#I am lucky I never have had to deal with anything for being left handed-say for just regular lefty struggles lol

[dragontamer05]

That said much as I know it's a minor detail that's probably not important in the grand scheme of things I am curious as to like what kind of mind set this world has towards handedness.

Now best case scenario would be assuming since no comment is ever made or brought about it in any context that in FMA or at least Amestris there isn't much discrimination when it comes to being right or left handed and no one gives a shit- which hey that's cool not saying there needs to be.

However on the flip side since FMA is sort of a parallel to our own world and reflecting back a lot of issues that are in our world why wouldn't it be possible for such discrimination to exist as well. Maybe it's quieter/ smaller scale compared to well the big stuff being dealt with focused on Ishval and such.

Not something the people are necessarily vocal on but might get you a side eye or otherwise unpleasant glances if scene. Most that aren't kids having long since learned either to hide and mask being a lefty or through forced teaching into having to use their right.

If you don't want to vocally have it stated just like a scene or two of Ed writing/doing something and having a background character looking at him funny idk

Mostly it's just not a topic or situation I've ever really seen brought up or used any where and think it could be interesting because as wild and dumb as it sounds to discriminate for a dominant hand it happened (happens?)

[afewfantasies]

Lucky Strike 🎯 🎱 - HISTORY- II

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Pairing: Benny Cross (Bikeriders) X Reader

Summary: Benny deals with the personal ramifications of his joyride & learns about the precincts unexpected guest after a night of being in the doghouse with Kathy.

Warning: Mentions of DV and substance abuse. Neither are descriptive or in the current timeline of the story they are reflections of the past.

Word count: 1.3K

Getting to the house felt like it took twice as long while Johnny drive Benny home with Kathy in the back seat and Bruce following behind with Benny’s bike. The tension was getting to be too much for Benny and half of the reason he’d been going on a joyride. He’d grown up in a household that argued and it was why he shut down most times instead of going at it with Kathy. Johnny bids him a farewell with an apologetic look having not time to talk as Brucie puts the keys to his bike in Benny’s hands.

“Come by tomorrow we’ll talk” Johnny says with a serious tone.

“Ok, thanks guys” he nods before heading in with Kathy. He closes the door behind him and heads to the kitchen to find something to eat before Kathy really starts fussing. When it does start Kathy really does lean into it. Her points are valid but it wasn’t like Benny had become a bike rider after he’d met her. If that were the case she’d be on a solid foundation. But she’d fallen in love with an outlaw and then tried to change him. 

“And who was that woman there with Johnny? Never see you fellas with them kinda real fancy women” Kathy snaps. Benny hadn’t returned home to peace but all out war for the stupidity of his deeds and disregard for his lady and the family they were building. Kathy’s words not his.

“I was locked up how should I know?” Benny asks thinking of heading to stay with his father tonight as a means of stilling the argument.

“Fancy broad, all done up” Kathy explains as he gets a cigarette. “No smoking in my house!” She snaps.

“What am I locked up in here too!?” Benny snaps finally.

“You comparing my place to a jail after I just put all I had towards your bail? I’ll be eating from cans for the next two weeks” Kathy snaps.

“I didn’t ask you to do that Kathy and you should’t of if you’d resent me for it” he snaps lighting up as he exits the house. He sees her in the doorway as he revs his engine heading back to his father’s house. The drive is long and allows him to clear his head. When he gets out he sees people up playing cards in the middle of the night and nods a greeting before getting his keys. A foul smell hits him as he enters to find his father in a worse state than last time.

“Hi son” Mr. Cross says to his son.

“Pops” Benny nods heading into his bedroom. Sitting in his room be breathless fresh air opening the window and lighting another cigarette. His eyes hold your old window. No one hand heard anything about you since you’d left with the exception of one letter from your mother to Benny’s with a check for the money she’d borrowed and a note telling her that you and your mom were safe and doing well. There was no return address. Teaching over to his nightstand Benny opens his book of children’s stories to your favourite, a photo falls out. Looking at the old photo Benny smiles at your toothless grin. It was one of very few keepsakes he kept from childhood. The two of you had walked for miles on tiny legs to the fair. One of the carnies took pity on the two of you, fed you and gave you enough cash to do one thing. After an hour of contemplation you both decided on the photograph. It was a miracle you’d survived at all. He couldn’t think of things being any worse for children. 

He didn’t know why his mind was on you that night but people say when you dream of someone they’re thinking about you. Benny was the main character in tonights dream of yours as you reimagined a colourful life for him. Based on the news reports and his new friends. He was so handsome from the picture he gave James Dean a run for his money. Wherever you were he hoped you were happy, hoped things were going well and that one day he could see you again. Tomorrow he would to to see the guys and straighten out everything to do with his bail, then he’d find a way to repay Kathy. Maybe even leave her alone for awhile.

…

Benny feels more eyes on him than usual. Tensing he prays Kathy didn’t carry on too badly about his jail time. He finds Johnny across the room and heads over. Brucie gets up and Benny sits down unnerved, looking at Johnny.

“How fast were you going kid?” Johnny smiles. His demeanour is a shift from Benny’s expectation.

“I don’t know but I’ll pay the club back” Benny says ready to stand up. 

“No need kid, it was taken care of here, have a beer” Johnny says putting one in front of Benny. It’s surprising he’d seen what a bailout could do to the clubs treasury and with so many lately he knew the coffers were probably nearing empty.

“How? Kathy says you called up a woman?” Benny says describing you from Kathy’s recollection.

“Handle your old lady Benny, I don’t need the headache at home.” Johnny snaps. Not wanting the untrue tale to get back to his wife. Johnny hadn’t called you, he didn’t know you.

“Alright” Benny nods sharply.

“Besides, she wasn’t there for me, she was there for you.” Johnny tells Benny.

“I don’t know any women who dress that well” Benny mumbles lighting a cigarette. He’d been underprivileged before he’d become an outlaw. 

“Yeah? Well she knows you.” Johnny responds taking out the two day old paper, handing it to Benny he points to the death announcements. Skeptical at first Benny goes line by line stopping at a familiar name. A man whose death he’d prayed for often as a kid. Emotions overtake him and suddenly he feels like the chair he’s sitting in is unsteady and the clubhouse is spinning around him.

Sitting back Benny recalls the last time he cried. It had been a tearful goodbye because of the very name he was looking at. The two of you were holding onto each others hands for dear life, with fear for the unknown as your mothers pulled you apart. Your mother trying to get you to the car before your dad returned home from 60 days in jail, while Benny’s mother tried to get him back inside. You were only kids and you were both wailing. Your father had gone on a tear and really did damage to your mother before nearly turning on you. It had been Benny screaming into the phone like a void that made the police rush over to avert a homicide. It was the first and last time he called them. He’d been trying to save your life and had lost you anyway. Once separated you both watched each other tearfully until you were no longer in each other’s sights as the taxi cab drove away. The memories flow in and he remembers how powerless the two of you had been. Remembers that you were the only person that ever really fought for him. Swallowing he gets goosebumps, he’d just been thinking of you last night.

“Y/N?” Benny asks, your name carrying with it a ghost of hope.

“Y/N, where’d you meet a dame like that?” Johnny asks making Benny smile.

“You sure?” He can’t hide his excitement.

“I’m sure Benny, she came in all done up” Benny smirks recalling the somewhat wild and unkept child from his memory. “The guys were nearly drooling, she’s a looker with good instincts.” Johnny says. Leaving Benny to ponder those thoughts.

“She married?” Benny asks.

“I didn’t look at her hands” Johnny admits as Benny tries to visualize the new image of you in his mind. He was relieved that you seemed to be alright, thriving and beautiful but his heart hoped against hope that you’d found forgiveness for such a sorry excuse of a man.

“How do you know her?” Johnny repeats drawing Benny from his thoughts.

“Neighbours, as kids” Benny mumbles getting up. “Gotta run” he says getting back on his bike suspended license and all.

________

NEXT CHAPTER

Authors note:

Thanks so much for reading🩵 🎆 ! Don't forget to comment, like and reblog.

FOR FUN i'm curious to see what you think. Respond without reading the other comments:

Where's Benny headed next do you think?

Who's death announcement was in the paper?

Would you bail Benny out no questions asked, no resentment?

Tags: @mrsalwayswrite @ughdontbeboring @astrogrande

[yurinaa-world]

Characters: Housewarden x Gender Neutral Reader

Synopsis: Housewarden With flirty S/o

Warnings: fluff, spelling mistakes, might be ooc

Notes: I am writing for twisted wonderland now!

𝑅𝒾𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝓈𝑒𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈

Who knows how you both got together and how you started dating each other?

He cannot handle your comments at all. like how you say all that and not be embarrassed while he, on the other hand, is all red in the face while lecturing you not to use such words in the land of the queen of hearts.

In return, you tell him, "I don’t see any type of rule that stops me from complimenting the Queen's beauty. You grin ear to ear while he just goes silent. The boy was left speechless.

As you decide to push your luck more than you already have and grab his hands and kiss his knuckles, Ah, what have you done after awhile? He calmed down, but don’t think you're not going to get a lecture after all; he must set an example so you don't do it in public.

But did you listen? Of course you don't want to make him uncomfortable, but he never told you not to flirt in private, and when in private, you do so much more to tease him, something like giving him kisses all over his face or blowing in his ear; such simple things get him so riled up!

𝐿𝑒𝑜𝓃𝒶 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇

He’ll definitely go along with what you're putting out; if you think you can fluster him, you can dream, but it’ll never happen even if you try your hardest.

But who knows if you don’t try? You did many things to see him get all red, but nothing... Nothing; he just returns the energy you gave him, tells you he’s tired, wraps his arms around you, and falls asleep—not the things you wanted out of him.

Well, if words won’t get you the reaction you wanted, then your actions might, so you start to kiss his hand or intertwine your hands and give him a direct kiss on the lips.

He just smirks and somehow makes you go red instead! Leona just laughs at your gaping mouth and your rose-coloured cheeks, but you’ll keep on trying! Since nothing is impossible!

𝒜𝓏𝓊𝓁 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑜

Well, if he can deal with Floyd, then he can definitely deal with your flirtiness.

But once you saw his octopus form for the first time, you knew you had something. Well,  you of course asked him if you could see him in his octopus, and after a lot of convincing, he did!

Well, he was pretty increure about showing this side of himself; he looked so red, and you told him that there was no need for him to be embarrassed; he looked so cute. He told you not to stare, but how could you not?

Azul doesn’t believe you at all, but you really mean what you said; he looks cute! You ask him if you could possibly touch his tentacles; they look so soft and squishy.

𝒦𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓂 𝒜𝓁-𝒜𝓈𝒾𝓂

He’d be pretty chill with your flirting.

not really flirty back, but he doesn’t need to since he’s always making you break with his bright smile and how he calls you beautiful; he does gushes to Kalim about you and how you're so pretty and how lucky he was to get to date you, and Jamil just listens (Jamil's totally Kamil’s wingman).

When you kiss him, he’s on cloud nine; you can see a little blush on his cheeks. He wanted to repay the favor but wanted to make it special, so he took you a ride on his magic carpet and gave you a kiss, which surprised you but you liked it.

𝒱𝒾𝓁 𝒮𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑒𝓃𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓉

Of course he loves your compliments; now he doesn’t blame you for being so madly in love with him; he is the fairest.

He’ll take anything you throw at him, no matter how flirtatious, since he’s a celebrity, but he likes to see you get flustered instead since you look so cute when you get a taste of your medicine.

He’ll grab your chin with his thumb pressing on your lips (if that makes sense). How needy you are to want his attention so badly. He is so generous to do so, but don’t get too greedy.

𝐼𝒹𝒾𝒶 𝒮𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒹

You like SSR in a gacha game where odds are like 5% chance of winning, but he was able to get lucky in just one ten pull.

He can’t handle you; even the most lighthearted comment gets him on his knees and has his fiery blue hair turn pink, but when you tease about it, he’ll mutter about how you're wrong, and he would never be flustered by a normie!

He’ll forgive you if you say sorry, but do you stop? No, what's the point in that? So you keep on going, like distracting him from his games with kisses on his neck. He’s muttering with a bit of blush on his pale skin that you're distracting him, but you want to spend time with him, plus he can play his games anytime.

𝑀𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓊𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒾𝒶

I see Malleus understanding your flirting and going along but also getting confused by some of the things you say since he’s been sheltered for a lot of his life (like the man doesn’t know how to use a phone).

How bold of you, child of man, to say things like this to him without any fear! Call yourself lucky since Sebek isn’t there to scream his head off about indecent behavior in THE Malleus Draconia.

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY KASUMI GOTO *  assorted dialogue from mass effect 2 and 3, adjust as necessary

i swear to god, i didn't touch anything.

in case i don't see you again, thanks. that was a lot of fun.

and the "boxers or briefs" question is finally answered.

there's a certain aura about you. like you've seen things no one else has.

there's no way you're recruiting me to fight in a galactic war.

i wouldn't bring you here if it wasn't dangerous.

this is our stop.

you say the nicest things.

i'm a thief. stealing? it's who i am.

by the way, are you going to call security?

hey, come on. i never get caught.

ugh, i really need to avoid dairy.

you know, twenty years from now, this could be worth a fortune.

all right. i'm in.

nice working with you again.

this place has more money than it knows what to do with.

well... nobody's perfect.

hey, i'm nostalgic, not dead.

i like the seedier towns. they're prettier.

maybe when we're done with the mayhem thing, i could come back and... recover a thing or two.

now stop bothering me!

this is all i have left.

i imagine with all that's happened, old friends are becoming a luxury.

you know what i haven't had in ages? ramen.

come back later. i'm sure i'll have more to talk about.

i'm not really sure what to do with myself.

i'll stay off the grid. no one will know i exist.

well, that didn't go as expected.

we've never seen each other in person.

no one knows what i look like.

if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun.

i always expect trouble. that's why you're here.

we should probably wrap this up.

see you on the ship.

you'd look really out of place at a society party in armor, don't you think?

i was just thinking about you.

i go through everyone's drawers.

[name] won't be able to keep his eyes off you.

getting it back will be easier with your help.

please tell me your password, [name].

good to finally meet you. i'm a fan.

my grandmother used to make the best ramen.

honestly, i'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner.

it's my fault for being hard to find.

i'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. need to watch my step to keep it that way.

i needed to make sure all this was legit.

you're the real deal.

even without knowing what you looked like, i knew it was you.

that's a bit of a story.

they were looking for me, so i trailed them to find out why.

i guess it slipped their minds.

i'm planning to get it back.

you'll get a briefing when the time comes.

i have a way in, and i think you're going to love it.

you'll want to look presentable.

you look great. you should wear this stuff more often.

you have been waiting patiently.

they won't hassle you over a sidearm.

you have excellent taste in underwear.

i thought about living here for a while, but everybody's so tight-ass.

it's all about money to these people.

i do what i do for the love of it. these people do it because they don't know any better.

i'm not a scientist.

this is why i don't put strange liquids in my mouth.

it's a plant!

was i that obvious?

people are talking out there... and i hear it all.

sounds like you two had a nice date.

it's nice to be able to look out a window for a change.

how many bedrooms does this place have?

i'm not really lactose intolerant, i just don't put up with lactose's stupid drama.

there's something about the feel of actual paper in your hands.

[dashofmonsters]

Dreamers & Delusions- Pt. 7

merman x female reader

"Would you like to move in with me then?" Tao asks.

You gape at him in disbelief of what just came out of his mouth before shaking your head, "Wait a second, wait a second... You'd be ok with me living with you?"

"Yes, that's why I asked." Tao confirms.

"Because you know if I agree to this and I move out of my grandmother's, she won't take me back and I can't afford rent in this area even with a double shift at the diner and all," you wave your hand about as you rant your concerns.

Tao nods and reaches for your hands, "You can stay here if you want. I would never, could never abandon a shoal mate."

You know he's being sincere, know that he'd never kick you out or leave you behind. But you're also scared, scared of these feelings that you have for him. He's your friend and you trust him so much that it hurts sometimes.

You want to jump up and say yes a million times over but there's this part of your heart that weeps at the idea of growing closer to someone you've decided is off limits. It would be torturous to stay with him, to be any closer than what you'd allow.

"Let me... let me think about it ok?" you finally say, poking the remnants of your cake slice.

"Oh... uh Of course," Tao stutters, sounding unusually shocked. "It's a big decision, I understand"

"Yup, for sure." you shove the piece of cake in your mouth and try and think of something else to talk about but nothing comes to mind.

There's a stretch of awkward silence that Tao eventually breaks when he takes a sip of coffee and nearly chokes on it. You jump down out of your seat to check up on him but he laughs it off. You can't help but to notice he's a bit dry to the touch, his usually moist and slightly leathery skin feels a bit scratchy.

"Tao, buddy, I think your overdue for a jump into your tank." you poke his arm and he looks down at it with a grimace.

He quickly hides his arm behind his back, his pointed ears have flattened like that of a cat's and he's backed away from me a good few feet.

"Should I not have mentioned that you need to rehydrate? Is that some cultural thing?" you ask.

Tao looks to the hatch and then at the floor and then the closet and then basically anywhere that's not you. He looks visibly uncomfortable and like he might run off at any second.

"Dude, you gotta talk to me or else I'm not sure what to do here." You sigh.

Without looking at you he nods and groans, "It is a cultural thing and it is a bit embarrassing to my kind... I am well hydrated, I just uhh missed a spot when I was scrapping off my dead skin..."

"Ok, no big deal then. Easily fixable right?" you smile at him, hoping that it'll help him be less uncomfortable but he still looks like he's ready to sprint.

"It is indeed a very big deal my friend, please excuse me." Tao dashes off and kicks the hatch open, and before you can say his name he's plunged right in. Water splashes up and around the living room floor and you're left alone.

The house in quiet once more but less awkward. Now that he's gone into the tank you're left alone with your thoughts and you're not quite liking them. If you had your phone you'd be texting Jess all about this, hoping for some sound advice. For the first time in a long time though, you're absolutely alone.

So you do the one thing that's always taken your mind off of anything and start cleaning.

You knew Tao's tiny beach house like the back of your hand since it's a pretty finite space and well organized. Usually he keeps his home spotless but since he rescued you he hasn't been paying much attention to keeping up with his house.

Lucky me, you think as you riffle through the cubbies of cleaning supplies under his kitchen sink.

Tao buddy, your house is about to be attacked by anxiety induced cleaning.

You attack the kitchen first, getting into every nook and cranny you can. At some point you get inventive in order to get the hard to reach spots as intrusive thoughts creep in here and there. A full hour passes and though your fingers are now wrinkled from being damp and your back sore from bending over in ways you weren't meant to, you continue on.

It's not till one of your wounds opens and blood drips that you realized you went a little too hard too soon. You groan and clean the spot off before holding a wad of folded paper towels over it. A makeshift bandage till you can find one of Tao's many first aid kits.

You look under the sink and in the pantry but you don't see high nor low of any band aids or antibiotic ointment. You run down the hall to the bathroom hoping you'll find one in there when you start to feel dizzy. You look down and see that the paper towel is almost all red.

Well that's not fucking good...

You're not one of those people who faint at the sight of blood but for some reason you've never been too ok with seeing a lot of yours exiting your body like this. You do your best to continue your search with shaky hands and a calm mind but your anxiety has other ideas.

Your vision blurs as tears sting the corners of your eyes and you do your best to hold back the pathetic whimpering but you crumple in front of the bathtub and cry as you hold onto your wound.

A small part of you hopes Tao won't find you like this and that you'll be passed out already but the larger part of you is hoping he'll get his tall merman ass over to you ASAP.

In desperation you remove the shirt you borrowed from Tao and start to wrap your arm with it but your hands are too shaky. You curse and cry and then gasp as you feel yourself being lifted up. You don't have it in you to protest until the cold water of the tub makes you yelp.

A soothing hand holds your shaking arm still as the stinging effects of the healing potion bubble along the wound.

"I should have warned you that this only acts as a temporary fix but doesn't completely heal the wound unless you use it a few times a day," Tao rubs his thumb against your hand, his voice is filled with remorse and worry.

All you can do is nod as you attempt to curl your body into a ball, both out of embarrassment for being pretty much naked in front of Tao and ashamed that he's seen you in this crumbled state. Being pathetic from nearly dying out at sea is one thing but being pathetic because you can't handle the sight of your own blood is another thing entirely, at least to you it is.

"You've lost even more blood, you must be exhausted..." His hand slowly leaves yours and pats your shoulder. "I'll be back with a towel and then I'll take you to my nest. Try and get some rest tonight."

Without meaning to, you start sobbing. You're completely inconsolable as you cry into your hands. You feel childish and Tao makes it even worse as he scoops you up into a towel a wraps you up. He holds you close as if you mean the world to him so you cry against his chest. You're a shaking shivering wet hot mess who is crying so hard in the arms of her crush that she starts falling asleep.

Your eyes sting with the salt of your tears and your throat aches from crying but you feel at peace. Like you can finally sleep without having to worry about getting you ass beaten for no fucking reason. You don't feel scared or on edge.

Suddenly the heat from Tao's body is missing and is replaced with a large comforter. He tucks you in and you whimper. He soothes his hand against your cheek and you turn into it and cry some more. You haven't felt this safe in a long long time nor this amount of pain and agony.

You hate to admit it, but you really like Tao... no, you're in love with him and this is going to fucking hurt.

~~~~~~

Your soul nearly jumps out of your body when you wake up to the loud clap of thunder. You jolt up and gasp as you look around in the dimly lit nest room. Your heart is beating a mile a minute and then it nearly stops when a very large hand plops onto your shoulder. It takes you a moment to realize that it's Tao's arm.

It takes you less time then that to realize that you're naked and Tao's large arm is across your body and rubbing up against your chest.

Tao groans and turns up against you as his hand slowly roves down to your hip, pulling you down until he's spooning you. And then, he begins to purr. His large cold hands absent mindlessly roam until one settles on your hip and the other on your shoulder. His mouth is dangerously clothes to your ear and his um... um...

Your mind goes blank because you've dated and you know what morning wood feels like and this... uh... he's either got a very big package or he got two very good size packages.

Right now, you feel as if you're both in heaven and hell being wrapped up in the arms of the merman you've finally admitted to yourself that you're in love with. Unfortunately, he'll regret this because you're not his mate.

You allow this to go on for a few more moments before you start wiggling out of his arms as carefully as you can before locating something you can wrap yourself up in.

With your now strapless blanket dress on you decide to tip toe to the kitchen for a quick midnight snack. You find the soup that Tao had made for you and toss it in the microwave while munching on some chips. Thoughts of the day and years past start to rear their ugly head as you stare at the spinning bowl. All your worst fears and nightmares circling around. You've told yourself you're not meant for love for so many years because if you were no one would have betrayed or left you.

And that's why you hate how fast you fell for Tao. You know he won't betray you or leave you without a damn good reason. He's been blunt and brutally honest with you to the point that it hurts sometimes. You trust him so much and feel so safe with him that it scares the shit out of you.

The soup pops in the microwave snapping you from your deep dark thoughts. You quickly clean up the mess while trying not to burn yourself on the hot bowl. You stir the lukewarm contents before shoving it back into the microwave, this time covered up.

You sigh and turn to head towards the fridge but end up bumping right into the rock hard chest of your heart's tormentor.

Like a bumbling idiot you jump back and nearly trip yourself up in the saddest attempts to gain composure. You obviously failed.

Tao sort of catches you, sort of pins you against the counter. Either way, you're both flustered and awkward.

"I uh... are you well enough to be walking around?" Tao asks as he helps you straighten up.

"Oh um yeah, just a little sore. Mostly hungry," you shrug and nod towards the microwave.

Tao nods his head and for the first time you notice that his eyes are all black. Not a single fleck of gold in them.

"Did you come out here for a snack too?" you ask as you start towards the fridge again.

You barely make it past Tao when he hoists you up in his arms and walks you to one of the bar stools.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad off," you groan as he sets you down.

He glares daggers at you and frowns, "Need I remind you that you're still healing and that your wounds are only temporarily closed."

You want to joke or make some kind of snide remark but the incident is still fresh so you end up just curling into yourself. You gently clutch your sore and bruised arm and turn away from Tao.

Tao's fingers brush against your arm but quick retract when the microwave goes off. He takes the soup out and sets it front of you before going back to grab some rolls and pour you a glass of water.

You stare blankly at your food, your stomach sinking and appetite disappearing. You fidget with your fingers as your eyes start to blur from the heaviness in your chest.

Tao tries to reach out to hold you but you dodge his arms and slide off the chair. You're breathing is a little labored as you crumple to the floor. You needed more time before seeing him again, needed more time to compose yourself so you can continue lying to yourself.

You hear Tao talking a mile a minute, panic in his voice but once again his words are lost on you. You feel him get close so you scramble back, putting some dramatic distance between the two of you.

"Why are you running from me!?" he yells, the panic having evolved to pure distress and confusion. His black eyes are wide and his usually well kept hair is a mess and sticking to his face.

The bottle holding your years and years of pent up emotions finally shatters and without warning you cry out every frustration, every bold face lie you told to keep yourself safe, and every terror you've ever faced.

At some point you jolt up and start pacing circles like a mad woman, ranting and raving about your family, your jobs, your school, basically your whole damn life. You've told Tao bits and pieces but never the whole damn story.

You never told him that you almost died from starvation thanks to your estranged mother's fairy magic drug habits. You never told him how the girls in high school would lock you in the school over the weekends. You never told him or anyone how many times you had to lie, cheat and steal to keep your siblings fed since working in fast food hardly paid enough.

"The worst part is that I thought I finally fucking escaped my shitty ass family only to get tormented by my own grandmother on a daily fucking basis!" You shout, your chest heaving and your eyes now dried and crusted. "Who fucking tells their grandkid that their an overweight piece of shit? Who fucking does that?!"

It was a matter you used to joke about, something that you'd act like it didn't bother you but the truth is that it always got under your skin. You hardly got to eat anything decent growing up and now that you're all grown up you get to eat whenever and whatever you damn well please. It's not like you gorge yourself, but no one, especially your grandmother, should have any fucking say in your weight.

Tao slowly walks till he's right in front of you before crouching down. His hand slides against your cheek and he whispers some sort of spell that soothes the ache in your eyes. You crumble into his arms, truly exhausted now. He gently kisses your forehead before carefully lifting you up.

"You're safe here, you can rest," he tells you, his voice cracking.

You nuzzle up against him and his hold on you tightens. You always felt safe with him, it was an immediate thing. Like the second you met him you had this feeling deep down that you knew you could trust him.

Little by little you drift in and out as he walks you back to his nest room and tucks you back in. You feel him hovering over you before he leans in to kiss your cheek and then your nose. He slowly peppers your face in gentle and soft kisses expect he never kisses your lips. You can't help but to laugh before you sit up just enough so you can quickly steal a kiss from him.

It was meant to be a quick kiss goodnight before you pass out but that low rumble you hear from Tao catches you off guard and you get lost in the moment. He leans into you, holding you close. One kiss turns to two, turns to three and before you know he's lowering you back into his nest, lips still locked.

His large hand cups your face and you feel your heart pounding like crazy as your face heats up. You and Tao have kissed before, but not like this. He's kissing you like he actually likes you, and more than just a friend. He's kissing you like...

You turn your face from him and fake a yawn, "Oh god, sorry... I'm just-"

"Get some sleep," He kisses your cheek and sits up. "We'll talk in the morning."

You smile at him as he gets up and heads to the door. He nervously mentions that he's really dehydrated and it might be a bit before he comes up for air tomorrow. You wave him off and tell him goodnight before rolling yourself up into a ball of blankets and woe.

"I really fucked up..." you grumble as you clutch at your heart.

~~~~~~

Tao:

I really fucked up, I think.

I allowed myself to get caught up in my emotions and fell into her arms. I haven't even told her how I feel nor have I given her the space to heal.

Gods and goddesses I am the absolute worst.

I lament myself as I droop over a pile of rocks. I knew she had a tough upbringing and has issues with he family but I never realized just how much she was hiding. How long has she been suffering on her on?

She laid herself bare, screaming in agony of every sad story no one probably ever cared enough to listen to.

My heart bleeds for her, truly. For I know what it means to be alone in that regards. I had started opening up to her little by little. I never felt compelled to talk about myself but with her I feel safe enough to do so.

Suddenly my heart stops and I realize that's why she ranted for hours on end now.

She feels safe with me.

I start cursing myself in a similar fashion to my... my shoal mate.

The neutral tasting words leave behind a numb sensation. I can no longer call her my friend in private. It just tastes too awful. I can call her my shoal mate, it's a honest statement but it's still further from the truth.

When I held her earlier as she laid in my arms fast asleep I felt this need to protect her. It was similar to how I felt compelled to protect my shoal back home but there was more to it. I was anxious and every little creek or shuddering of the house had me on the edge. It wasn't until she rolled over and curled into me that I started calming down.

I started thinking long and hard about how to approach her once she was well and fully healed. I want to ask her if I could court her, tell her that it doesn't matter if we're not fated mates that my heart has chosen her. I want her as my mate and I can only hope she feels the same way.

But all that will have to wait a little while longer. She has more than just the physical wounds I must worry about. She needs to heal from the years of pain this world has wrought upon her.

I know she hasn't answered me on moving in but for her safety I will greatly insist. She cannot begin to heal properly if she's under the constant scrutiny of a woman who feigns love and concern.

I close my eyes and slowly doze off as I start planning her move and how she'd be living here and getting to work.

~~~~~~

Your everything hurts when you wake up. You somehow someway rolled into the corner of the nest room and woke up with your body curled in a way it shouldn't. You're well and tangled up in your blanket dress and something sort of sharp has left an imprint on your leg.

Ever so elegantly you toss around till you're free of your bindings and dig around for the object that left a deep dent in your thigh. When you finally find it you nearly drop it from shock. It's the crown your wore when you and Tao were dancing on the cliff. You remember leaving it here so your grandmother wouldn't ask you a million questions or worse, throw it away...

But why's it in here?

Maybe he meant to put it up somewhere safe and accidentally sort of just left it lying around, you think before quickly dismissing the thought. That wouldn't be very Tao of him.

You wrack you brain for a moment longer before you hear a knock. Turning your attention to the open doorway you see Tao's hand tossing a bag towards you.

"I woke up early this morning and it seems like the storm has mostly cleared up. I uh... I hope those are the right size," he clears his throat before excusing himself to the kitchen.

You scramble towards the bag and pull out the shirts, dresses, and pants and stare at them stunned. These were all designer brands and they all looked like they'd fit you perfectly. You want to try them all on, only problem is that you kinda wish you had some undergarments.

Picking up the bag to set it aside you feel that there's still some weight to it and see a couple of thin black boxes in there. You roll your eyes hoping that there's not over priced accessories in them or you'll have to chew Tao out for unnecessary spending.

When you open the first box your jaw drops and you feel your eyes widen to what it probably a cartoonish size. In the first black box was a set of grey and black lacy under things that looks like they'd fit like a dream. That being said, you quickly check the other box and see a black and blue set with a gold little details on it.

Your brain short circuits because both of the sets are Tao's colors. For a moment you start thinking that there's some weird hidden message here but knowing Tao who is straight forward you quickly abandon that thought. He probably just asked for help or something and they picked out sets based off of his colors thinking it's a gift for his girlfriend or some shit, you reason with yourself.

Feeling a bit more settled knowing that Tao would never gift you lingerie in his colors you set to trying on the black and blue one. As you thought, it fits perfectly. You toss on a simple light grey shirt and shimmy into a pair of blue jeans before gathering all the clothes he had gifted you into a neat folded pile.

You trot to the bathroom first before heading to the kitchen when you get the silly idea to go back to the nest room and put your crown on. You quickly settle in on your head and tip toe to the kitchen. You see Tao chopping something up but he quickly stops like he knows you're there.

"Did anything in that bag f-" He stops talking the second he turns around and his eyes widen and mouth straightens like he got caught doing something wrong.

You wave your hand at him, "Earth to Tao, you good buddy?"

He shakes his head and runs his claws through his hair before promptly returning to the chopping block, "Just fine... I uh see you found something to wear in all of that."

"Oh yeah, thank you by the way." You smile as you walk up to his side. "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying my hand at pastries. I gave up too soon the first time so I thought I'd try again," he shrugs, continuing his chopping of what looks like pistachios. "Oh and I... I made you some breakfast, it's on the bar."

You look up and see a crazy ass spread of every breakfast food imaginable. Part of you is confused but your stomach could care less about you being confused because you're hungry ass hell.

Circling around the counter, you make a jump start to the barstool and stick the landing as you grab at waffle and take a quick bite.

"Oh by the way," you pause to swallow. "You should return some of those clothes."

Tao stutters his knife and nearly slices a finger, "Did they not fit?"

"No, they all look like they'll fit perfectly it's just that they're high end brands... You shouldn't have to pay that much money for clothes. Like, I appreciate it, don't get me wrong... But this is too much," you look down and feel a bit of guilt for almost readily accepting these gifts.

You hear Tao chuckle and look up to see him shaking his head, "Believe it or not, I know what designer brands are. I bought those for you on purpose, no one ripped me off, and yes, I can afford to spend like this ever so often."

"But-"

"I'm not returning them," he looks down and swipes the chopped nuts into a bowl on the side.

You mutter something about how he should save that sort of thing for his mate and you swear you hear him grind his teeth. You quickly dig into your breakfast as you try to ignore the strange tension in the room. You notice Tao is acting a little off, not just with the clothes and breakfast but with his entire demeanor.

He seems more stern with you than usual and a bit more attentive than you care for. Your glass is empty for hardly a minute before he refills it with juice but somehow avoids looking in your general direction.

You try to ignore it but it's bothering you way to much, "Tao, buddy, are you ok?"

Tao turns and before he says anything you hold up your hand, "Because you've been acting really weird since I got up and please don't tell me this is because I trauma dumped on you yester because if it i-"

"It is, and it isn't," He admits and sighs as he tosses down a towel he was using to wipe off the counter.

"So what's wrong then? Are you mad at me? Annoyed? Is this... is this a pity thing? Oh gods please tell me this isn't a pity thing..." you start to panic and sprint out of the stool to the nest room.

Gifts are one thing but pity gifts piss you the fuck off.

Tao catches you before you make it past the bar and holds you in place, "I did none of this out of pity! I would never do something like that to you, I only wanted you to feel comfortable and provide you with the clothes of your own."

You feel yourself tensing, not used to others giving a rat's ass about your comfort without some sort of strings attached... But this is Tao, there wouldn't be a 'but' or 'however' or 'you owe me' added to his gifts and if he says he doesn't pity you then he doesn't pity you. Simple as that. Right?

"It just feels wrong somehow... I don't know why but it does," you slump. "Like I'm not worth the trouble of doing all this stuff for or getting really nice gifts."

"And who said that you're not worth it?" He crouches down in front of you, still holding your arms. His gold eyes search your face as he brings a hand up to cup your cheek. "Was it the girls who harassed their starving classmate? The mother who got high while her children suffered? Or the grandmother who shamed her granddaughter while she's healing? Because not a single one of those imbecilic curs has any room to speak of your worth nor judge you."

You feel your knees buckle and your eyes blur, "How can I be worth anything though? If I was, none of that would have happened to me, right?"

Tao shakes his head, "Your life isn't defined by your worth. You are not a commodity or currency but a person."

That's something you've always tried to tell yourself after moving away but it never felt real, never stuck its landing. But hearing Tao say it, verify that he knows there's more to you than what you can bring to the table just somehow settles you.

You fling yourself at him and give him the biggest hug you can manage that he quickly reciprocates. For the first time in forever, you feel seen. You feel safe.

"Hey Tao, buddy? If it's my day off you better let me sleep in." you laugh as you pull away, wiping the tears out of your eyes.

Tao sighs in relief and smiles, "So you'll move in?"

You smile back and nod, "I guess I should, I don't think I can go back to that hellhole."

"Thank the goddesses! I was trying to think how I should convince you to stay." He nervously laughs as he stands up,

"Honestly dude the breakfast kind of helped." you jokingly pat your stomach and he arches a brow at you.

"Really?" he tilts his head.

"Listen I was convinced when I woke up, breakfast just sealed the deal man. I'm a foodie!" You give him a silly pose and laugh.

"Oh I am going to regret some of this aren't I?" He rolls his eyes but smiles all the same.

"No takesies backsies." you grin.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Tao says and takes your.

[andromeda-nova-writing]

My Favorite Actor Is…

Fem!Reader

Summary: Infatuation over a film star. It’s a very common thing to have happen. There’s not much to be done over it besides talking about said infatuation over that actor. And if there is jealousy to be had at least handle it as healthy as possible.

Words: 975

AN: I wrote almost all of this on my phone as I was dealing with the holidays when it was written. Just when I thought I would have time to myself to edit the fic and make sure things made sense, I got a new puppy. So it was either edit the fic and be unsure if things made sense or get help. Thanks @milkstore. You are the best. Puppies are tiring but very cute.

“Ayaka had me and Thoma go with her to see a film earlier today,” Y/N explained as she poured herself and Ayato a cup of tea. The two of them were still warming up after coming back to the estate from Inazuma City. The winter air had been so chilly with flurries landing on them but not sticking to the ground.

“Did the three of you enjoy yourselves?” He took a towel trying to dry off his hair. Even though it was flurries, being out there long enough meant that two of them were a little soaked. They had hurried in quickly changing into something dry leaving just hair affected by the snow.

“Yes. It was quite exciting. But I did have one gripe with it.” Ayato could hear the disappointment in her voice changing so fast from the happy one she had started the conversation with.

“What would that be?” He left the towel wrapped around his shoulders to avoid his hair dripping. Ayato grabbed the teacup and took a sip embracing the warmth it brought him.

“There was a new actor in the film. He had the most gorgeous eyes but only had a few lines of dialog.” Y/N rolled her eyes before she frowned. “It was an absolute waste of perfect talent. And to make matters worse, that's the only film he's in.”

Ayato remained silent before letting out a single word in judgment, “Oh.” Now he wasn't one to let jealousy affect him. That was a silly emotion filled with insecurities that he didn't have. But to say he wasn't the slightest bit affected by her words was a lie. One that he would tell because who was he to dump feelings he should process on his own onto his lover.

Any understanding of his emotions was ignored. “Ayaka had told me he even turned down a role that would have given him more screen time. It’s such a crime really. What I would give to see him on screen for those two hours rather than just two minutes.” He could practically see the hearts in her eyes. 

Ayato didn’t think there would come a day where he’d be annoyed even if it was just slightly by the look she had in her eyes. There wasn’t anything to feel threatened by though. If she had to stand by his side while someone tried to openly flirt with him while he and Y/N were holding hands, he could at the least let her fantasize about someone she would never meet.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky and he will get cast in another movie.” He did his best to remain engaged in the conversation. When he looked down at his cup filled with the most gorgeous green tea he hated the reflection that looked back. 

“I wish. Sadly he’s too busy with other projects to even think about acting.” Ayato enjoyed the small victory he had gained even though Y/N was upset at the fact she was telling him. Who knew her love of the arts would betray him?

“Well just be glad that he was able to appear in this film.” He comforted her. Maybe the lack of rest was getting to him if such a disgusting emotion as jealousy was trying to make an appearance.

“I am. I do wish I could at least meet the actor and tell him how well his performance was. Thoma said you’d be able to make that happen.” Y/N had placed an empty teacup on the table. He hadn’t even noticed that she was drinking it this entire time.

All Ayato knew was Thoma who he thought was filled with so much loyalty had betrayed him unknowingly earlier. Now he had to compete for his wife’s attention with some mystery actor that he would do his best to never let her meet. “If they are busy it might be easier to get an autograph.” He hoped that Ayaka would be okay with him using her as a way to talk through these emotions later.

“Really? But even Ayaka agreed that he would find the time to talk.” Y/N spoke with a frown that hid the smirk she really had. Not that Ayato could notice at the moment.

How do you ground your adult younger sister and man who grew up almost like a second sibling to him? “That’s not guaranteed dear. It’s a bit of wishful thinking. Ayaka and Thoma don’t even know the man. Who even is this actor anyway?” His composure was finally beginning to break. He wasn’t proud of it.

Y/N laughed. “I didn’t even tell you the movie we saw. I’m sorry. The movie was The Two Musketeers.” It wasn’t often that Ayato felt embarrassed. “The actor was a man named Kamisato Ayato. You sure I won’t be able to meet him?”

It was at moments like this that he was reminded why he and Y/N had wed. It was also moments like this that reminded him one of the reasons they wed was that they both enjoyed a bit of mischief and teasing each other now and then. It was something that lately he had been catching her off guard with. And here he was getting a taste of his own medicine at the moment.

“Y/N.”

“Yes.” She answered with a laugh. 

“I would prefer if you would try to not make me jealous of myself.” Ayato requested with a sigh.

“You know I was wondering when you would catch on.”

“It’s been a long day. A long week.” He explained. She could see the tiredness on his face.

“Why don’t we get my favorite actor to bed then instead of trying to hold a conversation about the day?”

“That would be smart.”

[silenttrxxs]

mafia boss! choi san x reader

Your birthday was around the corner, you had been spending the last few months working your ass off to afford the dream holiday. You was finally going to Italy, you texted your friend after landing in the country, hoping you wasn’t going to be left at the airport looking like a lost sheep. You gripped your suitcase tightly before rolling on your heels. You looked around hoping to see the familiar car your best friend always drove. You looked out noticing a car pulling up to the airport you rushed forward thinking this was your best friends car. Boy was you wrong.

The door swung open and a man stepped out, he was dressed sharply in a black suit, it hugged his curves beautifully, your eyes trailed up his body and landed on his face. He smiled a quick smile as he locked eyes with you. Before donning a harsh glare your way, He opened his mouth to speak. “Watch it beautiful” he said before pushing his way past you.

You rolled your eyes and gasped as you stumbled over the curb a little. You grabbed your phone shooting your best friend a text.

- ^^ -

“Yo, come get me right now, just bumped into the worlds biggest asshole at the airport. He’s lucky he’s good looking or i would have cursed him the fuck out”

Your friend replied back almost immediately.

“I know, i saw the whole thing you do realise i was the car behind him, and that isn’t just anyone honey, that’s someone you must not mess with”

Your mind was now racing you was more curious than anything now, you placed your bags and suitcase into the car and hopped in the passanger seat making your way to the hotel you had rented for the week.

You got to the hotel, in awe of its sheer beauty you dropped your bags of at the room and got ready, heading down to the bar. You grabbed your best friends hand dragging her to the dance floor. Your heart stopping as you bumped into someone. Your drink spilling down their white suit. You looked at the stain you had caused and mentally cursed yourself before looking up and feeling your body pause completely, you had not only messed up once with this man but twice now. You turnt looking to find your friend but she had disappeared. You whined and turnt back around.

“Well well well, looks like we have a little issue to fix here dont we, firstly id like to introduce myself, i am Choi San, son of the highest order mafia in Italy” He extended his hand as a sign for you to take it, of course you hesitated but took it, shaking his hand and introducing yourself to him.

Before you could speak you felt him pull you towards him his breath fanning your neck as he whispered into your ear.

“You have 365 days to fall in love with me, no questions asked or my men will deal with this little issue you caused” San explained. He knew it was a little irrational to be thinking this or even saying it out loud but his heart couldn’t help but thump loudly in his chest whenever he got close to you. This was a strange feeling to him. He’d never felt this before, it was something that excited him, he wanted to feel this more. The only way he thought he could get closer to you was to do this. He smiled and held you close by your waist. His teeth grazing your earlobe before pulling away and pulling you to the bar. Grabbing a cocktail for you and a strong whiskey for himself he clinked the glasses with you and started a conversation.

The more you spoke together you felt a pang hitting your chest you knew you shouldn’t be getting close to someone like this but something about him seemed different, he seemed softer around you the more you got to know each other. You looked at him with doe eyes. A smile being shot your way before you opened your mouth.

“Ill do it san, ill spend the next 365 days with you, if you do not let me go after this i will leave and you will never see me again” You winced a little at your own words but you needed to ensure that you had a way out if anything was to go wrong.

“Okay baby girl, Its a deal” San held out his hand and the agreement was made. You was now his. He was going to spend the rest of this time showing you that you belong to him, the life that you had always dreamed of was within grasp, scratch that it was there for you, handed to you in the palm of your hand.

- - time skip - -

It was coming up to the end of the year, you’d be lying to yourself if you said that you had not fallen head over heels for this man. You was treated like royalty no matter what, how could you not love this man.

You was now sitting on a boat, the sun blasting down on you, you fixed your sunglasses and moved your back facing the sun now. You was taking this as a much needed time for you both to rest. But san had other ideas the way you looked in the bikini he had bought you was driving him insane. He felt himself aching in his swim trunks as he walked out handing you a glass of water before placing a kiss to your lips. You drunk the water and put the cup down, getting up slowly and straddling san. You was never oblivious to his feelings, you saw the tent in his trunks as he walked out. You audibly groaned as you saw it. You moaned as you sunk down onto his lap.

“Oh my darling, want me to help you relieve yourself, is daddy feeling a little frustrated” you cooed at san before locking your lips to his neck, your teeth grazing over his skin. His throat moving as he tried to gulp away the moan that threatened to rip through.

“Oh daddy, you feel so good” San smiled before picking you up and taking you to the room in the boat, throwing your body onto the bed. He stripped off before looking at you, his eyes trailing down your frame before he ripped your bikini off. Throwing it across the room. Climbing over your small frame he wrapped his hand around your throat, lining himself up with your heat he pushed himself in, bottoming out almost immediately.

The room filled with both your noises, you felt yourself getting closer to your orgasm. A high pitch scream leaving your body, as you felt san thrusting into your soaked core. You smiled a little letting your eyes roll back, the wave being pushed so close to but somehow being ripped away from you. You opened your mouth ready to beg, but you gasped and choked on a moan as you felt san spit into your mouth, his lips taking away your breath. You clenched around him harder than ever and this elicited the most delicious moan from him. You pushed into him, not wanting him to stop, his cock felt too good nestled inside you. You wrapped your legs around him and forced him to stay inside your hips moving at their own accord. He slowed a little moaning at the feeling of your walls contracting around him.

“F-fuck baby you’re beautiful like this” he moaned out.

You whined loudly as he spoke. His hand caressing your cheek as he spoke, sliding down and wrapping around your throat. He pistoned his hips into you, driving you towards your nth orgasm.

“F-fuck i love you san” you whined out, his shocked expression taking you back, you silenced him but pulling him down, your lips intertwining with his. You smiled as you pulled away. Your head spinning as he continued thrusting into you, his hand releasing from your neck and caressing your cheek. “I love you too” he replied before you both released.

[deputyrook]

Impressions- 2/? Mark Hoffman x Psychic!Reader

(Repost after I accidentally deleted my tumblr 😭)

PART 1.

You're a reluctant psychic. He's a detective. And a serial killer.

(Can I make it any more obvious?)

Word count: 3498

WARNINGS: Gaslightling, corruption, stockholm syndrome, some drug use (painkillers), blackmail, power imbalance, abusive dynamics, overt threatening, general Saw-levels of horror.

this fic is kind of goofy, because I'm writing it for fun and not taking it super seriously! enjoy 💕

“Mark didn’t hit on you, did he?” Kerry asks over the phone, a note of disgust in her voice, “If he did, I’ll kick his ass. Though… you didn't exactly look uncomfortable when you fell into his arms yesterday. Am I wrong?”

Sometimes, you wondered how Kerry could be so oblivious.

You swallow a handful of painkillers before you answer her, washing them down with a swig of stale soda that’s been sitting out on your counter. 

“He's, what, ten years older than us?” You ask, setting down the can and playing with the cord of your telephone.

“That’s not an answer,” Kerry teases, “And he’s early forties, I think. Hey, I won’t stop you. I'll sure as hell judge you, but I won't stop you.”

The events of the prior evening feel surreal now, in the morning light of the next day. Detective Mark Hoffman hasn’t contacted you, and if you didn’t have his phone number saved in your cell, you would have thought the entire car ride had been a bad dream. 

You can’t help but second guess yourself now- had he ever actually admitted to being an accomplice? What if he was just a defensive asshole, and you’d misinterpreted everything again? The doubts creep in, now that your visions have been chased away, back into hiding in the recesses of your mind.

“Not interested,” you mutter. “I wasn’t feeling great last night, you know that. I barely remember getting home.”

Kerry’s tone sobers at that, and you hear her sigh. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I know you don’t like doing that, but we were completely out of leads.”

“And you still are,” you note, “I didn’t dream of anything useful last night, by the way. Total void.” If you’re lucky, you’ll never have another vision about the Jigsaw murders, though you suspect you’ve been plunged headfirst into the thick of it.

The painkillers will keep the flashes at bay, at least for now. The rest will come to you, jumbled and nonsensical, when it’s least convenient.

“Not entirely. But how are you feeling?” Kerry asks. She’s never been the best at heart-to-hearts, or at fielding your psychic nonsense, but you can hear the genuine concern in her voice for you. You wish you could tell her- the killer she hunts is right there, in the office across the hall, she could be in danger- but with the potential risk to both her and you, it’s just not worth it. 

Not unless you manage to get your hands on some hard evidence of Hoffman’s involvement. 

Years of dealing with a surrealist-nightmare-kaleidoscope for a brain had forced you to become patient. You could bide your time and wait carefully until an opportunity to steal some actual proof arose. Until then, you just had to keep breathing.

“Helloooo? Are you there?” Kerry’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry Ally. You know how I get. I called in sick today, but I’m alright. I promise. Nothing some rest and relaxation can’t fix,” you try to smile, but you can’t hide the exhaustion in your voice. 

“Good,” she says, resolute, “I won’t ask you to come in again. Not unless something else comes to you. But I won’t believe he’s dead. Not yet.” It doesn’t take psychic abilities to know she’s talking about Eric Matthews, nor to feel the regret she carries with her, punctuating her words.

“And you shouldn’t. You know my hit rate on alive-versus-dead isn’t always the best.” Kerry hums in consideration at your words, and after you both say your goodbyes to one another, you hang up the receiver of the phone.

Once again, you’re left in the silence of your lonely apartment- save for your cat, who brushes up against your leg with a purr. He reminds you so easily that it’s not just your life on the line, here. Would Jigsaw ever try to test a cat...? Reaching down to scratch behind his ears, you try to consider your next steps carefully.

But all it does is make your head hurt. You pluck an ice pack from your freezer and lay down on your sofa, holding it to your head with a soft groan.

You must fall back asleep at some point, because you’re woken up from a dreamless sleep by the ringing of your phone. You check your home phone, and then, realizing it’s not the culprit, rifle through your bag for your cell.

“Hello?” You mumble into the phone as you flip it open, blinking awake.

“What, were you asleep? It’s the middle of the day,” Hoffman says.

“I called in sick. Got in pretty late last night, and I didn’t sleep the best,” You deadpan. Without being right next to him, it’s easier to keep your cool and not get flustered.

“We should talk. Let’s get dinner,” he says, “Six-o-clock. You know Eve’s Diner? On Newhaven street- with the neon sign?”

Your stomach drops. It didn’t seem like he was just asking you out politely. When was the last time you got dinner with a man, anyway? His tone is so casual that it makes you want to squirm.

“Yeah, I know the place. It's pretty close by, right?” At least in public, he wouldn’t be able to do anything overtly threatening to you. It didn’t seem like there was any use in arguing with him, or telling him you weren’t feeling up to it. He knows your address, and he apparently knows Jigsaw. That's enough to secure your compliance.

“Good. I’ll see you there, then.” And he hangs up the phone.

Your head throbs, but it’s lessened in severity since the morning. You consider taking another batch of painkillers, but decide against it. If you’re meeting Hoffman for dinner, it might be better to stay sharp.

—

The sight of Mark Hoffman, sitting in a diner booth, would be almost comical if it wasn’t so nerve-wracking. He’s stirring some sugar into his coffee, hunched against the wall, his hair smoothed back neatly and his police badge hanging around his neck. He looks tired, you think, but otherwise like a normal, upstanding member of society- if not one slightly too large and too dour for the diner table he’s seated at.

“Hi,” you say, sliding into the booth across from him. 

He nods toward you in recognition, before leaning back in the seat. Mark looks at you, up and down, in silent surveyance. You stare back, studying him in return. Both of you size each other up, like the other is the dangerous one.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” He says, “And after some more thought, I’m not convinced. For all I know, maybe you’re workin’ with John Kramer. That seems more likely than you being psychic.”

Ah. You’ve gotten this reaction before. When someone, with time and consideration, doubles back to doubt your abilities. You couldn’t exactly blame him for that. Particularly for skeptics, it’s a hard pill to swallow that you have access to senses that they don’t.

Being accused of being a serial killer was new territory, however.

“I’m not working with Jigsaw,” you sputter, keeping your voice quiet. The diner isn’t too busy, and you’re seated in a corner away from other patrons, but it’s still public enough that you want to be careful. “Shouldn’t you know I’m not?”

He squints at you, like he’s trying to figure out if you’re lying or not. 

“You tell me. You said there were four. Jigsaw, Amanda, myself- according to you- and so who’s the fourth? If it’s not you.” He sounds impatient. You blink at him, trying to process where he’s coming from. And then, it hits you. He doesn’t know. 

For a second, you consider trying to play it off like you are the fourth apprentice. Maybe then, he’d trust you more directly with information that you could use against him. But then, you re-evaluate. Lying to a mass murderer was probably a bad idea. Lying to a cop was arguably worse.

“Well, it’s not me. But yeah, there’s at leastfour involved that I picked up on. Four main...signatures,” You pause, before continuing. “So that’s why you want me to tell you about what I sense. Even you don’t know what he’s planning, or everyone who’s involved.”

“I’ve been on this case since the beginning. Of course I wanna know. Especially since you’re out here accusing me,” He remarks, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing, “Kerry didn’t act any different toward me this morning. Good. Keeping your theories to yourself was smart.”

“Yes, lest you start actually convincing me you’re not Jigsaw, let me not forget how you threatened me last night,” You mumble, crossing your arms in front of your chest protectively.

“You pouting about it?” He asks, teasing, a smirk just barely edging onto his face, “C’mon. Show me your trick. How do you do it?” He beckons you closer, and you find yourself leaning in across the table. Like you’re sharing a secret with him. 

“It’s not like I’m getting visions of the future, per se,” You try to explain, “It’s more like... hyper intuition. I get emotions, mostly. It’s an extreme version of empathy. Sometimes I get flashes of imagery from the past, present, and future, but it’s usually mixed up so I can’t tell which is which. Mainly, I just trust my gut. Which isn’t often wrong- but my interpretation of what I’m seeing can be off. Has been.”

“Hyper-intuition, huh?” He says, mulling it over, “Tell me something else about me, then. Prove it.”

You swallow uncomfortably. “I uh, need to be touching you.”

Mark raises his eyebrows at you. Before he can say anything mocking, the waitress comes by, filling both of your coffee cups. She takes your orders quickly, as though picking up on the vibe that you both want to be left alone. When she leaves, Mark spreads his hands in a gesture as if to say, do your thing, then.

Gently, you reach out and take his hands in yours. Rough, calloused, and strong. You try not to think about it as you close your eyes, and allow the gate to open for the second time in two days.

The chattering in the diner fades away into the background as your intuition takes hold, clouding out your other five senses like the moon passing over the sun in a total eclipse. First, there’s just darkness. Even the sensation of Mark’s skin against yours fading to a dull buzz. Then, sensations begin to spawn, bubbling up from somewhere else.

From the man seated across from you, you think.

“Strawberries,” you murmur, the taste of fresh, wild berries being the first thing that comes to you, sweet and tart, “I think they were picked wild, by mindful fingers. Yours are older, but never as gentle. Her small hands were always more careful than yours, never crushing the berries like you did.”

It’s a kind, well-loved memory -you assume- the impression coming in easy and unambiguous. The next is more muddled.

“Ah- pain. There’s noise, it’s discordant and loud,” You wince, squeezing Mark’s hands. You tilt your head, trying to make out the source, but all you get is scraps of yelling, fighting, shivering hands, the smell of rain. 

It melts then, into that feeling again. The deep, unending well of misery. Loss, in its purest form. Utter loneliness, vast like an unending ocean.

“It’s like the sun went out,” you whisper, voice cracking. Your heart is breaking. The depth of your pain is nearly unbearable, and it makes you want to pull back and disconnect. “It’s like all the light’s been snuffed from this world. Alone.”

“Yeah,” Mark’s voice confirms, calm, quiet and sombre, “You know why that is, don’t you?”

You frown, hands trembling. The smell of blood rises, pungent and sickening. Blood, blood, so much blood. It smells so strong that you can taste it. Then something else- formaldehyde. The words leave your mouth before you can register what they mean.

“He took her from me,” You murmur hoarsely, a pure conduit for the feeling. Dimly, you’re aware of hands squeezing yours back, too tight.

Then, the rage. The despair. An energy trapped, like a feral animal in an enclosure. Desperate to make things right again, to make the world right, with no way to do it that makes sense.

Trapped, trapped, trapped. Starving. Alone again.

You’re lost in the feeling before Mark’s voice pulls you back.

“He deserved what he got,” he says, and you’re redirected. The sun is still gone, the world is still cold. Justice is a fleeting concept, a principle that isn’t achieved until you make it happen.

The world is so cold without the sun, but he died screaming for taking her. That’s justice enough. 

And then, a finality- a sense of purpose.

"They all deserve it," you say.

You open your eyes, and let go of his hands. Hoffman’s expression is hard to read as you settle back in the booth. The despair still lingers over you, like a chill that’s seeped into your bones.

“That your thought, or mine?” He asks finally. “You must have felt a lot of it over the years. Other people’s pain.”

“Sure,” you reply, “Everyone’s got it. Life isn’t fair.”

“Not unless you make it fair,” Mark counters, “You can’t tell me he didn’t deserve to die like that for what he did.”

“Can you just tell me?” You ask quietly, “So I can get the full picture, no missing pieces of the puzzle. The loss...was your sister? He killed her?”

Mark thinks about it for a second. He looks like he’s going to refuse you, not responding for so long that you wonder if he’s deliberately ignoring you. 

Your food arrives before he answers, the waitress bringing your plates and setting them down in front of you both. Mark's ordered a cheeseburger and fries, the all-American classic diner food; you a club sandwich, though your appetite has evaporated since you've arrived here. And after yesterday, it was barely present to begin with.

Then finally, after you both have started to eat, he speaks.

“My sister’s ex-boyfriend murdered her. Seth Baxter. A sick, abusive fuck. He was convicted, got life in jail. Took a couple of years, but he finally went away for it. Well, he filed an appeal. His new lawyer said that the jury was tainted by the evidence of his history of domestic assaults on women, that the evidence was improperly admitted and ‘prejudicial’ to his case. After five years, the case was successfully appealed... and he went free,” A feeling of disgust and rage twists in you, and you can’t tell whether it’s Hoffman’s or yours.

“So you...”

“Jigsaw killed him,” Mark answers, “Cut him in half. He was already dating someone new when he was picked up. Tell me that's not fair.”

The words hang in the air, and you take them in. You’re starting to learn to read Mark’s face better, you think, because you can detect just a hint of smugness in his expression. You try to determine how you feel about this, but your feelings are still all tangled up in Hoffman’s. Extricating them is difficult.

“So he deserved it,” You say finally, “Jigsaw’s not just a vigilante. He kidnaps people who are- who are addicted to drugs, or who only hurt themselves, and he makes them play in these sick games. It's not right,” You can’t believe you’re arguing the philosophy of Jigsaw with one of the murderers himself. It seems unbelievable.

Mark actually rolls his eyes at you.

“It’s either people who deserve it, or people who don’t deserve their lives to begin with,” He murmurs, “think about it.”

Then you remember the feeling you’d gotten before, at the police station. The deep, dark depths of satisfaction. A kind of beast in the heart, ugly and hungry and grinning. The thought that you might have inadvertently given it some purchase in your own mind freaks you the hell out.

“Easy for you to say,” you whisper, the fear keeping your voice barely audible, “You like watching people hurt.”

Mark doesn’t deny it- maybe he sees no use in doing so, when you already know better. He looks at you coldly, calculating.

“Does it matter?” He says, “Keep your word, and you won’t be on the receiving end.”

You take a sip of your water nervously, looking around the diner. Though still not exceptionally busy, you’ve both nearly finished your food (well, Mark has, you've picked away at yours), and more people are trickling in the door. If you continue to talk here, it may become more difficult to avoid being overheard.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing, for you?

“Let’s finish up,” Mark says, as though he’s been reading your mind, “We can meet up again later. I'm going to ask you more about this mystery fourth person. So keep your eyes open," he pauses, and huffs. "Or closed, I guess."

"And Kerry will be fine?" You ask, insistently, "She's a good person, Hoffman."

"Is she?" He challenges, "she wasn't exactly discreet with Matthews. And she knew he was dirty. As far as I can tell, you're her only friend."

"Oh, and you didn't know?" You snap back, defensive, "If she deserves to be tested, we all do."

Mark stands, putting on his coat. "Yeah. Or most, at least." He replies in agreement.

"Come on," he adds, his hand on the small of your back again. You can't tell if it's meant to be possessive, threatening, or whether he's done it without even thinking about it. Perhaps surprisingly, it doesn't feel as uncomfortable this time around. "I'll walk you home. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

--

A worm has been planted in your mind, and it feeds.

Over the next week, you feel more torn than you think you've ever felt in your life. Mark Hoffman's words bore into your mind, repeating over and over, with the echos of his pain piercing through you in random intervals. You flit between feeling angry at the situation you're in, and wanting to go to Kerry and lay it all out on the table, to a strange feeling of camaraderie with Mark Hoffman.

It's a downside you've always had to reading someone, and inviting them in- you feel connected with them, permanently. Once you see through their eyes, and feel what they feel, it's hard for you to just pull away again. A piece of them remains.

It was like you were being tested yourself. By connecting with the worst possible person, you were pushing yourself- how strained could the connection be, how adverse to your own interest, while you still feel like you're on the same side?

You lie awake at night, replaying your conversation with Mark in your mind. Thinking of all the hurt you'd ever felt, yours and everyone's, echoing forever.

Needless to say- you weren't doing great. And the fact that you weren't sleeping well didn't help.

Dreams came frequently after that shared dinner with Mark Hoffman. You dreamt alternately of horrible panic, the feeling of being trapped, and physical pain that makes you wake up sobbing. So many images form in your mind that it's hard to keep track- scalpels, keys, case files, teeth, distorted statues, the smell of antiseptic.

You text it all to Mark as it comes to you. Anyone looking at your text log would think you were both insane.

But still, you tell him your dreams, and he listens. You theorize about the fourth person together, like you're trying to solve the case. You trade tidbits, make suggestions, and rule out others.

You kind of... like texting him.

---

[2:33AM - Outgoing] Just woke up with the image of a blonde woman in my head. I don't know who she is.

[2:37AM - Incoming] could be jill tuck. ex-wife.

[2:39AM - Incoming] Photo Message

[2:42AM - Outgoing] Nope, sorry. Not her.

[2:45AM - Incoming] i thought maybe she was the 4th

[2:47AM - Outgoing] Blonde woman didn't feel like the 4th. Looked like a scientist of some kind? Idk. Wearing a white lab coat.

[2:49AM - Outgoing] I also got a red room with a bunch of pictures. Like Polaroids maybe? Hung up I think. Not sure if it was connected to the blonde woman.

[2:50AM - Incoming] that ones a red herring. already happened

[2:52AM - Outgoing] Ugh

[2:56AM - Outgoing] How long is this going to last?

[2:57AM - Incoming] what

[2:59AM - Outgoing] You keeping me as your pet psychic

[3:00AM - Incoming] you think i'm planning to stop?

[3:01AM - Incoming] you'd better get used to me.

[3:02AM - Incoming] remember. delete these.

[3:04AM - Outgoing] Yeah, yeah. Do you ever sleep?

[3:05AM - Incoming] when i'm not being woken up by txts

[3:08AM - Incoming] lets meet this weekend

[3:08AM - Incoming] I want to show you something

--

--

(author's note: the true dynamic is emerging! and yes, I had to go on a little sidebar on how seth baxter's sentence could have actually been reversed. i'm a prosecutor, I can't help myself.)

TAG LIST: @icarusinstatic @honimello @haven-is-happy @thebrideofcaliban

NEXT CHAPTER

[verilly]

Unspoken Love

Angel Devil x Reader

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

Part 3 {CURRENT} || Check for other parts on my MASTERLIST. (Pinned link)

What’s to come: SMUT!!!! SEX!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!! DNI IF YOU DONT WANNA SEE IT!!!!!! Reader is horny and desperate but in a fluffy way. Reader has female anatomy ish SORRY +OOC ++not proofread haha sorry, boo

Description: You can’t say “I love you”, so they’ll have to come up with a different way to show it. A fun and safe way both you and Angel can enjoy.

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

It’s been weeks since you first heard Angel say “I love you”. Normal words could not contain the feelings you had for him, but one specific one could. Love. You wished you could, you tried making deals, thinking of different contracts, anything. You tried everything, but your contract wouldn’t budge.

The Love Devil.

Your contract with the Love Devil held you back from speaking your truth. Nothing you’ve ever said felt like it held the same meaning, maybe it did to Angel, but it didn’t feel the same to you. What could you do at this point? If something can’t be said, can something be done about it?

Then a small idea popped up, what about you two do something intimate?

What would something intimate be? A date? Dates wouldn’t work, Angel isn’t exactly allowed to be out in public if it isn’t related to work in any way.

Then what about sex?

…

“Nononononono, what am I thinking?!” You mutter to yourself. It’s 1 AM, maybe if you get some sleep, your mind will be at peace.

-

The thought hadn’t left your mind. In fact, it’s been days. You’ve been avoiding eye contact with Angel, you felt horrible, but if you two did do it, how would it work?

Your days had been nothing but you being deep in thought, sometimes writing small snippets on paper. Angel had noticed your strange behavior, he’s used to you talking to yourself. Though this was new, you were never this quiet.

Angel started wearing gloves just so he could hold you more often. No one else had noticed it besides you. Gloves. That’s useful. Noted.

Angel’s wings and hair didn’t take away your life-span, which means you two could get close. Well close enough for sex, right?

All Angel had to do is stay clothed and wear a condom, right? So it’ll be safe. You two could definitely do it.

Your plan was all written in your head, all you had to do was play around with it. Son enough, intrusive thoughts would come rushing through.

What if he doesn’t want to?

You’ll just make everything awkward, how will you even recover from something as stupid as that?

What if you mess up during the act?

What if you do actually get your life span drained?

What if Angel’s too scared to touch you after that?

Your head makes an impact against your work desk. Angel had been doing paperwork for the first time in months, you had to double check his work either way. Which gives you an opportunity to talk with him, even if it’s just a ‘hello’. Nothing weird will happen. Nothing.

“Angel, how are you doing?” You stand up to make your way towards him

“It’s fine, why am I doing this?” He looked up at you while your clothes arm slithered around his neck, he didn’t have a reaction anymore. Good!

“Because it’s your turn! I’ve been doing your work for months, you’re only doing the work that’s actually meant for you! I can’t even do your work for you even if I wanted to, we’re not partners anymore…” You’ve filed requests for Makima to give Angel back to you, but after Himeno’s tragic death, Angel was partnered with Aki. Meanwhile you were with Kobeni, “And you’re extra lucky because Aki left you with me!”

“I don’t even know what half of these words mean.”

“Hmm…” You tilted your head and purposely grazed your hand against his, the paper was actually pretty complicated. Maybe you should come get Aki? No, this is your alone time.

“You don’t know any of this either, I can tell.”

“S-shut up. Whatever, let’s go home. Leave that paper for Aki to fill, I’m sure he won’t mind!” You brush it off and help Angel up from his chair. He was light, he made your heart flutter without even doing anything, if only you could express those feelings.

-

The ride home was nice and simple, Angel spoke first for the first time in awhile. He talked about what happened on the job and how much a pain in the ass Aki was. You whined about not being partners anymore for the hundredth time and how Kobeni was actually very kind.

In reality, you barely heard what Angel said. All you could think about was how you could shift the mood into something more… sexual. You shifted in your seat beside Angel, maybe he could sense something was up? Probably not.

You made a quick pitstop to a convenience store. Grabbing the non conspicuous items you needed to continue your plan. Angel stayed in the car as you had to comfortably laugh at the cashiers crude joke.

Home wasn’t any better. You watched as Angel changed his clothes, he didn’t really care. His body looked so smooth, you just wanted to hold it, do anything with it! Maybe cuddling naked would be fine, that certainly wouldn’t work though. You kicked Angel out of the bedroom and readied yourself for what might come next.

You put on the lingerie you had bought a few days prior. It was pretty, a light red. It matched Angel’s completion. After amusing yourself in front of the mirror, you quickly hid your body with pajama pants and a loose shirt.

Opening the door, Angel looked back at you. He was on the couch with your pillow on his lap. Has he always looked this pretty? You soon flop down onto his lap, he had a different pair of gloves on. The silence was wonderful. His hands were wondering onto your hair, as you closed your eyes in bliss.

-

“Angel, do you wanna try something new with me?” You decide the bring out the question you’ve been holding in for days.

“Sure what is it?” He tilted his head to look at you, his eyes were beautiful

“Uhm…” You couldn’t say it, the words just weren’t coming out, you plucked up the courage to start it, but you didn’t have any left to finish it. It felt like hell, your whole body felt like it was on fire, it couldn’t be helped.

“[name], are you okay?” Angel held your face gently, if only he knew. “You’ve been zoning out a lot more. Did I do something?”

“Angel… I… I’m alright.” You prop yourself up to the position you were when you two first touched, “I just missed you so much. I’ll never forgive Makima for splitting us apart!!” You whine some more, nothing unusual.

“I don’t think she wants your forgiveness”

“I’ll never forgive you either!” You shove your face against his chest, he was warm, so very comforting. You could stay like this forever. If only you could.

“What? Did I do something?”

“I’ll only forgive you if…” maybe you could pop the question now? “If you… have sex with me…?”

“What? [name], you know I can’t- Even if I wanted to-“ Angel’s face turned red, he was just as cute when he’s flustered

“Do you want to though?”

“…yeah..?”

“Then let’s do it! Please Angel?” You looked up at him, he was covering his face with his gloves hand, beautiful. “Please Angel, I need you.”

-

“You don’t need to do anything, just sit down and let me do the work. It’ll be safer that way.” You got yourself off of Angel, you noticed his bulge against his pants. You sweat as you gather the items you bought from the convenience store previously. “Are you sure this is okay?”

Angel nods his head quickly, his eyes were desperate. You guess you weren’t the only one obsessing with the idea of sex. You slowly pull down Angel’s pants, his dick was a medium length, nothing too big, but enough to make you drool. You cover the base wish a soft towel and unroll a condom for Angel to wear.

“Tell me when to stop,” You look at him for just one second longer to drink in his flushed beauty. You open your mouth and slowly swallow his length. Angel’s whole body flinched, his dick was in your mouth. Slowly bobbing up and down, you never managed to get to his base. This was your first time after all. You lift your head back up to look at him, your mouth creating a pop noise after releasing his cock from your lips. “Angel, you can touch me if you want, too… please touch me?”

“Y-yeah…” Angel grabbed your face, saliva was dripping down your chin, “You’re so pretty… use your mouth some more… Down you go…” Angel pushes your mouth onto his dick. Except you go down deeper. You slowly choke before lifting your head back up. You laugh a little before getting back to work. His moans were delightful to listen to. Angel soon starts to thrust his body deeper into your mouth.

“[name]- [name] I-I’m gonna c-cum-“ Angel moaned out, he wasn’t even trying to be quiet. Maybe you’ll get your first noise complaint tomorrow.

“Nope!” You lift your head back up, “Not yet. I don’t know how to change condoms safely with you, so… you can’t cum yet.” Angel whimpers as he watches you stand up and take your shirt off, revealing the top part of your lingerie. Angel looks in awe, your figure was beautiful in his eyes. You were the real angel here.

“I bought this for you, do you like it?”

“Y-yes, please, [name], please get back on my…”

“You don’t need to say anything, just wait for a second…” You continue to strip, this time taking off your baggy pajama pants and tossing them to the side. You get onto Angel and start grinding on him, he moans into your ear. It’s like music. His voice just makes you wetter and wetter.

“Touch me, you have gloves, it’s safe…” You mutter as you stroke the erect cock in between you two. Angel’s hand fondles your tit, going underneath the lingerie and start playing with your nipple. You slightly moan as you lift yourself and line up Angel’s cock with your wet cunt, moving your underwear out of the way. You push yourself down onto his length and gasp, it was big, but you didn’t expect it to be that big. “Angel, do you want me to be naked or-“

“Naked, please. I-I’ve always wanted to see you naked…” Angel stuttered out as you giggle while unclasping your lingerie’s bra. You gently threw the nice light red bra towards the floor and pushed your bare boobs against Angel’s chest. Your nipples were perked up from the attention Angel had been giving them and the fact that his cock was fully inside you.

“…It’s so deep… is it okay if I move now, Angel?” You whisper, he nods as he closes his eyes, face flushed. You start moving up and down on his dick, it was hard. Your movements started off slow, but sooner or later the pace picked up. Your desperation was showing. Your core felt hot, your body felt hot, your body felt so good against his. Angel’s eyes kept shifting from your aroused face, to your bouncing boobs, to his dick that was disappearing in and out of you quickly. It was a sight to behold, watching you whore yourself out for him. Your panties were still on, showing off a nice design that matched your personality quite well. Angel wished he could kiss you, do anything with his skin, just touch you in any way. His wings twitched and flapped on instinct, how cute.

“Angel- Angel! Angel, I’m sorry- I’m- I’m gonna c-cum!” You moan out, “A-Are you close too?” Your eyes were teary, it was hard being the only one moving, but this is safer. You wanted to make sure he was happy with himself before you finish. Angel nods and murmurs out many “yes”’s as you continue to bounce on his cock. A second after that, Angel bucks his hips up and makes his dick go deeper into you than before. You moan out in pleasure and close your eyes. You came on his dick. Angel came inside his condom. His wings hugged you tight, you felt ticklish. You snuggle yourself carefully against his chest. Angel’s bottoms were now filthy, covered in your love juice.

“Angel, I… I-“

“It’s okay, don’t risk it. I… I love you too [name]. You don’t have to say anything.” Angel rubbed his chin against the top of your head. This was the best night ever. Nothing else could compare to it. You smiled to yourself, maybe not being able to say ‘I love you’ wasn’t as horrible as you thought it was. At least, for Angel is was okay.

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

A/N: I love angel but oh my god I had such a hard time writing this. Smut is so hard to write when THEY CANT TOUCH!!!!

Also this fic is shorter than the rest. I plan to write LONG fics!! Please let me know if this smut was hot or not because I DONT KNOW

Next part will be the finale of this “series”, but I’ll continue to make Angel Devil x Reader’s/bonus chapters of this series

ALSO PLEASE SEND ME REQUESTS THEY ARE OPEN AND I LOVE READING UR GUYS’ THOUGHTS.

-Yours truly, 💟

[deathofpeaceofmiiind]

illicit affairs | twenty two

*Ellie's POV*

It had been two weeks since we found our home, and life hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. We had managed to sell my condo and Noah’s house within in a day of each other, and we finally closed the deal just a few days after that. I hadn’t much time to absorb any of what was happening but I felt incredibly lucky we were able to achieve this goal together. It also hadn’t sunk in how big of a step this was in our relationship, it was equal parts scary and exciting. 

Moving day was finally here and we were beyond ready to get into our home. We had spent most of our time decluttering, packing and eating way too much take out this week in preparation. I swear if I tripped over another moving box or had to eat another pizza I was going to lose it. Some of the guys had come up to visit us before heading on a fishing trip that Folio was dying to go on, so of course I put them to work first despite us hiring movers.

“Was that the last box of Liam’s?” Bryan asked as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “It better be.” Folio whined, coming up behind him. “How many Lightning McQueens can one kid have?” “You just got here!” I scoffed as I entered the room, “also no such thing as too many Lightning McQueens.”

“Yeah dude, put some respect on the kings name.” Bryan added, almost offended at Folio’s remark. 

“Not my fault customs was crazy.” He replied, elbowing me in the side, causing me to shake my head. We had developed quite the brother/sister relationship over FaceTime and it was entertaining and annoying at the same time. I nudged him back, “then you can grab more boxes.” Folio rolled his eyes as he grabbed another box before heading into the hallway. Liams room was now empty so I walked back into the living room to see what was left, which was hardly anything. As much as I couldn’t wait to be in our home, it was such a bittersweet feeling to be leaving this place. I pictured myself being here for a long time, but then again I also never predicted Noah coming back into my life. In some way this was our first home together even it was for a short time. I felt Noah come up behind me, he wrapped his hand around my stomach as he gently kissed my shoulder.

“Ready?” I nodded as I felt tears prickle my eyes. “Yeah, I am.” “El…” Noah turned me around, wiping the one tear that escaped me. “What’s wrong?” “I’m sorry.” I sniffled, “this place just meant a lot to me, but I’m so ready to start our new chapter.” “Me too.” Noah assured me as we intertwined our hands together, walking towards the door. “This place brought us back together, I’ll miss it just as much.”

My stomach dropped watching Noah lock the door for the last time. I wanted to shake this unnerving feeling, what was happening was a such a blessing but selling my condo felt like I lost a part of my independence. I know Noah would never take that from me and it was something I just needed to get over. I didn’t say much on the drive to the house but the second I saw it, my negative thoughts vanished completely. My heart fluttered as I looked over at Noah who couldn’t control his happiness. Folio, Bryan, Davis and Jolly were standing on the lawn, all in Dad poses as they admired the house.

“I see you’re working hard.” I joked as I got out of the car. “I came up here to fish, look at some mountains and possibly find my own Canadian wife, alright?” Bryan said. “You did find one, you just blew it.” I snickered as I walked past them.

Bryan stopped dead in his tracks as his jaw dropped, “that was so fucking rude.” “You ghosted my friend, I’m allowed to roast you.” Everyone started to laugh as I went into the house. My knees almost gave out as I looked around and admired what was in front of me, I couldn’t wait to wake up tomorrow morning and make coffee in this kitchen. The movers were done pretty quickly and left us to begin our unpacking. Luckily they were nice enough to set up our bed and put our couch together. We sadly didn’t have a lot of furniture since Noah sold his home with all of his, and with me being in a condo I didn’t have enough to fill a house.  We agreed we’d do some furniture shopping before he headed back on tour. Ikea here we come. 

“So when do you think the studio will be ready?” Jolly asked as we all stood in the kitchen drinking beers and avoiding the heat. I was so thankful this house had air conditioning. “Probably after this tour.” Noah replied before taking a sip of his Celsius, “I just need to look for contractors and Matt needs to help me with the sound stuff. Once he gets here on Friday we can start doing planning.”

“Matt’s coming up here?” I spat out. My heart started to race and I felt everyones eyes on me as I asked my stupid question. I knew I’d have to see him eventually but I haven’t spoken to him since he left, so I don’t even know if he wants to see me.

Folio pursed his lips together, almost acting like a kid who was getting in trouble, “oh did Noah not tell you we’re throwing you a house warming party after we come back from fishing?” “News to me.” I muttered, bringing my beer up to my mouth and taking a longer swig than normal.

Noah mirrored Folios exact expression as he looked over at me, “I’m so sorry Ellie, we’ve been so busy with moving that I forgot to tell you.” All I could do was smile because I was still hung up on the idea of Matt being here with everyone. I know it was going to be impossible to avoid him considering he was part of the crew and I can’t let my issues with him cause any drama. I don’t know how awkward it was going to be being in the same room as your boyfriend and the guy you hooked up with during your break. My guess is pretty fucking awkward. 

“You ok?” The guys went to scope out Noah’s new recording space, so I decided to get a head start on some unpacking. I was in our bedroom looking for bed linens as Davis entered the room. I had to admit I never spent any one on one time with him so I was confused as to why he came looking for me. Honestly he was also a little intimating, he had this aura about him and had a stare that made my feet turn into concrete every time.

“Yeah.” I lied, opening up another box that was finally our bed sheets. I pulled them out and started to make the bed. Davis went to the other side of the bed and began to help me. I was still so confused on what his end game was here, but the help was nice. Trying to make a king size bed when you’re 5’1 wasn’t an easy task.

“Look, I know we haven’t really talked at all outside of the group, but…is Matt coming up here a problem?” “Kind of.” I sighed grabbing the duvet from another box, “I’m just annoyed that I’m letting this weigh on me so much because I’m happy with Noah and I’ve moved on.” “I know but him ghosting you has been the dumbest thing he’s done.” He added as he started putting cases on the pillows, fluffing them up before throwing them by the headboard. “If someone radio silenced me like he’s doing to you, I’d feel the exact same way you are.” “That’s what’s bothering me, is the unknown.” I sat down on the bed after we were done, sighing deeply. “I don’t know what will happen when he walks through that front door.” “Do you have any feelings for him?” “No.” I shook my head. “Me being with him made me realize how much I loved Noah still…I just wish I never jeopardized our friendship.” “I know, and you and Noah were made for each other.” He replied, leaning against the wall. “I’ve known Noah for a very long time, I’ve never seen him be so authentic with a women like he is with you.” “What do you mean?” “Noah is very private person and when he’s with someone he tends to put up a front because of who he is.” I was about to protest but Davis put his hand up, “you on the other hand never made him feel like that. You see Noah for who he is outside of bad omens and that’s so fucking rare for him. I never thought he’d be so committed to someone that he’d buy a house with them. So don’t worry about Matt. If he gives you any issues I’ll talk to him, don’t let him spoil your happiness.” “Thank you.” I replied, standing up to give him a hug. He sent me a soft smile before he left the room. I sunk back down onto the bed, my head falling back as I sighed deeply.  Friday night is going to be one for the books.

[fernandezology]

don’t take me for granted-mason mount

pairing: mason mount x reader

summary: “but every time i leaned over and said i’m sorry you said it was fine. you squeezed my hand and said it’s fine. i love you. don’t worry... it’s fine.”

warnings: angst with a twist at the end

word count: 1,2 k

life is good.cause we fucking did it. it couldn’t have gone better.

you looked beautiful tonight.the entire night, while i was talking to all these smiling,sweet,rich people who one month ago wouldn’t give me the time of day... i would look across the room and see you. and i’d think, god,she is the most beautiful fucking creature on planet earth.and the sexiest. there’s truly no one sexier. even christian said it.

speech he gave after being voted as the best at fifa awards left you…speechless.you had no intention of talking to him so you just looked at him confused.

he recognized your “what is that supposed to mean” look because let’s face it,he knew you like the back of his hand.

not in a bad way. a good way. a respectful way. but it’s true. every time i’d see you... he continued to talk while kissing the back of your neck,with your glass of old fashioned,smiling and chatting it up,i’d think to myself:

“god, am i fucking lucky.”

nobody in their right mind would have energy to start an argument after a long night of pretending to be interested in people you’ve never seen before. thankfully,there were few familiar faces who made this night bearable. however,some of them turned it into the worst night ever. including him. you didn’t want to raise any suspicion so you dryly smiled at him.

what was that?

what?

that smile?

what?

it was a fake smile. i thought you are going to be a little bit more excited for me. don’t think your behavior went unnoticed. it seemed like you were not yourself tonight, especially around my mum. what’s wrong?

point is… i don’t have nothing to say to her. which is the reason i didn’t talk to her.

it’s just... she notices.

really?

yes.

how do you know?

i just do.

really?

well she sees how you are with other people... you’re talkative, you’re funny.

what can i say, i’m personable.

right. which makes her insecure.

what? other human beings with personalities?

no. it’s the fact that you’re not yourself and she knows it. can you just tell me what happened?

tust me. it’s not a good idea. let’s talk tomorrow.

but i know you’re upset at me.

it’s not a big deal.

i can’t go to sleep knowing you’re angry.

i’m begging you. nothing productive is going to be said tonight.

how do you know?

because i know you.

you turn and walk down the hall toward to bedroom,already regretting you said anything because he is not gonna let it go now.

as you were taking off your jewelry,you look at him in the mirror,realizing this is gonna be a long night. truthfully,you didn’t have one of those in a while- at least not this sort of long night.

really... you wanna go there? it’s your speech, mason.

why do you have to find something... anything...the most minor fucking detail to harp on, to fucking ensure that there is no possible fucking reason to celebrate.

you didn’t thank me, mason. that’s not a minor fucking detail. that’s a big one.

oh give me a fucking break. when i said you’ll find the most minor fucking detail and turn it ugly... i fucking meant it.

but i’ve thanked you a million times before. you know i’m thankful. you know I’m appreciative. and you know it was a mistake, so why turn it into anything more?

because it is more.

you can’t be serious.

i’m dead serious.

then you’re out of your mind.

and you’re hyperbolic.

i’m not. it’s hysterical to think that forgetting to thank you is symbolic of anything other than me legitimately forgetting to fucking thank you.

you looked at him in the mirror and turned to him:

mason,you thanked a hundred fucking people. you thanked your agents. your teammates. your parents. your fucking third grade teacher and the kid who was playing with you at academy when you were eleven years old and saw whatever-the-fuck.

i didn’t thank the guy who saw me scoring a free-kick identical to one i scored in 2020?

you know what i mean -

you don’t have to be sarcastic and petty about it. i forgot to thank you.i am sorry. i am genuinely sorry.which is why i apologized a hundred times during the awards. i couldn’t even focus on the awards because i felt so guilty.

that’s a shame.

but every time i leaned over and said i’m sorry you said it was fine. you squeezed my hand and said “it’s fine. i love you. don’t worry... it’s fine.”

well mason,i changed my mind.it’s not fine.

how can you just change your mind?

honestly... it’s really fucking easy.

that doesn’t seem a little crazy to you?

not at all.

really?

nope.

why?

because while i was sitting through awards it was fine,then every single person from your dad to declan came up and said, “i know you’re probably a little upset he forgot to thank you but i know how much he counts on you.”

they said that?

they told me not to read into it.

what does that mean?

that’s funny you say that... that’s the exact same thought i had. but let’s not digress. because as the night went on, i became less fine with it.

before you could continue why you weren’t fine with it,he asked you to sit next him. even though this was probably your worst fight ever,you missed being close to him and how could you refuse?

because it’s not just about you forgetting to thank me. it’s about how you see me and how you view my contribution, not just to this relationship, but to your work. after listening to you complain about new coaches,new methods,waking up in the middle of night when you were crying about not being good enough and not wanting to leave your childhood club,supporting you when you wanted to quit football completely…

i really hope you don’t actually think that i don’t appreciate everything you did for me. for us. if it wasn’t for you,i wouldn’t be here where i am right now. i would still be mediocre. there is a reason why they say that after every great man is a great woman. you are the most loving and patient person i know. thank you for everything, i don’t know how will i ever make it up to you,but i’ll do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman in world every day until we die. i’m so sorry. thank you. thank you for loving me. for making my life anything but mediocre. we make the best team and i love you,baby.

i love you too,just don’t take me for granted.

great... are we no longer fighting?

you look at him and smile and then it turns into a laugh.

what? don’t tell me you already know what i wanted to ask you. he smiled for first time since you came home and but it felt like forever since you last seen his contagious smile- one of many things that made you fall in love with him.

you shrugged your shoulders, completely oblivious on what is he talking about until you saw him getting on one knee.

will you marry me?

[jpmarvel90]

Don't let me down - Part 7

Masterlist Scarlett Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Relationship: MamaScarlett x 16 yr old Reader

Summary: It's time for Y/n's first date with Laura! But first, how will Scarlett and Colin react when they find out they're together?

Word count: 7078

Scarlett POV:

Sat waiting in the car for Y/n, I can't help but let my mind wonder to how things went with her and Laura this morning at the café. It's clear how much that Y/n likes Laura. I just hope that the feelings are reciprocated, and they can be happy together. It's clear to me that Laura likes Y/n too, but it's hard to convince my daughter that when her mind is going a million miles an hour and her whole life, she's never had things go her way.

I still feel a little guilty that I walked in on them when they were about to kiss. I should have knocked but I didn't think anything of it. I guess you have to embarrass your kids at some point and Y/n has had her first experience of that! All I know is that Laura seems like the perfect person to make Y/n happy. I think she's been her sole source of comfort in the past year and a half.

Y/n seems to have started to settle with us now. She is more comfortable at home and gets on great with her siblings. I love how much Cosmo loves her. My phone is full of photos of the two of them in cute moments.

Rose has loved having an older sister, especially one who takes the time to teach her as many soccer skills as she can. I'm so relieved that Rose has taken to Y/n like she has. After her initial moment with her, I was terrified that she wasn't going to like having Y/n living with us. But I'm lucky that it's all worked out for us.

The relationship Y/n has with Colin has also grown. He loves her like she's his own daughter and I'm grateful that he's allowed me this chance to be the mom that Y/n deserves. Y/n hasn't had the best experience with men, and Colin knows that. He makes sure that he's considerate around her, but also doesn't make a big deal out of it. I'm learning that Y/n is a bit of a goof and that is something Colin has caught onto. Between the two of them they're like children, but I love it!

My own relationship with my daughter is also growing. It's slower than it has been for the others and that hurts me a bit. But I completely understand it. I'm the one that left. I'm the reason that she has ended up in abusive situations. It's something that I'll never forgive myself for. I know I can't make up for it now, but I can do everything I can to make her life as good as it possibly can be.

My eyes are quickly drawn to my daughter, a smile forming on my face. I love being able to do the simple things for her. I never thought I'd get this opportunity. To just be her mom. But here I am, and I know I won't mess up my second chance with her.

That smile only grows wider when I see her hand in hand with Laura. The both of them laughing with the group of friends around them. They say goodbye to the group and Y/n walks Laura over to her car. Laura turns to face Y/n, taking both of her hands in her own. She says something that clearly makes Y/n a little shy so she places her fingers under her chin and lifts her head to meet her eyes. There's a pause before she leans in, and they share a kiss.

It takes everything in me to not cheer out loud to see that they are clearly together now. But then I remember that I'm currently being a creep sat in the car park watching my daughter with her new girlfriend.

After a moment, they say goodbye to each other with another kiss, Y/n holding the car door open for Laura so she can get in. She waves as Laura drives away and turns around clearly looking for me. A wide smile on her face. She spots my car and gives me a quick wave before making her way towards the car.

She slips into the front seat, and I turn to greet her. "Hey honey. How was school?" I ask her, fighting off the desire to ask about her and Laura. As much as I want to know, it's for her to bring it up when she's comfortable. "It was really good. I got an A on the calculus test we had last week." She tells me proudly. "That's great Y/n. I'm proud of you." I respond to her, and I watch as her face lights up. "Really?" She asks and I nod. "Of course. I would be proud of you regardless of your grade. But I know how much you had studied for that test." I reply and she sits back in her seat with a content smile.

I pull out of the car park and make our way back home. My gaze keeps drifting to Y/n who eventually huffs. "Ask your question Scarlett." She says when she catches me looking at her. She has a smirk on her face, clearly being able to read me. "I was just wondering how your coffee was this morning." I tell her honestly. She doesn't need to know what I saw.

I chuckle to myself when her head drops back against the headrest, and she lets out a content sigh. "She feels the same." She admits. "That's great! I told you she would." I reply and she rolls her eyes. "I know. We had a long talk and we both admitted that we wanted to be with each other." She continues to explain, the biggest smile on her face.

It makes me so happy that she is sharing this with me so willingly. When she first came home with us, she was so closed off and trying to understand what she was feeling was nearly impossible. I'm glad that she feels safe enough with me now that she can talk freely with me.

"So...?" I ask, prolonging the o. She laughs at me and shakes her head. "Laura is officially my girlfriend." She shares excitedly. "Y/n! That's great! I'm so happy for you." I tell her instantly, so she doesn't have time to think for even a second that I have any other feelings towards this.

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow for a moment. "You saw us at her car, didn't you?" She asks and a guilty look soon appears on my face. "I uh. I wasn't stalking I promise." I quickly defend but she just laughs. "Well, we weren't really hiding it." She says, alleviating my fears. "Are you comfortable being open like that?" I ask her. I know it's not always easy at school to be different. "I'm more than happy. I don't like the idea of being hidden and I also don't want to hide my feelings. I've done that for far too long." She responds. I look at her proudly that she is so confident in that feeling. "Besides, our school is pretty open. There are quite a few queer people, and the other students leave them alone for the most part." She adds on, which makes me even more relieved.

Though I notice that her gaze drops for a moment, like I lost her for a moment. "Hey, what's wrong? Where did your head go?" I ask her worriedly, placing my hand on her knee as I keep my focus on the road. "I uh. Will um. Colin. Will he be ok with me being, you know, gay?" She stutters out. I hate that she thinks that Colin would ever look at her differently just because of her sexuality.

"Oh sweetheart. No. Colin loves you regardless of if you like girls or not. He just wants you to be happy and safe. Please don't ever worry that we would have any issues with you when you're just being yourself. I don't want you to ever think you have to hide any part of you." I tell her softly, but firmly. She needs to know this.

"Ok. Uh, we're going on a date on Friday, and she wants to talk to you both beforehand." She tells me. "Can you not make it awkward for her. She still feels bad for cussing you out." She continues and I smile at her plea. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try." I tease her, earning a groan. "I told her it was a bad idea." She mumbles, making me laugh.

We continue driving for a bit before I remember that I actually had something that I wanted to ask Y/n myself. "Uh Y/n. I know that you've had a lot of meeting new people recently. But I've been talking about you a lot with my friends, and they would love to meet you. Especially two of my closest friends, Lizzie, and Chris." I start to explain, glancing to her regularly to gauge her reaction.

"There is no pressure to do so, and it would just be having them over for dinner or something. They're just keen to meet you." I show her that she has a choice in this matter. As much as I want her to meet my friends and the people in my life. I will never push her to be in a situation where she's uncomfortable. "Are these people you work with?" She asks and I nod. "Yeah. They're both Marvel actors. Lizzie Olsen and Chris Evans. I've known Chris since college though. They are both lovely people and I promise you that they are safe." I reassure her. I know that her trust level is very low, and she is still having to identify who is safe to her.

"And it would just be them?" She continues to question. "Yeah, and our family of course. We'll have it at home so it's a familiar place for you." I respond, happy to answer any questions she might have. She takes a moment to think, and I don't pressure her for an answer. "Ok. I'm ok with that." She responds, breaking the silence. "That's great. Thanks Y/n. I promise that if you're uncomfortable at any time, we can end it and they won't be offended. Though I have a feeling that Lizzie is going to take to you and will be fighting to be your bestie though. I should probably warn you about that." I chuckle and smile when Y/n laughs too.

"It's weird to think about meeting other celebrities. I've kind of forgotten that you are one. It's just not a world I'm familiar with." She shares and I nod, getting that. "Well, once it gets out that Lizzie and Chris have met you, it won't be long until the others are begging too. But we can slowly introduce you to the others. I don't want to overwhelm you." I once again reassure her.

"I'm part of your world now. I guess I have to get used to it." She smiles at me. Hearing her speak about being apart of my world makes my heart skip a beat. There was a time where I thought that she wouldn't want to stay here with us. But now it looks like she doesn't plan on going anywhere. I just hope she'll let me adopt her so she can legally be my daughter again. I mean she is my daughter no matter what, but I want there to be no issues when it comes to legalities.

There is also the big elephant in the room of the press. Being part of my world means being in the spotlight to some degree. So far, we've not had any issues, but as we do more together, it's only a matter of time before we're caught. I want the whole world to know about Y/n, but I know that she may not feel the same. I also want to protect her. It's intimidating when you're surrounded by paparazzi, and I don't want her to be in a situation that is upsetting for her. I guess this is all something that we need to talk about. It's not going to be an easy conversation, but it's an important one. Though, I think it can wait for another day. This has already been a car journey with a lot to talk about!

When we arrive home, Colin is already back from work before he heads back out this evening to film SNL. He's sat on the sofa with Cosmo when we come in and he is quickly to his feet to greet us both. He places a soft kiss to my cheek before pulling Y/n into a hug. The smile on her face doesn't go unnoticed and I'm grateful that she feels safe around Colin.

"How was school kiddo?" He asks as we join him and Cosmo in the living room. Rose is at soccer practice this afternoon, so the house is unusually quiet. "It was really good." Y/n responds, a smile forming on her face. "Something or someone make it so good?" He questions with a smirk. I laugh when I see a blush form on her cheeks.

Though she is quick to look up at me. I give her a reassuring nod. I know that Colin will have no issues with what she's about to share. We've both talked about how we thought they were together, so it's not going to be a surprise to him when she explains.

I watch as she takes a deep breath and nods. "Yeah. Uh. Laura she um. She asked me to be her girlfriend." She admits with a shy smile. "You mean you weren't already together?" He asks, taking Y/n by surprise. "Not you too?" She groans, flopping back onto the sofa. "What? The way you two are around each other. I just assumed." Colin responds as Y/n covers her face. "Urgh. No, apparently, we both were just too chicken shit to admit our feelings for each other." Y/n says, making Colin laugh. "Oi! Language missy." I lightly scold her, and she gives me a sheepish smile.

"So, you're ok with it? Me being with a girl?" Y/n asks, her voice full of uncertainty. "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be? If anything, I'm glad that you're not dating boys. We're jerks at high school." He replies without missing a beat. I see Y/n's whole body relax at his words and a smile forms on her face. "Nothing will change how much I love you Y/n. I just want you to be happy." Colin reassures her.

She looks between him and me for a moment, before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks Colin. That means so much." She whispers as Colin gently runs his hands through her hair. "I'm always here for you kiddo. You're stuck with me now." He teases, making Y/n laugh. "Though I will be wanting words with Laura." He adds on, making Y/n roll her eyes. "Well, she wants words too apparently. What is with everyone wanting to talk." She grumbles.

"Ok, why am I suddenly nervous about meeting Laura. She's scary." Colin jokes. "Maybe because when it comes to Y/n I feel like she would do whatever it takes to protect her, even take on her parents." I share my own thoughts. Ever since she stood up to me that very first time, I feel like I have to prove myself to her too. That I'm going to do what's right by Y/n. "Ok, let's not show her that when she comes by. They can sense fear." Colin suggests. "She's a teenager not a dog." Y/n huffs, getting up and going to the kitchen whilst the both of us laugh.

"She looks happy." Colin observes as he turns back around and looks to me. "Yeah, she is." I respond, a wide smile on my face. "I think she's finally starting to be the true Y/n. I know there is still a long way to go, but she is more open with us than she's ever been and it's almost like having a different person in the house. I must admit, there was a point I didn't think this would happen." I admit my feelings, holding back tears threatening to fall.

Colin sensing this gets up and sits next to me and pulls him into me, pressing a kiss to my head. "We're going to be there for her every step of the way to prove to her that this is a safe and loving environment." He says, holding me close. "I'm so grateful to you. For all your support. You could have easily run a mile when I told you about Y/n, but you didn't." I share, my gaze full of love on my husband.

"There's nothing you could tell me that would make me want to leave. You're stuck with me. Besides, that girl in there. She's my daughter. Maybe not by blood, but I love her just like I love Rose and Cosmo. I want to be the dad that she deserves." He admits, his gaze not faltering. It makes my love for him grow more than I thought possible. I don't respond with words, instead I pull him into me and capture his lips with mine in a loving kiss, hoping to convey how much I love him.

"Ew gross! Keep it to the bedroom!" Y/n grimaces as she returns to the living room, a drink in hand. "You're just jealous that Laura's not here so you can suck face." Colin teases, making Y/n gasp in annoyance. "You know what, I think I have homework to do." She huffs, turning on the spot and flipping Colin off over her shoulder as she goes. I can't help but laugh whilst Colin looks to me. "Oh what, so it's ok when she swears at me?" He complains playfully. "She can when it's funny." I respond. "Oh, you're in for it." He smirks before launching a tickle attack on me. God, I love this man so much!

_________

Y/n has been a nervous wreck ever since she came home from school today. Laura is picking her up at 6 to take her out for their date and she's spent the last hour panicking about what to wear. I've found it's safer to stay out of the way, not wanting to annoy her or be in the firing line when she gets frustrated. Though she does finally decide on an outfit and asks that we let Laura in if she's here before she's ready.

Both Colin and I are surprised when the doorbell rings at 5:45. I get up and open the door to see a nervous Laura standing with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. "Hi Mrs Johansson." She greets me with a small smile. "Laura. You're early." I point out, hoping to keep up the protective mother act for a little while. "I uh. I was hoping to talk to you and Mr Jost before I take Y/n out." She explains and I have to hide the smile that is fighting to make an appearance.

"Of course. Please come in. Y/n is still getting ready." I explain, moving to the side so she can enter. She tentatively follows me into the living room where Colin is waiting on the sofa. "Laura hi. You look lovely." Colin greets her with a smile. "Thank you, Mr Jost. It's nice to see you again." She responds. "Oh, please. Call me Colin." He waves her off with his hand at the formal greeting.

She takes a seat on the chair opposite Colin and me. "I uh. Well, as you know, Y/n and I are now together. I guess I wanted to come early to talk to you and maybe give you some reassurances." She starts off as she finds her words. I can see Colin smiling at her words beside me, whilst I keep a straight face.

"I know that Y/n has been through a lot in her life. I always wished that there was more that I could do to protect her. I couldn't get her out of that hell, but I could give her a safe place away from it." She explains. That is one thing I'm most grateful for. These last 18 months Y/n has had someone like Laura in her corner. She never should have had to go through what she has, but knowing she had Laura with her, makes it slightly easier to bare.

"I've liked your daughter for some time now, but I didn't want to take advantage of her, knowing that she was in a vulnerable place. I worried if she didn't like me back that she would pull away from me and be alone again." She explains and I can completely understand why she did that. "I just want you to know, that I understand how lucky I am to have Y/n and for her to like me in return. It's something that I'm never going to take for granted. You can rest assured that I plan to be everything that Y/n deserves. I will protect her and be the best person I can for her. I'm quickly falling for your daughter, and I would do anything for her." She quickly rushes out and I can no longer hold up this front.

She has just said everything a mother could wish to hear from their daughter's partner. She sits nervously as she waits for us to respond. I don't want to be mean and leave her waiting. So, I decide to speak up. "You don't know how much that means to hear Laura. But I hope you realise, that your intentions have always been clear in your actions. From the first time I met you, I knew that you always had Y/n's best interests at heart. It something that I have never doubted. I'm very happy that you two are together." I express my own feelings and see as she relaxes, her shoulders releasing the tension that had been plaguing her.

"About our first meeting. I'm sorry for how I spoke to you." She goes to apologise, but I quickly shake my head, holding up my hand. "Stop. You have absolutely nothing to apologise for. You were protecting Y/n and in that moment, I had done nothing to prove that I wanted what was best for her. I'm glad that she had you when she was on her own." I reassure her so she knows that there are no hard feelings for how she spoke to me.

We both then look to Colin who's sat with a smile on his face but has said nothing. "I have nothing to add. Just that I can't think of anyone better to be with our daughter." He gives his approval, earning a wide smile and a thanks from Laura. "Though I will warn you. I may be the funny dad, but if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to hurt you." He warns, "Colin!" I scold him but he just shrugs. "No one hurts my kids." He defends. "It's ok Mr J-Colin. I promise that I don't ever plan on hurting Y/n." Laura promises. "That's what I like to hear. Now where are you taking her on this date?" He changes the subject, making us both laugh.

A few minutes later, we hear the creak of the floorboards and see Y/n coming down the stairs. The biggest smile appears on Laura's face as she stands up and moves to greet her. "Wow, you look amazing." Laura compliments her. "Thanks. You look great too." Y/n responds with a shy smile before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss. "These are for you by the way." Laura says holding out the flowers in her hands. "They're beautiful, thank you." Y/n responds, holding the flowers to her nose.

"Have you been waiting long?" Y/n asks as she moves to put the flowers in water. "A little while." Laura admits sheepishly. Y/n looks between her and then to us. "Oh. Have you had whatever talk you all so desperately wanted?" She asks. "Yes, and we all know where we stand." I jump in. "Well, I'm glad I wasn't around for that awkwardness." She chuckles.

"Right, are you ready?" Laura asks once Y/n has finished putting the flowers in a vase. "I am. I just need to grab my bag." She responds. "Have her back by 11 please." I ask Laura and she nods. "Of course." She responds, holding her hand out to Y/n who takes it easily. "Have fun sweetie." I smile at Y/n, who's already got her love eyes on her girlfriend. "Thanks Scarlett. See you both later." She calls as she leaves the house. "Of they are so in love." Colin laughs. "Yeah. I think they are."

Y/n's POV:

As we walk outside, I can't help but smile at the warmth I'm feeling from having my hand in hers. Though, once we reach the car, she lets go and rushes to hold the door open for me. "M'lady." She smirks at me, bowing her head playfully. I move to get in the car, giving her a peck in thanks. The blush on her cheeks not going unnoticed.

Laura then rushes around to the driver's side and slips in. "So, where are we going?" I ask curiously. "Well, as this is our first proper date, I wanted it to be special and unique. So, we have two stops, but they're a surprise." She shares excitedly. "Don't worry, they're not far and I think you'll love them." She reassures me, taking my hand in hers as she pulls off the driveway.

I turn my head and watch my girlfriend as she drives, my hands playing with her fingers on my lap. "So, how did the conversation go with Scarlett and Colin?" I question, intrigued to what was said. "It went well. I promised them that I just want to take care of you and assured them that you are safe with me." She informs me, turning to meet my eyes when she stops at a red light. "Hmm, I like the sound of that." I smile in return. She raises my hand to her lips and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles. "Now I've got you, I'm doing everything I can to keep you!" She tells me, making me laugh. "That doesn't sound stalkerish at all." I tease her, earning a pout. "It's a good job I like you." I lean in and press a kiss to her lips, pulling away just as the light turns green.

For the rest of the journey, we sing obnoxiously loud as we drive to our first destination. Laura pulls into a parking spot and rushes around to open my door for me. "You know you don't have to do this all the time." I tell her but she just shrugs. "It's our first date. I'm doing this properly." She defends, holding her hand out for me. I take it easily and allow her to direct me to our destination.

"The Natural History Museum?" I ask with a smile as we reach our destination. "Kind of, we're going to a specific part of the museum." She explains without giving away any further details. I follow along as she flashes some tickets to the guard at the door who gives us directions on where we need to go.

We walk through the museum and then into the courtyard where we're stood in front of a large glass box with a giant sphere, that looks like it's floating, inside. "The planetarium." I whisper, my eyes wide. I've never been here before. "I know how much you love space and thought it's kind of romantic. I've booked us tickets for their show." She explains nervously, her gaze unsure. I quickly pull her into me and press my lips against hers. "I love it!" I respond excitedly. "Oh, thank God. I thought you might not like the idea for a date." She breathes a sigh of relief. "It's perfect." I reassure her.

We make our way into the planetarium and are guided to our seats. Whilst we wait for the show to start, my eyes trail over the projection that is on the dome above us. "Did you know this is known as the Digital Universe Atlas. The team here at the museum maintain the map of the cosmos with the help of NASA." I explain when I recognise the image above. "I didn't know that. Have you been here before?" She asks me but I shake my head. "No, I never had the money to, but I've read up on everything here." I explain. "I'm a bit of a geek." I admit shyly. "Hmm, but you're my geek." She responds, making me blush.

I don't have time to respond as the show begins. The lights dim and music starts to play. I quickly take Laura's hand in my own and get comfortable. I let out a small gasp as the seats slowly start to recline so we get the perfect view of the dome above us.

The show above us is amazing and I'm completely engrossed in what is being shown. The projections are like nothing I've seen, and I feel a happiness that I'm finally getting to see something that I have read so much about but never got the chance to see. I looked on in awe, moving my head to rest on Laura's shoulder. Her arm instantly wraps around my shoulders as she holds me close, a soft kiss pressed to my head.

I'm a little sad when the show comes to an end, but I have loved every minute of it. As the seats rise up again and the lights turn on, I look to Laura with the biggest smile on m face. "That was amazing! This was the best idea for a date." I ramble excitedly. "Isn't it amazing to think all of that is beyond the sky." I share and she nods along, a soft smile on her face. "What?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing. You're just cute when you're excited." She explains with a shrug. It instantly makes my cheeks blush and my gaze drops.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She says, standing and holding her hand out for me to take. I slip my fingers between hers and allow her to help me to my feet. "Genuinely, thank you for bringing me to this. I've wanted to come for so long." I thank her. "I'll happily take you to all the places that you want to go." She informs me with an adoring look in her eyes.

"But right now, we need to get going or we're going to miss our reservations." She tugs at my hands and leads me out of the museum and back to the car. The traffic is pretty light getting to our next stop and we're soon parking up once again. "I think we're ready for some food." She smiles at me and once again, opens my door for me.

We walk for a little way until Laura stops us in front of a fun looking diner. Trailer Park Lounge. "I read about this place online and thought it would be a fun place to eat." She shares her thought process. Just from the outside it looks great. Again, I follow her as she greets the host at the door. "Ah Miss Laura, please follow me." He directs to the back of the diner into a cute little booth with a small jukebox in. "You can put a quarter in and pick music which will get played over the music system." He explains as he takes our drinks order and leaves us to it.

"What song are you going to go for?" Laura asks as we look over the music listed on the jukebox. I smirk as I grab a quarter and hit a song, covering the case so Laura can't see. "What did you pick?" She asks with a pout. "Let's see if you can guess which one is mine." I smirk, thanking the waiter as he puts the drinks down in front of us.

"This place is really cool." I state, looking around at all the décor on the walls. "I thought you'd enjoy somewhere quirky over fancy. Besides, the food looks amazing." She smiles at me. I reach over the table and take her hand in mine. "I love how well you know me." I express, making her eyes soften. "I've always seen you Y/n. Even before you joined the team." She admits, making my heart skip a beat. "Me too. It's always why I sat behind you in class. So, I could admire you without being caught." I make my own admission, causing Laura's mouth to drop open. "And you called me stalkerish. Now you're admitting to watching me." She teases. "I said admiring, there's a difference." I try to defend, just earning a laugh from my girlfriend.

"If only we had our shit together earlier, we could have had our happiness before now." She sighs. "I'm glad we didn't." I say, but quickly try to back track when I see the hurt on her face. "What I mean is, my parents were not happy when I admitted I liked girls. They told me it was a phase, and they would 'sort me out' if it continued. Had we been together earlier, I would worry what they might have done to you. Our relationship certainly wouldn't have lasted." I share honestly.

I instantly regret sharing though as a look of sympathy washes over her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the vibe down." I deflect but Laura is quick to shake her head and squeeze my hand. "No. None of that. You don't have to hide that part of your life from me just because we're together now. I just wish I knew what was happening back then. Maybe I could have done something." She sighs, rubbing at her face. "Hey, you did more than you know. Besides, I can look back on it now and know it's in the past. For the first time in a long time. I've felt safer than ever." I reassure her. Her body relaxes into her seat. "I'm glad Y/n. You deserve the happiest of lives." She smiles. "When I'm with you, I'm happiest." I flirt, making her cheeks now blush.

"Anyway." She clears her throat and sits up in her chair. "Let's pick what we wanted to eat. Though I think I'll struggle to decide as it all looks so good!" She changes the subject and allows us to move on.

We both decide on burgers as a few of the people around us have them and they look incredible. Once our order is taken, we both sip on our drinks, enjoying this time together. As we're talking about our next game, I fight the smile as I hear the beginning of the song I selected come on. As soon as the intro plays, Laura looks at me with a knowing look. "This is you isn't it." She smirks whilst I nod. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?" She asks and I nod my head. "Blame your mom. She was the one that showed me the video of 7 year old you singing to Dancing Queen for your talent show!" I tease her as she hides her face in her hands.

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet only 17." I jokingly sing, making her groan. "How do I make you stop?" She grumbles, her face still hidden. "You can't. The quarters been paid." I tease her. "You can dance, you can jive. Having the time of your life!" I sing louder, making her try and shush me. "See that girl. Watch that scene. Digging the dancing queen!" I point to her and continue my serenade.

As the song comes to an end, she whispers a "Thank God." Making me laugh. "You mean you don't like my singing?" I ask with faux offence. "Oh, I love your singing, just not when you're using it to mock me." She complains with a smile. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you. I'm your girlfriend now and it's my prerogative to tease you endlessly. You're stuck with me." I joke. "Damn. How do I go back in time and stop asking you out." She retorts, making me gasp. "No need to go back in time if I end it now." I shoot right back with a smirk. "Ouch Y/n. Arrow to my heart right there." She pouts, clutching at her chest." You started it." I poke my tongue out like a child. "Yeah, and I don't plan on ending this. Ever." She says sweetly changing the tone of conversation instantly.

The rest of dinner was amazing. We share a giant desert between us, struggling to finish it after we had also polished off the large burger stacks. But we managed it just. The whole time we were chatting and laughing. It was one of the happiest nights of my life. The most perfect first date that I could have ever asked for. Reluctantly, we get up and head back to the car, but we decide to have a short walk around the park first. We still have a bit of time before I need to get home.

"This has been everything I could have asked for." I stop Laura at the small pond, the moonlight lighting it beautifully. "I can't thank you enough for the thought and effort you have put into our date." I share with her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I told you Y/n. I'm going to spoil you and do everything that I can to make sure you're happy. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it." She responds, leaning into my touch.

"You've set the bar high for when I organise our next date." I chuckle as I pull her to a bench and wrap my arm around her. "We could literally sit in your room all day and I would be happy." She smiles but it makes me rise my eyebrow at her. "Already thinking of a day in my room?" I smirk, making her eyes go panicked. "No, uh not like that. I um. Not that I wouldn't want to. But I didn't I uh." She stutters through her panicked response, making me chuckle.

Instead of letting herself get more in a state, I lean forward and press my lips against hers, stopping her rambling instantly.

She sinks into my touch, one hand moving to my hip and the other moving behind my neck to keep me close. Our lips move in sync as our tongues dance together. When breath becomes an issues, we both slowly pull back and rest our heads against each other. "You were talking too much." I smirk, pecking her lips as I giggle. "I didn't want you to think I was pressurising you or anything." She explains but I quickly shake my head and cup her face.

"I don't feel pressurised. I know what you meant, and I was just teasing you. But just know that when we're both ready, I'm taking you up on a day in bed together." I tell her, a newfound confidence within me. She gulps and nods at my words a smile creeping on her lips. "I'd like that." She whispers.

We share a few more kisses before we both realise the time and have to rush back to the car. "Shit. Your mom is going to kill me if I don't have you back in time." Laura panics as she drives off. "She'd probably hate you more if you got in an accident rushing to get me home." I try to calm her down, placing my hand over her own. "We've got time. As long as traffic isn't bad. If it is, I'll message her." I say, helping to calm her down.

Turns out there was nothing to worry about. We still had 5 minutes before 11. So, I decided to make the most of it and we had a make out session in her car. With a minute to spare, she opens my car door for me once again, holding my hand as she escorts me to the front door.

"Thank you again for a perfect date." I turn to Laura, fiddling with her fingers. "I'm glad you liked it, and I can't wait for the next one." She returns, giving me a sweet kiss. "Text me when you're home?" I call after her. She agrees and I watch as she drives away, waving after her. My fingers then move to my lips, the feeling of hers still tingling on them.

I fumble around for my keys in my bag and unlock the door. As I push the door open, I see the back of Scarlett and Colin who seem to be running into the living room. I slowly walk in to see them on the sofa, slightly red faced. Scarlett is on her phone and Colin has the paper open in front of him. "Oh, hey honey. Did you have a nice time?" Scarlett asks me. "Were you just listening at the front door?" I ask them with a raised eyebrow.

Scarlett scoffs as Colin shakes his head. "Pfft no. We were just waiting here for you to come home." She weakly defends. "Hmm. Then why is the paper upside down?" I point to the newspaper in Colin's hands as he quickly turns it the right way up. "You idiot." Scarlett mumbles to him as he looks at her sheepishly. "We just wanted to make sure you were ok." Scarlett admits. "But it sounds like you were more than ok." Colin jumps in, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "Ew, Colin stop!" Scarlett scolds him. "Yeah. Never do that again." I say, turning on the spot and making my way upstairs. "Wait! How was your date? I want to hear everything?" Scarlett calls after me, chasing me up the stairs. I guess I won't be going to sleep anytime soon!

Part 8

[pacificwaternymph]

35 with pearl? Any iteration of her and with anyone else

"You deserve better than this. You deserve better."

I took a break from these for a little while but now I'm back! Sorry this one's a bit shorter, I'm mostly trying to just get warmed back up after so long without writing them.

"It wasn't your fault, Sausage," was the first thing he heard when he opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, surrounded by wheat, and staring up at a flawless blue sky. Tiny pinpricks of colorful magic danced around the air, like fireflies.

He sat up, and saw her.

Pearl stood across from Sausage in the golden field. The feathers of her equally golden wings rustled in a breeze which tousled her hair.

She looked as radiant and unshaken as ever. As though the events of the day hadn't affected her at all. Perhaps they hadn't. She was a goddess, after all. She was always a step removed from the affairs of mortals no matter what kind of personal stake she had in them.

"I should have stopped him sooner." The words left him before he even fully processed what they meant. "I should never have left Sanctuary to go to that stupid tea party."

"You were trying to protect our friends. It was a noble pursuit, even if you misunderstood his intentions." Pearl crossed over to him and held out a hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't warn you, my friend."

"It's not your fault." Sausage accepted the hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. "He cut off communication with you."

Pearl nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I should've known he was going to be trouble sooner or later. Maybe I should have dealt with him when I had the chance."

"Or maybe he shouldn't have existed in the first place," Sausage mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

He glanced over at Pearl. "This is an issue that I created, Pearl. I alone am to blame for everything that happened. If past-life me didn't make that deal with the demon, none of this would have happened."

He sat back down in the wheat, and Pearl followed him, wrapping a wing around his shoulder.

"Your past life made a mistake," she said, pulling him in closer. He rested his head on her shoulder. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. But what is more important is that he also tried to fix it. He reconciled with the people he hurt and he did his best to deal with your doppelgänger. It wasn't perfect, but it never needed to be."

"Yeah, it wasn't perfect, and he left evil me alive so that I had to deal with him. So that my son had to deal with me." Guilt curled in his chest. He would be lucky if Hermes ever fully trusted him again. To have someone wear his face and use it to lure him into a trap... to be used as bait... the poor kid could hardly even look him in the eye.

"Hermes is scared of me," he admitted to Pearl. "He pretends like he isn't but... I can see it in his eyes. I'm taking him back to Stratos tomorrow morning, he'll feel safer with his other dad. And then... who knows when he'll feel comfortable enough to come back to Sanctuary."

Pearl was silent for a few moments, before sighing. "It's times like these where I wish I still had a foothold in the mortal world," she said almost scornfully. "I'm sorry, Sausage. You deserve better than this."

His shoulders hunched. "Do I?"

"You deserve better," she emphasized. "Hermes will understand. He might be scared, but he knows, deep down, that it wasn't you. You'll get through this together, I promise."

When Sausage didn't say anything else, she continued. "You can't be blamed for the things you did in a past life, you were a different person back then. And some of the things you did were... questionable, I guess, but hey it's not like you were the only one!"

Sausage snorted.

"No, really! I considered Xornoth a friend at one point! I called them cute to their face!" Sausage looked up, eyes wide. Pearl was grinning like a maniac. "I was so desperate for a sparring partner who could keep up with me I turned to the literal demon trying to destroy the world!" She laughed. "And the best part is that I still miss it! I've not had a fight that good since then, not even when you came up here for a bit as an angel!"

Now Sausage was laughing too, hard enough that his stomach was hurting. He clutched it with both arms, tears leaking from his eyes.

The endless wheat field started to fade around the edges, and he knew he was waking up. He looked over at his friend, seeing her still smiling.

"Thank you, Pearl," he said, gratefully. Pearl nodded.

"Yeah, of course. Anytime, my friend."

Sausage looked out over the dissipating landscape, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: The titles are long af bc I find that very funny -Danny Words: 3,948 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Runaway' -by Aurora

V. Memory Lane Has Too Many Stops and I Keep Getting Carsick

Ara has barely stopped crying when Leo Valdez shows up flying the bronze dragon. Everyone stands ready, except Ara. She pushes through the crowd, eyes brimming with tears once again.

"People of Earth, I come in peace!" Leo is the most insane-looking boy she's ever seen. He's dirty from head to toe and looks like he spent the whole night awake. "Festus is just saying hello!"

"That thing is dangerous! Kill it now!"

"Stand down!" Jason shouts anxiously, Annabeth and Nyssa stand next to him. "Leo, what have you done?"

"Found a ride!" He says cheerfully. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"Festus..?" Ara echoes hoarsely.

"It—has wings," Nyssa stammers.

"Yeah! I found them and reattached them."

"But it never had wings! Where did you find them?"

"In... the woods," he's hiding something, but Ara couldn't care less about it at the moment. "Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?"

The dragon tilts his head and oil falls on top of Leo. He's completely unbothered by it. "Just a few kinks to work out."

Ara's mind catches up with her body and she runs to Festus in tears. Leo jumps out of the way in alarm, but everyone else is delighted. She looks less menacing this way. "You fixed it! You fixed my dragon!"

Leo frowns. "Say what?"

"But how did you survive?" Nyssa asks in shock. "I mean, the fire breath..."

"I'm quick," he turns to his sister. "And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"

"You named him Festus?" Jason adds. "You know that in Latin, 'Festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

"It's perfect!" Ara laughs, the first genuine laughter that comes out of her in days, and gods, it feels so good.

"Okay, so she's as crazy as me," Leo doesn't sound troubled by it. Festus purrs at Ara's touch, she's holding onto his snout. "That's a yes! Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

"But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"Go," Annabeth stares at them with fondness. "You have Ara, you'll be okay. You've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!" 

Jason looks at Piper. "You ready, partner?"

"You bet." The girl's beaming at the dragon.

"Everyone, give our General a proper send-off!" Lily speaks next to her, which causes Ara to jump. She hates it when Lily does that.

The campers lift their shields and swords. Lily places a Tyrian purple cloak on Ara's shoulders and hands her a worn T-rex backpack. "Come back alive," she raises her left hand, and a thin scar can be seen on the side of her wrist. "Deal?"

Ara lifts her right wrist and lightly presses it against Lily's. "You got it." She turns to look at the campers. "I'll bring you good news this time, I promise," Ara faces Leo, the insane boy, and her eyes fill with gratitude. "I owe you a big one."

"Cash only, sunshine. Or a kiss, if you're feeling generous," Leo jokes, trying to stop her from looking at him like that.

Ara smiles, which is not the reaction he wanted. He's hoping she'll go back to being grumpy soon, but unfortunately, nothing's going to make her forget his great deed. "I'll think about it."

She climbs on top of the dragon, and Leo does an okay job at keeping it together. Ara feels this is where she's meant to be, this will bring back her brother. She's always had a good instinct when it comes to Percy.

I'm weaving baskets when this weird thought crosses my mind: 

Look for Percy!

I saw him fifteen minutes ago, but I tell the naiads and nymphs that are with me: "Go get help." They notice how serious I am—which is unlike me—and follow my plea. I make my way to the forest, something is guiding me.

When Percy fought Ares, I gave him Aphrodite's protection. I told him "Love will keep you safe", and at the time he thought that I was saying it to not be the only one that hadn't given him something, but I knew it would work. I didn't know that it would bind me to him, but I'm not complaining.

When I find him, Percy sounds scared. "You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos."

"I've been used? Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest—the ones who serve him."

I throw my basket at the back of Luke's head, trying to give Percy time so he can grab his sword. Luke turns and holds his weapon tighter. He has a new sword. "I've had enough!"

I stumble and cut my palm on a rock, I grab it and hear Percy's panicky voice. "Don't!" I don't know who he's talking to, but neither of us listens. The rock hits Luke's arm and I roll to avoid his blade but it grazes my skin. I grab a fistful of dirt and throw it at his face.

Percy swats whatever creature is on his leg and draws out his sword, Luke notices and decides I'm not worth the trouble, he makes an arch-motion with his weapon and disappears through a portal. I'm scared shitless and I can feel my back pulsing, I wanna run and hide behind someone again. 

"I'm sorry!" I cry, even though I'm not the one who almost killed Percy.

He stumbles toward me in some sort of pain, and I'll be damned if I don't help him out of this one. I put his left arm around my shoulders, and he places most of his weight on me, but I carry on.

"Cool, right?" Leo's smell is starting to get a little too hard to ignore, Ara tries to keep his oil-covered self away. 

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asks.

"The Mist," Jason responds before Ara can. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

"You sure about that?"

"No."

"I am," Ara replies. "Don't worry, Piper, the crazier it gets, the harder it is for mortals to notice. If not, I know how to fix it."

"Is it thanks to the cool thing you are?" Leo asks.

"Yeah, Chiron had to readjust my training, not everyone can control the mist, but Thalia Grace is really good at it and she and Chiron taught me, she's the other child of Zeus."

"We're making good time," Jason comments like he's trying to change the subject. "Probably get there by tonight."

"Where are we heading?" Piper questions.

"To find the god of the North Wind and chase some storm spirits." 

"Piece of cake," Ara nods. "I've gone to many quests, follow your instincts and we'll be okay."

"Which reminds me!" Leo adds. "You didn't finish your story! You promised you would explain!"

Ara frowns. "Where was I?"

"That Luke dude went nuts."

She pauses, trying to piece her memories together. "Well, the nymphs took us back to camp..."

Percy's really weak after Luke's attack. Annabeth left half an hour ago, and I'm standing on the porch clinging to my friend's arm. "You're going too, aren't you?" 

The basket I was weaving when I found him is at my feet, I made it for Grover. Percy says he might not come back at all. Grover, Annabeth, and Percy are the closest friends I've had and they're leaving. I want Percy to stay.

"I want to be with my mom, Ara."

"I wish I had a family," I make a face.

Percy pats my hand, I would rather have him glaring, but Annabeth says he's got a soft spot for me. "I thought you were excited to work on the forges?"

I sigh, Percy's words are not enough to distract me. "If I had a family, I'd choose them over camp too," I hold his hand and squeeze it. "Have a good year, Nemo."

He shakes my hand. "Have a fun year, Birdy. Maybe you can come and spend Christmas with me and my mom?"

"You're giving me permission to annoy you outside camp?"

Percy grabs his glass of nectar and drinks from it. "Let's see who gets tired first."

Leo isn't as obnoxious as he pretends to be. He tells them about his connection to Hera, and the girl connects the dots. She doesn't want to use her empath touch on him, but she doesn't need to, Leo gets really quiet after telling his story and keeps his eyes ahead, no longer in the mood for jokes.

Ara process all the information she's gathered, to her it's obvious who the big bad is, but she does not dare to say it out loud, it would mean her future as the daughter of Olympus is bound to that stupid prophecy...

"You know something, don't you?" Piper asks as if reading Ara's thoughts. 

Leo has fallen asleep in front of them so she speaks quietly, though she doesn't need to, the wind is loud enough to hide her voice. "Nothing that could make things better."

"Okay... I just want to say, you know... thank you," Piper squeezes her shoulder. "You must be dead worried about your brother..."

Ara senses dread in Piper, the girl isn't as calm as she appears to be. "He would've wanted me to come. Others are looking for him, so..." She isn't needed. At least here, she feels important. She's a protector, and she likes that these demigods respect her. "And Lily's looking after camp, so I'm not worried."

"Annabeth's sister?" Piper muses. "Is she another daughter of Olympus?"

"Something better," Ara smiles. "She's my best friend."

Lily Saggio is the newest and weirdest camper in this place. She's got pitch-black hair and big gray eyes. Since I came back from Percy's home, I've seen campers give her weary looks when she walks past, they say she's just like Thalia.

"Hi! I'm Ara!"

The girl regards me with distrust, then she glances at the table I was in. I feel like she ran a background check in less than five seconds. "Lily Saggio."

I'll have to carry the conversation. That's okay. "You're lucky you got here during winter and not summer! Where are you from?"

Lily stares at me pondering whether to talk or ignore me. "You're a year-rounder?"

"Yeah!"

"Why weren't you here last week?" I notice she's trying to hide an accent, but I do my best to act like I don't.

"I was invited to my friend's house. Look, he gave me this!" I show her my backpack, which is a teddy bear. I keep priceless things in it: my snacks and the legos Sally gave me as a Christmas/late birthday present. 

"You can leave this place?" Lily's expression shifts.

"Not all the time," I pull Bear and rummage through him. "I promised I wouldn't leave Percy's apartment—and it was Christmas!"

Lily stands up straighter, looking defiant. "I can look after myself, I've fought monsters before," She pulls out a black dagger and shows it to me.

I gasp. "Where did you get that?"

"It showed up on my nightstand after my Nonna..." She pauses and shakes her head. "It's a gift from my patron, so I don't—"

"You don't like it here?" I pull out my box of Legos and Lily's eyes brighten at the sight. "Don't you wanna know who your parent is?"

She frowns. "I know who my dad is."

"Oh! You're an Ares kid? You don't look like Apollo but you'd make an interesting child of Hermes or Dionys—"

"I didn't mean that."

"You know your dad?" I ask, not following the conversation.

"Yes, my mortal parent," she rolls her eyes. "I don't care about the god. They didn't care about me."

To think that way will get her a step closer to joining Luke. I don't want that. "Do I look like I'm Aphrodite's child?"

"What?"

"Do I look it?" I insist.

"You're okay."

This is the first time anyone calls me okay. My brain goes: Well... duh!

"It hardly matters who your godly parent is, you'll grow to love it here," I lock arms with her and place my Legos on her hands. "I'm going to the forges, come and see."

"I don't need a chaperone—"

"You are sooo grumpy," I sigh. "No one would trust me to look after another camper. So!"

Lily waits for me to finish my sentence. "So?"

"They'll leave you alone if I'm with you, I'm not very popular either."

On our way to the forges, I hear a couple of Ares kids shout rude things at Lily, I step in to shut them up and they laugh so hard they forget about her.

"Go away," Lily scowls at me.

I pout a little. "I just wanted to help."

"I don't need you."

"I didn't do that thinking you—"

"I don't care," she clenches her fists. "Never do that again."

When they reach Boreas's palace, two of his children stop them. Zethes stares at the purple cloak covering her shoulders and his smile evaporates. "Ara Jackson."

She gives a start. "Hi. You know my name?"

"You killed Cacus!"

"Who?" Leo asks with amusement.

"It wasn't only me," Ara dismisses the comment. "Can we go in, then?"

Zethes doesn't look pleased. "You'll kill us if we don't let you?"

Ara shrugs. "Sure."

Leo leans closer as they fly down. "So if I get into a nasty fight, could you just smite my opponent? It'd be super helpful if I knew that beforehand..."

"Shut up," Ara scowls, but she's hiding a smile.

When they land, the Boreads get a little nervous about having Festus there. "No, no, no,"  Zethes points at it. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Ara steps forward. "Stay away from the dragon, then."

"'S'okay, boy," Leo eases the automaton, giving her a reassuring nod. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution." 

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

"No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait."

"Leo," Piper intervenes, "what are you—"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others... Ah, here we go."

Leo sneaks his hand inside Festus's left paw and Ara hears a click, the dragon folds until it's a block of bronze. "Um... yeah. Hold on. I think—aha!" A handle pops up along with four wheels at the bottom. "Ta-da! The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"Cool!" Ara gets closer to examine it. Every time Leo gets that reaction out of her, he looks ready to throw himself off a rooftop.

"That's impossible," Jason exclaims. "Something that big couldn't—"

"Stop!" Zethes and his brother suddenly point their swords at Leo.

"Hey!" Ara makes her own weapon appear. "What's your problem?"

Leo raises his hands. "Okay... what'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as carry-on—"

"Who are you? A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

"What? No! Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"

"Smell fire," Cal gets closer. "Fire is bad."

"Oh. Yeah, well... my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and—"

"No!" Zethes tries to touch Leo but Ara keeps him away with her sword. "We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire... on you." 

Ara glances at Leo. He is hiding something. "Hey... look... I don't know—Guys, a little help?"

"Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy," Jason says, which is not great.

"Um..." Leo's indecision makes Ara uneasy.

"Piper," she could do this, but it's better for her sister to get comfortable with her powers. "Talk some sense into these boys, please?"

The girl understands right away. "Zethes? We're all friends here. Put down your swords and let's talk."

"The girl is pretty," he hums, "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time." 

"Destroy him now?"

"Sadly, I think—"

"No," Jason insists. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful..."

"What did you say?" Zethes snaps. "You are the son of Zeus?"

"Um... yeah," he pauses. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

"Can't be Jason," Cal says stupidly. "Doesn't look the same."

"No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."

"Wait," the boy continues. "Your Jason... you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course! We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."

So many demigods gave up their mortality, and most of them had done it for such stupid reasons! Ara can't believe Percy's the exception to the rule, she's seen him push a pull door way too many times.

"Hockey!" Cal says happily.

"But Jason—our Jason—he died a mortal death. You can't be him."

"I'm not."

"So, destroy?"

"No," Zethes pouts. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for. He's with Jackson, after all."

"Watching for?" Leo repeats. "You mean like in a good way: you'll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a bad way: he's in trouble?"

"That depends on my father's will," a girl's voice announces.

A brief flash of light comes out of Leo as soon as he sees the girl, but it's so short-lived Ara doesn't even distinguish its color. She scowls at him. Really? Right now? But she doesn't say anything out loud, she's the only one who can see those things anyway. 

The goddess is asking Jason to join her father, apparently, he's got some judgment to make, but Leo is not allowed to come. Jason and Piper don't want to leave him, and Ara doesn't want to either, she doesn't trust Leo will stay put. 

He smiles and obediently sits on top of Festus. "It's fine, guys. No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

Again, Ara's intrigued. Half the time he's hyper and impatient and now he's just... half a smile that does not reach his eyes. She's never met anyone like him, someone made out of halves.

"Listen to your friend," the young goddess tells them. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you. Now come, King Boreas is waiting." 

Ara wants to sit and have a full-fledged conversation with Leo about his feelings and how he perceives the world, but she's lost practice. Before it was easy to pay attention to others, but Ara's obligations positioned her above many things, including day-to-day interaction with campers.

Lily's impression of me changes after Capture the Flag."This is your first time playing so don't worry, they won't notice you," I undo the clasp of her armor vest before she can stop me and fix it for her.

"What do you mean?" She frowns.

"You're new, they won't ask you to do anything."

She's deeply upset about this. "They should take advantage of all their assets!"

"We're not tools," I tilt my head with amusement. Lily's lived on the streets for far too long. "If you're so sure you can handle it, though... there's something I've always wanted to try."

She wavers. "What is it?"

"I think I can reach the flag faster than our leader. No one ever pays attention to me and it'd be really funny if we get there first instead of our Captain. What do you say?"

Lily makes a face. "That's not a plan."

"Are you a chicken, Saggio?" I don't know why I tease her, but she looks funny when she's angry.

"No!"

"A drachma says I can get to the flag before you can!" I sprint out of sight.

I hear her trying to catch up and that makes me giggle. I move as quickly as possible, but then, just when I'm reaching the limits, Lily comes out of nowhere and tackles me to the ground. We're both lifted in the air and end up hanging upside down from a tree.

"Why did you do that?" I complain. "We could've won!"

"I wasn't letting you get there first, you turned it into a competition!" She says. "What is this?"

"Rope. Beckendorf did it, so we're stuck here until someone finds us. Or so he says..."

"What do you mean?"

"These are designed for heavier demigods," I look up—down, actually—and follow the rope to see where it ends."I'll take your knife, the rope's tied in my direction."

"Turn us around!"

"Are any of your arms free?"

She groans, trying to release herself. "It's my knife!"

"You're bossy," I sigh. "Sit tight while I free us, boss."

I squirm for five whole minutes, but the rope's only getting tighter. Lily tries to stop me, but I'm not giving up. Finally, after a long struggle... Lily's dagger falls out of her belt. 

She lets her head hang in defeat. "I'll scream."

"No!"

"Why not?" She presses. "There's nothing we can do!"

I was telling the truth when I said this was something I'd been planning to do for quite a while, but this is not how I wanted it to go. "We can't be seen like this, your rep will be ruined!"

Two arrows fly through the gap between us, one of them scratches us but we're released in less than a second. Lily lands sideways and I land on my back. 

"Well, well..." a small boy walks up to us smirking. "Out of all the campers, I never thought they'd send you."

I smile sweetly. "Hey, bud, if you can find it in your heart to let us go..."

He seizes two new arrows from his quiver and points them at us. "Get up."

Lily sits up, immensely disappointed... so I start talking. 

"Michael," I charmspeak him. "Hand me your bow." His shoulders relax and the arrows fall at his feet, then he gives me his bow.

"Che cosa..!" Lily whispers in shock.

"The quiver too," Michael hands it to me. I look at it, then at him. "Forget this happened and go to sleep." He drops to the ground, snoring loudly. "So..." I hand Lily the bow. "He caught me, you knocked him out and took his weapons before he could take me. Fair play."

The more agitated she gets, the more it stands out that accent she has. "Have you always been able to do that?"

"You were going to lose, and now you're going back with a prisoner. They'll give you a bigger role next time thanks to that."

"But I didn't do this!"

"So what?" I shrug. "Next time you'll do something better, that'll be enough to compensate for the lie. There is no honor in going down by charmspeak, Lily. You're tough and Michael's got a bad temper, it'll make both of you look good."

"But I'm..." I can't tell if she's angry or flustered. "I was stubborn, I don't deserve a win."

"I was pushing your buttons," I admit. "Please, Michael will prefer this over the truth."

Lily's not convinced. "And you?"

"Teach me to be quiet and we'll be even," I pick up her dagger.

"I wouldn't want you as my enemy," she seizes her weapon and places it on her belt. The gash Michael made on our wrists is bleeding, hers is on the left wrist and mine's on the right. "It's a deal."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[nevis-the-skeleton]

What if TFP Autobot Starscream did the heroic sacrifice during the 2nd Season Finale + afterwards... How would the Autobots + their allies feel about Optimus and Ratchet telling them all about Star’s Heroic ‘Death’? T_T (And what if Star was still alive... and he was taken prisoner by a Happy Megatron!) 

Oh… Another sad scene :’)… Definitely you like to make me cry sweety anon (இwஇ)… Thanks for your request X3!

~~~

When all of Team Prime's managed to reunite, along with Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack, they soon noticed that someone was missing. Optimus and Ratchet still hadn't said anything to the others, not knowing how to explain to them everything that had happened. It wasn't particularly difficult to explain, but to say… it was quite an ordeal.

"Where's Starscream?" Miko asked.

The child's question forced them out of their silence, and the serious expression of the two added a certain concern to the others of the team.

"Where's Starscream?!" insisted the Japanese girl.

Ratchet and Optimus looked at each other, both unsure where to begin. The doctor lowered his head and looked away, while Prime found the strength to look at his team.

“… Starscream is… gone…

- Where?" Raf asked.

If the youngest of the group hadn't really understood the Autobot leader's statement, the others hadn't been so lucky... Miko was the one who looked the most devastated, her expression quickly changing from horror to anger, as denial took over.

"No! You lie! cried out the young girl.

- Miko, what interest would he have in lying?! Ratchet replied, doing his best to contain his snappy voice.

- Starscream can survive to everything! He's not dead! It's not possible !!

- How is it possible…? Bumblebee stammered. How did it happen…?

- …He stayed behind to destroy the ground bridge machine, to prevent the Decepticons from finding us… Optimus answered. But... the base surely didn't hold on against the Decepticons' onslaught...

- He didn't have to do that!! Miko yelled.

- … Unfortunately… he have…

- It would have been enough to put a bomb on it, or… I don't know! Something else!

- Even, by doing that, Soundwave could have extracted data from it…

- But we don't care! By doing that, Starscream wouldn't be dead!"

The Japanese girl closed her eyes tightly, and clenched her fists, while angry tears ran down her cheeks. For his part, Smokescreen lowered his head, blaming himself for not turning around to help him when he had the chance... He had first believed that it would be Optimus who was going to sacrifice himself, given that he had subtly indicated it. He never would have thought that Starscream would...

If he have retraced his steps, he could potentially have saved him… Unfortunately, he hadn't… dooming the Seeker to his death… Bulkhead laid a comforting hand on the recruit's shoulder, and said:

"It's not your fault, kid.

- I could have done better… I… began Smokescreen.

- It's no use complaining… it won't bring him back… Arcee cut him off.

- You're hard, 'Cee… Wheeljack interjected.

- I am only stating a fact…”

Smokescreen was on the verge of getting angry at the motorcycle's detachment, but the two Wreckers intervened, preventing him from going any further. They knew it was Arcee's way of dealing with grief, she had done the same for Cliffjumper.

The warrior didn't once look at the others, keeping her head down and her fists clenched, saying nothing more. Jack and Raf joined her silence, and the younger child was unable to contain his tears, which rolled down his cheeks.

Ultra Magnus kept a solemn silence, because even if he had not known Starscream when he was with the Autobots, he knew that the others had come to attach themselves to him, and so that the moment of silence was completely legitimate for him.

Miko quickly left the hangar, wanting to be alone to fully mourn her grief, Bulkhead tried to follow her, but she quickly dissuaded him. Wheeljack put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, and shook his head. Bumblebee on his side consoled Raf as best he could, but without success… Fowler looked apologetically at Optimus, and said:

“I'm sorry for your loss, Prime. I realize that he had become a precious friend to you...

- More than a friend, Agent Fowler… answered the leader of the Autobots sadly. He was a member of our family…”

~

Everything was horribly blinding… The pain setting in, hitting him again and again, and he couldn't do anything about it… He kept leaving the real world, returning to a tumult of mindless thoughts and dreams. It seemed to him that he was being shaken all over the place, while he was completely still, unable to move. He constantly lost his bearings.

Shadows were above him, but the harsh light and his blurred vision never allowed him to see beyond the shapes, pushing him into fear and pain, losing him in a sea of ​​darkness.

~

The DarkMount was upright in all his glory, fully facing the receding sun, which seemed split in two by the immense shadow of the monstrous tower. Megatron gazed with satisfaction at the new territory before him, contemplating the grandeur of the Decepticon victory against the Autobots. And, it was not his only victory.

The ex-gladiator left the main room, and headed for the medical bay, where he knew someone was waiting for him. Soon everything would be back to normal, everything would go back to how it was!

KnockOut came out of the medical bay to take a little break, as well as to wipe more quietly the energon that he had on his hands. It was then that he saw the leader of the Decepticons arrive, and he gave him a light salute, while stepping aside to let Megatron pass.

“How is our patient? asked the ex-gladiator.

- He's stable, my Lord. But he still hasn't regained consciousness. answered the doctor.

- It won't be long.

- His frame suffered a lot of damage from the collapse and explosion. To be honest with you, I'm even surprised he's still alive.

- Knowing his tenacity, it doesn't surprise me that much.

- I did my best to fix him, but at the moment his legs are still not functional.

- If it prevents him from running away again, that's fine."

Megatron soon found himself in front of a medical table, where Starscream was lying, unconscious but very much alive. His frame was connected to several machines, one of which kept his Spark stable. His body had suffered multiple fractures, which KnockOut had done his best to repair. He had also repaired the deep nicks and tears that the devastating collapse had caused, and had done everything possible for the Seeker's nearly destroyed wings.

The doctor knew that if he continued on this path, the jet would be able to fly again one day. But for that still it was necessary that the red robot manages to repair the legs of the flyer, who definitively did not work any more, after the brutal crushing of a beam against the spinal column of Starscream. KnockOut even wondered if all this effort was really necessary, while the Seeker's future was still uncertain. The doctor didn't even know why Megatron wanted so much to save a traitor, whom he had never appreciated.

“Excuse my indiscretion, my Lord. But I have a question…” finally said KnockOut.

The leader of the Decepticons tore his gaze away from Starscream, still unaware of what was going on around him, and replied in annoyance:

“I'm listening, KnockOut.

- What exactly do you intend to do with Starscream?"

The ex-gladiator looked intently at the doctor, who began to sincerely regret his question, when Megatron finally answered:

“I intend for him to return to the Decepticons side.

- What?! the red robot sincerely wondered. But, he's an Autobot now! His recent actions have proven this point! Especially his sabotage of the ground bridge machine to prevent us from finding his friends!

- The Autobots are by no means his friends!!"

KnockOut couldn't hide his surprise at the Warlord's sudden outburst, who continued:

“He will come back to my side! His true place is with the Decepticons! With me! He has no place elsewhere!

- And if he refuses…? stammered the doctor.

- Whether he likes it or not, he will stay! He has no opinion to give! I'll end up convincing him! Whether it's the soft way, or the hard way!!"

After this outburst of anger, Megatron left the medical bay, while ordering the sports car back to work. KnockOut simply nodded, and moved closer to Starscream, to resume repairs. The doctor sighed softly, then said:

"Primus…if I were you, Screamer, I'd much rather be dead…"

[sequinsmile-x]

Painite

Painite: an incredibly rare gemstone of exceptional value. It symbolises spiritual, emotional, and physical healing

It was a close call. Too close. 

-x-

I can't quite believe I am writing this, but this fic offically makes my word count on Ao3 over 1 million words. 1 million words of Hotchniss!!

It's actually my 2 year writing anniversary next week, so I'll do the soppy "you guys have changed my life and I love you all" post then, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU. For every comment, reblog, kudos, like. It means so so much, and I am forever grateful I found this little corner of the internet <3

So this is kind of like a thank you present for all of you. I hope you enjoy this, I think it's...pretty classic me!

-x-

Words: 3.6k

Warnings: brief mentions of hospitalisation/injury

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

It was a close call. Too close.

It’s all she can think as she sits on a hospital gurney, waiting for her discharge papers, an ache in her arm where her skin had been stitched back together, the stark white bandage itching at her wrist.

The explosion had torn through the abandoned factory before they could predict it, and the unsub, who had been killed in the blast, was far more devolved than they had anticipated. Aaron had partnered them together for this case, something that hadn’t phased her until they were both trapped in a burning building, injured, with the rest of the team outside.

They were lucky that their injuries were minimal. A gash on her arm that had required a visit to the hospital, the EMTs unable to fix it themselves, a slight concussion and a twisted ankle. Aaron had a cut to his forehead that a simple bandage had been enough for and a blow to the chest that had left behind a bruise but, by some miracle, hadn’t cracked any ribs.

He’d already been discharged and was trying to find a nurse to rush the process through for her, able to pick up on her nervous energy as effortlessly as he always had. All she wanted was to get home, hug her kids and sleep in her own bed, something that hadn’t happened in a few days due to the urgency of the case, even though it was a local one.

The feeling in her chest she’d had since they got themselves out of the factory tightens, her lungs constricted as something she refused to call panic fills them. She’d always prided herself on her ability to compartmentalize, especially after a close call. She’d always been the first between her and Aaron to try to make light of a situation, to comment they’d both survived worse as she got the Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet to deal with a minor injury. Something that was often a by-product of their jobs. But she can’t bring herself to joke about it this time, the mere thought of it enough to make her stomach turn, bitter nausea climbing up her throat that she had to swallow down.

It was close. They both could have died. And where would that have left their children?

“Good news sweetheart,” Aaron says as he approaches the gurney she’s sitting on, a reassuring smile she can see right through on his face, “I can break you out of here.” She flashes him a tight smile and stands up, unable to cover her wince as her weight settles through her sore ankle. She’d switched to her sneakers at the behest of her husband, her usual heeled boots snuck away in her go-bag that he’d already taken from her. He clearly spots it, never one to miss anything about her since she came back from Paris, and he steps towards her, his hands twitching as he hesitates to reach out for her. “Do you need help?”

She hated being coddled, something he knew well. It was a fine line walked well, like a high-wire artist who was the best in his field. It always reminded her of when she was in labour with their daughter. Isla took her sweet time coming into the world, and Emily had struggled, the long labour tearing down all of her barriers, leaving her defenceless. Aaron had become them for her. He was the only person she’d ever trust to do it, and she still smiled even now, 18 months later, when she thought of him fighting off the team and her mother who had all tried to visit when she was still in the hospital, vulnerable and in pain, asking them to leave for her because she didn’t have the energy to do it herself.

She doesn’t miss the tight way he was holding himself, the tension in his shoulders as he stood before her, so she nods, knowing he needed this, to look after her, probably more than she needed it herself.

Aaron wraps his arm around her, his hand at her waist, and she leans into his side, returning the favour as her hand lands on his hip. They walk together towards the waiting area where she knew the team were. She smiles at them as they come into view, their relief palpable as they come into view.

They all stand up, asking questions over each other, and Aaron holds up a hand, his ability to control a space unparalleled, even with a white bandage on his forehead.

“We’re ok,” he says, his hand squeezing at her waist in silent support, a sign that he knew he wasn’t entirely telling the truth, “We’re just going to head home.”

“Why don’t we go for a drink?” Penelope suggests, a hopeful smile on her face, “I think we all deserve it after this one.”

The idea makes Emily’s chest tighter again, every minute she spent away from home threatening to choke her at this point, but she smiles instead, shaking her head slightly at her friend.

“Not this time, Pen,” she replies, grateful that her voice remains even, that it doesn’t shake, “I kind of just want to get home.”

“But,” Pen is cut off by an elbow to her ribs, JJ standing next to her and giving her a sharp look as their eyes meet, “Fair enough,” Penelope says, correcting herself as she smiles at the couple in front of her, “Give my gorgeous niece and nephew a hug from their Aunt Penny.”

Emily smiles genuinely this time, exchanging a brief, but grateful, smile with JJ too, before they say goodbye to the team, promising to check in the following day as they walk past them.

She sighs as she settles into their car, and Aaron does the same, his head briefly resting on the headrest as he looks over at his wife. She was purposely looking out of the window, her thumbnail in between her teeth. He reaches over and squeezes her knee, and she looks at him, smiles at him in a way that she can no longer hide the shake from, and he returns it.

“Come on sweetheart,” he says, squeezing her knee again before withdrawing his hand and starting the engine of the car, “Let's go home.”

It was a close call, and he wondered how many of them they had left.

___

Aaron is grateful that Isla is too young to understand, that she doesn’t think much of the bandages both of her parents have on them. Her reaction a quick frown that Emily always said was all him, and a kiss to each of their foreheads to fix their injuries, something Emily always did for her and for Jack.

Jack, however, does understand. Withdrawing into himself throughout the evening as he watches his parents wince at certain movements until he asks to go to bed. They let him go without comment, knowing he was exactly like his father, that he needed to work over things in his head by himself before he discussed them.

Emily groans as she stands from the couch, Isla babbling at her in sentences only they really understood, her fists tight in her mother’s shirt. Emily had barely let Isla go since they’d got home, even eating a couple of slices of the pizza they’d ordered for dinner with the toddler in her lap. Jack had stayed close to Emily too until he’d gone up to his room, something about her presence as comforting to Aaron’s children as it was to him.

“I’m going to try and get her down,” Emily says, her eyes tired as they meet his. Isla rests her head on her shoulder, rubbing her eyes as she always did when she was tired. “Would you go check on Jack?” She asks, casting a glance up the stairs, “And then maybe we could go to bed.”

Aaron nods, closing the gap between them as he leans forward to kiss her cheek, “Meet you in our room?” he asks, and she nods in response. He turns his attention to Isla, cupping the back of his daughter's head as he kisses her forehead, “Goodnight, princess.”

“Come on sweet girl,” Emily says as she walks past him, her lips against their daughter’s skin, “Let’s get you to sleep.”

“Mama’s bed?” Isla asks when she’s halfway up the stairs, and Emily holds her closer, pulling the toddler further up her hip, ignoring the ache in her arm.

“Ok, baby, Mama’s bed.”

Aaron takes a moment to himself before he heads upstairs, the weight of the day settling on his shoulders, making them heavy. He sees the light under his son’s door, indicating he was still awake, and he knocks, waiting before Jack speaks before walking in.

“Hey buddy,” Aaron says, smiling at his son as he walks across the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, “How are you doing?”

Jack looks at him, placing his handheld game down on the bed, the 9-year-old looking down at the covers over his lap.

“I’m fine,” he answers too quickly, in a way that was so Emily it makes Aaron smile.

“Jack-”

“You both got hurt,” he says, cutting over Aaron’s follow-up question, “And Mom is sad.”

Even though it had been close to a year since Jack started calling Emily ‘Mom,’ it still warmed something inside Aaron’s chest, making love spread through him in a way he would have once thought was impossible. He knew it was the same for Emily. She’d always been careful to not overstep, to not make it seem like she was taking Haley’s place, but she was Jack’s mother. She loved him, cared for him, in the exact same way she did for Isla, and Aaron still remembered the awed look on her face when Jack nervously asked her if he could start calling her mom.

Aaron wasn’t sure what he believed in, his catholic upbringing leaving him with a complicated opinion on life after death, but he knew if there was something, whatever it was, Haley was happy for them. His promise to raise Jack in a loving home fulfilled beyond what he thought would be possible as he listened to the first woman he had loved say her last words.

“She’s just tired, Jack, she’s ok,” Aaron says, purposely playing down the emotions he had seen thrumming through his wife all evening, her body practically vibrating with it. Jack might be mature for his age, an unfortunate side effect of what he’d experienced so young, but they still tried to protect him where they could, “We’re both ok.”

Jack still frowns, “Are you sure?”

“I promise,” Aaron says, opening his arms up for a hug that he gratefully returns, “Now try and get some sleep, ok buddy?” he says, kissing the top of his son’s head as he pulls back, smiling at him as their eyes meet, “I’m sure I can talk Mom into going out for breakfast tomorrow.”

Jack rolls his eyes at her, another thing he’d picked up from Emily, and lays down in his bed, “Dad, she’ll talk you into it.”

Aaron laughs, the sound pulling at his sore ribs, and he knows he can’t argue with that, and he nods at his son. He says goodnight, kissing Jack’s forehead again, and gently closes the door behind him.

Aaron walks past the nursery, knowing he won’t find either his wife or his daughter in there, and straight into the master bedroom. He finds Emily pacing the room with Isla fast asleep in her arms. Usually, the sight of it would make him smile. How Isla had her head on her mother’s shoulder, her wild hair blending into Emily’s. The little girl had been born with a head full of it, enough that the midwife had jokingly said it explained Emily’s heartburn. It was the exact same shade that had always somehow amplified his wife’s beauty, one of the many things she had passed on to their daughter.

On a normal day, or as normal as things got in the Hotchner household, he’d stand back and watch as his wife would walk around with their little girl with ease. The feeling of love, and home flowing off of them as Emily spoke to Isla in English and French, determined their daughter would be bi-lingual from the start, her lips against the toddler's forehead as she drifted to sleep. But there's a tension this time that he cannot ignore. A stiffness to Emily’s posture that he knows is only partially to do with her injury to her ankle, desperation to how she rubs circles on their already sleeping daughter’s back, something that was more about soothing her now than Isla.

His eyes drift to the bandage on Emily’s arm, and he knows it must be hurting her to hold Isla like this, so he walks towards them, his arms already outstretched.

“I can take her, sweetheart,” he says, not missing how Emily holds the little girl even tighter, “You get ready for bed.”

“It’s fine,” Emily says, her voice tight, “I’ve got her.”

“Em-”

“I said I’ve got her,” Emily snaps, immediately closing her eyes and breathing out deeply through her nose, shaking her head at herself before she reopens her eyes to look at him, “Please, Aaron. I…”

She drifts off, unsure of what to say, how to explain the turmoil she was feeling. Aaron simply nods at her, endlessly understanding in a way she hates in this moment, wanting nothing more than for him to take the bait, to argue with her so she can feel something other than the grief her lungs were stuffed full with.

“Ok,” he says, his hand on Emily’s lower back, guiding her towards the bed, “At least sit down for me though.”

Emily nods, following his lead and walks the short distance to the bed. She sits down, grateful when Isla stays asleep and simply cuddles in further to her. She can’t help but kiss her daughter’s head, taking in the scent of her hair, breathing her in to try and stop herself from playing the day over and over in her head again.

Aaron waits her out, his hand still on his wife’s back, running his hand up and down her spine, his palm warm through her thin shirt. He isn’t sure how much time has passed when she speaks, the only sound in the room is their daughter’s soft breathing, a sound close to a snore Emily refused to admit Isla had picked up from her.

“We both could have died today,” Emily says softly, her voice almost emotionless, she looks at him, her eyes shining as she stops him from trying to comfort her, “And don’t say we couldn’t have, we both know how close it was.”

Aaron nods at her, pulling her even closer, careful not to disturb the toddler still fast asleep in her mother’s arms.

“It wasn’t the first time, sweetheart,” He says, knowing it wasn’t helpful, or comforting, but simply the truth. They’d had more close calls than most people had, and he knew he wasn’t alone in wondering when that luck would run out.

“I…think it should be the last time,” she replies, and he freezes, shifting to put some space between them so he can look at her properly.

“Em-”

“All I could think about when we got out was that if we’d died…” her voice cracks and she shakes her head at herself, “If we had the kids wouldn’t have any parents anymore,” her lower lip trembles, and he thinks she’s never been more herself. Thinking about her own mortality through the lens of someone else, the impact on their children her biggest concern, “They’d be loved, I know that,” she says, looking down at Isla, kissing her dark hair, “The team and Jess and, fuck, even my mother would make sure that they were loved. But they wouldn’t have us. And I don’t think we can continue to put that at risk.”

“You think one of us should quit?” He asks, not surprised by her suggestion. It was something they’d talked about when she was pregnant, and when Isla was a newborn, but only ever in hypotheticals. Something they would do one day when the time was right.

Aaron agreed with his wife, that the time may have come.

Emily nods, “Or just find something else. I don’t think either of us is capable of just…sitting around,” she says, a small smile forming on her face, “But maybe something with a team that doesn’t go out in the field, or teaching at the academy,” her smile turns sad, “Maybe I could finally get that desk job my official files say I had before the BAU.”

“You’d be bored,” he says, reaching out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, “I could move on from the BAU, I don’t think anyone could say I haven’t done my time.”

She turns her head to kiss his palm, “Maybe,” she says, biting her lower lip, “Whatever we decide will be difficult, the team won’t like it,” she laughs humourlessly, “But we have to do what’s right for us, for our family,” her smile slips away, “Jack barely remembers Haley, Aaron, and he was four when she died-”

“Em-”

“And I’m not saying that to be cruel, baby,” she says quickly, her eyes searching his, “But it’s true. He remembers tiny bits and pieces, but most of what he knows is what you’ve told him. He didn’t deserve to lose her, and he wouldn’t deserve to lose us,” a tear finally escapes her lashline, and he wipes it away, “And Isla is so much younger, she wouldn’t remember us at all.”

Aaron closes his eyes and nods. She was right, and he didn’t want to argue with her, there was no need to when they were on the same page about this.

“We’ll figure it out, sweetheart,” he promises, leaning his forehead briefly against hers, “But not now,” he pulls back and smiles reassuringly at her, “Right now we’ll get this one to bed,” he says, his hand over Emily’s on Isla’s back, “Then go to bed ourselves, and we’ll revisit the rest in the morning. Figure out where we go from here.”

Emily nods, “Ok,” she says, the tightness in her chest easing for the first time since they’d stepped out of the factory, “Let's do that,” she looks down at Isla before looking back at her husband, “Can she stay in here tonight?”

Aaron smiles at the pair of them and playfully rolls his eyes. They’d been almost inseparable since Isla’s birth, and it meant getting the toddler to sleep in her own room was tricky at times. He knew the moment they transitioned her to a normal bed they’d wake up to find her in their bed with them, the bars of her crib no longer keeping her in place. He can’t deny Emily anything, he never had been able to.

“Just tonight,” he says, and he knows he’s made the right call when Emily beams at him.

___

Emily groans as she wakes up, a hand at her shoulder shaking her awake the only light in the room filtering in from the slightly open bedroom door. She barely has the chance to think about how she was sure she’d closed it, when she hears her son, his voice shaking as he gets her attention.

“Mom?”

“Jack?” She says, flicking on the lamp on her nightstand, her heart clenching as she looks at him. His pyjamas were askew, and his hair a mess, tears in his eyes and on his cheeks, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

He sniffs, wiping at his cheek with the sleeve of his pyjama shirt, “I had a nightmare.”

Emily sighs sadly, knowing it wasn’t a coincidence that he’d had a nightmare tonight, that it was likely fueled by what he understood of their jobs, what the injuries they had come home with meant.

“Oh Jack,” she says, sitting up a little and reaching out for him, “Want to sleep in here with us?”

He nods enthusiastically, and she casts a glance behind her, the sight of Isla fast asleep on Aaron’s chest, his hand securing her in place even in his slumber, enough to make her smile. She shifts back to them, her back pressing up against Aaron’s side, leaving enough room for Jack to slide in under the covers. He curls into her embrace, his fists tight in the back of her t-shirt, and she kisses his forehead. She wonders what he’s seen, what his subconscious had taunted him with, mixing the reality of what he had experienced when he was smaller with what he now understood.

“You’re ok, sweet boy,” she says, rubbing her hand up and down his back, “I’m right here.”

She feels as he relaxes in her arms, sleep slowly overtaking him again as the safety of her embrace washes over him.

“Love you, Momma,” he mutters, his words slurring together as he gives into the pull of sleep, and it makes tears press at the back of her eyes.

“I love you too, Jack,” she replies, even though he’s asleep.

Emily closes her eyes and lets herself feel the warmth of her family around her. Her son in her arms, her husband pressed up against her back. Her little girl's soft snores filling the room.

Things were about to change, they had to, and she knew she and Aaron had some difficult conversations ahead. But it was worth it, to protect this - the most precious thing she’d ever had.

-x-

Heres to the next million <3

-x-

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