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alias-sam · 10 months

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Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 11. Fiesta Time....?

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 1,839

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

"Please wake up."

You knew that voice...Jaya?

"Get up already you idiot!"

You knew that voice too. Learco. You slowly cracked your eyes open, allowing them time to adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights. The world felt like a blur at first before slowly coming into focus.

"....Ow." You groaned, allowing your eyes to open all the way.

"Y/n!" Jaya frantically helped you into a sitting position.

"About time." Learco grumbled.

"How are you feeling?" Jaya asked. There was a dull pounding in your head, but it was bearable.

"Foggy." You shifted, trying to stand up, but an unexpected pain shot through your arm. "Shit! That's hurts!" You yelled but Jaya shushed you.

"Why don't you take it easy a moment?" Jaya looked you over before focusing on your arm.

"Sure but... what happened?" You winced again as the area around your wrist erupted in pain. "Ow."

"Sorry." Jaya apologized, moving your hand so you could see the burn on your wrist. It didn't look major, but it was large, sprawling all around your wrist and up your hand.

"You got...electrocuted? I think? And then fainted, and when you hit the ground, you hit your head pretty hard."

"It was pretty pathetic to watch really." Learco sighed. You noticed you were sitting on the floor in the hallway. Tim and the football player were nowhere to be seen, but there were teachers and admin surveying students. None of them had burns like yours but they looked just as out of it as you.

"Don't worry about being in trouble." Jaya whispered. "Everything happened so fast that nobody really knows what caused this."

"Attention students." The intercom crackled with the voice of the principal. "Due to the electrical problems we have in the building at the moment, we are sending all students home for the rest of the day. Please be careful as you exit the building."

........................................

"I'm fine mom." You stood at a pay phone, speaking to Senora Jones.

"Do you need to go to the doctor?" Your mother asked, worry evident in her voice. You looked down to Jaya who was fiddling with your hand, slowly healing it with her sunlight breathing mojo.... stuff.

"Uh... no I'll be fine." You reassured your mother. "Do you mind if I go meet up with somebody really quick?" Your mother stopped to think for a moment.

"Sure sweetheart, just be home before dinner." She had a hint of reluctance in her tone.

"Thanks, love you. Bye." After you hung up that call you took out your wallet, immediately bringing out the business card Jotaro gave you after your first meeting. Hesitantly, you dialed the number. Jaya gave you a questioning look, you motioned for her to wait a minute. The phone barely rang before it was answered.

"Hello." A monotone voice greeted. "This is the Speedwagon Foundation help desk. How may I help you?"

"Ummm hi." You faltered, all of your built up nerve dissipating. "I was wondering if you could help me reach Mr. Jotaro Kujo?" You heard a shuffling of papers before the operator spoke up again.

"Who is this?" They asked.

"Y/n Jones." You answered.

"Alright I'll redirect your call to Mr. Kujo."

"Okay." You were surprised it was that easy. "Thanks." The line clicked and yet another person answered the phone.

"Hello?" Jotaro's voice came on the line.

"Mr. Kujo! Thank god! I was worried that wouldn't work." Jotaro sighed deeply.

"I'm guessing something happened?" He asked.

"Yeah....Would it be possible for me and a friend to meet up with that stand user guy?" Jaya once again gave you a questioning look. You once again motioned for her to wait a minute.

"Sure." Jotaro answered.

"See you in ten?"

Jotaro told you the apartment number before hanging up. You pulled your hand away from Jaya so you could write down the information on some paper you had in your wallet. It seemed you underestimated how bad your burns were though because you immediately dropped everything.

"Careful!" Jaya gasped. "I told you to take it easy, didn't I?"

"Sorry doc." The contents of your wallet spilled out on the sidewalk. Jaya quickly helped you pick everything up. She stopped when she came across your student ID.

"Your middle name is Jovi?" She asked, looking over at you curiously. "Isn't that the name of a singer?"

"Yeah." You affirmed absentmindedly as you shoved everything back in your wallet. Jaya looked like she was contemplating something, and handed you the last of the things you dropped

"Here you go Jojo."

"Huh?" Immediately you stopped what you were doing to look at Jaya. "What did you just call me?"

"It's the nickname I came up with! By combining the jo from your middle and last names Jovi and Jones. Jojo!"

"W-why?"

"You've taken to calling me doc from time to time, so I came up with a nickname for you. It's fine that I call you Jojo right?" You thought about it, a bit flustered. You had half a mind to tell her you didn't like the name, but somewhere deep down you actually kind of liked it.

"Fine, but don't go telling people to call me that." You sighed, already starting down the street towards Jotaro's.

"Yay!" Jaya clapped.

........................................................

Before you knew it you were in Jaya's apartment building, standing on the top floor where all of the larger, nicer flats were.

"Remind me again why you wanted me to come?" Jaya asked as she followed you towards the specific room Jotaro told you over the phone.

"Apparently there's this guy who can shine a light on what's going on. That, and I need to tell Jotaro about what happened at school today." You said as the two of you stood in front of the door. "I just wanted you as my backup in case anything goes wrong. I kind of trust Jotaro but you can never be too careful."

"Don't worry! I've got you covered." Jaya gave a thumbs up. "You can count on me." You knocked twice on the door and took a deep breath. For whatever reason you were extremely nervous about all of this.

When Jotaro opened the door Jaya took a step back. She was not expecting your acquaintance to be so intimidating. Both Jotaro and Jaya stared at each other for a solid minute, almost like they were sizing each other up. It was pretty comical to see the short bubbly blonde straighten her back, trying to look at least a bit taller next to the giant that you knew as Jotaro. It was even more hilarious to watch Jotaro tower over and stare down at your friend. It was almost like they could sense they were complete opposites. Their heated staring contest probably would have gone on forever if you hadn't cleared your throat.

"Hi." Jaya mumbled.

"Come on in." Jotaro sighed, moving aside for you to enter. You stood frozen until Jaya nudged you to go ahead. Hesitantly, you followed Jotaro into the flat, Jaya not too far behind. From the entryway you could see a sitting area and kitchen, moving boxes were scattered around, but the place was relatively put together. On one of the couches in the sitting area you could see an old man. Paralyzed by the situation you and Jaya remained in the doorway.

Jaya suddenly jumped into your arms, causing you to stumble, it was a miracle you managed to stay standing.

"Keep that thing away from me!" She yelled looking fearfully at the ground. Curious, you also looked down, only to find a large turtle nibbling on your shoe.

"Do you... have a problem with animals?" You asked, judgmentally glaring at your friend.

"No, I love animals! Dogs, frogs, heck I can even appreciate spiders and crickets, but.... turtles..." Jaya said the word with absolute disdain. "They give me the creeps." She shivered. After some resistance you managed to put Jaya down. She kept a fair distance from the creature while you bent down to run a hand over its shell.

"Don't mind Donashello. He belongs to my grandma" Jotaro said, moving towards the old man. You laughed when Jotaro said the ridiculous name with a dead serious expression. Jotaro continued into the living room. "Jiji, they're here."

"Hmm?" The old man looked up cupping his ear. "What was that, Jotaro?"

"I said the guests are here." Jotaro said just a little louder. He was surprisingly patent as he took a seat next to the old man.

"What? The fiestas here? No thanks sonny. I'm getting pretty tired."

"No Jiji." Jotaro facepalmed. The old man looked away from Jotaro to see you awkwardly frozen at the entryway. He smiled warmly at you.

"Who's that at the door Jotaro?"

" Y/n. The stand user we talked about."

"Don't just stand there kiddo!" The man motioned for you to come closer. "Take a seat, this shouldn't take very long." You glanced at Jaya.

"I'll go wait outside." She whispered. "If anything happens, just yell and I'll come running." You nodded before slowly walking over, taking a seat on the couch opposite to the two men. Could this guy really be a powerful stand user? With all due respect, he looked like he had one foot in the grave.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The man extended a hand for you to shake. "My name is Joseph Joestar, I'm Jotaro's grandfather." You were nervous, but Joseph's kind demeanor put you slightly more at ease.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Joestar. Jotaro said you may be able to help me?" You asked, incredibly curious as to what this old guy's stand could be.

"Yes of course. Some troublesome stand users have recently made themselves known, and you need some guidance on what your own power is. Right?"

"Yes, Jotaro said your stand could help." Mr. Joestar suddenly started laughing.

"Is that what he told you? Forgive my grandson he's not the most patient, especially when it comes to explaining things properly." The man held a hand in front of himself and a tangle of ghostly vines manifested. "This is my stand: Hermit Purple! It grants me divination abilities which can be projected onto objects. I usually use cameras or other technology as a medium, but practically anything will do."

"Enough beating around the bush old man." Jotaro sighed. "Can you help them or not?"

"No need to get snippy Jotaro, I'm just filling them in on the things you refuse to stop and elaborate on."

"Can you help me?" You hesitantly asked.

"I can certainly try. You'll have to forgive this old man though. My powers aren't as sharp or reliable as they used to be." Joseph reached into a box near his feet and pulled out a polaroid camera and sat it on the coffee table in front of you. "I'm not entirely sure which of your dilemmas Hermit Purple will show you, I haven't used my stand in a very long time. All I can really do is point you in the right direction." The man closed his eyes and let the brambles of his stand wrap around the camera. There was a light click before a photo slowly ejected onto the table. You waited in anticipation for the picture to show up. What would it be? The key to your power? Or a clue to your enemy.

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plethomacademia · 10 months

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WIP Whenever

I have never been tagged in a writing thing before, thank you @mightymizora !!!

Part of the summary so far is "Enver takes too much" and well! The line is a planned perspective shift.

Right now I am just getting it down, I'm still only at 2k words ish. I think this one gonna be big :/

When she arrived, he had a bound person. An offering. He was a bundle of nerves. He had no idea how this would go. It could ruin everything. But he had a hypothesis and he had to test it, he could not let it go until he tested it. “You think killing this half dead thing is a gift for me?” Of course she was going to make him earn it. — Maeve was going to strangle him once and for all. “I give you a soul for your god. You are usually quite eager for them,” he said “I told you at the beginning that I am not dog for you to sic on your little problems and you have respected that. So explain to me why that should change now?” “Fine. Cards on the table then, Maeve?” He got up from his desk and came to stand in front of her. He was in his plain clothes, her favorite clothes, dressed down and tired from all his work and she was so furious that he had to make things difficult. She’d much rather be touching him. “Remember in Thorm’s tower when I said I never pretended to understand you?” She did not give him the satisfaction of confirming, but of course she remembered. “Well,” he continued, “I want to. For two years I have watched you hunt and kill, but always where I can’t see you up close. I want to understand you.” She remembered the Bhaal cult book from before about the ecstasy. “You want to see that nonsense from that book!” “What I saw —” “Was not what you read in that fucking book, Enver!” “You also said in the tower —” “Lord Gortash throwing my words back at me!” she snarls at the same time. He grabbed her arm. “You said not everyone is like me. Let me earn that.” “You ask a lot of me.”

I am still building up my writing mutuals here, please anyone who wants use this to tag me and let me read your stuff <3

#wip whenever #also i am horribly shy lol #of course my most completed work is a fight

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firstluvlatespring · 2 years

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#didn't you say you were going to shift bathrooms when my friend arrives?#my roommate had her best friend move into the last room of the house #and there's 4 people living and we have to share 2 bathrooms #her and i use the first (and the cleaner one) one #and when her friend moved in she moved her stuff into our bathroom #so now there's 3 people using one bathroom and 1 person using the second #and it's been very cluttered and crowded #i didn't know that she moved her stuff into the bathroom so i asked my roommate if there's 3 people using it #she said yes and it's because she and her friend have stuff in common #and then she says #I DID NOT #the other bathroom is always dirty i know i would not say anything like that #and then she told me to take it up with her friend instead -.-#her friend has gone home for the weekend idk if she's returning today tomorrow or on monday #and i am building up nerves to ask her to shift her stuff #i don't know if i am an asshole for doing this or not #i know they want to share a bathroom but i really don't want to use the other one #idc really i don't think i should have to move #why is she using a bathroom that 2 people are already using?!#hope she listens if she doesn't i guess i will message the landlord #any advice? am i being mean??

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fairyoftbz · 3 years

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it's never too late... | b. jacob

🏀 pairing: crush! basketball player! jacob x fem!reader 🏀 genre: high school!au, fluff, (sort of) strangers/acquaintances-to-lovers 🏀 word count: 5.2k 🏀 tw: very cliché 😳 and it goes kinda fast lmaoo 🏀 a/n: lisa I'm sorry I took this long to do your request, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless!! ALSO: to my fellow Americans, here football = soccer!! 🏀 requested: yes! thank you lisa!! @skrtbabe

╰☆☆☆☆╮

You had waited for this time since the beginning of your academic journey there. Graduating from high school was two months away, and it felt just as exciting as weird.

It felt like you had started your first year last week, but the amount of work and time spent in those dull buildings makes you feel like you’ve been there for at least five years.

It was exhausting to attend classes and see the same people every single day of the year, with repetitive subjects, annoying or cool teachers depending on your luck and everything that followed. The homework, the assignments, the small -or not so small- fights between classes or groups of people, you were praying that university wouldn’t sound like that.

However, at the same time, you were almost starting to feel nostalgic for this time. The last years where you could remain a bit silly before entering the adult world, being in your last teen years with people that you appreciated and met there. You chose to do this before letting them go and live your own lives, memories that will disappear if you don’t cherish them enough.

So, with Soyeon, your best friend, you decided to enjoy the time that you had left to do things together while still studying and revising for the exams, which was sometimes not easy to do. Yes, you shared classes, but personal and private activities sometimes came in the way and prevented you from hanging out.

“It’s life after all,” she said one night over the phone as you shared your opinion on this topic, “it’s good that we can be together almost 24/7, but sometimes, things don’t allow us to be together. It might be for the best, we never know,” she said, trying to be positive no matter the situation she was in, but you knew her well. As much as she wants to appear strong, you had found her many times crying on her own. But it was her personality, and no matter how hard you tried to change her, what's bred in the bone comes out in the flesh.

Soyeon wasn’t your only friend, you were getting along well with most of your girl classmates, as well as the boys that weren’t suffocating under the number of pick-me-girls that were populating your school and your class.

Sadly for you, you’ve been eyeing the most popular (and prettiest) boy in your whole school since you crossed gaze with him at the very beginning of your first year there. Jacob, your crush, was also the star basketball player of your school, and constantly surrounded and attracting cheerleaders or rich, random, good-looking girls, which had a knack for getting on your nerves. He was always spending time together with his pals and teammates, but other people as well. Everyone wanted to be his friend because you know, he had a promising career ahead of him, so it was always nice to be friends with a potential future celebrity.

As defeated as you were, there was still a small voice in your head telling you to do something before he left to go back to his home country, South Korea, where he had a career already planned and traced out.

You were confused as it was almost impossible for you to get a chance with him since you were not one of those girls and you simply couldn’t compete against them, but Soyeon and her boyfriend Sunwoo were always there to praise you and reassure you about your potential chances of dating him. Never convinced by your friends’ words, you had tried many times to get him out of your head and focus on someone else, but it never worked. Everything came back to him. He was unique and oh so nice, everything reminded you of him, and it was sickening at this point.

“He won't get out of my head, it’s getting on my nerves,” you shared your thoughts to your best friend as you braced your head in your hands, slapping your cheeks as if it were going to change anything and help you throw Jacob out of your brain.

“Why do I keep this stupid boy in my head when I know I don’t stand a single chance against those girls,” you slapped your cheeks harder and whined as Soyeon’s hand landed on your wrist.

“Y/N, stop your nonsense. You are perfect, you don’t need to change anything for him!”

“It’s easier said than done, you pulled the football star player!” you exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes, shifting closer to whisper.

“He pulled me because he knew that I am pretty, and that wouldn’t change a single thing for him. If he’s not happy with who I am, he can leave,” she shrugs, signalling you to do the same if you dated Jacob.

Sunwoo was also among the popular boys, but your friend remained the same, not even trying to fit in with the popular girls. She claimed that Sunwoo fell in love with her for her true self, so she didn’t see the point of changing to please other people. And you wished you had her confidence and her strength, admiring her for not changing anything about herself to please others.

Back to the present.

You felt stuck, desperately in love with an unapproachable boy who was too popular and way out of your league to be lucky to have his eyes sparing you any sort of attention. Even if he was a sweet young man, he was always surrounded by popular people, who were trying to hook up or use him for his school fame and sharp features.

One day, while studying with your best friend at the library, Sunwoo and one of his friends, Hyunjae, the football captain, burst into the library and come not so quietly to your table.

“For the love of God, can you both be quiet for once?” Soyeon whispered-yelled but her voice got toned down by Sunwoo vividly pressing his lips on hers, an arm wrapping around her shoulders. Hyunjae laughed but quickly gagged as they didn’t stop the kiss as quickly as the captain wished.

“Gosh, please, get a room,” he mumbled before hugging you, your knee resting against his as his arms pressed you against his chest.

Your friendship with Hyunjae felt more like siblings, he was genuinely nice and caring with you, making sure that you were okay and that you had enough of everything before allowing you to go home. Despite all the teasing and a few rumours going around school, you were not dating and didn’t have any romantic feelings for each other. He simply checked that you had an older brother figure since you were the first-born child, and it felt relieving.

The thing you did not know was that Jacob and a few of his basketball teammates, Juyeon, Eric and Younghoon, were a few tables away from yours, your back facing them, the future star looking at you and Hyunjae from the corner of his eyes. He nodded at his friend at your table, who gave him a wink as an answer, Jacob’s eyes burning holes into your back as Hyunjae was close to you. Too close to you for the basketball player not to feel something churn in his stomach.

Two long, manicured fingers snapped in front of his eyes to get him out of his reverie, lazily looking at the girl that sat across from him, who he was supposed to get help from.

“Jacob please, pay attention to meeeeee,” she whined and pouted, giving him puppy eyes that he couldn’t give a single fuck about, too busy in his mind to hear what she had to say.

She had volunteered to help him study History, but she wasn’t any better, probably worse than he was. It was already the third time Juyeon corrected her basic knowledge without being an expert himself, not even caring about the death glares she kept sending him. It only made him smirk as he knew it irked her dearly yet amused the rest of the table a lot.

They all sighed as she finally took the hint and left their table, Jacob bitterly chuckling as Hyunjae rolled his eyes when she walked past your table, his demeanour making you laugh.

╰☆╮

“Bro, do you think I should ask Y/N for help? Isn’t that a bit… lame?” Jacob sat on one of the soccer balls, hands joined and panting as Sunwoo practised his dribbling skills before shooting the ball in the cages, aiming for the up-right corner. He trotted to his friend and collapsed on the grass next to him, the last rays of sunshine offering his skin a wonderful, honey glow. He ruffled his hair after plopping down, checking his phone for any message before answering.

“If you need help, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask her. I mean, she’s super smart in every subject, but she’s just the boss in History. Her presentations are always golden, and she explains things a lot better than some of the teachers.”

“I got Smith as a teacher,” the basketball player grimaced, his left hand holding his right wrist as his gaze wandered in the grass.

“We’ve got Antal, and I can tell you that she’s always mad when Y/N does a presentation because they honestly just sound better than her lessons,” Sunwoo chuckled as Jacob pondered his friend’s words, the gears of his mind working at full speed.

How is he going to be able to approach you and get to talk to you?

╰☆╮

“Bestie, no. I swear I saw that in the other book,” you said as you found yourself back in the library the following week, bending over the table to grab the book your best friend was resting hers on. You started flipping some pages when a loud, masculine chortle followed by some whispers of annoyance drawing your attention.

“Hi, babe! Hi Hyunj- Oh hi Jacob!” your neck almost snapped as you abruptly lifted your head up at the mention of your crush’s name, a small, embarrassed smile making its way on your mouth. You were a bit sad that your brother best friend was not here with Sunwoo, but you weren’t going to complain to have your crush instead.

“Can I sit here?” the basketball player asked in a soft voice while pointing at the empty spot next to you, making you quickly nod and gather your stuff to make him some space.

You resumed searching for the precious paragraph you were searching for your project as if it were nothing, trying to ignore your stammering heart in your chest and the couple eating each other's mouths. The only thing you hoped was that Jacob couldn’t hear the loud, irregular beats in your ribcage because it would give in your attraction to him.

“Hum, Y/N?” the voice next to you made you flinch, surprised that he knew your name and that he said it aloud.

“Y-Yes?” you said, cursing in your head as you stuttered.

“I heard that you were the Ace when it came to History,” Jacob started, and you couldn’t look at him in the eyes, fire spreading in your chest up to your face.

“I can’t really say that I’m the Ace, but I really love that subject, so yeah I have some… knowledge,” words tripped over your tongue, and your best friend pulled away from Sunwoo and scoffed.

“Some knowledge? Are you kidding?” she said, Sunwoo placing a hand on her mouth as she was louder than intended. She removed his palm and furrowed her brows at him, before turning her head back at you with the same angry expression.

“She knows so fucking much that Antal hates her because she feels humiliated compared to Y/N. So let me tell you one thing, Cobbie, if you need help, you’ve come to the right person. Y/N is just a living encyclopaedia,” your best friend proudly smirked as you glowered at her, Sunwoo chuckling at his girlfriend’s behaviour before immediately stopping.

“Wait, did you call him Cobbie? How come you call him like that when I get nothing other than babe or baby?” Sunwoo argued while pouting, and your best friend sighed, ruffling his hair before pressing her lips against his one more time, making you slightly grimace as envy flooded your veins.

You sighed and dared to look at Jacob, who was reading the beginning of your essay written on your computer, leaving Sunwoo and your best friend bicker like the cute couple they were.

“Do you have this project too?” you asked, and he shook his head, eyes remaining glued on the computer screen.

“It’s so interesting what you wrote, I like your way of writing and explaining stuff,” he offered a small smile as he looked at you, clearing his throat. For someone that was super popular and constantly surrounded by friends or people at parties, he behaved and sounded quite like an introvert.

“W-Well, thank you,” you said with a smile and turned your head to the side for a second, taking a deep breath before looking back at him, opening a new tab on your computer after he gestured to you that he was done reading.

“What do you need help with?”

╰☆╮

You were astonished at how quick-minded Jacob was. Behind his fit, muscular appearance and obsession with basketball, he had the soul of a thinker and grasped the knowledge of historical concepts quite easily and rapidly. He just wasn’t good with the way Smith was teaching, the method not suiting him.

“You retain things well for someone who hates History,” you joked, and he shyly smiled, scratching his neck. His smile looked gorgeous, and you were pleasantly surprised at how much of a genuine person he was.

“Well, History is not my cup of tea, but it might be a bit more thanks to you,” he said, and you tried to stifle a smile, thankful that your best friend was no longer sitting across from you because she wouldn’t have let you two live.

“It’s nothing. You can come back to me if you need help, I really don’t mind. I actually like explaining things,” you said, and he nodded, clicking your pen close before placing it in your pouch.

“Thank you, really. Sunwoo was actually the one that told me about you, so I have to thank him as well,” you stood up and slowly started to pack your stuff, shutting down your computer with a smile.

“I’m glad he did so, I just hope it was positive,” you giggled, and he quickly joined you, twirling his pen in between his fingers as he cleared his throat.

“You know, it’s Sunwoo. It can only be nice and positive,” you genuinely smiled at him and fall in silence, throwing glances at each other from time to time as the conversation was slowly starting to die down.

“And... How’s basketball going by the way? Is everything going well?” you asked, and his heart skipped a beat at your question as it took him off guard.

“I-It’s going pretty well, I’m excited to finish high school to be able to focus on basketball. I’m gonna have to take some of my last finals in South Korea because the season and the training start pretty early in Summer so…” his voice trailed as his eyes widened, a hand slapping his mouth as you both stood up.

“What?” you quizzed, confused by his sudden change of behaviour.

“I… was meant to keep this a secret,” his voice trailed, the end of his sentence falling in a whisper as he started panicking. “Can we pretend you didn’t hear what I said?” he asked as you placed your bag strap on your shoulder, taking your sweater before pushing the chair against the table.

“Said what?” you replied with a smile, and Jacob sighed in relief, somehow feeling like his secret was safe with you, even if you’ve talked to him for the first time at the beginning of the afternoon.

╰☆╮

The rest of the month rolled off smoothly, yet the stress and the revisions became more intense as the days went by. You didn’t hear anything back from Jacob, but you’ve caught him staring at you a few times, offering him an awkward wave and a smile as not to get noticed by some of his “fan girls”, as they called themselves.

You still had a whole month left before finals, and you felt blessed as summer decided to start a bit earlier this year. It was only the beginning of May, but you were already able to wear shorts and dresses. It felt good to see the blue sky and being surrounded by the warmth of the sun hitting your exposed skin after the cold, lonely winter and spring you’ve just got out of. Everything looked prettier and warmer, and it did nothing but make you happier and brighter, despite the stress of the finals piling up on your shoulders.

So, to get rid of this pressure, you decided to leave town with Hyunjae and let him drive to one of the lakes that surrounded your town, knowing that the beach and parks would get crowded in no time. It was a place that you used to go to with your parents when you were still a child, memories that you shared with your friend coming back flooding in your mind.

Hyunjae and his family tagged along to give you some company and take care of you as your parents were busy looking after your newborn twin sisters, Hyunjae and his younger brother acting like elder siblings to you.

After driving for a few dozens of minutes, you settled your stuff in the shade, right under a weeping willow that offered you freshness throughout the entire day. Your best friend napped almost the entire time you were there, hand lingering on his abs while the other plucked out some grass until he dozed off, trying to store as many hours of rest as possible before finals. By his side was you, reading a book and enjoying the chilly water to cool down from the hot temperatures of early Summer, playfully nudging the young man next to you each time he was starting to snore.

It’s near the middle of the afternoon that you heard another car pulling up near the lake, a bunch of excited teenagers coming out of a van. You didn’t pay much attention to them, only sighing as your peace was about to get ruined, their screams when they jumped in the water woke your best friend up.

He abruptly sat up next to you and rubbed his eyes, some sleeping marks lingering on his face, making you giggle. Being the short-sighted idiot that he was, he squinted to try and recognise some people, but he didn’t have to.

A young woman screamed and started jumping up and down, waving her arms above her head in your direction, hearing her scream something towards you.

You looked at each other with Hyunjae, confusion painted on your faces, hearing your phone buzz in your small bag hidden by your folded clothes.

“Hello?” you said as Hyunjae’s phone started vibrating too, picking up the call as well.

“Y/N, it’s us! We’re on the opposite side of the lake! Come and join us!” you heard your best friend yell in your ear, hearing her as well through Hyunjae’s phone, who picked up a call from her boyfriend.

“Okay, we’re coming!” you excitingly said as you hung up, waving at your best friend from your spot as you started packing your stuff to get back in the car and meet up with your friends.

Your best friend excitingly jumped in your arms as soon as you got out of the car,

“Tt’s crazy how we’re so connected! Did you also think that the beach would be crowded?” she asked, and you nodded with a smile, happy to see her this joyful to see you.

The inseparable duo was here, as well as Younghoon, Jacob, Eric, Juyeon and Sangyeon, the striker of the football team. They all engulfed you in a tight hug, Jacob staying in the background the entire time.

“Hi Jacob!” you brightly said and wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him close. “Hi Y/N,” his answer vibrated in his chest and had repercussions in yours, sending your heart flying in your ribcage.

You looked so good being this carefree, it was thankfully a sight that he managed to imprint in his mind despite the shortness of the moment. Being surrounded by all your friends felt so good that you forgot to be awkward and worry about the stupidest things, and Jacob adored seeing you this natural and smiling in the company of your friends. He was a bit sad that he wasn’t fully the reason for your smile though, but he still managed to enjoy the rest of the day with you and your mutual friends, whether you were on the ground or in the water.

Sangyeon, Younghoon and Juyeon copied Hyunjae and joined him in a restoring nap, while Eric, Sunwoo, Jacob, Soyeon and you played different games in the water, improvising a volleyball match with an imaginary net and the ball Sunwoo took with him as the volleyball, but it did the job. It was just a bit hurtful for the liberos since it wasn’t as soft and bouncy as a volleyball, but the joy of the moment allowed any type of pain to become bearable.

The evening eventually started to settle in, and you all got out of the water, drying yourselves before deciding to spend a part of the night here. You helped Sangyeon build a bonfire in the safe area by bringing some different branches, the eldest placing them correctly before lighting them with his pocket lighter.

“Hyung! I didn’t know you were a boy-scout,” Sunwoo exclaimed and made everyone laughed as you all were sliding some marshmallows on a stick, Sangyeon smiling with modesty at everyone.

“Ya, don’t say this,” Sangyeon mumbled, and you smile, rubbing his upper back as he sat down next to you, thanking him when you handed him over his marshmallow stick.

“Oh no! Mine burnt,” Soyeon pouted when she retrieved her snack from the flames, and her boyfriend was quick to give her his sweets, Eric cooing at the gesture of affection.

“Give it to me, I like them burnt,” he mumbled as he bit in the fluffy texture, immediately regretting it as it was boiling. His girlfriend handed him water as he stood up, bouncing up and down to try and reduce what felt like flames in his mouth.

“Oh my, thanks babe,” he muttered with his mouth stuffed when he gulped down everything with a pained expression on his face. Eric’s eyes filled with boredom locked into yours and you both chuckled, your friend shaking his head.

“When is it gonna be my turn,” he huffed and Sunwoo hit him playfully in the back as you all laughed around the bonfire, relating to your friend.

“When you’ll stop being obsessed with football and mango juice,” Eric grunted and folded his arms over his chest as Sangyeon called him out, making you coo and playfully run to him, holding him against you as he fake-cried on your chest while everyone was laughing at him.

Except for Jacob, who only offered a weak smile, but you didn’t catch it, too busy having fun and being light-hearted with your friends.

After your stomachs were filled with sweets and soda, Sunwoo pulled out his guitar and strummed a soft melody until some became heavy-eyed or fell asleep against the other, his girlfriend succumbing to his musical talents first. Jacob looked exhausted as well but forced his eyes open, finding him even hotter with hooded eyelids and his hair slightly curling with the humidity of the air and the lake water.

When it was time to go home, Hyunjae, as well as Younghoon, Sunwoo, Soyeon and Eric decided to jump into Hyunjae’s car to go to the beach, feeling the urge and the thrill of going skinny-dipping. On the other hand, you and the rest of the boys were too exhausted and modest to do this, only wanting to go home and get some good rest.

Just like they had arrived, Sangyeon was behind the wheel while the rest was either next to him or in the back seat. And you didn’t know how it happened, but you got stuck between the window and Jacob, who was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“You good?” you asked, and he turned his head towards you before offering you a tired yet sweet smile, moving his head up and down.

“I'm just exhausted, tonight was simply amazing,” he mumbled, and you expressed your agreement by a happy hum and a nod, bringing your attention to your eldest friend.

“Are you sure you’re awake enough to drive?” you enquired on the current situation and Sangyeon looks at you through the inner rear-view mirror, eyes forming two crescent moons as he smiled.

“I just jumped in the water, I’m nothing but awake,” he clapped in his hands to motivate himself and started the engine, your best friend’s car already gone.

Jacob rested his head against the headrest and closed his eyes, his head rolling to the side each time Sangyeon took a turn. You settled yourself on the window and let the vibrations of the car lull you to sleep, the small talk that Sangyeon and Juyeon were having in the front seats acted like a background noise, which helped you dozing off.

However, when the car pulled up in front of your house, they didn’t expect you to have your head resting against Jacob’s shoulder, his hand on your knee. The two men smiled at each other before Sangyeon got out of the vehicle, drawing the door open. As he was about to carry you to your doorstep, Jacob’s arm was quick to wrap itself around your waist, keeping you close to him.

You woke up confused, blinking a few times as you saw the striker standing next to you with a wide smile on his face. He removed a limb around your body, and you felt someone groan under your right shoulder, noticing in dread that you snuggled up to Jacob for some warmth in your sleep.

“You gotta go before the beast wakes up,” Sangyeon joked and winked as he helped you get out of the car, closing the door behind you. It opened again a few seconds later, Jacob looking just as confused as you were.

“Come on, lovebirds, we don’t have the night.”

“Lovebirds?” Jacob and you asked in unison, the basketball player rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. He jumped out of the van and gestured to Sangyeon to get back in.

“You can go, I live just around the corner,” he drowsily said as he vaguely gestured behind him.

“You sure? Your house is on my way back home, I can drop you off,” Sangyeon suggested but he refused, offering a handshake to the striker before letting him go.

Being more awake now, you waved at your friends driving away before turning to your crush, who looked even more adorable as he was super sleepy and just woke up.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? You look really tired,” you asked, voice still laced with sleep yet sounding caring, which made Jacob’s heartbeat fasten. He nodded and weakly smiled, taking a step closer to you. His attitude was a bolt from the blue as he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you to him, nuzzling his face in your neck.

“You felt so warm during the ride, it’s almost like I could get used to this,” he tiredly said with a smile, gently pulling away to stare at you, his fingers leaving your back to come and slide a wild piece of hair behind your ear. Your whole body stiffened at his words as he stared at you in the eyes, noticing a small, washed-out smirk plastered on his face.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit... late to start something with someone? I mean, we have finals and then y-you’re le-leaving for South Korea and-” you started stammering as his thumb gently stroked your cheek, loving watching you lose your composure at his display of affection.

“It’s never too late when you love someone,” he whispered, feeling his warm breath tickling your lips in such a delicious manner that you have to resist the urge to move forward and press your lips against his.

His words punched the air out of your lungs, leaving you breathless as he kissed your cheek, mouth slowly moving to the side until it reached your lips. The kiss was soft yet a bit on the rougher side as if he wanted you to understand every feeling he had for you. Instinctively, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, and you kissed him harder, deeper, his hands on your lower back pulling you flush against him.

You had dreamt, wondered about what it was like kissing Jacob, but it never felt as good as you were experiencing it now. Fireworks and butterflies were erupting in your stomach, leaving you dizzy with love and passion as one of his hands came and cupped your cheek, the pad of his thumb gently caressing the skin.

Once you pulled away for oxygen, you held onto his shoulders for your dear life and he chuckled, his mouth slowly travelling down to your neck.

“I-I think my… my- oh my god, my parents will worry,” you gently pushed him away and he stared at you with a smile before diving in to capture your lips in another soft kiss.

“I'm only letting you go if you're free tomorrow. Let's put that off to tomorrow, shall we?” he asked, and your eyes widened at his suggestion.

“We can go back to the lake if you want, but only if we’re alone,” he said, his hand caressing your cheek while the other was busy stroking your upper back up and down.

“I want to enjoy this with you and you only,” he added, mumbling against your mouth and this time, you’re the one pulling him for a kiss.

“Come and pick me up at 10, then,” you said as you pulled away.

“I’ll be there, I promise,” he answered and started walking towards your house, closing the front gate behind you, waving at him with a smile.

He sent you a flying kiss with a smile and you waved at him one last time before closing the main door of your house behind you, both sighing with a huge smile and warmth painted on your faces.

You peeled the clothes off your skin and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower, shaking your head left to right while chuckling as you recalled what just happened in your last month of high school.

Nothing was making sense, you didn’t know how you got there, but you were happy.

And that’s what mattered the most.

150 notes · View notes

fallingforunrealisticromance · 3 years

Text

I've got you - Derek Morgan x Fem! Reader

A/N: Do you guys like longer stories or should I stick to smaller, one-shot type ones? Let me know:)

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of being attacked

Word Count: 4803

***= time skip

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

Being the target of unsub was very different then how I imagined it to be. From what I heard about most BAU cases, I’d probably be kidnapped or lured away by someone who presented themselves in such a way that I trusted them. Then once they had me I’d most likely be brutally tortured, held in a remote location and probably end up dead. But it’s nothing like that. At least not at the moment. It could change, I don’t know. Right now – I’m just waiting.

“Hey you!” Penelope’s cheery voice came through the phone.

“Hey Pen. How are you?” I said chuckling.

“Well thankfully today I don’t have to sift through a hundred different photos of some poor persons mutilated corpse as we have no cases. So right now, I’m pretty much up to nothing. I was sorting through some files, you know just tidying things up, but that got boring.” She explained happily. I could hear her twiddling with her fluffy pen in her hands as she spoke.

“Sounds perfectly uneventful.” I replied.

“It is and I couldn’t be more thankful.” She stated matter of factly.

“So can I do for you my love?” She asked.

“Well, I was just thinking I could swing by the office, maybe we could grab a bite to eat? I’m bored out of my mind.” I said sighing.

“It doesn’t surprise me; I still can’t believe they fired you!” Garcia exclaimed. I just rolled my eyes.

“I know, they literally had CCTV footage of Ryan throwing himself at me, yet they still think I was lying, it’s ridiculous.” I huffed.

“I could always do some digging; I’m sure your boss has some type of dirt on him. You could use it as blackmail to get your job back?” She suggested hopefully. I laughed at her words.

“As someone who works for the FBI I really don’t think you should be encouraging me to blackmail someone Pen. But thanks for the offer, I don’t really want to go back there anyways.” I explained.

“Understandable. But anyway, back to the point, yes we can go for lunch.” She concluded happily.

“Brilliant, I’m on my way I’ll be there in 10.” I hung up the phone and grabbed my stuff. It had been so long since I’d seen Garcia, or any of the BAU lot. Despite us being friends for a while now, our different schedules made it hard to see each other on a frequent basis. I checked how I looked once last time in the mirror before making my way out to my car.

********************************************************************

As I made my way up to the BAU offices, I could feel the nerves growing inside of me. It was stupid to feel this way, these guys were some of my closest friends. But it had been a good few months since I’d last seen them in person. I just really didn’t want things to be awkward.

“Y/N!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned to see Emily stood with a huge grin on her face.

“Emily, hi.”

“Oh my god it’s good to see you.” She said pulling me in for a hug.

“It’s good to see you too, I’ve missed you guys.” I replied, a smile spreading its way across my lips.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Oh I’ve come to get Garcia, we’re going out for lunch. You can join if you’re free, she mentioned you didn’t have any cases today.” I explained.

“Yeah lunch would be great. I’ll go find the others they’d love to see you.” Emily replied before darting off to find the others. I could see Aaron sat in his office, looking very intensely at some files. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

I poked my head round the door and smiled at him. “Hi”

He looked up, his stern expression quickly replaced with a smile.

“Y/N, hi!” He stood up from his desk and walked over to me. He gave me a quick hug. “How are you?” He asked resting on his desk.

“Yeah I’m doing alright.” He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing me. Bloody profilers

“What’s going on? He asked.

I sighed, smiling at him. “It’s nothing bad.” I didn’t really feel like explaining that I’d been sacked. Even if wasn’t my fault. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed, he wouldn’t judge me, but it was still awkward.

“If it’s nothing bad, then why don’t you wanna tell me?” He asked light-heartedly. He wouldn’t actually make me tell him if I didn’t want to, but he wanted me to know I could talk to him.

“I kind of got fired” I confessed. Hotch looked shocked.

“What happened?”

“Some guy was like non-stop flirting with me. But not just flirting, it was really weird. He kept asking me twisted personal questions and would always take pictures of me.” As I explained, I could see hotch getting visibly annoyed. “Then one day, he actually put his hands on me. In a proper gropey way. So, I told the manager and he told me I was lying to ruin this other guy’s career” I rolled my eyes as I finished, the memory of the incident replaying in my head. Hotch was quiet for a second before replying.

“We can lock him up if you want” He suggested causing me to chuckle.

“I’ll consider it.” Hotch smiled.

“Seriously though, that’s messed up. I’m sorry.” He patted me on the shoulder. “

It’s fine, it was a boring job anyway.”

“I’m sure. Well let’s go down, I’m sure the other will wanna see you.” He made his way to the door, and I followed after him. As we came down into the bullpen, I saw JJ, Emily, Reid, and Garcia all stood together. They all turned and smiled as they saw me coming down the stairs. We exchanged hugs and ‘how are yous’ before settling down.

“So, are you ready?” Garcia asked, grabbing her coat.

“Where you guys off to?” JJ asked.

“We’re gonna grab a bite to eat, you guys should come” I offered. They all agreed, and we went to leave.

“Hold up” A voice that made my heart skip came from behind me. I turned and saw Derek Morgan, flashing me that heart melting smile, walking towards me.

“So, you just thought you could walk your fine self into my place of work, and get away with not coming to see me?” He asked smoothly.

I laughed. “Good to see you too handsome.”

“Come here” He swung his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. Besides Garcia, me and Derek were the closest. He was my best friend. I cared about him more than I cared about myself. And if I’m being honest, I miss him more than anyone. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and buried my head in the crook of his neck. I felt his hands holding me close to him. Being in his arms again, as cliché as it sounds, it felt like home. After what felt like forever, we finally let each other go. I tried to hide the few tears that had managed to form in my eyes but when you’re surrounded by a team of profilers that can be quite difficult. Morgan placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, don’t cry gorgeous.” He said comfortingly.

“Ugh I know it’s stupid.” I groaned wiping the tears away. “I’ve just missed you all. So much.” I chuckled slightly.

“We’ve missed you too, sweet girl.” Garcia said nudging my arm.

“Morgan the most though. Your all he’s talked about for a while now.” Reid chipped in, earning a look from Morgan. I raised my eyebrows at him playfully.

“Oh, am I you now?” He rolled his eyes jokingly at me.

“Now don’t start okay, it’s not like that” He said chuckling. We all laughed and made our way out of the building. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan punch Reid in the arm. “You’re gonna pay for that pretty boy”.

*******************************************************************

I shouldn’t have been nervous. I’d been back with these guys for what, 3 hours, and it felt like we’d never been apart. I wiped away a tear that had escaped as I laughed at a joke JJ had made.

“So, Y/N, besides your boss being a complete idiot – what's been going on with you?” Hotch asked.

“Um not much to be honest. I’ve been helping my sister out with her son seeing as she’s back at work now.” I explained.

“He’s the same age as jack right?” Hotch asked, a smile forming on his lips. I nodded.

“She’s thinking about relocating, you know trying to be closer to me and her work so she doesn’t have to be away from him as much so they might end up being in the same class.”

“I’m sure him and Jack will be great friends” Hotch replied happily. A comfortable silence fell over us for a second, before JJ piped up.

“How’s the love life then Y/n?” She said smiling, her eyes flickering from me to Derek. I noticed him shift slightly next to me but didn’t think anything of it.

“Yeah, got your eye on anyone?” Emily chipped in.

“Um no, still as lonely as ever.” I joked.

Garcia scoffed. “Not true.”

I glared at her, willing her to shut up but of course she ignored me. “What about that absolute hottie you’ve been out with?” She smiled at me mischievously as she spoke.

Derek turned to face me. “Absolute hottie?” He repeated.

I felt my cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

“It’s nothing, just a couple of dates.” I said hurriedly.

“Well tell us about him” Emily said leaning forward.

“I don’t know guys it’s nothing serious.” I really didn’t feel like talking about him, mainly because of who he was.

“I don’t care I wanna know. Where’d you meet him?” She pressed. I sighed, she obviously wasn’t going to give up and by the look on everyone else’s face they were just as curious.

“We have mutual friends. And I went out for a drink with them one night and he was there.” I explained.

“Very nice.” JJ confirmed.

“What does he look like?” I was about to reply but Garcia beat me to it.

“Absolutely gorgeous. He has this beautiful sort of surfer boy hippie type blonde hair. And his eyes, ohmygod, I feel like he could stare into my soul. And don’t even get me started on that jawline. I could grate cheese with it.” Garcia gushed, placing her hand over her heart. Everyone chuckled before looking back at me.

“Sounds like a real dreamboat” Derek muttered. I glanced over at him, there was something about his tone that made me feel bad about talking about my date.

“What does he do?” Reid asked, finally deciding to join the conversation. I shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at Aaron.

“Um h-he’s a chef” I stuttered avoiding eye contact. Aaron chocked slightly on the mouthful of food he’d just placed in his mouth. Of course, he’d figured it out. My face was defiantly burning bright red right now. Everyone looked awkwardly from me to Hotch.

“What’s his name?” He asked, his voice steady.

“Sean” I said quietly. Everyone fell silent. Garcia’s mouth fell open. I’d never told her who he was, only showed her a picture but I guessed she’d never met him. Everyone waited for Hotch’s reaction. He put his cutlery down and crossed his arms. He just stared at me, not saying anything. I’d never felt more embarrassed. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Did you have fun?” My eyes widened. Safe to say that was not the reaction I was expecting.

“Well, yeah. He took me to a few really cool places, and he’s a total gentleman.” I replied. I thought I saw a hint of a smile grace his lips.

“I’m glad.” He said before turning his attention back to his food. We all looked at each other awkwardly.

“I-is that it?” I stuttered. Hotch turned his eyes to me.

“Y/N you don’t need my permission to date someone.”

“Yeah I know, but he’s your brother.”

“And?”

“Well, I don’t know, I just didn’t want things to be awkward.” I mumbled.

“Y/N, it’s fine. I don’t have an issue with it. If anything, I think you might be good for Sean” I let out a sigh of relief.

“Um well thank you Aaron” Everyone turned back to their food and after a few moments, conversation picked back up again. I looked over at Derek. He’d barley spoken to me since Garcia had mentioned I’d been on a date. I nudged his leg under the table causing him to look at me.

“You doing a sponsored silence I’m not aware of?” I joked. He offered me a tight-lipped smile but he didn’t reply. My brow furrowed.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked. He’s not one for being silent.

“Nothing, I’m all good pretty girl” He replied but he wouldn’t look at me.

“You don’t seem ‘all good’.” Whatever was going on in his head must have been important, we never kept secrets.

“Look at me.” I said, my tone soft. Derek sighed before he turned to face me, reluctantly meeting my gaze. I searched his eyes trying to figure him out. “What’s going on with you?”

“I said I’m fine would you drop it?” He snapped. I don’t think he meant it to sound as harsh as it did, but it took me by surprise. Everyone clearly heard the aggressive tone and snapped their heads to face us.

“Am I not allowed to care about my friend?” I shot back, not caring about the prying eyes on us. He scoffed at my words causing me to raise my eyebrows at him. “Something funny?”

“God can’t you just leave me alone? Just accept the fact that maybe I don’t wanna talk to you right now.” He said visibly aggravated. His words shocked me. He’d never spoken like this to me before and if I’m being entirely honest, it hurt. By the collective gasp that came from the table, it’s safe to say the others were just as surprised. I could feel tears beginning to prick in my eyes. I never cried if someone was rude to me but for some reason the fact that it was Derek, hurt like a bitch. His eyes flickered with regret.

“You know what fine, it’s not like I’ve been waiting to see you for the past 3 months. If you want to sit here and strop like a little kid then you do that Derek. But I’m not sitting around to watch it.” I grabbed my stuff and stood up “Here’s the money for my stuff” I placed the money on the table and turned to leave.

“Y/N, wait don’t go.” JJ called. “I’m sorry guys, it’s been great to see you. I’m sorry it was ruined.” I replied shooting a glare at Derek. Annoyingly, as he caught my gaze a stray tear fell down my cheek. I hurriedly wiped it away before practically running out of the restaurant.

*Third person POV*

Back at the table everyone glared at Derek as they watched Y/N run out the door.

“What the hell was that about?” Emily asked angrily. Derek leant back in his seat, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. He hadn’t meant to upset her. But the way she spoke about Sean, it shifted something inside of him. A feeling he’d never felt when it came to her. Jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous, it’s not like him and Y/N were together. They were friends, and she could date whoever she wanted. In fact, he’d even set her up a few times. But for some reason tonight was different. Maybe it was the fact it was Aaron’s brother? Maybe he was just upset at how the girls had gushed over him? But why would that matter?

“Derek.” Hotch’s voice came. Derek looked up, not realising he’d been ignoring them. “What gives you the right to speak to her like that? She was just looking out for you.” Hotch said his voice stern.

“I don’t know.” Derek mumbled.

“You need to apologise.” JJ added. Derek nodded before getting up.

“Actually, could you give me a ride? Y/N lives the road across from me and I need to grab some things to take back to the office” Reid piped up. Derek let out a small chuckle at Reid’s poor timing.

“Sure. Let’s go, kid.” The boys placed their money down before making their way to Derek’s car.

*1st person POV*

I closed the door to my apartment. and slumped down on my sofa, letting out an aggravated sigh. I could still feel the dried tears on my cheeks. Derek’s words replayed over in my head. Had I done something wrong? He was fine in the office? Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to get an answer by sitting on my sofa replaying the events in my head, so I dragged myself over to my kitchen sink. Turning on the tap I splashed my face with cold water. Suddenly I heard my text notification go off. I went over and saw Sean’s name pop up.

“Hey, you, how’s your day been?” I smiled at the words. Sean was so sweet. I had enjoyed the dates we’d been on and he’s definitely someone I want to keep in my life, but I wasn’t entirely sure if he was what I was looking for in a relationship.

“It’s been good. I was able to go to lunch with the BAU lot which was fun. Although, your brother may or may not have found out about the dates we’ve been on.” I typed back a reply. I decided to leave out the fall out me and Derek had, not wanting to explain it to him just yet. Within a few minutes the notification sounded once again.

“He’s going to kill me” I chuckled at his response.

“He was surprisingly okay with it. Even said I might be good for you 😉” I put my phone down and went to change out of my jeans, the food I’d had earlier – as nice as it was – was causing some serious bloating. I threw on a pair of joggers and pulled my favourite grey sweater over me before curling up onto my sofa. I’d barley been able to turn the TV on before I heard a knock at my door. Sighing I got up to answer it. The door swung open and there stood Spencer and Derek, who straightened up when he saw me.

“Hey.” He said sheepishly.

“What do you want?” I replied shortly. I was still pissed at him. He had no right to talk to me the way he did.

“To apologise. I was a complete dick.” He admitted.

“Yep, you were.” I agreed leaning against my door frame. Spencer looked around awkwardly

“Are you going to tell me why?” I pressed. Derek sighed.

“I don’t know, I got jealous I guess.” My eyes widened slightly. Jealous? Why was he jealous. “Just the way you and the girls were gushing over Sean, it just annoyed me.” I scoffed at his words causing him to furrow his brow.

“Since when has my love life been any concern of yours?” I snapped. His reason was bullshit.

“I-It’s not I just-“ But I didn’t let him finish.

“Exactly it’s not. First of all, me and Sean have been out 3 times. It’s nothing serious. Second of all, even if it was that doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like I’m a piece of shit. I was just trying to be good friend and make sure you were okay and that’s the response you gave me?” I could feel myself getting increasingly more annoyed. I saw his eyes glaze over with frustration.

“Well, I never asked to sit there and listen to how perfect Mr surfer boy was did I?” He replied. Spencer slowly backed away seeing where this was going and clearly not wanting to be around for it. I laughed at his words throwing my hands in the air.

“Why do you care so much? It’s not like you’re trying to take me out. I can date who I want Derek” I said frustrated.

“No, I’m not but I want to be able to see you. I don’t need some guy hanging around with you as well.” He said just as angrily. I stared at him. He couldn’t be serious right now.

“Well, I’m sorry Derek but you can’t control me okay. I deserve to be happy with whoever the fuck I want and if you can’t handle the fact that someone might be interested in me then that’s your problem.” I yelled and slammed the door in his face. I couldn’t believe him. He didn’t own me, it’s not like we’d ever dated, or he’d shown any type of interest in me. Yet somehow he expects me to just push Sean away because he doesn’t like him. I ran my hands through my hair annoyed. On the other side of the door, I could hear Spencer trying to talk some sense into Derek but I doubt he would be able to. I closed my eyes and leant against the wall trying to calm myself down. Suddenly I heard what sounded like someone running towards me. I opened my eyes and saw just that. Someone dressed in all black was suddenly running at me and before I had time to move had pinned my up against the wall. I tried to screaming but the person pressed a cloth over my mouth. I thrashed my arms about trying to escape their grasp. Luckily, my leg was positioned in between theirs so with all my strength I brought my foot to connect with their groin, causing them to fall to the floor.

“DEREK. SPENCER HELP” I screamed, praying the hadn’t left. As I went to open the door, the person grabbed my ankle and pulled me to the floor, dragging me backwards until they were on top of me. I flailed my limbs about trying my hardest to push them off of me or at least prevent them from doing whatever it was they were trying to do. I screamed desperately for the boys, tears streaming down my face. I was so scared, so wrapped up in trying to protect myself, I didn’t even hear the door burst open. It was only when the person from on top of me was dragged away that I opened my eyes again.

“Y/N! Y/N, it’s me. It’s Morgan baby you’re okay. I’ve got you.” Derek pulled me into his lap and held me tightly as I sobbed into his arms. Spencer had the man on his back and was cuffing him. I pulled myself up so I could wrap my arms around Derek’s neck and held onto him for dear life. As I begun to calm down I opened my eyes. I looked behind Derek and saw another person, dressed in all black, stood in the corridor leading to my bedroom.

“SPENCER.” I yelled pointing toward the person. Both of the boys whipped their heads round and saw the person just as they took off running towards bathroom.

“REID GET HIM” Derek yelled as he put himself in front of me protectively. Reid took off after him. As they disappeared into my bathroom, I heard a few shoots go off causing me to flinch and cling onto Derek’s arm.

“Reid, you alright?” Derek called out.

“I lost him. He jumped out the window, down the fire escape. I tried to hit him, but I missed. I don’t know where he went.” Reid replied, his voice flooded with guilt. Derek groaned irritably.

“Okay. Call Hotch, get them down here to come collect this guy. Make sure the whole team gets here, we need to go through her apartment. Figure out how this happened.” Reid nodded before dragging the guy out into the hall and calling Hotch. Derek turned back to face me. I was still sobbing and shaking violently.

“Hey, baby, I’m gonna need you to listen to me okay. “ He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me.” His voice was soft. I lifted my eyes to meet his, still crying frantically. “There we go. Okay I need you to take a few deep breaths with me. You ready?” He took a deep breath in. I tried to copy him but thoughts of being attacked kept flooding back, making it impossible to focus on anything else. “Hey, your safe. I’m here with you now and I’m sure as hell not leaving your side. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise. Just breath with me okay.” After a few moments, I was able to calm my breathing, but I was still shaking like crazy. Derek pulled his jumper off and wrapped it around me. I pulled it close to my body, enjoying the warm I was gaining from it. Morgan helped me stand and we waited outside for the others. Soon enough, the black SUV pulled up down below us. I saw everyone jump out and practically hurl themselves up the stairs.

“Where is she? Where’s my girl?” Garcia’s voice bounced off of the walls causing a small smile to pull at my lips. When she caught sight of me she rushed over, her arms open. “Oh my god. Come here.” She wrapped herself around me in a tight embrace which I allowed myself to relax into slightly.

“Okay easy babygirl, don’t go crushing the life out of her.” Derek joked, prying her arms off of me. Garcia glared at him.

“If you weren’t the one who saved her life just now, I’d be slapping the hell out of you right now for how you spoke to her at lunch.” Derek’s eyes flashed over with guilt momentarily before Hotch walked over. “

Are you okay?” He asked me placing his hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head slightly. I wasn’t alright, I was terrified, but I knew they would need my help with this, so I just swallowed my feelings down. “Okay we’re going to need to run through some details with you to try and figure out who would have done this. Anything you can remember would be useful.” He explained.

“The first person-“ I began but JJ cut me off.

“No, not now. You need to rest. We’ll catch up with you first thing tomorrow okay?” She said offering me a small sympathetic smile. My eyes flickered over to my open apartment door. I didn’t want to go back in there, especially not alone. As if he’d read my mind, Hotch spoke up.

“You’re not staying here tonight. Morgan take her back with you, we’ll get cops posted out front as well. Just in case.” He instructed.

“You think the second guy, h-he’ll come back?” I tried to keep my voice as steady and as calm as I could, but I couldn’t hide the stutter. Hotch sighed.

“We don’t know enough about him yet. I would like to believe that he wouldn’t, but I can’t make you any promises. I’m sorry.” The relunctancy was evident in his voice, he knew that was the last thing I wanted to hear but he also couldn’t lie to me. I could feel the anxiety seeping its way back into me when I was suddenly snapped from my thoughts but an arm falling over my shoulders.

“hey, I’m gonna be right here with you the whole time. I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear it.” Morgan said comfortingly. I leant into him slightly, wanting so desperately to find safety in him.

“Is there anything you need from your flat?” Emily asked softly. I nodded.

“I need my hairbrush, a-and I left my phone. Maybe some spare clothes?” I replied.

“Okay, do you want me to go get them?” She offered.

“No, it’s fine I can go.” I replied and begun walking over to the door. I stood in front of it, willing my legs to just move forward.

“Hey.” A voice came from behind me. It was Emily with Morgan.

“We’re right here with you okay. We’ll help you get everything.” She spoke. I entered my flat, the two of them following close behind me, scanning every part of it just in case. I gathered all the things I needed and quickly exited the place.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Derek said leading me to the car after we’d said goodbye to everyone.

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

Part 2 anyone??

#derek morgan #derek morgan x y/n #derek morgan x reader #criminal minds #bau #angst #fluff

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bestillmyslashyheart · 3 years

Text

in this universe. the Nace stuff will make more sense if you read that first

Bess willed her hands to still. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been so nervous. Possibly when meeting Aunt Diana for the first time but that was a different kind of nerves.

As intimidating as that meeting, as Aunt Diana herself, had been, Bess had known she belonged, that she was a Marvin. She’d had the DNA test to prove it and Owen’s support to bolster her.

Now. Now she had none of that. Around her, people roamed the hallways, loud chatter filling the air as they hurried to their destination before the next bell could chime.

“Okay,” Nick sighed. “We only have…” he trailed off as his eyes scanned the itinerary printout in his hand.

“Twenty minutes,” Addy filled in patiently. “The principal is giving us half an hour, just before the lunch shifts begin.”

Bess nodded alongside Nick, as if she understood perfectly. In truth, Bess hadn’t stepped foot inside of a school in…she wasn’t actually sure. It had been a long time. Almost certainly since she dropped out. She wondered if the students could sense that about her. If they looked at her and saw ‘dropout’ written across her face.

Her hand started to shake so she grabbed at her wrist to hide it. Her fingers found the charms dangling free and fidgeted with them.

“Hey!” The tension in her shoulders eased at Ace’s cheerful voice. They drooped further when he laid a warm hand on them and squeezed gently. To date, Ace was the only one who knew she’d never finished school. Bess suspected Nancy, at least, had figured it out but Bess had never told her or anyone else.

She heard Nick and Addy exchange pleasantries with Ace around her but Bess tuned them out in favor of meeting Ace’s eyes. Her spine straightened at the look in them. She could do this. Not that she was here to do much, just provide support to Nick and Addy as they pitched the youth center to the students. Nick had worried that it would look bad if they appeared to only have two employees; he didn’t want to give the impression that they couldn’t help any and every kid who needed them and the center. So Bess, Ace, and Nancy had been drafted to come help with the presentation at the schools.

Bess had managed the elementary and middle school presentations yesterday just fine. There was something about the high school, though, something about the students who weren’t much younger than her and yet had managed to get further than she had.

She didn’t realize she was pulling at the charms until Ace’s hand settled on top of hers. Her hand stilled. “Hey,” he said quietly. “You got this.”

Bess took a deep breath and slowly pulled her hand away. “I’ve got this,” she repeated.

Ace smiled. “It’s just a bunch of kids. Nothing to worry about.” His eyes darted down to the bracelet she’d been fidgeting with and flicked back up to her only to dart back down immediately. Bess noticed it only absently. “Yeah. Just a bunch of kids. We deal with them all of the time at the center.”

“Exactly,” Ace murmured, his eyes still locked on her wrist, a strange look in his eyes. Bess followed his eyes, “Ace? Is something wrong?”

“Hey,” Nancy rushed in the doors slightly out of breath. She looked a little frazzled. “Am I late?”

“No,” Nick assured her. “We still have a few minutes.”

“Good. Good.” Nancy swallowed as she looked around the building. “Wow. It’s weird being here.”

“Right?” Ace asked. Bess watched them exchange tight smiles.

“You both went here?” Addy asked.

“It’s the only high school for the town,” Nancy told her. “Everyone in Horseshoe Bay went here. Well, for the last fifteen years or so since the other school was closed down for low capacity.” Addy nodded.

For some reason, that set Bess’ nerves alight again. Most days, she gave her lack of education no thought at all but knowing that everyone she passed on the street once strolled through these hallways…

“Is that my bracelet?” Nancy asked sharply, her eyes trained on where Bess was fidgeting again. Nick and Ace’s quiet chatter ceased at the tone in her voice, everyone’s focus now on Nancy and Bess.

Bess looked down at her wrist, at where her fingers were fiddling with the little graduation cap charm. “Uh, yeah. I found it in your room.” She hadn’t stolen anything in months but she’d wanted something to make herself fit in today. “I’ve never seen you wear it so I didn’t think you’d mind. I’m sorry, I should have asked.” Nancy hadn’t looked away from it, a look in her eyes that Bess didn’t recognize at all. Bess felt her stomach sink. “Is…is it okay if I wear it?” She hadn’t considered it before but what if it had been a gift from Kate?

“Uh,” Nancy stuttered. Her hand reached out in an aborted movement as if she was going to take it right off Bess’ wrist before she made a fist and forcibly put her hand back at her side. “It’s- it’s fine.” She swallowed. “It’s fine,” she said again.

Bess exchanged a look with Addy, neither needing to say a word to know that it wasn’t fine. Behind Addy, Nick looked confused at the whole exchange and next to her Ace’s eyes kept flitting between Bess’s wrist and Nancy. No one said a word. After only a moment’s hesitation, Bess shook the bracelet off of her wrist and handed it to Nancy. Nancy snatched it from her hand but didn’t put it on. “I shouldn’t have taken it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Nancy said again. She was cradling the bracelet in both of her hands, one finger rubbing gently at the little milkshake charm.

“Mr. Nickerson?” A new voice asked and all of them jumped. Nick whirled around to face the now startled principal.

“Yes! Hi!” He shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The principal shook his hand before turning and gesturing behind him. “We’re ready for you all.”

“Thank you,” Addy told him as they turned to follow him into the auditorium. Bess reached out and gave her hand a quick squeeze. At the doors, she turned to find Nancy and Ace hadn’t moved, both of them looking at the bracelet still in Nancy’s hands. “Guys?” Nancy hurriedly tucked the bracelet in her pocket and the two turned to follow her without a word.

Bess wanted to press, wanted to know what was so special about that bracelet but she turned around and came face to face with a room full of hundreds of students and she forgot everything else.

#nancy drew #nancy drew cw #bess marvin #nace #though the nace is background #my fic #nancy drew fic #also bess is a hs dropout (or the british equivalent) and you can fight me on that #does not diminish her in the slightest #also if anyone wants more ficlets in this universe lmk

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jangofctts · 4 years

Text

oK SO LIKE EJKKJHRKEJH I CANT FIND THE ASK FOR THE LIFE OF ME BUT IT’s FROM @jango-fettish and it said “Imagine sending Blanche nudes when you know he is in a mission briefing. He gets the ping on his holopad and opens it just to quickly see what it is and has to do a double take.”

so ENJOY A DRABBLE KEJHKJH

cc-8352 Commander Blanche // fem!reader

warnings; you send him a nude

The debriefing is atrociously boring. Between that and needing to check the hangar every ten kriffing minutes so that Kami and Fuse don’t resort to blowing things up for fun. He grimaces, recollections of their plucky pilot enthusiastically attaching downright banned engine and weapon mods to the sides of the ship last week. It’s still a mystery as to how Kami managed to even find that type of stuff.

Y’know what, Blanche decides, he doesn’t even want to know.

With a sigh he shifts his weight and straightens his back. Maker—how long does it take for two Jedi to figure out a battle strategy. Hours apparently. General Tavik and Kenobi are notoriously stubborn when it comes to battle strategy—completely different styles of warfare that lead into prickly debates. It’d be amusing to watch if Blanche had got more than a couple hours sleep—right now all it does is tax his own nerves. Rhyssa Tavik’s face is notoriously grim, stony and difficult to read—hell—Blanche still has trouble deciphering her jokes from her regular monotonous timbre. But he’s known her long enough to tell when she’s annoyed. She pulls a strand of dark hair out from her boxer braids, twirls it around her fingers and purses her lips. Her eyes, sharper than a vibroblade cut to Kenobi.

The low sound of her Coruscanti accent rolls off her tongue. “I am not risking the lives of my men to defend that pass. The rock will crumble from the blaster fire.”

Kenobi pinches the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. “Rhyssa, I don’t see any—“

General Kenobi’s voice becomes fuzzy as Blanche zones out—unless they need his opinion he and Commander Cody are content to linger in the shadows. Naturally his mind wanders to thoughts of you—his one little solace in the horrors of war.

He met you in that diner—the only diner willing to serve clones in a five mile radius for free. The same diner his men had hounded him for ages into going with them. Blanche never found it anything special—it’s a typical late night diner, flashing neons, air that smells of salt and grease while the portions of the food could clog a man’s arteries ten times Blanche’s size. At least the caf is decent…among other things…

The moment Blanch stepped in, jostled between an over enthusiastic Kami and a brooding Void, he spotted you. It struck him strange that you weren’t a server droid—the typical choice for a waiting occupation, but Maker. Blanche gets why this is a clone favorite, second to 79s. Frazzled hair from a long shift, coffee and food stains splattered over your apron as you flit around the network of busy tables and rowdy vods.

You’re the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.

It doesn’t help that everyone else in the dinner thinks so too.

Yes, ok, maybe it was a bit odd that Blanche made the entire squad stay right up until the end of your shift just to get the chance to sneak in a couple words in—but whatever. It worked. He scored your number, scribbled on a crumbled napkin and he’s been seeing you every chance he gets.

“Blanche?”

The commander jerks his head up, his cheeks flushing with heat when he finds all eyes are trained on him. He clears his throat and straightens to attention. “Yes, General?”

Tavik waves her hand in dismissal. “You’ve been up for nearly a day—go rest.”

“Are you sure, General? I can—“

“Go.” Tavik orders. “Make sure the rest of your men rest too. Force knows you all need it if we’re going to follow Kenobi’s plan."

Can’t argue with that. Without a word, Commander Blanche salutes and leaves the briefing room before he hears another one of Kenobi’s irritated quips. Wandering down the sterile space gray halls, his feet carry him to the hangar.

The members of Sunburst Squadron are all splayed out and over the floor and a couple of cargo crates. Just as Commander Blanche expects—up to no good.

“What are you doing, Kamikaze?” Blanche says with an exasperated sigh, zeroing in on the head of vibrant red hair.

Kami’s tongue peaks out in concentration as he aims the rubber band at the back of Bruiser’s head. “Target practice, sir.”

The band launches off Kami’s forefinger and thumb with a snap and hits the middle of Bruiser’s neck. Bruiser whips around with a glare, his meaty hand launching up to rub the red slash the band left behind. “What the fuck, Kami.”

Kami raises his hands in defense, biting his lip to keep his roguish smile from peaking through. “It was Fuse, big guy. I swear.”

Fuse scowls and jams an elbow into Kami’s ribcage. Kami doubles over with a wheezy chuckle. “Fuck off, you tool.”

“Shut up, all of you,” Void growls, his body wedged between the apex of two crates to sneak in a well deserved nap. “Don’ make me open m’eyes.”

A litany of blame sprouts between the boys, useless bickering that adds to Blanche’s building headache. He sighs for the thousandth time and drops his head to his vambrace at the little bleep, bleep, bleep of an incoming message. He taps at the little button and fuck--

His heart leaps into his throat when his brain catches up to what you’ve sent him. You, spread out over your bed, naked and dipping two of your fingers inside of your wet center. A heated spark of arousal tears down his spine--Maker he needs to exit the holopic before someone--

Blanche’s heartbeat skyrockets as a hand clamps down onto his shoulder. Blanche curses and scrambles to shut off the datapad as Max whistles low in approval. “I always wondered what she looked like under that apron.”

Blanche rushes to shut off the image, snarls at his brother and jabs a armored elbow into Max’s arm. “Shut up.”

Max rolls his eyes and ruffles Blanche’s hair. “Heh--just make sure no one else sees that. I'm sure the boys would love getting their hands on that.”

A dark flush collects in Blanche’s cheeks. Never. Not in a million years. You’re his pretty little waitress.

#THIS IS LAME AND RUSHED IM SORRY ERKJHEKJ #sunburst squadron #my writing #clone oc x reader #clone trooper x reader #clone trooper oc x reader #the clone wars #tcw

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restlessfandoming · 4 years

Text

“the president and the troublemaker” (part 13) (chilumi fic)

“Lumine is the student council president and Childe is the school’s number one troublemaker. They cross paths more than they’d like. Especially when Childe finds out Lumine’s big secret. Highschool AU à la Kaichou wa Maid-sama.”

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link] // [Main AO3]

* * *

im really sorry for the massive time between each update. i am truly in the struggle * * *

the president and the troublemaker (part 13)

“I’m a professional fighter,” Lumine said to Venti.

Venti stared at her for a long second, before slowly raising one of his brows. “What are you talking about, LuLu?”

She bit her lip. “You know, like the UFC. That’s my job. I’m a MMA fighter.”

Again, Venti stared at her, then glanced between her and the unconscious men on the floor.

Lumine braced herself for him to laugh, to ridicule her, or even shy away in fear—how terrifying it was that she was powerful enough to do all that and even more. He would be disappointed, a bright student like her getting involved with the activities of delinquents.

“That’s…,” Venti started. Then, he went to Lumine, grabbing her hands, eyes bright. “So cool!”

Lumine looked at him, silent with shock.

“Wow, I would have never guessed!” he went on. “But I should have known. You’ve always been so strong.”

“So you’re not...disappointed?” she asked.

“Of course not. I would never be disappointed in you,” he said, giving her a soft smile.

Lumine’s eyes stung. From relief? From gratefulness? “Thank you, Venti.”

His smile widened. “Just wait until everyone at school hears about this! They’re gonna think you’re so cool, and you’re gonna get so popular, and—”

Lumine pulled her hand away from his, a trembling panic overtaking her nerves. “Venti, no one can find out about this,” she blurted.

His brows furrowed. “Why not? You should be proud of what you do.”

Lumine stood in silence, ruminating. Proud of what I do?

Venti started reaching out towards her when there was an audible THUMP from the ground.

Childe stood from where he had hit one of the men on the floor. “He was waking up,” he said after taking in Venti and Lumine’s worried looks. “We should leave now.”

Lumine let her gaze linger on Venti—his brows furrowed from either confusion or frustration or both—before turning to Childe.

“Yeah…let’s go back the way we came and try to backtrack,” she suggested. She and Childe started to make their way back.

Venti didn’t budge. “How does Childe know?”

“What?” Lumine answered.

“You said you don’t want anyone to know.” His teal green eyes narrowed, ever so slightly, at Childe. “So he’s an exception?”

“He found out on his own,” Lumine said. Why is he doing this right now? We need to go—

“And I’m her coach,” Childe said, crossing his arms. There was the tiniest curve of a smile on his lips.

Venti let out a meek laugh. “He’s your coach? So do you spend a lot of time together?”

She threw a glare at Childe. “Yes—Well, I don’t know. I guess.” She shook her head. “This isn’t the time to be talking about this. Let’s go.” She marched off without another word.

As she walked back the direction they came from, she heard the two boys footsteps behind her. She kept her pace up, however, not wanting to speak to either of them at the moment. Any time either of them entered her peripheral vision, she sped up away from them. Stupid boys and their stupid jealously.

Eventually, after trying to navigate the twists and turns of the alleyways, the group had somehow ended up in a completely new location.

Lumine first noticed when the scent of salty sea waves hit her nose. Then, was the shuddering of ocean waves lapping against the shore line, and the groaning of metal ships floating in the water.

“Looks like we’re at a dock,” Childe remarked.

“How did we even get here?” Venti wondered.

Lumine rubbed at her forehead. “How do we get out?”

The three of them stood silently, thinking, watching as a group of fishermen unloaded from a large docked ship, and funneled into a nearby building—tall and silvery sleek.

Childe murmured something to himself before heading towards the building himself. “Follow me,” he said to Lumine and Venti.

The two shared a questioning look, before following Childe forward.

They all entered the building, finding themselves in a large lobby, business men and women scooting past. Childe instructed Venti and Lumine to wait in the corner as he went alone to approach the receptionist.

Lumine watched curiously as the receptionist looked at Childe, a mix of wary and annoyance. Childe started saying something to the lady, his face lifted in confidence. The longer he went on, the receptionist’s expression shifted to disbelief, slowly picking up the telephone and making a call.

The receptionist kept her eyes on Childe while talking on the phone, with Childe smiling right back at her. As the phone call went on, her face stretched into shock, eventually handing the phone right to Childe with wide eyes.

Lumine furrowed her brows as Childe took the phone, turning away so she no longer saw his face. What in the world is he doing?

When he finished his conversation, Childe turned back to the receptionist, but kept hold on the phone. He gestured to Lumine, and after a nod from the receptionist, he waved her over.

Lumine awkwardly walked up to the desk, ignoring Venti’s whispered questions behind her. Upon reaching Childe, he held out the phone to her.

“All yours,” he said. There was something in his expression Lumine hadn’t quite seen before—a sheepishness of sorts, a humbled look that didn’t seem possible for him.

She hesitantly took the phone, eyes looking to the receptionist who placed the receiver towards her with a smile—much different than her initial standoffish disposition.

Lumine looked down at the keypad, her fingers already pressing the only number she could remember in the moment. The phone barely rang once before someone immediately picked up.

“Hello?” Aether’s panicked voice crackled on the other end.

Lumine let out a shaky sigh of relief. “Aether, it’s me—”

“LUMINE!” he interrupted. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

The slew of Aether’s worried questions bombarded her ear, and she almost laughed. “I’m fine,” she enunciated over his questioning. “I’m safe here with Childe. And Venti.”

“God, you two…,” Aether murmured. “Where are you?”

“Where are we?” Lumine repeated, looking up at the receptionist. The lady quickly pulled out a business card, the address of the building clearly printed; Lumine repeated the address to Aether. “We wound up here because I chased after some asshole who stole all our stuff.”

There was shuffling on Aether’s end, and she heard him talking to someone in the background. The line crinkled as he returned to the phone. “Okay, I just told Miss Ninguang,” he said. “She wants to talk to you.”

Lumine swallowed the lump in her throat. The school principal. Oh, I’m definitely in trouble…

“Miss Lumine?” Ninguang asked.

“Yes, hello, Miss Ninguang,” Lumine answered. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience; I—”

“Please, do not worry yourself,” Ninguang said, her voice reassuringly mellow. “I am just glad to hear you and your friends are safe.” A chuckle. “We were really quite besides ourselves at your disappearance.”

Lumine nearly cried in relief. “We-We’re not in trouble?”

“Of course not,” the principal said. “We just want to make sure to get you back safely.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Miss Ninguang.”

There was a pause, and Lumine could imagine Ninguang’s small smile. “Now, for the safety of everyone, we’ll meet back up in the morning. For now, it would be best for everyone to rest for the night.”

The night? Lumine glanced out of the large office windows, and blinked at the darkened sky in disbelief. Have we really been lost that long?!

“From the address Aether gave me, there should be an inn within walking distance from where the three of you are. Stay there for the night, and we will be there to pick you up in the morning.”

“Stay in the inn for the night? Miss Ninguang, I’m so sorry, but all of our money was stolen—”

“Do not worry. We will call them and make the reservation for you. Please, just rest up. I am sure it has been a stressful day for you.”

“Th-Thank you, Miss Ninguang.”

“I trust you. Stay safe.” Then, the line clicked off.

Lumine slowly handed the phone back to the receptionist, legs shaky from the relief flooding her body. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel…

“Well?” Childe asked. “What’s the plan?”

Lumine relayed the information about the nearby inn.

“Will you be needing a car ride there, Mister Ajax?” the receptionist asked Childe.

Lumine’s eyes flashed to him. Ajax?

“No, thank you,” he quickly said. “We’d better get going now.” He sauntered away from the desk.

Lumine jogged up to him. “Ajax?” she questioned.

She saw his body lock up. “It’s nothing,” he said.

A scoff. “Obviously not. How did you—”

“What’s going on?” Venti asked, skipping over to them. He looked over at the receptionist desk. “What was that all about?”

“We’ve got rooms at a nearby inn thanks to Lady Ninguang,” Childe said. “Let’s get there quickly before the night gets even darker.” He rushed out of the building.

Venti shot Lumine a confused look. “Uh, what’s wrong with him?”

“Who knows?” Lumine muttered.

Childe had always been very straightforward with her, rarely hiding any secrets.

So why was he hiding something now?

* * *

The inn—Wangshu Inn—was a quaint wooden building lit up with glowing lanterns and paintings plastered along the walls. The lobby and outdoor restaurant had a few groups strewn about, a diverse grouping of travelers. Thankfully, Lumine, Childe, and Venti didn’t look too out of place.

The three approached the lady at the front desk, a woman named Verr Goldet, with Lumine asking about their reservation.

“Yes, we just received that phone call about your situation,” she said kindly. “We have the last two rooms ready for you.”

“Oh,” Lumine uttered. She had assumed there would be three rooms, one for each of them. “I guess Venti and Childe can share a room—”

“I am not sharing a room with him,” Childe said.

“Ehe, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I will not be sharing a room with the likes of him either,” Venti retorted.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Verr Goldet interrupted. “I didn’t realize there are three of you! The last two rooms are single bed only.”

Lumine’s jaw barely had time to drop before Venti was pulling on her arm. “Let’s have a sleepover like when we were younger, LuLu! We can build forts, watch movies—”

Childe’s hand slid down Lumine’s arm, shoving’s Venti’s hands away. “The only way that’s happening is in your dreams, buddy.”

Lumine shrugged off both of the boys, leaning in towards Verr Goldet. “There are absolutely no other rooms available?” Any combination of the three of them would surely result in a dead body in the morning.

Verr Goldet started typing away at her computer. “I’ll double check for you!”

The sound of Childe and Venti hissing insults at each other made Lumine snap around. “Just. Go to the rooms. I will figure where I’m staying for the night. Alone,” she said definitively, pulling the two keys off the counter and holding them out in front of her.

There was a pause as the two of them stared at the keys. Childe was the first to grab one.

“Guess this is goodnight then,” he said. He pressed a swift kiss to Lumine’s forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning, Lumi.” Just as quickly, he left, disappearing into the elevator, leaving Lumine’s forehead (along with the rest of her face) to melt with boiling heat.

Before she had time to process that, Venti’s cheeks puffed, and he planted a kiss on the side of Lumine’s face. “Goodnight, LuLu. If you still want to pig out on junk food, you know where to find me,” he said, jingling his room key. He quickly disappeared into the elevator as well.

Stupid boys. Stupid boys. Stupid boys. Lumine’s mind buzzed. And who was causing this sensation?

“I am so sorry, ma’am,” Verr Goldet said, bringing Lumine back to reality. “On such short notice we truly gave you the last two rooms.” She clicked around on the computer a little more. “I can find another inn for you to stay at if you’d like.”

Lumine took a deep breath in. Her body was already feeling weighty with fatigue, and she didn’t want to complicate the situation even more. “No, that’s alright. I’ll just...stay in one of the rooms.”

Verr Goldet nodded. “Which room would you like a key to?”

* * *

Standing outside the door, Lumine suddenly felt a pang of anxiety burn in her gut. Was she really about to do this? Was it a completely idiotic choice of hers? It wasn’t too late: she could turn right back around and take Verr Goldet’s offer of staying at a separate inn.

But it wasn’t like she could avoid this choice forever, lest the two boys kept fighting for eternity.

And this was the right choice. She knew it in her heart, no matter how much pain it would cause the other one. She cared for them both, deeply. But in different ways. One as a good friend, the other...something more.

She started to push the key into the lock, but stopped herself as images of her walking in someone changing brought blood rushing to her head.

She cleared her throat and knocked on the door instead.

Seconds passed, and Lumine’s heartbeat picked up, just a bit. Was it anticipation?

The door opened, and Childe stood there, fully clothed, thankfully.

He stared at her in silence, as if in disbelief, not sure if she was really there.

“Move,” was all Lumine could say, feeling heat creep up her spine.

He blinked, and stood to the side, still silent. Lumine stepped through the doorway, moving her way to the corner of the room, and plopping herself on the armchair. Wordlessly, she yanked a blanket from the bed, and wrapped herself in it, then closing her eyes.

Maybe neither of them would speak. Maybe it would make the situation more bearable. Childe, please, don’t say anything—

“Take the bed,” he said, pulling the blanket off of her. “I’m not having you sleep in an armchair for the night.”

She tried pulling the blanket back. “It’s fine. You take the bed.”

A tsk. “Why are you always so difficult?”

“I am not diff—”

Childe picked her up from the waist, tossing her on the bed. Then he tossed the blanket on top of her. “There. Just sleep now.”

Her chest fluttered as her breath shortened under the blanket. “And you say I’m the difficult one,” she grumbled. She kept the blanket over her face for as long as she could, not wanting to make eye contact with Childe.

After a while, she peeled it off for air, and couldn’t help but glance over to the armchair where Childe was sitting, eyes closed. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, his lanky legs crossed awkwardly, and his neck looking oddly stiff.

Lumine let out a disgruntled groan, and turned on her side so her back was to Childe. “Sleep in the bed before you break your neck in your sleep,” she said. “Just...stay on your side.”

A long pause. Lumine thought he had fallen asleep.

“Are you sure about that, Lumi?” he asked.

“Do it before I change my mind and make you sleep in the bathtub instead.”

He chuckled lightly. The bed weighed down as he climbed on. Lumine glanced over her shoulder, finding Childe’s back turned to her.

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do, Lumi,” he said, as if sensing her eyes on his back.

She quickly turned her head back, heat flushing into her cheeks. “Good. Because I’d beat you up.”

“I know you would.”

They laid there in silence, in the dark for a while, backs to each other.

Lumine couldn’t fall asleep. And she was sure Childe couldn’t either.

“Why’d that lady call you Ajax?” Lumine asked quietly.

“Curious about me? I’m flattered.”

“Nevermind. Goodnight.”

“It’s my birth name,” he said. “And that place is actually owned by my father.”

Images of his luxurious mansion flashed in Lumine’s mind.

“That entire dock, actually, is mostly his. He, uh, runs a very big fishing company. Very famous. Very rich.”

“Oh,” was all Lumine could utter. That amount of wealth was something she could only dream about. “And you don’t tell anyone because...?”

“We all have our secrets, don’t we, Pres?” he reminded. “People are greedy. If anyone truly knew who I was, all I’d ever be used for is my money.”

“That’s...very true,” she responded. How...sad. “Is there a reason why you’re not at some big fancy boarding school then?”

Childe laughed. “Can you imagine me in that kind of environment? I’m not interested in that at all.”

The bed shifted as Childe moved around. Lumine glanced over her shoulder again, finding Childe laying on his back, eyes open and staring at the ceiling.

“Besides,” he continued. “If I had gone to one of those schools, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Lumine turned onto her back as well. “You would’ve met me anyways,” she murmured. “You ran into me at the arena, remember?”

“You think so?”

“Our paths would’ve crossed eventually...right?”

A beat of silence. Fluttering of breaths.

“Do you regret meeting me?”

Something about his words, the way he said them, made Lumine’s entire body seize up. It was almost the quietest she had ever heard Childe speak, the tiniest tinge of fear, like his heart had hissed it out before he even really knew what he was saying.

“No,” she answered, just as quiet, her heart responding to his.

Another slight pause. Then a small exhale from Childe, breath lilting in a soft laugh.

“You know. It’s been quite a lonely existence. Before you,” he said.

Lumine looked over at him. His hand was resting on his chest—right where that huge scar was.

It was rare to see him so vulnerable, and her to be just as such. Her past self wouldn’t have been able to fathom this happening with Childe of all people.

But just like she said, she didn’t regret it.

He understood her, better than herself sometimes. And there wasn’t anyone in Childe’s life who came close to knowing who he really was. They both wore facades of sorts, but not around each other. Not anymore.

Her hand started reaching out without thought. It was the right thing to do, to comfort him, to connect with him.

Lumine’s hand sat atop Childe’s. “You’re not so lonely anymore, right?”

She felt his hand flex under hers, hesitant. Then, he relaxed, and his fingers intertwined with hers. “Of course not.”

The warmth from their hold sparked something in her. The warmth of a promise she had made.

She finally turned onto her side, completely facing him. “Did I do it?” Her amber eyes met with his. “Did I save you?”

He stared at her, gaze lost in gaze. He smiled, small, but real, genuine, from the heart. “Yes.” He brought her hand to his lips, lips brushing over her knuckles. “You saved me, Lumine.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed with anticipation, heart beating in a frenzy. She swore her chest was going to burst.

“I love you,” she said.

…

Childe was frozen, speechless for once.

He’s surprised. He was never surprised. He was always so calm and collected.

Should I have even said it? No, she had to. She was going to explode otherwise.

“Lumi, are you serious—”

“Yes, I’m serious. I can’t explain it; I just do and I know it sounds crazy, but you—”

He pulled her close and kissed her.

He kissed her, and this time, she kissed him back.

* * *

[part 14]

#genshin impact #genshin childe #genshin lumine #chilumi #fanfiction #fanfic #me #childe x lumine

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1234-angelika · 3 years

Text

Dinner Party

an:Hey y'all! So I am almost all caught up on this series. This is the fourth installment of the Happily Ever After series for Hotch. As always, I hope y'all enjoy.

words:1.2k

warnings: mentions of childbirth, death, canon-typical violence, military mentions

summary:"Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold." -André Maurois

masterpost|taglist|have an idea

You had briefed the case on the plane, on the way to New Jersey. Two boys had been taken and killed and, a third child had gone missing; Kyle Murphy, a seven-year-old boy.

Once the plane landed, one group of you—you, JJ, Aaron and, Spencer—went straight to the precinct to investigate. The other group—Derek, Emily, and David—went to the Murphys' home to further investigate the scene and observe the press conference. The case moved very quickly since we were on a strict timeline. What we didn't see coming was the fact that Kyle's brother was the one who killed him. The case was a rough one, and everyone was feeling it.

The flight home was silent. You and Aaron were sat side by side, David and Derek across from you, Spencer on the couch and, JJ and Emily in the seats across the aisle. You had been reading a book until you were unable to focus any longer. Shifting in your chair, you turned your body to see Aaron better. The two of you chatted amongst yourselves, trying not to draw too much attention—for the sake of keeping the relationship a secret. However, you knew it wouldn't be able to go on as a secret for much longer, given the fact the two of you were surrounded by some of the best profilers. So, together, you decided that you would announce your relationship to the team. Because you were a team member, you were ok with the rest of the team finding out on their own, but Aaron insisted on a formal introduction. He was very persuasive. Together, you decided to make the announcement on Friday over dinner at your place.

Today was the day! Friday came quickly, the nerves of announcing the relationship coming faster as the dinner got closer. The decision to have dinner at your place was significantly influenced by the fact that you had yet to meet Jack in any capacity. You had already filed for a half-day, needing the time for cleaning and cooking, and Aaron pushed the papers through.

You hurriedly walked into the FBI building, trying to arrive to work on time and also to avoid the chilly weather outside. You made it to your office just in time. Setting your stuff down, you immediately started on your paperwork left from the case earlier this week. The morning passed in a blur, and surprisingly, no one had interrupted you. Finally, the alarm you had set on your phone went off, alerting you that you were done at the office for the day. You put your coat on and gathered your belongings before leaving for the day. You went up to Aaron's office to update him and then headed on your way out of the office.

As you walked through the bullpen, you said, "Dinner at my place tonight. At 7, Garcia will send the address. See you later."

You rushed to the grocery store and flew through, getting everything off of your list before heading on your way home. You drove up to the gate, and the guard walked to your window.

"Miss Y/L/N, welcome home." He said with a smile.

"Thanks Norm. I am expecting some guests this evening, if you could please alert me when they arrive."

"Will do Miss." He started on the way to open the gate when you asked, "Are the kids home Norm?"

"Annie is with them, they are with her in the guest house."

You gave him a nod and a smile before driving through the gate and towards the garage. The butler, Oscar, met you in the garage and helped you carry the groceries in.

"How's your day been Miss?"

"Its been okay Oscar. How's your day been?"

"Its been swell Miss."

"I'm glad to hear it," "Are the lounge and dining room prepared for tonight?"

"Yes Miss."

"With the specifications I left?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you Oscar,"

He left the kitchen after you dismissed him, and then you began to prepare dinner. You got to work chopping and peeling and slicing and dicing. After you placed the chicken in the oven, you went upstairs to get ready.

A quick shower later, you were working on your make-up and doing your hair. Simple make-up and sophisticated hair-do were decided on. You slipped into your black dress and black pumps before making your way back downstairs. The time you had left before the team arrived was filled with cooking and adjusting the place settings. Just as you placed the last wine glass onto the table, your phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Miss Y/L/N, your guests have arrived. Please check the camera to confirm before I let them in."

You walked over to the monitor before answering Norm, "It's them. Thank you Norm."

You then hung up and walked out to the foyer to greet your teammates. You opened the door, and Oscar walked out, taking the keys from each of your friends as they walked up the driveway. They all walked inside, and you watched the expressions on their faces change.

Turning to them, you said, "Welcome to my home."

The team was wide-eyed and looking around when David said, "Bella, I always say I have a mansion but your house… it's absolutely massive."

Gesturing, you said, "The house belongs to my parents—"you were interrupted by the kids running up to you. Annie was hurrying behind them, out of breath and panting apologies. You just waved her off, making sure she knew you weren't angry. Your niece hid behind your legs as soon as she looked up and saw Derek. Crouching down, you picked her up, and she immediately hid her face in the crook of your neck.

"Y/N, who are these cuties?" JJ asked while interacting with your nephew.

"These are my sisters kids," you replied, "That's Marko," you said, pointing to the boy JJ was playing with. Then, stepping to the side, you revealed two little girls standing behind you. "This is Abigail and this is Aleksandra." The two offered a shy wave to your teammates.

"And who might this cutie be?" Derek asked, gesturing to the shy girl in your arms.

"This little one is Briana." You answered with a smile.

Slack-jawed Spencer asked, "So what happened? With their parents I mean."

"My sister passed away due to complications during Brianas birth and during her pregnancy, her husband was serving overseas and was KIA."

"Are you their guardian now?"

"No, legally my parents are. At the time, I was living in LA and couldn't get a transfer here, plus with the job they need a stable home. I live here now though, so I can help out."

The conversation kind of lulled, everyone loitering in the foyer. Aaron decided that now was as good a time as any and made the announcement before dinner even started.

"I know everyone here knows each other and you all know Y/N in an official capacity but, tonight was meant to be used as an announcement of our relationship."

"Emily, Rossi, you both owe me 10." Said Derek, with his signature cheeky grin.

"What for?" You asked, already wary of the path you were heading down.

"We were betting on when the two of you would come clean." Answered Garcia with a smile.

And even though you were a part of the team, somehow, it now felt more like you were a part of a family. The dinner was full of laughter, chatter and, embarrassing stories, continuing long into the night.

taglist:@multixfandomwriter @honeyofthegods @myescapefromthislife @sparklykeylime

#criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #hotch x reader #happilyeverafter #hea

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sisterspooky1013 · 3 years

Text

Only One Choice, Chapter 3

Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic

A week passes, and her interaction with Agent Mulder fades into the recesses of her memory. She files it away under “times a cute guy hit on me,” alongside overly friendly waiters and optimistic students.

She and Ethan’s anniversary is coming up next week and she’s been grappling with the best gift to get him; something practical or indulgent? He is a prolifically thoughtful gift-giver and she feels pressure on each special occasion to select the perfect thing to give him, though the pressure comes only from herself. She’s contemplating this as she finishes up an autopsy, replacing the organs in the chest cavity and suturing up the Y-incision.

“Dana,” the pathologist about to come on shift calls out to her, “someone is asking for you.”

“I’ll just be about ten minutes, Trudy. Who is it?” she returns, gently settling the young woman’s liver back into her body.

Trudy shrugs. “Tall guy in a suit, cute, dark hair.”

She feels a flutter in her belly and then immediately chastises herself.

“Tell him I’ll be right there, please.”

She apologizes internally to the decedent as she rushes through the final steps, not taking quite as much care as she typically does.

After scrubbing her hands and fixing her hair, she steps into the hallway to find Agent Mulder sitting on a bench. His back is against the wall, his long legs crossed casually as he studies the art hung opposite him. He looks so composed and confident it unnerves her.

“Agent Mulder, what can I do for you?” she asks, forcing confidence she does not feel into her own voice.

The smile that lights up his face when he turns to look at her makes her flush, and she can feel the heat in her cheeks. Being unable to hide her emotional response behind her fair complexion has always been something she resents.

“Scully, good to see you. I wanted to follow up on the Dugan case, you said you were interested in understanding the motivation behind your autopsy findings,” he says as he stands and walks towards her, his tall frame looming above her such that she has to look up at his face. He stands close enough that she can smell his aftershave and see the stubble coming in on his cheeks.

“Oh, yes, I was curious about that,” she replies, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. Why does this man make her so nervous?

“If you’d like, you can meet with the lead behavioral analyst on the case. They can tell you how they drew parallels between the wound pattern you observed and the perpetrator profile,” he offers, a slight tilt to his head as his green eyes jump around her face as though he’s trying to commit it to memory.

“That would be great, thank you. You really didn’t have to do that,” she replies self-consciously, feeling as though she asked for something she shouldn’t have, even though she’d never requested this.

“Do you have time today?” he asks, lifting his wrist to glance at his watch. She knows it’s just past 4 pm.

“Um, yes, actually, I’m done with classes for the day and that was my last autopsy. I was just going to do paperwork for a bit, but I can defer it until tomorrow.”

A small smirk flashes on his mouth, but quickly disappears.

“Alright, why don’t you meet them at that cafe you mentioned in, say, thirty minutes?” he asks.

“Okay, that should work,” she replies, “what’s their name, so I can find them?” She should have just about enough time to change and get there by 4:30.

His eyebrows lift as though he just realized he forgot something, and he pauses before continuing.

“Uh, Fox. His name is Fox. I’ll describe you to him, he’ll find you.”

“Fox?” she asks dubiously, “is that a real name?”

He purses his lips. “Sadly, yes.”

“Alright, well, thank you, Agent Mulder. It was, um...it was good to see you again.” She extends her hand with her chin held high, trying to portray an air of professionalism and not one of a girl with a crush, which is how he makes her feel.

He takes her hand and smiles at her warmly, a little something coy behind his eyes.

“Likewise. I hope to see you again very soon,” he says confidently, and she feels her belly tumble yet again.

——————————————————————————

He stands in the hallway until Scully disappears into the staff locker room, then books it over to Cafe Adamo to get a quiet table in the corner. He’s not sure exactly what he’s after here; she has a boyfriend after all. He just hasn’t been able to get her out of his head all week. When the lead analyst on the Dugan case had a family emergency and needed to take leave, he jumped at the opportunity to take over the case, getting a little thrill from reading over her report and incorporating it into his profile. It felt as though they were creating something together.

He watches the clock, a pit in his belly as he wonders how she’ll react to learning that he tricked her into having coffee with him. He barely knows her, but gets the sense that she doesn’t take shit from anyone. That is, in fact, what draws him to her. Well, that and those plush pink lips. He hasn’t been this affected by anyone since he and Valerie split.

When the door swings open and she steps through in fitted jeans and a black T-shirt, he feels a wave of nausea. She’s even more beautiful in street clothes than she was in scrubs, her tiny waist curving up into a modest bustline. She scans the room and when her eyes fall on him, she quirks her head to the side and her eyebrows knit in confusion. His heart starts to pound and he stays glued to his seat, watching her traverse the room until she reaches him and gives him an expectant look.

He holds out his hand. “Fox Mulder,” he says with a guilty smile, and she lifts her chin before tucking it to her chest, taking his hand with a pensive expression.

“I see,” she says, her tone skeptical. It’s clear that she is unsure of his intentions.

“I am the lead behavioral analyst on this case, for the record. I am now, anyway,” he offers, and watches her doubt deepen. What the hell did he think was going to happen, catfishing an unavailable woman into a date? “Will you sit?” he asks hopefully, and she does, though he can tell by her posture that she is one wrong move away from fleeing the scene.

Someone comes by and takes their coffee order, and he sets his profile on the table, getting right to the reason he asked her here lest she think he’s completely full of shit.

“You noted that the victim was stabbed repeatedly in the exact same location, giving the appearance of one wound,” he explains, “we’ve seen something similar with the other victims, and at this time my theory is that the perp lost someone close to them in this manner, perhaps a family member or parent. I believe they’re re-creating the injury that killed their loved one, though because these crimes are so rage-fueled they feel compelled to injure the victim more extensively than just the one wound. The repeated stabbing in the same location provides an outlet for that rage while preserving the one-wound injury that is the cause of death.”

She reads over his profile with interest, nodding along as he speaks. “That’s very interesting,” she says, lifting her head to look at him, and he feels a swell of pride at her praise. “You had to trick me into getting coffee with you to tell me that?” she adds flatly, and now it’s him who is blushing.

She smiles victoriously at having made him uncomfortable, a bright, dazzling, toothy smile, and he’s overwhelmed by how attracted he is to her. He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again and just shrugs.

Their coffee is delivered and he watches intently as she licks at the foam on her cappuccino. Her blue irises dart up to meet his and he startles at having been caught, picking up his own cup and taking a big gulp that burns the roof of his mouth.

“Your name sounds very familiar,” she begins, “why do I feel like I’ve heard it before?”

“Uh, I had a bit of a reputation at one time,” he says with a regretful tone. “Are you familiar with the X files?”

Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “Spooky Mulder,” she says with realization, “that’s where I’ve heard your name.”

He grimaces. “Not my favorite nickname, but yes, guilty as charged.”

“But you’re in the BSU now? Not on the X files anymore? I’m surprised I’ve never seen you around Quantico,” she remarks, and he can see her relaxing a bit.

“No, the X files division was shut down a couple years ago. I was in the BSU before I reopened the X files, and transferred back after I was reassigned. I’m part of a small BSU team that works out of the Hoover building, so I’m not down here all that often these days.”

“Why was the X files division shut down?” she asks before licking more foam from the rim of her mug, and he shifts in his seat.

“Well, how much time do you have?” he asks with a shy smile, “it’s a long story.”

She returns his smile. “Not that much time. So you’re into aliens and all that paranormal stuff?”

“Well, let me ask you this, Scully,” he says, leaning in, “do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?”

She gives him an incredulous look, but answers. “Logically, I’d have to say no.” He nods and sits back, but she continues. “Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft’s capabilities…”

“Conventional wisdom,” he interrupts, “I just happen to disagree with it.”

“On what basis?” she asks, curious but not derisive, which is what he’s used to getting in response to his theories.

“If you’d seen what I’ve seen, Scully, you’d understand why I believe in such extreme possibilities.”

She tilts her head expectantly. “Do tell, Agent Mulder. Or should I call you Fox?” she asks with a haughty tone, though a playful one, and he blushes again.

“Please, it’s just Mulder. I even make my parents call me Mulder. I’m sure you can understand why with a first name like Fox.” She makes a face that says she can’t argue with that, and he continues. “I’ve seen things, Scully, things that defy all logic and can’t be explained by the laws of science. Repeat abductees, men who can stretch their bodies and travel through the slats of a heater vent, prehistoric monsters dwelling in the woods.” She’s giving him a doubtful expression, one eyebrow cocked suspiciously. He laughs a little. “I know I sound crazy, but it’s just crazy enough to be true. When convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?”

She screws up her mouth, politely suppressing the “you are certifiably nuts” expression that wants to present on her face. He’s used to it, and takes no offense.

“What I find fantastic, Mulder, is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there, you just have to know where to look,” she says in a tone that is both playful and sincere.

He smiles at her, sure he looks like a total dope. This conversation is more intellectually stimulating than any he’s had in months.

“You should come see the X files sometime, Scully. Tell me how you make scientific sense of what you see.”

“You have them?” she asks with wide eyes.

He shrugs guiltily. “I may have acquired a few on my way out.”

Her head dips lower in disbelief. “Is that allowed?”

“No, definitely not,” he answers with a chuckle. If only she knew the extent of his flaunting of bureau policy during his time on the X files.

She smiles at him in a way that he can only interpret as openly flirtatious, an acknowledgement that she finds his insubordinate behavior a little bit enticing. As suddenly as the smile appears, it vanishes and she checks her watch.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she says as she stands.

“Right, you’ve got somebody waiting for you,” he says with a regretful tone.

She looks at him guiltily, then thanks him for the coffee and leaves. He sits there for a long while, staring at the door she exited through.

“Shit,” he says aloud to no one.

#the x files #txf #dana scully #fox mulder #gillovny #msr #sculder #x files #alternate universe #fanfiction

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dibs4ever · 3 years

Text

Listening Ears.

Dick walked into his house, taking off his BCPD hat, then his jacket. Setting both on Nathan’s high chair before making his way further into the house to find his family. He found Barbara in the living room, their son playing contently on the floor. He stepped forward wrapping his arms around Barbara’s waist and resting his head on her shoulder “Who wants a kiss?” he whispered with a grin before turning his head to go for a kiss on the lips

But his lips met her hand when she put it between them to stop it. “Don’t” she mumbled

Dick released her and stepped back “Am I in trouble?” he asked, his mind reeling of things he could have done wrong....did he remember to pick his muddy suit up last night?

She sighed “No-not really. Come here.” She pulled him in for a quick peck. “It’s just....the mommy and me playgroup I went to today.” She flopped down on the couch

Dick nodded sitting down beside her “Oh yeah, you’re first day trying to make friends with the ‘Elite mommy group’ how’d it go? Did Nate get along with the other babies?”

“He’s a Grayson, of course he got along with everyone” She smiled at their son, his back to them. The two-year-old was fully engrossed in his tower building. Balancing the blocks, his mind thinking of the perfect strategy of block-sized to build the tallest tower he could.

A trait he probably inherited from both of them

“But the moms-“ she trailed

Dick grinned, knowing his wife’s fiery personality any number of things could have gone array “Oh boy” he chucked

At the sound of his father's distinct laugh, Nathan was pulled out of his trance and turned “Daddy!” He smiled running and jumping into his father's lap.

Dick gave his son a tight hug before setting him in his lap “Mommy was just getting ready to tell me about the park” he smirked

Barbara nodded “Okay so, we arrive at the park, thanks to Bruce’s fancy stroller he keeps at the manor we matched all the other mommy’s and babies. They’re dressed in only the highest and latest fashions. Meanwhile, I was up all night as Batgirl so I just threw on one of your old Band tees that I tied up in the front and a pair of shorts with sneakers.”

Dick smirked “I bet you were the hottest mommy there.”

“Dick.” Her eyes shifted to the toddler in his lap. The boy had started repeating everything recently. Meaning they needed to work on not saying certain things- so certain secrets wouldn’t be exposed by their 2-year-old.

“So we’re all making small talk. Sipping on our coffees as we walk down the pathway to the park. All the kids had gotten cake pops that they were content with eating. We get to the playground, park the strollers and start getting the kids out. There were 3 little girls in the group around Nate’s age and as soon as I gave him encouragement to go on and play he looks at the little girls, smiles and says ‘who wants a kiss’” she narrowed her eyes at Dick

He was too busy to notice though because he was grinned down at his son.

She smiled “It’s funny now but it wasn’t in the moment. I apologized and tried to break the ice by jokingly saying ‘He’s his daddy’s son’ then those women had the nerve to remark how hot you were”

Dick smirked “You didn’t claw their eyes out?”

Barbara shrugged “They can talk all they want. I know who gets to come home and have their way with you as much as they please.”

Dick shot her a flirty grin “You got that right Babes.”

“Anything else happen?” He asked

Barbara shrugged “He starting doing all his flippy, bendy things. I forget when we haven’t been around our family and vigilant friends that normal people aren’t used to seeing an acrobat toddler. He started doing flips on the monkey bars and putting on a show for the kids. In turn, the other moms were freaked out. Especially when Nate fell from the monkey bars and bounced back up saying “I okay!”

Dick smirked “You’re so cute” he ticked Nathan’s sides. The boy let out a belly laugh

Barbara smiled and reached over taking the boy from Dick and placing him in her lap. “You’re lucky you’re cute” she kissed his chunky cheeks before hugging him “Because next another child went over to see if he was indeed okay and Nathan proceeds to respond with “merci d'avoir demandé mais je vais bien” I didn’t even know he knew French!”

Dick nodded “Me neither but, I think Tim and Steph taught him some last Saturday night when they babysat for us”

She rolled his eyes “The other moms stared at me. I just laughed. It was when our baby boy was about to go down the slide after a few other kids and announces to the whole park “Grayson’s do it best” it's safe to say I scooped up our canery of a child and excused ourselves before leaving.”

Dick was laughing hysterically now “hey he got that from you.” He pointed

Barbara rolled her eyes but smiled, readjusting her son so he was cuddled against her chest “Laugh all you want, but we do have to watch what we say around him now. I mean thankfully it was flirty things we say and not bat-related stuff.”

“Batman!” Nathan proclaimed throwing his

Hands up.

He wiggled until Barbara set him down “I Batman.”

Dick shook his head “No your Nate.”

The toddler shook his head “Pretend I, Batman?”

Dick tilted his head “What if I get your pretend Nightwing costume and you can pretend Nightwing? Or maybe your purple cape and pretend Batgirl!!” Dick encouraged

The boy wrinkled his nose as he thought then his eyes lit up, he ran to his toy bin and dug around before returning with a plastic toy bow and arrow “I Gween Arrow!” He said with excitement “Daddy be Batman, Mommy Nightwing.”

Barbara smiled “Can I be Batgirl?”

The toddler shook his head “Mommy you like Nightwing be Nightwing .”

Dick chuckled “Yeah Babs you LIKE Nightwing. You only screamed his name like 5 times in a row last night”

The toddler looked between his parents confusingly “Batgirl in space. Mommy Nightwing, Daddy Batman. Nate Gween Awow. We hava get Batgirl back.”

Dick looked toward his son “Oh that’s our situation?”

Nate nodded

Barbara smiled “Perfect Nightwing always knows how to help Batgirl....isn’t that right Batman?”

Dick smirked “Definitely Nightwing and Batgirl would be able to help Nightwing too. Right Nightwing?”

Barbara grinned “That's right Batman”

The toddler groaned “Otay let’s play!” He jumped with his arrow shooting it off. Dick and Barbara stood getting ‘into character’ for the sake of their son's enjoyment

#dickbabs #dick grayson #barbara gordon #batfam headcanons

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acabecca · 3 years

Text

Evie Hart + Johnny Storm // Supernova series

"I know it's not fair to say this, but I don't have anything without you. If I don't have you, I have nothing.” - for @fyeahsuperverseocs angst prompt event

The clattering of pans in the kitchen stirred Evie from her sleep and she sat up in her bed, running at her eyes groggily as she pulled herself up with a sigh as she glanced at her clock on her bedside table.

2.57am.

There was only one person who would be dumb enough to let themselves onto her floor of the Baxter building at this time of the morning, and she really did not want to deal with him right now; not when things were still so tense between them, the sting of their breakup still fresh to her, even after three months.

But she knew she had no choice. From the sounds of things he was about to make a huge mess that she’d be left to clean up, and so she begrudgingly threw the duvet off her and trudged out of her bedroom.

“Johnny?” she called, squinting against the light and biting back a laugh when he jumped, banging his head on the underside of the cabinet. “What are you doing?”

Johnny’s head emerged from inside the cupboard, a pout on his lips and his knuckles rubbing just above his ear, the spot he had obviously bumped when she’d startled him.

He beamed when he spotted her standing in the doorway.

“Heeeeey! Evie! I’m makin’ pancakes, you want some?” he asked, gesturing you the mixing bowl and ingredients scattered on the worktop.

“It’s three in the morning,” Evie took a step further inside the room, her eyes surveying the mess he’d already created, flour dusting her floor and one broken egg lying in front of the fridge. “And also, you don’t live here. Go make pancakes at your place.”

“I don’t have-” he paused, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth and one eye closed as he carefully poured milk into a measuring jug. “I don’t have all of this stuff!” he glanced at her, his brow furrowed. “Whose shirt is that?”

“Yours. Forgot to pack it up with the rest of your stuff. You have flour in your hair,” Evie sighed, taking the milk carton away from him and wiping the top of his head. “Are you drunk?”

Johnny grinned. “Obviously.”

Rolling her eyes, Evie moved the mixing bowl to the side and put the milk back in the fridge, grabbing a dish towel and scooping up the smashed egg. “So, you just decided to let yourself into my place and make yourself breakfast?”

“Like the way you make pancakes,” Johnny hummed, and Evie snorted when she heard the scrape of the chair being pulled out at the table. “They taste better when you make ‘em. Secret ingredient is love.”

“Secret ingredient is cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg, and it’s not a secret,” she told him, pouring the milk into the bowl and mixing the batter together. “Sometimes blueberries-”

“Put those in!”

“I don’t have any.”

“Why not?”

Evie knew he was pouting without even turning to face him. “Because I wasn’t expecting any midnight callers to raid my cupboards, demanding I feed them. What are you- I mean, why did you come here? There’s a diner down the street.”

“Told you,” Johnny hummed. “Like the way you make ‘em. With love.”

“Well, these ones are being made under duress, so they might not be all that nice,” she murmured.

“…Not made with love anymore, huh?” he asked in a whisper and Evie paused, taking a breath.

“No,” she shook her head, her voice quiet. “Not anymore,” she poured some batter into the pan, ignoring the sound of Johnny standing up from the table behind her as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “You have to stop doing this, Johnny.”

“Doing what?”

He was closer than she expected, but his voice was still quiet and she could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head. Evie shrugged, flipping the pancakes over and grabbing a plate out of the cupboard.

“Showing up whenever you feel like it. Acting like nothing’s changed. Everything has changed.”

“…Could change back, though.”

Evie swallowed thickly, finally turning round to face him and leaning against the worktop as she cocked her head to the side. He looked so young stood in front of her now, his hair disheveled and his cheeks pink from alcohol, one eyebrow raised and a small, hopeful smile on face.

He looked like the Johnny she had fallen in love with, the cocky but sweet boy she had gotten to know, different from the Johnny Storm the public had grown to love.

It made her heart pound in her chest, her fingers itching to reach out and run through his hair, to fix the collar of his shirt, and she clenched her hands into fists to stop herself from touching him.

He had broken her heart. She had to remember that. Had to remember that he was no longer her Johnny, no longer the Johnny she had loved. He was somebody else now. Somebody who had a different girl - sometimes two - on his arm every night. Somebody who got invited to club openings and celebrity events, who had his picture appearing in tabloids, who had to be available at the drop of the hat in case the world needed saving.

“Things will never go back to how they were, Johnny,” she kept her voice void of emotion, her stomach churning when she saw his face fall. “It’s different now. You’re Johnny Storm. The Human Torch. Bonafide superhero, girls falling all over themselves to be with you. Why would you want things to go back to how they used to be?” she laughed softly, turning back to the pan and scooping the pancakes out onto a plate.

“Because I miss you,” he admitted, and Evie screwed her eyes shut. “I know I have no right. I know it's not fair to say this, but I don't have anything without you,” he murmured, his hands landing on her waist and his chest pressed against her back, his nose nudging the spot just behind her ear. “If I don't have you, I have nothing, Eve.”

“Here,” she turned in his arms, holding the plate up between them and shoving it towards his chest so he had no choice but to let go of her and take hold of it. “Your pancakes are done. You can bring the plate back tomorrow. Or don’t, s’not like I’ll miss one plate.”

“Evie-”

“I want you to leave, please,” she interrupted. “It’s late, and I’m tired,” she pushed him gently towards the elevator and his shoulders slumped as he allowed her to guide him off of her floor.

“I don’t- I need a fork-”

Letting out a strangled noise of frustration, Evie stomped back towards the kitchen and grabbed a fork, before making her way back over to her ex-boyfriend and shoving it at his chest.

“There you go, enjoy the pancakes, enjoy the hangover. Goodnight, Johnny!” she pressed the button for the elevator repeatedly. Really, it was the early hours of the morning; who could possibly be using it right now? Why wasn’t it already there waiting, since Johnny had obviously taken it up to her place?

She could feel her resolve cracking the longer she stood there, her finger jabbing at the button and Johnny staying silent as he watched her carefully.

“…How come you’re wearin’ my shirt?”

“Because I- it- it was just there. I forgot to put it in your box of stuff when I sent your things back with Sue and then I- I don’t know. Sometimes I just- I like sleeping in it? It’s comfortable.”

“S’why I left it at your old place,” Johnny shovelled a forkful of pancakes into in his mouth, syrup dribbling down his chin as he stuck his tongue out to catch it. “Don’t want it back. You can keep it.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just don’t make a habit of letting yourself in here, alright? I can’t promise I won’t clock you over the head with a pan next time, what if I think you’re a burglar?” Evie offered him a weak smile. Johnny sighed, his gaze shifting to the plate in his hands.

“I didn’t mean for turning up and letting myself in here unannounced,” he muttered, his eyes widening slightly. “I mean, I am sorry for doing that, of course. But I meant, I’m sorry. For doing what I did. For how I treated you. For hurting you.”

“Johnny-”

“Please let me say this, because we both know I’m gonna lose the nerve when I sober up,” he interrupted as he reached out to take Evie’s hand in his, his fingers sticky with syrup. She pulled a face. “I think you were the best thing that ever happened to me, Evie. An’ I fucked it all up, an’ I know I don’t deserve another chance but, if you ever take pity on me and decide to give me another chance, I promise it’ll be better this time. I’ll be better. I won’t mess it up again because I know what it’s like to not have you. I know what it’s like to lose you now,” he finished quietly, the corners of mouth turning up into a small smile as his eyes searched hers.

Taking a shaky breath, Evie cleared her throat and pulled her hand out of his grasp, reaching out and wiping her hand on the t-shirt he was wearing. “You have sticky fingers,” she whispered.

“Yeah.”

She looked up at him, her arms crossed over her chest as though she were putting a wall up between them, and Johnny sighed as he heard the elevator doors ping open behind him.

“You should, uh… You should go,” she gestured behind him and he nodded, walking backwards into the elevator. “Enjoy the rest of the pancakes. Drink some water before you go to bed, and make sure you have some painkillers for when you wake up.”

“Always takin’ care of me, huh?”

“Well, someone has to,” Evie rolled her eyes, and Johnny snorted out a laugh.

“I’ll drop this back off tomorrow,” he tapped his plate with the fork.

“It’s okay; just sleep off your hangover.”

“No, I’ll come down tomorrow afternoon-”

“I won’t be here,” Evie rubbed her forehead. “I, uhm. I have a date.”

Johnny’s jaw went slack, his shoulders visibly deflating and his whole body felt numb. “Oh.”

“Yeah, so…” she paused, avoiding his gaze with a sigh. “Johnny, I… I heard what you said just now, but… I need someone who can tell me how he feels when he’s sober. I need someone who doesn’t have to lose me to want me.”

The elevator doors began to close and Johnny stumbled, quickly shoving his arm between them to keep them open. “Yeah, I… I get that. Is he- who is he?”

“Just some guy,” she shrugged weakly. “My sister in law set us up. His name is Steve, he seems… nice.”

“Nice,” Johnny repeated.

“Nice,” Evie nodded. “Easy, y’know? Normal guy, ex-military, works security now. He’s-”

“I should go,” he said quickly, dropping his arm back down to his side. “Thanks for the food, sorry again for waking you up and letting myself in. It won’t happen again. Goodnight, Evelyn.”

“Uh, yeah,” she blinked, watching as he disappeared behind the closing doors. “Goodnight, Johnny.”

taglist: @sgtbuckyybarnes @starcrossedjedis @jewelswrites-ish @lukespatterson @mer-writes @hiddenqveendom @if-you-onlyknew @raith-way @foxesandmagic (let me know if you want to be added/removed!)

#ocappreciation #fyeahsuperverseocs #johnny storm x oc #johnny storm oc #fantastic four oc #johnny storm #evie hart #evie x johnny #fic: fired up #fic: tightrope #series: supernova #goodbye this is awful and i am also weary and tired and too in love with chris evans to focus on anything #yes i named him steve AND WHAT ABOUT IT

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whump-tr0pes · 3 years

Text

Honor Bound 5 - 33

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, and the prequel Vera.

AO3

Masterlist

Content warning: self-hatred, death threats, discussion of death, gun

“Isaac!” Sam cried hoarsely as he opened the front door.

They came barreling into his arms, burying their head against his chest and squeezing him tight. Isaac’s eyes pricked with tears as he wrapped his arms around them and pressed a kiss to the crown of their head. He released them a moment later. He could barely breathe. His blood pulsed beneath his skin, his heart pounding in his chest, every nerve throbbing.

Tomorrow.

I’m going to get him back tomorrow.

Isaac looked up at the others, all crowded into the kitchen. Finn and Ellis had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, huddled in the corner, their faces pale. Vera stood beside Tori. Her mouth was set, her gaze steady on Isaac as he walked in, tucking Sam beneath his arm. Edrissa shifted her eyes away, standing on the opposite end of the kitchen as Zachariah. Zachariah’s face was haggard. He looked like he’d aged ten years in the month and a half since he’d reached the family. Deep circles were carved under his eyes, and his hands shook at his sides. Gray stood in the middle of the others, eyes wide and focused on nothing. Isaac thought he saw the glimmer of tears as they blinked and looked up at him.

“Um… h-haven’t made the call yet?” Isaac croaked.

“No,” Gray said weakly. “Wanted to… w-wait on you.”

Isaac’s throat tightened as he glanced around at the others. Every second they waited, Gavin suffered. Every inch of Isaac’s body ached with terror, with the unending pulse of hatred that burned through him with each heartbeat: my fault. My fault. My fault.

“L-let’s get it done, then,” he rasped. He felt like he would jump out of his skin if he had to wait another moment. His hand twitched for the gun he had tucked in his waistband. Vera’s eyes caught the motion. Her mouth twisted.

Silently, Gray pulled the cell phone out of their pocket and flipped it open. They hit redial and put the phone on speaker. They held the phone out in the middle of the group. It trembled in their hand.

It rang once. Twice.

There was a muffled clatter on the other end, and a harried voice sounding slightly out of breath answered. “Hello?”

The voice was unfamiliar, but it still sent a chill down Isaac’s spine. This was the firefighter that was going to walk into the town hall tomorrow and lead Isaac to Gavin. This person was going to help save Gavin tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

The possibility of failure didn’t even cross his mind. Gavin was at the town hall; Isaac knew it with every fiber of his being. He was going to save him. The only way he was not going to have Gavin in his arms tomorrow night was if he was no longer breathing.

“H-hello, Vanya,” Gray said with a shaking voice. “The whole gang is here. You’re on speaker.”

“Good, good,” Vanya said distractedly. A shuffling sound. “Sorry, I’m trying to get somewhere where I can talk.”

“Take your time,” Gray said breathlessly.

There was the whisper of movement, the distant sound of a door closing. Vanya’s voice seemed more muffled than before. “Alright, I can talk. Let’s, uh… let’s go over things.”

“What’s the plan?” Isaac said, unable to keep silent any longer. He bit his lip and clutched Sam tighter. They leaned against him and squeezed him back.

“Well first I… I’m, um, sorry for the short notice. This was the soonest I could schedule it and I felt like you’d want to—”

“Yes,” Isaac choked. “Y-yes.”

There was a deep breath over the line. “Okay. Okay. Good. So here’s my plan, the way I have it: I’m going to go to the town hall tomorrow to do a simple fire inspection. I’ve done half the town by now, and the town hall is right in line with the pattern I’ve been taking from east to west. There’s no reason for Schiester to suspect I’m doing anything out of the ordinary.”

Isaac nodded as Vanya spoke. His skin felt like it was buzzing.

Vanya continued. “I’m not going to do a complete fire inspection, because honestly, that would be a waste of time. That building is old enough that it might not even have a fire suppression system. But it’ll probably have an alarm system. There will be a room with an alarm panel that I can check. Sometimes there will even be a premise map that’ll give a detailed map of every floor… but I doubt it.”

“If DFS has been keeping captives in the basement, I doubt he’d leave a map up,” Vera said harshly.

Isaac huffed out a breath. Come on, come on…

“Yeah. Sorry. Anyway. There will be an alarm panel that will probably give me a good idea of how many floors there are. We have to consider the fact that there might be more than one underground floor.”

Isaac’s breath rushed out of him. He hadn’t considered—

“Isaac, this is where you come in,” Vanya said.

Isaac’s body went rigid. Ice crawled into his veins. “Y-yeah?”

“I’m assuming you’re going to be the one going in after him, based on what I talked about with Gr—”

“Yes,” Isaac snapped. His arm tightened around Sam. “I’m going in.”

“Good. Okay. Well, if there are any floors that show up on a premise map or on the alarm panel that the mayor won’t let me access, I figure there’s a pretty good chance that’s where to search. So… once I get a good idea of where Gavin is being kept—”

Isaac sucked in a breath. To hear someone else say Gavin’s name, someone Isaac didn’t know and couldn’t be sure he could trust, made his skin itch.

“—I’m going to get a message out to you. A call or text, probably, so I can send details. But I’ll figure it out. If there is a premise map, I can even give you turn by turn instructions.”

“I’ll find a way in,” Isaac said darkly. “I will.”

“Okay. Well… that’s where my part ends, I guess. I can really only get you the info on whether or not he’s there.”

“He’s there,” Isaac ground out through his teeth. “He has to be there.”

There was a long pause over the line. Then, “Yeah. It would make sense.”

Gray cleared their throat. “At that point, I’ll already be there with the car for my shift like normal. I’ll help Isaac and Gavin to the car.”

Isaac met Gray’s gaze and chewed his lip. Gray’s eyes shone with tears. Their face hardened into a look of agonized determination. Isaac blinked as he realized there were dried tear tracks on their cheeks. He swallowed hard and looked again at the phone in Gray’s hand.

“I’ll be waiting in the car,” Finn said. Their voice broke. “With my, um… med kit.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment. Then Vanya said, “I’m still working on gathering supplies for making a functioning fire department with… maybe a transporting ambulance soon. What are you planning on taking? I… You’re welcome to whatever I have.”

Finn’s throat bobbed as they swallowed. “Basic trauma stuff,” they said in a monotone. “Suture kits, tourniquets, trauma dressings, ten-gages, SAM splints, then…” They counted off on their fingers. “Fentanyl, ketamine, fluids, dextrose, epi, IV and IO kit, benzos, blankets and heat packs, vital signs stuff, my, um, airway kit w-with the surgical cric kit…” They shuddered, their face going paler by the second. “I’m thinking about packing some IV antibiotics just in case… Let me think, um…” They wet their lips. “Should I pack anything else?” they said in a quavering voice.

There was the uneasy sound of Vanya clearing their throat. “Um… not anything I can think of. That was, um… a lot more than I thought you’d be packing. I… if you need all that…” They fell silent. “Um… d-do you… have a hospital in mind if he, um… needs that?”

“No hospitals,” Finn said dully. “Whatever is wrong is something that… I n-need to fix.”

Isaac raised his head to look at them. His heart sank at the look of overwhelm overshadowed by flat determination on their face.

They feel as responsible for them as I do, just… different. He felt a swell of gratitude in his chest that threatened to choke him.

“Well… alright,” Vanya said softly. “If you need a restock before you head north again… just let me know. I’ll do my best to get supplies to you.”

“Thank you,” Finn said brokenly. Their eyes filled with tears. Ellis clutched their arm and they hugged Ellis tightly.

“We can’t bring too many people,” Vera said, her eyes unfocused. “Otherwise I would… I… would go.” She nodded slowly and looked up at Isaac. “You know I—”

“I know,” he said gruffly. He shivered like a chill had just gone through him. Sweat prickled under his shirt. “That means that… I… should probably be down there already when Gray arrives.” He rubbed his wrist against his hip, barely feeling the scrape of his belt against the scars that itched there. “I’ll head back into town after this, get a ride south. I’ll make sure no one sees or follows.”

“Where will you stay?” Vera said softly.

“In a fucking tent,” Isaac snapped. “On the sidewalk. In a dumpster. I don’t care. I’ll figure it out.” Before the words were fully out, Isaac ducked his head. He looked up at Vera beneath his lashes, already shrinking with shame.

A muscle ticked in Vera’s jaw. She stood perfectly still beside Tori, looking at Isaac evenly.

“I’m sorry,” Isaac whispered. “I… I’m…”

“It’s okay,” Vera said, and Isaac raised his head again. “I’m just… trying to work out the details.”

“I would offer my place, but… we really shouldn’t risk you being seen with me,” Vanya said, sounding apologetic.

“I could ask Mathias,” Isaac said. “He might say yes.”

“We’ll figure it out as soon as we hang up with you, Vanya,” Gray said. For the first time since Isaac had left to search the north, Gray sounded… not quite hopeful, but like there was a little bit of life in their voice again. Their fingers were white where they clutched the phone. “Thank you, Vanya. Truly. I… can’t express how grateful I am for your help. How grateful we all are.”

“Y-yeah,” Isaac croaked. “Thank you.”

The others all murmured their thank yous. Even Edrissa, speaking for the first time. She still leaned away from Isaac, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Well… I’ll, um, get going. If you need anything, call me back on this number. Also, the inspection is scheduled for ten AM, so…”

“I’ll be there,” Isaac said with iron in his voice. His hand itched to hold his gun.

“Okay. Well… good, um, good luck, everyone. I’ll see you tomorrow. Or not, maybe. Either way…”

“Good luck,” Gray rasped.

“Yeah,” Vanya mumbled. “Alright… take care.”

The line went dead.

Isaac let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He rocked forward, his arm squeezing even tighter around Sam’s shoulders, his eyes burning with tears. His heart felt like it would leap from his chest.

Tomorrow. Ten AM. Tomorrow.

His hands felt numb. He swiped at the tears running down his cheeks and into his beard. He felt something shift inside him, like something was about to snap. Blood pounded in his ears.

“Something we have yet to discuss in detail,” Gray said softly, “Is that… once we… have Gavin, Schiester will most likely come after us.”

“Let him fucking come,” Isaac growled. “I’ll rip that motherfucker’s head from his fucking—”

“If we kill him,” Gray said gently, “We risk facing the anger of the entire north.”

“If we kill Schiester, then we tell the entire fucking north what he’s been doing to kids and innocent people with shit fucking luck when they come through Crayton,” Isaac spat back. Edrissa drew away from Isaac, closer to Tori’s side. Tori’s hand went to her shoulder and stroked back and forth, soothing.

Gray was silent for a moment. Then, they murmured, “We could do that anyway.”

Isaac froze mid-breath, rage crawling under his skin, solidifying into something like vicious hope. “Y-yeah?” he croaked.

Gray shrugged jerkily as they slid the phone back into their pocket. “Even if he took those pictures down, they’re probably still in his office. If I see an opportunity – Gavin is the priority, he’s the only priority, but if I get the chance – I’ll grab them. Find a way to disseminate them. Those…” Gray’s voice twisted. “Those people… Their families deserve to know what happened to them.”

“But Gavin first,” Isaac said brokenly. “I… I need to get Gavin out first.”

Ellis wet their lips and spoke. “Guys… Hate to be the guy to point this out, but he might not be—”

“He is!” Isaac cried, whirling on them. His arm loosened from around Sam’s shoulders. “He is! He… he has to be there. H-he has to be… alive.” His chest tightened with a sob. “He’s there,” he whispered through numb lips. “He has to be.”

Sam wound their arm around his waist again. Their hand brushed the gun tucked in Isaac’s waistband. They froze and looked up at him, their eyes wide. There was a hint of fear in their gaze. Isaac pushed down the feeling of guilt that rose in him and looked away.

“All the same,” Gray said, holding a placating hand out towards Isaac, “We should pack tonight, and be prepared to move. Regardless of how the plan goes.”

“It’ll work,” Isaac said fiercely.

Gray’s head fell forward. “Regardless,” they continued softly, “We should be ready to move. Finn, Ellis, if you’ll—”

“We’ve been ready to go for weeks,” Ellis said, and shifted their feet. “We never really unpacked. Let’s be honest… we knew this was going to get ugly. But once we have the idiot back…” They shrugged and stared at their shoes. “We can settle in then. Wherever it is we end up.”

Isaac’s throat was tight. “And I should get going,” he murmured. “I need to get back home, find a discreet ride south. I, um… I need to figure that out.”

Sam’s arm tightened around his waist again, and he looked down at them. They stared up at him, tears welling in their eyes. He pulled them close and crushed them to his chest.

“Isaac,” Sam whimpered against his shirt.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Isaac murmured against their hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow, with Gavin. I’ll have him tomorrow.”

Sam shuddered and clutched at him. “I… I know.”

Tears burned in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and kissed their forehead, trying to ignore the tears than ran into their hair. “Love you,” he whispered. Dread ached in his stomach at how much the words sounded like goodbye.

He swayed with them, realizing for the first time how much he’d missed this. He missed his little sibling in his arms, clutched tight. He’d barely seen them at all for the past…

The past thirty-five days.

They sniffled and pulled away. Vera was at his side, and she pulled him into a hug as well. He wound his arms around her waist and nearly lifted her off the floor with how hard he squeezed her.

“We’ll get our boy back,” Vera mumbled, her face pressed against his shoulder. “We’ll get him back.”

Isaac said nothing, only nodded. After a moment, he loosened his hold. She stepped back, and Tori took her place.

They all embraced him, one by one – Gray, Finn, Ellis, Zachariah. Even Edrissa walked up to him and stiffly stuck her hand out for him to shake. He could feel her fingers trembling. He kept his gaze down and bowed his head apologetically, only too aware of the rage that boiled inside him, just beneath the surface. When she drew back, she wiped her hand on her skirt.

When he turned to leave, Gray held out the phone. “Take this,” they said. “In case we need to contact you.”

Isaac tucked it into his pocket. “Sure thing.” His voice was hoarse. “I just need to grab some things.”

He turned and walked down the hall to the bedrooms. When he stopped in front of the room he’d shared with Gavin, his stomach dropped. He placed his hand on the doorknob. It was cool under his fingers. He drew in a deep breath and turned it, pushing the door open.

His breath caught in his chest. It was exactly the same as he’d left it, the morning he’d discovered Gavin had been taken while he slept. The bedspread was rumpled, the drawer of Gavin’s nightstand still slightly open. The curtain was drawn, but the last rays of the afternoon sun lit the purple fabric, casting the room in a strange, dim light. As he caught his breath again, he was nearly brought to his knees; he could just barely catch a hint of Gavin’s scent still in the room.

Isaac forced down his tears, forced down the way his hands shook, the way he wanted to collapse to the floor and sob his heart out. He went to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer. He took only the knife that lay tucked along the side, the handle sticking out from under a pair of pants. He strapped the sheath to his belt and turned to go to the bed.

He didn’t even have to look as he reached for the knife he had tucked between the mattress and the bedframe all those weeks ago, so that when the time came to protect Gavin from the threat he’d known, somehow, was coming – he could. His fingers wrapped around it and it felt dull in his hands. Heavy. Useless.

Useless. Useless. Useless.

He shoved the thought away and straightened up.

As he walked through to the front of the house again, he looked at his family, still all gathered in the kitchen, huddling together as if for warmth. Tears moved silently down Gray’s face, now. Isaac bit down on his tongue, holding back his own.

“I’ll see you all… tomorrow,” he said, feeling the weight of the gun against his lower back.

“See you,” Vera murmured.

“I’ll call you with any updates,” Gray said, wiping their face on their shirt.

“L-love you, Isaac,” Sam said softly.

“Love you, too,” Isaac croaked. He turned to go. His hand curled around his knife as he pushed open the door and walked out into the golden afternoon sun.

Continued here

@womping-grounds, @free-2bmee, @quirkykayleetam, @walkingchemicalfire, @inpainandsuffering, @redwingedwhump, @burtlederp, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog , @whatwhumpcomments, @cursedscribbles, @whumpywhumper, @stxck-fxck, @omega-em-z-02, @whumps-the-word, @justwhumpitwhumpitgood, @justplainwhump, @moose-teeth, @finder-of-rings, @inky-whump, @thatsthewhump, @orchidscript, @insanitywishes, @this-mightaswell-happen, @newandfiguringitout, @whumpkitty, @pretty-face-breaker, @cinnamonflavoredhugs, @pebbledriscoll, @im-just-here-for-the-whump, @endless-whump, @grizzlie70, @oops-its-whump, @kixngiggles

#honor bound 5 #rescue mission #aftermath of kidnapping #Vanya the firefighter #Zachariah: a boy who needs a nap #Isaac's self-loathing #death threats tw #death discussion tw #gun tw

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internalsealpanic · 4 years

Text

Better Die Than Doubt

Summary: You wince knowing he’s already noticed. You feel the tiniest bit more at ease as he approaches your booth but it didn’t stop your eyes from flickering and searching for something off in the environment. The creeping sense of being watched trails up your spine. You’re sure.

A/n: To no one’s shock, this entire fic was unplanned. I was possessed by the urge to make it (translation: I got the urge to write this and one of my enablers said do it). This story should be treated more or less as a horror story. Nothing is being glorified here except how dorky Jason is. That being said, PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS. This fic contains quite a few triggering things and I really don’t want you to be blindsided. Also thanks to @knightfall05x for helping me write this whole thing. Thanks to @batarella (HOE) for action writing tips.

Warnings: graphic violence, stalking, emotional manipulation, unhealthy coping mechanisms, drugging, nongraphic description of rape, and rape aftermath

masterlist

You press the heels of your palms into your eyes. You could practically feel the oncoming headache the way you could sense someone coming down the hall. This is what happens when you’re running on just 5 hours of restless sleep for the last few days. This headache was also not helped by the fact that this was your fifth coffee in the past 30 minutes. You probably should not be drinking this much caffeine this late but intelligent decisions weren’t exactly your strong suit this week. You rub the sides of your forehead feeling another wave of nausea.

You check the time again and groan. It’s been one-and-a-half hours since your agreed upon time had lapsed and yet one Jason Peter Todd was nowhere to be seen. You curse, nerves edging, and mind fraying. To be perfectly fair to him, he is a busy guy, vigilante, and all. You understood that fairly well- and this was sudden to say the least. You can’t really fault him for being a bit late but the long wait was ratcheting up your anxiety. Again, the coffee didn’t help but considering it was the only thing you could keep down since last night, you didn’t have much choice.

Last night.

Your stomach tumbled. You cup your hand over your mouth feeling your coffee traveling back up your esophagus. You let out a long exasperated breath, letting yourself sink into the booth. You look out the window, eyes flickering wildly searching for Jason. Your hands tighten around your mug. The feeling of being watched made you bristle.

Jason, well, Jason wasn’t hard to spot. The man was 6 feet 4 inches of pure muscle and leather. Having a handsome face and a ‘fuck you’ look in his eyes also helped. In short, the man was hard to ignore. You wave weakly to him as he dismounts his bike, a gesture far too small for your usual bombastic self. Jason’s smarmy smile greets you as he returns the gesture with his gloved hand. The motion is slow and cautious, rickety in a way. You wince knowing he’s already noticed. You feel the tiniest bit more at ease as he approaches your booth but it didn’t stop your eyes from flickering and searching for something off in the environment. The creeping sense of being watched trails up your spine. You’re sure.

“Jesus, y/n, you look like Timbo” Jason chuckles sliding into the booth his green eyes shining with scrutiny. You look at him flatly not having enough energy to properly respond to his jab. He winces seeing your lack of reaction. “Rough night, huh?” He asks flagging down a waitress, who looked quite pleased to get away from her previous table.

You nod weakly, slowly as if the fact that it had been a rough couple of days had just sunk in. “Yeah,” you reply, your voice small and a little threadbare. You drum your fingers against your increasingly cold mug. The waitress sets a couple of warm mugs in front of you. Her soft smile makes you uneasy. You and Jason mutter a thanks as she tells you to wave her over if you need anything else. Her warm brown eyes boring into the stark purple bruise on your face. You shrink and smile sheepishly at her.

“I’m fi-”

“I am going to throw these sugar packets at you if you say you’re fine.”

“Damn, ok, Mr.Kettle,” You laugh. His concern startles a genuine laugh out of you. You’re sincerely surprised how lively the sound that comes out of you is. “You know if you keep sounding like that, Jay, you’re gonna wreck the whole stone-cold badass thing you got going,”

“Y/n..”

You huff running your hand through your disheveled hair, trying in vain, to soothe your mind. What was the best way to put it? You swallowed, gathering your lapsing thoughts. “Sooo uh-” The collar of your shirt suddenly felt tight around your neck. “-I-” You breathe. “-I found around 4 or 5 of Blackmask’s boys and Deathstroke-No, I’m not shitting you- in my- my apartment for- well- the third time in the last two months, can I crash at your place? Just ‘til I find a new place. Oh and also how do I get rid of them?”

He blinks as his brain takes its sweet fucking time digesting what you had just said. He leans back groaning and running his hands over his face. He looks like he’d like to deck you if he wasn’t too busy being concerned for your welfare. You shrink again, feeling bad for springing it on him. The decision to leave out the gory details of your hectic week suddenly felt like the wisest choice but you had no doubt he’ll get it out of you at some point.

“I’ll skip the obvious ‘why did you wait three times before moving’ question because I feel like I’m probably going to get an aneurysm from your answer,” Your reasoning wasn’t quite that stupid. You were mucking about Sionis’s operation. The fucker decided to branch out his little enterprise into your city and like hell, you were gonna leave well enough alone. After you had set fire to one of his warehouses, you thought that would explain the False Facers. But Deathstroke? Deathstroke was a mystery. You’ve also been mucking about his business but you two have always been civil if not friendly. Frenemies of sorts, you guessed. You’ve been encountering him a lot in the last few days. You had figured that Blackmask had hired him but considering he threw two men out of your apartment window last night, you’re not entirely sure. You make an affronted noise that Jason elects to ignore.

“What did they do?”

“Aside from necessitating a visit to IKEA? Nothing.”

“Did they take anything? Leave a message?”

“Nope, nothing-” You furrow your brow trying to recall. You shake your head. “-They just made sure I knew they broke in.” You add, shrugging your shoulder. You wince at the movement. Your shoulder still aches from being hit with a bat. Jason’s shoulders shift, moving as if to reach out to you but stops himself. Instead, he continues with his line of questioning. “Sweetheart, there’s gotta be something missing.”

You frown, biting your cheek. Jason rests his chin on his hand, green eyes watching you and urging you to think back. It was either the weight of his gaze or the lack of sleep that was making it hard to recall. You close your eyes and catalog your belongings, analyzing the mental picture you have like a crime scene like how he taught you months ago, breaking it down into the smallest pieces of information and bringing it back into a bigger picture. Still, nothing. Nothing of note was missing. You shake your head and shrug your uninjured shoulder. Jason glares at the immobile one. You shake your head silently telling him it wasn’t from last night which just made him clench his jaw.

“Evidence?”

You shake your head. He frowns baffled.

“Tech?”

You shake your head again.

“Anything personal?” He asks jokingly.

“I-” A cold horror washes over you trailed by embarrassment. Your vibrator had been missing and so were a couple of your lingerie sets. You feel your stomach drop to the floor. “Oh god, Jay- I- Please, let me stay with you.”

“And have them steal my stuff?” He chuckles.

“Please, Jay, like you have anything worth stealing.” Jason frowns at you scrutinizing your face. You level him a glare but it was more in an effort to fight down a blush than anything venomous. Jason’s jaw unclenches and his face breaks into a shit-eating grin. “What color was it?”

“Wha-”

“Bzzzzzzzt ”

If you weren’t blushing before, you are now. Heat climbs up your spine. Your mouth felt dry.

“Well, what color was it, sweetheart?” Jason drawls, his voice dropping an octave. You shiver but bristle just as quickly. You bite your cheek and glare at him. “HA. HA. HA. Funny, Todd.”

“Was it Red Hood Red?” Jason teases, winking and raising his cup of coffee to his lips.

“Nightwing blue” You deadpan. Jason coughed into his drink. You preen with satisfaction.

“Does it make stupid puns while you go at it? ”

“Yup,” You say, the ‘p’ popping. “That’s part of the appeal.” You joke smiling into your mug. Jason snorts. “How is that supposed to be sexy?”

You shrug, a sharper less tired smile cutting across your features. “Dunno man. Nightwing is pretty sexy if you ask me.” You wink.

Jason makes a fake gagging noise. Well, it seems fake with how theatrical the gesture is but with bats? You never could tell. You roll your eyes and giggle. Jason’s shoulders loosen at your bubble of laughter, his face slipping into one of his sheepish smiles. “In all seriousness, y/n, you can stay at my place.”

You smile at him, your usual fluorescent smile.

Click

A man from across the street watches you intently through the lens of a camera.

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

Slade throws the photos across Roman’s desk, each glossy piece of paper containing a candid photo of you looking increasingly frayed and anxious.

Roman marvels at how your usually larger than life figure shrank into your puffy coat, how small and malleable and inexperienced you looked. He notes the panicked look in your eyes in every one of the photos and savors it. He couldn't wait to see it for himself.

In one photo, you're looking over your shoulder as you enter your office building.

In one, you’re tracing circles on a child’s hand with your thumb, beaming brightly as you told some wild tale to distract the child.

In another, you're slumped in your desk chair as you think over a case looking absolutely exasperated but determined.

In yet another one, you're locking lips with a man, his hand trailing up your shirt. Roman made sure to give the man some swimming lessons a few weeks prior.

In the photo in Roman’s hand, you're at the emergency room looking like you haven't slept in 2 days. Your face was bruised and your clothes were torn in several places where Slade had managed to land a blow. Your delicate skin marred with cuts and trickling blood. Absolutely gorgeous.

He examines it closely. The photo was taken just a few hours ago. You look like you're going to cry but your shoulders and jaw are squared more frustrated than scared. There's a fire in your eyes that threatens to level the city. A thrill rides up his spine at the prospect of extinguishing it.

“This is why you wanted to throw my men out the window?”

Slade hums. He shrugs and the edge of his lips curl into a smile. “It was the only way to convince the kid that we’re both after her-” His eye drifts to your face. Appraising but impassive. “The kid’s scared out of her mind and exhausted at this point.”

Slade had a point. Roman had to give him that. It wouldn’t be obvious to the casual observer but it would be plain as day to anyone like Roman who had been studying you for a while. You weren’t quite as meticulous with your appearance as Roman thought you should be (He would work on that later) but the dishevelment in your appearance was obvious. The slight dip in your shoulders in place of the prim posture that you usually employed was a blatant indication of your weariness. And the falter in your smile, the flickering in your eyes, and the number of times you let yourself bite your cheek showed the cracks in your fearless image.

Who knew weeks upon weeks of chaos could weather Minos City’s own budding hero?

In the photo next to Roman’s hand, your laughing face is stark and lively against the drab atmosphere of the diner, bubbling laughter carving life into your exhausted features making you look more like the shining paragon your city has come to rely on. The man sitting in front of you is laughing too. The sharp edges of his grin softened by the fondness in his eyes. It was hard not to recognize him even with such a foreign expression plastered onto his face. Roman crushes the photo in his hand.

“BUT NOW SHE’S WITH THAT SCUMBAG RED HOOD”

“And she’s now with the Red Hood. In his secluded safe house. Weakened and far from help. Most likely thinking that she’s safe under his protection and blissfully unaware of the tracker I put in her arm.”

“I see… It seems like you are worth the pay.”

Slade made no effort in hiding his smug grin.

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

“Jay, I really am sorry about this.” You mumble for what seemed like the fifth time in the past half hour.

“I sincerely hope you’re apologizing for the fact that you neglected to tell me you had bruised ribs before getting on my bike and not the fact that you’re staying with me because two crazy assholes decided your place needed remodeling.” Jason exasperates, pinching the bridge of his nose. You feel kind of annoyed by the gesture but he did have a point especially with your city’s less than smooth roads. You were also pretty banged up. As it turns out, facing off against a bunch of goons plus a master assassin is not good for your health. You swore viciously under your breath. Now, you weren’t expecting Deathstroke to go easy on you despite your rapport but the guy really didn’t have to throw you around like a rag doll. Even with your power to adjust the odds, it was a miracle that you escaped intact.

“Well, Mr.Pot, you ride your bike all the time even with broken ribs.” You bite back. Jason rolls his eyes unaffected by the distilled venom in your voice.

“Well, one of us is a stone-cold badass- ”

“And the other is a sasquatch with a stick up his ass.” You sneer snatching the beer bottle from Jason. Your tone was far too fond and playful to have any actual bite. Jason chuckles at you and ruffles your hair before snatching it back and handing you a bottle of water.

You huff taking the bottle from him and following him to the couch. He sits down on the couch patting the seat beside him. You plopped on to the couch, placing your sock feet on his lap. He grabs your ankles and throws your feet back at you. You just as quickly throw them back on and this time you do it with an absolutely delighted smirk on your face. “Rude,” He mumbles but doesn’t attempt to extricate you again.

“So Deathstroke, huh?” Jason starts, side-eyeing you over his beer. You adjust yourself to sit up a little straighter.

“You mean the asshat who broke my favorite lamp last night?”

“Who the hell has a favorite lamp?”

“Me! And get to your point.”

“Have you two- yanno?” Jason jokes, his eyebrows wiggling and hands gesturing vaguely. Your eyes grow wide and heat creeps up your neck and face. You scowl at Jason throwing a pillow at his face for good measure. He catches it with ease much to your frustration giving you his trademark triumphant grin. You kick at him with no real force.

“NO! What kind of soap opera shit is that?” You giggle into your drink. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about it before. The guy was skilled and pretty witty. You also had eyes and the man was handsome but something always felt strange about taking it further. You were civil but you kept your distance.

You pout at Jason again causing him to chuckle. “What? I’m just saying it’ll air out some tension~” He suggests winking.

“Oh my actual god, I hate you. I sincerely, truly hate you.” You laugh, kicking at his thigh. Jason makes an obviously fake hurt noise which draws out even more giggles out of you. Some tension in Jason’s shoulders releasing upon hearing the bubbly sounds.

“You speaking from experience, Jay?”

Jason shakes his head and coughs. “Catwoman-” Cough. “Talia Al Ghul-” Cough. “Sorry, sweetheart, seems like I have a really bad cough this week.”

And that is how you spend the rest of the night questioning Bruce’s love life.

“Food is in the fridge,” Jason says pointing to the said fridge which was sorely lacking magnets, sounding like a somewhat tired single parent.

“Do I look like I can keep anything down?”

Jason snatches the water bottle you had abandoned on the side table next to the recliner. “With that big mouth of yours? Sure.” Jason teases lightly booping you on the nose with your water bottle. “Get some rest.”

“Yes, mother” You sighed, burying yourself into the thick comforter he’d given you, crumpled water bottle in hand. He ruffles your hair.

“You know you’re safe here, right? ” The question startles you. You shift uncomfortably, pulling the comforter tightly around your shoulders. You shrug at him, not entirely certain how to answer. You know Jason’s safe house is, well, safe but you also thought your apartment was too. Your stomach twisted.

Jason squeezed your shoulder probably sensing the spiral of your thoughts. He smiles down at you, probably. It was hard to tell with the helmet.

“If you want, I can-”

“No, Jay, I’ll be fine here. You can go on patrol. I’ll be fine. Promise.”

The thing with Jason was that even when he was so big and bulky and hella intimidating, his empathy towards others had a bad habit of always shining through despite the layers of armor and sarcasm. You squeeze his hand, pressing little circles into his palm, and smile up at him. It was forced but it was the best you could do. Jason ruffles your hair again before letting go and making his way to the window.

“Get some sleep.”

“Aye aye cap’n” You yawn settling into a slump on the couch. Jason can’t help but smile fondly at you. You wave him a sleepy goodby before he sets off.

You passed out on the couch, an old habit you never grew out of. You always slept on the couch when you felt uneasy. It may have been some sort of way to separate stress from your bedroom. It sure as shit wasn’t for safety reasons. Your equipment was dispersed throughout your apartment but your weapons were usually stowed away in your room.

You feel a hand running gently through your hair, smoothing away all your apprehension.

“Jay” You grouse, your hand halfheartedly swatting at the hand stroking your hair. You bury yourself further into the warmth of the comforter feeling the need to shrink away from the touch. You feel a soft prick on your neck.

Your eyes fly open.

Shit.

The hand tangles in your hair. It throws you to the wall. The air is knocked out of your lungs. Your ribs scream. You scrabble to your feet. Your limbs fail you. They flail uselessly. Your breaths pick up. Your chest feels like it's caving.

"JAY" You shriek. “HELP.” A large hand grasps your throat. A rush of adrenaline kicks in. You thrash. You kick. Your hit lands. Another grasps your ankles. You scream. You swear viciously. Another grabs at your wrists. Something rough winds around your wrists and ankles.

The world tilts into an odd angle. Your head feels heavy so do your arms and your legs and everything.

"Jaaay" You slur, the air in your lungs becoming sluggish like everything else. "Jay" you sob again, knowing he wouldn't come. Not when he was so far away.

"Shut up you ….. bitch" You feel a swift kick to your stomach. It barely registers above the haze.

"Hey man-"

"What? The …. man said we …… rough her up."

"We can?"

"Yeah, ……, said so"

Your eyes blink, stupid, and uncomprehending. Distantly, you hear yourself grunting and whimpering. You can feel their blows but your body is too far away, too inaccessible. It was strange to physically feel yourself drift away.

Roman traces the sun shaped scar radiating on your shoulder with a leather-clad hand. The one shot he’d managed to land on you the first time you’d stormed one of his warehouses. You were all cocksure and quick wit and boisterous laughter. You really had the devil’s own luck but it seems to have run out. Not that Roman’s got any complaints. Not when he’s got you laying at his feet, tied up and vulnerable.

He crouches down, hand on his chin. His eyes roam appreciatively over your sleeping form, appraising you like a premium cut of meat. You look pretty against the black silk sheets he’d chosen. He sighs content with his prize. He traces the tip of his knife over your cheek, a dark purple bruise maring your features stark against the stainless surface of the blade. Slade really was quite careless when handling you. Not that Roman has any plans on being any gentler.

He lets his blade drift down, trailing down your neck down to the flimsy protection of your oversized shirt. Your steady breaths falter. You keep your eyes shut trying to gather more information but it’s hard not to focus off the tip of the blade cold against your warm skin even as the blade cuts through the thin fabric of your shirt. A large hand grasps your face roughly.

“I know you're awake, baby-” You blanch still not opening your eyes. The grip on your jaw tightens. You grin like a madman. “It's rude to keep daddy waiting.”

“Sorry, Sionis, I was really hoping not to have to wake up you’re ugly mug.” You sneer, voice thick and raspy with sleep but still full with your trademark confidence. Roman looks more amused than irritated. Your body and mind are still at the cusp of sleep. You wriggle and almost cry out with joy when you feel them move. You mind the hand on your jaw and its tight grip.

“Baby, I won’t tell you a-” You spit in his face, cracking an eye open to see his reaction. A bloody grin spreads across your face like wildfire when you see the annoyance on his face.

“You’re going to regret that” He growls, wiping his face with a torn piece of your shirt.

“Oh please-” Something cracks across your jaw.

“The next time it’ll be the other end,” It takes a moment for your mind to catch on. You stare at the hilt of the blade for a moment before letting loose another smarmy grin. His violent reaction spurs you on. Yeah, you can definitely see why Jason thinks you’re going to age him twenty years. “Oh please, You like my face too much for that.”

“You really wanna test that?”

“Nope,” You say, spitting into his eye and landing a punch square in his face. You cackle like a madwoman when he goes down. You don’t bother hiding the delighted chirps that escape your chest.

Being petty, you give him a swift kick to the face before dashing towards the door. You launch yourself, feeling like you can fly. The copper taste in your tongue almost feels sweet.

Your hand grasps the door when a hand tangles itself in your hair.

Roman throws you back onto the mattress, the springs digging into your back. You scratch and claw and thrash against the large hand wrapped around your throat. You snarl as Roman leans closer, his body pinning yours against the mattress, his weight immobilizing your fatigued limbs. A sweet-smelling cloth covers your mouth and nose, you gasp in surprise, inhaling the scent. Your mind is already sluggish by the time it catches on.

Your vision dims.

You feel hollowed out.

Your limbs fall away, arms drooping and pliant against the silk-covered mattress. The cloth feels too much against your skin. Vaguely, you feel horror prickling up your spine or maybe it was just the springs again.

Roman pulls away. You think you breathe a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of him lifted. He straddles your body, grinning down at you. Your mouth falls open to say something. You want to say that you curse him out or that you threaten him. The sound you make is small. Your tongue feels too heavy. No, something is pressing it down, you think.

Above you, Roman is a towering colossus. You’re vaguely aware of the shifting of his hips. He removes his gloved hand from your mouth and caresses the side of your face with mock gentleness. His movements are sluggish and syrupy. You make another noise when you realize to some degree of horror that isn’t. Your mind felt heavy and useless.

He snaps his fingers. The sound is dull like it's contending with water. A muffled set of steps approaches you. A man, you realize. You don't think you’ve noticed him before. His dark shape is messy and incomprehensible. A red dot flashes stark against his form. The mechanical sounds of a shutter drift in and out of your mind. You turn your head back to Roman at the sound of shifting fabric.

Above you, Roman, already without his suit jacket, loosens his tie, eyes staring hungrily at you. The pit of your stomach feels painfully cold. You blink at him stupidly. He chuckles, grasping your chin to make sure you’re looking at him. You protest against his touch.

“Don’t worry, baby, you’ll be the star of our little show like the filthy attention whore you really are. ” He laughs. It rumbles like thunder in your ears.

The world falls away.

Click

One

Two

One

You feel a prick on your neck.

Hot breaths fan against your face.

Your body is too warm.

You don’t want to know why.

Twenty-five, you continue counting.

You feel fabric shift against you.

Something sharp digs itself into your flesh.

One

Two

Three

Three?

Something’s crushing your windpipe.

Your body is aching. You’re not entirely sure whether it’s from use or disuse and by who.

“Good girl”

Thirty

Twelve

There’s something scraping against your flesh.

Is it a knife?

Hot pants fan against your skin.

Teeth

Four

Fifty-six

“Boss, I-.... going a …. bit too far?”

Smack!

“Do …. You…. to think?”

Two sixty-eight

A hand strikes you. You think your jaw is broken. It hurts but then again everything hurts. All you can do is take it and whimper.

Tears sting against your face.

“That’s right. Just like that. Like that, you little whore.”

Your body is warm again.

You still don’t want to know.

Two

Two?

You’ve counted two before.

You blink.

The haze of your mind lifts.

The coldness of the room seeps in your bones. You’re bare. You take stock of yourself, running your hands over your skin. Everything is still there.

Everything and a few other things. You let disgust and shame roll over you. A sob tears its way out of your chest. Your breath picks up. You feel your mind slipping. You press the heels of your palms into your eyes, calling your mind back and steadying yourself.

You take stock again. This time moving your limbs and jangling your joints. They were weak but workable. You’re surprised to find yourself unbound aside from the collar around your neck. You suppose Roman’s confident in his drugs. How long have you been here? You press lightly against your neck, feeling the higher than normal pulsing of your artery. You shift yourself waking your legs up.

You stiffen, gooseflesh spreading over your skin as light filters into the room through the door. Your eyes snap shut, stinging from the sudden intrusion of light. The pulse beneath your fingers jackrabbits. You think you’ll keel over.

“Shhhhhh”

All the strength in your veins floods out, leaving a feeling of cold horror in its place. You scream or you try. Your body feels impossibly rigid. Roman stalks towards you, his footfalls slow and deliberate and too loud. Your heart jumps up to your throat with each step. You inch yourself away from him, drawing yourself up to make yourself feel bigger. He coos at how adorable you are, trying to look defiant. The mattress dips under his weight. Your mind begins to slip away from you again. The world falls away from you. You anchor it, digging your nails into your palms. He cups your face, thumb caressing your bottom lip. You glower at him and bite out something witty. He laughs amusement lighting up his features, the sound grates against your ears.

“Not gonna fight back?” He taunts, pressing his thumb down on your bottom lip. Your body recoils but then goes slack as he runs his hand up and down your side. Shame blankets you but the fear etched into you keeps you still.

Roman loosens his tie.

Your mind falls out of your reach.

“Such a good little slut.” He murmurs against your lips.

You wanted to say.

Instead, your mind starts counting again even as you hear the rustle of fabric.

BANG

A gunshot rings through the thick atmosphere of the room.

Roman curses.

His men stampede.

Another round of shots fire.

Something- No, no. Someone tears Roman off of you.

“Deathstroke?” You croak, your voice sounding foreign and absurdly brittle.

“Do you know anyone else walking around looking like this, kid?”

“Ravager” You snark, lips twitching into a smile. He rolls his eyes underneath his mask. The familiarity of the exchange breathes life into your body. Roman’s hand grips your wrist with bruising intensity. Your breath catches.

No. No. No.

The word loops in your head like a constant rat-tat.

Slade’s foot makes contact with Roman’s head, the force of it unnecessary but satisfactory. The sounds of bone-cracking fill the air. The man falls uselessly to the grimey floor. He shoots him with a couple of rounds for good measure, each shot instilling a pang of finality in the back of your mind.

You scrabble towards Slade, wide-eyed and shallow breathed. You cling to Slade as he bundles your body in silken sheets. He hoists you easily into his arms. You bury your face into the junction between his neck and shoulder, closing your eyes, the image of Roman’s bloody body on the floor pressed into your mind. You sob in relief. Your hands clasping onto Slade, white-knuckled and shaking.

"I've got you, sweetheart," He rumbles, running his hand through your hair soothingly. The tight knots in your body, loosen. You whimper a quiet thank you. “I’ve got you.”

You lift your head only to see Roman twitch.

Your breathing falters.

Fear pricks your spine.

Your mind falls away from you again.

Distantly, you feel Slade’s grip on you tightens.

Distantly, you hear him murmur something.

Everything is too far away.

Your eyes blink sluggishly. The world becomes dimmer with each blink.

A warm spray of water drizzles down over your aching skin. Your open wounds sting but the warm water pooling around you soothes the aches of your bruised flesh. Your eyes focus on the soft off-white of the tile on the wall opposite you. You don’t let yourself about the thin, rusty red film swirling in the water. The air in the room is thick with steam and the scent of lavender.

The absence of grime on your skin makes you feel lighter and gauzy and immaterial. You felt naked and obscene like you had been taken apart and now someone was examining pieces of you. You almost miss it.

“Lean back” Slade grumbles as he lathers your hair with some lavender concoction the hotel provided. Your body follows automatically, eagerly, obediently. You tell yourself you’re just tired. You tell yourself nothing’s wrong with your response. You tell yourself you’re ok. You wince. The warm water around you shifts. You hear it splash against the tile. You flinch at how loud it sounds. You take a deep breath and lean into his touch. He’s handling you delicately as though you would fall apart any second. You might.

Blinking away tears, you watch his face, aware that by leaning back, you’d be giving him a good view of the hickies, bite marks, and knife wounds Roman ‘gifted’ you. There’s a slight twitch in the corners of his lips. He must be disgusted with you too. You want to sink into the hot water and let it burn you anew, but you don’t trust yourself not to drown.

You close your eyes as another spray of warm water pours over you. You melt into it hoping it’s enough to wash the last few days- weeks?- away.

Your hands grasp his face, pulling him towards you. His hands brace against the tub, keeping him from falling in with you. Your arms loop around his neck, your hot breath fanning against his lips. You press your lips against him, searching and wanting. For what exactly? Comfort? Safety? Stimulation? His lips press lightly against yours, not quite a kiss. Slade actually looks taken aback.

The rest of the world floods back in. You peel away, your eyes wide with terror. “Shit- I’m- Fuck! Fuck! Shit, Slade, I- I’m sorry. I- Shit! I didn’t-” Your breathing ratchets up, becoming shallower as the pulsating in your ears grow louder. There’s a tightness growing in your chest that makes you think your ribcage is about to implode. You cover your face with your hands not caring how it didn’t help your shallowing breaths. You can’t look at him. You just can’t. You know you’re disgusting.

Your body wants to come apart, dissolve, and if it can, evaporate. You can’t breathe. You curl into yourself, into the water. A hand grabs at your wrist. You flinch. The hand carefully pries your hand away, forcing you to uncurl. Slade’s other hand cups your face gently, guiding you to look him in the eye. The lack of disgust in his face rattles you.

His thumb brushes against your lips making your stomach twist and your spine curl. He dips his head closer to yours. You kiss him eagerly. He lets out a pleased hum and smiles against your lips. Something cold licks at the bottom of your stomach but it’s overtaken by the need for connection, to fill in what had been hollowed out.

You press closer to him than strictly necessary as you watch the news, chewing on your cheek. He pulls you close, shifting you on to his lap. You don’t protest, eyes glued to the TV.

“Businessman, Roman Sionis, was found with several gunshot wounds to the stomach in one of his warehouses here in Minos City. He is now in stable condition. Authorities say...”

Your jaw falls slack in mute horror. Your stomach tumbles to the floor. You’re hyperventilating. Your teeth are digging into your cheek, you taste copper. Your mind spirals back into the room, back to the dirty mattress, back to Roman.

Strong arms wrap around you, stilling your trembling body against a broad chest. Your body relaxes a fraction. You curl into him, the buzz of nervous energy settling into a quieter panic.

“You’re safe with me, you know that don’t you, sweetheart?” Slade says tracing circles into your palm. You lean your head into his shoulder. You nod easing against him. “I’ll never let that monster anywhere near you.” He promises, pressing a kiss into your hair. A little sob wrenches free of your imploding chest.

Slade keeps his face buried in your hair even as you fall into a lull. It was the only way to hide the triumphant grin spreading across his face.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll take good care of you.”

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A/n: Thanks for reading. There’s a follow up to this because I can’t cope with bad endings. I had to promise myself a good second part to make the ending horrifying.

The writing process for this fic was basically:

Me: I have this horrifying idea!

My brain: Yes but what if we put a little dork Jason in it.

Me: I guess that wouldn’t hurt.

Me: Ok I have written nearly 2k of dorky Jason where’s the other parts?

Brain: Uh what other parts?

Me: *sighs and spends the next few days spamming @knightfall05x*

taglist:

@batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish,@birdy-bat-writes, @americasmarauders , @l-horizon11, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell

#yandere dc #yandere blackmask #yandere roman sionis #yandere deathstroke #yandere slade wilson #Black Mask #Deathstroke #slade wilson x reader #Roman Sionis #roman sionis x reader #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagine #Jason Todd #red hood x reader

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