#did this on a hand injury. moment of silence for my bones and ligaments

[red-catmander]

i participated in the art party! thank you everybody who let me draw your characters :>

[krisslegacy]

not a lot just forever (chapter four)

based on the song by adrianne lenker

“and I roll them once or twice can't get much better not a lot, just forever"

characters - theron shan x q'rea kriss (original female barsen'thor)

summary - a nightmare, and words of comfort

word count - 678

warnings - pregnancy, ptsd, waking up from a nightmare

A/N - no beta we die like men please check this out on ao3, and so sorry for being MIA with my fics im on the grind now! i've been at film school :P

AO3

“Hey, look at me, breath.”

Theron’s words sustained her better than the Force as he held her up, gently stroking up and down her spine.

Her heart still pounded in her skull, thrumming through her bones and ringing in her ears. She couldn't help but clench her teeth and press her hands against the sides of her head.

35 years old, and the nightmares didn’t slow down. Q’rea’s future still haunted her.

She pulled air between her teeth, producing an eerie hissing sound before she exhaled. With the release of air, she let herself float on the steady stream of the Force, the rhythm and comfort of her husband’s words. The abyss of darkness slowly eased out of her head, returning to the deepest parts of her soul, hidden away.

Sweat clamored the sheets together, creating an uncomfortable sensation to Q’rea’s skin. Her ligaments and tendons popped and stretched as she extended her legs, easing herself onto her back to desolately stare at the ceiling (which had become a favorite activity over the years)

(Well, before her marriage)

Absently, her hand drifted to the small rise in her stomach. Just the notion of her nightmares returning made her throat dry. The bond she’d formed with the fetus already suggested high levels of Force sensitivity, and what if… what if this child was just as affected with their mother’s dreams as she was?

“Is it happening again?” Theron’s voice returned to her attention.

Swallowing her fear, Q’rea nodded. “Theron…”

He effectively shushed her, immediately taking his wife into his arms. “Together, we face all of this together.”

Silence.

“You promised,” he whispered.

Slowly, she turned to face Theron, pressing her forehead against his. A shock-wave filled with such tender love and warmth rolled through her body as she held his face in her hands. In that moment, she was reminded of the lengths she’d go to keep him safe, the injuries she’d bear so nothing could come between them. It had taken 11 years to finally be his, and though Umbara was a hurt she’d carry with her for the rest of her days, she’d rip the whole galaxy apart for him.

That was attachment, that is what Q’rea had feared her whole life. Only now, she wasn’t afraid of it anymore, running in the dark from something she’d never seen or felt. She embraced it now. Love made her stronger, and the Jedi had been wrong to turn away from it.

Revan’s words 13 years ago made her change her mind on Yavin IV. Her nightmares in carbonite only reinforced it.

“You don’t need the Force to know how much I love you, Theron Shan,” Q’rea finally said as their noses brushed, “and you certainly don’t need it to know I’m telling the truth. We will always do this together.”

Her heart nearly beat out of her chest when he reached to push a strand of brown hair out of her face. The faintest smile painted his lips. “Of course I don’t, I’ve known you far too long not to.” “I’m just not sure I can control this myself.” Q’rea sighed. Her hand dropped to his chest, pushing Theron over onto his back as she rolled on top of him. The groan that escaped his throat didn’t miss her at all. “I’ll talk to Sana-rae about it, how ‘bout that?”

Theron pulled his wife to his chest. “Fine-”

“Theron, did you feel that?”

He raised his eyebrow. “What?”

“That…kick.” Q’rea was quiet now, a voice filled with an excitement so rare nowadays. “Against your stomach, from me?”

Q’rea’s smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and never would he be sick of it. Even the musical giggles that levitated from her soul made him tingle with bliss.

“Well, no mistake now.”

“You don’t think the early morning vomiting told you that?” Theron stroked her hair.

“Quite, old man. You’re lucky you can’t get pregnant.”

Husband, wife, and a child the size of an orange laughed until the Odessen sun rose.

[fruitcoops]

Hi, I love your blog so much! I recently got ankle lateral ligament reconstruction done, and as an athlete, it sucks so bad. I watched my basketball team play yesterday, and it felt really horrible to watch them lose by one point in overtime when I know I would have made a difference if I were on the court... I know you have lots of asks and prompts, but if you have the time and want to, could you possibly hurt me more than I’m already hurting with some angsty ankle injury stuff😩 like maybe Cap watching the Lions lose without him.

Thank you for all the awesome fics you write! Your blog is amazing!

Anon, this ask really struck a chord with me and I wanted to do it justice as best I could--going through a sports injury like that is the worst feeling in the world, and watching your teammates play without you just adds salt to the wound. Sending all the love and healing vibes your way, okay? Please keep me updated on how you're feeling if you feel comfortable <3

Combined with an ask for pre-Coops and Sirius' photo of Remus! SW credit goes to @lumosinlove

TW for canonical injury and mentioned scars (Remus)

Sirius felt a nudge at his arm and his irritation flared, but he did not take his eyes off the game. “Fucking hell,” he muttered as James missed yet another blatant pass. There’s three.

The next nudge was more insistent.

“What?” he snapped, sparing half a glance to his left and feeling his stomach swoop.

Remus raised his eyebrows and held the mouthguard out further. “Either put this in or unclench your jaw.”

You’re not my mother, Sirius almost snarked back, just to be even more of an asshole. He was cold from being at the rink without his gear, severely pissed off by the general bullshit happening on the ice, and the itch in the boot locked around his stupid fucked-up ankle was slowly driving him mad.

Remus offered the mouthguard again, and Sirius’ temper cooled by a few degrees at the soft encouragement on his face. Pretty, his brain supplied. He swallowed hard around his sudden dry mouth and shoved the plastic between his teeth, beating back the unruly emotions with a mental baseball bat. Nope. Not tonight. Focus on being angry.

Logan got distracted, and Finn paid the price as an enforcer slammed him against the boards; he bounced back immediately, but Sirius ground the mouthguard so hard it squeaked. “Tabarnak—”

“Come with me for a sec,” Remus said, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the angry shouts of Lions fans.

Sirius shook his head. What he wouldn’t give to be in the heart of the fight, letting off some of the steam that had been building with no outlet for weeks. “Game’s not over.”

Remus pressed his lips together, but said nothing; Sirius’ throat constricted as he looked at the scoreboard. There may have been three full minutes left on the clock, but the Lions had already lost—unless they pulled a miracle out of their asses, this game would be a stain on their record. Or if they just let me play.

Sirius sighed through his nose. The urge had been growing stronger the longer he stayed cooped up and restless, banging at the walls of his brain and bringing headache after headache.

“Cap.” The hand on the back of his bicep was surprisingly gentle and he closed his eyes as Remus gave him a light tug. “Come on. We can at least be productive instead of sitting here and stewing.”

He smells nice. How does he always smell so nice? Sirius stood and followed Remus down the tunnel, not even bothering to force smiles for the people pounding on the glass partitions. Don’t focus on the game.

Focus on his shoulders, something close to his heart suggested. You like his shoulders.

He scrunched his nose up at the thought—if he dwelled on the smooth, strong curve of Remus’ upper back for any longer, he would start remembering the one time he saw them bare, covered in sweat with scars that shone like moonlight and—

“Are you okay?” Remus asked, snapping him back to reality. Sirius jumped and concern flickered over the golden planes of his face. “You’re twitchy tonight.”

“Just…” He made a vague, aborted motion toward the ice before continuing toward the PT room, though he did not miss the worried look Remus shot him. Fantastic, now I look like a dick and an idiot.

“What’s going on, Sirius?” The door clicked closed behind them and Remus leaned against it with his arms crossed loosely as Sirius limped over to the table and sat down, pulling the mouthguard out. He stared at the floor and the hunk of plastic—don’t think about how nice his voice sounds around your name. Don’t.

He shook his head; through the door, the sounds of the game were faint. “They’re better than this.”

“Yep.”

“They’re all going to be angry tomorrow, which makes them sloppy.”

“Probably.”

“Coach will be upset.”

“No question.”

“It’s the Badgers.”

Remus made a face. “I know, right?”

“They’re a good team, but—” He tightened his jaw again and looked away.

“But we’re better,” Remus finished for him.

“Yeah.” Silence fell between them for a few moments, though it wasn’t uncomfortable. Being quiet around Remus was never uncomfortable, and Sirius was pathetically grateful for every scrap of it he could get. “I—the game would be different if I was out there.”

“Would it?”

“It would.” He had been going over every mistake for two and a half hours, placing himself in like a chess piece to stop the missed passes, fumbled pucks, and thoughtless plays. “They need me with them.”

The paper crinkled as Remus sat down next to him, and every one of Sirius’ senses went on high alert. “They need to you get better,” he said simply, those caramel-apple eyes making Sirius’ knees go weak. “Have you been doing your exercises?”

“Of course,” he scoffed.

“Good.” There was no defensiveness or indignation in Remus’ voice—guilt snapped, a firecracker behind his teeth.

“Sorry.”

Remus smiled wryly. “When you’re around injured hockey players all day long, you get used to a little bit of bitchiness.”

“I’m not bitchy!” Sirius spluttered. The poorly-concealed amusement on Remus’ face made mortification heat his cheeks. “I’m not!”

“Uh-huh.” The note of smug disbelief should not have been as attractive as it was. “Alright, lay down.”

Sirius swore he heard a few crackling noises as his brain short-circuited. “Quoi?”

“I’m not kneeling on freezing linoleum to check out your ankle, Cinderella,” Remus snorted. “Now get a wiggle on.”

“You have the strangest sayings,” he said as he laid back and stretched his leg out, bewildered and yet somehow relieved.

“And you—” Remus pulled the top buckle free. “—have no appreciation for the great American north.”

“I can take it off,” Sirius mumbled, feeling redness rise once again.

He cocked an eyebrow. “The boot? I might not be a muscle-bound athlete, but I’m pretty sure I can manage a couple strips of Velcro.”

“No, it’s—doesn’t touching people’s feet freak you out? Like, the sweat and everything?”

“If it did, I’d have to find another profession, because I’m damp all the time from you fuckers and you all seem to have a habit of breaking things below the knee. Bend.”

Sirius complied, drawing his knee toward his chest. His bare foot looked weird in the bright lights, pale and still swollen, but Remus was as golden as ever. You can watch from afar, he conceded when the cute little furrow appeared on Remus’ forehead while he felt around the bone. Just for a little while. “Your hands are warm,” he said before he could stop himself.

Remus glanced up, and his small smile caused a flood of butterflies in Sirius’ stomach. “Thanks. They’re usually pretty cold, so I’m glad I’m not accidentally giving you foot hypothermia.”

“Is that real?”

“No,” Remus laughed. Sirius wished he could keep that sound forever. “How’s that feel?”

“Uh, fine.” He blinked a couple times to come back to himself as Remus put light pressure on the sole of his foot. “Still fine.”

“You’re a lot more flexible than before. Things are healing well.”

A loud buzzer went off outside—Sirius closed his eyes as disappointment and frustration fired up once more. The crowd wasn’t cheering. The windows weren’t shaking. He didn’t even want to look at the TV to check the score. I should be out there, he thought for the umpteenth time. I’m letting them down.

“I’m sorry,” Remus said quietly as he worked through a few more exercises.

“Not your fault.”

“It’s not yours, either.”

Sirius wanted to believe him. “I’m the captain.”

“And you’re being responsible by doing this with me so you can heal faster.” People rushed past the door outside, but the PT room remained peaceful. Sirius stared at the plain ceiling and wished for a miracle. “They miss you.”

“Y’know, that’s not exactly making me feel better.”

“Sorry.” They lapsed back into silence. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Cool.”

Sirius chewed the inside of his lip for a solid two minutes, following Remus’ simple instructions without looking at him. He should have been out there with them, ankle be damned. It was basically healed anyway; they were just tying up loose ends, and maybe Remus needed to be a little less careful. “Is this really necessary?”

“I’m gonna give you five seconds to ask a different question.”

“I’m just saying, it feels fine and—”

“Time’s up.” Remus let go of his foot and Sirius only spared a moment to mourn the loss of his comforting touch before he caught the stormy, mulish stubbornness that took the place of Remus’ concentration. “Sit.”

“I am.”

He narrowed his eyes, and Sirius dragged himself upright with a huff. Arguing with Remus Lupin was about as useful as arguing with a brick wall, and that was coming from someone who won the ‘Most Stubborn’ superlative at their last end-of-year party. “First of all, ankles are annoying and the soft tissue will still be damaged even if the bone is healed. Second, it’s my job to fix you up so your boys stop whining to me about healing you faster. And third, I’m not giving up on you.”

Sirius paused for a long moment. “What?”

“I’m not giving up,” Remus repeated. His jaw set and he made direct eye contact. “I would love nothing more than to kick Snape in the kneecaps and let you go out there as soon as you can stand on your own, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to make sure you’re ready to kick ass and take names no matter what that little shit was trying to do. So don’t you dare sit there and try to chicken out at the finish line, because I know you want this even more than I do.”

In his chest, Sirius heart was hammering like he had just run five miles. I’m not giving up on you. Sirius had never wanted to kiss him more. “Thank you.”

Remus softened with a slow breath. “We’re in this together, Sirius. You and me.”

“I know.”

“Then let’s get to work. Next time you play the Badgers, make ‘em regret this game.”

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

Sirius walked back toward the locker room feeling rather nauseous. The whole team leaked their bad moods into the air—Arthur had barely looked at them before sending them home with a quiet “we’ll talk more tomorrow”, the equivalent of an arrow through Sirius’ heart. I need a pick-me-up, he thought as the rest of the guys trooped out in a melancholy raincloud. He fist-bumped each of them, per tradition, but their responses were weak at best.

Ice cream sounded good. Maybe a milkshake. Oh, who was he kidding, he needed a solid hug and something other than ice to look at. Not for the first time, he contemplated getting a dog, just so the house wouldn’t be empty and dark when he returned.

Laughter rang out ahead and Sirius inhaled sharply, letting the sound roll over him. “I’m not kidding!” Moody chuckled.

“Bullshit,” Remus countered, still snickering. “There is no way—”

“I’ve been around here longer than you’ve been alive, kid.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Remus groaned, though Sirius could hear the smile in his voice even from around the corner. “You only bring it up every goddamn day.”

“Brat.”

Sirius entered the room just in time to see Remus playfully knock the side of his foot against Moody’s; both were grinning. “Isn’t it past your bedtime, old man?”

Moody nodded to him. “Night, twelve.”

“A demain,” Sirius called, offering a slight smile as his eyes lingered on Remus. He was leaning back against the wall with stick tape in his hands—his hands, which never failed to make Sirius throw caution to the wind—and raised it in farewell. “See you, Loops. Thanks again.”

“No problem, Cap.”

He grabbed his duffel off the floor and slid his keys, wallet, and phone into his pockets as Moody and Remus resumed their conversation. He wondered how long they usually stuck around, and if they would oppose him staying—he wouldn’t interrupt, but being around people who weren’t going through the five stages of grief already felt nice.

An idea struck as Remus’ laugh raised goosebumps on his arms once again. With a careful glance over his shoulder, he slipped his phone out and snapped a picture before hurrying off toward his car. His breaths were shallow; that was such a creepy move, and surely one of them noticed—

No voices chased him. Nobody gave him strange looks. He waited until he was safely in the front seat of the car before unlocking his phone, and all the air in his lungs left in a rush.

The photo was perfect. It caught the lopsided tilt to Remus’ mouth, his slender-but-strong fingers, his long legs, the scrunch of his nose mid-laugh. Everything Sirius never let himself look at for long. He didn’t have much space left among the collection of paper memories on his dresser, but maybe if he put it in the back where nobody would see it unless they knew where to look…

He turned the car on. Later. He would print it out and deal with the taut rubber-band-ball of feelings later. Until then, he could settle for the imprint of Remus’ warmth taking away the pain in his ankle and the determination on his face as he promised to bring Sirius back from the personal hell he was living in. You and me, he had said, and Sirius wanted nothing more than to believe it.

[meenah-chan]

Brothers and a Broken Bone

An OM! GN! MC fanfiction (OM! Brothers & Now-dateables + Luke)

2.42k words

Genre: flangst probably

Trigger Warning: blood, broken bone, violence (probably) Self depreciation? Still, read at your own discretion.

A chaotic family. A fight broke out and then... "Snap!"

They were on the way to the Demon Lord's Castle. Being like their usual selves, seven demons of varying personalities is chaotic.

"I'll definitely kill you Mammon if you're not able to get my platinum Seraphim figurine back!"

"Stop fussin' around already! It's just a figurine—"

"Just a figurine?! That's the last limited edition platinum Seraphim figurine released during the final episode of Seraphim of the End! There are only 5 of it ever produced in the whole three realms!" ...extremely chaotic.

"Shut it, you're so so damn loud."

"Loud?! Then let me rip that useless ears off you!" Whilst just a few blocks away from the castle, the purple demon suddenly transformed and spring towards his scummy brother.

"Stop it already. You're making a scene—" Before Satan could finish his sentence, the book he's holding was hit by Mammon's stray hand and flew, knocking Beelzebub's burger off his hands.

"My... Burger..." Losing concentration he lost grip of Belphegor, who is on his back.

On his fall, Belphegor squash Asmodeus to the ground, who then broke a nail.

"My book..."

"My beautiful nails..."

"Mngh... the hell..."

A burger splattered on the floor. A dented book coated with mayo and ketchup. A broken nail. An interrupted sleep.

... Extremely chaotic indeed.

Simultaneously the demon brothers transformed, ready to join the brawl.

"Stop this, you fools!" A riot is the last thing Lucifer wants a few blocks away from Diavolo's abode. Yet, his words falls on deaf ears, causing a set of horns and wings to sprout from him.

And the eldest joins the battle.

Then there's MC, a mere human. "Hey! No fighting guys!!" ...with no one who want to listen to.

"Don't hurt each other!!" Still nothing.

They move closer and took a deep breath, but this time, they're eager to use a bit of force through their pacts. "CUT IT—Aww." yet before they could, they fail miserably. Knocked by whoever the brother is, MC lost their balance.

They twist to hopefully resist their fall. Still, MC's footing failed and instead fall face first.

Snap!

As if a twig cracks, Leviathan and Mammon's attention was drawn to the unsettling sound. And as if on cue— Lucifer, Beelzebub, Satan and Belphegor's eyes followed.

A few feet away from them sits MC, blood profusely dripping off their nose.

MC rose on their feet but in a second, "Ahh..." They glanced on their lower right and lift their arm, as if nothing is bleeding.

Following the human's line of vision, blood suddenly drained from everyone's face. Well, except for the human themself.

"AHHHH!!" A shriek from Mammon and Asmodeus.

"Y/N!?" A shocked yell from Lucifer, Beelzebub and Satan.

"..." And a choked silence from Leviathan and Belphegor.

"...It broke." at the end of their arm limply dangles their forearm from the elbows. MC just looked at it as if nothing's out of place. They then glance to the stiff brothers a few feet away from them. "So, y'all cool down a bit?"

The brothers are anything but cooled down. They are so terrified they couldn't even move on their s spot.

And as if to trigger the demon brothers alot more, they swish their arm a little bit, the dangling forearm swinging like pendulum.

The first one to return to his composure is Lucifer, pulling out a handkerchief to stop the bleeding of Y/N's nose.

Satan followed, removing his blue jacket and sling their right arm around their neck. "I can't find anything hard to support your arm so please make do with this for now... damn, that fucking hardbound book's useless..." He mumbled the last phrase gritting his teeth.

"... Let's head to the Demon Lord's Castle first." Lucifer may looked he is composed outside but inside, he is a total mess. Everytime he loosens the pressure of his hand on their nose, blood will come dripping off with no sign of clotting at all. Just a bit more of ant stimuli and he will certainly be panicking like his brothers.

Noticing it, MC took the handkerchief from Lucifer and hold it in place themself.

Beel on the other hand towers over them and carry them.

"Does it hurt? Am I the one who hit you?" A crying Mammon hovers over them, hesitant of touching a single strand of his human.

"O-Of course it hurts, you idiot! We just broke MC's arms!" Leviathan is also a crying mess, standing beside Mammon.

"Not really. It is throbbing but numb." They reeled their arm once more, alerting everyone.

"DON'T DO THAT!!" They all yelled in sync.

"Hahahahahaha!! Looked at that priceless faces. Are you in a choir?"

"Hey, no fooling around! You're injuries are serious!" Asmodeus snaps.

"What if you worsen it?! You want to lose your arm, huh?!" Belphegor added.

"Why would I listen to any of you?" MC raised an eyebrow.

"Stop being childish and unreasonable. We're just thinking about you."

"Ohoh~? Did I heard it right? Childish and unreasonable? Aren't you describing yourselves awhile ago before injuring me with your bickering?" Condescending laugh. They received an insulting laugh from a mere human, yet no one utter a single word for defense.

Amidst the chaos, three forms appears opposite to their destination. "Hey guys, aren't you going to the Demon Lord's Castle too? What are you doing in the middle of the road?" As Simeon, Luke and Solomon approached the frozen brothers, MC jump off Beel's grasp and went to them.

"MC, what's with that jacket?" Luke held the hem of their shirt with a concerned look.

"It's nothing, just broke my arm. Come on, let's go to Diavolo and leave that matured and reasonable bunch." MC is smiling but the three could hear the spite in their voice.

"Wait—You WHAT?!" The eyes of the three almost bulged out of their skulls in surprise.

"Don't worry, I can't feel it. Let's go before the numbness disappears."

Through Solomon's magic, they manage to stop the bleeding and hold the arm from swinging. The four arrived at the the Demon Lord's Castle safely, leaving the brothers behind.

"MC, what happened?" As soon as he sees their state, Diavolo react fast and guide them to the nearest sofa.

"It was an accident. Is it possible to fix this?" Barbatos entered the room from a door different from what they used. He is carrying with him a first aid. Their guess is either— he left the room as he saw them or, he already predicted this will happen and came prepared. Either way, he didn't questioned them and instead act calm and efficiently as ever. Though when MC look closely, they can see an ever subtle crease between his brows.

Shortly after Barbatos appeared, the seven brothers arrived to the room, silently stayed in the corner.

"Solomon, I believe you have knowledge of healing spells, don't you?" Barbatos asked, wrapping the injured arm carefully yet fast.

"Yes, but it will take a few days to completely heal a torn ligament."

"I also have some speeding-up spells under my sleeves. I think combining it will heal MC's arm by daybreak." After Barbatos patch them up, Luke approach MC, with Simeon a step behind him.

"Are you o–okay? Does it hurt?" Teary-eyed he hold their knee, looking into their eyes.

With their uninjured hand they caress Luke's cheek, wiping the tears off his eyes. "It doesn't hurt at all. I will be alright in no time. A sweet little angel is blessing me after all."

"That's right Luke. Solomon and Barbatos are also forming a spell to return MC's arm to normal."

"Now, listen everyone." Diavolo stood in the middle of the room, calling everyone's attention. "I believe MC and the brothers have something to discuss in private. While Barbatos and Solomon are constructing a spell in the next room, I hope Simeon and Luke to come with me to give them privacy."

"I bet they are the one who caused MC's injuries! I don't want to leave MC alone with them!"

"It'll be okay Luke. They will be careful and won't do it the second time. Am I right, guys?" Simeon spoke calmly to soothe Luke but a hint of distaste still managed to reach the ears of the brothers. "Now come, let's leave them for a while." A reassuring smile from MC to Luke, and a thankful nod from Lucifer, to Diavolo and Simeon are passed before the others left the room.

"MC..." Approaching them, the brothers line up in row a meter away from them, Lucifer speaking in the middle of the line. "We would like to apologize for our... foolishness. Won't you forgive us? We're ready to do anything to earn you again."

"... I'm not really angry with you guys. Just upset and disappointed, with myself. Well, maybe I'm also sad because of you."

"MC..."

"Quarrels are normal with siblings. But it hurts to see you guys on each other's neck, ready to kill each other any moment. I mean, we're family. I should be able to stop you guys from doing something you'll definitely regret later. Yet here I am, a mere weak human who couldn't even do anything about it."

"It was like you guys calling me a family is nothing but a title. That without the pact, I am but a useless design that would crumble at a slight flick. I'm so weak and useless it's so upsetting."

"You're not weak nor useless!!" Mammon yelled.

"Yes I am. Look at this arm that snapped like a flimsy twig." MC slightly raised the arm with broken bone, which is starting to throb in pain. Pain that will definitely cause their tears anytime soon. Yet despite the pain still not surfacing completely, a greater pain within their chest caused tears to fall anyways.

"Look at me MC," Lucifer knelt in front of them, wiping the tears away from their eyes, "You, by any means, are not a weak person."

"Staying by our side after everything that happened, shows that you're a strong person." Satan strokes their head, smiling.

"That's because I really love you all. Because I want to be with you."

"We love you too, MC." Asmodeus also knelt beside Lucifer, taking their hand to his lips for a kiss.

"You're the most precious person to us, MC. We don't want you sad so please smile."

"Y–You know you're the Henry of my life! I vow I won't cause you pain. No–I'll protect you from all the sufferings in this world the best that I can!" Standing behind Lucifer, Leviathan fist-pumped.

"You're the best cuddle partner for me. Get well soon so we can take a nap without any problems." hugged MC from behind, burrying his face on the crook of their neck.

Mammon had enough. "Let go, you pricks! No touching to my human! What if you worsen their injury, huh?!" He especially tried peeling the fifth and seventh born from their intimate touch with MC.

"You're just jealous you couldn't hug them."

"Or kiss their hand." Asmodeus planted another peck onto their palm.

"N–No, of c–course not!" Mammon blushed profusedly while he held his hands over Asmodeus to stop him the third time.

"Pfft—Hahahahahahaha!" Being able to lift the pain off themself and hearing the brothers cheer them up, MC laughed with light heart, also lifting the veil of sadness and guilt from the brothers' chests.

The room was filled with smiles and laugh, fortifying the bonds of the big family they have.

"I'm sorry for interrupting everyone,"

"GWAAAHHHH!!" Leviathan and Mammon screamed in surprise as Barbatos appeared in the room with neither warning nor sound. Not only the purple and whitehead was taken aback. Everyone went stiff for a second except MC who is facing the door directly and saw Barbatos enter.

"The spell is done in the other room. If you may allow me, I would like to take MC."

On the doorway stood Solomon, holding back his laughter from the scene, engraving the comical shocked faces of everyone to the back of his mind.

"You could've knocked before entering you know..." Satan sighed.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, but I would like to bring them as soon a possible." Barbatos slightly bowed with his usual formal smile.

"... I see. Please do." Lucifer held his temple for a second before rising on his feet and giving way to the butler. If he knew, the butler definitely did it intentionally as a payback.

"If you'll excuse me." Barbatos took MC's other hand and in a snap, sling it to his nape, carrying MC in his arms like a princess.

"Oi! Let go! I'll carry them myself!" Mammon yelled at Barbatos' action. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Yeah, you might drop MC from being too flustered." Asmodeus agreed, squealing at the thrilling sight before him.

"Beel, you carry MC." Belphegor nudged his twin. "Okay, I will."

"No, I don't think that's possible." Diavolo entered the room, interrupting any more attempt of the demon brothers of taking MC. Simeon is with him, while Luke made a beeline to his baking teacher and MC.

"Now that you settled everything with MC, we will now discuss your punishment for the incident."

"...What?" Belphegor and Satan raised an eyebrow from the Crown Prince's statement.

"Yes. Punishment. I entrusted MC in your care thinking you can protect them. Instead you caused them pain. I'll be lying if I said I'm not disappointed."

Although Lucifer thought of the possibility of punishment but to hear the word disappointed from Diavolo's lips, directed at him, his loyal prospect hits him hard.

"...Yes. I understand, Diavolo."

The stunned faces of the brothers, including Lucifer pulled the last string of composure within Solomon, freeing the dam of his loud laughter. Simeon also chuckled with him.

"Okay, let's start. Barbatos, Solomon, proceed to the other room to tend MC's injuries. Simeon will also help with the discussion."

"As you wish, Young Master." "Okay." Barbatos, Solomon and Simeon replied simultaneously.

"Will do. How about you, Luke?"

"I'll go with MC."

"W–Wait! Can't we just settle this without any punishment? MC did say they're fine already. Right, MC?" Mammon held Barbatos halfway to the exit.

"As much as I want that, I can't really oppose Diavolo's decision. And you did dig what you sow, so... Condolence, I guess?"

"You heard her." Diavolo added.

"B–But, BUT—"

"MAMMOOOON..."

"EEK—!"

And thus, the trial begins.

I dunno why I wrote this seriously 😂🤣 I just thought I want to write a comedy fanfic with all the characters but I just noticed my plot is a bit dark to make this a comedy at all. So I made it a fluffy angst instead sksksksk 😆😆✌️

Also posting A Smear of Blood soon after.

Masterlist

[blackbat05]

You don’t like me when I’m angry (part 2)

Shangqi x Reader

A/N: Part 2 of <You don’t like me when I’m angry> Characters that I came up with are fictional and are not related to real people! I hope the flow is good as well! Did get some ideas from this webtoon, <Unholy Blood> that I was reading and I thought, hey why not right? Again, please enjoy! Hope it did not disappoint🙇🏽‍♀️

Genre: PG 13

Warnings: Maybe just watch out for a bit of detailed descriptions of injuries and the fighting. I tried to insert some themes like coping methods because honestly a superhero life isn’t all unicorns and rainbows - especially when most of them have morals.

‘When all this is over, I’m going to kill you!’ I scream over the bullets that were flying over our heads as we ducked behind the walls for cover. 

‘Why me? It was Katy’s idea!’ Shangqi retorts back, clearly feeling the injustice from the death stare. ‘Ok fine! Kill me all you want after this but we have a big furry problem on hand?’ He takes another shot at the group of henchmen with the rings he had inherited from his father. I slowly loose my vision, as the iris in my eyes turned orange. 

Shangqi sees you transforming into your alter ego and if you weren’t feeling murderous towards the mob boss, it was probably the most beautiful thing he saw. Skin ablaze, he wonders if that was the reason for your high tolerance in general. Meanwhile, more henchmen poured into the tiny hallway like cockroaches. Clearly he and Katy did not think about this in their plan - just how many of them were they?

‘I’ll cover you! Get to Gor before he kills the ambassdor’s family!’ He takes a deep breath, focusing all his energy on the rings to give the strongest blast he could. That was the signal. Breaking out into a sprint, I flew across the bodies that were stacked against each other before coming to a stop at the staircase where Katy was with the ambassador’s wife and child who were both inconsolable 

‘Gor’s got the older kid!’ Katy yelled over the siren from outside. Shit. The police were here. ‘Get them out and help Shangqi, I’ll meet you guys as soon as I can!’ Heck with property damage, a kid’s life was at stake. Charging up as much energy as I could, I broke through the wooden celling, arriving at the rooftop in record time to see Gor dragging the poor kid by the collar. 

‘Stop where you are RIGHT NOW!’ I threw a fireball at his shoulder as a warning. The werewolf stops, turning around menacingly to face me. ‘Let the kid go, they have nothing to do with this.’ 

Minus the kid’s sobbing, the atmosphere was deadly quiet. I didn’t dare to move from my spot least it triggered him. ‘Look, whatever you want, I’m pretty sure the ambassador has it,’ I tried a last ditch attempt reasoning with him, voice strangled in fear. ‘So please, I can stay with you until he gets here. Let the kid go.’ Why I was reasoning with a bloodthirsty werewolf, I had no idea myself.

‘You Avengers…’ Blood was dripping from his fangs. ‘Always so noble. But you see, do you really think that money was all I wanted?’ He pushes the kid over the ledge, cutting their right arm in the process. 

‘NO!’ I ran towards the edge, thinking of the worst. I think of Katy’s words back in the sanctum. More like the Avengers causing an international incident. Instead I see Shangqi carrying the confused kid who was covered in foam - from one of Katy’s trick arrows. The ‘chains’ are no longer holding me back. Gor laughs behind me. Now he’s really done it. 

‘I don’t know why you think this is funny,’ both my fists turned into fire. ‘But that’s ok. I’ll wipe that smirk of your face myself.’ 

The werewolf crazed look tells me that Gor is long gone together with the concept of reality. ‘You should have seen them... ha! The screaming men, women and children... their young blood doesn’t fail to disappoint...’ 

My fist came into contact with his jaw, breaking a few bones along the way. The large figure flies back and slams into the entrance of the staircase. Not giving him a chance to react, my arm replicates a sword on fire. ‘You... you killed children... innocent lives and FOR WHAT!’ I felt my body temperature going past the normal range, heart about to beat out of my chest. ‘I’m going to make you feel what they felt.’ 

Plunging the sword into his chest, the werewolf thrashed around violently, howling in pain. Screams echoing around me, it only made me dig the sword in deeper. ‘You won’t die, you’ll just experience what you did to them but ten times worse. I told you. You won’t like me when I’m angry G-’

‘(Y/N)!’ 

I wanted to stop but this odd thrill told me to continue. Shangqi places a hand on what used to be my forearm, bringing me back to my senses. ‘He killed children.’ My voice came out in nothing more of a whisper. ‘HE KILLED CHILDREN FOR SPORT!’ My rage about to hit the roof.

‘I know and I’ll probably roast him alive if I could too,’ he makes an attempt to soothe my anger. ‘But we’re done here. Please don’t do anything you’ll regret. Please.’ My vision slowly returns to normal as I look into his brown ones, removing the sword from the half conscious Gor. I signaled for Shangqi to give me a few more seconds as I bent down to Gor’s eye level. 

‘Remember my face. Remember my name. Because you won’t like me when I’m angry.’ 

I allowed myself to be led away by Shangqi as the cops started to storm the building. ‘Remind me to never get on your bad side. Like ever.’ He gives me a small smile.

We made our way down to meet Katy at the back alley. ‘I can never get angry at you Shangqi in case if you haven’t noticed yet.’ I put my hood up, walking into the open. ‘Katy on the other hand...’ 

‘THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH BOTH OF YOU?’ She jabs her finger into my arm. ‘I have to take care of one reckless idiot already I don’t need another one.’ As if forgetting that she was mad at me a few seconds earlier, she launches herself into me, giving me a bear hug. ‘Please don’t do that again,’ she mutters into my shoulder as I patted her head, looking at Shangqi quizzically. Just go along with it, he mouths.

On queue, the golden portal opens with Wong waiting on the other side. He takes a moment to register our disheveled appearances, including the bloodstains on my face.

‘Please just ask the spider kid to do it next time,’ Katy dumps her gear unceremoniously onto the sofa. ‘Nearly tore my ligament trying to fight Gor’s right hand man.’ Again, Wong doesn’t say anything, staring at me as I focused on my hands.

He’s going to tell me I shouldn’t have lost my cool. The gravity of the situation finally had set in. Great, I won’t be able to go on missions with Shangqi and Katy next time. Maybe I should tell- Shangqi’s hands quietly wraps around mine, somehow knowing the chaos that was happening in my brain.

‘Right,’ Wong coughs, breaking the silence. ‘Go home, get some rest, see you back here tomorrow morning.’ The two were about to retort back, but quickly clamped their mouths shut when they saw Wong’s expression. It wasn’t open for negotiation. He creates two separate portals, one for Katy and Shangqi each.

‘(Y/n), a word please.’ Shangqi grips my hand, as if asking if I wanted him to stay. ‘It’s ok, go back and get some rest. I won’t be long.’ He hesitates for a moment, before going back home. ‘Call me.’ And the portal closes.

‘I saw what happened today.’ My eyes widened in surprise. Crap, there was no escaping this one. I bowed my head in shame, ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have lose my cool. It was completely unprofessional of me but please don’t take me off missions with Katy and Shangqi.’

‘Take you off?’ Wong starts to chuckle to my bewilderment. ‘No (y/n), no one is taking you off anything. Maybe you should have kept your anger in check, but no one under your circumstances could have kept their cool. Just take a look at Strange.’ I unknowingly let out a snort.

‘What I do want to tell you is that if you have anything… even if you don’t wish to tell me, you have Shangqi and Katy. Good communication is essential for good teamwork.’

Wong was right. Whatever demons that I had inside of me, I projected them onto Shangqi. Given my abilities, it’s downright dangerous. Who knows what would have happened if he didn’t manage to defuse the situation as quickly as he did. I could have killed him and maybe everyone around the vicinity too.

Wong starts to create a portal back to home. ‘I shall not hold you back any longer (y/n), get some rest and good luck.’ I stepped into the portal, taking a deep breath to prepare myself for what I’m about to do next.

‘(Y/n)! Are you alright?’ Shangqi gets up from his bed while Katy snaps out of her trance. ‘What did Wong ask you? Don’t tell me he chewed you out for what you did back there?’ The questions came in a flurry. I look at their anxious faces, confident that my decision was the right choice.

‘No he didn’t, it’s all good. But maybe I just want to tell you guys something that I’ve been waiting to tell for a while.’

No doubt, it was going to be a long night. But rather than running away from today’s situation, I knew that I had to face it head on. And if it was of any comfort, one thing that I was sure about -

Is that I would never be alone.

A/N: Hoho~ part 2 is done! I have no idea what is that ending but it was the first thing that came to my mind so…😅 I think the whole premise of this two part story is essentially a reminder not to keep things to myself and know that there are loved ones who are supporting and cheering me on. And I don’t know… I think it’s something we could all use in this day and age! Again, thanks for reading both parts and please like and comment if you wish!🥰 More content and possibly different characters will be coming your way soon!

[mggpleasedontlookhere]

reid’s anatomy

summary: spencer gets a gunshot wound while working in the field and gets transported to the hospital you work in as a 4th year resident. 

word count: 2,325                                                                                             reading time aprox: 9 mins

masterlist

Gurneys, lights, flying commands, and patients. The trauma room was my favorite place to be, other than the OR of course, it felt like a second home. But nothing compared to the home I had when I laid in Spencer’s arms. 

I was currently working in the trauma room, triaging the patients as I did my rounds. I dismissed a few individuals that had minor injuries, while discovering various accidents that required solutions as small as stitching up a patient to booking an OR for an emergent surgery. 

“Honey can you move your toes for me please?”

In front of me lay my latest patient, a 5 year old boy who had been pushed off of a swing set and had happened to land on his ankle. His cheeks were painted red from the crying he had previously done, a thumb cemented into his mouth as he continued to suck on it for comfort. His mother sat beside him, panic evident in her eyes, although she kept an amiable expression to reassure her son on his well being. 

The boy shook his head frantically, earning a break in composure from the mother. She reached out and folded her hand over her son’s and held on tight to it, with a tight-lipped smile on her face. 

“You’re going to be okay Timothee, mommy’s right here sweetie”. The mother squeezed her son’s hands continuously, looking to me for answers.

“Your son- well Timothee here seems to have sprained his ankle” I explained in layman's terms, lifting up the boys ankle to locate where the injury occurred.  “The issue here is that he seems to have an eversion ankle sprain and has fractured his deltoid ligament, which is more uncommon than a inversion ankle sprain, since the deltoid ligament is close to impossible to fracture”. 

As I finished my description, the mother returned her attention to her son, massaging his head to console him. “We-well it’s just a sprained ankle right? It can heal. My husband has had multiple sprained ankles from how much of a klutz he is” She joked in attempt to lighten the mood. Despite her attempts, there was more news to deliver.

“I wish it was much more simpler than that” I sighed, motioning for the on-call nurse to come over. “Due to Timothee’s young age, my biggest concerns are the development of his bones, considering the fracture he had suffered and that the nerves responsible for motor skills in his legs might have been severed. In most adult cases, the individual is able to recover because the durability of the bone had been fully realized from age. But, Timothee here is at risk of deformation of his osseous matter” I doefully confessed, a small pit forming in my stomach while delivering his diagnosis. 

As the mother’s face dropped, I turned to the nurse telling her to call Neuro and Peds, then asked her to file the paperwork. I looked back at the small family with a sigh, placing his chart at the end of the bed. 

It was moments like these that make me envision the life I’m going to have with Spencer if we ever decided to have children together. Despite our young age, I couldn’t help up configure an idealistic future than only composed of me, Spencer, and 2 or 3 little children running around us in glee. 

“The nurse will be back with the pape-” 

I was cut off by sirens and a magnitude of shrilling voices shouting commands. These were the indications of an incoming trauma. I turned around to peak for a second with the possibility of wanting to check on another case, but the interns and 2nd year residents had beat me to it. 

My focus remained on the child in front of me, checking his vitals from time to time, while eavesdropping on the commotion behind me. 

“We’ve got a caucasian ma...federal...with a GSW in the thoracic cavity, with intercostal tears”. Most of the sentence was muffled by the loud wheels of the crash cart, residents fumbling around, and the attendings yelling orders at the scene. I turned around to witness the chaotic scene, only to be meet with heads full of hair and some that didn’t actually have hair at all. 

Geez, I wouldn’t want to be the guy with the GSW to his chest

In emergent surgery, GSW’s were the most lethal in the clinic as most of the time the patient is either too late or the bullet had caused multiple complications in the patient, causing distress in the body. The tricky thing about GSWs were that they were different every time, it was almost always a different procedure depending on the location. 

I nodded goodbye to the perturbed mother, earning a tight lipped smile and a nod back. I turned to walk towards the nurses station when suddenly I was paged to trauma room 3. I rushed over to the area, sanitizing my hands before walking in. A privacy drape hung from the lower abdomen of the individual, with nurses and residents scrambling to keep his vitals stabilized.   

I faced the trauma nurse as she explained the patients situation. “We’ve got a caucasian male, seems to be 25-35 with a GSW in his thoracic cavity with no exit wound, the bullet is possibly lodged in the pericardial cavity” She spoke in haste. 

“Push 10 of Norepinephrine and call Cardio” I stressed, rushing out of the room to find another resident to scrub into the surgery as I wasn’t finished with my rounds yet. 

On my way around the nurse’s desk I noticed a familiar face that sat glum and slumped over in his chair, well it was more like a familiar group of faces. My steps slowed in order to get a better view to confirm my suspicions, then shuffled over to determine what the occasion was. 

“Hey Morgan-hey guys” I furrowed my eyebrows at the group, my worry peaked at the numerous melancholy expression that they wore on their faces. Despite my observations, there was one face I noticed was missing from the ensemble. 

Spencer. 

A chill ran up my arm, which was usually an indication of something wrong. In spite of the unfavorable pit in my stomach, I was at my workplace where everything usually puts me on edge, so I pushed it aside. 

“Where’s Spenc-” 

My words faded out into an uncomfortable silence when Morgan lifted his head to face me and in his eyes were the deepest of browns, anguish pooled in his irises, similar to the look I gave to the mother of the patient I was treating previously. I glanced at the rest of the team, who wore a identical stares. 

My stomach had churned and twisted into knots. The chill that had ran up my arm traveled to my legs, all the way to the tips of my toes. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, I could feel my heart still and my fingers twitch. The overhead lights of the clinic became overwhelmingly bright and a nauseating sensation began crawling up my throat. 

“Y/N-” Morgan began as I stared at him wide-eyed. He grabbed one of my hands and wrapped it in between his rough and sweaty palms, but I tensed in the midst of it, while adrenaline ran up my veins. 

“Reid, he’s...we-we were workin- I...he’s” 

Despite his attempts at an explanation, he wasn’t able to complete any of his phrases as I yanked my hand out of his grasp and bolted towards the trauma room. I heard my name being called in the background, although it became a voice of a phantom as my surroundings became impaired with the sounds of my heartbeat, the loud thuds my feet made as I raced towards the room, and the anxious thoughts that flooded my mind. 

I pushed into the room, only to see a bed was missing. I bee lined to where the residents were, pivoting around the various carts that decorated the room. “Where’s that patient with the GSW in his thoracic cavity? What resident was assigned on his case? What was his name?”. The words spewed out of my lips like a waterfall, earning alarmed looks from the residents. 

“Um, he was transported to OR 3″ One of them explained with naive looks on their faces. 

“Yeah, they’re in surgery right now with Dr. Burke and Dr. Montgomery” Another one added. 

“What’s the patient’s name? Do you remember?” I responded, prying them of all the information they knew. The residents peered at each other dumbfoundedly, looking at each other for answers as if they were taking their MLE exams again. 

“Dr. Y/L/N, no offense but you’re not on this case” One of the residents added with a condescending voice. 

“Dr. Mallory, if you don’t answer me in the matter of 10 seconds, I swear I will go to your senior resident and have you be doing scut for the rest of your medical career” I retorted. Fear was evident in all their eyes, I knew my eyes were brimming with multiple emotions, condensing into nothing but a fiery and aggressive tone.  

“Sp-spencer Reid, Ma’am” A quiet voice spoke up in the group. I nodded a small thank you to the individual and ran to the OR where they held Spencer. 

When I got into the prep room, I grabbed a face mask and entered the OR, witnessing a man’s body, the love of my life under heavy anesthesia and tubes wired up to his chest. Before I could speak, the attending spoke up and questioned me of my presence. 

“I-i was wondering if I could scrub in sir” I replied. “I-I, um, heard that there was in upc...incoming trauma for a GSW and I was wondering if I could scrub in” I repeated. 

“You already said that Dr. Y/L/N” 

“I understand sir, but I-” 

The attending than turned around exposing the sight of Spencer’s chest being retracted open. My entire body ached at the sight, the lifelessness of his body creating an image in my head that couldn’t compare to the images Spencer would see of his victims. I cringed and turned away, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, but I knew I couldn’t let myself go, especially if I wanted to be included in Spencer’s operation. 

“Dr. Y/L/N, with all respect, I know you’re one of the best residents we have in this hospital and I know you’re a phenomenal doctor” The attending explained, letting one of the other senior residents take over for a moment. “But, I also know who this is laying on my table. For this case, you’re not his doctor, you’re family, and I need you to trust that I am able to do my job, as you do yours” He concluded, signaling to one of the nurses to take me out of the OR. 

I nodded hesitantly, following the nurse out of the room, my eyes still locked on the individual that lay on the table. After the nurse had went back inside, I sat on the ground with my hands on my lap, staring at the abyss of the hallway. 

Our future depends on if a single man can maneuver his scalpel with enough wisdom and efficiency. The father of my future children lay on the cold metal table, where I used to find comfort and power in when saving someone else’s loved one. Who knew there would be a time where the roles were switched. 

Who knew that no matter how many years you’ve trained, how many books you’ve read, and the degrees you’ve obtained to save people’s lives, you could still be powerless against what life throws at you. The worst part is the irony that comes with tragedies. I spent a quarter of my life learning how to save people, yet I sit here purposeless when someone that I live for is struggling to stay alive. How malicious is that. 

Tears began streaming down my cheeks, although my expression hasn’t changed. The wetness that enveloped half of my face was the only thing that reminded me of the reality that I was in, keeping my consciousness grounded momentarily. 

I swear my heart pauses, everytime I hear a change in the monitor that indicated Spencer’s vitals or a command that the attending would spew out to the helping resident. I was completely fixated on everything that was happening in the room adjacent to me, disregarding the entire atmosphere that lay in my vision. 

It wasn’t until large legs halted in front of where I was crouched down. I didn’t bother looking up as my thoughts clouded my sensibility. The figure then sat down to my level, I could feel the individual’s eyes boring at my blank visage. I felt a large arm pull me closer to the individual, only this time I realized it was Morgan who had come to console me. 

Awaiting a pursuance of some sort of speech that’s supposed to bring me clarity or amenity. But to my dismay, only the loud presence of silence filled the gap of our exchange. That’s when my emotions began to seep into my skin, filling my heart with heavy matter, making it close to impossible to keep up my facade. 

A whimper escaped my lips while I laid on Morgan’s shoulder for the time being, only for the rest of my somber to follow. I cried in defeat, holding onto the clutches of Morgan’s shirt as he gripped onto the back of my head, massaging it in the process. 

I felt droplets hit the top of my head and a wetness forming rapidly. Weak sniffles emitted from the man above me, betraying his collected composure. We both sat here together with heavy hearts, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. 

We both sat in silence waiting to see if his colleague was alive and if my everything was still breathing. 

-

Pt. 2

A/N:

Pt. 2 coming soon! most likely tomorrow. I was going to write the whole thing today, but frankly, I just need a fresh mind.  

Part 2 out now

[drakewalkerfantasy]

The day its all began... [2/17]

Summary: Arriving to the crime scene, FBI agent Seeley Booth and his partner Temperance Brennan from Jeffersonian Institute, never could have imagined, what they would see. Does this really seems, that ghosts of the past have been returned to complete their work. Or is there more to this story than meets the eye? All agent Booth and Dr. Brennan has to go on is crucified body on the tree and a bunch of bones and flesh, and sign cut on the chest. Will they be able to identify and give the face to the victim. Or this victim will become another one from the myriad of faceless victims of crimes?

Pairings: Booth x Brennan

Rating: T

Warnings: Language, Multiple deaths (children), corps description. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Words Count: 1599

Note: All rights reserved to Hart Hanson, Fox Television, Kathy Reichs and whoever else work on this brilliant TV series I just borrowing their characters and nothing else. Also Miles Straume I will borough from LOST creators, thought he is original character in this Universe with his own story line. This was my first series I wrote, also this was originally written in Russian and I’m translated it to English. I’m trying to do my best there, so hopefully you will like it. Please let me know.

Please let me know, if you want to be added or removed from tags list, no hard feeling, I understand that this may be not everyone peace of cake.

Taggs: @thesassysparkle @elles-choices @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @boneandfur @tmarie82 @walkerismychoice @darley1101

Washington, DC

Rock Creek Park

11th June, 9am

Stopping on the side of the road in about 45 minutes, the partners get out of the car and moved inside the park. Turning to the left from the main trail they walked for a while through forest in the direction of the creek. It took them just ten minutes to come to the halt in front of FBI cordon’s tape. Noticing them, the man of about 40 years old with a confident look, but with sign of tiredness on his face, headed toward them.

- Hey, it took you long enough to get there, - stated the man, slightly lifting the FBI tape and letting Booth and Brennan pass to the crime scene.

- Miles... - spoke Booth shaking the man’s hand, - Brennan, this is agent Straume - my former partner. Miles, this is Temperance Brennan from Jeffersonian Institute, she is working with me as my partner. She and her team are helping in victim and cause of death identification.

- How and who found the body? - shaking man’s hand, Temperance immediately got down to business and headed to the crime scene.

- Some guy was walking with his dog and he noticed something on that hill over there, - Miles pointed in the distance, where already was crowded with FBI agents and onlookers outside the cordon, - Our guys arrived as soon as they could, after receiving the call. What we found... this became a test even for us.  Your assistant arrived a couple of minutes ago, he is waiting for your there, - spoke man, pointing once more in the same direction on the big pine tree in the middle of the hill, - poor guy went white as a sheet, when he seen this, - in quick strides they approached the place indicated by Straume, covering the distance in a minutes, they stopped to the halt at the food of the hill. But what they saw on top was too much even for a Brennan, who seen a lot of corpses even in worst condition before and during her work for FBI and Jeffersonian.

Judging by the bone and body structure, this was a child, crucified on the tree. Taking a deep breath, she climbed the hill coming closer to the crime scene and realising that this was not all. She could feel the nausea washed over her, when she have made her next observations:  “The skin on the face was torn off to the bones, fingers were missing on one hand, and some sign was cut on the chest. With a bottom half of the body, apparently, have worked some animals. Also scraps of meat and bones were scattered at a rather large distance.” The body was in such state that this was impossible to identify a victim. Brennan came closer to the tree, not even noticing that Booth state behind. Looking around, she found her assistant, who was pale and looked at one point.

- Zack, - she spoke, pulling the young guy from his benumb condition and giving him some instructions, - you will need to scour the area and collect the missing parts of the skeleton. Also you will need to take a pictures of the crime scene and... - before she could finish, a young girl approached them. She was in her late 20th, her golden hairs fell down from her slender shoulders and her big crystal blue eyes were focused on them. 

- Hello, my name is Claire Maggregon. I’m a professional photographer of The Washington Post, I spoke with this man over here, - girl pointed in Booth direction who spoke with some FBI agent, whose name Brennan couldn’t recall, on the foot of the hill, - and was told that this is okay to make a photos of a crime scene to raise an awareness among the residents. Also I couldn’t help, but overheard that you need someone to make photos of this... there, - her already big eyes got even bigger and her pale skin became even whiter, when she noticed a body crucified on the tree and parts of the flesh and bones around. She swallowed hard refocusing her gaze on Temperance and taking a deep breath she continued not letting Brennan to object, - I can help. I’m the best photographer you ever could find and I’m keen to the details. Whatever you need will be there.

- Good, - grudgingly agreed Brennan, - but you need to pay extreme attention to the details. I need pictures from all angles and nothing should be missing. 

- Of course. This is understandable. Moreover, I can show you pictures straight after I complete to make them and if something will be missing, you can tell me what else you need, -  said Claire friendly, with enthusiasm getting to work.

Having sighed heavily, and gaining more air into the lungs, Brennan put on gloves and proceeded with body primary examination before body would be taken to Jeffersonian Institution. Usually this part of her job was easily done and never caused any difficulties, but today... today this was much more difficult to perform. But she quickly brushed these thoughts aside and tried to concentre on the details even harder. Setting to work, she started to speak her observations on a tape recorder:  "This is a child. A boy, around 6-8 years old, an approximate height of 3 feet 12 inches, race is uncertain. Obviously played soccer." 

- What makes you think he played soccer? - asked Booth, who had climbed the hill at that time. Brennan continued body examination, meantime answering the question that seemed so obvious to her: 

- The anterior cruciate ligament is torn. It's most commonly torn during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction. Based on my knowledge I would say this is more likely is soccer than any other sport. This injuries mechanism often concludes in valgus curvature of the tibia and its pronation.

-Bones, please say it in normal language? - wearily asked Booth.

- Simply speaking, he had a knee injury with a pathological curvature of the lower leg to the outside, which can only be obtained by playing this sport, - said Temperance, as if explaining the obvious things to the child.

- She is smart, - smirked agent Straume who came up at this time, - and also good looking, - stated Miles, watching curiously at Hale, not noticing the disgruntled gaze of his former partner. 

- When he died? - asked Booth, ignoring his former partner and trying to hide his irritation.

 - It’s hard to say. I’ll need to examine the skeleton in the laboratory, - said Brennan a little bit guiltily, lifting her head and looking on Booth intently, - well, it will be necessary to remove the body from the tree. But this needs to be done very carefully, so bones wouldn’t be damaged. They are already too fragile.

- All right, I'll give you a rate, - Booth said with a salute.

- I don’t know what this means? - uttered Brennan frowning and straightening to her full height. Booth smiled slightly and throwing orders to the FBI agents headed to the car, showing agent Straume that he is driving with them. Striding slowly toward the car, Miles did not take his eyes off Temperance, who was walking in front of him. He slowed down waiting for Booth to reach him. For a second they walked in silence, while Miles looked at him with interest and, following his gaze, grinned.

- She doesn’t look bad, - stated Miles with a smirk, - single? 

- This is none of your business, - cut off Booth, barely restraining himself and his boiling anger.

- Don't worry my friend, I was just curious. Also... Booth, I’m not a fool. I noticed how you devour her with your eyes, and look at me like in the good old days, when I did something that went against your ethical considerations.

- Straume, shut up, - Booth growled through clenched teeth. And then taking a deep breath, he added guiltily, - I'm sorry. I just had a very bad morning... So sorry if your remark doesn’t humour me. This case... Shit, - swore the man under his breath and closed eyes for a moment before continuing, - This case and the last one we worked together are like two peas in a pod. Miles, I am so sorry. I just tried to forget everything what happened then. I tried not to think, tried to hide from my memory that this was my fault why Nick has died. I'm so sorry. And this case is so similar to the last one. It feels like the ghosts of the past have been returned to complete their work.

- I know. I myself would gladly forgot about those times. But apparently someone decided to remind us of them, - said Miles, who turned a little paler and patted Booth on the shoulder, - Seeley, you know, I have never blamed you for Nick’s death. This was my fault too.

- If I wouldn’t insist on location that we need to check first and on calling for backup, he would have been still alive, - said Booth.

Coming to the halt, they stood there for a bit, remembering the events they both wanted to forget. Both men not even noticing, that Brennan tactfully walked a couple of meters away and waited for them patiently, what was quite odd for her usual self.

[halfofxerxes]

    He’s been in a particular bad mood lately, having twisted his ankle badly just that week. He had limped home alone, but the empty hallways had grated on his nerves more than anything. After bandaging his leg up and tending to the scratches from his fall, he had made his way over to his master’s place, seeking out the small room he had as an apprentice.

     It’s nothing more than a broom closet now, and even though he’s fine with sleeping on the ground, there isn’t any space left for him. He’s spent the week in the Master’s lab, listening to the chatter of the Dwarf in the mornings as he wakes up and as he falls asleep at night. It would have been fine this way, he would have gone home just as sweet as anyone could ask for when his leg had healed all the way and he could go back to his normal prancing around town and socializing habits.

     Of course, that is, if he hadn’t been caught. Yet, of course he had been caught, he wasn’t exactly subtle about it. He was still stretched out across the table as his master walks in, lamp in hand to fiddle around with something that he forgot, his golden eyes half blurry with oncoming sleep. The look on his master’s face was quite severe, but he just turns his head away, looking at the little man in the flask. Even he looks worried, his hands pressed up against the surface of his container, those too many teeth shifting downwards.

    He closes his eyes against the sight, determined to go to sleep anyway. He’s still pretending to sleep even as his head is being lifted up by its ponytail, his master repeating the same thing over and over as if he’s more inclined to answer the second hundred time. It’s not he’s dropped nose first back onto the table does he react. Yelping, his hands come up to his nose as he sits up to look at his master, tears in his eyes.

    “You know I broke it a while back, you told me not to hit it again!”

    “I also told you to answer me, but apparently you have selective hearing.”  He’s pissed. He grinds his knuckles into Hohenheim’s scalp, obviously expecting another yelp, but it doesn’t come. “You really only react when your vanity is at stake. Incredible.”

    The tone is mocking, so scathing that Hohenheim almost winced. He can’t quite bring himself to do it, instead just bowing his head slightly in response. His master is not appeased, but ceases to pick on him, instead turning to tend to the thing that got him out of bed. After a long silence, his master speaks again.

   “Well?”

   “Well what?”

   He puts down his quill, sharp eyes cutting back to Hohenheim, the corners of his mouth drawn down in a frown grimacing at him.

   “You’re nearly forty years old, Hohenheim. What are you doing here? Why are you sleeping in here instead of your own home?”

   Hohenheim doesn’t meet his gaze, instead putting his head down on crossed arms, burying half his face. It doesn’t last long as his master delivers a swift kick to his bad leg, causing him to snarl in pain at his master, looking quite ready to tear him apart with his teeth. His master flicks him square in the center of his forehead.

   “You know I don’t fall for that, Hohenheim. Stop acting defensive, either tell me or go home.”

   “That really hurt! What if you’ve damaged it–”

   “Stop. I told you to answer a question. I’ll take a look at it when you’re done, alright? We both know this isn’t about your leg.”

    Hohenheim thinks this over for a second, before shrugging. He may know a thing or two about the human body, but he actually did still have a lot to learn about how to fix it. If his master wanted a story in order to get him back on his feet properly…

    “It’s just so cold in there at night.” He mumbles, turning his attention to a spot on the table that had been scorched by acid. His spill, naturally. “Even if I light a fire, it’s too cold to get comfortable.”

    “And it’s the middle of the day in here.” His eyes roll, though it does prompt him to get up to light the set fire, easing the chill of the desert night. “What about your family? You do have one, don’t you? Always in here talking away about how you finally have a nice big house and how you can’t wait to fill it up…”

    “Oh… Well it hasn’t happened… yet, I mean. It hasn’t happened yet.” He sighs, once again putting his head on the table. “Well… I mean it did happen, they just keep leaving me. Most of them don’t even tell me until we run into each other on the street. I think it’s that idiot who works in the stables that talks bad about me, but–”

    “You can’t blame others for your lack of self. You know how families work here. They’re not going to coddle you just because you had a start in life as a slave.”

     Hohenheim covers his head with his arms, holding the pose for a long moment. He takes a deep breath, slowly relaxing.

     “I know, Master, I know. To have a family here, you have to have time and a strong personality and I’m trying.”

     “You’re an Alchemist. There’s no such thing as trying, there is success and failure, and–”

     “I know. Each failure leads to tomorrow’s success. I read the manual.”

     “Don’t get smart with me until you actually have something smart to say.”

     “Master, you wound me.”

     “From the looks of it, you wound yourself. I’m doing my best to prevent it from becoming infected.”

     “Ah, ice in the desert sand.”

     “To be so lucky.”

      They fall quiet for a moment, the sound of the fire crackling breaking the sound of the night. Eventually, the older man juts his chin out, pointing at The Dwarf.

       “It’s that what you’re here for.”

       “Hey..  Don’t bring me into this.” The Dwarf twists inside it’s containment, extremely displeased that the drama now involves him. “I’ve got nothing to do with these messy human emotions.”

       “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but as Hohenheim’s the one likely to carry you anywhere, do you really want him to be distracted as something as trivial as a fall out and drop you?”

        “Hmmmm…” The dwarf falls silent. The Alchemist stares at him for a long moment before looking back to Hohenheim.

        “At any rate–”

            “Hold on, I’m still thinking.”

   The King’s Alchemist glares at the black mass before continuing.

        “–At any rate, why don’t you just get a few of the slaves you grew up with. I know you make enough to keep or buy their freedom and have them live with you. You were always sneaking off to be with them when you were younger.”

        Hohenheim looks particularly pained, this. clearly having nothing to do with his leg.

        “The last of the ones I grew up with, we disposed of about five years ago. The foreigners that brought that awful…”

        “Oh. Right. Luckily none of the citizens got infected, we never did figure out how to treat that… Those were yours? You never mentioned it or I wouldn’t have had you help me.”

       “That’s why I didn’t mention it. What use am I to you if I can’t work?” He says it like a child would, Un-Di-On-diAh, a reference to an old story. ‘My purpose is working’ The Horse would say. ‘Un-Di-On-diAh’ the children would bray back. The Lion would look sad but pleased.

       His master dd not look pleased. He doesn’t say anything right away and for a half moment, looks genuinely upset. He stands up quickly, turning around Hohenheim’s chair, putting the light down on the floor.

       “I’m looking at your leg now. Hold still.”

       He undoes the wrapping Hohenheim had put on, putting the ankle through its paces, checking the joint in his knee as well. He look at the other leg as well, lips pressing together in a thin line. He settles back on his heels, hands set on his knees, looking up to meet Hoheneim’s eyes.

      “I owe you an apology, Hohenheim.” It’s the first time Hohenheim’s ever heard his Master say that to him, and it takes all of his self control not to flap open his mouth like some fish. “I shouldn’t have kicked you. I could have compounded the injury you already have.”

      “Oh its…” He’s trying to brush it off, not wanting to be subjected to this much longer. The look in his master’s eyes stops him, and he changes what he’s going to say. “… It’s that bad…?”

     “The tendon in your leg nearly snapped, and your other leg isn’t much better. If you had twisted it any further, you would have lamed yourself for good.” He shakes his head, getting up to go get some fresh bandages. “You have hip problems as well, correct?”

     Hohenheim doesn’t answer that, though he swallows dryly. It’s true, every so often his hip will pop out of joint, and he will pull it back into place, working it until it starts moving again. It just didn’t seem to be that big of a deal, even at the end of the day where his bones had a deepset ache.

     “The problem is that your bones are too soft. I see it in most of the older slaves, especially in the ones that spend their time dancing.” He’s wrapping both of Hohenheim’s legs, tighter than what Hohenheim would have done at any rate, using braces to hold his ankles in place. “The connective tissue wears down too quickly, leaving nothing but the ligaments to hold the body in shape. When those stretch, it leads to wear and tear on the actual bone. It’s a problem with what they feed you all as children, too little and too cheap, leads to bad bones. I keep telling them to feed them better but…”

     “Un-Di-On-diAh.” Hohenheim murmurs, turning his face away. His master nods, but he doesn’t have to see it to know he nodded. There’s a light touch on his hands as the King’s Alchemist tests the joint in his wrists and elbows. It lingers for a heartbeat, before he stands up.

    “Hohenheim. You are an Alchemist, aren’t you?”

    “Yes, Master.”   

“Even over everything else?”

    “…. Yes.”

    His master nods, turning to collect his things and go back to bed.

    “Stop dancing. The King is going to become immortal in a few years, and I’d die of embarrassment if you ended up with a broken leg during that. Eat better. You don’t need me to tell you what you lack.”

    “…. Yes, Master.”

    The old man nods, beginning to leave. He stops, glancing over his shoulder.

    “I don’t want to see you in the lab so late at night again. In the morning I’ll send a servant to help clear out your old space. Stay there or go to that house of yours. I’ll throw you out myself, even if it’s raining, if I see you here again.”

    He walks through the door, the glow of the light going with him, reflecting off the darkened hallways. His voice stays, however, clear and sharp.

     “The Dwarf stays IN the lab at nighttime, Hohenheim. Remember that. In the lab, and you out of it. Not even once!”

      His voice fades, leaving nothing but the soft chuckling of The Dwarf and the popping of the fire to break the silence of the night.

[kaitymccoy123]

Unexpected

Intro: So it’s finally here.  My freaking child I swear.  This is the Bones x male reader that was requested by such a sweet anon I am sorry it took so long.  

Pairing: Bones x male!reader

Word Count: 5,200 (whoops)

Warnings: swearing, lots of kissing, ummm not much else?

Summary: So thanks guys for helping me decide to keep it one big fic because I just think it flows so well together so I apologize for the length (I just went with this one to the ends of the earth I couldn’t stop myself). 

ALSO: This is my first time writing a decidedly male reader so please be gentle.  I absolutely adore this fic and everything about so I hope it’s alright and the reader came off as male, I tried really hard.  <3

ALSO (p.t. 2): While I was writing the embarrassing story that the reader tells in the middle of this fic (you can’t miss it) I was channeling my best friend so I kinda wrote it how she would tell a story like that, so hopefully it makes sense. 

-Enjoy!-

It started with an accidental kiss. 

It was a night you couldn’t really remember that well, but from what you do remember, you had passed out behind a control panel in the engineering room, with no idea how you got there.  Your drunk ass had been found by none other than Dr. Leonard McCoy, who was looking for Scotty, but had found you instead.  And this was all well and good except for the fact that you were a handsy drunk and had had a major, life-altering crush on the grumpy southern doctor. 

Leonard had carried your hammered ass back to your quarters, put a cup of water beside your bed and made you promise to come see him in the morning. When he was satisfied that you didn’t have alcohol poisoning and weren’t going to choke on your own tongue, he leaned over you to pull at the blankets of your bed.  And for some stupid reason you had reached up, wrapped your hands around the back of his head, and pulled his mouth to yours.  It was a drunken, stupid kiss, all sloppy and clumsy, but, and you couldn’t say much for your memory thanks to the tequila shots, you felt him reciprocate, if only for a moment, before he pulled away.  He looked down at you for a moment, a hard set to his eyes and mouth, before turning and abruptly walking out of your room. 

Leonard had barely looked at you the next day when you showed up in the medbay like he asked.  You couldn’t stop staring at his mouth as he asked you a few questions, and when you said you felt fine except for the normal hangover headache and tiredness, he dismissed you. 

“Damnit, Jim!  I did the best I could with what I had!  How do you not understand that?!” Leonard was screaming at Captain Kirk in front of the entire Bridge crew. 

This was one of the few times you had actually been on the Bridge, and you instantly wanted to crawl back to the engineering room and hide behind the familiar processors and boilers.  But unfortunately you were involved with the away mission disaster that had just occurred, and you were supposed to be debriefed by Captain Kirk himself when it had turned into more of a screaming match between him and Leonard. 

“Bones, you have never left a man behind like that.  Ever.” Kirk was fuming, pulling himself out of his chair and stalking over to Leonard, “Why the hell couldn’t you get him out of there?”

“I already told you, Jim, he wasn’t going to make it out of there alive.  I made an informed decision, knowing that mine and Lieutenant Y/L/N’s best shot was to get the hell out of there before that monster came back.  There was nothing more to be done.”

Kirk strode up to Leonard so they were face-to-face and you instinctively stepped forward, your hand on your phaser protectively, but the movement aggravated the injury you had sustained to your shoulder, and you winced. Leonard gave you half a side glance before turning his angry gaze back to the fuming Captain. 

“We could have beamed you out.” Kirk argued. 

“And by the time that would have been ready we would have been turned into chopped liver.” You interjected, both men turning to you, looking at you like they had just suddenly remembered you were there, “Captain, there was no time to call up to the ship, the monster was right on our tail.”

You were stuck in a staring match between the two men, but you held your ground, “Dr. McCoy did everything he could for Ensign Riley, but his injuries were critical even to my untrained eyes, so we made a decision, a collective, logical decision to get out while we still could.”

“Sir.” You added for good measure, your heart ramming in your chest at the sudden confrontation. 

Kirk looked away, processing the information, but Leonard continued to stare you down, his glare forceful and questioning, making you look away. 

“Alright.  Well we will certainly be discussing this later, but in the meantime I have a ship to run.  You are both dismissed.” Kirk turned without so much as another glance in your and Leonard’s direction, and sat down in his chair. 

Leonard started moving before you did, making a bee-line for the turbolift, and you followed, stepping into the lift at the same time.  You stood silently across from him, pressing the heel of your hands into the railing, the memory of your drunken kiss, however fuzzy, suddenly replaying in your mind over and over.  

And then Leonard McCoy was kissing you.

Hands had found their way around your sides, sliding around to your back, and his lips were on yours.  You were so shocked that you had barely enough time to kiss him back, suddenly more sober than you had ever been in your life, and you were just leaning into him when the lift halted and he pulled away abruptly. And then he was stalking down the hall at such an insane speed that you would have thought he was running.  

You stayed for a moment in the lift, catching your breath and trying to clear the haze of longing from your brain.  And then a stab of pain from your shoulder brought you back to reality.  You needed to head to the medbay to get fixed up, by the doctor that had just made out with you in the lift.  

You stepped out of the lift, knees wobbling slightly, and made your way to the medbay, anxious and unsure of what you were going to meet when you got there.  

You had questions.  So many questions.

So you ignored your aching shoulder for a moment, and stalked over to knock on Leonard’s office door, and he flung it open, looking very exasperated and even annoyed at your presence, and it made you a little angry. 

“What the hell was that?” You spat and he pulled you by your arm into his office. 

As soon as the door closed you found yourself pressed up against it, Leonard’s body pinning you to the surface and his mouth crushed against yours in a desperate kiss.  You gasped against his lips and lost all inhibitions.  Digging your hands into his hair, you kissed him back, finally able to throw your heart and soul into the kiss, and you met the almost bruising pressure of his lips. Leonard’s fingers slid back to your spine, cushioning you from the force with which he was pressing you against the door, before sliding up to your shoulders to hold you closer.  

A sudden jolt of pain snapped your brain back into your skull and you yelped as his fingers pressed at your shoulders, unknowing, or forgetting about your injury.  You threw all your force into your hands and pushed him off you.  He wasn’t expecting it and he flew back, nearly stumbling.  

You cradled your injured arm, gasping at the pain, but also from the sudden sensation of the kiss, which had left you breathless.  Leonard looked at you with a mix of hurt and confusion, and you wanted to step forward and apologize, but the pain in your shoulder was too great. 

“O-okay.  That was great and all, but it feels like my shoulder is being torn apart from the inside out so I would appreciate some medical care for a minute.” You gasped, your tone a little rougher than you would have liked, but it damn hurt. 

“Sorry, of course.” Leonard responded, snapping instantly into doctor mode, which almost made you laugh because of the state of his hair that your fingers had just been locked in.  

He led you by your uninjured arm out into the medbay, moving into one of the rooms and closing the door behind him.  He instantly began scanning you with a tricorder as you moved to sit on the edge of the biobed, and you could do nothing but stare at him as he worked.  You had no words for what just happened, and apparently neither did he. 

He told you you needed to take off your shirt to get better access at the wound, and you barely breathed while he helped you out of it.  

“Looks like a ligament tear, not too hard to fix, luckily.” Leonard mumbled, and you watched his eye pointedly not look at your bare chest.  

“Thanks.” You nodded and let him fix you up. 

Several minutes later you were feeling much better, and Leonard applied a sling for good measure, to make sure you healed fully.  Hopping off the bed as Leonard put away his supplies you began to pace, and you knew you had to say something, anything.

“Are we going to talk about this?” Your voice was hoarse with nervousness. 

Leonard stayed quiet, his back to you, only the sound of his equipment being put away filling the silence in the room.  

You stumbled for words, trying to form coherent sentences, but only one word escaped your lips, “Why?”

"What the hell do you mean 'why'?" Leonard stormed and spun on you, but there was no bite to his words.  

"I mean why me?  Why now?" You knew they were big questions to ask, but you needed them answered.  You needed answers. 

"Damnit man, you're getting all gushy on me." He grumbled, but you could tell he was trying to come up with the words. 

"Sorry." You looked away, feeling like you wanted to internally collapse at the awkwardness and tension in the room. 

"No, don't be... Agh." Leonard approached you now, his arms crossed over his chest as if he didn't know what to do with his hands, and you looked over at him now.

"Back there, on the Bridge... No one has ever defended me like that before." Leonard explained, his eyes on the floor. 

"Oh."

"And when Ensign Alexia collapsed in the Engineering room a few weeks ago?  You were calm and collected.  Helpful. And I guess I just thought..." Leonard trailed off.

"Thought what?" You breathed, drawing closer to Leonard, and you stared at the top of his head as he kept his gaze on the floor, or maybe your kneecaps. 

"That you and I..."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry if I assumed... It's just ever since I carried your drunk ass back to your quarters..." Leonard started and you interrupted. 

"You assumed right."

His eyes snapped to yours now and you swear you felt your heart stop.  You wanted to touch him so bad, but the sling was rather restricting, so you just stepped closer and placed your free hand on his shoulder, thumbing the fabric there.  Leonard dropped his gaze to your hand, and you heard his intake of breath as you dragged your hand to his neck, his pulse ramming against your thumb.  You tilted his chin up with your thumb now, and because you just couldn’t wait anymore you brought your lips to his. 

This kiss was much softer, much less demanding than the past two kisses, and it almost tore you apart.  You felt yourself come undone as his hands came up to rest on your sides, trailing his fingers up your ribs and pulling you closer.  

You stayed like that for a while, in a haze of gentle touches and soft lips, and just as you decided to deepen the kiss your com went off.  At first you ignored it, lifting your lips from Leonard's and pressing open-mouth kisses along his jaw and into the soft flesh under his chin and he moaned at the contact.  You had wanted to do this for so long...

Your com beeped again and you groaned, low and gutteral against Leonard's neck.  You kept yourself pressed close to him but pulled out your com and flipped it open. 

"Y/N here."

Now it was Leonard's turn to lavish your neck with kisses and you felt your knees buckle at the sensation.

"Ay, lad, I need you back by boiler 13, the circuit seems to be malfunctioning." Scotty's scottish accent was thick as it transmitted through the com.

You bit back a groan as Leonard's mouth found a sensitive spot on your neck and you leaned onto his shoulder for support. 

"Be right there, Scotty." You wheezed and flipped the com shut, shoving it back into your belt.

"You can't leave now..." Leonard complained as he brought his lips to yours again. 

You tucked your fingers back behind his head and let him kiss you deeply for a few more moments before you pulled away. 

"I have to, I am still technically on shift so I have to go or Scotty will suspect something." You explained and peeled yourself off him, and he groaned in protest.

"I'll see you... later." You assured and pressed your lips to his once more for good measure before re-tucking in your shirt and adjusting your uniform pants.

And then, before he could protest again, you swept out of the room and down the hall, still breathless and dizzy from the whole encounter.

The next few days passed by in a blur.  When you had gone to Leonard's room that evening, buzzing with anticipation, you found the room empty and assumed that he had been called into the medbay.  Unsure of what you should do, you just headed back to your quarters and fell asleep on the couch, staying up way too late as every set of footsteps that sounded out in the hall made you jump as you thought it would be Leonard.

It was 4 days later when you saw him in more than brief looks and a few acknowledging glances as you wandered past the medbay on your way to and from jobs, Scotty keeping you annoyingly busy.  And you wished, for the first time on this ship, that you didn't have something to do.

Then, finally, you found him situated at the otherwise empty bar, a drink in hand.  You eased yourself in the seat beside him.  

“Hey.” You whispered, resting your elbows on the cool surface of the counter in front of you, your eyes on the far window, looking out into the great beyond.

“Hey yourself.” Leonard grumbled, his fingers playing with the edge of the glass before he threw the liquid back, emptying it in one shot.

Looking at him now, you were acutely aware of his grumpy mood and shaking hands and the dark circles under the eyes that were trained on the empty glass in between his fingers.

“Long day?” You asked.

Leonard hummed in response, and you heard him swallow and exhale through his nose, a sign that meant long day, bad day, don’t want to talk about it.

“I did something really dumb and embarrassing today, do you want to hear about it?” You suggested, suddenly wanting nothing more than to see him smile.

Leonard stayed silent, now using a little silver flask to refill his glass with a dark liquid.

“I was helping Scotty with this mainframe panel that had a bug in it, nothing major, but he wanted it worked out, so we’re going at it, when he says something along the lines of ‘lad, turn that knob up’ but I thought he said ‘pull that knob off’ - with his accent could you really blame me? - anyway, so I fucking rip at this knob, and it’s really on there tight, because it’s not supposed to be pulled off, right?  So I’m using all my god-damn strength, and when it finally comes loose it’s like I freed Sir Arthur’s sword or whatever, and I end up loosing my balance and end up on my ass, this knob in my hand and Scotty staring down at me like I��m the biggest idiot in the universe.”

Leonard huffed a laugh, and you can see him smile in your periphery, so you continue.

“And that’s not even the worst part.  I guess I land on something that had spilled on the floor - let’s be real it was probably some pop that Scotty drinks all the time - and it’s super sticky and wet and when I get up it’s all over my ass, like it looked like I crapped myself.”

Another laugh from Leonard, this one louder and looser.

“So Scotty’s yelling at me, in all my sticky-ass glory, and I am trying to explain to him that I need to go change my pants, but he’s not listening, and then who shows up?  Captain-freakin-Kirk himself.  I have honestly never seen him in the engineering room until that moment, and of course he’s all like “Lieutenant Y/L/N, what’s all over you pants?  Did you have an accident” -because he’s a dick like that,” This elicits a snort from Leonard as he downs the rest of his glass, “And now Scotty’s trying to see what he’s talking about and everyone’s looking at my ass, and it was just awful.”

You chuckle in self pity, and throw a glance at Leonard, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter, and he pressed his fist to his lips to keep his mouthful of whiskey in his mouth so as not to choke on it or spit it across the counter. When he finally is able to swallow it, he lets out a few breaths of laughter and leans forward, turning his stool slightly, making his knee bump yours lazily.

You turned your chair towards him now too, pressing your knees together gently, and you wait as Leonard settled himself, pushing his empty glass away and finally meeting your eyes.  The corner of his lips are upturned into a smile and you feel a flash of pride as you smile back at him.

“Thank you for that.” Leonard breathed, his fingers that were resting on his thigh now inching closer to your connected knees and brush yours softly.  You could only watch as his fingertips touch lightly at the fabric on the top of your knee, your heart leaping at the electricity that this little contact has sent through your nerves.

“Thank you.” He whispered again as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the outside of your upper arm, and you look down at the back of his neck, at the muscles of his shoulder expanding and retreating with every breath he takes.

Moving your forearm gently so as not to remove his head from your arm, you reached over to sweep your fingers over the ones that were dancing on your knee.  He supined his hand and you drifted your fingers over his palm, hearing his exhale at the sensation, and you could see him watching your connected fingers from his place against your arm.  You entwined your fingers and just stopped, reveling in the contact, of his knee against yours, his fingers resting on the back of your hand, his forearm pressed against yours, and his head resting on your tricep.  

And there you stayed, suspended, frozen in time, the thought of moving away actually painful.  

But eventually Leonard did lift his head off your arm, and then slowly your fingers detached, his knee peeling itself off yours arduously.  But he didn’t leave right away.  He stayed there, beside you, not touching, for a while, before he turned to face you, finally, agonizingly, and he stood, stepping closer to you, and you turned so you were facing each other.  

You regarded Leonard for a moment, barely breathing for his eyes on yours, before he brought his hands up, carding his fingers through the hair just above your ear, sliding his hand to the back of your head, and you thought time itself stopped.  Maybe it was just your heart that stopped beating.  

Then soft lips met yours in a gentle, fragile kiss, and you brought your hand to his waist and around his back, pulling ever closer.  He broke the kiss after several all-consuming moments but left his forehead to rest on yours, and you watched his tongue dash out to wet his lips, and it almost drove you insane.  

You met his dark eyes, and they sparkled with hope and promise and beginning, even if the rest of his face showed his exhaustion, the dark circles under his eyes, the stubble on his jaw, the disheveled hair, everything but his eyes.  

“Goodnight, Y/N.” Leonard breathed onto your lips.

“Goodnight, Leonard.” You breathed onto his.

And he was gone.

And just like that you were inseparable.  Well, as inseparable as you could be while working full time busy schedules that rarely coincided so that you had time together that was not in the middle of the night.  

But you made it work.  You tried to eat meals together, tried to see each other before shifts or after shifts, spending the evenings in one or the other’s quarters, talking and kissing and drinking and laughing.  He made you laugh more than you ever thought possible. And it was nice.  Really nice.  You had never been happier in your life, you thought, and Leonard looked happier as well, less exhausted and less stressed.

You were working in the engineering room one day and heard two voices speaking, both familiar, and you tucked yourself behind one of the boilers, out of sight.

“Do you know what’s up with Bones lately?” It was Captain Kirk’s voice.

“What do ya mean?” Scotty asked.

“Well he seems less stressed lately, even pleasant, and he called me ‘buddy’ the other day.  I nearly vomited.” Kirk responded and you held in a snort of laughter.  

“My guess is he’s found a special someone.” Scotty’s voice was upbeat.

“He would have told me.  He tells me everything.” Kirk countered.

"Well maybe, maybe not.  You asked my opinion.  I gave it to ya.  Now get outta here and let me get back to work." Scotty sneered and you heard footsteps retreating.  

You pulled out from behind the boiler, trying to seem like you were just walking passed, and you accidentally met Scotty's eye, who gave you a knowing look, and you could feel yourself flush instantly.  How could he know? You thought to yourself. What were you going to do?

“So, have you told Kirk about us?” You asked one day, your voice as nonchalant as you could manage, and you stuffed one of the french fries on the plate in front of you for good measure.

“Those aren’t good for you, Y/N, too much sodium.” Leonard admonished and you looked over at him where he was seated at the counter in his quarters, making pointed eye contact while putting another fry in your mouth.

“You didn’t answer my question.” You mumbled and swallowed some water.

“Would you want me to tell Jim about us?” Leonard asked, stabbing his fork into his salad.

“Don’t answer my question with a question.” You snapped, but your tone was light-hearted, “I heard Scotty and Kirk talking in the engineering room, about how you look happier, and Scotty’s theory was that you were seeing someone.”

“Are you afraid of telling people?  Are you ashamed of me?” Leonard’s tone was light and even, but you still felt the sting of his words.

“No! No. Not at all.  It’s just...” You assured desperately, self consciously noticing a shake in your hands.

“Just what? We’re going to have to tell everyone eventually.”

“Why?  Why not stay in our little bubble of a secret relationship, full of hidden meet-ups and super-sexy-sneaky kisses?” You teased, abandoning your plate of fries to saunter up to Leonard, making him chuckle.

Leonard also abandoned his lunch, turning to you and pulling you close, so you stood between his legs, his hands coming to rest on either side of your neck and his smile exchanged itself for a more serious look of admiration, “Because I plan on sticking with you for a while, kid.”

“Oh.” You breathed, shocked by his sudden sincere words, but they made you smile in turn, and you slid your hands around his back, so close to his face now that you could see the details in his eyes, the few freckles scattered on his face.

“You say ‘oh’ too much.” Leonard teased, his lips brushing yours as he spoke.

“You know you love it.” You smile into his lips as he pulls you in for a dizzying kiss.

“Hey, Y/N, can you pass the ketchup?” Uhura called over the table to you, and you handed her the bottle.

You were out at a little run down diner/bar that you had come across on shore leave, and you were situated among the bridge crew of the enterprise.  You sat beside Leonard, who was on your right at the long table, Kirk was across from you, with Spock to his left and Sulu to his right, and Chekov beside Sulu.  On your left was Keenser, followed by Scotty and Uhura, down at the far end. Everyone was happily chatting to one another, and you were talking to Leonard about some medical equipment upgrades you could help him with when you got back.

You felt someone’s eyes on you and you looked quickly around the table to see Sulu’s even gaze on you, a look of understanding and mischief in his eyes. You nodded to him before turning to Leonard, absently leaning in and resting your hand on the back of Leonard’s chair.  You looked back to Sulu, who’s lips were now up-turned in a small smile, and Chekov was looking confusedly between you and Sulu, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

"No, Spock, I don't think that the food here is contaminated with E. Coli, Bones, back me up on this!" Kirk called from across the table, bringing Leonard's attention away from you, and your attention away from Sulu.

"It probably is, Spock, but did you know that our guts are always colonized with E. Coli?  So we should be fine, and if not, it's just a little vomiting and diarrhea, nothing a few hypos can't handle." Bones explained, his tone informative but also very snarky, and you let out a huff of laughter as you finished off the last of your beer.

"You want another one?" Leonard asked, pulling out his chair and standing up.

"Sure." You looked up at him and he took your glass, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to your lips before striding away.

"I KNEW IT!" A loud voice sounded from across the table and hands slapped the table.

What is he.... oh.  OH.

Mortification.  Pure mortification shot straight through your veins like you had injected it.   Leonard had leaned over and kissed you.  Oh no.  The entire table was silent as you lifted your head, your pulse pounding in your skull at the realization that they had all seen you and Leonard kiss.  

Kirk was nearly vibrating, his smile actually blinding you, and by the way his hands were spread across the table you figured he was the one who yelled and slapped the surface.  Sulu was looking at you with the same, steady gaze as before, but this time fully smiling, and he was ignoring Chekov who was pawing at his arm, trying to figure out what had happened.  Uhura was handing Scotty what looked like a folded up 20 dollar bill, the look on her face one of displeasure at the whole situation.  Meanwhile, Scotty looked quite pleased with himself.  

Air was not reaching your lungs.  Not at all.  Maybe because you weren't breathing.  A heavy hand on your shoulder made you jump and you looked up to see Leonard returning with your beer in hand.  

"Who died?  Why is everyone..." Leonard asked, his tone sarcastic as he looked at all his friends, who were looking back at the two of you.

You craned your neck up to look at him, and his face fell at the sight of your white skin and the look of terror on your face. Then, a flicker of understanding flashed across his face.  

"Oh." His mouth formed a little circle and he was the one now turning painfully to his friends, who were still watching the whole endeavor.

"I...I..." He stuttered, his grip on your shoulder tightening almost painfully.

"As for the E. Coli, Dr. McCoy, I am not as concerned for myself as I am for the rest of the crew, as normal flora can change..." Spock began, his face deadpan and very strict, continuing on with the conversation as if he had seen nothing.

"Oh, lighten up, Spock!" Kirk clapped the unsmiling Vulcan on his shoulder, eliciting a grimace from him, "Bones, since you were too busy getting your boyfriend a beer and no one else, you get to buy the next round." Kirk gestured to the empty glasses in front of everyone.

Leonard was still frozen, and you shrugged your shoulder a little to get his attention.  

"Uh, yeah, sure, Jim.  Next round's on me." Leonard gestured towards the bartender, indicating he what he wanted.  

Leonard sat down a little too heavy in the seat beside you, and you placed your hand on his shoulder, trying to shake the mortified look off his face.

"Leonard.  Hey." You said, and finally he brought his eyes to you, "It's fine.  See?"

You nodded to the rest of the table, who had fallen into their previous conversations, the hum of discussion building back up.  

"Oh." Leonard whispered, breathing laboured breaths and you knew he was experiencing the same rush of adrenaline you felt before.

"You say 'oh' too much." You teased, reaching for his hand now and squeezing it.

He squeezed it back, and the sparkle in his brown eyes returned as he settled back into his chair, your hand in his.  

"Y/N!" Your name called from across the table caught your attention, it was Kirk again, "Who do you think would win in a fight, me or Bones?"

You blinked at the Captain, taken aback by the question, "Uhhh... My money's on Leonard here.  He is fueled purely by rage and coffee, and when he gets going, he's not going to stop until you are firmly situated in a bio bed in his medbay."

The rest of the table snickered at your comment, and Scotty chimed in, "No way, lad.  Jim's got much more hand-to-hand combat practice."

"But Dr. McCoy is bigger." Chekov added.

"Which makes him slower, Kirk would kick his ass." Uhura commented and gave Scotty a little fist bump.

And as the rest of the table debated on this topic, you were left sitting beside Leonard, tuning out the entire conversation, reveling in the acceptance of your secret relationship turned not-so-secret, and you pulled Leonard's hand into your lap.  Looking over at him, you found his eyes already on you, and you gave him a smile, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders as you stroked small circles into his skin.  

Scooting your chair closer to, you leaned into to him, feeling his knee rest on yours and his side press into you.  And you reveled in this new-found freedom and the fact that you could lean up and draw his lips down to yours. Which was exactly what you did.

And the rest was history.  

-Thanks for reading!  I hope you liked it!-

Permanent Tag List (let me know if you want to be added):  @feelmyroarrrr @jefferson-in-the-tardis @anyakinamidala @digitalmoonhowell @trekken81​ @yourtropegirl​ @fandomheadrush​ @kirkaholic123​

[thebloodlinereigns]

Love Heals All Wounds (part 5)

Roman and Draya made their way through the hallways of the hospital and picked up his medication from the pharmacy before leaving through the doors of the hospital. Draya pulled the car around to the front after she loaded his things in the trunk. Roman stretched out in the back seat and leaned his head against the window. The ordeal had drained a lot of energy out of him and really all he wanted was to find the nearest bed and crash. His heart wouldn’t let him, It fluttered at the thought of finally being alone with Draya. She came over to the other side of the back seat and offered a pillow to prop his leg on for the ride home.

“I just figured that it would ease some of the tension. It’s not going to be the smoothest ride to my condo.” She said as she carefully slid the pillow under his knee. He reached over and placed his hand sweetly on hers.

”Thank you, sweetie, it already feels a lot better,” he said as he bit his lower lip before smiling. She looked up and a huge smile spread across her face. She leaned in as he drew in closer. Being mindful of his knee, she held her finger up to his lips before she pulled back. She shut the door and walked over to the other side to open the door. She gently turned his face towards her as she used the handle to pull herself up onto the edge. The two kissed passionately before she pulled away.

”We gotta get going, I have a whole season of Game of Thrones and snacks waiting for us back at my place,” Draya said as she closed the door to the backseat. She quickly went over to the driver seat. She started the car before shifting into reverse. She looked back as Roman looked on, still flushed as be thought of how lucky he was. He leaned back against the door and window as Draya drove. Draya thought about everything that she was feeling.

”Am I rushing things too fast? Am I overdoing it? Something tells me that he's everything I never knew I needed. His heart speaks to me in ways I've never felt before. I don't want to rush into anything too quickly. I never felt this complete in any other relationship. Is this even a relationship? Did I make a mistake of inviting him to stay with me?” The thoughts continued to race through her mind as Roman broke the silence in the car.

Roman and Draya made eye contact through the rearview mirror. ”I know that our first date didn't amount to much. It wasn't what you deserve. You are worth much more than Chinese takeout, Game of Thrones reruns, and a dude with a bum knee but you took a chance. You see something in me that proves that I'm worthy of your time and since the moment that I laid eyes on you, you've done nothing but go above and beyond to make sure that I am okay. You have cleared your entire schedule to take care of me just on a hunch that this may be something worth pursuing. This has been the most nontraditional start to a relationship that I've ever seen but I can see you have your doubts. Maybe I can clear some of those up for you, Draya, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend? I see my future in your beautiful eyes and I can't let that pass me by. It may see to others like we're rushing but I see it as dating intentionally. We won't get everything right but us together, I see no wrong. You're everything I never knew I needed until this moment.” he said as he continued to look at her from the back seat. Draya looked down at the road before pulling onto the shoulder lane. She parked the car as she looked back at Roman. She tried her best to hide her tears but fought a losing battle.

”Can you read minds or was it that obvious what I am thinking? I never felt feelings as strongly as I do now. There's an electric energy here that draws me to you and I can't break it. I'm scared of my feelings but what you just said offers so much clarity. Yes, I'll be your girlfriend,” she said as a large smile appeared on her face.

”It was just a feeling, I couldn't help it. It was something I wanted to ask you in the parking lot right after you said hello, ” he said as he grinned. He blushed slightly as he looked at her. ”Come on, Game of Thrones awaits us, ” he reminded her before he leaned his head back against the window. Draya turned the car back on and drove home. They pulled up to the condo just as the pain peaked for Roman. His jaw clenched as he breathed heavily. He sat there for a moment whilst Draya parked. She got out and opened the door opposite of Roman. She looked at the anguish on his face as he slid forward. She grabbed his crutches and handed them to him. He took them as he stood, bearing no weight on his right leg.

Draya closed the door and headed for the front door. She opened the door before he walked through it. He looked around briefly at the cozy, modernized home. He stood in the middle of the room as he thought of where he could make it to. ”Where do you feel comfortable with me being?” he asked Draya.

”The bedroom is better. The couch is too small for you to be comfortable. One injury is enough for you right now. It's the last door on the left. Go ahead and settle in while I bring in the stuff from the car. You have a fancy ice machine in there I want to play around with.” She said unable to contain the excitement in her voice. Roman chuckled to himself as he shook his head. He went towards her bedroom and managed to get somewhat comfortable. The pain became increasingly bothersome as he laid there. A few moments later, Draya appeared with the supplies and his medicine. She handed the little to him with a water bottle before she sat down on the floor beside the boxes she got out the car. He looked down and saw letters he wasn't familiar with. Draya pulled the contraption out of the box and his eyes widened with concern as he was uncertain what the machine would do.

”Draya, what is that? It looks like a small torture chamber. Am I really supposed to use it?” Roman asked as he sipped the water. ”So, this bad boy is a continuous passive motion machine. For some, it does seem like torture cause it slowly bends and straightens your knee to help manage swelling, stiffness, and pain. That being said, it will still hurt a lot so be warned. It's set at a specific degree and you work your way up. For you, they said you can do it for 30 degrees for 8 hours a day. I'll give you a break to ice it and then we start back up with it. I feel like you're gonna hate me but I'll be here with you.” She said as she set up the machine in the bed. She carefully removed his brace and placed his leg onto the machine while he laid back, still very uncertain of what was about to transpire. She gave the medicine some time to kick in before she turned the machine on. She removed her shoes and climbed into bed next to him as it began to do its job.

The next few hours were rough on Roman as he continued to use the machine that unlocked his own personal hell. Through the drug-induced haze, Roman still felt every once of the pain being inflicted by this machine. His pride would not let him show the pain in front of Draya. She tried her best to comfort him whilst he remained tense. She held his hand and stroked it softly with her thumb. He pulled her in close as he endured the pain. “Maybe I can hook the ice machine up to your knee while it’s on that thing to help the pain.” She said as she started to get up. He looked up towards the ceiling and mouthed, ”THANK GOD” whilst her back was turned. She sat down on the floor next to box before opening it and applying it to his knee. She plugged it in and the first hint of cold caused a soft groan to escape his lips due to the initial shock. He relaxed as the ice worked its magic. She climbed back in bed and settled in next to him as he took her in his arms. He kissed her forehead as they watched Game of Thrones before they drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, their phones were blowing up. The constant buzzing woke Draya up. She adjusted her glasses and went to see what the commotion was. She looked at her notifications to see several mentions from her twitter feed and a few missed calls from Naomi. Another notification was from WWE, she clicked the notice as it read, ”The Miz has harsh words in response to his last encounter with Roman Reigns”. She clicked the link to see what the fuss was about.

The Miz appeared in the middle of the ring,running his mouth as usual. ”Welcome to the most must-see

wrestling talk show in WWE History, WELCOME TO MIZ TV, hosted by the new face of WWE. You've guessed it, THE MIZ!” he said as he introduced his segment. ”I have an inside scoop from a very reliable source regarded your golden boy, Roman Reigns. You see last night, my highly effective plan of single-handedly ending the career of Roman Reigns was carried out without a single hiccup. I'm quite sure you've seen the footage but for those who hadn't, I direct your attention to the nearest monitor, ” said as the footage played. ”Look at my handiwork, I physically debilitated Roman Reigns in front of the entire world. Who cares about the thrill of a win? You know what's better than the feeling of scoring a pinfall? The feeling of ligaments being torn from the bone and hearing the ligament snap under the tension of a figure four leg lock or better yet the disappointment in the eyes of his family ringside as they watched him struggle to the back because his pride wouldn't let him be helped back. Oh, bravo! Bravo, we demand an encore of this stellar performance! It's more entertaining than most of the promos you've cut this entire year. Here's the thing though, Roman was scheduled to appear tonight. But no one's seen him, I wonder why that is? Hmmm, perhaps it's related to the fact that Roman underwent surgery for a torn MCL and ACL injury today. That could also be a reason why someone else is missing backstage as well. There's no logical reason that Draya would not be here tonight except- anywho, I digress. Yes, Roman Reigns has been sidelined indefinitely. That's right folks, that means I have created my own opportunity to take my rightful place as the NEW face of WWE. For those who didn't know, Roman was on his way to challenging for the NXT Championship pretty soon and now that he's out of the picture, WWE rewarded me with the opportunity to replace him in the running as we enter a tournament to determine the number one contender. One day after taking him out, I'm already reaping the benefits!” he said as he smirked while staring into the camera. The camera zoomed out to plan the vocal audience. The arena filled with boos as the crowd realized that Roman would not be competing any time soon.

Draya stepped out as Roman continued to sleep and called Naomi back. After the second ring, Naomi picked up. ”GIRL! Did you watch it? You're trending on Twitter. #WhoIsDraya is the 3rd most trending hashtag! People are desperately trying to figure out who you are. I hope they don't go too crazy. You know how those internet fans can be, ” Naomi teased.

”Roman is going to flip when he sees this. I don't know how he found out. No one knows anything at this point, at least no one outside of management. Maybe it’s all apart of the storyline. I don’t know but now I’m actually his girlfriend. I’ve never dated a wrestler before.” Draya said before Naomi’s scream radiated through the phone.

“WHAAAAAAAAT?! What did you- how does Miz - rewind and start from the beginning!!!” Naomi exclaimed. Draya proceeded to tell her the details of her encounter with The Miz and what had happened after Roman’s surgery. “You ain’t say nothing! Girl, that’s the things y’all need to tell me! Look at you, you secured the man in a matter of 2 days. I knew y’all would be perfect. Just stay cool and levelheaded. Right now there will be a buzz but it will die down. It’ll be okay. Go ahead and get back to him. I’ll let the fam know he’s being well taken care of. “ Naomi said before hanging up.

Draya looked back at Roman who was just waking up. “D, what’s up? What’s all the buzzing for?” He said as he breathed heavily before sitting up in bed. Draya crawled back into bed with her phone in her hand. She curled up under his arm. “Roman, I need to tell you something but I need you to stay calm.” She began as she propped herself up on her elbow before looking up at his eyes. His brows knitted in concern before he asked, “what’s up?”.

“When we were at the arena, The Miz approached me and instructed me to tell you that he will stop at nothing to make sure you're out for good. He said nothing and no one is off limits, not even me. At the show today, he made some comments about how he took you out and basically told the crowd that we may be together.” Draya said in a low tone as she realized that Roman was already getting upset. He rubbed his face with his hands before wrapping one arm around Draya. “Show me,”he asked calmly. Draya looked down at the phone and pulled up the video. She played it as Roman listened to what The Miz said. The anger built up as each insult was delivered. When it got to the point where he mentioned Draya, Roman was beside himself. “Who gave him the right to involve my personal life in this? Our relationship is just that, OURS! He has no right to threaten you or mention you in our feud. I don’t care about the shit he said about me. He’s crossing a line. Where’s my-,” he said as he started to try to get up. He groaned as he struggled to get his leg down. “Ah-d- Damn it, ah,” he said as he tried to stand. Draya quickly made it over to him.

“Roman, think this through. If we get down there and he gets his hands on that knee. You’re done. You’re career might end because you let emotions get the best of you. Is this what you want, to let everything you worked so hard for go down the drain? Calm down, lay back down. There’s another way to get revenge.” She said as she thought quickly.

“Draya, you’re not a wrestler. I don’t want you getting hurt on my behalf because I’m not there to protect you.” Roman said as he tried to balance himself before sitting back down on the bed. “It’s all a mind game and I’m feeding into it. You’re right. I’ll relax, get through this, and kick his ass when I get back to the ring. I swear if he lays a hand on you, he’s going to-AHHH SH-,” he said as he desperately tried to relax.

“Here, take some more medicine. Here’s your water. You have to relax. No more talk of wrestling or The Miz. Just us, alone. I’ll make dinner and just chill for the rest of the night,okay? Don’t forget the exercises she mentioned at the hospital.” Draya reminded him as she left the room to prepare dinner. She regretted telling him what happened but knew she had to be honest with him. She thought about the situation as she cooked. She made spicy chicken breast with stalks of asparagus, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables.

Draya set the table and placed the plates on the table. Roman came just in time to eat. ”How did you know it was ready?!” she said astonished by how quickly he recognized the scent. ”Sweetheart, I have an innate ability to find food when I'm hungry, ” Roman replied with a chuckle as he settled into a seat. He managed to get his brace on and propped his knee up on the nearest chair. The two sat down at the table and ate.

The two free closer as the days passed. Whether it was short walks on the beach, random movie nights, or just them sitting and talking, the bond grew stronger. Every day, Roman committed more and more time to therapy as he gained more strength. He would leave therapy and then come home, only to work out more. He pushed himself to get closer to that ring and it was definitely paying off. Draya had finally returned to work a month after Roman’s surgery. She walked into the condo after a rough night at Full Sail. She tossed her keys on the counter and walked around looking for Roman. ”Ro, are you here?” she asked as she went to the bedroom.

”No! Don't come in here yet! D, I promise it's worth it! Give me like two minutes.” Roman called out as Draya tried to open the door. ”Okay?” Draya answered as she thought of what he could possibly be doing that would require him to block the door. She let her hair down front the curly messy bun and shook it free. She walked to shower and turned it on as she let the water get warm. She played music on her phone and started to sing along as she removed her clothes. She stepped into the shower and the warmth of the water melted her stress away. She washed her hair as she heard a knock at the door.

”Your surprise is waiting for you when you get out D. I hope you like it,” Roman called out as he stood behind the door. Draya continued to sing as she finished her shower. She turned the faucet off as she grabbed a towel to wrap herself in. She gathered her things in her arms before tossing them into the hamper. She walked to the bedroom and found candles lit with large floral arrangements around the room. She looked around in awe as she walked towards each one, inhaling deeply to savor their sweet scent.

Roman appeared in the room wearing a fitted white t-shirt with dark denim jeans. His hair was slicked into a bun. He stood using his crutches as support with a bottle of pink Moscato, her favorite wine. ”I watched the show tonight and given all the chaos that happened, I figured that you would be exhausted. Don't worry, I handled dinner. I just want you to sit back and relax. It's just my way of saying thank you for keeping me motivated this past month. It's not easy dealing with me when I'm away from the ring and you have handled it with so much grace. I appreciate you. I went to the doctor today, don't worry I had Jimmy take me so I didn't drive. Anyway, I'll just show you, ” he said as he leaned his crutches against the wall. He still had his brace on as he slowly walked over to Draya. There was still a slight limp but a vast improvement since he had been non-weight bearing for the past month. He wrapped his arms around Draya’s slim waist as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. He smiled as he continued, ”He cleared me to start increasing what I can do in the gym. I'm healing a lot better than expected right now and I'm on a good track. So I'm working to get full extension, flexion, walking normally again, and finally getting to work out. Oh yeah, no more crutches. I can just use one to keep people from knocking it but I'm doing good without them. My brace is at about 15 degrees. I'm excited but I'm even more thankful, I couldn't have made it to this point without you getting on my ass about using those little machines, ” he kissed her passionately on the lips as he held the one arm around her waist and the bottle in the other hand.

Draya’s heart felt like it was going to explode as she saw Roman take his first steps. She smiled while she kissed his lips. She pulled away slightly before pulling in close. ”I'm so proud of you, Ro. You worked hard to get here and I'll still be here every step of the way, ”she said as she pulled away. ”I'm going to get dressed now, then we can eat. I feel like I need to get somewhat dolled up because you look pretty good right now, ” she teased as she looked in her closet.

”Well, I mean I can finally take you on that special date to Nick’s if you want to go. I had some other plans in mind though. You put on whatever you like and meet me in your backyard.” Roman stated as he headed outside with the bottle of Moscato. Draya threw on a maxi dress and some sandals before meeting him outside. He stood behind the chair waiting for her to walk over. He gently scooted her chair for her as he sat down in the other chair. The table was lit by candles as their plates sat in front of them.

”I'm impressed, you did all of this?” Draya asked as she looked at the very appealing salmon served with rice and creamy sauce on top with shrimp and vegetables on the side. Roman smirked as he began to did in. ”I wish I had cooked this, now seeing your reaction. No, I had Jimmy pick it up while we were out. I just warmed it up but this isn't all that I had planned, ” he said as he smiles before taking the next bite.

”What else did you have in mind Mr. Reigns?” Draya replied with a raised brow as she continued to eat. She was blown away by the amount of thought and effort that was put into this gesture. ”You're raising the bar pretty high with dinner and bouquets of flowers. Tread lightly before I expect this to become the routine, ”she warned as she giggled. The two finished their dinner as they talked about her day at work. He listened intently, nodding appropriately as she continued with her story. She laughed as she held her neck, trying to soothe her aches.

Roman collected their plates and took them in the house before he returned. He took her by the hand and blew out the candles outside before leading her to the bedroom. He carefully removed his brace and jeans before putting on shorts. He replaced his brace and helped Draya out of her maxi dress. He guided her to the bed and handed her one of his shirts to wear. Once she slipped it on, he sat down in bed and patted her spot. She sat down and he began to massage her shoulders firmly to loosen the knots. He continued as she worked her neck around. ”Damn D, you're really tense. Don't they have other trainers they can work the hell out of?” he asked as he continued to work his magic. She moaned as he managed to find the right spot.

”Stay there, right there, ” she said as another content moan escaped her lips. ”Oh m- right there. Ah-” her voice broke slightly as she felt pleasure flood her body.

”Lay back, D, ” Roman requested as his hands slide over her curves. He worked his way down to the small of her back as he kneaded her back with slight pressure. He massaged her legs and worked his way down to her feet. He grabbed some lotion off the nightstand and rubbed his hands together as he continued to pamper her. He massaged her legs as he rubbed the lotion in. Roman took his time and paid special attention to ever knot and tense spot in her body. He felt her body relax under his hands and she became silent. He continued to rub her feet as he glanced back at her resting with her eyes closed.

”Babygirl, tonight wasn't about me at all. No sexual intentions, just wanting to give you the special treatment your body deserved. Sex, I will wait for because you are worth the wait. You are a phenomenal woman and I want to engage with you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. You're a force to be reckoned with and one of the strongest I've seen. Thank you for allowing me to witness you take in the world. I appreciate everything you do and have done. Sleep well beautiful, ” he said as he held her close. Her head rested on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.

Roman and Draya was on a steady path. This past month offered it's challenges but the two continued to grow. They carried on the relationship based on their terms. The intimacy continued to grow as they continued to blossom as a couple. Physical intimacy wasn't his primary concern as he still wanted to figure out who she was as a person. The fact that they spent so much time together allowed for a deeper understanding of each other's personalities, they were developing their own little groove by really developing their foundation. They were building a solid union and discovering each other. Roman and Draya used this unfortunate injury as the gateway to healing each other's past wounds and insecurities.