#and liv is having exactly none of it

[slothquisitor]

What Moves in the Dark: Chapter Three

A Post-Campaign Baldur's Gate 3 eldritch horror AU.

Chapter Summary: Liv enlists Astarion's help to solve the mystery of the blood disease. Of course, he's less than thrilled about it.

Read from the beginning.

Also on AO3.

In the days that follow Iona’s death, Liv and Kharis don’t talk much. It’s not that there’s anything wrong between them, but more that there just simply isn’t anything to say. They’re both sorry, they both feel responsible, and they both keep the shop going in their quiet steady way. Liv waits, granting them both time and space, but she watches to see if Kharis ever does what he promised. He never tells anyone about the blood though she does catch him toying with the vials, watching the way the blood branches and reaches.

But Liv has spent far too much of her life waiting and hoping for other people to do the right thing, so she intends to take matters into her own hands. 

The night is the same as any other: Kharis bids her goodnight at his usual time, and she goes about closing the shop up for the evening. But when she flips the sign to closed, she leaves the door unlocked. It’s been a tenday since Astarion was here, and she’s expecting him back tonight. She already knows that he’ll be frustrated with her at the lack of progress on his particular problem, but she hopes it won’t matter once she shows him the blood. 

She’s out of all other ideas, and he’s one of the heroes who had saved the city from a mind flayer invasion, so the chances he can help her feel pretty high. Still, she’s not exactly looking forward to telling him his problem hasn’t been her priority, and she rehearses the conversation in her head as she works. 

About an hour after the sun sets, the bell over the door cheerily announces his arrival. The last time he was here, he was dressed casually, his clothes finely made if a little threadbare. Tonight, he’s dressed in light, expensive-looking armor and armed to the teeth. 

“Expecting trouble in my humble shop?” she asks by way of greeting. 

“Well hello to you too,” he replies with a hint of admonishment. “Our little meeting is not the only thing on my to-do list for tonight.”

“Oh?”

“I got a job.” There’s a hint of pride as he says it. “It’s murder. Government sanctioned.”

The glee startles an uncomfortable laugh out of her. “Should I be concerned?”

He shakes his head. “There’s some Bhaalists still on the loose. I’ve been contracted to bring them to justice or whatever it is the Fist do these days. I don’t really care. I get to drain them dry and deliver them to the Constable.”

It makes a certain sort of sense. He’s a vampire after all, so he would need to eat. Murder cultists seem like a fairly solid choice. “I was going to ask about your diet, actually, but now I think you’ve answered my question.”

“Well, I do aim to be proactive, darling.” He says, leaning toward her conspiratorily. He claps his hands. “Now, how have you fared this past tenday? Any progress on a cure for my condition?”

Oh, right to it then? Shit. “Unfortunately, no. I haven’t had quite as much time as I would have liked to devote to it-”

His face falls into something that looks like disappointment before very quickly twisting into disdain. “Well, what exactly have you been doing then? This shop can’t get that busy. Honestly, I debated coming back here at all, but you seemed quite capable. Shows me.”

She almost tells him about Iona then and there. Almost tells him that his problem isn’t the only one in the whole damn world, just to smack the contemptuous look off his face. But she doesn’t because she needs his help. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to work on your problem, but something more pressing has come up. There’s something I need you to see.” She beckons him into the workroom. She can hear him sputtering a bit behind her, his frustration palpable. But he does follow, so she walks over to the lead-lined safe where Kharis has been keeping the vials of blood.

“This had better be worth my time,” he says, a hand on his hip and still standing in the doorway. 

“Remember that blood disease I mentioned?” 

“....Yes?”

She pulls the vials from the safe. “I didn’t tell you everything.” She turns and sets the vials down in front of him on the workbench. The blood inside the vials presses up against the glass wall, as if they are desperate to touch, to reach each other. 

Astarion’s brow furrows. “What in the hells is that?” he asks, approaching the bench, already bent down to look at the vials more closely. 

“Blood I pulled from two separate people.”

He looks up at her, all annoyance and exasperation gone. “I know blood, and it doesn’t do this.”

“The first Kharis pulled from a boy who had died, and the second I pulled a woman just a few days ago,” Liv replies. 

“Where’s the woman? What did she have to say?” Astarion asks, carefully shifting the vials around, watching the way the blood branches and reaches for the other.

“She died. We couldn’t help her.” 

He looks up at her, there’s understanding in his crimson gaze and something that looks like regret. “I’m sorry.”

“This is why I haven’t made more headway on your problem. Last time you were here, only Alfran had died, but we had several people complaining of the same symptoms. Kharis convinced his mother to let us do an autopsy. When we cut him open, his blood grew out of him. We thought it was a one-off, whatever it was that killed him. But then Iona…”

“You think it’s spreading?” 

She’s so relieved to see he understands. “Yes, and I’m hoping you can help me.”

“Help you with what exactly?” 

“Help me figure it out…you solved the mind flayer problem, defeated a giant brain…I thought you’d help me with this.”

His answering laugh isn’t comforting. “Darling, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I think you’re misunderstanding my role in all of that.”

Is he really refusing to help? Can’t he see what a big fucking deal this is? “You were part of the group that stopped the mind flayer invasion, right?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“You’re a hero. Isn’t this what you do ?”

He stands there, staring at her as if she’s someone he’s never seen before. “I…it’s not…” he fumbles with a series of beginnings, shifting uncomfortably. “It wasn’t like we just knew what we were doing from the outset…there was a lot of stumbling around.” 

She doesn’t see what the problem is. “Okay. Let’s stumble around together then. Something is infecting people’s blood and killing them, and I’m going to try to do something about it. I hoped that you would want to help too.”

“And what about my problem? You agreed to help me first; I gave you my blood.”

Is he being serious right now? “People are dying…right now. You…You’re immortal, right?” 

“Well, yes, of course.”

“Great. Then what’s the rush? Look, Astarion, I want to help you, and I will help you. But people are dying, and I need to solve this first. Will you help me or not?”

He’s staring at her with a look of utter disbelief on his face. There’s something here she’s missing, she’s sure of it, but she doesn’t know what that might be. Eventually, he rolls his eyes. “I suppose that if you have my help then you’ll be available to solve my problem sooner.”

Good enough. “Thank you.” She means it. The last few days have felt…heavy. Utterly devoid of hope. They’d taken blood from every other person who had come to see them with similar symptoms to Alfran and Iona, but nothing had been odd about their blood. They had no answers, and she simply kept replaying the night Iona’s sons had brought her in, filtering through what other things they might have tried. Something, anything that might have changed the outcome. 

He nods and waves her gratitude away. “So, where do you propose we start?”

Liv picks up a vial and holds it out to him. “Besides all of the…weird movement. Neither Kharis nor I can find something strange about this blood. But you mentioned last time we spoke that you can smell blood. Could you smell this?” 

He takes the vial from her hand, grimacing. “It’s not going to…leap out at me the second I take the lid off, is it?”

She shakes her head. “No, it doesn’t move very quickly. But…don’t touch it? And definitely don’t drink it.”

“The thought hadn’t even entered my mind.” He says with disgust as he pulls the lid off the vial, and takes a big whiff of it as if it were a glass of wine and not a vial of weird, moving blood. His face immediately twists in disgust. “Oh, gods, that’s terrible.” He replaces the lid. 

“Not like normal blood?”

He hands the vial back to her. “Not at all. It’s…utterly rank. Gods, it…lingers. You really can’t smell anything?”

“No.”

“Ugh.” He gags and begins to pace away from her. 

Well, this is at least something. “If you’re going to retch, please do it in the basin.”

He turns and glares at her. “I’m fine.” But he is somehow even paler than before. 

“Have you ever encountered blood like this before?” Liv asks. 

“Once..but it was different. A drow woman...but even her blood didn’t smell that bad. This is…far worse.” He pauses, suddenly thoughtful. “Except…there was a man a few days ago at the Blade and Stars. He smelled like this…”

“Really?” It’s the closest thing they’ve got to a lead. Maybe if they can find this man, he can tell them where he’s been, what he came into contact with that would have done this. If they can find the source, perhaps she can find a cure. “Do you think we might be able to find him again?”

Astarion looks at her in confusion. “I suppose?”

“We could go see if he’s at The Blade and Stars. Then maybe we could get some more information.”

Astarion sighs and looks less than enthused with the turn his even has taken. “Well, why the hells not?”

***

Astarion is utterly confounded by the woman who walks beside him through the dark streets of the Lower City. He’s still not sure why he agreed to join her little investigation, only that the way she had looked at him, the way she’d casually called him a hero, it had reminded him of how everyone had looked at Tavren. When he’d first met Tavren, he’d hated the way they so quickly handed out help and hope as if those were things that could exist in this cruel world. At first, Astarion had disapproved of Tavren’s kindness, and of the solemn promises they’d made to every person with a sad story they met. But then, Tavern had always kept their promises, and later, Astarion had realized that hope they inspired in others, the brightness that lit up their eyes…they’d earned every bit of that. 

Astarion has never wanted to be the reason for that sort of hope, but then Liv had looked at him with that same hope. She’d called him a hero. And it had felt…good. He’s not sure there are many people in the world who would look at a vampire and call them a hero, but she had. He’s not sure why, but some part of him wants to be whatever she’s seen in him.

“So, are you from Baldur’s Gate?” he asks. He’s pretty sure he knows the answer, but they’ve been walking in silence long enough that it’s making his fingers twitch. 

She glances at him, a soft smile on her lips as if he’s being amusing. “Born and raised. You?”

“If I’ve ever lived anywhere else, I don’t remember it.” And then when she looks confused he explains, “I don’t remember much about my life before I was turned.”

“Is that typical for someone who becomes a vampire spawn?”

He shifts a little uncomfortably, eyes fixed ahead. “No, I believe my experience was rather singular.”

“I’m sorry.”

He scoffs and glances back at her. “Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault.”

If his reaction catches her off guard, she’s infuriatingly good at hiding it. “That just seems really hard. To become something else and then lose who you were…” Her words are soft, there’s a gentle quality to them he can’t stand. It feels too much like pity.

“I didn’t lose anything,” he retorts, suddenly defensive, unwilling to admit any potential weakness. The words are harsher than he intends, but he doesn’t apologize. 

“Well, it sounds like you wouldn’t remember if you did, would you?” she says. There’s a hint of challenge in her gaze and a frank sort of appraisal. He’s suddenly very sorry he broke the silence at all. 

Thankfully, they’ve nearly arrived at The Blade and Stars. “So, what’s your grand plan once we arrive?”

“Well, how close do you need to be to people to smell their blood?” 

No one’s ever asked him this. It takes him a moment to consider. “Not terribly near, though the scents get muddied in a place as busy as a tavern. Now that I’ve had a solid whiff of the blood, I doubt I’ll be able to be in the same room without identifying it. Thank you for that by the way.”

She shrugs. “It’s not as if I knew it would smell bad. Does everyone’s blood smell different?”

“Most people smell the same or close enough to the same. It’s only when I drink their blood that I can really parse the nuances, but people do taste very different.”

“So if you had some of my blood, for example, would you be able to recognize it as mine if you encountered it again?” she asks. The question is so earnest, she’s doing that thing where she’s thinking out loud, working something out. 

The opening is too easy, he can’t resist taking it. “Darling, are you inviting me for a bite?” 

Her cheeks immediately redden as she realizes the implications of what she’s asked, but that’s the only tell. “Not at all. Just academic curiosity.”

“Mmmm. Pity.”

They’ve arrived at The Blade and Stars and Liv has opened the door to the bustling tavern. Music and laughter pour out into the street like starlight. “But you didn’t answer the question.”

“You never answered mine,” he replies as he steps around her to get inside. 

“Grab a drink, make the rounds, let me know if you recognize the man?”

He presses past her to the bar to order and smirks at her while they wait for the barkeep to turn his attention to them. It’s crowded tonight up near the bar, and she gets edged out by a man leaning over to talk to a friend and nearly pushed into him. He expects her to tell the man off, but instead, she just steps closer to him and seems like she’s trying to take up less space. He leans down close, so she’ll be the only one who might hear. “Yes, I’d recognize it.” 

He’s not really sure why he’s flirting with her, just that it’s instinctive, easy. He’s pretty sure he’s going to regret it if she flirts back at all, but so far she hasn’t. She just keeps blushing prettily and ignoring his jabs. It’s delightful.

When their drinks do arrive, wine for him and a Mermaid Whiskey for her, she glances about the place, avoiding an elbow as someone pushes around them. “I’m going to go find a quiet table if there is one to be found. Come find me after you’ve made your rounds?”

“Sure,” he replies and watches her wend her way through the crowd. For someone who seems so self-assured, she moves through a crowd rather meekly. As if she can’t stand to be in anyone’s way, inconvenience anyone. She’s an enigma he can’t quite puzzle out. But that’s not why he’s here. He takes his drink and works the room, this is at least, familiar territory. It’s something he knows how to do and do it well. But after a half hour of flirting and making acquaintances throughout the bar, he sits down at her table. 

“Not a whiff of any strange blood.”

She sighs. “That…is disappointing.” She’s hardly touched her drink, but she keeps toying with the glass as if she needs something to do with her hands. 

He drains what’s left of his drink. “So…what now? Do you expect to traipse around to every bar and tavern in the city looking for him?”

“I mean…maybe? He’s the only lead we have. Everyone else with this condition is dead…and well, I sort of thought if we questioned him that we might be able to find whatever it is they all had in common. Track the source.”

He laughs. That’s her grand plan? Nothing else. “Oh…you’re being serious. That’s it?” 

“I mean we could also walk you through every crowded place we can find to see if someone else’s blood just randomly smells awful.”

“I’m not a fucking bloodhound,” he snaps. 

She doesn’t rise to his level. If anything, she’s calmer when she replies. “Alright then, do you have a better idea?”

He wants to tell her this whole thing is ridiculous, but that blood in those jars scared him. The way they reached for each other, the way it had shifted and moved. Something is very, very wrong in Baldur’s Gate. “The Wide is still busy, right after sunset. We could meet there tomorrow, walk the crowds, see if anyone turns up?”

She looks around the bar like she doesn’t want to leave. Like she could through sheer will alone pinpoint someone in this place to help. She sighs, her shoulders sagging a bit. “Yeah, alright. Tomorrow.” She stands up, and so he follows. 

“I’ll walk you home.”

She glances at him, surprised. “It’s alright. Stay if you’d like.”

He gestures to his armor. “I have a job to do, remember? It’s practically on the way. While I could avoid you the whole way there, it would be annoying.”

She laughs, the first genuine laugh he’s managed to coax from her all evening. “Alright then.” 

Together, they leave the tavern and begin retracing their steps back towards the shop. “So, where does one find Bhaalists in Baldur’s Gate?”

“The sewers, mainly.”

“Charming.”

“Quite. The Netherbrain was kept below the city, so we spent quite a bit of time wandering the sewers in order to track it down,” he explains. 

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and it’s still hard to imagine that it happened at all. Even though I saw it with my own eyes.”

“You’d be surprised what’s lurking in the dark shadows of this city. Bhaalists, hags, there was even an undead mummy lord we killed,” Astarion laughs. It sounds so ridiculous strung together like that.

“Really?” she asks, but she looks properly impressed, and some part of him wants to go on and keep telling her about the adventures he’s had, the good deeds done. If only to keep that look in her eyes. 

He’s about to go on bragging when out of the corner of his eye, he catches movement in the shadows. Someone is following them. He notes it but keeps talking as if he hasn’t noticed. “Tavren never met a lost cause they weren’t desperate to right.” The shadow moves closer, and when it lunges out of the dark, he’s ready, even as it goes right for Liv. 

He darts forward, knocking the blade aiming right for her away while using one arm to press her behind him. As he turns, three more figures emerge from the dark. They are all armed with serrated knives and murderous glares. The one who had aimed for Liv steps forward with a smile. “My Lord Bhaal will rejoice when I offer up your soul to him.”

He’s a little impressed. He must have really left an impression on the last Bhaalists he’d tangled with for them to come seeking him. “Well, it seems as though I won’t have to go wandering the sewers tonight after all,” Astarion says, unsheathing his daggers. He glances Liv’s direction. “You aren’t one of those wizards who doesn’t know any actually useful spells, are you?”

She immediately backs up away from him, and for a moment he’s worried she’s going to abandon him, and make a run for it, but instead, she just glares at him. “Why don’t you find out?” A tiny mote of flame snakes its way through the street, stopping in the middle of the group of Bhaalists. 

And then the world explodes in flame. 

He’s lucky that he’s able to dodge out of the way of the fireball. The Bhaalists are not, and he hears their screams, smells their burnt flesh. As the flames dissipate, he rushes in, daggers drawn, taking advantage of their surprise and cutting one of them down. He hears more than sees the Bhaalist leaping for him, teeth bared, and he braces for the blow, and readies himself to slip away. But the collision never comes. Instead, a bolt of magic arcs through him, and the man lies dead, but still convulsing on the ground. 

There are two Bhaalists left, and now he’s sure Liv can handle herself he turns his attention to the one that had jumped out at them first. Not only will he not have to spend his evening stalking the sewers for Bhaalists, but he’ll also get to eat tonight. He’s not starving, yet. But he doesn’t encounter nearly the same number of criminals and vagrants to feed from, so he takes the blood where he can get it these days. 

He lunges for the man’s throat, sinking his fangs into the soft flesh and burying a dagger into his heart. The man fights for a moment and then goes limp, and Astarion drinks, and drinks, and drinks. The blood is warm and fresh and spiked with a heady mix of adrenaline and fear. It fills up a void within him, the empty chasm where his hunger lives. He can feel the man slipping away, and it’s nice to not care about that, to drain him dry, to feel the last vestiges of life slipping away. Perhaps it makes him a monster to enjoy it, but he does. But, all too soon, the blood runs dry and then Astarion lets go of the man and the body collapses to the cobblestones with a sickening thud. 

It is only then that he lifts his eyes to where Liv stands. The last Bhaalist is dead, Liv has seen to that with some other fire spell from the smell of things. She stands up the street a bit, breathing hard, eyes filled with alarm as she stares at him, at the destruction they’ve wrought. She abruptly looks away from him, and he realizes how this must look. He’s just drained a man dry without a thought. He wipes his mouth with the back of his glove, and it comes away stained with blood. 

He must look properly like a monster to her. He’s not sure how he feels about that.

Liv has gone pale, her gaze fixed on the cobblestones. He doesn’t dare step forward. “My apologies, you are in fact a useful wizard. You’re alright?” 

It takes her a moment to respond, a moment to look back at him. He sees the hard set of her jaw as she straightens. “Of course. I’m fine. You?”

“Despite your best attempts to light me aflame,” he accuses. 

He expects a joke or a quip from her, but instead, she glances at the alleyway, as if she might dart into it. She doesn’t and slowly brings her gaze back to him. “What now?”

He sighs. “Now, I need to alert the Fist so they can clean this up. Or you can. I don’t much care.”

“I’ll go,” she volunteers immediately and is already walking up the street as quickly as she can. She’s clearly eager to get away from him. He sighs and then bends to pick the pockets of each one of the Bhaalists for gold or weapons or anything else of use. 

It would have probably been polite to have warned her first or waited now that the bodies are dead and cooling. Even once his companions had known about his condition, he still remembers the strained looks that had been leveled his way the first few times he’d drained an enemy in battle. But Liv had looked truly distraught, and that’s a disappointment because he’d rather preferred when she’d thought of him as a hero. 

He doesn’t expect her to come back, but she does. She looks steadier when she returns too, less pale, but still not talkative. The bureaucratic red tape of it all only takes about twenty minutes to sort out because these Fists are aware of his contract with Davella. Four Bhaalists are worth a good amount of gold, but that’s something he’ll have to take care of another night. 

When the Fists finally release them, he steps as close to Liv as he dares. She’s been quiet since returning with the Fists, almost as if she’d retreated into herself. She’s barely looking at him, and he curses his stupidity. He doesn’t want to apologize though, he won’t apologize for what he is.

“Let’s get you home.”

“It’s alright. I can manage.”

“And what if any other Bhaalists leap out from the shadows, hmm?”

“Seemed to me that they were here for you,” she says. The words are strained. 

“True. I’ve got a contract on them, fifty or gold a piece. Half is yours if you want it.”

Somehow, she manages to look even more alarmed at the mention of money. “No. It’s yours.”

“And you helped. You killed two of them. That entitles you to half.” Even if she hadn’t dealt the final blow to two of them, she’d still deserve half. Tavern had taught him that much. 

She hugs herself, gaze set straight ahead. “I don’t want it.”

Her reluctance makes no sense to him. She stops in front of The Shadowed Quill and takes out her keys. She seems like she’s in a hurry to get inside. He doesn’t stop her. He’s pretty sure that whatever this is…whatever they were doing, it’s over now. He reminds himself that he shouldn’t care. He didn’t really want to be doing this anyway. 

With the door open, she pauses at the threshold and looks back at him. Well, she's not quite looking at him, but close enough. “Tomorrow night at the Wide?”

He stares at her dumbfounded for a moment but recovers quickly. “See you there.”

And then she closes the door and disappears into the darkness of the shop without so much as a goodbye. He stays there an extra moment, though he’s not sure what he expects. Out of the corner of his eye, there’s movement, a figure receding in the darkened alleyway across from the shop. He approaches the space cautiously, on silent feet, but whatever was there, whatever was watching, it’s gone now. 

He’s alone.

[oracle-of-dream]

A Desperate Drink

This is a continuation of Under Pressure, please read that first if you haven't so you can be in order!

Summary: You've woken up next to Jake, remembering everything from before. But you were supposed to forget everything. Something must've gone wrong, you need to find a way out without getting caught!

Warnings: Enhypen Vampires, Male Reader, Drunk-Dazed Timeline, Suggestive themes, Psychological power manipulation, Body/Mind control

Wordcount: 3.6k

Your head was pounding, like a bad hangover, but you knew that you didn't drink that much last night. You looked at Jake next to you, sleeping soundly. His breaths were deep. He snored with a soft smile on his lips.

You shook him, "Jake, wake up."

He groaned in response, waving you away.

Shaking him harder, "Jake, something's wrong. Get up."

He pulled the covers over his head.

You could hear the blood rushing to your head as you hit him with your pillow, "Get up!"

Jake shot up, eyes wide and a wild look, "What's going on?"

"I still know who you are! Jake, you said I'd forget all this," You whined.

Jake looked down and fiddled with the comforter like there was something he wasn't telling you. He moved his pillow onto his lap, "Don't get mad–"

"What is it?" You grit your teeth, expecting the worst. You were a vampire now and going to outlive all your friends. You'd watch everyone you loved die and have to start eating people.

"I got scared and didn't bite you..." Jake raised the pillow to cover his face if you were ready to hit him again. When he realized you hadn't hit him, he continued, "I panicked and used my powers to knock you out instead. I was going to carry you out the window and take you somewhere safe, but my Jungwon came to check on us. So I pretended I bit you and fell asleep next to you."

So you weren't a vampire–that's good news.

"So what now? I just find my friends and walk out, right?" You asked.

Jake gripped the pillow again, "Not exactly... I ended up falling asleep instead of erasing your memory. And as a part of the erasing part, I'm supposed to give you instructions to go home to your bed."

You frowned, "Instructions?"

"We can hypnotize humans with our voices. You can't help but do what we say," He explained.

You tried not to be creeped out at the fact Jake could tell you to do whatever he wanted, but the thought was there.

"Usually, we command everyone to go home, and the house is empty by sunrise. Since we sleep all day normally and wake up when the Sun starts to set, I should be able to sneak you out," Jake climbed out of the bed to peek out the door. He waved you over, "I don't see anyone, so let's be quick."

You followed Jake as he led you out the door and down the hallway. Passing the door where you'd first met Heeseung, the door he'd pinned you against was ajar, but the room was completely dark. You felt a strange feeling to approach the door and enter the room. You knew you had to go, but it was just a peek.

Jake noticed you looking and gently pulled the door shut. He mouthed a name, Heeseung.

Your skin crawled at the feeling. Heeseung wasn't even in front of you, but he could still control you. You thought about your friends again. Hopefully, they made it out all okay, and none were his playthings. Then you remembered your phone! You pulled it out of your pocket– and it was dead. Great.

You got to the edge of the staircase, which overlooked the large living room on the first floor. It was still a mess from the party– sunlight rained down from the windows below. You started down the stairs when Jake let out a sharp hiss.

He was still in the hallway, looking at you on the stairs.

"Come on, I don't know this place," You whispered.

"I can't," He put his hand toward the light but pulled it away before he could touch it. "I'll find another way around," Jake turned around before walking back down the hallway, "I'll meet you downstairs."

You continued down the stairs. The whole house seemed abandoned, but you knew better now. Seven vampires lived here, six sleeping as you tiptoed around their home. Now that everything sat in the sunlight in the windows, you could see the dust covering some old furniture. A large portrait of the seven boys hung above the fireplace in the living room had the seven boys you'd met last night: Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jay, Jake, Jungwon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They all looked the same as you'd met last night but with slight differences. Their hair colors and styles were different as their clothes looked like something from some old Victorian-style painting. You reached the bottom of the stairs. The only sound you could hear was your footsteps and your heart beating in your chest. The house was warm with light, but it had a certain coldness to it.

The living room still had confetti all over the floor, but it was a straight shot to the front door. You made your way there until something moved out of the corner of your eyesight.

Holding in the urge to scream, you turned to see Jay lying in a corner near the door with his eyes closed. He looked so normal and peaceful in his sleep, even snoring slightly. But he was also right next to the front door. You stepped toward him, and his head twitched at the sound of the floor creaking under you.

That's a no-go.

There were a few more hallways you didn’t explore last night. One path could lead to a back door. Or it could lead to another one of the brothers.

Jake was nowhere to be seen. You softly whispered, "Jake! Are you still here?"

No reply. You wanted to wait for Jake, but getting out before anyone else noticed you was a solid idea.

You moved to a hallway, where you'd bumped into that sharp-eyed man, the brother who didn't seem too interested in you, Sunghoon. Last you'd seen him, he knocked you off your feet and yelled at you about it. The hallway was dark and cold, but a whisper came from there. It called to you, beckoning you forward.

Following the whisper, you walked blind– deeper and deeper, following each turn. It was a long walk and dark, so you had to put a hand on the wall to guide you. Your eyes played tricks on you, seeing moving shadows in the darkness. They laughed at you, pointing crooked fingers as you stumbled blind. You kept focused on the path in front of you. The voice was getting louder as you got closer. Eventually, you made it to a massive open room.

You could hear water flowing, like a waterfall. Without the wall's support, your legs gave out under you, which forced you to crawl on the floor.

"Come closer to me," A woman called, "I can bring you safety here."

You crawled desperately. You didn't realize it earlier, but you were sweating heavily, and your throat was dry, even swallowing hurt.

She sensed your thirst, "I can give you sustenance. Drink deeply."

The sound of running water was closer now, getting louder until your hand hit a stone. The sound of the water under you made you put your hand out, reaching for the water– just a sip would be enough. The dehydration was unbearable. Your hand found the top of the wall and felt water splash onto it, a fountain! You used both hands to catch the water and brought it to your cracked lips.

It was delicious, reminiscent of the sting of fresh raspberries. You wanted more. You drink more handfuls, feeling the cold water wash over your body and cool you down. The coldness sank into you from head to toe. You didn't realize how thirsty you'd gotten, but you couldn't stop drinking. The water dripped onto your clothes, staining them, but it didn't matter to you. You just needed more.

"Y/n!?" Jake's voice came from behind you.

You wanted to turn to him but couldn't stop drinking. The water wasn't as delicious as the first few drinks, as it started to taste more like iron and was getting thicker. It made you sick. Your stomach hurt, but you couldn't bring yourself to stop.

"Y/n! Stop drinking! Please!" Jake sounded so far away, like a fading memory. But you felt his hand land on your shoulder.

You finally managed to pull away from the fountain to look over your shoulder as Jake. His face was blurry, but you could make out a concerned expression.

"Y/n, how did you get here!? You shouldn't drink that! It's not for you!" Jake scooped you up and carried you away. You felt the fountain call you, begging you to stay and drink more, but you felt weak and sick. You passed out in Jake's arms as he carried you, the smell of blood in the air.

You opened your eyes slowly, holding your stomach and slowly sitting up. You were in a bedroom with light pouring in from the window. The room was familiar, but– wait, You'd already seen this. You looked over, but Jake wasn't tucked under the covers with you this time. There were voices outside the door, muffled, but you could make out some words.

"Jake, what the fuck is the matter with you!? How could you let a human stay here!? And you let them walk around unsupervised!" One angry voice spoke.

"I'm sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this..." Jake responded.

"So what do we do with him? Kill him?" Another voice asked, this one deeper and cold.

You panicked. The voices were going to kill you! You needed to get out of there. The window! You stood but quickly fell to your feet. Your stomach argued about moving so much, but you had no choice! Pushing yourself to your feet, you reached for the window— but your hand burned in the light that poured out of it.

You screamed in pain, rolling onto the bed away from the light.

The bedroom door burst open as Jake ran in, "Are you okay!?"

You hid your hand behind you, "Oh, y-yeah. My stomach is just really hurting."

The others slowly filled the room, Jake's six brothers. Jungwon looked furious. Sunoo smiled playfully. Heeseung winked at you. Jay seemed more concerned with Jungwon. Sunghoon and Ni-ki's expressions gave you nothing to go off of; they were deep in thought.

Jake helped you under the covers, "You should lie down. A lot is going on right now."

"Like, what?"

Jake looked at Jungwon, "What do we do?"

Jungwon sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "We have to study his reactions and see what we can do for you now. Tell him everything."

Jake turned back to you, sitting on the bed, "Okay, this is a lot, so just listen."

You nod, waiting for Jake to begin.

"Because of my irresponsibility in properly taking care of you, an incident has occurred," Jake spoke like he was giving a book report. Occasionally looking at Jungwon for approval, "When you walked alone in the house, you found a fountain. And drank the liquid in it, right?"

You nodded, "I did. I think I drank a lot."

"You did. And that's not good– we think. The liquid you drank was Blood. And a lot of it. Special blood. I can't describe it well, but we can only drink from it once a full moon." Jake touched your shoulder, "So, because of that. There might be side effects."

You tilted your head, "Like?"

Jungwon ripped the band-aid off, "You might be like us now. A vampire."

Your stomach churned in acknowledgment of his words.

"Because you're one of us, we can't risk you exposing our existence to the people. But you have a life outside of here, which is an issue because people will come looking for you."

Sunghoon spoke, "We can still kill them and hide them."

"And bring more humans to our home to look for us. Could we even risk that? We can't exactly move the fountain, and if they find it..." Jay shook his head as if the thought haunted him.

"That won't happen. And we're not killing. I'm sure y/n will work with us, right?" Jungwon asked, raising his eyebrow at you.

You swallowed hard. It was a lot of information, but you didn’t have a lot of choice. "So, I'm immortal now? Forever?"

Jake nodded, "But we'll try and find a way to fix you. You're not supposed to be like this, and I wouldn't wish this curse on anyone."

Jungwon spoke again, "So? What's your choice? Either toss you in the sunlight and watch you burn, or you can join us until we can get rid of you."

With such a great offer, how could you refuse?

"I'm with you. Please, don't toss me outside," You mumbled.

Jungwon smiled, "I wouldn't want to do that either. So let's try to get along. You can use the room if you want it. Jake can give you a tour, and you can pick out another room if you don't want this one."

"This one is perfect."

"Great. Jake, give him a tour. He's your responsibility for now since he's your fuck-up. I'm going back to sleep. I'll see everyone when it's Sunset," Jungwon commanded with a cute yawn as he walked out.

The other brothers left the room, leaving just you and Jake.

Jake smiled like a dork, "Welcome to the family, I guess?"

You punched him. Hard. "Jake, what the fuck!? I'm stuck like this, and you're cracking jokes?"

Jake rubbed his arm with a pained expression, "You should watch your strength! If I were a regular person, my arm would've broken. And I'm just trying to lighten the mood..."

You could've broken his arm with a punch like that?

You let out a yawn, "Well, what now?"

Jake giggled, "We sleep now. It's still daytime."

Sleep? It was probably around noon, but you were too scared to look out the window to guess. 

"Why do we have to sleep now?"

"We sleep during the day since we can go outside at night. That's why everyone was in such a bad mood since I woke them up in the middle of the day." Jake patted your head, "You're already tired, right?" His voice had a soft tone to it, lulling you to sleep.

You were only a little tired a moment ago, but your eyes could barely stay open now. You grabbed onto Jake's shirt tightly, "Don't do that... You shouldn't. Do–" Your head fell against the pillow as you fell into a deep slumber, your hand still attached to Jake's shirt.

Waking up for the third time in that house was the same as the first. You'd hoped it was all a bad dream, but seeing Jake sleeping next to you confirmed it was all real.

You were a vampire now—a member of an immortal household of handsome men who are brothers. And you can't even go outside during the daytime anymore.

You looked back at the hand you'd burned earlier, completely healed, and Jake was cuddling your other hand. Pulling your arm out from his grip, you replaced it with a pillow, which Jake happily accepted unconsciously.

The room was still and quiet, too quiet. You needed something to make noise. Even the sounds of passing cars or people on the street would be okay.

You escaped the bedroom without waking up Jake and started to explore the house. House was the wrong word– mansion fit it much better.

You passed that room from before, but you could see clearer into it now. Another vampire power was night vision, you guessed. Heeseung was lying in bed, sleeping. He was way too handsome, just like a vampire should be, even while doing nothing.

As if he could feel you watching him, "Like what you see, baby teeth?"

You almost jumped as he spoke because his voice came from behind you. Turning to see nothing over your shoulder, you looked back into the room and saw Heeseung standing in the doorway. He had a low-cut shirt and a draping cardigan with pants on.

"Looking for something, Baby Teeth?" He cooed.

"Who's Baby Teeth?"

He laughed, "It's you! The youngest vampire always gets called Baby Teeth. It's a tradition. But if you want, we can make it just an us kind of thing." He stepped out of his room. His energy was heavy and dripped out of him like honey, "I haven't had someone this cute in the house in a while. And now that you're staying, we can play a lot."

You stepped back, "You gonna drink my blood?"

"You're a vampire now, even if I did–" He got closer, "You could drink mine, and we'd be even."

"I'm not drinking anyone–"

Heeseung sighed in boredom, "Suit yourself. But you can only live like that for so long it'll get boring just drinking from the tap. It's way better from the source." Heeseung poked his nail into one of his fingers and let himself bleed a little, "You don't want to try, not even a little?"

Your mouth watered. That feeling of intense dehydration came back, but now you also felt like you hadn't eaten in days. You wanted to bite Heeseung’s finger off.

"Don't let your hunger control you. Take it easy. Let only a little out at a time, or you could bite off more than you can take," Heeseung warned. He put his finger toward you, letting you smell his blood, "Taste some, no tricks."

You hesitantly moved to grab his hand, but he pulled away.

"No hands, Baby Teeth. We use our mouths for food, so you’ll learn how– Jake's a lousy teacher. You can learn from me," Heeseung smirked as he moved his finger back to your lips. He poked them, getting his blood on them.

Your tongue instinctively darted out to taste it. It wasn't as good as the fountain, but it's a close second. You wrapped your lips around Heeseung's finger and sucked gently.

"Ah, there's a good boy," He moaned. He moved his hand, forcing you to follow it to his waist. You ended up on your knees, sucking his finger, while he watched with a playful look in his eyes. "You're bad at sucking blood, but I can teach you better. Let me," Heeseung took his finger from your mouth, much to your dismay.

You stood as you felt the urge to pin him to the wall and bite his neck. Your heart pumped, and your fingers flexed.

"Oh, how scary, Baby Teeth. You look like you're about to break, but we should be even. You tried mine, so I try yours." You lifted your finger, but Heeseung put your hand away, "Fingers are for you, Baby Teeth until you can handle more. I'm taking your neck. And since Jake fucked it, I'm your first time. I'll be gentle." Heeseung stroked your cheek, "So hold still."

You wanted to dodge him, but you were stuck.

Heeseung tilted your head to the side and leaned down to your neck, smelling and licking since you couldn't push him away. When he bit into you, there was a rush of ice-cold pain as you felt the blood drain out of your neck slowly. It hurt at first but then shifted into something more pleasing. It felt good. Heeseung shifted, putting his hand on your waist to pull you in as his other hand laced his fingers with yours.

You moaned embarrassingly loudly.

Heeseung pulled away, his teeth red and his mouth agape, "You taste good. Really fucking good. Better than anyone I've tasted."

Heeseung went down for seconds, but you started resisting, "Wait, I think we're doing too much now!"

"Don't fight me," He commanded, and your body relaxed instantly.

Just as he was about to bite you again, there was a snap at the end of the hall. "He said that's enough. I'm fine with you feeding off him consensually, but let's not do anything we'll regret. Right, Heeseung?" Jay was standing near the stairs, leaning on the wall.

"Jay, you've gotta try him. He's delicious."

Jay shook his head, "I'll bite if he offers. You're taking your lesson too far here. He's living with us now, so don't do anything to make things more difficult."

Heeseung let you go and turned to you, "I'm sorry about that, y/n. I don't know what came over me..." Heeseung couldn't look at you as he apologized and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

Jay approached you and wiped his hand on your neck, tasting some blood that was there. His eyebrows raised but went to a blank face, "Nothing special."

"Jay, is it normal for vampires to drink each other's blood?"

He shrugged, "We don't normally do it since we're all brothers. It's a little weird. But I heard some vampires would feast on each other to survive. But those were usually extreme cases." He waved you to walk with him, "I want you to be a little cautious. Since you're not one of us, some people might be interested in you. Intimately."

You tilted your head, "So you don't drink from each other because you're brothers?"

Jay nodded, "Pretty much. And we haven't had another vampire here in a long time. The last one was a girl that Jake got close to. But when she left, she did some pretty bad damage to him. He hasn't bitten someone since then."

You remembered Jake said it had been 100 years since the last time he'd bitten someone. It must've been pretty bad.

Jay continued, "Anyways, that's history. We should figure you out. But let's eat first..."

[angelasscribbles]

All That She Wants Chapter 5: Consequences

Series: All That She Wants

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake, Liam x Olivia

Word Count: 1,094

Rating: M

Warnings for this chapter: none

My other stuff: Master List.

Riley stared down at the plastic stick in her hands as a myriad of feelings washed over her.

Another negative test.

How? It had been 6 months since she’d first set her sights on Drake. They had been sleeping together regularly ever since.

Frequently even.

Disappointment and disbelief were the first emotions. She had conceived Ellie on her honeymoon with Liam. Xander had taken only two months of trying.

Frustration and relief were an odd combination, revealing her conflicted motives. Her original goal of procreation was being thwarted, and that was frustrating.

But another negative result meant she would have to keep sleeping with Drake. Not just sleeping with him, but basically dating him, per the arrangement she had agreed to.

She hadn’t meant to, but she found herself enjoying the dating part. It felt good to be wanted, to be pursued, wooed, romanced, valued.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear him until he was right behind her. “What are you doing?”

Her body jolted as awareness of her surroundings rushed back in. “Liam! I thought you had meetings all morning!”

“I did. But the Duke of Rothsford spilled his coffee on me and I came back up to change.” Astonishment crept into his voice. “Is that a pregnancy test?”

“It’s none of your business, is what it is!” She snapped as she moved her hand behind her back.

“Oh, I think it’s most certainly my business if my wife, whom I haven’t had sex with in months, is taking a pregnancy test!”

“Try a year and a half, Liam!” she bit back furiously.

He looked momentarily taken aback. “Has it been that long?”

“Yes!” She hated the tears that gathered in her eyes.

Liam faltered for a moment. He looked at her with compassion, his hand reached out toward her in a comforting gesture but froze halfway there. His voice was icy as he demanded, “Why are you taking a pregnancy test?”

“I wanted to see if I was pregnant, Liam, that’s why!”

“So, you’re having an affair?”

She gaped at him, the anger in his tone confusing her. “You literally told me that if I wanted another baby, to find someone else to be the father!”

“That was hyperbole, Riley!” Liam was shaking with barely restrained fury. “The Queen of Cordonia can’t just have another man’s baby!”

“Oh, but you can sleep with Olivia and ignore your wife, and that’s fine?”

“I—”

“Exactly. You’re a hypocrite, Liam. What if your mistress got pregnant? Then what?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Liv doesn’t even want children! She took the necessary precautions to prevent that years ago!”

“Wow.” Riley shook her head as anger replaced all the despair and sadness she usually felt when confronted with her husband’s infidelity. “You didn’t even try to deny it.”

His shoulders slumped as his fury abated. “I’m sorry, Riley. You deserve better than I’ve given you. I know that.”

“Did you ever love me?”

“I do love you, Riley. Things with Liv and I are…. complicated.”

“No, Liam, you don’t love me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have shut me out. Something changed somewhere along the way, and you didn’t bother to let me know.”

“I’m not disputing that things changed. Our marriage became…stale.”

She wasn’t sure which emotion was more prevalent as she took in his assessment of their relationship. There was an ample amount of rage tempered by an overabundance of grief.

She had never stopped loving him. Had never stopped trying.

But the unvarnished truth was that he had left their marriage, at least emotionally, long ago, and there was nothing she could do about it.

For the first time since she had said I do, she admitted to herself that this was not the fairytale they had sold to the press. This was not her happily ever after and Liam was not her prince charming. They had been living a lie from the moment he proposed.

“Why didn’t you just marry her in the first place?” she asked bitterly.

“I just told you…. she refused to have children. I needed an heir.”

“So, you married me for my uterus?”

A defensive note crept into his voice. “You knew the terms. You agreed—”

“I agreed to the marriage terms because I loved you, you fucking unbelievable bastard!”

“Riley, you’re upset. I understand. But once you calm down—”

“No.”

“No? No, what?”

“No, to whatever is about to come out of your mouth. I’m done worrying about what’s best for you! It’s my turn, Liam!”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you have three choices. Either give me a baby, let someone else give me a baby, or let’s just get divorced and I’ll do as I damn well please.”

“Riley, we can’t just—”

“Those are your choices. Even the king can’t force someone to stay married to him against her will. Just imagine the scandal that would cause!”

He struggled to maintain his composure when what he wanted to do was throw things, yell, lock her in the room, and forbid her to leave it. Instead, he took a steadying breath and counted silently to ten before he spoke. “We said forever, Riley.”

“You promised to love me, Liam.”

“Who is it?”

“Excuse me?”

His voice was tight as he searched her face for answers. “Who are you sleeping with? Who is stabbing his king in the back?”

For the first time in their entire marriage, Riley had the upper hand. She gave him a self-satisfied smirk as she tossed the plastic stick into the waste bin. She crossed the room to the door, opened it, then turned back to face him. “You have two days to decide which option pleases you most, my king.” Then she was gone.

“Son of a bitch!” Liam picked up the nearest object and hurled it at the door that had just closed.

Glass shattered against the wood, as water and petals exploded outward.

Who the fuck had been sending her flowers?

He had barely noticed the vases of fresh-cut blooms that had changed every few days, assuming housekeeping had been putting them there to brighten the room. Now the certainty that someone was not just fucking his wife but romancing her took hold.

Something had to be done. A decision had to be made, and it had to be made quickly.

He pulled out his phone and quickly punched in Olivia’s number. “We have an urgent matter to discuss. I need you to drop whatever you’re doing and come to the palace immediately.”

[iguessitsjustme]

I don't think any of y'all watch The Circle but I am absolutely DYING at the episodes that dropped today. And the only people I know that watch it are coworkers so I gotta wait until tomorrow to really talk about it but oh my god. I gotta say this or I will explode. Under the cut to spare y'all:

Mad, mad respect for Caress for making the right move and sacrificing herself. She knew where she stood and she truly went out in the best possible way. I hope she finds nothing but blessings in her life.

I think the way the show is being edited is indicating that Kyle is gonna win it. I hope he does. He has been nothing but loyal and honest to everyone (aside from the fact he's married but that's no problem because Liv isn't exactly honest either)

I HATE Jordan. First of all, get your shoes off the bed wtf. You sleep there. I also get that he's good for tv or whatever because he's brings the drama but that is literally not what anyone likes about the circle. We like the genuine connections that people build in there. We like when the show is wholesome. And he came in and just decided Myles sucked and was manipulating everyone? Because what? People liked him? When he was going around lying about everything? That boy still has insecurities he hasn't fully worked through and is projecting that onto Myles.

I will be so sad if QT goes because she is genuinely such a good player. She's kind but also realistic and she keeps it real with her people that they're playing a game. I'm glad she left that influencer chat with Jordan because she was right. If she blocked anyone he wanted to block, she would look like she can't be trusted. She would be the next one gone. Because Jordan would have been safe since he was the secret influencer, he had no issues gunning for her people. And trying to tell her that her strategy is bad because she doesn't want to break every alliance she has in one fell swoop? He's dumb.

I hope Liv gets rid of Jordan but the smart move would be blocking QT and I honestly think QT would respect her for it. I don't know if QT would throw shade at Liv being a catfish or not though. That is if they make Liv block face to face which is what they've always done in the past so I don't see why they would stop now.

I am happy to see Liv makes it to the finals. I've been up and down with Liv but I do like her and think she deserves to be in the finals. Or he deserves it I guess. Go Brandon.

I want Kyle to win. Out of everyone left, I want him to win. Myles is my favorite but I think Kyle winning would be the sweetest moment.

Jordan can kiss my ass.

I do want Lauren to make it to the finals. I wish she had been in any other season cause I think the AI twist hurt her a lot and she would have been able to build actual connections with actual people which is what I watch the show for.

No seriously. Jordan makes me so mad. All he had to do was literally none of what he did. Why did he come in so nasty? Has he seen the show? Those people never win. Never.

I do feel bad for Autumn and I think if she had come in earlier and had a chance to talk to Myles they could have been friends. I do not know why I think this but I think they would have been friends.

[thesupreme316]

I was meant to send this earlier but I’m just now getting to it.

AEW stars of your choice reacting to the fem!reader having her/a wrestlermaiea moment, like winning a title or ended a rivalry.

AEW Stars React to: Your Wrestlemania Moment

Pairings: Eddie Kingston X Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Ricky Starks X Fem!Reader, Daniel Garcia X Fem! Reader, Mark Briscoe X Fem!Reader (Platonic), Jeff Hardy x Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Hook X Fem!Reader, Dante Martin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.1K

Supreme Speaks: Thank you to @hookerforhook for requesting and supporting me. I apologize for being off the radar as shit as been hitting the fan in my life. I will upload more posts this week. But as always, my inbox and requests is open for everyone. P.S you are loved and greatly appreciated.

Warnings: None really....i think, gifs are not mine, I repeat: gifs are NOT mine

Taglist: @triscillal @wwenhlimagines @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @sheinthatfandom @eddie-kingstons-wifey

Backstory

Winning the Title:

You won the Royal Rumble and had a first-class ticket to Wrestlemania

Where, also, you had the opportunity to the main event with Becky (Or Charlotte or whoever else you want)

After a feud that has been brewing for a couple of months, it all came down to this

You were gonna walk in as the challenger and walk out as the champion

And you did exactly that

All while giving the crowd and fans around the world memorable moments and five-star moves

After 15 minutes, the bell rung and all was said and done as you held the championship over your head

You celebrated with those at ringside (family, friends, fans) before blowing a kiss to the camera

But most importantly to the person who has always supported you, no matter where he is

Ending a Rivalry:

You have been in a rivalry with Liv Morgan (or someone else)

At first, you two were running the division as a tag team before being split up due to comparisons and underlying tensions

After months and months of scathing promos, vicious attacks, and iconic moments

You two were set to wrestle in a No Holds Barred match at Wrestlemania

Even though y’all weren’t the main event, ya’ll stole the show

With moments that involved blood (if you wish), ladders, kendo sticks, and breaking tables

In the end, you were the only one standing with your hand raised as the winner

You helped Liv up before hugging in the middle of the ring

Eddie Kingston

This man would be screaming “I told you so” to everyone and their mommas

Blows up your phone with spam of “You did good! I guess” “Drag her!” “Dawg you suck lol jk” “I’m proud”

You know how Eddie just randomly posts stuff? He’ll just post a pic of you at Wrestlemania followed by memes or old Japanese Wrestling

Eddie would try his best to promote your win to everyone in his line of sight

Cuts a promo and ends with “Also, congrats to Y/N! Hella proud of you skunk”

I also have a feeling that because Eddie is close with you, he would take this win for you a little more personally than how people would expect

He’s happy that you’re experiencing something that he has yet to have

Ricky Starks

MANS IS HELLA PROUD

Wishes he was there ringside, but Ricky sends his support from afar

Make three separate Instagram posts and five tweets about you, all talking about how you’re amazing (and how you’ll meet stroke daddy later)

“LOOK AT MY BABY WITH THE W”

Makes all of his friends congratulate you with posts and comments (will literally take their phones and do it for them if they don’t)

Refers to you in promos to make his opponents (especially ex-WWE) jealous

“Well, unlike you, my girlfriend was actually able to have her Mania moment”

Spoils with presents (wink wink) you as soon as you guys are reunited

Daniel Garcia

THIS MAN IS A MENACE WITH YOUR WIN

“Your win is my win right? So technically I won at Wrestlemania too?” “No.”

Makes your win his Twitter header (don’t matter if you’re together or not)

Will brag on Isiah’s vlogs and to the JAS

Will taunt people like “Did your girlfriend win at Wrestlemania? No, didn’t think so”

Like Ricky, he will post you on his Instagram and Twitter with simple or funny captions

Would genuinely be proud of you and all of your accomplishments;

And would definitely make your Wrestlemania picture/outfit his Home Screen

Mark Briscoe (My twin flame)

HOMEBOY FUNNY AS FUCK

Would definitely tell you that he saw it coming “I CALLED IT!”

Would send you some flowers that remind him of you and tells you that you did a good job

Mark will ramble on and on about your match to Penta and Fenix

Will turn a promo into being about your win

Will compare your victory to an animated movie where the hero wins all the time

“You know like that one film?” “Cars?” “No…Up! That’s what it called”

Although he hasn’t made it to WWE yet, he is extremely proud of you and will defend your victory till the very end

Jeff Hardy

THIS MAN IS BEYOND EXCITED

As a man who has had his Wrestlemania moment; he’s happy that he had yours sooner rather than later

Will recount his own Wrestlemania moments and reminisce as he looks at your bright smile

Jeff would be the one who dedicates his next gear and facepaint to your Wrestlemania gear

Gives you a spill (speech) about living up to standards and upstaging yourself on future occasions

“And if you don’t feel confident…just jump off the ladder, the floor will catch you”

I want to say that in future matches he would use your signature move or like a common move that you use

Jeff is so damn sweet and will continuously support your accomplishments

Dante Martin

This man is a cutie patootie

Darius would definitely post Dante’s reaction (involves him jumping up and down and screaming at the screen)

Would FaceTime you and just listen to you talk about the entire thing from your perspective

Would call/text you “I’m so proud of you baby”

Cites you (and this specific moment) as his inspiration for future interviews

Would have flowers delivered to you with a little note attached

Hook:

His silent celebrations speak volumes

Would definitely take you out to show how proud he is

I feel like that Hook would be the type to like a post about your victory/moment

But what would really solidify your relationship would be that he posted you on his story with a black heart

That’s also how he confirms your relationship

The wrestling world goes wild as he also wears a hoodie of your merch or posts a picture of ya’ll kissing

Like Dante would also have flowers delivered to you, idc what you say

"I love you and I'm so proud of you"

[chloe-skywalker]

Really? - Kai Parker

Kai x Fem!reader (Eventually)

Warnings: none

Word count: 1,996

Summary: They call in Y/n to babysit Kai

Authors Note: I used the name Hope as a nickname. Also like shes hundreds of years old. Used Twitter in this because Kai had a twitter in the show. This is REALLY old my writing has improved SO much since I wrote this. I wrote for english class in highschool as a sophomore. The date on the paper that I turned it in on was 5/26/16. This was never typed and honestly I completely forgot about it. But I found the 9 page story in my closest. Hope you all enjoy it. This is probably one of the very first times I every wrote a piece of fanfiction. I never posted it on tumblr, I’m pretty sure. I did rewrite some parts cause like I said my writing has very much improved since this lol.

Masterlist

TVD Masterlist

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“Ok, I did not come back to Mystic Falls to babysit some sociopath that I don’t even know!” Y/n said standing in the doorway to the livingroom. Y/n had her left hand on her hip with it pushed out to the side, and her right hand flat out pointing towards Alaric and Jo sitting on the couch together. It had been awhile since she had been in the Salvatore boarding house. “This was your idea, wasn’t it?”

“Relax, Hope. It was mine and Stefans idea. We figured you're a Hybrid plus a witch. Also you're not easily persuaded. Your best option.” Damon said, pouring himself some bourbon.

“Ha,ha,ah, NO!” Y/n said with anger filled eyes. “I don’t want to babysit the newest town problem.”

Y/n turned on her heels towards the front door, once she got there when she started to open the door Stefan appeared right in front of her. He closed the door before slinging his arm around her shoulders, walking her back to where everyone else was.

“Please do this Hope, if not for me or Damon do it for Jo, Liv and Luke. Please.” Stefan pleaded.

Considering that Kai was trying to kill his siblings, the Salvatore brothers being allies with them and not Kai, makes it more understandable why they were keeping him in their cellar or as Y/n liked to call it a dungeon.

Even though Y/n didn’t plan on coming back to Mystic Falls from New Orleans to help in their latest crisis, she would. Her father, the original Hybrid, wouldn't like it. He couldn’t bare to lose her, not his hope. That was her nickname and it stuck. Everyone calls her Hope because of it.

“Fine.” Y/n gave in, although a bit annoyed.

Y/n didn’t have anything else to do and hey, maybe this sociopath wouldn’t be that bad. She had never been one to judge without knowing the person. Her father just because his mother was unfaithful to a werewolf was judged for her actions. Y/n found that unfair.

Damon opened his mouth to speak, bringing Y/n out of her thoughts. “Ok its settled then you watch the little weasel.”

Soon enough they all left to go do what they needed to do, so Y/n  headed down to the cellar and sat against the wall. Having been told to stay close to the cellar because Kai was tricky.

Y/n went on her phone and got on twitter, not long after her phone went off with a notification for the social media app. And apparently Kai had heard it.

“You should follow me on twitter, cobrakai1972.” He said from inside the dungeon cell.

Y/n thought about it for a moment and she didn’t see anything wrong with friending him on twitter. “Ok, that was corbakai1972. Right?”

Once she heard that Y/n heard him get up and suddenly his face was behind the bars on the door. Y/n lifted her head to look at him, he looked surprised. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yeah, why not?” she shrugged.

Kai raised his eyebrows in shock. So he decided to explain who exactly he was. “Well, I assume they told you exactly why you're babysitting me. Right? I’m the new big bad in Mystic Falls. In the prison world I kidded BonBon, multiple times. I assume she’s your friend since you are obviously friends with Damon, Stefan, Alaric, and the rest of them. Probably friends with Jo, Live and Luke as well if you're willing to protect them. They trust you enough to watch me.”

Y/n didn’t miss the way he said his sister's name with disgust, he must really want to kill her like they said. Considering he look’s 22 and Jo looks 44, Y/n took it as in prison worlds you don’t age. Also he killed Bonnie in one so you can’t die either. Damn witches are assholes.

“Well for one thing they told me their side of the story of what happened. Second thing, me and Bonnie are not friends so whatever kill her I don’t care. And yes, they are my friends I guess you could say. Third thing, trust me now that is a kinda long story. They do trust me but that took a very long time, being the daughter of the original Hybrid Klaus Mikaelson whom they trust as far as they can throw. Trust wasn’t an easy thing to earn, Especially since I’m alot like my father. They have me babysitting you because I’m a Hybrid like him as well, and a witch.” Y/n smirked at him which made him smile widely.

“So I guess that means I can’t convince you to let me out?” He asked with a cheeky grin. Y/n shook her head ‘no’ and they both laughed.

Y/n realized she liked his laugh, she didn’t think he laughs often. After a while their laughter died down they started talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. They talked for hours and at some point they had both started leaning against the cellar door. Then the object of ‘pasts’ came up.

“Kai we don’t have to. We don’t have to talk about the past or family if you don’t want to. I get it’s a touchy subject.” Y/n told him sincerely.

Kai nodded even though she couldn’t see him. “You're right we don’t, but I want to know yours and I take it that if I don’t tell you anything then you won’t tell me anything. Am I correct?”

He was right, she wouldn’t tell him if he didn’t share his. “Yes, you're right.”

Kai nodded. “Fine. My family called me an abomination and they physically and mentally abused me with magic and, not because I’m a siphoner. I can’t and couldn’t fight back. Since I couldn’t generate my own magic. My parents didn’t want me to possibly rule the coven, so they kept having kids till another set of twins was born. When twins turn 22 in our coven they merge and the winner takes both powers and becomes the leader of the coven. The other dies. When me and Jo were supose to merge they said no, I went on a rampage. They decided to let us merge but it was all a set up to send me to the prison world. One of my very own, like hell.”

Y/n felt sad for him, his parents turned him into what he was today. They made him into the sociopath, from how they treated him. It wasn’t his fault he was born a siphoner. Called an abomination in his own home growing up by the people who should’ve loved him. It was so wrong in so many ways.

Y/n wanted to lighten the mood a bit. “Wow. That's some history. Am I supposed to top that?”

“There’s more things to me than just that but some things stay secret.” Kai winked, obviously teasing her.

Y/n bit her lip and rolled her eyes at his coolness.

“Okay! Your turn.” He said excitedly through the door.

Y/n laughed before thinking where to start. “Ok, ok lets see, before and after my birth my fathers parents have been trying to kill me. And they're dead now and still try. So my father sent me away for a while. When he brought me back to live with him and our family, his siblings in New Orleans. Its not the only time I've been sent away, my father has a lot of enemies. He sent for me back when he came here and undaggered his siblings. We even have a house here. We caught up and that's when I met everyone. Lots of saving, lots of killing. But I think everything that me and my dad have been through made our bond stronger. There's more to me but you know some things stay secrets.”

Y/n heard him laugh at her copying of his words from before.

“Well I think we are pretty much tied on the who’s worse considering my parents beat me and your dad's enemies and parents keep trying to kill you. I mean at least mine let me live.” Kai let out an amused breath.

“OK well this is getting depressing.” She sighed

“Agreed.” He said

Then suddenly Damon’s name lit up Y/n’s phone with a text.

[ Hey won’t be back for a couple more hours. Please keep watching him.]

Y/n scoffed, fully annoyed she’d already been here for 5 hours.

“What?” Kai asked, having heard her scoff and seen the annoyance on her face.

“Damon’s going to be even longer.” Y/n was officially pissed. Y/n thought for a moment and then a brilliant idea popped into her head. “You know if I have to watch you why does it have to be here?” She smirked michevously up at the breunette.

“What do you have in mind?” He questioned.

“If I have to watch you I’m not going to do it here.” Y/n stated.

“Wasn’t that the point?” Kai questioned.

“So?” She shrugged. “His text didn’t say it had to continue here.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what he meant but I won’t stop you.” Kai smirked at her idea, completely ready to be free from his cell.

Y/n didn’t need a key since she was hundreds of years old witch.

 “They're gonna be pissed when they find out.” He told her as he stepped out the doorway.

“They can’t and don’t know how to kill me. And my father plus Aunts and Uncles wouldn’t let them lay a finger on me.” She rolled her eyes.

So the two of them walked upstairs when Kai spoke up. “So you really want to hang out with me?”

“Of course.” she nodded but when she looked over at Kai he seemed relieved. “Did you think I would say no?”

He scratched the back of his head looking to the floor.

“Kai” Y/n looked at him and stepped in front of him reaching up to hold his face in her hands. “After everything we just talked about, and me letting you out, why would I not want to hangout with you?”

Y/n leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Kai couldn’t believe he might’ve actually found a friend.

“You mentioned your name when we talked. How if they named you Mlachia then they must have expected you to be evil. When I look in your eyes I don’t see evil, I see a boy that doesn’t know what love is.” Y/n looked into his eyes. Kai saw no malice, no hatred. She cared about him.

“You don’t know me. Not really.” He shook his head not believing that she could care about him.

“I don’t. But I’d like to.” She smiled warmly at him. Y/n lifted her shoulders smiling looking into his eyes. “Who knows, maybe you can change. I’m not saying to stop killing, I’m just saying maybe not kill everyone. People might see you differently.”

Kai laughed at the last part, it was probably true. “No one’s gonna ever see me differently. No one will ever see me as redeemed.”

Kai looked down actually feeling sad about that. No one would ever give him a chance. He’d never be forgiven.

“Hey, you want to know why my dad and everyone calls me Hope?” Y/n asked, she was gonna tell him anyway but luckily he nodded so she continued. He didn’t just nod though he also raised an eyebrow and made a look that made Y/n laugh. “He calls me Hope, because I’m his hope. His hope to be better, his hope of redemption. Maybe I can be your hope to.”

Kai smiled nodding along. “Maybe.”

With that they officially left the Salvatore boarding house to go have some freedom and fun.

Taglist: @padawancat97

[sitp-recs]

Hey liv! :) Do you know any Drarry fics with "i'm addicted to you" vibes?

Hi anon! Ahh yes, love myself some chaotic obsessive vibes for those two. It’s about the utter desperation 🤌🏼 I hope you enjoy these, I’ve also heard great things about Liar by jad, if you’re okay with Hinny and Drastoria infidelity I think it would be a good fit for your ask.

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Tales From the Special Branch by Femme (E, WIP)

This is a five-story arc about an Auror Special Branch unit whose core members are Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini. I can promise endgame Drarry, but, let's face it, there are going to be a lot of up and downs on the way

[ao719]

…Sometimes Not (Part 5)

Back To How It Used To Be

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2 and #3

Song inspo: Back to Friends - Lauren Spencer Smith

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You story. Thank you @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.  

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)

Rating: T • Warnings: None but some mild language.

Word count: 2494

Catch up here

Reyna was still as a statue as she remained crouched on the lock bridge, staring at what felt like a ghost. She swallowed thickly, taking in every detail of the face she hadn’t seen in three years, certain that the shock in his expression mirrored her own. She searched those blue eyes she’d missed so much, feeling her heart race as she struggled to find her voice.

“Reyna …” Liam whispered.

It came out like a caress on her skin, causing Reyna’s breath to hitch. “H-Hi …” It was all she could manage to choke out.

“I …” Liam was afraid to look away, but he forced himself out of his bewilderment and shook his head. “I-I’m sorry,” he said as he glanced back down at the scattered contents of her purse on the bridge.

Liam’s gaze fell on an open book in front of him, but before his eyes could fully adjust to making out any of the words in the dim bridge lighting, Reyna snatched it. He looked up at her again; she appeared flustered as she grabbed a few other items … pictures? … stuffing them in between the pages of the book before quickly snapping it shut and shoving it into her purse. He could have sworn he saw his name written on one of those pages, but he quickly shook the thought, knowing it was absurd. He glanced back down, grabbing a compact and a tube of lipstick and handing it to her.

“Thanks,” Reyna said as she took them and dropped them into her bag along with the remaining items she had grabbed. She clutched the strap and they both rose to their feet; she lifted her gaze to see him staring at her intently. The awkwardness was palpable, neither seeming to know what exactly to say.

“What … what are you doing here?” Liam finally asked.

“I, uh …” Reyna had to look away, unable to think straight. “I’m here for my mom. Her charity had an event, but she came down with the flu, so I came in her place.” She dared to glance back up at him. “You?”

“My father took on an art gallery project and I’m supposed to be meeting a donor on his behalf.” Liam couldn’t peel his eyes away from her. “How … how have you been?”

Reyna felt a pang in her chest at his question; it was just an added reminder of the three years that served as a chasm between them. “Good,” she lied. She’d been ok at best. “How about you?” God, this feels so weird.

“I’ve … I’ve been alright,” Liam replied, still staring at her. Half-truth. He’d been alright from time to time … but most days, he’d been miserable. I wish this wasn’t so awkward. “How’s, uh … how are your parents?”

“They’re good,” Reyna nodded. “How’s Regina and your dad?”

“Good,” Liam replied. “Keeping busy.”

“Is your dad … is he doing ok?”

Liam subtly smiled. “He’s in remission.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Two years. Thinks he’s immortal now,” Liam chuckled. “At least that’s what he tells me and Leo.”

“That’s good to hear,” Reyna smiled. “Are things with you and Leo … better …?” She looked down; she hadn’t thought about that in a long time.

“Uh … yeah,” Liam nodded. “It took a while, but …”

Reyna glanced back up, slowly nodding. “And everyone else? Liv, Max, and Drake?” Is it rude that I didn’t ask about his wife?

“Liv and Max are good. Drake …” Liam shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to him in over a year.”

“What?” Reyna’s brows furrowed. “Why?”

“It’s …” Liam let out a breath. “It’s a long story.” He could see the confusion and concern in her eyes. “It’s fine …”

Reyna knew whatever had happened, he was not fine with it; she could see it in his eyes. Old Reyna would have already had every detail because he used to tell her everything. Things were different now, though; they were no longer the Liam and Reyna who knew every detail of one another’s lives. And she didn’t feel like she had a right to ask for details about matters such as this in his life because it was a life she was no longer a part of.

Liam cleared his throat. “How, um … how long are you here for?” he asked, breaking another bout of silence that fell between them.

“The event was this afternoon, but I planned to stay for a few more days,” Reyna answered. “You?”

“I got in yesterday. I’m still waiting to hear about when I’ll be meeting this donor,” Liam replied, and Reyna nodded. “Where are you staying?”

“The Villeroy.”

“The Athénée,” Liam said. “Just across the way from each other.”

“Yeah. Speaking of which … it’s been a long day. I should probably …” Reyna trailed off, gesturing behind her to the end of the bridge.

“Right,” Liam nodded. But he wasn’t ready to see her walk away from him again. Not yet. “Do you … do you want a ride?”

Reyna continued to stare up at him. Despite wanting to end the awkwardness, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye again. Not quite yet. “Sure …”

****

After a silent walk off the bridge to the waiting SUV, Liam and Reyna shared an equally as silent ride back to the area where their hotels were. They were both still trying to wrap their minds around running into each other.

They pulled up in front of the Villeroy and Reyna fidgeted with her hands in her lap as she looked from the window to him. “Thank you … for the ride.”

“No problem,” Liam nodded.

Reyna could feel her heart breaking all over again, not knowing when she’d see him again after this … if ever. “It was … it was really good to see you, Li,” she smiled sadly.

When Liam saw her look away and reach for the door handle, panic clutched his racing heart. “Do you want to get together tomorrow?” he blurted out, and she glanced back at him. “To … to catch up?” Reyna let out a breath, swearing she saw a flicker of longing in his eyes. “It’s been three years, Rey. I’d wager we have a lot to catch up on …”

Reyna smiled ruefully. “Yeah … I guess we do.”

As they continued to stare at one another, Liam’s lips twitched into a subtle smile. “So, is that a yes or …?”

“Oh,” Reyna shook her head with a sheepish laugh. “Yeah. That … that sounds good.”

“I might have to meet that donor, so just in case, I can pick you up here, say … two? We can do whatever and then maybe grab dinner …?”

Reyna nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

Liam watched her slip out of the vehicle and shut the door. As she walked toward the entrance, she glanced over her shoulder, sharing one last glimpse with him before disappearing inside.

*******

Liam and Reyna strolled silently along the pathway beside the Trocadéro fountain. They’d spent the last few hours walking around Paris, catching one another up on their lives over the past three years, both managing to avoid any conversation about Liam’s wife and Reyna’s fiancée.

Reyna told him about going back to school and getting her master’s. And she told him about how five months ago, she started a new job; she didn’t say why she left the law firm, and he didn’t ask. And she never mentioned her engagement. He knew she was probably deep into the wedding plans by now with the big day rapidly approaching.

Liam told her about the different projects he’d taken on, tours he’d done, and policies he’d shaped; he didn’t mention anything his Queen had done, and she didn’t ask. Not once did he bring up Riley and their life together. She knew they had to be thinking of starting a family soon … if they hadn’t already.

Despite their different conversations, the awkwardness between them was still there and neither could seem to quite shake it. It was like they’d forgotten how to be Liam and Reyna, the two best friends who laughed, joked, and playfully bantered; the two best friends who opened up and told each other everything. Things felt stiff, as if they were holding back, afraid to drop those veils they were hiding behind.

They both hated it.

As they stepped onto the platform of the Palais de Chaillot and looked at the Eiffel Tower across the way, Liam turned to face her. “So … anything specific you want for dinner?”

Reyna smiled. “I’m fine with whatever.”

Liam heaved a sigh. “Rey …” When she turned to him, he gave her a knowing look; she’d never been one to shy away from telling him what she wanted, especially when it came to food.

When Liam lifted his arms and folded them across his broad chest, it was the first time Reyna had really noticed his hand … and what was missing from it. She slightly tilted her head at the sight of his bare finger, and before she could stop herself, the question came barreling out. “Why aren’t you wearing your wedding ring?”

Liam arched his brow. She doesn’t know. His eyes dropped from hers down to her hand; resisting the urge to knit his brows in confusion at what he didn’t see, he slid his gaze back to hers. “Why aren’t you wearing your engagement ring?” he asked, his tone laced with playful sarcasm.

Reyna’s lips parted with a quiet breath as her brows slightly rose. “Oh, I …” He knew? But he doesn’t know? “I, uh … I called off the engagement.”

Liam swore he felt his heart stop at her words before forcing himself to shake the surprise. “I, um …” He held up his hand, showing his ringless finger. “I got a divorce.”

They stared at one another, allowing the other’s news to sink in, neither knowing exactly what to say.

After several quiet moments, the corner of both their lips began to twitch, and when they both noticed, they stopped fighting their smiles.

“I’m sorry,” Liam pursed his lips. “It’s not …” He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not funny.” He tried to sound serious, but the hint of mirth still lingered in his tone.

Reyna shook her head and looked down. “It’s not.”

Liam saw her shoulders start to shake and he couldn’t contain his chuckle; when Reyna heard it, she looked up at him, and they both broke into a fit of laughter. It was part nerves, part amusement, part perplexity, but it helped that awkwardness finally ebb away.

And for that one moment, they were Liam and Reyna again.

Unsure of how long it would last, Reyna pushed every other thought aside and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. Liam stiffened in surprise but only for a second before looping his arms around her shoulders.

Reyna closed her eyes at the feel of his embrace; he still smelled the same and despite the last three years … he still felt like home. “I’ve really missed you,” she said quietly, fighting the tremble in her voice.

Liam’s chin rested atop her head as he chewed the inside of his cheek, blinking away the sting in his eyes. “I’ve missed you, too, Rey.”

They both tightened the embrace, staying like that for several moments before they finally drew back. Reyna tearfully chuckled as she swiped her fingers beneath her eyes and let out a breath. “How about we really catch up? And you can start by telling me what the hell happened with you and Drake.”

Liam smiled. “Deal, but first … dinner. What do you want?”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment. “Burgers,” they said in unison. “Jinx.”

“Come on,” Liam chuckled as he draped an arm around her shoulders and led her back down the steps. “I know the perfect place.”

*******

Standing on the Alexandre III Bridge after grabbing a late breakfast, Liam and Reyna leaned against the balustrade, gazing at the Seine below.

They’d spent every waking moment of the last few days together, seeming to effortlessly fall back into that friendship they once shared. And they’d been so engrossed in seeing each other again, neither put the pieces of the puzzle together to realize their fathers had been behind it. They caught up on everything, sharing every detail of the last three years that they missed, including the whole story behind his divorce, the way she felt Luca had become overly domineering, and the fallout of both.

They shared everything … everything except the feelings they still harbored for one another.

And just when they got back on track, they were both going home.

Neither knew what would come next, but they were both struggling with the thought of parting ways and having things go back to how they were before this trip.

“What time does your flight leave?” Liam asked.

“Two,” Reyna replied. “I should start heading back to the hotel; I have to get to the airport soon and I need to grab my bags.” She glanced over at him, returning his rueful smile with her own. “I’m really glad we ran into each other.”

“Me too,” Liam smiled. He looked back out at the river below, letting out a breath. “But what now …?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to go back to how it was before this trip,” Liam said, looking at her again. “I don’t want to lose you again. I don’t … I don’t want to go back to not talking to you or seeing you.” Reyna felt her heart tighten at the thought; she didn’t want that either, but she also knew they needed to be careful. “I just … I don’t know where we go from here. And I don’t know what we are … but I miss what we were, Rey.”

“I don’t want to lose you again either,” Reyna replied. “I don’t want to go back to not having you in my life. And as far as what we are … you’re still my person, Li. You always have been … even if you didn’t know it …”

Liam stared at her for a moment. “So we won’t fall back to the place we were before,” he said matter-of-factly. He lifted his hand, offering a playful smirk along with his pinky; she chuckled as she wrapped her pinky around his. “Promise.”

“Promise,” Reyna smiled.

As they made that vow, holding one another’s gaze, that invisible line they crossed all that time ago etched itself between them once again.

Liam and Reyna knew they had to bury their feelings. Despite the love they both still deeply felt, if they were going to make this friendship what it once was, they couldn’t risk crossing that line.

Not again.

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

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[pedrito-friskito]

strawberry wine - joel miller x ofc!liv stone/fem!reader

after - part twenty-seven

series masterlist | main masterlist | read on ao3

you reach Kansas City, things don’t go exactly as planned.

a/n: remember when I said this was gonna be up what a week ago? MY BAD. love you all🤍

word count: 8.6k

warnings: if you’ve been reading this far, you know the drill. a good chunk of violence in this one.

✨@friskito-library for updates on new parts/works✨

Ellie wakes to a strange rattling noise. It sounds almost liquidy, but metallic at the same time, but definitely fucking annoying.

With a quiet groan, she pokes her head out of the sleeping bag, finding the source of the noise. There’s some kind of container on the camping stove, like a taller version of the pot she’d watched you warm the ravioli up in last night, but more narrow, the handle attached at two ends instead of one.

The sun’s up, the ground beneath her isn’t as hard as she anticipated, and slowly, she rolls onto her knees, still encased in the sleeping bag as she shuffles forward to inspect the thing on the stove. The lid looks like plastic, and she can see the liquid inside, dark brown and sputtering as she flips the lid.

The smell hits her like a damn truck, and she groans loudly. “Ugh! What the fuck is that?”

She hears your instant laughter, turning to see both you and Joel standing at the back of the truck, packing things back up. You have the rifle slung across your back, and Joel lifts his brows at Ellie. “You don’t like coffee?”

She makes a face in response, rolling back over and flopping onto her back, and you appear a moment later, backlit by the cloudy sun, hands on your hips. “Up and at ‘em, kid. We need to get a move on.”

Once all the packing is done, you and Joel start to bicker about who’s driving first. Joel keeps insisting that he take the first shift, and you keep reminding him that you took the first watch, so you drive first. Ellie doesn’t miss the way his jaw goes tight when your voice drops and you say something he can’t make out, but then he shoves the thermos of coffee at you, stalking towards the trucks and climbing into the backseat. Your eyes follow him, but then shoot back to Ellie, who nearly flinches, reaching for her bag. “Let’s go.”

It takes Joel all of five minutes to pass out in the backseat, and you shake your head, glancing at him over your shoulder as you pull back onto the highway, the truck wobbling slightly as it goes from grass to asphalt.

“Stubborn as fuck, I tell you.”

Ellie settles deeper into her seat. You leave the radio off to let Joel sleep, and when you reach for the thermos, Ellie keeps her voice low. “Is that seriously what those Starbucks in the QZ used to sell?”

“Hah, they had better stuff than this. Bill had a stockpile, but none of it was as fresh as theirs.”

She wrinkles her nose. “It smells like burnt shit.”

You huff a little laugh. “Used to be able to get it with all kinds of stuff, caramel, cinnamon, hazelnut. Smelled like a damn dream.” You jut your chin towards the little door in front of Ellie’s legs. “Open that, yeah? Get the map out. I think I know where I’m going, but the last thing we need is to get lost.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” Ellie agrees, and reaches for the handle. The door drops open when she pulls on it, and fishes the maps out, unfolding it in her lap. “Have you ever been to Wyoming before?”

“Never,” you reply, sipping the coffee again. She watches as you close the cap one-handed, your other braced on top of the steering wheel. “We moved around a bit when I was a kid, but I guess it’s not far from where my sister was born, now that I think about it.”

“You have a sister?” Ellie asks instantly, her curiosity piqued. She’s still not quite sure what it is about you that has her so curious, her questions coming one after another. And she’s no fool, she knows Joel has about had it with the questions, but you indulge her, and it’s…it’s nice.

“Had,” you say quickly, and Ellie bites her tongue, instantly regretting it, wondering if you’re about to make another rule for her, like you had back in Lincoln. “She was in Austin, with our parents, but then Joel found her in Cincinnati. She, uh, she died. She got bit and FEDRA dragged her off.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

You lift a shoulder, moving both hands to the steering wheel. Your eyes are glued to the windshield in front of you.

But Ellie can’t help herself. She wants to know; she has to know. “What about your parents?”

“Remember how I told you they bombed Boston?” you say, and Ellie nods, remembering the story, the craters in the streets, how it looks like a fucked-up moon. “Austin was overrun, and FEDRA levelled the city. My parents were in a shelter when they dropped the bombs, and no one survived.”

The map flutters in Ellie’s grip as her finger curl, the paper crinkling. “I…”

“You don’t have to say you’re sorry, kid,” you say, but she can see the strange expression on your face, something she doesn’t have a name for. “It happened a long time ago.”

You both go quiet for a while, and the only sound is the rumble of the truck, Joel’s quiet breathing in the backseat, and the rustle of the map as Ellie tries to figure out where you are, where you’re going. You offer help where you can, splitting your focus between the road and the map. “Right about there,” you point, “that’s where we camped.”

“Okay, so it’s 76 West, and then 70 West for, like, ever.”

“Then Wyoming?”

Ellie nods in agreement. “And then Wyoming. Do we know where in Wyoming, exactly?”

You shake your head. “Joel knows. There’s a radio tower that we used to send messages through it; I can’t remember the city. Last we heard from Tommy, that’s where it came from.”

“Tommy is Joel’s brother?”

“He is,” Joel answers, startling you both. He leans forward from the backseat, reaching for the thermos of coffee. “The tower is in Cody.”

Ellie turns back to the map, ignoring the loud slurp as Joel drinks from the thermos. “Cody…Cody.” She spots it, along the fold in the map. “Ah, man, that is deep up in there.”

“Great,” you mumble, reaching for the thermos as Joel hands it to you.

“Yeah,” Joel grumbles in response, and Ellie sees the way his hand lingers on your shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“And if he’s not there?” she asks.

“Then odds are, he’ll be near a settlement,” Joel replies, “probably close to another city. Ain’t too many of ‘em in Wyoming, thankfully.”

Ellie’s eyes find another city name on the map. “Chee-Yen.”

“Cheyenne,” you correct, and she looks at you.

“Che—really?”

The corner of your mouth quirks and you nod. “Really.”

“Cheyenne,” Ellie repeats, searching for more cities. “Laramie. Casper?” Another question piques, and she turns to Joel. “Is Tommy older than you or younger than you?”

His brow furrows in that way of his and he reaches for the thermos again. “Younger.”

“Why isn’t he with you?”

“Long story.”

“You people and your long stories,” Ellie groans, tipping her head back. “Is it longer than twenty-five hours? Cuz I think that’s what we got.”

Joel sighs, and she sees his eyes flick up, no doubt meeting yours in the mirror. Your grin is gone, your lips now pressed into a tight line.

Another sigh, and then the man speaks. “Tommy’s what we used to call a ‘joiner,’” he starts, fiddling with the cap on the thermos. “Dreams of becomin’ a hero. So, he enlisted in the army right outta high school. Few months later, they ship him off to Desert Storm. It’s what they called that war, it doesn’t matter. Point is, bein’ in the army didn’t make him feel much like a hero. Cut to twelve years later, outbreak happens, and he convinces me to join a group makin’ their way out to Baltimore, which I did, mostly to keep an eye on him, keep him alive. That’s where we met Tess, and her husband. That whole crew. We, uh…”

He trails off, and Ellie sees his eyes flick up again. You adjust your hands on the steering wheel.

“Well,” he continues after a beat, staring down into the thermos, “for what it was, it worked. Until it didn’t. We got kicked outta Baltimore, Tommy convinces us to try Boston, and…”

Ellie looks at you. “And then you found each other again.”

You nod slowly, your lips still pressed together.

“We did,” Joel agrees. “And it worked, again, being in the QZ, keepin’ ourselves busy, keepin’ the smuggling under the radar. Then Tommy meets Marlene, and she talks him into joinin’ the Fireflies. Same mistake he made when he was eighteen.” He shakes his head. “Wants to save the world. Pipe dream. Him, Fireflies, all of ‘em, delusional.”

You inhale sharply.

“‘Course, last I heard,” Joel says, “he quit the Fireflies, too. So now he’s on his own out there, and…we gotta go get him.”

It goes silent in the truck again, save for your quiet swallow as Joel gives you the thermos again. But it’s only a moment before Ellie breaks it. “If you don’t think there’s hope for the world, why bother going on? I mean, you gotta try, right?”

Joel’s brow pinches again. “You haven’t seen the world, so you don’t know.” His eyes flick up again, but yours stay glued to the road ahead. “You keep goin’ for family. That’s about it.”

“I’m not family,” Ellie says, and ignores the way the words make her chest hurt.

“No,” Joel says instantly. “You’re cargo. We made a promise to Tess, and she was like family.”

She turns her head away from him, staring at the world rolling by outside. “What if you don’t find him?”

“We will,” you answer, a strange waver in your voice. “We’re persistent people, Ellie. Capable people. We’ll find Tommy, and we’ll get you to the Fireflies.”

She’s too distracted by the weird tone in your voice to notice the truck rolling to a stop. You push the stick on the middle console forward, and your eyes flick up to Joel’s.

“Outside. Now.” Before Ellie can say a word, you’re getting out of the truck, your eyes flashing to her before you shut the door. “Stay here. I just need a minute.”

Ellie just watches, the truck wobbling slightly as Joel shuffles out after you, slamming his door shut. You walk around to the front of the truck, your hands clenched into fists at your sides, and Joel follows.

+

“Cargo?” you shout, whirling on him when Joel reaches for your arm, your name halfway out of his mouth. “Are you fucking kidding me, Joel?”

“What are you—”

“She’s a person,” you nearly cry, grabbing the front of his jacket with both hands. “She’s just a kid, Joel. You can’t fucking…Cargo?”

“I’m sorry,” Joel grunts, wrapping a hand around your wrist. “It just came out, all right? I didn’t mean to—”

“I’m gonna say it once,” you say, smacking his hand away, pointing a finger in his chest. “Don’t ever call her that again. You hear me? She’s not fucking cargo.”

He just stares at you for a moment, lifting his hand again. When you don’t immediately smack it away again, he curls his fingers around your wrist, tugging on your hand. “Liv, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

He lifts a brow. “I don’t know the last time you snapped on me like this, so maybe you are.” He presses his fingers against your pulse. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head.”

You try to turn away from him, but he sees your bottom lip wobble, and pulls you back. “Last night, I just…I let my mind wander.”

“And?”

“And this feels like some kind of karmic joke,” you say, shrugging your shoulder, your eyes going shiny. “We’ve been hiding what I am for what, almost fifteen years? We could have stopped this a long time ago, and yet somehow, here we are, doing favours for Marlene of all people, putting our asses on the line, taking this kid across the country on a wing and prayer, and for what? To make up for all the terrible shit we did? She could save the damn world, and I’d still feel guilty.”

“Liv, you don’t have to—”

“I know,” you say, cutting him off, lifting a hand in the air. “I know why we made the choices we did, Joel. And I don’t regret them — I don’t regret choosing you over everything else. I never will. Ever. But this kid? She’s not just cargo, okay? It’s more than that. And don’t try to tell me that it’s not.”

Joel swallows hard, the guilt gnawing at his gut, and he pulls you against his chest, his words muffled by your hair. “I made you a promise,” he says, your words from the forest echoing through his head. “No questions asked. And…it is more than that. I know that. I just…”

He pulls back, holding you at arm’s length, and his eyes catch on his watch, just visible past the cuff of his jacket. Your eyes follow his, and you cover it with your hand, brushing your fingers against the band. “Joel.”

“We need to keep goin’,” he says, effectively ending the conversation. He turns on his heel, swallowing down the barrage of emotion that’s crept up his throat. You don’t fight him as you follow, slipping your hand into his as you walk back to the truck. From the corner of his eye, he sees you wipe your cheeks, and you don’t say a word as he gets into the driver’s seat, you taking his place in the back.

Ellie glances between the two of you as he shifts the truck back into drive, the tires starting to roll as his foot comes off the break. “Ya got up pretty early,” he says to the kid. “If you wanna grab some more sleep.”

He can see the flash of protest in her face, but then she nods. In the backseat, you pull your jacket over you like a blanket, curling up on the seat. Joel pushes the gas pedal, the engine revving as he finds a comfortable speed. He puts the Linda Ronstadt cassette back in, keeps the volume low enough, and it’s not long before you’re both asleep. He finishes off the coffee, gripping the steering wheel one-handed as the grey sky starts to darken, but not into night. 

He can almost smell it, the shift in the air, the feeling of rain before it comes. His joints ache, and he can hear your voice in his head: old man. He keeps his eyes on the road, humming along with the cassette, and when she croons out Bill and Frank’s song again, his eyes dart to your sleeping form in the backseat.

His eyes slide to Ellie next, passed out in the passenger’s seat, her head tipped back, mouth wide open. That thing crawls up his throat again, but he swallows it back, shakes his head, clears his throat.

Not now.

The thunder starts first, loud rumbles that echo inside the truck cab. You both sleep through the first few, but as the rain starts to fall, he hears you stirring, one hand reaching for his arm, calling his name softly.

“We might have to stop for a bit,” he tells you, covering your hand with his free one. “Dunno how bad it’s gonna get.”

Not thirty minutes later, and he’s pulling the truck to the side of the road, trying to tuck it amongst other abandoned vehicles. Ellie wakes a little later, clearly confused, and you put a hand on her shoulder as you explain why you’ve stopped. Joel does his best to ignore the twist that forms in his gut, seeing you be gentle with her.

Not here.

Thankfully all the food is in the cab of the truck, so you fish out some dry stuff, trail mix and some semi-stale crackers, a sports drink passed between the three of you. Ellie makes a face at the yellow colour, and Joel shakes his head. “They all taste the same.”

“They do not,” you laugh, taking the bottle from Ellie. “Is it weird to say the yellow ones were my favourite?”

“Yes,” Ellie says instantly, making a face as you take a big sip. “It literally looks like pee!”

“Lemon-flavoured,” you shoot back, waggling your eyebrows. The kid barks a laugh, and Joel chews the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling.

A few more puns are told, Joel shaking his head at you both, and you field a few more of Ellie’s questions. Only one of them has you glancing in his direction, unable to give her an answer. Are all the QZs like Boston?

“No,” he says bluntly, staring out the truck windshield, at the watery world beyond, smudged through the soaked glass, “no, they aren’t.”

It’s answer enough for the kid.

The rain refuses to let up, and it’s getting cold in the cab of the truck. You and Ellie switch places, some artful manoeuvring on your part that ends with you more in Joel’s lap than the passenger’s seat. You linger a moment, and he brushes his hand across your back before you’re folding yourself into the other seat. You’d thought to stick the sleeping bags in the cab as well, and Ellie unzips hers, tucking it around herself as she settles into the backseat. It’s not long at all until she’s passed out again, face buried in the sleeping bag.

You shed your boots, and Joel reaches for your sore ankle again, rubbing the same way he had in the forest. You hum happily, leaning half against the door, half against the seat. The blanket is settled over you both, stretched across the console, and Joel lets his hand snake a bit up your pant leg, fingers seeking your warm skin, massaging your muscles.

“You are damn good at that, Joel Miller,” you murmur, watching him from your spot, your head cocked to the side.

He lets the corner of his mouth lift. “I’m an expert when it comes to touching you, baby.”

Your grin matches his. “Ain’t that the truth.”

You both fall quiet, and the only noise is the patter of the rain on the roof of the truck, the softer noise of it against the windows, and Ellie’s quiet breathing. He doesn’t let up on your ankle, and for a long moment, you just stare at each other, your head still tilted to the side, Joel looking up at you under his eyelashes.

“I’m sorry, for snapping on you earlier,” you say, pushing your head against your fist. Your eyes are shiny again.

He squeezes his hand around your leg, pressing into the muscle of your calf. “You don’t have to apologize, Liv.”

“I do,” you say, your voice insistent, and you reach across the space between you, fingers curling in his sleeve, tugging his hands into yours. “It wasn’t fair of me, I just—”

“You were looking out for the kid,” he says, tangling your fingers together. “I know that.”

Both of your heads turn, looking at Ellie’s sleeping form in the back. Joel doesn’t let his gaze linger, focusing on your linked finger instead.

“What are we gonna do, Joel,” you ask, “when this is all over?” When he doesn’t answer right away, you elaborate. “After we get her to the Fireflies, I mean. After we find Tommy.”

He squeezes your knuckles with his own. “I haven’t really thought that far, if I’m bein’ honest.” His brow furrows as he looks at you, sees something unspoken on your face. “Why, what are you thinkin’, baby?”

You lift your shoulder slowly. “I thought maybe…maybe we go back to Lincoln. Bill’s bunker was still full, even after we took what we did. We could give them a proper funeral, clean the place up again, build the walls up. Have our own place.” Your eyes drop to your lap. “Our own home.”

“Is that what you imagined for us?” Joel asks you, reaching over and cupping your chin in his palm, lifting your eyes to his. You lean into his touch, bending forward to make it easier for him. “White picket fence, big house with a yard…” 

The last part goes unspoken, but it’s loud as hell in his mind.

…kids?

Your face twists, a sad smile on your lips as you cover his hand with yours, keeping his hand against your cheek. “You know, I never actually let myself imagine it after I left Austin. Cuz when I finally let myself want that with you, I had to let you go, and once I let himself start to want you again, the world ended.”

Joel’s throat goes thick. You’ve never told him that before. “Want me…again?”

You nod into his palm. “Our birthday. You called me, and we talked, and you—”

“I asked you if Dean had proposed.”

Another nod. “And I told you if he asked, I would have said no. And you told me that you’d always be there for me. I thought about it the whole way home, and I just…” You turn your head, pressing a soft kiss to the centre of his palm. “I never stopped wanting you, Joel. Never stopped loving you. I can’t ever stop.”

A single tear slides down your cheek, and Joel reaches for you, centre console be damned. “C’mere,” he husks, hauling you into his lap, arranging your limbs until you’re comfortable, the blanket now draped over you both. His words are muffled by your hair. “Love you so goddamned much.”

You tilt your head back to press a kiss to the scruff of his jaw. “Love you more.”

+

The road is clear, until it’s not.

You’re not totally sure where you are. The maps have you a bit turned around, and it’s hard as hell to pinpoint a location on the map. You’re in the passenger’s seat again, Joel behind the wheel, Ellie in the back. You split your gaze between the maps and the outside, trying to find some kind of marker, some landmark that might help you figure out where you are. But too many signs are rusted away, the names snapped in half, the highway signs rotted and scattered in pieces on the highway. 

Eventually, things start to look more…industrial. You’re at a loss; you haven’t been this far out of Boston since the outbreak, and even before, you never went Northwest. An overpass has you squinting at the maps, trying to find the number, but the vehicles have grown more concentrated, and Joel manoeuvres the truck around an abandoned ambulance, but then hits the breaks, seeing an eighteen-wheeler stretched sideways along the tunnel beneath the overpass, effectively blocking the way.

“Stay put,” you tell Ellie, tossing the maps onto the dashboard. Joel gestures to the rifle in the backseat and Ellie hands it to him, while you unholster your gun, sliding out of the passenger’s side. 

You walk towards the blocked tunnel slowly, both of your gazes sweeping left and right, every rustle of leaves in the wind making your sense prickle. You feel…uneasy.

Glancing back at the truck, you can see Ellie through the windshield, leaning between the front seats, concern evident on her face. “Joel,” you call as he sinks to one knee, peering through the small space beneath the eighteen-wheeler’s trailer, “we’re not getting through this. None of these cars are movable.” You gesture around, the smashed cars and rusted-out vans only proving your point. “You even know where we are?”

“Kansas City,” he supplies.

You scratch your fingers across your forehead. “Missouri?”

“Sure as fuck ain’t Wyoming,” he grunts, and reaches out a hand. You haul him to his feet, holstering your gun as you start back to the truck. “I need to look at the map.”

Ellie glances between you as you get back into the truck, instantly handing Joel the map, trying to make sense of one of the smaller ones. “How far back are we gonna have to go to get around this?” you ask Joel, jutting your chin at the map in his hands. He traces his finger across the highway lines, but doesn’t say anything, just sighs. “Joel?”

“Screw it,” he says, and shifts the truck into reverse. Ellie falls back into her seat as Joel tosses you the maps.

“What are you doing?”

“We can jog right around this tunnel,” he says, three-point-turning the truck around, bracing his hand on the back of your seat as he does so, “take the next ramp,” he shifts it into drive, “and we’re back on the road, a minute tops.”

You reach for the map again, not totally convinced as he drives off the on-ramp, leading away from the tunnel.

Somehow, you end up in the city.

“We’re going the wrong way,” you say, shaking your head at him as the buildings start to become more and more concentrated. “Joel, this is taking us in the opposite direction of the highway.”

“Well, then where the fuck is the highway?” he shoots back at you, exasperated. His tone makes you bristle. “Tell me which way to go.”

“I don’t know where it is,” you say, smacking your hand against the map. “I’m all turned around, and I have no clue where the fuck we are right now.”

He glances over you, turning onto the next street. “Don’t look at the state map, Liv, look at the inset.”

“You look at the fucking inset!” You heave a sigh, shoving your hand through your hair. “Sorry, I’ve never been to Kansas fucking City before. We’re going…north. I think.”

“And the highway is—”

“West,” Ellie supplies from the backseat, and when you shoot her a look over your shoulder, she shrugs her shoulders, holds her hands out apologetically.

“Okay, so it’s gotta be the right,” Joel grunts, but then shakes his head, murmuring what the fuck?

“We’re going in a circle,” you sigh, dropping the map in your lap. “We’re just—”

“Stop!” Ellie says suddenly, leaning between the seats. Joel slams on the brakes, the tires screeching as the truck come to a halt. She points out Joel’s window. “Is that the QZ?”

Your heart slams against your ribs as you see the QZ wall. It looks…abandoned, for lack of a much better word. The gate in the wall is wide open, and your hand shoots out, landing on Joel’s leg, curling your fingers in the fabric of his jeans. “Where the fuck is FEDRA?”

“Hey!” someone shouts, and you nearly jump out of your skin. Joel goes rigid. “Please help!”

The man stumbles forward on the street ahead of you, clutching his side, half-draped in a blanket. “Seatbelts,” Joel grits out, and you do as he says, turning to make sure Ellie gets hers on.

She stares at you wide-eyed as Joel grips the wheel, steps on the gas. “Aren’t we gonna help him?”

“No,” you reply, pressing yourself against the seat as the truck accelerates down the road. “No, we’re not.”

The man shouts, diving for cover, and you spot someone on the fire escape of the building on the right side of the road. “Joel!” you shout, the rev of the engine nearly drowning you out, but a moment later, the windshield crunches, a cinderblock splintering the glass. The impact throws the truck of course for a second, but Joel straightens it out, just in time for the tires to roll over a spike strip in the road. You can hear the air hissing from the tires, the truck rocking from left to right across the road. Ellie squeaks from the backseat, and you throw your arm back, your chest going tight when her hand wraps in yours.

Another man blocks the road, lifting a gun and pointing it right at the truck. Joel shouts a curse, cranking the wheel all the way to the right, and the truck nearly slides across the pavement, speeding right through the glass front of a laundromat. The hood crunches inward as it slams into the row of washing machines, and you’re jolted in your seat, your arm bent at an awkward angle, hand still wrapped around Ellie’s.

“You okay?” Joel asks, palm coming down on your leg. “You’re not hurt?”

You shake your head. “No, I’m fine,” you reply, gritting your teeth against the slight pain in your shoulder. “Nothing major. Ellie?”

“I don’t think so,” she answers, a waver in her voice.

Gunshots ring out, and you all duck on instinct. It keeps coming, shattering the glass doors of the machines, and Joel pushes at your shoulder, ripping your hand from Ellie’s. “Belts off, out of the truck!” he shouts, more gunshots cutting him off. You do as he says, reaching for the handle of the door. They keep shooting and you reach for the back door the moment you’re out, nearly yanking Ellie out of the truck. Joel goes for the rifle, and when you shut the door again, you put Ellie between you two, leaning against the truck as Joel loads the gun. She has your bat clutched in her hands.

There are more of them, more gunshots ringing through the laundromat, pinging off the body of the truck, flying over your heads to the back wall. Joel meets your eyes over Ellie’s head, and you draw your gun in one hand, and reach for the bat with the other. Ellie gives it willingly. You look around for something — anything — that might help, and finally, you spot a hole in the wall to your right, a kid-sized hole in the drywall leading to the other side.

“Ellie,” you say quietly, putting your hand on her arm. It makes her flinch. “You see that hole over there?” She follows your eyes, her chin lowering once. “You’re gonna squeeze through it, okay?” Gunfire cuts you off, and she grabs your hand, squeezing it between both of hers, her palms clammy. 

“Last chance!” the fuckers outside yell. It makes your gut twist.

You shake your head, your attention turning to the kid, who now has a faraway expression on her face. “Ellie. When I say go, you crawl to the wall, you squeeze through, and you don’t come out until one of us gets you, okay?”

A bullet shatters the passenger’s side window, glass raining down on you. Out of reflex, you throw yourself over Ellie, protecting her. Her head whips around as more bullets ping off the truck. “They’re not gonna hit you,” Joel tells her. Her eyes are everywhere, and you try to brush glass away as Joel grabs the front of her coat. “Look at me!”

She listens. A bullet skims off the concrete floor beside your hand and it makes you flinch, an unseen mark, the burn of metal making you snatch your hand up off the floor. 

“They’re not gonna hit you,” Joel says, his eyes locked with Ellie’s. “You stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet. Okay?”

“Okay,” she says meekly, with a nod.

“Go!” Joel shouts, and you both swing upwards, aiming your weapons. From the corner of your eye, you can see Ellie slide across the floor. You just keep shooting, training your gun on anything that moves until you know she’s against the wall. You empty your clip, dropping to your knee to reload, and she’s through the hole, behind the wall.

She’s safe.

You and Joel pull the trigger at the same time, your bullets finding new homes, dropping two of your attackers. “Motherfuckers!” someone yells, and you drop back down behind the truck. Your chest is heaving, your eyes darting to the hole in the wall. Joel whispers your name, juts his chin toward an old vending machine at the back of the laundromat. He moves first, and you follow, feeling his hand on your back, pushing you to safety.

The crunch of glass gives the guy away, and you straighten, pushing Joel’s shoulder down and pulling the trigger at the same time. It only takes one shot to drop him. You’re trying to catch your breath, forcing your eyes away from the blood now pooling around the guy’s head. Joel pulls the lever on the rifle, but it’s jammed. He curses, yanking on it hard, just as back doors you hadn’t noticed burst open, a new opponent barreling through.

Without thinking, you throw yourself in the line of fire, angling yourself in front of Joel. There’s a barrel of a shotgun in your face, and your instincts kick into gear. You swing the bat up, knocking the barrel away as the man pulls the trigger, the shot hitting the ceiling instead of you. But it’s not enough to loosen his grip.

The butt of the shotgun cracks across your face a second later, your vision instantly tinging black, and you go toppling, your head hitting the ground hard. Joel screams your name, but the sound is distant. The bat skitters out of your grip, but you have the wherewithal to keep your fingers tight around your gun. Joel, where is J—

You black out for a moment, the world slipping away completely, but a loud bang yanks you back, pained grunting following. “Now you’re gonna fuckin’ pay!” Your head lolls to the side, and you can’t quite make out what’s happening. Your head screams at you to move, and you see Joel’s boots scraping against the floor. Someone’s on him, someone’s—

Another shot rings out. It makes your ears ring. Someone shouts, and Joel starts coughing. He’s gasping, wheezing, crawling on his hands and knees toward you. He grabs your face in his hands, and something on your cheek feels hot, too hot. “Liv,” he calls, his voice hoarse. “Baby, are you okay?”

Slowly, he helps you up. Your head is spinning, but over his shoulder, you see Ellie step forward, her gun trained on your attacker, now sprawled on the floor. Joel’s eyes follow yours, and they widen when he sees her weapon of choice. The realization makes your heart twist; she shot the guy attacking you.

Joel pulls his hand from your face, and you see it’s covered in blood. The man groans, and when he spots Ellie and her gun, he lifts his hands in surrender. “No, no, no, no, it’s okay! It’s over! We’re not fighting anymore.” He wheezes, clearly in pain, and Joel gets to his feet, reaching down for you, his eyes trained on the guy.

He looks young. Too young.

“I’m gonna go home,” he says, “and I’ll tell everyone you’re good.” He starts crying, his voice going high-pitched. “I don’t know what to do! My legs don’t work!”

Even through your haze, you can put two and two together. She must have hit him in the spine.

“My mom isn’t far,” he continues, near sobbing. “If you could get me to her.” His eyes cut to you and Joel, now on your feet. You stumble slightly, but Joel has a tight grip on you. “We could trade with you guys. We could be friends. I didn’t know. I’m Bryan. I’m Bryan.”

Still with a tight grip on you, Joel turns to Ellie. She lowers the gun, and he holds his hand out. You open your mouth to say something, but she sniffs, shaking her head, and hands it to him. One-handed, Joel tucks it into the waist of his jeans.

“Take her,” he says to Ellie, and it takes a second for you to realize he’s referring to you. His grip on you disappears, and for a moment, you think you might topple over, but Ellie fits herself beneath your arm, one arm tight around your waist, tugging your arm around her shoulders.

Joel pulls out his knife. “Wait, wait, wait!” Bryan shouts, and pulls a knife from his belt, letting it clatter to the floor. “You can have it! It’s a good knife.”

“Turn around,” Joel says, nailing Ellie with dark eyes that send a chill down your spine. His tone clears away some of the haze in your head. “Now.”

“No, no, no, no!” Bryan shouts again. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Liv,” Joel calls, his tone still shiver-inducing. Blinking hard, you turn Ellie towards the wall, angling yourself in front of her. She’s still holding you upright, and buries her face in your chest. You can feel the tears on her cheeks, and you lift your hand, letting it rest on the back of her head. 

“Please, please, please,” Bryan whimpers.

“Cover your ears,” you whisper to Ellie, propping your chin on the top of her head. Blood drips down your face, sticky and hot, and you ignore it as best you can, though it’s hard to ignore the throb in your cheek.

“I’m sorry, please! You don’t have to! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please!”

Ellie’s breathing gets heavy, the front of your shirt almost damp with it.

You hear Joel take the man’s life. You wait until the gasping stops, and then you tap Ellie’s shoulder. “It’s over.” For a moment, she doesn’t move, squeezing both arms around you. You sway slightly, and Joel’s hand touches between your shoulders. It makes you flinch, and Ellie jumps back, pressing herself to the wall.

He’s got your chin in his hand a second later, turning your head slightly, giving you a once-over. “You okay? Nothing broken?”

“Hurts,” you admit, and he wipes away a bit of the blood with his sleeve. “I’ll live.”

Ellie’s eyes dart past Joel, towards where Bryan lies, and he steps to the side, blocking her view, taking you with him. Joel gestures to the hole. “Need you to find a door or something, we’re not gonna fit through that.”

She nods, her lip quivering, and immediately climbs back through the hole, disappearing from view. Joel grabs your chin again, and you notice how heavy his breathing is, how shaky his hands are. It’s quiet, for a moment, no more gunfire or shouting. “Scared me.”

“Makes two of us,” you agree, sighing as he leans in, pressing a kiss to the uninjured side of your face, right at your jaw. “We need to get out of here.”

He glances over your shoulder at the wrench of the truck and the front of the laundromat. “Truck’s toast, we’ll figure it out. We need to find somewhere safe, for the night at least. High up, find a way out of the city. And get you cleaned up.” He bends slightly, peering through the hole in the wall. “Ellie!”

“There’s some stuff against the door,” she calls back, and you can hear her sigh.

Joel’s jaw goes tight. “Well, can you move it?”

It’s slow-going. Your head throbs with every step, twin shocks of pain in your skull and along your cheek. Joel’s grip is tight around your waist, his head whipping in every direction as he keeps you close to the building, and then he leans you against the front of brick as Ellie pulls whatever’s blocking the door out of the way, Joel pushing hard against it to help. The moment the door swings inward, he rushes you in, shuts the door, and then motions for Ellie to help push the table back into place. “Let’s go,” he says to her. “Fast.”

“Right.”

The door clangs as the table is pushed back into it. The noise makes your ears ring, and you sag against the table, exhaling heavily. Ellie sniffs loudly, and both you and Joel look at her. “I’m okay,” she says quickly, dropping down to grab her backpack. “I’m good.” She sets the bag on the table, unzips it. “I, uh, got some food in here still, and I got your light,” she says, and pulls out Joel’s flashlight, handing it to him. She looks between the two of you, wincing when she sees the blood on your face. “Fuck, Liv, are you—”

“I’ll be fine, kid,” you tell her, ignoring the way the words make your head throb. Your breath hitches, and you glance across at the hole in the wall. “Shit, Joel, the bat.”

His face goes hard, and you know what he’s gonna say. You can’t go back over there. There are bodies, evidence of the violence, and whoever sent the men will come looking. Standing here as long as you have is risk enough. “Liv, we—”

“I’ll go,” Ellie says, already walking toward the wall. “I can grab it and just—”

The distant screech of tires makes you freeze and you flash your hand out, grabbing the back of her coat and hauling her backward. “Leave it,” you grit out, lifting yourself up off the table. “We need to go now.”

“Where?” Ellie asks, and Joel heads to the door in the back of the room, clicking his flashlight on as he pushes it open slowly. Ellie fits herself under your arm again, your forearm resting on her backpack. “What are we gonna do now?”

“We go up,” you tell her, echoing what Joel had said earlier. “See if we can spot a path outta here.”

Joel glances over his shoulder at you, eyeing your arm around the kid’s shoulders. “Stay close.”

She nods. “Got it.”

You follow Joel down a hallway that leads out into an alley beside the building. There are cars scattered, and as the rumble of a truck gets closer, you duck down, wincing as you go, hiding behind an SUV as a pickup rolls past the mouth of the alleyway, followed by a larger armoured truck.

They start shouting Bryan’s name.

Joel signals for you to stay put, and darts across the alley, to the side door of the building across the way. You hold your breath as he pulls it open, peering inside before turning back to you and Ellie, giving a quick nod. You rise slowly, but then push yourself, moving as fast as you can across the pavement to Joel’s side. He leads you inside, and Ellie pulls the door shut behind you.

It’s dark inside, and for a moment, you pause. Joel puts his gun away, and you follow suit. You sag against the wall slightly, and he’s got his hand under your chin. “Look at me,” he commands, and you listen, blinking hard as you stare back at him. “Think it’s a concussion?”

“No,” you tell him, lifting your head out of his palm. “I’m fine, Joel.” It comes out snappier than you intend, and your body gives you away, wobbling slightly with the turn of your head. “Fuck. I just need to sit down a minute, or something.”

As quietly as possible, you make your way through the building. It seems to be some kind of abandoned retail space, a bunch of different stores and shops connected by one main hallway. Right at the end of the block is an old coffee house, and Joel decides it’s a good place to spot, seeing the newspaper-covered windows and dark-painted walls. 

“Are we okay in here?” Ellie asks as you walk in, Joel heading for the front of the shop. You watch as he peels back a small corner of the newspaper, just enough to peer through, and you sink into a chair nearby.

“For now,” you tell her, and wipe some more of the blood from your face. The bleeding’s stopped, as far as you can tell, and something in your chest pangs as Ellie reaches into her bag and pulls out what looks like an old t-shirt.

“Here,” she says, handing it to you. “It’s mostly clean.”

The corner of your mouth twitches. “Thanks, kid.”

Silence settles over the three of you as Joel peers out the window. “That wasn’t FEDRA that attacked us,” you say as he sinks back a little.

“Wasn’t Fireflies either,” Ellie says, and you nod. “Then who are they?”

“People,” Joel sighs. “Looks like they’re checkin’ out apartment buildings first.” He shakes his head. “But they’ll be comin’ through these places soon enough.” He rises to his feet, turning and walking towards you. Ellie takes his place, looking through the crack in the newspaper. He taps your shoulder as soon as he’s close enough, and takes the t-shirt from you. You can almost hear the ache in his knees as he crouches down and starts wiping the blood from your face. His face is a hard mask, and you can stop yourself from cupping his cheek, swiping your thumb across his cheekbone. “When he burst through the door back there,” he mutters, shaking his head ever so slightly, “and then I saw you drop. I heard the shot, but I didn’t see where he—”

“Joel,” you murmur, brushing your fingers through his hair. “We’re fine. I’m fine.”

“Cracked you damn good,” he replies, dabbing lightly. You try not to wince. “Lucky it didn’t break your cheekbone.”

Before you can respond, Ellie pipes up. “There’s a really tall building, like, four blocks away.”

“Yeah,” Joel grunts, and hands you the now-stained t-shirt. You hold it against your cheek, watching as he sinks into the chair across from yours. “Saw it.”

“That’s where we’re going?” she asks, glancing at you over her shoulder. “Up?”

Joel nods. “As soon as we don’t hear a truck, we move. Fast as we can.”

He props his elbow on the table, puts his face in his hand, and you reach over, curling your fingers around his forearm. He’s shaking.

You murmur his name as Ellie slides down to sit against the wall, drawing her knees up to his chest. He doesn’t answer you, but drops his hand, catching yours in the process. “Are you okay?” Ellie asks, and when your eyes flick to her, you see she’s addressing Joel.

“I’m all right,” he grumbles, but his fingers twitch against yours, his brow furrowing. Damn that hard mask of his. “Are you…all right?” he asks in return, and you press your fingers against his wrist. His heartbeat races beneath his skin.

“Yeah,” Ellie says quietly, but she doesn’t elaborate.

“Joel,” you murmur again, and he shakes his head, staring down at his boots. You don’t have to see his face to know the guilt, the realization. If Ellie hadn’t done what she had, you’d probably all be laying dead in that laundromat.

“Thing is,” Joel says after a moment, his voice gruff, “is I didn’t hear that guy comin’. And…you…you shouldn’t have had to…you know?”

God, he’s bad at this. You know what he’s trying to say to her, but you can’t try and take over. He needs to say this himself.

“Well, you’re glad I did, right?” Ellie asks, and her eyes dart to you for a second.

“You’re just a kid,” he says, and suddenly your chest feels tight. “You shouldn’t know what it means to…” He trails off, but then lifts a hand. “It’s not like you killed him, but, shootin’ or…I know what it’s like, first time you, uh, hurt someone like that.”

Her eyes slide fully to you for a moment, and you just nod in return, the message silent. I do too.

“If you, uh, w—uh,” Joel tries to continue, but shakes his head, looking at you, a near cry for help in his eyes. “I’m not good at this.”

“Yeah, you really aren’t,” Ellie quips, and you squeeze his hand.

“I mean, it was my fault,” he says, shaking his head some more. “You shouldn’t have had to. And I’m sorry.”

You haven’t had a chance, really, to take in what happened. What Ellie did. Listening to Joel now, feeling his pulse race beneath your fingers, and seeing tears on the kid’s face as he tells her he’s sorry…It breaks your heart.

“I should have heard it,” you say, and Joel’s eyes flick to you. You lift your chin, ignoring the way your gut twists as Ellie wipes her cheeks. “I should have shot first, and I didn’t. I’m sorry, too, Ellie. I am. We’re here to protect you, and we…Joel’s right. You shouldn’t have had to do it.”

She nails you to your spot with those big dark eyes, wet with tears. That thing you’ve been feeling since this kid barrelled her way into your lives screams at you to grab her, to hug her close and tell her everything is gonna be okay, but you feel frozen, stuck in place, unable to move.

“It wasn’t my first time,” Ellie tells you both, and your brows raise. You can see the shock on Joel’s face, too.

Your fingers tap against Joel’s wrist. “Give her the gun.”

His head snaps back to you, one brow lifting slightly.

“It’s hers,” you prompt, lifting your chin slightly. “Give it back.”

Slowly, he moves over, closing the small space between the two of you and her, leaning down on one knee as he pulls the gun out of the back of his jeans. Ellie’s face perks up as he hands the small pistol back to her after pulling out the clip. “Show me your grip.”

She stares up at him as she does as asked, obeying when Joel tells her to take her finger off the trigger.

“Now, who taught you that?”

“FEDRA school,” she answers.

“Figures,” he grunts, and you push your chin into your palm as he reaches for her hands, adjusting her grip, showing her the proper way. The thing in your chest relaxes slightly, watching him with her. “Thumb over your thumb. Left hand squeezes down on the right. You got it?” She nods, doing what he tells her. You hear his voice soften ever so slightly. “There ya go.”

Ellie looks at you over Joel’s shoulder, almost like she’s looking for your approval. You try to blink away the wetness that’s formed in your eyes, and nod at her, giving her a little grin.

“Now, look it,” Joel says, and grabs the top of the gun, trying to pull it away. But she’s got the grip right and the gun doesn’t budge. Joel pulls again, nearly yanking her off the wall, and Ellie laughs. Then she relaxes, the laughter trailing off, but the smile on her face stays in place. “Okay?”

She nods. Joel gestures for the gun back, slides the clip back into place, and Ellie watches his movements. He hands it back to her, handle first, and the triumphant look on her face almost makes you laugh. She goes to put it in her pocket, but Joel stops her.

“Nuh-uh, you put it in your pack. You’ll shoot your damn ass off.” He gets back to his feet with a loud groan, and walks back to you. “How’s your head?”

“It’s okay,” you tell him, and take his offered hand, letting him help you up. You stuff the bloody t-shirt in the pocket of your coat. “I’ll feel better when we find somewhere safe for the night.” As of on cue, your face throbs so hard your eyes flutter shut. Joel squeezes your hip. “I’d murder for an ice pack right now.”

It’s a few more minutes, a few more pauses to determine where the truck that rumbles past goes, before Joel walks to the shop’s front door, starting to pull at the wood that’s been nailed over it. You try to help, but he waves you off. Once the door is free, Ellie comes up beside you, her hand slipping into yours. Joel sees it, and his eyes move from your hands to your faces, one at a time.

“We’ll get through this,” he says to Ellie, and you tighten your grip on her hand.

She gives a little nod. “I know.”

Without another word, Joel yanks the door open, and you step out into the daylight.

PREV | NEXT

[alexmeeksmartin]

chosen family - pt i

pairing(s): wes hicks x male reader, slight chad meeks-martin x male reader

synopsis: the one where y/n roberts, survivor of the 2011 woodsboro massacre and brother of ghostface killer, jill roberts, is roped into another string of murders when his friend, tara carpenter, is attacked by someone taking on the moniker

a/n: new series! not sure if i’ll end up finishing this, but i would like to at least do a couple parts! hope u enjoy <3

wc: 1.9k

it was more than enough to struggle with the fact that your sister, jill roberts, had decided to stab you alongside your mother when you were only eight years old. ironically enough, your fame-hungry sister’s sickening plot to become a sole survivor is what thrust you into the limelight. for years, the media hounded you about the ghostface killings of 2011. it took you forever to get a group of friends who wouldn’t try abuse your connections. you were finally in a stable position…

…but now some fucker had decided to put on that damned mask and go stabbing again.

“that was sam.” your boyfriend, wes, let everyone know. you were all together, minus tara, obviously. you, wes, chad, mindy, amber, and liv. and nobody was taking this seriously, not even you at this stage. none of you had really processed it all properly yet.

you watched as amber’s interest was immediately piqued. “she’s coming?”

“yeah.”

“watch everything get worse.” amber says with a sigh, clearly unhappy about sam’s upcoming return to woodsboro.

“listen, all i’m saying is, with everything going on right now, i think it’s time we take our relationship to the next, most intimate level!” chad pleads with liv, doing his best to convince her.

“yuck.” you add across from the happy couple.

“it’s fine, y/n. he only wants me to accept his ‘find my fam’ request.” liv explains to you, removing the expression of disgust from of your face.

“it’s the smartest option with a would-be killer on the loose. you know exactly where i am and i know exactly where you are.” chad continues, building up his case.

“aw, you can stalk me like a jealous boyfriend.” liv giggles.

“and you can stalk me like a jealous boyfriend.” chad jokes as you and mindy make eye contact, signalling to each other your repulsion towards chad and liv at that moment in time with just one look of your eyes. it’s funny how much two best friends can say in just a glance.

“is this because you two aren’t having sex yet?” amber bluntly asks, looking between the two of them.

“you actually bring up a very good point! not that i want to sound like a stereotypical jock, trying to get into his girlfriend’s pants-“

“great!” liv says, stopping chad.

“come on, wes, you get what i mean?” chad asks, trying unsuccessfully to get some back up, but you shoot wes a death stare, making him think carefully about his next words.

“absolutely not. i wouldn’t dare.” wes begins, clarifying that he doesn’t agree with chad to you before moving onto liv, “don’t do it, liv, there’s some pyscho out there. you make yourself harder to find. delete social media, tape over your phone camera, disable gps-“

“yes, thank you very much, edward snowden.” chad says, cutting wes off. “actually, your mother just interrogated me about tara’s attempted murder.”

“i’m sure she’s asking everybody, i mean, ghostface is back.” wes responds. a chill goes down your spine at the very mention of the masked murderer.

“she hasn’t asked me.” you chuck into conversation, noticing how the sheriff hadn’t even seemed to have looked your way yet.

“yeah, because you’re like sheriff riley’s adoptive son. plus, you and her went through the same thing.” liv says.

“ex sheriff riley.” mindy adds, “also, the press still isn’t saying ghostface.” and another chill.

“my mom doesn’t want to cause a panic.” wes explains.

“it’ll get out by the second or third killing.” mindy says, nonchalantly.

“mindy, come on.” you say. you loved her, but her insensitivity could be an issue on occasion.

“jesus, mindy, there wasn’t a first killing. tara’s still alive.” amber says, slightly angry.

“that means she could still die.”

“what the fuck?” amber is progressively getting more and more agitated at this conversation, you note.

“or the killer could come back for her.”

“fuck, mindy!” chad says as you screw your face up, “come on.”

“i’m just telling you, arm up, okay? pepper spray, check, taser, check-“ wes lists off his weapons.

“y/n in the bedroom repellent, check.” amber cuts in, laughing at him.

“again, ew.” you say, turning away from amber to wes, “i’m glad you’re keeping yourself safe.” you smile at your boyfriend.

“keeping us safe.” he says, pulling you into his arms.

“oh, shit, is that… vince?” liv asks.

“wait. that creep you hooked up with last summer?” chad asks liv, concern immediately showing on his face.

“yeah, he worked with me and tara.”

“he worked with tara?” amber asks inquisitively.

“he’s been stalking my instagram the last couple weeks, posting the creepiest shit.” liv adds.

“probably time to introduce him to hobbs and shaw.” chad says, flexing his biceps.

liv puts his arm down to his side. “maybe not the best idea to incite violence right in front of the sheriff. looks like he’s leaving.”

“plus, i don’t think ‘hobbs and shaw’ are scaring anyone with names like that.” you say, laughing at chad.

“oh, please. you’d love to take hobbs and shaw for a spin.” chad retorts, smiling back at you.

“tara says she fought back hard. you’ve got bruises.” amber states, observing chad’s somewhat battered and blue arms.

“from football practice.” he says, defending himself.

“oh, sure-“

“tara’s awake! she just texted.” wes says, his face lighting up. “i’m going to the hospital, you guys coming?”

mutters of ‘yes’ and ‘sure’ are said by your friends, but what stands out is liv saying: “i can’t, but i’ll meet you guys later.” another thing to take mental note of.

“alright, i’ll see you later.” chad says, kissing liv on the cheek goodbye. you wait up for chad as wes, mindy, and amber walk on ahead and descend into playful conversation him.

you were all gathered in tara’s room at the hospital, with wes’ arm draped around your neck as you sit on the chair right beside tara’s bed. amber stands over you with a very concerned look on her face as the twins make small talk on the other side of the room.

the door opens, and everyone looks to it. sam. sam and- who?

“you came.” tara says with a small smile.

“of course i came.” sam says, giving her sister a very gentle and light hug. “this is my boyfriend, richie.”

that explains who the random guy is.

“it’s so nice to meet you, i’m so sorry if i’m intruding.” richie says to tara.

“nice to meet you too.”

“hi. thank you for calling.” sam says, giving wes a hug.

“of course.”

“look at your hair! i like it.” sam compliments, ruffling your boyfriend’s hair like she’s his mother.

you get up and embrace sam. god, you’d missed her. even though she had her own shit going on, she never failed to be the big sister you wish you had - a loving, protective figure. not jill.

“these are chad and mindy, the twins, wes, and y/n. i used to babysit them all.”

“which is always how i like to be introduced.” wes says, to which you let out a slight laugh.

“and amber.” sam finishes her introductions, locking eyes with the dark haired girl. “hey.”

“hi.” you can feel the tension radiating between them. they do not like each other at all. “nice to see you.”

“hi, um, i’m richie.” richie says, amber looking him up and down. you weren’t too sure if you liked the guy either, seemed a bit fidgety. maybe just nerves, with ghostface going around and all.

“hi.” amber says.

“where’s mom?” sam asks tara, a worried expression crossing her face.

“she’s stuck in a conference in london. she called me earlier.”

“yeah, for all of ten minutes.” amber adds with a judgemental tone to her words.

you look over at tara, who looks tired out of her mind, probably from the painkillers. as someone who had been in a similar position, you knew that it’d be best to make an exit right about now. not only that, the reality of the situation was starting to kick in now. how were you all going to navigate this and stay safe?

“guys, maybe we should give tara a little space. getting a bit crowded in here.” you say, concerned for tara.

your friends respond with a chorus of ‘yeah’s, and you all begin to head for the door.

“not you, sam. i want you to stay.”

“okay.” sam says, sweetly smiling at her sister before sitting herself back down.

“but the rest-“ chad says, looking back to you, mindy, and wes affirming that you guys should go.

you all walk outside of the hospital, and it’s really starting to hit you now. this couldn’t be happening again. you couldn’t lose anyone else to some stupid fucking legacy. to ghostface. you lost your mother, your aunt, and even your sister - all because a pair of stupid, deranged, psychopathic men picked up some halloween mask in 1996. it wasn’t fair.

you start to walk slightly ahead of the group, with none of their conversation registering in your mind. tears start to form in your eyes as you hear them calling out your name. this isn’t fair. you don’t deserve this. tara doesn’t deserve this. nobody deserves this.

you’re brought out of your trance when you feel mindy’s hand touch your shoulder as she walks in front of you.

“hey, you good?” she asks, but sees the tears in your eyes. you shake your head, and she turns to the boys and amber. “we’ll just see you guys at the bar later, okay?”

“you sure? i can stay.” wes says, but you turn around to speak to them.

“no, it’s fine. i’m fine. i’ll see you guys later.” you say, putting on your bravest face and best smile for them. you can tell they’re not quite buying it, but they know mindy’s got you so they keep walking. you see chad turn back multiple times to check on you again, and can tell amber and wes are already bickering again by the time they get in the car.

when they’re gone, it’s just you and mindy sitting against a tree.

“mindy, i don’t think i can do this again.” you say, sighing.

“it’s fine. we’ve got you. me, wes, chad, amber, and i guess liv have got your’s and tara’s backs. we’re here for whatever you need. especially me. you’re my best friend, y/n. nothing is more important to me than your well-being. got it?”

“i love you, minds. you’re the best.”

“i love you too, y/n. and remember, we understand if you need space, support, anything right now. sam’s got tara, and we’ve got you. okay?”

“thanks.” you say, a real smile making its way onto your face.

“anyways, i need to go show chad that i still am the king of eight ball. you coming?” mindy says, getting up and sticking her hand out to you.

“i wouldn’t dare to miss chad getting his ass handed to him.” you laugh, letting mindy pull you up as you head to the car.

maybe it wasn’t so bad. it was cheesy, but maybe with your friends by your side you’d get through this again. maybe.

a/n: hope you all enjoyed! have a couple parts already in the drafts for this so shouldn’t be too long till the next is posted !! thanks for reading 🫶

[smartycvnt]

Haunted Hotel

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Reader Prompt: "That wasn't so scary." "Speak for yourself, I'm calling the Ghost Hunters."

"Rhea, what was the name of our hotel?" you asked as you shifted in the passenger's seat. You had been staring out the window for the majority of the drive just looking at all of the billboards and scenery. None of them were particularly interesting until you saw one for a haunted hotel that had a suspiciously familiar name.

"The Ashcroft," Rhea answered. For a moment, you could have believed that it was an accident, but you saw the little tightening of her grip on the steering wheel.

"The Ashcroft, the apparently famously haunted hotel. That's very interesting, who exactly did you make the reservations with?" you asked. Rhea turned her head away from you to avoid the harshness of your glare. You knew that it had to be Damian, the only other one in Judgement Day who liked scary shit nearly as much as Rhea did. Dominick may have done whatever Rhea wanted, but at least he had some boundaries when it came to spiritual things like ghosts and demons. Finn had his demon gimmick, but you didn't take him as the type for roadside attraction scares.

"Um, well, Priest and I were looking for a nice place on the way. This hotel looked way cooler than the one the company was gonna put us up in. Oh, and we're not going to be the only ones staying here. Maybe we can all have like a little party or something in one of our rooms. You still like Alexa, right?" Rhea sounded genuinely excited, which was the only reason that you weren't currently texting either Bayley or Mia to come and get you from this hotel. However, something told you as you saw the building off in the distance that you'd be making that call anyways.

"Rhea, I'm not staying in there," you told her. Rhea pouted as she pulled into her parking spot. Damian was standing outside with Dominick and two keys in his hands. You hadn't stayed in a hotel that still used physical keys instead of cards or codes to lock the doors. You couldn't explain it, but this building gave you a horrendously bad vibe. "You know I don't like scary stuff."

"Come on, it'll be fine. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Liv, Tegan, and Shotzi are all waiting in the lobby to see you. They're pretty excited," Rhea said. You sighed in defeat as Rhea undid your seatbelt. You very slowly got out of the car and sent Damian a glare on your way into the hotel. Just like Rhea had said, your friends from Smackdown had been waiting for you, all of them, except for Tegan, seemed stoked to be staying at this hotel for the night.

"Candace is ready to pick us up if something freaky happens," Tegan said as she linked her arm with yours. Rhea had Damian and Dominick bring the bags to your room while you joined her on a tour of the hotel. It was a really beautiful place, even if every single room did make your skin crawl a little bit. The tour was sort of cool, getting to learn about the history of the hotel, but then Rhea decided that it would extend to the basement. You already didn't like basements, and one that you knew was haunted was bound to be an absolute no-go.

"Come on," Rhea said as she grabbed your hand. She was holding onto it tightly so that you couldn't just opt out and run off. You managed to get about halfway through before you swore that you felt something watching you. You tried to hide yourself with Rhea, but it was no use. Luckily, that part of the tour got cut short by an emergency at the front desk. Whenever your group got back to the lobby, you immediately pulled your phone out and started texting Candace to come get you. "That wasn't so scary. I bet you could stay here all night even."

"Speak for yourself, I'm calling the Ghost Hunters," you told Rhea. She laughed it off, but did tilt your phone screen down so she could see who you were texting. "Candace will be here in about 20. Have a good night here. Please try not to bring anything back home with you, I do not want to have to get our house cleansed."

"No promises. I kinda want whatever made you cuddly in the basement," Rhea joked. One glare stopped that amusement in its tracks. "Not funny, got it."

[bugeater101]

Truth or Dare?, pt. 2

Synopsis: Minho and you played a game of Truth or Dare, and when you don't comply with the rules and refuse to obey your orders as a loser, you must face the consequences.

Content: sub!readerxdom!minho, fem!reader, perv!minho, best friends to lovers, school au, dry humping, Minho is a bastard but also super hot so we'll let him get away with it, exhibitionism, suggestive content.

Word Count: 3.1 K

Author's Note: Part 2 let's go! Hope you guys enjoy! I tried finishing up this while watching Minho's 06/24/22 live and literally him coughing and choking is making me laugh because like "I'm really writing about this guy who is literally scarfing down chipotle and dying?" Also I love all the gifs I found for this fic like Leeknow is so ethereal looking damn. Additionally, even though the characters in this fic are portraying students, both characters are 18+. Please, do not interact with my work if you are a minor. Thank you and enjoy !!

Taglist: @scribblemetae, @mygsis, @9900z, @taekbokki

part 1, part 2, part 3

God, were you really doing this? It was just a stupid bet, just something to make a game of Truth or Dare a little bit more fun. Now, you were like... this in the middle of school.

Why did you do it? What could be worse than being panty-less and wearing a fucking school uniform like some random pervert's fetish dream? It's because it wasn't just some random pervert who told you to do this. It was fucking him.

And he had every right to tell you to do this. After all, he won the bet. He wanted to see you bare, soaking, and desperate for him. And now, he's gotten exactly what he wanted.

The entire day has been hell. Despite your exhaustive usage of your toy collection yesterday after Minho's departure, you found yourself still hopeless for relief this morning. Yet, you lost track of time and realized that if you did stop to play with your clit or even think about jacking off that you would be late for school. So, you swiftly dressed and rushed over.

Luckily I didn't have to worry about putting on underwear, huh?, you thought. Okay, so you were trying to make light of an otherwise awful situation. However, the usage of humour did little to relieve your growing frustration.

Fuck, you didn't even see Minho yet today and let him know that you were holding up your end of the bargain. Yet, you didn't want to text him, scared that he'd do something drastic like make you send pictures as part of your punishment or make you skip class to come show him.

And, the sad truth was, you would. You would leave any class and test in a heartbeat if it meant showing him your soaking pussy, giving him a taste of whatever you were willing to offer him. Because of yesterday, you had become putty in his hands. Although you should be embarrassed by such desperation, you couldn't help it. Minho's hold on you was intolerable, yet you couldn't escape it.

But that still didn't excuse how pissed you were at him. You've had to carefully navigate the school this entire day: being at the end of the crowd, twisting and turning uncomfortably in your chair all day, and waiting until everyone else had left for lunch just so you had the chance to use the stairs without having to worry about accidentally flashing someone.

Worst of all? This, this whole ordeal, it turned you on. It was fucking hot that you did all this for Minho, that you are such a desperate puppy that you are willing to abandon your studies just to let him see you like this. Embarrassing as it was, it was fucking thrilling.

However, you wanted to punish him just as much as he was punishing you. If he wanted to see you so bad, he had to work for it.

Though you would have killed to see him now, you had to exercise restraint. Maybe you could go this entire day without seeing him. Your classes didn't line up and you never spent lunch together, so the chances of him seeing you were slim to none. You would just have to avoid him when trying to walk home, and you were free! He would have to live the rest of his life knowing he made you go an entire day at school without fully covering yourself and that he didn't get to see you. It would make him go mad, and that's exactly what you wanted.

So, here you were. It was nearing the end of the school day and you had managed to navigate the entire ordeal with relative ease. You hung back, rarely tried to get up, and ate lunch alone to avoid having to take the stairs down to your regular lunch spot. The day had gone off without a hitch. Now, you just had to make it through advanced calculus and then homework period and you were home free! Of course, you are uncomfortable, worried your pussy will wet through your skirt and stain the fabric, but that's a minor problem compared to fully exposing yourself.

Now, you just have to get through this teacher droning on about a subject you've already mastered and—

Wait, what's that incessant sound? Oh god. The fire alarm. From the look on the teacher's face, you can tell that this wasn't a planned drill. Fuck, what idiot put tinfoil in the microwave or pulled the alarm for shits and giggles?

Reluctantly, you get out of your seat and follow your swarm of classmates out the door. Since everyone is distracted by the blaring beeps of the alarm and the rushing crowd, no one even has a chance to glance up your skirt. Though you are still on your toes about the whole thing, you trust that everyone is too busy escaping the school to notice you weirdly tugging at your skirt as you go down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairwell, students are taking a sharp turn to the emergency exit right behind the staircase. You are at the edge of the crowd, hoping that you won't get trampled and about to take the turn towards the door. Suddenly, you feel a sharp tug on your arm and are pulled around the corner into an empty adjacent hallway.

The force drags you further and further until you round another corner. Before you even come to a complete halt, you are pushed against the wall and are unexpectedly trapped between a figure and the brick of the school. Now, you are left alone in a silent hallway with the culprit who pulled you away from your class and left you in this potentially on-fire building.

Of course. It's Minho.

"What the hell?! Min— hmph!" His hand clasps over your mouth, his other extending its index finger towards his puckered lips, telling you to be quiet. His eyes don't meet the anger pouring out of yours and instead glance down the hall, seeing if anyone realized your absence. No one seems to be coming down the hall but he makes you stay completely still in fear of being caught.

As the noises of the students die out as the last of them exits the building, Minho's eyes finally turn to yours. Then, his small pout against his finger slowly turns into a smirk, then a small giggle. He drops his hand like a dead weight and stays there for a second, studying your furrowed brow and the wrath of your eyes.

"You know," he said quietly, breaking the silence, "you're really cute when you're mad." He let his other hand drop, finally letting you breathe. And, immediately upon your liberation, you begin furiously slapping Minho, making him recoil and laugh at your efforts to harm him.

"Stop, stop!" He protested, his voice and your hits the only audible noises in the entire school minus the distant beeps of the fire alarm.

"Don't—fucking—tell—me—you—pulled—the—alarm!" You whisper shouted at him with every hit.

"Pfft! I did, I did, but it's for a good reason!" He responded in fits of giggles, grabbing your hands and holding them tightly to prevent you from hitting him again.

"Why? It better be good! Now I'm gonna be in trouble cause the security cameras probably caught you pulling me away!"

"No, they won't," Minho playfully swung your hands in his, ignoring the efforts you made to escape his grip and ignoring all worries in favour of annoying you. "Firstly, I know for a fact that this entire hallway is a blindspot. They didn't even put alarms down here because none of these classes are in use, it's just storage space!" He was right: it was silent in this hall, an empty space filled with the echoing beeps of far-away alarms. That's got to be some sort of safety violation, you thought, annoyed with your own diligence.

You rolled your eyes, not surprised that The Lee Minho was such a scumbag that he knew all the secrets this school kept.

When your eyes came back to his, you noticed that the playfulness in them was gone.

"And, secondly," his voice was low, and his grip on you tightened. He walked towards you, making you stumble back until your back hit the wall again, the coldness giving you goosebumps. Or, maybe that was Minho. "Secondly," he whispered, "I needed to see you."

Once again, he had stunned you to silence. The resentment in your eyes had been replaced by genuine curiosity, and the source of your goosebumps was now the way his hands left yours and travelled down your body rather than the chilliness of the hall.

"All day, not even a text from you," he scolded as his hand rubbed down your waist to your hips. "This is my reward and your punishment, and you won't even let me see you... I should exact my revenge anyway, even if you did obey the rules."

"I—I did obey the rules," you spoke softly. "No panties, just like Minnie said." Your sudden obedience made Minho smile slightly, enjoying the pet name you've given to him in your confusion.

"Well, if you want to prove that you're good and follow the rules," the grip on your waist became unbearably tight and you groaned at Minho's eagerness, "then you have to show me."

With his hands placed firmly on your body, Minho abruptly flipped you against the wall, pressing your face into the cold brick. You grunted at the action, shocked with the ease it took to move you like that and somehow enjoying the pain of your face hitting the wall. God, you felt sickened by your own submission, how you enjoyed how he tossed you around.

Minho pressed firmly into you, resting his head on your shoulder and letting his hands glide down your hips to the front of your plump thighs.

"C'mon baby," he growled into your ear, stroking your fat up and down, "show me what you got." Harshly tugging at you, your entire body shifted in his hold. Minho had pulled your ass out and now had your chest pressed into the wall, your back arching in an attempt to hold your precarious posture.

"M-Minho," you mewled out, embarrassment washing over you.

"Aw, y/n, don't worry," he cooed with fake innocence. "It's just us, no need to worry." His hands rubbed the sides of your thighs, his dick pressing into the curve of your ass. "I just wanna get my reward." As you whimpered under him, Minho tantalizingly edged your skirt up, licking his lips at the thought of seeing you bare. Not being able to wait any longer, Minho let his hands ride up your skirt, following the curve of your thighs up against your ass and allowing the fabric to bunch up at your waist.

Minho's deep breathing was the only sound you could hear, your ears flush and your cunt so wet it almost dripped down to the floor below you.

"God, Y/n... you're so pretty... fuck," Minho panted as he let his hands grip your flesh firmly, throwing his head back at the feeling. You moaned as he massaged your ass, unconsciously pushing back further until you pressed firmly into his growing cock. Nothing could match this sensation for him. With every push into you, you pushed back, allowing him to hump your ass through his clothes. If you kept this up, he would cream his pants, ruining them and letting everyone know for the rest of the day that you were so perfect, so hot you were able to make him cum without even taking off his pants. The contortion of your body and your easily accepted submission told Minho everything he needed to know: you were desperate for his cock, and you wanted nothing more than to be filled with him. You didn't even wear panties for him today. God, you were perfect. Rutting into you was all that Minho needed. Relief washed over him with every pump into you. Both of you needed—no, both of you craved this. It was perfect. Looking down at you Minho loved the swell of your backside. Your perfect ass was literally in his grasp, and he could do this forever—

"What is that?" he asked, pulling away and silencing your moans with his sudden question.

Both of you stiffened, knowing what he was referring to. Frankly, you were scared of what was to come. Nonetheless, you tried to play dumb.

"What... what are you talking about?" you asked innocently.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Minho growled. The fabric of your skirt pushed higher until his hands found what they were looking for: a hidden hem underneath your skirt. The pressure in your throat built up as your fear crept within you. The article of clothing you attempted to hide had been found.

"Nothing—" you began.

"Don't play fucking dumb with me!" Minho interrupted. His hands grabbed your waist again and, once more, flipped you into the wall. Face to face with him, you realized how little his voice actually let on his true frustration. Fire was behind his eyes, burning from the outrage you had invoked by disobeying him. His arms caged you into the wall, leaning on his elbow while his other hand was placed on your hips.

"Lift. Up. Your. Skirt." Minho's voice was precise and punctual, dictating his rage with every word. For some reason, you still tried to soothe the bull.

"Minho, you should calm—"

"Lift up the fucking skirt!" He shot back. Unflinchingly, you attempted to stare him down, try to out-intimidate him though you knew it would be useless. If you tried to get out of this situation any other way, you knew Minho would immediately want to reassert his dominance. You wanted to simply walk away or call his bluff, but you knew that Minho would grab you and fuck you in the middle of that hall instead. Yet, regardless of your inner carnal desires to fuck him in front of everyone, his anger made you digress, and you followed his orders. Your hands made their way down your body towards the hem of your skirt, grasping it slightly and then reversing up your body to pull the fabric up.

While your eyes stared forward, Minho glared down at your skirt. He knew what was going on and he knew he would be disappointed when he saw it with his own eyes. And he was.

Your breaths were both shaky, filling your ears as he stared down at your cunt.

Instead of your bare, leaking pussy in front of him, you were feebly covered by a small article of clothing— one just big enough to cover your slit but small enough to reveal your ass.

"You're wearing panties," he stated blankly.

"...Actually," your eyes finally met his, "It's a thong. So," you continued hesitantly with a stable voice as if you were explaining the situation to a child, "I didn't technically break the rules." Silence encapsulated the two of you as Minho's breath made you shake. His fury was undeniable, but it simply seemed to radiate off of him. Otherwise, his expression and demeanour were relatively emotionless. But you knew better. You knew that this little act of defiance was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. You swear Minho was about to pounce on you right then and there.

After a beat, Minho spoke.

"How dare you talk back to me right now," he said blankly. You daren't respond to his scolding comment. "You had one instruction, refused to obey it, then patronize me, acting like I wouldn't even fucking notice." Opening your mouth to speak, you quickly shut it when Minho brought his finger to your mouth, silencing you. Then, dropping his hands to your thighs, he rode them up your legs to the edge of the thong. You assumed he would pull it down, taking the thong and making you finish the day actually without underwear. Again— you didn't break the rules because you didn't wear panties. Thongs are panties. Right?

But, Minho didn't take them off. Instead, he pulled them up high, making the fabric that barely covered you apply unbearable pressure to your clit and making you gasp. Leaning in close, Minho placed his head beside yours and whispered in your ear.

"Tonight. Your place. 7 PM. You'll be home alone, yeah?" You give a stiff nod, confirming the time, place, and circumstances. "Good." Minho pulls back and studies your face for a second as he slowly lowers his hands, making you finally breathe out from the pressure relief on your clit.

"And these," he says, "better be out of fucking sight." Finally, he releases your thong straps with a snap against your hips, making you shiver.

In the distance, the faint beeping of the fire alarm shuts off. Shortly after, both of your heads snap up to at the sound of distant voices. Students and staff had begun re-entering the building, telling you that your time was up.

"Fuck, they're gonna think I ditched," Minho sighed, placing his hands in his pockets and leaning back, trying to look down the hall and see if anyone is coming around (though he knew they wouldn't enter this dead zone). "It's fine, I'm pretty sure I can convince my teacher he just brushed over me when taking attendance outside. You should do the same."

His newfound nonchalance shocked you. He was acting as if he didn't just have you bent over, on the verge of begging you to let him ruin you. When Minho was finished studying the hall, he looked back at you examining him intently. Minho smirked and let out a single chuckle.

"I'll see you tonight, y/n," he said. With that goodbye, Minho sauntered off to the rising noise of students, leaving you alone, desperate, and highly embarrassed in the hall.

"Fuck," you sighed aloud. "That's the second time he's left me high and dry. Fucking bastard."

After letting Minho sneakily rejoin the crowd of bustling students, you quickly followed, reemerging into the sea of similarly dressed students and staff, lingering at the back so that no one could glance up your skirt while walking up the stairs.

You knew for a fact that, though you weren't bare, you had completely soaked through the little fabric that concealed you. Fuck, the rest of the day was going to be long.

continued in part 3

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

15 Questions For 15 Friends

@vhagar-balerion-meraxes @very-straight-blog @aegon-the-elder @liv-cole thank you for tagging me🤗

Are you named after anyone? Not exactly: the name I was given was my maternal granddad's favourite one (he died a few years before I was born).

When was the last time you cried? Yesterday.

Do you have kids? No.

What sport do you play / have played? Save the stuff I did for my PE classes, none (I used to be quite good at middle-distance running, though). I am more of a yoga/ballrom dancing girlie.

Do you use sarcasm? Yep, quite often. 

What's the first thing you notice about people? The way they look at people (the expression in their eyes).

What's your eye color? Short answer: green. Long answer: green background with a greyish-blue band on the outer rim and some specs that change color with time (they went from light yellow to amber to ochre, and judging by my mom's eyes next comes the color of rust and then one of dark chocolate).

Scary movies or happy endings? I choose happy endings but only because I have to choose. I love horror movies!

Any talents? - Does being very (scarily, according to some of my friends) good at planning, organizing, managing limited resources etc count?😂 Plus I often manage to calm down people who are freaking out (I even have an appropriate nickname which is also connected to my actual name). Also, looks like I am not bad at writing things (analytical stuff and a bit of poetry).

What are your hobbies? Reading, writing poetry, listening to music, watching TV shows and movies - and travelling, as much as I can.

Do you have any pets? Right now, no.

How tall are you? 5'3'' (160 cm).

Favorite subject in school? Tie betwen social studies and English (a foreigh language for me).

Dream job? Project manager in a company involved in doing something truly useful and important for people's everyday life.

Tagging (no pressure and sorry for the repeat tagging that's bound to happen😊) @dr-aegon @ladystarksneedle @guillermosfamiliar @thesunfyre4446 @mejcinta

@redrosesandcharmingsouls @sidraofthewildflowers @wolfdressedinlace @starfallsalyshightower @heretherebebookdragons

@starlitelwing @vipervixxen @worms-on-multiple-strings @troublesomesnitch @sylvancastor

[dropout-if]

Will the ROs have reactions to our flings…? Especially in the case of having a fling with Statler’s boss as an S-romancer and Kai’s closest friend/hookup buddy as a Kai-romancer 😳

None of them are exactly happy to see MC with any of the flings. But yeah they react more or less strongly depending on the fling.

Statler doesn't really like their boss lol. If they're already struggling with their own relationship and are starting to like MC, seeing them with Avery will be a huge blow.

J loves their brother but they hate seeing him with MC.

Kai is a bit of a tool and they insist they don't care and that Liv and MC should do whatever they want. But that's just a lie lol especially in the crushing stage.

Overall it changes how much MC hurts them/makes them jealous. Angst fuel.

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Unsealed Skies (3)

Warnings: Avengers spoilers, cursing, and mentions of infidelity.

“What the hell is he doing back here?” Sonny demanded, gesturing at Loki who was standing in Olivia’s office.  “Is he back for another shot at destroying the planet?”

“Forget him,” Fin ordered gruffly.  “I’m more worried about Ares.”

Sonny threw his hand up in the air, “I wish I could forget about the god that tried to take over our planet but it’s just not that easy.”

“(Name) is keeping him in check.  Ares is the wildcard that has her worried.”

“Three years!  Three years you’ve worked alongside me and you never told me that you’re an Asgardian!”

“That would defeat the purpose of me hiding, John.”

“You can make it up to me by telling me the truth about Bigfoot.”

“Bigfoot is not a yeti.  He was a Frost Giant that stumbled into your world and the only reason that there was minimal damage was due to Loki’s quick thinking.   He cast an illusion but it was less effective because too many people had already seen the giant.  Luckily over time, the legend became distorted.”

“What about the Loch Ness monster?”

“She’s not one of ours.  She belongs to a different pantheon of gods and the locals all adore her.”

“The Moon landing?”

“Not faked.  Though mother wonders why humanity is spending so much time focusing on the Heavens when the planet constantly is teetering on the brink of chaos.”

“I thought you didn’t have any contact with your family because you were in hiding?”  Sonny questioned with a disgusted look in Loki’s direction and crossing his arms.

“Mother was raised by witches.  As such, she used her magic to visit me in my dreams because she knew that would not raise suspicion.”

“Why exactly did you leave your life behind?”  Fin asked dubiously, “You had a life of luxury because you were an Asgardian princess.”

You sighed, “As the second born child of Frigga and Odin, I knew the expectations that were placed on me.  From a young age, I was schooled in diplomacy, royal customs, etiquette, and politics for all of the Nine Realms.  My education also included mastering different types of weaponry in a range of situations.  When I was informed that I was to marry the Greek equivalent of my younger brother, Thor, I accepted it for I knew nothing else.  Our engagement had almost become a marriage when I was treated to the sight of my fiancé with another goddess that belonged to the same pantheon he did.  In the moment I caught them, my fiancé assured me that this would be a repeat occurrence and so, I apologised to the King and Queen of Olympus because I could not marry their son and I returned to Asgard.  There I sought assistance from my mother and the gatekeeper, Heimdall.”

“She still is an Asgardian princess.  By Asgardian law, the marriage is null and void however, I doubt that the Greek pantheon shares that law.”  Loki remarked stiffly.  He had been so quiet in his approach that none of you had noticed that he had left Liv’s office.

“Your time on the run was for nothing?”  Fin demanded.  “You’ll still have to marry Ares with the knowledge that he plans to cheat?  So far, I’m not liking the Greeks.”

[countrymusiclover]

36- Finally Defeating the Hollow

Part 37

Family is More than Blood

@secretdreamlandmentality

Klaus’s pov

Our entire group was confused including the dead family members that were with us. None of us were prepared to find these people here inside of what you would call her mindscape I suppose. Stepping towards Josette I met her gaze. “Josette, I am not sure why exactly we are seeing you right now.”

“Is it because of Kai?” Uncle Joshua asked, stepping up beside his daughter.

Alina crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s dead. Alaric and our mother killed him. But you can say this is entirely his fault.”

“What do you mean?” Liv asked with Luke looking confused like the rest of us.

Hope eyed her older cousins. “We placed this thing called the Hollow inside of his prison world. But he managed to escape and freed it with him. After he freed it he convinced a student at our school to attack our mother when the Hollow’s magic was inside of her.”

“Mom destroyed the person who had the dark magic but now it’s changing her. She tried to take the magic from everyone in our supernatural school. Which is something she’d never do.” Missy added on to what her sister had said.

Josette covers her mouth with her hand. “Oh geez. She consumed dark magic like last time.” I stared at her remembering when my wife had gone and asked for her aid first. She knew more about this or maybe just as much as I did.

“What the hell is happening to my daughter, Klaus. You made a promise to me that you would protect her.” Eliza stomps up to me getting up in my face as much as possible.

I met her gaze hearing her heart rate increase even though she was technically dead even inside her daughter’s mind. “Calm down, Eliza. I thought we had handled it. This was not an intentional thing.”

“So what was the original plan before you found us apparently inside of Raelyn’s mind?” Luke asked looking at me then to the rest of the family.

Freya stepped up to my side declaring the plan that we had in mind. “The plan we came up with was to combine all of our magical abilities together. Raelyn currently has the dark magic in her controlling her consciousness. We will siphon it away and trap it in another prison world.”

“But if we’re seeing you all then that means we are inside the part of my sister's mind that she finds some joy in. Meaning we’re probably in the wrong spot.” Jacob said, holding Andrea’s hand in his.

Glancing over my shoulder and slightly turning my body back towards my brother in law. “What do you mean, Jacob?”

“I’m saying that we need to be looking for the section that has darkness. The parts of her mind that she keeps barred away. The parts that she wants to hide from herself. The parts that she’s fighting everyday. That’s what we need to be searching for.” He responded.

Joshua tapped his chin in thought. “The one thing I know she dreads is her memories of the Merge.”

“And the fear of losing her children.” Josette points out tucking hair behind her ear.

Davina tapped her foot and Valerie just watched from the sidelines. Freya came up to me seeing that I was lost in my own thoughts. If this was going into the darkness that Raelyn feared I knew the thing that triggered her the most. She was terrified to die because of the Merge. “I know what we’re looking for. We just need what Elijah referred to as his red door.”

“Well that’s great. Do you have any idea of what it could look like?” Valerie grumbled with her hands resting on her hips.

Throwing my head back I groaned wishing that this wasn’t so hard. I believed that I knew my wife more than I apparently did right now. She cared about her cousins, was afraid of accidentally killing them all after the merge and I was all of her firsts in our relationship. Yet her mind seemed to be more complicated if we needed to find where she kept all of her darkest secrets and fears hidden away. I was at a complete bloody loss on the matter. “Jacob, you’re her twin brother. What would she imagine if she wanted to hide things away?”

“Don’t put me on the spot or anything, Klaus.” The male heretic huffed, slumping his shoulders. He ran a hand through his curls in quick thought. “What about our childhood home? After we left there everything pretty much got screwed up.”

Davain began coughing and she covered her mouth with her. She drew it away showing us some blood. “Uh guys…something is going wrong.”

“Urgh!” Alina winced dropping down on her knees where Freya and I rushed over to her with Josette all in a moment of honor and worry.

Placing a hand on the side of her head I scanned her quickly knowing we couldn’t see any physical damage or any kind of injuries while inside her mothers mind. “Alina, what’s wrong sweetheart?”

“I….don’t…know.” She winced, holding her stomach gripping her belly with one hand.

Josette looked between me and my second daughter. “If she’s pregnant in her mindscape. How far along was she when you came in here?”

“I am nearing my due date. Do you think…I’m due now?” She asked the former doctor.

Josette slumped her shoulders. “I believe so. You need to leave here. And whoever else is feeling the effects of the spell. It’s slowly killing you by the amount of magic inside of Raelyn.”

“Davina, you and Alina need to leave now. Hope you go with them.” I declared sternly.

Hope stomps her foot. “I’m not going anywhere, dad. This is mom we are talking about!”

“Actually we might not have a choice here, Hope. All of us are linked to one another so if one of us leaves. We will all still be connected to your mother. Everyone except Klaus since he’s not a witch.” Valerie admitted with a weak expression.

Getting to my feet I could see it on my triplet daughter’s faces that this new plan sucked. But we didn’t have many options if we wanted to save their mother. “This wasn’t what we hoped. Yet we have no other options. You all have your part in siphoning the magic from her. I’ll find the door that we need and make her stop running from her fears.”

“Bring her home, brother.” Freya said while every witch grabbed hands disappearing from my vision.

Eliza placed a hand on my shoulder, sending me a soft smile. “Klaus, I’m sorry for panicking earlier. I just…when you see my daughter tell her that we are all proud of her.”

“I am sorry for all the pain I put her through.” Joshua replied.

Josette grasps my hands in hers, sniffing through tears. “Klaus, tell Raelyn to watch out for my girls. I know you already have but let her know how much I appreciate it.”

“I will….Give me a sign, Raelyn. Show me the fire you need me to through with you.” I lifted my head up to the ceiling, closing my eyes. I heard something blow past me so when I opened my eyes once more I saw nothing but darkness around me. The darkness slightly lightened up showing me a tv tarp that you would play outside movies on. Stepping forward I didn’t quite understand what was happening until I noticed someone was sitting on the ground in front of it watching it silently. “Raelyn?”

“Klaus…it's all happening again. I…I can't face it.” She admitted looking over her shoulder seeing me standing there.

Sitting down beside her I lifted my eyes upwards to the screen figuring out what she meant by that. “Rae, what are you talking about?”

"Jacob!" She suddenly gasped, shooting up in a sitting position. My heart beating quick as my eyes flickered around the forest landing on my twin brother laying on his back. Rushing to her feet she dropped on her knees shaking him lightly trying to wake him up. "Jacob, Jacob. Come on wake up. Please wake up, Jacob." My father stepped up placing a hand on her shoulder making her whip her head up starting to cry. "Why - why won't he wake up dad - what's going on?"

Instead of responding he bends down removing the gemstone necklace from around his neck that he always wore, placing it in her hand. "You have won the Merge, Raelyn."

"He can't die, mother...He's my brother, my twin...I won't lose him!" Suddenly she winced feeling her mother draw magic from her, yanking me away from my brother. Stomping my boots in the dirt she started crying more out of such confusion. "Why would he - what the hell is the Merge, mother!"

She frustratedly runs her fingers through her hair, throwing her head back in agony. "It's a ritual that happens to twins born into our Coven. Since you and Jacob just turned 22 today that is the year to have the Merge...it's where you combine your strengths together...there can only be one winner."

Another memory flashed across the screen that I didn’t recognize, meaning it must have been during the time I was trapped in New Orleans with Marcel. Shifting my gaze to my wife I could see tears slipping down her face by now.

Jo took his other hand and began chanting. “Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus.”

Jo and Kai then began chanting together. “Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus.Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus.” Until Jo fell backwards and she saw a new image flash through our minds. Luke had knocked his sister out for a few minutes and declared to merge with his older brother.

Kai and Luke were chanting when she entered his mind again. “Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus. Sanguinem desimilus-- “

Jo cried. “Luke, no!”

“Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus. Sanguinem desimilus, sanguinem generis fiantus.” Kai and Luke fell backwards, unconscious with Jo crying out after she had woken up from the sleeping spell.

Joshua declared. “Luke is gone.” His gaze shifted to mine with a horrific look feeling what she had minutes ago.

Liv gasped looking between me and her father. “What? Rae, he can’t be serious.”

Clutching my eyes closed, the vision of Jacob collapsing in front of me flashed through my mind. Releasing my hands from fists sheshook my head sniffing through tears. “Liv I, I wish it wasn’t true. But Luke…he’s…”

Joshua finished my train of thought, still terrified. “I can feel it. He merged with Kai and Kai won. Luke is gone.”

“Rae, look at me. This isn’t real. It’s just the Hollow playing tricks on your mind.” Placing a hand on her shoulder she jumps slightly turning to face me. She had tears streaming down her face now.

She shakes her head sobbing. “Klaus, it’s all still real. It’s all up here…It’s still a part of me.”

“Rae, look at me.” I crawled in front of her cupping her face in my hands pressing my forehead against hers so she’d focus only on me and not the horrors she had haunting her at night. “I know that you feel like these nightmares are your fault. But they are not. These are just horrible things that happened to you.”

She gripped my forearms, shaking under all the stress. “I can’t push it all away, Nik. I can’t just push through what happened.” I didn’t need to turn around to know what the next memory was once I heard Alaric declaring his wedding vows.

Jo chuckled beginning her vows until Raelyn smelled blood, saw she stabbed through the stomach and her dress was red. “Oh, God. That's a tough act to follow. Here goes. Alaric Saltzman, you are…”

Alaric caught his soon to be wife collapsing into his arms. “Jo? Jo? Jo? Oh, my God. Jo? Jo? Jo?! Oh, God. No!”

She winced where Raelyn vamped from my seat, biting into her wrist drawing blood. “Aah! Aah!”

“Jo drink!” Shoving her wrist over her mouth she attempts to drink but she was losing too much blood too fast.

Alaric began crying, staring at me. “No! No, no, no, no.”

Suddenly before our eyes Kai appeared from being invisible standing beside Elena holding a bloody knife in his hand. “I was gonna wait till the "death do us part" bit, but it seemed a little on the nose.”

Raelyn shut her eyes tightly letting the tears fall down her face. She hugged her knees to her chest trying to bury her face into herself. “It’s all too much, Klaus! The Hollow won’t leave me alone unless I get it more magic. The nightmares….they’ll just keep haunting me.”

“Don’t worry about the Hollow. It’s being taken care of, I promise you.” Drawing my head back away from hers I wiped away fallen tears with my thumbs. I knew that she was horrified to let all the pain go away. “I need you to focus on my voice, focus on me being here with you, focus on nothing else but me.”

Raelyn grasped my shirt in her fists. “I can’t let this go….I can’t deal with it like this.”

“You’re not alone with these memories, Raelyn. I will be here for you through the good and the bad. You just need to let go…you need to let go of all the pain and accept the fact that they are gone.” I responded to her praying that she listened to me.

“They’re gone, Nik. They're ... .Jo….Liv….Luke…my mother all gone ... .even uncle Joshua. She buries her face into my chest heavily sobbing. Her fingers wrapped around the material and she remained so close to me as she could possibly manage.

I wrapped my arms around her just holding my wife closer to his chest. Running one hand through her hair I whispered into her ear. “Sssh Rae….I’m here.” Blinking through my own tears I held her close seeing the darkness disappear and I collapsed onto the floor with her too.

I gasped sharply seeing the stars above my head and I slowly sat upright. Frantically looking around the area I ran a hand through my hair seeing Raelyn laying on the ground. “Klaus, we’re just about to do the spell. Did you get her to open her mind?” Freya came rushing over bending down on a knee to me.

“I think so, Raelyn! Raelyn, please wake up. Please take up.” I scrambled to my feet hovering above her body over her sleeping form. I watched her eyes open and she gasped slowly taking in some breaths. “There you are, heretic queen.”

She lifted her hand up touching my face. “Nik…”

“She’s awake, Freya….you’re gonna be just fine honey.” I brushed her hair out of her face and she sniffed through tears right before the torches around us were lit up again.

Valerie came forward past the circle of sand and dropped herself onto a knee. She placed her hands on Raelyn’s chest focusing on her gaze when she started to panic about what was happening in the moment. “Raelyn, don’t panic now. This will save your life. You trust me don’t you?”

“Yes.” She croaked out.

Valerie looked back at the rest of our family. Alina was standing on the outside of the circle with Hayley. Jacob, Andrea, Hope, Davina, Freya, Lizzie, Josie and Missy were all now holding hands siphoning power from one another to be as strong enough to perform the spell. Valerie turned back around taking a breath chanting. “Phasmatos tribum, nas ex veras, radamis phasmatos ex sonos. Resustamen ex veram vatas. Radamis phasmatos ex sonos…”

Keeping my eyes trained on my wife I could see Valerie’s hands turning her chest red from the siphoning. She winced a couple of times before all of us saw a bright blue glow leaving her body. The source shot up into the sky. “Let’s go.” Scooping my wife up in my arms Valerie and I vamped over the barrier.

The Hollow’s blue magic raced around the barricade but it wasn’t going to hold it for long. Whipping my head around I looked at the witches needing to do something. “We need to trap it now.”

“We’re on it, dad…..Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phesmatos filio, phesmatos effurgarex perpetuum!” Missy declared and the chanting began. The Hollow magic roared and tried fighting against them but the sky turned bright before there was a flash of light and we all saw it had disappeared.

Josie stepped forward catching the Ascendent in her hands. Raelyn held onto me for balance hearing someone cry out and she immediately went into motherly panic mode. “Alina! What is going on? Talk to me sweetheart.”

“Mom…it’s the baby.” Alina clutched her stomach, almost falling to her knees. I moved my attention to my daughter and saw liquid coming from between her legs. She started crying in a panic. “The baby’s coming.”

Comments really appreciated ❤️