#‘I will resist the urge to demonize entire groups of people.’ YAWN

[lonely-lost-soul]

A Pirate's Life for Me

Cover Art Done By: @fridaydev-draws and @friday-dsv (Dreamsmp x reader) Pirate Au! Love Interests: C!Wilbur, C!Techno, C!Dream, C!Sapnap, C!Quackity, and C!Schlatt

~~~

Salt burned your lungs as you tossed open your window with a loud bang, the seagulls perching on your flower boxes screeched in protest and flew from your window. “Fucking sky rats get the fuck out of here you heathens!” You snarled out the window shaking your fist at the bothersome birds, the sounds of the ocean crashing on the shore filled your ears as well as the chatter of the dock workers. You let the breeze blow back your hair and you heard someone calling your name from down below.

“Good morning (Y/n)!” You glanced below you and grinned,

“Morning Eret!” They waved back enthusiastically their dress spilling around their ankles, a basket of fruit was balanced on his hip. “Opening early today? I'm sure your patrons would be happy to start their drunken stupor early,” She held a hand to his mouth snickering and you shot them a look.

“If that gets more money in my pocket then so be it, I won't complain too much.” You shrugged, “Will I still see you later tonight?”

“Always do dove, how can I resist a drink from my favorite bartender.”

“You can’t it’s my charm.”

“Will the both of you shut the fuck up!” Another man’s voice growled from another open window, “It’s too early for your bullshit.” You saw Eret click his tongue but smiled up at you despite the man's protests,

“I’m heading to the market anyway. These fruits won’t sell themselves, I'll see you later.”

“See you soon!” You closed your windows once more, but not before urging your daisies to grow one last time. You tossed open the curtains allowing light to spill into your cozy home, a small carpet was in the middle of your room. It was a deep red and the pattern was made of gold yarn, aside from that everything in your residency was made of dark wood. Your shelves were littered with books and empty cups, and your old worn journal sat open on your desk. It was filled with childhood memories and you continued to write in it to this day, it was easier then, things were simple and everything was innocent and new to you. Now your days were filled with sea fairing idiots who liked to drink themselves stupid, but you could handle yourself, you always kept your father's dagger on your thigh at all times. Those who were frequent customers knew not to mess with you and those who were new learned their lesson within the first ten minutes of meeting you. You inherited the bar from your father, a kindhearted man who died a few years before today, leaving you with the bar and the dagger you had on your hip. You fished through your closet pulling out your clothes for the day, your dress was a gorgeous light coffee color and came down to your ankles. The bottom was flared and had dark brown panels on the sides, it faded inward to a light green then back to the coffee color. The corset around your waist was a dark brown with light green trim, you tied it tight with a small huff making sure your waist was sinched perfectly. The sleeves came down to your elbows allowing you to move your arms freely while making drinks. The top of the dress ended just below your collarbone, you strapped your dagger to your thigh before lacing up your knee-high black boots.

You thought back to your tavern downstairs, you were fortunate enough that you weren’t running this entire operation yourself. You ended up hiring help and they were like family and you knew they saw you as such as well. Most of the girls didn’t have a family of their own so you gave them room and board, also money, of course, you weren’t a terrible boss! You opened the door to your room, you watched Cecil, the tavern’s mascot trot out of Juniper’s room. The border collie liked to switch up which rooms he stayed in protecting every one of your girls when you couldn’t be there for them.

The first of your girls was Adelaide or Addie, she was one of the first to fall under your care. She was around your age, a motherly type, sheep hybrid, who cared for the girls, and always gave the drunk patrons with mommy issues a shoulder to cry on. Her long brown hair always hung down her back, she typically worked tables, served food and drinks, and always got a generous tip from patrons.

The next girl was Judas, a squid-enderman hybrid who was taller than you could ever wish to be, although intimidating you couldn’t meet a kinder woman. A jack of all trades the woman helped out wherever she could, black-ish purple hair curled around her shoulders and some people came specifically to hear her sing. Her voice was like rich velvet and lured men and women in like a siren.

Juniper was after Judas, a demon hybrid who was naive but you’d be a fool to underestimate her. She worked beside you at the bar, she can make some mean fruity drinks, Eret always preferred her drinks over yours. Freckles adorned her face and shoulders, her light brown hair curled down to her middle back, purple horns sprouted from the top of her head. You wanted to adorn it with gold jewelry and you were saving up to gift some to her.

Yeti was a human woman like yourself, she didn’t bother with those who were rude or obnoxious. She kept to herself only really talking when she was spoken to or when there was an opportunity to crack a rare joke. She typically stayed on the sidelines, out of the scenes and Yeti liked to help Judas decorate her sets.

Zig was a kind young adult, they got along with everyone who came inside the tavern. Soft emerald eyes drew people in, and they tried to make sure tensions within the bar didn’t rise and start a fight. There would always be one or two that’s just natural, but one look at Zig and his magic words and they seemed to disperse, not wanting to hurt the kid’s feelings.

Vendetta was the tallest member of the group you had taken in, she was stunningly beautiful and didn't take shit from anybody. She was a guard dog if you will, making sure no one fucked with any of the girls in your tavern. While Zig did their best to keep people under control sometimes they couldn’t win. That’s when Ven would step in and ‘kindly’ escort them off the premises with or without force.

The youngest member here was Luvena. She was a moo-bloom hybrid with soft brown hair that sprouted flowers, her cow ears would twitch when she was excited and followed Addie around like she was her daughter. Addie took her under her wing and was training her to be a perfect little waitress, absolutely warming customers’ hearts. Luvena also loved to give out flowers, she was a fan favorite bringing new life into the tavern.

Cecil barked seeing his mama and scampered over to you, you poured food into his bowl as Juniper wandered into the hallway. Her head rested on the doorframe as she gave you a tried wave, “Morning (Y/n).”

“Morning Juni, We’re opening a little early today. Take your time I’m not expecting a big rush of bar patrons this early.” You assured her and she gave a sleepy nod,

“I’ll be down as soon as Ven’s out of the shower.” She yawned, “This beauty doesn’t come naturally.”

“Hardly darling you’re gorgeous just the way you are.” You reassured with a wink, Juniper flushed a little, happily laughing beside you.

“Just go wake the others will you, you flirt!”

Tossing your head back you gave a happy laugh heading down the hallway to make sure everyone was awake and ready to go for later. Addie and Luvena shared a room so she was in charge of waking up the youngest member of the tavern. Judas was already awake making breakfast for everyone when you headed downstairs, Zig was sitting on the counter beside her, they were the designated taste tester.

“Good morning Miss (Y/n)!” Zig chirped, the young adult hummed fondly, “Sleep okay?”

“Absolutely. What about you both? Thank you for making breakfast Judas.” You hummed fondly and Judas had a shy smile on her face.

“I slept well thank you.” Judas hummed softly, “Also it’s my pleasure. Want to make sure everyone’s healthy and alright.” She let out a little squeak as you wrapped your arms around her body, you barely came up to her chest,

“Judas please marry me,” You complained, “Your breakfast is always heavenly and you care for everyone. Please be my wife.”

“(Y/n)! Please.” She sputtered face turning a dark purple, Zig made a noise of protest and held his hand in the air.

“If she won’t marry you I will!”

“Zig! I’d be honored!”

Their entire face lit up with excitement and they hopped off the table to hug you tightly, you hugged them back and pressed a fond kiss to the top of their head. “I got to open up the tavern, you mind setting the table for me Zig?”

“Sure Miss!”

You sent Judas a kiss in the air which her face burned at, quickly going back to her cooking. You smiled eagerly and unlocked the door to the tavern, you shoved a bucket in front of the door to keep it open. The salty ocean air wafted through your nostrils and your eyes sparkled wondrously.

Today is going to be a good day.

Almost immediately a particular bastard caught your eye,

“You’re here early.” You mused raising an eyebrow,

“Heard you were opening early today sweetcheeks,” His voice was a low baritone, rough from years of smoking and drinking. Horns curled around his fluffy ears that stood out against his gruff exterior, he was a ram hybrid at its finest. “Figured I’d take the opportunity to get a special drink from my special girl,” He mused looking you up and down drinking in your figure. You scoffed at the retired man, he dressed like he was cosplaying captain jack sparrow, the gun’s in his belt just added to his costume and so did his large ruffled shirt, he was never one to forget his gold jewelry.

“Where’s Quackity?” You ignored him sitting him at his usual table, he frowned but you knew he was taking it as an opportunity to stare at your ass. He slid into the stool and put his feet up on the table, his boots were muddy but you could only control him so much. He was too much of a regular to get scared off by your threats and scolding.

“He’ll be in at his normal time. He’s not much of a day drinker, although can’t say I’m complaining. Having all your attention on me and all, considering I’m the only one in here. That being said, I’ll have my usual sweetcheeks.”

“Stop calling me that,” You scolded with a certain fondness that was reserved for the man. “You’re lucky you’re my favorite regular Schlatt,” you gave his ears a fond pinch and he bleated. He sent you a scalding look as you walked away, although the look soon fell as he got a good look at your ass once again.

“I’m your only regular sugar tits!”

“Schlatt feet off the table.” Addie criticized whacking his boots with a rolled-up menu, he rolled his eyes but dropped his feet to the floor. “You should know this by now, we go through this every day.”

“Yeah, yeah little lamb I’m on it. Judas here?”

“She’s always here,” She huffed spreading the menu down on the table. “Do you want your usual or something different? Should I get Quackity’s drink ready too?”

“Nah just stick with mine, for now, tell Judas I’d like to see her.”

Addie clicked her tongue and placed her hand on her hip, “fine. But if you’re just going to grossly flirt with her as you do with (y/n), then keep it to yourself.”

“You’re not the boss of me. Just because you look like an old hag-” The way she glared at him sent a chill down his spine, “shit babe take a joke will you.”

Eventually, people began to file into the tavern, as the morning faded into the afternoon and then into the evening. The tavern was bustling with life, Judas’s elegant voice traveled through the crowds and her voices seemed to float above the voices. Quackity joined Schlatt by his side seemingly irritated by a conversation they were having, Schlatt was about five drinks in at this point, which was much less than his usual, and Quackity on his second.

“What are they talking about?” Luvena asked swinging her legs as she sat on the bar beside you. Her moobloom ears twitching every so often as she tried to eavesdrop on their conversation,

“Vena it’s impolite to eavesdrop.” You scolded bopping her on the head lightly, she whined and rubbed the top of her head.

“I wasn’t!” She argued as you rolled your eyes, you looked over at the two men to find Quackity looking over at you. His hand was raised in the air, one finger was up summoning you to get him another drink.

“I’ll be back, why don’t you talk to Ven while I’m gone. She’ll keep an eye on you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

“Good thing she doesn’t want to babysit your ass either, now shoo.” You motioned her to hop off the bar and she did so with a long, dramatic sigh. You looked over at Ven who gave you a silent nod, letting you know she’d watch out for the youngest member of your band of misfits. Meanwhile, you grabbed Quackity another drink and walked over to the two men at the table, “Someone order a drink?”

“Aye! Mamacita! Fancy seeing you here.” Quackity purred a bright smile spreading across his face seeing that you were the one to deliver his drink,

“Hey Big Q,” You greeted placing the drink in front of him, “You doing okay?”

“Better now that an angel walked into my sight,” He flirted and you rolled your eyes. “What? It’s true! You always brighten my day you know? Ow!” Schlatt hit his ex-first mate over the head,

“Take a breath lover boy. Thanks for the drink sugar tits.”

“You’re welcome, what were the both of you talking about if I may ask.” You hummed grabbing some of Schlatt’s empty glasses, an uncharacteristic frown came over both their faces. “Oh? Touchy subject?”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Just dishing out some old problems, most of which are better left unsaid.” He aimed that statement at Quackity, his jaw seemed clenched and Quackity’s brow furrowed in annoyance.

“Well I just want to remind the both of you,” You passed the tray of empty glasses over to Addie as she walked by, she took them swiftly. You grabbed the side of both their heads and pressed them against your chest, not that you knew but both men’s flushed to the tips of their ears. “No physical fights are allowed in this tavern. If one starts I won’t hesitate to kick your fucking asses. Got it?” They looked over your chest and locked eyes with one another, after years on the sea they could read one another’s facial expressions rather easily and at that moment they shared the same thought,

‘They should fight more often.’

“I said, got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” The repeated simultaneously as you pulled away,

“That’s what I like to hear-”

“(Y/n)!” Vendetta’s velvety voice called out from behind you, you turned and saw a group of newcomers file into your bar. Your body tensed momentarily,

Pirates.

Schlatt turned his head to follow your gaze and he tensed from behind you, “fuck me.” He growled and Quackity raised an eyebrow at his captain, he turned to look over his shoulder and his face lit up.

“Sapnap!”

The pirate who had a white bandana tied around his forehead glanced over at him and a smile lit up across his features. “Quackity? Is that you?”

“My man!” He stood up from his chair heading over to wrap the man in a hug, “I haven’t seen you in years, man.” You zoned out of their conversation eyes locking with a few of the other pirates who walked into the tavern. Vendetta and Addie both greeted them, but everyone who was under your care knew to keep their guard up around pirates. From what you could gather there seemed to be two crews, a crew of what only seemed to be two, Sapnap was included. The fire demon was still talking with Quackity, while the other man took in the view of the tavern, he had shaggy blonde hair, and had a few scars across his face. A porcelain mask sat on top of his head, a forest green cloak was around his shoulders, his hood was lowered around his neck. A sword was strapped tight against his hip and there was another dagger that seemed to be tucked against his side. His eyes gazed towards you and he winked teasingly with a coy smile, you scoffed looking over at Addie.

“Seat those two gentlemen yeah? Be careful, I’ll tell Ven and Yeti to keep an eye.” Addie looked at you, concern written on her soft features but she nodded. While Addie departed, you noticed Ven talking with the other group. Luvena was hiding behind Vendetta’s long legs, although a tall blonde boy seemed very keen on talking to her. You smoothed out your dress and moved towards the group of three, you eyed them up casually. The blonde looked to be around Luvena’s age, he had a shit-eating grin on his face and his uniform matched that of the second tallest in the group. The second tallest was clad in a light blue jacket with large golden buttons on the red collar. He had a cream-frilled shirt underneath and a black belt holding up his brown slacks, those were tucked into black boots. On his back seemed to be a guitar and was the only one of them not holding a weapon, but you knew better than to assume with pirates. His curly brown hair seemed to bounce every time he talked, he seemed to be the ringleader but there was no doubt that the real ringleader was the hybrid standing beside him. He was taller, on par with Vendetta in height, he had long pink hair that was tied in a ponytail on top of his head. A few pieces framed his face elegantly, there was no doubt he was the captain of the little crew that was in your tavern. He had a white shirt on with a deep low cut ‘V’ it showed off a good portion of his scared chest, around his shoulders sat a deep red jacket but his arms were outside of it and crossed over his chest. He seemed content on letting his second in command do all the talking, his red eyes were the only ones to meet yours. His head tilted upwards and before Vendetta could stop him he walked over towards you,

“You own the tavern?” His voice was a low monotone and it sent an array of pleasant chills up your spine.

“I do,” You raised an eyebrow crossing your arms over your chest, “Names (Y/n). You are?”

“Captain Technoblade of the ship Odyssey, I was hoping you had a few rooms and a table available. My brothers and I are pretty exhausted, we’ve been sailing all night.”

Brothers, they certainly didn’t all look alike, but then again you certainly had a mix of girls in your care. Your tongue swiped against the top row of your teeth, “Why don’t you and your brothers take a seat at the bar for now. Juniper will be happy to serve you, I’ll see if we have some free rooms available.”

“Thank you, once you return I’ll introduce them to you if you’d like,” Technoblade bowed his head before turning back to get his brother’s attention.

“I’d like that thank you.” You gave a nod motioning for Vendetta to follow you as you slid behind the bar with Juniper, Judas had also taken a spot sitting on the bar. You figured you’d let her know as well, considering she was another adult figure in the group. You knew either Juniper or Judas would fill in Addie considering the three were close. “Ven, can they be trusted?”

“Not too sure about the masked man, the one Quackity seems to be familiar with seems decent enough. He’s a fire demon though, could smell him from miles away, we all just need to be cautious.”

“Agreed,” Juniper added tapping her finger on her chin. “We should just try to curb all fighting if at all possible, what did the captain of the other group ask you?”

“They want a room, I’m about to check to see if we have availability. Thoughts on that?”

Judas let out a low hum her eyes followed both sets of pirate groups around the tavern, “I say if we have availability let them stay. They seem harmless so long as we don’t mess with them, which we’d never do.”

“Plus I can always stay awake to keep an eye on them.” Vendetta tapped her nails against the table,

“You sure.”

“As if I’d let anything happen to any of you, you’re my family.”

You all smiled softly, and you noticed Judas’s eyes widen, “Zig! Get that out of your mouth this instant!” She shot up from her spot and over to the person in question. The three of you laughed fondly at the nonsense, meanwhile, Juniper saw the three brothers sit at her bar. She moved away from you to greet them, you immediately could tell she was taken with the second eldest brother.

He seemed to be an absolute lady killer.

Vendetta ruffled your hair before going back to stand at her place by the door to keep the peace. You headed up the stairs to the rafters to check on the extra rooms you had, “Excuse me?” You tensed visibly turning around to face the man in all green. His eyes were mesmerizing, a fierce jade green to contrast his cloak, “Do you happen to have two rooms available?” The man held up two fingers to clarify his request,

“Do you usually start introductions with a blatant request like that?”

He chuckled a smile spreading across his lips, “I’m Dream and you gorgeous?”

“(Y/n), it’s your lucky day I’m about to check and see if any are available. My tavern is a hot commodity tonight.”

“Well, I can see why,” he spoke and you raised an eyebrow and tilted your head to the side.

“Oh?”

“It has the hottest owner around. Word spreads fast.”

You couldn’t believe this man was making your cheeks burn, he chuckled softly taking a step towards your figure. “Oh really, word spreads that fast on the open sea, Captian?” It was his turn to turn light pink, but he covered it up quickly with a chuckle.

“Touché.”

“I’ll get on that room for you and your friend. Take a seat, for now, this part is for guests and staff only you know?”

“So I have you all to myself?” He cheekily mused, he stepped towards you and before you knew it you were pinned against a wall. His hand suddenly brushed against your cheek, it was cold in comparison to your warm cheek. You felt Dream’s thumb brush against your cheek slowly, “You know...being on the open sea alone does something to a person.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” You mused pushing your forehead back against Dream’s, “All alone with only your crew with you.” Taking his other hand within your own you slid it up to your hip, you saw his entire face turn red as he stared down at your chest. “You’re probably missing a little love in your life, aren’t you Dreamy?” He nodded dumbly, his eyes still not leaving your chest,

Perfect. You weren’t going to let some pirate boy get the better of you.

He let out a grunt of pain as you spun him around and pressed his head into the wall with your elbow, your other hand has his pinned behind his back. “This hallway is for staff and guests only,” You purred in his ear before letting him go and swinging your hips before heading up the stairs fully. From behind you, Dream’s face was a deep, dark red and he had to clear his throat. Dream wasn’t going to let you go after that, I mean look at you, tough and able to hold your own, it awakened something inside him.

After checking up on the rooms you headed back down into the main hall, three-room keys in your hand. Glancing over at the scene in front of you, you saw Juniper dancing in the middle of the tavern the flirtatious brother at her side. Judas was sitting beside Schatt and Quackity at the bar, Addie was tending to Technoblade and the blonde at their little table. Dream and Sapnap were whispering to one another in the corner but still seemed to be enjoying the show. Vendetta was smiling softly by the door, beside her were Luvena and Zig both playing various instruments. You noticed Eret was also amongst the crowd, she had a brilliant grin on his face, it was flushed pink with alcohol and you smiled to yourself.

It was peaceful, and for a moment you forget half the patrons were scoundrels or pirates.

That was until the man dancing with Juniper locked eyes with you, his eyes lit up and he spun Juniper off into Addie’s arms. She giggled snuggling into the mother sheep’s arms, you heard a distressed “Juni! I’m holding glasses!” Before your vision was overtaken by the handsome flirt.

“Hello love,” He hummed, “May I offer you a dance?”

You were about to refuse but you saw Yeti, who finally made her appearance as it was getting closer to Judas’s set, giving you a big thumbs up “I’d be honored.” You responded taking his hand within your own, he pulled you out onto the dance floor and you felt his other hand politely hover on the small of your back. He allowed you to lean into his touch as he began to elegantly spin you around the dance floor, you were almost embarrassed to say felt like a princess. “Maybe I could get your name?” You asked above the music, “Since it seems you’re my dance partner this evening?”

“Wilbur Soot my love.” He hummed proudly, “The first mate of the ship Odysseus at your service. Plus I play music on the side.”

“Well now you need to play for us,” Wilbur twirled you around in a circle,

“Maybe one day. If you give me your name?”

“(Y/n) (L/n).”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“I was right.” You commented biting the bottom of your lip trying not to smile,

“About what?”

“You.”

“Ah? Already talking about me I see? Is my manliness and gentlemanly qualities that renowned?”

“Not exactly.” He picked you up slightly and pulled you into a low dip, “I was right in thinking you a nothing but a flirty playboy.” Wilbur almost dropped you, you squawked grabbing onto his neck. He began to laugh as you clung to his chest,

“Alright love. You caught me red-handed.”

Wilbur set you on your feet hands on your lower back, you were pulled close to his chest. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I get them for free hon. I own the place.”

“Oh...oh.” He paled a little, “I didn’t fuck up our chances of getting a room did I?”

“Nah lucky for you and your brothers, I have you covered, same with your buddies over there.” You motioned to Dream and Quackity’s friend, Wilbur’s face paled as he felt the chilled room key get placed in his palm. “What’s your little brother’s name?”

“Tommy.”

“Tell them both we serve breakfast free from 7 am to 10 am.” He nodded as you walked past, Wilbur meanwhile turned to look at Technoblade. It seemed he had his red eyes on the couple the entire time they were dancing. He held up a room key, it was labeled 205; Technoblade nodded his head before leaning back and talking to Addie once more. “Dream!” You called throwing a hand up into the air, instead of Dream, Sapnap looked up he nudged Dream with his elbow. The man was now wearing his mask, but at least you could tell he was looking at you,

“Well hello, darlin’ you must be (Y/n). Name's Sapnap. Dream told me about you, so you have good news for us I hope?”

“Pleasure, I'm sure he told you all about me,” He nodded, his eyes taking in your body especially your ass. “Got you both a room key, your neighbors. Across from the other crew of pirates. Just don’t fight and we won’t have any problems.”

“You mean those jackasses are staying?” Sapnap complained loudly, looking over your shoulder at the other crew members.

“You both didn’t think you were the only patrons, did you? This is a business after all.” You, tossed the keys their way, Dream caught it with ease and Sapnap fumbled it only a little bit. After they were in their hands, you waved them off with a flutter of your palm you turned around to go speak with Judas about her set but before you could take a step you saw Schlatt stumbling up from his seat. “Ah shit,” You knew what was about to happen, you weren’t paying attention to the ram hybrid so who knew how many drinks in he was. You felt responsible, for a while you and Judas had been trying to help Schlatt with his addiction. You couldn’t help but wonder what exactly set him off for him to get this drunk, Quackity caught him in his arms with a grumble. The man was a drunken mess, and as you approached you could hear his slurred speech and could practically smell the alcohol on his breath. “Schlatt,” You spoke carefully and as soon as you got close Schlatt detached himself from Quackity and lunged at you. His head was buried in his chest, he almost purred like he was very happy to be there, you rolled your eyes and ran your fingers through his hair. You were mindful of his horns but he seemed pretty eager for you to touch them,

“(Y/n).” He whined although it was muffled against your ample chest, “Why do pirates have to fuck everything up?”

“What are you on about Schlatt? No one likes pirates.”

“They’re gonna take you away from me, sugar. You’re my safe space, this tavern is my safe space.” You sighed listening to his drunken ramblings, you grabbed his horns and pulled him away from your chest.

“This is my life Schlatt, I’m not going anywhere trust me. Plus my family is here, they need me. So try not to worry okay?” You slicked back the hair on his forehead before planting a fond kiss there, everyone in the tavern narrowed their eyes at the scene. Even your girls were green with envy, at the sight of their lovely boss kissing someone who wasn’t them. He leaned against your lips eyes fluttering closed,

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Captian Schlatt? Or ex-captain if I remember correctly.”

“What?”

You turned your head and felt Schlatt’s arms wrap around your waist and held you close to his chest. The touch was protective and you felt your heart skip a beat, why was he protecting you, and why did you actually feel protected?

“Has the drinking finally caught up to you? Or was it the fact that you lost your so-”

Was that Dream's voice?

“Shut the fuck up.” He snarled and you were shoved behind him into Quackity’s arms, you felt less protected. “I’m not that person anymore and you fucking know that,” Vendetta came to stand beside the both of you a hand was placed on your shoulder protectively. You knew she was desperately wanted to step in and you held up a hand to stop her.

“This isn’t good…” Quackity murmured, “They’re going to fight. Schlatt’s going to get himself fucking killed.”

“Calm yourself. We won’t let it get that far.” Ven grumbled eyeing you waiting for your signal. But you were lost in the conversation or argument, the two were having, you couldn’t believe Schlatt was a pirate. He was so...he just didn’t...he was a drunk okay? That didn’t exactly shout feared pirate to you!

“Oh, are you sure? I remember that look, that’s the look you’d get before you stomped someone’s lights out. No wonder your son disappeared under mysterious circumstances-” Dream was shoved against one of the poles holding up the building. He grunted and Schlatt’s arm was pulled back ready to punch, but his arm was stopped by smaller hands,

“Pardon me Mr. Schlatt but you know how we feel about fighting in our tavern.” Addie bubbled, she had a smile on her face but it wasn’t kind, it was full of warning.

“Get the fuck off me, sheepie. This doesn’t fucking concern you.” Schlatt shoved her away and as soon as his skin made contact with her body he made a sound of distress.

“(Y/n)...” Addie murmured quietly, your father’s dagger was embedded in Schlatt’s arm,

“Fucking hell you bitch!” He snarled baring his teeth, you glared at him twisting the dagger he yelled in agony.

“Touch one of my girls again and next time this dagger is going right into your back.” You ripped the dagger out, splattering the floor with blood. He grabbed his arm tightly and looked at you with slight betrayal in his yellow eyes. “I mean it Schlatt, Quackity take him home.” The man nodded looking at you longingly, he muttered a quiet ‘Sorry’ before escorting him out of your tavern. “You,” You glared harshly over at Dream, “Go to your room.”

“You’re not my mother.”

“Then find another play to stay.” You spat, he turned away and you looked over at Addie, “Are you alright?” Your voice turned tender as you cupped her cheeks. She nuzzled against your palms and nodded her head,

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to-”

“Yes, I did. No one messes with you. With any of you on my watch.”

The sheep hybrid made a little sound as her bottom lip trembled, she wrapped you in a tight hug which you accepted without hesitance. Judas walked over next and wrapped you both in her arms, pretty soon you were surrounded by your girls and Zig.

All of them had the same mindset: comforting both you and Addie.

It was good to be loved.

Wilbur watched the scene curiously and glanced over at Technoblade who stood up from his chair.

“I think that’s our cue to leave for the night.” He looked over at his first mate, Wilbur nodded in agreement grabbing his guitar from the chair beside Technoblade.

“They...Techno were they talking about Tubbo.” Tommy whispered to his brother, his brow furrowing in concern as they all climbed the steps up to their room, “You don’t think-”

“It just might be Tommy.” Technoblade tilted his head to the side, “Guess that’ll be something we ask him when we get back to the ship tomorrow.”

“Well, this trip is going to be way more fun than I thought.” Wilbur snickered lighting a cigarette, taking a long drag, before letting the smoke curl out of his mouth and up into the rafters. ~~~

Tag List: @v01dw4lk3rz, @jam-bombs, @abovenyx, @glitterydigitalart, @phoenixaesthetic19, @luluwinchester, @boiled-onionrings, @pastelmoonwitche, @roxy3457, @alovestruck-fool, @victory-is-here, @mack4676, @fiorenc, @theoneandonlyyeti, @bloodrose0723, @sandyy-woo,

[huntertales]

Part One: Abstinence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder. (Rock And A Hard Place S09E08)

Episode Summary: Sheriff Jody Mills enlists the help of Y/N and the Winchesters to help investigate multiple kidnappings that belonged to the same chastity group. The three decide to infiltrate the group for themselves. But things go wrong when Y/N and Dean disappear. Sam and Jody must rescue them before it’s too late. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Word Count: 5,223.

Previous Part | Supernatural Rewrite Masterlist

NOTE: Yes, this is a repost. I edited a few things around because I didn’t like it when I read it over. Took me a few days to actually get around to doing such thing. Sorry about that, but please enjoy!

Dean wasn’t sure if he should be concerned at the state he found you in when he walked into the kitchen this morning, or take a picture to tease you about this later. It seemed you were in the process of eating breakfast before you somehow fell asleep at the table, your head cradled in your arms as you quietly snored, notifying Dean that you were in a deep sleep. You hadn’t taken a hunt in the past couple of days since coming back from New York, giving you and the boys a chance to catch up on some sleep between looking for jobs and trying to figure out how to fix the mess Metatron made. While you helped when you could, your sleep hadn’t been disturbed all that much. Dean thought this might have been the first time since you started hunting you’ve gotten a healthy amount of sleep. 

He could tell because you slept like the dead last night. Dean had to lovingly, but quite forcefully, push you off his chest so he could get a jump start on the day. Normally it was you who slipped out of bed first and Dean eventually got himself up. Instead you rolled over to your side of the bed and slept for another twenty minutes before you got up. You seemed your usual self when you woke up this morning, eyes half-shut and grumpy, signaling to him you forced yourself up against your own will. On mornings like this Dean learned to wait until your first cup of caffeine to speak a word to you. It seemed you had just done that from how the pot was still hot and plenty full for everyone else. But for some reason, you were still exhausted and in need of a little cat nap. 

“Sweetheart?” Dean quietly spoke out to you, making sure to keep his voice at a soft enough level so he didn’t disturb you from your slumber. Normally you were a light sleeper on a good day. He made his way over to the table and leaned over to see your peacefully sleeping face. You were out cold. His lips twitched into a small smile at how adorable you looked. Dean knew he was going to get it from what he did next, but to hell with the consequences. He never got the chance to prank you like he did with Sam. 

Dean made his way over to the table with a bowl in hand and a little too roughly dropped it down, causing you to wake up abruptly and with a rush of panic. The man snickered to himself behind his coffee cup as he watched you frantically look around the kitchen wondering where the noise came from. When you realized who was to blame for your rude awakening, there was a few second delayed reaction before you rolled your eyes. 

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Dean greeted you, smiling from the way you tried to fix your disheveled hair and smooth down your wrinkled top. “Did I disturb you?’

“What? No.” You mumbled. You rubbed your eyes like a tired child and forced yourself to keep a yawn from escaping your mouth. Sam happened to come into the kitchen right as you dropped your arms into your lap. The younger Winchester gave you a slightly confused reaction at your groggy demeanour. Your face scrunched up in annoyance from his lingering stare. “What are you looking at, Sasquatch?” 

“Did you get any sleep last night?” Sam asked you out of concern, wondering if a bad nightmare kept you up most of the hours. None of you were strangers to restless nights due to a wandering mind that went to dark places you traveled to. Your entire life was a living nightmare, your past troubles liked to come and haunt you when you tried to sleep. But it seemed that wasn’t the case for you. 

“On the contrary, she slept like a drunk baby. I had to pry her off me this morning.” Dean answered his brother’s question for you on his behalf. “And I caught her napping on the table.” 

“Before either one of you waste your breath, I’m fine. It’s just…I’m fine.” You reassured the younger Winchester before he could bombard you with his typical worried expression and a follow up question. Despite your lack of a proper answer to explain your exhaustion, you didn’t want them to worry. They liked to over exaggerate things when it came to you. It's always been that way. Lately you didn’t want them looming over your shoulder, asking you every few minutes if you were feeling okay. Before either one of the brothers could drag out this conservation farther, you quickly changed the subject. “How’s Kevin? Has he found anything yet?” 

“Jack. He’s on about four days of no sleep.” Dean said. He grabbed the box of cereal and poured himself a bowl while Sam joined the both of you at the table after fixing himself a cup of coffee. “He looks worse than you.” 

“Dean, please. You know Sammy doesn’t like it when you flirt with me out in the open like this.” You replied with a sarcastic remark with a little hope the boys might think you were in decent shape after all if you were able to keep up with the petty banter. Despite how you looked. Somehow you thought you might feel worse. “What about Crowley? Do you think he might be lying about the whole ‘Metatron spell being irreversible’ thing?” 

“Crowley lie?” Dean pretended to sound shock at such a possibility, causing Sam to scoff between sips of his coffee. While the situation was grim, there was a small silver lining that you might be able to use to your advantage over the demon. “I do know one thing. Next time that junkie’s jonesing for a hit of blood, we got leverage.” You were about to agree with the plan, knowing it was better than anything you had, but the words failed to come out of your mouth. Instead a rather loud yawn escaped first. “Seriously, you want a pillow?” 

You rolled your eyes from your boyfriend’s concern hidden behind his behavior. “I’m fine.” 

“You don’t look so good, Y/N.” Sam shared his concern along with his brother’s. He’d been silent for most of the conversation since settling beside you. It didn’t take much observations to see you weren’t looking that great as of lately. He was starting to grow uneasy with the possibility that there might be something wrong with you. Something deeper than you realized. “Do you feel like you’re getting sick?”

“I’m not sick. I just—I feel like my battery can’t recharge.” You admitted to them, trying to explain how you felt to the best of your ability to them. “I don’t know. It’s probably just stress or something.” 

You reached for your bowl of soggy cereal when the room fell into a moment of silence. The brothers glanced over at one another from hearing how you felt. A string of unspoken words were said between them as they processed what you explained about your current situation. You were being held together from the inside out with duct tape and angel grace. Things weren’t moving quick or as efficient as they wanted. Despite wanting to talk about it, Ezekiel remained silent on a possible reassuring update, choosing to stay silent. 

You scooped up a spoonful of flakes and stretched out your head to take a bite, only stopping at the sound of a cell phone going off. Dean reached a hand inside his pocket to pull out his phone after realizing it was his own and answered the call. The person on the other line was a familiar one to the boys, you however gave the older Winchester a slightly confused expression at hearing the name he greeted. 

”Who’s Sheriff Mills?” You whispered to Sam, wondering why the name sounded a bit familiar, just not enough for you to put a face to a name. 

“Jody Mills? The sheriff up in Sioux Falls? We worked on a case with her years back with all the dead people rising in town?” Sam tried refreshing your memory. You thought about it for a second before shaking your head, coming up blank. He tried to resist the urge to pass his brother a look of disbelief as he continued on to try and jog your memory. “She went on a blind date with Crowley and nearly died.” 

“Oh. 

 Jody.” You finally figured out who was on the other line, your fingers snapping at your eureka moment before the call could be put on speaker for all of you to talk to the woman to see what she was calling about. 

“Uh…I got a bit of an oddball to pitch your direction.” Jody said. You leaned forward to listen to the call better as you placed your elbow on the table to cradle your head. For a second you swore you heard a faint sound of something crashing in the distance. “A small town I cover outside of Sioux Falls—only crime to speak of being the occasional cow tipping. Then last week, four people go missing.” 

“All right, so, what makes you think this is our kind of weird?” Dean asked the woman. 

“I’ve got a witness who says he saw someone lift an S.U.V. to nab a girl last night.” She told you the key detail that made her think of the boys and call them for some extra help. 

“Huh.” You glanced over at the boys with a rather intrigued expression as the possibility of another case for you to dig a little bit deeper into to see if it might be a hunt. “I don’t know about you, but I’d say that’s definitely our kind of weird.” 

+ + +

 You and the boys packed up your things and made the drive up to South Dakota to visit the sheriff. You figured it wouldn't hurt to keep yourselves busy while Kevin worked himself to the bone with the tablet. All of you decided to meet at the latest crime scene and go from there while you caught up on details. You were happy to be out of the bunker and moving around. You hoped going back on another hunt might give you a second wind. There was nothing better than a couple of missing people to get the adrenaline pumping. You just wished you knew what was making you so damn tired. You bit back another yawn when the Impala pulled into the parking lot of some diner. 

You were the last one to get out when Dean parked the car next to the sheriff’s truck, still moving a bit slower than you intended. The boys greeted Jody with wide smiles and tight hugs after seeing her again. You slammed the backseat door shut and smoothed out your outfit before approaching the woman, giving her a friendly smile. However it seemed she wasn’t expecting to see you. Your smile faltered slightly at the confused and startled expression that crossed her face. It seemed the boys failed to mention about your resurrection from the dead when they called to see how she was after everything that went down earlier this year with her blind date with the King of Hell. 

“What’s wrong, Jody? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Dean joked with the woman, finding her reaction at seeing someone who thought was dead was rather funny. She turned her head to look over at the man, demanding an explanation. “Yeah. We felt the same way when I saw her again. It’s a long, messy story.” 

“I’m 

 a ghost. Or a zombie.” You reassured the woman before she could try and process how you were somehow alive. “It really is a messy story. Short version of it all: not really dead, just lost my memory and thought I was someone else for two years.”

“It never is easy with you boys, huh?” Jody felt the need to ask. You could hear the humor in her voice at the trouble that seemed to follow them. “Anyway, it’s nice to see you again, Y/N. Glad you’re not dead.” 

“Me too.” You agreed with the woman, smiling at how her personality peeked through her words. From what you remembered about the woman all those years ago when Bobby was still alive, you liked her. And the things the boys mentioned about her during the drive here made you think she was going to be a good friend to have on your side. “Luckily, I’m back and ready to hunt down whatever is kidnapping these people.” 

“That’s the spirit. So, car was right over there, ass over teakettle.” Jody gestured over to the other side of the parking lot where the abduction took place, all that remained was the broken glass from the car that was currently being swept up by a maintenance worker. “Now, normally, if somebody would tell me that one guy lifted an S.U.V, I’d tell him to take a flying leap, but after what I’ve seen and now heard…” 

“Nothing’s impossible.” You said. You opened up the case file to one of the missing people and skimmed through the information, wondering if there might be something important here to make note of while the boys went through the others. "How does this match up with other missing people?” 

“Well, four abductions, strong evidence left at every scene—literally.” Jody said. 

“So, the first vic was a pastor?” Sam asked, wondering if there was another more solid connection to the rest of the victims. 

“Yeah. Door of his study was punched in. And the next two—an engaged couple.” Jody explained the case in better detail. You looked down at the case file Dean laid open on the trunk of the Impala and the black and white photograph attached. All of the victims appeared to be the small town folk who were innocent at first glance. Someone went out of their way to snatch them up. 

“Locked bedroom window was ripped open.” Dean noted the similarly strange and destructive pattern between each kidnapping. 

‘And then we have our waitress here with the topsy-turvy ride.” Jody added. 

“Any other connection among them?” Sam wondered. 

“Yeah. They were all members of Good Faith church here.” Jody said. You narrowed your eyes slightly while you thought of the possibility of what might be might be to blame for this if there was a religious connection to all of this. You and the boys dealt with something like this a little similar earlier in the year. “My church group back in Sioux Falls was in a tizzy over it.” 

Dean hummed his response at hearing the sheriff and her new found spiritual faith. You tossed him a dirty look at his reaction to the woman’s faith to God. She had every right to believe in whatever she wanted, even if you didn’t feel the same way. Jody seemed to have picked up on the same feelings you had when she asked him what that was all about. “I didn’t peg you for churchy.” 

“Yeah. You know…choking on the ladies’ room floor ‘cause of witchcraft kind of makes a higher power seem relevant.” Jody gave the man a truthful response to her sudden urge to join a church. You offered a weak smile when you saw her eyes direct over to you. “And seeing someone you were told was dead doesn’t help, either.” 

“Jody, are you sure you’re ready to jump back into the fray?” Dean asked the woman in a concerned tone of voice, knowing all the things she witnessed last year and the passing of Bobby didn’t help the woman. But it seemed he underestimated her. 

“This wackadoo stuff keeps coming. More I know, better armed I’ll be.” Jody gave an honest response to the man’s question. She was a sheriff, after all. If she wanted to protect her town from creatures that went bump in the night, she was going to have some practice in order to do that. You had a feeling from what Jody witnessed over the years, it was going to take a lot to scare the woman to the core. 

“Okay, so, we have missing church folk and super strength.” Sam summarized what all of you knew at the moment so far about the case. He decided to take a shot in the dark, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to throw his theory out there. “Maybe angels harvesting vessels? Could be a Buddy Boyle type thing.” 

“Wh—angels?” Jody repeated the creature the younger Winchester spoke out in the open like it was nothing. She looked at all of you with disbelief at how casual you were being. “You’re joking.” 

“Don’t get your pants on fire.” Dean said, stopping the woman from becoming thrilled at hearing about creatures she thought only existed in the bible. “They suck.” 

“You said there was a witness.” Sam said, circling back to what Jody mentioned earlier. 

“Yeah, well…” Jody shrugged at the person who was waiting for you to talk to them. She didn’t seem too set on the idea they were going to be any help to you. “More or less.” 

You and the boys decided to get a booth inside the restaurant while Jody rounded up the witness so you could speak to them. You sipped the coffee you ordered out of politeness and patiently waited. A few minutes later Jody arrived with your witness, a homeless man who most likely camped out near the place from the looks of him. You offered a friendly smile when the man's eyes scanned across the table to see what this was all about. Jody pulled up a chair while she ushered the man to take the seat in the booth next to you when you slid over to be close to the window. He set his coffee cup down to the table, seeming comfortable enough to give his side of the story. 

“Okay, Slim.” Jody said. “My friends here want to talk to you about the missing girl.” 

“Honor. Her name was Honor.” The man started off by giving the missing girl’s name, indicating that he knew her on some personal level. And it seemed he remembered her from the kind behavior given to someone like him. “Nice girl. Always left me meatloafs.” 

“Slim, why don’t you tell us what you saw that night?’ Sam asked the man, hoping to get to the reason why he was here in the first place. 

“I heard a big noise, got woke, and there’s somebody over there lifting a car up—like this.” Slim demonstrated what he witnessed last night, lifting up his arms the way he saw the stranger did to the car, as if the several ton machine weighed nothing. 

“And did you happen to see who it was?” You asked him another question. 

“I was too far. But I saw a light go off.” Slim made sure to add a small detail he thought was important enough to mention. Sam guessed it was a white light, “Blue. Blue like fire. But not. Then she was—she wasn’t there.” 

“Could you think of anything else?” Dean hoped for a little bit more from the man, but Slim shook his head before he looked down to his cup of coffee. He was helpful enough for you and the boys at figuring out what you might be tracking. Dean pulled out a small wad of cash from his pocket and handed over a twenty dollar bill to Slim, hoping to give him a hot meal for his help. “Well Slim, thank you for your time.” 

Slim happily pocketed the money and went on his way with the cup of coffee he came over with. You let out a quiet sigh from trying to figure out the proper direction you should be going to figure all of this out. While you didn’t have much at the moment, Slim’s description of the kidnapping might have been something for you and the boys to go off on. 

“Okay. So, no white light. No angel.” Sam said, feeling confident enough to cross the creature off the list at the endless other monsters to blame. 

“Has anybody talked to the victims’ families?’ Dean asked the sheriff. 

“It’s next on my list.” Jody answered. 

“Okay, and you said that they were all part of the same church?” Dean’s question was replied with a nod of the head from Jody. This connection, strong or weak as it might be, was the only one you had going for you as a possible hunting ground of where this monster was picking their victims. It was better than anything. Your lips stretched into a frown when Dean looked over at you. “Ready to get your worship on?”

+ + +

You and the boys decided to change out your clothes meant for posing as federal agents in favor of something more casual. The church all four of your victims seemed the usual run of the mill place of worship. You pretended to play along as the new people in town interested in joining to get a better understanding of how things worked. The woman who helped give you a tour of the place was a little too friendly and squeaky clean for your liking. She smiled in delight when you and Dean introduced yourselves as a happy couple "engaged to be engaged" with his little brother tagging along.

You roamed around the church hand in hand with Dean while Bonnie, your overly peppy tour guide, told you all the things Good Faith church offered to its members and the public. Usual things like Sunday school and charities for the homeless. You decided to have a little fun and play into the whole loving couple when Bonnie mentioned the church was perfect for weddings as well. You smiled at her when she occasionally turned to see you and Dean whispering to each other, acting like a couple of crazy kids in love with a religious ceremony in mind. It wasn't that far off from the truth. You did love Dean, and while you wanted to marry him someday, a church would be the last place you'd choose to do it. 

After the tour was complete, the four of you made your way to Bonnie's office where she took a seat at her desk before gesturing for the rest of you to follow with the few chairs she had available. Sam missed out when his brother swiftly snatched the chair next to yours, causing Dean to smirk in victory while the younger man awkwardly looked around to find another seat and pulled it up next to the desk.

"We hope you enjoyed the tour." Bonnie said, the smile she greeted you with felt as if it never left her face. It was starting to make your cheeks hurt at the welcoming disposition she carried on. "Any questions before we get you all registered?"

"Yeah. Uh, look," You pretended to be apprehensive from the subject you were about to approach after she had been so kind to you. "Ms. Futchko—"

"Oh, please, dear." Bonnie quietly laughed at the formalities and corrected to you something more casual, wanting to treat this situation like you were among friends. "Bonnie will do just fine." 

"We love the church. We do." You cushioned the strange questions you were about to ask her, deciding to pretend and act as if you were a concerned citizen wondering what you might be getting yourself into. "But...well, we've heard that a few members have gone missing. And while my boyfriend likes to think he's Superman," You flashed a quick smile as you reached out to squeeze Dean's hand before letting it rest there to continue milking the little performance on sharing your fake concerns. "We’ve been talking in private about it. And to be honest…that kind of scares us.” 

"Let me assure you, with our increased security, Good Faith has never been safer." Bonnie told you, placing a hand to her chest to try and give all of you a better peace of mind. It seemed she was worried about her fellow churchgoer, just in the way a little too religious person thought was the best form of action. Leaving it up all to the chance God would intervene and save the day. "And those people who have gone missing, well, they are front and center in our prayers." 

"What a relief." Dean let out a breath at the reassuring sounding news, making Bonnie's smile return after it disappeared shortly from the change in conversation. "Now, you must have been close to them." 

"Well, we do share the A.P.U. bond." Bonnie. Dean pretended to be intrigued at hearing such a thing when he asked more about it. "Our chastity group. ‘Abstinence Purifies Us.’” 

You pretended to turn your head to another direction when you scratched your nose, the easiest way to sneak an eye roll of frustration at hearing the new connection to the victims. Out of anything, you should’ve seen the virginity angle coming from where you were. 

"Wow." Sam laughed and smiled, faking interest about such a group. "You mind if we sit in on that, maybe see if it's for us?"

“I’m afraid it’s members only. I'm sorry, but it can get pretty personal." Bonnie apologized for the inconvenience after offering so many things for you to join, but it seemed this one was off limits for obvious reasons. You, never being the one to miss an opportunity, jumped to it before either one of the boys could back out. 

“Then count us in.” You said, lightly smacking your thigh as you grinned. 

"Well, I'll be a squirrel in a skirt." Bonnie softly laughed in delight at hearing your eager enthusiasm to join a group, intidicating to her that the three of you were good Christians. You mirrored her behavior as you smiled over at Dean when he squeezed your hand a little too roughly, wondering what the hell you got yourselves into. "I'll be back in a jiff with the papers." 

Bonnie wasted no time jumping up from her seat and heading to another room across the way, allowing you to watch what she was doing. She opened up a filing cabinet and shuffled around some papers to find what she was looking for. Your attention fell back to Dean when you felt him softly smack your arm. 

“A chastity group?” Dean asked you, wondering if this was really how you wanted to spend your afternoon. And why you needed to drag him into your plan. You knew he would love to do anything else than listen to a bunch of horny virgins go on about temptations and sins brought on by the world. 

"It's not a bad idea." Sam seemed to have agreed with your plan of action, figuring out the same possible pattern you had. If you knew who was in the group, you might have a better chance at saving others from going missing. "If all the members were in A.P.U., then maybe whatever took them is stalking virgins." 

"And that Slim guy said he thought he saw fire." Dean added another little detail that went together with the virginity part. Something you've dealt with before. "So, what are you guys thinking, dragons?"

You never got the chance to finish the conversation when you saw Bonnie return back with the forms in hand. You cleared your throat and went back to acting casual as if that’s what you had been doing the entire time she was gone during the short period of time. You forced yourself to smile again when she handed you over a clipboard with a piece of paper attached. 

"You can just sign here, and your purification can begin." Bonnie instructed you, letting you glance down at the piece of paper. You read the title of the paper and slowly your expression fell as to what you were about to promise. Something you lost several years ago. You bit your bottom lip when Sam mentioned the pledge, only to be taken by someone who had never had intercourse before. "It's a commitment to your virginity." 

"I don't think we can really un-ring that bell." Dean thought he was funny with the innocent sounding joke, deciding to humor himself. Bonnie, however, stared at the man with a blank expression. It hadn't dawned on her just yet why you couldn't sign right away. "You know what I mean?"

A moment of silence fell across the room as Dean's smile faded away when Bonnie continued to stare at the man with eyes too wide for his personal comfort. Slowly, the wheels in her head started turning, making her realize the sins you've committed. "Oh. I see." Bonnie's gaze quickly darted away from you and Dean specifically, as if she was trying to hide her disappointment. However, like the good Chrisitan that she was, the woman offered you a chance at redemption. "Well...if you just ask for God's forgiveness for your sins and make a new vow of chastity, well, then you'll be born again as a virgin in His eyes." 

"So, you just hit the 'virginity do-over' button, and all is good with the man upstairs?" Dean's question meant to come off as sincere and curious, but he had a way of coming off a little igorent at times. Sometimes he didn't understand the kind of people he was dealing with and how to adapt.

"It's not a button." Bonnie corrected the man. Her tone of voice fell into a softer, and yet slightly colder one as she defended her personal views in a way to make him better understand. "And...this isn't just a piece of paper. I mean, this is your clean slate, your chance to be a virgin until marriage. Isn't that something you want? To be pure for each other until your wedding night, the way God intended?”

You raised your brow slightly from the way Bonnie tried to guilt trip you for doing something thought of as a sin. Premarital sex was the least horrible thing someone could do. However, just to get yourself into this damn group, you decided to pretend and feel remorseful for a second. You looked over to Dean, the both of you nodding your head and shared matching smiles. "Well, you had me at 'clean slate.' Right, sweetheart?" Dean asked you, clicking his pen to be the first one to sign. "Let's do this." 

You and the boys signed your names on the pledge and handed over the clipboards back to Bonnie's awaiting hands. She glanced down at the names you scribbled down and smiled in delight. "Congratulations Sam and Dean Winchester, and Y/N Y/L/N. You are all virgins." 

You found yourself letting out a quiet laugh at hearing something you hadn't heard in a while. Sam faked his enthusiasm while Dean took it a smidge too far, grinning a little too wide and seeming excited at the news. At least making a show out of it for Bonnie. You knew one thing for certain: this was going to be one interesting afternoon. 

Rewrite Taglist:

@deansquirreljerkwinchester // @everything-i-tried-was-taken // @starswirlblitz // @supernaturalismydrug // @we-are-band-sexuals // @angiewinchestercas // @kaylinfayezink  // @owhatshername1 // @kgbrenner  // @cleo-is-my-doggy // @eeyore1988 // @dakota-dream // @lilylovelyxo // @timetravelingginger // @holahellohialoha //   @quicksilver123456 // @natashacamillas //@lexi-anastasia //@kaylinfayezink //  @deanwnchstr @albot-eh // @rashinyx2002 // @shellybeans //  @icantfindacreativeurl //  @becs-bunker // @oreosatmidnight // @bands-and-shietz // @fabulousmustachesonapolarbear // @clarewinchester // @releasethekracko // @alex-zeppelin // @mega-mrs-dean-winchester // @theskytraveler // @notmoose94 //@assassinofmasyaf // @caswinchester2000 // @savannah-m-99 // @sunlight-dean // @strayrosesbloom // @that-slytherin-over-there // @1000roughdrafts // @its-medeanwinchester // @simplyhemmings // @dream-believe-and-love // @that-winged-rat // @romanovanoffsstuff // @underthestarrsss // @lady-elena-adeline

Message me if you would like to be added!

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 53: Connoisseur

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Fifty-Three: Connoisseur

Notes: I had way too much fun with this chapter. Even use the voice to speech editor!

(-~-)

After what felt like a lifetime, Sirrus had finally made good on his promise to cook dinner.

When he had shown up with groceries, he had done so with a vengeance, bringing what had to be an entire vehicle’s worth of them despite the fact that he had seemingly brought them there on foot. No one had seen a vehicle of any sort. If he’d had them delivered, they hadn’t noticed, and unfortunately it had only occurred to them after he’d brought everything in that he’d had quite a bit to carry.

Much to their astonishment, he was actually capable of cooking, despite the fact that he showed very little interest in actually cooking what he had just made. He’d brought himself a bottle of wine that he had no intention of sharing, and then he had made himself comfortable, more interested in knowing if they enjoyed the meal than actually tasting it for himself. Had they just been poisoned?

“You know, this is pretty damn good,” Nero said as he went back for a second plate of whatever pasta he’d been digging into. It wasn’t something that he’d had before, but whatever it was, it was great. He made sure to set some aside for Kyrie and the kids to taste when he went back home tomorrow. He needed to check and make sure that everything was okay back at home. Then he would return and spend a bit more time with his older sibling. “Were you just not hungry or something?”

Sirrus looked up from his bottle of wine, more than halfway done with it but still not seemingly intoxicated. He’d been silently drinking for about a half-hour, enjoying every moment of it. It seemed that his alcohol tolerance was quite strong. After all, that was some dark wine, and although it wasn’t the biggest bottle Nero had ever seen, he couldn’t help but notice that he was probably going to finish it off in one sitting.

“Hm? Oh. I appreciate your concern, but I will have to pass. There is an ingredient in that pasta that I simply can’t abide by.” Sirrus topped off his drink, being the only person that any of them had ever seen drink wine out of what seemed to be a round, flat-bottomed drinking glass instead of a full-sized one. It was strange, to say the least. He would slosh it around for a moment before taking an occasional sniff and drinking it, nodding to himself. None of them understood why, but they simply assumed that he really liked that wine.

“But… then why not leave it out? Then you could eat it.” Nero was genuinely confused as to why he made something for them to eat that he would be allergic to. It seemed like a hazard. And what in the world had he even put in the pasta that he was allergic to? It didn’t seem like an exceptionally complex dish. Did Sirrus ever eat?

“I find that people seem to like it better with that in the dish. It gives it a good flavor.” He shrugged slightly, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s kind of like leaving salt out of your food. You just don’t do that unless you have to.”

Nero sighed and shook his head, amused. He could have just made them something else for dinner if that was the case, but he was grateful either way. He didn’t really need to understand it. “I swear, if it’s garlic or something… ” The youngest descendant of Sparda froze in place, his brain jamming like a faulty gear. “... Are you a fucking vampire?!”

Much to both his and V’s surprise, Sirrus burst into hysterical laughter. He barely managed to sit his drink and the bottle down on the coffee table before leaning over continuing to laugh, gagging slightly. He continued that way for almost two minutes before wiping the tears from his eyes and standing up, clearing his throat. He was clearly flushed and seemed almost embarrassed to have reacted in the way that he had.

“That’s not a bad guess, but no. Not quite, I’m afraid.” He took a few deep breaths, clearing his throat further. Once he had shaken off the residual urge to continue laughing by stifling a short flurry of chuckles, he reached down and took another sip of his drink, using it to coat his throat. That had nearly wrecked his vocal cords. “But I can see why you might think that. Unfortunately, I think my ability to not burst into flames during the daylight hours disqualifies me.”

Shrugging in defeat and opting to return to his food, Nero silently admitted defeat. Sirrus had a point, vampires did burn in the sun. At least from what he knew. And all of this was hypothetical, after all. Vampires weren’t a real thing… were they? After all, he was a quarter-demon. Who was he to say what was and wasn’t valid on the supernatural spectrum? It wouldn’t be the craziest thing he’d ever heard or the strangest thing he’d ever experienced. “Yeah probably.”

Clearly realizing that he had probably made things somewhat awkward, he sat down again, unable to remember why he had just stood up. He truly had been turned around by Nero’s comment. “But that being said, I genuinely can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. So thank you. I think I needed it more than I realized.”

Returning to his food in an effort to finish it before it got cold, Nero nodded. They were going to have a busy day working on this plan, and he wanted to enjoy the simple things before anything major happened. And while this pasta wasn’t the simplest thing he’d ever had, it was much simpler than basically everything else going on. Why ruin it?

Seemingly considering something, V turned to face both his brother and their companion. He’d only been half-listening, but he had been fully amused. Dante and Vergil had left about an hour ago, and Lucia was asleep upstairs. Flora and Morgan had joined her not too long ago, and Bren had joined the twins at Vergil’s request, the eldest of the group unwilling to allow him to linger around everyone else without himself present. “In order to keep them from being easily tracked by the summoner who is actively hunting V and Morgan,” he’d said. And to be fair, that made sense.

Yawning, V stood up from the armchair that he’d made himself comfortable in and headed towards the hallway. As amusing as this conversation was, he felt an immense desire to take a nap and rest. There would be time enough to go back and forth with them over the fascinating and diverse mythological history of vampires and demons another time. For now, he would be satisfied simply getting a good night’s rest.

“If I may, I bid you farewell. I am far past my prime, and I believe it is now time that I retire to my bedroom.”

Nero scoffed playfully. “V, you're, what, barely in your early twenties? You haven’t even gotten to your prime yet. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Pausing for a moment, V took that into consideration. He then smirked and tilted his head in Nero’s direction, peering at him over his shoulder with his back still turned to him. “I’m sorry Nero, but while I am aware of this, the rest of my body doesn’t seem to agree with you. I’m afraid those decisions come from a bit further up the ladder.” He barely resisted the urge to laugh to himself. It was true, but that didn’t make the joke any less compelling in his mind. But he appreciated his younger brother’s support.

Sirrus simply held up his glass and nodded, his mouth full of more wine. It seemed that he had no interest in holding V up. He wasn’t going to stop him from heading off to bed, it seemed. And V was sure that whenever he got up in the morning Sirrus would be there to greet him. He couldn’t pinpoint how, but he just knew that that was the case. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He still had work to do.

(-~-)

One of V’s least favorite phenomena had just occurred. And of course, it would pick a time like this. So often when he found himself tired and excited to get a good night’s rest, something like this would occur, absolutely throwing off his entire routine and disturbing what would otherwise be a relaxing time. But considering everything that was going on, he couldn’t say that he was surprised that his own body would betray him in such a manner. At least it wasn’t demonic in nature for once.

He had never been able to put a name to the sensation, but he had felt it all his life. For as long as he could remember, the sensation had occasionally plagued him when he started to drift off to sleep, disturbing what would have otherwise been a peaceful night’s rest. But it had managed to creep its way back into his subconscious yet again, just as it always did. The sensation of falling was unwelcome, but it happened from time to time. He knew it wasn’t all that strange, but he still didn’t enjoy waking up that way.

Wiping the sweat from his brow and panting slightly, he decided that the best course of action in this situation would be to get something cold to drink. Perhaps that would calm his frayed nerves. He would normally brew a cup of tea, but he simply did not feel like putting in that much effort into it right now. He would have a cold drink and return to his bed. It was as simple as that.

Laying there in the bed reclined against the headboard, he found himself actively telling himself to get up and head downstairs, but to his surprise, his muscles didn’t move. No matter how much he tried, he simply couldn’t will himself to move even the slightest amount. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he cursed his sedentary state. He was quite literally getting nowhere like this.

After several minutes, his leg suddenly moved, his brain subconsciously registering the fact that he had apparently been dozing off without realizing it. He’d actually zoned out, thinking about nothing in particular, and it seemed that he had suddenly regained the willpower necessary to do something; anything that he’d been trying to do. It was a small victory, but an important one. Or, at least he thought so. He was positive that he could actually make himself get up and head downstairs now. He just hoped that he didn’t manage to wake anyone up when he was doing it. He was in a haze.

Endeavoring to make his way out of the bed and over to the door to his bedroom, he sighed and tossed the covers to the side before standing up and heading over to the door. This wouldn’t take long, and then he could come back. Just the act of heading to the kitchen was exhausting enough to tell him that this plan was probably going to work just fine. He just hoped that he didn’t wake anyone up as he rounded the corner and headed towards the steps. But on his way over, something caught his eye.

Just out of the clear line of sight, he was certain that the back balcony door was open. The bright moonlight shined through as the curtains blew in the chilly night air, cooling that floor of the house and letting in the pleasant aroma that only hung in the air after it rained or snowed. But as lovely as it was, perhaps it was best that he close the door and go get his water so that he could head back to bed. This wasn’t the time to stay up.

Cautiously making his way over to the door, he paused as he entered the crosshairs formed by the glass in the windows. It was almost entrancing, the sight of the autumn moon lingering over a blanket of fresh snow. If he hadn’t been so tired he could have stood there forever, just enjoying the cool silence and the tickle of cold air on his exposed skin. But he knew that it was not the right time for something like that. He had been ordered to get plenty of rest, and this wasn’t the way to accomplish that. So with a heavy heart, he decided to turn back and head to his room. 

And he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he did.

Standing before him was Sirrus, silent, and admittedly scary as hell to him in a manner that he had never experienced before. For a brief but frankly terrifying moment, he’d made eye contact with the other man, his icy gray eyes turning from their normal color to a spine-chilling black. And not just the pupil. The entire eyeball. But then after what felt like a lifetime, he slowly blinked, tilting his head a centimeter at a time to the right as he seemed to register V’s presents for the first time so slowly that V wondered if he was possessed. And after what felt like the passage of a century, he blinked. Slowly and deliberately in a manner that reminded him entirely too much of the way that a snake or a lizard might. There was entirely too much control behind the gesture for his tastes, and he was positive that he never wanted to see it again for as long as he lived.

He hadn’t registered his companion’s approach, and he most certainly hadn’t been prepared for this glimpse into what he could only assume was his true nature. It reminded him of the way that the other members of his own family’s eyes changed color when they entered their Devil Trigger state, except somehow several measures creepier. Perhaps it was purely because of the fact that although yellow and red were not normal eye colors by any metic, black was just sinister. What on earth had he just discovered? V refused to believe that this wasn’t something that happened regularly. It just seemed like something that had an actual reason behind it. After all, he was sure that he’d actually seen that just now and that he hadn’t been hallucinating. 

“Honestly, it’s so rare that anyone ever sees me under moonlight that I forget the effect it has on me. Forgive my startling visage and my inability to announce myself when I enter a space.”

The young summoner continued to stare blankly, rooted to the spot. For whatever reason, he just didn't seem to be able to form any meaningful thoughts at the moment. He still felt like he had just stared into the abyss and it had stared back at him. Or perhaps more appropriately into him. The nature of his companion’s powers and, to that extent, his very being, we’re still a mystery to him, so to say that this had taken him entirely off guard would be an understatement. But it wasn’t so much that he felt threatened by Sirrus as it was that he simply had no ability to understand what had just happened between them. He now had a better understanding as to why Nero had been so surprised to see him up this late in the kitchen on a few occasions. It was, indeed, very distressing. But he had a distinct feeling that this was somehow worse.

“I could be mistaken, but you seem to have something on your mind.” Sirrus was clearly trying his very best to make an uncomfortable situation seem less so, but he clearly understood that he wasn’t getting anywhere and fast. A part of him genuinely wished that he hadn’t seen him doing that, even if it was only for V’s sake. People tended to react poorly to that aspect of who he was. “I assure you that I have not been possessed or otherwise influenced by the darkness that seeks to consume us all. This is simply just what my eyes do at night under the cover of a full moon when I am outside. The curse of what I am. That is why you didn’t see this before now. They do just the opposite on bright sunny days, though that is a bit harder to notice.”

“… Yes, I see that.” He honestly didn’t know how to feel about this situation. But he could try and break the ice. “Is it uncomfortable? It seems as though it would give you a bad case of photosensitivity.”

“As a matter of fact, it sort of does.” Sirrus shrugged, walking over to the rail and sitting down in the thin layer of snow that coated the balcony. “But again, I am sorry that I disturbed you. Darkness and light are present in different measures in all beings, but during certain natural phenomena, it takes a much more literal hold over me. There is no danger in it. I have full control over my abilities. I’ve worked my whole life to ensure that… but the full moon still seems to have some wicked hold over me. It possesses an allure that I cannot deny. And so from time to time, I indulge in its presence. Even if only for a moment. That seems to satiate my nebulous desires.”

V nodded, leaning against the railing. He had felt his own version of that from time to time, but it didn’t seem to be as strong as what his companion had just described. It sounded as though it called to him in a way that he couldn’t explain away in the manner that V could. Perhaps that was a trademark of things that resided or originated in darker places? It seemed demonic in nature, but from what he’d inferred during Sirrus’s conversation with Hydrangea back at the Ludwig estate, Sirrus seemed to possess powers that dwelled firmly in the light side of the power spectrum. He didn’t know enough about the differences between enhancement and abilities to have a firm opinion on that matter, but he had to admit that this made him consider a few possibilities.

“You’ve been quiet. Have I startled you into silence?”

Glancing over at him nonchalantly, V quietly dispelled that notion with his now much more relaxed demeanor. He hadn’t been visibly distressed before, but what little fear that had been present in him had now entirely dissipated. “Forgive me. I was considering something.”

Sirrus nodded in understanding before he poured the last of his wine into the glass that he was holding. Whether this was the same glass or another one was unknown to him, but V was still somewhat surprised to see that he was completely sober. And although he wasn’t sure how he knew, he just knew that it didn’t affect him the same way it did everyone else. He himself had still failed to ever actually do more than taste a sip of wine. He couldn’t say that he felt an immense desire to drink it, using it for little more than cooking. But he did know that Sirrus should be at least slightly inebriated by now.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you are incapable of becoming intoxicated aren’t you?”

Looking up at him, Sirrus seemed to consider the question before nodding once in almost hesitant agreement. “Yes. You would be correct. And I do believe that that isn’t the only thing you’ve discovered about me tonight. I just think you lack the vocabulary and relevant knowledge to understand what you’ve unearthed. There is a name for what I am. It just isn’t one that many people know or believe to be true. I suspect that you will understand in due time. But for now, we need to make a plan, and you should rest.”

V agreed with his sentiments. “I had ventured out of my bed to get something to drink. I plan to return there soon, but now I wonder if I shall actually sleep. I’m very awake now, I’m afraid. But I suppose that’s how it always works when you are seeking a good night’s rest.”

He shook his head for a brief moment, not having much to say about the matter. “You need not explain yourself to me, V. You are not a child. If you wish to wander the halls of your home and then sleep on the floor in the hallway. I have no say over that.” He took a moment to slosh his drink again, looking at it in the glass. It did have a wonderful bouquet, at least as far as he was concerned. “And if sleeping is what you intend to do, I would recommend the brandy I brought over. This wine would no doubt be revolting to you. It is basically every aside from a few close friends and relatives of mine.”

“Now I am morbidly curious as to what it actually tastes like.” V’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. Sirrus would have had to possess very specific culinary preferences to be so certain that his drink would not be well received by anyone other than himself. Wasn’t the point of alcohol to be appealing to people?

Much to his surprise, Sirrus handed him the cup. It seemed that he was willing to allow him to learn from his mistakes. V took the glass and looked at it. It was thick and did indeed possess a distinct smell, although it was not one that he could pinpoint. Or more importantly, it possessed two distinct smells, both of which seemed extremely familiar to him but he was unable to identify. Something told him that this wine tasted the exact same way that it smelled, and he wondered for a moment if he wanted to actually taste it. For some reason, he still did, but something about it just nagged at him.

“OH PLEASE, V. This isn’t even nearly the worst thing you’ve ever stuck in your mouth. Remember Redgrave City? Because I know I do.”

“... You make a valid point, Griffon. It wouldn’t be.”

“When don’t I make a good point, V? That’s what I’m here for, after all. Now drink it. I just gotta know if it’s as bad as he’s making it sound.”

Admittedly surprised to hear Griffon chime in, he smiled slightly to himself as he answered his familiar in his head, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Sirrus. The other man leaned back slightly, unaware of what his companion was thinking, but sure that he was missing some sort of internal monologue. “You should do that more often.”

V looked up at him from over the top of the small glass, his eyes peering through his white bangs. His lips had very nearly been on the glass. Sirrus’s timing couldn’t have been better if he’d expected him to actually answer. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Smile, V. If you don’t mind me saying as much, you have a lovely smile. Especially when you smile genuinely. It carries to your eyes as well.” Although calm, he seemed entirely flustered to say that out loud. V simply stared at him, surprised to hear him say something like that. He’d never really considered what he looked like to other people aside from making note of the fact that his demeanor seemed to set everyone off and make them think he was up to something even when he actually wasn’t.

“Do I now… “ He paused, unsure as to what to really say to that. He wasn’t good with compliments. “I hadn’t noticed. I don’t do it very often, and I can’t say I spend much time in front of a mirror.”

“Then I am to believe that you just wake up in the morning looking better than practically everyone else I’ve ever met?” Sirrus cracked a genuine, self-satisfied smile at the statement, closing his eyes for a moment as he blinked slowly. “I suppose that makes sense. Some people are just naturally captivating, and It’s difficult to manufacture that look you get in your eyes. I don’t believe that’s something you can just fake. It comes from somewhere primal. I think it makes the person it belongs to that much more captivating. But on an unrelated note…  how’s the wine. I could wax eloquent about you all day, but if I’m not mistaken, you have places to be, and that isn’t something you want me to do.”

V just stared at him for a moment, suddenly very self-conscious for reasons he couldn't pinpoint. He really wasn’t good at receiving compliments, especially when he was the center of attention; something else that he admittedly hated to be.

“If I’ve made you uncomfortable, please forgive me. I simply wished to be honest. I do so as much as possible. And if not, I prefer to avoid the topic altogether.”

Now, that was something that the young summoner could relate to. “Likewise.”

Holding the glass back up to his face, he took a small sip, unsure of what to actually expect from something like this. And to his surprise, he was immediately and entirely overwhelmed by the flavor profile. It was the strangest thing he’d ever tasted, full stop. And he both loved and hated it. His concussion had probably been evident on his face as his brain attempted to process the strange menagerie of flavors that had just hit his taste buds. And from such a small sample size? How had Sirrus managed to drink an entire bottle of this extremely potent wine? Even if he didn’t feel its possible alcoholic effects, this was just, quite frankly, the most overwhelming thing that he had ever ingested. And that was saying something considering his track record.

“Rosa Sanguinum. It’s a vintage from a place I frequent with a very specific flavor profile. And an even more on the nose name. Thankfully no one understands Latin these days, so I don’t believe that the vineyard had anything to worry about. Although to be fair, I don't believe that they are doing themselves any favors with the braiding on the bottle.” Sirrus gestured towards the deep crimson red wax that ran the bottle in a bid to seal it. It was striking in comparison to the black glass.

 “Yes, I can see that. If I’m honest, I absolutely loathe it… But I feel an undeniable desire to keep drinking it.” He took a second sip, seemingly trying to mentally process the drink. But no, it still tasted exactly the same way. And he had to admit that it was actually starting to grow on him the longer he attempted to understand it. “But the name makes perfect sense in retrospect… Because this tastes exactly like its namesake. Blood and roses. Or more specifically, it tastes as though I just bit the inside of my mouth and fell face-first into a thorn bush. And I’m disturbed by how much those two overwhelming flavor profiles mix with one another. I have no desire to know how they flavored this.”

 Sirrus seemed genuinely shocked by that statement, his eyes widening considerably for a moment before he blinked the surprise away. It seemed that he was completely taken aback by that statement. “You're quite literally the first person I’ve met in ages that actually likes this. Most people simply spit it out or gag at how strong the flavor profile is. Exceptional.” He seemed to be genuinely shocked at this outcome, unable to process an even remotely favorable reply. “One can only imagine that it is a product of your demonic heritage. Perhaps I’ll venture out and purchase one for you.”

 V smirked and shook his head, absentmindedly finishing off the last sip in the cup after Sirrus brushed off the offer to take it back. That would actually make some sense. He then slid down the banister until he was sitting on the ground as well, hating that he couldn’t be bothered to disagree. It was the most literal case of “I hate it. Give me more” that he had ever experienced. Maybe one day he would explain to Sirrus that this wasn’t the first time he’d had a mouthful of something that had this strong of a blood taste. After all, if he didn’t, Griffon would no doubt rat him out at a moment’s notice. He’d been waiting for the opportunity to tell on him to someone for his Redgrave City eating habits for ages now. “That would be absolutely awful. I think I would love that.”

 The man with the red hair closed his eyes and shook his head, resisting the small smile that threatened to sneak its way onto his face. V truly was something else. He was glad that they had been given the opportunity to meet. It had been a lifetime since he’d had the opportunity to speak with someone this intriguing. One could only hope that V enjoyed his presence as much as he enjoyed his. He knew that it was unlikely, however. After all, he was a gigantic weirdo. But then again, this was the second time they’d spent a late night chatting aimlessly about gods knew what when everyone else was asleep and V should be asleep. It was probably best that he usher him off to bed before he fell asleep lead against the wall and he had to stealthily carry him back to his bedroom. Again.Though it would be easier to do here than back at the Ludwig estate. “Go to bed, V. I believe you may be drunk.”

 “Yes. I believe you may be right.” He chuckled quietly to himself. It seemed that he was something of a lightweight, at least when it came to this damned blood wine.

 (-~-)

 Okay, so your gonna laugh, but I had 400 words left to write today to hit my self-imposed and probably stupid chapter-length limit, and then I went and took a nap. Woke up at 5:30 pm, and I kid you not, I wrote 2.4K more words. This chapter is exactly 5k words, and that makes my OCD immeasurably happy. Like, this is 11 pages long! Normally it’s like 6, maybe 7! I know that’s insane, but it does make me excited! I just really enjoyed writing this conversation between V and Sirrus, I guess. They have a fun dynamic, and I like the idea of V making a friend outside of his family. After all, he doesn’t have very many. I think he considers the rest of the team as a sort of extended family, and Sirrus is sort of this odd exception because he still barely knows him in the grand scheme of things. But either way, it just made me stupidly giddy to write this chapter and both expand on two of my favorite characters and also sprinkle in a little bit of lore. The next chapter is plan time, so that’s going to be pretty fun, too. I hope you enjoyed this one!

 See you on Friday!

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Ancient Soul

Time Travel, Quirkless, Feudal Japan AU

“Your soul does not belong here.” Those were words you never thought that you would hear. Now, thrown into the past in feudal Japan, you must find a way to survive, all while struggling to avoid the growing feelings for one hot-headed war general. War, romance, death and love drive you forward, to find the place where your soul truly belongs.

Bakugou Katsuki x Fem!Reader

Want to start from be beginning? Check the Ancient Soul tag. New chapters released every Wednesday as long as schedule permits.

Genre: Romance / Angst Story Rating: Explicit | Adult Themes, Sex, Death, Depictions of Violence, Alcohol

Chapter 6: Loss

Chapter Rating: Mature | Animal Death, Cursing, Mentions of Blood Words:  2902

All you could do was stand by and watch silently as the small camp was packed up, the fire smothered and leaving you all in darkness. The moon gave very little light from between the full branches of the trees above you, and though your companions were skilled at moving about in the dark, you felt as if it were swallowing you. It wasn’t until Bakugou gripped your upper arm that you were aware of what direction to go, following him as you walked carefully as to not trip. Unable to resist your curiosity and worry, you whispered to him. “They didn’t take anything or hurt anyone badly, did they?” 

“We’re fine.” Was the only response you received from Bakugou, in a short snap that instantly told you to keep silent. Though, as you reached the area where the horses had been kept, you felt his grip on your arm grow tighter, almost painfully so, and it was joined by a soft string of curses that you could hardly make out. 

Besides the towering Yonaka, Bakugou’s horse lay slaughtered on the ground, along with Kaminari’s horse. The yellow-haired man was already kneeling beside his horse, carefully removing all remaining possessions with a deeply furrowed brow. 

“I think they had tried to kill them all, Sir, but this is as far as they got before they either ran off or came to join the main attack,” Kirishima spoke softly, coming to stand beside his leader. Bakugou was silent as he released your arm, walking over to kneel beside his fallen friend. After giving a soft stroke to her cheek, he began to follow in Kaminari’s example, removing what he needed from the body. 

Standing there behind him, you felt completely lost, unsure of what to do or say to him. You still didn’t know him all that well, but from the stiffness of his movements and the harsh silence, you knew that he was upset. The sigh that left Kirishima’s lips only confirmed your suspicion, turning your gaze to him as he approached his horse, who was still huffing and stomping uncomfortably. Feeling a bit useless, you followed him, comforting Yonaka as the large animal nudged you for attention. “Will he be okay?” You spoke softly in hopes that Bakugou wouldn’t hear you, and if he did, he didn’t bother to silence you. 

Kirishima looked down at you before over at his leader, giving a small nod. “Yeah. He was very close to that horse, he trained her since she was a brand new foal. But it’s part of what we are doing. People and beasts die. There’s nothing you can do, even if it is unfair. A bit of advice, though, if you don’t want to get caught in his mess of anger… don’t ask him about it.” 

Nodding, you turned your attention completely to the black horse before you, checking him for any injuries that you may not have seen further away. Although you wanted to comfort the blonde man still kneeling on the ground, you knew better than to go against the word of someone who knew him best. You knew that you had no right to attempt to comfort him, as you were just a stranger, but that didn’t stop you from feeling bad for him. You could tell from your days of travel that he truly did adore that horse, even spending time away from the group with her, as she grew anxious without his presence. It was sad, and although you tried to stop it, you couldn’t resist the hot tears that rolled down your cheeks. 

After standing beside Yonaka for a while, you were surprised as Bakugou approached the large horse, fitting him with the salvaged supplies from his mare. Quickly wiping any remaining tears from your cheeks, you looked up at him. “Are you going to take Yonaka?” 

“We both are,” Bakugou spoke with an odd softness, even his expression calm without a single frown line. You figured that perhaps he was going through a moment of shock or that he was just all around numb from the experience. Still, both the calmness and the words brought heat to your face, as you would be sharing a horse with him for the remainder of the trip. 

“A-ah, okay…” You waited silently until Yonaka was all set, and when Bakugou gave you a silent gesture to get up onto the horse, you followed command. You struggled at first, your limbs weak from the rush and energy you had exerted. Still, you were able to get on without any assistance, and you scooted your body as close to the front of the saddle as you could. With practiced skill, Bakugou pulled himself up as well, sitting behind you. He took it upon himself to push and pull your body into a comfortable position for you both, and though you wanted to scream out in embarrassment, you allowed him to without question. 

Reaching around you, he took Yonaka’s reigns into his hands, giving a sharp click of his tongue to urge the horse forward. You felt so much more secure on the horse with Bakugou’s body supporting you. With your back pressed tightly against his torso, his arms on either side of you and legs firmly against your hips, you felt cocooned in his natural warmth, nearly putting you to sleep in an instant. You felt like he would be angry if you suddenly slumped against him, however, so you struggled to keep your eyes open until you were all out of the forest. 

Curious, you took a quick glance back behind you, finding that Kaminari and Ashido were in the same position as the two of you, now on Ashido’s beautiful mare, the white patches of the Paint horse stained with red now visible in the moonlight. It was obvious that Ashido had attempted to rid her horse of the blood, but fully cleaning the animal would have to wait until they were safe again. The entire group was silent, the typical vibrant excitement of winning a battle that you expected nowhere to be found. At that moment, you wondered how much worse it would have been had you not said something, but you didn’t dare to question such a thing out loud. 

What you couldn’t resist, however, was a yawn forcing its way out of your mouth, though you did cover your lips and keep it as silent as you could. Embarrassed, you hung your head a bit, though you didn’t have a chance to apologize as Bakugou spoke quietly. 

“You can sleep. We will be traveling now at double time, with minimal rest off the horses. So rest… You’ll need it for when we reach the castle.” 

“You… don’t mind me leaning on you?” 

“No.” 

Fiddling with your nails nervously for a moment, you took his invitation without another word, carefully leaning yourself back against him. Within the moment of your head resting on his shoulder, your eyes nearly forced themselves closed, and you found your mind swirling into blackness. 

You weren’t sure how long you dreamed of blood and the screams of the dead, but when you finally awoke, you felt just as exhausted as before. You were starving, thirsty and your neck was sore from whatever position you had been in. At first, the blinding light of the sun made you wince, bringing your hands up to cover your face as you gave a soft groan. 

“Finally awake, are you?”

Bakugou’s voice pulling your mind out of the foggy haze of restless sleep, you finally noticed the familiar bobbing of your body with Yonaka’s movements and Bakugou’s heat against your back. In fact, you were too hot, the heat of the day and his body making you feel like you were in an oven. Your skin felt sticky and sweaty, though you had grown used to it by now. That didn’t mean that you liked it by any means, but you had no choice but to tolerate it. 

“Yeah… how long was I asleep?” 

“You’ve been sleeping for almost a day and a half. I thought you were never going to wake up, you stupid Demon.” Bakugou brought a flask up in front of you, and you quickly took it to take a large drink of the cool water inside. It soothed your burning throat, unable to resist a sigh of relief when you pulled it from your lips. 

“Damn that’s good… I’ve been out that long?” Closing the flask, you handed it back to him, only able to listen as he reattached it to the side of your horse. 

“Yes. We even took you off Yonaka twice and you didn’t move.” 

“The battle must have taken a lot out of me… even though I didn’t do or lose anything. I’m sure you think that’s pathetic…”

There was silence for a moment between you, though you felt him heave a heavy sigh before responding. “Battle, no matter who or how it affects, is hard to deal with. You have never seen such a skirmish before, I can understand the mental toll it must have taken on you. But yes, you’re pathetic.” 

The hint of teasing you could hear behind his insult brought a small smile to your lips, and you hummed softly in agreement. “Well… how close are we to the castle?” 

“We will reach it by nightfall. You can see it, there in the distance, up against the mountains.” 

Curious, you brought your hand up to your forehead, shielding your eyes from the sun as you peered out into the distance. Sure enough, you could see the form of a tall castle with a surrounding town, peacefully awaiting the return of its warriors. “Oh, I see it. It looks nice.” 

“My Lord fought hard to win this territory. He would be flattered by your compliments.” 

“Really? He seems like a kind person.” 

“Hm…” Bakugou gave a small grunt in agreement, though the tone of his voice changed to something more akin to annoyance. “Often too kind.” 

Unsure if his annoyance was directed at you or the topic of his Lord, you decided to drop the subject, falling silent again. After being asleep for so long, you found that the day went by quickly, and by dusk, you were approaching the city gates. The group was not questioned by the guards when you approached, though you could feel the eyes on you from all around. Even as you traveled through the towns to reach the castle, people bowed and greeted the warriors with respect, but eyed you with confusion and distrust. You weren’t even dressed in your modern-day clothing anymore, yet people could still tell that you were some type of odd outsider. Perhaps it was the way you carried yourself or the expressions on your face? Either way, it was annoying, and you nearly felt the urge to hide your face behind your hands just so you wouldn’t see the glares. 

When you reached the stables, Bakugou hopped off Yonaka first, before waiting for you to get down. You did so carefully, your legs weak from constant riding on horseback and your extended sleep. There was no support from him, as expected, so you steadied yourself against Yonaka for a moment while taking in your surroundings. The stables were made up of one large building, with large fenced areas where the horses could roam. There were many out and about, though one caught your eye as it eagerly approached the fence. It greatly resembled Bakugou’s fallen palomino horse, though it was younger. 

As Bakugou barked instructions at two young servants, he approached the horse, stroking down the length of its nose to calm it. Before you could truly question his actions, a presence at your side startled you, even making you jump and have to stifle a squeal. 

“How did my sweet Yonaka treat you?” Tsuyu questioned you curiously, peering up at you with those dark eyes. Taking a breath to calm yourself, you placed a hand to your chest, giving a small nod. 

“H-he did great. He’s a wonderful horse.” You smiled as Tsuyu did, watching as she pet Yonaka’s neck affectionately. The petite woman was no longer dressed in her dark clothing you had met her in. Instead, she was clad in a brightly colored pale green kimono with pink accents and a cherry blossom pattern. Her hair was no longer up, but was instead down and tied into a cute bow shape at the bottom near her hips. The hairstyle was adorable, and it made the woman look completely innocent, though you knew better than to believe such a thing. Although she was being friendly, you knew that she was still watching you closely for any signs of danger. 

Tsuyu allowed Yonaka to be led away by a servant boy to be unburdened by supplies and cared for, turning her full attention back to you. “The others need their time to recover, so I will be watching over you for now. I’m sure Lord Bakugou will want to take you to meet our clan leader before night falls, but we can’t allow you to see him like this.” She gestured to your dirtied clothing and all-around horrible appearance. “You look a mess.” 

“A-Ah, yes, I do,” You attempted to fix your clothing to no avail, sighing in defeat. “I feel disgusting.” 

“Come, we’ll get you cleaned up and in new garments.” With a simple gesture of her hand, Tsuyu prompted you to start walking. Legs still feeling weak and sore, you followed the direction she had pointed to, unable to help a glance over at Bakugou. He merely looked at you for a moment before his gaze moved to Tsuyu, giving a simple nod before turning his attention back to the horse before him. You gave a small sigh once out of his range of hearing, eyes on the floor. 

“I feel so bad… His horse got killed by an ambush. I think he’s really sad about it…” 

Tsuyu gave a small hum in agreement, walking beside you. “Yes. That other horse was her foal. That is why she seemed so distressed. Her mother was not there… But don’t fret, it happens and Lord Bakugou will be able to manage the younglings problems. He is quite good with horses, you see.” 

Deciding there was no point in pressing the matter further, you took the chance to take in your surroundings. Currently walking alongside a white building with many traditional shoji sliding doors, you were happy for the shade provided to you by the extended roof, which covered the otherwise open engawa that was wide with pristine wood, so slick you felt as if you could slip at any second. As you both rounded a corner, you were met with a beautiful garden and pond area, the calming sound of running water soothing your anxiety. 

The two of you crossed a bridge over a small flowing creek and walked for a bit longer until you reached a smaller building that seemed separated from the rest. A bathhouse, you assumed, which was quickly made obvious by the steam rising from the roof and the smoke from windows at the base of the building. You had never before taken a traditional bath using fire under a tub, and for a moment you grew nervous. 

“I-is this a public bathhouse?” 

Curious as to your concerns, Tsuyu looked up at you. “Hm? Oh, well yes, but it is quite nice with partitions. It’s more private than you think.” She led you inside, and though it embarrassed you, the thought of getting a true bath was something you couldn’t resist. You were surprised to find that your particular bath was already steaming and ready for you, and with Tsuyu waiting right outside your area, you stripped faster than what you thought was possible. There was a bucket with water and a rag beside you, and you understood that you first needed to wipe your body clean with that before getting in the main bath. The water in the bucket was cold, but you had to admit it felt good against your hot skin. 

Once the bucket was empty and you had effectively dumped the entire thing over your head, you climbed into the welcoming steaming water in the round large tub. You found that you fit perfectly up to your shoulders as long as your knees were bent, but there was no way to stretch out completely. You didn’t mind, soaking in the feeling of the water that worked to soothe your sore and stiff body. 

I had better enjoy this… You thought to yourself, staring up at the ceiling. This could be the last real bath I ever have… If Lord Yagi doesn’t take my presence well, I’ll probably be killed right away… I just hope I can make a good case for myself. Or if not me, maybe Bakugou can…

You knew it was foolish to put your faith in a man who would sooner kill you than risk his Lord or his companions, but what else could you do? He was the only one who had any say in your future, and if he didn’t stand up for you, then you knew that you would perish. 

All you could do was wait and hope that it would turn out in your favor.