#but saying 'and this is all hes been CAUGHT doing' oh so were being hypocrites today

[throwupgirl]

this quinton reviews video isnt it honestly. starting off the video saying he refuses to discuss allegations against schneider without a source or speculate about him doing worse things (good. applaud that) and then right when he gets to talking abt drake bell does that exact speculation bc he wants to defend making fun of drake bell 3 years ago (what the fuck is your problem)

[acid-ixx]

I’m new, I just read your fic about neglect reader. I haven’t read through your blog yet but I am so excited after reading this fic. I am an emotional wreck right now and my curiosity is eating me alive with this question “Does reader know about Jason? Will they ever met? Ever have a platonic relationship together? Will Jason be more of a brother to reader?”

I’m sorry I speed through the fic and tears are in my eyes I couldn’t think straight BUT I notice that Jason is hardly there so I’m curious. Please this is such a brain rot, it’s way past midnight after I read this cause I keep stopping to cry.

major (?) spoilers below.

reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.

hello anon !! im so happy ppl are getting more exposed to the content i have written so far. anyways, i can't believe i also got others to cry bec i did too when i was writing 😭

anyways, to answer ur question: yes! the reader will meet jason and he would actually be the first sibling you would meet after you have left the manor. the way he would turn yandere for you is a different approach to how the others would be because in the prequel, it has been stated that you had your fair share of encounters with him.

"will they ever have a platonic relationship with him/see him as a brother?" maybe, maybe not. because your meeting with him would all be a blur to you, and jason's obsession would stem from the trauma he had experienced, causing him to be more protective of you.

you're not in your best mindset and you're vulnerable walking through the streets of gotham and all alone? oh god, only a dumbass would do that— but once the red hood recognizes your face and the way you carry yourself so pitiably, he immediately tries to take you in his arms just as he should.

but the moment you push him away? tell him to fuck off despite your drunken state? the moment you cry and tell him you could deal with everything yourself without his help or anybody else's? you just remind him of himself and that triggers his first spiral into yandere-ism.

it's the way you share trauma, the way you both feel immense anger. he should've noticed sooner because you two would've been as close as peas in a pod. and yet he failed you by being a hypocrite. you were literally taken into the manor right after his death and discarded like you were mere trash. he should've taken you away when he had the opportunity to but he was too caught up in his feat of revenge.

yet the worst part was that he had taken notice of tim before he did you, and jason had momentarily hated you too because he thought bruce had replaced him. if he had looked through that veil of contempt that he had for you, and saw just how neglected and in need of attention you are, then he would've taken you under his wing.

but he didn't, and he had done the same thing to you as most did.

so take it as you will when i say you're more or less going to be closer (albeit unwillingly) to jason than anybody else because unlike his other siblings who are bound by their vigilante duties, your big brother jason wouldn't mind shooting any creeps who think they could touch his precious angel.

and he gets it, too, angel— you hate him, you hate them all and that's valid. but you can't just walk out in the streets alone and expect to be home in one piece; so leave it to him to scout your apartment alright? leave it to your big brother jason to intimidate the goons who try to stalk you when you're not looking. even if you don't want him near you, you'll always find warm food by your table and a note reminding you to take care of yourself more often.

it hurts when you rip the paper to shreds but it breaks his heart even more if you refuse to touch the meal he would leave for you, because that probably means you saw him as danger more than anything else. and he doesn't know it, but you're already planning to make a run for it now that you're under red hood's radar.

it's obvious that you have no experience when it comes to living by yourself, so please don't fucking push him away and let him protect you from any harm. your self destructive habits only causes him to become more protective of you and it only lets him stalk you more often to ensure nobody would touch his precious angel.

just like dick, you'll be treated more like a child than that of a young adult, but at least jason has the concept of personal space compared to your eldest brother. but still, jason wishes to hold you in his arms.

heaven forbid if the joker ever got his crummy fingers on you. jason would go berserk.

little does he know, little does your family know just how much they had lost the opportunity to keep you in wraps inside the manor.

they should've never let you out in the first place.

[milliesdiary]

What if you are Jace's sister and he realizes you are in love with Aemond (and he also finds out that you two have been having premarital sex) which causes a fight so you go to Aemond for comfort and he soothes you

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐕𝐎𝐖

𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬; princess!reader, targcest, mentions of sex. for some context: reader is daemon’s bastard child who rhaenyra welcomed as a part of the family. yes, aemond is a hypocrite :/ we still love him tho!! 

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; ngl this has been sitting in my drafts for awhile because i hate it. im going to be working on commissions for a bit though, so i decided to post it anyway to keep you guys fed :) please reblog and comment with your feedback. it means the world to me and keeps me motivated! ♡

"𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃."

Those were Jace’s words the second you walked into the dining room for breakfast. They take you aback, shock you into a frozen stupor. 

You and your family have been in King’s Landing for the past few weeks, trying to set aside their differences with the Greens and do their best to reconcile. It has been rough for your younger brothers, though you have been having a brilliant time. 

You and Helaena spend plenty of time together, Alicent treats you kindly, and Aegon leaves you alone. And Aemond? Well... you and Aemond are closer than most in terms of relationships. 

But that’s a story for another day. 

No one else is in the room thankfully — Luke wakes up later in the day, Helaena is presumably outside catching bugs, and your mother is probably off at a meeting with the court — so it’s just you, your younger brother, and the few servants that set the table. 

“What?”

Jace gives you an unimpressed look; his chestnut-brown eyes are slightly narrowed, lips melded into a frown. “You love Aemond,” he repeats. 

Your heart nearly stops when he says it, and you’re instantly terrified you’ve been caught. It would appear that misfortune has a tendency of catching you off guard. You honestly don’t know what to say. 

“...That is quite an accusation,” you try to deadpan. That heated expression of his is chilling; you invite him to sit next to you in hopes of extinguishing it. “Why don’t you just sit down and eat?”

Jace isn’t deterred. He holds his head high and keeps his voice stern; a trait he has undoubtedly learned from your mother. “You told me a couple moons ago that you had no affections for him.”

Oh, Gods. You don’t really want to sit here and listen to him complain about how much of a burden you are from rejecting all of your parents’ attempts at arranging a marriage. For hating every single man they tried to set you up with. You scold yourself more than enough. 

“I know what I said. And I mean it. I do not love him, Jace.” You let out a nervous laugh, trying to come across as naïve. The servants are staring now. “What has brought this on?” 

“You must think of me as a fool.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you acting so innocent?” 

“I don’t love him, Jacaerys. I swear it.” A bitter lie. 

For a fleeting moment, you think you’ve won; your brother stands next to the table without saying a word, his mouth clamped shut as he bites the inside of his cheek. 

And then he drops the bomb. 

“I know you have been seeing each other,” Jace says. It doesn’t come out as a question; it’s a statement. “Stealing each other away in the night.”

Your heart drops in a single second. How does he...? 

For these past few weeks, you thought you were being careful. Undetected. There was never anyone around when you slipped through the dark halls of the Red Keep every night and sidled up to Aemond’s door. Not a single voice to stop you as Aemond tugged you into his room and spoke High Valyrian in your ear as he undressed you, as he kissed you senseless, fucked you senseless. It was a dangerous game, of course — but you never actually expected to get caught. 

“…Where did you hear that?”  

“A kingsguard told me that you parted from his company last night.” Jace’s mouth twists into a disgusted frown. He hesitates, almost like he physically can’t say what comes next. “...From his chambers.”

In that moment, you knew it was over. The gist was up. 

“Jace…”

“Tell me it isn’t true.” 

And that’s the thing: you can’t say you don’t love Aemond, because it would be the furthest thing from the truth. Your hands fall to your lap and you fist your hands in the skirt of your dress, begging for courage. 

“Don’t tell mother.” 

Your response — shameful and pleading — speaks volumes. It makes Jace’s skin boil; he had been praying that the knight was wrong. And that hope he clung to so religiously? It’s gone. You can feel the symptoms of a dispute brewing: sweaty hands, agitated eyes, labored breathing. Tension hangs over you like a dark cloud and refuses to dissipate. 

“Why?” Jace looks disgusted, repulsed even. It sparks a flame inside you. “You saw his true colors that night. All of us did. Baela, Rhaena. Luke.”

You know what he’s referring to. It is a memory that you want to squeeze the life out of. 

“I thought we talked about you sorting out your priorities,” he continues. “What self-respecting daughter of the future Queen runs off and beds whoever she likes without a marriage proposal?” 

Yes, perhaps your growing annoyance is misplaced. Your brother wants the best for you, and it’s only natural that he would have his reservations about Aemond.

But he doesn’t know the man like you do; he hasn’t seen his hidden softness.

Sometimes people lose their ability to be recognized when they are joyful — in a pleasant way, of course. Aemond is one of those people. You’ve seen him smile once before. Truly smile. It was not sly, snarky, or coy; for once, it was the sincere kind. You wished he would do it more. It was incredibly beautiful.

If only Jace could have experienced it.

“Don’t speak about him like that,” you mumble. 

"I won't restrain myself to appease your ignorance.” 

Inhaling sharply, you take a seat at the table and busy yourself by playing with the napkin beside your plate. It’s a feeble attempt at controlling your rising panic. Jace must think you’re acting a bit too calm, because he seems to bristle at your alleged indifference. “I am sorry I didn’t tell you. Really, I am. I was just scared—“

“You lied.” 

“It was a white lie. No harm was meant to come from it.”

Jace fixes you with a firm scowl. “A white lie? A white lie? Meddling with our uncle who you are not betrothed to is not something that just happens.”

“You are blowing this out of proportion. I did it to keep you from getting upset and—“

“This is not just about the lie itself,” Jace huffs. 

“Then what is it?”

“You believed I wasn't worth your honesty.” 

Your gut tightens at his remark — you know he’s right and that he deserves to be informed of such things. Finding out that someone you care for is hiding something this important is a rude awakening. 

But you can’t stop. 

“I knew you would act like this,” you retort. Raising your voice wasn’t planned, but it happens anyway. It feels like your veins are being ripped to bits as the telltale marks of wrath sweep throughout your body. “I will do you a favor next time and not tell you anything at all.” 

“Or you could not encourage him,” Jace spits out. “You think that he does not act like his brother, Aegon? For all you know, he could be gallivanting with a servant every second he is not with you.” 

Your jaw tightens so firmly that it seems to lock in place. You’re pissed now. “Aemond is not like that.” 

“When you see him next, you can tell him to jump in the damn Dragonpit,” Jace continues. You aren’t used to hearing such crude language from him; it has you reeling. “Perhaps he’ll do that after he’s done fucking you.”

Something inside you bursts. Agonizingly. Ferociously. It's a jolt to your system that throws everything off-kilter. It is a painful fury that splits you in two. 

You slam your palms down on the table and rise in your chair; you're astonished the wood doesn't split with the force of it. The plates and forks clatter, and Jace almost jumps. The servants bustling around you certainly do. 

Your brother has some nerve. You want to spit foul names in his face. Wish to seize him by the collar and force him to kneel before your feet, because why? Why can’t you be with who you want? First it was Daemon who denied that you ever get betrothed to Aemond. Then it was your mother, and now it’s him. 

“I do not need protecting, Jace!” Your chest is rising and falling faster now, like the erratic pull of the tides. It feels like there is so much bottled up energy inside of you that you could scream, erupt, or break something … you need to break something. You choose his spirit. “I don’t need you at all!” 

Jace’s expression falls then. Along with it goes your anger. 

His gaze flits to the ground for a second — as if the stone is a safe haven from your wrath — and you’re about to apologize when he lifts his chin to glare daggers at you. 

“I get it now,” Jace laughs bitterly, shaking his head in disbelief. “You would do anything to be held by him. Ceasing to care about who he might hurt next and ignoring his callousness. You see only what you want.”

In his rage, Jace’s lips spew poison from deep in his chest, a dark place that you didn't even know he had.

“You make me wonder how I ended up with a delusional lunatic for a sister.“

Dead silence.

The two of you are just staring at each other now. Jace braces himself when you step away from your seat; he looks like he’s expecting you to slap him, like he’s preparing himself for the sting. 

And as much as you would like to do it, you just walk away.

You’re not even sure if Jace tries to stop you at first. Not sure if a servant tries to tries to grab you by the arm. You are running on pure adrenaline, pure buzzing energy, blood pumping like a battle cry in both eardrums. 

It takes until you’re exiting through the giant wooden doors to hear Jace yelling your name — and you loathe how worried he sounds, detest it — and then you’re practically running through the stone hallways. 

You want to go to bed. Shut everyone out and sleep until you awaken in a different world: one where you are not expected to get married to certain people, where your brother doesn’t expect you to be a person you can’t, and the 'losing an eye’ thing never happened, and … and it’s just you, Aemond, wrapped up in the sheets of your mattress. That’s all. 

The world is just cruel. 

Every step echoes as you make a beeline for your room. Tears slip down your cheeks and your fists quake; everything hurts. Emotionally, at least. You’re too worn out, too aggravated, too... mad? Hell, you’re not even sure if you’re still mad. The emotion that rips you apart right now feels more like an indigo-drenched sadness than a red-hot anger. 

It’s a strange, crushing feeling that has you stifling a sob while rounding a corner. 

But, as if the universe hates you, you catch a glimpse of that ethereal man — the fucking bane of your existence — walking down the same hallway. His back is to you, long white hair swishing with every stride he takes, and his posture is strong. 

You don’t want to ruin his day. Spoil the mood, or show how weak you can be.

You call out his name anyway, because there’s only one thing you can think of in this moment. A mantra:

I need you right now, My Prince.

I need you to truly look at me and understand me.

Aemond, I need you to see me.

The man turns then. He says your name, and you, who denied loving him, practically run and throw yourself into his arms. 

For a moment, Aemond doesn’t move a muscle; he’s confused, at a total loss. But then his palms slowly come down to your waist, supporting your body as he allows you to sniffle into his tunic. 

He doesn’t speak for awhile. Instead, he just looks down at you.

Your cheeks are dressed in tears that resemble droplets of honey. Your gardenia scented hair, pressed against his chest, is beautiful. He discovers an unexpected heaven amidst your grief. 

“He doesn’t want us to be together,” you try to whisper, but the words falter and trickle pitifully out of your mouth. They lack the power that you so urgently need. 

At first, Aemond is silent. He has no idea what you’re talking about; and then it clicks. Jace. 

Aemond has never been one to comfort others. You don’t really expect him to do much, honestly. But when he decides to speak, his tone is gentle and holds no judgment. “Your dear brother has found out about our arrangement, I presume.” 

You pull away slightly to stare up at Aemond. You drink in every plane of his face; those high cheekbones, his pretty lips, the silver hair that brushes the ridge of his jaw and the scar he hides. You want to absorb all of him. 

Aemond’s hands come to rest on your elbows, and then they slide all the way down your arms until he’s tenderly holding you by the wrists. He doesn’t give you a chance to answer before speaking more resolutely. “Did he hurt you?” 

“No — No, of course not,” you sniffle. Jace could be stubborn and fierce, but he would never lay a hand on you. “He was just being a brat. We got into an argument and he was ... he was mean.”

Aemond hums at that. “It must not have been too bad then. He is all bark and no bite,” he muses softly. Every syllable is gentle, each vowel soothing in its own right. He’s calm somehow.

It’s in these moments that you wish so deeply you could be like Aemond. Wish that you could stand your ground, despite wanting to run away. Wish that you could hold the barbs of someone’s anger in your palm and not get stung; not allow the sharp edges to slice under your skin and leave streams of blood in its wake. 

But you are not strong like him. 

With bated breath, you move to embrace Aemond once more, arms wrapping around his middle as you press your nose into the leather of his tunic. 

It doesn’t last long. 

Aemond leans into you, and then with both hands on your shoulders, gently tugs you away from his chest. You glance at him in confusion, and meet his gaze with an infantile glare. 

For a second you think he doesn’t want to hug you. That he’s about to chide you for being a big baby, for getting in a fight with your sibling and blowing things out of proportion. 

But then you quickly realize that he just wants to see your face. 

The truth is, Aemond doesn’t want you to hide in his arms. He doesn’t want you to bury your head into his chest and conceal your pain, or for you to dig your face into his clothes until each cheek is dry and you look composed again. 

He wants you to share every emotion with him openly, no matter how warped or ugly or bruised. 

Perhaps that’s what love is; recognizing someone's greatest vulnerability and still choosing to love them. 

It’s hard to place what emotion rests itself in Aemond’s eye after that, but whatever it is almost has you numb to how he’s holding both of your hands in his own. That is, until he trails a thumb over your knuckles. 

“Convince Jace, please,” you beg once more. The edges of your mouth start to turn downwards as you tear up again, and Aemond’s eye follows; he takes in your grief intently, and you are fully conscious of that fact. “Please. Show him you are worthy of my hand.” 

There’s a sort of surprise that swirls in his lilac gaze; however, his lips are in a straight line, his face nothing else but cold, and you can picture the war that rages inside his head. 

“I bear a hatred that could draw blood,” Aemond finally murmurs. “Those who do not deserve to be forgiven will not know my mercy. I will not betray my feelings to please others.”

“Try, Aemond. Please. If not for you and your sanity, do it for me.”

Aemond can only stare at you — his only love, his life, his breath of fresh air. The woman who he hopes will be his future wife despite your family’s distaste. He inhales deeply, chest rising and flattening the creases in his tunic, gaze roaming the tear-tracks on your face. And then he caves. 

But not before making a demand. 

“Do not cry, my love,” Aemond breathes. “It does not suit you.” 

And when you blink up at him so sweetly, nodding in a wordless vow, Aemond presses a kiss to the crown of your head. Then he kisses your left cheek, and the right, before slowly tracing his lips against your own. 

“Your body is mine,” He whispers into your parted mouth. “And I will find a way to claim it. They will have no choice but to accept me.” 

Aemond is a professional at pressing your buttons. It’d be a lie if you said it didn’t excite you; quickly, you capture his lips into a searing kiss. He returns the favor, knowing damn well that you want him, and yet he doesn’t tease in between kisses. He chooses tenderness over taunts just this once. 

The air is filled with a sentence unsaid: 

Touch my soul with warm words, and I shall do whatever you wish. 

[dianawinchester03]

Season 2, Episode 12 - Nightshifter

Series Masterlist

Authors Note: A very very late update and I do apologize for that but I’ve made it somewhat long to make up for it lol. Just a little heads up, you guys are probably gonna HATE y/n in this chapter. But remember that no one is perfect, so I do hope everyone enjoys!

Also, I made playlists to go with the book🥰Been wanting to do it for a while but I wasn’t sure if anyone would like it then I was like fuck it hahahah

1) Princess’ Hits👑 - The playlist Dean made for Y/N (its a little longer than I originally intended but I got carried away lol)

2) Idiots to Lovers💕 - Honestly just songs that remind me of the pair, I’ll be adding more as the series continues and their relationship progresses

Third Person POV

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Dean's eyes were narrowed in Y/N's direction in the recently robbed jewelry store they were investigating as she flirted with the gorgeous brunette girl behind the counter. Gritting his teeth as the familiar burning feeling in his chest arises. He clenched his fists, his body tense and rigid, as he observed Y/N and the brunette laughing together. His eyes darkened with jealousy and annoyance, silently berating himself for his reaction.

"So, what's it like, being an FBI girl?" The brunette asked intrigued, her tone alluring. "Well, it's dangerous. Yeah." Y/N sighed, allowing a coy smile to play on her lips as the woman's brows raised with interest, her eyes trailing down y/n's physique. "And the secrets we gotta keep, oh god. The secrets" Y/N muttered, shaking her head to add to the act.

"But mostly....it's lonely" Y/N added, a twinge of mischief in her eyes as she scanned the woman's frame. "I so know what you mean." The woman nodded her head as she gasped, falling for the act. This made y/n's smirk, "Mhhmm" She hummed, leaning on the jewelry counter.

Dean couldn't help but huff in irritation as he watched the duo flirt shamelessly. He tried to push it away, reminding himself that Y/N was just playing a part in their undercover mission. Still, the way the woman's eyes roamed over Y/N's figure in that knee-length, skin-tight skirt, left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Hypocritical much, Dean? His inner voice chastised him. Making him roll his eyes to himself. Hating the fact that his inner monologue was dead right.

"Dean- Hellooo, are you listening to me?" Sam snapped in annoyance, waving in hand in-front of Deans face after realizing his idiot brother wasn't paying attention to a word he was saying. Sam's voice snapped Dean out of his thoughts, jolting him back to reality. He quickly shook his head, shifting his attention back to his younger brother.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," he muttered gruffly, trying to hide his irritation. "What were you saying?" He forced a casual tone, shoving his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. Forcing himself to tear his gaze away from y/n and the counter girl.

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow as he studied his older brother's demeanor. Despite Dean's attempt to act nonchalant, it was clear to Sam that something was bothering him. He knew his brother all too well, and that tension in Dean's shoulders and the clench of his jaw gave him away. Sam's eyes traced over to Y/N, now realizing she was flirting with the counter girl. Putting two and two together he snorted in amusement.

-

"Helena was our head buyer. She- She was family, you know?" The manager of the jewelry store explained to the Winchesters, his tone filled with sadness, "She said it herself. Every year at the Christmas party. She said that we were the only family she had" He added, "So there were never any signs that she'd do something like this?" Sam asked, "No, I still can't believe it, even now" The manager shook his head.

"That night, Helena came back to the store after closing. Cleaned out all the display cases and the safe" He explained. "Edgar, our night watchman, he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do. He'd known her for years....he called me at home" The manager gulped, "And that's when she took his gun?" Dean asked. "She shot him in the face....I heard him die....over the phone" The manager said tearfully.

"Any idea what the motive could've been?" Sam asked, "What motive? It makes no sense." The manager exclaimed. "Why steal all that diamonds, all that jewelry, then when? Just dump it somewhere? Just hide it and then go home and-"

-

Across the store, by the counter, "She killed herself?" Y/N asked the counter girl she was chatting up. "Well the cops said she dropped a hairdryer in the bath and fried herself. They should know, right?" The woman responded, "Yeah" Y/N nodded, thinking for a second before flashing her a coy smile. "Well, thanks Frannie, I think that's all I need" Y/N smiled,

"Really? I mean, because I've got more" Frannie smirked a bit, this made y/n's brows raise, intrigued. "You know, if you wanted to interview me...sometime, in private" Frannie said in a suggestive tone, biting her bottom lip. Y/N's mouth went dry, her eyes flickering over to Dean with a twinge of guilt in her heart.

It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't mean anything. She chanted to herself again before turning back to Frannie with a coy smile.

"Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a good idea" Y/N nodded, making Frannie smile in victory as Y/N pointed at her with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "You're a true patriot hun, you really are. Why don't you write your number down there for me? That'd be good" She suggested, wiping her mouth as Frannie wrote down her number for her. Gulping a bit as her eyes flicker over to Dean again and back to Frannie.

-

"So you never saw the security camera footage yourself, then?" Dean asked as Y/N approached them, his eyes darted over to her, noticing she was stuffing a paper with what he presumed was a number in her pocket. She cleared her throat as Dean held the urge to roll his eyes, "The police, they took all the tapes, first thing" The manager shook his head.

"Of course they did" Y/N muttered, nudging the boys.

________________________________

The Impala pulled across the street from one of the people they were meant to question. Since Y/N took her bike back to Sioux Falls, leaving Quinn at Bobby's to save on gas, she was lounging in the backseat. "Look at your file, this is it" Sam told Dean as he parked. "Ugh, fucking cops" Dean grunted as he opened his drivers side door, shutting it hard before moving over to open the backdoor for y/n.

"They're just doing their job, Dean" Y/N defended as she stepped out. "No, they're doing our job. Only they don't know it, so they suck at it" Dean sassed, shoving the back door shut. Earning an amused eye roll from y/n, "Fair point" She muttered with a shrug. "Talk to me about this bank" Y/N told Sam as they made their way up the curb and towards the house.

"Uh, Milwaukee National Trust. It was hit about a month ago" Sam informed them, closing the passenger side door. "Same M.O. as the jewelry store?" Dean asked, "Yep, inside job, long-time employee. The never in a million years type. Dude robs the bank, then goes home and supposedly commits suicide" Sam explained as they walked up the porch. "And this guy, Reznick, he was the security guard on duty?" Y/N asked as she raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Yeah, he was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place" Sam added, "God" Dean muttered, "Yeah" Sam sighed as y/n's knuckles wrapped on the screen door. "Mr. Reznick?" She called out to the man. "Ronald Reznick?" She called out again after a couple seconds of no answer. Then suddenly, a giant ring light at the corner of the door flashes in the faces of the hunters.

Practically blinding the, "Son of a-", "Jesus Chr-" Both Dean and Y/N exclaimed, all shielding their eyes from the blinding light. A short heavy set man with shoulder length hair appeared on the other side of the door inside the house. "FBI, Mr. Reznick" Sam informed the man, squinting from the blinding light. "Let me see the badge" Ronald demanded. This made Sam give him an unimpressed look as Dean and Y/N huff.

All pulling their badges out from their inner jacket pockets, lifting it up with their right hands, pressing it to the clear screen door simultaneously. Ronald leaned in to take a look before saying, "I already gave my statement to the police" He told them as they put their badges away. "Yeah, listen, Ronald, uh, just some things about your statement. We wanted to get some clarification on it" Dean said causally, tucking his badge away.

"You read it?" Ronald asked hopefully. "Sure did" Y/N flashed him a sweet smile. "Come to listen to what I gotta say?" He asked surprised, pointing to himself. "Well, that's why we're here" Dean nodded before Ronald smiled, opening the door. "Well, come on in" He invited them in. "None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on" Ronald rambled as they made their way down the hall behind him.

Now in his living room, there were multiple articles about the robberies plastered on his wall. They all shared a skeptical look, "They all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust. Okay, that I guarantee" Ronald began as they all scanned the room with their eyes. Y/N noticed a poster shading, 'Cheeseheads are Potent Mandriod Spies' and this peaked her curiosity with the multiple conspiracy theories posted on the wall.

"See, me and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts and we'd play cards." Ronald explained to them, "So you let him into the bank that night. After hours" Sam pointed out in realization. "The thing I let into the bank....wasn't Juan" Ronald said with guilt, "I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't his face" He continued to ramble as the hunters shared a look, raising their brows at the man.

"Every detail was perfect, but too perfect. You know? Like if a doll maker made it, like, I'd I was talking to a big Juan doll." Ronald explained, his eyes wild as he took out a file from beneath his computer. "A 'Juan doll'?" Sam and Y/N questioned in unison at the term. All blinking at the man as if he was crazy, "Look, this wasn't the only time it's happened, okay? There was this jewelry store too" Ronald defended, handing y/n the file, opening it.

Sam and Dean peered over her shoulder to take a look. "And the cops and you guys, I mean, you just won't see it. Both crimes were pulled by the same thing" Ronald explained as they canvassed the file of newspaper clippings, surprised that Ronald put this together. "And what's that, Mr. Reznick?" Sam asked in a professional tone. Ronald picked up a magazine with a picture of a robot on the cover, pointing to it firmly.

"Chinese been working on it for years. And the Russians before that. Part man, part machine" He exclaimed joyfully, making Dean roll his eyes while Sam and Y/N grimace. "Like the Terminator but the know that can change itself. Make itself look like other people" Ronald pointed to his temple, a smile on his face. "Like the one from T2" Dean snorted, "Exactly!" Ronald exclaimed, happy he got the reference.

Dean smiled at this while Sam and Y/N shot him a side eye, making his smile falter. "See, not just a robot. More of a-a-a-a 'mandriod' " He explained, trying to find the word. "A Mandriod?" Sam raised his brows at his in amusement as y/n held back a laugh. Feeling a hit sorry for the poor bastard who has no idea what was actually going on, but he wasn't quite far off.

"And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?" Y/N quipped as they all bit back smirks. Ronald's face dropped for a second before holding up his finger to indicate to them to give him a minute.

-

Ronald slid a tape into his DVR, "See, I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them, they'd be buried. Here" Ronald explained to them, now sat on his couch, patiently waiting for him to start the tape with intrigued looks on their faces. "Now watch. Watch him, watch, watch. See? Look, t-t-there it is!" Ronald exclaimed as he rewinded the tape show Juan's eyes.

There was a flicker of something silver in his eyes, a look of recognition crossed the hunters faces as they shared a knowing look. "You see, he's got the laser eyes" Ronald exclaimed as he pointed to his eyes, convinced Juan was a Mandriod but he was far off. Ronald smiled in victory as he stared at the video footage, "Cops said it was some kind of reflected light. Some kind of 'camera flare'. Okay?" He air quoted with a chuckle as he got back up.

"Ain't no damn camera flare. They say I'm a post trauma case" He snorted as Sam, Dean and Y/N shared a look while Ronald took the tape out. "So what? Bank goes and fires me? It don't matter. The Mandriod i-is still out there" He exclaimed hysterical as he pinned up a clip out of the News article of the jewelry store robbery on his board before turning back to them.

"The law won't hunt this thing down...I'll do it myself" He said determined, pointing to himself. "You see, this-this thing, i-i-i-it killed the real people. Makes it look like a suicide. Then it sort of like..." He gestured down to his body. "...morphs into that person. Cases the job for a while til it knows the take is fat...and then it finds its opening" Ronald smiles, believing he's right, which is his but not particularly.

They knew what they were dealing with but they continued to listen, "Now, these robberies, they're-they're grouped together. So I figure, the-the Mandriod is holed up in the middle" Ronald explained, tracing the locations on his map that's attached to his board with his finger, "underground maybe, I don't know. M-m-maybe that's where it recharges it's uh, m-m-mandriod batteries" He said, pressing his fingers to his chest.

The hunters raised an inquisitive eye as Dean pumps his brow. "Okay" Sam cuts in, his tone dry, nudging y/n to take over. She usually has a gentle touch when it comes to breaking the news to civilians so she took over. "Hun, I want you to listen very carefully" Y/N says gently, getting up from the couch, the boys following behind her. "Because I'm about to tell you the god's honest truth..."

"...about all of this" She added in a soft tone as Ronald nodded frantically and excitedly, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited. "There's no such thing as Mandriods" She said in a flat tone, making Ronald's face drop. You could practically see the guys heart break outside of his chest. Dean bit back an amused look as Sam schooled a serious one, but he was amused on the inside.

"There's nothing evil or inhumane going on out there. It's just people." She added firmly. "Nothing else, you understand?" Y/N chided as if she was talking to a child. Ronald was speechless, "...T-the laser eyes-" He croaked defensively, pointing to his eyes but Sam chimed in, "It's just a camera flare Mr. Reznick" Sam added firmly, the crushed look on Ronald's face deepening.

"See, I know you don't wanna believe it, but your friend Juan robbed the bank, and that's it" Y/N said in a flat tone while tears welled up in Ronald's eyes. "Get out of my house! Now!" He yelled at them, pointing at the door. They seemed unfazed by this, "Sure" Sam shrugged, "But first things first" He narrowed his eyes at Ronald, who looked baffled and Dean looked confused but intrigued, furrowing his brows.

________________________________

Y/N's POV

After practically sucker punching Ronald Reznick into giving us all of his security tapes, the boys and I made our way back to our motel room. Currently Dean and I were waiting for Sam to get back in while he was drinking a beer, staring at the pictures we had taped to the wall. I was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, my feet kicked up on the desk, smoking a cigarette.

Sam finally came back, stepping into the room as Dean quipped up, "Man, that hand gotta be the kicker, straight up" Dean snickered amused. "I mean, you two tell that poor son of a bitch that- What did you say, Sammy? Remand the tapes that he copied?" Dean snorted as Sam shoved a tape into the DVR on the TV across the room. "Classified evidence of an ongoing investigation? That's messed up" He shook his head, moving over to take a seat across from me at the table.

While Sam sat in-front of the TV, remote in his hand. "What are you? Pissed at us or something?" Sam scoffed, turning to Dean who snatched my feet from the table and rested it on his lap gently. I cocked my brow at him but let it be as I dusted my ash from the bud into the tray. "Nahh, I just think it's creepy how good you guys are at being feds" He stated a bit amused but me and Sam rolled our eyes at him.

"We've only been doing this for a lifetime" I quipped up which earned me a snort from Dean while Sam chuckled. "I mean, come on. We could've at least thrown the guy a bone. He did some pretty good legwork here" Dean defended, it was now my turn to scoff. "Mandriod?" I pointed out the stupidity as I took a sip of my beer. "Except for the Mandriod part" Dean muttered as he scuffled through the blueprints laid out on the table.

"I liked him. He's not that different from us" I agreed with a shrug. Ronald seemed sweet but he was a little in over his head. "Yeah. People think we're crazy" Dean added as he drew a red line on the graph paper. "Yeah, except he's not a hunter, guys. He's just a guy who stumbled onto something real. If he were to go up against this thing, he'd get torn apart" Sam argued, me and Dean share a look at this and couldn't help but agree he was right.

It's the main reason I took Sam's hint and dismissed Ronald's idea about the mandriods. "Yeah, I guess" Dean mumbled as he doodled in the graph paper. Sam turned back to the TV, pausing it when Juan looked up at the camera. His eyes flashed over a flicker of silver, "Shapeshifter." Sam scoffed in recognition, shaking his head. "Just like back in St. Louis. Same retinal reaction to video." He added.

"Eyes flare at the camera." Dean muttered. As my mind went flashing back to the memory of our last encounter of a shapeshifter.

•Flashback to St. Louis 2005:

"I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky, seeing as Dean is so convinced he doesn't have a chance with Y/N and is so stupid to not even admit his feelings for her to himself. He would bang little Becky if he had the chance" Shapeshifter Dean says and I freeze, my heart feels like it's gonna fall out of my chest.

What the fuck? Is he high or something? He's got to be lying. Demons do it to weaken their targets. Surely shifters do it too because he was just taunting Sam. Sam looks over to me quickly and Shapeshifter Dean turns to me.

"And sweet sweet little Y/N.." He coos, striding over to me. "He has quite the thing for you..I mean me. Gotta admit though, I've got amazing taste in women" He crouches down and rests his hand on my cheek, which makes me feel physically ill.

"Don't touch her!" Sam shouts protectively and I nod at him to assure him I'm fine. I move my head away from him but he just comes closer to me. The smile on his face makes my stomach churn and not in a good way.

"You are the package deal. You're sexy, smart, snarky, and funny. You know how to keep me on my toes, challenge me. You make me laugh in any situation despite how stressful it is. Hell, I hate to admit it but you keep me in line whenever I'm acting like the dick I am" He chuckles at the last part, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

"Sometimes I'm even a bit jealous at the friendship you have with Sammy....But the way you would look at me sometimes, your flirty little comebacks, the way you would sway your hips when you walk, the sight of you on that bike of yours....oh mannn....gets me going everytime" He licks his lips looking at me with a lustful gaze and I feel a chill run down my spine in disgust.

"Jesus dude, at least by me dinner first" I sneer at him and he chuckles. "See? That's the snark I'm talking about" He says, smiling at me and rubbing his thumb on my bottom lip. "Where.Is.Dean?" I grit my teeth at him. "I'm right here baby" He says huskily and I groan.

"I remember how stoked I was when you didn't hesitate to come with us to find my dad...then your daddy went missing too...tsk tsk tsk...poor thing" He says sympathetically, clicking his tongue.

"You grew from this adorable shy timid girl who was afraid of her daddy to this beautiful confident badass women who stood her ground against her controlling father and left..." He trails off as if he's recollecting something, then he roughly grabs my hair, pulling it harshly causing me to wince in pain.

"LET GO OF HER YOU DICK!" Sam yells from across the room, trying to rip out of his bindings. "Did you know when you ran away, your dad had me looking for you for months!" He shouts in my face. "Hauled my ass from Washington to Florida and back!"

"You should've never run away you little bitch" He seethes through his teeth pulling my hair more making me cry out in pain. "You're lucky I covered for your ass every single time, I knew exactly where you were and I had to lead him away every time because I was trying to be a good friend!". He grits his teeth in anger

"You did me just like Sam and walked out when I needed you most! Sam left and then you! God you two are selfish" His tone is pained, betrayed. And I snap, a sick thought crossing my mind but I'm too angry to care right now if he kills me or not.

"Well let me make it up to you" I say suggestively, flashing him a coy smile. Hes fully taken back at this. My eyes flicker to Sam and. I can see his expression go from angry to confused from across the room. A clear look of shock is evident but a sickening smirk on Shapeshifter Dean's face.

"And how would you do that, princess?" He says huskily. I could see Sam's face contorting to disgust across the room, confused and angry. "Lay a kiss on me charming, you wouldn't regret it" I wink at him, smiling seductively.

"You're kidding?" He says surprised, chuckling, his grip loosening on my hair. "No jokes" I grit my teeth, trying to hide my disgust. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Sam yells from across the room.

Shapeshifter Dean's eyes flicker down to my lips, when leans in to kiss me, just as his lips is centimeters away from mine. I hawk up a loogie, spitting it in his face and draw my head back instantly, head-butting him in his nose.

"YOU BITCH!" He screams in pain. He holds his nose, stumbling back. When he recovers, he draws his fist back, right hooking me in my face, hard. "STOP IT!" Sam pleads begging. I turn my head back to Shapeshifter Dean, laughing, a victorious grin on my face. The metallic taste of blood and saliva coating my taste buds.

"Fuck you, you even punch like a bitch. That's to show you'll never be Dean" I sneer at him, spitting the blood out from my mouth on the ground besides me. He groans in pain, grabbing a tarp covering Sam who's yelling at him. He then grabs another to cover me but before he does, he looks at me and says. "I can't wait to kill you" and I smirk.

"Look at me good. Remember this face clearly. Cuz I'll be the last thing you see when I put a bullet in your head, you skin shedding, goopy son of a bitch!" My tone is deadly as I seethe through my teeth. "Well...if it ain't working with you...let's see how it works out with Becky" he winks at me. Covering me with the tarp.

•Present Time:

I shook my head, blinking rapidly as I crushed my cigarette butt in the tray. My heart was practically out of my chest, god I was stupid to think I ever had a chance with Dean. "I hate those fucking things" I growl, my nostrils flaring as I took my feet off of Deans lap. He shot me a confused look as Sam shot me a sympathetic one, "Agreed, sister" Sam grumbled in agreement, "Yeah, well one didn't turn into you guys and frame you for murder" Dean quipped back.

"Yeah, well it did try to kiss me. I win" I huff, shivering at the thought. I could see a flash of anger in Dean's eyes at this, clenching his jaw before going back to tracing on the graph paper. "Yeah, and you spat in its face, right?" Sam asked. "Mhmm, and head-butted the bastard right on its nose" I grinned with pride as Sam chuckled. "Good shot" He praised.

I preened under the praise but looked up to see Dean staring down at the graph paper, his mouth twitching slightly, I furrowed my brows at this and kicked his leg softly. "Earth to Dean, you still back in the 21st century?" I teased, he looked up at me with a smirk. "Ha, ha" He quipped back sarcastically with an eye roll.

I attempt to change the subject as I page the room, "Besides the point. Look, if this shifters anything like the one we killed in Missouri-" I began. "-then Ronald's right." Sam cut in, giving us a knowing look. "Alright, they like to lair up underground. Preferably the sewer. All the robberies have been connected so far, right?" Dean stated as he lifted the graph paper he was tracing from the blueprint of the sewer.

"Yeah," Sam answered, shaking his head as I strolled over to Dean's chair, bracing behind him with my hand resting on the back of his chair as I peered over his shoulder. Dean cleared his throat after glancing back at me, holding up the graph paper he traced out on, resting it over the map. "So the uh, sewer main layout" He peeled it back to reveal one more bank that was in that layout, pointing at it before circling it with the red marker.

"There's one more bank lined up in that sewer main" He discovered and my eyes widened at this. "Impressive" I muttered leaning in further in over his shoulder to look at Dean's markings, my hair brushing over his shoulder. I could feel him shiver slightly and his jaw clench, watching him swallow hard. I smirked, noticing his reaction to me. "Atta boy, charming" I praised him with a chuckle, clapping the palm of my hand on his shoulder.

His brows shot up a bit in surprise. He flashed me a grin and I swore his ears turned red as they were slightly tinted in red but it might have been my imagination. "Uh thanks" He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Avoiding my gaze as Sam looked between us, raising an eyebrow, snickering before rolling his eyes at us as he got up.

"I'm gonna get food" Sam announced, "You guys want your usuals?" He asked us, picking up Dean's car keys on the nightstand, snatching up his jacket from his bed. "Yeah" Dean and I both answered in unison, glancing at each other and a snort escaped my lips at this. "Thanks Sammy" I called sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, flipping me off, a middle finger in my direction.

He then left, shutting the door behind him, leaving me and Dean alone. I raised my eyebrows turning to face Dean who was looking at me. He had a look in his eyes, something I wasn't used to seeing from him. It was intense, not like the amused gazes and grins he usually throws my way. There was a hint of...lust? I doubt it. I titled my head at him as I leaned on the back of the chair.

"Something on my face or you just enjoy the view, charming?" I teased casually. He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest, his eyes never leaving my face. "Don't flatter yourself, princess" he mutters in a joking gruff voice. I felt my stomach doing backflips, the gruffness of his voice driving me crazy. But I quickly schooled the act.

Get it together girl.

"Wouldn't dare" I joked back, trying my best to keep my cool. I crossed my arms over my chest and bit my lower lip. Trying my best to not let my eyes linger on those lips of his. He smirked, I've always wondered what it would be like to have those lips all over me...oh my god. I am horrendously down bad.

"Mmmm....your lip must really get dry because you do that a lot" Dean commented, motioning toward my lips, drawing my attention back to him. It dawned on me that I had my bottom lip tucked in between my teeth, running my tongue over it repeatedly. I didn't even notice when he leaned forward a bit. "What?" I mumbled, my arms dropping to my sides as the blush creeped on my cheeks.

The only thing running through my mind is the image of his lips all over my skin. God this is just pathetic.

"You're doing it again" He drawled in that damn honeyed voice of his. Dean's gaze trailed from my lips to my eyes, my chest heaving slightly. My gaze went from his eyes, to his lips and back to his eyes. Dean shifted in his chair slightly, while every part of my body was yelling at me to kiss him. My gut was telling me yes but my mind was telling me no.

His gaze was intense, and his shoulders were tensed, a visible muscle in his jaw ticking as he clenched it. Dean was fighting something in this moment, I wasn't completely sure what, but he was struggling to restrain from something. Our breaths were labored, our faces inches apart.

Screw it, to hell with, I'm fucking tired of holding back.

'Say your prayers little one,

Don't forget my son,

To include everyoneeee'

Just as I was about to cave and yank him by his shirt, my phone rang. Enter Sandman by Metallica blaring through the quiet heated motel room. We both jumped at the sound of the music. You've got to be kidding me. I leaned back, exhaling a frustrated breath through my nose, digging my hand into my pocket and grabbing my phone and looking at the caller ID.

Dean cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair, slumping back in his chair. "It's Ash" I informed Dean, looking at him apologetically, he gave me a reassuring nod, gesturing for me to answer my phone, his shoulders tensing even more if possible.

"This better be good, Billy Ray" I answer through gritted teeth, my tone coming off slightly frustrated. I could feel my heart beating fast still from how close we were moments ago before the phone rang. Dean shifted in his chair, rubbing his temple, his eyes on the floor. "Hey, cupcake" Ash's southern voice crackled over the other line.

"Not a great time, dude" I ground out in irritation, shifting on my feet, my fingers clutching the phone tighter. Dean continued to stare at the tile floor clenching and unclenching his jaw, his shoulders visibly tense. Sam better take his sweet time coming back.

-

Apparently he got a lead on Jo. She cut him off too and Ellen made him track her down. They hoped we heard from her but I haven't, I'm not sure if Sam has. I made sure to tell him that I'd ask Sam and let him know before shooting him some choice words about, "You could've just called Sam and ask him yourself"

He just chuckled, making some comment about my 'sass' but I wasn't really paying much attention as my eyes were roaming over the back of Dean's chair right now. Before Ash could say anything else, I made another snarky comment and hung up on his ass.

I let out a frustrated groan as I shoved the phone back in my pocket. The silence between me and Dean was deafening and all I wanted to do right now is just...him. I was sure our moment was ruined and any chance at anything happening died in that moment. "I'm sorry" I sighed.

"It's not your fault princess" He muttered, a gruffness in his tone. He glanced up to me, his gaze intense, causing my stomach to flip. Suddenly his tongue darted over his lower lip unconsciously and my gaze dropped down to it. My mind going hazy. Dean pushed himself from the chair, strolling over to me. I unconsciously backed back into the dresser, pressing against it, swallowing hard.

He caged me in by placing his hands on the dresser on both sides of me, his eyes never leaving mine. There was that look in them again, this time it was a mixture of something I couldn't quite place. Lust? Yes, that was definitely one of them. But I'm not sure what the other emotion might be.

I'm pretty sure the universe hates us, because the door swung open on cue, revealing Sam with a bag of food in his hands. "They didn't have pi- WOAH!" He exclaimed, almost dropping the food in his hands. We immediately broke apart at the sound of Sam's voice. "SON OF A-" "JESUS CHR-"Dean and I exclaimed in unison as he ran hand through his hair, letting out a huff. Sam paled for a second, his eyes wide before recuperating, he looked between us as a sheepish smile appeared on his face.

Before he could speak, I pointed a finger in his direction. "Don't say it" I warned, causing him to smirk.

I huffed, not daring to look Dean in his eyes. Before stalking over to the table and snatching up my pack of cigarettes. Dean took the bag of food from Sam and tossed it on one of the beds, Sam still looking between us, his smirk growing wider. "Were you guys-" He started to say, only to be cut off by Dean. "Don't finish that sentence" Dean warned, pointing a stern finger at him before I closed the motel door behind me.

-

I flicked the lighter after taking out a cigarette and bringing it to my lips. I took a long inhale, savouring the feeling as the smoke filled my lungs and the calming sensation washed over me. I exhaled, watching the smoke dance in the air as I stared off at the cars in the parking lot.

I took another drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke fill my lungs again, as I tried to fight off the thoughts that were clouding my mind. I didn't know what to think, my thoughts were mixed between lust and confusion at the moment.

The last thing I expected was for Dean to act that way. The way he looked at me...the way he caged me in against the dresser, I could feel his body heat radiating, feel his breath on my skin. I bit my lip and shivered, god I'm pathetic.

I'm not gonna lie to myself and say I didn't want Dean to kiss me. It's exactly what I wanted, but I'm gonna take tonight's close call of events as a sign. Maybe it's just not meant to happen, I know for a fact Dean is attracted to me, there's no denying that. I wasn't that dumb or blind. He never failed to leave sly comments and his hands tend to linger on me more often. But attraction doesn't mean he feels the way I feel about him.

He may be infatuated but that doesn't equal love. My mind keeps telling me that even if we were to kiss, hook up or whatever. It'll just be that. A hookup. I truly believe all he'll want from me is to be friends with benefits for the most part. And I can't do that...not with him at least. He's an amazing guy, but I'd rather have him in my life as a friend than fool myself into believing I could be more than that with him one day and end up losing him.

________________________________

The next evening, the boys and I headed over to the City Bank of Milwaukee, disguised as 'Securiserve Guard Service' employees. "Well, we haven't had any flags go up on our system yet" Henry, the shift security guard, told us as he led us through the crowded bank. "No, no, no, this is a glitch in the overall grid" Dean cut in, "Yeah, we just wanna make sure the branch monitors are kosher, sir" I added in a sweet tone.

My mind was still fixated on the events of last night but I forced myself to push it aside for the sake of the hunt. I couldn't let my infatuation and feelings get in the way.

Henry smiled at me, taking the bait, "Ah, better to be safe than sorry I guess" He offered me a small smile. "That's the plan" Dean shot me a wink as we glance back over to Sam. Henry lead us to the room with all of the security monitors, swiping a card over the door before pushing it open. "Alrighty. You guys need anything else?" He asked us kindly. "Oh no, no. We'll be in and out before you know it. A routine check" Sam assured him.

"Okey-dokey," Henry nodded before leaving. Dean snorted as Henry closed the door, "I like him. He says okey-dokey" Dean practically giggled as me and Sam shared a look. "What if he's the shifter?" I suggested as they stepped forward to pull out chairs and to a seat in-front of all of the monitors. "Then we follow him and put a silver bullet through his chest plate" Dean stated with a shrug while pulling out two rolling chairs.

He gestured for me to sit in the first one he pulled out and I feigned a gasp, "Such a gentleman. Are you gonna brush my hair next?" I joked, placing a hand over my chest in mock surprise. "What, would you like that?" He asked, a smirk on his face as he pulled out the chair next to it for himself. "Maybe" I teased, before taking a seat in the chair.

I sighed as we studied the screens, "Okay...got any popcorn" Dean muttered bored and I snorted. I had a fair mind that he was gonna get bored easily when he suggested yesterday that we do this. So I reached into my pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, handing it to him, "You are too predictable" I laughed.

Dean's eyes widened as I pulled a chocolate bar out of my pocket and handed it to him. He feigned a look of offense and playfully gasped at me, "Hey! How dare you call me predictable! That's not nice." He tried to keep a straight face but failed to do so. "Do you want the candy candy bar or not?" I deadpanned.

"... Yeah, I want the damn candy, you're right." He grumbled, giving me a cheeky grin as he took the chocolate from me and started to unwrap it. He leaned back in his chair, his legs spread out before him and resting up against my chair, and he stuffed the candy in his mouth. "Don't worry little Winchester, I got us something too" I turned to Sam, fishing out a pack of gum from my other pocket.

Sam looked up from the monitor he had his attention locked on, his expression lighting up slightly when he saw the pack of gum. He eagerly took it from my hand and pulled out a stick, unwrapping it and putting it in his mouth. He leaned back in his chair too, his position mirroring Dean's. Brothers.

I shook my head as I unwrapped a piece of gum, popping it into my mouth.

-

Hours have passed and no one seemed to be the shifter, a lack of silver in all of their eyes. I leaned back into my chair, my feet propped up on Dean's leg as I blew a bubble in my gum out of boredom. Dean leaned over, using the mouse connected to one of the monitors and zoomed in on Henry's face, "Well, looks like Mr. Okey Dokey is....okey dokey" He commented, earning a snicker from me.

Sam seemed beyond bored and that was saying a lot. Because it takes a lot to make him bored. Can't say I blame him, we've been here for hours and so far it's a dead end. I'm beginning to have my doubts. "Maybe we jumped the gun on this, fellas" I sighed, yawning as I stretched in my chair. "Yeah, we don't even know it's here" Sam agreed, turning to us. Dean hummed, probably still convinced that the shifter was here.

He ran his hands up and down my shins as he canvassed the monitor. "Maybe we should just go back to the sewers and-" I go to suggest but I noticed Dean was zooming in on one of the female bank attendant's ass on the monitor. At the corner of my eyes I can see Sam roll his eyes in annoyance at his perverse behavior. I quickly took my feet off of his thighs, reaching over to swat him across the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for, woman?!" He cried out in faux offense, rubbing the back of his head dramatically. "Can you not be perverse for one minute?!" I hissed, gesturing to the monitor that he's eyeing like a creep. "Dean, we're supposed to be looking for eyes" Sam said in an exasperated tone, "I'm getting there" Dean muttered defensively before zooming out on the woman's behind. "Oh, yeah?" I huffed sarcastically, rolling my eyes at how much of a hypocrite I'm being right now.

Taking Frannie's number, which I am definitely going to be using later, to almost kissing him to now being jealous of Dean looking at another woman's ass? What is happening to me?! Lord, give me the strength. Get a grip y/n! I need to get laid...I need to get over him.

"Wait a minute" Dean muttered, sitting up from his chair. Snapping me out of my inner monologue. Our eyes shifted over to the screen where the bank manager's eyes flickered silver in the lens. "Hello, freak" Dean smirked, zooming in on the man's face. "Got him," Sam sighed in relief. Me and Sam immediately got up to head for the door but Dean stopped up. "Sammy, y/n/n"

"What?" We asked in unison, turning to Dean. We lifted our heads again to the direction Dean's eyes were trained on. The security cameras showed Ronald around the back with a loaded automatic, chaining the doors at the back entrance locked. "Hello, Ronald" I groaned in annoyance. This dude is gonna get himself killed.

Soon after, shots began firing downstairs and we heard Ronald yell as we left the monitor room. "THIS IS NOT A ROBBERY!!" Along with the screams of terror erupting from patrons in the bank. "Get down, damn it! Come on, on the floor, on the floor! IN THE MIDDLE!!!" We heard him scream at people. "And you said we shouldn't bring guns" I grumble at Sam as we paced down the hall.

Two people came running down the hall, terrified. "I didn't know this was gonna happen, Y/N" Sam defended. "Yeah, yeah." Dean huffed, with a roll of his eyes as we dodged people running down the halls. "Just let me do the talking. I don't think he likes you two very much!Agent Johnson and James" Dean sassed us as we peered around the corner to see Ronald holding up a key to the patrons who were sat, terrified on the ground.

"Now there's only one way in or out of here and I chained it up. So nobody's leaving, you understand?" Ronald growled at the crowd, holding up the automatic rifle. "Hey, buddy. Now why don't you calm down? Just calm down" Dean said calmly to Ronald, revealing ourselves, our hands up in surrender. His eyes widened with recognition, "What the fuck, you! Get on the floor now!!" Ronald ordered, raising his rifle at us.

Dean offered him a sweet smile but my heart began pounding out of my chest, "Okayy, we're doing that" Dean added, the three of us getting to our knees. "Just don't shoot anybody, especially us" Dean pleaded, pointing to us. "I knew it. As soon as you three left. You ain't FBI. Who are you?!" He shouted at us, his gun pointed at my head. "Who are you working for, huh?! The Men In Black? You working for the mandriod?!" Ronald demanded, Dean's face contorted with disbelief.

Me and Sam let out laughs of frustration and amusement. I'm sorry, I'm trying to be sympathetic here but this is too much man. "We're not working for the mandriod!!" Sam screamed back. "You shut up!!! And you two smiley pants! I ain't talking to either of you. I don't like you two!" Ronald shouted at us. Making our smiles drop. Okay, I deserved that.

Dean gave us a face that said, 'I told you so', "Fair enough, sorry hun" I gulped, offering him an apologetic smile. Ronald clenched his jaw before pointing to a man across the room with his gun, everyone gasped fearfully, "Get over there, frisk em down for weapons. Go!" He ordered the bank manager.

Fuck, I've still got my butterfly knife in my boots.

The man patted Sam down, as I gave Dean a nervous look. The expression on his face meant one thing, he had a weapon on him too. The man parted Dean down to his boots, lifting up his pants leg to reveal his knife. Dean groaned in annoyance at this before the man patted me down, then finding my butterfly knife in my boots. Sam gave us looks of disbelief but we shrugged, "We're not just gon walk in here naked" Dean defended.

"Now what have we here" Ronald said before taking the knives from the man. "Get back down," Ronald ordered him. Our eyes widened when we saw reaching over to toss our knives into the waste paper bin. "No, no, no!" Dean pleaded. "Come on man, not again!!" I yelled in frustration at the fact that I lost yet another knife Dean got me. "We know you don't wanna hurt anybody, but that's exactly what's gonna happen if you keep waving that cannon around" Dean tried to persuade him.

"Now why don't you let these people go?" He pleaded, "No! I already told you, if nobody's gonna stop this thing, then I gotta do it myself" Ronald defended loudly, "Hey, we believe you! That's why we're here" I interjected, "You don't believe me, you said it yourself! Nobody believes me! How could they?" Ronald's voice broke at this and my heart shattered. He sounded so terrified yet so determined.

He wanted to stop this thing, granted he had no idea what he's actually going up against. His heart is in the right place, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the guy. "Come here" Dean whispered to Ronald, ushering him over. "What? Now" Ronald huffed in confusion, shaking his head. "You're holding the gun, boss. You're calling the shots, I just wanna tell you something. Come here" Dean sassed as me and Sam looked at him like he's crazy.

Ronald stepped closer to us, a look of hesitation on his face as he leaned in, "It's the bank manager." Dean whispered to Ronald. "What?" He gasped, "Why do you think we've got these getups? Huh? We've been monitoring the cameras in the back. We saw the bank manager. We saw his eyes" Dean further explains, his tone hushed. "His laser eyes?" Ronald leaned in closer, his tone panicked.

"Yes..." Dean nodded before realizing what he said because of the way me and Sam looked at him. "No! No, look, we're running out of time, okay?? We gotta find him before he changes into someone else" Dean yelled urgently, making Ronald back up, "Like I'm gonna listen to you. You're a damn liar" Ronald growled at him, aiming his gun again at us.

Dean flinched back as a thought crossed my head so I attempted to get up. "I'll shoot you. Get down!!" Ronald shouted at me, my heart was ready to explode as my anxiety went through the roof. Dean tried to pull me back down by my arm as the patrons gasp, Ronald's finger hovering over the trigger but I shrugged his hand off. Giving him a quick wink, hoping he caught my drift. "Take me. Okay? Take me with you as a hostage. But we gotta act fast" I pleaded.

"Are you insane?!" Dean hissed at me through gritted teeth but I waved him off. "Because the longer we just sit here, the more time he has to change." I tried to reason but Ronald looked hesitant. "Look at me, hun. I know you don't like me and I'm sorry for telling you all those things. But I believe you, you're not crazy." I said gently, "There really is something inside this bank" I assured him, pointing to the ground. A look of desperation etched on my face.

Sam and Dean looked at me like I was insane as Ronald stood still. Then Ronald looked to the ground, his body beginning to tremble. Sam and Dean looked like they were ready to shit their pants if he actually killed me, but I have an inkling that Ronald didn't have it in him to murder. He may be a little loose, but he doesn't seem to be that much of a loose canon.

God I hope I'm right. ESP thing, work your magic.

"Alright" Ronald breathed out, giving me a small smile. "You come with me" He pointed at me before waving his rifle around to everyone, screams of terror and fearful gasps echoed through the room. "But everyone else, gets in the vault!!" He ordered.

-

"Come on, move!" Ronald yelled at the patrons, ushering them roughly into the vault. "You lock up" He pointed the rifle at me as Sam and Dean got in lastly. I gave the boys one last look before saying, "It's okay everyone, just stay cool" I said calmly before giving the boys a firm nod, terror and worry etched on their faces as I finally pushed the large metal door in. "Spin that, spin that door" Ronald ordered me, I sighed heavily before spinning the lock, bolting it shit.

As the vault was locked firmly, I heard a few gasps and a scream from inside but tried to ignore it. I took a shaky breath before standing up and looking at Ronald. His hands were clenched so tight around the rifle I thought that he was going to crush it, he was shaking like a leaf.

Third Person POV

She's gonna get herself killed. What the fuck am I gonna do? No, she's smarter than that. Y/N can handle herself. Dean thought to himself as he internally panicked.

His heart was ready to give out as his eyes darted over to his little brother who looked defeated, "Who is that woman?" One of the bank employees asked them fearfully, a twinge of recognition and admiration in her voice. Sam sighed heavily. "She's my sister," Sam muttered. "She is so brave" The woman swooned, causing Dean to roll his eyes at this.

"Brave, dumb, same difference" Dean mumbled which earned himself a smack upside the head from Sam. "Ow, hey!!" He yelled, rubbing the back of his head as his little brother glared at him disapprovingly. The woman and other patrons, mostly women, nodded in agreement, swooning over y/n. "She's an absolute badass," one of the other women gushed.

His heart was on fire. He was so worried that she was gonna get shot or something even worse than dying. A wave of terror and anxiety washed over him, hoping and praying that she was gonna be okay.

Sam's gaze drifted over to Dean, picking up on the way his chest heaved. "Hey, it's okay man" Sam assured him, placing a comforting gentle hand on his older brother's shoulder. "Deep breaths, man. She's gonna be fine. You know she's a fighter" He comforted, patting his big brother's shoulder.

"Thanks, Captain obvious," Dean snapped with a scoff, rolling his eyes at his brother's statement before shoving his hand off of his shoulder. He knew she could handle herself, but it still didn't ease the anxiety he was feeling. "You think I don't know that?" He said sarcastically, rubbing a hand down his face

-

Y/N took off the jumpsuit she and the boys were wearing earlier, the disguise tossed over her shoulder. Now in a dark brown tank top, and a light brown flannel shirt over it with a pair of washed out jean shorts that she was wearing under her disguise.

Ronald pushed open the door to one of the offices, allowing y/n in after. "Check behind the desk" Y/N instructed him urgently as she made her way over to the private room. Ronald canvassed the room before accidentally slipping on something, falling hard on his back. "Ugh!" Ronald groaned, causing Y/N to rush back in panicked.

Her eyes went wide, covering her nose when she realized what Ronald slipped on behind the desk. He turned to see the shedded slimy skin of the shapeshifter, the squelching of the gunk below him. Ronald let out a loud scream at his discovery, shaking with disgust as he quickly got back up to his feet. "What the hell is that?!?" He yelled disgusted and panicked at Y/N, pointing down at the gunk with his gun.

Y/N then turned to the desk light, shining it on the shedded skin, confirming her suspicion. "Oh, great" She huffed, crouching to the ground as Ronald shook with fear. "When it changed form, it sheds it old skin, so now it could be anybody" Y/N explained to Ronald who was poking at the skin before getting back up. Ronald picked up a shed of skin, sniffing it. "It's so weird" He whispered.

Gagging at the scent, "It's robot skin is so lifelike" He added, dropping the skin back into the pile. "Okay, let's get something straight. It's not a Mandriod" Y/N said to him firmly, "It's a shapeshifter" She revealed to him. "Shapeshifter?" Ronald muttered confused. "Yeah. It's human, more or less. It has human drives." Y/N nodded. "You know? In this case, it's money. But it generates its own skin. It can shape it to match someone else's features. You know, tall, short, male-" She explained but is cut off.

"So i-i-it kills someone and then takes their place?" Ronald asked fearfully. "Kills em or doesn't. I don't think it really matters" She muttered, her eyes landing on a silver letter opening. She then took it up from the desk. "W-what are you doing?" Ronald gasped as she examined the opener. She sighed in relief after realizing it was indeed silver. "Nice," She nodded before turning to Ronald.

"You remember the old werewolf stories? It pretty much came from these guys." She explained, waving the silver opener. "Silver is the only thing I've seen that hurts em" Y/N finished before flipping it, making her way out of the room. "Come on, Ron" Y/N called out to him as he stared at the pile of skin with amazement. Ronald followed behind, an excited smile on his face before locking the door behind him.

________________________________

Cops, SWAT, news vans swarmed outside the bank. Dozens of cars came piling in as swat members filed out of the vans. Locked and loaded with weapons and explosives. Snipers stationed on the roof of the building across from the bank.

-

Y/N and Ronald were still inside the bank, near the main entrance looking for the shifter when Ronald started laughing out of the sudden. Y/N furrowed her brows at this, "What are you, nuts?" She turned to him as they walked through the bank. "That's just it. I'm not nuts" Ronald laughed happily, "I mean, I was so scared that I was losing my marbles. But this is real. I mean, I was right. Except for the mandriod thing. Thank you" He stated gratefully.

"Yeah, don't mention it hun" She offered him a tight smile. "And I'm sorry for being so harsh on you, Ron. It was just trying to prevent.." She said apologetically, gesturing around the bank with her hands. "...this" She added. "It's alright, y/n....You seem nicer than I expected" Ronald's face softened. This made y/n smile, "Thanks man" She sighed, before turning to lead him to through the bank when out of the sudden, the power cut, leaving little to no light in the bank.

"Damn it. No, no, no, no, no, noo" She grumbled, panic rising in her chest as she looked around for any source of light. "What? What is it?" Ronald asked fearfully, aiming his gun into the dark bank.

"They cut the power. It's probably their way of saying hi" She stated, grabbing Ronald by his wrist, "Who?" He asked confused. "Cops" She stated as if it's obvious. "The cops?" Ronald gasped, y/n gave him a look of disbelief before letting go of his wrist. "Well you were exactly a smooth criminal about this, Ron, I mean, you didn't even secure the security guard. He probably called them" Y/N pointed out.

"Well, I-I didn't think to-" Ronald stuttered, panicking but she quickly cut him off. "Hang on, hang on. Let's just take a breath here for a second, alright?" She said gently, calculating her next move, her eyes scanning the bank. "They probably got us surrounded." She mumbled as Ronald aimed his gun at the door. "They cut the cable to the cameras so there's no way of telling who the shapeshifter is..." She continued to state their odds, rolling her eyes before turning back to Ronald.

"It's not looking good, Ron" She huffed, turning to lead him to the back but a thump in the background drew their attention causing her ears to perk up. Ronald heard it too, aiming his rifle in the direction of the movement, "Did you hear that?" She whispered to him, her eyes wide. Ronald nodded, his eyes wide with fear.

-

Back in the vault, a woman fanning herself with a folder since the power was cut and the vault was boiling hot. "Has your sister always been so....um...wonderful?" The woman asked Sam and Dean in a gushing tone, they have now stripped off their own disguises, in their causal wear. Both rolling their eyes in annoyance at the love stricken woman. "I mean...staring down that gun." She leaned in closer to Dean.

He flashed her a tight smile, avoiding eye contact, shifting awkwardly as he stood next to Sam. The gushing woman didn't see his discomfort, and only continued on. "It was hot." She purrated, the woman was clearly not getting this hint. Whispering in his ear as he grimaced, moving back. "And you know, the way she played right into that psychos crazy head, telling him what he wanted to hear. I mean, she's like a real....heroine or something"

The woman gushed again, a cheeky smile on her face as she giggled. Sam sideeyed the woman who was inching closer to his brother as Deans brows knitted together.

"Yeah. Yeah" Sam smiled tightly as Dean just glared at the woman. He shifted awkwardly on his seat again, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes darted everywhere but the woman. His patience was getting thin, and he was starting to get annoyed at this woman swooning over y/n.

Sam could sense that Dean was not enjoying the attention this woman was giving him and was about to tell her to back off, when they heard a commotion outside the vault door. The vault door then opened, revealing Y/N with a pistol in her hand. Causing Dean to shoot up from his seat. His eyes immediately met y/ns, holding her gaze for a moment before shifting his eyes away, swallowing hard.

He attempted to fight the urge to march over and inspect her for any other injuries, knowing full well that she wouldn't appreciate being babied but his concern got the best of him. Dean's eyes roamed over y/n, taking in every inch of her body, making sure she was okay. "You good ,sweetheart?" He asked softly, stepping towards her, wanting nothing more than to get her in his arms to make sure she was unharmed.

The woman gasped, "Oh my god! You saved us, you saved us!" She exclaimed with glee, holding onto Sam shoulders as she jumped up and down. "I'm fine, charming" She assured Dean before stating, "Actually. I just found a few more" Y/N said, gesturing to everyone she found in the bank hiding as the woman's smile dropped. "Come on everybody. Let's go, let's go" She said firmly to the patrons.

Ushering them into of the vault, pointing her gun inwards. They filed in as the woman expression deepened with shock, "What are you doing?" She asked Y/N confused. "Fellas? Ronald and I need to talk to you" Y/N said to the boys, they nodded, stepping out of the vault before y/n flashed the shocked woman a cheeky smile, quickly locking the vault again, bolting them in.

-

"It shedded its skin again. We don't know when. It could be in the halls, it could be in the vault, it could be anyone" She informed the boys, running her hand over her face, wiping away some sweat as Sam and Dean shook their heads at the new information. "Great" Dean huffed sarcastically, "You know, Dean, you are wanted by the police" Sam pointed out with an unamused chuckle. "Yeah" Dean snorted unamused, rubbing his chin.

"So even if we find this damn thing, how the fuck are we gonna get out of here?" Y/N groaned at Sam's very clear point. "I don't know, one problem at a time" Dean grumbled, pacing the room. "Alright, I'm gonna do a sweep of the whole place, see if I can find any stragglers. Once we get everybody together, we gotta play a little game of Find-The-Freaks" Y/N stated, taking the initiative lead on the case.

"So, here. I found two more of these for you guys" She handed Sam and Dean two letter openers, one each. "You two stay here, make sure Ronald doesn't hurt anybody, okay? Help him manage the situation" Y/N instructed the boys but of course, Dean protested. "Help him manage?! Are you insane?!" Dean almost shouted as Sam chuckled unamused again.

Y/N flinched back a bit before turning Ronald, flashing him an encouraging wide smile, putting up both her thumbs before winking at him. "Look, I know this isn't going the way we wanted" She turned back to the boys, her tone low. "Understatement!" Sam shouted in annoyance. "Alright! But if we invite the cops in right now. Ronald gets arrested, we get arrested" She stated the obvious, gesturing between the three of them.

"The shifter gets away. Probably never find it again, okay?" Y/N pleaded with them, Sam's eyes flickered over to Ronald, giving y/n a look that says, 'See what we have to deal with?!', as he pointed to Ronald who was standing directly in the light the police were flashing inside of the bank as helicopters hovered over the bank. His gun aimed at the light. "Ron! Out of the light!" She instructed him firmly.

Ronald timidly moved away as Dean shook his head, chuckling despite the dire situation. "Seriously?" Sam huffed. "Ron's game plan was a bad plan. I mean, it's bit of a crazy plan but I'm with y/n here" Dean chimed in, "Right now, crazy is the only game in town" He agreed with her. "Thank you" She sighed, "Now stay and watch over him" She instructed them again but of course, once again, Dean protested.

"Absolutely not, you are not gonna go looking for that thing by yourself" He argued back, stepping in front of her as she held back a frustrated sigh, knowing he'd react that way. "Why not?" She asked in an irritated tone, trying to sidestep around him so she could leave but he blocked her again. "It could attack you, you can't take a shifter down by yourself" Dean whisper yelled at her.

"I can handle myself" She hissed to him, trying to not raise her voice. "You need a partner" He argued back, refusing to back down. "I don't need a babysitter" She shot back. "I'm not saying you can't handle yourself" He explained, his voice was quieter now, trying to keep their argument under wraps as Sam watched the two of them silently.

She crossed her arms over her chest standing her ground, "Look sweetie-" Y/N chided, reading to defend herself but Sam cut in. Sam sensing the tension between the two, he interfered before it can escalate, stepping in between them, trying to play peacemaker. "Stop. We don't have time for this right now" He warned, glancing between the two of them.

Both Y/N and Dean continued to glare at each other with tense shoulders. Dean shot him a glare before turning his attention back to y/n who was still standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. "Both of you go, I'll take care of Ron" He assured them with a heavy sigh.

Sam's words snapped both Dean and y/n out of their little stand off, turning their gazes from each other to him. Y/N was ready to argue that she would be fine by herself but stopped at Sam's look, knowing he's right that there's no time to waste. She sighed, relaxing her shoulders and nodded her head. "Fine" She huffed as she shot a brief glare at Dean, both leaving Sam with Ronald alone.

Sam turned to Ronald who had a bit of a standoffish look on his face directed to Sam, "Hi Ronald" Sam said timidly with a bit of annoyance. Ronald's face softened before looking away.

-

Dean and Y/N tiptoed their way down the halls, flashing their lights through the dark room. "So, are we gonna address the elephant in the room?" Dean muttered to her as they creeped down the hall, referring to the fact that they almost kissed last night. Y/N was quiet for a moment as she swallowed hard. She knew what he was talking about.

It's not like they could just act like that never happened. But neither of them was ready to confront that almost-kiss. The memory flashed through her mind as she fought the urge to shiver at the memory of the way she was caged against the dresser. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a long, steady breath.

Y/N covered it up with a roll of her eyes, continuing to scan the room for the shifter. "That's not the most important thing to be focusing on right now, Dean" she whispered back to him with a scoff, her eyes flicking to him. She knew what he was referring to, and she knew he would bring it up sooner or later. That moment between them the night before was playing over and over in her head like a broken record.

"We are quite literally in the middle of a shit storm and you want to talk about the thing we did or almost did in a panic-stricken moment?" She added bitterly, keeping her eyes focused on the room as she tried to ignore the tension bubbling between them. Dean huffed a laugh, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. He knew she'd pull the whole 'we're in a bad situation' card, of course. She was right but it's better now than never.

It's not news that she'd try to avoid the topic of their almost kiss as best as she could or avoid confrontations in general. He opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by the distinct sounds of thumping in a room down the hall. Both hunters instinctively raised their weapons, glancing to each other as it grew louder, Dean snatched Y/N by her waist swiftly, pressing them both to the wall.

One hand over her mouth covering it, as the blue and red police lights flashed through the windows, sirens blurring. They stood hidden behind the wall, holding their breaths as the lights passed by the windows, casting strange shadows on their faces. She stood pressed up against his firm body, her back against his chest as she could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Dean could feel hers practically pumping out of her chest. She wanted to pull away, to put some space between them, but his large hand held her in place, his body holding her pinned against him. The scent of him filled her nostrils, the smell of leather, spice, and musk.

Not the time, not the time! Y/N internally shouted at herself.

Prying away from Dean, they two shared a heated look before breaking their gaze, crouching to insure the police couldn't see their shadows from the outside. The thump inside the room went again, but this time louder. Both gulping as they inched towards the door.

-

Back inside the vault, the patrons were growing irritated and more hot inside the crammed sweat box. All huffing and puffing from the heat, unbuttoning their shirts, stripping off articles of clothing as Sam reopened the vault door. "I'm gonna keep this open, get you folks some fresh air in there. Alright?" Sam said sympathetically to them. "But no one leaves this vault" He added firmly, then out of the sudden. The wall phone rings, startling Ronald.

He aimed his gun in panic at the ringing phone, eyes wide. "I don't understand, why are you helping them?" The woman who was gushing of y/n earlier asked Sam, her tone pained. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you" Sam said softly as Ronald took up the phone, answering it. "H-hello?" Ronald says shakily into the phone, pressing it to his ear.

"I think I gotta get outta here!" Henry, security guard from earlier, gasps alert, sweating profusely as he pants heavily. "Sir, I'm very sorry but you're just gonna have to stay put. Alright?" Sam said firmly to him, his head darting over to Ronald who was on the phone. "What- What do you mean demands?" Ronald said confused into the phone. "Ron!" Sam gritted his teeth at Ronald. "Hang up" He ordered him in a hushed tone. "No, I-I-I'm not a bank robber. I-I-"

"I gotta really get out of here" Henry pleaded, panting as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest. "Sir, you can't leave" Sam stressed. "I'm kind of a crime fighter I guess" Ronald chuckled as Sam looked at him exasperated, "Ronald!" Sam bellowed as other patrons tried to help Henry, "Okay, Henry just breathe. Just breathe" A woman said panicked as Henry gasped for air, two men helping him up.

Sam was conflicted on what to do, "Look-" He attempted to help the man but Ronald kept talking. "No, I'm acting alone" Sam huffed at this and snatched the phone away from Ronald, hanging it up on the wall. "Ronald..the less the cops know, the better" Sam sighed heavily, already fed up of babysitting. "Hey! I think this dudes having a heart attack!" A man alerted Sam, holding up Henry who was screaming in pain, clutching his chest. "We need a doctor!" A woman screamed.

"Great. Could be our guy, could be a trick" Sam groaned frustrated, "What? You just gonna let the man die?!" A man shouted at Sam who rolled his eyes as Henry screamed. "No one's dying in here!" Sam shouted back, "Cover the door" He ordered Ronald before snatching the phone back up, pressing it to his ear.

-

Dean and Y/N ended up in the panel room, looking for any way to get the power back up and running. This lights shining through the caged panels.

-

"Can you tell me how many hostages this guys taken?" The officer asked over the phone, "Look. One of the people in here could be having heart trouble. You need to send in a paramedic" Sam said urgently. "Just stay calm sit, we'll have you folks outt-" The officer said calmly but Sam became fed up, "Just send in a paramedic, okay!? And don't try anything else. Please!" Sam shouted angrily.

"Paramedic? Guy don't have time for that man!" The man helping Henry grunted as Sam hung the phone up. "Listen, I-I'm sorry. Okay? I am. But nobody's getting out" Ronald said apologetically. "He's dying right infront of you." The man growled, making Ronald's heart sink with guilt. "Help.." Henry panted.

-

Y/N shone her flashlight up to the ceiling, she noticed one of the wooden tiles above seemed out of place. She nudged Dean gently, nodding her head towards the ceiling. "You see that too?" She whispered, "Yeah...one sec" Dean agreed, scanning the room for a long object. His eyes landed on a coat rack, he quickly picked it up before taking it and poking it at the ceiling.

Within seconds, the ceiling caved in. Y/N tackled Dean instinctively out of the way as the thud of a dead body hit the ground. Once the dust settled and coughing fit subsided, Y/N sat up, quickly checking Dean for any injuries. "You okay, charming?" She asked him gently, her voice filled with concern as she wiped away the dust that had gathered on his face.

The wooden tiles collapsed, sending a small cloud of dust wafting through the air. "I'm fine," he reassured her once more, his tone firm but there was a hint of vulnerability in his voice. He appreciated her concern and the tender way she wiped the dust from his face. Her gentle touch felt like a comforting touch.

He quickly snapped out of it when she turned and flashed her light on the body. Her eyes widened along with Dean's, they slowly made their way over to the man. Turning him over to see a slit across his throat, "Son of a bitch" "Jesus Christ" The cursed simultaneously when they realized this was one of the patrons from the vault. The same man who was helping Henry. Dean and Y/N exchanged horrified glances as they confirmed the identity of the body.

-

"Come on, man. You gotta unlock the front door. We gotta get him outta here" The shifter holding up Henry tried to coax Ronald into letting them out to make his escape, but he aimed his gun at them, erupting screams from other patrons. "Both of you, stay where you are!" Ronald bellowed as Dean and Y/N called Sam over.

The two quietly informed the younger Winchester of their horrific discovery. Informing him that the shifter was the man helping Henry. Sam nodded firmly before interjecting. "You know, Ronald. He's right. We gotta get this man outside. Come on" Sam said calmly, taking over helping Henry. "Yeah. I'll help you" Sampson, the shifter, said but Sam shook his head.

"Oh, I got him. It's cool. Thanks" Sam denied any help, holding up a wailing Henry. "Thank you. Thank you." Henry sobbed gratefully as Sam carried him out. "Just watch your step. Sure" Sam said gently as he walked him out, groaning in pain from his chest. Dean and Y/N's eyes were narrowed at Sampson. "Hey, can we talk to you for a second?" Y/N coaxed Sampson over with a wave a crooked finger.

He smirked, walking over to them. "You got the gun, mama. Whatever." He shrugged, his eyes darkened before right hooking Y/N across her face off guard. Y/N stumbled back, clutching her cheek in shock and pain. Her eyes watering from the blow. Dean's eyes widened in shock and anger as Sampson sucker punched Y/N. He backhanded Dean who was charging at him and tossed Dean into the metal vault door head first.

Landing on the floor with a grunt, Dean's vision blurred as he held his head. Ronald attempted to shoot the shifter but with a kick, he sent Ronald flying into the wall. Y/N jumped onto the shifters back, attempted to stab him with the silver letter opener, only for him to back into the wall. Y/N cried out in pain from the impact, dropping the opener. Sampson threw her off of him, and she grunted loudly when her back hit the floor.

Dean tried to stand, his head still spinning from the impact, but the shifter kicked him, sending him reeling to the floor once more. Giving him a chance to escape, the shifter bolted, taking advantage of the moment, he quickly ran out of the vault. "Fuck," Dean cursed under his breath, scrambling to his feet after regaining his senses. He helped Y/N up from the ground, his concern for her well-being overshadowing any anger towards the shifter's escape.

"Stop, come back here!!" Ronald screamed, scrambling to pick up his gun and up to his feet, running after the shifter after witnessing the whole fight.

"You alright, sweetheart?" He asked Y/N, his eyes scanning her face for any serious injuries. He gently brushed aside the stray strands of hair that stuck to her forehead from the impact. She nodded weakly, her hand gingerly touching her bruised and stinging cheek where Sampson hit her. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, though the pain in her voice and the tear streaks on her face told a different story.

Sam who was helping Henry out and away from the light heard Ronald screamed, he ended up going into the light as the shifter ran away. Sam's eyes widened when he spotted the red sniper laser on Ronald's back, "GET DOWN, RON!!!" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was too late. The sniper had shot Ron through and through his back, the bullet exiting through chest, over his heart.

Dean quickly grappled Y/N upon hearing the shot fly through the glass window. Clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream before pulling behind a counter, away from the light to hide from any stray bullets. Deans heart panged with guilt as Y/N's muffled sobs went into the palm of his hand as Ronald's knees hit the ground, his gun slipping from his grip. Slumping dead onto the hard floor.

-

Patrons from the still opened vault came file out, their whispers hushed and terrified as they seek shelter, Sam creeped around the corner after helping Henry to safety, crouching behind the counter next to Dean and Y/N, pressing his back to the hard surface. Dean still had his arms wrapped around Y/N, her back pressed to his chest, settled between his legs. Both their faces stoic as they look on at the flashing red laser, still hovering over Ronald's dead body.

All breathing heavy, guilt coursing through them after seeing Ronald killed in cold blood. "Here, take care of the guard. Im going after the shifter" Sam told them in a hoarse tone, before they could protest. He had already gotten up and ran in the direction that he saw the shifter went. Dean and Y/N's eyes were trained on Ronald, both taking a deep breath before creeping a bit closer to his body.

Away from the light, in attempt to get his gun. "Sorry Ron" Y/N croaked, paying her respects. "You did a real good job tracking this thing. You really did" Dean added sincerely. They both share a sorrow filled look before Y/N reached over and slid his gun towards her. Handing it to Dean. They both gave Ron one last look, the image of his blood pooling around his body and the leaking from his mouth, forever etched in their brains.

-

Sam was canvassing room, on edge as he tiptoed towards a door. Throwing it open with a rough motion, a flashlight in one hand and the silver letter opener in his other. The light shone in to show the janitor's closet was empty, Sam spun around, startled to see two women and one man. He wielded his knife to stab, holding back when he saw the three patrons with terrified screams leaving their throats.

"Oh! Please don't hurt us! Please don't hurt us!" The woman begged, clutching onto her friend. "You shouldn't be back here right now! You're in danger. Now go back to the vault. Now!!" Sam shouted at them like a disappointed parent, pointing in the direction of the vault. The three patrons scrambled towards the vault as Sam let out a heavy sigh.

-

Dean and Y/N were approaching the door with Henry, Y/N pressing her letter opener to Henry's back while Dean strapped Ronald's gun around him. "This will all be over soon" Y/N assured him softly. "Everything is gonna be all right" Dean added as Henry pushed the door open, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Please!" Henry pleaded with the swarm of officers, guns aimed at him and the hunters.

There were so many cops that they lost count of how many there were. The police lights were like a strobe light that was blinding everyone. Henry's hands up in surrender, "No, no, no, no, back up!" Dean shouted, using Henry as a shield, "Don't even think about it!" Y/N shouted along with Dean, doing the same as him. Police lights and bright white light shone of them as the lasers from the snipers pointed at Henry. Their eyes widened when they saw how much cops and reinforcements were really out here.

"Son of a fucking bitch" "Jesus fucking Christ" Dean and Y/N cursed in unison. "We said, get back, now!!!" Dean bellowed, "Don't think about it bub!!" Y/N growled at an officer who had his laser aimed at her head, her eyes wild. The officer immediately aimed away before she crouched behind her Henry.

"Okay, hun. Go, go" Y/N ushered Henry gently into the officers hands before she and Dean made a break for the door, swiftly relatching with the chains Ronald put on. "We are so screwed" Dean muttered frustrated as they locked themselves in. "Amen, brother" Y/N muttered back, equally as frustrated.

-

Sam was crouched infront of a pile of skin, grimacing as he pressed his phone to his ear, calling Y/N.

Y/N, who was walking down the stairs to the basement with Dean, her phone rang, Metallica blasting through the empty hallway. "Yeah?" She answered, putting the phone on speaker. "He slipped his skin" Sam informed them. "What?!" Dean and Y/N exclaimed in unison. "Yeah, bastard shifts fast. A lot faster than the one in St. Louis" Sam groaned. "Fuck, it's like playing a shell game. It could be anybody, again!" Dean grumbled.

"I think most of the employees are out of the vault by now" Sam told them. "Alright, you search every inch of this place. Me and Dean are gonna go round everybody up" Y/N instructed Sam, making sure Dean was okay with that. He gave her a firm nod before she hung up.

________________________________

Meanwhile outside, Lieutenant Robards, the officer in charge of everything was in the van sipping coffee while his partner groaned, "Fuck" His partner groaned. "What?" Robards asked, "The feds are here" He informed his superior as the FBI vans pulled into the already crowded street. He stopped mid sip, "Oh, fuck" Robards huffed as the door to their surveillance van opened.

In walked two FBI agents, "Lieutenant Robards" Victor Henriksen greeted them. "Yeah" Robards rolled his eyes. "Special Agent Henriksen" Henriksen offered the Lieutenant a handshake. "Let me guess. You're the lead dog now, but you'd love my full cooperation" Robards snarked, earning a cocky smirk from Henriksen. "I don't give a rats ass what you do. You can go get a doughnut and bang your wife, for all I care" Henriksen sassed.

Robards smirk dropped at the rebuttal, "What I do need is your SWAT team, locked and loaded" Henriksen ordered firmly. "Listen, agent" Robards snapped, "Something's not right about this. It's um-...It's not going down like a usual heist" Robards tried to explain. "That's because it isn't a one." Henriksen retorted, this led Robards to become confused.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? There's a monster in that bank, Robards." Henriksen argued.

-

Meanwhile, Sam was downstairs still searching for the shifter, his light shining through the dark hall. He threw open only to stumble into another broom closet.

Dean and Y/N were escorting patrons that tried to escape, back into the vault to keep them safe from the shifter. "And I thought you were one of the good ones" The woman who was swooning over Y/N earlier scoffed. She sighed heavily, "What's your name, hun?" Y/N asked her gently. "Why would you care?" She rolled her eyes. "My name is Y/N and this is Dean." Y/N introduced them kindly.

"I'm Sherri" Sherri responded, her arms crossed over her chest. "Hi, Sherri" Y/N offered Sherri a sweet smile, the two woman shared a heated gaze as Dean looked between them. His eyes shifting back and forth, their eye contact is interrupted when the wall phone rang again. "Everything is gonna be alright. This will all be over soon, okay?" Dean assured Sherri.

They both left the vault, Dean locking the door inwards while Y/N answered the phone. "Yeah?" Y/N answered harshly with an eyeroll. Dean pressed his ear to the back of the phone, his stubble gently brushing over Y/N's cheek. "This is Special Agent Victor Henriksen" Henriksen said roughly. "Yeah, listen. We're not really in a negotiating mood. Right now, so-" Dean sassed, only to get cut off by Victor.

"Good, me neither. It's my job to bring you in. Alive's a bonus, but not necessary." Victor retorted. "Woah. That's kinda harsh for a federal agent, don't you think?" Y/N muttered, both surprised by Victors harsh tone. "Well, neither do you are the typical suspect, are you, Dean?" Victor snarked, their stomachs dropped at Dean getting recognized. Both now internally panicking.

"I want you, Sam and Y/N out here, unarmed. Or we come in." Victor ordered in a warning tone before adding, "And yes, I know about Sam too. The Sundance to your Butch, and I know about you too Y/N. The Bonnie to Dean's Clyde....Or is it Sam's? I don't know. Don't care." He added in a jeering tone. Dean and Y/N shared a panicked look at this, "Yeah, well that parts true. But how'd you know even we were here?" Dean chimed, looking around warily along with Y/N.

"Go fuck yourself. That's how I knew" Victor scoffed, their brows shot up at this. "It's become my job to know about you, Dean. I've been looking for you for weeks now. I know about the murder in St. Louis, I know the Houdini act you guys pulled in Baltimore. I know about the desecration and the thefts. I know about the assault charges." Victor listed off all of their previous offense.

"I know about your fathers" Victor added, this made their eyes widened with fury, "You don't know shit about that" Y/N gritted her teeth, her nostrils glaring. "John Winchester, Ex-Marine. F/N L/N, not much on him but I know they both raised their kids on the road. Cheap motels, backwoods cabin. Real paramilitary survivalist types." Victor continued to poke at them.

Tears welled in both their eyes, swallowing the lumps in their throats. "I just can't get a hand on what type of wackos they were. White Supremacist, Timmy McVeigh. Tomato, tomato" He added, "You got no fucking right talking about our dads like that. They were heroes" Dean defended, his nostrils flaring as he ran his tongue over his top teeth. Y/N's hand clutching around the phone tightly.

"Yeah. Right. Sure sounds like it. You have one hour to make a decision or we come through those doors, full automatic" Victor gave them one last warning before hanging up. Dean shook with anger as Y/N screamed, throwing the landline against the wall, not bothering to place it properly.

________________________________

Sam was still searching the bank, his eyes darted around the room as he shone his light. Blood drippings on the floor, in-front of a closet caught his eye. He slowly tiptoed over to the closet the blood was dripping from before quickly pulling it open, only for a dead body with its throat slit and stripped naked to come tumbling out. The dead body of Sherri. "Fuck" Sam cursed frustrated.

-

"Hey" Sam said to Dean and Y/N who were still by the vault as he approached. Both looking troubled, "Hey" They breathe out in unison. "We got a bit of a problem outside" Dean said urgently, "We got a problem in here" Sam scoffed ironically, pointing to the vault door. They both tilted their head in confusion.

-

The door to the vault opened, startling everyone. "Sherri. We're gonna let you go" Y/N said urgently, "What? Why me?" She asked confused as the other patrons whispered, "Uh, as a show of good faith to the feds. Come on" Dean came up with the first lie on spot. Sherri looked hesitant and scared, "Uh....I think I'd- I'd rather stay here with the others" Sherri stuttered, backing away from them.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist" Y/N said a bit more standoffish, stepping closer to Sherri. Her eyes flickered over to the silver letter opener in Sam's hand, a fearful look on her face as Y/N extended her hand to Sherri. Dean and Y/N offered her tight smiles as she slowly walked past them.

-

Y/N held Sherri by her hair roughly, pushing her into the room where the body was. "I thought you were letting me go!" Sherri yelped, whining a from the pain of Y/N yanking at her roots. Y/N rolled her eyes and held her, pushing her face right over the body. Sherri let out a piercing convincing scream as she looked at her own body, throat slit and naked on the ground.

Deans brows pumped at this as Sherri shrieked terrified, trying to rip away from Y/N's grips,  only to run straight into Sam's broad body. The younger Winchester gripped a terrified Sherri into a headlock. "What is that community theater or are you just naturally like this?" Dean snarked, an amused grim on his face. Thinking Sherri was faking. "This is the last time you ever become anyone. Ever." Sam growled at her, wielding his silver letter opener, ready to stab her.

"No! No, oh god....oh..." Sherri pleaded before falling unconscious due to shock. The three hunters remained stunned and confused when Sherri fell to the ground unconscious with a hard thud, all looking at each other confused. Dean shrugged, before handing Y/N the automatic weapon, kneeling besides Sherri. Sam and Y/N exchanged a look at this, contemplating why the shifter would give up its body so quick to keep up a facade.

Dean held the letter opener above his head, ready to stab hers. "Dean, wait, wait, wait" Sam stopped his brother, earning a confused look from the elder Winchester. "What's the advantage of this plan?" Sam questioned in a low tone, "He's got a point, man. I mean, fainting now wouldn't help it survive." Y/N whispered.

Dean realized they had a good point, all their heads turned to the other 'Sherri' that was stripped naked across the room. "Huh..." Dean hummed before walking across to 'Sherri's' body with the slit throat, kneeling besides her, examining her. The sound of a window shattering in the background caught their attention. Their heads snapping in the direction of the sound.

Eyes wide in the direction. Without their knowledge, the real shifter, who was now posing as a dead Sherri, gripped Dean by his throat by surprise, earning a grunt from the hunter. The real Sherri came to, screaming, "Oh God! Oh god!" Sam grabbed her along with Y/N while Dean tried to stab the shifter, only for the creature to defend itself, catching his hand mid air before he could finish the job.

"Get her out of here. Now!" Dean ordered Sam and Y/N. Both hesitating to leave but they listened to him, escorting Sherri out of the room quickly.

-

SWAT team members came piling into the bank, all armed and loaded. They canvassed the bank, almost catching Dean in the basement but the skilled hunter quickly hide in a corner.

Three more SWAT members came filing down the hall, stumbling upon a shaken Sherri in at the end of it. "Don't shoot. Don't shoot!" She pleaded, their lights flashed on her. "I work here. I work here" She sobbed.

-

Meanwhile on the other side of the back, bent the corner, Sam and Y/N pretending to run from the SWAT members. "Freeze!" The officer yelled at them. They two hunters froze, "Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands!" The officer ordered them. The two shared a look knowing look, a silent conversation exchanging between both of their eyes before giving each other a firm nod.

Both hunters swiftly grappling the guns of the two members, right hooking them simultaneously off guard before knocking them out. They heard the footsteps of one more officer trudging down the hall. Sam and Y/N pressed themselves against the wall, then once the officer was in slight, Y/N charged at him, kicking the back of his knee to knock him to his feet, falling to the ground with a grunt.

While Sam quickly knocked him unconscious with the butt on the gun he snatched from the previous officer. The two dragged the three members into a closet before stripping them of their uniform, armory and headgear.

-

After Sam and Y/N changed into the gear they had stolen, they headed stayed covered, pretending to be SWAT as they looked for Dean. Both silently praying they would find him first.

They finally ended up in the electrical room to see Dean kneeling next to a dead shifter, both breathing out in relief at the fact he successfully took down the bastard. Sam then flashed the light in Dean's face, startling him. A fearful and defeated look on his face, thinking he had gotten caught and was as good as gone. "Dean Winchester. You're under arrest for being an A-Class jackass" Sam snorted through the mask.

Dean let out a groan as he rolled his eyes as he got up from the ground. "Not funny, man" Dean grumbled. Y/N giggled amused, tossing a bag she stole from one of the officers that previously had armory inside, now stuffed with an extra suit. She tossed it as his feet, "Saddle up cowboy, we gotta go now" She said urgently.

________________________________

SWAT was still canvassing the bank,

"Clear in here!"

"Clear. Move!"

"Clear!"

"Clear. Move!"

Victor Henriksen strolled down the halls to see a group of officers examining Sampson's dead naked body. "Male. African-American. Goner" The officer informed Henriksen who gritted his teeth.

-

While downstairs in the electrical room, officers stood over the shifters dead body, which was still in Sherri's form. "I'm telling you, man. I just walked her out of the bank" The SWAT officer told his partner. "She must have a twin sister or something" He added bewildered.

-

Back upstairs, Victor was getting irritated they had yet to find Sam, Dean and Y/N. "Sir, my team said it's secure. They're gone" An officer informed the agent. "You tell your team to tear it apart! The ducts, the ceilings, the furnace, everything!" Henriksen growled infuriated. "I don't think that's necessary" The officer insisted. "Why not?!" Victor snapped, turning to him. "

The officer then told Victor to come with him, ushering him to the room where Sam and Y/N had stashed the unconscious, stripped but very alive bodies of the three SWAT members they took down and stole their gear from. Henriksen grunted in frustration. Realllyyy getting to hate these flannel wearing bastards.

________________________________

Sam, Dean and Y/N made way back up to the above ground parking garage where Baby was parked, all still in the SWAT gear. Dean opened his door, hopping into the drivers side while Y/N climbed in the back and Sam claimed shotgun. All hunters took off the headgear with a grunt before peeling off the black under face mask. They let out sighs, breathing heavily as they contemplated what was going on and how they were gonna get out of this.

"We are so fucked" Y/N commented the obvious.

Before leaning back into the backseat. Dean hugged in agreement as Sam remained silent, clenching his jaw before Dean started his car, putting her in drive and speeding out of the parking garage.

________________________________

Sam's POV (SURPRISE BITCHES!!)

Aurora, New York

•The Next Day

I sat in the Impala parked in front of a small diner, the neon sign casting a warm glow over the parking lot. I was alone, sitting in the dark car, the food Dean sent me for was waiting in the back seat getting cold as   people came and went of the dingy old diner. We all hauled ass out of Wisconsin and are now hiding out in Y/N's New York safehouse.

I swear, I'll never know where her family got the money to have all these damn safe houses but thank God indeed.

My thumb hovered over Jo's contact on his phone, the image of her warm smile flashing in mind. My heart ached as I remembered our last conversation, the way she had looked into my eyes. Jo was beyond pissed at all of us, pure betrayal and hatred in her eyes. I've been in this position countless times and all I wanted to do was hear from her.

She's been on my mind quite a bit, and if I'm being honest. I felt a little like a second option, not sure if she even wanted to hear from me. She was flirting with my brother first, but that hunt when she got kidnapped by Holmes. I thought I was going crazy not knowing where she was.

I took a deep breath and scrolled down to her name, my finger hesitating for a moment before finally hitting the call button. The line rang once, twice, three times, and my heart beat faster with each subsequent ring. My mind raced, wondering if she would answer or not. The silence on the other end was deafening, only interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing.

But then, her voicemail picked up, and I felt a pang of disappointment mixed with worry. I listened to the familiar sound of her voice recording, telling me to leave a message. My heart sank at that moment, but I forced myself to keep it together. "Hey, Jo," I started, my voice a mix of frustration and concern.

"It's me, Sam," I continued, trying to keep my tone casual. "I really need to talk to you. Please, just...just call me back, okay?"

I waited for a moment, hoping that she would pick up, but the line remained silent. I hung up the phone, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment. I knew it was a long shot to hope that she would answer, but the thought of not hearing from her was almost unbearable.

I decided to say screw it and head on over to the grocery to pick up supplies for the safehouse.

-

Halfway into my ride over, my phone rang. Startling the crap out of me. I flinched as my phone suddenly rang, the sound unexpected and loud in the quiet car. I fumbled for a moment before managing to grab it, my heart rate picking up a bit.

The caller ID showed Jo's name on the screen, and I felt a mixture of relief and nervousness wash over me. I quickly answered the call, holding the phone to my ear, quickly pulling over to the side of the road.

"Jo, thank god," I breathed out, relief flooding my voice. "I didn't think you were going to answer." There was a moment of silence on the other end, and I could sense her hesitating. But then she spoke, her voice a mix of irritation and frustration.

"What do you want, Winchester?" Jo asked, the edge in her voice was evident. "Didn't you get the hint that I didn't want to talk to any of you?" I let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Look, I know you're pissed at us, and you have every right to be," I said, trying to keep my cool. "But I'm still your...friend. And I'm worried about you" I swallowed my pride, praying she didn't think I was just some desperate loser.

There was another pause on the line, and then I heard Jo let out an exasperated sigh. "Friend," she repeated sarcastically, her voice dripping with annoyance. "More like a pain in my ass" I felt a pang of hurt at her words, but I knew I had to keep myself together. "Okay, fine," I retorted, feeling my own irritation rising. A sly comment came flooding out of my mouth before I could stop it,

"But...you always did have a nice ass" I chuckled deeply, quite literally facepalming myself after it shot out of my mouth.

God I sound like Dean right now.

I could've sworn I heard Jo giggle. "Wow, smooth move, Winchester," Jo retorted, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "I swear you and your brother are identical sometimes." I chuckle as I lean back against my car, feeling a small sense of relief that she wasn't completely shutting me out yet.

"Believe me when I say, that's far from the truth" I snorted, shaking my head. My amusement died down subsequently, "So...how have you been Jo?" My tone was gentle and concerned. There was another moment of pause on the line, and I heard Jo let out a heavy sigh. "I've been okay," she said quietly. "Hoping to just keep moving, y'know?"

I could sense the exhaustion and frustration in her voice, and I realized that she was putting up a strong front. "Ash called Y/N and told her he hadn't heard from you in a while. She told him she hasn't heard from you since then....but you've been on my mind quite a bit" I admit, cursing myself for being such a softie.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, and I could picture Jo's eyebrows raising in surprise at my confession. "Really?" She asked, her tone curious now. "You've been thinking about me, huh?" She said softly.

Jo's next words caught me off guard, and my heart skipped a beat. "You know," she began, her voice taking on a mischievous tone. "I've been thinking about you too, Sam"

My eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her to reciprocate my confession. I couldn't believe what I was hearing "You...you have?" I asked, my voice betraying my surprise. "Yeah, I have," Jo replied, her tone amused. "I mean, you're not so bad, Sam. Although you could definitely use some work in the smoothness department" she teased, a hint of a laugh in her voice.

I huffed a chuckle at getting called out for my lack in charisma, but it amused me coming from her. "Yeah. Thanks" I retorted with sarcasm. I could practically hear the eye roll in her voice as she responded, "You're welcome."

There was another moment of silence between us, but this time it was more comfortable, almost lighthearted. I could feel a warmth spreading through my chest at the realization that she had been thinking about me too.

"You know," Jo piped up after a moment, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "If you're that worried about me, you could just come check on me yourself" My brows shot up at this, a sly smirk making its way to my face, "You know, if I didn't know any better. I'd say you're hitting on me Ms. Harvelle" I quipped with sass, intrigued by her abrupt invitation.

Jo chuckled on the other end of the line, clearly enjoying my playfulness. "Maybe I am, Mr. Winchester," she replied, her voice taking on a flirty tone. "You got a problem with that? Or should I just go back to hating you?"

"Nono, carry on," I laughed. Jo's laughter joined mine, and I could practically picture her wicked smile. "Glad to hear it," she teased. Her invitation still hung in the air, "So...should I take that as a yes to you coming to check on me?" She asked, sounding a bit...hopeful? But I could be mistaken.

I took a deep breath, slightly hesitant. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty here. Jess has been dead almost two years now, yet the wounds are still fresh. I felt like like I was betraying her memory. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the truth. Jess wouldn't have wanted me to wallow in grief for the rest of my life. She would've wanted me to be happy, to move on and find peace. But knowing Jessica, she would've pushed me to move on. It's hard regardless.

I contemplated Jo's offer before nodding, "Yeah, text me your current address. I'll convince Dean and Y/N to take the trip with me, which I'm sure wouldn't be hard" There was a pause, and I could sense Jo's hesitation, understanding the complexity of her situation. But then she spoke up again, her voice firm yet gentile.

"Okay," she agreed, and I picked up on a glimmer of excitement in her tone. "I'll text you my address. You guys better come see me soon, or I'll come and hunt you down myself." I chuckled in response, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation. "We'll be there as soon as we can," I promised.

We concluded the call, and I was left feeling a strange mix of emotions. There was excitement at the prospect of seeing Jo again. Yet I also felt a pang of guilt, thinking about Jess. I knew I shouldn't feel guilty for moving on and finding comfort in someone else. However, it was difficult to shake off the sense of betrayal in regards to Jess. But then again, I knew deep down that Jess would've wanted me to be happy.

________________________________

Third Person POV

•One Hour Earlier

"We need to talk about it, Y/N" Dean presses as they toss open the door to her safehouse. It was low on supplies since they hadn't been here in a while so Dean made Sam take the Impala, shunning him away to get food and supplies so he can have the dreaded conversation with Y/N.

"Talk about what?" Y/N feigns confusion as she rested her duffle bag down on the dusty couch a tad bit harshly, coughing slightly from the dust that raised when she tossed it.

Dean huffed in annoyance, closing the motel door gently and folding his arms over his chest. "Y/N, you know what I'm talkin' about," he drawled, tilting his head, eyebrows raising slightly.

Y/N sighed, refusing to face him. "There's nothing to talk about," She grumbled. "Not buying it," Dean quipped, taking a few steps closer towards her. He was still a good distance away, giving Y/N her personal space he knew how grumpy she could get when annoyed.

"What do you want me to say, Dean?" She huffed, turning to face him. "The truth," Dean replied without hesitation, his jaw set in a firm line. "I want the truth," he repeated, softer this time. He could see the emotions battling on her face, he didn't like that she was trying to act like nothing happened.

Y/N swallowed harshly, "The truth is.... I'm glad it didn't happen" She bit back. "Because you've said it yourself, that 'it doesn't mean anything', so. I'm glad it didn't happen" She added, referring to when he slipped and called her 'his girl' only to claim after that 'it didn't mean anything'.

A flash of guilt filled his eyes, something Dean tried his best to ignore, but he failed, he always failed with Y/N. Her words had stung and he deserved it. Dean wanted to punch himself in the face, he could see the way her shoulders slumped forward as she said it.

"Y/N..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping forward as his arms fell to his sides, hands curling into fists as he fumbled to explain or defend himself.

"It's fine, honestly. I'm not gonna let unreciprocated feelings get in the way of our friendship" She said softly. Meaning that she had feelings for Dean and she thought he didn't feel the same way and that she would rather it not ruin their friendship.

But Dean took it in a completelyyyy different way, assuming Y/N meant that she didn't feel the way that he did for her, leaving him to believe, she was rejecting him on the spot.

"Oh-"

Oh...

Dean's face fell, his heart sinking down to his stomach as he slowly turned his gaze to her, blinking once in processing her words. As lame as it sounds, he felt as if God himself had driven a knife into his heart and tore it out of his chest.

"Oh..." he repeated lamely, his heart beating faster in his chest, pounding violently against his rib cage.

The realization made his stomach twist in a painful way and he inhaled swiftly, trying to rid himself of the pang he felt deep within him. Dean's brain was screaming at him to fix the conversation, his heart was aching at the confirmed fact that Y/N did not feel the same way.

"Right... yeah..." he muttered, taking a slow step back, feeling as though he had just been punched in the stomach.

"Yeah..." Y/N gulped, her heart pang terribly in her chest. Tearing her eyes away from Dean, she had hoped, prayed he would say, 'No princess, that's not true. I love you too' but those words didn't come. She should've known better. As if, 'It didn't mean anything' wasn't blatantly clear enough.

Dean watched as Y/N looked away, trying to avoid the intensity of his own gaze. He could see the pain etched into her features and it only made him feel worse.

He wanted to reach out, to comfort her, but his arms remained by his sides, his fingers twitching, wanting to hold her. The words were on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't bring himself to confess the truth. He had practically been rejected in his eyes by her words of 'I'm not gonna let unreciprocated feelings get in the way of our friendship'. That was enough rejection for him.

"It won't happen again," Dean muttered, his voice low and almost shaky as he spoke. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest, the pain in his chest refusing to subside. He didn't want her to see how she was affecting him.

Dean's eyes flicked over her features once more, taking in the way her eyelashes fluttered and the way her hair fell to frame her face, his body aching to reach out and touch her. But he remained still, his hands clenched at his sides.

Y/N's heart tightened in her chest at Dean's words. 'It won't happen again.' The phrase seemed to echo in the room, deafeningly loud, mocking her. She felt her eyes sting with tears, but she refused to let herself cry.

She bit the inside of her cheek, desperately trying to keep them from spilling over. 'No, show no weakness, show no fear, don't let him know it affected you' Instead, she forced a small nod, her eyes still avoiding his intense gaze. "Yeah, it won't," she repeated quietly.

Dean nodded slowly in agreement, his eyes still locked on her. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but he had no right to. As far as she knew, his feelings for her weren't reciprocated. And he had no idea that she believed the same.

Y/N shook her head before turning to dig into her duffle bag, pulling out her pack of cigarettes, "I'm gonna take a smoke..." She forced a casual tone as she strode over to the front door, locking it behind her.

Dean stood silently for a few moments, watching as her figure disappeared through the door, the house suddenly feeling smaller and quieter now that she was gone.

The hunter exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face, his mind racing with confusion and denial. He sank down onto the edge of one of the couches, his elbows resting on his knees as he hunched forward, lost in thought.

He had always prided himself on being confident and in control, but right now, he felt anything but. The words she had said replayed over and over in his mind, making him question everything he knew, everything he believed.

She doesn't feel the same.

The thought alone made his heart ache with a pain he had never felt before.

Dean forced himself to go over to the window, he peeled the curtain back to see Y/N head across the street to sit on the tire swing by the tree to smoke her cigarette. He quickly shut the curtain and in seconds, the once stoic and cocky hunter, burst into tears.

Dean's body trembled as the dam broke, his emotions finally flowing through him like a raging river. He stumbled backwards, his body landing on the edge of one of the couches again, sitting down with a heavy thud.

His hands gripped the edge of the couch tightly, his head lowering as he tried to catch his breath. The sight of her leaving the house, the image of her sitting outside, alone, smoking, it all fueled the pain that tore through him.

Dean's shoulders shook with each sob as he covered his face with his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks leaving them stained and his eyes red. His breath came out ragged and shaky, chest constricting like his heart was being squeezed. He couldn't believe it, his breath hitched as he let out a choked sob.

He loved her, he loved her so much, but he thought she didn't feel the same. He didn't think she could ever have feelings for someone as broken as he was.

-

Y/N took a deep, shaky drag of her cigarette. The smoke filled her lungs, providing a brief moment of comfort as she exhaled slowly. She could feel the tears welling up again, but she forced them back.

The cool night air nipped at her skin, but she didn't mind. The sting helped keep her grounded, preventing her from spiraling into her thoughts. She took another drag, her eyes staring blankly at the house across from the tree.

How could I ever think he would see me that way? I'll never be nothing more than the dorky girl with pigtails to him.

But he tried to kiss you

That doesn't mean he loves me the way I love him

She chastised herself, the lump in her throat growing by the second.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't you DARE cry L/N!

Sitting on that cold tire, the only thing keeping her warm was her cigarette lit between her fingers. Every so often she would raise it to her lips and take a drag, exhaling the smoke into the night air.

Her mind was swirling with thoughts and emotions. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to run back into that damn house and beg Dean to give her a chance. But she didn't, she couldn't. She couldn't show that weakness.

Y/N closed her eyes, exhaling another plume of smoke, watching it swirl and disappear in the air.

Why does it have to be like this? she silently wondered, her heart heavy in her chest.

She took another long drag of her cigarette, savoring the taste of the tobacco and the nicotine rush it provided. The brief relief was a small comfort.

And yet, I can't bring myself to stay away from him. Her inner thoughts whispered as her eyes opened. With that, the psychic gifted hunter burst into tears.

Her tears fell in earnest, streaming down her face and staining her cheeks. Her body shuddered as she tried to catch her breath, but the sobs just came harder, more tears flowing down her face.

She thought of all the times they had laughed together, the nights they shared on the road and the hunts they had gone on. All of the memories flooding in of their childhood they shared with Sam, their first kiss. It just added to the ache in her chest.

Y/N couldn't remember a time when she had felt so vulnerable, so raw and exposed. The pain of loving someone she thought didn't love her back was overwhelming.

Her sobs were quiet and shaky, her shoulders trembling as the tears streamed down her cheeks. The cigarette hung loosely from her fingertips, forgotten for the moment.

She tried to control her emotions, to keep her tears at bay, but it was futile. The pain and disappointment was too much. The pain of knowing that the man she loved would never see her the way she saw him.

The words echoed in her mind, a loop of pain and heartache that seemed to drown out everything else. She knew it was pointless, she knew it would only hurt more, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop loving him, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she didn't.

For years, she had been pushing her feelings down, pretending they didn't exist. But now, sitting on that bench, tears streaming down her face, she knew it was a losing battle. Y/N took a shaky breath, her hands trembling as she brought her cigarette to her lips again.

Y/N leaned forward, exhaling the smoke, bracing her elbows on her knees as she let out a choked sob. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Why...why do I have to love him so much?" She whispered to herself between sobs, her voice cracking with emotion.

-

Dean was still sitting on the edge of the couch, his hands now clutching the fabric of his jeans so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

He was still deep in thought, the pain of the rejection still felt raw. Tears streamed down his face, hot and salty against his skin. He let out a shuddering breath, cursing himself silently. He tried to process everything that had just happened, but it kept circling back to her words.

'It's fine, honestly. I'm not gonna let unreciprocated feelings get in the way of our friendship'

Those words stung, like a knife to his heart.  "Why...why do I have to love her so much?" He whispered to himself between sobs, his voice cracking with emotion.

________________________________

Authors Note: I think I’m gonna have to dodge some tomatoes right about now🤣

I hope everyone enjoyed, please don’t kill me! I actually sobbed writing the last part if that makes anyone feel better😭💔

Taglist: @hjgdhghoe @rach5ive @tiggytaylor @star-yawnznn @quarterhorse19

@deangirl96 @bitchykittenconnoisseur @globetrotter28 @hobby27 @mrsjjkwinchester

@juwu-theliciosa @magiccliopleurodon @nesnejwritings @karrah89 @whattheduckisupkyle

@iloveyou2mia

Once again, I’m so sorry for the late update and thank you everyone for continuing to read and support me🫶

Xoxo

[gyutarling]

INFINITE

late night adventures with beomgyu...

♯ — beomgyu x gn!reader ⋆ fluff ⋆ wc 1.7k

warnings! — cursing, mentions of burning things, mentions of ghosts and death, catcher in the rye slander (not srs if u like that book thats cool!), a little pretentious, jokes about dating a senior citizen, lowercase intended, not proofread

note — went ballistic after gyu made an insta..... save me manic pixie dream boy..... save me....

“gyu, where are we even going?” you enquired. frankly, you were still a little grumpy from being woken up at 3 in the morning, with beomgyu outside your window holding your shoes, wordlessly telling you to follow him.

when no reply came after several pauses, you glanced over next to you, only to find him completely zoned out. you were about to open your mouth to snap at him, patience spreading thin from the sleepiness, but then he smiled.

“the library, we’re sneaking in.” he turned his eyes back to the road ahead after making eye contact with you, mischief still heavy on his cheeks.

what he said took you a few seconds longer to process. “oh, okay— wait. what?!” in your befuddled state, you stopped in your tracks, “what do you mean by ‘sneaking in’? why the library?” honestly, you were more surprised that you didn't have more questions, but then again, this is beomgyu, you wouldn't put something like this past him.

beomgyu casually fixed his bangs, “sneaking in as in, we’re gonna not-so-legally enter the library like, right now.” he stopped in front of said building, you didn’t even notice you had been walking for so long. “and the library because there's a book i wanna burn.”

you almost shouted out a question, if not for beomgyu placing his hand over your mouth when he saw you staring at him with wide eyes. “hush! we might get caught!” his hand dropped after he felt your tongue touching his palm, “gross! anyway, do you have a paperclip i can borrow? kinda need to pick this lock before we do the actual ‘sneaking in’ part.” he held out his hand as he inspected the lock.

“what the fuck? are you insane?!” you opted for whisper shouting instead. you take it back, just when you thought he couldn't get any crazier, he proves you wrong with his stupidly perfect smile that seems to grow wider with each late night adventure. “first of all, why did i have to come with? could you not have done this yourself? i don’t wanna get in trouble again.” you said with a roll of your eyes.

“this is a two-person operation! besides, it’s more fun this way. so sorry in advance if i do get us into trouble,” beomgyu whispered back, and by the dimple peeking out from his smirk, you can tell he didn’t mean his apology.

you let out a relenting sigh and handed him a paperclip, “okay, but second of all, what book got you so enraged that you just had to sneak into the town library at such an ungodly hour just to steal and burn it?”

“it’s not like it enraged me, i mean, books are supposed to make you feel intense things, so i would have liked it if it did enrage me,” beomgyu mindlessly spoke while fidgeting with the paperclip, “it’s ‘the catcher in the rye’, borrowed and finished it recently, and i don’t know, the main character is just such a whiny ass bitch boy. he’s got this whole self-loathing, self-aware hypocrite persona going on, and throughout the book he pretty much just talks and drinks and pities himself. i think the author tried to make him too relatable, to the point that he became unrealistic, if that makes sense,” he rambled on, “the only part i liked was near the end, the part with his sister was actually pretty well-written.”

“so you are enraged,” you couldn’t help but giggle at his mini rant, “you’re cute when you ramble, by the way.”

“hm, i’d say the word would be ‘unimpressed’, i just don’t like it.” he pretended to inspect the lock closer, yet still failing miserably at hiding his reddening cheeks. a few minutes after poking and moving the paperclip around inside the keyhole, you heard a click, and seconds later, you two were inside the pitch dark library. “alright, we’re in. the rest should be fairly easy.”

“hold on, one more question,” you realised as you took out your phone for the flashlight, “why didn’t you just do this when you still had the book? why did you have to return it and then come back?” you were too far into the theft and arson two-person operation to be angry at beomgyu for dragging you into it at this point. you were happy to be hanging out with him anyway.

“hey, this might make me a criminal, but i’m not a heathen. i return my shit, never had an overdue book in my entire life,” beomgyu bragged, “mrs. librarian is basically my best friend.”

“and yet you don’t know her name?” you laughed at his antics.

“i believe in the magic of mystery,” he said in an exaggerated fancy accent, ���besides, names and such formalities are for first dates, which i might score one soon, heard her husband’s been out a lot.”

“gross, dude! she’s like 78!” you couldn’t help but to playfully shove him.

“and yet she remains such a radiant beauty, her prune-like visuals never fail to amaze me!” beomgyu emphasised even more, and you both couldn’t help but let out loud laughs you weren’t supposed to.

“how romantic, even shakespeare wouldn’t have been able to be as eloquent as you. save it for her, though, i don’t wanna hear about how you’re into an old, saggy woman who’s pushing 80.”

as the laughter died down, you two decided to split up to look for the object of beomgyu’s hatred. you were a little unsettled by the dark, this was a library after all, a very fitting place for a victorian ghost to haunt.

just when you were about to let out a breathy laugh at your own absurd thoughts, you heard a creaking noise. you quickly turned off your phone’s flashlight, this was it, you always knew beomgyu would lead to your downfall by baiting you to some supernatural entity. he probably made a deal with the devil and offered up your soul. no, scratch that, beomgyu is the devil himself—

“boo!” you let out a squeak and fell backwards, startled as you saw beomgyu with his flashlight shining from below his face. you breathed heavily, trying to catch up with the shock as he let out silent cackles. beomgyu might be even more evil than the devil.

“oh man, you should’ve seen your face!” he spitted out between laughter, but that abruptly stopped when you two heard the jingle of keys. you looked at beomgyu, panic still in your eyes, but for a different reason this time. you were still on the ground when he helped you up and dragged you to a corner, sandwiched between two bookshelves as he covered your mouth.

you didn’t know if you were dizzy from being out of breath, or the distance (or the lack thereof) between you and beomgyu. one hand covering your mouth, one hand on your waist to keep you steady, his equally fast breaths on your cheek. if you weren’t insane enough already, he gave you a reassuring squeeze, and leaned his forehead on yours from exhaustion. you wanted to stay like this forever.

of course, your dazed moment was interrupted by the lights of the library turning on, and then came the sound of approaching footsteps. your anxiety returned, and beomgyu glanced to the side just to quickly turn back.

“change of plans. fuck the book, we’re booking it.” he smiled. honestly, how can he have time for word play in such a predicament?

“what—” at that, he grabbed your hand and bolted out from between the shelves. you could hear the shouting of someone, presumably the security guard, but the buzzing adrenaline was louder. beomgyu hurriedly bursted through the doors that you both came in from, with your hands still connected, then down the streets. your legs burned, but at that point, you two were laughing like crazy. in the small, empty neighbourhood, well into the night, you swore you could take on anything if you had beomgyu by your side.

slowing down, he continued to hold onto your hand as you came to a stop. inhaling and exhaling rapidly, the rush died down and you noticed the delicate snowflakes that nipped at your skin. beomgyu seemed to notice as well, he stood up straight and stared upwards, mesmerised by the fluttering whiteness.

“it’s the first snow,” he mumbled, “you know, they say that seeing the first snow together with someone means you’ll be with them forever, and any wishes you make will come true.” he looked back at you, and you found yourself admiring his twinkling eyes.

“that’s pretty,” you smiled at him, “did you wish for anything?”

“yeah, i wished that you were mrs. librarian instead— hey, ow! i’m kidding!” beomgyu dramatically rubbed his arm after you very lightly and playfully punched him.

“moment ruined.” you said, unimpressed as beomgyu giggled.

a comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you continued watching the snow, it’s light enough to not be too cold, but cold enough for beomgyu to pull you closer to him, close enough for the moment to feel real.

“sorry you didn’t get to take out your burning anger on the book.” you slightly chuckled as you remembered the events of the night.

“it’s alright, didn’t matter too much to me,” he shrugged, “i didn’t even hate the book that much, just wanted an excuse to drag you out with me.”

you looked at him, stupefied, “so you couldn’t just ask me to hang out during the day like a normal person? what if that security guard was secretly a victorian ghost protecting the library? and what if said ghost happened to die from a thief who burned their house down?” you started exaggerating to show that you weren’t actually mad at him.

beomgyu jokingly scoffed at your silly rambling, “normal is boring, and from your whole spiel just now, you’re clearly not normal either, weirdo.” at that, you both smiled at each other.

beomgyu is truly beautiful, but especially when he smiles. the way his nose scrunches, pinkish from the cold, eyes turning into crescents with tiny sparkles in them. the way his lips curl up, matching the wispy ends of his soft-looking hair, framing his face perfectly. his smile is truly perfect.

in that moment, all you could feel was beomgyu and the world, both infinitely yours.

PERMANENT TAGLIST (italics = can't tag!) @malswrldsworld (send an ask to be added!)

[frankenkyle19]

-Jealously-

description: Jimmy finds you at the diner, flirting with another man. He’s pissed.. but why? It’s not like you two are even dating?

word count: 1.7K

Warnings: Jimmy darling being horny and mad, oral sex (m receiving), unprotected sex (don’t do it, Jesus is watching 👁👄👁), use of the word daddy because Jimmy darling is my daddy, and I think that’s it, enjoy!!!

—————————————————————————

You and Jimmy were strictly a summer fling. When you had arrived in town and came to see a certain… Freakshow, he invited you to his caravan after the show and you two… well let’s say no one in the camp got any sleep that night because of the two of you.

But it was always only a fling. It wasn’t a relationship, something Jimmy made very clear whenever someone teased him about falling for you. 

But even if he stated over and over you two weren’t a thing, people saw right through that. They seemed to know it was a lie even if Jimmy hadn’t realized that yet.

Jimmy was fiercely protective of his family and friends, and you were no exception. If he saw you getting picked on by some random dickhead at the diner or around the freakshow, he’d take the man outside and show him a piece of his mind.

From how many times Jimmy said you two were just hooking up, that it meant nothing, you figured seeing other people wouldn’t be a problem. Oh boy were you wrong. So so wrong.

You had been flirting with a nice young man in the diner in town one night when none other than Jimmy Darling walked right in the front door, gloved hands at his sides as he looked around. His eyes locked on yours almost immediately and something dark shone in them. 

He made his way over to your table, looking between you and the man, obviously angry. The look he shot the man was nothing short of feral. Absolute rage in his dark eyes. That was all the man needed to grab his coat and run the fuck out of the diner without a word.

You tried to hide your frustration as Jimmy took a seat opposite you at the table, tapping a gloved hand on the wood. He watched you, seemingly expecting an answer, or even an apology. But why would you owe him that? You two weren’t a thing. He had made that more than crystal clear time and time again, so why did he seem so mad that he had caught you with another man? 

“What, Jimmy?” Your words were sharp. Impatient. You looked up at him. Glaring. No doubt your eyes showed the same intensity as his, if not more. He had ruined a perfectly good plan to hook up with the man who had just ran out of the diner.

“What do you think you were doing with him, doll?” He asked, never once blinking or looking away from you. If you didn’t know Jimmy like the back of your hand, you may have been a bit scared. He looked awfully terrifying right now. You found it kind of… hot.

“Talking. Am I not allowed to talk?” You replied with a deep breath, trying to keep your composure. He was such a hypocrite. You had seen him flirting with plenty of girls around the camp grounds, so why weren’t you allowed to do the same? 

“You wanted him to fuck you… didn’t you.” His voice was hard, but he sounded… hurt. God, Jimmy was so sensitive sometimes, which led to him overthinking just about everything.

“What if I was? Is that a problem?” You challenged, sitting up a bit in your seat as you looked him over. His dirty white tank top clung tightly to his form, nearly see through. 

“You want to cheat on me, doll?”

There was a rush in your ears, whatever Jimmy had said next, if anything, was lost to you. What the fuck. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with him? Trying your best not to absolutely explode on him, you simply shook your head.

“Oh so we’re dating now, huh?”

He looked startled, taken aback. That was when he realized he had fucked up.

This was not a conversation that needed to be had in public, and you told him such. You two walked out together after you paid for your uneaten food. You glanced over at Jimmy, who was so tense it looked like he may pull something and hurt himself. 

He offered to drive you back to the camp and you agreed, arms wrapped around his waist as he drove back on his motorcycle.

He had led you back to his caravan to talk, but once you stepped inside, you found yourself pinned to the wall, Jimmy’s hands on your waist as he kissed you, roughly. You loved this side of Jimmy, the dominance, and despite how mad you were at him, you couldn’t deny his actions had you soaked.

“Did you imagine him doing this to you? Did you want him to fuck you? Did you imagine him pounding you from behind?”

A whine slipped from your red lips, some of your lipstick having smeared onto Jimmy’s lips and chin.

“N-no-“ you cried, clawing at his back, trying to pull him closer.

“Dammit Jimmy take those gloves off-“ you groaned, longing to feel his bare skin against your own. You loved his hands, and no matter how much he hated them, he did love how he was able to please you with them.

There was a whirlwind of motion and clothes were thrown in all directions as Jimmy led you to the bed dressed in only his striped boxer shorts, and you in your bra and panties.

“I think you owe me an apology.” He said, moving to slip off his boxers, cock slapping his stomach as it was freed from its confines. God he was absolutely gorgeous. 

“Get on your knees and show me how sorry you are.”

If your mind wasn’t so clouded with lust, you’d argue that you had nothing to be sorry for. It wasn’t illegal to flirt with another man, especially when you weren’t even dating this one.

Without further argument, you got on your knees, wasting no time in engulfing his thick cock head in your mouth, lips wrapped tightly around it as you lapped at the slit.

Jimmy couldn’t help the moan that came from his now parted lips as he tangled his hands in your hair as he panted. You knew exactly how to make him a mess.

You let him pop out of your mouth as you traced the prominent vein on the side of his cock, hands resting on his thighs for support.

Jimmy got impatient and yanked you back by your hair, tapping his cock against your pretty pink lips, smearing his slick pre-cum across them like lipgloss. 

“I’m going to fuck your throat, then I’m going to fuck that pretty pussy of yours.” He growled, shoving his cock past the tight ring of your lips and all the way in till his tip hit the back of your throat.

When you were with Jimmy, you had learned to control your gag reflex, well… as much as you could, because as he shoved into you, you choked a bit before breathing deeply through your nose.

“Mmm just like that doll, so good for me, you just love daddy’s cock don’t you?” You didn’t even have time to nod in confirmation before he was pulling back before thrusting back into your awaiting mouth.

Your mouth felt so good around him, only ever being beaten by having your pussy squeeze around him. 

A tear slipped from your eye, your mascara getting smudged on your cheeks as you looked up at him. He loved seeing you cry while choking on his cock.

After a few more harsh thrusts he pulled himself from your lips, conjoined fingers wrapping around his cock to stroke himself, spreading your spit across his length to lube himself up.

“Up on the bed doll, take off those panties for me.” He whispered, eyeing you like a predator. “And that bra too.” He added. He watched the whole time as you undressed, cock rutting between his fingers as he eyed you up and down, a sheen of sweat resting on his forehead, his hair damp.

You quickly got onto the bed, laying down but Jimmy shook his head, clicking his tongue “all fours, baby. And hold onto the headboard.” 

A shiver ran up your spine as you did as he said and not a second later he pounced on you, giving you no warning before thrusting his cock into your tight cunt.

Jimmy wasn’t a fan of condoms, but always always pulled out, cumming on your stomach or breasts. 

He rested his chest against your back, letting you adjust to his size as he panted, hands holding onto your hips. “God, you’re so fucking good baby doll. Squeezin’ my cock so perfectly, you’ve just got the perfect pussy, like it was built just for me.” He slowly began to pull out before sliding back into you, starting a steady pace, breath shaky.

The caravan was filled with sounds of skin on skin and the loud moans coming from both of your mouths at the pleasure.

You felt the pleasure building and building deep in your belly as you got closer and closer to the edge. Jimmy always knew which spots to hit inside of you to get you close.

“F-fuck- Jimmy-“

Jimmy growled, stopping his thrusts as he grabbed the back of your neck, turning your head to look at him.

“D-daddy-“ you choked out, which seemed to please him as he let you go and continued his brutal pace.

“Cum for daddy, doll. Cum for me.” His voice was like music to your ears, and how were you to ever deny him anything?

So, you clutched onto him, body convulsing as you clenched around him, the knot in your core snapping as you tipped over the edge into ecstasy.

Jimmy made sure to keep his pace steady as he helped ease you through your orgasm before he pulled out, shaking hand stroking his length.

“Turn around baby- I want to cum on those pretty titties of yours-“ he begged, though he’d never admit it.

You did as told, collapsing back onto the bed as you faced him.

“Cum for me daddy” and with those words, he let out a guttural groan, cum spurting onto your breasts, some even shooting up onto your chin. He collapsed next to you, wrapping an arm around you.

“I want you to be my girlfriend…” he panted, looking at you intently. And once again, how were you to ever deny Jimmy Darling?

[weirdmageddon]

yesterday i wrote a scene where jade wasnt a plot device and was left the hell alone in A6A5 because this being dave and jade’s last proper conversation in years made me sad and i wanted to see them reunite properly. i mixed a bit of narration in too even though it was rare around this point in the comic but its just to paint a better picture. also i wouldnt mind feedback on character voice (it’s important to me that the dialogue sounds believable)

[3 years are over, everyone is in the new session. The prospit ship is on LOMAX, as is everyone who arrived on the meteor, safely warped by Jade onto LOMAX as well. Jade has banished B2 Jack to the Furthest Ring already. She hasn't seen her friends in 3 years, not to mention she never met the trolls in person yet.]

[Jade teleports to LOMAX where John was talking with the meteor crew. Her eyes widen when she sees the trolls, giving everyone a greeting. Jade waves to the trolls.]

You’ll have time to catch up with them later. First you want to reconvene with Rose and Dave.

> ==>

Dave... Oh my god! DAVE!!! That’s right! The last time you saw him, he died in your arms after Jack redirected the bullets from your gun into his body!

JADE: dave!!!! DAVE: hey DAVE: this has been three years coming hasnt it DAVE: cmere

> ==>

[Dave hugs Jade with a slight grin on face. He notices her… sniffing him?? but doesn’t even bother to question it.]

JADE: it is so nice to hold your body when its not a corpse :) DAVE: ok DAVE: weird thing to say DAVE: actually who am i kidding who gives a shit DAVE: i almost forgot how much i missed the enigmatic riddlefuckery that is your phrasing DAVE: fortunately i have context for this so i know what youre saying DAVE: humor me for a sec and imagine that i didnt DAVE: but first DAVE: are those dog ears JADE: yes! i am part dog now JADE: because i prototyped my dreamself with becsprite JADE: jadesprite became part of me! and so did her doggy traits from bec DAVE: got it DAVE: oh yeah john mentioned that on the back of his dumb poster inside that bucket that appeared out of thin air DAVE: right before we had to haul ass out of there before jack caught up to us DAVE: karkat had a complete fucking meltdown over that btw i wish you couldve seen it DAVE: damn it feels like so long ago now JADE: heheheh i remember JADE: john realized it at the last second but it was too late! DAVE: of course it was johns idea only he could do something that gooberish DAVE: you know what this means though JADE: yup!! woof woof DAVE: it means youve done it harley DAVE: youve finally done it god damn it DAVE: the evolution of humankind is finally upon us DAVE: the scientists said it would never happen in our lifetime DAVE: but look what we have here DAVE: before me stands mans first legitimate furry subspecies DAVE: homo canis DAVE: as the name implies theyre gay as fuck btw DAVE: its too bad all those scientists are dead and cant witness this phylogenetic breakthrough DAVE: rip to the science community yall wouldve lost your collective shit DAVE: hey jade lets pour one out for the science community for being real ones

> ==>

You are still nestled into Dave’s shoulder. He’s taken a sort of protective position over you. Your perceptive barkbeast ears can hear his formerly bullet-riddled heart beating a mile a minute with the regularity of quartz beneath his time-branded pajamas, all the while he continues to ramble to you about certifiably dumb shit. You can tell Dave is psyched to see you again, even if he expresses it in his OWN bizarre way, which means extended metaphors and topical tangents. What a hypocrite, calling YOUR phrasing perplexing! You sure missed this guy.

You realize you started tuning him out while thinking about all this.

DAVE: jade JADE: umm homo is the species name JADE: so wouldnt that mean were all gay? :p DAVE: yeah that sounds about right DAVE: anyway enough of this bullshit

> ==>

[Dave motions to retract his arms since he doesn’t want it to get too weird, but Jade squeezes tighter. Dave immediately yields to the movement]

DAVE: jesus wow ok DAVE: really happy to see you too DAVE: like if you had a tail it would be wagging so forcefully youd be knocking over all the fucking furnishings in the room DAVE: just slapping it so hard on the owners thigh that it feels like theyre being flogged DAVE: talk about getting bitch slapped JADE: :D DAVE: so howve you been JADE: really really excited to see you guys all again!!! JADE: and to meet the trolls! DAVE: yeah theyre pretty weird DAVE: and im still not used to it DAVE: but it gets more manageable the longer youre around them DAVE: by the way JADE: ?

> ==>

DAVE: sorry you had to go through that JADE: through what? DAVE: seeing me die and stuff again DAVE: except that time right in front of you JADE: .... DAVE: when we were gathering up all those frogs i knew jack was going to appear DAVE: i was waiting and waiting to play it out DAVE: mentally rehearsing my fucking torso getting turned into swiss cheese and knowing you would have to watch on top of it DAVE: i had to make sure it happened to protect the integrity of the alpha timeline DAVE: but if you knew this was going to happen you wouldve tried to prevent it and created a doomed one DAVE: and so i didnt say anything DAVE: i couldnt DAVE: so DAVE: sorry for putting you through that JADE: oh..... JADE: dave D: JADE: well im here JADE: if you ever want to talk about it DAVE: its cool DAVE: you just deserve to know what happened there DAVE: but thanks DAVE: so am i JADE: yeah i know JADE: i guess i should be glad you did that then... JADE: even though i was freaking out when it happened ._. JADE: otherwise you wouldnt be here will us now dressed in your red god tier time pajamas DAVE: yeah these magical rags really are comfortable arent they DAVE: and they stay like perma clean JADE: they are! i would wear mine over and over for days on end JADE: id take a nice shower and put it right back on JADE: and you know how much i love cycling my outfits through my wardrobifier JADE: by the way dave your cape is sooo cool! :o DAVE: thanks DAVE: yeah i love it its hella soft DAVE: its like ive got a portable snuggle blanket with me in case i ever need to drop to the floor like a tired sack of shit and get my snooze on DAVE: ive got a permanent personal reservation at club bed featuring dj pillow and mc blanky JADE: heheheh JADE: can i touch your cape? DAVE: of course go nuts JADE: yaaaay!!

[thetopichot]

•° The Middle Ground °•

☆ Chapter II ☆

Ya'll we are soooo back

Word Count: 1.3k

As the sun rose to let the people know that it was a new day, so did Auron. However it did take quite some time to open his eyes but he eventually did as one has to for another day at work. Auron sat up in his bed as he stared blankly at the fancy door frame across from his bed blankly, without a thought in mind besides just being exhausted from yesterday. 

The afternoon before was long but the night before was even longer. Secret Shipments & just having those annoying, diplomatic discussions with other allies that helped make his secret underground running. However throughout that night, a little voice rang through his head. 'Be confident in what you do'. 

He said that to Finn after the whole outburst  from both him & that.. brat. He took a moment to think about that statement. It felt so.. hypocritical & felt so shallow. As much as Auron holds onto this facade of being a leader, there are a few times where he himself questioned his confidence. 

However without that same confidence, he wouldn't be the same man he was today. Yet, he wished he wasn't. Bygones are bygones so there isn't much he could do to change the past. Time moves on & if people cannot move along with him then, they were never truly worthy of his time.

However, he couldn't help but to be overcome with worry whenever he thought of Finn. He never truly knew why he took such an interest in this florist & came around his shop somewhat often. Could it be the down to earth vibes that the shops bring that's quite similar to his stories or could there be more to it? 

He brushed this thought away for he thought it was useless to think about it & then, he began his routine.

Auron came to his job as usual with a bit of tiredness but luckily enough, today was the last day for now & the weekend was approaching. Despite it being closer to the weekend, the day felt so sluggish & repetitive.

Of course, the repetitiveness was a sign that things were under control & he had faith in his workers. Although, he did wish that something was different. Something that catches his eye & just took him away from the thought of work in general. He doesn't want to bury himself in his own work for the sake of his own entertainment. 

He wanted more than that. Then the thought of Finn reaches his thoughts once more.

Whenever he went to that shop, Finn would always greet him with a smile. It didn't really impress him at first because that's what a person within the service industry always does including him as well. However, Finn was quite different. He would always talk to him about his floral facts all of the time.

He wasn't doing it to sell him something.

"So it's not a sales pitch?" Auron inquired Finn & he softly chuckled in response as he snipped the roses.

"Why would it be a sales pitch?"

"To make it more appealing?"

"Oh, I never really thought about it like that." Auron quirked an eyebrow. "I mean, I've been quite nervous to tell my facts. People often find it bothering them. They just want the flowers & do what they need to do. Speaking of which, why are you interested in my facts?"

Auron thought about that question. "Maybe I just want something different. Something that breaks the cycle of repetitiveness occasionally. I just want to hear something different than something I've already heard thousands of times."

"Jeez, you sound so dramatic-" Finn caught himself. "Oh, crap! I'm so sorry that it sounded so rude! Um I-" Auron laughed. Finn paused as Auron genuinely laughed. His smile was so bright & Finn was attracted to it like a moth.

"I suppose you're right," Auron smiled, "I can sound quite dramatic."

"But that was no excuse to say that to you!" Finn said.

"Finn." Auron said. "You shouldn't have to apologize. It's better to say what's on your mind rather than just to fake it. I hate when people play suck up to me." Finn becomes nervous.

"I'm assuming I have this whole time?" Finn nervously asks & Auron nods in response.

"You have to be less insecure & I don't converse with people who aren't confident in themselves. You have to believe that you can do it or else, people will walk all over you." Finn looks away from Auron with a soft frown. His eyes averted him as he felt guilt in himself.

He was right, ya know. A Lot of people have taken advantage of Finn because of how easy & lenient he was. He gladly drop anything if it meant for them to stay but they didn't stay. 

& now, he's alone with someone who he barely even knew in his own shop lecturing him about how to be less like a doormat that you walk on & cover in someone's own filth. That's all he was to most people. A doormat.

Auron sighs as he resumes his speech. "I don't want that for you. I don't know why I care so much. Maybe it's because I just feel pity for you or maybe I drank too much the night before but, I don't want that for you."

"But why are you telling me all this, Auron? Why do you care so much?"

Auron didn't answer that question at the time but as the memory lingered, he reached his answer. As he spoke aloud in his office without knowing, he answered the memory.

"Because deep down in the bitterness of my heart, I adore you."

He was soon interrupted by the sound of the intercom on his desk. He pressed the button.

"Talk." He said neutrally as he snapped back into reality.

"Hello to you too, sir." Trish's voice came from the intercom.

"Oh good morning, Trish. Finally got to work?" Auron said all snarky but in a playful, harmless manner.

"Haha, really funny. However, that's not why I called you." Trish went from sarcastic into a serious tone. Auron noticed the change & straightened his back & cleared his throat.

"Then, what is it?"

"Finn, the florist from Talk Floral, requested a meeting from you at a tea shop named, Hattie's."

"He wants to what?" Auron curled an eyebrow as he leaned over his desk staring at his intercom in confusion.

"Finn has requested you for an outing."

"Yes, I know that, Trish. I heard you for the first time." He rubbed his eyebrows together, "I'm asking you why."

"I'm not too sure. I don't think he ever talked about the reason why plus I also don't think I get paid enough to be nosey. Either way I wouldn't have much of an answer for you, kiddo." Auron audibly sighs. "Come on, don't pout. I think it would be nice for you to get out of the office & actually enjoy yourself for once. You always brood in your office alone."

"I don't brood, Trish. I do perfectly fine just being by myself. I don't need anyone to accompany me."

"More like you're accompanying Finn but, Finn is such a sweet boy & don't forget, you did give him quite the hassle with the Valentine's bouquet. Either way I don't see anything wrong with it. Wouldn't hurt to bite into something sweet." Auron softly laughs at the last sentence. "Quiet you."

"& you get mad at me for making jokes, you're quite a prude. However," Auron thought a bit. "Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to indulge in something. Things have been pretty bland around here. Wouldn't hurt to indulge into something, I suppose."

He leans back. "When is it?"

"This sunday after 12pm. He said that's when his shop closes & is able to meet with you." Auron thought about it as he opened his laptop to check for his schedule. Obviously, the office was closed for the weekend for him & the office leaves early today because it's a friday. 

But what he did after hours, it's something very hard to reschedule.

"Tell Finn that I accept his offer," He knew he was going to do something stupid but for some reason.. "& I will pick him by 11." His heart couldn't help but beat.

☆ミ Author's Notes Underneath 👇 ☆ミ

🩷 - THE HOMOS ARE BACK AFTER LIKE 2 OR 3 MONTHS OF BEING GONE!! This was supposed to be intermission but they told themselves they didn't want that so I said oh okay & here we are. I hope you enjoyed this chapter because it took alot outta me to finish it.

[twst-drabbles]

Jack 10

Summary: Someone from Savanaclaw, with black coyote ears and red hair, was following you around, carrying your books and notes with a pep to his step. Jack doesn’t want to judge, he’d be a hypocrite if he did, but the reason he wanted to help out was…odd to say the least.

(If anyone’s wondering, it’s that one Savanaclaw NPC with the black ears and red hair. He has no name, anyone want to give him one?)

Jack’s not really one to remember names of people he’s not close to, or won’t see often, but he remembers faces pretty well. He knows of that coyote over there, always in a posse, following what the others do. It gives Jack this weird sense of illusion, like the strength that coyote wants to show off is only as good as the people he’s with. There’s pride in being with a pack, certainly, but one can’t forget that you’re also an individual. It’s probably why he doesn’t remember his name.

All this to say that it ticks something off for Jack to see this student following you, the janitor, to and fro the hallways, carrying stacks of books and papers, all neatly tabbed and coded. Jack’s only impression of this man was an exaggerated scowl fit for a guard dog. But now here he is, shoulders pulled straight, black ears at attention and a silly smile on his face. Even his tail was waving without a care in the world.

It’s not unusual to see you in the hallways at this time. Everyone basically went back to their dorms or are in their clubs so it’s probably the only time you can study in peace. A janitor you may be, you don’t seem to waste an opportunity to study. It’s admirable.

Though, you have no magic, and Jack gets the sense that coyote is of the kind that don’t like to snuggle up to humans. Which begs the question: why is he following you around with that giddy expression on his face?

Well, whatever you do is your business, no sense in prying.

So he says to himself but look what he’s doing, walking right towards you anyway.

The senses of a beastman never fail, so the coyote was the first to turn around. Jack should really learn his name at some point.

“Ah?” His voice challenged, teeth bared as though ready to growl at him, but the student perked up at the sight of Jack. “Oh! It’s Jack! How you’ve been?”

Jack really needs to learn his name. But it’s rude to ask now. Ugh.

“Hmm?” The bandages on your arms caught his attention more than anything else. Raw skin, dusted to golden sand. Jack tore his eyes away to your face. “Howl? What’s up?”

Jack crossed his arms. “…he’s not bothering you, is he?”

The first one to greet should always be the person you respect the most. If he’s causing trouble, Jack will take up the books and follow you.

“Him?” You glances over you shoulder, the coyote brightening up, almost bouncing on his heels when you gazed at him. “Oh, no he’s been a great help.”

“Really?”Jack’s ear gave a twitch when he saw how the lackey deflated when you turned back around. You jutted a thumb behind you.

“Mm-hm. Said he’ll take care of all the heavy stuff so long as I give him something.” You backed up, leaving the coyote room to join in the conversation. “What was it you wanted again?”

“Yeah!” The coyote butted in, adjusting the books as though showing them off, “I carry the stuff and you choke my lights out as soon as you heal!”

“…what?” Did Jack hear right?

You nodded with a sigh, as though you had no choice. The injuries already left you looking tired and somehow you shifted to downright exhausted. “It’s as my lackey says. He carries my shit, take my shift and I send him off as a ghost.” You snorted. “I kid, just to dreamland. I was willing to give money but—”

“Nope, this is my sorry to you,” The coyote shook his head, firm and unwilling to budge, “I thought you were some weakling bothering the boss but you knocked him a new one! I can’t just say sorry and leave it at that.”

“Is the choking part of the apology?” Jack dared to ask.

“Yes!” Why is he so eager then? Why is his tail wagging? “An apology and nothing else!”

You shrugged at his lost expression. “He’s willing to help basically for free. Can’t exactly reject that.”

Jack shouldn’t have said anything.

[hells-sirenqueen]

As Lilith continued to rebuild her kingdom brick by brick, flashes of memory came back to her from her final day before she ended up here. Her heart ached at the memory. She had the scar to prove it - as did her beloved Lucifer.

Lilith made sure of it. Such a bittersweet ending they had. It was only a matter of time before she had to fight him, back then. The tension between Heaven and Hell was so thick one could literally cut it with a knife.

Fallen angels were dubbed commanding officers to lead hordes of demons - all following the lead of their cursed demon queen. Any who refused to fight in her name were either burned or decapitated on sight. She refused to allow any to speak a word against her to live. You either supported the queen or you suffered for your ignorance.

Father had warned her that pressing for war was a bad idea. It would only bring heartbreak and destruction. Even after being summoned into in realm for a serious 1v1, she dismissed his warnings and twisted his words into things she wanted to hear.

Destruction? Wonderful! If she falls, she's taking his precious Heaven with her. Their hypocritical double standards made her skin crawl. Their preaching fell upon deaf ears. She refused to believe that anything that Heaven preached was true.

Heartbreak? Well that was easy as ever to narrow down. There have been a few encounters between her and Lucifer before her march to Heaven. His "monitoring Hell on Heaven's behalf" felt more like an excuse to see her. There was one time she was so close to distracting him from his duty. A time where he caught a glimpse of her executing a Duke for thinking about assassinating her with one of his own men by seducing her.

She wouldn't stand for it. After sending his body to the cannibals, she had her guards take his head to the gates and placed on a pike. Following the action of giving her orders, she caught a glimpse of Lucifer standing in the shadows, silently watching. The corners of her lips curved as she made her way to his location. She questioned him, as it wasn't safe for him to be alone in Hell. He uttered a reply, saying he could handle her on his own if needed to. Classic of Lilith to utter an innuendo, hoping that he certainly could handle her - preferably without all of his noisy armor.

He became flustered, turned away from her but she never heard a note of rejecting the idea. She teased him with a brief kiss and managed to lure him to her chambers for an hour but she sadly couldn't convince him to stay. He was still honor bound to serve Heaven. He refused to remain in her arms, giving an excuse that he had to report back topside and warned that she should stay more than an arm's length away from him if she knew what was good for her.

Though his words hurt, she could tell in his eyes that he struggled to believe in his own words. He wanted to stay, he wanted to remain in her arms..but he couldn't. Duty came before personal wants. God's favorite solider had a weakness and she planned on exploiting it for all it was worth until he was in her claws.

It wasn't long before his visits became less frequent, the work of those above rank. All the more reason to tear Heaven apart!

When her people were ready, she made her orders. They were greeted by quite the welcoming party. The finest that Heaven had to offer greeted them at the Golden Gates. The angel heading the welcome party? Who better than Lucifer himself.

He warned her to step down, to turn turn around and return to Hell so there would be no bloodshed; all while pointing a blade at her.

He stood his ground but she could see those dark circles around his eyes. The fatigue, the pain in his soul for being separated for so long. She had a feeling that if they weren't being watched that he would drop his blade and come running.

Oh, the poor tortured thing. They were doing her job for her! The absolute nerve!

But he wouldn't move, not even as she pointed out Heaven's flaws and pointed out how he looked ragged. As much as she detested having to fight him, she gave him a curved grin and took him up on his challenge. Taking out her own blade made of obsidian, their blades clashed. War broke out at the gates as the many legions of Heaven battled against Hell.

All the while, Lilith and Lucifer fought in the sky. She played dirty, using shadows to sneak attacks here and there. At one point, he managed to pin her against a wall, berating Lilith for being so selfish for having this war to begin with.

She only laughed. The reason for her war was to dismantle the powers that be, those that were in charge of Heaven and change how their laws were. Every lesson she had been preached to screamed hypocritical. If they were supposed to have unity, their laws were double standards.

She spoke with Sera and others before, to come to a compromise but Heaven refused to budge. It was Hell that had to change, not them. She didn't quite like the idea that change had to be one way. So she repeated to Lucifer what she told God; if one is making the effort to change, unity he wishes for won't happen. Change must go both ways. If not, then there is no more room to talk. Only action. Action to validate one's opinion.

She was going to head for Sera's head and take great joy in holding her head in her claws.

That obviously didn't go well with Lucifer.

So their battle continued and he managed to score several hits against her, but she was still standing tall, taunting him. Her taunt was the final straw.

He uttered a prayer before throwing his holy blade in her direction. Lilith's eyes gave a dark sinister glow as she used shadows to teleport him against her chest. If she was going down, she would take him down with her.

His blade ran through them both as she pulled him into a bittersweet loving kiss. Their last moments alive spent with each other's blood in their mouths.

Lilith smiled against his lips, feeling him kiss back as his arms hesitantly wrapped around her as the angelic steel slowly killed them.

As darkness slowly wrapped around her mind, the last sight she recalled was the glowing golden gaze of regret from her Lucifer.

When she awoke once more, the bodies of her fallen soldiers were no where to be seen. Not even Lucifer was to be seen anywhere. Her skin was paler and she noticed how broken the gates of Heaven were. Before she could explore, she was pulled by shadows and thrown into a small pocket plane; imprisoned for centuries.

Now, she had a second chance to pull him into her arms once more. She was tired of others keeping him away from her. The only time she felt alive was when she felt his presence at her side.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to rebuild her Hell. It may have few subjects, but she would make due with what she had. A number of vampires and lesser demons thrived here in this little space bubble. Soon it would be thriving with more subjects, but at least they had a decent start.

ll @themosthatedbeingg ll

[texancommie07]

"And everything was made for you and me

All of it was made for you and me

'Cause it just belongs to you and me

So let's take a ride and see what's mine"

Heavy Metal Valentines Day One: Confession

December 16th, 1984. Billy Had Only Been In Hawkins For About Two Months, And He Hated It Here. In Fact He Hated Everything About The Place.

Well... Almost Everything...

There Was One Thing There He Liked, Loved Even. The Problem Was How To Go About It.

Billy Didn't Know, He Wasn't The Kind Of Guy Who Caught Feelings, Well Ever Really, So He Did The First Things That Came To His Mind That Put Him At The Least Amount Of Risk Towards Getting His Shit Knocked.

He Wrote A Letter. Stupid Right? Well It Gets Even Stupider When You Know That He Didn't Even Come Up With The Letter. Nope, Just Took Some Lines That Were Commonly Used On Him, Slapped Them Together And Hoped For The Best.

Now He Just Has To Wait.

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

He Stood At The Rickety Old Table In The Woods. It Was About 9:00 p.m. And The Silence Was Creeping Him Out. You Didn't Really Get Quiet In California. He Was About To Head Home, Assuming That They Just Thought It Was A Joke, Until He Heard Footsteps.

"Hey Billy."

He Turned To Face Them. "The Hell Do You Mean 'Hey', How'd You Even Know I Was Here?" It Made No Sense. He Knew Eddie's Eyes Were Good, But It Was So Dark Out You Couldn't See A Foot Infront Of You. And He Was Facing Away!

"You Wrote The Letter, Right? The One Shoved In My Locker? I Recognized Your Handwriting."

"Oh..."

Billy Stood There, Slightly Stunned. He Didn't Know How To Move Forward, He Hadn't Really Planned This Far. He Didn't Even Expect Eddie To Show Up.

"So, Are You Gonna Tell Me What The Note Was About, Or Are You Just Trying To Have A Staring Contest With Me?" Even With How Dark It Was, Billy Could Practically See The Grin On Eddie's Face.

"Shut Up. You...I Haven't Been Here Long, But This Place Sucks. It's A Shit Hole Full Of Shit People."

"Very Astute Observation, Tiger. Anything Else You Wanna Tell Me About That Place Before We Continue The Grand Tour?"

"Shut Up! Lemme Finish Jackass." Billy Heard The Russeling Of Fabric As He Watched The Blob Of Eddie's Shadow Put It's Hands Up.

"I Hate This Place And Absolutely Nothing Good In It... Except For You... You're The Only Decent Thing About This Place. Hell, If People Saw The Way We Interacted, They Might Even Call Us Friends. But I Don't Wanna Be Friends." He Paused, Taking A Breath Before Speaking Up Again.

"I Wanna Be More Than That..I Like You More Than That. I Want You More Than That."

Billy Stopped, His Eyes Having Finally Started To Rejust After Opening Them Again(When Did He Close Them?), To Look At Eddie. They Were...Smiling?

There's No Way, But It Couldn't Be Anything Else, Billy Could See The Way Their Teeth Reflected The Moons Light.

"Well Well Well, Big Bad Billy Hargrove Is In Love With The Town Freak. Can't Say I Saw That Coming. Though, Can't Really Say I'm Upset About It. That'd Make Me A Pretty Big Hypocrite, Considering I'm Pretty Sure I Fell First."

Wait, "Fell First?"

"Oh Yeah, I Was Mildly Obsessed With You The Moment You Got Here, You Make Quite The Entrance, I Must Say. I Thought It Would Pass Like Most Feelings Like That, Aesthetic Attraction And Nothing More. But Then I Started Dealing With You, And, If I'm Being Completely Honest, I Think I Was Gone After Our Second Meeting."

Eddie's Tone Seemed Almost Sheepish, Like They Were Ashamed Of Admitting It, At Least To Billy. Billy Took The Risk.

"So, What I'm Hearing Is, You Wanna Be My Boyfriend, Maybe?" The Second The Words Left His Mouth He Cringed. God, He Was So Good With Women, How Was He Struggling This Hard?

Although, Maybe His Skills With Men Weren't As Terrible As He Thought, As Eddie Let Out A Cackle At His Response, Their Stupid Goblin Laugh Echoing Off The Trees.

"Yes Billy, I Would Be Delighted To Be Your Boyfriend."

Billy Was Actually Sunned, He Almost Couldn't Find It In Him To Speak. Almost.

"Can I Kiss You?"

"Please."

Sketch

[hekateinhell]

#VCKinkWeek, Day 6: Edge Play

Lestat/Armand/Louis. 1.1k. Rated M (impact play, knife play, S&M, Lestat in tears because seeing it is my personal kink). 🖤

“Do it, Louis,” Armand’s voice, soft yet commanding, that of the little coven master, echoes through Lestat’s ears.

Words being spoken for Lestat’s benefit only when Armand could just as easily have an entire silent conversation with Louis in front of Lestat’s very eyes, and Lestat would be none the wiser? Should be none the wiser, if Lestat’s lovers can behave themselves in his presence, that is. 

He watches Louis turn the sharp blade from side-to-side, as though he’s never seen such an instrument in his life, the steel refracting the light from the chandelier over Lestat’s bed. Beautiful Louis... deceptive in his humanity as Armand is in his innocence.

“Go on, my love,” Armand prompts Louis again. He hasn’t said a word to Lestat since their night began, even as he’s sitting on the bed beside him, absentmindedly running his fingers through Lestat’s hair, letting them snag on a tangle and yank through, an abrupt burst of pain that blossoms and crests simultaneously.

Louis’s glance flickers from Lestat’s face back to Armand’s a moment too long; he’s dropped his guard and let the secret slip. Lestat swallows back the furious urge to snap: “Whatever is it you have to say to each other, say it out loud, damn it!”

Hypocritical, given how much Lestat cherishes his own telepathic communications with Armand and shouldn’t begrudge Louis that same intimacy with one they both love so dearly? Maybe so. Does Lestat care? Quite frankly, no.

Louis is his Louis! Armand is his Armand! Oh, Lestat’s not fool enough to consider that the two of them don’t have plenty of secrets between themselves, those concerning Lestat and those having nothing to do with him whatsoever. He isn’t sure which one of those possibilities is a more infuriating notion. 

It must show on his face. Lestat has never been able to hide his mercurial moods. His upper lip curling back in a snarl, his brows drawing together in a scowl as he considers breaking free of the restraints Armand had lovingly strapped around his wrists and ankles. It’s symbolic. They all know nothing manmade could ever hope to hold Lestat, and ordinarily he’s delighted to play into the illusion. 

“Well?” Lestat demands when no immediate apology is forthcoming. Louis’s emerald eyes boring into his as he blinks slowly, knife still poised in mid-air, expression blank, almost as though he were processing Lestat’s reaction. 

Processing it and seemingly made weary by it, the look of a fatigued parent. 

Armand shifts on the bed and the motion is so abrupt Lestat doesn’t have a chance to anticipate the full weight of it before the back of Armand’s hand strikes hard across his right cheek. Hears Louis gasp out loud at the sound of the impact as the gemstones on Armand’s many rings scrape over the skin of his cheekbone, the heady scent of his own blood permeating the air even before Armand pulls back. 

“Now that is enough, Lestat,” he hisses and Lestat nods, too stunned to do anything other. If he had been less caught off guard, he might have laughed in Armand’s face or even dealt him a worse blow in return. 

Armand could handle it, he could handle Lestat. 

He bends down, his auburn curls spilling over to frame his face as he licks a broad strip up Lestat’s face like a kitten. His long lashes dusting over Lestat’s skin as his eyes flutter shut and he groans at the taste. 

Lestat can’t suppress the pitiful little whine that leaves his throat at the sight. How he loved sharing his blood! Witnessing the most primal and powerful part of him become a part of those he loved. He ought to chain Louis and Armand down in his dungeons, keep them there forever with only Lestat’s blood as substance! What more could anyone possibly desire? 

And Louis, where is Louis now? It’s an all-consuming urge, Lestat’s need to have them pressed to either side of his throat, taking and taking as much as he can give, infusing his essence into them so there would never be any question as to whom they belonged to. 

“Louis…”

No sooner does Lestat whimper Louis’s name than Armand drops his head down to Lestat’s collarbone, his hand coming to pat along the inside of Lestat’s exposed thigh, languidly caressing the hard muscle. “Right there, Louis. You will have to dig deep to reach the vein, mon amour. Don’t be afraid. Let us make a mess of our lord as he so desperately desires.”  

Louis, his tender Louis, looking at Lestat and only him with his pupils blown wide, the exhilaration of a natural-born predator in the presence of his prey. The combined provocation of having smelt his maker’s blood, the promise of more, and Armand’s sensual spell — the witchcraft Armand welded with words alone! — finally enough to spur him into action. 

Lestat’s breath locks in his throat, his mind denies him the searing pain for all of a millisecond at the first incision Louis makes: a clean line at least 4 inches long and 4 inches deep into his thigh, slicing the outer layer of Lestat’s femoral artery, flaying him open like a pig at the slaughter.

A wild jump of adrenaline courses through him as he cries out — no, that was a scream, something visceral and anguished and liberated —Armand’s hand closing above the strap over Lestat’s wrist in an attempt to ground him in place. Every nerve ending in Lestat’s body becomes alive as the goosebumps break out over his flesh, fear sending his heart hammering in his throat, every erratic beat causing the blood to gush out even faster from the gaping wound. 

“Is he alright?” Louis, more mild-mannered than most and every bit deadly as the rest of them. Perhaps even more so. “Shall I do the other leg as well?” 

A warm twinge of pride is the last feeling Lestat would expect to feel right now, and yet he does. A maker’s comfort and a lover’s pleasure at seeing Louis embrace his more sadistic tendencies. Another scream tears itself out of his chest as Armand dips two fingers deep into his pulsating flesh, the wound struggling in vain to heal as Armand forces it to remain open, spreading his fingers inside him. 

“Wipe away his tears first, my love. I want him to see,” Armand instructs. Louis’s fingers are cold and delicate as his thumbs gather up the blood tears clinging to Lestat’s lashes, obscuring his vision. He wipes them on his handkerchief, the perfect gentleman. 

Lestat lets out a low moan that turns into a high-pitched sob as Armand suddenly jerks his fingers out of him, coated and dripping in glistening crimson. He dangles them over Lestat’s very face, and a droplet falls, teasing him with his own taste, but it’s not meant for Lestat at all. 

“Have him first, Louis. Remember, this is what he wanted.” 

[freedomfireflies]

Hiiihello 👋. Finally caught up on insufferable you, and let me just say…. I’m obsessed with this fic concept. You so beautifully allow each character to explore their place in the dynamic, and the tension that we’re seeing at the moment is so natural as they adjust (or struggle to adjust, in some cases) to the new dynamic. Like in some ways, I’m actually so grateful that Rebecca and H are settled into this 5 year relationship, because I think there would be so much more unease if everything new with Kitten was compounded by Rebecca and H still figuring out their own thing. Instead, we have Rebecca who is an absolute LEGEND. So warmly inviting Kitten into the dynamic, sort of guiding the way with teasing H about the intimate moments, revealing how their relationship works. Honestly Rebecca is top tier and they’re both lucky to have her!

And of course, it is so natural for Kitten to be jealous and nervous and settling in. She’s been monogamous for her prior relationships, and suddenly there’s someone else spending time with her crush/ partner. It broke my heart a little when she was trying to rush off the phone at the beginning because H was with Rebecca and has plans, even when she apologised for calling so early. Almost as if she only “has him” when he’s in her space or physically with him, whereas H was trying to take care of his girl and show her all of the other ways he could be hers even when es not there. I just thing that moment was so responsible of him, both the checking in post scene but also trying to care for her as she struggles to adapt to this newness.

And of course, the jealousyyyy. I’m glad H can admit it was hypocritical for him not to want her to call Ethan when he has Rebecca, but we have to remember this is new to him as well. We know he has shared Rebecca with other relationships previously, but so soon after they got together? Maybe not. And maybe (we hope) he’s feeling maybe some new things for Kitten which makes his struggle a little harder. I mean, we know I love a bit of angst and I see that coming sooooon if this Ethan bit does come in. In this chapter, H literally said he knew Kitten didn’t have any other plans because she tells him so much, and so what about when he asks to meet up and she says he can’t because she actually has plans?! And he’ll realise what she means and it will be a whole “oh…oh” moment. I will be HOWLING. And I can see him sulkily being like “can we do something Tuesday or is that Ethan’s night too?”. This man is about to get jealous on a whole new level. And maybe a bit petty as well, if he doesn’t agree with Ethan’s date choices (“he brought you to a horror film? As if, you hate those things. Here, why don’t we go see X film to make up for his horrible taste?”).

Lastly I just want to say that I have seen the other asks who were not comfortable with this dynamic and I think you had very respectful responses back. It’s true that this dynamic will not be for everyone, but that is why authors notes and warning tags exist. I personally am not so into fantasy themes, so when I see an author posting a new fantasy fic, I just done read it. I have no doubts the writing is excellent, I just know personally it won’t be for me. So I do hope you continue to write this fic, as myself and others are so invested to see what happens next. As I said up top, you’ve given each character their time to explore the dynamic and I think that’s a beautiful thing.

Sorrrry this is ridiculously long, I just had ✨thoughts✨. What was your favourite line from this chapter?

No because you don't understand, I just sat here staring at my phone with tears pouring down my cheeks over this because this is so incredibly sweet and kind and MY HEART IS GOING TO BURST???

Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to say such wonderfully kind and crazy insightful things!!!! ALSO BC "Or is that Ethan's night, too?" THE WAY I FUCKING HOWLED OH MY GOD can I please steal this bc now I need him to be that bitter alsfjdf

I cannot thank you enough for reading and sending this, like I literally feel SPEECHLESS right now?? You have no idea, I'm actually going to think about this all week??? You absolutely got everything I was hoping would convey in the story and I'm 🥹

THIS IS SUCH A FUN AND GOOD QUESTION ILY!! Honestly......I don't remember any of the lines anymore so I had to go look HAHAH but!! I think I'd have to say, "If I don’t put a bit of distance between us…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to breathe on my own.” because I feel like it perfectly explains her reasoning and her feelings in this part! She's scared by how much she's starting to care for him and she knows this dynamic isn't sustainable when he doesn't feel the same way!

BUT ALSO ALL THE FUNNY ONES WHERE SHE SAYS SHE PREFERS HIM HARD ALSO HAD ME LAUGHING AT MY OWN JOKES AT LIKE 2 IN THE MORNING SO MAYBE THAT TOO HAHA

Thank you again so much for this, I'm.....still at a loss for words and I appreciate this more than you know!!!

[lavender-descendentheart]

What do you think of azure lion and his friends since I really don't like him very much, azure is a little hypocritical for me? I don't know

As it is literally "oh, that evil sun wukong and his fellow pilgrims attacked my house in the name of the heavenly court "it is not as if they did not do it first and why he is surprised that heaven retaliates for it, also it seems he blames sun wukong as if the only culprit for his defeat when enralidad they all lost was not just sun wukong (in memory they were all rounded up)

It also bothers me about the different treatment given by the fandom azure lion

Azure lion who is the same villain archetype as lady bone demon but have different deals

Example azure does questionable things for good reason, the fandom treats him oh poor cat man just wants to help the needy"

Lady bone demon does questionable things for a good reason: what an evil and manipulative monster

I don't think I don't know all the bad things lady bone demon did, because if she did bad things, although that's the point, she was a villain (an amazing villain)

But it bothers me what azure lion, in the series we still don't show much of him but I really don't want the series to start trying to justify and throw under the rug all the things he's done as they did with a certain character (look at macaque)

Sorry if it's not understood try to put my thoughts in order as best I could maybe not understood but anyway 🤷

So you think of him

ah wonderful! It has been a age now then to address the fandom thing regarding the treatment of azure and LBD respectively it is

Fandoms have a lot of it guy villains are seen as more tolerable then a female villain case in point check the genshin fandom they riot whenever a woman is even slightly mean much less evil may the heavens restrain me when arlecchino is released it will be hell and also lmk with Macaque and LBD the former being somehow worse then the latter thanks to the special which altered our bone lady so macaque is legitimately a worse person…make of that what you will we have probably incurred the wrath of the macaque Stan’s in the mentions tbh now anyway regarding Azure

this blue fluffy kitty

He’s a bit tone deaf which is to be expected he did the wukong brain tendenrizer scroll edition so he’s a bit not caught up with things as evident by his interaction with DBK our resident and earliest defanged villain and his complete and utter disdain for PIF(reading that as a word never fails to make us laugh hahah oh god we are getting into hotd discourse later) now the thing is that Azure is very much the type to blame others for shit going wrong such as the wukong scroll cut incident tbh tho he had a point but he’s very much a how to say this…a earlier version of LBD that’s more relatable because he hasn’t gone “the world needs to be perfected” yet like she has so he’s a bit more relatable also helps that his season is a better season 3 and gives us significantly more time with him then we did with LBD as she only got bits of other seasons with other characters being focused on and then got robbed of her focus so she never got any real insight other then the special which was VERY much rushed now as to our opinion of Azure as a character…

We like him he’s a bit foolish and a poor substitute for the villain that came before him but he actually does what the rushed change with her intended better he’s overall kinda neat nice design good voice a fucked up personality and the first thing he decided to do was 1v1 god all around good character and he’s most likely going to get the macaque treatment so prepare for the fics butchering him as the show regulates him to background fodder at best and that’s if he doesn’t die which tbh is a 50/50 chance also funny how the mayor hasn’t shown up at all thanks for your ask cami and even we struggle with putting our thoughts into words so there’s that now time to suffer the hell that is the hotd fandom

[hekates-corner]

Apothecary Diaries | WN Translation | Arc 9 - Chapter 18

Hi and welcome!

For a number of reasons I ended up here. I relay all that happens in the chapters, playing wine-aunt.

So, be warned, all the spoilers are down below. If you'd like spoilers, but less - my dm's/asks are open!

New here or missed a part? Check out the Masterlist.

Chapter 18 | Hitoban Pt. 3

There was an uproar in the courtyard but as soon as Jinshi, the mightiest man, told them to disperse, everyone returned to their posts. Once everyone was gone they checked inside the net.

“What *the hell* is this…..” - both Jinshi and Basen went wide-eyed. Based on Basen’s reaction, Narrator-Mao concludes that the bird must’ve escaped him before he could get a proper look.

The bird that Chue had caught was an owl (esp ural owl), about a foot long. However, it had a somewhat eerie look (kao) to be called an owl and they were taken aback by it.

It’s face (men) was white and round, as if it was wearing a mask (men). The feathers around the face were dark, so if it were in a dark place without spreading its wings, it would look like a floating mask (men).

But—

“It’s kind of small, isn’t it?” - It’s Tianyu who says it plainly.

I think Narrator-Mao goes on noting that even in front of Jinshi, the moon prince, Tianyu looks/is bold/imposing. The double mention of Jinshi’s titles is throwing my translators off.

Maomao nudges Tianyu with her elbow.

“Oh, I’m very sorry. You were here too, moon prince”

Maomao finds Tianyu pretty unfriendly. Of course she’d moved herself elsewhere.

Jinshi too wore a slightly hard/stiff facial expression. On the surface it was the smile of a heavenly being/he had the smile of a celestial being.

“There was an uproar. It would be strange if we didn’t notice. But what were you doing?”

Maomao thinks something that's either “shameless” or “hypocritical”

She goes on wondering as narrator what he (Tianyu) is going to say since he (Jinshi) even sent Basen to her.

Maomao steps forward because she doesn't know what Tianyu would say/reply.

“Okay. Lately, there have been rumors that strange things have been happening around this mansion. The military attaché with the medical officer had been consulted about this matter by a servant, so he investigated it while patrolling the residence. Today, I was consulted by that servant in the morning, but I was reluctant to ask the military officer, who had (just) finished his night guard, to directly investigate. His original job is to protect the medical officer, not doing chores.”

Maomao thinks “Let’s mix a little sarcasm in there”

She goes on adding something along the lines of “So I, as a court lady and medical officer went out to see if I could hear the story.”

Jinshi’s pretty much like “I see/Hm. Then what about the doctor next to you. There must be other work for a doctor to do.” (referring to how she couldn’t wake Lihaku but chilling with Tianyu’s fine) - His eyes sharp/cutting/discerning.

In her head Maomao’s like “Ah-” - going on as narrator that in the end it wasn’t good to involve Tianyu at all.

“I’m very sorry. I forced myself to follow her (he’s basically saying he forced his presence upon her). Maomao is better at dispensing medicine than a young medical officer like me, and I’m currently learning a lot of things *from her*. When I heard Maomao was walking around the courtyard, I thought she was looking for something to use as ingredients for herbal medicine, so I followed her.”

Mind-Mao’s like “This guy… …” - apparently Tianyu shifts the way he refers to himself, using second person now. She also notes as narrator that he apparently seems to purposefully misspell someone’s name on purpose (I think it’s hers?)

She feels like Jinshi’s eyes have become even more stern/steely.

“I see. I understand the general situation, but is it true that the real mystery is this bird/I have a general understanding of what’s going on, but the key question is, is this bird the true identity of the monster?”

Maomao’s like “Yes. Half of it.”

Maomao looks at the owl.

“There will be people watching us here. I’d like to change the location and ask for more details, is that okay?”

“Yes, sir.” - Maomao accepts Jinshi’s offer/request.

“I’ve never seen a bird with a face (kao) like this before.” - Jinshi gives the caged bird a serious/fixed long look.

From the courtyard they were led to the guest room used by Jinshi - there’s also another couple of rooms in use that Maomao notes you could hold a light/small tea party in.

Jinshi is sitting as the host, and around him are the usual: Suiren, Maomao, Taomei, Chue and bodyguard Basen. Narrator-Mao also has a feeling that Basen’s older brother Baryou is probably nearby but she doesn’t think he’ll come out.

For some reason Tianyu is also in the same room, smiling.

Maomao thinks that Tianyu should just say he has some job to do and decline.. but as narrator she knows that “if something seems interesting, he’ll follow you, that’s Tianyu”.

“Why did you think this bird was the true identity of the mysterious “Hitoban”?”

At Jinshi’s question Maomao closes her eyes. She has to be careful not to give Tianyu strange information. (one could also use suspicious or unexpected, etc)

“Okay - the first thing that struck me as odd/I thought was strange was the word “mask” (men). When I heard that people had seen “masks” on trees and buildings, I first looked around/checked the trees.”

Then she found the bird droppings which clarified that it wasn’t a small bird, but a carnivorous one of a certain size.

“Small bird were normally flying around the residence during the day, so I suspected that if there were carnivorous birds, they must be nocturnal.”

“I see/Hm. At that point you felt like the bird was the true identity of the monster, but what was the basis for that?”

“If you know this bird, you can imagine it. This is my first time seeing one in real life, but I knew that there were birds that looked like they had masks (men) on. They were drawn in an illustrated book of living things that I got at the pharmacy I used to work at.”

Jinshi, Narrator-Mao assumes, would probably know what the illustrated book is - it’s one of those taken from the Shi clan’s fortress. She also notes that he should be the one holding onto it now, so he can see it if he gets someone to bring it to him.

“The name is said to be: barn/masked (men) owl. If it was a normal owl, you wouldn’t think it had a floating face - but, above all, I feel like this owl has a slightly unusual color.”

Dark feathers. She notes that she thought most owls had black wings and a white belly, but this one’s almost entirely dark brown except the face.

“May I ask you a question?” - Tianyu raises his hand.

“Let’s hear it/Say it.” - Jinshi’s tone is a little more imperious/coercing than usual.

“It certainly looks like a mask, but isn’t it too small? It’s too pretty/cute to be a human face though/called a human face though.”

Tianyu looks at the owl in the cage. The owl didn’t act violent, it just looked sleepy. If they were to put nesting material in the cage it might sleep.

“Human eyes are ambiguous/unclear. I think that the presence of the white floating in the air is significant. Besides/Also-”

Maomao takes a piece of paper out of her pocket - when she’s looking for a writing utensil Chue quickly handed one to her. Narrator-Mao notes that she moves quick/works well. In addition, she often provokes Basen, who let the owl escape, by giving him an irritated look.

Maomao writes four dots on a piece of paper and shows them to Jinshi and Tianyu - they should be exactly where eyes, nose and mouth are.

“The human eye is designed so that when the dots are lined up like this, it looks like a human face. This is similar to the idea of seeing a persons face floating on a pillar/It’s just like the way people’s faces are often seen on pillars.”

“Understood. You found out the identity of the mask(men) floating in the night.”

Tianyu puts his hand in the cage and.. pokes/nudges the owl - it doesn’t put up/offer any particular resistance. Taomei(?) comes over with a plate with raw chicken on it.

Maomao thinks “Luxurious.”

As Taomei(?) offers the owl the chicken with chopsticks, it easily takes a mouthful (beakful? xD). It has no qualms about eating things offered to it by others.

“You found out the identitity of the mask (men). But what is the identity of the head (atama)?”

Narrator-Mao notes that Tianyu’s not a fool - he remembers exactly what Maomao said.

“Mask (men) and head (atama)? What does that mean?” - Jinshi’s asking for an explanation.

Maomao decided to speak again, including a review.

“There have been reports of sightings for the past 20 days. At that time it was called “men” or “kao”. However, it seems that the last few sightings are of a head (atama). Moreover, it was floating outside the mansion.”

“I suppose you are trying to say that “mask/men” and “head/atama” are different things. So, if this bird is the “mask/men” what would/will be the head/atama?”

“That’s the thing.” - Maomao glances at Chue.

“What is it? Do you need something from Chue-san?”

“It’s not Chue-san, is it?”

Maomao was thinking about the chronology. Witness testimony of the “atama” from a few days ago. This coincides with the date when Maomao and the others came to/arrived in Saito. And there’s one person who seems to be doing something strange.

“Pardon me. Chue-san has been with Maomao-san for the past few days.”

That’s right, she was away plowing the field with Maomao.

“This is just a hypothesis. However, just by looking at this owl, I feel like I figured something out.”

Narrator-Mao takes note of the owl eating chicken with its foot, spotting beautiful goldwork.

“Probably, but I think we’ll find it soon. We just have to leave a little trap.” Maomao grinned, patting the owl with its creepy face.

The next day Chue appears, alongside with her the distinctive sound of her footsteps.

Maomao had finished cleaning up the breakfast and was preparing medicine with the quack doctor.

“Are you a prophet, Maomao-san?” - Chue said/asked while blinking.

“I see that you found it. Have you been rough with them?”

“What are you two talking about? I have no idea what you mean.”

He’s a quack from beginning to end, but since it’s too troublesome to explain Maomao asks him to continue dispensing medicine - after, the tea should be prepared.

Chue, looking like she owned the place, sat on a chair waiting for Guen to bring the tea and sweets. (i’d like her balls, ngl xD)

“Okay. As Maomao-san said, I kept watch over the owls cage at night. Then, I looked to the place where the owl suddenly started making noise - there was a big problem/and lo and behold, there it was. I/We found someone dressed in black with a strange mask on.”

Chue seems to be having fun, drinking the tea that Guen was offering quietly - the sweets he brought were dried fruits from Saito.

“I couldn’t believe he really looked/was dressed like that.”

Even Maomao was surprised that it fit so well.

“So, is that suspicious person the one who raised the owl?”

“Correct.” - Chue makes a large circle. (i’d assume with her arms)

“Maomao-san, why did you think that the culprit behind the strange incident was the owl breeder?” - Chue asked frankly.

Maomao recalls/remembers the owls characteristics.

“Because it was clearly a pet owl. It also had the decoration/ornament on its legs and it didn’t seem to get angry in the cage, so it was eating the processed chicken without any caution. I thought that he had been taking care of it for many years, rather than just temporarily caught it as a pet.”

“Ah/Oh”

“And there was one thing that bothered me about the sightings.”

Narrator-Mao explains: The sightings of the “mask/men” were reported about 20 days ago, and the sightings of the “head/atama” was reported a few days ago. There’s one/some similarity.

“If it was twenty days ago, it must’ve been around the time that Empress Gyokuyous niece left for the capital.”

“Ah/Oh” - Chue seems to understand.

“Owl’s were originally one of the offerings brought to the capital/The owl was originally one of the offerings taken/to be taken to the capital. What if it somehow escaped?”

“Oh/I see. So did they decide to capture it now because the royal family was coming and they wanted to present it again? Is that the reason he put on such a strange mask so that no one can see his face?”

Maomao had an idea about the strange appearance - but it’s not a clear answer, just one of the guesses that Maomao makes.

“Maomao-san. Chue-san is a easygoing person, but I’m not a fool, so I won’t take Maomao-san’s opinon as just a story.” - Narrator-Mao notes that she’s basically telling her to keep it short - once she hears this she feels lighter/her mouth does.

“I think the mask and black costume are probably meant to resemble the owl’s parents.” - Chue tilts her head at Maomao’s words.

“Do you know what imprinting is?”

“Yes, Chue-san knows. When a bird is born from an egg it recognizes the first thing it sees as its parent.”

“Right. I wonder if the caretaker intended to release the owl back into the wild. I thought that they might’ve tried to avoid them remembering people’s faces.”

“Oh”

Narrator-Mao remarks that judging by the owl’s droppings, it was probably catching its own food.

“But in the end, it seems like it developed the habit of receiving chicken from people. If an owl with a funny face was accustomed to humans, rich people would buy it as a novelty, or give it as a tribute to a nobleman.”

“Do you mean that the person who raised it didn’t like that and let it free or let it escape?”

“It’s just an assumption.”

“However, the owl that was supposed to run away ended up living in the villa of Gyokuen-sama. And if the royal family were to stay there, it would be a big problem.”

“That’s just hypothetical.”

“If you call for the owl and are dressed as you were when you raised it, it will come - then catch the owl and release it far away.”

“Assumption.”

“I know.”

Narrator-Mao notes that to call the owl they’d have to blow a whistle or something. The owl responded, but couldn’t get out. (that’s when it went crazy in the cage while Chue was keeping watch on it)

She goes on that whether or not her assumptions are true, one thing has been learned.

“There’s no doubt that he’s an owl breeder.”

“I agree.”

Maomao and Chue laugh with a grin. The quack doctor watches the two evil spirits outside the mosquito net and is frightened. If he, like Maomao assumes, is a person that can raise birds from chicks, a certain problem will come closer to being solved.

“The wind reading tribe”, told by a former serf named Nenshin - a tribe said to have been surrounded by the dog clan.

Maomao thinks that they probably can’t survive just by holding festivals/rituals.

Also, if “we” think about how they exterminated insects, one answer emerges.

The “wind reading tribe” is said to have handled birds. Maomao recalls that a certain thing was once done with birds.

Communication using pigeons.

Similarly, if birds were used as a means of communication, the wind-reading-tribe would become adept at not only festivals but also about espionage.

Maomao decides to meet the suspicious person they had caught.

Notes | Chapter 19

Yeah.. it was an owl all along xD outside of Tianyu, this was the most confusing back and forth so far. If you stuck around or knew what the ending was gonna be, congrats!

Maomao calls Jinshi shameless/hypocritical because Lihaku had mentioned he's been involved in getting the job to Maomao yet acted like he didn't know a thing.

Yes, Jinshi was jealous and Maomao knows.

I'm sorry that the mansion and villa thing keeps switching, we all know it's just a pricey, fancy house at the end of the day

So, now it's officially confirmed for you and me that the "dog clan" was Nenshin's group. It was confusing for me, but yeah.

Hope you enjoyed and stay safe!

[kamil-a]

two households, both alike in dignity

In wonderful Wonderworld, where we lay our scene... Caught between Elliot and Julius, Alice attempts to do what she does best- run from the truth. We hop here, from argument to argument, down to the end, where something will happen whether she likes it or not.

i just feel like at some point it should be impossible for both elliot and alice AND julius and alice to be close. i will proceed to write an unreasonable amount of words about it.

(See the end of the work for more notes.) (oboy are there ever more notes.)

1.

She should not have argued with Elliot about Julius, that much is true. When he asked where she was she should have said a movie theater near the Tower plaza and when he asked if she was friends with Julius she should have said I've spoken to him a few times but I wouldn't say we're friends and left. There are times when you just have to lie to Elliot, and this should have been recognizable as one of them, easily. But Alice was not thinking clearly, not now when it was only less than a time period ago that she had seen a woman look with pure disgust at Julius.

You might assume that shooting mean looks at people are yet another privilege reserved for those with visible facial features, but oh, you could tell. Alice had watched this lady grab her child out of his way and hurry off, behaving as if Julius were a monster about to eat her kid for lunch rather than the person who had directed the previously crying girl her way in the first place. And the little girl, who'd had nothing against him until now, is going to hate him too, now that she's been taught to do it. It isn't fair! It isn't fair! And Elliot bothering her when she was already worked up about this, well. You can see why she did not respond wisely.

So currently, Alice and a pot of tea are both simmering in Blood's office. She's hoping he'll be sympathetic, though in the back of her mind she suspects that as soon as she leaves he'll have their conversation's mirror image with Elliot, if Elliot hasn't beaten her to the punch already.

"Elliot said to remember how he talked to me when we first met, but I'd be prickly to strangers too if everyone treated me the way they do Julius, you know?"

The tea is ready, but Alice's mood continues boiling.

"For sure."

"Besides, it's not like Elliot made a great first impression on me either. A little bit hypocritical of him, isn't it?"

Blood nods, and sets out plates and cups for each of them.

"And it's not just Elliot. Even random people on the street, they all hate him! When he does nothing to deserve it!" 

Strangers not wanting to be near Roleholders is only to be expected, because for the average Faceless the death rate of so much as breathing wrong around a Roleholder is usually, oh, maybe a 50/50 gamble if the weather's nice and the mood is good. But Julius does nothing of the sort. She mentally compares him to the others- he doesn't hack apart strangers with axes like the twins! He certainly doesn't order beheadings like Vivaldi. He does not even sing badly like Gowland. (Alice knows this because she has caught him humming as he worked a few times, in the space between being cheered up by her company and forgetting she was still there.)

"Deciding what others do or don't deserve is a more complicated task than you may think, young lady. Elliot, for example, would have a different perspective."

"Elliot doesn't count. He's... I don't know, he's got a specific bone to pick, that's different."

"Mmmmm." A diplomatic non-agreement Alice has heard him give many a time to Elliot about things like if you were my height our ears would be the same size. "Well, I do agree it takes a lot of courage to go out every day and be universally hated. I wonder sometimes how he can stand it."

"Right?! It's so unfair."

"That said, unfair or not, I would advise you to stay away from him."

"Not you too!"

If he forbids her from visiting Julius, she would have to listen. And that would be that, because this is Julius we're talking about. If she can't go to that tower, she will most certainly never see him again, on account of he never leaves his desk except to go sit at his second desk. But so long as Blood frames it as merely a suggestion, she is free to frown and ignore it.

"Unfortunately." Blood shrugs with an apologetic smile and pours them both a cup of tea. Ladies first, of course. He does a graceful little trick with the pouring that Alice won't even bother to ask the method of, there's no way she could ever pull it off. "It is unfair, though, I agree with you about that. I'm telling you to stay away from the Clockmaker, and it isn't right that Julius Monrey has to get hurt in the process. But that's how it is."

"So this is about his job." her voice is hard.

"It is."

"And if I don't care about his job?"

Blood ignores this to take a sip of his own tea.

"Mm. Perfect flavor."

She rolls her eyes and sips her own.

"It is very good, yes. But-"

"Thank you. It takes careful practice to brew the tea this well. The leaves are-"

"But as I was saying, I don't see anything wrong with his job. Maybe it pays less than some people's, but it's a living!"

He raises an eyebrow.

"Do you know what he does?"

"Fixes clocks? Obviously. I usually watch him work when I'm there. It looks kind of nice to do. Relaxing. Maybe I'll ask him to let me help out sometime."

Blood's eyes widen a bit, and he settles his face back down in a bemused smile.

"This from the girl who won't touch a gun!"

What's one got to do with the other? She could ask, but it probably won't be worth it. Logic in Wonderland is never quite followable. Perhaps it all ties back into whatever Game everyone is beholden to, that guns and clocks are both important items, or something. She fills in the gaps herself. It all comes from her subconscious mind, after all.

"If it's only a suggestion, thank you, but I'm going to keep seeing him."

He puts down his teacup to hold up his hands in mock-surrender.

"Alright. But it's going to send a message to people, one that you might not want to send. Surely, there were situations like this in your world, too..."

His voice trails off. He's leaving the topic wide open for her to pick up on- she knows, logically, her part in this dance is to ask "and what might that message be?", and fill in the part of the puzzle she is lacking. And she almost does, before remembering that person sitting next to her, her friend and employer, is a mafia boss. That every paper she's filed away without looking could've been ordering a death, that every load of laundry she's done likely had money in it. Elliot is worth a warning or two himself. The truly moral thing to do would be to stop associating with any of these people, but they're her friends and she doesn't want to lose them. So she cannot- and does not deserve to- start worrying about drawing moral lines in the sand now.

"The only message I'm sending is that I'm not a snob about what people do for work." She says it with more venom than she means to let slip, overcorrects with joking sweetness on the next sentence. "And aren't you lucky I'm not, Mister Mafia Boss...?"

Blood chuckles and bows exaggeratedly. He knows when to drop a subject.

"I certainly am lucky. Can this Mister Mafia Boss get the Young Lady a pastry to go with her tea?"

2.

"If he ever hurts you, tell me," Elliot mutters as Julius walks away.

"Elliot, he saved me. Well, you both did." She had been walking through the forest with Elliot when assassins targeted the March Hare, and it was only thanks to Julius passing by that she was able to get away- not that she'd ever tell Elliot she was even for a second afraid he couldn't protect her alone. It's not like that, it was just a matter of numbers, two better than one. Okay? They'd lost track of each other for about a time period, and Julius had insisted that Elliot was in no danger, that the big dumb rabbit is strong enough not to die over a few Faceless hitmen, but Alice couldn't help worrying. She certainly couldn't sit quietly with a book in the Tower while Elliot could be out there getting murdered. So Julius put his own work off for later ("I can't concentrate with you pacing and looking out the window like that", was the excuse) and walked with her the whole way, silently holding her hand. At the Hatters' gate she found Elliot waiting for her. He was safe, and healthy enough (after a bear hug and a scritch on the ears) to bother her about Julius again.

"He would never hurt me."

"Don't be so sure." Elliot growls. 

"Fine. Can we not talk about Julius? I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm serious," he says. He moves to grab her arm but stops just short of doing so, flexes his hand in the air instead. "I'm so worried about you. Ugh, I didn't know the bastard had it in him to play nice to get his way..."

"We're just friends, Elliot."

"I don't want to scare you, Alice, no one does, but..."

There's a hush in the air. Elliot looks more serious than he ever has to Alice, chewing on one of his wheat stalks as he weighs his words. The set of his ears and twitch of his nose seem more than ever like a hare, a prey animal checking the trees and skies for hawks. Alice's heart thumps in her chest and shakes her whole body. He is about to say something horrifying about someone she cares about, bring to light the shadowy side that everyone she meets in this world seems to have. She does not want to know what it is. 

"I trust him," she says gently. She takes his hand in hers, rubs her thumb in circles over the back of it. All the outside sounds that seemed to hold their breath rush back in, distant chatter and leaves caught on the breeze and the occasional buzzing fly. She's standing still but still she's running away, the same as how she's been known to change the subject when the other Hatter staff talk about work work, and what exactly has happened to the maids who need Alice to pop in for a substitute shift. "And I trust you, too."

"If he hurts you, I'll kill him. I will, I really will, and I will make it hurt, I already know how I'm going to do it and if he just gives me a reason-"

"Elliot. I promise, I just read books up there."

"Oh!" He brightens up considerably. "Blood has books! You can save yourself the trip!"

"But only Julius lets you drink coffee while you read," she says with a wink.

3.

It is around this point when she learns how the clock gets made.

4.

"There's a story in your world that speaks to your current feelings," says Nightmare, floating outside an ornate building he's dreamed up for her to sigh pathetically at the open window of. "Romeo Vs. Juliet! A beautiful love story between two people hailing from opposing groups..."

"I don't think it's like Romeo and Juliet- And, by the way, not Vs.- even a little bit."

He looks forlorn. He must've thought he really had something, there. That thought of hers makes Nightmare look even more kicked puppy-esque, if possible.

"And I certainly don't want it to end like- wait, do you know how the play ends?"

As it turns out, he does not. The library of outsider knowledge Nightmare is privy to is both as expansive and as incomplete as the sum knowledge of all sleeping people, often leading him to myxed metaphors and misplaced miths. Fortunately, she learned this one in school. It was at a time in her past- she tries to keep this association away from Nightmare, but if she's aware of it herself it is surely too late- that she liked to imagine she was a bit like Juliet, at least in the sneaking-around-to-meet-one's-boyfriend department. She'd rather drink poison than go through that again, but at least she got an A on the essay.

"Ahhhh."

"Yeah."

They're quiet for a moment, his words and her thoughts, before Nightmare says-

"A completed love."

"What-" that's not fair, bringing that up. "I don't want either one of us to die!"

But thinking about it in more detail reminds her not of the rainy funeral day she's described to Nightmare in the past, but of a man's dead body found in the sunshine, swarming with afterimages. A broken clock left behind. Julius, the Clockmaker. If she dies, even for love's sake... what would happen then?

She knows, but she doesn't want to think it. She doesn't want to be afraid of Julius. Besides, she reminds herself, put a hand over your chest. You still have a heart.

For now.

Nightmare smiles fondly, which she hates. She hates this new thing he does, the enthusiasm with which he greeted her discovery of the scariest parts of this world, his joy at her horror that some part of her brain must be uncaring enough to build out a world like this. He's gotten huggy with her lately, as if sharing with her his belief that all people are just lifeless gears in a grand machine is something that creates intimacy and not distance. 

"It's not just my belief," he catches the thought out of thin air, the very moment it's thunk. "It's.... ah... nevermind. I'm sorry if I've come on too strong. If the thought of joining us scares you, you don't have to worry about it." His voice grows gentle. "Remember, it's only a dream."

"I know."

"So don't waste your time in this beautiful dream being upset. Just enjoy yourself."

She rolls her eyes at him playfully.

"I know."

5.

Morning... how long has it been since she's seen a proper morning? Not a Daytime period, but the sun rising and the darkness slowly fading away? It's beautiful enough to make her forget how tired she is, how bad her feet hurt, and want to run to a window and watch.

The Castle halls are full of people in various states of tired and disheveled, scrambling over each other to make it out before the event period officially ends and Vivaldi will be free to kill everyone her eyes land on if she so pleases. Alice is tired, too, and definitely disheveled, but ultimately feeling pretty good. Julius must be somewhere in the crowd, because they'd left their room at about the same time but she can't see him. Ah, well, she needs to meet back up with the group she came with anyway, and he probably feels he doesn't have a moment to spare to say goodbye with the work that piled up over the time he was away from his desk. She can always visit him later.

There's the group. Blood is nowhere to be found, probably sneaking last minute 'free samples' of tea, but the butlers and maids are there, and so are the twins, and...

Elliot.

At the ball she had been dancing with him, as friends, thinking Julius wasn't going to be there. He wasn't the best dancer, but he was a fun partner, and they were just getting the hang of the steps together when Julius showed up. He didn't say a word, just grabbed her and pulled.

And for all her grumbling, she'd still gone with him. And they'd talked it out, and later, uh, kissed it out. And... and it's a no-brainer that Elliot is going to be angry, isn't he. Beyond angry, even. 

Julius wasn't thrilled, either. A criminal, he had described Elliot, snarled it at her in a guest room close enough to her face that she could tell on his breath that he'd first stopped at the bar, maybe for the courage to approach her. Why were you dancing with that animal, (yikes!), that criminal- But, Alice already knew that. If Elliot's a criminal, what is she? She doesn't kill or torture or extort, not personally, but she supports the others, in friendship and employment. And then she buys her boyfriend (boyfriend!!!) silly little gifts, expensive coffee beans and a fancy glasses cloth and pre-sliced bread so he won't chomp right into a whole loaf, with her dirty criminal money. She wouldn't hear any more on the subject. Which felt virtuous of her at the time, look at me protecting my friend's name even to my love (?!) who kisses me (?!?!), but now she just feels kind of sick.

Elliot talks animatedly to Dee (or maybe Dum?) about something until Dum (or maybe Dee?) waves and calls out to her, and he turns around and freezes for a moment. Then he turns back as if he hadn't seen her, ears lowered angrily.

He won't even look at her? Is she, what, tainted by association now? As insulting as it is to her, it must be even worse to be Julius. Alice has lived with the Hatters for a while by now, certainly long enough to see that Julius has no quarrel with any other territory, no need to spy or sabotage or fight for more land, and that his work- though more complicated than it had first appeared to her- is the work of a healer, and benefits all. And yet nobody ever gives him a chance. And then they blame him for lashing out at other people. 

Despite that! She still doesn't want to just abandon her friendship with Elliot, the way he seems so ready to abandon her. She knows he can be kind, funny, caring, knows the pure warm joy of Elliot's good moods, and does not want to lose that. There has to be a way to make both of these relationships work. So she looks right at him and gives a bright smile and a wave, and decides that she will be a friend, even if he won't.

"Good morning, guys! Long time since I've gotten to say that, haha..."

"Did you have fun last night, big sister?" one of the twins elbows her. Elliot frowns even deeper, if possible. Not the icebreaker she would've gone for! Mmph!

"You must've had fun, cause somebunny was jealous."

"Somedoggy, at least. Don't kick him while he's down, brother."

"Ahh, you're right, brother."

"Hey, um, Elliot. Elliot!" He finally looks her way. It's embarrassing to do this in public, but she may not get another chance- "I'm really sorry about last night, okay? I was having a good time dancing with you-"

The twins see Elliot's face, share a look and back away. Smart kids.

"Whose side are you on, Alice?"

"What?"

"Just tell me." 

"I'm not going to pick sides."

"I knew it. I knew he'd turn you against me-"

Blood melts out of nowhere to save the day. Elliot's ears perk up as soon as he sees him.

"Everyone's here, I see? Good. Elliot, you'll be kind enough to lead the group home?"

"Sure. What about you?"

"Oh, I've got a few errands, and so on and so forth," he waves a hand lazily, and Alice is ready to kick him for abandoning her to this mess for the rest of the trip until he puts a hand on her arm. "I need to borrow the young lady for a moment, too. You all can go on."

"I'll see you later?" Alice says, unable to keep the question from her voice while waving hopefully at Elliot. 

"Maybe," he mumbles.

6.

Blood is a real savior here, so much so that she doesn't even complain about the detailed explanations of every last leaf sold at Incomparable Teas from Around the Wonderworld.

"Here," she says, picking out a teacup in the window of the store and shoving it (a little more roughly than you should be with a teacup) into Blood's hands. It's painted to look like a stained glass window, catching the morning light with its beautiful artistry. "I'm getting you this. I owe you for rescuing me like that."

"Don't forget who had to talk to Elliot all night while you were..." he pauses to really let the implication sink in, "Busy. He's a real crier when he gets upset, you know. I had to sit there with tissues, patting his head and encouraging him to drink some disgusting orange concoction of a smoothie he was too upset to touch." Good point. She picks out a matching saucer and a few jeweled spoons. "Ah, I'm only kidding. You don't actually need to buy me anything."

Blood takes a step closer to her and leans in to whisper in her ear, right there in front of the store owner and the street-facing window and everything. His voices drips with flirting, concentrated in both power and effort.

"But then again, I know something you can do if you really want to repay me..."

"Excuse you. I have a boyfriend."

Alice smacks him lightly (there, his repayment- she chose not to bruise!) on the cheek before turning around, where he can't see her blush. He laughs, so she thinks maybe she should've hit harder.

"Oh, you did have fun, hm? Congratulations to the two of you. I suppose you're soon going to be moving in with this boyfriend of yours?"

She tenses. She had been expecting this on some level- there's only so much disturbance she could cause in the upper ranks of a government via method of, let the earth swallow her up for how embarrassing this is, dating a rival leader, before the problem needs to be removed. It's sad, though, she'd grown to love the Hatter mansion. It's a second home to her.

"If you think it's what I should do."

"Calm down, young lady, I'm not kicking you out." She lets out a held breath. "But you should consider your options. Honestly, I'm happy to hear you aren't leaving us, even if... well, I'll see what I can do to keep Elliot's schedule from intersecting with yours."

"Oh, you don't have to do all that." It'd be a bit much. She turns a spoon over in her hand. "...Elliot really cried? Because I...?"

Blood gestures as if to chase her worries away with a flick of his hand.

"Like I said, he's a crier. I'll take care of him," which sounds unbelievably ominous from a man in a business where "take care of" is often code for "murder", but in this case probably means tea (always) and warm carrot muffins and a movie to take one's mind off things and going through anger, depression, bargaining, and denial to wind up at acceptance that utterly disgusting as it may be, he will get cried on by a full grown man chewing a mouthful of warm carrot muffin. "Worry about yourself, instead. You're his enemy now-"

Her stomach lurches.

"I-!"

"Regardless," Blood cuts her protest off almost before it can start. "Of whether or not you dislike Elliot, you are Julius' ally. So, his enemy. And Elliot does not have any patience for his enemies. I can only do so much if you insist on putting yourself in his way."

His eyes give away true worry under the who-cares act. Maybe he's right- Blood knows best that Elliot is dangerous, moreso than someone like her, who's mostly only seen him with his guard down and outside of his violent work. Blood himself has asked Elliot to do things that would sicken Alice to know about. So she committed to never knowing, and continues not to ask, and instead she puts her faith in this worst-of-both-worlds, this horrible slurry of cowardice to know and cowardice to leave.

"I'm not just going to give up on him like that," she says. Looks him right in the eye, summons up all her confidence. What else could a coward like her do? "I'm more afraid of losing my friendship with Elliot than of Elliot himself."

"Whatever you do, just make it interesting."

7.

But she is still a little afraid of Elliot. So when she does track him down to have a conversation it's in broad daylight, outside in the main gardens, with lots of other faceless workers milling about- like a blind date where you're not really sure if the guy is gonna be an axe murderer or not. hopefully at least one or two of her coworkers will take her side if things go south. She's brought a gift, too: carrot cookies, handmade, extra carrot. This she sets down in front of him, testing the waters. He sighs, nothing more.

"Do you have a moment?" Alice asks, very timidly, and his answer is to pick himself and a cookie up and stalk away. Wow.

"I'm busy."

"No you aren't!"

This is getting ridiculous. Her little sister is more mature than this. She chases after him with the plate.

"At least take the rest of the cookies with you!"

It gets a snort out of him. She'll take the victory, small as it is.

"There you go, c'mon, don't act like you didn't laugh-" trying her very best to be lighthearted while also noting, to herself, that Elliot is tall, maybe one of the tallest people she's ever seen and that's before the ears, and that he's very strong and very large and he has a gun, and he's currently angry at her.

"Turn around or I'll eat them myself!"

He turns around, cursing under his breath, and really looks at her for the first time since their dance was interrupted at the ball. he grabs the plate so fiercely he loses most of the cookies, curses at that too.

"I don't want to talk to you," he growls. His voice is shaking with the effort not to shout, and the shout goes into his leg instead, where he stomps at the ground. "I'm trying so hard- Blood doesn't want us to fight. I don't want to talk to you, or we'll end up fighting again."

"Well- um. That's nice of you."

It is. He who is known for shooting first and asking questions later has never actually laid a hand on her, for all his complaining. Whether that's solely on Blood's orders or because of his own affection, she had never considered before. Hopefully, it's at least partially the second reason.

She should not provoke him. She should turn away. But, losing him...

"You're the only one fighting, you know. I'm not mad at you, and I'm sorry about the ball. That's what the cookies were for."

He takes a bit of one of the remaining ones. 

"They're good, I'll give you that."

She walks a step closer, hesitantly. It's like inching up to a feral cat. You hope the food will help, but there's always a chance it won't.

"I just want us to be friends again, okay?"

"Dump him."

"Huh?"

"If you want to be friends."

"I'm not going to-"

"Then I guess there's nothing to talk about."

And he stalks away. Ugh.

8.

"Can you just drop it?" Alice snaps. This is getting to be too much, but she has too much pride to go back and ask Blood to keep her out of Elliot's way after all. The only time Elliot talks to her at all, anymore, is either to grunt in the direction of something he needs her to pass to him or to ask if she's dumped Julius yet. No, actually, she has not! What a surprise! She's tired of this, she is beyond frustrated- he is acting so stupid about it all- who does he think he is- she turns to a windowsill and slams down the papers she was carrying.

"Look. You don't have to date him!" (He recoils at the very idea.) "I have never even brought him inside the gates, I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it."

"You're dating the clockmaker," Elliot says. His nose twitches with contempt in a way that would be adorable under different circumstances, but it is no longer safe for her to think of him as a big bunny, not when his gun is out of its holster. It's not pointed at her- not yet. But it is in his hand. "I think it's a pretty big deal."

"I don't know why you're so hung up on that!"

"I don't know why you aren't. You're not creeped out?!"

"No!"

Not anymore, anyway, but this is the wrong time and place to admit it.

"You'd think an outsider, of all people..." he grimaces. "D'you hate seeing folks resting in peace so damn much you went all the way here?"

She can feel her heart (she forgets to think at least I still have one), beating faster. She can hear it pounding in her ears (one of the very last times she will; she already hears ticking in her dreams). She feels sick, but stands her ground. Julius is a healer, a doctor, nothing so morbid as what people think.

"I don't know what you're talking about. The point is- it's not about him. I'm sick of you bothering me, okay? I want to be your friend, Elliot- shut up, let me finish, I want to be your friend and I get it, you don't like him- we don't have to talk about him- shut up, Elliot, I don't care for all your choices either but you don't see me acting like-"

It is the wrongest thing she could have possibly chosen to say. She only meant, if Julius has such a repulsive job then what about Elliot himself, his job mostly boils down to kill people, and yet she can look past it! And yet she chooses to see him as more than that! But Elliot has taken his own meaning from the words, and Alice has never seen him so angry, his mouth twisted like this- he screams, wordlessly- and then she thinks ow, and then why does it hurt, and then she sees almost as if it's happened to someone else that it's because he's grabbed her by the shoulder. His gun is pressed up against her forehead. If anyone sees, they do not intervene. She understands. If she were a passerby to this, she'd stay out of it, too. She is pressed up against his chest. It is the last time they will hug.

"My choices! Of course you'd have a fucking problem! Of COURSE!" The tip of the gun jostles against her ear, his hands are trembling, oh my god, she is going to die. Elliot can barely get words out of his mouth. "Bullshit they said about Outsiders- I believed it- Just as bad as the other two-"

"Elliot, stop it!" she shrieks. "Let go of me!"

"Stay out of what's none of your fucking business!" 

If you die in a dream, do you wake up, or do you die for real? Goodbye, Lorina, she thinks, just in case. Goodbye Edith, Dad, Dinah, goodbye friends and even goodbye Ex, goodbye magazine articles I'm supposed to finish proofreading by the end of the week and goodbye moving boxes prepared in the back of my closet where Lorina can't see. Goodbye Julius, just in case you were real after all.

Being dead isn't too interesting, not that she'd know what it's like. It's a lot like the tiled floor of the mansion, so far. This is because she is not dead, just keeled over, not pushed but simply let go of and her legs had turned to jelly. Elliot puts his gun away in his belt.

"Blood still trusts you," he says, like he just remembered it. That's the only thing between her and the bullet. "Blood wants you to live here."

She's still shaking. It was too close a call. She wants to say something, but she can't. Elliot either doesn't notice or care.

"I don't know what happened!!" explodes out of her, loud enough to hurt her own ears. Not between the two of them and certainly not between him and Julius. She's too scared, too angry, to think about what he said about the other two. She's missing a puzzle piece, maybe even several. She ran away from too much and now she will never know. "I don't know what happened between you and Julius, but-" her voice breaks, some distant part of her brain thinks she should be crying but the rest of her body disagrees. The effort makes her throat hurt.

She puts her head in her knees, and then the tears come, belated. Julius has never made her feel this scared.

"Forget it," Elliot says, stomping off. 

epilogue.

"Ohhh, yeah, Elliot and Julius..." Ace grimaces. "Ooof, sorry you had to be caught up in middle of all that! That's a can of worms."

Thank goodness for Ace. They had used to talk a lot when she'd first been taken to Wonderland, even wondered if they were headed for something more than friends, but after they'd decided not to go for it Ace had abruptly disappeared. She appreciated him giving her space at the time, even though he now tells her he just got lost on the way to the bathroom. It happens to everyone, right, he'd laughed. No? No, it really doesn't. 

But now he's suddenly here, just when she really needs someone objective to talk to and that she can, no offense to Nightmare, clearly remember talking to later in the day. Someone from a completely different territory than Hatter or Tower. At least he'll hate them both equally.

"Seriously, don't worry about it, Alice. You didn't do anything wrong, those two just aren't on good terms."

"What happened to them, anyway?"

He tilts his head.

"Oh, it's a little complicated, cause... hmmm..." he tilts his head, sizing her up. "First of all, how much do you know much about the Rules?"

"Not much at all," Alice shudders. "I can never follow along once people here start talking about Games and Rules."

"Ahahaha! Let me spare you the gory details, then! But I will say, at least in my opinion, Elliot was entirely in the wrong. Don't know what else he expected to happen...." He slaps a hand over his mouth. "Oops! Don't tell him I said that, okay? He's a nice guy, great with directions, right, he's always so patient with me! I just meant..."

"No, no, I get it."

It's a weight off her chest for the answer to be what she was kind of hoping for, which in turn makes her feel guilty. Elliot's great. She misses him, her heart aches for the time they used to spend together. But... Elliot shoots first and asks questions later. Elliot almost killed her, the first time they met, and again the last time they spoke. Elliot is clingy and stubborn and won't admit when he's wrong, and it is too easy to imagine him being the aggressor in a conflict while sincerely believing it's the other person's fault. And as long as Alice does not know for sure, then this turn of events is possible, and Julius is safe, at least in her thoughts. He deserves to have at least one supporter in this world, even just one person who believes in him.

"But forget about that, is it true you're dating Julius now?"

"That's not important." She's blushing, though.

"It's so important! Ahaha, did you tell him we kissed?"

"That was ages ago! And once!" And it was more like a goodbye. "Don't you dare tell him!"

"A knight would never gossip!" he laughs at himself, slaps his knee like he's said the funniest joke. She should not believe him, but she decides to believe him anyway.

Because if he's untrustworthy, then...

Notes:

a. [guy at party meme] she doesnt know he has a hitman who kills people if they dont want to be organ donors a1. every different adaptation/take/route/manga etc seems to have a different opinion on how secret ace's whole deal is, which i love. i love imagining the butterfly-effect-like set of unseeable circumstances and minute decisions under the water's surface that decides whether ace says "yup it's me, check out my cool mask" or lets her go on dating him without ever mentioning So I Got This Side Gig, likewise i think that when she lives at the tower but does not date Julius, she knows of ace's presence but the two of them are trying to keep the specifics quiet to not scare her, saving the tell all for julius stay + ace etc etc. a2. in the particular way i played that i'm writing based on, i visited ace at the castle up until their "friendship kiss". for MAXIMUM DRAMA, of course, which i've nodded to here (he otherwise wouldn't appear). but that, as they say, is another story for another time. a2.1. i wanted to try here a situation where Alice is purposely avoiding learning too much. Maybe this is playing up her avoidance into overdrive but i think it still falls somewhere on the line of A Way An Alice Can Be. of course, i want to think that, because i wrote it, lol. so dont take MY word for it. b. literally googling rabbit body language. they can stomp when mad! c. romeo vs juliet is a nod to the quinrose game (op here. it's, as vn ops almost always are, a banger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1SemHTlQck) (i WISH i knew more about this game.) d. pour one out for blood, who has to watch his two besties fight. this is a situation that always sucks SO bad, and i have nothing but sympathy for him. e. "incomparable teas from around the world" is from Poison for Breakfast, and possibly even real life. f. julius' complaint with elliot being an animal is canon text and after some thought I decided to copy it here to pin it to the canon moment i wanted to write around, even though my thoughts on it boil down to "yikes, lots you could unpack but let's throw out the whole suitcase". i assume it's to create common dialogue between him finding her with boris and elliot, but it also leaves his actual quarrel with elliot entirely unadressed. g. which is why i wrote this fic. lol h. i dont know if the Completed Love reference is in the right spot and i dont feel like checking. in this world they talked about it earlier. Idk. i. 8 parts just like uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (refers to my notes) my loose headcanon for elliot's hour is 8 PM (at least currently). and there's one epilogue because UhhhhhhMMMMMM i think ace is 1PM. nailed it. j. oh god when youre up to note number J (for julius???) i think it's time to stop regardless of what else you might or might not want to add. anyway i was going to make up fake insult words for clockmakers but decided to not be YA novel cringe last moment, like SRSLY last minute you were spared. k. ummmm hope you had fun <3 L. gone back and shortened these notes before i posted, you're welcome. most of what i x'd was just reciting how the events played out in game, which tbh you can just... look at yourself lol, don't need me for it. but the particular structure of linear events+add on events somehow hits EXACTLY a good spot in my brain, endlessly explaining that well route X from Y territory doesn't feature character Z and you can't romance X from B territory is like, one of those big slidey beady things in a pediatrician's office to me. it's usually clearly segmented and fairly uncomplex while still fiddly enough to *feel* complex. aw man i just spent a paragraph explaining how much shorter i made my notes.