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ikeuverse · 7 months ago

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anything for you | sjy

pairing: mafiaboss!jake x fem!reader genres: lots of angst, smut, fluff wc: 12.5k+

꒰ 𝅄 warnings ꒱ : lots of swearing, blood, drugs, guns and knives, kidnapping, injuries, death, torture. jake is ruthless, but he does it to protect his beloved, you know. unprotected sex, sex in the shower, very vanilla. jake is soft because he wants reconciliation. lmk if i forgot anything!

꒰ 𝅄 synopsis ꒱ : when jake said he would do anything to find you, he wasn't kidding. he would go from heaven to hell. but what he feared most was that now, more than ever, he needed to tell you the whole truth.

꒰ 𝅄 notes ꒱ : did i hear an amen? part 2 of dual life is right here. idk if i liked it as much as the first one, but i tried to put together some of the things that people asked me to make happen, so… i hope you like it!

꒰ 𝅄 part 1 | masterlist ꒱

The only noise in the room was the footsteps of the men coming in and out, bringing back information and receiving orders to continue their work.

“So?” Jongseong asked as soon as Sunghoon entered, almost bumping into one of the henchmen who had just left. He heard a brief apology from the man before seeing him continue walking out of the room, leaving him to approach the huge table where the rest of his friends were.

“I managed to convince him to take that stupid sleeping pill” Sunghoon pulled up a chair but didn't sit down. He looked at Jongseong cautiously, then ran his eyes over every man there. Heeseung kept his worried eyes on his new friend, giving a little murmur of understanding. Then he noticed Sunoo's presence, the infamous computer right in front of him as he typed a few things. His gaze left the screen for a few seconds to greet him before returning to what he was doing.

“We can't let him leave that room before we've gathered the amount of information we need to go after whoever it is,” Heeseung said, and Sunghoon continued to stare at his other friends. Riki was on the edge of the table with a look of pure anger and he didn't know if it was because of the recently failed mission or because he was worried about Jaeyun. Few times had the friends seen the chief like this, one of them being at the death of Mr. Sim, when all the men had mourned for countless weeks. Now seeing him like that felt like it.

“I think we're almost there, guys.” Sunoo kept his voice upbeat to stay positive. He knew how difficult it was to be cheerful in that job, but he tried to keep it as brief as possible.

Hearing footsteps behind him and a movement around him, he knew that all his friends in the room were now perched behind him and his trusty computer, looking at the screen and seeing what had been discovered.

“What have you discovered?” asked Riki.

Curious eyes stared at a series of codes that Sunoo had decoded, tracking down security cameras until he found what he needed. The camera from the parking lot of the building where Jaeyun and you worked. It fit like a glove, the clear image and the exact time when the small van entered the parking lot, giving easy access to the license plate and the moment when a man dressed in dark clothes cornered you and covered your mouth with a cloth. Their stomachs churned strangely, watching the scene unfold before them and, minutes later, Jaeyun kneeling and shouting in the parking lot.

“Did you track the van?” Heeseung looked at Sunoo, not wanting to see the countless seconds his friend was being watched on camera, pacing back and forth with his cell phone in his hand. Everyone remembered the moment Jaeyun called, screaming that you had been kidnapped.

“Voilà” he always liked to boast when he achieved something so difficult in such a short period. But something caught Sunoo's eye as he pulled up the images on the small virtual map of where the van had been found “Shit” he cursed.

“What? What is it, man?” Jongseong snapped, lightly pushing Sunghoon who was closest to the one sitting in front of the computer. He looked at where Sunoo was staring, a little paralyzed, and his stomach churned once again “It can't be.”

“Can you two talk about what's going on? Shit” Riki wanted to shout.

There was silence for a while before Sunoo looked away from the computer and sighed.

“The address is Joseph Sim Fields' shed,” he said, “Joe Fields.”

That name sent a chill down the spine of anyone in that room. In that particular mob. Joseph had been responsible for the shot that had taken the life of Jonathan Sim, his brother and Jaeyun's father. Jake's uncle who he had admired for so long and who was to blame for all the trouble of making him take on something so young.

After the upset and Joseph seeing the fortress his brother had created for Jaeyun to take over, his plan had fallen apart. He wouldn't be his brother's successor, he wouldn't inherit the whole Sim mafia and all the luxury that came with it. So it made him feel disgusted with the family he came from, changing his surname and never wanting to be linked to the Sims again. Fields was even better and gave off a more frightening air, he thought.

“What do we do now?” Heeseung threw himself into the chair next to Sunoo, one of his hands almost pulling out the strands of hair and messing them up in the process. He looked at them one by one, seeing his friends as lost as he was.

“First we need to hold Jake back when we break the news,” Sunghoon said, “or he'll kill his uncle before we even find Y/n.”

Another chill ran down my spine. Now the problem had been doubled. Not only did they have to find where they had gone with you, but they also had to control Jaeyun when he broke the news that his uncle was behind it all.

Facing his friends who were just as apprehensive as he was, Sunghoon felt a lump form in his throat as he tried to swallow the amount of saliva in his mouth. Nervousness took over every fiber of his body as he saw more information being retrieved by Sunoo's tracking codes.

“Then we have to come up with a plan to go to the shed, confront Joseph, and bring Y/n back.”

The slamming of the door broke the silence that would settle between the boys once their thoughts had been aligned. All eyes went straight to the source of the noise, seeing Jaeyun enter with a red face and burning eyes. Anger was personified in him at that moment and his friends were thankful that nothing sharp or a weapon was near him.

“Jake” Sunghoon began.

“So you wanted to dope me up to find out that my uncle is behind this?” he laughed humorlessly, taking a few steps to lean over the table, on the opposite side from where everyone else was standing.

A little further back, Jungwon rushed in, panting. One hand clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe, he almost lost his balance when he got a little closer and put pills on the table.

“I wanted you to rest—” Sunghoon's eyes were on the medication placed on the table by Jungwon. He quickly swerved to Jaeyun's hands knocking the only two glass vases to the floor, the deafening thud of the shards rushing across the room.

“My fucking uncle is trying to kill my girlfriend and you want to give me sleeping pills?” he shouted. Fear was creeping up on him and the others, not because of Jaeyun's angry tone, but because of what he might be capable of. The skin on his forehead was wet and his chest rose and fell with fervor, his breathing completely accelerated as he leaned away from the table for a moment.

“Jake, we—”

“Lucky for all of you, I don't kill my best friends” he interrupted Heeseung with his words, raising one of his hands in the air to stop him from continuing. At this point, adrenaline combined with anger prevented him from shedding any more tears. But the absurd urge to cry persisted in Jaeyun's body. Even more so knowing that you were in the hands of a scumbag like his uncle. The hatred ate away at him even more after what he had done to his father, now his girlfriend was in the hands of the same man who had made his life a living hell.

Jungwon took a few steps closer to the others, glancing at Sunoo's computer and then at Jaeyun still standing in front of them. His breathing rate never slowed, worrying his friends that he might have a seizure or, worse, another fit of rage that could kill them all. No one knew what he might be capable of.

“Jake” Jungwon called out in a slightly calmer voice, earning him a glance. A mixture of anger, pain, and fear. Jaeyun was afraid and everyone in the room could see it in him because they simply knew him. And he hated it all. He hated being vulnerable in the hands of the same man who had taken away the most important person in his life, now being with someone else just as important “We need to line up a plan. I think the boys were already starting to think about it.”

“Were you?” he asked, looking at each of them until he stopped at Sunghoon.

“Did you hear what I said before I came in and nearly broke down that door?”

“Don't make me shoot you, Park. I swear to God…”

“Let's think about the plan, shall we?” it was Jongseong's turn to interrupt, clapping his hands twice to try and make it dissipate any negative energy, although everything there was so heavy that a simple act was proving impossible.

“Think of a fucking plan and get all my men together” Jaeyun bit the inside of his cheek, ready to scream a swear word that was stuck in his throat. But he just chose to swallow dry, Adam's apple dancing in his throat as he felt the rage consume him even more. As if he was completely blinded by his actions and needed Joseph Fields' neck between his fingers to ease it all “We're leaving for that fucking shed tonight.”

Just as quickly as he had entered that room, Jaeyun left, leaving the door ajar and all his friends frightened. And with the mission of agility to come up with a plan in a few hours to get out of there looking for him.

You could feel every part of your body ache at the slightest touch of air against your skin. This could only mean that you were injured, or that the position you were in had been the same for a long time. You really wanted it to be the second option.

Fear and dread still flooded your insides at the vivid memory of hands covering your mouth and then Jaeyun's agonized face through the dark glass of that vehicle they put you in. The person who did this to you could only have wanted something in return, perhaps money. You were so panicked that nothing could be heard apart from your screams calling out your boyfriend's name and his cries of horror as the car got further away. After that moment, everything seemed like a blur to you and you were so nervous that you were sure you had fainted. Now, the sound of footsteps around you made you panic again. It could mean that you weren't alone, wherever you were.

Would it be bad to open your eyes now? Or you could keep pretending to be unconscious to see if you could get anything else, but also… What could you do? Painful, helpless, not knowing where you were. Nothing could help you at that moment.

So the uncertainty made you open your eyes slowly, the light from the room burning your orbs as you blinked slowly to try to get used to the brightness.

“Come on, boss… Our girl's awake” the voice was unfamiliar, you'd never heard it before. So you had no way of identifying who it was, just hoping that he might say something else to you. But that didn't happen. Instead of the boy saying anything else, another man took the lead and started walking towards you, coming out of the darkness of the corner of the room with a serious, frowning countenance. A chill ran down his spine.

“You've been asleep for so long, darling” his voice was deeper than the first, and this sent another chill through her body. Perhaps the wind in the room was now giving you chills in addition to the physical pain. When he approached you, bending down to bring his face close to yours, you tried to move. Maybe run out of there… But it was obvious that your body was tied up. Who would kidnap someone and leave them loose? “Tsk, in a hurry, princess? We haven't even introduced ourselves.”

Every affectionate nickname made you want to vomit all over that man. You wanted to feel angry at the calmness and serenity in his eyes, but at the same time, fear was eating away at you because you'd never seen him before.

“You're Y/n, right?” he knew you, hell. Of course, he did!

No answer, no nod to confirm that it was… He didn't need one either. Although wanted that conversation to be between the two of you, it sounded like a monologue since you weren't saying anything at all.

“Great,” he said “I'm Joseph Sim Fields, but you can call me Joe.”

Joseph Sim… Was he related to Jaeyun?

Your eyes widened and that was the reaction he had wanted ever since he started talking to you. A devilish smile crept across the lips of the man in front of your.

“It's familiar to you, isn't it?” he asked softly “But I don't like joining the Sim, so you don't have to worry” he nodded to the boy who had been quiet until now. You felt nauseous just looking at the amusement of the two men in front of you, it seemed like the most normal thing in the world to have someone tied to a chair while they acted grotesquely.

“Boss!” someone banged on the steel door, making a small bang as you cringed a little more. Any lousy sound startled you.

“What is it? I hope it's important!” Joseph turned to the other man who was entering the room, you didn't even bother to face him, you didn't have the strength to keep recording faces all the time.

“I think they've found us” he said quietly, but loud enough for you to hear. Your ears perked up and, even though you weren't looking at the men who were talking, all your attention was on them.

“What do you mean?”

“Jake's call” he replied “Someone must have blown a hole in the operation and they found out.”

The young man had a cell phone in his hand, probably on mute as he passed the information on to Joseph. You looked up at the older man, who took the device in his free hand and brought it to his lips to silence you.

“Dear nephew! To what do I owe the honor of your call?” falsely the welcome he had never given his nephew. Clicking on the speakerphone and approaching you in cautious steps, surely he wanted you to listen too.

“What have you done to my girlfriend, you piece of shit?” he shouted across the line. That voice was familiar, you knew it. It was Jaeyun's, for sure.

“Oh, is that any way to talk to your uncle, Jake?” pouting, Joseph approached you and leaned towards you “Why do you think I'm with your girlfriend?”

Something crossed your mind, you didn't want to risk disobeying whoever had kidnapped you. But at the same time, adrenaline and determination coursed through your veins as you heard the voice on the other end of the phone.

“Jaeyun!” you shouted on impulse, and as quickly as it came, Joseph's free hand struck your cheek with a single blow.

“Bitch! I told you to be quiet!”

“Don't touch her!” Jaeyun said at the same time as his uncle shouted at you.

“Good, you've ruined everything” he said, your face beginning to take on a reddish tinge. Your lip had a small bleeding cut and your hair covered most of your face. He smiled with satisfaction at what he had done, knowing that on the other end of the phone, Jaeyun was squirming and thinking that you were even more hurt than you looked.

“I swear to God if she's hurt—”

“What are you going to do, Jake?” he laughed “First tell your sweet girlfriend the truth, maybe she'll decide if she wants to remain my prisoner or if she'd rather stay away from her lying boyfriend.”

“Joseph, shut up.”

That man's laughter sent your nerves into a negative trance and made you want to vomit. You noticed that he came closer again and, with the same hand that had slapped your cheek, he smoothed it.

“You know, darling… Jaeyun's just a fake” he began, his callused fingers trailing across your cheek until they reached your chin “God, Jake. Her skin is so soft…”

More shouts came from the other end of the phone. This seemed to excite the older man who insisted on touching her face even more. Then he pulled away.

“I want to know. How did you find out about me?”

“You don't have the smartest men, you asshole” Jaeyun took a deep breath, something moving in the background of the call and he assumed it was his nephew's hurried footsteps in the form of nervousness. He knew very well how to push the younger man's buttons. For a long time, Joseph was silent, trying to grasp the information he had received, feeling his blood boil when he heard the rest of the information “Kidnapping someone with a visible license plate isn't the best thing, is it?”

Shit. He should have checked when he asked some of his men to go after you. That was like the number one rule of kidnapping, even more so if they went to a parking lot full of cameras. Joseph glanced at Yunhee, who looked as shocked as he was, trying to find some excuse to get out of it and not show fear.

“What if I did it on purpose so you'd track the wrong place?” he asked, giving a wide smile even though the other couldn't see it. It was Jaeyun's turn to laugh heartily.

“Then you'd have to be smarter than me, dear uncle” he said.

What do he mean? What did Jaeyun mean by that? You watched the conversation quietly, your cheeks burning and a thousand questions running through your mind.

“Smarter than you? I made you think we were after drugs, I put that fucking van with a sign on it for you to track down in the wrong place—” Jaeyun's laughter echoed again, causing the older man to stop his ramblings midway through. He looked at you, his eyes wide as his nephew uttered the next words.

“Our call is lasting more than two minutes” Jaeyun said “Long enough for me to track down where you are, you piece of shit.”

“Jake.”

“Get away from my girlfriend!” he knew that his uncle wasn't bluffing, he also knew that he wasn't smart enough and that that shed was just the beginning. Jaeyun also knew that staying on that call while Sunoo tracked down which part of the shed you were in was just the icing on the cake for him to break into that shit.

And that's what happened next. You heard a bang outside, shouting, gunshots and swearing. It all happened so fast that you didn't realize when the door to the room you were in had been knocked down.

The first thing you saw amid the men rushing into the room and fighting, were Jaeyun's eyes. They were bright red, his pupils dilated and his face completely wrinkled. This only intensified after he ran his gaze over your face, stopping exactly at your bruised lip. Without saying a word, he saw his men getting into a fight with the men who worked for his uncle, dodging their bodily struggles to get to you. Kneeling in front of you and running his eyes all over your body.

“Did he hurt you anywhere else? Did Joseph do anything else to you?” as Jaeyun asked, his hands ran loosely through the ropes that were tied to your arms. It took no effort at all for him to untie the knots and loosen the cuffs so that they could stop hurting your skin.

“No” you replied quietly, your voice lacking intonation as everything hit you at once.

Jaeyun was wearing a completely different outfit from the one you used to see him in. Dark pants, a tank top, a leather jacket. It wasn't the expensive suits and gelled hair. The disheveled curls of his hair were tossed in any way so as not to obscure the view, while his lips were chapped and nibbled. Surely nervousness had taken over and made him do it.

After untying you, he looked up, looked into your eyes. You held his gaze for a while before you felt your vision blur. Your chest was aching, your heart was beating so hard that you didn't even know how you felt.

“Let's get out of here” he grabbed your hand, pulling you along with him. But to his surprise, you refused. You couldn't move from the chair or stand up, but you also didn't know whether to believe him. And when Jaeyun looked curiously at your rejection, he could see the fear and uncertainty in your eyes. “Love, I—”

“Don't call me that, please, Jaeyun” you whimpered, cringing when he approached again, crouching in front of you ”Or Jake? What should I call you now?”

A gunshot would hurt less than seeing the pain in your eyes and the way you were talking to him. Jaeyun knew it was your right to feel this way, and he knew you'd find out somehow. He just hadn't counted on the way it all happened.

“I'll explain everything to you later, we're just going to get out of here. All right?”

“Why so fast?” Joseph's voice alerted Jaeyun's senses and yours. You quickly got up from the chair and he instinctively tucked you behind his back. Protecting you like a shield as you watched your uncle approach. The gun pointed at Jaeyun as he looked at you over his shoulder with that nauseating smile “We haven't even talked as a family yet.”

“We're not a family, Joseph” Jaeyun spat. His hands went behind his back in search of you in case you strayed too far. You didn't know how, but your hands entwined in his and you could feel some of the tension in his shoulders dissipate with the contact, finally.

“Of course we are, I'm your uncle.”

“You ceased to be the day you killed my father” you swallowed back a sob, squeezing Jaeyun's hands with the new confession. Feeling his hands squeeze yours back, as a way of sensing that you were there, despite the confusion.

“But he didn't want to give me the job, that little shit boss” pouting again, the gun Joseph was pointing at Jaeyun was unsheathed. He put it back in his waistband holster, taking a few steps in the direction you and Jaeyun were facing “So he gave it to you.”

“You're crazy!” the younger man almost shouted when he saw that his uncle was close enough, receiving a laugh in response.

“Do you know what your boyfriend does behind your back, princess?”

“I told you not to talk to her like that” letting go of your hands, Jaeyun slipped away like sand between your fingers. He ran up to Joseph and grabbed him by the collar of the shirt the man was wearing. He walked with him to the nearby wall and threw the older man's back against the worn steel. The noise echoed throughout the room and made you cringe and put your hands to your ears in fear.

Joseph groaned at the sudden pain but kept smiling and looking into Jaeyun's eyes.

“Did he tell you that Sim Jaeyun is just a front to keep up appearances?” he looked away from you, noticing that your hands were gradually moving away from your ears “That your boyfriend is Jake Sim, the Sim family's drug kingpin and mafia boss?”

All the noise outside that room seemed to be inside your body now. Gunshots, running, and screams resembled the beating of your heart, the veins pulsing in your temples and your breathing starting to fail.

Jaeyun shouted so loudly that it didn't even bother you, and it was a blur for you to see the two of them grappling right in front of you. The first punch was thrown by Jaeyun, hitting his uncle in the jaw as he loosened his shirt collar and watched him stagger to the side. He took a few steps backward, feeling the older man return the punch and soon the metallic taste between his lips appeared with the force that was thrown back at him.

Joseph was angry, he needed to get it out, as did his nephew. So each time he felt the attack, he tried to go with the same intensity, knowing that the younger man was trying to take away his attention and skill by reaching for the gun in his holster.

“Y/n, get out of here!” Jaeyun shouted, getting his attention after Joseph managed to throw him to the ground in one blow. The older man threw a few kicks, hitting him once in the stomach and he groaned in pain even more. Your eyes were wide, your body was static and you didn't know what to do. You couldn't move as you saw Jaeyun bleeding and beaten right in front of you.

Get out of here now. He repeated each time he punched the man who was trying at all costs to hurt him even more.

“Heeseung!” Jaeyun saw the light at the end of the tunnel when one of his best friends appeared. He was hurt too, with a cut on his eyebrow and his mouth bleeding, but nothing compared to Jaeyun. He rushed over, managing to grab Joseph by the collar and push him away from his friend's body.

“Son of a bitch!” Joseph shouted as his back hit the ground. He groped his hips for the gun, smiling as he saw Jaeyun rise from the ground with Heeseung's help. His nephew's eyes never left his direction, watching as he picked up the gun and even as he cocked it and pointed it in his direction. Jaeyun whispered something to Heeseung, only for the boy to understand as he approached you.

Joseph might have thought it was beautiful, the typical scene where he knew his nephew would die from being shot. But he would protect his beloved from seeing the scene. When Jaeyun walked towards him, his steps slow and dragging, the younger man had his hands behind his back, almost showing his surrender. Would it be his redemption to die to save you? Pathetic, Joe thought. That was typical of the Sim family, not him.

“What are your last words, Jake Sim?” the gun was right in his chest, and Jaeyun felt his blood run cold. He didn't know what he was doing, but he was going to risk it.

He cut himself off from everything else. From your voice screaming and struggling in Heeseung's arms, from the men on the other side cursing and running, from the persistent gunfire outside. He only focused on Joseph's gaze and how that man had taken everything from him. But it wouldn't be like that anymore. Jaeyun wouldn't let history repeat itself, let alone let everything his father had built fall into the hands of someone like Joseph Fields.

He stopped in front of the man he once believed to be his uncle. His eyes were burning with the tears that were about to fall, his heart pounding against his chest and every fiber of his body ached with the uncertainty of what would happen next.

“Go to hell, you fucking scum” Jaeyun said slowly, with the intention of each word piercing Joseph even deeper. He laughed loudly, firing the gun at the same second that Jaeyun ran a few steps towards him.

A shot. A single shot hits Jaeyun and makes him bump into Joseph’s body.

You screamed, feeling Heeseung’s grip even tighter against your body, preventing you from getting closer. Bloodstained your boyfriend’s shirt, but what caught your attention was that Joseph fell first. His body collapsed in front of Jaeyun while a knife pierced his chest and ribs. Joseph quickly dropped the gun that had just been fired to run his hands over the wound in his body. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His hands were shaking, trying to pull out the knife that Jaeyun had stuck in his hand, but with each passing second, he had less strength to do so. He staggered a few times until he leaned against the wall and slowly slid his body to the floor.

As you tried to process what was happening, you saw that your boyfriend's body staggered too. And before you could see him fall to the floor, all the shock and trauma made you faint in Heeseung's arms.

If someone told you that you had been sleeping in that hospital chair for a week, you would probably laugh in response. There was no way that much time had passed, and besides, the sound of the gunshot was still vivid in your mind. The amount of blood you saw, the times you passed out and woke up next to Heeseung and Jungwon. Everything was so confusing, but at the same time, so terrifying.

You wanted to wake up from that nightmare, forget that you had been through everything, and wake up in your bed or Jaeyun's bed. Hearing his sleepy voice and his grumbling about not wanting to go to work so early that day. Why couldn't all that just go back? Why did things have to happen that way?

Looking around, you noticed that you were in the presence of a tall man again. Burly and with a serious face, they greeted every other person who passed by in the hospital hallway.

Security guards. That's what Sunghoon had told you on the first day. Jaeyun wouldn't let you go unsupervised while his friends went in and out of the hospital, trying to catch Joseph's men who had still managed to escape. It was a load of crap to have someone watch you, but considering everything you'd been through, maybe it wasn't that much of an exaggeration.

“Miss Y/n?” the nurse's calm voice snapped you out of your thoughts, adjusting your body in the chair you were sitting in and standing up when she came in. Greeting the security guard, she brought a small tray with some things for you to eat. “I was asked to deliver them to you.”

“I'm not hungry, thank you” you politely declined, trying to smile at her while the woman just shook her head.

“But you need to eat, or Jake will kill us if he finds out about this” another voice interrupted your conversation with the nurse, and you both looked at the door to see Jongseong standing there. In this chaotic little week, you had met his friends, but you didn't want it to be under these circumstances.

You wanted to know how they had met, even if it was through illegal work, but at least it would be a story to tell. Or to know how long they had been friends. Anything normal that didn’t involve finding them all hurt, needing medical attention, and taking turns checking on you while they changed bloody bandages or bandages on your body.

“He—” hasn’t even woken up yet, you wanted to add. And Jongseong knew that would come out of your mouth. But with the same intensity that you thought, he decided to keep quiet. Not wanting to verbalize the fear he was feeling for not having any news about Jaeyun and that he had opened his eyes or made any progress.

Jongseong waved to the nurse who said goodbye to the two of you, leaving you with him and the security guard who was still at the door to make sure everything was okay. He waited for you to sit back down in the chair, silently approaching you, sitting in the chair across from yours.

“I… I don’t know what to say now” he confessed. Your elbows were resting on your bent knees and your posture was as intense as possible – or so he thought – while your eyes rolled over the amount of food that had been brought to you.

“Okay” you whispered, “I think you need to rest, Jongseong.”

“Call me Jay” he said next, his eyes going to you after inspecting all the food that was there, “And at least eat the toast. Jungwon said that all women like that kind, you too, don’t you?”

Your eyes quickly went to the food, letting a laugh escape between your lips. It was simple. A slice of cheese, tomato, and a few other spices. Nothing too grand and anyone would like to eat it. But their intentions were good and that made, for the first time that week, your heart warm a little.

You leaned over and took the toast, biting into a piece and receiving a slow smile from Jongseong in front of you.

“Eat with me then” since he was going to be there, you would feel bad knowing that he wouldn’t have eaten anything. So the boy picked up one of the chocolate muffins on the end of the tray and took a bite. The sound of biting and chewing between you wasn’t uncomfortable or bad, but it filled the room. You realize that your stomach hurts just from having coffee and some cookies in your stomach during the day, and Jongseong almost cries for eating something other than a pretzel that Sunoo had gotten for him the day before.

“Jay” you called his attention after a while. The two of you had just finished eating in silence and were now enjoying a glass of juice each, loathing the coffee that was the only drink they had had since arriving at the hospital. He looked in your direction, his eyebrows raised curiously at you “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure” he answered quickly.

You pondered. There were a lot of things to ask, not only to him but to all of Jaeyun's friends. But at that moment, just one was enough.

“Why did Jaeyun hide this from me?” it was a simple question, perhaps, if it hadn't caught him by surprise. You noticed that Jongseong became a little more tense, taking a long sip of the juice as he placed the glass on the table between the two of you.

“It was to protect you” he said simply, wiping his lips and holding your gaze before speaking again. “You were the first person he got involved with, Y/n. I don't think I've ever seen Jake so scared in his life.”

It was silly for you to ask, but it still came out. Scared of what? Almost a whisper that, if it weren't for the two of you being the only ones there, Jongseong wouldn't have heard.

“Scared of what happened that day happening” he looked for a piece of already cut fruit, playing with the shreds of the peeled tangerine as he looked away “Scared of you being in constant danger and, I don’t know, hating him for having this life.”

“I hate it” you laughed softly, knowing how much of a lie that could be. “I don’t know, I’m confused.”

“I understand” Jongseong looked back at you. “I think this is something that’s up to you and him, but know that everything Jake has done so far has been to protect you.”

The door to the room opened slowly, you and Jongseong looking at the newly arrived sound and greeting the nurse again. She seemed a little more energetic than before when she entered the room a while ago. You and he got up from your seats, waiting for her to walk the entire room until she approached.

“Miss Y/n, Mr. Jay,” she bowed slowly, greeting you as if she hadn’t seen the two of you in a while. You and Jongseong greeted her back, exchanging a few glances before looking back at the woman. “The doctor asked to let you know that Jake just woke up.”

Your eyes widened as much as the boy in front of you. You and he took a step forward, but he stepped back and turned to you.

“Go first. I’m sure Jake is asking for you.”

The nurse nodded as if confirming what he was saying. You felt like the toast and juice were almost coming back with the urge to vomit from being so nervous, but you were also anxious to be able to see Jaeyun again.

“Just follow me, miss” she said, giving you a small smile before calling you to follow her. You looked at Jongseong, silently asking if he could come with you. Even though you were safe now, it was hard to trust someone that much. The hallway to the rooms where Jaeyun was, along with the waiting room where you were, was filled with security guards and men who worked for the Sim mafia. Every time you remembered that, a chill ran down your spine. Everyone there knew you and knew who you were, Jaeyun had definitely talked about you. But what shocked you was that you didn't know all of them. At least you knew the names of his best friends and those closest to him over the last week, how could he remember the names of so many people like that?

"Anything, I'm outside, okay?" Jongseong called your attention, pulling you out of your thoughts when you realized that you were already in front of Jaeyun's room door.

Taking one last look at one of his best friends, you nodded slowly, unsure of what you would find behind that door. Of course, it was your Jaeyun. Their Jake. But it would be the first - and hopefully the only - time you would find him in a hospital bed. Taking a deep breath and controlling the sudden urge to cry, your hand grabbed the door handle and turned, your heart in your throat before entering the room.

Your eyes darted to Jaeyun's. It was the first thing you looked at when you entered the room. It was as if you were being hypnotized by him as you walked further into the room, walking slowly – because your legs were already shaking enough – and seeing that he didn't take his eyes off you either.

The first day you met him instantly came to mind. He arrived at the company very well dressed, his navy blue suit stood out so much that you knew you had never seen anything as elegant as that. Jaeyun had a perfect smile, was friendly to everyone and especially to you. He was polite, treated you like someone who held the position, and was respectful from the beginning. It was one of the reasons why you started to feel affection for him. It was a mutual respect between coworkers and it was certainly one of the criteria for accepting to have dinner with him the first few times.

Everything was always so natural between you and him. From the small, furtive glances during meetings, to the funny snorts and grimaces when some annoying would-be supplier started talking. The dinner conversations would go on for hours on end, even the subtle touches of his hand on yours when he offered to walk you home. After the two of you started dating in the last two months, it was as if everything was intensifying even more.

Jaeyun was loving towards you, overprotective and, above all, he gave you the security you needed about anything you were in doubt about. Whether it was between the two of you – because you didn't think you were good enough for him – or at work when someone still tried to put you down. He was always amazing, adding the daily dose of I love you now that he could shout to anyone that you were together.

“Hey” the weak voice took you out of your nostalgic thoughts, making you realize that you were already standing next to his bed. Jaeyun’s lips were chapped, his appearance a little pale and unkempt. But he was still so beautiful. He was still the most beautiful man you had ever met.

“Hey” you said back, your voice choked and the lump in your throat about to burst.

He had known your mannerisms even before you were together, but after he asked you to be his girlfriend, it seemed like Jaeyun knew you even more. It was then that he realized before you could even say anything, that your eyes were shedding cascades of tears.

“Sit here, please?” he asked, stretching his hand out as far as he could until he felt you holding it. Your fingers were trembling against his palm, taking a single step until you sat on the hospital bed, in the space that seemed to be reserved for you. Jaeyun didn’t have the strength, but he knew that your body was vulnerable enough that he made a slow movement and managed to pull you to lean against him.

“I’m going to hurt you…”

“No” he whispered, feeling your hands lean against his chest. Quickly wrapping the arm that had better mobility around your waist, the other one that still hurt from the injuries, Jaeyun decided to place his hand over one of yours that was against him. “It’s hurting me to be away from you.”

“Oh, shut up” the saltiness of your tears could already be felt against your lips, biting the lower one to keep from trembling in front of him. Jaeyun laughed, then grunted when a sharp pain hit his abdomen. “Jaeyun…”

“I’m fine” he was quick to try to reassure you, keeping your body close to his. “I just need you here with me.”

“I'm right here” you whispered. He slid the hand that was on yours, up to your chin and lifted your face to his. Leaning his forehead against yours, Jaeyun felt your panting breath hit his chapped lips. Your scent entered his nostrils and made his entire body relax. It was better than the medicine he had been taking since he entered that hospital.

“Great” he whispered back, slowly pressing his lips to yours. The kiss was so slow, even though you both were dying of longing for each other.

He wanted to take the time to feel your mouth press against his, the touch of your tongue massaging his and the fit of your mouths very slowly. Jaeyun had the memory of the last kiss you two shared, in his office room on the day you were kidnapped. It was the last time he could feel your mouth, your scent, have you close to him. That was why now, in the urgency of contact, he pressed his hand against your skin as he slid his fingers to the back of your neck.

You broke the kiss, not yet having the courage to separate your mouth from his or distance your faces. Feeling his warm breath against your mouth was calming you, in a way.

“I love you” he let out, that stuck in his throat making him even more anxious. Your eyes slowly opened to look at Jaeyun, the redness of his lips and the rosy color of his cheeks captivating you even more. “I love you so much” he said again, pulling your face closer to his and starting a new kiss.

Jaeyun wouldn’t say he was trying harder than he should by kissing you with a little more intensity. He remembered the doctor and nurse’s recommendations that he should make as little effort as possible, but the longing was so great that he couldn’t hold back. He needed to feel more and more of you. But he came back to reality when he felt the salty taste between his lips as he deepened a little more.

He didn’t need to be an expert or open his eyes to know that you were crying. He realized this not only from the salty kiss but when he ran his fingertips over your cheek again, drying the spot on the way to your skin.

“Babe…”

“I’m sorry, I—” you sobbed softly, pulling away and hiding your face in the crook of his neck. Jaeyun would always think that seeing you like that would hurt more than the shot he took.

“Don’t apologize, love” he answered you “I’m the one who should apologize now. I’m the one who should explain everything…”

As his voice was soft, trying to calm your nerves, Jaeyun’s fingers still slid slowly over your skin to wipe away every tear trail that had formed there. You nodded in agreement, pulling away enough so that you could look into those eyes that you missed so much. To be able to record even more of the man’s features in front of you because, the last time you two saw each other, it hadn’t been the best memory.

“You need to rest now” your hand ran through Jaeyun’s dark hair, intertwining some between your fingers as you slowly moved it down to his face. “The boys will be here soon to see you.”

He nodded, a small smile forming on his lips as he closed his eyes to feel your touch. The touch he knew he was addicted to since the first time he felt it.

“Okay” he knew he needed to rest, being anxious without hearing from you when he woke up had left him exhausted. Slowly shifting in bed, you leaned over to help him get more comfortable and stood up, standing next to him.

“Jaeyun?” calling his name, you heard him mumble something. A silent understanding that he was listening to you and that you could continue. So, without saying much, you leaned over to him, already standing next to the hospital bed to slowly place your lips on his once more. A kiss so quick and soft against his full lips. “I love you. So much.”

It was something he would never tire of hearing from you.

Sunghoon wanted to push that feeling of betrayal away from his chest. Never in his entire life had he felt that way. In the middle of his work, he knew what betrayal, deceit, and everything bad meant. But why was it eating away at him? Maybe because he had promised you, a month and a half ago, that he would take care of Jaeyun and keep him out of danger.

An argument – and a week without talking to you – was the result of the conversation he had with Jaeyun about his entire life outside the office. You wanted to feel angry, end the relationship, and never look at him again. But at the same time, you wanted to see the effort he had put into finding you, putting himself in front of a bullet for you and almost dying because of it. Seeing the concern of his friends throughout the week as they all took care of you and made sure you were eating and feeling well. It wasn't a good thing to keep, but they were all adults enough. There was not much you could do but respect it.

Jaeyun's pleas for you to at least forgive him were endless, and after a long week of him sending you messages and showing up at your office looking like a puppy that fell out of the moving truck, you gave in. That man would do anything for you and that left no room for doubt. Mafioso or business partner, Jaeyun was willing to do anything to have you by his side and protect you from anything.

But you also needed to act on that, so you asked each of the boys to keep him out of harm's way. He could do trivial things, take care of business sitting quietly, without making much effort because, after all, the mafia was still his. You asked Sunghoon to be in charge of taking care of Jaeyun and preventing him from leaving the office or making any slightest effort.

He granted it. Sunghoon did that for the little time he had. A month and a half of banning Jaeyun from going out on small missions, from driving to warehouses with new cargo arriving, or collecting debts on rotten bar stools that they only needed to scare with a gun and a few punches.

But he didn't know that, a month and a half later, they would have Yunhee in the torture room in the basement of the mansion with Jaeyun with fists right on his jaw at every reminder of that day.

“Dude, that's enough" Sunghoon tried to pull him away, but Jaeyun pulled away. His face burning with rage and a few splashes of blood against his cheek. His fist was already covered in Yunhee's blood and he didn't even care about his clothes. Someone would wash them for him later.

“You thought you could hide, didn't you?" he laughed devilishly. With his hand clean of blood, he grabbed Yunhee's hair and pulled his head back, letting the man's frightened gaze penetrate his eyes flooded with rage “What were you thinking?"

“Jake…” Yunhee coughed, moaning and screaming as he pulled the man’s hair harder. The veins on his neck were visible.

Sunghoon, in the corner of the room, watched with some apprehension about his best friend’s actions. It was understandable that Jaeyun would act recklessly after he learned that Yunhee was alive and in hiding. After learning of Joseph’s death in the hospital, a week after he was discharged and went home, everyone began to wonder where Joe Fields’ right-hand man, his confidant, was. Yunhee had never shown up at the hospital, afraid that someone might catch him and kill him just like Jaeyun had ordered them to finish what he had started when he learned where his uncle was hospitalized.

He didn’t want to be next, but one careless mistake and Heeseung found him wandering around the city late at night. He wouldn’t need Jaeyun’s approval to put Yunhee in the car and take him to the mansion that early morning. Heeseung knew he would be applauded by his boss and best friend for this meeting.

“I—” Yunhee grunted as another punch from Jaeyun hit him, finally releasing the boy’s hair and letting his head fall to the side. With the amount of blood mixing with the saliva, he spat next to his body. A small pool of blood was already forming from the number of times he had done this “I didn’t mean to—”

Sim’s laughter interrupted him, echoing throughout the torturous room that was used for this kind of thing. Usually, Sunghoon or Jongseong did that job, but Jaeyun wanted to personally welcome Yunhee’s long-awaited arrival.

“Didn’t you want to touch my girlfriend? Didn’t you want to keep her tied up at my uncle’s request?”

There were countless questions he had to ask, even though he didn’t want to remember that day or know that those hands that were tied were the same ones that touched you. The same ones that held your body to tie you to the chair he found you in. Jaeyun felt a wave of fury rises throughout his body.

“You know… You know I obeyed your uncle, I—”

“You chose to do the wrong thing, man” Jaeyun said, waving to Sunghoon across the room to get something to clean his hand. His decision had already been made, so the job was also coming to an end. “But it’s a shame, you know? I liked you, Yunhee.”

“What— What do you mean, Jake?” he grumbled, his wide eyes bringing a bit of satisfaction to Jaeyun as he grabbed the piece of damp cloth to try – uselessly – to clean his hands.

“My men finished the job for me with Joseph still in the hospital.” Jaeyun walked over to Yunhee again, bowing to him and managing to connect the angry and dark look with the scared and empty look of the boy sitting and tied up. He gave a short smile, just a lift at the corner of his lips as he had the satisfaction of being in control of everything. “Now it’s your turn.”

“My… My turn?” he stuttered, the chill running down his spine as Jaeyun walked away. Taking steps back, but still keeps his eyes on him.

“Sunghoon” he called out. “Since he was so devoted to my uncle, his end will be the same.”

With a few words, Jaeyun walked past his best friend to leave the room. In time to hear Sunghoon cock the gun and Yunhee’s screams echo throughout the place. A shot rang out the same second he closed the door, and then the man’s screams stopped.

The job was done, Jaeyun could feel all the anger slowly dissipating because everything seemed to be getting back on track again.

“Jake” the voice in the hallway caught his attention, his gaze rising to see Jungwon walking towards him. He didn’t show any reaction of surprise because he already knew his friend, everyone knew this would happen. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but be horrified by the amount of blood Jaeyun had stained his body “You couldn’t be here, you have to take care of yourself.”

“I just needed—” he groaned, the pang in his stomach making him bend over slightly. Jungwon held him between his arms, the tip of his tongue itching to say I told you so.

“You could just ask, Sunghoon and Jay would take care of it” as he listened to the little lecture, he leaned on Jungwon to walk to the stairs at the end of the hallway.

He knew his friend was right. He could let his best friends take care of this at all costs, doing whatever he wanted with Yunhee before killing him. With each step he climbed with Jungwon by his side, a little realization hit him knowing that everything had come to an end. He worries about Joseph and Yunhee, no one would be able to hurt him and anyone he considered family anymore.

“Now stop trying, okay? Otherwise, I'll have to tell Y/n about this.” Jaeyun knew Jungwon would do it without thinking twice. So he laughed without much force, still leaning on his friend, when the two entered his office.

Jaeyun froze. The pain in his abdomen seemed to have disappeared the moment he connected eyes with you. There was your smiling figure, but it soon disappeared when your eyes passed over your boyfriend's body. Being supported by Jungwon, with blood everywhere and a slightly pained expression, not want to admit that the shadows of the wounds still haunted him.

I don't think you'll need to tell her, Jaeyun's gaze screamed about it at that moment.

“What…”

“I can explain” Jaeyun began as you stood up, completely forgetting what you were talking about with Sunoo and Jongseong at that moment. They were both probably trying to distract you to give Jaeyun time to do what he had to do, hurt someone for sure, by the way, he had appeared in the room at that moment.

“No” you stood up, your eyes fixed on Jaeyun the whole time, even though you felt everyone looking between you and your boyfriend.

“Honey, listen—”

“Jay, Sunoo” you turned to them, completely ignoring Jaeyun and what he had to say at that moment. “Thanks for the conversation.”

“Thanks for the candies, Y/n” Sunoo tried to smile, holding the large container you had brought.

Only then did Jaeyun realize. Today must have been the weekend because you were wearing casual clothes. Nothing like the usual office clothes he always saw you wearing. You were certainly waiting for him to sort something out with the boys so you could go to your apartment, eat the candies you tried to make the night before, and relax the whole weekend by his side. This would be the perfect day for you, but it certainly wasn't for him.

Avoiding Jaeyun and anything he was saying, you left the room and walked quickly through the hallways. Still a little lost inside that mansion, with the amount of doors and people walking around. But you knew where you had come in and how you should get out.

"Y/n, wait!" Jaeyun shouted, trying to run after you and ignoring the pain in his abdomen. That was nothing compared to the despair he was feeling when he saw you leave.

You wanted to wait, you wanted to listen to him like you did the last time. But the feeling of a lie lingered in your body and feeling betrayed, you knew your eyes were burning for that reason.

You swore that Jaeyun could just be lining up something, talking to his friends without trying. But no. While you thought you could surprise him and his friends by bringing him the candy that took your time and effort the previous Friday night, he was doing who knows what behind your back. The one thing you had asked him not to do.

“Baby, hey. Stop, I want to talk to you” he managed to reach you as soon as you reached the front door. The hand that held the doorknob was quickly removed by Jaeyun’s hands, who pulled you back to him and made your body turn towards him.

Your teary eyes were worse than death. He would rather die than see you like that, even though he knew he deserved it for lying to you.

“Please, I just need to leave.”

“Not like this” Jaeyun said “I won’t let you leave like this, mad at me.”

“You lied—” he leaned in and kissed your lips quickly, shrugging his shoulders and waiting for any reaction from you. A slap, a curse, anything. But he heard a soft sniff as he pulled away, watching you quickly look away from him.

“Look at me.”

“No. You’re covered in blood” your shaky voice made Jaeyun step back a little, slowly letting go of your arm.

“Then I’ll take a shower and you’ll come with me.”

He didn’t give you time to answer, much less for you to deny anything. Slowly pulling you back into the mansion, Jaeyun held your arm with the less dirty hand, heading towards his room in complete silence the whole way.

When you thought about accompanying him to his room, you were certainly supposed to be sitting on his bed waiting to be taken away. To wash all the dirt off your body and any trace of blood, no matter who it was. But Jaeyun's pleas for you to get in the shower with him, at least to wash his back and listen to him ramble on about everything that happened.

Maybe the conversation part was real, he did tell the details of everything. Hearing Yunhee's name while the steam from the hot water embraced you and Jaeyun in the middle of the shower was a mix of feelings. You remembered the man's face devilishly staring at you, laughing and saying things that weren't true. But at the same time, knowing that Jaeyun had avenged everything that happened left something inside you.

"You killed him…" your voice came out in a small whisper, your fingers stopped stroking your boyfriend's wet hair as you let some strands fall over his forehead.

He sighed, one of his hands falling to your waist and resting his fingertips against your skin. Now he could touch you without having your fearful gaze on him.

“I will kill anyone who even thinks of laying a finger on you, Y/n” his voice was serious, but he whispered each word as he leaned toward you. Jaeyun rested his forehead against yours, his breath hitting your skin hotter than the water falling from the shower at that moment “This is my way of protecting you by working with this kind of thing.”

There was no room for argument and you knew it. You also knew that you had every right to leave, not get involved with him anymore, and pretend that none of this had happened. But you knew that you couldn’t, that you didn’t want that. You wanted to be close to him, even though all of these things were new to your understanding.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, please” your pleas made him fall apart. Your tone of voice along with the look you were giving him could make Jaeyun give up on everything for a second, coming back to reality as soon as one of your hands touched his face.

It was addictive and calming at the same time to have your skin against his. Your fingers gliding along his cheek and going to his jaw, tracing the line to his lower lip. At that moment he closed his eyes, thinking about how lucky he was to have found you. How it was worth waiting, protecting you, and fighting for what you two had until that moment.

“I love you” Jaeyun would never get tired of saying it. He would shout it to the world if he could.

“I love you” you answered back, in a whisper, before leaning on your tiptoes to kiss his lips as your thumb fell back to his chin. Feeling the movement his jaw was making as he deepened the kiss, intertwining his tongue with yours and pulling you even closer to his body.

Jaeyun wished he had the superpower to hold you there, between his arms, and make you feel safe without having to distance yourself. Just the thought that you and he couldn't live together twenty-four hours a day made him anxious. You being in a corporate building while he stayed in the mansion for a while drove him crazy. Maybe you should move in with him, or he should move the company's office into the mansion, so the two of you could work together when he couldn't go to the building where he was still a partner.

“I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you” he whispered against your lips, placing small kisses on your lower lip before sliding his teeth over the fleshy part. You smiled slowly, agreeing with a small nod before resting your hands against his chest.

He was a work of art right in front of you, and you couldn't get used to how perfect he was. Every time your hand slowly moved down his skin, Jaeyun left small kisses on your lips, each one longer than the last. Until his fingers, trembling, passed over the small scar.

You didn't want to look away at that moment, your focus should have been on the kisses Jaeyun was still distributing across your mouth and chin, but that came back to your mind with fervor. Your eyes quickly darted down, your fingers stopped over the small mark where they had pulled out the bullet that had hit him. Involuntarily a breathless sigh escaped between your lips.

“Hey” Jaeyun called you, his hand resting on your waist, quickly rising to your chin to lift your face and make you look at him again. “Focus up here, okay?”

There was no way to be okay with the thought that he might not be there anymore. That it hurt him in a way you never thought you would see. And you didn't even want to see it anymore.

He kissed you again, a little more intensely this time. The goal was to make you forget what you had seen or at least get it out of your head at that moment, because he just wanted to enjoy it with you. The purpose of that bath was to make you not get mad at him, so Jaeyun would do his best.

While the battle of his tongue against yours took place, the dominance of the kiss taking hold as your lips danced against each other, he walked the few steps until he rested one of his hands against the wall and placed your back against the cold tile. You moaned against his mouth, making him smile at the reaction he had gained from you.

“Jae…”

“I want to make sure you forget anything bad for now” he whispered, sliding his mouth down to your neck, creating a path with the tip of his tongue until he reached your collarbone. He sucked your skin a little hard, and as soon as you responded with a moan, Jaeyun soothed the spot again with the tip of his tongue before running the tip of his nose over your goosebumps. Inhaling your characteristic scent mixed with the liquid soap you had applied a few minutes ago.

There was no way you could think of anything other than his lips on your skin and the way he positioned himself between your legs. Your hands quickly ran to Jaeyun's shoulders, seeking support in whatever was going to happen at that moment, you had no idea if he was going to tease you or what he was going to do. You just wanted to enjoy the moment.

“Y/n” he called your name, making your eyes quickly search for his. It wasn't hard to find the intensity of Jaeyun's gaze that was already staring at you in the same way. His forehead rested against yours, his hand slowly going to his hard cock and sliding between your folds.

“Shit” you cursed softly, knowing that the ease of Jaeyun's cock head sliding through your pussy was due to the amount of moisture you were, how wet you were, along with the water from the bath that made it easier. He knew exactly where to stimulate or tease you, giving good attention and the right amount of pressure to your clit when the head of his cock passed there.

Your hands ran up to Jaeyun's face, resting one on each side of his cheeks. The teasing of your clit didn't last long, he didn't want to waste time, so he took advantage of your wet pussy to slide down to your entrance. Without warning, he pushed his hips forward and shoved his cock into your pussy.

“Jaeyun” you moaned against his mouth as he pulled his face close to yours. Jaeyun pressed his nose close to yours when both of your faces were aligned with each other, sharing rapid breathing.

“I'll protect you from anything, love” he held his intonation so as not to moan in the middle of the sentence, starting to move his hips back and forth. Taking his cock out of your pussy to leave only the tip around your hole, penetrating deeply again until his cock reached its limit “To make sure you don't need anything else.”

“I just need you” your voice was a whisper, if he wasn’t so close to your face and focusing on your every movement and reaction, Jaeyun wouldn’t have heard what you had to say.

He smiled slowly against your lips, kissing you with the same slowness that his hips moved back and forth against your pussy.

With each slow and careful movement of Jaeyun, you felt your body heat up and press yourself even more against him. Feeling full with each deep but careful thrust of his cock inside you. A contrast to the persona you were getting to know from your boyfriend beyond what he had already shown you in the last few months. It was exciting to know that he would do anything for you, killing people who tried to hurt you, but at the same time being there. The most loving and slow sex you two had since you met.

As if he was afraid to go faster, to sink his cock into you and go all the way to your cervix and make you scream his name. Instead, Jaeyun had very fluid movements of his hips, hearing the sound of slapping the skin as his pelvis came into contact with yours. His cock was thrusting deep into you with slow movements, almost as if he wanted to tease you. But you wanted to feel him slowly entering, the prominent veins of his cock standing out against the velvety, warm walls of your pussy.

“I promise to always be here for you” Jaeyun pulled your body closer, your hand falling from his face to rest on his shoulder. As his hand cupped your neck and rested his thumb against the line of your jaw, “I promise—” he groaned as your pussy clenched around him. The sweet words along with the movements of his cock moving in and out of you were too much to handle. You were vulnerable and he seemed to be feeding it all. “Don’t squeeze me like that, baby.”

“I can’t…” you moaned as he thrust hard the only time since he put his cock inside you, as a small punishment as your pussy clenched around him again. You threw your head back, pressing it against the tile. Jaeyun wrapped his hand around your throat, pulling your face towards him and tilting it towards him.

“Eyes on me when you cum” he asked gently, but in a way that you couldn’t possibly answer while he was still thrusting his cock into you so slowly and precisely.

Your eyes were having trouble staying open as you stared at him, seeing your boyfriend’s dark orbs and the occasional moans he let out every time his cock bottomed out, nudging your cervix. You knew it was hard, especially with the firm way he was holding your throat and when his movements started to get more erratic.

“More… Faster, please” you begged, begging with teary eyes as Jaeyun tried not to give in to it. He wanted to go as slowly as possible, make love to you, and claim you even more than you already were his. But with your more than pornographic moan, he couldn't take it anymore. There was no way to stay still with that, encouraging him to go faster.

He lightly pressed his fingers against your throat, bringing his other hand to your waist to steady your body and start thrusting into you a little faster. The water between you two splashed and the sound of slapping skin became even louder than the moans you and he shared.

Jaeyun knew your body, he knew you were close to orgasm by the way your mouth was half open, letting the moans come out freely. The way your pussy sucked him when he stopped his movements for a few seconds just to hear you grunt, sliding your nails across his shoulders leaving half-moon marks against the skin.

Leaning forward and pulling your face towards his with his hand still on your neck, he joined your lips in a sloppy kiss. Drool dripping down the sides and lips messily slamming against each other, just trying to muffle any screams from your as he intensified his thrusts, going a little harder.

It didn't take long for you to feel your body falling apart. Jaeyun didn't have to do much to make it happen, just his existence alone would be enough to drive you crazy. You slid your teeth against his lower lip, keeping your eyes on your boyfriend's penetrating gaze the whole time as the knot in your stomach burst. The walls of your pussy squeezed him as you came, moaning Jaeyun's name like a mantra memorized by the heavens in your biggest and best orgasm.

He didn't last less than that, feeling his cock twitch and tremble against your pulsating walls as he released jets of hot cum, painting the inside of your pussy as he continued to thrust his cock into you. Staying strong in his last thrusts so that no fluid would be wasted while he still had your pussy wrapped around him. Pulsing and convulsing, your body trembling in his arms until you both came down from your climax together.

The long minutes that followed until you both recovered were slow and captivating. Jaeyun was careful as he pulled his cock out of you, whimpering along with you at the slight overstimulation of both of you.

Staying with his forehead against yours, he let his breathing calm down along with his heartbeat.

“I meant what I said” he whispered to you, his fingertips starting to get wrinkled as the time in the shower stretched on. But neither of you cared about that now “Nothing bad will happen to you.”

“I know that” you replied, forcing your voice to sound firm after using all your strength to moan his name minutes ago. Your hands tried to soothe the skin on Jaeyun’s shoulders that had been abused by your long nails “I trust you with this, but…”

“But?” he encouraged you, pulling away a little so he could look at you better.

“But I want to protect you too, it’s not fair that you do this for me when—” your eyes quickly went to the small scar. Even if he had told you not to look, there was no way you could just forget “You sacrifice yourself to that extent.”

“I know, love” Jaeyun sighed, his lips slowly leaving a kiss on your forehead. “I promise to be more careful with this, okay?”

“Okay” you tried to calm yourself down, seeing the sincerity in the tone of his voice that he offered you.

You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a hug while Jaeyun rested his chin on the top of your head.

“I love you, Jake Sim” you said after a while, smiling against his skin as you left a kiss near his collarbone, making his body shiver.

Not even in Jaeyun’s best dreams would he hear you say that. Never calling him Jake, that name never being uttered by you so casually.

“I love you so much more, my love” he replied, pulling your face up to capture his lips in a quick kiss.

You knew that Jaeyun would keep taking risks if it meant keeping you safe. You knew he would only say that so you wouldn't worry and wouldn't be so mad at him if you saw him on another mission or going after such dangerous people again. But you also wanted him to know that with a mobster boyfriend, you could also learn a few things to protect him just as much.

573 notes · View notes

cherryyuu · 10 months ago

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gamer | l.hc

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genre : smut

warnings : fingering , spanking , hair pulling , multiple creampies , unprotected sex

hiii everyone! im so sorry for literally disappearing for a whole month. 😭 i just lost motivation for a while but i wanna start writing again! unfortunately, i lost access to most of the requests i received over the last month due to my own lack of experience using tumblr. i am still fairly new to the app so i am still learning how to navigate my drafts, requests, etc.

any new requests would be greatly appreciated!

well, this is nice. you come to visit your boyfriend and instead of you occupying his time, it’s a computer game. what could possibly make a game so fun? you swear he’s been playing for hours at this point, rarely even taking glances in your direction. you haven’t seen eachother in a week and he’s acting like he couldn’t care less about your presence.

“hyuck” you sing out, as you crawl to the end of the bed to be closer to where he sits. he hums in response, not even looking at you. “wanna cuddle?” you ask while giving him puppy dog eyes.

he looks at you for a moment and then turns to the screen again before speaking. “you know i’d love that. but, there’s a time limit on me getting this super rare gun.”

a gun? seriously?

“you can’t cuddle for just a little bit?” you whine dramatically. he chuckles and shakes his head. “im sorry, baby.”

you sigh and crawl back to the middle of the bed. laying down on the fluffy blanket you were previously wrapped in. you open your phone and start scrolling mindlessly, hoping to pass time so maybe haechan could finally give you attention.

you find yourself going through your camera roll, more specifically your videos. most of them being of your dog, sometimes pretty scenery outside. you come across one video in particular, a video haechan took on your phone.

shit, you look so pretty like this. want me to fuck you, hm? my pretty girl is so wet for me.

the audio plays quietly from your phone, just loud enough for you to hear over the sound effects on haechan’s game. you quickly swipe to the next video and see his face, his bare shoulders glistening with sweat as he roughly thrusts into you, his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. he looked perfect, so handsome.

great, not only are you wanting to simply talk with haechan, but now, you’re also horny. now craving something he most likely doesn’t want to give at the moment.

you want his attention, and you want it now. you decide to take off a few layers, hoping to maybe catch his eye. you crawl over to the edge of the bed and lay on your stomach. wearing just your bra and panties, you prop your ass up a bit higher, hoping he’d see that first if he glanced at you.

“what are you doing?” he asks, not looking away from the screen. “im not doing anything, why?” you say, making yourself sound way more innocent than you are.

“oh really? then why are you half naked, staring at me.” he chuckles and finally looks at you, taking in sight of you. “uhm, it got hot? i think you’re looking into things too much, hyuck.” you coo at him and blink cutely.

“am i now?“ he shakes his head, his jaw slightly tightening. “mhm, you’d better get that gun anyways. it sounds… exciting.” you say softly, trying to fight back a stubborn smile.

he clicks his tongue and looks at you again, shaking his head and chuckling. you look back at him, raising your eyebrows. he suddenly gets out of his chair and sits down on the bed, pulling your legs across his lap, ass up.

“what are you doing? don’t you have a time limit?” you ask, your voice filled with fake urgency. “oh shut up.” he growls and spanks your ass roughly. you yelp and bury your face into the fabric of his sweatpants.

he rubs your ass before laying another slap across it. “you wanted it this bad?” he asks, his voice a bit deeper than usual. you don’t say anything in response, just shutting your eyes tightly.

you feel him pulling your panties off of you quickly, leaving yourself feeling a bit more vulnerable than before. he spreads your legs on his lap before slapping the back of your thigh gently. “you all worked up, hm?” he teases.

“hyuck…” you breathe out weakly. he hums softly and rubs his finger along your slit. he spreads the wetness all over your pussy before slowly pushing a finger inside you. you whine at the sudden action, hands moving to his free arm in front of you to grip on it gently.

“so wet. it’s all for me, right?” he whispers. you nod your head quickly in response. “talk to me, baby.” he says softly, starting to slowly move his finger in and out. “okay” you whimper and grip onto his hand tightly, your hips starting to squirm a bit.

he lets go of your hand and holds you down with his whole arm, not letting you move anymore. he starts to curl his fingers every time they go into you, speeding up the pace a bit more.

a soft moan escapes from your lips as he hits a certain spot inside you. “oh, did that feel good?” he asks and repeats the action, this time rougher than before, causing your legs to tremble. he repeats this a few more times before adding a second finger, stretching you out a bit.

“please don’t stop.” you whimper softly as your back arches. “oh i don’t plan on it.” he chuckles and continues to finger you. he starts to move his fingers in at an angle, causing them to hit that same spot perfectly.

loud, wet, squelching noises can now be heard in the room, mixing with the lobby music of the game still running on haechan’s computer. you whimper softly with each push of his fingers, you close your eyes tightly.

“im close.” you pant out as your whole body starts to shake. he starts moving his fingers faster, pushing them into your g-spot nonstop. his free hand moves to your clit, rubbing quick but steady motions.

“cum for me.” he says gently. you moan softly as you feel a familiar tightness in your stomach. you clench around his fingers as you feel yourself coming undone. his fingers don’t stop moving inside you, fucking into you roughly as you cum on them. your legs start to shake even more than they were before, he slowly pulls his fingers out after you completely finish.

he grabs your face gently to make you look at him. he then starts to lick his fingers clean, savoring the taste of you on his tongue. your breath quickens at the sight.

“hyuck.” you whimper softly, he smiles and pulls you to sit up, making you sit on his lap. he grips onto your hips tightly, making you grind into him slowly, your wetness seeping through his sweatpants.

“do you want me to fuck you?” he asks, rubbing one of your thighs while continuing to grind against him. you nod quickly, biting your bottom lip while looking at him. he shakes his head and pushes your hair away of your face.

“you can speak, you know? use your words.” he teases. you breathe in slowly and look at his lips, “yes, i want you to.” you breathe out slowly. he nods and tilts his head to the side. his hand moves from your side up to your chest, gently squeezing your boob through your bra.

“please, i need you.” you whimper softly while looking at him. your cheeks feel warm, probably a few shades pinker than usual. he smiles softly and nods, getting off of you to pull off his shirt. then, pushing down his sweatpants, his bulge very evident in his boxers.

he pushes his boxers down quickly, feeling eager to be inside you. "you ready?" he asks softly while slowly starting to rub his tip up and down your folds. you whimper softly and nod, spreading your legs just a bit more to give him better access.

he slowly pushes into you, a small grunt leaves his mouth as you squeeze around him. "so fucking tight." he whispers while he moves his hips a bit more. he leans down and nuzzles his face in your neck, breathing heavily as he thrusts into you slowly. your hands fall from his arms to the bed sheets, gripping tightly on the fabric.

he continues to thrust into you, hitting deeper with every movement. your breath hitches as you feel him pull out almost all the way. he suddenly pushes back into you roughly, not hard enough to hurt you.

“feel good, baby? fucking take it.” he grunts, his voice deeper than the last time he spoke. you nod quickly and grip onto his shoulder again, your other hand resting on his back. he starts to pound into you, gentle but still rough.

“im close.” he whines out as his hand finds it way lower, eventually finding your clit and rubbing gently. you let out a breathy moan as his fingers come in contact with it.

he speeds up his movements even more, the rubbing of his fingers on your clit start to sync with his thrusts.

“im gonna cum.” you cry out. “yeah? cum for me.” he says softly, not slowing down on his movements at all. your legs start to shake as you get closer. your nails dig into his back as he thrusts relentlessly into you.

you shut your eyes tightly as you feel yourself cumming, you unintentionally clench around his cock as you do so, causing him to whimper and shake his head. before you know it, haechan’s warm cum is spilling deeply into you. he pants heavily, still buried inside you.

he pulls his head away from your neck and kisses your lips gently, his hands kneading your boobs gently. he continues to kiss your lips, the kisses becoming a bit sloppy as he pulls out of you.

he leans back and watches as his cum slowly leaks out onto the sheets, staining them. his breath hitches at the sight, he looks up at you after a while as well, taking in your tired appearance.

he lays down next to you, rubbing your waist with his hand as he breathes heavily. “was that good?” he looks up at you. “yeah, it was.” you smile tiredly.

“we should take a bath before you sleep.” he suggests while looking at you. “no, im so tired.” you whine and shake your head. “fine.” he sighs softly, laughing softly a bit after because of your laziness.

“goodnight. i love you, baby.” he kisses your forehead gently and closes his eyes. “goodnight, hyuck. i love you too.” you whisper softly, your eyes slowly closing.

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note . . .

thank you so much for reading! i hope this wasnt too bad 😭 i haven’t written anything in a while so this is probably choppy af. i plan on being more active from now on hopefully! (no promises) i also want to thank everyone for the love and support on all of my last stories. i didn’t think they would get as much attention as they did and im so grateful. thank you! 💞

#kpop #nct 127 #nct dream #nct fanfic #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct smut #nct u #nct x reader #wayv #lee haechan #haechan #haechan smut #lee donghyuck #donghyuck smut #haechan x reader

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oizysian · 10 months ago

Text

Bad Puppy | Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanoff

Summary: Y/N isn’t in the right headspace today, and when Wanda lets Natasha go too far with her punishment, she has to make it up to her poor puppy.

Warnings: pet play, spankings, dirty talk

Word count: ~2.5k

AN: I’m so nervous about posting this because I’ve never really written anything like this. I hope you all like it!

•

“Bad puppies get punished,” Wanda said without looking up from her work. “You know that, pet.”

“Yes, mommy.” I responded softly, not wanting to antagonize her further.

“And today mommy is far too busy with work to punish you, so I’m having Tasha come and do it for me.”

My eyes widened. Natasha was coming to punish me?

“But, mommy -”

“I don’t want to hear it.” She took a break from typing to crack her knuckles, then looked at me. “Unless you want Tasha to stay over tonight.”

“No.” I whimpered. “I’m sorry.”

“Good girl.” She looked down at her paperwork, picked up a pen and scribbled something down before typing again. “She’ll be here any minute so go lay down. You know how she likes you.”

I almost started crying at her words. I did like playing with Natasha, really, but I didn’t want to play today. Puppies didn’t talk back to mommy so I couldn’t tell her how I felt, so I just went and laid down on the pullout couch she had in her office.

I lay pouting when Natasha walked in, dressed in a pencil skirt and plain white top, and high heels to finish off the ensemble. She closed the double doors behind her and approached Wanda’s desk, completely ignoring me.

“Wanda. I hear someone’s been bad.”

She took a moment to look up at the other woman, nodding as she did so.

“Very. My little pet needs to be punished, but I’m just swamped with work today.”

“I see.” She said as her eyes scanned over the various piles of paperwork she had on her desk. “So that’s why you called me.”

“Exactly.” She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the older woman. “I know you’ll dish out the appropriate punishment for my little pup.”

Natasha finally turned to look at me, spread and waiting for her on the luxuriously large couch.

“She’s well trained, at least.” She walked over to me and ran her hand along the edge of the couch, fingers brushing the soft, silk cushions.

“She’s well trained for you.” Wanda rolled her eyes. “She’s been a bit of a brat lately.”

“It’s because you’re working too much and too hard.” She walked back over to Wanda and stood behind her chair, reaching over and massaging her shoulders. “You’re gonna work yourself to death.”

“Mm,” she moaned, her head lulling back against the headrest as Natasha worked out the knots in her upper back and shoulders. “You’re right, but I need to earn a living.”

“Wanda, you’re one of the top five richest women in New York.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck and Wanda tilted her head to give her better access. “You need some time off. You need someone to take care of you.”

My ears perked up at that, watching them from my place on the couch.

“Not today, Tasha.” Wanda finally sighed and Natasha stood up straight, returning her gaze to me.

“I know. Today is for the pup.”

I trembled where I lay, watching as her hungry eyes ran over my bare body. I didn’t want to play today! I wanted to be with mommy!

Usually Natasha and Wanda played with me whether I said I wanted to or not, but they always listened for a safe word. I’ve never used it, always coming around and wanting to play after a while, but today wasn’t like that. But, puppies didn’t talk back to their mommies.

Natasha walked back over to me and climbed onto the pullout bed, crawling over to me like I was some kind of small prey. Wanda stole a glance at us, her eyes hovering over me before returning to her computer screen.

Natasha rolled me over and rubbed her hand along the swell of my ass, propping herself up on her elbow as she laid next to me.

“Wanda,” she spoke as she caressed me. “Why haven’t you painted this ass red already?”

“I figured you’d rather do the honors.” She continued to type. “I know you so enjoy a good spanking.”

“I do.” She slapped my ass and I whimpered, gripping at the sheets beneath me. “Especially when someone deserves it.”

“Mommy,” I whimpered, turning my head to face her, but she didn’t even spare me a glance. “Please.”

“Mommy won’t help you if you’ve been bad.” She smacked my ass again. “She might actually enjoy hearing you cry.”

“I think I might.” She said with a smile, tilting her head slightly so she could see Natasha spank me.

Natasha spanked me again and again, causing me to cry into the pillows. My ass was red, burning and raw once she was done, which felt like hours later. I had been bad, yes, I had disobeyed mommy, so I deserved this.

“I love it when she cries.” She directed at Wanda, but kept looking at me. “You really have the most perfect pet.”

“She’s perfect when she listens.”

“I’ll listen, mommy, I promise!” I cried and Natasha laughed.

“She says she’ll be good, mommy. What do you think?” She said as she rubbed my ass, causing me to hiss from the pain.

“I don’t believe her.” She said, resting her head on her hand. “I don’t think she means it.”

“Maybe her pussy needs a spanking too.”

“Mama, please, I’m sorry! I’ll listen to you! I won’t disobey you again!”

“Mhm.” She hummed and Natasha laughed again.

“I’m sure she’ll listen, mommy. At least she definitely will once I’m done with her.”

I buried my face in the pillows, crying freely. Why wouldn’t mommy believe me?

Natasha flipped me back over, running her hand over my mound. I cried when my ass hit the sheets, and covered my eyes so I didn’t have to look at them. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t be good enough for mommy that she had to call Natasha over. I was embarrassed that I had been spanked.

“Look at Natasha, detka.” Wanda said smiling. “Look at her when she spanks your pussy.”

I removed my hands from my face, balling them up at my sides. I sniffled softly as I watched Natasha pet me, my chest heaving as I tried catching my breath. She wasn’t hitting me yet, but my body trembled in anticipation.

“She’s shaking.” Natasha said with a smile. “She must be excited.”

Wanda got up from her desk and went into her bag, retrieving a rose gold buttplug with a little tail on the end. She walked over to us and handed it to Natasha, who eyed it excitedly.

“I was in such a rush this morning, I forgot to put this in.”

“Keep those legs spread, pup.”

Natasha spread me further and tried to insert the plug into my ass dry, causing my muscles to push her out.

“Tasha,” Wanda chided. “You need to get it wet first.” She gestured to me with her head. “Use her mouth.”

“Open wide.” Natasha brought the plug to my lips and slipped it into my mouth.

I pulled away from her and she grabbed at the leash attached to the collar I always wore and pulled me back toward her to take the plug in my mouth.

“Get it nice and wet.” She said softly, a sadistic smile on her face.

Tears stained my cheeks as I swirled my tongue around the plug, doing as she asked. I was taking the punishment I knew I deserved but I wasn’t sure how much more I could take today.

“She’s such a needy slut. She needs all her holes filled up, doesn’t she?”

I didn’t respond. She popped the plug out of my mouth and pushed me back down on the plush cushions beneath me, spreading my legs once again to insert the plug into my ass.

“She’s so tight.” Natasha said as she attempted to push the plug in again. “I love it.”

I let out a grunt as she finally got it through my ring of muscles, relaxing at the familiar feel of my plug in my ass.

“There you go. Puppy’s got her tail now. I thought something was missing.” She reached up to pet my head, touching the ears I had clipped to my hair.

“I do love when she’s all dressed up for me.” Wanda leaned over and tugged at my tail gently, drawing a low moan from the back of my throat.

“She likes her ass getting played with, huh? She really is a whore.”

“Mommy …” I looked up at her with teary eyes, but she continued to examine my tail.

“I might need to get her a bigger one for when she’s bad. Maybe one that’s a little longer and with a little more girth.”

“I’ve seen some pretty ones in the shop,” Natasha chimed in. “They’ve got a lot of things your pet would look delicious in.”

Wanda smiled at her before walking back over to her desk. She went in her drawer and pulled out a wooden hairbrush - one that was not used for hair - and brought it over to Natasha.

“I need to purchase a few different things. Paddles in different sizes are one of them.” She handed her the brush and Natasha ran it over my slit.

“A hairbrush is classic, though.” She tapped it on my mound gently and I nearly jumped right out of my skin. “It’s got a different texture than the paddle.”

Wanda hummed in agreement and Natasha began spanking my pussy, sharp, lingering strokes of the brush.

“Count for Natasha, pet.”

I was unsure of how many times she had already hit me. I opened my mouth to speak and she gave me another smack, and all that came out of my mouth was a whimpering cry.

“She’s too dumb of a whore to count.” She continued to spank me, my pussy red and raw, and I cried, attempting to close my legs to cover myself.

She pushed my legs open and spanked me harder, ignoring my cries. Wanda watched as Natasha punished me, her eyes hard and unwavering.

“Thank Natasha for spanking you, detka.”

“Thank you, Tasha.” I cried, blubbering like a baby.

“How many was that?” She asked Wanda and she raised her eyebrows.

“Twenty. My obedient pet should’ve been counting.”

“I’m sorry, mommy.” I just wanted to get back in her good graces.

“Hm,” Natasha slid her fingers into my heat, causing me to cry harder from the pain. “She’s wet. Dumb slut even gets wet from punishment.”

I couldn’t control my body, but everything hurt. My heart just wasn’t in it today, I wasn’t feeling good anymore.

“Red, mommy. Red.” I finally squeaked out, her eyes widening as she finally looked at me.

“Natasha, could you wait in the other room for a minute?”

The other woman nodded and climbed off the couch, straightening out her clothes before leaving the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

“Detka.” Wanda said softly, coming to sit next to me, resting her hand on my bare thigh. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to play.” I cried, covering my eyes with my hands. “I deserved to be punished, but I don’t wanna play.”

“Why didn’t you say something earlier, baby?” She rubbed my thigh, comforting me.

“Because I deserved it.”

“Hey. Look at me.” I peeked at her from behind my hands and she waited until I was fully looking at her before she continued speaking. “You deserved to be punished, yes, but not if you weren’t in the right headspace to be punished.”

I sniffled softly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

“You need to speak up when you’re not feeling good, okay?”

I nodded.

“Are you still mad, mama?”

“No, malyshka. You took your punishment, you did good. But, don’t do this again. If you don’t feel right, we won’t play, okay? This isn’t fun for mommy if it isn’t fun for you.”

“Okay, mama, I’m sorry.”

“I know. Come here.”

She held out her arms to me and I climbed into her lap, curling up in her embrace despite the pain on my ass and pussy. She held me close and rocked me, petting my hair.

“You’re my good girl. You did so good today. Do you want to sit with mommy while she works?“

I nodded and she pressed a kiss to my head.

“I’m gonna go tell Tasha we won’t be needing her anymore today, okay? I’ll be right back.”

She put me back down on the couch and got up, walking out and talking to Natasha.

I laid down and waited for her. My breathing finally evened out as I relaxed and calmed down. Mommy wasn’t mad and now I didn’t need to be punished any more today. I would get to cuddle with mommy and everything would be better tomorrow.

She walked back into the room, her gaze softening as she saw me curled up and practically falling asleep. She went and sat in her office chair, patting her lap for me to sit with her. I climbed off of the couch and almost ran to sit with her, letting her wrap her arms around me as I got comfortable on her lap. She began typing again and rested her chin on top of my head. This was all I wanted. I wanted to be with mommy today.

I nuzzled my face against her neck, taking the sensitive skin in my mouth and sucking gently. I slipped my hand up her shirt and palmed her breast, playing with her nipple through her bra as I sucked on her neck. I couldn’t be happier.

She ran her hand along the swell of my ass, hushing me when I hissed from the pain. She was just trying to comfort me.

“Do you want the cream?”

I shook my head slightly, not wanting to let go of her. I could handle the pain that I had deserved. I didn’t want us to part and I didn’t want to be a bother to her. I knew she had a lot of work to do.

“If you change your mind, let me know.” She pressed another kiss to the side of my head and continued to work.

“Mama?” I asked softly, looking at the dark mark I left on her neck.

“Hm?”

“Do you … need someone to take care of you?”

Her brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered the conversation she had with Natasha.

“No, detka. I have you. I don’t need anyone else.”

I smiled to myself and rested my head against her.

“Am I more important than your work?”

“Of course you are, baby. What a silly question.”

I was important to her. I was hers and she was mine. Now that everything was settled, I couldn’t wait to play with mommy and Natasha again.

•

@boredandneedfanfics @hailee-steinfelds-girl

#oizysian writes #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff x fem!reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maxmoff x y/n #wanda maximommy #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x female reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader

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vivwritescrappythings · 2 months ago

Text

only a little crazy

miguel o'hara x f!reader

You get hurt working at the Spider-Society and your grumpy boss decides to come check on you.

a/n: thank you for such a fun request! writing Miguel has been a good stretch for my brain. Thinking about turning this into a series so let me know how y'all like it :)

tw: fem reader, reader is shorter than Miguel (everyone is), Miguel's perspective, potentially poorly written Spanish, broken bones, canon typical violence, not proofread, Miguel may be poorly written

word count: 4.8k

masterlist

Despite Miguel’s many attempts to assign rules and procedures to the Spider-Society, only a few had ever stuck: no messing with canon events and civilians weren’t allowed to go beyond the lobby. He couldn’t even remember how many times he’d yelled at Peter B. Parker about letting Mary Jane go wherever she wanted.

Everyone else listened well enough.

That is, until you came into Miguel’s life like a plague.

You were nothing more than a thorn in his side: the only civilian with nearly full access to the facility. He would have never hired someone who hacked into their whole system because they were bored one day, but Margo insisted that you were one of the best she’d ever seen. You had since apologized—you cited your curiosity about the large building’s purpose and had taken matters into your own hands to figure out what went on inside the society.

In comparison to you, Peter B. Parker and Mary Jane were a cakewalk.

It didn’t help that you were so goddamn chipper all the time. You always greeted Miguel with a bright smile and polite questions about his day, as though you had no idea just how insufferable he found you.

“Hey Miguel,” you said from behind your computer, the monitor illuminating you in tones of blue and pink. You clicked something before leaning your weight onto one elbow to look around the screen at him. “Margo left me in charge today, just so you know.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“LYLA would be in charge before I picked you,” he said, not bothering to look up from his reports. You laughed like it was a joke. Everything was a joke to you.

“Mhm,” you hummed, typing something. Miguel couldn’t help but notice the way you poked your tongue out while you concentrated, your brows furrowed. He paused, waiting for you to continue as he watched you just over the edge of the monitor. Working with you for almost a year now had taught him that you rarely were so succinct with your words.

Then you spun the monitor around, a flurry of motion as you leaned over the table to point at something on the screen. “There’s a lot of weird activity on Earth-325,” you said, tapping the screen over the amalgamation of yellow and orange. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was an anomaly, but you’re the expert on that.”

He didn’t miss the way you looked up at him expectantly, like a puppy waiting for a treat or a pat on the head for doing a trick right.

Miguel rolled his eyes as he grabbed the screen. He could feel his face contorting into a scowl as activity lit the monitor up. Another terrible part of dealing with you—you had a knack for always being right. It drove him crazy.

“I’ll get a team together,” he said, noting your pleased smile with a subtle roll of his eyes.

He was already flicking through screens on his tablet, sending Jessica the information. A portal opened in front of him, colors and shapes swirling together in a view that would’ve been awe-inspiring if he hadn’t seen it a million times.

“LYLA’s in charge,” Miguel said just before jumping into the portal. Your immediate groan of dismay followed by LYLA’s cheer made his lip twitch into a smile.

—

His ears were ringing.

It was still hard to wrap his head around what happened, the Spider-Society having devolved into chaos faster than he could have stopped it.

The anomaly they caught had broken loose–he blamed Peter B. Parker for being so distracted with Mayday. He could hear the distant shouts of Spider-People springing into action in the distance as he pulled himself out of a pile of freshly displaced rubble. The wide cap of his shoulder ached, not even his accelerated healing was able to chase away the sting of rebar nearly ripping through the fabric of his suit.

A clear trail of destruction followed the Venom variant, ribbons of torn webs hanging from every surface and the furniture tossed wildly across the room. Chunks of the walls were crushed into debris where bodies had crashed through them in the fight.

He picked up his pace, sprinting through Spider-Society like a force of nature. Sometimes he noticed how different he was from the others: preferring not to swing around on his webs and needing his claws to really climb anything. Not to mention he didn’t have the same irritating sense of humor that seemed to permeate every variant of Spider-Man.

A stream of shouts from the direction of the Go Home Machine made him redirect, propelling himself up the wall in a mass of sinew and muscle. Pushing himself like this felt good, the demand of a fight on his body was one of the few things that made Miguel actually feel alive.

It was a mess when he got there, girders collapsed from the ceiling and the majority of computers and desks were half-crushed.

“Hey Miguel, I hope you have a decent insurance policy on this place,” Peter B. quipped as he approached. Miguel just rolled his eyes beneath his mask, watching the rest of the Spiders web the Venom variant enough that the Go Home Machine actually had time to work. Normally anomalies were kept around for at least a while to figure out how they broke into a different universe, but he didn’t disagree with the change of plans.

Mierda. What a fucking mess.

He let the mask over his face flicker away as he surveyed the damage. It was enough to give him a headache, the feeling radiating from his temple and over his skull.

Peter was still running his mouth, some idiotic joke about how many Spider-People does it take to change a lightbulb spilling from his lips. Miguel could feel his temple throbbing, red seeping into his eyes as he felt a rebuke building in his chest.

“Are you a—“

“Oi, was Bug here today?” Hobie interrupted, the genuine concern in his tone giving Miguel pause.

Hobie was the first to call you Bug—something about ‘if they were all Spiders than you were a bug’—and it stuck. Miguel wasn’t sure if anyone called you by your name anymore.

“Yeah,” Miguel said, trying to find a sign of you in the undulating groups of blue and red and black suits. Too many blank stares met his gaze, anxiety making itself apparent in a cold sweat down his spine.

“LYLA?” It was more of a yell than he meant it to be. She could scan the room faster than he could take it apart.

“On it,” she answered in the same beat, yellow cones of light scanning various corners of the room. He had a hard time breathing, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every empty scan ticked up his nerves, his jaw clenching so hard he wondered if it could crack.

It was hard not to spiral. He should have come up to protect you the moment the Venom got out. You were just a civilian, a human. How could he have been so irresponsible as to leave you on your own?

“Got something!” LYLA chirped, waving wildly to catch his attention.

Rushing to the pile of rubble was second nature, Hobie quickly falling into step to help. The sound of his own heart pounding was louder than the rubble they scrabbled through, pieces of concrete and duct piping falling away like they were made of paper beneath his hands.

“Dios mio,” Miguel sighed. You were caught beneath a girder, your leg twisted grotesquely beneath the metal. By some miracle you weren't crushed by the debris, just unconscious. You looked like a wounded baby bird, your chest rising and falling with each breath. Scrapes marred your skin, dark bruises blooming beneath the surface.

But you were alive, and mostly whole. His fingers twitched at his side as he just stared at you.

“Take her to the infirmary and then home,” Miguel said to Hobie, suddenly feeling the need to get as far away from you as breath returned to his body. He was nauseous, almost staggering under the weight of relief he had never expected to feel.

He stepped back, head tilting up toward the ceiling for a moment as he took a breath. The girder slammed on the ground when Hobie moved it off you, lifting you with care.

Miguel nearly stepped in to take you out of Hobie’s arms. He had to physically turn away from you to resist it, surveying the extent of the damage. Thankfully no other anomalies managed to escape their confinement, most of the damage was just superficial.

The sound of Hobie’s boots on the floor kept him composed, helped him time his breaths. He was still partially convinced that he would rip Peter B. apart if given the chance.

But instead he was just quiet, toeing a broken piece of a computer monitor on the floor. The weight of every eye in the room was on him, his skin crawling beneath his suit. He sighed, picking his head up to look at them.

“Well, start getting everything back together,” he said, voice loud enough to be an order.

It wasn’t what everyone expected, any other day he would have at least lectured Peter B. about paying attention. No one moved, their blinking almost audible in the silence.

“Ay chingado,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. “No one has anything to do? Start cleaning up!”

—

He found himself hanging on to every scrap of information about how you were doing. It had only been a week, but any mention of you in the hall or in meetings piqued his interest. It was becoming obvious that he was distracted, his thoughts preoccupied with you… if you were alright.

What did it matter to him if you were alright? You’d been nothing but a grade A pain in his ass from the moment you set foot in his life.

But he realized he was putting together mental lists of exciting moments of his day just to tell you when you asked, he had been for months. He kept accidentally buying extra empanadas because you usually stole one from him. His step would falter at your desk, part of him expecting you to be there.

“So are you going to go visit Bug?” LYLA asked, catching Miguel off guard as she floated in front of his eyes, laying on her stomach with her feet kicking in the air.

He huffed, waving her away with a hand as he blinked at whatever he’d been trying to read on the computer monitor… just the home screen, apparently. The blue default photo mocked him before he turned away from the monitors altogether.

“Why would I do that?” Miguel asked, a feeble attempt to act casual.

Once the idea was introduced, he couldn’t get it out of his head. He imagined himself in your space, tried to picture what your things would be like. Chaotic, no doubt. But comfortable. Colorful, certainly. He couldn’t imagine you living in a pristine beige apartment.

“Miguel, the worst part about having an AI personal assistant is that I see everything you do. Everything,” she said, walking up and down his arm. She looked up at him over her shoulder. “So don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, okay?”

He kept a straight face for a few beats, crossing his arms over his chest. But LYLA was right, if anyone would know it was her.

“I need to be here,” he said, scrubbing his hand over his face. Normally he preferred to be at the Spider-Society, the distraction of work far better than his reality. But it suddenly became a chore.

LYLA huffed, rolling her eyes behind the heart-shaped glasses. Sometimes Miguel wondered why he programmed her to be so sassy. “You don’t need to actually be here,” she said, folding her arms and tapping her foot in mid air as she floated in front of him. “Jessica and I will call you if anything crazy happens.”

Handing over the reins for the day was an intriguing idea. He could let the stress go, even just until tomorrow, let someone else handle it.

The bubble of hope rising in his chest was immediately popped by a sharp lance of anxiety. What if something happened? What if his absence got someone killed? Or worse, a universe destroyed?

LYLA must have noticed his expression shift, he could hear her sigh.

“If you don’t go, I’ll call Bug and tell her that you’ve been making googly eyes at her desk for the past week and have had to throw away like six empanadas that you bought for her,” LYLA said calmly, issuing her final threat.

“No me chingues,” Miguel hissed, his irritation on his face as he rolled his eyes. But his stomach was flipping, nerves he hadn’t felt since he was a teenager suddenly coming to life. “Fine, I’m going.”

LYLA looked pleased, blinking out of existence in front of him to appear at his computer monitors. She shifted through screens quickly, the colors flashing over her as she did. “I’ve already got the word out, so everyone knows not to bother you unless they are in dire need of assistance.”

“Great,” he breathed, getting a ping from LYLA with your address. She really spared no moment.

“If anything happens–”

“Don’t worry! We’ll call,” LYLA interrupting him, assuring him as she waved him off.

He sighed, still partially in disbelief that he let her strongarm him into this as he left the Spider-Society.

–

He would’ve guessed they paid you enough to have a better apartment. The underbelly of the city wasn’t somewhere he pictured you, the rest of Nueva York blocking you from the sun and the highway just outside your windows. There was a huge purple neon sign just outside your terrace–a remnant of the old New York that looked barely touched.

It hadn’t taken him long to find your building and even less time to find your apartment, the door to the terrace was left unlocked. He’d have to have a talk with you about that when you were feeling better.

The inside of your apartment was as he expected, a disorganized riot of color and trinkets and mementos that made the space so tooth-achingly cozy. He felt out of place, even in the simple civilian clothes he changed into. It was weird wearing them rather than his spidersuit, the soft fabric of the sweatpants and tee shirt had become unfamiliar.

You weren’t in the room he stood in, your bed, a couch and dining table shoved into a space smaller than his cubicle when he worked at Alchemax. He could see that you’d set up camp on your bed, pill bottles and dirty dishes piling up on your nightstand and the bed unmade. The TV was still playing some movie that had come out a few years ago, the remote tossed amongst your sheets.

He would have to clean up around here, the chaos already making him feel unmoored.

There was no time left for him to snoop, the sound of the sink in the bathroom reminding him why he was even in your apartment in the first place. The bathroom door swung open, the grumbles of you maneuvering with your crutches catching his attention.

You had a 3D-printed cast up to your mid-thigh, loose pajama pants stretched over the honeycombed plastic. He’d never seen you look so casual, an oversized, ratty shirt marked with stains and small holes covering your torso, your skin free of makeup and your hair unstyled. It took him a moment to realize he preferred you that way, a lump forming in his throat.

He was too caught up in his evaluation of you to note the way you stiffened when you realized there was another body in the room. Your eyes widened.

“What the fuck!” you shouted, your voice bringing Miguel back to reality just in time to catch the black stuffed bear flying at his face without dropping the bag of groceries he held in one hand. A throw pillow followed, bouncing harmlessly off his chest and falling to the rug.

Your mouth had dropped open, a crutch clattering to the ground as you pressed your hand to your heart. He could hear the rapid thrum of it beneath your ribs, a hummingbird caught in a cage.

“You were going to defend yourself from a burglar with a pillow and a teddy bear?” Miguel asked, looking down at the well-loved toy. One of the button eyes was missing entirely, just black bits of thread sticking out of the fabric. A red heart was stitched haphazardly into its chest.

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He swore he could almost hear your thoughts buffering. “You can’t just break into my apartment, Miguel! What if I was naked?”

He made an incredulous noise, something between a laugh and a sigh. Of course that’s what you would be worried about. “Well, you’re not naked,” he said, taking another step into the room. He slipped his shoes off and left them near the terrace door–force of habit from his childhood.

“I could’ve been!” you insisted, awkwardly navigating to your bed. Miguel watched with his hear in his throat, wanting to step in and carry you rather than watch you shuffle around.

He shook his head, stepping around your small coffee table. “What are you doing up, anyways?” he asked, taking over stacking pillows to prop your leg up, adding the throw pillow you threw at him to the pile. “The doctor said it would take twelve weeks for you to bear weight on it again.”

You clicked your tongue against the back of your teeth, letting him help you get situated in your bed. “Well the doctor didn’t give me a bedpan and a private chef, so I’m hobbling,” you informed him, looking up at Miguel with a bored expression. “But, what are you doing here, Miguel? Hobie and Peter B. have been checking on me.”

He looked around your studio apartment, taking in the disarray before focusing on you again. Your toenails were painted the same shade of navy that Hobie’s were. He sat down on the end of your bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight.

“Yeah well, considering the state of your apartment, it seems like you need me here more than you think,” he said.

You snorted, a grin that made his stomach turn finding its way to your face. “Aw Miggy,” there was a teasing lilt to your tone, “are you a secret softie? If I didn’t know better, I’d guess you were worried about me.”

He let out a soft breath instead of a laugh, standing abruptly so you couldn’t see the blush on his cheeks. God, he felt like a bumbling idiot around you. He gathered dirty dishes to do something with his hands, sequestering them to the sink.

“LYLA was asking about you,” he said, head bent over the sink as he started to clean. The water was warm enough to turn his hands red, the blue dish soap lathering quickly as he methodically washed each plate and set it in the rack to dry. They were charmingly mismatched, a few chipped at the edges.

“Oh, she was?” you asked, but your amused tone told Miguel that you weren’t exactly convinced.

He nodded anyway. “She rearranged my whole day and made me come out to check on you,” he said, not entirely lying.

The way you hummed felt like a warm finger running down each notch of his spine, a pleasant shiver radiating out to his fingertips and toes. “Well I guess I’ll have to thank her, sending the most neurotic person I know will at least get me a tidy apartment. Shocker that Peter B. and Hobie never offered to clean.”

The silence that lapsed between you was surprisingly comfortable. He made himself useful by performing menial tasks like collecting the trash and taking it out to the bins, sweeping the floors and throwing a load of clothes in the wash.

“Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man by night, maid by day,” you murmured, sipping the ice water he’d gotten you. He watched the condensation coat your fingers, dripping to the bedspread. “Do you wear the little outfit, too? With the ruffles and the feather duster?”

“How many painkillers do they have you on?” he asked, picking up one of the little orange bottles on your nightstand. “You’re more irritating than usual.”

There was a hint of a smile, giving him away as he set the pills back where he got them from.

You rolled your eyes at him, lounging back against the pillows he’d fluffed for you. “I must be incredibly irritating for you to want to spend your day off cleaning my apartment and making me soup,” you teased, one eyebrow lifting. He felt like he’d been caught, some color finding its way to his face as he turned away.

A pot of caldo de pollo was simmering on the stove, he had decided to bring the ingredients with him on a whim. He used to make it for Gabriella when she was feeling sick, he’d filled his basket before he even realized what he was doing, originally he was just going to get you soup from a can.

Your apartment was in a way better state than when he arrived: the small space cleaned and orderly, the smell of cleaning solution and the soup permeating the air. He felt better about it, his nerves soothed for the most part.

“Don’t mention it to anyone,” he said, fixing you with his gaze. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m getting complacent.”

You laughed, nodding. “Don’t worry, Miggy, your secret is safe with me,” you said, pantomiming zipping your lips shut and locking them with a key. He snorted, taking a step back from your bed to stir the pot on the stove.

The only sound for a few moments was a sitcom playing on the television and the caldo simmering. Miguel had sorted through your cabinet of mismatched tupperware to find a few containers. He packed it away in the fridge for you to eat later, you’d already finished a full bowl of it by the time he cleaned the rest of the dishes.

He rubbed his hands on his pants as he glanced around awkwardly. Until then it had been easy to distract himself with tasks, to pretend that he wasn’t there just to see you. Now the truth was staring him in the face, your content sigh warming him from the inside out as you settled back into your bed.

“Well, I guess I should be going,” Miguel said, taking a step toward the sliding door from which he came originally.

Your brow furrowed as you sat up straighter, wincing a bit as you jostled your injured leg. “Already?” you asked, glancing at the clock on the stove–it was the early evening. If he was above ground the sun would still be out. “You just got to the part where we like… hang out.”

He pretended not to notice the sheepish lilt to your voice.

His eyebrows lifted, a chuckle getting caught in his throat. “You want to hang out?” Miguel asked, sounding incredulous. Such an innocuous request felt odd. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone asked to spend time with him.

“Oh c’mon,” you huffed, your head tilting to one side. “It’s so lonely being cooped up in this apartment all day, and you hardly even talked to me.”

You pouted, your bottom lip jutting out and your eyes going wide like a puppy’s. It was enough to make him go still. He found himself considering it, settling in your cozy apartment and watching a movie with you.

“Just one movie and then you’re free to go,” you offered, your request too hopeful for him to refuse.

He sighed, his shoulders relaxing as he agreed.

The TV was tilted to face your bed, making it hard to view from the couch even as he sat at the very edge of it. You had an orange lamp on your bedside table, the glow of it casting a glare across the screen that obscured the cheesy teen movie you put on.

He could feel you glancing at him on occasion, the two of you almost playing tag with your wandering eyes. Every time he tried to catch your gaze you were watching the movie.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked, leaning to one side in an attempt to see around the glare on the screen.

“You should just come sit on the bed, you can’t even see the screen.” You sounded sincere. But, you did just take another dose of painkillers. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were clouding your judgment.

There was plenty of space next to you. He could sit next to you.

It would be more comfortable at least.

“You’re crazy, you know,” Miguel said, picking himself up off the couch. LYLA would never let him live this down if she found out about it.

Your mattress was so soft, squishing beneath him as he settled against the headboard next to you. It was like he was sixteen again, his palms clammy and his mouth dry as he tried to avoid looking at you like you were the sun.

Had he always been this nervous around you?

You nudged him with your elbow, interrupting the horrible spiral of his thoughts. “Thanks for going through all the trouble,” you murmured, your voice soft and sincere. “I know I get on your nerves… I guess it’s just really nice that you came.”

“Tch, you don’t get on my nerves,” he denied immediately, his eyes flickering away from yours.

He fought supervillians, stared down guns, and watched whole universes collapse. But he couldn’t quite look at you.

You laughed, yawning into your hand as you leaned even further back into the pillows. “Don’t lie,” you said with a smile, your eyes crinkling charmingly at the edges. “I know I drive you crazy, Miggy.”

It was his turn to snort, watching you out of the corner of your eye as you relaxed next to him. “Only a little,” he murmured, a genuine smile on his face.

You didn’t answer, just giggling as you yawned again. The movie you picked was horrible, the jokes painfully cheesy and outdated, but you laughed at them anyways. He found himself holding his breath after each one so he could hear your sleepy chuckle better, trying to memorize the sound of it.

It was near the end of the movie that he heard your heartbeat slow, your cheek falling against his shoulder as your breaths evened out. Miguel stiffened for a moment, looking down to see your eyelids fluttering and your lips parted as you dreamed.

The movie ran into the credits, autoplay putting on something he had never even heard of before. He didn’t bother reaching for the remote, scared he would wake you up by reaching across you to your nightstand.

He let his head rest against the crown of yours, his eyelids starting to drift shut as the noise of the television faded to the background. Calmness washed over him, the tension he carried with him sloughing off his shoulders. It had been way too long since he relaxed like this.

The sound of his watch beeping startled him out of his half-sleep, a lance of panic going through him.

LYLA formed into a hologram above the surface of it, orange and yellow beams of light fleshing her out as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest and all of her weight on one leg. “Jess and I haven’t heard from you all day, we were starting to worry that you died or som–”

Her eyes widened behind her rose glasses, her hands clasping together in front of her. “No way! Jessica, you were right! You have to come see them cuddled together!” she shouted to Jessica. Miguel cringed, worried you’d wake from the commotion.

You didn’t seem to notice, your breathing steady.

“Cállate,” Miguel hissed, turning the volume down. “Is there even a problem?”

LYLA thought about it for a moment, tapping her finger against her chin before she shook her head no.

He rolled his eyes. Of course there wasn’t a problem.

“Don’t bother me until tomorrow,” he said, turning off the call before she could answer. He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his hand as he let himself slump against you.

He yawned again, finally drifting off to the rhythm of your soft breaths.

#miguel o’hara x reader #miguel o'hara #atsv fanfiction #atsv miguel #atsv x reader #spider man 2099 #spider man x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara fanfiction #reader insert #atsv x you #spider man x you #spider man: across the spider verse #across the spiderverse

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jhyoos · 6 months ago

Text

REBEL GIRL

Chapter 3: Party Like A Rockstar

rockstar!sevika x influencer!reader

summary: after their first concert of Shattered Soul’s tour, they go clubbing to celebrate.

mentions : modern au!, fame au!, drama, swearing, drinking

notes: just like sevika’s ass it’s finna be juicy.

chapters : one, two, three, four, five six

The long drive wasn’t something you minded—at first, anyway. You had your headphones in, your laptop balanced on your lap, and hours of video footage to edit for your YouTube channel. Outside the bus, the world blurred into a mosaic of green fields, dusty highways, and faded billboards. Inside, the faint hum of conversation mixed with the occasional strum of Vi’s guitar and Jinx’s rhythmic drumming on a nearby table. Caitlyn was curled up in a seat, scribbling in her notebook, and Sevika lounged across from you, headphones on, looking completely unbothered.

It was the perfect setting for productivity, or so you thought.

With your playlist drowning out the background noise, you fell into your editing zone. Your fingers flew across the keyboard as you adjusted lighting, spliced clips, and refined transitions for a vlog you planned to post soon. The soothing rhythm of your work almost made you forget where you were—until the interruptions started.

At first, it was harmless. Vi, clearly bored, reached over to tap the edge of your keyboard, grinning when you swatted her hand away. A few minutes later, Caitlyn leaned in under the guise of offering input, only to give a mock-serious nod and say, “Looks good to me,” before retreating to her seat with a laugh. Then Jinx decided to get involved, leaning dramatically over your shoulder to narrate your edits in an over-the-top announcer voice:

“And here we see Y/N, hard at work, crafting what is sure to be a masterpiece… unless her genius is interrupted!”

You shot her a glare, but the smile tugging at your lips betrayed your annoyance.

It became a game to them—a cycle of pokes, prods, and sarcastic commentary. Each of them took turns testing your patience, like some unspoken competition to see who could get the biggest reaction out of you.

And then Sevika stepped in.

You were mid-edit, headphones on, completely focused on syncing a transition when your screen suddenly went black.

“What the hell?” You ripped off your headphones, your heart sinking as you stared at the blank laptop screen. Slowly, you turned to face the culprit.

Sevika stood beside you, her arms crossed and a cocky smirk plastered across her face. “You’ve been glued to that thing for hours,” she said casually, her tone infuriatingly calm. “Thought I’d do you a favor.”

“A favor?” Your voice pitched with disbelief. “By shutting off my laptop? Are you out of your mind?”

The rest of the band erupted into laughter. Vi was practically rolling on the floor, Jinx clutched her sides, and Caitlyn tried—and failed—to cover her amused grin.

“Oh, real funny,” you snapped, glaring at them. “Glad my mental breakdown is such quality entertainment for you.”

“Relax,” Sevika said, her smirk never faltering. “You can always start over.”

You stood abruptly, clutching your laptop like it was your lifeline. “If any of you touch my computer again, I swear I’m locking your equipment up and throwing the key into the nearest ditch.”

“Alright, alright,” Caitlyn said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. “We’ll back off… for now.”

You glared at all of them one more time before sitting back down, muttering under your breath as you reopened your laptop and prayed your unsaved work wasn’t lost forever.

The venue buzzed with excitement that night, the air charged with the hum of anticipation. You hung back as the band prepared for their set, observing the chaos of pre-show rituals. Jinx and Caitlyn exchanged last-minute quips while Vi strummed her guitar, testing the tuning.

And Sevika?

She was leaning casually against a wall backstage, surrounded by a small group of fans who’d somehow gained access. They hung on her every word, their laughter ringing out as she threw them that trademark smirk. She signed autographs, posed for pictures, and slipped in the kind of flirtatious comments that made their faces light up.

You rolled your eyes, trying to focus on anything else. It was the same routine every time—a parade of adoration that Sevika basked in like a queen holding court.

“Think they’ll ever get tired of her?” Caitlyn asked, sidling up beside you.

“Doubtful,” you replied, crossing your arms. “She eats this stuff up.”

Caitlyn chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, try not to let it ruin your night. Just enjoy the show.”

“Yeah, sure,” you muttered, casting one last glance at Sevika as she laughed at something one of the fans said. Her gaze flicked to you then, catching your eye. Her smirk widened, a knowing gleam in her eye as if she’d caught you watching.

You scoffed and turned away, determined not to let her get under your skin. But as the band was called to the stage, you couldn’t shake the feeling that Sevika enjoyed the game just as much as you did.

The concert was, as expected, electric. The moment Vi stepped onto the stage and shouted her opening line, the crowd erupted. The energy was infectious, the music pounding through your chest as the band launched into their first song. You watched from the edge of the stage, half mesmerized by the sheer power they commanded.

Vi owned the stage, alternating between singing her heart out and shredding her guitar with practiced ease. Caitlyn’s keyboard melodies added depth to every track, while Jinx’s drumming was a chaotic yet perfectly timed rhythm that tied it all together. Sevika, as always, stole the show during her guitar solos. The way her fingers danced across the strings sent the crowd into a frenzy, and you couldn’t deny that she had a magnetic presence, even if you rolled your eyes at it more often than not.

As the concert reached its climax, the energy in the room soared. Fans screamed the lyrics back at Vi, fists pumping in unison, and the stage lights bathed the entire venue in a kaleidoscope of colors. You couldn’t help but get swept up in it, bobbing your head and mouthing along to the words of songs you’d become all too familiar with.

When the last note rang out, the applause was deafening. Vi grinned as she leaned into the mic, her voice hoarse but full of excitement. “Thank you, LA! You’ve been amazing tonight!”

The band exited the stage to thunderous cheers, and you joined them backstage, where the energy was still high. Jinx whooped loudly, throwing her drumsticks in the air and catching them before spinning to hug Caitlyn, who laughed and dodged the full brunt of Jinx’s excitement.

“That was insane!” Jinx exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Best crowd yet!”

“Easily,” Caitlyn agreed, still grinning.

Vi slung an arm around Sevika’s shoulders, her expression smug. “We crushed it tonight.”

“Always do,” Sevika replied coolly, though her slight smirk gave away her satisfaction.

You hung back slightly, letting the band revel in their success. It was a reminder of why they were so good together—the chemistry, the camaraderie. Even Sevika’s cocky demeanor felt earned after a performance like that.

“So,” Vi said, turning to the group with a mischievous glint in her eye. “What’s next? We’re in LA, the night’s young… I say we hit the club.”

Jinx’s eyes lit up. “Hell yeah! Let’s do it!”

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, though her lips twitched in amusement. “You’ve still got adrenaline to burn off, don’t you?”

Vi turned to you then, a challenging smile on her face. “What about you, Y/N? You in?”

You hesitated for a moment, weighing your options. On one hand, clubbing with a rock band wasn’t exactly your usual scene. On the other hand, you couldn’t deny that the idea of letting loose after the day you’d had sounded… tempting.

“Why not?” you finally said, shrugging. “Someone’s gotta make sure Jinx doesn’t end up on top of the bar.”

“Hey!” Jinx protested, though her grin said she wasn’t offended.

Vi laughed, clapping you on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! Alright, people, let’s get to our hotel, change and get fucked up. Tonight’s gonna be one to remember.”

As the band dispersed to grab their things, you found yourself lingering near the stage exit. Sevika walked past, her smirk firmly in place as she tilted her head toward you.

“You clean up alright?” she teased, her tone playful.

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” you replied smoothly, matching her confidence.

Her smirk widened, but she didn’t respond, leaving you with a curious flutter in your chest as she sauntered off.

This night was definitely going to be interesting.

As soon as you and Caitlyn got back to the hotel, the two of you dove into your suitcases, rummaging through outfit after outfit for the perfect look. Clubbing in LA wasn’t just a night out—it was a statement. Caitlyn settled on a sleek, black jumpsuit paired with combat boots, her look effortlessly cool as always.

You, on the other hand, had your sights set on something bold. After trying a few options, your eyes landed on the black strappy top, leather skirt, thigh-high stockings, and platform boots tucked away in your suitcase. Once you slipped it on and adjusted the straps to fit just right, Caitlyn gave you an approving whistle.

“Well, someone’s definitely turning heads tonight,” she teased, leaning against the bedpost.

You smirked at your reflection in the mirror, turning slightly to check the back. “You think?”

“Oh, I know. Sevika is going to lose it when she sees this.”

The two of you finished getting ready, sharing excited chatter about the night ahead. Instead of drawing attention by taking the tour bus, the group decided to order an Uber Black to keep things low-key—or so you thought.

As the sleek black SUV pulled up to the club, the flashing lights of cameras and the deafening screams of fans made it clear that your “low-key” plan was a bust. Paparazzi swarmed the car before you could even step out, their flashes illuminating the night as fans shouted your name and the band members’ names.

“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” Caitlyn murmured, adjusting her sunglasses even though it was well past sunset.

“Doesn’t matter,” you replied, stepping out with confidence. “We’re here to have fun.”

And fun you had.

Inside the club, the atmosphere was electric. The music thumped loudly enough to vibrate through your chest, and the neon lights bathed the entire room in vibrant shades of pink, blue, and green. You didn’t waste any time, heading straight to the bar with the group to take your first round of shots.

One shot turned into three, then four, and by the fifth, you were officially buzzed. The band laughed and cheered, hyping each other up as you all took turns ordering rounds. Vi was the first to drag everyone onto the dance floor, her infectious energy pulling you into the mix.

By the time the DJ transitioned to My Chemical Romance, your confidence had hit its peak. You climbed onto the table without hesitation, mic in hand as you sang along to every word. The crowd around you roared their approval, and even the DJ gave you a grin and a thumbs-up.

“Careful,” Sevika murmured behind you, her large hand steadying your waist. She stood close, her presence grounding you even as you swayed to the music.

“I’ve got this,” you replied with a playful wink, though you appreciated the gesture.

Fans in the crowd snapped photos of the moment, flooding social media with hashtags and captions speculating about the dynamic between you and Sevika. It wasn’t long before the night took a dramatic turn.

The energy in the club reached a fever pitch, and you were right in the middle of it all. Standing on the table, your confidence amplified by the shots coursing through your veins, you swayed to the music, your arms raised as you sang along to the DJ's playlist. The crowd below cheered, their phones raised to capture the moment, flashes lighting up the space like strobes.

From the corner of your eye, you spotted Sevika making her way toward you, her towering frame cutting through the throng of people with ease. She didn’t look impressed—her brows furrowed, her jaw tight. When she finally reached you, she wasted no time, her large hands gripping your waist firmly.

“Alright, come down before you hurt yourself,” she said, her voice low but commanding as she steadied you.

You groaned, pouting down at her. “I’m fine, Sevika. Seriously. Let me have my fun!”

Sevika raised an unimpressed brow, her hold on your waist unwavering. “You might not care, but I do. Now, down.”

You huffed but allowed her to guide you down, her hands staying securely on your waist until your boots hit the floor. The warmth of her touch lingered, and you couldn’t resist teasing her, even as you stumbled slightly.

“When did you get so caring?” you asked with a smirk, brushing your hair out of your face.

Sevika’s lips twitched, but she didn’t rise to the bait. “You’ve had enough of the spotlight for tonight. Now behave.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “You’re no fun.” With that, you headed back to the bar, brushing off the attention as you ordered yet another shot, determined to keep the night alive.

As the hours wore on, the club became impossibly packed. Word of you and your friend’s presence had spread like wildfire, and the space was now teeming with fans trying to catch a glimpse of the band. The once vibrant atmosphere now felt claustrophobic.

Caitlyn, ever the level-headed one, noticed the shift and knew it was time to call it a night. She signaled to the group, her phone in hand as she ordered a car. “Alright, let’s get out of here before this gets out of control.”

Reluctantly, everyone began to gather, though it was clear the alcohol had taken its toll. You were more than a little drunk, laughing at everything and swaying slightly as Sevika grabbed your hand, pulling you through the crowd. Paparazzi swarmed the group the moment you stepped outside, their cameras flashing like fireworks.

While the others kept their heads down, trying to maneuver through the chaos, you basked in the attention, smiling and waving despite Caitlyn’s exasperated look. “Y/N, keep moving!” she called over her shoulder.

You giggled, letting Sevika tug you along. Her grip on your hand was firm, grounding you as the two of you finally made it to the car. When you climbed in, it was immediately clear there weren’t enough seats for everyone. Caitlyn took the passenger seat while the others crammed into the back.

“You’re on my lap,” Sevika said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

You didn’t hesitate, settling onto her lap with surprising ease. You leaned your head against the back of the passenger seat, closing your eyes as the gentle hum of the car lulled you into a daze. Sevika’s hands rested lightly on your waist, her touch oddly comforting. You didn’t care—your drunken state left little room for embarrassment.

The others were loud, laughing and joking as the car sped toward the hotel. Vi was hanging halfway out of the window, yelling into the night, while Jinx snapped blurry pictures on her phone. Caitlyn, ever the responsible one, shook her head at their antics but couldn’t hide her small smile.

When the car finally pulled up to the hotel, Caitlyn took charge, helping everyone out one by one. You leaned heavily against her as she guided you to your room, her patience unwavering despite your drunken giggles.

She eased you onto the bed, pulling off your boots and tucking you in before lying down beside you with a tired sigh. You turned toward her, your gaze hazy but affectionate as you grabbed her hand, pressing a sloppy kiss to the back of it.

“We’re locked in, you know that, right?” you mumbled, your voice slurred but earnest.

Caitlyn chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “You only do that when you want to tell a secret. What is it?”

You giggled, your cheeks warm. “I wanna fuck Sevika so bad.”

Caitlyn groaned, though her smile betrayed her amusement. “Of course you do,” she muttered, shaking her head.

You grinned, unbothered. “Your turn. Tell me a secret.”

Caitlyn hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Fine. I’m in love with Violet.”

Your eyes widened slightly, but your grin only grew. “I’m not surprised. I see the way you look at her, Cait. You’re so obvious.”

Caitlyn laughed, squeezing your hand. “Secrets locked in.”

“Secrets locked in,” you echoed, your voice soft as sleep began to pull you under.

The two of you drifted off together, your quiet confessions lingering in the stillness of the room.

The harsh light streaming through the curtains woke you up first, followed closely by the incessant buzzing of your phone. Your head pounded, a dull ache that reminded you of every shot you’d thrown back the night before. With a groan, you rolled over, reaching for your phone on the nightstand, only to see the screen lit up with a flood of notifications.

Your phone was practically vibrating off the surface with the number of missed calls, texts, and alerts from various apps. Blinking through the haze of your hangover, you squinted at the screen.

37 missed calls.

62 unread texts.

“[Y/N] trending on Twitter.”

Your stomach dropped.

The first thing you opened was your messages, and right at the top was a slew of texts from your manager, each one more frantic than the last.

Manager 👹: “Call me. Now.”

Manager 👹: “Why am I waking up to THIS?!”

Manager 👹: “This is going to blow up even more if we don’t get ahead of it.”

Manager 👹: “PLEASE CALL ME ASAP.”

You groaned, already dreading the conversation, but curiosity got the better of you. Opening Twitter, you braced yourself for the chaos.

The first thing you saw was an article headline:

"Rockstar Sevika and Influencer (Y/N) (L/N) Spotted Holding Hands and Getting Cozy at the Club Last Night—Are They Dating?"

The accompanying picture was from last night—Sevika’s hand on your waist as she helped you down from the table, your head tilted back in laughter, clearly drunk out of your mind. There was another photo of you two holding hands as she led you through the crowd outside the club, the paparazzi’s flashes catching every intimate angle.

You scrolled down to see countless tweets from fans and gossip accounts dissecting every detail of the night.

- “So… are Sevika and [Y/N] a thing?? 👀”

- “That waist grab? HELLO???”

- “The chemistry is unreal. I’m shipping it.”

- “[Y/N] is literally living my dream. I can’t even.”

You groaned, burying your face in the pillow. “Oh my god.”

Caitlyn stirred beside you, her own groggy voice cutting through the fog. “What’s wrong?” she mumbled, her face half-buried in the blanket.

You held up your phone without saying a word, letting her squint at the screen. She blinked a few times before her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. “Well, looks like you had a very eventful night.”

“You think this is funny?” you grumbled, tossing your phone aside.

“A little,” Caitlyn admitted, stretching. “But you did kind of bring this on yourself. You were all over Sevika last night.”

“I was drunk!” you defended, sitting up too quickly and regretting it immediately as the pounding in your head worsened.

“Drunk or not, the internet thinks you’re dating her now.”

Before you could respond, your phone buzzed again with yet another call from your manager. With a deep breath, you reluctantly answered, pressing the phone to your ear.

“Good morning,” you croaked, your voice still rough from sleep.

“Morning? Morning?! Do you have any idea how many damage control calls I’ve had to make already?” your manager’s voice was sharp, bordering on panic. “What happened last night? Why is half the internet convinced you and Sevika are in some whirlwind romance?”

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “It’s not what it looks like. She was just helping me—”

“Helping you down from a table while holding your waist and leading you out of the club hand in hand?” your manager interrupted, not buying it. “The pictures don’t scream ‘just helping.’ You know how people are going to spin this.”

“Okay, but we’re not dating,” you said firmly, though your cheeks heated at the memory of Sevika’s steady hands on you.

“Doesn’t matter. This is already everywhere, and people are eating it up. We need to decide how to handle this—deny it, ignore it, or lean into it.”

You groaned again, flopping back onto the bed as Caitlyn chuckled beside you, clearly enjoying your predicament. “I can’t deal with this right now. My head is killing me.”

“Drink some water and get it together,” your manager snapped. “I’ll call you in an hour. Figure out what you want to do by then.”

The call ended, leaving you staring at the ceiling, your phone still buzzing with notifications.

Caitlyn rolled over to face you, propping her head on her hand. “So, what’s the plan, superstar?”

You shot her a glare, but her grin only widened. “I hate you,” you muttered, burying your face in the pillow again.

But even as the headache and the stress loomed, you couldn’t stop thinking about Sevika’s touch—the way her hand had lingered on your waist, the steady warmth of her presence amidst the chaos. Maybe the internet wasn’t entirely wrong.

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 months ago

Text

Dagger

A/N: This was supposed to be finished on February 1st. No, you're not mistaken, and no, your calendar is not wrong. Today is in fact February 28th, making this 27 whole days late for @jolapeno's Dearuary writing challenge for which I am so sorry!! This was a lot of fun to write - thank you for putting it together!! - so I hope you don't mind it coming in so far beyond the intended date. Find the rest of the entries for this epistolary event here!

Word Count: 12.8k + graphics

Warnings: violence, language, angst, illegal activities

Prompt: Character A keeps finding X and traces them back to Character B, who might be leaving them intentionally—or not.

Summary: Ezra had told Cee quite a lot about you - that the two of you had been partners, lovers, that you'd been separated by the currents of fate - enough for her to know that he was still, even 12 years later, deeply in love with you. After everything he'd done for her following their return from the Green - taking her in as his own kin, helping her pursue an education, giving her the stability that she'd never had before - she knew that if there was something she could do to help reunite him with you, she would. Consequences be damned.

It’s her.

Cee stared at the computer screen, eyes wide as she read the name at the top of the Central Mining Investigations employee file she’d accessed for the third time. Her heart pounded from a rush of adrenaline and dopamine as she let out a burst of air through her gaping mouth. It’s gotta be. Licking her lips, she gave a quick shake of her head, the small, loose bun atop it wobbling side to side. Let me just check one more time before I...

Her fingers flew over the keys to bring up another page - a certified name change form, filed with the Puggart Bench Registration Department. Holding her breath, she compared the two documents. Everything was identical, apart from the woman’s last name. Current residence, birthdate, homeworld. Cee brought her fingertip up to the screen, using it to underscore each digit in the woman’s I.D. number as she cross referenced the CMI employee sheet.

“-seven, five, nine, three,” She breathed out the last four numbers as another wave of excitement hit her bloodstream. “I found her.”

Immediately, she opened up another tab, keys clacking as she signed in. She bit her lip and eyed the clock at the bottom of the screen as she waited for the private channel to open. Ugh. It’s late. Her thumb tapped impatiently against the edge of her laptop. I hope he’s still up.

Her computer trilled a pleasant three-note tune as the connection was made, and she wasted no time in sending a message.

_02/02/3096 _LST 12:47:45 AM _PBST 10:47:45 AM {PRIVATE CHANNEL SECURED}

[CeeGull78]: Hey you there??

[CeeGull78]: Ezra? You awake?

[CeeGull78]: EZRA??? Wake up!

[SilverScoundrel]: I am awake, Birdie. I am just not as quick with the keyboard as you are. Is everything alright? It’s late there, isn’t it?

[CeeGull78]: You definitely aren’t. And yeah everything’s okay. Better than okay actually.

[CeeGull78]: Ezra I found her.

[SilverScoundrel]: Now I know you did not send me a message in the middle of the night to mock my typing speed.

[SilverScoundrel]: Birdie? What do you mean?

[CeeGull78]: Dagger. I found her. You were right about her working for CMI.

[CeeGull78]: I missed it the first time I accessed their personnel files because she changed her name.

[SilverScoundrel]: I don’t understand. We went through those files together with a fine tooth comb last time you were home.

[SilverScoundrel]: Which, by the way, I should remind you, is not what you are meant to be spending your time at school doing.

[SilverScoundrel]: She changed her name?

[CeeGull78]: Relax, I’m getting all my schoolwork done on time and I’m using secure access points for this stuff. I won’t get caught.

[CeeGull78]: But yeah. She changed her last name. First name’s still the same. I double checked the registration number. It’s her.

[CeeGull78]: And before you ask, she didn’t get married. I accessed the Puggart Central hall of records database. No registered marriage licenses, just a standard name change.

[SilverScoundrel]: A marriage would explain her taking a new surname, are you certain that she did not wed?

[SilverScoundrel]: Oh. I see. Well what is her new name?

[CeeGull78]: Fagan. And according to these records, she was recently promoted to Lead Field Investigator for the Lau sector.

[CeeGull78]: You know what that means, right?

[CeeGull78]: I can contact her anonymously and set up a meet for you right here on Lau! Or Yonto since it looks like that’s where she’s headed next.

[SilverScoundrel]: Birdie, do not attempt to contact her.

[CeeGull78]: What?! Ezra why skuffing not?

[CeeGull78]: You said you’ve been looking for her for years and now that I found her you don’t want to see her?

[SilverScoundrel]: Of course I want to see her.

[CeeGull78]: Then let me help you do that!

[SilverScoundrel]: But I do not want to cause her any trouble and I fear that is all I ever do for others.

[CeeGull78]: Untrue. We both know I would have never made it off the Green without you. We both know Damon would have left me with the Sater.

[CeeGull78]: I wouldn’t be enrolled at Cobalt. I wouldn’t have a future.

[CeeGull78]: I hate to break it to you, but you’re not actually the scoundrel you think you are.

[SilverScoundrel]: Perhaps not anymore, due in large part to you, little bird.

[SilverScoundrel]: But Dagger knew a very different version of me. And I do not want to cause her any trouble in her new life.

[CeeGull78]: Ezra with all due respect I think you’re being skuffing stupid.

[CeeGull78]: What if she’s been looking for you too? Don’t you want to at least know that?

[SilverScoundrel]: Cee, please. Let this go. Do not try to contact her directly.

[SilverScoundrel]: I appreciate that you are trying to help me. Truly I do. Thank you for letting me know what you found.

[SilverScoundrel]: It’s late. You should be sleeping. Do you not have a class at 8:30 your time?

[CeeGull78]: Yeah. Intro to Computer Science. Which I could probably teach.

[CeeGull78]: But I can take the hint. I’ll let it go.

[SilverScoundrel]: Thank you. Now go and get some sleep. Or at least allow me to get some. Goodnight Birdie.

[CeeGull78]: Night Ezra.

_02/02/3096 _LST 01:05:23 AM _PBST 11:05:23 AM {PRIVATE CHANNEL CLOSED}

Cee closed her laptop and set it down on the bed beside her. Her dorm room was dark, save for the reflection of blueish moonlight Yonto threw down at Cobalt Bay that managed to slip through the blinds. Nash, her roommate, was out for the night, so she didn’t have to make sure the other girl was sleeping before she climbed down from her lofted bed and opened the chest beneath it.

Removing the top compartment, she revealed the lower part of the chest, which currently held the bulky sweaters she’d need in a few weeks when the weather changed. She shoved her hand between two folded piles and pulled one stack out, letting them drop to the floor as she grabbed the little purple pouch that had been under them. The contents rattled and she felt them move inside as she took it out and opened it.

Peeking inside, she counted thirteen crust-nugget quality Aurelac gems. They weren’t worth much, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t really know why she kept them. Especially because raw mined materials from off-world were prohibited on Lau. Tossing the bag in her palm, she rolled her eyes. If I was worried about getting caught doing things I shouldn’t, I wouldn’t be hacking the CMI and PCRD databases from my dorm.

She glanced over at the small desk that she hardly ever sat at, which was also tucked under her raised bed frame, eyes landing on the photo there. It was taken the day that Ezra helped her move in for her first year at Cobalt, his arm slung around her as she leaned into his side. Both of them were grinning like skuffing fools. It was her favorite that they’d ever taken together.

Giving the pouch another gentle toss, she swallowed. He said not to contact Dagger… directly. Looking down at the gems inside, she reached in and plucked one out. It was cloudy and slightly off-color, harvested too soon. Suitable only for button making or costume jewelry, if that. But what if I left her a message another way?

After all, she did have a field assignment at the Central Mining outpost at Cobalt Bay the following afternoon, working on the computers that monitored the pumps. She could plant a few Aurelac gems by one of the Glossoil rigs. She could even fudge the security footage. She could be invisible. And then when one of the miners finds it, they’ll have to call CMI.

Chewing her bottom lip, she dropped the gem back into the pouch and pulled the drawstring to close it. “I shouldn’t,” she said aloud, hoping that the sound of her own voice could dissuade her from making a mistake that could cost her.

She placed the pouch back at the bottom of the chest, covered it with the displaced sweaters, covered those with the top compartment, and shut the chest. That done, she climbed back up to her bunk, and took her computer down to charge it on her dust-catcher of a desk. She looked at the photo one more time, her heart sinking at the thought of Ezra choosing not to reunite with the woman he’d told her once had been the love of his life.

“I shouldn’t…” She said it under her breath and clicked the desk light off.

But by the time she’d climbed back up into her bed and had situated herself under the lumpy comforter, she knew that even though she shouldn’t… she was going to.

He’ll thank me for it later. She imagined some nebulous woman, the sketch of a person she’d never met or seen, based only on the handful of things Ezra had told her about the woman he’d called Dagger. Maybe they both will.

——————————————————————————————————

The express shuttle from Lau Prime to Yonto, its closest and only habitable moon, took just over three hours. Pulling your laptop from its case, you decided to use that time - or at least some of it - productively.

The sooner I file this report the better.

It was standard CMI practice for inspectors to file their reports within a twenty four hour period of making their field visit. But your standard practice had always been to file as soon as possible, so that not even the smallest detail was at risk of being forgotten. You’d made waves at the bureau as a junior agent, when your diligence on a case resulted in finding a connection that your senior partner missed.

Since those days, you’d climbed through the ranks to senior agent, and now chief field investigator of an entire sector, and through it all you had always filed your reports as close to immediately as possible. It had become expected of you. If you were to go longer than an hour without at least filing an initial report, you’d likely start to see messages from your team piling up on your wrist comm, asking if you were alright or if something had happened. It would raise questions, which was the last thing that you wanted.

Especially because of… You glanced down at the clear, plastic evidence bag resting on your thigh, and at the cloudy yellow stones inside. Your heart thumped heavily against your ribs as you let out a slow, somewhat shaky breath. Because of my history.

It was true that you had become a jewel in CMI’s crown in regards to closing piracy cases and making sure that mining protocols for safety, productivity and loss prevention were being carried out. But there were still those, like Vayne, your Inspector in Command, who remembered how you came to work at the bureau in the first place. There were still those who called you a poacher, a pirate, a backstabber. There were some who cherished any chance they got to remind you - or anyone who would listen - that you only had your job because you had been caught violating mining law on Bahkroma Green, and that you were hired as part of a now defunct program that sought to get inside the minds of the criminals they were tracking down. Of the twenty agents hired through that program, you were the only one who hadn’t returned to illegal activities, the only one who hadn’t somehow used your position to feed information to anyone on the outside. And some at the bureau said it was only a matter of time before you did the same.

Which was why this report specifically could not wait for your arrival on Yonto. You didn’t want anyone catching wind that it involved Aurelac, the very gems you had once been found guilty of stealing, and then hear that you had waited to file the report. That would look fishy.

You cast another downwards glance at the bag of gems balanced on your leg as you set the laptop on the shuttle tray table. How did these… You licked your lips as blueish light streaked across the windows of the craft. How did these get there?

Like any prospector, you’d know your first pull anywhere. You were looking at the fuck-nugget gems that you had scored over a decade ago, back when you were running with a pirate crew out in the Fringe. But I left these with Ezra. So how…

Your computer finished booting up and you shook your head to clear your thoughts. Doesn’t matter right now. First, you needed to keep up appearances, which meant filing the report. But you needed to do it in a way that framed the incident as harmless so that it didn’t attract more attention from other agents.

And to buy myself time to get to the bottom of this.

Cracking your fingers, you opened a fresh report document, and then began typing.

Field Report #0473 Sector: Lau Planet/Moon: Lau Prime CMI Respondent: Insp. Fagan PB Registration #xxxx-7593 Date: 02/04/3096 Priority Level: Low

Reason: Unauthorized raw materials (Aurelac pearls, grade C and lower) found at Central Mining owned site in Cobalt Bay.

Observations: Glossoil miners contacted CMI when they came across four mid-sized, low quality Aurelac pearls which they claim appeared to have been “left there on purpose”. I was escorted by the site manager to the pump station where they were found. (It should be noted that the site manager and shift workers complied fully with the investigation.)

There were indeed four pearls on the ground near the pump controls, however their placement did not seem intentional but random. The pearls were all extremely clouded, though smooth. Initial scans showed no prints on the gems or on any surface nearby.

No damage was done to Central Mining property or assets, and nothing has been reported as missing or stolen.

Security footage of the area showed no trespassers. Black and white footage was clear, though did appear to glitch for <1 second, but no change in light, shadow or clarity was detected.

Analysis: Based on my own observations, accounts given by crew that found the pearls, security footage and quality of the gems (black market/unregistered provenance) it is likely that the pearls were dropped by a crew member unknowingly. Given their low value, it is not, in this inspector’s opinion, a case that warrants further investigation.

Suggested Action: Gems seized as evidence. Continue to monitor security footage. Weekly check-in video calls with Cobalt Bay Refinery manager for three months. If three months pass without incident, discontinue check-in protocol.

Additional Comments: None at this time.

You read your write-up once more. It seemed innocuous and bland enough, but not too sparse. It would be sufficient for your boss, anyway, and that was really all that mattered.

It would also be the first time that you had ever intentionally lied on a report.

You knew without a doubt that the gems had been left at the Cobalt Bay facility on purpose, and you knew that purpose was to get your attention, not CMI’s. You knew the glitch in the security footage was cause for concern, or at the very least, further investigation. And you knew that these specific gems - worthless as they were - resurfacing meant that the only scenario in which you would abuse your station like your rivals at the bureau said you would was playing out.

Ezra’s alive.

Your heart slammed at your ribs.

And I have to find him before they do.

——————————————————————————————————

The day after planting the gems at the Glossoil pump, Cee logged back into the CMI database with the false credentials that she’d used to find you. They still worked, like she knew that they would, and within a few minutes of finishing her assignment on the importance of using secure passwords and protecting sensitive data online, she was deep into the recently filed reports tab in Central Mining Investigations’ internal system.

Scrolling through the linked documents, she stopped when she got to the one with your name on it - Field Report #0473. She clicked it to open the report and sat back against the pillows on her bed as she scanned through what you had written.

Let’s see… Unauthorized raw materials… Random placement, not intentional. She swallowed. Oh, crud.

She sat up and used both hands to sweep her blonde hair out of her face and behind her ears as she read over the next portion.

Glitch in security footage. Skuff it, she noticed that?

Her heartbeat picked up as she brought one thumb to her mouth and chewed at the nail. Ezra had told her that you were extremely detail oriented, that nothing got past your sharp eye. “She told me her surname meant Dagger,” he’d said, “And I’m certain that it does. But that is not the only reason that I used that moniker for her. She is the sharpest person I have ever met. Her eyes can cut through anything, Birdie.”

He wasn’t kidding.

If she noticed that, then… Cee blinked. Then they might make her look closer at it and then she might see that the cameras were accessed on site and then- She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head. She’ll figure out that it was one of the student interns.

As though she needed another kick of adrenaline, her door swung open and the lights clicked on, Cee letting out a gasp and nearly falling from her lofted bed.

“Shit, sorry, it’s just me, Cee!” Nash called out as she tossed her bag on her bed. “I didn’t know you were back from class yet. The lights were off and-”

Peeking over the side of the bed, she forced a smile that she hoped didn’t look as tight as it felt. “No worries. Just, uh-” She minimized the tab she was reading, even though there was no way Nash could see it from where she stood. “Just working on my cyber-sec project.” Good thing I finished it last week.

Nash groaned. “I still haven’t started mine. But it’s not due until next week, right?” Cee nodded. “Okay, good. I’ve got time.” Her roommate smiled then, taking a few books out of her bag and replacing them with the folded blanket from the end of her bed. “And so do you. I’m meeting up with Shayla and Pax down by the cliffs for lunch. It’s so nice out, Cee! You should come!”

Truth be told, there was nothing that Cee wanted more than to jump down from her perch and join her friends. It was the first time in her life that she had any, and she’d been thoroughly enjoying learning what it was like to find a group of people who had her back, who helped her figure out how to become herself. Prior to her enrollment at Cobalt, the only experience she had with friendship had been what she’d read in The Streamer Girl. Now that she’d met Shayla, Pax and especially Nash, she finally understood the bond between Clo and Reevie.

Her eyes shifted to the computer, a slight frown pulling her mouth downwards. But I have to fix this. Like right now. She sighed, gesturing at her screen. “I’m kinda on a tear right now with this, but I’m almost done. Maybe I can meet you guys down there in like, I don’t know, an hour?”

Nash put on an exaggerated pout. “Fiiiiiine. But you better come. If you don’t, we’re all gonna come drag you out. You’ve been all work and no play lately.” She dropped the pout and tilted her head, a flash of genuine concern in her eyes. “Everything okay with you?”

No. I skuffed up and hacked the CMI database, planted illegal gems at the refinery, manipulated the security footage, and now I have to cover my tracks before I get caught and expelled, maybe arrested… Oh, Kevva, could Ezra be arrested for this? Technically I’m his responsibility, and-

She plastered on a smile. “Yeah. Everything’s creamy.” She shrugged at her computer. “I’m just locked in with this project. And hey, if I get it done now I can help you with yours tomorrow. That way we’re both done before the Myllock festival this weekend.”

That seemed like a good enough response, because Nash gasped and broke into a grin. “I almost forgot about the festival! Okay, finish your project,” she said, flicking her hands up at Cee. “But hurry!”

Cee promised that she would, and with that, Nash headed back out. Opening the report she had been reading just moments before, Cee let out a heavy sigh. Okay. Damage control time.

With a few keystrokes, her heart racing, the sound of it loud in her ears, she was able to open up the editing function on the report. Luckily, the report was still flagged as “needs review”, meaning that it hadn’t been processed yet. That gave her some relief, though there was still a nervous shake in her fingers as she dragged the cursor to the section in question and began deleting the words you’d written.

Security footage of the area showed no trespassers. Black and white footage was clear though did appear to glitch for <1 second, but no change in light, shadow or clarity was detected.

She read the report one last time, making sure that there was nothing else that she needed to clean up. Satisfied that there wasn’t, she re-submitted the file and logged out of the CMI database. At that exact moment, another window popped open on her screen and for a brief but terrifying moment she was convinced it was some kind of alert or message from the bureau or even her school, telling her that they were aware of her tampering and that she was in big, catastrophic trouble.

But then she blinked and the terror passed and she saw that it was only her chat screen, a new message from Ezra coming through.

_02/05/3096 _LST 12:09:25 PM _PBST 10:09:25 AM {PRIVATE CHANNEL SECURED}

[SilverScoundrel]: Cee? Are you there?

[CeeGull78]: Nope. Sorry, you just missed her. She’s definitely not here.

[SilverScoundrel]: You are hilarious, Little Bird.

[CeeGull78]: Thank you, I know.

[Silver Scoundrel]: Well, if Cee returns, oh benevolent message keeper, please let her know that I have successfully booked my ticket to Lau for family weekend, and that I look forward to seeing her.

[SilverScoundrel]: Oh I see we’ve dropped the game.

[CeeGull78]: No way! You did? You’re coming??

[SilverScoundrel]: I am indeed, Birdie.

[CeeGull78]: Ezra, that’s great! You can meet my friends! And I can show you the computer lab since that’s where I spend most of my time.

[SilverScoundrel]: I did not realize that you would be so excited to have my company, but I can’t say that it’s not a welcome surprise.

[CeeGull78]: Oh stuff it, you know I miss you. Can you see my eyes rolling from the Bench? Because they are. Hard.

[SilverScoundrel]: I cannot. However, having witnessed it so many times, I can clearly picture the expression. And I miss you too, for the record. I never imagined a wild Fringer like myself would be fortunate enough to find kin like you, but I am more than happy to have been wrong.

[CeeGull78]: Sap.

[CeeGull78]: For the record, I’m happy you were wrong, too. Who knows, maybe you’ll really shock yourself and be wrong about Dagger being in your past, too.

[SilverScoundrel]: Are you still on that?

[CeeGull78]: Am I still on trying to get you to reunite with the one person who has ever made you happy? Who you said was the only woman you ever loved? Um, gee, let me think.

[CeeGull78]: Yeah, I am.

[SilverScoundrel]: It isn’t going to happen, Birdie. It can’t. We live different lives now. It wouldn’t be safe.

[CeeGull78]: What do you mean it won’t be safe? She’s not gonna like stab you or anything, is she?

[SilverScoundrel]: No, nothing like that. I don’t think, anyway, though I would likely deserve it. But the danger I am referring to doesn’t come from her. She would be the target of that danger in this case. As would you, should the wrong folks catch wind of our reunion.

[SilverScoundrel]: And I have already promised you that I will never knowingly put you in harm’s way, Cee.

[CeeGull78]: Me?? Why would I be in any danger?

[CeeGull78]: Ezra, what actually happened between you two? And who are the “wrong folks”? CMI?

[SilverScoundrel]: You would suffer simply for your connection to me, and that is not something that I will sit idly by and allow.

[SilverScoundrel]: Kevva bless it, Birdie, not on here. Don’t mention things on here that might catch the wrong attention.

[CeeGull78]: Would you relax? I told you a million times, it’s a secure channel. It’s invitation only. No one but you and me can see this conversation, and it gets deleted after we sign off.

[CeeGull78]: And yes, I’m sure. Like I told you, I could teach the Intro to Computer Science class.

[SilverScoundrel]: Still, I would feel better if you did not broach such topics here.

[CeeGull78]: And I would feel better if I knew more about all of this.

[SilverScoundrel]: Then I will make you a deal, Birdie. When I come to visit next weekend, I will answer any and all of your inquiries. All I ask is that you save them for when we can talk about it in person.

[CeeGull78]: Fine, but there’s going to be a lot of them by then.

[SilverScoundrel]: I would expect nothing less from an inquisitive spirit such as yourself. Do try to spend some time on your school work or even with your friends, though, and not all of it compiling your list of questions.

[CeeGull78]: Oh, crud! Actually, I have to go. I’m late to meet with Nash and them.

[CeeGull78]: But I really am glad you’re coming. Thanks for letting me know. And for, you know, actually wanting to come.

[SilverScoundrel]: Of course I want to. I am proud as a puffed up dune-piper that I get that honor. Now go on and have fun with your friends.

[CeeGull78]: I will! Talk to you soon!

_02/05/3096 _LST 12:24:25 PM _PBST 10:24:25 AM {PRIVATE CHANNEL CLOSED}

Ezra watched the screen until the conversation vanished as Cee said it would, letting out a small sigh of relief as soon as it did. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her expertise. The list of people he’d trusted more or even as much as Cee was a short one. The same could be said for the list of people who he gave a channel rat’s behind about, though, and he’d never forgive himself if she ended up being punished for his past discretions.

For the things he did when he was with you.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in the olive plaid armchair, pinching the bridge of his nose and then flattening his palm against his brow. Your face filled his mind then, as vividly as if he’d just seen you that morning. As if it hadn’t been over a decade without him knowing your fate.

Since Cee had sent him the message that she had found you, Ezra’s thoughts and emotions had been all over the place. Hearing that you were alive and well had been a gift that he feared he would never receive, and in the moment, he was thrilled. But it was only mere seconds before that euphoria was overridden by guilt and regret for allowing Cee to put herself in the midst of his mess. He’d entertained her offer to look for you while she had been home from school on break, and that had piqued her curiosity to the point of no return. He never meant for her to continue the search, to push the limits and keep digging.

But I should have known better. She is a small thing, but deceptively hard to move.

Ezra wondered, briefly, if perhaps he did know better. If he had let the devil on his shoulder whisper in his ear to let her look, what could it hurt, surely even if she was caught CMI would go easy on her, she’s a student after all. Maybe he was still the scoundrel that he thought he was.

No. It was done subconsciously. I would never knowingly encourage Cee to put herself in harm’s way. Certainly not on my behalf.

Shaking that from his thoughts - not that he absolved himself completely - they turned back to you. You were alive. Not imprisoned. Not stranded on some Kevva forgotten moon, left to the moss and fern. Alive. His heart thumped happily at that news as years of fear and worry and shame fell away. You were alive.

He had spent the last twelve years thinking that he’d gotten you killed. Thinking that when things had gone sideways on the Divin job with those mercs, when he’d woken up in a pool of his own blood and you were gone, that he had failed to protect you at the cost of your life.

And of course he had searched for you. Stumbled across Divin’s entire eastern plain with a concussion and at least three cracked ribs, bordering on hysterics as he cried out your name to no avail. Tracked the mercs back to an abandoned camp and dropped to his knees in the circle of charred dirt from where the thrusters had shot fire into the ground upon takeoff, letting out a hideous, shattered howl. Tore through the remnants of their camp for any clue as to where you’d been taken and found nothing. Dragged himself, still bloodied and battered, back to his ship which had blessedly been left undamaged, and somehow flew back to Central. Tried like hell to convince himself that there was a chance you might be able to get away from your captors, mostly so he wouldn’t crash the jumper straight into the Divin asteroid field.

The two of you always knew that the jobs you took attracted trouble. You always knew that there might come a time that you’d have to split up for safety, lay low for a spell. You had a contingency plan for that, a place to regroup or to safely leave messages for each other - Coney’s billiards hall on the third level of Central Prime. Ezra had gone to Coney’s every damn day for a month only for the retired pirate turned business owner to shake his shaggy head with an increasingly grim look on his face. Only for Ezra to end up leaving a letter that would still be there in three months when he returned from searching for you on Kren.

He’d left it again and gone off to Helpha next, then the Ephrate and then every place the two of you had been together, every place you ever mentioned in that dreamy voice you’d use when you talked about the days after all of this. He spent the better part of a year searching for you, all the while hoping that when he got back to Coney’s, you might be there waiting. Or that a message from you would be. Or at the very least that his letter would be gone.

“‘M sorry, sonny,” the man had said upon Ezra’s return, his gray-blue eyes brimming with genuine sadness - Coney always liked you, everyone did - “Think maybe you should have this back.” He’d handed Ezra back his letter with the promise that if he did see you, he’d not hesitate to reach out. “‘M hopin’ I do see ‘er, Ez, really I am.”

But that call never came. And Ezra still had the letter.

He stood and crossed the small sitting room to the desk in the corner. Pulling open the top drawer, he reached in and retrieved the folded and refolded piece of paper, then slumped back in the armchair and opened it. His formerly jaunty but legible handwriting glared up at him, another reminder of how much time had passed, how many things had changed. But he ignored that and read the words he’d written to you all those years ago despite the fact that by now they had been fully committed to memory.

Dagger,

I failed you, and I lack the words to express how sorry I am for not being able to keep you from harm. (Imagine that. Me, speechless.) I hope that if you are reading this letter now that you are safe, that you’re whole and well and far from the villains who took you from me. I hope these things even if you choose to tell Coney that you don’t want to see me again. I long to hold you again like a drowning man’s lungs long for air. But simply knowing you are alive would be enough. I’d learn to breathe water.

But I must admit that I am riddled with fear that I am too late. And so in case you never read this letter, this next part is a vow that I make to myself as much as it is to you: There’ll be peace and harmony in the wildest reaches of the Fringe before I give up hope of finding you again. I’ll search for you everywhere I go, until Kevva claims my wretched soul and even then I’ll look for you.

No one else will ever carve their name in my heart. I love you, endlessly.

Ezra

He stared at the page, silently berating himself for believing it when the rumor went around at Coney’s - it had been sold to someone named Jak a few years ago but it would always be called Coney’s - that you had turned up dead on Helpha. It hadn’t stopped him from keeping his eyes and ears open for any mention or trace of you as he moved through the Fringe. But it had killed the hope of ever holding you again, and it had fed the guilt he felt because he knew that you were only dead because he’d failed you.

But she’s not. She’s alive.

He glanced back at the computer, at the blank screen where his conversation with Cee had been displayed. He still wouldn’t ask her to contact you. You working for CMI had likely been part of a deal sparing you from spending the rest of your life in one of the Fringe’s less desirable prisons. And it likely meant that they closely monitored all of your reports and communications, scanning them for any connection to his name or to your old life. It likely meant that you were just a different kind of prisoner, and he wouldn’t involve Cee in a jailbreak.

But he would, when he answered all of her questions regarding you, ask her for all the information he needed to contact you on his own.

Because I lied, Dagger, my girl. Unintentionally, of course.

Knowing you were alive was everything. But until he knew whether or not you’d allow it, having you to hold again was all he could think about.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The screen on your wrist comm blinked red, and you felt the blood drain from your face as you gaped down at it.

Report to Insp. Vayne: IMMEDIATELY Reason: IRREGULARITY ON REPORT #0473

Irregularity? What irregularity? How? You shook your head. Vayne wasn’t there, how could he know that I downplayed it?

Mouth going dry, you tried to calm yourself as you made your way to Vayne’s office. Maybe you’d forgotten to add your registration number, something simple and easy to rectify, the urgency only due to the fact that the report couldn’t properly be filed without it. But there was a little voice in the back of your head that told you not to be so foolish. This was about Ezra, somehow. You were sure of it.

Fuck, why did I believe it when they told me he was dead? Why didn’t I take the risk and fucking make sure for myself?

But you knew why. CMI, though they treated you well enough most of the time, held more than just your freedom from imprisonment over your head. They threatened to go after your family and Ezra’s - he had a brother and two nephews - if you ever stepped out of line and turned traitor. So you knew you hadn’t done the wrong thing in protecting them.

That didn’t stop the ache that cleaved through your heart, because you knew that if you had found Ezra again, the two of you would’ve found a way to break free from CMI, to keep everyone you loved safe. It didn’t stop the shiver from trickling down your spine at the thought that if they’d gone as far as to lie about his death, it must mean they’d do anything to keep you from knowing the truth.

Pulling yourself together as best as you could, you knocked on Vayne’s door, dropping your hand as it slid open. “Come in, Fagan.”

You had gotten good at not doing it outwardly, but inwardly you cringed every time someone called you by that name. It wasn’t yours, and the only name you ever wanted to take other than yours was Ezra’s. But Fagan had been given to you along with your shiny new life as CMI’s most well-broken wild horse.

“Sir,” you managed with a nod as you entered.

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the lone chair that sat opposite his own and you did as you were asked. “Do you know why I called you in?” He raised one brow but kept the rest of his facial muscles eerily still as he measured your response.

You cleared your throat and turned your wrist so that he could see the display on your comm. “Says here that you found an irregularity in my report from the Cobalt Bay facility.” Tilting your head to the side, you let your arm rest in your lap. “Did I not add my registration number or something?”

Vayne blinked once, then the corner of his mouth twitched. “No, all of your t’s and i’s are crossed and dotted procedurally speaking.” He clicked his tongue. “As always.”

“Oh.” You hoped he couldn’t hear the slam, slam, slam of your heart as you worked to internalize your panic. “Okay, well, good. Where was the irregularity, then?”

“Well that’s the thing, Fagan, you see-” His twitchy smirk grew a tick and he held up one finger. “The report itself is perfect. Well written, thorough. Honestly, we could add it to the training manual as an example but the manual is already chock full of your reports.”

Then what… You sat there silently, breathing through your nose to keep the rhythm even, and waited for him to drop the other shoe.

“What’s irregular about this report is that you waited a day to file it when your MO has always been to file-” He snapped his fingers, “- like that.”

That made no sense to you at all and you did nothing to hide your confusion. “Sir, I filed the report from the Yonto shuttle as soon as I left Cobalt Bay.” You shook your head. “You can ask Murph or Reece. They saw me writing it up and gave me flack for it because they said it makes the rest of them look bad, how quickly I file.”

“Then the irregularity is that you re-opened it before I read it, then. Typically if you recall a detail that you want to add, you file an add-on page.” He blinked again, that fucking smirk ticking higher and tinting his eyes with something threatening. “So why didn’t you do that this time? You know, I did wonder whether or not I should trust you on a case involving Aurelac, but I-”

“Excuse me, sir, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You interrupted him, some of the initial fear melting and boiling into something else. “I didn’t reopen the file. I submitted it, and then I read my prepwork for the case on Yonto.”

You didn’t understand why he would even bother to lie about that, though, because you could easily prove him wrong by showing him the date. That wasn’t something that you needed to remember to add. The date stamp was programmed into the CMI system so that all reports would correspond with Central’s calendar without having to do any conversions. The only way the date could be changed on a report was by reopening it as Vayne had accused you of doing.

But I didn’t do that. So what in Kevva’s name is he on about?

You leaned forward in your chair. “The date that I submitted it on was the last time that I touched that file, sir. And as for my credibility regarding the Aurelac, I-”

He spun the screen on his computer to face you, and what you saw made the rest of your sentence die on your tongue. But that makes no fuck-crusting sense.

“Tell me, Fagan, you took the shuttle to Yonto on the second, did you not?”

You nodded, still stunned by what you saw.

“Then pray tell, why does this say that it was last opened on the third?”

“I-” You moved your chair closer to the desk so that you could read the report more clearly. “Sir, I can’t explain that. All I can say is that I give you my word that I filed it on the second and haven’t thought of it since.”

That last part was an elaboration. Actually it was an outright lie. You’d spent all of your unoccupied time thinking of ways to start searching for Ezra again without drawing suspicion, wondering if Coney still owned the pool hall, agonizing over whether or not it was still a safe place for Fringers like Ezra. Like you. But Vayne had already called your loyalty into question and you needed him to think he still had it. Or that he ever truly did.

You continued to scan the report, an incredulous look on your face, when you noticed an irregularity of your own. Hold on. That’s not right. “Wait.” You pointed at the screen, at the last paragraph in the observations section. “That’s been changed. Something’s been deleted there. I wrote that there was a glitch lasting less than a second on the footage. But it’s been taken out.”

“So is that the edit that you made when you reopened the file on the third?” Vayne’s question was more baited than any hook on Lau or Yonto’s fishing lines.

“As I said before, sir, I did not open the file on the third. Go ahead and strap me up to a lie detector if you really want to.” You hoped the extra bravado would make him fold. While you’d easily pass if asked about reopening the file, you knew that if the questions shifted to Aurelac, your former life of piracy, or Ezra, you wouldn’t be able to fool the machine. “What I think is more likely,” you went on, setting your expression into something serious and grim and taking care to put ice in your voice, “is that someone accessed our system and tampered with this file.” You lifted one brow. “Now, I don’t know about you, sir, but I think that is a far bigger problem than the one that you seem to have with me.”

The man went pale at the prospect of someone on the outside digging around in the bureau’s data. You knew, and so did he, that there were so many things that CMI never intended anyone to see. Evidence which proved that inspectors had violated local laws while investigating incidents at Central Mining outposts. Accounts that paid hush money to thousands of citizens on dozens of planets so they’d keep their mouths shut about something that wouldn’t look good if it got out. Lists of individuals that CMI sent mercs after when they couldn’t catch them themselves, lists of people who they falsified information about to better suit their optics.

Like Ezra. Like me.

“How likely do you think that is, Fagan?” He’d suddenly dropped the accusatory tone and shit-gobbling grin, stress instantly rearranging his features into something small and pathetic. “And how far do you think… How many files do you think they could have-”

“Well, I can’t know for sure unless I look through every last file…” You trailed off, relishing the way it made his spirit visibly drop even lower. Because that would take years. “I think I should go back to Cobalt Bay and take another look at that footage. Do another round of questioning, see if there could’ve been an angle I missed. Someone that could have known how to erase the-”

Some of the patheticism left his eyes then, and he shook his head. “Send you back to Cobalt Bay? To do further investigation on an Aurelac case that appears to have been tampered with? Fagan, I am still not sure how much I trust you with this. Frankly-”

“Frankly, sir, your options are send me, or let someone else in on the fact that CMI has been infiltrated.” You sucked air through your teeth. “I wouldn’t think you would want that getting out.”

You knew you had him but it was still satisfying to watch him sink again.

“Fuck.” He muttered it under his breath, covering his eyes with one hand and rubbing it back over his head. “Alright. Go. You have an hour to catch the next shuttle back to Lau.” He peered over his shoulder at the shuttle schedule. “Looks like it’ll get you there by local midday. I want check-ins every three hours once you land, is that clear?”

“Loud and.”

With that you left Vayne’s office, legs wobbling like the rubbery vac-packed noodles you used to live on out in the Fringe from the adrenaline throbbing through your body, grabbed your things from your office, and made your way to the shuttle station.

Please, you begged, of Kevva or whoever else might be listening, let this give me the time I need to find him.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cee nearly passed out when she got the notification that all students doing their practicals at Cobalt Bay needed to report to the facility that day - whether they were scheduled or not - to comply with CMI proceedings regarding the Aurelac incident from the previous week.

Oh, mother-crusting skud balls I really stuck my foot in it. I’m done. Fried. They’re gonna- Wait.

She read the message again.

All student interns at Cobalt Bay will need to comply with CMI proceedings as the facility will be visited by Chief Inspector Fagan, and all crew members including students will be required to give a statement regarding last week’s incident.

That’s Dagger. Fagan, that’s… I thought they’d send someone else, but- She let out a sigh that turned into a nervous laugh. I can work with this.

“Ceeeee,” Nash groaned from the bed across the room. “Why are you up and on your computer so earrrrllllly?”

“Sorry,” she mumbled, moving her screen so that the glow wasn’t directed at the other girl. “Although it’s not that early, you know. We have class in twenty minutes.”

Nash yawned. “Yeah, and my alarm was gonna go off in five. Early.” She rolled out of bed with far too much reluctance for someone who slept for ten hours straight, and started gathering her toiletries to go wash her face and brush her teeth.

Before she left the room, though, Cee cleared her throat and spoke. “Hey I’m not gonna be in Chem this afternoon.” She cocked her head towards her computer, the headphones around her neck shifting as she did. Nash, still only half awake, gave her a confused look. Yeah I know, I’m always in class. “Got a message this morning about the refinery practical I’m doing at Cobalt Bay. They need all of us to report today for some big meeting.”

It wasn’t a lie, just an omission of the fact that the meeting in question was actually an ongoing investigation. But the less she knows about it the better. The last thing Cee wanted was any of her friends being dragged into the mix because she’d shared with them stories of her little foray into evidence planting and database hacking.

“Can you just let Professor Gatlin know? I’m gonna send him the same message I got from them, but we both know he’s not gonna check his inbox before class.”

Nash rolled her eyes. “I’m still waiting for a response to a message I sent him last week, so yeah, don’t hold your breath. But I’ll tell him.”

“Thanks, Nash.” Cee gave her a small smile. “Now go get ready. I’ll wait for you but not if you’re gonna make me late.”

Nash made an exaggerated show of skedaddling towards the door. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

Cee waited until the door clicked shut before leaving her computer on her desk and going into the chest beside it. She removed the top compartment, dug her hand through the sweater piles, closed it around the small sack of gems, and pulled three of them out. Those she stuck in the inner pocket that she’d added to the old flannel she liked to wear as a light jacket - it had been Ezra’s, from when he was around her age, and it was the closest thing to a family heirloom that she had - and closed the chest before Nash returned.

She had a plan for what to do at the refinery to get your attention. It was an even bigger risk than her last plan, and she didn’t know if it would even come to fruition, but it was all she had as backup. She couldn’t leave the facility without getting you a message, and the gems hidden in her smuggler’s pocket were her emergency exit route.

And if I need to use them, I will.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You waited as the student interns filed into the room that had been designated for your investigation, carefully watching them for any signs of suspicious behavior or nerves. You’d already finished with the actual crew that worked at the refinery, and none of them had tipped you off to anything out of the ordinary, so you knew that it was likely that you’d catch something with this group.

And when the room was about two thirds of the way full, you did. Oh, that one knows something.

The one in question was a feathery girl with short blonde hair that was drawn back into a ponytail. Her eyes, though, dark brown and determined, were what made you certain that she might be helpful for your case. Most of the others seemed timid, uninterested, bored, or even despite the time, still half asleep. But not this girl, who seemed to be measuring you just as acutely as you were doing to her.

She gave nothing away during the group discussion, though, answering your questions as benignly as the others. You were getting ready to tell them that they could go unless any of them had anything more to add in private, when your wrist comm beeped with an incoming transmission from Vayne. “Excuse me for just a moment,” you asked of the students. “I’ll get you out of here soon, I just need to take this.”

None of them seemed to care, probably because the longer they sat there, the more likely it was that they would be given permission to miss their next class back on campus, so you stepped out into the hall to answer. Twisting the dial to the holo setting, you waited for Vayne’s small, projected image to emit from the device. “Sir,” you greeted him.

“Fagan. Have you finished speaking with the students? I want to sit in when you go over the footage. You haven’t done that yet, have you?”

And he wants to bust my ass for irregularities? You trained your face into an expression of compliance. “I haven’t done that yet, no. And I’m just finishing up with the students now. I can dial you back when I’m done there, I don’t think it’ll take too long.”

“No need, Fagan, I’ll stay on. If it’s only a few minutes it’s no problem.”

For you, maybe. It’s no problem for you. You nodded. “Alright.” I doubt this will inspire any of them to pipe up, but…

You re-entered the room, thirteen pairs of eyes going directly to the hologram on your wrist. “This is Inspector Vayne,” you informed the kids, gesturing with your free hand. “He works with me.”

You knew that he would hate the implication that you were equals, but you had already established an easy atmosphere and you didn’t want to ruin that by telling them that an authority figure who had even more authority than you did was now listening to their every word and watching them like a hawk. Apart from a nod and a curt hello, Vayne had nothing to add, the room going silent for a few seconds. Clearing your throat, you changed that.

“Right. So, you’re all clear to go unless any of you have anything else to add.”

You directed your gaze to the girl you’d clocked at the outset - Cee, as her name tag said - but she was focused on the hologram, jaw tight and eyes a little wider than they were before. See? She definitely has something to say but this fuck-nugget being here is gonna spook her off. No one said anything, the students casting curious glances around the room to see whether anyone would, but you were far from shocked by that.

“Okay then,” you said with a smile that you hoped would soften the blow of Vayne’s holographic presence. “Thank you all again for coming in today. Your recollection of the timeframe we’re looking at has been very helpful. If any of you think of anything else that you think I should know, you have my contact information and you can use it anytime, day or night.”

As soon as you were done talking, chairs started scraping as the students wasted no time in filing towards the door. You noticed, though, that Cee was doing her best to linger without blatantly appearing to do so, allowing several of her classmates to pass her as she slowly put the flannel she had draped over the back of her chair back on. Once she had, she shot you a pointed look, then looked down at her seat and back up to you. From there she’d made up the tail end of the line, and then she and the rest were gone.

The security guard came in almost immediately, carrying a small, portable screen for you - and Vayne - to review the footage on. As he set up and Vayne made small talk with him from your wrist, you walked around to the other side of the room and took the seat directly next to the one where the girl had all but told you to look. And what you saw there stilled the air in your lungs.

A folded piece of paper that said: DAGGER, with three more gems from the same Aurelac pull as the last ones sitting atop it.

You used your free hand to covertly palm the objects, sliding them into your sleeve while the security footage began to play. It wasn’t until after, when the guard had left and Vayne had ended his transmission and you were alone, that you peeked into your cuff to make sure that the items were still there, and then you excused yourself to the restroom before heading back to the shuttle station.

Securely pocketing the Aurelac in an inner pocket of your blazer - Ezra had shown you that trick ages ago - you opened the note with shaking hands.

I know who you are. We have a mutual friend and we need to talk. I’ll send you a secure link tonight.

It was short and unsigned and your heart slammed at your ribs as more questions than answers started filling your head.

Who the hell is this girl?

How does she know Ezra?

And what in Kevva’s name has she gotten herself into?

You composed yourself, splashed water on your face, and headed for the shuttle. The only thing you could do was file your next report and wait for whatever message was coming.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

She did say any time, day or night, right?

Cee chewed her thumbnail and stared at the message she was about to send you. All it had was a link to a chat, one that she had coded to look like a photo she’d taken at the refinery just in case that stuffy guy from your wrist comm was monitoring your mail. There was no downside to sending it, and it was the only way she could think of to talk to you off the record. Nash was visiting her girlfriend for the night, so Cee had the room to herself and wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her screen. It was now or never, and it had to be now.

She sent the message, and then waited.

Less than ten minutes later, a new window popped open, and she sat up against the pillows in her bed, pulling her laptop closer so she could more easily respond.

Here we go.

_02/06/3096 _LST 09:13:22 PM _YST 10:13:22 PM {PRIVATE CHANNEL SECURED}

{INVITE SENT TO CMI EMPLOYEE 7593}{USERNAME CREATED FOR CMI EMPLOYEE 7593 = “SharpDagger”}

[SharpDagger]: What is this?

[CeeGull78]: I thought this might be a better way for us to talk.

[CeeGull78]: Safer.

[SharpDagger]: How do I know I can trust you? Who are you? What do you want?

[CeeGull78]: How can you trust me? Because I have arguably more to lose than you. That work?

[SharpDagger]: I doubt that.

[CeeGull78]: It’s not a contest, it’s a fact. I’m a student at Cobalt. On a full scholarship. If I get caught I lose both of those things and I end up back where I was: A drifter out in the Fringe forever.

[CeeGull78]: And my name is Cee. We met earlier.

[SharpDagger]: So is this some kind of student prank? The Aurelac? A dare or something?

[CeeGull78]: Skuffing crust-nuggets, lady!

[CeeGull78]: Sorry.

[CeeGull78]: It’s just… No. It’s not a prank. Like I wrote you in that note, we have a mutual friend. I care about him a lot and he seems to really care about you. All I wanted to do was help you both.

[SharpDagger]: How did you get that Aurelac?

[SharpDagger]: How did you get those exact pieces?

[CeeGull78]: He gave them to me. Told me the story behind them and I liked it so he let me have them. I keep them for good luck I guess.

[SharpDagger]: Ezra? How do you know him?

[CeeGull78]: We met on the Green and helped each other survive. Now he’s basically the only family I have.

[SharpDagger]: And he’s alive?

[CeeGull78]: Yes? Why did you think he wasn’t?

[SharpDagger]: Because on record, he’s not.

[CeeGull78]: Well your record is a lie. Which is pretty skuffing shady if you ask me.

[SharpDagger]: You’re sure?

[CeeGull78]: I mean I’m not talking to him right now, but yeah. I’m sure. He’s coming to visit for family weekend.

[CeeGull78]: Do you love him?

[SharpDagger]: Excuse me?

[CeeGull78]: It’s not a trick question and I’m not trying to mess with you. Do you love Ezra? Because it’s clear that he loves you from how protective he got when I mentioned reaching out to you.

[SharpDagger]: I’ve never stopped loving him.

[SharpDagger]: Wait a minute. Cee, how did you find me? My name was changed.

[CeeGull78]: Easy. I got into the PBR database, and then CMI’s. Compared your registration number.

[CeeGull78]: So you didn’t change your name to keep Ezra from finding you?

[SharpDagger]: No, it was changed by CMI. Not my call.

[SharpDagger]: Hold on. Do you mean you hacked CMI? Were you the one who deleted information from one of my reports?

[CeeGull78]: Yeah. I was trying to make sure no one looked at that footage too closely.

[SharpDagger]: Oh, kid.

[SharpDagger]: I guess you didn’t know that the date stamp on those reports changes every time the report is opened, did you?

[CeeGull78]: I didn’t. Crud. Does that mean that guy Vayne knows?

[SharpDagger]: Yes. You cannot do that again. I was able to smooth it over this time because I don’t want him looking too closely, either. I can’t have him know that Ezra is alive or that he’s connected to this.

[CeeGull78]: Why? What happened with you two?

[SharpDagger]: I think I should let him answer that. If he’s like family, I don’t want to tell you anything that might upset you or change how you look at him.

[CeeGull78]: I know who he is. There’s nothing you could tell me that I couldn’t already guess, but I get it.

[CeeGull78]: So will you come see him when he’s here? Can you come back to Lau in a few days? Say it’s for the investigation?

[SharpDagger]: I can’t do that. I can’t contact him while on the job. They’re always watching me. Especially on this case because I have ties to Aurelac.

[CeeGull78]: How can we make it happen, then?

[SharpDagger]: We can’t, kid.

[CeeGull78]: What if I went digging in the records again and saw what they had on him? If they wanted you to believe he was dead, there must be a reason that they didn’t want him on your radar. Or anyone’s, I guess. Does he know something that he shouldn’t?

[SharpDagger]: Kevva fuck it. Why didn’t I think of that? Of course. He knows about the mercs that CMI hires to kill and capture violators that they can’t pin down. He knows because they came for us. He survived, and they didn’t want that getting out. So when they couldn’t find him after that, they reported him as dead.

[CeeGull78]: Woah.

[SharpDagger]: He must be using a different name then, if he’s got a place? If he can book travel?

[CeeGull78]: I don’t know. It’s been the same since I met him. Ezra Silver.

[SharpDagger]: Silver?

[SharpDagger]: That was my nickname for him. Because of his silver tongue and that streak in his hair. And because I always teased him about coming in second to me in our silly little dig competitions.

[CeeGull78]: I told you he loves you.

[CeeGull78]: Are the reports the only things in the CMI database that have date stamps? Like if I go through the records will it leave a trail?

[SharpDagger]: Yes. The reports are the only documents that have that function. But does he know you’re doing this?

[CeeGull78]: No, in fact he told me not to. But he also told me to leave him to die on the Green and I didn’t listen then either.

[SharpDagger]: Oh I can see exactly why he took a shine to you.

[SharpDagger]: This is dangerous though. And like you said, you have a lot to lose. You really shouldn’t.

[CeeGull78]: Look he’s the only reason that I have anything to lose at all. So I’ll risk it if you’re in. Just say the word.

[SharpDagger]: Okay. Just stay out of the field reports. I’ll do what I can to steer Vayne away from this for as long as I can. How long will you need?

[CeeGull78]: I’ll start as soon as we log out here. If I work all night… Maybe a day or two? I’ll message you when I have something.

[SharpDagger]: Be careful. Please be careful.

[CeeGull78]: That’s my middle name. ;)

[SharpDagger]: That was not at all comforting. But I trust you.

[CeeGull78]: Smart. See you soon, Dagger.

_02/06/3096 _LST 09:36:22 PM _YST 10:36:22 PM {PRIVATE CHANNEL CLOSED}

Okay. Cee cracked open a carbonated zinger drink and took a sip before opening a new window on her screen. She adjusted her headphones and selected a playlist, and then got to work.

Let’s see what I can find.

Five hours in, she had found several documents connected to Ezra. The first was the false death certificate that had been filed by CMI with Puggart Bench’s hall of records. There was another that looked like a contract with some mercenaries stationed out of Kren that had been tasked with the kill or capture of both you and Ezra, but she couldn’t be sure because it was written in Krenish, and that wasn’t a language that she was familiar with. I can run it through my translator program though, no problem.

The last thing she found made her stomach sick - a wanted poster, presumably from before CMI decided that simpy killing him on record was enough if they couldn’t actually do it. But it wasn’t the list of offenses that she found so upsetting. She’d known half of those things about him before she even knew his name. It was the fact that Ezra, the man she’d come to care about more than anyone else, the man who cared for her like she was his own kin (That’s exactly what we are, Birdie, she could hear him say) was the one being targeted.

She stared at the poster, that uneasy feeling turning to heavy anger in her belly as she imagined bounty hunters and mercs spread out all over the Fringe, ready to kill him without hesitation.

Oh, Ezra.

She always knew he’d had it hard in life. She never expected that he’d have a two hundred thousand credit price on his head, though, and while there was still more exploring to do in CMI’s records, Cee decided that it was enough for the night. I don’t want to see anything worse than this right now. The translator would take all night, anyway.

Climbing down from the loft, she plugged her laptop in to charge and pulled Ezra’s old flannel on over her t-shirt before climbing back up again with her headphones. Music helped silence her thoughts when they got too loud sometimes, but that night it did little to squat to help clear thoughts of Ezra being hunted. It did nothing at all to stop her from wondering if Damon hadn’t considered going after that bounty back before he started toting her along on every job.

I wish I was home right now. Or that Ezra was here.

Tears slipped from her eyes, dampening her pillowcase as she finally drifted to sleep.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

True to her word, Cee had gotten back to you less than two days later.

She sent another link, this one disguised as blueprints and specs from the Glossoil pump where she’d left the original pile of Aurelac gems. But when you clicked it, it opened as a packet of documents that Cee had downloaded from CMI’s classified database.

A wanted poster that you’d never seen but that made you gasp and cover your mouth. Look at him. Look at what they tried to do to him.

The false death certificate, which you had seen before but was just as painful to see again. Even though I know he’s not… Kevva, Ezra, I shouldn’t have believed them. I’m so sorry.

And the most damning piece of information by far, the fully translated contract that had been put out on both of you, all for the high crime of digging on sites that Central Mining had already abandoned commercially. This is… This would cause big waves. Especially because we can’t be the only ones they put contracts out on.

The last thing was a note written by Cee that she’d uploaded instead of putting in the body of the message.

Dagger,

By the time Ezra gets here this weekend, I’ll have more documents to send you. Proof of more shady crud that CMI tried to hide. Will that be enough to go public? Or at least to get them to let you out of all this? If so, come to Cobalt Academy this weekend. Say you’re visiting a student for family weekend if you can’t say it’s for your case. We can all go public with it together. And you and Ezra can finally see each other again.

Don’t reply.

-Cee

A sudden flicker of adrenaline turned into a flood as you considered that you might only be days away from seeing him again. From being in his arms again, maybe. Or I might be only a couple days away from being responsible for his death, my imprisonment, and Cee being left to the Fringe. You let out a slow, shaky breath. No. This is going to work. We’ll finally be together.

You saved the documents that Cee sent you to an external drive and slipped it into your smuggler’s pocket, then deleted the hidden documents and saved her message to the folder labeled “Cobalt Bay”, since anyone else who looked at it would only see the spec sheet she’d programed it to read as, and then you headed home to pack for a weekend trip to Lau.

The most important weekend trip of my life.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And we had our faces done with paint made from crushed Myllock shells, so it glowed all night long, and-”

Ezra beamed at Cee as she and her roommate regaled him with the stories they’d brought home from the previous weekend’s Myllock festival. The celebration of Lau’s most famous fauna, the bioluminescent cephalopods that were responsible for giving the planet its bright blue glow from space, was one of Lau’s most important annual cultural events. It had also been one of the things that Cee had been most excited about when she had been accepted into Cobalt Academy. Hearing that she’d been able to realize that wish alongside her desire for a formal education filled him with happiness.

She has finally found a place to spread her wings.

The three of them were sitting on the ledge of a large fountain in the center of Cobalt Academy’s quad, sun shining through the spray of water, breeze ruffling the reed grass surrounding the campus and playing with their hair. It was brisk, a reminder that cooler weather was right around the corner, but Ezra felt nothing but warmth.

Eventually, Nash received an alert on her comm device, telling her that her parents had just arrived, and she excused herself to go meet them. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Silver,” the girl said through a grin. Turning to Cee, she continued. “Maybe we can all go out for dinner tonight? You guys and my parents and I… I could see if Shay wants to come?”

“That sounds delightful, Nash,” Ezra answered.

But Cee responded differently. “Maybe,” she said with a soft smile. “Sounds nice, but maybe tomorrow?” She shrugged, rolling her eyes in Ezra’s direction. “Haven’t seen this one in a while. Kinda want to catch up tonight.”

Nash grinned. “Yeah, tomorrow works, too. You guys have fun. I’ll catch you later, Cee!” With that she was off, jogging towards the campus gates, long braids swinging side to side with her movement.

“Well now, Birdie, I do believe when last we spoke you called me a sap.” Ezra raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t keep from also raising his mouth in a slight smirk. “It seems that the tables have been turned.”

Cee shrugged and tried to keep a straight face. “Whatever.”

Ezra laughed, the sound carrying across the quad. “Alright then. What would you like to do next, hmm? You mentioned that you wanted to give me a tour of the computer lab, did you not?”

The girl closed her eyes and gave a dismissive shake of her head. “Yeah, but… tomorrow.” She sighed. “Right now I just want to sit here and-” She turned to look at him. “Just talk.”

He tilted his head and gave her a small nod. “We can do that, Little Bird. I imagine that you have got that list of questions we spoke of ready to go?”

She looked over his shoulder then, sucking in a breath as her eyes went wide. “Actually,” she said, bringing her gaze back to meet his, chewing her bottom lip. “There’s one more person we should talk to.”

“Another friend? Someone who-”

And then he heard it. The undeniable, soul-moving sound of your voice speaking his name, cutting deep into the center of his heart. Dagger?

Mouth dropping open, he spent half a second giving Cee a questioning look, then slowly turned towards where he’d heard your voice. When he saw you standing there, dark glasses covering your eyes and a scarf tied around your head to hide your hair but still unmistakably you, he felt his lungs go empty and his heart stand still. It’s… she’s… He stood slowly, vaguely aware of Cee also rising to her feet.

“Ezra,” you said again, a warble in your voice this time as you reached up to remove your glasses. “Oh, Kevva, Silver, it’s you. It’s-” You took a step closer, Ezra doing the same. “I-”

He said your name then, reaching for you but holding back. Your eyes had fallen to the abrupt end of his right arm, and he saw them fill with shock. Of course. He swallowed hard, trying to get his heart back into his chest instead of clogging up his throat. Of course that would give her pause. Its-

But to his complete and utter surprise - which he realized, once he was able to access the rational part of his brain, where the memory of how deep your love had always run was kept - you were not deterred by his missing limb, nor did you give him a pitiful frown or treat him as though he were made of glass. Instead, you rushed forward and wrapped him in your arms, one going around his neck and the other slipping beneath his right arm. He immediately reciprocated your hold, his palm flattening against your shoulder blades, and when he felt you take a shuddering breath, he brought you even closer to his chest, bowing his head down to press his cheek against your temple.

How is this possible?

“Are you really here?” He took a breath and flexed his fingers. “Is it truly you?”

He knew it was. He knew it was you. Felt it in his bones, in his blood, in his very soul. But he had to ask anyway, had to hear you confirm it. Because he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how you were here, how he was breathing you in and feeling your heartbeat against his chest.

“It’s me, Ezra,” you replied, nodding without pulling away. You were crying, he could hear it in your words and felt your tears dampen his shirt. “I’m so sorry it took me so damn long.”

At that you both let out huffs of laughter - incredulous, effervescent, tear-tinted laughter - and he put enough distance between you to look into your eyes and swipe the wet skin beneath them with his thumb. “All is forgiven, Dagger.” You brought one hand up to the side of his face, your fingers sliding over the thin, curved scar there. “For there was never anything to forgive. Not for you. I am the one who failed to protect you. I’m the one who-”

But you stopped him, in the best possible way, by pressing your lips to his in a lingering kiss. “You didn’t fail me, Ezra. You never could.” You kissed him again, then rested your forehead against his. “We were ambushed. Outnumbered. I never-” You sighed, closing your eyes and shaking your head. “I never blamed you, Ezra. Never.”

He was about to respond when Cee cleared her throat, stepping closer to where the two of you stood and crossing her arms. “This is super heartwarming and all, but I think we should move it inside.” To you, she said, “Your disguise is nice and all but if you were followed, we shouldn’t be out in the open.” Turning to Ezra, she smirked. “Plus, everyone’s staring. You two are like maxing out on PDA right now and-”

Ezra chuckled, releasing you to ruffle the girl’s hair. “Point taken, Birdie.” He frowned at her then, but the expression didn’t hold because he was far too overjoyed to even fake it. “Though I do remember telling you not to interfere here,” he cocked his head towards you, “I am very glad that you did not listen.”

She scrunched her nose. “I knew you would be. Now c’mon.” She sighed. “We have some things to discuss and some shady skuffing stuff to blow wide open.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was summer when the three of you moved into the dune house in Sand Harbor.

And it was the best summer of your lives.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

thank you for reading!

tags: @something-tofightfor @alraedesigns @pheedraws @shoopidly @fific7

@valkblue @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @cannedsoupsucks @tobealostwanderer @paracosmenthusiast

@gracie7209 @dihra-vesa @marauderskeeper @novemberrain221 @littlemisspascal

@mishasminion360 @stevie75 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson

@harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @thescarletfang @trickstersp8 @imtryingmybeskar

@wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @pedro-pedrito-pascalito

@jedi-in-crocs @anoverwhelmingdin @chiyo13 @myloveistoolittle @spishsstuff

@noisynightmarepoetry @Severin-proud @Vickie5446 @jessthebaker

#jolapenosdearuary #writing challenge #ezra prospect #ezra x f!reader #ezra x you #ezra x reader #cee prospect #prospect fic #pedro pascal character #pedrostories

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darksturnioloqueen · 5 months ago

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Sadistic!Matt x Belt

**This Fic Series will NOT be for people with triggers. This Fic Series will have very descriptive moments of Sadism.**

Sadistic (Sadism - The Act Of Being Sadistic)

Deriving (getting) pleasure from inflicting (causing) pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.

Please Read At Your Own Risk.

⚠︎Trigger Warning: dark web, girl getting cut, blood, getting edged, buying a submissive, getting hit with a belt (obvi), some rough fuckery, lastly being choked unconscious with (you guessed it) a belt⚠︎

Matt was restless. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to find something to help with the constant images flashing through his mind. He had been watching basic porn for the past hour. He slowly became erect, and then he fell flaccid again. After repeating this process enough times, he knew that the fake moans were not going to suffice. He opened his laptop and sat down bare-ass on the seat. He turned on his VPN blocker and connected his headphones. With his headphones on, he opened up his special browser. He typed in the one-time use code to allow access for thirty minutes. He was in. The dark web. He was no stranger on here. He went to his favorite porn site. It wasn't basic. He clicked on what was happening live right now. A girl tied to the bed. She was terrified. He felt himself twitch. He sat back and got more comfortable. A man in all black appeared, and the girl started screaming. Matt grew harder. He had a knife and lightly touched her thigh. Matt could feel flutters rush to his tip, swelling his penis. He wrapped his hand around it and started stroking it.

"Please, no. Stop!" She begged and cried. Matt pumped harder. The man with the knife used the pointed tip to cut a small seam into her breast. The blood ran down her chest. She screamed in excruciating pain and fear.

"Fuck." Matt's head flung back as he listened to her terrified cries. He could feel his orgasm reaching its peak. He needed more, though. "Fucking cut her." He yelled at the screen. His headphones amplified her pain in his ears. "Yes." He pumped himself hard. He was almost there. He looked at the screen, and just as the man raised the knife to cut her again, it timed out. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" He slammed his fist down on the desk. It was his own setting he coded into the program to make him more challenging to detect. But here it was, ruining his perfect orgasm. He sighed and felt himself start to go limp. "Edged. How wonderful." He muttered. He clicked back on and scrolled, trying to find the live stream he just had, but it was already gone. He received a message. It was from the creator of the livestream. It was a link to a dark web forum. He knew he didn't have to hesitate because his computer was completely safe from any potential hacking or tracking. Besides, if someone hunted him down, he'd be excited about it. Finally, getting to hurt someone would probably relieve the build-up he just made inside his balls.

He clicked the link, repositioned his headphones, and watched the page load. It contained several profiles, but there wasn't much context as to what the profiles were for. He clicked a random girl with long, sleek black hair. Her stats made it seem as if she was a model. He clicked another one, a different girl with the same layout. He scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page.

"In submission, there is power."

His eyes widened, and he realized what he had just been sent. This was a page for paid submissives. He started looking at the profiles harder. None of them really appealed to him. Of course, he liked his girls petite and easy to dominate. He kept clicking profile after profile. Some of them were really expensive, and others were so cheap that he wondered how clean they would even be. He grew tired of trying to find his perfect girl and decided to pick one he didn't care about. After all, wasn't he just going to torture her anyway? He then changed his thinking and looked for the opposite girl to his taste. There you were, all pink and lacey. He hated it. He clicked your profile and smirked. "Stupid bows." His judgment was based on the fact he felt like it was all just for show. No one dressed or looked like this in their daily life on purpose. He clicked the purchase button. There were several ways to purchase you. He clicked on the credit card option and prepaid. He felt himself twitch. He was excited to be the guy with the knife from the livestream. His message bar pinged.

When do you want to meet up?

He was surprised that your response was almost immediate. His fingers tapped his keys without typing. He wasn't really sure how to answer.

Now?

He waited for your response, hoping it was what he wanted to hear.

Brixton Hotel Room 238

Matt jumped up and grabbed his jeans, which still had the belt looped through them. He didn't care that they had already been worn for the day. He was going to need them off when he was with you anyway. He drove to the hotel with his anticipation growing along with his nerves. He knew the dynamic a dominate and a submissive had, but that wasn't him. That wasn't what he wanted, what he needed. As he neared the hotel door, he tried to figure out how to explain his intentions. He knocked on the door. Once you opened the door and he looked at you, his apprehension disappeared. Your hair was down and wavy. You had taken them out after the last guy tugged on them and ruined their sleekness. Matt stepped in and closed the door. He turned to see you sitting on the bed, waiting for his direction.

"So you just do anything I want?" he asked, wanting to make sure this wasn't some sick prank or, worse, a setup.

"Yes." You nodded slightly. He walked over and stood before you, taking your stature in. You were the perfect size for him to dominate.

"Take it all off." You stood up and were inches in front of him. You stripped everything off. You looked up at him. This guy was different, as you could see. He was younger than most, possibly your age. He didn't look like he knew what he was doing, but looked like he knew what he wanted. It was attractive. "Bend over the bed." His voice was cold. Something was flipping in him. The control was starting to taste good. You bent over the bed, bracing yourself for his penetration.

Thwack.

Your toes curled, and you arched your back.

"Oh my god." You yelled out. You looked back to see him with his dick in his hand. In his other hand, he held the leather belt once looped in his now discarded jeans. He flicked his hair to the side and smirked.

"Back down." You were wet. The sting from the belt slapping your bare skin was tingling your clit. You happily laid back on the bed. Now, knowing what to expect, you bit your lip, already wanting to moan.

Thwack. Thumbp.

He smacked you twice this time.

"Agh fuck." You heard him moaning. You were starting to understand he liked it rough. You were excited about this time—finally, someone to understand what you wanted.

"Are you just going to hit me?" You asked. It wasn't very submissive of you, but you could tell he wasn't following basic rules either. He was different.

"No." He pressed up against you on the bed's edge and slipped into you with ease. He was taken aback by how wet you were. Instead of being distracted, he grabbed your hair and shoved your face down into the mattress. It was hard to breathe. You moaned, muffled by the fabric being sucked into your mouth. He started thrusting into you. He felt different. He felt better than the others. Maybe it was because you were wet this time, but either way, he felt good.

"Oh god." You immediately felt terrible for being loud. You aren't supposed to be loud.

"Louder," he demanded. You gave him what he wanted. He groaned and pulled your head up. "On the bed." You crawled on the bed, and he rested his knees on the mattress to align in the perfect doggy-style position. He let go of your hair, and you let your head fall.

"Harder." You begged. You wanted him to hurt you. He rammed his hips into yours and gripped your sides, pushing and pulling your body opposite of his to make the collision hurt more.

"Fuck!" He yelled out. This was better than any porn he could have watched tonight. There was only one thing missing: more pain. He needed to hurt you. He didn't have a knife, but he had his belt. There was no way he could smack you with it in this close proximity. He grabbed the belt in his hand and slowed his thrusting to focus on the metal clasp.

"Wha -" You barely turned around to see what he was doing before you felt something choke the words before they could form. It tightened and constricted your air. Your neck was tugged backward to force you to look at the same ceiling you looked at earlier.

"Fucking choke." He demanded. You made involuntary gurgle noises as the last little breath came squeezing out. He continued to pound into you while your body started going limp; the only thing holding you up was the leather necklace he made for you. You felt it. Your body shivered, and your walls released all the cum building up. Matt felt your body's pulse and followed. As soon as he was done filling you up with his enormous load, he let go of the belt, but it was too late. Your head was fuzzy, and you fell onto the mattress, deprived of oxygen. Matt, unsure of what he had just done, put his clothes on and left you lying there.

#sadistic!matt ⚠︎#sadistic!matt x masochistic!reader ⚠︎#masochistic!reader ⚠︎#sadist kink #sadistic #bd/sm sadist

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untoldstar · 1 year ago

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male!yandere hacker x fem! reader

warnings: reader being watched from their webcam without their knowledge, nsfw content, obsessive behavior and infatuation, stalking, readers privacy being breached.

hey! I'm sure someone will find this hot but this is your reminder to stay safe and be careful. It's super easy for someone to watch you at any time. This might be a silly lil post but this is a real thing that happens so stay safe loves and cover your webcams.

yandere hacker! Who simply stumbled upon your webcam one day having done this a million times before, honestly how do people still allow themselves to be so vulnerable like this? it's laughable.

He doesn't care for their files or their credit card information and he isn't selling the footage on the dark web or anything he's just..bored to put it plainly.

yandere hacker! Who watches you do mundane ordinary things, he sits there for hours watching you listen to music, watching your favorite series, type out your essay that's due for next week, he finds himself focusing on how you bite your lips when you're concentrating on the events unfolding on your screen or how you furrow your eyebrows and don't take your eyes off your screen for a second as the words flow out of you when your typing out you essays.

He hacks into your files to read what you write, sometimes sneaking in a small edit of his own on your work hoping you don't notice.

He accesses your monitor so he can feel like he's a part of your routine, bringing his own snacks as he watches your movies with you, reading your texts with your friends, listening to your playlist with you. He only took notice of his growing obsession for you when he realized he hadn't hacked into a single webcam since seeing you. He felt it was really getting bad when he'd find himself spending hours on end at his desk simply staring at you until his eyes became dry and blood shot.

When you're not doing anything particular on your computer he still keeps your webcam on his screen monitor as he goes about his day so that whenever you use your computer he knows immediately.

yandere hacker! Who never used his skills for perverted reasons, he didn't watch webcams to catch a girl changing or find some dude jacking off to porn. That didn't interest him in the least. But when he glanced at his monitor and caught a glimpse of you lifting your shirt over your head, your back facing him, he just couldn't look away, his eyes were glued to his screen. A small tiny voice in his head prayed that you'd turn around even if just for a moment.

He internally thanked god when a ding sounded from your computer, the notification showing up on the corner of his screen as well and for once he found your friend actually useful.

You turn around and walk to your screen bending down and squinting your eyes slightly to read the message and he feels his dick hardening, a visible tent forming in his pants.

It starts to become a habit. A routine even. Watching you get out of the shower, hair still dripping wet, skin glistening and flushed from the hot water. You remove the towel from around your body and chuck it at a nearby chair, starting with your routine by applying your body lotion and oil and that's when he starts getting comfortable in his desk chair and slowly unzips his pants. His favorite part is just about to start.

Wet lewd sounds and heavy breathing fill both of your rooms, he was pleasantly surprised when he discovered that you occasionally like to take care of yourself after having a shower and soon enough he joined in too.

He pants as his hands move quicker around his cock matching the pace of your fingers moving in and out of you, biting back his moans so he can hear yours clearly. With a shaky hand, he reaches over to his mouse and raises the volume. Your moans and whimpers echo loudly from his monitor.

He finds himself liking being a part of your activity here too, he edges himself waiting until you're close so you can both come together. After the first few times, he started recognizing your body's signals, your whimpers become a pitch higher, your pace becomes more sloppy and desperate than steady, too focused on chasing your high, and your hips start meeting your fingers halfway.

His head falls back and he lets out a loud moan as you both come at the same time. Both your hands slow down and your chests rise and fall as you catch your breaths and he feels a warm twisted feeling bloom inside his chest, the way you're both in sync makes him feel like he's there with you, touching you with his fingers inside you instead of your own.

The fog inside his brain clears up and he looks down at his lap to his cum leaking and covering his hand. He feels perverted like he reached the highest level of intrusion. These feelings always swirl around his chest at moments like this but they always go away as quickly as they come because he knows he can't stop.

You're just too sweet, and you seem to have fallen right into his hands and he's not letting you go.

#yandere oc #yandere blog #yandere hacker #male yandere hacker #fem reader #yandere hacker x reader #yandere x reader #obsessive yandere #male yandere #yandere fanfiction #AGAIN pls be careful #yandere hacker x fem reader

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casandaxel · 10 months ago

Note

The next time Axel appears in the Theater, he was watching a movie with Laertes. Back to the Future. They’d had to steal a computer to get access to a screen, and it took at least two hours of hard work to get the thing on, but they figured it out eventually.

Laertes doesn’t like the thunderstorm in the beginning- tried their best not to growl at the noise, really did. The fistfight scene probably wouldn’t have been any better.

But it’s just as it’s about to start that Axel isn’t in his living room. He’s somewhere Else entirely.

@laertesthelocalstranger

Axel startled, before looking around and realizing exactly what happened. He sighed, groaning in annoyance. Again? “I was with Laertes! This is her domain!” He shouted into the audience. It’d been a while since he last found himself in this place. The break was nice. He nearly forgot about how terrible the theater felt. How on edge he was when simply feeling the lacquered wood under his feet. “Why?”

#tma rp #axel #axel gets trolled by eldritch deities

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justheretodump · 8 months ago

Text

this is going to be dc x danny phantom x miraculous ladybug x spiderman

pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

for those who aren't familiar with every show, here's a lore explanation

---

when marinette had reached out to cat blanc, her heart bled with conflict. she had been wrong to give adrien the gift, wrong to use her powers for selfish reasons. regret coursed through her veins, sadness clouded her face with tears, and hatred brewed at the man gabriel agreste chose to be. her last visage was that of cat blanc kneeling in pain and her heart hurt for him.

---

peter parker had not survived his encounter with the vulture on the beach. he had enough time to tie the man up but amongst the scattered debris and plane cargo on the sand, he had slowly fallen to one knee, and then the other, before slumping forward with a last breath.

his only thought was that may parker would have dinner alone, and what kind of nephew was he to miss family dinner?

---

red robin did not trust many people. his family and his titans, undoubtedly. in a professional capacity, a few of the justice leaguers and close colleagues like gordon. outside of that, he tended to tread with caution. like every robin before and after, it was hard to refuse batman's particular brand of paranoia. dick had always stood out by sometimes (the key being sometimes) refusing bruce's hardheaded wariness. jason had the emotional intelligence of a pumpkin, though he would cooperate with "untrustwrothy allies" just to spite bruce. it fell on to tim, then, to be a carbon copy of his mentor. c'est la vie, and all that.

when batman received a call from constantine asking for technological help, red robin eyed the comm warily. justice league dark needed every member available due to the recent ghost cases and the australian running off had been bad timing.

"batman," the man's voice was serious and fast-paced in the echo of the cave, "jazz called from illinois, the call cut out, bad signal or something. she was panicking. i need you to try and trace it."

batman hadn't needed to say anything, red robin had already begun to search for all state phone towers emitting a weird signal.

"springfield isn't turning up anything."

"no, no," constantine denied bruskly, "she mentioned another place, amity park. i don't know where the fuck that is, she's never talked about it."

oracle, from her corner of the computer wall, piped in, "jazz fenton was transferred to springfield's house for wandering girls when her family passed away in a house fire in amity park."

"why would she visit her family house after all this time?" batman mused.

"well," barbara continued, "says here the house was passed to her name when she came of age. maybe she finally wanted to check on it."

"she wouldn't just leave," constantine pressed, "she was obsessed with the ghost cases we've got going on."

red robin stopped his typing to read the silenced comm link blaring at the edge of the screen. "batman, we've got zatanna online."

"oracle, patch her through."

while zatanna spoke to oracle through her headset, red robin frowned at the messages on the terminal. signals across the town were poor, barely enough to reach springfield. anything further than that was a miracle connection. citizens would have to direct all communication to springfield before accessing the wider world. red robin tried pingponging the signal to other stronger towers but they were incompatible. his frown deepened. what obscure provider did they contract for the town?

"batman," oracle called, voice steely, "we've got news about arabia.

the pit disappeared."

---

"superman," spoke red robin's voice through his earpiece. clark winced. sudden calls with no warning were the bats' specialty, no matter how disliked it was.

"hello to you too."

"busy in metropolis?"

clark stared from his place in the sky at the traffic jam on the expressway. he shrugged, "no, not really."

"great, i'm sending you coordinates to jazz fenton, she works with the jld. 45 minutes ago her call to constantine cut off. it's the first time she's talked to him in two weeks, gone missing somewhere in illinois."

clark darted through the air, red robin's no-nonsense voice cluing him in on the severity of the situation. he didn't know jazz fenton nor constantine very well, but a fellow hero in need of help was always an important matter.

he zoned in on the blinking dot of his wrist watch - a justice league perk from the bat himself.

"any idea what i'm going to get?"

"not really," red robin drawled, "all we know is she sounded like she was in a panic. the location isn't hers, it's her phone signal before it cut off."

"alright, be there in 5."

---

tucker foley blew a bubble with his gum, letting it pop in boredom as he walked down the sidewalk. it was a sunny weekend afternoon, and the record store had sold out of chappell roan albums already. probably paulina again. he couldn't be too mad, it was probably the lesbian gods favoring an actual lesbian.

the town was a bit more busy than usual. it was thanksgiving week and all the out of state family members were passing by to reunite.

nobody in the hustle of the square really stood out; there went the baxters arguing about how many potatotes were needed for dinner, and mr. lancer with his new partner (a boston dentist, mrs. babette had whispered over the grocery aisle last week).

pulling out his phone, he dialed sam. they were meeting later tonight, but tucker felt it was important to pass on that the dentist was wearing gothic clothing.

just as sam muttered a clipped "what do you want?" from the receiver, two very strange things happened before tucker foley.

one, a weird object whizzed through the air, too fast for the naked eye to fully figure out. tucker thought it was superman, which would've been pretty cool, but it was probably a fighter jet from the nearby base. they'd never taken their jets out before, but what did tucker know about military operations?

secondly, and perhaps the most important one, was a flash of ginger hair out of the corner of his eye. he turned to look, and the figure hurrying down the street made his breath catch. distant memories of a boy's laughter rang in his head as he watched jazz fenton, older and looking harried, basically speedwalk with her phone in hand.

he choked as he swallowed his gum.

"sam," he whispered, the girl replying with a worried "tucker?"

"sam, i think i just saw jasmine fenton."

#dc x dp #dc x dp crossover #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #miraculous ladybug au #peter parker in gotham #batman #dc #danny phantom

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animationnut · 12 days ago

Text

Stealth, Cunning, and Cupcakes

Day 9: Any Other OWCA Agent

All right the prompts are beyond late at this point but luckily it's always Phineas and Ferb Spirit Week in my heart.

Ao3 link here!

...

For Peter, a successful mission requires a solid plan. When Pinky needs rescuing from a mission gone wrong, Peter does some recon. Two things become very obvious.

The goons like Fireside Girl cupcakes. He needs a distraction. And he just happens to know a Fireside Girl.

...

Peter the Panda reclined against the pink cushions of his computer chair. Unlike most evil scientists, his nemesis didn’t have a scheme every day, which meant he often had office shifts. He didn’t mind working alongside Admiral Acronym’s desk agents, but the task he’d been assigned that afternoon was horribly boring.

He was on monitoring duty, which meant combing through the transactions made by his division’s evil scientists. Whenever he came across anything suspicious, he flagged it, and Carla would compile all flagged items and the evil scientist who purchased them into a report for Acronym. The problem was that there was a fine line between suspicious and weird, and every single evil scientist in their database was weird with a capital W.

He was in the midst of debating whether or not an order for two hundred bottles of ghost pepper hot sauce was evil or weird when the interior of the computer lab was drenched in bright red light and the monitors vibrated with the force of the blaring S.O.S. alarm.

One of their own was in serious trouble.

Peter raised his wrist and tapped on the emergency alert flashing on the screen. Pinky’s agency headshot blinked on the display, followed by his last known coordinates. He accepted the rescue mission and the lights went back to normal, and silence fell.

Agent F, sitting three computers away, frowned in concern. “Do you want backup?” he croaked.

It was very rare for the S.O.S. alert to be triggered in Danville’s O.W.C.A. headquarters. Peter understood Frederick’s concern, and while worry twirled in his gut, he was very good at remaining calm and collected. He took a breath, easing back the knot of anxiety, and stood.

“I’ll call for backup if I need it. Can you please look up satellite images of the coordinates and sent them to me? As detailed as possible.”

Agent F nodded. “You got it.”

Peter hurried to his lair and powered up his black and white hovercar. It made less noise than the jetpack, and he always believed stealth was key to mission success. The roof parted open, letting in streaks of sunlight, and he flew into the warm afternoon air.

He typed the coordinates into his GPS and followed the twisting red trail that was produced. After several minutes, the suburbs and cityscape of Danville disappeared, replaced with rolling green fields and dark clusters of trees. Nestled amongst the greenery were cabins, acres apart, and Peter frowned.

Agents were only aware of their own respective missions. Peter knew Pinky’s nemesis was Professor Poofenplotz. But a lair deep in the wilderness, without indoor plumbing, was not at all her M.O.

Peter landed his hovercar amongst the trees, hiding it within the foliage. Agent F had sent him the requested satellite images and he leaned against the trunk of a pine tree, studying the pictures carefully. He was about two football fields away from Pinky’s last coordinates, which appeared to be one of the cabins tucked in an alcove of trees.

The cabin was made of dark wood, two stories high, with arched windows. It seemed the cabin was built into a hillside, and there was a long wooden staircase leading to the front door. The cabin seemed to be quite a distance from the dirt road. There was only one access point by vehicle, but Peter mapped out a route through the thicket. He sprinted over emerald leaves, jumped over gnarled roots, ducked under low-hanging branches, and side-stepped pointy rocks.

He reached the edge of the road a few miles from the slope that led to the cabin. He looked right and left, but the road was silent. He darted across, quickly taking cover within the forest once more, and made tracks in the direction of the cabin.

When the tip-top of the cabin’s roof was within view, he scaled the tallest tree he could find. When he was high enough to have a perfect view of the sprawling compound, he activated his goggles, which slid out from the seam of his fedora.

The green lenses pinpointed every heat signature on the property. He immediately focussed on the Chihuahua-shaped red blob and switched over to X-ray vision.

Pinky was chained to a wall, but he had regained consciousness, and Peter sighed with relief. Pinky’s head was lolling, his eyes half-lidded and full of hatred. From the way his body hung in the restraints, he was weak, and was going to need assistance to escape.

Peter turned his attention to the tall, skinny man with wiry brown hair and Coke-bottle glasses. He was tinkering with some sort of helmet, which had several sharp tentacles coming out of the sides. Frowning, Peter tried searching the database, but there was no picture recognition. Whoever this guy was, he was new.

Talk about making a debut.

As physically-inept evil scientists tended to do, there were several dozen muscled goons crawling around the compound like ants on steroids. All of the windows were barred and the front door, the only door, was blocked by a bald man sharpening a large steak knife.

Peter’s eyes strayed to the fifty or so cupcake wrappers thrown carelessly on the property. They were stuck on branches, crushed into the grass, and floating in the river that cut behind the cabin. He used his goggles to analyze the ingredients and determine what exactly these hired henchmen were gorging on.

Fireside Girl cupcakes.

Peter had two thoughts at the same time. The first was that he knew exactly who he needed to cause a distraction so he could get inside and rescue Pinky. The second thought was that after Pinky was rescued and had recovered his strength, he was absolutely going to murder him. But Peter was fairly confident he could take on Pinky in a fight.

Looks like I’m picking up a recruit from Maple Drive.

…

Squeals of excitement erupted from the Flynn-Fletcher backyard, and judging by the towering purple and yellow spiral structure casting a shadow over the yellow house, Peter figured he knew where Isabella was currently located.

He peeked over the wooden fence, spotting Isabella sitting on a pink lounge chair, toweling off her long black hair. Buford and Baljeet were rocketing down the slip-n-slide, casting a spray of water over Peter as they passed overhead. Peter picked up an acorn, aimed it at the back of Isabella’s head, and chucked it.

“Ow!” Isabella exclaimed. She rubbed the pulsing spot and looked over her shoulder. “What the—?”

She paused as her eyes landed on Peter, who waved her over. She shot a quick glance to make sure Buford and Baljeet were still occupied before darting over to the fence. She hopped it expertly, landing in a crouch next to the panda.

“Hey, Peter, what’s up?” the fourteen-year-old asked.

Peter held out his notebook, where he had prewritten his plan.

Pinky has been captured by an evil scientist. He’s okay! For now. We need to rescue him quickly, and I need you to be a distraction so I can get to him. I can’t promise it’ll go smoothly, but I’ll make sure you’re protected. Will you help me?

The alarm in Isabella’s dark eyes as she started reading turned into a cold fire when she reached the end. “Absolutely,” she said, straightening. “Let me get Phineas and Ferb. They’re inside. Perry got home early—”

Peter shook his head rapidly. Isabella furrowed her brow. “No Perry?” she said in surprise. “Isn’t he, like, the best agent ever?”

He absolutely was. Peter wouldn’t ever dispute that. But Perry was dramatic, sometimes. He used too much force. Peter liked missions to be executed with minimal fighting, as quickly as possible. Rants and monologues? Prolonged fight sequences? Not his thing.

He removed his pen from behind his ear and Isabella peered over his shoulder as he wrote.

This mission is going to require stealth, cunning, and cupcakes.

“Fireside Girl cupcakes?” Isabella clarified. When Peter nodded, her eyes narrowed with determination. “How many do you need?”

How many boxes can you carry at once?

“Oh, honey, more than you could ever imagine,” said Isabella with a smirk. “Let me get changed into my uniform.” Her expression faltering slightly, she whispered, “You promise Pinky is okay right now?”

Yes, but we have to hurry.

“I’ll meet you at the Bonfire Lodge. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

…

Six minutes later, they were flying back to the remote compound in the woods. Isabella’s wet hair was twisted up into a ponytail, which whipped around as they sliced through the summer air. She was in her Bonfire Girls uniform, given to Fireside Girls who aged up to the next branch. The colour scheme was similar, the only difference being the red skirt and red hat. Her sash was draped crosswise over her torso, and sandwiched between her feet and the dashboard of Peter’s hovercar was a monstrous cooler bag.

Isabella could just barely see over it. It contained a whopping hundred boxes of cupcakes, and she had been right. That was more than Peter had imagined any person could carry at one time.

He landed the hovercar a tad closer to the dirt road, knowing time was of the essence. Isabella was out of the vehicle first, slinging her cooler pack over her shoulders. She tucked the taser Peter had given her into the waistband of her skirt and let her shirt fall over it, concealing it from view. The night vision goggles he had also given her were hidden under her hat, and the smoke bombs were tucked into the side pocket of her cooler pack.

Her brow was wrinkled and her fingers clenched the straps of her cooler pack. Peter tapped her leg and, when she looked down at him, he mimed taking a deep breath. She obeyed, closing her eyes and inhaling. She held it briefly and let her breath out in one long rush.

“Okay,” she said steadily. “Let’s do this. But let me make something very clear. If we show up and Pinky isn’t…isn’t all right, I will kill the asshole who hurt him. Do you understand me?”

Her eyes flashed with steel, her voice hard and unforgiving, and Peter felt a shiver run down his spine. For such an adorable teenager, she was terrifying. He nodded and her expression eased slightly.

“Lead the way.”

They cut through the foliage, their footsteps quick and quiet, and Peter admired the ease with which Isabella navigated the terrain. He had heard endless stories from Pinky about Isabella’s talent, especially when it came to nature survival skills. He wasn’t a panda who was impressed by much, but Isabella was earning it in spades. She hadn’t freaked out when he told her about Pinky, she had gone with him into dangerous enemy territory without a second thought, and it seemed like the forest was bending to her will, from the way branches and roots stayed oddly out of her path.

They reached the dirt road and Peter pointed to the right, where the driveway to the cabin was located. Isabella nodded. “Got it. I’ll head out when you give the signal.”

Peter gave a thumbs-up and sprinted across the road. He darted through the forest, tips of branches scratching against his fur as he hastily weaved around them. He breached the property, where the trees became sparse, and the lower-level of the cabin came into view. He hid behind a trunk, made sure he had a clear view of the driveway, and used his watch to project the sound of a sparrow.

It echoed amongst the trees and the goons didn’t pay it any mind. Peter got himself into a fighting position, just in case he needed to launch into action ahead of schedule, and gazed at the driveway.

It took two minutes for Isabella to appear, her smile bright and cheerful, and the goon manning the gate quickly approached her. Peter studied the man’s posture, looking for the tick that would indicate any agitation of aggression.

But his instinct had been spot-on. Isabella’s Bonfire Girls uniform automatically put the goons at ease, and when she unveiled her boxes of cupcakes, the goons hurried towards her, digging dollar bills out of their pockets.

He had a straight path for the cabin, and the door was unguarded.

He moved like lightning, zipping across the grass and up the wooden steps. He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it silently behind him. He took a moment to listen intently, but all he could hear was his own breathing.

He hurried for the basement steps and took them two at a time. He entered the concrete space to see Pinky thrashing feebly in his chains, and his eyes went wide with relief at the sight of his colleague. “Dios Mio, am I glad to see you! This guy is insane!”

“They usually are,” replied Peter, A tiny buzzsaw emerged from his watch and he used it to cut Pinky’s chains. “What happened to you?”

Pinky dropped to the floor, his knees buckling upon impact. Peter grabbed his arm and helped him to balance, putting his arm around Pinky’s skinny shoulders. “Esmerelda is sick today, so Admiral Acronym sent me to investigate a string of thefts of alarm clock batteries. Turns out it was a ruse. Dr. Zenrich—” When Peter looked at him in confusion, Pinky shrugged. “No idea, compadre. I just know his surname and that he’s proper evil. He said that he knows about O.W.C.A., and how we look into the most ridiculous of crimes and acquisitions. When I caught the bozos stealing the batteries, I got hit with some kind of sleep gas. I woke up here, without my watch, and he started telling me about THAT monstrosity.”

He pointed to the metal helmet with half a dozen drills bolted to the exterior. “It’s an information extractor,” said Pinky darkly. “He was going to drill into my brain to get info about our colleagues and their host families.”

Peter, who did not have a host family, but empathized with the amount of pain this revelation would cause, cracked his knuckles. “This is the fun part.”

He grabbed a hammer from the worktable shoved into the corner of the basement. He went up to the helmet and slammed the head against the helmet with all his strength.

ZAP!

An electric current charged through his body and he went sailing back to Pinky. He hastily shook himself off, his teeth chattering and his fur standing on end. Pinky frowned. “He booby-trapped it.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, rushed and panicked, and Pinky quickly removed his gas mask from his fedora. Peter followed suit and positioned himself at the end of the stairs. Green-coloured gas flooded the basement, the sleep gas that no doubt rendered Pinky unconscious earlier in the day.

A shadowy figure appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Peter launched into a flying kick. He hit Dr. Zenrich in the jaw, a satisfying crunch echoing off the concrete. Zenrich cried out in pain, stumbling backwards. Peter went for a punch, his paw colliding directly with his nose, and the back of Zenrich’s head struck the concrete wall.

Zzzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!

Peter experienced a rush of déjà vu as the interior of the basement turned crimson. The alarm blared across the compound and Zenrich grinned maniacally. “There’s a button implanted in my skull, and you just activated it, Panda. You’ll never escape my henchmen!”

Peter jumped onto Zenrich’s head. He gripped the edges of the man’s gas mask and ripped it off. He leapt over to where Pinky was standing, watching warily as Zenrich, with blood pouring from his nose, tried to crawl towards him.

“Give that back, you foul creature! Give—give it…”

He collapsed to the floor, facedown, and Peter reluctantly turned his chin so he would not drown in his own blood. “We have to get out of here.”

“The gas will keep them away,” spoke Pinky. “It’ll dissipate, but until then we can figure out a plan.”

Peter walked several steps away before turning back to Pinky. “Isabella is here. I asked her to be my distraction. She’s outside.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Pinky had stopped computing. His face was frozen, his jaw hanging open, his eyes blown wide. Peter counted to five, and when he finished Pinky exploded with rage.

“YOU BROUGHT MY GIRL HERE?! Peter, I’m going to kill you! She’s—oh mierda. Isabella!”

Peter thought he might try a host family one day. The speed with which Pinky went from being incapacitated to being fueled with adrenaline was fascinating. Barking Isabella’s name, Pinky charged up the stairs, viciously pummeling any goons who appeared in his path.

Peter was on his tail, neck chopping any goon who tried to get back up. They burst out into the summer sun, where Peter stopped in his tracks.

The driveway was filled with thick black smoke. He summoned his night vision goggles, which allowed him to see through the haze. There was Isabella, wearing her own night vision goggles, moving like a dancer and twirling her sash like a ribbon. She used it as a whip, lashing out at the goons who charged blindly through the smoke. The material sliced across their faces, breaking open skin, and as they howled with pain Isabella lunged forwards like a fencer, striking them in the side with her taser.

“WHERE’S MY DOG?” she screamed.

“Isa!” shouted Pinky.

He sprinted into the smoke and Peter followed after him. Together, the three of them made quick work of the remaining goons. When the smoke thinned, Peter retracted his night vision goggles and removed his gas mask.

He gave the property a sweeping glance. All of the goons were on the ground, either unconscious or paralyzed with pain. Pinky was in Isabella’s arms, the fourteen-year-old holding him close to her chest, nuzzling his cheek as he licked her face frantically.

“I’m okay,” said Isabella, her voice choked with emotion. “Are you okay?”

Peter politely looked away, using his watch to summon the O.W.C.A. clean-up crew. The last thing to take care of was that atrocious helmet in the basement. He filled his fedora with water from the river and carried it inside the cabin. Zenrich was still out cold, the blood now drying to the concrete. Peter crossed the basement and poured water onto the helmet.

It immediately began to spark and hiss. It shook violently for a few seconds before exploding, sending bits of metal and wires scattering across the room. Peter dusted off his paws with satisfaction.

Another mission well executed.

He returned to the outside, shaking his head at the sight of Isabella rubbing Pinky’s stomach. Maybe he wouldn’t try for a host family, after all. He just couldn’t imagine being treated in what he considered to be an undignified manner.

“We’re all clear here,” he called, and when Isabella glanced at him, he tipped his hat. “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

“No problem,” she said cheerfully. “I’ll do anything for Pinky. This was actually kinda fun!”

With the intense bliss of knowing his girl was safe and sound from Zenrich and his henchmen having faded, Pinky’s eyes narrowed into slits. He hopped out of Isabella’s arms and motioned in the direction of the road. He took out his O.W.C.A. I.D. card, tapped the logo, and mimed driving.

“The O.W.C.A. forces are on their way and you want me to wave them down?” Isabella asked. When Pinky nodded, she smiled. “You got it, Pinky!”

Peter knew what was coming once she vanished down the driveway. With an expression like a thundercloud, Pinky turned slowly to face the panda, cracking his knuckles. It intimidating, sure, but Peter thought he could take some notes from Isabella’s book on how to be truly threatening.

“You brought my girl into this cesspool, and that pisses me off,” growled Pinky. “But Isa told me your plan, how you equipped her with what she needed to successfully defend herself, and how she was the one who attacked the goons when the alarm triggered, not the other way around. If it were any other agent, I’d never work with them again, and certainly never forgive them. But we have history, and I’m willing to let this go. But listen to me well—you EVER bring my Isa into a mission without my permission again, we’re done.”

“I hear you loud and clear,” said Peter, crossing a paw over his heart. “But if you forgive me, why do you look like you’re about to beat me?”

“Because I am. You’re not getting away from this that easily.”

The mission had gone off pretty much how Peter expected. But he had been very wrong about one thing—he absolutely could not take Pinky in a fight.

#phineas and ferb #pnf #pnfspiritweek #peter the panda #isabella garcia shapiro #pinky the chihuahua #pnf fanfiction #phineas and ferb fanfiction #tw blood #minor violence

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