#LISTEN the more things I find out about this series the more excited I become

[ameliemaaaee]

The Silent Witness - Oneshot Series

(2) How you Become an Agent

Chapter Information Summary: With a sudden career change underway you find yourself enraveled in a case that's more than personal for the BAU. Content Warnings: S6/7 Spoilers, Doyle Arc Spoilers, Canon Violence/Gore, Awkward!Reader & Spencer, Betraya/Lies. Word Count: 9,504.

Story Masterlist - (1) - (2)

You were extremely glad the long day was coming to an end. The lab-techs were arriving to clean the morgue for the evening, and you were ready to happily retire to your apartment for the night, where you would remain on-call until the morning.

You quickly bustled around your small desk, your body on autopilot as you cleaned up the files and packed up your belongings.

You were pulled out of your reverie by the shrill ringing of your telephone. You began to irrationally panic, dropping the stack of files onto your chair as quickly as possible, not wanting to keep the caller waiting.

Once you finally had free hands and lifted the receiver you were met with a familiar voice you couldn’t help smiling at.

“Hi Y/N, it’s Agent Hotchner from the BAU.” You couldn’t help but smile at the vaguely familiar voice.

“Yes, to what do I owe the pleasure, agent?”

“I actually have a couple questions. I need a consult.”

“Yeah, that’s not a problem... fire away!”

“We have an agent who is in some trouble at the moment…” You hum down the receiver to indicate to Hotch you were listening.

“… she’s being transferred into WITSEC, but in order for that transition to raise no questions, she needs to ‘die’.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” You say, your tone taking an even and professional edge.

“She was seriously injured in an encounter with an UnSub, and sent to hospital, where she was then airlifted to another and stabilised. I can’t disclose much more, but I was wondering if a post-mortem report would be necessary?”

“Okay, well most hospitals conduct post-mortems on their patients if they die in their care. And these are supposed to be easily accessible to the friends and family of the deceased. So, I would say that if you’re trying to cover all bases it would be a necessary move.”

“How would I go about that?” You twirl your hair around your finger, deep in thought.

“If you email me over her patient file, I can sign off on a PM report for you? I’m obviously totally excluded from this case, and you would need her consent to share the files, but I’m totally covered legally for that type of thing.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Absolutely not. Not if it lifts a weight off your shoulders, plus I can do PM reports in my sleep.”

You hear Agent Hotchner chuckle through the phone at this.

“That would be greatly appreciated doctor.”

“Yeah, as I said just send me over…”

“-Actually, I had one last thing to ask.” He continues, piquing your interest.

“Okay-”

“We had an increase in budget this year that would allow us to hire an extra agent. I have been in contact with my higher-ups who are currently in the process of trying to bring forensic medical professionals into the bureau, and they are currently finishing up a state-of-the-art mortuary facility on the academy grounds.”

You pause, absorbing all the information agent Hotchner was relaying too you, trying to process what he meant by all of this, and you couldn’t help but feel the excitement swell in your heart as you got your hopes up.

“The brass was obviously aware of you, and how highly I spoke of you on our return, and they requested that I reach out and ask you personally if you would be willing to consider a position. Now, I’m aware that it’s a big ask and that it would require a trans-Atlantic mo-“

“-Absolutely, I would absolutely consider it.” You can’t hide the excitement in your voice as you cut the agent off.

“-That’s great, I’m currently in the process of trying to negotiate a forensic professional to our team, who would be essential in commencing the work of the forensic pathology department, before stepping back into a role primarily within the BAU; and they said yes, we are just working out some of the finer details.”

“Hotch, do you happen to remember what I said in the café that day?” You heard him laugh.

“Yes.”

“This means, a lot to me. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all, I think you would be perfectly suited here.”

You try to contain your joy as Agent Hotchner takes a slight pause.

“I have a meeting later, I will keep you updated, but be prepared; this position will open up fairly quickly. I will also forward you the information regarding our agent.”

“That’s great, I will get all of that sorted for you tomorrow. Hotch?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks… really, this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me.” His laugh emanates through the phone again as you smile widely.

“It’s no problem, doctor. Have a good night.”

“And you.”

As you place the phone back down in its cradle you can’t help but jump up and down as a sense of overwhelming joy overtakes you.

The rush of adrenaline allows you to tidy your desk in record time and soon you find yourself slinging your bag over your shoulder and walking out onto the crowded streets of London, striding to the nearest Tube Station a bright, smile on your face that was here to stay.

-

Hotch wasn’t lying when he said the position would open up quickly, within a month you were officially an American citizen, and a federal agent in training about to begin your first day…. Well, half-day.

Nothing would ever come close to describing the anxiousness you felt gazing up at the looming foyer of the FBI Academy in which the BAU was based.

Butterflies swam through your stomach as you proceeded up the steps and towards the main doors where an FBI crest was flaunted above the doors inscribed with ‘Fidelity, Integrity, Bravery.” The words somehow calmed you. These people were the best of the best, and so were you, just maybe not at hand-to-hand combat.

Hotch had quickly made you aware that the unit was in a transitional period due to both, a major investigation, and the aforementioned ‘death’ of an agent. This meant, he would not be able to greet you, and instead he would be sending Garcia, a familiar face.

And as you made your way through the sliding glass doors, she quickly bustled up to you engulfing you in her arms; a hug you couldn’t help but find comforting. You were in slightly over your head; a new country, a new job, and what you hoped would be a new group of friends.

Garcia practically dragged you towards a front desk to retrieve a visitor pass and then towards a set of elevators.

“I’m so glad you’re here you know?”

“I’m glad to be here.”

“The whole team loved you in London.”

You grin at this, quickly snapping back to attention as the elevator doors slide open onto the sixth floor. You had little time to process this however as Penelope quickly grabbed your hand and dragged you towards glass doors that were inscribed with the initials ‘BAU’. If you weren’t nervous before, you were now.

“I should let you know that we are in a state of eternal chaos right now. I’m pretty sure Hotch hasn’t even had the chance to tell the team you are coming yet.” Garcia pushes open the doors and leads you through into a large open area.

The main floor of the BAU was carpeted, and spacious L-shaped desks created a sort of bullpen. Each desk had a unique personality that you couldn’t help noting. A raised platform ran along the back of the room housing offices and to the far left, what looked like a conference room.

The space was surprisingly welcoming for an office, and you slowly scanned the room, unable to spot any familiar faces before you were being dragged towards a corridor.

“This is my bat-cave.” Garcia has a proud look on her face as she walks into a large computer room littered with monitors, and a large wall-high computer unit sat behind glass on the other wall.

“Wait- this is amazing! Did you program it all?” You whisper as you trail your finger across the trinket-covered desk, noting the operating system was like no other you had ever seen.

“I did indeed.” You grin as you turn to face her, prying your eyes away from the impressive computers.

“Okay, the team will be here in about 10 minutes, in the meantime I have a PowerPoint.”

“A PowerPoint?”

“Yes, it’s the best way to deliver information.” You laugh shyly, shrugging your shoulders as she fiddles with her computer for a second before dragging you across the ramp, and towards the aforementioned conference room, pointing out offices as she went.

“This is Hotch’s office, he never leaves it unless he’s forced to. This is Rossi’s office, He has expensive renaissance art, and Morgan’s office is back there, he’s hot.” You can’t help but laugh at their dynamic which had stuck out to you in London, but it clearly wasn’t a one-off occurrence.

“…and this, my friend, is the round table room.” You quickly get ushered into one of the comfortable desk chairs as the screen lights up, Garcia standing in front of it.

“This is gonna be less dramatic since you’ve met everyone already but here goes nothing I guess-“

The screen flashes with a title slide reading ‘The Behavioural Analysis Unit’ in bold lettering, the unit logo accompanying it.

“I like your font choice-“ You smile as Garcia thanks you and changes the slide.

“Ohhh yes! Meet the team. This is the best part.” You chuckle at this allowing her to continue.

“Okay, so we of course have Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner…” You try to hold back a laugh as a small photo pops up on the screen accompanying some facts.

“…he is our ‘boss man’ and he’s the dad of the team, but he’s also actually a dad; his son’s name is Jack, and I can’t really remember what age he is but he’s very sweet. He also doesn’t smile… or blink, like ever so don’t be scared that’s just him.” You find yourself wondering whether or not this PowerPoint had been run past Hotch or not.

“Okay, we have me. Fun fact, I’m fabulous. If you ever need a sneaky background check on anyone, I can do that in literally three seconds flat, and I’m also fabulous.”

“Then we have Derek -Chocolate Thunder- Morgan. I’m his baby girl, don’t steal him from me, thank you. The rest is self-explanatory… just, look at him!” You lean back in your seat rolling your eyes, but the sudden sound of a door opening grabs your attention, startling you.

“Garcia?” JJ makes her way into the room quickly spotting you sat on the chair. She laughs slightly as she notices the slideshow proudly displayed on the projector.

“Did you run this past Hotch?”

 “No-“ JJ laughs, rolling her eyes as she turns to you, offering a warm smile.

“Dr. L/N, it’s great to have you here, I’ll take you to Hotch’s office. He left the contracts in there.”

-

“Who’s that?” Morgan points towards a shadowed figure sat opposite JJ in Hotch’s office.

The team had been busy monitoring Declan and trying to come up with a plan for when Doyle resurfaced that, they had failed to remember Hotch’s brief mention of a new agent before he left for his temporary assignment in Pakistan.

“JJ’s probably talking to Strauss.” Spencer shrugs, squinting one last time at the image distorted by the half-closed blinds.

“There were whispers of a new agent-“ Rossi says, rolling his eyes at the team’s speculation, fully aware he was only furthering their curiosity. But instead, he leads them towards the conference room where Garcia is preparing case files.

“Hotch wouldn’t hire a new agent, not right now anyway, he isn’t even here.” Spencer places his satchel across the back of the chair before slumping down into it.

“Yeah, with this whole Doyle thing, it wouldn’t make sense. Plus, it’s not like anybody would willingly walk into this chaos.”

The team begin to discuss their findings amongst themselves, taking notes.

-

“Alright Y/N, you don’t have to sign the contracts for your main job until Hotch returns. For now, you just need to sign the ones admitting you into the Academy, where you will complete the physical requirements. The academics have been waived, as you will be spending your free time with us.” You nod, quickly scrawling your signature down into all the open spaces on the contract and hand the form to JJ.

“Okay, Academy starts in three days, but for now you can come and meet the team.” JJ smiles at you patting you lightly on your shoulder.

“You’re gonna do great.” You feel your cheeks heat up.

“Do the team know I’m coming?” JJ stops at the door, turning to you.

“They don’t. We are currently tracking an international terrorist who killed one of our own, and it’s pretty much a waiting game until he resurfaces. They’ve been pretty preoccupied.” You nod, solemnly at JJ.

“Thanks for the falsified PM report by the way.” She chuckles as your eyes widen.

“You know?”

“Yeah, it was a joint decision between Hotch and I to put Agent Prentiss into WITSEC, this is the tail end of her case.” You gasp as you make the connection.

“I read about it, He was vengeful at Emily for killing his son, so he attempted to murder her.” JJ nods.

“But in front of the team, you know nothing okay? As far as they are aware Emily Prentiss was killed by Ian Doyle. That’s it.”

“Got it.” You allow JJ to lead you down the hallway towards the BAU roundtable room, where you can see the team sat talking amongst themselves.

“Guys-“ JJ speaks up as she walks through the door, you follow her through standing awkwardly as the teams eyes fall on you.

“Y/N?” Spencer’s voice pipes up as you give him a small smile and an awkward wave, which doesn’t falter the confusion across his features.

“Hotch never got around to telling you, but Y/N is going to be our newest team member. For the moment she’s in training. But she will become an invaluable asset to this team once Hotch returns and she is assigned her true position. She will work with us whilst running then new forensic pathology department in the Bureau.” You gaze over the team attempting to process JJ’s words.

“She’s not an agent?” Derek speaks up. You are too distracted however, by Spencer who is patting the empty seat beside him.

You settle in the seat as JJ begins explaining your situation.

“Y/N is technically in the academy, she’s completing the fitness and marksmanship regime, we will provide the academic training here. Once Hotch returns, she will then hopefully be an agent, and then he will arrange her paperwork for her official position.” Morgan furrows his brows, but nods at this.

“I was remediated in the academy also.” Spencer pipes up from beside you, catching your attention.

“For what?” You quietly question, your curiosity peaking.

“Pretty much anything relating to physical strength, or capabilities. If it wasn’t inherently textbook based, I didn’t do it.” You chuckle.

“I mean, I agreed to do all the physical training.” You smile down at your lap, as Morgan laughs.

“She’s smart and athletic, pretty boy you’ve got competition.” A blush rolls over Spencer’s cheeks as the rest of the team join in a chorus of laughter. You can’t help but feel the blush rising to your own cheeks also.

“Why did you move from London?” your gaze turns to Rossi, who offers you a small smile.

“I was just interested in a change, and I was lucky enough to be able to take this opportunity.” You smiled at the group, trying your best to keep your eyes on the people, and not on your lap where they defaulted to.

“I must say, it’s a bit strange that both times we’ve met it has been over an international terrorist.” Spencer’s voice cuts through the remaining chatter and laughter, his observation creating a new rise out of the team.

“Yeah, I guess.”

-

“Do you think it’s weird?” You practically whisper as Spencer weaves you through the bullpen, towards what you were to assume would be your new desk.

“What’s weird?” He furrows his brow as he rolls out the chair, beckoning you to sit.

The desk was empty, apart from a monitor, keyboard and mouse that provided you access to various FBI databases. You weren’t one for clutter and material possessions, but you couldn’t help but recognise that the empty desk struck fear in your heart, it felt like a metaphor for your new life in Quantico.

“Me being here.” Your voice comes out a bit sadder than anticipated, each syllable laced with insecurity that would easily be picked up by a profiler.

“No, it’s not weird. In fact, I think it’s a good thing.” You feel yourself relax slightly at Spencer’s reassurance.

Reid was a sweet guy, and you were glad you had been partnered with him to learn basic profiling skills; not that you would be expected to use them, as Spencer had said, but he thought they would be good to know.

Truth be told, you were pretty sure the team had been trying their best to fill time. With the group being rather disbanded, and cases being on hold Spencer had chosen teaching you as a valid time-passing opportunity.

Pulling you out of your thoughts Spencer stood at the desk opposite, his fingers trailing over the spines of the books he had stacked high, before selecting one.

“That’s your desk?” You snapped your head up towards him as he offered you a lopsided grin and a nod.

“Yeah.” You felt a blush roll over your face, that you quickly hid by gazing down at your lap, allowing Spencer to push his chair up next to yours.

“I have an idea, that’s more interesting than reading a book.” You look up at him in confusion.

“Apparently there’s this game, called two truths and a lie?” You simply nod your head, at what sounded like a question. He seemed unsure of his own idea as he quickly continued.

“Well, in criminal profiling one of the most useful skills is to know when someone is lying. It’s obviously not one-hundred-percent fool proof, but it can dictate your next move as regards their case. And I guess it could be useful in life?” You chuckle at this, nodding your head, trying to hide your anxiousness at the prospect of having to read someone’s behaviour in front of a professional.

“I’m -uh- I’m notoriously terrible at reading people.” You feel your cheeks heat up yet again in embarrassment. Spencer’s eyes connect with yours and you quickly divert your gaze away from him.

“It’s okay, we can make it easy. I know what my tell is so I will make it more obvious for you to begin with. Just study my behaviour as best as you can and let me know if you want me to say them again.” You nod, swallowing harshly.

“Okay, I was sixteen when I got my first PhD in mathematics.” Spencer pauses, as you slowly take him in, he seems totally normal, you nod.

“I graduated high school at twelve.” You watch him again, noticing absolutely no change in his behaviour.

“I was twenty-two when I joined the BAU.” You furrow your brows, totally unsure of which was a lie, they all seemed plausible for a genius like Spencer.

“I-uhm-“ You turn your gaze to him panicking slightly as you realise, he’s looking for an answer.

“I- have no idea.” You whisper, crossing your legs up in the chair as Spencer nods.

“That’s okay, do you want to try again?” You can’t help but deflate at the idea of going through that again.

“O-okay.”

Spencer repeats the three statements again, his gaze remains fixed on you as if he’s reading your ultimate confusion.

Spencer immediately notes you perking up after the third statement.

“The first one is a lie, right?” You say, trying to hold back the grin on your face.

“How do you know?” Oh shit. You certainly couldn’t explain yourself, then he would know that you totally failed the exercise and used logic instead.

If he graduated high school at twelve, he couldn’t have had a PhD at sixteen, right? That whittles it down to a fifty-fifty chance it’s either one of them… maybe?

“Uhm, well the average PhD takes seven years to complete, five years for your masters, and then two for your dissertation. You’re pretty smart, but not super-human enough to only manage it in four years, considering you have to learn all course material and write an 80,000-word dissertation.”

You continue talking when Spencer fails to fill the silence, you failing to notice the look of shock on Spencer’s face.

“Well, I personally graduated medical school in four years, instead of five. So, I was twenty-one, and then did my two years of foundation training and it was extremely difficult to do extra-curricular research alongside full-time work, and placements. This was all despite the fact that I never found it difficult to remember the academics. I digress though, it would be virtually impossible to do a PhD in 4 years.”

Spencer swallows harshly as he chuckles.

“Yeah, I -uhm- well, you were right.” He’s still relatively speechless and you can’t help but begin to worry that you overwhelmed him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble, I just- I know it was supposed to be human behaviour, but I don’t- I couldn’t-“

“It’s okay Y/N, I just didn’t realise you were so impressive-“ Spencer’s voice has jumped an octave and he’s staring at you so intensely that you shrivel back into your chair.

“I- I mean, I’m not- I, -I just relate to you?” Spencer shifts in his chair, a squeak interrupting the silence, and causing you to jump.

“It’s o-okay, it’s nice to have-“

“Reid! L/N! Can you come into the roundtable room? We’re going to catch you up on Doyle.” JJ gestures for the pair of you to follow her, interrupting the awkward exchange between the pair of you, replacing it with a work environment that would mask you amongst others.

-

“We were in the hospital for about eight hours, that night, but she died on the table.” You hang your head slowly, nodding as Morgan’s voice wavers uncharacteristically. You had to try your best to keep the secret.

“We never got access to the post-mortem report from the hospital either, not even Garcia could find it.” Your head snaps up at this as you quickly come up with an excuse.

“Yeah, well you wouldn’t be allowed access to it without a next-of-kin’s consent. It’s likely that because her killer was still loose and was so high-profile, that they wouldn’t want to offer up any sensitive info. Her personnel file was erased right?”

“Yeah, it was.” Morgan confirms.

“Well, it’s just so they can’t get to people who are involved in her case as easily.” You place your hands on the desk in front of you as Spencer eyes you.

The rest of the team look pretty sad, Garcia is dabbing her eyes with a tissue, Spencer appears to be peeved off, but Morgan’s face is set in unadulterated frustration.

“Doyle knows us, he knows the BAU. If he wants blood, he will come for us.” You shrug slightly at this; the fact of the matter was they wouldn’t have access, even if it existed.

“I’m sorry Morgan.” You say, pursing your lips together offering him a tight smile.

“How about we just go back to-“ JJ leans forwards patting the centre of the table in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track.

“-yeah.” Reid jumped in, before continuing.

“We knew that after Emily’s death, Doyle would want to resurface to search for his son Declan who-

“Sorry to interrupt Reid but speaking of resurfacing-“ You can practically feel the panic emanating from the team as they all dash towards Garcia at the head of the table, leaving you behind.

You rock side to side in the swivel chair as the team all gather in the corner of the room talking over Garcia’s laptop screen.

“That’s him.”

“Can we be so sure? I mean, it’s only been a month.”

“Spencer, I- Y/N, can you come here?”

You stand making your way towards JJ who is shuffling through a folder.

“This is a photograph of Ian Doyle. Is this man from the CCTV him?” She pokes her finger towards the male in question on the laptop.

“I mean given how statistically unlikely it is for someone this remarkably similar to exist in an area being surveyed for Doyle’s presence, I would say yes that definitely is him. Especially so, considering he has no biological siblings.” JJ nods, agreeing with you.

The rest of the team straighten up, looking to each other as if to decide who gives the orders, all eyes eventually settling on Derek.

“Okay, well I think we should set up surveillance for Declan full time. He is our priority.” You nod in response, as JJ quickly grabs a pen, scrawling on the back of her case file.

“We can dispatch agents to his house to watch for suspicious activity. Spencer, Penelope, we need you to track all of Doyle’s aliases, and update us if any of them resurface, or lead you to an address. In the meantime, Morgan and I will stakeout his school, and see if he will lead us to his hideout from there. Y/N, focus on academy, it’s about to get really busy in here.” JJ Claps her hand, signalling her finish as the rest of the team hums in approval.

For once in your life the room felt alive with the determination of the team, banding together.

“Rossi is in his office reviewing cases, I’ll let him know of the break and to be on standby if we need him, and Spencer in the field.” Morgan quickly dashes past you and out the door.

After that the team quickly went their separate ways. Spencer followed Garcia into her office, and not long after Morgan resurfaced from Rossi’s office, JJ had him bustled into the elevator with little time to spare. That left you standing in the middle of the roundtable room confused, and with a day to kill before academy.

-

“Welcome to the ‘Basic Field Training’ portion of the FBI Academy. Here we will teach you Firearms, Survival Skills, Tactical and Emergency Vehicle Operations, and of course you will be completing Hogan’s Alley.”

You cross your arms, pulling against your waist, almost giving yourself a hug. You were enjoying the comfort of the FBI hoodie you had been provided with, the soft fabric seemingly dampening your anxiety. You were in a new situation, with new, unfamiliar people.

“Today, we will focus on running the single mile, and the three mile as a warm-up. We will then have you split into three groups. One team will run the obstacle course, The second will go to the shooting range, and the final group will do arrests.”

The coach seemed like a fairly nice man, he had assured you before the class that he was aware of your situation, and that Agent Hotchner had spoken very highly of you. He had also noted that you had been put into a small group of 5 trainees to assure you got plenty of attention, in case your training were to be cut short.

“Okay can the five of you line up on the track and stretch out a bit.” The group followed the SSA’s instructions, lining up at the start line.

You zoned out as you went down your body, naming each muscle in your head and stretching it out until you were satisfied that you wouldn’t injure yourself.

“Is everyone finished?”

The group let out a chorus of ‘yes sir’s, and he offered you an assuring nod.

“Good. Remember it’s not a race, you may start now. Pace yourselves and enjoy it.”

As he stepped off the track the group began moving at a pace, but you stuck towards the back of the group, saving your energy for the final few yards.

You managed to settle into the rhythm of your feet hitting against the pavement, tuning out the hum of activity coming from your other academy-mates. Your breathing was even, steady, and unwavering as you felt the rush of adrenaline overcome you that made you feel as if you could do almost anything.

When you looked up from the ground, the finish line was nearing you, and with about 150 yards left you picked up the pace, slowly making your way to the front of the group. Not in an attempt to beat them, but an attempt to prove that you belonged among these people who had to complete a fitness test to qualify, when you didn’t.

As you cross the finish line you can’t help but feel proud of yourself, you weren’t the most athletic person and a mile was an achievement, and at twelve minutes, and fifteen seconds for a mile at an easy pace you weren’t doing too bad.

“That was a good warm-up guys, now for the three mile. Again, I don’t want you to worry about this too much, because we will be completing it every day for the rest of the course, and you will get better. But as a benchmark, I would be expecting about 36-38 minutes for this. Off you go!”

And off you went again, this time you kept behind the remainder of the group, who had started off pretty quickly for what was going to be three circuits of the mile track.

As you ran you gathered your thoughts. With the Doyle case you had been practically abandoned. Spencer and Garcia were hauled up in her office, and from the glimpses of Rossi you barely saw, reviewing and consulting on cases seemed to be time-consuming work.

You had spent the remainder of yesterday reviewing some materials Spencer had dropped on your desk from the academy lectures. They were pretty self-explanatory, and anything you didn’t know was pretty simple to remember considering you would quickly jot it down, solidifying it in your mind.

By the time you had finished Spencer and Garcia had resurfaced to check on you. And even though you insisted that you were happy to stay and help them in any other ways, they had insisted you had gone home, much to your chagrin.

You had walked home to an empty, undecorated apartment. It felt pretty lonely, and you didn’t want to be there if you could avoid it. In a rush decision you had grabbed your laptop bag, and quickly walked down the street to a local diner. There you sat, scrolling through various medical journals, and hopeful articles regarding technological advancement in the forensic fields. It was at midnight that they sent you packing, in an attempt to close for the evening.

Cheers and screams pulled you back to reality as you crossed the finish line, barely acknowledging the fact you had completed your three miles.

“L/N, L/N! Stop, you did the three.” The instructor jogs over to you patting you on the shoulder, and that’s when you had the sense to turn, trying to spot the remainder of your team, who were only on the first quarter of their final mile.

“How- I’m done?”

“Yeah, you’re a speedy one. This programme will be a breeze for you, provided you can shoot.” He grins at you, and you smile back, breathing a sigh of relief. You were glad you weren’t the worst of the group.

“You’re a doctor, right?” You nod slowly, letting the SSA guide you towards the bleacher.

“Yeah, Dr. Y/N L/N. The medical kind.” He laughs at this, offering you his hand to shake.

“SSA. Jonathan Smith.” You happily take his hand, and shake it, casting your gaze to the rest of the runners who were half-way through their final mile.

“I’ve heard all about you, from Agent Hotchner of course. I was a bit sceptical when he told me you were bypassing a lot of the academy. Now that I’ve met you though, I can see why.” You grin, picking up your water bottle and taking a long gulp.

“I really want to be here, I’m just not sure I can shoot a gun.” You laugh, and he grins.

“Don’t worry, that’s why we’re here.”

Slowly the group assembles at the finish line, the few who had strayed behind catching up, and proving themselves significantly.

“Good job, our final runner finished on just over thirty-eight minutes, so you guys are spot on. Give yourselves a round of applause.” You can see all the others, grinning wide as they applaud themselves, and you can’t help it either. There was a massive sense of achievement in just completing the warm-up.

“Okay, there’s an uneven number so I will take one of you individually, and then we will have two other pairs, who will go with SSA. Alex and SSA. Jameson.” He gestures to two agents who have joined him at the front, offering you small waves at the respective mention of their names.

“L/N, you will be with me.” You make your way over to SSA Smith, as the rest of the four get sorted into their pairs, with their supervisory agent.

“I’m hoping that the individual time will be beneficial for you, and that you might learn quicker this way. Is that okay?” You nod. You were definitely grateful for Smith’s help, he had already proven to be really kind, and dedicated to your training.

“That’s great, thanks sir.”

“Oh, please just call me Jonathan.”

-

“Alright, up first we have firearms.” You grimace slightly which causes Jonathan to laugh.

“It’s not that bad, we just have some basic rules. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded, keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to press it, and never point a firearm at anyone unless you are justified.” You nod, settling into a serious mode.

“Okay, so here’s a holster, you’re going to put that on your belt.” You quickly follow his directions, placing the holster where it feels most comfortable to grab from.

“Is that comfortable? You’ve positioned it further forwards than most people.” You nod, motioning as if you were to reach from it as Jonathan hums in approval.

“Okay, if that’s good I’m going to give you your training weapon and ammunition.” You quickly accept his instruction as he shows you how to load and unload the Glock.

He quickly explains how to release the safety and shoot, and then he offers you the Glock.

“Take a few shots and see how it feels.” You guffaw at him slightly.

“Sir, I-I’ve never shot a gun in my life, I’m going to miss.”

“That’s okay, we call it training for a reason, I’ll stand behind you and help you hold it until you get used to it. I’m not expecting you to hit a target first time, you’re just getting used to it okay?” You nod, stepping up to the mark.

Jonathan, placed himself behind you, resting his hand on top of yours over the weapon to support it until you get used to the recoil.

“When you’re ready give me three shots, as close or as far apart as you wish.” You nod, adjusting your stance and then you pull the trigger.

The gunshot echoes throughout the large warehouse building and you pause, feeling the reverberation against your chest.

“You hit the target, which is great. Two more!” Your eyes scan the target, noticing he was right. To the left of the paper man’s shoulder sat a bullet hole.

In quick succession you took two more shots, more prepared for them this time, and each time you hit just outside of your target.

“That was great! Do you think you could hold it yourself?” You nod, your gaze remaining focused on the target.

You feel Jonathan step away and you prepare to focus, aligning your hand with your target, ensuring that you had foresight. And you took three more shots, this time hitting the target’s left shoulder.

“That’s great Y/N. Put the safety on and holster your weapon for me.” You quickly flip the safety, sliding the weapon into your holster and turn, unable to hold back the wide grin on your face.

“Good job Y/N, are you sure you haven’t done this before?” You shake your head quickly, still grinning like an idiot.

“-Y/N?” You both turn quickly at the sound of a voice interrupting you.

“Spencer?” You grin shyly up at the male towering over you. He was wearing goggles, and ear defenders similar to you.

“How are you? Is this academy training?” You nod at him.

“She’s never shot a gun before, and she still managed to hit the target.” Jonathan pipes up, clearly revelling in your victory. You feel your cheeks heat up.

A smile settles on Spencer’s face, as he studies the target, noticing the three hits, each getting more and more accurate.

“Good job, that’s amazing!” Spencer smiles, his gaze turning to the ground hiding a blush that rivalled your own.

“What are you doing down here, I thought you would be busy with Garcia?”

Spencer sighs, at your question, his grin dropping a bit.

“I like to come down to just blow off steam, after all that’s happened this year-“ Your mouth forms an ‘o’ shape as you realise, he means Emily’s death. You really wished you would stop walking yourself into discussions involving her, especially considering you knew she was very much alive.

“O-oh well, I’ll let you get on with it.” You stutter quickly, trying to regain your composure.

“Y-yeah, you’ll be stopping by later, won’t you? I-I’ll see you then.” He waves and strides away in quick succession, heading straight for the door as you furrow your brows. You turn to see a grin on Jonathan’s face.

“That wasn’t Dr. Spencer Reid by any chance, was it?” You find yourself confused as you nod.

“Yeah, it was.” Jonathan’s eyes widen slightly at this.

“Isn’t he like, a genius?”

“Well, I mean, I don’t think intelligence can be accurately measured, which would mean that technically ‘genius’ doesn’t exist-“ You trail off as you realise you are rambling.

“-yeah, he’s a genius.”

-

You quickly press the button for the sixth floor, relaxing as the elevator begins to carry towards the BAU.

You were aware that you looked a mess, you were dressed in an FBI sweatsuit, and your hair was damp after your much-needed shower. Luckily for you The Obstacle Course had been your final challenge for the day and running a mile in mud whilst leaping and climbing various obstacles left you yearning the sensation of hot water against stiff muscles.

You felt as though you could sleep, but it was still only three o’ clock and you didn’t want to leave until at least six; it felt mean to go home when the rest of the team would still be stuck in the office.

The elevator dings, pulling you out of your thoughts. Quickly you slung your gym bag over your shoulder and made your way towards the double-glass doors that had seemed so intimidating yesterday.

Your nerves hadn’t exactly worn off, yet, but you certainly felt more relaxed. It was more the people that made you feel anxious than the actual job. You had so many team members, and you wanted to be friends with all of them, but you were perpetually awkward and even the interactions you had with Spencer ended in you both being obscenely flustered.

“Y/N, Hi!” Garcia perks up as you enter the BAU doors, clattering towards you on her heels to engulf you in a warm hug. Though you weren’t one for physical contact, it was weirdly exactly what you needed, and you felt yourself relax in her arms.

“Don’t strangle her Garcia.” You jump slightly at the second voice coming from behind you and you turn to see Agent Rossi, grinning over a cup of coffee. Garcia releases you and you turn to face him, giving him a quick wave.

“You had academy I assume?” You nod quickly, as he takes in your attire.

“U-uhm yes sir.”

He chuckles at your formalities.

“Rossi is fine.” You nod, walking towards the coffee machine and searching for a mug.

“I keep a spare one, you can use that.” You hear Spencer’s voice echo from your left, and you jump yet again.

“You’re a jumpy one doctor.” Garcia grins as you straighten. She taps you affectionately on your nose which makes you jump again, but this time you bang your head against an overhead cabinet.

You gasp on impact, clutching the back of your head as Garcia takes a step back apologising profusely.

Spencer on the other hand rushes towards you, placing his hand over the hand you were using to cradle your head, and another on your shoulder. He slowly walks backwards, guiding you towards the break room table and sits you down.

“Are you okay?” You chuckle lightly, trying to break the awkwardness.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just…. jumpy?” Spencer grins at this. He drops his hand, making his way towards a fridge-freezer.

“I-I’m so sorry Y/N, I didn’t mean to, I-“ You take in the frantic woman who sits opposite you.

“Garcia, it’s fine… seriously. It’s just a bump.” Spencer promptly returns to your side and sits in the chair beside you. In his outstretched hand is an icepack wrapped in a kitchen towel, which you gratefully accept.

Garcia’s phone startles you out of your silent reverie, as she receives a notification. Quickly she bustles away, obviously going to take care of it.

-

“Okay, we have an address for Doyle, can you guys hear me, okay?!” Garcia talks loudly down her office phone as Rossi, Spencer, and yourself stand beside her, reading the screens over her shoulder.

Garcia reems off the address as you stare off into space, JJ’s voices quickly pulling you back to reality.

“Morgan and I are headed there now, I’ve called Hotch. Spencer, Rossi, I need you both to go to Declan’s house. I know he went home from school early, but considering how dangerous this takedown is, we want him in FBI custody in case he gets away and flees with the child.”

The phone quickly hangs up after that.

Garcia Rossi and Spencer get up, quickly making their way to the door. Spencer, however, pauses turning towards you as you cluelessly follow him.

“We’re probably going to be here all night; you can stay if you want? If not, go home and get some rest.” You watch as Spencer bounces on the balls of his feet, he quickly gestures for you to walk with him.

“I’m tired but I think I will stay, maybe I can be useful?” Spencer smiles, nodding at you.

“Tell you what, go into Hotch’s office, there’s a pull-out sofa in there. Sleep for a few hours and I can wake you if anything interesting happens?” He quickly jogs towards the elevator, meeting Rossi inside.

“I’ll call Garcia and tell her to let you into the office.” You quickly nod, furrowing your brows as the elevator door shuts.

You turn towards the clattering of heels to your right.

“Spencer texted me, he said you needed to sleep and to help you with the pull-out bed in Hotch’s office?” You smile, nodding at Garcia.

You weren’t too happy with the concept of sleeping whilst everyone else was out risking their lives. However, as soon as Spencer had mentioned the word sleep you had felt a deep desire to curl up in a corner somewhere and doze. The academy had taken a lot out of you, and you were feeling the consequences.

Garcia however, acted like people sleeping in Hotch’s office was a regular thing and she very happily grabbed a blanket and pillows from the cupboard, handing them to you as she unlocked Hotch’s office, making a beeline for the sofa.

“This thing is so handy you know? If anyone’s ever tired on long cases where they have some free time, but not enough to go home, there’s fights over it. Every office in here has one actually.” You stifle a yawn, watching as Penelope quickly unfolds the sofa out into a decent sized double bed.

“Okay, that should be all good. I’ll leave you too it, you can close those blinds or leave them open if you feel more comfortable, and the light switch is just over there.

“Thanks Garcia.” You yawn for real this time, placing the pillows down on the bed and smiling as she waves at you through the window, before disappearing back into her office.

You relish in the silence as you dawdle around the office still holding one pillow in your left arm, hugging it tightly to your chest.

You close the blinds and flick the lights off, sighing as the room settles into darkness. You absolutely needed a nap, and you were glad you had taken the opportunity. It was nearing eight o’clock and after the day being so busy you just needed a reset.

So, you took your blanket and curled up on the sofa bed, hugging your pillow tightly to your chest as you dazed off into a deep slumber.

-

You stir in your sleep as the door to Hotch’s office opens, allowing the bustle of the BAU bullpen to overtake what was the peace-and-quiet of Hotch’s office.

As you open your eyes, you feel the confusion setting in. In your dazed state you couldn’t quite recognise the room you were in.

“Y/N? It’s Spencer, we are having a meeting and you should probably join us.” You sit up on your elbows to see Spencer standing at the end of the room. Nodding you unravelled yourself from the blanket and stood, swaying on your feet slightly.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Mhmm. Wait. You said a meeting, you were just at Declan’s house, is everything okay?” You pause slightly in the doorway as Spencer walks out of the office. He gestures for you to follow him.

“Declan is gone, but JJ and Morgan have managed to arrest Doyle, he’s being brought into custody here and we are hoping he will be able to give us information on Declan.” You groan, rubbing your eyes with your palms.

“Not the kid…” Spencer nods, silently agreeing with you. Declan had gone through enough in his life, he didn’t need a kidnapping on top of that; no kid did.

“Oh, also, Hotch is back-“ You nod slightly, trying not to stress too much at this concept.

As you approached the roundtable room you could hear the chatter amongst the BAU members, and when they came into view you couldn’t help but smile.

“Dr. L/N, it’s good to have you here, I’m so sorry about all of this.” You smile at Agent Hotchner, shaking your head.

“Don’t worry about it.” The rest of the team offer you kind smiles as you settle in your chairs, ready to begin the meeting.

“Okay, so where’s Morgan?”

“He refused to leave Doyle’s side, so they will arrive together” JJ offers Hotch a slight smile as he nods.

“Okay, in the meantime I would like to talk to you Y/N.” You quickly rise from your chair, following him out of the room, waiting for him to close the door behind you.

“I’m so sorry about all of this, I really am. I know it’s not ideal for you at all.” You quickly attempt to reassure him.

“It’s fine Hotch, really. I want to be here.” He nods, giving you a slight smile.

“I also wanted to let you know in advance, JJ and I have called Emily back, and she will be here any minute. Just prepare yourself, I don’t know how the rest of the team are going to react.”

The sound of a door opening pulls you out of your thoughts and you turn to see JJ.

“I just got a message; Derek is here with Doyle. Emily is five minutes away, Declan tried to call her.”

Hotch simply nods, guiding you back into the roundtable room, and sending you back to your seat.

You chatter a bit with the team trying to catch up on the case.

“So is Doyle responsible for Declan’s disappearance?” You furrow your brows, trying to wrap your head around all this chaos.

“It’s the most likely possibility, yes.” You nod at Spencer’s answer.

The truth of the matter was cases involving children had always hit you the hardest, no child deserved the situation Declan had grown up in. He was the son of an international terrorist, and Emily Prentiss had faked his death in order to give him a better life. Perhaps she was the only one who showed him a glimpse of what caring for a child was like?

Soon enough Derek had joined you, looking incredibly frustrated.

“Doyle’s in the interrogation room, I had a crack at him.” Derek’s face morphs into one of impatience.

“He didn’t do it Hotch, he’s insisting we release him to let him find his son.”

“So, we need to find out if he has any enemies, right?”

“Well Richard Geracey is a known enemy of Doyle; he’s been in the States for a couple weeks. I caught an image of him on a surveillance camera at Declan’s house.” Garcia pipes up, quickly displaying an image on the screen.

“He’s a suspect. Derek, go talk to him.” He stands.

As Derek disappears out of the door an idea hits you.

“Geracey couldn’t have pulled this off all on his own, I mean, Garcia saw two people destroying the security camera.” You keep your eyes glued to JJ as you speak, trying to tell whether or not you were being a hinderance.

“Well statistically the people most likely to be involved in-“

You had barely noticed that Hotch had left the room until he had returned with Derek by his side, cutting off Reid and telling everyone to sit.

“Seven months ago, I made a decision that affected this team.” JJ quickly stands up as you begin to realise what’s happening.

You quickly glance around the room seeing curious looks on everyone’s faces. Uh oh, you didn’t want to be a part of this conversation. Teammates who think their colleague has been dead for 7 months, then find out she’s actually alive are bound to be mad about the whole thing.

“As you all know Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. Both the doctors were able to stabilise her-”

You began to panic slightly, you were in a room with profilers, they were bound to realise you were tense, or uncomfortable, right?

“-and she was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration.” As Hotch reems off the information you were already fully aware of you study the team, noticing the look of realisation on their faces.

“Her identity was strictly need-to-known, and she stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security.”

The team remained silent as they gazed up towards Hotch and JJ. Their faces were a mixture of confusion, and what appeared to be anger.

“She’s alive?” Garcia’s voice was meek, and it broke your heart to see the tears forming in her eyes.

Hotch stays quiet at this, averting his gaze.

“But we buried her?”

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife and all you could do was sit there, fidgeting anxiously in your chair.

“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed towards me.” You offer Hotch a small smile and a nod as his gaze lands on you.

“Any issues?! Yeah, I got issues!” The tone of Derek’s voice causes you to jump slightly, and you felt your cheeks heat up as Spencer’s eyes settled on you.

But they quickly turn to focus on the sound of footsteps entering the room. A dark-haired woman walks through the door. The woman you recognised as Emily Prentiss.

She was gorgeous, her striking hair contrasting against her skin. Her face was set in a solemn look as her eyes trailed over her former teammates.

But you are pulled out of your train of thought by Agent Hotchner, who bustles you up from your seat and walks you towards the door, closing it slightly behind him he offers you a slight smile.

“Y/N, you don’t have to mention your involvement, not if you don’t want to.” You nod at this.

“Are they going to be mad?”

“Probably, but it was a life-or-death situation and I need to stand by my decision.”

“Yes sir.”

“Listen, you’ve had a long day. How about you go back to my office and get some rest, we will be here awhile.” You shake your head quickly at this.

“No, no, sir I’m fine. I really want to stay and help.”

“We can wake you if we need you.” You give in to the idea of sleep, it was the early hours of the morning and you had been up at the crack of dawn the previous day.

“I- okay, fine. But -uhm- I was just wondering, have you looked into Declan’s mother? I mean I know Doyle is his father, but we have no idea who-“ You pause, watching as Hotch offers you a smile.

“We will certainly look into that Y/N, now get some rest.”

And for the second time that night, you curl up onto Hotch’s sofa bed, arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, but you didn’t sleep.

Your mind ran rampant with ideas, and conspiracies as to who could have taken Declan Doyle. You knew that Geracey had something to do with it, he was a known enemy of Doyle’s after some form of conflict in Belfast. But the team had no idea who Declan’s mother is, but it was likely there was some conflict between her and Doyle, considering she wasn’t with them anymore.

You felt so hopeless, you were lacking the means to gather information because Hotch had sent you to a bed at a time where sleep will not come. Out there somewhere was a little boy, being paraded around, likely as a second best to Doyle, since he was in federal custody. That child hadn’t asked to be involved in any of this, he was simply taken from school, from his home.

Gazing at your phone screen you realised half-an-hour had passed, and you were just about to get up out of the bed when there was a light tapping on your door; it was Penelope Garcia.

“Garcia?” You whisper as the silhouette wastes no time in entering the dark room, dragging the light in with her.

“I figured you wouldn’t be able to sleep and that considering the rest of the team are still brainstorming in here I could come in for some one-on -one time? You seem like you are a good idea bouncer-offer.” You chuckle at this, moving upright on the bed.

“Yeah sure, absolutely.”

“Okay so first I’m going to catch you up. Basically, Declan’s nanny took him home from school after he contracted food poisoning, so whoever is responsible for his kidnapping tainted food, and got to him on campus.”

“We have established that Geracey is in some sort of conspiracy with a woman, who posed as agents for the next shift at surveying Declan, they killed the nanny, and the actual agents and then took the child.”

“A woman?”

“Yes, so we got thinking about women who have had relations to Doyle, and of course Hotch had mentioned you talking about his mother. So, Emily managed to give us a compiled list and now we are trying to break Doyle, but it doesn’t seem to be working. They have been in there for the past fifteen minutes.” You nod slightly, turning to the door which swung open suddenly.

“Y/N?” You recognised the voice as Spencer’s, watching as he stepped into the room, taking not of Garcia.

“She told you everything?” You nod as Spencer gives you a tight-lipped smile.

Garcia seems to get some form of signal from him because she quickly makes an excuse to leave, bustling past Spencer and towards her ‘bat cave’.

“I know this is -uhm- a lot to ask, but we were wondering if you would interview Doyle?”

-

Story Masterlist - (1) - (2)

Authors Note: Wow! I hope you guys are enjoying this? I made reader's background quite specific as it made it easier to weave in bonding between her and that characters. I also love having fun with how lucky she is for all of this to happen to her?!?! I mean it's not 100% realistic (but then again, no Spencer Reid fanfic is?) but either way, go get it girl! <3

[halosmoon]

I just found out that the screenwriter and director for Thame po was also one of the screenwriters for girl from nowhere—

[a-writer-on-elm-street]

Haunted

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six

pairing: brahms x gn!reader

summary: in which the boy who haunted the heelshire mansion finally comes home

warnings: smut, somnophilia, DUBCON, oral sex (m receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, scarring, mentions of abuse

a/n: so this is the final part to this series. i hope you have all enjoyed the series so far, i certainly enjoyed writing it. and thank you to everyone for reading and giving feedback, i really appreciate it. <3

word count: 1956

Calloused fingers were desperately digging into the flesh of your hips, your joggers pulled down to your knees, as you slowly came into consciousness.

You could feel his hair tickling the back of your neck as he gently thrusted inside of you, coaxing a quiet moan from your lips.

Last night was still fresh in your mind, the smooth porcelain of Brahms' mask against your lips, his growing erection beneath your hand. And now here you were, feigning sleep as Brahms continued to gently push himself inside you.

Another soft moan fell from your lips when he started to pick up the pace, his grip on your hips becoming tighter.

You could hear him groaning behind you, as he brought himself closer to his release, all the while you were remaining limp in his hold.

Brahms hadn't realised you were awake yet, he was too busy focusing on burying himself deeper inside you, dragging more quiet moans from your throat.

Something about using you like this seemed to spark excitement in him, it made him feel alive. He hoped you could at least feel him though, he hoped your moans were a reflection of the moment you were currently sharing.

Unbeknownst to him, however, you were desperately fighting the urge to push back against him, your need for him becoming unbearable. Heat was pooling in your stomach, your skin feeling as though it had been set alight, and you weren't sure how much longer you'd be able to pretend you were asleep.

Fortunately, you were able to remain still, allowing him to continue using you. And once he was finished, you felt him carefully pull out, the mattress lifting behind you as he got up. And you remained where you were, unmoving, as you listened to the sound of his footsteps leaving the room, your door closing behind him.

You decided to wait a moment before getting up, thoughts about what just happened still swirling around your head.

Your stomach was still tingling with excitement as you laid there, clenching your thighs together. You wondered if you would see Brahms around today. You hoped you would see him.

Once it was finally safe for you to move, you sat up, swinging your legs over the side of the bed as you contemplated what just happened.

You hadn't expected things between you to escalate so quickly, yet here you were, your breathing still shallow, and your skin on fire.

You had never thought Brahms would be comfortable moving so quickly like that, but it was clear you had him all wrong. You were just struggling to decide how you would show him your thanks, without scaring him away.

~*~♡~*~

Two slices of toast were waiting on the kitchen table when you finally made it downstairs, a cup of coffee placed beside the small plate.

You couldn't help the warmth that filled your heart as you sat down, picking up a slice.

"Thank you, Brahms!" You called out, your lips pulling into a grin as you ate your breakfast.

You had forgotten what it was like to be happy, and you never thought that you would find happiness again, much less, in the boy who haunted this house.

This place really had become your sanctuary, and you wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

You tried to eat your breakfast slowly, in the hope that maybe Brahms would join you. But even as you got to the last bite, he still hadn't showed, leaving you alone in the kitchen. He had to show up at some point today, surely.

~*~♡~*~

You tried to fight back the disappointment as you tucked the doll into bed, pressing a light kiss to its face.

You'd gone about your day as usual, hoping that Brahms would show at some point, except he never did. You understood that he probably wasn't comfortable around people, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

You thought that after last night, and this morning, that you were making progress with him. You thought that maybe he might be comfortable enough to spend the day with you. Clearly you had gotten it wrong.

Once you were certain you had finished all your tasks for the night, you decided to just go to bed. You weren't really in the mood to do anything else.

But when you entered your room, you almost jumped out of your skin, a dark silhouette lingering by your bed. Brahms.

"You know, you really shouldn't do that." You sighed, walking towards your bed.

He just cocked his head at you, clearly confused.

You just ignored his confusion, simply choosing to keep talking. "I missed you today."

Silence.

"Look, I get that you're shy, but could you try and talk to me?" You asked, moving towards your wardrobe to find your pajamas.

"Kiss?" He finally answered.

You turned around to find him still standing beside your bed, his fingers nervously tugging on the sleeve of his cardigan. You were unable to contain a smile as you watched him from across the room. He looked so unbelievably soft like this, standing there waiting for your response.

You just abandoned your pajamas, walking back towards the bed before gesturing for Brahms to join you under the covers, much like you had done last night. And he quickly complied, sliding in next to you, his eyes still very much visible to you in the dark.

"Do you think I could kiss you...somewhere else?" You asked him, carefully resting your hand over his crotch to let him know what you meant.

You heard him quietly gasp beneath the mask, before he gave you a small nod.

You offered him a silent nod in response, before sitting up, gently pulling the covers from both your bodies.

Brahms watched your every movement as you brought your hands down to his trousers, carefully unzipping them and pulling the material down his body, his already hardening cock now coming into view.

"Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?" You told him, looking right at him as you wrapped your hand around his length.

He just gave you another small nod, his eyes never leaving you as you leaned down to press your lips to his tip, earning a sharp inhale from him.

Brahms could already feel his pulse quickening and he thought his heart was going to shoot out of his chest when you finally closed your lips around him, effortlessly taking him into your mouth.

He was no stranger to the notion of sex, but he never thought it could be like this, so tender, so extraordinary. He had thought what he'd felt this morning was the best thing he could've experienced with you, but clearly he was wrong, because feeling your lips moving around him like this was like heaven to him. He wanted to know what else you could make him feel.

It didn't take long for you to bring Brahms to his release, taking only a few more moments of sucking him off for him to come, the warm salty substance coating your tongue.

You couldn't hide your smile as you pulled off of him, swallowing quickly, as you watched him attempting to catch his breath, his chest heaving.

"Did that feel good, Brahms?" You asked, crawling up the length of his body to straddle his lap.

He nodded.

"Use your words, Brahms." You urged, smiling at him as he sat up slightly. "Please?"

"Yes." He finally answered, although he was no longer looking directly at you, as his eyes were focused on where you were currently straddling him.

You were already feeling that familiar fire coursing through your veins as you looked at him, gently bucking your hips over him. "Please touch me, Brahms."

He complied, reaching down between you to press his fingers to your clothed cunt, his other hand fumbling with the button on your jeans.

"You can take them off." You assured him, your eyes never leaving him as he continued to stare at your crotch.

You waited patiently as he popped the button open on your jeans, pulling the zipper down, and you helped him remove the material, finally managing to discard them on the floor.

You then slipped your underwear down your legs, dropping them to the floor along with your jeans, and suddenly you were much more vulnerable now.

He cautiously moved his hand back between your legs, his fingers brushing your clit. And you found yourself gripping onto his shoulders as he continued rubbing his fingers against you.

"Oh, fuck." You sighed, your skin growing hot as you screwed your eyes shut. "Brahms."

When he finally pushed one of his slender fingers inside you, you gripped his shoulders even tighter, your head falling forward as you tried to keep your composure.

You had never felt such intense pleasure as you did now, with one of Brahms fingers moving carefully inside you. It felt incredible, and you were unsure just how long you would be able to last like this.

It didn't take long for the heat to begin building in your stomach, your grip on him becoming even more forceful as you rocked your hips into his hand, desperately chasing your release.

And Brahms found himself completely in awe as he watched your face, your eyes clenched shut and your mouth agape. It was him who was pulling such a reaction from you, and he felt a strange sense of pride from it. Maybe he could get used to this with you.

It only took a few more pumps of his finger for your release to hit you, pleasure wracking through your body as you cried out his name.

And when he pulled his hand away, you almost flinched from the sudden emptiness.

You climbed off of him, laying down beside him as you caught your breath, and you had never been happier.

"Brahms?" You spoke, gaining his attention as he turned to look at you. "I want to kiss you."

He knew what you meant by that, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to comply to this particular request. He thought about it for a moment, worried that he might scare you away. But as he looked at you, all he could see was sincerity in your eyes. He looked at you and he saw home.

Finally, he reached up, anxiety rising in his chest as he pulled the mask away from his face, revealing the very thing he had been hiding beneath.

And when you saw the scarring across his face, the sadness that you had initially felt for him returned, your chest growing heavy as you took in the sight. It seemed he had been more broken than you thought.

It reminded you of why you had come here in the first place. The memory of your father came to you like a stab in the chest, old injuries once again making themselves known. The countless bruises, both physical and emotional.

You fought to hold back tears as you stared at Brahms, noting the shame in his eyes as he awaited your response.

So you leaned closer to him, placing a gentle hand on the side of his face, before pressing your lips against his, the tears finally escaping from your eyes.

When you parted, Brahms noticed the tears that now stained your skin, so he brought a hand up to your face, his fingers gently wiping them away.

He had lived in this house all his life, but not once had it ever felt like a home. At least not until you.

And now, as he watched your face in the dark, his fingers gliding along your skin, he knew he was finally home.

[Main Masterlist]

tags: @bdudette @r02eg0ld @maxismp1 @smileykiddie08 @hamburgerslippers @partssoldseparately @kalinaselennespeaks @kkleve3 @slasherenthusiast @thatoneautor0123 @slasheerwhore @goodiesinthecloset21

[mrsjellymunson]

The Biology Tutor | Extra Credits 02

Extra Credits 02: FRENCH

Series masterlist

Prev: Lesson 1: Female Anatomy | Lesson 2: Male Anatomy | Extra Credits 01: Communication Skills Next: Independent Study 01: Art | Independent Study 02: Creative Writing

Pairing: virgin!Eddie Munson x fem!tutor!reader

Series summary: Eddie’s failing Biology class, so you decide to offer two different styles of tuition, textbook-based and *ahem* practical.

Chapter summary: You give Eddie a French lesson.

WC: 2.9k

CW: 🔞 18+ MDNI! This part isn't explicit, but the rest of the series is, so MDNI!! Fluff, kissing, mentions of arousal.

A/N: This takes place between Extra Credit 1 and Lesson 3. It’s an added extra to The Biology Tutor series.

My masterlist

Despite your best efforts to keep things cool, you and Eddie’s relationship at school has shifted.

Eddie will greet you with a cheery, “Heeey, Princess”, whenever you pass in the corridors, and you’ll sometimes give him a cheeky wave in the lunchroom. You both flush a little whenever your eyes lock, thinking about all the intimate stuff you’ve done together over the past days and weeks.

Thankfully, as yet none of your friends have noticed the way you’ve started to giggle a little more loudly at Eddie’s antics on the lunch tables, or the way he shoots you cheeky glances to check that you’re watching. Each of your social groups would likely have something disparaging to say, and you’d prefer to avoid that kind of attention for the time being.

You’ve become even more aware of your physical proximity in Biology class. Even though you could probably reach out and touch each other (and you would really, really like to do that…) you try not to draw too much attention to yourselves.

You’re finding it hard to keep your focus on the front, knowing that Eddie’s sitting inches away behind you. But you revel in the fact that he’s there at all (and is, in all likelihood, checking out your ass).

At the end of class, Mr Clarke calls you over.

“I wanted to thank you for your efforts regarding the private tutoring. Mr Munson’s work has certainly improved since you began, as has his class attendance, which is remarkable in and of itself. And he seems to have become more enthusiastic about the human biology aspect of the syllabus too, which is… unexpected, but really good to see.”

He looks off to one side, momentarily bemused, but recovers quickly and continues,

“Nevertheless, there is a big test coming up which, as you know, makes up a sizable proportion of your grade. I would very much like to see Mr Munson do well. I was hoping that you might help him prepare, and in the hopes that you’d agree, I’ve already booked private study room 2C in the library specifically for this purpose.”

You know the library well, and the one he’s describing is a particularly quiet one, located at the back of the rarely-used reference section. If you can get Eddie to join you, it’ll be the first time you’ve ever been alone with him at school. You experience a frisson of excitement at the thought.

You readily agree, figuring that even if that wasn’t reason enough, getting further in the good graces of Mr Clarke wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. However, you do think convincing Eddie to relinquish his entire lunchtime might be another matter entirely.

You approach him in the lunchroom, managing to get to him before his usual table fills up with nerds. He was initially aghast that you were anywhere near him, but once he realised nobody was really interested he listened to your proposal.

“You seriously do this shit voluntarily?” is his only response, until you mention, more quietly, how it would mean spending an entire hour in a small, isolated room. With you. Alone.

Suddenly, he’s all for it, packing up his stuff as you exit ahead of him. He extols the virtues of ‘accepting with grace the assistance the universe offers you’ to the smattering of confused Hellfire boys before hightailing it out of the hall, stuffing pretzels into his mouth as he goes.

You reach the study room first, and are already setting out books and pencils as Eddie barrels in. He practically skids to a halt, and ambles towards you, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to act nonchalant.

“Hey, Princess.”

He plops his bag onto the tabletop, and as he gestures to the empty seats next to you and across the table, he drops his voice to a lower timbre as he asks you,

“So, uh, where do you want me?”

Thanks to his mildly suggestive question, an image flashes across your mind of perching him, naked, on the edge of the table and climbing atop him, but you quickly shake it.

You tap your hand on the seat next to you, and he enthusiastically flops himself down in it. He sits up straight, clasping his hands in his lap, theatrically attentive.

As he’s already managed to fluster you, you decide to fluster him right back.

“You’re so good at doing what I tell you, Eddie. I like that.”

Eddie’s cheeks flush pink and he swallows hard. It worked.

It doesn't take long for you to go over the test questions. Eddie’s picked up more than he’d thought from the parts of your sessions where you’d actually studied, and he flies through most of it, only getting stuck on a couple of gnarly chemistry formulae. What’s more, he actually looks like he’s having fun, gaining genuine satisfaction from answering your questions correctly and beaming as you let him know,

“That’s it, Eddie! You’ve got it!”

You can’t tell whether it’s the academic achievement, or the broad smiles and encouragement that you’re giving him, that’s his biggest driver, but at this point you’ll take either as a win.

You've gradually started sitting closer as the session has gone on. You’ve scootched to the edges of your seats, and your elbows and knees are gently knocking together. You can feel Eddie’s breath on your cheek as he jabs at his test total on your pad, screwing up his face and making a fist with his other hand in triumph. You’re genuinely thrilled for him, and not just because the very idea that you could be the reason for those gorgeous dimples popping makes your tummy flip.

Checking your watch, you realise you have a few minutes left before you have to leave, and there’s another new ‘skill’ that you’ve been thinking about trying with him.

Once all your supplies are back in your bag, you check the time again before asking,

“Eddie, would you like to try another quick practical session?”

He looks around the room, eyebrows disappearing into his bangs.

“What, here? Now?”

“Yes, but not like our, um, previous sessions. Something less… involved.”

“Okay, but what is it?”

“Eddie, I hope you don’t mind me asking you this, but have you ever kissed anyone?”

He looks a little abashed as he answers,

“Umm, does kissing your relatives on the cheek count?”

You can’t help smiling at his cute admission.

“For the purposes of this discussion, I’m gonna say no.”

He looks self-conscious, maybe even a little ashamed. Staring at the edge of the table, he clears his throat before replying,

“Then, uh, no.”

Not wanting him to feel uncomfortable, you reassure him,

“That’s okay, Eddie. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

After a beat, you continue,

“Would you like to try it? With me?”

“What?”

“Would you like for us to kiss, Eddie?”

His eyes become locked on your mouth. He swallows audibly, eyes shining with want.

“Umm, yeah. Yes. Yes, I absolutely would, Princess.”

“Just so I know how far you want to go, would you like us to… French kiss?“

“You mean… W- with, y’know, tongue?”

“Yes, Eddie. That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Are you okay with that? I mean, you don’t have to…”

Shaking your head a little, you reassure him,

“I’m the one who suggested it, Eddie!”

He looks down at his hands, now clasped again as he rubs his thumbs together.

“Only if you’re sure. I might be awful at it.”

“Well, that’s why we practice, right? So, first of all, we need to get a little closer…”

You turn your seat so you’re facing him directly, encouraging him to do the same. You pull your seat forwards, slotting your knees between his. You see his eyes scanning your face, and his fingers fidget, suggesting he’s not really sure what to do with them.

“You can rest your hands on my legs if you’d like, Eddie.”

He does so, but not without a little trepidation, and you see him swallow again.

“Just relax. I’m not gonna bite you. Not this time, anyway.”

You give him what you hope is a cheeky smirk. He smiles shyly, not sure where to look when you’re this close to him. Nervously, he licks his lips. The sight makes your thighs clench.

“Close your eyes and relax, Eddie. I’m gonna start with a quick peck.”

“O- okaaaay.”

He does as you ask, and you spend a few moments appraising him before you lean into his space. He looks angelic, his wild curls framing his pretty face and his rosy pink lips looking soft and inviting.

You turn your head slightly so your nose will slide past his, close your eyes, and ever so slowly connect your lips with his. Pursing them a little, you press forwards, and you hear a slight intake of breath.

You said it was going to be quick, but you’re enjoying the feeling so much you relish in it for a few moments. Eddie’s lips are plump, warm, and just a little moist from where he’s licked them. A tiny amount of stubble tickles your top lip. He smells of old leather, some kind of spicy cologne and vanilla chapstick, with a hint of cigarettes and weed. It’s a heady scent you could easily get lost in.

Gathering yourself, you pull back, rolling your lips inwards to taste him.

Eddie still has his eyes closed. If you’re honest he looks like he’s about to faint. Even after all you’ve done together you’re still a little nervous, and you’re suddenly mortified that he found it repulsive.

You did remember to brush your teeth this morning, didn’t you? Did you eat garlic last night and forget? Do you have spinach in your teeth, even though you definitely haven’t eaten spinach in weeks??

“H- how was that, Eddie? Did you like it?”

Suddenly, his eyes pop open. His lips part a little and he nods his head quickly, causing his chestnut locks to bounce around his face. He stares at you for a few more moments before he manages to say in a tiny, cracking voice,

“More? Please?”

You smile widely, and lean in again.

This time you move a little, pursing and softening your lips, changing their position slightly to find out what he likes, slotting them in different places.

To your surprise, this time Eddie starts to kiss you back. His plump lips press against yours and the tiniest moan emanates from his chest. He’s tentative at first, but as he gains in confidence he presses a little harder, and moves a little more.

Your lips move in sync as you rhythmically purse and relax them.

Eddie exhales heavily, and more than a little shakily, through his nose, and you feel his warm breath dance across your face and décolletage.

You part from him with a subtle wet smack.

He swallows thickly, and the grip on your knees strengthens.

You smile at him again, and his eyes flick between yours as he mirrors your expression.

“Okay Eddie, if you’re ready, this time I’m gonna use my tongue. You don’t have to do anything, but if you want to, just do what feels good. Alright?”

Eddie gives you another tiny, fast nod, and you feel him squeeze your knees again.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready…”

He surprises you again as he shifts his hands slightly and slides them up your thighs, leaning into your space a little further. They feel warm, strong, and you can’t help but imagine how they might feel elsewhere.

What would it be like to hold his hand properly? Would his hand feel warm as it cupped your face? Would you be able to feel his rings? How would his calloused fingers feel running up your back, or across your…?

You’re broken from your thoughts as he closes his eyes again, a slight curl to his lips as he lets you know he’s ready.

You lean into his space again, and connect your lips as before. This time, you part your lips slightly and allow the tip of your tongue to poke out, and ever so gently brush across his lower lip. You hear that sharp intake of breath again as he stills, unsure of what he’s supposed to do, but then he parts his lips ever so slightly, and you slide your tongue past his lips and pearly teeth and into his mouth. You move it slowly, enjoying the feeling of his lips against it, the scrape of his teeth, the softness of his tongue beneath yours.

He moans again, and just as your tongue curls up to tickle the roof of his mouth suddenly his tongue is moving against yours, slowly, reverently, experimentally, and another moan leaves his chest.

His grip on your thighs tightens as he gets bolder, eventually pushing his tongue past your lips and into your mouth.

Abruptly, he turns his head slightly and pushes in more deeply, his tongue almost filling you. He’s insistent yet gentle, and now it’s your turn to gasp - he’s good at this - and a low whine leaves you.

You feel a chill on your legs as Eddie’s hands leave them, and you’re momentarily disappointed, but this rapidly turns into delighted surprise when one comes up to cup the back of your neck, the other grabbing the edge of your chair and pulling you closer towards him. He’s moaning continually now, turning his head to try different angles, licking and curling and sucking like you’re the very air he needs to breathe.

He’s pushing hard but not too hard, and when your teeth knock it’s adorable rather than uncomfortable.

It’s wet and messy, and oh, so fucking hot.

Your hands start travelling almost of their own accord, slipping up inside his jacket, sliding around his rib cage and settling on his surprisingly muscular back.

His hand travels up to your hair, mussing it, and you’re making his shirt ride up, but you couldn’t care less, lost in the sensations of your lips melding and tongues dancing.

There’s a pulsing heat in your core, and a wetness building in your underwear. You don’t think you've ever been this turned on just from kissing.

And how on Earth is Eddie so good at it?

You eventually both pull back, needing air, breathy and inhaling deeply.

Your eyes dance around his face, wanting to take it all in. His plump, kiss-bitten lips, his blown pupils, the way he’s looking at you with a stunned half-smile.

Needing a break from the intensity, you drop your eyes. But almost wish you hadn’t when you spot the obvious bulge in the front of Eddie’s pants.

He’s clearly enjoyed this as much as you have.

Just as you’re both leaning forward for another round, lips just brushing, the harsh and loud ringing of the school bell indicates the start of afternoon classes.

You and Eddie break apart with a start, exchanging breathy smiles, both a little surprised at how well that went.

He chuckles as he lets go of your hair, tidying it as best he can, and you pull down the hem of his shirt to straighten it.

”So, uh, I think I’d consider that lesson a success. Wouldn’t you, Mr Munson?”

He huffs out a little giggle, shaking his head slowly. His brow furrows and he fixes his face into as serious an expression as he can manage, as he dips his chin and replies,

“Oh, Princess, that feels like a great start. But you know, lessons work with me. So, just to be on the safe side, I think I might need a whole lot, lot more practice...”

He’s holding your gaze and nodding, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips for emphasis.

You nearly snort at his brazenness, constantly amazed at how he so easily flips between abject fear and bolshy confidence, and manage to squeak out,

“Well, we’ll just have to see what we can arrange, won’t we?”

He grins at you again, those dimples even deeper this time, and tidies one more strand of hair at your temple.

Reluctantly, you both gather your things and leave the study room, still with shiny lips and heat in your cheeks.

You walk leisurely, your upper arms brushing, through the racks of dusty tomes. Neither of you is in any particular hurry to get to your next class.

You glance to your side, and notice that Eddie seems bigger, taller. He’s puffing his chest and is carrying himself a little differently. You like it.

He turns to you as he asks, “D’you think we should, y’know, leave separately or whatever?”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Awkward questions, and all that.”

You see Eddie’s eyes glance to the floor, then flit to the section containing the large encyclopaedias and dictionaries, before he adds,

“You know what, you go first. There’s something I want to check out in the reference section anyway…”

He flashes you a wink as you round the door jamb, causing something to revolve in your chest as you step out into the corridor. You definitely want to offer Eddie plenty of opportunities to practice this particular new skill.

As you head off to your next class, you wonder what on earth he could be up to. But more than that, you wonder how he’ll react to what you have in mind for your next study session…

Series masterlist

Prev: Lesson 1: Female anatomy | Lesson 2: Male Anatomy | Extra Credits 01: Communication Skills Next: Independent Study 01: Art | Independent Study 02: Creative Writing

Thanks so much for reading!

Remember, writers thrive on your comments and reblogs, so if you liked this little extra please show some love 💕

A/N 2: I added this as an extra because I wanted Eddie and reader to share a special first kiss, but couldn’t work out how to fit it into the main Lessons without making them ridiculously long. I hope you like it!

The taglist for this series is open whilst it’s ongoing, and I have a general one now too - just let me know if you’d like to join either 😀 My masterlist, where you’ll find more Eddie and Steddie fics

Taglist (open whilst this series is ongoing): @airen256 @bimbobaggins69 @urlbitchin @jamdoughnutmagician @rustboxstarr @bl4ckt00thgr1n @bexreadstoomuch @cozmiccass @sadlittlesquish @yujyujj @cluz1babe @thunderg @aysheashea @paleidiot @cadence73 @eddie-munsons-wifey @siriuslysmoking @neville-is-my-husband @aestheticaltcow @jjmaybankswifes-blog @lightcommastix @ungracefularchimedes @spenciesprincess @joejoequinnquinn @freshoutthewomb2 @sunshinepeachx @tlclick73 @hellfirenacht @yourdailymemedelivery @wendyxox @madaboutmunson @80s-addict @the-unforgivenn @skrzydlak @eddiesxangel @bunny7232 @starksbabie

[faithfulren]

notebook swap

izuku midoriya, known for his meticulous note-taking on heroes and their quirks, accidentally swaps notebooks with reader. this seemingly small mix-up leads to a series of misunderstandings and revelations, ultimately bringing them closer together.

----

it was a typical day in middle school. the bell rang, signaling the end of another lesson on hero history. you hurriedly packed up your things, eager to get to lunch before the cafeteria line grew too long. as you grabbed your notebook, you noticed that izuku midoriya, the quiet boy known for his obsessive note-taking, was doing the same.

in your rush, you didn't realize that your identical-looking notebooks had gotten mixed up. you shoved "your" notebook into your bag and dashed out of the classroom.

--

you sat at your usual spot in the cafeteria, excited to review your notes for the upcoming quiz. opening the notebook, you were confused to find detailed analyses of various heroes, complete with sketches and personal thoughts. "this isn't mine," you muttered to yourself.

curiosity got the better of you, and you began flipping through the pages. it was fascinating to see the world through izuku's eyes. his passion for heroes was palpable, and his notes were incredibly detailed. you found yourself admiring his dedication and the depth of his thoughts.

--

izuku was in a state of panic. he had opened what he thought was his notebook, only to find your class notes and doodles. "oh no, this isn't mine," he whispered, anxiety creeping in. he recognized your handwriting and realized what must have happened.

he spent the rest of the day nervously glancing around, hoping to catch you between classes. when the final bell rang, he finally spotted you at your locker.

--

you saw izuku approaching, holding your notebook with a look of relief on his face. "um, hi. i think we accidentally swapped notebooks earlier," he said, handing yours over.

you smiled, handing his back. "yeah, i figured that out when i saw your hero analysis. it's really impressive, by the way."

izuku blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "thanks. your notes are really well-organized, too."

you both stood there awkwardly for a moment before you decided to break the silence. "how about we grab a snack after school? i'd love to hear more about your hero theories."

izuku's eyes lit up. "really? that sounds great!"

--

from that day on, you and izuku started spending more time together. you'd meet after school to discuss heroes, study for tests, and even just hang out. the more you learned about him, the more you admired his dedication and kindness.

izuku, on the other hand, was thrilled to have someone who genuinely wanted to listen to his thoughts and theories. he found himself looking forward to your time together, feeling more confident and understood.

--

as weeks turned into months, you noticed your feelings for Izuku beginning to change. what started as a simple admiration for his passion grew into a deeper affection. you found yourself looking forward to his shy smiles, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about heroes, and the comforting warmth of his presence.

one afternoon, as you both sat under a tree in the park, you decided to take a chance. "izuku," you began, your heart pounding, "i know we've become really good friends, but i think… i might like you as more than a friend."

izuku's eyes widened in surprise. "you do?"

you nodded, feeling a blush creep up your cheeks. "yeah, i do. i understand if you don't feel the same way…"

he reached out, taking your hand in his. "actually, i think i like you too," he admitted, his voice soft. "i just never thought you'd feel the same way."

--

with your feelings out in the open, izuku asked you out on a proper date. you both decided on a simple outing to the local café. nervous but excited, you spent the day talking and laughing, the awkwardness of your confession melting away.

as the sun set, you walked home together, hand in hand. when you reached your door, izuku hesitated for a moment before leaning in and giving you a gentle, sweet kiss. "i've never been happier," he whispered.

--

as the school year went on, your relationship with izuku blossomed into something beautiful. the initial notebook swap had been a happy accident, leading to a deep connection and a blossoming romance.

you both realized that sometimes, the smallest mix-ups could lead to the most wonderful outcomes. in the midst of school projects, hero analyses, and shared dreams, you and izuku found a bond that would only grow stronger with time.

and so, in the midst of study sessions, hero discussions, and tender moments, you and izuku found love in each other, a love that promised to stand the test of time.

[klaus-littlestwolf]

Hybrids Mafia Princess Pt5

Sorry it took so long. Almost finished, just one more chapter to go.

@a-beaverhausen @ranisingsnew @ronswhoree @susannahmikaelson @skulliecadaver-blog @yeaiamme2 @nataliewalker93 @luz09

Series Masterlist

Waking up alone was disappointing but Y/n didn’t expect anything else, knowing that if Klaus had stayed until morning he would have been shot God knows how many times.

2 Days. That’s all she needed to wait, just 2 more days and then she could get away from this house, the constant guards, a mom that ignores everything that goes wrong around her and her father. Her father who she had loved and adored more than anyone in the world, her father who had been her hero only to become the man who ignores her existence and shoots her pet.

Just 2 Days…

Klaus knew he needed to tell her the truth. Getting her to leave with him and depend on him needed to happen first, he knew once she loved him that she could accept anything about him.

He also knew that she would willingly turn for him, Y/n was exactly the kind of girl who would want to be with him for eternity, already overly sensitive about the idea of being abandoned. After her father had abandoned her without ever leaving the same house, what else could anyone expect?

He had been working in the time away from Y/n on his Hybrids, having to go back to Mystic Falls to find out Doppleganger blood was what he needed to turn the wolves. Sadly he didn’t get back to Y/n until the third day away and he was worried that she would be upset with him. However, the house was finished thanks to compelled construction workers and interior designers working around the clock, his Hybrids guarded the house as he instructed them to and he was finally able to pick her up.

Sadly though he was not quite as sneaky as he thought approaching the house this time and he ended up snapping one of the guards necks before climbing up to the window. Klaus saw her on her bed drifting off to a movie on the TV and he tapped the glass to see her head pop up and her eyes widen in excitement making her jump up and nearly fall from the bed as she fumbled to yank the window open.

‘You’re late!’ She snapped, though her smiling face pointed to her not being overly upset about it before she pulled him in and hugged him.

‘I’m so sorry Princess, there were complications finishing the house and I wanted it to be perfect. I’m sorry if I made you doubt me-‘

‘No! I didn’t, I promise! Thought…maybe my dad had…I-‘

‘Oh baby. I’m so sorry, come here!’ He hugged her to his chest tightly, kissing her head before the tears could fall. ‘Are you ready to go? I had a complication getting in here so we need to hurry.’ Her head popped up with a startled look before she jumped to grab the large duffel bag under her bed, pulling it out and setting it on the bed before moving to her dresser and grabbing sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt. She changed fast as Klaus opened her bag to inspect it.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ll get you a new laptop, your father can use this to track you, can’t bring it with us.’

‘Oh shit!’ She moved to grab a flash drive from her drawer before plugging it into the laptop and saving several things before deleting a bunch of things. ‘He’ll look through everything like he always does and find my journal. Wish I could see the look on his face when he sees how I really feel about him…both of them.’ There was a smile on her face but Klaus wrapped his arms around her from behind, seeing how sad she really was about it.

‘You’ll never have to listen to anything he says again. You’ll be happy with me, I promise.’ He swore, picking up the bag and moving to the window, watching her pull the sim card from her phone before tossing it onto the bed and following him. Klaus took hold of her and lifted her into his arms before jumping out the window, smiling at her small gasp as he did, quickly moving through the trees to get to the car he had left and setting her into the passenger seat.

‘Where are we going?’ She asked, clearly excited and clutching his hand as he began to drive.

‘We’re going to the airport-‘

‘My father will be able to find us there, he’ll find out where we-‘

‘Impossible. I have a jet fueled up and waiting, only the pilot knows where we’re going. He will not be able to find us, I promise.’ Klaus assured, kissing her hand and holding it firmly, watching as she tried to relax though he knew she wouldn’t until they were on the jet, far away.

He left the rental car with someone at the front before leading her through security quickly, compelling a security guard to fast track them through to get to their flight. ‘It’s so weird not being surrounded by guards in a public place, I feel like I’ve been let out of a bubble for the first time since I can remember and it’s like I can breathe deeper…does that sound stupid?’

‘Of course not Love, you’ve been confined your entire life, it’s normal to feel free now that you’re away from it all.’ He enjoyed watching her look around with a smile on her sweet face.

‘What’s that smell? It’s…sweet. It smells so good!’ She exclaimed, looking around in excitement.

‘The cinnamon buns maybe?’ Klaus said, pointing to the shop. ‘Do you want one?’ She nodded quickly and he led her over to grab a few of them for the flight before taking her to the jet that was waiting on them.

‘Woah…this is bigger than my Dads…I didn’t think that existed.’ The hybrid couldn’t help his chuckle at the clear innuendo that went over her head as she looked around, Klaus buckling her in and making her blush at even the small gesture of care he showed her as the jet took off. He couldn’t help but smile as the tension in her body seemed to completely disappear as they ascended, finally free from her father and his control.

The fact that she was now completely under Klaus’ control was a detail he didn’t think needed mentioning…

Somewhere in the Woods in New York

‘Where Is She?!’ He raged, holding his best friend by the front of his jacket.

‘I don’t know Buck-she must have gone out the window-‘

‘I have guards everywhere! How did she get passed them, Huh?! What do you-‘

‘Hun, whatever Y/n has done isn’t Steve’s fault and you’re going to regret killing him. You love him.’ His wife reminded, gently removing his hands from Steve and pulling Bucky close, feeling all of his muscles tensing at the idea of his baby being missing.

‘Someone has taken her, who should I be killing?!’ He demanded only to be met with a stern look from the mother of his child.

‘I don’t know who you think you’re talking to like that but it isn’t me.’ He sighed, pulling her into him and burying his face into her neck. ‘I know you’re worried, I’m worried too but this was inevitable. She did tell you she was going to leave-‘

‘She was being dramatic! She knows I love her, she wouldn’t…someone has taken her, only explanation!’ He insisted, beginning to pace across the floor, waiting for his men to check the security cameras.

Bucky is willing to admit that he isn’t the best father but he loves his daughter more than anything in the world. After all that has happened, all that he’s lost, he couldn’t risk losing her too. And maybe he held on too tight sometimes but he loved his baby more than he had ever loved anything. Every time he looks at her he sees that precious little bundle he was handed by a nurse, he was the first person to ever hold her and he swore to her that he would never let go.

‘Boss…you’re not gonna like this…’ Bucky looked up from where he sat with his wife holding onto him, the only thing keeping him grounded on this planet right now.

‘What is this? Where is this?!’ He demanded as he watched the video on the laptop that Sam handed to him.

‘It’s a camera from one of the back roads to the property. No one but security even knows they exist, we don’t know how anyone got there.’ Sam explained, standing just out of Buckys reach in case he decides to lash out.

‘What is he doing? Is…she’s kissing him…how does she even know him?! She’s always had security, who-‘ Bucky cut himself off as he thought back to Tony’s party the week before. He had seen this man before, he had smiled at him at the party, smirked more like it, and Bucky had wanted to slap that look off of his face…he should have killed him when he had the chance!

‘I’m not surprised.’ Buckys head snapped up to look at his wife who was clearly upset but no where near as physically upset as he was. ‘With how you treat her, smother her? An attractive man came along and promised her the world, of course she ran away with Prince Charming. Especially after what you pulled last week, I told you that dog thing would come back and bite us in the ass.’

‘Seriously?! How are you not upset-‘

‘I’m furious! But I’m also able to see how this came to happen and it is our fault. God knows what he’s promised her, but I’m not shocked she jumped at the first chance to get away from you-‘

‘She knows I love her-‘

‘No James, I don’t think she does.’ Buckys face fell as he heard his wife say this. Every fight they had, every punishment or mean word, he had always comforted himself by remembering that his daughter knows that he loves her and that he would kill or die for her. Now to hear that she might not truly believe that, Bucky swears that he heard his heart crack. ‘When she was young she did but you changed when she got older and I have no idea how she feels about you anymore. She doesn’t talk to me because she knows I will tell you everything. We fucked up, and we have to get her back.’

Klaus Mikaelson Masterlist

[drdemonprince]

Hi Dr. Price,

I’m a huge fan of your work and I’ve found it immensely helpful in figuring out who I am.

In recent years I’ve discovered I am both AuDHD and Bi. My partner is also Bi and very supportive. However we have been together for over a decade and I’m struggling a lot lately with the fact that I’ve never actually been with anyone else. I’ve been spending a lot of time in queer spaces online and finding myself wishing I could at least experience some of what they do.

I love her more than anything and would never do anything to hurt her. She’s not interested in opening things up in any way, which I completely respect and to be fair I’m not even sure that’s truly something I would want either.

I guess I’m just asking if you have any advice on these overwhelming feelings of missing out on aspects of life I never knew I even missed? Other than using porn to get it out of my mind as I’m worried that’s affecting our relationship sexually, which is another issue. Should I find a dating sim game or something to push all of these thoughts on to? It’s kind of messed up but I feel like if I was allowed to flirt online and not actually act on it that might satisfy me? I don’t know.

If nothing else thank you so much for your work and giving me a space to get this off my chest. ❤️

Because I am of the mind that most longings for queer expression/recognition/community cannot and should not be met with media consumption, I'm not going to tell you that there is any kind of game that can simulate queer erotic contact in a way that will be remotely satisfying for you.

You and your partner's desires for your relationship and its boundaries are important and matter, but alongside that, I would also encourage you to listen to that urge that tells you that you'd love to flirt online with a sexy queer stranger as a way to let a little of the steam off.

The wants you are feeling are real, and when disregarded or left unattended they can spiral out in all kinds of unpleasant ways, from just regular garden variety frustration, to resentment, to conducting years long emotional affairs with agoraphobic instagram thot boys you met online (not that I know anything about that).

You want to be recognized by another queer person as a sexually desirable, available person, you want to feel the rush of a developing romance, you want the future to be filled with possibility and excitement, you want to know that your life is not over and that there's still more to learn about yourself and more experiences to enjoy -- these are all good things. These are important things, and I promise you that it is very unlikely that you won't get to experience more desire, attraction, sexual contact, romance, and heartbreak in the years to come.

Most relationships end. Those that last more than a couple of years undergo dramatic shifts over the course of their tenure. And so, it is very likely that you and your partner will either eventually split, or your various desires and capacities will become incompatible in certain ways, and you will contemplate some kind of change to the relationship dynamic (or someone will fail to communicate this and cheat. hopefully not that one. But if it does happen, well. It's very common and not the end of the world or even necessarily the end of the bond).

How does it feel to confront this information? That in all likelihood, this relationship will either end, open up in some way, change dramatically in its dynamic, or be marked by one or both parties stepping out in some way, however small, be it an online flirtation or a kiss at a party or a sexual affair? I think your feelings in response to that information is important too. And that regardless of what you and your partner decide for the time being, it is an important series of potentialities to reflect on and emotionally prepare oneself for. Also worth asking: are these potential futures ones that you can speak to your partner about? One of them will likely be headed for you in time, not through any fault of your own or due to lack of love, but simply because people change and relationships develop, just like a person develops. Whether or not these are subjects that can be broached is itself valuable information, too.

Now personally, I am very biased, but I think there is very little harm in having some virtual sex with a consenting stranger, roleplaying sexy interactions online, even getting on a dating or cruising app and posting a few anonymized photos and seeing what kind of attention you get and enjoying the rush. I think that kind of thing is all within the realm of the harmless and forgivable, but hey, my sister just ended an engagement over her fiance doing that kind of thing, so not everyone agrees with me clearly.

But I think it is worth at least contemplating the full, long continuum of infidelity that exists, from having a whole secret other marriage and family and keeping a partner in the dark about it on one end, say, and making bedroom eyes with a cute person at the bar and fantasizing about what if what if what if, on the other. If your partner did anything along that whole continuum, you might be hurt, and likewise they might be if you do.

You say you love your partner more than anything and would never do anything to hurt her. But you can't really promise yourself that. Every partner hurts one another in some way or another, sometimes even intentionally, over the course of a long relationship. But hurting one another in a relationship is, also, not the end of the world. We all make mistakes, say things we regret, lose control of our faculties at times, or are simply forced to reconcile that what we need conflicts with what another person does. And sometimes we put our needs first, even though it's uncomfortable.

I don't regret the times I cheated. I regret the lack of communication and cowardice that brought me to that half-formed, unarticulated decision. But I don't regret ever having chosen to listen to needs that had been powerfully screaming inside of me, typically for years before I attended to them.

I think you and your partner should continue having very frank conversations about these topics, and do your best to regulate your own anxieties and feelings of relationship threat when the other party brings up an activity or an idea that makes the other feel scared. The choice isn't to remain monogamous or to become fully polyamorous with no hierarchy. There are a lot of activities you can both decide are either okay or not okay, and conditions under which you will engage in them.

Even what counts as "monogamy" is subject to fierce debate, that's part of why so many jealous straight people destroy one another so easily. Is texting someone you think is cute in a flirtatious but ultimately just friendly way cheating? Is dancing with someone else cheating? What kind of dancing is okay and is not? Is cuddling on the couch? Working on erotica together? Kissing? Is watching porn with someone else cheating? Is masturbating to a video they sent you?

You might have a very visceral response to these questions, but those are just like, your opinions. They are not set in stone and you can easily find another monogamous person who is just as adamant about completely opposing rules and definitions of what monogamy means to them. And so, it's worth talking with your partner and really being honest with yourself about what it is you want to do, what is decidedly off the table, and what the hell it even is that you two are talking about when you discuss your relationship and its limits.

If it were me, and if I could wave a wand and make you and your partner feel okay about and agree to a set of relationship limits, I think you should consider flirting with actual queer people online. But I can't control other people's behavior or emotions, as much as I have tried. But you can at least contemplate (and then discuss) alternate ways of getting the kind of attention that you desire.

There are lots of things you can do to scratch your itch that are not having sex or dating someone else: LARPing (there is larping that has a sexual or romantic component!). Tabletop games. Acting or improv that incorporates romantic or sexual elements. Going to a sex party and just WATCHING people do stuff. Going to a gay bar and just hanging out and socializing. Going to a cruising bar and watching people fuck. Going to a dungeon for a class or a demo. Going on gay speed dating but secretly agreeing that you're not actually going to take anybody home, you're just gonna see how it feels. Wearing a slutty outfit to pride and waving and winking at people. Exchanging heartfelt letters with a queer friend who you have chemistry with but who respects your relationship.

These are just some ideas, but the possibilities are limitless. One day, you and your partner might agree that you are open to having sex with other people, or flirting, but not to them having other lasting relationships. maybe you'll have threesomes together or one partner will watch the other fuck casual hook-ups. Or maybe you'll just break up. Who knows what the future holds! No matter what it is, you can figure it out with both love and commitment to your partner, but also the courage to name what you are feeling and to honor your desires. None of those things have to be incompatible, and monogamy doesn't have to be incompatible with getting a little thrill here and there either.

Good luck!

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Of All Things, I Became an Oceanid

You always imagined that if you woke up in the world of Genshin, the possibilities of being a Visionless wielder of elements and a slew of romantic shenanigans would lie in your wake. But when you instead find yourself in the body of an Oceanid with romance likely out of the question, your only conclusion is that the gods of reincarnation isekai hate your guts.

cw. you're an oceanid

pairing. navia x reader, kaeya x reader, childe x reader (separate)

notes. don't feel like being an oceanid today? well go ahead and go to the series masterlist and see what your life could be if you were something else in genshin.

So you're an Oceanid now.

You suppose there are worse things you could have turned into. God, imagine if you turned into a hilichurl or something like that. Yeah, you'll take being a graceful water being over a hilichurl any day.

You can talk, you can wield Hydro and you can go literally anywhere you want as long as water is present. It's honestly not that bad of a deal, you can be Mx. Worldwide if you so desire it.

As for finding company with your fellow lochfolk? That's not really much an option, all things considered. As it stands now, Oceanids follow one simple rule.

You stay in your lake, they stay in theirs and you call it a day.

Kaeya

Considering Springvale's small pond is already taken, you decide to call dibs on Starfell Lake since after Rhodeia made even the waters of the Dawn Winery bitter, you figured it would be better to try a source lake not connected to her spot in Liyue

To be honest when it came to being an Oceanid, you figured you didn't really need to become the companion of any of the characters

You're more than content to stay in your lake and mind your business. But truthfully, it does get boring, so when you saw Kaeya's reflection peering into your waters, you popped your head up to say hi almost instinctively

Apart from a brief look of surprise, that's the extent of your attempt to seem regal and mysterious in front of the Calvary Captain

"A water faerie so far from Fontaine? I can't believe my eye; this is the certainly the last thing I was expecting to see while out on a stroll."

It's not everyday you meet something so exciting and considering what happened after encountering the Traveler and Paimon, Kaeya decides to listen to his instincts that there'll be a lot to come from interacting with you

Because of this, Kaeya is a frequent visitor to your lake besides the people who occasionally stop by to clean the statue of the Seven

You ask him about the daily gossip of Mondstadt and he asks you about the life of being a water faerie, a fair trade even if most of your information is based on your memory of the Genshin wiki page and the limited personal experience you have

Kaeya's made a joke about how your meeting is something one might read in a romance novel, much to your embarrassment

Is he serious or no?

It's not like there haven't been any Human/Oceanid relationships in this game so it isn't completely out of the ordinary when you think about it...

At the same time though, you don't want to look super eager

One particular night, a long silence fell over you both when you asked him about his family. He tells you a bit about his past, about being adopted into the Ragnvindr family and his present less than savory relationship with Diluc

You ask if he's lonely to which he asks in return "do I seem lonely?" yet there is no bite in his tone nor is there any sarcasm either. his gaze is thoughtful but miles away from your lake

"Yes" are the words on your non-existent tongue yet you can't bring yourself to say it, all while a warm hand brushes against your watery cheek much too quickly

Navia

Being an Oceanid in Fontaine pre-Neuvillette's judgement was pretty much impossible, thankfully you airdropped into Teyvat after that deciding to call an area near Poisson your home

As to how you met Navia, you heard her crying by the sea as she does sometimes after getting new flowers for the grave of her father and much like the Spring Faerie of Springvale, you answered the call and swam to the surface

She thought maybe you were Melus or Silver, or maybe some other lost soul of Poisson. You quickly let her know that wasn't actually the case, much to Navia's initial disappointment

But Navia is an optimist, first and foremost. So she won't let the reality of the situation get her down and would ask you a bunch of questions. Afterall, Oceanids are thought to be practically extinct in Fontaine after Egeria's death so she doesn't want to waste the opportunity to learn more about you

And boy do her questions range from genuinely thought provoking to so silly it leaves you both in a fit of laughter

It's a first meeting that does Navia good, there she was so sad and then you came and turned the entire situation inside out. She promises to make you macarons as thanks, if lochfolk can even eat

Truthfully, you don't know if you can either. It's not like it's necessary to eat as you are now but fuck it you want to find out for yourself

Navia is also quick to invite you live in the waters of Poisson in general, or at least settle in if you ever want to visit and see the town for yourself

You take her up on the offer to have, if anything, a change of scenery and to see more people out and about than you normally would

You truthfully enjoy a nice yap session with Navia, it's never boring when she's around even if the most you're doing is watching her dish out orders from your comfortable pond in Poisson

But the best hangout sessions you have are when you are a good distance from the place and she can chat with you freely. She'll bring a basket of snacks, a blanket to sit on and you'll chat the day away

Sometimes she'll even bring a sketchbook and attempt to draw your portrait. Navia isn't the best artist but you enjoy looking at her artwork nonetheless

A small secret of her heart though is that Navia is quite sure that as a young girl she dreamed of something like this. Meeting an Oceanid by lakeside and falling in love before willingly being taken into the depths of Fontaine to eternally perform a watery dance of love

Maybe she can't do some of those things as the boss of Spina di Rosula, but maybe the former... maybe she's just been reading too many romance novels

Childe

When it comes to Childe, you truly lucked out in becoming an Oceanid when you lost the isekai 50/50. Because if you were something couldn't talk like a Thunder Manifestation or a Geovishap... you'd be assed out

For he, Tartaglia, is constantly finding ways to become stronger and that includes fighting mythical beings he comes across

But hey, Childe is no barbarian. Anything that can talk and beg for its life, for the most part, isn't a viable option for honing his skills

So congratulations, you narrowly avoided becoming a hashtag in someone's twitter bio twice in a row

Childe quickly laughs off your near brush with death and he dodges the spout of water you send his way. Sadly, he's somewhat charming when he says "come on, in my defense I didn't think you had any real intelligence! Now that I know we can easily become buddies, I'm sure!"

Maybe it's guilt (you doubt it), maybe it's a bit of youthful wonder permeating his soul (you're sure it's this), but he makes it a point to visit you while he is in Fontaine

Yeah, you lost another 50/50 by being airdropped into Fontaine during its Archon Quest but miraculously the water isn't painful. Maybe it's because you're technically not from this world and it grants you some sort of immunity? You're not sure

You are sure of, however, the fact that Childe comes to visit you like he gets paid for it

Apparently he wants to chat it up with you so he has plenty of interesting stories for his younger siblings when he visits them next time he is in his homeland

You sadly have a soft spot for it seems for war criminals that also happen to be family-oriented so you indulge him begrudgingly despite the rocky start to your friendship

When he gets arrested, you don't see him for a while and you admittedly grow worried when he doesn't show up even beyond the crisis of the prophecy coming to fruition but isn't like you can just discreetly find a fatuus in a city, let alone a Harbinger

Childe comes to see you soon enough though when he's recovered a substantial amount (barely any at all)

He laughs at you worriedly berate him for being so careless. "I just had to make sure my favorite Oceanid didn't miss me too much, that's all"

[punkshort]

look what we've become - ch.6

Chapter Summary: You arrive at Ellie's family's house, but it's not what you expected.

Chapter Warnings: language, mentions of child abuse (not SA), mentions of slavery, angst

WC: 6.3K

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Ellie was quiet the next morning, picking slowly at her granola bar and bent over, staring at her book. It was the day you expected to arrive at her aunt and uncle's house, and you had a hunch she was feeling bittersweet about it. When you woke up, you had a pit in your stomach that you assumed had something to the conversation you had with Joel the night before, but as the morning wore on, you realized there was a different reason. You weren't ready to let Ellie go.

"Hey," you said, nudging her knee so she would look up. "You excited to see your family?"

"I guess," she said with a shrug. Joel appeared to only be half listening as he nursed his coffee across from you.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to see you," you replied. "They probably don't even know you're alive. You said you were taken from their house, right?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "After my parents died, they took me in. I can't really remember much, but I know it was nighttime and I had a bag over my head, but I don't remember them breaking into the house, I must've been asleep."

"And it was the Fireflies who took you?" you asked.

"I'm not sure. It wasn't Marlene's group, if it was. There was more of us, they kept us all in this gross basement or something. No one could tell where we were, and whenever they moved us, they had the bags over our heads."

"Jesus," Joel muttered to himself with a shake of his head.

"How do you know it wasn't Marlene?" you asked gently, curious to learn more, but worried about upsetting her.

"Because after a few months, they took me and a couple others to Marlene's camp. She never made us wear the bags," Ellie explained.

"They hurt you?" Joel asked. His eyebrows were pinched as if he were bracing himself.

"A little," she admitted quietly. Your gaze dropped down to your hands, trying not to show her the emotion on your face. "They'd hit us if we weren't working fast enough, or trip us just for fun, I guess."

"I'm so sorry, Ellie," you whispered, reaching out a hand to place on her knee.

You exchanged a pained look with Joel before dropping the subject. At least she was going back home. She might not be excited yet, but you were willing to bet she would be once she saw her family again.

"We're doing the right thing," you murmured to him when you were out of earshot as Ellie packed up her belongings. "I know you weren't on board with this at first, but we're giving her a chance at a decent life."

"Second we get back I'm tellin' Tommy we are cuttin' all ties with these people," he said through gritted teeth. "I don't care what they got to offer."

You nodded, feeling the anger rolling off of him as he aggressively folded up his sleeping bag. You grabbed your pack and kicked dirt over what little fire remained, snuffing out the embers before reviewing the map once more.

Thankfully, her family didn't live within the city itself. Cities were heavily populated, which meant more risk of infected, soldiers, or hostile people. You tended to avoid them at all costs. They lived in a small town outside of the city called Morristown, which didn't have much outside of a post office, a school, and a fire department. The residential homes were built far apart from each other, scattered and disorganized. You got the feeling that people who used to live in this town knew everyone's business, it was so tiny. And you also had the feeling these were the types of people that shot first and asked questions later, given the extent it appeared they went for privacy.

"That's my school!" Ellie said excitedly, pointing down the street. Joel was focused on the map, trying to find the way to Spirit Drive, but you twisted your head so you could see the building she pointed out in the distance.

"That's cool, Ellie," you said warmly, happy to see she finally had a small smile on her face. "What was your favorite subject?"

She went on to tell you about her art class and a teacher she adored, and all the while you stared at her, listening to her stories while your heart ached. You imagined her in that school, with her friends, playing sports, eating lunch, and something inside you burned. It almost felt like jealousy, but that didn't make sense. It was a feeling you couldn't put your finger on, but you thought you knew what it was when you turned down her street, swallowing the lump in your throat when the realization set in that you were minutes away from never seeing her again.

"This the place?" Joel asked Ellie, squinting his eyes between her and the map. The house didn't look like much. It was a small, brick ranch with a long, gravel driveway that led up to a dilapidated grey barn. The hinges on the storm door to the front house were originally black, but now orange with rust. White paint chipped from the door in long strips, and the front garden was long abandoned and overgrown.

"Yeah," she said, looking at the barn.

"Do you think they're still here?" you asked, a flicker of hope igniting in you. Maybe if they weren't here, you could convince Joel to take her back to Jackson.

"Oh, yeah. They're here," she said confidently. You both glanced down at her.

"How're you so sure?" Joel asked, and she tilted her chin up towards the corner of the house. You both followed her gaze, noticing the cameras for the first time. They were small, it was no wonder you missed them, but they were there and definitely working. You could see a little red light flashing in the lens when the camera swooped across the lawn and over the driveway, where you all stood.

Joel slowly flicked his eyes around the house, counting at least seven cameras that he could see from his position. Then his gaze traveled to the barn, where he thought he could make out at least five more.

"How in the hell did you get taken from this place with all these cameras?" he asked. She didn't reply, and he wasn't really expecting an answer.

"So, what do we do?" you asked Joel quietly. "Do we just go up and knock?"

Joel twisted around to glance at Ellie, but she wasn't paying attention. She fidgeted her fingers inside her long sleeves as she stared out across the wide open dusty, dirty land the house was built on.

"I'll go up and knock, you two stay back," he decided, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck before venturing further down the driveway. The sun was blazing, even more so in the desert with little to no shade. You couldn't imagine how uncomfortable Ellie must have been in her long sleeves.

"That's far enough!" a man's voice rang out. Joel stopped dead in his tracks, whipping his head around to try to locate the source. Then he saw movement. An older man with a scraggly grey beard and balding head emerged from the barn, aiming a rifle right at Joel. He held his hands up in the air, showing from a distance that he meant no harm.

"Is that your uncle?" you whispered, holding your hands up as well.

"Yeah, that's Uncle Dave," she said, but she seemed unbothered by the threat. In fact, she shoved her hands in her pockets as she waited for him to approach.

"We aren't lookin' for trouble," Joel called out as Dave slowly made his way closer, his eyes transfixed on Joel. "We're here-"

"Toss your weapons on the ground!" Dave ordered, readjusting his grip on his rifle.

"Okay," Joel said, nodding, and slowly reached around to pluck the handgun from the back of his pants with two fingers. He held it up and gently tossed it on the ground in front of him.

"You too, missy," Dave said without even looking at you. You followed suit, slowly removing your gun and tossing it on the ground at your side. When you were no longer armed, Dave relaxed a bit, letting his shoulder drop but still aiming the rifle at Joel's chest. He finally allowed his gaze to drift behind Joel, looking briefly at you before his eyes landed on Ellie. He hesitated and swallowed roughly before forcing out a harsh chuckle.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "Junebug! Get out here, you ain't never gonna believe this!"

A rounder woman with glasses and tight curly blonde hair emerged from the barn behind Dave, a scowl painting her features as she walked forward, aiming a revolver at Joel. When she looked over and noticed Ellie, her expression changed. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she let her gun fall to her side.

"Ellie!" the woman cried out, trotting clumsily down the driveway towards you. You looked down at Ellie, expecting her to finally show some excitement, but she only offered them a pained smile.

"Hiya, Aunt June," Ellie said before being enveloped in a huge bear hug.

"Oh, my sweet girl! I thought I would never see you again," June said with tears in her eyes. Dave watched the two reunite from his position in front of Joel, the rifle now slung over his shoulder.

Ellie stepped back and introduced you and Joel to her family. She explained you were helping her and keeping her safe, and the two adults began to warm up to you after that.

"Please, why don't you stay the night?" June offered. "We'll make you dinner and give you a warm bed, it's the least we could do." Ellie turned to you and nodded, a genuine smile finally spreading across her face.

You felt Joel hesitate next to you, but you quickly accepted her offer, not ready to leave Ellie just yet. He gave you a sideways glance before giving June and Dave a tight smile and followed them into the house, only after picking up your weapons from the ground.

The inside of the house matched the outside. It was well lived in and dated, but it was clean. You glanced around the living room, noticing there didn't seem to be any family pictures around, just landscape art and a clock on the wall.

June gave you a brief tour of the small house and showed you their spare bedroom, where you and Joel left your backpacks.

"Why don't you help me in the kitchen, dear, and leave the men to their own devices," June said, her pink cheeks pinching into a smile. You looked at Joel, trying to read his expression. He gave you a quick nod, confirming he was comfortable with being separated, and you returned her smile.

"That sounds great," you told her.

Dave led Joel down into the basement, explaining along the way that he would be 'blown away' by his set up down there. Ellie had mentioned they were preppers, and based on the cameras, you had to assume the basement was remodeled to be a safe room or a bunker.

You helped June chop up vegetables while she kneaded dough to make chicken pot pie. Your mouth watered at the prospect of a home cooked meal.

"We've been traveling for over a week, eating mostly trail mix and rabbit. This will be wonderful, thank you so much," you told her.

"Of course, dear. It's no trouble at all. Ellie!" June called out. Ellie came around the corner, her sketch pad hanging limply at her side.

"C'mon, girl, you forget how to help out around here?" June asked, her brows furrowed for a moment before she realized how harsh she sounded. She turned to you and laughed, her features relaxed again. "Kids, you know?"

You smiled and looked back at Ellie to gauge her reaction. She seemed quiet and closed off, but you brushed it off, chalking it up to the long day.

June held out a butcher knife to her, and Ellie hesitated, her eyes flicking from her aunt to the knife.

"Auntie, please don't make me," she said, eyes wide.

"You know the rules, don't tell me you forgot now," she replied lowly. Ellie reached out a shaky hand to pick up the knife.

"What is this?" you asked, putting your hand out to stop her.

"Well, we need chicken for the chicken pot pie, don't we now?" June said sweetly, and you were beginning to feel like that ruddy smile of hers was a little fake.

"I'll do it," you said, stepping in front of Ellie, hand outstretched for the knife.

"Now, I appreciate the offer, dear, but Ellie understands it's part of her chores, right?" she said, narrowing her eyes at Ellie. She nodded slowly, her gaze drifting to the floor.

"She can chop the vegetables and I'll take care of the chicken," you told her, your tone becoming more insistent.

June's watery eyes wavered between you and Ellie as she weighed her options. You glanced down at the butcher knife in her red, flour covered hands, then looked back at her.

"I insist," you said darkly, dropping the fake pleasantries. June's gaze dragged up to remain locked on you.

"Girl's gotta learn to be comfortable with killing," she replied, but you reached out and snatched the knife from her grip before she had a chance to blink.

"That's alright, I could use some practice, myself," you told her, refusing to break eye contact.

The tension in the room was thick, even Ellie was shifting her weight, trying to make herself as small as possible. You waited for June to try to argue with you again or say something to Ellie that didn't sit right, but it never came. As if storm clouds passed, her eyes cleared up and she blinked at you, a smile spreading across her flushed cheeks.

"Well, then," she said, dusting her hands on her apron. "Coop's out back. Suppose we should thank our guest, right Ellie?" June said, raising an eyebrow at the girl. Ellie nodded and looked up at you.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"No problem, kid," you muttered, giving June one last glance before heading out the back door.

"This here's an AK-47, got maybe six of these fuckers," Dave said, his fingertips grazing the weapon on the wall as he passed. "Just about anything you can think of, I probably got two of 'em."

For someone who hoarded weapons in an underground bunker, Joel would have thought the man would be a little more subtle. A little less eager to show a complete stranger his entire stash. But then again, men like Dave loved to show off. If they couldn't boast about it, then what was the point?

"Real nice set up you got here," Joel murmured, knowing the man was waiting for a compliment. Dave's chest puffed with pride before he opened a sliding door in the back of the basement, revealing a small room filled with different sized monitors, cameras all cycling through the different angles he had covering his property. Joel was wrong: he had way more than just the cameras he saw. They rotated to different views all around the outside of the house. He noticed the only cameras that were monitoring indoors were in the barn where he saw an old John Deere tractor and a pickup truck flash on the screen.

"Jesus," Joel whispered, taking a step forward, but still not entering the small room. "How the hell you manage to watch these all the time?"

"Ah," Dave said proudly, tapping his finger against his temple. "I got motion alerts. Sends out an alarm when I'm sleeping or taking a shit or whatever. Gets annoying, though. Mostly just birds or other animals, so I turn it off during the day. But sometimes... sometimes I get something good."

"Like us?" Joel said, and Dave laughed.

"Yeah... yep, exactly like you," he replied, trailing off as he stared at Joel.

"Y'know," Dave said after a moment, stepping back to shut the door. "There's folks around here who pay good money for things, if you're ever in the market to buy or sell."

"We don't got much, but we're doin' just fine," Joel said, beginning to feel uneasy.

"Nah, see, that's where you're wrong, friend," Dave replied, pouring two glasses of whiskey and handing one to Joel. "You do got somethin'."

Joel held the glass tightly, bringing it up to his lips and pretending to take a sip before setting it down. Something told him he should keep his wits about him. He raised his eyebrows at Dave, waiting for him to continue.

"That girl with you up there," he began, and Joel felt his stomach twist at the mention of you. "She would fetch you a fair price with the folks I know."

Joel froze, doing his damndest to not let his emotions show. The pieces were starting to click. He clenched his jaw and swallowed lightly before taking a deep breath.

"That right?" he replied, urging him to continue. He needed to get back upstairs, for the first time realizing you all might be in danger.

"Hell yeah. Medicine, food, weapons. I'm sure of it," he said with a click of his tongue. "I make one radio call and they could be here in two days."

"Hm," Joel replied, clenching his fists behind his back. "Lemme think on it, yeah?"

"Sure, sure," he said with a wave. "Don't think too long, though. One day, someone'll take her. It's just a matter of if you get to benefit from it or not, you get me?"

Jesus fucking Christ.

"Yeah," Joel said. "I get you."

Joel decided you weren't leaving his sight. He was relieved when June called down, letting them know dinner was ready, so he could make sure you were okay without making an excuse to leave and raise suspicion. A man like Dave with a whole arsenal at his disposal wasn't someone he wanted to tangle with. He had to be careful.

A cynical part of him wondered if he should be worried about the food, but he knew you helped prepare it. You were smart, you would have noticed if something was going on.

But when he climbed the stairs and locked eyes with you, he knew something was wrong. You didn't show it, but he could tell by the way your smile didn't reach your eyes.

He settled down at the table as you and June scooped out the meal on everyone's your plates while Ellie silently brought everyone glasses of water. When she set Joel's down, he tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Ellie, why don't you get Joel 'n me whiskies. You ladies want anything stronger?" Dave asked, tucking his napkin into his shirt. You shook your head and politely declined as you took your seat next to Joel, your knee purposely knocking against his under the table. He glanced at you, your lips pressed in a thin line as you looked down at your food, not wanting to raise suspicion but desperately wanting to warn him that these people seemed off.

"You know, I've been meaning to try that margarita mix we traded for last week," June said thoughtfully. "Ellie, let me show you how to make it." June waddled out of the kitchen and into the living room, behind Ellie. You heard their voices carrying over faintly as June instructed her how to make her drink.

"This looks great, honey. What's in it?" Joel asked, turning and giving you a pointed look. Honey. He never called you that. It got your attention, and you gave him a quick, curious look before you understood his underlying question. Is this safe to eat? Your gaze drifted back to Dave, who was watching the two of you talk.

"Just normal stuff," you told him. "Nothing special. Veggies, chicken."

His eyes bored into yours, trying to communicate silently with you. You figured it out. Something happened in the basement that worried him, the same way June's behavior worried you.

"Alright, let's dig in!" June said cheerily, entering the kitchen with a yellow drink in her hand. Ellie followed dutifully behind with two glasses of whiskey, placing them in front of the men before sitting across from you.

"This is great, Junebug," Dave told his wife after a few forkfuls. June smiled as she sipped from her glass. You and Joel choked down the meal, offering your compliments and thanks once again, while Ellie silently pushed her food around her plate.

"Not a whiskey man, Joel?" Dave asked, his eyes growing glassy from the drink he had in the basement and now his second one.

"It's just been a long journey," Joel explained, but took a small sip anyway. "Feelin' real tired, is all."

Ellie glanced up and looked at Joel, knowing full well he wasn't tired. In the short time she knew him, it was like pulling teeth to admit he was tired. She looked back and forth between him and you, trying to read your faces without being obvious.

"Quit playing with your food," June told her harshly, finishing up her margarita. "You should be so lucky to have a roof over your head and food in your belly."

Joel stiffened next to you but didn't look up from his plate, his mind racing, trying to formulate a plan.

"You know what? That drink looked good," you said suddenly. "Ellie, why don't you show me if you remember how to make it?" You stood up from the table and Ellie jumped to her feet to follow you.

"Bring me another, too," June barked as Ellie followed you around the corner to the bar cart in the living room.

"What the hell is going on here, Ellie?" you muttered quietly, picking up the margarita mixer and pouring it into a glass.

"It's how they always are," she whispered. "They aren't exactly good with kids, but it's fine."

"No, it's not fine," you whispered back, holding your hand out to keep her from pouring tequila in your glass, choosing to just drink the mixer, not wanting alcohol to dull your senses. You nudged her hand to make her pour a little extra tequila in her aunt's glass. "This isn't how you should be living."

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she asked sharply before turning on her heel and heading back into the kitchen. You trailed after her, finding your seat next to Joel and taking a sip of the fake drink and trying to ignore the guilt. You had no idea how you were going to be able to leave her behind with these people.

You helped June clean up the dishes after dinner while the men filed into the living room. Joel had drank his first glass, but held up his hand when Dave offered a second, rubbing his eyes and reminding him how tired he felt. He needed to get you alone and get you the hell out of here, paranoid that Dave would call those people to do a "trade" for you like he was already suspecting happened originally with Ellie. What else would explain kidnappers being able to bypass his security system?

As if reading his mind, Dave asked "Think any more about what I told you downstairs?"

Joel yawned, trying to hide his anger by contorting his face.

"Lemme sleep on it, get back to you in the mornin', I'm beat," he said, hoping he wasn't laying it on too thick. If he was, Dave didn't seem to notice, the whiskey doing its job by keeping him oblivious.

"Alright now, Ellie. Time to get ready for bed," June said, her drink sloshing in her glass. "Say goodbye and thank you to your friends."

You could see the despair in Ellie's face. Trying hard not to cry, you wrapped her in a hug and whispered it will be okay in her ear before pulling back, swallowing hard. She was about to reach for her sketch pad when, much to your surprise, Joel suddenly leaned down and pulled her into a hug. Ellie also looked shocked, not sure what to do at first but eventually brought her arms up around his ribs. You thought you could see him whisper something in her ear, but it happened so fast, you weren't sure.

"Okay, off you go," June told her, and Ellie quickly walked down the hall without another word. You watched her go, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks.

You sat next to Joel, trying to appear interested in what her aunt and uncle were talking about, but you realized it didn't matter the more they drank. Joel's hand dropped on the couch next to you, grasping your hand and stroking his thumb over your knuckles. You looked up at him sadly as he tried to wordlessly say it's okay, I'll get us out of this.

After another hour, Dave stood to tend to the fire, stumbling in the process. June chuckled, her face redder than usual.

"Time for bed, old man," she teased, and he grunted in response, pushing a log around with the poker before straightening back up.

"Suppose you're right, Junebug," he replied. You could hear the alcohol in his voice, the way he spoke slightly louder and slower than usual.

"You two need anything, you just holler," June said, pushing herself off the couch. "Clean sheets are in the closet."

You and Joel stood, watching as they made their way slowly down the hall to their bedroom, June mumbling to Dave until their door quietly clicked shut.

You immediately swiveled around to Joel but he clamped a hand over your mouth, shaking his head. You nodded and he removed his hand, leading you down the other end of the hall to the guest room, and shut the door.

"Joel-"

He held his finger to his lips before he made his way around the room, checking the furniture and closet for any possible hidden cameras or bugs. When he was satisfied, he finally spoke.

"Don't get comfortable. When they fall asleep, we're leavin'," he whispered.

"We can't leave her here," you said, sweeping your arm towards the door.

"I know," he said, and you breathed a sigh of relief. "They'll sell her off again the first chance they get."

"Wait, what?" you asked, eyes wide. "I thought someone snatched her?"

"I really fuckin' doubt it," Joel said, running his fingers through his hair. "When we were in the basement, that asshole was tryin' to convince me to sell you to slavers. Said if I don't do it, somebody'll take and sell you anyway. Sounded awful lot like a threat, if you ask me."

"Jesus Christ, Joel!" you whispered, wrapping your arms around your ribs and pacing nervously around the room. "So you think they sold Ellie into slavery? Their own niece?"

"Wouldn't put it past 'em. You should see the shit he's got in that basement. Must've cost a fortune. I'm sure Ellie wasn't the only one they sold off."

It started to make sense. The way June spoke to and treated Ellie like she was a servant didn't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

"But they seemed so happy to see her," you said, thinking back.

"Yeah, probably saw her as another paycheck. Two for one," Joel said with a scoff.

"So what's the plan?" you asked him, biting on your fingernail anxiously.

"Give it an hour or so," he began, sitting down on the bed. "Make sure they're passed out. Then, you go get the kid, and I'll go to the basement. I gotta figure out how to turn off the motion alerts on those cameras so they don't wake up. Then we get the fuck outta here."

"Okay," you said quietly, sitting down next to him, stunned. Twenty minutes ago, you just thought they were bad guardians. You had no idea it was this bad. You buried your face in your hands, feeling guilty for bringing Ellie back into this house. You should have fought harder to get her to stay in Jackson. Now, you all ended up in danger, anyway.

"We have to try to warn Tommy and Maria," you whispered. "What if something happens? It'll take us a week to get home."

"Maybe not," Joel replied. "I saw on his cameras that they got a truck in that barn."

Joel stuck his head out into the hallway, craning his neck to listen for any movement from the master bedroom. After a few minutes of silence, he looked back at you and nodded. Quietly, you followed him down the hall, pausing outside of Ellie's room. Before you could open the door, Joel put his hand over yours. He cupped your face and quickly pressed a kiss against your lips, then pulled back to look deep into your eyes while his thumb caressed your cheek.

I'll get us out of here, I'll keep us safe.

You nodded, understanding without him having to say a word. He dropped his hand and made his way down the hall to the basement door, clicking on his flashlight before descending the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, you slowly pushed the bedroom door open. You took care to close it gently behind you, then turned around to find Ellie fully dressed and waiting for you at the foot of her bed.

"Hey," you whispered, and she stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"I'm ready," she whispered back.

"How did you-"

"Joel told me," she said quietly. "He said to keep my bag packed, and not to fall asleep."

So he did whisper something in her ear when he hugged her.

"Okay, good," you breathed, trying to hide your nervousness.

"I packed all new clothes, and a few other things I wanted. Do you think I need anything else?"

"You have your flashlight?" you asked.

"Yep. And I got this," she said, proudly reaching into her pants pocket and pulling out a switchblade.

"Where did you get that?"

"Does it matter?" she replied.

"Just be careful with that thing, put it away," you told her. She folded it back up and shoved it into her jeans.

You poked your head out of her door, making sure the coast was clear before taking a step out. You made it two feet before Ellie's hand shot out and grabbed your arm, pulling you back into her room just in time. The master bedroom door swung open and June hobbled out in her nightgown, making her way groggily to the bathroom. You and Ellie stood with your ears pressed against the bedroom door, listening intently as the toilet flushed and the sink ran.

"Where's Joel?" Ellie mouthed.

You pointed down to the floor and mouthed back basement.

You waited until you heard her door click shut and the squeak of the boxspring before opening Ellie's door again. Silently, you made your way down the hall and to the dark kitchen, where you waited for Joel.

"What's he doing?" she said as softly as possible.

"Motion sensors," was all you said back. She shook her head.

"He won't know - I'll do it," she replied, and before you could stop her, she opened the door and made her way down the steps, turning her flashlight on in the process. You went after her as quickly and quietly as you could, knowing Joel wouldn't expect you to be down there.

You entered the bunker, taking a second to gawk at all the guns adorned on the walls. There was also an elaborate looking radio and a workbench filled with electrical parts. You passed five dressers that looked to be filled with different types of ammunition, and you thought you even saw a couple grenades.

"Joel," you whispered, and you heard him shuffle near the back of the room. You swung your flashlight towards the noise, your heart pounding in your ears. He stepped out from behind a tall shelf of canned goods, shaking his head and holstering his revolver.

"This wasn't the plan," he scolded with a deep frown, but before you could explain, Ellie pushed past you both and made her way to the little room in the back that housed all of the security system equipment.

"Ellie!" Joel whispered, going after her.

"I know what I'm doing," she said over her shoulder. He glanced back at you and you shrugged.

"There, the alarm is turned off and so is the recording," she said, emerging from the room. Joel gave her a confused look.

"Recording?" you repeated.

"Yeah, the cameras record everything. So they won't know what direction we go when they wake up tomorrow and try to review the footage," she explained, looking at you like it was obvious before heading to the stairs.

"Did you know-" you began to ask, but Joel cut you off.

"Hey, wait," he whispered, making Ellie stop on the bottom step. He unscrewed the cap of whiskey Dave had shared with him earlier and poured it all over the radio, watching as it sparked a bit. And for good measure, he cut the wire that powered the device before making his way toward the stairs, pushing past Ellie to lead you both out of the house.

Joel led you to the barn, maneuvering on the soft grass instead of the noisy gravel. There was a standard padlock on the door, which he was able to break relatively easily with his hunting knife. He was beginning to realize Ellie's aunt and uncle had all the appearances of being survivalists, but lacked most of the skills. He had lost count of the things he would have done differently if he was defending his own home.

Still, he didn't want to wake them when he was so close to safety. So, he put the truck in neutral and had Ellie steer from the driver's seat while the two of you pushed the car down the long driveway, waiting until it reached the road before making Ellie move to the back and starting it up.

He drove for a few hours until you were both struggling to keep your eyes open, the adrenaline that was previously fueling you both long since worn off.

"Let's pull off here, maybe we can find some gas before we head out in the mornin'," Joel said softly, trying not to wake Ellie.

"Okay," you said quietly, staring out the window as he got off the interstate. He drove for another half hour until he found a volunteer fire hall.

There were a few abandoned cars in the large lot when you pulled in. Joel parked the truck and turned to you.

"Lemme go in and check it out, you stay with the kid," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I'll come with you," you said, but he held out his hand.

"Stay," he repeated firmly, and you shook your head.

"What if-"

"Just do as your told for once," he snapped. You clamped your mouth shut, too tired to argue. He was clearly annoyed that you improvised back at the house and brought Ellie in the basement.

"Fine," you seethed, and he slid out of the truck. You watched with your arms crossed as he approached the door, shining his flashlight inside the window before working on the lock and pushing his way in. You could see the beam of his flashlight through the windows as he moved from room to room, carefully checking out each one before finally coming back out to let you know it was clear.

"Ellie," you whispered, nudging her shoulder gently. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a yawn, turning around to try to figure out where you were.

"We're gonna stay here for the rest of the night and try to get some sleep before hitting the road tomorrow," you explained as you hopped out of the truck.

She silently followed you into the building, where Joel was waiting, holding the door open. He led you both up the stairs where the firefighters had a small living space with bunk beds. Ellie snagged the first one she saw, curling up with the blanket that was already draped over the bed and falling back asleep.

"You good?" Joel asked, looking over as you flopped down on one of the beds.

"Yeah, are you?" you replied. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Long fuckin' day," he murmured.

"Why don't I keep watch tonight and you get some rest, I'll sleep in the car tomorrow," you told him. You could tell he wanted to argue with you but his exhaustion won.

"Yeah, alright," he agreed after a moment.

You stood back up, checking your gun before heading back downstairs. After you peeked out the windows to confirm everything was all quiet, you wandered around the first floor a bit. It looked like after the outbreak, the building may have acted as a safe zone. There were abandoned bags, cots, blankets, and trash overflowing in the bins.

You were looking through some duffel bags for anything useful when you heard a noise outside. You froze, quickly pulling your gun from the back of your jeans as you made your way cautiously out into the room. At first glance, your flashlight didn't show anything out of the ordinary. You were about to give up when you heard the same noise again. Whipping to your left, you advanced towards the sound with your gun drawn.

The last thing you remember is a hand gripping your throat from behind and a needle slipping into your neck.

Tag List @nana90azevedo @ninaminaromina @untamedheart81 @taz-97 @nastiasnow @amyispxnk @plz-be-solo @iloveramensm @caitlynsixxx @anoverwhelmingdin @harriedandharassed @jessthebaker @txtattoostark @merz-8 @sarap-77 @sarahhxx03

[wnobin]

dinosaurs and bears 🦕

childhood crush! anton x fem! reader

genre: fluff, slightly suggestive

series synopsis: anton lee was your first friend, eventually becoming your first love. and despite changing over the years in college, your heart still falters the same way it did when you were both kids.

intro | part one | part two | part three | part four (final!)

fourteen years ago.

growing up next door to the lee family meant that yours and anton’s lives would be unavoidably intertwined. anton still remembers the first time he met you. you were both still kids, you being a mere seven year old while anton was a year older. your parents had brought you over to the lee’s house to catch up, and they thought you were finally old enough to have play dates with the quiet and introverted boy next door. 

anton’s parents had thought their son was closed off. a bit too closed off. he was soft spoken and seemed to always be in his own world, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, they just thought it would be good for you and him to develop a friendship. you and anton weren’t that different, with you being an equally closed off child who didn’t talk to people as much as to your plushies. during your first meeting, you held onto your teddy bear tightly whilst hiding behind your parent’s legs. your teddy bear, mr. fuzzles, which was white and adorned with a small pink bow tie on its neck was the single most precious thing to six year old you, you never left the house without it. similarly, anton held onto a blue brachiosaurous plushie. both of your parents waited to see which one of you would initiate the conversation, but alas, neither of you had the courage to utter a word to the other. 

you didn’t care much at the boy standing opposite of you, rather, you cared more about the plushie in his hands. your eyes zeroed onto the blue dinosaur plushie he held onto and without saying a word, you stepped closer to anton and grabbed his precious childhood toy. anton, your parents, and his parents all let out a gasp. really? i let brachio get taken by a seven year old in pigtails? anton thought to himself, but he was still too shy to say anything— telling himself that you were just a little kid and he should be the bigger person and not snatch what was his back. before your parents could give you an earful, you pushed your teddy bear towards anton’s chest, still not saying a word but maintaining eye contact with the boy now. your parents let out a cohesive aww as they urged anton to show you more of his dinosaur collection— books, plushies, and figurines. the older boy nodded and gave you a soft smile before bringing you into his study and pulling out a heavy hardcover book. encyclopaedia of dinosaurs. truth be told, you couldn’t care less about dinosaurs, you simply just wanted to play with anton’s brachio. but the way the older talked about the history dinosaurs and the way his soft voice became more excited and expressive convinced you to listen to him go on until it was time to go. anton had never been able to drone on and on about his special interest to anyone without them finding it boring, but your little nods and mhms made him feel heard for once— even though your tiny brain could barely digest anything he was saying 

before leaving that day, anton tried to give you mr. fuzzles back but you shook your head, hugging brachio to your chest. “yours now.” before getting to know you, anton would have gotten upset and probably complain to his parents about you but after the day of getting to know you, he felt okay to part with his beloved plushie knowing that you gave him yours, symbolising the blossoming friendship between you two. 

a/n: this is a reupload btw… wanted 2 change up sum stuff!!!

[owen-writes]

Goody-Two Shoes

11th Doctor x Gender Neutral Reader

The TARDIS hums softly as it materializes on an alien planet. You step out, the 11th Doctor at your side, his signature bowtie slightly askew.

"Alright, now listen carefully," the Doctor begins, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and concern. "We're here to retrieve the Chrono Crystal. It's in the catacombs beneath that ancient temple over there. Follow my lead, stay close, and, most importantly, don't touch anything."

You nod, eager to prove yourself as a valuable companion. Amy and Rory exchange glances, their expressions a mix of curiosity and skepticism. The Doctor takes the lead, and you follow his instructions to the letter.

As you traverse the dimly lit catacombs, Amy shoots you a sideways glance. "You're quite the goody two-shoes, aren't you? Always following the Doctor's orders."

You shrug off the comment, focusing on keeping pace with the Time Lord. The Doctor, however, seems pleased with your cooperation. "It's essential to follow instructions in these situations. Trust me, I've had my fair share of companions who thought they knew better."

As the mission progresses, Amy's jabs become more frequent. "Honestly, you're like the Doctor's little lapdog. Can't you think for yourself?"

The remarks sting, and you find yourself growing increasingly self-conscious. Determined to prove you're not as "lame" as Amy suggests, you decide to take matters into your own hands during a crucial moment. Ignoring the Doctor's warnings, you touch a peculiar-looking device, setting off a series of alarms.

The Doctor whirls around, his eyes widening. "What did I just say about touching things?!"

Your rebellious act results in chaos, drawing the attention of hostile creatures. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory engage in a frantic escape, and you realize your attempt to break free from the perceived mold has backfired spectacularly.

Later, in the safety of the TARDIS, the Doctor pulls you aside. "Alright, spill it. What's going on? That's not like you at all."

You sigh, feeling the weight of Amy's disapproval on your shoulders. "I just wanted to prove I could be more than the obedient one. Amy thinks I'm boring, and I don't want to drag the group down."

The Doctor looks at you with a mix of understanding and amusement. "Ah, Amy. She has a way with words, doesn't she? But you don't need to change who you are to impress anyone. I value you for being yourself."

Surprised by his sincerity, you open up about your insecurities. The Doctor listens intently, his expression softening. "You're not a lapdog or boring. You're reliable, and that's a rare quality. Trust me; I've traveled with all sorts. I chose you because I see something special in you."

Over the following adventures, the Doctor makes an effort to involve you more in decision-making, showcasing your unique strengths. Amy, while still a bit skeptical, begins to appreciate your contributions. As the TARDIS hurtles through time and space, you find solace in the fact that the Doctor values you not for your rebellious acts but for the person you are.

[munsonsmixtapes]

hi there, so this is my first time requesting anything from you but i just wanted to say i loved the paint me series, it was fantastic and i cried a lot but my idea was for benedict about how him and a plus sized reader are engaged and she goes to the seamtress to be fitted for her wedding dress and some of the seasons other debutante are there and whisper like why would anyone marry her and things... benedict hears about it from eloise who tagged along cause her and reader just get along fantastically and on their wedding night.. he worships reader, like this boy would be so loving, if you could, i would love it

Oh my gosh, thank you so much, lovely! And yes, of course! I love anything having to do with a plus sized reader!

Benedict Bridgerton x plus size!fem!reader

cw: MDNI (18+) fatphobia, reader receives a hickey, oral (f receiving) nipple play (f receiving)

"How about this?" Madame Delacroix asked as she stood behind you, pinning it at the sides with intention of taking it in. You loved the way it looked.

You were getting fitted for your wedding dress, knowing that it would have been best to have something made for your instead of purchasing one that was already done since it was difficult to find anything that fit right.

Your engagement to Benedict wasn't surprising to anyone considering the fact that it had been a long time coming. You and Benedict had been friends for a long time, slowly becoming lovers as you got older. The transition was so seamless, the two of you seeming like an old married couple.

If he was being honest, Benedict had been in love with you since the moment he laid eyes on you. It was as if he was a sailor and you were a siren, drawn to your beauty as he stared at you from across the room. He asked you to dance and that was it. You were inseparable from that moment and now he was going to marry you.

"You look amazing," Eloise told you, a smile on her face. The two of you had been attached at the hip since you and Benedict had begun courting and she could not have been more excited to have you as a sister.

"Promise?" You asked, still unsure. You had started to feel more confident in your body as you got older, but standing there where anyone could see you if they passed by the store suddenly made you feel self conscious.

"I promise," she nodded.

"Benedict is going to love it too," Madame Delacroix spoke up as she stepped back to admire her work. You knew he would, but you suddenly had a sinking feeling when you saw some other debutants giggling as you looked at yourself in the mirror, admiring what you saw.

You knew that deep down, they were only laughing at you because they were jealous of your relationship with Benedict. He had been a hot commodity for years and you had scooped him up. You remembered how rude different women had been to you when your engagement had been announced by Lady Whistledown, the amount of rude comments that had been thrown your way. And they were always when Benedict wasn't around because they didn't want him to see them behaving so nastily towards his bride, knowing that he would have shut it down immediately.

You turned your head and saw Eloise out of the corner of your eye. She made her way over to the women and whispered something to them in a hushed tone before they all scattered, exiting the shop and hurrying down the street, leaving the three of you alone again.

"Don't listen to them," Madame Delacroix told you as she rested a hand on your shoulder, smiling at you through the mirror.

"I second that," Eloise nodded, taking your hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. "They're just jealous that you have Benedict and they don't." You knew that they were telling the truth and not just trying to make you feel better, but now you were suddenly feeling ill, bile climbing up your throat as you thought about how Benedict would have reacted to the whole situation.

You knew that he would have taken you into his arms and reassured you that he loved you, telling you that he had proposed to you for a reason, but you couldn't help but imagine him laughing at you. That he didn't love you at all and that he was just giving you pity.

"I think I need to leave," you said under your breath but the two women had heard you perfectly, both trying their best to help you out of the dress as quickly as possible. You were feeling claustrophobic, like the walls were caving in and like the corset you were wearing was becoming tighter by the second.

You were also starting to become dizzy as you got back into your other dress, the women's laughs echoing in your head, taunting you. Your breathing became labored as you collapsed to the floor, trying to catch it. But all that came out were sobs. Eloise and Madame Delacroix were quick to comfort you, Madame Delacroix holding out handkerchief and Eloise rubbing your back sympathetically.

"Thank you," you sniffed as you took the handkerchief and dabbed at your eyes.

"Of course, my lady."

"Let's get to the carriage," Eloise suggested as she helped you to your feet. You held onto her as she led you out of the shop and Madame Delacroix followed, seeing you both off before heading back into the shop to tend to some customers who had just walked in.

As soon as you both were enclosed in the carriage, Eloise moved to sit across from you, taking your hand once she was settled. She didn't think she was very good at comforting, but seeing you so upset broke her heart, so she was going to do whatever she could to make you feel better.

"Please don't tell Benedict," you pleaded and Eloise nodded. Even though she was very close to her second eldest brother, she felt like she owed it to you to keep your breakdown a secret. If you didn't want Benedict to know, then she wouldn't tell him.

"I won't," she replied. "It will be our secret."

The carriage pulled up to the Bridgerton home and Eloise ushered you inside, trying to hide you from your fiancé so he wouldn't see the tears streaming down your face. But the man had met you at the door, a wide smile on his face as he took in his bride, looking froward to knowing how the fitting went.

You quickly pushed past him and his sister followed, wanting to make sure that you were all settled and also needing time to come up with a lie to tell her brother. He just watched, furrowing his eyebrows as he followed the two of you up the stairs, but Eloise stopped him, wanting to keep him away from you just like she had promised.

"Y/n isn't feeling well," she told him, but immediately regretted it as she realized that would have only made him more concerned.

"Then I must go to her."

"No," she grabbed hold of his shoulders to prevent him from going any further.

"Why-"

"Let's talk in the study, hm?" She asked as she grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him in that direction. Benedict just followed, his heart racing as he looked back at you disappearing into his room and slamming the door. His heart ached as he realized how upset you must have been.

Once in the study, Eloise closed the door and forced him to sit next to her on the couch. She knew she was supposed to keep it a secret, but she just couldn't. She felt like he deserved to know the truth as it was much easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

She took a deep breath and looked into her brother's eyes, seeing how worried he was for his future wife. And it broke her heart that she was going to break his even more. Benedict loved you more than he could comprehend and Eloise saw that. That was why she had become so protective of you despite you being older than her.

"There were some women making fun of y/n-"

As soon as the words left her mouth, he was out the door, making a beeline for his room. He didn't need to hear the rest, he just needed to be there to comfort you. To hold you and tell you that everything was going to be alright.

You were his number one priority always and he wanted to do whatever he could to make you feel better. He didn't care what it was. He just wanted to put the tears to rest. He hated seeing you so upset and just wanted to shrink you down and put you in his pocket so he could protect you from being hurt ever again.

Benedict hesitantly knocked on the door, wanting you to give him permission to enter even though it was his room. When he didn't hear anything after a few knocks, he took a deep breath, assuming that it was bad since you weren't responding.

"Darling, it's me. Can I come in?" When there was still no response, he slowly opened the door only to see that you were under the covers with them pulled all the way over your head. His heart broke even more as he took the whole scene in and he hesitant entered the room before closing the door gently behind him.

He then made his way across the room and placed himself next to you, not wanting to touch you to give your space, but moving just close enough to when you'd be able to hear him with the blanket over your head.

"Eloise told me what happened," he said. "And I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

You slowly lowered the blanket, looking him in the eyes and his stomach lurched as he took in the tears that stained your cheeks. He reached up and wiped the new ones that fell, holding your face gently in his hands as he did so.

"I don't want to talk about it," you told him and he nodded in understanding.

"And you don't have to. We can just sit here if you'd like. Or I can go if you want me to."

"You can stay," you said, reaching up to grab hold of his wrists. "I want you to hold me."

He wordlessly pulled you to his chest, seeing that you were already in your nightgown despite it still being the afternoon. He then pulled you to his chest, knowing that this was your favorite place to be: wrapped up in his arms. He wrapped them tightly around you before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

"I love you," he said, the words falling from his lips so effortlessly, his heart filling up with the feeling that he didn't even know what to do with it. He loved you more than you'd ever know and wanted to remind you every chance he got.

"I love you too," you responded, looking up at him and he pressed his lips to yours in a brief, closed-mouthed kiss before pulling away. You just looked at him with an unamused face and he chuckled, going in for another one, giving you exactly what you wanted this time.

His lips slotted between yours, and your eyes fluttered closed as he took the lead as always, wanting to show you just how much he loved you just with his lips. He rolled onto his back and you knew exactly what he was doing as this exact thing had happened before.

He loved how you felt underneath his hands, your weight never even on his mind. He knew that was exactly why you were upset even though you hadn't said the words. That was always a problem and he knew exactly what people had said about you, even supposed "friends" and he was quick to cut ties with anyone who had a bad word to say about you and your weight or the way you looked. He didn't care how long he had known them or how good of a friend they were to him; he was going to no longer speak to anyone who dared to speak to or about his wife in that way.

"How about I show you how much I love you, hm?" He asked, his hands moving up your back. That intrigued you. The words always made your heart flutter, but seeing it physically made you see just how much love he had for you.

"Please," you begged and he was quick to press his lips to yours once again, this time letting his tongue swipe along the seam of your lips. You opened up and he slid it inside, lazily swirling it around yours, taking his time. He wanted to make you feel good and this time, you had nowhere to be so he was going to take however long he wanted to make his wife feel like the queen he knew she was.

You and Benedict had slept together more times than you could count, but this time was different, you knew it. He usually didn't have time to go slowly, pulling you aside when he had a free chance, pushing himself inside of you, and covering your mouth so no one could hear you moan. And as much as you liked the thrill of having to rush to avoid getting caught, there was something about this that was so sweet and special.

He pushed one of your sleeves off of your shoulder and pulled you closer to him, leaning down as he did so. He peppered your skin with kisses, featherlight, but still filled with as much passion as the ones he pressed to your lips.

Benedict then nightly nibbled at the spot, causing a gasp to leave your mouth and he just chuckled in response before diving back in. He then began to suck on the skin, wanting it to be in a spot that you could easily cover up, a secret just between the two of you.

You grabbed onto his arms as a moan escaped your mouth, feeling your legs turning into jelly. His sucking was becoming even more harsh, wanting the bruise to be prominent, a physical reminder or how much Benedict loved you.

"Oh," was all you were able to say and this time, Benedict didn't care how loud you were, not embarrassed now that he family knew that he was sleeping with you. With the way he had been behaving, they had to know that he was having sex with his fiancée, right?

His teeth grazed the skin and that seemed to completely undo you as you fully pressed yourself against him. Your next moan was even louder and he took that as an invitation to continue, grazing with his teeth one more time before diffusing the sting with his tongue.

Benedict then pulled away to admire his work, seeing the bruise already forming, shining with his spit. He then turned his gaze to you, seeing lust forming in your eyes already. He pressed another kiss to your lips as his skated down your sides, bunching up your gown in his hands as he slid them up your legs, grabbing onto your bare hip as he pulled you closer once more.

He backed you up until the backs of your legs hit the bed and continued the kiss, only breaking away to discard your nightgown. Now you were naked below him and he would never get over just how beautiful you were.

He reached out and let his fingers glide across your stretch marks on your arm, hating that such a small mark made you feel bad about yourself. You had told him as much multiple times and he intended on making you love them just as much as he did. If he was being honest, he loved seeing them on people. He thought it gave them character.

He pressed a kiss to the spot then moved to your other one before moving down to your collar bone, pressing a few kisses to the spot before looking up at you with his pretty green eyes.

“I’m going to fucking worship you,” he said, his eyes softening. This was going to be all about you and he was more than looking forward to loving on every single inch of your body.

“I think that’s a big task.” Benedict had a big ego so he was very confident in his ability to please a woman. He always knew what he was doing every time, knowing the right move to make. It was as if he was solving a puzzle, knowing exactly what pieces fit where.

“I don’t,” he shook his head, pressing another soft kiss to your lips. “You’re going to know just how fucking beautiful I think you are when I’m done.”

He then moved back down to your collarbone, peppering it with kisses before moving down to your tit, pressing a kiss to each side before slowly licking across your nipple. You let out a loud gasp as your hands went to the back of his head, burying your fingers into his hair.

He gave the spot another lick before taking the whole thing into his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth across it before giving it a suck. Your fingers pressed into his scalp even further, wondering why he had never done this to you before.

“Oh-oh my god,” you whined, feeling your back arching already and Benedict took the opportunity to slide his arms around you, pulling you even closer to him than before to have more access to you. He continued to lick and suck on your nipple, his movements very similar to what he had done to your shoulder, but this he had never done before.

And you couldn't get enough. You were fully content with him doing that exact thing for hours, but you just knew that this was only the beginning. He had to have a lot more in store with the way he had spoken to you. He said he was going to worship you and you were sure that a lot came with that.

Your back arched even more as another moan fell from your lips and moved onto the other nipple, wanting to give it the same attention, but this time, he decided to test the waters, bringing your nipple between his teeth, biting down gently on it. That had done exactly what he had wanted as a scream came out of your mouth, his name on your tongue.

He gave it one more bite then pulled away, just to see your fucked out face. You were already tired, but you weren't going to give up just yet. You were looking forward to seeing just what he had in store as far as loving on you was concerned.

"You're perfect," Benedict said, pressing a soft kiss to the spot between your tits. "So fucking perfect." He whispered the last part then pulled away again to give you some time to breathe before he moved on to the next part of his worshipping.

Your cheeks burned from his compliment, still not completely used to the sweet words that would always fall from his lips. He said them all the time, but that didn't take away from how special they made you feel.

Once you had come down from your orgasm, Benedict moved lower your bottom half already exposed to him. He spread your legs wide and could see that you were already so wet, and he normally would have commented on it, but he didn't feel like it was appropriate to tease you.

"Gonna make you feel so good," he said. "Do you mind if I get a taste?"

"Not at all," you replied. Benedict knew that you loved to be eaten out so he fully intending to make this the main event, wanting to give you the best head of your life.

He took one of your legs and kissed all the way up then moved onto the other before throwing your legs over his shoulders. He then looked up at you for permission and when you nodded, he dove in, going straight for your clit. He took his time, flicking back and forth before he went in with his mouth, sucking lightly at it to warm you up and then when he could hear you whining, he sucked harder. Your hands went to his hair again, giving it tugs to tell him to continue and that mixed with your many sounds of pleasure were enough to encourage him to continue.

He licked and sucked, deciding that he could do it forever, loving the way you responded to him and also loving the way you tasted, never getting over it. He was pretty sure he loved eating you out more than you loved being on the receiving end of it.

Once he thought your clit had received enough attention, he moved to your slit, grabbing hold of your hips and pulling you to him to have more access to him. He flattened his tongue against the spot and licked slowly and clearly you enjoyed it considering the fact that your thighs tightened against his head.

“Benny, oh my god,” you whined, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and giving it another tug. His tongue moved back and forth, back and forth until he introduced his mouth, sucking every last bit of your slick that he could.

For the finale, he stuck his tongue inside of you, causing you to moan even louder, your hands moving to bed now, fisting the sheets. He swirled his tongue around, his finger digging into your hips and your ankles locked at the back of his neck as his tongue hit just the right spot, causing you to see stars, your vision going hazy. Your back arched for the final time as you reached yet another orgasm and Benedict swirled his tongue around once more before pulling away from you to let you come down.

He wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt then cleaned you up before cleaning house up. He then helped you put your nightgown back on before collapsing next to you on the bed.

“Believe me now?” He asked.

“I never doubted your love for me, Benny,” you chuckled. “But now it’s even more clear.”

“Good,” he replied, taking your hand and pressing a kiss to it before letting your intertwined hands lay in between the two of you. “Because I do love you with everything that I am. See?” He raised your hand and brought yours to lay flat on his chest. “It only beats for you.”

You smiled at him then pulled him in for a kiss before snuggling into his chest, feeling nothing but comfort as you heard his heartbeat, the thump, thump, thumping lulling you to sleep.

[000-pawz]

how woonhak loves ( zodiac series ) ˚ · .

how i think woonhak would navigate relationships/love/communication based on his natal chart/birth chart!

wc: 1k+

more under the cut!

three words to describe woonhak are "intimate, intense, and safe".

woonhak can be quite... chaotic when he truly has a crush on someone. with both his sun and venus being in sagittarius, he views love with an open-mind and an open-heart. he doesn't necessarily have a "type" per say, and i wouldn't really say he knows exactly what he's looking for. he's completely guided by his feelings and the spur of the moment. he is definitely a victim of the friends-to-lovers pipeline >< i feel like he ends up crushing on his friends because of that connection they have already formed.

with his venus conjunction mars, woonhak is very popular, sociable, and sensitive. when woonhak likes you, you will know and so will everyone else. he’s a big imaginative dreamer when it comes to love and because of his moon in pisces, he feels very deeply. he can't hide his feelings! he can come across as "emotionally weak" simply becomes he succumbs to his emotions so easily, so woonhak would be head over heels for anyone he has a crush on. i get the feeling that he will confess in literally the first week of liking someone. ><

now, he is a scorpio mars. he craves that intense connection with his partner and can be quite a spontaneous lover. he's pretty impulsive in the pursuit of love and he will always see the best in people. therefore, he can look at people through rose-tinted glasses, similarly to jaehyun (enfp sag suns </3) he simply follows his gut, no matter what.

while he seeks deep and authentic relationships, he falls in love easily. he can sometimes idealize his partner and feed into his own delusions about them, seeing them as this perfect person who was put on this earth just for him. this can cause tension when he struggles to balance his dreamy, spacey nature with the reality of the situation. you may be his perfect match, but everyone has flaws of course!

woonhak doesn't dream of the "settle down" type of love. he wants those new and exciting experiences and feelings. he'd like fun and thrilling dates like riding rollercoasters at amusement parks, jetskiing, hiking, and stuff like that. please do not make him take a class or sit still... his attention span isn't long enough for that!!!

he is an incredibly compassionate lover and loves helping his partner. with his pisces moon, he provides comfort and solace to those he cherishes and puts his partner's well-being before his own. he is huuuuggeee on emotional intimacy because he is so intensely empathetic and he's an amazing listener as well <3

sometimes he can be overwhelmed by his own feelings and the feelings of others. if you are having a bad day, he will be grumpy too. if you are crying, he will cry with you. if you are excited, he's even more excited! he's very influenced by his environment so what you put in will be what he puts out.

because he has a scorpio mercury, woonhak can be your best hypeman and give amazing pep talks, but he ways of going about it is kind of funny. if you had a bad encounter with a classmate, woonhak will literally dog on that person in order to lift you up and make you feel better. whoever you hate, he hates too ><

the thing that makes woonhak so complex is that, although he is a big extrovert and loves being around his partner, he also needs alone time. if he is too overwhelmed or feeling insecure, he can go into hermit mode. when he gets like this, he can be hot-tempered and sharp-mouthed. on the other end of things, he can also fall into depression and find himself spiraling with his own thoughts. give him time to work things out on his own and trust that he will confide in you when he's ready. if he's at his worse and doesn't feel emotionally supported, he may detach himself and pull away slowly.

another thing is that because of his pisces-sag moon-venus, he can get a little obsessive and jealous. his mind can turn into a one-rail track of just his partner and he can sort of put them on a pedestal. because he craves such a deep, intense connection, this can come across as overbearing or "too much" for those who are not on his level of emotional complexity. i see him as most compatible with people who can provide stability for him, or people who can match him at that emotional level.

when it comes to conflict, woonhak tries to avoid it as much as possible. he struggles with being assertive and setting boundaries, so this can lead to some problems. with his scorpio mars, he tends to keep his cool on the surface, but let things stew and holds grudges until it leads to emotional outbursts. when this happens, it's important for his partner to not undermine his feelings. don't say that he's overreacting because he will shut down.

with healthy communication, woonhak can be really passionate and deep. he would probably utilize "i-statements" like "when you did this, i felt..." and would seriously listen to you and how you felt about the situation as well. he won't ever lie to you when communicating because he always says exactly what he means. be honest, patient, and understanding when communicating and problems will be resolved smoothly!!!

to make woonhak feel loved, you must provide him with a lot of reassurance. remind him that his feelings matter!!! although he can be pretty impulsive, he is still self-aware. he knows that he is very emotional and he can sometimes get embarrassed about it. reassure him that it's okay to feel as deeply as he does! that's why so many people love him <3 let him rest his head in your lap while you play with his hair and massage his scalp, give him lots of kisses, and remind him that he doesn't have to hide true self around you. ^___^

woonhak cannot be with someone who dismisses his emotions or is too critical of his feelings. he thrives in spaces that respect, support, and encourage his sensitivity. a good partner for him would be someone who is nurturing, patient, and understanding. he feels most secure when he feels completely understood and accepted for who he is. <333

reblogs are greatly appreciated! lmk what u think or if you have any other takes!!! i'm always open to learning more :o thank u...<3

series masterlist

masterlist

[thetriumphantpanda]

take me away to paradise

You guys voted and you wanted part 4 of Joel being a menace so here you go, the next instalment of my dbf!Joel. Shoutout to the anon who sent me the ask with the inspiration for this part - I love you.

Pairing | dbf!Joel x female reader

Summary | Joel is back fixing up the attic, you're stressed waiting for a call about the job you really want. Stress relief seems the only option to distract yourself, until Joel discovers your trove of toys.

Word count | 2.8K

Warnings | As always, dbf!Joel is a flirty menace so be warned. There's guided masterbation, sex toys, protected (FINALLY THEY ARE SMART) PiV sex, dirty talk and some fluff for good measure.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

You’re stressed. There’s no beating around the bush on this one. You’d interviewed for a job you’d wanted pretty damn badly two days ago. They’d promised to call you as soon as they’d made a decision, but you were still waiting. Phone turned off silent, volume turned all the way up so you wouldn’t miss the call. 

You’d tried everything to distract yourself – you’d gone swimming in the pool yesterday afternoon, but the scrabbling at the sides when you heard your ringtone for it to be your mom asking you to put the chicken in the oven ready for dinner that night had given you a heart attack. You’d tried reading, going for a walk, you’d even picked up a cross-stitch you’d started about four years ago and never finished, only to throw it down thirty minutes later when you’d realized you’d done two rows in the completely wrong colour. 

Today was proving even more difficult. Joel was banging around in the attic, trying to finish up the job your dad needed doing. He’d arrived pretty early – your mom only just on the way out to work. He’d given you a small smile and a hello but had been hidden upstairs for the whole morning. 

Boredom was seeping through your body, along with a tightly wound string of stress and frustration, there was only one thing for it. You shut the book you were trying to concentrate on, setting it on your nightstand, before your hand reaches into the drawer and pulls out the small bullet vibrator. Is this going to become your thing? Getting yourself off when Joel is just meters away from you? You’re pretty sure if you climbed the ladder and asked him to, he would fuck you, but there was something about thinking about him whilst you got yourself off that had excitement bubbling under your skin. 

You fit your fingers into the waistband of your shorts, pulling down just enough that you can spread your legs. You make quick work of pressing the button on the bullet vibrator a few times before it stops on your favourite setting before placing is gently against your clit. Pleasure is bursting through you almost immediately and you can’t stop the small moans that fall from your mouth as your hips start moving with your hand, pressing your clit more firmly to the vibrator. 

Your brain is foggy at best but you’re sure as you find yourself slowly edging towards your release that Joel’s name falls from your lips, wishing it was his fingers on your clit instead of your toy. You can feel the tightening in your belly and the spots that start to cloud your vision. You’re close and it’ll only take a few more moments of vibrations to push you over the edge. 

“You’ve gotta stop doin’ this kinda thing, sugar.” 

You squeal in surprise – the high you were rapidly hurtling towards quickly dissipating as you press the button to stop the vibrator. 

“You shouldn’t be listening in.” You grumble, trying to pull your shorts back to a respectable position. 

“I tried not to,” he shrugs, “But these walls?” He knocks on yours with his knuckles to prove his point, “Paper thin.” 

You make a move to put the vibrator away, now more frustrated than you had been when you began, “No need to stop on my account.” 

“Funnily enough, I’m not really in the mood anymore.” You groan as you turn over and bury your face in your pillow, attempting to mask your embarrassment. 

You can feel the bed dip beside you, and Joel’s warm hand wraps around your ankle, giving it a comforting squeeze, “Look at me, sweetheart.” 

You turn over onto your back, Joel letting your ankle go so you can move more easily, “I didn’t mean t’make ya embarrassed darlin’,” He smiles, running his hand up your leg, “Were you thinkin’ about me?” 

“Maybe.” 

“C’mon now darlin’, weren’t so shy just a minute ago when you were moaning my name, were you?” 

“Yes Joel, I was thinking about you.” You admit. 

A smirk splays across his lips, his free hand reaching for your vibrator, which he holds between his fingers in front of your face, “Show me,” His voice has dropped a few octaves and his eyes have gone dark in that way you love, “Show me how you make yourself feel good when I’m not around.” 

You stare at him for a moment before your hand is taking your vibrator from him. You lift your hips with him still sat next to you, dragging your pajama shorts down your legs, before you spread your legs. You can see his eyes flutter to your pussy, aching and wet from your earlier ministrations. You press the button and place it gently against your clit, feeling Joel’s hand come to rest at your hip, anchoring you to the bed and to his presence next to you. 

“Such a good girl for me,” He murmurs as you start to wine when you press the button again to change the setting, faster and harder vibrations thrumming through your body, “Does that feel good, baby?” 

“Feels so good,” You moan, pressing the small bullet more firmly to your clit, eager to find the high you were hurtling towards before he interrupted, “Not as good as you are though.” 

Your eyes have fluttered closed as your hips buck every so often with the vibrations, but you can still hear him chuckle and shift himself a little on the bed, “You want me t’help, darlin’?” 

“Yes!” You cry out, mostly from the fact that you’re so incredibly close to coming, but also because you can’t ever say no to this man, “Fingers, Joel,” You breath, “Put your fingers inside me.” 

You feel his hand trail up the inside of your thigh and you automatically spread your legs wider for him. His fingers dip only slightly inside of you, and you can hear a deep exhale from his mouth, “Jesus baby,” He breathes, “Always so fuckin’ wet for me.” 

“You… ohhhh fuck,” He’s slipping one of those fingers inside your pussy, curling it up automatically in the way he’s so quickly learned sends you feral, “You love it, don’t you?” You ask. 

“Love that you’re always so ready f’me?” You nod, eyes still closed as the feeling of his finger inside you, teamed with the rampant vibrations on your clit has you teetering on the edge of oblivion, “Course I do.” 

He slips his finger from your tight heat and you’re about to complain when he slips it back inside you with another, filled so deliciously. He’s shifted so he’s knelt between your thighs, free hand splayed across your belly to keep you exactly where he wants you. 

“Come on baby,” He encourages, “Wound so tight, ain’t ya?” You can only nod, “Come for me darlin’, I know you’re desperate for it.” 

It takes another few pumps of his fingers inside you before you’re crashing over the edge. Your legs are quaking, and you can feel yourself clenching tightly around Joel’s fingers as you move the vibrator from your clit, the stimulation just a little too much for you right now. 

“Good girl,” Joel has leaned forward, fingers slipping from you, to press a kiss to your forehead, then he’s taking one of your hands and placing it at the front of his jeans, you can clearly feel the outline of his cock straining, “Let me fuck you baby, please?” 

You come around from the haze of pleasure at him begging you like that – it’s new. He’s usually commanding, taking exactly what he wants from you, knowing always that you willingly give it to him. You shuffle a little underneath him, Joel pushing himself up to rest on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head and then working his belt from his jeans as you open your bedside drawer, fishing around to find a condom. You’re about to pull one out when Joel’s is crowding over you. 

“What’s this?” He pulls out the bright purple silicon that caught his eye. 

You let out another groan, not so much of embarrassment this time, more from frustration that you were desperate to have him inside you as soon as possible. 

“You got eyes?” You asked, “What does it look like Joel?” 

“Looks like a poor substitute for me, is what it looks like.” He’s smirking down at you, rolling the dildo between his hands. 

“Put it back in the drawer then,” You’re pulling at his wrist, tugging it back towards its home, “And fuck me instead.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” He’s standing quickly from the bed, shedding the rest of his clothes, you’re doing the same, pulling your tank top off, revealing you naked bodies to each other for the first time, “God, you’re a fuckin’ picture baby.” 

His big hands are running up the curves of your sides and then he’s pressing a kiss to your lips, rutting his hips into your own. You can feel his throbbing cock, sliding through your folds. You’re almost about to wrap your legs around his waist and pull him inside you when you remember his words from last time. 

“Joel,” You mumble, pushing gently at his shoulder as his head is dipped to press kisses along your neck, “Joel!” 

“Hmmm?” He lifts his head just enough to listen to you. 

You grab the condom that was discarded on the bed and hold it in front of his face. He smiles, taking it from your hands. He settles back on his thighs, and you watch as he tears the packet, deftly rolling it onto his cock in such a practiced motion you were almost jealous of all the women that had come before you to make him the man he is for you. In this moment he is quite possibly the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. Broad shoulders and a thin sheen of sweat covering his tanned skin, his dark eyes and soft lips. 

He's shuffling closer to you now, hooking you’re the back of your knees in his arms, folding you almost completely in half as he wastes no time at all in slipping himself inside you. This new position has you whining below him. He’s slow in his thrusts to begin with, giving you time to adjust to being spread out and stretched like this. 

“God damn baby,” He hisses from above you, “I love bein’ able to take my time with you like this, all spread out for me.” 

A moan falls from your lips as he shifts on his knees slightly, pushing himself so deep inside you that the tip of his cock brushes your cervix. No-one before him had even gotten close to the level of pleasure you felt coursing through you at this moment in time. 

“Faster,” You beg, gripping onto his biceps as he obliges, “Fuck Joel,” Another filthy moan tumbles from your mouth, “You’re so fucking good to me.” 

“I know baby,” He coos, “I know.” 

His thrusts don’t let up, in fact, they become more intense and every hit of him bottoming out inside of you has a gasp or a moan leaving your lips. He dips his head to take one of your tits into his mouth, sucking and running the pad of his tongue over your nipple before he switches sides to shower attention on the other. Your hands managed to reach around and find a homme gripping the meat of his ass, almost daring him to go further. It’s delicious, the way his cock brushes the spot inside of you, but you want more, need more from him. 

“Joel please,” You almost sob in pleasure, “More, I need more.” 

“Darlin’, I can’t give you much more,” He’s chuckling, leaning down to crash his lips to yours, “Why don’t you put your hand on your pussy and make yourself come for me?” 

You do exactly that. Your fingers are circling your clit at a brutal pace, desperation to find another high whilst Joel is buried inside of you outweighing the pain of overstimulation you’re feeling. You can hear his own moans falling from his lips as your fingers are bringing you back to the edge. 

“Fuck baby, c’mon,” His voice is faltering, and you look up at him, he’s ruined, and you can tell he’s not going to last much longer, “Come for me.” 

In all your years of having sex with other people, not that there had been many, you’d always thought that someone demanding you to come was a myth. That there was no way a voice could hold that much power over you. Joel’s voice was different. The low octave, and the way he’s looking down at you as he pounds into your tight pussy, has you arching your back into him whilst you actually scream his name. Your fingers make light work of making sure you’re thoroughly spent through your orgasm, and then all you can focus on is Joel. 

His hips are stuttering, and you can tell by the way he’s got his eyes screwed shut and his mouth is hanging open that he’s not going to be far behind you. He opens his eyes, and you make direct eye contact with him, winking as your hands come to your tits, massaging them in your hands and using your fingers to run over your nipples, “You gonna come for me Joel?” You ask, batting your eyelashes with an innocence that is directly justxaposed to the fact that he still has you folded in half and is seconds away from his own ecstasy. 

“Fuckin’ hell baby,” He groans, “Gonna be the death of me.” 

And then he’s following you, throwing himself over the edge as he stills inside you. His head is buried in the crook of your neck as he groans your name. It’s only now that he’s stopped that you realise how much your body is aching. Almost like he can sense how you feel, he’s finally freeing your knees, letting them drop to the bed and giving you some much needed relief. 

He rolls off from your body, collapsing next to you to catch his breath. For the first time since you started whatever this was you curled into his side, draping an arm over his chest, reveling in the feeling of not having to rush anywhere or worry about anyone disturbing you. He wraps his own arm around you, pulling you closer to him as he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head. 

“I gotta get moving, sweetheart,” He speaks softly, “Your dad is gonna have questions about why the attic is takin’ so long, and I can’t exactly admit it’s because I spend most of my workin’ hours balls deep in your pussy.” 

You smile, although you’re disappointed. Sure it’s exciting to sneak around and there’s something in the thrill of the risk of getting caught, but there’s a part of you that wishes you could both curl up and fall asleep together and not worry about getting caught like this. 

“Alright,” You mumble into his skin, “Get back to work then, Miller.” 

You stay planted on the bed, the ache of your bones is delicious and you know you’ll be feeling him for days. You stretch as he discards of the condom in your trash bin, dresses, when a moan of pleasure at the clicking of your back as his head turning to you. 

“Didn’t hurt you, did I?” 

You shake your head, “Just a little sore, but in the good way,” Once he’s got his shirt back on, he’s kissing your lips, “Gonna be feeling you for days Joel.” 

“Good,” Another kiss, this time longer and more languid, you think if you pulled his arm he would fall right back into bed with you, but you don’t, you know he’s got work to do, “Just know, the next time I catch you gettin’ yourself off before you ask me for help, I might not be so forgiving.” 

“Is that a threat or a promise?” You smirk, eyebrow raised. 

He’s chuckling and shaking his head, “You naughty little thing, stop distracting me.”

Your hand is motioning for him to leave you, “Go on, get back to work, I need to soak myself in a hot bath to recover.” 

He stops in your doorway like he’s thinking of what to do next, “I could help you?” 

“Joel!” You throw your discarded shorts across the room at him, “Go!” He holds his hands up in defeat before he’s gone.

You hear his boots on the ladder up to the attic and within minutes the hammering from before is filling the house. You finally manage to drag yourself from your bed, grabbing a fresh set of pyjamas for after your bath. You run the water as hot as you can bare it, filling the water with bubbles before settling into the water. You can still hear Joel working above you and although you had been spent and sated not moments before, your hand is automatically running down your abdomen and between your legs before you know what happening. What Joel doesn’t know, won’t kill him, right? 

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

For the bayverse boys how do you think they’d take it if one of their kids got hurt on a mission?? Like it’s their first mission out of the lair (maybe they’re accompanying their dads on a case assigned by the NYPD) and they get injured in the process?? Obvs it’s nothing fatal but it’s enough that the boys are a bit shaken (if you’re uncomfy writing this sort of stuff then don’t worry about this! Love your work regardless!) 

Romeo’s First Patrol (Angst?/Fluff?)

Children Series

Bayverse!Leonardo x reader

A/N: I did a poll some time ago, in which I asked what kid you guys wanted to hear more about, and Romeo was a big favorite, so I decided to make this one about him. I’ve for a long time wanted to write something like this, but have not really had any ideas until now. The pacing might be a little strange, but that’s because I had a writer's block in the middle of it😅 Hope you’ll enjoy it anyway💙

Warning: Talk of dislocated knee, pain and knee correction.

Growing up, it had always been kind of expected that Romeo, his siblings and cousins, would follow in the steps of their fathers, becoming part of the NYPD Special Task Force. What else would a bunch of half human, half mutant turtles be able to do for work? So imagine how excited Romeo was when his 18th birthday came around, meaning that he would finally be allowed to venture up to the surface without supervision. And with that came another thing - Romeo’s first patrol.

Romeo had been talking about his first patrol for years, telling anybody that would hear how he would take care of criminals. Lock up Purple Dragons and crack down on the last few remaining Foot Clan members that still hung around. As a child he had often said he wanted to become a leader - just like his father.

But now it was finally time. The day after his birthday, he was ready with his odachi strapped onto his back, following his father and uncles through the sewer tunnels. Romeo had walked these tunnels many times before, often with his family when they were going to visit his grandparents. But today it all felt so different. Excitement hung in the air around Romeo. Today he wasn’t just going up into an alleyway, before quickly making his way through his grandparents backdoor, or watching the world pass by through heavily tinted car windows, taking him to a secluded area somewhere far from the city. No, today he was going top side, seeing the real world up close. He was finally going to actually see the city he lived in. And oh, what a sight it was.

The moment Romeo stepped a foot of the fire escape, and onto the roof of the high building his father and uncles and brought him to, he felt the wind get knocked out of him. The city that never sleeps was lit up below him, human and cares filling the streets in a constant stream.

“Does it live up to what you had hoped for?”, Leo asked with a smile, finding his oldest son’s expression amusing, if not heart warming. Leo had long thought of the day he would bring his children with him out on patrol, and seeing his oldest son stand with him and his brothers, made his insides flutter with pride.

“Yeah”, Romeo answered, not taking his eyes off the busy streets.

The night continued on with the five turtles jumping and running over the roofs, listening on the police radio, waiting for any calls or updates, calling them into action. So far there hadn’t been anything worth the attention of the NYPD Special Task force, but only minor house calls. Seemed liked Romeo’s first patrol was going to be a calm one. That gave Romeo time to observe the city and the humans in it, in a way he had never been able to before. At one point he found himself lost in thought, looking at a group of people around his age, hanging out on a street corner. Uncle Mikey noticed this, giving him a small jab in the side with an elbow, wiggling his eyebrows and nodding towards one of the girls in the group. Usual uncle Mikey antics.

But all in all, Romeo enjoyed every moment of his first patrol. His father and uncles got him uptodate to what the different code words on the police radio meant, what to do in case of certain events or emergency, all while being able to ask questions and get thorough explanations. He even had the time to joke around with his uncles, as well as having some very important conversations with his father about leadership and team work when out on patrol.

“It tell ya, his not going to make it”, Raph said, his eyes not leaving the teenagers playing some late night basketball game on a nearby playground. All five turtles had decided to take a break, and was now observing as one of the teams was about to make a shot from the shadows on a nearby rooftop.

“I believe in the little guy”, Mikey said as brightly as ever. “He seems like he has a trick or two up his sleeve”.

“Based on how his playing has been up until now, I wouldn’t count on it”, Donnie interjected.

“You wanna bet?”, Mikey asked, both Raph and Donnie turning to him with smug smiles.

However, neither Leo or Romeo were too invested in the basketball game, nor the bet the others were putting on. Instead they both sat, listening in on the small radio strapped onto Leo’s wrist, just in case something was happening.

“Calling back up for a vehicle search. I got a suspect in custody in the police car, but an extra pair of hands would really be nice”, it sounded, making Romeo look up at Leo with hopeful eyes. However, Leo just shook his head, giving Romeo an apologetic look. Car searches was not part of their job.

Romeo sighed and stood up from his crouched position, just as his uncles erupted in small sounds of cheers and boos. Sounded like Mikey owed them some money now.

Romeo started walking around on the roof, looking out at the city in front of him. The night was almost over, and he started to wonder if anything was going to happen tonight. Obviously a quiet night was a good thing, but Romeo could not help but feel a little disappointed that he hadn’t been able to show his father and uncles how good he would be on his first patrol…

“There’s an ongoing museum break in!”, Leo’s voice sounded as he stood up, ready for a quick exit. “Let’s go!”

“Finally some action!”, Raph exclaimed, before following the rest as they made their way across the roofs.

—

The turtles arrived at the museum before the police did, just like how the others had told Romeo it would usually play out. Romeo felt his heart beating fast in his chest as they made their way in, finding the burglars in the middle of trying to extract a large diamond from a glass case. Romeo had not expected there to be so many, nor did he expect their surprising expertise in hand to hand combat. All dressed in black, with nothing but their eyes visible. But he certainly did not expect Leo to be so alarmed by the sight of them, telling Romeo to stay back and out of sight.

Romeo found himself crouched behind a pillar, watching as his father and uncles took on, what Romeo could best describe as ninjas in their own right. But as the fight continued, none of them seemed to notice one of the smaller ninjas, almost getting the diamond out of the glass case.

Quickly on his feet, Romeo made a beeline for the ninja and the diamond, slamming against them and pushing them out of the way, causing them to let out a small yelp. However, they were not as easy to push over as Romeo had hoped, already kicking out at him, causing him to duck at the last second in order to avoid their foot making contact with his head.

“Yeez”, Romeo said, his opponent already standing ready for another attack. “You’re worse than my brothers”.

His opponent tried to punch him in the face, making Romeo lean backwards before grabbing a hold of their arm, ready to slam them against the ground. However, Romeo was surprised by their unexpected strength, pulling him with them down onto the ground, making him roll onto his shell with a slam while they got up. Romeo grabbed for them, intending to grab a hold of their color, but instead getting a hold of the black mask at the bottom of their face. It happened so fast, and before Romeo knew it, he found himself standing in front of a girl, who stared in shock at the black mask in his hand. Romeo too found himself shocked, staring at a human girl in front of him. She couldn’t have been much younger than himself, maybe around Marcello’s age.

“You…”, Romeo said, for a moment unable to formulate a sentence. “You’re just a kid”.

This comment seemed to trigger something within her, as in less then a second she kicked out, her heel making contact with Romeo’s left kneecap. Romeo let out a scream of pain, falling to the ground and grabbing a hold of his knee. The pained sound of his son made Leo’s parental instincts kick in, finding his son on the ground, curled up over his knee.

“Romeo!”, Leo yelled out, panic and anger strong in his voice. The unknown of what had happened to his son, coupled with Romeo’s expression of pain made him a beast as he marched through the room, no opponent standing in his way.

Seeing Leo’s giant form making his way through the room, the girl made a quick grab for the diamond, clutching it tightly in her hand.

“Retreat!”, she yelled to the ninjas. “Retreat!”

Quickly following order, the ninjas retreated from the turtles, before making use of smoke bombs to mask their escape.

The smoke hadn’t even cleared before Leo came to Romeo’s side, grabbing a hold of him and giving him a quick look over. Leo did his best to keep calm and not let panic take over, but the slight shake in his voice, his wide eyes and the movements of his hands showed just how worried he was.

“Are you okay?”, he asked, turning Romeo’s head from side to side, checking his neck before moving to take a look at his shell. “What happened? Are you okay? Donnie! Tell them we need a medic in here!”

“I’m okay”, Romeo said, tears growing in his eyes due to the pain in his leg. “But my knee…”

“Donnie!”, Leo yelled.

“Coming!”, Donnie called out, before dropping down next to his nephew, taking a look at his knee.

The sound of police sirens sounded outside the museum, Raph and Mikey going ahead to meet them in the entrance, all while Donnie felt on Romeo’s leg, asking questions as he did so.

“How does this feel?”

“That hurts”, Romeo said through gritted teeth, fighting not to curse next to his father.

Leo looked sick, his expression growing even more worried with each pained sound from his son, before he finally asked what had happened, just as the officers were walking into the room.

—

Leo stayed with Romeo as police chief Vincent and detective Jones questioned the other turtles on what happened. Donnie and another medic had determined that Romeo had a dislocated knee, and had provided him with some much needed pain medication, before sliding his kneecap back into place. Something that had almost made Leo throw up with worry.

Romeo felt exhausted, and couldn’t wait to go home. Mainly so Donnie could do an x-ray of his knee, but the thought of being able to dive into his bed also sounded very pleasing.

“How was your first day at work, kid?”, a familiar voice sounded, making Romeo look up at a well known face. Casey Jones.

“What does it look like?”, Romeo asked, gesturing towards his bandaged knee.

“Well, you look better than I did on my first day”, he smiled, ruffling Romeo’s head like he had any hair to ruffle, before making his way to Leo, asking him about what he had seen. That was when police chief Vincent made her way over, crouching down before Romeo with a friendly smile.

“And you must be the Romeo I’ve heard so much about”, she smiled warmly at him, before reaching a hand out for a handshake, which Romeo accepted with ease. “It’s nice to finally meet you, young man. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances, and especially on your first day”.

“That’s okay”, Romeo said. “I guess it’s part of the job”.

Chief Vincent laughed. “You truly are your father’s son. So polite”, she said. “But I have to ask you some questions about tonight, Romeo. Nothing bad, just standart routine, okay? So, your uncles described the thieves as ninjas. Would you agree with that?”

“Yes”, Romeo answered. “I even saw one of them”.

“What do you mean?”

“I got the mask from one that dislocated my knee. I saw her face”.

Both Leo and Casey turned toward Romeo, puzzled expressions on their faces. Chief Vincent looked surprised yet confused. “Do you still have the mask?”

Romeo nodded, before producing the mask, holding it out for her to see. Chief Vincent held out a pen, asking him to place it over so that she wouldn’t touch it. She studied the mask for a moment, before letting her gaze return to meet Romeo’s.

“Would it be possible for you to provide enough information about her appearance for a composite?”

“I think so”.

Chief Vincent nodded, seeming somewhat impressed. “Well, Romeo, welcome to the NYPD. I’m looking forward to continue working with you and your family in the future”.

[choosingwhatmatters]

Music in The Loyal Pin, Episode 1

My goodness, what a beautiful chocolate brownie of a first episode! There are already wonderful posts about the way in which the funds of the series have been put to good use. One aspect that has not been highlighted yet (please correct me if I'm wrong) is the music. And oh!, the music we get in this series.

My ears perked up from the very beginning of the show. We get an orchestral score! All the instruments of magic welcome us at the palace: strings, a harp, a glockenspiel, woodwinds, bar chimes, a piano - I was smiling within seconds.

Tv shows very rarely receive a score like this because arranging, recording and mixing music for twenty different instruments is time-consuming and complex, by which I mean expensive. One trick you can use to lower the costs is using synthesised instruments. The strings we can hear are not real. However, a brilliant thing the scoring team does here is mix in real instruments. For example, we can hear real flutes, if I am not mistaken. Some cello and violin pieces throughout the episode have also been recorded with real instruments. For me, the whole soundscape is simply beautiful!

What about the music itself? There are three things I would like to talk about: the pentatonic scale, Pachelbel and a melody that I hope will become one of Pin and Anin's.

1. The very first thing we hear when Anin has landed on Pin is a melody comprised of five different notes. For Western ears, these fives notes are inevitably associated with music from South-East Asia. The scale resulting from these notes is called a pentatonic scale, and if you ever feel like playing it: look for the black keys on any piano keyboard and go wild. The cool thing about the pentatonic scale is that it's fantastic for improvising. In Western music, it's used all the time because these notes simply sound good together.

We have a lot of ambient music in this episode. Music that blends with the peaceful atmosphere onscreen, and often the pentatonic scale is used to do just that.

2. Which brings me to another piece of music I want to talk about: Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major. It's the first and the last piece played at the dance. While the king discusses Anin's future with the rest of the family, we can see Pin and Anin dancing to this piece. I find this significant because most music scholars believe that Pachelbel composed the Canon as wedding music (for Bach's brother, no less).

I haven't read the book the series is based on. I have avoided spoilers as best as I could. Logically, I KNOW that it is very unlikely that we get a happy ending here. But I get to see two women in a historical setting dancing to a wedding piece and this fact alone makes me very, very happy.

3. Off to my last point. Even though most of the episode features music, I have noticed very little repetition. There is, however, one piece of music that comes back.

We can hear it when Pin and Anin have their first meeting, and again when Anin discovers her windmill and her ribbon in Pin's bedroom. (What do you call those tiny windmills? And, more importantly, what is it with these two and tiny windmills? Thank you, creators, for the nod to your GAP fandom.)

The piece sounds somewhat like this:

The harmonies are more intricate, but this gives us an idea what we can listen out for in future episodes. The melody is simple and sweet. It could be connected to childhood and adolescence. I'm curious to see if we encounter it again.

And I'm very excited to see whether the score team continues with motives and reprises. I love straining my ears for these because they give us even more clues about the happenings onscreen.

Thank you for riding along with me! I am so excited to see what the show has in store for us!