#I’m talking a big game here and I hope my willpower can back it up

[whatbusiness]

the fact that I can’t watch s2 right when it drops bc I’ll be traveling and away with friends next week/weekend is really hitting me

I’m seriously contemplating deleting all social media off of my phone for those 4 days because I CANNOT and WILL NOT be spoiled for big moments

(honestly though I feel like I should go off the grid even before then because huge spoilers are going to start flying around this place so soon)

[chericarlisle]

You asked for Carlisle Cullen requests and I am here to deliver❤️ can I ask for a fic where the reader finally confesses to Carlisle they are in love with him? Preferably fluffy with some kisses 😌, I would also prefer the reader not be a doctor or nurse if possible! Thank you so much!

𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐞 || 𝐜.𝐜

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: carlisle cullen x human reader

(𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝)

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2k

𝐚/𝐧: i hope you enjoy this! i tried to think of a way to get the two to meet, but have it still correlate! so the reader will be Alice’s friend :) thank you for requesting <3 please know that the reader is NOT a minor!!!

For the years that you had attended Forks High, you had grown close to a certain Cullen daughter, Alice. Her personality was that of a pink rose and its symbolism. She was more than one could want in a best friend, and between her amazing advice or sense of fashion, there was never a dull moment. 

Unlike a majority of the students, Alice was genuine and welcoming, causing the two of you to grow close as friends. It made you feel like high school wasn’t so bad after all.

As you talked more and more with Alice, you often wondered why the rest of her family was so reserved. They rarely interacted with any one else who didn’t share the last name ‘Cullen’. Alice, though, was the exception, having branched out to you.

 It seemed that being friends with Alice was something that was a package deal because on occasion, she’d bring along her boyfriend Jasper. You didn’t question their family dynamic as Alice had already explained in simplest terms who they were. It was a much better definition than what Jessica had told you and the rest at that table on the first day. Looking back, it was more petty gossip than it was useful information.

For the first summer, you didn’t see much of Alice and rather texted her much more. You’d invite her over, but it appeared that they were on a long family vacation that summer. It was then that you truly realized that you knew nothing about Alice, let alone the Cullens, aside from what you had been told at school. 

There was something that constantly affected Alice’s decision making, along with her siblings, but you didn’t yet know that factor, and you wouldn’t for a while. Instead, you let your mind consume the harsh option that Alice wasn’t exactly the person you thought she was. Maybe she really was just like the rest of the Forks High students. 

Fortunately, your fears were consoled that next school year.

After much consideration, Alice eventually invited you over to her house where you officially met the rest of the Cullens. Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper acted so much differently than they did at school in the way that they even acted at all. Normally, they would just go through the school day rarely interacting with any one or anything else but themselves. It made you curious as to why they weren’t like this at school. They seemed to be such lovely people so why would they be so monotonous for eight grueling hours of the day. 

You were able to see where they got those characterful values from. Well, more so who.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen, their adoptive father who looked too young to be a father at all and was so perfect that he must’ve been a hallucination. 

Since that moment three years ago, you’d gone over almost every other weekend to do whatever extravagant thing Alice had planned for you. She hadn’t had a real friend in so long that she wanted to make up for all the missed time. 

Over the course of time, the man, who you knew only as Dr. Cullen, had caught your eye. His compassionate mannerism and old fashioned style was something that just seemed to make you fall head over heels. At the mere sight of Dr. Cullen, the heat of your cheeks would make itself known and you wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into yourself. Whenever he spoke, you shamefully latched onto every word, his voice ever so comforting. The small smile resting on his lips whenever he spoke to you added even more charm and there was no hope left for you. This man made you swoon and you were so embarrassed over the fact that he was the adoptive father of your best friend. 

High school graduation arrived in no time and along with it a huge family secret. A family secret that wasn’t yours, but once again, relating to the Cullens. 

The family revealed it at a dinner, which was a rare occasion, considering that you hadn’t ever really seen them eat. You came over to their house like any other visit, except this time, the inviting smell of a freshly cooked dinner greeted you at the door. 

The lovely dinner and charming smiles were all just the calm before the storm. Playful conversation ceased and suddenly Carlisle was speaking on behalf of everyone at the table. In a matter of seconds, it went from ‘casual family dinner' to ‘game show questionnaire' that was borderline an interrogation with the lack of feedback you were receiving. None of the Cullens, not even Alice, would confirm or deny any inquiries that left your mouth, leaving you to your own judgment. It was almost like your speculation was crucial to ending the slew of questions. 

Eventually, you drew up the conclusion that they were vampires. You said this with such lighthearted intent that you were waiting for the big joke until you scanned the tables and saw their emotionless expressions.

All that you could really remember was falling from your dinner chair with Carlisle, who was sitting right beside you, catching your fall before you became close friends with the hardwood floor. 

Needless to say, it took a moment to process this information, but you still continued on with Alice and her family. They were still the same Cullens you had known since the beginning and a small sliver of their real life wasn’t going to change who they were to you.

A couple of months later, you were spending the night with Alice for the weekend. She wanted to go visit Seattle for the day and do some holiday shopping. You readily agreed, remembering that you had to get some gifts for your own family. Shopping with Alice was always an experience, but an entertaining time nonetheless.

You had gotten there Friday night as both you and Alice planned to leave the next morning. There was no point in leaving now as the stores had been closed for at least a couple of hours. 

Walking in the living room, you saw Emmett and Rosalie thoroughly invested in a comedy on tv. You had invited Rosalie to go shopping, but long hours with Alice in a store was not an activity for the less patient and she knew this. Edward was apparently missing from the scene, but Jasper, who was standing afar, greeted you and said that he was out with Bella. Jasper had finally loosened up around you, and after the family’s confession, you understood why he looked so uncomfortable all the time. The willpower these people had astonished you. 

Alice had disappeared after letting you in and it wasn’t until she returned with Dr. Cullen in tow, that you truly noticed she was gone. You bashfully greeted the doctor to which he returned with his signature smile that could make you melt. 

“I know this is bad timing, (y/n),” Alice walked to stand beside you, “But I have to go hunt, as do my siblings. You’ll stay here with Carlisle. He doesn’t need to go with us right now and we can't leave you alone.” By the end, the petite vampire was smirking and you jokingly scowled at her little plan. She knew of your silly crush on Carlisle and would relentlessly tease you about it, as a best friend would. 

Before you could even answer, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were out of the room without so much as a peep. You shook your head at Alice’s sneakiness, forgetting for a second that a certain someone was left with you.

“How about I make you some dinner, (y/n)?” 

The way he said your name was something you could never handle. It just rolled off his tongue like any other word would, but with the hint of his accent, it sounded so lovely.

“I don’t mean to be a nuisance. Dr. Cullen.” 

Already flustered with the whole situation, the last thing you wanted was to bother Dr. Cullen any more than you thought you’d already done. 

As if he could read minds, the blonde stopped in his tracks to face you. “Please, call me Carlisle and you are never an inconvenience, (y/n). Besides, I’ve already hunted so I’m more than happy to be here with you.” 

Carlisle, being kind as usual, shouldn’t have said such words because your brain was currently going into a frenzy as his thoughtfulness. If it was possible, your heart must’ve been beating faster than what would be considered healthy for someone actively working out. 

You weren’t able to find the words, but instead able to offer what you hoped was an endearing grin.

In the kitchen, Carlisle searched the desolate fridge in hopes of finding some food. The kitchen and its appliances were more of decor than they ever were useful. 

After a minute or two, Carlisle closed the freezer door of the fridge, a pack of steak in his hand. 

“It seems steak will have to do tonight.” 

You shot him a pleased look. “You can’t go wrong with steak.” Famous last words.

While you insisted on cooking your own food, Carlisle returned the same persistence and eventually you gave in. 

The two of you carried on a conversation while he cooked. Talking with him seemed so natural that for a moment, you weren’t nervous about talking to this man.

Carlisle plated the steak and brought it before you, an excited look painted on your face. He sat down beside you and eagerly waited to see how the steak turned out. At first, you felt a bit bad that he wasn’t going to eat anything, especially after all the trouble he had gone through.

“Carlisle, are you sure you’re fine? It just feels so wrong eating in front of you like this!” 

He chuckled, quickly placing his hand on your own to reassure you. “I’m fine, truly. I just hope it’s edible.” 

You grabbed the steak knife, jokingly rolling your eyes at his statement. Upon cutting into the steak, an unpleasant rush of cow blood came out revealing that the steak was far from even being rare. 

Immediately your plate was being scooped up and brought to the kitchen counter where you joined Carlisle. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, it’s been some time since I’ve cooked anything and it seems that I haven’t caught up with modern cooking principles.” Carlisle looked a bit sheepish at the moment and you couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from your lips. You weren't sure if it was the unintentional term of endearment or his adorable attempt at cooking. Either way, Carlisle was relieved to see that you weren’t upset, but rather enjoying this moment. 

You stepped up beside Carlisle at the stovetop, shoulders touching as you reached across for the seasonings. “Here, we should probably season the steak a bit and clean off the pan.” 

As you continued to do your own thing and guide Carlisle in cooking, he carefully took each word of your advice.

“See, you did everything right, Carlisle. It was just the heat and time that threw off the doneness of the steak, a bit.” Your words ended with a small twinkle as you turned to face the man who’d been so intently watching. He seemed to be so entranced at the moment… and by you. 

It was like time was frozen and everything moved in slow motion, something you’d only see in a cheesy movie scene, except you were living it. Suddenly, life sped up and Carlisle’s cold hand was cupping your face and bringing you in for a kiss. You were happy that this was how you’d “confess” your love to Carlisle because words weren’t exactly your strong spot given the circumstances.

You two stayed lip locked for the longest moment in time, just pure bliss. It seemed like the kiss would never end until the smell of burnt oil hit your nose. Carlisle could feel you smiling against his lips and you began to peep out a small laugh. 

“I think we overcooked this one a little too much.”

a/n: i’m sorry if this is cringe-worthy, i wrote this at 12:30 am. i swear it will get better lol i just need to stop writing at ungodly hours of the night--

[mystic-faraday]

UTIL Plays Phoenix Wright: Justice For All (Case: Turnabout Bigtop... *sighs*)

(We had a drinking game going on while playing this case, if you would like to play your own version of the Turnabout Big Top drinking game, you can find it HERE )

- “Time for the worst case”

- “Breaking news: spirit channeling is a STEM FIELD! NOT magic.”

- Phoenix VA:  “Alright pearl you’re gonna learn about gay people” Pearl VA:  “I hope you have a good night and learn about gay people like me” Franziska VA: “Oh I think he already knows sweetie”

- Pearl “I wanna be gay when I grow up” Fey

- Max :“you’ve got to be pulling my magic wand” Everyone in call collectively: NOPE,NO NO NON O

- “Are those homestuck horns on his desk?”  “It’s a moustache!”  *unanimous chanting* “Model magic moustache!” 

- Miles VA: “I like knitting” Franziska VA: “And I like coins” Together: “We did not come out of the same loins”

-"cotton eyed m--" "HOW BOUT COTTON EYE NO?????"

-Gumshoe VA:  "Maybe I did wanna be a magician, maybe I didn't. what are you, a cop?"

-”Why does Moe have a set of suspenders that have such a defined butt?” “THOSE PANTS IMPLY MOE HAS A DUMPTRUCK ASS”

- Moe: Appears for the first time and tells his first joke Entire VC: silent as everyone takes a drink

- Maya: “Phoenix Laugh!” Phoenix VA:“Har, Har, Har, Har, Har *opens flask* har har **takes sip*”

- “We all have a metaphorical carrot in front of our faces…or something”

- “Guys, does Moe Fuck??? “OBJECTION: no one wants to hear the answer to that” “Well he’s got that Dumptruck Ass” “Moe the clown more like Hoe the clown”

- “What if we kissed under the carrot mistletoe and we were both clowns”

-We uncovered the collective truth that Manfred von Karma, like every single other person in the ace attorney series, is transgender, and therefore did not need to sleep with anyone to create Franziska 

- “The straightest character in this series is Trilo ‘cause he’s made of wood”

- Everyone refusing to read any lines of dialogue relating to the marriage / relationship between a child and a grown adult &  Casually just skipping entire sections of dialogue because none of us have the emotional willpower to voice act them.

- Trilo Voice: nipples!

- “WE CANT SAY # GIRL IN THIS COURTROOM!”

- “Bitter love tria” *cuts off mid-sentence due to psychic damage*

- “ I cant believe I dodged a fucking bullet by voicing the clown”

- “How do you respond to this?” *Someone’s bottle making a swish noise as everyone takes a drink* “The Foley of it all”

- Franziska Voice: he’s my poor little meow meow

- “I’m never forgiving this game for west clownadelphia”

-“Have you met my proctologist? Dr. Seymour Butts!!’ “OH MY GOD LARRY’S DAD?!” “Everything is circling back to Moe’s ass...”

- Miles VA: This is why I left the country Franziska VA: IM SORRY FOR EVERYTHING WE DID IN OUR CHILDHOOD PLEASE PICK ME UP IM SCARED

- Mii Sports ‘Nice Shot’ plays every time Franziska whips someone

- Moe: Trauma dumps in a court of law 2 seperate people: Sir this is a wendys

- “I’ll talk as long as you want!” UTIL greek chorus: ~Please Don’t~\

- “my poor little honk honk”

- “Something is toying with this court and it’s not me”  “IT’S THE GODDAMN PUPPET”

- “I don’t know why (im so tired)- actually i do. it’s because we’re playing bigtop”

- Actively replacing the word ‘sweetie’ with any word starting with the letter S

-*long pause of silence* “I think his nipples are the roses”

- “Max has a big... bust?” “We get it Phoenix, you’re a tits man!”

-”(Max’s Bust) Went missing 5 days ago” “HE HAD TOP SURGERY 5 DAYS AGO?!” “Teetus Deleteus”

- *Call dead silent except for the voice actors during the ‘Prosecutor Edgeworth chooses Death’ discussion* *The moment the scene ends* “WHY THE FUCK WAS THIS IN TURNABOUT BIGTOP?!

- “Miles Edgeworth chooses Bed”

-“Ooh ooh ah ah come here my little pogchamp”  Money: Instantly starts attacking Phoenix “ I guess he didn't like being called pogchamp”

- “I want to get to the end so i can get a shirt or pin saying ‘I survived the big top’” (Note: Everyone who made it to the end got a server role called ‘I survived Turnabout Big Top)

-“Moe is Regina’s uncle because he was dating the ringmaster” “The ringmaster is his rebound from his breakup with Manfred” “Terrible work everyone”

- “~Because it’s turnabout big top and life is a Fucking Nightmare~!”

- Entire VC, entering HOUR 6 of this case: “This is the case that never ends! It goes on and on my friends”

-‘Nothing can interrupt me expect death itself” *very quietly in the distance* ‘nice shot’

-Leon: *Bites Bat* “WAS THAT THE BITE OF’ 87?!”

-Phoenix: Deep, deep down I know you want to do good Franziska and Edgeworth: *hissing*

-Acro: *Starts Crying* *in the distance* nice shot\

-Edgeworth: *Appears at the ending scene* Franziska VA: THATS MY BROTHER

“Turnabout Bigtop, The End” Entire VC: *ERUPTS IN CELEBRATORY SCREAMS*

BONUS ROUND: Alternative Names for Turnabout Big Top: Turnabout Please Stop Turnabout Big Top: It Only Gets Worse Turnabout Nice Shot

VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhpeReADAoM

[mmikmmik2]

If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?

anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.

If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)

One-One as 0. The Fool

Oh my gosh, what am I?

IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.

Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician

The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.

Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.

Kez as II. The High Priestess

“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.” “You know what to do.”

I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl

(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)

But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.

Tuba as III. The Empress

She made me feel like I was warm all the time.

Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.

Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor

Highest number! I'm the leader now.

Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.

Atticus as V. The Hierophant

I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.

Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.

Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers

Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.

This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.

Lake as VII. The Chariot

I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!

I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.

Frank as VIII. Strength

I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.

Morgan as IX. The Hermit

I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.

I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.

Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune

We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.

Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.

Lucy as XI. Justice

One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.

Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man

I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.

Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.

Jeremy as XIII. Death

This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.

Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance

Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.

I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."

The Cat as XV. The Devil

I always do the right thing.

Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.

Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower

There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.

Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.

Hazel as XVII. The Star

I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.

When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.

Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon

But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.

Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.

Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun

Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!

I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!

The New Apex as XX. Judgement

"Then what are we gonna be?" "Guess we'll have to figure it out?"

This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.

0 as XI. The World

Ah, train does it again!

It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.

[rococospade]

Regarding my characterisation of Laurence, the First Vicar

Okay so anyone who’s had to talk with me for more than five minutes knows I have *a lot of feelings* on the First Vicar and while I’m going to try and keep this to stuff I can support via lore, that will almost certainly bleed over in here and I apologise in advance. I’ll try to stick to things I can support from canon.

Other notes: I will be referencing deleted content for this, and it is a long post because I have a lot of thoughts. So post under the cut, beware of spoilers, so on.

(As an aside, if you read my fics, dear god does this post have spoilers for those too, since a lot of my fic world building is me trying to piece lore together!)

@fishbowlcarnage thanks for getting me to write this. It’s incomplete and unfinished, and I’ll definitely want to add to it as I play through DS3 and the Fishing Hamlet in BB, but I hope it’s enjoyable as it is. Also thanks to Marie for gently pushing back on my assertions so I have to find a basis for them, and to every lovely person who’s chatted with me about lore and this strange and beloved game.

General notes:

Most of this is predicated on a handful of things:

Laurence was probably a Choir member. He stole the Choir from Byrgenwerth, and it’s noted that the church uniforms are based on Byrgenwerth’s. And if you look at it, what does it most closely resemble? Willem’s clothes. So either Willem had disciples’ outfits designed to look like less fancy versions of his, or else Laurence chose an outfit that visually conveyed “I’m taking your job” for himself and his own minions. 

Laurence was not from Yharnum: it comes up in deleted lines that the person who founded the Healing Church was a foreigner. While that line was cut, we do still hear the huntsmen blaming foreigners for their plight, and while I will admit that nationalism and xenophobia are a big part of Bloodborne it would make an… interesting sort of sense if the Healing Church was actually headed by one. Also, Laurence and Willem have different accents to the rest of Yharnum, at least to my ear. I’m also a filthy American, so feedback on this point is very welcome.

Laurence was probably a combatant: this is probably my hardest argument to make because it relies on the most abstract points. Laurence is found with the Gentle Beast’s Embrace rune. That’s a combat rune. Even if he’s trying to heal the scourge, if we operate on the presumption that he did want to help people, and he found a rune that seemed to safely turn him into a stronger bestial form, don’t you think he’d take up arms if he hadn’t already? Aside from that, the clerics use a lot of blood. Now, @msoftserved has pointed out to me that that was probably a religious thing as much as a functional one, but I’m still fascinated at the idea that the clerics could somehow take enough blood to over a long enough period to become giant beasts without also being hunters (since hunters are noted for their extreme willpower, and being able to do things like force themselves to stay awake under the effects of blue elixir). I also suspect the clerics fought, since it’s noted that the Hunters of the Healing Church made the Hunter’s Workshop redundant, and the hunters we see from the Church are dressed like… clergy. I may add to this section later, as my brain is currently refusing to articulate my thoughts in any sort of useful manner.

Actually! Coming back to this, with something a little less tenuous: the Vicar’s Pendant has a blood gem inside for hunting beasts. Why would they have that if they weren’t actively hunting beasts themselves? It’s not on display, you have to break the amulet to get at it. So… if it were purely decorative, you’d expect it to be visible. And if it weren’t, one would expect them to have something support based. But no, it’s an attack up specific to beasts. Which to me implies two things: the amulet could be used for offensive casting/spells, and the owner of the amulet was expected (at least some of the time) to fight.

In addition to this, Gehrman also refers to the Clerics of the Healing Church as “the guardians” of Hunters, and cries out for Laurence to help him in his sleep. Even if Laurence was not a combatant, I found that to be a really interesting detail; it speaks to Gehrman’s belief in Laurence’s competence. Especially once you finish the game. He’s not crying out for a god to save him. He’s crying out for Laurence, and Willem. 

About Laurence’s personality:

I think it’s fair to argue he was probably charismatic. He managed to repeatedly amass a following; first at Byrgenwerth, where he stole Willem’s best students from under his nose (including Micolash, someone who seems to fundamentally disagree with Laurence on how to ascend humanity? Which is pretty wild in and of itself) but also convinced several major characters to help him, including Gehrman (who seems to have had heroic intentions, though he’s of course Not Okay because this is a Soulsborne game) and freakin’ Ludwig (first Church Hunter! First man to organise the hunts instead of having everyone do whatever with 0 coordination! And canonically stated to be from a long line of knights, which implies Ludwig was probably a noble or at least a member of the gentry, but signed on to work with this foreigner. 

Laurence was likely either ostentatious, or found the appearance of being so valuable: dude has a weird skull elevator and I’ve never been able to forget it. I thought it was weird when I found it but wrote it off as typical Bloodborne… until I read “fool me”, which pointed out that the elevator was probably, in fact, something Laurence either designed or commissioned. It was definitely way more expensive than just installing a ladder or stairs… But organisations thrive on symbols. And the Healing Church is rife with symbolic imagery, from the architecture to the decorations to the uniforms. There’s really no functional reason to have the members dress like they do, which means it was likely a case of needing to present a certain image or be immediately recognisable to the public. (On a loosely related note, the Church Giants wearing items from the Black Church Set is… kind of cute in a weird way. Who made the clothes? Who dressed them up? These questions haunt me.)

Laurence may have been capable of miracles or pyromancy: this one is a big stretch, but I’m going to bring it up anyway. Laurence’s attacks in his Cleric Beast form (specifically the ones that leave lava in their wake) resemble a pyromancy from the Dark Souls series. We also see patients from the Research Hall that cast miracles in the Hunter’s Nightmare. Seems like a jump to attribute miracles to Laurence from there, right? Well… the Vicar’s Pendant that Amelia uses to heal herself is noted to have been passed down amongst the Vicars of the Healing Church. Presuming she’s using the ‘heal’ miracle, then the pendant is apparently her talisman. She had to have learned the technique somewhere, and talismans in the Souls series aren’t unique to one caster — anyone with sufficient faith can utilise a talisman to cast miracles. So it stands to reason that if Laurence had the necessary faith, he could have wielded the amulet in the same way. 

Misc notes:

Willem was doing some horrifying stuff at Byrgenwerth. I’m kind of surprised more people don’t seem to address that? Byrgenwerth is the only area with the garden of eyes enemy in the main game. Those things are wearing patient gowns. “What we need… is more eyes” seems rather chilling in the light of that particular enemy, and its official name.

In addition to that, at least two of his prized students turned out to be… you know… insanely charismatic cult leaders. I’m talking about Micolash and Laurence, of course. What are the chances he collected two dangerous twinks that would betray him entirely on accident? Oh, but two’s a coincidence, right? Except… Gehrman. You know, the First Hunter. He was apparently rather attached to Willem too, since he calls him ‘Master’… so that’s… three students of Willem’s that decided, actually, let’s do this extremely morally dubious thing in pursuit of knowledge/power/good of mankind? Oh! And Gehrman amassed a following too, actually. The original Hunter’s Workshop. That’s… That’s definitely a pattern by now. 

The Gentle Beast’s Embrace rune grants reduced fall damage. I ran with the idea from there that cleric beasts (probably beasts in general) have an instinct common to both canines and felines — get the high ground. Now. This is also supported (as much as anything is supported) by where you find Cleric Beasts — the first one is sitting atop a roof over the great bridge, essentially the highest suitable platform in central Yharnum, while Laurence the first Vicar is sprawled dramatically in the arms of a statue over his altar in the Hunter’s Nightmare. So I tend to depict him perching in high places when left on his own, especially once he’s begun falling to beasthood.

[refinedbuffoonery]

Looking Through A Window (3)

macriley married undercover au

masterlist.

Fun fact: the final scene of this chapter is part of my original brainstorm for this fic. The rest of the scenes I initially dreamt up won’t come until much later, so I’m thrilled to have at least one of them come early on in the story. 

To Carrie and Anna, the lights of my life: I named the neighbor after you two. She’s annoying as shit and nothing like either of you, but I needed a name and decided if anyone deserves to have their name as an Easter egg, it’s the two of you. 

*****

Despite the storm, Matty has the shipment of borrowed guns delivered to the Port of Houston in the middle of the night. While they eat breakfast, Mac and Riley study Matty’s excruciatingly detailed directions for navigating the port and finding their shipping crate. She certainly didn’t make it easy on them. 

Riley leans back in her chair, looking around until her eyes land on Harley. “Time for you to earn your keep,” she says between mouthfuls of toast. 

Supposedly, this is what Harley specializes in—sniffing out weapons. The dog should be able to confirm which shipping container the guns are stashed in without Mac or Riley having to check themselves. Theoretically. 

Mac finishes his own plate of eggs and toast in a few ravenous bites. “Thanks for making breakfast.” He gets up to clear the plates and start rinsing dishes. After living with her for more than a year, Riley making breakfast is routine, but Mac still thanks her for it every day. 

Living in the apartment together, they fall right back into their old habits. Mac wakes up early and goes for a run. By the time he returns, Riley is awake and making breakfast. After they eat, Mac showers while Riley goes on her own run. And so on and so forth. 

While Mac was out this morning, he wove through the whole neighborhood, making sure it’s safe for Riley to go out alone. She can handle herself, but Mac has no delusions about the overall quality of men on the streets, and even though he can’t fix that, at least he can help minimize her chances of encountering creepy dudes. 

Before they leave for the Port, Mac and Riley scour their car for a bug or any other surveillance equipment the organization might’ve hidden while they were inside the warehouse talking to Conrad yesterday. They find none. Thankfully. 

Once again, they’re going in armed, and the weight of Mac’s gun feels just as foreign and unwelcome as it did yesterday. He tries not to fidget with it while Riley drives, but she notices his discomfort anyway. “You’ve got to relax,” she says. “All your squirming is stressing me out.” 

“Sorry.” Mac stills, even though his whole body screams to put the gun somewhere else. 

Anywhere else. 

Once they arrive at the Port, Mac guides Riley through the maze of cranes and crates and warehouses until they find the one Matty had the guns stashed in—dark green and otherwise nondescript. 

Unfortunately, there are multiple shipping containers that fit that description at the location Matty provided. As they get out of the SUV, Riley glances between the boxes nervously. “Uhh, which one is it?” 

Mac doesn’t have a clue. “I guess that’s for Harley to tell us.” He looks down at the dog standing obediently beside him. “Find it.” 

He releases the leash as Harley takes off like a rocket, sniffing each container and the surrounding area. She inspects more than half of them before sitting and looking back at Mac. He waits for her to bark, but she doesn’t. Whoever trained her clearly did so with stealth in mind. 

“Do we open it to double check?” Riley asks. 

Mac opens his mouth to say yes, but he doesn’t get a chance to answer before a muddy, dark-blue diesel truck parks beside their SUV. Conrad jumps out of the driver’s seat, accompanied by two younger men, wearing matching scowls and Carhartt jackets. He walks with that same entitled swagger, and a cheap smile spreads across his face. 

“Mr. Turner!” Conrad exclaims, shaking Mac’s hand. His grip is too firm to be friendly. Stepping back, he sneers at Riley, acknowledging her just long enough to impatiently say, “Genevieve.” Mac doesn’t miss the way Conrad’s eyes drop to Riley’s chest, nor the way Riley bristles beside him, wrapping her jacket more tightly around her and crossing her arms to hold it in place. Mac clears his throat. “Sorry,” Conrad says, not sounding sorry at all, “but your wife is very attractive.” 

Riley rolls her eyes so hard they nearly fall out of her head. 

“Your order is this way,” Mac says, cutting off Conrad before he could make another gross statement, “Follow me.” Mac puts a hand on Conrad’s shoulder, squeezing hard as he steers the man toward the shipping container. Harley is still sitting beside it, waiting patiently, and Mac scratches her head with his free hand. 

Riley whistles, a single sharp note that sends Harley running back to her side. Mac buries his relief that she’s not alone, although he’d still much rather the hulking bodyguards were closer to him than Riley. 

Focus, Mac reminds himself. Riley can hold her own. Just get this over with. 

Mac opens the container, revealing two nondescript wooden crates. Still sneering—at this point, Mac’s starting to think that’s the only expression Conrad is capable of—Conrad waves over his bodyguards, gesturing for them to open the crates. 

For just a second, Conrad’s sneer edges toward a smile. Inside the crates lie exactly what he ordered: military-grade, semi-automatic rifles and enough ammo to kickstart the apocalypse. Mac’s gut churns. He hates this. He hates everything about this. He hates that he’s arming terrorists. He hates how these men look at Riley like dogs drooling over a steak. He hates that he can’t do anything about any of it, that he has no choice but to play along. 

Mac wishes he could bury his feelings the way Riley does, locking them behind a carefully controlled mask. Instead, his linger just beneath the surface, waiting to make themselves known at the first available opportunity. 

Counting backward from five, he steels himself to finish the game. Just as Conrad brushes a reverent finger down the barrel of a rifle, Mac chides, “We followed through on our end of the bargain. Did you?” 

“Of course.” 

One of the bodyguards pulls out his phone. In a deeper voice than Mac expects, he says, “We can wire the payment to your bank account right now.” 

“Good. My wife will help you set that up.” Mac gestures to Riley, and the bodyguard walks over to her. 

Conrad extends his hand, and Mac takes it, trying not to wince when his arm brushes his concealed gun. “Pleasure doing business with you, James,” Conrad says. 

“I hope this is the beginning of a long and prosperous partnership.” Long and prosper? Who was he, Spock? 

“Indeed. Welcome to the Patriots.” Conrad gestures for his men to start loading the guns into their truck. “Expect another order within the week.” 

Mac doesn’t know how to respond to that. Thankfully he doesn’t have to, because Riley waves him over, apparently having finished her conversation with Conrad’s lackey. “I’ll leave you to it,” Mac says, then turns his back on the terrorists and rejoins Riley. On instinct, he reaches for her arm as he murmurs, “Are you okay?” 

Riley tenses under his touch, but doesn’t pull away. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“Good.” He said the same thing to Conrad just a minute ago. Good. But the word is light years different from before—soft and caring, not curt and vaguely challenging. Bozer pointed it out to him once, how he talks to Riley differently than he does anyone else. 

Mac shakes off the thought. He can’t get distracted, no matter how much his mind only wants to think about Riley. Releasing her arm, he says, “Let’s get out of here.”

*****

Back at the apartment, Riley settles in on the couch to dig into the Patriots' bank records. By wire-transferring the money instead of paying them in cash, Conrad practically offered up the organization's entire digital footprint on a silver platter, at least to someone like Riley. She doesn't speak as she works, so Mac listens to the melody of keyboard clicks while he makes them each a grilled cheese. 

Contrary to popular belief, he's not completely incompetent, although Bozer has nearly everyone convinced otherwise. Mac will never be able to cook something fancy, but he does make a mean sandwich. 

He even spreads mayo on the bread, the way Bozer does, because Riley prefers it that way. 

The sizzle of the sandwiches hitting the hot pan joins the keyboard clicks right as Riley announces, "I hacked into their bank records." 

"What've you got?" 

"From the look of it, the shell corp they used to pay us has only been around for four months. Before that, they must've either paid in cash or used personal accounts." 

"That makes sense though, since the Patriots haven't been around all that long." 

"That's what I thought at first, but come look." Mac does, leaning over the back of the couch so his head is right beside hers. Riley points at the screen. "The first three transactions were all big deposits, each one two weeks apart." 

Frowning, Mac squints at the tiny numbers on the screen. "One hundred thousand dollars?" 

"Times three deposits," Riley adds. 

"Where the hell did they get that kind of money?"

"I don't know. The deposits were cash." 

“Damn. Did you at least figure out who their previous arms dealer was?” 

“Yeah.” Riley shifts, causing her hair to tickle Mac’s nose, and he brushes her hair to the opposite side of her neck without another thought. “Turns out their previous dealer has Mexican cartel connections, which explains why the Patriots only paid them twice. I’m guessing they found out about the cartel part and broke it off before they made a long-term deal.” 

“At least they’re not complete idiots,” Mac mumbles. Tired of squinting, he leans closer to better see the screen. 

Except now they’re cheek to cheek, and Mac suddenly can’t focus on the screen at all. 

Riley twists to look at him, and it takes every ounce of Mac’s willpower not to glance at her lips. "Are you burning my grilled cheese?" 

"No." He straightens, simultaneously disappointed and relieved by the space now between them. Mac shakes off the thought. He can’t keep getting distracted like this. 

"Uh huh. Sure." 

Retreating to the kitchen, Mac calls, "That was one time!"

*****

As expected, they don’t hear anything from Conrad or the Patriots the following day. Mac doesn’t know what to do with all the downtime on this op. There are plenty of books in the apartment, but he’s too restless to sit and read. He opens the fridge, more out of boredom than actual hunger. 

They’re on day five of the undercover op, and it’s starting to feel an awful lot like quarantine. With nothing to do but hurry up and wait, hanging out in the apartment and doing nothing is starting to make Mac go a little stir crazy. 

When Riley emerges from the bedroom wearing workout clothes, it’s clear she feels the same way. “I’m going for a run,” she announces. 

“Want company?” He hopes she says yes. Anything to get out of the apartment for a while. 

Riley unplugs her phone from the charger and slides it into her pocket. “No offense, but no.” 

Dammit. Mac shoves down his disappointment. “None taken.” He closes the fridge. Nothing in there looks good. 

“Tell you what,” she says. “After I get back we can go to the space museum, okay?” 

His heart skips a beat at her offer. “Is it that obvious I’m bored?” 

“Yes.” Riley gives him a pitying smile. “So do you want to go?” 

Mac smiles. It feels like she just asked him out on a date. It’s not, but it feels like one anyway. Be cool. “What kind of question is that? Of course I do.” 

“Okay then.” Popping in her earbuds, she walks out the door. 

“Enjoy your run, muffin!” Mac calls, stealing Bozer’s go-to pet name for when he’s undercover with Riley. She reaches back inside to flip him off before slamming the door shut, and Mac chuckles. Riley really hates that nickname.

Now it’s just him, Harley, and this tiny apartment. 

Resuming his search for food he’s not even hungry for, Mac opens the pantry, and Harley comes running into the kitchen. She must’ve learned the sound of the door opening since they keep the dog food in there. Harley looks up at Mac expectantly. 

“Don’t look at me like that.” She whines, and her pleading expression reminds Mac of the wide-eyed look Bozer mastered as a kid while begging his parents for something. Neither are very effective. “You just had breakfast an hour ago,” he insists.  

Harley glances at the open pantry, then back at him. 

Mac doesn’t give in, but he does kneel to pet her instead, scratching Harley’s neck and ending up with a handful of hair. Frowning, Mac digs through every drawer in the kitchen in search of a dog brush. No luck. He checks the bedroom and bathroom, coming up empty once again. Who even organized this house? It makes no sense. His gaze lands on the laundry room door. 

Ah. 

Sure enough, there’s a dog brush on the shelf above the washing machine. 

Leash and brush in-hand, Mac calls out, “Alright, girl. Let’s go de-floof you.” 

Harley takes one look at the brush and sprints in the other direction. 

Well this is going to be harder than Mac anticipated. 

He ends up chasing Harley throughout the apartment, zig-zagging from one room to the next. Every time Mac gets close, Harley slips by, just out of reach. After the fourth time she sends Mac stumbling into the furniture after lunging for her and missing, he realizes what she’s doing. 

Harley is playing him. This is a game to her. And, so far, she’s winning. 

Mac stares the dog down, and she seems to narrow her eyes in response. “Challenge accepted,” he tells her. 

This time, he knows exactly where to find what he’s looking for—peanut butter. He smears an unnecessarily large glob into Harley’s dog bowl, making sure she sees exactly what he’s doing. Harley’s stubborn, and does a good job of appearing not to care, but Mac has a hard time believing any dog would turn down peanut butter. 

Harley, it turns out, is no exception. 

She follows him to the door, and Mac rewards her with a few licks of peanut butter while he clips on the leash, careful not to let her eat so much that there’s not enough to last while brushing her. Despite Harley’s obvious enjoyment of the peanut butter, Mac is no fool. She let him win this round, no doubt about it. 

He leads Harley down the stairs to the small lawn in front of the apartment building, where it wouldn’t matter if he left dog hair everywhere. The brush pulls away thick chunks of her undercoat with each pass, and it doesn’t take long for the lawn to look like something died there. 

The peanut butter, unfortunately, doesn’t last nearly as long as Mac hopes. 

Mac figures out pretty quickly that Harley does not like her tail being brushed; she turns away and tucks her tail and generally makes it impossible for Mac to reach it. He sits back on his heels, formulating a new strategy. “If I don’t brush your tail,” he says, “you’re going to look like a squirrel, and neither of us wants that.” 

Harley’s ears prick at the word squirrel. 

Mac tries again, and this time Harley lets him…sort of. It’s not perfect, but at least she won’t be leaving hair all over the apartment anymore—hair that he needs to vacuum, because Riley asked him to last night and he’d completely forgotten until now. Tucking the brush into his back pocket, Mac scratches Harley’s ears the way he learned she likes, and when she leans into his touch, Mac’s heart swells. 

“Good girl.” He kisses her head, and Harley licks his chin in return. “See? We’re not so bad.” Mac sighs. “I know we’re not who you wanted, but we’re going to take good care of you.” 

Riley made the same promise in the war room. Even if she doesn’t stay with them after the op, Mac will make sure Harley ends up with people who will love her for the rest of her life. 

“I promise,” he murmurs into her fur, kissing her head again.

Mac startles when a feminine voice calls, “You could make a whole other dog from all that hair.” A middle-aged woman stands in the walkway, oversized blue purse on her shoulder and car keys in hand. She smiles at Mac. “I haven’t seen you before. Did you just move in?” 

“Yeah,” Mac says, standing up. “My wife and I moved in this week.” 

“Well, welcome. My name is Carrie Ann, and my husband and I live in apartment 317. Feel free to stop by anytime. I think you’ll like living here, though I must warn you that it gets pretty loud during football season.” 

Mac nods. “Nice to meet you. I’m James.” He expects Carrie Ann to keep walking—presumably to her car—but she doesn’t, and Mac suddenly gets the feeling this conversation is about to be much longer than he wants. 

“And who is this cutie?” she asks, directing her attention to the dog. 

“This is Harley.” 

Carrie Ann sounds like a squeaker toy, greeting Harley in a voice so high-pitched it’s almost inhuman and petting her without bothering to ask for permission. Harley eyes the woman warily but surprisingly sits still. “I love dogs,” she says at a mercifully normal decibel. “Sadly my husband is allergic.” 

“That is unfortunate.” Mac shifts from foot to foot, eager to escape the small talk. He’s never really had the patience for it. 

Carrie Ann, it seems, is completely oblivious to his discomfort. She prattles on, asking asinine questions about what he does for work, if he’s been to the coffee place down the street, and when she can meet his wife. 

Mac doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse when Riley appears in his peripheral vision, as if on cue. “Actually,” he says to Carrie Ann, “you can meet her right now.” Mac flashes Riley a wide, bright smile that she returns half-heartedly, chest still heaving after her run. Sweat glistens on her body, and a few wispy curls that escaped her ponytail are now plastered to her face. “This is my wife, Genevieve.” 

Giving Harley a quick scratch, Riley stands beside him, close enough that Mac can feel the heat radiating off her body. Instinctively, he starts to put a hand on her back, but he quickly pulls away. She’s not wearing a shirt—only a sports bra and those stupidly tight leggings—and the intimacy of putting his hand on her bare skin is too much to handle. “Hi,” she says, completely oblivious to Mac’s internal panic. 

Carrie Ann introduces herself again, and Mac is only half-listening while she and Riley chat. Riley’s so much better at small talk anyway. 

He’s much too focused on how Riley grabs his shoulder to use him for balance while she stretches. She’s so casual about it, like she’s done it a million times before. His skin burns under her touch. 

Mac wants to feel more of her, wants his whole body to feel like that. 

Stop it, he chastises himself. Stop thinking about her like that. 

He can’t. 

Even after Riley lets go, the feeling lingers, and Mac can’t stop thinking about that too. She’s standing slightly in front of him now, almost as if she’s protecting him from their nosey neighbor.

“When are you having kids?” Carrie Ann coos. “An attractive couple such as yourselves would make such beautiful children.” 

Shit. He and Riley never talked about that. 

Before Mac can come up with an answer, Riley pulls his arms around her, a smile blooming on her face. She guides his hands to rest low on her abdomen. “We’re actually trying right now.” 

Mac’s brain short-circuits. 

He blushes, both at the casual intimacy of Riley wrapping herself in him and at the implications of what she just said. Pressing her body fully into Mac’s, Riley looks up at him, smiling like he’s her whole world, and Mac’s heart stops. He’s not breathing. 

His whole body burns, and the feeling is so much more intense than he imagined just seconds ago. 

Alight with mischief, Riley’s dark brown eyes draw him in, and suddenly Mac is picturing Riley with that exact same expression while wearing far less clothing. 

Mac thinks he might die from spontaneous combustion. 

You are so beautiful, he barely stops himself from saying. His blush deepens as he’s snared in the mental image of him and Riley doing said “trying.” 

Their neighbor has the audacity to laugh. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it, Genevieve. Your husband looks like he’s ready for another round.” 

That makes it worse. So much worse. If he doesn’t spontaneously combust, then he’ll definitely die of embarrassment. It’s not how he wants to die, but it’s better than explaining his reaction to Riley. Because she’s going to ask him about it. Mac knows this—knows this like he knows grass is green and gravity is what keeps his feet on the ground.

As soon as Carrie Ann leaves, Riley does exactly that. She extricates herself from his grasp, putting her hands on her hips and furrowing her brow the way she always does when she knows something’s up. “Are you okay?” she asks. 

Mac’s voice is strained as he replies, “Yeah. I’m good.” 

He is not good. He is definitely not good. 

And Riley knows it. 

This op feels like all Mac’s worst nightmares coming to fruition. Simultaneously. 

Riley can’t know. Her knowing would ruin everything—their friendship, their work, their trust. Mac can hardly look her in the eye. How is Riley supposed to trust him when he’s secretly thinking about her like that? He’s her friend; he’s supposed to protect her from guys who want her like that, not become one of them. 

But god does Mac want to be one of them. Not one of them, he corrects himself. The only one. 

He’s screwed.

.

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[potionsprefect]

Harbouring

Tobias Carrick x MC

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: Victoria turns to an unlikely source for comfort

Rating: General Audiences

I don’t know what this is but I wrote it anyway

He was, in all matter of speaking, acting like a dick.

Victoria had these kinds of thoughts before. Ethan was so incredibly stubborn that it took all her willpower not to shout at him half the time.

Now he was just ignoring her. Apparently, his chats with Harper were much more interesting. Trips down memory lane clearly dominated current case studies.

But tonight, she just wanted to forget all her worries.

Victoria was currently wandering round the streets of Boston on her own. She was meant to be on her way home after a long shift at the hospital but instead found herself in Donahue’s on her own, drowning her sorrows and now she was aimlessly discovering parts of Boston she hadn’t seen before.

She knew she would have to head home soon, her roommates would begin to worry about her, only Sienna knew the full story. Victoria had text her, letting her know she was ok.

Victoria took a right turn up towards a road where there were a block of flats. As she looked up, the majority of the lights were off, it was well gone midnight.

“Victoria?” A voice said that made Victoria look down.

Tobias Carrick was stood, bin bag in hand, looking at Victoria with a puzzled expression.

“Tobias! What are you doing here?”

“Uh... I live here.” Tobias said, a small smile creeping onto his face. For some reason, he found it very amusing.

“Why are you holding a bin bag?” Victoria asked.

“I find putting the bin bags out at this time of night very stimulating Doctor Clarke.”

“My god that sounds boring.”

“Actually it can feel therapeutic. Like you’re tossing all the bad omens in your life away.” Tobias shrugged, putting the bag into the bin then closing the lid.

“That sounds like something Ethan would say. Maybe you and Ethan grew on the same tree.” Victoria laughed a little.

“Don’t say that. My reputation is far more important than Ramsey’s.”

“Yeah right. Although I’d quite like to toss Ethan off somewhere.”

“Woah slow down. I mean I get it, there were times I felt the same but are you okay?” Tobias took a step closer.

“Yes? Well... no not really.” Victoria sighed. She could feel the alcohol wearing off.

“What’s happened?”

“Ethan! Just... he’s acting strange all of a sudden and I don’t know what’s brought it on.” Victoria huffed throwing her arms up.

“What do you mean?” Tobias asked.

“Everything was alright until Harper showed up. Now all he wants to talk about is their time together and go down memory lane. Right in front of me as well! It’s like they don’t even consider I’m there.” Victoria explained. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t be loading this off on you.”

“No it’s okay. If I’m honest, anything that will one up me on Ethan I’ll take.” Tobias chuckled, he suddenly felt a few raindrops fall onto his shoulder, then it started to rain heavily. “Come inside.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden.”

“It’s pissing down with rain Clarke, of course you’re not a burden.” Tobias replied.

Victoria followed him through the door and into the building, the rain soaking her clothes and the cold autumn air made her shiver. Tobias led them to his flat and grabbed a blanket for her, that she wrapped around her shoulders as she sat on his couch.

“Thank you.” Victoria smiled.

“No problem. So how long has this been a problem with Ethan if you don’t mind me asking?” Tobias asked as he sat down next to Victoria.

“He’s never been good at opening up. It took an assassination attempt to realise that he needed to tell me how he felt.” Victoria sighed.

“So are you a proper couple?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. We haven’t established anything between us. Things have just... happened. Neither of us planned it.”

So you’re not boyfriend and girlfriend? Tobias thought.

“Seems like Ethan needs a big wake up call. And I think you are the one to do it.” Tobias said.

“I’ve tried believe me.” Victoria sighed.

“He’ll come to his senses. He’s a smart man. He’d be a fool to let you go.” Tobias smiled.

What if he did let her go? The voice returned to Tobias’ head. He wouldn’t dare to admit it, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed with the young doctor. She was like a hurricane, she always left others feeling the impact of her arrival, something Tobias found insanely attractive.

Tobias had already one over on Ethan when it came to women. But it was clear that Ethan’s feelings for Victoria were much stronger than the feelings they both shared for the girl at medical school.

And right now, Ethan had the more power, they were both older and wiser, both knew they shouldn’t play a game like that again. If Tobias wanted to get involved, something drastic would have to happen. And right now, all she was was angry at him. Something like that would pass. It was just a temporary emotion.

He didn’t have a chance.

“I should get going. Thank you for inviting me in Tobias. It was very thoughtful of you.” Victoria took the blanket off her shoulders and stood up.

“Wait.” Tobias said a little too quickly, standing up beside her. He could feel his cheeks flushing slightly and prayed she hadn’t noticed. “Why don’t you stay the night? It’s late and still raining quite heavily. You can sleep on the sofa and I’ll drop you back at your flat first thing tomorrow. That way no one gets suspicious.”

“Are you sure? If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Nonsense. I’ll bring you some pillows and extra blankets.” Tobias smiled.

“Thank you.” Victoria smiled back.

Tobias headed into his room to grab some pillows and an extra warm blanket. By the time he headed back to the living room, Victoria was already asleep. As gently as possible he placed the pillows by her head and pulled the blanket over Victoria who snuggled up to it immediately.

As she moved, some of her hair fell across her face, but she didn’t wake up. Tobias continued to look down at her, probably for longer than he should’ve. He bent down and gently brushed her hair out of her face, his fingers lingering for just a moment longer.

Smiling to himself, Tobias headed into his room and climbed into bed. He found himself starting at the ceiling, replaying the conversations with Victoria and the one in his head in his mind. With one last faint smile, he fell asleep.

Now I’ve done this. Back to Ethan x MC I go 😏

I hope you liked whatever popped into my mind late at night 😂

@starryeyedrookie @udishaman @headoverheelsforramsey @lsvdw-blog @mm2305

[flamencodiva]

Wait For Me

Description: Dean and the reader were always an off and on kind of thing. What Happens when Dean realizes he’s too late? 

Pairing: Dean x Reader 

Warnings: Smut, Language, supernatural Violence, Character Death 

Word Count: 1506

Beta: none all mistakes are my own

He watched her as her hips swayed to the music. The beat of the music was bouncing off the walls of the nightclub. Although it wasn’t his scene, they had a hunt to complete. It seemed local monsters felt it was perfect to prey on horny, drunk club goers. But here he was with his best friend of over fifteen years. Her hips swayed to the Latin beat, well then again she was latin. Her father had been very good hunting buddies with his. But something changed, he felt a primal need to grind up next to her to keep the men staring at her away. She turned as was surprised to see him as the one grinding on her. 

He shivered when he felt her hot breath in his ear, “You don’t dance to this Dean, what are you doing?” 

“Making sure that you know I got your back” he shrugged and took a big sip of his beer. 

“Dean…” she began, she knew this game. 

They had been playing it since they were sixteen. Dean was her first, and she was sure she was his. After the initial shock, they developed friends with benefits that is until Cassie came into the picture. After that, Y/N had kept her distance, even going so far as to leaving Dean alone with Cassie for the duration of his relationship. It was on and off with them, more of a scratch an itch after a hunt kind of relationship. 

“Y/N, Let's just enjoy and gank a monster huh?” He continued to drink his beer as Y/N danced with him. 

He felt her perfect ass grinding on him every time she turned. It took all of his willpower not to start kissing her neck and take her on the dance floor. They were here on a mission, and he needed to focus. After the third song of the same sensual beat, Y/N tapped his shoulder and pointed towards the back of the club. The Vampire had seduced a girl looking no older than twenty. 

“let’s go,” she took his hand in hers and led him towards the back. 

They had gotten there in time to behead the bastard and rescue the shaken girl. The alleyway was now empty, the vampires body and head tossed into a dumpster. Y/N, sighed in frustration, she was turned on, and the last thing she needed was to fall back into the arms of Dean Winchester. The last time she fell into bed with him, was after the leviathans were out in the open. Bobby had recently died, and he had contacted her to meet. She hadn’t seen him since he left to be with the Yoga instructor and her son. She had sworn to never be with him, but his eyes and the fact that tequila was her weakness, made things fall into place. 

She had snuck out after that ignoring his calls until she saved him from a feral werewolf years later. But that time, she steered him to the local bar skanks and made her exit, telling Sam not to let him contact her again. But here she was, with him again and she couldn’t help take his scent in. Dean growled slightly as he pushed her up against the wall of the club in the alley. His lips crashed into hers, and his tongue explored her mouth. Y/N gasped and moaned at the invasion of his tongue in her mouth. 

She pushed her tongue against his battling for domination, her fingers in his hair tugging on it, inciting a sexual grunt from him. The one thing she remembered, he loved having his hair pulled. Her panties were wet with excitement as she hiked up her skirt and pushed her panties aside. There was no time for foreplay; it was going to be quick and dirty. He was already free of his pants as he pushed her up on the wall and entered her. Dean was slamming into her, her walls screaming to fill every inch of him. 

“Y/N,” he moaned in her ear, “God I missed your tight pussy.”

“Save the dirty talk Winchester and just fuck me, I have an early hunt tomorrow,” she commanded and pulled him against her. 

Dean pushed fast and hard, slamming into her until he could feel her walls clench around him close to her release. He twitched inside of her, his body coming close to ecstasy. 

“I’m gonna…” She moaned. 

“Cum princess, cum all over my cock.” He told her as her sweet release came, and he filled her with his hot seed. 

Dean let her down gently as she adjusted herself. She avoided his gaze, and he had been fighting his feelings for her since he was eighteen. He watched as she grabbed a napkin from her purse and cleaned herself off. 

“Y/N,” he muttered. 

“Thanks for the help and the stress relief,” she cut him off. “I guess I’ll see you around,” she walked off leaving him alone in the alley. 

She gasped as the angel blade penetrated her left side. The demon gave a triumphant smile as he pushed the blade in deep. 

“Dean Winchester’s whore,” it sneered, the black eyes peering into hers.

“You’re all talk for a demon,” she plunged her demon blade into the demon's neck. 

One of two blades in the world that had been passed down from generation to generation in her family and she was glad Dean had the other. She panted as she removed the angel blade and slumped down against the wall in the building. Her last night on earth and this was how it would end. She hadn’t told anyone where she was, and she figured she would always die this way. She felt the blood pool on her hand gushing out of her wound. She felt the tears pool in her eyes. They say that a person's life flashes before their eyes when they are dying, and she saw it. Green eyes in her life, happy, sad, angry. They haunted her throughout her adventures, and there they were at the end. 

She let out a strangled cry and cursed. Her breathing began to slow as her heat began to weaken from the loss of blood. She never noticed the familiar rumble outside and the pounding of heavy footsteps echoing throughout the warehouse. Her vision blurred and she heard the voice it sounded far away. 

“Y/N! No, No!” the gentle but callous hands were warm against her cheek, she knew who it was, “Come on sweetheart stay awake.” 

“Dean,” she coughed, and the taste of iron filled her mouth. She could feel the some of her blood trickle down the side. 

“Shhh, don’t speak princess, we’ve got you,” his voice croaked, “You can’t leave me, there is too much we haven’t said, too much that I should have said” his voice cracked. 

She chuckled and coughed, “I love you,” she said it as the tears began to flow, “God… I've loved you since you, and I took each other's virginity, Dean.” She let out a painful moan and strangled cry. 

Dean screamed for his brother to hurry with Castiel, but the angel shook his head sadly. 

“I’m sorry Dean… We’re too late, Billie isn’t letting me heal her” he said somberly. 

“No,” he said in a strangled voice as he sobbed softly. “Y/N, sweetheart fight it, please.” 

She shook her head and lifted her hand to his cheek, “It’s ok, It was good to see you again, and we went out with a bang” she chuckled at her joke and coughed up blood. 

Dean shook his head not able to say anything as her life slipped away. He held her in his arms and cried. His best friend, his first real love that he was scared to admit was now gone. He had hoped that once this was over, he could find her and marry her, but it wasn’t meant to be. All the time he wasted with Cassie and Lisa, he regretted not being with her. Her body went limp in his arms, and it took Sam and Cas all of their strength to pry him from her body. 

Sam carried her to the Impala, letting Dean be with her until they were safe and away from the warehouse. Dean spent his time preparing her body and wrapping it carefully for her funeral. He helped Sam and Cas create the pyre for her body. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he sniffed, “I was a coward, I was afraid of what was in front of me, afraid of this spark you gave me,” he whimpered as the tears fell. “Wait for me ok? I will take you on the best date I can think of in Heaven, you just have to wait for me.” 

He lit the pyre, the blaze crackling and sizzling over Y/N’s carefully wrapped body. Sam and Cas watched as Dean stood in silence saying his final goodbye.

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[sugurus-slxt]

Hiya! May I request a matchup (Ruby) for Jujutsu Kaisen for the follower event? I just stumbled onto your blog; congratulations on getting 100 followers! Let’s see…I’m 5’9” and 25 years old, I have shoulder length wavy light blonde hair (bleached), hazel eyes, pale-ish skin, and kind of an athletic body type (with a little bit of chub). I’m pretty quiet and tend to keep to myself, but if I’m around friends or anyone that I’m comfortable with, I can be pretty loud. I have been told that when I laugh, I can be heard from several rooms over. I don’t really take life too seriously, I mostly just go with the flow. I’m a pacifist; I don’t like to start arguments or fights and I HATE confrontation. However, if someone genuinely pisses me off, I will not hesitate to call them out. I get rather shaky and anxious when doing so though, as I’m not used to it. I’m also pretty open minded and I try to see things from everyone’s point of view.

I love to hike, go running, read, bake/cook, play video games (occasionally), and listen to music! I like EDM; drum & bass, electronica, trance, chill etc. I listen to other stuff besides that, if it’s pleasing to my ears, I will listen to it. I generally read stuff on tumblr, but if it’s a book I gravitate towards fiction! I’m a Libra, and my mbti type is ISFP (though some other tests I’ve taken have typed me as an ISTP, I’m in the middle with thinking and feeling). I like to stay active, as I get bored if I’m not. I mainly do trail running since I love being outside! I have an appreciation for art in any form, and I enjoy looking at what others have created. My favorite types of video games are RPGS, or anything I can get lost in. I also have a weakness for horror games, or anything horror related. I like to listen to horror podcasts, and research urban legends and creatures. I honestly would love to go urban exploring, but I don’t want to risk getting caught trespassing on private property! I also have a pretty big sweet tooth, I have practically zero willpower when it comes to desserts.

Ok, some of these are oddly specific, but some things I dislike are closed minded people, people getting in my personal space, public speaking (I would rather throw myself off a cliff), the colors orange and yellow, deviled eggs, and country music (sorry to the people who love it, ya’ll are still great, keep doing your thing 😆). I’ve had sensory issues ever since I was little (I was always over sensitive), and people getting close to me or touching me has always made me feel very uncomfortable/nervous. I struggle with showing affection, so I can be seen as rather detached or aloof at times. I’m not a very clingy or needy person; I prefer being independent. Also, I can get somewhat irritated if a person keeps offering to help me with something I can easily do on my own. As silly as this sounds, even if their intentions are pure, I feel as though they are saying that I’m incapable. Unsurprisingly, I have a lot of trouble asking for help. I prefer to work things out on my own. I prefer to stay in my comfort zone, and I rarely move out of it. However, deep down inside, I’m craving an adventure.

My style varies; I can go from looking like an up and coming professional runner to a troll that lives underneath a nearby bridge. I tend to favor a lot of darker colors, black is my number one go-to! I wear a lot of athletic leggings and sweatshirts/oversized t-shirts. Mostly because they’re comfy. I do love the cottage core aesthetic, though my clothing/room doesn’t reflect that. For who I seek, I suppose I’m looking for someone who is similar to me! Someone who I can feel comfortable with, and someone who isn’t super into PDA (or too clingy). I can be kind of goofy at times, so a sense of humor would be nice too. Some other things real quick, my dream vacation(s) would be going to Oregon or visiting the Netherlands! My dream jobs would be either a pastry chef (hell just put me in the kitchen in a bakery and let me bake), or working at a nursery/greenhouse. I like to work with my hands, so I would love either one!

I don’t exactly have any characters that I don’t want, I’m just curious as to who I will be matched with! Take your time and have a wonderful day 🙂

Personality Matchup

One 𝑅𝓊𝒷𝓎 coming right up for anon

A/Note: Hey thank you so very much for visiting THE VAULT. I hope you like your match up :) Sorry that I’ve taken so long, I’ve been preoccupied with school, and even though you said to take my time I think I took way too much. I hope you enjoy this. Love <3 ~ Sar-chan

I match you with...

Runner Up: Inumaki Toge

Here are some HCs:

Nanami definitely loves your loud side though he often comes off as reserved I think he really likes how from being super quiet outside or in a meeting to just saying what you’ve been holding back from saying. He loves hearing you talk and every time you shift from quiet to loud he lets out a soft chuckle and a smile he’ll hide away from you.

I think when Nanami is with you he’d find ways to crack jokes just to hear you laugh and he often has this running line, “I’d say I wish your laughs were all mine but I’m sure the neighbour heard it dear,” and finish off with, “I’m joking it’d be a crime not to share your laugh with the world. You and your laugh are far too beautiful to keep hidden.”

I think your personalities and natures would compliment each other nicely. I feel like both of you give a very “it” couple vibe.

Regardless of the suit Nanami wears, I think he dresses more comfortably in his free time. Larger more oversized clothes specifically sweaters and looser pants. He often lends you his sweater, he was a bit hesitant at first but seeing you in his clothes makes his lips quirk into a smile he won’t let you see.

I think Nanami enjoys reading for you especially if you lay against him (if you’re up for it) as both of you get settled for bed. If you fall asleep while he’s writing he’ll place a soft kiss on your forehead and whisper ‘I love you’ as he places the book to the side and repositions you to lay down.

If an argument ever happens to break out between you and Nanami he’ll try his best to bring it to more of a conversation he doesn’t like yelling and he doesn’t want to make you anxious.

He often accompanies you on hikes but almost always on runs because it’s also good for his physique and he gets to spend a bit of extra time with you.

Nanami favourite moments are when he gets to hear you talk about your day in the evening but he also appreciates the quiet moments where you both are just anywhere in the same room doing your own thing, he likes your presence and if the other sees something interesting and just points it out.

He isn’t clingy but Nanami gets touchy on mornings if he’s had a nightmare about you or he’s had an extremely bad day. He likes when you smiley hold him and run your fingers through his hair. He just likes knowing you're there.

I feel like you’d buy Nanami a nicer tie and though he loves you he just might refuse because he’s very accustomed to them and they are in a way essential.

Nanami isn’t the video game type but I think there might be a few select ones he’ll try out with you on the weekends and he just might get pretty addicted to one.

If you ask Nanami he might just take you to some of the places he’s exorcized curses from and as put together as he looks, he’s definitely trespassed. He’ll take you to some quite chilling places and he’ll be keeping an eye on you, however, if you do happen to get scared he will snicker just a bit. He’ll probably take you to a bakery or a coffee shop after to make up for it.

Nanami likes to watch you work in the kitchen if you’re baking up a storm he’ll probably be nearby reading a book but sometimes he’ll leave you to it because he knows you like pace as well.

EXTRA:

I hope you liked it, I apologize for taking such a long time.

THE VAULT IS NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU :)

[stoll-mydam-heart]

Snow Angels

Jeyna oneshot repost from my insta but someone wanted me to post it here too so I hope you enjoy, loves <3

Reyna had never seen the snow. She’d seen pictures and movies and had the idea of what it would be like, but had never experienced it first hand. From her time with Lupa, the small hope that she’d be able to go explore the mountains with the pack had been trampled, and then, she’d found her way to New Rome. It was a long, grueling process but now she sat alongside Jason Grace in the senate room, their meeting having just been adjourned, teens in togas filing out, trying their best not to trip.

Octavian stepped up to her and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

“Reyna-”

“Praetor,” she interrupted, relishing in the way he ground his teeth, obviously biting back a remark.

“Praetor, I hope you realize the mistake you're making by not addressing the issue. We were sent a bad omen by the Gods, it’s not something to ignore.”

“I wasn’t disagreeing that this is something we need to pay attention to, I’m just saying that the plans you want to implement are unrealistic. In case you’ve forgotten Jason and I are the praetors placed in charge by the people to make the best decisions that would benefit all of Rome, not you. We just received this news and it’s best not to make any rash decisions. Have you forgotten your role as augur?”

“I’m aware of my role but-”

“Then are you questioning my leadership?” Her patience was waning and she not so subtly started stroking aurum 

“Not necessarily,” he said, eyeing the dog,  “ I just don’t think you understand the gravity-”

“This is not information we will take lightly but things take time. Thank you for your input but the meeting was adjourned, you’ve been dismissed.” Her tone was clear, she wanted him to leave and from the look on his face he understood, yet he persisted.

“But-”

“Dismissed.” Octavian's eyes closed, fists tightly clenched at his sides, the thin papery white of his skin stretched over his knuckles as he took a deep breath.

“Yes, Praetor.” He turned on his heel and stiffly walked out of the building, leaving the two praetors alone.

“Gods he’s such an ass.”

Despite her frustration, she couldn’t help the short laugh that bubbled from her chest as she looked towards the blonde-haired son of Jupiter. His electric blue eyes stared back at her with admiration.

“Seriously, I would’ve just zapped him.”

She sighed, standing up with him following. “It takes more willpower than I think I’m capable of every time,” she admitted, seeing the smile that lit up his face from the corner of her eye as they walked out.

The wind hit her bare arms and goosebumps prickled over her skin. It was the last day of November, the new month bringing a temperature change. They walked back to their barracks, changing into their regular clothes, and went to sit on the hill, overlooking all of camp, the sun setting in the distance, basking everything in a seemingly warm glow despite the bitter wind.

“You know, I think we’ve done a pretty good job,” Jason said, tearing his gaze away from the people running around and going through their training regime.

“Hmm?”

“I mean running this place. I mean, we’re 16 and we’re running an entire legion, Rey. That counts for something.” She entertained the thought. Would people see her leadership skills as strong for running the legion as the age she was, or as weak, and immature? People respected her, that was obvious in itself, but she knew people talked, and she wondered what exactly was said behind closed doors.

“I suppose it does,” she finally relented. They sat in comfortable silence until a stronger wind picked up and she shivered. Jason laughed and handed her his jacket, a thing he often did when she was cold which she gratefully wrapped around her shoulders.

“You never were a cold weather person.”

“I’ve never really been in cold weather,” she said a little wistfully. He heard it.

“Do you want to?”

A beat of silence, then, “Yeah, sometimes.” Her head turned towards the mountains far off to the northeast. “I’ve always wanted to see the snow,” she admitted turning back to the sun which had almost been completely swallowed by the horizon.

She had expected Jason to respond, but when she looked at him, his eyebrows were scrunched and he looked lost in a train of thought. In the distance, a horn blew signaling the start of dinner as Jason snapped out of his reverie.

“What were you thinking?”

A small smile made its way to his face as he shook his head and raced down to the pavilion.

Dinner and war games were as usual and everyone went to bed at a normal time. As she lay in bed, waiting for the beginning of the next day, she thought back to her time on the hill and wished that she was in the mountains, without having to worry about holding the legion together, just playing in the snow. 

…………………………………….

The morning she woke up it was abnormally cold. Much colder than she ever remembered it being. Her eyes found the window and she gasped.

Outside, light gray clouds surrounded the camp, a light powdery layer of white resting on the grass as more flakes fell from the sky. It was snowing. A strange child-like wonder filled her as she quickly got changed and practically trampled Jason as she ran outside.

“Woah, I’ve never seen you like this, someone’s excited,” he laughed, holding her shoulders to keep her stable as she regained her balance and composure.

“Jay-how? Did you do this?”

He laughed, “I’m honestly not sure. I couldn’t summon something this big, let alone hold it.”

“Then how? It doesn’t snow in California.” 

“Well, I-” a faint pink, tinted his cheeks, deepening when he looked at her. “I prayed to my dad last night. I don’t know if it’s him since the Gods rarely answer but…” he trailed off, biting his lip in embarrassment.

“Jason this is… incredible. Thank you.”

“Yeah well, that’s assuming this was even me.” He held her gaze a moment longer, looking away to the newly arising campers who were staring at the sky in awe. It was almost time for breakfast, but she could already tell she was going to have trouble keeping everyone's attention today.

At breakfast that morning, the entire space buzzed and you could feel the excitement in the air. Reyna took her space at the front, raising a hand to get everyone’s attention, working for the most part, save for a few stray voices to which she shot pointed looks.

“Romans, as you can see today is… a bit of a welcome surprise and in lieu of this,” she paused, eyes scanning the crowd building up some suspense. “We will be taking a day off of our daily training regimens-” cheers burst through everyone's mouths with excited shouts, squeals, and giggles. She knew it wasn’t going to be possible to gain their attention again but she shouted above and it became almost quiet once again, though the excitement in the air was tangible.

“And, If the snow continues, tonight's war games will be snowball fights.” More cheers erupted and she sat back down turning to Jason who was grinning at her like a madman. Octavian from the side looked like he was about to protest but one look from her quickly shut him up and he stalked away.

For the first time in a while, Reyna had fun. In the city, kids were running around the blocks and streets staring to the sky, tongues out in hope of catching snowflakes. Shop owners were handing out hot chocolate and inviting people inside, overall everyone in a happy mood.

Jason however, had made it his mission to make sure she did everything she possibly could. Running back and forth between buildings, dodging each other's snowballs, laying in the thickening powdery layers on the ground, and making as many snow angels as they possibly could leaving imprints all over the ground. Makeshift sleds were constructed out of old plastic and tarps, taking turns pushing each other down the hills.

More than a few times, the sleds tipped over sending kids sliding and sprawled out on the ground but no one minded, getting right back up again to the top.

“You just gonna stay up there all day Ramírez?” Jason teased from down the hill. The use of her last name sent a spark through her body with renewed ambition.

She hopped inside and with a graceful push, was off sliding down and Jason cheered. The wind whipped at her face but she couldn’t have cared less. Everything about today had made her feel like she was a little kid, delighting in the little things without the stress of a legion on hers and Jasons’ backs. She realized a moment later that she was tipping and apparently Jason had noticed too as he held out his arms, bracing for the impact as she was headed directly towards him.

With a yelp, they crashed into each other, tumbling further down until they came to a mostly flat area, Reyna holding herself above Jason. A full-hearted, happy laugh escaped her lips and it was amazing, but it got caught in the back of her throat when she saw the look Jason was giving her.

The atmosphere between the two rapidly changed growing thick with tension, both their eyelids fluttering as they came forward at the same time, their lips meeting in a soft, gentle kiss. Her senses went crazy, acknowledging any and everything around her, especially the feel of his soft lips against hers until they pulled away.

Despite herself, she blushed, looking around to see who was around. Luckily, the area was pretty scarce people wise, the few that were out not even looking in their direction.

“What? Embarrassed to get caught kissing me?” his tone teasing.

“No, no it’s not that it’s just-” he cut her off with a laugh, gently rolling her off so they could stand up.

“I get it.” She nodded gratefully, them staring at each other a little longer than necessary. Once again, the dinner horn sounded in the distance, breaking their gazes but it wasn’t awkward, more content. The dinner that night was just as energy-filled as the meals before, the war games that night being an intense snowball fight. Snow was flying mercilessly to the opposing cohorts in something like capture the flag, though their only weapons were the chunks they managed to form out of the ground.

Unsurprisingly, the First Cohort won, though the defeated teams didn’t seem as bothered as usual. That night, Jason kissed her before she went to bed and she felt happy like there was something she was genuinely looking forward to in the morning.

When she woke up, remnants of the day before had been wiped away as if it had never happened, but she was still in a more buoyant mood than usual. As she walked out the door that morning, something felt off, and it wasn’t just that Jason wasn’t there to greet her. Something was wrong. She ran to Jason's barracks and burst in with a frantic look in her eyes scaring some of the campers who had never seen their leader so disorderly.

The first thing she noticed, Jason's bunk was empty, the second, everyone was looking at her nervously, and it was by the expressions on their faces her fears were confirmed.

Jason was gone.

[fanfalc-616]

The Rights Of A Nindroid

Chapter Thirteen- Variation One

(Prevoius chapter here)

(Discord Here)

This chapter was originally an RP with @ablackswansweet, and there are two versions- one from both character’s POV. I have Swan’s permission to post this.

Zane warily eyes the young adult who enters alongside Martha. Does she intend to hurt him to force him to do something?

“What do you want?” He questions, hating the resignation in his tone.

He really has begun to give up.

The blond seems oddly excited, considering the circumstances. It looks as though he’s barely containing himself as he comes up to Zane.

He leans into the nindroid’s personal space, studying him closely in a way that once again makes him feel like a studied lab rat.

"I want to learn how you work." The blond smiles deviously. He then grabs Zane’s face and moves it around to inspect it from different angles, and Zane tries to cover up his winces of pain as some of his exposed sensors are touched.

The blond takes a few notes in a notebook before returning to Martha’s side, still with an evil expression.

Zane tries to hide his sigh of relief when the teen leaves. It had taken a lot of impulse control to stop himself from attempting to bite the blond- being manhandled in such a way is a very unpleasant feeling.

“Haven’t you done that enough?” He protests, shifting in his bonds to the best of his ability. “With everything you’ve done to me, I doubt that any competent mechanic would need any more research.”

He glares at the two while he speaks, wishing he still had his faceplate- if only to better emphasize his look of displeasure.

The young man laughs a little, seemingly more to himself than to anyone around him. Yet once again, there’s still an almost cruel aura around him that puts Zane on edge.

"Thing is, Original, I'm not exactly a mechanic. I'm just really, really interested by your wires and gears. And how well they respond to… Certains stimuli," he says.

The teen takes a few more notes before looking to Martha, seeming to wait for approval. She gives it with a nod.

Zane doesn’t quite grasp what is happening until wires are hooked up to him, the blond still seeming to almost shake in his excitement.

He then steps in front of the control panel and looks back to Martha.

Zane feels a wave of unease take over him. Something about this situation is concerning him, and it’s more than the fact that they likely plan to hurt him.

They haven’t given any orders. They haven’t asked any questions. And yet it seems that they plan to hurt him anyway.

They claim that this is training, but at this particular moment, it seems as though this shaping up to be more torture than an attempt at teaching.

“To begin with, my name is Zane, not Original. Second, if you are so interested in ‘wires and gears’ perhaps a robotics course would be a more healthy outlet for you.”

He’s well aware that his words will make no difference, but he attempts to convince the teen to leave him alone anyway.

After a few moments, he adds, “Why are you doing this? I can assure you that I have never meant to cause harm on any innocents.” He glances over at Martha on the last words, noting her displeased expression.

“You can begin whenever you like.” She tells the blond, who hums in response.

"Hey, Original?" He calls out, waiting until Zane looks at him to continue. "You talk a lot."

The young man then pushes a button, and Zane finds himself squirming in his bonds at the uncomfortable feeling. This is far from the worst they have done or can do, but it is still not a pleasant feeling.

He watches as the blond writes something else down, and starts to try and reason with the teen, trying to convince him to stop. He even uses proper manners, but it still seems to have no effect.

When his requests to stop are left ignored, Zane decides to take a new track.

“I suppose I am talking a lot,” he admits, “but not nearly as much as an old friend of mine. Jay couldn’t stay quiet if his life depended on it.”

While starting up a friendly conversation might seem illogical, Zane hopes that it will perhaps give him some insight on the one hurting him. Information about the blond may give him an opportunity to convince him to stop- and perhaps small talk will help him prove that he is seintent.

"Heh, yeah. I had a guy like that in one of my foster homes." The blond smirks, seemingly at the way Zane is surprised. "Didn't end well for him either. No one like a constant source of useless noise, don't you agree?"

Zane isn’t quite sure why he finds him so humorous, but he chooses not to dwell on it, instead trying to find an appropriate response to the words.

"How is your old friend doing now?" The blond smirks as he turns up the voltage, staring Zane dead in the eyes.

Zane struggles to keep a hold of himself, gritting his teeth and trying to maintain the conversation.

And endless source of constant noise? That could be a way to describe it, but Zane has always been fond of Jay’s rambling.

“I haven’t seen him in a while- I’ve been a little…” He glances down at his chains, wincing. “... tied up.”

At this point, it’s likely that the blond has a game of his own if he’s still choosing to continue the small talk- and the large smirk on his face confirms it.

He pauses a moment before continuing. “I don’t think I caught your name, either. What do you go by?”

The blond wears a faux-surprised expression for a moment before answering. "My name's Kyle. He/him, I guess. But I don't think you're going to need to know that."

He returns to slowly upping the charge of the voltage, seeming to reveal in the uncomfortableness that he’s causing.

"Tell me about your other old friends.” Kyle still doesn’t look away. “You said you were dating, right ? How's it like ?" That menacing smile doesn’t fade, and while Zane isn’t quite sure where he’s going with this, surely playing along for the moment couldn’t hurt.

He forces any sign of pain down, attempting to keep up a polite and friendly facade even as the pain increases.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kyle.” He lies. “I don’t recall mentioning that I was in an active relationship, but I suppose that the background research you must’ve done would cover that.”

It is obvious that they know about his boyfriends- how else would they have known to show him what they did in the sensory manipulation?

The pain is still increasing, and it’s becoming harder and harder to pretend as though he’s not hurt.

His breathing has begun to grow heavy, and he’s sure that there are flickers of winces being shown, but he still does his best to maintain his friendly appearance.

"Yeah, I read your file before coming here. Big fan, by the way." Kyle still wears a cruel smile, but it starts to turn more menacing, an evil nature with more purpose. "Wonder how they feel about your self-sacrificing nature," he snarls.

But then he pauses, gritting his teeth. He seems to be trying to keep a hold on himself, but Zane isn’t quite sure what could have triggered it.

Unless… is it possible that his self destruct could have harmed more the way it did Martha?

Zane doesn’t have time to dwell on the thoughts, as he’s suddenly blasted with electricity, and he’s forced to bite back a cry of pain.

Thankfully, it’s only high for a few moments before Kyle lowers it, allowing Zane to regain his composure with a relieved sigh.

Kyle redirects the conversation again. "So, your old friends ?"

Zane decides to instead address the major concern of what may be a part of Kyle’s hostility.

“When I was fighting the Golden Master, I meant no harm to any innocent people. I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I… I understand that in some ways, I have failed this function, but I do my best to help those in need.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Keep calm. He can’t let the pain overtake him- he’s begun to sense that that’s what Kyle wants.

He debates saying more, but chooses to remain silent, waiting for a hopefully diplomatic response.

Kyle sighs and gives him a sharp glare that confirms Zane’s hypothesis. It was likely that his sacrifice had-

He’s cut off from his thoughts by a spike of electricity, and it takes quite a bit of willpower to prevent himself from shouting out at the pain.

Unfortunately, it appears that his pained reaction pleases Kyle, who is now smiling again.

"You didn't answer my question, Original. How was life with your… Boyfriends ? Kai Smith, Jay Walker and Cole Brookstone, yeah ?" He smiles as he emphasises the last names, a menacing threat behind his words.

Zane feels everything in his body go rigid, and with his concentration now centered on the others, he knows that he is having more acute reactions to the pain.

He hates the small whimper that escapes him, but he ignores it in favor of speaking, addressing the underlying threat of his words.

“You do not touch them.” He snarls. “If you hurt them, I swear on the First Spinjitzu Master that I will hunt you down to the ends of the-“ Zane finds himself cut off with a cry of pain as the voltage is jammed up.

"Calm down. I didn't even actually threaten them yet," The blond mutters to himself. Thankfully, it’s not long before he lowers the voltage, and when he does Zane is able to breathe again.

But his panic is still running high. He had all but directly said that-

"If I wanted to truly use them as hostages, I'd tell you I know which shop they go to every two weeks to buy supplies and food, which is the one at the end of the main avenue."

The voltage begins to increase, and Zane wants to be listening, but he can only just make out his words, in too much pain to think straight.

"I'd tell you we have live feed of them almost every day and everywhere they go."

Zane hates the loud screams escaping him, but he can’t even focus on them, all of his attention forcefully grabbed by the pain and the threats, the way he threatens the ones he loves-

"Or… I'd tell you how one of them already got arrested once, and how easy it is to transfer prisoners or fake an accident."

Zane can feel the way his body is reaching the maximum limits of what it can handle, he can’t handle much more of this, this will kill him, he can’t possibly-

When the power is shut off, Zane finds himself sobbing, thankful that it’s gone, the pain is gone, but he still has fear running through him, fear of what could possibly happen to the ones he loves.

Kyle walks up to him, and Zane hates the fact that he flinches, and he hates even more the smile the teen wears when he does.

"Don't you dare threaten me or her ever again. Remember who holds the power here," the blond mutters in his ear before going back over to Martha, checking his notebook.

Zane doesn’t have it in him to be ashamed of how much he had screamed when the voltage was on maximum power- or at least, what had felt like it.

He wants to retort, to tell the boy that will protect his boyfriends to the death, to tell him that he is more than a machine, to tell him that he will threaten him again if he has to.

But he can’t find the words. He’s too tired to come up with proper sentences.

The part of him that spends too much time with Kai urges him to tell the teen a string of insulting curse words, but Zane ignores it.

When the two leave the room, Zane doesn’t even bother saying a farewell.

What’s the point in it, anyway?

[leahxx129]

Truth or Cut (Dean Winchester x Reader x Sam Winchester)

Hello there! This my * very VERY * late submission to @dontshootmespence​ ‘s   Alphabet Angst for 8k Challenge. I am incredibly sorry for this delay but I had to take a break away from Tumblr and social media in general in order to focus on my mental/physical health & other issues in my private life. Now I think I’m ready to return and create content again. As for the story, I hope you like it. This is my first attempt at a love triangle. Important: does not include Wincest so it’s safe to read for anyone who’s not into that. Also, I inserted a ‘Keep reading’ line, I hope it’s visible.

Summary: The British Men of Letters try a new approach to acquire the Winchesters’ cooperation, which leads to heartbreaking revelations. 

Warnings: cursing, bloodshed, mentions of sex, character death

Word count: 2.750-ish

* Moodboard is mine, pictures used are not.

You gain consciousness to two male voices calling your name frantically.

“She’s opening her eyes, Sam! She’s alright… Look!” the hoarse baritone belonging to the elder Winchester reassures his brother a second after your eyelashes have started fluttering.

“Well, that’s the overstatement of the year, Dean… Let’s just say I’ll live.” you grumble once you fully come around. “What the hell?!”

Usually you’re more eloquent than that but at the moment it’s the best you can muster, considering that you’ve awakened in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse and all three of you are handcuffed to uncomfortable metal chairs organized in a neat triangle, facing each other. The only source of light are a few flickering candles placed on a table nearby.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out, babe.” your long-term boyfriend Sam replies in a soothing tone.

His handsome face seems intact – minus a couple of scars he obtained in previous fights – so being ambushed is crossed off the list of possible explanations on what happened and how you got here. Maybe you were drugged? If yes… by whom? The things that go bump in the night prey upon their enemies and slash their throats open, not abduct them.

A heavy silence falls on the place, only the crackle of the candle flames can be heard.

You have no idea how much time has passed – it could’ve been an eternity as well as ten minutes – when suddenly a consecutive knocking sound fills your auditory canals.

“Are those… are those high heels?” you ask aloud incredulously.

“Louboutin’s to be exact, my dear.”

Every head snaps to the accent’s direction just in time to see an elegantly dressed slender woman step into the candle-lit area.

“But excuse my manners… talking about fashion before introducing myself? How rude of me. I’m Lady Toni Bevell on behalf of the British Men of Letters.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Dean growls “You know, here in America no means no, Lady! We’ve already told your stupid little boyband to fuck off. We’re not here to do their bidding, we’re here to save lives.”

“So I’ve heard.” She nods in understanding. “But yet, we’d still like to gather some information, one way or another.”

She walks over to the table and unfolds a neatly wrapped package, revealing a knife. Suddenly, Sam’s sarcastic chuckle fills the place.

“And you think you can get us to spill by torturing? Seriously?”

A predatory smile spreads across Toni’s face as she casually picks up the weapon of her choice.

“I was thinking about playing a game that may involve torture. It’s up to you whether it does or does not.”

“What game?” you ask suspiciously.

“I’d like to call it Truth or Cut. Maybe Truth or Stab, depending on the importance of the information you intend to withhold. The rules are the following… I ask something and if you reply, that equals truth, and nothing will happen. If you do not wish to answer, just say cut and I’ll sink my knife into your flesh.”

“You’re crazy!” Sam exhales in disbelief.

“Thank you, Sam! I’m going to take that as a compliment. And since we are already engaged in a conversation, let’s start with you.” She walks to the center of the triangle to face the younger Winchester. “I’d like you to give me the names of American hunters you consider the best.”

Sam leans a bit forward, his face is unreadable.

“Bite me!” he hisses through gritted teeth. “I’m not gonna participate in your psychotic game. You can’t make me.”

Toni flashes a dangerous smile once more.

“Are you sure about that?”

She slowly walks behind your chair and places the blade under your right collar bone.

“If you refuse to pick either truth or cut, your loved ones will pay the price for it, big guy.”

Sam’s eyes search yours for confirmation of the next step and you nod.

“You’re bluffing.” He counters Toni.

The next second you feel the metal pressed against you slash into soft skin and you can’t suppress a loud grunt of pain. Blood starts oozing from the wound and your white tank top soon begins to acquire a shade of crimson.

The brothers yell ‘No!’ in unison, then Dean delivers an impressive selection of curse words – sneaking in some that were new even to you.

Toni strolls over to Sam.

“Now I ask again. Name the best American hunters you know.”

“Cut.” Sam responds in a tone just above whisper. He soundlessly flinches when the woman draws blood by sliding the blade across his left forearm.

“Alright… Who wants to be next? Perhaps Dean? List all the places where we can find extensive knowledge on the supernatural, not counting the Man of Letters safe houses of course.”

Dean’s gaze meets Toni’s and for a second you think you can see her confidence falter because of the deadly rage and utter disdain that radiates from the hunter, but she soon regains composure.

“So? Is it truth or cut, Dean? You know what will happen if you refuse to choose.”  

“Cut!” he emphasizes the t at the end.

You’re next and you pick cut as well. Then the cycle starts all over again...

You’ve made three rounds without anyone breaking and giving Toni what she wants, which visibly annoys her.

“Let’s shake things up a bit by changing the topics, shall we?” she announces out of the blue, making all of you knit your brows.

Spinning around on her heels, she turns to Sam.

“Sam! Did you manage to decide where you want to propose to Y/N? In my personal opinion the place where you said your first I love you-s is more romantic than the place where you first met, but that’s just plain old me.”

Sam’s eyes widen in shock, reflecting your own facial expression.

“Sam? What is she talking about?” you question in a thin voice, perplexed.

A shy, boyish smile appears on his face as he looks deep into your eyes, reminding you of the very first time you’ve seen him.

“Uh, yeah. She’s right. Although I have no idea how she knows this, but I did indeed plan on proposing to you at one of those places, probably where we met… up until now. Now I have to come up with something else I guess.”

A mixture of emotions floods your heart, making you undecisive what to say first. You finally open your mouth to speak but before a sound can escape, Toni directs the next question to Dean.

“Alright, that was a truth, so no cuts. Now, Dean! I am certain she will not get offended so you can tell me honestly… Is Y/N a good kisser?”

“How would I know?” he asks back, lacking any hesitation. “I think you’re mistaking me with Sam, her boyfriend. You know, the tall guy whose proposal you’ve just ruined? Next time you play this game with someone, have your facts checked first, Suit pants.”

The confusion on Sam’s face slowly starts to fade away, but Toni presses on relentlessly.

“Oh, Dean... That was a very convincing performance! But, unfortunately for you, I did have my facts checked. And according to these facts, you and Y/N locked lips passionately just two years ago, in 2015. Isn’t that right, Y/N?”

Everybody’s eyes are on you waiting for your reaction, and you can’t help but reminisce about the event in question.

You were having a hard time finding the key for the motel room you were renting - courtesy of the bottle of bourbon you’d consumed earlier. All those keys on the chain looked the same and neither of them seemed to fit into the lock, let alone open the damn door… In addition to that, the world slowly started spinning and you had to prop yourself against the doorframe to prevent an ugly fall.

“Need a hand there, Sweetheart?”

Your heart skipped a beat from the scare but soon calmness washed over you as you identified the person. You could recognize that husky voice anywhere, intoxicated or not.

“Dean Winchester!” you exclaimed, turning around to find him leaning against your car you’d parked near the doorway. “The world’s deadliest hunter and mightiest panty dropper turned hell’s cruelest demon! To what do I owe this pleasure? Considering that you’ve gone out of your way to ignore both me and Sam in the past couple of months.”

He leisurely pushed himself from the car and started walking towards you.

“I needed a breath of fresh air, that’s all. But speaking of whom… where’s Sam?”

He almost left no distance between your bodies when he finally stopped. What was he doing? If he wanted to kill you, he probably would’ve done it already…

“I don’t know. Why don’t you give him a call, huh? Ask him how he’s doing? You could make him the happiest man alive…” you replied with a bitter undertone.

A shit-eating grin formed on Dean’s handsome face.

“Uh-oh. Is there trouble in paradise?”

“Shut it, Dean! It’s really none of your business.” You said, crossing your arms and averting your gaze.

His comment hit a nerve – you both knew that – but the last thing on Earth you wanted to do was discussing your relationship crisis with him. If you still had a relationship, that is.

To much of your surprise, the next second he grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him and pressed his lips against yours. It felt terribly wrong but incredibly right at the same time… It took you half a minute to gather all your willpower and push him away.

“Y/N? Is it true?” Sam’s voice brings you back to reality.

Tears start dwelling up in your eyes, providing a wordless answer. He swallows hard.

“Why?”

“It’s all my fault, okay?” Dean speaks up as you’re clearly unable to form a coherent sentence. “I kissed her, man. It happened when I was a demon… I figured if I kissed her, I’d piss you off enough to leave me alone. Besides, she was totally hammered and still pushed me away.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better, Dean?!”

“I don’t know… a little, maybe?”

Sam scoffs then all of a sudden realization hits him.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“What?”

“Is my girlfriend a good kisser?”

Both you and Dean stare at him in shock.

“C’mon man, you can’t seriously want me to answer that…” Dean attempts to change the subject but doesn’t succeed. Sam’s stare makes it obvious he won’t let this one slide. He won’t let go until he hears the truth no matter how unpleasant it may be.

“Yes.” Dean blurts out. “She’s a good kisser. In fact, she’s one of the best kissers I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. Happy now?”

The only response is a nod.

“Oh wow…” Toni lets out an excited sigh. “Changing the topic was the best idea ever, don’t you agree? Now, let’s move on to Y/N. She’ll get the most interesting question in my repertoire.”

She slowly walks over to you, her Louboutin’s menacingly tap against the concrete every step of the way. She crouches down, tucks a strand of hair behind your ear and asks the most ruthless question in the sweetest voice.

“Which one of the Winchester brothers is better in bed?”

The tears you’ve been holding back for quite some time now break free and roll down your cheeks swiftly.

“I mean, it’s not entirely true what Dean said, now is it? You did push him away but then you pulled him back...”

Complete silence ensues and you swear you can hear three hearts break if you listen closely.

You were standing there more confused than ever. What the hell was Dean doing?! Was this a long time coming or was he playing some sort of a game? Either way… If you were sober, you most certainly would’ve punched him in the mouth. But due to your condition – or at least that’s what you’ve been telling yourself ever since – you pulled him back and kissed him there instead. The part of how you got inside the room was a blur, but soon enough you found yourself tangled up with him in the sheets. Torn clothes peppered the floor, a smell of bourbon lingered in the air and Dean treated you as if you were the single, most important person in the entire universe. You truly thought you’d never been happier – then came the morning and shattered everything to a thousand pieces.

“You know, to encourage picking truth regarding this question, I am going to tell you something you yourself may not even be aware of, Y/N.” Toni breaks the silence. “There is something else that’s not true in what Dean said. He did not spend that night with you just to piss Sam off… He’s been attracted to you ever since you’ve met and being a demon allowed him to shamelessly do something about it.”

You whisper ‘Cut’ as a reply and Toni’s face hardens.

“Oh, honey… withholding this information is worth a stab.”

Before you can comprehend her words, she swings the knife and it ends up in your right thigh. You don’t think you’ve ever seen this much blood come from a stab wound… Both Winchester men yell in protest, but their voices become distant as you slowly slip into unconsciousness.

Mary and Castiel tracked down your location and arrived just in time. You almost bled to death, but the angel managed to heal the wound. For a while you wished he didn’t.

Three weeks later you’re sitting in your car at an abandoned gas station. About fifteen minutes after your arrival, a black SUV parks near you. You limp to the vehicle and tear its door open, barely containing your fury.

“What the fuck was that, Toni?!” you question while getting in and pointing a gun at her.

She glances at the weapon then looks you in the eye.

“Is that necessary?”

You cock the gun in response.

“Alright. So, as you know, the management decided that you delivering information to us about the Winchesters is not enough anymore.”

“Yes, that’s why you’ve contacted them directly, I know.”

“Correct. But since they refused to cooperate, the management came up with a plan of disrupting their unity. This way it’s just a matter of time and one of them will be knocking on our door. I suspect it will be Sam.”

A bitter laugh escapes you lips.

“So that’s what this was? A disruption of unity? Really?! And why didn’t I know of this, huh?”

“We needed your reactions to be genuine.”

“God, you’re a bunch of psychopaths… You know what, I’m not gonna do this anymore. I quit.”

She lets out a loud scoff.

“Please… what are you going to tell them? Furthermore, how do you think they will react when they learn that the love of their lives is a snitch?”

You let your gun down.

“I’ll make sure they know why I became a snitch... I’ll make sure they know how I made a crossroad’s deal years ago to save them both. I’ll make sure they know how you offered to delay the hellhounds in exchange for some information every now and then. I have no idea how they’ll react, but maybe someday they’ll understand and find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

Toni stares daggers at you.

“I suggest you think this through carefully, Y/N, as we still hold your deal. One bad move and the hellhounds will come and get you. No more delaying.”

You flash her the biggest smile you can summon.

“Well, it’s been a while since the last time I played with puppies from the pit… I think I’m ready.”

Not waiting for her reaction, you get out of the car and start limping back to yours. By the time you get in, Toni is gone.

You’re all alone.

Well, not entirely alone to be fair.

The grumbling hellhounds in your backseat keep you company.

You take your phone out of your pocket avoiding any sudden movements and type a quick message to the Winchesters:

‘My nightstand, second drawer.’

Toni thought she could prevent you from exposing the truth by taking action quickly, but she wasn’t paying attention. You never said you were gonna tell them everything. You said you would make sure they know. And the detailed farewell letters you left for them in your drawer will serve the purpose well.

[drethanramslay]

i would like to request 18 & 56 for ian x mc if you wanna write it🥺👉🏼👈🏼

Thanks for the ask @raleigheffingcarrera ❤️❤️

You can find the prompt list here.

#18- “Do you own anything that isn’t a woollen jumper?”

#56-“I don’t think i’ve ever see you without a book in your hand…”

Word count: 2.1 K (fuck that is longer that I thought it would be)

Author's note: okay so this is my first time writing Ian X mc and I hope it lives up to your expectations 😅

And also I have changed the MC's character a little because let's agree.. um qb MC is creepy🤢

Forgive me if I make any mistakes and I hope you like it ❤️

Falling like the stars

Bianca sat on one of the tables in the almost empty quad, studying. Sure, she was part of 'the Elite' and climbing the popularity charts but being a straight A student for most of her academic career would never remove the nerd in her.

Fall was around the corner, so the trees were a burst of red, orange and green. The leaves rustled with the wind and the setting sun casted long shadows on the ground. The birds chirped and the sky was a hue of reds and pinks, making the entire place look so serene.

There used to have such pretty sunsets back home. Bianca thought, swimming in nostalgia.

Shaking her head, she dived back into her notes, several books open around her as she resumed writing.

It went on like that for an hour before she heard laughter and chatter from the other end of the quad. Students filed out of the anthropology class.

Must be the class which Ian set up for the people who failed the mock test. Bianca mused to herself.

As the students poured out, her eyes kept on flitting to the entrance, waiting for him to come out.

God, just how whipped are you?

Whenever she thought about her past interactions with Ian, she would mentally face palm.

She wanted to bang her head at how cringy and dumb she acted around him. She wanted to be smooth, but she would come across as a creep. She wanted to come across as understanding, but she would come across as pressurising. She wanted to come across as caring, but she ended up being overbearing.

Ian was such a sweetheart that he would brush of the comments but seeing the discomfort in his eyes made her want to curl up into a ball and die.

She just couldn't understand how she manage to fuck up everytime. Sure she was good at flirting with both guys and girls but, that was just mindless fun. Just a mutual exchange.

But with Ian, it was different. Ian was not the kind of guy you could just add to a list of hook ups. He was the kind of guy you could have long conversations and not get bored. He is the kind of guy who would listen to your problems and guide you. He is the kind of guy you could call at 3 am and he would come over to be by your side as you cry.

He is the kind of guy you could fall in love with.

And those guys were dangerous. If you fell for him, your life would never be the same, take it however you want.

Yet... She found herself doing the exact opposite of what she promised herself to not do.

Fall for her anthropology professor.

She saw Ian exit the classroom, his laptop in hand. She observed his outfit and it was the usual he wore. Tie, woollen jumper (for it was chilly), formal pants and brown Oxfords.

Does he own anything that isn't a woollen jumper?

She saw him talk to a couple of students before bidding them good night.

Look away Hughes. Look away before-

His eyes snapped to hers, as if he had an inbuilt radar.

-he sees you.

Blushing and caught in the act, she raised her hand and sent a small wave. He gave a grin and started walking towards her.

Shit shit shit. He is coming here what do I do?

Be yourself. He inner voice said, which sounded eerily like Zoey's.

Be myself? What kind of dumb advice is that.

She looked down at her notes, her voluminous curls covering her face praying to God, that she doesn't fuck up this time.

"In the entirety of this week, I don't think I've seen you without a book in your hand..." Ian spoke up, an amused grin on his face.

Twirling her pen she spoke. "Well there is a saying- No matter what clothes you wear, you can't shake out the nerd in you."

"Let me guess, its a quote which you came up on the spot."

Shooting an embarassing grim she spoke. "Guilty as charged. There is a reason I'm not majoring in Lit."

They both chuckled. Cupping her face in her hand she said, "You look awfully cheery today."

"Obviously, it's the weekend and I'm not going to have to deal with students and faculty for 48 hours."

Giving her books a stink eye she sighed. "I wish I could get out. I'm just so done with everyone."

"Why is that? Aren't you like Miss Popular now? Where are your friends?"

"They aren't-" stopping abruptly she sighed and played with her hands on the table.

Ian reached and squeezed one of her hands which had her looking up to see kind dark eyes stare back at her. "Something's bothering you. Do you wanna talk about it? I'm a good listener."

Her heart leaped but her notes glared back at her. "I would love to but I have to study."

"Yeah, I know that. But I also know that you should not burn yourself out. When was the last break you took? Or the last time you are?"

Silence.

"Well that answers my concerns. C'mon I know this food truck with delicious giant burritos."

Closing her book shuts and placing her pens into her pouch she stood up and stretched. Ian's eyes narrowed on to the exposed skin of her torso.

Ian, calm down. Don't stare at her like you want to fuck her. She is your student and you are the professor. He chanted to himself before helping her close her books.

Placing the books in her satchel, she threw the strap over her shoulder. "Okay. I won't turn down a giant burrito. But we will need to come back in an hour and half."

"Deal."

"This guy is a culinary genius. I used to come here to eat when I first shifted to NYC. They are so big-"

————————————————————————————-

"Oh god this smells sooo good." Bianca said as they stood in line for the food truck.

"That's what she said." Bianca snickered to which Ian gave an unamused expression.

She shrugged and gave an unbiased grin. "What? I saw the opportunity and I just couldn't let it slide."

"I swear you need Jesus." Ian muttered under his breath before stepping forward to place their order.

"Here, let me pay-" Bianca said as she reached for her purse but, was stopped by Ian grasping her wrist and shaking his head.

"It's my 'good luck for your exams' treat for you."

Bianca looked down, a shy smiling on her face.

Why do I get so flustered around him?

Taking their food, they walked further into the park and sat on a bench facing a small pond.

Unwrapping her burrito eagerly, she took a big bite and groaned as the spicy flavours burst into her mouth. "This is sho goofff." She said with her mouth full.

"Told you it would be worth it. " Ian said as he took a sip of his coke.

Gulping she smiled. "Never doubted you for a second."

"Wait you have something...here." Ian reached forward to wipe the sauce at the edge of her mouth with his thumb which left an onslaught of butterflies in her tummy.

Thank god it's dark and he can't see my cheeks.

They continued to eat in a comfortable silence before Ian spoke up. "So, are you ready to tell me what's bothering you?"

Swallowing her bite, she sighed. "It's just... I'm exhausted."

"Is it about your exams?"

"Nope. I love studying as dorky as it sounds. It's my only escape. But... I'm tired of everything else, y'know?"

"Is it about 'the T'? Poppy? The popularity hierarchy here?"

She scoffed as she agressively took a bite of her burrito. "Try all of the above."

Turning towards him, she spoke, her forehead furrowed with annoyance. "Do you how shitty this entire charade is? It feels like I'm in the fuckin Hunger games over here. I never gave a damn about how popular I am or how feminine I need to look or what kind of threads I need to wear to impress people. I am a 'band tee, shirts and Vans' kinda girl but here I am wearing-" she pointed at her black woollen turtle neck, her pleated skirt and knee length boots "- THIS! My mom would be shocked that I actually am wearing a skirt."

"I think you look beautiful." The compliment slipped out of his mouth without him even realizing.

His eyes widened after a moment. "I-" he began but he was stopped short by Bianca shaking her head and squeezing his arm in gratitude.

"Thank you Ian. But coming back to the topic, this is straight something out of mean girls and it's so unnatural. Hell, in my previous college everyone was too stressed and depressed to bother about this... This popularity contest!"

"Yep. That's Belvoire for you. Where the rich will trample over the poor." Sarcasm dripping off his lips which had Bianca chuckling.

Raising their coke bottles they clinged to each others. "I will drink to that."

Taking a sip, they both gazed at the water. The night sky reflected in it which made the entire place look magical. After sometime, Bianca spoke up. "I am not liking how it's changing me."

Ian turned towards her, their knees brushing against each other. Ian exercised his absolute control and willpower to not look down at the expanse of her legs.

"Care to elaborate?"

Letting out a humourless laugh she continued. "When I was accepted to Belvoire, I thought it would open up so many new opportunities. The exposure and knowledge would help me sharpen my skills. The various job offers and the placement deals... The list could go on and on."

Looking down at her almost finsihed burrito, she sighed. "But it's just opened up doors to manipulation, deceit and savageness."

Sighing, Ian gazed into the distance. "Well that is the funny thing about these elite schools. They promise you dreams but tell you you aren't good enough the moment you enter. They promise you hope that life will turn around but tell you that you are destined to your old ways. At the end of this torment, you are so way off from your morals. It's a paradox which I hate."

"Exactly!! And see, I'm assertive, I don't take shit from anyone and I won't hesitate to give it back to a bully. But, that became an invitation for people to see me as someone who would dethrone Poppy. It's tremendous pressure and Zoey has taken up the job of being some, marketing manager, trying to sell this brand called 'Bianca Hughes'. I love that girl but damn... I didn't sign up for this."

Ian wiped his mouth before continuing. "Sorry if this come across as crass, but I have noticed how you bask in the constant fawning and how most of the campus is head over heels in love."

"Well, I also have years of drama classes under the belt. It's all an act Ian. I am in this constant state of turned on and I am not able to turn it off."

Ian eyes bugged out and Bianca turned red after she realized what she said. "I didn't mean it in the sex way I meant it- argh!" She smacked her hand on her forehead.

Chuckling Ian squeezed her shoulder. "No I get it. You have been putting up a facade of someone you aren't and that would, of course be tiring. Years of staying here in the Big Apple and till this day, I wonder how far have I gone from the wide eyed boy who grew up in the suburbs. Would he be proud of what I have accomplished? Or be ashamed of how I have deviated from my morals?"

She shot a smile his way. "Well I think he would be proud. Despite how much the people around here drag you down, you are one of the most genuine people I have come across in this jungle filled with snakes. It feels nice that I have someone I can talk to about mundane problems without being judged, y'know?"

Ian smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. "Me too. I care about you and I am always here to listen to your problems and guide you. You are unique and don't let this entire ordeal take that away from you."

"Thank you Ian. I really appreciate it."

They got and threw the trash into the adjacent garbage as they started heading back for campus.

"Ian?"

"Yeah Bianca?" Ian turned towards her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry if I come to hard on you. I don't do it on purpose, I swear! It's just - oof all my words get muddled up due to my feelings and I end up embarassing myself and making you uncomfortable."

He chuckled as he tucked her hair behind her ear, his gaze flitting to her brown orbs. "It's okay Bianca. People do crazy things when they have crush-itis."

"Lemme guess, you came up with that disease right now."

"Just like you did with that quote. Remind me again, what was it? No matter what clothes-"

She cut him off by lightly shoving him "Shut up." But he just continued laughing.

"You are annoying." She grumbled.

"But you still like me." He said as he nudged her shoulder.

That I do...

Ian X MC: @lucy-268 @ethandaddyramsey @noboundariesplease @hyperlightgrifter @mals-chesthair @theodorepjames4 @edgiestwinter @findmeafterlife @magicalshepherdtreeprofessor @ohramsey

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[lunetheaveragefan]

one day...

Hey! It’s time for chapter 6! This chapter also deals with some heavy things as well, so be mindful of that (as always, more details in the warnings). Anyway, that’s all, so enjoy the chapter!

A Sander Sides high school AU

Pairing: Prinxiety and some background Logicality

Summary: Virgil is used to being alone. He only has one friend, Logan. But when Logan makes a new friend, things begin to change as two more join their group. Roman, a boisterous theater kid, seems determined to destroy Virgil’s lonely, average life. How much will Virgil’s life change?

Warnings: mentions/descriptions of homophobia, bullying, suicide (hanging), suicide attempt (overdose), and self harm; mentions of Remus and Janus; swearing

Word Count: 1933 words

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

CHAPTER SIX

Roman bites his lip and looks around. After standing awkwardly in the middle of the cafeteria for too long for his liking, he finally spots Virgil, Roman, and Patton sitting at a table in the back corner of the room. Relieved, he makes his way towards them. 

Virgil sees him coming towards the three of them, and, to Roman’s surprise, gives him a small smile. Patton must see this, because he turns around and spots Roman as well. He’s more openly enthusiastic and waves, a big grin lighting up his face.

Sliding into the open seat next to Virgil, Roman says, “It’s weird to be eating this early. I’m not used to it.” Patton chuckles. 

Virgil, always one to get to the point, asks, “So. Why’d you stand up for me?” Roman bites his lip and thinks, Dammit. I was hoping he forgot. He didn’t want to tell them. No one, even Patton, knew why he’d suddenly become so averse to bullying after being one for years. Everyone most likely thought he had a change of heart somewhere along the line. And he had, in a way. But there was more to the story.

There is always more to the story.

“Well, uh, you see…” Roman stammers, trying to get himself together. He took a deep breath before continuing, “Well, back in middle school, right after I came out, my dad was such an asshole about it. He didn’t want to accept or respect that I was gay. He said -- and did -- a lot of things. I realized sometime in July that he was being a bully, and what he was doing wasn’t so different from what I had done. And I don’t want to stand around watching someone get beat up the way I was by him, you know? I don’t want to sit around, knowing I could do something, and then have to live with that regret for the rest of my life.” It’s only a half truth, and a shitty one at best, but Roman’s too scared to talk about what really happened. 

He doesn’t want to relive the worst, most terrifying days of his life. Really, who would?

Patton, who’d already heard about what had happened the summer before freshman year a million times, still starts tearing up. What a sap, Roman thinks, but it’s a loving remark. He knows that he wouldn’t be near as happy, nearly as accepting of himself as he is now without Patton. 

There’s not much of a reaction from Logan; just a small head nod and a slightly reassuring smile. But it’s more than Roman was expecting from the serious boy, so it throws him off. What throws him off more, however, is Virgil’s face. 

It’s very skeptical, eyebrow raised, eyes drilling into Roman’s, almost as if he’s trying to see the lie just by the force of willpower. To Roman, it seems like he might be pretty close. No matter how much he wants to break eye contact with Virgil, he can’t. There’s something about it that draws him in, that’s electrical. 

To Roman’s relief, Virgil looks away first, but only to roll his eyes. 

“Oh come on, Roman,” Virgil scoffs. “I can smell a half-truth or lie or whatever the hell that was from a mile away. Now, that all may be true, but there’s more to the story. So cut the bullshit and start again. Besides, I’ve already heard that whole story. That’s not your big secret. Enlighten me, why don’t you? What would be so bad that the great Roman Princeford would have to hide it?” Resting his chin on his palm, Virgil smirks, an obvious challenge. He wants to see if I’ll break. Give in. And honestly, I don’t know if telling or closing off would be letting him win. 

“Hey, now, Virgil,” Patton says, always the peacemaker. “Let’s be nicer—”

“No, no, it’s fine, Patton,” Roman interrupts. “He’s right. I-I can’t keep avoiding this.”

Dread settles in Roman’s stomach as he steels himself to tell the story. Ignoring Patton’s concerned, “Kiddo…” he begins.

“Well, I guess the right place to start is with saying this: I have a twin brother. Remus.” Breathe. “He’s-He’s special, I guess. His mind is...twisted. Dark. He likes things that aren’t really...well, good or happy. And I never minded. He was still my brother, demented as he may be. 

“My parents, though...they thought something was wrong with him.” Breathe, Roman. You can do this. “They sent him to therapist after therapist, psychologist after psychologist. Gave him pill after pill, but nothing ever worked. He kept on being the same crazy Remus. So they just...gave up. On him and his future and their...their love for him, I suppose.

“But I never did. I tried to be there for him. I went to every performance he was in, I went to movies and football games with him. But it was harder as I grew up because suddenly, my parents decided that since Remus was a let down, a...a failure-” Come on! Don’t cry. It’s fine. You’re fine. Safe. “-that meant I had to make up for it. If they couldn’t have two normal sons, then one of them better be, had to be, pretty goddamn exceptional. 

“So we grew apart. Remus found a boyfriend, Janus, who could take him to movies and football games and go see his performances. And I kept on being the glory child for my parents. And everyone else, it seemed. I didn’t know that he was getting bullied until...until it was almost too late.”

The images rise in his mind: The hospital room, sterile and white, and the boy lying still under the sheet. The rope, tied with a near perfect circle at the end, hidden in the back of his closet. The blood pooling, staining the carpet red, gushing from the slashes on his arms. The way he looked when he woke up, the disappointment clear on his face. 

Remus, cold, pulse so slow Roman was sure he was dead, and the bottle of pills on the nightstand. 

Roman forces the sobs back down his throat. 

“Remus attempted suicide, and I didn’t even know he was hurting. He survived, of course, but just seeing him in the hospital, after...it hurt. A whole fucking lot. And so I swore to myself that I would do whatever I could to prevent that from happening to anyone. No one should have to look down at someone they care about, love, and hope with all they have that they survive. Knowing that someone tried to...to kill themself? That they genuinely thought it was the best option? It’s the worst feeling in the world. And I don’t want that for anyone.” Roman swipes at his eyes, only to find a single, hot tear creeping down his cheek. Quickly, hoping no one noticed, he wipes it away. 

Blinking until he feels back in control of his emotions, Roman looks around. Patton, of course, is a sort of wounded puppy, concern in his eyes, and a hand over his heart. Logan has been sombered by the story, more sadness than Roman expected showing on his face. But curiously, Logan’s eyes aren’t on Roman; they’re on Virgil. And when he looks over, Roman sees why. 

Virgil has tears streaming down his face. A hand is over his mouth, shaking slightly. His other hand clutches his wrist, so hard, the skin around his fingers is turning white. The two sit there for a moment, staring at each other. Abruptly, Virgil throws his arms around Roman and hugs him tightly. 

“I’m-I’m so sorry,” Virgil says in between sobs. After the shock has passed, Roman wraps his arms around the other boy. The hugs lasts long enough for the butterflies in Roman’s stomach to become full-fledged birds of prey. 

Finally, when Virgil pulls away, Roman offers him a small smile. To his surprise, Virgil returns it. Roman isn’t sure if he should ask Virgil about his reaction to the explanation or not, but Patton saves him from overthinking it.

“So the musical is coming up…” Patton prompts, clearly trying to change the subject. Thank God for Patton, Roman thinks. I don’t want to think about all that anymore. 

“Yeah!” Roman replies, pasting a smile on his face. “You guys are all coming, right?” 

Patton, looking scandalized, says, “Of course we are!” before correcting himself by saying, “Well, I am at least.”

“Personally, I’ve never understood the whole theatre thing,” Logan adds, “but I suppose, as your friend, I should come support you, so I will be there.” Patton smiles widely at that, causing a small chuckle from Roman. Patton’s always bugging me about confessing my feelings, yet here he is, keeping his crush to himself. 

“And Virgil?” Roman asks, trying not to get his hopes up. He’s probably not going to want to come. Hanging out with me at school and studying is one thing, but this would be a clear admission of friendship, something he most definitely does not see me as. Why would he—

“Of course I’m coming,” Virgil says, wiping away his tears. “You’d have to be pretty stupid to thing I would miss it.” He gives Roman a gentle, friendly punch in the arm, and despite the lingering sadness from his earlier confession, Roman beams. 

Trying to hide his overwhelming happiness, Roman simply states, “Cool.” 

The rest of lunch, the four make conversation about meaningless things: upcoming tests, funny memories, disastrous family get-togethers, and the like. When they get up to dump their trays, Roman leans over to Virgil and whispers, “I apologize for making you cry. I didn’t think it would affect anyone that much.”

Virgil replies, “Oh, it’s okay. It just hit a little too close to home, that’s all. I’m fine now.” The smile Virgil gives him does reassure him. And for once, Roman doesn’t spend all his time thinking about what Virgil could possibly mean by the story ‘hitting a little too close to home,’ mostly because all Roman can think about is the feeling of Virgil’s arms wrapped around him and his small, yet no less meaningful, smiles. 

It’s this he’s thinking about after school when the musical director says, quiet loudly, “Roman!”

Blinking repeatedly to dispel the distracting thoughts, he peaks around the curtain and asks, “Yes, Mr. Halter?” 

“That was your entrance.” Roman winces.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” He hurries out to his spot on the stage, fixing his costume.

Mr. Halter sighs and says, “Roman, that’s the 5th time you’ve missed an entrance just today. What is going on? The play is on Friday. We don’t have time for messing around or distractions.” His face is filled with disappointment, but also concern. Roman figures it’s because he never messes up this much, especially when the performances are so close.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more focused. Just have a lot on my mind.” Roman flashes a winning smile, and Mr. Halter looks relieved.

“Good. Now, let’s start with Ana’s line right before Roman’s entrance.” Roman and the rest of the cast and crew nod and get in their respective places. Back behind the curtains once again, Roman thinks, Goddammit, Virgil. You just keep on messing up my life. The thought, however harsh it seems, is filled with something awfully close to love. 

But Roman knows he can’t keep dwelling on that almost-love, or at least not right now. So he shoves all thoughts of Virgil from his mind and steps into his character and out onto the stage.

[uwua3]

your name (pt. 3)

❄️📚 tsukiokia tsumugi

part 1 — part 2 — part 3

summary: as tsumugi wakes up, he meets your best friend

warnings: lack of food

author’s note: good day everyone! i hope you enjoy part 3 of my newest series !! ₍₍ ( ๑॔˃̶◡ ˂̶๑॓)◞♡ please have a good rest of your day~! :D tsumugi & tasuku ♡LOVE♡ you!!!

word count: 1,966

Tsumugi woke up.

For once, he felt well rested. That’s when Tsumugi knew something wasn’t right. Rapidly straightening his back, Tsumugi felt like he was living in the past. It seemed as if he was in a classroom, a setting Tsumugi hadn’t seen in quite a long time. Rows of clean desks surrounded him neatly, with students filing in to fill each seat. Tsumugi slowly looked around, the bright sunlight nearly blinding him as a cloudless blue sky greeted him. The chatter of noisy college students became more audible, and Tsumugi felt like he was back on the morning shinkansen. As Tsumugi looked out the window at the small school campus, a hand abruptly ruffled his hair.

“Morning, lazy. You just got here and you’re already tired?” The boy scoffed, but not in a cruel way. It was a manner of speaking that came from being childhood friends, even if Tsumugi had no idea who this man was. Tsumugi cleared his throat, unsure of how to respond before his eyes widened. Just at that slight sound, Tsumugi could tell this wasn’t some dream. And, this wasn’t his body to begin with.

“Hey… wait, you okay?” The man asked, concerned but when he addressed Tsumugi by a new name, Tsumugi could feel his heartbeat in his ears. What was going on? Where was he? Who was he? Who was this student before him? As Tsumugi barely comprehended the situation, the bell rang as the teacher walked in. Immediately, every student stood up to greet the head instructor. The man just talking to Tsumugi pulled him up by the arm, forcing him to bow so he wouldn’t get in trouble. The touch upon his lower back seemed to bring him back to reality, because Tsumugi forced out a polite “Good morning, sensei” in tune with everyone else. As everyone sat back down, the man sat next to Tsumugi with worry apparent in his facial expression.

The man already appeared cross and serious at first glance, but the furrow in his thick black eyebrows was even more alarming. As the professor began lecturing about some subject he had a basic understanding of, a note was expertly slipped onto his desk without another word. Tsumugi could tell the pair had done this more times than they could count. Tsumugi hadn’t, so his fingers were unfamiliar with opening the paper without getting caught.

Meet me on the rooftop after class — Tasuku

Tasuku, Tasuku, Tasuku. Tsumugi read the name over and over again, even after he shot Tasuku a weak thumbs up (he had received a confused look back, but a nod nonetheless). Something about that name rang every alarm inside his head, but then again, it’s not like Tsumugi trusted his gut. Where did he know that name from? It was out of the ordinary for Tsumugi to mindlessly drift off during a lesson, but he couldn’t help it. Tsumugi was silently accepting that this was all too real to be a figment of his wild imagination.

The sound of the harsh eraser ripping paper, furious note-taking with pens, the conversation from other classrooms drifting through the open windows. It was all so much to take in at once. The professor went on as they wrote key points with chalk upon the green board, the loud scratch and clack of the white dust making Tsumugi’s head spin. Tsumugi didn’t even take out his notebook at first, and when he did, he realized this handwriting was not his own. The person’s writing was messy and rushed, like all his other students. It was for a subject Tsumugi didn’t recall that well. Before Tsumugi could read the date of the entry, another hand was placed upon his shoulder. Warily, this time.

“Class is dismissed.” Tasuku stated, as a matter of fact. Tsumugi didn’t have to do much to confirm it was true, as the group of students left for their lunch period. Even the professor was looking at the two, wondering why they were still here. With a flush of embarrassment, Tsumugi quickly grabbed his bag and nodded, unable to speak. Tasuku’s eyebrows raised even higher at this profound silence, but didn’t say another word before tilting his head towards the corridor. Tsumugi had no choice but to follow. What else could Tsumugi do except put all his trust into this random student named Tasuku?

The two walked against the crowd, but no one paid any mind to Tsumugi. That was the joy of college, Tsumugi gratefully remembered. Everyone was always too busy with their own plans that judging others became a hobby only for the privileged. Or, maybe it was the fact Tsumugi’s small frame was already being covered by Tasuku anyways. Tasuku was tall, much taller at this shorter height Tsumugi found himself in. Not only that, but Tasuku was clearly physically fit, with bulging muscles beneath his skin tight soccer shirt. The uniform was designed with unfamiliar school colors, and Tsumugi didn’t recognize the name of the university. However, Tsumugi read the name in bold letters on the back with a sense of recognition.

Takoto #6. Takoto Tasuku. Tsumugi thought of this name over and over again. It wasn’t until Tasuku looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes that he randomly stopped in the middle of the hallway. Life went on as students simply passed them without sparing a look.

“Did you just say my name?” Tasuku asked, and Tsumugi grew redder realizing he was most likely muttering out loud. Perhaps that reaction wasn’t normal, because Tasuku quickened his pace to the rooftop. Tsumugi attempted to match Tasuku’s steps, but the height difference was staggering. It was clear Tasuku was some big name soccer player with how fast he was. Whoever Tsumugi was, was not that athletic.

Tasuku held open the door as the two made their way up the stairs. Entering the rooftop, Tsumugi could spot a few students here and there eating their packed lunch as the wind carried their conversations away. At this height, Tsumugi could barely see anything except scattered homes and thousands of trees. A little town not too far from here was peeking through on the mountainside, and Tsumugi almost forgot how peaceful a small town was. Tasuku sat down near a net, waiting for Tsumugi to choose a place as well.

This must’ve been some sort of test, because Tasuku was carefully watching him. Naturally, Tsumugi sat beside Tasuku on the right like it was second nature. That seemed to be the right choice, because Tasuku let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Without taking out his bento box, Tasuku crossed his arms as he leaned against the volleyball net pole.

“We’re alone now. What’s wrong with you?” Tasuku finally asked, carefully analyzing Tsumugi’s every move. Tsumugi didn’t know what to say; he was usually the one listening, not talking. It was out of his comfort zone to now be expected to talk. What was he supposed to even say? What did this original person even act like? Tsumugi wished he could read Tasuku, but the man was a closed book so far.

“I… I’m just tired.” Tsumugi admitted, trying not to pay attention to every inflection in this new voice. Tsumugi knew he’d just overthink himself to death if he actually observed every little change in this new environment. It definitely wasn’t a lie to say he was overwhelmingly exhausted, not only with this body switch but with life’s challenges in general. Tasuku seemed to see that, since he nodded and accepted the response. Thankfully, it seemed like Tasuku wasn’t the type to demand an explanation so quickly. At that, the two finally took out their lunches and ate in relative silence.

Tsumugi took some time to think everything over rationally as he tried to not devour this homemade lunch. It had been so long since he had anything not from the 7/11 convenience store. Right now, he was having an onigiri only a grandmother could make. It took all of Tsumugi’s willpower not to act like he was starving (he was) in front of the effortlessly cool and intimidating Takoto Tasuku.

From the short time Tsumugi’s known him, Tasuku was already impressive. Students acknowledged him in the hallways, he obviously had a reputation with sports, and he was a loyal friend right from the start. Tsumugi couldn’t help but admire him, even if he had just met the man a mere hour ago. But, there was something about Tasuku. Something more. Tsumugi couldn’t place his finger on what exactly made Tasuku feel so... familiar.

Tsumugi spaced out, already finishing his lunch. Before Tsumugi could get too distracted, Tasuku’s hand appeared in his sight once more. This appeared to be a common theme, not that Tsumugi minded. In Tasuku’s hand was a pair of chopsticks holding some sort of… fried fish?

“Here. Make sure to eat more, I can hear your stomach from here.” Tasuku grumbled, pretending like it was an inconvenience to take care of Tsumugi, but his proud puff of his chest betrayed him when Tsumugi took a bite. It was so good, Tsumugi wanted to know the recipe straight away. At the sight of his sparkling eyes, Tasuku just pushed his box over, insisting that he wasn’t hungry anymore.

“Besides, I have to stay fit for my game tomorrow anyways. You’re coming, right?” Tasuku shot Tsumugi a genuine smile when he immediately nodded his head. Tsumugi internally cursed himself over the fact he had no idea where Tasuku was even playing, but shoved food into his mouth to avoid thinking about it too hard.

“I-I’m…” Tsumugi swallowed the vegetables quickly, forgetting his mouth was open to begin with. He truly wasn’t used to this much food being in his mouth all at once. Tasuku smirked, trying to stifle his snicker behind his hand as he pretended to cough into his fist. Tsumugi didn’t know why, but his immediate reflex was to send a light punch against Tasuku’s bicep. Was that the right move? Tasuku froze for a split second before sending one back, twice as hard. Ow.

“I’ll be your biggest fan tomorrow, Ta-chan.” Tsumugi said honestly, not knowing if it was solely his words or someone else’s. Maybe, even a mixture of both. Tsumugi never got swayed by anyone quickly, but it was hard not to do that when Tasuku seemed to be his only friend. Tasuku widened his eyes before looking away, watching some boys play volleyball with a slight hue of red across his cheeks. Tasuku was desperately trying to hide his embarrassment, but it was a fail once his voice cracked at the beginning of his next sentence.

“Ta-chan? You haven’t said that in so long, idiot.” Tasuku ended roughly, acting like this was nothing. Tsumugi didn’t have the heart to tease such a nice boy, and just hummed.

“Thanks, though.” Tasuku quietly replied, and Tsumugi just noticed his country twang to his words. They must’ve been hours from Tokyo, Tsumugi mused, but he smiled anyways. Tsumugi didn’t know how it looked upon this face, but it seemed to work when Tasuku smiled back.

The bell rang once more, signaling the end of recess and lunch. Tasuku stood up and offered his hand, the other behind his neck as his blush became prominent in the daylight.

“Come on, you must not want to move with how much food you ate.”

“It was good!” Tsumugi defended himself, but took Tasuku’s hand anyway. Something flashed in Tsumugi’s vision before it was gone as soon as it came. Tsumugi didn’t think anymore of it, and followed Tasuku to the next class.

Tsumugi was so full and content that he didn’t realize he didn’t let go of Tasuku’s hand all the way to class.

[talkfastromance4]

Love So Sweet-- boxer!Luke AU

I’ve finally finished this! This is the longest thing I’ve ever posted in one go. I originally wanted to do this in parts but I have too many in parts I’m still posting now lol. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it! And yes, the title is from TEETH and you’ll see why at the end ;)

Word Count: 19.6k

Warnings: swearing, fighting, drinking (only casually), smut and sexual occurrences, unsolicited hitting on a girl at the bar, mentions of domestic abuse/violence

Masterlist

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Without further ado, enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts on this I’d LOVE to hear your feedback! :)

____________________________________

Luke Hemmings is a player and a boxer, the ultimate troubled duo. He’s the best fighter at Seconds of Summer gymnasium/arena and he goes through women like his fights, quick, fast and onto the next one. Even though the girls know they won’t get a second call from the devastatingly handsome fighter, they were still his entourage at every fight. Cheering him on and wearing scantily clad outfits.

Luke’s been undefeated since the start of the season, but that was all about to change on Friday night when he saw, quite possibly, the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. She’s standing with her arms across her chest while he slips into the ring. Calum is murmuring tactics in his ear but he’s only half listening. He’s watching the dark haired beauty chew on her nail while she listens to her friend, who Luke recognizes is Penelope, or Nell. Nell is dating Calum.

Excellent.

“Bro, did you hear me? He’s quick on his feet so be wary,” Calum claps his friend on the back and Luke nods, sneaking one more glance at the pretty girl.

The sound of the bell signifies the start of the match and Luke began the dance he knows all too well. His height makes it difficult for him to move as fast as his opponents but it anchored him well enough to throw some great punches and uppercuts.

He won the first round, but he kept peeking at the new girl during the second. She wasn’t even really paying attention, instead she was scrolling through her phone or talking with Nell who was watching Luke adamantly. At least she was interested.

“Come on, Luke! Get your head in!” Calum shouts from behind and Luke regains his focus on the opponent dancing opposite him.

Luke took a running start and flipped the guy over his shoulder so he fell onto his back, his body making a loud thud and the crowd went crazy. Luke tucks a loose curl from his bun behind his ear and he strolls over to where Nell and the pretty girl were.

His usual gaggle of girls scream his name as he approached but the girl he was keen on noticing him was completely oblivious. That irritated him. Why come to a match if you aren’t going to watch?

Luke sighs and winks at his fans who squealed in response. The ding of the third and final round sounded and he turned around and was met with a hard fist to his jaw. It causes Luke to stagger as he rubs his jaw, the taste of pennies fills his mouth. He spits out fresh blood and curses at himself. This girl is getting in his head and he doesn’t even know what the hell her name is.

He lunges for his opponent but he’s tripped up, falling hard onto the floor and the guy is on top of him. Luke hears so much noise and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, then he thinks of the girl and with all his willpower he flips himself over with a loud grunt. He has the other guy pinned by the neck and the ref counts to ten.

A double bell sounds the end of the match and Luke clambers off his opponent. Calum and his two other best friends, Michael and Ashton, are jumping on him in victory. The crowd is going nuts, Luke’s breathing is heavy and his eyes scan the crowd for Nell and the girl but they’re gone.

He almost lost because of her and she didn’t even fucking witness his win. Unbelievable.

• • • •

“Why are you in such a mood? You’re on your tenth win!” Michael exclaims while they’re at their favorite bar, Charlie’s after the match.

“Thought I was going to break that streak tonight, Mike,” Luke says tipping his beer bottle to his lips.

“Yeah, what happened that second round?” Calum asks.

“I dunno, I got in my head,” he shrugs. He glances at the door just as Nell walks in searching for Cal. The girl he saw is close beside her. “Fuckin’ hell.”

“Hey guys!” Nell greets excitedly then looks to Luke, “congrats on the win, big man. Ten and counting.”

“Thanks, Nell,” Luke grins brushing his curls back with both hands, his eyes roaming over to the brown haired beauty.

She’s standing awkwardly playing with the pendant of her necklace. Luke can see her eyes are a deep blue.

“Oh! Everyone, this is my cousin, Evie. Evie these are Calum, Ashton, Michael, and the champion over there is Luke,” Nell introduces pointing to each person.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you all,” Evie gives a small wave to the group, her eyes slide over to Luke whose gaze hasn’t left her.

“She just moved here from Wisconsin,” Nell continues finding a comfortable spot in Calum’s lap who kisses her cheek affectionately.

“Well, welcome to sunny LA,” Ashton laughs with his arms open.

“Thanks,” she smiles a bit awkwardly and Luke can tell she’s shy.

As annoyed as he is that she distracted him earlier, he finds it endearing. He can feel she’s got a thick wall up and he wants to do anything in his power to knock it down. Just as long as she doesn’t keep getting into his head during fights.

• • • •

The next time he saw Evie was at his next match, and just like the first one, she wasn’t watching. She was on her phone or looking anywhere and everywhere around her except for at Luke and the ring. He almost lost again, but when that thought entered his mind it made him angry so he ended up winning anyway.

Ashton was throwing an after party at his place, lo and behold, Evie was off to the corner nursing a drink in her hand while Calum and Nell were on the opposite corner near the beer pong table... Her dissociation irritated Luke and it increased each time he saw her doing. Taking a quick shot and leaving the platinum blonde who was flirting with him mirthlessly in midsentence, he makes his way over to her.

She looks up at him, giving him a weak smile then turns her attention to the contents in her cup as she swirls it in her hand.

“You’re not a people person, are you, sweetheart?” Luke asks under his breath sidling closer to her. Normally he uses the form of endearment on his gaggle of girls as part of his tactic to get them into his bed, but it drips condescension with Evie.

“What do you mean?”

“At the matches and the bar you’re on your phone and now here,” he tilts his head down to look at her, his height overpowering, “you’re in the corner like a pretty little wallflower.”

“I’m not bothering anybody, so what’s the big deal?” she shrugs.

Luke is surprised at her retort to be honest. He thought the quiet, shy girl wouldn’t have a bite in her so he grins devilishly. “It bothers me,” he says lowly digging his hands in his black jeans.

Evie’s eyebrows raise in response. “How?”

“It bothers me how you’re always on your bloody phone when you come to a fight. You get in my head and it messes up my game. I’ve almost lost twice now because of you.”

“How exactly is that my fault? Why are you watching me anyway when you should be fighting?” her big blue eyes turn steely, he notices her sky blue manicured fingers tighten on her red solo cup.

“You distract me.”

“That sounds like your problem, not mine.”

“Evie! Come take a shot!” Nell shouts from across the room. Without another word, Evie skips around Luke’s large frame to join her cousin and his friends.

He sets his jaw and watches her go, wondering what the fuck this chick is doing with his head.

• • • •

The group of friends decided to go to a bar downtown. It was nothing like Charlie’s. It was more of a club than a bar because of the bouncers out front with a velvet rope and a massive line stretching down the sidewalk.

Luke is surprised to see Evie has joined them and even more surprised at the outfit she’s wearing. Normally when he’d see her at the ring she has on leggings and a simple shirt. Now she’s sporting black high-waisted shorts with a red sparkly tank top, he can’t help but notice the perfect amount of cleavage showing either.

Evie gives him a small smile in greeting when she walks past him. The smell of her perfume—roses and something fruity—are left in her wake leaving him momentarily stunned.

“You all right, man?” Calum asks walking by with Nell on his arm.

“Yeah, fine,” Luke mumbles following them inside the bar.

It’s dark and hazy from the random smoke machines that would go off with the bass drop of the songs. It’s crowded too and Luke searches for Evie only to find her up front leading the pack while he takes up the rear. The shortest and shyest girl of the group is leading them through the bar?

He sighs in slight irritation when he realizes he’ll have to keep his eye on her for the night so she doesn’t get into a compromising situation. He knows how guys’ minds work and Evie has that perfect innocent look with those big eyes of hers that draws you in.

Once they’re up at the bar he orders a round of shots first, something simple like a lemon drop. The group gathers in a big circle clinking their glasses and Luke’s eyes stay glued to Evie as she sucks the sugar off the lemon and licks left over sugar off her lips.

Luke orders another shot for himself. This is going to be a long fucking night.

The drinks flowed constantly and the girls danced along to the music. Luke had even saw a prospect of a girl across the bar but when he heard Evie shriek in laughter he was pulled right back to his unofficial post of watching out for her.

He tells Calum he’s heading to the bathroom quick who nods and Luke gives one more look at Evie. She’s leaning against the bar sipping on her drink listening to whatever Nell is telling her. Luke slips by dancing bodies quick as he can, now that he’s heading to the bathroom the need to relieve himself has increased.

When he’s finished he splashes water on his face and gazes at himself in the mirror. His eyes are bluer and he realizes he’s not even drunk because he’s been so preoccupied watching out for Evie.

Sighing at his reflection, he heads out of the bathroom but when he returns to his group, Evie isn’t in sight.

“Hey, where’d Evie go?” Luke asks Ashton who’s talking to some girl with bright orange eye shadow on.

“Uh, bathroom,” Ashton answers then turns back to orange eyeshadow girl.

Luke sighs scanning the crowd for her face before ordering a beer. Nell is making out with Calum against the bar so she clearly didn’t accompany Evie to the bathroom. He takes tender sips of his beer scanning constantly for Evie’s red shimmering top.

Finally, after what feels like hours, he spots her weaving in between people and Luke stands up a little straighter as she approaches. He frowns when he sees the look on her face then spots a guy behind her clearly trying to get her attention. Luke’s grip on his beer tightens, coaxing her to get to their group faster silently in his head.

When the guy grabs onto her wrist and waist pulling her against him, Luke springs into action. He slams his beer bottle on the bar top and stalks over to Evie.

“Let me go,” her voice is high as she tries to break free from the stranger but Luke is stronger.

He wedges himself in between Evie and this asshole easily, he pushes Evie behind him then glares at asshole.

“Hey man, I had her first—“

“She didn’t want you,” Luke says, his voice steely. “Walk away.”

“Whatever,” asshole scoffs shaking his head, “fucking tease of a slut anyway.”

The next thing Luke knows his fist has connected with the guy’s jaw causing him to stumble backwards into a throng of people. There’s gasps then Calum and Ashton are beside Luke when the asshole regains his footing. When he sees two other large men standing before him, he rubs his jaw then ducks away back into the crowd.

“What the hell was that?” Calum asks Luke in alarm.

Luke ignores him and instead turns around to look at Evie who’s being consoled by Nell. Her eyes are wide in shock and she’s clearly visibly shaken and what just happened.

“Are you okay?” Luke asks sincerely taking a hesitant step forward.

Her nod is jerky while she rubs her wrist, Nell is rubbing her back and hugging her to her side. Luke nods then puts a couple twenties on the bar to cover the rest of their drinks.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says and everyone agrees quickly.

He makes sure Evie is in front with Nell, Ashton and Calum are on his side as they basically escort the girls from the bar. The car ride was silent, the altercation sobering everyone up pretty quickly. Luke is only half listening to Calum berate him for punching someone outside of the ring but Luke would do it again in a heartbeat.

His breath catches at the realization.

Nell decides to stay the night with Evie and the guys want one more drink so they were going to go to Charlie’s but before they drove off Evie approaches the passenger side door. Luke rolls the window down.

“Thank you, for what you did,” she thanks him.

“You’re welcome,” he grunts clearing his throat. Their gaze holds for a moment before she nods then retreats to the entrance of her apartment.

• • • •

Luke tried to get Evie out of his head by getting someone else underneath him. It wasn’t until he opened his eyes while he was pounding into the girl he picked up at the end of his practice match that he realized he picked her out from the crowd only because her hair was the same color as Evie’s.

He closed his eyes again and focused on reaching his climax but it only made it worse because all he saw were Evie’s big, dark blue eyes.

Well, that didn’t work.

At his next match three weeks later, Evie is with Nell with the others surrounding them. She was still on her phone but not as often as the first couple times. That eased Luke a little. Slightly. Not really.

At Ashton’s that night he finally corners her because he needs answers. He pulls her out on the balcony, the summer breeze cools his burned temper slightly and she stares up at him in shock, her mouth open slightly. Luke tried not let her pink lips distract him.

“Why come?” he demands shoving his hands in his pockets

“What?”

“Why come to the match when you don’t even watch? Whoever you’re texting on your phone is more important so why come?”

“What is your deal with me Luke? You have a whole group of girls watching you, why does it matter so much what I do?”

“Because! You’re there with Nell then you act like we’re all beneath you or something. Like we’re not important enough for your time. It’s aggravating.”

“You want to know why I’m on my phone?” her voice changes and her eyes harden.

“Yes.”

“You really want to know why I don’t watch your fights?” Her normal soft voice is now monotonous with a hint of hysteria at the end.

“Yes,” he chuckles sardonically. “These are really simple questions.”

“Fine!” She throws her arms up as if in defeat. “I’m on my phone because my friends back home keep me updated on where my ex is. I can’t watch you fight because that’s what my ex did to me. Broken jaw? He gave me one. A split lip? I’ve had three. I’ve been bruised and beaten and I only come because Nell is my favorite cousin but I can’t tell her any of this because she loves it. There, are you satisfied now?”

Luke is frozen in his spot. He wasn’t expecting any of that and now he feels like a complete ass. His shock is quickly replaced with anger at whoever her ex is because any man who hits a woman is the lowest of the low and the scum of the earth.

“I—I’m sorry, I didn’t—“

“Now you do know,” she scoffs pushing past him and forces the glass door open. It slams against the wall as she stalks past their friends.

“Evie, wait!” he calls after her but she’s already rushing out Ashton’s front door. Everyone is calling her name then turn to Luke.

“What happened?” Nell asks worriedly.

“I messed up,” Luke mutters. “Fuck!” he runs his fingers through his curls in exasperation.

Nell runs out the door after her cousin and the others look at Luke waiting for an explanation but he won’t give them one. He’s not going to air Evie’s secret. He wanted to get her walls down but he never could have imagined the warzone he’d find behind it.

• • • •

Evie isn’t at his match the following Friday and it brings a bit pit to his stomach, he feels awful about what she admitted to him. After he practically bullied her into confessing it in the first place. After his win, he jogs to Nell who is looking somber.

“Where’s Evie?” he pants.

“Home. She wasn’t feeling well,” she responds stoically. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but she’s being more withdrawn than normal. You better apologize or do something to fix this Luke.”

“I will,” he nods frantically.

After his shower, Ashton is waiting for him by his cubby where his clothes are.

“What happened with you and Evie?” Ashton asks calmly.

“I really fucked up, Ash,” Luke sighs shaking his head.

“What’d you do?”

“I confronted her about being on her phone during my fights and . . . you can’t tell Nell this, but Evie’s ex was abusive. She said she’s had a broken jaw and a split lip and who knows what else. I think that’s why she moved, to get away from him.”

“Shit,” Ashton mutters looking at his feet. His hazel eyes are hardened when he looks back up at Luke. “You better fix this. Nell said she’s been real torn up.”

“I know. It’s all my fault. Do you know her apartment number? I want to go apologize.”

• • • •

Luke takes a deep breath before buzzing Evie’s apartment number.

“Yes? Who is this?” she asks over the intercom.

“It’s me, Luke. Can I come up? I want to talk to you.”

“We did enough talking, Luke.”

“No! Please, Evie. It’s really important,” he begs. It’s silent on her end of the speaker for about ten seconds then he hears the buzz of the door unlocking.

He bounds to the elevator and rushes to her door on the third floor. He knocks twice on her door and it opens wide to reveal Evie in sleep shorts and a thin hoodie. Even with no make-up, she still made Luke’s heart skip a beat.

“What’s so important?” she folds her arms.

“Can I come in?” he asks softly.

Evie sighs with her lips pursed contemplating until she finally steps back into her apartment with Luke trailing in behind her. He glances around her apartment, it’s warm and inviting with a fresh scent he can’t quite place. It feels very homey with pictures and art on her walls, fluffy rugs and blankets on her couch.

“What do you want, Luke?” she asks softly.

His eyes finally land her, really taking her appearance in. Her hair is curly in a low ponytail, she’s got dark circles under her eyes as if she hasn’t been sleeping well. That makes him feel worse.

“I want to apologize for last week. I’m so sorry Evie, if I would have known—“

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” she admits quietly, “I wanted to come here because it’s far from him. I dyed my hair and wanted to start over.”

“I’m so sorry,” he repeats, his sorrow heavy in his words.

“You said that already,” she flashes a small smile but it doesn’t meet her eyes.

“And I’ll keep saying it until it takes away how big of an ass I was to you. I’m not normally like that, I don’t know why it bothered me so much.”

“You’re used to girls watching your every move then throwing themselves at you,” she shrugs. “No big deal.”

“It is a big deal. I don’t want you to ever feel unsafe when you’re around me. And now I realize what I did at the bar probably made you terrified of me but I don’t—“he shakes his head. “When I fight it’s strictly tactical and in the ring. I do training everyday, I’ve been fighting since I was—“

“I’m not scared of you, Luke.”

“You’re not?”

“No,” she sighs. “And what happened at the bar . . . yeah it was scary but if you didn’t punch him who knows what that guy would have done. It’s just with the fights . . . the sounds bring it all back. What he did to me.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Can I make us some tea or something? Do you want to talk about it? Or, not talk about it? We can talk about anything else.”

“Tea sounds nice.”

• • • •

“It hasn’t really hit yet that I’m free of him, Danny is his name” she shakes her head while they’re sitting on her couch. A movie is playing on her TV while they’ve been talking. “Bad choice of words but I’m scared he’ll find me.”

“I won’t let him. He’ll have to come through me first.”

“He doesn’t stand a chance,” she smiles and he returns it.

“How long were you with him?”

“A year. My longest relationship and of course this is what happens.”

“I’m sorry you went through that. Why haven’t you told Nell?”

“Because she’d want me to go to the police but it wouldn’t do any good.”

“Why? Then you wouldn’t have to keep checking behind your shoulder if he followed you here.”

“If anything he’d get six months.”

“Did you get photo evidence?”

“Yeah.”

“Then he’d be locked up for sure—“

“Luke, you and I both know he wouldn’t. He’s conniving and he’d pay his way out of it which would only make it worse for me,” she snuggles a big white pillow against her chest.

They’re silent for a few moments watching the movie but Luke has no idea what is going on with the plot.

“You need some sleep,” he peers down at her worriedly. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to have gotten darker since he first arrived.

“Which is another way of saying ‘you look like shit,’ thanks,” she chuckles nuzzling closer into the pillow.

“No that’s not—“he sighs shaking his head. “Your eyes look sleepy, that’s all. Have you had trouble sleeping?”

“Lately, yeah,” she admits, her eyes roam over the characters on the screen. The light from the TV glows on her face, his heart aches at how tired she looks.

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

“That might be awhile,” she warns.

“Good thing your couch is comfy,” he throws a blanket over her and stretches his legs out on the L-shaped portion of the couch, “and can hold a giant like me.”

She chuckles softly as he burrows further into the cushions, draping a blanket onto himself as well. He really likes how she has so many. It makes him feel cozy.

“Thanks, Luke.”

• • • •

Luke’s not quite sure what jolts him awake, but when his body jerks he has a momentary lapse of memory where he is. The TV is going through featured Netflix shows and movies when he looks down to see Evie has somehow scooted herself closer to him in her sleep. Her pillow is against his right side and her hand is clutching the fabric of his sweatshirt.

Luke smiles down at her then searches for the remote, it’s tucked in front of her. He pulls it away then uses the flashlight on his phone to figure out the buttons. Once the screen goes black, Evie stirs next to him mumbling incoherently, her fingers flexing on his sweatshirt.

“Sorry sweetheart,” he hushes, “just turning the TV off. Go back to sleep.”

She hums in acknowledgment and Luke tries to stand up without jostling her.

“Don’t go,” she sighs sleepily.

Luke freezes. Did she really say that?

“Are you sure?” he asks a bit louder.

“Stay,” she nods with her eyes still closed, “please.”

• • • •

His little sleepover with Evie from the night before has been running through Luke’s mind all day. Instead of straying his focus it has somehow kept him more on target with his punches and dodges from Calum as they practice in the ring. When he moves to the bag he’s imagining it to be the face of her ex, he doesn’t know what he looks like but he punches it as hard as he can anyway.

Once he’s finished practice and showered he calls up Evie who answers it cautiously.

“Hey, it’s me, Luke,” he says wondering why she answered that way.

“Oh thank God,” she exhales, “I thought—“

“Shit,” Luke closes his eyes slamming his head back against his seat, “I’m sorry. Of course you’d be weary because you don’t have my number and would think it’s—I’m sorry, Evie.”

“It’s all right, Luke,” she chuckles, “I’m good. What’s up? How’d you get my number anyway?”

“Nell gave it to me. I just finished practice, would you want to grab a bite to eat?”

• • • •

Evie is giggling hard behind her hand as Luke finished his embarrassing story. They were at a diner not too far from her apartment where she ordered a grilled cheese with a strawberry milkshake and a plate of fries in the center of the table.

“Ashton really thought baby turtles were tadpoles?” she snorts and it’s so damn cute Luke thinks his smile is going to be permanently stuck on his face.

“That’s closer than his second guess of thinking they’re mosquitoes,” he chortles popping a fry in his mouth.

The booth they’re currently sitting in is in the far corner by the window and he’s got his arm around the back of the booth but when Evie shifts, his fingers will brush her shoulder. His initial irritation for her is long gone and he hates himself for even feeling that way in the first place.

Now, he feels nothing but calmness when he’s with her, sitting here feels so natural and easy. When he picked her up at her apartment she told him she slept all day after he left to go to practice. Her eyes appeared brighter and she didn’t look so sleepy anymore which pleased Luke.

“You boys are funny,” she snickers taking a hearty sip of her shake.

“Excuse me, I’m a man,” he squeezes her shoulder and she leans into him.

“If you say so,” she giggles then picks up her phone at a buzzed notification. Apparently it’s irrelevant because she locks it right away then nudges him. “Don’t you have a fight in a few hours?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “I don’t need to be there until 7. Fight’s at eight.” He plucks up a French fry, dips it in ketchup and holds it in front of her mouth.

Without a thought she takes it and chews slowly as if she’s thinking of something to say.

“You don’t have to come, Evie,” he tells her gently watching her as her eyebrows furrow together.

“I know,” she nods then says more softly, “but I want to see you.”

“You can see me after. We’ll probably be at Charlie’s or I can come to your place and watch Friends.”

“I just won’t watch, I promise I’ll be fine,” she insists.

Luke knows he should convince her more to stay at her apartment but the thought of not seeing her for almost two hours doesn’t sit well with him. Her presence has impacted him greatly these past few weeks.

She nods again then rests her head on his shoulder. Her willingness to do that jumpstarts his heart and he rubs her shoulder. He wishes there was a way she could watch him fight without memories creeping up from her past.

Then, suddenly, he has a thought.

• • • •

When it’s almost time for him to fight, Luke grabs the small box from his cubby and moves to the door. Calum yells at him.

“I’ll be right back, I have to give Evie something,” he says dismissively then exits the locker room.

Cheers and calls fill his ears immediately as he enters the darkened ring area. He pushes through the bodies easily knowing where exactly Evie is standing. He spots her in between Ashton and Nell and sure enough, she’s on her phone.

“Luke, what are you doing?” Ashton asks.

Luke’s stomach flips when Evie’s head snaps up at the mention of his name, he smiles easily and she returns it. He pulls the box out of the pocket of his hoodie and pulls Evie aside, her hand is warm and comforting in his large one.

“Shouldn’t you be in the locker room?” she asks with a smile.

“In a minute. I got something for you,” he hands her the box.

Evie looks up at him in confusion before sliding it open then she gasps, her eyes are wide when she looks up at him again. They’re air pods.

“Luke, this is—“

“I sent you a link to a playlist on my Spotify,” he talks over her, “put these in, listen to it and you won’t have to hear the punches.”

Her mouth hangs open as she stares at the gift and then moves to her phone to find the playlist he was talking about. He titled it as her name with a blue heart next to it.

“They’re some of my favorite songs, and others made me think of you,” he shrugs sheepishly.

“Luke,” she shakes her head again then launches herself in his arms to hug him tightly.

He wraps his arms around her tightly, lifting her slightly off the ground because of their height difference.

“You’re so sweet,” she says into his neck and he shivers. Her arms release from his neck and he sets her down on the ground again. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” he grins then looks above her head at the ring. It’s almost his turn. “Come on, let’s get you back to Ashton and Nell before Calum comes out here and kills me.”

Before he does go back in the locker room, he helps her sync the air pods and slips them in her ears. She snatches his hand and leans up to kiss his cheek murmuring, ‘good luck.’

That night is the fastest Luke has won a match because he still felt Evie’s kiss on his cheek. It fueled his adrenaline and fueled his desire for her more. He showered quickly so he could go out to her and she was the first one to congratulate him and hug him on his win. He would have just loved to hold her as long as possible but his other friends wanted to show their congratulations as well.

After some small chit chat they all decided to head to Ashton’s place to drink in celebration.

“Ride with me?” he asks her as they walk out of the building hand in hand. Their group is loud to their cars but Luke and Evie are in their own little world.

“Okay,” she smiles sweetly up at him.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ashton’s living room has gotten a little stuffy. Luke stepped away for a minute to use the bathroom and when he returned Evie was nowhere in sight. He began to panic slightly when Calum jerked his head to the balcony where the doors were opened partly. Luke nodded his thanks and slipped outside to find Evie leaning against the cement wall staring out at the skyline.

“Cooler out here, yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah,” she sighs, “You found me.”

“I had a little help from Cal,” he grins sidling up next to her.

“Man, he ruined it.”

Luke laughs. “Did the earphones help?”

“They did,” she turns her head to look at him. His back is against the wall but he’s been staring at her the whole time. “You didn’t have to do that though, those are expensive.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You’re something else, Luke Hemmings.”

“You’re something spectacular, Evie Carson,” he nudges her playfully and she blushes.

“No, I’m not.”

“But you are though,” he disagrees lightly turning his body so his right arm is leaning on top of the wall. “You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.”

“That doesn’t make someone spectacular,” she rolls her eyes.

“You’re also witty, and smart, and braver than anyone else I know. You’re funny, and beautiful without even trying.”

“You left out my eyes,” she bats them at him for good measure and he laughs.

“Can’t forget those beauties,” he strokes her cheek just below her eye.

“You’re pretty spectacular too, you know.”

He snorts in response.

“You are! You have this bad ass exterior with your leather jacket and painted nails and boxing, but deep down you’ve got so much heart and soul. You’re funny and charming and I trust you.”

He swallows hard. He’s wanted to kiss her for a while now, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity but he didn’t want to go for it and make her feel forced. He leans forward to touch her cheek again, then ghosts his fingers on her jaw and under her chin.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah,” she barely whispers.

He tilts her chin up slightly then presses his lips to hers softly. It’s innocent enough but when Evie squeezes the sleeve of his leather jacket he takes that as his cue to deepen it so he threads his fingers in her hair to make the kiss deeper. He feels her hesitancy and he doesn’t want to push her so he breaks away slowly. He gives her one more peck. Then another.

She breaks into a smile bowing her head bashfully. Before he can ask what’s wrong she buries her face in his chest.

“Thank you,” she muffles, “that was perfect.”

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he smiles wrapping her up in his arms resting his chin on her head. He kisses her hair and sways from side to side.

When he feels her begin to shiver they head back inside and are glued together the rest of the night. They’re sitting on Ashton’s couch with his arm wrapped around her shoulders and Evie is nestled into his chest with her arm draped over his stomach. They were having quiet conversation until her head became slightly heavier and her breathing became deeper, he knew she was asleep.

“Has mine eyes deceived me?” Ashton asks pulling attention to the two on the couch. “Someone got through your hard, icy heart?”

Their friends all laugh and Luke shakes his head.

“Shut up,” he says softly, “if you wake her I’ll fight you.”

Ashton puts his arms up in defense and Evie shifts on Luke’s chest.

“Be nice,” she sighs heavily and pokes his stomach.

“Did he wake you?”

She shakes her head. “No. I was just resting my eyes, and you’re comfy.”

Luke smirks and rests his lips on her head, not kissing her but just feeling her warmth.

“Do you want me to take you home, lovie?” he murmurs. She hums a yes. “All right, come on.”

• • • •

After a long while of saying goodbye they were finally on their way to Evie’s apartment. Luke still didn’t want to leave her and was pleased when she asked him, ‘aren’t you coming?’ He couldn’t get out of the car fast enough just so he could hold her hand. Luke has never been the type of guy to be excited just by holding a girl’s hand before but with Evie it was different.

Everything with Evie was different. He took the key from her easily as she struggled to put it in the slot. She kicks off her shoes, he does the same, and follows her to her bedroom. He’s not quite sure if she wants him to spend the night but when she grabs her pajamas and motions to the bed saying,

“Make sure it’s warm for me when I get back.” And left to her bathroom.

He lets out a sigh of relief but can hear his heart pounding in his ears. Sure, he spent the night before but that was under different circumstances. This, though, this was something different entirely. Tonight they shared a kiss and Luke wasn’t afraid to admit that he liked her. He adores Evie.

Just as he pulled off his leather jacket, he had on a white t-shirt and his dark grey joggers (he’s thankful he didn’t wear his jeans otherwise it’d be an uncomfortable night) Evie returns. Luke can’t help but smile at her outfit, cloth shorts and a t-shirt with an elephant on the front. Her face was free of makeup and he could still smell the mint of her toothpaste.

“I thought I told you to keep the bed warm,” she pouts standing in front of him tossing her clothes in a pile on a chair in the corner.

“I got distracted,” he shrugs.

“By what?”

“You,” he pokes her nose causing her to giggle.

She stretches up on her toes to kiss his lips quickly then grabs his hand and pulls him to her bed. They climb in together, Luke is surprised at how comfy her bed is, and he pulls her close. She tangles their legs together and he puts his fingers through her hair before leaning in to kiss her.

It’s slow and languid the way their lips move together, he’s hesitant as he slips his tongue in her mouth. Evie sighs into him clutching his shirt in her fingers. He smiles.

“You taste minty,” he mumbles.

“You should brush your teeth,” she sighs dragging her nails over the scruff of his cheek but keeps kissing him.

He chuckles dryly against her lips. “Are you saying my breath stinks?”

“Maybe,” she sighs then giggles.

“I thought I was the asshole in this relationship?” he smirks stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“You did not just call me an asshole!”

“You said my breath stinks!”

“Did not! You can go to sleep without brushing your teeth? Disgusting,” she teases then captures his bottom lip between hers.

“Then why do you keep kissing me?” he asks after they have to catch their breath.

“Because I like kissing you. But go brush your teeth so you can come back faster and I can keep kissing you,” she kisses his nose then nips at it with her teeth.

“Ow! Fine, I’m going, you didn’t have to bite me,” he pinches her side before slipping out from the covers.

He doesn’t spot an extra toothbrush and doesn’t want to be a creep and go through her drawers and cabinets, so he uses the mouthwash on the counter. He gargles twice just to make sure she’s satisfied then jogs back quickly to his sleepy girl who is now very much wide awake. She’s sitting up against the headboard then smiles gleefully at the sight of him.

“Feel better?” she asks.

He takes his place back into her bed then pulls her easily onto his chest, she laughs as one hand holds onto her waist and the other cups her cheek.

“Now I do,” he breathes staring into her eyes.

Evie bends down to kiss him again but he easily takes the lead, massaging his tongue against hers running it over her bottom lip. She hums at that and it tightens his stomach. They continue to kiss in whispers until their lips are chapped and their breathing is irregular and Luke pushes her away gently.

“You should get some sleep, lovie,” he whispers kissing her jaw.

“I don’t want to sleep. I want to keep kissing you,” she pouts.

He traces her pouted lip and he wants to keep kissing her, too. He wants to do more than kiss but that’s for another night down the road.

“I do too, but we’ll have plenty of time to kiss tomorrow. It’s . . .” he stretches his arm to snatch his phone from the floor to look at the time. “It’s 3:30 in the morning, you need to sleep.”

“Fine,” she sighs rolling off him in a huff. He pulls her right back so he can run his fingers through her hair.

“Am I forgiven?”

“If you keep playing with my hair, then yes.”

He smiles and settles into the bed, his body is totally relaxed. He finds he’s like that a lot when he’s with Evie. He’s never been one to cuddle with other girls, after he’d sleep with them they’d always leave. He never cuddled. But with Evie it’s easy because she fits so perfectly against his body.

“Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“Before, when you said you were the ‘asshole in this relationship. . .’ does that mean we’re in a relationship?” her voice is quiet and he can hear the hesitancy in it.

He swallows hard. “I want to be, but only if you do, too.”

“I do want to.”

He hears the smile in her voice and he kisses her forehead.

“And you aren’t an asshole,” she says.

“To other people I am. You’re the only exception.”

• • • •

A few weeks have gone by and Luke and Evie have been spending so much time together. She’ll come by after his practice and head to the diner for lunch. Kissing is always evident and one night in particular is fresh in Luke’s mind when they went one step further.

When they were watching Friends he pulled her onto his lap, with one hand holding onto the back of her head and the other precariously close to her core on her inner thigh, she boldly moved his fingers to the round wetness between her legs.

“Want my fingers, baby?” he murmured and she nodded biting her lips.

He slid his hand from her hair to her lower back and began to rub his finger in circles on the outside of her underwear. He felt her bundle of nerves and the wet spot on her panties grew slightly. With their eyes still locked on each other he pushed the fabric aside and teased his finger up her slit. She jolted at his touch and he smirked.

“I haven’t even done anything and you’re already this wet for me?” he grinned teasing his finger up once more.

“Don’t tease, please,” she practically whined and Luke’s eyes darkened at her form of submission.

He removed his finger and before she could protest he held it in front of her mouth, the tip of his finger coated in her arousal.

“Suck,” he commanded softly, “then I’ll give you what you want.”

Her lips fluttered in a faint smile, she took his hand in both of hers then slipped her mouth over his long finger. Her tongue swirled around it as she took it all in his mouth. He enjoyed watching her mouth work on his finger, the idea of her doing that around his cock caused it to twitch in his sweats but he ignored it. He wanted to please her and only her.

“That’s good baby,” he praised removing his finger with a pop. A line of spit was connected to his fingertip and seeing it sling back to her lower lip aroused him in a terrible way. He kissed her roughly and inserted his finger into her entrance easily.

She gasped in his mouth as he twirled his finger inside of her and she rose on her legs so he could get a better angle. He pumped into her languidly, then when he added a second finger she moaned loudly and knocked her forehead against his. He tilted his head so he could still see her face as he twiddled and scissored his fingers inside her.

She came on his fingers that night and Luke can still hear her pretty moans while he’s going over the fight schedule with Cal. The look she made when she came undone on him was imprinted on his brain and the way—

“Luke!” Calum shoves him snapping his that encounter with Evie out of his head.

“Sorry, what?” Luke clears his throat looking over at Cal.

“I said, you’re going to be doing five fights in two days. Peterson is still out because of his wrist so you’re taking his slot on Thursday along with yours and Jacobsen is out for his fight Friday morning, and then you’re going against Hayes Friday night. Will you be able to handle that?” he raises his dark eyebrows.

“Oh,” Luke blinks looking at the schedule. “Yeah. No problem. Is that all?”

“Yeah, hey . . . Luke?”

“What?”

“Listen, I’m real happy you and Evie have gotten together. But, I don’t want her to shift your focus in the ring.”

“Cal, if anything,” Luke places his hand on Calum’s shoulder, “she makes me more focused. I gotta go get her, I’m making her dinner at my place tonight. See you Thursday.”

“No, I’ll see you Tuesday for practice, Luke,” he shakes his head.

“Right. Tuesday. I’m just messing with you, I know I’ll see you Tuesday. Later.”

Calum shakes his head again as he watches his lovesick best friend and champion walk away to get his girl. It’s a nice change seeing a genuine smile on Luke’s face instead of a permanent grimace. He’s got Evie to thank for that.

• • • •

Luke wasn’t the best cook so he resulted in baking a pizza for him and Evie. He blushed when he told her but she kissed his cheek assuring him, ‘I love pizza.’ So while he was kneading the dough on the pan she was getting the cheese and chicken ready to place on the pizza.

The playlist he made for her was playing and he was singing along to it, she loved listening to his voice. It was so pretty and comforting. When it was time to put on the toppings, she scooped up some cheese and put it in the sauce then held it up for him to eat. He took it gladly smiling then kissed tomato sauce off her thumb. She giggled and he winked before doing the same to her.

Before she could even lick up the sauce on his finger, he swiped it on her cheek near her ear and she gasped.

“Hey!”

“Oh no, let me get that,” he grins. He grabs her waist and licks up the sauce with a wet kiss, but he doesn’t stop there. He moves his lips to her ear then onto her jaw until finally on her neck where he begins to suck and bite.

She sighs running her hands up his arms moving her head to the side so he can access her neck better. He’s on his third mark when the oven dings signaling it’s all heated up.

“Luke, Luke, baby the oven’s ready,” she giggles.

“It can wait,” he mumbles squeezing her hips, his thumbs creating circles on her exposed skin.

“No, you’re hungry. Put the pizza in and we can continue,” she giggles shoving him off playfully.

He grunts but does as she says. She adjusts her shirt watching him pick up the pizza pan and checks out his ass as he bends down to put it in the pizza. He catches her and he smirks.

“Were you checking me out?” he asks even though he knows she was.

“Who me? No way,” she waves him off and turns away from him.

“Get back here!”

He lifts her in his arms causing her to squeal and he collapses onto his couch with her straddling his lap. He unzips her sweatshirt so she’s just in a tank top with her cleavage in front of his face. With one look she connects their lips together and they make out for a while before it’s her turn to drag her lips onto his neck.

Luke rolls his head back onto the couch as she sucks expertly on his skin. His large hands are holding onto her waist, he rocks her slowly against him moaning at the friction of their bodies. Tied with her mouth on his neck if Luke died right there he’d die a happy man.

“Mm, baby, you’re good at that,” he moans as she continues to suck on his skin.

“I’m good at something else, too,” she exhales and he gets goosebumps.

Before he can retort she’s slipping off his lap onto the floor and begins to undo the button of his jeans. She’s meticulous and takes her time with his zipper as he stares wide eyed as this beautiful girl before him shucks his pants down his thighs. He gulps when her finger lightly traces around the perimeter of the head of his dick. It twitches in response and she smiles.

“Can I?” she asks flicking her big beautiful doe eyes up at him.

Luke’s voice is gone so he just nods.

She lifts his girth into her palm, Luke is aching when she presses soft kisses up his shaft and then a wet one over his slit. She continues to kiss him preciously then darts her tongue out as she kisses up and down his shaft again.

“Fuck, baby, don’t tease,” he pants reiterating what she told him when he fingered her a few weeks ago.

“What do you say?” she asks and Luke is alarmed that she’s got a small dominant side to her. But he fucking loves it.

“Please, baby,” he exhales lifting his hand up but then drops it back to the cushion. He doesn’t want to grab her hair yet, he doesn’t want to push her.

She smiles again (fucking hell) then spits heavily on his head watching it dribble down before she took him completely in his mouth. Luke couldn’t contain his moan from feeling her mouth wrapped around him. He’s imagined it when he’s in the shower or thinking of her late at night but the real thing is so much better.

She lathers him up with her spit by moving her head up and down and when she’s satisfied, she begins to pump her hand up and down as well and Luke’s mind goes blank. The pizza is forgotten. The day is gone. Hell, his own fucking name has escaped his mind.

The only thing he’s focused on is watching his pretty girl bobbing her head up and down his cock, taking him as far as she can without gagging and what she can’t take she squeezes gently with her fingers which surprisingly feels good.

He’s a moaning mess and she’ll say ‘yeah?’ and ‘does that feel good?’ which causes vibrations and more sensations and he can’t form a coherent sentence so he just keeps moaning. When he’s getting close she sucks on his dick like a literal lollipop and then her fingers begin to fondle his balls and he feels the tight knot in his stomach begin to unravel.

“I don’t swallow,” she says quietly but keeps working at him and he doesn’t care.

“That’s fine, don’t stop . . . I’ll tell you when,” he gasps and bucks his hips slightly.

The sound of her slurping sends him over the edge and then he’s pushing her off him with rushed ‘baby, baby, stop, stop’ and he’s coming over his own fingers. Her small hand is beneath his though and she helps him release until he’s fallen back against the couch hot and bothered and totally satisfied.

He doesn’t even notice her leave until she’s sitting beside him with a wet paper towel in her hand and cleans up his hand and thigh. She rolls it up in a much larger dry piece of towel and he rolls his head to the right to look at her dazedly.

“Hi, honey,” she giggles and he gives her a lazy smile back.

“You’re fuckin’ incredible,” he sighs then purses his lips. She takes the hint and leans in close to peck his lips three times.

“I wanted to make you feel good,” she shrugs.

“You exceeded. That was fuckin’ phenomenal.”

She giggles again and then the oven timer is going off. Luke groans about to get up then realizes his dick is still out with his pants still around his thighs.

“Shit,” he mumbles shuffling them back on while Evie is laughing beside him. “Quiet you.” He wiggles a finger at her in warning and she fake bites in his direction while he heads into the kitchen.

The pizza they made is delicious and they eat a majority of it before deciding on eating mint ice cream for dessert. Luke has an idea and he tells her to go in his room and pick a movie on Netflix to watch. She gives him a quizzical look but does as he says and he pulls out some whipped cream along with the tub of ice cream.

When he enters his room he hears the sound of Mary Poppins Returns on the screen and Evie is sitting cross legged in the center of his bed. She smiles at his appearance and he sets the ice cream on the bed along with the whipped cream and one spoon, she looks confused.

“Just one spoon? No bowls?”

“Nope,” he says smoothly reaching forward and tugs her towards him, her ankles on either side of his legs. “Can you do me a favor, sweetheart?”

“Yeah . . .?”

“Can you take your leggings and underwear off for me?” he smiles pressing his forehead against hers. He hears her sharp inhale and is happy when she complies. He balls up the fabric tossing it to the side somewhere.

“Now,” he mumbles kissing her cheek, “can you lie back for me?”

She nods and slowly lowers herself on her back. Luke grabs her ankles yanking her further down the bed so her naked butt is on the edge. He kneels down then grabs the ice cream and spoon. He puts a small amount on the spoon then drags it carefully from her bellybutton her mound and on the inside of both of her thighs. He sticks it back in the container then picks up the whipped cream.

He sprays the cream on the lines he just made and sets the can on the floor next to him. He hums as he looks at her, she looks delectable and her pussy is throbbing already as he looks up at her. Her eyes are wide with excitement and lust as she realizes his plan.

“You’re my sweet treat,” he rasps then attaches his mouth to her stomach.

The ice cream and whipped cream are cold on her warm skin and it tastes so good on his mouth. He takes his time licking and sucking it up making sure he gets it all off her skin. When he reaches her thighs some of it is rolling onto his bedspread but he could give less than a fuck. He swipes his tongue at the rogue ice cream melting down her thighs and glances up at her before pressing his mouth to her core.

Evie gasps at the coldness of his mouth from the ice cream and whipped cream but then his tongue starts to move in intricate designs and she enjoys it. Her fingers are clenching the bedspread but Luke drags her hand into his hair and she’s yanking on his curls.

He hefts her thighs over his shoulders as he devours her rapidly and excitedly. She’s the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted and his tongue moves in expert precision. Soon she’s rocking her hips into his mouth and her moans are sinful, her fingers yank harder as he feels her come for the first time. He smirks on her pussy lips because he hadn’t even used a finger yet.

“Fuck, Luke,” she whines but he doesn’t stop.

She’s panting and wiggling above him, her thighs clenching around his head as she comes. He peeks at her through his lashes and her mouth is open in pleasure while her eyes are closed and he hopes she’s seeing stars.

When her hips slow back down he removes his mouth and kisses the inside of her thighs, biting lightly to mark her up as she relaxes.

He rests his cheek against her thigh and stares up at her as she opens her eyes slowly. “Hi honey,” he mimics her from earlier.

“Don’t be cheeky,” she sighs and he laughs against her thigh.

• • • •

The incoming fights have been on Luke’s mind all week. He hasn’t seen Evie since he made her pizza Saturday night and he’s had to force his thoughts of her away but it didn’t quite work. It’s been a long four days of constant footwork and practice from Cal.

Evie’s been all too understanding during the whole ordeal but he’s been sure not to tell her he’s doing four fights in two days. He’s not exactly sure why but he doesn’t think she’d like that too much. Nell was even in the dark about it too, so she was spending the night with Evie while Luke and the guys were at the matches.

The first fight went well and Luke walked away with minimal damage, just a small cut on his lip and bruised knuckles. His next fight was at 8:30 so he had a little time to call her.

“Hey you,” she greets and he can hear the smile in her voice. He wishes he could see it.

“Hi baby,” he smiles sitting gingerly on the bench.

“How’s practice?”

“Uh, good. Calum’s making sure to put me to work,” he chortles, “I just wanted to hear your voice before I get back to it.”

“You’re sweet. I wish I could see you tonight,” she says sadly.

“I know lovie, me too,” he murmurs. “Haven’t seen my sweet girl all week.”

“I blame Cal, tell him I won’t allow him to work you this hard ever again.”

“He’d laugh in my face,” he laughs at the sternness in her voice.

“Then I’ll tell him,” she states proudly.

“That won’t end well, baby,” he mumbles leaning against the cold cement wall. It feels good on his sweaty skin.

“Why?”

“Because, he’ll laugh at you, then I’ll have to punch him for doing so, then Nell will punch me . . . it’s a vicious cycle.”

“Or no one can just not punch anyone.”

“Double negative sweetheart.”

“I don’t care, it makes sense okay?” she sniffs and Luke laughs.

Calum pokes his head in jerking his head behind him signifying it’s almost time for the second fight. Luke nods and waves him off.

“I gotta get back to it, lovie,” he sighs. He’d much rather stay on the phone with her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night after my fight, okay?”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come tomorrow? I’ll bring my air pods.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, it’s not a major one. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. Don’t practice too hard, okay?”

“Can’t make any promises babe,” he smiles. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.”

“You too, Luke.”

She says his name so softly he almost wants to dip out of this next fight, snatch her away from Nell and snuggle her close in his bed all night. But he can’t.

• • • •

Nell had convinced Evie to surprise Luke at his match on Friday.

“Come on, Eve, you haven’t seen him all week and I know he’ll love seeing you there. He’ll be so surprised!”

Evie thinks about seeing Luke’s smile when he’d spot her in the crowd, it’s her favorite smile that he has reserved only for her and that alone convinces her. She decided to wear a black crop top with high waisted shorts and black ankle boots, hoping when Luke sees her he’ll be stunned into silence.

They arrive at the arena around eight o’clock, Luke usually goes on at 8:30 on Fridays but when they get there Michael and Ashton find them first. Their eyes are wide and slightly panicked.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” Ashton demands blocking their view from the ring.

“We came here so Evie could surprise Luke,” Nell answers folding her arms.

“He didn’t want you to be here, Evie,” Michael says.

“Yeah I know because it’s not that big of a fight but I haven’t seen him all week because Cal’s been having him practice every day,” Evie says sadly.

“Wait, he told you he’s been practicing?” Ashton asks.

“What are you guys saying? What’s going on?” Nell demands looking between the two tall men.

“Uh. . .”

“Well, you see, the thing is—“

“AND HERE’S LUKE HEMMINGS BACK IN THE FIFTH ROUND! AFTER BOTH WINS LAST NIGHT TONIGHT SHOULD BE A PIECE OF CAKE RIGHT? LOOKS LIKE HE’S LOSING HIS THUNDER, THOUGH!” The announcer’s voice booms throughout the arena.

Realization dawns over Evie’s face, Ashton and Michael’s faces pale when Evie pushes them out of her way and she looks down into the ring. Sure enough, there’s Luke swaying slightly as he raises his hands up slowly to his face. Even from a distance she can see how bruised up and battered he is, his technique is sluggish and Evie’s stomach drops.

“He hasn’t been practicing all week has he?” she asks quietly. “How many fights has he done?”

Radio silence is her response and she whips around, her eyes icy as she stares at the two men. They cower at her gaze.

“How many fights has he done?” she asks again enunciating each word carefully.

“Four,” Michael answers quietly, “in two days.”

“WHAT?!” Nell exclaims pushing through them this time so she can take a look at him down below. “How could Cal let him do that?”

“They were short, some guys were injured but the slots had to be filled,” Ashton tries to explain weakly.

“And he didn’t want me here—“

“Because he didn’t want you to worry or to see him fight,” Michael finishes with a sigh. His green eyes are sad as he looks at Evie.

It only takes Evie a beat before she’s darting down the stairs into the pit where the arena is. She ignores the calls from Nell and the guys even though they’re following her. She shoves past the cheering fans until she’s in Luke’s corner where Calum is standing. He glances at her then does a double take, his eyes going wide.

“Shit,” he mumbles as she stomps over to him.

“Get him out of there, Cal, he can barely stand!” she orders attempting to climb into the ring and stop him herself.

Calum stops her. “I can’t, he’s in the middle of a fight. I’m sorry Evie, he didn’t want you to know!”

“I don’t care! Look at him!” she cries pointing to him as he staggers heavily against the ropes. His body just looks heavy and drained of all energy.

Calum stares up at his best friend and prized fighter with his mouth open. The bell dings loudly and Luke slumps onto the floor in the corner of the ring. Evie tuts and scrambles into the ring, the guys in the crowd cheer thinking she’s some sort of show but she ignores the catcalls.

Luke’s breathing heavily as she crouches in front of him, her heart sinks at the sight of him. His skin is scattered with patches of black and blue, one of his eyes is swollen shut and his lip is puffed out from a large cut. He’s broken and battered and it breaks Evie’s heart.

“Oh, Luke,” she whispers sadly.

His head tilts up at the sound of her voice, his good eye tries to blink open through the sweat. He smiles, but it’s more of a grimace, as he looks at her fondly.

“He got me good if I’m imagining you here,” he croaks.

“No, Luke, baby,” she holds his cheeks gently tilting his head up so he can look at her. “I am here but you need to stop, you can’t take anymore.”

His eyes struggled to focus on her through the blood and sweat but he mumbles out a barely coherent, ‘I’m fine.’

“No, you are not fine,” she stresses. She spots a towel near his back, she picks it up and dabs away the sweat from around his eyes and on his forehead.

“Evie, give him this, he needs to drink,” Calum says from her left holding up a bottle of what looks like Gatorade.

She tilts it in his mouth and he drinks gratuitously, which sort of seems to do the trick because he appears more alert. His one good eye zeroes in on Evie and his special smile for her shows.

“I can do this, baby because you’re here,” he croaks stroking her cheek with the backs of his knuckles (which are also bruised and bloody) “I can finish. Just tell me you love me.”

“Oh Luke,” she sighs shaking her head, “I do love you. I love you so much but I didn’t want to tell you like this.”

“I love you too, baby,” he slurs trying to smile once more. “I’ll win for you.”

“Make it fast so I can get you home,” she warns then presses her lips to his clammy ones gently.

The bell dings again for the start of the sixth round, he’s only got two more after this. She helps him stand, he squeezes her hand tightly before Calum helps her out of the ring.

Evie doesn’t put her air pods in the whole fight because she’s more concerned in watching Luke. His footwork seems a bit more energetic and she’s praying he’ll knock out the other guy quickly by the time the eighth round begins. She doesn’t wince at the sound of skin connecting with skin, or the hard thumps of their feet on the floor of the ring.

Her focus is on Luke and his fourth (probably) wave of adrenaline. His opponent sends Luke a hard hit that sends him falling into the ropes. His body draped over it like a rag doll. He’s panting but when he looks down at his Evie, it’s like a switch goes off.

This amazing girl is standing here watching him after she told him she loved him and she mouths it to him once more, giving him a small nod. She’s his reason to finish this fight, not for the glory or the title of being undefeated. He wants to finish it so he can take her home and hear about her week.

That’s more important than any stupid fight.

Luke stands up straight then quickly whips around throwing a hard right hook to his opponent. He’s momentarily stunned and Luke uses that to his advantage and gives him a swift uppercut, followed by a roundhouse kick to his stomach. He does one more quick jab to his neck then another left hook and the guy is down.  

The crowd goes crazy, the bell is ringing and the ref is shouting out Luke’s name lifting his hand in the air as he’s announced the winner. Luke doesn’t care though. He nods his thanks for the acknowledgment then helps his opponent rise from the floor.

“Really thought I had you, man,” the guy who Luke thinks his name is Rob says. “That your girl that was in the ring?”

“Yes,” Luke answers gruffly. He was already so exhausted, he didn’t want to have to fight again if this guy says something crude about his Evie.

“Reminds me of my wife, she hated seeing me fight. She a keeper?” Rob pants wiping blood from his lip.

Luke’s shoulders relax when he learns the guy is married. “Yeah, she’s a keeper.”

“Good. Take your girl home before she fights you next,” he chuckles then holds out his hand, “you fight really well.”

“Thanks, you too,” Luke says shaking his hand quickly.

Calum escorts Luke from the ring, and Luke leans on his friend for support and it isn’t long until Evie is on his other side offering her support.

“Hey Cal, guess what,” Luke sighs happily. His ears are still ringing and his head feels like it’s underwater. Apparently that’s what five fights in two days does to you.

“What, mate?”

“Evie loves me,” he says proudly leaning towards Evie who stumbles a little under his weight.

“That’s great because I think she hates me,” Calum grunts pushing open the locker room door.

“I don’t hate you, I’m just very upset with you,” Evie sighs helping Luke sit down on the bench.

“Same thing. I’m sorry, Evie, but I promise I won’t let him do this again. And I’m giving him the week off next week,” Calum says.

“Come on, I can go two more rounds,” Luke sighs resting his head against the wall. His eyes are closed.

“You can’t sleep yet, you need to shower, babe,” Evie tells him pulling onto his hand.

“Wanna shower with you,” he mumbles and Calum chuckles. Evie blushes.

“I think you should just take him home,” Calum laughs.

“Can you help me get him to the car?” Evie asks going to his locker to grab his duffel bag and things.

Just then Ashton bursts through the door saying a string of apologies but Evie stops him.

“It’s fine, Ash,” she sighs, “I just want to get him home. Can you help?”

“Absolutely. Come on, Luke,” Ashton hefts him up easily against his body.

• • • •

It was a bit of an ordeal getting Luke into her shower, he simply insisted on going to her place because he wanted to be around everything that is her. He kept begging her to join him in the shower but she refused because he still had to get his cuts taken care of.

He sat in her kitchen while she hustled about getting healing ointment and bandages. He was a tad more alert but his body ached and all he wanted to do was crawl into her bed and hold her close. She hummed quietly as she cleaned him up, his eyes trained on her.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs and she smiles.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

Once he has bandages on his knuckles and ointment under his swollen eye, she held out her hands to drag him into her room. She flicked on her string lights that were on her ceiling and Luke clambered into her bed heavily. His eyes were closed then he opened them in concern because she wasn’t next to him.

“Why aren’t you in bed?” he asks.

“I don’t really want to sleep in these clothes,” she chuckles.

He groans.

“What’s the matter? What hurts?” she freezes taking her bra off.

“You’re undressing and I’m too tired to open my eyes and watch,” he pouts into her pillow.

Evie laughs and continues to take off her clothes. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t fight four fights in two days.”

“I’m sorry. Do you hate me?”

“I love you, Luke, how could I hate you?” she sighs finally slipping into her pajamas which was a shirt of Luke’s. It fit her like a nightgown and still smelled like him. She slept in it every night.

“Because I didn’t tell you about the fights. I lied to you. I never wanted to lie to you and I did and I’m sorry,” he says in a rush.

She gets into bed and he immediately nuzzles his face into her neck, his arms wrapping around her. He even tangles his legs with hers and she can’t help but giggle at him basically koala-ing her. Her fingers move to his hair so she can play with it and her other hand tickles his arm across her stomach.

“I get why you didn’t tell me,” she sighs kissing his forehead, “but as much as I would have hated it, I would have been there and watched each fight.”

“Really?” his voice his muffled by the fabric of his shirt on her chest.

“Yes. I support you Luke because this is your life. But I don’t want you to ever do this many fights without telling me, okay?”

“Believe me, I won’t ever fight this many again. But I’ll tell you,” he promises. He lifts his head looking at her through bleary eyes. “I’ve wanted to do this all week.”

“What?”

“Be with you in bed, I’ve missed you so damn much.”

“I missed you,” she smiles scratching at his beard affectionately.

He glances at her lips then her eyes before pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth. He inhales sharply tightening his hold on her as he deepens the kiss. It stirs a fire in her lower stomach and they both desperately wish they could do more than kiss but Evie pushes him away gently.

“You need to sleep, honey,” she tells him.

“I know,” he sighs dropping his head to her chest again. “Just wanted to kiss you.”

She smiles and goes back to scratching at his drying curls, his breathing slows down already.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispers kissing his forehead and begins to hum a song.

“I love you,” he says.

“And I love you,” she whispers. She goes back to humming and he’s out like a light in no time.

Evie stays up a little longer, smiling at each twitch he does in his sleep and simply enjoying just being with him.

• • • •

Calum was true to his word and gave Luke the whole next week off so Luke and Evie spent everyday together. She’d change his bandages on his knuckles and make him hold ice on his eye so it would bring the swelling down.

By Tuesday his bruises weren’t as horrendous looking and the cuts on his knuckles were healing over.

“Do you want to get out of town for a while?” Luke asks her while they’re lounging on her couch. She’s cuddled onto his chest wearing nothing but a t-shirt of his and his fingers are tickling the skin of her thigh.

“Where would we go?” she turns her head to look up at him.

“I’ve got a lake house about an hour away from here,” he smiles, “there’s a hot tub, and a really good restaurant that has the best bread and butter.”

“You had me at bread and butter.”

“What, not the hot tub?” he laughs.

“That’s great too, but bread is better,” she sticks her tongue out playfully.

“Silly girl,” he laughs again and pinches her waist causing her to giggle shrilly. “Do you want to? We can stay there until Friday afternoon.”

“That sounds really nice, yeah, let’s go!”

• • • •

Evie’s expression at seeing his lake house was pure amazement. It was a nice cottage with a bird bath in the front and flowers, and painted yellow with white shutters. She was silent as she walked throughout the house while Luke left to get the bags. The inside had white wood paneled walls and cream colored couches.

The whole place reminded her of sunshine and spring.

She found the hot tub outside the master bedroom on a top deck which had a beautiful view of the lake. She immediately went outside down by the small sandy beach near the dock. Whippoorwill’s trilled in the distance and Evie closed her eyes finally feeling calm and relaxed.

“There you are,” Luke murmurs from behind wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I went exploring,” she sighs leaning against his chest.

“Peaceful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. Do you come out here often?”

“Not for a while, you’re the first person I’ve brought out here,” he kisses her temple.

“Really? Not even the guys?”

“Nope, this is my hideaway. My safe space.”

Evie turns around in his arms and looks up in his pretty blue eyes. She notes how his left eye isn’t swollen anymore but still has faint coloring from the bruising and his lip is almost healed. Even battered he’s still the most handsome man she’s ever seen.

“Why’d you bring me to your private place?” she strokes his cheek gently.

“Because, you’re my safe space and I love you,” he says simply. He smiles then leans down to press his lips to hers.

She hooks her arm to the back of his neck as the kiss deepens. It’s been so long since they’ve shared a ‘getting-lost-in-you’ kiss because of his injuries from his fights. His hands go immediately to her waist then slips down to her ass. He squeezes and she sighs into his mouth.

“Let’s go inside, yeah,” he mumbles.

Evie just nods, her voice is lost on her from that knee buckling kiss. If it wasn’t for Luke’s strong hand in hers she’d probably fall flat on her face. He leads her through the house to the bedroom.

Her attention is distracted by Luke’s soft lips on her neck and his wandering hands moving up and down her stomach to her thighs. His lips continue exploring down to her shoulder while his fingers pull down the zipper of her jacket and he pulls the clothing off her.

He spins her around, his eyes trained on hers as he backs her onto the bed, her knees buckling as she sits down on it. She scoots herself backwards until her head lands on the pillows, she bites her lip and Luke crawls on top of her. He dips his head low so he can kiss her tenderly, her fingers tangle in his curls.

“Want you so bad,” he exhales letting his hand wander down her thigh.

“Take me,” she gasps yanking on his hair.

He unbuttons her shorts while she tries to lift his sweatshirt over his head. They’re a mess of tangled limbs and twisted clothing, laughter fills the air until they’re both void of clothes. He notices the rapid rise and fall of her chest as he leaves a trail of kisses down her sternum.

“You’re so perfect,” he breathes on her skin as he moves around her bellybutton.

He shifts himself on the bed so his face is between her legs. Without teasing, he kisses her heat and licks her slowly. Her moans are precious in his ears and he continues to lick her languorously. He wants to make her feel good, so good that she’ll remember this for the rest of her life and he wants to do this for all of his days.

“Luke,” she moans petting his hair before threading her fingers through it.

He hums against her and she gasps, his tongue flicks become faster as he adds a finger, pumping into her slowly. He brings her to her orgasm skillfully and perfectly. Luke sucks off her wetness from his finger and she drags him up by her so she can kiss him.

“Your turn,” she nibbles at his lip but he shakes his head.

“No, baby, tonight is all about you,” he watches her as he teases the tip of his dick in between her folds.

Evie bites her lip, full eye contact on him as he continues to lube himself up with her wetness. He pushes himself in gently, the warmth of her around him consumes him and he pushes in and out to create more slickness. Evie is tracing the features of his face as he does so, soft little grunts escape her each time he goes in and out and then he’s finally in her completely.

Luke exhaled as she inhaled from the moment of connection, her mouth open in a perfect little ‘o’ and her eyes nearly roll back in her head. He’s never seen her more lovely than this moment.

“God, I love you,” he pants then begins to start a steady thrust. When he connects fully in her he rolls his hips and Evie’s nails are scratching up and down his back.

“I love you . . . too,” she moans as his pace quickens.

Luke licks his lips adjusting his right arm beside her head to use it as leverage so he can fuck into her deeper. His other hand is holding onto her hip and soon she’s matching his pace, hips meeting hips, breath being exchanged.

Evie closes her eyes when he hits a certain spot and she begs him not to stop and Luke would never. Whatever she’d ask him in this moment he’d give to her without question. He felt her walls clenching around him and he pumped faster and faster until she’s moaning loudly in his ear.

“That’s my girl,” he praises into her ear. She moans in response and still he quickens his pace.

His hips snap into hers with ruthless passion and she’s coming over him again, her cries are salacious, her nails creating crescent moons into his back with her legs wrapped around his waist.

“Feels so good,” she whines arching her back.

Luke closes his eyes trying to hold his orgasm off but the sounds she’s making and the feeling of her around him becomes too much. His thrusts start to become sloppy but she’s moaning loudly---a fourth one?—and he’s coming as well.

He pulls out quickly because he remembers he didn’t put on a condom so he spurts all over her lower stomach. Her fingers are trying to brush away the curls from his forehead as he releases onto her. Once he’s finished he collapses onto her and they’re a panting mess, he doesn’t even care that he’s getting his cum over his stomach. His main concern is her.

“I’m so in love with you,” she admits tilting his head up from her chest.

He smiles giving her a deep kiss.

“I’m in love with you, sweetheart.” He kisses her cheek, making a trail down her jaw to her neck and to her breast that he sucks on lightly.

“That tickles,” she giggles.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you fully naked,” he muses moving to her other breast so he can kiss and suck on it as well. “Why is that?”

“Because other times you mainly paid attention to her,” she giggles again pointing down to her vagina.

“You call it a her?” he chuckles around her nipple.

“Duh, why would it be a he?”

“Fair point.”

“So what do you think?”

“Of what? Her? I fucking love her,” he sucks loudly on her breast.

“No,” she laughs, “my naked body.”

“I fucking love all of it, you’re so perfect,” he rubs her cheek with the back of his knuckles. He loves the blush on her cheeks.

“Mm, you’re pretty perfect,” she sighs closing her eyes as he continues to cater to her breasts.

• • • •

Luke and Evie stayed at the lake house until Sunday. They spent their time in the hot tub, walking along the lakeshore, going out to dinner every night because Luke insisted on spoiling her. And it was filled with lots of lovemaking.

When he pulls up to her apartment he helps get her bags out then pulls her against him, his lips connecting with hers. The plan was that she’d take a shower and change then meet him at the ring in an hour, Luke had to go over his schedule with Calum.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait?” he asks for the twelfth time.

“I’m sure,” she smiles stretching up to kiss his nose, “I’ll see you in an hour. Promise.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more,” she smiles then pulls away shouldering her bags and heads inside the entrance.

Luke watches her disappear, an ever present smile on his face then jogs around to his side of the car.

• • • •

Luke’s been watching the other guys practice while he wants for Evie to meet him at the ring, he’s already gone over his schedule with Calum. The finals are coming up soon so training is going to be more intense but he’s promised he won’t be fighting multiple times in a short amount of days.

It’s been a little over ten minutes from when Evie was supposed to meet Luke and Evie’s very punctual.  He knows if she’s running late by even a minute it makes her anxious. Before he’ll allow himself to panic, he pulls out his phone and texts her. Luke tries to reason that maybe she’s still putting on her makeup or is stuck in traffic.

A few minutes turn into ten and still no response.

Fifteen minutes turn to twenty-five and panic starts to set in. He tries calling her but it rings to her voicemail. He tries again but by the third ring and still no answer, he’s reaching for his keys.

He’s calling her constantly while he’s in the car driving back to her place but she’s still not answering.

“Shit!” he exclaims smacking the steering wheel.

Something is very wrong.

He parks haphazardly outside her building and takes the steps three at a time until he’s on the second level. He pounds on the door shouting her name but its radio silence on the other side.

Luke searches frantically for his phone to try calling her again. With bated breath he waits and waits and very faintly hears her ringtone through the door.

Something is really wrong.

“Fuck,” he hisses fumbling for his wallet to get the spare key she gave him.

Then he remembers he left his wallet in the car and not wanting to waste more time he grabs hold of the doorknob and shoulders onto the wood as hard as he can. It bursts open, the knob clattering to the floor and he’s searching frantically for Evie.

“Evie?” he calls.

A chair is knocked over, the lampshade by her couch is askew. His heart pounds in his chest as he makes his way through her apartment. It’s eerily silent save for slamming of his heart in his ears and then his heart stops.

She’s lying on her bathroom floor crumpled in a heap with a small pool of blood near her head. Her phone is cracked next to her fingers.

“No, no, no, no baby, please,” Luke begs falling next to her. He touches her wrist and feels a heartbeat, it’s steady and thanks God it’s there.

“Evie? Lovie, can you hear me?” he asks brushing hair from her forehead, that’s when he sees the gash as the source of blood. It’s a pretty deep cut right above her eyebrow.

She makes the tiniest of scowls but makes no noise. Panicking again, Luke dials 911 and explains what he’s seeing in a rush and to please, please send help.

“Please hurry, she’s . . . she’s not waking up,” he cries and tries talking to her gently.

“Sir, an ambulance is less than five minutes away, they’ll be there soon, okay?” The dispatcher speaks calmly. “I’ll stay on the line with you until they arrive, but don’t move her.”

“Okay, okay,” he pants.

He still tries to wake her up and is careful not to touch no matter how desperately he wants to. Then he hears sirens and soon after quick and heavy footsteps down the hall.

“We’re here! She’s in the bathroom!” he shouts voice shaking.

Two EMT’s, one male and one female, push past him. He watches in shock as they speak medical jargon to each other and into their radios. Two others arrive with a stretcher and a neck brace that is wrapped quickly around her neck.

Luke watches in horror as they lift her onto the stretcher and he follows them wordlessly downstairs and outside. He’s stopped when he goes to climb in the ambulance.

“Sir, there isn’t enough room but you can follow us to the hospital,” the woman tells him.

“Okay,” he says hollowly then she touches his arm.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got her, sir. What’s her name?”

“Evie—Evelyn—Carson,” he croaks and tries to clear his throat but there’s a lump preventing him doing so.

“And yours?”

“Luke Hemmings.”

“We’ll see you at the hospital, Luke.”

He runs to his car and called Calum immediately, his tires squeal as he follows the ambulance.

“Hey, what’s—“

“Is Nell there?”

“Yeah, she’s—“

“Meet me at the hospital,” Luke rushes and turns the corner sharply.

“The hospital? Luke—“

“It’s Evie. Just hurry, I’m behind the ambulance.”

He hangs up before Calum can say another word and tries to keep his foot steady on the gas. He couldn’t help the tremble of his hands.

• • • •

Luke’s leg is bouncing erratically as he waits to hear news of Evie and for Calum and Nell to arrive. The doors to the waiting room swing open revealing a frantic looking Nell, she makes a beeline for Luke.

“What is going on?” she demands tears brimming her eyes.

“I—she was supposed to meet me at the arena in an hour after we got back. She wasn’t picking up after thirty minutes and I went to get her and had to break down her door. Her place is turned over and she was . . . she was on the floor in the bathroom. Blood was on her forehead and the floor and she wouldn’t wake up. I don’t know what happened,” he finishes in a choked sob.

“Danny,” Nell mumbles sadly.

“Who’s Danny?” Calum narrows his eyes.

“Her ex,” Nell breathes, “He found her.”

“You know about that? How?” Luke asks.

“Ashton told me. I figured if she wanted to tell me, she would. But she’s been so happy with you—“

“I should’ve been there,” Luke cuts her off shaking his head. He rubs his face twice with his hands, the image of her lying on the floor is ingrained in his mind.

“Luke Hemmings?”

He whips around quickly then is surprised to see a police officer standing in front of him. He was about the same height as Luke but in his late thirties and a hard, steely look in his eyes.

“Yes?” Luke asks stepping forward slowly.

“Can I ask you some questions, please?”

• • • •

Luke slumps back in his chair in one of the private offices of the hospital, Officer Roth is sitting across from him with a notepad.

“I’m telling you, I would never ever hit my girlfriend! Or any woman for that matter!” Luke thunders for what feels like the hundredth time. He feels like a broken record repeating the same story of how he found Evie.

“But you are a boxer, correct?” Officer Roth narrows his eyes.

“Yes, I fight at Seconds of Summer,” he sighs.

“Have you met this ex-boyfriend of Miss Carson’s before?”

“No, but she’s told me a lot about him. I don’t know how he found her but he did and all I want is to see how she is.”

Officer Roth eyes him up silently then folds his arms. “Your hands look like they’ve been through some fights, and that shiner on your eye looks pretty rough.”

“I fought four fights in two days last week,” Luke forces his voice to remain calm. “Evie and I went to my lake house because Calum gave me the week off—Calum. Go get Calum Hood, he owns the gym and is my trainer. He can tell you I was at the arena until about two thirty when I went to Evie’s. Please. I need to see she’s all right.”

Officer Roth takes his time tapping his pen on the desk, closes his little pad and pockets.

“Fine, but you stay here, got it?”

Luke nods watching Officer Roth heave out of the chair and exit the room. Luke’s leg is shaking as he waits in anxiousness. He has no idea what status Evie’s in or if she’s awake. Is she asking for him? Is Nell with her?

Minutes tick by and then the door opens. Luke twists in his chair to see Calum is behind Officer Roth.

“You’re good to go, Mr. Hemmings,” Officer Roth says. “I apologize for the third degree but . . . well, under the circumstances and your state, I had to ask those questions.”

“I get it but Danny’s the one you need to give the third degree to. Am I free to go?” Luke rises from his chair.

“Yes, I hear Miss Carson is asking for you. I’ll be by in a few minutes to get a statement from her. If Danny’s still in the area, we’ll do our best to find him.” He holds out his hand, “I’m sorry again.”

“Thank you,” Luke shakes his hand then rushes past him with Calum. “Thanks for setting him straight.”

“No problem, I can’t believe he thought you did this,” Calum says bitterly.

“She’s awake? How is she?”

“Freaking out because she woke up in a hospital and has no idea where you are. Nell is trying to explain but she’s a little frantic. She’s down this way.”

Luke picks up his pace pushing through the double doors into another hallway filled with constant telephone rings and murmurs from the nursing staff. Calum leads him into a room to the left and Luke’s chest breaks open when he sees Evie.

There’s a bandage above her left eyebrow and her lip is swollen and bruised. Discoloration of bruises peek out from the hospital gown she’s in and though her body looks worn and torn, her eyes are alert when they land on Luke.

“Luke!” she cries trying to reach for him but he moves to her first.

“I’m here, baby, I’m right here,” he rushes sitting next to her. He takes her hands gently in his, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Where were you?”

“A cop had some questions for me,” he says grimly, “he wants to talk to you, too so he can try and find Danny.”

“Why was he talking to . . .” her voice tumbles off an edge until her eyes widen in shock. “They thought you--?! Oh, Luke, I’m so sorry.”

Her eyes well with fresh tears and her breathing has become irregular and rapid as she sputters out incoherent apologies.

“Shh, shh, breathe, lovie,” he cradles her face softly trying to calm her down. “It’s all sorted now. I’m still angry about it but from their viewpoint, I do look like the bad guy. And I am.”

“What? No, you’re not—“

“I should’ve been with you, I wouldn’t have given him a chance to touch you,” says through his teeth.

He caresses her forehead, his heart falling once more at the sight of the stitches below the bandage. He overheard the nurse telling Nell while he was reuniting with Evie that she had severe bruising on her stomach. It made him sick and angry that this happened and he was right within reach.

Danny was probably there when he dropped her off. A new wave of anger ripples through him and he has to pull his hands away to try and cool his temper. It’s taking all his willpower now not to go out and find Danny himself.

“Luke, look at me,” Evie says softly.

He stares at her blankly. She reaches for his hand lacing their fingers together and squeezes.

“What happened isn’t your fault. I have no idea how he found me but I’m glad you’re the one who rescued me. I could’ve . . .” she swallows thickly closing her eyes at what possibly could have happened to her then opens them again to look into his sad blue eyes, “You saved me. That’s what matters.”

He sighs unevenly then nods just as there’s a knock on the door. It’s Officer Roth with a fellow officer to ask Evie what happened. Luke holds her hand the entire time as she explains through a shaky voice. When she falters, Luke kisses her hand in assurance and she continues until the officers have all they need.

Officer Roth gives Luke his number in case Danny returns and they can call him right away.

• • • •

Calum and Nell came back later that night while Evie was sleeping with new clothes for her to change into when she’s discharged. She has to stay the night for observation and with the bruising on her stomach the doctors and nurses wanted to monitor it in case there was internal bleeding.

Evie didn’t want Luke to leave her and he was more than happy to stay with her, he didn’t want to leave her side either.

“We cleaned up her place the best we could,” Nell informs while the three of them are standing just outside her door.

“Mike and Ash are fixing her door right now,” Calum adds.

“Thanks,” Luke nods. He heaves a deep sigh exhaling through his nose as his fingers rub at his eyes. “I doubt she’ll want to go back once she’s checked out tomorrow night.”

“Take her to your place, she’ll be safe with you and I don’t want Danny coming back,” Nell’s voice shakes in anger at the mention of Danny.

“I should’ve stayed with her,” Luke mutters. He shakes his head, jaw working as his body trembles in anger once more.

He wants—he needs to punch something. He’d choose the wall but the sound would wake Evie up and he didn’t want to pay for damaging the hospital.

“Luke, you can’t beat yourself up over this,” Calum sighs, “You couldn’t have known he’d be there. It’s because of you she’s safe now. This could have been way worse.”

“I don’t understand why he left in the first place,” Nell mentions then at the look on Luke’s face she adds quickly, “I’m glad he did! But why show up, do what he did and then leave?”

“What did Evie say happened?” Calum asks quietly.

“She told the cop he was already in her apartment. He must have asked a tenant where she lived and found the key she hid in the light to get in. She said he wanted to talk, he apologized apparently but she told him to leave. He snapped and—“Luke tries to swallow the lump in his throat “—and threw her chair before he began hitting her. She didn’t fight back, in the past it only made it worse when she did and then she passed out when her head hit the edge of the counter.”

“I thought you found her in the bathroom?” Nell asks.

“I did. Maybe he dragged her in there? I don’t know, the son of a bitch probably thought he killed her and left. That’s the only reason I can think of as to why he’d leave.”

“When—“

“Luke?” Evie calls out worriedly.

Without a second glance, Luke heads inside to be by his girl instantly, grasping her hand and dancing his fingers across her cheek.

“I’m right here, sweetheart. Calum and Nell are here, they brought new clothes and we were talking,” he explains dropping into the seat beside her bed.

“Did they leave?”

“No, do you want to see them?” he asks and she nods. “Guys, come on in.”

Nell enters first sprinting to her cousin’s side and hugs her tightly. Earlier when she was in the room Evie was still delirious and the only thing on her mind was Luke. They’re both crying and exchanging apologies.

“I should’ve told you what Danny was like,” Evie wipes under her eyes with the hand that’s not holding Luke’s.

“I understand why you didn’t. I should’ve told you I knew anyway. I’m so sorry you had to deal with this on your own,” Nell sniffs. “We’ll all watch out for you. He won’t get away with this and if he comes back we’ll make sure he’s locked up.”

“Thanks, Nell,” Evie gives her a watery smile.

There’s a knock on the door and a nurse comes in to check on Evie’s vitals. Someone will be checking on her every few hours.

“We’ll let you rest, Eve,” Calum says.

“Thanks guys.”

Luke nods his goodbye, eyes focused on Evie while the night nurse checked her vitals.

“Everything sounds good,” the nurse says, “can I check the bruising on your stomach?”

Luke watches in silent anguish at the careful way Evie moves the blankets and her gown. His eyes are trained on her face, she’s biting her lip but a small squeak slips by signifying this is painful for her.

“It hurts,” she whispers “can you help?”

The nurse aids her by lifting the gown slowly. She presses on Evie’s stomach gently, Evie winces at the pressure.

“Has there been blood when you used the bathroom?”

“No,” Evie’s voice is strained.

“That’s good. I’ll let you get more rest and be back in a few hours. I’m Cheyenne and I’ll be watching over you tonight,” Cheyenne smiles. “Call if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Luke says watching her leave then helps Evie get tucked back in under the covers.

“Thanks,” Evie smiles.

“Try to get some sleep, lovie,” he murmurs kissing her forehead minding the stitches above her eyebrow.

• • • •

It’s been two weeks since the incident with Evie. She’s been healing nicely and the cut above her eyebrow is now raised soft skin, and pale pink in color after the stitches were removed. Luke would trace his fingers over it and kiss that spot randomly throughout the day.

He knew she hated it and felt self-conscious about it so he made it his duty to show it as much love as he could. She’d only been to her apartment once and that was only so she could get extra clothes and her favorite blankets.

Luke had passed the divisional and is now moving onto the title win which has a decent amount of prize money that will really help out the gym. Calum has increased his workouts but scheduled them around Evie’s work schedule so Luke can pick her up.

It’s a lazy Saturday morning as they’re cuddled up on his couch watching old Disney movies. Evie is on top of him, their legs tangled together under her favorite fuzzy blanket and Luke’s fingers are tracing patterns on her back.

“Can you teach me how to fight?” she asks suddenly.

Luke’s dancing fingers stopped, he craned his neck in an odd position so he could look at her.

“What?”

“Can you teach me how to box? Or show me some easy moves?”

“Evie . . . why?”

“So if Danny comes back I can defend myself.”

Luke shifts underneath her so he doesn’t have to strain his neck in an awkward position, she shifts with him raising her head from his chest.

“If he comes back,” Luke’s voice is dangerously controlled, “he won’t even get a chance to fucking breathe in your direction.”

She smiles lightly at his need to protect her.

“I know but I want to learn so I’m prepared anyway. And it will make me more comfortable watching you instead of listening to music. Please?”

Luke sighs mulling it over, it’s not a bad idea. She should at least know the basics just in case something were to happen and Luke wasn’t there. But he meant what he said. If Danny comes back Luke will deal with him personally.

“All right,” he agrees and Evie squeals with glee then attacks his face with kisses. “But if anything hurts or you feel uncomfortable, you tell me and we stop. Deal?”

“Yes, deal. Thank you, honey.”

She presses her mouth to his sealing the deal.

• • • •

When Monday night rolls around Evie joins Luke at the gym into the training room. He’s spent the last forty-five minutes going over boxing basics and showing her the moves. He takes careful care of wrapping her fingers in tape then kisses her knuckles when he’s finished.

He slips on punching mitts then moves in front of her. He smiles at the sight of Evie, her dark brown hair is pulled back into a loose braid and she’s wearing a sports bra with some leggings. There’s a determined look in her eye that he finds so endearing.

“I’m not punching one of the bags?” she asks almost sadly.

“No, not today. Those are a lot harder than these,” he indicates the mitts on his hands, “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, lovie. Let’s start with an easy combination of a jab cross and right hook. Get in your stance . . . good. Keep your hands up by your face and start when you’re ready.”

Evie nods taking a deep breath then jabs her left hand across her body to hit the mitt on Luke’s left hand, she follows with a quick right hook on his other hand then repeats. Luke nods as she repeats it, her body dancing as she keeps her feet bouncing.

“Very good, lovie, keep going,” he encourages.

Evie continues, her eyes trained on the mitts. With each punch she hits harder and harder as an anger bubbles up to the surface. Each punch is for every hit Danny gave her. Each strike is for every time he yelled and swore and then more anger arose because he found her and could have almost ruined her and Luke.

Evie became relentless, hitting faster, faster, and faster still. Her face becomes red and her breath comes out in rapid huffs. Luke has been watching her carefully and when he sees her eyes flood with tears he springs into action and lowers the mitts.

She’s still punching the air and then his chest as he pulls her against him, crushing her arms so she stops. Evie chokes out her sobs into his shirt.

“I’ve got you baby, it’s okay.”

He rocks her gently from side to side as she continues to sob and gasp, finally releasing her pent up emotions she didn’t realize she buried.

• • • •

Title fight day is upon Luke and he’s trying to get in his own head and zone out the raucous cheers and buzz from beyond his changing room. He’s pacing, rotating his neck and loosening his shoulders as he attempts to block it out.

If he wins these twelve rounds he’ll also receive a whopping $50,000 prize money which would really help the gym. He tried not to think about it all coming down to him and to focus on the fight, his moves and the weak spots of his opponent.

His name is KJ Andrews who has a reputation of getting where he’s at from the ground up at his own gym he uses for youth.

There’s a quick knock on his door then Calum enters, a quick grin flicks across his face.

“Got time to meet a fan before you go out?”

“Yeah, I s’pose,” Luke huffs checking the tape on his hands.

“Don’t sound so enthused, honey.”

Luke’s head snaps up to see Evie step from behind Calum, a smile on her face as she approaches him.

“He should’ve said it was you,” Luke grins meeting her halfway. They join hands letting them hang loosely between their bodies.

“Four minutes, Hemmings. See you out there, Evie,” Calum bids them goodbye closing the door behind him.

“How’re you feeling?” Evie asks, eyes searching his face.

“Okay, good I guess. I just want to get out there,” he licks his lips. “Do you have your air pods?”

“I won’t be using them,” she shakes her head, “I can handle it but I have them just in case. This is a big fight for you, Luke, I want to be completely involved.”

“I love you,” he sighs bending down to give her a gentle kiss.

“I love you, too,” she mumbles on his lips giving him one more just as the announcer’s voice booms from the arena. “You’ve got this, Luke. I’ll see you out there.”

“Bye,” he says faintly. He gives her hands a gentle squeeze as she backs away, their fingers slipping away as she slips out the door.

Luke takes several deep breaths then heads out of his changing room and up the stairs. He cracks his knuckles then punches his palms, his adrenaline is kicking in.

When he steps out into the arena, the blue spotlight hits him but he pays no mind to people shouting his name or what the announcer is saying. Calum joins him as he makes his way to the ring and slips beneath the rope to go in his respective corner. KJ is already across from him, they both glance and nod at each other as the announcer rumbles stats.

“How’re you feeling, mate?” Calum asks rubbing his best friend’s shoulders.

“Good, I’m ready. Where’s—“

“Behind you with everybody else,” Calum smiles nodding behind Luke.

Luke cranes his neck and spots Evie right away. She smiles sweetly and waves up at him then gives him a thumbs up. His heart soars.

He can do this. He’ll win these twelve rounds and then ask Evie to move in with him. It’s crazy to think how six months ago was when he first spotted Evie. Crazy to think that six months has gone by. So much has changed but he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

The clang of the bell echoed all around followed by the loud cheers and applause from the spectators. Luke and KJ met in the middle, knocked fists and the referee blew his whistle.

• • • •

Sweaty and out of breath, Luke’s limbs were like jelly when the ref raised his right arm up above his head exclaiming ‘WINNER!’ of the title fight. The cheers were louder than ever but through his exhaustion he smiled looking out into the crowd. The house lights came on and he could see every cheering face but he only had one in mind.

When he spotted his friends he notices Evie isn’t there. Calum pointed behind him signifying his changing room and Luke nods. He’ll get to her soon enough.

Evie is setting up the six champagne flutes carefully on his coffee table with the champagne bottle in the center. The twelve rounds were intense and at some moments she thought Luke would come up short but he never failed.

She cheered as loud as she could when he was announced the winner, stray tears fell from her eyes from how proud she is for him. She snuck away quickly to set up this little celebration station for him when he arrived with everyone else.

The door opens behind her and she spins around.

“Congratu—“

Her congratulations falls short and her smile disappears when she sees who’s standing in the doorway.

“You always did heal up fast,” Danny says stepping into the room.

His presence casts a dark shadow in the room and over Evie who steps off to the side. The bottle opener is by the door still in the bag and her eyes scan frantically for any sort of defensive weapon she can use. The announcer is still calling out congratulations and she prays silently that Luke will be here soon.

“What do you want, Danny?” she asks her voice shaking.

“Why don’t you come back home? Your family misses you . . . I miss you,” he chuckles stepping even closer.

“You had an odd way of showing it at my apartment,” she bites back as furiously as she can.

“I was just angry you managed to hide from me for so long. And to cheat on me nonetheless,” he chuckles again.

The closer he gets Evie can smell liquor reeking from his body, her heart accelerated in fear.

“I didn’t cheat on you because we aren’t together. You hit me and verbally abused me, I left you, Danny. Just leave me alone, please.”

“I can’t do that, Eves, I love you too much. Come on, just come back home with me, I promise I’ve changed.”

He’s invading her space now, she flinches at his use of her old nickname but instead of fear she was filled with rage.

“You don’t love me. You don’t beat up someone you love. You’re sick and you need help but it won’t be from me,” she says vehemently. “You won’t hurt me again.”

In his drunken (or hungover) state, his actions were sluggish but Evie was faster as he lifted his arm. Evie pushes him back and throws a right hook as hard as she can into his face. A satisfying crunch sounds followed by pain in her hand that shoots up her arm.

She lets out a cry from the pain as he stumbles back then the door opens and Luke is there.

“LUKE!” Evie shouts cowering further into the corner as Danny continues to stumble.

Luke launches himself at Danny, kneeing him in the gut and punching him a few times until he’s slumped in a heap on the floor. Danny groans as Luke holds him up by the collar of his shirt.

“You’ll never touch her again, you bastard,” Luke spits then gives him on final punch and Danny is knocked out. He rushes over to Evie who collapses into his arms then lets out a whimper. “Did he hurt you? Where are you hurt?”

“I-I punched him and I think I hurt my hand,” Evie lifts her right hand that is already looking swollen and red.

Luke holds it gingerly in his own hands inspecting it. He flexes her fingers straight, she winces as he feels the bones and her wrist.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” he murmurs, “but we can have a doctor check it out.”

“Luke, we have—what the hell?” Ashton exclaims behind them.

“Call Officer Roth,” Luke tells them, “and make sure he doesn’t fucking move. I’m taking Evie to have her hand looked at.”

Luke holds her left hand leading her cautiously around Danny and out the door. Nell gives Evie a concerned look but Evie smiles and mutters an ‘I’m fine.’

The doctor on site inspected Evie’s hand and came to the conclusion it was only sprained. Evie is given an ice pack and told to keep ice on it to keep the swelling down and take ibuprofen for the pain. Two cops enter the gym after the doctor leaves, Officer Roth spots them from across the way.

“Are you all right, Miss Carson?” Officer Roth asks.

“I’m okay,” she nods, “I hit him this time.” Her eyes widen at her confession. “You aren’t going to arrest me are you? He came at me first and I defended—“

“No, no, you aren’t going to get arrested,” Officer Roth smiles kindly. “We’ll make sure he’ll be locked up for a long time. Apparently there’s an order for his arrest back at his place of residence, other girls have come forward explaining what he’s done. I’m so sorry you had to endure all of this.”

“He’s going to be taken away?” she asks faintly.

“Yes. Some allegations are from seventeen year old women,” Officer Roth responds gravely, “he won’t hurt anyone ever again. I promise you. You may have to head back home and speak to a judge and the police there, though. To give your statement of the past and from what happened a few weeks ago.”

Luke hold rubs the back of her neck in assurance at the news.

Evie takes a deep breath.

“If it will put him away I’ll do anything,” she nods, “Thank you Officer Roth.”

“I’m glad this will all come to an end for you. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call. And congratulations on the title, Luke. My partner and I heard the news from people on our way in.”

“Thank you,” Luke smiles and Officer Roth nods one last time before leaving. Luke turns to Evie and shakes his head in wonder. “You actually punched him.”

“I did,” she laughs shakily. “It felt good.”

“That’s my girl,” he kisses her temple then holds her against him in a warm embrace.

• • • •

After Luke joined Evie on the trip back home to give her statement and photo evidence of what Danny did to her, he asked her to move in with him when they got back to LA. She agreed happily throwing her arms around him.

Danny will be in jail for the rest of his life and Evie finally feels like she can breathe. She’s happy with her new life with Luke, she adores the new friends she’s made and is happy she gets to experience this all with her cousin Nell by her side.

Luke and Evie are practice fighting at the gym, it’s a weekly thing now. Evie has excelled in her boxing but will only use it as a workout and not as a profession like Luke.

They’re moving quickly and fast across the room, Luke taunts her (all in good fun) just to get her riled up and at her first slip-up, he cages her against the cool wall in between his arms.

“You’ve got to stay focused, baby,” he smiles leaning close to her body.

“You fight so dirty,” she giggles reaching up to scratch at the stubble on his chin.

Luke rubs the scar above her forehead with his thumb then slides his eyes down to meet hers, an amused look on her face.

“But your love’s so sweet,” he grins slotting his lips against hers in a loving kiss.

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