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kittyscupcakeandbunny · 1 year

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CRAZY OVER YOU x MIN YOONGI

[HYBRID AU]

PART ONE

Love at first bite

Side Characters: Namjoon/doctor, Seokjin/doctor, Taehyung/Hybrid Tiger.

Warnings: Smut, mentions of blood, sharp objects, rut, beast behavior, medical experiments, meds.

Genre: Fantasy, hybrids au, smut.

SUMMARY》 Yoongi is a black mamba hybrid one of rarest species of hybrids, who’s about to be put down due to his lack of interest in living. But everything changes after the new medical assistance (y/n) takes a liking to him. Meeting after meeting he realise his feelings for her are not the only thing growing.

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My feet hurt. I’ve been running back and forth around the clinic way past my working hours already.

To be honest I think the assistants work more than the doctors, I should have gone home by now. My shift ended four hours ago. Yet i couldn’t go home.

Lately the clinic has been very busy, hybrids were coming in and out of the clinic to get treatment and the fact that so many rescued hybrids from the outside were coming, made the ones we had already been taking care of at the clinic agitated. With their higher level of hearing and smelling it was impossible to completely hide the different cents.

The world we live in is not the same anymore, we exists between hybrids. And I work in a clinic that takes care of them.

The biggest hybrid clinic in our city, is was more then just a clinic for hybrid species. It was a hospital, lab where scientific studies and research took place, and a clinic for treatments.

It was late at night when things seemed to have cooled down. I decided to drink some coffee at the cafeteria on the first floor.

Sitting down in one of the tables I put my hot coffee over it, taking the files of my patients for tomorrow morning in hand reading their appointments and preparing for it.

- yn! - I look up to see Hoseok, one of the assistants that worked on the especial cases.

- hey hobi - i greet him, he sits down in front of me looking more exausted than ever. - oh you look awful…

- don’t even tell me about it - he said - guess who was my patient today?

- no idea… - I tell him, taking a sip from my coffee.

- the snake hybrid - he said, I almost gagged in my coffee.

- no way! What is like? - i asked, the most special hybrid in our clinic was the rarest one. The black mamba hybrid.

- an asshole? - he said, I chuckled at him - no seriously, he’s so difficult to treat like he doesn’t eat because he doesn’t like the food, always complain about the people around him… and today, he bit my colleague be cause he didn’t like that way he smelled.

- he bit him? - i asked, completely amused.

- yes, he’s in the hospital by now - at his words I looked up at him worried.

- so… - before I said anything my phone start to ring. I sight tiredly - gotta go.

He only nodded understanding as I got up from my seat to leave.

- hey… - I say as I take the call. I threw the plastic cup of coffee in the trash can as I leave the cafeteria.

- boss is looking for you - he tells me. It was one of my coworkers.

- I’ll go then, thanks.

I turned off the call making my way to the elevators in the hallway. By boss he meant Seokjin, it was a nickname we all agreed on since he’s the director of the clinic. As I walked towards the elevators i kept wondering why he asked for me at this hour, Jin was usually so busy I could bearly talk to him not did I ever seen him having lunch break or any break at all. He always made sure the hybrids were well treated at the clinic and worked really hard for it.

From afar i notice Namjoon standing there in front of the elevator doors waiting for it, he was looking through some papers on his hand too focused to even notice my presence beside him.

- hey - i greet him.

- hey… - he reply, not looking my way. He had a hard expression on his features.

Once the door opened in front of us we both get in the elevator, me fallowing right after him. I press the bottom to the third floor.

- what is this? - I ask him intrigued, as he seemed completely focused on the paper to notice his surroundings.

- my new patient - he sighed now looking at me - he’s one of the rare hybrids we have and it looks like he’s going to get put down.

- what? Why? - I was genuinely surprised, rare hybrids were so special in the clinic one of them being put down could only meant one thing - is he sick?

- no - he said getting out of the elevator once the door opened at our desire floor, i fallow him - just an asshole.

- oh? - i was genuinely confused, but didn’t push him to tell me - You going to Jin’s office?

- yes - he said, lookin stressed - he called me to discuss this patient, what about you?

- He called for me but, I don’t know yet - i reply, we walked the long corridor till were finally standing in front of Seokjins office.

After nocking on the door and receiving a low “come in” from Seokjin we both made our way inside his office. Namjoon opened the door for me to get in first then he fallowed me behind, shutting the door. Jin sat on his desk, hands on his face as he covered his eyes in despair looking more tired than ever, a look i never thought I would see on his face.

- Jin you look… - he didn’t let me finish.

- I know - he sighted, now looking at us both in front of him.

- why did you called us? - Namjoon asked.

- I need your help with this rare hybrid case - He said.

Jin started walking around his desk to sit down.

- my father passed to me the responsibility of taking care of the… euthanasia of him.

- but why? - i asked.

- well… it’s been years and he never once put it in the effort to live - he said taking a few papers and giving it to me and Namjoon, the hybrid records - he’s not eating anymore, doesn’t get any heats, makes no effort on mating and doesn’t let anyone help with his shedding .

- Shedding? - i asked, so he means… the rare snake hybrid.

- yes. He’s now in your hands - Jin said, looking at me and Namjoon.

- you want us to do exactly what? - Namjoon asked - from the looks of it, doesn’t seem like we can do anything about it.

- you both will be working on this case with me, the big boss - he made a sing pointing up, signaling the higher ups, his father - found a female rare snake hybrid and he wants them to reproduce before euthanizing him.

I felt sick.

- are you kidding me?! - i said, stunted - you’re just going to… - I couldn’t even say it - after all theses years?

- I know that’s why i want you guys to work on it, - a long sigh left his lips - i only trust you both with this.

- maybe we can help him out and not put him down? - I tell him.

- believe me y/n - Jin looked at me deep in the eyes - we tried but…. Sometimes is better this way, is hard on him too.

I looked down at the papers in my hands.

Min Yoongi - snake hybrid.

Code: RED. Dangerous species. Specie: Black mamba.

Date of birth: Unknown. Male.

Current status: to be put down. Date: three months from now.

Resume: This patient needs to be prepared for a mating season as he had never had one, to ensure the precision and higher chances of reproduction of the rare hybrid species. The black mamba hybrid is to be taken care of from now to the time of mating, every side effect must be related to the one in charge of the case. To ensure assurance that this case will be dealt with assertiveness.

I felt sick.

….

I couldn’t help but think about it for the rest of the day. The fact that they would just give up on him after all these years of testing and keeping him lock up in here that he simply didn’t want to make any effort to live anymore, and how the clinic was just going to put him down not giving a single care about him for real.

They are going to end him right after they get him to reproduce, just to ensure they still have a rare hybrid of his specie. Another one to end just like him.

Looking down at the food in front of me I felt sick in my stomach at that. How could they?

- you look deep in thought - Namjoon said over me, he sat down in front of me after putting his tray of food on the table.

- sorry i just can’t stop thinking…

- about the hybrid? - he said - look I know you and I’m sure that’s why Jin chose you to assist me with this case but, let’s just make sure he at least leave in peace okay?

- okay..

No.

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did. You don’t know me Namjoon, I’ll make sure that hybrid lives.

No matter what it takes.

- we’ll meet him later right? - i ask him, he looks at me over his lashes as he holds his phone looking at it.

- yeah, after lunch - he takes off his glasses - are you ready to see the snake hybrid for the first time?

- yeah - I wonder what he looks like, most hybrids have some feature that help identifying what kind of hybrid they are. Does the snake hybrid has scales all over him? - he shouldn’t look too scary right?

Namjoon only giggle at my question, a knowing smile growing on his lips and my mind quickly realizing it.

- Kim Namjoon! You’ve meet him already! - i stated.

- of course I did, he had an appointment at six in the morning. - he said, a sight leaving his lips - What an ass.

- why so early? - knowing Namjoon hates waking up too early, he must felt stressed. Especially having to take care of a hybrid that demands so much more care.

- His sleep circle is different… - he started - and since we are trying to get him to feel the beginning of a heat so he can mate, his room was changed to acommodate him.

- oh… - realization hits me - so it will give the illusion of his heat beginning?

- yes, we also changing the room temperature to make it happen as naturally as possible - he said - the hotter the better.

- no way… - i said - I’ll have to work in hell too?

- trust me.. it doesn’t need hot temperatures to make it hell. - Namjoon looked at me - he’s good at that on his own.

- is he that bad? - he couldn’t be… right?

- I’ll let you see it for yourself - was all Namjoon said.

After lunch Namjoon passed me the instructions of our appointment with the snake hybrid, since he wasn’t eating he had to take vitamins straight into the blood.

To be honest i felt sad at that. You don’t eat when you don’t have an appetite, is he that bad in condition to not even eat? They’ve been neglecting him for so long and now are trying to force him to mate.

More and more i questioned if what i was doing was right.

I walk beside Namjoon towards the elevators, special hybrids stay on the sixth floor so that’s where we’re headed. They need to be separated from the other hybrids as their instincts are a lot more higher and demand more care, you can’t put cat hybrid in the same place you have a wolf hybrid. So we divided the floor for special species, wild hybrids in a floor and domestic hybrids in one. Of course there’s the special cases divided by codes, the snake hybrid was a code red which meant he was dangerous. Code reds are usually the hardest one to work with because they can and will hurt their doctors and especially other hybrids. Some don’t really mind the doctor but, other hybrids. Like a lion who sees a deer. They will always see them as a pray. So we have to keep them separate.

I look in front of me over the silver tray with the meds and vitamins he must take everyday, today Jin won’t be joining us he only will when much more serious procedures are to be taking action.

Namjoon is the one with the code to the hybrid door, each hybrid had their own room to accommodate all their individual needs. The snake room wasn’t different.

As soon as the door is open a heat of hot air hits me, the room is a bit dark but the lights get brighter as we enter, Namjoon walks towards the hybrid who lays on a big bed in the center of the room. Almost looking like a nest with all the covers and pillows around it.

I make my way to the table beside the door to prepare the meds and vitamins.

- good afternoon Yoongi - Namjoon says to the hybrid - time for your meds and vitamins.

- i don’t need it…. - a deep male voice says, the hairs in the back of my neck shivering at the sound of him - who’s is that?

He meant me. My heart skipped a beat at getting his attention. He is the first special hybrid I’ve ever meet. One of the most dangerous one too.

- that’s my assistant - Namjoon tells him, he’s talking about me - everything ready y/n?

- yes Joon… - i turn to him taking the silver tray with me.

Stopping in my tracks as I take in the figure of the hybrid. He didn’t look like anything i imagined, he didn’t have weird snake eyes and not was his skin full of scales like the reptile. He looked almost human… if it wasn’t for the almost unnoticeable scales on his neck that fallowed up to his ears so delicately, as he moved his head to the side eyes locked over my figure the scales shined a bit. A color of white pearl and soft grey.

He wore something different from what I was used to see on the other hybrids, while the others wore a type of pijama white clothing he whore silk shining bottom up shirt and pants.

Realizing i wasn’t moving and just staring rudely at the hybrid I quickly made my way to Namjoon to give him the meds. My checks burning.

- no - the hybrid said looking at Namjoon with a bored expression - i don’t like the way you smell… i won’t take anything from you.

- you still need to take your vitamins - Namjoon insisted taking one of the syringe from the tray.

- i said I don’t need it - the hybrid growls, coming closer.

- your condition tells me otherwise - Namjoon said to him, both looking at each other. The temperature seemed to rise even more as they looked almost like provoking each other. A silent fight.

The hyrbrid eyes found mine staring at his, he looked at me up and down no expression on his face. Than turned to Namjoon.

- she can do it - he said, a bored expression coming back to his features.

- she’s not in charge of that - Namjoon said, a stern lock on face - I’m the one who is, so get over it.

I looked at him chocked. He seemed angry. Namjoon who usually is calm and careful with his patients was now the complete opposite, he stood his ground and faced the hybrid as if trying to prove he was the Alfa.

And for the first time I was angry at him, not only this was a delicate case. The hybrid could attack if he felt threatened. That could only worsen the situation for the hybrid.

- I can do it Joon - i tell him quietly turning to him lifting the silver tray for him to take it. I gave him a nod of assurance. He looked at me than the hybrid.

- are you sure about it y/n? - he asked me, worry over his face now.

- of course i can - i assure him - I do it all the time.

His eyes locked with mine as he talked. I heard Namjoon sighed as he turned to me taking the silver tray from my hands.

Giving him a small smile I took the vitamins syringe, the hybrid stood in front of me opening his white shirt one bottom after the other eyes locked with mine to catch my reaction, I tried not give any reactions and keep my gaze eye level but it was impossible when he stood right there exposing his beautiful skin for me.

He wasn’t covered in scales as many would’ve imagine but definitely had a few on his ribs that fallowed down to his v line, just like before they shined a bit over the light a white pearl with silver. I gulped down eyes looking back into his as he stood in front of me reveling his left arm for me to aply the syringe. His eyes never once left mine, he had eyes so dark I couldn’t tell if there was any color in them black light the night sky.

I held his arm to insert the syringe into his skin, he didn’t move at all. During the whole processe he didn’t broke the eye contact. Cleaning the small bit of blood that came after taking the syringe off his skin. Namjoon gave me the next one, i apply it into his skin once again. After the last one, I cleaned and put a small piece of medical tape over it so it doesn’t bleed.

- I’m done… - i say, standing next to Namjoon. He gave me the tray and I took it to the table beside the door.

The hybrid began to bottom up his shirt. Namjoon look it up the papers for the hybrid next appointment as I took the small white cup with he’s meds walking back to the hybrid I held the cup up for him to take. He took the cup from my hand brushing his fingers over mine, his hand looking much bigger than mine, I kept my focus on that too nervous to look up into his dark eyes again. I held the water up for him, which he took it again brushing his fingers over mine. He drank it my eyes fallowing up at his neck starring at the scales over his skin. They looked so delicate almost like a painting over his skin, closer you could see that little silver that shined over the light. Not realizing he came closer until I felt his breath hitting over my face, making me look at him immediately. Dark eyes staring into mine with boredom, he tilted his head to the side coming closer inspecting my face.

- you’re not afraid? - he whispered, only for me to hear. My breath got stuck on my throat.

- should I be?… - I whispered back, swallowing hard. He looked down at me than back into my eyes, tilting his head to the other side black orbs staring deep into mine i fallow his move tilting my head to the same side. Complete hypnotized by him.

- any changes in your shedding? - Namjoon asked the hybrid, while writing something down on the paper. - it should have started already.

At hi voice I came back to reality, turning quickly with the two cups. Taking them to the table beside the door to despose of them int he trash can.

Making my way back to stand beside Namjoon once I was done, my eyes going back to the hybrid standing in front of us.

He had the same expression as before, unbothered.

- same as always - he answered tiredly, going back to his bed.

I saw the way his plain answer made Namjoon clench his jaw. He wasn’t making any effort to cooperate with Namjoon, I notice he was difficult but not an asshole. It was painful to watch them interact, Namjoon clearly didn’t like the way the hybrid acted but, I have dealt with a few difficult hybrids before this was only a way to protect themselves after going through so much.

This behavior seemed to be common with Wild species, I’ve seen it before with a lion hybrid I took care of before.

Sometimes you just have to be persistent, and careful.

- I heard it could be painful if not taken care of, is everything alright with it? - i asked this time, which made both males look at me.

The hybrid looked at me not saying anything for a while. Than he smirked and walked towards me making Namjoon stand closer to me protectively. He looked at Namjoon smile slowly falling forming into a bored expression again, showing how the presence of the other male affected him.

- I don’t want any of your help with it - he said, eyes locked into mine - last time…

- you almost killed one of our doctors - Namjoon interrupted the hybrid, one arm closing around me to put me back.

Almost…

- he shouldn’t have touched me - the hybrid said eyes burning over Namjoon, anger on his face.

Hands closing into fists, he walked closer to us standing in front of Namjoon. He was ready to attack if needed, if something is not done it could end very badly Namjoon doesn’t notice but with this behavior he is provoking the hybrid to act instinctively.

It is clear that the heat season has started for him and in mating season hybrids tend to get more competitive and sensitive, a male showing up to his space staring dominance wouldn’t do any good.

- you both stop - i said releasing myself from Namjoon standing between them both, turning to the hybrid I said - please, Yoongi let me treat you okay?

He didn’t like when people crossed his boundaries i get that, sometimes it could be very overwhelming. But knowing what they are going to do to him because of that behavior, i just couldn’t help but get in between them. It was something we could work out and maybe if i succeed they won’t put him down anymore.

- it is important that you go through your shedding the easiest way possible - i tell him - so I’ll be in charge of it okay? How is that?

He looked at me for a while, slightly turning his head to the side. Pundering the idea in his head. For some reason he looked me up and down before looking at Namjoon behind me, a small smile making its way to his lips.

- only if is you - was all he said before going back to his bed.

A sight of relief leaving my lips, even though I cloud feel the stare of Namjoon a glare over my back.

…

To say Namjoon didn’t like that idea was an understatement. He hate it.

Insisting it was a bad idea to proceed with hybrid treatment by myself, that could be dangerous not only that but the fact that the hybrid had poison on his teeth just like a snake would. It wasn’t lethal but enough to cause discomfort, and it was what had happened the last time they tried to help with his shedding.

But that didn’t changed my mind. Not after I actually meet him, it seemed to me he didn’t want any one close that felt threatening to him. He wasn’t just any kind of hybrid, not a dog that loves attention and touch but a snake one. Snakes always acted out when feeling threatened. Attacking was their only defense.

So it made sense to me that he would be reluctant to let anyone get too close, especially after heaving so many tests on him without his consent. He’s been so mistreated and now they want to put him down.

It angers me.

I decided to chose an hour where i knew Namjoon would be busy in a meeting to do that. No long after we had left the hybrid room he began to lecture me on how dangerous Yoongi could be, that i shouldn’t act like that when he was the one in charge of this case. It slipped his mouth that the clinic simply started to give him vitamins when he stopped eating so he wouldn’t die.

It came to me how neglected he’s been this whole time. After that i decided to secretly go to the hybrid and feed him, which was where i was headed now.

I made sure no one was around once i stopped in front of the hybrid door. Using the number code I saw Namjoon used before to open the lock on it. It made a sound before opening.

The hot air hitting my face as I entered, they had turned higher this time it was hotter than before. The lights slowly began to light up as I walked in, the door closing behind me automatically.

At that the hybrid came up from his bed looking confused at me. Of course. I shouldn’t be there.

- hey - i greet him. He doesn’t say anything.

I walk up to him, stoping in front of the nest looking bed. A sing of his heat starting. That was a good sign. He held himself up with his arms looking my up from the bed.

- why are you here? - his voice was low and heavy.

- I just… - I trailed off as he fully lifted his body form his laying position, now sitting on his bed. Shirt open and sliding off his shoulders, not showing much but enough to see his scales.

He looked me over his lashes checks a bit red and sweat falling over the side of his face.

- i brought you something… - a sight left his lips - are you okay?

- yeah… what did you brought me? - his curious dark eyes following my body as I came closer.

- it’s tangerines - i say, showing him the two fruits i held in my hands.

- what’s a tangerine? - he asked eyeing them closer.

- you don’t know? - i gasped. Sitting beside him i slowly began to open one in a half giving it to him, he smelled before looking at me not knowing what to do.

- I never seen one… smells nice - he said.

- you eat it - i tell him, taking one and holding in front of his lips. He didn’t move at all, only looked at me.

For a moment I thought I had crossed his bounderies, for a moment I thought I was just being stupid. But then it came to me, he hasn’t eaten in years. He don’t even know what a tangerine is.

Maybe he didn’t even felt hunger anymore. Maybe he’ll throw the stupid fruit at me.

My checks were getting warmer as I felt nervous but, slowly he smelled the fruit in my hand taking a careful bite of it. Still looking at me, the juicy fruit spilling a bit in my fingers.

I watched him expectedly, wondering if he will like it or hated. He swallowed and looked at the fruit in my hand.

- that’s good… - he said. I sight of relief left my lips.

- you want more? - i asked him, he nodded slowly making me smile.

He didn’t move a single finger to eat though, I had to feed him the two tangerines the whole time. It didn’t bother me though, I felt so happy seeing him eat something other then taking those vitamins.

It means so much in the process of a hybrids treatment that they are feeding themselves, i couldn’t hold my happiness as I watched him.

Once he eat all of them he looked at me then at my hands, dark eyes shining under the light.

- sorry it was all I got - I tell him. - I’ll bring you more if you want.

- you will? - his eyes shining bright as he looked at me. I nodded at him.

- can i ask you… why you don’t eat? - i said, he doesn’t look at me turning to look at the floor.

- I don’t… feel like it… - he simply said.

He looked so sad now. No appetite wasn’t good. When in the absence of sickness it could only mean he was very depressed. They wanted to put him down because he was depressed.

I wouldn’t let them.

- You don’t seem to mind me around you… - I comment.

- you smell good. - he said, turning to look at me - and delicious, like tangerines.

I chuckled at his comparison. He watched me attentively, a different light on his dark eyes now.

- okay… I try my best to take care of you - i tell him. For a moment he only stares at me.

Red checks and bit of sweat on his chest, he turned his head to the side still raring at me. I fixed my glasses feeling a bit intimidated by his deep stare.

- You… - before he could end his sentence the door opened.

Namjoon entered the room looking at us confused, his eyes falling over my presence there. I shouldn’t be here. It’s what I read in his eyes.

- yn? - he asked, confusion clearly on his voice as he walked closer to where I was with the hybrid.

- Oh hey I was just… - i tried to make up an excuse but he cut me mid sentence.

- Leaving, right? - he interrupted. I swallowed nervous. He was never hard on me, hearing him be like that wasn’t nice.

- Yeah… - i murmured, taking the fruit peels with me as I got up from the hybrids bed.

- No… - Yoongi held my wrist stopping me, turned to look at him but he stared at Namjoon.

- You have an appointment with me now, it doesn’t include y/n so let her go… - for some reason Namjoons way of putting what he was doing there made me nervous.

I know he would never hurt a hybrid, but yoongi was very reluctant to any one else being too close to him. Namjoons display of dominance could make him defensive and things might not go well.

- maybe I could help - i tried to sound calm.

- y/n, your here to assist me not take over the procedures - Namjoon tells me, his words sending a sharp sting in my heart.

I couldn’t find words to reply his. Too embarrassed by his words to me in front of the hybrid, i bit into my lower lip. Not looking at them.

- Let her go yoongi - Namjoon said walking towards us.

At his words I realized Yoongi was now standing behind me, hand still around my wrist. His slow breathing hitting my shoulder. I lifted my gaze to Namjoon who now seemed a bit worried. But the hybrids closeness to me wants what made me uncomfortable.

- Yoongi… - Namjoon warned.

- Joon don’t - I tell him holding my hand up for him not to get closer - can you wait a bit?

He looked at me reluctant before nodding, still not taking his eyes off the hybrid. I turned to Yoongi slowly, a small smile on my lips as I stared into his deep dark orbs, to make sure he knew I was fine.

- Are you okay? - he asked me, I looked at him surprised. - he hurt you with his words.

I couldn’t hide my surprise at his words, he could tell from just that?

- It’s okay… I don’t care about his words - I whispered o him, giving him a small smile.

I tried to take my wrist from his hold but he didn’t let go, not to hard to hurt me. I could tell he was being careful not to use his full strength on me.

- Will you came back? - he asked, eyes looked into mine.

- Of course. - i tell him.

With that he let go of my wrist.

I turned to Namjoon taking his arm to leave the hybrid room. He reluctantly fallowed me towards the door of the room. Once we were both outside I kept my hold on his arm taking him with me around the corridor towards the elevators.

- where you taking me? - he asked, as if nothing had happened earlier.

- To Seokjin, we need to have a talk - i tell him, anger boiled over me.

- We? - he pushed his arm out of my grip - You’re being the irresponsible one not me!

- I’m!? - I stopped in the middle of the corridor, turning to him anger building up through my body.

- Yes! - he stated, closer to me - Do I need to remind you of your position here?

- Do I need to remind you of your stupid ego standing between the safety of a hybrid and your pride?! - i yell at him.

At that he went quiet.

- were talking with Seokjin now. - i state - I won’t let you make this whole processe more difficult than it has to be just because of your pride.

I held his arm again, taking him with me to the elevators. He didn’t say anything else anymore, I could tell he was angry but so was I.

The whole time he was only stating dominance over Yoongi, I was tired of them all thinking that could just hurt the hybrid even more now just because she was going to be put down.

I wouldn’t let them.

The walk to Seokjins office was quiet except for the tense energy around us, once I stood in front of his door I don’t bother to nock. Entering with anger burning under my skin.

Seokjin gave me a curious look, as he was folding some paper on his desk.

- sorry Jin - i say. He looked at me and Namjoon a questioned look on his face. - we need to talk about Yoongi.

- oh, right - he says - what is it?

- She’s being… - Namjoon started, but I interrupted him.

- Yoongi has been showing clear signs of discomfort with male doctors - at that Namjoon scoffed, I looked at him angry turning my gaze to Jin as I continued - he say he will do the appointments as long as I’m the one closer to him.

- I see.. - Jin thinks for a moment before continuing - what’s the problem?

- Namjoon is not letting me - i tell him, arms crossed over my chest.

-She just went into his room without any one knowing and… - Namjoon began.

- And gave him food - i say, looking at him. We both shared a look of hatred before Jin interrupted.

- What? - Jin asked.

- He eat… - I tell him.

- He… he eat food? - they both looked at me surprise.

- Yes, I’m sure I can help a lot more with this case if you let me take charge of the procedures that involves more… closeness to him, he’s been through a lot and seemed more calm around me.

- I see… - Jin pondered the idea first - then as long as you’re not alone for safety reasons, I don’t see a problem with you taking charge of his appointments.

- But she’s.. - Namjoon says, but is cut by Jin.

- Namjoon, y/n has been taking care of hybrids for years she knows what she’s doing, please I need you both working on this together - Jin says, sounding tired.

Namjoon only nods.

- any updates about him? - jin asked.

- i can tell that his heat i starting - I say - his behavior at least shows me that.

- okay… we’ll than we are almost there - Jin says - keep that good work and please, do this together.

- thanks jin - i tell him, he gives me a nod and i make my way to leave the office.

Namjoon stayed behind. I didn’t payed much mind to it. Quickly making my way out of there walking to the elevators, I had a lot of work to do other than Yoongi case.

More patients that needed treatment just as badly, not the he wasn’t just as special to me.

…..

It was late at night again.

I wasn’t planning to staying late again but, a hybrid was just checked in after being attacked by a another wild hybrid. The same case has happened before, that is way wild hybrids where never up for adoption. Yet some people always manage to get them, usually never for good reasons.

The poor hybrid this time was a bunny one, I was surprised when I first saw him. Usually bunny hybrids where the smallest species to exist but, this one was big. Not too tall but very muscular and strong.

When he was checked in he was still in defense mode, attacking every one and very scared. They had to apply a sedative on him to finally be able to put him on his room.

You could guess my reaction after I was told the story and short after that, Hoseok told me I was the one in charge of his case.

My shift ended hours ago and yet here I was cleaning cuts on the face of a bunny hybrid who seemed to know nothing about shutting up.

- such a pretty doctor I have.. - he said, a smile on his lips as he looked at me.

- Jungkook stop talking I’m trying to apply the med on your lip… - i tell him for the fifth time already, he only chuckled.

I sight taking a clean cotton with med to clean the cut over his eyebrow, he was sitting over his bed as I stood between his legs to clean his bruises.

He shouldn’t be awake. He was sedated before but, no long after he was wide awake and talking none stop, he commented on my but and how lucky he was to be treated by me.

I only sighted. That was knew. Usually my patients where too scared to be treated at first. So I just brushed off his comments.

Jungkook was abandoned when younger by his last owner, he then grow up in an underground fighting club where clandestine fights were held. He told me he was the best one there, a lot of people bet on him at the fights until he got in trouble with this one wolf hybrid.

- how did you end up here again? - I asked him.

- I was… - his checks went red and he looked down - to be honest I’m still.. ah, I was in heat…

- oh.. - I looked at him, still no understanding. He was shy, ears dropping beside his head.

- I was trading to mate but… so was the wolf… - he said.

- but you’re…

- she wasn’t like me… - he tells me, realizing what he meant I felt a warm wave up my checks.

Different species trying to mate, that was the first time I heard that, the underground has a lot going on than.

- well… it could happen - I say, making sure I cleaned every bruise on his face - here in the clinic we help our hybrids with all their needs, so don’t worry.

- oh.. will you treat me than doctor? - he asked, amused.

- yes, you’re my patient - i tell him, taking his file to prescribe him his medication and future exams.

- humm… - he only murmured - doctor are you in heat?

His question gets me by surprise and I look at him, mouth opening and closing. Just what was going on now? Did he perhaps hit his head too?

At my expression he chuckled one arm closing around my waist as he pulled me closer to him, I gasped feeling his nose against my neck. Not knowing what to do I held my hand up in the air, too afraid to even touch him. The smallest reaction could start something I wasn’t intending to.

- I can smell in you… - he says over my ear, my checks burning hot - hum, ready to be filled…

At his words i tried to push him, hands over his chest only to find his eyes staring deep into mine his checks where red and pupils full. It hit me. He was still on his heat.

That explains his behavior the whole time. How could I not notice earlier?

- you’re still in heat - i state. He only chuckled.

- am i? - he came closer to kiss me but i immediately pushed him down the bed - oh, I like that… doctor you’re making me fall for you…

I ignore his nonsense as I made my way to grab a sedative, bunnies were the hardest ones to deal with when on their heat, first I would have to put him to sleep before giving him the medicine to lessen his heat. At least till we are done with his treatment. Then we would put him to mate the right way.

Coming back to him I stared at him think where I would apply it, he didn’t stop moving. I stood between his legs holding the sedative behind my back.

- Jungkook… - i tried to get his attention, he looked at me immediately- I need to do something for me okay?

- yes pretty doctor- he tried to get up but I quickly held his chest down, he smiled at me. He looked as if he were on drugs, high on his heat.

It could only mean things were getting worse, he wasn’t on full rut but was getting there. It would be impossible to treat him if he’s on rut.

- don’t move okay? - i tell him, his hand held mine over his chest as he nodded.

Without him noticing i insert the syringe into his thigh, he’s so into his heat to even notice the pain.

I count ten seconds in my head before releasing my hold over his chest, he doesn’t try to get up.

- oh I’m sleepy… - he says, hand falling from mine as he closes his eyes slowly going into deep sleep.

A sight of relief leaves my lips once he falls asleep. I prepare some medicine to calm his heat, I wasn’t a fan of suppressants but in this case is needed. Just until we are done treating him. Than I’m sure he will be put into mating process so he can have a safe and healthy heat.

After I’m done giving him his medicine, I write it down his next appointment and a new prescription.

Leaving the room I sight, my right hand massaging my neck. I look over my phone to see the time realizing it was way past eleven. Walking down the corridor to the elevators, my ringtone woke me up from daydreaming about my comfort bed.

- yes - o took the call.

- hey y/n - it was Jin - did you check on the special hybrid?

- wasn’t Joon going? - I said, confused at his words. He told me he would.

- no he head an emergency at home and had to leave - Jin explained, I sight.

- oh, i will than - i tell him.

- you seem tired y/n do you want me to go instead? - he offers.

- no is fine… - i tell him - he die a know you yet, it could make things difficult.

- okay - Jin says - call me if anything happens.

- I will, thank you.

I turn off the call, getting in the elevator. I push the bottom to the floor of the special hybrids where. My eyes feeling a bit heavier, I tried to push it away. Just one last check up and I can go home.

The elevators doors opened at the floor, the sound waking me up from my tiredness. I quickly made my way through the long corridor with doors to Yoongis room.

Pressing the code on the lock beside the door, it opens making a sound. The hot wave of air hitting my body as usual once i made my way in, the lights slowly turning back on.

Once they’re on I made my way to his bed, panicked at not seeing him there or any sing of him at all.

- Yoongi? - i call out his name, locking around the room but still no sight of him.

My heart begins to beat faster, as my mind runs different scenarios of what might have happened. Worry filling my body as I throw the papers i gel in my hand on the floor, taking my cellphone to call Jin as I turn to leave the room.

Still with eyes locked on my phone i don’t notice the lights slowly turning off, nothing takes my attention from the cellphone until arms close over my wrist turning my around.

My phone falling on the ground as he pushed me against the wall, both hands holding my wrists over the wall above my head.

- Yoongi?! - I stared into his dark orbs, relief filling me up. - I thought something happened to you…

He didn’t said anything. A hard look over his features, I couldn’t decipher what it meant. He held me tighter coming closer to my face.

- why do you smell like trash? - he spat.

- what? - I was so lost.

I knew I worked late but, is not like didn’t look out for myself. Working at the clinic I had to make sure I was always clean. I couldn’t understand what he meant.

- you stink of male rut… - he spat at me, hissing at the end. Eyebrows furred into an angry expression.

I should’ve thought about that before coming here stray after treating a hybrid on heat, shit. Knowing how Yoongi was sensitive about others males I should’ve at least put on some perfume.

- it’s not like that… - i tried to lessen his anger but it only seemed to make it worse.

- I don’t care… - he pushed himself away from me - don’t ever come back here smelling like that again…

- I won’t - i tell him, still not moving I watched as he walks back to his bed. - im sorry, I didn’t have time to… wash this off.

He doesn’t say anything, sitting on ver his bed he looks at me from afar.

- tomorrow will start your shedding treatment… - i tell him, still not moving from my spot.

At the smell of another male it was better did I kept my distance so it wouldn’t be too overwhelming for him who had a much higher sense.

- i just came to check on you, to make sure…

- come here - he interrupted, he voice sounded heavy almost a growl.

I would be lying if a said I wasn’t afraid, my phone was lost somewhere in this room and I had no way of calling for help if something happened. Although I knew he wouldn’t do something to hurt me i couldn’t be sure, the situation was a lot different now.

I could say something but, his instincts would say another complete different than mine.

Still I made my way towards him. Stopping a few steps away from him.

- closer… - he sighted. Dark eyes looking me up and down.

I gulped down, making my way closer to him. Stopping in front of him.

He looked up at me boxers getting up from the bed, close enough to kill me if he wanted to.

- was it a patient of yours? - he asked, voice low and raspy. He meant the smell.

- yes… - i manage to whisper, I felt so small in front of him. Like a pray.

- you’ll see him again? - he asked, taking a step closer. No distance between us. His breath hitting my face.

- yes… - i tell him, my eyes finally looking up at his.

He only nodded understanding.

- I don’t like this smell on you - i says, making me gulp down as i looking into his eyes. - but i understand…

He pushes me against him it happens so fast, once I notice he is pressing me down on his bed. Both his legs on each side of my hips, he held my arms up against the nest of covers and sheets.

Keeping them up he slides his hands down my arms over my sides, one finger playing with the bottoms of my shirt.

- you look healthy… - he murmurs eyeing me up and down.

- what…

He didn’t let me finish. Opening my shirt he went down over my chest, I gasped in surprise. Turning my face to the side, I expected anything except what he did.

I slowly opened my eyes at the feeling of his hot breath over my neck, my own breath got stuck in my throat the moment I felt the wetness of his tongue sliding over my chest up my neck.

- what are you doing? - I asked, my voice was only a whisper.

- taking that disgusting smell off you - he said over my neck.

- oh…

- but you’ll see him again… - he said, I turned to look at him.

- I have to, his my patient - i explained.

- than this won’t do… - he whispered more to himself, one hand holding my chin up he slowly turned my face to the side.

With my neck on full display for him he came closer, this time whispering over my ear.

- have you ever been bitten by a snake?

At his question my mind rushed with realization, my heart beating faster as his lips brushed over my skin. I tried to move my legs but he only used his body weight to held me down, my hands over his shoulders trying to push him away were quickly held up over my head with his left hand.

He chuckled at my useless try’s to get away from him.

A gasp leaving my lips immediately at the feeling of his sharp teeth carving my skin, tears filling my eyes at the painful sensation of his teeth inserting his venom on me. His hands slowly leaving his hold over me, i couldn’t move.

Once he took his teeth out of my skin, I groaned in pain. Feeling the warm liquid fall down my neck, he licked over the bite. Hand holding my chin to look at him.

- don’t worry… it will feel good soon - I looked up at him, his voice was a whisper in the dark.

My mind felt dizzy, vision getting blurry the heat of the room wasn’t helpful. My whole busy was burning, I tried to push him away but as soon as my hands came in touch with the silk over his skin my entire body responded, a wave of electicity coming up from the tips of my fingers to my whole body.

- Yoongi…

My eyes began to get heavier and heavier, hands falling beside me as I fell asleep.

Not before I felt his warm finger trace my jaw softly, his voice so far away I couldn’t make out what he said before I fall completely asleep.

Am i dying?

Next?

Notes: YES FINALLY!! Hehe I’m sorry for any grammatical typos! ☺️💖

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stevie-petey · 2 months

Text

episode nine: the good

Soon it’s just you and Steve. You work around one another, anticipating each other’s next move, never getting in the way. Soft music plays from the record player that sits in the den. Steve puts on one of his father’s old records, gentle rock and delicate jazz. You hum to yourself, he hums with you, and it’s a peaceful morning. Until Richard and May Harrington walk in. Neither of you notice them at first. Steve is too busy spinning you around, playfully dipping you as the music comes to a grand crescendo. You’re laughing breathlessly, but soon your laughter turns into a yelp when Steve sees his parents standing in the doorway and drops you.

Summary: the party battles the horrors of high school and leave you stranded, tw: applying for college is harder than fighting literal demons (you would know, youve done it), jonathan joins your nightmare blunt rotation, max worries you, and steve solidifies his position of Best Boyfriend in the World as you slowly fall apart (though is anyone really surprised ??).

Rating: general, some swearing

Warnings: cursing, allusions to previous character death

Words: 11.2k idk how or why i needed to say so much

Before you swing in: we're here !!! FINALLY at the end of season 3 <3333 im so so so excited to present to you the groundwork for what i have planned for season 4 ;) it will be ... a lot. the season is huge, its difficult and scary, and i did my best to try and capture its dread and ominous sense of doom in this chapter. please enjoy and bear with me as i prepare for season 4. unsure when i will be done planning her, but i PROMISE itll be worth it !!

“Are you sure Ms. Bote is nice?”

“Yes.”

“And that Mr. Cune won’t question the hat?”

“Yes, Dustin.”

“And you’re absolutely sure we have lunch together?”

“Yes.” You tighten the straps on your mary janes and give your brother an exasperated look. All morning he’s been freaking out about his first day of high school. You understand his fear, it’s scary starting at a new school, but you’ve answered all his questions a million times by now and Steve is supposed to be here any second. “We need to go, buddy.”

Dustin shoves a pancake into his mouth, wiping his face with the back of his hand in a disgusting manner. “Wait, but what about my backpack–”

“I have it, Dusty!” Your mother walks into the kitchen and hands it to him. She kisses his mess of curls and strokes your cheek. “Are my darlings ready for their first day of school?”

“No.” You and Dustin say at the same time, which your mother frowns at.

Dustin adjusts his backpack and gives you an odd look. “Why are you nervous? It’s not like you’re being blindly thrown into a den of hormonal creatures out for blood. You’re old now, they’ll leave you alone!”

“Trust me, the college admissions process is a worse monster than school bullies.” You grab your own backpack and start heading towards the front door. “I have to start planning what to write, I–I need more clubs, and projects, and–”

The anxiety overwhelms you. It always starts like this: talk about college, you fall down a hole of uncertainty and dread and fear. It’s been like this ever since Jonathan moved away. The minute the Byers moved, you threw yourself into preparing for college. Rationally, you know it’s your poor way of coping with all the sudden change in your life. You don’t need a psychological research journal to tell you that. In a futile attempt to control your future, you’ve become obsessed with college.

New York University, specifically.

Jonathan has always dreamed of attending, and when you met him, it became your dream, too.

“Okay, dear. Settle down, now.” Your mother places a hand on your shoulder and laughs nervously. She has about five seconds before you collapse into a mess of college admissions rambling and despair. “Let’s go outside and find that wonderful Stevie!”

Your body is shoved out the front door alongside Dustin’s. Steve’s car is parked, he stands outside it, arms crossed and a grin on his face. Your body relaxes when you see him, the buzz of anxiety dims. He’s wearing his Family Video vest, the green makes his tanned skin glow.

“She’s doing it again.” Dustin tells him, tossing his backpack into the backseat.

Steve winces. He knows exactly what your brother is referring to. He’s been at the other end of far too many anxious phone calls at three in the morning. “College?”

“Yeah, she almost had a meltdown in the kitchen.”

“I can hear you both, you know.” Though you try to seem fine, keep up the annoyance, you stand next to Steve and rest your head on his shoulder anyways. He wraps an arm around you and kisses your forehead.

Steve rubs your arm and makes a sympathetic noise. Your mother, seeing how he holds you, squeals. “Oh, stay just like that, hold on!”

“Mom, what–” But your mother ignores you and runs back inside the house. You look at Dustin, terrified. “She’s not…”

He shakes his head at you. He leans against the car next to you and crosses his arms, mimicking Steve’s earlier stance. “She’s mom. Of course she is.”

“What are you guys talking about–” A flash of light momentarily blinds Steve, and he flinches. “Woah, alright.”

“Smile, kids!” Another camera flash, and your mother coos as you, Steve, and Dustin awkwardly shuffle into frame. It’s not that the three of you dislike being near the other, it’s the fact that it’s seven in the morning and neither you nor Dustin are ready for the day ahead. Steve smiles, though. “That’s it! Everyone say, ‘happy first day of school’!”

A mess of incoherent mumbling follows your mothers command, but she doesn’t let it bother her. She takes a million pictures, preens when she sees Steve smile even wider, and she has to hold back tears. Her babies are all grown up. Dustin is a freshman now, and you’re a senior.

“Alright, Mrs. Henderson,” Steve has to quickly blink, trying to regain his eyesight. He adores the woman, he knows he’s become her favorite, but he really needs to get you to school before his shift at Family Video starts. “I have no doubt you’ve already taken the best picture ever.”

“Aw, just one more–”

“Mom.” Dustin clears his throat, urging her to stop, and she sighs.

Your mother kisses Dustin’s head, then yours, and wishes you a good first day before getting into her own car to drive to work. “Bye, kids!”

You all wave at her, and Steve opens the car door for you. Once you’re seated, he goes to the driver’s side and tells Dustin to get in the back. The engine starts, soft music plays from Steve’s radio, and soon the three of you are driving towards Hawkins high.

“No Robin?” You ask Steve after a few minutes of silence. He’s grown rather close to the girl, working together all summer, so you had expected her to drive with you guys to school. When you and him officially got together, Robin made the two of you promise that you wouldn’t abandon her. It was an irrational fear, you love Robin dearly, but you made sure to spend time with her and Steve equally anyways.

“She has band practice this morning,” Steve responds. “So it’s just me and the Hendersons today.”

Dustin shoves his head in between the two of you. His seatbelt strains against his chest, but he doesn’t care. He’s on a mission to get as much information as he possibly can. He refuses to go into high school blind and pathetic. “Steve, you were once popular.”

“Why the past tense? I mean, I’d consider myself still pretty well liked–”

“I need you to tell me what you did that led to your demise so I can avoid doing the same.”

You snort and Steve sighs. The kid really keeps him humble. He stops at a light, looks at Dustin through the rearview mirror, and shakes his head. “What makes you think it was anything I did?”

“Kid’s got a point,” you say from the passenger seat. Steve gives you an offended look and you raise your hands in surrender. “Hey, all I’m saying is that I also don’t really know what happened. You’ve got a track record of pissing off the wrong people. One minute you were King Steve, the next you were shunned.”

Steve groans. “You people have no faith in me.” He can feel you and Dustin staring at him, unbelieving. He hates when the two of you team up against him; it makes it harder for him to lie. Truthfully, he doesn’t want to tell you what happened. Not because he’s embarrassed, or ashamed, even.

He knows it will only upset you. Reopen wounds.

But you and Dustin keep staring at Steve and there’s still at least ten minutes left of the drive. Weighing his options, Steve figures it’s best if he just tells the truth. Like ripping off a bandaid, knowing the pain will be there regardless of how long you stall. “Okay, fine.” He scratches his nose, clears his throat. “It was, uh. Because of Billy.”

The temperature in the car drops. It’s suddenly ice cold.

Dustin slowly leans back against his seat. Steve faces ahead, eyes on the road, but he watches you from his periphery. No one has mentioned Billy since his death, at least not in front of you or Max.

Especially Max.

They wait for you to react. To tense up, ball your hands into fists and wipe away tears. They expect the guilt you’ve barely kept hidden to resurface, but you don’t do any of that. Instead, you surprise them. “Can’t believe you let a mullet defeat you.”

Steve isn’t sure if he’s allowed to laugh at first, worried it’s some bizarre test of yours. But he sees the smile on your face, albeit forced and terse, but he knows you’re trying. So he plays along, relieved that you’re doing what you can. “I don’t know, I thought the mullet looked pretty good.”

“Get a mullet and see how fast I leave you.”

Dustin nods in agreement, Steve shakes his head with a laugh, and the temperature in the car returns. There’s still a slight chill in the air, there will always be a slight chill, but you pull your jacket tighter around you and ignore it.

When you get to the school, Dustin stares at the hounds of teens all walking through the parking lot. He gulps, tightens his hands around his backpack, and you try to ease his apprehension.

“Hey, look at me.” He does, and you extend your arm, offering a handshake. Dustin eyes you wearily, but reluctantly he shakes your hand. You nod at him, hand firm around his. “It’s just you and me. And Lucas. Max, too. Unfortunately, possibly Mike. Copy?”

“Copy.” Dustin releases your hand and salutes you. He pushes his hat down, takes a deep breath, and unbuckles his seatbelt. “Let’s go.”

“Good luck, little Henderson.” Steve salutes him as well before turning to you. He presses his lips to yours, hums, a soft smile on his face. “And good luck, angel.”

Ignoring Dustin’s dramatic gagging in the back, you squeeze Steve’s hand and smile back at him. “Thanks, honey. Have a good day at work.”

Dustin nearly falls out of the car with how fast he scrambles out of it. He’s about to ban all forms of physical affection between you and Steve. It’s disgusting. No one wants to see any of that. You follow after your brother and exit the car.

You only make it a few feet before Steve rolls down the car window and shouts, “I love you!”

A few students in the parking lot turn, and their faces contort into shock when they see none other than Steve Harrington. He waves at them, cocky as always, and you’re both mortified and so in love. He may have lost his crown, but he will always be the king. While Dustin ducks his head down in embarrassment, you wink at Steve. “I love you, too!”

“You’re going to be the reason I end up getting thrown into a dumpster on my first day.”

“Aw, is Dusty-bun jealous?”

“Go die.”

–

The entire day it feels like you’re missing something.

When you get to homeroom, there isn’t a seat saved for you at the front. When the physics teacher drops his chalk five times within the first five minutes, there isn’t anyone to tease you for your poorly contained snicker. In the library, you’re forced to sit in a corner because there’s no one to share the plush sofa with.

There’s no one who whispers answers to you during calculus. No one who hooks their foot around your desk’s leg. No one who doodles in your notebook just to get you to laugh.

Jonathan’s absence is palpable.

You knew it would feel weird, starting senior year without him, but you didn’t think it’d feel so lonely, either. Empty. Unfinished.

By the time lunch comes, you’re slowly losing your mind. You need someone to talk to. Robin and Nancy don’t share any classes with you, Jonathan had been your only real friend at Hawkins, and now you’re paying the price.

You’re the first one at the lunch table, which you figure is a good thing. Earlier in the week you and the party had all agreed to sit together at lunch, you’d been excited to finally share the same school building as them. However, you hadn’t wanted to hover over them. You wanted them to branch out, meet new people, so lunch was your agreed upon time with them.

The lunch room fills with students and you wait anxiously for the rest of the party. You’re excited to see them, ask how their days are going, maybe even gossip about the freshmen, but when they arrive it’s almost as if a tornado rips right through you.

“There you are!” Dustin finds you first and slides into the seat next to you, nearly causing you to face plant into the ground. “Look, we gotta talk.”

You frown. “Okay, is everything–”

“We can’t stay and eat.” Mike cuts to the chase, not even bothering to sit down. Lucas stands behind him, quiet and nervous.

“What, why?”

“Eddie Munson wants to meet us.” Dustin says the boy’s name as if you should know him. But you don’t, and now you’re really confused. What does he have to do with any of this?

“Eddie…?”

Mike rolls his eyes at you. “Eddie Munson, Hellfire club, DnD?” When he sees that nothing he’s saying makes any sense to you, he huffs. “Seriously, do you not know anything?”

You throw a chip at him, hurt. “I was in choir, not some stupid DnD club.”

“Hellfire club isn’t stupid–”

“Anyways!” Dustin cuts the fight short. There isn’t time for you and Mike to argue right now. “Eddie is the dungeon master, and he’s recruiting us to join his party! We–we gotta go and meet him, Y/N. He doesn’t just let plebe freshmen like us join.”

“He’s legendary.” Mike says, and sadly you know he means it. It’s not often someone has the boy’s full admiration. Mike is hard to impress, and this Eddie guy seems to have him wrapped around his finger already.

Dustin stares up at you, eyes pleading to understand, and you know you can’t ruin this for him. Only hours ago he had been terrified of his first day, and now he’s almost vibrating with excitement over the possibility of joining some club. There will be people there like him, others interested in what he loves, and you can’t let your own loneliness ruin that.

“Well,” you clear your throat, try to appear excited for the boys. “Go see Eddie, then.”

“You sure?” Dustin doesn’t want to just leave, he knows you were looking forward to lunch today. He’ll stay if you need him to, he’s sure Mike can talk his way in with Eddie.

You smile at him, force your voice to be light. They’re growing up. You all are. “I’m sure, it’s your first day. You’re supposed to be joining a bunch of clubs, it’s a good way to make friends. I’m proud of you. Seriously.”

Dustin isn’t entirely convinced, but Mike has already grabbed his arm to go and find Eddie. He turns to Lucas, beckons him to follow. “C’mon, dude.”

“I’ll-uh. Follow in a sec.” Mike gives him an odd look, but Lucas is already sitting down next to you. Seeing this, Mike gives up and leaves with Dustin. As soon as they’re gone, Lucas lowers his voice and leans in close to you. “Hey, do you, uh. Know Jason Carver?”

The scent of chocolate ice cream infiltrates your nose, the sound of it colliding into the teen’s pants rings in your ears. The memory of it is tangible, and you have to hold back a laugh. Yeah, you know Jason Carver. “I mean, we aren’t friends, but we know each other. Why?”

“Do you…” Lucas looks around, making sure Mike and Dustin really are gone, before he continues. “Do you think he’d let me join the basketball team?”

You’re surprised. Sure, Lucas has always shown an interest in the sport. He plays with Steve sometimes, they trade cards, but you didn’t think he’d be interested in the school’s team. “Oh.” Then, you realize why he’s stayed behind. “You don’t want to join Hellfire, do you?”

“I know I’m just a freshman, and–and Mike would probably call me dumb for wanting to even try out, but. I don’t know. I think… I think I could be really good on the team. Might make high school easier.”

“Then you should go for it,” you reassure Lucas. He’s always been so careful to not upset others. He’s loyal, down to his very core, you understand the fear that doing something for yourself brings. “Jason isn’t so bad. A bit much, but kind. He’s a team player, and I think they'd be lucky to have someone like you.”

Lucas smiles shyly at you. “Really?”

“Really. Now, go and find the guy. Ask him when try-outs are, and I’ll talk to Steve about practicing more with you. How’s that sound?”

“You’re the best!” Lucas gives you a quick hug, already getting out of his seat, and runs right into Max. They collide, he manages to save her from falling, and he laughs sheepishly. “Sorry, you okay?”

Max nods, silent, and immediately you and Lucas know that today is one of her bad days. Her eyes are sunken in, it doesn’t look like she got any sleep last night. She sits down next to you, and you nod at Lucas, signaling to him that it’s okay if he leaves. You’ll take care of her.

Lucas hesitates, unsure, but reluctantly leaves when you nod at him once more, urging. If it was anyone else, he would stay, but it’s you. Besides Lucas, you’re the only other person Max talks to. You’ll stay with her, Lucas deserves to go and branch out like Mike and Dustin are.

“So, did you know about Lucas wanting to join the basketball team?” You turn to Max once the boy has left. She shrugs, picks at the food in front of her. It’s the most response you’ll get from her, and you sigh. “You don’t want to be here either, do you?”

She looks up at you, alarmed that you caught on so fast, and you just shake your head at her. You dig into your backpack, take out some cookies you baked the night before. They were supposed to be for all the kids today, but they’ve all left and Max needs them more right now. “Here, take these. Go to the left stairwell, next to the choir room. No one goes there during lunch, it’s quiet.”

“Thank you,” Max exhales with relief, taking the baked goods from you. Tears lump in her throat, she doesn’t know how you always manage to do this. To see through her, always say the right thing.

“Of course, my dear.” You risk touching her face, she’s cold, but she closes her eyes and breathes in at the comfort. “I expect to see you at Bookstrordinary after school today, though.”

Somehow Max laughs, and the action hurts her to do so. It’s becoming harder and harder to bear the sound of her own happiness. But she nods at you, understanding that it’s an order she can’t disobey, and leaves.

Then it’s just you at the lunch table. Alone.

Nancy is at yearbook, she’s told you all about her grand plan of reforming the club into something more than just homecoming polls and gossip panels. Robin is at yet another band practice, preparing for the annual back to school pep rally later this week. Steve is at Family Video, bored out of his mind, both of you wishing he were here instead.

And Jonathan is across the country, at an entirely different school, aching to be near you again.

The thought of him in California only intensifies the loneliness that you feel. The feeling overwhelms you, and before it can swallow you whole, you dig through your backpack once more. Your fingers shake as you rustle through the notebooks and textbooks, and they clutch desperately at your walkman when you finally find it. The mixtape Jonathan made for you before he left sits within it.

You quickly place the headphones over your head, muffling the sounds of the cafeteria around you. Your fingers find the play button with practiced ease, and soon the beginning notes of the Beatles play through the wire and into your headphones.

The song soothes you, it quiets what you don’t want to hear; it makes you smile. The mixtape is all you’ve been listening to ever since Jonathan left. Though it can never replace his presence, it’s enough for now.

You stare at the empty seats around you. John Lennon’s voice floats through your ears.

Welcome to senior year.

–

Miraculously, it’s Nancy you lean on the most as the autumn leaves turn orange and the summer’s heat dies down. She finds you later during your first week, grabbing lunch from your locker, and she stops you.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to spend another lunch alone.” Nancy has never been one to greet someone. She always gets straight to the point, a quality that you normally admire.

However, you feel embarrassment rise within you, slightly off put by the cruel words. Sure, you’re not necessarily thrilled that you’ve spent your first few days of senior year alone, but you didn’t need Nancy reminding you of that. “Hello to you too, Nance.”

“Shit, I didn’t mean to offend you.” She holds her notebook close to her chest and looks down in shame. It’s weird, there’s a distance between you that has only seemed to widen despite how hard the two of you try to bridge it. For a while things were good, great, even. She was genuinely your friend, but sometimes insecurities can hurt the ones people love the most.

“Not really sure how I was meant to take that.” You close your locker and try to excuse yourself. You’re exhausted, you hardly slept the night before. “Look, I should go. I stayed up all night working on stupid college applications and I just… I’m tired.”

Nancy’s posture straightens, eager to grab onto any opportunity to amend things with you. “I can read over whatever you have.” When you raise your eyebrows at her, she quickly backtracks, worried she’s overstepped. “I–I mean, that is, if you want. Not that you need the help! It’s just–”

She forces herself to stop. She’s rushing her words, messing it all up. Her shoulders drop, Nancy takes a deep breath and looks you in the eye. She never apologized for her words earlier this summer. The way she sneered venom at you, but she’s carried the guilt of it ever since. “I’m… trying. I promise I am.”

Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers have never handled vulnerability well. It’s what made you stand out against them, set you apart, and you can’t help but find this quality in them endearing. You know that Nancy is trying to go back to how things were, before one phone call between the two of you revealed the unspoken resentment she held.

You never blamed her for any of it. But you know she blames herself, and Jonathan’s absence doesn’t help; both of you miss him, neither of you can afford to lose anyone else.

So you try as well.

“I’ll let you read over what I have only if you let me read what you’ve written as well.” You nudge her shoulder with yours, getting her to finally smile. “I’m curious to see what that brain of yours has thought of already.”

Nancy laughs, relieved. “Definitely nothing as creative as whatever you’ve written.”

“We’ll see about that, Wheeler.”

Soon you find yourself in the yearbook room. Nancy introduces you to some kid named Fred, who moons over her the entire time you’re there, though she doesn’t seem to notice. She’s too busy reading through your ideas, and you find yourself admiring her side profile. The way her eyelashes kiss her brows, the soft cherry on her lips.

Nancy is beautiful. You understand how Jonathan and Fred and Steve and countless other guys in Hawkins have lost their minds over her.

You read through portions of Nancy’s writing, and the two of you sit quietly side by side editing the essays. She marks some things down, crosses out some lines, and you do the same. It’s lovely, being by her side again. You hadn’t realized just how much you missed her following the events of this summer.

“So, New York University, huh?” Nancy eventually breaks the silence.

You nod, humming as you skim over a line that you particularly like. Circling it, you respond. “Yeah, it’s been my dream school ever since I was young.”

Though you’re applying to other schools as well. A few state schools, some in Virginia, close to your father. But New York is truly where you hope you’ll be next fall.

“Jonathan mentioned that you like psychology, right?”

“Yup,” you cross out an extra word. “Particularly child psychology. Figured that after everything we’ve been through, especially the kids, it’d be useful if at least one of us has any idea what’s going on inside our minds.”

Nancy chuckles. “Fair.”

It falls quiet again, but you don’t want the peace to end. “I heard from Jonathan that you’re looking into Emerson.”

“He tells you everything, doesn’t he?” Though this time Nancy’s question is asked with fondness, slight exasperation and humor mixed in.

“Mhm, we’re a package deal. You tell one of us something, then the other is bound to know eventually.” You look up at Nancy and lightly touch her arm. “Though he still keeps some things from me when it comes to you, don’t worry.”

She laughs again, and finally you allow the silence to settle upon you. It’s a comfortable one. There isn’t a tension underlying it. For the first time in a long time, you’re able to simply sit next to Nancy and feel that she wants you there with her.

After that day, you and Nancy spend almost every lunch period helping each other with your applications.

Steve helps you, too. In his own ways.

While he can’t help you write the essays, he lets you call him at two in the morning to rattle off application ideas so you won’t forget them. He doesn’t complain when you wake him up and he has an early shift the next day. Instead, he listens. Steve offers you his own tired input and indulges in whatever you need to feel that you’ll succeed; he’s the most doting, patient boyfriend you could ever ask for.

And, secretly, Steve adores it. Especially when you call him some nights just to have him come over and hold you.

Those are his favorite nights. Tonight is one of them.

“Why does college exist?” Your cheek is pressed against Steve’s chest as you lay in your bed together. The steady rise and fall of his breathing is melodic.

He plays with a strand of your hair, you feel him shrug. “‘Dunno, but you’re almost done.”

“Yeah, just have one more application to send before I get to spend four agonizing months waiting to find out if I even get in. How fun.” Sarcasm drips from your lips. You’ve spent the last two months obsessing over it all, which words to write in your essays, which clubs to join, which teachers to beg for recommendation letters.

And now you have one application left. Then you’ll be forced to wait, without any control of the inevitable outcome.

You’ve never been someone comfortable with letting go of control.

“Everything will be fine, angel. NYU would be stupid not to let you in.” Steve reassures you with a kiss to your temple, then to your cheek, the tip of your nose, the dip of your brows. As he kisses you, he envisions doing this a year from now, in a small, rundown apartment with sirens wailing outside and a fire escape that creaks in the wind. The song of New York City.

Eventually Steve’s lips will find yours, and the conversation will be long forgotten. It’s how most of your nights end now, lost in the kisses as his breath mixes with yours. Hands will wander. Sighs will leave parted mouths. Quiet, soft, aware of the precariously thin walls.

You haven't slept with Steve, at least not yet. Though you’ve been together a few months now, it still feels too soon. He’s your first boyfriend, your first kiss, your first real love, and Steve doesn’t want to rush you. If all you ever do together is lazily kiss and breathe each other in, then Steve will happily part your lips with his and draw soft sighs out from you.

In the morning you’ll awake with Steve’s lips on your neck, his eyes shining up at you, and in the morning sunlight, before you’ve fully woken up, the air between you is sacred.

–

“I sent in my final application,” you’re whispering, not wanting to wake up your mom who has fallen asleep on the couch. It’s nearly midnight in Indiana, but in California it’s only nine and Jonathan has just finished his school work for the night. “NYU, it’s done.”

On the other end you hear shuffling as Jonathan leans against his kitchen wall. Will sits at the table with El, he sketches the early stages of a painting and she studies grammar. Jonathan watches them, his mom is in bed, and he forgets for a moment that he’s on the phone with you.

“Bee?” You say the childhood name so softly, so tenderly with concern, and it brings Jonathan back to himself.

“I’m here, sorry.” He clears his throat, his head is still slightly muffled. Jonathan met a guy in woodshop this week, his name is Argyle, and somehow during lunch he found himself in the back of the guy’s van with a blunt hanging loosely from his lips. The smoke dulled the ache of missing Nancy, of missing you. Jonathan can’t tell you this, though. You’d kill him, and he hates disappointing you. “What were you saying?”

You frown slightly, he sounds different. There’s something in his voice, it’s raspy and he sounds distant. The sound is lonely, he sounds lonely. Jonathan isn’t really here, despite the fact that he’s talking to you. The last few phone calls have been like this. You don’t know what to do.

When Jonathan left, the two of you promised to call each other every Friday, a compromise. A way to create distance, yet tether you to each other. Jonathan calls you every Friday, Nancy gets him every day the rest of the week, and it works. This is how it’s always been ever since early September.

At first you guys would talk about how your weeks had gone. Jonathan would complain about the California heat and you would tell him about how Mike and Lucas had crashed your date with Steve one night. Laughter would float over the telephone lines. Teasing, whispered “I miss you’s” and spoken goodbyes with the promise of talking again next week.

But last week when you called, the teasing was gone. The laughter was minimal. You had complained about an exam that day and Jonathan had given one word responses that had worried you. It had been odd, but you thought that maybe he’d been tired that day. Everyone has a bad day, you know this.

Yet it’s Friday again and Jonathan couldn’t feel farther away from you.

“I mailed my NYU application in, bee. You send in yours yet?” Voice light, cheery. You do what you can to try and keep him afloat. You try to grasp at the good that’s left between you. Remind Jonathan that you’re right here, still with him, without scaring him away. “You remember our plan, right? Me and you in New York, together.”

Since you were kids the plan has always been to go to college together. Back then, neither of you could fathom a reason to ever be apart. You were invincible, the same way all kids think they are before the world tells them otherwise.

But you and Jonathan aren’t invincible, you never were.

You can hear the way your question suffocates him. The breath that he holds, stilted and torn, suffocates you as well.

Nausea punches Jonathan, the smoke from earlier suddenly fogs his throat. He doesn’t know what to do. Nancy wants him to go to Emerson with her, he promised you NYU when he was twelve, and California has his mother and Will.

“Yeah, yeah. I–I mean, I sent mine in. Last week.”

Jonathan is lying. You’ve known him for almost six years; he always stumbles over his words when he lies.

Part of you wants to ask him why he’s doing this, lying to you and pulling away. Another part of you, the larger, more naive part, doesn’t want to believe it. You clear your throat, swallow down the hurt, and choose naivety. “Oh,” your tone is too pinched, too put together. You clear your throat again. “That’s–that’s great! I, um. Surprised you didn’t read the essays to me. Have me edit them, like we’ve always done.”

Jonathan leans his head against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut. He’s never been able to lie to you, he knows you’re desperately trying to overcompensate, as you always do. He hates it. He hates himself. “Yeah, well. Got excited, I guess.”

You hum, words failing you, and the line goes silent.

Dread replaces the laughter that night.

–

Before you know it, it’s Halloween and the party has infiltrated Steve’s house.

The holiday falls on a Saturday, and the party deems itself too old to trick or treat. When they find out that Steve’s parents won’t be home that weekend, they demand to spend the night at his house and watch horror movies.

Steve fights back, complains that he doesn’t want them taking over his living room, but his complaints fall on deaf ears. That, and Dustin ropes Robin into their plans.

“Oh, God. Don’t open the door!” Dustin shrieks, throwing popcorn at Steve’s TV as he covers his eyes with a blanket. He cowers against Lucas, who shoves him off, and Mike snickers. Max sits on the couch, outside of their fort, and watches the boys. None of them try to get her to sit with them. They know they’re lucky that she even showed in the first place.

“I can’t look.” Robin’s voice carries over, you can almost picture her cringing as she holds a pillow to her chest. Mike chose a particularly gory movie, and the kid’s mind frightens her.

A loud crash sounds, then a woman screams. You figure the protagonist did open the door and has now died, though you can’t be sure. You’re in the kitchen with Steve, taking out the final batch of oatmeal raisin cookies from the oven. The smell wafts through the home, bringing warmth to a house that Steve has always found cold, and he places his hands on your hips.

“You spoil the kids too much,” he presses his nose against your cheek and kisses you. “They invade my home and you bake them delicious goods.”

You set the tray of cookies down onto the counter. “As if the cookies aren’t for you, too.”

“That isn’t important. We’re focusing on my hostage house, Y/N.”

“‘Hostage house’, quite the alliteration there.”

Steve now kisses your neck, distracting you as you plate the cookies. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

“Don’t make me come in there!” Dustin screams, and Robin echoes him with her own disgusted yelling.

You laugh at their theatrics while Steve rolls his eyes. He really hates that his house has become the party’s source of entertainment. He just wants to compliment his beautiful girlfriend in peace. Who would punish a guy for that?

In his moping Steve almost misses you walking back into the living room. He follows, stumbles over his feet, never wanting to be more than a few inches away from you. You’re magnetic, always pulling him in.

Mike is the first to grab a handful of cookies. Lucas and Dustin follow quickly after. They shove the food into their mouths and you scoff at their lack of manners. They’re such boys, growing taller every day, and they’re just as disgusting as they were when they were kids.

“Want one, Max?” You hold the plate up to her, noticing that she hasn’t moved from her seat. She shakes her head at you, eyes never leaving the screen. Lucas and you share a look, the same concerned expression on your faces.

The moment is broken by Robin, who grabs a cookie and practically melts. “Holy shit, Y/N. You bake these regularly?”

“Usually once a week,” you shrug at her. “Though I once baked six batches during finals week.”

“God, that was a good week.” Dustin hums, lost in the blissful memory.

Robin grabs your arm, eyes wide with enthusiasm. “I will give you my firstborn child in exchange for my own batch of cookies.”

Steve pokes her shoulder. “You already promised your firstborn to me after I agreed to cover your weekend shift.”

“I can have twins.”

You laugh at her. “That’s a terrifying thought.”

Robin sticks her tongue out at you, causing you to laugh even more, and Mike puts the next movie on. Everyone settles back down, you lay with Steve in the lovechair with Robin in front of you. Max has the couch to herself, the boys are sprawled on the floor in a mess of pillows and blankets, and for the first time in months you feel a certain warmth having your family together.

Sometime during the night the clock strikes twelve.

It’s November 1st, 1985.

Steve’s nineteenth birthday.

Robin snores softly on the ground, arm underneath her head as a makeshift pillow. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are all curled up against one another, their faces young again. Max sleeps softly on the couch, her hand dangles over the edge, grazing Lucas’ outstretched arm and open palm.

Steve lays beneath you, he isn’t quite asleep yet. You’ve come to learn the rhythm of his breaths as he sleeps. The way they slow, the pattern steady. You lift your head up, wanting to admire him, and find that he’s already looking at you.

“Hi, angel.” He whispers, smiling sweetly.

You smile back, you always smile back at him. “Hi, honey.” Doing your best to remain quiet, you crawl up the length of Steve and nuzzle your way into his neck. You kiss the dip just above his collarbone, causing him to shiver. “Happy birthday.”

Arms encase you, pull you deeper into the body you lay on. Steve’s body heat warms your face, warms your bones, and you wish you could stay like this forever. In Steve’s arms, the scent of him overwhelming your mind, his touch calming you.

“Thank you,” he kisses the top of your head. He lingers, his lips soft. The two of you stay like this, his head against yours, your chin tucked into the alcove of his neck. Your breathing syncs with his, his fingers trail up and down your spine. Your fingers splay over his chest, warming his ribs.

In the morning, Max wakes everyone up.

“My mom will be worried,” she kicks Mike, nudges Lucas’ shoulder. “Wake up, idiots.”

Steve groans, squinting his eyes against the morning light. He tries to roll over and block it out and nearly shoves you off the seat in the process. “Steve!” He manages to catch you in his sleepy state, but his movements are slow.

“Sorry!”

You clutch your chest, heart pounding. “You’ve done that way too many times now. I’m starting to think you want to throw me onto the ground.”

“Lucas once promised he could catch me if I jumped into his arms.” Max says, then she points to a scar on her knee. “Turned out he couldn’t.”

“Hey!” Lucas sits up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “I really thought I could do it.”

Mike stretches. “Your fault for trusting him, Max.”

Lucas shoves him and the two start to wrestle on the floor. They’re a tangle of lanky limbs, knocking into Dustin who still hasn’t woken up yet. They roll on top of the boy, and he wakes up to Lucas’ knee in his face. “What the hell?”

Dustin joins the fighting now, and Robin throws a pillow at them. “Guys! It’s too early for this!”

They don’t listen.

It takes a lot of pleading, negotiating, and bribes in order to break the fight up. It takes even longer to wrangle the kids out of Steve’s home, much to his dismay. They leave a mess of strewn popcorn all over the carpet and pillows missing feathers. You stay behind, offering to help clean the mess, and Robin rushes out an apology and happy birthday to Steve as she runs out the door to get to work.

Until Richard and May Harrington walk in.

Neither of you notice them at first. Steve is too busy spinning you around, playfully dipping you as the music comes to a grand crescendo. You’re laughing breathlessly, but soon your laughter turns into a yelp when Steve sees his parents standing in the doorway and drops you.

“Dad!” Steve immediately bends down to pick you up, endlessly apologetic. He ducks his head, eyes on you, though his body doesn’t turn from his father. “I’m sorry, angel. You alright?”

You reassure your boyfriend that you’re fine, more worried about the fact that you’re dressed in clothes from yesterday with horrendous bedhead meeting his parents for the first time. Richard eyes you in Steve’s arms. He has a look of disinterest on his face. “Son.”

“What, uh.” Steve clears his throat, curls a protective arm around your waist. He didn’t mean for this to happen. His parents were supposed to be gone until Tuesday. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“Right.”

Father and son stand in front of one another. Neither speaks. Steve feels like a little boy again, scrutinized underneath his father’s intense gaze. Never good enough. Never worthy of anything other than berating and lectures.

You wring your hands nervously, unsure what to do. The air is thick. Steve looks so much like his father, it’s almost uncanny. They have the same build, the same moles that dot along their handsome faces. Only his father is dressed in a suit, the lines in his face are hard, weathered. He’s who you picture Steve would’ve been, in a different universe where you were never his friend.

May Harrington gave her son all of her delicate features. The soft turn of his nose. The plush, pink lips. His doe eyes, his smile. The only feature that separates her from her son is her honey blonde hair. She’s beautiful, elegant and poised, and when she steps towards you, you can smell lavender perfume. “You must be Y/N. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Hi, Mrs. Harrington.” You’re quick to meet her where she stands. You’re nervous, you have to discreetly wipe your hand on your pants before shaking hers. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. Your banana bread is lovely.”

The woman smiles, it’s so much like Steve’s that you want to cry. “Thank you, dear.”

“Of course, and I apologize for meeting like this. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Richard makes a mean, gruff sound. He shakes his head, steps next to his wife. He doesn’t like you, you can feel it by the way he blocks his wife’s view of you. “Oh, no. I’m sure you didn’t.”

“Dad–” Steve steps forward as well, blocking his father’s view of you. He’s angry, his shoulder blades close together. He doesn’t like how the man is treating you; you’re too good for such cruelty.

“What did I tell you about bringing your hookups to the house, son?” Richard sneers, turning his nose up at you. That’s all he sees you as. Just another one of Steve’s flings, one of the girls from his past.

“Y/N is not just some hookup,” Steve clenches his jaw, tries to steady his breathing. He doesn’t want to fight with his dad in front of you. Not when he was having such a good morning, spending his birthday with your hands wrapped around his neck and your giggles singing in his ears. “She’s my girlfriend, and I love her.”

Richard chuckles, he doesn’t believe his son. “Okay, you love her. I’m sure your mother and I will walk in on you with some new girl next week.”

“Dear,” May places a hand on her husband’s shoulder. She sees the way you shrink into yourself at the man’s words. The insecurity that he brings. She sees how her son’s eyes ignite with fury, she watches as he does whatever he can to put the flame out for her sake and your’s. “It’s Steve’s birthday today.”

“Is that why you insisted on coming home today?” Richard turns to her, she has his full attention now. His eyebrows are drawn together, annoyance paints his body. “You told me you had a board meeting tonight.”

“Why don’t we talk about this upstairs?” May suggests, relieved that she’s turned her husband’s anger onto herself rather than her son. Richard sighs, but he doesn’t argue as he marches up the stairs without so much as a second glance towards you. When he’s gone, May smiles at you sympathetically. “I apologize for my husband’s behavior. We had a long flight, I’m sure he’s simply jetlagged.”

“Yeah, that’s why he’s such an asshole.” Steve scoffs, tired of his mother’s excuses for her husband. He can be cruel to Steve, he doesn’t care. He’s been cruel to him his entire life. But if his father so much as breathes near you again, Steve will hurt him.

Your hand reaches for Steve’s, sensing what he’s thinking. You return May’s smile, you’re not at all angry with her. “It’s okay, really. I was an unexpected guest, and I should go.”

Steve pulls you into his chest. “What, no–”

“You may leave, if you’d like.” His mother gently interrupts him. “Though I must admit, I really do wish to know you better. If you’d allow me to, that is.”

“I’d love that more than anything.”

“Then I will plan a dinner for the next time my husband and I are in town.” May tells you, admiring your honesty. She can see why Steve has become so infatuated with you. There’s nothing hidden within you; you wear your heart on your sleeve, your sincerity a welcomed rarity. She turns to her son, rests her palm delicately against his face. “Happy birthday, my beautiful boy.”

Steve leans into her touch, weak for his mother as any son is. You turn away, it doesn’t feel right to watch this moment between them.

In the car Steve profusely apologizes for his father’s behavior. Over and over again, he laments how sorry he is and that you’re more than just some fling to him. “You’re everything to me, angel. I love you so, so much.”

“I know, honey.” You grab his hand that rests against the stick shift. His father’s words had hurt, but you knew that they weren’t true. Steve is your’s, he has been for longer than either of you realize. Nothing will ever undo the love he has for you, the foundation of trust it was built upon. “You’re everything to me, too.”

When Steve pulls into your driveway, you tell him to park and come inside. His birthday gift is in your room. You had planned to give it to him later tonight, but his parents’ unexpected arrival had soured things. “I know you have to go home, but…”

“I’ll never say no to you.” Steve’s already unbuckling his seatbelt to follow you inside. He greets your mother with a kiss to her cheek, ruffles Dustin’s hair as he sits at the dining table doing homework. His movements are easy, leisurely. You notice now how at home he is in yours, far from the boy who cowered before his father only twenty minutes ago. The realization is bittersweet. He deserves to feel at home in his own house, not just yours.

Inside your room Steve sits on your bed and holds his hand out, eager. “Okay, wow me, Henderson.”

“You really know how to talk to a woman.” You tease him, rustling through your drawer to find the gift you’ve hidden. Steve is nosy, he’s been trying to find his gift for at least two weeks now. When you’ve found it, you clutch the gift in your hand and hold it behind your back. “Alright, you know the drill by now. Close your eyes.”

Steve complies with a smirk, biting back suggestive comments. He loves this tradition with you, making the other close their eyes before their gift. Something light is placed in Steve’s hand. It’s circular, sturdy. He thinks he can smell leather.

“Okay, open.”

In his hand is a bracelet. It’s a simple strip of leather, nothing embellishes it besides a button to secure it. Though it’s plain, Steve can tell that it’s expensive. The leather is supple, its color is dark and polished. The silver button that clasps the two ends together is heavy.

He loves it, he does, but he can’t help feeling like that there must be something more to it.

As if reading his mind, you gently prompt Steve to turn it over in his hands. “Look what’s on the inside, honey.”

He does, and his heart stops.

The leather has been stamped. The word constants is spelled out across the length of the band. It’s a hidden message, only for Steve to know, and while he’s sure you have your own explanation for why you chose the word constants, he loves it already. “Oh.”

You sit next to him and laugh softly. “You’re my constant, Steve. Everything in my life has changed, or will change, but you… You’ve always been there, I know you’ll always be there. With me. My love, my lucky charm, my constant.”

Tears well in Steve’s eyes. He doesn’t bother wiping them away, too busy admiring the bracelet in his hand. He can’t believe you’re real, that you’ve thought of this for him. That you see a future with him… It’s everything he could’ve asked for. A security he’s always longed to have. His entire life he’s been told he’s too much, too overwhelming, and yet you want him to stay anyways.

“And you’re my constant?” He asks you, fingers grazing over the letters again.

You nudge his shoulder with yours. “Well, I’d like to think that I am.”

He laughs, wet and full of love, and he can’t take it anymore. Steve throws his arms over you and you collapse into your bed, laughing together as he presses his lips wherever they can reach.

“You are,” he says in between kisses. Your laughter lights him. “You’re my constant, too.”

–

The autumn leaves fall and the trees are barren as winter arrives.

You spend winter break trying to maintain your promise to Joyce. After finishing the hell that was applying to college, you have so much unexpected free time that at first you don't know what to do. But then her words echo in your mind, the promise to live the life that you deserve, so you start doing things for yourself.

Slowly you read through all the books in your room that you hadn't had time for before. You start running again in the mornings, the winter air crisp in your lungs. You and Dustin do homework together at the kitchen table, making sure neither of you get left behind. You try new recipes to bake, delivering the treats to the ones you love. It’s nice, rediscovering the pleasures you once had long before the Upside Down came into your life.

Christmas comes and you do your annual rounds, delivering everyone’s favorite treats on Christmas Eve. It’s during your run to the Sinclair home that Lucas asks you to come inside to talk.

“What’s up?” You ask him, unwrapping your scarf and warming your hands in your sleeves. Lucas gestures to his kitchen table, silently asking you to sit. When you do, he takes a deep breath and joins you.

Something’s bothering him. You can see it in the way he carries a weight on his shoulders. How they droop as he sits, exhausted. You reach across the table and grab his hand, offering whatever comfort you can give him. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

“It’s…” Lucas purses his lips, his breath shakes. “It’s Max. I’m–I’m worried about her.”

He tells you everything. He tells you how distant she’s been, more than she’s ever been before. He tells you how she’s missed dates he’s planned for her, how she refuses to talk to him anymore. She hasn’t been to any of the party’s hangouts, Mike and Dustin haven’t seen her ever since winter break started.

Max has had bad days, weeks, even months since losing Billy. But she’s never had the bad days without at least one good day following. To break the monotonous cycle of self-loathing and grief and guilt. She would always come back, even if for a moment, alive and bright and reminiscent of the girl had been.

“I can feel her slipping away,” Lucas looks down at the table. He’s afraid that if he looks at you then he’ll start crying. He doesn’t want you to worry, he knows how much you already deal with and do for them, but he’s terrified. “I know… I know that you helped Will, after he was flayed. Do you think you could maybe talk to Max? Just… Remind her that we’re here for her? I can’t–I can’t lose her.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” you squeeze his hand in yours, trying to stem the stream of tears he fought so hard to force down. Lucas loves Max with everything within him. Anyone can see that. You’d do anything to bring the girl back to him, to bring her back to all of you. “I’ll talk to her.”

I’ll keep an eye on her. Watch her when you can’t.

Lucas hears it. He exhales, nods his head.

You leave. Max was the next one on your list of deliveries anyways.

It’s nearing dusk by the time you get to the trailer park. You haven’t seen Max’s new home, she’s only recently moved. She had been too embarrassed to tell anyone that her mother lost their old house. The only reason you even know she moved in the first place is because Lucas and Dustin stalked her walking home.

A dog barks as you bike past. Snow has started to fall, tomorrow will be a white Christmas.

“Oh, hello, Y/N.” Susan Hargrove’s skin is pale, her eyes sunken in when she answers the door. Her voice is thin, her frame is strained. The death has been hard on her, too. Billy’s father leaving only made everything worse.

“Hi, Mrs. Hargrove.”

The woman winces. “Please, Mayfield will be fine.”

You immediately correct yourself, apologetic and ashamed, when Max’s voice calls from within the home. “Just let Y/N in, mom.”

Susan sighs, and you wish you could do more. Instead, all you can offer her is the container of coconut bites you’ve made for them. Max told you they remind her and her mother of California, and you always make sure to have some ready every week for them. Offer some semblance of joy in the gray of their lives.

Max sits at the kitchen table. Her head is down as she works on something. She has her walkman next to her. Susan leaves the two of you alone, excusing herself to go lay down after a long shift.

You sit next to the girl and take a deep breath. This won’t be easy. Max is prideful, stubbornly independent, and has never accepted sympathy from anyone. You’ve always admired her fiery personality, but the fire has dimmed and the smoke is beginning to choke her. Talking to her will be like pulling teeth out.

“Brought you your favorites.” You shake the container in your hands. It serves as a peace offering, almost a bribe to start the conversation.

“Thanks.” Max doesn’t look up.

You swallow, tuck your hair behind your ears. “Of course. I was doing my usual delivery rounds. I, uh. Stopped at the Sinclair’s.”

The pencil in Max’s hand freezes. Her knuckles tighten, though the shift is subtle. She’s always been too smart for her own good. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Erica likes my brownies. Mrs. Sinclair, too.”

“And Lucas?” She knows why you’re here.

“I made him chocolate chip cookies. You know how much he loves them.” Max doesn’t respond. Of course she knows how much Lucas enjoys chocolate chip cookies. She knows everything about him, but she doesn’t say anything and goes back to writing. Faintly you hear music coming from the walkman. You point at the device. “New song?”

“Kate Bush.”

“Oh.” This is going worse than you imagined. “Look, Max–”

She doesn’t waste any time. “I know Lucas sent you. I don’t care.”

“He’s just worried about you, we all are–”

“I’m fine.” The tip of the pencil snaps. “Shit.”

“Max.” You’re pleading with her to listen. Her skin is fluorescent now, paler than you’ve ever seen. The bags underneath her eyes are swollen, dark and ghostly. She’s lost weight. You can’t remember the last time you saw her eat. “Please.”

“What do you want me to do?” Though there’s anger in her voice, Max’s eyes plead with you, too. Her mask slips for just a moment, but you see it. Underneath her indifferent exterior, she’s just as terrified as everyone else is. She can feel herself fading, the guilt of Billy’s death slowly eats her alive. She doesn’t know what to do, though. How do you continue to live after death has infiltrated your home?

The chair beneath you scraps against the hardwood floor. You stand up, walk over to Max and kneel in front of her. You keep your movements slow, worried you’ll scare her away if you get too close too suddenly. “I think you should talk to someone, honey.”

Max turns away. She can’t. If she told anyone what goes on inside her head, they would never forgive her. You would never forgive her, and it would break her.

Your hand falls to Max’s knee. The warmth from your palm combats the ice in her veins. You’re looking at her as if she’s worth something. As if she didn’t wish for her brother’s death. As if she hadn’t sent a grieving father into a spiral, a desperate mother into a trailer park. But Max allows your touch, so you try to get through to her again.

“You know, I was actually talking to Ms. Kelly a few weeks ago. The school’s guidance counselor.” She had met with you to discuss your grades and college options. When she had seen how you picked your nails until they bled, she suggested seeing her every few weeks. Alleviate some of your never ending stress. You had denied, uncomfortable with the idea. But maybe she could help Max. “She seemed nice enough. I’m sure she would be open to talking with you.”

“I don’t want to see some shrink.”

“Hey, I want to work with kids your age someday. Don’t call future me a shrink.” You poke Max’s leg playfully, and the corners of her mouth twitch. She doesn’t want you to see that it’s working. “C’mon. Have at least one meeting with her. When winter break ends, all I ask is that you try. For me and Lucas. We’re your favorites, after all.”

“If I agree, will it get you to shut up?”

You’re fine with this. It isn’t ideal, you aren’t sure Max will even actually try to open up to Ms. Kelly, but it’s a start. For too long now you’ve stayed silent, allowing Max to grieve on her own. Grief is hard, it takes and it takes and it takes. Yet it’s been almost six months and you’re not sure how much left grief can take from Max. “I think I can be okay with that.”

You’ll take whatever you can get. You’re worried. You got too caught up in your own life, you had gotten lost in your own haze of grief and anxiety. Missing Jonathan, grappling with change and growing up as you applied to college. You weren’t there for Max like you should’ve been.

But you’ll fix this. You always fix things. It’s what you do. It’s what you have to do. It’s how you love; you take care of those around you.

And who are you if you can’t?

–

Jonathan calls you high for the first time in late January.

Though he doesn’t tell you that he’s high, you know. His words are slurred, slowed, incomprehensible. It’s late in California, even later in Indiana, and the stark feeling of guilt slices into your ribcage the same way the Demodog’s claw did. The feeling cuts deep into your skin, nicks your bone.

“Jonathan?” You hope your voice brings him back to you. You try to cut through the smoke that fills his mind, that leaves him stumbling over his words. “Bee, can you hear me?”

“‘M here.” Jonathan sniffs, smacks his lips, yawns. “Where’re you? Can’t find you, bug.”

You close your eyes. He’s looking for you, and you aren’t with him. “I’m in Hawkins.”

“Thas’ far.”

“Yeah,” you choke out a laugh. It constricts in your vocal chords, but you can’t let Jonathan know how much it hurts to hear him so disoriented. “I’m sorry.”

“S’okay. California sucks.” He hiccups, you’re surprised he’s managed to call you tonight. Even in his drugged up state, he still somehow remembered to call. “Don’t think Nance will like it.”

He’s referring to the spring break trip. Nancy told you about it earlier today, how she and Mike will spend the week in California to see Jonathan and El. She had been a bit hesitant to tell you, afraid you’d be upset for not being invited, but you reassured her that it was okay.

You’ve had a road trip planned with Jonathan ever since you were fifteen. The moment the two of you graduate, you’ll drive all across the country for one final adventure before college.

Nancy can have spring. Summer will be yours.

“She’ll love California because you’re there.” She talked about the trip nonstop today. Her glow had come back, momentarily, her eyes alight. She truly loves Jonathan, she misses him even more than you do.

“Only disappoint her.”

“What do you mean?” You’re not sure where this is coming from. You know Jonathan is high, that his thoughts may not be coherent, but he sounds distressed about Nancy. You thought things had been good between them. They were planning a future together.

“Is’ hard, with her.” Jonathan manages to get out, but his speech is becoming harder and harder to understand.

You frown. “What’s hard, bee?”

The line disconnects. Jonathan doesn’t bring the conversation up again, the next time you call. You don’t ask him what he meant. You don’t think you want to know. There had been something deeper behind his words.

Will calls you a few days later in tears. The kids are meaner in California than they are in Hawkins. They tease El, make her life hell, and he’s upset that he can’t do anything to stop it. He cries to you, his tears soak your face through the landline, and the guilt creeps back in.

It will never truly leave.

You do your best to console him, offer him advice, but that’s all you can do. All you have are your words. Will and El are hours away, hundreds of miles separate them from you. It's nauseating, feeling so useless. For as long as you’ve known Will, you’ve always been able to protect him. To help him, dry his eyes.

You’ve always been there for your boys, for Jonathan and Will. For El. But you can’t get to them, they’re too far away, and it kills you. You’re sixteen again, trapped in Jonathan’s car and frantically trying to keep yourself together as everything around you falls apart.

Steve becomes your lifeline.

He always answers when you call. Every time Jonathan, high and lonely, hangs up your conversations, you call Steve. He answers, he hears the exhaustion in your voice, and he always sneaks in through your window later that night. He knows it’s the only way you’re able to sleep these days.

He sings to you when you wake up from a nightmare. They’ve become about Max, losing her. She’s only met with Ms. Kelly a few times, but you can tell that she already wants to stop. That you’re pushing her too far, pushing her away from you and everyone else.

Steve takes you for drives when you get blisters from pacing your room, anxiously waiting for your college decision letters to come in. Soon your entire life will be decided for you by one single piece of paper.

Two weeks before spring break, Jonathan calls you. He’s sober.

You can’t remember the last time you’ve spoken to him sober. The thought alone depresses you, makes you yearn for childhood again.

“I think Nancy wants me to come to Hawkins,” he tells you. “Would you… would you like that?”

More than anything.

You press the phone against your ear and imagine that it’s Jonathan’s hand instead. Your skin hasn’t forgotten how his felt against it. “Of course I want you to come to Hawkins, bee.” But it can’t be that easy, you know nothing ever comes easily. “Can you afford it, though? I–I mean, God. I miss you, you know that, but I know it’s been hard for your family these last few years.”

Jonathan’s head falls back against the wall behind him. You always understand. He hates it, sometimes. “It’s worth looking into if it means I get to see you and Nance.”

There’s an air of authority in Jonathan’s voice, as if he truly believes what he’s saying, and it surprises you. He’s taking initiative after months of floating away. Hope sparks within you, the cold hand of dread lessens its grip around your neck.

“Well, I can’t argue with that logic.” You say. Jonathan laughs, you’ve missed the sound. It’s been so long since you last heard it.

Conversation drifts after that. You tell him about the latest Spider-Man arc you’re reading, he inserts his own opinions, and it’s lovely. You haven’t had Jonathan like this in months, all to yourself, his smile aligned with yours. Sober, steady.

The phone call with Jonathan reminds you of all the good that is still yet to come.

College decision letters arrive next week. Your best friend might be visiting for spring break. Your boyfriend has planned a picnic for your anniversary tomorrow. You have your first meeting with Ms. Kelly the following day. It was your idea, figuring it was only fair that you see her since Max has agreed to keep going.

And Joyce made you promise that you’d live your own life. You’re trying to get better, you really are.

It just takes time.

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downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le · 6 months

Text

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) - Chapter 2

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Word Count: 5030 Warnings: death, violence, fighting, bloody wounds, angst, infuriatingly oblivious love interest, slowburn Spoilers: Young Justice Seasons 1-3 plot partially, but it ended in 2022 so catch up.

Y/N Prince - miracle daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor - and Dick Grayson - first adoptive son of the Batman himself - have been best friends since day one. They went to school together, trained together, kept each other's alter ego secret from everyone else, and they founded the Young Justice alongside their friends together.

But as time progressed, Y/N and Dick grew up and Y/N found herself wanting more than friendship with Dick. But he never seemed to indicate that he reciprocated her feelings. And when Wally died and Dick abandoned the team, Y/N realised he never would. So she heads to the one place she knows will help her become a stronger warrior so that one day she can take her mother's place: Themyscira.

Two years after his leave, Dick reaches out to his old friends to help him with a mission. But when he finds out Y/N left too, he chases after her in the hopes to bring her back.

However, when the two finally reunite, it isn't as warm as he hopes. Not to mention Themyscira becomes under siege as they go to war against Echidna, the Mother of Monsters in Greek Mythology, and her army of monstrous children.

Will Dick and Y/N be able to put their past behind them and save the Amazonians' homeland? Or will they fall, unable to tell one another their true feelings?

~~~

(6 Months Later)

Dick Grayson looked up at the Carr family home from his car, apprehensive to open the door just yet. It was a nice home, and from the research Dick did, a nice family lived there too.

His eyes trailed to the apartment situated above the garage, imagining the people who were inside. How were they going to react when he told them what he was there for? Scratch that, how were they going to react when they saw him?

'Should I go take a nap or are you going to man up and go inside at some point?' Oracle's sarcastic voice came through the car's bluetooth.

Dick clenched his hands around the steering wheel. Barbara - newly named Oracle - was right. It didn't matter what his friends were going to say. He needed their help, and he needed to man up.

Dick finally unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. 'I'll call you when I'm done,' he said, then ended the call before Barbara could sneak in another witty remark.

He made haste running up the Carr's driveway, then up the stairs to the apartment above the garage. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, he heard laughter and lively chatter that made him pause. An overwhelming sense of guilt and shame and longing surged through him. Was he really going to break up the joy beyond the door? Once upon a time he would've been glad for a party, for a break from work and his vigilante duties.

His mind flashed back to that first party him and his friends had in Mount Justice. It was Wally's birthday and he had been lapping up all the attention, especially from M'gann, who had made him a cake and had in fact organised the whole party. This was before Wally realised him and Artemis were meant to be, same with Connor and M'gann.

But Y/N had known, had even pointed it out to Dick as they sat in the corner just the two of them, watching everything play out.

'They're all so thick,' Y/N said, taking a sip of her lemonade, trying to hide her knowing smile.

'How so?' Dick asked.

Y/N rolled her eyes. 'Can you not see?' She grabbed Dick's chin and guided him to look at Connor and M'gann interacting awkwardly but in a cute way, then Wally and Artemis "fighting", matching wit for wit with every snarky comment they threw at each other. 'Connor and M'gann are so into each other, and you could cut the emotional tension between Wally and Artemis it's so thick. They are all crushing hard.'

Dick watched the two couples interact a little longer and realised Y/N was right. 'Well would you look at that,' he said, turning back to Y/N. 'You're quite the observer, aren't you?'

Y/N chuckled. 'Dick, we've been best friends for three years now. If you're just figuring that out now, then you're just as thick as the rest of our friends.'

'Hey! I am not!'

'Are to.'

'Am. Not!'

'Are. To!'

The two fell into hysterical laughter, gripping onto one another so they didn't fall to the ground.

Y/N's smile came to him then, and the longing in his chest ached even more. She was more than likely beyond the door too, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. He suddenly had the thought that he couldn't go through with it. He couldn't possibly ask them - couldn't ask her - to help him. Not after what he'd done...

Before he could chicken out completely, he forced himself to knock lightly on the door.

'I'll get it,' M'gann's sweet voice called out to whoever she was with, and Dick prepared himself as he heard her walk to the door.

M'gann opened the door, and she was smiling, the remnants of laughter twinkling in her eyes. She was in her human form, but it had changed since the last time Dick saw her. Her ginger hair was now cropped just under her ears, and her features were sharper, more refined than that of a young adolescent. She wore a flattering white blouse and casual jeans, not bothering for shoes in her own home.

She was grown up. In just two years?

Her brown eyes locked with Dick's blue ones, and immediately her smile dropped as shock froze her face.

Dick offered her a small smile 'Hi, M'gann,' he said softly.

'Dick...' was all she could manage as she continued to look at him, eyes raking over him as if she were imagining things. 'What are you doing here?'

'Honey, who is it?'

Dick's guilt deepened at the sound of Connor's voice. The Superboy himself came to the door when M'gann didn't answer, and stopped in his tracks as soon as he laid eyes on Dick. But he didn't stay shocked for long.

Connor furrowed his eyebrows and stepped up behind M'gann, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. 'What are you doing here?' he asked icily, eyes solely focussed on Dick.

It hurt to see such distrust in his old friend's eyes, but Dick somewhat expected that. 'Nice to see you too, Connor,' he said, slipping into his casual, carefree persona easily. If there was one thing Dick was really good at, it was putting on a mask. 'I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd swing by. It's been a while.'

'Why don't you answer my question first before you start acting like nothing is wrong,' Connor suggested, his voice taking a deep threatening tone.

'Connor, please,' M'gann said, seemingly getting over her initial shock. She placed her left hand over Connor's on her shoulder, and that's when Dick saw the shiny diamond ring on her finger. 'He's our friend.'

Dick didn't think his guilt could worsen at those three words.

M'gann opened the door wider and offered him a small smile. 'Come in, Dick. We'd love for you to join us.'

Dick flashed her a grateful smile. 'Thanks,' he said as he ducked through the doorway. He then looked from M'gann to Connor and back again. 'Congratulations, by the way.'

M'gann looked confused for a moment, then a joyful twinkle flashed in her eyes as she looked to her ring, a soft smile gracing her features. 'Thank you, Dick,' she said. 'That's what we're actually celebrating. Come on, there is food and drinks this way.'

M'gann walked back towards the party, but Connor and Dick remained in the entrance, staring at one another.

Dick took Connor in. Because of his clone genetics, Connor never actually aged. Not physically anyways. He'd changed ever so slightly from when Dick first broke him out of Cadmus, only growing a centimetre or two every year or so. His muscles had toned more having entered his theoretical twenties, and but his face still held onto those baby features he'd had since being replicated as a teenaged Superman.

Dick sized himself up against Connor and shockingly found that, for the first time, they were looking at each other eye to eye.

Connor seemed to scan Dick, too, coming to the same conclusion that Dick had changed too since they last saw each other. Dick waited for Connor to say something, but when Connor was done he gave Dick a stone cold grimace then turned to follow M'gann.

'What a warm reunion,' Dick mumbled under breath as he followed Connor down the hallway.

The hallway opened into an open-floor plan that held the kitchen, the dinning room and the lounge. Dick expected a few more people to be waiting for them, but he only spotted Kaldur lounging on the couch, drink in hand. Being the vigilant person he was, Kaldur immediately recognised Dick and placed his drink on the coffee table as he stood up.

'Dick,' he said, teal eyes wide with surprise.

'Hey, Kaldur,' Dick greeted awkwardly, ready for the same cold treatment as Connor.

Instead, Kaldur's face broke into a warm smile as he manoeuvred around the furniture to make his way to Dick. 'Old friend,' he said as he embraced Dick. 'It has been too long.'

'It sure has, buddy,' Dick responded, returning his friend's embrace.

Kaldur released him, but kept his hand on Dick's shoulder as he scanned over him. 'Look at you! You seem to be healthy and strong.'

It was true. Dick had noticed he'd muscled up a little more since leaving the team, though still keeping towards the leaner side of muscular. He certainly wasn't has bulk as Connor, or Kaldur for that fact, who Dick noted also had more muscles and toned features. Kaldur certainly filled out the black button-up he wore. But, as it was with Connor, Dick was happy to see him looking directly in Kaldur's eyes as they spoke, not from slightly below as it had been since they were children.

'Thanks man,' Dick said. 'Been working out. I see you've been doing the same, Aquaman.'

'My King left some large shoes to fill,' Kladur admitted humbly. 'But thank you.'

'So you know of Kaldur's promotion, but couldn't contact him to say congrats when it happened?' Connor interjected from his place in the kitchen.

M'gann scolded him as she placed some plates on the dining table, but the mood had already changed to tense and quiet.

'Connor's right,' Dick admitted, addressing his three friends. 'I'm sorry. These past two years... I should've stayed in contact. I wanted to. But every time I went to, I convinced myself that you didn't want to hear from me. That it would be better to leave you all be while I try to figure out myself again.'

'Oh Dick,' M'gann started, walking around the table to pull him into a hug. 'Of course we wanted to hear from you. You're our friend and we missed you. But we understand that after Wally died, you had to take a break from everything.'

M'gann pulled away and then pointed an accusatory finger at him, looking extremely cross with him. 'But if you ever do anything like that again, I swear I will hunt you down and kick your sorry ass into another universe. Understood?'

Dick nodded vigorously. 'U-Understood.'

M'gann's sweet demeanour returned and she walked back to the table to continue setting it. The three men looked at her quietly as she went about her work, until Dick turned to Connor and said, 'Your fiancée is scary.'

Dick expected another glare from the Superboy, but he was gladly surprised when the dark-haired boy nodded in agreement, face slightly pale. 'You got that right.' He then shook himself out of his frozen state of fear to help his fiancée dish out their meal.

'Give him time,' Kaldur said quietly to Dick. 'You know how Connor can be with expressing his emotions.'

'Well, he's not as emotionally constipated as he once was, I'll give him that,' Dick said. 'Unfortunately, I don't think I have time.'

'What do you mean?' Kaldur asked.

Dick went to explain but quickly decided against it. Kaldur was in the Justice League now. Dick couldn't really explain what he was planning to do. Not yet, anyway.

'Forget I said anything,' Dick said instead, flashing his charming smile and wrapping an arm around his old friend's shoulders. 'For now, why don't you tell me everything I've missed. How is it being Atlantis' new champion, first starters...'

For the next hour, it was like old times. The four of them ate and laughed and swapped stories about what Dick had missed in the last two years. They recalled some of the good times they all shared when they were on the team, and Dick convinced himself for a brief moment that they could all stay like this. Happy, carefree, young.

But Dick had come to Connor and M'gann for a reason.

Once they'd had enough of dessert, Connor offered to wash up and Dick saw his chance.

'I'll help wipe up,' Dick offered, taking his and Kaldur's plates to the sink while Connor filled the sink with soap and water. Dick waited until M'gann and Kaldur were in deep conversation over on the couch that Dick decided to broach his intended subject. 'So, how is the team going?'

'The team is doing okay,' Connor answered flatly, never lifting his eyes from his work with the plates in the sink. 'I just try to help M'gann as best as I can. We're down a few numbers since your old man decided to take half of the Justice League and our team with him in his little stunt.'

Dick winced. He recalled getting the call from Tim about it about five months ago. It had been an orchestrated walk out from over half the Justice League and their protégés, all of them wanting to go back to their vigilante ways as the League and the team had become somewhat irrelevant. Those that remained never saw it coming.

'I'm sorry about that,' he apologised, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Just felt appropriate.

Connor looked at him briefly, hands pausing in the sink as he did, and then released a sigh of defeat. 'Don't be sorry, Dick. It's not like you had anything to do with it.'

'No,' Dick agreed, 'but I should've been there at least. I should've reached out to see if you were okay. We started this team together, I shouldn't have just left it all to you.'

'Well, I know the rest of the team would really appreciate it if you came back now,' Connor said, his tone hopeful. 'That is, if you're ready to come back.'

Dick's heart lurched at the thought of going back to the team, both with want and terror. He liked Barbara, he really did. But, if he were being honest, he'd missed being a part of something bigger than himself and his own agendas.

'Connor,' Dick started softly, looking to see M'gann and Kaldur still locked in deep conversation before continuing, 'I would love to come back. Please know that. But you should know I haven't just been idly moving about the place the last two years. I've been conducting undercover missions of my own with Barbara in relation to the meta-human trafficking crisis.'

Connor's eyes widened and Dick saw he was about to raise his voice so leaned in close and hurriedly whispered, 'Keep your voice down, please.'

Connor took a second to register what Dick had said before whispering harshly, 'What do you mean you've been working on your own? You should've come to us if you were getting involved.'

'First of all, I just said I had Barbara helping me, and secondly because the team and the Justice League are full of public figures now. The missions wouldn't work if they got involved. But I've actually come here to ask you for your help on a mission, Connor.'

'Me?! Why would I-'

'Let me explain. First of all, it'll be you, me, Artemis-'

'You've pulled Artemis into this too?! Where the hell has she been, anyway?'

'Would you stop interrupting me for one second?' Dick hissed, wiping up a plate or two before returning to the conversation. 'As I was saying, from our intel, Markovia's Princess Tara has been found dead. Killed by a meta human supposedly, and I have a sneaky suspicion someone has been testing on people with the meta gene, turning them into extreme versions of their meta abilities. I need your help to find out who. As I said before, I've convinced Artemis to help already, and I was looking to you, Jefferson, and Y/N to make up the rest of the team.'

Dick looked around the room, looking at how empty the couches were around M'gann and Kaldur and sudden thought struck him. 'Speaking of which, where is Y/N?' he asked. 'I would've thought she'd be here celebrating the good news.'

He'd forgotten to keep quiet that time, and so Kaldur and M'gann looked at him alongside Connor, all looking as if Dick had sprouted three heads.

'What?' Dick asked, patting around his face. 'Do I have sauce on my face?'

'You don't know?' M'gann asked, sounding almost on the brink of tears.

That's when Dick realised something was majorly wrong, and his gut twisted with fear. 'Know what? Where's Y/N?'

'Y/N, she...' Kaldur started, then took a deep breath before continuing, 'Y/N left the team, Dick.'

'What?' Dick said, almost dropping the plate he held. 'What do you mean she left?'

'She left about six months ago,' Connor answered, washing up the last plate and emptying the sink. 'Before everyone else left. She felt like she wasn't doing enough with us anymore, so she just... left.'

'I've sent her plenty of messages,' M'gann said, 'but she hasn't answered any of them. And I can't sense her at all in the country. Even the Watchtower couldn't find her.'

Dick couldn't believe this. Y/N was gone? 'So Wonder Woman doesn't even know where she is?'

'Wonder Woman has been busy running the Justice League since Batman resigned,' Kaldur answered. 'Even if she did know where her daughter was, I don't think she'd like us to know, and I would have to agree.'

'Why?' Dick asked, suddenly very angry at Kaldur for not being as concerned as he was about Y/N. 'Do you know where she is?'

Kaldur shook his head. 'Regrettably, no. But when we last spoke, she sounded like she didn't want to be found. That she would come back to us when she was ready. I think we should respect that.'

Dick shook his head in disbelief. 'No, that's not like Y/N. She wouldn't just leave anywhere without telling anyone.'

'What, you mean like you?' Connor asked, and that cold stare was back.

'I mean she is loyal and empathetic. Surely she would know how her absence would affect the team,' Dick continued, ignoring the personal dig.

'She was loyal, Dick,' Connor countered. 'She was loyal, and stuck around with M'gann, Kaldur and I until the team got back on its feet. She held the team together when we were on the brink of falling apart. But you wouldn't know that because you weren't here.'

Dick wanted to argue but found that he couldn't. What he had thought was the best for the team turned out to be the complete opposite. He could sense it now; his relationships with his oldest friends were no longer as they were.

'You were gone for two years,' Connor continued. 'You'd be surprised as to how much a person can change in that time.'

The day Dick left flashed in his mind, and he recalled the pain in Y/N's eyes when he left her behind. He remembered how she'd held it together, but he knew she would probably cry about it later because she'd done it some many times before, always going to him to cry on his shoulder.

But he wasn't there that time. He'd left her all alone to dry her tears.

You're my best friend. Always have been. Always will be...

Dick looked to his friends again, but they could barely meet his eyes. Kaldur was disappointed, Connor was angry, and M'gann was just sad. An apology bubbled up in Dick's throat, but he didn't think it was sufficient enough for what he had done to them.

'I have to find her, then,' Dick said into the quiet room, and finally they all looked to him.

'Did you not just hear Kaldur?' Connor asked. 'We should leave her alone like she wants.'

'We don't necessarily know that,' Dick countered. 'Besides, this isn't about bringing her back. This is about me making things right with her.'

'But what if Kaldur is right?' M'gann argued. 'What if she doesn't want to be found. Maybe the right thing to do is leave her alone?'

Dick shook his head. 'She's my best friend, M'gann. I can't accept that she wouldn't want to see us ever again.'

'Maybe she doesn't want to see you, have you considered that?' Kaldur asked, his voice taking on a protective demeanour. 'The bottom line is, Dick, that you left her behind without a second thought. And she respected that, even if it killed her inside knowing that you would rather abandon her - abandon us - than face the pain of losing Wally together. She missed you every single day, and yet she still fought and trained and guided the team without faltering. And now, when she finally finds the courage to do what's best for her for once, you want to shame her for it?'

Anger surged through Dick, fiery and hot. 'I am not shaming her for anything. Do you not think I didn't think of you all every single day?'

'If you did, you didn't do anything about it, did you?' Connor mumbled, but Dick heard him just fine.

'Look, if you guys don't want to help me find her, fine,' Dick said, looking at all three friends pointedly. 'But I will find her. Because she needs to know that she was right. That I was wrong to leave and I am a terrible best friend.'

His expression softened as he looked down at his hands, imagining how long ago him and Y/N would link their pinkies. How simple friendships were back then.

'If she never comes back,' he continued, quieter this time, 'then I won't blame her. But best friends don't give up on each other.'

It was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Until Kaldur walked up to Dick and grabbed his shoulder comfortingly.

'You may be a terrible best friend,' Kaldur said, a small smile warming his face. 'But that doesn't mean your heart isn't in the right place.'

'Thanks, Kaldur,' Dick said, patting Kaldur's hand upon his shoulder.

Kaldur dropped his hand and the four of them sat down on the couches. 'Y/N didn't tell me where she was going,' Kaldur started, 'just that she needed to find out who she was again.'

'I don't follow,' Dick said.

Kaldur chuckled. 'Don't worry, I said the same thing to her when she told me. But she also said something along the lines of, "I need to find out where I've come from to find out where I will go.".'

'What the hell does that mean?' Connor asked.

'Again, not sure. But when I asked her the same question, she said she had to go back to her roots,' Kaldur elaborated. 'Something to do with where it all started. And her mother...'

Dick contemplated all of Kaldur's recollections, juggling each statement over one another to try and make sense. It was so vague, but Dick could sense there was a blatant truth staring right at them if they just looked hard enough.

Where it all began... Where she's been... Her mother...

The answer hit Dick like a brick wall.

'Themyscira,' he said softly, then more confidently. 'She's gone to Themyscira.'

'The Island of the Amazons?' M'gann asked. 'Are you sure?'

Dick nodded. 'It has to be. That's where Wonder Woman is from, and Y/N mentioned all the time when we were kids how much she wanted to go visit it one day.'

'But isn't it hidden?' Connor interjected. 'I mean, that's why they haven't gone back right? Anyone who leaves the island can never find it again.'

'Wonder Woman must've had something to help her remember,' Kaldur offered. 'Or at least guide her back home. I would suggest we go ask her, but again, I doubt she would tell us anything.'

It was like nothing had changed. The four of them had slipped back into theorising and planning and bantering as if no time had passed, as if no one had left or been promoted. It warmed Dick's heart at the thought that they all wanted to help find Y/N, even bring her home.

But Dick shook his head in dismissal. 'You guys don't have to worry yourselves over this. It sounds like I'm part of the reason she left in the first place, so it's my responsibility to find her and make this right on my own.'

'While I agree that this is partially your fault,' Connor said, earning a slight slap from M'gann beside him that he barely flinched at, 'Y/N's our friend too. The least we can do is help you find her.'

Dick smiled gratefully at his friend, who gave him a nod in return which was a start. 'Okay then...' Dick brought his watch up in front of his chest, clicked a few buttons before bringing up a large holographic screen with Barbara on it. 'Can you see us, Babs?'

'In quality HD, as well,' Barbara replied with a witty smile. 'Now, what can Oracle do for you?'

'We're trying to find Themyscira,' Dick explained. 'But it's not on any maps that we know of. Anything in any history records? Sailor sightings while out at sea?'

'You're asking me to find a mythical island from greek mythology that is meant to be hidden from Man's World and is forgotten by any who leave it?' Barbara asked incredulously, but then began typing ferociously on her end. 'Yeah, sure. No problem.'

Dick and the others waited in silence as Barbara worked her magic, files and maps and illustrations of the island popping up all over the screen around her face. After a minute or two, she spoke again.

'Okay,' she began, 'according to maps, you're right, the place doesn't exist. Even old sailors from Ancient Greece don't have any records of the place. However, I did find some similar tales being published in short stories of greek mythology and sailing journals. And all of them mention a couple of times sailing near what has now become the mouth of the modern Terme River in what we now know as Turkey, and having a strange sensation wash over them about danger. Each and every one of them have been convinced there is danger ahead and have turned away.'

'But they're just stories,' Kaldur argued. 'How can you be sure that what they speak of is the Island of the Amazons?'

'Ease up, Aquaman. I'm getting there.' A few more clicks and taps and Barbara brought up a picture of a very odd looking fish. 'Do you recognise that at all?'

Kaldur stared at the fish for a moment, contemplating its odd structure. 'I don't recognise it as a species,' Kaldur said. 'But I do recognise parts of it. It is like... different fish species have been spliced up and put back together to form this.'

'Exactly,' Barbara said, tap and clicking fervently again. 'This is a fish that has been found not near Turkey but close enough, and on multiple occasions. Now, if we isolate all these fish types... and then map out where each species usually resides... then find the crossover point for all of them...'

Dick watched diligently as Barbara isolated the fishes, highlight on the world map which species resided where, then drew lines horizontally and vertically, then zoomed in on the section the two lines crossed over.

'And there you have it,' Barbara offered proudly. 'The mouth to the Terme River in Turkey. You're welcome.'

'That makes sense,' M'gann said, looking up at the map, intrigued. 'If Themyscira is supposedly this pocket of space no human can find, then it makes sense that sea creatures of different genetic combinations would be able to breed there in peace, more than likely living there except for the stray pod or two that wander off into the open ocean.'

'I would have to agree,' Kaldur said, fascinated by it all as well. 'Who knows how many sea creatures live in harmony there.'

'Well, I'll be sure to find out when I get there,' Dick said as he stood up. 'Thanks Babs.'

'Any time,' she said, then the call ended.

'Wait, you're leaving now?' M'gann asked as Dick made his way to the front door.

'This cannot wait, M'gann,' Dick insisted, opening the front door. 'I have to speak with her as soon as possible.'

'Hey.' Dick was forced to stop when Connor grabbed him by his bicep, bringing the two of them close enough Dick could feel Connor's breath on his cheek.

'Are you really doing this for Y/N's sake, or for yours?' Connor asked in a hushed voice. 'Because whatever mission you think you need her for, I can assure you it cannot be more important than your friendship. Do you understand?'

Dick didn't quite understood what he meant, but he nodded anyways, and Connor let him go.

M'gann and Kaldur stepped up beside Connor as Dick made his way down the apartment stairs and back to the car. M'gann wrapped her arms around Connor's waist as he embraced her with one arm over her shoulder.

'Good luck, old friend,' Kaldur called out. 'May your journey be safe and successful.'

Dick chuckled as he waved farewell. 'I know you've always been well-spoken, but is it now a job requirement as Aquaman to sound like Gandalf?'

Kaldur pulled a face that Dick and M'gann laughed at, and Connor cracked a smile at the slight burn. Before he could psyche himself out of it, Dick hopped in the car and took off towards Wayne Manor.

'Call Alfred Pennyworth,' Dick spoke loud and clear, and the car immediately began ringing.

After a few rings, Alfred promptly answered the phone. 'Master Dick, what a pleasant surprise.'

'Hey, Alfred. Is the Batwing free at the moment?'

'I've just given it a deep clean now. Why?'

'Excellent. Could you please prepare it for take off by the time I reach the Manor? I have a little excursion I have to go on.'

'Will that excursion bring the Batwing back in one piece, Master Dick?'

'...I'll be there in twenty.'

Dick promptly ended the call, not waiting to hear a scolding from Alfred. Those were never fun.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure what to expect when he went to Themyscira. But Steve Trevor did it once, surely it could be done again.

Either way, it was a risk Dick was willing to take to get his best friend back.

---------------

Tag list:

@valiantbouquetcloud | @epicy0n | @tyrannosaurexrex1300 | @lunaizhere

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whimsyfinny · 8 months

Text

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Charlie discovers the Winchester boys to be struggling with keeping the bunker tidy, looking after themselves and being able to do their job simultaneously. Luckily she has a friend who’s from a Hunter family that is in need of work and can help them with research. Or so she thought that’s what her job would be. When Dean sees your more domesticated side, his head won’t stop swimming with all the wrong ideas.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, smut

Warnings: None (Yet) in chapters to come there will be smut (and lots of it) and possible violence/blood/gore

Chapter Word Count: 1566

—-MDNI—-

A/N: My first Supernatural fic so I hope it doesn’t suck ass. Only proof read by myself, so pls let me know of any errors so I can correct! Also I know at this point in the series Dean is more serious, however I love pre-Hell Dean so imma bring some of those vibes in here. This is also posted on my AO3.

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Please Read the below first:

Prologue

Chapter 1

I’m Not Your F*cking Maid

Chapter 2

The journey to the bunker was pretty uneventful, with Sam and Charlie chatting amongst themselves in the front of the car whilst both myself and Dean sat miserably next to each other in the back like a couple of criminals who’d been arrested. The chains on my handcuffs jangled as I rubbed my sore knuckles; the skin raw, bruised and red from either my own blood or - most likely - Deans. As I did, I could feel a red hot glare burning into the side of my face from the older Winchester, as though he was in disbelief that I even had the audacity to feel any pain or discomfort right now as dark red scabs formed on his nose and cheek. We pulled up next to the bunker, and I didn’t get much chance to look at the surrounding scenery as the moment we were parked, the golden retriever duo up front hopped out, slammed their doors shut and threw ours open, Sam gently yet firmly grasping my elbow and pulling me to my feet whilst Charlie did the same for Dean. We were marched into the building and we soon arrived in what I assumed to be the kitchen. Sam pushed gently on my shoulder, urging me to take a seat at the table to which I obliged with Dean following suit and taking a seat opposite me. We stared each other down from across the table for a few moments, the atmosphere growing thicker by the second as his brilliant green eyes pierced mine.

“Enough the pair of you!” Charlie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Look, I’ve got some things to say before we release you both back into the wild. It won’t take long,” she sighed and rubbed her temples. “I wanted to introduce you guys to (Y/n) because I thought you would get along! With your shared interest in hunting, bootcut jeans, rock music and most importantly - pie.”

Dean and I shot each other a quick glance before looking away again. Charlie continued.

“You’ve had one disagreement, and even though I was impressed by the performance it definitely didn’t warrant the carnage. You’re both adults, so act like it and stop bickering like children. You’re going to be living and working together now so you’re both just going to have to suck it up and move on.”

Sam stepped forward; “I agree with Charlie. (Y/n) you have no idea how much of a help you being here is going to be. We’ve been going around in circles for months and we really need a fresh pair of eyes. Plus you get free food and board, if that helps,” he grinned slightly trying to lighten the mood. I humoured him and softened my eyes, raising my eyebrows in acknowledgment to the pros of staying here.

“Right,” he clapped his hands together, “we’re going to remove the tape and you’re both going to be civilised. You promise?”

I gave Dean one final long, hard stare before nodding.

”Good,” Sams soft cool fingers grazed my cheek as he pulled up the corner of the tape, gently peeling it back until it was removed and I could finally take a deep breath. Meanwhile, Charlie approached Dean and in one swift movement ripped the tape from his mouth in under a second.

“FUCK!” He cried out as he tenderly touched his now extra sore swollen lips. I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Right, I’m going to go and get (Y/n)s belongings from the motel room she’s staying in and check her out then I’ll be right back with all her stuff. I’ll see you guys later!” And before I could even protest for her to take me with her, she’d turned on her heel and hightailed it out of the bunker, leaving Sam to undo our cuffs and set us free.

“That bitch,” I sighed, huffing a strand of hair out of my face. Sam knelt before me, that kind look in his eye ever twinkling.

“(Y/n) I promise you that you're safe here. It’s warded to the teeth and full of everything we need to survive. We’ve got you,” he patted my knee before taking my hands in his, using a small key to finally undo the cuffs right before they clattered to the floor. I leant down to pick them up, and by the time I’d sat back up to place them on the kitchen table, he was already beside Dean doing the same for him. His own cuffs removed and rubbing his wrists, he stood, looking from me to Sam a few times before speaking.

“Well I’ve already suffered enough today so I’m going to spend time coming up with a better excuse as to why I look like this,” he gestured to his beaten face and turned to leave, mumbling a quick ‘see ya later’ to Sam before leaving the kitchen. Sam stood awkwardly for a second, before declaring that he was going to get some lunch for everyone and also scurried away, leaving me completely alone in alien territory. I was still sat at the table as I began to look around.

This place was a dump.

How did these grown ass men live in conditions like this? The dirty dishes were piled so high that it was a surprise they hadn’t toppled over yet. Empty beer bottles cluttered the table and countertops, the bin was overflowing with bulging bin bags dumped right next to it without being taken outside and the smell was starting to make me feel a little nauseous. How does Sam expect us all to eat and live together in conditions like this? It was like living with a couple of wild animals. After a few silent moments to myself I released a breath I’d been holding whilst I pondered. I ran my hands through my hair and laughed at myself in disbelief. I’m gonna have to clean the fucking kitchen. Without giving it a second thought and running the risk that I’d change my mind, I scooped my hair into a high ponytail using the bobble on my wrist and pushed up my sleeves, finding a pair of rubber gloves under the sink. Let’s clean this bitch.

In the space of about an hour and a half (a gruelling hour and a half), I’d washed and dried the dishes, putting them away in their respective places, taken out all the trash and lined the bin with a fresh bag, scrubbed and disinfected every surface and had even mopped the floors. The smell of rotting trash was dissipating and the urge to claw off my own skin had gone. I’d propped the mop against the wall and stepped back to admire my hard labour when I heard a door open and close, the entering footsteps heading my way. Sam emerged into the kitchen, a stunned look on his face as he walked to the table slowly, placing about 6 bags of ‘groceries’ on its surface. His mouth opened and closed a few times like he was searching for the right things to say.

“You’re welcome,” I cut in, hoping to help him find his words.

“Yeah, thank you! I’m sorry, I didn't know what to say - you really didn’t have to do this. It’s embarrassing that you were even put in a situation where you felt you had to,” he grimaced a little, only now realising what a horror show it was that they were living in. “But seriously thank you, I really appreciate it,” he smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. Sam was sweet and easy to like - unlike his Neanderthal brother. I felt like I could trust him.

I peeled my gloves off, threw them in the bin and approached the kitchen table where Sam was pulling out a case of beer.

“Here, you deserve one of these,” he said, handing me one. The bottle was nice and cool on my hot fingertips, my warm skin instantly relishing the coldness.

“Thank you,” I smiled before popping the cap and taking a long, well deserved drink. I savoured the moment, genuinely appreciating Sam’s gesture. Although all nice moments comes to an end, and soon Dean was striding into the room bold as brass, seating himself at the table and helping himself to a beer without so much as a hello. It wasn’t until he’d drained half the bottle in one gulp that he realised the kitchen was clean. He grinned and looked at his brother.

“Hey, nice job Sammy! It looks great in here, I owe you one,” he raised his bottle as if making a small toast whilst Sam’s eyes flicked to mine.

“Uh, Dean… this wasn’t me. You need to thank (Y/n) for that,” Deans grin faulted slightly as he looked between the two of us before it returned. I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows in suspicion. His forest green eyes pierced into mine as he almost purred his next sentence.

“Well, Sammy, it looks like we’ve bagged ourselves a maid. Does she cook too?”

I slammed my bottle on the table, much like I did earlier. Only Sam flinched.

“I’m not your fucking maid,” I snarled, resenting that shit-eating grin on the older Winchesters lips. He chuckled, the sound coming deep from within his chest as he rose to his feet.

“Sure thing sweetheart.”

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Taglist: @creative-writing92 @suckitands33

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Up Next:

Chapter 3

#dean x female!reader #dean winchester x you smut #dean winchester x reader smut #dean x y/n #dean winchester x you #dean winchester x reader #dean x you #dean x reader #dean winchester #dean winchester smut #dean winchester x female!reader #enemies to lovers #Dean Winchester enemies to lovers #eventual smut #slow burn

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dark-frosted-heart · 2 months

Text

Roger Barel Main Route - Chapter 18

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there.

Alfons: Speaking of, did you know? It has been almost a month since Kate has become Fairytale Keeper.

Though he knew that, some sort of surprise arose in his chest.

Roger: Yeah, it’s…already been a month. Time flies by when you get older.

Alfons: So, how is there any progress to proving that romantic love exists?

Roger: You could say that there’s still not enough research. —However, there’s one thing I noticed.

Roger adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, the black frames reflecting the light.

Roger: “What you call romantic love’s just a dysfunction of the brain or a misunderstanding caused by sexual desire.” That’s my definition of romantic love and I don’t think it’ll ever change. But—I might’ve been ignoring something when I made that definition.

Alfons: What was it?

Roger: We’re cursed to meet a “tragic end”.

Alfons: …

Roger: Our tragic end’s unavoidable. Even if I loved someone. If we can’t change the end, then the love leads down to a bad ending.

“I won’t despair”——Those words that she threw out into the world drew me toward her.

I allowed myself to bask in the pleasure of being by her side as she taught me about love.

I decided to accept this emotion called “love”, which had been an unidentifiable emotion throughout my life.

However, what I saw was—reality hadn’t changed.

Alfons: So it would have been better not to have fallen in love in the first place? Truly an egoistic way of thinking.

Roger: But you know, even if you think like that, there are things you want really badly. Love’s inefficient and I can live my life without it. That view won’t change. But, I don’t give it enough credit—I’ve realized how fun it can be.

Alfons: …o_o

Roger gave an awkward smile as Alfons was struck speechless.

In that moment, the eyes behind those glasses blinked two or three times as if they realized something.

Roger: …Hm?

Alfons: …What is it?

Roger: The place that’s supposed to be locked…is open.

Roger rummaged through the drawers of his workbench and frowned.

Roger: …It’s not here.

Alfons: Has something gone missing?

Roger: The formulation documents for a drug to remove curses… That and a bunch of my other research materials too… Just how long ago were they stolen? Who the hell would steal something so important to me…

Victor: —Pardon me.

Victor came through the lab’s door, his expression dark.

Alfons: What’s the matter, Victor? That’s an unusually grim look on your face.

Victor: Roger. There’s—There’s an arrest warrant issued for you.

Roger: …O_O

Alfons: …o_o

Roger: …Pfft…haha. I see, so that’s how it is. Who set me up?

Kate: Hm, I think it’s fine now. It looks like the swelling in my wrist went down overnight.

(Roger’s treatment is just as good as I expected)

I carefully rotated my wrist to check if there was any pain…

Ale: Arf arf arf!

The sound coming from out in the hall was definitely Ale’s barking.

Kate: Ale?

When I opened my door, Ale squeezed through the gap into my room.

Ale: Arf arf arf!

Kate: Hold on, what’s wrong, Ale?

It was like he was trying to tell me something through his barks, and I felt a strange uneasiness.

Ale: Wooo, arf.

Ale circled around me before running out the room…

Kate: Huh, Ale? Wait, where are you going?

I ended up following Ale to the palace gardens.

(That’s…!)

I saw Roger being taken away by men in suits and rushed over to them.

Kate: Roger.

Roger: …Kate. Ah, and you brought Ale along.

Roger looked down at Ale at his feet, his wrists cuffed—

(What’s the meaning of this?)

Kate: What in the world is going on?

Roger: …

I stared at them, but all I got in return was silence…

Kate: Where are you planning on taking Roger?

Roger: That’s enough, Kate. These gentlemen were sent by the Privy Council.

(The Privy Council…they’re hostile toward Crown, but why take Roger?

Privy Council member: There’s an arrest warrant issued for Roger Barel. We will be turning him over to the police.

Kate: …An arrest warrant?

(For Roger? Why?)

(...I don’t know what’s going on)

Privy Council member: Let’s go.

Kate: Please wait! Let me talk to Roger for a moment.

Privy Council member: We don’t have time for that. Step aside.

Kate: Please.

Ale: Arf arf! Arf arf!

Then, Ale jumped at the Privy Council members who were about to take Roger away and had refused to listen to me.

Privy Council member: Woah! What’s with this dog!

(Now’s my chance!)

Kate: Roger, this way!

Roger: Hey…

I grabbed Roger’s arm and pulled him away.

I led him to the garden behind the palace.

(This should buy us some time…)

Kate: Roger, what’s the meaning of this? Arrest…

Roger: Calm down, Kate. Whatever’s going on is just as you heard.

Kate: …There’s really an arrest warrant?

I frowned at Roger and a deep sigh filled the space between us.

Roger: …Yeah, long story short—I’ve been set up by the Privy Council. I’m now a criminal and a traitor to Crown. At first, I thought it was one of those Vogel guys behind it. Never thought it’d be one of our own.

(He was set up…I don’t understand)

I couldn’t understand the situation, nor could I understand why Roger was so calm about this.

However, what stuck with me the most was—

Kate: …Traitor? You…?

~~ Flashback ~~

Roger: However, I’m gonna change my fate. It’s absurd to allow myself to be controlled by it. Kate, I’ve taken a liking to you so I’ll promise you this. I will never betray you without a reason. Never.

~~ End flashback ~~

(I remember the promise he made that night)

(No one’s fought against their curse as hard as Roger has)

(That’s why I couldn’t believe that Roger would unknowingly betray anyone without intentions—)

Kate: …There’s no way that will ever happen. You would never betray Crown!

Roger: …I could.

My ears picked up a thin, disconnected voice.

Kate: Roger…?

Roger: …It’s laughable, isn’t it…?

Our eyes met and within my chest was the sound of something breaking.

Those amber eyes that always held strong will now held despair.

Roger: I swore to myself that I’d tame my curse. I wouldn’t let fate drive me mad like God’s whim. I resolved to never betray anyone unknowingly. ..And yet. You can’t fight it…just by your will alone?

Words gushed out from the depths of despair, and I felt my chest tighten to the point I couldn’t breathe.

Kate: …

Roger: Is this how I meet my tragic end? …Surrendering myself to my curse…

(Don’t make that face)

Kate: No… You won’t! You can’t let your curse beat you—

I heard the voices and footsteps of those searching for us and quickly hid behind a hedge of Chinese privet.

I took Roger’s hand when I heard the footsteps come closer.

Let’s ask someone for help

Run away with me +4 +4

I’ll hide you

Kate: Run away with me, Roger.

Roger: That’d just make the crime worse.

Kate: …I still don’t have a complete grasp on the situation. However, I know you’ve been falsely accused. Until that gets cleared up…

Roger: Kate, though we ended up spending time together by pure chance, I enjoyed it.

(Huh?)

Kate: What are you talking about at a time like this?

(No. You’re making it sound like you want to go quietly…)

Roger: Take care of Ale. My old man should be back soon to pick him up.

Roger picked Ale up and shoved him in my arms*

Kate: Eh, huh?

Roger: And when your time as Fairytale Keeper’s up, turn to Victor. He’s a good one.

Kate: Roger, what are you saying?

(It’s like you’re treating this as our final time together)

(...Is this…our final time?)

Roger: And finally.

Those lips that wove words I didn’t want to hear landed on mine.

And then…the kiss ended before it could warm my heart

Roger: —Kate, I've fallen for you.

Kate: …

Roger: Heh, what’s with that dumb look? You didn’t notice? You’re pretty dense for someone that boasted about being a teacher of love. You’ve got terrible drinking habits and hate losing, but you’re earnest and stubborn. I know your bad points. Still, even with all this trouble…Kate, I adore you.

What a person.

Saying things I wanted to hear at a time like this.

There’s a limit to being an egoist.

Kate: …Why are you telling me all of this now?!

Roger: ‘Cause I might never see you again. My ego’s telling me I’ll regret not telling you.

Kate: Never see me again…

Roger: I’m retracting my definition of “romantic love’s just a dysfunction of the brain or a misunderstanding caused by sexual desire.” Love definitely exists in this world. Q.E.D.

Tangled threads of emotion unravel.

The moment I thought I could honestly tell him that I love him, now that I’ve finally cast my competitiveness and childish pride aside—

Privy Council member: There they are, I found them!

Roger: Whoops, looks like time’s up. They’re so impatient.

Kate: Roger…

Roger: See ya, Kate. Take care. Ale, you live a long life too.

Ale: …Kuuuuun?

Roger: …Can’t even pet you cuties’ heads with these handcuffs on.

He had a boyish smile on his face as he turned away from us.

Kate: No, Roger! Don’t go! …Roger, Roger! There’s no way you can’t hear me! Roger!

And thus—Roger disappeared from my sight.

*I honestly thought that when Kate ran with Roger, she left Ale with the Privy Council

#ikemen villains #ikevil #ikevil jp #ikevil translations #roger barel #ikevil roger #ikevil roger route

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odyssean-flower · 1 year

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Everything Shall Return to the Sea Chapter 2 (Yandere Neuvillette x GN Reader)

Summary: You and the mermaid become close to each other, but perhaps you shouldn't have underestimated who--or what--you are dealing with. Warnings: Kidnapping, possessive behavior, forced kissing, forced transformation Note: This was written before the 4.0 update

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3

Ever since you met that mermaid, your life had a new routine now.

You woke up, went to work, came home, and chatted with your friends. And every weekend, you visited that beach.

Your obsession with mermaids had been intense and fervent, but ultimately brief, like a sudden summer thunderstorm. However, though you no longer pored over your mermaid books or get excited at any mention of mermaids like you used to, your fascination for those otherworldly creatures remained.

In particular, the beautiful mermaid you rescued.

On your first trip back to the beach, you felt a strange mixture of feelings. Hopefulness, embarrassment, the fear of disappointment… What were you expecting to get from this? What were you even doing here in the first place? You were no chosen one. You simply happened to be at the right place at the right time. The mermaid never came to see you again, he never even thanked you (although you weren’t sure how that would even work, considering he didn’t seem to be able to speak above water). You were just a fool who got carried away because someone needed you for the first time in your life…

You felt the urge to leave right away, but resisted it. The old you might have given in, but now, you gained the will to push back against those doubts, at least a little.

You went there in the early morning hours, roughly around the same time you first met the mermaid. You got out of your car and slowly walked down the beach towards the sea, feeling the grainy sand between your toes and the gentle breeze in your hair. Your heart was thumping wildly in your chest.

But once your feet came in contact with the water, you realized something crucial: how were you going to call the mermaid to you?

You had been so preoccupied with overcoming your self-doubt and indecision over coming here that you had never considered that part. Throughout your research, you had come across all sorts of ways to summon mermaids, but right now, your mind was completely blank.

The longer you stood there, the stronger the urge to run away grew. No, you told yourself and steeled your legs. I want to see him again. I need to see him again, so that I can…

So that I can what?

The question echoed in your mind until the answer struck you.

So that I can thank him!

Yes, you needed to thank him for changing your life, even if indirectly. Others might find it ridiculous, but the gratitude you felt was real.

You looked around to make sure that there was no one else around, then threw away all remaining self-consciousness and shouted, “Hey, Mr. Mermaid! It’s me, the person who rescued you! I just want to say, thank you!”

Your voice disappeared into the air. Your throat felt a little raw, considering how you rarely ever raised your voice like that. You stared at the water for a few minutes, but it remained still.

Surprisingly, you felt neither disappointment nor shame. You came here and accomplished what you needed to do. The mermaid didn’t show up, yes, but that didn’t change anything. It would have only been a bonus, really. Some things in life were only meant to happen once, you decided.

And then, just as you turned on your heel and prepared to leave, you heard a splash behind you.

You didn’t dare to hope even as you slowly turned around and gasped.

The mermaid was there.

He looked the same as he did all those months ago. His white hair was billowing around his shoulders, and his sharp eyes were fixed upon you. Only his upper body had emerged above the water, but you still had to crane your neck up in order to look at his face.

Your mouth went dry. All of your previous bravado was now nowhere to be found. The imposing presence of the mermaid made you feel small and insignificant, like your old self. The words you yelled out earlier echoed mockingly in your ears, and the private fascination you nursed for him felt almost obscene. His eyes seemed to pierce through you, and you felt utterly exposed.

You wanted to curl up in a ball and never get up.

Before you knew it, your legs were backing away, little by little.

The mermaid’s brow furrowed upon seeing that. He shifted forward, reaching out for you.

His reaction made you stop in your tracks. He…wanted you here?

The smouldering embers of your courage slowly came back to life. You couldn’t let things be resolved like this. You were different from how you used to be.

You stepped forward, and surprising even yourself, took his hand and clasped his hand between your own. You feel him tense beneath your touch, but you made yourself forge ahead and looked him straight in the eyes.

“Mr. Mermaid,” you began, but stopped. “Um…it just feels too awkward to call you that. I know you can’t speak, but I would still really love to know your name, so…”

You trailed off. How exactly were you going to get him to tell his name? Have him write it in the sand? Would you even be able to read it?

“It’s Neuvillette.”

A low voice sounded in your head. You nearly jumped back in shock.

“That’s my name, human.”

The mermaid–Neuvillette–simply stares at you, his face showing no hint of emotion. Yet there was no one else who could have spoke directly inside your head.

“Neuvillette…” you sounded out his name slowly. You were suddenly struck by how surreal it was to be able to say the personal name of a mythical creature. “You can speak inside my mind? Can all mermaids do that?” You had never read about anything like that.

There was a pause. “Yes, that’s an ability all members of our kind possess.”

“C-Can you…read my mind?” You really hoped not. If he could read your thoughts and memories, you might just die on the spot.

“I cannot.”

You resisted the urge to sigh in relief. “Okay.” You got back to the main topic. “Neuvillette…I’m here because I want to…thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “I know it doesn’t really make sense, but I do want to thank you, because meeting you has changed the course of my life.”

Neuvillette stared at you uncomprehendingly. It didn’t make sense even as you said it aloud, but you were doing your best to convey how you felt.

“Before I met you, my life was…well, it wasn’t very good. It was pretty lonely, actually. But after I met you, I found a purpose, and that has led me to finding some incredible people and experience things I never thought I’d be able to experience,” you smile up at him. “So…I just want to say, thank you. If I never met you, I would still be drifting through life.”

Neuvillette didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. You had said what you wanted to say, and he heard it all. That was enough for you.

You were about to let go of his hand, but he gripped your fingers tightly, preventing you from leaving.

“Come back again.”

“Huh…?” you gape at him. Did you mishear him?

“I want to know more about your life, so come back again.”

Neuvillette’s slitted eyes bore into yours. You saw your bewildered face reflected in them. There was nothing you could do except nod. “O-Okay, I will.”

That seemed to satisfy him, and he let go of your hands quickly as though dropping burning hot coals. “Good. I will be waiting for you.”

And that was how your weekly beach visits began.

After his rescue by you, he had come to the spot where you two met every morning, looking up at the wavering light above.

He didn’t understand why, or rather, he didn’t want to admit why he was doing this.

Weeks and months passed by. His people were beginning to get restless. Mermaids were a nomadic group, and staying anywhere for a long period of time would doubtless attract unwanted attention sooner or later. But still he came here every day, watching and waiting.

The logical part of his mind told him that he was being ridiculous. He knew full well that humans were fickle, flighty beings. You had probably forgotten all about him already, something he should have also done about you. There was no reason for you to return.

But then…

“Hey, Mr. Mermaid!”

He heard the voice, distorted by the weight of water above him but deeply familiar nevertheless.

Your words confused him. Shouldn’t he be the one thanking you? How did he change your life?

For a few minutes, he was unsure as to what to do. Seeing you again would be an irrational choice , the logical part of his brain warned. Who knows who they have with them?

However, the thought of not seeing you ever again, of not grasping his chance, made his heart ache in a way he had never felt before.

Telling himself that he was only doing this in order to put an end to these thoughts, he swam upward, breaking through the surface just in time to see you turn your back.

You didn’t look very different from how he remembered you, but he immediately noticed one difference.

Your eyes no longer contained that deep melancholy.

Questions raced through his mind. What happened during the time you two were apart? What–or who –caused this transformation within you? And why did he care so much?

He watched as you approached him and felt his heart beat faster when you took his hand. He never felt a human’s hand in his own before, and your touch sent a strange jolt through his body. You looked up into his eyes, meeting them directly. The sounds of the sea seemed to fade away.

You wanted to know his name. Neuvillette, not exactly for the first time, cursed the fact that mermaids couldn’t speak on land. Neuvillette, he thought in his mind. That’s my name.

You jolt up in surprise, and he nearly did as well. Judging from your expression, you could hear his voice in your head. And that meant…

“Neuvillette…” his name departed from your lips. Your voice lingered in his ear. He had an absurd thought to bottle up your voice so he could hear you say his name over and over again.

You tell him how he changed your life for the better. You smiled at him, and he felt like he was feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin after swimming through the dark seas for days.

He needed more.

He wanted to hear more about your life. No, he needed more of you. For the first time in his life, he craved something.

The memory of your eyes, the phantom sensation of your hands around his own, the deep emotion in your voice as you thanked him…all of those things became engraved in Neuvillette’s memories, but they weren’t enough.

And now that he knew you could hear his voice, that was one more reason he couldn’t let you go off.

He asked you to come here again. You agreed. Everything was sealed.

The weekend visits to Neuvillette became a second bright spot in your life, but in a different way than your chats with your online friends.

Since it wasn’t feasible to keep meeting each other out in the open, Neuvillette offers to take you to a nearby secluded cove. You hesitated at first, as you weren’t a very strong swimmer and you still had some amount of self-preservation after all (even though you never believed that Neuvillette would do anything to hurt you), but you agreed when he offered to take you there on his back and assured you that the cove was within shouting distance of the beach.

Being carried on a mermaid’s broad back was definitely an experience you never thought you’d ever have.

At first, you felt awkward talking about yourself to Neuvillette. Typing the words to people on the other side of a screen was very different from looking someone in the eyes and hearing your own voice come from your mouth. But despite his stoic looks, Neuvillette was good at asking questions and an even better listener, and soon you found yourself talking about your new friends, your job, and anything that happened recently, even the small things. You’ve also had a fun time teaching Neuvillette about the human world. You noticed that he didn’t seem too fond of humans in general, but he did seem to like listening to you trying to explain concepts he didn’t understand.

Talking about your past a bit harder, but Neuvillette was perceptive and knew when to stop pushing. He never minded your tears, simply waiting patiently until you composed yourself. Is this what therapy feels like? You wondered.

Neuvillette talked about himself a little as well. You learned that he was the leader of a pod of mermaids, and that the blue streaks in his hair were actually horns. It was interesting to learn what mermaids really were like compared to what was written about them by humans. However, Neuvillette preferred to hear you talk about yourself instead and would often change the subject when you attempt to learn more about him. You chalked this up to him being protective of his kind and didn’t think much of it.

In your first few visits, you thought about asking to take a picture of him to send to your friends, but decided against it. It felt like you were treating him like a rare animal to be ogled at, and there was a small part of you that wanted to keep him to yourself. Besides, when you brought up the topic of him possibly meeting with your friends, he had looked so incensed that you quickly retracted the suggestion.

You realized that you had never seen any other mermaids appear during your meetings with Neuvillette, nor did he ever offer to introduce you to them.

But that was alright. You were no longer as obsessed with mermaids as you used to, and you enjoyed this quiet and peaceful time. Neuvillette’s voice was comforting in your mind, like a warm blanket. You did feel a bit bad when you read your online friends’ conversations about mermaids, but it was a small sacrifice to pay.

Spring and summer seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Autumn was approaching, and the temperature was beginning to lower daily. You knew that you wouldn’t be able to keep up your visits to Neuvillette in the winter, but for some reason, you kept putting off talking to him about it.

On one autumn day, the conversation came to a comfortable lull. It had been a tiring week at work, and you found yourself dozing off.

“Neuvillette…” you say as your eyelids drooped. “I think I’m going to take a little nap. Sorry, I just feel so tired…”

“No need to apologize. Please, feel free to sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

“Thanks…” you whispered, before laying down your head on your jacket. Just before your consciousness sank into slumber, you could have sworn you felt something soft brush against your forehead.

Neuvillette watched your peaceful sleeping face. In slumber, you looked even more vulnerable and defenseless than you did normally.

It would be so easy for someone like him to snatch you up and take you away, and yet here you were, napping. You had complete trust in him.

“Just as I thought…” Neuvillette whispered as he stroked your hair. “I’m the only one who can take care of you.”

Neuvillette had learned many things about you and your world during your weekly visits, and he had come to one conclusion: he needed to take you away from the human world.

It was a far more insidious and bleaker place than he thought. You were surrounded by self-serving and uncaring people who only exploited your pure heart and desire for companionship. As you lived now, you would only spend the rest of your life chasing after the scraps of affection from others instead of being properly cherished and loved as you deserved.

Neuvillette had already planned on taking you away at some point in the future. The fact that you could hear his voice in your head meant that the two of you were connected for life as mates. He had held off on doing that due to some lingering hesitation over taking you away from everything you knew. But he could no longer hold back the desire, not after learning everything about you.

He had already begun the preparations to turn you into a mermaid. But before that, he still intended to ask your opinion. He was a fair man, after all. And in any case, he had no doubt that you would agree.

Neuvillette ran his finger down your leg, keeping his touch just light enough so as to not wake you. Your skin was soft and warm beneath his touch, stirring the unspeakable feelings in his heart. But he knew that scales would suit you much more.

Your eyes suddenly snapped open for some reason. You vaguely recall having a bad dream in which you were desperately struggling to get away from something. I must be more tired from work than I thought.

However, the lingering remnants of your dream were banished from your mind by the sight of Neuvillette’s face right above yours.

You immediately sit up, and he leans back, emotionless. Your heart was pounding wildly, and your cheeks felt hot.

You had spent so much time alone with Neuvillette that you had completely forgotten that he was still an otherworldly, potentially dangerous creature, but it shouldn’t matter, right? After all, he would never hurt you, right?

Recently, you had begun to think about your feelings for him. You did consider him to be a good friend, and you liked to believe he thought the same way about you. You felt happy when you were with him and eagerly looked forward to the weekends. That wasn’t so different from your feelings towards your other friends. But on the other hand…

You couldn’t help but compare to him to the other men you had met in your admittedly limited experience. Unlike them, he was considerate and gentle. And, you were embarrassed to admit it, you sometimes thought about what it would be like to have those muscular arms around you, or to feel those well-sculpted lips pressed against your own…those definitely weren’t feelings one would feel for one’s friends.

But it was nothing more than an indulgent dream. A relationship between a human and a mermaid only worked in fiction. You didn’t want to complicate this fragile thing you had with him, especially for feelings that most likely stemmed from having a handsome man pay attention to you for the first time in your life.

In any case, you needed to sort out your feelings. Perhaps a break was just what you needed. You had been neglecting your forum friends a little bit lately, and you needed to focus on real life more.

“Neuvillette…” you began after a pause. “I’ve been thinking that since winter will be coming soon, we should stop seeing each other, at least for the season.”

“Stop seeing each other?”

The coldness in his voice surprised you. His sharp gaze pinned you in place.

“Because it’ll get too cold!” You hurriedly added. “You can’t take me here when the water is freezing, and I know mermaids need to migrate to warmer waters in the winter.”

Neuvillette regarded you for a moment. You saw his jaw clench. This was unexpected. You had assumed he would agree with you immediately.

You placed your hand on his shoulder. His gaze flicked to it before returning to your face. “Don’t worry,” you say. It felt weird being the one to comfort him. “I’ll come back here on the first day of spring.”

There was a brief silence. Then, Neuvillette placed his hand over yours and laced your fingers together.

“First day of spring? I’ll hold you to that promise.”

You couldn’t explain the feeling of unease you got after hearing that.

Sometime later, it was decided that there would be a real life meetup with your online friends. You enthusiastically decided to go, and you didn’t regret it at all. There was no awkwardness at all, and it was as though you were seeing old friends you had known for all your life.

You ended up hitting it off with someone from there. They were a relatively new member of the forum, so you didn’t know them too well. You were both delighted to learn that you lived close to each other and decided to go have a cup of coffee together.

One coffee date turned into two, and then three. Coffee dates turned into movie dates, then you were spending the night at each other’s place. The winter that year was bitterly cold, but the warmth of your new relationship made you forget that.

However, it didn’t completely distance your memories of Neuvillette, who you thought of with stabs of guilt every now and then. Which was ridiculous, because the two of you had never been like that, but the idea of resuming your weekly visits while you were in a relationship felt deeply dishonest.

As spring slowly arrived, you made your decision. You were going to tell Neuvillette that you could no longer continue seeing him every week. You had no intention of severing your relationship permanently, but some boundaries need to be drawn.

That was what you kept telling yourself as you went to the beach on the first day of spring. You felt miserable, but this was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

Upon arrival, you were surprised to see Neuvillette already there, looking around as if searching for you. When he spotted you, his two horns flared up and glowed. You never saw them do that before.

“Neuvillette!” you called out, running towards him. “What are you-”

You never finished your sentence, because he suddenly grabbed you by your waist as you came within arm’s reach of him and carried you off in his arms. You screamed and tried to push him away, but he was too strong, and soon you were too busy shivering from the cold water seeping through your clothes.

You soon arrived at your cove, where there was already a roaring fire set up. As soon he placed you onto the sand, you used what little strength you had to back away from him and huddle near the fire.

“Neuvillette!” You gasp out through chattering teeth. “Why did you grab me like that?”

The white-haired mermaid said nothing as he stared at you. There was something off about his aura today. Suddenly, you weren’t so sure about coming here without telling your partner.

“You smell different.”

Those words caught you off guard. “What?”

“You’ve mated with someone else, haven’t you?”

You felt heat flood your cheeks. “Wh-How…that’s none of your business!”

“None of my business?” His voice took on a menacing tone. You suddenly felt like you were walking on a tightrope. “I see. So my mate has been so sullied by the human world that they can barely tell right from wrong.”

You couldn’t believe what you just heard. “Mate? What are you–”

“I knew that we were destined to be together when you could hear my voice in your head. No, even before that–when we first met.” The intensity in his tone became more and more apparent. “You were the only one I’ve ever thought about for all this time. I’ve waited for you, thought about what to say to you when I see you again. But it looks like I’m the fool for trusting a human.”

You were frozen in place as he came out of the water, looming over you. His eyes were burning into yours, a mixture of betrayal, anger, and sadness.

“P-Please don’t kill me…” you whisper.

“Kill you?” he barked out a laugh. “After all you’ve made me feel, everything you’ve done to me? No, my love. I will do no such thing. Instead, I’ll do something I should have done a long time ago.”

A bottle appeared in his hand. He uncorked it, drank the contents, then grabbed your chin and kissed you.

The potion flowed from his mouth into yours. It tasted bitter. You tried to push him away, but he only deepened the kiss, capturing your wrists in his hand. You could hardly breathe.

Finally, he pulled away. Both of you were panting. Feeling heat in your legs, you looked down and screamed.

Your legs were transforming into a mermaid’s tail.

“W-Why…” you gasp out. You felt lightheaded and out of breath, but you no longer knew whether or not that was from the shock or the fact that your body was transforming into something inhuman.

Neuvillette simply smiled. It was the most beautiful and terrible smile you’ve ever seen. He took you in his arms and smoothed your neck with his lips.

“Now, you can finally be where you belong.”

As Neuvillette brought you down to the depths of the water, you looked up at the wavering sun that was shrinking little by little.

#genshin impact x reader #yandere neuvillette x reader #yandere neuvillette #yandere genshin impact #my works

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ros3ybabe · 5 months

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Daily Check-in: April 28, 2024 🎀

No updates for Friday and Saturday, both were just so busy with class, work, and I pulled a double shift on Saturday last minute. But Sunday was super productive, and I'm so happy with that! Woke up at 5am, did some of my morning routine, and just seriously got so much done! Feeling so good about how Sunday went <3

🩷 What I Accomplished:

woke up early

read a chapter of "Good Vibes, Good Life" (I really like this book right now)

washed, folded and put away clothes

washed and put away towels

washed sheets, pillowcases, comforter, and blankets

washed dishes

cleaned the bathroom

dusted the bedroom furniture + window blinds + my table fan

clorox wiped all my electronic devices to disinfect them from the week

swept bedroom

threw out all empties in the bathroom

cleaned out my instagram following and some of my tiktok following (digital detox is in progress)

deleted uber/uber eats off my phone (I have a bad habit of ordering food when I really shouldn't be)

cooked turkey chili from scratch (and it came out so yummy and filling)

morning journaled

night skincare

ordered groceries for the next two weeks

made a brain dump list for the week

planned out morning workouts for the week and updated them on my notion

had a zoom Netflix date with my boyfriend (we talked about our upcoming 2 year anniversary, too. i don't think I'll get to see him in person but we're still gonna make it a good day!)

💞 Good Things That Happened:

honestly, all of it. Sunday was a really good day for me, besides some stuff I had to work through mentally.

💗 Stuff For Monday

complete psyc extra credit research surveys

work on reopened chemistry homework

study Spanish for a while (I have an italki meeting/lesson early Tuesday morning for the first time ever)

read some more of Good Vibes, Good Life

go to class

go to work!

night time skincare and shower after work

💕 Song of The Day: Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter

this song. I love this song. such a girly energy. we love the girly, feminine vibes, 100% 🩷🩷🩷

til next time lovelies 🩷

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whalyrae · 1 year

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THE OLD GUARD - CHAPTER 3

"We don’t get a say on how it ends, we never have. But we can control how we live."

Summary : You are a powerful witch, cursed and hurt through ages. Owner of your esoteric shop, you were resigned to live this lonely life when the powerful magic of soulmates and fate came to you.

Pairing : poly BTS x reader (she/her)

Genre : soulmate au, demons bts au, witch y/n au, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 4.5K

Warnings : eventual smut, angst, mention of depression, death, suicide, past trauma, violence, blood, past (sexual) abuse, past torture, PTSD, scars, self harm, and more.

Tag list : @blackrockshooter780 @babyymeme @starrlo0ver @suckerforv @mushroom-main @m1sss1mp @prettydancingdamzel @i-have-no-life-charlie @avadakadabra93 @veronawrites @kawaiikpoplover268 @didi-9310 @ghostlyworld @carolinexkpop @gooooomz @00ihatesnaku

A/N : HEY YO I'M BACK !! Okay, I'm really sorry it took so long to publish the chapter... my exams, and after that I took a long rest because I travel in Spain and then in Paris during a whole month ! So as an apologize, this chapter is hella long I think it's the longest I've ever wrote in my life jfdkljgfk... I hope you'll like it !

Feel free to comment or send me a message (anonymously or not!) and give me your reactions, your impressions, your questions… I don't mind at all, on the contrary!

In the next chapters, there will be revelations, and answers to questions hehe so please don't hate me too much…!

A BIG THANK YOU again for all these views, I thought that by being absent for so long, my writings would be forgotten … but not at all!

Enjoy your reading, and thanks again, take care, I love you ♥

OH BY THE WAY !! I made a spotify playlist ! If you have any songs who made you think about the story, you can share it to me and I'll add it on the playlist !

Here is the link : The Old Guard Playlist

ps : sorry for the mistakes, it's already 1am here, but I really REALLY need to post something..... ENJOY :D

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad

Chapter 2 // Chapter 4

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

“I did it! I beat Ganon! Did you see, Jimin ?”

Jungkook put down his controller next to him on the couch, raising his arms with a big smile. Beside him, Jimin didn't seem to pay attention to him. His eyes focused on his cell phone.

Jungkook frowned, and turned to Taehyung, sitting on his right.

"Taehyung, Taehyung! Look!!!"

But he noticed that Taehyung also seemed lost in thought and was not paying any attention to him.

Jungkook puffed out his cheeks, a pout on his face.

"Hyungs! What's going on?”

“Do you know where Yoongi is? "

Taehyung's question surprised Jungkook. He arched an eyebrow and thought for a few seconds.

He knew that Namjoon and Hoseok had gone to the public library for some research, but he couldn't remember which. Jin had gone to the grocery store.

And Yoongi... well, he didn't remember seeing him or even remembering him leaving the apartment.

"He's been missing for a while, he doesn't answer when I try to call him..." Jimin sighed as he threw his phone down next to him.

They remained silent for a few seconds, while the game on the television continued to play its cinematic.

Jungkook turned his head and noticed that the window was slightly open. He pointed at it with his chin to his partners.

The three demons then glanced at each other. They figured it out. They knew where Yoongi had gone.

"You think he went..." began Jungkook.

"I wouldn't even be surprised, he was very quiet yesterday after Namjoon’s explanations." Jimin continued.

And they all knew that at those times, it meant that Yoongi had something on his mind. And when he did, he became the most stubborn person alive. Nothing and no one could make him change his mind.

"That guy... Ah, when he gets home, he'll hear me." Taehyung sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Jungkook jumped to his feet.

"Are you going to wait quietly for him to come back?" He asked, crossing his arms before straightening up from the couch. "Because I'm not. We've been waiting for this moment for way too long."

°°°

Yoongi was… well she couldn’t describe him. His voice was sweet, his little vibrato always made her body shiver a little. Besides, he was so kind, so gentle, she had never seen so much tenderness in a gaze that was destined to her.

Well, of course, there was Jin. But that was so, so long ago.

She bit her lower lip nervously. Thinking about him made her heart ache. She was close to him like she never was since the two of them were separated, yet so far at the same time. She still hadn't thought about how she would manage it. She'd never figured out how to get his memory back, and she’d never found him at all to try anything though.

At first, she had planned to spend the afternoon with her books, researching curses, spells, or some kind of memory-related magic. She wanted to have some sort of plan before she tried any approach with her soulmates.

But it seems that one of them decided otherwise.

Yoongi never took his eyes off her. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts for some reason, probably his visit disturbed her.

He couldn't read her mind, she was probably powerful enough to block her mind to telepaths, as he and his demon boyfriends were. His admiration for her only grew stronger and stronger.

He wanted to know what was happening in her head, what seemed to be troubling her.

From the moment he saw her through her shop window in his cat form, busy watering her plants when he saw the lines on her face when he realized he was standing in front of his last soulmate, the world stopped in front of him for a moment.

Just as he felt when he met Namjoon, Jin, Hoseok, Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung. That feeling of being face to face with someone he'd known all his life, even though he'd never spoken to them, someone who completed him, who finally made him feel whole and fulfilled.

A soul mate, pure and simple.

She felt the same way. Like the day before with Namjoon, and when she was with Jin before they separated. However, she wasn't used to experiencing... so many positive feelings and emotions like that.

She'd also thought that Namjoon would never talk about her or want to see her again.

Apparently, she was wrong.

She fidgeted nervously with her fingers, keeping a certain distance between them. She wanted to ask Yoongi where the others lived, to meet them, and finally see Jin again after all these years.

But the problem was that Jin didn't remember her. And when Namjoon, Yoongi, and the others hear about what happened, they probably wouldn't want anything more to do with her. And that was what she was afraid of.

The pain of losing a soul mate is a sharp pain, like having her heart ripped out, without any anesthetic, raw.

She met people who had been rejected by their soulmates, or who had experienced the death of their soulmates. They were a shadow of their former selves, and remained so for the rest of their lives, until their last breath. Most of the time, they ended up taking their own lives, the latter being a gentler and more bearable solution than living without one or both halves.

She'd been through it once, with Seokjin. If she hadn't been immortal, she wouldn't have survived it.

"I don't know what's been going through your head, or what you've been going through all these years alone," Yoongi began, taking a step towards her, "but it's all over now. I mean, you're not alone anymore, not now that we've found you. You should have seen Namjoon when he came home yesterday, I haven't seen him this excited since we met Jungkook decades ago." He let out a chuckle.

She looked up at him, he was close to her, very close.

If he knew, he wouldn't say that. Even though she couldn't deny that those words warmed her whole being without really controlling it. So, Namjoon was happy to meet her? Were they all?

"You really thought Namjoon wouldn't tell us about you and we wouldn't want you?" He asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Honestly, yes." she admitted with a shrug, smiling shyly, "I'm... old, very old, I spent several centuries alone, never finding my soulmates so... I always told myself that they weren't looking for me, or simply didn't want me."

And the only one I ever knew, I lost him, she thought.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, his deep, soft voice making her shiver, "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you, we all are, believe me."

He raised his hand, without hesitation, to place it gently on her cheek. Normally, she wasn’t the most comfortable with physical touch, but strangely, she hadn't flinched, she hadn't moved. The warmth of Yoongi's hand against her skin felt good and soothing in a way she couldn't describe a comfort she hadn't felt... for ages.

She surprised herself leaning slightly against it, even closing her eyes when he started to rub softly her cheek with his thumb.

She opened her lips to reply but heard something behind Yoongi that made her take a step back. She heard the bell of her shop signifying that someone was entering.

"I knew it!" she heard a deep voice approach them, "I knew you wouldn't listen to Namjoon hyung!"

She tilted her head as Yoongi turned his, not disturbed by the interruption. She was surprised to find herself facing three new people. She didn't need to ask who they were, nor she didn't need to ask Yoongi who these three beautiful and handsome men standing in front of her were.

When her eyes met those of the smallest of the three, while the other two were talking to Yoongi, she didn't even know about what because she wasn't paying any attention. Her gaze was completely absorbed by this pink-haired person standing a few meters away from her. She was feeling for the second time today what she had felt earlier with Yoongi.

These three people were part of their bond. They were their soulmates too.

One of the other two noticed the smaller boy's attitude and turned toward him.

"Jimin, are you..." he began, turning his head to follow his gaze, "Okay..."

His voice trailed off when he saw her.

She didn't know what to say or do, she could feel four pairs of eyes on her now.

She noticed a smile tugging at the corner of Yoongi's lips and she bites her own nervously.

He knew that the maknaes would notice his absence, and would quickly realize where he was and, most importantly, that they would come to her.

"Are you..." the smaller one, Jimin, whispered in a trembling voice, taking a step towards her.

"Yes... Yes, I am." she replied, looking away, "It's a pleasure to meet y-ah...!"

She hadn't had time to finish her sentence when she felt a pair of arms around her waist and a body pressing against hers. She looked down, surprised to see a pink ball, slightly trembling.

"We've been waiting for you for so long..." he murmured shakily.

She felt her head spin slightly under all these new sensations, not so new, but ones she hadn't felt for ages. It was as if she was rediscovering them.

She didn't know how to react and didn't have time to think about it when she felt two new pairs of arms around her waist.

"Jimin, don't monopolize her yet!" a young man with blue hair sulked, "Ah, I can't tell you how happy I am to finally meet you... Can I call you Noona?"

She didn't know what to say and didn't have time to think about it either.

"Noona," the tallest of the three murmured as he hugged her a little tighter, "I can't believe I can finally hold you... You’re real...!"

She was surprised to see Jimin sobbing quietly in her arms. She looked up, utterly confused, and searched for Yoongi, who was standing not far from her, his hand resting on Jimin's back, stroking him affectionately as he looked at her. He gave her a gentle smile and shrugged.

"They are our maknaes, Jimin," he pointed to the pink-haired one, "Taehyung," he pointed to the blue-haired one, "and Jugkook, the youngest." He finished by pointing to the last one, who was looking at her with shining eyes.

“Noona, you’re so gorgeous,” Jungkook said, making her blush furiously.

“Kook’… you're making her uncomfortable," Yoongi grumbled as he brought his hand up to stroke Jimin's hair.

"I'm not... thank you..." she smiled as she saw Jungkook's face light up, then looked down at Jimin, "Is he all right?" she asked, worried to see him in such a state.

"Don't worry about him," Taehyung caught her eye and gave her a big smile, "he's very sensitive and just happy to finally find you."

"And we've been waiting for you... "Jungkook continued before letting out a shy little laugh, "Ah, you must have heard it lots of times since yesterday but... It's true... we've been looking for you for years, without success..."

"We've all always had that hole in our hearts..." Jimin spoke again, raising his head, his eyes bright and slightly red, "It was painful sometimes when all that was missing for us was you, I don't even want to imagine how you must have felt without any of us..."

She didn't even notice that tears had started to fall as they spoke. She wasn't the kind of person who cried easily, far from it. But in less than two days, this was already the second time it had happened.

She didn't know why she was so moved by their words, perhaps because they were the people she'd been looking for all her long life, never finding, thinking they didn't want her, which turned out to be wrong.

She could feel the deep empathy in their words because they'd been through the same thing as her - less so because they were all together - she felt understood by the people who were meant for her, and that feeling was indescribable.

Noticing her tears, the three maknaes backed away slightly but stayed close to her.

"Noona I... we're sorry if we said something hurtful..." murmured Jimin nervously.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," she replied, shaking her head, "I'm just... I don't know, it all seems so unrealistic..."

And it still was. Knowing that she found her soulmates, that Jin was only a few miles away... After all those years of loneliness, of feeling guilty, of secretly envying the people who crossed her path, happy with their soul mates...

She thought back to Minji's words, yesterday’s evening in their apartment...

« You deserve it more than anyone else. You spent your whole life helping anyone who asks for help, sacrificing your life more than once - literally - for the helping and saving. You deserve to be happy, with those who are destined for you. »

The thought of those words made her tears double. Because after all these years, centuries even, in darkness, the light was finally coming to her, the hope of a more bearable and less lonely eternity was growing inside her.

“Hey, sweetheart, please don’t cry,” Yoongi’s sweet voice brought her out of her thoughts, “You’re prettier when you smile.”

She blinked several times and looked at each of the people around her.

There they were, her soul mates.

“Ah, I think Namjoon hyung and Hoseok hyung are back home," suddenly muttered Taehyung, who had his phone in his hand, "They want to know where we are..."

"I think we're in a bit of a mess..." chuckled Jungkook, resting his cheek against her shoulder. "Oh, you don't know Hobi hyung yet!"

"Same for Jin, I think we're going to have a bad time when we get home... they're going to be even more jealous!" added Jimin with a small smile.

Her eyes had widened when he'd mentioned Jin's name. He was with them. There was no doubt about it now. The confirmation twisted her stomach slightly with anticipation and excitement.

Jin was alive. He was in the same town as her after... over five hundred years apart. She didn't know how to deal with it all, again, it all seemed so unrealistic. She felt like she was in a dream, that she'd wake up sooner or later, and that everything she was experiencing now was an illusion.

If this was indeed a dream, she hoped she'd never wake up.

"I have an idea! Why don't you come with us?"

She lowered her head at Jimin's question. This was something she hadn't expected.

"So you can meet them too and see Namjoon again! Good idea, Minnie!" Taehyung came and hugged his partner, kissing his cheek affectionately.

Jimin giggled in Taehyung's arms, making her smile. But the idea of finding herself in the same room as not just one, but all her soul mates. Seeing Jin again, without the certainty that he'd regained his memory... If they found out the truth, what had happened, she'd lose them for sure.

Selfishly, she didn't want that to happen. She wanted to see Jin again, of course. It was all she could think about, constantly, ever since they both split up. But the risk was too big now. She wanted to come to him with a plan, a way of getting his memory back if he hadn't. She owed him that.

"I know we're all more than happy to find her finally," Yoongi began, "but our beautiful soulmate can't just walk away from her business, can she?"

"But Yoongi hyung... I don't want to leave her..." pouted Jungkook, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

"I know Kookie, me neither," Yoongi sighed softly, understanding with Jungkook because he too didn't want to part with her, "but I think she needs some time to herself, to get over her emotions, am I right?"

He looked at her, his lips stretching slightly into a thin smile. She could see in his eyes that he wasn't reproaching her and that he was also prepared to stay if she asked him to. Every one of them was ready to go and get the moon for her if she asked them to.

"I understand... it must have been a lot of emotions for you..." Taehyung sighed sadly as he pulled away from Jimin, "So can we give you our phone number? And we'll give you our address too!"

"Good idea!" Jimin exclaimed and snapped his fingers to summon a piece of paper and a pen, " So you can come and see us whenever you like! Usually, there's always someone at home, but if there isn't, we'll give you the code, and you can just make yourself at home and wait for us!"

"Deal," she replied as Jimin wrote their numbers and addresses on the sheet of paper, "and you, feel free to come here, whenever you like, my apartment's upstairs, but I suppose you already know that..."

"What was I saying, she's extremely intelligent, our soulmate, as well as being beautiful," Yoongi smirked, making her blush.

"Aaah, I don't want to leave you, Noona..." Jungkook whined, grabbing her arm, "You smell so good too..."

YoShe u held back a smile, feeling a slight pinch in her heart.

She didn't want them to leave either.

°°°

“You did what ?!”

Sitting on the sofa, Yoongi chuckled as the three maknae shrugged their shoulders at Hoseok, Seokjin, and Namjoon. Namjoon had his arms crossed against his chest, his eyebrows furrowed, while his two companions beside him looked desperate but amused at the same time.

"You're incapable of listening to a tiny indication, are you..." Namjoon blurted out accusingly, "I hope you haven't scared her..."

"Knowing these three," began Hoseok, addressing the maknae, "they would have been able to jump on her..."

Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook glanced at each other. Without needing to reply, Jin's eyes widened.

"You jumped on her..." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I... I wouldn't go to the extreme of using the word jump Jin hyung..." defended Jungkook with a pout, "and then... it was Jimin who clung to her first and cried like a baby !"

The said Jimin turned to his boyfriend, outraged and betrayed.

"At least I didn't make her feel uncomfortable by showering her with compliments! "Oh noona, you're so beautiful, you're so intelligent noona!" cried Jimin, pointing his finger at Jungkook, who was frowning, and Yoongi, who wasn't paying any attention to the conversation.

Hoseok and Jin couldn't help laughing as they watched their younger partners bickering, while Namjoon rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He should have known that his partners wouldn't listen to him and would go and find her the second his back was turned. He wasn't that angry with them, he understood them. From the second they'd said goodbye the day before, all he could think about was seeing her again. Yoongi was the most stubborn and obstinate of them all, and if the maknaes were by nature very impatient, he was even more so.

He couldn't blame them, she was their soul mate just as she was his. And even if a reason they didn't know existed had darkened her heart and saddened her soul, she could not want to have something to do with them. She just couldn't.

His four companions had only listened to their hearts.

"Did it at least go well?" finally asked Hoseok, who had settled on the floor, facing the maknaes, "how is she?"

"She's incredible hyung!" exclaimed Taehyung, "She's beautiful and her voice is so sweet..."

"Aaah, I miss her," Jimin added as he dropped onto Taehyung, "we shouldn't have left..."

Hoseok chuckled and turned to Jin.

"That means we're the last ones who didn't meet her, ah, that's not fair... Jin, are you all right?"

They all turned to the older man who had sat on the edge of the large sofa. He was staring into space, his face disfigured by pain.

Yoongi was the first to react and got up to approach his elder.

"Hyung, is it the same as yesterday?"

Jin took his head in his hands, nodding. He didn't understand why these violent migraines were suddenly coming to him, and more importantly, why he was now having these flashes and memories that weren't his own.

Or were they? He had no memory of living in a human village with a hill and a big oak tree. And who was this person he was with? He couldn't see their face correctly, it was blurred, like everything that had happened since yesterday.

"What's wrong with him, Yoongi?" asked Namjoon, concerned.

"He's never been like this..." Jungkook sat down next to him, also worried.

Yoongi told them about yesterday's episode in the kitchen, which made Jin wince, not wanting to bother them with it.

"It's nothing," Jin muttered after a few seconds massaging his temples, "It's just tiredness I guess."

He wouldn't talk about the memories flooding his mind. He didn't want to worry them anymore. He'd look for the answers himself.

"Hyung you've been very tired before, you've never had this kind of response..." replied Jimin who had gone into the kitchen to get him a glass of water.

"He's right, maybe it's a problem with your powers? Or... argh, I don't know." Taehyung grumbled in frustration.

"It'll be fine," Jin reassured him with a small smile, "I'll get some rest, and everything will be better tomorrow. But I will remember that you met our soulmate and Hobi and I are the only ones who don't know her."

He chuckled when he saw the innocent looks on the maknae’s faces and ruffled Yoongi's hair to reassure him.

"If it happens again, you won't be able to escape," Yoongi replied simply, rising to his feet.

He said nothing, but when his gaze met Namjoon's, the two demons understood each other. Jin's condition coincided strangely with the meeting of their last soulmate.

Pure coïncidence? Or was there a link between her and Jin's condition?

°°°

Every day there was an outdoor market in Seoul. She used to go there regularly to find various types of plants for her potions, spells, and other magical preparations. But also, fruit and vegetables for her personal use.

This time, Handong has decided to come with her. She closed her shop for the morning and set off in the early hours.

She looked up at the sky and spotted the moon, gradually disappearing to make way for the sun. The full moon was for tonight.

She knew that the moon was a very powerful force for witches. It was also that moment when she recharged her crystals and prepared her moon water for the month.

But above all, the full moon influenced her powers. It was the best time to cast powerful spells and make sure they worked. It was therefore the perfect opportunity to find any spell that would help Jin recover his memory.

The day before, after Yoongi, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin had left, and after spending a good hour recovering from her emotions, she went back to combing through every magic book and grimoire she owned, whether in the bookshop or her personal library.

She hadn't found anything very conclusive. All the chapters on memory magic had one thing in common: the spells, their effects, and their duration always depended on who was casting them and who was being affected by them.

The spell cast on Jin could have disappeared, just as it could still be present. She could only know this by seeing him and talking to him. But even that was a tricky thing to do.

"Is everything all right, sweetie?" Handong asked in a soft voice, after noticing that she’d been quiet for a while now.

"Hm?" she turned her head towards her, before smiling and nodding, "Yes, of course! sorry I... I was thinking about my research last night."

"Don't apologize," Handong smiled at her, "It's perfectly understandable. Don't hesitate if you need advice, I'm not a specialist, but I'll gladly give you my opinion."

She nodded again and explained what she’d found. Her different ideas, but they all came down to a single point. She had to see Jin to find out about his condition and memory. And that was where she was stuck.

During her explanations and conversation, she had arrived at the market, and without stopping to talk, she looked at the different stalls, buying some fruit and vegetables from old ladies.

In the distance, she notices a stall selling papaya. She hadn't seen or eaten papaya for a long time. It was also Jin's favorite fruit.

Handong was busy with a merchant, so she waved back and headed towards the stall. She greeted the old woman manning the stall and looked carefully at the fruit on display.

As she reached out to take one, she saw an arm in her field of vision landing on the same papaya as her. Surprised, she turned her head mechanically to see who it was, before freezing, her eyes wide.

No, it couldn't be true.

She had to be hallucinating, it couldn't... be him.

And yet she could recognize that face, those features above all others.

Jin.

Kim Seokjin was standing in front of her.

°°°

"By the way hyung, why were you and Joonie at the library yesterday?"

Jimin was currently sitting on a stool, watching Hoseok who was busy preparing lunch while Jin was away.

"Namjoon wanted to research our soulmate," he explained as he chopped some onions, "At first I didn't understand why honestly, but you know, over time, you and I know very well that Namjoon's instincts are never wrong."

"Does that mean you've found something?" exclaimed Jimin, suddenly straightening up.

Hoseok nodded, now working on dicing the vegetables. What they had found in the library... he could still hardly believe it.

Should he tell Jimin? Or should he wait until they are all together to share the results of their research?

He didn't have time to think about it any longer. He heard a loud knock, startling Jimin. It wasn't long before Yoongi and Jungkook emerged from their room, also startled.

"What's going on here?" Asked the older one, "I don't suppose we were expecting company?"

"Maybe it's Jin who's back and his arms are too full to open the door!" Jungkook added, tilting his head to one side. I'll get the door!"

He trotted to the door, dressed in a long sweatshirt belonging to Namjoon, who was still asleep in the room, just like Taehyung.

He opened the door with a big smile on his face.

"Hi! What took you so long Jin hyun..."

He didn't finish his sentence. His voice faded as he saw what was standing in front of him. At his silence, Yoongi and Jimin joined him, themselves freezing in front of what was in front of them.

Y/n was standing in front of them, totally panicked, out of breath, and sweating.

But she wasn’t alone.

"Help me... please..." she begged, her voice breaking. They could see she was holding back tears.

She was supporting Jin, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. A completely unconscious Jin.

197 notes · View notes

shelbgrey · 1 year

Text

Next to me(Emmett Cullen)

Chapter 19: they're vampires y/n!

A/n: sorry this is short and pretty late.

Table of contents

My door slammed opened the next morning, jolting awake. “huh?” I said trying to control my pounding heart.

“they're vampires y/n!” Bella said coming into my room panicked. I gave her a strange look not fully awake.

“who are are vampires?” I asked. Bella grabed my shoulders setting me up in my bed. She shook me a bit. “Edward and Emmett!”

my brain literally went, 'oh yeah... They are vampires' I chuckled “you just got that?”

Bella's eyes widened and she let go of me making me fall back in my bed. “you knew?!”

I set up on my elbows and smirked. “remind me nerve to tell you a secret”

Bella sighed and looked out the window just as Emmett's jeep rolled up. I claimed out of bed and threw some clothes on for school. I jogged down the stairs as Emmett walked into the house.

“Sherlock cracked the case” I mumbled. Emmett's golden eyes widened.

“I won't say anything” Bella said hiding behind me. I rolled my eyes and moved out of the way. “yeah, you can't you aren't even supposed to know” Emmett said.

“she's knows” Bella said pointing to me. “that's different” I said.

Not wanting to reveal anything, Emmett took my hand and we walked outside to his jeep. Emmett rolled his eyes as he turned on the engine and drove to school.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“your gonna get an ear full from Bella today” I said to Edward as we walked to Geometry. He shrugged not really bothered.

“Alice had a vision last night, so I'm not surprised” he said handing me a math text book from the back shelf in the classroom.

“what are you gonna tell her?” I asked setting down at the table. “I don't know” he sighed.

“she bought this book in Port Angeles and she stayed up all night doing research...she has a pretty good idea about you” I mumbled.

Edward rolled his eyes as he got out the homework we did a couple of days ago. “you don't have to tell her anything, ya know” I mumbled.

“I don't want to lie to her... Emmett didn't lie to you” Edward mumbled. “I'm a different story, I knew from the start”

“dose bella know about the whole wolf thing?” he asked quietly. I shook my head no. “Owen doesn't either... He knows the leadgens, but he doesn't believe them”

“ms. Swan and Mr. Cullen, please pay attention this will be on your test next week” Mr. Booth said interrupting our conversation. Not wanting to cause trouble we shut up and communicated by passing notes to each other the rest of the class.

At lunch Bella was determined to get to the bottom of what ever my boyfriends Family was hiding. Me and Emmett sat down at the Cullen's lunch table getting ready to play uno with Jasper and Damon. Damon was determined to beat Emmett at this game of chance. As Emmett was shuffling the cards Bella came up behind Edward.

“we need to talk” he sighed and followed her out of the cafeteria. “hope do don't get Murdered!” I shouted.

Bella told me to shush like I was talking to her. Edward turned around and gave me a slight smile. We started the game and about five rounds(Damon won none) he was just bewildered. He had about 20 cards in his hands and he slammed his head on the table.

“I don't understand” he wined. I laughed once I threw my last card down, winning that round.

“do you think he's gonna tell her?” Rosalie asked getting annoyed with the subject at had. I shrugged as I dealed out cards for the next round. “I don't know, if he doesn't she's just gonna figure it for herself... She might not have much of a personality but she's a lot smarter than people give her credit for” I said.

After I got my cards I shifted so I was leaning my back in Emmett's massive bicep and I propped my feat on Edward's empty chair.

“do you want to come to the house this weekend?” Alice asked. I thought for a moment, making sure I didn't have anything going on. “Sure, Owen might have to tag along though... He doesn't like being left alone”

“that's perfect, Esme wants to meet him anyway” Alice smiled. I nodded as I placed a +4 card, making Jasper draw some cards.

Once it was Alice's turn she didn't do anything. She zoned out having a vision. “What did you see Alice?” Jasper asked setting his cards down.

“Bella knows... He told her everything” Alice said. Rosalie slammed her cards down making them slide acrossed the table. “everything?!”

“just what we are... Carlisle changing Esme and him... That's about it” Alice mumbled. “she asked about You and Emmett, but he said it was your job to explain” she said looking at me.

I sighed. “I don't even know what to tell her... Far as she's concerned I'm human” I said as I collected Rosalie's cards and handed them back.

“Edward is gonna want to bring her home... We should do something nice” Stefan suggest. Rosalie quickly shook her head at her brother-in-law. “absolutely not, let's not help her get attached”

“we could cook for her I guess... That's a normal human thing to do for people” Damon said. “ow” he suddenly growled and looked at Rosalie.

“don't encourage your brother” she said sternly.

“anyway... you want to study for our English test tonight?” I asked Emmett. He looked at me and smirked as he probably was thinking of something along the lines of not studying.

“at your place? Is your uncle gonna be home?” he asked cheekily. I shoved him playfully. “no, but Owen will be”

“shucks... But yeah we could study” he then flashed me another suggestive smirk. “I'm a great study buddy”

“keep it PG... We don't need any little Emmetts running around” Jasper joked.

Emmett snorted and chuckled. “like that would ever happen”

Even if it was a joke I now relized me and Emmett couldn't start a family of our own. Sure we could adopt, but I couldn’t have a child that was purely our creation. I thought about a little boy or girl with his smile and dimples. I questioned if the kid would be tall like Emmett or short like me, would the kid phase like me or be strong like Emmett.

I was thankful the Rosalie was the only one who noticed my sudden mood change. She gave me a soft smile and placed her hand on top of my free one, she gave it a comforting squees before the Bell rang.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“did I upset you at lunch today?” Emmett asked as he pulled out his English book from his bag. I turned away from my book shelf and gave him a confused look.

“what do you mean?” he sighed and put a pencil inside his text book so he wouldn't lose his place. “when Jasper said we didn't need any little mes running around... I said like that would ever happen... You looked upset and I didn't want to ask infront of everyone” Emmett explained.

I shrugged and took my spot next to him on my bed. “I hadn't really thought about kids honestly... I mean would love to be a mom”

Emmett looked down with remorse. I've seen him happy, exited, pissed, but I have yet to see any sadness in those golden eyes. “I'm sorry...”

I quickly shook my head and placed my hand on the side of his jaw. “don't be sorry” I turned his head so our eyes could meet.

“maybe in the future... When we're ready we could adopt or something... You don't have to be sorry about anything, I have you and that's all that matters”

He leaned forward and kissed me softly, he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine. “What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?”

I chuckled softly and nuzzled my nose against his. “I love you Em”

“I love you too” he smiled as he pulled me to his chest. After a moment of silence I slipped out of his arms and grabed his text book.

“okay, studding” I said getting comfortable between his legs and rested my back to his chest. He chuckled. “I honestly thought you were joking”

“unlike you I actually have to study and graduate” I joked. “I can just give you the awnsers, I've seen it all” he said closing the book.

I opened it back up. “that's cheating” I said opening it back up. “well your stuck with me the rest of eternity, so that means many centuries of more school so I doesn't matter” he said closing the text book yet again.

I sighed and threw my head back on his shoulder. “your not gonna let me study, are you?”

Me leaned down and kissed my forehead. “maybe later”

I playfully rolled my eyes and closed the book, so I could give him the attention he so desperately wanted.

#Emmett cullen x reader #Emmett cullen imagines #emmett cullen story #Emmett cullen #Twilight story #Charlie swan x reader #Bella swan x reader #Edward cullen x reader #Carlisle cullen x reader #Esme cullen x reader #Rosalie Hale x reader #Damon Salvatore x reader #Alice cullen x reader #Jasper Hale x reader #Wolf pack x reader

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toracainz · 1 month

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Tell Me Where to Put My Love pt5

You and Steven haven’t been together very long, but that won’t stop either of you from fighting tooth and nail for a chance at a future together.

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Part 4 - Unavailability Is the Only Thing That Turns You On

Part 5 - At Last, When All of the World Is Asleep

Part 6

Warnings: Inaccurate depictions of DID (only knowledge from the show and some light research). Swearing. Established relationships. Married relationship. Use of term “priest” in a gender neutral sense. Discussion about cheating. Discussion about homewreckers. Canon typical violence in later chapters. Angst. Fluff.

Word Count: 3.1k

The sun had settled in the midday sky as Steven and Marc took turns pacing in the flat as they discussed what this whole lucid dream adventure would entail. They had been mostly quiet after you and Layla had left as they cleaned up after dinner. Neither of them was really sure what to say. After showering and getting a good night's rest, the two of them took the morning to contemplate the situation and now by lunch they were discussing the pros and cons.

“Listen, Steven, I’m not too sure this is a good idea. You know how often dreams can turn into nightmares? It’s one thing when you have to deal with it yourself but to have…people there to watch it all happen? Look I knew going into this that trying to make this work would be difficult to say the least, I knew that. Geez, it’s all just. It’s a lot.” Marc could feel his muscles tensing as he paced, fists clenching at his sides. “Obviously, I want you to be happy…obviously you want me to be happy…I just…I never expected…”

“Never expected what? That I would want to continue my relationship with them once we came back from Cairo?” Steven didn’t mean to have a slight sarcastic tone, it just sort of happened.

“No, of course that’s not it. Of course not. I just…I never expected things to pick back up so quickly. Steven…” Taking a deep breath, Marc stopped his pacing to face the mirror in the loo, his hands pressed together as if pleading. “, listen…buddy, you gotta understand. All this—this vulnerability thing? That’s not my schtick, alright? That’s always been you…”

Steven looked at Marc from where he appeared in the mirror, a soft expression on his face. “I know, Marc. I know and you are doing amazing. Really. You’re right, it’s not going to be easy. Not like anything in our life has been has it? No. But things are different now, yeah? Before we thought we were alone…having to deal with what life threw at us on our own. But…we’re not alone anymore, we have each other, we have people that care about us.”

Marc looked at Steven like he had before, brows lifted into a soft almost pitiful look. He wasn’t used to this, to having this kind of support. He was still skeptical of this dream business. “If things go to shit…”

“We can call it quits. That’s the end of that. Don’t have to go any further than we want to, yeah?” Steven was quick to reassure Marc. Unlike Marc, Steven was intrigued and a little eager to see what would happen, find out how it would feel. Marc nodded, a sign to Steven that he was coming around to the idea.

The rest of the afternoon the two of them talked about contingency plans if things didn’t go in a way they were comfortable with, ways to make sure things stayed reasonable. Steven of course had plenty of ideas, of course outright saying that they were done or didn’t want to continue was top of the list. Marc had a few of his own. Being able to make “escape” plans helped to further ease Marc’s nerves and anxieties. By the time the night had begun to fall they each felt more confident and ready to face this new experience. All that was left to do was…call you and Layla.

~*~*~*~

You had gotten the call while you were out getting dinner. Though with how small it was you weren’t sure it would count as dinner. Really what you wanted was a nice cup of tea…from Steven’s favorite tea shop…the same tea shop he miraculously walked into after being missing from your life. As luck would have it the same seat you had occupied that day was open now, so you decided to sit there again. With a deep breath you mentally recreated that day in your mind’s eye, the busyness that the day brought, the light that had been shining through the windows giving the whole place a more open feel…and him standing in line waiting to order.

You had no idea then how things would get to where they are now. The both of you learning that you’re both avatars to ancient Egyptian gods, you learning that Steven was part of a system, and that the other part of the system was still married…to the woman Steven kissed while he was away from you.

You played with the napkin in your hands to busy yourself, trying to push such thoughts away. The tea helped, its warmth helping to ease your body and calm your mind.

As you finished tidying up your space after finishing your little meal, you received the call. He called you. Steven did text occasionally, but he was “old fashioned” and liked to hear your voice, and you his. He told you that he and Marc were ready and willing for this “dream adventure” he called it. How very Steven. It’s that humor that made you fall in love, among other things. Feeling how such a short conversation dredged up just how much you cared for him made your heart ache. You wondered if Marc had already told Layla or if he would after you and Steven had gotten off the phone.

It doesn’t matter. You have a job to do tonight and need to focus…but it wouldn’t hurt to get Steven a tea before you left the shop.

~*~*~*~

Arriving at the flat, it was Marc that let you in. Once again the two of you were caught off guard by the other. Marc stepped aside, giving you room to enter. It was strange being in a familiar place with someone not so familiar to you.

“I…uh…I brought Steven a cup of tea from his favorite shop. I wasn’t sure what you liked otherwise I–”

“Not a big tea drinker. I’m more of a coffee guy, so…don’t worry about it.” Marc was silent for a moment trying his best to make conversation. “Thanks though…that’s uh, thoughtful of you. Um, why don’t you make yourself comfortable? Layla’s on her way…”

So he prefers coffee…how funny. You nodded, hanging up your coat before going to take a spot on the sofa. The TV was on but had been turned down to a low ambient volume. The show looked like some kind of sports news channel. You knew it must not have been Steven that selected the show as Steven was’t much of a sports guy except for the occasional cricket match.

Marc stands on the other side of the fish tank, seeming lost in thought, but really he was looking for a sign that Steven was near the front, maybe he could give Steven control and let the two of you chat…he didn’t feel like he was very good company, but he couldn’t be so lucky. Letting out a deep sigh he comes around and sits in the empty chair near the sofa. He was uncomfortable for sure, he didn’t know what to say or what he could say, but he knew he should say…something?

“So…how long you say you been working for Tutu?” Being an avatar was really one of the only things the two of you had in common so he figured that was the best place to start.

“Oh um, a while. I mean, he came to me when I was younger…so it’s been a good while. But I wouldn’t say I work for him…more like I work with him.”

“That so? Can’t really imagine a god not bossing someone around and giving orders…must be nice.” Marc scoffed lightly. The idea that Tutu wasn’t treating you like some glorified puppet was a tough idea to wrap his head around. “Taweret doesn’t seem the type either.”

“It is nice. Tutu’s been really chill about when and where he calls on me. I know you didn’t really have that with Khonshu…” Now it’s your turn to wrap your head around how Khonshu could use and manipulate Marc like he had. Steven had explained a good bit of how Khonshu was, how he had manipulated Marc into being his avatar.

“You mentioned he tricked you into being his avatar…doesn’t seem very nice.” Marc had visibly relaxed by now. He had to admit you did have a calming presence, though a part of him wondered if that was some kind of passive ability from Tutu. Maybe having a calming aura helped with the work he had you doing.

“Yeah, well, when you’re dreaming and some fanciful figure asks you to be his hands, to help sooth the minds of dreamers, and help those plagued by nightmares…you don’t really think much of it. I said yes, thinking it was just another vivid dream where I was playing a hero or something to fight monsters…turns out I was partly right. But I had no clue until a few days later that the figure from my dream was not just a dream. I thought I was seeing things, that maybe my mind was having trouble differentiating between reality and dreams when I saw Tutu just out and about.” Looking back it’s almost laughable, how silly it all seemed. But in the moment, you really did think maybe you were going crazy or something. Tutu had alot of explaing to do.

“Hmm…seems to be a trend with the gods. Tricking people to serve them. Fucking glad the bird’s gone. Feel like I can breathe again.”

(Don’t think I could have ever done it without Steven.)

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Marc’s mouth thinking about how Steven stood up to Khonshu, using his words against him. Steven had strengths in areas Marc didn’t, and vice versa. The two of them complimented each other…and Marc was so thankful to have Steven especially now that they could share their lives with each other.

“I can imagine. Or, well I mean I can sympathize.” You nodded, smiling softly.

The both of you fell into a somewhat comfortable silence as the conversation began to lull. Marc felt antsy, he wasn’t sure how much longer Layla would be, but it was mostly the nerves for this “thing” you were all about to do. Taking in a deep inhale through his nose he sits up a little straighter, hands rubbing and grabbing at the arms of the chair.

“Listen, I uh…I’m sorry about…outing you to Steven. That you were hiding something. He’s…important to me…and I care about him, so I just wanted to make sure…” Marc paused, he seemed like the very act of apologizing made him uncomfortable, made his skin crawl. It wasn’t because he didn’t feel sorry, in fact that was exactly why. He felt guilty for judging you, someone he’d watched from the sidelines all this time, someone that made Steven happy, someone so genuinely kind that it just felt wrong to have put you in that situation. With the tables turned, he would have been furious if someone had forced his hand to come clean about something so personal…it had happened before and he could have rung Harrow’s neck for bringing up Layla’s dad on top of everything else.

“No, it’s alright. I’m not upset or angry. I needed to tell him, I just wasn’t sure how to tell a walking egyptology encycolpedia that Egyptian gods were real and I served one. So, thank you. For giving me that push. It helped that Steven told me about Khonshu and the suit.”

Marc glanced at you, he knew exactly what you meant. Steven didn’t take it well when he told him the truth that day in the storage locker. Steven barely thought Marc was real, how was he to believe gods and avatars were real. So if someone Steven trusted so deeply had told him the same things…Marc wasn’t sure how Steven would take it, but he can’t imagine he would have taken it well.

There was a knock – Layla. Marc hopped up, rather quickly, to go and let her in. When he opened the door she flashed a courteous smile, but it became more tender when she recognized it was Marc that had answered. You stood as the two made their way into the flat.

“Alright, we’re all here. Suppose it’s time to get started then?” Laya looked from you to Marc, the both of you nodding in agreement.

Marc’s attention drifted to the mirror hanging by the front door, Steven was coming forward. Everyone really was here. “Listen, I um…I’m gonna let Steven kinda…take the driver seat on this weird ride, alright? Just until…” Marc’s heart was beginning to pound, his thoughts beginning to race. The whole dream world thing was scary enough when he and Steven were discussing it alone, he hated that the two of you might see him on the verge of a panic attack. Layla, recognizing how Marc’s body stiffened and tensed like a bow being drawn ready to be released, turned to face him a little more, her hand reaching out and brushing her knuckles against his.

“Hey…” her voice was soft, nearly a whisper, trying to draw his attention to her rather than what was about to happen. “Marc, hey. It’s okay. I’m not overly thrilled about this either, but well be doing this together, yeah?” Marc’s hand shaikly nudged against hers, his fingers slightly intertwining with hers as he nods, taking one deep breath after another.

“Yeah…yeah, I know, but…I’d still rather Steven be…I mean he’d rather be out here for this. He’s been excited about this.” He chuckles breathily, thinking about how Steven had kept them up going on and on about what he thought it might be like after they had gone to bed the night before. Layla nodded, she knew it would be better not to argue, to let Marc do what he felt comfortable doing. Marc’s posture began to shift, he turned his head ever so slightly as if he was about to try and crack his neck, when his head turned back the eyes that looked back at Layla were different. Steven’s hand was still where Marc had left it, intertwined with Layla’s as he stood there a moment getting his bearings. Clearing his throat he pulled his hand away, giving her a sheepish smile before looking to you, with a very different more adoring smile.

“Hello, love. Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Are we ready to start the party?” Steven could barely contain how giddy he was. He hadn’t felt this excited, and scared, since he and Layla had entered Ammit’s tomb and saw the sphynx statues.

“Ready if you three are. Um, you can either sit on the couch or even lay on the bed, which ever would be more comfortable.” You gestured to either of the options, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than the way Steven lingered with Layla when he came to the front and hoping they would choose the couch. What was he thinking of, seeing her there, feeling her hand on his?

As Layla and Steven settled on the couch a familiar presence joined the room, causing the both of them to jump slightly at his sudden appearance. Tutu. You pulled the chair Marc had been sitting in in front of the couch and close enough that your knees could touch Steven and Layla’s.

“Now then…” Tutu’s deep, calming voice floated through the air as the light’s in the flat began to dim. The room began to feel comforting, like a warm blanket on a chilly winter day. As the lights dimmed, it was as if the glow was gathering around you, your clothes being exchanged for what looked like a modernized egyptian priest regalia. It wasn’t often your “suit” was used in the waking world, perhaps Tutu was feeling theatrical. “Children…relax and let your minds wander.”

“Close your eyes, steady your breathing, just like you would when laying down for bed.”

Steven and Layla followed the instructions, shifting a little on the couch to get more comfortable. You reach out and gently take Layla’s hand in one while the other rests over her wrist. At the feel of your touch she opened her eyes, wary of what you were doing.

“This is just a token, to serve as a connection to me and Tutu. A conduit of sorts. It will help to strengthen your own lucidity while in the dream.” When you finished explaining, Layla was left with an Egyptian style, cuff bracelet covered in hieroglyphs and symbols associated with Tutu that were similar to the ones you wore, though hers had a number of scarab motifs as well. Satiated, Layla closes her eyes and begins to relax again.

Steven had glanced over, sensing the tension when you began to explain yourself. He watched as your hands moved to him to do the same. Your fingers softly dragging across his calloused hand. While the bracelet took shape, you couldn’t help but caress his hand with your thumb. It was as if just being in contact with him made you feel at ease and content. Steven felt the same. The way your hands felt against his was so different to how Layla’s felt when he had come to the front. He wished he could tell you that, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. Once his cuff bracelet was complete, covered in hieroglyphs but a distinct triple crescent symbol in the center, your hands lingered with his for a moment before the rumble of Tutu clearing his throat snapped out of your trance.

“Now then, children. Close your eyes, relax your bodies, and clear your minds.” Tutu, very much unlike Khonshu, never sounded demanding. Even when giving instructions it felt more like a request.

Steven and Layla abided and settled in. You take a deep breath as your eyes begin to glow. Tutu waves his hand over you all, and unseen by Steven and Layla, your hand copies Tutu’s as a blanket of sand drifts in the air, dissipating before it touches the ground. You feel your own body beginning to relax, the glow of your eyes becoming obscured as your eyes close.

And just like that, you, Steven, Marc, and Layla drift off to sleep, just like you would settling in to bed after a long day.

Tutu observes the three bodies before him. The flat is quiet save for the occasional soft snore coming from Steven. Then there is the sound of a few objects on a nearby shelf beginning to rattle as the lights flicker slightly.

“If this displeases you, perhaps you should have said something sooner, instead of hiding…old friend.”

Don't forget to reblog and/or comment! I love to hear from you all!!

taglist: @roseqzpd @rosecentaur1916 @ahookedheroespureheart@sleepyamaya@parkeepingparker@lockleysgrl@marc-spectorr@vermillionsails@harrys-tittie@n0ripeaches@missdictatorme@bitchyglitterfox@spacecowboyhotch@randomchick546@teacupcollector@local-mr-frog@stevenknightmarc@ahookedheroespureheart@mccn-bcys@juneknight @moonz33

#tell me where to put my love #moon knight #moon knight fanfic #moon knight fanfiction #steven grant x reader #marc spector x layla el faouly #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #layla el faouly #khonshu

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kavertistic · 2 months

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chapter 1つ.

Tsukishima Kei, known for his cool demeanor and sharp tongue, finds himself in an unexpected predicament. He stands before his teammate’s sister with a small bento box in hand, his gaze fixed stubbornly on anything but her. Despite his usual aloofness, one thing is undeniable—he knows about Yn’s lunch-forgetting habits.

With a mix of irritation and hidden concern, he reluctantly offers her the bento, mumbling a gruff admonishment. "Just eat it."

Yn looked down at the bento box with honeyed chicken which was decorated with sesame seeds as a cute little add-on. Her head turned towards Tsukishima, Deciding if she should tell him. He did the favor for her, It would be rude to decline because of one little thing. She looked down at her bento box and ate it with the little spoon in hand.

Not only did the chicken have sesame seeds but the fish in the bento box had sesame oil. Yn ate it up, Sitting on the benches of the outside courtyard. It wasn’t until Yamaguchi came strolling around, “Hey Tsuki! Oh, Hey Yn! Eating a bento box? Wow, It’d be the first time i’ve seen you eat in front of us.” He chuckled lightly.

Tsukishima grumbled in response, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. His eyes glanced over to her as she continued to eat, a subtle frown appearing on his lips.

He wouldn’t deny it - seeing her eating the bento he made for her made something in his heart flutter.. but he would never admit it. He just didn’t want Yn to get sick, that’s it.

He stayed close, standing next to Yamaguchi and her as he kept his gaze averted.

Yamaguchi cleared her throat, He looked down at the food and saw the sesame seeds in the rice. “Hey, Aren’t you allergic to sesame seeds?” He asked, His slim finger pointed down at the sweet chicken. Yn looked up at him, Her mouth full of the honey chicken with those specific sesame seeds on them.

Yn shook her head, Yamaguchi tilted his head naively. “Really? I remember in grade school when you ate some and you like…had swollen lips and like…You needed to get some sort of EpiPen? Or was that someone else…” He mumbled. She glanced at Tsukishima before looking away in shame.

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow as Yamaguchi spoke, looking down at the bento in her hands.

…Wait a damn minute.

If what Yamaguchi said was true, She was sitting here, eating his bento that contained sesame seeds. Not just a few, a ton of them.

Tsukishima’s eyes widened, a pang of worry striking through his chest. He cursed to himself, cursing his own foolishness. He was supposed to protect her and here he was, nearly poisoning you with the seeds she was allergic to.

“…Idiot.”

Yn chewed through the honey chicken, Chewing slowly through the chicken. She had like five or six pieces of them in her mouth. Yamaguchi looked at her and gasped, “It was you! I remember! You totally threw up all over the place! You threw up on me!” Yamaguchi pointed at her. Yn panicked and shook her head as she continued to chew through the honey chicken.

She held the bento box in her lap, Forcing herself to eat it all. If she didn’t, She was in fear that she would quite literally feel like the most ungrateful person in the world. “Hey! Spit it out!” Yamaguchi scolded her. Yn slowly chewed it, Starting to feel her lips and tongue tingling.

Tsukishima facepalmed while Yamaguchi reprimanded her.

He should’ve been keeping an eye on her. He should’ve done his damn research before making her the food, to check for any allergies or anything of the sort.

“Oh my god- you idiot. Spit it out! You hear me?”

He kneeled down in front of her, placing a hand on her chin in an attempt to pry your mouth open.

Yn and Yamaguchi fought like siblings as she tried her hardest to not spit it out. Yamaguchi practically reprimanded her like a child until she did. She spit it out into his hand. “Ugh! Gross…” He threw it all in the nearest trash can. Yamaguchi looked back at Yn and his eyes widened and his mouth fell agape.

Not only were her lips slightly swollen but her cheeks as well from having the sesame seeds as close to her cheeks as possible. Yn looked as if she was going to explode. Yamaguchi took a step back from her and was staring straight at her.

“I’ll be back!” Yamaguchi stammered as he walked backwards and ran to get water. A few moments later, Hinata and Kageyama came running with together, Practically after one another. The two had finished practicing with each other in the free grass area of the school. Kageyama spotted his sister with those puffed cheeks of hers. “Yn!” He exclaimed, His eyes widening.

Kageyama always kept her EpiPen with him since Yn was more prone to losing it. Yn looked up at Kageyama as she placed a hand on her cheek. Hinata’s eyes widened and let out a loud, scared shriek at her mere condition, He dropped the volleyball. Kageyama buried his hands into his bookbag to find her pen.

Tsukishima watched as Kageyama and Hinata practically sprinted to her, their eyes widening in horror at her condition. He couldn’t blame them, of course. She looked awful.

He stood back for now as Kageyama began searching through his bag, mumbling to himself. He was probably looking for that damn pen.

The blonde teen sighed in frustration. Why did it have to be him who accidentally gave her an allergic reaction?

Kageyama took the pen out and injected into her, Yamaguchi came back with the water and Yn drank it all up. The swelling didn’t recover immediately. It was going away little by little. It wasn’t until the end of the day that it was completely gone. Yn sat on the bleachers in the gym as she saw Karasuno’s volleyball team practicing.

She always came along so Kageyama could walk with her home. Yachi kept her company but she noticed she was a bit more gloomier and quieter than usual. Yn didn’t even do her homework, Which was rare since she always took this time to do it.

word count : 1078 .

a/n : i’m sorry if this chapter was a bit short , i will try to extend the next chapter to a bit longer . 😕

#tsukishima x reader #tsukishima kei #haikyuu tsukishima #haikyuu kageyama #haikyuu angst #haikyuu yamaguchi #haikyū!!#haikyu x reader #kageyama tobio #haikyuu

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william-o · 2 months

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I participated in the Seasons of Gensokyo Zine!

I'm back once again in a collaboration Gensokyozine to share a fic I've made for their zine! Last year I wrote two short poem pieces but this year I did something I rarely do and wrote a whole short story!

You can read my piece on its own on ao3 here! But I highly recommend looking and reading all the amazing pieces this new zine has to offer!

I have quite a bit to talk about for this piece I wrote, it's been a journey! If you're interesting keep reading below!

So I knew there was going to be another event like this this year but I had no idea what the theme would be until the announcement was made. When I heard it was going to be based on seasons it was actually pretty tough figuring out a story revolving around that. I was also determined to write more than just a poem this time around so it had to be somewhat substantial.

Thankfully in the application where we had to pitch our idea there were a few topic examples provided, one of which involved using a story involving cicadas. So I started to do some research on cicadas, and what I found as a source of inspiration was a story about Cicadas by Lafcadio Hearn. Perhaps you've heard about him? Me being a *somewhat* superstitious individual saw it as a sign that this is what I was to write about for the seasons of gensokyo zine!

With further research I discover the existence of Dog Day Cicadas. They share the name of the shot type in the extra stage of Hidden Star in Four Seasons, they have folktale of how they're a sign of the end of summer and beginning of the next season, and strictly as a bonus for myself they're green and black just like me! It sounds like a story perfect to feature Yukari!

Now one of my biggest fears about writing a fanfic is completely misinterpreting a character. So I did all I could to try to get Yukari written just right. My idea was that it was most common in Gensokyo that people hated the sound cicadas make, except for Yukari. I was however advised that I needed some kind of reason that Yukari would like the sound cicadas make, or some kind of justification. Thankfully I found just what I needed in Chapter Five of Cage in Lunatic Runagate where Yukari states "The moon was unthinkably silent compared to the Gensokyo that was constantly noisy from bickering between humans and youkai. ~ Whether it was decay or pure heaven, I hated it. I needed the noise of the city." Close enough in my book to say that Yukari prefers noise over silence whether it be from people, a city, or cicadas.

Now when it comes to Son Biten, I didn't pressure myself as much to try and get her character right as I did with Yukari. She is one of the newest characters after all so there was less material to analyze her character. Although if I were to criticize myself about this fic, it would be that she's only there to be a plot point. I'll admit, I only really wanted her in here as a way to have the great sage equal to heaven and gensokyo and an actual sage interact. I will say I did a little bit of research to Son's personality, but I more or less just had her trying to do her best pretending to live up to the title she gave herself (Even though her character is more than just that).

And for good measure at the end I threw in a poem, this time in the tanka form (5-7-5-7-7). This was overall a lot of fun to write! I tried to format the story as a whole similar to a Hifuu story as well as the "A Beautiful Flower Blooming Violet Every Sixty Years" story. Speaking of Hifuu, I did throw in a little reference to Taboo Japan Disentanglement, did you happen to catch it? Well I hope you enjoyed my little story, I'm gonna go order some pizza and I'll see you again next year! (Hopefully!)

#seasons of gensokyo #Touhou #touhou project #fanart #fanfic #my writing #yukari yakumo #son biten

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jessjad · 4 months

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Unexpected

Chapter 12

Summary: After a Halloweenparty Y/N actually didn't want to got to, her life seems to be turned around. The reason is a very stubborn Supe that seems to have her in his visier. Is it just a coincidance or more?

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Reader

Word Count: 3224

Warnings: some language, halluzinations, slight degradation and again just hopelessness

A/N: Again, I'm no medical expert (You'll probably hear this a few more times, just to be sure) but I tried to make this make sense. And that's why this took so long. I did some research of course, but this is still fiction. So... yeah. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

My Masterlist Series Masterlist

"Y/N?"

She heared her name being called out, but it sounded as if it was far away. Or as if she was underwater. Her mind registered it, took notice, but her body did not comply. She wanted to open her eyes, but that was harder than one would think.

"Y/N! Damn it! Wake up, come on!" the grumpy voice got a little louder, clearer and it spured her on to try and move her body at least a little.

With all the willpower Y/N had she tried to concentrate and focus on her body. Tried to overcome the tiredness and the limp feeling that was weighing her down. The harder she tried, the easier it seemed to become. She also recognized more and more sounds that came into view.

The grumpy voice did not stop talking to her, trying to get her attention. And the more Y/N listened to it, she realized that it was Ben's voice. He was here. Here and ready to save her!

But that was not all she heared. There were other voices that seemed to fight with each other. There was some banging and something that sounded like gunshots. Then she thought she recognized Annie's and Marvin's voices and adrenaline flooded her veins. She needed to move! To do something! But it was still so hard to do.

"Fuck, woman! Open your eyes! Look at me!" Ben shouted.

'I'm trying! I swear!' Y/N thought and her whole body started to shake.

Now she felt Ben's strong hands on her upper arms, shaking her to get her wake up. For fuck's sake! All she needed to do, was to open her eyes, to look at the man infront of her, so that he knew she was still here, with him, and not even that she could do. Now frustration started to kick in and for one last time she gave her all to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton and she pushed and pushed and just when she thought it was all for nothing, her eyes opened wide!

But noone was there. It was all silent like the very moment she had awaken for the first time in this damn place out of hell. The heaviness vanished like a shadow, leaving her confused and slightly in shock behind. So, she kept listening for a couple of heartbeats more, but then reality hit her like a rock. It was a dream. She had fallen asleep at some point and it was all... just a dream.

Tears started to sting her eyes eventhough she did not think that there was enough water left in her. The heartbreaking truth left her more broken, than she already was.

After the adrenaline faded away the heaviness came back. The strong headache too. Her lips were so dry they had already split open a little. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, swallowing was so painful it made her almost cry out everytime. But one thing that started to worry her a little, was the urge to have to pee. It was gone. And so Y/N had a bad feeling that that was not a good sign.

She had lost track of time and still had no clue how long she had been here. Her capturers had not visited her again. Were they even still there? Or did they leave and forget about her? She was now internally cursing this damn Halloween night. The night she threw away her principles and went for the Supe. Knowing full well that it was dangerous to get involved with the Supes. Always in one way or another. If it would have not been for that fucking charming smile... She could be at home now and everything would have been fine. Peachy.

People were furious. Since the grim showdown infront of the school where Homelander had murderd the poor boy the situation came to a head. A pulp of protesters patrouled on the street, demanding Ryan's removal from school. For the safety of the other kids. But of course they were not alone. Another group of people were standing opposite the protesters, defending Homelander and Ryan. It was a mess and M.M. tried to be as invisible as he could be.

He had talked to his ex-wife Monique shortly after the incident if it was still a good idea that their daughter Janine was still going to that school and if it would not be better to change institutions. While Monique had actually thought about this herself and was agreeing with Marvin, Todd, her partner and now Homelander fanatic, had intervened and talked against it. Janine too didn't wanna leave her friends and stay at the school. After a strongheartedly disscussion Janine had won and that's why M.M. was now sitting in his car infront of the school and keeping an eye on everything.

Mallory had sent some of her men to help him out. Always hoping of the golden chance to catch Homelander once and for all. But until now nothing big had happened. Everything stayed fairly calm and his daughter was still safe and sound. Yet. He was so focused on his thoughts that the sudden opening of the passenger's side door startled him.

"I need your help." came Ben straight to the point without looking in M.M.'s direction as he sat down and closed the car door again.

"Get out, Motherfucker! I don't have time for your sorry ass."

"This is not a fucking joke."

"I don't care! I need to look out for my daughter." said Marvin with a stern look in his eyes.

Ben took a deep breath. It was bad enough for him to even have to ask someone else to 'help' him. But since Johnson had told him what Victoria Neuman had planned for him, he could not just storm the front by himself. He needed a few moments of surprise. And eventhough everything in himself told him to butt heads with the man next to him, he tried to hold it in.

Y/N had told him why M.M. hated him so much. Annie had told her the whole story and after he had thought about it for some time, he remembered again. But now it felt like a different time and somehow a different Ben too. All of this had been such a long time. So much had happened since then to this point of day. The world had changed and he could feel that he was starting to change too. And a specific strongheaded woman took a big part in that.

"It's not for me, Marv." Ben said.

"Don't call me that. We're no friends, Motherfucker."

"It's Y/N." a dramatic pause to help M.M. understand. "They kidnapped her."

"WHAT?" Marvin exclaimed. "How could that happen? Weren't YOU the one to boast about that you can keep her safe?"

"And I fucking can! But...we had a fight and..."

Ben stilled for a second. Why was he even explaining himself? Especially to M.M.? He had to explain himself to noone. It was none of his buisness.

"It doesn't matter. I know where she is, but I can't go in there alone. Some of my men will help, but I need one more. The blonde one might will help too if you ask her."

"Who? Annie?" Marvin shook his head in disbelief. "Why am I even surprised. You screw up and we have to fix it."

"Will you fucking help me or not?"

Ben turned to the man next to him and sported a grim smile on his face. One of those smiles that looked kinda friendly but actually promised murder. M.M. waited a few moments before he took out his phone in a somewhat defeat. He liked Y/N and when she was in danger she needed his help.

"Let me call Annie first."

"Great." but Ben's voice did not match that word.

Everything was a blur by now. Y/N's body felt numb and hurt at the same time. Her mind felt like mush and she could not keep on thought in her head. Every minute felt like an eternity and the endless times she slipped out of conciousness and came back felt like a string of seconds. Nothing felt real anymore and still she knew it was not over yet.

Y/N had tried to cry out for help a couple of times again but her tounge did not work right. In her mind she had the words but her body could not operate. Her blood pressure was so low by now that it seemed like she was dead tired all the time and she would love to do nothing more then to sleep for hours.

But her mind played tricks on her after all this time. Every now and then she heared sounds and voices. Sometimes louder, sometimes like they're far away. The halluzinations hit her by surprise each time and in the beginning she thought that someone had finally found her. So the woman tried to scream and make her self known as good as possible just to be dissapointed in the end.

Her enthusiasm gradually waned, but she kept trying. Hoping that maybe this time it wasn't a deception after all. But with every fading moment she lost more and more hope. She felt so defeated and had already said her goodbyes for herself. Wishing that the people she loved and who were important to her would feel it in a way.

"Y/N?" she started to her again and despair spread within her. "Y/N! Where are you?"

But this time it was not Ben's voices. It was Marvin who called out for her. That was new. She looked up and tried to focus on her ears, to see if it was real or not. But it was no use, she could not concentrate enough. So she just did what she had done the whole time. Forcing herself to make words, any words, so that someone would hear her.

"Hey..." someone answered who seemd closer to her, but it did not quite sound like Marvin anymore. "HEY!"

Reality hit her like a brick wall. It was not Marvin at all. It was that Rodiguez guy. And again her mind had deceived her.

"SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!"

Oh god, why? Why was noone coming for her? That Ben was not coming to save her was clear to her, but there were other people in this game too. People she thought would at least look out for her and help if needed. Seemed like she was wrong all along.

"You're really testing my patience here with you mumbling. And I did not think that this would take so long."

"Let... me... go... please..." she pleaded again, well known that it would not work. "Please..."

"Why is Soldier Boy not coming for you? Hm? Were your blowjobs not good enough? Does you pussy smell bad? Or what?"

"I... 'lready... told... ya..." it was so hard for her to speak by now. " He... won'... come..."

"One would think that he would try to find his girlfriend and save her. After all you two had seemed so lovey dovey in the pictures and videos."

By his words a last string of power build up in Y/N. "He's not coming! IT WAS JUST PR!!!" She collapsed into the chair and all her remaining strength left her. "It was not real..." and now some last tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Well, then you'll stay in here until someone at some point in time will find you." Rodriquez said dryly. "Get used to it."

And then she heared his footsteps leading away from the door. Leaving her alone in her own personal hell to let her remain in distress.

"Ben..."

"No, it's just like I said. The old man messed it up." M.M. said to Annie on the phone.

"I'm not old..." Ben mentioned right away but his companien didn't give a fuck.

"He said he knows where she is. But look, Annie, I'm at Janine's school and it's wild out here. I can't just go and leave her alone."

Ben huffed. Of course the man could. This place was surrounded by Mallorys men. Nothing would happen to his daughter without them noticing. And getting Y/N back would not take longer than a day. It was easy. Like a milk run.

"I know that, Annie. But it's Y/N. She's innocent. She should've not been involved in all of this in the first place."

"Just keep rubbing salt into the wound, man. That definitly works."

But again Marvin did not react to the brooding supe next to him. And while he was still talking to Starlight Ben noticed a commotion infront of the school. He could not see everything clearly but something felt off. He tapped him on the arm and when Marvin followed his gaze he hung up the phone. People on the street got louder and more aggressive. In one of the windows of the building both men saw a flash of red and just a few seconds later children were running out of the building, screaming.

"Go, go, go!" exclaimed M.M. while he got out of his car.

Ben followed right ahead, glad that he was already in his supersuit. Some black cars appeared too and Ben was sure that it would not take long until mayhem broke loose.

"Janine?" Marvin took a hectic look around until he spotted his daughter. "Janine!"

The young girl heared her dad call out for her and began to run towards his direction. But she wasn't progressing as quickly as she would have liked. Children, parents, people in general were running around like frightened deer. While Marvin tried to get to his daughter, Ben kept an eye on the surroundings.

After it seemed that all the children had left the building, only Ryan was standing in one of the windwos and looked out. A moment later a helicopter appeared over their heads, a camera on the side of it. Of course live tv would not leave out this spectacle. Which meant that it would not take long until Homelander showed up too. Wonderful.

Janine had stopped at an oak tree nearby, shouting for her dad, while Marvin pushed through the masses. Ben stayed behind him just a couple steps apart, a strange feeling creeping up his spine.

"I don't wanna go." Ryan screamed from an upper level. "I... I did not do anything wrong. It's not fair!"

But nobody seemed to care what he had to say. People were running around all over the place. The police had arrived by now, trying to control the situation and calm everyone down. To get it all organised. Ben shook his head, knowing that it was no use right now. Especially when Homelander was on the brink of appearing. He looked up into the sky, wondering when his alleged son would arrive.

And he did not get dissapointed. All of a sudden two red lasers flew over the place, crashing into the school building, some of the trees and a couple of cars. The screams got louder and people started to flee the scene. M.M. too stopped in his tracks, only a few feet away from his daughter, and looked up into the sky.

Homelander did not look amused. "Well, well. It's not like I warned you all, right?"

Another laser stroke down to the ground, hitting more of the school building and some other trees.

"No!" Ryan screamed and the flying supe stopped his attack to look at his son.

Ben and M.M. had followed the second blow with their eyes only to see that the oak under which Janine was standing got hit too. The tree started to creak and crinkle until a big split was beginning to form. The girl looked up the tree in shock.

"Janine! Run!" Marvin screamed and ran towards his daughter but it seemed to be to late.

The crown of the oak and a big part of the stam began to slide and fall down to where Janine was standing. She screamed and stepped a few steps back but it all came rapidly closer. Marvin reached his daughter but it was to late. He threw himself on the ground, Janine underneath him, in hopes that it would somehow at least safe her.

But as he was expecting the heavy weight of the big tree... nothing happened. He waited a few more seconds but still, no tree fell down on them both. So he carefully looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. Ben was holding the broken part of the oak up with his arms and upper body.

"Get... to the... car!" he ordered and Marvin was more than willing to comply.

And after both were out of the danger zone, Ben pushed the tree on his shoulders to the side where noone was standing. He turned around while he patted his hands. Marvin and his daughter had made it to the car. Some of Mallorys men were there too and helped them getting out of here. Now M.M. owed him one and Ben hoped that he would remember that to help save Y/N. Which he was about to do next. But Ben did not get far.

"Hello... Father..." said Homelander in a derogatory voice.

It got worse and worse. Y/N could not stay awake for long anymore. She could not even keep her head up, the chin resting on her chest most of the time by now. The darkness was pulling on her conciousness constantly and now she was at a point where she was ready to willingly give in. It must have been days since she got kidnapped and noone was coming to save her. Noone missed her and that truth hurt like a bitch.

But then she heared gunshots again nearby. Screams echoed through the hallway outside the door and did not seem to fade away. She heared Annie's voice and Marvin seemed to be there too. But she did not trust what her ears picked up anymore. How often she been through this by now, she could not count. And there was no hope left in her anymore. She just wanted it to stop. All of it to just be over and done with.

Suddenly the door infront of her bursted open. Y/N glanzed up and saw Ben standnig in the frame. He was breathing heavy, his suit was spattered with blood and he had some cuts in his face.

"No, please... not again..." this was torture, pure torture. "I can't... do this anymore."

"Y/N..." Ben spoke out her name, but it sounded surreal.

"Just... kill me... please." she closed her eyes. "I can't... I... I just... wanna die..."

A sudden touch to her cheeks startled her a little and the feeling of her head being lifted made her open her eyes again. His face was so close to hers, his hands touching her cheek felt so real. But it had felt real all the times before this too.

"Y/N..." the Ben in her halluzination said again gently. "I'm here now. I got you."

"No, you're not." this was to much. She could not let herself be deceived again. "You're not real. You never were..."

And then she gave in to the darkness and the bliss of unconciousness.

A/N: What is real? Will Y/N really die in this hellhole? And what about Homelander? All answers in the next chapter. 😊

@lyarr24 @k-slla @leigh70 @deadlydivergentgirl @deans-spinster-witch

#unexpected #the boys amazon #soldier boy #jensen ackles #soldier boy x reader #ben x reader

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sebastianswallows · 1 year

Text

It's not like any other love | S.S. | Part 5

— PAIRING: dark!Sebastian Sallow x F!MC

— SYNOPSIS: Sebastian finally gets what he wants, although not in the way in which he expected to. A sacrifice is made, and it's MC making it for him. The Avada Kedavra part of the story.

— WARNINGS: Nothing, unless you count the murder

— WORDCOUNT: 4k

— A/N: Here it is, the final chapter. Thank you for sticking with me to the end, my dears! This one is admittedly very rushed, so I’m sorry about that. I was a bit over-eager to end this story, and I went through a few versions of it in my head (who casts AK, and on whom; some endings were sadder than others). I hope you can find some enjoyment in it anyway 💚

Winter settled all around them. The warm autumn afternoons were long gone and the days grew shorter, the nights longer, and throughout it, Sebastian was as troubled as ever — about his sister, about Ominis, about their friend…

He couldn’t forget the look Ominis gave him as they got out of their beds that morning after his heated dream. When the Gaunt boy realised Sebastian was awake and had gotten up from his bed, Ominis blushed to the tips of his ears, threw a scathing narrowing of the eyes in his direction, and promptly turned away. He avoided him at breakfast too, and it wasn’t until the next afternoon that he spoke to Sebastian again. Feeling guilty, Sebastian didn’t speak to him either, nor to anyone else that day. He felt as if his embarrassing lusts from the night before were dragged behind him like a shadow, however irrational this may have been. And while everyone else might not have known in truth, he was certain Ominis did, somehow. Perhaps he had just been pretending to sleep, or perhaps heard something… His hearing was especially sharp, and the more Sebastian thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

But there was nothing to do about it anymore. If Ominis knew, he knew. And if the girl knew… Well, how could she? Unless she remembered what he made her do while under Imperio.

In between working on homework for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Sebastian leafed through books on Unforgivable Curses and tried to find out how likely it was for Imperio victims to remember what they did. There seemed to be no definitive answer, and it rather varied from person to person. It was an issue which was bound to be confounded — or so said the consensus from magical researchers — by victims who were so ashamed of what they had done that they merely pretended not to remember.

Was that what happened with her? Was she so ashamed? She never sat next to him during classes anymore, and avoided his eyes on most days — although when Sebastian managed to catch her gaze, she always smiled sweetly, bashfully at him. He gave her some time, gave himself some time, and ceased all contact for a while. It gave him the chance to focus on his research into the relic.

To his surprise, it was Ominis who brought her up again.

“Have you two had a fight?” he asked one evening while they were reading by the fireplace.

“Who?”

“You know who.”

Sebastian kept quiet and turned back to his book, already feeling blood blooming in his cheeks and his throat constricting.

“Well?” asked Ominis again. Clearly, he was in one of his more relentless moods that night.

“No, we haven’t,” Sebastian snapped. “Everything’s fine. Why?”

“Just asking,” hummed Ominis, sounding not very convinced. “She’s not upset with you, is she?”

Sebastian gave a trembling sigh that tried to hide his fear but managed only to reveal it. “Why would she be upset with me?”

“I can think of a number of reasons,” Ominis smirked. “I’m sure you can, too.”

“Leave it be, Ominis,” he grumbled. “I’m not in the mood.”

His friend looked like he was about to say something, but took pity on him at the last moment.

Sebastian saw them again throughout the following days: Ominis and her, talking in the corridors, spending time by the windows of the great lake, leaving breakfast together… What they talked about in their little whispers, he could not grasp, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

The only thing that could distract him from his misery was research into the relic, and he was rewarded with a breakthrough in November. His first thought was to reach out to his friend again. She did like her adventures outside of the castle, and this was an excuse to steal some of her time for himself.

“If it’s in this catacomb, I have to find it,” he said as they stood outside, cold air billowing their school robes.

“I’m ready,” she said with calm resolution.

“By the way, Ominis has been asking about you. You didn’t tell him what we were doing, did you?”

“I didn’t, I promise,” she said immediately.

He couldn’t tell if she was lying. Well, if Ominis had known, he’d probably have had a hard time keeping it to himself — for all of his decorum, the Gaunt boy could hardly hide his feelings... But Sebastian didn’t trust them yet, either of them. In fact, the more he studied Slytherin’s notes, the more his suspicions grew concerning his dealings with his friends, as well as their dealings with each other. It was as if a subtle curse was cast over his mind, but Sebastian was certain that once they’d find the relic and put it to use, and Anne was well again, he could leave all this behind and everything could go back to how it was.

“Good. Ominis would be livid if he knew what we were about to do,” he warned.

The catacomb was crawling with spiders, a maze of dusty old bones and slippery slopes and puzzles, haunted at every step by strange noises that echoed from the most unexpected angles, but together, they could reach the end. It was remarkably easy with a few simple spells, and he wondered whether this would have been considered more advanced in the time of Slytherin’s student.

All thoughts melted from Sebastian’s mind, however, once they finally found the relic. He felt as if his heart could leap in his chest, and his friend beside him seemed as convinced as he was that they should take the relic. They looked at each other and agreed, and he felt like he could kiss her, really kiss her…

But they hardly touched the item when they heard someone entering the chamber behind them. The green school robes and tallow hair and red echo of the wand revealed it to be Ominis.

“I’m sorry, Ominis, but I’m taking it,” said Sebastian.

“If you won’t put it back, then I will,” he said.

“Hold on, both of you. Sebastian, please, take a step back.”

“Fine. But Ominis knows, I won’t step back from a fight.”

“Can’t believe this…” the boy sighed.

Sebastian paced along the far wall of the catacomb, so close to his goal, and so close to losing it. He watched his two friends discuss it, catching only fragments of their conversation… It was so like how it used to be when he and Ominis were causing trouble with Anne all over Hogwarts, and yet it was so different now without her. He didn’t wish to fight his oldest friend, but he wasn’t sure he could hold himself back from it if it came to that…

Fortunately, it didn’t.

The girl came back, triumphant if a little fearful, while behind her Ominis paced just as restlessly but defeated, standing back to let them pass.

“What happened back there?” said Sebastian as they made their way out, too shocked to be grateful yet.

“Ominis and I found a compromise.”

He had expected anything else: threats, blackmail, even for her to use Imperio, but not for the boy to fold so quickly. Sebastian was struck at first by envy of the sway she held over his other friend, of the care she must have felt for him to solve this peacefully at any cost, and then the usual suspicions reared their myriad heads of what was going on between the two that he didn’t know about.

“Ominis simply needs a moment with you and he’ll change his mind. Is that it?” said Sebastian with a bite as they ran together out of the catacomb.

“I told him we ought to give you this chance — that the relic is too important to ignore.”

“There has to be more to it than that. Tell me.”

She looked at him and her eyes hid nothing — not her hurt at his suspicion, not the joy that they had made off with the relic, not the spark of affection that was like a reflection of his own.

“We agreed on what was needed, Sebastian. You have my word.”

“How can I know you’re telling the truth?” he frowned. “I can never tell when you’re lying to me…”

“I’m not hiding anything from you,” she insisted, slowing down in their trek up through the tunnels as she held his gaze. “I’ve meant everything I’ve ever said to you, Sebastian.”

Her words circled through his mind the whole way to Feldcroft, and he found himself returning to them for a hidden meaning he sensed in them. That was put aside after they saw smoke coming from the little hamlet, and goblins attacking Anne and Uncle Solomon.

He didn’t regret what he did to protect her, and with his friend by his side, he felt all the more justified in fighting back, but his Uncle didn’t see it that way. A useless coward that couldn’t even protect his niece, couldn’t even protect himself…

And then, Sebastian was banished.

Days trailed by feverishly as he used all his spare time to cross-reference the student’s notes about the relic with books from the forbidden section of the library, and the closer he got to an answer, the more unhappy he was with it: while the relic promised not just a reversal but a complete control of the curse, it would only work back in the catacombs.

Sebastian wasted nights away trying to piece everything together in his head, from the nature of the relic and the sacrifice it required to the injustice of his uncle, Anne’s resentment, and the precarious friendship he found himself in with Ominis and the girl…

Then, an idea slipped into his mind without him even realising he had thought of it again — what she said in the catacomb, about her having meant everything she’d ever said to him… Was that her way of talking about what she did while under Imperio? The things she’d said to him, under his command…? It struck him like a knife in the heart, but of a most pleasurable kind — a sudden and piercing infatuation with her all over again, one that he could never hope to extract and live beyond it.

But what if that wasn’t what she meant? What if it was just another of his dreams, like so many wishful imaginings at night, a growth on the surface of a malignant fantasy…? He wished he didn’t have to wonder.

Sebastian had little time to waste in wondering, however. That could come later. Before Solomon took Anne away to some miserable place far away from him, he had to act fast, and neither Anne nor Ominis seemed keen to help. He realised only once he was deep in the catacomb, surrounded by Inferi, that he should have asked her to join him all along. She could help control the living dead while he transferred the curse from Anne to one of them, as the dark sacrifice demanded. He was so close to curing Anne forever, and all his research was ready to pay off, he just needed Anne to stay with him a little longer…

And just as he was thinking of her again, after days of not seeing her, there she was.

“Sebastian!”

“I told you. The relic is the answer. I’ve been trying to reverse the dark magic that injured Anne, but this will allow me to control it. Just as I can control the Inferi…”

“Control…? I had to fight Inferi —”

She wasn’t halfway done with her reproach when Uncle Solomon arrived, as ill-tempered as a December wind and more furious than Sebastian had ever seen him. The old man’s fear from the day when he cowered, surrounded by smoke and goblins, was gone now. He took one look at the scene around him and hardly stopped to think before he summoned the relic straight out of Sebastian’s hand. Then, with a careless flick of his wand, it disappeared forever.

“No… The relic!”

Sebastian’s body barely caught up with his mind, but by the time it did, it was too late. Another hope for Anne, the last hope he had, vanished before his eyes. The Inferi around them, released from their trance, trained their icy eyes on the three of them immediately, but Sebastian was resolute now. If it was the last thing he did, he would make Solomon pay.

All of his silly duelling practices, all those late nights in the Undercroft, all the books he’d read on dark magic, everything gained a new meaning and purpose and Sebastian focused it on him. His father’s resentful brother, the failure of their family, not good enough to be an Auror, not good enough to be a father, and certainly the worst Uncle he and Anne could have. The man that gave his parents’ death a dual tragedy after it landed the lives of him and his twin in his hands… Sebastian blasted curse after curse at him, and meant every one. He could perform several wordlessly, the spells flying out of his wand as if it were part of his body, an extension of his mind, a channel for his pure desire for revenge.

The Inferi were drawing closer, and his friend did her best to keep them at bay. Sebastian had to fight them off if he hoped to finish that battle, all while dodging curses from Solomon.

Eventually, the battle turned. Encircled by Inferi, Sebastian blasted fire spells at them, and among the scent of dead burning flesh and their high screams, he heard the girl call for his name. She probably couldn’t see him anymore. Distantly he heard Solomon’s angry shouts as well, the same meaningless arrogant chastisement he had learned to ignore, and which today he hoped to shut up forever.

“Crucio!” a high voice called. It was the girl who cast it. With a dull thud and the cracking of bones, his Uncle fell to the ground, his grumbles replaced by harrowed screaming.

By the time Sebastian cleared out the Inferi around him, the girl was standing over Solomon, wand pointed at him, ready to cast it again. She seemed to lose focus of everything around her, her anger of a singular direction the sort of which he’d rarely seen from her.

“Bring back the relic!” she cried to the body of Solomon, huddling in pain. “Now!”

But it was no use, the man was senseless under the curse.

“Use Imperio!” Sebastian called out to her before he had to train his wand again at the Inferi and clear them out from around her.

He had never seen her use Crucio before. That day in the Scriptorium, she’d insisted he use it on her. Before today, he hadn’t thought her capable of it… So he was equally as surprised to see her cast Imperio as well on his uncle.

The old man rose to his feet, slowly, his body sapless under her spell. Even from where he stood, Sebastian could see her wand hand trembling, although he couldn’t say whether it was from fear or something else…

“Confringo!” yelled Sebastian, burning away the last of the Inferi as he made his way to her.

“Bring back the relic,” she ordered in a slow, steady voice.

And sure enough, Solomon raised his wand, presented his hand, but nothing materialised in it.

“You made it disappear, now bring it back!” she cried.

“It’s no use,” said Sebastian with a heartbroken realisation. “He didn’t just use the Vanishing spell. I think he… I think he broke it apart. I think it’s gone forever.”

“Is that what you did?” she asked the man.

“Yes,” said Solomon roughly. “You will never see it again.”

The girl’s shoulders fell, hopeless and tired, and she turned to Sebastian with a sorry look in her eyes. For his part, he felt an anger that was so still and boundless he thought he would never see the end of it, like a sarcophagus cast over his mind.

“I want him dead,” he said out loud. “I want him dead…”

“Sebastian,” she whispered tearfully. “You can’t, it’s… He’s your uncle.”

“And I’m his nephew, and he was ready to kill me. He was ready to kill you too, you saw him! If you hadn’t protected yourself, he would have hexed you to death countless times today.”

“I know, but…”

“And he’s doomed Anne, and I… I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know what to do other than kill him.”

“But how will Anne feel about it?”

“And what about how I feel about it?” he asked before he could think, hands trembling with fury, wand crackling with unspoken spells in his grip. “Because of him, my sister will never heal, and I have wasted everything I had trying to help her, and now he tried to kill you and me, and… and…”

He didn’t trust himself to speak, and he didn’t like to say it again, but he wished with everything he had that Solomon had never entered their lives. The only way to fix what happened, and it was hardly a fix at all, was to get rid of him, forever.

Sebastian raised his wand, looking straight at his uncle. He avoided the pleading eyes of the girl beside him, so small and quiet now that the catacomb chamber was dead all around them. He didn’t wish to see her eyes again and the fear, the disappointment in them. A part of Sebastian knew that he would regret what he was about to do, but there was time for that later. He could not live with himself if he let Solomon free from that place.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Before Sebastian could speak the curse that took his uncle’s life, another voice rang out. The girl had cast it herself. It was the third Unforgivable Curse she had cast that day.

The fat old corpse crumpled before them, and Sebastian turned to her in terror and awe. Her wand clattered on the ground and she covered her mouth with her hands, stuck in a breathless gasp.

“What did you do?” asked Sebastian with wonder.

“He’s dead?” she asked weakly.

“Yes, he’s — how did you know the curse?!”

“I learned it on my own. I convinced Ominis to show me some of the books you’ve read, I thought it would be useful, but… Oh Sebastian, you’re not angry with me?” she asked as she began to cry.

“No!” he said quickly as he took two large steps toward her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Not at all, but why would you—?”

“I didn’t want you to do it,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “I couldn’t let you be the one to do it. I hated him for what he did to you, I wanted to punish him, I— I wanted him gone.”

“He’s gone now,” he whispered, cupping her head while he looked at the corpse beside them. The girl’s arms encircled him and held on to him tightly.

He never would have guessed that she could do it, that she, who could not even cast Imperio on him, would kill for him, had killed for him… Sebastian did not know what to think anymore.

“Why would you do that for me?” he whispered as he held her. The girl said nothing as she buried her sobs into his neck. Gingerly, he cupped her cheek and pulled her back to look into her eyes. “Why would you do that for me?” he asked again.

“I love you,” she said as if it explained everything — and it did.

Sebastian only realised that he was smiling when she smiled back, red-rimmed tearful eyes crinkling with unexpected joy. He pulled her face toward him, kissed her dry and salty lips, and said what he had long wanted to say.

“I love you too.”

They laughed madly together, giggles echoing throughout the catacombs strewn with bones and corpses — but his mind was far away from all of that, and he could tell hers was too.

“For the longest time, I thought you didn’t,” said Sebastian. “I mean, I wasn’t sure how you felt about me, but…”

“I did,” she nodded. “Love you. For quite a while now.”

“Since when?”

“I suppose since you protected me in the library,” she grinned.

Sebastian chuckled. “I’ve loved you longer, then. Ever since you first beat me in a duel.”

She laughed and shook her head at him, but finally looked at him with the adoration he’d only seen from her in his dreams, an open and vulnerable look that he could feel swallowing him whole, drinking him in, taking him somewhere deep inside her where he could rest. He thought he looked the same way at her…

“Sebastian” she winced, “what are we going to do about— ?”

“The corpse?”

“Ominis said he was going to inform Professor Black that you were here and that you had a family feud of some sort. They could arrive at any minute.”

“Is that why Solomon was here?”

“No, Anne had gone to tell him.”

“Oh Anne,” he groaned.

“We have to do something. Can we… can we…”

Sebastian looked down at the body. It had some signs of combat from when the three of them had fought, but any examination would reveal none of them to have been fatal. That would doubtlessly cause suspicion, and the suspicion would fall on them.

“Here’s what we’ll do.”

They climbed up to a higher ledge from where they could see the whole chamber, and with repeated spells bombarded the ceiling until it gave way and collapsed. Heavy stones fell on Uncle Solomon’s corpse until they could hardly see it. A trickle of blood muddied the earth beneath him, still warm. It would have to do.

“We’ll say he came to find us and we had to fight the Inferi together, but there were too many and he told us to escape. The spells he used caused a tragic cave-in, and he heroically saved Feldcroft from attack by any escaped Inferi.”

“Do you think they’ll believe us?” she asked, arms wrapped around herself in a tight hug. The room was dark and filled with dust as the fallen rocks settled in the room before them.

“It will be the most convenient answer for everyone. Nobody wants to think that a pair of 5th-years know the killing curse, or are capable of anything like it,” he said darkly. Then, turning toward her, Sebastian held her face in his hands and focused all of her attention on him. “You can not tell anyone what truly happened here.”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“This has to be our secret. It will be our secret for the rest of our lives and we will have to carry it together. Forever. Otherwise,” he said, taking a deep breath to gain the courage to say what followed, “otherwise I’m not sure I could protect you.”

“Yes,” she said in a small voice, the gravity of her actions sending a shiver through her whole body.

“But you don’t have to worry about anything,” he smiled. “We love each other, don’t we?”

“Yes, of course…”

“And as long as we have that, nothing bad will happen.”

She swallowed the knot in her throat as she stared into his eyes, her whole body suddenly drained of all warmth. She said nothing, but neither did she deny anything he’d just said. She could not afford to.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll protect you. I love you,” Sebastian said, more of a whisper to himself than something meant for her to hear. The hunger that had built up inside of him all these months — for her affection, for her touch, for her sweet words and gazes and attention — finally had a hope of being satisfied. He leaned in and chastely kissed her cheek, licking the traces of dried tears from her skin. “I love you…”

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