#Rocky maybe? definitely top gun

[pizzaqueen]

My list of movies I think Steve would like is basically just like movies that are similar to Animal House* and also some sports movies. And maybe some Tom Cruise and the odd John Hughes/typical teen movie I guess

*he doesn’t hesitate to say it when Keith asks for his top 3 movies so I’m assuming it really is his fave??

[roosterforme]

Batting Practice Part 11 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: The group outing for pizza leaves Bradley thinking about a life he never knew he wanted, and it makes going away for the week even harder. You offer to fill in as assistant coach for the week, and Bradley finds that extremely attractive. Then a very revealing phone call has Bradley ready to make you his.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, swearing

Length: 4400 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun! Batting Practice masterlist.

When Bradley parked at the pizza place, his body was still humming from your touch, and he was beyond irritated about having to go up to Lemoore. All he really wanted to do was let his baser instincts take over and finally get you alone again and get his hands all over you this weekend. 

But he also wanted to stay the night and have you sleep in his arms. He wanted to make you breakfast the next morning, and go to the park with you and Ev again. He wanted to do everything, and it was unfamiliar territory. If nothing else, maybe finally getting that physical intimacy with you would make everything else his heart was feeling make a little more sense. Or at least be less scary.

He followed you and Everett inside the packed restaurant with his hand at your lower back. Bradley was afraid his grin would be permanently stuck on his face at the sight of your son clutching tightly to his stuffed Phanatic. After Bradley had witnessed Everett in tears earlier in the week because of Danny, he just wanted to do something special for the kid. 

"Over here!" Molly called, and as she popped up out of her chair, Bradley couldn't help but notice that she had her hand resting on Bob's shoulder. And that Bob was looking at her longingly. Of course Molly was pretty; she looked like Kitten. But Bradley knew Bob pretty well by now, and he knew Bob would never be interested in a woman only based on her physical appearance. So there was definitely something else drawing him to her. 

"Only four chairs?" you asked as the three of you neared the table. 

"Yeah, it's packed in here. We're lucky we even got a table," Molly confirmed. "Ev can just take turns sitting on our laps, and I get him first!"

Bradley pulled out one of the remaining chairs for you, and then he sat across from Bob. "What kind of pizza do you want, Ev?" he asked while Molly blew a raspberry on her nephew's neck. 

"Cheese!" he squealed in response. Bradley could feel your hand come to rest on his thigh, the warmth permeating the gym shorts he was wearing. When the waiter finally came over, Bradley listened to you order an extra large cheese pizza and breadsticks along with a pitcher of beer for the adults and an apple juice for Everett. 

"Hey, Coach Bob, do you like the Phillies, too?" Everett asked, still hugging his newest possession. 

"I'm a Colorado Rockies fan," Bob replied, smiling at Everett. 

He seemed to accept that answer, but then his brow scrunched up. "No offense, but I'm happy my mom likes Coach Bradley, because the Phillies are cooler than the Rockies."

You and Molly were both nearly erupting with silent laughter, and Bradley could not contain his grin.

"That's okay," Bob agreed with a laugh. "I'm happy your mom likes Coach Bradley, too. It's not easy, but somebody has to do it."

"Low blow," Bradley groaned, turning to look at you. You let your hand inch higher on his leg. 

You just shrugged and smiled at him. "It's not that terrible."

Bradley kept both hands on the table and tried to hide his smirk as you rubbed your palm against his inner thigh. When the drinks arrived, Bob poured everyone a beer, and Bradley drank half of his in one go. You were teasing him. You did it all the time, and you were fucking good at it. 

"Kitten," he rasped when your fingers grazed his cock, and he knew if you kept this up, it would be a problem.

"Hmm?" you hummed, looking at him like the picture of innocence. He glanced across the table to see that Bob and Everett were playing tic tac toe on the paper tablecloth with crayons. 

Bradley leaned down and kissed you softly and then pressed his lips to your ear. "You need to be a good girl until I can get you alone for a few hours. Then you can be as poorly behaved as you want, Kitten."

You moaned. You actually fucking moaned, and now Bradley was a little hard. "Okay, Coach."

Fuck. The things he wanted to do to you, if you let him. He shouldn't be thinking about this during dinner with them right across the table, but he was. He was thinking about his lips all over you. He was thinking about covering your mouth with his hand to keep you quiet as you screamed for him. He was thinking about how hard you made him when you came apart on his lap in the front seat of the Bronco with your nipple in his mouth. 

Everett bounded around the table when the pizza arrived, and Bradley had to start serving everyone so Ev would choose your lap instead of his. He took a few deep breaths and even cut Everett's slice in half to make it easier for him to eat. 

When he had everything under control again, he took a bite of his slice of pizza and looked around the table. You were telling Molly and Bob about something that happened to you at work, and Everett was drawing the Phillies P on the table covering while he nibbled on his food. This was nice. Bradley really liked this. Throw Nat into the mix, and this could become something he would enjoy doing every week. 

After a while, Everett ended up sitting on Bradley's lap, and he got everyone to agree to order chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Bradley ate a cookie while he tried his best to draw the Phanatic on the tablecloth while Everett held the stuffed one for him to look at. 

"Coach!" he said with a laugh. "You drew his face all crooked! He looks silly!"

"You know what, how about I stick to showing you pitches instead of drawing for you," Bradley said while he tickled Everett's sides and made him laugh harder. 

"Everett, tell him to join the Navy rec league for baseball," Bob said, and Bradley noticed that he had his arm draped across the back of Molly's chair. "Then you can watch him and I play all summer."

Everett's eyes went wide. "You could be a pitcher! Or a shortstop!"

"Yeah, we would let him pick whichever position he wanted to play," Bob added, goading Everett on.

Bradley smiled at Everett. "Would that be fun for you? Coming to games with your mom? And maybe your Aunt Molly, too?" Bradley raised his eyebrow at Molly who was now leaning into Bob just the slightest bit as she ate a cookie.

"Yes! Mom, can we go watch Coach Bradley and Coach Bob play baseball in the summer?" 

You leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Sure, Ev. If they play, we can go."

Bradley decided he would join the rec league.

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

You watched Bradley and Bob split the bill, and no matter how much you and Molly complained, they would not let either of you pay. Molly was leaning across Bob, trying to take his wallet out of his hand, and you couldn't remember seeing her smile this much around anyone she dated before. And Bob was just as bad, if not worse. His cheeks had been tinged with a little bit of pink all night, and anytime she looked at him for more than a few seconds, the shade of pink got darker. 

"Thanks for dinner," you told Bradley and Bob. "We appreciate it."

"No problem," Bradley replied, scooping Everett up for a piggyback ride out to your car. Your heart was melting. You would be a puddle of goo soon if he kept this up. He was somehow making you fall for him through his interactions with Ev.

"I'll call you tomorrow," you told your sister in the darkening parking lot as she and Bob both headed for her car, since she conveniently drove him to the restaurant. 

Then you caught up with Bradley when he was next to your car, and you heard Everett asking him, "Hey, Coach Bradley?"

"Kiddo, you don't have to call me Coach unless we're at tee ball."

"You don't like being called Coach?"

"No, I do. But you can just call me Bradley if you want to."

Everett was already so attached to him, and you wanted him in every way imaginable. 

"Okay, Bradley. Will you come to career day at my school and talk about being a pilot?" Everett said before climbing in the backseat. "You're allowed to bring two people, and Aunt Molly has to work and my mom has a boring job."

"Hey!" you complained, also kind of surprised Ev was inviting Bradley to come without mentioning it to you first.

"You do, Mom," Everett added, turning to you. 

Bradley cleared his throat and patted him on the head. "Sure, kiddo. If you want me there, I'll come."

It was that simple. You couldn't believe it. You could have spent weeks arguing with Danny about it without anything coming to fruition, but Bradley was willing to go after being asked once.

"Cool! It's on a Wednesday!" he said, hugging the Phanatic as he climbed in the car. You closed the door, and before Bradley could say anything, you had your fingers in his hair and your lips on his. 

You kissed him hard, pushing him up against your car door. His hands found your hips, and he spread his legs apart a bit, pulling you flush against him. You swiped your tongue against his lips before backing away. "We can't," you whispered, and both of you were already panting a little bit.

"I know, Kitten," he groaned. "But tell me when we can."

You bit your lip as he pushed himself away from your car door and opened it for you. "I'll miss you while you're away," you told him, and now Bradley was pressing his lips softly on your cheek. 

"I'll miss you, too."

You slid into your car seat, and then Bradley dipped his head down. 

"You have a good game on Saturday, okay kiddo? I won't be there, but maybe your mom can send me some pictures. Make me proud."

"Okay, Coach. I mean Bradley," Everett replied, and you let your lips graze Bradley's jaw before he stood to his full height. He ran his knuckles along your neck and then closed your door without another word. 

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

While Bradley was away, you texted each other when you could, but you knew he was busy. But knowing you wouldn't get to see him at Saturday's game and maybe a few practices as well, had you feeling like something was missing. And unfortunately, you got cornered in your office by Frank on Friday afternoon. 

He let himself in when he knocked, and you had to fight the urge to roll your eyes. "Frank," you said blandly. "How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to see how you are. See if you're free this weekend and maybe want to come over."

You just blinked at him in silence. You had not approached him one time in weeks, so you had no idea why he thought you might want to spend time with him outside of work again. 

"I'm busy."

"Oh, okay. With your kid? Or are you seeing that other guy?"

Now you really did roll your eyes. "With my kid, Frank. Always busy with my kid."

"Right, okay."

Then he slowly left your office, pulling the door softly shut behind him. You needed a spa night. Between Danny and Frank this past week, you just needed a few hours alone. After Ev was in bed tonight, that's what you would do. If Molly hadn't picked up another shift at the hospital, you would have invited her over for sheet masks, wine and popcorn. 

Instead, after your son was in bed, you ended up tipsy, sitting on your bathroom floor with a bottle of wine while you texted Bradley and gave yourself a facial. 

Bradley Bradshaw: I keep thinking about getting you alone. It's making flying a little uncomfortable.

You were squealing with delight every time he responded to you with a flirty text. And when he sent his final text for the night, you were already getting excited.

Bradley Bradshaw: Make some time for a phone call with me on Sunday night, Kitten?

Duh. You'd give him your whole night after Ev went to sleep. You added a little reminder to your calendar, already looking forward to hearing Bradley's deep voice while you were laying in your bed. 

After you set your phone down, you ended up finishing the bottle of wine, and you were exhausted on Saturday morning when it was time to get up for the tee ball game. You did make sure to get to the field a few minutes early with Everett though, just in case Bob needed help with anything before the game started.

"You're a lifesaver," he told you, handing you his clipboard. "Can you read down the list and check everything off for me?"

"Sure," you replied, following him as he set up cones. When you go to the bottom of the list, you asked him, "Did you remember to text the parent who volunteered to bring the snack?"

Bob groaned as he set down the last base marker. "No. Bradley usually does that the night before, and I promised him I would remember to take care of it this week."

"That's okay," you told him quickly. "I have bags of goldfish crackers in my trunk as an emergency backup plan."

Bob looked so relieved as he said, "You're the best Team Mom in the history of Team Moms."

You giggled and he smiled at you. "So, I talked to Molly a little bit this morning."

"Really?" he asked, picking up the tote bag of balls and looking at you like he was hanging on your every word now. 

"Mmhmm. She's kind of wondering why you haven't asked her out yet. She gave you her number. And it's been two days."

He was so flustered, he dropped the bag, sending balls rolling in every direction. He scrambled to pick them up, and you knelt to help him. "Does she really want to go on a date with me? Like just me and her?" he asked quietly, and you couldn't help but smile at his rosy cheeks. He was adorable. 

"Yes, Bob. Probably more than one."

He stood gaping at you until the umpire walked over and started asking him questions. "Tiny Eagles. And who is your assistant coach for the day?" he asked, and Bob turned toward you with a look of panic on his face. 

You took a deep breath and watched as Everett tossed a ball back and forth with Amber. If there needed to be another coach, you supposed you could take on Bradley's job, too. "I am."

"Excellent," replied the umpire before rounding up the coaches for the Tiny Ravens. 

"Bob, I'm actually kind of useless at tee ball and baseball," you quickly admitted with a grimace.

But he just laughed. "Bradley told me you know everything now. And that you can hit a slow pitch like a pro. You'll be fine." You felt all flushed and couldn't stop grinning when you thought about him saying that stuff to Bob. "Here, let's send him a selfie," Bob said as he tossed his arm around you and snapped a photo of you and him wearing matching whistles. 

"You should send it to Molly, too," you told him, and he ran his hand nervously up and down the back of his neck.

The umpire blew his whistle, and you gathered up all of the kids. Bob talked you through everything he needed help with, and you thought you actually did a pretty great job. The Tiny Eagles even managed to pull out another win.

"Undefeated!" you cheered when Everett gave you a hug. "You were so good, sweetie!"

"I miss Coach Bradley," he said with a frown. "Will they still let him win coach of the year if he missed a game?"

You missed him, too. And Everett was so attached to him. "I think so."

Bob came over and gave Everett and the other kids high fives before they all ran off to the benches. You watched Everett change his shoes as Bob thanked you over and over again. 

"I don't mind helping out. Honestly, you did most of the work, but I can help at practices this week if Bradley still hasn't returned."

"I appreciate that," Bob said, but when you turned to walk away, he called your name. "I'm going to text Molly," he told you, and he already had a lovesick look in his eyes. "Does she have a favorite kind of food? And a favorite type of flower?"

You pressed your lips together to keep from screaming. "Sushi. And those really ugly multicolored carnations." 

"Thanks," he said before taking out his phone.

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

Bradley was lounging in his tiny bunk on Sunday evening after dinner. He wasn't really being given too much down time, and he'd had a long day, but he was patiently waiting for you to call him. 

Next time Mav tried to tell he had to go to some pointless training classes, he was going to tell him to find someone else. He missed his bed, and he missed you and Everett. And he was still pissed off that he missed the game yesterday. Bob had sent him a photo of the two of you at the field. And when he heard that you had filled in as coach while he was away, Bradley got a little turned on. He liked to think that you knew more about baseball now because of him. He was itching to take you back to the batting cages again. Maybe have sex in the Bronco afterwards. 

You were all he could think about right now. He nearly dropped his phone on his face when he saw your name and photo flash on his screen when you called.

"Kitten."

"Bradley," you replied, your voice soft and sweet in his ear. "Miss you."

He closed his eyes and imagined what you looked like right now. "I miss you too, Kitten. How was your first time coaching? Bob is probably planning on firing me and keeping you instead."

Your soft giggle filled him up. "I don't know about that. But it was fun! And of course the team won, so you're still undefeated. Could you imagine if they lost on my watch?"

"I would never let you live it down. I'd still be telling you about it ten years from now," he said before realizing the implications of that particular sentence. 

"That's a long time from now, Coach," you said softly. "How's Lemoore treating you?"

He sighed at the change of subject. "It's awfully boring. There are absolutely no Kittens here teasing me."

"That's a real shame. You wouldn't believe how many other people I've had to tease this weekend in your absence."

He weighed your words and your teasing tone. "I hope you're joking, Kitten. I was hoping I could be your only ball of yarn."

You were quiet for a beat. "I'd like that," you whispered, your voice sounding soft and a little desperate. "When are you coming back?"

He groaned. "I'm not sure. Hopefully I won't have to miss another game, but I will probably miss the practices this week."

"I already told Bob I can fill in for you. I just wish I had a Phillies cap that I could wear backwards. Nobody would be able to tell the difference."

Bradley laughed. "You going to wear that tight skirt this week? Might make practice a little hard for you." Honestly, the hardest thing around for miles when you were wearing that skirt was Bradley's dick, but he didn't think he should tell you that right now.

"You really like that skirt, don't you?"

"Hell yes. I like looking at you in it. And I like thinking about you in it."

"Oh?" Your voice was so teasing, Bradley couldn't handle it. 

"Where are you right now, Kitten?" he asked, and he let his hand come to rest on his abs. 

"Well, I was in bed," you replied, and he heard some rustling noises. "But now I'm on a bit of a mission."

He almost groaned at the thought of you in your bed. "What kind of mission?"

You laughed softly through the phone. "One that you're going to enjoy, I think."

"What does it have to do with?"

You hummed, and Bradley thought he heard a zipper. "How about I just show you?"

And then you were texting him some photos. Of you. Wearing your tight skirt and a black bra. You were standing in front of your full length mirror, smirking with your unmade bed behind you. 

"Kitten," Bradley groaned, letting his right hand move a little closer to his own zipper. "Fuck."

"Oh wait, I have one more to send you," you whispered.

"I don't know if I can handle it, baby," Bradley grunted, running his fingers along his stiffening cock through his pants. 

"Mmm, just try for me." Then you sent him a photo in which you had removed your bra. Your arm and hand were strategically placed so he was treated to the barest tease of your nipples, but now he was sitting up in the tiny bed gaping at his phone. 

"Kitten. What do I need to do for you to send me just one more?"

"You want one more, Coach?" you asked in a singsong voice that had him throbbing for you as he unzipped his pants. 

"Think you can send me one without your arm covering your pretty tits? It was dark in the Bronco last weekend. I know how good they taste, but I'd love to get a better look."

You moaned into the phone, and he was ready to beg for you to send it. "Okay," you said breathlessly, and Bradley waited until another text came through.

"Goddamn, Kitten," he growled when he was finally staring at your bare beasts and half lidded eyes. "They look as good as they taste."

"Bradley," you gasped. "Are you in bed?"

He took a deep breath and eased himself back against his pillow. "I sure am."

"I wish I was with you."

"Fuck, baby. I mean, it's a twin bed, but we could probably do some damage here." You were moaning again when he asked, "Are you climbing back in your bed?"

"Yeah."

"Did you take your skirt off?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl." And then he was reaching into his unzipped pants and underwear and palming his length. As a series of soft mewls met his ears, he had to bite his lip.

"Bradley. I'm touching myself." 

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

You were lounging on your mess of soft bedding, and Bradley was calling you a good girl. You tried your best not to moan too loudly into the phone, but Bradley's raspy, deep voice was making you wild inside. Every word he uttered was going right to your core, and his reaction to your photos made you so wet. 

But you wanted him to know. You wanted him to think about your wet fingers swirling around your clit.

"Bradley. I'm touching myself."

You heard him swallow and take a deep breath. "Me too, Kitten. I'm looking at your photos and thinking about you grinding against my leg."

"Oh that was so hot," you muttered, remembering just how good it felt when you came in his Bronco. If you'd had another fifteen minutes together, you were sure he could have made you cum a second time. 

You dipped your fingers down until you were fucking yourself with them as he told you, "I am so hard for you. Thinking about everything I want to do to you."

"Are you still touching yourself?" you asked, gasping as you dragged your moisture back up to your clit. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna cum soon, too," he said, his voice deeper now. You could picture his huge hands, and now you were whining, imagining him touching you instead. 

"Coach, I'm thinking about how big your hands are." 

"You know what else is big?" he grunted.

You tilted your head back and moaned his name before you saw your phone screen illuminate with a photo. It was Bradley's hand wrapped around his cock. He was huge and veiny with a swollen, red tip. The photo he sent you last weekend where he was grabbing himself through his underwear didn't do him justice. Your mouth was watering just looking at it, saliva pooling at the back of your tongue at the mere thought of how he'd fill your mouth. 

"I wish you were in my mouth!" Your voice was high pitched and breathy. And each stroke of your fingers along your clit had you close to orgasm while you looked at the photo.

"Fuck," he groaned, and you could hear the little sounds he was making at the back of his throat. "Now I'm thinking about you sucking me off."

"I can't wait to taste you."

"I can't wait to touch you everywhere, Kitten."

"I need you to fuck me, Bradley."

"You can have anything you want."

You whined his name over and over as your pussy clenched around your fingers. "Oh god," you moaned as your back arched off your bed. "Bradley."

"Fuck!" he growled, and you could hear his short breaths and imagine his hand pumping his length. 

You thought about catching his cum on your tongue. Or maybe you said it out loud as you came down from your high. Because now he was groaning, "I'll cum in your mouth. All over that pretty face." 

And then the sound of his orgasm washed over you, and it was enough to make you feel warm everywhere. He was saying your name. Groaning it. 

When he started to get a little quieter, you whispered, "When you get back, Bradley, I need you."

"Kitten. I'll take care of everything you need."

----------------------  

I can't wait until he's back in San Diego! Ahhh! Thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls and @mak-32!

PART 12

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[fauslayer]

Stinky and pizzano headcanons go crazy

OH BOY! im about to post images so uh rest under the cut

(x) (x)

the dev art of/about these two is really fucking good i must say.

i have a strange web of headcanons about their meeting and how they interact and about 80% of the gist is that stinky was doomed the second that they said "yeah hes the noisette function" and through a series of interconnected "wouldnt it be funny"s i see them as a kind of quirky mostly-noncommital(*) relationship with an incredibly rocky start. (*youll see)

stinky, Or Phil, since this was the before times, was originally hired for short term contract work on occasional odd jobs for PTV; he wasnt that aware or particularly fond of the network so he became a sort of Pizzano Favourite on virture of talking to him like a normal fucking person. the stuff pizzano asks for is weird and usually incredibly dangerous, but its a chance for him to actually strut his engineering legs and not just fix broken down cars all day. it was during this era that the nickname landed because im 100% convinced that pizzano fucked up his last name day one and called him stinky and never stopped. he hates it.

as jobs turn more frequent, he starts making visits to the studio itself, to do handyman work and maintenance on his pre-existing creations and some other gaggles of props and vehicles (and lots and lots of firearms??) lying around PTV. they strike up a familiar enough racket that pizzano suddenly invites him to join his actual staff, huge benefits and huge salary on top of still getting commission pay (the legality of his pay arrangement is dubious but literally nobody higher-up says no to the pizzano because hes an entertainment juggernaut, and also A Big Man With A Gun). he probably should have said no to this job, but the zeroes beckon him.

new position places him a lot closer to pizzano on the daily, which definitely starts to grate on him. hes loud, obnoxious, changes on a dime, gets stuck in moods from mere minutes to whole weeks, seems allergic to actually getting any proper work done, and is generally kind of a nuisance. the pay is nice, but he cannot deny some days he wants to like. grab that blue motherfucker and chunk him across a room until he stops bouncing. he didnt sign up to be a glorified secretary for some pastry baron lunatic.

the problem is because hes around pizzano a lot more than other workers, and pizzano has more inherent trust in him, stinky gets to see. some weird shit? some concerning shit. like nobody else is freaked out by how often this guy throws up? he just smashes himself into walls for fun? he doesnt even have windows in his room, for gods sake, is nobody else worried about this? but its also none of his business to tell, so he doesnt. the pizzano drags him to restaurants and moving showings and private parties and occasionally, embarrassingly onto the dance floor at a wrap party while intoxicated (lets hope i ever finish that wip). maybe pizzano just isnt great at having friends, stinky wonders, maybe he just exclusively has frenemies or something.

on pizzanos end, this is where the * and the noisette bit kick in a little harder. my biggest "wouldnt it be funny" was just like. what if instead of having the noisette proxy swooning over a relatively unaffected but still loving noise proxy just like a carbon copy of pizza tower it was. The Other Way Around. pizzanos really fucking bad at flirting; he just sorta treats stinky ""the same as he would anyone else"" (hes definitely treating him a little better but he has that irritating pizzano charm) and expects him to pick up on it. hes not mad if stinky DOESNT pick up on it, but pizzano is sure he will eventually! stinky does something nice for him after a bad day and he has to go back to his room and bury his head in his pillow and kick his legs behind him like a schoolgirl.

if anything happens to actually kick off a relationship between the two its probably happening while theyre both drunk at a party or something and pizzano is babbling about how much he enjoys stinkys company and stinky is like .oO{ a bear is fine } and they make some mutual bad decisions that they have to wake up and reflect on but both of them are honestly pretty okay with it. pizzano definitely loves stinky more than stinky loves him At First, but they steadily keep growing into something more comfortable as time goes on. i think sugary spire probably happens a bit before this event, rationally.

thanks for reading my manifesto

[klondiketales]

(W.E) Thank you for the answers, and I’m sorry that I overwhelmed you with them so much 😅 Although you said that you like to answer them, but oh well, but I have more questions, also a reaction to this

“As for leaving Lackadaisy, let's say this ... Freckle no longer feels that fuse when he picked up a gun, it completely disappeared, and the rage was replaced by fatigue, and also with flashbacks of how he shot himself, because of this, it became more difficult for him to shoot, because of the memories, Freckle is just mentally exhausted after everything he's been through, so he doesn't want to work at Lackadaisy anymore, most of the time he feels tired, although what about Rocky, I thought he'd want to come back to work again in Lackadaisy, given his devotion to this place, and to Mitzi, but I think I was wrong about that, and also, it would have been better if, after the hospital, Rocky lived with Freckle and Nina for a while, where Freckle could take care of Rocky, and between they developed a relationship, although I don't know where Rocky will sleep, either in Freckle's bedroom, or in another place, hm, maybe even in Rocky's former children's room, or something like that, and if he has one, and finally, I think relationship between Ivy and Freckle will be tense, she definitely won't immediately believe in this thing with alternative universes, but sooner or later she will believe in it, given the sharp contrast in characters between Rapist!Freckle and the Victim!Freckle, plus, it seems like Rocky really speaks sincerely, and feels comfortable with Victim!Freckle"

Plus, I'm interested to know who you think will be on top for the first time? If anything, I can wait, read on about the greeks

It’s not you, it’s just my busy life. I like your questions, ideas, and insights, and of course I like talking about my two favorite Lackacharacters jerking off each other’s penises I mean…being cute and fluffy together. 🥰

Yeah, I understand why Freckle wouldn’t have quite the same rage and violent urges as before. It’s almost like he’s been lobotomized—that “burning hot fire,” as he called it, has been completely extinguished. But it’s not really a good thing, at least not 100%. Sure, he doesn’t do the “crazy dance” anymore, but he had to go through so much trauma to get to that point. He hasn’t really been FIXED. It’s more like…he’s been BROKEN, but in a way that makes him seem more normal, simply because he lacks the strength to be wreak unmitigated carnage, like he used to. And without Lackadaisy, he won’t have access to guns anyway, and Rocky can keep him away from any stress or triggers that migjt cause him to relapse into his former insane, murderous state. So they should be safe. Barring any unforeseen circumstances (like if they move to a different city and run into anyone there, like corrupt cops or common thugs, who want to harm them. Then Freckle might lose it again, just to protect his cousin).

Rocky would probably sleep on the couch? Or maybe in the garden shed? It sounds cruel, but I don’t think Nina would want him in Freckle’s room. She wouldn’t suspect they’re having sex or anything like that, but she probably wouldn’t want to risk Rocky corrupting her son, or dragging him into more trouble, the way he always seems to do. She would try to keep them separate at night, again, not because she has the slightest clue they’re having sex, but only because she doesn’t want them scheming together or anything. Why give them the opportunity to make the kind of messes they always make?

I think Ivy would believe them eventually.

I initially thought Rocky would be on top for the first time, because in my fics, he has an unstoppable sex drive, even at seemingly inopportune moments (like when Freckle is still trying to heal post-rape). But if they take their time and go slowly, I can see him hinting to Freckle that he wants to be om the bottom. Sorry, I forgot where you said that, but I can see it happening.

I suddenly felt tired so I’m gonna take a break lol. I’m at about 500 BC.

Oh I forgot to ask, do you have an account so we can private message each other? If not, it’s okay. I can understand wanting to remain anonymous. Either way, thanks again for the asks!

[xoteajays]

Okay! So.. I've recently rewatched High&Low: End Of Sky. Elly's really covered in tattoos, that was noticeable because his character was the one wearing tank tops and sleeveless shirts in this movie. So Elly and Anarchy are definitely covered in tattoos. I know about them so far.

And everyone's hair was freshly dyed too. Rocky's hair was more of a golden blond instead of silvery platinum blond, Cobra's hair was even dyed a slighty darker blond. Same with Takeshi's hair being way more darker than his honey blond hair. P's even brighter vibrant hair before.

I'll excuse Smoky's silvery blue gray hair. Just because they were only trying to make it seem like his hair changed since he was dying, from the toxic chemicals. So I will completely excuse Smoky from this.

My White/Green character. Her natural hair color would probably be a light brownish blonde. Similar to a gold honey color. But she just dyes her hair any colors she wants (platinum blonde, dark brown, colors).

The Daruma Family Base is a gambling business. And, the women, I'd have to be honest.. I don't really know what their job is. Since I've only ever seen them dance in the background. Like Club Heaven women.

~

That is definitely Hiroto's personality towards most people so that.. I'll never be surprised if he's like that with any friends, and even whoever he's attracted to. Since he is like that with Masaki. It's not surprising.

Hyuga's mean because he is very short compared to everyone else. But yes.. Depending on the type of girl he's in a relationship with, also depends on how his partner would act or react about this comments.

Murayama's a playful tease, not a mean tease like Hyuga would be.

And out of Rude Boys, I would have to say that P and Yu are the more giggly ones since they always giggle about everything. At least Yu is a character who's always like that. Not sure about Smoky and Takeshi.

~

Exactly! Gun-woo actually mentioned that to Woo-jin when they were eating at that buffet restaurant... That he worked multiple jobs just so he could provide for him and his mother. This sweet boy! And that did include working in restaurants, especially barbeque restaurants too.

And Jin seems the most knowledgeable about meals containing a lot of noodles. Like ramen. Or is it ramyeon? Since Korean says that very differently than other Asian countries. But he cooks so many cuisines with noodles. But, besides that, he really does seem to restaurants or order take out a lot. Based on what we know of his backstory though.

~

That was my original intention for my romantic ships in Bloodhounds, for any stories for Bloodhounds. Unless, I actually decide to make one more character so they both could be with someone. But I'm selfish.

Yes.. If Gun-woo did train during Woo-jin's healing time then he might have only did basic training, at least until Woo-jin was able to start his training with Gun-woo. But now those boys could also fight men who are three, maybe four, times their size. Including men like In-beom.

~

Who knows? The show is starting. You will probably learn more about other characters, only if you want to learn about any other characters though. But.. Hopefully the show continues to be a good series too.

See! Yes. I didn't want to say anything. Not that I would spoil you with details like that.. But the chaos does happen after the car accident. I'd have to say Kuryu has to take notes on real hit and run car accidents - because they don't know how to do that right. They know want to do.

Obviously! This is Vincenzo. And this is Jung-ki as Vincenzo. He's just too attractive. When I'm attracted to older men, Jung-ki is that man.

I'm attracted to Asian men.

But yes. Vincenzo quits smoking by the end of the first episode so it's not like you would see him smoking. But, the teenagers, he just beats them anytime he sees any of them attempting to smoke around him.

i’m have a bit more of an appreciation for ice/elly. he’s kinda hot tho. blame the exile videos.

everyone dyed their hair before fighting ranmaru and kuryu gotta look their best ahdhdkfkdl

except smokey. who is horribly dying … :(

~

hiroto’s like. a lil mean and huffy and pretends often that people annoy him even when he actually likes them. gotta break through that facade to get to the gooey endeared center. god no wonder shizuka likes him, he’s like yui.

hyuga’s the kinda guy to laugh even when his shy gf is pouting and embarrassed. he’s like ‘i’m kidding - i’m kidding!’ but his girl is still upset about it and calls him mean. it doesn’t faze him.

pi and yu would be giggly about it. takeshi’s a little more serious, helps her to her feet, makes sure she’s okay, but he’s still clearly pretty amused.

~

gun always gets stuck cooking the meat when he and jin go out - not that he seems to mind, but still. he’s always manning that grill. that scene with the trio going to lunch was funny. jin and gun bickering because nobody turned the grill on before gun got back, jin jumping in to tell ju that gun’s an excellent cook and not to tell him when to flip the meat.

jin seems the type to eat a lot of those ramyeon/tteokbokki/rabokki cup things. or he just goes to that spicy pork place a lot. he can cook noodles on a stove but not much else. just basic things. boil eggs, stick noodles in pot. nothing complicated or too difficult.

~

yea i can see gun only doing basic training since he probably spent most of his time in the hospital with jin, probably worrying that myeong gil’s men might come back and try to finish the job. then jin gets better and they’re somewhere safe and gun goes hard into training.

~

episode 2! also good! entirely based in the main plot. the cop is pretending to be ha joon’s character’s dead best friend’s cousin and just got hired into the gang. also! the cop’s wife! who is a detective! is ha joon’s character’s childhood friend and first love!! i fucking knew it! i had a hunch from ep1! this man is going to fuck your wife!

i’m only halfway through ep4 because it was getting too close to midnight and i was tired after a crummy night (stepped on a screw in my backyard and got it stuck in my foot, mum laughed at me because only i could find the one random screw in the grass in our whole backyard the one time i go outside. touching grass is dangerous), but the building people are all. so annoying??? like yall are so needy and flipfloppy and kinda rude??? this man just got out of hospital after getting slammed by a truck and you’re accosting him??? can he rest???? fuck off??!? i think they’re the reason i stopped watching the first time because they irritated me.

[sinner-sunflower]

Warren and the others stops at the foot of Mount Weather. They just need to pass through this mountain before arriving at their initial destination. They didn’t really plan on going in this direction but 10k insisted that this was a shortcut and the fact that he said there’s not much Zs in the area sold them on the climb.

Warren: 10k, are you sure this is a shortcut?

10k: We don’t really need to climb all the way. The woods lesson when we reach halfway through the middle.

Warren: How long will it take for us to get to the other side?

10k: A day and a half maybe.

Warren: Good enough for me.

Murphy: This is not how the savior of humanity should travel. I need a car!

Doc: The mountain is too rocky and steep to go by car.

They reach the lake 10k was talking about and there’s a cave on top of it.

Doc: We can bathe!

Before Doc can take his clothes off, Warren put a hand up. She sends a look to the others.

Warren: We’re not alone

Doc: Zs?

Warren: I don’t think so.

Addy: Then we have a bigger problem.

Warren: Ready your weapons

As the others pull out their weapons, there were a few clicks of guns heard all around. Definitely humans.

Warren: 10k, how many do you see?

10k: …..

Warren: 10k!

Doc: Kid, the lady is asking you a question.

But 10k still didn’t respond. Everybody’s looking at him now.

Murphy laughed bitterly.

Murphy: This boy set us up! I didn’t think he had it in him. It’s about time you show your true intentions. Ten thousand zombies my ass

Warren then points her gun at 10k, eyes sharp and deadly. Doc and Addy let out protests and are telling Warren to lower her gun at 10k

Warren: Did you?

10k: I-

A voice cuts off 10k. They all jumped at the person suddenly pointing his gun at Warren’s back.

JM: Pull that trigger and you’re all gonna be dead. turns to 10k Hi, sugar. Long time no see.

Addy: I wouldn’t do that points gun at person

JM: Eh. You guys are outnumbered anyway.

All around, people started coming out of their hiding places. They’re armed with guns of many kind, some Warren can’t even recognize.

Warren: sigh and lowers her weapons which made the rest lowered theirs too.

The man pointing to her head started to laugh out loud and whistled a tone.

Two people came forward in front of the gang. The woman raised a hand to signal the other people to lower weapons, who hesitantly agreed.

The gang noticed 10k come closer to the man and stood by his side, and the man just lets him.

Clarke: My name is Clarke and this is Bellamy. We are not your enemies, at least won’t be if you aren’t gonna be ours.

Her eyes move to Murphy.

Clarke: So this is the one you told holds the cure?

Murphy: yeah so quit starring yeah miss?

Addy: 10k who are these people

JM: you may be a girl but I won’t hesitate to punch you if you talk again

Clarke: Murphy.. Roberta Warren, yes? Warren: what of it

Clarke: We are people not from this world. We are from Earth but of a different dimension. We got stranded here 2 years ago and all we want is a way back

Doc: like space travallers?

Clarke: sort of

Clarke: we do not want anything from you but I think you may want something of ours

Warren: and what’s that? Clarke: protection from the oncoming hoard

In the distance, Warren can see the hoard of Zs they have been running away from getting closer and even without the run in from these kids, they most likely would’ve gotten caught

Warren: I’m listening

Clarke: you all are welcome here for as long as you wish. You are our guests and we will treat you as such because we hold 10k’s words with great value here.

Addy: how do we know this isn’t a trap to just kill us

Clarke: then leave as you please. But 10k will stay here for his own safety.

Warren: we’ll stay. Only until that shit ends

Clarke: good.. Bell?

Bellamy nodded and began walking away with 10k in tow.

Clarke: Jasper and Monty will assist you to your quarters. 10k will visit you later with Bellamy to talk about some ground rules. It’s a few simple ones don’t worry.

Clarke: do we have a deal?

Warren: yes

They shake hands

Clarke: Welcome to the 100

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

I've had this idea for FOREVERR. sitting in my drafts and never continued. Just wanted to share.

It's basically a crossover au where the 100 gang gets transported to the Z Nation world for some scientific reason lol.

Before 10k met Warren and the others, he met the 100 and became close with Bellamy, Clarke, John Murphy, and the other main cast.

Clarke and the others are trying to find a way to get back to their world. There was one attempt that sent some of their group back but Clarke, Bellamy, and co didn't go through because they found out they couldn't take 10k with them. He physically cannot go through their portal, so they stayed behind to find a way to take him or help 10k's world be a better place for him.

once they heard of a "cure", 10k volunteered to go to find it and bring it back to Clarke and co. for they may help him make a surefire cure or immunity.

No malicious intent on 10k's part but this time he thinks that the 100's technology could be more of help than their own because it was obviously more advanced.

Kinda shipping him with Bellamy idk.

[callsign-rockstar]

Treacherous - B. Bradshaw x reader

after being called back for a special mission, y/n (call sign Rockstar), meets her old friends and an old flame that always seems to end in disaster. will they decide to reignite the fuse?

A/N: i was listening to my music on shuffle last night and i listened to treacherous by Taylor Swift, so this is what inspired this writing. if y'all want a part 2, let me know cause i have some ideas. also, i'm sorry i used my own callsign, i just didn't wanna put y/c/s, but if any of you want your call sign featured, just ask! enjoy!!

Walking into the Hard Deck after years of not seeing her Top Gun classmates was definitely a nostalgic feeling, but it made y/n feel just a tad bit old. Ever since being called for this top secret mission, she’s been wondering who else they called back. That question was answered as soon as she walked through those familiar doors and saw the khaki uniforms she knew all too well.

“Rocky! Long time no see!”, exclaimed Phoenix. When they were back in Top Gun, y/n took the top bunk and Nat the bottom one. They would spend hours talking at night and they grew very close during their time there. Missions and deployments separated the whole group, though, and Natasha and y/n had not seen each other for a couple years. “It’s been a while, Phoenix. God, I miss flying with you.”. The girls shared a tight hug, interrupted by none other than Hangman. “Well, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes” he said with that smug smirk he seemed to have sewn into his face. 

“Rockstar and Phoenix, not at your service”, chuckled Phoenix, while y/n only laughed by her side.

“But seriously, how are you girls? It’s really been a while and you’ve… changed”, he said, eyeing both of them up and down.

“Damnit, Hangman, you almost had a nice moment there with us. You just had to ruin it, huh?”. Something Hangman would never admit was how much y/n could intimidate him sometimes. She could be very witty if she wanted to and made him feel like much more of an ass without even trying. He looked down laughing, but the other pilots’ attention was diverted to a certain man walking through the door.

“Bradshaw!” exclaimed Natasha, who had been the closest to the door since she was standing next to Bob and trying to get to know her new wingman.

“You look good, Hangman” said Rooster.

“I am good”, replied Jake.

Rooster went around the pool table saying hi to everyone: Coyote howled when he saw him, Payback and Fanboy practically tackled him to the ground, and so on and so forth. But y/n had walked over to the bar, away from the greetings. 

“Penny, I need your help. You’ve known me for a while, haven’t you? I’ve come back a couple times over the years, and my mom used to bring me here back when my dad came to Top Gun and you worked here”, she said.

“What’s bothering you, honey?” replied Penny. She could always tell when someone needed what the aviators called “mom Penny”, when someone needed advice from their parents but they weren’t here. 

“Well, Rooster’s here”, sighed y/n, looking down at the surface of the bar. Penny stopped pouring the beer she had in her hand and went over to y/n, leaning over the bar.

“Rocky, look. I know how it felt when you had to part ways and I know that you feel like you broke his heart by letting him go after Top Gun. But at the end of the day, you’re still here, and I know how great you’ve been the past couple years. I want you to understand that your past doesn’t define you. Although I know it seems like every time that you and Rooster get together it always ends up in flames, I cant tell you to not do it again”, said Penny.

“So as mom Penny, I’m going to tell you to be civil, to talk to him like normal and to maybe heal those wounds from all those years ago. But as bartender, admiral’s daughter Penny, I have to tell you to ride the burning plane until it’s nothing but ashes. And, you know I’ll always be here for you, come visit me more often”, she smiled comfortingly.

“Thanks, Penny, I missed this”, replied y/n.

“Now take this beer and go at the boys like it’s the old days”, Penny laughed and practically pushed y/n away from the bar. 

“She’s back!” exclaimed Coyote.

“The Rockstar herself”, said Payback.

“Thank you, thank you” laughed y/n, bowing jokingly for them.

She could feel Rooster’s eyes burning into her, the way it used to feel all those years ago. She looked up and around, making brief eye contact with each of the pilots, but when she got to Rooster it was as if he was holding her gaze tight, not wanting to let go for a second. She saw a smirk curl up on his lips and he pulled his aviator sunglasses just enough to wink at her.

Y/n, following the mood, blew a kiss at him and then immediately pushed Hangman out of the way to get right by the pool table.

“Hey, what the hell, Rockstar? I was play-“

“Oh, shut up, Hangman we all know that by playing you mean flexing those muscles of yours for the ladies. My turn”

Y/n was probably the best pool player in the group simply because her dad taught her how to play ever since she was little. Plus, she used to face off with all his Top Gun classmates when they had reunions at her dad’s house. As a teenager she beat Maverick’s ass at pool with ease, leaving his ginormous ego on the ground.

She smiled at the memory as she beat everyone else one by one. 

“She’s still got it, hasn’t she?”, sighed Phoenix with a smile.

“What, the looks or the skills?”, asked Rooster in return, watching Rockstar’s every move.

“Stop being a perv, Rooster.” said Natasha, shoving him with her arm a little bit too hard.

Rooster fell to the ground with a loud bang. He had been lazily leaning up against a pillar at the bar, off guard and staring at Rocky, but then also Natasha could push really hard.

“Woah, you ok, Rooster?” asked y/n, leaving the pool cue on the table and the rest of the boys in awe of her skills.

“Yea, fine”, answered Bradley, getting up as fast as possible so as to minimize his embarrassment.

“You know, getting up quicker doesn’t hide the fact that Nat just pushed you to the ground”, chuckled y/n.

Rooster could only look at her, frozen in time. It’s as if they were back in Top Gun, the two meeting for the first time. He always remembered when she came in, aviators on and leather jacket falling off her shoulders, hair messed with by the wind and an effortless beauty both inside and out. 

“Hellooo?? Earth to Rooster? How have you been?”, she snapped.

“Oh, um, good. Busy with deployments and stuff. I’m just confused as to why we’re all back here now.” He replied.

“I know, me too.”, said y/n, looking at the rest of the pilots gathered around the pool table.

Rooster was barely paying attention to his surroundings. He’d been dreaming of the day he would get to see her again, and if he ever would. But it was finally here, and even after running the scenario through his head countless times he was still frozen and didn’t know what to do.

He was going through an internal battle. He knew that every time they got together it always ended the same, so they learned to no walk that slippery slope after Top gun. But it was like they were back, so would it hurt so much to slide down it one more time? He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into him, but would that be too much? Plus, both of them had changed and from the bottom of his heart he held onto the hope that this time it would be different.

“Hey, are you ok, Roos? How much have you had to drink?”, asked y/n.

“Don’t worry, Rocky, I’m sober.”, sighed Rooster, looking right at her.

“Sober from booze anyway”, he whispered under his breath.

“Hm?”, she replied.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it”, said Rooster.

The rest of the aviators had gone to the bar to talk to Penny and whatnot, so y/n saw her opportunity.

“Look, Rooster, I think it’s better we get this over with now rather than later. I’m sorry for having left you after Top Gun, but you know how it ended with us. I just don’t want you to be angry at me when we’re up in the air because I know how you are. I just need for us to be on the same page.”, she confessed.

“I know”, he said, “but I want to ask you one question”

Y/n nodded and looked into his eyes.

“Are you willing to walk down the treacherous path one more time with this old Rooster?”

Y/n sighed through a smile and Rooster swallowed his pride, putting his hand on her lower back. Y/n couldn’t help it, she melted right into his side.

“Is that a yes?”, asked the anxious man.

Y/n only shrugged in response.

[leroyzboots]

you and i are trying, together.

part two.

The amount of unease that can fit into Tommy's more-than-human-less-than-god body is honestly surprising.

Tommy paces back and forth on the floor of the Lambda lab, his Beyblade whirring between his fingers and his precious immortal dog following behind him with love.

They'd arrived at around half past midnight, but it's now early morning and there's been no sign of the other two members of the science team.

Bubby leans back in their chair, crossing his knee-high laced boots over their knee, and bounces the other one out of anxiety.

"Tommy," he barks; "you're scaring the other scientists."

Tommy glances down and realizes that the Beyblade is whizzing madly in the air around his hands, suspended from nothing.

"D-dammit," He mutters, snatching his toy back and returns it to his pocket.

"They sho-should have been back by now."

Tommy stops pacing for a second and stares down the Coomers with his father's intensity.

"Surely, Benrey could have used teleportation?" Harold chimes in, his knuckles bruised slightly from his repeated stims.

"I think that's what he meant, dear," Bubby replies, patting their husband's shoulder affectionately.

"Yes, exactly!"

Tommy throws his hands into his pockets, huffing out his frustration.

"The f-fact that they're not...back yet! Means something has gone-"

A enormous thud echoes from the the floor, a piece of tile juts out slightly and scatters the scientists nearby.

"Wrong," Tommy finishes miserably, drawing his gun and preparing for Xen's creatures.

Beside him, Sunkist snarls, her hackles raised in warning.

The tile cracks and shoots into the air, with accompanying gunfire from below, and a hatch busts open from the hole.

Tommy aims to shoot, but immediately lowers his gun upon seeing Mr. Freeman's tired but happy face, followed closely by Benrey, the bags under his eyes looking darker than usual.

"G-Gordon!!"

Tommy rushes forward, embracing them both, and the knots of tension unravel in his stomach.

Benrey snuggles just a little closer into Tommy's coat, and Tommy releases Gordon to pull Benrey into a full hug.

--

Tommy planned on never admitting it to himself, but these two were the people he loved the most.

Benrey..he'd known Benrey for years.

It started when Benrey was just out of training, and Tommy had completed his certification to become a top scientist.

Benrey was 19, maybe 20 at the oldest, his hair pulled into a ponytail that ran down his back.

They weren't close, then, Benrey had been assigned to guard the G-Man's adopted son.

Benrey couldn't die, and Tommy's line of work was dangerous enough to need protection.

So it all worked out.

They barely exchanged more than a few words to eachother until that one night, that one fucking night and Benrey is tripping over himself in tears, blood pouring from the wound on his back and he's clutching Tommy, pawing at his shoulders.

Benrey trembled like he's made from glass and will break if he falls, and Tommy gripped the back of the others security vest so tightly the kevlar nearly rips in half.

And that's saying something.

That night they sat together and they're closer in distance than they've ever been, Tommy's warm and gentle hands bandaged the wound above the numbers tattooed onto Benrey's tailbone and Benrey spilled everything.

Between sniffles and the occasional sob, Benrey confessed, about the tools that somehow hurt him beyond regeneration, leaving a scar, about the men and their evil sticks of lightning that would seep into his bones and fill him with pain so intense he felt like he would break in half.

Tommy nearly broke in half himself.

He felt helpless, and so he went to the only person he knew would make the ones who hurt his first and only friend pay dearly-

His father.

Oh, Tommy had never seen the G-man so angry.

Black Mesa was a research facility, for god's sake, dedicated to the study of alien life and the progression of the human body.

So when Tommy's dad realized that the prototype imprisonment he had resolved several years ago had resurfaced with an even uglier face, he sent scientists who had never experienced fear in their lives tripping for the door in yelps of terror.

And that had been the end of it.

Benrey continued his job as a security guard, people who had previously been made in the facility were hired back on as scientists in new departments such as mixology and cybernetics, and Black Mesa cut its ties with the military.

Black Mesa, Benrey explained later in his own broken way to Tommy in the quiet breakroom during lunch hour, had been trying to create the perfect human being.

There were thousands upon thousands of prototypes that had been created, and Benrey had been the last.

But there had always been something wrong with the ones they created, whether it was serious physical or mental deformities, or simply a sense of fucked up little creature that ended up resulting in the insane amount of scientists with the ability to grow in size, and the security guards that always had a few too many rows of teeth or glowing eyes and severe anger issues.

They weren't always grown in tubes, Tommy learned, but they were always branded with their serial number on the base of the spine.

The one before him, Benrey quipped with a mouthful of sandwich, had been born to a prototype and a normal human employee, before they stripped them out with a memory wipe and sent them into normal society.

The anxious feeling that haunted Tommy in the years that followed had something to do with that piece of information in particular.

Something told him that the military and the alien planet they were studying wouldn't let go of Black Mesa kindly.

Mr. Freeman confirmed that.

He's in the hallway, on his way to get a soda, when he's met with a newer employee, only worked here about 4 or so years.

He seemed kind enough, if a little loud and stubborn. And alright, maybe it hurt Tommy's feelings when Gordon called him a freak, but that was pushed aside with the Resonance Cascade.

Tommy knew that this was it, this was the boot boys' revenge for cutting them out of the picture, but there was something else, distinctly and unsettlingly alien about the Cascade.

The whole of Black Mesa fell into shambles, with creatures of Xen integrating into their carefully built walls and lives, and Tommy kinda freaked, okay?

He'd seen Dr. Coomer around, always greeting him with a wonderful "Hello!!", and was met with a thrill in his stomach when he introduced another prototype as his husband.

Those two had been with him, in the observation room when the project exploded around Gordon and Benrey-

he wasn't supposed to be in the test chamber, what if it seriously hurt him?-

And maybe that was when Tommy realized he was in love with Benrey.

Over time, he felt a sense of conflict slowly building as he made friends with Mr. Freeman.

He seemed to hate Benrey, they hated eachother, but Tommy liked one and loved the other so he became their middle ground.

He was convinced to himself that Benrey liked him as well, until that room, that dark, dark room, and suddenly Benrey is kneeling in a puddle of Gordon's blood and Bubby is screaming, sobbing, blubbering his apologies to anyone who is listening as the soldiers drag them away and Benrey-

He says it, he says those words and it breaks Tommy's heart into a billion pieces-

"Because I love him, okay?! I'm fucking- whoop-de-doo, in love with Gordon god. G-goddamn Freeman, okay?..."

And then Benrey teleports, and he's gone, and Bubby is gone and Dr. Coomer leaves him in the cold dark sewer by himself.

Tommy cried.

Burying his head in his coat, he cried hard and long, alone on the rocky floor.

And then Mr. Freeman crawls out of the pipe, and Tommy can't help it, he holds him.

Gordon reeks of sewage and his bloody hand smells of copper but Tommy doesn't care, and alright, maybe that's when Tommy realized he's in love with Gordon too.

Alright, Tommy can deal with that.

Something Tommy can't deal with is the fact that his instincts are going fucking haywire.

Tommy's always been very perceptive when it comes to time, maybe he can't stop time like his father can, but he's definitely got a certain sense of time and reality as it surrounds him.

Being able to reach out and touch and feel certain areas, but not control them, and all of time is wrapped around him like a blanket.

So when the floor crumbles away below them and Benrey and Gordon fall deep into the recesses of Black Mesa's hellscape, Tommy freaks the fuck out.

A deep, inherent concern lays nested in the pit of his mind like a pile of cottonmouth snakes, hissing madly and snarling that something, something, is absolutely wrong with how this is supposed to go.

Tommy has a sinking feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

--

Man, Benrey really hates this place.

The scientists of the Lambda lab asked a simple request of the Science Team- go through the portal to Xen, get rid of the Nihilanth, bring back some weird space shit.

Easy as pie.

Right?

Wrong.

Benrey feels sick, feverish on this planet.

As he follows behind the group, his legs feel leaden and heavy, and he tugs at the collar of his uniform, which feels uncomfortably tight around his neck.

He's sweating, unusually warm beneath his helmet, but shivering as though chilled to his bones.

There's a tug, deep in his torso, pulling him along, but it's a nasty, oppressive feeling that makes his limbs feel like noodles.

He swallows nervously, eyes darting across the fetid, blood colored planet of Xen.

The sour smell clogs his senses, and as they trudge deeper and deeper through the portals, away from the floating rocks with little gravity and past strange barrels of highly toxic looking liquid, the heavy pull in Benrey's chest only grows stronger and more sickly.

They push through a final, puke-green portal, and the feeling inside of Benrey swells to near explosion.

A cave, with jagged and dark stone running up the walls in wicked cracks, a deep red flush to the area.

Water is flooding Benrey's boots, a putrid and decaying smell to the liquid, and it only adds to Benrey's fatigue.

The creature before them could only be the Nihilanth itself, and the very sight sends such a fucking shudder down Benrey's spine.

It's disgusting, twisted and pulsating flesh running down what must be its face, beady eyes in a cadaverous socket.

It looks like a fetus, a failed attempt of termination long after the allotted time.

It speaks, and the chorus of voices that accompanies it gives away the fact that Xen isn't just the planet-

It's the entire race.

"So. The humans have finally decided to be rid of us."

Gordon looks tired, beaten, but pulls himself upward and grunts through the pain of his broken shin.

"Get your video game dialogue out of the way," he says, with a dismissive wave of his gun-hand.

"I'm about done with this alien shit."

The Nihilanth laughs, a hideous and painful sound, and tilts its head in curiosity towards the little group of vagabonds.

"But you have brought us the very thing we need, Mr. Freeman."

Gordon groans in frustration, turning back to his friends with his teeth grinding against eachother.

"Why does it know my name?"

Xens' audience shrieks with delight, and the Nihilanth's barely feasible mouth twists into what can only be guessed as a grin.

"Xen knows everything about you, Mr. Freeman."

Benrey sways on the spot, his boots splashing the strange water, and the scene before him blurs.

"Whadda....what the hell are you..talking about, man?"

Xen's creatures seem to roar with laughter, and beside Benrey, Dr. Coomer throws up his fists protestingly.

"Xen has been all knowing, all seeing since time begun. As we grow, so do our minds, until we are forced to repopulate. Regrow."

Beneath their feet, headcrabs scuttle ominously, causing Tommy to jump backward with surprise.

"But human beings became a problem for Xen. Their flimsy bodies failed, burst open upon integration."

Benrey is only just awake enough to process this.

"The scientists of Black Mesa were so eager to learn of a new planet. So Xen took influence, and under the guise of building a perfect human being, created what Xen needed."

Gordon scoffs, his shoulders shaking as he laughs scornfully.

Xen reacts strongly, a collective hiss rising around them.

"Do not laugh at us, human."

The headcrabs stay at a distance, but raise their pincers and click them menacingly as the Nihilanth's speech continues.

"Xen required a human being who could withstand radiation, a being who could lose blood en mass and not perish."

A sense of dread washes over the Science Team, and Tommy instinctively puts himself in front of Gordon.

Bubby ignites his arms protectively.

"Let me guess," Gordon growls, revving up his minigun limb; "you needed me?"

Xen's creatures wail in joy, and Benrey takes that as a yes, and reaches for his gun, when something big and poisonous and slimy wraps around his ankle.

"Xen requires Benrey."

Benrey yelps as the Nihilanth drags him underneath the water, bubbles of Sweet Voice trailing from his mouth as his back bounces on the cragged floor beneath the surface.

The Nihilanth swings him into the air, and Benrey splutters, ears waterlogged under his helmet, which slips from his head and falls to the ground with a splash, Benrey's short black hair now dripping wet.

"Look at you, our once perfect vessel- a mewling, pathetic dog."

Hung upside down by his ankle, Benrey gasps in pain as Xen shakes him repeatedly, and for a brief, sickening moment, Benrey is forcibly reminded of the Finding Nemo movie Tommy showed him-

He feels like a fish in Darla's little bag.

"Bark, bark, bark but no bite. You were made with Xen's own blood and yet you cannot even protect those you are infatuated with."

With that, the Nihilanth throws him to the far wall, and his skull cracks on the rock.

It doesn't heal, and Benrey slumps down, struggling to stand, his eyesight swimming with tears.

"You think the Freeman human loves you? You cost him a limb. You would be perfect save for your one flaw- you kneel before a man you could kill with no effort, and you beg him to love you as you love him."

Benrey shakes, kneeling, and whimpers as he chokes out a sob, not trying to disguise his tears.

"You truly are nothing."

"No."

The word is tiny, barely audible.

Then again, louder, with a crack of his voice but more than enough power-

"No. You're wrong."

Gordon pulls himself to full height, scowling so deeply the age shows on his face.

"Benrey is everything to us. To all of us, but especially me."

"Y-yeah! We're not afraid of you!" Tommy chimes, and Sunkist howls with approval.

"If you or your alien bitches thought we'd just leave him here, you're just as stupid as you look."

Bubby grins wildly, cracking their neck from side to side, his bright and eager eyes flashing beneath their glasses.

"Don't fuck with the Science Team!" Coomer bellows, and Bubby cheers beside him.

"Now I'm only gonna tell you once," Gordon beams, turning away from his family to draw his gun-hand and point it at Xen's Nihilanth.

"Piss off."

Gordon fires, and the accompanying screams of headcrabs and peeper puppies echo across the cave, and Benrey is overtaken with an aching, sweet feeling he usually associates with Gordon.

It's love.

Benrey smiles fondly as his knees buckle and he falls to the ground and submerges in the murky waters.

--

Benrey wakes up and immediately is struck with a massive goddamn headache.

He closes his eyes and pulls the pillow over his ears, but the pain is there and clearly is not going anywhere, so he's going to have to ask for an aspirin or some shit.

Sitting up makes him so nauseous it's not even funny, so he decides it's not worth it to stand.

A loud snore startles Benrey enough to yelp, and he glances around for the source of the noise.

Sitting hand in hand on the floor, against the wall opposite his bed, are Gordon and Tommy, both bearing signs of wear and both dead asleep.

Gordon is clutching Benrey's helmet so tightly to his shirt it looks uncomfortable, and Tommy is curled protectively around Gordon's shoulders.

They're half dressed, like Black Mesa decided that the HEV suit and a bloody lab coat was not appropriate clothing but also did not have a whole lot of options for back up wear.

Benrey guesses this based on the fact that Gordon's not really wearing pants and Tommy's wearing a t-shirt that says "Birthday Girl".

Something about the fact that they're holding hands hurts Benrey, just a little.

His heart aches for a moment as he remembers the warmth of Gordon's hand and the feeling of a hug from the Beyblade enthusiast who was his best and only friend for a very long time.

Benrey shakes his head, decides he's going to repress it, and yawns.

God, his head hurts.

Benrey figures that if he stands, he's going to trip and probably break something, and since he doesn't trust his regeneration ability right now, he's not risking it.

Instead, he picks up his pillow and heaves it at the two scientists as hard as he can.

Tommy jolts awake, blinking, then smiles widely upon sighting the guard.

"Benrey!!"

Tommy shoots upward, and makes the distance between the wall and the hospital bed in one step, leaving Gordon to slump over and yell in surprise as he hits the floor.

Benrey's pulled into a crushing hug, and he wheezes for Tommy to be gentle.

"S-sorry!" Tommy cries happily, pulling back to take in Benrey's face.

"It's..it's g-good to see you awake."

Gordon stands, still holding the helmet, and wanders over to where Tommy is perched on the edge of the bed.

"You've been out for hours," Gordon adds, gently reaching out with his left hand to ruffle Benrey's hair.

"We were starting to get worried."

Benrey swallows his funny retort for once, instead choosing to spit out some clear blue song in response.

Tommy reads it almost immediately, and excuses himself to get medicine.

Gordon takes his spot on the bed, and just looks over Benrey.

Benrey feels like he's being scrutinized, with Gordon's soft green eyes just roaming over his face.

"Alright. Fucking. Get the questions outta the way," Benrey mumbles irritably, sticking out his tongue.

"I know you're fuckin. Curious about the shit Xen said."

Gordon laughs sweetly, setting the helmet down on the bed next to him and runs his fingers over it fondly.

Benrey takes a note of his new right hand, a grey-black prosthetic that clicks when Gordon moves his knuckles.

"I don't really have any questions," Gordon grins, adjusting his shirt.

"Other than, are you okay?"

Benrey's taken back by this one.

Not only did he cost Gordon his hand and almost his life about thirty billion times, but everyone (including him!) also just found out that Benrey was made with Xen DNA.

He's essentially Gordon's enemy in every sense of the word, and Gordon is asking if he's okay?

"....did the Nihilanth hit your head or somethin', man?? What the hell kinda. Question is that one??"

Gordon's smile softens massively, and it makes Benrey's heart melt into a little puddle in his stomach.

"Benrey, you saved my life a whole shit ton of times back there."

"Yeah, I also almost got you killed," Benrey interrupts, but Gordon doesn't pause.

"I've been thinking about a lot of things while you've been asleep, and I've been talking with Tommy a lot too."

Benrey's happy puddle evaporates into a heavy leaden ball inside of his chest.

"I don't need to hear this, dude."

Gordon looks a little confused, so Benrey keeps going.

"You're. I know you heard the shit Xen said about...."

Benrey pauses, unsure if he wants to say it out loud.

That'll finalize it, forever.

He takes a breath, then with a great effort, says it out loud.

"I love you. Have since we were kids, have since I first met you. Xen was...right. They were fucking right, you're happier with Tommy because he's never hurt you or..fuck. Fuck, man, you don't feel the same and I'm done pushin' it on you. We uhh, clear?"

Gordon covers his mouth with his hand, and for a split second Benrey thinks he's made him cry, but Gordon bursts out laughing, clutching his stomach and snorting in between giggles.

"B-Benny, you idiot, I am in love with you."

Maybe it's the sudden affectionate nickname, or the fact that Gordon said he loves him.

But Benrey blushes, hard, and pink-to-blue sweet voice bubbles out of his mouth in surprise.

"Whuh?"

Tommy walks back into the room, bottle in hand, and pauses at the sight in front of him.

"Oh, are w-we doing conf-confessions now?!"

Before Benrey can even speak, Tommy drops down beside him and kisses him on the cheek, putting him and Gordon's hands in his own.

Tommy doesn't say it, but Benrey gets the point.

"Fucking- FINALLY!!"

Benrey just might die for real.

Bubby leans in the doorway, a smug grin on his face, elbow resting on Dr. Coomer's shoulder.

"Ah, young love is beautiful!"

Tommy and Gordon laugh cheerfully at Dr. Coomer, and Benrey buries his face sheepishly in the blankets.

--

It takes a few days, but Benrey recovers pretty well from the Nihilanth.

He's thought a lot about what Xen said.

And he's decided that they were very wrong about him.

His love for other people isn't a flaw, it's his best quality.

He can and will protect the people he loves with his life, no matter what.

And he knows that the people he loves will do the same for him.

With time, Gordon learns not to flinch at the sight of his right hand, or gag when he drinks a soda.

Benrey learns to accept hugs and snuggles from Tommy, and figures out the jokes that Gordon likes and doesn't like.

Tommy is always there to patch up Benrey's injuries, and learns better responses that don't involve soda when Gordon needs to vent.

So Benrey feels safe, and knows that he's not the only one who's trying to be better.

Benrey and them are trying, together.

[negasonicimagines]

Revelation; Part One

warnings/kinks: a/b/o (if you’re penis-repulsed this isn’t for you), smut (duh), brief daddy kink, even briefer mommy kink, cum-eating, cum-marking, cockwarming? (does it count if it’s a/b/o?), light bloodplay, borderline somniphilia (consensual), poisoning, suicidal ideation, allusions to cheating, mentions of conversion therapy, vague mentions of s*xual ass*ult (it doesn’t actually happen in the story, it’s just referred to a lot due to the nature of this universe)

uh… this is another one of those stories that’s just kinda Heavy, please be careful & don’t continue reading if doing so is unsafe for you. I have a variety of other works that don’t have such intense themes, which you can find on my masterlist!

request (+details): Omegaverse: Alphas Yukio and Ellie with a beta reader, but it turns out that reader is a late-bloomer omega who goes into her first heat unexpectedly. / Omegaverse: The setting could be anywhere. The three of them waking up with reader burning hot, believing to be sick but is actually going into heat. The reader could be by themselves when it happens and her alphas come home to a omega in heat / I can’t get this omegaverse idea out of my head, and I hope you don’t mind me telling you this. Reader being alone and confused when her heat came, her alphas gone on a mission. During the time they were gone, Reader made a nest of her alphas’s clothes out of instinct on their bed. By the time Yukio and Ellie returned, Reader is a hot mess from trying to get off, moaning their names and begging for her alphas to help her for she don’t know why she feels like this and is scared.)

synopsis: After Wade discovers you're dealing with suicidal thoughts, he takes it upon himself to help you out, leading to one disaster after another.

author’s note: thank you so much to the lovely anon who requested this for spending so much time with me & making sure everything was juuuust right! Fun fact: we pined, started dating, and broke up, started dating again, and broke up again all before this was published 🙃 sorry everybody, it’s been a rocky road for the past… forever.

Standing guard after school for a few extra bucks is a pretty sweet deal, you have to admit. You mostly just sit around with a pair of binoculars munching on your snack of choice, using a gun loaded with tranquilizer darts to drop anyone who threatens the safety of the school and its residents. If given permission, or an order to do so, you can use your bow and arrow to really take down your enemies.

You’re pretty lucky in life overall, you also have to admit, with two alpha girlfriends and a variety of friends and acquaintances, not to mention the advantages your mutation gives you.

It makes you feel even more guilty for what you’re really thinking about right now. Not Ellie, not Yukio, not keeping an eye out for threats, nothing but a simple question:

Would it be more efficient to slit your wrists with the point of one of your arrows, or to fling yourself from the top of this turret? Which would hurt worse? You look from the sharp arrow you hold in your hand to the plush grass below, managed by some of the other students.

It’s far cheaper to pay students to maintain the yard and house, not to mention it gives students like you a way of earning the kind of spending money that other students receive from their parents or from jobs in town. Your post would be snatched up in no time if you were to pass.

Speaking of parents.

Your father’s exact words to your mother were “I hate that you use a highschool mistake to keep me trapped with you forever!” the last time you happened to hear them argue. They were no longer invited to parent-teacher conferences after that.

It’s a fine reason for him to be angry, but, unfortunately, you’re the highschool mistake he was talking about. The one he’s always talking about whenever they fight. Maybe if you were gone, he’d finally be free. Maybe you’d finally be free from his resentment. He, fortunately enough, rarely lashes out at you directly; however… There’s always been a distance.

Would he love you more if you were gone? If you saved him from… Well, you? You’ve always wanted him to love you, to look at you with something other than anger or resentment. Would he finally be proud of you, for owning up to every horrible thing you are and have done by paying the ultimate price? Would everyone?

You’re holding the bladed tip of the arrow right against your wrist, almost like a normal person might hold a bracelet to their wrist -- trying it on for size, without really thinking about it.

Suddenly, though, Wade’s here. And he’s definitely thinking about it. He yanks the arrow out of your hand, accidentally snapping the wood that makes up its length.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I- Uh, I don’t know,” you mumble, embarrassed, because you honestly don’t. Being alone with your thoughts gives them the space to grow from their poisoned roots into something dark you don’t really recognize as yours.

“You- You don’t know?!” Wade questions, and the unusual severity of his tone stuns you to the point of laughter. “This isn’t fucking funny, what the hell is wrong with you? Why were you-?! What were you-?! What the fuck are you doing?!”

“I’m standing guard. What the fuck are you doing?” you echo dryly, resorting to quips to avoid telling him any more than he already knows.

“I’m freaking out! I can’t kill you for apparently wanting to kill you, so that’s all I can do! I thought you were on antidepressants!”

“I am. Have been for years. They don’t cure depression, they make it easier to manage.”

“Apparently fucking not! Come on, let’s go talk to somebody and get you an appointment with a psychiatrist. You’ve been on the same prescription all these years, right? Maybe you just need your dosage upped.” Wade’s not asking, he’s telling, his hand wrapped around your bicep to pull you along, although his grip isn’t as tight as you’d expect for a man of his stature, let alone an alpha.

Why does he care so much? He’s always so gentle, even when you piss him off like this. Tears well up in your eyes but you blink hard. You know he’s been through worse. That most people here have. You have no right to cry.

Wade yells at a surprised Charles Xavier until an appointment is set up, which goes pretty well. Four days after that incident, you meet with the psychiatrist who agrees that upping your dosage is the smartest decision, frankly, she’s surprised it wasn’t done sooner. And, after about a week of your new dosage level, you’re feeling better than ever.

Way better.

“You… You’d really wanna do that? For everyone to know I’m yours?”

Ellie nods, cheeks darkened. You’re straddling her, and the two of you have been trading heated kisses with Yukio. Who would’ve thought more of the medication you were sure killed your libido before you could even develop one would be what rescued it?

“Of course we would. I know you don’t like to stereotype, but some of the stereotypes have truth to them. We’re… Territorial,” Yukio reminds you.

“I’m… A beta,” you remind her in a teasing echo of her tone.

“Our beta,” Ellie cuts back in. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Even if I’d rather not let you guys, y’know…” Your hand rubs at the space between your neck and your shoulder - where they’d likely mark you with their teeth - nervously. “...today? Or go farther than what we’re doing right now?”

“Of course, baby! The fact that you’ve even done this much…” Yukio trails off, looking over you. Your lips are swollen and still slightly parted as you continue to pant a little. The top few buttons of your (well, borrowed from Ellie) flannel are undone.

“We’re so grateful, and so proud of you,” Ellie continues, drawing your attention back to her. “We’re willing to wait as long as you need, even if that waiting only ends because you’ve decided that being with us like that isn’t something you want.”

“I do. I always have, I just… I don’t know.”

“The feeling’s still there, in your stomach, right?” Yukio wonders.

“Yeah, a little. It’s like… I know it’s not wrong, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe I should just try to ignore it, I mean, you two have needs-”

“Hey. You know better than that, Y/N. We don’t, okay, babe? Not like that. We wanna have sex with you, not- Not hurt you. You understand that, right?” Ellie reassures you.

“I do, I just feel bad for being such a- I don’t know, a tease?”

“We love you. As in, you. If you forced yourself to do something you didn’t want to, just for us, how would we forgive ourselves?” Yukio says what she’s said a million times, but every time it surprises you. You tend to see yourself as only being valuable in what you can offer others— protection, a laugh, some good advice every now and then —you never expect anyone to care for you outside of that. But here they are. Absolutely perfect.

And you were thinking of flinging yourself off a tower a couple weeks ago. Should you tell them? They just think you went for an overdue checkup, which is technically the case. You don’t know what’s worse, hiding it or telling them. You’ll have to talk to Wade, he’s good at giving advice. Might not be good advice, but he’s definitely good at giving it.

“Everything okay, sharpshooter?” Ellie hands gently squeeze your hips to get your attention.

You blink back out of your thoughts, smiling a little and blushing at the nickname.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry, I just zoned out. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Everything okay?” your alphas ask, again, in unison. Your alphas. They probably couldn’t handle it if you had a problem they couldn’t solve, the guilt of not being able to provide for you would overwhelm them.

“Yeah, totally,” you reply, because it is, now, especially here with them. Ellie starts to button up your flannel.

“Oh, we don’t have to-”

Ellie gives you a pointed look, then looks down at her crotch, then back up at you. Your blush deepens.

“Yeah, I’m guessing a cold shower’s in order,” Yukio agrees. “El, you can go first.”

“We can’t go together?” Ellie asks.

“Well, I don’t wanna leave Y/N alone. Our brave little beta did a lot more than usual. Don’t want you to feel used, baby,” Yukio explains to you both.

“Oh, duh,” Ellie agrees. You give her a quick smooch on the forehead before dismounting her and allowing yourself to be pulled into Yukio’s arms. Ellie grabs some clean clothes and heads off. As soon as the door shuts, Yukio giggles, and you look to her with a curious, confused expression.

“Now you’re all mine to cuddle.” Yukio gloats, kissing the top of your head. “Mm… You smell really good, babe. New shampoo?”

“Ish, yeah,” you agree, despite the fact that you started using it nearly a month ago at this point. Maybe the body heat you built up from the makeout session made it smell stronger, though.

Yukio keeps sniffing you, but you don’t call her out on it. She’s a little bit quirky, sure, but there’s no need to make her feel self-conscious about it when the tickling sensation feels kinda nice. She tosses in a few soft presses of her lips against your skin, too, so it’s not like she’s the only one who benefits.

Yukio eventually stops this, though, instead requesting to scent you. You’ve told the girls before that they don’t have to ask, but they— especially Yukio —seem to prefer to. You figure it’s likely to reassure them that you not only tolerate but appreciate their alphahood.

“I love you, you know that? Not just ‘cause you make me smell like petrichor. I’m surprised Ellie doesn’t spend all day huffing your scent, I… I know I would, if I could smell it.” You didn’t mean for the sad envy to ring so clearly in your words, but it’s as sharp as a knife, cutting deep enough to make Yukio gasp softly with sympathy as she rubs your wrist against her scent gland, eyes snapping open.

“Well, next time it’s about to rain, we’ll go outside, then. Every time it’s about to rain,” Yukio insists. “Who- Who told you?”

“Wade. I was just curious. He said Ellie smells like a campfire, the scent even clings like it. He even said I smell a little weird. Most betas smell like something, but I’m just… A blank canvas.”

You feel her rumble a bit with a growl, and her arms wrap tightly around you… Protectively? You blush.

“Y-Yukio?” you nervously ask, caught off guard. Ellie’s usually more of the growling type. Yukio’s pretty good about keeping her possessiveness and any other “negative” alpha traits in check. This side of her doesn’t come out often.

“What was he doing that close to you?” she snarls protectively, and if the growl wasn’t enough to get your heart racing, that was. “Sm- Smelling you?”

“Yukes, Wade’s the same age as my parents. Honestly, he’s- He’s kinda- He’s nice to me. We’re friends. I think if he was going to hurt me, he would’ve done it by now. You two keep forgetting I’m just a beta. No one wants a piece of this pie except for you and Ellie.”

“You’d be surprised at the way some alphas… It’s sick, but they- Because betas, you know, they don’t really produce slick like omegas do, and they don’t have quite as much give, uh… So, some alphas, um, they… Just let me hold you, okay?” Yukio requests. “I can’t talk about it, it’ll make me too mad.”

“I respect that. Thank you. I, uh, I didn’t realize that at all, so thank you for helping me be even safer,” you reassure her. She’s trembling. “Do you want me to hold you, instead?”

“No, no, this will make me feel better. I just… I love you. Can you just…? Just- Just say you’re mine.” This is a request Yukio has semi-often. When she feels weak in comparison to other alphas, when she feels overshadowed by Ellie, any time she needs reassurance or is just feeling bad, she’ll probably ask. You get it, being hers (and Ellie’s, of course) makes you feel better, too.

“I’m yours, Yukio. Always yours. You make me so happy, both of you. Happier than- You make me feel so-“ You get a bit choked up. These girls, these alphas… They’re so important to you.

“Oh, no, baby, please don’t cry,” Yukio implores, watching your eyes water. You turn so that your face doesn’t just rest on her chest but is buried in it.

“It’s just that no one ever loved me before you two. No one, ever. Not my parents, not my ’friends,’ no one. I don’t know why I’ve been so emotional lately, I’m sorry.”

“No one at all?” Yukio questions, but that’s the missing puzzle piece, she realizes. You’re always treating hers and Ellie’s love for you like it’s something you have to earn, no matter how much they insist being yourself is enough. She fully grasps now that it’s never been enough before.

She holds you even tighter.

“Mm-mm,” you confirm, shaking your head a little. “You and Ellie just mean the whole world to me. And- And… Wade’s my friend, too. Can I still, y’know, spend time with him?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I just- He’s a nice guy, but… I don’t want him to put you in danger. You can handle yourself, though. Can’t you, sharpshooter?” Her fingers trickle up your ribs as she says the nickname, making you giggle and squirm.

“Absolutely, but it is nice to have two strong, sexy alphas take care of me instead every now and then,” you admit, albeit a bit teasingly, blushing softly. You turn back so that you can see her adorable face.

“Really?” Yukio asks, but she knows.

“Really,” you agree with a smile.

“I’m yours, too. You know that, right?” Yukio checks, fiddling with your hair a bit.

“Mhm. It’s nice to hear you say it like that, though.”

“I can think of other ways you might like to hear it,” Yukio flirts.

“Yeah, you think so? Show me,” you tease back.

“I will…” Yukio trails off as she trails her finger along your jaw, tipping your head up to the perfect kissing angle and- “Eventually, little beta.”

“I- I’m taller than you,” you weakly protest.

“Your breath still hitched,” Yukio reminds you with a giggle and a gentle tap on the tip of your nose.

You stutter a little more before giving up, burying your face again and whining.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I just can’t help myself. You’re too cute,” Yukio half-heartedly apologizes, still chuckling to herself as she strokes your back.

Ellie returns from her shower, inky tendrils of hair ruffled around but with no product in.

“She’s asleep?” Ellie asks, sounding a bit disappointed, but there’s still a significant amount of fondness in her tone.

“She’s not,” you mumble back, and both girls chuckle, Yukio untangling herself from you. You can’t help but pout a little, already missing the bubblegum-haired alpha.

“I know Yukio’s your favorite, but you could at least act a little bit happy to see me,” Ellie half-jokes, and you smile, pulling (though she doesn’t give any resistance) the girl back into your bed. She holds you the same way Yukio did, but you don’t really mind the lack of variety.

“You’re both my favorite,” you argue. Ellie takes a deep breath, likely taking in the way you’re completely embraced by Yukio’s scent.

“I don’t think that’s how favorites work,” she chuckles.

“Out of all the people in the world, you two are both my favorite,” you insist. She takes the hand you have resting on her ribcage and holds it inches from her scent gland. “Please,” you say, before she can even ask. Ellie takes a whiff again.

“Did she leave anywhere untouched?” She wonders.

“N-not really,” you stutter, because now you’re thinking of where she didn’t touch you.

“Well, she’ll have to share a little, then,” Ellie says.

You hum with delight as she scents you.

“You make a new friend?” Ellie questions.

“Huh?”

“You smell… Different,” she responds, looking at you… Well, differently. “Like roses.”

“I have a new-ish shampoo?” You offer, but that just seems to intensify the look.

Your phone rings. It’s Wade. You wriggle out of Ellie’s loose hold on you, answering.

“Hey, you know how I’m your academic advisor?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Well, apparently, thwarting your suicide attempts isn’t my only job. I also have to tell you when they need you in the office, which is now.”

“Seriously?! I didn’t even throw that pencil at Richard, and even if I did, he deserved it for being such a-“

“Oh, right! Should’ve opened with the good news. Your parents are here to visit.”

“What?! That’s-“ You sigh, not wanting to alarm Ellie any more than you already have. “Okay. I’ll be there. Just give me a second to get dressed.”

“Wow, no shame at all. I salute you. Toodles!” Wade hangs up before you realize he misunderstood you.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asks.

“Nothing, just… My parents are here.”

“Your… Parents?”

“Kind of have to have those to exist, usually,” you remark, and she snorts.

“I know- I- Well, we’ve known each other for a while, and you don’t really talk about them, so I sort of assumed…” Ellie trails off.

“Oh, um, yeah, no, they’re very alive,” you confirm with an awkward chuckle.

“Right. I’ll go get ‘Kio, and we’ll all go, okay?”

“Uh- Um- Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“My parents, they kind of… They- I love you. And I’m not ashamed of you.”

“But they’ll be ashamed of you,” Ellie understands.

“I haven’t seen them in so long, they don’t even know that I like girls, let alone that I’m dating two, or that they’re both alphas… I want you and Yukio to come with me, but, if they start to- If they’re how they are, I-“

“Give my energy to helping you instead of hurting them,” Ellie uses Piotr’s words.

“Perfect,” you agree, and Ellie smiles back, but it falters. You didn’t mean to worry her so much.

“I’ll go get Yukio. You get changed, okay?”

“Mhm,” you agree, and she heads off to the bathroom. You steal one of Ellie’s band tees and an oversized cardigan of Yukio’s for comfort, finding a pair of high-waisted bottoms to tuck the tee shirt in. You throw on a pair of sneakers, and when the girls emerge from the bathroom, you pop in to freshen up.

Once you’re done, Yukio’s caught up on the situation and the three of you make your way to the front offices.

Wade meets you outside.

“Oh em gee, Y/N, you’ll never believe it, I actually went to high school with both of your parents.”

“Uh… Cool?” You respond, because you’re not entirely sure how to.

“Yeah, uh, I get now that it’s probably not really good news that they’re here, huh? No wonder I found you doing that the other day.”

“Doing what?” Yukio and Ellie ask, though for some reason, Ellie’s is tinged with suspicion, maybe even anger.

“I- Listen, it’s not a big deal, I got my prescription updated and all that good stuff, okay?” You prime them. “I was thinking about killing myself the other day and Wade caught me.”

“Thinking?! You’re gonna call holding the fucking tip of an arrow to your wrist thinking?!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ellie sounds as angry as Wade does, but she looks pained. This is why you didn’t tell them.

“Hey, she doesn’t need this right now,” Yukio argues, but she looks hurt, too.

“I mean, I was just considering if it would be more painful than jumping off of the turret,” you mumble, your defense embarrassingly weak.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Ellie decides, and Yukio nods. You three follow Wade to Xavier’s office. Wade breezes in, but you’re practically stuck in the doorway, nervous to look at even the backs of their heads, before they turn around.

“Y/N,” your mom says with a grin, but you know all too well how fake that is. She approaches you, pulls you into a hug, and you want nothing more than to push her away and scrub yourself clean. She doesn’t really love you. The second you speak out of turn, or make a mistake, or give her any excuse, she’ll remind you of your worth. (Or, rather, the lack thereof.)

She slips back into her seat next to your father, in front of the desk where Xavier sits, simply observing.

“It’s been so long,” your father says, but his smile is almost blatantly fake. “Your hair, it’s different.”

“Like you said, it’s been a while,” you say, giving a grimace and an awkward chuckle.

“I don’t think I like it,” he says, like he’s giving his opinion on a sculpture in an art exhibit by some long-dead artist who doesn’t care what he thinks. Like it’s something just… Objective.

“Not sure what to do about that,” you reply sheepishly.

You don’t fully realize that you’re holding Ellie’s hand until she squeezes it reassuringly, three times. A secret code. You step further in to make room for the girls.

“So, uh, I have to ask… Why the sudden visit?”

“Well, we got an e-mail about your medicine, and we wanted to come check on you. Make sure this is the right environment for you,” your mother explains.

“You weren’t sure before you stopped talking to me for two years?” You half-joke, playing dumb.

“Has it really been two years?” A normal person would be asking this rhetorically, and they’d be embarrassed. Your mother, though, is simply trying to gaslight you.

“Longer,” you assure her.

“I thought this place was supposed to provide conversion therapy,” your father says, eyeing your hand, then Ellie’s other hand. “You’re such a fucking liar,” he hisses to your mother.

“Wow, maybe my mom dying when I was young was for the best. Better than this for sure,” Wade jokes, gently elbowing your side. You chuckle, grateful for even the slightest ounce of comic relief.

“You’re even more of a freak than you were in high school.” You squeeze Ellie’s hand tight as your father’s expression darkens even further.

“Funny you should say that, considering-“

“Wade,” your mother cuts him off.

That’s weird, to say the least. You just file that away for later. You have bigger fish to fry, like surviving this visit.

“Y/N, why’d you go for a check-up at all? You barely needed the anti-depressants in the first place,” your mother wonders.

“Because it wasn’t barely. Why else would they raise the dosage?” You ask, and the expression on her face is as stupid as the question she asked.

“Don’t speak to her that way,” your father scolds, like he didn’t just call your mother a fucking liar himself. “You are so ungrateful for everything we’ve done for you, do you realize that?”

“I’m sorry, what have you done for her, exactly? Answer quickly, please,” Ellie retorts.

“El-“ you start, but realize this isn’t anger, but advocacy.

“Well, we sheltered and fed her for over a decade,” your father remarks, smirking like he’s won.

“That’s your job!” Wade argues.

“Mr. and Mrs. L/N… I politely asked that you refrain from visiting the campus, and while I appreciate your concern for Y/N’s well-being, I must ask that you remain respectful of her, her fellow students, and my staff. Causing unnecessary conflict is exactly the reason you were almost banned when you last visited,” Professor Xavier finally speaks.

“Almost banned?!” Wade wheezes.

“Yeah,” you sigh, and Wade’s laughter immediately ceases. “I was cheating in school, according to- To Dad.” The word is poison in your mouth.

“Come on, we all know you’re not smart enough to get those grades on your own. Probably screwing some teacher, just like Mom.”

“That’s enough,” Ellie snarls, eyes glowing orange.

“I never screwed a teacher!” Your mother protests at the same time.

“Oh, that’s right, you just blew Mr. Morin. My bad. Wow, Y/N, you really must be something special for all these alphas to be fawning over you. Maybe I did fuck up once or twice, after all, I’ve heard daddy issues-“

“Well, you visited! Now get the fuck out,” Wade chirps.

“Mr. L/N, must I repeat myself? I know you and Mrs. L/N were interested in a tour. Perhaps a less crowded area would help ease your minds,” Xavier reminds you all of his presence once more.

“That sounds like a great idea,” your father agrees.

“I’m starting to get a bit of a headache, maybe you could show us your room first and I could lie down for a bit in there?”

“I-“ You look to the girls, not wanting them to have to deal with her alone.

“Actually, Miss Phimister and Miss Kitsuna would be perfect additions to a rescue team. The orphanage your friend Russell came from was actually part of a network for mutant trafficking, and we found another hub in Maine. The jet takes off in fifteen minutes, and you two will be back in time for dinner. Better get ready and briefed.”

“But-“ Yukio starts, looking to you.

“Go, be superheroes,” you tell them, and they head out. “Uh, how about we swing by the library first, to give them time to change, and then to our room?”

“You share a room with them? Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“We were roommates before we started dating,” you correct him.

“Dating… Aw, I bet you really think that’s what it is, too. Having parents in a sham of a marriage really did a number on you, huh?” Your father condescends.

“You know, it’s pretty fucked up how fixated you are on her sexuality. Do you like to picture it, you goddamn creep?” Wade defends you, and your skin crawls. You’d never thought of it that way before.

“Let’s just get that tour started, ‘kay?” You squeak. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner they’ll be on their way, hopefully.

“Good idea, Y/N,” Wade says. “Come on, Textbook, let’s go.”

“You didn’t just call me-“

“Oh, but I did, Textbook. Hey, Y/N, did you know that was your dad’s nickname in highschool? ‘Cause he was so fuckin’ easy to shove in a locker.”

You cover your mouth with your hand, trying not to laugh and failing.

“Just show us the library already, Y/N,” your mother says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

You take your parents to the library, as requested. Wade keeps pace with you while your parents fall back. You can’t hear their exact words, but you know your parents are bickering.

“You never said it was this bad.”

“It’s not that bad. It’s definitely been worse,” you admit, busying your eyes with the paintings that line the walls so that you don’t have to meet Wade’s gaze. You might just cry if you do; you can feel the sympathy radiating off of him.

In these past few months, Wade’s been more of a father than your dad, even more of a mother than your mom, but for some reason that doesn’t make you feel more justified in how you feel about your parents. In fact, it just makes you feel worse, and even if you’ve never actually expressed it, you’re still ashamed of the fact that you wish Wade was your father instead. He actually cares, while your parents are simply legally obligated.

From the day you met, Wade’s always been there for you. If you were to tell your parents what you almost did the other day, they’d just call you attention-seeking and insult you in other ways. All they’d do is make you want to try again.

You and Wade stop at the entrance to the library and wait for your parents to catch up. They do, and you open the double doors to reveal the room.

“It’s like Beauty and the Beast,” your mother gapes.

“I thought so, too,” you agree, attempting a smile, but your parents just ignore you, wandering around the large room. Your mother excuses herself after a few minutes of spinning, saying that the dizziness is making her headache worse.

“All these books and you’re still… The way you are,” your father comments, looking at you with such disdain.

“Winner of the science fair with her loving partners, three years in a row?” Wade questions. “Oh, or maybe you’re talking about the fact that she’s a published poet. How embarrassing for you, I’m sure.”

“Wade,” you protest under your breath, embarrassed. They don’t even know that stuff. After middle school, you stopped telling them about your accomplishments. You figured out that all they’d do is ruin them for you.

“No, no, trust me. It’s more about the fact that she’s slutting around with alphas and won’t even save us the embarrassment of them being girls,” you father spats.

“That’s enough,” Wade snarls.

“Oh, that’s right, we can’t forget that she’s yours, too. I guess anything with a dick is daddy considering I was too busy putting food on the table to play dollies,” he remarks, and you suddenly feel light-headed.

“Seriously, Textbook, I really don’t want to hurt you, especially not in front of Y/N, but I fucking will if you make me.”

“Just go,” you urge Wade, starting to feel a bit dizzy, surely from the stress. You brace yourself on him, disguising it as a touch meant to comfort him. He looks concerned as the edges of your vision start to darken a little.“I- What you’re doing, I appreciate it, but-“

“You appreciate it? You appreciate him disrespecting me, disrespecting our family?!”

“Our family?!” You finally snap. “All I ever wanted was for you to love me, and you couldn’t do that. You just couldn’t. And now we’re a family?! No. No, you…” You start to pant, your face feeling even hotter than before. “You… I hate you,” you manage to get out before your world goes completely dark.

“Fuck yeah, Y/N! I’m so prou-“

But when Wade turns to you, you’re halfway to the ground. He catches you, though, and he catches a whiff of something… Familiar.

Lavender. It’s not just the Wilson scent, sure, but it’d be too much of a coincidence. You smell just like him. You are him, or, rather, made of him.

He’s torn between ecstatic and furious.

“Hey, can we get some help over here?” your father calls out to no one. It’s not a school day, and lots of students are out on missions. He reaches out to you for once in your life, but Wade’s now sitting on the floor, cradling you in his arms.

“No,” Wade argues. “Not yours. Mine.”

“What?” You father asks incredulously. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“She’s. Not. Yours,” Wade repeats, and the more he inhales your scent, the more out of control yet calm he feels. Like he’s in the eye of a hurricane. “My baby. Mine.”

“You’re not saying…” your father trails off as Wade gets up, still cradling you. Wade has to take you to your room; help make you a nest, now. He can smell it on you.

You’re in heat.

He gets to your room quickly, practically tossing you onto your bed. Wait… Isn’t your mom supposed to be here?

And that’s when he hears the sound of pills spilling onto the floor.

He nearly rips the bathroom door off of its hinges. Luckily, your mother spilled what Wade quickly realizes is suppressants, and not your prescription.

“You. You could’ve killed her. You are very, very lucky that my baby-“

“Our baby,” your mother corrects.

“No, you take pills, you can’t even smell her, let alone feel her like I can. It- It’s so much it fucking hurts. I’ll say it again, you’re very lucky my baby is in heat, or your arteries would be emptying in that shower. Now, go. Don’t come back.”

You groan in pain, stirring, and your mother takes Wade’s advice. Wade calls Yukio. Then Ellie. Then Yukio. Then Ellie.

“What the fuck, dude?!”

“You need to turn around. Now. I don’t have the time to explain. It’s Y/N.”

“Is she okay?” Ellie, always skeptical, asks.

“Obviously fucking not, or I wouldn’t be calling. She’s in heat.”

“But-“

“I said that I don’t have time to explain, fucking turn around! I’m on the verge of going fucking feral, Ellie. You both need to get here, now.”

“Wade, get out,” Ellie immediately demands.

“I can’t,” he admits.

“Get out! Shit, Wolverine! We need to turn around!”

“I can’t. It’s not like that I swear, it’s… I’m going fucking crazy, just one of you will do, but someone needs to get here.”

“Wade, go.”

“I would never hurt her! Come home!” Wade barks before hanging up. He returns to your room to find you’ve made a nest instinctively - thank goodness for Yukio’s affinity for pillows and blankets - and now you’re curled up in pain in the center of it.

“Wade,” you whimper. He’s scared to step closer, not sure if he’s what you want, even if you despise who you thought was your father. “What’s happening to me? Everything hurts.”

“I really don’t know how to say this, but… You’re in heat.”

“But I’m a beta,” you argue, wrapping your arms around yourself.

“That’s what we all thought. But… Remember how you didn’t smell like anything before? Uh, let me start over. When did you start on your anti-depressants?”

“I was about twelve,” you confirm, not sure what that means.

“Yeah, I think those were suppressants. That it’s always been suppressants, no matter what the bottles said. Until you got a prescription without your mother knowing. Do you understand why your mother would do that?”

You shake your head, and he approaches the bed, sitting down carefully as not to disturb your work.

“Her boyfriend around the time she got pregnant with you was a beta. We know him as Textbook,” Wade teases, before continuing: “But, what no one realizes is that he was at Niagara Falls on spring break around the time when you were conceived, and she was hanging out with her next-door neighbor the whole time. Her next-door neighbor was me.”

“Oh, so I’m your highschool mistake,” you say, connecting the dots.

“Huh?”

“Ha, well, whenever my parents- Well, I guess not my parents, but that’s beside the point, uh, whenever they argue and it gets really bad, my father- Well, not my father, but, uh-“

“Continue,” Wade urges.

“Basically, sometimes he uses ‘a mistake I made in highschool’ as code for ‘Y/N,’” you explain. “But the truth is, I’m the mistake you made in highschool.”

“You’re not a mistake,” he disagrees. “You’re- You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Lots of things are made by accident, but that doesn’t make them mistakes! Penicillin, potato chips, Post-It notes, popsicles! They were never supposed to exist but they do and the world is much better off with them in it.”

“You really do have a lot of useless knowledge,” you realize.

“So do you, that’s why our team always wins trivia night.” Wade slips off his boots, joining you in your rearranged bed. “C’mere,” he suggests, guiding your head to his neck.

“S’really you,” you mumble, already weary, and Wade worries for what’s to come. He almost doesn’t even want to let the girls in. He could get you pain medicine, he could probably even find sedatives. Then no one would ever be able to even touch you, let alone hurt you. “Lavender. You never mentioned the lavender, just the sandalwood.”

“I didn't think you’d be impressed,” Wade admits.

“It’s relaxing,” you tell him. “It’s nice to have things in common with someone.”

“You smell like roses, too, not just lavender,” he makes sure you know.

“Yeah, but I think that’s mostly concentrated in an area I’d rather not discuss with you.”

“Well, just make sure that if you do decide to do anything more with them than cuddle, which I can gladly go through the rest of my life without knowing, bee-tee-dubs, that the girls are wearing alpha condoms, especially if one of them knots you. Standard condoms work in a pinch if it’s just for one, y’know, go, but for heats they’re basically useless because of everything I just said. If they hurt you, I will make their deaths look like accidents.”

“S’not like I can get pregnant anyway…” You mumble, embarrassed. “I’m- I’m really glad it’s you. I- I wished so many times that it was you instead of him. Ow, ugh, that one was bad,” you groan, massaging your stomach.

Meanwhile, on the jet, Ellie is furious with herself.

“Yukio, you don’t get it, I smelled her. She smelled like an omega, but I thought- I assumed she was cheating on us. That maybe she didn’t want to be with us like that was because she wanted to- I don’t know, to be on top? It seems so stupid now.”

“Hey, I noticed she smelled different, too. There were other signs we both missed, anyways. Think about how emotional she’s been lately, or how much farther we’ve been going in other ways. How clingy she’s been, too.”

“I guess I didn’t really notice it because I liked her being more open and needing us more,” Ellie admits. “She- She almost fucking killed herself. And I thought cheating was what she was hiding. I- I just-“

“You can’t beat yourself up over it,” Yukio insists. “We’re on our way back, and Wade’s there to protect her.”

Speaking of Wade being there to protect you, he continues to comfort you as the pain gets worse.

“S’too hot,” you complain, and he releases you from his hold, rising from the bed. He knows he’ll have to leave you soon, because you’re likely going to need privacy before the girls get home, but it’s hard to part from you knowing you’re in pain.

“I’m gonna get you some water, okay? And after that, I’m just gonna stand guard outside the door until your girls get here. I know there’s some stuff you need to do, and that’s only gonna get worse.”

“It’s already awful,” you admit, and he chuckles.

“Good luck, kid. I love you.”

Wade gets a case of bottled water from the school’s industrial-sized pantry, bringing it to your room and tearing it open for you before leaving once more. You take one, immediately guzzling it down.

In privacy, you take off Yukio’s cardigan and your bottoms, leaving you in Ellie’s tee shirt and your underwear. You decide to go ahead and free yourself from the constriction that is your bra, feeling a bit embarrassed that you’re not leaving much to the girls’ imagination for your first time together. You eventually decide to undress completely, wondering when the hell your girls are gonna get here.

[rimaiahwrites]

Red handed—

Chapter seven

After Erik drove away Israel came in to the house grinning even though he low key pissed her off.

She was still happy that she got to spend time with him, Erik was actually bringing happiness and excitement to her dull life and she couldn't be happier about it.

Israel walked right passed her brothers and into the kitchen, not even noticing all her brothers and their friends sitting in the living room looking at her like she lost her mind.

She grabbed a water bottle and began to chug it. Until she heard someone clear their throat. She turned around and started choking on the cold water. Noah got up from the floor and made his way over to pat her on the back.

When she got her choking under Control, she waved at them giving her best smile trying not to look suspicious.

"Who the fuck was that nigga you was wit'?" Her smile dropped.

"What are you talking about I-" Jay cut his eyes at her, daring her to lie to his face. Israel rolled her eyes trying to play it off. "He's Just one of my friends jay, relax."

"Since when do you have guy friends?" He asked walking into the kitchen. Everyone now quiet like he was some sort of king.

"Since when did I have to answer to you?" Israel spit back, looking him up and down. Jay was a bit taken back from her tone because it wasn't like her to get go smart mouth with him.

"Since you were born fuck you mean when? You forgetting that you the youngest?" He said cocking his head back like she just said the most stupidest shit ever. "no but You keep forgetting I'm grown. I can do as I please." She hissed slamming the freighter door shut. "I'm not no damn baby anymore, stop trying to tell me what I can and can't do I'm grown rather you like it or not, the fuck" she said stepping up to him as if he wasn't 6'0 and bulky grown man. not even realizing that she had raised her tone with him...or that she was cussing.

"Girl-" she quickly held her hand up to hush him. "No! I'm so done with this shit! Y'all three get to do whatever y'all want and y'all still live in mom and dads house and don't nobody say shit to y'all but when I hang out with someone of the opposite gender it's a problem? as if you did just sneak that girl In your room not to long ago, as if y'all wasn't fucking in there while mom was downstairs right under your room." She spit out dropping her head down a bit to give him a death stare. She was so irritated and had so much adrenaline running through her, she was shaking.

"You really can't say shit to me jay!" She said slapping her hand on the counter, and her other hand in her hip. Looking like a middle aged black mama yelling at her disobedient child while jay just stood there staring wildly at her but there wasn't much he could say. It was all true. She cut him up and now he was stuck not knowing what to say.

It was quiet in the living room and kitchen.

Jays friends didn't say a thing but they were fully entertained with the argument going on between the two Sibling.

"So what you just fucking random niggas now? Huh? That's where you was last night? At that niggas house being a hoe?" He shouted, veins popping out the side of his head. Israel face dropped at his words and they stung more then she thought they would.

You could hear a pin drop nobody made a move or spoke a word. Just a silent staring contest between the two. Jays fists balled, shoulders squared looking like he was ready to fight while Israel on the other hand was her eyes were getting glossy and her breathing heavy. She could feel the lump in her throat getting harder to swallow.

She cleared her throat and turn to walk back to get her bag by the front door. And heading up stairs, there was nothing else to be said. Israel now knew that her big brother saw her as nothing more then just a hoe, he has made it very clear today.

Israel waited until she was 18 just to talk to men and now he was calling her a hoe not even knowing that she only stayed for the night, And that was all. But there was no point in arguing with jay, he was stubborn and a asshole. if that's what he thought that's what he thought.

She shut her bedroom door and headed straight to her bed, stuffing her face in her pillow tears coming down like a waterfall.

She was Tempted to call Erik just so he could come get her of the hell hole she called home.

Maybe that was over dramatic but she hated it here, she loved her family but being with them 24/7 wasn't something she planned on doing once she turned eighteen. She honestly thought she would have been treated like her brothers were but then again she was never given a fraction of the freedom her brothers has. She was never treated like her feelings mattered, everything has always been about the boys.

You would think that since she's the only daughter her father has she would be treated like a princess and get away with everything but that definitely wasn't the case with her father. She was always the one to get yelled at first, she was always the first one to get blamed for something she didn't do and was always the first to get it the worst of her siblings.

Her father was a strict, mean military man that had no Sympathy for anyone and he clearly passed that down to his oldest son.

She was so sick of crying over them, she was so sick of being mistreated.

With tears still running down her face she sat up and took a deep breath feeling like she was dropping down into that deep hole she liked to hide herself in when she was feeling down.

His words replaying in her head like a broken record. She wasn't a hoe and she knew that and she knew that she didn't sleep with Erik but some how his words sank into her skin so deep that she felt dirty. Like she had committed some sort of sin.

She was only having fun, and finally getting the teenage experience she never got to have when she was younger.

Israel was tired of crying over things her family has said to her it was time for her to stop letting their words hurt her and effort her mental health.

She stood up from her bed and decided that she wanted to take a flower bath and just pray her troubles away.

-

Erik parked his black Mercedes-Benz G-Class outside of the were house he owned. This was the place he kept all of his weapons, books, important papers and information he had collected over the years of him being in college and the navy.

He and ten of his close friends that he met in the navy had formed a elite group of former navy seals. Their jobs were to Take down small governments and expose them. They also would kill small amounts of police officers and clans men which 9 times outta 10 were the same group of men.

About six months age they made a little mistake that almost got them caught which would've cost them their lives which is why they took a break to regroup to better themselves. Erik and three of his boys ace, zeik and Rae all trained the hardest they ever have far as fighting techniques, Brent, rocky and von all worked with weapons and the rest of the boys were hackers.

Today was their first meeting in six months. Erik has changed Plans and moved things from the original date so this meeting is important.

Erik walked to the side door of the warehouse and slide up the side  paneling to reveal the handprint scanner, that was the only way to get into it up less you climb to the very top and through the window but the chances of that happening was slim. Once he was into he went to the corner of the large warehouse and behind the staircase that lead you to go upstairs which was empty.

He walked into the staircase little door where there was a another door that used Voice activation to open. "State your name please." a robotic voice said as it Scanned his face. "Erik Stevens."

"Face scan complete, welcome back erik." The voice said as the heavy Metal door opened to Reveal his underground lab.  "Feels good to be back." Erik Chuckled as he walked down the steps. All of his boys turned their heads from the game of pool to Erik. "Ayo Erik where you been at motherfucka you was supposed to be here a hour and a half ago." Erik grin as he dubed ace up ignoring zeik interrogation. "Right and you be the main one mad if Someone else late to the meetings." Rae butted in.

Erik rolled his eyes.

"If y'all don't shut the fuck up, I gotta life to I just got caught up." He shrugged them off as he walked over to his desk. Rae eyebrows raised as he looked at the rest of them and they all were just as confused as him. Erik and "personal" just didn't go together in the same sentence, if he wasn't working out he was working. Erik was always work, work, work.

Brent smirked as he grabbed his water  bottle and took a sip "him must got a new bitch or sum'" ace snorted "nigga yeah right that nigga ain't been in a relationship in years, Erik fucks and dips." It was true. That just wasn't like Erik.

"All I hear is you motherfuckas being worried about me let's get to work!" Erik clap his hands exactly as he went into the meeting room with the rest of the men following.

-

After a four hour meeting they had finally figured everything out. It was now 10:46 and Erik was tired, Israel sleeping over had him exhausted since it fucked up his sleep schedule. On a normal day Erik was in bed 11 o'clock and up at 6 o'clock in the morning. Sleep was very important to a healthy life style. It was Proven that people that get at least 7 hours of sleep they live longer.

Soon as Erik got home he took a shower and got straight in bed. he didn't even bother putting on clothes.

It's almost been a week since Erik has last spoken to Israel since he had been so busy. It's been strictly wake up, eat, work, train and work some more he didn't really have time to hang or call.

He felt a little bad for it but he knew that she knew he wasn't ignoring her intentionally...at least he hoped she knew that.

Today Erik was going to the gun range with ace just to do some training and catch up with him since they really hasn't had the chance to do that.

Since ace's car was in the shop right now so erik decided to pick him up instead of him catching a Uber. Soon as erik pulled up to aces Apartment he saw he step out of his door and jogged over to the passenger side.

"Wassup E," he said as he sat his bag down in the back seat. "Wassup bro you ready to show these niggas how to aim?" Erik said jokily as he drove off.

Erik cooked his AMT and aimed it at the head of the paper man all the way in the range and let multiple bullets fly from it giving him a slight rush. He adjusted his safety glasses and gripped the handle of the gun again before pulling the trigger but aiming at a different figure. Him and ace were both in their own little worlds before the ringtone from Erik's phone pulled him back down to earth, it caught aces attention too.

It was Israel.

Erik beamed down at the screen but Debated if he should answer it or not, he wanted to he really did but decided it would be best if he called her later since he could barely hear from all the gun shots being fired.

"Who was that? Got you smiling and shit..." ace asked with his eyebrows raised. Placing his gun down to face Erik. "Nigga why you so damn nosy?" Erik cut his eyes at him while blindly putting his phone back into his pocket.

"What you mean nigga? I'm just trying to see who making my dawg so happy is that a crime?" He said jokingly jerking his head back. Erik rolled his eyes.

"It's was one of my friends." Erik stated before grabbing his gun again trying to get off the topic. Ace put his hand out and pushed the gun down before he could pull the trigger.

"What friend? cause the last time i checked we had the same circle of friends?" Erik sigh getting annoyed with aces interrogation. Did he want to tell his best friend about Israel? Hell nah. Because he know his best friend and he knows he's going to go over bored and start doing the most with questions.

"You don't know her. Drop it nigga."

"Her? So you got a bitch or sumn'" Erik shock his head not even meaning to slip up and say anything. It was to late to take back now. "Nah she not my girl, we just been chilling." Erik shrugged, as he corrected him.

"Lemme see what she look like nigga how you know I don't know her?"

"Hell nah nigga stop being nosy-"

"Ok but if I had a bitch I would show you-"

"She not a bitch tho." Erik said sternly in their back and forth bickering. As annoyed as Erik was ace had a point and they both knew it. Ace talked to him about everything and if he was interested in a girl Erik would be the first to know about it. Erik put his gun on safety and sat it down before digging In his back pocket to grab his phone.

He scrolled through his camera until he found his favorite picture of Israel. It was one she sent to him not to long ago, her hair was wild with tiny ringlet coils. Her lips and mouth were stained red from the dumdum that hung from it. She had her white silk night gown on and a dainty rose flower necklace that hung between her collarbone.

Erik handed him the phone and watched as he brought his fist up to his mouth. "Nigga she fine as fuck damn where you find her at?"

"A party I went to not to long ago, she was shy as fuck she would barely talk to me." Erik chuckled taking his phone back to put it back in his pocket. "We been hanging out the last few weeks, she cool." Erik said nonchalantly to make it seem like he wasn't feeling shordy as much as he was. To someone like didn't know Erik as well as ace did he would've them really thinking he didn't like her and it wasn't a big deal but ace knew.

"You feeling her?" Ace asked facing Erik now, Erik shrugged.

"Like I said she cool."

"Mm." Was all ace said. Erik didn't need to answer, ace already knew the answer.

[wandaswifeyforlifey]

First Day ~Part 1~

Ship: MJ x Reader

Word count: 1.3k

Summary: You couldn’t be more grateful to be taken in by the avengers, but living the dream has to come to an end at some point, right?

A/n: I am so sorry to the person who requested this! I know you sent me a message but Tumblr isn’t letting me see them at the moment so I will have to tag you in it as soon as I can access them This is part one of three so stay tuned!

Every time you thought about it, the more grateful you became. It was probably the best case of right place, right time. You had been raised in the Red Room so violence was all you knew. It never occurred to you that love was what someone was supposed to receive until you were given the mission to kill the former assassin, Natasha Romanov.

You knew exactly what you were there to do. You had played out 1000 different possibilities of how this could go down in your head, just like how the Black Widows were trained. Pacing the area cautiously, you awaited her prey. Romanov would be completely unsuspecting, which was always the best way to kill someone. Off-guard. The keys jangled in the lock of the apartment door as you hid, preparing yourself. The door creaked open slowly with Natasha waiting just outside the door frame. Fuck. She knows I'm here. How does she know I'm here? You thought to yourself. She strode in, slammed the door behind her with her foot and pointed her gun directly at your face. Romanov's eyes seemed to soften when she saw you, clearly taking note of your age. Being 14 could easily put someone off of killing you but it also gets their defences down.

You swung, hitting Nat in the temple with the barrel of your gun and she was dazed just enough for you to kick your opponent in the back of the knees so she toppled to the floor.

“Let me guess, you’re here to kill me? Trust me, it’s been attempted multiple times and it never ends well. Do yourself a favour and get out while you have the chance.” Natasha panted, still lying on the floor. You took that as an opportunity to stamp on her stomach but she dodged it by rolling onto her side.

“I came here to do a job and I’m not going to leave until it is complete.” You replied

With that being said, the outcome wasn’t looking too good. Nat swung her leg under your feet, leaving you in the position she had just been in. Natasha then pinned your arms down and sat on top of your stomach.

“You and I both know that I don’t want to hurt you but if you keep acting like this I might just have to.”

“Fine by me.”

“Ok. If you’re going to play like that I have a last resort. I’m sorry.”

She pulled out a syringe from her pocket and jabbed it into your arm. The world slowly faded into a cold black.

You regained consciousness inside a circular room with completely glass walls and a heavy-looking door. You turned around to see Romanov and a man you didn’t recognise talking just quiet enough so that you could only hear faint mumbles. It must have been pretty important because they both had stern looks on their faces and the man walked off in a hurry. She turned to look at you and her expression softened for a second.

“Who was that?” you asked, frowning.

“No one you need to know about. Look, Y/n, you need to realise what kind of situation you’re in here.”

“I do realise what situation I’m in: one I can get out of.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking exhausted.

“Look, I’m going to offer you a deal and I suggest you take me up on it because we both know you are at a disadvantage here. S.H.I.E.L.D has taken note of your abilities and enhancements and is willing to let go of all your charges if you use said abilities to help them. To put it simply, you don’t get arrested as long as you join the Avengers.”

Or at least that's the story you tell. Whether it's true or not, you and Nat both seem to agree on it.

You had been living at the Avengers compound for about 3 months and it had undoubtedly been a rocky beginning. You started cold and distant and never really spoke to anyone unless you had to. The others would bring food to your room because you barely left it, Steve doing it the most. After a few weeks of him doing it, you both would slowly get into longer conversations, getting to the point where Steve would eat his dinner in your bedroom with the both of you just chatting until he brought the plates back down.

Once you warmed up to Steve, he managed to get you to eat with everyone and come out more. To your surprise, Peter seemed to click with you. He soon became your other half with you both spending every second with each other. For the first time, you felt wanted. You had a family.

After almost 5 months of staying with them, Tony began to think about your education and you having a proper childhood. He had noticed you and Peter becoming close and decided to call a team meeting for it.

“Ok, so now we are all here,” he began to say, “I think we need to discuss Y/n’s education.”

“What?” you replied.

“Yeah, what?” Steve chimed in.

“Just hear me out. So we know you were raised in the Red Room but you never had a proper education. And I know that probably sounds pretty bad, but I thought maybe you could go to Peter’s school?”

“Are you kidding me that would be amazing!” Peter said excitedly.

Whereas, you were sitting there gaping. You turned to Steve hoping he could defend you but he just turned to you with a slightly sympathetic look. It was obvious he agreed with Tony. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. What? Do they think I’m stupid or something? Fuck this, I’m going to my room.

After storming off to your room Peter came in to talk to you. You heard that the team had agreed with Tony and he could easily get you into any school he liked.

“Hey, Y/n.”

“Hey, Pete. Can you believe that? I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if you were there.”

“I know it sounds bad but it’s normal. You’ve said to me countless times that you wish you had a normal life and this is just another step closer to that. When we go in it’ll just be us against the world!” He said with his usual charming grin. You knew you couldn’t disagree with him and you definitely couldn’t help but smile back.

“Fine you idiot, but promise me you will never say something as cheezy as that ever again?” you laughed

“Ok, I promise,” he replied as he hugged you.

That night you had another talk with Tony and agreed to go. He said you would be able to go in on the Monday coming and you weren’t sure whether what you felt in your stomach was nervousness or excitement.

The next few days seemed to fly by and you asked endless questions to Peter about what it was like. He always seemed happy to answer them though, which was one of the reasons you were friends with him. He was patient, kind, sweet and innocent. Peter honestly helped you adapt to life with the Avengers and you knew you would forever be grateful for him.

But, soon Monday morning came and you were reminded of your promises.

Tagged:

@ladey

[klondiketales]

(W.E) Ha, I meant the other way around, that Freckle is such a cowboy that he handles a horse (Rocky) so well, but I don't mind that, because I think that Rocky and Freckle switch roles in bed

As for leaving Lackadaisy, let's say this ... Freckle no longer feels that fuse when he picked up a gun, it completely disappeared, and the rage was replaced by fatigue, and also with flashbacks of how he shot himself, because of this, it became more difficult for him shoot, because of the memories, Freckle is just mentally exhausted after everything he's been through, so he doesn't want to work at Lackadaisy anymore, most of the time he feels tired, although what about Rocky, I thought he'd want to come back to work again in Lackadaisy, given his devotion to this place, and to Mitzi, but I think I was wrong about that, and also, it would have been better if, after the hospital, Rocky lived with Freckle and Nina for a while, where Freckle could take care of Rocky, and between  they developed a relationship, although I don’t know where Rocky will sleep, either in Freckle's bedroom, or in another place, hm, maybe even in Rocky’s former children’s room, or something like that, and if he has one, and finally, I think relationship between Ivy and Freckle will be tense, she definitely won’t immediately believe in this thing with alternative universes, but sooner or later she will believe in it, given the sharp contrast in characters between Rapist!Freckle and the Victim!Freckle, plus, it seems like Rocky really speaks sincerely, and feels comfortable with Victim!Freckle

Now about a topic we haven't discussed yet ... romantic and sexual relationship between Freckle and Rocky, about the kiss, you're right, it just happened spontaneously, and out of an act of passion/love/affection for each other, but what about the sexual stuff, no, everything happens slowly, mostly Rocky and Freckle are focused on romance rather than sexuality, so their actions are at least romantic in nature, they still have platonic touches, all because they are both tired of all sorts of sexual things, they want to relax because of this, and they want something sweet and romantic, they will have sex, but not soon, but over time they will do sexual things with each other, for example, cuddle, rub, and jerk off each other's penises, but for now they are not doing oral, and anal sex, they are still traumatized by it, but when they finally have sex, it will be very slow, and very deliberate, they will be very careful with each other (especially Freckle) so as not to bring up traumatic memories in each other, but when they finally do it ... they just lose themselves in each other

Honestly, I don't know who would be on top in this scenario, they each deserve to be on top after everything they've been through, but I imagine Rocky in this scenario as being on the bottom, but he's the one who sets the pace, I think he's  has the right to do so, after everything that happened to him, and Freckle just lets Rocky control the pace, and helps him with it, and also, I think their first time will be ... in the corn field, yes, I took the idea at Wickaby, they decided to do it in a different place to avoid the places where they had been raped before, plus, the cornfield is a fairly secluded place, so no one will hear their moans and cries of pleasure

Also, I’m interested in Nina’s reaction to the change in her “son” Freckle, she should have noticed it

I think they do, too. They can both be cowboys if they want.

I have to read about the greeks, so short response: I love all your ideas (especially the cornfield lmao. There’s a reason why I went with that in the wickaby fic. Not a very convenient location to rape someone) and you made me rethink the first time they have sex, which I now agree should be more slow and careful, rather than sudden and impulsive (which is how Rocky usually is with sex in my fics).

I don’t think Nina would notice. DOn’t get me wrong, I think she loves both her boys, but loving them and knowing them well enough to know when there’s something different about them aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Thanks for the asks! Sorry it took so long to get back to them ;w;

[xoteajays]

There's a scene like that in Bloodhounds.. The main characters ended up keeping a guy hostage, threatened to crush his balls if he wouldn't give them information. Actually.. Gun-woo and Woo-jin were adorable in that scene because of their reactions to the threats toward the guy.

You'll see what I mean.

And there was also a scene where they use a saw, like a sander saw, if that's what those tools are called. To sand off someone's skin until the person bled. So that was also a violent scene too. It was entertaining.

And based on some characters having tattoos, that would even imply that they were mafia. I don't know Korean mafia name. But criminals.

~

I feel like the original Strawberry Girls, like their mothers, seemed way more intimidating then the next generation of Strawberry Girls to me.

Yes! Those are my options for Hyuga. Either she's a bratty submissive who he wants to 'break' her of that attitude, or a dominant who would always fight for dominance. I could see either one of those types for a man like Hyuga. And in my opinion.. I could imagine him being into so many different types of restraints - from shibari to leather, whenever I see him at his kinkiest. But that's not an always situation though.

Hyuga and Rocky are the only ones I could imagine using restraints in sex. Hyuga with using any shibari and leather, Rocky using handcuffs and silk ties. Cobra may be another one on the more milder scale too.

Exactly! Because Rocky is the leader of the White Rascals, manages a lot of his own businesses at a time, provides for multiple people every time. He's naturally a leader. Naturally dominant. He is comfortable in a situation like this, not because he's the bossy type, but because this man in naturally suited for the dominant role in this more guiding and nurturing aspect to it. And, even if she is on top, he's still leading her.

But I know what you meant. That's how I imagine him being too.

With Cobra... I can imagine him kinky but not too kinky in my opinion, not definitely not vanilla either. So he's on the mild spectrum of kinks. But, because of his flexibility in fighting - with those grappling moves you always see, I can imagine them in flexible positions because of it.

If Murayama is possibly into any restraints ever, than that means only for his partner. Not him. He's too handsy. I'm still figuring him out too.

Out of DTC, the only character I did like was Tettsu but now I really do not care much about his character either. Nothing against the actors.

And out of the DTC movie, the best scenes were the White Rascals or and Daruma Ikka scenes. I hoped for more Rocky and Hyuga when I'd originally watched the movie but was disappointed they didn't appear visually in the movie, they were only briefly mentioned. Not the same.

Traditionally roses are the most romantic flower, so Rocky's definitely into flowers (or any flowers he can give his partner). So whether you'd like flowers or not, Rocky is giving you flowers any chance he can. I'm curious on what would happen if his partner hated flowers? Or what's gonna happen if Rocky's partner is so completely different than he is.

Oh! There's a picture of Orange with orange and red flowers... And I'm sure what the flowers are. But I do imagine orange and red flowers for her though. Maybe Cobra got her flowers? Someone got her flowers.

I think like Hyuga was secretly an unhinged teen girl in his other life.

Is it funny that I can imagine that. Because he will watch Yui fight just because he would think it's funny guys are getting his asses kicked by a midget girl barely half their size. But is protective over sister friend.

Exactly! Rocky has his male workers care for the female workers, so it is safe to assume he would do that for the female customers too. Like talking them home, taking them to the bus or cars, taking them in the places they need to be to get there safely. And if they women are very drunk, either they drive them home or get a taxi so no drunk driving.

Part of me feels like Rocky loves romance more than Kizzy does, then Kizzy just wants to be nosy about gossip. How are they even friends?!

i actually started watching bloodhounds last night! just one episode because i was trying to slow down on binging informa (there’s only 5 episodes left but i don’t wanna watch too quickly because then it’s over).

but yea! started watching bloodhounds! gun-woo is so cute!! he’s such a sweetie, i adore him. and that last scene in the first episode of him getting his face slices open is brutal. like what are you doing to my boy?!!?

~

yea i can see hyuga being into bondage type stuff. i could even see him being the one bound if his partner ‘wins’ the fight for dominance even if he’s still fiesty about it.

hyuga and rocky are definitely more prepared for it. i think murayama and cobra are more the type to physically pin down their partners (so long as their partner is okay with it). i could maybe see cobra using his red scarf.

i think there’s a lot of overlap between murayama and cobra actually. like cobra’s on the calmer scale of murayama’s extreme. ie murayama’s handsy in a gripping way, but cobra is handsy in more of a touchy way, less grabby.

not vanilla, and cobra’s probably experienced. but i don’t think he’s overly kinky like hyuga is. he’s also pretty strong in addition to the flexibility, so he can probably use that too.

i liked tettsu at the start, but as the series went on i started to like him less. he’s still the most likeable out of dtc tho.

you’d definitely have to own a vase or two if you’re dating rocky because all those flowers are going to need somewhere to go. he probably makes sure they’re always fresh and when they start wilting, he buys her a new bouquet. they’re probably expensive too.

if cobra’s buying flowers, he’s prob just getting what he thinks is pretty. i can’t imagine he knows much about flower meanings. he’s just looking at colours and what’s pretty.

hyuga is an unhinged teenage girl in this life, yui could probably scout him for ojou.

hyuga is just so endeared by yui. she’s tiny and fiery and he finds out she beat murayama’s ass once and he’s like ‘she’s great’. meanwhile he’s keeping a closer eye on ryuko because he promised to protect her.

rocky is probably always the last one to leave the club, not only because he’s the boss, but because he’s making sure all the girls have ways of getting home safe and he won’t go home himself until he’s positive. a clever girl could probably swing that into having some quality alone time with him, having him walk or drive her home.

rocky absolutely loves romance more than kizzy. kizzy is here for the gossip and to watch everything play out and also maybe get some bedroom deets. if rocky is gently nudging people in a romantic direction, kizzy is shoving them. she’s so confident herself that pussyfooting around emotions doesn’t work for her. stop being shy! go get your man/girl!

[akuji-shipper-in-awe]

Basically how Alana found out about Striker's feelings for Mox, god I love her so much 😌

---

"Moxxie, your fuckin' drunk." Striker commented, pushing the drunkened fiend out of his lap.

Moxxie would have landed hard on the rocky ground if Striker hadn't caught him with his tail, instead gently setting him a few feet away from him.

Moxxie weakly stood up, "I am nnnnnOT drunk! I am mmmeeeerly tipssssy." He said with squinted eyes and crossed arms.

Striker had noticed the little guy a few days back, right after getting back from a job in another town. Seemed like his friend had gotten quite stressed while he was away so he offered to go out drinking. Well, just to their hideout behind a thick patch of thorn bushes, but they were definitely drinking. Would've helped a lot if he knew that Mox got drunk easily and was clingy as fuck, not to mention touchy.

"You are darlin'." Striker said, setting his drink down on the ground next to the log he was sitting on.

Moxxie blew raspberries, "I ammm NOT drunk."

Striker sighed looking directly at the imp with a small scowl. Now he really didn't mind Moxxie trying to get on him. Wasn't that big a deal, not like either of them would try to do anything more, but he did know that Moxxie would get highly embarrassed afterwards, start spouting apologies over and over again while Striker had to pretend not to like the attention he was getting while the small thespian was drunk.

Really pissed him off.

"Mox yer gonna regret doin' that in the mornin'." Striker spouted, angrily picking his drink back up and taking a sip. Watching intently as Mox, a little wobbly, stumbled over to him again. Sitting down next to the larger, snake-like imp.

"No I woon't." He placed his head on Striker's shoulder, "I jjjjust wanna cuddllle." He yawned a little bit, making Striker's heart skip a beat for a second.

Striker placed his drink down again, turning towards the drunk imp, he started to feel the effects of his own drink catch up to him, still more level headed then Mox but a bit tipsy, "Ugh, Mox, we both know that's not all you'll do."

Moxxie leaned off him, crossing his arms in defiance, "Maybe, but I wwwanna cuddle right nnnooow."

Striker locked onto the small hand going towards his tail, quickly moving the sensetuve appendage to the side, out of the graby things reach, "No."

Moxxie pouted at the lack of touch, turning his whole body in a mean of defiance, again.

Striker groaned, "Yer such a baby- fine! Fine, but nothing too touchy. Don't need to be told sorry twice a second the whole day tomorrow…"

Moxxie smiled proudly as a cute, innocent expression came across his face. He stood up again before walking Infront of Striker's hunched over posture. Making the tall imp sit up straight again.

"I said you could- CUDDLE." Striker couldn't help raising his voice as Moxxie sat on his lap, wrapping his arms around the bigger imps neck to secure this position while his legs stayed on the outside of Striker's legs. The cowboy demon staring wide eyed at the little imp pushing his face into the more sober imp's neck.

"What the fuck are ya doin'?" Striker wasn't complaining, just genuinely confused.

Moxxie didn't respond, at least not with words, he just chirped a bit while rubbing his face against Striker's neck.

Striker stared at the smaller imp in a few confusing emotions. Confusion being obvious, embarrassment, and… love?

He decided to think about that last one later and simply placed his own arms around the smaller imp's waist. Moxxie, feeling delighted by the action, placed his lips on Striker's neck.

That's when Striker shivered in pure delight. But it was soon pushed down as he remembered the little imp was drunk, not in the right state of mind.

He grabbed the smaller imp by the hips, pushing him back a bit, "Okay, that's enough."

Moxxie pulled himself back towards Striker, "Whyyyy? You sssseem to like it, jjusst look at your tail…"

Striker just noticed his tail was wagging, quite a bit, Satan he could barely control his tail when it came to happiness. He groaned in annoyance, placing the appendage under his foot to stop the wagging, "Yes! I do like the fact that a cute idiot is pushing up on me, but not when you're drunk!" He stopped for a few seconds. Face palming himself mentally, finally realizing he should stop drinking with Moxxie if he would make him spurt out the truth, please don't remember that bit…

"Now just get off me…" Striker finally said after a moment of the two staying completely still. Moxxie didn't move, he actually didn't even try to continue his advances in Striker.

Striker stared at the imp on him for a second, slightly shaking him after a while, "You awake Mox?"

Just a small movement, changing to planting his face into Striker's chest, slightly snoring.

Of fucking course your asleep! Striker thought with an agitated groan slipping past his lips.

He stared at the small thespian for a few more seconds, contemplating what to do next, finally he remembered what time it must be. It was pretty dark out, definitely past at least 8, Wrath's sun didn't set until eight so it was definitely past that time. Didn't Mox say he goes to bed around 9?

"Ah shit, yer dads gonna kill me Mox." Striker let out another agitated groan.

He set his drink down again, making the now empty bottle clink against a small pebble on the ground. Then slowly turned Moxxie's sleeping body to the right. Picking him up bridal style after placing an arm underneath what seemed to be his knees and behind his back, right were his arms connected to his torso.

Striker stood up as he walked towards a small clearing, where the thorny bushes split to form a concealed path leading out of the I closed space behind the bushes. Striker made sure to avoid getting Moxxie pricked by any when they got to a narrow area, only to get pricked himself.

"Huh, it's not that bad but you would really hate it if it woke you up though." Striker mumbled, finally out of the bushes.

Moxxie, unconsciously, grabbed at Striker's shirt, pushing his face into the awake imp's chest, mumbling a small phrase Striker couldn't clearly make out. It was something about guns, or something of that sort, but the little guy was smiling so he wasn't too worried about it.

It didn't take long to get to the window of Moxxie's room. The house wasn't too far away, about a five minute walk form the previous area, but with carrying Moxxie it was a little bit tiring to do.

He adjusted Moxxie to where the small thespian was being held with one of his hands while he went to open the window of Moxxie's room. Thankfully, it was unlocked so he wouldn't need to worry about an earload from Moxxie's dad.

As he opened the window he felt Moxxie snuggle into his chest again, his heart started to beat a little faster as he raised the window up enough for him to sneak into the bedroom. It was a tedious task with the job of holding the small imp and keeping him awake but it was doable even with how small the window was.

Striker moved Moxxie into the bridal style of carrying him again before placing him onto his bed, grabbing a blanket off the chair in the other corner of the room and laying it over the sleeping form of Moxxie's body once it was in his hands.

Striker sighed as he removed his hand from Moxxie's body and was about to go back to the window when he felt a hand grab his wrist.

He looked down to find a half awake Moxxie trying to pull him close again, "Nooo, give me a kiss before leeeaaving me."

Before he could even start to protest against the idea, he felt his long tail start to wag again. After staring at the small body again, he leaned downward, "Fine, just don't get on my case about it in the morning." He took a small breath, contemplating if he should actually do it when he felt Moxxie's grip loosen.

Only for it to tighten again and tug on his arm, "Kiss meeeee!"

"Okay okay! Fine, just stop yellin', yer gonna get me in trouble with ya dad." Striker sighed, shaking the hand off of his forearm and leaning further down inches away from the body infront of him.

The whole time Moxxie didn't open his eyes, making him wonder if he was just talking in his sleep again. Hopefully he was still asleep when he did this.

He placed his lips on top of Moxxie's forehead, his tail wagging as he removed the contact and stared down at the imp before him.

Before he realized the importance of what he just did, he heard shuffling outside the door, a shadow moving in front of it.

Without thinking, he ran up to the window and hopped through it, only to fall flat on his face with a bit of dirt going into his mouth.

"Good job dork." A voice from above called out.

Striker flipped over onto his back, sitting up and rubbed his face, coughing up the dirt that got into his mouth. He stopped once he realized he was being spoken to, "Heeey Alana… Y-you didn't see anything, right?"

Alana chuckled, "I only heard my brother ask for a kiss and you say that you'd be happy to comply." She looked up for a second before looking down again, "Oh, but I did watch you make an utter fool of yourself in front of anyone outside."

Striker groaned, "Yeah, yeah, very funny… Is- is yer-"

Alana smiled, "My parents are asleep, told 'em Mox was just finishing helpin' my own friend move something for the night. So now you owe me."

Striker sighed before an agitated expression crawled across his face, "What exactly do you want?…"

"Thought you'd never ask~ Can ya get me into the ranch where you work? Need to practice me horse autonomy." Alana said as she smiled smugly.

Striker just stared at the woman for a second, "Why do I have to? You know you can just walk in there, right?"

"So I can get close while you do your daily jobs with them."

"Fine."

---

Hope it was good enough, did this while on the road with a friend of mine :)

[blue-fidelity]

~ “Smile in the face of Tragedy”

Chapter 2: New King

Pairings: Billy Hargrove x Henderson!reader, Steve Harrington x best friend! reader

Chapter Summary:

A wild night reveals secrets and broken hearts. At least Billy & (Y/N) have each other.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, drunk!Billy, sad!Steve (that is a warning 🥺)

“(Y/N)! It’s Halloween!”- Halloween? (Y/N) woke up to the sound of her brother yelling excitingly. If she wasn’t mistaken, she could hear the Ghostbusters theme playing loudly from Dustin’s room. She groaned, burying her head in her pillows while running her hands through her hair.

This is not how she planned to wake up this morning.

Before closing her eyes to regain a little more sleep, her alarm clock looked her right in the face. 7:15. Another groan came from her. Perk up (Y/N), it’s your favourite holiday! She pushed herself up, swinging her legs on the side of the bed. (Y/N) definitely knew the high school students weren’t going to be wearing costumes to school. So before Billy picked her up, she’d head home to get changed.

Billy- (Y/N) didn’t think she’d be able to forget yesterday. The way he held her, the way he kissed her forehead. His embrace was so comforting- she nearly melted into him. The smell of dry cigarette smoke and cheap cologne haven’t been able to leave her senses. It was like everything that came with him, it was intoxicating, and she couldn’t get enough of it.

As she stepped out of bed, she moved her hips slightly to the music coming from her brother’s stereo. When she made it to her drawers, she contemplated what she should wear today. Just because she wasn’t going to wear a costume, didn’t mean she couldn’t look spooky, right? She grabbed her “Chistine” t-shirt, it was one of her favorite horror movies. Pairing it with a black acid wash skirt, some fishnets, and her usual chuck taylors, she strutted confidently out her bedroom door.

She walked into the bathroom to find Dustin clad in his Stantz costume, brushing his teeth. He looked so cute! “Hey Doctor Stantz, ‘lookin pretty badass”, she grinned, patting him on the back. “Thanks (Y/N)! I can’t wait to see the guys in their costumes, Halloween’s gonna be so great!”, he cheered, spitting out his tooth paste. He quickly ran out of the room to fetch breakfast, leaving (Y/N) time for her hair & makeup.

Bright red lipstick and heavy black eyeliner, hair slightly curled.

-

When she stepped into the living room, she saw her mom enthusiastically taking polaroids of Dustin. She couldn’t help but smile, hoping her mom would save her some for her picture board. (Y/N) sat on the couch beside her cat Mews, scratching the back of his ears as he purred in contentment. She giggled at the various poses her brother made in front of the camera.

Her mom had finally stopped taking photos, noticing her on the couch. “(Y/N) darling! I didn’t see you come in, can I get a photo of my two children?”, she questioned, looking at her with pleading eyes. (Y/N) couldn’t say no! “Of course!”, she said, standing up from the couch.

She placed an arm around Dustin’s shoulders, teasingly taking him in a headlock, rubbing her nuckles on his hair. To this he laughed, playfully pointing his fake proton blaster at her. It was the perfect picture. Perfectly trapped in the moment of two great siblings, simply having a good time.

(Y/N) gathered her things, making sure to take one of her mom’s homemade muffins for breakfast. She had made them a couple days before, but they still were delicious. Even though (Y/N) desperately needed coffee, she decided against it. She was already running a bit late, and as much as she hated the stale stuff from the cafeteria, it’d have to do. Dustin had already slipped out the door to head off on his bike, he really must’ve been eager to see his friends.

Before making her way to her motorcycle, she slipped her jean jacket on and hugged her mom goodbye. Claudia looked at her intently, ruffling her curled hair. (Y/N) rolled her eyes playfully, “Alright mom, I gotta go! ‘I’m gonna stop here after school though, k?”, she opened the front door. “Okay have a good day sweetie! ‘I’ll see you before your party!”. (Y/N)’s mom knew about the party, whether she knew there was going to be alcohol involved, it was better off not knowing.

Sliding the keys into the ignition, she sped off to the school. She could never get enough of the mysterious backroads of Hawkins. It scared her, obviously. With all the things that happened the previous year, she couldn't help but wonder if things still lurked in the depths of the forest, hiding till they could strike. Waiting and waiting till they can catch someone else and drag them to that horrible place. Her body trembled at the thought of it. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the memories. Eyes turning back to the road, she removed one of her hands from the handles, trying to reach for the button of her stereo. It had turned onto some random radio station that was playing Halloween tunes.

“Happy Halloween ‘Morning Ghouls and Goblins of Hawkins! Here’s a spooky throwback from ‘1982 for y’all on this fine dreary morning, ‘Blood Bitch’, by Cocteau Twins!” - the radio host introduced, was he really supposed to swear on radio? Well, no one really had a filter these days.

The song added to the eerie atmosphere of the cold morning, making her uneasy. She pushed through her thoughts, trying to just focus on getting to school. It was Halloween! No need for being pent up on past trauma. The station had eventually turned to a happier song, putting her in a better mood. What better to put a smile on your face then the ‘Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show? She bobbed her head happily to the familiar tune, singing along to the lyrics.

-

School today had been an absolute drag! Last period (math) was nearly done and (Y/N) was desperate to get out. She could see some of her mutuals were anxious as well, probably too excited to wait for the party tonight. She was excited as well, maybe a little bit of the fact that she’d be spending more time with Billy?

(Y/N) would hate for him to think she’d be using him as a rebound. Even though it seemed that way, she really should’ve forgotten about her feelings for Steve awhile ago. (Y/N) really loved Steve, but he’d always been so oblivious, but- that was just Steve. He would’ve never known of her feelings if she didn’t tell him. Which she never did, in fear of obvious rejection. Then here was Billy Hargrove, whether it be his flirtatious nature, she could see herself really falling for him. The one thing she knew she wouldn’t do was dive in too quickly. She wouldn’t make the same mistakes, for her and for Billy’s sake.

She was finally released from the rechedouness that was her math class-running straight out the door right as the bell rang, nearly having winded Mr. Henry. After taking a quick stop at her locker, she walked outside to find her motorcycle. (Y/N) was nearly there till a skateboard hit her feet, stopping her in her tracks.

“I’m so sorry! It slipped right out from under me-” a voice of a young girl called, her breath shaky. (Y/N) looked down at the girl shuffling to grab her skateboard, she had never seen her before. The mysterious teen with the red hair looked around her brother’s age, so why was she so unrecognizable? Wait- could it be?

Billy’s step sister.

“Hey, hey it’s all good!”, (Y/N) gave her a reassuring smile. “Hey- not to sound weird or anything-”, she chuckled nervously, “But, are you new here? ‘You see I got a younger brother ‘about your age, and you got an unfamiliar face”. The girl stared at her skeptically, but still replied. “Yeah, just moved here from ‘California, what are you ‘looking to set him up or something?” she questioned sarcastically. ‘Damn she was quite the firecracker. “Nah frankly I think you're a little out of his league”, (Y/N) winked. To this she got a laugh out of her. “Well, it was nice weirdly meeting you, ‘I’m Max!”, she introduced herself. “Well Max, ‘I’m (Y/N), if you're interested in someone helping you out with that kickflip, ‘I used to do some skateboarding myself”, she offered. Max beamed at her offer, “Really? That’d be so great!”, “Alrighty then, if you see me around, don’t be shy to ask!”.

Little did (Y/N) and Max know, Billy was watching them. Billy knew (Y/N) was genuinely kind, but not that kind. It wasn’t necessarily cool to be seen with a middle schooler. He figured he wouldn’t look too much into it, but something about seeing (Y/N) with her, didn’t sit well with him. Billy gave Max a dirty look as she skated up to the camaro. “You're late again”, Billy started. “I had to get catchup homework”, Max stated. “Jesus! I don’t care- who was that girl you were talking to?”, Billy asked, even though he already knew who she was. “Just some high schooler- she offered to help me learn some skateboarding tricks' '. So she skateboarded too, huh? “That’s rich. Just, get in the car, will yah?”.

-

(Y/N) entered the door with a ‘skip in her step. She really needed a reason to lose herself, forget about the world around her. Tonight was going to be perfect for that. Expecting to be greeted by her mom, she noticed no one was there. She knew Dustin was heading to Mike’s right after school, ‘but her mom was nowhere to be seen. She probably had to work later hours again. ‘This meant she had the place to herself! (Y/N) still had a few hours before Billy picked her up. So she figured she’d get into her costume, and then fix herself something to eat.

The Sarah Connor costume was simple. Gray tank top, black jeans, sunglasses, a chunky belt and combat boots. (Y/N) already had all of this in her regular wardrobe, so it’d be a pretty easy costume. Of course she didn’t have a rifle to complete it, even though she could’ve asked Nance. She wasn’t about to show up to a house party with a gun. It would have been pretty cool though.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, clad in costume. Now it was time to remove her makeup and untame her curled hair. “Mr. Crowley” by Ozzy Osbourne was currently spinning on her “Blizzard of Ozz” vinyl. She mouthed her lips to the lyrics as she straightened her hair, her (Y/H/C) locks falling in straight whisps on her head. Replacing her once extravagant makeup with a more nude look, she looked at herself pleased.

A total badass look, you might say.

It was only 4:30, and Billy was coming over at 6 o’clock. She had way too much time to kill. Making her way to the kitchen, she scoped the fridge. Enough ground beef for two burgers, and she knew they had leftover buns. Maybe Billy would be hungry when he got there, and if she was making dinner for two- she didn’t want to start too early. So she’d head back to it in about a half an hour. Meanwhile a coca-cola would hold her down, she was pretty firsty.

(Y/N) now laid in her bed, bored. ‘Blizzard of Ozz was still playing, it just switched onto “Steal Away (The Night)”, her ears perked up to the upbeat tune. She couldn’t help but dance around, hopping happily on her bed as she belted the lyrics along with Ozzy. Pointing at the poster of him that was plastered on her wall, she shouted the chorus. It’d be pretty funny if Billy were to walk in on her singing her heart out, what would he think of that? She rolled her eyes at the thought, he’d probably think she was crazy. The song ended, turning to the next one. (Y/N) took this as her cue to start on dinner.

Flipping the patties in the pan, she sighed at the smell. She did cook a pretty ‘mean burger. Dustin loved when she made them, he always said the added rosemary was the perfect touch. (Y/N) grew up with her mother teaching her how to cook. Claudia Henderson had worked in a number of restaurants, usually in the kitchen or as a waitress. She now helped run a popular Inn a little outside of town, and it was her favourite place she’s ever worked in. (Y/N) probably figured it was a busy night, considering she didn’t come home at her usual hour.

5:45 and the burgers were ready and plated, the aroma running through the room. Billy was ‘going to be here soon, and she was giddy with excitement. Before she knew it, the bell rang. Fuck he was early. “Coming!” she called, slowly making her way to the door. ‘There he stood; a cocky grin on his face with his arm propped up on the door ledge. She took time to take in his minimal outfit, tight jeans & a leather jacket, no shirt. His abbs were on full display- (Y/N)’s mouth watered just at the sight of him. “See something you like, sweetheart?” he smirked. “Maybe-”, (Y/N) stammered. “It’s aight, I see something I like to,'' he whispered the last part into her ear, letting himself in.

“She cooks too? ‘I guess looks can be deceiving”, he motioned to the burgers. (Y/N) blushed, “I figured we could eat before we fill ourselves with alcohol”. They delved into the burgers, she couldn’t help but laugh when Billy moaned at the taste. “Darlin- I haven’t had a burger like this in awhile, ‘the ones down at Benny’s don’t hold anything on these”, he praised. “That must be a high compliment, because ‘Benny’s are pretty good”, she smiled at him. (Y/N) put the dishes into the dishwasher, quickly running to her room to grab her polaroid camera. “Where are you ‘heading princess?”, she’d never get tired of his little pet names. “I’m just grabbing my camera- I want to get some good shots tonight!”.

(Y/N) came back with her camera bag, a big grin on her face. “You ready to head out?”, he questioned. “Yeah, just let me get my jacket”, she took her jacket from the hook. “Ready”. He guided her to the camaro, opening the passenger door. Billy never opened the passenger door for girls! ‘(Y/N) really did something to him, huh? “Such the gentlemen”, she smirked. “Anything for you dollface”. He slid into the drivers side, placing his keys into the ignition. “Music?” she questioned, “Sure thing, feel free to look through the cassettes in the glove box”. She searched through the assortment of tapes, varying from Metallica, Def Leppard, RATT, Mötley Crüe, Hanoi Rocks, AC/DC and more. She settled on Hanoi Rocks’s, “Two Steps From The Move” album. It had just come out that summer, and it was one of her favourites. Not to mention she had a HUGE crush on Michael Monroe.

“Hanoi Rocks huh? I like your style”, he nodded in approval, till turning his eyes back on the road. “Got any specific fave tracks?”, (Y/N) questioned. “Track 8”. She was surprised he chose this one, considering it was one of the more “cheesy” songs. ‘It did have a pretty ‘rockin guitar riff in it though, she’ll give him that. Billy contentedly thumped his hands on the steering wheel, speeding up a bit. Rolling both of their windows down, (Y/N) was surprised to see him singing along to the lyrics. It was a bad attempt at a Finnish accent, sure, but it was still really cute. (Y/N) joined him, jumping in at the chorus. They banged their heads to the tune, continuously singing the lines. (Y/N) really felt alive in that moment. ‘She couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun, and they haven’t even gotten to the party yet.

-

They pulled up to Tina’s, teens were already rallying in. ‘It was going to be a wild night. Before Billy could open up his trunk to get the kegs, (Y/N) stopped him. She pulled out her camera, “Hargrove! Smile!”, she grinned, pointing the camera at him. ‘He rolled his eyes, posing for the picture. The photo was of Billy playfully doing the devil’s horns symbol, with his tongue stuck out. She giggled, “This is one for the board!”. “Well Hey Sarrah Conner- let me take a pic of you!”, he said, trying to grab the camera from her. She handed the camera to him, smiling that he remembered her costume name. Letting her sunglasses shade her eyes, ‘she smirked brightly at the camera, ‘Billy quickly snapping the shot. He handed the polaroid to her, she shaked it and placed it in her bag with the one she took.

Billy held one of the kegs while (Y/N) grabbed the other, walking into the crowded house. It was overwhelmingly loud. They could feel the heat coming off the numerous teenagers that littered the home, their bodies moving to the heavy beats of the stereo. Tina was in the kitchen, and had noticed the pair walk in. “Billy & (Y/N) are here with more kegs!”, she shouted, ‘causing the crowd to go wild. Someone had taken the one from her hands and motioned Billy to follow them into the backyard, leaving her alone. She grazed over the sea of teens, trying to spot anyone she knew. She noticed Steve and Nancy dancing freely in the living room, Nancy nursing a drink while Steve had a big smile on his face. She figured she’d grab some punch and then see what Billy was doing in the backyard, most likely a keg stand. He was the new ‘king after all, Tommy was probably expecting him to beat Steve’s record.

‘As luck would have it, she was right. She stood on the back porch with a cup of “pure fuel” in her hands, watching the teens crowd around him as he bent over the keg. They shouted various numbers, counting the seconds as he chugged down the beer. (Y/N) cheered with them, looking at him with bright eyes. His torso was glistening, beads of sweat running down his toned chest. Her cheeks flushed red just at the sight of him. The enthusiasm got louder as he finished the stand, spitting spews of beer out of his mouth. “That’s how you do it Hawkins! That’s how you do it!”, more cheers. Tommy passed him a cigarette and escorted him into the house, the gang shouting his name as Mötley Crüe’s, “Shout At The Devil” played on the speakers. Billy spotted her on the porch, grinning wildly at her. He shoved her into his side with his arm, hugging her tight. Tommy glared at the interaction. Never in her time with being friends with Steve has ‘Tommy liked her that much, and it seems things haven’t changed.

Typical Tommy.

(Y/N) was enjoying the feel of Billy's embrace a little too much. She knew he was already partially drunk, and she was feeling a nice buzz that she wasn’t planning on getting rid of anytime soon. Someone had to drive them home. ‘Tommy paraded them up to Nancy and Steve, (Y/N) wasn’t sure if it was to torchure her or show off Billy, probably both. ‘Billy and Steve stared each other down as if they were going to kill each other, it was really intense. Too intense for her liking. Still hooded under Billy’s arm, she shot Steve a sympathetic look. ‘As if to say ‘I’m sorry’ with her eyes. “We got ourselves a new keg king Harrington!”, Tommy declared. “Yeah eat it Harrington!”, another guy shouted. Somehow in ‘Billy and Steve’s stare down, Nancy had slipped away.

“You see Harrington- not only that, but I stole your girl away too”, Billy retorted. Oh shit- this wasn’t good. Steve glanced over at her, a nervous look in his eyes. “I don’t know what you're talking about man-”. How did Billy know about (Y/N)’s past feelings for Steve? “Well you see, this lovely lady under my arms thought the world of you, and frankly I- I just don’t see why! Point being, she has me now, you can go fetch that slut you settled for.” This interaction was making neither Steve nor (Y/N) happy, it left them feeling both angry and confused. Steve scoffed, chasing after Nancy. He was going to want to talk to (Y/N) about this later.

Steve really didn’t know what to make of what Billy had said to him. Mainly, it sounded like a warning; but he didn’t think Billy intended for it to be that. (Y/N) and him had been best friends forever, and even if he didn’t necessarily like Billy, there was no harm in her being friends with him, right? Though, something about what Billy said hinted that he meant more than just friends. Had (Y/N) liked him, loved him even? Was Steve really oblivious all these years- no, it couldn’t be. If he was being honest, he harboured a small crush on her in the beginning of middle school, but then Nancy came into his life. Nancy Wheeler hit him like a freight train right in the heart, and he then became a lovesick puppy. He couldn’t get enough of her. That’s when Steve began to realize, the jealous glances over the years, the slight distaste of Nancy that came off her.

But, why did it matter if (Y/N) loved him? He still had Nancy, or so he thought.

-

Tommy had left, leaving Billy and (Y/N) in the corner of the living room, an uncomfortable silence stirring between them. “Billy-how did you-“, she wondered in a whisper, but Billy cut her off. “You really don’t think Tommy would’ve told me? Besides, everybody knows”. She didn’t need to hear the last part. Besides, why did it matter if everyone knew- it didn’t matter to her anymore. “Does that bother you?”, she asked worriedly. Billy chuckled darkly.

“Darlin- you got nothing to worry about, I’m your new king now”.

Next thing she knew, they were on the dance floor. Billy had pulled her into the crowd of sweaty bodies, grinding on each other. Some people were making out, others chugging alcohol till they fell limp to the floor. She stared nervously at the rowdy teens, her body shaking. He noticed her agitation, placing a hand on her cheek, turning her to face him. He smelt of cheap beer and stale cigarette smoke, and a hint of cologne. She was caught with that intoxicating sensation again, making her hazy. His icy blue eyes peered into her (Y/E/C) ones, “Just feel the music princess- everything will be just fine”.

‘Their bodies moved comfortably against each other to ‘Billy Idol’s, “Flesh For Fantasy”. A perfect song choice in the moment. ‘(Y/N) was very much sober and very much aware of what was happening. Aware of Billy’s strong grip on her waist, aware of his hips moving against hers. Normally this would’ve been cutting close corners for her, but she was looking for an opportunity to lose herself. What better way than this? She ran her fingers through his thick blonde curls, her hips swaying a bit more. He sighed in contentment, making her shiver. His face was currently buried into her neck, placing soft kisses on her collarbone.

They continued their heavy sway for a while, Billy had started to form a hickey below her ear. She was definitely not going to be able to cover it up tomorrow, but she really didn’t care if people saw it- she wanted people to know that she wasn’t desperate. That she didn’t need Steve anymore. She wasn’t exactly sure what she meant to ‘Hargrove, but she knew that she wasn’t planning on leaving him anytime soon. (Y/N) felt him remove his lips from her neck, his hot breath waving over her. “Mhmm- left a pretty big mark sweetheart-“ he mumbled. She hummed in return, removing her hands from his hair.

The rest of the night consisted of more dancing, and Billy getting more intoxicated than he was before. Really drunk Billy- let’s just say it was quite the sight to see. He was a giggling mess, slurring his words and stumbling on his feet. “(Y/N)- has anyone ever told you-“ he hiccuped, “That you were gorgeous?”, another hiccup. She giggled at his comment, “Tons of people- but I bet no one sees me like you do huh?”, she supported him up against the kitchen counter. “Absolutely no one!” He cheered in a high pitch voice, damn he really was a mess. She tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders snatching his keys.”Hey- what are you doing?”, he gestured to the keys, “Getting you home-“, “Wait! Can we go to your house please?? I can’t wake up my dad letting him see me like this- he’ll kill me”, he pleaded. “Fine- just, try to be as quiet as possible, I got a sleeping family too”.

(Y/N) took him out of the house, nearly carrying him. She waved goodbye to a few mutual friends who were still conscious, muttering a soft “See y’all tomorrow, hope we aren’t all hungover”. This earned a few laughs from her classmates, bidding her and Billy a goodnight. Unlocking the passenger side to the camaro, she set Billy down lightly on the seat. “Being so ginger with me sweetheart- I’m not made of glass ‘you know”, he joked. “Whatever tough guy- let’s just get you to a bed, mhm?”. Placing her hands on the steering wheel, she realized she hasn’t driven a car since the summer, and a camaro is definitely nothing close to a station wagon. She took a deep breath- she could do this, no sweat. Besides, there was no way she could bring herself to ruin a car as beautiful as this one.

Billy must’ve passed out while they were driving, because when she pulled into her driveway, his eyes were sewn shut. She had to admit- he did look pretty adorable when he was sleeping. She tried to resist the urge to take a photo of him, but she couldn’t help herself. Pulling out her camera bag that was littered with pictures from tonight, she snapped a quick photo of him. The flash startled him, waking him up. “Sweetheart- were you taking photos of me in my sleep? That’s just creepy”, his voice was groggy. “How could I not when you were laying there looking like an angel?”, “Pfft- ‘darlin, I am a demon, Satan himself! ‘Ain’t no way I’m an angel!”, he scoffed.

“Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but Lucifer was once an angel”.

Fumbling with the keys to her front door while trying to help Billy regain his footing was hard. He was just about to lose consciousness again when she finally got the door open, it shouldn't have been as much of a challenge as it was- but Billy had a lot of weight to him. She didn’t notice the lights were still on till she saw her mom sitting in her reading chair, Mews on her lap and clad in a cat costume. Shit- what was she gonna say about this? “Oh! Mrs. Henderson- I see where (Y/N) gets all her good looks from!”, Billy squealed, “Ugh can it Billy! Mom I can explain-“ she shushed Billy, staring wide eyed at her mother. “Sweetie- you clearly had a wild night, just take this pound of muscle to your room, and we can talk about it while he crashes, okay?”- (Y/N) nodded quickly, dragging Billy to her room.

Billy flopped down on the bed, giggling wildly. “Honey! We’ve known each other for two days, don’t you think we ‘oughta know one another better before I sleep in your bed?”, (Y/N) rolled her eyes at the blubbering idiot. “This was your idea dumby! Just get under the covers and keep it shut, will you?”, she glared at him, closing the door and heading back to the living room.

“So no Steve, huh? He’s the one who usually spends the night”, her mom said softly. “Different reasons mom- I’m just trying to figure out who’s a bigger piece of work”, she huffed. “Well he’s quite the looker, ‘makes me wonder how you keep up with him”, Claudia smirked. “Mom! He’s new here- he just happened to notice me first”, (Y/N) blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Besides- what are you doing up so late?”, (Y/N) stared at the clock, “It’s nearly 1 o’clock”. “Busy night down at the Inn, just needed a little time to myself after Dusty went to bed”, she sighed, but (Y/N) knew she wasn’t finished. “Also wanted to see what mess you brung home, it’s always a new thing with you”, her mom laughed. “Billy’s- interesting, but I’m not sure, doesn’t seem like the most faithful type”, she sighed. “He may surprise you, and besides- if he hurts you he’ll have to suffer the wrath of your brother!”, Claudia giggled, smiling at her daughter. “Anyways- I’m gonna head to bed, early day at work tomorrow, you gonna go join the guy?”, she pointed down the hall. “Yeah yeah I’ll join the idiot in a second- just gonna get some water”, (Y/N) said tiredly.

Snuggling up on the couch, she sipped her water. The quietness was calming, the fact that everyone was at rest and she was the only one around southend her in a way. The fact that Billy was sleeping soundly in her bed, gave her a different feeling. Things with him- had gone by so quickly, and it was only just beginning. It was nice being with someone where the relationship had lasted longer than more than a few hours. Her past flames- had simply been one night stands, meaningless things to shy her away from Steve, but Billy was different. She actually liked him, and even though he came off as a jerk- he seemed really sweet on the inside. Though, she couldn’t help but wonder how Steve was feeling right now, the bomb had been dropped on him nearly two hours ago- it must be overwhelming to know your best friend was holding back feelings for so many years.

(Y/N) was just about to head to bed, till she heard a knock on the door. Who was here at this time of night? She opened the door slightly, and who she saw she didn’t expect. There Steve stood, his face red and puffy with tears in his eyes. His body was shaking, his shoulders were slumped over. He looked awful. “She- doesn’t love me- it’s bullshit! It was all bullshit!” He stuttered as his body continued to quiver. (Y/N)’s heart ached at his words, what had Nancy done this time? She didn’t know what to say, it’s not like she could’ve let him in. So, she just pulled him into a hug, “Steve-you can’t keep coming here like this- it’s not my job to fix you”, she tried to explain. “I know! I just don’t have anywhere else to go”, he cried. “I can’t tonight- it just isn’t the right time.” (Y/N) was attempting to tell him in the best way possible that Billy wasn’t there, but Steve caught on. “He’s here, isn’t he, Billy?”, Steve muttered angrily. “Out of all the guys in Hawkins- you chose him to get over me, that’s just flattering!” . Steve was making her feel sick, “Steve- I know you're hurting but you can’t take it out on me like that- it isn’t fair”, she pushed away from him. “I’ll talk about this with you tomorrow- when you're in the right state of mind, okay? Just please leave”, she pleaded. “Fine- I’ll see you tomorrow”, he breathed out harshly, walking back to his car.

She was on the edge of a breakdown, heart racing and choked up tears running down her face. This is not how she expected her evening to end- seeing Steve like that, broken and beaten again. (Y/N) thought she’d never live to see Steve crumble in her arms one more time- and with that she could’ve rested easy. At least she wouldn’t have to be alone tonight, she had someone waiting for her. Trying to stay quiet, she tiptoed down the hall. Opening the door, she walked in to see Billy sleeping soundly, the pink hue of her bedside lamp illuminating his features. She took notice of his leather jacket, jeans and boots scattered on the ground. That meant he was only in his boxers. Before joining him she slipped into an oversized AC/DC t-shirt and looked in the mirror, her hands grazing over the purple mark that had formed on her neck- the little bastard.

When (Y/N) laid in bed, even in his sleepy state Billy could notice the slight dip in the mattress. He groaned, “What took you so long…?”. (Y/N) chuckled softly at his tiredness. “Just an unexpected visitor, nothing to worry about”, she smiled reassuringly. “Well as long as you're okay, that’s all that matters”, he kissed her temple, pulling her into his chest. She snuggled into his side, sighing contentedly. She needed this. “Thank you”, she mumbled mindlessly. “For what sweetheart?”.

“For helping me start fresh”.

The couple held each other comfortably, sleep taking over them. (Y/N) rested her head on Billy’s torso, as he lazily made circles on the small of her back. Everything was blissful in that moment. Perfect. She’d deal with Steve tomorrow, for now, she had Billy Hargrove. Billy Hargrove with his strong hold and warm comforting body, Billy Hargrove who made her feel safe.

Author’s note:

Hope you all love the second chapter! Feedback is always appreciated & as always if you want to be added to the taglist comment down below ❤️!

Tag-list: @theblueslytherin @oopsiedoopsie23 @lulu-yuming @merc12-us @soullesstaco @unded-bride @holychocopie @nikkixostan @ellesimagines

[white-collar-lawmen-and-conmen]

Cross the Ocean

A/N: Requested by @starry--skies​. Sidenote: this may be a good story for a sequel sometime.

Summary: Neal once told you he would cross the ocean to be with you, but when you know he’s in danger, you’ll cross the ocean yourself to save him.

Word Count: 2,955

           How could an apartment feel so cold and empty when the same number of people dwelled in its walls? You supposed it had been long enough that all the signs of him had faded. Spare clothes, returned to June, because there was no one else to return them to; the extra toothbrush trashed because no one was using it, anyway, and why have it take up more space? The linens could only go unwashed for so long, the last flowers he had offered died months ago, and his necklace was sitting in your jewelry box, unseen, because it hurt too much to wear it.

           The same number of people lived in it, true. But Neal hadn’t needed to live there to leave his mark, and now that mark was gone, jumped on a plane without a goodbye, just like him.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

           “Don’t go,” you said, unprompted, staring across the room to the dark shadows covering the wall.

           You could feel his movement as Neal picked up his head. “Where would I go?” He asked, confused, sleepiness adorably muddling his voice.

           You shrugged halfheartedly, already regretting having said it out loud. He felt your shoulders under his arm and tightened his warm hold on you, tugging you closer to the heat of his chest.

           “Just don’t go,” you said again, hugging yourself comfortingly.

           The idea that the man beside you could leave – had a history of leaving – without a trace left you feeling cold already. You were a cautious person, but loving someone the way you suspected you were growing to love Neal made you want to let down your guard. It was scary, like taking off the Kevlar vest to assuage someone with a gun; you were reasonably certain that you were safe, but you were also making yourself vulnerable to massive injury.

           Neal moved his hand slowly, probably just so you would know that he hadn’t fallen asleep. He didn’t answer right away. The silence and the stroking of your arm sent mixed messages and you had just about settled on reading it as pity, and almost curled up tighter and moved away. Did he think you were clingy? Did he think it was pitiful that you expected him to stay with you? Maybe you had misread everything.

           His hand stopped moving and he moved again, just enough to press his lips to your forehead. “Y/N,” he said, softly, his voice clearer. Thinking on it had woken him up more. “I don’t plan to go anywhere. Definitely not anywhere you can’t follow.”

           Whew. There was a softness and delicateness to the way he talked to you, but it sure didn’t sound like pity or exasperation. More like… empathy, and maybe apology, for your evident insecurity and any role that his past played in it.

           “I guess I just – I keep thinking one day I’ll wake up and you’ll be an ocean away.” Without me, you wanted to add, but figured it was implied. And unnecessary, probably, since he had done it to Kate before, or close enough. He had likely learned the kind of damage that did to a relationship.

           Neal resumed his gentle stroking of your arm. “Oceans aren’t a big deal. We’ve got cruises and airplanes now,” he reassured with a playful bit of teasing. More seriously, but very simply and matter-of-factly, he continued, “And if someday we wake up an ocean apart, I’d cross the ocean.”

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

           It was easy to be bitter and easy to resent. In the beginning, you had been insecure, nervous that he would leave overnight when an opportunity arose. How could you not? Neal tried to leave forever without so much as a goodbye to anyone, only stopped by a bomb and a lost love. It had irked you then, and it scared you when your rapport deepened. He had fake documents ready to go, an agreed-upon rendezvous point with Mozzie planned for any given time. Neal worked hard to assure you he loved you. You weren’t sure he ever managed to convince you there was no chance of his leaving, but you at least had confidence that he would say goodbye, give you a chance to have closure.

           No such luck. Part of you knew it wasn’t out of lack of desire, but rather lack of opportunity. The other part wanted it to shut up. Love him as you did, you knew Neal’s situation was a product of his own choices. He made his bed, and he should have lied in it, but for the family he had found in the city who loved him too much to let him rot in the pocket of a man who’d use him as a tool and throw him back in prison the second he stopped being useful – or, worse, leave him to die when it became too much trouble.

           Whenever you embraced the anger, because the sorrow was too overwhelming, you resented Neal for all his stupid choices. Keeping the painting, pulling those stunts on the aerial tramway, and baiting Kramer for months with constant near-misses that could’ve been avoided if he had just stopped breaking the law. It was such a simple solution. And you were angry. The last six months of your relationship had been rocky, because the anger wasn’t new, it wasn’t just because he had gone away. It was because he kept compromising himself, and his coworkers and friends by extension, and yourself by association.

           Holding onto anger was never your forte when it came to Neal, though. Sooner or later, usually within a couple of days, you would see or hear or do something that would remind you of the man, and you’d be hit with a wall of all the good memories, all the things he did that made you feel pride and adoration and contentment. Then came the longing and loss, and finally, the blame. The blame that you had just failed to pin on Neal himself, so you embraced the bitterness instead.

           Peter had one job and instead, he turned Neal loose. Gave him the green light to run. At least if Neal had gone with Kramer, there was the chance of a happy ending. There was a reasonable chance that, with the WCCD at his back, Kramer wouldn’t be able to keep Neal past the two years left on his original sentence, and when it was over he could have come home. Peter had ruined any chance of that, his silent gesture telling Neal that there was no alternative and that he had the approval of his family here. Most importantly, that nod was a goodbye, and acceptance, and an “I love you, so I’m letting you be free”. You’d never begrudged Neal his close relationship with Peter but you felt cheated that, on top of ruining any slight chance of your partner returning to you, he got to say goodbye while you were left blindsided and heartbroken.

           The first time you resorted to bitterness to cope, it lasted several weeks. You avoided Peter and dodged his team. They were worried, and El reached out, but you politely assured her you were fine and just didn’t want to see any of them. She respected your wishes and must have told her husband because he, Diana, and Clinton all stopped trying to find you. Neal’s friends were like salt in your wounds, even the ones who hadn’t told him to go. It was too deep and too fresh to handle the reminders. Hell, you could still barely handle your own apartment. You really didn’t know how deeply in love you were until Neal was gone.

           It took longer, but the bitterness and betrayal ran its course and became exhausting, as well. Finally, you cycled back into sadness and mourning, which took so much out of you but demanded so little. Roses made you cry because you thought of the roses Neal would give you. So did your favorite dress, which was only your favorite because it was his favorite, too. Tiny things that you could expect to encounter at least once every few days would make you feel hopeless. You were grieving, as if he had died. Knowing he was alive and well didn’t soothe the pain because the permanence of his decision to flee the authorities put him so out of your reach, he might as well have died.

           Every run through the stages hurt a little bit less, wound up a little bit shorter. You were healing, you knew, but the ache in your heart persisted. Learning to function again, learning to be prosperous and content without him, was an option, no matter how impossible it seemed on some days. On those days, you weren’t sure you even wanted to. Neal had earned such a place in your life and in your heart, and even when the things he did made you see red, you still knew in both heart and mind that he loved you and was yours. Some little piece of you wanted to still be his, so that you could keep that connection, that last thing you had of him.

           That little piece was such an asshole.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

           A deep delve into your professional life helped keep you occupied so you didn’t think too hard. It wasn’t the healthiest way of processing a breakup, no matter how messy or devastating said breakup was. Still, it was better to be productive and helpful than to let yourself continue spiraling and cycling through destructive emotions and patterns. The summer passed agonizingly slowly but when you looked back, it was like the blink of an eye. Suddenly it had been a whole season since you had last seen Neal. The romantic side of you wanted to say that it hurt just as much as it had before, but… it didn’t.

           You felt awful thinking it, and then awful for feeling awful for having a life after him. Neal was gone. He had no choice about leaving New York, but he did have a choice about how, and he chose the route that left no possibility of a reunion. Why the hell should you wait around for him, wishing you kept hurting for a man who clearly was more interested in his freedom than in recovering what you had together?

           Going home the day you had that thought, you looked at the button for the 21st floor and for the first time in a long time, you actually thought about just poking your head in and seeing how Neal’s other friends were doing, and then you realized the anger was running out. You didn’t have the energy or the will to keep deliberately resenting Neal or Peter.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

           By August, you could look back on everything and understand the decisions that were made. You didn’t agree with them, but you understood the desperation fueling them and the fear that Neal must have felt. The moment Neal’s handler, whoever that was, tied his hands and threw him aside, the man was as good as dead, just in a matter of time. Kramer wasn’t above that. If he were free – even just by flight – Neal could protect himself. You could forgive him for leaving, but you weren’t sure he was forgiven for leaving without even a phone call to you as he booked it to the airport.

           Later that month, though, your personal grievances didn’t seem to matter all that much. A man approached you while you were at work. You thought he was the man you’d asked to come answer some questions, but no – you were the one being questioned. He was cynical, evasive, and exacting, and clearly after information on Neal.

           As soon as he left, you went to the twenty-first floor and beelined for Peter’s office, ignoring the tentative, sympathetic greetings from familiar faces. Peter glanced up when you entered and then did a shocked double-take. It was the first time you had voluntarily approached him in months, after all.

           Peter stood up so quickly his chair legs scraped loudly on the floor. “Y/N,” he said right away, but then obviously had no idea where he was trying to go, unable to figure out what to say. You could see the sympathy and sorrow on his face. Not only did you lose your partner, and Peter had lost his friend, but the other agent had encouraged your partner to leave. He knew from your avoidance that you blamed him, at least partially.

           With a wave of your hand, you dismissed it. Nothing Peter could say would fix the situation. You knew what he had done was in Neal’s best interests, weighing his wellbeing over your feelings. Where Neal wasn’t forgiven, Peter was, finally, and the avoidance that remained was just about trying to distance yourself from reminders of your blue-eyed artist.

           “Someone just came asking questions about Neal,” you said, crossing your arms and peering across the office at Peter. “Agent Collins. He said he’s just tying up loose ends, but he’s not, is he?”

           Peter’s openmouthed surprise turned into a grim purse of his lips. He shook his head, looking frustrated, and gestured for you to close the door. You did, and leaned back against it. “He’s the bureau’s version of a bounty hunter,” the agent confided, putting his fists down on his desk and leaning onto it. “Neal was almost commutated, then slipped out under their noses. It makes them look bad. They want to get him back.”

           You didn’t miss that Peter was using pronouns that excluded himself, but didn’t comment. It was no surprise – he’d made his stance clear when he encouraged Neal to go. “Why now?” You demanded. “It’s been months, surely the trail’s cold.”

           “Best guess?” Peter hazarded, sighing deeply. “They’ve spent this time trying to find him other ways. Now they’re realizing that Neal’s better than they thought and all they want to do is make an example out of him.”

           Oh, hell no. “Like they haven’t already?” You asked snidely. Peter tilted his head aside, not explicitly agreeing but getting his point across all the same.

           The bureau had your trust – for the most part. When it came to their treatment of Neal, your eyes had been opened to how even organizations seeking justice could be completely unjust in their treatment of people who lacked recourse. Neal was frequently put in life-threatening situations with no training and no choice in the matter except to be put back in prison. Enough people knew Neal was working with the FBI for Sing Sing to be a life-threatening situation, in and of itself. Neal was nothing but a tool to them because he lacked the normal resources of walking away or pursuing litigation.

           You looked aside, glowering at the drab office wall. “It gets worse,” Peter wearily told you. “Collins is looking for a win. And at this point, a dead fugitive is just as good of an example as an incarcerated one.”

           “Not happening,” you refused furiously. “What the hell happened to proportionality?” Neal may have pissed some people off, Robin Hood-ing from the one percent, but he was never violent. Sending a bounty hunter after him with permission to kill was wildly inappropriate and inhumane.

           “I’m afraid proportionality isn’t the first thing on the mind,” Peter warned as you stalked further into his office, toward his desk.

           “We have to warn him,” you mumbled, more to yourself than to Peter. Neal was “run at any time” paranoid, not “stay away from windows” paranoid.

           “Yes,” Peter nodded, “But we can’t. We don’t know where he is. There is no way of telling him.” The agent wasn’t giving up or resigning himself to being useless. As much as there was disappointment and worry in his face, there was also stubbornness.

           “So we find him,” you quietly suggested. “No one knows him better than we do.”

           “Y/N.” Peter dropped his voice to match your volume and spoke with a soft, concerned tone. “You have to understand, finding Neal and not turning him in, much less tipping him off about Collins, is outside the law.”

           “The law is apparently saying it’s okay to murder a man who has, at worst, taken money that isn’t his.” You fervently stated. That wasn’t your first concern, Neal was, but you needed Peter to know that you weren’t just in this because you were in love with the man in question. There was a principle at stake, and a moral obligation. “The equivalent of chopping off a pickpocket’s hand, coming from the government that supposedly despises cruelty and injustice. I won’t support that, and I sure as hell won’t stand by and let it be done to someone I love.”

           While you had been talking, Peter had slowly started to smile. It was the smile he used to always give to Neal when he was proud, when your boyfriend would remind him that Neal was a kind person with a good, loving soul. Having it directed at you reminded you far too much of the smile Neal always gave back and your chest tightened – not just at the memory, but at the decision which meant you were bound to see it again.

           “I knew you were going to say that,” Peter admitted with a small, relieved grin, like the shared challenge and conspiracy were washing all the sourness and distance under the bridge. You really thought that maybe it was. His confidence in you and his commitment to your boyfriend reassured you that you weren’t losing your mind and you weren’t alone, no matter how lonely you’d been feeling. “I just need you to understand what you’re putting at stake.”

           “Wherever he is, when we find him, I’m coming. No matter what.”