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moonyswritinq · 5 months ago

Note

How about an enemies/rivals to lovers with the cat king and a male reader? Idk why their rivals, maybe the reader is dog person?? or just REALLY hates cats. You really get as much creative liberty as you want. I'm not very good at requesting pr coming up with ideas, sorry.

cat got your tongue — the cat king x male reader

❝ CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE ❞

SYNOPSIS ➢ You’ve never been fond of cats. The little pests always drove you insane. Which is why, when encountering the bloody Cat King, you are even less happy to be stuck in Port Townsend. What started as distaste for the man slowly turns into him becoming a distraction—a rather nice one that you start looking forwards to.

PAIRING ➢ thomas the cat king x male reader

CONTENT WARNING ➢enemies to lovers, harsh language, hate towards cats (yes it deserves a warning), graphic and explicit gore (the body at the cat king’s lair), suggestive content, kissing, tension, flirting, use of y/n

WORD COUNT ➢10 k

AUTHORS NOTE ➢ GUESS WHO GOT CARRIED AWAY AGAIN? your one and only. sorry this is a bloody bible, and that it took forever to write. this hurt a bit because I love cats, but I also love enemies/rivals to lovers so shjshdjhsj. enjoy!

MASTERLIST, TAGLIST

You sneered at the tabby cat at your feet, kicking it gently off of your leg. It had tried to rub against you, which you knew was its way of marking you and showing affection. It was disgusting and you had half a mind to kick it harder. As if reading your thoughts, a ginger cat, perched on a large throne-like chair in the middle of the room, hissed in warning.

Edwin had warned you that this was a matter of diplomacy and to let him do the talking, and despite your usual favour to physicalities you decided to heed his words. So you merely rolled your eyes and let the cat be.

As your group had entered the building, the length of a warehouse stretched before you, a cat surrounding you from every direction. A group of them dispersed from a throne as you neared it, revealing a half-eaten human body laying before it. The skin around the all too visible bones had been picked off and was seen hanging in thin threads, more a skeleton than a body. Chunks of meat was completely missing in some areas and spilling out of it along with blood colouring the wooden floor—one of its eyes had been dragged out of its socket and probably played with like some toy. The sight of it made your stomach turn, almost to the point of looking away. The others groaned behind you and you heard Crystal let out a silent gasp.

“What’s wrong? Just a bunch of cats,” one of the cats commented, the smart-mouthed bastard.

Your urge to kick it overcame you once again—this time even stronger. Edwin seemed to sense it and held out a hand to halt your step, then glanced uncertainly towards the cat on the throne.

“We were invited to see the Cat King,” he said.

You turned your gaze to the throne to find cloud of purple flames erupting from the throne and then a man sitting in the place of the earlier cat, your own mouth opening in a surprised gasp.

“What? Never seen a handsome man before?” his lulling voice asked, winking in your direction. You promptly shut your mouth with a scoff.

“Can all cats do that?” asked Crystal from beside you.

The man laughed dryly. “‘Can all cats do that?’” he repeated, leaning his cheek on his hand. “Of course not! I’m the Cat King.” His glance shifted between the four of you. “I can tell you’re not the brains of the operation. Nor the looks. But who is, then?”

One of your eyebrows raised at his question and he caught your gaze, eyes raking over your figure as his smiled widened. The weight of his gaze made heat travel up your neck but you ignored it in favour of letting your face settle into a grim stare. The Cat King seemed unaffected by your reaction—or he chose to ignore it—and merely yawned.

“Sorry, I’m already bored,” he chuckled, turning in the direction of one of his cats. “Which one of them used the magic on you?”

The cat that had spoken before opened his mouth again, nodding in Edwin’s direction. “The scrawny one that just had the nerve to talk to you.”

The Cat King tilted his head and let out a soft, “Oh.” His eyes briefly glanced in your direction again. “Shame.”

Edwin cleared his throat and gestured to the other three of you. “We are the Dead Boy Detectives, we’re solving a mystery—”

“Oh, I don’t care,” interrupted the Cat King. “Using magic on my cats is a total car crash on your part. We…” he paused to stand up, rising to his full impressive height, “should discuss your offence.” His eyes jumped between you and Edwin before taking a step down from his pedestal and uttering the final word. “Privately.”

You felt yourself scowling and then adverting your eyes from him with a swallow of your throat. For whatever reason, you were not sure.

“Oi,” said Charles, drawing out bat from his backpack. “He’s not going anywhere with you.”

Your eyebrows raised alongside Edwin’s and sighed, before he motioned to step aside.

“Charles, come here,” said Edwin and walked away from the Cat King. You followed him together with Charles and Crystal, and once out of earshot he lowered his voice. “Perhaps a conversation is the play here.”

Crystal shook her head at Edwin. “I agree with Charles. Let’s just kick cats until we’re out.”

“Yeah, fuck ‘em,” you chimed in, before shooting a glance at the nearest cat and the thought of lowering your voice even further entered your mind. “They’re all savages, they can’t be diplomatic.”

“Do you two want to end up like him?” hissed Edwin, gesturing to the body behind him. Your glance followed his and again you were overcome by the urge to vomit. He kept talking in a hushed whisper. “Not to mention, cat scratches are like poison to ghosts. There are too many cats here who seem to know that.”

Charles seemed to contemplate Edwin’s words. His eyes briefly flickered towards the Cat King before letting out an already resigned sigh. “I don’t like the look of him.”

Edwin met his eye with confidence. “I am perfectly capable of handling this,” he said.

“So, telling secrets about me already,” said the deep voice belonging to the Cat King. You sent a murderous glare over your shoulder before turning back.

“Quiet bastard.” You rolled your eyes.

You heard his chuckle behind you, being able to picture his smug smile all too clearly. “What can I say? It’s the cat in me.”

“Clearly,” you muttered.

“Am I sensing some animosity?” asked the Cat King, his voice closer than before. You hadn’t heard him walk closer, but again, he was half a cat. You turned to face him fully, raising an eyebrow at him. He was leaning forward with his hands behind his back, a suspiciously innocent expression on his face.

“So, you’re not as stupid as you look,” you said with the ugliest scowl you could muster.

He winced, although you didn’t miss the way his lips tugged upwards. “Ouch.”

“Look, just take care of what you have to do and we can get out of this cat-infested hell-hole,” you said, throwing your arms out in exasperation.

“You don’t like cats?” asked the Cat King. There seemed to be genuine surprise on his face.

“Would I like getting run over by a ten ton truck filled with lighter fluid and then set on fire with me under it?” you retorted. Your voice was dripping with sarcastic poison and you couldn’t help but to roll your eyes. “What kind of question is that? Of course I don’t like cats.”

The Cat King tilted his head. You might have imagined it, but you thought you saw his brows furrow into a slight frown. “Hm. Strangely specific.” He looked as if he was going to say something more but instead he turned his attention to Edwin with an easy smile, as if he had not heard your words even to begin with. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“Don’t you dare try any funny business,” warned Charles, holding out the bat threateningly at him.

You saw the Cat King sigh smugly, a last glance thrown your way that made you advert your eyes, before a cloud of purple smoke engulfed him and Edwin and they were both gone. Immediately, Charles tried to rush forward, grabbing hold of nothing. He turned around to the two of you with a desperation you had not before seen in his face.

“Look, calm down, mate,” you started saying, reaching out a hand to hold his shoulder. He slumped against your grasp and met your gaze with the most pathetic look you had ever seen. You led him to sit down on one of the crates, the cats dispersing now that the Cat King was resolving the problem.

“He’ll be fine,” said Crystal, sitting down on the other side of him. “He’s Edwin.”

“You’re right,” agreed Charles, rubbing a hand against the bridge of his nose. “I’m just so used to looking after him it feels strange to not be able to protect him against this cat bloke.”

You continued to rub a hand across his back and said in the most comforting tone you could muster, “If it’s to any consolation, I don’t think the Cat King will try to harm Edwin. Judging by the looks of him, he seems to want compensation in, er, other ways.”

His head whipped towards you with a raised eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“I, er—”

Your hand halted uncertain in it tracks and you suddenly had trouble finding your voice. How could you tell Charles what you meant without disturbing anything in his and Edwin’s relationship? It would be much easier to let the two boys solve it themselves than crudely spitting out the fact that the ‘cat bloke wants to fuck your mate’. Luckily, Crystal came to your aid by distracting Charles with asking about his magical backpack and you were free to roam the warehouse.

There were no more cats in sight for you to kick your frustrations out on, despite the warning gaze of the Cat King that appeared in your mind would they have been there. For what seemed like hours, the three of you waited for Edwin’s return, filling the time with mindless chatter and recounting past cases and answering any questions voiced by Crystal. Your skin crawled at the eerie feeling of the warehouse. It made you painfully aware of every sound or movement, waiting for the swarm of cats to come back and attack you. You equally dreaded and weirdly looked forward to seeing the Cat King again.

Finally, long after the sun had already gone up and spread its orange glow through the open doors of the warehouse, Edwin returned. The space didn’t make shivers travel down your spine anymore, but felt rather homely with the bright light. You and the others had settled down on a few crates nearby, but by the resounding crack and Edwin’s form suddenly visible through a cloud of purple, you jumped into action.

“Edwin!” shouted Charles, running over to him. “Where have you been?”

Edwin frowned at him. “Only been gone a few moments.”

“No, you’ve been gone for literal hours,” answered Charles, frowning as he tilted his head. “Are you all right, mate?

You felt the hairs at the back of your neck rise in suspicion as you regarded him. “Where’s the Cat King?” you asked him, looking around as if the man would appear behind you at the mere mention of him.

“Probably where I left him, still scheming or something of the sort,” he muttered and glanced away with clear discomfort.

“And, um, what is that on your wrist?” added Crystal, drawing the attention to the hand that Edwin had raised. Gleaming, a golden bracelet shone on his wrist, the image of a cat eating its own tail. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. Ouroboros. Usually, you enjoyed the symbol, but coming from the Cat King it just seemed like another slap in the face. Especially as it meant you were all now stuck in this damned town. Together with him and his scoundrel cats.

- - -

One. Ten. Twenty-four. Forty-six. Eighty-nine. One hundred. Eventually, Edwin’s count reached one hundred and thirty-seven. One hundred and thirty-seven cats in Port Townsend had been found so far. You would normally say it was impressive for only a few days of searching for cats, but this town seemed to be filled to the brim with them. You would have more trouble trying not to find a cat somewhere you went. God knew how long it could take to count them all. It didn’t help that trouble seemed to be extraordinarily good at finding the five of you, now with Niko within your midst. The stress was getting to you as you stood waiting outside the butcher shop, the bridge of your nose pinched between your fingers and your mind starting to imagine shadows following you out of the corner of your eye.

“One hundred and thirty-eight, one hundred and thirty-nine,” said Edwin from next to you, putting his fingers to his temple. You scoffed and gave the cat nearest to you a harsh glare. It jumped off the fence, after Edwin had counted it of course, and ran off around the corner.

You turned to Edwin. “Better get a hurry on with counting all those cats, mate. They’re everywhere.”

“What do you think I am doing, hm?” he asked, raising an eyebrow defiantly at you.

You gave him a glance over, noting that the book in his hand was not related to the case, but rather to astrology. It was your turn to raise an eyebrow, pointedly looking at the book. It seemed that he was not fully focused on the cat-counting but had other things on his mind—more specifically, other people on his mind. Edwin avoided your gaze with an uncomfortable clearing of his throat, just as Charles came out of the shop, with Crystal and Niko in tow.

“So,” started Charles, bringing his hands together, “Shall we get a crack on with the case, then?”

Edwin threw a brief glance in your direction and nodded promptly. He immediately put the book in Charles’ infinite book bag, ignoring the questioning glance he received from the other ghost.

“Don’t forget to count the cats,” you said to him. He rolled his eyes and Charles smiled brightly, cocking his head and taking off along the street. Crystal glanced at you as you made to follow, immediately feeling better to be on the move. Niko bounded over to the other side of you, nudging your side.

“What’s got you so depressed?” she asked suddenly.

“I’m not depressed,” you muttered.

Crystal shook her head. “No, but you’re something. C’mon, you can tell us.”

Your glance jumped to the two ghosts ahead of you, making sure they were out of earshot before replying. “I don’t mean to blame Edwin or anything, but I really don’t like being stuck in this town.” Another shadow at the edge of your vision had you craning your neck only to see nothing there. “I just want him to count all the cats so we can get out of it.”

Crystal and Niko seemed to share a look you could not make out the meaning of.

“Why is that?” asked Crystal. You raised an eyebrow at her. “I mean, we all want to get out of this place before something more dangerous happens, but you’re in an unusual hurry.”

You sighed. “How do you know I’m not always in a hurry, Crystal? We haven’t known each other for that long, y’know.”

“No, something else is up,” she said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Niko nudged your side again, piping in. “She’s right. I know I don’t know you that well either but you keep jumping at every cat you see. And in my opinion as a detective, that is very strange behaviour.”

You glared at her out of the corner of your eye, or as much of a glare you could muster to counter her bubbly smile. “Er—great detective work, Niko.”

Her smile widened.

“Fine.” You let out a long sigh, again making sure the dead boys could not hear you. “It’s just— I really don’t like cats. And I suppose the whole Cat King ordeal set me a bit on edge.”

“Huh.” Was all Crystal muttered before she shrugged and said, with as much nonchalance as possible, “Thought the Cat King would have something to do with it.”

You cocked your head in her direction. “And what do you mean by that?”

She shrugged again. “I’m not blind, y’know. I saw the way he was looking at you. And the way you were looking at him.”

“Ooh, do I sense some love in the air?” Niko let out a soft coo.

Your steps fully halted as your brain processed their words. Your surprised gawk turned into a scowl as you stared at them both. Love? Between you and the Cat King? What? Both Niko and Crystal had stopped when you did, waiting expectantly for you to continue.

“What? No. Absolutely-bloody-not,” you bit out venomously.

A deep breath later and your feet started moving faster than before, now wanting to outrun the conversation with the girls. But they matched your steps, albeit with a bit of difficulty,

“Come on, you can’t deny that he was definitely flirting with you,” teased Niko, sending a playful wink your way.

“Perhaps so.” You shrugged. “But I’m sure it was like any other usual game for him.”

“Maybe it was, but what if it wasn’t?”

You let out an annoyed sigh. “Even so, he’s the Cat King. And I hate cats. He literally stands for everything I despise.”

“So what you’re saying is that without the cat part you find him attractive?” Crystal said, her tone frustratingly implying something that was simply not there.

“Wha—that’s not what I’m saying! I—er,” You let out a frustrated groan and ran a hand down your face. “Listen, it doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that he’s the reason we’re all stuck in this town and that is reason enough to hate him.”

Your feet started moving faster to catch up with Charles and Edwin, thankfully escaping the row of questioning the girls had sent you through. What was even so interesting that they would feel the need to do that? All of it only to find out how much you hated cats, and the Cat King in association. Sure, he had looked at you with a glint in his eye, something that told you of hidden secrets untold, just laying in wait for someone to come and unravel him. And you had felt an unfamiliar warmth against your cheeks, something you hadn’t felt since you first met Charles and he had flirted with you—a crush that you had very quickly gotten over as soon as you noticed the lingering glances between him and Edwin, might you add. But it did not change the fact that the Cat King had trapped Edwin, and the rest of you, in Port Townsend—and that could not change your distaste for him.

“There it is,” Niko suddenly exclaimed from behind you. She was pointing to the large lighthouse in the distance. Point No Point Lighthouse. As your eyes flew to the top, you spotted a woman clad in a white gown climbing the fence.

“Hey,” said Crystal, feet starting to move hurriedly towards it. “Get down from there!”

Before any of you could even think to intervene, she had let go of the railing and plummeted to the water. Your head turned away from the sight when you heard the unintelligible splash of the waves as her body hit it. You dared open one eye to the lighthouse again, afraid that if you looked another human would spawn at the top only to fall to their death. Nothing of the sort was there. Instead, stood only a regular lighthouse, seemingly unaware of the tragedy that just took place.

“What the actual fuck?” you let out in a breath.

Ever so the detective, Edwin got to work immediately, as if he hadn’t just seen a woman take her own life. He started compiling questions to ask the ghosts of the leapers, who now sat at the stone fence facing the ocean. Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted through your leg, causing you to cry out.

“Ow—bloody hell!” You looked down to see the cause for the sudden burning on your leg—a cat. You kicked the thing off of you, glaring at it as it ran away.

“One hundred and forty-two,” said Charles as soon as his eyes landed on the cat.

You looked to where the cat had disappeared—or rather not disappeared, as it had stopped at the corner of the path. It sat there, looking back at you expectantly. It was almost as if it was waiting, and you had a small hunch that it would not go away until you followed it. You let out a deep sigh and started walking towards it.

“Wait a tick, I’ll be right back,” you said, throwing one last glance behind you before following the cat.

“What was that about?” Crystal’s voice asked behind you. You could imagine the receiving shrug Charles gave her before you trudged away.

The longer you walked for, letting the cat lead the way through the winding forestry, the suspicion of where you were heading only grew. And a small part of you, as much as you hated to admit it, was intrigued to what you would find waiting for you. When you reached what seemed to be a lookout point made up of a stone ledge and a low fence surrounding the edge, you let out a deep sigh at the sight of the Cat King. He was laying on his side, one knee up in the air which showed off the skin on his legs that weren’t covered by white socks and a black skirt. His fur coat was open to reveal the golden shirt under it—which was painfully formfitting, as well. A roguish smile played on his lips as his eyes searched your figure up and down.

You scowled at him. “A note would suffice. The cat scratch was unnecessary.”

His eyebrows raised. “In my experience, guys like you enjoy a little bit of rough play, “ he said. He let his legs swing down and he sat up straight. A cat looking at his treat.

Your face twisted in disgust. “‘Guys like me’, what is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m sure you can figure that out on your own.” He sent you a wink. It made you roll your eyes.

“Reckon you should bother Edwin with this instead? After all, he’s the one under your spell and counting your cats,” you said, taking a step forward and crossing your arms across your chest.

“I will deal with Edwin in due time,” replied the Cat King. He stood up to his full height, a tad taller than you, and started slowly walking towards you. “Right now, I would rather bother you.”

You watched him step closer, circling your body with the featherlight touch of his hand caressing your shoulder.

“Figures,” you muttered.

He came to a halt in front of you, one hand still on your shoulder. “Don’t you enjoy my company?” he asked in faux concern, his eyebrows furrowed.

You did not let yourself believe his play. “Not in the slightest.”

“Ouch, I’m hurt.” His hand moved to grasp his chest where his heart was—if he even had one, that is—and turned away from you. You did not miss the playful glint in his golden eyes.

“Sure, you are,” you said rather matter-of-factly. “For what it’s worth, Edwin’s counted one hundred and forty-two cats.”

The Cat King let out a dry bark of a laugh. “There are absolutely not one hundred and forty-two cats. That is not even nowhere close.”

You threw your arms out in exasperation. “Well, what do you expect when you give him such an impossible task?” you said as your glare hardened. “Is this all only to amuse you?”

“Yes.” His head tilted to the side as he seemed to analyse you. A pause. “And it gives me more time with you.”

Your lips pressed together to keep your reply quiet.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” His words flowed from his mouth like velvet and his smile was all too inviting.

“Clever,” you answered, voice dripping in sarcasm.

He shrugged and smiled coyly. “I try.”

When the eye contact became too painful for you to bear, your eyes glanced away into the faraway trees. You could see his proud smirk out of the corner of your eye and it made your frustration bubble up to the surface with a quickness and fierceness that surprised even you.

Your breath came out in one sharp burst as you turned to him again. “Look, this might all seem like one big game for you, but surprise!—it’s not. Being stuck in this mindless town could actually result in real danger coming to find us.” You forced him to meet your gaze with the seriousness of your voice. “We need to leave.”

But of course he could not stay serious for even one second. He simply waved away your words and smiled.“Oh, don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure whatever trouble finds your way you are more than capable to deal with.”

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips. “Your opinion on whether I can handle it or not does not matter. Your opinion does not matter.”

The Cat King stopped in his motion, turning to face you fully. His head tilted to the side, golden eyes narrowed.“If it’s so dangerous for you here, why don’t you just leave? After all, you’re not the one bound to this town.”

“Er—” you began, but quickly shut your mouth. His words made you hesitate. You weren’t about spill your guts out to this complete stranger.

“I would make another ‘cat got your tongue’ joke but I don’t want to be redundant,” he said, still smiling. You watched him walk closer to you, one of his hands reaching to run up your chest before stopping to rest against the nape of your neck. The touch was warm and light, and you hated how you had to stop yourself from leaning into it. Almost as if he could sense your thoughts, he smiled and leant closer so that you could almost count the specks of orange in his golden eyes. “There’s something else that is keeping you here.”

“You’re despicable,” you spit out.

The Cat King simply tilted his head, almost as if in sympathy, before letting his finger run across your lips. “Tell me.”

You were too slow in pulling away from him, and his rough finger made contact. A cold sensation spread over your lips, not uncomfortable but tingling with unfamiliarity. You opened your mouth to spit out another insult but felt the words stick to your throat, like a stubborn mouthful of honey. You were unable to utter them. Instead, as if someone had reached down your throat and pulled the words right out of your heart, the truth tumbled out.

“I—I owe Charles and Edwin my life.”

The Cat King’s eyes widened and his smile turned into a frown.

“Oh, that’s not what I expected.”

As easily as the earlier words had come out, the rest of the truth poured out of your lips as well. “Without them, I would have died back in London.” You took a shaky breath, glancing away from the Cat King’s demanding gaze. “I thought it only fair to help them with their cases and save other lives. Well, ghost lives.”

He nodded, seeming to think about your words. Then, his smile returned, sly as ever. “Hm, and are you sure a part of you staying here is also not because you are intrigued by me?”

You were unable to stop the laugh that escaped you. “By you? Fuck no. By this situation? Slightly. But now I’ve found out you’re only a pathetic man who likes to play games because daddy didn’t give him enough attention as a child.” You walked closer to him as you spoke, a finger jabbing his chest to punctuate your point.

“Okay, wow, a bit hurtful, don’t y—”

“You’re the furthest from any reason to stay in this town,” you bit out. The truth wouldn’t stop. You kept on walking, forcing him backwards. His smile had slipped completely and some part of you felt grimly satisfied at seeing his facade crumble. “I would never fancy the sorts of you. Please get that through your head, you arrogant arsehole.”

“Oh.” Was all he responded with. His face seemed to have fallen a bit, and he was avoiding your eye, but with the usual grimace he kept on his lips you couldn’t be sure. With a wave of his fingers, the spell that had latched upon your lips dispersed into the air without so much as a trace. “Okay. Well, I won’t bother you much more then.”

You nodded numbly, turning to walk away.

The sound of his deep voice halted your steps.“Just remember to tell Edwin to keep counting the cats.”

You nodded again while letting your feet show you the way back. Your mind couldn’t let go of the Cat King’s face when you had told him off. It had felt wrong coming out of your mouth, even though the thoughts had felt completely right while in your head. And you knew they were truthful, thanks to the spell, but even then it had surprised you how much distaste you held for the man. And the simple fact of uttering those words to the Cat King’s face made them turn sour on your tongue. They left a bad aftertaste in your mouth, not unlike when you would forget to brush your teeth in the morning and could practically feel them rotting away.

It made you feel weirdly uncomfortable on the walk back to the others. You weren’t sure on the fact that you did not regret the words, and you weren’t sure if they were entirely so truthful anymore.

- - -

The following days trudged by slowly. Case after case distracted your mind from your earlier interaction with the Cat King, but the thought of it never fully disappeared. Had you been too harsh? No, he was a fully grown man, he could take a bit of criticism.

But despite this, your mind was painfully reminded of him every time you went outside. Before meeting him at the lighthouse, you could spot a cat on every corner of the town, making it remarkably easy for Edwin to get his count of cats into the hundreds. After, there was none to be seen, at all. You thought you had seen the tip of a cat’s tail disappearing around a street corner the other day but other than that, the Cat King had kept his promise of not bothering you—which had apparently extended to all of his cats. Somehow, that bothered you more and even made you miss the creeping bastards.

“Still one hundred and forty-two!” complained Edwin, throwing himself into a nearby armchair. “I’ve yet to see even one more cat since that lighthouse case. How am I supposed to count more cats when I can’t find any more of them?”

Charles’ brows furrowed and he turned to you. “What more did the Cat King say when you met him?”

You had told them of your interaction with the Cat King—well, not the full truth of it. But the barest minimum so that they could get the gist of it. Now, they were all looking at you expectantly.

“Oh, er, that was all, really.” You shrugged. “Just that there were more cats and to tell Edwin to keep counting.”

The answer seemed unsatisfying to Edwin, but there was not much more he could do. He merely shrugged and gestured for Charles to go on with the current case, something about two football players who had been murdered. Without thinking, you opened your mouth.

“I could go talk to him.”

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Yeah, what?” Crystal repeated, her narrowed eyes seeming to scrutinise you.

You screwed your eyes up in frustration, internally cursing at yourself. “I just meant that if there are no cats to be counted we can’t get rid of that bracelet, can we? So, I just thought that if Edwin can’t find any there must be a reason for it. I can go talk to him—to the Cat King, I mean.”

They all shared a hesitant glance.

“I don’t know,” said Charles. “He’s probably just playing another game with us.”

“Yeah,” chimed Crystal in. “I don’t trust him.”

You sighed. “Me neither, but we can either wait and hope for the best before something else comes and drags you back to the afterlife, or we can try to take care of it so we can get out of this town.”

“He does have a point,” said Edwin, head resting in his hand.

Crystal stood up from her seat, nodding in your direction. “Okay, but I’m coming with you.”

“No!” you said, before clearing your throat when she glared at you. “I just mean that you are needed for this case, is all. I’ll be OK.”

Her gaze was scrutinising and you had to fight not to fidget under it. Even though you had no ulterior motives, her glare made you want to admit the ones she obviously thought she could sense in your mind. “Fine,” she finally said, sitting down again.

Edwin gave you a curt nod before looking down at his notebook. Charles held your gaze for longer.

“Be careful,” he said.

You tried your best to send him your most convincing smile, but you had a feeling he wasn’t buying it. “Always am.”

With those words, you turned on your heel and started walking in the direction of the Cat King’s hideout. Your initial impression of it still remained strong—that it seemed very rundown for a so-called King. Now knowing the Cat King, you would have expected something much more glamorous and proper for his home.

Walking inside the warehouse, you noted that it was shockingly empty. Completely void of any signs of cats and the Cat King nowhere to be found. A small part of you was mildly relieved by the absence of them, but the emptiness filled you with an eerie chill. You picked your way around the space, trying to find any other place he could be hiding. It led you to a door you had not noticed before, surprising considering the intricacy of it. You grasped the golden handle and slowly wedged the door open, peering in carefully. You weren’t sure what you would find, but would rather not be caught off guard.

As soon as the door had been opened, a cat slipped through the small gap, making you jump back in surprise. The red light from the room coloured the floor and after a quick breath, you collected yourself enough to walk through, ready for any more cats who might have been hiding inside.

The first thing you saw was the big glowing neon light on the wall, the crown shining a bright red and a cyan ring surrounding it. It was almost mesmerizing in its simplicity and bathed the room in its colours. The second thing that drew your eye was the half-naked body of the Cat King. He was sprawled back on a circular bed, his legs tangled into the dark sheets and his robe casually hanging off one shoulder. His abs were on full display and it took every ounce of your willpower to ignore the flip your stomach made at the sight and raise your eyes to his face. His was turned away, eyes closed and seemingly oblivious to your presence. It allowed you to drink in every small detail of him under the neon lights, eyes jumping from the heaving of his chest, to the small scar on his lip, to his messed up hair and lingering all too long on the edge between his exposed skin and boxers. The whole sight seemed so perfect to you, you could almost believe it was effortless on his behalf.

“Fucking hell, Thomas,” he muttered quietly to himself, rubbing a hand over his eyes and growling out a sigh.

But then his eyes opened and found you, skulking in the shadows like an uninvited guest. You did not feel far off from some kind of pervert, especially when his display had caused warmth to pool in your gut and your cheeks definitely a shade darker than before. His eyes widened, and before he had time to try to cover up or say something you stepped forward into the light.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb.”

You tried desperately not to let your eyes wander south of his face, but it was difficult. He was the Cat King, yes, which meant he was an arse—and what else you had called him only a few days earlier. But bathed under the light like this and without having said anything stupid, you also realised he was hot. So bloody hot. So you swallowed and stepped even closer, suddenly nervously aware of yourself in comparison to him.

His head tilted and he sat up in a cross legged position, the robe almost falling off of him before he caught it and hung it on his shoulder again. A part of you wished he had let it go.

The Cat King glanced around before answering. “No worries, I, uh—I was not expecting you. It’s usually not this messy.”

Your brows furrowed in question and he cocked his head to the side of the room. It was first then that you realised the room was a fucking mess. Old takeout food had been left around, clothes strewn across the place and a few random cat toys laying around. You hadn’t even noticed it before due to the distraction that was the Cat King. As you met his gaze again he looked at you weirdly, eyes scrunched and brows knit together. It made you want to scratch at the shivers that traveled down your spine, weirdly self conscious under his pinned gaze. Then he shook his head and that easy smile was spread across his lips again. It seemed more empty though, but you could never be sure when it came to him.

“Not that I am complaining. Thought I wouldn’t see you again, so this is definitely a welcome change,” he said, leaning back on his elbows again. His knee was lifted into the air, swaying back and forth the same way a cat’s tail would when it was playing with its victim.

You tried to ignore the scratching at your throat and burning ears, meeting the Cat King’s gaze. “That’s why I came here. You have been avoiding m—us.”

If he noticed your slip up, he didn’t comment on it. He simply sighed and stood up from his bed. “You made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with me. So, as long as you are in this town, you won’t see me around.”

You watched him walk around the room, gathering the old boxes and throwing them into a rubbish bin. “I didn’t think that would apply to your cats as well.”

He halted, with his back to you, but you could clearly discern the tension in his shoulder. Then he released a deep sigh and angled his head towards the ceiling. “You noticed, then.”

“Of course, we noticed! Without counting all your cats, we’re still stuck here,” you said, arms crossed over your chest. “Something I don’t think you really mind.”

He tilted his head back to look at you over his shoulder, and right then and there it hit you how beautiful his eyes were. Deep swirling pools of gold, reflecting the neon crown beside him, and holding more secrets than you could ever try to figure out during your lifetime. He smiled, but it was different than how his other smiles were. This one didn’t made crows feet appear around his eyes or dimples in his cheeks. And it seemed sad, almost, in the way it couldn’t reach his dark eyes. It was gone as quick as it had appeared.

“I’ll allow them outside again for Edwin to count,” came his reply. You didn’t know whether to thank him for something he should already be doing or just leave. You settled on the former.

“Thank you. Er, it’s very kind of you.”

He turned back around, tilting his head. “Sure.”

You stood still for a moment, unsure of whether to leave or say something else. You could feel the tension in the air, something hanging heavy between you but unable to place your finger on what. After a moment, the Cat King sighed and plopped himself down on his bed.

“Will you please leave me to my self wallowing in peace?” he asked, a tone of sarcasm lacing his words. “I’d rather not have an audience.”

You didn’t trust your voice to speak for you. Only glancing back at him briefly, eyes traveling over his figure one last time and then hastily leaving the room. You thought you saw him deflate, as if he had been hoping for you to do the opposite of what he’d asked. You shook the thought away.

Finally outside the room, it was then that you could breathe freely and relax, his eyes no longer bearing into you. You could only hope that you hadn’t made a fool of yourself—or if you had, that the image wouldn’t last too long in his memory. The image of him, though, sprawled across the bed, had been seared into your mind and did not seem to be able to leave your thoughts. The way his voice had lowered when he thought he was the only audience to himself, that deep grovel in his voice that had your cheeks warming up instantly. You could almost imagine him speaking into your ear that way, whispering filthy things and pulling your waist closer to him.

You blinked the thoughts away, mildly surprised at the appearance of them. The other part of you knew why they were there and a solemn dread washed upon you. Bloody hell. You were attracted to the Cat King.

- - -

Fuck, he thought. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why did you need to have gone to see him?

Thomas was humiliated. Every time he had met you, every move of his had been calculated. His outfit, always carefully curated to show off enough of him without being slutty. His hair, styled to frame his face and curled beautifully to make his eyes glow. His smile, ever so roguishly handsome to seem alluring yet mysterious. And his words always thought out before they left his mouth.

But after that afternoon at the lighthouse when he had finally found out how you felt, he hadn’t been bothered to care. And now you had seen him like that; a complete mess. He couldn’t get the image of you standing in his room out of his head, looking as handsome as ever, your head tilted to the side. It was impossible to discern your thoughts through those deep eyes. Had he proven you right—shown you that he really was as disgusting and despicable as you thought? Did you still hate him?

Of course you did. What a silly question. There was no point wondering. Even if he couldn’t read your mind he was quite certain what thoughts would have been running through your head—‘What a mess’, ‘I can’t believe how pathetic he is’, ‘I am so glad to be rid of him’. Your conversation had made it clear to him that you wanted nothing to do with him.

He rubbed a hand across his face, body still splayed across his bed. Gods. You had rejected him and still he couldn’t stop thinking about you. What was wrong with him?

He couldn’t believe himself. Thomas had only thought it a game between you two. Of course, he was infatuated with you, but he would never have imagined that you weren’t enjoying the play between the two of you. Hearing your brutally honest thoughts of him had stumped that belief. However ridiculous that belief had been.

And now—now, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

Thomas couldn’t keep wallowing in his den of self-pity, that was for certain. Despite your rejection, he could not let that defer him from projecting his most amazing self. He shook the cat off his lap and rose to his full height, taking in the mess around him. How could he so easily have let you affect him? Who was he kidding, of course he knew how. The moment his eyes had landed on you, he knew it was over for him. That easy smile, your deep gaze, the way you held yourself. How could he not have fallen?

He had done everything in his power to try to win you over—well the only way he knew how. And it hadn’t been enough. He wasn’t enough. The thought hurt him more than he cared to admit. Your rejection hurt him more than he cared to admit.

He had focused so much on you ever since he met you that now he didn’t know what to do. He would return to his usual self and life, he supposed, but he knew his thoughts wouldn’t let you go so easily. When putting together his outfit, he couldn’t help but question what you would think of it—or more important, of him in it.

Dammit. He had to stop thinking about you or he would never be able to go on with his usual life. He had a mission to do and a certain ghost to help. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let thoughts of you stray him away.

- - -

The thought of the Cat King would not leave your head. Ever since that day, seeing him like that, and coming to the realisation that you indeed fancied him, you had not been able to get him out of your mind. It was infuriating how easy your thoughts returned to him at even the slightest reminder. Even if the sun reflected a certain colour of gold in water, the image of his beautiful eyes would be brought forth.

You were quite sure you had been able to hide your growing attraction for him, though. The Cat King himself had not bothered you any more and the rest of the Dead Boy Detective Agency had not caught on either—what you knew of, at least. Crystal had not hinted at anything more and neither had Niko, and you weren’t sure if you were grateful or disappointed by the fact.

It did not matter, you decided, because you had been fully occupied by the case at hand. The boys were in especial danger from this species of ghost-eating fungus, which made you nervous for their sake. Even though you had not been with them for very long, they had accepted you into their Agency despite you not being dead and you cared for them deeply because of it. You weren’t used to worrying for them, since they were already dead, so this case had been very strange for you. It did not help that the darkening woods seemed especially sinister and suffocating, as if they were closing in on you. You had chosen to walk alone amongst the trees, but you were beginning to regret it.

“Y/n?” A familiar voice said behind you.

You turned, looking into the dim light and seeing the Cat King standing amongst the trees, looking right at you. You weren’t prepared for how heavy his gaze would feel after seeing him that last time in his den, but you tried your best not to let it affect you.

“Er—hi,” you said as indifferently as you were able to.

One of his eyebrows raised. “I thought Edwin would be here.”

Oh. Of course, he was here for Edwin. Not for you. Not that you wanted him to, you had made it perfectly clear you didn’t want anything to do with him. Then why did a pang of hurt suddenly hit you in your chest?

“He was, you just missed him.”

“Ah,” he said with a sigh. Was he disappointed or relieved? “Well, I should go find him, I have to help him.”

Your eyebrow raised. “How could you help him? So far you’ve been nothing but trouble for us,” you said and immediately noticed his crestfallen gaze. Part of you regretted your words, but it was so easy to fall back into your familiar insults.

He exhaled slowly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Not that it is any of your concern, but I am actually not the asshole you make me out to be.”

You took a moment to let your gaze sweep over him. He was dressed smartly, his outfit outlining his figure as perfectly as ever. His golden eyes shone in the faint light, the sky growing darker with every minute, and you hated to admit how good the light looked on him. The only thing out of the ordinary was his faint fidgeting, his fingers pulling at the hem of his shirt, almost as if self conscious. Other than that, there were no traces left of the man you had seen wallowing in his bed.

The thought of that day brought the picture of him to your mind and you couldn’t help but let your eyes jump down his chest, where you knew his perfectly toned abs were hiding beneath his shirt. At that, you also remembered how good he had looked. You felt blood rush to your cheeks at the thoughts that suddenly rushed your mind and you forced your gaze away from him, trying to smother them.

The Cat King’s eyes narrowed at your reaction, but he didn’t question you further. He stayed silent, letting you speak first.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes widened in surprise, not expecting the words. “What?”

“Sorry for being so harsh,” you said again, meeting his gaze. “I appreciate that you’ve allowed your cats out to be counted by Edwin again.”

His head tilted to the side, not seeming to believe your words. “But as you said before, it’s my fault you’re even stuck in this town to begin with.”

“Are you trying to make me angry at you again?” You raised an eyebrow in mock frustration.

The Cat King spoke the next words quietly, mostly to himself, but it was loud enough for you to catch them. “I’m not sure I could make you hate me more than you already do.”

Your eyebrows furrowed in real confusion. While you may have claimed your distaste for the man earlier, all you could feel for him now, looking at his handsome face, was a warmth pooling in your stomach.

“I don’t hate you,” you said.

“Oh, please,” he scoffed. He rolled his eyes. “I heard you before. Just stop playing with me.”

Your eyes narrowed and you tilted your head in thought. He avoided your gaze, his brows furrowed in discomfort, but he seemed strangely vulnerable in his words.

“I would have thought that the Cat King would love playing games.”

“Not when it comes to my feelings,” he said. “And it’s Thomas.”

“What is?”

“My name.”

“Thomas,” you tasted the word gently, letting the name drip off your tongue. You didn’t miss the way the Ca—Thomas shuddered and looked away at the sound. Could you really have that much impact on him? The thought stirred something inside of you—a strange excitement, of sorts. You took a hesitant step towards him. Then another, and another.

“Please, stop,” said Thomas quietly. He had closed his eyes. Then he added, as if an afterthought, “I don’t think I could handle it.”

“Handle what?” You knew what he meant, but you wanted to get to the bottom of this. The warmth that had pooled in your stomach when you first saw him shirtless had not left you, and you only felt yourself growing hotter by each step you took closer to him.

He let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes. “Are you really going to make me spell this out for you? It’s bad enough knowing you don’t feel anything for me without you tormenting me like this.”

Some part of your heart pulled at his words and the wounded look he was giving you. It led you to let out the words, “How can you be sure?”

“I asked you, remember?” He said it as if it was obvious. “And while your answer was harsh it was quite truthful.”

Your head tilted to the side. You knew what he thought you felt for him, but judging by the fire which flared every time you looked at him, you knew you did not feel the same as before. Every little look he spared your way filled you with warmth and you wanted nothing more than to step into his embrace.

So, you said, coyly, “Ask me again.”

“What?”

“I said, ask me again.”

Thomas rolled his eyes at your words. He must have thought it to be useless to hear your thoughts again, but he nonetheless drew a finger against your lips, the touch soft and warm. You felt the corner of your lips draw into a smile, but kept it from emerging. You met his steady gaze, waiting patiently.

“Alright, this is ridiculous,” he sighed. When you kept silent and stared intently into his eye, he opened his mouth again. “What do you feel for me?”

“I love you.”

Your eyes widened in sync with his. You were not prepared for those words to leave your mouth—you didn’t even know you felt that deeply for him. By the looks of it, neither did Thomas. His mouth opened and closed few times, trying to get any words out—or even any sounds. He eventually just settled with a slight gape to his jaw as he stared into your eyes, the question written clearly across his face.

The secret was out, you reckoned, so no point in turning back. When your lips curled into a soft smirk, he started fidgeting with his sleeve again and looked away furtively. It was adorable how nervous he was. Your hand reached out gently, grasping his cheek and forcing him to meet your gaze.

“No point in denying it now. I love you,” you repeated, gaze jumping between his golden eyes.

Finally, he managed to clear his throat and croak out an answer, “I must admit I am surprised. Sure, I hoped you felt some attraction for me, but love? That’s heavy.” He looked away again from the weight of your gaze.

You shrugged as your smirk widened. “What can I say? Somehow your stupid smile must’ve charmed me.”

That made Thomas’ gaze jump back to you within a heartbeat. “Oh, so it’s stupid now? I thought you loved it,” he said with an easy smile playing against his lips. It was infuriating how good it looked on him.

“Please shut up before I regret ever speaking to you.” You rolled your eyes, beginning to take a step back.

His arm reached out immediately, curling around your waist and pulling him closer to you. His strong embrace did things to you that you were not ready to admit, and you had to fight the nervous exhale that tried to crawl out of you.

Thomas smiled deviously, lowering his voice to a mutter and spoke softly into your ear, “How about you make me?”

His voice made shivers erupt across your skin and you tried not to fidget in his grasp. You pulled away to glance into his golden eyes before letting your gaze jump to his lips. He noted your gaze and his smile widened even further. You were not sure if you could take another of his cheeky remarks and swiftly closed the distance between you. His lips met yours in a hungry kiss, one full of emotion.

Thomas practically growled in your ear as he kisses from your jawline to your collarbone, his hands gripping your waist harshly. You were sure there would be marks there later, but right then and there you could not care less. Your arms made their way across his back and up his shoulders. He groaned as you tightened your grip on his shoulders, then pulled back slightly, breathless. You could see how dilated his pupils were, and the sight practically drove you insane.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I first saw you,” he whispered, his lips peppering soft kisses across your jaw.

His lips returned to yours, hungry and greedy. It was as if he was a starving man and you were the only thing keeping him alive. His lips left yours, but only for a fraction of a moment before they’re on your neck, kissing you. You arched against him as he gently bit your neck, throwing your head back to give him easier access.

“Thomas—” you let out a breathless moan, his name bleeding from your tongue.

The sound of his name on your lips ignited a new passion in him, as he started kissing your skin more fervently. His lips never left your skin for more than a second, and you would be lying if you said that you weren’t enjoying him immensely.

“I’ve never liked my name more than when you say it,” he said.

You released a breathless chuckle. “I’m sure you love the sound of your own name.”

He pulled back to meet your gaze with an arched eyebrow. “Okay, now you’re just being unfair.”

“What are you going to do about it?” you whispered, leaning closer while a smile spread against your lips.

In a moment, his mouth was on yours again. He slid his hand to the back of your neck, an urgency to his movements as his lips parted yours. He easily gave entrance for your tongue to enter his mouth, the taste of him better than you could have ever imagined. He pulled your hips to his, and he gently bit at your bottom lip. Then, he pulled away again, releasing a deep exhale with a smirk playing on his lips.

“Now, the cat really did get your tongue.”

Your stare was heavy as the dead when you met his eyes. “I will walk away, right now, with no hesitation if you say anything like that again.”

His arms circled you and pulled you even closer, his lips tugging upwards despite your words. “Okay, I’ll shut up.”

Your lips met his again before he pulled away, his gaze furtively jumping around. He seemed suddenly nervous as he struggled to get out his words again.

“I—” he started, before closing his mouth again. You gently pressed your lips against his cheek before he took a deep breath and met your gaze. “I want to say it back. Y’know, ‘cause I do feel things for you. It’s just—”

You smiled when you understood what he was hinting at. “Don’t worry about it. Take your time,” you said, your thumb rubbing against his cheek. He leant into the touch, kissing your palm and almost closing his eyes. “I was not looking for validation when I said what I said, but just so you would know how I felt.”

He smiled at your words, nodding. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Your lips formed into a smirk. “Besides, it won’t be long before you’re bloody smitten with my charm, either.”

“Who’s the arrogant asshole now, huh?” he asked and raised an eyebrow.

You sucked in a breath, tilting your head. “I like to think I’m confident.”

Thomas just let out a dry chuckle, before capturing your lips again. He moved slowly against you, savouring the taste. You let out a low groan, pulling him closer and smiling into the kiss. He released your lips for a moment to whisper against them.

“So, you don’t hate cats anymore?” he asked.

You pulled away further to look him in the eye. “Eh, well, I never said that,” you said. He gave you a pointed glare and you opened your mouth again. “But, they might as well grow on me. Who knows? You did.”

His smile was all the answer you needed as you kissed him once again. You didn’t think you would ever get sick of doing that. And neither would he, judging by the way he was holding you so tightly.

Tag list: @a-gay-dumbass @eunxhan @loverclear @shobolanya @edit-me-prettyplease @bookholichany @h3artfili4 @scriblezz @miaxturboto @ghostlyaccurate @bbybnnybee @remussl0vers @yokolesbianism @lost-saints

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moonyswritinq · 6 months ago

Text

black swan — killian jones x male reader

❝ BLACK SWAN ❞

SYNOPSIS ➢ Killian Jones was no stranger to using his charms in order to woo beautiful women, Emma Swan being no exception. You couldn’t stand the sight of him flirting shamelessly with your sister, purely for brotherly reasons, so you decide to tell him off. What you didn’t know, was that his eye had been drawn to you the moment he saw you.

PAIRING ➢ killian jones x brother!Swan male reader

CONTENT WARNING ➢ season 2 & 3 spoilers, sort of one-sided rivals to lovers, tension, kissing, making out, harsh language, guys flirting, insults as flirting, threats

WORD COUNT ➢ 2.4 k

AUTHORS NOTE ➢ I wrote this because I read another similar fic and, no hate to that author, but I wanted to write it better and so that it would be more to my satisfaction. Also, I am well aware of all the requests I still have yet to do, but I fell into a OUAT hole and now I’m here.

MASTERLIST, TAGLIST

Killian Jones finding a woman attractive was nothing special. He’s had his fair share of dalliances over the years. Ever since what happened to Milah, Killian was in no hurry to find the so-called “true love” and settle down. His never-ending adventures at sea kept him plenty occupied—and so did his hunt for his Crocodile.

It was no surprise then that the woman named Emma Swan would draw his eye. She was just his type: bold, determined, and a natural leader. His interactions with her in the Enchanted Forest left him intrigued, and his curiosity of her only grew when they returned to Storybrooke and defeated Cora together. He expected his infatuation with Emma to grow the more time he spent with her, but what he was not expecting, was you to catch his eye instead.

The son of Prince Charming and Snow White, brought to a world without magic together with Emma as babies, put into a foster home. Despite all your bad luck as children, your inability in finding a place to call home, at least you managed to stay together. And as Henry brought her back to Storybrooke to break the curse, you followed with. You weren’t a Saviour like her, not by a long shot. But you did have your own skills and abilities, something that came with being a devilishly cunning detective. However much she hated to admit it, Emma would oftentimes turn to you for help in hunting down a bounty. A difficult bounty for her meant an afternoon of idle searching for you.

You never turned down an opportunity to tease her about it and she never hesitated to roll her eyes at you. Nonetheless, you felt incredible protective of her. You may just have been a few minutes older than her, but that didn’t stop you from putting on the big brother act—something she didn’t always appreciate.

Which is why, when you saw a certain pirate unashamedly flirting with her, those brotherly instincts kicked in immediately. You knew Hook was helping your family in getting Henry back from Neverland, providing passage on his ship, the Jolly Roger, and offering his being a guide on the island. But those facts did not give him the right to flirt with your sister.

You had already been at odds with the man when, at your arrival to the island, the ship was attacked by a school of mermaids. Hook had stumbled in your direction and taken hold of the most stable thing closest to him—which happened to be you. His hand had gripped your waist, his hook coming to your chest as he fell against you. The closeness of his breath stirred something within you, something not entirely uncomfortable. Of course, it was not his fault that the ship veered to the side and that you had been closest to him when he stumbled, but that didn’t stop you from pushing him away from you the moment the ship steadied.

“My apologies,” he said, quite out of breath. His blue eyes were remarkably clear in the moonlight. “I usually offer a drink before getting so close to someone.”

Your glare was your only answer.

“I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.” He extended his hand for you to shake. You looked at it uncertainly.

“I’m Emma’s brother,” you said simply.

His eyebrow raised. “So you must be the infamous town sheriff y/n Swan. I s’pose good looks do run in the family.”

You began to scoff, but then your brain was able to fully comprehend his words. “I never told you my name.”

Hook glanced away, his confident smirk faltering. He cleared his throat. “I may have, er, asked someone for it.”

You shifted your head to meet his eye. “Someone?”

He let out a sigh. “I wanted to know who the handsome man that was traveling with us is, so yeah, I asked around. Really, you should be flattered.”

You scoffed at the grin that flashed across his face and turned on your heel. Like you’d said—shameless flirt.

Later, while searching Neal’s hideout, you watched him flash that same grin when talking to Emma. He stepped much closer, leaning towards her. You couldn’t stomach watching it. And you told yourself it was because she deserved better than a good-for-nothing scoundrel like him. No other reason.

So you watched from afar, leaned against the cave walls, as Hook winked at your sister. Emma glared at him, unimpressed. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about her falling for his charms. She was much too clever for that. You saw her walk away from him, away from the hand that he had reached forward to her and you smiled with grim satisfaction. But before you could step forwards, out of the shadows, David had approached Hook.

“Let me give you a bit of advice, Hook,” he said. “She’s never gonna like you.”

Hooks eyebrows shot into the air. “Is that so?”

“How could she?” David’s voice was laced with venom. “You’re nothing but a pirate.”

He seemed to want to reply, but nothing came out, and David walked away. Hook’s gaze followed him, his hand running down his face.

“He’s right, y’know,” you said, stepping forward.

A low growl slipped from his throat, Hook turning to face you. He looked almost crestfallen. “Can I not get enough of your bloody family?”

It was your turn to raise an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking you’d be glad to see me.”

Hook let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, I am very glad, love.”

“There’s that charm of yours,” you remarked humourlessly.

He smiled cheekily. “Doesn’t seem to be working on your sister, though.”

“Yeah,” you hummed. Step after step brought you closer to the pirate. You watched him closely, noting the way his eyes jumped over your figure. “Speaking of, we need to have a chat.”

He nodded absentmindedly, raising his finger to rub against his lips. The movement drew your eye to them. You knew he had noticed your gaze before you managed to tear it away when his lips curled into a smirk. You rolled your eyes. Goddamned pirate.

“If you’re going to stare at me like that, I’m going to get some mixed signals, love.” His voice was as smug and sweet as honey, only managing in irritating you more.

You were not known to be calm and level-headed. Anyone who was close to you knew to keep away when your anger threatened to burst, like an erupting volcano. Emma had once stolen one of your favourite pencils as a child and you had gotten back at her by spilling ink all over her favourite stuffed animal. But Hook did not know you well enough. He smiled sweetly.

Two steps forward and you were stood right in front of him, pressing against his chest. Rum and leather and sea salt filled your nose. The smell of him was overpowering and intoxicating all at once. You pressed one arm against his throat, pushing him back against the cave wall, the other bracing yourself against it. He grunted at the impact, groaning in displeasure, before meeting your gaze steadily.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure?”

The words growled out of your throat, through your gritted teeth. “Stay away from Emma, got it?”

“You may have gotten the good looks of your family. Not the manners, though,” he said lazily.

You cocked your head. “No, that is more my parents’ style.”

“You do have more of a bite than them,” he said. Then he tilted his head, as if in thought. “Huh, well, aren’t you a dark Swan, love? Or do you prefer Black Swan?”

Your brows knit together but you chose to ignore his words. Instead, you said, “I do agree with David that Emma will never fall for you, so you might as well give up now.”

Hook’s eyebrow raised. “If you’re so sure she won’t fall for me, why even bother threatening me? Surely, my flirting must be harmless.”

Your brows knitted together in suspicion. His eyes were annoyingly blue, piercing straight into yours. “Just leave her alone, Hook.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Does what bother me?” you asked, rolling your eyes.

“My flirting with her.” He leant forward a bit, throat straining against your arm. “Swan, are you jealous?”

You opened your mouth to protest. You? Jealous? Ridiculous. Then you noticed that his lips had curled into a cheeky smirk. “No,” you bit out.

Hook blinked, raising an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Heard you were quite the detective out in the Land of No Magic.”

Your head cocked to the side. “Yeah, so?”

He simply hummed, head falling back against the stone walls. His eyes traveled across your figure before jumping up to meet your gaze through his lidded eyes, something unintelligible in those swirls of blue. You ignored the warmth that pooled in your stomach at the sight of him like that.

“I will leave her alone,” he said calmly. “You have my word.”

You tried to detect the mischievous thoughts that were surely lying behind his eyes, but came up empty. You had no idea if he was telling the truth or not, but you let him go and stepped back in one swift moment. He cleared his throat, rubbing one hand across his collarbone.

“Fine,” you said, glancing away from his steely gaze. You weren’t sure what to do with yourself then, and you cleared your throat uncomfortably.

“Shall we?” Hook asked, gesturing to where the others had gone.

“Yeah,” you said simply, walking past him briskly.

You didn’t know what had suddenly overcome you or why you were now so uncomfortable in Hook’s presence. For the rest of that day, every time you glanced in his direction to make sure he was heeding your words of staying away from Emma—to which he did—you felt as if your nerves were standing on end. And on occasion, when he happened to be glancing your way as well and your eyes met, you felt shivers travel down your body, forcing you to break his eye contact. You thought you could see a smirk playing across his lips in those moments, but you chose to ignore him.

That same evening, you had found out David and Hook been ambushed by the Lost Boys. Apparently, Captain Hook had risked his life saving David from a poisonous arrow with Nightshade on it. You almost wanted to laugh at the idea of Hook doing something so heroic, but at the sight of David’s serious face you merely took a swig of the offered flask, like the others. You caught his eye right before he turned and stepped away from the others. You followed him behind a tree.

“I heard what you did for David,” you said. He stopped and turned to face you. “Thank you, Killian.”

His smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes. “I wouldn’t leave your father to perish on this island.”

You nodded, glancing away for a moment before meeting his eye. “I must ask, did you do it to get in my sister’s good graces?”

“I thought you weren’t jealous.” His eyebrow raised.

“Answer the question,” you bit out.

His smile dropped as he met your gaze. “No, I didn’t do it for her. I did it for you. And because it was the right thing to do.”

You couldn’t help the scoff that escaped you. “So now you’re all righteous, huh?”

Hook cocked his head. “I’ve always been chivalrous,” he said. “And, well, it doesn’t take a genius to know that getting your father killed would not help my courting you.”

You chose to ignore those last few words, your smile holding no warmth. “You’re right. You are no genius,” you said.

“This doesn’t sound like a thank you,” Hook remarked, raising his eyebrows.

You let out a sigh, looking down at the ground beneath your feet. “I’m sorry.”

He scratched the nape of his neck. “Perhaps you could show me some gratitude to make it up to me.”

His gaze was dark underneath his eyelashes, his lips curling into a smirk. You thought you knew what he was implying. You wouldn’t let him get off that easily, though.

“Uh, yeah,” you said, the corners of your mouth lifting. “That was what the ’thank you’ was for.”

“Mmm,” Hook hummed. He took a step closer, so close now you could count his eyelashes. “Is that all your father’s life is worth to you?”

You rolled your eyes. “Please, you couldn’t handle it.”

“Perhaps,” he whispered, face leaning much closer to you. You could feel his breath against your skin. “It’s you who couldn’t handle it.”

Your eyes jumped between his, then to his lips. Those damned lips, curled into that damned smile. Oh Gods, why did you have to be attractive to a pirate. Without leaving any time for you to think your actions through, you took ahold of his jacket and pulled his face towards yours.

Hook let out a surprised gasp, which you swallowed into the kiss. He dragged himself closer, hand clinging to your waist. You felt his chest press hard against you as his lips moved against yours. It was harsh, quick, and angry—just like your feelings for him.

The warmth in your stomach deepened as you pressed yourself impossibly closer to him. One hand made its way into his dark hair, pulling lightly against it. He let out a deep moan at the movement, his eyes shooting open and lips pulling away for a moment.

You smiled at the sight of him, red-lipped, cheeks flushed and eyes full of desire. “Too harsh for you, captain?”

He groaned at your words, capturing your lips once more. His hook was pressing your waist against his as his hand grabbed your neck, bringing you into him. He was truly and well intoxicating.

Hook pulled away again, breath coming out in short bursts. “So I’m not good enough for your sister, but I’m good enough for you.”

You cocked your head and shrugged. “I’m not as good as she is.”

He smiled into the kiss when you pulled him closer again. His teeth captured your bottom lip lightly, but the feeling made a smile of your own erupt across your face.

“I don’t know,” Hook said. “I think you’re pretty good.”

“Killian.”

“My name has never sounded sweeter.”

“Shut up.” You rolled your eyes, smile still playing across your lips.

“With pleasure,” he murmured while pulling you close again.

Tag list: @a-gay-dumbass @eunxhan @loverclear @shobolanya @edit-me-prettyplease @bookholichany @scriblezz

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