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#why am I talking about chapter 22 you may ask?
cocteaucherry · 1 day
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trials and tribulations .3
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summary- falling in love with your sworn enemy was not something you planned.
cws- p&p au/ bridgerton au, inaccurate use of regency language, 18+, misogyny, sexual tension, future smut in later chapters, slow slow burn, LENGTHY descriptions, ooc Suguru, suguru x f!reader, talks of f!masturbation , not proofread
a/n- awkward silence when I up and left for 22 days with no explanation, I’ll touch more on that in a later post but for now enjoy!
taglist @mandysfanfics, @ti-mame, @awkward-d3rs3-dr3amer
The rain belted on the glass as you stood on the other side watching as the world washed away.
You felt as if you needed a cold bath, something to wash the prints of Suguru Geto’s touch off your clothes, your hands graced over the areas where his touch lingered.
Why did you feel deprived of his touch? Why did you need his touch?
“Miss l/n I’m sorry to interrupt-“
He was caught off guard by your small yelp, you had to be more attentive in this house
“Sorry Ijichi! I get lost in thought a lot.” You bowed in apology before he also returned one.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve been more gentle with my approach.” He cleared his throat with a small smile, “It’s getting rather late and the rain hasn’t stopped.. we would offer you a carriage home but the roads have been washed out.”
“I guess I’ll wait for the rain.. or I’ll try to walk.” You shrugged contemplating your options, you really didn’t want to walk especially in this weather.
“Actually, Mr. Gojo has offered you to stay in a spare room for the evening.. we wouldn’t want you catching a cold.”
You smiled before letting out a small laugh, “I’m very grateful.. but I don’t want my mother and father to worry.”
“We assure you that your parents won’t be worried, I’m sure they’d be more upset with us for letting you walk home in this.”
Your eyebrow rose as you crossed your arms, “Forgive me for asking, I know he’s ill at the moment but will I ever get to see him during this visit?” The request came out rather timidly to your dismay but it made Ijichi sweat nonetheless.
“Well-uhm- you see Mr. Gojo wouldn’t want you to get sick as well.” Ijichi was definitely not great under pressure, you noted.
You uncrossed your arms nodding your head, “alright then, I will happily stay in a room until the rain stops.”
“Then you may follow me.”
Your head was spinning with questions, why would Ijichi possibly lie abt Gojo? Why would Gojo invite you knowing he was ill? Your heart ached in your chest, Geto's actions being the one to cause it.
Your stomach dropped and your blood ran cold, if the roads were washed out that means Geto couldn’t get back as well? Was he also going to stay?
You shook your head pushing the thoughts away. Hopefully you’d only encounter him one more time tonight.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
“Suguruuu~ are you listening?”
Suguru was snapped out of thought, he stood before Gojo’s bed, the white haired man staring at him with a sick grin. “Yes… I am.” He mumbled, pushing strands of rain soaked hair out of his face.
“Y’know, for a man who’s supposedly sick you seem rather energetic .”
Satoru smirked, leaning his head back, “I’m just plagued and riddled with sickness Sugu, and it seems you are too..” he pointed a finger wagging it teasingly.
The raven haired male stared blankly at him, crossing his arms, “I’m perfectly fine Satoru, please get some rest or die of pneumonia.” He turned on his heel, preparing to exit, “I’m going home-“
“Yeeesh about thattt- I’m afraid you’re not going home anytime soon, roads washed out.”
Geto froze a vein appearing above his eyebrow, “Am I supposed to stay here for the night?”
“With her yes, maybe if you’re lucky she’ll give you a kind ‘goodnight’” Satoru hummed, staring out the window to see the tumultuous rain belt down.
“Not planning on it, Satoru,” Suguru mumbled, stepping out of the room.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
The rain wasn’t letting up anytime soon.
You found yourself wandering the halls, the occasional strike of lightning helping to guide your way.
You admired the classic oil paintings that adorned the ornate halls smiling to yourself when you found a portrait of a familiar face.
hair as pure as snow with a slightly rounder face and those blue eyes that seemed to bore into your soul.
Although just like usual he was never alone, always accompanied by what seemed to be his shadow.
Dark hair that was shorter with those intense amber eyes.
“Thought you went home miss l/n”
this man truly was a shadow.
You turned to the voice of Suguru Geto, but he looked more undone. Hair slightly wet as it fell past his back some strands stuck to his forehead.
“How come you’re always near or behind him?” You ignored his question pointing your head to the portrait, footsteps echoed as he stood next to you. “How come you never answered my question?”
“Why would I answer you? Why should I?” You spun to face him as he avoided eye contact with you, “You never give me a reason to answer kindly.” You scoffed as you walked impossibly closer to him, Geto’s heart skipped a few beats as he finally made eye contact with your gaze.
He cleared his throat trying to regain his stance (control), “Satoru and I have been together for…awhile, while we both are wealthy, his family is significantly stronger.”
“So that makes you his equal, even possibly a scapegoat.” You stepped back, your eyes quickly shifting to his hand that twitched at your movement.
A grin appeared on his face, “Quite the opposite, I help save his ass on multiple occasions. He’s not the best at keeping his head straight.. or keeping his pants on.”
You choked on your saliva at the sudden mention which caused him to chuckle from his throat, “What? I know a forward woman as yourself isn’t taboo to the mention of sex? Satoru excels at that.”
You felt a blush creep under your skin, “What makes you think that?”
“The way your face visibly became uncomfortable told me that,” his eyes drifted quickly up and down your frame, “I can tell when a woman is.. how do I say this? Frustrated?”
“Frustrated?!-“ you yelled out but quickly covered your mouth to whisper it, “I’m frustrated because you- you’re!-“ you stuttered angrily, scolding yourself for not having a better comeback.
“Maybe you should try exploring your own body first before going after someone like Satoru, just a suggestion,” Geto said, turning on his foot to walk down the darkened hallway.
You had almost forgotten it was raining during the conversation, the soft patter of rain filling your ear drums as you try to reconcile what just occurred.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
You weren’t sexually frustrated, You weren’t sexually frustrated,
You repeated in your head as you buried yourself into the pillows of the way too extravagant bed, “ridiculous, he doesn’t know anything..” you mumbled clasping your hands close to your chest.
You tried to force yourself to drift off to sleep but your head began to pound and your body became warm, the handprints he left on your waist, they still left an excruciatingly burning linger. The way his hair framed his face annoyed you.
His avoidant stare annoyed you. His soft voice annoyed you, his strong hands annoyed you. His sly smirk, His perfect teeth, the way his fingers graced your breasts.
His last words echoed in your head broken by your lust “Explore, body”
You were taught otherwise in your life, should you?
You felt your hands drift towards your panties playing with the hem, would you really touch yourself out of Suguru Geto’s words?
You let out a frustrated groan, you couldn’t let him win.
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rmoonstoner · 10 months
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***
Poisoned Empanadas
***
Pairing:
Moon Knight (Jake Lockley) x Spider!fem!reader
Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) x Spider!fem!reader
***
18+
Warnings:
Violence, strong language, mentions of death, mentions of depression, sexual themes, warnings may change.
***
Summary:
You move out of the old house at your friend's request. It's a very short chapter.
***
Chapter 2 - Empanadas de Santa Rita - Chihuahua City, Mexico
A Mexican pastry served in honor of St. Rita every year on May 22. Typically they are sweet and savory at the same time, containing meats, raisins, pecans, butter, garlic and assorted spices, peas, potatoes, and sherry.
***
A few months had gone by, with absolutely no word from Jake. You weren't surprised one bit, and had already gone through the process of selling most of your things. It was the big stuff, like your living room furniture, the bedroom set, any tools you had, and other such things too big for a studio apartment that you had your eye on. You even got rid of the car for a nice fat stack of cash. It was fitting that you had sold the car to Hawkeye. He was happy, and claimed that he was going to give it to his wife.
Today you were dropping off a huge bag of clothing to a local shelter. Anything that Gwen or America didn't want, ended up here. You made the old lady's day as she went through the nice and gently used items, all of which Jake had bought for you. After the drop off, you made your way back home the easy way, by web slinging home. By the time you got back, you found Peter standing at your front door.
"Hey! Sorry, I was out dropping off some clothes. You didn't mention that you were coming by." You greeted Peter with a wave and gave him a hug.
"It's alright. I was just on my way to the Sanctum, and I wanted to know if you wanted to accompany me?" He asked with grin.
"Really? You sure you want me to come along? You did mention the doctor hates unexpected guests…" You replied. Peter could see your hesitancy and he held both hands up.
"It's totally okay with Doctor Strange. I asked first, and besides, you're friends with his daughter, so…"
"Does he know-"
"Uh…" Peter looked away sheepishly as he rubbed his neck and laughed.
"Peter! Just because he's an Avenger and the king of the wizards, you can't be telling people my secret identity!"
"I am sorry! He saw you on the roof the last few times, and he wanted to know why I hadn't introduced you to him. Then America let it slip she's your friend, and, so… He kind of figured it out. He's a genius, and has that eidetic memory."
"Oh fantastic, a real Sherlock Holmes type, eh?" You retorted, and he laughed.
"Yeah, so I am sorry…"
"It's fine. Like you said, he probably already knew. I'm not mad."
"Oh good! So, do you need to do anything before we go?"
"I just need to put the washing on the next load of donations, then grab some water."
"Cool!"
***
***
Once at the Sanctum, Peter introduced you to Wong. The man seemed grumpy at first, but after hearing who you were, he changed his tune rather quickly. He made you a tea while Peter left to find the doctor, and the two of you chatted about how Peter basically lived here at the Sanctum since his Aunt and Tony Stark had passed away. He asked about what you did for a living, and you shrugged. You didn't have a paying job, and you lived in your ex boyfriend's house, which you were getting ready to move out of.
Wong seemed impressed that you were taking charge and moving on with your life, which told you that Peter had been blabbing his mouth again. You would have normally been upset by this, but Peter had told you all about who Wong was, what he did, and who he worked with. He was like the other king of the wizards, and Peter claimed he was way nicer than Strange. You found that hard to believe, because both of the wizards had a reputation for being formal hard asses.
Peter ended up coming back with Doctor Strange, and the lad was just talking up a storm as the doctor nodded along while sipping from a steaming mug. The way they looked was adorable, like a son telling their dad all about their day after school, but it was Peter talking about his patrols, while the older man listened intently.
"-And then she flashed him with the lights, kicked the guy in the balls, and he fell off of the roof. I've never seen Sandman go down that fast before! She managed to get him, before he could turn into sand!"
"Oh wow, Peter. That's most impressive." The doctor winced a bit, but he was impressed all the same.
"I take it that this her?" He asked as he motioned towards you. You gave a polite smile and waved.
"Yeah, that's her! You should see her and Gwen work as a team! It's so fun! She's the one making all the weird lights at night." Peter said as he made the same hand motions you did for the lights. You laughed and looked over at the older man who was chuckling softly at Peter's energy.
"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, it's lovely to meet you, young lady. My name is Stephen, but you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Uh, yes, sir, er, uh, doctor."
"Stephen is fine. Any friends of Peter's or America's are welcome to use my first name. Unless, of course, I don't like them." He laughed and held his hand out to you. You took it gently, remembering that Peter had told you the man had delicate hands that had once been crushed.
"Okay, Stephen, it is nice to meet you too. I always wanted to see what America's and Peter's adopted dad was like."
"Oh, well, I-" Stephen seemed flustered when you said adopted dad.
"Oh, he's a good dad. Very supportive of my Spider-Man gig." Peter said as he patted Stephen's shoulder. The man beamed at the praise and kept drinking his tea. You didn't understand why he was known for being snobby, stoic, and rude.
"That's good. Peter talks about you all the time. Says you've saved the world a lot, and kept the spooky magic things at bay." You remarked, and Stephen burst out laughing.
"I suppose that's what I do. It's a new way of saying it though. Oh, I have to talk to ask Wong something. Be right back." Stephen smiled and then excused himself to go talk with Wong for a bit.
They did not come right back.
It was three hours before they did, and by then, America had come home, said hi, then left again for her studies at the Kamar-Taj. You had spent the time playing chess, and had won three to two. When Stephen and Wong came walking in, they looked frustrated. It turned out there had been one of those cosmic fluctuations, and Stephen was telling Peter and you to keep an eye out for anything weirder than normal. 
You left soon after, and went back home to grab a nap before patrol later.
***
Three weeks later…
Peter and Gwen had convinced you to move out of the house Jake owned. You didn't make it easy for them either. You felt reluctant to leave that house. It had bad memories, but it also held so many good ones with Jake.
You gave the excuse that you couldn't afford to move. The house and utilities were paid for, and you didn't have a paying job to get something new. Peter shut you up so fast by having Stephen and Wong literally coming out at that exact moment and time to offer you a room next to America's and Peter's. You groaned when that happened, because who the hell says no to the Sorcerer Supreme, which was basically your friend's dad?
That gave you a free place to live, free utilities, and free food. That also offered you access to being transported anywhere in the world if you ever wished it, not that you really wanted to unless the others needed you to. You had lost the will to travel after what happened with your ex, but it was nice that the option was there. Living there would gain you security, because there were at least three sorcerers at the Sanctum at any given time, not including Doctor Strange or Wong who were fully aware of your relationship problems.
They even said they could keep Jake from coming in if you gave them some of his hair. That was easy to do, and you did it, mostly because Peter and Gwen said they'd try to kick his ass if he showed up unannounced. You weren't sure if they meant the wizards, or themselves.
Plus your friends were there…
How could you refuse?
Notes:
***
Series Master List
***
None for now. Again, sorry for the short chapter.
Tags:
@theaussiedragon @autismsupermusicalassassin @readingfan
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louloulemons-posts · 2 months
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The Criminal And The Princess VI
Grumpy!College!Eddie X Sunshine!Skater!Reader
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Summary : It’s time for Eden to get back on the ice, but she can only feel like Eddies hiding something.
Word Count : 1.4k
Warnings : not proofread, sad eddie, it’s just a lot of fluff, big skating chapter, swearing.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
Early mornings in September, it was starting to get cool, the sky was dimmer each morning for longer. This drive to the rink may be my final one with my windows rolled down.
I smiled, today was gonna be a good day, I could feel it. Honestly I had been smiling since the night before, the sweet text I had from Eddie sent me over the edge.
Unknown : Hey Princess, I just wanted to say I had a really great time with you today.
Unknown : Oh shit it’s Eddie btw
Of course Robin and Nancy had teased me for the rest of the night because of how much I had been grinning whilst we had a conversation. Just small talk. That’s all it was.
Just getting to know a friend.
A friend.
Because that’s all Eddie was a friend.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
It was 6am on a Monday so the rink was dead, bar the maintenance staff who I waved at as I walked by. There was one other person, sat in the rink, on those cold seats.
“Irene!” I said, loudly enough so she’d hear me, but not too loud as to make her jump. “Oh my love!” she grinned, walking over to me quickly and wrapping her arms around me.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I said into the hug, it mumbled slightly, but her chuckle said she’d heard it. “I’ve missed you too Eden.”
Pulling back I took her in. She was truly one of the most beautiful people I’d ever seen, golden hair and eyes and curls that anyone would be jealous of. Along with that gorgeous smile.
“How’s Cole? How’s baby Dorian? More importantly how are you?” I asked.
“We’re all great, Dorian is at home with his dad. And here I am, back with my favourite girl,” she pinched my cheek.
Yrene wasn’t massively older than me she’d turned 33 the same year I’d turned 22. She was the best though, always knew she wanted to be a trainer and not a professional.
So when dad found her and we got on like a house on fire, Irene took me under her wing not just as a student, but as a younger sister.
“How are you doing my love? Dad giving you a hard time?” She asked. I nodded, but shrugged also, “When does he not?”
“That’s why I’m here, so we can use your routine. As soon as I say it’s good, or it’s mine, he’ll be happy.” I sighed, because I knew it was true.
The amount of routines I’d made, or co-made with Irene that my dad had no clue about was ridiculous. Purely because he’d hate them if he knew they were my own.
“Do you want to show me?” She asked.
“Sure. Just so you know, it’s simple. Dad saw my first draft and said I should go back to the basics because I’m sloppy.”
“If he says anything like that whilst I’m here I’m throwing my skates at his head,” she said, you knew she wasn’t even joking. She was as, if not more, protective over you as Robin and Nancy.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
“Well I thought you said it was basic?” Irene asked as I skated over to her. “It is.”
“Your lutz, your axles, the spins, the jumps. Honey, it’s not basic, and all the moves are clean and sharp.”
“Really cause dad-“ She held up her hand, stopping me from finishing my sentence. “Can Ethan Bennett skate?”
“Well he played hockey, so.”
“Can he figure skate?”
I shook my head, “No.”
“No he can’t, that’s right. Now I’m going to tell you, and you will listen to me Eden Bennett. That routine was fantastic, you are amazing. Okay?”
I looked at her face, trying to sense any lies in her words. “Okay.”
“Good, now what the hell did you take out of that routine to make it ‘basic’?”
“A salchow and a,” I mumbled the last part.
Yrene leaned on the barrier, getting closer to me, “What was that?”
“A .. a backflip.”
“Jesus fucking christ Eden!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “I told you no working on them until I’m back! It’s so dangerous!”
“I know I know, but I’ve got really good!”
“You could have really hurt yourself too!” She replied, hands coming up to rest on her pulled back curls.
“Well you’re here now,” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t smile, knowing she’d probably drag me off the ice. “You’re lucky I love you. Jesus christ I’m never letting Dorian skate.”
The woman sighed as she did up her own skates and headed over to the centre of the ice with me. “What part of the song would be playing as you did the move?”
I handed her one of my earphones, letting her listen. “Hm, it could work. Alright show me. But I swear even a wobble, we’re practicing on mats.”
“Okay okay!” I plugged my earphones back in, when the music built up I leaped into the air, spinning. Landing on one foot I glided across the ice with ease.
The older woman watched me with her arms crossed. “How long have you been practicing that exactly?”
“Before you left for maternity leave.”
“Please tell me not on ice.”
“No,” I dragged out the last letter. She cocked a brow asking me where, “On the sofa cushions at my dads.”
“Jesus fucking christ.”
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
Practice had gone on until just past 8, so I had enough time to clean up and head to my class. Irene had mentioned having a word with dad about making the routine more complex.
I swapped out of my skating gear and into some jeans, a top and a knitted cardigan that Nancy had got me for my birthday.
Walking into class I immediately met the gaze of a brown eyed boy, without hesitation I went and sat behind him. “Morning,” I smiled.
“Hey,” he said softly, not looking up at me now.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, just tired.” I hummed, nodding. Taking out my notebook, I noticed Eddie fiddling with his rings, almost wringing them.
“Eddie.”
“Hm?”
“Look at me.” This was the first time since he was on stage that I had seen him with his curls unbound. They fell just below his shoulders, and hid his face.
He looked up at me, he looked - sad? I leaned closer to him so I could whisper, “Are you really okay?” It was almost like he was reading a book whilst looking at my face, trying to take everything in.
“Not really.”
“Do you want to get shakes after class? We don’t have to talk about it, but maybe the company would help,” I suggested.
“Yeah, yeah I’d really like that,” he nodded, “Thank you Eden.”
“That’s weird,” I scrunched my nose.
“What?”
“That’s like the first time you’ve used my real name.”
There it was, his grin. “Well I’m sorry Princess, I won’t use it again.”
“Hm, you better not.”
“Why? Like being my Princess?”
“Something like that.”
I moved away from him so I could sit up straight, hearing him hum as I did so. I then spotted Vickie walked in and waved, she came and sat on the other side of me.
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
Me and Eddie sat across from each other in a booth in the diner. He was unusually quiet, I didn’t like it. “Hey, did my dad speak to you?” I asked him.
“Uh yeah, I meant to say. Sorry,” he was so out of it. “It’s okay, no need to apologise,” I reached over the table and gently squeezed his hand.
He flinched slightly, but relaxed soon after. “Eddie.” He hummed at me. “I know I said I wouldn’t ask, but did something happen?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about it.”
“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Is it okay if we don’t?” he asked, wide eyed, almost like a child. “Of course it is,” I said squeezing his hand.
“Are you busy for the rest of the day?” I asked him. “No, why?”
“After our shakes, we’re gonna go and grab some lunch and then we’re gonna watch some movies at mine. Sound good?”
He grinned at me, “That sounds really good. Finish your shake.”
~ / / / * \ \ \ ~
if you understand the, not so subtle, references i love you 🫶🏻
taglist : @gnrquinn @flawiette @taylorswiftsloverfr @mygirlchaos @marvelcasey05 @ali-r3n @browneyes8288
let me know if you want to be added 😚
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fiveisnumber1 · 2 years
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Timeless - Five Hargreeves X Reader
Main story parts:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33
Hello! After a long bit of work the first chapter in the season 3 arc is finally here! This part of the story takes place right after the end of Pt 33 - Demolition Lovers so for clarity you may want to go back and just skim the ending of that but you don’t have to. I am so happy to be posting it and sharing it with you all and I hope you enjoy!
Warnings: Very long chapter and pre-transition canon-specific deadnaming 
__________________
Pt 34 - Welcome...Home?
"Oh hi (Y/N)! " Dot replied cheerfully
"Hey, can we talk?" You questioned
Dot furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked toward Herb. Shrugging his shoulders, Dot looked back at you questioning in an upbeat tone,
"Oh, sure. What about?"
You looked around to see where everyone was on the farm trying to make sure that no one was close enough to hear. Diego and Five were off in the distance arguing over what briefcase they should use to get home while the rest of the family was off by the house trying to relax after the events that had just occurred. Taking a step closer, you leaned in towards the two of them as you quietly asked,
"Are things going to be okay? Y'know, when we get back home?"
Dot and Herb looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back toward you. Their faces reflected a mix of confusion and optimism, two emotions that you wouldn't really correlate with each other.
"I don't see why they wouldn't be." Herb replies "Time is complicated but I don't think there have been any catalyst incidents."
"And you're positive in that judgment?" You pressed
"As positive as you can be when it comes to the intricacies of time-space," Herb answered
You stayed silent for a moment as you looked at them processing Herb's words. They were nice, and you didn't feel like they were tricking you, but Herb himself said that he was JUST appointed to lead the commission. It's not that you didn't want to trust them but there was a part of you that sincerely subscribed to the butterfly effect and worried that your actions here in the 60s changed the future you would return to. But you had never worked for the commission and if they said it was okay then who were you to really question them? You took in a deep breath before nodding your head and accepting what Herb had told you. They seemed confident in their answer so you tried to push your skepticism aside and just be happy that it was all over. As you stood there quietly for a moment you could hear Diego shout from afar,
"Herbie! Come here real quick!"
"I'll be right back," Herb said to you and Dot as he walked away
You watched as Herb walked away for a moment before looking back to Dot. She stared at you with a nervous look on her face before her eyes began to shift back and forth to make sure no one was around, just like you had only a few months ago. Reaching into her pocket, you saw as she pulled out some type of pouch and secretly extended it towards you.
"What is this?" You asked quietly
"I trust my dear Herb with his calculations but this is in case things go sideways." She replies softly "It won't help everyone but I know it can help you."
"Okay, but what does it do?" You inquired
"I can't go into details now but there's instructions inside. Only open it when you feel desperate for someone to listen. Now hide it in your pocket before Herb gets back." Dot instructed
You were confused and highly caught off guard but you did as you were told and hid the pouch in your pocket. Right as you had managed to get it in there, Herb returned to Dot's side.
"Well it was good seeing you, but we've got to get back to work!" Herb stated excitedly
You nodded your head as you gave the two of them an awkward smile before watching as they flashed away. With the two of them gone, you pulled the pouch you were handed out of your pocket and took a look at it. You couldn't see through the fabric of the material but besides the folded-up paper, the rest of the items felt round and they made a plastic clicking noise when you shook the bag. You could feel your curiosity growing and part of you wanted to open it but Dot gave you clear instructions so you were going to follow them. Placing the pouch back in your pocket you slowly made your way back over to the house. Looking up at the sky, you were hopeful at the idea of going back home with the Hargreeves. Everyone that you cared about was alive or would be alive soon and nothing mattered more.
Remembering the duffle bag Charlie had given you was still in the car you decided to change directions to go grab it. Opening the passenger side door, you opened the bag before placing the little pouch you were given into it, surrounding it with the rest of your stuff for extra safety. Zipping the bag back up you threw it over your shoulder and brought it over towards the house since it seemed like Sissy and Harlan would be taking the car to get out of Dallas. Entering the house you saw as Klaus sitting on the floor in front of the couch staring at the dog tags he held in his hand. You didn't say anything as you saw the look on his face and knew whom they symbolized. It was the same look you would give the necklace around your neck on the days that Five was gone. A look of pain and yet at the same time so much love. As you continued to walk past him you caught your reflection in the fragments of what was once a decorative mirror in the living room. Dried blood and dirt covered your face and there was a small cut on your temple. Deciding that it would be best to clean that all up you placed your bag on the kitchen table and went into the bathroom to fix yourself.
After finding a decent briefcase within the field of dead agents, Five and Diego started to walk back towards the house and the rest of the group. Everyone was obviously tired and just wanted to go home but it seemed like most of the group was still processing. Deciding it would be best to let everyone somewhat recover before jumping back to the future, Five decided to go look for you. Not seeing you outside, Five entered the house. As he entered he saw Klaus sitting on the floor staring at his dog tags. Five didn't dare look at him too long or else he would start to remember when he was in his position. Noticing your duffle bag on the kitchen table, he walked towards it taking a look around for a moment before hearing the sound of humming coming down the hall from the bathroom. The door wasn't shut but deciding to knock anyway Five called,
"(Y/N)?"
Hearing the sound of your beloved's voice you finished putting the band-aid on your cut before calling back,
"Come in!"
Pushing open the door, Five stepped in before closing it behind him. Turning around you saw him standing there with his hands in his pockets, a curious look on his face as he inquired,
"What are you doing in here?"
"Cleaning up my face. Fixing some of the lesser injuries." You answered tapping the band-aid on your temple
Five nodded his head before walking over towards you. As he stood in front of you, you looked up at him with love in your eyes. All you wanted was to be with him and now maybe, just maybe, you two would get that chance. A burst of joyful energy came over you at the thought of getting to be a happy little couple as you wrapped your arms around his waist bringing him into a hug. But as you held him tighter and tighter you heard as he sucked in his breath. Quickly pulling back, you asked concerned,
"Are you okay?"
Five placed his hand over his side where he had gotten hit with shrapnel about a week ago. It mostly didn't bother him anymore and it was healed to the point where he could move around just fine. But when you held him tight it put a pressure on it that sent a quick jab of pain through him. The jab didn't even hurt that much it was more so just the shock of it that made him suck in his breath. He knew none of this mattered though as you already had a worried look on your face.
"It's just the shrapnel wound." Five tried to reassure "Don't worry, it's almost gone."
As much as he tried to reassure you, it did not matter. He had made a sound like he was injured and now that was all you could think about. Gently placing a hand over where you knew the wound to be, you looked up towards Five and asked,
"Can I check it real quick?"
Although Five knew that he was fine, he saw the concern in your eyes and knew that you wouldn't feel better until you made sure he was better. A small smile came to his face as he nodded his head yes, allowing you to get right to work. Carefully, you untucked the side of his shirt that covered the injury and lifted it up to see the bandages. You made a tiny grimace as you saw how gross they were. They were yellowed from sweat and dried blood. These wouldn't do at all. Grabbing the first aid kit from the bathroom cabinet you kneeled down in front of him, pulling some fresh bandages and hydrogen peroxide out of the kit you found.
As Five watched you kneel in front of him, he could feel the pace of his heart begin to rise. Your fingers brushed against his skin as you undid his old bandages, causing him to tense up. With the threat of the apocalypse finally behind him, it seemed as if his mind had been cleared enough to think of other things. But being so preoccupied with saving the world for so long he seemed to have forgotten the feelings he experienced and the thoughts he had the last time he was in a young adult body. Internally he begged his brain to stop changing the meaning of the situation at hand. This was nothing more than just helping to take care of his injuries. That was all. And yet, adrenaline still coursed through his blood and you were the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Looking at the ceiling, Five took slow, steady breaths trying to level himself out hoping that his blood would stay in the upper half of his body and you hadn't noticed the way he was acting.
After finishing the new bandages, you put the materials you used back before you stood up from the ground. Placing your hands on his cheeks you turned his head to look at you. As you did so, you felt the warmth of his flush on your hands. His cheeks were slightly red and his skin was burning up.
"Five, are you feeling okay? You look hot." You asked
Five looked at you shocked. Was he hearing you correctly? Did you think he was hot? Did you like him that much in the schoolboy uniform? He wasn't a fan of it but if you thought he looked that good in it he would keep wearing it. Trying to make sure he heard you correctly though Five asked flustered,
"I uh- I look what?"
"Hot. Warm. Flush." You responded, "Are you okay?"
Realizing what you had meant Five started to regain his composure. Readjusting his jacket and pushing his hair back over to the side he parts it on, Five stated,
"Oh. I- yeah. I'm fine."
As he continued to calm himself down and get back to his normal self Five noticed something on your neck. Pushing your hair away he saw the bruises on your neck. He had noticed them before in the barn but they had gotten slightly darker since then. Tilting his head to the side curiously he asked,
"What happened here?"
"Ah yeah, Lila tried to choke me." You explained
Five's eyes snapped towards yours. A mix of rage and concern built within him as he realized it was Lila who had done this to you. Granted, he wasn't surprised it was her but he wasn't happy that it happened either.
"She what?" Five asked harshly
"It's fine, I almost killed her." You tried to comfort
Your words didn't do much to comfort him but his concern was less about Lila and more so about you. Raising his hand he gently traced his fingers over the scattered bruises.
"Do they hurt?" He asked softly
"They're a little sensitive." You replied back
There wasn't any medicine or bandages that he had at his disposal to try and make the bruises go away but he could at least try to make them feel better. Leaning in towards you he quietly stated,
"Here, let me help."
Five placed his lips on your neck softly kissing each bruise one by one. Slowly he worked his way down your neck making sure that none of your bruises were left untouched. But between the sensitivity of your bruises and the feeling of his lips on your skin you unconsciously tilted your head giving him more access as you let out a blissful little hum.
Five stopped for a moment, his hot breath lingering on your neck as he noticed what you had just done. He could feel as his heart began to race again. The hormones he thought he had suppressed only a moment ago starting to make a return. He wondered if maybe there was a chance you were feeling the way he did too. Liking the way you had sounded, he wanted to hear you again. His lips trailed down your skin before finding the crook of your neck and pressing firmly against it.
You let out a more audible hum delighted by his loving action. You had come across depictions of a moment like this in fiction before. A moment so tender and sweet with two lovers finally getting a true moment alone together and yet none of those depictions could've accurately predicted the way you felt right now. Your skin felt hot and your stomach churned with anticipation of something more but then he stopped.
Pulling back, Five looked at you slightly nervous. He wanted to keep kissing you, keep hearing the way that sighed so sweetly for him, but he didn't want to move forward just because he wanted to, especially if all you thought he was doing was trying to make your bruises feel better. Carefully he asked,
"How do you feel?"
You looked towards him as Five's gaze met your own. Slowly you snaked your arms around his neck pulling him closer to you as you said,
"A little better but..."
You paused. Leaning in towards him you brought your lips up to his ear as you whispered,
"Can you help me again?"
A shiver ran down Five's spine as your words ran through his system. Pulling back to look at you he saw the toying smirk on your face and the way you batted your eyelashes so innocently at him. He knew this delicate little act was just a facade for the true intentions he could see in your eyes, intentions that lit a fire within him. You could feel as Five's hands slid down towards your waist and gripped onto them tighter. Taking a small step back you leaned your body against the bathroom counter as Five took a step forward pinning you between the counter and himself. You knew you had nowhere to go, but it didn't matter because you didn't want to be anywhere else. You slowly tilted your head to the side, exposing the bruised skin to him once more. But as he leaned back in ready to possibly leave a few bruises of his own on your neck, the door to the bathroom quickly swung open, causing both of your gazes to rush towards the door.
"Where's that-" The person questioned
From the doorway you could see Klaus standing there, his body frozen in place and his eyes growing wider by the second as he took in the slightly compromising situation the two of you had initiated.
"Oh shit." Klaus exclaimed, "Hey kids!"
"Klaus!" You shouted embarrassed as you used one of your hands to shield your reddening face
"Get! Out! GET! OUT!" Five yelled angrily
Five's blood began to boil as he stared his brother down. Stupid fucking Klaus. Always ruining everything. He didn't even knock on the door. Who doesn't knock on the door!? It's common courtesy to knock. Especially a bathroom door! How could he be so careless to just barge in? And more so, how come he had to barge in NOW? The world wasn't actively in peril and this was the first time Five had caught an actual break in the last 20 days. All he wanted to do was spend some time alone with you and Klaus had to come in and ruin it like the dumb lanky cockblock he is. Letting go of your waist Five turned around, keeping his eyes locked on Klaus. The anger on his face only displayed a fraction of the rage that coursed through his blood along with the surplus of adrenaline and testosterone.
"What are you still doing here!" Five demanded
"I didn't mean to inter-" Klaus starts to explain
"Get out!" Five emphasized once more
"Can I just grab-" Klaus tried to interject
"LEAVE!" Five shouted once more
Seeing that he was not going to be getting what he came in for Klaus put his hands up innocently before slowly backing out the bathroom door. Carefully he grabbed the doorknob and shut the door behind him leaving you and Five alone once more. Silence fell over the room as you both dealt with the embarrassment and annoyance from the interruption. Any feelings of intimacy that you were experiencing only moments ago had dissipated just as quickly as they came. Five looked at the now closed door
"God, can't get one moment away from my stupid siblings..." Five complained
Walking up to him, you wrapped your arms around his waist from behind, resting your head against his back. Five was still annoyed but your embrace was warm and your presence was comforting and he couldn't help but relax at your touch. With his tension melting away he looked over his shoulder back towards you.
"Do you think they're ever going to leave us alone?" He asked
"With this family? No way..." You answer
Pausing for a moment you let go of Five allowing him to turn around and face you. His arms find their way around your waist once more as you wrap your arms around his neck. Leaning his head down your noses gently brush against each other for a moment before you look into his eyes. A smile coming to your face as you look at him and further explain,
"But our home is the size of a block, has 42 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, multiple attic spaces, an extensive basement, an abandoned planetarium, plus some hidden rooms that I found. So I have a feeling we might be able to get away for a bit even if they won't leave us alone themselves."
"You are correct. The house does have all those options." Five remarked playfully
"It does." You reply "But if worst comes to worst, and we can't stay at the house then we go stay at a hotel."
"Well, maybe it's time to go home then?" Five suggests
You stopped for a second thinking about his statement. You didn't want to go home just yet. Once you returned you would be thrown back into the daily grind of life. School, activities, and social life, on top of readjusting back to life in the 21st century. You'd have to resume them all right after dealing with your second apocalypse, on top of about 4 years of trying to exist in a time that was not your own. You just wanted a moment to yourself. A moment to exist without expectation. Finally acknowledging your boyfriend's suggestion, you answered,
"No."
"No?" Five asked quizzically
"No," You restated "Now that we have it, can we just take some time to ourselves and do nothing for a bit?"
The corners of Five's lips turned up into a small smile as he heard your request. After going and going and going the thought of just doing nothing sounded nice. There was no rush to go home. No rush to move on to the next task. Everyone else on this abandoned farm was already taking time to themselves so why not do the same?
"Yeah. Let's do nothing." Five responded
Stepping out of the embrace, you took his hand in your own as you walked towards the side wall of the bathroom pulling him excitedly behind you. Before he could even say something about it you had already phased yourself through the wall using your abilities to phase him through too.
"That felt weird." He commented, rolling back his shoulders as if to shake off the feeling
"I could say the same about your powers." You remarked, "Now c'mon before someone sees us."
Pulling him behind you, you ran off towards the barn. With the handler's body having been cleared out by the commission, and the place a relative mess from all the stuff that happened with Harlan, it was unlikely anyone would come here to stay. Which made it the perfect place for you two to be. Taking a look about you made sure no one was around before walking in and heading over to one of the large piles of hay. Letting go of Five's hand you plopped yourself down into it. Five looked at you for a moment as you just laid in the hay but before he could move to sit down you were already encouraging him to, saying,
"Come on. You gonna do nothing with me or not?"
Without a word, Five sat down before laying in the hay with you. You moved towards him, your head resting on his right shoulder and your right hand finding a place over his heart. Five's right arm found its way around your waist pulling you closer as his left hand took hold of the one you had placed on his chest. Resting his head atop of yours, he took in the silence. It wasn't like the silence he was accustomed to. It was neither the deafening silence of the apocalypse nor the isolating silence of his life as a commission agent. This silence was peaceful. It was comforting. It was safe. And for a while, that was all either of you needed, peaceful nothingness and each other's embrace.
You didn't know how long it had been with you laying there but that didn't matter either. Moving your head to look up towards him you softly called,
"Five?"
"Yes, love?" He responded, looking back at you
"What do you want to do when we get back?" You asked
"Ah, that's easy. I want to retire, I want to buy a 1970s Corvette Stingray and I want to spend time with you." Five answered
You let out a small laugh at his response. There was nothing wrong with his answer, truly it made sense for him that those would be his choices but you found him explicitly stating he wanted to retire both funny and cute.
"What's so funny?" Five questions amused
"You saying you want to retire." You explain "Like I get it and you totally deserve it. Sometimes I just forget there's still an old man in here."
To him the thought of forgetting his actual age and how many years he lived sounded so nice. And yet it seemed so foreign. He could only dream of a day when he forgot the fact that his age was not equivalent to his appearance.
"Well, I hope one day I can get to the point where I forget that too." Five mused before asking "What do you want to do when we get back?"
"I want to finish out school with my friends, I want to go to college with them, and I want to spend time with you." You respond
"Hmm." Five hummed at your response
"What?" You inquired
"Going to college doesn't sound too bad." He stated, "You think I could go?"
"You already look like you should be getting into an argument in a philosophy class, so I'd say so." You joked
"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He replied flatly, although there was a smirk on his face
"It is funny. But being serious, I can help you with it. There's still time to get some applications in if we really work on it and then we could go together." You suggested
"I'd like that." He states
"Me too." You respond
The corners of your lips upturn into small smiles as you think about the plans you have for the future. And as you looked into each others' eyes you hoped that your life together would be just as bright as the images painted in your minds. After everything you deserved the life you always wanted together, both with the things you discussed and the life goals that you each wanted but wouldn't say at this time. Staying in that moment you could hear the sounds of crickets and when you looked up you saw fireflies dance above your head. Looking outside the sky had gone from a soft blue hue to a deep dark night. The stars outside shone above indicating that a significant amount of time had passed.
"Oh shit. How long did we lay here?" You exclaimed
"I don't know, I was too busy doing nothing to worry about time." Five remarked, "You think it's time to go home?"
"Yeah," You answered, "Let's go home."
Getting up from the stack of hay Five extended his hand out to you to help you up. Together you helped each other brush off the leftover hay strands that stuck to your clothes before heading towards the door that led out of the barn. Taking each other's hands you stepped out into the dark night and made your way toward your future together.
Returning to the house Five rounded everyone up while you grabbed the briefcase and your bag of stuff from inside the house. Throwing the strap of your bag over your shoulder you headed back outside, meeting the rest of the group on the porch, and handed the briefcase to Five. Together group walked off the porch, standing in a circle similar to how they all did when you all jumped together the first time. Finishing setting up the briefcase Five looks up and asks,
"Everyone ready?"
"Let's do it, yeah." Luther responds
With a nod of acknowledgment from Five, everyone wraps their arms around each other or holds hands with the person next to them. The night is quiet but as Five takes one last look around at the group Klaus shouts,
"Wait!"
Everyone looks at Klaus confused as he gives a sad pleading face before running back over towards the house and grabbing a cowboy hat that was left on the porch. Leaning over to Five, Diego whispers
"Fifty bucks if we leave him here."
But before Five can respond Klaus trotted back to his spot in the circle, the hat now on his head as he grabbed his siblings' hands once more. As you all held each other you watched in silence as Five clicked down the latches of the briefcase and the energy within it started to build. You could feel as the energy grew and grew until you all were consumed in a flash of blue. In a matter of seconds, the energy stopped as you all now stood around a table in the middle of the academy foyer. As you all caught your breath trying to regain your composure from time travel you looked about the place. The academy was standing in one piece, the sun was shining outside, and things were as you remembered them to be but you had seen the academy in the 60s. It was unchanged, filled with its outdated decor that you had grown up with your whole post-time-jump life.
"Oh, good God. Wh-what day is it?" Allison asked
"April 2, 2019. Day after the apocalypse." Five stated looking at a newspaper on the table
"Wait, so we stopped it?" Luther questioned
"My God, it's over? Did we...actually succeed at something? That's incredible!" Klaus exclaimed
You smiled at the fact that you all may have actually succeeded at something but as nice as it was to be back in the academy, this wasn't the building you needed to see right now. There was one right across the way that you hadn't stepped foot into since the day that you had arrived in the future the first time you time traveled. Whether it was the fact that just seconds ago you were exactly 50 years from being dropped into 2013 or the deja vu of traveling to the future again something in that moment was calling you home, even if you knew there was no home to be found there. Carefully you started to wander toward the front door while the rest of the group continued to celebrate behind you.
"I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink." Klaus exclaims
"Yes." Luther agrees
"In fact, I need several." Klaus adds
"I'm in. I'm in." Vanya replies
As most of the group starts to wander into the parlor, Allison looks towards the front door where you were standing aimlessly. She wanted to be with her siblings but her daughter was out there somewhere. Hopefully at home tucked safely in her bed. Feeling the need to get back to her Allison stated,
"I should go find Claire."
Luther however in a celebratory mood grabbed at Allison's wrist pulling her behind him as he requested,
"Oh, come on, one drink."
Letting him pull her along Allison made her way into the parlor with the rest of the group, except for one member that lingered behind.
"Ma chérie, you coming?" Five questioned
Almost as if you were pulled out of a trance you looked behind you and saw Five standing there. His hands were in his pockets as he leaned against one of the decorative columns that led into the parlor.
"Huh? Oh." You answered, "In a bit, I just need to go check something..."
Your eyes moved away from him to look back at the front doors and that's when he started to realize your intentions. You wanted to go back home, to your first home. Your true home. He didn't know your reasons for doing so but he didn't need to know. Whatever the reason, it was important to you to do so. Not wanting you to be alone though, he inquired,
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I need to do this alone." You replied looking back at him once more "I'll be back soon."
Without another word, Five gave you a nod and turned into the parlor. And with that, you walked out the doors and across the street. You stood at the bottom of your front steps looking up at the building. The curtains were closed but you could tell the rooms behind them were still dark. Taking a deep breath, you made your way up the few stairs leading to the front door as you checked around to see if anyone was looking at you. Seeing that no one was focusing on you, you let out your breath as you phased yourself through the door. Just as you expected the house was dark and from what you could make out the house was still completely empty. And although you knew there was no one here to respond you still quite stated,
"Mom, Dad...I'm home..."
As you began to explore the home you had left behind, so did Five and the others in the parlor. The group sauntered around the room looking at all the items and furniture that filled it. It was all just as it was. Except for one thing out of place.
"Why is there a painting of Ben over the mantelpiece?" Diego asked concerned
Quickly the rest of the group made their way over to Diego and saw the same portrait hanging where Five's should've been. Five's eyes went wide as a shot of nerves ran through him. That shouldn't be up there. The shitty portrait of him, the one you hated so much, should be what's there. Something was very wrong, but that thought only became worse as a familiar old voice said,
"I knew you'd show up eventually."
The group turned towards one side of the room, as from behind a chair someone stood up and turned to look at the group. Standing before them was their father, Reginald Hargreeves. Alive.
"Dad." Diego said quietly
"You're alive." Luther mentioned surprised
"Why shouldn't I be?" Reginald questioned
"Yeah, you're right. I'm...I'm just happy that we're home and...together again." Luther fumbled
"Home? This isn't your home." Reginald retorted
"What are you talking about? This is the Umbrella Academy." Allison replied
"Wrong again." Reginald stated, his eyes turning up towards the balcony above, "This is the Sparrow Academy."
The sound of footsteps could be heard behind the Umbrellas as they all turned to look towards the sound. On the balcony above stood five unfamiliar figures and a floating cube, all of which looked down at them with confusion. As the two groups looked at each other another figure approached from below the balcony. Standing in front of the Umbrellas with a nasty scowl on his face he demanded,
"Dad, who the hell are these assholes?"
Shock and disbelief washed over the faces of the Umbrellas as they tried to process what they were seeing because the person who stood before them all was their brother Ben. Also alive again. Not knowing any other way to react, the group stated simultaneously,
"Shit."
"Ben," Klaus called softly, a smile upon his face
Ben's attention turned to look towards Klaus as he looked at him with confusion and disgust. Who was this lanky wannabe cowboy intruder that seemed to know him already? The rest of the group continued to look at him with awe and bewilderment as Luther stepped towards the front of the group asking quietly,
"Is that really you?"
"And who are the weirdos on the balcony?" Diego shouted
"They are the Sparrows." Reginald answered "My children."
The eyes of the Umbrella Academy went wide as they looked between the Sparrows and their father. None of this was supposed to be happening when they got back. The world was in one piece but everything else was starting to feel like it was in shambles. The group looked back toward Reginald, Five taking the initiative to step forward as he frustratedly remarked,
"I'm sorry. What do you mean, your children? That's not possible, old man."
"Of course, it is! I think I'd know, wouldn't I?" Reginald replied
Coming down from the balcony the rest of the Sparrows stood in a structured formation opposite the Umbrellas in the parlor. They looked on quietly as the situation developed trying to understand what was going on. While most of the Umbrellas continued to look at their father, Klaus excitedly looked at Ben. Using both hands to point at him he asked,
"Everybody else can see Ben, right?"
"Cute hat, Sundance." Ben insulted
Klaus tipped his hat back in response as Reginald began to speak, explaining to the Sparrows who the intruders in their house were,
"They call themselves the Umbrella Academy, a group of scheming, perfidious malcontents who accosted me in the fall of 1963 when I was away on business in Dallas."
As everyone else focused on Reginald's word, five focused on the briefcase on the table in the foyer. If he could just get back to it then maybe they could try to find a solution to fix this. But he couldn't just flash away, the Sparrows seemed on edge and any movement could possibly lead to a larger issue than other people living in their house.
"Be warned, they claim to be my spawn." Reginald adds
"Claim? Look, Five, what the hell is going on?" Allison asks in an unamused tone
"I don't know yet, but it's concerning." Five replies
"Is he telling the truth?" What seemed to be the leader of the Sparrows asked
The Umbrellas looked back over at the Sparrows. All of them still rigidly standing there waiting for some type of answer or explanation.
"Not the part about us being perfidious." Vanya stated
"No, we're amateur-fidious, at best." Klaus chimes in
"But we are his children. This is our house." Vanya continued
"Yeah, yeah. We, uh... We grew up here." Luther adds
The Sparrows all look around at each other before the one who looked serious injured mocked,
"Yeah, we grew up here."
"I kind of think we would have noticed you." The one with the long brown hair commented
Luther looked over towards the one who had just made the comment and stared blankly for a second. It was as if his brain had to catch up upon seeing him. Snapping back to reality a smile appeared on Luther's face as he reached out his hand and greeted,
"Hi. I'm Luther."
The welcoming gesture did not last long though as Allison quickly stepped forward shouting,
"Okay. None of you belong here."
"Oh! Well, then. I guess we'll just pack our bags and move out." The one with glasses snapped back
The ominous glowing floating cube then started to make some garbled noises in which it seemed like the Sparrows could understand what they meant. When the cube finished "speaking" the Sparrows began to snicker at what was said as Ben loudly replied,
"You slay me, Chris."
Before any more comments could be made a familiar blonde woman walked into the room. The Umbrellas slowly turned to look at her as she stood there with a plate of cookies in her hands.
"I wasn't expecting company. This is the best I could do on shor-shor-short notice." The woman said, her voice and body glitching at the end of her statement
"Mom." Diego said softly
"Mom? She's a robot, you perv." The dark-haired girl remarked
The Umbrellas looked at her angrily. How dare she disrespect both their mother and their brother. The tension in the room started to build up as all the Hargreeves started speaking over each other. A cacophony of taunts, insults, and pleas to calm down filtered through the air.
"Hey, don't you call him that." Luther chastised
"Or what?" Ben pressed
"Come closer and find out." Luther firmly stated taking a step toward Ben
"Luther! Guys, chill!" Vanya tried to interject
"Think I'm afraid?" Ben questioned stepping toward Luther
"Stand down, Ben." The tall one in front commanded
"Look at that! She's got a voice!" Luther spat
"How about I hide that big Rubik's Cube up your ass?" Diego shouted
"Enough!" The tall one yelled
The room became quiet as all eyes turned to him. He stood there solidly, with his shoulders as straight as can be. He spoke with authority as he stated firmly,
"I don't know what circus you escaped from or how you got past our security, but we're done here. You got 30 seconds to get out of our house."
"And if we don't?" Allison shot back
"Then we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way." He replied
Trying to get in between the brewing conflict before it boiled over into something worse Vanya stepped forward trying to calmly explain,
"Look, we just fought a literal army. Okay? This doesn't need to get ugly. Let's all just calm down, and let's talk."
The room quieted down for a moment as everyone settled. Perhaps there was no reason to fight. Maybe they could just it out. As everyone paused though Klaus continued to get excited. Ben was there and he was alive! He didn't have to be without his brother like he thought he would.
"Psst. Benerino." Klaus said grabbing his attention "You look so much better alive than you do dead. Am I right? Except that haircut."
"What the hell did you just say?" Ben shouted angrily
The rest of the Umbrellas watched cautiously as Klaus approached Ben from across the room babbling out whatever words his brain managed to form. Five could see as Luther reached out his hand to grab Klaus' shoulder as Klaus rambled on,
"Come on, come on. Stop with all the hostility, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Oh wow. Nice scar. Muy macho."
"Shut your mouth!" Ben demanded
"You shut your mouth and just hug your brother-" Klaus started to say, his arms raised high and wide for a hug
But that hug never came. Instead Ben swiftly punched him in the face sending him stumbling backward past the group and over a coffee table. The Umbrellas looked on with shock and anger at what had just occurred. Sure Klaus was well...Klaus...but that didn't mean he deserved to get punched in the face. Stepping in to defend Klaus, Luther approached Ben as he shouted,
"Hey! What the hell? You didn't have to do that!"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I did!" Ben shouted back
"That's right, he did!" The seriously injured one chimed in
"Luther, hey!" Vanya called trying to get Luther to step down
But it wasn't working as Luther stepped closer to Ben once more. Putting himself slightly between Luther and Ben the tallest of the Sparrows shouted,
"Back off!"
That threat, however, did nothing and as Luther pushed the tallest Sparrow away he was immediately pushed back. Pulling his hand back into a fist, Luther swung at him hoping to nail him in the jaw but before his fist could make contact the Sparrow had ducked down dodging the hit. Quickly, standing back up the Sparrow kicked Luther in the chest with immense force sending him flying back across the room. The Umbrellas attention snapped towards Luther as they watched almost in slow motion him slam into Klaus, who had just stood up from getting punched, and crash over the couch across the room.
"Bad touch, Luther! Bad touch!" Klaus groaned, hitting his brother's shoulder
"Sorry." Luther apologized as he got off of Klaus
Whatever hope for a lack of conflict went out the window at that moment though as the Sparrows started pursuing the Umbrellas. Trying to get the upper hand Five rushed towards Ben and began to fight him near the bar. Punch for punch they went back and forth with each other. Ben kicked Five in the shin but Five went back with a blow to Ben's face. Ben nailed Five in the jaw and when Five swung his arm back to hit Ben, he ducked down dodging the attack. Back and forth they blocked each other's next attacks but then Ben nailed a punch right to Ben's gut catching Five off guard and giving Ben the upper hand. Wrapping his arm around Five's neck Ben tried to choke him but before he could do any real damage Five had already blinked from his grasp. Reappearing, Five looked at Ben trying to start putting the pieces together in his head on how this was possible.
"You're alive. That's great. Or possibly horrible. I'm not really sure yet." Five commented
"Is that some kind of weird smack talk?" Ben remarked
"It's more of an existential problem, really, Ben." Five explained
"Awesome. Well, here's your next problem." Ben retorted
Immediately, a tentacle shot from Ben's chest and over towards Five. Before the tentacle could grab onto him though, Five had already flashed up to the balcony above the bar. With his hand in his pockets, he looked down at Ben who had spotted him on the balcony.
"You know, even though you're a total asshat now," Five started to say
The fact that he was speaking didn't matter though as two tentacles shot from Ben's chest once more in his direction. Doing what he had done before, Five jumped away. Appearing behind Ben he placed one hand on his shoulder turning him back towards him and punching him in the face knocking him down.
"It's nice to see you again, really." Five finishes
As Ben laid on the ground from being punched, Five turned around to see the cube, apparently called Chris, floating aggressively in the air as it had a stand-off with Diego. Five watched as Diego jumped on top of the cube. His eyes went wide with shock as Diego began to punch one of the cube's sides yelling,
"Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy! Who's... your... daddy?"
Five watched as the cube lifted Diego higher into the air, spinning him around at high speeds before throwing him off onto the balcony above. Five considered getting involved to help Diego but from where he stood he could see Allison fall to the ground and the extremely injured Sparrow about to stomp her. Flashing to her, he quickly grabbed her before flashing away once more. Arriving safely on the ground upstairs the two took a moment to get themselves up again.
"Thanks." Allison said
"No problem." Five replied
From behind the two of them, a voice called,
"Hey, short pants. What's up?"
Allison and Five stood there for a moment as the snarky dark-haired girl approached them. Five looked at the scene below him and seeing the chaos, and the fact that his siblings were not doing well in this fight, Five instructed,
"Go help the others. I'll handle this one."
"Okay." Allison replied as she made her way to the stairs
The dark-haired girl took a few steps closer before stopping. As Five and her stood opposite each other the dark-haired girl mockingly asked,
"What are you, their mascot?"
Five didn't say a word. Instead, a smirk came to his face as he jumped behind her. Turning to face him, Five punched her straight in the face causing her to fall to the ground and groan in pain.
"More like their ringer." Five mocked back
The dark-haired girl sat up on the ground and looked up at Five with anger in her eyes. Hissing at him she spat a black goo from her mouth and onto his face. Five's face filled with disgust as he touched the goo on his head before looking at it. Looking at the dark-haired girl he ridiculed,
"Ugh. Hey, gross, all right?"
But as he looked up from her something about the world changed. The lighting became softer, things became more peaceful and from down the balcony walkway, he saw a vision of perfection. There you stood, looking absolutely radiant. The world glowed around you as you held a bouquet of flowers in your hand and wore the most stunning white dress. Five looked at you in awe and as you started to walk towards him, a wide smile on your face, Five carefully moved towards you meeting you in the middle.
"Hi mon chéri." You greeted softly
"Wow. You look beautiful." Five complimented breathlessly before asking "Why are you wearing this?"
"Well, I think it would be odd not to wear a wedding dress to our wedding." You joked
Five's eyes went wide with wonder and his heart skipped a beat as he heard you say those words. He had always dreamed of being able to get married to you. He had spent countless times throughout his life thinking about how he would ask you to be his forever, what type of wedding you two would have if given the opportunity, and who would be there to share the celebration of your love for one another. The thought of marrying you was one of his greatest dreams. Not being able to fathom that this was actually happening Five asked tenderly,
"We're getting married?"
"Well that's why you asked isn't it?" You replied holding out your hand
Five looked and there on your hand was a stunning ring. He didn't remember getting it for you but it looked like the type he always imagined getting you. And with the smile on your face, it seemed to indicate you were happy with it as well. You were happy with him. A smile appeared on his face as he took the hand you had extended out to him in his. Looking up at you from the ring, he stated delicately,
"I never thought I'd get a chance to do this."
The smile on your face widened as your eyes filled with immense amounts of love. Five let out a peaceful sigh as he took all of this in. After his time in the apocalypse, he didn't want much but this? This he wanted more than anything.
"Well you have your chance now," You told him "So are you going kiss me and make me your wife or not?"
Five nodded his head before closing his eyes and slowly leaning into you. His one hand let go of yours as he placed it on your waist, the other of his stroking your hair as your lips pressed against each other. His heart felt like it was doing flips knowing that you were now his wife but as Five continued to kiss you something knocked into his head and the next thing he knew he was rolling down the main foyer staircase. Hitting the tile on the ground floor, he groaned in pain both at the physical pain of the injuries he probably sustained and the emotional pain of his dream being just that. A dream. As he forced himself to get up Five could see the Sparrows surrounding Luther, the tallest of them continuing to beat him bloody. Five tried to get up but after the fall down the staircase, it was difficult. As he tried to force himself to his feet he could hear the sound of Vanya yelling,
"Luther go, get out!"
Five got up on his hands and knees, his body aching with every move he made but he needed to keep going. As he continued to try and get to his feet he saw as Allison rushed down the foyer stairs and over to him. Extending a hand out to him she helped him up to his feet.
"Thanks," Five said
"No problem." Allison replied, "You okay?"
"I've been better." Five answered
The two of them took a moment to breathe but it didn't last long as the Sparrow with glasses began approaching. At this point it was evident their best chance at survival was to get out and leave. Quickly, Five and Allison ran down a side hall away from the Sparrow that was heading their way. As they ran down the hall, Five could see Luther up ahead crouched down over another Sparrow. Running past him Five shouted,
"Luther, we're leaving!"
Five took the lead running ahead of the two of them, and after a moment he could hear footsteps catching up behind. As the three of them ran together away from the squawking of birds that came from behind him, Five remembered that the briefcase was still on the table. Turning on his heel, he ran in the opposite direction past his siblings before spatial jumping downstairs to the foyer. Looking at the table he saw that it was nowhere to be found.
"Where's the briefcase? shit, it's gone!" He exclaimed
Looking up from the table he then saw Vanya laying on the broken remains of a table struggling to get up and groaning in pain. The Sparrows in the room stepped closer and closer beginning to surround Vanya.
"Vanya, get out of there!" He shouted
His statement didn't do much to help though and instead, he saw as Vanya began to glow. A resonating sound filled the air as Five realized what was going to happen next. With wide eyes, Five stepped away from the entrance to the parlor and jumped out of the house before anything worse could happen.
As the Hargreeves had been battling across the street you however were exploring your old home. Carefully you walked from empty room to empty room, memories coming back of a time long gone from the moment you were in now. There was the kitchen you would eat in with your family, there was the living room where you would run around and play, and there was the game room where your favorite game was just your dad lifting you up and spinning you around.
These rooms were easier to be in, the bittersweet nostalgia didn't hurt as bad as you made your way upstairs that feeling grew. You entered your parents' bedroom, the one you would run to when you had a nightmare and have your mother sing you back to sleep. The one where you and your parents would watch a movie together on their TV. The one where you would hide many times when playing hide and seek. You could feel the love and warmth of your memories but at the same time, there was a cold emptiness. Your past still haunted you like ghosts of a time gone by but you couldn't let it drag you down. You may not have learned to move on but as always you needed to keep moving forward and just take life as it came your way. For better or for worse.
Turning out of your parents' room you walked down the hall towards the room you dreaded the most. Your own. You knew that on the other side of this door was a room frozen in time. It would look the exact same way it did when you left it in 2002 and the exact same way you last saw it when you arrived on November 22, 2013. As you reached for the doorknob your hand shook slightly but you pushed past the nervousness you were feeling. Closing your eyes you grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it open. Placing your hand on the door you pushed it fully open and took a step inside. Taking a deep breath you readied yourself to open your eyes and when you let out your breath, you did. Your eyes opened, but immediately they went wide with shock. The room was...empty. This didn't make sense. The room should've been untouched. Filled with all the items from your childhood. Toys on the floor, books on the desk, posters on the wall, and your big fancy canopy bed over where it should've been. But none of it was there. The room looked as if it was never lived in. Your heart raced as you wondered what this meant but as that happened you could feel a familiar knot build in your stomach. Following the feeling, you rushed over to the window and actually looked across the street at the academy. Your wide-eyed look grew as you saw giant banners of many people who you had never seen and one face that you recognized instantly. And then above the banners on the roof, you saw one more sign that read Crime's The Problem. We're The Solution. Sparrow Academy. A sinking feeling settled within you as you said aloud,
"Shit."
As you continued to stare in disbelief at the signs before you that may or may not have signified that you had messed up the timeline, the feeling in your stomach grew but before you could react to it, a burst of energy came from across the street knocking you down. Your arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you cried out in pain. Whatever was happening over at the house was not good. You took steady breaths, trying to redirect the pain, and after a few minutes of doing so, both the disturbed energy and your pain had vanished. Carefully you got up from the floor but once you were standing steadily you immediately knew you had to get back across the street. Transporting your molecules from your old bedroom over to the foyer of the academy you looked into the parlor that everyone had entered when you left only to see the place in complete disarray. Slowly, you walked into the room looking down at all the broken wood and glass on the ground.
"Jesus...what happened here?" You asked yourself quietly
As you looked at the mess you heard an unfamiliar woman's voice snap sarcastically,
"Oh great, we've got another one."
Your head whipped over to see a group of six people and a floating cube looking at you angrily. The same group that you had seen advertised on the banners outside, The Sparrow Academy. You had no time to care nor fucks to spare for the people standing in front of you. In what can only be described as one of the most stressful days of your life, you time traveled to 1982, killed a bunch of people, time traveled back to the 1960s, got kidnapped, killed a bunch of other people, went back to the 60s AGAIN, had to keep your boyfriend from fighting and killing his past self, and then was attacked by a literal army on top of being in extreme pain every time a massive disturbance occurred. Straightening your shoulders back you demanded,
"Where are the people I came with?"
"We kicked their asses and sent them running home." The seriously injured one jabbed
"Well this is their home so either you're playing a really shitty game of hide and seek or you suck at comebacks." You retorted "My guess is the latter though."
"We're not here to play games. You either get out of our house or we will force you out." The tallest one commanded
If there was one thing you hated more than anything else, it was being told what to do. No one was going to tell you what to do and especially not in this house. The academy had always been your little rebel's playground. You consistently lived directly in spite of Reginald and his dumb academy structure and today was not the day that this was going to change.
"Okay well first of all, I lived here in the 60s so this was my house first." You remarked back "And second of all, you must have the wrong bitch because I don't take orders from anyone."
You watched as they geared themselves up ready for a fight. A fight you were willing to take on because unless one of them had powers similar to Vanya, you were obviously going to win. Slowly the group of them started approaching but you stood your ground. You watched as Ben stepped forward quickly, pushing his way in front of the rest of the group. There was a look of pure malice on his face, one that you had never seen on him before, but with that look, you instantly knew this was not the Ben you had known. This was someone completely different and you should treat him as such. Standing in front of everyone else he shouted cockily,
"I got this."
And just like that two tentacles flew out of his chest and towards you, but you didn't move. You didn't even flinch. Instead, you kept your eyes trained on Ben as his tentacles went swiftly through you. You watched his cocky expression turn into confused anger as his tentacles continued to swat at you to no avail. As the tentacles came back towards you, your hands shot up grabbing one in each hand and quickly burning the slimy flesh. Ben shouted in pain as he retracted his tentacles back inside himself. A vile smirk came to your face as you mocked,
"You missed Benjamin."
You watched his face contort into anger but you couldn't care. It was your turn now. Closing your eyes you ignored your actual sight and instead using your abilities you felt for all the shards of shattered glass in the room. Once you had found them all you began to raise them in the air so that they surrounded the Sparrows. Opening your eyes you looked dead at them all, their confidence and anger had now turned into a state of poorly hidden panic. Slowly and in a steady tone, you spoke your next words to them,
"But I won't."
And just like that, you flung the glass their way. You watched as they spread out running in different directions but you could still hear their shouts and cries of pain as glass sliced them. You winced though as what felt like a piece of glass sliced your cheek over your cheekbone. None of the glass should've hit you, you were directing it away. And then from across the room, you saw the seriously injured one holding his hand over a cut in the same place. Putting the pieces together you concluded that his power was injury replication. His pain was his attacker's pain.
"Well then." You said to yourself "Better avoid contact combat."
As you took a moment to yourself you could feel the energy of someone trying to sneak up behind you. As they rushed to sneak attack, you phased yourself through them and saw it was the largest member of the group. With his back still turned to you, you kicked him in the back of the leg making him collapse to his knees before roundhouse kicking his head and increasing the density of your foot on impact for extra damage. You watched as he fell forward to the ground but before he could get back up you placed a paperweight on his back and increased the density to the point that it was impossible for him to get up. You watched as he struggled to get off the ground to no avail. This was one of your easiest tricks, you were doing this before you turned double digits, and yet this big guy was effectively down for the count. Proud of your work you saw as a group of sparrows congregated together most likely trying to figure out their next plan of attack. Rolling your shoulders back a few times you turned yourself invisible before jumping over to them. You saw the way they frantically looked around for you.
"Where did she go?" Ben shouted
Without a word, you decided to answer him. Punching him in the gut, he doubled over allowing you to elbow him in the head and push him to the ground. The Sparrow with glasses and the one with long brown hair looked on with concern as their heads whipped around trying to find you. You watched as they wandered away for a moment before shouting,
"Colder."
Quickly they snapped back around towards the sound of your voice. As they slowly approached you continued to talk them through the game of hot and cold just waiting for them to get to you.
"Warm. Warmer. Hot. Hotter!" You instructed
It was when they were right in front of you that you revealed yourself and said,
"You two are on fire!"
The one with the glasses immediately went to grab you but before she could the other girl screamed,
"Oh my god, Fei! Look! Look!"
The one with glasses looked down at herself only to see that both she and the girl who had shouted at her were indeed on fire.
"I told you two you were on fire." You commented
The two of them began to panic as you refused to let the flames go out. The funny part was that you weren't actually burning them or their clothing, the flames just existed there as a distraction. Each girl tried to pat out their own flames and that of each other but nothing was working. This was too easy. These people thought they were going to kick your ass and force you out of the house? Yeah right. They were amateurs compared to you. Flashing up to the balcony above, you leaned against one of the columns, crossing your arms over your chest and taunting,
"C'mon is that really all you guys got? I assumed you'd at least be somewhat of a challenge."
You were unimpressed by them. These were supposed to be the Umbrellas replacements? Sure they were very good at presenting themselves as a united front, something the Umbrellas were...working on. But these guys hadn't even landed a hit on you yet. Granted, that was a difficult task to do, but even your friends back when you did your vigilante thing were able to get you sometimes. And they didn't even have powers. They were just skilled at working together. It wasn't surprising given their upbringing but it seemed like every Hargreeves was deeply rooted in the "everyone for themselves" mentality. As you stood there watching your minimal havoc cause its discord downstairs, a Sparrow with long dark hair began to approach you. You raised a curious eyebrow at her but didn't make any attempt to move from your current position. You watched as she pressed her tongue between her teeth, black veins popping up on her neck as she made a hissing sound before shooting some type of liquid from her mouth. Becoming permeable, the liquid flew right through you and landed on the column behind you. Turning to look at what was just spat at you, you saw a stain of black goop splattered on the column. Your face morphed into disgust as you looked back at the girl.
"Is that shit black? Gross." You grimaced "What's your power? Sucking off the tar monster from Scooby-Doo?"
You watched her face turn to anger as she repeated the process from earlier, spitting at you once more. Once again she missed as the liquid flew right past you. Finally deciding to move, you walked over and stood in front of her. With your eyes locked, you stated firmly,
"Keep your kinks to yourself you perv."
Before kicking her in the chest and sending her down the foyer stairs. You watched as she tumbled to the main floor hitting each step along the way before stopping completely at the bottom. Slowly, you walked down the stairs after her and looked down at the body at your feet. Tapping the girl in the side with your foot you could hear a small groan but didn't see any sign of movement. Oh well, it was one less Sparrow to worry about.
"This is pathetic. I need a drink." You said to yourself
Stepping over the body you headed back into the parlor, seeing your chaos. Glasses girl and long brown hair girl were still trying to stop themselves from being on fire. Still, neither of them realized that they weren't actually being burned even with the flames growing. Ben was still on the ground trying to recover and the first guy you attacked was yelling for assistance from the injury replication guy.
"Alphonso get this thing off of me!" He shouted
"I'm trying Marcus!" Alphonso replied trying his best to lift the paperweight
As you started to walk past the pair you commented nonchalantly,
"You're wasting your time y'know. It's not gonna budge."
Immediately, Alphonso turned on his heel to face you and you could see the extent of his injuries. It looked very bad. His body was covered with what appeared to be years of scar tissue that all piled up on each other. And for a moment you couldn't help but feel slightly sad for the guy. That went away though as he exclaimed,
"Hit me!"
You already knew that was a bad idea and were not going to be attempting any attacks that dealt with physical contact. It was only going to do damage to you. You however did have another idea.
"Yeah, no. I'm not gonna listen to the guy who looks like The Appetizer from Spongebob" you replied before saying in an upbeat tone "But I will piss your pants though!"
"You'll wha-"
Before he could even finish his statement though you rushed a bunch of water from his body into his bladder before continuing to use your abilities and compress it. You laughed as the guy, against his will, pissed his pants.
"Oh what the fuck!" He shouted
"As an added bonus how about you puke on him too." You added
Using your powers you turned Alphonso back around to face Marcus who still lay trapped on the floor under the paperweight. And without a moment to recover from pissing his pants, you compressed his stomach making him puke onto the back of Marcus' jacket. You could hear Marcus groan in disgust as Alphonso fell to his knees and started having a coughing fit. With a shrug of your shoulders, you moved on towards the bar. Stepping behind the bar you grabbed a glass and a bottle and started to pour the random liquor you chose in but you had not realized that your lack of care had lost your grip on the fake fire you had created. Before you could reach for your glass you heard the overwhelming sounds of dozens of birds squawking. Looking up you saw a swarm of birds appear out of the back of the one with glasses. High into the air, they flew like a dark storm above. They shrieked loudly as they circled but quickly their attention landed on you. In one giant mass, they flew directly towards you. Reacting on instinct you threw the bottle of alcohol that was still in your hand before summoning one of your knives to the other one. Setting it on fire you threw it after the bottle letting the two of them collide in the air, an explosion of flames and glass shot through the swarm of birds making them cry out in pain. The Sparrow who summoned them screamed as she placed her hands over her eyes and collapsed to the ground causing the other Sparrow you had set on fire to look in your direction. She raised her hand, blue energy starting to glow causing you to lift up from the ground but before you could get too far you lifted your own hand and made a swatting motion in the air sending her flying off to the side and into the bookcase.
Grabbing your glass you took a swig of your drink letting it go down smooth. After everything that had happened today, you deserved this. Walking out from behind the bar you stepped into the center of the room and looked at the bodies that were lying around. They weren't dead but they probably were starting to wish they were. But then from above, you saw as the floating cube appeared. It pulsed with angry red light as it insulted you through some garbled language.
"Easy there enderman. No need to get hostile." You retorted
The room was silent except for the groans of the defeated Sparrows as you and the cube stood off. Neither of you making a move, waiting for the other to take the initiative to attack. As you stared each other down, the rest of the Sparrows got up, stumbling over to surround you. You looked around at them, cuts, bruises, and blood littered their uniforms and bodies. You admired their resilience, the fact that even after all you had done so far they still would get up to fight was impressive. You could see the blade you had thrown earlier on the ground behind the cube and an idea came to mind. You knew the cube was a dense solid but if you made the blade phase into it then maybe it would do some damage. Carefully, you side-eyed the knife trying not to draw attention to it as you raised it in the air, but after a moment you flung it at the cube phasing it through its hard exterior and hitting the inside. You watched proudly as the cube wobbled a bit but before you could react a beam of red energy shot towards you hitting you in the head. You dropped to one knee as you cried out in pain. The energy wasn't like that of Vanya's, it wasn't a direct counter to your ability, but it flowed through you so rapidly it was difficult to think straight. With wicked grins on their faces, the Sparrows closed in and you knew you needed to do something or else you were screwed. You tried to fight against the energy that moved through you but it accomplished nothing. And that's when you heard Charlie's voice in your head.
Feel it, don't fight it.
You weren't going to stop this energy but maybe you could redirect it back. You moved your right hand in front of your head so that the energy beam hit there first and felt the way it coursed through you. Although your teeth were gritted, your breath became steady and as the Sparrows closed in on you, you raised your left hand up with two fingers pointed and completed the circuit. The energy that had rushed into you flowed out of you and connected with the blade you had lodged in the cube. You watched as it vibrated violently making a sound of what you could only assume was distress. Regaining your footing you stood up tall as you moved closer to the cube forcing more of its own energy into it. Quickly, the rest of the Sparrows moved towards you to make you stop, but before they could even get close you took in a slow deep breath taking in oxygen. Specifically the oxygen from the Sparrows' bodies. You watched as they grabbed at their necks all of them beginning to choke on nothing. Their faces turned blue as they tried to move forward to get to you but they couldn't. Blood began to drip from their noses and their eyes began to roll back into their head as you continued to suck every molecule of oxygen from their system. You could tell they were on their last breaths but before you could finish them off a familiar voice called from behind you,
"(Y/N)! Welcome home! I always knew you'd come back."
Hearing that voice you stopped what you were doing and turned right around. All the Sparrows collapsed to the ground, the cube going completely colorless and the humans gasping for the air they so desperately needed. You looked up towards the balcony and saw a man you were not expecting to see standing there. Reginald.
"What the fuck? Reggie? Why are you alive?" You shouted
"Why shouldn't I be?" He questioned back
"I don't know it's been like fifty fucking years." You argued before gesturing to the Sparrows behind you on the ground "And who are the 30-year-old losers I almost killed? Why do you have them?"
"These are my children, the Sparrow Academy. Just like the name you chose!" Reginald explained "And they are here because after the awful display those Umbrella malcontents put on at dinner in 1963 I decided to pick a different academy. A better one."
You let out a sigh of relief as you heard his explanation. It wasn't your fault that things had changed. You were still more put together than a Hargreeves. The only input into this timeline you truly caused was the name of the academy. You were in the clear.
"Are you impressed Number Zero?" Reginald inquired
"No. Of course not. I kicked their asses." You ridiculed "And don't call me that."
"Wait. You're Number Zero?" A voice behind you asked
You turned to look at the Sparrow Academy as they got up from the ground. Brushing themselves off they looked at you in shock waiting for some type of response.
"No. I'm (Y/N)." You reprimanded angrily "And if you disrespect me by calling me a number again I'm gonna turn your head into a fucking Pollock painting."
The tall one in the front, Marcus, put his hands up innocently as he apologized,
"I'm sorry I meant no disrespect."
"Whatever." You replied, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
The Sparrow with the bird power stepped forward as she replied,
"It's just an honor to meet you."
"Yeah, we've been waiting on your return." Alphonso chimed in
You grimaced at them. Their responses were weird and unsettling. It was giving off cult-like vibes and you didn't like it one bit.
"That's not creepy at all." You remarked sarcastically
You had no clue what Reginald told them about you or your abilities. You looked back up towards the balcony for some type of explanation but he was nowhere to be found. You could only assume whatever he said was some type of warped truth. A positive light so grand that now they saw you as above them in some way. You knew though that Reginald wasn't to be trusted. He had a reason for everything, including shaping your image like this to them. It was a means to some type of end that you didn't know about. You watched as Marcus stepped forward, a sincere look on his face as he asked,
"Is there anything we can do for you?"
"First of all, you could stop treating me like some type of god. It's weird and makes me very uncomfortable." You explained "And second...I could use some medical attention, a shower, and some food so if that's not an issue that would be highly appreciated."
"Of course." He nodded "Sloane will take you to the medical room."
You watched as the girl with long brown hair stepped forward. A sweet smile on her face as she extended her hand out to shake yours.
"Hi, I'm Sloane." She greeted
Taking her hand in yours you gave it a polite shake as you replied,
"(Y/N)."
"Nice to meet you. Should we get going?" She asked
You nodded your head and with that, you followed her away from the rest of the Sparrows and towards the medical room. But as you settled in the house after a great victory, the Hargreeves however were forced to deal with their major loss in the middle of a park. The group hobbled their way over to various benches and tables that sat next to a small pond. Taking a seat on one of the benches in the shade Luther mumbled,
"Just gonna sit. I'm just gonna sit for a minute."
"That didn't go well." Diego commented as he leaned against the fence that blocked off the pond
"No, not our best work." Five replied sitting down at a picnic table
Five couldn't remember the last time he had gotten his ass kicked like that. He could barely think of an example. Really, he could barely think at all. His head was pounding like crazy, his vision was slightly blurry and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something. He tried concentrating on remembering what it was he forgot, but the light of the sun hurt his head and the aching of his body was too great a distraction that he couldn't focus. All he knew at that moment was how much everything hurt. Five watched as Klaus walked over to the other picnic table and laid atop it. Twisting his spine, loud popping sounds could be heard as he tried to fix his joints.
"Oh, I'm cracking." He said
Looking across the way Five saw Allison and Luther sitting next to each other on separate benches. Allison's nose was bleeding and Luther's face was bloody and bruised. Neither of them looked good. No one here looked good.
"You all right?" Allison asked Luther
"I don't know yet. I've just never had my ass handed to me like that before. It's like...Here you go. It's your ass." Luther responded, his hands held out as if they were holding something
"Okay, I think Luther's concussed." Allison commented placing a hand on his shoulder
Climbing off the table Klaus sat down on the picnic table's bench and raised his hand towards Luther. Holding up what could've been three or four fingers Klaus asked,
"Luther, how many fingers?"
Before he could respond though Vanya came down the path they had taken to get to where they sat looking in as rough condition as everyone else.
"Oh. Thank God you're alive." Vanya called stumbling over to an open bench
"Apparently, so is Ben." Klaus commented
"Yeah. And he's a complete dickhead." Allison added
"They're all dickheads." Diego stated
"Dickheads who can fight." Luther remarked
Five's head continued to pound as he listened to his siblings say the word dickhead over and over again. It didn't make things better and detracted him from thinking about what might be going on. This was obviously not right and he needed to figure things out. Trying to get them to give him some quiet for just a few moments Five threatened,
"Okay, next person to say dickhead is getting a punch to the throat."
"Dickhead." Luther said
"Dickhead." Allison followed
"Dickhead." Klaus added
"Dickhead." Diego finished
Five rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly in disappointment. He still wanted to punch his siblings in the throat but that would take energy away from the ideas that were starting to form in his head.
"Hey, did Dad tell you why he was calling them his kids?" Diego asked
"He sure did! You ready?" Klaus laughed "Dad was so repulsed by us back in Texas, that he adopted an entirely different group of children just so that he didn't have to raise us."
"That's just peak Dad." Diego commented
"Isn't it?" Luther complained
"So he just didn't want us anymore?" Vanya asked
"Did he ever?" Allison responded
"See? I told you we shouldn't have asked him for help in '63." Luther added gesturing toward Five
Like a lightbulb finally getting electricity after a power outage, Five's brain began to work again. Slowly but surely the gears started turning as he thought about the situation at hand. If their dad decided against adopting them, then obviously, the Umbrella Academy never existed. And if the Umbrella Academy never existed it means their lives as they knew them were completely altered. The entire reality they were now in could be filled with alterations.
"I think you're all missing the big picture here." Five chimed in "If Dad didn't adopt us as kids, he changed the timeline. So who knows what else is different now."
"Shouldn't you know?" Allison questioned, attitude lacing her tone
Five knew that Allison was probably upset about getting kicked out of the Academy. Everyone was. That was their home and now most of the group had nowhere to go. And on top of it, she was antsy to go and get back to Claire, if she even existed in this timeline. With the fact that the Umbrella Academy was no longer around, there was a decent chance that neither was Claire. He wasn't going to bring that up though because he was already starting to get annoyed by her. Trying to get her to back off Five remarked,
"Sorry, Allison, but it might take me more than 20 minutes and a traumatic brain injury to figure this all out. Is that okay with you?"
"No, actually, it's not." Allison replied annoyed
"Guys, look, it's fine. We still have the Commission's briefcase, so worst case, we can just go back in time and fix it." Vanya interjected
That was not true though. There were two main problems with what was just said and Five knew he needed to address them before his siblings got out of hand with ideas that would not work. Standing up from his spot on the bench Five began to explain,
"Okay. There are two problems with that statement. First off--"
"Here we go." Klaus lamented
"Time travel is complicated, people." Five stated
"Yeah, we get it. Your job is so hard. Just...what?" Diego complained
"And secondly..." Five continued "I no longer have the briefcase."
Five saw as his siblings faces changed from their mildly disgruntled expressions to ones of shock and annoyance. At this point, Five was used to them reacting like this. He tried to do his best but it just never held up with them. Fortunately, most of them actually kept their mouths shut and just slouched in their seats rather than going on a tirade. Except for Allison, who stood up from her seat on the bench and aggressively asked,
"Five, where the hell is the briefcase?"
"Back at home most likely." Five answered
Home. The word echoed in his mind. There was something about it that felt so important to recall. And then it hit him. You went home. They left home. You didn't know that the academy was not your home. They left you behind. HE LEFT YOU BEHIND!
"Oh shit! (Y/N)!" Five shouted frantically "She doesn't know we left the house!"
"Where was she? We could've used some help from her in that fight." Luther remarked
Five hands started to shake, as he rapidly paced back and forth. He had to go back. They all needed to go back. They barely made it out alive but if it was you by yourself who knew what could happen? Trying to elaborate on the situation Five explained panicked,
"She left the academy to go look at her old house across the street. She doesn't know we left. We've gotta go back."
"What and get our asses kicked again?" Allison protested "No thanks. I'd like to live to see my daughter again."
With the realization that you could be in danger sinking in, Diego quickly walked over to Five. He had almost lost you once today, he wasn't going to let a chance for it to happen again occur. His worst fear was losing you, and he especially wasn't going to lose you to those Sparrows. Standing by Five's side he pulled out one of his knives as he stated,
"No he's right we have to go back for her."
"Yeah, (Y/N) is family. We can't just leave her behind." Klaus chimed in as he walked over towards the two of them
"(Y/N) can blow people up with her mind, I think she'll be okay." Allison retorted
Five's frustration grew as he stopped pacing and turned on his heel to face her. Just some time ago everyone was all "kumbaya" and "we're all family" on the farm and yet now, barely anytime later, Allison was just ready to leave you behind? Why? So she could go see her daughter? IF, Claire existed she was in California while you were only a few blocks away! Currently, you needed them all more than Claire needed Allison. Sure, she was right. You could blow people up with your mind but you had been through enough today. If you did fight them, you couldn't do it forever. They were powerful, capable, and dangerous.
"I am NOT leaving my girlfriend to deal with the Sparrows herself!" Five yelled at her "I know she's not defenseless but she is injured and it can get worse if we don't go back."
"Yeah, and I'm not letting my little girl get hurt by those psychos." Diego added "Let's go. Maybe if we're lucky she's still at her house."
the res of the siblings nodded their heads in agreement as they got up from their seats. You were family, and they weren't going to leave you behind. Allison watched as the rest of the family started to head back to the academy. Back to the academy where they had just gotten beaten to a pulp. Were they really just gonna barge back in there for round two? No. Absolutely not. There was no time for this. She had to get to her daughter. She couldn't just go back and attempt to deal with the Sparrows again just because you decided to take a little trip down memory lane. She needed to do something to get them to stay.
"Hey!" She called out
The rest of the Hargreeves stopped in their tracks as they all turned around to look at Allison. Without missing a beat, seeing as she had all their attention Allison spoke,
"I heard a rumor you all forgot about (Y/N) until dinner tonight."
Allison watched as the eyes of her siblings all went blank white for a moment, her rumor settling into their minds before their eyes returned to their normal colors. The Hargreeves blinked around in confusion, forgetting why they had all stood up.
"Where were we going?" Five asked
"Away from here." Allison stated firmly
The rest of the group looked at each other giving various shrugs and confused glances. But nevertheless, they started to walk off in the direction away from the academy. For the most part, the group walked down the park paths and sidewalks in silence. None of them really had anything to say and most of them were still trying to remember what their plan was. As they walked down the sidewalks the other park-goers stared at them with long judgmental glances as they passed by. It was an unusual situation all around.
"What are we doing?" Allison complained
"Ruminating." Five replied simply
"Why is everyone staring at us?" Klaus questioned
"Because we look like the damn Village People just lost a fight." Diego snapped as he took Klaus' hat from him
Jumping at Diego, Klaus tried to get his hat back while Diego continued to hold it away.
"Gimme that." Klaus shouted before getting elbowed in the ribs by Diego and saying "Hey. Ow!"
Allison couldn't deal with this. Her siblings didn't have the care or the urgency that she did. What needed to be done right now was that she needed to get to Claire as soon as possible and it seemed like everyone else was holding her back. Getting fed up, Allison started to walk away as she called back,
"You know what? I need to go find Claire. I will catch up with you guys later."
"Hey, Allison, no." Vanya called stopping Allison in her tracks "First, let's get somewhere safe, clean up those cuts, and then we'll go find her."
The rest of the group stopped in the tracks taking in the city skyline. Massive billboards of the Sparrow Academy hung off of buildings, their expressions serious and authoritative. The Umbrella Academy sure was mismanaged circus filled with a bunch of clowns compared to them.
"Well, what are we doing then? We can't stand here bleeding out in this park." Allison retorted
"I don't know, but we better gear up fast before they come for round two." Diego stated
"What makes you think they'll come after us?" Vanya questioned
"Because I would." Diego responded
"Yeah, we did break into their house." Klaus added
"Our house." Allison corrected
"...bust up all their nice antiques and shit." Klaus continued
"Yeah. I don't think the crime-fighting... super nerds are gonna let that go." Luther commented
Trying to get everyone to some type of safety Five suggested,
"Let's just think of someplace off the radar where we can lie low and not draw attention."
"What kind of a weird-ass place are we not gonna draw attention?" Diego replied
The group all looked at each other for a moment before their attention turned to Klaus. They watched as he spun in circles for a moment before stopping. Looking back at them he furrowed his eyebrows, trying very hard to think of a place where they could lie low and not draw attention to themselves. And then it hit him. He knew the perfect place they could go.
"I've got it! Follow me!" Klaus exclaimed as he started to walk off
The rest of the siblings looked at each other for a moment before deciding to follow Klaus. If anyone was going to know a place they could stay it was probably going to be him. And so off they went following their eccentric brother in hopes of being able to take care of themselves. You however already had your care underway.
Sloane had guided you through the house pointing out many things that were different from how you remember. There was an in-home movie theater, a dojo, a home gym connected to a full modern kitchen, plus many other things. But the thing that was most foreign to you was the woman standing in front of you taking care of your injuries. Your mom. Well, what should've been your mom. She had the same hair, face, mannerisms, and voice but this wasn't her. The love and care that you used to see in her eyes was replaced with an empty void. You watched as she hummed softly while she cleaned and fixed some of your minor injuries. With a cloth in her hand she reached up to clean off the fresh cut on your cheek and yet something about that action felt different. It was like the gentle touch of a concerned mother was gone, as if it never existed at all. You stared off at the wall in front of you as she continue her work. You had no clue how much time had passed when you felt a tap on your shoulder. Coming back into focus you saw Grace standing before you a basic smile on her face as she stated,
"All your wounds have been attended to and should heal relatively fast."
"Thanks, Mom." You responded
You didn't mean to say Mom. It was a force of habit given the woman she looked like, but as the word came out of your mouth there was part of you that hoped it would trigger something in her. A spark of recognition, even just a flash of the woman you once knew. Something to bandage the pain that was growing in your heart.
"Mom?" Grace questioned, "Why do people keep calling me that."
And with those words that tiny bit of hope you had gone away. As much as you wanted it to not be true, you knew that this wasn't your mom, nor was it even Grace. The woman you knew was lost to the past just like everyone else in your life that you loved. All you had left were the six Hargreeves you arrived with. Getting off the exam table you didn't let your eyes meet her own. If you looked at her face right now you were sure you would start crying from the fact that you had lost a parent again. Walking towards the curtain that separated the kitchen and the med room you quietly responded,
"I don't know. Sorry."
Taking a deep breath you put on a strong face before opening the curtain and walking out of the room. As you stepped out you saw all the Sparrows in workout gear, except for Marcus and Ben who were only in shorts and sneakers, approaching the treadmills in the gym that was on the other side of the kitchen. You stopped in your tracks and looked at them confused.
"(Y/N), glad to see you're doing better." Marcus states "Would you like to join us on our run? I'd be happy to lend you my treadmill."
"You guys run...together?" You asked confused
"We're a team." The one with bird powers said, "We do everything together."
You furrowed your eyebrows as you only became more confused. part of you wanted to ask how far the term everything went in terms of doing everything together, but something in you held you back from doing so. These people were so weird. Were there any Hargreeves that were normal?
"I think...I'm okay for now." You answered, "I've had a very long and physically intense day already so I'm just gonna go take a hot shower."
You turned away from the group and started to head out of the combination gym kitchen but before you could you heard Ben comment mockingly,
"Wow. A little run is too much for the amazing Number Zero."
Before he even fully finished his comment though a blade had already flung past his face leaving a cut similar to your own on his cheek. Slowly you looked over your shoulder, the eyes of all the Sparrows trained on you. Your eyes locked with Ben's as you stated in a slow, low tone,
"I told you not to call me that."
"Yeah dude what are you doing?" The spit girl questioned
"I just don't get how she outranks us and yet she can't be bothered to run a bit." Ben complains
"I told you. I've had a long and physically intense day." You explain steadily as you turned back around "In less than 24 hours, I traveled through time, killed a boardroom filled with extra-temporal corporate executives, was kidnapped, broke free, blew up part of a building, killed another 50 plus people, most of which by blowing them up and one of them-"
You paused for a moment and you flashed over towards Ben and phasing your hand through his chest and grabbing on to his heart tighter and tighter as you spoke,
"By wrapping my hand around his beating heart and pulling it out of his chest while watching the life drain from his eyes. I could go on about the fact that I fought a literal army, had my abilities try to rip me apart from the inside out and yet was still able to kick your ass, but I think this is enough."
"If you want to fight again then let's fight." Ben taunted
Rolling your eyes, you let go of his heart and pulled your hand from his chest. He obviously was a real piece of work in this timeline.
"Calm your man tits, Cuntacles. It's not much of a fight if I can kill you." You remarked, "Anyway, you're not worth much, let alone worth killing and you've got bigger problems to deal with."
"Oh yeah, like what?" Ben questioned
"Like the fact that your patchy gas station attendant mustache doesn't match with those sorority bitch booty shorts." You replied a smirk coming to your face "You should fix that."
You watched as Ben slowly reached up to touch his mustache while he looked down at the shorts he was wearing. Looking past him you could see the smiles and hear the snickers and stifled laughter coming from the other Sparrows. They obviously found your comments entertaining and maybe this was exactly the type of treatment this Ben needed. A good knock off that high horse he was riding. You stared at him blankly and waited for some type of snarky response but none came.
Ben's heart raced at the way you had threatened him and the way you spoke to him. All he could do was stare back at you unsure of what to do or how to respond. No one had ever threatened him in a way that mattered nor had anyone talked to him the way you just had. He had never met anyone before that put themselves on an equal footing to him. For everyone else, he was above them on his heroic pedestal, a god amongst other men. But you, it was as if you had just always been there on equal footing. He didn't like this feeling. You made his stomach feel uneasy by just being you. And with no snarky remark to come back with he let out an annoyed huff and turned off to walk towards his treadmill.
Seeing his retreat, a proud smile came to your face as you said,
"Alrighty then. Well, I'm off to take a shower. Enjoy your run y'all."
And with that, you turned off towards the bedroom hall of the house where the bathroom with the best water pressure was located. You felt a little bad for being so harsh towards Ben but just like with Grace, it wasn't the person you knew. He wasn't the boy you would read literature and write stories with, nor the ghost that was there to comfort you when you were all alone. You knew Ben could be snappy and rude with Klaus but from your view, he was never this level of such. But just because he looked like Ben didn't mean he was. This was an entirely different person you were going to treat him like a stranger because that's who he was to you, and you wouldn't let a stranger treat you the way he attempted to.
Making it to the bathroom, you stripped off your dirty clothes and threw them down the hamper shoot before hopping into the shower. You let the hot water run over you for a while taking in the feeling as you tried to push past the pain that came from seeing the faces of people you loved and knowing that they were gone. You couldn't tell if tears were falling from your eyes or if it was just the water rolling down your face but either way you could feel your chest clench from it all. You stood there silently for a while before reaching for the soap and finally washing off the dirt and dried blood that was left over from earlier events in the day. It was nice to feel clean, to wash all that stuff down the drain. All you had to do now was pick yourself up off the ground and try to start your life over again. For a third time.
Turning the water off, you stepped out of the shower and dried off before putting on a robe from the linen closet. It was at that point you realized the mistake you had made. You had thrown your dirty clothes down the laundry shoot out of habit and now you had no clothes to put on. Opening the bathroom door you looked out into the hall to see if anyone was there. Luckily enough you saw Sloane at the end of the hallway entering what you assumed to be her room. Trying to get her attention you called out to her,
"Sloane. Sloane!"
You watched as she turned around and looked towards you, a smile coming to her face as she approached the bathroom door.
"Hey (Y/N), what's up?" She asked politely
"Hey, so I threw my dirty clothes down the laundry shoot totally forgetting the fact that I did not bring any other clothes with me into the bathroom and I was just wondering if there were any clothes I could use." You asked
"Oh, yeah! You can just take from my closet." She responded cheerfully
"Are you sure?" You questioned
"Yeah! Come follow me." She said
You watched as she turned away and walked back towards her room and slowly but surely you followed her there. Entering the room, you saw posters and postcards of places around the world taped to the walls and multiple travel books littering her desk and dresser. You couldn't be sure but you were getting the feeling that she didn't want to be here. Walking over to the closet, Sloane opened it up and grabbed some things for herself before gesturing to all the clothes inside.
"Since you're done, I'm actually going to go take a shower now so don't worry about rushing to pick something. You have the full range of my closet and can take your time deciding!" She explained
"Thanks, I really appreciate it." You replied
And with that, Sloane gave you a quick nod and walked out of the room with some clothes in hand. Closing the door behind her, you walked over to her closet and started to look through what was available. Sifting through the options you saw a lot of florals, jeans, and deep V-cut long sleeve crop tops. Her closet was very light, romantic, and floaty and you could only assume that it was a reflection of who she was as a person. It took a few minutes to find pieces that you liked but you settled on one of her crop tops, a light blue one with a few pink flowers scattered over it that laced up in the front, and a pair of high-waisted jeans. Looking at yourself in the mirror you felt odd but in a good way. You felt more like yourself, like the person you were before heading to the 1960s. The 60s were alright but the modesty standards were annoying at best and infuriating at worst. No profanity, no "immodest" clothing, minimal affection. You hated it. It was nice to be back in the present day where the rules were laxer. You could speak your mind, dress how you wanted and kiss your boyfriend in public without it being a severe violation of the times. Unsure of what to do next given that your home wasn't really your home anymore, you decided to just chill out on your favorite spot, the ceiling. You had liked sitting on the ceiling ever since you figured out how to do so. It was calming and helped you think because no one could really get to you. Settling into your spot you heard the door to the room open and a voice say,
"Whoa. Didn't expect to see you up there."
Looking down at the door you saw Sloane standing there looking up at you surprised. She was in an outfit somewhat similar to yours but it made sense since you had picked from her closet.
"Oh sorry. I like sitting on the ceiling I feel like it gives me-" You started to explain yourself but were cut off
"A different view of the world?" Sloane questioned
You were taken back by her statement. She had pulled the words right out of your mouth. A small smile came to your face as you said quietly,
"Yeah."
You watched as slowly she raised herself up in the air before sitting on the ceiling across from you.
"Me too." She replied
Your small smile became wider as you looked at her impressed. This was so cool, you had never met anyone else who could do this as naturally as you could. And as much as you liked being on the ceiling to somewhat get away from people, there was something comforting about having someone else sit up there with you. It was like a camaraderie that you weren't expecting to find but nevertheless enjoyed.
"I've never met anyone else who could sit on the ceiling before." You commented
"Neither have I. I thought me and my gravity manipulation was the only way to do so until right now of course." Sloane stated, "How do you do it?"
"Oh, I just make myself light enough that I float to the ceiling and obviously it blocks me from going any higher so I just kind of sit there. Like a balloon." You explained
"Make yourself?" Sloane questioned
"Oh right. My power is also manipulation, but it's not gravitational. It's molecular. I can do a lot because I control the most basic part of existence." You elaborated
Sloane's eyes went wide with shock. Molecular manipulation? What a power! It sure explained how you were able to do so many things when they had fought you earlier and it proved everything that her dad said right. Although you hated being called so you truly were worthy of being in the spot that came before one.
"Oh my god, that's so cool. No wonder you have such versatile abilities." Sloane exclaimed, "How often did you have to train with your siblings to get to this level of control?"
Your head tilted to the side as you looked at her confused. What did she mean by train with your siblings? You were pretty sure that she had never met Dean and while Diego tended to ramble about you as his little sister that would only be one person not multiple.
"Um...I'm an only child." You corrected "I've trained alone for most of my life."
"Oh, you're not one of those Umbrellas?" She commented
Ah, that's what she had meant. She thought you were part of the Umbrella Academy. They all probably did but that wasn't entirely true. Trying to set the record straight you stated,
"I mean they're like family to me, but no. I was never part of the Umbrella Academy. I'm not a Hargreeves."
You looked off to the side for a moment as you thought about that statement. You weren't a Hargreeves but there was one way you could become one. A way that you would happily become one. A way in which you wanted to become one. Your thoughts caused a blush to rise to your face as you mumbled,
"Well not yet..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sloane asked
You turned your attention back to Sloane as you looked at her in shock and she looked at you with curiosity. You didn't realize you had spoken aloud but you didn't mind that she had heard them. There was something about Sloane that you liked. She seemed genuine and sweet and didn't make you feel weird like some of the other Sparrows did. Deciding to be honest you answered,
"Well one of them is my boyfriend."
"Which one?" Sloane inquired
Sloane had a guess at which one it was. Obviously, there was an option that made the most sense but she couldn't be sure. And for her own personal reasons she really wanted to be sure.
"The one who looks like he should be getting into an argument in a private school philosophy course." You joked
Sloane let out a quiet breath of relief as she heard your answer before laughing at your joke. She knew exactly which one you were referring to, which was the one she expected to be your boyfriend.
"Ah, the jumpy guy," Sloane stated jokingly
"Yeah, that's the one." You mused smiling "Five Hargreeves. Mon cœur, mon amour, ma raison d'être."
"I get it now. You're not a Hargreeves yet because you're not married to him." Sloane mentioned
"Yeah. But I'd like to be one day." You replied "He's my best friend. There's no one else I'd rather be with."
Sloane saw the smile on your face and the love in your eyes as you said those words. You seemed so happy, so smitten with your dear Five and she could only hope that she could find something similar. Sloane couldn't help that she was a hopeless romantic looking for her grand adventure in love but seeing you mention yours gave her a bit of hope.
"Aww. That's so romantic." Sloane cooed "What's he like?"
"He's sweet and caring and extremely protective of those he holds dear. He'd do anything for me and his family. He has done everything for us, and I absolutely love him." You gushed happily before adding "I just wish the rest of his siblings could recognize how much he loves them and how sweet he is."
Sloane furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What did you mean by that? Trying to find the answer she asked,
"Why don't they?"
"Because they're stupid and don't listen. And when they don't listen, he gets frustrated, so they all think he's an asshole when all he's trying to do, all he's ever tried to do, is keep them safe." You complained
It sounded harsh but it was true. All Five ever wanted to do was to make sure that his family would live. He forced himself through 45 years of isolation knowing everyone he loved was dead, a shitty job working as an assassin for the commission as a means to get back to his family, and now twice he has tirelessly worked against fighting an apocalypse just to save them all. And yet even when he apologizes and asks for help they turn him away and make him out to be the bad guy. It frustrated you immensely because it seemed like you were the only one who realized this.
"That's unfortunate." Sloane mentioned "They can't all be bad though, right? The really tall one seemed kind of sweet..."
"Oh, Luther?" You asked
"Yeah..." Sloane said happily "Luther."
You could see the coy smile on her face and the blush that was rising to her cheeks. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she looked off to the side almost as if she was reminiscing. You were by no means an expert when it came to love, you couldn't even tell your best friend had feelings for you until he explicitly shouted it. But you had seen enough dumb teen crushes over your time in school that you were able to pinpoint them with ease. And by the looks of it, Sloane was just the next victim of Cupid's arrow.
"Sloane," You questioned, "Do you have a crush on Luther?"
Sloane's eyes went wide with shock as her head snapped back to look at you. How could you know? Could it even be qualified as a crush? She had only met him earlier today. They spoke like twice and yet he seemed so sweet and gentle after he had accidentally hit her. His eyes were sweet and his smile was bright and just the thought of him made her stomach do flips. But no. No she didn't have a crush. Did she? No. Trying to deny it, Sloane stuttered out,
"What no- I mean- what are you- you're crazy-"
You were unmoved though. You stared at Sloane, unimpressed by her attempt at denial, and instead gave her a look that said "Really? You're going to tell me I'm wrong? ". Sloane looked back at you biting her bottom lip nervously. She had no clue how you saw through her so well but it was obvious she wasn't hiding anything from you. Letting out a sigh, she asked,
"Is it that obvious?"
"Just a little." You replied
Letting out another sigh, Sloane tried to pull herself together. Her crush on Luther was something she could deal with later as another thought came to her head.
"Wait. I have a question. If you were never part of their academy then why are you even with them now?"
"Do you have time for a story?" You asked
She looked at you curiously before nodding her head yes. And with that confirmation, you started off on the long story that was your life and the winding road that led you to the current moment. Meeting Five, becoming his friend, meeting the rest of the Hargreeves and becoming their friend, accidentally time traveling, starting over, apocalypse one, purposely time traveling, starting over again, apocalypse two, purposely time traveling again, and now starting over AGAIN. You explained everything to her and watched as slowly throughout your story her jaw dropped more and more. The past nine years of your life were a mess of short bursts of the most traumatic things you had ever experienced mixed with long bouts of relative stability and god did you hope after fending off the 1963 apocalypse you would have a very very long time of stability. After finishing the tale of your life you waited for Sloane to say something but all she could manage to get out was,
"Wow. That's...a lot."
"Sure is." You remarked "Now let me ask you a question. You give me the feeling that you want to leave, so why do you stay?"
Sloane blinked a couple of times as she snapped out from the trance of hearing one of the most back-and-forth stories she ever heard. She didn't know whether to try and comfort you through all your loss and pain or commend you for being so strong and staying hopeful for a good life. But seeing as you asked her a question the answer to whether she should do something about that story right now was probably no. Taking a moment to think, she mulled over the question you had asked. It wasn't that hard of an answer, she already knew what it was but she had never vocalized it to anyone before and was nervous about doing so.
"It's safe here." Sloane explained, "I have a roof over my head, the people that I know best, enough money to get anything I want all in exchange for being a Sparrow."
"But do you want to be a Sparrow?" You followed up
"I don't really know..." Sloane replied in a low voice looking out her bedroom window "This is all I've ever known."
And for the first time that day, you truly felt bad for the Sparrows. These people, just like the Umbrellas, were traumatized by Reginald Hargreeves. Once again he had failed as a father and ruined even more children. Except this time, they didn't have a person like you to fight back against him. They didn't have people to show them love and that there was more to the world. Wherever Reginald Hargreeves went misery followed and the Sparrows were, unfortunately, a long-term target of that misery, so much so that their whole identities were wrapped up in this academy. It hurt to see Sloane suffering in silence, stifled by the expectation of the Sparrow Academy and feeling like she couldn't leave both because you found her to be nice and liked her and because it was like looking at what the Umbrellas could've become if you were never there. Sure they had their issues but seeing what you were seeing now, you realized it could've been a whole lot worse. Reaching out you placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder but as you did so you heard a voice yell down the hall,
"Food's ready!"
"Thanks, Jayme! Be there soon!" Sloane yelled back
The two of you quietly got down from the ceiling. Sloane gracefully flipped through the air and back onto the floor while you let yourself drop from the ceiling, landing in a hero's pose on the floor before standing back up straight. Heading towards the door you open and take a step out of the room before looking back at Sloane behind you.
"Y'know Sloane, if you're always following someone else, all you'll ever see is the back of their head. Sometimes you need to step out of line to truly see what the world has to offer you." You suggested, "You deserve more than this because you are more than just this."
With that, you walked back off towards the kitchen. And as Sloane watched you walk away she thought about all the times her Dad had talked you up, praised you for how amazing you were, to her and her siblings throughout their lives. You were the vision of perfection, the exact person that he wanted them to be and they would have to work hard as a team to even compare to you. It motivated all of them because not only did they want to make their dad proud but they wanted you to like their abilities. And yet finally meeting, you were nothing like the way her dad had described. You weren't this larger-than-life entity, you were as you put it, a person. A lovely person who treated her just the same. It wasn't her powers or her ability to work with the Sparrows that you cared about like her father said you would. You cared about her not what she could do. You were nothing like she was expected to believe you were, but it was like a breath of fresh air that she didn't know she needed. There was a world outside the wall of the academy and you were her first glimpse into that. You were right, you weren't Number Zero, you weren't a ranking that they should aspire to be. You were a person just like her and you were the friend that she never expected to have. And as Sloane exited her door following you to the kitchen, the Hargreeves had just arrived at the destination they followed Klaus too.
Towering before them was an old building only identified by the name on the awning and the sign atop the building as Hotel Obsidian. The group looked around outside as Klaus led the way to the revolving doors using his arms to gesture his siblings in. One by one, each Hargreeves filed into the revolving door. The same side of the revolving door. Squeezing in together rather than splitting up they thudded into the side walls as they tried to push their way forward into the building.
Oh. Okay. Honestly? Okay." Allison complained, "We don't all need to be squeezed-"
But before she could finish her statement, the door had finally moved far enough that they all could shuffle into the building.
"There were two entrances, by the way." Five commented
Five looked around at the interior of the hotel. It was old and outdated. The people that scattered the lobby, none of whom looked like they belonged here, all seemed to stare at him and his siblings. Five could feel that there was something off about this hotel but he couldn't place it at the moment.
"Oh, Hotel Obsidian. I missed you, you slutty old dame." Klaus greeted before turning towards his siblings and explaining "Absorb her. Absorb her into your bosom. You know, 'cause back in her heyday, she played host to world leaders. Roosevelt, Gandhi, Stalin, Gorbachev, Castro, King Olaf of Norway, one of the Kim Jongs, Tito, Dalai Lama, Elvis, and not one but two Kardashians, allegedly."
Unlike her siblings, who had all the time in the world to listen to Klaus ramble on about whatever, Allison was on a mission to get back to her daughter. Not wanting to wait around for Klaus to finish his speech Allison walked off past him.
"Wouldn't that-- Where you going?" Klaus asked
"I gotta make a call." Allison stated
Letter her walk off, Klaus turned his attention back to his siblings as he continued,
"Nowadays, she's just a flophouse, a party house for those of us not looking to be judged by society's rules and norms."
"You mean, a place to hide?" Luther asked
"Exactly! It's perfect! And the best part of it is, she's gonna look after us, no questions asked. Never ever. Right?" Klaus answered
The group took another look around the place. All of them got the feeling that there was more to this place than what they could see, but it was also their only option at the moment of a place to stay.
"Come on." Klaus called walking towards the check-in
The remaining siblings looked at each other for confirmation that this was what they were doing, and with multiple shrugs of the shoulders, they decided to follow behind. The siblings followed Klaus over to the check-in desk and watched as he rang the bell sitting upon it. From behind the desk a man showed up to attend to them. He was older, with gray hair that was formally slicked back and he wore a green Hotel Obsidian uniform.
"Chet! Mon frère! It's so great to see you. I'd like my usual suite, por favor." Klaus exclaimed
"I've never seen you before." Chet replied confused
"See? Told you. Discreet." Klaus reminded
"We need some rooms, please." Vanya stated
"Super. And how will we be paying today?" Chet questioned placing a Cash Up Front sign on the desk
Seeing the sign, the siblings all looked at each other as they tapped at their pockets. Did any of them have cash to pay for the rooms?
"Ah," Luther said aloud
"Oh," Klaus mumbled
"Fine. Empty your pockets." Luther directed
Reaching into all of their pockets the siblings pulled out the items they could find and presented them. What they held out before them were some crumbled-up candy wrappers, exactly three peppermints, a handful of condoms and a knife.
"Come on. Something. Cоndоms?" Luther said before pushing Diego's hand back scolding "Put the knife away!"
"Can't exchange those for cash." Klaus lamented
"Why do I have a hairnet?" Luther commented before frustratedly taking off his watch and asking "Oh. All right. What does this get us?"
Handing over the watch he was wearing on his wrist, Chet takes it before picking up a jeweler's loupe and examining the watch. Giving a small nod Chet places the watch and the loupe down behind the desk before turning around and walking to a walk of hooks. Picking up two keys Chet turns back towards the group and places the keys on the desk saying,
"Two rooms. Mazel tov."
Everyone watches as Klaus grabs one set of keys while Allison, who had just returned, stepped in and grabbed the other saying,
"All right. Well, let's Brady Bunch this bitch."
Together the group walked away from the desk and towards the elevator to head to their rooms. As they walked though, Five knew that they would need to discuss this new reality there were in. Something about it right now felt wrong. Like something was missing and they needed to figure out what it was. Wanting them to put their heads together on what this new reality meant Five suggested,
"Uh, meet back in the bar in two hours so we can make a plan."
"I have a plan." Diego exclaimed running up the stairs in front of everyone "We attack the Sparrows, and we take back our house, and then we punch Dad a bit until he admits that we're better and he loves us more. Boom! Done!"
One by one the rest of the siblings ignored his statement and filed into the elevator. Frustrated at their lack of response Diego turned towards them and exclaimed once more,
"We're wasting time!"
"Relax. Don't sweat it, man." Klaus said pulling Diego into the elevator "Those shit birds are staying put for a while. I bet they're as wiped as we are."
"Really?" Diego asked
"Yeah. I mean, kicking our asses looked exhausting." Klaus commented
Relenting, Diego stepped into the elevator as they all headed upstairs to their rooms. Stepping out of the elevator the group split up with Luther, Diego, Klaus, and Five heading towards one room and Allison and Vanya heading towards the other. Getting to their room, Klaus stuck the key in the lock unlocking the door before stepping inside.
"Oh! See? It's paradise. High ceilings, sense of space. Aromatic." Klaus praised
"What the hell? Where's the bathroom?" Diego complained
"Down the hall, or..." Klaus said opening the room's window "Nature's bathroom!"
"You're disgusting." Diego commented
"But consistent," Klaus remarked
As Klaus unzipped his pants to piss out the window, Five closed the door to the room and looked around. It was pretty awful, but it was better than some of the motels he stayed in and definitely better than the apocalypse so it was acceptable accommodations. There was a set of bunk beds, a couch, and an extra bed to sleep on. Trying to claim one of the decent beds before anyone else could, Five made his way over towards the bunks, taking his jacket off and hanging on one of the posts as he suggested,
"Let's unpack. Settle in."
"Unpack? Unpack what? We don't own anything anymore." Luther reminded
"Yes, Luther. Isn't that liberating?" Five remarked as he laid down on the bottom bunk
"What are you, a commie?" Diego complained "If I wanted bunk beds and group showers, I would've stayed in the Texas nuthouse. At least they had free Jell-O..and Lila."
"Jell-O!" Klaus exclaimed as he climbed to the top bunk
Luther and Klaus both vigorously bounced up and down on their beds, the sounds of squeaking mattresses filling the room. Five could feel as the entire bedframe for the bunk beds shook above him and he wondered how bad it would be if the top bunk came crashing down on top of him, killing him instantly. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with these three, but especially Diego with his complaints. Sitting back up, Five stared down at Diego as he explained,
"Hey, Diego. I just spent the past 20 straight days saving the world. Twice. Can I get five minutes to relax before figuring all the new kinks out? Please and thank you."
Five saw as Diego turned away from him and went over to a nearby wall to bang his head on. If it was someone else Five may have stopped them since it could damage their brain but with Diego, it didn't really matter since there wasn't a brain in there to damage.
"And Dad said I'd never go to summer camp." Luther chuckled laying back on his bed "This is great."
"All right, I'm bored. Cocktail, anyone? Five?" Klaus asked
"I'll take a scotch if you have one." Five answered
Five laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He could hear the sounds of Klaus climbing down the latter at the foot of the bed and heading over to the mini-bar that was in the room. Five tried his best to relax but something kept him from fully doing so. There was this nagging in his brain that something was missing. Something that he needed to feel completely at peace and yet no matter how hard he tried to think about what it was, no answer came to him.
"Here you go buddy," Klaus said
Opening his eyes, Five saw Klaus holding out a glass of a golden-colored liquid to him. Sitting up once more, Five took the glass from him and downed what was most definitely scotch. At least he knew Klaus was reliable when it came to alcohol. Setting the empty glass down on the ground next to him, Five laid back down and closed his eyes once more. With his nerves calmed and his body starting to actually relax he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. As he did so though he could see an image form in his mind of something. No. Someone. But before he could figure it out though he drifted off to sleep. But while Five took a very needed nap, you were about to eat a meal with the Sparrows.
Walking back into the kitchen you saw as all the Sparrows minus Sloane were all sitting at the table together already. No food was on their plates though as if they were waiting for something, or more so someone, and you had a strong guess that someone was you. You looked about the place wondering if you should sit down or not when the one with bird powers extended a hand out towards one of the empty seats encouraging,
"Please sit down, join us."
Nodding your head you walked over to the table taking a seat at it, with Sloane right behind taking the seat to your side. You looked around at everyone for a moment before starting to grab food and load up your plate. And with you initiating, everyone else started to pick up food as well.
"So," Marcus began breaking the silence
You looked up from your plate and across the table at him as he continued,
"Given the circumstances of our first meeting we never got properly introduced. I'm Marcus, Number One."
You nodded your head at him. The way you were first introduced to each other wasn't quite conducive to a normal introduction. The only reason you knew his name was Marcus was because Alphonso had yelled it when trying to get that paperweight off him.
"I'm Ben. Number Two." Ben stated
For a moment your eyes went wide with surprise. Last you had known, Ben was number six, not two. Diego was two. But this new placement made sense given his new attitude. Being up so high but not being in charge gave him this air of superiority and the need to act like he should be in charge. It was kind of similar to how Diego used to be especially in contrast to Luther. But also like Diego, you could tell Ben was hiding his insecurity of not being good enough behind this tough and argumentative exterior. He needed to feel useful, important, wanted. It was something that every Hargreeves seemed to do.
"Huh." You said aloud "Interesting."
"Why?" Ben asked annoyed
"Oh, it's just that back in my timeline you were Number Six" You explained " That and also realizing being number two leads to having both superiority and inferiority complex."
"What'd you say to me?!" Ben shouted jumping up from his seat and slamming his hands on the table
"Sit down." You replied using your powers to force him back into his seat "No need to get your Bentacles in a twist."
You could hear as he mumbled something under his breath but you didn't know exactly what he said nor did you care to respond to it. You hated the ranking system, but if he was going to continue to act above you then you were going to continue to humble him and put him in his place beneath you. Until he started treating you with respect you were going to give back the same energy he put out. Turning to look at the group you asked,
Now, what about the rest of you?"
"I'm Fei. Number Three." Fei greeted
"My name's Alphonso. I'm Numero Cuatro." Alphonso followed
"Well you know me already," Sloane added cheerfully "but I'm Sloane. Number Five."
A small smile came to your face at her introduction. Yes, you did already know Sloane and she was very fun to be around from your experience so far. What you hadn't known was she was number five in this group. How interesting it was that something always seemed to draw you to befriend the number fives. There must've been something about them that you just really liked.
"Jayme. Six." Jayme stated flatly
"And that's Christopher, our Number Seven." Marcus added
You looked up at the floating cube across the table and you had a lot of questions about him. Was he one of you guys just born out of nowhere or was he like an extraterrestrial type thing? If he was born out of nowhere did he start out as a person or was he always a cube? If he was a cube was he a baby cube or was he always this size? If he was part of the sparrow academy did he have specific fans? Wait.....Did people want to fuck the cube? So many questions ran through your mind as you stared at him in silence and as much as you tried to keep them all to yourself one intrusive question managed to slip out.
"If I forced you to watch me play Minecraft would you cry?"
The rest of the table looked at you with confusion and concern. What did you mean by that and why would it make Christopher potentially cry if he had to watch you play it? Looking for some clarity Alphonso asked,
"What's Minecraft?"
"Oh right, you guys are old and sheltered. It's a computer game where one of the main mechanics is forcefully breaking cubes." You explained bluntly before changing the subject "Anyway it's nice to meet you all. As you know I'm (Y/N), but I gotta be honest with you guys. I don't care about your numbers."
The Sparrows, minus Sloane who had already learned this truth about you, looked at each other, their confusion only growing. With wide eyes they looked at each other for some type of clarity, only finding bewildered looks back. What did you mean you didn't care about their numbers? Their dad had told them for years that you were Number Zero and they had to work hard to prove their worth to you only to find out you hate being called Zero and you could care less about their numbers. Maybe they were misunderstanding. They had to be. Right?
"I'm sorry, what do you mean you don't care about our numbers?" Fei inquired
"Oh yeah, I don't know what you've been told about me but it's most likely wrong. I don't care about your number or your ranking. I really only want to know you as people." You elaborated "Regular people not your superhero work to be specific."
Slack-jawed expressions littered the faces around the table. You were nothing like their dad said you would be. Besides your power level of course. When he explained how powerful you could be, he was right about that, but so far everything else was wrong. You just outright stated you didn't care for the academy structure, the rankings, or any of the work they did to get to where they were today. If you weren't like how their dad explained you to be, then who were you really? Trying to ease the shock her siblings were going through Sloane asked,
"(Y/N), why don't you tell everyone a little about yourself first before we discuss ourselves?"
"Sure, what do you guys want to know?" You replied looking at the group
"What's your power?" Alphonso questioned
"Molecular manipulation. I can see, feel and control the molecules of myself and other things in the world." You explained "I typically would give a demonstration but...I don't think it's necessary today."
"So you just control everything?" Alphonso inquired intrigued
"I mean with a few limitations but yeah." You responded
"Limitations?" Fei asked, "Like what?"
"If something is broken I can't put it back together to the way it originally was and larger molecular disturbances cause me to have reactions ranging from nausea to physical damage depending on their severity." You answered, "Besides that everything is free game."
The Sparrows nodded at your explanation as you all ate your meals together. No wonder your abilities were so strong and versatile, you could really do whatever you wanted with them. With your admission that you did not like the academy structure, convincing you to join them would be a challenge but perhaps if they could get you to train with them they could be even better as an academy. You had an association with the Umbrellas though, so making any attempt at bringing you to their side could be complicated. Trying to figure out where you stood with them, Marcus questioned,
"What is your relation to the Umbrella Academy?"
Looking up from your meal you finished chewing your food and swallowed before replying,
"They were my original childhood friends."
"They're not your siblings?" Marcus followed up
Ah. Once again a Sparrow thought that you were related to the Umbrellas. Obviously, Sloane didn't get a chance to tell the rest of them, she was with you the whole time. But still having to explain to them that you were not a part of an academy was annoying. You thought just from the way you acted and carried yourself that might've been obvious but apparently not.
"Nope, I was an only child who had very loving parents and a comfortable non-superhero life." You explained before adding "They are my boyfriend's siblings though. But I myself am not a Hargreeves."
"Not yet!" Sloane exclaimed happily
A smile came to your face and a blush rose to your cheeks at her statement. You appreciated her excitement over your relationship. It was nice to have someone actively rooting for you and Five even though she most likely didn't know him at all and had only gotten to know you a little while ago. Playfully shoving her arm, you remarked,
"Sloane, shush."
"Which one's your boyfriend?" Fei asked
"The little jumpy guy! His name is Five!" Sloane exulted
"Sloane, I can talk about him myself." you teased, jokingly rolling your eyes
"Sorry, I'm just excited." Sloane replied, "He makes you happy and that makes me happy."
It was true that she was excited. Sloane was a hopeless romantic. She loved the concept of love itself, and just the thought of how happy you are with him, even if she barely knew the two of you, was enough to make her giddy.
"Oh, so he's not a perv, he's just in love." Jayme commented
"Huh?" You commented looking towards her "What's that supposed to mean."
"My spit makes people hallucinate their dreams. When I was fighting him earlier I used my spit against him and he started kissing the air. I thought he was a perv turns out he just really loves you." Jayme explained, "I did kick him down the stairs mid-kiss though."
"He'll be okay, he's very resilient." You quipped "Anyway, I kicked you down the stairs so we'll call it even. Right?"
You saw as a smirk came to Jayme's face. She didn't seem the most expressive type but neither did most of the Sparrows. But to see that bit of a smile felt like an accomplishment to you. There were regular people underneath the staunch superhero figures and you were starting to bring them out.
"Right." Jayme quipped back
"I'm sorry." Ben interjected, "YOU have a boyfriend?"
"Yeah, why?" You questioned before remarking sarcastically "Were you hoping I was single Benjamin?"
"No!" Ben shouted before stating "I just can't believe someone would actually want to date you with how bitchy you act."
"I could say the same thing about you." You taunted "I mean does your dick get hard from being a jackass or are you just this insufferable?"
The room was silent for a moment before the sound of laughter filled the air as all the Sparrows, besides Ben, reacted to your remark. Even Christopher emitted a garbled sound which you assumed to be a laugh. Ben's face scrunched up in anger and annoyance causing you to laugh at him like the rest of the Sparrows.
Ben could feel his hands shake in frustration and his heart picking up once more as he watched you laugh at him. How could you just mock him so easily? He didn't let his guard down around you so how come you pushed his buttons in a way no one else had? He hated it. But even so he kept his eyes locked on you. Maybe if he kept watching he could anticipate your next move towards him, right?
"Nice one." Alphonso praised sticking out his hand for a fist bump
Reaching back out you completed the fist bump, smirking at Ben as you took the obviously deserved praise. You received a scowl back which did nothing but make you laugh harder. He tried so hard to be this strong, intimidating individual when really he was kind of whiny. You didn't remember old Ben being like this but he did complain a lot about Five in his journal as a kid before the whole time travel incident happened, so maybe it was always in there. Either way, it was a little funny to subvert the image this Ben tried to paint of himself.
"Shut up!" Ben yelled at everyone
"Careful Benjamin, if you become too much of a prick you'll get too hard and your dick might explode." You commented
The Sparrows began to laugh harder as Ben angrily started shoving food down his throat, obviously unamused and frustrated by the way you were acting. It didn't matter how grumpy he was though since everyone else was having a good time. You knew that the Sparrows could be just like anyone else if you just gave them the chance. Like the Umbrellas, they were just a bunch of traumatized kids that just grew up in an even more rigid environment. Trying to get to know them more you asked,
"So what do you guys do for fun outside of all this Sparrow Academy stuff?"
"Working out mostly." Marcus answered
"I like trying new snacks and hanging out with Jayme." Alphonso responded
"Same as him." Jayme added
"I go rock climbing and bird watching a lot." Fei stated
So far everyone's interests seemed pretty normal and made sense for what you knew about them so far. Obviously, you weren't going to get to the bottom of their life stories and actually learn more about them over one dinner but bit by bit you would get past that trauma defense wall all Hargreeves seemed to build and help them to realize their dad sucked and there was more to life than this academy. Looking at the few who didn't answer your question, you waited for more responses. Ben turned his head away from you prompting Sloane to chime in
"I like to read about places around the world. Although occasionally I will sew myself some clothes."
"Well, you do an amazing job." You complimented "Your closet is gorgeous and I'm honored to be borrowing from it."
You then looked up towards Christopher who floated silently above the table, a soft blue light being emitted from inside of him, and asked,
"What about you Super Rubiks? Got any hobbies?"
You listened as Christopher spoke in his janky cube language telling you all about how he loves to go out to clubs and parties.
"Clubbing? Well, I'm sure you get all the ladies with your cubish appeal." You commented before adding "Y'know, I've been to a club once. Albeit illegally, but still."
The Sparrows stopped eating their meals as they looked towards you. What did you mean by that?
"Illegally? How?" Jayme asked
"I was underage." You explained, "I snuck me and my friends in for our one friend's 16th birthday two years ago."
"Wait. 16th? Two years ago?" Alphonso questioned, "How old are you?"
"Currently? Twenty-two, twenty-nine, and thirty-three. All at once." You answered
Once again you had confused them all greatly. How could you be three ages at once? And how did that factor into a 16th birthday celebration two years ago? Trying to get more clarity, Marcus inquired,
"Can you elaborate on that?"
"I sure can!" You exclaimed excitedly as you geared up to tell the tale of your life once more "Pack your plates with food now, cuz you're in for a hell of a ride."
And just like you had done with Sloane not too long ago, you ran the rest of the Sparrows through the story of the last decade of your life. The time travel, the people you lost, the people you gained, the people you loved, the apocalypses you fought, and of course every major event in between. You spared no expense to detail as you told them your life story and just like with Sloane their eyes became wider and their jaws slowly dropped more and more as you went on. What the fresh hell was your life? How were you in front of them so upbeat given everything you went through in the span of nine years? You were either the strongest person on this planet or there was something very wrong with you and given what they knew about you so far they could not decide which it was.
After they adjusted to the facts of your story though things moved on relatively well. Ben finished his plate and walked out of the room without a word to anyone while everyone else traded stories, chatting, laughing and having a good time. The Sparrows weren't that bad, at least to you. You knew the Hargreeves wouldn't feel the same. From what the Sparrows informed you they really kicked the Umbrellas' asses. They even showed you the video footage to prove it. And while you were not happy that they were beaten so intensely, it was understandable. While the Hagreeves loved each other deep down, getting them to work together was like trying to wrangle six toddlers in a McDonald's Play Place. So their defeat was not the biggest surprise. The past couldn't be changed now but maybe moving forward you could help all the daddy-issue-ridden Hargreeves children come together.  As you all sat together you saw as Marcus looked towards a clock on the wall before standing up and stating,
"This has been great but I need to get going."
"Where?" Fei questioned
"I just have some personal business to take care of." Marcus responded bluntly before quickly leaving the room
That was odd but looking at the time and how dark it was outside you knew that you needed to leave as well. While it was nice to be back in the academy, it wasn't quite the home you were accustomed to. You typically lived alone with only a few people to sparingly interact with so having to share a space with so many was not an adjustment you wanted to make right now. Also, Five must be manic at this point with how many hours you had been separated. You wondered why he nor the other Umbrellas came back for you but with the possibility of getting another ass beating from the Sparrows, you could maybe understand. Standing up from the table you added,
"Yeah, I should get going too."
"No! You should stay, this is your home." Sloane explained grabbing your wrist "Your room is available to use, no one ever went in there."
"We weren't allowed to." Jayme commented
"While I appreciate the offer, and I can guarantee I'll be back soon, I've been through a lot today and could use a night or two on my own to decompress." You responded calmly "Also my boyfriend is probably freaking out that he doesn't know where I am."
With a small nod of her head to show her understanding Sloane stood up and added,
"At least let us provide you some amenities before you go."
"Of course, I'd appreciate it. Thank you." You replied
Walking from the kitchen, you and the leftover Sparrows made your way to the foyer. Picking up the duffle bag of your stuff that you had dropped off at the beginning of the day. Turning around you gave Jayme and Alphonso fist bumps goodbye and Christopher and Fei polite farewells. As you did so Sloane came down the stairs with a small bag in her hand.
"Here's a few more days of clothes to borrow, some bathroom amenities you might need, and a good chunk of cash to get you by until you decide to come back." Sloane explained holding the bag out "I'll- we'll be here for you though if you need us."
"Thank you, Sloane," You responded taking the bag from her
You placed the bag she gave you in your duffle bag before hugging her. You could feel the strength of her hold around you and as you looked at the group standing behind her you could see on Alphonso and Jayme's faces that they really didn't want you to go. You felt a little bad leaving them, who knew the last time they had an interaction with someone who treated them like a person rather than a celebrity, but you knew you had to go. For now. Separating from the hug, Sloane looked at you as she said,
"Promise you'll come back soon."
"I will." You responded
As you looked up you saw Ben at the top of the stairs looking down at you. He made no attempt to come down the stairs towards you nor said anything. Your eyes stayed locked on each other only for a moment before he went and turned away. And with that, you said your final goodbyes to the Sparrows as you headed out of the academy and to the one place in town you knew you would already have a spot to stay, Hotel Obsidian. What you did not know was that the Hargreeves were already there and finally settled in after a long day.
After Five awoke from his nap he felt mentally refreshed, although his body still ached from the tumble he took down the main foyer's staircase. He couldn't recall what had caused him to get so distracted that he was able to be kicked down the stairs though. He could feel the reasoning in the back of his mind but he just couldn't get it to come forward. As he climbed out of his bed he saw that the room was empty, with none of his brothers to be found. Walking about the place he noticed a pamphlet of services provided by the hotel on the coffee table. Picking it up, he read it, seeing what they had to offer. Barber, tailor, dry cleaning, salon, sauna. Five stopped reading the pamphlet when he got to sauna. A little time spent in a sauna didn't sound too bad, it could probably get rid of the soreness he felt and maybe even clear his mind up enough to let him remember what he was forgetting.
Changing out of his academy uniform and into a robe he was about to head to the sauna when something caught his eye in a nearby mirror. Around his neck, he saw a gold heart-shaped locket. He knew it was his, he knew it was a birthday gift when he was younger, and he knew it was important to him but he couldn't place who had given it to him. Opening the locket, he looked inside and saw a photo in one of the two available locket slots but he didn't know who it was. As he continued to look at it he could feel a strong dissonance in his mind. It was like someone was pounding on the wall of his psyche, muffledly screaming on the other side. Not getting any answers, Five took the necklace off and placed it in his robe pocket. He didn't want to get burned by wearing it in the sauna but he wanted to keep it with him since he had never let it out of his sight. And with nothing else to do Five headed to the sauna and stayed in there for a while. Sitting there he thought about their latest time troubles and thought over every single possibility of if this timeline was viable for their existence, but after much contemplation and debate with himself, he felt it was safe enough for them not to worry about it. And by the time he was ready to get out the steam had loosened his muscles and eased his joints, but unfortunately, it did nothing to quell the nagging in his brain that he was forgetting something very important. But no matter how much it bothered him, he wasn't going to let it ruin the fact that he could finally rest after so much running around.
Heading out of the sauna, he pulled his locket out from his pocket and placed it back around his neck once more. The metal was warm from the heat but not hot enough to feel like it was burning. After readjusting the chain so the clasp was in the back he made his way back to the bar area where he had told his siblings he would meet them to discuss. With a content smile on his face, Five approached the area and saw his three brothers sitting at a high-top table chowing down on some Chinese takeout. As Five walked over to the table to take a seat, Luther looked up from his food and asked confused,
"What's wrong? You look happy."
"I am plenty happy. Had a nap and a shvitz. What else does a man need?" Five remarked back taking a seat
"Brothers who don't eat like barn animals?" Klaus commented annoyed
Five looked over at Luther and Diego, both of who were hunched over their boxes of takeout noodles hanging from their mouths as they looked at him. Electing to ignore the unfortunate eating habits of his brothers, Five took the opportunity to tell them the positive conclusion he had come to.
"So I've been thinking through our little timeline snafu, and I'm pleased to report that in my professional, expert opinion, we are totally in the clear." Five stated
"Awesome!" Klaus exclaimed
"Huh! Great. So everything's totally fine?" Luther questioned
"More or less. I mean, there is one...small thing. It's nothing we can't manage." Five added
The excited expressions on his siblings' faces dropped as disappointment and annoyance set in. What could it be this time? What new issue did they now have to deal with because of god knows what cause? Klaus, Luther, and Diego waited for Five to explain what the small issue was only to be met by him quietly opening his takeout food. Forcing him to explain, Diego demanded,
"So spit it out, Boomer!"
"Fine, Diego, it's like this." Five said placing down his chopsticks and explaining "Dad didn't adopt us as babies, but those babies still existed here. We just grew up in different places with different people."
"So? Diego asked, his mouth stuffed with noodles
"So where are they now?" Five asked rhetorically before answering his own question "Odds are, we each have identical versions of ourselves walking around out there, living completely different lives."
As he listened, Luther's eyes got wider and wider. The wheels turned in his head for a moment before Luther loudly gasped and exclaimed,
"Our doppelgängers!"
"That's a made-up word." Klaus remarked
"No, no! I learned all about this in Texas. Tell him about the paranoid psychosis, Five." Luther encouraged
"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought you said this wasn't a problem." Diego complained
"Okay, yes, technically, if you're near your doppel for long, you'll go insane." Five elaborated "So if you see your other self-"
"Kill them." Diego cut off
"Sleep with them." Klaus added
Five looked at his idiot brothers with confusion, annoyance, and disappointment all mixed together on his face. He could barely take a bite out of his food without his siblings saying something stupid. Their critical thinking skills had to be in the negatives given the fact that he said you'll go insane if you're near your doppel and they still both came up with ideas that involved getting close to them. Trying to course correct, Five reprimanded,
"Avoid them."
"What is wrong with you?" Luther criticized
"Come on. As if you wouldn't climb Luther Mountain." Klaus suggested
"Wait. How are we supposed to guarantee we don't cross paths with ourselves?" Diego questioned
"Easy. We're the Benetton ad of superheroes, born all around the world until Dad brought us here, which he no longer did." Five replied, "Doppels probably aren't even in the same time zone as us."
"That's true," Luther stated
"I don't know. Doesn't it seem kind of rude that Dad un-adopting us didn't change anything? I'm offended." Klaus remarked
"I never said that, Klaus." Five corrected
"Hold up. I'll be right back." Diego said placing his food down
The three other brothers watched as Diego left the table running off before turning back to their own food. But as Diego ran past the front desk down a side hall, you had just arrived at the hotel. You took a look at the place from the outside and it sure looked like it hadn't changed since it opened in the 60s. When Charlie came up north from Texas to stay with you in the city he would typically get himself a room at the Hotel Obsidian. It was Reginald's hotel and because Charlie's dad worked with Reggie and you were his close friend Charlie typically got to stay in the hotel for free. You even had a room reserved just for you on the nights you wanted to sleep in the hotel rather than the academy. This hotel was one of the places you are Charlie used to hang out doing dumb shit like racing luggage carts down the halls, throwing eggs off the roof at people below, or sneaking alcohol from the bars because Reggie wouldn't let you drink. You even taught Charlie the lyrics to Hotel California by The Eagles so every time you arrived you two could sing it and replace Hotel California with Hotel Obsidian. But this time you were, unfortunately, going to have to sing it alone. As you walked up to the doors of the hotel you sang softly to yourself,
"Welcome to the Hotel Obsidian. What a lovely place, what a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel Obsidian. Any time of year, you can find her here."
You continued to sing the lyrics to yourself but just as you were about to enter one of the revolving doors you felt a burst of unexpected energy rush through you. Stumbling to the side you leaned yourself against the wall in between the two doors as you tried to catch your breath.
"What the fuck was that." You asked yourself as you looked about the place for the cause
It felt like you had just been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of you but you couldn't see anything that might have caused it and the energy that was once there was now completely gone so you couldn't even try to use your powers to decipher where it came from. Was something wrong? No, there couldn't be anything wrong. It was April 2nd, the apocalypse had passed. You had taken a lot of major hits today, maybe your powers were overreacting from the damage. Yeah, that was probably it. You just needed to rest, that was all. Standing back up straight you took one more deep breath before finally entering the hotel. Looking around the inside you could confirm the fact that this place had not changed since it opened. It was the exact same except older and dingier. You just hoped that your room or whatever room you got was at least tolerable. Walking up to the front desk you rang the bell only to be met with a familiar yet older face.
"Chet?" You questioned
"Miss (Y/N)? Is that you?" He asked surprised
"It sure is." You responded, "Do you still have my room?"
You watched as his surprise faded away rather quickly as he nodded and turned around towards the rack of keys hanging behind him. Grabbing one of the keys you watched as he smacked and blew on them a bit causing what seemed to be decades of dust to fly off of them. Well, at least you knew no one else had stayed in your room for a while. Turning back around he brought the key to the room back to you and placed it on top of the check-in desk as he announced,
"Here is the key to your room. As always floor five, room twenty-nine."
Grabbing the key off of the desk, you started to turn away as you said,
"Thanks, Chet. Good to see you again."
"One more thing Miss (Y/N)," Chet called out
Turning back around you watched as Chet pulled out a key and unlocked a cabinet behind the desk, pulling out some type of package and placing it on top of the desk. Reading the label you saw it had no return address but it was addressed to you and your room here at the hotel.
"This was delivered about 3 years ago for you. I was hesitant to keep it but did just in case a day like this arrived." Chet explained
At first you were unsure if you even wanted to take the box but then you noticed something written on the side. Taking a closer look at it, you saw the words Open Privately written on the side of the box in very familiar handwriting. Charlie's handwriting. Carefully grabbing the box you opened up your duffle bag and with the little amount of space left you managed to fit it in there.
"Thanks." You replied quietly
Slowly you began to walk away from the front desk and at that exact same time, Five explained to the brothers that were still left at the table the situation they were in.
"The point is, we did it. We saved the world. We stopped the apocalypse. And made it home safe in time for dinner." Five stated "So whatever Dad changed, whatever timeline we're in now we can handle it. We won."
Luther looked towards Klaus slightly shocked but just the relief of knowing that they were finally okay was enough to bring his spirits up. Lifting his beer, Luther cheered,
"We won."
"Yeah, all right! Let's enjoy this victory dinner then!" Klaus exclaimed raising his drink
Along with his brother's Five lifted his glass and the three of them cheered to the fact that the world was theirs for the taking. But right as their glasses clinked something in their minds shifted. Immediately, the mental block that had been looming in Five's kind since the park came tumbling down as a billion thoughts of you rushed to the front of his mind. You were the thing that his mind had been trying to remember. This whole time his head was screaming for you but for some reason, he couldn't bring you to the front of his mind. It was as if your memory was locked away. Five's glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the table as he began to frantically look around for you.
"(Y/N)! Where's (Y/N)? Why am I here? I should be looking for her!" Five yelled panicked "We all were supposed to go looking for her."
"Why didn't we?" Klaus asked concerned
"Yeah, how the hell did get here without her?" Luther questioned, "You and Diego should've been yelling at us the whole time."
"I don't know! The last thing I remember about her was when I was arguing with Allison about going to find her and then just now I remember her again." Five ranted
"You don't think Allison-" Klaus began to suggest
"No, she wouldn't do that..." Luther stated before questioning "Would she?"
"I don't know but I have to go find (Y/N)." Five stated as he got up from his seat
Five couldn't believe he had forgotten about you. How could he do so? You were always at the front of his mind. He was always thinking about you and yet he forgot you even existed. Could Allison have rumored him to forget you? Could she have rumored everyone? And if she did, why in the world would she do so? No. He didn't have time for the hypotheticals he needed to leave to find you. You could be injured. You could be dead. Oh god, he really hoped you weren't dead. He'd never forgive himself if you were. Five was just about ready to blink away when Klaus grabbed onto his shoulder and pointed past the bar into the lobby, exclaiming,
"No need your girlfriend found us. Look!"
Five's eyes went wide as he saw you and his heart began to race. Klaus was right, there you were, alive and seemingly unscathed. Not knowing quite how else to react he called out to you yelling,
"(Y/N)!" Hearing your name be called you stopped in your tracks and turned around only to spot what looked like your boyfriend across the room. Making your way over you saw that it was him and with that confirmation, you sped over to him before carefully dropping your bag and wrapping your arms around him. Five wrapped his arms back around you as he held you tightly, he was so relieved to have you here with him rather than wondering where you could be. Pulling back to look at you he asked still slightly worried,
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." You responded
As Five quickly looked over you and saw that you were fine he started to calm down, but then he noticed the faint scar of a cut on your cheek. Bringing his hand up to cup your cheek he gently ran his thumb over it as he questioned,
"What happened here?"
"It's just a small cut from the fight I had earlier with the Sparrows." You answered, "It's not a big deal."
You tried your best to downplay the severity of what happened. Granted the answer was pretty much nothing and you were fine just as you said, but you knew Five's mind must be racing with the worst-case scenarios given his repeated experience with worst-case scenarios. And you would be right, as Five worried about what kind of fight you could've had with them. How bad was it? Did they gang up on you? Did hurt you more than just that cut? Trying to get some answers Five questioned concerned,
"You fought them? Yourself?"
"Yeah, I did. But don't worry I almost killed them all." You explained
Five breathed out a slight sigh of relief. Of course, he was going to be worried about bad things happening to you, he had already experienced the worst that could happen, but he also knew that you were very capable of taking care of yourself and he trusted you when you said that you almost killed them. Like Allison had mentioned, you blew up a person when you were 13 and just hours ago you had helped him kill the board of directors. Five tried to relax a bit more, forget the laundry list of bad thoughts and settle into the fact that you were here and you were okay. But while Five was taking comfort in the fact that you had almost killed the Sparrows a spike of anxiety coursed through Luther at the thought.
"But you didn't right? You didn't kill any of them?" Luther questioned slightly panicked
Five and Klaus looked at Luther confused. Why did he care so much if they were alive? You however already knew why he would ask about that. Just as Sloane liked Luther, Luther liked Sloane too.
"No Luther, I didn't kill any of the Sparrows." You replied trying to ease his worry before switching the subject and saying "I heard you had your asses handed to you though. Actually, they showed me the security of the footage of your fight."
"Why would they show you the footage of us losing that fight?" Klaus questioned
"Ah, because they really like me." You answered simply "They gave me a tour of the house, medical attention, shower, food, offered for me to live in the house and Sloane even let me borrow these clothes from her closet."
You gestured to the outfit you were wearing allowing everyone to take a look at the fashionable clothes you selected from Sloane's wardrobe. While Luther's mind seemed to become preoccupied when you mentioned Sloane's name, and Klaus took a quick lookover it, Five couldn't help but stare. He didn't notice it when you first arrived because he was so worried about you, but holy shit did you look good in that outfit. His jaw dropped slightly and his eyes glazed over as he took it all in. The way the tight jeans hugged your figure, the extra skin showing on your midriff, and the lower than usual cut on the top you wore. It wasn't your usual outfit but he sure as hell didn't mind it. In fact, he liked it. He liked it A LOT. And one of his two brothers at the table could tell how much he liked it.
"Well, the crop top looks great on you. The color, the low v-cut, the corset lacing in the front. You look fantastic." Klaus complimented before pointedly asking "Right Five?"
Five said nothing though as he looked at the heart of your locket, the bottom point guiding his eyes like an arrow downwards. Not following his line of sight and only concerning yourself with the fact that Five had zoned out you called,
"Five?"
Slightly snapping out of it, Five's eyes looked up towards you as you caught the direction of where they came from. You wouldn't say anything about it, because it was nice that your boyfriend found you so appealing, but a small smirk came to your face as you watched him attempt to respond.
"Yeah, uh...amazing." He stuttered out before changing the subject asking "So um- they just let you have all those things?"
"Yeah, they did. Honestly, I'm sure you'll disagree but they're not that bad actually. They're just another group of traumatized superhero kids in adult bodies who haven't taken the time to deal with their pain and adjust to normal society." You explained "They're all pretty good to be around except for Not-Our-Ben who is a major dickhead. Although making fun of him and pissing him off is very amusing to me."
"Yeah, new Ben sucks." Klaus chimed in
"Hey, if they offered for you to stay at the house why are you here then?" Luther asked
"Well for one, I never lived with that many people before and I wasn't ready to share a space. Two, I could have my own room here. And three, I was worried about my darling Five and wanted a place to drop off my stuff before I went looking for him." You responded
The three Hargreeves boys present nodded their heads understanding your reasoning and as much as you didn't want to leave the Hargreeves, especially your boyfriend, you did want to head to your room to drop off your bag and open the mystery box from Charlie. Perhaps you could get Five to come along with you so you could have your cake and eat it too.
"So...I was about to head to my room to settle in." You mentioned to Five, "You can come if you want."
"Oh, I'm sure he'd love to come," Klaus remarked
Hearing his comment, Five's head immediately snapped towards Klaus as he looked at him with murder in his eyes. He was still pissed at Klaus getting in the way earlier and now he was pissed at Klaus' inappropriate comment and interference. He couldn't just say things like that and even if they were true, which they obviously weren't, it still wasn't right. But as Five thought more about Klaus's comment a problem began to arise and an embarrassed blush rose slightly to Five's face as he tried to keep his composure. Putting his hands in the pockets of his robe he grabbed at the inside fabric of the pockets pulling the robe slightly away from his body and putting more space between him and the fabric. He needed to get out of this situation.
"Oh well, I um- I uh- I have something I need to check on in my room." Five stuttered out
"Our room. All the guys are bunking together." Luther commented excitedly, "Just like summer camp!"
While it seemed that Luther was very happy to be bunking with all of his brothers, it seemed like a less than ideal situation for Five having to share with them. You didn't know what he needed to check on but if he had to do so, then he had to do so and you weren't going to stop him.
"Oh. Well if you want to stop by at any point you can just blink on over. Okay?" You explained, "It's floor five room twenty-nine."
"Okay." Five said quickly
Picking up your bag from the ground, you threw it over your shoulder before taking Five's face in your hands and placing a soft kiss to his lips. Five adored the feeling of lips against his and he would never deny a kiss from you, but at the same time you were making some things a little hard right now. Pulling out of the kiss, you gave him a smile before commenting,
"Y'know it's nice to see you out of that school uniform. Hopefully I'll see you later."
And with that you began to walk away, your hand gently sliding off his cheek tilting his head to follow you as you left. Five's eyes trailed you as you walked away and when you were out of sight he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. You were going to drive him insane. With no apocalypse to distract his mind, the hormones that he had kept at bay were starting to take over, had already taken over, and he needed to fix them.
Seeing his older brother face a young man's dilemma, Klaus couldn't help but smirk. After running around with back to back apocalypses, there was finally the time of day to notice his girlfriend and boy was it hilarious to see him notice. Seeing the way he continued to stare in your direction even though you had disappeared from sight Klaus decided to try to get a reaction out of him.
"Hey, Five. What color was (Y/N)'s shirt?" Klaus jokingly asked
Five looked back at Klaus. He didn't have time for his questions. Five was trying to get out of the bar area as quickly as possible. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to remember the color of your shirt but doing so proved less than helpful at the moment because different images came to his mind. Trying to get Klaus off his back, Five blurted out,
"Red."
"Blue." Klaus stated, a teasing smile on his face
Five's frustration began to build more and more at the situation. He didn't want to be here anymore. He couldn't be here anymore. He needed to go. Turning on his heel away from the table, Five stated firmly,
"I'm leaving. Don't follow me."
Quickly he walked away from his brothers, only stopping once as he made the rash decision of stealing a napkin dispenser of one of the nearby tables, before heading towards the elevator to go back to his room. Klaus let out a small laugh at the situation as he and Luther watched Five speed away.
"Aw man, he took that whole napkin dispenser with him." Luther commented, his mouth full of food "I can't believe you made him cry because he got the color of her shirt wrong."
Klaus looked over at his big dumb brother, with his wide eyes and noodles once again hanging from his mouth.
"Oh, Luther..." Klaus sighed patting his shoulder "Just eat your food, you barn animal."
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Therapy Fit for a God Chapter 25
"Loki/OFC Rated E: Trigger Warnings: Smut, Sex, Oral Sex, Angst, talk of suicide, therapy, unhealthy family dynamics, mention of torture and mind control, touch starved, drinking, memory loss
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, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24
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Loki’s plans to conquer and rule Midgard have come to a disastrous end. After being captured by the Avengers, he is being held on Earth. Odin has refused to interfere, and the outlook for the God of Mischief appear bleak. His only hope may lie in one mortal woman, a Psychiatric expert brought in to interrogate him.
Dr. Caroline Thorpe is intrigued by Loki and thinks that more lies beneath his actions than is commonly known. Can she find out the truth before he is shipped off to die for crimes against the Earth? And can Loki bring himself to care?
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Loki continued his throaty laugh until he noticed Caroline looking at him uncertainly, as though at a complete loss as to what had brought on his sudden shift in mood. Discretely adjusting his tunic to hide the bulge created by their embrace, he tried to curb his lapse into amusement.
"Loki, are you alright?" she asked, pulling back from him.
"Well, that is the question, is it not," he replied, finally regaining his composure but still finding ridiculous, inappropriate humor in the situation. "I certainly feel better now that I am sitting here with you pressed against me. The little Midgardian who won my heart."
"I am glad?" she made the words sound like a question, and he could only assume to her they felt that way a well.
"And yet you are also the one who shot me, are you not?" he mused, trying to imagine this sweet, innocent looking woman firing a solar blaster at anyone, much less him.
"I am so sorry, I would never have done that on purpose," she said, voice conveying more than a hint of despair. "If I could have shot myself instead, I would have."
"Ah, but that would have been foolish. You are such a delicate little thing. So easily breakable. I, on the other hand, am very hard to kill, even for an Asgardian. And we are a notoriously robust race."
He meant that to be reassuring, so why was she looking at him with even more confusion? Did she think him so pour of a specimen that he wasn't far more physically hearty than a mortal? She was supposed to be head over ears in love with him from everything he had been told, and yet she seemed to doubt him.
"So, you did not mean to shoot me," he said, trying to assess her for himself. "You would in fact, as you say, have suffered grievously in my place. Tell me, what have I done to deserve such devotion from such a beautiful woman?"
"It's not about deserving," she said, scrunching up her face. "We do not earn love like points in a game. It is freely given because of who we are and how we feel. You are a good person with many exemplary qualities - you are loyal, caring, intelligent, creative, but I love you as much for some of your other qualities such as your deviousness and your ambition as I do for those sterling ones. It is the whole taken together and alchemized into one unique being, one Loki, that I love, not any act you performed."
At her impassioned declaration, Loki began to feel an uncomfortable tightness in his chest in addition to the now even more insistant tightness in his trousers, and his eyes became unaccountably misty. The way her eyes were blazing at him seemed to dare him to contradict her words. Loyal? Caring? Was he these things? He liked to think so, but he didn't go out of his way to allow others to see it. As for intelligent and creative, well... yes, those were evident, but again few besides his mother and a handful his teachers ever said a much. These were not the virtues that were celebrated on Asgard, not the ones that won you acclaim and favor of fair maidens. Bravery, strength, heroism, these were the desirable qualities one looked for in a mate.
And yet, Caroline hadn't even mentioned them. Instead, she had seen and been drawn to the things he was, rather than disappointed by the things he wasn't. And she wasn't wrong about his other side. Loki was ambitious, he had been raised to be, and deviousness seemed to be baked into his sense of self right along with mischief. She saw these things and loved him because of them. Could such a thing really be possible?
"What a curious creature you are," he said, trying to keep his tone light as he stared at her, not wanting to give away how much her words meant to him. "And all of these characteristics make you love me? I am not an easy man to love, I would think."
"Perhaps not," she said with a small grin, "but that is part of the fun. I have always enjoyed a challenge."
Loki grinned back at her, seeing the hint of a kindred spirit in the twinkle lurking deep in her eyes. Was this real, this marvelous woman? How had he stumbled onto her, and why couldn't he remember?
"And I love you," he said, testing out the words and weighing the thought in his head.
"You have told me that you do," she sounded nervous.
"You are the first person to inspire such a confession from me," he startled himself by admitting. "Oh, I don't mean my family. I have certainly told my mother and Thor, and even Odin in my weaker moments, that I love them. I may have even uttered the words fatuously to a former dalliance. But I have never meant them before, not in a romantic way."
"I didn't know that," she replied in an awed tone. "For what it's worth, I have never said them that way before either. Of course, I only have decades, not centuries to account for."
It was worth quite a bit. He had feared he was making himself sound weak, pathetic even by hi admission. He was not used to this show of vulnerability, particularly with someone who he didn't know, at least that he remembered. Yet Caroline somehow brought it out of him without doing more than glancing at him. How was it that he was not battling humans away to get to her?
"That may be so, but it is odd that such an obviously desirable woman would not have found love ere now. Mortals are even stupider than I imagined. Previous company excluded, of course."
"Loki," she said, after steeling herself to get it out, "if you have changed your mind... I will not try to hold you if you wish to be released. You have made no promises to me after all."
Changed his mind? He didn't know his mind! He didn't know what he had done or said or even how long he was missing from his life, but one thing he did know. He knew that this woman next to him, by simply sitting, had him both happier and more aroused than he had ever been, at least during the days that he remembered. How could she think he didn't want her?
Unless it was her who had changed her mind. She said she loved him, yes, and that she looked forward to a challenge. But he had seen her when he came in. She had been smiling at that smirking mortal with the stick and the glasses. The image reignited the jealous fire in him.
"Perhaps it is you who have had a change of heart," Loki suggested, trying to keep the growl from his voice and failing. "Mayhap you have found someone else to keep you company. The sightless Mortal who I found holding your hand for instance."
"Matt Murdoch?" she heard her voice skitter up. "Loki, I just met him less than two hours ago. And as kind as he was, he was not you."
"But human lives are so truncated, that might be all it takes to form an attachment," he said.
"I am not attached to Matt, or anyone else. My heart is yours."
"That is fortunate," nodded with a half-smile, heart singing at the words as he laced is fingers between hers. "I am not up to my usual fitness, and it might have proved embarrassing if it took more than a matter of moments to kill him."
"There is no need to kill Matt," she assured him.
"Then I suggest you keep your hands where they belong. On me."
Taking Caroline's wrists, he placed her palms on his chest. She slid them up slowly, running over the soft tunic he wore and making him wish it was absent. When she reached his shoulders, she carded one side of his hair through her fingers and he made a small noise that was almost a purr. It was heaven, her touch. Something about it felt so right. She sighed quietly and melted into him, lips pressing against the pulse point in his throat.
"You, my little love, are a delightful surprise," he told her in a raspy voice.
"Surprise?" she asked, looking up at him.
Loki debated his choices. His body was screaming at him to allow her to continue her exploration of his body. He wanted more than anything to vanish their clothing with a wave and sink hilt deep inside of her with a single thrust. He longed to see if she fit him as well there as she did in his arms. He would wager all he had that she did. Unfortunately, he also felt a strange surge of reluctance to have her under false pretenses.
"Ah yes, I suppose I should tell you," he sighed.
"Tell me what?" a tendril of fear shot through her voice.
"Nothing serious as all that," he tried to reassure her, not wanting to end their intimacies. "A trifle really. You see, while I knew the moment I saw you, the moment I heard your name in fact, that you belong to me, I am afraid that beyond that I know absolutely nothing about you."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Just what I say. I understand from my brother, never the most accurate or subtle source of information, that you and I have recently begun a relationship that seems to be rather serious. The murderous rage I felt upon finding you with someone else tells me that in this instance Thor was actually correct. But beyond the wealth of emotion that you inspire in me and the tales of others, I have no recollection of you whatsoever."
"What?" she asked again, blinking adorably at him.
"Do not fret, love," he told her, running a knuckle down the side of her cheek. "It is nothing personal. You see, I cannot recall anything at all."
"Nothing?"
"Not a thing more than vague feelings and instincts."
"For how long?"
"Oh, not too long I should think," he replied with a shrug. "I have a clear memory of dressing for Thor's coronation. I still have to find out what happened there, as obviously he is not King. Not that I am complaining, mind you. I have great affection for the big oaf, but he would make a stupendously wretched King, you must agree."
Caroline stared at him in horror and disbelief. Surely, she was not one of those who thought Thor would make a sage and worthy ruler? She was so astute in other matters, she could not possess this common blind spot, could she?
"Loki," he could hear something in her voice switching, sounding more professional in tone, "you need to tell me what happened. Was it being shot that did this to you?"
"Does this mean that we are not going to consummate our reunion?" he asked, wishing selfishly that he had kept silent as she pulled away and straightened her beautifully mussed hair.
"What? No! How can you be thinking of that right now?"
"It is not thinking that I have been doing exactly, my darling," he said with a lascivious smile, drawing her hand down and placing it over his erection.
She gave a delightful little yelp as he moved his hips, quickly pulling her hand away. He had seen her eyes dilate though, and he knew she wanted him as well. At least that was a balm to his raw nerves.
"Stop that!" she scolded him, moving even farther from him. "I have told you I will not allow you to distract me with flirting!"
Had she? How delightful! He liked this bossy side of her, although he would like it more if she would go back to curling up against him.
"My love, I am trying to distract you with sex, not flirting," he purred.
"That either. Loki, this is serious. Now, sit over there and tell me exactly what has been happening."
Ah well, it looked like a tumble on the sofa was not in his immediate future. With a melodramatic sigh that he hoped she appreciated and a much less subtle readjustment of his engorged member, Loki told her what little he knew about Frigga and Eir's adventures in his mind.
***
The roller coaster of emotions appeared to be never ending. First, there was miracle to beat all else - Loki was alive. The relief, the joy, and the ardor bubbling up inside of her threatened to bring her to her knees. And his mother was standing beside him - tall, regal, impossible to live up to. But then all of that was forgotten as she was in his arms, experiencing once more how right it felt to be there. The kiss was everything she needed, passionate, searching, lingering, bliss. She could breathe once more.
Until he laughed and Caroline realized that for all she had found her home again, something was not quite as it should be. There was a hint of mania she could not ignore tinging his mirth. Was he amazed that she had the audacity to assume the right to kiss him after her unforgivable act of violence? He didn't sound angry, exactly, but more bemused that it had happened at all. She could understand that; it felt unreal to her as well.
She babbled out her apology, voicing her wish that she had taken the blast instead. It was true, she would gladly have taken his place over the past week and more. Oddly, that seemed to offend him, the exact opposite of what she had intended. She would have gone on in her apology, until she heard his reply.
"I, on the other hand, am very hard to kill, even for an Asgardian."
Caroline's ears began to ring, as she was taken aback by his words. Loki was decidedly not an Asgardian. The fact was a major focal point of his life, and the key trigger of his decent into trauma and crisis. What did it mean that he was claiming the Asgardian identity as his own? Had his recent time at his childhood home caused him to slip back into the persona that had been forced on him as a baby?
His next words, "Tell me, what have I done to deserve such devotion from such a beautiful woman?" doubled the fear in her head, but also angered her. He was so deserving of love, just for who he was. He didn't need to constantly prove his worth. She needed to make him see that. She also needed to let him know that if this reversion to his former self ment an end to their liaison, she would accept it as long as he accepted that he was worthy of love.
The next climb to elation - he loved her. More than that, he had never loved anyone before. It was too much. Too much happiness all at once. She could not have hoped for anything more. He had her giggling with his jealousy, something she had never been comfortable with before but for some reason found it disturbingly attractive in him. She would have to be careful not to encourage it too much.
For now though, she could enjoy it. Enjoy the hungry look in his eyes as he pulled her closer. Enjoy the feel of him beneath her hands, his hair sliding through her fingers, his pulse beating fast against her lips. When he made a noise like a purr, the want in her had her breath coming fast and hard, longing to feel all of him. She barely heard the words he was saying; something about a surprise. She traced her tongue over her vein, wondering how he would react if she bit it.
"I know absolutely nothing about you."
"What? What do you mean?"
It was a bucket of ice water down her spine. As he explained, it only got worse. Loki remembered nothing of the last year and more. Gone was the discovery of his Jotun origins, his doomed ascension to Asgard's throne, the betray of his friends and his own betrayal in return, the void, the torture, the invasion, and yes, his time with her. More than the passion they had shared, she was horrified that he had lost all of the work he had done in accepting himself.
Yes, it would be lovely if he never had to think of all of the torture he had gone through, but Caroline had little hope of that. In her experience, traumatic events might disappear from conscious memory, but that did not mean they were gone. They would eat around the edges of thought, just waiting for the worst moment to emerge and wreak havoc with his life.
In addition to the torture, Loki had already endured the pain of discovery once. Was he really being sentenced to relive that trauma? Too many people knew the truth, it could not be hidden for him for long. And even if it could, that would just be compounding the lies that he had been fed all of his life. No, she had to find a way out of this mind field, one that would do the least damage to his wounded psyche.
Ignoring his attempts to distract her with more physical intimacies, a feat she truly deserved a medal for considering how much her body was screaming at her to stop talking and jump on him, she pried as much information as she could get on what had been done. Unfortunately, Loki could be of very little help. He remembered nothing more than waking up with a hazy sense of the recent past.
"I have reactions to things," he added with a half shrug. "You, mostly. The moment Thor mentioned your name, it was as if the world tilted."
Well, that was certainly gratifying, but Caroline needed to push down the warm rush his words produced and concentrate.
"Mostly, anything else?" she asked.
"You are quite vexing, darling," he complained, walking his fingers up one arm and causing her to shiver. "Are you really more interested in the past than in what we could be doing in the present?"
"Yes," she lied, moving his hand from where it had found her breast. "What else did you react to?"
"Thor said something about the Tesseract. It gave me hope. A way out."
"That makes sense. It was your escape route more than once. What else?"
"I really don't know. When Thor brought up you, everything sort of went sideways and I had a hard time concentrating on anything. I just knew I had to find you and make sure you were alright."
"Loki," she breathed, leaning towards him despite her best intentions.
"I didn't know who you were, but I knew that you were mine," he told her simply.
"I am. But I am selfish. I want all of you, even... no, especially the time we spent together. Alright. If you don't know what was done, than who would?"
"Mother and Eir, I suppose. They are the ones who worked the magic. But really, min kjaereste, a year is a short amount of time, barely a blink. Does it matter that much?"
"I am a mortal Loki, it is long for me," she said stubbornly. "Very well, we will need to speak with them. Eir was your doctor?"
"Healer, yes. On Asgard."
"That is a bit far, but your mother is here. Well, I suppose I would have to meet her eventually, but this is not how I would have chosen to begin."
"We should probably be going back to Asgard in any case," Loki sighed, standing up and drawing her with him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I am hardly about to leave you here, in some strange man's quarters, nor do I have any intention of sampling the dubious pleasures of a Midgardian jail again anytime soon. My guess is that in three centuries they have still not improved overly much."
"You were in Earth jail three hundred years ago?" she couldn't resist asking. "Why? No, never mind. You can tell me later."
"Indeed. Much more important to get you home where it is safe."
"Home, as in Asgard?" she asked, unable to believe what he was suggestion.
"Well, yes," he seemed amused by her surprise. "Thor should have brought you with us to begin with. I take care of what is mine, Caroline. And you are very much in that category."
Again, that traitorous flutter rose in her stomach. She quashed it ruthlessly.
"I can't go to Asgard."
"Why not?"
"Because, I'm from Earth," she said lamely.
"And I'm from Asgard, yet here I am," he countered.
She bit her tongue to keep from blurting out that no, he was not. Her brain was on overload. There was just too much happening too quickly. She had not left the surrounding ten rooms in days. She was uncertain when she had last showered and knew that she needed at least a week of sleep.
"I don't know..."
"Caroline," Loki said, lifting her chin to stare into her eyes. "You are trapped here. You need me. Which is a very fortuitous thing, because I need you as well, and that is not something I say often if at all. I am trusting you, with no memory of our time together. Can't you trust me as well?"
And with that, the last of her resistance melted. Giving him a trembling smile, she coiled her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. The smell of him was soothing to her jangled nerves, and his hand rubbing her back slowly imparted a warming strength.
"I said something very similar to you, not that long ago," she spoke into his torso.
"Not just before you shot me, I hope. No, darling, forgive me. An ill conceived jest. Now, unless you are willing to reconsider a tumble on the sofa, which I must say strikes me as more than our due for the trouble we have been put through, I suggest you cease pressing into me in that delightfully provocative manner. I only have so much will power, after all."
"I love you," the words fell out of her mouth even as she jumped away from him.
"I cannot wait to understand why," he responded. "Come, my beloved, let us go find out."
44 notes · View notes
canirove · 2 years
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Red & Blue | Chapter 22
Author's note: I just want to say... I'm sorry. You'll understand why when you finish this chapter 😅
And if it isn't asking too much, from now on when you send me an ask discussing the chapter, could you write "Red & Blue spolier" at the begining of the message? That way people who haven't ready it yet and who follow me, will scroll past that it and not read anything that may spoil it for them ☺️
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"Sorry for ruining our last game together" Leah says, resting her head on my shoulder. We are on the bus on our way back home, the worst season we've had since I'm on the first team finally over.
"You didn't ruin anything. And it wasn't our last game together."
"If I had scored that goal, we would have won and you would be leaving with a last win, not with a draw. Because you are leaving. And I get it. The World Cup is around the corner, and we are getting old. You need to make the most of it."
"We are not old, Leah."
"In football years, we are. We’ll be 30 and 29 next year! That's the beginning of the end."
"You are so dramatic" I laugh.
"Promise you won't forget about me."
"I won't forget about you, Leah. It doesn't matter if I'm here in England, in Germany or in Spain. You are my best friend, and that will never change."
"I love you" she says, hugging me.
"I love you too, Leah" I say, hugging her back.
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"What if I stay? Maybe next year will be our year? We must see the light at one point" I say, pacing around our room.
"It's impossible to know that. And the deal is almost closed" Mason says, laying on the bed.
"But I can still say no. It won't look very professional, but it's possible. And what about us, uh? Can we survive a long distance relationship?"
"We can, we've already talked about it."
"I know, I know. It'll be like when we have away games, but a bit longer. And we will see each other during international break, and there always is the possibility of catching a plane for a quick trip during a free day."
"Exactly."
"But what about the fans? They will hate me for leaving, I've been at Arsenal since I was a kid!"
"They'll be disappointed at first, but those who can use their brains will understand your decision."
"But..."
"But nothing" Mason says, getting up from the bed. "We are gonna go to that meeting with Rob and the others, discuss the final touches, and close the deal."
"Why are you so calm?"
"Because one of us has to if we want this to work out."
"Because this will work out" I say, taking a deep breath.
"It will. Trust me" Mason says, kissing my forehead.
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"Everything is ready."
"Thank you" I say.
"You'll be ok. And if you cry, you cry" Mason says next to me. "You've been here for almost 20 years."
I just nod, my throat already starting to hurt as tears threaten to come out.
When I leave the room where Mason and I were waiting, I'm almost blinded by the cameras' flashes. As I sit down, my manager next to me, I can see Leah and my teammates front row, my family and Aaron next to them.
"Thank you very much for coming" I say, my voice sounding very weird in my ears. "Some people may not believe this, but today it's the worst day of my football career so far. I've gone through many tough moments, really hard defeats... But nothing compares to having to say good bye to the club that's been my home since I was 10. The club where I got to meet my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. The club that has taught me everything I know about football, and the one that has helped me become the person I am today. These past years have been the best years of my life as a football player, and it's all thanks to this club. Thanks to this team" I say, nodding towards my teammates. "And thanks to the fans. I know you'll be disappointed with me right now. Angry. And I understand it. But I hope that one day, you will understand why I'm making this decision. That one day, you'll think of me and remember all the good moments we've shared together. Even the hard ones. Because we fought through them together. I won't be part of the team this season, but I know these girls over here and the people who work every day with them, and I know that, with your help, the fans help... Arsenal will be back where it deserves to be. Even if I'm now going to wear a different shirt, different colors... I will still support Arsenal. I'll be another fan, cheering for my girls and giving them the strength they may need, just as you all will be doing from the stadium and your homes" I say while crying and trying to control my sobs. "I know I'm probably forgetting half of the things I wanted to say, but... But know that this isn't a goodbye. It's a see you soon. Come on you gunners!"
With that, I let myself properly cry, my manager giving me a hug. A hug that ends up being a team hug, the girls moving to where I am, Leah the first. My girls.
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"It's gonna be so weird."
"What is?"
"Seeing you, Dec and everyone else with the national team while I stay at home, bored to death."
"These end of the season games are the worst, you are the lucky one. And now you'll have plenty of time to play videogames without anyone complaining about it" I say.
"I'm gonna miss that, you'll see. And the bed will feel so weird without you..."
"We weren't going to sleep together at St. George’s either."
"I know. But at least I knew that you were just a few rooms away, not kilometres."
"You'll survive, Mason. And it'll be a way to get used to what's going to happen next season."
"Yeah..."
"We'll be fine. You said it yourself, remember?" I say, sitting on the bed next to him.
"We will, yes" he says with a sad smile.
"I can always hide you on my suitcase, tho. It may not be the best for your injury, but if we put you in the right position..."
"I'm not that small" he says, finally giving me a smile.
"Well..." I say, teasing him.
"It's not fair to compare me to guys like Tyrone or... Eric."
"Not again, Mason. I thought we had closed that chapter."
"We have" he says. "But he's back with the national team. You are gonna see him."
"And? I'm not gonna sneak into his room at night or anything like that. I'm with you, Mason. You are my boyfriend, my fake husband, and the man I love. You" I say, hitting him on the chest with my finger.
"Ouch" he says. "That hurt."
"Good. Now you know how serious I am. So," I say, getting up "do you want to check if you can fit on my suitcase?"
"You are crazy" he chuckles.
"Crazy for you, yes."
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"When you said I'll see you later, I thought you meant for lunch, not for dinner."
"I'm sorry" Mason says. "I lost track of time."
"With Nathan?"
"Yes."
"Doing what?"
"Since when do I have to tell you everything I do?"
"Since you started to act weird, for example?"
"I'm not acting weird."
"Yes, you are. You barely texted me or called me after the first international game, and it feels like you've been avoiding me since I got back."
"I just... Urgh" he says, letting himself fall on the sofa, hiding his face behind his hands.
"Mason, what is going on? You are worrying me" I say, moving to be next to him.
"I think I need some time."
"Some time?"
"Yes. Alone. To think. I... I don't like the things I've been feeling and thinking while you were away. I need some time alone to think about them and try to understand them."
"Mason... Are you... Are you breaking up with me?" I say, my throat already hurting as I try not to cry.
"No, no" he says, sitting up and holding my hands. "I'm not breaking up with you. I love you. But because I do, I need to fix all these insecurities and the jealousy I've been feeling."
"Because of Eric."
"Yes."
"Even if you know I want nothing with him. That I love you. You."
"Yes. I know. But I just… I don’t want to fight again because of it. I don’t want to risk ruining this, us, because another argument. So before it gets out of hand, I want to take some time and try to fix it. To work on myself."
"Ok… So what are we gonna do now?" I ask, not being able to stop myself from crying.
"For now, we’ll do as we had planned" he says, gently wiping away my tears. "I go on holidays for a few days with the boys, and you with your friends. But I'm gonna need you to give me some space, so don't text me or call me."
"I'll try... But what about our holidays? What if you still haven't figured out all this?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens" he shrugs.
"Ok" I say between sobs. "But promise you won't do anything stupid. Like getting drunk or cutting your hair."
"I promise" he smiles, making me cry even harder.
Things have to work out. He has to figure out everything he's going through. Because I don't think my heart can survive breaking up with him. Not when I'm about to move to another country, alone, and risking the future of my career.
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maddipoof · 9 months
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Chapter 7
Series Masterlist with summaries no warnings??? I don't think? Y/n has a past with the law....(as a 12 year old)
May 22, 1986
"Robin, did you sign the card yet?" y/n called over her shoulder.
"I haven't even woken up yet, you psycho." Robin grumbled face down into the bed.
"Steve's gonna be here in like an hour and you haven't even signed the card."
"Sign it for me. Let me rest, you incessant wench."
"Such language!" y/n feigned offense with her hand over her chest. "I can't sign it for you, he'll know."
"Then just do an X, like the Victorian children," she moved around so she could get back to sleep, "the illiterate ones, in the sweatshops."
Y/n groaned in defeat, "Five minutes, you have five minutes then you have to get up and sign the card and get dressed."
"Yes, mom."
"I thought that was Steve?"
"Fine, dad."
"You are so mean in the morning."
"Tell me about it. Good night!" She threw the pillow over her head and went back to sleep.
***
"Y/n, Robin! Steve's here," Her mom yelled from the top of the steps. 
"Steeeeve!" Eloise ran up to him and jumped on him.
"Wheeeze!" He hugged her back.
"Why is my dearest, darling, niece trying to steal my boyfriend?" Y/n asked Robin 
while they gathered up everything to bring.
"I don't know but I think your whole family is trying to take him." Once they got all the way up the stairs he pointed to the kitchen table where Steve was talking with them all. "Just look." Eloise sat on his leg while he talked to her dad, James. Her mom, sister and grandma whispered in the corner, looking far too suspicious for her taste, while Eloise was playing with Frog. Steve looked up from his conversation and smiled at her. He set Eloise down when he saw how much she and Robin were carrying and went over to help. 
"Thank you," She kissed him quickly as he took the bags. Robin held out her bag and pouted but Steve shook his head.
"Wha-Why?"
"Sorry Rob, that is a girlfriend privilege." He shrugged in mock apology.
"But I am your girl, space, friend."
"Well this is a boy, no space, or hyphen, whatever you're into, friend job."
"Wow, look at our little grammarian over here." y/n praised then went into the 
kitchen to say goodbye to her family. Steve's face took a confused expression.
"I thought I was a taurus but ok?" Robin and y/n tried to suppress their laughter as they called their goodbye's to everyone in the other room.
***
"Oh, Steve! You're just on time." Joyce said as she welcomed them in.
"Hey, Mrs. Byers." "Hi, Mrs. Byers." Steve and Robin said in unison. 
"How many times do I have to tell you Joyce is fine. More than fine, actually 'Mrs. Byers' makes me feel old." She turned and waved her hand for them to follow to the couch. "Dustin just got here and Nancy and Jonathan went out to get the ice cream cake soooo I think that's the perfect chance for us," meaning her and Hopper, "to meet your new friend, we've heard a lot about her and still haven't met her."
"She's just putting the finishing touches on Will's card. I'll go get her." He turned for the door and Robin went into the kitchen to help bring some of the food out. Joyce caught his elbow before he could leave.
"I-I just wanted to let you know how much it means to these kids that you're around. I know you probably know that already but they just adore you. And, um, I know it's still a little weird, y'know, you, Nancy, Jonathan. But you've really grown up Steve, you're a good kid." She smiled up at him and he smiled back. "Now go get your girl, I wanna meet her." He nodded and sped out the door as y/n was adding the last strokes of shading to the lily-of-the-valley. 
"You ready?" He leaned into the open window to admire her work.
"Yep," she added the final dot before adding some more and mumbled about 'of course i'm not stalling, pfft, what're you talking about."
"You don't have to be nervous, Joyce is literally the nicest woman you'll ever meet."
"I know, I've been told and duh of course she is, Will had to get it from somewhere." 
He rolled her eyes at her favoritism but she knew he had a favorite too. "But, honestly, I'm more nervous about meeting her than your parents."
"What do you mean?"
"Like with them, it was obviously a surprise so I didn't have the time to get myself worked up about it. And when you talk about them, which is basically never unless you've been drinking beer that's way too cheap to not be a safety concern, I knew what to expect. Like I wasn't expecting exactly that but I was expecting aloof, a little arrogant, rude." He nodded along so she wouldn't feel bad about talking about his parents. "But now, I expect everything, so what if they don't think I'm good enough?"
"I can absolutely guarantee you they'll love you." He smiled before opening the door and holding his hand out for her. He led her in and she saw how much love could be in one simple room with Will's artwork and Jonathan's photography lining the shelves and walls. While y/n was admiring the room Joyce came out from the kitchen. "Hi, you must be y/n, I've heard so much about you from the kids, and Steve. I'm Joyce."
Y/n held out her hand to shake and Joyce took it but just pulled her into a hug. She looked at Steve wide-eyed and he just shrugged and mouthed 'told you. She's a hugger.'
"I've heard so much about you from them, too." Joyce finally let her go and showed her where everyone else was. Steve took her hand as Joyce led them down the hall. He bent down to whisper, "Just wait till you meet Hopper."
"Steve, my love," she put a hand to his chest while looking up at him, "You're killing me here." 
Hopper came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of fruit salad. He smiled gruffly at Steve, "Hello Steve, staying out of trouble?"
"Of course, um, Chief." 
Hopper looked around Steve to see y/n. He laughed harder than Steve has ever seen him laugh and Steve reached back to take her hand but she'd already had to lean against the wall to support herself, she was laughing so hard. "Oh this is a good one, kid." Joyce took the bowl so he wouldn't spill it everywhere.”This is a real good one,” he wheezed. "What're you doing here?" He wiped the tears from under his eyes.
"Will invited me, and also," she gestured to Steve, "his plus one."
"I heard the name but I didn't know it was you. Well, I hoped it wasn't you."
"Tough luck, Hop." 
Joyce and Steve just watched the whole interaction unfold with very confused looks going back and forth between them. "You two...know each other," Joyce asked.
"Oh we go way back. What was it '76?" Hopper asked.
"I believe you called it the Terror of '77, or at least Flo did." He shook his head and laughed.
"This kid running around all of Hawkins, stealing her mom's art supplies and scrawling Sex Pistols songs all over the playground. Then, what, like 5 years later? The Scourge of '82-"
"Nope, nope that's enough of that. Haha, that's another story for another very, very, very, far off time." She laughed awkwardly and cleared her throat. She took Steve by the wrist and brought him outside.
Both Steve and Joyce asked what happened at the same time. Hopper and y/n had the same answer, "I'll tell you later."
***
The party was in full swing once everyone else arrived. Joyce had y/n and El glued to her sides. It was especially helpful that they all knew sign so they could communicate without having to shout over the music and other conversations. Steve barely saw y/n since she was having so much fun talking to everyone and helping Joyce with anything she needed. Once it was finally time for gifts she gave hers after the kids and Robin went.
"Ok so I don't know if this is exactly what you wanted, but I thought you could try it and see if you like it, then we can try something else if you don't." She said just as a precaution that turned unnecessary after she saw the way his face lit up at the abounding art supplies, especially the paints he'd been talking about for weeks.
"How did you find it? I've been looking everywhere."
"It was quite a feat, but nothing too terrible. So you like it?"
"I love it!" She wasn't prepared for the hug that knocked her back a little. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Mhmm, anything for my favorite," she said extra quietly and they both laughed. 
"Don't tell Mike." They both pulled back and he went around the table. "Go look at the card. It's from me and Robin. She wrote most of it but you can tell which parts I wrote."
To Will (The Wise)
You're literally one of, if not the coolest people we've ever met. Everything you paint and draw has so much love and care and inspiration behind it. It's amazing. We just wanted to let you know that you're really the best and you can come to us for anything.
Love,
Two girls with eyes only for Phoebe Cates (And Vickie) (And Steve)
P.S. You're our favorite, but don't tell the rest of them. We hope your birthday is as SPECTACULAR as you are.
He sniffled a little and hugged both of them. Joyce held a hand over her heart and Hopper put a hand on her shoulder. Steve set his present down next, then put an arm around y/n's waist with his hand resting on her hip. It was atrociously wrapped but Will was so excited when he saw the edge popping through the wrapping paper. It was a book he'd mentioned once, a few weeks ago. 
"I forget what the name was," Steve told y/n as he paced his basement. He started snapping and whispering names towards the ceiling, "I know it starts with an S, (samurai?) No, that's not it, it's something weird. (Samaritan? Salamander?) No but close. Something like that."
"What does it sound like? Do you know what it's about?"
"I asked Eddie, he said it's like the Elf Bible. Sel? Sal? I don't know. " He flopped down onto the couch in defeat.
"The Silmarillion?"
"Yes! That's it!" He jumped out of his seat. "Oh my god, I love you. But now where do we find it?"
"We can try the bookstore near my old school. They have a lot of stuff like that." 
So off they went on the not so short drive to the Rare and Antique Bookstore. They found the one with the best illustrations and Steve refused to let y/n wrap it.
"This is it! Steve this is perfect! Thank you so much." He hugged Steve too and then opened his other gifts.
At the end of the night Hopper and Steve had to pull Joyce and y/n apart. They kept talking and cleaning and wrapping leftovers and shoving tupperwares into the hands of the unsuspecting kids. "Just one second. I'll wrap this then we'll go." 
"You said that three plates ago."
"I didn't mean it three plates ago, I mean it now-WAH!" She yelped as Steve threw her over his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this?"
"You'd never leave."
"Yes, I would." 
Joyce waved goodbye from the front door. "Bye everyone! Y/n, I'll see you next weekend?"
"Of course! Bye! Happy birthday Will!"
"Thank you!" He yelled back.
Y/n let out a huff when Steve finally put her back on the ground. "So unnecessary."
"Very necessary." Robin said flatly from behind her, sliding into the back seat of Steve's car. Steve opened the door for y/n and she smiled at him before getting in and rolling into conversation with Robin.
***
"What's next weekend?" Steve asked once they dropped Robin off.
"Hmm?"
"Joyce said she'll see you next weekend."
"Oh, yeah, she just wants to come in for a trim."
"I keep forgetting you're a hairdresser."
"Yeahhh, so do I sometimes. But I like it whenever I'm not doing some old lady's hair. They're the worst." There was a bit of a lull in conversation, not that either of them minded the comfortable silence. "I think you should let me do your hair."
"I don't know."
"You don't trust me?" She giggled and shifted so her back was against the door to face him.
"No, no! I do." He urgently said, even though she wasn't worried about that. "It's just I've only ever gone to one place so I'd feel bad leaving."
"Steve, there is only one place in this whole town to get hair done. I work at the only place you've ever gone. I know Dory, so I know you should be worried. She's getting sloppy. And I'm not saying this to poach her customers, but! I am saying this to protect your self-proclaimed best feature. Even though, if you ask me, I think you're all the best."
"You're real cute, you know that?" 
"Only 'cause you keep reminding me."
He reached to put his hand on her left knee that was extra close to him because of how she was sitting. "What was in your card?"
"Just that me and Robin would always be here for him, whatever he needs."
"That's nice," Steve didn't want to pry but he felt like there was something important. "Was there anything else in there?"
"Hmmm, you're not gonna let it go, are you?"
"If it's a secret between you three that I shouldn't be involved in, then done! It's let go, we never have to speak of it again, over, no mo-"
"Ok, ok, don't be mad."
"How could I be mad?"
"It's happened before, when I've told people, but Robin said you wouldn't be. Just when there's been so many negative reactions, it's hard to expect a positive one." She waved her hands in front of herself as if to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, I could try to explain it but it's easier to just say it. I'm like Robin."
"What do you mean 'like Robin'?"
"Like, I like girls." She swallowed before rushing out, "but I like guys too! And I love you."
"Oh," he glanced over at her then went back to staring at the road and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. She put her hand on his that was still on her leg.
"The less you say the more worried I get."
"Oh, right, um yeah same." He finally looked at her once they were at a stop sign.
"What?"
"Shit, um I mean same, I like guys too." She smiled brightly at him.
"Really?"
"Yeah, but I love you so..." he shrugged. "But I think you should know I kissed Eddie like two days before we met. It was a real life or death kind of moment and at the time it really looked like death was winning so it just sort of happened."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it, that's why my sister says I suck to watch movies with because I just want everyone to kiss all the time." 
They both laugh, knowing how she disturbs the most serious fight scenes by making kissy hands and smooching sounds.
"So, you're ok with it?" He asked nervously.
"If you're ok with me?"
"Yeah?" "Yeah."
***
"Are your parents home?" She asked just before she was about to open her door.
"Probably, which sucks. Why?"
"Do you want to stay over? You're already here."
"I don't want to intrude."
"You can't intrude if I'm inviting you in. But really if you don't want to, I'm not gonna make you."
"Who am I kidding, your mom's pancakes are better than mine."
"Yay!" She cheered then kissed him before getting out.
"Is here ok?" He asked while poking his head out the window.
"Yeah, we're not going anywhere tomorrow. Now come on, I'm freezing."
*** 
Once they went in through the back door that led right into the basement she pulled off her sweater while walking into the bedroom. She came back out in pajamas with a shirt and sweatpants she may or may not have stolen from him.
"I don't even remember you taking these."
"Cause I'm stealthy, like a ninja."
"You are so lame."
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's weird to talk to yourself in the second person?"
He just scoffed and turned to the bathroom while she rushed to clean her room up a little more. 
When he walked in she held her arms out for him. He flopped down next to her and rolled over into her arms. "Are you warm now?"
"Very, you?"
"Very.”
tag list:@avipoof @haydipoof @loving-and-dreaming @beezywriting @on-my-contrarian-sh1t @stevesza @niallsvirgosun @idmarryuharry28 @my-little-secret-diaries @inkluvs @babyrunsforfanfic @mrssharrington @calhtlland @mikki96 @thoughtfulhumanoidtreepurse (if anyone would like to be added or removed please just let me know, no hard feelings ever)
Thank you so much for reading and your continued support, this is my favorite thing i've ever written and i love it so much so it makes me so happy to see you all enjoy it <3<3<3
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chi-the-idiot · 10 months
Text
On chapter 22 of Chevalier's Romantic route (aka about to finish the route as a whole), so im going to give some notes, as a sort of review. I may at some point make a youtube video actually reviewing all of the route (as well as my process making the rewrite), but for now this is what you get
(HUGE Spoilers for Chevalier's route ahead, you've been warned)
Their first interaction is awful. That hasn't changed at all from my first review at least.
The following interactions are also very bad since Emma is, you know, deadly afraid of him. But I like seeing Emma being encouraged by Clavis to challenge him.
Gotta be honest, Clavis is the biggest highlight in this route, every time he appears it just makes me love him more (yes, i am biased, why do you ask?)
Cheva's actions and the justification for those are sometimes just... so dumb. Prime example is the ball when he just... humiliates a 17 year old and her father and proceeds to justify it by saying that "they ended the conversation" and didn't let him finish. Like bish, u /srs or /j, i hope its the latter.
The "you are a person" bullshit. Ho-ly crap, Emma you don't need to "fix him", my gods.
Speaking of Emma, I got really mad at her not actually reading the covenant?? Like, I would get it if it happened in other routes, but with Chevalier?? Girl, if you mean to actually give a shit, do things that actually SHOW that you give a shit. Show Chevalier that you actually care about choosing a king (the son of a bitch has been telling you that the belle tradition makes no sense to him, and that he would become king either way, show him that he cannot talk to you like that), and show me, who already knows you're going to end up toghether, that you are fit to become a queen. Training? Sure, that's important, but you are responsible for a whole ass country, PLEASE give me a sign that you have some qualities at least, I beg of you.
On that note, dont you dare tell me that Chevalier never said that Belle (position) was useless from the very begining, i absolutely do not buy it.
Gotta be honest, Chapter 14 (the battle in the village) has to be one of my favourites of this route. Emma realizing that THIS is war, that THIS is King Chevalier's future, is absolutely magnificent. Splendid turning point.
What a shame the conflict is resolved in the WORST WAY POSSIBLE LITERALLY FOUR CHAPTERS LATER, OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT JUSTIFICATION. "I remember the names of those who proved their worth to me" AND????? HOW DOES THAT EXPLAIN WHAT YOU CAUSED??????
The sword to the throat scene was very good tho. Very nice.
The dramatic route was good. Not perfect, I abhor how the clause 99 issue was handled, but other than that not bad.
Also Clavis being in love with Emma in this ending 😙🤌 Sublime, their chemistry was top tier (either that or im a simple simp, which yeah, true, I love my purple leopard)
As for the romantic route, as far as I've read its pretty good. Im not a huge fan of Rio as a secondary love interest, but it makes sense, and I like how he (finally) accepts that Emma is in love with Chev and he reciprocates those feelings, and is willing to stand back and let them be happy (if only Chev himself will admit it)
ALSO THE STAB?!?!??! THE WAY MY MOUTH DROPPED, I PREDICTED SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING BUT I WAS SO SHOCKED.
Overall, it wasn't as bad as I remembered it to be. Still bad, VERY bad at points, but I grew an appreciation for it.
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delikaitxx · 4 months
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HEY YALL!!!!!!!!! How has your week been? What about Thanksgiving if you celebrate it? Love yall!
Chapter Sixteen: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Tw: mentions of abandonment
Evening of March 22, 1986
“Anybody? Please.” I plead as panic begins to conquer my brain. I try to take deep breaths, four in, four out. Think happy thoughts. About Eddie, about getting the fuck out of Hawkins. They turn out to not work as I feel the walls caving in. I look at the walkie talkie in my hand losing all hope. “Why would my mother do this?” I ask myself. Suddenly, the walkie talkie makes noise. “Roxie, are you there?” A familiar voice speaks. It was Nancy!
“Nancy! Oh my god….” I say in disbelief, yet excited. “No… my mother trapped me in my room… I need help.” I quietly plead. “Okay, Robin and I are on the way.” “Let me talk to her.” Robin says. “Hey Rox, remember how your window unlocks from the inside?” That’s it. My window! How did I not think of that? “Robin, oh my god. Thank you!” I remember another thing. “What about Eddie’s van? Surely everyone knows what it looks like.” “I’ll distract your mother while Robin hooks it to the back of my station wagon. We can probably hide it at the cabin.” “Yeah Rox, we got this.”
“Okay? How far are you?” I ask looking at my door, fearing my mom can hear the conspiring somehow. “About five minutes. Be ready.” Robin says as I gather my things. I noticed my mom had accidentally put some of Dustin’s clothes with mine. “Sorry mom.” I say softly as I pack another bag with mine and Dustin’s clothes. Can’t have him deal with the same fate I’m dealing with. I even stash my scrapbooks in my bag. My camera. I see headlights approaching and smile, knowing it was Wheeler and Robin. “Thank god.”
I hear the doorbell ring and a cheerful “coming!” emerge from my mother. “Oh! Nancy!” She gleefully greets. “Hi Mrs. Henderson!” I can hear Nancy faintly work her magic as I unlock my window and throw out the duffel bag full of clothes and my scrapbooks. I smile back at my room. “Sorry mom, you’ll understand someday.” I say before jumping out of the window and landing on all fours. I look around and see if anyone hears. No. Thank fucking god.
I crouch down and speed to the back, which is luckily on my side of the house. I spy Robin, Nancy’s car and Eddie’s van and squeal in excitement. Eddie’s van is hooked to the back. I wave at Robin as I jump in the back of the car and toss the bag in the trunk. Robin then climbs in the passenger seat. “Rox, are you okay? I cannot believe your mom did that to you.” “Well, she is very influenced by what the TV tells her. It would make sense.” “I’m just so happy you’re safe.” “Me too…. Oh shit, Wheeler’s coming!” I hide by laying down in the back.
“Bye Ms. Henderson! Stay safe.” “You too, Nancy.” Nancy climbs in her passenger seat and starts the engine. She turns the car around with the van attached. She’s making sure to be careful. God, I hope my mom doesn’t see this. Relieved, we’re on the road and I lift myself up and I buckle up. “Hey Rox.” Nancy calmly says as she keeps her eyes on the road. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” She continues as Robin looks back at me.
“Yeah, I think I’m okay… am I hallucinating or are y’all dressed to impress?” I ask, referring to their preppy school girl outfits. “Oh! We went to Pennhurst to get answers. We may have found a way to save lives!” Robin gets excited as Nancy looks at me in the mirror.
“Oh? What did you find?” I ask as I move more freely, checking to see if my walkie talkie is still in my hand bag, check. “Well, his son, Henry, could be Vecna!” Robin gets even more excited. “What?” I look at them both clueless. “The thing that’s after Max, Vecna, killed his family. Basically, when they moved to Hawkins, his family loved it. However, only Henry despised it. So much so, that slaughtered animals would appear around the property and the family experienced nightmares and visions. The entity would kill Victor’s wife. He would try to escape with his daughter and son, only to be stopped by a vision. Henry and his sister ended up dying. When we were being escorted out, ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’ was playing and Robin made a revelation.”
“Music can reach the brain the way that words can’t. Music is a lifeline.” I smile at her revelation. “Music is a lifeline. That’s genius!” I congratulate her. “The song would play in the house, so maybe that’s how we defeat Vecna and save Max.” I smile at the remark, only for it to fade away quickly. How do I tell them I thought I was going to get killed? With the nightmares of my father. The headaches. Sure, I can definitely say it’s abandonment issues, it’s so easy to blame it on that. But, I have to play it safe. “Guys.” Here goes nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Nancy asks as Robin looks at me concerned. “Are you okay?” Robin asks as I sigh. “I thought I was going to get killed earlier…” “… What do you mean?” Nancy suddenly pulls over on the side of the road and the girls look at me scared. “I mean, I’ve been having nightmares, about my dad. Headaches too. I keep seeing him everywhere. I can say it’s the trauma from him leaving, but.. I got a birthday card from him made out to ‘Roxie Gracie’.”
I tearfully watch as Nancy gets worried as Robin watches confused. “What’s ’Roxie Gracie’?” She asks. “A nickname. Dad would call me that when he was around and it was only him who called me that. I’m sick to my stomach. It felt as if he was there, watching. My mom wasn’t herself either. I can’t explain it, it was definitely harrowing.” It grows silent. “‘Rhiannon’ right?” Nancy asks, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “What?” I ask her bewildered. “Your favorite song right?” She asks. “In case we need to use it.” Nancy turns to me waiting for an answer.
“Yes, it’s still my go-to.” I say shocked by her remembrance of the song being my lifeline. She looks back at the road and back to me, heartbroken. It seems she still remembers us being best friends and me losing my father. “We need to get you back to Eddie-“ “ROBIN! NANCY! CODE RED!” Dustin screams into the walkie. “Yes! What’s up?” Nancy says as the three of us huddle together. “It’s Max! She’s levitating!” Robin quickly springs into action as Nancy drives. “PUT HER FAVORITE SONG ON! Music can save her.” Robin says as I watch Nancy speed along the road. “We’re getting you to Eddie, he’s probably worried.” She says to me. “Dustin, just meet us back at the cabin!” Nancy screams as we jet away.
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alovesongshewrote · 2 years
Text
You Choke on His Blood - Twilight | Eddie Munson x Reader
Plot:  Kas!Eddie scenario but with a twist! a twist that will become very obvious very quickly. Anyway, a year before the events of season 4, Eddie takes you to a bar and things go very wrong very quickly- and they don't get better for a long, long time. [Eddie Munson x Gender Neutral!Reader]  Part 1, Part 2,
Word count:  9,219
Warnings:  BIG WARNING: this whole chapter can be read as a metaphor for date r*pe, and there is an attempted date r*pe at the end that very quickly fails. A main character is drugged, another is turned into a vampire without their consent. Other warnings include: blood and violence, gore, murder, and assumed character death. Please use caution while reading. If there's anything you'd like me to add here, please lmk
Disclaimer: Fuck netflix, fuck whoever came up with having a "stranger things experience" in a former n*zi prison where jewish and romani people were exterminated. that's an incredibly fucked up thing to do, and i do not support or endorse it.
A/N: jesus fucking christ this chapter is 22 pages long on google docs. anyway, there's so much preamble here and most of it is the warnings- can't wait to see if i end up writing that darkfic...
Tags: i'm so sorry, but i genuinely can't remember who asked to be tagged for what. if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic, please lmk
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You’d never given much thought to how you would die. You just assumed, as most others do, that you would meet your end at an old age in a hospital bed, or drift off in your sleep without suffering. In all fairness, even if you thought about how you would die every day, I don’t know how you could’ve seen your death coming.  
Instead of passing on in the usual way, you were dragged behind a bar and murdered by a monster. Its venom flooded your veins. You grew fangs and claws. You lost the boy you loved. Your mortal life ended.  
One year later, you sat at the same bar, alone. An untouched gin and tonic sat in front of you, glowing slightly thanks to a newly installed ultraviolet light. You glared at the drink, tapping your fingers against the glass and trying to clear your mind. Your attempts were unsuccessful.  
It wasn’t like you could be blamed for that, though. Thanks to your new inhuman memory, you remembered your death as transparently as the glass before you- including the role this bar had played in your final moments.
Long story long, you’d spent most of your last human day in the bedroom of a dear metalhead friend of yours. You’d more or less taken over his bed, lying on it as you listened to him rant and rave about some bar he’d ventured out to the other night. That wasn’t too out of the ordinary. You and Eddie Munson spent most of your time ranting at each other about whatever the fuck you felt like, and you were no stranger to sneaking into bars. However, it was pure tradition for the two of you to break drinking laws together.
Maybe that was why this rant in particular was creeping under your skin. You couldn’t come up with another reason for it. Eddie wasn’t teasing you, or provoking you in any way, which was out of the ordinary. Whatever the true reason may have been, you could only sit in his room watching his perfect lips move for so long before you got sick of it.  
Eventually, you were forced to act- you sat up from your spot on his bed and threw a pillow at his face with all of your strength. He was mostly unaffected.
“Something bothering you, sweetheart?”
You threw another pillow at him. It was the best way to ignore how the pet name made you feel, “Uh, yeah, there is. You’ve been talking about this place all day, and I’m almost one hundred percent sure it isn’t as metal as you say it is.”
“Oh?  Are you doubting my descriptive skills, (L/N)?”
“Why, I think I am, oh great master of descriptions,” as tempted as you were to throw something else at your friend, you settled for nudging his leg with your foot. Hard.
He stood from his place on the floor, looming over you with his hands on his hips in a very half-assed attempt to be intimidating. Of course, he failed at that. As intimidating as the rest of Hawkins found him, he never managed to scare you. He was too sweet for that. His eyes were too big, too soft. Also, his smile was a dead giveaway. He tried to fight it, but it won out, practically yelling out to the world that Eddie wasn’t actually upset.
Still, he tried to sound wounded, “Harsh, (Y/N). Harsh, and cold.”
“Is that really the best you can do, Eds?” you scoffed, “I’d give those descriptive words… maybe, a three out of ten? It’s closer to a four than a two if that helps.”
“It does not,” he paused, and the smile he had been fighting took over his face. His eyes glinted, bright with mischief. That fucker had a plan.
“Eddie?” your question sounded like a warning, “What are you-?”
Before you could finish your sentence, Eddie let himself fall on top of you, effectively pinning you to the bed. You let out a squeak of rage as you struggled, wiggling around as you tried to free yourself from underneath him.
“You dick!” you screeched through your poorly disguised giggles, “Get off me, oh my god-!”
“Mm, “dick” isn’t the best descriptive word you could come up with, (L/N), I’d give it a three out of ten. Maybe scoundrel- or mayhaps villain or rogue would be better.” 
Eddie’s voice was slightly muffled, his face still pressed into his sheets as you writhed about. You tried to ignore the heat that flooded your body at the feeling of his weight on top of you.
“Oh my god, get off of me.”
“Mmm, I’d rather not. You make a good pillow,” he pushed himself up on his elbows and smiled down at you. A strand of his hair was stuck to his cheek, and you had to fight off the urge to brush it away. Instead, you planted your hand in the center of his face and shoved him off of you. He gave out half a yell as he lost his balance and collapsed to the floor.
You dragged yourself over to the edge of the bed and looked down at him. The smile on his face matched the one on yours.
“Thou art a cruel and unmerciful wretch, (Y/N) (L/N).”
“Oh, bite me, Munson.”
“You wound me! And to think I was planning on taking you to a certain bar tonight.”
You rolled your eyes and extended a hand down to him. He accepted your hand and let you pull him up. As you did, you made a bit of a show of sighing and groaning as you said, “Damn, I guess that means I have to keep you alive for the next few hours.”
“You doooo,” he almost cooed at you as he returned to his seated position at the side of the bed, “Otherwise, who would watch your drink when you got distracted by something shiny, huh? And who would drive your ass home after you have one too many?”
“I’m gonna… bite you,” you grumbled, running a hand through Eddie’s hair, messing it up as much as you could.  
You knew he was right. Whenever the two of you ventured out with the intent to commit the lovely crime of underage drinking, he was the one to have your back. Of course, you had his
“I’d like to see you try,” he grabbed your wrist, pulling it away from his hair and towards his chest. He didn’t seem to notice the effect that small action had on you. Instead, he just continued to ramble on about whatever came into his mind.  
That was just how the two of you were. Your friendship was a mix of relentless teasing and genuine affection. And you loved it. You loved him, as deeply and truly as any one person could love another. He loved you the same way- even if you did threaten to bite him on a regular basis, which you absolutely did.  
Of course, all of your feelings were felt in silence. You never told him how you felt, and it was one of your greatest regrets. If you had known what was going to happen to you that night, you would have told him everything. You would have gotten him to stay home with you. You wouldn’t have left his trailer.  
You didn’t know what would happen, though. You had no way of knowing. So, you stayed silent, and you didn’t think about it too much.
Now, as you sat in the same bar he wanted to take you to, you desperately wished you could go back and make better choices. As your fingers traced shapes through the condensation on your glass, you mourned your past self and all their bad choices. After a moment of silence for your past actions, you let the memory consume you again.
The day passed quickly. Soon, you were ready to leave. Eddie draped one of his jackets over your shoulders as you stepped out of his trailer. The leather smelled like him- like warmth, spice, and weed. He ran a hand through your hair and messed it up, laughing as you grabbed at the offending limb.
“Munson, you asshole, I’m going to bite you.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he said, trying and failing to hide his smile, “Look, in return, you can pick what we listen to on the way there.”
That was a high honour- one that was very rarely offered to anyone other than you. A smirk crawled its way across your face as you looked between the car and your friend, “That’s more like it, pretty boy.”
“Pretty boy?” he questioned as you climbed into his van.
“Don’t judge- you keep calling me ‘sweetheart,’ I have to at least try to compete with that.”
“Well,” he shut the door behind you and got into the driver’s seat, “You aren’t doing the best job of that.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re winning now, whatever,” your reply was absent-minded, your attention now focused on the cassette tapes scattered throughout the organized disorder of his van. You picked up a tape and examined it before returning it to the pile, “But I will make a comeback.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“I will!  I’m gonna kick your ass, trust me.”
“Sure thing, man, and right after that, I’ll kick your ass.”
“You could never, I’m too adorable.”
“Damn,” he smacked the steering wheel without much force, “I think you’re right.”
“I know I’m right,” your focus returned to the pile of tapes, and the van fell into silence.
Unbeknownst to you, Eddie was also focused on the tapes- or more specifically, the way you looked as you picked a cassette from the mess in his van. Your bottom lip was drawn between your teeth in deep concentration, and for an embarrassingly long moment, he wished that it was his teeth biting down on your lip instead. 
He tried to ignore that, fighting the thought off and hoping that you didn’t notice the red dusting his cheeks. Suddenly, the silence of the van was far too loud for him.
“Hurry up and pick a damn tape, will ya? Pick one, or I’m pulling over, 'cause I’m not about to drive all the way to the bar sitting in silence like a serial killer.”
You scoffed, “Yeah, right. You might look scary, Cupcake, but I don’t think anything could make you into a serial killer.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I think you’d be surprised, (L/N).”
“Okay, then, tell me. What would make you, Eddie Munson, into a serial killer?”
He paused for a moment, staring straight at the road, pondering your question. As you fell to pieces laughing at him, another bigger question crossed his mind.
“Did you just call me Cupcake?”
“Would you kill me if I did?”
He sighed and stared out at the road again, choosing not to dignify your question with a response. It was a wise choice- but of course, it was one you couldn’t accept.
“So that’s a no? A no to my murder? Okay then, baby girl.”
He turned to you, his concentration on the road nearly shattered. His head was cocked to the side slightly in a very cute way. He smiled, though his eyes betrayed his utter confusion, which, really, you couldn’t blame him for.
“Sorry,” you said, tapping your fingers against the dash, “I was trying to come up with something to match ‘sweetheart’ again.”
“And the best you came up with was ‘baby girl?’” his composure was quickly slipping as he descended into giggles.
“I’m sorry! It was the first thing that came to mind!”
“The first thing that came to your mind was ‘baby girl?’”   
“Oh my god,” you shoved his arm, setting off another round of giggles. It was your turn to sigh and look away.  
A few moments later, when his laughter had subsided, you opened your mouth again, “So, should I go back to calling you Cupcake? I liked that one.”
He wheezed, completely unable to answer. You were thankful that the road was empty because he probably would have crashed the car. When he finally recovered, he sat up straight, wiping a fake tear from his eye, “That’s up to you, sweetheart. Just like the music. So pick something.”
“You got me,” you threw your hands up, trying to act exasperated- though the look on your face gave you away. You leaned over in your seat and returned to the cassette pile, finally choosing one.
Of course, it was a mix that you had made. There was nothing you enjoyed more than gently bullying your friend by making him listen to your taste in music. You let yourself relax in your seat as the first song on the track blasted in your ears.  ‘The Chain.’ Fleetwood Mac.  Musical excellence.
The setting sun cast a warm glow over your world, painting you and Eddie in gold. You watched him, a smile crossing your face as he ranted to you about some D&D thing over the music. His eyes were so bright, so alive- and you were entranced.  You couldn’t look away, and you didn’t want to. If that one moment could have extended on forever, you would’ve been happy, your destination be damned.
Of course, that wasn’t the case. The sun set, the van stopped, and you arrived at the bar. Still, a year and a monstrous transformation later, that moment continued to shine like gold in your memories.  
You found yourself relaxing slightly, leaning against the bar, your hand supporting your chin as you thought about it- as you thought about the way the sun lit Eddie’s hair, giving him a sort of halo, and as you remembered the way the sun changed his dark eyes to the colour of honey.  
The sweet memory was quickly shattered, however, by a flash of those same brown eyes, confused and terrified, watching as that thing attacked you.
You took a sip of your drink.
Behind you, a few people entered the bar. You turned the slightest bit, taking them in without turning your head too far thanks to your belothed inhuman eyes. Among them stood a couple- one in leather, and one in a battle jacket.
You took another sip, trying to ignore how much that couple resembled you, pretending you didn’t notice the burning sting in your eyes as you remembered walking into the bar with Eddie, oblivious to what was about to happen.
Your body was tucked under his arm, distracting you, for a moment, from the fact that the bar smelled pungently of metal. You couldn’t exactly place what it was at the time- though now you knew that the smell was iron, or more accurately, rust.
Still, at the time, you paid it no mind. You were just a little distracted by the sight and sounds surrounding you. Lights flashed, drenching the dance floor in darkness before blinding you with light. The entire room was filled with people, talking, dancing, drinking, all of them densely packed into the space like metalhead sardines. You didn’t notice then, how many of them were staring at you.
You couldn’t be blamed for that. The bar was mildly overwhelming, drowning out your senses in a sea of screams and shouts and songs. Still, you couldn’t help but grin. Something about the noise made you feel particularly alive.  
“Are you thirsty?” Eddie asked. He didn’t wait for an answer before he continued, “I’m thirsty. Come on, sweetheart.”
You let him take you by the hand and pull you towards the bar, stopping a few seats down from where you would sit one year later. He didn’t ask you for your drink preferences- he’d always known your tastes well. You trusted him to choose for you.
You could practically see your former self now, sitting at the bar, drink in hand, looking around with wide eyes, trying to take everything in at once and failing. You could see yourself turning back to Eddie, catching his smile as he watched you.
You spent a few hours like that, talking to each other, drinking, and simply taking in the revelry around you. Then everything started to go south.
Somewhere behind you, a fight broke out. The chaos stole your attention from the bar and the drinks in front of you. The fight took Eddie’s focus as well. He put an arm in front of you, protecting you from the edges of the fray. It was a valiant effort, and you appreciated it, even now- but maybe getting punched would have been better than what came next.
The fight ended quickly. The instigator was asked to leave, and the other man involved in the brawl was left behind, nursing what looked like a black eye. And that was that. You shared a glance with Eddie, your eyebrows raised as he grimaced. You swallowed your laughter and turned back to your drinks, not realizing that your fatal mistake had already been made.
You brought the glass to your lips.
Eddie brought his glass to his.
You both took a drink.
Your drink was fine. It didn’t taste any different than it had before. There was no powdery substance swirling around the liquid. Nothing had changed. It was fine. You were fine.
But Eddie? Eddie was not fine.
It was easy to see that something was wrong- especially when, out of the corner of your eye, you watched him take a sip of his drink, make a face, take another sip of his drink, and spit that sip back into his glass.
“Eds?” you said his name like a question, “Are you-”
“Shit.  Shit-” instead of responding to you, Eddie held his drink up, trying to see it in the low light of the bar. He squinted at it, trying to focus on the liquid through the condensation.
Then he dropped the glass.
It shattered on the bar’s surface, spraying glass fragments and alcohol in every direction. A few people jumped back, and you joined them with a yelp- but not before a shard managed to slice your hand open.
Your focus wasn’t on your own pain, though. Nope, you were entirely focused on how Eddie had barely moved. It looked as if he was slumping forward slightly- like he was off balance, uneasy on his feet.
“Eds?” your voice and hands shook as you reached out for him. Before your hand met his shoulder, he bolted upright, his hands braced against the bar.  
“That was too quick. It shouldn’t have happened that fast-” his words were quiet. He wasn’t talking to you.
“Eddie, what are you talking about-?”
“Something’s wrong. We should leave,” he sounded so serious in that moment- almost scared.  You’d never heard him sound that way before.
“What’s- what’s going on?”
“Someone put something in my drink,” he turned and tried to smile at you in what you had to guess was an attempt to keep you calm. It didn’t work. His movements were off- slightly subdued and sluggish. He looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open.
And, in fact, he was. He was dizzy, drowsy, and overall experiencing the effects of what he had to assume was some kind of date rape drug. Someone must have slipped it into his drink while he was watching the fight- and he had a feeling that they’d missed their intended target.  You.
He wasn’t exactly thankful that he had been drugged, but at the time, he was thankful that it was him and not you.  
He wasn’t sure which drug it was. Sure, he was a dealer, but not for this.  His general knowledge suggested that it was probably roofies thanks to the sudden and bitter taste in his drink, but his general knowledge also reminded him that roofies didn’t work this fast. He’d taken one sip, and within seconds he was seeing symptoms. That wasn’t normal. None of this was.  
It scared him, honestly, and it should have.  He didn’t know what was happening to him. He didn’t know what was going on in his own body. He didn’t know what was in his system. And on top of that, he couldn’t protect you from whoever did this. He was too out of it- too dizzy, too drowsy. The world around him was too fuzzy for him to do much more than get the two of you out of there. 
“It’s probably just roofies, but, uh- we need to go,” his words were slurred slightly, but you understood him just fine. As you pulled him from the bar and towards the exit, one thought lingered in his blurred, distorted mind.
The person who had done this to him was probably targeting you.
That thought scared him more than anything else that night- more than the drugs in his system and more than the unknowns that circled his head. It was sweet that he worried too much- but in a way, it was also a waste. It wasn’t like he would remember any of this the next day.
But he didn’t know that. He was just focused on getting out of the bar with you. He put all of his effort into walking normally, trying to make the process easier, taking as much of the burden as he could off of your shoulders.
He wasn’t great at that. It was nice that he tried, but he almost fell into you completely, swearing under his breath as you moved to support his weight. You did your best to avoid getting blood on him, but it was a difficult process considering the blood was coming from your hand. The two of you swayed slightly, entirely unsteady as you moved back through the bar, making your escape.
And you almost did it. You almost escaped. You were just a few feet from the door when someone stepped in your way, blocking your path.
You recognized him. Eddie was too out of it at that point to register the man’s face, but you knew him. He was one of the men who was fighting earlier- the one left in the bar. Oddly enough, there was no bruising on his face. There was no blood, no damage- just a sharp grin cutting across his cheeks. The man had a beautiful smile, you had to admit- beautiful and off-putting.
“Need some help there?” he offered, reaching out a hand. On the surface, it was a kind gesture, but something in your gut told you to run. The scent of metal was stronger around this man.
“I think we’ll be fine, thanks,” you tried to keep your face neutral, all the while gritting your teeth.
“No, no, I insist.”
“So do I,” you growled, clutching Eddie’s body tighter to you, “We’ll be fine. Thanks.”
The man’s smile grew wider. You tried to step around him, but he walked, again, into your path. When you turned to take another route, you almost walked into another man. You recognized him, too, as the man who had started the fight. He must have made his way back into the bar, but you barely registered that. You were distracted by the grin on his face, just as sharp and intimidating as the smile on the other man. 
You tried again, in vain, to bypass this man, but you found yourself walking into someone else’s body. You looked up to find yourself encircled by strangers, all of them with sharp, cutting smiles. You were surrounded. Your stomach dropped.
“Come on, let us help,” the first man said, taking Eddie from your grasp by force.
“Hey! Stop-!” you called out after him, trying to keep up with his lengthy steps.
“Stop! Let him go, you asshole-” you raised your fists, pounding on the man’s back, trying to get him to stop. You failed. What’s more, your effort was cut short by another two men grabbing your arms and pulling you towards the exit.  
You struggled in their grasp, not really caring if you made a scene. You writhed, screamed, and fought, but you made no impact on your situation. Somehow, none of the bystanders even seemed to notice.  
To be fair, you almost didn’t notice when the men pulled you into the brisk night and behind the bar. It was a dimly lit space. Night had fallen, and clouds covered the moon. That left two lights attached to the building to cast the space in a sickly yellow light. You were almost glad that they did such a shitty job.
What you could see of the concrete behind the bar was covered in odd stains. Two dumpsters were covered in a similar substance. Each of them reeked with the smell of rot- in fact, the whole area did. Flies buzzed nearby, humming an elegy in tune with the dull static sound of the wall lights.  
Before your surroundings could make you spiral any further, Eddie’s voice hit your ears. He groaned out your name, breaking your heart into a million little pieces. You did your best to keep your eyes on him despite the situation, and the horror around you. You had to focus on his limp frame, his arms twisted behind his back in a cruel, unforgiving hold by the man from the bar.  
Seeing him hurt just made you fight harder. You snapped at your captors, spitting and biting, snarling like a feral beast. You screamed, too, begging them to let him go, begging any passers-by for help. No one came. No one helpful, anyway.
In the midst of your frenzied fighting, a figure emerged from the shadows. Its eyes were white pinpricks in the dark, gazing at you, eating you alive even at a distance. Your body froze when you finally noticed it standing there. It took a few steps into the light, and a chill ran through you. He was just a normal man. A little older than you, relatively handsome, and with a grin as sharp as any other. You didn’t know who he was. You didn’t recognize him from the bar. But something told you that he knew you, that he’d been waiting here, for you.
You wanted to keep fighting. You wanted to break from your captors’ hold, grab Eddie, and escape. You didn’t do any of those things.
Instead, you stood, trapped as the Stranger advanced on you. You watched him with wide, terrified eyes as he took your injured hand in his. He examined the wound, inhaling the blood that stained your skin.
“I told you they’d be a catch, didn’t I?” he finally spoke in a deep voice that chilled your blood.
“Mhmm, but are they really worth the hassle?” one of your captors spoke up, “They’re rather intent on causing a scene- and extensive damage to my face.…” 
“You deserved it,” you barked, a bit of fight returning to your bones.  
The shadow-drenched Stranger seemed to like that response, “See? They’re a fighter. They’ll last longer than the others, and when they do break, well-” he dug his fingers into the wound on your palm, drawing a scream from your lips, “It’ll be more fun for us, won’t it?”
His hungry eyes met yours as he brought his blood-soaked digits to his mouth. Again, you found yourself frozen, like a deer trapped in headlights, watching as he licked the red from his fingers.  
“Oh,” the Stranger purred, leaning closer to you, “They’re delicious.”
The Stranger’s smile grew wider as he turned his attention to your throat. He took his time drawing closer to you, casually taking hold of you in place of your captors. You strained against his grip, but your efforts were futile. His strength was inhuman- his grip on you left bruises that would never truly go away. It finally dawned on you that this was not a man that held you like he wanted to destroy you- this was a monster that wanted to toy with you until you breathed your last.
And in that moment, you understood. You were his prey. You were a rabbit between the teeth of a predator. A deer staring down a fucking bus. You were going to die- and things were only going to get worse from there.  
The Stranger grabbed your face and pulled you in, teeth bared. He was mere seconds away from piercing the thin flesh of your throat when the sound of a scuffle broke his concentration.
“Let them go, you bastard-”
Eddie.  He was up and struggling, fighting against the man holding him despite the drugs coursing through his veins. Your heart screamed in your chest, desperate for him to help you- and for you to help him. But there was nothing you could do.
“Did you hear me? Let. Them. Go,” his voice trembled, and his words slurred together, but it didn’t matter. He was fighting and he was doing it for you.  
It was incredibly stupid. It was incredibly brave.  It spared you for a moment, but it cost you both in the long run, and that didn’t matter in the end, because fuck, you loved him.
The Stranger also loved Eddie, but he loved him for a much different, much more entertainment-based reason.
“Ohhh, isn’t this cute?” The Stranger released you, throwing you back to the other men. His eyes set upon his newest fascination with an unsettling joy engraved within them.
He grabbed Eddie by the chin, forcing your friend to meet his gaze. The Stranger studied him for a moment, taking in the honey brown eyes that you were so fond of before he placed both of his hands on Eddie’s face, almost cradling it. His grasp almost looked gentle. From experience, you could tell that it was anything but. It would only take a jerk of the Stranger's hands to end the boy you loved- and you were powerless to do anything about it.
A sob escaped you as you thrashed, helplessly. Eddie was drugged and defenceless, and you couldn’t help him. You couldn’t see his face, but you could practically feel the panic burning through him.  
“Don’t cry, little one,” the Stranger said, casting a glance at you over his shoulder, “Don’t waste your tears on this fucking failure.”
“Fuck off-” you hissed, but the Stranger paid you no mind. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Eddie, tilting his head and humming a bit. The world fell silent for a few moments as dread built in your chest. Fear grew inside of you, eating away at your soul like a parasite.  
“It’s kind of sweet, you know? How much he cares for you. How much he wants to protect you. Oh, he’s going to be so much fun.”
“Stop!!  Leave him alone!” you begged, “Please, don’t hurt him!”
“Don’t worry, little one,” the smirk on the Stranger’s face could not be described as anything but malicious. His eyes glinted in the low light, and as he spared you another glance, your heart dropped to your stomach, “I’ll leave most of the hurting to you.”
Before you could process what that truly meant, the Stranger tilted Eddie’s head back and drove his fingers into your friend’s temples. You watched, petrified, as the light faded from his eyes. He stopped struggling. His limbs fell to his sides as he went limp in the Stranger’s hold. You could barely hear the apology that fell from Eddie’s lips- a small, pitiful “I’m sorry,” that was undoubtedly meant for you.  
A milky white sheen covered his eyes before they slid shut entirely. Then, as quickly as it began, it was over. The Stranger let Eddie’s body fall to the floor. Everything stilled. The world fell silent.
You screamed.
The sound echoed through the parking lot. Your pain and anguish bounced off of the brick walls of the bar, and the stained concrete below. You strained against your captors, praying for some secret strength to help you free yourself and get to your friend.  
But there was nothing. You were trapped. And you were certain that Eddie was dead.
“Will you shut up?” one of the men growled.
“Master, I really think this one is more trouble than they’re worth-”
“Let’s cut the crap and slit their throat. It’s not like we really need another servant,” another of the men entangled a hand in your hair, pulling him towards you by the roots. He used the leverage to pull your head back, exposing your neck to the men around you, “Especially this one will be so fun to break.”
You felt hands on your wrists and on your waist. It felt as if a thousand men had suddenly gathered, manifesting from the shadows to tear you apart. No matter how hard you thrashed, you couldn’t shake them off. A sharp pinch hit your neck- teeth. Fangs threatened your flesh, digging in, moments from drawing blood.  
They were going to eat you. You were going to die, and all you could think about was the life leaving Eddie’s eyes.
“Enough,” the Stranger’s voice rang in your ears, blocking out the sound of your screams. His footsteps filled your mind as he approached you, stepping away from Eddie’s body, “Have patience. You’ll have your turn to drink as long as we stick to the plan.”
He stopped in front of you and held out a hand, “Give them to me.”
Without another thought, you were thrown into his arms. You weren’t sure whether you should be relieved, or afraid. Before you could make up your mind on that one, the Stranger took your injured hand in his. His hungry eyes bore into yours as he ran his tongue over the wound.  
The second your blood hit his tongue, he shifted, slightly. His eyes sharpened, glinting in the low light like an animal’s as if he had a tapetum lucidum of his own. His teeth grew slightly in length and in sharpness. You already knew that this man wasn’t human, but now you could see it. And looking just behind him, you could see that every other man surrounding you was the exact same type of creature that he was. They were monsters, all of them.
You whimpered, wounding your pride slightly. Still, you found it in yourself to ask, “What did you do to him?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, sweet one.”
A shaky breath filled your lungs. In your last moments, with your last breaths, you asked another question- one that you already knew the answer to, “What are you?”
He didn’t answer. Before you could understand what was happening, you were knocked back. The Stranger held you in midair against his chest, between him and the ground. As he set his teeth against your pulse point, your eyes fell to Eddie. His crumpled form lay where the Stranger had left him. His eyes were shut. He looked dead.  
Despite the imminent death, you couldn’t help but wonder- what would happen to him after these monsters were done with you? After they followed their plan and ate you, would they kill him? Would they do to him what they were doing to you?
Tears spilled down your cheeks even before you felt the Stranger tearing into your throat.  
He made no effort to show mercy. His jaw clamped down on you, tearing through flesh and vein until he was satisfied. Your body burnt with pain so violent that you could not help the tears that fell from your eyes. Your vision blurred and tunnelled. Everything around you turned grey as your hands began to shake. The rest of your body began to convulse.  
Each and every sensation you felt intensified tenfold. You could feel the beating of your heart in your chest, the pulling of your muscles, and the grating of your bones against your flesh.  
It was fucking sickening.
You heard a sound. A scream, a broken plea, faint but full of fear- the cry of a dying thing. For a moment, you thought it was something in the woods, a deer or a rabbit caught screaming as something big tore it apart. It took you a minute to register that the sound came from you.  
Other sets of teeth pierced your skin as the rest of the men joined in on the murder. Someone’s lips lapped at your wounded hand, and someone else’s fangs carved into your thigh. You could feel the smiles on their faces as they ate you alive. Time seemed to slow down as they ripped you open and drank you to death. A sickening lightness took your mind as you recognized what was to come.
With even your desperation drained, you succumbed to your fate. The fight in you was gone. The last thing your human eyes saw was Eddie. The pain crescendoed, and the world went dark. You were dead. Your life was over.  
But that wasn’t the end, was it?  
No. No, it was not. You were dead, yes, but then you noticed that you could still feel everything. All of the pain, the anguish, the panic- it was still there, running through your body, eating away at what was left of you.
In the haze of sightless experiences, you could feel something pressing against your lips- something hard, dripping with what had to be blood. The taste of metal flooded your mouth as a thick, hot liquid rushed in. You could feel it coursing down your throat, changing you as it went. As you drank, you grew stronger. Whatever it was that they had given you, it brought you back from the abyss. The pain lessened. Your senses sharpened. And everything felt wrong.
Your teeth were too long for your mouth. You could smell the ichor that stained the ground beneath you, and what was undoubtedly the scent of corpses radiating from the dumpster. The buzzing of the flies and of the dim yellow lights screamed in your ears, creating a cacophony of sounds that you could not escape from. You could feel your blood, hot and steaming, dripping down your cold flesh where your assailants had decided to waste it.
And what a waste it was.
From the outside of the building, you could hear the heartbeats of every single patron of the bar. You could smell their sweat and practically taste their flesh.  And you were so hungry- suddenly, the trickle of dark plasma down your throat wasn’t enough. You needed more.
With new inhuman strength, you gripped the thing against your mouth and sunk your claws and teeth deeper inside. You drank from it, hungrily, viciously, like an animal drinking in the viscera of its kill. You could hear a laugh, feel the limb, an arm, twitch between your jaws, but you didn’t fucking care. The new hunger that gripped you was vast and relentless- you couldn’t get enough.
You were still clinging to the arm when the Stranger pulled you away by the back of your neck. It was his other arm that you’d been tearing apart, but he didn’t seem to mind. Another of those nasty cold smiles was plastered across his face, and there was almost a sort of pride in his eyes when he looked at you.
“That’s it, sweet one, that’s it,” he cooed, “You’re thirsty, aren’t you?”
You didn’t want to give him a response. Instead, you strained against his hold, trying to bite his arm again. He was bleeding- dark liquid dripped down his fingers, beckoning you to taste it. And yes, his blood was weird. It was bitter, and it wasn’t completely satisfying, but fuck, did you want more of it.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” his smile widened, “Well, I can tell you where to get more. Do you want more?”
Your gaze broke from his arm, snapping to his face. You were desperate, so fucking desperate, inhumanly and monstrously desperate.
The Stranger seemed to know this. His eyes glinted with malice and excitement. He knew that he had power over you. He knew what was coming next, and he loved that you didn’t. He rose up slowly, keeping his eyes on your quivering frame, and with a flourish, he gestured to Eddie.
“Drink up, sweet thing.”
You couldn’t. You wouldn’t.
And yes, you were conflicted. Yes, you wanted to eat Eddie Munson, your longtime friend and overall protector- the man you’d loved since you knew what love was, but for obvious reasons, you also did not want to do that.  
And yet, despite that, you found yourself crawling towards him, eyes set on his body like a hungry animal stalking fresh meat. In many ways, you were. 
When you reached him, you took a moment just to stare. He still looked sick- an after-effect from whatever the Stranger had done to him. Somehow, though, he managed to look beautiful. He was angelic, even in this filthy hell. You brought a hand up to trace his jaw. Your fingertips traced over his porcelain skin until they hovered over his neck, setting themselves atop his pulse point. For a moment, you thought you felt a heartbeat; slow and faint, but present.
You told yourself you were imagining things.
He was gone, you knew that, and the knowledge burned you.  It cursed you, inside and out.  Loss weighed heavy in your heart, calling you to make bad decisions and do things you’d regret.  Why worry about tomorrow when your world had just ended?
But something stopped you- something deep inside you- the little rational part of your brain that still remained- screamed for you to control your impulses.  And you did.  Dead or otherwise, you wouldn’t be eating Eddie Munson. 
Instead, you leaned down, bringing yourself closer to his throat. Your lips hovered over his pulse point, but you didn’t bite down into his sweet skin. Instead, you placed a short, gentle kiss on his neck- a soft goodbye.
Then, with a final look at the boy you loved, you stood. Your body shook terribly. Your vision swam, and the world seemed to shift underneath you. Despite all of this, you managed, and you stood tall and proud as you faced down the Stranger and his monsters. Blood-soaked and broken, you did your best to look confident and unafraid. You were a fool for what you were about to do. You did it anyway.
It was time to be brave.
“I can’t do it.”
“Oh, why? Because you love him?” the Stranger mocked you. You refused to react.
You remained silent.  
A sickening smile spread across the Stranger’s face, “Ah, humans. So simple. Don’t worry, darling. We’ll fix you.”
With a flick of his hand, the Stranger ordered one of his monsters to come and investigate your claims. You watched as the man moved forward, his hungry eyes fixed on you and on Eddie. Before he could get too close, you darted forward with speed that surprised you. You greeted him with a solid punch to the face.
Your assailant hit the ground, clutching his face with a hand. You had done that. You had knocked him down. You hadn’t been able to knock any of these monsters off of you before, but now… Your new strength was a definite surprise, but a welcome one to be sure.
Another few blood-suckers were sent your way. You punched the first one in the stomach, sending him back to the ground. Another fist flew towards your face, but you managed to dodge it, grabbing the wrist of the thing that attacked you. You threw the man away from you and caught the fist of the next man. For all intents and purposes, you were winning.
And then that ended. A knee met your chest, knocking the wind out of you and sending you stumbling towards the concrete. A boot collided with your ribs, followed by several more blows. You could do nothing but curl in on yourself, trying to protect the more fragile parts of your body. You could practically feel the bruises forming, though your skin remained unblemished.  
The beating continued for a few more minutes. You could do nothing but lie there and take it. You were already weakened- what could you do to fight back?  
“Enough,” you could feel the Stranger’s voice in your bones, “Get them up.”
Hands gripped your arms and pulled you up from the floor. Another hand gripped under your chin, forcing you to gaze up at the man who’d caused all this suffering.
He stalked towards you. For once, his face was expressionless. He looked you up and down, taking in your weakened form. An awful grin took over his face as he reached out to stroke your cheek.
“Like I said, fun to break. Let’s be off, now. There’s still much to do before the sunrise.”
And, unfortunately, there was- and it never seemed to stop. For a year you were kept as a prisoner, a thrall to the thing that turned you. You witnessed horror after horror, and you did what you needed to survive. You bided your time, though, and eventually, you gathered your courage and your cunning, and you tore the Stranger- your vampiric master- limb from fucking limb.  
You drank him, consuming his foul blood until there was nothing left. It felt good, freeing, to see the fear on his face. It brought you indescribable joy to watch the light drain from his eyes. And when, finally, your killer lay dead before you, 
After that, you found yourself relatively lost. You’d lived the last monstrous year of your life dependent on the Stranger and his coven. With them dead at your hand, you weren’t sure exactly how to live in the modern world as a creature of the night.
Your former master’s bank account was a good first step.
Yeah, it turns out that decades, possibly centuries of murder can turn a bit of a profit. Between general theft and contract killings, the Stranger definitely wasn’t hungry for money. He was just hungry for blood- and now, he wasn’t hungry for anything. Just dirt, if you had to guess.
Anyway.
You donated a solid portion of the money to various charities. It was blood money in the purest, most literal way, and keeping it would only weigh you down.
With the rest of it, you bought the bar you’d been turned at. A surprising number of the staff had been dangerous monsters in one way or another. You quickly corrected that. The staff you had now were much less monstrous- they were a safer crowd, human or otherwise. They also had a solid benefits package, so that was nice.
You had also purchased yourself a home near Hawkins. You weren’t directly in the town- no, you were easing yourself into returning. For one thing, people would have questions for you. It wasn’t every day that a young adult for a year before reappearing miraculously and with assloads of money in the bank.  
For another thing, the memories of your human life stung you. It hurt you to think back, to think of everyone you left behind. To think of Eddie, whose death still weighed heavy in your heart, and whose absence left a deep ache inside of you. It was almost nice, the agony that he left behind. It was just nice to know that you could still feel hurt, emotionally or otherwise.
So, that’s where you ended up. One year later, at the same bar, your bar, watching patrons mill about, dancing and drinking. Your eyes fell back, again and again, to the couple- the one in the leather and the one in the battle jacket. 
They were leaning against the bar, drinking together, all loving smiles and adoring stares. You embraced the stab of pain the image sent to your heart.
Taking a sip of your drink, you continued to watch as the one in leather stood and headed for the bathroom, eyes distracted as she seemed to sulk away. Your eyes turned, then, to the one in the battle jacket. You were glad you did. It meant that you got to watch him shatter the illusion that he was anything like Eddie.
You watched, eyes widening, as the man slipped a pill into his date’s drink. He looked around, his own eyes wide, looking to see if anyone had noticed him. Of course, he didn’t see you. He sat back down, shaking his hands out and pretending he’d done nothing wrong.
You knew better.
You knew you would be eating tonight. 
You turned to the bartender- another monster with a story similar to yours, and placed your hand on the bar between you, “Jen, we’ve got a bit of a situation.”
“I know,” she said, leaning towards you, “Should I-?”
You nodded, adding, “We might need a car, as well.”
“On it, boss,” Jen gave you a mock salute before she turned to face the battle jacket-wearing animal. She leaned over the counter with a wide grin and asked if she could get him another drink. He accepted with a wide, lusty grin. Pig.
You turned your attention back to the washroom, waiting for the leather-clad girl to re-enter the room. You saw her before her date did, and as she made her way to him, you stepped into her path.
“Hey there,” you said, voice low, “I just thought you should know- your date slipped something into your drink.”
A thousand emotions showed on her face- shock, anger, fear.
“That shithead, I- I don’t know how I’m gonna get home. He drove me here, I-”
“Don’t worry, cupcake. Ask the bartender in the black to call you a car,” you pointed to another bartender- not Jen, who was busy dealing with the pig.
“I- I don’t know if I have enough,” the poor thing was starting to tear up. A pang of sympathy ran through you, and you revelled in the emotion for a moment, clinging to the small fragment of humanity you had left.
“Like I said, don’t worry. The bar will cover it for you, no charge.”
“I- are you sure?”
“Of course, dear.”
“I-” her relief turned to suspicion, “Why would you do that?”
You shrugged, pulling a smile onto your face to hide the memories that crossed your mind, “It’s important to us that our patrons make it home safe. Go on now.”
You bowed, slightly, as you made a rather grand gesture in the direction of the bartender. The girl turned away from you slowly as if she was hesitant to stray from the modicum of safety you provided. You didn’t blame her. The world you lived in was a dangerous place.  
The girl’s asshole date would learn that very soon.
As she reached safety, your eyes fell from her frame and slid towards the situation unfolding between Jen and the battle-jacket date. She had him now, hook line and sinker. It was almost comical the way he stumbled after her as she led him through a back door. You followed, pausing for a moment at the door.
Outside was the back parking lot where you and Eddie had died. The lighting was still shit, but you’d gotten the place cleaned since you came to own it. The buzzing of the flies wasn’t nearly as loud as it had once been. It was almost a pity, really, that the pathetic attempted date-rapist wouldn’t feel the fear you felt that night.
Oh well.
You could hear music playing from inside the bar: ‘The Chain.” Fleetwood Mac.  Perhaps it was an odd choice for a metal bar, but you didn’t mind it in the slightest. It was familiar, and it had so many memories tied to it. Besides, how could you come to mind anything when there was such a meal in front of your face?  
Your steps fell in time with the music as you stood next to Jen, taking in a very confused man who’d just been thrown to the ground. The man at your feet was a predator to be sure; one used to getting his way and hurting whoever he felt like in the process. In that moment though, he was prey.  He was a rabbit staring into the vast, waiting jaws of a much bigger, much scarier creature. Those jaws smiled, opened, and bit down.
Blood always had a different taste. The Stranger’s blood was bitter, like the drugs he used as a weapon. Your blood tasted sweet and a little spicy, like cinnamon, sugar, and cloves. This man’s blood tasted like the beer he’d been sipping inside your bar. It wasn’t the best thing you’d ever had, but it would do for your needs.
Your teeth split flesh and broke veins, and you drank down the warm liquid that spilled out. Beneath your hands, the bastard battle-jacket boy was freaking out, losing his absolute shit. You were pretty sure that he didn’t think his night would end like this.
Of course, you didn’t give a shit. You were much stronger now, so his struggling didn’t affect you that much, and his begging was met by an explanation from Jen on how exactly he’d ended up in this position. You tuned it all out, focusing instead on the blood in your mouth as the song played out.
The man fell limp in your hands, but it mattered so very little. You were too busy pulling your head away, savouring the bliss that fresh blood brought you.
Now, you didn’t kill the man. Killing people usually caused more problems than it was worth. There would be a police investigation, and you would have to cover it up, and that his poor date would probably end up with survivor’s guilt of some kind even though she didn’t deserve it. So, no, you didn’t kill him.
Instead, you shared his blood with your more monstrous employees and then left him, unconscious, in a ditch by the side of the road. Someone would find him. Eventually.
For you, though, it was time to call it a night. You returned to the bar to find your lovely staff closing up. After checking in with the bartenders (and ensuring that the leather-clad lass made it home okay) you sent everyone off for the night, ensuring them that you would be fine cleaning up on your own. With nods and smiles, everyone was on their way.
It was a strange feeling to be in the bar when it was empty. The place held so much pain in its walls that you could practically hear the screams if you were quiet for long enough. The suffering was palpable here, in the mirror behind the bar, and in each and every table and chair. Hopefully, under your control, things would change.
For the moment, though, you decided that music would cover up the screams well enough- like patching up walls with Mud (which is, very much, a real product you can patch walls with.) With a bit of a flourish, you turned the bar’s sound system back on. Broom in hand, you swayed around, cleaning to a very familiar song and successfully keeping the memories away.
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Say you love me (Neteyam X OC!Na’vi) Chapter4
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pairing(Neteyam X Original Metkayina Female Character)
Synopsis: follow Luaewe as her world literally gets turned upside down with new na’vi joining her village. Never having to face many obstacles besides finding her way back home. How will she be able to handle the constant jealousy she's faced with and an unwanted love triangle.
Disclaimer: All characters in this fic have been aged up for the convenience of storytelling and to match the aging system up with both pandora and earth 
Ages
OC Luaewe- 22
Neteyam-23
Kiri-23
Lo’ak-21
Tuktirey-10
Aonung- 23
Tsireya - 21
Warnings for chapter: discussion of sexual assault
I opened my eyes finding myself wrapped up in bed under a random blanket I had in my mauri. “Good morning.” My eyes shoot to locate the deepened voice making my body instantly tense up when I don’t find who it is.
I look over towards the table to find Neteyam sitting while sharpening his knife. I relax knowing it’s just him. “ good morning…. Did you see my mom?” I asked while adjusting the blanket around my feet.
He hummed and nodded his head. “She was here when I woke up.” Woke up? What- “ I didn’t feel safe leaving you here after what happened last night. Your mom said it was fine, even insisted I take her bed but I refused and slept on the floor.”
“Thank you… you didn’t have to do that…gosh I don’t even remember coming back here.” I sat up trying to retrace the steps from last night but nothing popped up.
He chuckled softly and looked at me, “I would be surprised if you did. You were asleep the whole ride back.” My eyes grow wide
“ huh? What? Why didn't you wake me up?”
“Ah ah ah I tried you threatened to bite me.” He said, pointing his finger “ and then when I tried again you literally bit my arm” No, he must be lying there no way I would have done that
“Lies! I did no- oh no” I shook my head and cupped my face. I heard him laughing and I let out a scoff. “I'm so sorry at first I thought- but then I remember doing that to Reya” He walked closer to my bed and handed me a bowl of porridge mixed with fruit.  
“Gosh, I am so sorry .” I took the bowl. She smiled and sat down closer to me so that he could share the fruits that were inside. “No worries if I ever need someone to help me fight and bite people I know who to call.” I shook my head as he smirked at me.
I began to eat the different fruits in the bowl as we sat in silence… “ Reya also came by…to see if you were okay.” I looked up while slowly eating the porridge. But before I got the chance to say anything someone cleared their throat. Neteyam turned around quickly with his knife in one hand but released it once he saw who it was.
“Luaewe may I come in?” asked Tonowari. Neteyam looked back at me and I nodded my head while grabbing the blanket to cover me more. He walked in greeting both of us while giving Netyam a confused look almost as if he was wondering what he was doing here and not with his family, or partaking in the daily chores.
He crossed his fingers together and sat down on an untaken cushion. “There has been talk in the village all morning about something that happened last night, but after inquiring more all the stories were different….even my daughter was confused with what actually happened last night and since you are the common denominator in the stories and my son came home with a black eye once again I figured it was best to talk to you.”
Maybe I should have stayed asleep longer because who wants to deal with this first thing when they wake up? Not me! If he's so curious he should just ask his son. I let out a long sigh and moved the hair out of my face.
“I'm sure you are not kept in the dark about the pirates that go on after the homecoming celebration?” He cleared his throat and nodded. “To keep it simple your son did not like me dancing with Neteyam. He called me horrible names but worst of all he revealed something that was never supposed to be revealed because of his drunken mind… so I punched him.” Tonowari raised a brow and looked over Neteyam for confirmation. He nodded and Tonowari looked back at me.
“And what was this ‘something’ that was not supposed to be revealed?”
“Forgive me Olo’eyktan but this isn't some little secret the two of them were keeping. It is something you tell a friend because you trust them not to tell a soul.” Tonowari nodded his head slowly and looked at me with a conflicted face.
“ no, it's okay ‘Teyam…. I know you have a lot of duties to attend to so you may not remember but a couple of years ago before my sister died there was lots of gossip going around  about me sleeping with a village member.”
He tensed up, “Yes, I remember there were a lot of complaints but I ignored them they were rumors.” I nodded slowly and let out another sigh. “He forced himself upon me when the big storm came that year and both my sister and I got separated in the forest-“
I watched as his face turned cold, “who is this man?” I shook my head. “ I do not know his name barely even his face. He just followed me around and took advantage of me that day….but he’s the one who started those rumors…” I let out a shuddered breath and looked away from him.
“And he’s the one who got me pregnant and made me lose the baby.”  This was the first time saying this out loud to anyone besides Reya she’s the one who found me that day after all.
Tonowari muttered something under his breath and clenched his jaw. “ I will find this man and return him back to great mother. No Na'vi, especially one of this clan should take place in such a horrendous act.”
He began to stand up. “Why was this not shared with me then?” He said softly. I shook my head and wiped the tears that had formed suddenly. “ I didn’t want blood in my hands, I was embarrassed…” he hummed and nodded his head.
“If he is not gone already he will be found….who else knows about this?” He asked, “ only Neteyam, Reya, Ao’nung, and my mom but only Reya knew about the baby well I suppose Neteyam knows now too.”
“ okay thank you for telling me Luaewe.” He dismissed himself. I let out a stressed sigh and vigorously rubbed my hands over my face.
None of this would have happened if he kept his damn mouth shut! Once again I’m made the talk of the village.
“Hey, it’s alright.” I felt his warm hand on my shoulder making me look up to see him, “he's getting what he deserves…and Ao’nung.” I shook my head
“This is not what I wanted. Why-*sighs* Why can't I just live without problems? Why must these things keep happening to me!?”  
“I do not know why we have to be faced with issues like this, but what I do know is that you won't let this stop you from being who you are. You are not alone like you were all those years ago…. You have me, I'm sure once Tsireya finds out what truly happens she will be with you and Kiri. She might seem a little rough on the outside sometimes but even without you telling her what is going on she is immediately there to support you.” he said while brushing the hair that had fallen back I looked up to see his eyes staring right back at me. “Come, I know something that might cheer you up.” He smirked and I raised a brow.
“Uh, are you sure this is safe?” I asked slowly walking up to the Ikran that was called to the beach. “If it wasn't, would I let you do this?”
He chirped calling for the Ikrans’ attention, he calmly pets its head and gestured for me to come closer. I hesitantly walked up to it only for it to blow this big ass huff of air in my face.
“Gosh, dude! We are gonna need to get that breath of yours checked out.”  As I turn to face Neteyam it sneezes on me. I turn around and gasp as the Ikran avoids my gaze.
I could tell Neteyam was holding back his laughter because he too turned away covering his mouth. “You think this is funny huh? How would you like it if I sneezed on you!?”
“ okay okay come on I don’t need a lecture from your mom on how I let her daughter fight an Ikran.” I smirked as he gestured for me to come closer. He connected his kuru and jumped on. He held his hand out for me to grab only to pull me right in front of him with my back pressed against his chest.
“ hold on.” He said close to my ear a trail of chills ran down my spine but that quickly was washed away by the screams coming through my mouth.  He chuckled softly as we took off. If it wasn’t for me being scared I would have slapped him for laughing.  He took my hands that were gripping some random part of the seat and placed it where I guess you would steer.
It wasn’t until he tightened his grip around my waist that I realized he was holding onto me.
“When the war is over I want to show you my home.” He said softly. I looked back to find him smiling with my grip still tight on the material. I leaned into his chest trying to seek comfort in this terrifying moment. “When we flew here I saw a cool place but we couldn’t stop there. It might not be as cool as my hideout spot back home but I figured you would like it maybe even find some crystals.”
“I can't wait to see what it’s like-wait are you sure we could even do this? Don't you have train-”
“This is more important than training.”
-
We ended up finding a cave to relax in it was hidden by a couple of vines but we eventually made it to a safe spot that wasn’t moss-covered. “Ah I know that word Lo’ak says it a lot!” I chirped causing him to chuckle at me.
We were watching what he said was a movie. I didn't fully understand what the people were saying only some words here and there but Neteyam did his best to try and translate. “Yes, he used to get into lots of trouble once it slipped out my dad's mouth.” I grabbed a handful of berries into my hand and started eating them. My eyes widened as the music became more ominous.
I slowly went to grab a berry from my palm too intrigued about what was going to happen next. “ AAAAAH!” I jolt in fear not being able to hold my scream back. I clutched my chest and looked over to Neteyam who was smirking at the whole thing. All my berries were gone, they all had flown out of my hand and rolled to a different part of the cave.
“You knew that was going to happen and you did not warn me.” He shrugged his shoulders and continued eating the nuts he had.
“Not my fault, you are a scaredy cat.”  
“A what!” I slapped his arm, even though I didn’t recognize the word I knew it was an insult. He chuckled and playfully winked at me.
“ I don’t even know what that means and you dare insult me! Psh says the one who watches this crazy stuff!” I playfully push him letting a chuckle escape my mouth.
He held his hands up in defense. “Talk to my father about that he is the one who I took this from.” I huffed and reached for some of the snacks he had in his hand.
“ I definitely will we need to have a serious talk!”  Before I could even get any nuts out of his hand he took one and threw it at my head. “You little-“ I hiss at him. “First you insulted me now you throw nuts! You are soooo asking for it Neteyam.” He stood up suddenly and continued to toss food at me. It wasn't until I jumped up from my spot that he actually started running.
He was fast but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. He turned around for a split second and without even thinking I jumped at him. Which ended with us both falling
We both were confused but started laughing once we noticed the nuts thrown all over the place.
I rolled off of him and smirked while looking at the different glowing flora on the top of the cave.
“Thank you for this.” He reached over to my hair and pulled one of the nuts out of my hair and ate it. I snorted trying to stifle my laughter making him smile. “It's what friends are for right?”  
“You owe me some berries when we get back.” He scoffed
“ I don’t owe you anything you’re the one that got scared!” I playfully rolled my eyes.
“ okay and! You are the one who picked that scary ass movie and threw nuts at me!” He smirked while looking back at me.
“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” Dinner? With his family? I mean it shouldn’t be that bad. I’ve been around his siblings a handful of times but I’ve only met his once.  His playful nudge pushed me out of my thoughts.
He chuckled “ you good over there?”
“Y-yeah, it's just I've never really been around your parents I don’t know if they will like me.”
“That's what you are worried about? Considering you helped save my brother, ma Oare, you are in good standing with them.” I felt my heart beat fast and my cheeks flush with heat.
“Ma Oare?” I questioned. His eyes grew wide mumbling something in the language the people in the movie spoke. “ huh?” I raised a brow even more confused. He shook his head and reached to his wrists to tie his hair up.
“ I’m sorry I didn’t mean for that to slip out j-just ignore it.” He said in a flustered tone quickly shifting his gaze back to the flora. “ why it’s cute I mean I call ‘teyam from time to time it’s only right I get a name as well.” I playfully shoved him trying to lighten up the mood and smiled shyly
We stayed like that for a bit but eventually shifted back to the movie. By the time he flew us back it was around lunchtime and everyone was gathered together or in their mauri.
“Luaewe” I heard someone call out my name as I was walking home. I turned around only to see Ronal starting at me. His eyes shifted to Neteyam by my side but quickly went back to me. “Yes Tsahik?”
“Come, we should talk.” What is there to talk about? We both started walking towards her “ alone.”
“Oh it’s fine he-“
She raised a brow, “is he your mate?”
“No, but-“
“Then he can wait outside or go eat now come.” She disappeared inside her mauri and I let out a sigh.
“You should go I don’t know how long this will take.”
“Are you sure I can wa-“ I shook my head and gave him a smile. “ no it’s okay I’ve already kept you long enough go eat.”
He didn’t move so I gently pushed him still keeping the smile on my face letting him know I was fine. “ okay you know where to find me when you need me.” I nodded my head and he finally left but not without me giving him another push.
I walked into her home and she was sat on the floor grabbing different herbs. “ lie down.” She said softly.
I followed her instructions, watching as he pulled out different needles. It was then that I finally realized what was going on.
When he assaulted me for the second time then decided to beat me to a pulp when he found out I was pregnant that was the day I lost the baby… I didn’t know until Reya brought me to her mother. She found me on the outskirts of the island bleeding out and face battered up.
And every year after that event Ronal would check if I had healed from the miscarriage. And every year was the same thing ‘ very little progress has been made but that’s okay you are young it will happen soon
Of course, I was young I was only 17 when it happened. “Have you been drinking the tea?” She asked while pressing down on my abdomen. “Yes, but not today. It slipped my mind.”
“ That boy…. Do you like him?” She looked up at me waiting for a response. “Yes, I wouldn’t be friends with someone I didn’t like.
“Families.....that's the same thing Tsireya said about that boy Lo’ak but I know what I see.” She said as if she was making a statement.
She grabbed the needle and poked  it in my abdomen quickly transferring the blood to the bowl of herbs. She mixed it well and walked toward the light with it.
She hummed and walked back. “Everything has finally healed.” I sat up and gave her a slight smile.
“How are you doing with the pregnancy?” She gave me a shocked look. “How did you - not even Tonowari knows yet?”
Well, I guess it’s a good thing he’s not here. Then I would have ruined a surprise. “ I don’t know you just have this feeling that is different from other expecting mothers have it when I weave with them.” She scoffed in amazement and smirked at me.
“You have a good sense you should come learn with Tsireya.”  I chuckled and shook my head. No, I don’t think healing is my skill. I’m much better at weaving plus I’m sure others would not want me- never mind.”
She walked closer and sat down. “ ack! those people are simply stupid they judge even when they do not know… come for a day and if you do not like it I won’t push.” She said giving my leg a squeeze as she finished.
“ okay, just one lesson.” She smiled despite what most may see. Ronal smiled quite a lot when it came to talks like this. Maybe it was the mom in her most people only saw her scowling or were too intimidated to even look her way.
But I never saw her as that she just had a hard outer shell but inside she’s such a caring person when she’s not scolding or cursing at you for doing something stupid to get yourself hurt.
“And just like how you knew about this.” She gestured to her belly. “ I know those eyes that boy Neteyam Carries around.” She smirked making me scoff in response.
“Even if that were true I’m not ready to take a mate.” She nodded giving off the impression that she was listening but did not believe me. “Go…go have lunch, it is good to see that you are okay.” she patted my tight and I smiled and got up.
“ Tsireya will be happy she is not the youngest anymore.” She chuckled and gently pushed me out. The walk back to my home was short. I moved the beads that served as a semi-sun blocker and walked in.
I greeted my mother and she instantly got up to hug me. She hummed “ my ‘itetsyìp.”
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sxmjxkxz · 1 year
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— njm. Who Are You, Love | Chapter 6
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na jaemin x reader | english | fluff | angst
a/n: may contain grammatical mistakes | lowercase intended | contains cursing/name calling
t/w: mcd
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narration
a week passed since that night, and still no messages from the girl. much to his friends’ delight, jaemin was back to his old self, but this time, twice as snarky and grumpy.
jeno had to apologize for his friend on multiple occasions for his snarkiness, one time he even had to step in between jaemin and another one of their blockmates after he accidentally spilled his drink on jaemin’s clothes.
“get your friend’s shit together, or i will.” he threatens before forcefully bumping into jaemin’s shoulder as he passes them.
“ayo what the heck dude! are you begging to get beaten up by half our block’s population?!” jeno pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “i think you got too comfortable with the jaemin from a month ago, this is how i’ve been for the 22 years i’ve been alive.” jaemin says indifferently. 
jeno takes in a sharp breath, trying to push away any feelings of wanting to literally knock some sense into his friend. “just talk to her, Jaem…i mean, don’t you even wanna hear out her reason?!”
“if you don’t want to do something, you’d find a hundred reasons to get out of doing it. familiar with the saying?” jaemin was about to walk away when jeno pushes him back to his spot.
“you’re being unfair. i get ditching you was a shitty move, but at least try to ask why…it’s obvious you’re hurting. do you know how many times i’ve caught you staring at your phone just today?!”
jaemin feels himself heat up, half in anger and annoyance at his friend for being right, and the other half, at himself for not being able to lower his pride. it was late and raining hard, she might have had trouble finding a ride and lost battery and signal to give him a heads up. but jaemin also didn’t want to give himself false hope given the fact that she hasn’t messaged him in a week.
“is there something wrong with me?”
“hmm? did someone say something because i—”
“no jen….” jaemin interjects before his friend could go into full rage mode. “i mean…i know i’m not really the sweet and caring type…but am i really not capable of having a shot at happiness?” jaemin rolls his eyes as jeno looks at him like he was some lost puppy.
“jaemin, everyone deserves to be happy…at times, we’re the ones in the way of our own happiness so jaem…” jeno grabs jaemin’s phone from his pocket and opens his chat with y/n before handing it back. “let yourself be happy. and if it doesn't work, at least you can say you were happy for just a moment and there is something much better out there for you.” 
jaemin shoots his friend a small smile and takes a deep breath before finally typing.
🖇️. chat 14: jaemin’s pov
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narration
“it’s night now, still no answer?”
aA smile appears on jaemin’s face when he opens up his lockscreen to see an empty notification bar.
“you okay jaem?”
“it’ll pass…it felt good to be happy for once, even if it was just a short while.”
“you’ll find it again jaem, i just know it.”
🖇️. to be continued . . .
🖇️. previous chapter | next chapter
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wandaluvstacos · 6 months
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BRIGHT DAY BLUE DAY
CHAPTER 22 IS NOW UP
In the city of Yukiktrum, the hierarchy is clear even when the laws are not: Alphrim rule, betsra serve, and ometki bear young. Claiming a part of the city is easy, but keeping your territory is not, so Alprhim like Chramkut govern with talon and tooth. Maintaining power means control access to ometki, and by selling access to both them and their eggs, Chramkut has turned Themself into a ruthless and wealthy warlord.
Untkra once served as Chramkut’s prime ometki, but that time has passed, and Untkra has been replaced by someone younger. After one failed escape, it was only Untkra’s history with Chramkut that saved them from execution. Untkra knows that getting caught trying again will get them executed, but Unktra is willing to sacrifice everything if it means leaving the conflict-ridden city of Yukiktrum behind. This time, Chramkut’s prime laden ometki wants out, and they’ve begged for Untkra’s help. Untkra is done bearing offspring Untkra will never meet. It’s this way or death.
However, the desert landscape beyond the walls of Yukiktrum is hostile and unknown, and there’s no guarantee that there’s anything out there worth escaping to. What Untkra may not be ready for is what hope lays beyond the dunes, and the redemption that a new home can offer. Yet when another ometki needs saving, Yukiktrum calls Untkra back in what could be Untkra’s most daring rescue yet. 
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: 18+
T/W: This story is dark in nature, and while nothing explicit is ever shown, there are repeated references to rape (including underage), sexual slavery, and I suppose what equates to child trafficking (is selling eggs considered child trafficking?). There is also violence, murder, drug use, and prejudice/bigotry. This story also contains the trappings of a/b/o. It’s not so closely married to the trope as most a/b/o fics, but it is quite obviously based on it. 
Excerpt:
“We’re not going to talk about the dream then,” Akche said.
“No.”
“But—”
“Just do it. Why is it so hard?” Untkra snapped. “Maybe I’ll just find someone else. Is that what you want?”
“You aren’t the only one who gets to make decisions here,” Akche retorted.
“And I am allowed to find someone else.”
“Who else will you go to?”
“I don’t know,” Untkra growled. “Pratchfik I guess.” The thought made their skin crawl.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Are you sure?” Untkra asked, stretching their arms out in front of them and giving their rear a short shake, tail twitching. “Maybe I’m not. There are other Alphrim. There’s…” Untkra trailed off, trying to think of an Alphrim they’d even consider letting touch them. Most of the Alphrim Untkra had met and spoken with were older. There was Yatskralm, but they were the Head of Community and therefore not trustworthy. Really it was only Pratchfik who might consider Untkra’s offer without telling some higher-up, and there was no way thatwould happen. It would be like willingly giving themself over to Chramkut. “There’s Pratchfik.”
“You hate Pratchfik.”
“Who told you that?”
“Pratchfik.”
Clearly Pratchfik had not missed Untkra’s avoidance of Them. “Well, that was before the heat. Maybe I’ve changed my mind. They’ve already got one child, don’t They? They’ve proven Themself…” Untkra gave their rear end another shake, “… capable.”
“You’re trying to make me angry.”
“Angry? No. Maybe a little jealous.”
Akche sighed, glancing toward the ceiling and back. “Is this a joke to you? You wake up screaming and now you’re joking?”
“I’m not joking.” Untkra sat up straight. “This has to be done before breakfast and you’re stalling.”
“This whole thing makes me feel gross,” Akche muttered.
You’ll get over it, Untkra wanted to say but stopped themself. If their objective was to get Akche to have their way with them, then some basic comfort might work in their favor, even if Untkra felt little sympathy. “I don’t see it that way. You’d be helping me out.”
“This isn’t helping, this is…” Akche considered their words a moment. “… damage control.”
“Sounds like the same thing to me.”
“Have you ever done this when you weren’t in heat?”
Untkra scoffed, resisting the urge to roll their eyes. “Of course.”
“Because you wanted to? Not because someone was forcing you into it?”
“I do want to when I’m in heat, that’s the whole point of the heat!” Untkra’s desperation was winding around their frustration. Why did they have to fight about this? Why couldn’t Akche just fuck them so they could have their fun and then go on with their day?
“It’s not the same.”
“Akche,” Untkra said in a low voice, tired of this back and forth. “Can you pleasejust cooperate?”
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mrsaguapapi · 1 year
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Ch 1  Ch 2  Ch 3  Ch 4  Ch 5  Ch 6  Ch 7  Ch 8  Ch 9  Ch 10  Ch 11
Chapter 12
Declarations
The Vibe:
Boy
I'm kinda freaking out. Like, full-blown panic. It's almost time to pick up Namor, I spent the day stress-cleaning the apartment and shopping for snacks and ingredients for dinner; I'm making stir fry with sauteed shrimp on the side (in case he doesn't eat meat 😬). I don't know why I'm so nervous about him being here, I feel like this is kinda a big deal. I haven't been able to eat because of my nerves and Peter talked me down from canceling several times and practically forced fed me meal replacement shakes so I wouldn't fall over.
Thank god for Peter, by the way, he said he'd make himself scarce for the night and patrol the city; Fridays are busy for Spiderman. Honestly, he's been busy almost every night, I high-key think he may be seeing someone; that 'Black Cat' girl maybe? He hasn't said anything to me since telling me about her and I swear the other night he smelled like women's perfume.
I suppose he'll tell me when he's ready
I'm wearing a pair of stone-washed jeans and a navy green crop top layered with a beige extremely cropped long-sleeve turtle neck. I was going to pair it with heels but decided to throw on my white sneakers since we were just staying home. My braids are starting to look a little raggedy so I throw a bandana on to cover my loose roots. Top it off with a pair of gold hoop earrings and I'm done. I look at myself in the mirror satisfied; with my scar, I don't usually like my belly exposed but today I look good.
I put on my sling ring, and do a once over the apartment, everything looks good. Checking my phone and see it was only 7:45 pm so I decided to play on my phone and smoke a joint to help with my nerves. Opening and sitting by the window I see I have 3 more unread texts from Bucky
Fuck I never replied to him
3:22 am
I saw you read my message...
3:36 am
I just want to apologize. I've been terrible to you.
5:02 am
I coming to see you
Is he serious right now??
I begin to text him back,
7:50 pm
Bucky, stop. I have company coming over, and you will embarrass yourself, Just stay home and we can talk about this tomorrow. Have a good night.
Almost 5 minutes later he responds with 2 thumbs up.
"Girl he is something else," I say to myself while turning my phone to silent. Closing the window, I quickly go brush my teeth, then eventually open a portal inside Namors Temple. Leaving the portal open behind me, I step through and see Namor painting something new on his wall. He was wearing signature green shorts and white robes; I don't think he's noticed me here just yet.
"Táan wáaj a ts'o'oksik, in Ajaw? 'Are you ready my king?' I ask him
He turns a bit startled and smiles at me, "Where did you learn to speak my language like that? I've heard you speak it before but now you sound as if it's your native tongue."
"Yaanten in secretos. 'I have my secrets' " I laugh, "Uts ti' a wich? 'Do you like it "
"Ma'atech a cha'ik u sorprender in. 'You never cease to amaze me " he replies
I giggle and look away, "Stop it"
He's got me blushing like a high school girl.
Namor puts his brush down and has a seat at his table, "Come closer Ki'ichpan" he says raising out his hands to me
I walk up to him and place my hands in his, "You look beautiful today" he says smiling up at me
"Thank you" I smile
He then takes his hands placing them on my hips pulling me closer between his legs and places a kiss on my bare stomach and looks up at me, "I've missed you"
"I've missed you too," I say playing with his hair, "Come on" I start to pull him out of his seat, "let's go so I can cook you some dinner."
----------------------
I gave Namor a tour of the place, it's not huge; your basic 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a kitchen right off the living room. He was sitting at the kitchen island, watching me prepare our bowl with the stir fry, "I made some shrimp on the side if you'd like some. I wasn't sure if you ate meat."
"Absolutely" he smiles
I finish by adding a handful of shrimp to our bowls and hand him his while I sit across from him, "I hope you like it" I say, watching him try his first bite.
"I Like it," He says with a soft chuckle, "This is good, thank you"
"You're welcome" I reply.
He is giving me the warm fuzzies
We eat our dinner mostly in silence, the food was pretty good, I hadn't eaten all day and he So thoroughly enjoyed the taste. Now we find ourselves on the couch sharing a bowl of ice cream. I've easily convinced him out of his robes and am sitting in his lap, feeding us back and forth.
"I don't think I have had this much fun in a while. You're good company" I laugh
"I can say the same about you Ki'ichpan. Keep feeding me like this and I'd give you anything"
"Anything?" I ask
Oh this should be fun
I scoop the last bit of the ice cream and hold it to his mouth, "Here last bite." Namor opens his mouth and I 'Accidentally' drop the ice cream on his chest, "Oh shoot, let me get that for you" I say dipping down and licking it off his chest, "Better?" I ask
"You're playing a dangerous game Ki'ichpan. I didn't plan on taking you this early in the night." Namor warns
I spread my legs a little further on his lap and lightly grind on his dick teasing him, "What's stopping you hm?"
Namor pulls me into a fiery kiss quite literally taking my breath away. He breaks away only to kiss and bite my neck causing me to moan.
"Keep that up and you won't last the rest of the night."
Before I could reply we were interrupted by a knock at the door, "Ignore It" I say continuing our kiss.
The knocking gets a little louder, "Sounds important. Go, I can wait for you"
I nod my head and get off his lap and head to the door. I look through the peephole and see that it's Bucky.
The Vibe:
Celeste - Strange (Lyrics) | I am still me you are still you
"What the fuck" I say exasperated
"What's got you upset?" Namor says walking to me and taking my hand
"It's Bucky." I say embarrassed, "He's been messaging me since last night. He said he was coming to see me, but I didn't think he'd follow through. I also explicitly said to stay home."
Namor's eyes darken a little, "Let me take care of it."
"No, no. I can take care of it, just please wait here." I crack open the door so bucky can only see me, "Bucky what the hell?"
"I just want to talk, can I come in?" He says beginning to walk forward
Holding my hand out I make contact with his chest and firmly stop him from entering, "No Bucky, I'm serious go home. I don't want you here."
"Fine I'll say what I have to say here then," he says
I feel the door being ripped from my hand, it was Namor, he was now standing over me with one hand on the door and the other holding the frame. "Why don't you leave as she said."
Bucky clenches his jaw looking at Namor and then at me, "Really Millie?"
"Really what James? I don't owe you anything. And both of you knock it off with the alpha male behavior Okay?" I snip, "You want to talk?" I say pointing at Bucky, "Fine, 5 min, and then take the hint and go the hell home." I push him into the hallway and turn around to Namor, "Please stay here, I'll take care of it."
He looks at me, then at Bucky, and back at me, "I don't trust him." He says pretty loudly.
"Hey man, why don't you go back inside and mind your damn business." Bucky scoffs
"Will you just be quiet, please?" I yell to Bucky. Looking at Namor, "You don't have to trust him. Trust ME when I say I'll be fine." He looks at me and nods, walking away and closing the door behind him.
He's very upset
I let out a sigh of frustration and turn to look at Bucky, "Dude what's the matter with you? You're giving me whiplash. You break up with me because what? You think I could do better, but when I start to move on you want me? I don't understand you."
He brushes his hand through his hair, "I still love you."
"Well I'm sorry but it will pass," I say half hysterical
"Do you not love me anymore?" He asks
"What does it matter? Bucky YOU left me." I Yell
"It matters!" He yells back
"WHY?"
Before I knew it he was kissing me; I wanted to stop him and fight back but my body betrayed me. The kiss was desperate and full of desire. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me tight in his arms pushing me back into my door making a loud thud. The noise brought me back down to Earth,
What am I doing?
"Stop" he continues to kiss me, "STOP" I push him off trying to catch my breath.
Finally, he begins to answer my questions, "It matters because if you still love me, then we have a chance. If you don't I will stop and move on" he begins to walk away, "Call me later when you're ready to talk"
Fuck...
I catch my breath and gather my barrings before I open the door and come back inside. Namor was standing there by the door waiting for me. His face and body language were unreadable, I don't know where his head is at. His energy is a bit alarming I can't tell if he wants to yell at me or jump my bones, or both.
Uncomfortable with the vibe, I take a step back putting my hands in my back pockets, "Hey..." I say "Did you hear-" I try to continue
"Everything," he says softly. He was looking me in my eyes like he was reading my mind searching for something. Finally, he speaks up, "Do you love him?"
I feel myself about to cry, twice tonight my body fails. I look down so he can't see my eyes filling with tears, "I don't want to..." I say softly.
Walking towards me, he gently lifts my head, pulling me into his gaze, "It's okay." he softly says pulling me into a hug. I was fully expecting him to yell and be angry with me but he surprised me with his compassion. "Love is a library of confusion. It's complicated, I can understand that."
"I'm sorry," I say embracing him back.
"Nothing to be sorry for. Millaenyia," He calls to me. I look up, " In case I haven't made it abundantly clear already, my heart burns for you. I want you to be mine, and I to be yours. You may not love me now, that's fine because I can wait until you do; whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same" he kisses me. Unlike my kiss with bucky, this one was calming and gentle, he let me lead. Just before I can lose myself in this kiss he pulls away, "I can smell him on you."
"I'm sorry... I don't know what to say"
What can I say in this scenario? How can you remedy an impossible situation like this? He thinks our souls are one of the same. I can't deny at this point that I still love Bucky, but with that being said I'm developing feelings for Namor. Fast and Hard. What do I do? Everything is complicated right now.
"Millaenyia?"
"Hmm?" I say focusing back in on Namor
"Where did you go just now?"
"In my head"
"What are you thinking about?"
"That I am confused." I half chuckle and half cry, "I don't know I guess I'm overwhelmed." I place my hand on his face, "I appreciate your words, you've been extremely accommodating of my feelings. I just need a little time to think and gather my thoughts before I respond to your beautiful words. I don't like jumping into things half cocked and if I'm going to be with you, I want to BE with you. Does that make sense?"
"I understand, take your time" he nods, "In the meantime, while I'm here with you, can we forget about everything and just enjoy each other's company?" He smiles
The Vibe:
Doja Cat - Freak (Audio)
Smiling back at him, "What did you have in mind?"
"I was hoping I could get that smell off of you and replace it with something more," he looks me up and down, undressing me with his eyes, "pleasant"
"I could go for something pleasant" I smile grabbing the top of his shorts and pulling him closer to me, "Ba'axten ma' ka pitik a ka pitik hmm? 'Why don't you take these off hmm?' "
"Teeche' yáax 'you first' " he challenges me
I have been waiting for this moment hehe
Tonight I decided to spice it up a bit and wear a white crochet lace garter lingerie set. I take my time peeling off my top layers one by one, slowly revealing my snug bralette. Namor couldn't help himself and reached his hand out to touch me but before he could, I smacked him, "Le taj muk'óolal jach amarga, ba'ale' u yich ch'ujuk 'Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet" I wink at him and begin to unzip my pants and drop them. Stepping out of them I stand dangerously close to him and whisper in his ear, "U a Cha' paax in ajawo 'You're permitted to touch my king' "
He abruptly picks me up which startles me, causing us both to laugh; he leads me to my bedroom closing the door behind him. Namor puts me down on the bed and steps back to take his shorts off exposing his erection. Unable to help myself I slide off the bed falling to my knees in front of him. Being face-to-face with his dick is quite a daunting experience, he's the biggest I've been with so I'm a little intimidated. When I look up though, I see Namor watching me, waiting in anticipation; just the thought of him at my mercy immediately washed away any anxiety that I had.
With a sudden rush of confidence, I take his cock in my hand and begin to slowly stroke him and eventually take him in my mouth. I started slow, taking him further and further with each bop of my head sneaking occasional looks up at him, watching his reactions.
I can tell he's holding back like he needs more, so I snaked my hand up his leg, lingering a bit on his ass, and eventually grabbing his hand and placing it on the back of my head, silently permitting him to let loose. He takes the hint and begins to take control, slowly face fucking me, going deep and deeper with each thrust.
"Fuck you're so beautiful like this," he says now grabbing my head with both hands fully losing control, grunting and moaning with every other thrust. Namor was hitting the back of my throat now causing me to gag a bit, and making me tear up. I'd never fucked like this before, it was intense, and the heartbeat in my pussy grew more feverish as Namor came closer to his climax. I look up at him making eye contact as I take my free hand and begin to touch myself, wanting to feel just as good as he does.
Watching me do this lewd act was all he needed to reach his climax; he began to pull out not sure if he should finish in my mouth but I held him in place. Namor gratefully takes the opportunity and begins to grunt through his teeth and say words that I couldn't understand, losing himself entirely as I take every last drop of him down my throat.
After collecting his breath he slowly pulls out of my mouth and wipes away some of his cum from my lips, "You mystify me," He says helping me up and kissing me.
Slowly he starts to walk me back to the bed and gently lays me down kissing me as he works his way down to my panties.
"My turn to take care of you Ki'ichpan." He says as he hooks my panties; pulling them down.
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janetm74fics · 10 months
Text
Bleached c25: Scott Acts part 2
Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | AO3
~
‘I will destroy this Grand Fisher!’
The statement, said with Scott’s customary confidence coupled with the anger he felt towards the two Soul Reapers, had all three of them turning fully to face him. But no one was surprised when Wayne started talking with a sneer in his voice.
‘Look what we have here. Now I can kill this human for you, Tanusha!’ ‘Wayne!’ ‘Wait.’
It was Kyrano’s quiet tone that stopped Wayne moving, not Kayo’s impassioned plea. They turned to look at the Captain, and Kayo was shocked to see a small smile on her father’s face.
‘Leave him. Let him try.’ ‘But Captain…’ ‘Destroy the Grand Fisher, human.’
Once more all eyes turned to Scott.
‘I will. But on one condition. If I succeed, you free Kayo.’
Ignoring their expressions, Scott turned to Kayo.
‘Kayo, complete my Reaper training, and then I will defeat the Grand Fisher and you will get your powers back again, greater than they were before.
Training began in earnest.
Starting with the wooden bokken as before, this time Scott threw his everything and every spare second into training.
His brothers didn’t really know what was going on, and Scott didn’t want them to know either, so Kayo and he had explained that he was in training for a special mission. He could feel the disbelief, but he knew they wouldn’t call him out. John would watch secretly, but he could handle that.
The sword fighting was one thing, but when Kayo, using the extra strong cord that Brains had designed, tied his arms to the racking attached to the wall and encouraged him to hit her…well, they were both surprised at how strong Scott could be when needed.
As his training progressed and Scott got faster and faster and stronger and stronger, Kayo taught him about the Grand Fisher.
‘We Reapers have been pursuing the Grand Fisher for 54 years. It’s far more powerful, agile and deadly than any Hollow we’ve ever encountered. It uses lures to attract those with strong spiritual pressure and then preys on their souls. As your powers increase it will be drawn to you.
‘One thing to remember about an exorcism. You’re not killing the Hollow – you’re redeeming it from its sins.’
There were occasions – unknown by Scott – when Penny caught sight of the two of them fighting. They often held their training out in the open air but away from the villa, but Penny found herself inexorably drawn to watch them. Scott never seemed to win, but she appreciated the improvement in his skills. He may have been a fighter, helping to train his brothers in self-defence, but swords were a skill he had never needed before.
She wondered why he needed it now, but it seemed an impertinent question to ask.
That night Scott and Kayo sat at his desk. Kayo was drawing the Grand Fisher and talking through how he should defeat it.
‘Go for its forehead. Even the Grand Fisher can’t stand up to a blow there.’
Scott looked at the image. Kayo had drawn a giant rabbit, and he frowned. The Hollow was a bunny?
‘That’s the Grand Fisher?’ ‘Not exactly.’ ‘That doesn’t really help a lot, I gotta say.’ Sigh ‘One thing I am sure of is that it’s enormous.’ ‘And I am the one it’s been searching for. Wow.’
Scott sat back with a weary sigh. Kayo watched him, her face softening. This was a heavy burden he didn’t even realise he was carrying, and she hoped fighting the Hollow would help lift it.
‘Yeah.’ ‘For how long?’ ‘Since you were a kid, probably.’
Memories once more assailed Scott, flashes of the little girl and his Mom in the rain. He looked at the floor and swallowed.
‘Do – do you think it’s possible I saw it?’ ‘Only you will know that, Scott.’
She softened her tone as she carried on speaking.
‘Grand Fisher sightings are rare. Some say it is a huge animal. Others say it’s like an evil flower.’ ‘What was it? I mean, what was it orginally?’ ‘Sorry?’ ‘What was it before it turned into a Hollow?’ ‘It was a little girl’s spirit.’ ‘A – a girl!’
Scott got up and began to pace the room. Kayo turned to watch him. He was more than agitated, he seemed restless but strangely haunted.
‘What is it? Are you remembering something?’ ‘Yeah. Kayo – I think this just got personal.’
Scott was standing, back to her, staring at the picture of his Mom.
The next morning he fought Kayo with everything he had, keeping the Reaper on her toes.
Neither of them noticed Virgil and Penny watching them. Or that Brains had translocated to the Island to check on their progress. The three of them watched the fight.
‘A while ago Scott fought some serious thugs off who vowed revenge.’ ‘So he’s preparing for that?’ ‘Your friend is facing a much bigger fight.’
Virgil and Penny turned to Brains. Neither questioned his presence on the island, knowing that Kayo had mentioned getting help in, but they gave him all their attention at his words.
‘One that could very well turn out to be his last. And yet, even though he knows what’s at risk, he’ll still take up the challenge.’
Brains had a grin on his face.
This human was different. This human would stand against the greatest Hollow, even though he knew it might kill him.
He liked this human. This human had guts.
That afternoon Scott beat Kayo for the first time ever.
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arcanamusica · 8 months
Text
Arcanamusica Comic Chapter 1-1 (前編+後編)
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Everyone has a Secret.
Shibuyoshi: “Ah! A notification from Armusi!...Wh-what’s this..?”
Maimy: “An invitation..?”
Igashima: “On Februrary 22nd at 22:00..”
Jujo: “Destiny…Game..!”
Kawawa, half-asleep, checks his phone to see a notification arrive on the Arcanamusica app.
“Destiny game…the hell? And why in the middle of the night…” He stumbles out of his bed in the dark and goes over to his computer. “Wonderful..Nest..That’s sus as hell. I’m ignoring that.”
He sees people’s comments on the app talking about how his song changed their life and how they’re looking forward to the next song.
“New song, huh…”
-February 22nd at 22:00.-
Kawawa waits inside the elevator.
“I’m… just here to see what it’s about. The minute I get some sus vibes, I’m outta here.”
The elevator stops on the 22nd floor, and as soon as he steps out, Kawawa is greeted by-
“Welcome to Wonderful Nest! My name is Suu, and I am a robot that will be your guide this evening”
“R-ROBOT? What kind of robot looks like this..”
“You are a participant in the Destiny Game named RiZ, correct? Please allow me to guide you.”
They walk through the building together, Kawawa slightly on edge. 
“It..looks like a normal office at a company…But there’s..no employees..”
“The working hours have already ended for today.”
“G-Gwah?! Robots can have normal conversations now?! That’s hella high-tech..”
“High-tech, you say..” Suu stops. “Here we are. This is where you will participate in the Destiny Game.”
Kawawa opens the door, and is shocked to see 4 other participants seated at a table inside.
“Wh-what is this..? It’s like I stepped into another world..”
“Please take your seat in the front, Sir.”
Kawawa sits down next to Igashima and takes off his coat. “...Excuse me.”
“Good evening.”
Maimy shoots him an annoyed look. “Talk about being late! What do you think of yourself, making me wait for you all this time?”
“Y-yeah..”
“Mr. RiZ!” Shibuyoshi jumps up. “I really, really liked your song ‘My Role’!”
“Wha-?”
“Huh? Uh.. what’s with that reaction..? You’re RiZ, right?”
“Well, yeah, but.. How..”
Shibu points to the table, which has the words “12. Riz” outlined in front of him.
“Ah, so that’s how. I didn’t realize. Thank you, uhh..”
“Ah! I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Shibukuchi! You might know me as a comedian, but I also sang ‘You are my Friend’ on Armusi!”
“So this is the guy that got all of those bets..." Kawawa thinks to himself.
“It’s a PLEASURE to meet you!”
“He’s so damn loud..”
Igashima claps.
“Okay, NEXT!” Shibuyoshi gestures to Maimy.
“The hell would I do that for? I’m too lazy~”
“Please, sir.” Suu urges. 
Maimy groans. “Nice to meet you~~I’m Dark Palace ~Yayyy….”
“Mr. Dark Palace?” Shibuyoshi asks, looking at the way his name is written.
“Huhu-Some of you may already know me as Maimy, the livestreamer~A bit different today, aren’t I?”
“Huh? Isn’t your name Mr. Blackness Den?”
“Huh?”
Teacher Igashima’s simple explanation: “Black and Dark have similar meanings. So do Den and Palace. Essentially, they’re the same thing, but Dark Palace is how you should refer to him.”
“WOAH! Thanks, Teach! I got it now!”
“W-wait a damn minute..”
“Then, since your name is so long, can I just call you Dapare instead?”
“No, you may not! And since this teacher is giving a lecture right now, how about he introduces himself to the class?”
“Oh-pardon my manners.” Igashima stands. “My name is Ikkun. I’m not familiar with games, so please go easy on me.”
“This guy’s a normie..” Kawawa thinks to himself. “Why would someone so straight-laced come to a place like this?” He looks to his side, to the other person who hasn’t introduced themselves yet.
“My name is Legge. Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”
Kawawa notices his jewelry, high-end suit, and behavior opposite of his own. “Huh.. for some reason, I don’t think I’m gonna get along with this guy..Hah…”
Suu Jumps up to a chair. “Now that that’s settled, let me explain the game so we can begin. The Destiny Game is available only to Premium Members, as they are entitled to special in-app content. In addition, the most popular members of the app, which are all of you, get to participate in the Game itself!”
“S-So because of our songs..”
“You picked us out of everybody?! SWEET!!”
“Hah..I figured this had a reason, and wasn’t just some stupid game…”
“Hya~We’re going viral for sure~☆”
Igashima raises his hand. “Ah-If I may, how many premium members are there?”
“As of right now, there are around 20 members.” Suu answers. 
“20 people, huh~” Shibuyoshi leans back.
Maimy grows exasperated. “Teach, what does that even have to do with anything? Can we start this game already?” 
“Oh-pardon me, I’m sorry..I’m just not necessarily used to showing up to these kinds of functions.”
“Huh? Then why don’t you go home?”
“Even if it may not be much… I have a reason to be here.”
Maimy remains silent, and Suu breaks the tension by announcing, “The game is limited-time only, and recording and sharing the contents will be strictly prohibited, so you can rest assured.”
“Ah, is that so…” Igashima replies, “In that case, I suppose it will be fine.”
“Awww, I wanted to go super viral…But with 20 people, I guess it’s not possible..” Shibuyoshi says.
“Oh-I’m very sorry..”
“Ah, no no! It’s not your fault or anything!”
“Alright. In that case, can you tell us what we should expect in this game?”
“Ah, yeah.” Kawawa jumps. “That’s pretty important. What exactly are we doing here?”
“Please take a look at this!” Suu directs them to a board game titled “Arcana Sugoroku”. (T/N: Sugoroku is a board game in which you race your opponents in.)
“S-Sugoroku?!”
Voiced comic below:
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