#syl says stupid statements

[whump-in-the-closet]

Raising Chaos.

(Chiar is on his own for the first time)

masterlist.

cw: past character death, blood mention, self loathing, inhuman whumpee

***

Chiar was alone. 

He stood in the field of grass, tall strands brushing against his hands.

The sun beat down without mercy but he kept Syl’s jacket on. It seemed wrong to take it off, despite the blood stains. 

Syl. 

Syl was gone. 

Chiar exhaled, blue shadows swirling out of his mouth, clinging to his skin. 

Syl was dead. 

Chiar's world fell apart around him. Underneath his skin, electricity surged in time with his racing heartbeat. Taking the shape of blue shadows, it warped around him, buzzing quietly. Waiting. 

He hated it. 

He looked down at his hands, at the blue nails and the darker shadows that wrapped around his fingers. 

He hated it. 

The hatred and the sorrow and the pain and the sunshine pounded down on him until Chiar dropped to his knees. The dirt smelled sharply of sunlight and Chair buried his hands in it until he could no longer see the pulsing light. Unlike sunlight, the dirt didn’t burn him. He wished it would.

“Never again,” he said. “Never, never, never, never…” The words didn’t need to make sense. He just needed to say them.

“I don’t want to be this way.” The statement sounded like a plea.  

The grass waved slightly but gave no answer. 

Chiar didn’t feel the tears on his face. No one saw them. No one knew how the cyptid cried silently for what he had lost. He cried with shaking shoulders and bent head, begging for mercy that he had never received. 

He had been human once.

Then he had Syl. And now Syl was gone. 

All he had was the blue light inside him. The pulsing, angry light that burned all it touched. 

“I don’t want it!” Chiar screamed the words. “Take it back!” He doubled over until his forehead touched the dirt. He sobbed into the unforgiving ground. The words were muffled, almost unrecognizable. “I want Syl back.”

There was no answer. 

There was no mercy. Mercy was for humans.

The tears dried on Chiar’s face, but he did not move. Something cold twisted inside him– an idea– forming against the electric burning. 

“I will never use it again.” 

The words sounded stupid and hollow. He repeated them, but that only sounded worse. The intention, however, remained. 

“Never again.” 

Chiar sat upright, taking a deep breath. Blue shadows rose off his skin and deepened to the color of night. The light trembled beneath his skin, burning at him, eating and tearing at his bones. He could feel it. He could always feel it. 

Chiar surged. One last time. 

It burned through him before he released it into the ground. The blue shadows vanished.

He was left feeling empty, Syl’s jacket weighing heavy on his shoulders. 

Chiar had never been more alone. 

taglist: @kira-the-whump-enthusiast, @pigeonwhumps (lmk if you want to be added or removed)

#hey look at that i updated raising chaos #who woulda thought #anyway here you go have some of chiar suffering #my guy chiar #raising chaos #whump writing #cws above the cut

[thepandapopo]

Weak - Sylvix Week Day 2: PDA

Sylvain and Felix embark on the road to becoming a couple in typical Sylvain and Felix fashion – completely backwards and embarrassingly obvious.

OR

Felix is weak for Sylvain.

OR

Four times Sylvain initiates PDA and the one time that Felix does instead.

i.

Felix really should have known better.

He should have known that this joke, this mockery of his pent-up feelings, would become more than a one-off thing. But he is weak; so very weak to Sylvain and even if he could, Felix doesn’t think that he would have put a stop to it anyways because despite all his hissing and cursing, he really is touched starved for the fool.

Yet here they are again, about to ride off into yet another battle – because that’s what war is; just a never ending string of blood and death and loss – and Sylvain is leaning down from atop his warhorse, looking every bit the intimidating Dark Knight that he is with his black armor shining boldly in the afternoon sun, and threading one large hand between the inky strands of Felix’s hair to bring his face closer to his prize.

Felix has lost count how many kisses Sylvain has bestowed upon him in the calm before the storm. It’s a testament to just how many battles they have gone through together, how many wordless promises they have made to each other to come back alive and whole after the blood has finished soaking into the earth beneath their feet.

However, no matter how many times Sylvain brings his warm, soft lips to Felix’s own rough, chapped ones, Felix still feels the strength drain from his legs and all his senses hone in on the heat of lips on lips, sliding easily over each other with practiced movements slicked with spit.

“Come back to me alive, yeah?” The words are murmured so close to him that Felix can feel the brush of Sylvain’s lips even as the hot air escapes between them, flushing both of their faces with soft crimson.

Felix scoffs – a typical Felix response – and that’s more than enough of a promise for Sylvain who straightens back on his horse and gives his lance a practice twirl with a grace that belied his fierce strength.

“I always do. You’re the one who needs to be careful, what with your dismal training regimen.”

And it’s true. Felix always keeps his promise and comes back to Sylvain. After all, he thinks to himself, he still has yet to confess his feelings for his childhood friend and Felix knows, just as he knows that the sky is blue and that Sylvain’s hair is more beautiful than any sunset will ever be, that he will always come home; home to Sylvain.

How else will he get another kiss?

ii.

Felix is weak for Sylvain.

But then again, that was something that Felix had already established early on in his life – even before they had made what Ingrid liked to call their ‘morbid childhood death pact’.

Not many could say that they could annoy the Fraldarius heir to the point of sputtering without making an immediate acquaintance with the sharp end of a blade. Even fewer could get away with initiating physical contact with Felix outside of training, much less casually throwing an entire arm around his shoulders and then proceeding to whine like a child about anything and everything.

But the most telling sign of Felix’s softness towards Sylvain is the fact that the Gautier heir is the only person who is allowed to touch his hair.

“Tilt your head down a little.” A calloused broad hand cradles the back of his head gently and pushes Felix’s forehead to meet the warm muscle of Sylvain’s shoulder. They must make an intimate picture, Felix thinks to himself as he inhales the warm citrusy scent of bergamot and honey that he has come to associate with his childhood friend. They are in Felix’s room behind closed doors and it is still early morning. Were anyone to enter his room, the sight of Sylvain kneeled at the edge of the bed between Felix’s legs with his hands buried in raven locks and Felix with his face in Sylvain’s shoulders would have invited more than a few salacious rumors to the monastery grounds.

“Ow. Be careful.” Felix hisses at the not-so-gentle snag of fingers against a tangle.

“Sorry, Fe.” The puff of hot air grazes the back of his neck and sends shivers down his spine.

In the back of his mind, Felix recognizes that it’s probably a colossally stupid idea to let Sylvain tie his hair up every morning while he is recovering from a broken arm. The fact that the Fraldarius heir allows himself to indulge in their pre-battle kisses is already torture enough; but letting Sylvain run his long fingers through his raven strands to pull and tame them into his customary ponytail?

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Felix’s nights have since gotten more restless.

“Your hair is longer now.”

It’s a plain statement. Neutral grounds in terms of speech, but the sinful way Sylvain tugs his hair, landing a little on the side of deliciously hard, makes the words drip with suggestion and invitation.

Felix must be going crazy if he thinks he can hear anything other than plain, factual observation in Sylvain’s tone. But if it is the madness that conjures images of the Gautier heir yanking his hair to expose the expanse of his neck and suck his claim… then he decides that insanity must not be half bad.

It is both an eternity and not long enough when Sylvain finally announces that he is done with a breathy whisper. Reluctantly, Felix pulls back and reaches his good arm up to pat the neatly tied strands under the pretense of checking Sylvain’s work. If Felix secretly revels in brushing his fingers along the lingering warmth clinging to his hair, then that is his own business.

A familiar strip of leather lays on the desk to the side.

“You didn’t use my normal hair tie.”

Sylvain smiles as him just a little too wide. Wide enough that Felix is suspicious.

“Yeah. I figured it was starting to get really old so I got you a new one.” Sylvain says very matter-of-fact. The sincerity in his voice sends Felix’s heart thumping wildly in his chest and he feels the heat in his cheeks even as he scowls.

“I am perfectly capable of buying my own hair ties.”

As usual, Sylvain is an expert in understanding Felix-speech and simply laughs. You’re welcome rolls off his tongue with ease born from years of enduring harsh words and learning to read the subtext behind barbs.

Even as they walk through the monastery hallways together down to the dining hall, Sylvain rolls with the punches and their conversation doesn’t so much as falter for even a moment, instead slipping into a familiar and achingly comfortable banter that hides years of unspoken emotions.

No one mentions anything about how Sylvain seems to stick more closely to Felix now that his arm is in a sling.

No one mentions the bright Gautier-red leather strip that stands out so glaringly obvious against the dark canvas of Felix’s hair.

No one mentions anything when Felix hands Sylvain that same hair tie the next morning to complete their new morning ritual, the unspoken subtext wrapping soothingly around them as Felix once again bows his head in the only surrender he will ever acquiesce.

I’m yours.

iii.

“Felix!”

Pain. Screaming. Panic. Sylvain.

Where is Sylvain?

“Fe! Fe, stay with me. Don’t you dare die, you stubborn asshole!”

The part of his mind that is still rational and conscious tries to cajole the rest of his body into letting out an indelicate snort, but all that comes out is a wet cough that sends pain and blood spilling out his mouth.

“Mercie? Lin? Marianne? Healer, please, anyone! I need a healer!”

Felix’s arms feel more like dead weight than limbs at this point given the numbness of his extremities, but that doesn’t stop an agonizing lance of pain from shooting through him as he feels his body lifting up and being cradled against a cold metal chest plate.

A low moan manages to slip its way unbidden past his chapped lips.

“I know, Fe.” Warm honeyed words wash over him. Even in his half unconscious and delirious state, Felix can hear the unbridled fear that lurks beneath the forced calm. “You’ll be okay. I’m gonna get you to Mercie and she’ll fix you right up, okay? Stay with me.”

Sylvain’s voice cracks at the end along with Felix’s heart.

He doesn’t like it when Sylvain is in pain.

With herculean effort, Felix manages to pry his eyelids open just enough to look at the underside of Sylvain’s clenched jaw.

Huh. When did he get on a horse?

“Are you… okay?” The words are harder to wheeze out than Felix is comfortable with, but he forces his lungs to work with him because above the pain and fear for his own life looms the overwhelming need to make sure that Sylvain is unhurt.

Otherwise the axe he took to the side would have been for nothing.

Sylvain lets out a choked laugh, “yeah. Yeah, of course I’m alright. Fuck Felix, you shouldn’t have pushed me out of the way like that.”

You should have trained more, is what Felix wants to reply, however his mind and body are no longer working in tandem and somewhere along the line his heart decides to step in instead.

“Don’t…cry, Syl…”

In all their years together, Felix can count on one hand the number of times he has seen Sylvain cry; most of them in their childhood before Glenn dies. The last time Sylvain had allowed his emotions to bubble up to the surface was the day he shoved his lance into Miklan’s chest in an attempt to give him a merciful ending rather than living on as a demonic beast.

But none of those times can compare to the wrecked look and unending rush of tears that are carving their way through the grime and gore on Sylvain’s cheeks.

Felix doesn’t hear the reply that Sylvain gives, but knows that he must have said something given the comforting rumbling he feels against his cheek.

The world is dark now. There is nothing but a large black pool of nothingness and Felix can feel himself slowly sinking down, down into the depths.

He does not know how much time passes, but through the empty void Felix can hear fragments of words from someone he knows is important, but for the world cannot seem to remember.

Stay with me, sweetheart.

Don’t leave me, please. I can’t do this without you.

I love you.

Come back to me, Fe. My heart.

Felix clings to those words and the warmth that they bring. It takes an eternity, and slowly but surely, he manages to pull himself from the darkness and into the light.

When he wakes, he wakes with a full body ache and in the familiar arms of his crush, who apparently is still dripping salty tears on him and refusing to let him go despite Mercedes insisting that he’s fine. Of course that idiot is too busy sniffling to notice that he’s no longer unconscious.

“I told you to stop crying, didn’t I?” Felix croaks, bringing both Mercedes’ and Sylvain’s attention to him.

A new batch of tears well up in his favourite honey brown eyes and piercing relief crumples Sylvain’s expression like a house of cards in the wind.

“Fuck, Felix. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” Sylvain’s voice wobbles as he clutches at Felix just a little tighter, pressing his head to his chest as if trying to hide him away from the world.

The rapid staccato thumping against his cheek stays Felix’s hand and he lets himself (in what is starting to become a concerningly frequent habit) indulge in the physical display of affection, not caring that the rest of the world inside the infirmary can see them.

Right now, there is only Felix, Sylvain, and their beating hearts. And if that’s what Sylvain needs to chase away his fears, then Felix will happily concede because there is nothing that he wouldn’t do to protect Sylvain from the world and his own demons.

iv.

For a person born in the second coldest region of Faerghus, Felix does not do well when the temperature plummets.

Although his regular outfit consists of at least three separate layers - one of which is fur lined, for crying out loud – the cold somehow still manages to seep its way into his bones, rattling his entire core with shivers.

“Shitty night to not have a tent, huh?” Sylvain laughs humorlessly from where he is huddled up beside him, his long legs folded up as close as possible to his chest to conserve heat; his Gautier crest emblazoned cloak is thrown of his shoulders as are two more thin blankets that also cover Felix as well. Their sides are pressed together like two halves of a whole and on a regular day, Felix would have spontaneously ignited at their close proximity, but right now the heat that is radiating off of Sylvain is the only thing that keeps his body from succumbing to the cold. At their backs, Sylvain’s trusty warhorse acts as a third source of heat and also as a sturdy wall to lean against.

“Fucking bandits just had to torch our shit.” If they weren’t already lying six feet under buried in a shoddy, half assed grave, Felix would have personally saw to it that every single one of them died a horrible and painful death by his blade.

All around them their friends and comrades sat in huddled pairs, much like him and Sylvain. The sad, dismal fire they had managed to start did little to stave off the chill, but when literally everything around you is wet with sleet, it is already a small miracle that there is any fire at all.

“At least we’re together and alive though, right?” Sylvain smiles at him and it’s the small genuine one that Felix recognizes is specially for him; the one where burnt sienna glows molten and the corners of his eye crinkle with rarely used crow’s feet. “It was a pretty nasty ambush and we’re honestly pretty lucky that we had a small enough unit to quickly mobilize and pivot.”

Felix scoffs but it comes out as more of a pathetic chattering of teeth.

He doesn’t know when it happens, but he and Sylvain have become closer over the last few weeks. Close enough that Sylvain’s eyes no longer hold a shadow of doubt whenever he leans in for his pre-battle kiss, as if he now knows that Felix will give into him even as obligatory protests escape his lips. Close enough that Sylvain doesn’t even ask for permission anymore, but instead just silently reaches over to play with stray locks of hair that have escaped his updo after a long day.

Close enough that Sylvain now just takes whatever he wants from Felix because there is a mutual, silent understanding that no matter how much Felix protests, Sylvain just needs to look into his golden irises and find all the consent he needs from there.

“Come here, Fe.”

Felix often forgets that despite his awful training schedule, Sylvain is still a soldier through and through and is much stronger than Felix thinks. Such strength Sylvain currently demonstrates as he is quickly lifted like he is no more than a sack of potatoes, and gently deposited in a very warm lap.

If it weren’t for the cold, Felix would have run his childhood friend through with a sword for his audacity.

Of course, it’s only because of the darned cold that Felix’s hands slip under the outer layer of Sylvain’s armor to fist themselves in the fabric of his undershirt.

And it’s only because of the darned cold that Felix instinctively cuddles up to the human furnace next to him and presses his nose into the warm divot at the base of Sylvain’s throat, causing the older man to shiver at the hot puffs of air against his neck.

Yes. It’s only because of the darned cold.

“Better?” Sylvain’s voice is rough even as his words smooth over Felix like a balm. The one hand that isn’t curled around Felix’s back and supporting him reaches over to pull the two blankets around them so that they are swaddled in a little cocoon of warmth, leaving only their heads visible above the swathes of fabric.

Although a large part of his brain is screaming that this is wrong, dangerous, and too close; Felix cannot stop his body from betraying him as the shivers slowly subside and he begins to melt into Sylvain. Underneath the blankets and hidden away from the world, a gloved hand moves to settle near his upper thigh and rubs hot little circles that sends heat of a different kind flushing through him.

It’s unfair how his heart and body have decided to stage a mutiny against his mind.

Fuck Sylvain and his stupidly beautiful smile and his stupid velvet voice.

“Yeah.” Felix mutters, squeezing his eyes tight against the orange glow of the fire.

He practices counting his breaths using the meditation technique Glenn taught him back when he was only ten years old and manages to wrangle his heartrate into less of a sprint and more of a steady gallop. Whether Sylvain notices or not, he makes no indication that he can feel Felix’s heart trying to escape his chest, though Felix is pretty sure he can tell based on their proximity.

Instead, Sylvain lets his body curl loosely around Felix’s until his chin rests on the crown of midnight hair, barely disturbing the tresses even as his breath evens out and he falls to the persistent clutches of sleep.

Of course, it’s because of the darned cold that eventually Felix also lets himself be dragged under into dreams of memories long past when he never used to be fear being touched.

v.

It was quite well known that Margrave Gautier was not a patient man.

It has not even been three moons since the fall of Enbarr when a letter arrives at the Fhirdiad castle sealed shut with ink the color of crimson and emblazoned with the Gautier crest.

“Father wants me to return home to meet a potential suitor.”

The teacup clatters loudly against the table, spilling Almyran pine over the dainty white tablecloth. In the pits of his stomach, Felix can feel the claws of jealousy and anger sink into his gut and travel up into his throat.

Perhaps it is because his mind is still in a daze trying to process the fact that the war is finally over, or maybe it is because Felix is half delirious from lack of sleep (no one had told him how much more exhausting cleaning up after a war would be than actually fighting it) that the words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them.

“I��ll go with you.”

And fuck if Sylvain doesn’t light up like he was just told it’s his birthday, the millennium festival, and Valentines day all in one.

Felix is weak for Sylvain.

No matter how many times Felix repeats it in his mind, that statement has gone far beyond simple fact now into the realm of absolute truth. And it is exactly because it is an absolute truth that Felix rides with Sylvain non stop through the night all the way back to Gautier castle, and it is because it is an absolute truth that Felix finds himself eavesdropping outside the large oaken doors leading to Margrave Gautier’s study where he is introducing some noble girl to Sylvain who looks like he would rather be anywhere else.

“Olivia here is the daughter of a minor lord from the Gideon territory. Their family has done well with managing their lands and they have also made a name for themselves through the war.”

The margrave prattles on, completely ignoring the increasingly uncomfortable look on Sylvain’s face even as he tries his best to plaster on his signature fake smile.

From his position, Felix can only see Sylvain and his father through the tiny gap where the door sits ajar, but thankfully he does not need to strain to hear the conversation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Gautier.”

Of course her voice sounds like wind chimes. She’s also probably fucking beautiful too given the Margrave’s tastes. It makes Felix want to dry heave just listening to this and he can’t imagine how Sylvain must feel having lived this exact situation hundreds of times.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Sylvain replies without missing a beat even though his voice comes out a bit strangled.

“The war has been rather unfortunate with our people and crops this year, but Olivia’s father has mentioned that their lands have an overabundance of yield that he has agreed to share with us should the wedding take place before the first snowfall.”

“What?” For the first time, Sylvain’s mask falters and there is an abject look of horror in his eyes.

“Preparations will need to be made immediately, but –“

“Father, this is too sudden. I cannot –“

“You will hold your tongue and stay silent. I have given you time to find your own wife, but you have done nothing but squander my generosity. This is no longer a choice you get to make.” Venom coats his words and the poison seeps into Sylvain’s veins as his mind automatically falls back to the terrified little boy who could never disobey his father.

Sylvain is pale and shaking, his eyes darting around frantically looking for, at the very least, a physical escape from this hell that he has walked into.

“As I was saying, preparations will need to be made immediately. I have already sent for a caravan to retrieve the dowry, but when it arrives, you will need to accompany them to ensure that they return safely. I expect that you will inform his highness of your engagement prior to your departure so that he has ample time to ensure his attendance.”

“I… no – this… I don’t…”

“Shut up, boy. I am your father and you will do as I say.”

“Like fucking hell he will.”

The door slams loudly against the wall and all three occupants jump at the sound. They whip around to stare in various expressions of shock as Felix stomps up to them burning with a fury that he has never felt before.

His heart is pounding out of his chest like it wants to escape, but the only thing Felix can focus on right now is trying to stifle the overwhelming urge to draw his sword and cut down the Margrave where he stands.

“Fraldarius.” Like the reptile that he is, Margrave Gautier hisses his surname and spits it out like venom.

“That’s Duke Fraldarius to you.”

Sylvain chokes on his own spit.

“Duke Fraldarius-” ugh, just hearing his voice makes Felix’s hand twitch for the hilt of his sword. “-I would implore you to keep your nose out of business that isn’t yours. This is highly improper to interrupt-“

“I don’t fucking care if it’s improper.” Shifting slightly, Felix positions himself closer to Sylvain while engaging in a stare down with his father. Eye contact be damned, Felix will not let himself lose this silent battle of wills even though all he wants to do is look away. “Sylvain is not marrying this girl.”

“Oh? You dare to come to my home and tell me what I can and cannot do with my son?”

His blood is boiling and images flash across his mind, filling his head with memories of a younger Sylvain looking so scared and sad every time the summers came to a close and he has to return home.

No. Never again. Felix will never let Sylvain go back to a life where he is shackled and beaten into submission by a family that only conditionally tolerates him and uses him for their own benefit.

“Sylvain is not marrying this girl,” Felix repeats adamantly.

“And why not?”

This is the moment.

Felix can feel the tension in the air; he can feel the Margrave’s furious and challenging glare on him, daring him to speak and make a fool of himself; he can feel Sylvain standing rigidly next to him, barely a hair breadth’s away watching with wide, fearful eyes (Nonono Fe, stop it please, I can’t let him hurt you too. Never you).

It might be 26 years late, but Felix finally figures out how he can give Sylvain the home that he has always deserved.

“Because…”

Confidence blooms in his chest and Felix is proud when the gloved hand he extends to tangle in the collar of Sylvain’s jacket does not shake nor tremble under the weight of what he is about to do.

“…he’s mine.”

Felix yanks and tilts his head up to catch Sylvain’s lips as he stumbles forward, their noses slotting against each other like two puzzle pieces and their lips meeting in the same practiced way they’ve done hundreds of times.

The kiss lasts only for a moment, but when they part, Sylvain is gasping for breath like Felix has stolen all the air from his lungs. Honey brown irises are nearly eclipsed by blown out pupils and the strong jaw that Felix so desperately wants to nibble is hanging agape in shock.

Felix doesn’t wait around for the aftermath of his actions. Immediately locking his fingers with Sylvain’s, his cloak flutters around him as he spins on his heels and proceeds to walk out the door with a shell-shocked Gautier in tow.

Later, it occurs to Felix that he didn’t even spare a look at the girl, so he will never really be able to confirm whether or not she was beautiful.

Not that it matters.

Right now, as Felix makes a beeline for his guest room to retrieve his belongings, the only thing that matters is getting Sylvain out of this wretched place and back to Fraldarius where he will never have to deal with that pathetic excuse of a father ever again.

“Felix, wait. Felix!” Sylvain tugs on his hand forcing him to turn around when they are finally behind the safety of closed doors. “Holy shit. What the… holy shit.” Reluctantly, Sylvain releases Felix and instead settles one hand in his own hair, tugging on it as if trying to ground himself with the pain.

“Go pack your things, Sylvain. You’re not staying here with that pathetic waste of space anymore.”

“What? But where are we going?”

For the first time in years, Felix allows the walls around his heart to come down as he looks as Sylvain. He has wasted too much time already punishing himself by depriving himself of the one thing he thought he could never have, but after five years at war with only stolen moments to motivate and push him towards survival, Felix would be a fool to ignore this bond between them any longer.

“What do you mean, where are we going? We’re going home, idiot. Back to Fraldarius.”

Sylvain freezes for a second as if he has misheard, but when auburn eyes detect no hint of a lie, the smile that blooms on his face is one that Felix has never seen before. It is radiant and genuine and everything beautiful that Felix knows is Sylvain.

And just like that, Felix is falling for him all over again.

“Hey Fe?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“…I love you too, you idiot. Now go pack.”

 BONUS:

Halfway to Fraldarius territory, Sylvain hums thoughtfully and turns to his now-boyfriend.

“Hey Fe?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I be your trophy husband?”

“Shut up.”

#sylvixweek2020 #sylvix #sylvain x felix #felix x sylvain #sylvain jose gautier #felix hugo fraldarius #margrave gautier #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fire emblem 3 houses #fanfiction #popo writes #pda #prompts #day 2 #4 + 1 fic #angst #fluff #pining #all the good shit

[mystery-star]

Threshold of Space - Chapter 14 In the Name of Science

Pairing: Spock x OC

Warnings: mentions of abduction, torture, swearing

Words:  6144

All Parts: 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 |  Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know!

Please do not repost my work on other sites or platforms!

-

The place they had to go turned out to be a huge concrete building that reminded Carissa of a bunker. She swallowed as they got out of the shuttle to have a look at the area around it, their tricorders at the ready. They even found three phasers in the shuttle which they distributed too. Since Theodore had thought it was better if one of them remained in Geneva, just for the chance Spock still was there, each of the cadets received a weapon. The group split up in teams of two to check out everything around them, then met fifteen minutes later for a short report.

“I think we’ve done our job. Let us file up a report for Starfleet until they arrive” the instructor said

“Shouldn’t we at least try to find a way to go inside to see what’s awaiting them there? Or that they at least know how to get in?”

“Alright that makes sense” he nodded “But you are only cadets. You shouldn’t forget that before you do something stupid” Carissa looked at him

“Are you saying that we shouldn’t go inside?”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’m responsible for you and I can’t let you go in there alone” she sighed

“Okay. If I find a way to get in there, I will do it. You can accompany me. But I will go in there if I get the chance”

“Okay” the instructor agreed.

“Are we getting bonus points if we come with you?” Richard asked.

“No. And you also won’t ‘lose points’ if you decide to stay here. This has got nothing to do with your tryout. Which doesn’t mean that I’m not responsible for you”

“Okay, I think it’s better if someone stays here, at the shuttle. Maybe we need to leave quickly”

“That makes sense” Syl said “I will be wherever you need me”

“I suppose you come with us right now and each of us should try their luck at one of the different entrances. Then we meet again and discuss what to do” the instructor decided and went back to the shuttle to get communicators for both of the cadets. “Just whatever you do, don’t go inside there alone”

“Okay” they both agreed and then went to their respective entrance. All that happened at Carissa’s place was that two people left the building, but no one entered. Then suddenly Syl contacted her, saying that she had seen someone enter and that Carissa should come to her place. They met and Syl told them about her discovery: as it seemed, a code was needed to open the doors and she had recorded it. “Maybe we should wait until someone else enters to see if it’s just one code or if each person has a different one. Maybe this also works with fingerprint sensors” Carissa said. “In the meantime we can try to make a plan to get in there”

“Are you sure that you want to do this?”

“Yes”

“You know that we have no idea what would happen if they discover us?”

“I know” she said and looked at her fellow cadet “It’s your decision if you want to come or stay”

“As I said, I will do what you need me to do. Wait, there is someone entering” they all turned to the door and tried to record the woman as she typed in a code

“It’s the same one” the instructor decided “But we still don’t know if this works with fingerprints”

“Then let’s go and smuggle us inside as well” Carissa decided, getting up. “Together we can overpower her” she looked at Syl

“Could you stay here at the moment and warn us if you see someone coming?”

“Of course” then she hurried towards the entrance and slipped in just before the door closed. When she turned around she saw that the instructor had not made it inside. She let out a curse under her breath and waited until the woman she had seen enter was out of earshot before she took out her communicator to contact him. But she quickly discovered that there was no signal. She bit her lip. Maybe she could try and open the door to let him in? However, she discovered that she probably couldn’t because you needed to type in a code and she recognized a fingerprint sensor that time. Which meant she had to wait until someone wanted to leave.  And if she was already here, she could use the time to have a short look around. She left the entrance area and walked along the corridor, using her tricorder to warn her about anyone approaching. Not too much later that happened and a man in a lab-coat crossed her path. She hid around the corner, her phaser set to stun and at the ready. When he passed her she followed him in secure distance and saw him enter a room after typing a code. Luckily, she was quick enough to record it. Since the man wasn’t wearing lab clothes anymore, she guessed that he obviously intended to leave and she followed him to the entrance and watched him type a code into the device scan his hand. Just before the door opened, she stunned him. Outside she saw the instructor who instantly entered once the door was opened enough.

“What have you been thinking?” he asked.

“I didn’t know you wouldn’t make it” she defended herself. “But I made out a changing room. I’m sure we’d find something to put on there. And as you might have discovered yourself, there’s no signal in here”

“Yes, I know that. I suppose we had best got to the changing room and put on a disguise” she nodded and went to the door, typing in the code.

“I am pretty sure there is system with the codes. They all have nine numbers. The first three are always 257. The second triple was either 149 or 941. And the third one were always numbers like 000 and 001. I bet that each room has like its own number and easy codes are used.”

“That makes sense. The second triple could be whether you enter or leave a room?”

“I guess so” she nodded as they both took a lab coat and when they tried to leave Carissa saw a floor plan with different colored areas and each room had a number. “Look, do you think the first triple of the codes chances when you are in another zone? And the room number is the last one”

“Probably” he replied, studying it.

“We should take a photo of it and make notes. Not that we’re not able to leave in the end” before she had finished speaking she did exactly that and they went back into the corridor. “Where should we go now?” she had a look at the photo “Hey that over there looks like cells… maybe we should try there. I mean, if they really have Spock, he probably will be there”

“Of course. Good thinking” he studied the plan as well. “Blue area. That means there is probably another code. And if we get it wrong it can happen that we sound an alarm. Because this looks like a lab where they do illegal experiments” although the thought had crossed her mind before she swallowed and felt her heart sink.

“Do-do you think he’s alright?”

“Commander Spock? I honestly don’t know. But I hope so”

“Maybe there are other prisoners as well which we could free too?”

“Or we’ll leave that to Starfleet. I think the building would need to be stormed for that. But we probably can smuggle one person out” suddenly Carissa remembered the man she had stunned.

“Shit. If he wakes up, he’ll know someone is here”

“Good, alright, we need to lock him up somewhere or get him out”

“We could get him out and have Syl watch him. Then we just need to stun another worker to have someone’s fingerprints that we can leave when we’re done”

“Okay, let’s go” he nodded and helped her open the door by pressing the man’s palm onto the scanner after Carissa had typed the code. As soon as the doors opened, the instructor contacted Syl to let her know what she had to do and entered before the door closed again and locked them out.

“Alright, now we can go find the cells” they walked in silence, when suddenly someone caught up with them

“Bon soirée”

“Fuck” Carissa muttered. She could only speak about one word French.

“Salut” the instructor said and smiled. Carissa tried to hide the PADD behind his back to start the translator on it, putting it to mute, that she could at least read what their collocutor said. Just in that moment he started talking what translated into ‘Have you seen our new addition?’ she only shook her head. The instructor looked at her questioningly and she only gave a shrug. Again the laborer said something, this time ‘You should go and have a look’. She gave a shrug. ‘Is something wrong?’ her PADD translated the next statement. This time she shook her head and quickly typed something into her PADD, made sure it was translated and then unmuted it to have the man listen because she didn’t want to show him the PADD

“I’m sorry, I’m hoarse and my voice doesn’t work. We would like to see this addition. Where can we find it?” according to her PADD he hoped she’d be better soon and gave her a room number

“Merci” she croaked out and waved goodbye.

“What was this all about?” The instructor asked

“He asked if we had seen their new addition and if we’d like to go and have a look. I’m quite sure I know what he means by that ‘addition’.”

“The Commander”

“Yes. I even got a room number” she retrieved their plan and searched a little before she found it. “There. This lab. We just don’t know the code…”

“We’ll find a solution”

“Maybe we could go and get Cadet Syl and then one of us pretends she’s our alien prisoner from Starfleet who was sent to rescue Spock… but we captured her. Then only one of us should go back and then we pretend that we can’t type the code because she’s struggling to get free? We could also go to the cells with her because they’re in the blue area as well…”

“I suggest that this should be our emergency plan. Maybe we’ll meet someone who goes to the lab anyway. Or we can figure the code out”

“Let’s hope so” she muttered as she put her PADD away and they continued their way. No one was around the lab so they had no choice but to use the PADD to find clues to the code. “It looks like the first triple is 381. But I should go and check this with other doors” so she held the PADD against other doors and her assumption turned out to be wrong “No, it’s 387” she decided and went back to the lab. “Doesn’t look like it’s got fingerprint sensors on the keys either… Let’s try this” she took out her phaser, just in case she was wrong and an alarm would sound. But her worries were for nothing, the code 387 149 021 worked perfectly well and the door swung open “Ha” she turned around to grin at the instructor before she hurried into the room, hoping to find her boyfriend. Then she saw him, restrained against a stretcher and she ran the last few feet until she was beside him. For a second she stared at him, then tore away the infusion on his arm and undid the bonds. “Spock” she whispered, cupping his face after she pushed some bangs out of his face, not even caring that the instructor probably was watching her. Her boyfriend didn’t react and she instantly searched for his pulse. It was there, faintly but she wasn’t too sure if that was normal for Vulcans. She placed a hand over his heart which seemed to beat normally. He was also breathing fine and a sigh of relief left her mouth before she took his hand to press a kiss to it “Please wake up. You’d do us a favor” she turned to the instructor behind her. “We’ve got to get him out of here. How are we supposed to do this? He can’t walk, so even if we disguise him, they’ll know something is wrong…”

“We could pretend he has to be brought to his cell”

“What if someone catches us near the exit? Our lie will be obvious then”

“Right…”

“I’ve got something. We disguise him and when we’re caught, we claim that Spock has escaped somehow and attacked our colleague” she pointed at Spock “and now we need to get him out as quickly as possible”

“That could work. But we’d have to learn to say it in French”

“Oh shit” she took out her PADD “Well, let’s do this…” she started the translation program again “What could have happened? Ah. ‘Our new subject has escaped and attacked him. He went that way’” she looked at the instructor “and then you say: ‘We need to get him to the hospital. Go get this bastard’ in French. Maybe we’re lucky and Spock will come around earlier and we don’t even have to do this…Ah no wait… I’ve got a better idea. We just claim that he’s got unconscious and hit his head. Then you say that he should go to the hospital. I mean, then hell won’t broke loose because they need to find an escaped prisoner” the instructor agreed to the second idea and soon she listened to the translation and practiced saying it a couple of times before it sounded almost like the original. “That has to be good enough. Now you. We can only hope they won’t ask us anything else” while the instructor practiced his part, she went looking around for something they could use to hide Spock’s hair and ears.

“Good, I think I’m ready” he said “If they ask something or try to help we’ll just have to tell them that we need to go to a hospital again”

“Right” she glanced at her unconscious boyfriend “What are we gonna do about his ears? I feel like anything we do will be suspicious…”

“We could just get him a lab coat and rip off a piece which we press against his head and when others come we just pretend he’s bleeding?”

“That could work”

“But his hair still looks…. I don’t know unhuman” she smirked

“Give me a second” she started tousling his hair in all direction, hoping it would make him look less serious.

“What are you doing? I don’t think you should…”

“I’ve done it before” she mumbled and removed her hand to have a look at the mess on his head “Yeah that looks much better” she grinned and was doing everything to hold herself back from taking a photo. The instructor came back with another lab coat and they had to work together to put it on. Then they had to get the Vulcan off the stretcher what was even more difficult and Carissa doubted they’d be able to carry him to the shuttle like this. “I was thinking that if we see only one person we should stun them. But if there are more we need to tell our little story. If we do get caught, we will need to leave as quickly as possible” she said “Maybe we should contact Syl and Richard as soon as we get out that they shall prepare everything for our departure.”

“Yes, we should. And if there’s no other way, we leave him behind to save ourselves” Carissa swallowed. But she knew he was right, it was what Spock would want her to do. Before they left, she quickly grabbed the infusion bag and stuffed it in her coat. She had to know what was inside, maybe they could even analyze it before they got him into a hospital so that they had an antidote quicker if necessary “Ready?” the instructor asked as each of them had one of Spock’s arms around their shoulders. She gave a nod and they started walking. To distract herself, Carissa tried to find out what her boyfriend would say if he knew they were dragging him outside. He definitely wouldn’t like it. Unfortunately, they did come across two people, but they were alone so it was enough to stun them and continue a bit quicker that they’d be gone before they came round. Somehow Carissa couldn’t believe that they made it to the exit without being noticed and she was sure that something was bound to happen but then they were already outside and the instructor contacted Richard to tell him to get everything ready before letting Syl know they were coming back and had to leave. The cadet came towards them to help them carry Spock and they quickly reached the shuttle where the instructor was getting ready for launch while the two females secured Spock in a seat. When no one was looking, she pressed a quick kiss to his hair.

“Everything will be fine” she promised before they had to take a seat as well for the departure. “Where do you think the closest hospital is? I mean we shouldn’t take him to the closest one but not too far either”

“Lyon should be quite close. I’m sure they have a good hospital” Richard said.

“Good” the instructor agreed and entered the coordinates. “We should be arriving in half an hour”

“Okay” Carissa nodded and got up once it was safe enough to do so because she wanted to analyze the infusion. “Sorry rocks” she mumbled as she tipped them out of the container they were in now

“What are you doing?” Richard protested “That are my rocks”

“I know. We need the jar to examine this” she held up the infusion bag

“What’s this?”

“I don’t know but they were giving him an infusion with that. We should find out what it is”

“Can’t the people at the hospital do this?”

“Sure but we got the instruments to do so too. And it’s better to save time that we don’t risk anything” she glanced at Spock, now getting worried that he still hadn’t woken up. “Hey uh… could someone who has a bit more of a plan with medicine check up on him?”

“I’m not that bad… but I have no idea what results are normal for him”

“Just tell me what you measure and I’ll try to tell you what I think”

“How would you want to know if this is good or bad?”

“I just do. Usually you don’t question my knowledge either”

“I’m just wondering how you can have learned that much about Vulcans”

“Just check up on him, please?”

“Okay, okay” he got up “You could almost mean you’d actually care about him” it felt like a pang to her chest. Did really no one else care about him?

“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t you care?” she hissed

“Well he was my professor, it’s not like I know him any better. But oh right wait, you’re friends, aren’t you?”

“Yes we are” she replied “Which is why I will do anything that is necessary to save him”

-oO0Oo-

When they arrived at the hospital they stayed in the waiting area to hear how he was doing. It felt like hours passed until a nurse came to tell them that Spock was alright and probably would wake up in the course of the night.

“Can I go and see him?” Carissa asked

“I am not sure eef one of ‘is cadets is something ‘e can need right now”

“But…” she paused “I’m his girlfriend” she whispered and glanced at the man in front of her “Please, I just want to go and check on him, then I can leave. I understand if you don’t want people to stay here overnight”

“It is allowed. For family and friends”

“So does this count?” he nodded

“You can go to ‘im” she gave a nod and thanked him.

“Okay uh… I think I’ll spend the night here. You can go back to the shuttle and finish your experiments”

“What about you? What about the assignment?”

“I honestly don’t care about this anymore. I just want to stay with him and make sure he’s fine” they stared at her and the instructor asked if she was sure “Yes, I’m sure. Maybe it’s better for the doctors too, it’s likely that we know more about Vulcans than they do… You can come and pick me up in the morning. I’ll try to finish my experiment on the way home” she knew that she probably would have been expected to continue her work like nothing had happened but she knew herself that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate until she had seen with her own eyes that her boyfriend was alright. The other cadets said goodbye and left while Carissa was led to the Vulcan’s room. She dragged a chair beside his bed, took a seat and gently took his hand. For a while she just sat there in silence before she leaned over him, trying to adjust his hair a little “There we go that looks more like you” she chuckled and kissed his forehead. Then she started telling him about the tryout and what she had been doing before they went to search for him. Suddenly she felt a slight squeeze on her hand and she shot up, instantly looking at his face and saw his eyes fluttering.  “Hey” she greeted, placing a hand on his cheek. She heard him mumble something and she couldn’t say if it was something Vulcan or if she just didn’t hear it properly. “How-how are you?” he slowly closed his eyes again before he managed to keep them open. He only looked at her “Okay, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to or can’t… just can you… I don’t know… nod or wink twice if you’re in pain?”

“N-no I am not” he mumbled. Letting out a breath of relief, she stroked his hair “I cannot recall every incident that occurred”

“Oh well… I guess that’s normal. Maybe you’ll remember later on. I mean you only just woke up. Give it some time”

“There is no time” he tried to sit up.

“Hey, shh.” She placed a hand on his chest to prevent him from sitting up further.

“This is important” he insisted “Carissa, I need you to inform the healers about the substance they…”

“They know” Carissa said “When we got you out, I took the infusion with me and I analyzed it on the way here. You’ve already received an antidote to this little torture liquid…” he blinked, obviously in surprise.

“Who are you referring to by the pronoun ‘we’?”

“My group and I. Well, actually it only was the instructor and I who went inside this lab. Syl and Richard waited outside and Theodore stayed in Geneva” there was a slight frown on his face.

“Have you risked your life on my account?”

“Oh great, I shouldn’t have told you” she muttered before he started his lecture about how dangerous this had been. She pressed a finger to his lips “Shh. You can scold me later on. I know what I did was dangerous, illogical and only based on feelings. But you need to rest now, okay?”

“Would you tell me how you were able to free me?” she pursed her lips.

“That’s quite a long story. What about a deal? I start telling you how we noticed you were in trouble and then you try to get some sleep and I tell you the rest tomorrow”

“If my suggestion is correct it is already the next day. Do you have an idea about how long I have been held captive?”

“Oh uh… I suppose you were attacked sometime before 8 PM yesterday. And we arrived at hospital at around 0230 in the morning, and the way from this lab here was about half an hour. So yeah, that’s about it. Though I believe they needed some time to get you to this lab, maybe an hour or a little more. Depends on which kind of transport they used. One thing is for sure, it was floor transportation”

“Then my calculations have been only slightly off” she smiled but soon got serious again

“Did they hurt you?”

“I suppose not”

“What-what did they do to you?”

“I cannot answer this question for certain either. However, I do believe you are more informed than I am since you have seen more of the place where I have been held captive”

“Oh right… it looked like some prison or science lab. I’m quite sure they wanted to do some experiments in the morning”

“That is what I supposed as well” she gave a nod and sat down on the edge of his bed, placing a hand on his cheek. “Did you inform Starfleet about the incidents?”

“Of course. We did that before we went to Geneva to see where you are… But I think it’s better if I tell you everything from the beginning” just when she was at the part where they tried to find traces of a fight on the way to the restaurant, she heard a voice from outside

“What’s that supposed to mean, I’m not authorized to see him? I’m a doctor, damn it” the door opened and Leonard entered the room. “Carissa, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your friends at the tryout?”

“I uh… they went back to wherever we were to finish their stuff”

“Was I the reason you chose to stay behind?”

“Yes” she admitted. Jim appeared at Leonard’s side and glanced at Spock.

“Glad to see you up and about”

“Seeing that I am in a bed you cannot judge my wellbeing in that way”

“Oh he is well” Leonard mumbled and came closer to the bed “Nevertheless, I will examine you properly.” Spock tried to stop him, claiming that the personal of the hospital must have done it before. “Hush. You just said yourself that we can’t know you’re okay” it was obvious that the Vulcan wasn’t pleased but he let it happen after the doctor helped him sit up upon Spock’s request. “And now you” he told Carissa

“What? Me? Why?”

“We have heard that you went into that lab… we need to make sure you’re alright”

“I am alright. Nothing has happened to me” she protested.

“This doesn’t change anything. I’m going to examine you, even if I have to knock you out first”

“I will not let you do such a thing” her boyfriend said sternly “But the doctor is right. You should undergo an examination” she sighed

“You’re not leaving me a chance, are you?”

“Nope”

“Then get over with it” she mumbled as she took a seat on the chair again that he could examine her.

“What happened?” Jim asked

“Quite a lot. I’ve already told Spock a part of it but I can sum up the beginning. You can read the rest in my report”

“Your report?” Jim asked

“Uh yes. I suppose I need to do one, right?”

“Actually, this will be the task of your instructor. At least if he was with you all the time”

“Yeah, he was”

“Good. Then you needn’t bother about it. Although I truly appreciate your willingness to take responsibility.”

“Thank you.” Carissa said and quickly summed up what happened before they went to Geneva and then told them what happened afterwards.

“Damn it, I want you on my ship even more” Jim muttered.

“But I probably won’t pass this tryout… I mean I neglected my task and didn’t finish”

“Technically, you collected your stuff, made an analysis in the shuttle and as long as you continue the work aboard the Enterprise when you’re back you did everything that was requested…”

“What analysis? I didn’t finish it”

“I’m not talking about the one on the bugs…” Jim said “You successfully completed one on the infusion they gave Spock though. Hell, you even found the right antidote. And you still got the way back to San Francisco to have a look at your bugs if you really want”

“Oh, I haven’t thought about it that way… what about the fact that I chose staying with Spock over the task?”

“As the Captain has declared, you have completed all of your tasks that were supposed to be finished in Europe prior to your decision. After all you have been informed that you are free to do something of your choice once you have done the assigned tasks”

“Yeah and it’s better you stayed, just imagine something had been wrong with him and the healers would have had no idea what to do because they’ve got no inkling about Vulcans…” Carissa smiled

“You’re not just saying this because… well I’m a friend and all?”

“Hell no. You completed your tasks. That is a fact. Besides, you fucking led the whole rescue mission! Don’t try to deny it, from what I heard, almost everything that was decided was your idea”

“But I should have listened to the instructor… I mean I probably shouldn’t have asked him before I did stuff”

“No. This was an emergency. And as you know, in an emergency every second can count. Why are you always thinking so badly of yourself? You should know that what you did is right because otherwise you wouldn’t have done it. You’re just incapable of doing something if you know it’s wrong. That’s probably one of the reasons that you’re able to put up with our favorite hobgoblin” Leonard explained. A nurse entered and gasped, saying something in French that sounded quite upset.

“Uh what was that?” Jim asked “Do you speak English?”

“What are you doing ‘ere? Ze patient needs silence”

“Excuse me but I’m a doctor” Leonard said

“’e needs silence” the nurse repeated. Jim tried to protest too, whereupon the nurse allowed one of them to stay.

“I guess I definitely should leave” Carissa said “You probably need to discuss something anyways” she looked at Jim “Besides I’ve been with him before. It wouldn’t be fair of me to stay longer. You’re his friends too”

“Don’t you think Spock should chose who he wants to stay?” Leonard said

“Oh come on, you’re only saying that because you know he can only choose you, being a doctor and all” Jim protested.

“As a matter of fact, there is nothing doctor McCoy could do for me. Therefore, his presence is unnecessary”

“Ha” Jim said as he crossed his arms. Carissa nodded and got up

“I’ll be in the waiting room” she said as she kissed Spock’s forehead. “I’m just glad you’re fine” he took her hand in his

“I would prefer if you remained with me”

“Really? Me? You want me to stay?” she asked unbelievingly.

“Yeah that’s what he said” Jim said “Well have fun spending the night on that chair. We’ll get us a nice hotel. Or is there anything you need, Spock?” the Vulcan expressed his wish to be transferred to San Francisco in the morning

“I’ll see what I can do” Leonard promised.

-oO0Oo-

As promised, Carissa’s group came to pick her up in the morning. As it seemed, Leonard had managed to persuade the doctors that Spock should be brought back to America as soon as possible because he was allowed to leave with them. However, he did not like that the instructor tried to help him walk to the shuttle

“Lieutenant, I assure you that I am perfectly able to walk without your assistance” behind them, Carissa grinned.

“I was told to take care of you”

“That is something I can do on my own as well” she was quite sure that that instructor rolled his eyes but he nodded. However, their fight continued when they reached the shuttle. Namely, when Spock took a seat at the front to steer the shuttle

“What are you doing? You’re on sick leave, you can’t fly this thing”

“My condition does not compromise my abilities to fly the shuttlecraft”

“That’s not what I meant. You really shouldn’t do it. What if you… I don’t know faint or whatever?” Spock only glanced at him and Carissa was able to imagine his mien. She walked past them and took a seat.

“I don’t believe it” Richard muttered “We saved his life and all he cares about is flying that damn thing that he could kill us all!” Carissa looked at him, then pointed at her ear before nodding her head towards the front where Spock sat, to warn her classmate that he could hear him. Richard only shrugged “I don’t care. That ungrateful snob can hear me, he didn’t even thank us.” Carissa shrugged and let out a sigh, not wanting to start another fight because the instructor had just threatened Spock to forcefully remove him from the chair if he didn’t leave right now, to which Spock only replied that this would be an attack on a superior. Finally, she had enough and got up

“Lieutenant, if the Commander won’t help you, you will fly it on your own, is that correct? So I don’t think it makes a difference if he helps you or not. If something happens you can still do it on your own” they both looked at her

“It’s not like I don’t want his help… but he officially is on sick leave and if something happens, I can be held responsible”

“That is no entirely correct. Responsibility always resides in the highest ranking officer, which I am, thus I will take full responsibility should something happen”

“And of what use is this if you get us all killed?”

“Lieutenant, I think neither of us will be able to change his mind, so we’d best accept it and get going. Unless you want to remove him with force and become guilty of an offence” she crossed her arms as she looked at both of them sternly.

“Cadet Wiley is correct and I can assure that in the highly improbable case I should become aware that I will not be able to fly the shuttlecraft anymore I will dedicate the full command to you”

“There we go” Carissa said as she went back to her seat. Before they started, Spock turned around to inform the cadets that they should take a seat and also thanked them for saving him. When he turned around Carissa stared at Richard, as if she expected him to apologize for his words earlier.

-oO0Oo-

A couple of days after they were back, Carissa was called to Starfleet command because of the events during the tryout. Although a part of her knew that it probably wasn’t anything bad because she hadn’t done anything she shouldn’t, she still was worried. Her nervousness increased when she saw that the room was full of people, not only cadets but Starfleet officers as well. She swallowed when she was called forward and tried not to look at anyone. To her surprise, they made it quick and Carissa couldn’t believe her ears what they told her after listing her deeds.

“For this reasons we have decided to make you Lieutenant Junior grade upon your graduation.” while everyone was clapping she tried to process the words.

“I… Thank you” she stammered and suddenly was smiling broadly “I’m relieved to hear this, I feared I would be in trouble”

“For which reasons?” at this she shrugged

“Don’t know. Because I kind of just took over the lead and brought us all into danger”

“That is inevitable at times. Besides, no one was injured, among other thanks to you” she nodded. Shortly after, the end of the meeting was announced and before Carissa knew it, she was surrounded by congratulants. Everyone was shaking her hand (or hugged her) and congratulated her. Finally, she got some peace and went to her friends. They talked for a while before suddenly Jim Kirk appeared behind them

“Would you girls mind if I kidnap her for a while?”

“Of course not” Nicole said and pushed her towards the Captain. Somehow she was glad that Jim led her out of the room.

“Alright, I wanted to tell you something and I guess today’s the best day to do so… I really hope you’re still interested in a job because I chose you”

“Wait… you-you want me? On your ship?”

“For the five year mission, yes.”

-

Next Chapter

#spock #spock x oc #spock fanfiction #star trek #Star Trek Fanfiction

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 60

Chapter Summary - The Hiddleston's deal with Emma's words to Danielle before Christmas, but Danielle pleads with them to drop it.

When Tom and Danielle get talking, they discuss matters that require Luke's input, which quickly leads to Tom begging her for something.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @damalseer​ @hiddlesbitch1​ @winterisakiller​ @fairlightswiftly​ @salempoe​ @lys-syl @youcantcatchafallingstar

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Tom and Danielle walked over to Diana’s with Danielle still in her nightwear and Tom in the jeans and hoodie he went to the shops in. As soon as they entered the house, the thick atmosphere was the first thing they noticed.

“Right, first things first, Yakov, get your daughter and go to mine,” Danielle ordered, Yakov nodded and rushed upstairs to get his daughter out of the horrible atmosphere. “Ready?” She asked, looking to Tom.

“For what, Emma deserves this.”

“Tom, no good comes from holding grudges, I told you that after everything with Taylor, now, she is your sister, and this is all out now so we move on.”

Tom did not seem so sure but nodded in agreement in the end. “Fine.” He conceded grudgingly as they made their way into Diana’s kitchen.

Inside, Sarah and Diana stood at one side of the room while Emma and Jack stood on the other, the older Hiddleston women glaring at the younger, her husband looking almost ashamed next to her. When Tom and Danielle entered, Sarah and Diana immediately looked to them.

“Is what I heard true Tom?” Sarah demanded as soon as Danielle closed the door. “Well?”

“Sarah…”

“I’ve sent Yakov over to mine with the Duchess, it’s not healthy to have her hear this.” Danielle began, the other adults looked somewhat ashamed. “The other day, Emma was slightly annoyed and tried to extend something of an olive branch to me, but I had just gotten out of bed and was wearing Tom’s shirt, she saw that and got pissed off again leading her to say that she wanted me to back off, she had lost time with her brother of late and I was to give her time with him and the family, I did so, resulting in my less than fine moment of fracturing my wrist, but since then she has apologised to myself and Tom and we have to her and have tried to get passed everything that happened, so please, can we continue to do that?”

“She...she actually told you to back off from us, wait, is that why you didn’t ring to say you were in fucking hospital.”

“Sarah.” Diana chastised.

“Mum, you are worried about my language right now?”

“Look, Emma felt betrayed, you and she both know, hell, even Diana knows that people have become obsessed with using you guys to get to Tom, and well, can you blame her for getting pissed off with me? I was supposed to be her friend and next thing she knows, I am dating her brother, it’s not exactly nice. So her anger is somewhat understandable, as is Tom’s for how she has acted when all he wants is for everyone to be happy.”

“So those two are arguing and you are not mad at Emma?” Sarah asked in disbelief.

“No, I’m not, she is my best friend, and recently I haven’t had a lot of time to show her how much I actually care for her as my best friend and I should have, I’m sorry.” She looked at Emma as she spoke. “I really miss you.”

Emma swallowed and her eyes darted around. “I…” But she said no more.

“It’s done, please everyone, can we not argue about it, Em’s sorry, Tom and I are sorry, and all I was is my breakfast which is going cold for no reason because we are all arguing over a non-issue.”

“She never even got you a present, that is how petty she got, and you are not getting pissed off?” Sarah questioned.

“So what? I got enough this year, seriously, the only thing she needs to give me is a chance to prove I wasn’t using her to get to Tom.”

“You realise for the youngest person here, you’re the most mature one.” Diana smiled fondly looking at her.

“Obviously, I’m Irish,” She tossed her hair dramatically as she spoke before looking over at Jack and smiling “The good kind of Irish.”

“Ha-ha, forever with the jokes, Galway Girl.”

“You know the real one was actually red haired, but it didn’t match the song,” Danielle informed him.

As though the tension had finally gotten too much, Emma burst out laughing, “Why do you know this?”

“You know I know way too much stupid information, that;s why you are always trying to get me to do Table Quizzes with you.”

“You know about American football.”

“I used work nights, there are no other sports on at four am but basketball and American football, you learn fairly quick.” She shrugged. “Came in handy, got me a job next summer with a company from the States because I was able to know who Tom Brady was, and not just that he is married to Gisele Bun-whatever her name is, supermodel lady.”

“That got you a job?” Sarah asked in shock.

“Studio people are stuck around each other for stupid amounts of hours a day, they want people they can talk to, converse with, I clearly just said the right things.”

“Wait, when are you going to America?”

“May or June, I can’t remember, the contract signing is in March.” She dismissed before looking back at him, “Why?”

“I just didn’t…”

“Are you upset I’ll be going away for a few weeks?” She asked with a knowing smile. “Well, who knows, maybe if you’re not busy you can come.”

“It’s weird being the one that will be left behind,” Tom commented.

“We will have to do so from time to time. Now, are we all calm and back to normal?” She asked, looking around; everyone nodded, though she knew they were all still quite awkward with one another. “Fine, I’m getting breakfast, it has been a fairly weird morning.” She stated, much to the confusion of everyone but Tom before towards the back door. “I feel like trash, I am walking around in my pyjamas, I swear, if today is the day the leeches try to get a new pic of Tom, I am going to die of embarrassment.” She growled as she left.

Diana and his sisters looked to Tom for an explanation but all Tom could do is chuckle and shrug before looking to Emma, his face becoming serious again. “On a serious note, she really does want to fix things between you. She is the one fighting for everything to go back the way it was, remember that.” He stated before following her back to her house.

*

“Elle?”

“Bedroom.”

“You changed your study/office.”

“I know, I was going to start studying for a few days while I was home, but I guess I’ll be having to pack it all for London now.” She smiled. “Actually, that’s why I’m in here, I am going to need more than a week’s worth of undies and t-shirts.”

“Well, I have a new suitcase that can help.” He grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I am actually looking forward to this.”

Really?” She turned her head toward him slightly.

“Yes, having you to myself.”

“You had me to yourself before now.”

“But you were working too much.”

“I still have to work,” She reminded him.

“As do I, but we’ll make time, won’t me, to just watch a film?”

“Get a takeaway, perhaps Netflix and Chill.” She smiled turning to look at him. “Maybe even go for a walk in the fresh air, together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, probably away from the city first, then when we are found out, in the park.”

Tom kissed her passionately. “I cannot tell you how much I want that.”

“Good, we also have to talk to Luke about our plan, regarding the picture and that.”

“I’ll text him in a minute, we can organise something then, but I think he will like it.”

“Text him now, no procrastinating, call if you can.” She ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He gave her a military salute as he did so and took out his phone, and got up Luke’s number. “Hello Luke, how was your Christmas?”

“Tom, what’s happened?” Luke’s voice was fearful down the phone.

“Nothing.” Tom rolled his eyes, “Wait, you never used to answer the phone to me like that before.”

“I used never have to worry about you and publicity tramps before.”

Danielle frowned next to Tom. “Hang on, are you talking about Danielle?” Tom began to get annoyed.

“Tom, the only controversial thing about Ms Hughes is what way to spell her first name, she is a publicist’s wet dream in comparison to others,” Luke growled.

“So why bring up others?”

“Because I am terrified that you’re about to tell me something regarding said others.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Well then, my Christmas was quite pleasurable, though I think I may never be able to look at poultry again and I may need new pants, these seem tight,” Tom chuckled. “Though I doubt this is a friendly call, so what is it?”

“Elle and I were talking.”

“And?” There was apprehension in Luke’s voice.

“About when it is found out that we are together.” Luke remained silent on the phone. “Danielle came up with an idea and I wanted to run it by you.”

“I’m listening.”

“If we find out someone has spotted us and put it online, we immediately release a photo and statement giving the basic details, her name, where’s she from, and some other tidbits that we want to be known, and if it gets as long as we can, we want to release the information ourselves a few weeks before a wedding or something so the hubbub will die down beforehand.”

“That is brilliant.” Luke was chuckling.

“So you like it?”

“I do, I think it is genius.”

“She wanted to have some control in it, she knows they will snoop regardless, but it gives her some power.”

“It makes sense.” Luke acknowledged. “I am not going to lie, Tom, people are going to go for her no matter how this comes out, some good, plenty bad, but if she remains stoic in public, if they don’t smell blood, they tend to get bored very quickly.”

“She’s nodding here next to me, she knows.”

“Well then, I suggest getting together what you want as the official line and we will keep it ready.” Luke’s smile was blatant down the phone. “This is, without a doubt, far saner Tom, honestly. She...I think she is what you’ve been so sure you could not find, so don’t be an idiot and look after this, right?”

“Okay, I hear you.” Tom grinned.

“There is one thing I am concerned for, though, her home, is it safe? I mean is it properly secured, has she a high wall and gates on it?”

Tom thought it an odd question. “She has a basic wall, about five foot or so at the front and no gate.”

“She’s going to have to get it more secured, they are not supposed to enter her property, but let’s face it, Pap’s are bottom feeders,” Luke explained.

Tom looked to the side where Elle was chewing on her bottom lip apprehensively. “Okay, we’ll get on that.” He informed Luke. “But for the time being, she is going to be in London with me, she wants to study more and her work is based in London studio’s for the new few months.”

“Well, all things considered, that is actually safer for her, but it heightens the risk of you being seen together.”

“Hence the phone call.”

“So long as you are both aware this could erupt at any time and as long as you are both prepared for that, then send on everything you wish to be publicised and I will have it ready to go at the first sign of a story,” Luke instructed.

“Will do, thanks, Luke.”

“Anytime, I also am going to need Ms Hughes’ phone number, and give her mine, if she has any issue…”

“Of course, right away.” Tom agreed.

“Then enjoy your holidays and I will see you on New Years?”

“I said I would be there.”

“And Ms Hughes?”

“Her name is Danielle, Luke, you are going to have to start calling her by it, and I will extend the invitation, should she wish to go.”

“Good, well, have a nice day Tom.”

“You too.” Tom smiled as he hung up the phone. “Luke is having a get together for clients and friends on New Years, I promised weeks ago I would go if you’d rather stay home…”

“Where is it on?”

“Private venue, no outsiders, no photographers, underground carpark so little risk of them.”

Danielle thought for a moment before walking over to her wardrobe and looking at its contents. “I think I don’t have anything for something like that,” she frowned.

Tom walked over, and as Emma had said, right at the back were a few outfits he had never thought Danielle would wear, much less own. “Darling, I know I am sounding pushy, but I am imploring you, please,” He got on his knees as though adding dramatic effect, “Please wear this to the party.” He pointed to a dress that still had tags on it.

“Oh, Jesus, that thing.” she groaned looking at it. “I have no idea what was going through my mind buying that, I could never…”

“Darling, I am begging you, you will look ravishing in it.” His eyes glinted with honesty and arousal.

Danielle looked between him and the dress anxiously. “Okay.”

Tom rose to his feet again, an elated smile on his face. “I mean it, Elle, you will look even more gorgeous than normal, which, in itself, is a difficult feat.” He grinned. “It is classy and sexy.”

“My boobs are going to be showing.”

“Showing, but not hanging out,” Tom pointed out, before grinning wickedly. “And you already know my thoughts of these delicious assets of yours.” He cupped her breasts and bit his lip.

“Insatiable.”

“That’s Mister Insatiable to you, my love.”

#I Hate You I Love You #chapter 60 #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fic