didn't glance towards my cousin. I knew he wasn't doing something stupid. Of all my genin I trusted Sasuke the most in a fight, even if he had bouts of cowardice when I least expected it.

Peaches chuckled again, “Oh look, he's shaking again. Pathetic.” The nuke-nin laughed mockingly.

There was a small intake of air from Sasuke and I felt Zabuza's chakra spike as water clones surrounded the three of us. I tensed and palmed a kunai, ready to throw it at the clone's head that was in front of me if he so much as blinked in a way I didn't like.

Sasuke scoffed, “I'm trembling with... excitement.”

The Zabuza water clones seemed surprised at the admission and I only rolled my eyes. Why couldn't the need for dramatics skip Sasuke? It skipped Itachi and me, why not one more generation?! I had enough drama from Naruto, I didn't need Sasuke filling in for that little brat too.

Speaking of brats...

I glanced at my cousin out of the corner of my eye, “Play nice.” I said teasingly. That was all the permission Sasuke needed. He twirled the kunai in his hand around a finger so that the blade was pointing at the clone in front of him. With a delightful smirk that reminded me a little too much of Obito's sadistic grin, my baby cousin pounced at the water clones.

While Peach-boy's clones were busy trying to defeat an Uchiha brat, I ran through the signs for a summoning and slammed my hand to the bridge's surface, “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” I heard Zabuza growl angrily as a swarm of normal sized hawks flew up from the seal, spiraling into a twister of feathers and harsh cries that surrounded me like a moving wall. I held up my right arm and one of the hawks detached itself from it's flock. “Fly to Hyuuga Hinata and inform her to come as back up.” The hawk dipped its head at my command and took off to the sky, flying out of sight before turning in the direction of Hinata. No need to tell our enemies where an ally was after all. The rest of the hawks dispersed among the cables of the bridge, their sharp yellow eyes watching.

While I was busy with my summonings, Sasuke finished up his little spar with the water clones. He looked about as cocky as a true Uchiha when he returned to his spot beside me. I mentally whimpered and hoped that I didn't get an arrogant little brat who thought he was God's gift to man. If so, I was going to beat that out of him and suffer Itachi's wrath with a smile on my face.

“Ooooo, the brat's improving.” Peach-boy said from my right. All three of us turned to see the man with horrible fashion sense giving us a leer. At least I thought it was a leer, it was kind of hard to tell when the lower half of his face was bandaged up. His ally stood beside him, still wearing that false hunter-nin mask. “Looks like you've got competition... Haku.” Zabuza continued.

“So it seems.” The boy, Haku, murmured quietly.

Trolling time.

“Oi oi. Peachy's ally, or whatever the hell your name is, are you a boy or a girl? Because honestly, you're a very androgynous individual.” I asked, intentionally playing the ignorant idiot. Tazuna and Sasuke were giving me looks that could only be described as 'way to ruin the suspense, dummy'.

Haku and Zabuza exchanged looks and I took my chance to continue, “You know what? It doesn't matter anyway, I think I'll just call you Zabuza's Bitch.” I said with a smirk. Both nuke-nins snapped their heads around to glare at me–well I assume Haku glared, it was hard to tell with the mask–while I cackled in delight of pissing my enemy off.

“Take care of the brat. I'll take the bitch.” Zabuza growled.

Haku turned his gaze on Sasuke, “Right.” The kid murmured again. Then he moved. Startled I opened my mouth to shout a warning to Sasuke, but Zabuza was on me before I could utter a single syllable.

I back flipped away from Tazuna, distancing myself from the client and the man trying to kill him. At the moment Zabuza seemed pretty focused on me, so I didn't have to worry. I smirked as I kicked Kubikiribōchō away from me. “Don't tell me I struck a nerve.” I cooed as I deflected another swing with my kunai. Zabuza snarled like an angry animal and charged at me again. I snorted and ducked under his swing. If I had know pissing Peaches off would make him attack like a predictable wild animal, I would have done it a long time ago.

Kicking off the ground, I gave myself enough time to spare a glance at Sasuke. My eyes widened as I saw Haku performing hand signs with only one hand. That wasn't something you saw everyday. I wonder if the sharingan could somehow pick it up.

Before I could activate my sharingan to see if I could, Zabuza attacked again, “You're opponent is me! Let's leave the kids to their game.”

I shot Zabuza a nasty glare, “Oh, go drown in your own water ninjutsu! I didn't come all this way with a bunch of brats and a drunk old man to hear you blowing steam, ya old windbag.” I snapped, getting irritated. I knew Zabuza wasn't taking this fight seriously. He was just trying to keep me from Sasuke and Haku's fight.

Peachy paused, “A bunch of brats, eh?” He quoted, sounding oddly interested. “So you don't think that those genin are worth anything either.”

“Oh I think they're worth a lot of things, I just like calling them brats. They're my brats and I'm the only one allowed to call them that and get away with it.” I snapped back and flung my kunai at Peachy-boy's head to emphasize my point. He easily ducked under the kunai and charged at me, his sword back and ready for a strong strike to my legs. I leaped into the air over his blade and put my hands down on Zabuza's back, flipping over him to land between him and the kids.

I smirked, “Ya know, some people would think you were compensating for something with that big blade of yours.” I commented sweetly.

“You're letting that big mouth get away again, Uchiha.” Peachy growled.

I shrugged, “Well at least I'm not trying to prank you as well as fight you like my brother does. That's just annoying.” I said coolly. From the look in Zabuza's eyes, he thought my inappropriate remarks were a hell of a lot more annoying.

“Argh!” Both of us whipped around to see Sasuke kicking Haku away.

Sasuke stood in his spot, smirking, “Seems you're not as fast as you think you are.” He said, idly spinning his kunai around his index finger. Cocky little git, I was definitely beating that arrogance out of his system.

Zabuza glared at his ally, “Haku. Stop messing around and letting a brat beat you, get on with it!” He ordered.

The masked boy stood back up easily, “Yes.” He responded in an almost robotic voice.

Frowning I turned my back on Zabuza to watch what the masked brat was doing. Icy blue strands of chakra haloed Haku and he bowed his head, “I'm sorry it's come to this.” The boy said softly and made a strange sign. The temperature dropped drastically and I uttered a curse under my breath as I automatically regulated my chakra to keep myself warm. Of course our newest enemy would have some kind of tie to cold weather. It wouldn't be hell if he didn't.

Stupid karma demons and their stupid agenda against me.

The water around Sasuke and Haku suddenly leaped up into the air to form flat frozen surfaces. Haku stepped into the mirrors, senbon needles in his hands. Meanwhile I gaped in surprise, it was not cold enough to form ice like that. Even the most powerful shinobi with water nature had a hard time creating ice even in temperatures where it was easy to form. That only meant one thing.

Kekke Genkai.

Peaches chuckled behind me, “Seems you figured it out.”

Growling I ran for the ice mirrors, but Peach-boy flash stepped in front of me. “If you're going to fight, you will fight me.” He snapped.

I glared at him. “Bastard.” I spat out.

The peachy nuke-nin chuckled creepily, “Oh? Out of your witty comments? I'm crushed.” I could practically taste the sarcasm in the air.

“You have three seconds to step aside before I really crush you.”

“How cute. You think you can defeat me. You weren't able to before, what makes you think you can now that we're surrounded by even more water than before?” My eyes widened a fraction and I flung my kunai at the water clone that I thought was Zabuza and leaping away before the real Zabuza could cut me down. He didn't look all that happy when he turned to face me. He scoffed when he saw my sharingan, “That again? Are all the Uchiha so weak that they rely on that silly Kekke Genkai of theirs? How pathetic.”

Sasuke yelped and I looked over Peaches shoulder to see Haku raining senbon down on my cousin like a vengeful thunderstorm. Anger washed over me, hot and heady, when I landed my gaze back on Zabuza. “Two seconds to move.”

Peaches sneered.

“One.”

He didn't move.

I held my right arm above my head and brought my left to my mouth. Curling my index and thumb around my tongue I whistled loudly, using a small wind ninjutsu to amplify the sound. My hawk summons, having been sitting on the sidelines forgotten, all took flight. They flew in circles like a roiling thundercloud of brown and black, using my upraised arm as the pivot point.

“Last chance to move.” I said. Zabuza stubbornly stayed where he was. My mouth twisted in an ugly grimace and I lowered my right arm to point at the Mist nuke-nin. The hawks gave one last turn before following my finger and shooting straight towards Peach-boy.

He smirked.

My eyes widened.

“Hha!” I felt water douse my back and I spun around to see Hinata standing in a puddle of water, formerly a water clone, panting slightly. She gave me a shaky grin, “I-I'm sorry Y-Yanagi-sensei. I c-came as fast as I c-c-c-could.” She stuttered slightly, a blush forming on her cheeks. I didn't blame her, Hinata had suddenly become the center of attention after pulling a stunt like that. Even Haku stopped torturing my poor cousin to stare at her.

I grinned, “Hey, I'm not complaining. You just saved me from being skewered like a roast pig.” I joked before turning serious, “Guard Tazuna, don't leave his side for any reason.” I ordered. Hinata gave a firm nod and leaped sideways until she was in front of Tazuna, in a Gentle Fist stance. When I turned to face Zabuza again, he did not look amused.

“Oh... did she ruin your little scheme?” I asked innocently, pressing an index finger to the corner of my mouth like a slut trying to act cute.

That did it, I could practically hear Peachy's patience snap. He snarled and charged at me, “Shut up!”

I laughed as I jumped away from him, “Looks like you underestimated my brats, Peach-boy. Sasuke and Hinata are clan kids and having been training with their families since they could hold a kunai right.” I ducked under Peachy's swing and shot my left leg out for a round house kick. Zabuza launched into the air to avoid my leg and I pulled back before he could land on it. “Sasuke is the best in his class and no one can defeat Hinata in taijutsu. She's a Hyuuga after all, it's in her blood.” I taunted as I back flipped away from the Kubikiribōchō.

Skidding to a halt a few feet away from Peaches I smirked, “And what have you got? A coward with a nice Kekke Genkai. Well, I've got two brats with Kekke Genkai and neither of them are cowards!”

Zabuza's face twisted unpleasantly, “Haku, stop goofing around and kill that pest!” He barked out, his gaze darting over his shoulder to where the ice mirrors stood. Haku didn't respond, but only started throwing more senbons at Sasuke at a more rapid pace than before; I tried not to flinch when I heard Sasuke cry out. Peachy looked back at me, his gaze deadlier than before, “That big mouth of yours is going to get your brats killed, Uchiha.”

I only smiled, “I'm confident they can handle one little brat, even one as powerful as yours. Besides, you forgot something.” Peach-boy stiffened as it dawned on him that Naruto had yet to appear. My smile twisted into a sneer, “You know, I think my last student deserves to be called the 'Stupidly Brave Shinobi of Konoha' more than I do. After all, not many genin are brave enough to fight someone like you, Peach-boy, let alone get the better of you.”

As if planned there was a puff of smoke to the right of Haku's mirrors. Naruto's voice drifted from the white billowing vapors, “I resent that, Frizzy-sensei! Call me the 'Fearless Shinobi of Konoha'! That's right, Uzumaki Naruto is here!” My eye only twitched a little at the nickname. I'd let it slide this one time.

Peach-boy blinked slowly at Naruto then looked at me, “You think some brat like him can do anything?”

I shrugged, “Why not? It was a dead-last like Naruto who helped turn the last shinobi war back in Konoha's favor.” I responded coolly. I should know, Obito was the idiot I was talking about. “I feel Naruto can do the same with this little spat we have. Dead-last shinobi have a tendency to surprise people.” Naruto took a second to gawk at me, not use to my free praise. All I could say was he had better back up my claims or I was going to murder the little sucker.

Naruto got a really big grin on his face, “You know how the hero always shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well that's what I'm going to do, right now! So don't you worry sensei, you can just sit back and watch me beat these guys!”

I facepalmed.

The blonde idiot ignored me, “Alright, you're history!” He formed a sign, “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” But before Naruto could form a single clone, Zabuza twisted around and threw a handful of shuriken at him. Like with the Demon Brothers, Naruto's first reaction was the freeze in fear.

“Move Naruto!” I yelled, my heart in my throat as I watched the throwing stars head for my frozen student. I wouldn't be able to get there in time to stop them, not even my hawks surrounding the bridge would be able to grab the shuriken in time.

Out of no where, senbon needles collided with the shuriken and knocked them off course. I jerked in surprise and twisted to stare at Haku half leaning out of his mirrors, still in the position of someone who had just thrown something. Zabuza narrowed his eyes at his ally.

Now that he was out of danger, I felt it safe to yell at Naruto, “You imbecile! This is a real battle not a stupid spar; a shinobi's lifestyle is deception, not a damn talent show! Always keep your enemy guessing, be unpredictable so they can't figure out how to defeat you. So get your head outta your ass and think before someone makes a dartboard out of you!”

Naruto turned about as red as Hinata did when Naruto got within ten feet of her. He started yelling apologies, but I ignored him to glance at Haku. Everyone else seemed to think that Haku had thrown senbon at Naruto at the same time Zabuza did and their attacks ended up colliding; but I knew better. One look at my cousin-turned-porcupine told me that Haku did not miss his targets. Which could only mean... he meant to throw those shuriken off track.

The question was why.

Peach-boy seemed to be thinking the same thing I was, “Haku, what are you doing?” Peachy demanded. His tone was dangerous and angry, he was pissed at Haku for disturbing his attack. In Zabuza's state of mind at the moment, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if he attacked his own ally out of anger.

One could only hope.

Haku straightened out of his position and dipped his head towards Peaches, “Zabuza-sama, let me fight this boy in my own way... please.” The brat rasped. Mildly I wondered if all Kiri nins had that smoker rasp, or if it was just these two idiots.

Naruto glared at the masked boy, “Bring. It. On.” He challenged before I could tell him to not be stupid. I suppressed the urge to hang my head in defeat at the stupidity of the blonde brat and wondered if he knew how powerful Haku was. Sasuke was hardly a match for the nuke-nin, what chance did Naruto have against him?!

Zabuza chuckled, “As usual you're too soft, Haku. Fine, if that is what you wish.” Soft? What part of that masked brat was...

I glanced at Sasuke. He was injured but not too bad, nothing that would cause any lasting damage. So either Haku was very sadistic and liked to play with his enemies; or he was soft as Zabuza said and wasn't trying to hurt Sasuke, just stall him. Still, knowing Naruto, he'd piss Haku off enough that the nuke-nin would tear him to shreds. I started to take a step forward to intervene before things got worse, but Peaches blocked my path.

“Don't even think about it.” Oddly enough, Peachy sounded amused. “You know what will happen if you take on Haku. I'll go after the bridge builder and that little girl.” I stiffened and looked to the left where Tazuna and Hinata stood. There was no way that I would be able to end Haku and protect those two at the same time. Against a long sword like the Kubikiribōchō, Hinata's taijutsu was useless; and without me guiding my hawk summons they couldn't do shit but sit there and look pretty. I supposed I could summon a larger hawk to deal with Zabuza while I took out Haku, but that would cut down on my chakra and possibly put me in a dangerous position.

Damn.

Zabuza seemed to know I was in a bind, he smirked underneath those bandages, “Relax, Uchiha. Lets see how our students do... one on one.” I gave him an Uchiha Glare, but he wasn't even paying attention to me. I didn't dare attack, he might not be looking at me, but I know the Peach Bastard was still prepared to fight me. Only an idiot would think otherwise.

Apparently Sasuke was an idiot.

While Haku was talking to Naruto, a kunai came flying out of the ice prison that held Sasuke. Haku easily dodged the knife and looked at my cousin, “Don't think I forgot about you, not for an instant.” The masked nuke-nin tilted his head a little, “Some warriors accept defeat gracefully, they know when they are beaten...” Oh great, know I was going to have two idiots who couldn't think straight, “Others do not. So be it, let us finish our battle then.”

I couldn't help but groan quietly as Haku reentered his mirrors. Zabuza actually snorted and gave me an amused look as if we weren't enemies fighting to the death but two people just watching our students spar. I shot him a brief glare and looked away. I refused to think Peaches was anyone else but my enemy.

It was torture having to watch my cousin practically being torn to shreds by multiple attacks coming from all the mirrors. With my sharingan I could pick up the real Haku and how he jumped from mirror to mirror to keep the element of surprise. The little pest was fast, even with my sharingan I could just barely pick up his movements as he flashed between the mirrors. But I still didn't know how the mirrors worked.

“Sasuke, Naruto think! You have to attack the mirrors from the inside and outside at the same time to figure out how they work!” I yelled. Naruto's face brightened with an idea and there was a poof and...

He was gone.

It was only when Sasuke started yelling did I realize where he went. My eye twitched and I glanced at Zabuza. The nuke-nin looked like he was on the verge of laughing, I was almost tempted to tell him that I was disowning Naruto as my student after a stunt like that.

“Katon: Phoenix Sage Jutsu!” Sasuke yelled out and there was a brief glow of orange that surrounded the multiple mirrors at various angles, but none of them melted.

I could hear the amusement in Haku's voice when he said, “You'll need more firepower than that to melt this ice.” I stiffened slightly. More firepower? I could easily do that, but...

Peaches smirked at me, easily reading my mind, “If you melt the mirrors you'll incinerate your students. Doesn't that defeat the purpose?” He asked. I shot him a nasty look and mildly wondered why he hadn't attacked yet. Peach-boy didn't have a problem earlier, was he just stalling then to get to this point and showcase his student? He had been hired to take out my client, not show off his student's prowess.

Once again my suspicions of his involvement with the Mist Rebels surfaced. I eyed the man, trying to figure out his game. I doubted that he was ever fighting me seriously. All he had done was send water clones and swing that big ass sword around. Zabuza had been part of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, he had gotten the position by being a master of kenjutsu. So far Zabuza had been attacking as if the Kubikiribōchō was just a piece of metal to be swung around and not a great sword.

Of course it was always possible that he was downplaying his abilities to keep the element of surprise; I had been doing the same by only dodging Zabuza's sword and tossing kunai around when I got the opening. But it just didn't fit Peachy's personality to use deception when he had the opportunity to strike. I glanced at the ice prison as Haku bounded from mirror to mirror, raining senbon down on Sasuke and Naruto. Haku was the same. I knew that that jutsu was meant to trap and destroy an opponent. The positioning of the mirrors and the pure speed of Haku proved that point easily enough. So why weren't my students dead yet? From what I had gathered on Haku, I knew he wasn't the sick twisted kind of shinobi that enjoyed toying with their victims. Not even Zabuza was that way. Zabuza's way of killing was quick, painless, and silent; leaving any survivors baffled and frightened of the Demon of the Mist.

Naruto's yelling stopped my musing, “I won't quit! Not ever, I'm going to survive and become Hokage because that is my dream!” I didn't know if I should be proud that he still wasn't giving up even after that downpour of needles or still embarrassed that he had gotten himself into that mess.

What Haku responded with surprised me, “I didn't want to be a shinobi, it's painful. I don't want to kill you, but if you come closer I will have no choice.” What? “I will kill the kindness in my own heart and fully embrace the shinobi way. This bridge will the battlefield where our dreams collide. I will fight for my dream, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me, I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him and I will face death for him so that his dream will become reality. That is my dream, and for the sake of that dream, if I must I will act as a shinobi and take your lives!”

I bowed my head and glanced at the silent Zabuza. It was obvious that Haku was referring to Peach-boy, but why? What did Zabuza do that made the kid so loyal to him? And furthermore, just what was Zabuza's dream? The more I listened to Haku, the more reluctant I was to kill the kid, but if he got in the way of my mission then I would cut him and Zabuza down.

Peaches shot me a haughty glance, “Tell me Uchiha, does that wimpy village of yours still avoid the most important rule of being a shinobi?” He asked as if he were genuinely curious.

I only started at him in silence. It was a loaded question, so I saw no need in wasting my breath with an answer that was already obvious.

Peach-boy cackled like a madman, “I wonder what your precious little Hokage will say when you come back with two bodies instead of three live genin... if you survive that is.” I heard Tazuna inhale sharply as it dawned on him just how outnumbered the genin truly were. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see how Hinata was holding up to the news of her possible death.

Not too well.

Zabuza followed my gaze, “She's going to faint.” He observed in a tone that could only be amusement. He looked back at me, “How is it that you ended up with three incompetent brats? You're supposed to be an A-class kunoichi, and yet here you are... babysitting.”

“Hn.” I grunted. That insult was so pathetic I knew I would lose brain cells just by answering it. One would think that the Bloody Mist would pencil in a trash talk class right after their academy students learned how to gut a helpless victim. At least so they wouldn't kill their opponents from the lame insults flying around.

Unless... that was their stupid plan all along.

The damn man didn't shut up though, “Falling back on the Uchiha customary response? How unlike you.” Great now he was adding sarcasm to the list. My eye twitched and I came close to planting my fist in his stupid, bandaged face if only to shut him up; but I somehow refrained... for now. “It must goad you that your precious Hokage would dump a bunch of brats on you. It's such a waste of your skills, chasing after three brats like you're their nanny while shinobi weaker than you take over your missions.” Peachy continued on, not even bothering to see if he was really insulting me or not.

Finally I got fed up, “Your insults are pathetic. Even my pacifist cousin can talk trash better than you.” I deadpanned. Peachy didn't even have the decency to look offended. He only smirked at me from underneath his bandages.

I reached into my weapons pouch and brought out a fan. Snapping it open I began lightly fanning myself like a geisha would. I even fluttered my eyelashes at Peaches, “Let's get this over with, ne? I want to leave by dusk.” I simpered like a primping airhead and reactivated my sharingan, having had deactivated it once I realized I would never figure out Haku's jutsu with my eyes.

Zabuza jerked his gaze away from my sharingan and he reached back into his own kunai pouch. As he charged at me, I made a sweeping motion with my arm so that my fan cut through the air like a blade. When he came into my range, I thumbed the little lever on the handle and fourteen senbon needles shot out of the fan's ribs. Unfortunately due to the large curve of the fan's edge, only five senbons were heading directly at Peaches. He easily knocked them away with his two bladed kunai and jumped back.

I snapped the fan shut and pointed it at him, “Lesson number one of kunoichi tactics: Everything can be a weapon.” I depressed another button on the bamboo frame of the fan and a three inch blade shot out of the little slot that was embedded into the fan, just to prove my point. Zabuza did not looked very pleased with my Fan of Wonders–as Obito called it.

In fact, I could swear he was pouting.

“This won't be like last time, Peach-boy.” I promised him, my smirk melting away to be replaced with the expressionless mask every shinobi seemed to have.

The bandaged nuke-nin seemed to have stolen my smirk, “You're correct, because this time even if you do defeat me, you have no chance against Haku. When I found him he was just a street rat, but I trained him in the most advanced techniques. I taught him everything I know, and with that Kekke Genkai of his, soon he was able to take on dangerous enemies. Even outnumbered and in total darkness, he could strike with perfect accuracy. He cared nothing for his own life, or the lives of others. Haku became a unique fighting machine, a shinobi. In the end even he surpassed me, with that Kekke Genkai of his nothing can defeat it! I've created a tool that can destroy anyone who stands in my way, unlike those useless brats that follow you around like little lost puppies!”

I grimaced in disgust at the man before me. Then I glanced over his shoulder at the prison of ice mirrors where the shouts of pain from Naruto and Sasuke were still originating. When I head heard Haku's speech I was ready to put an end to the battle peacefully, just to save the kid the pain of losing his precious person. Now I was ready to roast the fool who dared take advantage of loyalty like that.

Zabuza laughed as he looked back at the ice mirrors with a crazed look in his eyes, “You think those punks can defeat Haku? He's the ultimate battle tool of destruction!”

“Would ya shut up already? Geez you sound worse than my uncle when he's talking about Itachi!” I snapped, getting irritated with this 'Haku is so great! You can never defeat him!' bullshit. Was Zabuza Haku's fangirl or senpai?!

Zabuza didn't understand the reference, so he wasn't offended. Though I had now doubt he would be throwing a temper tantrum if he knew how Fugaku was when he was bragging about my cousin. “Fine, but there is one more thing you should know.” I raised an eyebrow and decided to humor him, not that he needed any encouragement, “Did you really think our last battle was just win or lose? Haku had been watching the whole time, watching every move your made with that sharingan of yours. Haku can see a move once and immediately devise a counterattack; it's one of his... gifts. I've been waiting to see the look on your pretty face when you realize that your sharingan has become worthless!”

I kept my face blank just to annoy him.

Zabuza held up two fingers, “Suiton: Hidden Mist Jutsu!”

Deja vu, anyone?

The thin mist that had already layered the air thickened to the point of no visibility. I cursed, my sharingan eyes darting to pick up the slighted movement in the mist; but all I could see was Hinata and Tazuna fidgeting around, looking left and right for a thin spot in the thick mist. I pinned Hinata with a look. She was twitching nervously and shaking in fear, “Hinata, stay with Tazuna. Don't leave his side for any reason.” I ordered her in a sharp tone. The Hyuuga girl seemed to get over her fear at the order and nodded firmly before shifting from an offensive to a defensive taijutsu stance. I had noticed over the weeks that she seemed to lose her cowardice when given a direct order. Hopefully she would stand by it even if I went down.

Shuriken came out of no where and I easily batted them away with my closed fan. I took a cautious step in the direction the throwing stars had come from but stopped and twisted around when I felt Zabuza's chakra behind me. I blinked when I saw that his eyes were closed. Was he trying to prevent looking into my sharingan or was it another reason entirely? I frowned when he started to speak.

“Next time you see me, will be the last time you see anything.” Okay, for Peach-boy, that wasn't a half bad attempt to be intimidating; but still... even goofy Shisui still beat him by a mile. Of course, goofy Shisui happened to be pretty terrifying when someone did the impossible and actually pissed him off, but that was irrelevant. “Without your sharingan, you're nothing.” Zabuza rasped and then disappeared again before I could attack. I twitched in annoyance. If this was just going to be a hit-and-run tactic I was going to murder someone.

Preferably Peaches; but I would take Tazuna for putting me in this mess in the first place too.

Fine. If he wanted to play this game, then I would just pull and Uchiha Tactic straight from the Book of Bullshit and own his sorry ass before he could sneeze. I ran through the appropriate hand signs and slammed my palms together with a loud clap, “Fūton: Gale Palm!” In a large ejection of wind oriented chakra, I managed to disperse most of the mist thinning it out enough that I could see Zabuza's faint outline several paces to my right. I turned to face the outline and began a new set of hand signs, “Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!” I shouted and sent a steady stream of fire at Zabuza.

I grinned when Zabuza had to leap out of the mist and into my sight, just like I wanted, “I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part. You left to quickly. Something about me being without my sharingan...?” I said teasingly. Boy, did Peaches look pissed off.

Somehow that set off a monologue of how Peach-boy had figured out the secret behind the sharingan. I almost started nodding off when he started explaining the piercing eye and the hypnotic eye and how I had used them in battle. Seriously, what was with this guy and explaining things to invisible audiences? Was he so enamored with his own smoker voice that he liked making long winded speeches over obvious things?!

That would explain a lot of things, actually.

After he finished lecturing me about things I had grown up knowing, he started talking about his 'ultimate plan to win the day'. Finally I gave up pretending to listen and groaned loudly, “Oh. My. Kami. SHUT UP! At least try to make it harder on me by not explaining your stupid little plan. Dear Lord, do I need to give you the 'a shinobi's lifestyle is deception' lecture I gave Naruto too?!”

There was a beat of silence when even Haku stopped fighting Naruto and Sasuke, before Zabuza's annoying raspy voice spoke again, “Fine. I just won't give you a sporting chance.” If that was what he called a 'sporting chance' I would gladly go without, if only to keep my ears from bleeding.

In the back of my mind I wondered who could out talk the other: the Hokage or Peaches.

The fighting between the three boys resumed with vigor, but something was different about it. I could hear Sasuke using the fireball jutsu as well, which was strange. Didn't he already try to melt the ice and figure out that it didn't work? What could those two idiots possibly be up to? I risked a glance in their direction, hoping that it might shed some light on their plan.

“Pay attention to your own fight!” Zabuza roared and I snapped my head around with a gasp just in time to feel his foot connect with my jawline. There was a dull crunch and I tasted the sharp coppery twang of blood flooding my mouth; seconds later a wave of pain bloomed from my jaw, momentarily causing my mind to blank. I landed in a heap on the ground, my jaw throbbing painfully. I reached up to cradle it and winced when my hand grazed against the bruising area. The bone was cracked at the very least.

High killer intent brought my head up and my eyes widened when I saw Zabuza descending from the air, the Kubikiribōchō raised over his head and positioned to bisect me at the waist. Scrambling, I twisted to the side and got my feet under me just as the long blade dug into the ground almost three inches deep. I winced and tried not to imagine what would have happened to be had I been any slower.

I was really starting to regret pissing Peaches off.

The Kiri nuke-nin yanked his big ass sword out of the ground and turned towards me, a deranged look in his eyes. “Seems I finally succeeded in shutting up the Uchiha with the runaway mouth. Now to make it permanent.” I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the lame trash talk. This guy was truly pathetic when it came to being intimidating. I was starting to think that awkward Iruka could be more terrifying than this guy. The chunnin might be terrifying to kids, but he was just a socially awkward wimp when it came to adults.

Peachy disappeared.

I stiffened and looked around, trying to discern any chakra signal with either my sharingan or my sensory abilities. I swallowed a mouthful of blood, trying not to gag at the overbearing taste of copper, and ran through my options. While the wind jutsu had momentarily cleared the mist, it was back in full force, once again hindering my line of vision. Sight was out, I could deal with that. Peaches was a master of the silent killing technique; he could enter a crowd full of people, kill one person, and be gone before that person even hit the ground–all the while not making a smidgen of noise. That mean I could not hear Zabuza's attacks either and if I did it was probably a distraction. Still I could manage without hearing too.

That left my sensing abilities and scent. I wasn't a tracker and I was no where near as good at olfactory perception as Kakashi or the Inuzuka clan, but I still had a sharp nose. However, the problem with that was my sense of smell was being overridden by the smell of my blood still filling my mouth. My chances of predicting Peaches next attack were starting to slim down. My chakra sensing abilities weren't the best, it was mostly just raw talent, but I still should be able to pick out Zabuza's large chakra source in the thick mist he had created. It would be like trying to pick out the early morning sun in a thick fog, but it was still doable. Unless Peach-boy suppressed his chakra, I should be able to sense him.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on spanning my awareness about the bridge. I could feel the chakra of the three boys flitting around inside the ice prison, which appeared to be a thin dome of Haku's chakra, and I could pick out Hinata's still relatively high chakra reserves right in front of Tazuna's stunted civilian level chakra. Wait.

Hinata.

Damn it! I had a Hyuuga with me the whole time and I was too caught up in my ego to even think about asking her for help. There wasn't anything that could hide from the Byakugan! And now, I couldn't talk because of my cracked jawbone. Growling deep in my throat I was about to shunshin to Hinata and signal what I needed in my rusty genin hand signs, when the object I was looking for appeared.

Right where I didn't want it.

Chapter 15: Not Everything is Black and White

Hinata screamed.

I gasped as a sheering pain ripped across my chest; blood from my mouth dripped down my chin and joined the splatter of blood already on the ground. I was extremely lucky to have been able to shunshin right where I needed to be in order to take the blow meant for Hinata and Tazuna.

I reached up to cradle my wound, trying to stop the blood flow, and glared at Zabuza with slow spinning red eyes. Unfortunately he didn't meet my gaze, “Too bad, Uchiha, you let concern for those brats cloud your mind and adding further to the fog that already hinders your sharingan. You're eyes are sharp, but not sharp enough to read my moves.”

Kami above, why did I have to be injured and listen to Peach Bastard's shitty insults?

Peach-boy cackled in a cliché villainous pitch, furthering my annoyance with the man. Did Kirigakure hand pamphlets out on how to be a lame antagonist?! “Come on, Uchiha, I want this to be fun!” Can anyone say psychopath? “I want to enjoy myself while I extract my revenge! As for those pest... don't worry. They're at Haku's mercy, no they're breathing their last breaths right now.” Peaches twisted Kubikiribōchō so that the sharp edge of the blade was facing up and he reached behind him into his weapons pouch. I didn't move. “Relax. You'll have plenty of time to weep out an apology when you see them in the next life.”

Where the hell did he get the assumption I was tense in anyway?

He started cackling again. My eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to dissolve back into the mist surrounding us. Peachy's crazed laughter drifted so that it sounded like it was coming from all around us. There was a moment of silence after Zabuza's awful guffawing faded away filled only with my labored breath. Damn this stupid wound, I was going to be in pain every time I got dressed for a month! Not to mention my bruising jaw; I'm not going to be able to eat solid foods for a long time. Plus when Obito sees it, there would be hell to pay.

Exactly who would pay... that was the question.

Because I was going to make damn sure that Peaches didn't leave this bridge alive.

Hinata whimpered behind me and I glanced over my shoulder to see her staring intensively at the ice prison. “N-Naruto-kun... Sasuke-san...” She whispered and took an instinctive step towards the place where her team was fighting for their lives. Hinata stopped and her breath started to shorten with panic, in another moment she would start hyperventilating and I couldn't do shit about it. The one time I wanted to comfort my student and my damn jaw was locked up from the pain.

Luckily Tazuna stepped in, “Don't worry, Hinata-chan. I have faith that the boys will pull through. That blonde kid... I thought he was just some goofy little brat with the maturity of a two year old. And the one with the attitude, I didn't think he cared about anyone! But I see now that I was wrong. All of you aren't what I expected and, by golly, I know Naruto and Sasuke will beat that masked pest to a pulp!”

My sharingan eyes darted to Tazuna to convey my silent thanks. The old man smirked at me and reached out to place a hand on Hinata's shoulder. The Hyuuga heiress was looking more confident than she had been, she stood straighter and held the kunai in a tight, firm grip.

I returned my gaze forward again and I was surprised to see Zabuza's outline among the fog. Maybe he hadn't disappeared as completely as I had thought. Peach-boy laughed sardonically, “You think those punks can defeat Haku? No one has ever stopped his secret jutsu.” Zabuza reached up for Kubikiribōchō and I clinched my fists, wishing that I hadn't lost my grip on my fan when Peaches landed that damn round house kick on my face. I was down to the senbons I had carved out of twigs earlier that week. Against the Kubikiribōchō, they wouldn't do squat. Mentally I ran through my other options.

When I realized my opponent was Zabuza, I had raided my pack until I managed to dig up my old, worn, and very out-of-date copy of Konoha's Bingo Book. While the brats were out training, I had been cooped up in the room I shared with Hinata, pouring over Zabuza's page. What I had read made me frustrated and ecstatic at the same time. Peach-boy's stats were solid straight across–practically invincible–except for one little detail. Zabuza was below average in genjutsu. As an Uchiha, I was fairly good at genjutsu, but I wasn't the best. Furthermore, Zabuza would be avoiding looking into my eyes which hindered my chance of catching only him in a genjutsu. My best chance was casting an area of effect genjutsu, but that would also endanger my team and Tazuna.

My other option was that I could also use my hawk summonings that still perched around the bridge, waiting for me to order them around. The downside to that option was that I had to focus my attention on directing the hawks, those small summons couldn't fight by themselves very well as they would attack anyone who wasn't me. I would have to concentrate on making sure none of the hawks went after Team 7. That meant that Zabuza, or even Haku, could bypass me and go for the bridge builder. I supposed I could create a shadow clone to handle the hawks, but I was already low on chakra and that would only eat away at my stores even more. I knew that if this fight was prolonged any longer I would suffer from chakra exhaustion again or worse.

I needed to end this now.

My hands rose and I started going through the hand signs for my signature technique, water ninjutsu be damned, when a spike of chakra made me freeze in utter fear. Hot, cold, anger, red... red... red. That chakra...

vvv FLASHBACK vvv

“Stay with your cousin, Itachi. I'll be right back.” Mikoto-oba called as she dashed off. I stared wide eyed and frightened as my aunt left. Alarms had awoken me in the middle of the night calling for an extreme state of emergency. Obito-nii was in my room only seconds after the alarm started wailing and dragged me to the Main Branch house, telling me to stay with Mikoto. When I tried to tell him that I was a genin now and I could help with whatever the crisis was, Obito had gotten uncharacteristically serious and ordered me to stay in the house.

Now the bells were calling for all shinobi ranked above chūnin, retired or otherwise, and Mikoto had left me in charge of my cousins while she ran to respond to the summons.

Itachi and I sat on the porch, watching ghostly red ribbons float through the sky, and keeping an ear trained on any changes in the constant alarm. Sasuke thankfully was being relatively quite, I wasn't having to try and listen over a brat's soft crying. Itachi seemed surprisingly responsible with his little brother, so I left Itachi was baby duty. I didn't like kids that much; the only kid I liked was Itachi and that was because he was more like an adult anyway.

My heart dropped when I heard the alarm pick up in tempo and changed to a higher pitch. That was the call for all civilians and lower ranked shinobi to evacuate to the Monument. Whatever was happening in the village it must be bad if it was a village-wide evacuation. I stood, “Come on Itachi, we've gotta-” I cut myself off when I saw my cousin already heading for the compound gates. I didn't even have it in me to be angry at him for leaving me behind.

I had only gotten five feet when there was a thunderous crash that shook the ground. Itachi and I stumbled, trying to regain our footing and still move fast enough to get to the shelter. Then I felt it. A tangible anger, so hot and violent that I felt sick to my stomach. Sasuke, who had been quietly whimpering until now, shrieked in fear, his small face turning a dark red. I was scared, I wanted to run away and hide, to give into to whatever was attacking. It was the predator and I was the cornered prey, I stood no chance against that anger; that raw, potent Killer Intent.

Something firm but small tugged at my wrist. I jolted out of my frozen state and stared down at my little cousin. Itachi looked as calm and impassive as he always did, as if he couldn't even feel the Killer Intent infused in the very air–no, it was the air. I was breathing in that powerful anger with every breath until it became my whole being. I wanted to hide. I wanted-

“Yanagi-itoko, we have to get to the shelter,” Itachi spoke, cutting off my thoughts. To anyone else he might sound bored and indifferent, but I could hear the small lilt of concern in his voice. That seemed to wake me up. I was frozen like a deer downwind of the wolf and here my six year old cousin wasn't even bothered about the attack. He was trying to comfort me! What was worse, I actually needed to be comforted. It angered me, I was weak. A child barely in the academy was more rational than I, the Rookie of the Year, was!

I promised myself I would never freeze again.

vvv FLASHBACK OVER vvv

I concentrated on my sensory ability, trying to determine what would make Naruto lose control. I doggedly ignored the hotredredredthatnightfearmustrun chakra that was the Kyuubi's and instead on the chakra points all over the bridge. Zabuza was a little ahead of me, his chakra thick and languid like honey; there was the smooth, silky feel of Hinata's chakra behind me beside the stunted civilian amount that was Tazuna's. Haku's, hard and sharp like ice yet surprisingly warm, was darting all over the place as he tried to dodge Naruto's crazed strikes. Sasuke's chakra was muted, almost to the point of...

I snapped my head around and stared as the ice mirrors shattered and Haku came flying out, laid out flat by Naruto. In between the broken shards of the still hanging mirrors I could see a dark lump in the center, not moving.

...of death.

It wasn't the first time I had seen death, and certainly not the last. I wasn't even bothered all that much by it. Except... I was. There was a difference between seeing a teammate die in the course of a battle, when you didn't have time to think or even notice that they had just died; and seeing the body of a child, your own cousin, crumpled on the ground like a thrown away doll.

Suddenly all the horrible things I had said to him, all the unkind actions and unfriendly glares, all came rushing in like a tidal wave. Like a tsunami. Obito was right, I was a horrible sensei. I had gotten one of my students killed on their first C-rank mission. It didn't matter that it had been updated to an A-rank. I had in essence killed my own student; I had signed his death warrant the moment I didn't withdraw from the mission when it was clear that it was out of Team 7's capabilities. I felt sick, both physically and emotionally. I felt like I was drowning with no life line to pull myself out. I... needed an outlet, I needed to rid myself of all the pent up guilt and anger at myself.

“Awww... are you going to cry?”

I found my outlet.

Slowly I turned to stare at Zabuza, That Bastard, all my emotions draining away and leaving nothing behind. I didn't take joy in seeing him jolt in surprise at my flat gaze, or the way he when white under his tan skin when my Killer Intent washed over him. All I cared about was beating the shit out of that bastard for putting my cousin in the position that killed him. I raised my hands slowly and, almost in a trance, I ran through the hand signs, never breaking gaze with that bastard. I stared straight into his soul and found it... lacking.

Zabuza's death wouldn't bring back Sasuke, but it would sure make me feel a hell of a lot better.

I could only hope.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Jutsu. I thought, since my injured jaw prevented me from saying the jutsu. Zabuza's eyes bugged out when he felt the imaginary genjutsu stakes driving into his body, pinning him where he stood. I dropped the last hand sign and started another jutsu. I kept my eyes on Zabuza the whole time, letting him see my cold indifference to him. I wanted that bastard to know that I wasn't killing him because he was my enemy or because I hated him.

I was killing Zabuza just because I fucking felt like it.

Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu. I didn't channel too much of my chakra into the fire. I didn't want to incinerate Zabuza on the spot. That wasn't good enough, I wanted to slowly roast him alive. I wanted him to die a slow agonizing death, covered in third degree, maybe even fourth degree if I was feeling merciful, burns for even thinking of harming my baby cousin. I took a deep breath and brought my fingers up to my mouth. I watched dispassionately as Zabuza tried to evade the oncoming fire, I didn't feel the pleasure of watching my prey squirm before I killed them. All I could think was 'how dare you.'

I noticed Haku too late.

vvv 3rd POV~ Hinata vvv

Hinata was frightened. She stood there shaking on spot as she watched the plume of red chakra spiraling out of the mirrors. With her Byakugan activated, she had seen all that had happened. She saw the spike of chakra in Sasuke's eyes and saw the glint of red–the sign of the sharingan. Hinata saw him fall, saw his chakra sputter like a candle before dying out. She saw Naruto lose control, she didn't need her kekke genkai for that. That violent red chakra was clear from even the distance between the boys and Hinata.

Hinata saw Yanagi-sensei freeze up when she spotted Sasuke's body. Afterwards, Hinata saw Sensei take on a whole new personality. Hinata shivered, with her Byakugan activated there was no missing that cold look in Yanagi's eyes. There was a saying in Konoha: 'The four things any Konoha nin fears are an angry Aburame, a focused Inuzuka, a motivated Nara, and a bereft Uchiha.' Until now, Hinata had never realized why.

The Hyuuga heiress clung to her kunai as if it were a religious symbol, she wasn't ready for this. When she had graduated as a genin, she knew there would be death and fighting, but... not like this. She hadn't expected to see her first death so soon, and definitely not her own teammate! Hinata would happily go back to doing D-ranked missions if she survived.

She hoped she survived.

But that hope was dwindling into an unattainable dream. If Sasuke, the strongest genin of their class, couldn't survive, then what hope did she have?! Yanagi-sensei had promised she would protect them with her life when they first fought Zabuza, but she had failed. Yanagi had broken her promise. There was no guarantee that Sensei would protect Hinata if Zabuza came after her, Yanagi didn't even protect her own cousin.

A sentimental fool, that's what Yanagi-sensei called Hinata. Was this what she meant? Sasuke had ran to protect Naruto from being hurt, Hinata saw that, and in turn the Uchiha boy had gotten killed. “If you live past your Chunnin Exam I'll be amazed” That's what Yanagi-sensei had said, had she been right? Were emotions really a hindrance to a shinobi? From the way Yanagi-sensei was going after Zabuza, it seemed like she was right. Emotions were an obstacle to a shinobi, they got in the way of the fight and clouded the mind. Hinata remembered that there was a rule about emotions, Rule 25: A shinobi must never show their feelings. It was one of the only rules she actually knew by heart because it was the rule most shinobi strove to achieve.

But... did Hinata have what it took to get rid of her emotions?

Movement behind Yanagi-sensei alerted Hinata and she opened her mouth to call out a warning, not even thinking about it, but she was too late.

vvv Normal POV vvv

I stumbled back a step, caught off guard by the sudden body in front of me, cutting of the steam of fire to only a small fireball barely bigger than a cat. Time seemed to slow as I watched the small jet of fire fly from my mouth and connect with Haku's chest perfectly. Surprisingly, he didn't go flying back from the force of the fire. It should have sent him back twenty feet minimum, but he didn't budge a single inch. I stared straight into the kid's brown eyes for the first time, his mask was gone– probably Naruto's doing– as my ninjutsu hit him.

He looked... peaceful.

It was Sasuke all over again.

I had killed many people in my career as a kunoichi, I've even enjoyed it at times. Many of those kills had been children, kids who had gotten in my way; but I never liked admitting to those kills. I always felt ill when I watched the light go out in their young eyes. But... it was necessary for Konohagakure to keep going, so I swallowed my disgust and soldiered on. I didn't look back and reflect upon my kills, I didn't find pride in the high number. I knew that if I did I would never be able to live with myself again. Haku though... he did it willingly. He jumped in front of my fireball to protect the bastard he found precious to him.

Haku, a Kiri nuke-nin, had the Will of Fire.

And I almost killed him.

Almost.

There was still a chance to save the boy.

The question was: would I take it?

He was my enemy, he killed my cousin.

But he was only a boy... barely older than Team 7. If I let him die, it would be just another Sasuke. A death of a child saving someone precious to him.

No, I would not let that happen.

My decision made, I wrapped my arms around Haku and leaped back away from a shell shocked Zabuza. Once the demonic illusion fell, the bastard would no doubt come after me, regardless that Haku was now in my possession. I knew the Peach bastard didn't care for Haku, his sordid little speech of Haku being the ultimate tool was enough evidence for that. I needed enough time to try and heal the kid, at least enough that I could leave him to destroy Zabuza if he attacked.

I laid Haku down gently and ran a diagnostic jutsu to check how injured the boy truly was. Deep second degree burns across the chest, as well as minor second degree on the right arm and shoulder; but fortunately no internal bleeding or ruptured organs. Not as bad as I thought then. I sighed and allowed my eyes to close a brief moment; I was glad that I had intended to slowly roast Zabuza alive, it had probably saved the kid's life. Haku would need help beyond my capabilities, but I should be able to heal him enough so he would last until I got a medical nin.

Reaching into my pack I withdrew a kunai, intending to use it to cut open Haku's haori and shirt. Zabuza, however, jumped to the wrong conclusion. “Get away from him!” The Demon of the Mist shouted. It surprised me how desperate he sounded.

Was... his speech about Haku just a ruse?

No, I shook my head, I couldn't think like that. It was bad enough that I was healing the boy. I couldn't start going soft on Zabuza. He needed to die, otherwise Tazuna would always be in danger. Haku... once I healed him I would take him prisoner and turn him over to T&I when Team 7 returned to Konoha. This kid was a gold mine of information about the Mist Rebels, and being partners with the infamous Demon of the Mist and one of the rare Kiri nins to have a Kekke Genkai meant he probably had a high bounty.

I stubbornly ignored the disgust I felt.

I fingered the pinstriped collar of Haku's bodysuit to determine the patterned stitch. Luckily it was a downward weave, which would make slicing through the fabric much easier for me. I raised the kunai to Haku's neck...

...and hissed when a shuriken embedded itself in the back of my hand.

Zabuza was charging towards me when I looked up to see who had thrown the shuriken. I was shocked that he was even able to move; Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes was a powerful paralyzing genjutsu. Only the most powerful were able to move under it, and even then it wasn't without struggle. So how the hell was Zabuza moving as if he was never under the genjutsu?! Genjutsu was supposed to be the nuke-nin's weakness! No time to think about it, Zabuza was already swinging his sword, trying to behead me. I barely managed to duck under the Kubikiribōchō and rolled away from Haku. Zabuza snarled at me and placed himself between the boy and I. His blade raised in a defensive position.

Interesting.

So Peaches didn't attack Tazuna, even though he had the perfect opening... again. Zabuza had had the element of surprise. I hadn't known that Shackling Stakes had ended, which meant he should have assassinated Tazuna, and possibly Hinata, before I knew what had happened. But he didn't. Zabuza came to the rescue of his fallen comrade, had even warned me by shouting. And when he had managed to separate us, instead of going for Tazuna or me like one would expect him too, Peaches continued to guard Haku from me. He totally ignored the bridge builder who stood behind him. It was a perfect opportunity to attack, there would be no way I could reach Tazuna in time, both Zabuza and I knew that. And yet, there wasn't a twitch from Peach-boy to indicate he meant to attack.

Only defend.

“Yanagi-sensei!” Someone landed beside me. I jolted and looked down at Naruto in surprise. I hadn't even thought of him since he smashed that ice prison to pieces. I was too focused on making Zabuza pay for Sasuke's death, and then saving Haku's life, to even think about the other two genin.

Naruto was staring at me, “Sensei, what happened to you?!” That's right, the blonde didn't see me get my ass handed to me by Zabuza. He was too busy with the Ice Princess.

I grunted and pointedly looked at Zabuza, trying to convey my meaning since my jaw was still out of commission. Unfortunately, the Kyuubi brat was too dense to get my meaning. He squinted at me, “Hey, I asked you a question!” I was really really tempted to kick him off the bridge. I was trying to think and-

“HEY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HAKU?!”

That did it, as soon as this fight was over, I was murdering Naruto.

Zabuza growled at Naruto's demand, but didn't take his narrow eyes off me. The man was finally serious about the fight. This wasn't some little show anymore where we threw a few half assed attempts of trying to kill each other. We were fighting for our students now, and that meant there was no holding back. In the shinobi world, students were considered the last straw. If someone went after a student, they had better prepare to fight for their lives against the master.

Zabuza was guarding his one and only dying student.

I still had two students to protect. No matter how much I wanted to strangle one at the moment.

Tazuna be damned, this was no longer about a bridge builder and some petty shipping company. It was personal now. It became personal the minute Sasuke died, and I sure as hell wasn't letting my cousin and student go without being avenged. Even if I didn't kill Sasuke's true killer, I would damn sure take out the master. If it was the last thing I did, then so be it.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

There was a beat of silence before Zabuza and I turned to look at the new speaker. There were very few brave, or stupid depending on how you looked at it, souls who would willingly speak when two jounin level ninjas were releasing large amounts of Killer Intent. It was a well known fact that shinobi weren't mentally stable, and in the height of battle one could easily turn on some idiot who opened his big mouth. I deadpanned when I spied the little midget standing in front of a large crowd of thugs, all leering as if they were something special. Honestly, quantity did not equal quality. Every shinobi knew that, but it seemed that civilians forgot that little fact constantly.

I could already tell where this was going.

The midget piped up again, “You're supposed to be attacking the bridge builder, not playing ninja with a whore.” My flat expression turned to one that screamed, 'do you have a death wish?!' Zabuza wasn't even injured and here the idiot was mouthing off to an A-class nuke-nin. What an arrogant little dwarf. I didn't think it was possible, but I had finally found someone more arrogant than the entire Uchiha clan and Zabuza combined.

Zabuza did not look amused, “Gatou,” Boy talk about loathing, I could feel just how much Zabuza hated the man by the levels of contempt in his voice, “what is all this? Why are you here and who are these thugs you brought with you?”

This Gatou tapped his cane against the ground. “Well, you see there's been a change of plans.” Called it! But still, this guy was an Idiot, with a capital 'i'. Betraying a nuke-nin who was already pissed off... how did the little dwarf become one of the richest men in the world? “According to the new plan, you die of this bridge... Za-bu-za.” Oi! That was my plan, the little bastard.

Peaches didn't look all that surprised, “What.” It wasn't even a question. More like a 'Really? You're actually trying that shit?' statement. If I wasn't still burning with adrenaline and anger I would find this whole thing hilarious.

Gatou leered, as if he thought he was something special. “That's right. You're too expensive, so I decided to take you off the payroll.” See Zabuza? That's what you get when you're greedy. Your rat bastard employer pulls the most cliché move in history on you. “Of course, even these thugs with me cost something, so if you could slaughter a few of them before they take you down, I'd appreciate it.”

Seriously, how was this guy still alive? Betraying a nuke-nin was one thing, but asking said nuke-nin to kill a few of his hired thugs who were standing right behind him before they 'killed' Zabuza was just asking for it. All it took was one of the thugs to stab the midget bastard in the back and then they could go loot his no-doubt richly furnished home for payment. They'd probably get a lot more money that way.

But of course, male egos would prevent them all from thinking clearly and they would just battle to the death.

Delightful.

Gatou went even further and started adding mockery to the list, “Think you can manage that, Demon of the Mist?” The midget chuckled condescendingly. “Look at you, you look about a demonic as a wet kitten.” Apparently Gatou had never faced a wet kitten before. Especially when they're called 'Tora'.

I turned to look at Zabuza. Of the both of us, I was the one who was more injured. In fact, Zabuza didn't even have a scratch on him. The only thing to his disadvantage was that he was mentally fatigued from the genjutsu I had cast on him. But like all good ninja, Peaches didn't show signs that the genjutsu had bothered him. I could tell Zabuza wasn't going to last much longer under the insults and blood would soon spill, but he didn't move. He thought I still meant harm to Haku.

Even if I did, I would be willing to call a truce if only long enough to shut Gatou's damn mouth.

I struggled to a stand, feeling slightly dizzy which meant that the blood loss was finally getting to me. This fight would be over for me soon, but I still had enough chakra in me to at least heal Haku so his life was no longer in danger, maybe even a little more. I swayed a little as I walked towards Zabuza. The man tensed and tightened his grip on the hilt of Kubikiribōchō. I stopped just out of reach of the big ass sword and forced myself to speak, “Heal...Haku.” I manged to push past my aching jaw, though it was so garbled that even I barely understood it. I really hoped Peach-boy got my meaning, because it was obvious that I couldn't explain in depth. Damn man, why couldn't he break my ribs or something?!

The Kiri nuke-nin stood there for a moment, I could see in his eyes that he wanted to trust me but didn't dare. Not that I blamed him, until recently we were ready to kill each other. But like every experienced shinobi, we both knew that situations could change in an instant and enemies could become close allies in the blink of an eye. The problem was if those allies would return to enemies once the fighting was done. If I did, which I wouldn't dare, then I would be in the perfect position to off Haku without any intervention from Zabuza.

By pure luck, Haku whimpered quietly at Zabuza's feet. A small reminder of how close to death the kid was. I couldn't wait around for Peaches to decide, Haku might be dead by the time Zabuza made up his damn mind.

Unfortunately our conversation drew attention from that grub Gatou, “Ha! So that little brat is dying, eh? Serves him right for trying to break my arm! Do us all a favor, dear, and kill the runt for me, would you? I'll pay you handsomely for your troubles!” The little man asked me. I shivered in disgust and shot the midget a dark look over my shoulder. I hadn't noticed that his left arm was in a cast until now. My respect for Haku rose several notches. Too bad Ice Princess didn't slay the cretin when he had the chance.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at Gatou and I mentally laughed at the midget's stupidity. Insulting a man was one thing, but insulting his student when the kid was on the doorstep of death was something else entirely. Peach-boy looked at me with murder in his eyes, but I knew it wasn't directed at me. “You're in luck, Uchiha, our fight is over now” Zabuza rasped. My mouth twitched into a brief smile, but I let if fall when even that hurt. Peach-boy raised his voice so the rest of the people on the bridge could hear him, “since I am no longer in Gatou's employ, Tazuna is safe.”

Gatou twitched, obviously infuriated that his little display of audacity was backfiring on him. Did he honestly expect that Zabuza would still go after Tazuna after he cut Peach-boy's pay? That was just arrogant in the extreme. And I was an expert on arrogance.

I was an Uchiha after all. The trait for arrogance was in our blood just as much as the Sharingan was.

Quietly I knelt beside Haku again and nicked a small cut in his collar before ripping the shirt open. I grimaced when I saw my handiwork. The skin across his thin chest was warped and yellowish. White bubbles dotted the skin like small snow capped mountains; some were as round as coins and others barely bigger than the head of a pin. The burn continued up Haku's neck, fading to a pale rosy pink as it curved up his jaw line and half way to his right eye, looking no more superficial than a sunburn. Haku's upper right arm was a glossy vivid red with sparse clear blisters running along the inside of his arm. Further down the arm, just below the elbow, the burn faded into the same rosy red color that marred the poor boy's cheek. It was honestly a surprise that Haku was still alive at all. The shock alone from the jutsu should have sent him into cardiac arrest.

I felt Zabuza's heavy gaze on my back and looked up to meet the nuke-nin's glare, “You harm one hair on his head and I will end you.” Zabuza said and for the first time since I clashed with him, I felt intimidated by the Demon of the Mist.

Wordlessly I nodded and activated the Mystic Palm Technique. I wasn't nearly as good as Rin was, but she taught me the basics of medical ninjutsu. That would be enough to keep Haku alive. He would be horribly scarred for the rest of his days, but it was better that he be hideous than dead. Besides, those who truly loved the boy wouldn't care what he looked like.

vvv 3rd POV vvv

Naruto didn't understand at all what was happening. One minute Yanagi-sensei and that peach guy were glaring at each other with the intent to kill, then the weird short guy with the weird hair showed up and started insulting Zabuza and all of a sudden Zabuza and Frizzy-sensei were friends! It was all so confusing and Naruto couldn't keep up. He wanted to scream and make them explain, but Yanagi-sensei would probably knock him upside the head again. And she hit hard!

Yanagi-sensei was kneeling down beside Haku. She was... healing him. Naruto frowned at his sensei. He remembered what she said to him when she refused to give anything to that sick boy, “I don't see the point in wasting resources to a lost cause when there are more likely cases around that can live.” Naruto didn't know how Haku had gotten hurt, but it looked bad. Almost like Haku-san wouldn't live, even Naruto would admit to that no matter how much he didn't want to. So why was Yanagi-sensei healing a lost cause?! Sasuke! If Yanagi was willing to heal Haku, then shouldn't she try to heal Sasuke too? Naruto looked over to where the body of Sasuke laid, why wouldn't Yanagi heal Sasuke? He was her cousin, and Haku was the enemy; so shouldn't she focus on Sasuke and not Haku? Naruto wanted Haku to live, sure, but he wanted Sasuke to live more!

“Yanagi-sensei, what about S-Sasuke?” Naruto asked. He wanted to yell, but he could barely even bring his voice above a low mumble. He didn't like the way Yanagi's shoulders stiffened, Naruto's sensei was normally more reserved than that. Naruto could hardly ever figure out what Frizzy-sensei was thinking unless she was mad, so for her to act out of character didn't bode well for Sasuke.

Zabuza hefted his large sword up onto his shoulder and looked at Naruto. The nuke-nin's voice was surprisingly soft when he spoke, “Kid... your teammate is dead.”

“Then why...?” Naruto started to ask as he turned wide eyes on his sensei's back. Why was she healing Sasuke's killer?! His blue eyes turned up to Zabuza, wordlessly demanding answers.

Zabuza only looked away, unable to meet the kid's gaze. Death normally didn't bother him, he enjoyed killing and enjoyed seeing the survivors' fear when he took credit for his kills. But... there was something in that blonde kid's eyes that made him almost feel ashamed of it all.

The short midget laughed harshly, “Look at you! So soft! Awwww, are you going to cry?”

Naruto couldn't take it any more. He spun around and leveled a harsh glare at the scruffy little rat, “Shut up!” The Kyuubi container roared. He couldn't stand it! Not anymore! If Yanagi-sensei was going to be a coward then fine, Naruto would take care of those thugs by himself! Screw the shinobi code or whatever bullshit Yanagi spouted at him, Naruto would just follow his own code then!

Naruto charged forward before Zabuza or Yanagi could stop him.

vvv Normal POV vvv

I tried to grab Naruto as he shot off, but I wasn't in a good position. He had been standing behind me and I wasn't at my best so my reaction time was off. I twisted awkwardly and landed on my stomach, my arm stretched out before me. I didn't even come close to grabbing the blonde. Grimacing I pushed myself off the ground and was preparing to run after my hot headed student, when a blur of grey shot past me. I fell back in surprise.

“You heal Haku, I'll get the brat!” Zabuza ordered over his shoulder. I blinked after him; it was common that enemies would temporarily call a truce to deal with a mutual foe, but it was always an uneasy truce. The way Zabuza was acting... it was like we had been allies for a long time. And that, I did not understand.

“S-sensei!” I turned to see Hinata and Tazuna coming forward, Hinata's lavender eyes landed on Haku and she swallowed audibly. Even Tazuna looked horrified at the warped mess that was Haku, and I was sure he had seen many nasty injuries during his career in construction.

No time to think about that. I couldn't deal with those two, not while I was dealing with Haku. In quick succession I ordered Hinata to retreat and continue guarding Tazuna–even if Zabuza said he would no longer go after the bridge builder that didn't mean he would stop any thug going after my client–through basic genin hand signals. There was a chance she didn't know even one of them; the Academy never really went into depth with hand signals, which was stupid in my opinion. It was inevitable that one day all shinobi faced a situation where silence was the difference between life and death. It was at those times that hand signals were an essential tool to a ninja. I would be damned if another one of my students died because I didn't teach them something basic and easy In the back of my mind I added teaching Naruto and Hinata all the levels of hand signals to the growing list of things I should have done.

Luckily, Hinata seemed to understand me. She nodded a bit shakily and backed up, pawing at Tazuna's sleeve. The old man stood frozen, his eyes on the boy that was slowly dying. I ignored them both as I activated the Mystic Palm Technique again and spread my palms out just inches above Haku's chest. Green chakra seeped into the affected area and I mentally twisted it so that the chakra spread through the skin, going no deeper than the burns. I was in my own little bubble, completely ignoring all that went around me as I laboriously worked to save my cousin's murderer.

vvv 3rd POV~ Naruto vvv

A heavy hand landed on Naruto's shoulder before he could get within two meters of the first thug. Furious the blonde kid spun around, expecting to see his cowardly sensei, but was surprised to see the no-brow nuke-nin Zabuza. A small twinge of fear shot through him and he wondered if Zabuza was going to take him out. Naruto could barely hold his own against Haku, he knew there was no chance he could even make Zabuza sweat. Sure there had been that time before, when Yanagi-sensei was captured, but that was with Sasuke. Sasuke was gone now, and Naruto honestly couldn't think of any way he might stand against Zabuza on his own. All his plans included Sasuke.

Whap!

“Ouch! HEY!” Naruto yelped and glared up at Zabuza, the person responsible for smacking Naruto upside the head.

“Stupid. What do you think one little pest like you can do against them?” Zabuza grouched as he grabbed the blonde by his hideously orange jumpsuit and dragged him back a few steps. “You're nothing but target practice to those bastards.”

Naruto didn't want to hear it, “Shut up! This is all your fault! If you... If he hadn't... Then...” He didn't know what to say, all he knew was this whole mess, from Sasuke to that creepy short guy, was somehow Zabuza's fault.

Zabuza's answer wasn't helping matters, “Haku is nothing but a tool to me, just like your friend was nothing but a tool to your sensei. You shouldn't linger over his death, it makes you soft. A true shinobi-”

The blonde growled, “You shut the hell up! I don't give a damn was a true shinobi does. Haku thought the world of you, you were one of his precious people and Sasuke...” Naruto trailed off for a moment, unable to push away the image of Sasuke dying in his arms.

“Aniki... he's going to be mad at me. He made me promise to... try and surpass him. But...”

Naruto shook his head fiercely to clear the image of a senbon-riddled Sasuke, his friend, “Sasuke died because of me! And Haku is dying because of you!” Naruto finished with a shout, pointing a rigid finger at the silent Zabuza, “You and Haku were together for years, doesn't that mean anything?!”

Zabuza's eyes didn't change from their cold flat gaze, “You don't understand the way of shinobi, you're still just a child who knows nothing. I merely used Haku as Gatou used me. He is nothing but a broken tool now, one that will never be the same. A broken tool is a useless one.”

The anger roiling inside Naruto's gut boiled down to utter disgust. He couldn't understand how someone as loyal as Haku could get mixed up with a rat bastard like Zabuza, “If you really mean that, then you're a bigger rat than I thought. You're worse than Gatou!”

Zabuza simply watched the kid.

“Yanagi-sensei said that she wouldn't waste resources on a lost cause, but she's over there right now trying to heal Haku for you; and you say you don't care about him! Haku wanted me to kill him when I defeated him, he didn't want to dishonor you, damn it! He thought the world of you, so much that he was willing to die for you! While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything for him? What does that mean for me, huh?” Naruto's voice started dying down as the grief he had felt for both Haku and Sasuke began overwhelming his anger, “If I become strong, does that mean I become as cold hearted as you are? Haku almost thew his life away... and for what?! For you and your dream? He never had a dream of his own, but you don't care, you just tossed him aside like he was nothing...” Thick tears began streaming down Naruto's cheeks. “It's just... so wrong...”

The Kiri nuke-nin looked away, unable to face the genin. “You talk too much...” He muttered under his breath. Naruto looked up, surprised at the tired tone in Zabuza's voice. The blonde kid was nearly shocked to see tears gathering in the nuke-nin's eyes. “Haku was always too soft for this life, and curse you I refuse to let him throw away his life on one as worthless as I.”

Naruto stared at the man in silence, unable to even think of what to say. He had never meant to actually change Zabuza's mind or anything. He just wanted Zabuza to see how wrong the shinobi way was.

The man seemed to be smirking under the bandages covering his mask, “What, cat got your tongue, gaki? Or are you so surprised to discover that I'm human? Even shinobi are human, no matter how much we try to escape that fact. That's what your sensei was trying to teach you... but we always fail. Or at least... I have.” Zabuza reached back and wrapped his fingers around Kubikiribōchō's hilt, “Stay back, kid. This fight is between me and Gatou.”

There was a brief pause, a small moment of silence, before Zabuza suddenly charged forward with the speed only a shinobi could achieve after years of training. Naruto watched the nuke-nin in awe and horror as he met with the numerous thugs of that Gatou guy and, like a wave breaking on a rocky shore, blood pieces of thugs went flying into the air. Arms, legs, torsos, heads, it didn't matter what it was; but some appendage would go into the air every time a thug thought he had a chance against Zabuza. Naruto suddenly knew how out of league he was, a simple genin, against someone like Zabuza; and he was immensely glad that Zabuza wasn't against Team 7 anymore.

“Rah! Damn it, I'm not going to sit this battle out like a coward!” Naruto suddenly shouted and made a hand sign, “Kage bushin no Jutsu!” Three other Naruto's popped into existence, drawing the attention of a few thugs that Zabuza left alive to go after Gatou. Their eyes lit up at the sight of an easier target.

One thug snickered as he took a step towards the genin, “Awww, look. A little brat thinks he has a chance against us. What'chya say, boys? Shall we teach him a lesson?” There was a collect of evil chuckles as each thug brought out their weapons and turned to face the boy.

Naruto was not amused, “Don't underestimate me!” He snapped and two shadow clones charged forward. While the thugs were busy taking care of them, Naruto concentrated on the jutsu Yanagi-sensei had taught him. He had mastered it, but he didn't even have a fan to concentrate the chakra. Naruto doubted that the jutsu would work without a fan or something to concentrate his chakra, at least that was what Yanagi-sensei had told him. However this was a live or die situation and he didn't have a choice. “Fūton: Wind Blade!” Naruto shouted and prayed to kami that this worked.

It didn't.

The thugs laughed at him when nothing happened, “Look at him, you're a long way from home, little kid. What a pathetic-” The thugs' self proclaimed speaker was suddenly cut off when a hawk shot past Naruto's shoulder and slammed full speed into the man's face, its wings smacking the man upside his head. The thug's laughter turned into screams of pain as the hawk raked its curved talons down his face, carving deep bloody grooves in his cheeks, and pecked at his eyes with its sharp hooked beak. He reached up, trying to pull the bird off, but it only fell back for a moment before swooping back in and digging it's talons into the man's neck. The thug fell backwards and laid prone, dead, underneath the now calm hawk as it cleaned it's blood spattered feathers. The whole thing had only lasted a short moment.

Naruto spun around, his blue eyes going wide as he saw Yanagi-sensei walking towards him. A swarm of hawks flew around her, a cacophony of shrieks and caws. The hawk that had clawed at the thug took flight and landed on Yanagi-sensei's shoulder, looking utterly smug with his perch of honor. The rest of the hawks spread out among the bridge work, each of their sharp yellow eyes seeming to pick a victim to claw the face off of.

Even though the blonde really didn't like his sensei all that much, he was glad to see her. “Frizzy-sensei! How's Haku, did you heal him?” Naruto asked when his sensei stopped beside him.

“I don't know,” The tall woman said blandly as she shrugged, “Taicho is healing him.”

Naruto blinked at her, confused before looking over his shoulder at where Haku was. He was surprised to see another Yanagi still crouched over the older boy's body, green chakra pouring out of her hands and into Haku's chest. Naruto twisted to face the Yanagi beside him, “You're a shadow clone!” He exclaimed.

Let be known that, shadow clone or not, Yanagi-sensei's hits still hurt. “Idiot. Of course I am.” She cracked her knuckles and made a strange hand sign that Naruto didn't recognize, “You take care of these buzzards, I'll take the rest of the stragglers that Peach-boy leaves.” The hawks seemed to respond to Yanagi-sensei's hand sign and like a storm cloud of feathers and sharp talons, all shot forward after any thug standing still.

Naruto decided to ignore the horrible screams that were now rising from the masses.

vvv Normal POV vvv

Haku groaned quietly under my hands and I sighed in relief. That he was responding meant that Haku was out of danger. I could quit healing him if I had to and not worry about him dying regardless of my efforts. I was already dangerously low on chakra again after I had created that shadow clone to offer some protection and assistance to Naruto. I didn't really trust Zabuza to watch out for the blonde kid and there was no way in hell that I would let another student die on this mission, especially since the two more dangerous opponents were out of the fight. Naruto could handle civilian thugs easily one on one, but no one could survive being overwhelmed. Even by wussies like Gatou's so called bodyguards.

“Otou...san...” Haku wheezed. I frowned at the boy as he lolled his head away from me, his eyelids fluttering uselessly. Who the hell was Haku talking- I looked behind my shoulder where the training dummies were getting their asses handed to them by Zabuza. Did Haku think of Zabuza like a father? That would explain his suicidal behavior when it came to protecting the kenjutsu master.

The boy's eyes suddenly snapped open and he tried to sit up. I cut the healing chakra to pin him to the ground and gave him a wordless stern look in hopes to convey my meaning. Haku's chocolate brown eyes glared back at me. I noticed that his right eye was blood shot from capillaries that had burst when I hit him with the fire ball, and felt a twinge of guilt at the reminder that I had almost killed the kid. Had I not wanted Zabuza to suffer painfully, I would have killed Haku. Strange to think that my thirst for revenge had saved someones life.

...I was signing up for therapy when I got home after this.

Haku looked away first. He looked strangely unhappy. I blinked down at my impromptu patient, confused as his change in mood. I had been expecting anger or... something other than sadness. “Let me die...” Haku rasped quietly.

I raised an eyebrow and leveled a flat look at Haku. I wasn't going to let the kid die, not after going through everything to keep him alive. I was almost at the point of chakra exhaustion again, damn it! And this little brat had the gall to ask me to kill him. I got it that Zabuza basically raised the gaki only think of himself as a tool, but every human should have some self-preservation. And if this was Haku trying to get away without having to face the fact that he killed my cousin then I say he could go screw himself.

Instead of answering, since I really couldn't anyway, I reached into my weapons pouch and brought out a roll of bandages Rin forced me to keep on my person at all times. Without meeting Haku's gaze, I gently lilted his head forward and began wrapping the slim bandages around his skull so that they covered his right eye. I didn't have the medical talent to heal capillary blood vessels, his eye would have to heal naturally, or at least until he got better help.

The ice user reached up and grabbed my wrist with a surprisingly strong grip. I paused in my work and met Haku's single uncovered eye. “Kill me.” He hissed. By his grimace I guess that the boy's vocal cords had been damaged as well. With my free hand I activated the diagnostic jutsu and laid my palm against Haku's throat. Despite his pleading for me to kill him, Haku tensed when he felt my touch. I couldn't help but smile inwardly at that. Any good shinobi didn't like having their neck exposed, it was a sign of helplessness and defeat.

Withdrawing my hand after scanning the damage, I went back to work wrapping Haku's eye up. It wasn't serious, something more like a sore throat than an internal burn. Haku's grip on my left wrist tightened almost to the point of breaking it. I glared at him, if he didn't let me go I was going to make him seriously regret it. There was only so much touching a jounin could take before their temper snapped.

The boy quelled under my full glare and he released my wrist in a hurry. I might not be able to talk at the moment, but I could easily get my point across with glares.

“I'm useless now...” Haku whispered after a moment of silence. I rolled my eyes and contemplated the consequences of knocking the Ice Princess out. Since Zabuza was a little busy at the moment he might never know, but there was always the risk of Haku tattling on me.

Best not risk it.

“Shutit.” I ground out, not even bothering to enunciate my words clearly. I hated the kid for killing my cousin, but it wasn't Haku that I wanted to kill in revenge. It was Zabuza for taking such an innocent child like Haku and twisting his rare loyalty into something ugly. But if it was that manner of thinking then I couldn't blame Zabuza either, I realized. It was Kirigakure for creating so many monsters like Zabuza, for teaching children that death wasn't just a part of life, it was something to enjoy.

I loathed the Bloody Mist.

Haku started begging, “Jounin-san... please.”

I shook my head. I would not give in to his demands. I refused to kill the child, if only because I didn't want to see my work and efforts to keep him alive go to waste.

“Frizzy-sensei! Haku!” Naruto's joyous yelp sounded from further down the bridge. I shifted to look at my blonde student bounding towards us. Behind him Zabuza followed at a more sedated pace, Kubikiribōchō on his shoulder gleaming red with blood and gore. My summonings were scattered among the dead, feasting upon their reward for helping me. I couldn't suppress the grimace at that. I had always been slightly revolted at the contract I held with my summons: that anytime I called them into battle they got the remains of any flesh left.

My shadow clone was crouching even further back, close to the edge of the bridge where a small lump that no hawk touched laid; I was guessing it was the remains of Gatou. I had given her orders to get something with Gatou's writing for purposes I intended to use later.

A soft scrap of someone's sandal against the rough ground brought my attention back to what was in front of me. Zabuza stared down at me passively, his face bandages splattered with the scarlet blood of his enemies. He glanced at Haku laying beside me, who looked away, then back at me, “I suppose you held up your end.”

I wasn't going to try and ask what he would do if I hadn't.

Instead I looked at Naruto where he knelt beside me and jabbering endlessly to the silent Haku. The kid had seemed to forget that the ice user had killed his teammate, but I wasn't going to point it out to him. I wasn't that cruel.

Placing a hand on the ground, I slowly got to my feet carefully concealing any sign of struggle from Zabuza. We might be allies now, but until I could secure the alliance it would remain unsteady and must be treated as if it were a wild animal. I did not trust Zabuza in the slightest and I could only expect the same regard he had towards me.

Besides, I didn't want that bastard's help.

My shadow clone was coming back towards us. Our eyes met, her red against my black, and she nodded before turning to Naruto, “Hey, bratling, go find Hinata and make sure Tazuna is secure.” Naruto twisted around to stare at the shadow clone then at me standing beside her. I narrowed my eyes at him in a silent threat. Clone Yanagi was still his sensei, just as a copy of me. The brat had better get used to taking orders from my clones just as much as as he took orders from me.

Naruto quickly scrambled to do my bidding, leaving Zabuza and Haku alone. I turned my back on the nuke-nin pair and brushed passed the shadow clone, dismissing her as I went. I had another matter to attend to, and it wasn't a pleasant one. I did not wish for either of my remaining students to be around as I stored Sasuke's body in a storage scroll like he was a common bounty.

The area where Sasuke had died was further back on the bridge, away from where the fighting had taken place. My little cousin laid where Naruto had left him, senbon needles still sticking out of him like some sick attempt at a porcupine. He looked like he was still in pain, his pale face scrunched up and etched with fine red lines from stray needles grazing his skin. I stared down at Sasuke, feeling empty.

Uchiha do not show sadness; they use their grief as a tool to fight. We were the strongest clan in Konoha, we must lead by example. That was what every Uchiha child was taught long before they even entered the Academy. Emotion was a liability and a hindrance. Tears are a sign of weakness. Something Kakashi-nii pounded into my head at an early age; further cementing Uchiha teachings. I never really bothered with it all though. My short temper was an emotion and one I readily applied to almost every situation I came across. I used it to my benefit though, instilling some small level of fear among those I could. On that small foundation I built my entire reputation. I was ruthless, vulgar, quick tempered, and more arrogant that most Uchihas on a good day; and I was proud of that.

I wanted to feel sad that Sasuke was gone forever, but I couldn't. Regret, yes. Regret that I hadn't taught him more to keep him alive. Disappointment in myself for living up to Nii-san's prediction and being a horrible sensei. Anger that I wasn't tearing Zabuza and Haku apart right now for killing the boy. But no grief. I had seen too many children die already, what was one more?

Even if he was my cousin.

Slowly, I knelt by his body and pulled out a premade storage scroll used exactly for this purpose. I had no talent for fuinjutsu, so I relied on other people to make them for me. I mildly wondered if Nekobaa would be sad to know that one of her body storage scrolls was being used on her favorite little Uchiha and if she would be disappointed that Sasuke would never complete that Paw Encyclopedia she always talked about when I visited her.

I unrolled the scroll and laid it down beside Sasuke's corpse. There was no time to ponder useless things. With a gentleness I knew Mikoto-oba would expect, I lifted her dead little boy and laid him on top of the seal's focus point. I sat back and studied him before absently pulling a senbon needle from his shoulder. I knew that his family would not appreciate seeing the weapons that killed him, I should pluck them before sealing Sasuke's body. I reached for the senbons in his neck, feeling that those were the most demeaning. After all, good shinobi didn't like having their neck exposed.

There.

I froze, not sure what the hell I was feeling. Not a heartbeat, Sasuke's heart had long stopped, that was sure of it. But... warmth. Chakra. Life. Like a small ember still clinging to the warmth of flame, determined not to burn out and become a lowly lump of coal. Steady, waiting for that extra push to turn back into a brilliant fire. There was still a chance to save my baby cousin. I was low on chakra, what I gave possibly couldn't help, but if might keep that ember flickering for just a while longer until someone could stroke it alive again.

Screw it.

I laid my palm flat against Sasuke's chest and pushed what remaining chakra I could spare into his coils. It wasn't much, but I felt his heart flutter beneath my fingers like a caged little bird. Good, then he no longer needed help, Sasuke could make it back to us on his own.

Which was excellent, since I was passing out again.

#Script's Archives #sensei fanfic #naruto fanfiction #fanfiction

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