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iouinotes · 4 months

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Heroic Betrayal | Luke Castellan (part 1)

SPOILER FOR THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SERIES AND THE BOOKS

pairing: Luke Castellan x female!reader

show: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

warnings: dark!character, betrayal, implied sexual content, heavy angst, kidnapping

word count: 5,8k

summary: When Luke switches to the dark side, he tries everything possible to win you for him.

a/n: so as the show comes to an end (dont cry dont cry dont cry), I thought I would finally post this :)))

read part 2 here

"I'll find you!" his voice echoes through the forest, my laughter much louder than I intend to. But that´s just how it always goes. It's our own little tradition.

Every year when the camp starts again and we meet after the holidays passed, we play hide and seek in the dangerous forest of the half-blood camp. The creatures usually don't come across our path, in recent years it has rarely happened, that we actually had to defend ourselves against them.

Once it was an angry dryad, who threw branches at me (she had a crush on Luke and wanted revenge, but since I could understand her feelings and felt sad for her, we sorted it out).

Another time we were spotted by some camp members, who made fun of us, but Luke must have said something to them later, because we haven't been bothered by these troublemakers since.

It is always the same pattern, but each time there is still something special about it. We have grown, became more mature (I think), and have more and more experience about the struggles in life.

So being able to just let go for a few moments and being completely alone with him is probably the best thing to keep myself sane (even if he drives me a little bit crazy with the love I hold for him).

But a lot has changed recently.

It all started when rumors spread, that Zeus' lightning bolt had been stolen by Poseidon's son. And then the most supportive, bravest, sassy kid in the world showed up here. Percy Jackson. Ever since I met him, even though it's not his fault, there's been war going on. The gods are angry, the monster attacks became worse and again, rumors about the oldest, most powerful titan Kronos reached the camp.

It scared and frightened many people, including me. That's why we've been training harder and stay awake, even when the stars are shining, so that we can prepare for any catastrophe. To be able to fight.

My mother is the goddess Demeter, my father a simple man. I adore them both, even though my mother isn't one of my closest contacts. But I never really held that against her, because at least she decided to acknowledge me as her daughter. After all, it's a privilege that not everyone gets. My siblings and friends at camp are important to me, but the world is changing and so is everything around it.

The only stability I have left is my boyfriend Luke.

If I had to rely on one person in the whole world (and by that I also mean the underworld), it would be him.

He's been my best friend since I arrived at this camp. We've been together through ups and downs, I know every side of him and he knows everything about me too. Many of the people here are like blank pages to me, but not him. He is like my favorite book, that lays open to me and allows me to read each letter individually. Just as I know every of his dreams, every secret, every truth and every lie. He is my protector, my hero in every dark night and every bright day. Without him, I don't even know who I am. He is a part of me and my heart wouldn't be whole without him.

I watched him grow up. From the small, thin boy whose eyes hid so much pain and sadness to the strong, soulful leader he is today.

His beauty cannot be influenced by anything, he is like my very own sun, without him I could not survive.

I wouldn't want it any other way though.

Now, I'm hiding behind a tree with my back pressed against the bark and I am able to hear the cracking and swinging of the branches.

I smile so wide, that my cheeks start to hurt, when I hear his voice calling. My heart is beating in my throat, but it's not just the adrenaline of not getting caught. It's because of my love for him, which is so strong that sometimes I'm afraid of it. But only in the moments when I realize that nothing, but him is my biggest flaw. I think I would do anything for him.

Then I concentrate again and listen to the sounds around me. But his voice has fallen silent and I don't hear his footsteps anymore.

My eyebrows furrow, confused I try to look around the tree and search for an orange t-shirt. Likely together with his slim body, biceps, beautiful face and wonderful personality.

But when I want to withdraw again, it's already too late. A branch breaks behind me and before I can move I'm pushed against the tree from behind.

I immediately feel his body against mine, hear the laughter in his voice and listen to his strained breathing. His hands wrap around my body and turn me towards him, so that we are now face to face.

He's taller than me and as I look up, I feel the familiar fluttering feeling in my chest. I am so in love with him.

He grins triumphantly at me and I lean against the tree, smiling kindly.

"Found you, princess." The light reflects in his brown eyes and some of his curls are laying wildly on his head. He looks like an angel.

"I made it easy for you." My voice teases him and when he leans in so close to me, that our lips almost touch, I forget how to think properly. A habit I can't change. He's just so captivating.

"Yeah? You think I wouldn't have found you otherwise? Funny. I remember that in the last few years, I always was the winner of our little game." His lips brush mine, I want nothing more than to kiss him. But he knows that, which is why he slowly pulls back, when I start to lean forward.

When I want to complain, he puts his hand around my waist and pulls me into his chest. My knees almost give out, I feel so intoxicated by his presence.

"I-I wanted you to find me." My voice whispers quietly.

His eyebrows rise in mock surprise.

"Then I guess, I can claim my prize without feeling bad." In the next second, his lips are on mine and I'm unable to do anything, other than kissing him back. I wrap my arms around his neck and enjoy the warmth that radiates from him. He sets my heart on fire.

While pushing me against the tree, I've completely forgotten about, he lets his hands wrap possessively around my waist. Digging his nails into my hips, to keep me grounded. Otherwise, I would probably get lost in those sensations.

Luke kisses in a way, like it's the last time he'll have the chance. (As if I would ever want to keep him from doing that).

He's passionate, my body feels like it's on fire and the heat inside me feels so good, that I want more. I can never get enough of him and he knows it. He grins against my lips, but he doesn't break the kiss. I think he secretely loves knowing how much he can mess with me, with just a few kisses.

My hands find his hair and pull him closer to me, our chests touch and his breathing mingles with mine.

It is wonderful and so precious, I would refuse any gift from the gods just to be close to him.

When he pulls away from me, our bodies are still close. My eyes open and look dreamily into his, our gazes reflect a familiarity and love that is like nothing I have ever experienced.

He smiles at me, pushes a stray strand of hair behind my ear and leans himself against me. His fingers stroke the exposed skin of my pulled-up shirt.

"I've missed you." If my heart hasn't melted before, it has now. I give him a kiss on the cheek and hug him, we stand in our embrace for a moment. Enjoying each other's closeness, the calm feeling until the next chaotic situation happens.

"Now we are together again. Only that matters." It's quiet around us and when I close my eyes for the second time, I hear his fast heartbeat. I have to supress a smile.

The wind is the only thing I hear until his voice breaks the silence.

"Something will happen soon. Something big." The peaceful atmosphere is threatened by his words and when I look at his face again, I see his worried eyes.

I sigh, but then nod to agree with him. "I thought about that too, it feels different. Like something is coming our way, that we can't control."

His fingers stroke my cheek and for a moment, his face holds an expression, that I can't understand. It resembles regret.

But before I can ask him about it, he smiles tenderly at me again.

"Nothing will separate us. The world is just a game. It's a matter of time and making the right moves." That is his motto. But I'm not always convinced of this. Even though I trust him to do the right thing.

"I'm just worried we'll get seperated, you know? Evil can be sneaky and traitors always exist. You never know who you can trust." Something I said must have really bothered him, because he looks like I just stabbed him.

This time I ask him about it.

"What's on your mind? You can tell me. Two people who worry about something are better, than one who is alone with it." I take his hand and stroke his skin, it feels cold even though we have summer.

"Nothing, just- I don't want to lose you. I couldn't be here without you. I need you. I mean...I-I love you. You know that I would do anything to keep us together, right?"

His words surprise me. I know he loves me. I can sense that, everyone probably does. But he has never worn his heart on his sleeve and the three magical words only come out of his mouth on special occasions. The fact that he's telling me now surprises me.

"Of course. I trust you. We will survive together, I know that. Are you worried because of the rumors about the Titan King?" This topic is always very critical and he usually doesn't like to talk about it, but this time I decide to address it directly.

"He will come. I just want you to be safe, when it happens." He sounds so confident it gives me goosebumps.

"Perhaps. His followers will definitely try. But love is stronger than anything else. Especially our love. We will get through it." He doesn't look convinced, so I turn his face towards mine and kiss him.

My voice sounds soft, when I speak again.

"Luke, I love you. I could never leave you. Not even the King of the Underworld will be able to keep us apart. I promised to be by your side in every moment of our lives. You are my soul and without it I am damned."

This seems to reassure him, but I feel like he's not telling me something of great importance. But I don't want to push him, I know he will tell me when the time comes.

He always does.

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

As the day comes to an end, I say goodnight to my siblings and report for my night watch duty. The situation has been a lot more worse the recent weeks. Kronos exists, my worst fear was confirmed. And he is building an army, that is so strong that it will be difficult to fight against it. But what I'm really worried about are the rumors about our people, who have also joined his cause.

Nobody knows who, the spies have been hiding ever since. I've never felt like I was paying more attention to my words than I am now. The only person I don't have to hold back to is Luke.

But even with him I notice the effects of the bad news. The circles under his eyes are darker than ever and his nerves are so frayed, that every little thing makes him want to explode. His temper is hanging by a thread, that is increasingly threatening to break. And I'm trying everything to prevent this.

No matter if I try it by making him laugh (which has become difficult), massaging his tense shoulders, trying to kiss him to the point of forgetfulness (usually it's the other way around) or when he takes out his frustration by burying himself deep inside me. With every thrust of his hips, I feel him relax, his hand so tight around my body as if I would run away, if he didn't hold me close enough.

He's changing and I'm trying my best to maintain his good sides. That he doesn't completely lose himself in his responsibilities and the pressure, that he has, because he is a member of the camp council.

Besides, I can't complain, when he fucks me until I can't breathe aynmore and I block out everything around me. When he comes, he whispers the sweetest things in my ear. Even if sometimes they sound so protective, that I could almost come from his voice alone.

When he whispers to me how good I am for him or how much he loves being able to have such a power over me like that - maybe it should scare me, but I trust him like no one else.

My mind concentrated his best for my shift, but when I finally go to bed after quiet some time, my eyes quickly close.

Looking back, I wish I had never let myself sleep that night.

Because, when I close my eyes I see waves. Hear the seagulls screaming in the sky, the fish swimming in the water and the distant cries of strangers.

It's all unusual and the bright light would blind me, if I didn't avert my gaze. And as soon as I do it, I see a ship. It's huge, rust shimmers in the sunrays, the anchor shows that it's been in the same place for a while now.

I feel something pulling me towards it, pushing and burning in my chest, leaving me with a tremor that I can feel, even in my deep sleep.

As I flit through the window like a ghost, I feel paralyzed. My blood freezes, I want to disappear immediately and in my mind I scream at myself to wake up.

But it's no use, whatever is here, someone decided that I have to see it. Only then, my wish will be fulfilled and I can wake up. So, I hide in a corner, there are scratched picture frames above me and broken glass is scattered on the floor. The monsters that loudly crush the glass ahead of me seem unstoppable.

I tremble as I look at at least seven dracaenae, several shaggy hellhounds and set my eyes on gigantes, that take up almost the entire room.

But that is nothing compared to the terror, that grips me when I see my classmates. My friends. People I trusted, who I fought alongside, for who I cared about. People I would have sacrificed myself for. They all betrayed me. And I feel close to tears. When I want to turn away, I hear a voice that almost brings me to my knees.

It's Luke.

My faithful and caring protector, my heroic love. Someone, to which I had dedicated everything. He was my life, with every single breath I took. The motivation behind my every action. The reason I wanted to survive in this cruel world. He was everything I had and everything I will ever have and in that moment it was abruptly taken from me.

I didn't have the strength to concentrate, it was as if every fiber of my body was on fire, triggered by the torment of my suffering heart. Seeing him like that, in black armor, Kronos' silver mark glittering around his neck, instead of his colorful necklace. A stoic, hostile expression on his face, his hands gripping his sword, it all hurt too much to watch.

And as I sank to the floor and covered my eyes with my hands, I was still forced to listen. I couldn't understand why he was saying such things.

"With every day he becomes stronger, with every participation in our army, we become stronger. Everything is planned, the camp is weak. Just like all of its residents. The surprise is on our side, because we will show no mercy. We will kill anyone, who does not confess to us. Do you hear me? No hostages will be taken. Only Hades population will be expanded."

The screams around me are so loud, so angry and horrific that I feel tears running down my cheeks.

I don't want to see any of that. The person infront of me is not my Luke.

A kind of fog creeps around me and I feel cold, it seems too late to forget it now. When I notice the golden coffin and Lukes hunched posture, the scar on the side of his face, I realize he is praying to him.

To the fall of Olympus. Kronos.

I want to cry, to scream, to be angry - but I just feel like every part of my heart is breaking and will never be whole again. Luke will never again be the one to heal it.

My consciousness leaves the ship until I finally wake up, but I can't move at first. I feel lost, my muscles are stiff and after a few seconds I notice that I'm shaking. But it's not because I'm cold, the summer air is wafting in the air.

Such dreams are rare, but are like the own scary predictions of the future.

And then it comes all back so me, the memories, that have just turned my whole life upside down. Traitor. The word appears in my mind, I feel like I almost can't breathe. And then there is a finger on my cheek, gently stroking the skin and my chest immediately becomes warm.

I know this gesture.

When I open my eyes, I see his loving eyes and the smile that covers his mouth makes my heart clench in sorrow.

It was just a nightmare. Luke would never betray me.

But the whispers in my head say otherwise.

As we continue to look at each other in silent, I notice his furrowed eyebrows.

"What's wrong, my love? Did you have a nightmare? You look scared. Don't be afraid, I'm here. I will always protect you." His voice is so calm, so usual loving and it makes the butterflies in my stomach fly around like crazy.

He is so beautiful.

As he briefly turns his head to tighten the blanket around me, I see his side profile and the scar. Reminders of my dream crash onto me like a lightning strike from Zeus himself.

I sat up abruptly. Luke is a servant of our enemy. How could I ignore that? I feel like I'm almost starting to hyperventilate. The thought, this nightmare, Luke's appearance, this evil feeling - it makes me sick. And I'm suddenly so afraid, more than I have ever been in my life. But I can't tell if it's the fact that I just found out he joined Cronos' army or that he broke my heart doing so.

I see him tense, my panic seems to be affecting him too.

My thoughts are so confusing, I don't know what to do, I have to tell someone. I have to-

His hands find their way to my cheeks, cupping them gently to direct his gaze towards himself. I would have preferred not to look at him, but I have no choice. His eyes search mine.

Then, as if the weight of Atlas punishment was put on his shoulders, he lowers them. His lips tremble slightly and his eyes look at me, as if I am the most valuable thing in the world and he is about to lose it.

"You know it." He doesn't have to say what he means by that. We both know.

I want to break away from him, but he won't let me. He's always been much stronger.

But everything still feels so different, light surrounds us and I can't really feel my body.

"Listen to me, please. I can explain it. Please-" The world goes silent, before he can finish his sentence.

It is too much.

I stifle a scream. I want to jump out of bed, but his hands hold me close. I only manage to fall to the ground, breathing heavily, but his arms are much stronger and I'm still weakened by my dream. He trys to hold me in a position, so that his back hugs me. His hands grab mine and one of them covers my mouth to silence me, when I want to scream for help.

With any other person, I would have known what to do. With anyone but him, I could have defended myself without any problems. But it wasn't just anyone and what he had done to me, the betrayal he had committed, was nothing I could handle.

I tried to wriggle out of his grip, to kick him, but the more I cried and the more hysterical I became, the easier it was for him to have control over me.

And for the first time, it scared me.

"Please calm down, I have to explain it to you- you have to know, that I never wanted to deceive you, please-" I notice how his voice is failing and he has to pull himself together, to not to lose his composure.

When I shake his hand away and want to yell again, he grabs my neck with such a warning force, that no sound escapes me.

I tremble in his hold. Tears stream down my cheeks and I literally feel my heart breaking.

Then he starts whispering in my ear and his grip feels like a tragic prison.

"Nobody can know. I never wanted you to find out. Not until I convinced you, that it is the right thing to join him. Because he will win, sweetheart. I want us to win by his side." His voice sounds so confident and at the same time, as if he was a completely different person.

Tears continue running down my face and he slightly let's go of me, so he can comfort me.

"If you would just listen to me, you will understand my actions. Please, just listen to me-" but the world blurs infront of my eyes and I am only able to whisper three words, before darkness surrounds me.

"You betrayed me."

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

When I wake up, my head hurts so much, that it takes me several minutes to open my eyes. When I finally do it, I almost have a heart attack.

I recognize the similarity of this room from my dream. When I stand up, I run to the round window and look out, being only able to see the blue sea. Feeling empty and alone.

When I want to step out the door, I expect it to be locked. But instead the handle turns and I step out of the room. I'm so surprised about that, that I'm acting without thinking twice.

As I walk around the next corner, the deck creaks and I see an ugly creature in front of me, that makes every instinct to escape kick in.

I run in the other direction, but every turn makes me more desperate and, without any consideration, I run into the hall, I was so afraid of.

It is filled with all kinds of ciders, and I also see the figures of my classmates, wounded and unhappy.

It's all so overwhelming, that I dont even see him standing on the podium, in the first place.

But as the monsters try to grab me, his voice echoes through the room with an affable authority.

"Nobody touches her. You hear me? Nobody. She is under my protection." I almost freeze into a stature, as he comes towards me and I have no way of avoiding him. No weapon is within my reach, his eyes notice my growing panic.

"Everyone leaves the room. Now." Nobody discusses it, even if some roll their eyes or quietly protest. His authority is unquestioned, it sends a cold shiver down my spine.

When the last doors slam shut, we stand a few meters opposite each other.

"The doors are guarded." It's the first thing he says.

When he tries to approach me, I lose my nerves and run to the corner with the broken glass, that I saw in my dream. I take them in my hands.

I see his eyes widen and he stops in his tracks.

"You- you want to fight me?" He actually sounds surprised and sad. Like I was the one who betrayed him and not the other way around.

"Don't come any closer. I may not have been able to do anything last time, but if you take one step closer then-" I don't know what to say. In no scenario did I ever think, I would have to threaten him.

But despite my warning, he comes towards me with his hands raised, the panic within me so palpable, that I can feel every muscle in my body.

I dodge, when he is only a few meters in front of me. Right into the next corner. As far away from him as possible.

"Princess, you can't keep me away forever. I've always loved that about you. You need me as much as you need to breathe."

It's supposed to sound sweet, but his words make me feel sick

"I'd rather suffocate." He didn't expect that. My words hit him so unexpectedly that he is almost speechless. Almost.

"I won't hurt you. You just have to let me get to you and I'll show you everything. You will understand, believe me." He really thinks, I'll just stay by his side and let him explain.

"Are you crazy? You're a traitor, Luke. You- you betrayed everyone. You betrayed me. How could you do this?" I suppress my tears, because that's exactly what he's waiting for. That my defense becomes weaker. I can't allow this.

"You dont understand. I always told you I would protect you. And I can only do that, if I'm on the winning side. And I am now. We are." His eyes flash with a craziness that makes me tremble. I don't recognize him.

"Why are you acting this way? You are doing the wrong thing - you give up everything. You're giving up on us." Tears leave my eyes and I see him take a few steps in my direction.

"I'm doing the right thing for us. You'll see. You just have to trust me, please. You know I always win. With the power he gives me, I will be invincible. You don't have to worry about one of us dying in this war anymore." I can't move, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have a way out now. He's too close.

"You are wrong. I would rather die in this war than join this monster and his deceitful army." The shards in my hand hurt, but I don't let them go. They're the only thing I can use to defend myself.

"You would leave me?" His eyes are staring into my soul.

"Would you fight me?" Every word is more intimidating.

"Would you stop loving me?" His words are like his own shards, leaving deep wounds in my heart.

He's standing right in front of me now, looking at me like I'm fragile.

Then he whispers "Would you kill me?"

In the next second, he suddenly has my hands in his, making me drop the glass. Be is only a few centimeters away from me now, his eyes are looking into my own.

"Would you, princess? Then show me." Suddenly he does something, I would have never expected. He takes out his sword and puts it in my hands.

His own hands go behind his back, his eyes tempting me. I feel all the blood in my body drain.

"Do it. I can't live in a world, where you don't love me anymore. In which you are no longer by my side. I am yours. That will never change, just like my love for you."

I can barely hold the sword, it's so wobbly in my hands. He stands in front of me and gives me every chance to defeat him. But I can't move.

It's quiet for a moment, then I see new hope in his eyes and when he speaks again, the tone of his voice melts my heart.

"What did you say a few months ago, you would always let me win? Let's win together this time. Please, just listen to me." His hand strokes my cheek. Wipes away the tears.

Then he drops his hand and grasps his sword, letting it fall to the ground.

He takes my hand instead.

"Follow me." He pulls me behind him, closer and closer to the golden coffin, it's like I'm in a trance, but when I finally feel the cold aura of something cruel, I'm able to think clearly again.

"No-" I don't want to be one step closer to this thing.

He turns around so quickly, that I can only slap his cheek, before he grabs me again.

"That was for kidnapping me. Let me go now!" I want to avoid his grasp. But again he does something I don't expect.

He holds me still, catches my gaze and then, kisses me so gently that the feeling alone makes me almost completely defenseless. His hands cup my cheeks, grip my hair, hold my body.

This is probably his worst trick. I've never been able to resist one of his kisses. And he knows that. He uses it against me.

Then he murmurs words against my lips, that barely reach my ears.

My heart is pounding in my throat.

"You feel this? We belong together. It is not written anywhere on which side we need to be. As long as we are together." His fingers stroke my lower lip, his figure towers over me and for a moment my surroundings fade. It's almost like always.

But he's not wearing his orange t-shirt, his expression isn't relaxed, and I don't hear any insults from the camp members in the distance.

"You're manipulating me." I am powerless against him. I thought we were on the same team, that no one had more power over the other one. But I was so wrong.

His eyebrows furrow again, and when his hands try to pull me against him, I hit his chest, without thinking, with the only piece of glass I hid in my pocket. But unlike I expected, nothing happens. The shard bounces off his skin and falls loudly to the ground. I can only stare at him in disbelief.

"How-" He just looks at me worried, no anger is visible in his eyes.

"You can't hurt me. I have the curse of Achilles upon me." I suddenly become aware of the effect the lake Styx in the underworld hast and I almost fall to the ground at the realization, my knees weaken.

"That was a test earlier. You wanted to see if I would kill you-" my voice fails.

He just looks at me sadly and smiles in regret. My heart becomes heavy.

"And I knew you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. You would never hurt someone you love. Not if you'd kill me in the process." What can I do? He knows me better than anyone, he can see right through my every thought.

"I can't do this, Luke. I-I can't be together with you, if you are like this." I'm serious, but he doesn't believe me.

"That's what you think, but it's a lie. The sooner you admit it to yourself, the more pain you avoid. Our souls are linked together, without me you are not able to live. I know, that you will continue to love me, no matter what I decide to do. That's how much you love me. You would rather die than not loving me."

I can't listen to him. I can't.

But his eyes are like all the promises in the world. He is my world. How could I ever forget that?

"Please come back with me, Luke. I-I won't tell anyone, but please. Let's go, let's forget everything, please-" I cant deal with this anymore. It's like he's draining all the energy out of me. More with every word, that leaves his lips.

"I can not do that. It will stay the way it is now. Don't fight against me, fight with me. You are so smart and loyal, you will be convinced. He will show you." His eyes now flash with something that frightens me. I see his hunger for power, something that has always been dormant within him.

"Luke, the only thing I ever really wanted was you. No power, no war, no prosperity. Only you. But I'm about to lose you. Don´t do this to me, I beg you." My hands find his face, stroke the skin and I look into his eyes. But they are no longer the same ones I fell in love with.

I never thought he would love having power more than he loves me. It breaks my heart.

"I have decided. Nothing will change about that. Not even your pleadings. I'm sorry." His eyes reflect my desperation.

"What's holding you back? All you need is me." He says it so confident, that I almost wonder, why I don´t agree with him.

But my conscience has always been my greatest strength.

"I won't betray them. I couldn't live with myself, if I did." He takes a step back.

"But you could live without me? You would rather be by Jackson's side than mine?" His words hurt me. But he speaks the truth.

"I love you Luke, more than I ever thought was possible. But just as you put power before me, I put loyalty first. And I'm not sorry about that."

Frustration finally seeps through his perfect facade. I wonder how long he's been playing with me. The thought of it makes everything inside me tighten.

"I am not letting you go. Our fate is set. You will recognize it too and when that happens, you will be on my side."

His conviction frightens me, but this time it doesn't freeze me into a statue. Now, I'm running away.

And luckely, he didn't expect that.

For a few minutes now I've noticed one of the windows, that doesn't look very stable. I just have to jump against it to open it.

"NO!" Luke's voice echoes across the room, loud and warning, but it doesn't stop me. Before he can catch up with me, I jump towards the window, my shoulder hurts, but I was right, it breaks.

But I didn't think about the height difference and I realize it might be too late to do something about it now.

As I try to hold on to the wall outside, two thoughts repeat in my mind.

Either I die or I'm trapped.

Then I hear Luke's voice. He sounds desperate and at the same time angry, like I have never heard him before.

The wall is slippery and it takes every bit of strength in me not to fall, I know it would be my death. I hold on to the broken wall.

"She is outside. Get her back, NOW!" My muscles hurt and I don't know what to do. Then I hear the loud beating of wings. Before I can see who it is, I hear Percy's quiet voice. I feel like crying.

"Drop down, I've got you." I have to trust him. So, I let myself fall without thinking.

Then I feel myself landing on something soft, I hold on to it and my knuckles turn white.

The screams and shouts of the monsters make me tremble, I just want to get out of here. Even if it means, that I perhaps will never see Luke again.

"Come on, now. They'll be here soon." As the wings of the Pegasus move towards the sky, towards freedom, I let the tears fall. The wind is beating around my ears and I can only see in the corner of my eyes that we are getting closer to the clouds.

"I'll find you!"

Luke's threatening voice is the last thing I remember as I close my eyes from the grief of leaving him.

#percy jackon and the olympians #luke castellan #x reader #greek gods #love #betrayal #angst #percy pjo #percy series #annabeth chase #percy jackson

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callmewrinkles3 · 5 months

Text

When Emma Falls in Love - DR3 x Fem!OC

Summary: Christmas involves the same thing every year for Em. A week in Liverpool, formal clothing, and returning to her apartment to shower and have a bottle of wine to forget how bad it was. But this year she's spending it in Australia with Dan and his family. No big deal.

Words: 11.4k

Warnings: Mentions of past bad relationships, mentions of cheating, mentions of toxic family relationships. Panic attacks, worry, mentions of sex (but nothing explicit) and mentions of sex toys.

AN: HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY remember us? First things first - apologies for how long this took. The plan was Christmas, but life has been ridiculous and too busy and we just apologise. Thank you for still being here and enjoying reading more about Em and Dan!

December 2018

When she was growing up, Em never kept a diary. She was the odd one out for many reasons in primary school, that was just one of them. She was too afraid of her mother finding it when “cleaning”, reading what was on her mind and telling her to stop. She hadn’t started it as a kid, and it didn’t begin when she was an adult either. But if she did have one, the first words on the page for December 22, 2018, would have been "I think I'm in love with Dan." And to say "I think" would have been a blatant lie because she knew.

She knew that night in the bar for his birthday that she was going to fall for him. She knew in Philadelphia as she sang that she only bought that dress for him to take off. She knew in Austin when he kissed her in front of another woman.

That morning in July when she woke up from one of the greatest nights of sleep in her life with Dan’s arms around her and his snoring lulling her back to sleep like white noise. Every single time he let Blake out of their shared taxi first and circled the block to come into hers when he got back from travelling. The way he never arrived home without a bouquet of flowers because she’d once said she never thought she could buy herself some. But that afternoon in Perth she couldn’t hide from the realisation anymore.

She’d been working in the early afternoon after she made lunch for the two of them and Isaac, coming out to find her boys napping on the couch. The plan had been for them to watch a film while they waited for her but toddlers were not known for their patience. She couldn’t blame Isaac for sleeping, and once Dan got comfy he could nod off anywhere.

The two of them had been up early that morning picking Isaac up for a day out and a sleepover to let Michelle finish getting ready for Christmas. Once they made it back to the farm it was running around and playing at the pool with a stop for lunch. Em had prepped sandwiches for their lunch before disappearing to work for a few hours so she didn’t fall even further behind. And now they were fast asleep, blond curls against Dan’s off season stubble.

The craving to curl up on the couch and cuddle into them was overwhelming. There was nothing else she wanted at that moment, just hug them and kiss Dan and stay there forever. But she couldn’t.

Yes, she was Auntie Emmy to Isaac - a fact he’d announced to them that morning running to greet her with chubby cheeks and “ANNIE EMMYYYYYYYY” - but Auntie Emmy was Uncle Dan’s friend. And nothing else.

She was just his friend. Even though she was the only one sleeping in his bed, even when he was basically living in her crappy flat in London. Even when it was her name he groaned out when they were together as he pulled her close. And that was why she couldn’t admit it to him. Admitting it to herself felt nearly too much.

It hurt. Oh it ached. But it was better to hurt a little bit and enjoy getting to have Danny in the way that so many people didn’t know Daniel Ricciardo, than say how she felt and break the spell. She could suck it up and bury her feelings and stay by his side as his best friend. If she didn’t say it out loud then it wasn’t real and if it wasn’t real then it couldn’t hurt her badly.

And she couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t see his face fall, couldn’t hear “we said we were just friends, nothing more.”. Couldn’t bear to have to leave people who for the first time in her life seemed to actually like her because she’d ruined it. So she’d stay quiet and get to have Christmas with people who seemed to want her there. She’d enjoy summer in December and have those weeks. Especially if it meant she got time with Isaac.

Em had fallen in love with him the first time she met him in real life in Abu Dhabi, and the feeling was mutual. She could count how many times she’d seen him in person on both hands, but he was as crazy about her as she was about him. His cheeky smile warmed up her heart. The way he ran to give her a hug after the first time they met was one of her favourite things in the world. How he reached out to her so she would hold him during the insanity of that first weekend. But it was the way that he was so much like Dan that made her heart grow ten sizes.

Physically they didn’t look alike apart from those curls they’d all inherited from Grace, but their personalities were identical. Dan joked it was why Isaac liked spending so much time with her, but she smiled and brushed it off. For her own sanity she couldn’t let that get into her head. She couldn’t do it. Not when whatever they were had an expiration date and she didn’t know how long it would last.

All of that combined meant she couldn’t resist watching them for an extra couple of moments, enjoying how relaxed they were snoozing together. She took a photo of them with her phone to secure the memory forever. She wasn’t sure what caused him to stir, if it was the small noise from the camera or if it was her moving, but Dan opened his eyes slowly and focused on her. A smile began to go across his face.

“Wanna join us? We can stay like this for a while.”

She desperately wanted to say yes. She wanted to lie down next to Dan and fall asleep with his arm around her. But she shouldn’t and she couldn’t. Anything that wasn’t at least platonic seeming had to stay just them. Sure Dan had put an arm around her shoulder or waist with his parents, but not with Isaac. She didn’t want that with him. He was too small and she didn’t want to confuse him with acting like a couple when they weren’t. If she couldn’t explain what was happening to herself then she couldn’t to him.

“I’m gonna get a start on dinner,” Em whispered, blurting out the first excuse she could think of. “Is pasta ok?”

The moment the words left her lips, she made her one fatal mistake. Kissing the top of Dan's head and then Isaac's cheek. It was supposed to be the briefest moment, a peck and then go to the kitchen. But the moment she leaned down to kiss Isaac's head his litttle hand reached out for her, not letting go. He didn't say anything, just grumbled and rubbed his head against Dan's chest before settling back down.

"I think you have to stay for a while. C'mon." He shifted slightly to let her slip beside them, settling down. "I know what you're thinking. It's fine."

"Danny-"

"I promise. It's fine." She should have stood straight up and headed out. Before she could even think about moving away Isaac woke up enough to smile at her, moving across to have half his body over Em, half on Dan. Then she was definitely not going anywhere, not when his tiny hand clung to her shirt to hold her there.

"I always knew he'd be a heartbreaker and steal someone's girl at some point in his life. I just never imagined it'd be mine."

"He's got that Ricciardo grin and those curls, what can I say?" Dan chuckled lowly at her words, his chest shaking as he held it back.

"That's not fair, I saw you first."

"I'm not some toy, you don't need to fight him over me."

"I mean if I need to I will." It was Em's turn to keep her laughter down, swallowing it so she didn't wake the sleeping toddler.

"No, it's fine. You don't need to."

"Just had to be sure."

She really didn't mean to fall asleep. She shouldn't have, she wanted to just stay for five minutes before carefully moving Isaac across and standing up to do something. But having Dan's chest as a pillow and Isaac as a tiny weighted blanket didn't help her. Dan smelled like the shower gel they were using and home, Isaac's baby shampoo mixing and making her feel peaceful and dozing off easily.

When she opened her eyes she thought she'd find her fast asleep boys, but instead they were wide awake. The youngest was staring at the film he hadn't finished, the oldest looking straight down at her when Em looked up.

How was she not supposed to fall in love with him? That broad smile and big eyes and how was she supposed to keep it platonic when he looked at her like she hung the moon and stars every single day. He called her his moon once and the compliment made her blush for a week. It was impossible to not fall in love with him, and that was the moment she admitted it. The way he stole tiny kisses while Isaac was distracted. She was gone.

They stayed like that for the afternoon, what was supposed to be a homemade meal turning into driving out for pizza for the three of them. Isaac stayed on her hip until they got him into a highchair, laughing and enjoying his food. She felt at home and happy and was so glad she was there.

It was why she said yes when he asked her what she was doing for Christmas and if she wanted to come to Australia with him. She missed him when he had a double header abroad, she couldn't imagine spending six weeks apart when he went home for Christmas. They could have done it and would have been fine. They'd done it before, but that was before feelings and sex and friends with benefits was added to the mix they had going on.

Em missed him back when they just texted and had a couple of calls, so she had to say yes. But it was terrifying to get on that plane with Dan to go to Perth. It took a call from Grace insisting she wanted Em there and everyone was looking forward to seeing her to make Em feel like it was ok.

Once she made the decision to go to Australia to spend weeks there with Dan it wasn't too scary, but the fact that she was introduced to Dan's world was. Especially now that she was slowly admitting that she'd fallen in love with him. Since the start Em had tried to deny it to herself, insist that it wasn't true. That she had no feelings for him apart from friendship and being proud of him.

But that was like saying the sun wasn't going to come out the next day. On those days where Em wasn't sure about it herself, he made her sure. If she didn't know better she'd think that was his own personal mission to make her fall in love with him. There were texts, calls, facetimes when he probably didn't have time. A text telling her to open the door because she had a delivery. How could she not fall for him?

The easiest way to fall in love with him was what he did every single trip home. She'd leave a sandwich in the fridge before she went to bed, and he came back to her tiny apartment. He had his own one that he could be in, he could go back to somewhere comfy and warm rather than her tiny one bed where the heating rarely worked. But he stayed with her. He took over doing things to make her life better, buying new sheets that were more expensive than she'd ever pay because they were softer and calling the landlord to make him fix the heating after he came back from Brazil and the apartment was freezing.

She couldn't help falling deeper and deeper in love with him when he slid into bed and wrapped his arms around her, whispering how happy he was to be back home. He could have been comfortable and warm in his apartment but instead he was there with her. The chill in the air was ignored as they pulled whatever clothes were on off, Dan marking her body as his. Week after week that was exactly what happened in beds around the world as she travelled to the US and Abu Dhabi to watch him race. She was starting to believe that maybe they did belong together as night after night they got into the same bed, whispering sweet nothings and bringing each other pleasure before curling up to sleep.

It's what happened at the farm when they were alone. Officially Em had a guest room to herself, but Dan's room became theirs. She spent so much of her days stepping outside of her comfort zone, it was exhausting and made her stomach ball up, but being with him was easy. Waking up with his arms around her was perfect. Getting into bed with him every night felt normal. It was terrifying and normal and brilliant. It was easy for her once she got over her worries, especially after that day with Isaac on the couch. His tiny hand over her chest became the reminder that what she thought would be a bad day wasn't so bad. It's part of why she wished Isaac could have been there the night she met Dan's friends.

She knew what coming to Australia when Dan went home for the winter break involved. And when she was invited she didn't even think about it, just went for it. She knew she was going to be introduced to his favourite places in his hometown, spending most of their nights out on the farm, getting to be around his family, and some nights out with his home friends to meet them. She could excuse herself once or twice from nights out because she was never a big fan of it, but she could let the social butterfly she was accompanying go out to hang out with people. He didn't get to see his friends for most of the year, she was more than happy to stay home with her huge to read list on her kindle or a good movie.

But Dan wanted her there. He wanted to spend time with her and his friends and have them all together, and she couldn't say no to those big brown eyes. Spending time with his family was easy, she knew most of them and those she didn't know at least knew of him. But the bigger issue was when she met his friends.

It was supposed to be easy. A get together with his mates so they could catch up and everyone who lived in Perth could finally meet the famous Em. There was just one problem.

Em wasn't good with people.

It wasn't that people didn't like her, it wasn't even that she didn't like people, it was that whenever she was around people she got tired quickly and couldn't deal with them for too long. Dan was one of the rare people she didn't hate being around for more than a few minutes. He'd promised it wouldn't be anything fancy or crazy, that she didn't need to stress about it, but she still worried.

She liked to think that it would have been different if they met somewhere else. In a bar or club where she could have made an excuse to go outside for a few minutes, be somewhere neutral. But meeting at the farm was somehow worse. Dan had told her to stay by his side and she did, but she felt like she was being a bother. He told her that she didn't need to do anything, she was a guest too, but her mother's words kept going around in her head. She should be helpful, she should be useful, she should be this that and the other. If she didn't help at gatherings then what use was she? Sitting next to Dan cutting tomatoes and onions for the burgers wasn't enough.

She shouldn't feel like she was suffocating when she was with his friends. They all seemed lovely, the guys who'd known Dan since he was a kid and told her stories about what he got up to in school, girlfriends who were genuinely sweet asking her about England and her work. But it felt like it was too much. The flickering light from the firepit and the music playing and the voices made her brain go a million miles an hour, all she wanted was to get out of there. Curl up and bed and read a book. She stood there smiling and she couldn't even lean against Dan because they were supposed to be just friends. They were friends. It's how he introduced her. Em, his friend from England. Not Emmy, that was only for him, but Em.

Nobody there had any idea that as soon as the parties and dinners were over he snuck into her bed. That when he got back from being all around the world he came to her home. She was just Em and she had no idea what she was doing there. She didn't know what they were but just friends didn't cut it anymore, and even being outside on the farm it felt like she couldn't get a deep breath into her lungs. The air slowly left her body and she could barely get it in.

She wouldn't forgive herself if she ruined Dan's night. He was so happy there, tanned and grinning as he talked to people. Em decided another beer to replace her empty one and a deep breath in the kitchen would help. Just two minutes away from the crowd. She went in, grabbed two bottles from the fridge and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She could do it. She'd be fine and she'd get through the rest of this night. She could do it.

"Thought you were into blondes, mate," it was clear as a bell even through the noise, a dagger hitting into Em's chest. Did she seem like just a girl?

"Shut up, it's not like that." She knew they were just friends. But hearing it like that was different. It was the straw that broke the camel's back and she didn't remember the last time she wanted to cry that badly. She wanted the ground to open up beneath her and just swallow her whole so she can hide but she wasn’t lucky enough. She blinked back tears, ignoring the knot growing in her stomach and the anxiety seeping into every pore. Em’s heart raced and she could hear the whooshing sound in her eardrums. Why was she there? The questions bubbled through her brain but that was the loudest. Why did Dan invite her there? Why was she there? Why did he want her to be in Perth?

Em couldn’t stay there anymore. If she stayed out with everyone she’d break down and start crying and the last thing Dan needed was her dramatics. She didn’t want to ruin the reunion and the good time he was having. So she took a deep breath, had a sip of her beer, and pretended she heard nothing. She just needed to keep it together for long enough so Dan didn’t suspect anything. She could smile and nod as if she didn’t care about what his mates said.

All she needed to do was pretend that she was fine, and then she could run back inside and be alone. She felt terrible just thinking about it. She couldn't do one fucking thing right and be a normal person for one night and have a normal night. It just made her feel awful for Dan because he had done everything to make her comfortable. Not just that night, but he'd changed his home so she felt at home. He insisted he was in charge of the burgers so that he could make one that was cooked the way she enjoyed it - a squirt of ketchup, one slice of cheese, wrapped in two napkins so her fingers didn't get greasy. He got her a Coke Zero or a lemon San Pellegrino so she had options when she didn't want a beer. There were even some of her favourite songs on his playlist for that night, Paramore playing out over the group. He did every single thing right. But she was ruining it all.

Em tried hiding how she was feeling but it was useless. The second she was back at Dan's side he knew something was wrong. The question was quiet, asking if she was ok, but her nod was too fast and she could tell that he didn't quite believe her. Dan's brown eyes stayed on her as she tipped the rest of her bottle back.

"Mind if I head to bed?" She was proud of how even her voice sounded.

"You sure you're ok? What's up?"

"I'm fine, just jetlagged and tired still. I'll be fine."

"See you in a lil bit?" She didn't answer him, making excuses and quick comments so she didn't start crying around new to her people. It was saying how lovely it was to meet them and saying they'd get coffee or meet before she went back to England. She was so polite and correct she almost sounded like her mother and it made her want to vomit. A final quick squeeze on Dan's shoulder and she was gone.

As soon as she was in the house she just had to do a quick trip to the bathroom, change her clothes, and go into bed. But she couldn’t go into the room she'd been sleeping in. That was Dan's bedroom and she couldn't switch the light on or people would see. So in the fading light of dusk she grabbed her pjs, the book she'd been reading, and the bottle of water she kept on her nightstand. From there she went to the guest room that was supposed to be her room. Dan had mentioned it'd be her room in Abu Dhabi, just across from his. That first night he'd insisted she didn't have to sleep there if she didn't want to and they'd ended up in his bedroom and Em didn't want to leave. But now she had to be in her own room. It'd be fine.

The last thing she wanted anyone to see was her crying. Somehow she got the door of the guest room closed without letting out a sob, panic growing in her chest. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She shouldn't be crying. She had no reason to cry. She knew what she was doing.

Her back slid against the door as she ended up on the ground. Her sobs turned to gasps as she struggled to get a deep breath, thoughts burning her head. She wanted to be curled up in the bed that she'd spent the last week sleeping in. She wanted Dan's arm around her, wanted to sit on his lap and sip from his beer bottle. Wanted to forget that the night had even happened. That the man who'd been sharing her bed for the last six months preferred blondes. That the man who she'd been falling in love with might not feel the same way, and they'd agreed they were just friends and said that they weren't going to break the rules and love each other but she had. She wanted her brain to shut up with the "why the fuck does he sleep with me then" that was filling her mind with doubts.

But more than all of that she wished she was brave enough to leave. Pack her bag and go to the airport and fly back to London. Because Dan deserved so much better than anything she could offer. He deserved a beautiful blonde woman who didn't freak out during a party and could afford to rent an apartment with working heating and didn't run away to hide and cry because she couldn't cope. Of course he wouldn't pick her.

But she could barely move. Somehow she managed to stand up once she'd caught her breath, pulling on her tshirt and leggings to sleep in. From there she made it to the bed, lying and pulling up the blanket to try cocoon herself as her tears kept falling. All she wanted was for Dan to magically appear and hold her to stop her chest from feeling so tight. A hug from Dan was magical, it'd make the pressure go away in no time. But he was with his friends and she didn't blame him. She was his friend. They were just friends and she had absolutely no right to be upset about it, but it hurt.

She wasn't planning on getting a lot of sleep that night. The awful feeling in her chest wasn't getting any better, her heart was still racing, and her head ached thanks to crying so much. Finally the tears stopped and she turned onto her side in the too big bed.

A knock on the door made her close her eyes and force her breathing to even out. She didn't want Dan to see her like that. She couldn't explain what she was feeling, she couldn't start rambling about it because then she'd have to admit how she felt and that wasn't going to happen. She couldn't admit that she'd broken every rule they'd come up with and fallen in love with him. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose his friendship and what they had so she had to stay quiet.

"Emmy? You awake?" Em should have known he wouldn't leave even if she didn't answer, listening as he padded around to her side of the bed and knelt down, his thumb brushing the still damp skin on her cheek.

The second Emmy squeezed his shoulder as she said she was still jetlagged and going to bed, Dan knew something was wrong. She hadn't been ok since she got back from the kitchen with their drinks, but watching her nod and fake smile as she went back inside felt so wrong. And then he stared at their room, waiting for a light to go on and the curtains to close. But nothing happened and it felt even worse.

He knew she wasn't a fan of big parties, his friends were more like him than her and were loud but she'd been ok. He made sure she was stuck to his side for the evening, she smiled when he handed her a perfectly wrapped burger made just the way she liked them. Dan knew it wasn't easy for her, she'd told him that she found big groups hard to deal with. She was the dictionary definition of an introvert who preferred to sit with a book in silence rather than be surrounded by loud people. But she was fine.

He'd asked a couple of times, not wanting to annoy her by constantly thinking something was wrong. He'd offered if she wanted to go inside and hide out for a while he'd make excuses but she insisted she was fine. Emmy ate her burger and snacked on some chips while chatting with his mates. He heard her laugh and one of the lads made a comment about how Dan kept staring at her. He was happy.

And Em was fine until she'd leaned over to offer to get him another beer when she was getting hers. He knew she heard what Mark said, his quip about blondes. The shut up didn't go fast enough and she'd been close enough to hear. She came back looking like someone had punched her in the stomach, big eyes sad even under her fake smile. There was nothing Dan could do to make her feel better.

What he wanted to do was pull her onto his lap, arms around her waist as they shared a drink. He'd tell her that yeah he'd slept with blondes before, dated some as well, but he was hers. He was so fucking crazy about her it was insane. Dan was absolutely in love with her, and terrified to say it because she could do so much better than him. They'd promised they'd stay friends, falling in love wasn't on the list.

But he couldn't even describe how much he loved her. He loved her long brown hair, the way it fell down her shoulders and back. He loved standing behind her and brushing it out to apologise for the mess he'd made it by wrapping it around his hand and pulling her hair the way that made her groan in all the right ways, using it as an excuse to kiss along her neck. He loved the way she smiled at him. How she made jokes and laughed at them herself. How she wrapped her arms around him and welcomed him home. The carefully covered sandwich that waited for him.

He didn't want any blondes. He wanted his gorgeous, brunette Wrinkles, and just maybe in the future if he was lucky enough he'd get to have gorgeous little babies with her hair and eyes and personality. He'd never, ever wanted that until now. And then it felt like she was slipping through his fingers with one evening.

She finished her beer, excused herself saying something about jetlag, was sweet and polite and so un-Emmy it hurt, and whispered to him that she was going to bed. The going to bed wasn't a surprised, she was still jetlagged and had been tired before they even got to Australia. She was the first to head to bed every night anyway. But the way she did it worried him.

Even around his family she kissed his head before she left the room to go to bed. It was what they did when there was people around and they couldn't actually kiss because of the comments. She'd move his curls from his forehead and give him a quick kiss there or on his cheek, or if he was sitting she'd kiss the top of his head. When they were alone he'd go to bed with her, but if he was staying up she'd peck his lips and wait for him in bed.

There was none of that. Instead she gave him a tiny, sad smile and squeezed his shoulder. Like they were just friends. Like she didn't share his bed every night. It was like a knife in his back, a kick in the stomach. That was enough to tell him that something was very, very wrong. He didn't expect a kiss, but he never thought that would be it.

It was all his fault, and the second he realised their bedroom light wasn't going on he knew it. She was nothing like his friends, his life was so different to hers, but he wanted his people to love her. He needed them to. He was so used to the way their lives were intertwined that he didn't think. He was so excited to be home and happy to see his friends and introduce them to her that he made the wrong choice. He should have had it at some neutral place, brought her to a bar to meet everyone. The way he'd done it when she met his family, how it was easier because it was a new place for them all. But he took the party to her one safe place in a foreign country and that wasn't fair on her.

It wasn't how he imagined the night ending. All he wanted to do was hold her. That was his plan for the night. Get into bed, hug his girl, steal some kisses, and call it a night. He wasn't even thinking about sex that night, just curling up with Em. He knew she'd be too tired to do anything and he'd probably have too many beers to make it good for her. So he wasn't even going to try to make a move. He'd hold her, sleep drooling into his pillow, and not have the alarm on so he could have a chill morning with her. Dan was too used to going to bed holding his Emmy, falling asleep with her in his arms and her hand against his chest. And then she was gone and he had the biggest hole in his chest knowing he'd ruined it all.

Dan had no idea what to do. He couldn’t kick his friends off the farm telling them his girl wasn’t ok and needed him. Firstly Em wasn’t his girl, not to them. He’d said over and over that they were friends and she was visiting. Nobody truly believed him, but it was the official story. He couldn’t make them leave but his brain was screaming that he needed to go to Em right then. Something was wrong and he needed to fix it. He needed to make sure she was ok. But all he could do was wait and yawn.

"You alright, DR?” One of the guys asked him.

“Yeah, just exhausted. Nightmare of a season if I’m honest. Looking forward to next year! Maybe I’m getting too old now I’m turning 30?” It was a half joke that got a laugh from the assembled guests. Fortunately they took it for what it was and started making their excuses to leave. An hour later he watched the last people leave as he waved. Once those lights were gone from the driveway he ran back to the house as quickly as he could get in.

His heart broke as he opened the bedroom door to find the empty room in complete darkness. When he switched the light on it was even worse, Em’s belongings still there. Her pillow, the blanket she loved, her Snorlax plushie he’d brought her back from Japan, even her Kindle. Only her water bottle and the book she was reading were gone.

It was a punch in the gut to realise the only other room she could be in was his least used guest room. The fact that Emmy thought she needed to stay in another room felt wrong. His room was their room. He’d made sure to decorate it to be similar to their room in London, parcels arriving to the farm the week before they arrived. The fairy lights, the purple curtains, the scented candles, the extra soft sheets and bed linen to make her smile. It was all for them. It was to make Emmy happy and feel like she was at home because in the back of his head there was a hope that it could be their home in the future. Dan had thought it was working, but now it felt like it was falling apart.

It took a few seconds for Dan to get the courage together to knock on the spare room door. He was scared Emmy would tell him to leave, would tell him to go away. But instead there was silence. He knocked again but the same lack of answer was the response so he decided to go in.

The room was in absolute darkness apart from the faint moonlight coming through the window. It was enough that Dan could make out Em resting on the bed, blankets up to her chin. All Dan wanted to do was get into bed with her, to spoon against her and hold her close, but he knew she wouldn’t like that. So instead he walked around to her side and knelt in front of her, stroking a lock of hair falling over her cheek. He didn’t know if she was in the mood for hugs, didn’t know if she wanted anyone, so he didn’t want to do too much. He saw how her eyes were closed and could feel her damp skin under his thumb. Em’s breathing was too even, she wasn’t really asleep.

“Emmy? I know you’re awake Baby girl.” It took a moment for her eyes to open as she looked up at him.

“I was tryna sleep.”

“I know. But why aren’t you in bed?”

“I am.” Her words were short. “This is a bed.”

“It’s not our bed, Beautiful.” She was at least looking at him, but something still wasn’t right. “C’mon back to bed.”

“I’m fine, D. Go on, it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You’ve been crying.” She looked like she was about to start crying again, Dan holding her hand and running his thumb along the back of it.

“I’m fine, Dan. I’m fine. I’m just tired, it’s been a long day. Go to bed.”

“Not without you.” He watched as her gaze softened slightly and he just wanted to kiss her to make her smile. “Can I like down here with you and give you a hug?”

“You don’t have to, Dan. We can just go to sleep.”

“But I want to. If you want me to.”

“…That’d be nice.” It took a few seconds for Em to respond and Dan was terrified she’d say no. He’d accept it, but he wouldn’t like it. He got in behind her, pulling Em against his chest. Her whole body was tense as he turned her around so they were in their usual sleeping position. She began to relax as his hand rubbed her back, Em’s head finally resting against his chest.

“You know, Snorlax is all alone in the other room. And our bed is way comfier than this one.” He kept his hand moving as she tensed up again, looking into Dan’s eyes.

“I’m too tired to move.”

“Nobody said you have to move. Trust me?” There was a nod and he pulled her over to the other side of the bed before stepping out. It was easy to pick her up and carry her out to their room, carefully depositing her back in their bed before he got in beside her. “See? Back where we belong and without you needing to move a single one of your cute toes. And back with your fluffy friend.”

It was quiet between them for a few moments, something Dan mostly expected. Whenever Em got like this she always went quiet while she thought. Finally he heard her bare whisper.

“I’m sorry I ruined your night.”

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t ruin anything, you never could. I’m sorry I invited everyone around and had them all invading your space. I shouldn’t have.”

“Dan.” She leaned up and kissed his jaw to make him smile. “It’s your house and your friends, of course you should have. It’s fine.”

“No it’s not. I should have done it differently, we should have gone somewhere else. And believe me when I tell you that you can’t ruin anything. Even if you tried to ruin something you couldn’t.”

“You’re too nice to me.” The hollow way she said it broke a little part of Dan’s heart.

“Emmy I promise. Everyone should be nice to you because you deserve it. You deserve happiness and goodness. And a whole lot of cuddles.”

“Will you cuddle me?” He couldn’t help but hold her even closer at her request.

Dan had no idea which lucky star was looking out for them but it felt like there was a whole constellation instead of just one star. He knew Em wouldn’t do it but he was ready for her to kick him out of the room. Instead he was so damn lucky that he got to hold her while she dozed asleep. He didn’t have the guts to try to explain the comment she’d overheard, he wasn’t going to push his luck, but at least he got to hold her. They could keep going from there.

—

Em couldn’t remember when she actually fell asleep. She was positive that she wouldn’t sleep at all that night, but Dan’s arms around her and his heartbeat under her ear was the best sleeping pill to ever exist. She didn’t know how he did it but he always managed to make her drift off. Even on the worst nights when her brain wouldn’t shut up he did it.

She woke up too early, the sun barely rising and illuminating the room through the blinds. She shot awake at the realisation that Dan wasn’t against her back anymore. At some point in the night she moved from Dan spooning her to her turning around and cuddling into him like she always did. Her face was buried against Dan’s chest, his arms holding her tight, and their legs tangled between each other. She raised her head slightly, Dan grumbling at her moving, and kissed his chest before going back to sleep with him.

The next time she woke up it was full morning. The sun was coming in through slits in the blinds and felt completely opposite to her emotions. She was so exhausted. Em had cried herself to exhaustion, her anxiety and nerves filling her. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with her book and preferably with Dan cuddling her. But she was so tired she barely even noticed Dan kissing her shoulder and gently leaving her in bed. He was probably just going to the bathroom before coming back to the warmth and cuddle her.

She must have dozed off, she had no idea how long he was gone for, but she woke up to kisses on her cheek and the scratch of his off season stubble against her skin. The smile on her face was automatic. Waking up that way was one of her favourite things in the world, kisses from the man she was falling for were the best feeling and she wouldn’t change it for anything in the universe.Without even thinking Em hugged him back, almost forgetting the words from the evening before. After a horrible night all she needed was Danny. Em just wanted her human weighted blanket over her.

“I made breakfast,” Dan whispered, lips still glued to her skin. “I’ve got your coffee and toast and that jam you like. Figured you wouldn’t want to get up so it’s here whenever you want it.::

“Huh? You didn’t have to do that.” She looked up at him with disbelieving wide eyes. How could he get up to make breakfast and bring it into her after everything that happened? He did it more often than not when they were in England, but she didn’t think he’d do it that morning.

“You always say that, and I always say I do it because I wanna. Are we gonna have this conversation again?”

“No, not really. Thanks for doing it anyway.” She caught him in a kiss but as she went to move he didn’t let her.

“Don’t thank me. Especially considering it’s gonna get cold cause I’m too comfy to move.”

“Dan…”

“Five minutes.”

Like every morning when Dan asked for five minutes in bed with her, those five turned into ten, then fifteen, and then she lost count. It started with kisses against Em’s neck and her hands running along his shoulders and back. But it ended with their clothes somewhere on the floor, fingers laced and moaning each other’s name. Coffee could be reheated, toast could be eaten cold or remade. But none of it mattered when Dan was inside her, whispering how good she felt and how she was the best girl, giving her another reminder that it was still them. Inside the walls of their bedroom it was always going to be them. If that was all she was going to get, it was going to have to be enough. Dan’s groans and gasps helped silence Em’s ghosts for a little while so she took advantage.

The rest of the day involved Dan looking after her while they had a lazy day. A few small excuses, a rescheduled afternoon with his family blamed on hangovers, and they decided to either stay in the bed or on the couch and do nothing. Dan insisted it was payback for the mess of the night before. Em didn’t particularly care about his reasons as long as she was by his side.

It was how they spent their days in Perth, mostly glued to each others sides except for if Dan was going to Michael to start working on a training plan or see his friends. She started to get used to being a part of his life in Australia. Dan made sure that none of the events were at the farm, always at a restaurant or bar unless it was just his family. Every single time they went anywhere Dan whispered in her ear before they went in that she was the one in charge. Say a word and they’d be on the way home. She was trying to fit into his life just like he was trying to keep her safe, and Em couldn’t thank him enough for it.

She was starting to get used to Perth, relaxing more as she spent more time there. But as Christmas got closer she lost her chill. Two days before Christmas she went through the clothes she’d brought with her and none of them were good enough for an event. She had no idea what a Ricciardo Christmas involved, but none of her outfits were right. She had some cute summer dresses, but they were normal everyday things. She’d wear them to the beach or to lunch or maybe even to dinner with Dan’s friends, but not for a proper day. There was nothing formal like what she’d wear to her family’s Christmas dinners that met her mother’s approval.

Em knew Dan would say she looked good in anything she wore, but she was terrified. All she wanted was for them to like her. The idea that Dan’s family might not like her was scary, and she needed to make sure that she was perfect. She couldn’t ruin it over clothing. Em had hidden most of the anxiety she had around being good enough for them but that night it was too much. Her stomach was in knots and she kept fidgeting in bed. The same page was read over and over, but she had no idea what it said. She pretended it was fine until Dan kissed her cheek, pulling her book from her hands as she jumped.

“Emmy what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” She shook her head and looked over at him.

“You haven’t turned the page in like fifteen minutes, you jumped when I kissed your cheek, and your feet keep moving. You’re overthinking. So talk to me, what’s going on?”

“What if they don’t like me? I didn’t bring anything proper to wear because you kept saying it was hot and I don’t look proper. I should have brought something proper with me.”

“If who doesn’t like you?” The concern in his voice made her want to melt.

“Your family, Dan.”

“Emmy…Baby you know they lo-like you already. Mum’s the one who invited you. Isaac absolutely loves you and is obsessed with you, ‘Chelle made a joke that you’re gonna have to have him on your lap when we’re eating. You can wear any of the dresses you’ve been wearing. You look phenomenal in them. I’m gonna wear shorts so you’ll be fine. What’s this about?” Her head spun. Shorts? At Christmas? No no no. What?

“Huh? Not a suit? Or at least trousers and a shirt? You’re wearing shorts?”

“I’m not wearing a fucking suit, it’s summer. It’s way too warm to do that.”

“Oh.”

“We can head out tomorrow, find a new dress for you if you want. But if you want my opinion you should wear that little red one you have, it’s cute. You look good in all your summer dresses, but red is kinda Christmassy, right?”

“But it’s a summer one?”

“And it’s probably gonna be like thirty. What’s wrong with that?”

Her head was filled with the reminder of the year before, of her mother’s glare at the heels Em made herself wear because if she didn’t she’d barely be allowed into the party. But they were only Primark so they weren’t good enough. And she didn’t have many presents for Dan’s family and

“Emmy. What’s up? Talk to me.”

“It’s stupid. But if I didn’t have changes for the different parts of Christmas Day and if I wasn’t wearing a formal dress and heels and men weren’t in suits then it wasn’t acceptable. Plus I only have little presents not proper gifts, I don’t know what to do.”

“Calm down. It’s ok. All you need to do is turn up as yourself, that’s it. We’re having a barbecue and hanging out by the pool cause it’s way too hot for anything else, I promise. We’ll be in swimwear most of the time.”

The next morning Em was still half convinced she should try to have something proper to wear, but Dan convinced her there was no need. If she wanted to go shopping he’d drive her in and help her choose, but she didn’t have to. She didn’t need to do it so his family would like her, they’d like her anyway. Instead it was a morning of soft kisses on the couch to convince her but Em agreed to wear the red dress Dan liked so much. It had a shallow v neck, was knee length, and the fabric had a white floral pattern. Dan insisted it looked wonderful with the soft tan she’d picked up since they got into the country. Pairing it with black slip on sandals meant she’d be ok. She’d look fine.

Which led her to the freak out of how could she appear at Joe and Grace’s home to stay a few nights without bringing anything as a thank you? She couldn’t do that. So they stood in the Cole’s checkout queue for far too long on the 23rd as Dan watched her pick out her baking ingredients. By that evening there was a berry tart and a three layer chocolate cake packaged up in the fridge awaiting delivery with them. It was entirely stress baking, even Dan knew it. But he didn’t make any comments. Instead he sat on the kitchen counter and watched, stealing strawberries and taste testing her concoctions.

Christmas Eve morning arrived and Em wasn’t as nervous as she thought she’d be. The full day of Dan talking to her about how it was going to be alright and everyone was looking forward to see her had helped. There were still nerves, but she was going to spend a couple of nights with people who wanted her there, wear cute clothes, and she had host presents to give as a thanks for being invited. Really she couldn’t wait.

Plus Dan had made it his personal job to make sure that she was completely relaxed that moaning. It started with slow morning sex, Em waking up to kisses along her shoulder and wandering hands. After that a shower for the two of them and waffles with her leftover berries for breakfast really helped, Em fully relaxed. She double checked that the presents were all perfectly wrapped and packed to go, and after lunch she decided to finally start getting ready for heading over.

Dan was sitting on the side of the bed switching between watching her put makeup on and fiddling with his phone. She knew she wanted to look mostly natural but she put a red lip on to go with her dress. She was put together and ready to go. She could do this. It was going to be good. As soon as she opened her lipstick up Dan spoke.

“You know red’s a risky colour when you consider I’m definitely stealing kisses under the mistletoe.”

“The package says it’s kiss proof. You’ll be fine stealing a peck.”

“Ah my sweet, innocent Emmy. You thinkI’m gonna steal just one little peck?” He grinned and kissed her briefly but filthily, tongue slipping between her lips as Em kissed him back.

“That’s the last one, your entire family will be around.”

“And?”

“And that means your family and kids. So no.”

“We’ll find somewhere, you’re not gonna make me go a full day without a kiss.” He pursed his lips at her but Em ignored them, focusing on making sure her liner was perfect and her lipstick matched it.

“You know you’re ridiculous, right?” It was supposed to be a joke, but he got the look on his face that she knew meant he’d done something.

“Talking about ridiculous, actually-“

“Daniel what did you do?” He went to his side of the wardrobe, pulling out a red glittery box from behind some bedsheets.

“Before you say anything, I did nothing. It was all Santa. Not me.” He handed Em the box and she looked up at him carefully. They’d agreed that he wasn’t getting her a present this year because he’d paid for her flights to Austin and Perth. She never wanted him to ever think that she was friends with him because of his money. None of it mattered to her.

“Dan we said.”

“I know. But it was Santa. And he couldn’t give this to you in front of everyone so it had to be now.”

“What have you done?”

She opened the box he’d handed her carefully, lifting the lid and pulling back two layers of tissue paper to reveal the gifts. The main one was some of the most beautiful lingerie she’d ever seen in her life. It was sage green and lacy, the fabric soft against her finger. The corset wasn’t a proper one, not boned but she knew it’d look amazing. A pair of stockings at the bottom of the box made her realise how perfect it would be.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted—“

“Oh this is pretty. This is really, really pretty.” She lifted the underwear out to let the lace catch the light, admiring the design through it.

“You like it??” Dan sounded nervous.

“I really like it. I mean, I could wear it Boxing Day when we get b…what’s this?” As she moved tissue paper a smaller box she hadn’t realised was there hit off her fingers. Em picked it up and looked at the sleek silver lettering. For her pleasure. When she opened the box there was a light lavender vibrator in the black box. A charging cable was neatly beside it along with a dust bag.

“Look if you don’t wanna use it, it’s fine. If you want to pretend that you never saw it and throw it away, that’s completely fine. But we were talking and you said you’d never tried one, so I thought why not? It could be an option for you.”

Em’s cheeks were on fire as she realised that Dan was doing it for her. She’d barely made it through the awkward conversation when he’d asked her what she liked in bed. It was impossible to explain how bad her sex life had been before him. She’d never thought it was, but the way he acted when she said it was ok for him to not worry about her orgasms had soon taught her the opposite. She still remembered the way Gregory looked at her when she said she wasn’t enjoying their sex life. Now she knew he’d been with Millie that entire time when he insisted she was enjoying herself.

She forced herself out of her thoughts, staring at Dan. He looked worried and she forced a smile. His face relaxed when he realised she was ok.

“Will you use it with me?” She felt like her body was about to rip apart from shakes and nerves as she got the words out but Dan’s grin made it worth it.

“Absolutely. We can do it right now.”

“We have to go to your parents, so when we get back. And thank you. But Dan you didn’t have to. I don’t need presents, you paid for my flights. That was enough.”

“I mean I think it’s technically more for us than just you, so it’s fine. Right?” She grinned at him and leaned against his shoulder for a moment before getting up.

“Get dressed or you’ll be late.” Em started to fix her makeup as Dan looked at her.

“Can I watch you get dressed first?”

“No touching, but you can.”

“You’re killing me here, woman!” It hurt to not just sit in his lap and kiss him but they were already starting to be late. She couldn’t be late for a visit that involved staying over.

As a little nod to his request, Em slicked on a light pink lipstick instead of the red one she planned on wearing before putting on her red dress. The no touching rule was ignored the second she moved past Dan. Instead he squeezed her butt and kissed her neck before going to get changed. As promised he was casual, one of his party shirts, a pair of shorts, and Vans. Effortlessly handsome as normal and Em was jealous of how good his slightly longer curls and stubble looked.

If she was honest to herself all she wanted to do was take her dress off, get rid of the stupidly expensive shirt he was wearing and spend the day kissing him. Ask him to use the new toy sitting in the box. But they couldn’t. They needed to get going. When they were about to head out the door Dan decided to steal a kiss. It was supposed to be just one final one, but it turned into two. Then three. Then Em was pinned against the wall, hands running through Dan’s hair as his hands gripped her hips and waist. She pushed her lips to wherever she could reach, kissing up the bridge of his nose and along his cheeks.

Em would never admit it in a month of Sundays to him, but it was the right decision to not wear the red lipstick. Her whole face would be red. They needed to go. Get in the car and leave, but he was addictive. It was one of the things she adored about him and sometimes hated, how hard he was to leave behind. Every time they said it was the last one there was just one more.

She knew they wouldn’t be able to do this for another two days. The plan was to stay with Grace and Joe for Christmas Eve and Day, so they could be around all the family for the festivities before coming back on Boxing Day. Which meant no touching or kissing, and she couldn’t say no to the last make out session for 48 whole hours. She giggled at Dan’s expression as he moved away, Em using her thumb to clean the sheen of lipstick from his lip.

The one thing she didn’t expect was Dan grabbing her hand when they walked to his truck, and holding it again in between shifting gears while he was driving. It had never been a thing for them until they arrived in Perth. They’d been grocery shopping and picking up last minute presents in a crowded supermarket, everyone out to prepare for the season. Out of the blue there were fingers linking hers, Dan holding her hand while they walked through the aisles. His fingers interlaced with hers until they got to the checkout, and then went back as they walked back to the truck.

Grabbing someone’s hand for a moment in a crowded place was fine. Friends did that in busy places so they didn’t lose each other, especially when one of them was new to a place. You don’t lace your fingers with them. And Em couldn’t bring herself to let it go while she tried to ignore the size difference or how good it felt.

She really did try not to think about it, but it was impossible while his thumb rubbed lazy circles against her skin. He was soft and warm and his long fingers were one of her favourite things in the world. Sitting in the car then she could admit it to herself, she loved him. She loved the way he made her feel about herself almost as much as she loved him. And then the playlist flipped over and a grin spread across her face while she heard the opening fiddle strains of Our Song.

Em didn’t even need to say anything. All she did was look over as Dan was intently staring at the road with a grin on his face to know he did it deliberately. He’d learned pretty early on that a surefire way to cheer her up was to put Taylor on. Em could still never thank him enough for that night in Philadelphia when they’d gotten to see Our Song live without the band. It had been magical. Dan started to sing along with his exaggerated accent to make her giggle. There was nobody else for her, all she could focus on was being happy. The nerves, the worry faded away as she sung with hi, and collapsed into giggles when they finished. Em sang it looking over at him, watching how he grinned and shimmied in his seat as they drove the road back to the city instead of staying out at the countryside. All she wanted was to kiss him silly and start her Christmas Day sharing a bed with him. It’d still be worth it, but it was weird.

She may not have gotten a Christmas Eve kiss from her favourite member of the family, but Isaac wouldn’t let her go and kept kissing her cheek. He insisted on sitting next to her at dinner, Dan on Em’s other side. Dan casually ran his hand along her thigh under the table cloth as they all ate. She joked and laughed along with everyone, getting Isaac to eat his veggies thanks to the joy of stealing from Auntie Emmy’s plate and not even realising what was happening.

The best part about the meal was nobody judged her for her plate of food. Everyone else was eating the Feast of the Seven Fishes, plates piled with seafood that she didn’t particularly enjoy. Instead Grace had handed her a plain one, with pasta and sauce and cheese. She smiled when she got it, getting a “enjoy”.

There was no pressure on Em to try new things. The serving platters were spread on the table for people to take what they liked. If she wanted something and it looked good to her she could have it. If she liked it, great. If not Dan was happy to eat off her plate. Once they started talking and sharing drinks she couldn’t remember why she was so nervous. She knew the Ricciardo’s. She’d spent days with them, relaxing and watching Dan race. This was just another dinner like the ones they’d had before, except here they had a celebration as an excuse.

When dessert came around Grace brought out Em’s cake and tart, placing them in the centre of the table.

“Em made these, so I’m saving the pav for tomorrow. I hadn’t put it together and these are fresh!” Grace announced as she handed out bowls, Joe cutting into the cake first and showing the layers. It was congratulations and compliments towards Em, Isaac grinning as he ate his tart. It felt strange to get complimented for what she’d done by people. Usually she stayed quiet and in the background because she didn’t want to speak too loudly.

Even with the worry that someone would ask questions Em could feel herself relaxing beside Dan. He had his arm resting on the back of her chair, hugging around her shoulders like it was nothing. She wanted to move away but she couldn’t, Isaac on her lap before she lifted him and carried him into the living room for Christmas Eve presents. They settled in on the sofa, Isaac waking up a bit more and looking around.

Em wasn’t expecting anything. They’d welcomed her into their home, offered her somewhere to stay and it was more than she thought. But as stockings were handed out Joe offered one over to her.

“Everyone gets a stocking. We guessed on the pjs, apologies if they’re too big.” She smiled as she opened it, Isaac handed back to Michelle so Em could open it. Inside was new shorts pjs with red and black checkers, shampoo and conditioner, and a mixture of sweets. There was also a new notebook and a smooth writing pen. She couldn’t believe it. It was presents chosen specifically for her. The tiny little gold E in the bottom right corner of the notebook cover proved that for her. It was the middle of summer, she was in Australia for Christmas, and there was a group of people together who genuinely liked each other and somehow liked her. It didn’t feel real.

As midnight hit it was hugs and congratulations, everyone heading towards their rooms as they were shooed away with the promise that Santa was on his way so everyone had to go to bed. For the first time in far too long she didn’t have to suppress a shudder as someone who wasn’t Dan hugged her, smiling at Grace and Joe and returning the hug. Michelle and her husband got a one armed one that she gave willingly. It felt magical. And it wasn’t weird that the biggest hug was from Dan. She wouldn’t kiss him in front of everyone, but once everyone was going to bed he followed her into the guest room she was staying in.

“Two hands or the hug doesn’t count, right?” Em asked as he pulled her into a hug. His head leaned against hers and Em pushed her head into the spot where his neck and shoulder met. Alone she was able to run her hands along his warm back, pulling him close as Dan nodded and squeezed her waist. “That’s my huggy boy.”

As he hugged she didn’t want to let go, holding onto him in the privacy. Dan pushed kisses to the top of her head and her shoulder as much as he could. Em was just glad to have him there. He made things easier for her. She’d come with him and been so nervous but it was easy with him. Terrifying, but easy. She looked up at him and saw the smile, reaching up on her toes to kiss him.

The smile on Dan’s face as he realised what was going on and what she was doing would sustain Em forever. He was contagiously happy as they kissed, and Em was so close to telling him everything. But for the first time in years she was going to have a good Christmas and she couldn’t say no. She couldn’t ruin that on herself. So she held onto him as he kissed the top of her head and pretended everything was fine. She could do it.

“You need to go back,” Em whispered, afraid of breaking the spell between them.

“Can I stay here?”

“You need to go. What if your parents find out?”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll go back to my room early in the morning. Please?” She couldn’t resist him and he knew that.

“Fine.” It was one more kiss before she went to get her pjs on. They were curled up in bed and Em heard him barely whisper.

“Merry Christmas, Emmy.”

“Merry Christmas, Dimples. Thanks for inviting me tonight,” she murmured before pushing a kiss to his shoulder and cuddling in to sleep.

“Any time, Wrinkles. It’s gonna be the first of many.”

Taglist

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kokoa-la · 11 months

Text

Prompt from @help-i-need-a-cool-username

Danny was tired of his neighbor’s bullshit. Above his head rested the well known crime lord of crime alley, Red Hood. Now, Danny used to be a vigilante, he gets it, truly, but that did not mean he forgave the other for the sheer amount of wake up calls he’s gotten. He knew he was a light sleeper, has been ever since the portal opened and since the portal was shut down by yours truly, but the amount of noise was still unacceptable. Did the guy not know he lived right below him? He knew that the building was in a rough patch, but it wasn’t deserted. He wasn’t the only one here ya’ know. By now the halfa had had enough. He had a class at 9 am tomorrow in literal physics. He needed sleep if he didn’t want to pass out in the lecture that he 100% needed for the midterms in 2 weeks. He would have gone up and complained in person if he wasn’t, you know, on the run. So he sat in his bed, grabbed earbuds, played one of his sad playlists and tried his best to sleep.

That was it, Danny was going to actually kill the Red Hood. Here Danny is, minding his own business, writing a paper for the English class he had to take for extra credits, and in storms 5 men kicking down his door with all sorts of weapons. They were in all black with hoods and bandanas covering the bottom half of their faces.

“Where’s Red Hood? We know he lives here!”

The half had had enough. Here he was, on page 2 of a 5 page paper, while on 9 shots of espresso and 3 energy drinks to make up for the lack of sleep he got last night because of the same very guy this gang is looking for. He was going to strangle this man, hands down, screw the GIW.

“I’m literally a college student trying to live off of a minimum wage salary, if all of us could be crime lords and afford an apartment without a day job, we’d all do it.”

“Where is the Red Hood?!”

The guy in the middle had yelled before pointing a gun right at Danny’s head. He sighed before standing and putting his hands above his head.

“I don’t know. He’s not here, and I don’t even think he lives in the building.”

He didn’t know why he was covering for his neighbor's ass, but he already had one foot in, so why not the rest of him?

“Don’t bullshit me! We know he lives here!”

“Are you sure it was this building, and not the one across the alley?”

Dany inched closer as the main guy looked over at the goon next to him and started arguing. By the time they looked up, Danny was right in front of the gun, merely inches away from the barrel now pointed at his chest.

“Boo.”

His eyes glowed a vibrant neon green before the lights turned off leaving the apartment in pitch black.

Red Hood cursed as he realized how careless he’d been. One of his men had informed him that they received a warning from one of their informants. Apparently, there was a new gang on the rise with the sole purpose of taking him down. Somehow they’d followed him to his apartment one night and were staging an attack right now. Luckily, it didn’t seem like they knew his civilian identity, but he didn’t know that for sure. Plus, if they broke in and he wasn’t there, he didn’t want to know what they’d do to the others inhabiting the complex.

It took him about two minutes to get there using his bike. He scaled the side of the building and got in through his window only to find his apartment exactly as he left it. Had his men lied to him? Or had the gang just not arrived yet?

Well, that’s what he thought before he heard gunshots below his feet. He scrambled down the stairs and ran to the apartment below him, taking out his gun and slowly walking towards the door. It was dead silent. It seemed that the last noise to leave the place was that one stray bullet, since then not a sound.

Hood cursed under his breath before turning the corner and moving the broken door out the way. Inside was a pile of 5 men in all black knocked unconscious with a man sitting on top of them criss crossed holding a bat with a green sticker on it in one hand while the other typed on the open laptop sitting in his lap. The vigilante didn’t even move. He lowered his gun to the floor and just stared at the scene at hand. Eventually the man looked up at him with ashy blue eyes and a tired look about them. He sighed before closing the laptop and resting his chin on the small end of the bat.

“Dude, it’s 3 am. Can you please tell your enemies to stick to acceptable invasion hours?”

Hood didn’t even know what to say. He just stood there at the door, even clocked his head sideways in confusion. The other sighed.

“I have a class at 7 am tomorrow and this paper is due like yesterday, so can you just, I don’t know? Schedule this shit? Or at least make sure they have the right apartment. I didn’t complain about the noise before, but this is ridiculous.”

Yeah, Jason couldn’t believe his eyes or ears right now. Was this man serious? He cleared his throat before finally speaking.

“Right… sorry about that? I guess? I’ll take them off your hands. No promises about the schedule though. I can’t exactly control when people try to kill me.”

He stepped forward only for the other to raise the bat at him threateningly. He still sat on the 5 men, and still was pretty far away from Hood, so why he raised the bat he didn’t know.

“Do you want them in your house or not?”

“I want you to stay right there and pay for the bullet holes in my walls.”

“You just said-”

“Oh, I know, but you agreed so readily I’m testing the waters.”

What the fuck was up with this guy, seriously.

“You know I have a gun right? I could shoot you”

“Well so did they, and look where that ended them. Gunless and knocked out.”

Touche, Jason wanted to say, but didn’t. One of the men on the ground started to move and groan, his neighbor, without breaking eye contact with him, spun the bat in his hand and hit the man dead center on the head, knocking him out once more.

Was Jason attracted to this? Maybe.

#dc x dp #dp x dc #dc x dp au #danny phantom #danny fenton #jason todd #danny just wanted to finish his homework #jason todd didnt know he was gay #danny proceeded to accidentally become hoods guard dog cus hood refused to move away from danger twink #jason leaves fruit baskets #jason repairs his walls dw #danny tried to sue - jason said no #danny is a glorified glow stick #the fenton anti-creep stick shows itself once again

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bookishtheaterlover7 · 18 days

Text

How Long Could We Be A Sad Song?

a/n: Well, it's here! The fic that I'm most anxious to write and post. Honestly, I wrote this and got inspiration when I was in my most upset and angsty mood. Which was a few months ago, and it's been sitting within the pages of Maddie (my writing notebook), and my drafts. And somehow through a very frustrating bout of Writer's Block, as well as, the fact that I was reminded and paired my own feelings to "Taylor Swift's You're Losing Me", put it into a moodboard and boom! This fic was born.

youtube

Normally, I'd dedicate this to a special friend. But this time, I'd like to deviate, and dedicate this to myself. Weird, I know. This time though, this fic will remind me that every emotion, and every feeling is valid and if vented properly, can and will flourish into something productive and beautiful.

Alright. That's enough talk from me. I hope you all enjoy the fic. And I also hope I didn't crush you, cause well... it's angst, what else can I say? 😆

Chris Evans x Secret Girlfriend!Reader

Requested: No

WARNINGS: Panic Attacks, Angst, Established Relationship, Relationship Drama, Sad Chris, Sad Dodger

Heartbreak Divider by @firefly-graphics

Enjoy!!!

*Y/C/F/M = Your Close Family Member

Outside, the night was quiet, and peaceful. The crickets calling into the night air, frogs singing in unison, adding to the ambiance. Even the noisiest neighbor seemed to have taken some time off from being the thorn on everyone’s side. But while the world seemed almost frozen, Y/n sat in her living room, her heart pounding in her ears, and a knot forming in the pit of her stomach after she told the Love of her Life that she wanted to end their 6-year relationship. The sad part was, Chris seemed so lost as Y/n’s words hung in the air.

“I-I don’t understand...” He finally said, looking up at her from resting his head between his legs, across their living room. The space feeling more like chasm the longer this dragged on.

“I know you don’t, Chris.” Y/n sighed, getting up from her chair, and kneeling beside Chris, before taking his trembling hands in hers, hoping to give him some comfort, knowing that he could spiral into a Panic Attack in his fragile state. She knew because, if she didn’t do it for herself, she’d do the same.

They let the silence of their built home surround them, like a warm blanket. Both knew that they were only delaying the inevitable, but they selfishly wanted to hang on to what little time they had left together.

Time felt like it slowed, as Y/n’s gaze remained focused on their joined hands. Taking her back to a time years ago, on a bench, when Chris first saved Y/n...

She had been touring New York with her family, unfortunately, the crowds were too overwhelming for her, and while they were forming their lines to enter the theater of some play, Y/n couldn’t focus her breathing long enough to look at the marquee, and her chest felt tighter and tighter, as she told *Y/C/F/M that she’d like to grab a bite from the stall she saw near a bench, a few ways back, and left before he/she/they could protest.

She took advantage of the open air, and tried to regulate her breathing, by taking slow deep breaths, before arriving and collapsing on the bench. Resting her head against the back of it and feeling and inhaling the passing fresh breeze. The tightness in her chest was still there, and she continued taking deep breaths in order to regulate her breathing, not even noticing the handsome stranger, standing next to her.

“Uh, hi! Excuse me? Miss? Ar-are you okay?” He greeted, his blue eyes gleaming, as Y/n took a big breath before answering.

“Huh. Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine, Sir. Just feeling a little overwhelmed. Is all.” She laughed, wiping her cheeks. Just noticing that there were tears running down them.

“I get that. No matter how many times you do this, or come here, it can still get overwhelming... May I?” The stranger asked, gesturing to the empty space next to her. To which she nodded and scooted over a little to give him some room.

He put his bag down between his legs, opened one of the pockets and pulled out a couple of tissues, before handing them to her. That Y/n gratefully accepted, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

“The city is actually quite beautiful, but I’d prefer it if it didn’t have so many goings on, you know?” She said, breaking the comfortable silence that settled over them.

“Oh, I definitely know. It’s places like this right here, though, that helps.” He said, admiring the way the bench overlooked a cluster of buildings in the most picturesque way.

“Is that an invitation to meet here again?” Y/n laughed.

“Maybe... Are you going to take me up on it?” The stranger laughed, his face expressing hope.

“I might...” She smiled, holding her hand out, now being able to breathe easier.

“Y/n.”

“Chris.” He replied, taking it and shaking it.

It wasn’t until Y/n returned to the theater that she realized WHO she had just met. And it definitely took her a while to shake it off, and, even if it seemed like a fluke at the time, she was pretty sure that Chris winked at her from the stage that night.

She was thankful for how he helped her. And it just became a thing for them to do the other, even a couple years later, when Chris was presented a way to possibly earn money during the pandemic.

Y/n focused her gaze on the mantel, her mind wandering to when she and Chris first made this place into their home. Moving things around, deciding which items gets put on display, what color the walls are gonna be... Back when everything was possible.

“How time flies...” She trailed off.

“Y/N/N. Baby...” Chris cried, his voice breaking at the end. Which caused Y/n to swallow a sob too.

“How can I make this better? I can fix this for us.” He said, hopping down from the seat onto Y/n’s level on the floor.

“That’s the thing, Chris. You can’t.” Y/n cried, pulling her hands away, and wrapping them around herself, in an attempt to give herself some comfort, as well as ground her.

“This is the most cliche thing that I’ve ever said, but it’s not you, it’s me. I can’t handle it... It’s getting too much for me, and the sad thing is, it’s not even your fault, because it’s my own feelings, and you’re just doing your job...” She ranted, her heart going a mile a minute, her chest feeling tighter.

“Hey. Hey.” Chris said, gently taking her hands, placing one on his cheek, and cupping her cheek, allowing her to follow his breathing, slowing hers down.

They let time pass, just holding the other close. Letting the other’s presence bring their calm. Like always.

Chris has just realized how much of a colossal fuck up he just made. How the fuck did he not notice?! That Story went from wholesome to “What did I just do?!” in just a few hours.

His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he felt like he couldn’t catch his breath. Pacing back and forth on his balcony, the fresh air rendered useless in relieving him.

“Hey. Chris, everything’s going to be alright, okay?” Y/n said, putting one hand on his shoulder, getting his attention on her.

“Deep breaths. 2 seconds in, 3 seconds out. C’mon, Babe. Do it with me.” She smiled, helping him breathe through his attack.

Some time later, Y/n helped him onto their couch. Dodger hopping on next to Chris, allowing him to pet the little guy. She had left the room to grab him a glass of water. Which after handing it over to him, she sat down behind Dodger, hand on Chris’ knee, letting her presence and silent assurance say what words may fall short on.

“We can do this, Baby. We can work through this, fight it.” Chris said, pulling back to look at Y/n’s eyes, determined.

“No, Chris. We can’t. I can’t.” She said, pulling away, and standing so that she was facing away from him, the view from their window her only comfort in this moment.

“I know that you want to make this work, because you’re you. But I can’t let you. Do you really want to stay, when I feel like a ghost in my own relationship? I literally could send you the biggest most obvious sign, and I don’t think you’d hear me.”

“But I’m here, Y/N/N. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.” Chris pleaded.

“Yeah. What happens when you need to go, Chris? When they need you to do something, again. And I have to see pics of you and her, knowing full well that that’s supposed to be me. On your arm, announcing our love and our relationship to the world. Taking on every comment, every hate, every piece of scrutiny, together. Instead, the world believes in that sham, because they don’t know I exist in your life.” Y/n cried, turning towards him, not even bothering to hold her tears back anymore.

Chris tried to reach out for her, but she took a step back. Not letting him hold her, knowing full well that if he did, everything will feel right, and she won’t be able to do what she needed to.

“This is just temporary, Baby. It’ll soon end, and at some point, we can walk out of those doors, and be able to show everyone.” Chris said, tears shining in his own eyes.

“You’ve been saying that for years. And honestly, you don’t even know when will it end exactly. And it’s destroying you. I know that you only did this to help your family, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your own happiness.” Y/n said with conviction, her gaze filled with so much intensity, Chris avoided it and made his way to their room.

“You know, I’m right, Chris.”

“Well, has it ever crossed your mind, that maybe, I’m doing this for us? That maybe, it isn’t just for myself and my family? But for our future together?” Chris yelled, exasperated.

“And you know, that I have never cared about any of that! I don’t care if you’re some world-famous actor, or some rich gazillionaire, or whatever. I care about you, Chris. I don’t know why you could never see that.” Y/n sighed in disbelief, turning away from Chris, heading out the door to grab her bags and leave, forever.

“Wait. Baby, please wait.” Chris said, grabbing her wrist, and holding it gently, not wanting to hurt her, but make one last stitch effort to make her stay.

“I love you, isn’t it enough? I’m all yours. No part of me is ever not going to be yours. We just need to hang in there a little longer.” Silence filled the air, Y/n remaining silent for what felt like hours, until she finally spoke.

“You know I will always love you, too, Chris. But I can’t stay and end up hating you as a result. I wouldn’t be able to survive that. I’m sorry.” She said, looking at his gorgeous eyes, committing them to memory, before pulling away, and continuing her short walk to the door.

She had one foot out the door, when she felt a small tug on her pant leg. Looking down at a sad Dodger, whining, begging her to stay.

“Hey, Bubba. Don’t be sad. I will never not love you. And I need you to make sure, your Daddy remembers that too. Can you do that for me?” She said, kneeling down and petting him while smiling through her tears, as Dodger barked in reply, licking her face.

“Alright. That’s my good boy.” Y/n said, giving him a final pet before nudging him away from the doorway, and closing it behind her.

The silence wasn’t as comforting without her there. Even as Dodger assumed his duties, nudging against Chris, as he petted him. He felt numb, like a huge chunk of himself was removed and no way to fill the hole.

“It’s just you and me now, Bud... Just you and me.”

a/n: You guys still good? I hope it wasn't too bad. I may need to write something to balance out the angst, but that'll be a while... 😬

Special thanks to the best girls in the world for encouraging me, and getting me through my panic attacks to finish this. I couldn't have done it without you. Love y'all! 🥹❤️

And I'm also pretty sure that this'll be the only Chris Evans as himself fanfiction I'll ever write or post... We'll see.

But will this be my last Taylor Swift x CE/Character song fic? Definitely not 😉

Until the next one! Stay safe and sane, Everyone 🫶

❤ Booky

Main Masterlist

Chris Evans Characters Masterlist

Taylor Swift x CE/Characters Songfic Masterlist 😉

Taglist: @nescavaneck @jiyascepter @royalwriteroftheuniverse @femefetalelevelingup

#chris evans fandom #chris evans x reader songfic #chris evans songfic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans imagine #chris evans x reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x you #chris evans x female reader #chris evans angst #booky's written works #dodger evans #team chris #Spotify #Youtube #chris evans

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ohraicodoll · 1 year

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i absolutely love the feral reader x joel fics

omg like yaaas give me a murdering queen

Thank you! I use to primarily write a lot of action and horror and stuff so it's fun getting to go back to that and write someone who doesn't get hung up on "being good" lol.Have this little snippet I had written!

Joel wasn’t waiting for her to come back.

No, he just happened to be doing a crossword puzzle near the entrance because Tommy was working nearby and the house was too quiet. No other reason. Not because this was the first patrol their little group was separated for and he was feeling anxious. Not because he knew she didn’t exactly get along with the others in Jackson, a little too feral for settlement life. Definitely not because he was worried since the person she’d been sent with was fuckin’ Grant of all people who couldn’t seem to keep his eyes in his fucking head.

He tapped the pencil against the paper, eyes scanning the gate and the patrolmen up top to see if they would give any signal of an approaching party. “Fancy seeing you here,” Ellie joked and hopped up on the crate beside him, legs dangling over the edge. Joel grunted and turned his eyes back down to the page, doing his best to appear busy. “They left pretty early so it shouldn’t be long now,” the teenager hummed, eyes following the same path his had done moments ago, “Like I get we’re supposed to integrate, but maybe you can pull some strings with Tommy so you and her only do patrols together.” “And why would I do that?” he muttered, staring at the black and white squares that didn’t have a single letter in them. Ellie raised a brow, “I’m sorry, did you want her to murder fuckin’ Grant?” “He can handle her,” Joel bit out though the words tasted like shit leaving his lips. The cocky asshole couldn’t handle her. Hell, he could barely handle her sometimes. The laugh that abruptly left her was enough to cause him to look up at her, “Okay, sure. Keep acting like you don’t care that you’re here and she’s out there with someone else.” He set the pencil down fully, hands going to his hips, and stared at the girl, “Ellie, do you have a point to make or are you just here to annoy my ass? I’m not worried about her and I’m not going to pull any strings. We gotta do our part here and all that shit.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah cause you happen to be casually doing a fuckin’ crossword of all things right where you can immediately see when a patrol comes back. Dude, you’re so obvious.” Ellie chuckled and jumped down to her feet off the crate, “Which is Seven Down, by the way.” He glared as she cackled and walked off, glancing down at the page once her head was turned. Fuck if she wasn’t right.

Joel wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of being right though and snapped the pages shut right as the upper patrolmen signaled a party's arrival. No, he wasn’t worried at all as they went through the process of opening up the gate. It couldn’t only be the three of them. They did have to integrate even if it felt like being eaten alive by ants. It didn’t mean he had to like it though. Didn’t mean he liked her being away from him. Grant was the first through the opening and he struggled not to grind his teeth, keeping the anxiety down even as he took in the man’s black eye and split lip, the way he limped through. Fuck, had they been attacked? He knew he should have argued with Tommy- But then she walked through behind him, perfect and intact as if she had only been on a stroll. Still the same wild girl as always, eyes taking everything in. She dumped the large canvas bag with the gatekeepers to take inventory, going through the process even as Grant limped away into town without a glance back. Joel tried to get a good look at him, but the man keenly kept his eyes to the ground as he trudged past. “Hey,” she greeted, giving him a nod and not showing any surprise at seeing him waiting, “Run went smooth. Found a decent enough stash that had been skipped past a few times. Some of these people are shit searchers. Didn’t run into any infected.” Joel nodded, eyes following Grant again before turning to her with a raised brow, “Went smooth, huh?” Her eyes darkened and she scratched at her chin, giving him a glimpse of slightly bloody knuckles, “Yeah, smooth.” Well that explained why she didn’t have a hair out of place and Grant looked like he fell down six flights of stairs. He chuckled and shook his head, any anxiety left over finally leaving his body. Of course she could take care of herself. Throwing an arm around her shoulder, they both headed back to their house, “Atta girl. Ellie was worried you would murder him.” Joel wasn’t going to mention that he was worried about the opposite, as improbable as that was, lest he wanted to get his ass handed to him. “Nah, threatening castration seems to work just fine. Didn’t feel like getting rid of a body today.” Suffice to say, Tommy stuck her with Joel for all patrols going forward. He didn’t complain.

#asks #anon #raicodoll writes #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #technically this is Red #but if I don't have to put her name I don't #I will also take Feral Reader as a name lol #joel miller #series: feral

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biblio-smia · 1 year

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the one rule [ethan landry x reader]

pairing: gender neutral reader x reader

scream 6 spoilers, brief mention of death slightly canon-divergent (timeline-wise)

Ethan Landry was on thin ice.

This was apparent when Chad slammed him against a car, throwing accusations his way. The suspicion of Ethan did not cease when they got home, the image of Anika's body hitting the floor burned into Chad's mind.

Chad's demands were absurd; Ethan knew this but he also knew that noncompliance would make him complicit with any crimes Chad thought he committed. Ethan had no choice.

All doors inside the dorm must be kept open. At all times.

It wasn't an easy rule to follow, and the force of Chad's angry fist pounding on Ethan's door made Ethan jump a handful of times before he finally got used to leaving his doors wide open.

The measure, while extreme, was not unprompted; Quinn and Anika were dead. Mindy grieved, but Chad... Chad was on the verge of madness. Every move he made was filled with paranoia, his fear for the safety of his friends outweighing any rational thinking. Ethan Landry got the brunt of the outrageous behavior — he was at the top of the suspect list.

Even as the loss of your friends put a halt to your world, the one that existed outside your bubble did not stop spinning.

The deaths of Jason Carvey, Greg Buckner, Quinn Bailey, and Anika Kayoko were all off-campus; their occupations as Blackmore students were just a coincidence.

The world went on. You could either move on with it or get left behind.

You had an econ test on Friday because, of course, you did. But you would rather do something other than sit around and wait for the killer to attack again. You knew it would happen eventually; your days were most likely numbered, but if you were to die tomorrow you wanted to go without regrets.

You tried not to seem insensitive when asking Ethan if he'd like to study together for your upcoming test, but he was quick to accept and you wondered if he was living like you.

You arrived at Ethan and Chad's shared dorm with a rigid back and sweaty palms, waiting for Chad to verify your identity through the peephole before you were allowed to enter. You could not blame him for his method of dealing with things. If it was someone you really loved, you would do the same.

Chad opened the door slowly. His trust in you was limited, and you knew how your presence at their dorm seemed, but he let you in - as long as you followed the rule.

Ethan met you in the small living room, Chad sending a wary glance before he retreated into his own room, across the hall from Ethan's. The door stayed open.

Ethan led you to his small room, cozy and lived-in with posters of all kinds decorating the limited walls. There was only space for a twin-sized bed and a shelf opposite of it, so you made do on the ground.

You set your bag down and looked around, although there was not much to see. You soaked in each detail of his room, from the faded posters to the books and CDs decorating his self, stickers plastered and peeling of the sides of the furniture. One book in particular caught your eye.

It was a piece of literature you hadn't heard of before, but it was well-loved - many of the pages were dog eared and you were sure you'd see annotations if you were to open it. You picked up the book, glancing curiously at Ethan. He responded with a questioning glance. Weren't you here for econ?

You took a seat on Ethan's floor, leaning up against his bed. Before he could protest, you patted the space next to you. Ethan obliged and you tried your hardest not to lean into him.

Your fingers graced the cover of the book, searching the surface for any answers.

"What's it about?" You asked Ethan with a smile.

You could've opened the book, just a little, to read the summary but the way Ethan's hands were on his knees, nervously balling the fabric of his jeans was much more fun.

"Well," Ethan stammered out, caught a little off-guard from your sudden curiosity. It made you smile.

"It's about this guy and this girl who end up together through the weirdest circumstances - and they didn't really plan on it, but it happened, and the guy kind of goes crazy doing anything he can to protect this girl, even though they just met... he didn't realize it but he fell in love with her..."

Ethan trailed off, shakily breathing as he realized how close you had gotten. He was not used to this. You weren't paying attention to the book anymore, your entire focus was on him — his lips.

"And she'd do the same for him... because she loves him?"

Ethan forgot all about the book, barely understanding what you were saying. You were so close he could see the highlights in your eyes.

"Y..yeah! The point is that they'd do.... they'd do almost anything for each other because she's so... in love with..."

Ethan's words were swallowed by you as your lips were placed on his, gently and softly. His body tensed as his brain panicked, an unexpected situation thrust suddenly into his lap.

You pulled back, eyes wide in fear that you’d misread the situation. Your body went still as you leaned back, mouth gaping open to apologize—

And then Ethan leaned in, hand on your cheek and he kissed you.

It was awkward and it was soft, reflective of the boy pressed up against you. Ethan fumbled around as he tried to adjust to you and your touch that sent electricity through his body.

You broke away and you took a long, shuddering breath, taking a moment to let your eyes take in Ethan and his slightly-parted pink lips, the quick rise and fall of his chest, his eyes—

You couldn't help yourself as your hands flew up to Ethan's face, his own moving to rest on your waist. You guided him, teaching him where to lean and tilt his head as your lips detached and reattached, the sounds of your lips on his driving Ethan crazy. Hands began to wander and a low sound traveled out of Ethan's mouth and to your ears, one that made you place your lips against Ethan's neck in an attempt to retrieve another.

And then, with Ethan's lips on yours again and his eyes shut, Ethan stuck out his leg to push the door closed.

He didn’t care what Chad would accuse him of for doing so. He forgot the way Chad slammed him against a car, demanding answers for Ethan's disappearance and the suspicion in his eyes. Ethan did not need Chad’s trust. He just needed you. All Ethan could think about was you; all he could feel was your lips on and off his, swelling up as you kissed and Ethan whimpered again, louder now that he was confident the sound was only for you.

The ice cracked; Ethan was sinking now, but at least it was into you.

#ethan landry x reader #ethan landry x you #ethan landry #scream x reader #scream #ethan landry fluff #scream 6 #v writes #v + ethan

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gojifan97 · 2 years

Note

An AU where All for One accidentally sends his son Izuku and his ward to Tomura to the wrong summer camps. Izuku gets sent to a training camp for young villains. Tomura gets sent to an All Might fans summer camp with All Might himself as a guest lecturer. Please work your cracky magic!

AFO had it all under control. At least that's what he told himself. In actuality being potatoed had really frazzled his mind, so when Inko and Kurogiri asked for coordinates at the same time, he quickly looked up both and sent them, never even noticing he sent them the wrong coordinates.

Inko was confused that the camp was so remote, but she trusted her husband. So she told Izuku she loved him and sent him off. When Izuku arrived it didn't take him long to figure out he was at the wrong camp, what with nobody knowing anything about AM and several camp counselors being wanted criminals, but it wasn't like he could openly say anything now could he? Luckily, everyone treats him with respect as AFO's protoge so he plays along so he won't get killed.

Tomura wonders if he did something wrong for Sensei to send him to what seems the 10th circle of Hell. Or could this be the villain camp? Yes, a villain camp disguised as an All Might camp! That makes perfect sense! Unfortunately his attempts to flaunt his authority soon get him sent to the time-out corner, and he's forced to wear gloves to control his quirk. He'd fight back, but that Todoroki girl is terrifying.

Izuku is soon practically running the camp. Not only is he the smartest kid there and giving everyone in depth quirk analysis in exchange for swearing their loyalty to him (so he can keep them from using his advice for evil and maybe get them to buy merch for him), but he's also learning a lot that would be useful for hero work from the counselors! Also people genuinely like him, which is an absolute dream for him! The only one that doesn't is that janitor Dabi who insists Izuku's a spy. Everyone ignores him for being a conspiracy theorist who failed to kill a mouse once.

Tomura is having less success. His prior quirk usage has caused them to watch extra close that he doesn't "accidentally" lose his gloves, meaning that when an All Might handshake event happens he actually has to shake that filthy beast's hand! Without killing him! Also All Might talks about things like not leaving everything for him and helping yourself, which Tomura hates for actually being ok advice! Even worse, All Might at one point asks Tomura on video game metaphors to use! Tomura helps of course, but only to show off how much he knows. He's such a problem child that eventually the camp's guidance counselor takes interest in him: Gran Torino.

To everyone's shock, Gran's "character building" sessions actually work! Partly because he plays video games with Tomura afterward (he's quite good) but also because Tomura respects violence. Soon he's decided violence without being arrested seems like a neat idea after all! Especially since he can adopt a corgi that way! When Tomura learns that Gran new his grandma, he comes clean to help him stop AFO so he can get that corgi because it's the right thing to do.

Izuku finally brings Dabi to his side by letting him run the camp's theater club. Dabi loves melodramatic acting so much he forgets about his father. Well mostly, he still loves bashing Endeavor in his plays. Izuku then has his legion overthrow the counselors and become Heroes! Except Dabi, he's becoming a theater actor/vigilante.

Izuku's calling the authorities when AM arrives at the villain camp. Izuku: I need the Heroes to come and arrest some major villains! We're at- AM: I AM HERE! Izuku: Wow that was fast! Dispatcher: ???

AM notices no one's attacking him and that several villains are tied up. He demands to know who's in charge. They almost pull a Spartacus, but when Izuku steps forward, they all point at him.

Izuku marches toward All Might, flipping through his book like he's looking for the perfect page to handle him with. All Might tenses up. Finally Izuku stops in front of them and holds his book out. Izuku: Can I have your autograph? AM: ???

The villains are arrested, the villain kids (and Tomura) pardoned for their help, Tomura gets his corgi, Izuku gets AM for a new dad and eventually OFA, and AFO flees the country to escape Inko the heroes. He will later be found with a concussion caused by someone beating him with a frying pan. The culprit is still a unknown.

#all might: young midoriya is such a sweet innocent boy!#gran: he took over a camp full of hardened of villains in less than a week with no backup or experience #despite the counselors including several hardened murderers #am: yes but he did it innocently!#my hero academia #tomura shigaraki #izuku midoriya #all might #5 headcanons ask game

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orchid-mantis-petals · 5 months

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WHEN HOME BECOMES YOU CHAPTER 4:

/ Why hello again!! Omg a post before 12 am MST shocker!! But here she is in all her glory. Chapter 4. Finally things are taking off!!

/ Couple of prefaces before we begin: I don’t own Stray Kids. I just love them dearly and want you to enjoy them too. All of the work here in this blog belongs to me. Do not copy or steal my work. Lastly I know very little about motorcycles so don’t come at me if things are wrong. I’ll learn and fix them 💜💜

/ I would like to thank @maximumkillshot she has been an absolute angel guiding me this week. She’s helped move the chapters and timeline of this fic in a proper direction. (The motorcycle scene in here is her brilliant idea)

/ Genre: Angst, comfort, fluff

/ Warnings: Panic attack (Han), anxiety, yelling, mentions of sleep (or lack of), crowds, and as always swearing

/ Summary:

“Y/N, I need to protect them,” he motioned to the boys as a defense.

“Sure, in the studio, on the stage, but here in this moment that is my fucking job. Out here I am your shield, I am your protection. I am the reason you will get from a to b safe and sound. Use me for the skills that I have. You put yourself into danger back there Chan!! Don’t ever do that again!! You said you trusted me, fucking prove it yah?? Let me do my goddamn job. Got. It??”

Your last few months since your arrival in Korea was to build up the team you had been assigned. From the moment you were given the job you were told to build a team you trusted to protect a high volume client. Without hesitation you hand picked the team based on their background and skills. It took you two weeks just to pick out the team. The rest of the time you built them up. You hoped this team was one you could be proud of, if they weren’t you’d scrap them all. It was something you had warned them from the beginning. If they weren’t up to the task you’d cut them from your team. No hesitation. It was easy to see some of the younger men were startled, the ones closer to your age had an air of arrogance you couldn’t wait to knock down a peg. Finally the day came, just as you entered the JYP building for your own daily training you got the call. The clients had arrived back from their overseas schedules. You were to meet the leader and a few of his staff upstairs in conference room 4. You were glad to have packed your uniform in your gym bag. After a quick change you wandered up to the room. Around a large table you saw various sets of faces. Some you had met through your months here, some were new. With a gentle knock you pushed the door open and bowed to greet the room. All faces were turned to you at the door.

“Hello, good morning everyone,” in a moment they all stood, bowed and greeted you formally as you sat down in one of the chairs. Directly across from you on the other end was a man you had vague recognition of, but you couldn’t place where you had recognized him from. His broad shoulders, bare face, and shaggy curls really didn’t give you much inkling.

“Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Christopher Bang Chan. But by all means please call me Chan. Everyone else does. I look forward to working with you,” he was formal, though you weren’t surprised, he was the leader of an apparently world famous idol group. Formalities were necessary in professional environments like this. You enjoyed the refreshing professionalism and charisma that seemed to roll off him in waves.

“Thank you, Chan,” it felt slightly awkward as it slipped off your tongue but he didn’t protest so you continued. “My name is (L/N), (F/N). Please call me by my first name. Since we’re being informal,” you smiled at him, it seemed to ease a slight tension in his shoulders. At his relaxation you also took a deep breath. “Has JYP spoken to you about what is going on??” you wanted to gauge the knowledge he had on the security situation.

“He told me enough, but I would like to hear it from you as well. So that we are both on the same page,”

“JYP has hired the company I work for to become private security for his idols. While you and your band were in America I used that time to hand pick and build a team I have confidence will do their best job to protect you and your band. Here are the files on every member of my team. It includes background, training, and skills. My own file is in there,” he nodded as he took the papers from you. You watched as he slipped them into a bag at his feet.

“Would you like to meet the band?? I heard the rest of your team had today off. But as the leader I would like you to meet them. I think it would ease some of the tension of change if they had a face to see,” change was hard you knew that. If providing them a name and face would help ease whatever stress they had you would be happy to.

“My schedule is clear until we work tomorrow. I am happy to meet them,” with a nod you joined Chan as he stood. The rest of the people in the room idled before they too dispersed to finish whatever tasks they had been assigned for the day. It was a short elevator ride to the practice rooms and a quick walk down the hall.

“Between schedules you’ll likely find us here. I will be sure to get you my phone number so if you need to reach me at any point you can,” you nodded as he slid open the door to the practice room. The flood of noise that filled your ears was shocking. Within the room you could see bodies moving around to music that blared loudly over a set of speakers tucked at the back of the room. Some of the noise filtered from sneakers as they scuffed the floor, instructions that were shouted over the music. Or the occasional holler of one of the men as they enjoyed the energy. It was refreshing to see such a lively attitude from how long you’d been on a strict schedule for your team. “Boys!!” Chan called above the music. You watched as all eyes moved to the two of you at the door. Whoever was closest to the radio moved to pause the music. Once it was Chan moved to stand by the boys. “Line up,” it was easy to see how quick he took command of the room. All of them, eight with Chan lined up in a row as Chan began a countdown “1, 2, 3, Step out, hello we are Stray Kids,” all at once they bowed hands creating a gesture you knew was likely unique to their team. After they greeted you it was your turn.

“Hello,” you bowed, low and formal. “I am (L/N), (F/N), please feel free to call me Y/N. I am the leader of your new security team. Come tomorrow I will begin my job of protecting you,” as you lifted your head your eyes met those of someone familiar. In a moment it all came crashing back. It was no shit the name Chan, and Stray Kids was familiar. Right there, three feet in front of you. There he was, the man with the dreamer eyes. It seemed he recognized you too. His jaw slack as he stared, as though it was unbelievable to have found you here. It wasn’t his face, more so his reaction to recognizing you. In a moment you covered your mouth as a fit of laughs wracked your chest. “I am so sorry,” you apologized as you turned your back to them and laughed harder. It was soon another laugh filled the room as you turned back to look at the group. He too had begun to laugh along. It had left the entire room in a state of confusion. The rest of the boys looked as though the two of you had gone mad.

“Chan, this is the security guard from America,”

“The one who saved you??” the two of you managed to collect yourselves as you both faced Chan.

“The very one, she dove between me and STAY to get me free. She said she had to kick me to do it,”

“She kicked you?!?!” oh maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say, the entire room shifted. The young man who shouted glared daggers at you now. That really wasn’t the first impression you had wanted to go for.

“Guys, guys she had to. She didn’t even kick hard. It was just enough force to get me loose from the crowd. Even came to check on me after the show. Y/N is a life saver,” that seemed to ease the tension of the room. But you could see your welcome was now unwelcome by some.

“It's nice to meet you, I better go,” before you slipped out of the room you made sure to bow, providing them with the utmost respect before you exited the room. Back to your original plan of the day you spent the next few hours down at the gym. Your interaction from earlier was good fuel to your boxing set that was prime overdue. After you logged the four hour set, and reminded yourself you would have to remove a set from a different day to give yourself some reprieve it was time to go home. A quick shower and a fresh set of clothes under your riding gear and you were on your way. Fate wasn’t really on your side today it seemed. Just as you settled your backpack on you heard the now more familiar shouts of Stray Kids as they entered the parking garage. All noise stopped once they had spotted you though. With a sigh you turned, giving the group a polite wave before you returned to set up the navigation on your phone.

“Y/N,” the deep trill of a soft voice at your side called your attention. When you looked up you found one of the members now beside you. You had left the room so fast you hadn’t even bothered to learn the names of the men you’d be protecting. Now, stood before you was a blonde man, with the prettiest freckles that fanned over his nose and cheeks.

“Yes,”

“Felix,”

“What's up Felix??” oh, the way he smiled at you when you called him by his name. It settled a warmth over your soul, lit into a gentle blaze as you looked into his eyes.

“Well, we were just admiring your motorcycle. Changbin over there really likes the color. You see, he kinda has this thing for pink,” you gaze shifted away from the blonde to the group. Changbin, was he your dreamy eyed man?? “He’s the big buff one,” Felix kindly pointed out as you looked at the group. So he was, you took mental note. “Anyway, he’s really shy. But I think he'd like it if you would talk to him,” when Felix smiled at you like that, how were you supposed to say no.

“Sure, I was just thinking I needed to learn everyone's names,” as you stood you moved to put your helmet down, having decided that morning to attach a set of fluffy rabbit ears on it for a fun effect.

“Wait, please bring the helmet,” quizzically you raised a brow to Felix, ‘why’ painted all over your face. “Bin, he likes cute things. I think it will make him blush,” oh, he was trying to tease his friend. “He likes you, hasn’t stopped chatting about the security guard from America since the day you saved him,” so the helmet would come with.

“Okay, let's go,” you smiled at Felix. You giggled as he beamed back, before you could stop him his small hand wrapped around your wrist as he dragged you forward to the group. With your helmet in hand you followed him, wary of the daggers that now bore into your face. The same man from before stared at you with a narrowed gaze, a shiver zipped up your spine. He clearly wasn’t your biggest fan.

“Guys!! Y/N didn’t get to learn our names!!” Felix called as he planted you in front of the group, he was kind enough to stay at your side when he dragged you over.

“Ah, well I know Chan’s from our meeting. And now I know yours Felix,” your gaze moved along the group, a few stood rather defensive but you wanted to try something to break the ice. “Felix said your Changbin??” you tilted your head as you eyed the man, when you had first met him you were in such a hurry you didn’t get much chance to take him in. Now, it seemed you would have all the time in the world. One thing that didn’t change though was the deep pools that were his eyes. What secrets they held, what things they saw. So much the same as the first time you saw them. “It’s really nice to finally have a name to go with that handsome face,” maybe you stroked his ego but damn was it worth it when the effect was so immediate. His cheeks flared in a deep red, you could even see it run over the tips of his ears. Felix doubled over with laughter at your side.

“Oh she’s funny,” the man that stood by the one currently ready for your demise spoke up as he giggled. “I’m Han, behind me is Lee Know,” right Han, and Lee Know.

“The others are Seungmin, Hyunjin, and I.N.,” Chan introduced the others as they seemed distracted in their laughter.

“It is nice to finally meet all of you. I will see you in the morning at the airport,” you bowed once more as you lifted your helmet up from your side and onto your head. All eyes shifted from you to Changbin as one of the fuzzy ears flopped down to the side of your helmet giving a droopy look to one and a half droopy to the other. You swore his cheeks got darker in mere seconds. You made a mental reminder to thank Felix for the icebreaker he provided. As you were on your way you circled the boys on your bike as you gave them one last wave of the night.

****

When morning arrived the next day Chan wasn’t sure how much sleep he had gotten the night before. After he made sure the others had gotten home safe he locked himself away in his room to work. Sure he could have gone back to the studio but they had a 5 am flight to Japan for a broadcast. If he had stayed at the studio he would have missed the flight. So he stayed home. He made sure the others got sleep, and that he got some. Before it had gotten too late he made sure to send you an email of the next month's schedule. Come morning he had downed two cups of coffee just to get his feet out the door. All bags were packed and settled by the door. With three broadcasts in Japan, and an awards show, they’d be there for a week before they’d come back to Korea for another session of broadcasts.

“Morning,” he looked up to find Changbin in the doorway of the kitchen, his broad frame leaned against the wood.

“Morning,” he greeted back as he looked at his watch, ah it was time to go.

“Cars loaded, staff are waiting for us,” Chan nodded as he settled his cup into the sink. He’d take care of it when they got home next week. As soon as the eight of them stepped into the parking garage you were there with the team you had cultivated. Chan hoped that he wouldn’t have to witness the skills you so cleanly listed in everyone's files. Especially today, 4 am was far too early to have to deal with a crowd of people. Chan especially knew how easy it was for Han to have an anxiety attack when he was tired. The freshly risen boys were an easy target for any possibility, Chan knew that all too well. When you stepped up you nodded short but sweet, then you turned to address the entire group.

“Dispatch has leaked today's flight schedule. Airport staff called the company early this morning. STAY is here, and they are wound up. I asked airport security to give us additional support as we go in. They have also notified me they have barricades set up to keep STAY pushed back. It will be loud, and I will keep a fast pace through here. Staff have already been sent ahead. I need you to trust me here, no matter what happens have faith that my team will handle it,” Chan watched his boys, their faces turned serious as they listened to you, even Lee Know was pulled into your instructions. Though he knew it was more so he knew Han and the rest would be alright. It had been a long time since he had felt so at ease with a set of security. Your attention to detail when it came to their safety was more than just a little refreshing. . When they were ready Chan let you know, he had faith in you. It was easy after you had shown such protective instincts with Changbin in America.

“Y/N, we’re ready,” you nodded as you guided your team into position With the added help of the airport staff Chan watched you work your magic. You had all of them line up single file as the security team surrounded them. Changbin took the front.

“If at any point you need one of us closer grab our shirts. We’ve got you,” you assured as you took your place at the back, Chan right in front of you. With a deep breath he followed the line you created with them. For once he felt like they could make it out of this with minimal damage. Wishful thinking, he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy as soon as they entered the airport lobby. From the second the doors opened he could hear STAY scream out for them. Lights flashed bright against his eyes. He was glad to have brought sunglasses with him. Chan let your team guide them up to the security entrance, beyond that they would be safe from the roaring crowd that surrounded them. Just feet away from the security gate his hopes were dashed. One of the barricades hadn’t been properly latched, in seconds it swiveled open, then toppled over by the overzealous fans eager to get closer to the boys. The loud sound drew the attention of the two men that were at Han and I.N.’s side. It created a gap, a gap that allowed STAY to get close, too close. In seconds Chan moved to protect the two younger members of his team. In the gap he could see two young women reach out to grab them, they snagged at Han’s clothes, aimed for I.N. 's hat. But before he even had the chance to set foot in front of the women. Before he could even use his own body to protect his boys, you were there. Right in front of the two young women. With gentle hands you guided them back to the barricade as the rest of your team tightened up around the boys.

“MOVE IT,” you barked over the noise of the room, and suddenly they were pushed forward to the security gates, each of them guided through the check and beyond the lobby. The silence that fell on them was deafening, Han was tucked into Lee Know’s side noise canceling headphones tucked tight over his ears. I.N. had shakily hidden himself against Hyunjin who also looked unnerved by the situation. So much had happened all at once Chan wasn’t quite sure where to begin. Truly he just wanted his boys to be okay. In seconds he moved to look after Han and I.N.

“Christopher Bang Chan,” all attention shifted to you, even his. After all, you just used his full name. But he couldn’t deal with whatever you had to say. Not when he saw Han’s shoulders hunch forward as Lee Know guided him down into a seat. The young man was clearly on the verge of an anxiety or even panic attack. He needed to make sure he was okay first then he’d face whatever you had to say.

“Hold on,” he added in a calm tone, body turned to Han.

“Sit. The. Fuck. Down,” oh, you weren’t going to take no for an answer. Chan turned to you his brows furrowed, the first thought that crossed his mind was how dare you speak to him like that. But then he saw you, shirt rumpled from what he assumed were fans. Eyebrows' downset eyes held a fiery gaze, one he did not question. Whatever retort he had died on his tongue as he sat in one of the chairs. “What the fuck was that?!?! Huh!! I explicitly remember telling you to trust me. That wasn’t trust Chan,”

“Y/N, I need to protect them,” he motioned to the boys as a defense.

“Yes ma’am,” you were right, he interfered with your job. He put himself in harm's way. While he decided it was okay to do that, he was then quick to realize his decision could have made things so much worse for his members. That it had made things worse for you. He heard snickers from the other security members behind you, he felt whatever shame that settled into the pit of his stomach was deserved. That was until he watched you wheel around onto them.

“What the fuck are you all laughing at!! At least he had the balls to step up and protect his team. I will ask you the same thing I asked him,” Chan had to admit the way you took command of the room from your stance and voice alone was terrifying, having seen this side of you he vowed to never experience it again. “What the fuck was that?!?! I spent the last few months training you fools to be a near perfect team. But I can see now that you may not be up to the task. You left them wide open. You allowed those girls to get close. TOO CLOSE,” he wanted to ask you to not shout, for the sake of his boys but words wouldn’t form on his tongue, in awe as he watched the grown men in front of you, men near double your size cower before you. Not unlike he did when you scolded him. “You do not get another chance, if you want to be part of this team you will prove it to me in Japan. If you don't, the second the wheels touch down in Korea, you’re done. I have people more eager to prove themselves than you. So prove it to me you deserve to be on MY team. Got. it??” Silence fell upon the room, the same questions you asked him had been asked to your team, and they answered much like he did. After it was said and done your shoulders dropped with a deep heavy breath.

****

You ignored your team, and Chan as you stepped over to Han. You had felt bad for shouting when the young man was in obvious distress. But in order for your point to come across you felt it was necessary. Gently, as to not startle him you knelt in front of Han. Above you, you could practically feel Lee Know growl. You assumed he allowed you to get close under the guise of your job. For that you were grateful

“Han, can you breathe with me,” with Lee Know occupied keeping him upright, you used the space to help guide Han to slower breaths. You rested his hand over your collar bones, it allowed him to feel the full breaths you took. Slowly you guided him back to a gentler rhythm. “Good job,” you coaxed further until his watery eyes met yours. “I saw what happened, did you get hurt,” when he shook his head you released the breath you held. “That’s good. I am so sorry that happened to you Han. I failed you today, will you allow me the chance to prove myself to you,” you smiled when he tried to protest your failure, but his eager nod proved you had at least earned his trust in some capacity. “Thank you,” slowly you settled his hand back into his own lap and stood. “I’ll make sure you get water on the plane,” you nodded to Lee Know who nodded back. Progress, you hoped so. With that in mind you wandered to I.N. the young man was tucked into Hyinjin’s side, head buried in his shoulder. Seungmin was right beside him, hands settled into his hair as he coaxed him to stay calm.

“He’s okay,” the taller of the three remarked as you knelt down.

“I.N. are you hurt??” you asked anyway, you needed to hear it from him yourself. When he nodded you saw the older two become more alert. Calmly you looked at them to settle, the only way he’d say is if the room is calm. “Tell me where please,”

“They grabbed my hair,”

“Okay, may I look??” With permission you rounded the chairs to have a look at the youngests scalp. Nestled in the coarse thick hair you noticed a couple small scratches, and some bruising. “On the airplane I will personally get you an ice pack,” you stated before you moved around to report your findings to the three huddled boys. “Unfortunately I.N. I failed you today. Though small, I did find scratches on your scalp, and small bruises. I am so deeply sorry for my failure today. In my arrogance to have you trust me, you got injured. I promise, if you allow me to continue to I will do better, I will protect you,”

“No!! No!!,” at first you thought he was protesting your protection, part of you didn’t blame him. “Y/N you were amazing back there!! You did exactly what you were supposed to. Han and I came out mostly unscathed because you did an amazing job. And you managed to put our sometimes idiot for a leader in his place. Thank you, please keep protecting us,” you chuckled and nodded to him.

“If there's no objections, I’ll stay by your side. I will prove to you each and every day I am your shield,” when silence fell over the room you moved away your own nerves frayed from the experience. You sat in your own chair a decent space away from everyone.. It didn’t go unnoticed it seemed. Soon the seat beside you was filled. Changbin occupied the space next to you. His hands settled over yours as he lifted them. The slight tremble in your fingers had him frowning.

“I heard you scold my leader, your team, then check on Han, and I.N. But what I didn’t hear was, if you are okay??” you shifted your body to look at him, his hands were so warm against yours. It soothed the last little shake in your fingers.

“I am, thank you Changbin,”

TAG LIST:

Tag List: @taeminsung @maximumkillshot @feybin @alex--awesome--22 @liknws @palindrome969 @newbbystay @highlydestiny

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sixosix · 2 years

Note

Hi there!

I recently just discovered your page and omfg I love the writing sm 🫠

AhEm. If I may request a small drabble, I thought of bakugo meeting the reader while he's working with todo and deku, if possible a female reader <3

They're probably out on a patrol for endeavor and he stumbles upon her from another agency and catches himself simping bc 😼 let's be honest I feel like he can be a real simp sometimes if it's the right person. (COUGH COUGH US)

Mwahs <3

a/n i love ur pfp so much :( <3 izuku is just the cutest, wc 1k

in your defense, you genuinely did not know, nor did you consider the possibility of it ever happening—even in another universe, or the alternate timelines in those universes! because if someone told you:

hey, did you know that that ua student bakugou katsuki will ask you out on a date today?

you would laugh and cackle as if that someone just cracked a knee-slapping joke, and you would tell them that they should sleep more or seek a psychiatrist. because that is bullshit and false information and you are not like papa.

but this universe is bullshit so the last things you expect to happen, all happen on the same day.

a villain attack at your school

you gape at the towering heap of charred rubble—your supposed-to-be school building, which had seven floors, complete with a pretty view from the rooftop—in front of you, like if you stare at it longer it will reveal itself as an illusion and you can go back to school.

your bag slips from your arms as you yell, “are you fucking kidding me?”

today was supposed to be a good day. exams finished and you’re free from schoolwork and activities, now welcome to come back to the slow pace of lazy school days—but you can’t have that in a school building that doesn’t exist.

“wish i fuckin’ was,” a gruff voice replies.

2. for the bakugou katsuki to be one of the heroes who arrived at the scene.

“oh— holy—uh,” you snatch your bag from the ground, staring dumbfoundedly as bakugou appraises you with one eyebrow raised. “i’m sorry, i didn’t see you there.”

but instead of laughing at your fast 180, bakugou grins wolfishly. “you’re not supposed to be here, princess. how did you get here? you feeling risky or just plain stupid?”

you can’t help the sharp glare. “don’t play with me. how was i supposed to know that you heroes were too shitty to prevent mass destruction?”

sirens wail from behind. from the corner of your eyes, you see deku and shouto guiding the civilians affected to emergency vehicles—while, of course, dynamight doesn’t bother because he’d rather not do that when he has two shitty extras to do it.

bakugou snorts. “ha. say that to endeavor’s face, not mine.” he tilts his head back but still meets your stare; you feel a little tingly from the sensation of having all of his attention on you. didn’t they say that he doesn’t bother with people he doesn't know? “why? you think you can do a better job?”

…is this flirting?

is he flirting with you right now or are you just blinded by the extremely attractive smirk on bakugou’s face?

“aren’t you supposed to help them gather civilians?” you murmur, and you hope bakugou doesn’t catch on the way your heart is tumbling around. “you’re just proving me right the longer you talk to me here.”

bakugou’s ruby eyes roam around your face. “shitty heroes don’t check on civilians to see if they’re injured.” piercing doesn’t seem to be enough of an adjective for bakugou’s eyes—it’s more like a rush of air getting snatched from your lungs. “good thing i’m the goddamn best.”

this guy…

“well?” you raise your arms and he very much checks you out without shame. “am i injured?”

obviously, you’re not. but you might as well play along while you’re at it.

“no.” he grins, all sharp teeth and charm. “you’re free to go. too bad your school’s nothing but pointless right now so you have nothing to do today.”

he quirks an expectant eyebrow and you gape at him.

“are you—are you asking me out?”

3. getting asked out by the most handsome ua student that you were smitten with when catching the sports festivals.

katsuki grunts, gauntlets nearly hitting todoroki’s face as he rages. “so you’re telling me that we weren’t even fucking needed to beat the criminal? why am i here then? to play patty cake?”

“it’s not just about beating the villain, bakugou,” icyhot says, melting the frost that began to cover his hand. so annoying.

stupid deku splutters, hands flailing, “kacchan i’m so sorry!”

“yeah, you better be!” he snarls at him, hands itching and restless as tiny sparks start to come off. and he can’t even relieve it because shitty deku already caught the fucker before the rest arrived at the scene.

icyhot shakes his head. “don’t apologize, midoriya. it’s not your fault that you ran into the villain. i’m glad you’re safe.”

katsuki rolls his eyes while deku wails a garbled, “todoroki-kun!”

a medic waves at them. “hey, you three! you’re heroes, right? help us round up everyone!”

deku straights, “coming!”

todoroki nods, “yes.”

katsuki scoffs, spinning around halfway to leave the area. “i’m gonna check something.”

from what he could see, the damage is more on the building than the civilians. the quirk, although weaker, was similar to shigaraki’s. but deku and icyhot (while endeavor beat the shit out of the person who attempted to sneak an explosive into a high school) evacuated everyone inside.

he sees someone standing across the mess.

“are you fucking kidding me?”

katsuki finds himself relating to that.

and as he studies your flustered face at his unexpected arrival, he finds himself thinking… well… you aren’t too bad.

you have a mouth on you, too. playing fire with fire.

he’s never seen you around before, and he’d be damned if he doesn’t see you again because things will get boring again.

unfortunately, katsuki couldn’t hear your answer, because endeavor is roaring, and deku and todoroki are frantically looking for him (more on deku with the frantic part).

“oi,” he yells at you while he’s being dragged away, and you’re still staring at him with pretty cute wide eyes, “that cafe over there. you better be there in an hour, got it!?”

you’re out of earshot by now, but katsuki can see the way you nod dazedly; he smiles to himself, like a pleased cat.

“kacchan, why is your face red? are you okay? are you sick? a quirk? did that girl do something to you?”

“shut the fuck up, i have a date later.”

a/n UMMMM tbh i feel like this isnt exactly what u requested but i got really inspired by the 'out on a patrol' scene and bakugou immediately taking an interest -- hopefully without it being too ooc

but thank u for reading (´ ε ` )♡

#606:BNHA #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha fluff #mha fluff #bnha imagines #mha imagines #bnha drabbles #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou katsuki x you #bakugou katsuki fluff #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo fanfiction #katsuki bakugou fluff #x reader

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marvelfanfn2187a113 · 1 year

Text

The Same Page Part 3

Not me saying I would make this a series and then taking forever to update 🥴.

Not sure how many parts this is going to be, probably not many. I’m not sure how good I am at writing series, I might stick to one-shots after another chapter or so, who knows.

Anyway, Reader finally confronts Sherlock and Mycroft for lying to her, at least a bit.

Warnings: angst, I guess that’s it?

Same Page Masterlist:

At least you had stopped crying.

That was the only bright side Mycroft could see as he stood next to you, your laser beam gaze directed at Sherlock’s watch resting in your shaking palms.

He had left half an hour ago, promising to return in two hours, and once you had calmed down, you had settled on Mycroft’s couch with seemingly no intention of removing your attention from Sherlock’s watch until the moment he arrived back.

“Y/N?” Mycroft approached his little sister gently. She didn’t look up. “Y/N, please look at me.” Nothing.

Mycroft considered taking the watch from your hands, but he didn’t want to set you into a panic attack.

Even after all this time, he still wasn’t completely confident in his place as your caregiver. It was impossible to be, given your condition. It was impossible to know when it was right to give you space to do your thing, and when to give out some tough love to get you into better habits.

He had started out leaning more into tough love, it was much more his style when it came to his siblings. It was effective in some cases, such as shaving your hair or the strict eating schedule he had you on to make sure that you didn’t starve yourself. But in other cases, such as when he had tried to free you from the separation anxiety you had developed by leaving you with Molly or John or any of Sherlock’s friends while he went to work, had been absolutely disastrous. Every time he had tried over the past two years, he had been called home early. Once because of a panic attack, once because you had run away to go after him, once because you had gone completely feral and tried to fight your way out of the house, and many other catastrophic events. Your desperate need for your brother was something he couldn’t seem to get out of you, and he suspected that you would be even worse with Sherlock now that he was back.

How else could he expect you to act, after falling apart over Sherlock’s death only to find out he was alive? You would be scared to death to let him out of your sights, Mycroft was sure.

But he couldn’t just let you sit here for hours, staring at that darned watch. You would go mad.

“Y/N please look at me,” he pleaded yet again. It was as if you hadn’t even heard him.

He wasn’t ready to take the watch away quite yet, because he didn’t want to see you in even more distress. He settled for sitting next to you on the couch and placing a firm hand on your shoulder.

“Y/N? I know you can hear me.”

Nothing.

“It’ll be a while before Sherlock is back, why don’t we do something fun?”

Still nothing.

Two years ago, Mycroft would’ve gotten incredibly impatient with the silent girl in front of him. But two years of endless, exhaustive navigating through the minefield of your grief and anxiety had given him more patience than he thought possible. He carefully placed his hand over the face of Sherlock’s watch.

That got your attention. A cry of protest left your lips as you pulled at Mycroft’s hand, trying to move it from the face of the watch. Mycroft grabbed your wrist with his free hand, leaning forwards so that his face flooded your field of vision.

“Y/N, listen to me. It’s alright, you know what time it is. You’ve been staring non-stop at that watch for forty-five minutes, Sherlock won’t be back for a while, please take a break.”

“Please,” it was the first word you’d spoken since Sherlock had left. “Mycroft, please.”

“You’re going to worry yourself into a fit, staring at that watch. He won’t be home for a while, this isn’t healthy and you know it.”

Your eyes finally found his. Two years of practice or no, Mycroft knew he would never get used to that look in your eyes. The wild, desperate searching, as though you were waiting for him to solve every problem, lest you fall to pieces before his very eyes.

“He is coming back. Trust me, please.”

Your fingers slacked on the watch, and Mycroft pulled it from your grasp, before pulling you into his arms.

“Tell me what you’re feeling.” That was another thing Mycroft would never get used to. He didn’t like to talk about feelings, and he almost never understood yours. But you needed his help, and he couldn’t help you if he didn’t know exactly where to start.

“Scared.”

This answer didn’t surprise Mycroft. It was the answer he got most often when he asked the question.

“Go on.”

…

You shifted in Mycroft’s arms, resting your head against his chest. He wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with this conversation.

You may be more “normal” than your brothers, but talking about your feelings wasn’t something you were very comfortable with. Still, you knew Mycroft was trying to help you, and you wanted to make that easier for him if you could.

That would require you to actually stop and think about your own feelings. What were you afraid of? It was hard to tell these days, you only knew that you felt it a lot. The rapid beating of your heart, the horrible ache in your gut, and that anxious, restless, almost indescribable feeling. That pain that pulled and scratched at your insides, like your anxiety was some kind of monster trying to rip its way through your body, consume you entirely. It felt like a living thing, tearing down every good thing that had ever existed for you.

You tried to see past it, to feel past the monster to the feeling that fed it.

“I’m scared he won’t come back.” You said finally. But that wasn’t it, not all of it.

“I’m scared…I’m scared every time I close my eyes, that when I open them I’ll-I’ll be lying in my bed, and this will all have been a dream. That I’ll have to go back to the way things have been for the past two years.” Hot tears stung your eyes, and you hung your head so Mycroft wouldn’t see.

“What can I do?” Mycroft’s voice vibrated against the side of your head, and you relaxed further into him, comforted by his presence.

“I don’t know.”

…

Your answer was barely audible, and had Mycroft not been so close to you he wouldn’t have heard it. He knew you were telling the truth, and that did nothing to stave the worry that was eating away at him. How was he supposed to know how to help you if you didn’t even know what would help? How was he supposed to take away this fear, when he knew it wasn’t an irrational one?

Countless times over the past two years, he had had to go into your room at night to comfort you after you had awoken from a dream only to find out that it was just that, and Sherlock was still dead.

But now that he was truly alive, how were you to distinguish dream from reality anymore, an ability that had been evading you for two years?

“How about we play our game, hm?” Mycroft pulled you away from him and looked down into your face. Your eyes were red-rimmed, and tears were trailing down your face. You hesitated to answer him, your eyes once again falling on Sherlock’s watch.

“It’s only been a few minutes,” Mycroft assured you. “Now come on. What do you see?”

You seemed to regain focus, and Mycroft happily noted that the tears had yet again stopped. Your eyes surveyed the room before stopping on the floor near the front door.

“Unopened box of running shoes.”

Mycroft glanced at where you were looking, and did something most unusual to his character. He began to laugh, and was delighted to see the slight smile that dusted your cheeks.

“Yes yes, point made, I’ll get back to my running schedule when I get a chance. What else?”

It was a game that he had started long ago, when you had first begun to have the trouble distinguishing your dreams from reality. Mycroft knew that in dreams, your subconscious could not create a fully accurate picture of reality, so he had created this game. It was a game that let you stop and examine your surroundings, take stock of the items and people around you, to prove that what you were seeing was real. The clock was right, Mycroft had only five fingers, the sun was in the sky, the flowerpot was in its proper place, that sort of thing. It grounded you, helped you be certain of what you were seeing when asking Mycroft “dream or awake?” didn’t ease your troubled mind.

The unfortunate thing about this game was that it could only go so long, and soon enough you were again reaching to grab Sherlock’s watch.

Mycroft put his hand over yours, stopping your movement.

“It isn’t time yet.”

“How do you know?” You demanded, “neither of us have looked at the time in a while.”

“I set a timer in the kitchen. It will go off approximately five minutes before Sherlock’s intended arrival.”

You finally withdrew your hand from the watch. “Really?”

“I promise.”

Once again you lifted your eyes to meet Mycroft’s. “Hey, Mycroft?”

He could sense fear in your tone, and it alarmed him. “Yes?”

“Am I going to get better now?” Your voice had gone quiet, as though even though you were asking him, you didn’t want him to hear.

“Better? Sweetheart, I-“

Your voice rose in volume, “now don’t pretend that I’m ok, Mycroft. I know how bad these last two years have been. I know how hard it is for you. I haven’t felt like me in—well, in a while.” You were leaning towards Mycroft now. Mycroft knew that stance, and it surprised him. It was the way you looked when you wanted to be hugged, but didn’t want to ask for one, or intrude on his space. He hadn’t seen that stance in a long time. Over the past two years, the two of you had gotten very acquainted with being close to one another, because you couldn’t bear to be away from him.

In a way, Mycroft was almost glad to see your hesitancy. As much as he had been glad that you were comfortable with him, your hesitance to ask for his comfort might be a sign that you were ready to pull away from it. To be more like your old self.

However, if you wanted him, he was still determined to be there. So Mycroft didn’t wait for you to ask, he simply pulled you into his arms, relieved when he felt you relax into him.

“I don’t have an answer for you, sweetheart. But I want you to know, I don’t care how hard it is. I’m here for you, and so is Sherlock.”

“I know.”

…

Sherlock arrived back the very moment he said he would, and you wasted no time running into his arms. He seemed uncomfortable, but Mycroft was glad to see that he didn’t let you see his discomfort.

Your face contorted when you pulled back enough to get a look at your big brother.

“You’re hurt.”

Sherlock gingerly touched the sore spot on his nose.

“It’s fine, I’m ok. John wasn’t as happy to see me as you were.”

Your eyes went wide, “John hit you?”

“Multiple times,” Sherlock muttered. “But I’m fine.”

You seemed hesitant to believe him, but ultimately relented. “Ok.”

…

It wasn’t long after Sherlock’s return that Mycroft insisted you go to bed.

You didn’t want to, sleeping hadn’t been a very easy or pleasant task over the past two years, but once he assured you that both he and Sherlock would be nearby, you finally obeyed your big brothers’ wishes.

It wasn’t a good night’s rest.

Sherlock’s return had done nothing to appease your nightmares, and you found yourself in the middle of yet another one featuring Sherlock—he often appeared in your dreams—dying right in front of you.

You awoke screaming, and you panicked when you felt strong arms grasping your shoulders, until your bedside lamp clicked on to reveal Sherlock holding onto you, shaking you to get you out of your nightmare.

You were gasping for air, and words wouldn’t come, so you simply collapsed into your brother’s arms and clung to his shirt, hyperventilating against his chest.

“It’s alright. You’re ok, you’re safe, I’m right here.”

“You were gone. You-you died again.” Your voice came out strained, and you felt Sherlock tense at your words.

“It’s fine, it was only a dream.”

Something about his words struck something in you.

“It wasn’t.”

“What?”

For the first time since Sherlock returned, you began to feel something other than the strange mixture of fear and relief.

Anger.

“It wasn’t just a dream. Some of that—some of it was a memory. You did die, you did leave.”

You felt Sherlock begin to pull away, and for the first time in a long time you didn’t try to stop him.

“You know why-“

“No, Sherlock, don’t.” Now that the door had opened to feelings other than fear, you felt your anger pour out like a flood out of a broken dam. “I don’t want your explanations anymore, what you did was wrong!”

“I couldn’t let them know-“

“I could’ve lied!” Your voice rose. “I’m could have pretended whatever you wanted me to! I would have done anything to know that you were alive!”

“I couldn’t take that chance.”

There were so many words you wanted to say, so many things to bite back at, that at first you weren’t sure what to say first. But then a thought occurred to you.

“Mum and dad.”

“What?” Was it just you, or did Sherlock sound nervous?

“Mum. And. Dad. They knew, didn’t they?”

Sherlock took a deep breath.

“They knew.”

If your anger was a flood before, now it was time for Noah to bring out the Ark. Words that hadn’t felt important enough to voice before suddenly came out as though they had a mind of their own.

“You could trust them but you couldn’t trust me?!”

“I was trying to keep you safe!”

“You broke me!” Your voice cracked. “I haven’t even felt like me for two years, and you did that! I don’t know how to be normal again, and it didn’t have to be this way, if you had just trusted me! But now, I’m never going to be the same again, and you did that to me!”

You were hyperventilating again, and Sherlock was silent and stiff as a board.

Suddenly you couldn’t bear to be near him anymore. The fear that had held you to his side was not nearly as important as the anger that invaded your thoughts, clogged your throat, and stung your eyes.

You threw the covers back and pushed Sherlock away, placing your bare feet on the cold floor and stumbling out of the room.

You had barely taken one step out of the door before your feelings overwhelmed you, and the strength and vigor that had come so suddenly collapsed just as quickly.

You managed to close the door behind you before your body collapsed in a heap, right there in the hallway.

The tears that had stung in the back of your eyes before now spilled out over your cheeks and onto your hands as you pulled them up to cover your face.

You didn’t know what you would do if Sherlock decided to follow you, you couldn’t bear to be around him but you also didn’t feel like you had the strength to stand, much less to run away.

You didn’t have to worry about it though. Sherlock didn’t follow you.

Or perhaps you did have to worry, although the worry was misplaced, because it was Mycroft, not Sherlock, that approached you as you sobbed on the floor. You realized that you didn’t want to see him either. He had lied to you even more than Sherlock had.

He had watched you come apart, knowing that Sherlock was really alive.

And he hadn’t said a word.

“Go away,” you managed to choke out as Mycroft leaned towards you.

He didn’t listen, and you felt his strong arms grasp your wrists and pull your hands away from your face.

Something in you snapped at that.

“I told you to go away!” You screamed, shoving and hitting at your big brother with all your strength, which, to your fury, didn’t seem to hurt or even faze him at all.

“Y/N, please calm down,” for some reason the calmness in Mycroft’s voice infuriated you more than if he had shouted at you.

You just wanted to be left alone.

…

“No, you don’t get to say that! This is your fault too, you lied to me!”

Mycroft didn’t even say a word. He knew you didn’t want explanations, you knew why he had lied, but you were still angry about it.

“I could’ve pretended! Like mom and dad, why-“ your voice cracked, and the air was silent as the grave for several seconds. Finally your voice started again, much quieter this time, but with no less hurt in your tone.

“Why didn’t you trust me?”

Mycroft didn’t know how to answer you, but fortunately he didn’t have to. You spent the next twenty minutes sobbing into your big brother’s chest, before you finally cried yourself to sleep. Mycroft stayed still for several minutes to be sure you were asleep, before he carried you back to your bed.

He was surprised to find Sherlock in your room, sitting on your bed with an almost horror-struck expression on his face.

“She blames me,” Sherlock muttered.

Mycroft signed and laid you on your bed, sitting next to Sherlock.

“We said we’d help her. No matter what she needs. Sometimes she needs comfort after a nightmare,” Mycroft paused, grimacing. “And sometimes she needs to let out her frustrations by yelling at us.”

This seemed to snap Sherlock out of his thoughts, and a new resolution passed over his features as he nodded at his brother’s words.

“No matter what. We’re on the same page.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Mycroft’s face as he repeated his brothers words.

“The same page.”

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