#adult omega and old hunter took me OUT

[hecckyeah]

DONT TALK TO ME IM EMOTIONAL OKAY

[huntershoe]

Back To You (Part Two)

Hunter x Jedi!Reader

Spoilers for tbb season 3 if you haven't watched it yet :}

Summary: You enjoyed your evening with your unusual family after months of being apart. Leading you and Hunter to enjoy your night after months. :)

T/W: mention of scars and describsion of them, hurt/comfort, fluff, Smut, sweet sweet love making, unprotected sex, oral (f/m receiving), fingering, breeding kink, PiV, minors DNI!

A/N: Don't let the beginning fool you, this starts with lots of fluff and ends in pure smut. :)

Word count: 3.8k

Part one

After the sun had already settled and thousands of stars took its place you and the batch stayed in your seats, talking about everything and remembering the old times. Omega eventually invited Lyana over to play and after some time even Deke, Stak and Mox joined, shyly introducing themselves.

They turned out to be the sweetest boys, offering to help tidy the table and help Omega and Lyana as they tried to teach Batcher some new tricks.

It's been a long time since you and the batch felt so at peace. A long time since you got to just sit back down, relax and watch the kids play, knowing that your family is safe and well.

Hours had gone by as you watched the kids come up with new tricks. Cheering every time Batcher successfully did a new trick. At this point everything felt perfect, everyone was in a happy mood, spotting wide grins and barking laughs left and right. At one point, Hunter managed to grab your stool, pulling your closer to him and sneaking his arm around your shoulders.

Kissing your temple, Hunter whispered sweet promises through the whole evening, bathing in your natural perfume.

Only after most of the city around them went quiet did Hunter tell the kids to quiet down and start preparing for bed. Omega managed to convince Hunter to let Lyana sleep over and since the other three young clone cadets were already staying in the same house as the batch, they transformed Omegas room into one giant cove.

At the end all that could be heard were quiet giggles, coming through the window from her room as the adults enjoyed some peace and quiet.

Of course it didn't stayed like that for long since Hunter's hands became increasingly more wandering, exploring your body with light touches, remembering the small curves and lines. Crosshair with his keen sight noticed his brothers wandering hands and couldn't help himself but to tease a little, making Wrecker and Echo join on in, resulting in Hunter groaning and standing up, gently grabbing your hand and pulling you after him.

More amused than annoyed by the teasing you just giggled and waved the boys goodbye as Hunter led you further away and toward the beach.

"Where exactly are you taking me verd?" You ask curiously and adding his nickname. That small nickname made him stop in his tracks for a moment, looking back at you with a  smirk as he turned fully back towards you and pulled you into him, making you gasp at his sudden movement.

"Somewhere without prying eyes, where I don't have to listen to my vode teasing." His voice sounded even lower then usual, more smoky and laced with desire as his hands snaked around your waist and lower. A wide smirk was plastered on his lips as his eyes jumped up and down from your eyes to your mouth. His answer made your head fall back in laughter and your hands sneaked up his chest. When you finally looked back at him your breath caught in your throat when his eyes locked with yours. The moon shone down on him, making his eyes sparkle in a beautiful gray tone as the smile lines around his eyes deepened. You couldn't resist but to grin as you stared back at him. "What?" You asked amused as he kept on staring and not saying anything.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered dreamily, lifting one of his hands up, cupping your cheek and you gladly leaned in and closed your eyes. But as his fingers brushed across your new scars, your brows dipped down and you felt tears threatening to spill. "I was...beautiful." Shame overwhelmed you, making you avert your eyes away from his. "Now I'm full of scars, looking more like a rancor than a human." You addressed the truth, or at least what you thought was the real truth.

"Don't." Hunter interrupted you again, shaking his head as he moved his other hand up to your cheek, forcing you to look at him. "Don't ever say that." He ordered, looking at you seriously. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on, the most amazing, beautiful, talented and caring woman in the galaxy. You have gone through so much and you deserve only the best things in your life." Hunter told you, determined to make you see the actual truth. "The scars on your body only show just how strong you are...I only wish you could see yourself as I do." He kissed away the tears rolling down your cheeks as you gripped onto him.

Your body went completely soft and you leaned on Hunter, melting into his embrace as his hands moved to envelope your frame and you buried your face in the crook of his neck. One of your biggest worries was that now that you look like that Hunter wouldn't want you anymore. You knew that just thinking like that was stupid because if you really love someone then their appearance shouldn't matter. But fear sneaked into your mind, making you unsure and scared of loosing the man you love.

"I'm sorry..." You quietly whispered, still hiding your face in his neck and you felt Hunter's hands pull you even closer to him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for cyare." Hunter brought his hand up to your head, gently stroking your hair as he kissed your temple.

You took one last breath, collecting the courage to look at him again. As you did so, you were met with nothing but love in his eyes, that soft sparkle dancing in his eyes as he looked at you. Hunter gave you a small smile and brushed off the remaining tears away from your eyes.

"You're stuck with me for the rest of your life mesh'la."

He said teasingly but the tone of his voice showed just how serious he was being.

You let out a small chuckle and he moved his hand back to your neck, pushing your head forward and leaning it against his own into a keldabe kiss.

Both you and Hunter took a moment to enjoy each other's presence, just breathing in and out, sharing the air between you.

Soon, Hunter couldn't wait any longer, too enthralled with you, he leaned further in, pressing his lips against yours.

The moment his lips met yours, your body instantly relaxed, almost like all previous worries washed away with just one kiss. You pushed your hands up and into his hair, tangling your fingers into his curly locks.

Starving for your touch, Hunter groaned in your mouth, deepening the kiss. His tongue was invading, determined to conquer your mouth as your own danced around his.

Your lips moved around each other, like two pieces of puzzle, made to compliment the other. You kissed until your own lungs began burning with need of oxygen and you pulled away, gasping for air as your eyes found his gold ones instantly.

A small smile appeared on your lips. "What would I do without you?" Hunter's own lips mirrored yours after your question.

His smile grew into a wide grin and he moved, leaving one hand around your shoulders and leaving the other one at his side as he pulled you with him again, leading you both down towards the beach. "C'mon I wanna show you something." Hunter murmured into your ear as you two moved closer to the lagoon.

It was few days away from the moon being full but it was hard to notice the difference as the moon shined so bright, illuminating the path and everything else around. The slow rhythmic waves created a calming ambience as you made it to the sand. Hunter stopped you and moved in front of you, kneeling. Your brows shot up in confusion when he grabbed your foot and slowly took off your shoe, followed by your sock.

"What are you do--oh." Realization crossed your face when he took off your other shoe, pulling the sock with it. The sand was still radiating some heat from the sun, making it perfect to walk across.

Grinning, Hunter stood up and took off his own shoes, storing them beside yours. He took your hand again, pressing a kiss to you cheek before pulling you towards the sea.

The sand felt amazing, making you feel free as you held onto your lover's hand. Your feet hit the sea and a soft smile appeared on your face.

Hunter once again let go of your hand and gently grabbed you by the hips. "I want you to know, you...mean everything to me." He grasped, looking you directly into your eyes before gently kissing you again.

You responded immediately, returning the kiss and grabbing onto his shoulders, smiling into the kiss.

You felt his hands move lower, reaching your ass and squeezing it hungrily, making you gasp into the kiss as he chuckled.  "Hunter...you are the reason I fought to stay alive." You shared, cupping his cheek.

You stayed in his arms for a moment longer before a wicked grin sneaked onto your lips and you jumped away from him, crouching down and cupping the water before swinging your arms and splashing your man.

Hunter gasp loudly, looking at your surprised before a dangerous glint showed in his eyes and he smirked, repeating your actions and splashing you back.

The water hit you, instantly wetting you all over and you squealed before running away. Hunter barked a laugh before chasing after you.

You ran, occasionally splashing behind you, hearing Hunter gasp again and then you would feel him splashing you back. The chase continued for a couple of minutes and by the end, you were both soaking wet. Hunter was steadily nearing you and in one swift moment he grabbed you, swaying you off your feet and you squealed, grabbing onto his forearms around your waist.

His chest rumbled as he laughed, squeezing you close to him before slowly putting you down and turning you around in his arms.

"Fancy a midnight swim?" He suggested, raising his brows.

"Everything to get me naked I see." You teased, sneaking your hands around his slim waist.

"Everything." He confirmed before moving his hands to the hem of your shirt, silently asking for a permission.

You slowly nodded, letting him take your shirt off carefully, leaving you in your bra. He made and effort to throw your shirt at the nearest rock. Hunter slowly lowered his hands, letting them travel down your sides and to your pants, slowly pulling them off, along with your panties. You helped him take them off by lifting your legs, one by one. Grabbing onto his shoulder for some balance.

He did the same by throwing them on the close by rock.

Hunter stayed crouching in front of you, moving closer and kissing your knee. Your cheeks flushed when he continued up towards the inside of your thigh and repeating the same thing on your other leg. He peppered open-mouthed kisses all across the inside of your thighs, coming closer to your cunt. Hunter brought your knee over his shoulder, opening you for him.

You watched, your pupils dilating with lust the closer he got to where you needed him the most.

Finally his lips found your folds, licking stipe after stripe with his tongue across and letting out the most guttering groan at the taste of you. Hunter looked possessed, almost like that the taste of you awoken something in him, he began lapping on your juices. Your eyes fluttered closed and you let your head fall back as a loud moan escaped your lips.

Your hand moved up to his hair and you tugged on his locks, making him groan just as he started sucking on your clit. The vibrations made your whole body shake and your eyes roll back.

His lips move lower and his tongue begins to prodd on your entrance, slowly pushing in as his nose brushes against your sensitive clit. He slowly begins pumping his tongue as deep as he can, taking in your juices and inhaling your sweet scent. You let out a long sigh and began rolling your hips against his face, slowly approaching your high.

Your movement made him groan deeply and you looked back down at him. You met his blown out eyes, dark with desire, hunger almost radiating off of him as he keeps on pumping his tongue into you. Hunters hungry moves made you clench around him, whimpering when he grabbed your ass, squeezing it as he pulled you closer to him. You heard him growl as he moved back up to suck on your clit again and gently biting it, making your body break in half.

Gasping, you felt yourself coming closer to the edge when  Hunter sneaked one of his hands in front and up to your entrance, slowly pushing in two of his fingers. He began pumping his fingers, slowly, sensually and hitting that perfect spot every time and before you could even realize, you fell over the edge, your body shaking with pleasure as small gasps and moans escaped your lips along with his name.

But Hunter didn't stop, dragging out your high for as long as possible before you couldn't take it anymore. "Hunter please, I-I can't anymore." You gasped out and he finally stopped, pulling his fingers out and lapping at your juices that began spilling out of you. You felt like you were just about to tip over him, but he stood up just in the right moment, carefully holding you with one hand while the other one which was just inside you came up to your mouth.

"Open." Hunter ordered, pressing his fingers to your lips.

You did so, willing to do everything he wanted.

"See how good you taste mesh'la." He murmured as his fingers entered you mouth and you tasted yourself, that sweet and sour taste that made you moan around his finger as he slowly pulled them out, strings of saliva still connected to your lips.

"Good girl." He praised before pressing his lips to yours and making you taste yourself again.

You couldn't wait any longer and so you began undressing him, your hands working swiftly as you pulled his vest off, throwing it over to the same rock. Exposing the curve of his ribs and his chest and making your hands wander in a feather like touch across his pecs and stomach muscles. Hunters breath hitched and he looked down at you with hunger as your hands moved lower and lower down to his belt.

You fumbled with his belt, trying to untie it as fast as you could, leaning on the tip of your toes and kissing him again. Hunter grabbed your cheeks, smashing his face against yours, your knees buckled as his belt finally came undone under your fingertips. You tugged his pants off, exposing his lower belly. You pulled back from the kiss, panting as you looked down, watching how your fingers stroked his happy trail and how the muscles flexed under your fingertips. Hunter let out a desperate whine, looking at you, pleading to hurry up.

You grinned at him, slowly kneeling and kissing down his chest as you pull his pants lower. As soon as his pants touched the ground, Hunter lifted his legs one after another, stepping out of them. Grabbing them, you start kissing up his thighs, repeating his gesture, feeling his whole body shiver and his knees buckle as your lips came closer to his weeping hard cock. You chuckle, watching him try to restrain himself and his hands clench into fists at his side.

Finally taking pity on him, you kissed the tip of his cock. The sound he let out was downright sinful, accompanied with his eyes rolling back and his lips wide open. Wanting to see and hear more of that from him you flattened your tongue against his hard-on, licking up from the base to the tip. You felt him twitch against your lips and you finally took him in your mouth, tasting the salty precum.

Hunter let out another long groan and his hands shot to your head, knotting into your hair, not pushing, just leading. Sliding him deeper in, you kept your eyes on his as you relaxed your throat and hollowed your cheeks, you went in as deep as you could, before the tip of his cock hit the back of your throat and tears pooled at the corners of your eyes. Hunter slowly pulled you off of him, watching how your lips popped around his dick, he stared completely enchanted as you gasped, a string of your saliva mixed with his precum connecting your lips and his tip.

You gasped, looking up at him through you lashes as you once again licked him from the base to his tip before pulling him back into your mouth. Hunter let out a string of curses when you started bobbing your head, gently clenching your teeth around him, feeling every ridge and vein. Taking him as deep as you can again, before you backed off, panting and stroking his begging cock.

You stroked his curved hard-on using both of your hands, rotating your wrists before you moved one hand down to his balls, playing with them.

Seeing his lower abdominal muscles flex, you knew he was close so you hurried up your pace, jerking him off and making him produce the most beautiful sounds a man can make. Hunter couldn't help himself but to thrust his hips needily, nearing his high. You saw his knees buckle and took him in your mouth again, this time however, Hunter couldn't help himself and he fisted your hair, pulling on it and began desperately thrusting his hips as he let out a long groan. You had to grab onto his thighs for some balance as he pushed as deep as he could, making your eyes water and you choke as his cock twitched in your mouth once, twice before you felt a hot stream of his cum run down your throat.

His legs were shaking as he slowly pulled you off of him and you had to swallow before you could take a long breath, looking up at his fucked out face.

You slowly stood up, your legs wobbly from kneeling so he helped you, taking his pants from you as you passed them to him and he threw them on top of the rest of your clothes.

Both you and Hunter were still panting heavily when Hunter pulled you in for a hungry kiss. Your tongues danced with each other and your hands absentmindedly moved back towards your bra, unclipping it and taking it off, throwing it away.

Letting out groaning sigh, Hunter moved his hands down to you ass cheeks, grabbing the greedily. He gently spanked your ass, signaling you to jump and you did, locking your ankles around his waist and your hands around his neck. "What a sight you are." Hunter mumbled against your lips as he began walking into the sea.

"I can say the same for you ner meshurok." You nodded, your lips brushing against his.

The further Hunter walked into the sea, higher the water came, pooling around you and making you press yourself closer to him as the water felt refreshing. Kneading your ass cheeks, Hunter slowly lowered both of you in the sea while kissing every scar down your neck. Letting out a sigh, you moved your head back, giving him more access as he continued loving attack lower down, giving attention to every scar he found and making his way towards your breasts. Finally pulling your sensitive bud into his mouth, he sucked and played with it, rolling his tongue around.

You sneaked your hand into his hair, playing with his locks as he moved his attention to your other nipple while his hands kept on kneading your ass and making you roll your hips against his. That made your clit stroke against his cock, making you both groan.

"Hunter please." You whimpered, begging for his cock and he let go of your nipple making a popping sound as he moved back up to your throat, pressing his lips directly under your jaw. He sneaked one of his hands between the two of you and grabbed his cock, lining it up with your entrance.

You let out a high sigh as Hunter began slowly impaling you on his cock, stretching you out in the most delicious way. Groaning your name against your neck he slowly pushed you lower until he bottomed out.

"Mesh'la." Hunter groaned again, squeezing his eyes shut as you moved your head and kissed him.

He hungrily returned the kiss, pulling you closer as he slowly began rolling his hips up into you, letting you feel every vein. Loving the way his thrusts made you feel, you began rolling your hips with him, gasping when the new movement made him hit that sacred spot with every thrust.

Your eyes rolled back and the air left your lungs as Hunter increased the tempo of his thrusts, making you hop up and down as he growled, grabbing onto you more desperately. He began pounding up into you, mercilessly as his own breathing changed into labored panting.

Before you know it your cunt began squeezing down on him and you saw stars as your eyes rolled back again. All you could hear was Hunters desperate whines and his thrusts became sloppier as he neared his high. A moment later Hunter moved his head, biting down on your shoulder as he came, stilling inside you as he filled you up with his cum.

It took you a good minute of panting before Hunter raised his head to look at you. You leaned your head forward, looking at him, only to be met with his eyes full of love and adoration. You gave him the softest smile and moved your hand to his cheek, cupping it as you returned the loving gaze.

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum ner Hunter." You whispered, expressing your every feeling into the words and tracing your finger across his lips.

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum ner mesh'la." Responded, pressing his lips against yours into a loving kiss.

You felt him twirl you both around, spinning in circles as he slowly lifted you up and pulled his cock out, making you whimper at the empty feeling.

"I'm never letting you go again." Hunter sighed and leaned his forehead on yours into another Keldabe kiss.

"And if something ever happens..." You began, gently stroking his hair.

"I promise you, I will always come back to you."

Translations:

Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum ~ {Mandalorian way of saying "I love you"]

Verd ~ Soldier

Cyare ~ Beloved one, loved one, darling

Mesh'la ~ Beautiful

Ner Meshurok ~ my jewel

A/N: Let me know what you think and if I missed anything <3

[waythroughtheice]

Crossed Constellations, Part 1

For @absolutely-normal-about-x, who has graciously allowed me to play in the Legends Reborn AU.

“Ow ow ow ow owww,” Geo moaned, landing face first onto something hard, but slightly warm. “Where are we?” 

A slightly shocked, weathered voice as his answer. “This is the airship Flutter. Are you alright?” Geo blinked as a large hand appeared. He took it in his own gloved one, and let it pull him up. 

“X?” Omega-Xis yelped, shocked. 

“This isn’t X, Omega-Xis, he’s too….” Geo’s answer trailed off as he got a good look at the man--and it was definitely a human, or something like it, standing in front of him. The man was probably in his early forties, with ankle-length brown hair that was braided down his back to be out of his way. A good portion of his hair was white, leading to a pretty cool-effect where part of the braid was white but the other portion was brown. The man(?) was dressed in loose clothing, gray sweatpants and a loose cobalt blue t-shirt while barefoot. His face was slightly scruffy, and he had what Omega-Xis called a “Dad’s bod.” 

At first glance, Geo would swear that he’d never met this man in his life.

But at a second, his eyes--green, calm, intelligent, and old (and dangerous)--took Geo by surprise, and he knew. 

“X?” Geo yelped, not unlike his partner. 

X’s eyebrows shot up, and he firmly shut a book that was resting on a nearby chair shut. “That’s me,” he said. “But I don’t know you. Mind telling me your name?” 

Geo gulped. Though the question was kind and X’s tone light, his eyes were sharp, and Geo knew there would be no running away. 

Oh yeah. Definitely X.

~~~

“You travel through timelines?” X said. “That’s a new one, even for me. Sit, sit.” 

Geo awkwardly sat down at a small kitchen table at a cozy warm kitchen nook. A hot mug of--something was pressed into his hands. 

“Just some tea with milk and sugar,” X said. 

Oh. “Thank you,” Geo said. “I don’t know if I can….” He was in Mega Man’s form, so his ability to interact with the non EM world was limited. 

“We should detransform, kid,” Omega-Xis said suddenly. “It’s X. We’re safe.” 

Geo considered that, and nodded, letting himself split away until he was Geo Doran Stelar, a twelve year old human boy once more. 

The air felt heavy, and odd, and pressed against his chest. The surroundings suddenly felt malevolent, and against him. X made a small noise in the background, probably shocked at his appearance. 

Geo’d gotten that a lot from WAZA--they’d assumed that Mega Man was at least sixteen, if not older, since his Mega Man form looked like an older teenager or young adult. 

“Breathe, kid,” Omega-Xis said. “I checked. You can handle it.” 

Geo nodded and sure enough, the heaviness in the air slowly dissipated, and the black at the corner of his eyes faded. 

“That’s not as new,” X said mildly. “Are you a Cyber Elf?” This was directed at Omega-Xis, who was using the Hunter VG’s properties to be seen by people other than Geo, and to appear and interact with the physical world. 

“Huh? Whazzat?” was Omega-Xis’s eloquent reply. 

X smiled. “That answers that question. Though I guess you could also have amnesia….” 

“I’m an alien,” Omega-Xis said bluntly. “An AMian from the Planet AM.” 

“Aliens exist?” X asked, genuinely shocked. Then he grimaced. “Of course they do. Why am I even surprised anymore….” 

“They might not exist in your timeline,” Geo said anxiously. 

“We probably do,” Omega-Xis said. “But we might not’ve ever visited. The EM Waves on this planet are weak.” 

“EM Waves?” X asked. 

“Like radio waves,” Omega-Xis said, waving a claw. “My species uses it to bounce around and interact with electronics and stuff. The Internet and all that.” 

“Ah,” X said, nodding to show his understanding at the paltry explanation. Geo had no doubt that he did. X was really, really smart and it would be scary if Geo didn't know that X could always be trusted. “So you’ve met me before?” 

Geo nodded. “A few times. But you always look--” he faltered. 

X quirked a smile. “Younger, I’m guessing?” He said. “Blue armor, red jewel?” 

Geo nodded, relieved. “Uh-huh.” 

“Back when I was an android, then,” he said. 

“Yeah…..what are you?” Geo asked. 

X sat back with an amused-fond-exasperated feeling. “A Carbon, a sort of human-machine hybrid,” X said. “And before you ask, no I don’t know how I became one.” He gestured towards the drink. “Before it gets cold.” 

Geo took a sip, and smiled. “Thank you,” he said. 

“You’re welcome. If you don’t mind my asking…” X’s eyes roved over Geo and Omega-Xis before settling their intense gaze on Geo. “What’s a child like yourself traveling through different timelines? You can’t be older than thirteen.” 

“You ask that in every timeline,” Omega-Xis muttered under his breath. X shot him a sharp look before recasting his gaze 

“I’m twelve,” Geo said. “I’ve done this before. Omega-Xis is with me, so it’s okay.” 

“If you’ve met me when I was an android you’ve probably seen Maverick battles, if not seen parts of the Wars,” X said. 

“When I’m Mega Man most of the attacks phase right through me,” Geo said calmly. How many times had he had this discussion with X specifically? It was always X, too--seriously, no other adult seemed to really care all that much. 

(Well, if X wasn’t around Zero always did it, and if Zero wasn’t around Axl tended to. If not one of them, Ciel or--heavens forbid--Signas did it. Geo still feared the Signas debrief.

Dr. Hikari had been….weird. He hadn’t really said anything, but Geo knew he’d watched any and all battles very closely. But he’d still let him go without saying anything, so? 

Dr. Light, the few times Geo’d met him, seemed more resigned to having a twelve year old fight than argumentative.

Vent and Aile had believed him without a fight when he said he could fight, and Gray and Ashe were more interested in sparring with him.

So basically, it was only X's time that had adults that actually argued with him on this. It was so weird. ) 

“Most isn’t all,” X rebutted calmly. 

“I’m faster than light as Mega Man,” Geo said. “I run when I can’t fight and they can’t catch me.” 

“Hmmmm,” was all X said. “Why are you traveling?” 

“It’s kind of habit at this point,” Geo admitted. “I got used to jumping timelines thanks to an older adventure of mine that needed me to jump through space.” He decided to change the subject. “Are Zero or Axl around?” That was always a fair bet with X. Where one went, the other two followed. 

A shadow crept over X’s face. “No.” 

Geo winced. “Sorry.” 

“It was a long time ago,” X said. “Thousands upon thousands. I hold out hope that maybe, but we’ll see.” 

“Do you live with anyone?” Geo asked. If he didn’t, then Geo was going to come back to visit. The thought of X living alone was too sad. 

The shadow fled away. “Yes,” he said fondly. “My kids and two family friends.” 

“The Guardians?” Geo said, surprised. 

X blinked. “You’ve met them too, huh?” He asked wryly. 

“A few times….” Geo said. Not always nice, but they were good people. “We met sometimes on the other sides of a battlefield, but they were always good--to me, at least.” 

“Battlefield?” X said sharply. 

Geo took a pointed sip of his tea (a lesson he’d learned from another X) and didn’t answer. 

X sighed, and moved on. “Well, I woke up to meet my youngest son, Volnutt.” 

“There’s a fifth?” Geo said. 

X smiled. “There’s a fifth,” he confirmed. “Sweet boy, hardworking too. You’d probably get along well--you’re close in age.” 

“Where are they now?” Geo couldn’t help but ask. 

“Out and about,” X said. There was no mistaking the light in his voice or eyes. X was happy. “They’re a good bunch, my kids,” he said. “A lot of trouble, no mistake, but worth it.” 

“That’s good,” Geo said. X was happy. Pegasus, Leo, and Dragon, X was happy. It came off of him in waves of contentment-joy-elation. 

X wasn’t often happy, from what little Geo saw. Though he sometimes had happy endings--at least the couple of versions Geo had met, did--that was only after Geo had been involved in a few things, which he didn’t think was the norm. 

“Are you staying for dinner?” X said. It was kinda late, wasn’t it, now that Geo turned and looked outside. The sunset turned the sky and sea red as the waves lapped gently against the ship. 

Geo shook his head. “I probably shouldn’t--” Then his stomach growled, the traitor.

“Go wash up, and come back and help me with dinner,” X advised, and there was something in his tone that Geo immediately responded to. 

“Yes sir,” he answered, and got up. 

“Omega-Xis, stay here, would you?” X said. “Bathroom’s on the left, Geo. You're sweaty--go take a shower. There are spare changes of clothes about your size if you look under the mirror. They’ll be dusty, but they’re clean.” 

From the way X was eyeing Omega-Xis, it was probably going to be a very thorough Q&A session. 

Geo sighed. “I’ll be back,” he said. Better take a shower like X suggested. The more time X had to question Omega-Xis, Geo’d learned, the better. 

Omega-Xis, for his part, didn't even protest. He and X'd gone through this song and dance before, and it probably wouldn't even be the last.

[kittenofdoomage]

Summary: She’s a reclusive Omega who can’t walk away from someone in trouble, and he’s in trouble.

Prompt: Alpha!Sam Winchester, Cabin in the woods, Broken down car

Pairing: Alpha!Sam Winchester x female!Omega!reader

Word Count: 9106

Warnings: A/B/O, scenting, mating, fluff, teeny bit of angst, smut (fingering, knotting, biting), written in first person, canon-adjacent, pregnancy, canonical character death (S15 finale)

Ao3 Link

The rain was heavy. Heavy enough that I shouldn’t have been out in it but I sometimes think that the universe meant for me to be there.

Storms aren’t unusual here. It was one of the first things I noticed when I moved to my remote little hideaway in the mountains, how they seemed to have their own weather system. I’d expected it to be a different change of pace to the city, but I underestimated just how different it would be. That first night, surrounded by my boxed up belongings, I experienced real nighttime - the silence that was only disturbed by animals or the wind through the leaves, and the darkness that was never ending, producing unmatched views of the stars above the trees.

I loved it. I didn’t sleep that night because I was amazed by it all. I still love it.

It wasn’t complete isolation, of course. Further down in the valley there was a ranch, managed by a friendly family with adult children, and not two miles from my cabin, there was an identical one, owned and lived in by Mr. Collins. I think he’s a professor of something but he’s not the chattiest. I sometimes pick up supplies for him from town, just to help out, like a good neighbor, and also because he’s old as fuck and the thought of him driving the beat up rusted truck in his driveway makes me very anxious. He does sometimes, I think, but for the most part, I see him listening to the radio on his porch. The closest town is Harperville, about twenty miles away, just a handful of houses and farms, but big enough and close enough to the freeway to have a Walmart.

These mountains don’t get many visitors. There aren’t any big animals, nothing hunters would find interesting, and though there are some good hiking trails and fishing spots, it’s not easily accessible. Only one road cuts through, and in storms like this, it’s mostly flooded.

That’s how I met him.

I was on my way back from my weekly trip into town for groceries when the heavens opened. The road was already filling with water when I turned onto the single road through the mountains, so I took it slowly, wary of the various potholes the water was now concealing. My truck was pretty high off the ground, high enough that I needed a little step ladder on the side to even get in, but I still wasn’t taking the risk.

The trees thickened up quickly as I headed up the mountain, and the rain kept coming down, making it nearly impossible to see. I leaned forward as I clasped the wheel, trying to focus through the windshield, cascading water impairing my vision. The red brake lights were the first hint I had of another vehicle and as I drove closer, I realized that whoever it was had broken down.

Slowing, I looked around, trying to spot the owner of the car in the rain. It was still daylight, but in the thick of the trees, visibility wasn’t great, so I knew I had two options - try and find and maybe help whoever it was, or keep on driving and leave them to the elements.

I’m not hardwired to walk away from someone who needs help. My mom always used to say it was because of the Omega in me, but I hate to think that being a good person is dependent on your genetics. Leaving someone to suffer wasn’t in me, and besides, I carried protection for this sort of thing.

Putting the truck in park, I flicked my hazards on, though it was unlikely anyone would come up this way. It was unusual enough that this person, or persons, were there. I reached underneath the seat, pulling out the Beretta I kept there. It wasn’t loaded - I had the ammo, I just felt like the threat of being shot would be enough to get me out of any trouble I found. I wasn’t a huge fan of guns, but I recognized the need to protect myself.

The door clicked open as I pushed it, and rain immediately poured onto my legs. Sliding down onto the ground, I held the gun behind my back as I approached the car, looking around for any would-be attackers. The driver's side door opened as I got closer, so I stopped, waiting for whoever it was to emerge.

In the five years I’d been living my near-solitary existence, I’d never met an Alpha. The cities were full of them, hell, they were half the reason I moved away somewhere like Harperville.

He was tall, taller than any man I’d known before, well over six feet. His hair was long, plastered to his skull in seconds by the downpour, a few strands escaping to cling to his face. I didn’t know what to make of him once I got a good look at his features; I don’t think I’d ever met a man so handsome.

“Hi,” he said, almost sheepishly.

It took a second to find my voice. Sounds stupid, being awestruck by such a beautiful man, but I’ll admit, he really had me completely turned around for a moment. “Hi,” I finally replied, making sure to keep my weapon out of sight. “Breakdown?”

“Uh, yeah,” the Alpha chuckled, scratching at his face with a grin. “Can’t get a signal either.”

The rain was starting to ease off, but it was still loud on the poorly maintained tarmac. I stepped closer, trusting my instincts - I didn’t feel like I had anything to fear from him, which was something I should have paid attention to. “You won’t get one up here,” I informed him carefully. “There’s no getting back into town until the storm’s passed.”

“Damn,” he grunted, shoulders dropping. “Just my luck.”

I knew it was a stupid idea before I’d said it but that didn’t stop my dumbass mouth pumping the words out anyway. “I live just up a little further, you’re welcome to dry out at mine and use the landline.”

His features were even more attractive when he smiled, showcasing gorgeous dimples. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear his eyes literally sparkled. Either that or I need to lay off the romance novels. He nodded enthusiastically at my offer, wringing his hands as he came a little closer.

“That would be awesome.”

“Uh,” I glanced back, wondering if I should suggest pushing his car off the road, “hmm.”

“What?” he asked.

“You think we can push it off the road?”

“I think so.”

The rain didn’t help. I didn’t have a wealth of experience pushing cars anywhere but the Alpha had some strength behind him. Within a few minutes we had the car as far onto the verge as it could go, safely away from any possible traffic that could collide with it. I doubted anyone would be driving up this way but still, better safe than sorry.

Getting back into the truck was a relief and I managed to slide the gun back underneath the seat before he saw. I was soaked through, him too, and so far the rain had done a good job of blocking his scent. He reached his hand out, the movement sending a wave of his scent in my direction, and when I took his hand, I managed to make eye contact, getting caught in the myriad of colors in his eyes.

“I’m Sam,” he introduced himself, and I swallowed down the nervous ball that suddenly clogged my throat. I could smell melted chocolate and fresh cut grass, and all at once I felt warm and safe, despite how drenched I was.

Muttering my name, I practically snatched my hand back. “I don’t live far,” I added.

“Thank you,” he replied. “Not many people would stop and help a stranger. Let alone an Alpha.”

I smiled at him, turning the truck ignition. “That’s half the problem with the world today, right?”

Sam grinned back. “I guess it is.”

The rain was getting heavier again as I guided the truck up the road to my cabin, and when I parked up, I glanced at the backseat, full of groceries from the trip to town. Sam followed my line of sight, smiling when he looked back at me. “You mind giving me a hand?” I asked.

He nodded. “Least I can do.”

Apparently, Sam could carry in one trip what I would manage in three, so getting the bags inside took no time at all. I directed him to the phone and the phone book beside it, letting him know it was okay to call anyone he needed, and then left him to it while I cleared away the bags. By the time I was done, he was in the kitchen, a displeased expression on his face.

“No joy?” I asked, though I knew that Jerry’s Autoshop in Harperville would be closed by this time, and Jerry was usually pretty blunt about saying no.

“Not with a tow,” he sighed. “I managed to get ahold of my brother and let him know I wasn’t dead.”

“That’s something I guess,” I shrugged. “You want a coffee or anything?”

“Coffee would be great. Black, no sugar.”

I gestured to the small breakfast bar on one side of the kitchen, and he smiled his thanks, taking a seat and laying his now-useless cellphone on the counter. “I gotta ask,” I chuckled, “why are you all the way out here? The freeway is much quicker than going through the mountains.”

“Not a fan of the freeway,” he said softly. “Besides, it’s a nicer drive, y’know? When it’s not raining.” I laughed at that, nodding agreement. “Can I ask you something?”

I knew what was coming so I kept on with what I was doing, flicking the coffee pot on and turning to look at him. “Sure.”

“You’re an Omega,” he stated. I nodded. “Don’t Omegas usually live with someone? Like family o-or -”

“I did,” I answered gently. “Now I don’t.”

“Isn’t that… dangerous?”

The concern on his face was unreal, and I couldn’t help but laugh lightly, shaking my head. “I can protect myself,” I assured him. “Besides, it’s really not that dangerous to live alone. Or are you assuming that because I’m an Omega I’m weak or something?”

“Not at all,” he spluttered, clasping his hands together. “Sorry, I guess that was kinda rude. Just… you’re not like any other Omega I’ve met.”

“Why would I be?” I was teasing him now, mainly because he was downright adorable when he got all flummoxed. The tips of his ears were red, and he couldn’t even look at me straight. It was almost like torturing someone. “Relax, Sam, I’m playing. I know there’s a certain,” I sighed, trying to think of the word, “way Omegas are supposed to be. I’m just not that kind of Omega.”

“So I don’t have to worry about an Alpha appearing to kick my ass?”

His questions clicked. He was trying not to ask outright, but he had assumed I wasn’t a lonesome Omega. The assumption made my jaw tick because I hated when people thought Omegas couldn’t be perfectly fine and functioning without a knot to keep them happy, but that was just society. Sam was another conditioned product of society, just like I was before I left it all behind.

“No,” I said quietly. “Never needed one.”

That was a lie. I had needed one, once upon a time, and I would have hung the moon for him. He was my highschool sweetheart, Scott Tuckerson, and an eighteen year old, newly-presented me thought he was the one I’d be with for the rest of my life. Turned out he wasn’t so keen, but he stuck around long enough to pop my cherry then break my heart.

“What about you?” I asked suddenly, frowning a little when I realized how calm and collected he was. From my experience, Alphas around unmated Omegas were like cartoon coyotes, slobbering and grabbing at whatever they could get. If Sam had an Omega, that would explain how composed he was, though I hadn’t seen any claim mark on his throat. Maybe they didn’t reciprocate, or maybe they bit him somewhere else. It wasn’t unheard of.

“Uh, no, no Omega,” he murmured, staring at his hands.

“Huh.” The coffee pot dinged and the sound startled me for a second, making me do a little hop on the spot. Sheepishly, I turned away to hide my face, keeping my back to him as I fixed our drinks. When I carried his cup over and placed it in front of him, he smiled at me, and I smiled back without thinking, letting his warm and comforting scent lull me for just a second. The realization of what was happening sank in like a complete reset, leaving me standing there doing nothing but staring blankly, until Sam frowned.

“You okay?”

“What?” I must have looked like an idiot. Grinning at him, I shook my head. “Nothing, just something I forgot. Suddenly remembered.”

“Oh, what?”

I couldn’t think of anything. Shit. “Nothing important.” My brain fired off a suggestion. “I left some firewood uncovered. I’ll need to dry it out now.” Hi. My name is Y/N. I’m a bumbling numbskull. Backing up, I went for my own coffee, trying to appear casual. “So you were going to visit your brother?”

Sam nodded, sipping at his coffee before answering. “No, I was away for work,” the way he spoke was hesitant, and my mind instantly wanted to know what work entailed, “on my way back home.” He paused, and I opened my mouth to ask where home was, only for him to beat me to it. “Kansas,” he supplied, sipping his too-hot coffee again.

“That’s a long way for work,” I commented, hoping it would get more out of him.

“Yeah, I guess. It takes us all over.”

I could see I was going to have to be blunt about it. “What do you do?”

“Freelance investigator.” It came out so quickly and so smoothly that I blinked, unsure what exactly that would encompass. What did he investigate?

“Sounds interesting.”

“Not really.” The awkward silence stage was looming, though it seemed like Sam wanted to avoid that as much as I did. “What about you?”

“Me?” I hummed, wondering suddenly if I was being too open with this strange Alpha. “I work remotely. Editing. And it’s as boring as it sounds. Pays pretty good though.” Internally, I cringed. That probably was too much information.

Sam seemed interested, sitting a little straighter. “Editing? Like, for a publisher?”

“Anything really. I’ve worked with fiction, non-fiction. One year I did nothing but high school textbooks.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Now I do sound boring.”

“Hey, boring can be good,” he argued. “Safe.”

It was an odd choice of word but I didn’t say anything, sliding onto one of the stools opposite him. The rain was still coming down outside, pattering loudly against the windows. “This could go for a couple of hours,” I mumbled apologetically.

His smile was fixed on me when I looked back at him, and it created a warm feeling in my stomach that I wasn’t entirely sure of. Still, I smiled back, unintentionally bathing in his scent.

He picked up his cup again, blowing on it lightly, eyes still on me. “I’m sure we can pass the time.”

It became apparent several hours later, when the storm hadn’t let up, and Jerry’s definitely wouldn’t be answering, that I was to entertain a guest for the evening. I wasn’t concerned by that point; Sam had shown himself to be a gentleman, an intelligent one at that, and I was more worried about the fact that I was enjoying his company. He was happy to take my moderately-sized couch for the night, and once I’d cooked dinner for us both, I escaped to my bedroom, trying desperately to breathe through my mouth so I didn’t intoxicate myself with his scent.

Naturally, none of my online friends were available for my crisis, so I ended up watching Netflix until I dozed off. Sam didn’t disturb me for anything, and I didn’t hear him moving around, but still, sleeping with a strange Alpha in the house had me restless.

I woke up when my phone started to play my usual morning jingle, and when I emerged from the bedroom, I was surprised to find Sam gone. All the blankets I’d supplied were folded and piled neatly on the couch, with a note delicately perched on top. I grabbed it, scanning the words.

Thank you for the rescue. Sam. W.

Pulling a face, I looked towards the door. He’d obviously woken early and called Jerry again, but I felt a little put out that he hadn't stuck around to say thanks in person.

Maybe it was for the best.

Over the next few days I put Sam out of my mind, during the day at least. My dreams didn’t quite get the memo, conjuring up intricate fantasies that seemed to linger in the morning. It seemed easier to keep busy rather than dwell on an Alpha I was likely to never see again, so I threw myself into work and chores, avoiding chances to think too much.

I wasn’t expecting him to show up again, a week later, wandering up my driveway. He was wearing a red plaid flannel this time, and I had to admit, it was definitely his color. Finishing up with the tomato plants I was repotting, I brushed the dirt from my gloves and removed them, stepping around the beds to the small gate of the fenced off garden.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you again,” I greeted, not bothering to keep the smile off of my face.

He returned it, shoving his hands in his pockets as he came to a stop only a few steps away from me. “Well, I wanted to thank you,” he chuckled, rocking on his heels. “And I wanted to check out the scenery in better weather.”

I couldn’t help but feel there was an innuendo there somewhere, or maybe it was my inner-twelve-year-old. “Is it worth it?” I asked daringly, arching an eyebrow at him.

Sam grinned. “Definitely.”

“It’s a long drive from Kansas just for the view. Wanna join me for some lunch?”

In hindsight, I should have realized I was already smitten. Sam was gorgeous, smart, funny, everything an Omega could ever dream of in a mate. I was breaking my golden rule but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to care. The man had driven twelve hours just to say thanks, the least I could was offer him lunch.

He only stayed for a few hours, leaving before dark. I assumed he’d parked on the main road and walked up but shortly before his departure, a black Impala - not the same car he’d broken down in - drove slowly up to the cabin. The man driving it was his brother, he informed me, though Dean didn’t get out to introduce himself.

I invited him back without even thinking about it. Three weeks in a row, he showed up at my door, and we ate lunch, talking about everything from politics to ancient history, though he remained cagey on details. I thought about it a lot in between visits, wondering if he had trust issues, trying to keep my thoughts away from darker truths he could be hiding.

When the week after his last visit rolled by and he didn’t show up again, I started to worry. He hadn’t left a number or even an address, and though he hadn’t come out and said it, I knew his job was a dangerous one. A week turned into ten days, and I was already at the point of imagining all sorts, wondering if it was better he never showed again considering how attached I’d become in such a short amount of time.

Thirteen days after we had lunch, he finally showed up, knocking on the door when I was watching movies on the couch. I wasn’t prepared for the relief I felt when I saw him, or the way I threw myself at him to hug him.

He was hurt. There was no missing the way he was holding his arm against his side, or the wince when I finally pulled away to look up at him. “I-I was worried,” I stuttered, a little embarrassed by my reaction. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m okay, I promise,” he murmured, giving me a half-smile that was slightly less than reassuring. “May I come in?”

I stepped back, opening my home to him again. He stepped in awkwardly, leaning heavily on his right side. “What happened?”

He sighed, and I shut the door, keeping a good distance between us. “I want to tell you the truth,” he finally said, “but I don’t wanna scare you, and I don’t want to lie to you either. All I can say is that there are things out there you wouldn’t believe and it’s my job to deal with them.”

My mind raced, piecing together everything he’d told me, unsure what was true and what wasn’t. I wanted to know everything, but it didn’t feel like Sam was about to tell me anything more than what I needed to know. Remaining by the door, I watched him for a moment, chewing the inside of my cheek.

“Need to know?” I asked hesitantly. 

He nodded. “I promise, if you need to know anything… I won’t lie to you.”

Clasping my hands in front of me, I exhaled with a slow nod. “Okay.” I needed something else to focus on. “Lunch?”

Confusion landed on his features. “That’s it?”

“What’s it?”

“Most people don’t let something go like that.”

I smiled. “I’m not most people, remember? I trust you. If you wanted to murder me in my sleep, you would have done it already. If you tell me that I don’t need to know some things, then I can accept that.” He still looked confused, so I stepped towards him, attempting to redirect his attention. “So do you want lunch or not?”

This time when he left, I made him leave a number and an email, seeing as my cell didn’t always get texts through. I sent an email just to test it, getting an answer back within the hour, and from there we didn’t stop. Each ping on my laptop made me giddy, and I should have been at least mildly disgusted by the way I swooned over every message, but I wasn’t.

Sam was nothing like any Alpha I’d ever met. Around him I felt something like a belonging, always surrounded by that safe, calming feeling his scent gave me. There was no pressure for anything more, and that was beginning to make me want more.

Summer came and went. Sam’s visits weren’t always weekly; occasionally his job would take him too far away to return in time, though it was never that long between lunches. He never stayed the night, and never more than a few hours, which made it far easier to schedule his visits around my heats. I was nervous about whatever the next step was, but happier than I’d ever been to just roll with it.

Sometime in late September, he stopped answering my emails. His phone went straight to voicemail, and after a week had passed with no contact, I started to worry. I called the other number he’d given me, belonging to Dean, and when that had no answer, I turned to the internet.

I was not expecting what I found. I’d never Googled anyone before - never seen the need - so when the search engine dragged up more than a dozen pages about “Sam Winchester”, I was shocked to see several of them were for old arrest warrants, and two were reports of his alleged death. Reading through each one, I quickly fell into a rabbit hole, and when I found a set of books called “Supernatural” under one of the results, I couldn’t help but take a peek.

It was three am before I stopped. My mind was overloaded with information, fictional or not, I didn’t know, but I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t sleep, though it wasn’t entirely down to what I’d found; my concern for Sam’s wellbeing was beginning to outweigh that.

Four days later, I still hadn’t heard anything, and my heat was starting. I left one last voicemail on his cell, asking him to email me, then hid myself away in my comfiest pajamas to suffer through the next few days.

I only managed a few hours of sleep before there was a loud knock on the door of the cabin. Groggy and sweating like I’d run a marathon, I stumbled out of my room, not even guessing who could have been calling. It was still light out, and I squinted in the bright sunshine as I reached for the front door, opening it slowly.

Sam was on the other side. His face was bruised, and a bloody gash sat across the bridge of his nose. I stared up at him, confused by his appearance, disorientated by the flood of hormones in my system. “Sam?”

“Y/N,” he murmured, sounding relieved.

“What happened to you?” I croaked, clinging to the door for support. “You stopped answering - didn’t you get my voicemail?”

“I did,” he replied, “but my laptop’s busted and I was worried - you sounded, uh,” he scented the air, eyes widening and pupils dilating, “shit. You’re in heat.”

“Getting there anyway,” I muttered, shivering in my pajamas. They were beginning to get itchy, too much fabric on my skin. This part of my cycle was the worst, I hated things touching me, feeling too hot when they did. “It’s probably n-not -” My stomach twisted, and I yelped, letting go of the door to clutch my middle.

Sam’s hand brushed my shoulder. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I gasped, shaking my head as his scent filled my nose. My whole body was vibrating towards him, and when the back of his hand pressed against my forehead, I practically cooed, leaning into the touch.

“You’re really warm.”

I sucked in a breath through my mouth, trying not to grab his hand when he pulled away. “Standard symptoms.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

My jaw dropped, but no sound came out, because I didn’t have an answer for him. I knew the smart thing was to send him away, let him come back when I was done with my heat. Letting him stay, letting him in, would only lead to one thing.

It was getting harder to remember why that was a bad thing.

“Y/N?”

Sam was staring at me, the expression on his face almost identical to one of his wanted posters. I remembered what I’d found, and it was enough to let the discomfort fade for just a second. “I need to know something,” I said softly, trying to stand a little straighter. “When you didn’t answer, I wanted to check you, uh, weren’t dead or anything. So I Googled you.”

The color drained from his face in a manner that would have been almost comical if I hadn’t read what I read online. He swallowed hard, opening and closing his mouth as he obviously attempted to say something. “Wh-what did you find?”

“A lot of weird shit,” I laughed, because it had been fucking weird. I hadn’t even read all of the Supernatural books - a chat forum had led me from those to apparent real life witness accounts that placed Sam and his brother in the vicinity of all sorts of crazy.

“Can you be specific?”

He looked so serious. I tilted my head, curious now about what he hadn’t wanted to lie to me about. “I found police reports, arrest warrants. Death certificates,” I told him. “And I found a lot of people who said you saved them.” Sam nodded, breaking eye contact, looking at the floor. “I also found these books -”

A groan left him. “Oh god, no -”

“Oh my god.” His gaze lifted to meet mine at my soft exclamation. “It’s all true, isn’t it? Everything in those books, online…”

He attempted a smile. “I said I never wanted to lie to you.”

“I’m not asking you to,” I snapped. “I spent the whole night reading about demons, angels, vampires, and an Alpha who can come back from the dead. They had autopsy reports on you, Sam! You’re like an urban legend.”

His shoulders sagged. “I’m a hunter.”

“Yeah, the books covered that.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Sounds like a lonely life.”

He chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets again. “Sometimes. I got my brother.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” I confessed quietly. “I… I never needed an Alpha, you know? But now…”

“Now what?”

I met his gaze, smiling with a tiny shrug. “Now I kinda want one.”

“Just “one”?” he teased.

“You,” I confirmed shyly. “But I need to know some things first. It’s a little late for lunch. Dinner?”

“Only if you let me cook,” he accepted. “You can supervise from the couch.”

Sam was a good cook, I had to admit, even with my limited selection of foods. While we ate, I asked questions, mostly about the things I’d read online, and he was honest with me, opening my eyes to even more truths I’d been missing about the world. It was scary, thinking about the stuff he faced out there, but it made sense now I knew him; he was a hero, though he obviously didn’t think as highly of himself.

Eventually, I knew we had to discuss the matter at hand. My scent was getting thicker with every passing minute, and Sam’s was beginning to mingle with it. I knew when I let him in that it was unlikely he’d leave without the inevitable happening between us, but I wasn’t afraid of it.

When we were done eating, he cleaned up, even doing the dishes as I remained on the couch, watching him with one arm slung over the back. He worked quietly and quickly, and I couldn’t help admiring his rear profile. My mind easily wandered, and my body responded to my filthy thoughts.

Sam was almost done when he smelled it. His whole body went rigid, and I heard him sniff lightly. Sinking down into the cushions, I bit my lip just to stop myself from whining needily. I wasn’t surprised by strong heats these days - getting older without a mate naturally made it worse - but the force of the arousal I was feeling right then was nothing like I’d felt before.

I heard the sink drain, and then Sam’s footsteps came towards me. He cast a shadow over the couch, and I looked up at him, resisting the urge to reach up and grab him.

“It’s getting worse?” he asked, voice a little thick.

“Mmhmm.”

“Do you want me to go?”

If I asked him to, I believed he would. But I didn’t want him to. “No,” I stuttered.

He exhaled softly, walking around the couch to where my feet rested on the cushions. Lifting them by my ankles, he sat down, placing them on his lap before looking at me again. “We should really have a conversation about this,” he muttered, stroking his thumb over my bare ankle. I was certain such a simple touch shouldn’t have set my pussy on fire but I’d been certain of a lot of things that turned out to be wrong. “I nearly had an Omega before.” The confession made me freeze. “Her name was Jess.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “Wh-what happened to her?”

“She died. A long time ago. I never marked her… never got that far.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, lost for anything else I could say. I had very little experience with grief, something I was grateful for. “What was she like?”

Sam smiled. “She was beautiful. Smart. Funny. Confident.” He sighed, locking his eyes on mine. “She died because of me, because of the life I lived.” His thumb stopped, and I swallowed nervously. “I want you, Y/N. I want you so bad that I dream about it. But I’m scared - terrified - that I could lead something here, to you, and if anything happened to you -”

I shook my head, sitting up a little more, effectively snatching my feet out of his lap. “I can protect myself,” I reminded him.

“Not against demons,” he argued. “Not against angels, o-or vampires -”

“Then show me how.”

His eyes widened. “Y/N, this life is dangerous. I couldn’t drag you into it.”

“You’re not dragging me anywhere,” I replied, smirking at him. “This is my home, Sam. I like my independence. I don’t expect you to look after me.”

“Alphas are supposed to protect their Omegas,” he whispered.

I snorted unattractively. “Yes, and when that was relevant, Omegas couldn’t hold land or vote.” 

He frowned. “Okay, point taken,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t mean I should leave you out here where you’re so isolated, anything could happen -”

“Newsflash,” I interrupted. “Anything can happen anytime. If I learn what to look out for, learn how to lay the, the -” Clicking my fingers, I tried to remember the word he’d used when he was describing their home.

“Warding,” he provided.

“Learn how to lay the warding… me staying here is no different to me staying at your bunker while you drive across the country.” I screwed up my face at the thought of so much time in a car. “And that doesn’t sound appealing either.” Looking over at the window, I noticed how dark it was. “Wow, it got late. Won’t, uh, won’t Dean be here to pick you up soon?”

Sam shrugged. “He booked a room at the Motel 6 near Walmart. Told me to call him whenever I was ready. I didn’t know you were gonna be…” He gestured towards me, and I smiled a little. “How are you feeling now?”

“Tired,” I yawned, resting my head on the back of the couch.

“Do you have a tv in your room?”

“I have a laptop.”

He chuckled. “That’ll do, I guess. I saw a bag of chocolate pretzels in the cupboard. You wanna take them in the bedroom and fall asleep to Lord Of The Rings?”

I grinned at him goofily. “You really are perfect.”

Whatever I was expecting from an Alpha in the bedroom, it wasn’t my favorite movies and snacks. Sam even kept his pants on, removing his upper layers and his boots, and he didn’t complain when I stole most of the blankets. He didn’t crowd my space either, even though it would have been difficult in my comfortably large bed. I curled up on my preferred side where I could comfortably see the screen at the bottom of the bed, and he kept to the other, though the distance did nothing to stop his scent from creeping over.

I fell asleep halfway through the Fellowship Of The Ring. It wasn’t unusual for the first day or two of my heat to leave me exhausted, just like it wasn’t unusual for me to be easily aroused, but having an Alpha nearby was making that an almost permanent state. My dreams reflected that need, and when I woke, the orcs were taking Merry and Pippin to Isengard, and I had soaked through my pajama bottoms.

I didn’t even think before I started to strip down, kicking off anything that touched my sensitive skin, and completely forgetting about the Alpha in my vicinity. His scent flared as I moved, and I froze halfway through dragging my shirt over my heart, meeting Sam’s slightly panicked gaze.

“Shit,” I blurted out. “I forgot you were here.”

He smiled, a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth. “You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable on my account,” he stuttered.

There was nothing to be done about my lower half, though my panties still covered most of my dignity, despite how wet they were. I could smell myself, and wondered what it was doing to Sam - it took pretty much all my willpower not to look at his crotch as I tugged my tee back down over my sports bra. “I just get really hot,” I mumbled, fixing my eyes on the tv screen again.

Sam chuckled again, shifting on the bed. “No need to explain,” he promised, gesturing to the laptop screen. “I started the next one. You seemed kinda out of it.”

I really hoped I wasn’t making noises. The thought of it made my insides twist with embarrassment. “Sorry.”

He smiled as he shook his head. “Seriously. I get it. I’ve had a rut or two. Dealing with that on a monthly basis must suck.”

“It turns into routine after a few years,” I shrugged, finding it difficult to find a comfortable position now I was awake. “I’ve had worse. Maybe you being here is helping.” Lifting my head, I looked at him again, surprised to find a soft frown on his face. “You know, your scent.”

“Makes sense.”

The movie was easily forgotten now I had looked at him again. I wanted to kiss him, to feel his lips against mine. There was only a few inches between us; it would be so easy just to lean in - 

“You okay?”

His concerned voice seemed to jolt me out of a trance I hadn’t realized I was in. Caught staring, I grinned dopily, then moved to find a more comfortable position, narrowing the space between us. “Can’t get comfortable,” I complained, hearing his low chuckle in reply.

“Maybe I can help with that,” he offered, shifting on the pillows until he was propped against the headboard, one arm stretched out and just welcoming me into the curve of his body. I sat up, looking at him hesitantly with my bottom lip caught between my teeth. He flicked his hand, then nodded at the space. “If my scent’s helping…” he trailed off, obviously assuming I hadn’t understood.

But I had. This felt like a point of no return.

He jerked his chin up, but before he could say anything, I moved, carefully laying up against him, my head on his chest and my overheating body next to his. His arm dropped from above me, settling around my shoulders as a comfortable weight, almost familiar like it belonged there. I inhaled, tasting his scent on my tongue, letting it imprint in my mind.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

It was difficult to concentrate on the movie when he was so warm right next to me. I was sure my knees were shaking, and I couldn’t keep my feet still. Sam’s hand dropped down after a while, his fingers stroking the bare skin below my sleeve, and it was sending shivers down my spine on every brush. My mind wandered, thinking about touching him back; my hand twitched with the urge to slide over the front of his jeans, and I could feel my heart racing.

He must have been able to smell it. It felt like there would be a wet patch underneath me if I moved.

“Y/N?”

I lifted my head to look up at him, freezing as soon as I realized how close my face was to his. “Yeah?” My voice came out raspy, so I cleared my throat as gently as I could. “Yes?”

“You’re shaking,” he whispered, cupping my cheek with one huge hand. His long fingers caught in my hair, and his palm was so warm against my cheek, I couldn’t resist the impulse to lean into it. “‘Mega.”

I’d never been called by that title with such desperation. I tipped my head back as he lowered his mouth to mine, and the kiss was just as thrilling as I expected. My heart pounded in my chest, and when he swept his tongue against my lips, I parted them, meeting him halfway as the kiss got deeper. The angle of my body was putting a strain on my muscles but I ignored it in favor of the taste of my Alpha, grabbing his shirt when I pulled away to snatch a breath.

“Is this okay?” he asked, nuzzling into me.

A stupid grin pulled at my face. “Yeah.”

He kissed me again, and this time, I had a little more bravado, cupping him through his jeans. He was already hard, thick under my palm, and when I squeezed him, he moaned into my mouth, thrusting his hips a little.

“Take the pants off,” I whispered, though I hated the thought of him pulling away. With a nod, he moved, so I took the opportunity to remove my t-shirt, tossing it in the general direction of the laundry basket. He was only halfway out of his jeans, shimmying them down his long legs, and I swallowed when I caught sight of the tent in his boxers. He stripped his shirt off too, and then returned to where he’d been, meeting my gaze almost shyly.

How could he be shy looking like that?

My mouth felt dry as I drank him in, noticing the black tattoo on his chest. Without thinking I reached out to brush my fingers against it, recognizing the design from things I’d seen online.

“It protects me from demon possession,” he explained hesitantly, like the information would scare me.

I should have been scared. But it was easier to shove what I’d learned aside to deal with it later, when there weren’t other, more pressing issues. When I pulled my hand back, he caught it, tugging me closer to kiss me again, and I let him sweep me away. I could barely separate my scent from his now, and I was yearning for more of him.

“Take this off,” he grunted, plucking at the elastic of my tatty bra. I didn’t stop to think, hauling the damn thing off and throwing it, uncaring where it landed. Sam’s hands were instantly on my bare tits, cupping and squeezing them, all the while demanding my attention with hungry kisses that left me breathless and dizzy.

We were horizontal now, and I could feel his erection poking into me through the damp cotton of his boxers. My instinct was to grind against him, and I went with it, drunk on arousal now, unable to think beyond having his bare skin on mine. I felt hot all over, and his touch was scorching, but I was craving it.

One big hand snaked around my hip, dragging me harder against him, and I shifted, lifting my leg to drape it over him, allowing his cock to rub right against my covered sex. He groaned, breaking the kiss to look at me with a lidded gaze, and I realized he was panting.

“If you want me to stop -” he started, but I cut him off, pressing one finger against his swollen lips.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “I don’t.”

He moaned, kissing me again, and the hand on my hip wandered down, long fingers stroking me through my panties. I whimpered, desperate for friction, desperate for anything, and that only made him touch me with more force. He rubbed along my pussy, pulling back to watch my face, and I knew what he wanted. A second later, my hips jerked, and I felt my face scrunch up at the sudden burst of pleasure where his fingertip had found my clit. He smiled, finding it easily this time, watching my expression dissolve as he rubbed the tiny bundle of nerves.

I shuddered in the cage of his arms, pinned against him. The stimulation was simultaneously too much and not enough - I wanted him inside me but it felt too good to stop him. I dug my nails into his shoulder, rocking my hips to expose myself a little more, and the plea for him to let me cum lingered on my lips. Sam seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and I couldn’t hope to stop the waves of pleasure that made my whole body tremble. The orgasm soaked through my panties, and my Alpha hummed as he felt the damp on his fingers.

His fingers moved, tugging my panties to the side, and I gasped as he circled my hole, teasing me by dipping into it. He was still watching me, biting his bottom lip as he sank the single digit in, stroking me from the inside. “You’re so tight,” he murmured, fucking his finger into me. “You’re not -”

“No,” I hummed, shaking my head. “But it’s been a long time.”

He smiled at that, leaning in to kiss the corner of my mouth. “I’ll be your last.”

My mind automatically provided a witty comment to his cheesy statement but it never made it out of my mouth. A second finger penetrated me, and I crumbled, clinging to him as I adjusted to the new stretch, biting back a cry as he worked both digits in and out, letting my pussy coat them. I could hear how wet I was, and on the coattails of my first climax, I was ready to skip the prep and let him take me.

“Sam -”

“Sssh, not yet,” he murmured. “Don’t wanna hurt you.”

I nodded, too afraid to speak in case I cried out. Every nerve in my body felt raw, like an electric current was running through me, and it felt so good, I was scared to lose control. Sam hummed, pulling his fingers out, and I instantly rolled onto my back, only to find my panties stripped down, and his fingers at my sex again, pushing my thighs apart. With more space, he pushed his fingers inside me again; I cried out, spreading my legs as he lowered his mouth to my breasts.

Between his fingers fucking me open and his tongue tormenting my aching nipples, I couldn’t focus. My heart thundered, and I couldn’t seem to breathe fast enough, twisting my hands in the sheets underneath me just to try and ground myself. I wanted to cum again, but letting it happen felt impossible.

“Cum for me again,” Sam urged, abandoning my tits to nuzzle at my cheek, “just once more, and I’ll give you what you want.”

I nodded, replaying his words over and over. His fingers twisted inside me, calloused pads dragging against my inner walls, and then his thumb brushed my clit, making me jerk in surprise. He chuckled, nose bumping against my jaw.

“Just let go,” he purred.

It was too much. I held my breath, biting my lip so hard it hurt, but it didn’t overwhelm the pleasure as I started to cum. Sam kept talking but it was far away and I was spinning, unable to process anything except the thick fingers inside me, my cunt clenching around them.

My head hit the pillow, and he withdrew, wiping his hand on his boxers. I kept my eyes closed, trying to calm my breathing - in through the nose, out through the mouth - but I could feel him beside me, feel his breath on my shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

“You ask that a lot,” I mumbled, cracking one eye to look at him, then opening both. “I’m very good.”

He grinned. “Do you have anything in mind for what happens next?” I shrugged, because I hadn’t given it much thought beyond wanting his cock inside me. “Like… condom?”

“Oh.” Lifting up onto my elbows, I pouted. “I don’t have any but I’m on birth control.”

“I think I have one -” He made to move but I grabbed him to stop him.

“Don’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. “It’s okay, I trust you.” We were close again now, and I didn’t fight the urge to kiss him, pulling him as close as I could get. His boxers still covered him, so I dropped my hand, eager to get rid of them. My fingers slipped under the waistband easily, and I gasped when I wrapped my hand around him, a thrill running through me at how thick he was. He moaned at my touch, rutting into my hand lightly. “I just want you inside me,” I murmured, a bolder with the heat running through my veins.

Sam nodded, taking charge, pushing my hand away so he could remove his boxers. He coaxed me back until I was underneath him, his knees between mine, kissing me to distract me from the weight of his cock against my thigh. “I’m gonna knot you,” he warned quietly. I whimpered. “I’m gonna leave my mark here,” he added, dropping his head to nip at the column of my throat.

He was leaving room for any protest I might have had but I didn’t have one. I spread my legs willingly, watching hungrily as he got onto his knees and fisted his cock, thumbing the tip through my folds. He moved slowly, penetrating me with an agonizing pace, leaving me breathless with the stretch as he rocked into me.

“Fuck,” he gasped, finally burying himself, slumping forward to catch his weight on his hands either side of me. I met him in a kiss, wrapping my legs around him, wanting him as deep as possible, unwilling to ever let go of the blissful feeling of having him like this. There didn’t appear to be any rush on his part either, as he kept kissing me, his weight pinning me down.

The initial intensity faded, and he moved first, shallow thrusts to start. I yelped when he threw in a hard stroke, his cock hitting a point of intolerable ecstasy inside me; he grabbed my hip with one hand and shifted all his weight onto the other, picking up a harder pace. My body was accommodating him, and I could feel how wet I was as he started to withdraw a little further, slamming in a little harder.

I cried out, digging my nails into his shoulder, and he responded by burying his face in my throat, biting at the spot he’d marked earlier. Nipping became harder bites, and I slid my hand through his thick hair, inciting him further as I started to cum. My pussy clenched around him, and I felt his knot at the base - the thought of how he’d fill me was arousing enough that it spurred on my orgasm. Instinct led my nose to his throat, but I wasn’t expecting the next urge.

I wanted to mark him first.

Biting softly, I tested his reaction. His grip on me tightened, and his teeth at my throat got a little harder. I moaned, struggling to keep my mind on one track, clinging to him as he fucked me harder. 

“Do it,” he grunted, right in my ear.

His knot was swelling. He was close. I shuddered, biting a little harder, almost scared to hurt him. He groaned and his knot popped, forced inside me with a hard thrust. My teeth sank through his skin, and as I tasted his blood, I started to cum again, feeling him bite me back as he filled me to the brim.

I needed to breathe. Releasing his throat, I pulled my head up and he released me, lifting onto his arms to look down at me. There was blood on his lips - mine - and I could still taste his on my tongue. He leaned down, kissing me softly, still rutting his hips though he couldn’t move far.

The movie hadn’t finished. The battle for Helm’s Deep had just begun, and I giggled when I realized the laptop was slightly further towards the end of the bed. Sam followed my line of sight, smirking when he noticed.

“We can restart it when we can, uh… move,” he suggested.

I giggled. “Maybe a different position next time?”

Several years later…

I had been anxious since I woke up. The mountains were clouded, thick fog filling the air, and it resembled my mood. Sam was supposed to be home today. It was the last time.

We’d made it work over the years. He was dedicated to something he couldn’t skip out on, and something I wasn’t keen on being a part of. I didn’t hide from the truth, but I also didn’t have the physical strength to slap a machete through someone’s neck because I wasn’t a hero. Sam detested the term, but it was what he was.

I’d nearly lost him half-a-dozen times. Angels, demons, gods, monsters, all of those things tried to take him from me. But every time, he’d walk away, and he’d come back, spending a night or two before another case pulled him from the cabin and back onto the road.

Things were different now. They’d been different since Sam and his brother defeated God himself, but that had only been the beginning of the change. Now, Sam had no call to the road. His brother was dead, laid to rest, and I was waiting for him.

The clouds started to clear in the afternoon, and I went for a nap, exhausted easily by the life growing inside me. A boy, or so Dr. Wentworth in Harperville tells me. All I could tell you was that the next four weeks couldn’t come quick enough.

I was woken by the sound of an engine, rumbling towards the house. My eagerness to see Sam made me move a little quicker than usual, and by the time I was out the front door, he was climbing out of the Impala, pausing with one hand on the roof as he gazed down at the driver’s side. I stopped on the porch, watching him, feeling the ache for his grief. He missed Dean. But he was honoring him now.

“Hey,” I called softly, waving to him, and he looked up as if he had only just noticed me, smiling. He closed the driver’s side door, opening the back for Miracle to jump out. The dog yapped, running up to the house, past me and inside, probably finding her bed after the long drive. Sam followed her, stopped at the step below me, smiling brightly. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “All locked up. Felt weird. It was home for so long…”

I knew he would miss the bunker but this was the start of something new. “This is your home, Sam,” I whispered softly. “It was just waiting for you.”

Thanks for reading, please consider reblogging, maybe with a comment, or a gif? 🥰

[garden-of-omegas]

⚜ FIRST MEETING [ARCANA - COURTIERS] ⚜

┌── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

characters: valerius | vlastomil | vulgora | volta | valdemar summary: the details of your first meeting with your future mate. warnings: the courtiers are a warning in on themselves i think. rating: sfw a/n: my randomizer really wanted me to get this done, despite my begging to give me a break to write something else. but here is this group of lovely clowns! i don't know why i chose to do this.

~🎕

└── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

≿━━━━༺❀ valerius ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a magician travelling around as a helper with your familiar, a tibetan mastiff named volney. you'd recently arrived in vesuvia, and were offering your services around the city-nation. you'd taken quite the liking to the place.

✿ you were both young adults, valerius only recently having started in the vesuvian court. you both still had a youthful glow around you, that would soon be gone.

✿ you were called into the palace by the countess, asking for your help with some magical problems they'd been having. in the middle of your conversation with the lovely countess, valerius walked in and proceeded to interrupt the both of you. you'd waved off any apologies from nadia and said that you didn't mind being interrupted by a cute omega.

✿ as it turns out valerius was the one working with you while solving the problem, which means a few weeks of spending time together. and after you set up shop in vesuvia, you'd often end up working with him on something or the other.

✿ valerius thought that you were so annoying. so laidback, so aloof, so... uncaring. and your goddamn dog, always following you around everywhere. well, mostly he was salty about being called a cute omega, but he'd come around to you eventually. you immediately knew valerius was your prime target. for annoying that is. he was just such a cute and easy target, especially as you started working more with him. and volney seemed to like him, so why not you?

≿━━━━༺❀ vlastomil ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you'd just set up shop in vesuvia, settling down with your familiar, a hedgehog named danforth. you'd not yet fully opened up, as you hadn't gotten everything in order. thankfully you had asra as a helper, though at the time he'd just started travelling.

✿ you appeared to be in your twenties, and vlastomil, well... who knows how old he was at that point. but it was before the plague started up, though it wouldn't be long until then.

✿ vlastomil appeared in your shop, with the door locked, asking if you had some very specific ingredients for worm food. you took the break-in rather calmly, that is to say you hit him with a transmutation spell and momentarily turned him into a worm. after calming down, and a few magical words and apologies later you promised to find him the ingredients as soon as possible.

✿ vlastomil kept appearing in your shop every once in a while for more ingredients, which you started just keeping in stock. you didn't really get his thing with worms, mostly just seeing them as food for danforth, but you still listened to his odd ramblings.

✿ vlastomil was delighted by your magics, turning him into a worm? a delight! he only hoped he could have convinced you to do it again. but for now he's content with your devotion to finding his ingredients and your attentiveness to his ramblings. you mostly thought of vlastomil as a weird nuisance, though a surprisingly good conversation partner. you just wished he would actually listen to the shop's opening hours and stop scaring you every time he comes to visit.

≿━━━━༺❀ vulgora ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were still just a travelling magician and hunter, looking for your forever home to settle down in. you had quite the reputation at the time, alongside your familiar, a kestrel named attila, both of you known for your efficiency in hunting all kinds of prey.

✿ you were still a twenty year old, though you'd been a famed hunter for a long time by that point already. and of course with vulgora no one knows their true age.

✿ you'd been hunting some poor soul you'd been hired to find. you found them in the middle of a battlefield, where you confidently walked through all the fighting until you got your sights on your target. aiming your bow, you almost got him if not for vulgora stepping in the middle with a dangerous glint in their eyes. your target got away and you had to stay to battle vulgora away from you.

✿ you kept running into vulgora every once in a while, usually in the middle of your hunts. and they always ruined your hunts in some way or another, usually by drawing you into battle with them. at least one of you was having fun...

✿ vulgora found you so interesting. your confidence in the middle of a bloody battlefield, your absolute focus on your target, oh it was just so beautiful. and the annoyance upon being interrupted, it was almost addicting to them. you absolutely despised them, getting in your way all the time. if you could just get rid of them you would, but nothing you did seemed to kill them. so, mostly they were a huge annoyance to you that you tried to avoid as much as possible.

≿━━━━༺❀ volta ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a magician travelling around the world to learn about different cultures and forests. you'd just arrived in vesuvia with your familiar, a grey squirrel named antonin. at the time you were only planning to stay for a few weeks.

✿ you were in your mid-twenties, having been travelling since you were a teenager. and volta was of course timeless, and probably didn't even know her own age.

✿ you were having a little picnic with antonin in the dark forest. you were just making antonin a chestnut sandwich, when volta appeared from pretty much out of nowhere and asked if she could have any snacks you might have. you gladly invited her to join your picnic, and pulled out an impossible amount of extra food from your bag, to her utter delight and amazement.

✿ you'd come across volta many times after during your stay in vesuvia, mostly due to your habit of finding places to picnic. and once you settled down in the city-nation, she'd often end up at your dinner table to asra's utter confusion.

✿ volta was convinced you were an angel of some kind, oh so kind and generous. you didn't yell at her, you didn't kick her, you simply smiled and chatted with her about whatever happened to come to your mind. you mostly considered volta to be a cute little dove that fluttered to your picnic blanket, and like many other critters before her you were glad to indulge her. and then she turned out to be just so nice and silly, you couldn't help continuing to indulge her.

≿━━━━༺❀ valdemar ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you don't quite remember who you were anymore, it was such a long time ago. someone different, of that you're certain, and a familiar sight to death. you're not certain you were even human yet back then.

✿ valdemar had yet to become a demon, and had just recently started their training as a doctor. vesuvia wasn't even a thing back then, and wouldn't be for centuries.

✿ you'd been bleeding out on the side of the road, though you weren't particularly worried about dying. it wasn't that permanent for you anyways. just as you started feeling faint, a lithe figure appeared above you and started trying to resuscitate you, frantically trying to convince you that you'd be fine. and you did end up being pretty fine, after passing out though.

✿ you woke up in valdemar's caravan, and ended up staying with them for a few months while you recovered. you taught them some things about magic, and even after your paths parted you saw them every once in a while during your travels.

✿ back then valdemar was a bit too focused on saving your life to pay any mind to what they thought of you, but after dragging you into their caravan they realized just how beautiful you were, even bathed in your own blood. and then you just turned out to be fascinating. you were most grateful for valdemar's help, even if it wasn't technically needed. they were so curious and kind back then, that you couldn't help but want to stay for as long as you could. some part of you wished to forever be around them.

[casual-violinist-fangirl]

(In that Moment I Almost Forgot) Because You Loved me so Loud: 2,745 Words

. The sequel to my fic You Loved me so Loud!

. Omega comes home from school one afternoon and something is clearly wrong. It’s up to Crosshair to figure it out or face the wrath of Omega’s angry flute playing all evening.

. WARNINGS: this fic features mentions of homophobia, though no slurs are used in the story. There’s also mentions of violence and possible domestic violence due to homophobia.

. This fic features a new OC! Both Tessa and Omega are 15 in this and I’d really like to include Tessa in some other fics so please let me know what you’d think of that!

. AO3 link is in the comments!

It had been a typical afternoon for Crosshair; he had woken up after his night shift and drifted into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee before the chaos of the evening commenced. Every evening was the same in the Fett household. Echo would arrive home from work about 3:00, joining Crosshair for a cup of coffee before starting to cook dinner. Omega would get in not long after that, her bus home from school getting to it’s usual stop at about 3:15. She would usually come in, all smiles and laughter, and greet her brothers before disappearing to trying and get her homework done.

… this afternoon was different.

Echo had arrived at home in the same way he usually did, and he and Crosshair were sat at the kitchen table with mugs of coffee in their hands when the front door opened. There was a brief pause where Omega would usually announce her presence in her usual cheery manner, then the door slammed shut, making the two adults in the kitchen flinch.

‘Omega?’ Echo stood from the table and stuck his head into the hallway, only to see the girl throw her flute case to one side and storm up the stairs, ditching her school blazer as she went. Saying nothing in response, she entered her bedroom before slamming that door as well.

Crosshair had remained seated throughout the fiasco, not quite sure what to think about it all. Clearly she’d had a bad day, it certainly wasn’t the first time Omega had come home and slammed all the doors in frustration. Only those times, Hunter was there and had gone up to speak to her once she had been given some time to herself… well Hunter was currently on a work trip, and Wrecker and Tech wouldn’t be in for the next few hours… which left Crosshair and Echo to deal with whatever was bothering their little sister.

‘Do you think we should go and talk to her?’ Crosshair was snapped out of his thoughts as Echo reappeared, looking concerned. Ughhhh he had not had enough sleep to deal with angsty teenagers. He loved the kid, no one would ever say he didn’t, but maker was she hard to handle when she was upset. She had always been like this, he found himself thinking idly as he stared into his coffee. ‘I’m not sure I fancy having something hurled at my head for entering her space,’ he stated, and Echo groaned; clearly that wasn’t the response he had been hoping for. ‘What? You know she only ever wants to talk to Hunter when she’s in a mood like this.’

‘Well Hunter isn’t here, and you know how long it took us to persuade him to go on this trip,’ Echo snapped. ‘If he figures out that we can’t cope, you know he’ll be on the first flight back here.’

The pair sat in silence for a moment until the peace was broken by the sound Omega’s bluetooth speakers turning on. Great.

As it turned out, Omega had shown a level of musical talent from quite a young age; when the local music services had come into her school and offered up a year’s worth of free music lessons due to the family’s ‘financial circumstances,’ she had begged Hunter to let her play an instrument. The rest, as they say, was history. She had been playing the flute since she was seven years old, and was easily one of the best musicians at her secondary school, despite her insisting that she wasn’t. Through the same music services that had offered her lessons, she had been able to join different orchestras and wind bands, and even though she seemed to be constantly busy, she clearly adored the buzz that it gave her.

Crosshair’s only issue with his little sister’s musicianship was the fact that when she was angry, she didn’t listen to angsty music by Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish… no. Omega listened to the loudest, angriest classical music she could find, and if the rest of the household were really unlucky, she’d get her flute (or maker forbid the piccolo) out and try playing along.

Upon hearing the bluetooth speaker connect to the girl’s phone, Crosshair cringed. ‘I take it all back,’ he stated as he stood from his seat. ‘Her flute’s down here so we need to stage an intervention if we don’t want to be hearing angry piccolo music all evening.’

He cautiously clambered up the stairs; luckily the music hadn’t started yet so Omega must have still been looking for something to listen to. He knocked softly on her door and stuck his head around it, praying that nothing would be thrown at him. When nothing came flying in his direction, he took that as his cue to enter the room fully.

The sight in front of him was desperately sad; Omega was curled up on her bed facing away from the door. Crosshair might have thought she was asleep from the sight of her, but he could tell from the subtle shake of her shoulders that she wasn’t… she was in fact crying.

‘Rough day, kid?’ he asked as he made his presence known. She would soon tell him if she didn’t want him there. A shrug of her shoulders told him all he needed to know and he moved closer to her bed, not wanting to intrude.

Omega seemed to sense his thoughts, as she sat up and made room for him, now facing her brother completely. ‘What do you think?’ she asked, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Crosshair wrinkled his nose and handed her a tissue from her bedside table. She took it, and the pair sat quietly for a while, not saying anything to one another.

Crosshair was of two minds here; he could stay and ask her what was going on. He didn’t want to push the girl away by pressuring her to talk, but equally he knew that if he left her on her own it wouldn’t be too long before the angsty piccolo music started. His worry for his little sister was obviously his primary concern, but he also valued his ears and didn’t want to be deafened by the squeaky metal pipe.

‘You… wanna talk about it?’ he eventually asked, looking over at Omega. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked miserable. Her shoulders were hunched over as though she was hiding something. That made Crosshair’s stomach drop.

‘Omega, are you okay?’ he asked, shifting so that he could see her more clearly. His nerves weren’t improved when he spotted a very angry, very fresh looking bruise on her jawline. How had he missed that a minute ago? ‘What the fuck happened to you?’ he asked, worried about what the answer would be.

Almost as though Crosshair had pulled a pin on her, Omega broke into loud, heartbreaking sobs. She threw herself at her brother, throwing her arms around him and clinging on as though she never wanted to let him go. All he could do was wrap his arms around her trembling form, trying to bring some sort of comfort to the girl.

’S-something terrible happened a-at school today,’ she stammered out, trying to keep her breathing as even as possible. ‘I d-don’t want to ever go back. N-never!’

This took Crosshair by surprise; Omega had been having some issues at school in relation to teasing, but following his meeting with the headteacher last year, everything seemed to have calmed down. As far as he was aware, Omega hadn’t had any issues with bullying since she started there… so this was news to him.

‘What happened, ‘Mega?’ he asked, gently prying her off of him and holding her away from him so he could see her bruise better. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to regain her composure, allowing him to check her jaw for possible breakages. Once Crosshair was satisfied Omega didn’t have a broken jaw, he held her close once more.

‘There’s this girl in my music class,’ Omega started. ‘She was always really nice to me and I never thought anything of it really… always told me I looked nice, always laughing at jokes I make.’

Crosshair listened; he had a funny feeling he knew where this was going, and if he was right he knew the ending to this story wasn’t going to be a happy one.

‘She started hanging out with me and Hera at lunch,’ the girl continued. ‘Hera was convinced that she fancied me, but I didn’t pay any attention to that. No point in getting my hopes up even though I like her.’

‘Then she comes up to me at lunch today…’ Omega’s voice was beginning to wobble. ‘She told me that she really liked me, and asked if she could kiss me.’ Crosshair stroked a gentle hand through her hair as he tried to soothe her without putting her off talking. ‘I said yes and then we did and it was… Cross, it was great.’ Fresh tears were streaming down her cheeks now as she struggled to continue. ‘B-but her step brother saw us holding hands later and started having a go at her, calling her names and trying to drag her away.’

‘I stepped in, tried to help her, but he got all in my face and started calling me names too… and then he hit me.’ There was an almost sickening silence in the room as Crosshair absorbed what he had just been told, but Omega clearly wasn’t done. ‘I told her I wouldn’t tell a teacher because she didn’t want her brother to get into trouble and make things worse for her at home.’

The reality of the situation hit, and Crosshair was honestly at a little bit of a loss. On the one hand he could completely see why Omega had done what she had, and wanted to support her. On the other hand, some punk had hurt his little sister, and he wanted nothing more than to march down to the school and report the incident.

For a while neither of them spoke, Omega simply sniffling away into Crosshair’s side. ‘What about the rest of her family?’ Crosshair eventually spoke up. ‘Are they supportive? Do they even know?’ A small nod filled him with some relief. At least the girl in question lived in a home where she was supported by her parents. ‘Her parents are fine, and her step brother doesn’t live at home most of the time,’ the girl trailed off. ‘I really like her, Crosshair and I don’t want her to get hurt because of me…’ her tears returned.

‘Omega.’ This was probably the most serious she had ever heard him sounding. She looked up at her brother, eyes wide and watery. ‘This did not happen because of you. This did not happen because of her. You don’t need to blame anyone for what happened today except for the kid who hurt you and your… special friend.’ Omega snorted lightly at the term special friend. ‘I’m supposed to help look after you, kid. I can’t just sit by and see you get beaten up by some girl’s brother just because you like her and don’t want things to get bad for her. We can talk to the school, and then to her parents to help solve all of this.’

‘But what if she gets hurt and it’s all my fault because I told a teacher?’ Omega continued crying and Crosshair rubbed soothing circles into her back in the way that he knew would help her to calm down.

‘There are things we can do to help her, Omega,’ he soothed. ‘Right now the only person I’m concerned about is you. You need to be safe at school, and right now you’re not.’ The girl nodded showing her understanding, not that it made her feel any better about the situation. Distantly, Crosshair heard the doorbell ring but didn’t think to move, knowing that Echo was quite capable of answering it.

Crosshair was in the middle of mentally preparing himself to tell Omega that he was going to call the school office to make an appointment with the head when there was a soft knocking at the door. ‘Omega,’ Echo called quietly, making the girl sit up as he stuck his head around the door. ‘There’s a girl at the front door… she said her name was Tessa and she’d like to talk to you,’ Crosshair noted the widening of his sisters’ eyes and guessed that Tessa must be the girl that Omega had kissed earlier. ‘I can tell her that you’re not happy to see her right now, ‘Megs,’ he started to say, but she shook her head at that comment.

‘I’d like to see her,’ she croaked out. ‘Can she come up here?’ she looked between her brothers with a slight look of desperation across her face. Crosshair nodded and smiled a small smile. ‘Of course she can, kid,’ he replied with a grin. ‘Though your bedroom door stays open.’

‘Cross!’

‘What? You’re a teenager now, besides Hunter would kill me if he knew I let a girl you fancy into your room with the door shut.’

‘Ugh, fine,’ Omega groaned, looking mildly irritated, but a small smile on her face told her that she was only joking.

Crosshair left her to clean herself up a little before Tessa headed into the room. Downstairs, both Crosshair and Echo sat with cups of coffee hoping that whatever was going op upstairs was positive. The last thing anyone needed was for Omega to be going through her first heartbreak. After what felt like forever, a small burst of laughter came from upstairs and both adults sighed with relief. At least Omega and Tessa seemed to be okay. Not long later, two sets of feet came pattering down the stairs and towards the front door. Crosshair could hear Omega saying goodbye to the girl, and that she would see her at school tomorrow; at least his sister was now willing to go to school. Earlier she had been dreading it.

The door opened and then there was a silence. Echo glanced over at his cousin, a confused expression on his face. Crosshair rolled his eyes.

‘Just because you’re happy now doesn’t mean you can make out with your special person on the doorstep!’ He called from his spot on the sofa.

‘Crosshair!’ came the indignant cry of Omega. Tessa laughed lightly and said goodbye to Omega before disappearing out of the door, the two adults noting the sound of the door shutting. Moments later, Omega appeared in the living room, a big smile on her face.

‘What happened then?’ Crosshair asked in a teasing tone. ‘Aside from you making out with her on the doorstep.’ The teenager sent him a scowl, but it was replaced with a smile once more. ‘She spoke to her mum and step dad,’ she started. ‘They convinced her to talk to the school about what happened and so she did. Her step brother is looking at possible exclusion, not to mention he’s grounded forever.’

Crosshair nodded, glad that something had been done about the situation. ‘And what about you two?’ Echo chimed in, raising a questioning eyebrow with a smirk on his face. Omega blushed lightly and smiled.

‘We might be going to the cinema on Friday?’ she asked, a pleading look on her face. Crosshair laughed. Trust his little sister to organise a date before asking if it was okay for her to go out in the evening.

‘I don’t know…’ he pretended to think about it to wind her up. ‘I guess you could go, though maybe we should check with Hunter just to make sure…’

‘He’s not even here, Cross!’ Omega exasperated. ‘Besides, you know how protective he is. He’d want to ask Tessa a million questions.’

Echo’s phone buzzed and he looked down at it before snorting with laughter. ‘What makes you think the questions haven’t started?’ he asked, holding his phone up for the teenager to see. She groaned. ‘How did he find out so fast? I swear he has super sonic hearing or something,’ she grumbled.

‘No,’ Crosshair countered. ‘But we did install a camera with alerts on the doorbell last month so he probably saw your little kissing sesh on the doorstep.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’

[cassandrajoybellbittner]

*Warning Adult Content*

LONGING NOSTALGIA - Chapter 30

Len

I had forgotten that the summer heat could be bad in Alberta if it wanted to be.

A good number of people in the pack spent most of their day outside since it wasn't something that they could do during the long winter months.

Adyen took an interest in gardening and fishing.

We spent a lot of time by the river swimming and floating on our backs.

He didn't like the horses though and stayed behind the fences whenever the children when their caretakers had to make them exercise or eat overall, he got used to the pack quite well and in about a week he knew his way around the campgrounds.  

The pack had been more accepting of Adyen than I had expected. Kaya and Kai took a quick liking to him and so did many of the Omegas and mid-ranking wolves.  

My mum had been temporarily upset that we weren't a pair that could produce children but she got over it, treating Adyen like her own son and showing him ugly pictures of me from when I was about twelve years old.

Everyone liked, Adyen. Including Ahote.    

The two had bonded over tending the garden.

Adyen was interested in learning from him because his own mother had a garden and Naylan just started one in his pack lands.  

"You've stopped being weird around me, good," Ahote had told me one afternoon when Adyen had left for the shed to grab a better watering can.    

I had blinked, rubbing the back of my neck as my lips parted.

Nothing had come out of it and Ahote had laughed at me, shaking his head.    

"Not quite there yet, I suppose," he had said squatting to examine the lettuce while I stood to the side.

Stiff as a log. He had been right though.

As the holiday had gone on, I had started to forgive myself about how I had acted about Ahote and him finding a man that loved him after his mate had broken his heart.

Sure, I still felt silly when I remembered me thinking of my future mate and tearing up at the thought that I would have it give up Ahote but that was all behind us now and I was starting to let it go so that we could be comfortable around each other.  

Adyen also spent a lot of time with the children.

Adults were more educated and had a better sense to not ask why someone looked different but kids... especially children sheltered from most of the outside world... weren't.

Children would pause and stare at him and brave ones would ask him why his hair was so curly or why his skin was brown.

I thought Adyen would get sick of it but he usually just laughed it off and offered to hold their hand.

It reminded me of how they used to look at Alek who had blond hair and spoke in a foreign accent.  

Adyen was enjoying himself here and so was I.

Catching up with everyone was a treat.

I got to see Ahote and Kaya's kids play together and babble amongst themselves as they ran around in stumbling steps.

I heard that Alek was now the second in command hunter.

Elan, Ahote's firstborn, had grown up so much in my time away.  

I didn't regret going to Toronto one bit but being at home... even if it was just a month gave me a longing nostalgia that I decided to do the best with.  

Adyen and I spent most of our days taking walks within the territory lines, curled up in bed, or jumping around and raising our phones over our heads, looking for reception.

Yeah, I had forgotten how terrible that was down here in the middle of nowhere.

Granted, I hadn't had a phone until I left, I had just heard Alek and Zeke complain about it a lot.

Because of the situation with the reception, Adyen and I didn't talk to the folks back in Toronto much. Here and there.

We had video chats when we followed the supply truck to the nearest city once a week.  It was fun.

Day after day passed and today, just like all the others I had woken up in bed next to Adyen who was a human heater.

He was still asleep but I was wide awake letting my eyelashes touch the material of the duvet we had thrown over us.

I turned to my side, reaching out to touch the side of his eyes.

He furrowed his brows, cuddling the pillow under him. 

"Hey, what time is it?" Adyen asked in a yawn, moving against me under the covers.

I blinked, groaning when Adyen pulled the covers away and the light from the window entered my eyes.

We had woken up earlier in the day but it was a carefree Saturday and we could sleep in, so we sort of did that.

Sort of meaning, we had sex and promptly got knocked out again.

That's why we were both naked and had a blanket over us even though it was summer and boiling outside.    

"Len, what time is it?" Adyen repeated his question, reaching out his hand to hold my shoulder and give it a shake.

He didn't seem fully awake.

His eyelids kept on fluttering and he had to force himself to keep them open when I pressed a kiss to his forehead before pulling away. 

"I don't know," I said as my eyes peeled open.

Adyen was pouting at me.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked him, stretching my legs before rolling until I was laying on my back.

We were both sharing my tiny twin bed in my childhood bedroom.

Our boxes from Toronto took up half the space but Adyen didn't seem to mind.

In fact, he used me as a body pillow at night just pushed the boxes out of the way when he needed access to the door.

We spent most of our time outside with the rest of the wolves, anyway.  

"I don't know," Adyen whined.

He was always grumpy after a nap.

"Do your wolf internal clock thing or something." 

"What?" I laughed.

"That's not a thing."    

"Dogs can do it," Adyen retorted, making me laugh even more.

He frowned, adjusting the pillow under his head, not responding to my jest.

I guessed he was picking to go to sleep again.    

Feeling playful, I rolled to my side and poked his chest.

"So, what does an urban wolf, like yourself, think of a place like this?" I asked, teasing Adyen for being a city boy.

He rolled his eyes, pulling the covers over us again before snuggling into my chest.  

"It's alright."

Those were mundane words but I could hear the fondness and understatement in them.

Adyen was enjoying his time here and it made me happy.

I smiled down at him, letting my fingers comb through his curls.

I could see the two keloid scars that had formed where I had bitten him over two months ago.

The sight of it made my heart skip.    

'Mine.' I heard the low growl of my wolf day in my head as I let myself brush Ayden's shoulder.

'Ours.' I said back, not believing that there was a time that I had thought my mating bond was a bad thing.

I take that all back.

It had given me Adyen, after all.

THE END.

[fandomwriterguru]

hey hi hello so this is really random but i just (mostly) read the artsy s/o hc’s for the bad batch boys & before i got to crosshair i was already betting it’d be dance (ofc it is bc that’s just him) but the first thing that came to my mind before even reading his hc’s was this scene from the sound of music ⬇️ (like i couldn’t even finish the whole thing before telling you this bc it feels so important but i pinky swear i’ll go back and read the rest of it)

https://youtu.be/dUFBOC6lQoo

cross is lithe and suave and perfect for all those complicated steps, insanely technical and places a very strong emphasis on practice bc if a dance is worth learning, it’s worth perfecting. outsiders would think he needs to loosen up (bc some ppl think perfect technicality = a stick up the ass) but in truth he’s never more relaxed than when he’s dancing with his s/o, it’s just his marksman precision and iron will that keep his steps purposeful and elegant. but don’t let his stature keep you from trusting him to hold your weight during lifts (namely The Dirty Dancing Lift™️), man carries a fuck ton of armor and weapons on the daily and spends a good chunk of that time with most of his weight being condensed and emphasized on his calf/thigh muscles

also a brief side note, holy shit does crosshair have some nice legs, like he’s an absolute model, they’re so toned and gorgeous glfjshsh

this is just a long winded way to say i wanna slow dance with crosshair

I didn't know I needed this in my life like I need air in my lungs but I do so.... Also as a musical theater nerd, and an absolute slut for The Sound of Music I absolutely adore this!

Am I the only one who gets huge Naboo vibes from from classic Viennese and Austro-Hungarian architecture? This fic didn’t end up how I was originally planning but I love the direction it took as I was writing it.

The boys had just finished a long mission on Naboo, and had decided that they had earned some down time. Currently you all were all sitting around outside the Havoc and relaxing. Not like the poor boys know what that is. Hunter was sitting with his back to a stack of crates whittling something with his vibroknife, Echo was reading a book, Crosshair had perched himself on top of the stack of crates and was cleaning his armor, Tech to no ones surprise was sat on the ground surrounded by the pieces of his latest pet project, and Wrecker and Omega were playing with Lula and the Batcher doll. You were still fidgety from the mission and needed a way to let off some steam. So you headed back into the marauder, grabbed your speaker, your dance shoes and your datapad and found yourself a quiet spot a few feet away from the rest of the crew. You began dancing as well as you could without a partner, and as you lost yourself in the music your mind began to wander. Remembering the festivals that would take place in your hometown when you were little, about Omegas age now that you stopped and thought about it. Oh, how you had hoped and wished to be old enough to dance through the night like the adults did, with some devilishly handsome man by your side. If only you could go back, to take your boys with you and dance the night away with Crosshair. His tall muscular frame holding you close, and twirling you with ease.

"What are you dancing to?" Called Omega, startling you back to reality. You turned around as the young girl abandoned Wrecker and came bounding over to you.

"Its a folk song that my people used to dance to during parties and festivals" You said kneeling down on her level. "Would you like for me to teach you some?" Immediately her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Yes, can you teach me some now?!" She asked practically bouncing with anticipation.

"All right, how about we do this I'll teach you some and then you can go and practice with Hunter." You say reaching your hand out for the girl to take. "Did you hear that Hunter, I'll get to teach you how to do it too!" She excitedly exclaimed, as the Sergeant barely glanced up from his project. "Okay, first step. Turn so that your facing me" You say taking the girls hands in your own. 'Now, normally you'd bow and I would curtsy but since your learning I'll bow and you curtsey." You say giggling at Omega’s attempt of a curtsey. "Now we go for a walk" you say as you let go of one hand and count the steps with her, "One, two three, one, two, three". You were so focused on teaching the young girl how to dance, you hadn't even noticed Crosshairs sharp gaze on the two of you. The sniper wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but the look he was giving you was nothing less than pure adoration.

"Then, we do a step, hop, step hop" You tell Omega taking her hands in yours. "Good, now turn under" You say, desperately trying to scrunch your body low enough to reach under the poor girls arms. "Not quite" you chuckle as you let go of one of her hands and turn her around the correct way. By this point Crosshair had hopped off his perch and come over by you and Omega. Suppressing a chuckle as he watched you yet again try to squeeze under Omegas outstretched arms. "Here "Mega let Y/N and I show you how to do it" Said the sniper ruffling the girls hair, and subtly bowing his head at you.

"Okay, but then I want to try it with Hunter" She exclaimed plopping her self down in the grass. But her voice was drowned out by the sound of your own heartbeat rushing in your ears as Crosshair sidled up next to you and offered his hand out to you. Gracefully guiding you through the next set of steps. Breathless and helplessly in love with the sniper you just loud enough for him to hear ask.

"How did you know about this dance?" Your hand coming up to take his other offered hand. As he seamlessly leads you through the next set of steps, a series of light graceful twirls. 

“I’ve watched you practice this for weeks cyar’ika, I figured it out”. He smirks, as his hand finds your lower back leading you in a wide arching circle. The two of you keep dancing, Crosshair perfectly executing every step of the long complicated routine. Neither of you can tear your eyes off the other, as you continue following the gentle push and pull of the music. At this point in the song you aren’t sure if your dizzy because you haven’t been spotting your turns, or because of the intensely loving look in Crosshairs eyes as he watches you dance.

“I didn’t realize you had been paying attention that closely” you tell Crosshair as he slides one hand to grasp your own behind your back, and brings your already clasped hands up above your head. You twirl like that for a second, noses brushing with how close he was holding you. With the music still swirling around the two of you, you stop dancing. Just standing there is Crosshairs strong grasp, only millimeters between you as he tears his gaze from your eyes to glance down at your lips. 

“I don’t remember any more” you say, as you gently pull yourself out of his grasp. Backing up just a few steps so you could get a better look at the sniper, you almost can’t believe what just happened. You were dancing, with Crosshair, in the middle of a clearing on Naboo. Its not like you haven’t danced together before, he practiced with you all the time. But you were always the one that initiated that, and he had never held you as closely as he had just done. 

Omega hopped off her crate when she noticed that the two of you had stopped dancing. She came to stand near you and said, “Your cheeks are all red, are you okay?” Hunter having seen the two of you dancing, called Omega back to teach him what she had ‘learned’ from you. 

Not breaking eye contact with Crosshair, you brought your palms up to rest against your cheeks, hoping to hide the very intense blush creeping across your cheeks. “I suppose I’m not used to dancing like that” you say, more to yourself than to Crosshair. As the music kept playing softly in the background Crosshair took a deep breath, straightened his back and took the last few steps back towards you. Holding his hand out again, he whispered “It’s okay meshla I’m not either.” You took his hand and he pulled you close to him, so close your head was resting just above his heart. He didn’t lead you into the spins and twirls that you had done earlier, but the two of you just stood there and gently swayed with the music. After a minute he pulled back gently to place a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Cyar’ika,” he said gently letting one of your hands go as he stepped back and slid down onto one knee. “I know that this life isn’t an easy one, and that things will be difficult for us. But there isn’t anyone else in this Galaxy that I’d want to live this life with.” He let go of your hand for a second to fish a small box out of his pocket. “Y/N, I love you so much more than I can put into words. Will you marry me?” He asked pulling the ring out of the box. 

You couldn’t believe it, out of all the ways you had planned for this day to go, this was the last way you would have thought. But you couldn’t be any happier, if your life depended on it. Through tears and sniffles, you manage to nod and whisper “Yes”. In a second Crosshair had slipped the ring on your finger and scooped you up in his arms to swing you around in his arms. He was so overjoyed he had almost listed you clear over his head. A la Dirty Dancing. When he finally placed you back down on the ground, he pulled you to him and gave you the most passionate searing kiss you had ever shared. 

[sharknadoslutt]

☆・° Changing Times・°☆

Series Summary: You're a retired Bounty Hunter who met the Bad Batch at the beginning of the war through your unique line of work. Though your relationship with each member has teetered on romantic, to maintain professionalism and keep your wonderful friendships intact, you've never acted on those feelings. With the Imperial government beginning to replace the old Republic ways, in this series you navigate your new life among the infamous squad and decide what it is you really want.

Chapter 3 Summary: Betrayed, you find yourself trapped with Hunter with no way out. But now that the Empire is planet side, the two of you must act fast or risk falling into Crosshair's hands.

Ao3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Rating: 18+ ONLY for adult topics such as sex work, strong sexual themes and alcohol consumption.

Pairings: Fem!Reader X The Bad Batch I said what I said

A/N: The first two chapters were massive for the sake of really setting things up, so this one is a bit shorter! Though I have no expectation as to how long each chapter will be. The next chapter will official finish setting up the premise - Then we will be off to a more domestic 'choose your fighter' kinda romance story :)

“I think you’ve been set up..”

The erotic high which had just flowed through your veins vanished at Hunter’s suggestion. As your entire body tensed all you could manage was to stare helplessly at the locked door. Your arms began to shake and for a moment it felt as if your body were falling in zero gravity. What was it you were feeling exactly? Disappointment? Anger? Shame? All Of the above?

Hunter seemed to quickly pick up on how you were more or less experiencing an existential crisis. He knitted his brows.

“Hey, I know that’s a hard realization but..” He softly said your name then turned on his heels, walking back to the desk to collect your pants. “Now is not the time to sort out how you feel. If the Imperials are here then we need to act fast.”

“You’re right..” You blinked quickly, pushing back hot tears of betrayal. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

The long haired clone handed the clothes off to you and shook his head.

“You don’t need to apologize. I would be able to sense if you were lying to me… I know you’re sincere.” Hunter’s calculating eyes explored each corner of the room. You realized he was searching for another means of escape. “Believe me, I wouldn't have tasted that pretty little cunt of yours if I thought you didn’t care for me.”

“Hunter, for kriffs sake!” You gawked and Hunter chuckled at your reaction. “L-Let’s put a pin in that thought and get out of here.” You quickly dress your lower half.

~

Once you had dressed, blaster at your hip, you gave Hunter a run-down of the situation. As this was the building's main office, there had been many precautions taken to keep it secure. The durasteel walls were thick, meaning there was no hope of blasting your way out without heavy artillery. The room was also located on the second floor, so even if the blast-proof glass could be busted, the building was too high for either of you to safely jump to the ground. Unfortunately you also lacked any equipment to safely scale the building.

Tensions were high but neither of you were willing to give up.

You pulled out your holo-pad and opened the cantina’s security program. You attempted to override the manual lock on your door but the program wouldn’t allow it. Fortunately you still seemed to have access to the camera system. You opened the program and grimaced. Maybe a dozen black armored soldiers were entering the building.

“We’ve got company, Hunter.” You gestured him to stop examining the small vent opening to come look at the screen. He took in a sharp breath.

“That’s Crosshair’s team.”

You both locked eyes. This wasn’t good.

“Hunter!” Omega’s voice suddenly projected from the clone's comm-link. “Hunter, Tech said you would be back by now. Where are you?”

You shifted a bit, but your eyes remained on a very contemplative Hunter.

“I’m here, ‘Mega.. Something came up but I’m alright.” Before the girl could respond he continued. “Tech, are you listening in?”

“Copy that, I’m here.”

“I want you to go ahead and take the Marauder into orbit. Get a safe distance from Glitzy’s.”

A pause followed.

“Are you certain? We could extract you easily enough, I’m sure.”

“No, there’s no time for that. Crosshair is at Glitzy’s and by the looks of it, he’s got a big team. The Marauder is too close to the building. If you don't leave now then they’ll find the ship. I won’t let them get their hands on Omega..” He hesitated, choosing his next words carefully before he spoke. “Knowing Crosshair, he won’t jump straight to wasting me. He will try to use me as bait to lure the rest of you back here. By no means are you to come to Glitzy’s.. I’ll escape and make contact soon.”

Wrecker and Echo both interjected on the comm at the same time, so whatever one said was overshadowed by the other, creating an incoherent mess of words.

“Tech, that’s an order.” Hunter added sternly once they had finished.

“Understood.” Tech said gravely. “But, sir, I cannot guarantee that if 48 standard hours have passed and we have not heard from you, that we will not come to your aid.”

Hunter chuckled; a forced gesture. “Then I better get outta this situation fast.” With that, the tattooed man turned off his link, so that no further chatter would come in.

You opened your mouth to apologize again but before you even spoke Hunter waved you off.

“We’ll get out of this.” He cracked his knuckles.

~

It did not take long for the office door to open and for half a dozen black-armored soldiers to file in. They instructed you both to hand over your weapons, which you and Hunter begrudgingly agreed to, kicking over your blasters.

That’s when Crosshair walked in, his helmet tucked under his arm.

“Hunter.” He began. “Been a while.”

“Guess it has, vode.” Hunter cocked a brow and strained to hide his sorrowful eyes as he looked at Crosshair. “We sure miss the real you, Cross.”

“Yeah, well…” With his giant-blaster in hand, Crosshair circled the two of you as you stood side by side. He examined you both as he continued. “I miss the squad who followed orders. Loyalty is all I have these days.”

“You should have stayed loyal to us… to your brothers.” Hunter replied with a bit of edge to his tone. His gloved fists tightened.

“Good soldiers follow orders.” Crosshair reminded him, his voice harsh and robotic. “And those orders are to dispose of you. However, that will have to wait until you’ve served your purpose I suppose.”

“Yeah, and what would that be?”

“Leading me to the rest of Clone Squadron 99.” Crosshair said matter-of-factly.

“Well, it’s a good thing I don't know where they are.” Hunter shrugged before crossing his arms to his chest. “I came alone.”

Crosshair now stood before you both. At Hunter’s words the sniper narrowed his dark eyes, studying Hunter with visible disdain before settling his gaze on you. He said your name before continuing.

“I was quite disappointed when I’d received word of Hunter’s arrival… but not from you.” He stepped forward which prompted Hunter to step in front of you, a protective hand held before him as a warning to Crosshair.

“Tsk tsk, Hunter. She’s a big girl.” His eyes met with yours as he peered past Hunter’s shoulder. “She’s far more capable than you give her credit for.”

“This isn’t her quarrel, Cross. Take me and leave her in peace. She has nothing to do with this.”

“That’s not necessarily true anymore.” Crosshair gestured to his troopers. Two of them approached Hunter and, with a little resistance from the man, restrained him. “She had Imperial orders to contact me if you or any of the others were to make contact. She disobeyed me.” He arched a brow at you, allowing a moment of silence to let you sit on his words before he spoke again. “She’s committed treason.”

“T-Treason?!” You gawked. “That’s a bit extreme!”

Hunter shouted something, but you didn’t process what he had said. Your focus was on Crosshair as he roamed to your side, allowing his rifle to rest in its sling against his back before taking a firm hold of your arm. Desperately you tried to scramble from his grasp but the man had incredible strength. Gritting your teeth you looked in his eyes desperately, searching for any trace that this wasn’t truly happening, but he showed no signs of uncertainty.

You let out a shrill cry as he dragged you out of the room. Before the door closed you locked eyes with a devastated Hunter. Would this be the last time you would see him?

~

There was an unbearable beat of silence once Crosshair closed the door. He had brought you to one of the secured bedrooms on the 2nd floor. Your heart was beating so terribly you feared it would pop out of your chest. It wasn’t quite fear you were experiencing, but more anxiety. Over the uncertainty if your life were about to end? Perhaps. But your heart knew there was more to this unsettling feeling than just that.

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you looked up at the taller man, his face so close to yours as he tightly restrained you at his side. His expression was stoic, per usual. But his dark eyes gleamed with a pained melancholy, his pupils large and almost desperate as he studied you. His intensity only brought your heart to drum more frantically.

“Curious finding you alone with just Hunter.” Crosshair finally offered, releasing the harsh grip he had on your forearm. You almost fell to the ground when he did so but managed to keep your balance. You stepped back a considerable distance. “You can imagine, I’m sure, what conclusions a man could come to upon...Finding the two of you alone like that in your office.”

“No, I can’t actually.” You very bravely retorted, straightening your posture to exude fake confidence. “Why don’t you enlighten me, Cross. What kind of conclusion would a man… say, a man such as yourself, come to?”

Much to your surprise the gray-haired sniper reacted to your sarcastic rebuttal with a coy smirk. He even let out a chuckle.

“Did I say something funny?” You asked with a huff.

“You could say that, sweetheart.” He said, regarding you with sinister amusement. Crosshair stepped forward and you immediately took a step back, only to find your back against the wall. That same expression remained on his face until he stood right in front of you. You felt his body shutter then tense up. That gleam in his eye seemed to fade as he took on a more serious expression.

“What am I doing here, Cross?” You asked, your voice quieter and less provoking than before.

Quickly Crosshair gripped your arm and spun you around, pressing the front of your body against the cold wall. You gasped and shifted your face to the side, so your cheek was flush against the wall. You peered at him through the corner of your eye.

“You need to tell me where the others are.” He commanded in a calm tone. “I know Hunter did not come here by himself.”

You wriggled around to try and free yourself. Crosshair pressed himself closer to your backside, placing enough pressure to ensure you couldn’t move without him allowing it. There was no way out of this.

“And what if he did?” You said and felt the man suck his teeth in irritation. You pressed on, deciding provoking him was better than being a coward. “Maybe Hunter stopped by just to see little ol’ me.”

“Was he seeking information from you?” He inquired in a husky whisper. You tensed as he lifted his hand, expecting him to shove or harm you in some way. But instead he brushed the hair that had fallen into your face behind your ear. You shivered at the unexpected gentle gesture and composed yourself, all the while Crosshair’s breath hit the side of your neck.

“No.” You lied. “Go with your initial… assumption, Cross. That was probably right.”

Unsatisfied with your answer Crosshair repositioned you once more, using your shoulders to spin you around so your back was again to the wall. His palms remained planted firmly on each of your shoulders.

“Now let’s try this again..” He furrowed his brows. “Where are the others?”

Your heart may have been thumping violently, but it also ached with sorrow. Hunter had told you all about the chip secured in every clone's brain. He explained that Crosshair’s blind loyalty to the Empire couldn't be genuine; it was a program. You whimpered a bit, suddenly overwhelmed with pity for the man you once considered dear as his true self was now lost in his own mind.

Maybe… there was still a part of him in there?

“Cross..” You whispered gently, tilting your head as you poured your soul into his eyes. “This isn’t you..” You slowly began lifting up your hands. Crosshair watched with caution however did nothing to stop you. You came to gently cup his face in your hands, the pads of your thumbs tracing small circles on his cheeks

That gleam returned; his beautiful dark eyes suddenly illuminated with a desperate vigor. He said nothing but his lips parted slightly, as if somewhere in the deep pits of his mind he wanted to say something. One of your hands dropped slightly, resting affectionately on his neck, and you noticed how his breathing grew faster. Your other hand remained on his cheek but drew closer to his mouth.

“Crosshair… You care about your brothers. You care about me..” With a small hum you brushed your thumb against his trembling bottom lip.

The man gulped and the muscles in his throat contracted as if he were about to speak, but no words came out.

“I care about you. And I want to help you..” You were unsure of how to react to his stunned silence until a nonsensical idea came to mind. But, as you were not sure of what else to possibly do, you acted on that impulse.

Leaning up you pressed your lips against his, initiating a tender kiss in the hopes of reaching the true Crosshair. At first, he continued to stand there. Stiff and unmoving as you showered him in affection. But after a beat, his tight grip on your shoulders loosened before he moved his lips against yours, kissing you back. His lips were much softer than you’d imagined..

It was brief; too brief. Almost as quickly as he had returned the kiss had he pulled away, a ferocious expression on his blushing face. Crosshair sneered before throwing you down onto the bed. He then placed a knee on the covers, nestled between your legs as he towered over you.

Wide eyed and mouth agape you simply stared at him, stunned. Though it had been a far-fetched idea to begin with, the notion that a kiss would solve all of your woes had turned out to be a fairy tale after all. But when Crosshair had actually kissed you back… you had been foolish enough to believe it may have worked. But now he hovered over you, as angry and determined as you’d ever seen him. For the first time you actually felt afraid of what may happen next.

“I won’t ask again.” The man growled at you. “Where are the others?”

“I really don't know.” You choked out. “All I know is that they are off-planet, Cross… That’s really all I know.”

Crosshair considered your words for a bit. Then, without another word he stood up and left the room, leaving you laying there panting on the bed.

Now, you were completely alone. It was in this solitude that you let out a shaky breath and allowed yourself to cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagglist: @rowansparrow @djarrex @dar-manda-rjct @imalovernotahater @2clones-1kamino @equalstrashflavoredtrash @seancekitsch @letitrainathousandflames @flufflyspartan110 @too-destiny-panda @hansonveggieclub @nahoney22 @dinner-djarin @imalovernotahater @matchxd @boontaeveboba @i-am-bad-at-blogs @dar-manda-rjct @too-destiny-panda @kingdombreakmyheartsposts @sporadicthingcollection @zombiedixon89 @nightaye

Another A/N: As always, if you’d like to be added to the tag list, please comment/reblog! Reblogs are especially appreciated. If you’d like to be taken off no worries, just let me know babes!

[smolbean-17]

TBB Wasted(?) Potential

I know we collectively as a fandom have had a lot of mixed thoughts/feelings on how TBB has turned out so far. I think that the general disappointment is merited. At least for now.

I love The Bad Batch. Let me just say that right now.

I am holding out hope that the show will take a turn for the better and get us all reinvested like we were at the beginning. And I’m sure it will. They usually save their best for the very end, especially when it comes to their cartoon series.

What I think sucks the most for us as fans is that we feel the need to defend it or delve so deep into headcanons and theories to make it seem more meaningful and emotional than it really is.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is something that I immediately refer to when I try to think of a children’s show with real, deep, adult situations and character reactions. The characters are ALL fleshed out and show deep emotion. We even feel for the villains! ATLA is some of the best storytelling out there, and it’s aimed for children.

So why isn’t TBB doing the same?

Backstory time: I’m coming into this fandom pretty late in the game. I’m 26 years old. I didn’t start even watching The Clone Wars until 2018, when my husband suggested we get deeper into Star Wars lore. I didn’t grow up with it like many of you did. I viewed the cartoons from an adult perspective from the very beginning. My husband is a filmmaker, so naturally, we were hypercritical the first couple seasons. We had to constantly remind ourselves “this is a show for children” when something cheesy happened or when the story decided to follow freaking Jar Jar Binks for the umpteenth time. Some arcs were enjoyable. Some were soooo boring. Some were incredible.

Really emotional moments were few and far between, similar to The Bad Batch. Did we ever see Obi-Wan or Anakin cry? Ahsoka? I think we only ever see the clones cry (Umbara arc and Rex at the end) And maybe Ahsoka cried at Obi-Wan’s fake death? (Do they not like animating tears?) Those moments aside, during three entire years of grueling war we don’t see much emotional trauma. Not when Satine died. Not when Ahsoka walked away from the Order. There isn’t much residual emotion besides the few off-handed comments that those bad things happened. Sadness, guilt, remorse, longing. These deep emotions were touched upon but never really fleshed out or re-explored. They did, however, do an excellent job portraying Anakin’s gradual fall.

The Clone Wars is far from perfect. It could’ve been more emotional. It could’ve built upon the characters even more then it did. But it is ultimately an amazing and emotionally driven show in so many ways. We love Rex, Ahsoka and the Clones. Anakin’s character was given new life because of The CW. It took a few seasons, but they finally found their pace and delivered. Even if they missed a few beats, there is a reason it’s one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows.

It took me and my husband two seasons to invest ourselves into The Clone Wars and see where the story was going.

I firmly believe it will be the same case with TBB. There are focus groups, people whose jobs are specifically to feel out the audience reactions and make the story better. That’s why Ahsoka went from being kinda annoying at the beginning to becoming one of the most loved, badass characters in Star Wars history. The tone of the show slowly became more and more mature. The creators of TBB need to get a feel of their audience. The first season is almost like a pilot season in a lot of ways.

I bet my life that there will be a second season of TBB. That they know exactly where they intend to end the story. Our reactions to this season will hopefully be an eye-opener to the creators and show them what we really want, and how to direct the story in a way that will leave us satisfied.

We want backstories. Flashbacks. Emotional talks that happen on a whim rather than as an afterthought tacked in at the end of an episode.

We want to know the story behind Tech’s goggles. The story of how Wrecker got Lula. How Echo’s doing with his PTSD. Why Crosshair is so reserved. How Hunter’s enhancements affect him. Why they don’t like the Regs. Why they’re named after 99. If they actually knew 99. What Omega’s life was like on Kamino. What their story is as brothers.

And I hope they deliver. I’m choosing to believe that they will.

[when-they-write-stuff]

-

Stiles thought the best way to end things was to never let them start in the first place. 

That’s what his case seemed to be anyway.

See, if something started, it had to end. Stiles had learned that the hard way over and over again during his life. His mom’s sickness came and didn’t go away until it had stripped her from him in every way possible. Then he’d been thrust into the chaotic world of werewolves, banshees, and hunters, and he was pretty sure it was all going to end with his inevitable doom.

Things always came to an end one way or another. So eventually, Stiles had decided it was easier to just never let them start.

That began with the case of Lydia Martin.

Stiles’s mom used to tell him that if he put his mind to something, there was nothing that could stand in his way. Of course, that hadn’t worked when she’d gotten sick and he’d decided there was no way she could ever die. Fate couldn’t be that cruel. Stiles had told himself one day that parents couldn’t die and fully believed afterward, that if he set his mind to that fact, she’d live forever.

That changed the day of the funeral. Not before, not even when he’d been alone in the hospital and the heart monitor had gone flat. No, it’d taken him a lot longer than that to realize she was gone and… and parents could die.

People could in general.

The next thing he set his mind to was Lydia Martin. There was something about sharp green eyes and the way she looked when solving a problem that made him think maybe, maybe, this was what his mom had meant. That some things were just meant to be.

Stiles was ten when he set his mind to Lydia Martin. 

He was sixteen when she set her own to Jackson Whittemore.

Or maybe, he thought, it was less of her mind and more of her heart. And that’s what really mattered, wasn’t it?

Seventeen-year-old Stiles ended up being determined. Not in any way particular anymore, no. He was determined in general; determined to survive, determined to get through the rest of his teenage years without becoming werewolf chow or prey to whatever else Beacon Hills brought. 

It all started with the case of Lydia Martin. It ended that way too. 

And honestly, Stiles didn’t think it was all bad, necessarily. He was the sidekick, the token human. He had this baseball bat, a can of wolfsbane pepper spray, and his trusty jeep. Stiles Stilinski was the kid in the red hoodie, where it was darker in certain spots from bloodstains that never fully washed away. Things didn’t need to start with him, because they had already begun with the people who actually mattered.

But then there was the matter of Derek Hale.

The first time Stiles had run into the werewolf in the middle of the woods, his brain had gone nope, scary, bad. There was something about Derek that Stiles couldn’t put his finger on. The man scared him half to death for the entirety of his freshman year and then one day, Stiles realized he wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

Derek Hale was difficult to figure out. When Stiles was faced with a problem, he liked to take his time. Figure it out. 

With his mom, it had been something involving hope. See, Stiles had known she was sick. He wasn’t young enough to think that couldn’t happen. But he didn’t quite put it all together until after weeks of watching the nurses move in and out of his mom’s hospital room, with their notepads and checklists that he could never make out the words of.

One of the nurses gave him his own pad and red-inked pen one day. She told him to draw whatever he wanted, as if sitting in the same chair for hours on end wasn’t healthy. Looking back now, Stiles supposed maybe it wasn’t.

That was probably the first time he’d tried to solve a puzzle like the adults did. He’d always sucked at drawing anyway.

Red was unsolved. 

Stiles still owned that red pen.

For Lydia Martin, Stiles tried to step up his game. He made this ten-year plan that was destined to go right. The more details, the better, he thought. Except maybe ten years wasn’t enough, or maybe he’d skipped over some important step, because it never ended up happening. 

Stiles bought the whiteboard when werewolves became a thing. A whiteboard with red string, yellow string, and green. Then at some point, there was blue too. Stiles couldn’t really remember when that happened.

It kind of snuck up on him. Like the matter of Derek Hale.

Oh— fucking Derek Hale.

Things started to end when fucking Derek Hale kissed him.

-

Stiles couldn’t exactly remember what had put Derek in a bad mood, but the man had been stomping around for weeks with an expression that constantly promised murder. Stiles supposed if he was smart, he would have stuck with the rest of the pack and avoided the man like the plague, but Stiles never claimed to be smart.

Clever, sometimes. But not smart. Not often, at least.

Erica thought his bad mood was caused by the last threat they faced; a rather bloodthirsty hunter who had shot Derek in the chest. It’d taken the man three days to fully heal, so Stiles thought that was possible.

But he could never get a good read on the werewolf, okay? Red was unsolvable. Derek was unsolvable. The man was like a riddle Stiles hadn’t been able to solve and no matter what angle he looked at the werewolf from, he hadn’t been able to figure Derek Hale out.

Not yet, at least.

And then there was the argument.

To be fair, Stiles didn’t argue with Derek as often as he did someone like Jackson. Sure, he often drove Derek to flash red eyes or occasionally threaten to rip his head off, but that was just their relationship. Stiles drove him crazy and when Lydia gave him that knowing look, he pretended the man didn’t exist until their next ‘I’ll rip your throat out’ type of conversation.

But this time was different. This time, Stiles had almost— only almost though— gotten himself ripped apart by a rogue omega. And then Derek was red-eyed right from the beginning.

And Stiles sometimes had a tendency to push.

“I’m just saying,” he said, crossing his arms to Derek’s rather murderous expression. “If I were any one of the other pack members, you would have clapped me on the back for taking the omega out.”

“You nearly got yourself killed, Stiles,” Derek growled. “You were stupid and reckless, and you put yourself and the pack in danger!”

“I have a baseball bat for a reason, asshole! I can take care of myself!”

The man looked livid, the red in his eyes not even close to the minor turn-on that Stiles sometimes found it to be. But it wasn’t like any of this was his fault, really. Sure, he’d gotten a little scratched up, but it wasn’t like the rest of the pack had gotten off scott-free. Stiles had seen his chance and he’d taken it, knocking the omega right out with his recently upgraded steel baseball bat.

If anything Derek should be thanking him, not flipping out.

“It’s just because I’m human,” Stiles said hotly. Derek growled again.

“It’s not just that.”

“Then what else is it, Derek? All my limbs are still intact and there’s still life in this token human’s lungs, so I think that counts as a win! The omega was about to rip Isaac’s throat out anyway, so I did a good thing!”

“You did a stupid thing.”

Stiles drew back, seething. It wasn’t like this was the first time Derek had chewed him out for doing something ‘irresponsible’ or ‘stupid’ but usually Scott was around to keep one of them from committing murder. The loft was empty this time, though, the rest of the pack having gone out to celebrate while Derek had all but forced Stiles back to the loft to take a look at his injures.

Which were scratches. Stiles got worse at lacrosse practice.

“Whatever,” he said, turning away. “I’m going to meet up with the rest of the pack. Scott said he’d buy me fries for being a badass. Which I was, asshole.”

“Dammit, Stiles!”

Stiles clenched his jaw and spun back around. The red had faded a little from Derek’s eyes, but he still looked murderous. And wouldn’t that be unfortunate it Stiles had survived being torn to shreds only to have his throat ripped out by Derek Hale?

“I just—” The man took a step forward and then grimaced, folding his arms over his chest again. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“But just me.”

“The others can heal.”

“Allison can’t.”

Derek’s eyes flashed. “Allison is a hunter. She’s had training.”

“I have a baseball bat!”

“That is not—” Derek glared. “That’s not good enough. You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re a giant ass!”

Derek growled again, uncrossing his arms. And if Stiles was being honest, he wasn’t sure how one thing turned to another. But one moment, he was pretty sure he could punch the man out, stepping forward and lifting his chin, and then Derek was yanking him even closer, kissing him hard before Stiles could even react.

Derek was kissing him. Derek Hale was kissing him.

Stiles was pretty sure his brain short-circuited for a second, but he probably wouldn’t have pulled away even if it hadn’t. And he’d totally blame that for the moment it took him to respond, because Stiles had been so sure one of them was going to murder the other. Not… this.

Though, he would happily let this be how he died.

Yeah, this could be how he died.

Derek’s nipped sharply at his lower lip and Stiles groaned, his brain coming back online slowly. If he would have known this would happen when they really argued, he would have started picking fights with the werewolf a lot sooner. Though, maybe it was all built up over time. The man kissed him like they were still arguing, the one way Stiles couldn’t mouth off to win the fight.

He could be okay with that, though.

Stiles was still dazed with Derek eventually pulled back a few inches, the man’s breaths warm against his skin. He wasn’t the only one panting, Stiles realized, his own heart thudding like a drum against his chest.

For a moment, they both just stood there. And for the first time that night, Stiles’s mind was completely empty. And it was nice, in a strange way. Like he’d been drugged.

Then Stiles blinked a few times and stared. Except Derek wasn’t even looking back at him.

The man avoided his gaze like Stiles wasn’t there, posture rigid with his arms folded over his chest again. Like that was the only defense he had against Stiles and the few inches between them. Stiles’s brain didn’t even have a chance to catch up before Derek’s voice broke the silence— low and shaky.

“You should go.”

And just like that, the haze was gone. Stiles stiffened, staring incredulously at the man, but Derek definitely wasn't meeting his gaze. “I should… what?”

“You should go, Stiles.”

Stiles stared. Slowly, a lump formed in his throat.

Because this was what happened, right? Something started, something ended. Stiles stood rooted to the spot for another long moment, feeling like he’d just taken a blow, until Derek fixed him with one of those red-eyed looks. And Stiles didn’t even know how to categorize it. The man’s face was carefully blank. He didn’t look mad, repulsed, or even regretful. He just looked—

Stiles blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. Nodding silently, he turned away, starting toward the loft door. And despite it all, some part of him thought Derek might call his name before he reached it. Or at least say something. Anything.

But the man didn’t. And Stiles didn’t glance back.

Going after the omega earlier hadn’t been the stupid move, he realized. No, it hadn’t even been close.

But this?

This was the dumbest thing he’d ever done.

-

Fuck Derek Hale.

That’s what Stiles would like to say. Fuck Derek Hale and the radio silence that stretched on for two months after that one night. 

Stiles used to secretly look forward to the few nights a week when his window would be shoved up and Derek would pull himself through, always with some excuse about the monster of the week or research. But the only time Stiles had seen the man since had been during pack meetings and he could’ve sworn that Derek was keeping as much distance between them as possible, never saying a direct word to Stiles unless he had to.

It made him feel… dirty, almost. Wrong. If he could go back and keep that night from happening, Stiles would, because that’s where it all went wrong. That’s where it all went wrong, right? It’s not like it had been a long time coming or anything.

He hadn’t— Stiles didn’t— dammit.

Fuck Derek Hale.

The way Stiles saw it, if Derek was going to go around pretending he didn’t exist, then he was going to do the exact same. That started with completely ignoring the werewolf at each pack meeting and then Stiles started skipping them in general, getting the information through Scott. The boy seemed beyond confused but Stiles refused to give his reasoning for pretending Derek didn’t exist.

The Alpha was an asshole, was all he’d say. And then Lydia would give him one of those knowing looks.

Stiles really hated the pack sometimes.

He did his best not to think about it had felt when Derek had kissed him, or the way the man had tugged at his hair, bit down on his bottom lip, and how that feeling was literally imprinted into his brain. He didn’t look at his window and wonder what the hell was so wrong with kissing him— what was so wrong with wanting him?

So Stiles stopped going to pack meetings. And when the betas started following him around school asking questions, he pretended he had no idea what they were talking about.

One month passed without Stiles seeing Derek. And he was fine.

Then the next monster of the week came to town and there was a knock at his window. 

When Stiles glanced up from his laptop to see Derek crouching on the roof, he stared for a long moment before completely ignoring the man. It wasn’t like Derek to knock; he used to just let himself in, sometimes already waiting in Stiles’s room when he came back from lacrosse practice. And yeah, Stiles had always complained. It was creepy after all. 

But it was also Derek.

A few seconds passed before his window was pushed up and Derek pulled himself into the bedroom. Stiles kept his gaze firmly on his computer screen.

Derek had to be insane if he thought he was getting any research help.

“Stiles—”

“No.”

Derek went silent for a moment. On Stiles’s computer, his movie continued to play, and he continued to be watching it. 

Then, “Stiles, the pack needs your help.”

“The pack?”

One more moment of silence, followed by; “I need your help.”

Stiles finally hit pause, glancing up at the Alpha coldly. He did his best to ignore the way his heart twisted at the sight of Derek, because Stiles didn’t care. He could’ve gone another long month— he could have gone two. And why the hell was Derek here, anyway? Stiles wasn’t the only one who knew how to use a computer. “Go ask Lydia.”

Derek’s expression did something strange. “Lydia?”

“She’s a genius, you know.”

“I don’t— the pack doesn’t—” Derek blinked, then clenched his jaw. For a moment, the man actually looked frustrated. “I need your help, Stiles, not hers.”

“Sorry,” Stiles said, gesturing to his computer. “I’m busy.”

He told himself he didn’t take a little bit of pleasure in the way that Derek’s face tightened. But the man was definitely looking frustrated now and honestly? he shouldn’t have expected this visit to go any differently.

“There’s something ripping apart animals in the preserve,” Derek said through gritted teeth. Stiles shrugged.

“A mountain lion?”

“Stiles.”

“Or maybe it’s a bear.”

“Stiles.”

“What, Derek?” Stiles said, shutting his computer harder than he meant to. But the man’s tone was nothing but angry now and he was looking at Stiles like this was his fault. Like it hadn’t been three months of absolutely no contact and Derek hadn’t kissed him before literally throwing him out of the loft like week-old trash.

It made Stiles feel dirty. Yeah, that’s what it was.

And he couldn’t figure out why.

“I don’t want you here,” Stiles said, dropping his gaze. He hated himself a bit for how small his voice sounded. “I don’t want you here, Derek.”

The silence continued to reign. And when Stiles glanced back up, Derek was just looking at him. Silently, blankly. Just like that one night, Stiles couldn’t read his expression.

He swallowed hard at the memory. “I’m done, Derek. This— all of it— we’re done.”

There was a flicker of red in the man’s eyes. And Stiles had thought that telling him off, sending him away, would be a victorious moment. He’d felt so crappy after being the one kicked out first, that he thought it’d make him feel better to be the one sending Derek away this time.

But it really didn't.

“Do the research yourself,” Stiles said, opening his laptop back up and clicking the play button of his movie. “Or ask someone else to do it.”

He didn’t get an answer. But Stiles just locked his gaze on his computer screen and waited a few long minutes before he dared to glance back up again.

And when he did, Derek was gone and his window was still open.

-

Stiles was mad. 

He was mad, he was hurt, and he was so freaking confused, it was starting to affect his sleep. His day-to-day life. Scott kept him updated on the comings and goings of the pack and Stiles got even madder, even though he couldn’t explain it.

Then at some point, after he’d stopped keeping track of how long it had been since that night, he decided he was done. Done being so pissed at fucking Derek Hale.

He showed up to the next pack meeting and Derek looked so surprised, Stiles couldn’t help but feel a little bit smug. He was thrumming out of his skin a little bit, but tried to act like it was the complete opposite, letting the betas practically bowl him over as fingers traced along the back of his neck and Derek continued to stare.

The man only broke his gaze when Lydia snapped fingers in front of his face. And he gave her a red-eyed look at that.

Stiles stuck next to Scott’s side and kept his gaze anywhere but Derek.

He thought everything could have gone worse.

By the time the pizza was gone, the betas were still moaning about how hungry they were, only to get a twenty from Derek and a growled ‘get out’, Stiles felt a little less nervous. Scott had one arm slung over Allison’s shoulder with plans to hang out after, even as he asked Stiles sheepishly if he wanted to tag along.

Stiles had been the third wheel for long enough to know he really didn’t want to be around when they decided to hang out this late on a weekend.

“Come with us, Batman,” Erica said, latching onto his arm. Stiles snorted.

“And wind up paying for dessert when you three eat through twenty dollars of pizza in five minutes? No thank you.”

The girl pouted, giving him a batted-eyes look, but Stiles shrugged her off.

“Nope, I’ve got homework,” he said. “And my own fridge at home where werewolves with infinite appetites won’t eat all my food.”

“You can’t do homework on a Friday,” Isaac said. “That’s so lame.”

“You’re so lame.”

“Great response, Stilinski,” Jackson said, sneering. Stiles just smirked back.

“Whatever, lizard boy.”

Lydia gave him a sharp look, grabbing Jackon’s arm and pulling him toward the door before the beta could say anything back. Stiles rolled his eyes, letting Erica grab his arm again as she started to drag him after them, but then someone cleared their throat behind him.

Erica let go in a second. Stiles froze, slowly turning around to see Derek standing near the table with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“I need Stiles to stay.”

Stiles’s heart skipped a beat and he cursed silently. “Actually, I’ve really got to—”

“It’s fine,” Boyd said, cutting him off. Stiles shot the beta a venomous look, but Boyd pointedly avoided Stiles’s glare. “Stiles can catch up.”

“Or, I could just—”

“Stiles,” Derek said. Stiles looked back at him reluctantly, but the man’s expression really wasn't as threatening as he’d expected. If anything, he looked a little pleading.

Words stuck in Stiles’s throat, so he just nodded, dropping his gaze again. And Erica traced fingers over the back of his neck one more time before the betas followed Jackson and Lydia out the loft door.

Silence fell over the room. Stiles swallowed hard and slowly raised his eyes. “What?”

“I was surprised to see you here tonight.”

“I’m still a part of the pack,” Stiles said. Derek looked surprised.

“Of course.”

“So you shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I just thought that after last time—”

“Oh hell, no,” Stiles said, stalking forward. All the anger he’d felt before came rising back up at Derek’s words and he jabbed a finger into the man’s chest, making Derek stiffen even more. “You don’t get to pull that card. It’s all so shitty, Derek, you know that? These past few months have been so shitty.”

Derek just looked down at Stiles’s finger, as if he was surprised at something. At the reaction, at Stiles’s anger, whatever. 

Stiles was still pissed.

“I know you don’t like to talk,” Stiles said. “I know you’re the big bad Alpha werewolf who doesn’t need anyone but himself and especially doesn’t need the token human. But you kissed me, asshole. You kissed me and kicked me out, and do you even know how fucked up that is?”

Derek’s gaze finally traveled back up to Stiles’s face. His hands were still stuffed into his pockets and Stiles didn’t know if that was better or worse than when the man would keep his arms barricaded over his chest.

“If it was a mistake, fine,” Stiles said. “But you should have told me.”

“Stiles, it wasn’t… I don’t…”

The man sucked at talking. Stiles could accept that. But as Derek trailed off, he thought he might go crazy if he had to leave the loft again without any answers.

Derek was still saying half sentences. Biting back a curse, Stiles surged forward.

The first time Derek had kissed him, Stiles .exe had completely stopped working. He didn’t quite get that reaction with Derek this time, but the man definitely froze for a moment. And Stiles figured this could go two ways. Derek could kick him out of the loft with reason this time, or the absolute whirlwind that Stiles had been going through these past few months would finally stop.

He kissed Derek hard and hungry, and it was so much different than last time.

Then the man was kissing him too. The hands that had been stuck in his pockets moved down Stiles’s sides, down his thighs, and then Derek was picking him up, turning away from the loft door and heading toward the couch.

So it’s option two, Stiles thought hazily. 

Thank fucking god.

Derek lowered him onto the cushions and drew back a few inches, green eyes searching Stiles’s face. And for some reason, Stiles was terrified again for a moment. Because things always started and things always stopped but god, he didn’t want this to stop.

“It wasn’t a mistake,” Derek said softly. “You’re not a mistake.”

Stiles held his gaze, almost waiting for the ‘but’. Except it never came, Derek hesitated for another moment, some unreadable expression flickering across his face.

“Is this okay?”

Was this okay? 

Stiles could have laughed for a moment. Some sharp, shocked laugh. Because fuck, if this wasn’t more than okay. Everything leading up to it sucked, yeah, and some part of Stiles wanted to chew Derek out. But another wanted to make sure that the constipated idiot knew that he was okay, this was okay, it was okay.

“Dammit, Sourwolf,” Stiles breathed out. “It’s okay.”

Derek’s eyes flickered red. And Stiles nearly choked on his own breath as the smallest hint of a smile tugged at the Alpha’s lips. One he’d never seen before— soft, almost a little nervous.

Yeah, this was more than okay.

Because red was unsolvable, right? And Stiles was pretty sure he was still figuring Derek Hale out. But this didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon.

And the first time in a long time, Stiles set his mind to something new.

Or, maybe his heart.

-

Tagging @roricomplex​ for the amazing prompt, I hope it turned out okay! I had a ton of fun with this one, thanks for sending a number <3

(if you enjoy my writing, consider sending a coffee? You can also request a prompt if you’d like!). https://ko-fi.com/rh27writer

[samisadeangirl]

I have a very simple question for you. If you don't like it you don't need to answer it. Also I love your blog so much and I really love the way you talk and throw canon facts at people when they're being dumb heads. BTW the question is .... John or Mary.

Hey there Anon,

It’s great to hear that you like my blog so much!  Your question isn’t as simple as one might think.  I’m not sure if you’re asking me to pick which one I like better or was the better parent, but since the two are tied so closely together I guess it’s still the same question.  It’s not an easy answer though since there are major issues with both.

If we’re only considering the “real” Mary from S1-5 and not the thing that Amara brought back, then hands-down I’d pick her over John any day.  The young Mary that we met in 4.03 In the Beginning and 5.13 The Song Remains the Same was both strong and vulnerable and so passionate about not only getting away from hunting herself but also protecting her children from going through what she had to.  And of course Mary in both 1.01 Pilot and 1.09 Home was willing to sacrifice everything to keep her sons safe.  We didn’t get to see much of her overall, but I feel that she would’ve been a fierce, loving, amazing mother to Sam and Dean if she’d lived.

John on the other hand was a lousy father no matter how you look at it.  He neglected his boys, put them in unnecessary danger, and was emotionally abusive IMO.  Nearly every flashback showed him leaving the boys alone for days or weeks at a time at ages when they were too young to be without adult supervision for so long.  By doing so, he left them vulnerable not only to demons and other monsters but also more mundane threats like sexual predators, human traffickers, or even simply Child Protective Services.  (There’s also Dean admitting in 4.04 Metamorphosis about going hungry for days, which his eating habits support, and it seems more likely that this occurred in childhood than when he was old enough to support himself since we’ve never seen him & Sam being that strapped for cash.)  He even abandoned Dean for 2 months as a teen, and it was simply luck that Dean ended up at Sonny’s farm in 9.07 Bad Boys instead of another juvenile facility that might’ve been far worse.

While most of us can agree that John did need to prepare his sons against supernatural threats, there is no justification for taking them on hunts possibly as young as 8 years old (as mentioned in 11.08 Just My Imagination, though we don’t know if they actively participated in the hunt or just helped with research & prep) and definitely as teenagers.  And these hunts the boys were taken on as kids weren’t milk runs but against extremely dangerous creatures like werewolves.  Even as adults, he regularly sent them on risky hunts, some of which could’ve ended up killing them if they’d been alone (for example 1.02 Wendigo would’ve killed Dean if Sam hadn’t been there), without checking up on them, not even when they called begging for help or telling him one of them was dying.  And for all his talk about protecting them from the demon, what truly put Sam and Dean in the most danger was his insistence on keeping them completely in the dark about what they were up against with Azazel and his plans.

The emotional abuse took several forms.  The most significant was forcing Dean to be responsible for raising Sam and even taking care of John himself while Dean was only a child.  This is called parentification, which is well-documented as being extremely damaging to the parentified child, as well as harmful to the child(ren) they’re forced to care for.  There was the constant emphasis that everything else, particularly protecting Sam, fighting the supernatural, and avenging Mary’s death, was more important than the boys themselves, particularly Dean, and what they wanted.  There was the constant moving around every few weeks or months, coupled with the emphasis on secrecy and only trusting family, that made it impossible for the brothers to establish and maintain relationships outside their family and a few trusted allies.  John himself admitted to being a drill sergeant instead of a father and was apparently so critical that Dean didn’t believe it was actually him in 1.22 Devil’s Trap or 2.01 In My Time of Dying when told John was proud of him.  Both brothers’ self-esteem, abandonment, and codependency issues began with how John treated them.

Despite all that, if we look at the Mary that was brought back in 11.23 Alpha and Omega and then completely ret-conned in S12-14, then I’d have to choose John as the better parent and character.  John had many, many flaws as a father as described above, but there was no doubt that he loved his sons deeply and had the best intentions for his mistakes.   In contrast, Mary was consistently cold and showed little indication that she cared about her now-grown sons, refusing to get to know them and preferring to spend time with nearly anybody else.  

One could excuse her behavior at first as needing time to adjust after the shock of everything in her life changing, but that only worked for so long and didn’t justify abandoning them for months, working with a group that had hurt one of her sons (since Toni being a rogue was BS IMO), preferring the company of a sociopath like Ketch over theirs, lying to them about the BMoL and putting them at risk as a result, picking the AU hunters over them and dismissing their sacrifices as a result, and so on.  One could also point out that John suffered worse--being abandoned by his father as a child (as far as he knew), surviving the Vietnam War, watching his wife die horrifically, learning a demon had plans for his son, etc.--and still managed to give a damn about his sons.

Mary’s portrayal since her return destroyed pretty much everything good we knew about her character previously, above and beyond the reality that who she really was wouldn’t live up to the idealized version created by a grieving widower and toddler son.  No one, least of all Sam and Dean themselves, expected her to cut the crusts off of sandwiches and tuck into bed men who were now older than her.  But learning that she continued hunting after marrying and having children made the earlier version which hated hunting a lie and instead created a woman who didn’t care what might happen to her family while she hunted and didn’t do a thing to safeguard them from her deal despite still being active in the life.  John was thrust traumatically into the supernatural world and didn’t have any choice but to become a hunter and do what he could to protect his children, even if he did screw up significantly along the way.  Mary had the choice to completely remove herself from the supernatural to give her family a normal life or to using her hunting abilities to protect them as much as possible, but she did neither.

[kaiswitch]

Teen Wolf Imagine

Hey guys! I post these imagines in my Wattpad page as well! So if you see something similar, just understand that it’s me!

My Wattpad is: kaiswitch

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Derek #1 - A look from the past

Part 1

Y/N POV

Finally got home from work and I was doing some quick chores around the house. I took out the trash and right before I’d go inside, I see what seemed like Derek Hale. But… Derek from high school. As in a 17 year old Derek Hale. How’s that possible!? He’s got to be at least 26 or 27 by now and looking different. I mean I even saw him a few months ago. HOW WAS IT THAT I JUST SAW 17 YEAR OLD DEREK HALE FROM HIGH SCHOOL NEXT DOORS WITH ANOTHER TEENAGER? The boy was the Sherriff’s son. Stiles, I believe he was called? Anyways, I have never been this confused in my life.

Though I got to admit. I know Derek Hale is some sort of a werewolf. We weren’t close in high school, just classmates, but he used to play basketball, and my brother played with him. I went to the boys lockers, during on the games, in hopes to find him but instead I ran into a glowing eyes, fangs and claws Derek. He was holding onto the sink, whispering “Control it. Control it. Alpha, beta, omega. Alpha, beta, omega.” And he kept repeating it till he went back to his own self. He didn’t notice me. I walked off, thinking about what I had just saw. That night I did some research, and I found out that he was a werewolf. He was secretive at times, and I wondered why. When I saw him in that state, I understood why. I never confronted him about it, because it wasn’t any of my business. If he didn’t want to tell anyone, there was a reason why. So why go after him and intrude his life?

In the morning after I saw young Derek with Stiles next doors, I was about to go to my car to go to work, when I saw them two get out of the house again. Young Derek again. So my eyes weren’t playing tricks last night. I had seen young Derek. With all the confidence I had, I went up to these two teenagers and had to ask them. I knew he was a werewolf. If they told me time travel or werewolves can turn themselves young, at this point I’d believe it.

“Hi. Stiles?” Stiles turned his head to me as I walked up to them.

“Stacey. Hi! What’s up?”

How the hell do I ask him? How do I confront someone about the supernatural? “Is that Derek?” Stiles’ eyes went wide open. Shocked that I’d know him.

“How do you know me?” Derek walked up to me.

“We went to highschool together. We even graduated together. I’m Stacey Halls. One of your classmates.”

“Stacey?” He looked at me up and down. Practically checking me out. I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah. My question is how the hell did you turn young? I saw you a few months ago with a beard and all buff and well.. 10 years older.” Both of them looked at me unsure of what to say. “Look. I know you’re a werewolf. So whatever it is you tell me, I’ll probably believe you.”

“How did you know?!” Derek and Stiles spoke at the same time.

“When we were in high school, before a basketball, I caught you in the boys locker shifting and turn back to normal by repeating this idiom I’m assuming, ‘Alpha, beta, omega.’ I didn’t confront you about it cause well… it wasn’t any of my business.”

“Well.. Wow. First off. And second. I’m not sure what’s wrong with him either. Derek was practically kidnapped and magically or ritually turned back to his young self.” Stiles explained, not sure if he could trust me.

“You can trust me. I won’t tell. But damn. Sorry. Is there anyway I can help?” I felt bad. Why would someone do that? And for what reason for that matter.

“For the moment, just keep the secret. We don’t even know what to do.” Stiles said shrugging. I nodded understanding.

“Well, please do call me. I’d like to help. Any way I can.” I smiled giving them my number.

“Thanks.” Stiles pressed his lips together feeling possibly awkward.

“You’re welcome.” I started walking back to my car.

“Stacey!” I turned to see Derek walking towards me. “Thank you. For not telling anyone.” He smiled.

“No problem. Like said, it’s not my secret. It’s yours. You don’t want to tell anyone. I respect that.” I smiled back. It was weird interacting with Derek when during high school, it’d be mostly in class having group projects, but other than that, nothing.

“I’ll let you go. See ya.”

“See ya.”

Part 2

A few days had past since I last saw them. I was sitting my on my couch, relaxing from a long day at work. When I get a phone call from an unknown number. I picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Y/N! It’s Stiles. We actually need your help.”

I smiled big. I felt so useful. “What is it?”

“Could you come over my house? My group of people who are trying to save Derek are over too trying to figure something out.”

“Sure I’ll be there in a minute.”

I looked just fine. In jeans and a plaid shirt. I walked over their house. I knocked and Stiles opened, welcoming me in.

There were a group of teenagers. Oh great. “Hi.” I waved trying to be polite.

Stiles walked next to me and introduced me to everyone. Two of them were werewolves. And alpha and his beta. A Banshee, a coyote and fox? and Stiles, the human. “You know? I’ve lived in this town my whole life and wouldn’t expect for so much supernatural to be happening, let alone right next doors.” They laughed. “What is it?”

“Well… I don’t know where to start. Tell us what you know about Kate Argent.”

My blood fueled. “A bitch. A manipulative bitch. And scary as shit. She was always into guns and killing. I heard she was into hunting. Now what was she hunting I don’t know. Anyways. I heard that she and Derek went out for a while. I’d see them around quite often. After a while, Derek’s house, sadly along with his family, were burned. Instead of being a good girlfriend and be there for him, she seemed far too happy and looked like she had triumphed something, whilst Derek practically depressed. So I don’t know what that was all about. Why do you ask?”

“She burned their house. She is indeed a manipulative bitch. She knew he was a werewolf along with his family and burned the house to kill them. His sister, uncle and himself survived. Kate is part of family of hunters. Werewolf or beast hunters. But Kate broke their code. They would only hunt the ones who would hurt humans. But Derek’s family hadn’t done anything.” Scott, I believe his name was, explained. “Yeah. Manipulative bitch. Poor Derek.” I thought. “But what does have to do with young Derek? I heard Kate died.” I asked confused.

“Well… She’s not dead. She accidently turned into a werejaguar.” Stiles said slowly. My eyes wide open. What?? “And she doesn’t have control of her shift.” He said getting quieter with each word spoken.

“Then that means she’s after him? Wait! Was she the one who turned him young?”

“Yeah. Smart chick.” Liam nodded proudly that I figured it out.

“First of all, don’t call me chick. I’m much older than you.” Liam blushed hard. “Second, why is she after him now? Why turn him young?”

“When she turned him young, she kind of erased any memories as an adult. And the memory of the fire. That way we’re assuming he can trust her again. We think that she’s trying to have him help her control her shift.”

“I see.” I was trying to process this all. I mean all this is thrown at me and I have no clue about the supernatural and mythological creatures. Then it hit me. “When I saw Derek, years ago, be able to control his shift with that phrase he used, he was also holding onto something. It looked like a circular object. Wooden possibly. It had spirals but I couldn’t see it clearly cause he was holding it. Do you know what that might be?”

“The triskelion?” Scott thought outloud.

“I guess? I don’t know. But what if that’s what helped Derek and now she wants that too?”

“It makes sense. Brilliant. But I gotta admit something. I haven’t seen Derek hold that thing like ever. He has very much control over his shift, so he wouldn’t need it.” “Then where would he keep it?”

“The vault.” A man from behind me said, which startled me. A Hale. I could tell by their eyes.

“You’re the uncle, aren’t you?”

“How could you tell?” He frowned his eyebrows.

“The eyes.” I shrugged.

“Wait. There’s a vault?” Scott asked.

“Yeah. And that’s where we’ve kept that ‘object’.” The man mocked me.

“Then that’s where would be.” Scott said. I guess that was a queue for everyone to go to that vault. I was all excited to be quite honest with you and so I decided to follow them.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come.” Scott politely told me.

“I’d like to help.Plus, I’m curious. And I think I can handle myself against another woman my age, hopefully she’s in her human form.”

“She’s much stronger now that she’s a werejaguar, even in her human form.”

“I don’t care. Maybe I can help with Derek. Have him trust me not her. Maybe say something that could change his mind but without bringing up the horrible memories. Please. Let me help.” It wasn’t even a plead. I was practically demanding this teenager for me to come with them.

“Fine.” He nodded. We all got into cars and drove to where Peter, which Lydia told me his name was, told us the vault was. Surprisingly, it was under school grounds. Smart but stupid at the same time.

“Why is it a bad thing that Kate is asking Derek for help to control her shift? That means she trusts him. But she didn’t want the memories to stop Derek from helping her. That’s why I’m assuming she turned him young and erased his memories. So he can trust her and help her.”

“I see where you coming from, but she’s not that naive. I have a feeling she a different plan in mind.” Peter said.

“Why would you say that?” Stiles said.

“She’s Kate. I still don’t trust her after burning my family.”

“Yeah, but it’s your fault she’s a werejaguar!” Stiles retorted.

Peter let out a growl. “Yeah. I’m the bad guy here.” I was so confused.

Part 3

When we arrived, Peter says the vault is open and goes to it.

“The berserkers are here.” Malia whispered almost as if trying to sniff them. Wolfs. I mean coyotes. Oh whatever.

“The what?” I asked confused. I saw Scott looking behind me.

“RUN!” He yelled at me. I turned around to see these giants, well.. compared to me, covered in animal skin and bones? Was that a skull they were wearing? Ew. They looked human on the underneath. I started running just as I was told. I was ran up the stairs of the school when I faced another one coming from the corner. He looked like he about to charge at me. I ran to him too and slid on my knees in between this monster’s legs giving me the chance to run away before he turned around. Just as I took a turn, I bumped into Kira.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her as if she was insane to try and go after that creature. She took out her belt and turned into sword. Like ninja sword. What the hell?

“We need to fight them.” She ran back to where I came from and I followed her.

All I saw was Malia hurt bad on the leg. She couldn’t even stand. And Scott trying to fight them. In his werewolf form. And Kira fighting too. But they both fell, as these beasts were too strong. I saw the sword that fell from Kira’s hands as she fell.

I thought of this stupid idea that I might regret later. I took the sword and charged at one of these monsters. I stabbed one of them. He yelled in pain. I pulled back, thinking I had killed him, but nope. He looks at me as if he was trying to recover from the stab, and punched me across my face, basically throwing me against the lockers, falling onto the ground like the others.

My vision was blurry, but I still could tell what was going on. I heard Scott hawl and young Derek jumping out of nowhere. He fought them with such ease. They retreated. Then when Derek turned to face us, he wasn’t young anymore. He was Derek. The current Derek. His eyes glowing yellow, with claws and fangs. How? Did? That? Happen? I already give up on this supernatural world.

“Stacey?” He looked at me shocked, slowly turning back to his human form. He helped me up.

“In the flash.”

“What is she doing here?” Derek looked at Scott like he was about to kill him.

“She was able to help with Kate. What she wanted and why. Which led us to the vault.” Scott answered. Not afraid of Derek at all.

“You, what?” Derek looked more confused than ever.

“Long story.” I said not really in the mood to explain myself. “What matters is that we are all alright. Right?” I said. And they all nodded.

As we were all leaving, Scott helping Malia up, Derek turned to me. We were close. Jesus, he was more gorgeous up close. “You ok?” He asked concerned.

“With the pounding headache caused by a ber-something? Or by the fact that creatures have been living all around me and I was completely blinded by them?” He chuckled.

“Both.” He smiled. He was so sweet.

“Well. I might have a concussion. It will go away. And your supernatural secrets? Yeah. At this point, you can tell me there such thing as a half human half lizard and I’d believe you.” I laughed.

“Actually…”

“Oh God! There is, isn’t there?!” I somewhat shouted dumbfounded.

He laughed. He grabbed my waist and brought me extremely close, making me place my hands on his chest. A very firm chest might I add. My breathing quickened a bit. “You’ll get used it.”

“What’s that suppose to mean? How do you know I won’t run away to another city?” I raised my eyebrow.

“You won’t. You helped and I saw you try to fight the berserkers. Someone who wants to help, doesn’t exactly want to run way.”

“Damn it Hale. You’re right.” We laughed. “Come on. I think they’re waiting for us.” As I was about break off from his hold, he placed his lips on me. Holy God! I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. We parted lips and just looked at each other’s eyes. “Why?” That’s all that came out of my mouth.

“Why not?” He answered smirking.

Yeah, I’m definitely sticking around.

[liliaeth]

Responsibility

This got me thinking, esp. the part of Scott ‘dumping his responsibility on Stiles’

Cause I’m like, when did Scott ever dump his responsibility on Stiles?

See, the problem certain people seem to have, is that they don’t get that Scott isn’t omniscient. So how was Scott supposed to know that Derek had kidnapped Stiles to force information out of him in Abomination. (and yes that was a kidnapping, since stiles didn’t willingly go with Derek, Derek instead had Erica force Stiles to come with them, so he could get information out of him on the Kanima. He did so because he knew he wouldn't be able to force it out of either Scott or Allison.)

People then complain how Scott didn’t pick up his phone, while in the middle of breaking into Gerard's safe in his bedroom while Gerard, Chris, and Victoria were downstairs. and trying to get their hands on the hunter’s bestiary. Something extremely dangerous since this is not long after Scott (and Derek) watched as Gerard cut an Omega in half.

They then forget that right after, once Scott did know Stiles was in danger, he instantly headed over to the school and saved both Stiles and Derek from the Kanima.

Shortly after which when he went to pick up his Mom after work, Gerard attacked and stabbed him.

See, this is something people keep forgetting. Gerard at most roughed up Stiles a bit, whereas he actually tortured, and murdered werewolves. If Gerard had caught Scott while breaking into his room, he’d have done even more than stab the kid.(which btw was bad enough, just cause you heal from something, doesn’t mean it won’t cause severe pain and trauma, esp. combined with the threats to Scott’s mother)

Or was the ‘dumping his responsibilities’ part supposed to be about ‘Magic Bullet‘, you know when Scott at risk of his own life went into the Argent house to retrieve a wolfsbane bullet, while Stiles held the easier and safer of jobs, of looking after Derek while Scott did so. (with a lot of grumbling and threats of throwing Derek out of the car as he did so)

But then people start whining about Scott making out with Allison, or staying at the Argent household too long. Ignoring that if Scott just pushed Allison away and started going through Kate’s room, with no real excuse to be there, that this would have gotten him killed. (and for those not keeping up, if he’d gotten killed or captured by the Argents, then there’s no way that bullet would have gotten to Derek, and Derek would have either died, or would have had to cut his arm off.)

By handling things the way he did, Scott kept the Argents from getting too suspicious, and even then he was almost caught and would have been if not for Allison’s (unknowing) intervention.

So once again, how was Scott dumping his responsibilities there?

See, this is another thing people forget, what responsibilities did Scott have?

It wasn’t his responsibility to stop Peter.

We don’t ask a rape victim to personally go after their rapist and put themselves at risk to catch the predator that violated them, so why would you expect a sixteen year old boy to do so against the Alpha that assaulted and violated him on several separate occasions?

Scott had one responsibility and one responsibility only, after getting bitten, and that was to try and learn control so he didn’t hurt others. Which he did. He learned control, both from Stiles and Derek.

Stopping Peter was the responsibility of first and foremost Peter, as he was the monster killing people,

it was the responsibility of the Argents, as they have the training and made the decision to go after werewolves.

It  was the responsibility of Derek who chose to get first one, and then two teenagers involved in his quest to get revenge to make sure said kids remained safe.

And I guess it was the responsibility of the sheriff, since he’s the one paid and trained to stop criminals who harm people in his own.

It was NOT the responsibility of two sixteen year old children, one of whom was bitten against his will, who was assaulted, violated, who was a trauma survivor, to stop the one that traumatized him in the first place.

Season two is similar.

It was NOT Scott’s (or Stiles’)responsibility to stop Gerard, or Derek. Scott did choose to take the responsibility of warning his peers that what Derek was doing, biting them came with risks. Because Scott knew the potential risks, he took that responsibility and tried to save them from the lack of informed consent that Derek gave his betas.

It was NOT Scott’s (or Stiles’) responsibility to stop the Kanima, as Scott had repeatedly tried to save Jackson from the stupidity of going after the bite, and Scott was not responsible for Matt or Jackson or Gerard’s actions.

Same with the Alpha pack in s3, it wasn’t Scott’s responsibility to get involved in that situation, like Stiles, he chose to get involved, since people were in danger. But he was not the adult, and it was was not his obligation to take care of the situation. That responsibility once again was Derek’s.

Scott did take responsibility though, even though he had no duty of doing so. He took the responsibility of stopping Peter, even though it wasn’t his obligatin to do so. he did take responsibility to stop Gerard, to stop the Kanima and save Jackson, even though he had no obligation to do so. He helped Derek against the alpha pack, even though he was just a 16 year old beta and had no obligation to do so...

And once Scott did become the Alpha, and held some responsibility, he more than lived up to it, and never demanded others to do something he himself wasn’t willing to do.

Saying Scott dumped responsibility on Stiles, takes away Stiles own choices, it makes Stiles lesser, cause it ignores Stiles’ choice to help Scott, his choice to do research, his choice to investigate stuff even when  no one asked him to do so.

And as such that statement does disservice to both Scott and Stiles.

[queenofmoons67]

The World Knows Our Name

Summary: More than a decade in the future an incident reveals werewolves to the world. As the True Alpha, the American 'wolf community pushes Scott forward as their main representative, throwing the entire McCall Pack into the spotlight as people try to figure out what to do with this revelation.

Notes: This happens a little more than a decade in the future, when Scott is thirty years old. This was written before season six aired.

It is the 11th fic in my series “The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack”. It can be read without reading the others, but for those who have read them: because it takes place in the future, the pack hierarchy has changed and more people have joined it, while others have left (sorry, but I didn't think the McCall Pack could last ten years without a death).

The new hierarchy, in order, is: Scott, Kira, Stiles, Derek, Melissa, the Sheriff, Chris, Liam, Hayden, Mason, Lydia, Isaac, Malia, Braeden, Parrish, Corey, Ethan, Danny, Brett, Lori, Naomi (OC), Jackson, Marshall (OC).

The title is adapted from Hamilton's "Alexander Hamilton".

WARNING: There is a mention of self-harm in this fic. There is another warning right before the paragraph it's in, and it's easy to skip.

The truth began as a rumor no one believed, spreading for the simple fact that it seemed impossible. A werewolf, they whispered. With yellow glowing eyes and claws and fangs. A werewolf's been found in Virginia.

The truth began as a horror story no one wanted to believe, spreading for the simple fact that more danger lay in not believing and being caught off guard. An omega, they whispered. Trapped in a jail cell on his second full moon with no alpha and no control. An omega's the death of us all.

The truth… the truth was online for everyone to see in full technicolor HD video within a week, and when the rumor and horror story became truth, the only surprise anyone really had was that it took that long. Then the truth set in, and so did the panic.

Scott yawned as he rolled over in bed, the ringing phone piercing his sensitive ears. "Mm… what time is it?" Kira murmured from beside him, eyes still shut.

"Two am," her mate replied softly, thumbing the answer button. "Scott McCall, may I - mmph," the alpha rubbed sleep from his eyes, trying not to yawn. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Turn on your TV."

"Wha- Satomi?"

"Yes."

"What are you - what are you calling so late for?"

"Turn on your TV, Alpha McCall."

This woke him up fully. She always called him Scott unless there was a serious reason, usually one that also required her deferring authority to him. "What channel?"

"Any of them, though a news channel would be best." Scott nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him, and flipped the TV on while making sure his worry didn't flow through the pack bonds, ignoring the click over the line that told him the other alpha had hung up.

"- Has been transferred to a high security prison. One can only hope that it's enough to hold him," a news anchor stated.

"You don't think he deserves the benefit of the doubt? Callie, he was only in jail in the first place for being in the middle of a bar fight he didn't even start."

"That may be true, but have you considered what might have happened if the deputies hadn't managed to stun him? He could have killed someone! As it is, one of the young officers remains in the hospital with severe injuries."

Slowly, Scott reached over and shook his mate. "Kira…" he said lowly, not taking his eyes from the TV as he sensed her stir.

"We don't automatically sentence people to prison for being criminally insane, we give them a trial," the second anchor argued. "We can do no less for him when he obviously had no control over his actions."

"This is…" Kira whispered, trailing off. Scott nodded anyway, knowing exactly how she felt. Until now, there had been hope that it was a lie, or that no one would believe the rumors. The news had discussed it jokingly, but now they were completely serious, trusting the story. There was nothing funny about it now.

Muting the TV, the alpha turned to his mate. "We need to prepare for the worst, more than we already have."

Kira nodded, slipping out of bed and throwing on jeans and a sweatshirt. "I'll get the adults up and in the War Room. Can you get the pups?"

"Yeah. I'll try and break it to them gently, calm them down. Do you…" Scott took a deep breath, considering the past and possible future events. "Do you think we should head out into the Preserve? Get the pack away from civilization, just in case? Or stick it out?"

"Stick it out," the kitsune stated firmly. "But pack easy-to-grab bags just in case."

With that, she headed out, while Scott pulled on clothes and kept thinking. He knew his mate was right, that wasn't a question. It had been the answer he was leaning towards anyway, as he now knew why Satomi had figuratively bowed to him. As the True Alpha, with a reputation before he even left for college, once he'd left school for good the 'wolf community had dragged him in deeper. Now filling a position similar to the one Talia Hale had held, he couldn't just leave - not even for the protection of his own pack. The 'wolves that would stay - the majority, he suspected, as it wasn't in their nature to run and hide - would turn to him and his pack for support and guidance.

The truth was that werewolves existed, and everyone knew it. There was no hiding from that, whether you were human or 'wolf.

Scott slipped silently from the master bedroom and moved down the hall. The door to the automatic right of his own was open, lamp light spilling softly out, and he knew Kira had decided to wake Stiles first. They'd split up - his mate probably staying on this floor to wake Derek, Melissa, the Sheriff, Liam, Mason, and their mates, while Stiles headed down one floor for Lydia, Parrish, Isaac, Malia, Ethan, Brett, Jackson, and their mates - and meet him and the pups in the War Room. Nicknamed by Stiles as such because it was the only room in the McCall Pack's Den big enough for everyone to sit down, with a giant conference table in the middle, they had planned everything from battles to dinners to marriages in there. But nothing like this. Never anything like this.

Scott paused outside a door two down from his own, willing away the fear-provoked red eyes. He didn't need to cause chaos the moment he stepped in the room.

Opening the door, he moved inside and whispered, simultaneously tugging on their pack bonds, "Lori. Naomi. Wake up."

Two pairs of glowing yellow eyes opened, both girls sitting up to take in their alpha as the flare eased. At the sight of them safe and uninjured, something in Scott eased. Despite both of them being in their mid-twenties, only a few years younger than Liam and already graduated from college, they were two of the three youngest in the pack, as well as two of the newest additions. Both taken together had caused quite a few protective urges in the older 'wolves, and no matter how many times they proved they could take care of themselves and weren't teenagers anymore, it would take several more years and a few more new additions until they stopped being "pups" to everyone.

"Come with me. We're getting Marshall, having a talk, and then meeting everyone else in the War Room."

The girls shared a glance, but followed him.

Marshall, unlike Lori and Naomi, was a pup in every sense of the word. Seventeen years old, he'd only been bitten by Scott a few months before when they'd found him dying in the woods from hypothermia (unfortunately, dying or in mortal danger seemed to be the state of every person Scott bit, from Liam and Hayden to Marshall and Naomi, who Lori had begged Scott to bite after a terrible car accident nearly took her life a few years back). Somehow, he'd managed to convince his parents to let him move into the Den. Part of it, Scott knew, had to do with him rooming with Jackson, whose parents were good friends with Marshall's parents. But otherwise, the alpha didn't have a clue - he knew his mother would never have allowed it, though then again, having first Peter the murdering psychopath and then Derek the doom and gloom murder suspect as an alpha were extremely different circumstances from having Scott the veterinarian (not that Marshall's parents knew the truth anyway).

Scott peeped into the room the last pup shared with Jackson, noting that the older beta was gone already. Stiles must have woken him already. "Marshall," he whispered, tugging on his pack bond like he had the other pups'. "Wake up."

The entire McCall Pack - twenty-three people strong - sat in silence around the table in the War Room. Emotions surged back and forth across the pack bonds, rebounding off each other, multiplying in strength - panic, fear, disbelief, anger. Scott and Kira had explained the situation and what the plans so far were, but with no one outside the pack knowing they were werewolves the best they could do was act normal and hope for the best. If no more werewolves were found, nothing would happen except a lot of speculation, possibly the passing of laws that would never affect them.

More werewolves were found. Or rather, old hunter families like the Calaveras and the Campbells got their information out there through the Internet, the media, any way they could guarantee that it would spread quickly. Within a day of the original video release, over fifty packs worldwide had been revealed to the public, along with the knowledge that more than just werewolves existed. Of the packs caught in the crosshairs of the rising panic, the McCall Pack knew the majority and had treaties with ten of them spanning across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The only reason they themselves hadn't been revealed in the information dump was that Chris's treaty with the Calaveras still stood. The truth was out there, and the McCall Pack couldn't just sit back and watch their world - their friends - turn to ash.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stiles whispered, glancing out at the podium with the spotlight and cameras shining down on it and then back to Scott. "You don't have to. We can start out slow, if at all, and-"

"Yes, he does, and yes, he is," Satomi and Derek chorused, both glaring at Scott's right hand.

"Geez, sorry," he muttered, raising his hands in the universal 'I-give-up' gesture. "I just wanted to make sure."

"I know," Scott nodded. "But they're right. Even if I wasn't a True Alpha, I'm bound by treaties ten times over to help. There's no choice to make."

The moment Scott stepped on the stage, Kira by his side, the reporters and city leaders in the audience snapped to attention. The pack hadn't revealed much about the press conference, only sending out invitations stating that it was 'wolf related, knowing that would be enough.

"Many of you know us," the alpha began. "But for those who don't, I'm Scott McCall, Beacon Hills veterinarian."

"And I'm Kira, a science professor at Beacon Hills College and Scott's mate."

"Yes, mate," Scott continued. "I'm also the alpha of the McCall Pack. Our territory occupies about half of Beacon Hills, including the Preserve from the city line in."

"We're revealing ourselves today," Kira picked up, "because of the crisis facing the 'wolf community. Anyone in need of help of any kind, whether it is understanding our world or facing prosecution with who you are revealed, you can come to us. We'll do our best to help. Any questions?"

One reporter shouted, "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

The video of Scott and Kira, standing strong side by side, flashing red and orange irises garnered a record number of views on YouTube.

They had all thought things were going as fast as they could, but it didn't take long after the press conference to figure out they were wrong. Kira, and several other member of the pack guessed to be 'wolves just by association, lost their jobs. Marshall's parents refused all contact with him. Other alphas followed Scott's example, trying to show people trust in the hope they would return it. Others turned and ran, entire sections of communities all over the world disappearing without a trace overnight. The number of gun sales in the United States skyrocketed, and the amount of wolfsbane being imported into the cities was so large the scent of it followed the 'wolves wherever they went. But the final tipping points happened within the same hour as each other.

Kira, Derek, and Chris sat in the kitchen enjoying lunch, the TV on in the background and the voices of news anchors humming lowly. The pack's left hand, about to take a bite of his sandwich, suddenly jerked in his seat and whirled to face the screen, wolf blazing its way to the surface. A clawed hand grabbed the remote, muscles tense as he held back to avoid crushing it, and began turning the volume up. Blue eyes peered out from a jutting brow, entirely focused on the news. Kira and Chris exchanged startled glances. Whatever had scared Derek was cause for serious worry.

"- His condition has worsened, his body refusing to heal itself, and the doctors say he is not expected to make it," a voice reached a level regular ears could hear clearly.

"This is a grave day for us all," the second news anchor added. "This attack demonstrates the lowest humans can go. When frightened, we're no better than the animals the majority of us claim the werewolves are."

"And yet, Evan," Callie - Kira recognized her from that first night - continued, "We must ask ourselves if it's not a push in the right direction. Alvin Coleman has just been declared dead on arrival. Cause of death? A beta werewolf, completely in control of herself an entire two and a half weeks before the next full moon, ripped his throat out on the street."

"But you can't say he was completely innocent. Witnesses say the attack was provoked by multiple barbs, and the beta ignored him the best she could for several minutes."

"She tore his throat out with her teeth. There's nothing innocent about that, just pure savagery."

"Scott?" Chris asked into his phone, thumb on the mute button, eyes watching Derek and Kira. "The omega was just attacked in prison. And a beta killed someone in broad daylight. I suggest you get the pack home safely and then contact other alphas. We need to do something before this gets anymore out of control than it already is."

Seconds after Scott ended his call with Chris, his phone rang again. Frowning down at a number he didn't recognize, Scott answered it anyway.

"Alpha McCall?" a stranger's voice asked.

"Yes?"

"Alpha McCall, this is Alpha Quinn. I'm calling on behalf of the American Packs. Since the igniting incident, all that has come out of waiting for things to calm down has been chaos. I have discussed with multiple other alphas doing something that has never been done before - electing one alpha to represent us all. In the light of today's events, we came to a decision and reached out to other packs to make sure they were in agreement. They are."

"I never received a call," Scott frowned.

"That is because you are the agreement, Alpha McCall. Congratulations, you have been elected to the new position Representative of Werewolf Packs in the United States." Scott breathed in sharply, eyes widening and flashing red in recognition of the responsibility laid at his feet. "After this conversation, I will be contacting President Sandoval and letting her know of this development. I would expect a call soon after. Any questions you have can be directed to Alpha Ito. Do you understand and accept this position?"

Doing so would place his pack in the spotlight as a prime target for hunters, even more than they already were. Doing so would put them in the best place to help, especially with a pack as diverse as theirs. They were more than capable, Scott thought. He hoped. He knew. "Yes."

"Thank you, Alpha McCall. And good luck."

There was a click as Alpha Quinn hung up, but Scott barely noticed, too busy locking up the clinic and hurrying home.

Scott wandered the halls that night, senses reaching out to try and settle the red occasionally taking over the brown in his eyes. Kira, the scent of her lightning and the steel of her sword engrained within the very walls of the Den. Stiles, his heart beating just a little bit faster than everyone else even in sleep. Derek and Braeden, their scents entwined after more than a decade as mates. His mom and Chris, her distinct hospital smell mixed with his gunpowder from a marriage of five years. The Sheriff, an affectionate nickname now as he'd finally retired and become a consultant only a year before, snoring loudly. Liam and Hayden, in training to become the alpha pair when he and Kira eventually died as the more experienced of the four betas who could actually inherit his True Alpha power, sleeping and, judging by their steady heartbeats, without nightmares. Mason, who had taken over Deaton's position as Pack Emissary after the druid died in a car crash of all things, his job obvious to anyone with a good sense of smell and the right knowledge. Corey, who Mason had finally convinced to officially join the pack a year before the chimera proposed, his reptilian scent mixing perfectly with his husband's herbs.

Lydia and Parrish, banshee and hellhound, hearts beating in sync. Isaac, Ethan, Danny, and Jackson - three betas and one non-supernatural who'd all left at one point and returned home safely, their scents part of that unique McCall Pack smell. Malia, the lone source of the coyote smell in the Den. Brett, who'd gradually transitioned from Satomi's pack to his over the college years, and brought his sister Lori with him, their hearts beating similar tunes despite being on different floors. Naomi and Marshall, one fully integrated to the pack and the other still adjusting, still learning, but both their scents screaming McCall Pack.

WARNING: MENTION OF SELF-HARM IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.

Satisfied that his entire pack was safe in the Den, the red faded entirely from Scott's eyes, but he didn't stop his wandering - which was, he admitted to himself, not wandering at all but guarding and marking his territory with each brush of his arm against the wall. There should have been more. As big a pack as they were, there should have been more. Allison, Aiden. Erica and Boyd. Deaton, of course, and… Scott hesitated, not wanting to go down that path. No matter how much the guilt had been relieved by pack members, it was still a dark road and one that, without fail, would send tendrils of pain carving their way down the pack bonds. The alpha breathed sharply, claws piercing his hands and the pain bringing him back to himself before he could think the name. The emotional pain, for the moment, pushed back by the physical.

Scott hurried through the Den, eased open the door, and bolted for the woods their home bordered. Within the safety of its trees, he dropped to all fours. A midnight run would, hopefully, clear his mind of past pains and future worries and burdens enough for him to get some sleep before his flight to Washington, D.C. in the morning.

"Don't go," Liam pleaded, panic and fear pulsing in his bond. Next to him, Hayden stood still, the same emotions emanating from her own bond, but eyes wide with understanding.

"They have to, Liam," she whispered, curling her fingers between his and squeezing.

"I'm not ready to… to… be you!" his first bitten beta cried.

Scott shook his head, smiling softly. "You'll be alpha eventually, and this practice run means you get to try it out with me coming back as a safety net. Besides, you won't actually be an alpha - you'll just be in command. And Stiles will still be here, and my mom and the Sheriff. And you have Hayden to support and advise you. Liam, you'll be fine. Besides, you've done stuff like this before."

"Not like this," Liam muttered, but still nodded shakily, his bond settling a little.

"Come here," the alpha commanded, opening his arms for a hug. The two betas gladly stepped into it, sighing as they felt his fingers run through their hair, curl around the backs of their necks, and finally squeeze tight around their bodies. They had watched him do it with their pack mates, and so had Derek, Kira, and Chris - instinct telling them to scent mark the ones they left behind more than they usually did, especially when they had no idea how long the trip would take.

Getting to D.C. wasn't the problem, as President Sandoval had sent a private plane. When they arrived, though, the press bombarded them the best they could considering the security surrounding them. All of them wanted to know why the president would go to such trouble for a group of people from Beacon Hills, California. All it took was one person recognizing him and Kira from the YouTube video the week before, and then the scene became more chaotic than it already was.

"Alpha McCall! Why did the president summon you to D.C.?"

"Alpha McCall! How could you leave the rest of your pack weakened without four of its top members? I thought pack protocol went against that."

"Werewolf! Are you here to defend your kind?"

"Alpha McCall! Has the president asked for the bite? Are you going to give it to her?"

"Alpha McCall! Is it true your bite has killed someone before?"

All the other questions, the sensory overload from the camera flashes and yelling, all that the pack could weather with little trouble. But at the last question, the pain that ripped through all the pack bonds from their alpha had Derek turning on the source, eyes blazing electric blue, fangs snapping in warning, a growl rumbling in his chest. The entire mass stilled, security unsure who they should defend and the reporters' eyes wide in fear. The spell broke when Scott stepped up to his beta, murmuring words so quiet only the 'wolves could hear them, and rested a hand on his shoulder. Security, assured that no one was about to be mauled, took the chance to push the reporters back - not that they were protesting much. Derek's eyes faded and his fangs vanished. Standing staunchly at his alpha's shoulder, mirrored on the other side by Kira and Chris, the four members of the McCall Pack made their way to the car waiting for them without further incident.

"Scott?" Kira murmured inside the car.

"Hmm?"

"Are you ok?"

"I will be. I have to be."

Derek, his anger closer to the surface ever since the world learned about werewolves and the omega was attacked and killed in prison, growled, "How did they even find out?"

"Medical reports?" Chris suggested. "His death was labeled as an animal attack, and it probably didn't take long for people to figure out most of those were actually supernatural. Taking into account the one bite, the fact he was found on McCall territory, and after Scott became an alpha… It wouldn't be hard to guess."

Scott nodded, mind flashing back unwillingly. His death. Dustin's death. A young boy, not even a teenager, out playing in the woods alone, unaware that another pack had made a move on the McCall Pack's territory and the preserve wasn't safe that night. He had, they guessed, heard the sound of fighting and, like all young kids that age, decided to investigate instead of running away. He'd run straight into the claws of a beta from the other pack fleeing the battle. Scott hadn't found him until after, when he'd bled too much to have a chance at the hospital and Scott… Scott had bitten him, hoping and praying that his youth and strength would turn him and save his life. They hadn't.

Like all other werewolf related things those days, the video went viral (though not as much as the picture of Alpha McCall shaking the president's hand on the steps of the White House did).

The next few weeks scraped by. Scott, as the True Alpha and Representative of Werewolf Packs in the United States, Kira, as his mate, Derek, as a born wolf, and Chris, as a hunter who found himself a member of a werewolf pack, found their days filled with explaining to and arguing with congressmen, Supreme Court justices, representatives of the House, and every other government official imaginable why, exactly, werewolves were people, deserved the same civil rights as everyone else, and did not need to be systematically hunted down and imprisoned, if not killed, by the United States Army. Most agreed with them, at least on some level, but there was always someone in the room who firmly believed they would eventually go to hell and there was no reason not to send them there early.

At the same time, Alpha McCall found himself fielding calls from 'wolves - omegas, betas, and alphas - across the country on issues, as well as calls from the Representatives of Werewolf Packs in other countries around the world to discuss what they needed to do (the formation of RPAW, Representatives of Packs Around the World, had been fairly quick). One of the first things they did was create and release "So Your Neighbor's a Werewolf" and "A Guide for Werewolves: How to Handle Your Entirely Non-Werewolf Neighbor's Issues With You". They may not have made much impact in resolving the riots, shootings, and maulings, but they did drastically decrease the number of calls and allowed the Representatives to focus on resolving those.

In the end, though, things didn't start calming down because of something RPAW did, but rather because of They Are Human Too, or TAHT. Their non-supernatural pack members, the McCall Pack members in D.C. learned, had not been sitting idly by (not that they thought they were, they just hadn't thought they were doing something quite this big). Led by Stiles and Melissa, TAHT had become immensely popular in Beacon Hills, quickly spread throughout California, and then went country and world-wide simultaneously, though slowly, with the non-supernatural members of other packs joining the charge. People who, for years, had been ignorant of the werewolf community only to find their families and best friends part of it, barely hesitated. With a movement to get behind, the people arguing werewolves were all monsters soon found themselves vastly outnumbered.

There would always be problems, they all knew that. Regardless of how many people accepted their werewolf friends, most remained at least a little wary. The Census of American Werewolves, with jail time if it was discovered you didn't reveal yourself, would likely pass. No one wanted unknown concealed claws and fangs any more than they did non-permitted concealed guns. Other laws meant only for werewolves would, over the coming months and years, be introduced as well. RPAW and TAHT would pick their battles carefully and fight the ones necessary. Some would pass anyway. Some wouldn't. For the moment, though, the McCall Pack - for the first time in two months - would be whole.

Note: You can find the complete series of “The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack” on AO3, and a list of all the fics’ summaries on Tumblr.

[red-5]

Bad Influence

Summary: Derek is a little shit when he drinks.

Pairings: Derek x Reader/OC

Warnings: Adult themes, alcohol consumption 

She collapsed onto Derek’s couch with a huff, muscles stinging and skin burning as her body stitched itself together. It was a state she has grown accustomed to in her years living as a lone wolf, given the chance hunters tended to take the path of least resistance and an omega without a pack was an almost guaranteed payday, but unfortunately, she never healed any faster. Not that it ever stopped her. Despite the unbelieving glances she received at the declaration, she maintained she would take the open road over pack life any day.

“We really have to stop meeting like this,” she breathed through a grimace, flexing her fingers as the joints popped back into place.

“Tell me about it,” Derek grumbled beside her. He didn’t look any better than she did.

“Hey, it’s not my fault every time I stroll into town I find you bleeding and half dead on the side of the road.”

“That was one time!” he cried in protest, wincing, and easing back into the cushions as his bones protested the sudden movement.

“That was twice,” she corrected matter-of-factly.

“No, that second time didn’t count, and you know it.”

She shot him a teasing grin that widened as his scowl deepened.

“Whatever you say, Hale.”

“You don’t have to keep coming back, you know,” he shot back, the softness behind his green eyes betraying his sharp words.

“Aw sure I do,” she drawled, grasping his hand playfully. “Who would show up at the last minute and save the day? Be the hero?”

Her airy giggle filled the loft as he yanked his hand back and rolled his eyes.

“Some hero you are, we almost died. Again.”

“Almost. And stop being so dramatic. You’re a werewolf, and a Hale at that. You should be used to it by now.”

His withering glare only cause more giggles to bubble from her chest.

She sighed as her laughter subsided, noting happily that the dull throbs and sharp pangs that littered her abused body had also ceased. They sat in a comfortable silence, watching as the scattered rays of sunlight disappeared from the floorboards. Despite the impending darkness, neither one of them could be bothered to move from their slumped positions to turn on a light, content instead to bask in the spreading moonlight.

“All healed up?”

He lifted his chin from his chest, eyes cracking open as hummed an affirmative.

“Good. Cause you look like you could use a drink.”

He wanted to sigh in exasperation, deliver a perfectly executed eye roll, remind her that no amount alcohol in the world would have any discernable effect on either one of them, but, being far too used to her antics by now, he simply resigned to watch her with tired eyes as she leaned over the side of the couch to dig in her tattered backpack and extract a large mason jar. The clear liquid inside sloshed up the sides and to the underside of the tightly screwed on lid as she lifted it up to give it a little shake.

“Just what the doctor ordered.”

He raised a challenging eyebrow.

“I highly doubt that.”

She tutted softly as she swatted his legs away to set the jar on the table top in front of them and moved to extract two small glasses from her bag.

“Don’t be such a party pooper.”

“You know that’s not going to do anything to us, right?”

His blood ran cold as she eyed him slyly. He knew that look. Nothing good ever followed that look.

“Being an omega has its advantages.” She twisted the lid off and set it aside, tipping the jar just enough to fill the two glasses to just below the rim. “You meet some very interesting people on the road.”

She turned to him, carefully lifting one glass to present it to him.

“Notice anything?”

He eyed her for a moment before tentatively reaching to take it, taking care not to allow the liquid to spill over the sides as he took a wary sniff. The strong scent of alcohol burned his nose and made his eyes water, but there was something else, something terrifyingly familiar beneath the sharp sting.

“Wolfsbane?” He asked incredulously, eyes widening as he held the vile substance away from his face.

She laughed in earnest, taking her own glass with her as she settled back comfortably.

“Moonshine, actually. But yes. It was distilled with wolfsbane.” Her eyes sparkled gleefully as she watched him, tipping the liquid in question down her throat in one go to prove a point.

“See? Harmless. And yes, technically, this is wolfsbane poisoning,” she admitted as she reached forward to pour herself another glass. “But, it was also carefully calculated through a series of trial and nearly suicidal error. It won’t kill us, just knock us down enough to fully enjoy the side effects of alcohol consumption. God bless the south, and the rednecks that call it home.”

He watched her, eyes wide and mouth gaping open.

“You’re actually insane.”

“Oh, come on, this isn’t even the most dangerous thing you’ve done today.”

She raised her now-full glass in a toast, nodding suggestively at him when he didn’t budge.

“To the last minute. If not for that singular stretch of time, nothing would get done.”

His eyes passed back and forth between her glass and his several times before a grin cracked the stone mask that held permanent residence on his face.

“To omegas,” he relented, clinking his glass against hers. “And bad influences.”

She shot him a wink before downing the shot, grinning wildly as he erupted into a fit of hacking coughs as the liquid fire burned down his throat.

“Good, isn’t it?”

He narrowed his eyes at her as his lungs constricted painfully.

“I know just what you need.” She plucked the jar off the table, gripping his wrist to steady his hand enough to pour him another despite the wild shake of his head. “You’ll get used to it,” she soothed, guiding the rim to his lips and coaxing his mouth open.

“You’re trying to get me drunk,” he accused after swallowing his second mouthful. Dizziness had already begun to take hold, and he firmly told himself it was the recent lack of oxygen, not the wolfsbane-laced alcohol she was force feeding him.

She shrugged, reaching to fill their glasses again.

“You need to get drunk. If you get any stiffer, you’ll snap in two. If Stiles were here, he’d back me up on that.”

He didn’t need to be coerced into downing the third glass. The burn had lessened considerably, and a pleasant warmth had begun to spread down his limbs.

“Besides, this has to be better than sneaking into your mother’s liquor cabinet and raiding her prized brandy specifically reserved for honored guests in a failed teenage attempt to test werewolf alcohol tolerance.”

The laugh that forced its way out of his throat surprised him, but he didn’t stop it. She returned it, sparing him a glance before taking a sip.

“I’m not even sure what she was angrier about, the fact that we drained a bottle of 100-year-old cognac or the fact that you did it with an orphaned, juvenile delinquent omega.”

Peals of fresh laughter erupted between them as they reverted to a lighter moment from their younger days. He had forgotten how good it felt to laugh, free and loud, without the imminent threat of danger looming over their heads. He sobered as the humor at the memory died, leaving the subconscious implication of her words in its wake.

“I’m sorry- “

“Don’t.” She held up a halting hand. “Don’t apologize. I don’t blame her. The lone wolf threatens the pack, brings death and destruction, blah blah. Nothing I haven’t heard before. She was just looking out for her own. Protecting her impressionable son from a bad influence. I would have been a black mark on the family name, and If tonight is any indication she was right all along.”

She lifted the hand that held her empty glass to emphasize her point. Talia Hale never hated her, as far as she knew the older woman had harbored no ill feelings for her whatsoever, but that didn’t stop her from being wary of the stray omega her son had dragged in off the streets one day.

“It’s not like you chose this,” he returned, the softness of his voice surprising her.

“No, but it’s a fact of our existence. And I wasn’t exactly a star citizen. I can’t even get a parking ticket in this town without being carted off to the station.”

Sheriff Stilinski’s tired face peering at her through the bars of a holding cell swam behind her eyes. She remembered the way his eyes swam with understanding when he was admitted into the dark underworld of Beacon Hills, but even he didn’t have the authority to make her rap sheet go away. The things it took to stay alive on the back end of an attack that wiped out her entire pack did not always coincide with the law. Nor the anger of the child it left behind, manifesting itself into a legendary teenage rebellion for the ages.

“Well, if she would have known how many times you would end up saving my life she may have had a different position.”

She couldn’t stop the genuine smile that stretched across her face if she tried.

“He admits it!” She cried triumphantly

“Yes,” he sighed begrudgingly, “he admits it. I probably wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you.”

“Sitting,” she corrected without missing a beat despite the haze that had begun to build in her head.

“Whatever,” he grumbled, accepting the jar she passed to him and taking a swig, eliminating the need for their forgotten glasses as they passed the source back and forth.

“You’ve saved my life too, you know,” she slurred lightly after a few more swallows. “I’ve lost count of the number of arrows you’ve dug out of me.”

He cackled mercilessly, the less-than-playful swat she aimed at his chest only intensifying his mirth.

“I swear you’re a moving target. It’s a miracle you’ve survived this long considering you trip over your own two feet.”

His sides cramped as she gasped dramatically, whirling to face him as she clutched her chest.

“I do not!”

He doubled over as his laugher intensified.

“Derek!”

“I’m sorry,” he managed between giggles, tears forming in his eyes as a light tinge of pink dusted his scruff-covered cheeks. “But it’s true.”

“Wow,” she drawled. “I come back to this hell hole, save your life, share my booze, and this is the thanks I get.”

“You love it,” he toned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to drag her into a lopsided embrace.

“You’re not nearly as charming as you think you are, Mr. Hale.”

He hummed in response, pressing his cheek into the side of her head.

“And yet, here you are.”

She tipped her chin just enough to catch his twinkling eyes.

“Here I am.”

They stilled in unison, lips frozen in their upturned position, unsure if the buzzing under their skin was the alcohol or a result of their sudden proximity. His warm breath fanned across her face, and for the first time she noticed how handsome he had become, the round features and soft lines of youth had melted away to reveal sharp cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. Neither of them knew who moved first, only realizing they had drifted closer when their noses brushed against each other, lips millimeters apart. She need only lean forward to discover how his mouth would feel moving against hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as the growing warmth in her chest gave her the courage she was sure she would otherwise lack, straightening her back as the breath halted in her throat and-

SCREEEEECH

They flew apart, blinking through the shock of the sudden intrusion and heaviness that had settled in their eyelids as Scott tumbled in through the open door of the loft still clad in his grass-stained lacrosse uniform.

“We heard about the attack, are you guys okay?” he breathed, eyes darting wildly back and forth between them.

“Heyyyy!” she called, flinging her arms open in greeting as she regained her composure, discreetly scooching over to put some distance between her and the brooding werewolf she almost kissed in an alcohol-induced haze. “How was the game? Did you guys win? Of course you did. Don’t listen to that coach of yours, you guys are the best.”

His eyebrows pulled together as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Are you guys… drunk?”

“Wait, what?” Stiles’ head appeared from behind him, hand slowly reaching to pull his phone from his pocket.

Ignoring the interruption, Scott’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he pulled a deep breath in through his nose.

“Is that wolfsbane?”

“Shhhhhhh,” she held up a finger to shush his barrage of parental questions. “That’s a story for another time, Scotty boy. As much as I maintain that the hardships of being a teenage werewolf has earned you a drink, Mr. Stick-in-the-mud over here might disagree.”

She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder as Derek’s eyes rolled into the back of his head despite the grin that still graced his face.

“Maybe when you’re older.”

“This is awesome,” Stiles giggled under his breath, unlocking his phone once he had freed it from the confines of his pocket and raising it to eye-level.

“That’s okay… it’s a school night… “ Scott trailed off as the corners of his mouth twitched up.

“Blech. Well, that’s my cue.” She heaved a sigh, unperturbed that they were undoubtedly being filmed as she flopped a hand over the side of the couch to drag her bag into her lap before flinging her arm into the air. She had nearly made out with Derek Hale after only a few drinks, and she wasn’t quite prepared for what would happen, or the guilt the morning would bring, if she stayed. “Beam me up, Scotty.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, laughing as he walked over to drape her arm across his shoulders and haul her into a standing position.

She waved a dismissive hand, steadying herself on her feet as she slung a strap over her shoulder.

“Pft. I’ve made worse decisions under the dubious effect of illicit substances. I’ll be fine.”

She shot a look over her shoulder at the handsome… at the man still slouched into the pillows.

“Derek, always a pleasure. Keep that, you need it more than I do.”

He raised the jar in thanks for the gift, and in acknowledgement that any conversation that was to be had about what had nearly passed between them would be held at a later date, and in private. Not to mention, sober.

Scott walked her to the door, ghosting behind her with an outstretched hand, just in case, as she waltzed over to Stiles and swatted the gadget out of his hand.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice,” she said over his shout of protest as she pulled the two boys into a hug. “Alright, you two. You know the drill.”

“Take care of each other,” they monotoned in unison, returning her hug with nods and smiles.

“That’s right.” She pulled away, pinching their cheeks motherly. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon. You guys just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”

“You’re one to talk,” Derek called.

She suppressed an aggravated sigh, sparing one last glance at the two faces currently turning a lovely shade of red at the effort to suppress their laughter.

“He’s your problem now. Tootles!”

With that she danced around them, stumbling, and giggling as she picked her way down the stairs.

“Why can’t we keep her?” Stiles asked seriously as he watched her leave.

Scott shook his head with a laugh, turning a tentative eye to the second drunk werewolf of the evening who stared back at them with a bored expression, tipping another mouthful of the mysterious fluid into his mouth before speaking.

“Didn’t you say you have school tomorrow?”