#DOES ANYTHING I DID FUCKING MATTER BESIDES THE FACTION I WENT WITH TO MAKE THE INSTITUTE GO BOOM????

[obessivedork]

Was.... that supposed to be the end of FO4? 😐 Like once you've blown up the Institute you get this random nostalgic slideshow that has nothing to do with ANYTHING and that's it? You beat the game! Good for you! But we'll place you back into the world to keep playing I fucking guess? What's going to happen to your friends and The Commonwealth with all the decisions you made?😐 Don't ask us! Not like we're going to make an RPG with the infamous RPG IP, that would be silly!

[sevenstarsinning]

Invasion Ch. 3

Description:  A planet conquering race of Saiyans invaded Earth and deemed it worthy of habitation. After bringing the humans to their heels, they set up a new society where humans had one role, to serve. You found yourself in the unlucky faction of being bought and sold as a human pet. With absolutely no interest in owning a human but no way out of having one, Kakarot made a bid on you at the urging of his brother. It was only a matter of time before you were either killed or forced into obedience.

Ch. 1      Ch. 2

________________________

Kakarot had been gone for few hours so you decided to cook dinner. He hadn’t given you any instructions on what to do while he was gone so you decided to do whatever until he told you otherwise. You hadn’t really eaten in a couple of days and the anxiety was finally starting to subside enough to where you felt your appetite returning. You grabbed the ingredients for beef stew and went to work. You coated the beef tips in flour before searing them in a pan while you let the vegetables simmer in the pot. After combining everything you sat back and waited. There wasn’t much to do in his house, it seemed devoid of anything entertaining besides a tv that had two channels, one of which was static, and the other was weather. You settled on watching the weather and by the time the food was done, you knew the entire forecast for the next week by heart. Just as you were fixing your bowl of stew, the front door opened and you could hear Kakarot sniffing the air.

“Did you cook again? It smells different.” He asked as he made his way down the hallway.

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back, so I made beef stew. Is that okay?”

He made a beeline to the pot on the stove and filled a bowl, “coming home to food is always okay.”

His reassurance was softer than you expected and honestly it made you feel kind of happy. He seemed to be mesmerized by the smell of the stew as carried it to the table. He sat the bowl down and looked at it for a moment, then to you as you sat at the other end. He picked up the bowl suddenly and started to hold it up to his mouth.

“Wait, not like that,” you stood up and grabbed him a spoon from the drawer, “use this so you don’t make a mess. Or scald yourself.”

You were a little concerned that his first instinct is to just shovel food in by pouring the contents directly into his open mouth. You ate together, well more like you ate while he inhaled the food. He acted as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks, but clearly that wasn’t the case. You wondered if he had just been surviving on the raw foods he could buy and nothing more.

“I’m leaving.” He said between bites, catching you off guard.

“Oh, okay. Um, where are you going?” You weren’t sure if it was allowed to ask or not, but you did anyways.

“Prince Vegeta gave me an assignment on another planet. Should be back in a week.” He continued to eat without looking up at you.

“Oh, am I going with you?”

He paused and glanced up at you, “you’ll stay here. Alone.”

Several things ran through your mind at the thought of being left alone. You wanted to ask if he was going to lower your clearance level, but you didn’t want to remind him of it.

“Okay, anything I should do while you’re gone?”

“Stay.” Kakarot wasn’t entirely concerned with you running away, but he knew if you were to get caught somewhere while he was gone, you might not be returned.

“I can do that.” You smiled slightly, offering him reassurance while you were already considering your escape.

The next day you woke up to see he had left already. No goodbye or final word about your clearance level. You shuffled through the house, considering checking out his room, but you ultimately decided against it. You fixed yourself breakfast and lounged around until curiosity got the better of you. You wanted to know if you were truly free to come and go as you pleased.

You opened the front door and stood at the threshold, wondering just what kind of shock you could expect if you did step over it and your level had been lowered. You remained in the doorway as people passed by, saiyans with their humans, some of them glancing at you as they continued on their way. Taking in a deep breath first, you stepped through the door and froze, waiting for the shock that never came. You closed the door behind you and took a few more steps away from the house, your anxiety easing the further you got away from it. An intense feeling to run started to rush through you, but your feet remained planted. You had your freedom in your hands and the only thing you could think of was that you’d be leaving so many others behind. Then it dawned on you, Bulma. She could come with you, she could set all human’s levels to free them. You immediately made a path towards the castle.

“Off leash, human?” A large saiyan grinned at you as he walked by you.

You picked up your pace as you realized you had nothing to protect you and the passive thought entered your mind of wanting Kakarot there, but you pushed it out quickly. You didn’t want to rely on him in any capacity, so you reminded yourself that he bought you for the sole purpose of owning you, not helping you. When you finally made it to the castle it was a lot less busy than the day before, clearly a lot of humans had been purchased recently. The second Bulma saw you she almost knocked you over with a quick embrace.

“I knew you’d come to see me. Especially when I heard Kakarot was going on a mission.”

“You heard about that?” You asked once she released you.

“Vegeta gets chatty after sex.” She said bluntly.

You couldn’t help the look of surprise on your face, “you have sex with him?” You kept your voice low.

Bulma laughed and looped her arm around yours as she led you further into the castle, “if you haven’t fucked a saiyan yet, you’re really missing out. The things they can do, oh, and those tails? They come into play a lot.”

Your mind was reeling with the new information. It wasn’t exactly new information that saiyans bred with humans, but you never expected a human to do it willingly. There was still so much you didn’t know. You started to wonder if that was what Kakarot had bought you for, if he was planning to mate with you? You quickly dismissed the thought as something you’d worry about if it came up.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.” She pulled you with her.

“Introduce me to who? Prince Vegeta?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. He’s a big softie.”

The anxiety that had dissipated was starting to return as you neared the throne room where you could only assume he was. Bulma ignored the guards at the door and did as she pleased, bursting in unannounced and striding happily towards the brooding saiyan at the other end of the room.

“Prince Vegeta, I want you to meet someone. This is Kakarot’s human.” She tugged your hand, pulling you forward.

“It was about time he got one.” He regarded you suspiciously for a moment.

“I was wondering if you could do her a favor?” Bulma released your hand and approached him.

“What is it, woman?”

“As you can see, she still has that God awful collar around her neck, could you remove it for her?”

You had honestly forgotten about it. You had adjusted to the weight and feeling of it around your neck and touched it instinctively when she mentioned it.

“Am I not busy enough as it is?” He snapped, but clearly still keeping his tone softer.

She glanced back at you and winked before climbing up into his lap and nuzzling against his neck, “but the poor thing is so uncomfortable. Kakarot didn’t know to remove it for her and she clearly doesn’t have the strength to do it herself.”

Vegeta seemed to shift in his seat, placing his arm around her and his tail coiled around her leg, “she does seem weak.”

“Please? I would really really appreciate it.” She spoke even lower.

You felt a little awkward standing there while she basically seduced him and he played right into her game.

“I could, but that’s Kakarot’s place, not mine.” He said abruptly.

“Aw, you’re sure you can’t help her out, Prince Vegeta?” She begged softly, nipping at his neck which caused him to groan.

“Kakarot will remove it if he chooses to. Now, if you don’t want your new friend watching while I breed you, then I suggest you leave soon.” He warned.

Bulma kissed his cheek, “I don’t think she’s ready to see that just yet.”

She climbed out of his lap and his tail uncoiled from her. He kept his eyes on her as she walked, clearly attached to her. Their relationship was different, almost as if they loved each other, but you knew that wasn’t possible, not for someone who was a prisoner. You followed her out of the throne room as she took you out to one of the gardens.

“He was so close to giving in.”

“What’s with the collars anyways? No one really explained it to me.” You asked as you took a seat on the stone bench next to her.

“Some saiyans opt for keeping them on and often attach a leash to it, a clear show of power. If you haven’t learned already, saiyans are always measuring their dicks by sheer strength or appearance of strength. Vegeta never would have let me into his lap had another saiyan been there.”

You chewed on the thought that had been in your head since you left the house and you knew you needed to say it while you were alone.

“I’ve been thinking about something, about our situation, about all of the human’s situations. You have control over the clearance levels, right? And-“

She raised her hand up, stopping you, “I know where you’re going with this, it wouldn’t work.”

“But if you just changed all of the clearance levels, then-“

“I’m telling you it won’t work. And you’d be smart to stop talking about this.” She looked around nervously, the first time you’d actually seen her look nervous about anything.

“You’re just content staying here then? Being owned by him and never having true freedom?”

“Look, I know Kakarot hasn’t exactly been warm and welcoming, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Vegeta actually cares about me. Do you know how many guys have pushed me in the path of danger? Or broken my heart by fucking someone else? He’s committed to me and only me.”

“So you’ll sacrifice all of humankind just to have a boyfriend?”

Both of you were shocked by the words that came out of your mouth, “I’m so sorry, Bulma, I didn’t mean-“

She let out a soft sigh, “like it or not, this is how things are now. What’s your plan if you get away? Run to another city? Another country? There isn’t anywhere for you to go. You can either continue to fight this and be miserable or lean into your fate and actually live your life.”

“The difference is that you have someone who actually acknowledges your existence and seems to care if you’re around.”

“It’s better to be invisible than on full display in the arena.” She reminded you.

It was frustrating how right she was about everything. You wanted to run, but you had nowhere to go. You wanted to be happy with your situation, but every time you turned around, Kakarot was there to remind you that he didn’t want you. It was starting to take a toll on you even though it shouldn’t have. You hated the fact that you wanted to please him, that you held out hope that he would actually enjoy your presence. It made you feel sick to your stomach at the thought of craving his approval.

“He’ll be back in a week, right?” She asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah. The only thing he told me to do while he was gone was ‘stay’.”

“Stay? Like, as in stay home or don’t run away?”

“I don’t know. He just said to stay. Which clearly, I didn’t do. By the way, how do saiyans punish their humans?”

She furrowed her brow as she looked at you, “why do you ask? I highly doubt Kakarot is going to punish you for coming here.”

“I kind of slapped his brother and he-“

“Wait, you slapped Raditz?!” She almost shouted in surprise.

“Yeah, he was-“

“And you’re still alive?”

“Yeah, Kakarot stepped in between us. Is that a big deal?”

She glanced around again before settling her gaze back on you, “Raditz isn’t someone to fuck with. He’s been through at least four humans already.”

“What happened to them?” Your curiosity was piqued but not exactly in a good way.

“Two went to the arena by his request. He still has one that I know of, and the other, she just kind of disappeared.”

A chill ran up your spine at the thought that he was that ruthless and you just happened to hit him in the face. He was the one who encouraged Kakarot to buy you, could he have had some other motive behind it? You were starting to feel uneasy about even being with his brother.

“He told Kakarot to punish me.”

“I take it he didn’t?”

You shook your head, still uncertain about what it meant.

“Every saiyan is different in how they choose to punish their human. Some use brute force, others use denial, and there are some who use the arena to teach their humans a lesson. Just steer clear of Raditz, please?”

“I’ll do my best, but somehow I don’t think he’s going to let me, especially after what I did. Did Vegeta punish you?” The question was there and you knew it was really none of your business, but you were curious.

She couldn’t help but laugh, “you think I’d let that thick-skulled idiot punish me? He tried, trust me, he definitely tried. He thought he could just ignore me and I’d sit back and take it. Boy was he wrong. I was up early everyday waiting outside his door to follow him around. He got so annoyed that he finally started talking to me.”

Bulma continued telling you about how she ‘tamed’ Vegeta, it seemed almost impossible for you to reach that level of happiness. She was so strong willed and confident, two things you didn’t have. She wasn’t someone to settle for an unhappy or unfulfilling life either. You started to wonder if you’d ever be where she is, especially with Kakarot. You didn’t want the obvious love story she seemed to have, but you wanted to at least feel needed or wanted.

“Hey Kakarot, how’s that new little human of yours?” Nappa asked from the back of the ship.

“She’s fine.” He answered shortly, wanting to avoid the subject.

“Oh I bet. Raditz told me she got a little feisty the other day. You punish her good?”

“She won’t act on impulse like that again.”

His vague response seemed to please Nappa and the other saiyans as they returned to talking about their humans and how well-trained they’d turned out to be. Kakarot still wasn’t sold on the idea, but your cooking was definitely a perk. He just couldn’t see the appeal of owning a human and forcing them to wait on him hand and foot, but his brother seemed to think it was necessary. Raditz also seemed to have an obsession with the humans, which Kakarot found odd to say the least. He smirked at the thought of you slapping his brother, a small, frail human hitting the large ruthless saiyan. He could at least admire your bravery.

“Alright, we’re nearing the planet’s surface, everyone ready?” Nappa called out, breaking Kakarot from his thoughts and bringing him back to the job at hand.

[spaceskam]

our fainted thrill carries on (11/13)

warning: mentions of anxiety, kidnapping, child abuse, etc

ao3

Regardless of their ambiguous relationship status, Alex had promised to let Michael know when he got to the motel safely.

Midnight passed.

1 A.M. passed.

3 A.M.

5 A.M.

7 A.M.

“You just forgot, right? You got back and went to sleep, right?” Michael asked, leaving his 5th voicemail of the night. He’d called 30 times and texted even more, spending the whole night curled up on the couch and biting his nails until they hurt. “You’re gonna call me when you wake up and you’re gonna be so pissed that I blew up your phone. I checked four times, you brought your charger, so if you’re ignoring me on purpose, then… Please be okay. I need you to be okay. I love you, bye.”

When Alex had gotten up the morning after their talk and just started packing a bag to still head out to meet the active Camerons, Michael had been stressed beyond belief. No matter how much he said it was a bad idea, Alex deemed it necessary. Then when Michael tried to invite himself along, Alex told him no.

“I swear to God, I am going to kill you when you get home. You can’t just not return my calls, that’s a real dick move,” Michael spat, taking a shaky breath, “I miss you, come home.”

He’d bothered him for the rest of the week, trying his damnedest to either get Alex to stay or get him to let him tag along. It would’ve been fun, he’d said, a road trip with all of them. Alex had banished him to yard work after too many minutes of failed, teenage-esque coercion.

“I’m worried,” Michael sniffled at 8 A.M. Alex should’ve taken his medication by now. Had he done his morning PT? “Please call me. I won’t be mad, I just need you. I need to know you’re okay.”

They’d been slowly trying to build trust again and now he wasn’t answering. Was he hurt? Was he avoiding him? Was he just having so much fun he forgot? Did someone take him?

“Alex,” Michael said, stress crying into his palms at this point as his whole body shook with a new, unknown level of anxiety, “I need… Just one response, okay? Just one. So I know you’re alright. I love you. Please take your medicine and eat something if you haven’t. I love you.”

For years, Michael had gotten accustomed to never being able to talk to Alex when he wanted to. He was overseas playing G.I. Joe and Michael avoided even trying. But now, now after months of Alex picking up when he needed him, months of spending so much time together, months of needing him to breathe… Now it felt like his entire world was crumbling and suddenly he was considering filing a missing person’s report.

“But that’d be stupid, right? You’re on a secret mission, I’m a… redacted… so I just gotta wait. Just gotta… Please be okay. I love you more than anything and I meant what I said. So, you know, if someone took you and is listening... Tell them I’ll fucking kill them. I won’t hesitate. Don’t worry.”

Michael pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes, trying to will himself to feel better. His hand seized up and his body hurt. He just needed Alex to be okay and alive and home. He needed him to come home.

“The person you are trying to reach is not available. Mailbox full. Goodbye.”

He dropped the phone onto the couch, raking his hands through his hair and pulling hard as he tried to calm himself. This wasn’t just anyone, this was Alex. If Michael trusted anyone to get themselves out of a sticky situation, it was Alex Manes. He was strong and smart and ungodly talented. He should be okay.

So then why wasn’t he answering his fucking phone?

“Whoa, what’s going on here?”

Michael looked up at the sound of Rosa’s voice. She was staring at him in concern which was new, but he couldn’t even take time to register it. He was shaking and felt like he was suffocating, his whole mind blurry and thinking of the worst-case scenario.

“Alex won’t answer and he’s not home and I can’t get in touch with him and it’s been hours and, and he said he would call or text or, or, or, or‒”

“Hey, it’s Alex, I’m sure he’s fine,” Rosa insisted. Michael shook his head, pulling on his hair a little harder.

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head, “No, he said‒”

“Did you try Kyle or Jenna? See if they’d pick up? Maybe Alex lost his phone,” she tried, coming closer. The couch shifted as she sat beside him and he tried to take a grounding breath just like Alex showed him. Identify the trigger and breathe. Except he knew the fucking trigger and he couldn’t breathe because it was an actual problem.

“No, I didn’t call them,” he said, staring at his phone. His messages were still unread and it brought a whole new wave of panic. He’d never felt so fucking helpless in his life. He just wanted Alex.

“Give me your phone,” Rosa instructed, taking it before he could actually hand it over. Which was valid because he felt like his skin was being turned inside out. He should’ve followed him or put a tracker on him or put a fucking handprint on him or something. Anything.

Anything would be better than this.

“Okay, let me try Jenna,” she said after Kyle’s went to voicemail. Michael groaned pathetically, shrinking in on himself again.

A few more minutes, a few more calls unanswered, and all it did was make Michael’s anxiety grow to insane levels. What happened? What the fuck could’ve taken them out? Sure, Kyle he could understand, but Cam and Alex? What kind of manpower did these people have?

“Oh my God, he’s dead,” Michael breathed‒or, tried to breathe, “He’s dead. He’s dead and the last thing he remembers is me being a total dick. He’s dead.”

“Hey, don’t say shit like that, he’s not dead,” Rosa insisted, swatting his leg. Michael just choked his tears, rocking slightly. Horrible, intrusive images of Alex’s dead body flooded through his mind. Bloody, beaten, shot, destroyed. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “It’s Alex, he’s not dead, stop.”

 “Then where is he, huh?! If he’s not dead, where is he?!” Michael demanded. Rosa glared at him.

“Acting like this will get us nowhere,” Rosa said, standing to her feet and gesturing for him to do the same. He was pretty sure his feet wouldn’t work if he tried. She rolled her eyes when he didn’t move. “Listen, I want you to really think about what’s going on right now. If something is wrong, your most useful people are out of commission. You have to actually put in the effort.”

“I don’t know where to begin,” Michael argued. 

“You sure about that?” Rosa prodded.

She stared him down for a moment and he carefully took a few grounding breaths. He had to be logical at least a little bit. If he was going to get Alex back, he had to at least have a starting place. So he closed his eyes, focusing on changing that anxiety and sadness into anger. It wasn’t hard. It felt like a reflex.

He took a few more breaths before he opened his eyes.

“I know where to go.”

-

Michael Guerin let himself into the Manes’ residence for the second time in one week.

Jesse Manes was sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and not even bothering to stand in fear like last time. Instead, he just looked up at Michael. His fingers itched, eager to just throw him into the wall. But he waited.

“Tell me where Alex is.”

Jesse paused, looking at him over the top of his mug. He looked genuinely confused, but Michael didn’t buy that for a second. 

“Did you warn them that Alex was thinking about going out there? Did you tell them about him?” Michael demanded. Jesse slowly lowered his cup.

“Now, son, I thought we were getting along last t‒”

“Answer me!” Michael demanded, throwing the mug across the room and slamming it into the wall. It was a perfect demonstration of what he’d do to Jesse if he didn’t get an answer.

Jesse sighed, looking longingly at the shattered mug for a moment before turning his attention back to Michael. He was too calm. There was nothing calm about this situation. Nothing at all. Alex was missing. So were Kyle and Cam.

“I didn’t warn them, but they already know who Alex is. He’s got Manes features and every active member knows of every family member of the other factions for safety purposes. If they took Alex, it was because of you,” Jesse said simply. Michael’s heart dropped into his stomach and his breathing threatened to choke him all over again.

“Bullshit,” Michael spat. Jesse sighed and gestured to the chair across from him. Michael was hesitant to do so. Last time they sat and spoke cordially, Alex went missing over the very thing they spoke about.

But, then again, Jesse had warned him.

Michael reluctantly took a seat.

“They have a theory that says any human who gets involved with an alien is just as dangerous and corrupt,” Jesse said. Michael scoffed.

“You think that too.”

“I don’t think that,” he said, still oh so calm, “I think it shows weakness and is a symptom of being overly empathetic to creatures that aren’t worth it, but I don’t think it’s something one can’t come back from. Alex has… other compromising issues. He’s disabled, he’s got PTSD, CPTSD‒we’re just scratching the surface. I understand why you’re worried.”

There was a level of coldness to him that Michael couldn’t comprehend. It was like there was a legit disconnect and he didn’t see Alex as his son. He viewed Alex, not as the man he was, but as the idea of what he was. A disabled, queer veteran. End sentence.

“He’s your son,” Michael said, eyebrows drawn together and shaking his head, “He’s your son, why don’t you care? Why aren’t you worried? I-I’ve seen so many shitty parents in my day, but most of the time they at least pretend. You can’t even give him that.”

“Alex made it clear he doesn’t want me pretending,” Jesse said simply, “And I learned a long time ago there’s no reason in being worried for him. Worry doesn’t change what that boy does. If anything, it makes him run towards the fire. He’s made his bed.”

Michael shook his head, leaning back in his seat and looking up towards the ceiling as he tried to collect himself.

“Alex is… He is the strongest person I know. And I have no idea how the fuck he became that with you as a father,” Michael scoffed, “No matter what bullshit is thrown at him, he can be kind. He can still love so much. He doesn’t trust you, but he still loves you. He doesn’t trust me, but he still loves me. Do you not understand how fucking incredible that is?”

Michael looked at Jesse, seeing that he was basically unphased. It didn’t make sense. How many years had this man put effort into becoming something that he forgot how to be human? How had Michael spent years trying to avoid falling into the cold arms of humanity and failed, but Jesse Manes had successfully evaded it completely?

“I’ve encountered a lot of monsters,” Michael said, leaning a bit closer and making sure he held eye contact, “I’ve encountered so many and, despite the fact that I’ve also met my fair share of loving people, I still became one. I’m still this. But Alex? Alex has been wronged by every goddamn person he’s ever met and he’s still good. He is unapologetically good. And you know what? He deserves to see that there’s a point to it.”

“How exactly do you expect to do that?”

With a simple thought, Michael bound Jesse Manes’ wrists with an invisible string. Jesse managed to hide any type of alarm.

“We’re goin’ on a road trip.”

-

Alex’s head hurt ungodly bad.

“Alex, hey, welcome back to life.”

He squinted and saw Kyle looking down at him, shirtless for some reason. He tried to move, but it just hurt worse so he stayed put.

“What’s going on?”

“We may or may not be trapped in a cellar,” Kyle said softly, lifting something. It was then that Alex realized Kyle’s missing shirt was being pressed to his head. “But it’s okay, we’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay.”

“Me? What happened?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Kyle asked. Alex closed his eyes and thought really hard. He felt disoriented and achy and probably had everything to do with that head wound he couldn’t really feel.

“Um, getting to the club?” Alex said, trying to remember what happened after, but it was blurry, “Did I get any information?”

“Well, I don’t know, you don’t remember,” Kyle sighed, “I’m sure it’ll come back to you. Right now, just stay put.”

“What’s going on?”

“A couple of guy’s cornered me. I don’t know how they knew I was with you, but they cornered me and threw me in the back of a van. Same with you, but you were already unconscious by then. Not sure what happened, but you’ve got a pretty nasty head wound.”

“That’s it?” Alex wondered, “Where’s Cam?”

“Shh,” Kyle hushed, looking around and stroking Alex’s cheek as if that would cover up what he said. Maybe it would. He leaned down and put his lips right by Alex’s ear. “Don’t talk about that or we’re never gonna escape. They can’t know she’s involved with us, okay? Just play along.”

Alex gave a microscopic nod as Kyle sat back up.

“I think you’ll be okay. It stopped bleeding,” Kyle told him.

“Good, I need to kick someone’s ass,” Ale said, groaning as he tried to shift again. His body still felt too heavy. “What the fuck, I’ve had a head wound before. They don’t usually feel so… They… I…”

Carefully, Kyle hand traveled from his cheek down to his arm. He carefully put a little pressure over a spot just below the inside of his elbow. Alex jumped, his body reacting to the spike of pain. Kyle whispered his apology, but it was clearly something had happened to his arm. Kyle reached down more, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. When he sat up straight, it brought Alex’s arm right into his line of view.

Branded into his arm was that familiar three men Neptune symbol, tiny and yet so, so obvious. In the first head, the one meaning Manes, was a little red dot, the product of an injection. His eyes went up to meet Kyle’s. His face was schooled, but his eyes showed his worry.

“And you?” Alex asked. He shook his head, saying they hadn’t done it to him.

Alex took a deep breath and nodded. 

This is why he hated going in blind.

[lunaschild2016]

Close To You - [Eric/Devi] Part 2

Rated: M

Title and inspiration from Close To You by Maxi Priest

Summary: Devi and Eric’s story continues, but this time we see things from Eric’s eyes. It was her belief in him that sparked them finally coming together, but where did it really start for Eric? The life of a childhood sweetheart, conspiracies, and the fate of the city all hung over his head. He didn’t need to be wondering how to get close to the tiny amity with fire in her eyes and a mouth to match. He didn’t need to worry and wonder about how he could find a way to just be close to her.

@kenzieam  @pathybo  @jaihardy @every-jai @ericdauntless@beautifulramblingbrains @bookgirlthings @jojuarez26@oddsnendsfanfics @offroadinjandals @singingpeople@iammarylastar @irasancti @captstefanbrandt @clublulu333@fuckthatfeeling @tigpooh67 @ex-bookjunky  @jughead-wuz-here wuz-here @badassbaker @beanzjellly @beltz2016@meganbee15 @affabletimelady @scorpio2009 @gylisaa@geekybeyondallreason @violetsonthelam @kyloswarstars@emmysrandomthoughts @kgurew @beltzboys2015-blog@slytherin-princess-25273 @whatwouldbuffydo666@jaiboomer11 @holamor @wealwayskeepfighting @original46 @blakefc @xtheserpentx @artisthedgehog

Part 2

The buzzing of the tattoo gun is hypnotic. Combined with the sensation that the needle piercing my skin brings, I’m drifting into another zone. My head is laid back against the leather headrest and my eyes are half-closed. It’s a state of relaxation that seems ridiculous considering what’s being done to my skin at the moment. But that’s exactly what this is for me. 

Relaxing.

I hadn’t believed Ronin, a Dauntless-born that I’ve made friends with when he claimed that tattoos are addicting. His skin is already riddled with them and he seems to be the most tatted up guy among the bunch of Dauntless-born in our year. So, I just thought that particular opinion wasn’t common going by that information. 

I scoffed at my friend the same way I had at Jules when she teased me about being covered in ink from head to toe the next time she saw me. Now I’m not sure they weren’t right about that. 

The thing is, out of everything that Dauntless has on offer to help me unwind, this is the one place that I’ve truly been able to. 

Drinking is all well and good, but I don’t drink to get shit faced. Besides most of the crap they have here for mass consumption, and what us lowly initiates can afford, could strip paint it’s so strong. 

Hooking up seems to be another favorite way to pass the time here. I would’ve thought initiates would find slim pickings for that, but apparently, we’re all considered fresh meat. It’s not like my body isn’t all for it but my head is all kinds of messed up right now and getting involved with anything like that isn’t a priority for me.

The first couple of weeks here I had more difficulty with learning how to deal with this after my usual glares and silent treatment had no effect. Until Ronin came along and was happy to take any action off my hands that I didn’t want. I definitely got some shit from him about that, but I played it off as me being too focused on finishing initiation and getting first rank. I guess that was believable enough because he stopped giving me shit as much and seemed to pass the word around. I stopped having so many women coming onto me. 

The other forms of blowing off some steam were all found in the bars and entailed either dancing or fighting. One, I wouldn’t be caught dead doing, and the other isn’t something I’m allowed to do.

Entertainment fights are off-limits to all initiates from actually fighting in. I can watch them all I want, but what’s the fucking point of that? So, the only real kind of release I wanted at the moment is denied to me.

Which brings me to the tattoos. 

I hadn’t planned on getting anything done, tattoos or piercings, until I’m actually a member. I kept to that plan for the first month and a half that I’ve been here so far. But as of three weeks ago, that got shot to hell.

That’s all my little one’s fault. 

Devi.

Against all odds, predictions, and everything going against her, the girl’s still here. Still here tormenting me, but she doesn’t have a clue about that. Honestly, I doubt she even knows I exist. That fact still hasn’t stopped me from watching her. That’s how I knew that she now spends every day after training until just before lights out at the tattoo parlor. And that’s what also drew me here for the first time.

Really, I’m not sure when it started for her. Devi seems to be even better at slinking around unseen than fucking Four. While Four has at least has made friends with a Dauntless-born in our class named Zeke Pedrad, Devi talks to nobody and no one talks to her either, at least not in a pleasant kind of way.

The first week here she kept silent, even when the others started in on her, but as time went on her keeping silent went away. Now she doesn’t hesitate to give them back as good as they’re giving her. She might not win many physical fights, but I’ve seen her cut a few of the girls to pieces with her words before she storms away, looking like she’s barely able to hold herself back from getting physical. 

I know, since I know what’s really going on with her that some of her fight and loss of temper is from her withdrawal. A common side effect of detoxing is mood changes, but I’m guessing with what she was on and for how long she was on it, it’s even worse. Everything that I've been able to find out about that shit is bad news.

I got access to a tablet shortly after my brother letting me know what’s going on with her. I couldn’t help myself. 

Ronin’s got a brother who works in a high enough position that he’s given a tablet and managed to borrow it for me for a few days. Enough time for me to pull up any information I could find on the most commonly used serums in Amity. They have two main serums and several others that used but not as frequently. All of them are mood and behavior-altering, but Peace serum is the worst of the lot since it’s actually a combination of a few of them.

Out of all the substances that Erudite has come in contact with, peace serum has been the most damaging and dangerous to break a person from. Which is kind of fucking ironic considering that Amity is all about doing no harm and all that other hippie nonsense.

The serum is composed of several different serums in higher dosages and it forces the person to be calm and happy, as well as being very open to suggestions. Any negative thoughts or feelings are pushed away completely, and they don’t have to cope with those things either. Devi was on a lifetime of the shit. A lifetime of never having a bad or negative feeling means that she also never learned to cope with any of that. 

Things learned and experienced during puberty were completely suppressed and that can’t be a cakewalk for her to suddenly be feeling all at once. I don’t blame her one bit for keeping far away from anyone and everyone. It doesn’t help that the other initiates’ behavior has actually gotten worse when she does have to be around them. 

I think it pisses them off and offends them that she isn’t just hanging on by the skin of her teeth, but actually improving. Devi is a fighter, through and through even if physically she doesn’t look it. She’s shit at fights, there’s no doubt about that. More times than not she has to be helped or carried off the mat, bleeding and hurt. 

That’s been complete fucking hell to watch when it happens.

I still have a few more weeks of fights before the end of the first stage. Thank fuck we aren’t expected to fight every day. They do at least space them out and alternate activities to allow our bodies to recover a bit. But I’m counting down the days until the second stage starts and we won’t be expected to do much more than making sure we’re keeping up with workouts while we are doing whatever else they have planned for us.

So far, I haven’t had the match up I dread most, being put against Devi. Internally I’ve been hoping like hell that luck will hold out and I don’t get put against her. Based on a few things I overheard when Amar was talking with a couple of the leaders on the day they deigned to make an appearance and check on us, I think there’s a good chance I won’t have to. 

They were discussing fights and how everyone is doing. I heard one of them ask Amar about the Amity girl in a condescending tone, probably expecting to get a few laughs at how poorly she’s doing or at least some kind of smart-ass comment back from Amar in agreement of how unsuited she is for Dauntless. 

What he got instead was what I felt deep inside of me that night I carried her to the clinic.

‘If all of our people had as much fire as that girl does, then there would be nothing stopping our faction. That little girl might not look it, but I tell you she’s all Dauntless.’

She’s a true Dauntless and it shows, which is why I think the others are so hacked off at her. The tiny girl from the faction of peace lovers is making all of them look like fools with how they grumble and complain or try to worm their way out of their next match after being on the receiving end of a beating.

Not Devi though.

She leaves that mat a bloody mess and turns back up for her next fight with a fierce look on her face and little fists clenched at her sides. She doesn’t blink, no matter how unevenly matched the fights are, and she refuses to concede even when she’s being pulverized. 

I can’t count how many times I’ve watched her refuse to tap out and have to be knocked out instead, or a trainer call the match before some real or permanent damage can be done.

Amar let both Max and Oliver know this very fact. Then I heard them discussing future pairings. Max had been all for seeing how she would do against a higher-ranked fighter and would’ve pushed for that happening until Amar let him know that one of her previous matches was against Four. That satisfied their bloodlust but it only inflamed mine against the stiff. 

He was all apologies and reluctant looks before the fight, but once he got in there he didn’t seem to have any problem landing more than a few punches that made her bleed. Then there had been how he finished her off by locking her in a hold until she passed out all while she struggled and screamed her rage at him before finally the fire in her eyes dimmed and she was out.

That image fucking haunts me and I’ll never forgive either of them for it, but the stiff especially. I’ve just been waiting to get a little payback when my time comes to face off against him. 

For some reason, all of the leaders seem hesitant to make that happen right now. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s obvious enmity on my side or what, but it’s been pissing me off that the one match I’m looking forward to most isn’t happening.

“Let’s take a break. I need a smoke.” Bud, the tattoo artist currently working on me grumbles out drawing my attention back to what I’m in the middle of.

“Okay,” I say with a shrug and remain in the chair while Bud puts the gun up and clears a few things before moving off towards the back and behind a curtain that Tori, the other tattoo artist just disappeared behind in a hurry. 

I watch him for a second wondering why he’s going to the backroom for his smoke break when the other times he usually goes to stand outside of the parlor. With another shrug of dismissal, I look down and inspect the work done so far. 

I now have two tattoos and after Bud comes back it’ll be three. The first is the smallest and is about the size of my fist. The placement for that one is at the top of my spine and is a riff of the Erudite symbol combined with the Eye of Horus in an all-black tribal style of tattoo. 

The two I’m getting worked on right now cover the forearm on both of my arms and are a combination of black and rust color. I wanted something geometric and found a maze design on their wall of art so that is mainly what the design is made up of, broken only by the interjection of various symbols. 

The design for all of my tattoos have been me telling Bud and Tori what I wanted and then them coming up with something. Tori suggested I stick with using things that look like the Egyptian symbol from my first tattoo for the ones on my arms, so that’s what we did. Bud let me use his tablet and I spent a little bit of time searching the archives on the network. I eventually found some others I liked but from other old-world cultures. They all run along the same lines of meaning that the Eye of Horus has. Strength, Power, Health, and Wisdom. There are a few others that I put on there that are things I hope to work towards. I let my fingers trace the arm Bud has done so far, checking out how the reimagined design melds into the tribal style. 

Sounds from the back area distract me and pique my curiosity, especially when I clearly heard a particular name being mentioned. It has me easing out of the chair and sliding towards the curtained off area. I didn’t step through but I stayed close and pretended to be looking at some of the flash on the wall there.

“She should go get checked out in the clinic at the very least.” 

“She’s not going to do that anymore than she’s going to report the attack, Bud. I don’t blame her with the way shit’s been going around here. They're not going to do anything to the girls that did this and she says it would just make her more of a target with the other initiates.”

“Maybe I should go find them and have a few words with them then.”

“Don’t go doing anything stupid. Besides, Devi says she gave them as good as she got. You just go back out there and finish with that nose’s tattoo. I don’t feel comfortable having him in the shop longer than is needed. ”

“Still don’t trust him?” 

“I don’t trust anyone, Bud. Especially someone from that faction. Not after George.”

There is rustling behind the curtain and I know I won’t make it back to the chair, so I slide further down the wall and think about the shit I’ve just heard while I try to look like I’m just checking out the art on the wall.

Bud comes out just seconds later, looks at the chair and sees me not in it then swings his eyes around to find me. He narrows his eyes for just a second before he smirks and motions with his head towards the chair and turns to walk towards it himself.

I follow behind him casually and work to keep my composure. It’s a hard thing to do when I just want to leave here and go find whoever the cowards are that hurt Devi. Luckily, Bud doesn’t seem to realize where my mind is headed right now and he doesn’t press to talk.

He finishes my arm, seeming to work much faster than normal because before I know it, he’s wiping it clean and about to start smoothing the lotion that will prevent scabbing and heal the area.

“There you go, all finished.” He pronounces with a nod then turns to start cleaning up his gun.

I sit there inspecting the work and contemplating saying something or not to him but think better of it. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I find the girls and I don’t know Bud to trust him either.

I don’t spare another glance at him as I take care of paying for today’s session then walk out into the compound. 

                                                      ****************

Jocelyn and Portia.

I should have known it would be those two. They were complete bitches in Erudite and Dauntless just seems to have enhanced that. They’ve been the worst of the girls and relentless in their insults towards Devi. 

It took some investigating and me bribing Ronin to get access to the cameras but I was able to find out that Devi was attacked sometime after we were dismissed on Friday, which was shortly after lunch, and just after dinner. With there being no training scheduled for Saturday or Sunday, the initiates all scattered and it took scanning camera feeds to track everyone down. Not that the piss poor quality of most of the cameras made it easy but at least I was able to narrow down the likely suspects and eliminate them as I was able to pick them up. The only two I couldn’t find were Jocelyn and Portia. I was able to confirm with Candice in the clinic that they stumbled in late Friday evening.

Technically we aren’t supposed to be sleeping anywhere but the dorm. Leadership doesn’t really care enough to have anyone enforce that rule. So the Dauntless-born will generally go back to wherever they were living before initiation started or with friends. The transfers either found members to bunk in with or stumbled in for a few hours sleep before heading back out to party again.

I’ve had a lot of time to figure out what to do but what I decided on is nowhere near where I started at. Especially when Devi made an appearance at lunch yesterday, Saturday. 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t already been injured pretty badly from her last fight. With what she got during that fight and then the attack, I get why Bud was insisting she go to the clinic to get checked out. It took every bit of restraint and a few long hours of staring off into the Chasm to calm down instead of hunting them and throwing them into those raging waters. 

The entire time, I heard Eli and Jules in my head, cautioning me to play it smart and not lose my cool. Warning me not to do something that would put my position here at risk, to not put Devi at risk, any further than we already are.

It’s been two days since they attacked Devi and one since I found out it was them. I’ve been biding my time and last night, after those two were returning to the dorm from wherever they holed up at, I happened to run into them and shared a few words.

So, how did I get even with those two cowards? By promising to make their lives absolute fucking nightmares. By using every Erudite tactic to mess with their minds that I know. To have them jumping at shadows afraid to even breathe wrong around me for fear that the veiled threats I’ve made will be carried out. 

You see, those two were in Erudite with me and they at least know or suspect my involvement with Jeanine. Even if they don’t know about that, they at least know my personal reputation. I wasn’t known as a very nice guy to people that I found beneath me. I’ve made it clear that they are very beneath me and not fit to be at Dauntless, and one way or another, Dauntless will weed out the weak. 

Now, I wait. And I will reinforce that message as many times as it takes for them to cut their losses and get out while their ahead, before the little conscious I have fades altogether.  

This isn’t about Devi. This about what I can allow in my faction and what I can’t. 

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

                                                          ****************

“I know you did something to them.” The tone is low and is probably supposed to be threatening, but I just find it irritating and ridiculous.

I knew there was a reason the damn stiff has been sticking to my side for the last few days. I’ve been waiting for him to get the balls to actually confront me on it. I didn’t think he would, but of course, he picks just before we’re about to face off against each other in our fight to start something.

I don’t respond, instead, I just try and focus on what’s ahead of me. Besides, it seems like my tactic of ignoring him seems to be grating and riling him up a little.

Maybe I can get him unfocused enough.

It seems to work because I can tell Four is losing all that carefully bottled up anger he likes to pretend isn’t inside of him before he launches into his next accusations. 

That he saw how I was always hounding and sniffing around Jocelyn and Portia.

Hounding and sniffing? Really stiff? 

I barely ‘ran’ into them a few times while they were traveling along some fairly dark and unstable hallways. It’s not my fault they weren’t watching where they were running to, even if they were trying to avoid me at the time.

He saw all those looks I kept giving the two girls and knows I was up to something with them.

No shit Sherlock, you’ve already covered that, move along. 

At this point, I’m amused and probably doing a piss poor job keeping that from showing. Not so much at his words but how flustered he seems to be getting about it all.

He starts throwing out insults at me, calling me names that he thinks will offend me but honestly, how am I supposed to get offended at someone calling me a ruthless bastard? That’s a fucking compliment in my book. 

When that doesn’t work he changes things up and goes for an accusation that has me losing all my cool, all my amusement, and it just pisses me off even further that I’m letting him get to me. 

His accusation that assaulted them shreds the last of my restraint.

This was very fucking fortunate timing because it was about then that Amar called us both onto the mat. 

I think I hear Amar saying something low enough where just the two of us can hear as we both glared at each other hatefully. I think he might be trying to tell us to keep things clean but there so fucking chance of that. 

Number boy wanted to get dirty and I’m all too eager to oblige.

[bytheangell]

So, the prompt. What about like a continuation of the fic where Magnus choose his magic maybe 5 or 10 years in the future. We know Magnus left the ring bc Alec could find someone else but that did/wo n't happened; absorbed by work, his only relationships are family and friends (Magnus knows this bc cabinet and he's THW again) I don't mean Magnus regrets (completely) his choice bc his magic is like a part of his soul but yeah something between those lines and maybe wondering if there's some fix

Two Sides of Lonely - Part 2(Read Part One - Tumblr - AO3) (Read on AO3)

“...Magnus? Earth to Bane?” The gently teasing female voice shakes him from his thoughts, and he looks over to see Lily Chen shaking her head at him and Maia glancing his way with a look somewhere between amused and sad. Alexander, for his part, is very studiously keeping his attention on anything in the room besides him, even though it’s the ring on the Shadowhunter’s finger that distracted Magnus enough that he stopped listening to the Cabinet meeting wrap up entirely.

“Apologies,” he says, voice as light as he can manage. If anyone notices the strain behind it is a little heavier that day - five years to day since he lost Alexander and gained his magic back - they’re kind enough not to call him out on it. There no Seelie representative today, a blessing because Magnus would not trust even their half-truths to favor him just then. “I just remembered left a tonic sitting out this morning I meant to chill.” He smiles now, hiding much easier behind the lie. “Continue.”

“No need, I believe we’re done here for the day.” Alec declares. He can’t fully hide the exhaustion behind his tone, though to his credit he does try even if the dark circles under his eyes give him away in the end.

Magnus wonders how, after two years of being back in the city, this isn’t any easier for him. He wonders if the same is true for Alec.

Five years ago Magnus left. He had to. Alexander sacrificed the thing he cared about the most, had sacrificed them, so that he could get his magic back from Asmodeus. Magnus knew he could have no place here after that, not once word got around as to what happened. Isabelle? Jace? Clary? They’d never forgive him. Raphael just lost his own immortality, so Magnus gaining his back felt like rubbing that loss in his face. And Catarina… all it took was seeing the disappointment in her eyes when he told her what happened, the hurt when he had to explain to Madzie why her two favorite uncles couldn’t watch her together any more, before he knew he needed to leave so the people he hurt could heal.

It was a self-imposed exile, a punishment he never intended to come back from. He didn’t think he could ever face Alec again. Instead Magnus spent three years traveling the world, restating himself as Magnus Bane, the warlock with all the power of a Prince of Edom. He rebuilt his reputation from the ground up, helping anyone who asked and cultivating favors and rewards across the globe, creating the persona of someone so much more than the High Warlock of only Brooklyn. He went anywhere he was called to help whoever was in the most need - anywhere except New York.

That was up until two years ago, when the Shadow World was on the brink of war and Lorenzo pulled himself - and everyone who followed him - out of the allegiance of not just the Cabinet, but all other factions of the Shadow World, to take care of his own people and let the others fight their battles without the much needed aid of Warlocks.

But when the fight came to the Warlocks they stood entirely alone, outnumbered and overpowered, and after offering no aid of their own the others felt no need to come to their rescue. Lorenzo’s selfishness would’ve been their collapse if Catarina and a select group of others hadn’t called Magnus back to help. It took every favor owed to him from the previous three years, but it was enough. And in the end they begged him to return to the position of the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

He didn’t want to agree, but when it came down to a vote and Alexander voted in favor, Magnus hoped it might be a sign that things might be salvageable between them. It wasn’t. And in the two years that followed Alec never spoke a word to him that wasn’t a professional courtesy if he could help it.

That was two years ago, and today isn’t any different.

Maia and Lily are quick to leave, chattering excitedly between themselves over some Halloween plans involving Maia dressing as a vampire and Lily donning a werewolf costume. Magnus and Alec are the only ones left. “Goodnight, Mr. Bane.” Alec says with a curt head nod.

Magnus knows he should say goodbye and take his leave, but he can’t. Not today.

“It’s been five years,” he blurts out instead, watching as Alec freezes.

“It has,” Alec says, but only once it becomes obvious that Magnus isn’t leaving without some response. His words are short and Magnus blatantly ignores the tone that clearly says ‘now get the fuck out of my office’.

“Do you ever regret it?” Magnus glances down at the Lightwood ring that rests on a chain around Alec’s neck. Izzy told him once that Alec wore it there every day since Magnus left. Magnus tries not to think about it (and the promise it once held) too much. Which of course means that he thinks about it all the goddamn time.

“Do you regret having your magic back?” Alec counters defensively, and Magnus sighs. He doesn’t know what he thought would happen when he asked, and he isn’t about to lie for sympathy points.

“No,” he admits, because it’s the truth. “But I regret what it cost me.” It’s the closest he’s come to apologizing to Alec. The closest he’s allowed himself to breaching the gap between them and admitting that yes, he needed his magic, but that never meant he didn’t need Alec, too.

“Don’t, Magnus. I can’t do this. Not today.” Alec runs a hand through his hair in distracted frustration and Magnus sees the freshly split skin across the Shadowhunter’s knuckles. His chest tightens, the implications of the simple injury too heavy to ignore.

“Alexander-” the word slips from his lips instinctively, like falling back into a first language. He hasn’t said it in five years before this moment, but instead of the comfort it once brought he watches Alec flinch away at the sound of it.

“Don’t.”

“Alec, please-” Magnus tries again, but he doesn’t get very far before Alec cuts him off a second time.

“No. You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t get to pretend to care all of a sudden.” There’s an edge of desperation to Alec’s words, as if instead of trying to comfort him Magnus is actively aiming to cause him pain, when that’s the last thing he wants to do. Surely Alec knows that?

“It isn’t- Alec, I never stopped caring about you.” He can’t fathom Alec actually needing to hear that to know it, but he says it just the same.

“You wanted nothing to do with me. You left for years. Years, Magnus, without a single word. I gave you my ring and you left it behind like it meant nothing to you! Like I meant nothing to you.”

There are tears in Alec’s eyes and Magnus closes his own quickly to avoid the same reaction. He takes a breath, bringing the dizzying rush of emotions he feels under control before opening his eyes again and doing his best to explain. He doesn’t know why he never tried before now, why he left Alec to think all this time that he meant so little to him when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I left so you could heal. So you could move on without me lingering over your shoulder.  I owed you at least that much, after everything you sacrificed for me. That’s why I left the ring -- it belonged to whoever you would give your heart to after me. I lost the right to keep it the moment I let you make that deal for me.” He knows it isn’t fair, but he needs Alec to know. Even if Alec only hates him more for it, he has to know that Alec at least knows the truth.

“There was never going to be anyone else. That’s why I gave it to you. I knew-” Magnus waits on edge for what Alec says next, but something in his expression shifts and he shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s been years; we’ve both moved on with our lives.”  

“Have we?” Magnus challenges. He tried a few times over the years, but it never lasted long. No one could compare, no one could even come close to what he felt with Alec, and after a while he simply stopped trying. And if watching Alec over the last two years, paired with the updates he occasionally got from Isabelle, told Magnus anything, it’s that Alec never even started trying.

“No,” Alec admits. Magnus sees a flicker of a smile cross Alec’s face for just a second, but it’s enough to create a spark of hope within him. “I suppose we haven’t. But it isn’t like we can just pretend the last five years never happened, either. Like I didn’t spend months of my life so devastated I could barely get out of bed every morning I woke up alone and remembered-” Alec cuts himself off abruptly. “I’m sorry. I can’t just go back to the way things were before.”

Magnus nods, and it takes all of his self-control not to beg for a second chance, to tell Alec that he still loves him, that he never stopped and he never will. He’s been selfish enough with Alec’s emotions for one lifetime. So instead he says, “Don’t apologize. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.” And then, after a beat. “You’re right. We can’t go back... but maybe we can move forward?”

“I’m not so sure that’s a great-”

“I’m not saying get back together, just... We can get coffee. Talk. See if there’s something left to salvage.” Magnus thinks there is. He hopes there is. And if what Alec said earlier about there not being anyone else for him after Magnus was true, he’s willing to take the risk on some part of Alec feeling the same.

“Alright,” Alec says, looking a little surprised at his own agreement. Magnus is certain he mirrors that surprise. “But you’re buying.”

“Anything you say, Alexander,” Magnus says, and this time Alec doesn’t flinch away.

This time it brings them closer again.

 ---

 Sometimes, when they’re in the same room, Alec wonders if Magnus knows how impossible it is for Alec to simply exist in the same space as him. The first months after Magnus left Alec spiralled - some days he could barely drag himself out of bed and others he threw himself at every mission he could until he was too exhausted to think, or feel, or do anything other than work and sleep. After a while he learned to adjust, but he couldn’t find it in himself to even think about dating, because he never stopped loving Magnus, even after everything. Every day hurt a little less, but every day still hurt. In fact, Alec couldn’t imagine anything would hurt more than Magnus leaving... that was, until Magnus came back.

Lorenzo was a disaster, breaking up the Cabinet and creating unnecessary rifts between the Warlocks and every other faction of the Shadow World. His selfishness put them all in danger. Replacing never should’ve been in question but when Magnus came back to the city and talk turned to him taking the title of High Warlock back, all eyes turned to Alec. He knew if he spoke out against it he would get full support - after three years of dedicating his life to defending the city he more than earned it. But Alec also knew what an asset having Magnus back would be to the Shadow World as a whole, and so Alec locked away his personal trauma for the sake of being a good leader.

Some days are easier than others to smile and nod and pretend like he’s entirely unaffected, but this day in particular is always the worst.

Five years ago today. Alec knew the date, how could he not? But he didn’t realize that date fell on the first Wednesday of the month when they set up October’s Cabinet meeting, and by the time he noticed he refused to cancel because of it. He didn’t want Magnus to see it as a sign that he still hurts, that he still cares.

Even if he does both of those things far more than he wants to admit.

So now they sit across from one another, Magnus a vision in crimson and black, eyeliner as sharp as his wit while he and Lily share a back-and-forth over something that Alec tunes in and out of. Maia meets his gaze with a sympathetic smile and he returns the gesture knowing they’ll talk later no matter how much he insists that he’s fine.

A few times he nearly cuts the meeting short, rushing as much as he can without being obvious about it. He makes it through in one piece and breathes a sigh of relief as they conclude, waiting for Magnus to leave alongside the others -- except he doesn’t.

Instead, Magnus brings up the anniversary, and Alec is so full of dread that it roots him to the spot when all he wants to do is run.

“Do you regret it?” Magnus asks, and Alec could laugh if he wasn’t so impossibly heartbroken. He doesn’t regret it - he can’t, not when it was everything Magnus needed. Alec heard talk of him the years he was gone, following Magnus’ kind deeds and heroics through casual gossip and a few feelers he occasionally out for word of him. And looking at him now, thriving after years of traveling the world before settling back into his position of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he’d do it all again.How could he regret the gift that gave the man he loves his entire life - his very sense of self - back?

He can’t say that, though. He can’t tell Magnus that he still loves him, even after all this time. That it kills him to sit in these meetings and treat him like a stranger, and yet the alternative would hurt so much more.

So instead he deflects. “Do you regret having your magic back?”

“No,” Magnus admits, and for a moment Alec feels validated.  “But I regret what it cost me.”

“Don’t, Magnus. I can’t do this. Not today.”  Alec already had two breakdowns that day in anticipation of this stupid meeting, of seeing him, today of all days. He spent the entire morning taking his emotions out on the punching bag in the training room, the sting still lingering in his fingers even now, hours later; that was after a restless night spent waking up in tears over and over again. He just needs today to be over.

He needs this conversation to be over.

“Alexander-” Magnus starts, and Alec is almost too startled at the sound of his full name coming from his ex’s lips to notice Magnus’ eyes focused on his hands. Almost. Once he does Alec snaps his arm down to his side before bringing his hands to clasp behind his back.

“Don’t.” Alec repeats. He means for it to come out as an order, but instead it’s pleading and he hates himself for the desperation of it.

“Alec, please-”

“No. You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t get to pretend to care all of a sudden.” It comes out in a burst of anger and he’s furious with Magnus for bringing all of this up, for ruining the peace they had since his return to the city.

“It isn’t- Alec, I never stopped caring about you.” Alec hears the words but he can’t believe them. Not with how easily Magnus walked away, vanishing from his life without a trace.

“You wanted nothing to do with me. You left for years. Years, Magnus, without a single word. I gave you my ring and you left it behind like it meant nothing to you! Like I meant nothing to you.” He swore to himself he’d be fine, that seeing Magnus today would be just like seeing him any other day. But, of course, this is far from any other day. It’s the anniversary of the worst day of his life, and now he’s reliving every second of it in his mind. Alec feels the sting of tears in his eyes and blinks them away furiously.

“I left so you could heal. So you could move on without me lingering over your shoulder. I owed you at least that much, after everything you sacrificed for me. That’s why I left the ring -- it belonged to whoever you would give your heart to after me. I lost the right to keep it the moment I let you make that deal for me.”

Alec stares, his hand instinctively reaching up to the ring on the thin silver chain around his neck. When he came back that night to find the ring left behind on the dresser it hurt more than realizing Magnus left without a word. It was bad enough to know that he wasn’t enough, but coming home to discover Magnus deliberately left that last memory of him behind felt like the final nail in the coffin.

“There was never going to be anyone else,” Alec admits, the words barely more than a whisper. “That’s why I gave it to you. I knew-” his throat tightens and he swallows hard against the swell of emotion. He shouldn’t. He shouldn’t expose himself like this. Another deep breath and he steels himself again. “It doesn’t matter now.  It’s been years; we’ve both moved on with our lives.”

“Have we?” Magnus questions.

“No,” Alec admits, cursing the briefest smile that tugs at his lips over that amusing way Magnus has of pointing out the obvious. “I suppose we haven’t. But it isn’t like we can just pretend the last five years never happened, either. Like I didn’t spend months of my life so devastated I could barely get out of bed every morning I woke up alone and remembered-” Alec cuts himself off abruptly. This isn’t Magnus’ fault. He knew the risk when he brought the choice to him, he knew there was always a chance that Magnus would choose his magic. But logic has no role in the resentment he can’t seem to shake. “I’m sorry. I can’t just go back to the way things were before.”

“Don’t apologize. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You’re right. We can’t go back... but we can move forward?” Even before Magnus finishes his suggestion Alec is shaking his head. To jump back into a relationship again would be disastrous.

“I’m not so sure that’s a great-”

“I’m not saying get back together, just... We can get coffee. Talk. See if there’s something left to salvage.”

Years of heartbreak tell him to say no, but the newfound clarity the last few minutes provided leaves him considering the offer… the potential to rectify 5 years of silent misconceptions and ill-will between both of them.

It’s just coffee, he tells himself. Another conversation, just like this one, and probably even more enlightening. Alec does have questions… so many questions he barely kept himself from asking these last two years. Worst case scenario it’s a complete disaster and they go right back to not speaking. But best case scenario?

It feels foolish to hope after all this time, but that’s exactly what Alec finds himself doing. Hoping, for the first time in years.

“Alright,” Alec agrees, surprising himself with the sudden confidence he feels in the decision. “But you’re buying.”

“Anything you say, Alexander,” Magnus says, and this time it doesn’t hurt to hear.

This time it feels like coming home.

[willowgust]

Singing On the Fence

~Music~

The graceful sweep of pale trees and elven towers stood beside the sun’s half-hidden disk. Motionless air stewed in the aroma of warm ocean salt and algae. 

Seo-yun’s glazed stare drifted with the rapid glimmer of the sea. His eyes were lost on the pink horizon. They were tired. Blank. And his paws were empty. Not even a box of lures sat at his side.

He didn’t seem to notice the blase-faced gunslinger strutting closer, or the footsteps creaking the wharf’s shallow planks. Oshiban took a casual swig from his cask of scotch and grinned down at him. “Hey hey, if it isn’t my favorite wharf bum!” His nose crinkled at Seo-yun’s familiar fish stench, apparently tolerating it. “I thought you and Naggy McBonenag were all fixed up? I asked if you struck back out with the Tarts and heard you were a no-show. Weren’t you going to--woah,” he stopped. “Woah. Back up. This can’t be what I’m seeing, right?” Oshiban veered his head, searching every feasible angle of the water. All he saw was a pair of fuzzy feet dangling over the wharf. “You’re not fishing? The hell’s the matter, you sick or something?”

Seo-yun said nothing.

“...Oh,” he sighed, rolling his eyes with a jaded frown. “Let me guess. You heard about the barbecued Kaldorei-kabobs? Is that 500 gold to Mr. Il’vineen or am I way off?”

A low huff of air fled his nose.

“Listen, I hate those freakin’ fairy snobs, but even I think that was pretty messed up. Not to mention that World Tree’s literally toast and that’ll probably bite us all in the ass later. But hey. Only one crazy bitch made that call. No one else has changed, yanno? I mean, okay. Not even Saurfang stopped her, but just goes to show. We’re all out for our own backs. That’s how it is.”

The pandaren finally spared him a side-glance.

“There he is. Here, you need this more than me.” He offered his flask.

Seo-yun hesitated... then grabbed it and threw back his head. Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug-- 

Oshiban snatched it back, “Hey, that’s enough! That 12-year stuff isn’t cheap. And you know you’re not supposed to chug it like that, right?”

With his paw still in mid-air, his eyes bubbled sadly at its sudden lack of booze.

“...Fuck. That’s just not fair. How does a guy this shabby figure out a way to look that adorable? Fine, take it.”

--Grab! Glug, glug, glug, glug... Seo-yun pulled his head upright once he’d drained the cask of its last drop. He seemed a little more content. Somewhat.

“Look,” Oshiban slid to a seat beside him. “That edge queen’s always been bad news. Nothing has to be different. It’s not like you’ve ever actually joined the Horde army and have to stand by all the Warchief’s shitty decisions. You can still go out and be our resident lawn sprinkler, rock some piano, make a shaman-y slip-and-slide for the kids... I mean, yanno. August gets pretty bad.”

“...Noodles ‘n’ seafood.”

He blinked at him, startled to hear his voice. “Uhhh. You asking to order out? If that’s the case my vote is on Troll cajun. I had noodles last night.”

Seo-yun handed back Oshiban’s flask and finally turned to face him. His eyes brimmed with a sudden heartfelt tension. “Noodles ‘n’ seafood. Ya wanna know what got me into th’ Horde? That’s it. Left Northrend, reunited with my ol’ family, saved ‘em from the Sha, and didn’t know where to go. So I started that Tuskarr-Pandaren restaurant ya liked. Needed a venue. Was hard to find space after everyone ‘n’ their gramma was inspired to cook 'cause o’ Pandaria. Stormwind, full. Darnassus, full. Ironforge, full. Orgrimmar, full. Undercity made me barf. Silvermoon had a space. Set up shop, kicked ass, then went outta business after a year ‘cause the guy who took over cut too many corners. Fished, sailed around, and joined the Tarts. That’s it. That’s how I joined the Horde. Inspired yet?”

Oshiban stared at him in awe, his jaw unashamedly ajar, as Seo-yun actually continued making a long-winded speech. 

“Family’s everythin’ to me. But my family’s never been the Horde. Thought th’ feud between Alliance and Horde was dumb since day one. Been as neutral as they come. But I’ve been throwin’ myself around battlefields just tryin’ to make sure none o’ my friends die. I’m tired! And hungry! Well, I’m always hungry, but I’m tired! Now everyone wants me fightin’ again because the Alliance are angry that the Horde attacked because they’re angry the Alliance attacked because the Horde did this and the Alliance did-- it’s so confusing!!” his graveled voice cried, the rims of his eyes reddening with tears. “I can’t keep track an’ I don’t care! Got called a hypocrite ‘cause I’m not ‘treatin’ the Horde like my family,’ but the Horde never were. Got friends in all kinds o’ factions! All I wanna care about is what to do fer my next show and whether ‘r not my friends ‘n’ family’re okay. Those’re my people. Are a bunch of ‘em suddenly not if I don’t wanna fight fer the Horde? Why can’t I stick by them without havin’ to die fer a war that even I know is stupid?!”

Once the initial shock had passed, Oshiban’s gaze fell to the lapping tide. A small, grim smile tugged his mouth. He looked back up. “Hey. Uh. I’m really bad at this advice thing, but I do have something to say. Seo-yun, you’re naive, slow, have rose-colored glasses super-glued to your fur, and you’re so stupid you make kobolds look like gnomish physics professors. But you’re among the few people I’ve ever met that I actually like. You know why?”

Seo-yun sniffled and wiped his nose.

“You have something that, like, 98% of people on this rock either don’t have, or lie about having. You have a heart of actual gold. You’re like... one of those small boys in Winter’s Veil specials that Greatfather Winter sits on his lap before he says ‘once upon a time.’ Or a giant puppy. You don’t have a cruel or deceitful bone in your body and you’re too dumb to manipulate anyone. You’re insanely loyal to people who don’t deserve it, and that’s exactly why they call you a hypocrite. They know the loyalty you have to your families, and they wish they had the balls. Projection’s a bitch.” Oshiban scoffed, “Hell... even I’m jealous. But that’s probably because, honestly? It’d be nice to have a family at all. I learned kinda quick that life’s too full of back-stabbing bastards to really have anything like that.” He shrugged, “That’s life.

“Anyway, I sorta... I wish I could protect that wildly misguided innocence you have. I wish I could stop your heart from growing up. If there were more of you I’d be out of a job, but it’s kinda nice to know that people like you exist. So if you don’t wanna fight for the Horde because the Horde isn’t your family? Then don’t. Don’t listen to those assbags. Grab your keyboard and sing on your neutral fence. Throw waterpark buckets all over people as a Moa’ki guy who’s just keeping his friends alive, not a Horde guy. Who cares? You and me are gonna be rolling in it anyway.”

Confused, Seo-yun knitted his forehead, waiting for him to elaborate.

“I’m gonna make big bucks takin’ out bad guys for the Horde. You, however, won’t just have plenty of work as a healer. You’re the piano guy. That’s why people are gonna need you more than they’ll ever need me.” Oshiban smiled.

Seo-yun’s eyes glinted with a touched warmth. He returned it. “Thanks, man.” With a leathery shuffle against wood, he turned back to admire the sea.

“So uh, you know I got lots of contacts in the spa industry you’re... you’re sure you don’t wanna do anything about that fish smell situation?”

Seo-yun snorted wryly. “Tell ‘em ‘Good luck.’”

[anniemar]

Vikings 5x08 (The Joke)

Thoughts. Ladies and gentlemen, in which Bjorn Ironside out-Ivars Ivar. 

The Adventures of Bjorn Ironside: Previously on Vikings ... women are as fickle as the moon eh? Well look-y here we have Bjorn Ironside kissing his brand new love/bride/ball chewer as he goes off to battle. And Torvi looks on. 

Ubbe then walks off with Torvi, who never encouraged his advances. 

And Margrethe looks on. 

Wamen. Fickle. As. The. Moon. 

Somewhere in Norway: Ivar calls Heahmund “YOUR GRACE”. He’s like a kid calling to his crush at school and his crush is like “SHHHH I don’t want people to think we know each other!” The bishop does get his sword back, and without much thanks. You’d think he’d be a little more THANKS MAN YOU CAN COUNT ON ME IVAR like he was last episode. Alas ... 

But I would have you know that it’s the WAMEN that are the fickle ones. 

And I want to tap Ivar on the shoulder and be like “dude, he’s just not that into you.” 

#teamlagertha: “A civil war can only bring tragedy” says Bjorn. He watched the Marvel movie. He knows. 

No one on #teamlagertha actually wants to fight. Ubbe is like, “Ivar if you can forgive me, let’s have an accord” (he also saw the Marvel movie). Bjorn wants an accord too. They all want accords! ... as accords worked out so well in the Marvel movie. Lagertha makes some speech about Ivar being a potential usurper, how sad it would be ... and it would be great and all, if she wasn’t actually an usurper herself and Ivar is just sitting there like SURE BITCH WHATEVER. 

And then, surprisingly, he seems to back down, but ... 

#teamivar: SIKE HAHAHA THE JOKE IS ON Y’ALL. MEAD IN YO FACE. 

You can sense that Hvitserk is just holding in the facepalm of his life. Everyone is straining from rolling their eyes, giving themselves headaches. THE JOKE IS ON #TEAMLAGERTHA. 

But is it really? Because Ivar had just counseled Halfdan that he gave “what happened between you and Bjorn too great an importance.” 

To which Harald is like “Yeah man, family is stronger.” 

And Ivar agrees. 

DO YOU IVAR? DO YOU REALLY? FAMILY IS SO IMPORTANT? 

And during all of this, Halfdan wants to know who the hell the boring guy with the sword is (Heahmund). Halfdan doesn’t get why he’s fighting, it doesn’t make any sense to him. And Ivar says, “He’s a great warrior ... he doesn’t need anything to make sense.”

To which Heahumnd is like SURE BITCH WHATEVER.  

“You are so cynical Ivar,” says Halfdan. 

AND HALFDAN BECOMES THE WISEST PERSON ON THIS SHOW. I feel like he’s one of the only dudes that actually knows what the fuck he’s doing and why. He’s supporting Bjorn because he saved his life in the desert. But not only that! He’s like “WE ATE A DUDE TOGETHER YOU GUYS you don’t understand!” Bjorn was there for him when he thought he was going to bed with a lady and she ended up not being one! THEY ARE BROS 4-LIFE. 

And Heahmund is just basically like ... jesus christ what a bunch of heathens. 

Listen you guys. The motivations and continuity of characters is SO BAD for so many of these dudes that my mind is melting over here, trying to keep it straight. Even Halfdan, I was into him this episode, he seemed steadfast, I respect that, but I can’t shake the feeling that his words from the first episode of the season will come back around. When he told his brother that “he’d always have his back.” 

WILL YOU HALFDAN. Or am I putting too much faith in this show, to actually plant something in the beginning, in order to see a pay-off in the end.

There’s just so much shit that doesn't make sense. There’s too much “oh we’re cool now even though you killed my mom” or “family is a stronger bond Halfdan even though I want to kill my brothers” or “I’m with Ivar now even though he ALSO treats me like a dog and my mother wasn’t that nice to me, but whatever” or “I’m the rightful queen of Kattegat, my husband was the king, even though I divorced him and then kinda usurped the actual queen of Kattegat”. 

I get that none of these people are angels, all of these people are painted in shades of grey, not black and white, but COME ON. This is some seriously shitty writing. Where nothing actually means anything. Character development is tossed aside for forced plot points. The only thing I can depend on is that Ivar REALLY fucking wants to kill Lagertha. He’s hyper-focused on it, and to his detriment. All else be damned. He gives no actual fucks about the people he means to rule.

And then we have Heahmund. Who is unwavering in his faith, but it seems as if he’s Ivar’s moon. Fickle. He saw a flash of blonde hair, a lady warrior on the battlefield and then he went down. Perhaps to him she was “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”  Except she had a crown of braids. And Lagertha saved him and his magical sword. 

But WAMEN are the fickle ones. 

Also, I want to give props to #teamlagertha for not giving Astrid away and throwing her under the bus. I’m not entirely sure Astrid is still supporting Lagertha, but I’m okay with that. 

And I’m still kinda hoping for a King Horik 2.0 ending. Where throughout the season you think that Siggy and Floki might actually turn on Rangar, but in the end it was like HAHA JOKES ON YOU HORIK BYE. 

Hvitzerk turns on Ivar. Halfdan turns on Bjorn. Rollo comes rolling up like HERE I AM TO SAVE THE DAY. JOKES ON ALL Y’ALL. 

Spanglo-Saxons: I was discussing the episode with my girls @underthenorthstar and @whenimaunicorn and how the character of Bishop Heahmund is basically a self-insert OC in a fic. He’s the definition. He interacts with each faction of characters. They are all taken with him, find him fascinating even though HE’S SO BORING. I mean, he’s real pretty, but what does he do besides tediously recite bible verses and look cool with a sword? A few episodes back, Judith was like WHAT ABOUT HEAHMUND. And this episode, Ivar was like BUT WHAT ABOUT HEAHMUND, even before seeing that his own brother made it out of the woods. 

What is it about Heahmund? WHAT ABOUT HEAHMUND? 

I mean, I love him too, but it’s for completely shallow reasons. Hm, maybe I just answered my own question. 

Also, Alfred. Smart guy. I have a feeling he’ll go far. You build that navy, Alfred. 

Meanwhile in Floki-land: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ... i don’t care. I really don’t. Floki + wrestling star + people I have zero emotional attachment to as characters. I don’t care. I’d rather their scenes be cut so more attention can be made to watching Alfred become great. Or fleshing out other characters that desperately need it, like Hvitserk. 

Sinric-watch: WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO? 

Death predictions by end of 5A: Margrethe. Astrid. Guthrum. Whiny dude on Ass-gard. 

Stray feelings: “You were once my legs. Not anymore.” 

Me:

Again, because it bears repeating. “He’s a great warrior ... he doesn’t need anything to make sense.”

Me:

Was ... was that Hirst trolling us? Or is being a “great warrior” the only thing that matters to Ivar? Is his whole thing a case of overcompensation? Or was he just being a little shit? Or a combination of all of the above? Is Hirst saying that the show doesn’t need to make sense and for us to just shut the hell up and enjoy the cool battle scenes?

Is THE JOKE ON US, THE VIEWERS?

*hears x-files music in the background*

[reid-like-roses]

All I Need - Chapter 3

Read on FF.net

Summary: After the Mountain Glenn plot failed, Roman was imprisoned while Neo escaped. Enraged by Roman’s failure of her plan, Cinder punishes Neo by torturing her, banishing her from her faction and occupying Neo’s hideouts. Now homeless and without a weapon, Neo winds up far from Vale and is trapped in a blizzard. But then she’s saved by the most unlikely of heroes. Post Volume 2 AU

Content Rating: T

Word Count: 5,218

Author’s Note: Post Volume 2 AU where basically none of Volume 3 or beyond happened. Neo is mute in this story and any dialogue from her is implied or inner monologue and will be written in italics.

TRIGGER WARNING!!! Implied torture and implied rape/non-con contained in chapter. If you do not wish to read these events, turn back now.

RWBY and all the characters within are the intellectual property of Rooster Teeth Productions, Miles Luna, Kerry Shawcross, Gray Haddock and the late Monty Oum. I am not being compensated in any way for this story and wrote it merely for entertainment purposes.

“You can come out now, sis,” Yang told Ruby as she rolled her eyes at her sister’s behavior. Ruby opened the door fully and tried to exit the closet but she tripped over a bucket and crashed down to the floor with a shrill yell. An avalanche of cleaning supplies, Christmas decorations and old videotapes fell on top of the young reaper. As Ruby struggled to extricate herself from the mess, Yang sighed and shook her head.

“Honestly, I don’t know why you’re so freaked out, Ruby. You really need to chill out,” scolded Yang as she held out a hand to help Ruby up.

“Gee, I dunno, Yang,” snapped Ruby. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the last time we saw her, she was kicking your ass so hard that I’m surprised it’s not still bruised.”

“Language, young lady” Taiyang said as he came downstairs to investigate the loud crash. Ruby muttered something under her breath as she walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a jar down from on top of it labeled ‘Swear Jar.’ She then fished a lien out of her pocket and stuffed it in the jar before returning it to its place.

“Yeah, last time she wiped the floor with me,” muttered Yang bitterly, clearly not fond of the memory Ruby just brought up. “But this isn’t last time. I mean just look at her.”

“Regardless of her current condition,” Taiyang said calmly, holding up both hands to try to appeal for peace between the two sisters, “we still need to have a talk about what’s going to happen with our new guest.”

“I already told you that I’m not going to let you kick her out, Dad.” Yang bristled.

“I know. And I agree with what you said. I let my emotions get the better of me and you’re right, it would be inhumane to kick her out with nowhere to go in weather like this. But we have to stay on our toes because we don’t know how long it’s going to be before her friends come looking for her.”

“I don’t think she’s a threat right now,” said Yang far more calmly than she had been a moment ago. “She had a bit of a breakdown and during it, she told me how she’s lost everything, including her house and all her friends. And I could tell it wasn’t just an act. She’s legitimately at the end of her rope right now.”

“And you believe her?” Ruby asked incredulously.

“Yes, Ruby, I do,” Yang shot back with a scowl.

“I know you want to believe her, Yang," sighed Taiyang wearily, "but the fact remains that she’s not somebody who deserves our trust.”

“I know she doesn’t deserve it but I dunno. I just have this gut feeling about her that she really needs somebody to help her. And I feel like I can do that for her. Maybe we can make her an ally?”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” muttered Ruby just loud enough to be heard by everyone.

“At some point soon,” Taiyang said sharply to counter Ruby’s interruption, “you need to talk to her and get as much information out of her as you can. We need to know why she’s here on Patch and what she was doing before you found her.”

“I’m not going to interrogate her, Dad,” Yang said in annoyance. “She’s not some prisoner. She’s done nothing wrong to us.”

“Does helping crash a train into downtown Vale and letting the city get overrun by Grimm not ring any bells?” Ruby asked sardonically.

“That’s enough, Ruby,” snapped Taiyang as he rounded on his younger daughter. “Upstairs to your room, now.”

“But Daddy!” Ruby protested.

“No buts. Yang and I are trying to have a serious talk about this matter and you’re not contributing anything positive. March upstairs until we’re done.” Ruby huffed in annoyance and stuck her tongue out at Yang who just rolled her eyes. Ruby then stomped loudly upstairs and slammed her door behind her. Taiyang grimaced and shook his head in disappointment. As mature and gifted as Ruby had been to be accepted into Beacon early, sometimes she could still be a teenage brat.

“Anyway,” said Yang to break the silence, “as I said, I’m not going to interrogate her. If you want answers from her so badly, call up Qrow or Ozpin.”

“I really don’t want it to have to come to that if it doesn’t have to,” Taiyang said heavily, worn out from all that had happened in the past day. “I’m hoping that she’ll be willing to talk simply because of what you did for her.”

“Even if she would be willing to talk to me, do you really think she’d give me a straight answer?”

“It’s tough to say. I guess it really depends on how much she wants to protect her allies. If what she told you already is true and she’s acting on her own, I see no reason why she’d lie.” As Yang was about to offer another retort, the smoke alarm suddenly started beeping. “Oh no, I forgot about our dinner!”

Taiyang dashed to the oven and threw open the door to find the roast he was cooking had been badly burned. Acrid smoke poured out and caused Taiyang to start coughing. Yang groaned and grabbed the fire extinguisher from the closet Ruby had been hiding in and quickly doused the flames.

“So, spaghetti then?” Yang asked as she waved her hand to try and clear the smoke from her face. Taiyang simply nodded as he pulled the burnt roast from the oven.

————————————————————————————————-

“Neo? Wake up Neo,” said a cool, menacing female voice. Neo did come to and the first thing she saw was the glinting amber eyes of Cinder Fall. Behind her were her lackeys, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. All three were wearing identical malicious smirks on their faces. Cinder reached up to lightly caress Neo’s face as she spoke again. “I don’t think you understand this game, Neo. If you die, then I can’t keep inflicting pain on you. And I’ve been having so much fun.”

Neo wanted to sign something nasty to her in reply but her hands and ankles were bound and she was unable to move. The cool air hitting her skin made Neo shiver and she realized she was naked. Neo looked down at her body and saw a large amount of scratches, cuts, bruises and dried blood all over her skin.

“I haven’t even gotten to have my turn with the little slut yet,” crooned Mercury, suggestively fiddling with his belt as he said it. “You two ladies have gotten all the fun so far.”

“Please let me know when you plan on doing that so I can be as far away as humanly possible,” growled Emerald. “The last thing I need to see is your disgusting ass in mid coitus.”

“Aw, but Emerald, I need your tips on how to properly fuck this bitch. You seemed to really enjoy making her scream earlier.”

“Quiet you two,” snapped Cinder, letting her fake pleasant façade slip for a second. “You’ll get your chance to get your rocks off Mercury. But there’s more pressing matters to attend to right now. Tell me Neo, have you ever read the works of Shan Yu?”

“Uh, she can’t tell you anything, boss,” interrupted Mercury in befuddlement. “She can’t talk, remember?”

“It’s an expression, you dense moron,” Emerald hissed as she elbowed Mercury in the abdomen hard enough to drive the wind out of him. “Shut up and let Cinder finish.”

“Thank you, Emerald,” said Cinder with a smile. She then walked over to a table nearby and picked up an instrument with lots of sharp, pointy ends on it. Cinder flipped a switch on it and it hummed to life with a threatening buzzing noise. She then sauntered over to Neo and pressed the tip of the device right against her belly button.

“Now, if you haven’t read his works Neo, he was a dictator many centuries ago who had some rather fascinating insights on war and humanity. One of my favorite things he wrote was, ‘Live with a man 40 years. Share his house, his meals. Speak on every subject. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano’s edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man.’ Now we’ve been associated for a little while, Neo, but you’ve always been hanging around with Roman while I was busy with my plans. And I don’t feel we ever really got the chance to get to know each other. But now that we have all this time to ourselves, I’m dying to meet the real you.”

As Cinder pressed a button that caused the device to stab into her, Neo’s eyes flew open as she woke up in terror. After a frantic few moments of looking around, she realized that she was back in the guest room of the house on Patch. Pain shot through her left leg and she winced as she started unraveling herself from her cocoon of blankets. When Neo finally got to her leg, she was horrified at how mangled it looked. She hadn’t had a chance yet to survey the damage she’d suffered from the beowolves and falling out of the tree.

Neo tried desperately to fight back tears as she heard a small yip come from the floor beside her. She glanced down to see Zwei looking up at her with as much concern as a dog’s face could manage. He ran to the bedroom door then back to where he was, looking between Neo and the door every couple seconds. Neo realized he was asking if he should get help and Neo nodded emphatically at him. Zwei ran back to the door and began scratching at it, barking as loudly as he could. A few moments later, Neo heard heavy footsteps running down the stairs and an instant later, a disheveled looking Yang burst into the room.

“What is it Zwei? What’s wrong?” Zwei ran back over to the bed and put his front paws up on the mattress to draw Yang’s attention to Neo. Yang saw her face screwed up in agony and she quickly moved to Neo’s bedside. “What happened? What do you need?”

“I had a bad dream and I woke up with my leg killing me. Do you have any pain meds?”

“Of course, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Yang dashed back out of the room as Neo laid back down on her pillows. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed the pain before but assumed that she must have just been so numb from the cold that she didn’t notice. A minute later, Yang was back with a handful of pills and a glass of water. Neo took both and quickly downed the pills.

“Thanks,” Neo signed as she set the glass down on the bedside table.

“You’re welcome. Do you need anything else? Should I hang out for a bit?”

“That would be nice.” Yang nodded and went back to the door to close it. She then sat down at the foot of the bed and scanned her eyes over Neo. Yang had been too preoccupied with getting her warm that she hadn’t noticed just how beaten up Neo was. Ugly scars and bruises, both fresh and still healing were all over the skin that Yang could see. Neo shivered as she realized just how cold she was and retreated back under the blankets. But it was still too cold for her.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” replied Yang with a self-satisfied smirk. Neo shot Yang a death glare that Blake would have been impressed by before she resumed signing.

“When I came to, I felt very warm and safe. And then I hit you, which means you must have been close by me. Were you cuddling with me?”

“I mean, if you want to look at it like that, sure.”

“Pervert,” Neo signed with a joking smirk on her face.

“Hey, it wasn’t like that at all, got it?” Yang shot back defensively. “Your body was ice cold and I needed to take every measure I could to keep you alive. So I held onto you all night and made sure you got warm.”

Neo paused for a moment as a deep blush crept over her face. “Would you be willing to do it again?”

“For real?” Yang asked, a blush of her own blooming on her face. “Uh, sure. I could do that again.” Yang pulled the blankets aside and stepped into the bed with Neo. After taking a moment to get herself comfortable, Yang apprehensively snaked her right arm under Neo’s neck and held it close against her. Neo stiffened up as she felt the warmth of Yang creep over her. She suddenly felt very small and helpless as she was wrapped up in the arms of the huntress.

“Are you okay? You’re very tense. Are you sure this is okay?” Neo realized she wasn’t in an optimal position to sign a reply so she pointed to the dry erase board on the bedside table. Yang grabbed it and handed it over to the mute woman.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just never been cuddled with before. At least not as far as I can remember.”

“Torchwick wasn’t much of a touchy-feely kinda guy, eh?”

Neo glared at Yang and quickly wrote back, “Not that it’s any of your business but no, he’s not. And Roman and I never had a relationship like that.”

“Okay, sorry. Didn’t mean tick you off.” The two fell silent again as Neo tried to get used to the feeling of being cuddled. Even though she was still scared to be touched so intimately, the thrill of how good it felt intoxicated her. She buried her head against Yang’s chest and heard her heart beating rapidly. Eventually, Neo reached her arm around Yang’s abdomen and hugged her closer to her.

“You feel really good.” Neo spelled out on Yang’s hip.

“Hey,” giggled Yang as she began to squirm, “watch it! That tickles!”

Neo reluctantly withdrew her arm so she could write and replied, “Sorry. I wish I had a better way to talk to you while keeping my arm around you.”

“It’s fine, you can go back to that. Also, you feel pretty nice too. You’re much warmer than the last time I did this.” Neo placed the board beside her on the bed and returned her arm to around Yang’s torso. They spent a few minutes snuggling, both getting drunk on the feeling of the other’s skin. Even though she was in utter bliss, Neo really had something to tell Yang so she once again picked up the dry erase board.

“I think I’m ready to talk to you now.”

“About your nightmare?” Yang questioned, a little sad that their great cuddle had come to an end.

“No. About me. About how I ended up like this.”

“Yeah?” Yang asked, trying to contain her excitement. “You sure you want to?”

“I’ve got nothing else to lose in my life. I might as well tell my story.”

“Okay, well what do you want to talk about first?”

“Whatever you want to know most about.”

“Well, there’s lots of things I want to know about you,” began Yang slowly, pondering the question. As she thought, her father’s request came back to her mind and she knew what she had to ask first. “But the first thing I should ask about is the one that I’ve been told I need to find out from you. Am I or anyone in my family in danger because you’re here?”

Neo started writing a lengthy response. Yang couldn’t help but be slightly nervous as to what would be waiting for her when Neo was finished. She really hoped that Neo wasn’t just being overdramatic earlier and really meant that she was by herself now. When Neo finished, she passed the board to Yang.

“Not as a direct result of me, no. After the train incident, I was severely punished for Roman’s failure and banished from the faction. I tried to lay low in one of our safehouses but I was captured again and dumped out of a plane. I think they meant for me to drown in the ocean but I ended up here instead. But the point is, anyone I was previously associated with is either imprisoned or considers me an enemy. And none of those individuals know my current whereabouts.”

Yang breathed a small sigh of relief that her family could stop worrying about being in danger from Neo. But Neo had mentioned something she couldn’t help wanting to hear more about. “You said you were punished. How bad was it?”

“It was bad. I’ll just leave it at that.” Neo wrote with a pained grimace on her face as the memories of how she was tortured came back to her. “Cinder probably should have just killed me but she chose to make me suffer instead.”

“Wait, Cinder? You mean that girl from Haven?” Yang asked in shock.

“Yeah, her. The whole thing was her plan. She, Emerald, Mercury and a bunch of pricks I didn’t get to meet are on some big crusade to punish the rest of the kingdoms or some shit like that for all of Mistral’s problems. I don’t know. I wasn’t ever really interested in their bullshit. I just did what I was asked to.”

“Wow. I can’t believe it was them all along. They fought alongside us in Vale. They helped clear out the Grimm. And it was them the whole time?” Neo nodded her head solemnly to confirm Yang’s question. An awkward silence fell between to two for a minute. Yang couldn’t believe what she had just been told. Was she going to have to go through the rest of her time as a huntress not knowing who to trust? Cinder and her friends had been so pleasant but they were the bad guys. Meanwhile, Neo had seemed like a complete monster but Yang was finding out she was nothing of the sort either.

“You still want to talk about me?” Neo wrote and stuck in front of Yang’s glazed over eyes.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” replied Yang, snapping out of her train of thought. “Sorry, that whole thing with Cinder just kind of threw me for a loop. Um, how about this? Were you born mute or did something happen to you that caused it?”

“No, I wasn’t born like this. I haven’t talked since I was a little girl. My parents’ house burned down and killed them but I somehow managed to survive. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to speak.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Where did you go then?”

“None of my other ‘family’ would take me in so I was sent to an orphanage to hopefully get adopted. That’s where I met Roman. His mom died giving birth to him and his dad didn’t want to raise a kid on his own so he just gave him away. He took pity on me and was my protector when we were there. I can’t even count how many times he was beaten for sticking up for me when the people who ran the orphanage or the other kids tried to give me trouble for not speaking.”

“So, did you ever get adopted?”

“No. It became clear to both of us when we hit our teens that we were lost causes and we were sick of all the shit at the orphanage. So, we ran away, just the two of us against the world. I unlocked my aura and learned how to fight and disguise myself. And Roman did all the talking.”

“Is that how you became criminals?”

“Look,” Neo began writing with a stern look at Yang, “you call it being criminals but we were two kids on our own with nothing in the world but each other so we did what we had to to survive. Did we rob people and steal things? Yeah, we did. Would you have done anything differently if you were in the same situation? If it was you and your sister who were homeless street rats, wouldn’t you do the exact same thing?”

“I guess,” admitted Yang begrudgingly. “So, then how’d you get mixed up in the whole take over the world stuff?”

“Roman never really gave me all the details as to what happened. He just told me that this woman came to him with an offer that was too good to pass up. He said that if it worked, we wouldn’t have to worry about being petty thieves ever again. We’d be set for life and all the people in power would get what’s coming to them.”

“Do you regret what you did at all?”

“To a point. Do I regret doing whatever it took to scrape out a living? No. Do I regret getting dragged into business with those assholes? Absolutely. I never wanted any of that. I just wanted to keep living like how we were.”

“What do you think you’re going to do once you’re better?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, ideally, I’d love to find Cinder, break every bone in her body and then chop her up into a billion pieces. But beyond that, I don’t know.”

“Have you ever given thought to being a huntress?” Yang asked her hopefully. “With your fighting skills, you could be a really damn good one.”

“Ah, so that’s your game, is it? You’re gonna see the potential deep down inside me and try to turn me into a good girl, is that right? Turn me into a model citizen and make me renounce all my wicked ways?”

“No, that’s not it,” replied Yang with a guilty tone. She had to admit that the idea had crossed her mind even though she figured it was a lost cause. “I just figured that fighting is what you’re probably best at and why not make a proper career out of it?”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I may not be interested in bringing down Ozpin, Ironwood and all those pricks anymore but believe me when I say that they’re still pricks. And I don’t really care to be one of their lapdogs for bullying the rest of the world into behaving just like them.”

“You’re probably going to have to work with them if you want to get to Cinder so badly. And as good as you are, you’re not going to be able to take her down by yourself.”

“Yeah, I know I’m not good enough to beat them all myself. But I refuse to fight their war for them. If you’re fine with being their little disposable hero, you go right ahead. That’s not how I want to live my life, though.”

“I’m not really interested in that sort of stuff, either. I just want to travel around the world, have some adventures and kill some monsters. And if doing that helps out some people in need, that’s a bonus.”

“You may want that but that’s not what they want for you. And if this war really does end up kicking off, they’re going to drag you into it whether you want to fight or not.”

“Do you really think it’s going to come to that?” Yang asked nervously. “Do you think we’re gonna go to war?”

“It’s tough to say. Cinder and her cronies do have quite a lot of shit together and they’re certainly pissed off at the world enough to try something.”

“Remnant’s been at peace for so long. I can’t imagine what would happen if the kingdoms went to war against each other again.”

“Has it really? I bet your White Fang buddy would have something to say about that.”

“Neo, please,” said Yang in desperation, “you have to do this one thing for me. Promise me that you’ll do whatever you can to make sure that this war doesn’t happen.”

“And why should I help you with anything?”

“I don’t want to have to play this card but I did save your life. I know you don’t owe me anything but please, it would mean everything to me if you can somehow keep us from going to war. I’ve lost too many people in my life already and I don’t want war to take any more. Please, I’m begging you.”

Neo paused for a few moments to consider what Yang was asking for her. Finally, she closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh as she began to write, “Okay, fine. I can’t guarantee that I can stop it. But I’ll give your leaders all the intel I can so that they can maybe put an end to it.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Yang hugged Neo tightly against her and caused a searing surge of pain from Neo’s wounds. Neo frantically flailed against Yang to try and get her to release her. Yang realized what she’d done and quickly backed away from Neo who was gritting her teeth in agony.

“You know I can’t be an informant if I’m broken in half, right?” Neo signed as the pain slowly began to ebb.

“Sorry, I got carried away,” muttered Yang sheepishly. “I should probably go and let you try and get back to sleep, yeah?” Yang went to leave but Neo quickly grabbed onto Yang’s wrist and held onto it tightly. Yang glanced back at Neo and saw she looked as surprised at her actions as Yang was. With her free hand, Neo grabbed her marker and wrote out a message for Yang.

“Please stay?” Yang read the message and then looked to Neo. She looked terrified and Yang wasn’t sure if it was because Yang might leave or because she’d written that note. Yang couldn’t help noting the similarity to Ruby when she was younger and would beg Yang to let her stay in Yang’s bed. Yang then soberly nodded and readjusted herself to how she was lying before. Neo returned her head onto Yang’s chest and listened to her heartbeat again. As strange as it was, just hearing that made Neo feel very safe and protected. Within a few minutes, both girls drifted off to sleep.

————————————————————————————————

Neo panted for breath as she glared at Emerald who was holding Neo’s parasol and malevolently twirling it in her fingers. Neo made a lunge for her but Emerald simply teleported away again and reappeared a few feet to her left. As Neo tried to strike Emerald again, a sudden kick from out of her vision landed right in her stomach and knocked the wind out of her. As Neo struggled for breath, another kick came at her, this time striking her in the jaw. Neo flopped to the ground but immediately tried to get back on her feet. As she raised her head, she saw Mercury standing above her, his leg poised in the air. He then brought his foot down with a smashing axe kick, causing the ground under Neo’s head to crack.

Emerald then hooked Neo by the back of her collar with the crook parasol and pulled Neo into a kneeling position. Through the fog caused by the kicks, Neo could faintly see the glowing eyes of Cinder walking towards her. As her vision fully recovered, Neo noticed the bow in Cinder’s hand with a frightening black arrow cocked back and aimed right at Neo’s heart.

“Tell me Neo, do you believe in destiny?” Cinder asked. But before any sort of answer could be given, the lights suddenly went out. Neo heard an arrow whiz by her face and clatter to the ground.

“Whoa, what happened?” Mercury yelled in surprise. “Everything suddenly went dark!”

“No kidding, genius,” grumbled Emerald. “The power went out. Go check the fusebox and see if it needs a new one.”

“No, wait,” Cinder said with a noticeable twinge of fear, “we must have been found out. Quickly, retreat.” The three villains tried to make their way out of the dark but suddenly Neo could hear blows being landed and grunts of pain. An enraged yell rang out and Neo looked up to see Cinder flashing in and out of light as muzzle blasts illuminated her while loud shotgun shots rang out. After several seconds of being pummeled, Cinder crumpled unconscious to the floor. Before she knew what was happening, Neo was scooped up by a pair of strong, sculpted arms and was being carried princess style away from her captors.

“It’s okay Neo, you’re safe now,” her savior said. Neo broke into a wide smile as she realized that she had been saved by Yang. She threw her arms around Yang’s neck and nuzzled her face against the blonde’s. Yang finally got the two of them out of the room and removed the night vision goggles she’d been wearing. She looked down at Neo who looked very relieved to be out of that mess.

“I always wondered what it would be like to be saved by my hero,” Neo signed to her.

“Yeah? Did I meet your expectations?” Yang asked cheekily.

“More than you ever could have done. I think you deserve a reward.” Neo then readjusted her body until her legs were wrapped around Yang’s torso and she was looking the blonde in the eye. She then pulled Yang in for a passionate kiss. Yang was all too happy to reciprocate as she ran her free hand through Neo’s hair.

“I love you,” Yang whispered against Neo’s lips. Neo shivered as goosebumps erupted down her spine and she slid her head down onto Yang’s shoulder. Yang hugged Neo tightly against her but not too tight as she lightly rubbed Neo’s back.

Neo tilted her head up and said hoarsely into Yang’s ear, “I love you too.”

Neo’s eyes snapped open and she found herself back in Yang’s guest room. Down the hall, Neo could faintly hear the sound of sizzling bacon and the delicious smell of pancakes. She then noticed that Yang was no longer in bed with her and judging by the temperature of the space next to her, she’d been gone for a little while. Neo felt a stray tear leak out of her eye and she sadly placed her hand on the pillow Yang had been using. She then recalled the dream she had been having and her heart fluttered at the memory of kissing Yang. As much as she enjoyed the thought of that happening, Neo had to admit that this was not good. Things were starting to get very complicated for her very fast. And if she didn’t get her emotions in check as soon as possible, she could end up falling for someone she knew she shouldn’t.

[kenzieam]

The Experiment - Chapter 4 (Eric X OC)

Rating: M (swearing/smut :p)

Genre: General

Thanks everyone for the re-blogs and support!!! IT IS SO AWESOME!!!  

@emmysrandomthoughts @beautifulramblingbrains @iammarylastar @tigpooh67 @bookwarm85 @frecklefaceb @mom2reesie @elaacreditava @badassbaker @captstefanbrandt @jaihardy @treeleaf @pathybo @beltz2016 @lilu46 @equalstrashflavoredtrash @girlwith100names @gaia25 @readsalot73 @bookgirlthings @slayer0507 @stone-met @lostinthebeans @lauraaan182 @queenara4 @letmagichappen @girlslovestorys @tonyt1995 @sterek-foreverandever

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An alternative stand-alone with Eric and Fox, where they’re brought into a controversial faction experiment……may be sensitive subject matter/triggers…..enjoy :)

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Fox spent a restless night tossing and turning, finally falling into an exhausted stupor just as the sun was rising. She woke again just after noon as a pounding started on her door.

“Goddammit Coulter, I said-” Fox threw open the door and stopped short.

“Aunty Fox didn’t swear, did she?” Tris asked with a grin, speaking to the toddler clinging to her legs.

Fox crouched, “hey, DeeDee!”

“Ant-EE!” Four and Tris’ daughter, Delilah, launched herself at Fox and laughing, Fox spun her in a circle. Tris followed them into the apartment and shut the door behind her.

“See, you’re good with kids, you’ll be fine when you and Eric reproduce.”

Fox rolled her eyes and flipped Tris the bird behind DeeDee’s back, making Tris snicker.

Fox set the toddler down to run over to the box of toys she kept in the corner for her and turned to her mom.

"What’s up?”

“Could ask you the same thing.” Tris replied.

Fox blushed, “sorry, been a crazy few days.”

Tris sat at the counter and pointed to the stool beside her, “go ahead and tell me.”

Fox sat, and found herself unloading everything about the last few days, the train ride, the appointment and Eric coming to her apartment last night.

“Tonight at seven? And how do you feel?”

“Freaked out! What the fu-…heck did I agree to?”

Tris smirked. “Nothing you don’t secretly want.”

“What?!”

“Oh please, you and Eric, c'mon it only makes sense. You’ve been eyeing each other up ever since we jumped into the net.”

“Bull…crap, we hate each other, we’re always fighting.”

“Foreplay,” Tris purred.

Fox scowled and Tris laughed.

“Honey listen,” Tris continued. “You might have your head up your rear-end about this, but I’ve seen the way Eric watches you…..and the way you watch him, say what you want, but I know the truth.”

Fox snorted, “and how does he watch me?” She tried for a blasé tone and failed.

Tris smiled, “the same way you watch him.”

Fox rolled her eyes, “thanks boo, that helps.”

Tris laughed then reached over and patted Fox’s knee. “Get presentable, Four is watching the kids and Chris and I are taking you for a treat day, get your hair cut, find a sexy dress-”

“I have clothes.”

“You have uniforms, training clothes, lounge clothes, you don’t own a dress.”

“So?”

“So, you can’t seduce the father of your future children in lounge pants.”

Fox bit back a furious round of insults, glancing over at DeeDee, who remained happily oblivious. Tris, not insulted at all, she knew Fox and her little intricacies well enough; just laughed and repeated, “get going!”

Grumbling, Fox disappeared into her bedroom, reappearing a few minutes later looking ‘presentable’.

Another knock at the door, DeeDee ran and opened it, “Da-EE!”

Four stepped into the apartment and smiled at Fox.

“Hey Fox, how are you?”

“Fine Four, thanks.” Fox grumbled and Four grinned. Picking DeeDee up he said, “Chris is running late, she’ll meet you down there.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Tris shooed Fox out the door and Four laughed as he shut it behind them. They parted ways at the Pit, the girls turning into the melee and Four heading through the corridor to the ‘family’ side of the complex; where Fox didn’t look forward to moving to in the coming months.

Tris pushed Fox into the salon chair and smiled behind her in the mirror. The hairdresser appeared and Tris whispered in her ear. Fox whipped around.

“What are you saying?” She demanded suspiciously.

“Calm down,” Tris smiled.

“I’m here!” Chris announced, effectively ending the conversation; she, Tris and the hairdresser completely ignoring Fox as they gabbled.

Thankfully, all their scheming only amounted to a few inches chopped off the bottom of Fox’s hair and a revival of the undercut she’d rocked right after graduation and Fox grudgingly admitted that it looked good.

They dragged her next to Tori, who’d been already been instructed to tattoo a small heart on the outer side of Fox’s left wrist, on the pinky finger side, and to fill it in with blood red ink.

Chris and Tris quickly received matching tattoos,

in support of our sister

, they claimed and, laughing like hyenas, dragged Fox to the clothing store, where they furiously ransacked the dress rack until they found the perfect one. It was black, of course, and short, ending mid-thigh, sleeveless and nearly backless. Fox hated it on the hanger but had to admit it looked not bad when she put it on; and accepted the gift as Tris and Chris paid for it.

Now, back in her apartment, Fox paced like a caged animal. It was just after six and Fox’s heart was racing.

Stop it

, she chastised herself,

you’re going to end this circus tonight, march into Max’s office and quit the charade, to hell with the contract.

No, you won’t,

another voice teased,

you can’t wait for Eric to

-

Fox shook her head furiously to end that traitorous voice and stormed into the bathroom to shower.

She knocked on Eric’s door at 7:10, defiantly late.

The door opened and Eric smirked at her. “I knew you’d be late.” He stepped back to allow Fox to enter. Shutting the door behind her he turned and gave a low whistle.

“You look great, Fox.”

“Thanks, I’m going to kill Christina and Tris,” Fox muttered. She froze when she felt Eric’s fingers light at her temple, his breath warm on her throat.

“You looked like this right after graduation,” he murmured and Fox pulled quickly away, turning to face him; a curious mix of anticipation and terror coursing through her veins.

Frustration flashed briefly in Eric’s eyes and he swallowed. Fox saw his hand tremble ever so slightly as he smoothed his hair,

is Eric nervous?! Ice cold Eric Coulter? Nah.

“Drink?” Eric moved to the kitchen and Fox followed him, leaning on the counter.

“Still like rum?” Eric asked as he rummaged in a cupboard.

“How do you know I like rum?”

Eric grinned, “who do you think carried you back to your apartment after the last leader’s party?”

Fox went bright red. “I thought that was Uriah.”

“I know,” Eric chuckled. “You kept calling me Uri-Puppy and petting my head.” Turning with a glass in his hand, Eric burst out laughing at the look on Fox’s face. “Uriah was out of it too, I ended up carrying his ass home later.”

Fox shook her head, mortified, and accepted the glass Eric held out. “I’m so embarrassed,” she murmured.

Eric reached over and quickly tapped her chin. “Don’t be, you’re cute when you finally let your guard down.”

Fox took a sip to quell the nerves threatening to overwhelm her, she’d woken up the next morning alone and fully-clothed, only her shoes removed and with a massive hang-over, so Eric hadn’t taken advantage of her friendly and inebriated state.

Eric watched her a moment then turned back to the stove. “You like salmon?”

Fox gasped, “you have salmon?” Post-war, salmon had become a delicacy, farmed only in small amounts. It was ridiculously hard to locate and notoriously expensive, usually served only at the finest Faction leader’s parties. Fox had only tasted it twice in her whole life. “I love it, where did you get any?”

Eric smiled, “I have my ways.” He met Fox’s eyes and she felt a jolt at the expression in them.

“I have to use the bathroom,” Fox said breathlessly, turning and dashing away. Thankfully, she did, but she also just needed a moment to breathe.

What the fuck are you thinking? Go to Max and end this before you get hurt!

Taking a deep breath, Fox left the bathroom and returned to the kitchen. Eric already had the plates laid out at the table and he stood as Fox approached. He held her chair out for Fox and slid it close as she sat.

A gentleman, who knew?

Fox drooled as she stared at the plate, perfectly baked salmon steak, twice-baked potato and asparagus; one of Fox’s dream meals.

How did he know?

She took a bite of the salmon and couldn’t stop a moan. Eric smiled at her reaction.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” Fox confessed.

“There’s lots of things you don’t know about me,” Eric replied softly. He was right, Fox had made a career out of avoiding him, of arguing and fighting with him to keep him distant. Flushing again, Fox returned to her meal, surprisingly hungry.

“Dessert?”

Fox shook her head, “no thanks, I’m full….” She trailed off, what did you say now? 'Time to fuck?’

Eric stood and carried his dish to the kitchen, Fox helped him clean up, drying as he washed and asking every thirty seconds where some dish belonged. Hanging the dish towel on the oven handle, Fox turned to speak and stopped short. Eric had come up behind her and when she turned she almost bumped his chest with her nose. Fox moved to step back but Eric gently gripped her elbows. He didn’t say anything, just stood there, his eyes lowered and Fox gently pulled away.

“I should get going-”

“Stay, please. We can watch a movie? If you still want to go after that, I understand.”

Fox couldn’t argue with that without sounding like a colossal bitch, so she moved into the living room and began scanning the DVD’s on the shelf. Eric came up beside her and pulled one out.

“Have you seen this one?”

“The Hangover? No. Pre-war?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty funny.”

“Okay.”

Eric started the movie and gestured for Fox to sit on the couch and get comfortable. He reappeared a few minutes later just as the movie started with a large bowl of popcorn and Fox couldn’t stop a delighted squeak. Placing the bowl between them on the couch, Eric sat and put his feet up on the coffee table; Fox tucked her feet underneath her and reached into the bowl. Their hands brushed and Fox pulled hers quickly away, keeping her gaze locked on the movie.

It was surprisingly funny, Fox hadn’t laughed this hard in awhile and she began to see a light-hearted side to Eric, she wasn’t the only one who kept their guard up. Fox found his sense of humour was quite close to her own, and his laugh, the true unguarded laugh that Fox had never heard from him before, was contagious and warm, something Fox wanted to hear more of.

About half-way through Fox’s legs began to fall asleep, and she stood to shake them out. Eric leaned forward and set the bowl on the coffee table. Fox stretched, reaching for the ceiling and arching her back, then moved to sit back down again. Eric’s arms wrapped around her and pulled her over into his lap. Fox went rigid for a second, then relaxed. Nestling his head in the crook of her neck, Eric readjusted his arms and went back to watching the movie like nothing had happened and after a moment, Fox leaned back into his chest and rested her hands on his arms, crossed her legs on top of his.

Eric’s warmth and strength as he held her were intoxicating and Fox fought the urge to snuggle even deeper against him. Her breath caught in her throat as Eric moved her hair aside with his chin and pressed a gentle kiss to her neck before exhaling heavily and resting his head back down. Fox felt Eric shift underneath her as he began to harden against her ass. Fox’s heart began to pound, she could feel herself being pulled in by Eric’s gentle charm and surprising tenderness and warning bells screamed in her head. Fox stood abruptly, pulling free of Eric’s arms and hurrying to the door.

“Fox? What’s wrong?” Eric grabbed Fox’s wrist and yanked her to face him. Fox pulled her arm away and stabbed her feet into the ridiculous stilettos the girls had made her wear. Eric grabbed her upper arms again and pulled her close to his chest.

“Fox?” His voice was a heartbreaking mix of confusion, fear and sorrow and Fox felt her breath catch, if she didn’t leave now she never would. Her old friends fear and anger rose up to help her.

“Let go of me. We signed a contract, this is business. I’m here for us to fuck, not enjoy ourselves!” Fox looked away from the sudden pain that flashed through Eric’s eyes, she always,

always

grew claws and slashed mindlessly when she felt cornered.

Eric’s voice grew hard and his hands tightened. “What are you so afraid of?” He hissed.

Fox shook her head, tried to scoff. “I’m not afraid-”

Eric pulled her close, his lips brushing her ear. “You’re terrified, why? What have I done?”

Frustrated, cornered and desperate, Fox finally snapped. “Alright! I’m scared, okay?…I’m fucking terrified that I’ll fucking spend this amazing night with you and fall the fuck in love and you’ll roll over in the morning and send me on my way like the rest of the women you use!”

Eric’s jaw dropped and his grip loosened enough for Fox to pull away. He recovered quickly and grabbed her again before Fox could leave, his touch was gentle this time, almost hesitant. “Is that what you think?” He murmured, sounding crushed. “That I’ll just use you like that? For a quick fuck?” He exhaled hard and glanced away, the intensity in his gaze almost overwhelming Fox when he looked back. “Okay, yeah, I used those women, they were all just quick fucks, but…..that was because they weren’t you……I’ve always wanted you Fox, since you fell into that net and fucking took my heart….it’s you I want, just you.” He dropped his head, his grip on Fox’s arms almost gone.

Fox stared at him in shock. Of all the things she’d imagined he’d say, this hadn’t been one of them. She’d expected scorn, a cocky response and she felt a deep well of shame at how wilfully ignorant she’d been, how purposefully blind.

You stupid bitch. If you hadn’t been so goddamn afraid of your own feelings you would have seen this long ago.

Eric drew in a shaky breath and continued. “I signed that contract because I was desperate, it seemed like the only way I could get close enough to you that maybe you’d start seeing me….the real me.” He exhaled hard and lifted his head. “Go, if you want…I won’t bother you again."Fox bit her lip. Eric had just ripped his heart open in front of her, and she realized with a sick feeling that she felt the same, despite all the bullshit she’d fed herself over the years, it had always been about Eric…..maybe she wasn’t too late."Eric, I….” Fox trailed off, knowing words meant nothing right now and stepped forward. She touched Eric’s cheek gently with her hand and he shuddered, a tremor running through him. His vulnerability stabbed Fox right in the heart and everything else fell away. She needed to be tender to him, right now.“Come here,” she murmured, stepping past Eric and pulling his hand gently, leading him to the couch.

[theunknown-ericfanfiction]

Chapter 37.

Unexpected: Part 37

The Unknown Chapter Index.

Unexpected Chapter Index

“Of what are you so worried about? ” Eric said holding Morgan by the waist, she was changing Aleks to leave the apartment. The little one’s big blue eyes were staring back at her, his gums biting on his index finger.

“A lot of things, first of all, we don’t take him out anywhere for a month and now we take him out outside of the compound? Weren’t we supposed to do this in phases?”

“We didn’t already do that, and besides we have taken him out for a stroll in the compound”

“Yeah you’re right” she said looking down at Aleks “and then there’s the Christine situation, that woman makes me want to punch her and I know I’m supposed to be cool and clam, but I can now technically deck her, and if she forces me to I won’t have an excuse not to”

Eric chuckled in her ear and kissed her neck

“Especially since she summoned this meeting, it means she wants to chew you for something” she continued, taking Aleks from the changer and holding him against her chest, Eric’s eyes locked to his little ones as Aleks looked at him from over Morgan’s shoulder.

Eric lifted his hand and touched Aleks head and neck, giving him a kiss in the forehead.

“Aleks will be fine, and if anything I can hold Aleks while you hit her”

Morgan gave him a little worried smile from over her other shoulder and covered Aleks with a blanket

“We’re gonna have to take turns holding him, he’s getting too heavy”

“No worries baby, that’s why I’ve been working on these” he said, flexing his muscles at Morgan while she turned to him and squeezed one

“Mmm” she moaned seductively at him as she kissed him, her hand moved down to his chest, feeling it below his shirt “my man is getting hot” Eric pulled back a little to raise an eyebrow at her “hotter”

He smiled and kissed her again.

“If you’re in the mood when we come back I can put an end to your dry streak” she muttered in his lips

“I’ll be in the mood, one way or another.”

Eric held her by the waist and led her to exit the apartment.

They took one of the trucks to go to Erudite HQ, since Eric didn’t want Morgan to jump in the train with Aleks and then have to walk him from the station to Erudite.

“I think 90% of the time you’re with us, he spends it looking at you” Morgan said next to him.

Eric tore his eyes from the empty road to look at Aleks, who smiled when he saw his dad looking at him.

“He’s so cute” he said pinching his cheek and looking back at the road.

Eric parked near the building and exited the truck, Morgan hopped off from it, receiving a scolding look from Eric. Morgan passed on Aleks to Eric’s arms as she fixed her jacket and closed the truck door.

“Do you know what the meeting is about?” She said taking Aleks back in her arms and walking to the main door

“City security is what the memo said”

Morgan scoffed

“The fuck does she know about city security? that’s what we as a faction do. I’m hating this already, do stop me if I start talking to much”

“I like to see your badass bitch from hell side once in a while” Eric said holding her by the waist and opening to door to the lobby. They were greeted and taken to a conference room in the main floor.

Morgan was quickly surrounded by the Amity leaders that attended the meeting, along with the Abnegation ones, who all just looked and awed at her baby boy. Morgan portrayed a proud smile as she answered the questions, one that was quickly dropped from her face as soon as Christine entered the room.

She addressed them to take a seat, Morgan sitting next to Eric and placing Aleks on her lap

“Now would be a really good time for you to make a fuss, so I can get the hell out of here” she said looking down to match Aleks’ eyes

“You could have staid back” Eric said relaxing on the chair and linking his hands on his stomach

“What kind of leader would I be if I did that”

Eric gave her a quick glance before Christine started talking

“Good evening to you all, and thank you for coming, I want to make this short, as you all know a few days ago a settlement on the west side of the city began to form, as per Dauntless warning there is a frequent watch on that side, or I would like to think there is”

Morgan smiled and shook her head taking Aleks from her lap and placing it on Eric’s. Eric could see Morgan’s smirk and her hands folding together on the table. Giving a quick glance to Aleks to make sure he was fine, he looked back at Morgan

“And by that you mean… you want more reinforcements for a threat we don’t know if it is an actual threat? If it was spotted a few days ago, then we don’t know for sure who they are, maybe they’re from the department”

“Or maybe they’re from this resistance they’ve talked about so much, I think you should check in with the settlement”

“And risk it being a threat and they take our coming as an advance of confrontation?”

Christine sat straight in her chair to match Morgan’s rigid stance

“Your job is-”

“My job” Morgan interrupted “is to protect the people in this city, I’m very aware of that, and that’s what I’m doing, protecting the people of my city includes my faction, my soldiers are not expendable. So I would like to suggest you to shut the fuck up about subjects that you have no knowledge about.”

“We have reached an arrangement with the department, the threats that concern us are the ones that cross the fence, outside of it is their territory.” Eric said, holding eye contact with Christine as he lightly tapped Morgan’s arm to make her stand back

“Yes” she gave a humorless smile “the territory with the same troops that you were supposed to train and those from whom we’ve heard nothing about”

“You haven’t heard nothing about them because that matter doesn’t concern you” Morgan said looking away annoyed.

In that meeting she only learned that she thought everything was fine, but there were a lot of things Eric hadn’t told her.

“Why did the training ceased?” Christine demanded to know

“They only want Morgan to train the troops, they weren’t very fond of my style. And she was obviously busy”

Morgan looked down at her lap, now clearly pissed, she didn’t know if she was pissed at Eric, or at Nita, or at the world.

“I tried to tell them the training technics didn’t differ. They though the opposite and drew back on the deal” Eric said looking briefly at her to find her holding an angry frown at him.

He wasn’t going to get laid that night.

“I want my city protected, I suggest we launch a program to start building underground shelters to prevent any casualties if and when this happens, we will start to work with Amity to increase our food supply to take to the shelters for storage. In the meantime, an evacuation protocol should be started”

The other leaders gave a nod while Morgan took a deep breath and stood up from her chair, being followed by the rest.

When everyone was clearing out Morgan took Aleks back in her arms and looked at Christine

“I hope you take my suggest into consideration, otherwise I will have to take drastic measures to ensure you don’t fuck with my work”

Eric gently pushed Morgan by the low of her back towards the door.

Every time they went to Erudite the ride home was as quiet as a graveyard. Aleks was quietly breastfeeding, his eyes closing slowly, being lulled to sleep with the rock of the truck as they returned to dauntless.

“Morgan” Eric said looked at her, she hummed at him to continue talking “I haven’t told you about-”

“So I don’t worry and want to help, I know.”

“And you’re mad because..”

“Because I could have talked to Nita and told her to keep sending the troops for us to still train, it doesn’t matter I wasn’t there. You trained me, isn’t that better than me? And also what the fuck? A settlement? Why didn’t I hear from this?”

“Because-”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of Aleks, I can know this things and not freak out. Aleks is out, he’s here, and I’m not vulnerable or helpless or weak”

“I never said that”

“You act like it”

Morgan sighed and looked out at the road, they were nearing dauntless by now.

“And are we not going to talk about how you shut me out of this meeting, I’m the head leader” it was Eric’s turn to be mad

“Oh fuck off” Morgan said rolling her eyes and checking that Aleks was still sleeping when she removed her breast from his mouth, Eric parked and Morgan exited the truck

“Don’t tell me to fuck off” he said jumping out of the truck and slamming the door shut.

“Yes, fuck off Eric. You’re the ‘leader of dauntless’ here, but as soon as we enter Erudite territory you bitch out”

Eric’s eyes quickly hardened on Morgan’s.

“I do not bitch out” his voice dropped to a dangerous tone. Morgan turned around with a 'yeah right’ and walked to their apartment.

She left Aleks in his crib and walked to the living room to continue the argument with Eric.

He cornered her in the kitchen counter when she walked to it

“You’re my wife, and I love you Morgan, but it pisses me right the fuck off when you down my authority”

“When you’re with her, your authority is already down Eric. What do you want me to do? Sit around and watch her put a hand in you ass and puppeteer you around?”

“She doesn’t…”

“My god” she said rolling her eyes and looked away

“Morgan you don’t understand”

“Yes, I’m aware of that because you’re not telling me shit. I’m only working with what I can see, Eric, and this is the only way I see to prevent her taking advantage of you, because you don’t seem to be able to say no. If you want me to stand down, just say it”

Morgan locked eyes with him, waiting. Eric crossed his arms at his chest and looked away.

“OK then” she said giving him a nod. Morgan could see from miles away Eric’s jaw tensing

“Morgan I have no-”

“Choice? I can thing of some very good ones out of the top of my head, like telling her to fuck off from your business, that’s a good option”

“Erudite put me here, in this leadership position”

“Did they told Max to give leadership to you when he was done with his?” Eric looked away from her and rolled his eyes

“No but-”

“Did they kill the people you had to kill to get here? Did they alter your performance results in the tests?”

“No” he said, frowning at her, he had never mentioned his track to get to leadership to Morgan.

“Then they didn’t do shit to get you here. You did” she said pointing at his chest “and yes, when I was outside they told me about your thing with Erudite before you came here, this 'informant’ deal, but that deal was when you were a leader, and now you need to redefine what are you willing to do with them, not for them. And if we have to go to war for this we have a fucking army, what are they gonna do? Stab us with syringes?”

Eric couldn’t help to laugh under his breath at that, making Morgan smile.

They stood there facing each other, until Eric walked a short step to her and held her, his hands going up her back to her shoulder blades.

“You’re so fucking irritating sometimes ” she said hugging him back, Eric hid his face in the crook of her neck.

“I’m so glad I married you” he said, then kissed her neck.

“I’m so glad you married me too” Eric chuckled and held her by the neck, looking down at her, then her lips

“Am I still getting any tonight?”

Morgan smiled and looked up

“Maybe, if you’re a good boy” she kissed his lips and pulled away from him “are you going to work?”

“Maybe, why?”

She shrugged her shoulders

“I was going to lay down while Aleks sleeps, are you feeling like cuddling?”

Eric rolled his eyes and walked behind her

“Fine, only because you make it sound so appealing.”

[beautifulramblingbrains]

Bound By Chains - Chapter 19

Pairing: Eric/OC Fandom: Divergent Rating: M

She’s bound to a monster. And he has personality issues.

A/N: Thank you so much for patience. It’s felt like forever since I last updated this. And also a thanks to everyone who has helped piece this together, literally couldn’t be done without you! Tags: @dauntlessmetalmom @equalstrashflavoredtrash @badassbaker @red-diary @pathybo @murmelinchen @insertamazingwords @feminamortem @halefiresurvivor @suchlonelymuchsoul @elaacreditava @lauraaan182 @synnocence @jcause @glittergiirlgg @platitudinise @frecklefaceb @mimigemrose @sparklemichele 

“We’re doing well. Everything is on time.” The Dauntless soldier with the bad hair and multiple piercings adorning his ears, says to Eric. “Thankfully we are not too far behind,” He ticks something off his list. But Eric is elsewhere, gazing out ahead of him towards the trucks and warehouses. The concrete platform they stand on is perfect height for the delivery trucks to unload and gives a seamless overview of the state of affairs happening around them.

“Without the factionless it’s a lot easier.”

“Hmm.” Eric hums in response with his arms crossed in front of him.

“Same goes with the other factions. Amity had only requested medical supplies from Erudite which is being arranged for the drive back. Is there anything else you would like us to turn our attention to?”

“Make sure the materials for the new builds are here on time. I want it started as soon as possible.” With furrowed brows, Eric looks over his shoulder to the gathering of Abnegation being instructed by Wayne.

Sarah is there in her long jacket, scarf wrapped tightly round her neck and hood up. She’s speaking to the group too and Wayne is nodding. Her eyes dart to his unexpectedly and she smiles, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Fuck.

Eric shifts on the spot uncomfortably in this unusual situation. He will have to say something sooner or later. The voice of the soldier next to him brings his attention back and he dismisses him. “I’ll be checking the progress. That’s all for now.”

Pocketing his hands, he takes a huge breath and approaches the group which drop to silence, not daring to meet his eye, but Sarah does.

“You all have your orders. Do what is expected and we won’t have a problem.”

“Yes, Mr. Coulter.” A few mumble with their heads down. As they disperse, Sarah walks a few steps away and waits earnestly for him to follow. He checks around him before trying to find the right words.

“It’s okay, Eric. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Last night-“

“It meant nothing, right?” She stares out towards the deliveries being unloaded, only turning her head when he doesn’t reply with a shadowing of her usual vibrant smile. Eric’s jaw tenses and she feels a small pang of hurt at his reluctance to offer her any form of explanation. Not that she thought he would. “…I’m going to start showing soon. I already am. People will begin to notice.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“They won’t like it. Their leader with a girl from Abnegation?”

“What side of the bed did you get out of this morning?”

Sarah reaches out, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket that are pushed into his pockets and tugs slightly. “Can you promise me something?” The wind whistles over her voice, pulling hair from her bun and flipping the tassel end of her scarf messily over her shoulder. “Promise me you will take care and protect our baby? Even if you don’t love me.”

“Sarah…” He grimaces, rolling his shoulders backward and moving to face her. Removing his digits from his pocket, he softly caresses the small hand that’s frozen, the delicate fingers responding by curling against his own. “That’s not…”

Sarah shakes her head, “Don’t, Eric.”  Her voice only quakes through as a whisper. “Don’t. Just promise me.” The look she is giving is nothing he’s ever really come across in his adult life, maybe as a child, but not in years.– Disappointment.

“I will do what it takes.”

“And so will I. Just find it in your heart to love our child, don’t deny them that.” She’s already walking away, down the steps and following the Abnegation and Wayne towards the trucks.

More than anything, he now feels insulted and the great burden of guilt weighing down in his gut. Like he was completely incapable of fathering appropriately and done her wrong, yet again. Like refusing to profess his undying love for her would fuck up their child from the get go.

Parental love was different to a love formed between a man and a woman. Parental love was natural, unforced and there was no wait till someone finally decided they loved the other.

It was words, only stupid words.

This small woman always confused him, always managed to throw him unexpectedly from believing he finally understood the inner workings of her brain, to knowing absolutely nothing about her at all. He loathed it.

At the same time, he notices two Dauntless struggling with the door on the back of one of the Amity trucks and he kisses his teeth in frustration.

Want something done, do it yourself. He could use the distraction anyway.

“Sarah was good today.” Wayne offhandedly utters as he enters Eric’s office. “The Abnegation work well with her.”

“No surprise there. Where is she?”

“She went to lunch with them. She’s still there. I sent that Brad on an errand.”

Eric sits back in his chair, his lip quirking at the thought of Brad probably fearing Sarah more than anything. And so he should, he was lucky he didn’t gut the little bastard. “Okay, good.”

“She’s growing. I mean, because I know I’m looking for it. It’s not entirely obvious. Not yet anyway.”

“I’m aware.”

Wayne takes a seat, stretching his arms behind his head and bending his back, grunting in the process. “You nervous?”

“What for?” Eric huffs, growing impatient with his stupid questions.

“It’s a big thing? The responsibility.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Eric arches a brow to his Wayne’s unmoving form. “How are you and Mary getting along?”

“Haven’t fucked her.” Wayne sighs, puckering his lips. “She won’t. That ass is tight too, it’s always in my face.”

“Perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere?”

“Pfft, I’d have failed as a man.” Wayne scratches the side of his beard.

“She won’t you know.”

“But Sarah did.”

“That’s… different. We spent a lot of time together.”

Wayne’s grin is wide. “You mean, you made sure you spent a lot of time together.”

“Does it matter which way I had done it? It worked. End of story.” Eric studies the guy in front of him very carefully. “Are you looking for advice?”

“Man, if I wanted romantic advice, I wouldn’t come to you.” They both begin to laugh at that.

“If it’s marriage holding you back, promise her the world, say you’re intended, write it down on a piece of paper for all I care and be done with it.” Eric moves his hand and knocks folders from the desk. “Shit.”

“What’s eating you?”

Eric slouches into his chair, balancing his arms on the armrest and dipping his head. “I may have told Sarah I loved her while fucking. And then she comes out with all this shit about if I can’t love her, at least love the child.”

“You know what they say.”

“So, you really are a cunt in uniform.”

Wayne laughs. “As slick as the one sitting in front of me.”

“Touché.”

Wayne’s phone beeps. The smile on his face descends slowly and he whitens when looking up to Eric. “Uh, erm… Sarah has had an accident. She’s in-” The office door swings on his hinges, Eric already down the hall before the door closes behind him.

“Infirmary.” Wayne finishes.

“Yeah, that looks like love… that’s love.” He mumbles to himself, gathering the fallen paper. “He’s fucked.”

“I’m fine.” Sarah tells the nurse who is wiping the grazes on her thigh. The stockings that usually adorned her legs lay shredded in a pile at the end of the bed. “I caught myself.” She shows her hands which the boisterous nurse grabs, blotting them with gauze. “I’m not usually that clumsy.” She looks up to Stacey who smiles sympathetically from beside the door, but she’s mainly trying to tell the doctor who is also next to the bed on her other side, preparing for an ultrasound.

Self-dignity is gone with her dress pushed over her stomach and exposed to the room.

“You’re pregnant, Sarah. It’s a known fact that sense of balance is misjudged. We have to check.”

Sarah flinches at the cold gel spread quickly against her skin; the doctor already busy locating the baby.

“The floor was wet. I didn’t fall over my own feet…” Sarah says defensively.

“The daily risk of the Dauntless mess hall.” Stacey rolls her eyes. From out in the corridor Eric’s voice is heard and Stacey steps to one side as Eric enters, sending the door flying. “Mr. Coulter, everything is fine there is no need-“

“I’ll be the judge of that. What happened?”

“Apparently, she slipped.” Stacey cuts in before Sarah, leaving the Abnegation with her mouth open.

“It was wet and I was just coming back to the office. I didn’t mean to take so long.”

“I’m not worried about that.” He frowns at her stupid conclusion. “The baby?” He’s breathless, looking up to the screen.

“Is fine.” The doctor declares as the sound of the heartbeat echoes into the room. “Absolutely fine.”

Eric rubs his forehead in relief, stepping closer and caressing the back of Sarah’s hand. “You feel alright?”

“Yes, Eric.”

Stacey waves silently to Sarah as she leaves with the nurse behind her.

“I’ve been telling everyone I’m okay and nobody is listening.” But she’s lost him to the fascination of the screen and the whirling, water soaked sound thumping around the room. Now she sees the admiration on his face.

“Gender?”

Sarah hits his hand, frowning at how professionally he asks. “Is that really important right now?”

“Yes.” Eric tilts his head towards the doctor. “I want to know if I’m right.”

The doctor waits patiently, chewing the side of her mouth for minute. “As long as it’s agreed. You don’t want to spoil it.”

“Well, I want to know,” He says stubbornly. “Come on, Sarah.” Eric tugs her little finger, goading her to agree.

Sarah sits silently for a minute and Eric’s eyes begin to narrow at her in his impatience. To be fair she had no qualms about finding out whether they would be having a girl or boy, either way it wouldn’t make any difference what so ever. However, she just thought it wouldn’t be on a day like today and completely out of the blue. She imagined it scheduled and a building of nerves surrounding the appointment. But that wasn’t to be, fate had decided that all on it’s own. Another thing that was out of her control, much like everything else.

“Okay.” It was the first glimpse of excitement rippling off Eric and who was she to deny him? “I’m ready.” She exhales a shaky breath. “I’m ready.”

The doctor roams over the baby one more time before holding the image. “Congratulations. It’s a boy. A very healthy and content baby boy.”

Eric grins widely at the screen and Sarah notices the swell of pride ruminating from his stance. When he catches her looking, he automatically straightens himself out, inspecting the grazes on her legs. “You have to be careful.”

The Doctor makes herself scarce, gathering her equipment and nods to Eric in passing.

“Let’s get you home. That’s where you will stay for the rest of the day.”

“It’s just a bruise…” Sarah’s mumbles watching him bend down to retrieve her boots and carefully slides one on over her bare feet. With her face set in a sulk, Eric grabs her middle toe gently and pulls till she laughs.

“My clumsy little Abnegation.”

“How old is your daughter?” Sarah asks Clair who is busying herself on her computer. The pen pot on the desk she finds irritating, all the ends of the pens showing and none of the caps. Clair had weird habits she had only just started noticing.

She would have had the caps of the pens facing upwards and she twirls one quickly to disrupt the order.

“She is twelve.” Clair frowns, snatching the crooked pen and placing it, in her eyes, correctly. “Adriana.”

“What’s your boys name?”

“Jacob.” She clicks her tongue. “Nope sorry, the report hasn’t been sent back yet.”

“Oh.” Sarah really didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. Work had been going well in the past weeks and she was eager to know more over the progress of the renovations. “It was supposed to be this morning.”

“I’ll call them.” Clair picks up her phone, but stops when Sarah’s eyebrows shoot upwards and she hunches forward, touching her stomach. “What? What is it?”

“I think…” The fluttering in her belly is undeniably the baby moving. “…it’s the baby!” She bounds off quickly, opening the door to Eric grimacing over his work. “Eric!”

“What?” She floats over, grabbing his arm off the desk and putting it to her stomach. “Sarah, I don’t have-“ The movements ripple inside and she watches his face specifically in complete anticipation, waiting for the realization to kick in. Eric’s mouth parts in surprise. “…He’s moving.”

“You feel it?”

His other hand cradles till he possessively holds her. “I can.”

“I thought before I felt something but I didn’t think anything of it. You can really feel it?” She wiggles from side to side excitedly, peering at her ever growing stomach.

Eric manipulates her leg over his, pulling her onto his lap till they slot through the arm holes of his chair. Supporting her back, he soothes her by running them up and down her spine, holding her eyes. “When did this start?”

“Just now. I don’t know.” She mumbles, the smile on her face still unfaltering. “I’m not scared anymore.” She swings her feet, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Their lips touch for the briefest of moments and she can’t help but push her body more against him. “Come home with me.”

“Right now?”

“Mmmhmm.” She giggles as he immediately stands, holding her up as if she weighed nothing. Sarah’s teeth nip at his neck while he gathers his things, groaning at the warm mouth at his throat.

In her insistent distractions, he grips the back of her neck, kissing her roughly through the doorway.

The screeching baby crying throws him from his sleep. Eric’s body stiffens as he sits up, everything burningly braced. Through the darkness and some unnatural blindness, he reaches out to Sarah next to him, pushing her to wake her.

“It’s your fault.” She whispers with red tears pooling in her eyes when he finally finds her face. “It’s your fault!” When she rips the sheets from her body, the bed is saturated between her legs with blood.

The crying intensifies. The sensation of gravity lost as he leans backward to create space, trying his hardest to understand, his body not functioning how it would usually.

As he stumbles back off the bed, about to hit the floor, it changes to concrete, hard and painful as his bare torso smacks against it.

“Why?” A soft voice echoes. Eric’s head whips around till he gathers his bearings, quickly jumping back to his feet, fists balled and ready. “My sister?” Mary reaches out with a blonde lock of hair in her palm. The dress she is wearing black, and her face veiled but obviously her. She points behind him.

The light around them is blank and starkly white with only the concrete floor as distinction. There, Sarah lays with her hands neatly crossed on her chest. Pale, blue, dead.

“Sarah?” With one step he covers the distance, pulling her lifeless body up to him, trying to find the baby bump which is not there. “No.”

Logic begins to play. “I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming.” Throwing his hands up to his ears as he stands, clamping his eyes closed, “Wake up. Fucking wake up.” Falling to his knees, it’s not the baby screeching, but his own voice…

Eric startles, eyes opening and back in his bedroom once again. There is not a sound and his senses adjust quickly.

It feels too early to be awake, some time in the early morning. Swinging his legs from the bed, he rests his head in his palms, pushing them into his eyes and dabbing the sweat beading his forehead.

Sarah springs to mind and he turns quickly, only to find her completely asleep and unaware. With a deep breath, he forces himself back in bed, checking her over and flattening the hair from her face before lying against her. Pulling her body towards him and holding her tightly, she only hums, her body enticingly warm and he lets his hand scour across her stomach, feeling for his baby to help him sleep.

It was his first nightmare in years.

Come Sunday, Sarah waits for Mary in the Pit to arrive. This was a new routine so she could see the progress of her nephew.

Mary is grinning so widely, Sarah was sure her cheeks were about to split. “You’re huge!” They hug over her bump.

“I guess my body couldn’t keep it held in anymore. I am halfway there now…”

“Hello, Baby. I’m your Aunty.” Mary coos, leaning over.

“Stop it!”

“What! Remember, I’m seeing you week by week and there is such a difference!”

“I look fat.”

“You look like a fried egg.” Mary rests her hands on her hips.

“What?”

“A fried egg tilted on its side. The white bits all flat and skinny then just this big blob.” She exaggerates with her hands.

“Okay, Mary. Do not ever be a midwife or anything in the form of comfort to pregnant woman… ever.” Sarah peers down at her bump, secretly stroking it so no one could see and then stretching her cardigan over it. Mary’s face is frowning.

“What’s wrong with Eric?”

In the far corner with a platoon of soldiers standing by him, he’s watching them. The color from his face is drained and dark rings circle under his eyes. His deflated and agitated persona could be seen from across the room.

“I’m worried. I didn’t want to mention anything as I thought it would pass…”

“Let’s get you sat down.” Mary begins walking her to a broken concrete wall to one side, aiding her to lean back against it. “Now tell me.”

“He’s having nightmares.”

“And? That’s normal?”

“No, I mean really bad ones. He sometimes yells out and he can’t sleep afterwards. It’s been almost a week.”

“What are they about? Does he tell you?” Mary leans back on the wall too, watching Eric going about his business.

“They are of me.”

“All of them?”

“So he says. But he doesn’t tell me anything else.”

“Has he been to the doctor?”

“Eric?” Sarah scoffs. “He said he won’t go for nightmares. It’s ‘Stupid’.” She dusts the top of the wall next to her, keeping her eyes downcast. “It’s ever since he felt the baby move.”

“I think he’s afraid.”

“Now that is stupid. Eric… afraid?”

“I think he’s afraid for you.” Mary motions to where he stands, throwing vicious words to the men in front of him, his hands braced behind him and shoulders broad.

“And quite possibly of you.” Upon her sister’s words, Eric must sense them staring, catching them completely. A flick of his head is all that’s needed to know she’s beckoned.

It’s the way Eric growls and throws the covers off of him that disturb Sarah. Through the gap in the bathroom door he’s rubbing his face fiercely with water, swearing under his breath.

Sarah grabs her nightclothes and slips it over her head, hovering for a second by the door. “Eric, tell me what’s wrong?” She pleads, slightly exhausted herself from his constant disturbances.

“Go back to bed.” When he stands, he flips back the vanity cupboard next to the mirror, searching through pill bottles and different serums.

“What are you doing?”

“Did I not just tell you to go back to bed?” He spits through his teeth. Next, he runs his hand along the shelf knocking everything down. “It’s not here.” He mumbles.

“What?”

“Have you touched anything in here?” Eric turns his head only to glare at her.

“Why would I? I don’t even know what’s in there?” She takes a step back as he stalks towards her, grabbing the tops of her arms.

“Are you fucking with me?”

“Eric, I have no idea what you-“ He shakes her suddenly and she lets a small whimper escape, tears tipping out from the corner of her eyes. “You’re scaring me.”

“Go. Back. To. Bed.” His voice strained as if he was fighting some inner turmoil. The violent essence of him shifts as he moves away and he’s quick to throw a shirt over his head, and then joggers.

Leaving without uttering another word.

“Mary, are you even listening?” John’s rubbing his head, massaging his fingers into the old skin of his temples. It was obvious he was suffering with another one of his unforgiving headaches. And she was glad; it was all self-inflicted.

“Sorry.” She reaches across the table, taking Thomas’s booklet from school and flipping through the pages. “I was just thinking about Mother. Is she still not feeling well?” She lies.

“She’s fine and in bed.” John says sharply, looking as white as a sheet as he tries to force a glass of water down his throat.

Mary knows he’s lying too. They had been fighting; non-stop for days. It was mostly over his drinking and unruly behavior. Of course, being their Mother, she was obsessed over how imposing his problems were becoming to their family and to everyone outside that were beginning to notice.

The girls at school had even asked Mary how her home life was going, worried for their family because of John. It was only recently he had to be escorted home by some of his old friends as he couldn’t walk, merely stumbling and he’d had the marks of his adventures on his arms from probably various tumbles he took beforehand.

There’s scampering feet along the floorboards upstairs and if smoke could wisp from her Father’s nostrils, they would be right now.

“I better take Thomas to school.” Get him as far away that she possibly could.

“Don’t be long. There’s stuff that needs doing. I want you to come with me to see the elderly couple next door.”

“I have school-“ She tries to protest.

“You have enough time to come back here and help me!” John shouts unnecessarily.

Mary purses her lips, swallowing down her clipped reply of how she wouldn’t have to if he’d give up the drink. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”

Reaching the top steps, she detours to her room first before finding Thomas. She picks up her phone hidden beneath her pillow and finds one of the multiple messages she had sent to Wayne.

“My dad’s getting worse. I don’t know what to do.”

“It’ll pass.” The message vibrates in her hand only seconds later. “Can’t wait for Sunday.” Pings a second one straight after.

“Seems so far away.” Mary finds herself sighing before continuing further. “I wish you were here.” She bites her lip, almost regretting it, but that is how she felt.

It’s almost an eternity before he replies. “Me too.” That one simple message had made her day.

“You never told me.” Wayne throws out to Eric while punching the bags. He is however, a little cautious at Eric’s ferocity. The permanent darkened scowl on his face was telling.

“What are you on about now?” Eric hisses out between battered breaths, unleashing another round of practiced moves against the bag.

“I’ve had non-stop messages from Mary…” Wayne stops, steadying the bag and leaning up against a strut right next to them. His fists throb and he massages each hand vigorously. “…Sarah’s daddy is causing a stir. He drinks.”

There is a fraction of a pause that signifies to Wayne that Eric is completely aware. “I know.” The Dauntless Leader’s signature smirk graces them for a second.

“Why has nothing been done if you know? Mary’s going bat shit crazy over-“

“Because I’ve seen his file. I knew the moment I stepped foot in the house. He used to drink nothing other than water…” Eric ducks between his fists, tapping the bag again. “…He’s got permanent discolored pigmentation that not even a sober man could get rid of.”

“You the master of all body language now too?”

“No, but I know a drinker when I see one.” Eric exhales, letting the bag sway from his assault and content he’d let the rut of his frustration out for the evening. “I also knew losing his position in the council would affect him to the point of …” He hesitates, trying not to laugh. “…return.”

“Why do I feel there is more to it?”

“There isn’t. I hope her bitch of a Mother suffers at the hands of him and I hope he drinks himself dead.” Eric shrugs casually. “I don’t have to do much, just a tweak here and there and they’ll do the rest for me.”

Wayne frowns. “Mary is there though. Does Sarah know how bad it is?”

“If Mary is smart she’ll be fine.” Eric strolls over to his towel and bottle of water next to Wayne’s feet, picking them up and looking Wayne in the eye. “And I’m fully aware that you are now the only person who knows. Get what I’m saying?” Out of his gym pants, he pulls a small vial, tapping two drops into his water.

“I won’t tell Mary.”

“There’s not really much to tell. I didn’t really do anything.” Eric pouts, taking a swig.

“I get what you’re saying…” Wayne mumbles, trying to get his balls back and stop acting like a pussy. “I’m thinking of seeing Mary tonight.” He watches an amused expression fade in and out on Eric’s face. “…And I just need you to sign this.” A blue piece of paper is handed to Eric. The thing had felt heavy in his pocket all evening.

The smile on his face grows and he snorts, reading it quickly and signing without a care.

“Do you like her?”

“I don’t know. I just want to fuck her really. But I kind of like her, I guess.” They both turn for the exit, walking shoulder to shoulder and both peering out ahead or around them rather than each other. “I just want to see what they are like underneath.”

“Surprisingly, what they say is untrue…” Eric lets slip, taking another swig of water over his smile.

“What’s that? They are like rag-dolls? Or that they don’t believe in blades? Fuck man… don’t leave me like this.”

But ahead near the doors, Sarah waits. Wayne watches Eric’s attention completely dissipate and he looks hungrily over the small Abnegation, drawing in his bottom lip with his teeth. It only makes Wayne want to see Mary more.

There were similarities between the two sisters. He kind of wonders if he only wants to fuck Mary so he could just get a little glimpse into what sleeping with Sarah would feel like; however sick the thought was. But everyone around him was wondering the same. They all wondered what had got Eric so hooked.

It was the look though, he could tell that much from the distance at which he stopped and Eric continued over to her.

That look as she peered up at him devotedly. The way he almost looked smug leaning and gazing back down at her.

Wayne’s eyebrows furrow deeply, almost hurting with his mouth hanging open in thought. The realization hits him all at once, it was not Mary but really Sarah he really wanted. Just once… Though that would never happen, the closest he could get to her was her sister.

This should’ve been obvious to himself at the beginning.

With this in mind, he knows for certain he will see Mary tonight. One way or another.

It’s only just hit nine, straight out of the shower, and Eric’s already between Sarah’s thighs. Her stomach does nothing to put him off, at all. He fucking loved the definite bond they had between them, and how this was all his and nobody else’s…forever.

Fuck, he was a fertile man, what was there to lose his shit over?

“Eric…” She murmurs his name, and he moves quicker, high off the notes dripping from her tone of voice. “Eric, Eric, Eric…” That’s all he hears, apart from a sharp “Yes,” Every so often.

But even with a suppressor in his system, he feels it coming. Not the coming he wants. He tries to keep her nearer, to block it, to forget. His forearms slip underneath her arms and under her back, tilting her upper torso towards him and gripping the back of her neck, holding her closer. But he can see the image, flashing, trying to peel the sides of his mind open and drop into his line of vision. He can almost see the same pale tinge on Sarah’s skin, so he closes his eyes, trying to bar the image.

Dropping his head to the crook of her neck as he keeps pace, thrusting over and over, now more angrily then before, her pitch changes. “Eric! Eric, Eric, STOP!” Eric gathers himself to his knees quickly, shaking his head in his disillusioned state.

Sarah’s hands rub her shoulders and neck, wherever his hands had curled themselves and attached themselves to while lost in his paralytic world. “Sarah…I’m…” The snag marks from his nails, the crushed skin from his fingerprints immediately begin to redden and swell. “…I didn’t…fuck it. I…”

“It’s okay.” But it’s obviously not, as she hides her eyes behind the palm of her hands while her body shudders. She’s crying, silently.

Not knowing what to do with himself. Eric gets off the bed, slipping on his clothes. He takes one final look over the bed and Sarah’s pulled herself into a ball with the sheets completely covering her.

Contemplating on his next move, he takes a step towards her, but stops.

Eric decides to leave instead.

Something rattles her dream. Mary sits up suddenly, just as another clink hits the window. Rubbing her eyes, her already racing heart speeds up to something inhuman, coiling a tingling heat up her back.

At first, she thinks it’s just the wind, perhaps debris outside. Till she sees another small object actually hit the window this time. Instinctively she pulls her phone out, checking the five missed calls all from Wayne and cursing herself.

Straightening her nightwear, she pads to the window barefooted, pressing her hands to the glass as another flying object has her scare backward. Down, just below, stands Wayne smiling up in his Dauntless uniform and he beckons her with a hand to go to the front door.

“Oh, you have to be joking…” Mary whispers exasperatedly to herself. But it doesn’t take her long to be by the door and opening to his gleaming teeth.

“What are you doing here?” She hisses in a low voice. “Do you know what would happen if anyone saw you?”

“The Abnegation police will come and get me?” He chuckles, pushing past her.

“No, you have to leave.” When Mary reaches out for him, Wayne tugs her arm, colliding her against his body and using one hand to hold her face, hungrily kissing her.

“You look incredible…” He finally expresses, tilting his head back enough to look down her body. “And I couldn’t wait for Sunday. I had to see you.”

“We can’t talk here. Someone will hear us.” She grabs his hand, dragging him through the open dining area and into the kitchen, the door falls shut and this is where he tugs her to him again, not stopping his mouthed assault.

Mary is used to his vivacious kiss, the nip and suck on her lip and the travelling open mouth down her jaw and neck.

“Wayne…” She pushes his chest and he merely grunts in response. “Wayne…we can’t…”

“Lighten up, Mare. I got the papers. As soon as you pass I’m going to marry you.”

Stumped, she diverts her eyes, barely able to look at him. “You…want to…marry me?”

“As soon as we’re able, yes. What do you say? I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s what I want. Say you want it too…” He all but begs. “…say it.”

“I-I…”

“Mare…” He strokes her cheek, “It took me forever to get the nod.” His darkened eyes peer at both of hers. “You’re not having second thoughts?” The usual smiling face shifts to something none other than annoyed. “I came all this way to see you.”

“I know.”

“We can be together. Officially together and no one can say anything.” Dropping his hand into his pocket, he rummages till he pulls a pale blue Dauntless paper, crumpled and folded multiple times. “Eric’s already signed it off.” He points to his signature. “You just gotta sign. It means we are intended and when you pass it’s one hundred percent legit.”

“Wayne-“

“Mare…seriously?”

“I just think it’s a bit too-“ Before she can finish, he shoves himself away from her, running his fingers through his shadowing of a beard.

“So, you’re refusing?” Wayne’s voice gets louder and Mary motions with her hands for him to keep it down but he merely turns her back to her, peering into the lounge.

“I’m not outright refusing you. I need time to think it through. To really think it through. It’s so sudden… I think you better go.” Mary finds it hard to look at his slumped shoulders, watching him stretch out his arm and holding the door frame of the lounge till his shoulders pop.

“Mary, I love you.” Those three little words she’d wanted to hear have her silenced. She stares at him for a long while so he repeats himself, turning to her and cupping each side of her face. “I love you. I’m in love with you.” Wayne kisses her chastely, and this time she returns it, their movements slow and longing. “I want to be with you. Around you. Inside you…” He drawls in a whisper.

“You do?” Mary asks shyly, still caught in his gaze.

“I’m not used to feeling like this…fuck.” Wayne rubs his face with his sleeve. “I better go. I mean, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to just say it out loud like that and fuck it up...”

“No, no. Wait.” She grabs the collar of his jacket, stopping him from leaving. “I…” Her voice trembles. Wayne watches very carefully as her nimble fingers work the top button of her nightwear, and gradually she pushes it off of both shoulders till it hits the floor, standing bare in her parent’s kitchen.

Wayne reaches out, lightly tracing her skin and breast, his fingers brushing her nipple as they reach her shoulders. Pulling her to the living room, she lies down on the couch stiffly, watching him remove his jacket.

“You sure?”

Mary nods.

The last thing she’s aware of is Wayne awkwardly clambering on top of her, his pants already abandoned. Fingers stroke her clit, his mouth by her ear, soothing her continuously. Out of nerves, she traces a crack in the ceiling, trying to let herself melt in to him.

Eventually, she closes her eyes.