#how dare something on my computer change without my permission BACK IN MY DAY--

[marlynnofmany]

My browser just updated without telling me. It's a tiny change, and I'm sure it'll even be useful, but still my automatic reaction is

Complaining about this on Tumblr seems like the correct response.

[auroraescritora]

Serviço Mandatório (Mandatory Service) [bi-lingual] #Dom!Nico #Sub!Percy #role reversal - Parte IV

Post Biligue! Versão em Português na segunda parte!

Post Biligue! Portuguese version in part two!

Privious Chapters (Capítulos anteriores): [I] [II] [III]

How's it going? I've put together another chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Part VIII

Before leaving the house, we ate something that Percy had prepared, something that reminded me of home in my happier moments. I said goodbye to Percy, leaving him with his notebook, phone in hand and glasses that made him look charming. I kissed him on the cheek, seeing him smile sweetly and said I would be back later. He answered me with a distracted “Hm-hm” and turned his attention to the computer, typing quickly while listening to what the other person was saying on the phone.

I had to be honest, I never thought I would regret not being very into the city's sex scene, but, as fate would have it, there was a notice board right at the entrance to the institute's administration. There were exclusive clubs for doms/subs, others for masochists and sadomasochists, and even one for sex slaves, if that was what you were interested in. I went straight to the stores closest to the institute and wrote down the addresses, heading out of the institute for the first time in three days. I didn't know how much I missed freedom until they threatened to take it away from me.

I walked through the tall, solid metal gates, waved to the doorman, and left the institute without feeling like a fugitive. After all, I had my ID documents and permission with me, printed on a fancy card identifying me as a beginner Dominant. Which was ridiculous in my opinion; you were either a Dominant or you weren't, it was as simple as this, a piece of plastic wasn't going to change that.

I took my cell phone out of my pocket, called the taxi and waited a few minutes for it to arrive.

I got into the taxi and looked around. I had never noticed before, but it seemed like everyone was wearing a collar or a bracelet. The guy driving the taxi was wearing a black shirt and a black collar, a large, simple leather one that made it clear who he was. I also saw a woman walking down the street, wearing a long dress, high heels, and a dark gray bracelet. Looking at them like that, I wouldn't have guessed that they were a sub or a dome, because the guy in the taxi with me already had gray hair and his white, sun-tanned skin was beginning to wrinkle at the corners of his eyes, everything else being hidden from where I sat in the back seat. And in fact, I would never think of anyone in those terms; these were people, men and women, and nothing more. But it seemed that I was the one in the wrong since the rest of the world didn't think like me.

Had I been that blind?

How could I not have realized that everyone acted in a certain way and I was the only one who didn't? Maybe that was why after I finished high school I hadn't had another boyfriend, at least not one that lasted more than a week; not that I had cared anyway. Staying in college and keeping a job had been the only thing on my mind. I would never go back to that house, not even if I had to starve. I had sworn and I wouldn't go back on it.

I sighed and got out of the taxi when the car stopped in front of a discreet store. I went in and realized that there was nothing discreet about it. If I had been scared by Roberta's office, that establishment was even worse. And you know what? I didn't even dare to investigate those unknown objects, which were so unknown that they became UFOs. I went straight to a saleswoman and said:

"Do you have collars around here?" She looked me up and down and smiled at me, showing me her neck, respectfully, almost bowing.

I felt like she was going to say something I didn't want to hear and I frowned. That always worked, she made a disappointed face and said:

"Of course, sir. If you could follow me…" She pointed further into the store and only moved when I gave her permission, she went in front and I following her from a slightly wider distance, just to make it clear why I was there.

And in fact, it was a shelf that went from the ceiling to the floor with collars. Thin, thick and medium, heavy and light. Some with rivets, others with diamonds and other precious stones. There were also simpler ones without any ornamentation and some that looked like ordinary chains, but nothing that I was looking for. Most of them were black or in dark colors, some gold or silver, but nothing that was worthy of my submissive.

"Do you have anything… blue?" I asked feeling like an idiot, of course they wouldn't.

"Hmm… blue? I think I have something that will please you, sir.”

She showed us the way and we walked to a half-hidden corner of the store.

Now, yes. The collars here were more colorful. Green, red, and purple. Pink, too, and toward the middle, there was a baby blue one with ornate spiral patterns, heavy and thick, almost phosphorescent in appearance. It came in a varnished black wooden box along with a discreet, unadorned bracelet, perfect for what Percy and I needed.

"I'll take that one. Wrap it up for me, will you?”

"Yes, sir." The girl bowed in respect, picked up the box and took it to the check out. I knew it was an item that would make me spend the money I didn't have to waste, however, Percy deserved this and all the best I could offer.

***

"Nico?" I heard the door open and turned to see who it was. Percy's head appeared between the doorway, his gaze uncertain and downcast. "Can I come in?”

"Sure, come in." I said, not at all sure.

The problem wasn't Percy, I was always happy to see him. No, the problem was me, the black wooden box on my lap that looked big and scary. The truth was that I shouldn't have bought something like that for Percy, things were still too new, we hadn't even talked about what to expect from this relationship, so how could I have thought that gifting Percy with something so intimate and personal was a good idea? What would Percy think when I give him a collar? I wasn't the kind of guy who liked to control people or see the mark of my possession on them. Because that was what I was about to do, wasn't it? If I hid the box, there would still be time to pretend that nothing was happening.

"Nico?" Percy called me again, still at the door.

"Come here." I pointed to the bed so he could sit by my side, feeling like something was possessing me.

"Sir?”

Percy looked… scolded, like someone had told him he was a bad boy and needed to be punished. Which maybe… no, what was I thinking?

"Sit with me, will you?”

Percy nodded and sat down, still naked with only the cage to cover him since we got back from the session with Roberta. The interesting thing was to see that he didn't even realize this fact.

"I bought something for you. Want to see?”

Percy made a surprised face and smiled, saying, "You didn't have to, I know you have difficulties--"

"I wanted to give you this.”

“Really?” Percy said, holding out his hands excitedly. Instead of giving it to him, I turned the box toward him and opened the delicate bundle. I wanted to see his reaction.

First there was a gasp, then there was a smile so bright it almost made me feel ashamed. Percy leaned in to get a closer look and his face flushed like only Percy could and… tears came.

“Are you okay?” I asked, almost taking the box back when a sob escaped Percy. But Percy just shook his head and held the collar with extreme care, as if it were his most precious treasure.

"Is this really for me? Just for me?”

"Of course." I said, starting to regret it. "I know it’s not much…”

“It’s perfect,” he whispered, like a secret no one should know. “No one… no one has ever given me anything like this.”

"Nobody?”

"People think I'm rich, so…”

"Oh ." I murmured, finally understanding. "I don't have much, but I'll give you everything I can.”

"Will you? Anything I want?”

"Baby.”

I couldn't take it anymore, I put the box aside and pulled Percy into a tight hug, keeping my hands tightly around his waist. Percy tried to resist and when he saw that I wasn't going anywhere, he hugged me around the neck and shoulders, only the sound of his heavy breathing could be heard in the room.

"I don't know what they did to make you act like this, but know that I will never be that guy. I will not betray you and I will not deceive you. If the time comes for us to part ways, I will tell you and wait for you to settle down and find another Dom who pleases you.”

“What if I never find anyone else?” Percy sniffed, his head resting on my shoulder.

"Then I will never leave you.”

"Do you promise?”

"I promise.”

***

When Percy finally calmed down, night was falling and the stars appeared in the sky, bright and big, something I could never see in the big city, coming to the end of our third day together. The house no longer seemed so cold and the rooms began to have that familiarity that gave me comfort and soothing easiness.

Yes, I had spent the entire afternoon shopping and calming down a seven-foot tall man who acted like a spoiled, needy baby, and enjoy it every moment of it. Could you believe it? And now, Percy and I were in bed, the box with the collar on it was on the nightstand and Percy was lying with his head on my shoulder, just me and him, and the darkness that invaded our room, without feeling the need to turn on the lights. In a very strange way, I felt like all of this belonged to me, the calm and quiet that I had never experienced before, someone who wanted my attention whenever possible and that feeling of… of being complete, like nothing in the universe could disturb me.

Unfortunately, this was the point where I would have to be the responsible person and break this rare moment; there were things that needed to be said, concepts needed to be understood and limits were allowed, especially if it was because of the way Percy seemed so determined and uninhibited one moment and shy and insecure the next. I needed to know why.

“Percy?” I said, as I continued to run my hands through his hair, looking out the window.

"Yes, Nico?" Percy murmured against my neck, his lips pressed against it, kissing slowly.

I knew he was doing this on purpose, trying to divert the subject. If there was one thing I had noticed, it was that Percy preferred acting rather than  talking. In fact, the less he said, the happier he would be.

"You know we have to talk, don't you?”

"Another conversation? I think--”

"Roberta exposed some facts that are very interesting.”

"Like what?" Percy lifted his head and started to walk away, almost getting out of bed when I grabbed his arm and made him sit back down.

"Safe, sane, and consensual? What do you hope to get out of this? How should I behave? Your boundaries? Your safe word?”

Percy sighed and turned to me, looking me up and down, analyzing me while seeming to be laughing in my face.

"First, act with awareness and care." He began counting on his fingers."Hopefully, a mainly D/S relationship.”

"What do you mean by mainly?”

"Well… I like anything that doesn't include too much humiliation or bodily fluids where there shouldn't be any bodily fluids.”

Yuck! He mean they did it--

“Nico,” Percy said, catching my attention, gently touching my leg, smiling sincerely. “I’ve had many types of Doms. Strong and lean, mean and kind, merciless and loving. Each of them has been good to me, making me experience something new and wanting to come back for more. I’ve also had those who think they’re dominant. They say things like, ‘I’m an Alpha master. All women exist to serve men. Age is just a number.’ when in fact, they were the complete opposite.”

Percy licked his lips and looked at his hand on my leg, continuing to speak: "You know, it's through conversation that I see who's worth it.”

"Conversation?”

"Hmmhmm." Percy murmured, lost in thought. "You never tried to talk about yourself. You never tried to convince me of anything. When you talk, it’s about me or Roberta, never putting yourself first. You know… that’s the duty of a true Dom, to put the safety and needs of others before your own.”

"What do you expect from me?" I asked, feeling my throat dry.

"Nothing you wouldn't want to offer." Then Percy smiled and looked back into my eyes. "I know I'm demanding and sometimes a little needy…

"A little?" I tried to lighten the mood.

"Very much. I really am. I just need a little time--”

"You don't need any time. We're not stuck. If I'm not enough--”

"You are!" Percy rushed to say.

“If I’m not enough during our year together…” I continued. “You’re free to seek out another Dom.”

"You don't mind?”

"Not exactly, but I'd rather see you happy than stuck with someone who doesn't know what they're doing.”

"I don't think you know the potential you have." Percy said, pouting.

"I don't know?”

"No." Percy denied, determined."You act like a responsible Dom.”

"Is that so?”

"Yes! In the beginning, Roberta and Carla talked to me a lot. They still do… when you’re not around.”

"When was that?”

"When you talk to Roberta and before you arrived. Today, when you left too.”

"What did they tell you?”

"That I was doing well.”

"Just that?”

“You don’t understand,” Percy tried to explain, squeezing my leg. “My track record of successful scenes is few and far between. And dominants who stay with me, even fewer. I can’t say no to them.”

"You can't?”

"I want to please, that's what I do. I don't like to disappoint. So…" Percy shrugged and I sighed, I felt like there would be a lot of conversations in our future. I decided that changing the subject was the best route.

"What’s your safe word?" I said.

"The color system. I never remember anything else in the middle of the scene. Sometimes even that. Stopping is far from my mind ninety-five percent of the time.”

"When you get shy, what does it mean?”

“What?” Percy tilted his head, as if trying to understand, and straightened his spine. That told me he knew exactly what I was talking about. But still…

"When you look away from me, when you blush that beautiful shade of red…”

"I… get excited? Like, really excited.”

"Like now?" I asked, seeing Percy try to hide.

Percy nodded and put his hand to his face, a small chuckle coming out of him.

"And when you seem insecure?”

"I…" This time, Percy stopped in his tracks and looked back at me. "When did this happen?”

"When did you ask if you could come into the room?”

"Did I seem insecure?”

"Yes.”

"I guess… I wasn’t sure if I was welcome. You left alone and didn’t say where you went. I don’t want to bother you. I don’t want to make assumptions. I know you didn’t want to be here.”

"I didn't want to. I don't want to." I finished. "I have a life and things to do.

"I'm so sorry--”

"You're so much more than I expected. The only positive thing about this whole situation. So, no, I didn't want to be here, but I don't regret meeting you.”

I guess I had shocked Percy, because he stood there, just staring at me. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, and closed it, swallowing hard.

When the silence dragged on with us just staring into each other's eyes, I said:

"Limits?”

“Like I said…” Percy cleared his throat, shifting in bed. “…except for extreme humiliation and gross stuff…”

"The soft and demanding ones?”

"I don't have a preference, I just want to... feel. Different things and intense things.”

"Things that hurt?”

Percy nodded, his face blushing slightly.

"Things that tie you up?”

He stated again, “Anything you want to test with me.”

"Anything?" Now it was my turn to blush.

Anything at all?

"On one condition. If you don't feel comfortable, you have to tell me.”

“That’s it?” Percy asked, looking relieved.

"Yes, if there is anything you want, I will give it to you. You just have to tell me.”

“Anything?” Percy repeated, a dreamy look on his face.

"Anything.”

"How about…" Percy leaned over me on the bed and whispered in my ear.

I felt my pants get tight, as my hands went to the back of Percy's neck, holding him firmly there.

"If that’s what you want.”

Percy nodded excitedly and got out of bed. It looked like they were going to have a very lively night.

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

Como vai? Consegui preparar mais um capítulo. Espero que vocês gostem.

Parte VIII

Antes de sair de casa, comemos algo que Percy preparou, algo que me fez lembrar de casa em meus tempos mais felizes, me despedi de Percy, o deixando com seu notebook, telefone na mão e óculos que o fazia parecer charmoso. Dei um beijo em seu rosto, o vendo sorrir docemente e disse que voltaria mais tarde. Ele me respondeu com um “Hm-hm” distraído e voltou sua atenção para o computador, digitando rapidamente enquanto ouvia o que a outra pessoa falava pelo celular.

Eu tinha que ser sincero, nunca pensei que pudesse me arrepender em não ser muito ligado na cena sexual da cidade, mas, por coincidência do destino, havia um quadro de avisos bem na entrada da administração do instituto. Ali havia clubes exclusivos para dom/sub, outros para masoquistas e sadomasoquistas, e um até para escravos sexuais, se fosse o que você estivesse interessado. Fui direto nas indicações das lojas mais próximas ao instituto e anotei os endereços, me encaminhando para fora do instituto pela primeira vez em três dias. Eu não sabia o quanto sentia falta da liberdade até ameaçarem tirar ela de mim.

Passei pelos portões altos de metal maciço, acenei para o porteiro e saí do instituto sem me sentir um fugitivo. Afinal, eu tinha comigo meus documentos de identidade e permissão, imprimida em um cartão elegante me identificando como um dominador iniciante. O que era ridículo na minha opinião; ou você era um dominador, ou não era, simples assim, um pedaço de plástico não mudaria isso.

Tirei meu celular do bolso, chamei o táxi e esperei alguns minutos até ele chegar. 

Entrei no táxi e olhei ao redor. Eu nunca tinha percebido antes, mas parecia que todo mundo usava uma coleira ou um bracelete. O cara que dirigia o táxi usava uma camisa negra, e uma coleira de cor preta, uma bem grande de couro e simples, deixando claro o que ele era. Vi também uma mulher que passeava pela rua, usando um vestido longo, saltos altos e um bracelete cinza-escuro. Os vendo assim, eu não diria que eles era um sub ou uma dome, pois o cara dentro do táxi comigo já tinha cabelos grisalhos e sua pele branca, bronzeada de sol, começava a se enrugar nos cantos dos olhos, todo o resto ficando escondido de onde eu me sentava, no banco de trás. E de fato, eu nunca pensaria em ninguém nesses termos; aquelas eram pessoas, homens e mulher, e nada mais do que isso. Porém, parecia que eu era o errado já que o resto do mundo não pensava como eu.

Será que eu tinha sido tão cego assim? 

Como é eu não tinha percebido que todo mundo agia de uma forma e só eu que não? Vai ver que era por isso que depois que havia terminado o ensino médio eu não havia tido outro namorado, pelo menos, não um que durasse mais de uma semana; não que eu tivesse me importado de qualquer jeito. Me manter na faculdade e em um trabalho tinha sido a única coisa em minha mente. Eu nunca voltaria para aquela casa, nem que eu tivesse que passar fome. Eu tinha jurado e não voltaria a atrás.

Suspirei e desci do táxi quando o carro parou em frente a uma loja discreta. Entrei nela e percebi que de discreta ela não tinha nada. Se eu tinha me assustado com o escritório de Roberta, aquele estabelecimento estava a luz de distância na frente. E quer saber? Eu nem me atrevi a investigar aqueles objetos desconhecidos, que de tão desconhecidos se tornavam ovinis. Fui direto até uma vendedora e disse:

— Você tem coleiras por aqui? — Ela me olhou de cima a baixo e sorriu para mim, mostrando seu pescoço para mim, respeitosa, quase curvando. 

Senti que ela iria falar algo que eu não gostaria de ouvir e franzi o cenho. Aquilo sempre dava certo, ela fez uma cara de decepcionada e falou:

— É claro, senhor. Se o senhor puder me seguir… — Ela indicou mais o fundo da loja e só se moveu quando eu dei a permissão, ela indo na frente e eu a seguindo de uma distância um pouco mais larga, só para deixar claro o motivo de eu estar ali.

E de fato, era uma prateleira que ia do teto ao chão com coleiras. Finas, grossas e medias, pesadas e leves. Algumas com rebites, outras com diamante e outras pedras preciosas. Havia também as mais simples sem qualquer ornamento e algumas que pareciam correntinhas comuns, mas nada do que eu estivesse procurando. A maioria delas eram pretas ou cores escuras, algumas douradas ou prata, porém nada que fosse digno do meu submisso.

— Você tem alguma coisa… azul? — Perguntei me sentindo um idiota, é claro que eles não teriam.

— Hmm… azul? Acho que tenho algo que vá agradá-lo, senhor. 

Ela indicou o caminho e andamos a um canto da loja meio escondido.

Agora, sim. Ali as coleiras eram mais coloridas. Verdes, vermelhas e roxas. Rosas também, e mais ao meio, havia uma em azul-bebê ornamentada e com padrões em espiral, de aparência pesada e grossa, quase fosforescente. Ela vinha em uma caixa de madeira negra envernizada junto com um bracelete discreto e sem ornamentos, perfeito para o que eu e Percy precisávamos.

— Vou levar essa. Embrulhe para mim, sim?

— Sim, senhor. — A garota se curvou em forma de respeito, pegou a caixa e levou para dar baixa nela. Eu sabia que era uma peça que me faria gastar o dinheiro que eu não tinha para esbanjar, porém, Percy merecia isso e tudo o de melhor que eu pudesse oferecer.

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***

— Nico? — Ouvi o barulho da porta se abrindo e me virei para ver quem era. A cabeça de Percy apareceu entre o vão da porta, seu olhar inseguro e virado para baixo. — Eu posso entrar?

— Claro, entre. — eu disse, sem ter a mínima certeza. 

O problema não era Percy, eu sempre ficava feliz em vê-lo. Não, o problema era eu, a caixa de madeira negra no meu colo que parecia grande e assustadora. A verdade era que eu não devia ter comprado algo assim para Percy, as coisas ainda eram muito recentes, nós nem tinhamos conversado sobre o que esperar desse relacionamento, então como é que eu tinha pensado que presentear Percy com algo tão íntimo e pessoal era uma boa ideia? O que Percy pensaria quando eu entregasse uma coleira para ele? Eu não era esse tipo de cara que gostava de controlar pessoas ou ver a marca da minha possessão sobre elas. Porque isso era o que eu estava prestes a fazer, não era? Se eu escondesse a caixa, ainda daria tempo de fingir que nada estava acontecendo.

— Nico? — Percy me chamou novamente, ainda no pé da porta.

— Venha aqui. — eu indiquei a cama para que ele se sentasse ao meu lado, sentindo como se algo me possuísse.

— Senhor? 

Percy parecia… repreendido, como se alguém tivesse dito que ele era um garoto mau e teria que ser punido. O que talvez… não, o que eu estava pensando?

— Se sente comigo, sim?

Percy acenou e se sentou, ainda pelado só com a gaiola para cobri-lo desde que voltamos da sessão com Roberta. O interessante era ver que ele nem percebia esse fato.

— Comprei algo para você. Quer ver?

Percy fez uma cara surpresa e sorriu, dizendo: — Você não precisava, sei que você tem dificuldades--

— Eu quis te dar isso.

— De verdade? — Percy disse e estendeu as mãos, todo animado. E ao invés de dar nas mãos dele, virei a caixa em direção a ele e abri o feixe delicado. Eu queria ver a reação dele.

Primeiro foi um arfar, depois veio um sorriso tão cintilante que quase me fez sentir vergonha. Percy se inclinou para ver mais de perto e seu rosto corou como só Percy conseguia e… lagrimas vieram. 

— Você está bem? — Perguntei, quase tomando a caixa de volta quando um soluço saiu de Percy. Mas Percy apenas balançou a cabeça e segurou com extremo cuidado a coleira, como se fosse seu tesouro mais precioso.

— Isso é mesmo pra mim? Só pra mim?

— É claro. — Eu disse, começando a me arrepender. — Sei que não é muito…

— É perfeito. — Ele sussurrou, como um segredo que ninguém devesse saber. — Ninguém… ninguém nunca me deu nada assim.

— Ninguém?

— As pessoas acham que eu sou rico, então…

— Oh. — Murmurei, finalmente entendendo. — Eu não tenho muito, mas vou te dar tudo o que eu puder.

— Você vai? Tudo o que eu quiser?

— Bebê.

Eu não aguentei, coloquei a caixa de lado e puxei Percy para um abraço apertado, mantendo minhas mãos em volta de sua cintura bem firme. Percy tentou resistir e quando viu que eu não iria a lugar algum, me abraçou pelo pescoço e ombros, somente o barulho de sua respiração pesada podendo ser ouvida no comodo.

— Eu não sei o que fizeram para você agir assim, mas saiba que eu nunca vou ser esse cara. Eu não vou te trair e não vou te enganar. Se chegar a hora de nos separarmos, direi para você e esperarei que você se acomode e encontre outro Dom que te agrade.

— E se eu nunca encontrar? — Percy fungou, com a cabeça encostada em meu ombro.

— Então, eu nunca vou te deixar.

— Você promete?

— Eu prometo. 

***

Quando Percy enfim se acalmou a noite caia e as estrelas pareciam no céu, brilhantes e grandes, algo que eu nunca podia ver na cidade grande, chegando ao fim do nosso terceiro dia juntos. A casa já não parecia tão fria e os cômodos começavam a ter aquela familiaridade que me passavam conforto e relaxamento. 

Sim, eu tinha passado a tarde inteira fazendo compras e acalmando um homem de dois metros de altura que agia feito um bebê mimado e carente, e gostando de cada momento disso. Dava para acreditar? E agora, eu e Percy estávamos na cama, a caixa com a coleira estava em cima do criado-mudo e Percy se deitava com a cabeça no meu ombro, só eu e ele, e a escuridão que invadia nosso quarto, sem sentir a necessidade de acender as luzes. De uma forma muito estranha, eu sentia como se tudo aquilo me pertencesse, a calmaria e a quietude que eu nunca tinha experimentado antes, alguém que queria minha atenção sempre que possível e aquela sensação de… de estar completo, como se nada no universo pudesse me perturbar. 

Infelizmente, esse era o ponto que eu teria que ser a pessoa responsável e quebrar esse raro momento; há coisas que precisavam ser ditas, conceitos precisavam ser intendidos e limites serem permitidos, principalmente se fosse pela forma que em um instante Percy parecia tão decidido e desinibido e no outro, tímido e inseguro. Eu precisava saber o motivo.

— Percy? — eu disse, enquanto continuava a passar minhas mãos sobre o cabelo dele, olhando para fora da janela.

— Sim, Nico? — Percy murmurou contra meu pescoço, seus lábios encostados ali, beijando devagar.

Eu sabia que ele fazia isso de proposito, tentando desviar do assunto. Se tinha uma coisa que eu tinha percebido era que Percy preferia fazer do que falar. De fato, quanto menos ele falasse, mais feliz ele ficaria.

— Você sabe que temos que conversar, não sabe?

— Outra conversa? Acho que--

— Roberta expôs alguns fatos que são bem interessantes.

— Como o quê? — Percy levantou a cabeça e começou a se afastar, quase já saindo da cama quando eu o segurei pelo braço e o fiz voltar a se sentar.

— Seguro, são e consensual? O que você espera tirar daqui? Como eu devo me comportar? Seus limites? Sua palavra de segurança?

Percy suspirou e se virou para mim, me olhando dos pés a cabeça, me analisando enquanto que parecia estar rindo da minha cara.

— Primeiro, agir com consciência e cuidado. — Ele começou a contar nos dedos. — Com sorte, uma relação principalmente D/S.

— O que você quer dizer com principalmente?

— Bem… eu gosto de tudo que não inclua humilhação muito intensa ou fluidos corporais onde não deve haver fluidos corporais.

Eca! Quer dizer que já fizeram com ele--

— Nico. — Percy disse, chamando minha atenção, tocando suavemente na minha perna, sorrindo sincero. — Eu já tive muitos tipos de Dom. Fortes e magros, maldosos e bonzinhos, impiedosos e amorosos. Cada um deles foi bom pra mim, me fazendo experimentar algo novo e querer voltar para mais. Já tive também aqueles que pensam que são dominadores. Eles dizem coisas como “Eu sou um mestre Alfa. Todas as mulheres existem para servir os homens. Idade é apenas um número. quando, na verdade, eles eram o completo oposto. 

Percy lambeu os lábios e olhou para a própria mão na minha perna, continuando a falar: — Sabe, é pela conversa que vejo quem vale a pena.

— Conversa?

— Hmmhmm. — Percy murmurou, perdido em pensamentos. — Você nunca tentou falar de você mesmo. Nunca tentou me convencer de algo. Quando você fala é sobre mim ou Roberta, nunca se colocando em primeiro lugar. Sabe… esse é o dever de um verdadeiro Dom, colocar a segurança e a necessidade dos outros antes da sua própria.

— O que você espera de mim? — Perguntei, sentindo a garganta seca.

— Nada que você não queira oferecer. — Então, Percy sorriu e voltou a olhar em meus olhos. — Sei que sou exigente e às vezes um pouco carente…

— Um pouco? — Tentei aliviar o ambiente.

— Muito. Sou muito mesmo. Eu só preciso de um pouco de tempo--

— Você não precisa de tempo nenhum. Nós não estamos presos. Se eu não for suficiente--

— Você é! — Percy se apressou a dizer.

— Se eu não for suficiente durante nosso ano juntos… — continuei. — Você é livre para procurar outro Dom.

— Você não se importa?

— Não exatamente, mas prefiro ver você feliz do que preso com alguém que não sabe o que está fazendo.

— Acho que você não sabe o potencial que tem. — Percy disse, fazendo biquinho.

— Eu não sei?

— Não. — Percy negou, decidido. — Você age como um Dom responsável.

— É mesmo?

— Sim! No início, Roberta e Carla conversavam muito comigo. Elas ainda conversam… quando você não está por perto.

— Quando foi isso?

— Quando você conversa com Roberta e antes de você chegar. Hoje, quando você saiu também.

— O que elas te disseram?

— Que eu estava indo bem.

— Só isso?

— Você não entende. — Percy tentou explicar, apertando minha perna. — Meu histórico de cenas bem sucedidas são poucas. E dominadores que ficam comigo, muito menos. Eu não consigo dizer não a eles.

— Você não consegue?

— Eu quero agradar, é o que eu faço. Não gosto de decepcionar. Então… — Percy deu de ombros e eu suspirei, sentia que ainda haveria muitas conversas no futuro deles. Decidi que mudar de assunto era a melhor rota.

— Qual sua palavra de segurança? — eu disse.

— O sistema de cores. Nunca me lembro de qualquer outra coisa no meio da cena. Às vezes, até isso. Parar está bem longe da minha cabeça noventa e cinco por cento das vezes.

—  Quando você fica tímido, o que isso significa?

— Como? — Percy entortou a cabeça, como se tentasse entender, e endireitou a coluna. Isso me dizia que ele sabia muito bem do que eu falava. Mas mesmo assim…

— Quando você foge do meu olhar, quando você cora naquele tom de vermelho tão bonito…

— Eu… fico excitado? Tipo, muitooo excitado.

— Como agora? — Perguntei, vendo Percy tentar se esconder.

Percy acenou e colocou a mão no rosto, uma risadinha saindo dele.

— E quando você parece inseguro?

— Eu… — Dessa vez, Percy parou no meio do caminho e voltou a olhar para mim. — Quando isso aconteceu?

— Quando você peguntou se podia entrar no quarto?

— Eu parecia inseguro?

— Sim.

— Acho que… eu não tinha certeza se eu era bem-vindo. Você saiu sozinho e não disse para onde foi. Eu não quero incomodar. Eu não quero fazer suposições. Sei que você não queria estar aqui.

— Eu não queria. Eu não quero. — Completei. — Eu tenho uma vida e coisas a fazer. 

— Eu sinto muit--

— Você é muito mais do que eu esperava. A única coisa positiva dessa situação toda. Então, não, eu não queria estar aqui, mas não me arrependo de ter te conhecido.

Acho que eu tinha chocado Percy, porque ele ficou ali, apenas olhando mim. Ele abriu a boca, como se quisesse dizer alguma coisa, e a fechou, engolindo em seco. 

Quando o silêncio se arrastou conosco apenas olhando um nos olhos do outro, eu disse:

— Limites?

— Como eu disse… — Percy pigarreou, se ajeitando na cama. — …tirando humilhação extrema e coisas nojentas…

— Os suaves e de exigência?

— Não tenho uma preferência, eu só quero… sentir. Coisas diferentes e coisas intensas.

— Coisas que machucam?

Percy afirmou que sim, seu rosto corando ligeiramente.

— Coisas que te prendem?

Ele afirmou novamente. — Qualquer coisa que você queira testar comigo.

— Qualquer coisa? — Agora foi a minha vez de corar.

Qualquer coisa mesmo?

— Com uma condição. Se você não se sentir confortável, você tem que me dizer.

— Só isso? — Percy perguntou, parecendo aliviado.

— Sim, se tiver algo que você queira, eu vou te dar. Você precisa apenas me dizer.

— Qualquer coisa? — Percy repetiu, um olhar sonhador no rosto.

— Qualquer coisa.

— Que tal… — Percy se inclinou sobre mim na cama e sussurrou no meu ouvido. 

Senti minhas calças ficarem apertadas, enquanto que minhas mãos foram para a nuca de Percy, o segurando firme ali.

— Se é o que você quer.

Percy acenou animado e levantou da cama. Parece que eles teriam uma noite bem animada.

[perpetual-stories]

How To Fight Writers Block

hello, hello. hope everyone is doing well. as you can all tell, this post will be about how to fight writers block.

it’s really annoying to me when I hear people say “oh you don’t have writers block, you’re just lazy.”

first of all, yes, I am naturally lazy. second of all, how dare you. writing isn’t as easy as many think. granted, all you have to do is write down words on paper, but it’s not always easy to find the right words to express what you are feeling, or what you wish to say.

I have had terrible writer’s block for the last few days and it’s horrible! as a business owner or a small writing store, I have to be ready to write and fulfill my clients’ ideas and orders.

it’s not easy. It takes a heavy toll on my imagination, and digs me a deep pit of blockage, drowning in the lack of originality because of the constant writing and repetition or certain phrases and sentences in different projects.

i am making this post in the hopes to remind myself about over coming the dreaded and sometimes skeptically believed writer’s block.

What is writer’s block?

Yeah, I know. We all know what that is, but let me define it.

is the state of being unable to proceed with writing, and/or the inability to start writing something new

some people believe it to be a real problem, others believe it's “all in your head”

What Causes Writer’s Block?

in the 1970s, clinical psychologists Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios decided to find out

they concluded that there are four broad causes of writer's block:

Excessively harsh self-criticism

Fear of comparison to other writers

Lack of external motivation, like attention and praise

Lack of internal motivation, like the desire to tell one's story

How to overcome writer's block: 20 tips

1. Develop a writing routine:

Author and artist Twyla Tharp once wrote: “Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits.”

it might seem counterintuitive

if you only write when you “feel creative,” you're bound to get stuck in a tar pit of writer's block

The only way to push through is by disciplining yourself to write on a regular schedule. It might be every day, every other day, or just on weekends — but whatever it is, stick to it!

2. Use "imperfect" words:

A writer can spend hours looking for the perfect word or phrase to illustrate a concept

You can avoid this fruitless endeavor by putting, “In other words…” and simply writing what you’re thinking, whether it’s eloquent or not

You can then come back and refine it later by doing a CTRL+F search for “in other words.”

3. Do non-writing activities:

one of the best ways to climb out of a writing funk is to take yourself out of your own work and into someone else’s

Go to an exhibition, to the cinema, to a play, a gig, eat a delicious meal

immerse yourself in great STUFF and get your synapses crackling in a different way

Snippets of conversations, sounds, colors, sensations will creep into the space that once felt empty

4. Freewrite through it:

free-writing involves writing for a pre-set amount of time without pause — and without regard for grammar, spelling, or topic. You just write.

The goal of freewriting is to write without second-guessing yourself — free from doubt, apathy, or self-consciousness, all of which contribute to writer's block. Here’s how:

Find the right surroundings. Go somewhere you won't be disturbed.

Pick your writing utensils. Will you type at your computer, or write with pen and paper? (Tip: if you're prone to hitting the backspace button, you should freewrite the old-fashioned way!)

Settle on a time-limit. Your first time around, set your timer for just 10 minutes to get the feel for it. You can gradually increase this interval as you grow more comfortable with freewriting.

5. Relax on your first draft:

Many writers suffer form perfectionism, which is especially debilitating during a first draft

“Blocks often occur because writers put a lot of pressure on themselves to sound ‘right’ the first time. A good way to loosen up and have fun again in a draft is to give yourself permission to write imperfectly.” — editor Lauren Hughes

perfect is the enemy of good,” so don't agonize about getting it exactly right! You can always go back and edit, maybe even get a second pair of eyes on the manuscript

6. Don’t start at the beginning:

the most intimidating part of writing is the start, when you have a whole empty book to fill with coherent words

instead of starting with the chronological beginning of whatever it is you’re trying to write, dive into middle, or wherever you feel confident

7. Take a shower:

Have you ever noticed that the best ideas tend to arrive while in the shower, or while doing other “mindless” tasks?

research shows that when you’re doing something monotonous (such as showering, walking, or cleaning), your brain goes on autopilot, leaving your unconscious free to wander without logic-driven restrictions

showering is my favourite thing to do if I may add

8. Balance your inner critic:

successful writers have in common is the ability to hear their inner critic, respectfully acknowledge its points, and move forward

You don't need to completely ignore that critical voice, nor should you cower before it

you must establish a respectful, balanced relationship, so you can address what's necessary and skip over what's insecure and irrelevant

9. Switch up your tool:

a change of scenery can really help with writer's block. However, that scenery doesn't have to be your physical location — changing up your writing tool can be just as big a help!

if you’ve been typing on your word processor of choice, try switching to pen and paper. Or if you're just sick of Google Docs, consider��using specialized novel writing software.

10. Change your POV:

great advice from editor Lauren Hughes: “When blocked, try to see your story from another perspective ‘in the room’ to help yourself move beyond the block. How might a minor character narrate the scene if they were witnessing it? A ‘fly on the wall’ or another inanimate object?

11. Exercise your creative muscles:

Any skill requires practice if you want to improve, and writing is no different! So if you’re feeling stuck, perhaps it’s time for a strengthening scribble-session to bolster your abilities

12. Map out your story:

If your story has stopped chugging along, help it pick up steam by taking a more structured approach — specifically, by writing an outline

13. Write something else:

Though it's important to try and push through writer's block with what you're actually working on, sometimes it's simply impossible

feel free to push your current piece to the side for now and write something new

14. Work on your characters:

It follows that if your characters are not clearly defined, you’re more likely to run into writer’s block

15. Stop writing for readers:

write for yourself, not your potential readers

this will help you reclaim the joy of being creative and get you back in touch with what matters: the story.

this is something I really need to do. because of my etsy business i don't write for fun anymore, but instead as a business and a deadline. i'm going to have to pull out my old crappy wattled fanfics or write some new ones.

16. Try a more visual process:

when words fail you, forget them and get visual. Create mind maps, drawings, Lego structures — ideally related to your story, but whatever unblocks your mind!

17. Look for the root of it:

writer’s block often comes from a problem deeper than simple “lack of inspiration.” So let's dig deep: why are you really blocked? Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I feel pressure to succeed and/or competition with other writers?

Have I lost sight of what my story is about, or interest in where it's going?

Do I lack confidence in my own abilities, even if I've written plenty before?

Have I not written for so long that I feel intimidated by the mere act?

Am I simply feeling tired and run-down?

once you identify what's wrong, it'll be so much easier to fix.

18. Quit the Internet:

If willpower isn’t your strong suit and your biggest challenge is staying focused, try a site blocker like Freedom or an app like Cold Turkey

19. Let the words find you:

meditate, go for a walk, take that shower

Word Palette is a great app that features a keyboard of random words, allowing you to simply click your way to your next masterpiece.

You can also try AI auto-completers like Talk to Transformer, where you can enter a phrase and let the app “guess what comes next.”

even though they often produce nonsense, it's a great way to help that writer's block.

20. Write like Hemingway:

And if your biggest block is your own self-doubt about your prose, Hemingway offers suggestions to improve your writing as you go

it's a pretty cool app if you ask me.

it highlights your sentences (if need be) and makes suggestions on how to improve them!

well, there you have it! a lengthy post on how to fight writer's block. now i just hope i can combat my own soon.

like, comment and reblog if you find this useful! feel free to reblog in instagram and tag me perpetualstories

Follow me on instagram and tumblr for more writing and grammar tips and more!

[leejeongz]

cravity reaction to you giving them the silent treatment

🔅thank you for reading my work and following! and than you for requesting! i wrote this like giving them the silent treatment, as you can tell, because i’m not sure what other context you would ignore them in🥺 i hope you don’t mind! and not all of them are serious hehe🔅

serim:

reason for the silent treatment: you were jealous when you saw him talking to the stylists and sitting real close to them

he tried his damned hardest to not give in to you. this lasted for quite a while this time actually, an hour maybe? then he started feeling empty. he hadn’t hugged you or bugged you for a whole hour, even you were getting concerned at this point. he came over to you while you were washing your bowl and pan from lunch, standing behind you for a few seconds before deciding to poke your cheek. you tried to ignore him at first, then you tried swatting his hand away.

“i’m not moving it until you talk to me!” he exclaimed. you knew the annoying smile he’d have on his face right now that you couldn’t resist so you chose not to look at him, instead you concentrated on putting the wet dishes on the drying rack. “i can do this all day”

he really wasn’t lying, you wouldn’t put that past him, so you just chose to give up, it was easier than having a clingy serim around you all day. (you get that anyway but what can u do?)

“you should eat” you said quietly. serim smiled at you in response and removed his finger.

“you’re right, maybe i will go grab something with the stylists” he joked, risking another hour of the silent treatment. he was so lucky that you could take a joke.

allen:

reason for the silent treatment: he forgot your 1 year anniversary (this got a lil deep for some reason, kinda angsty, just a warning)

he started by giving you as much attention as possible. usually you’d be loving the skinship and cuddles, but right now you didn’t want to even see his face. you swatted his hands away and stormed off to your room. he sat back on the sofa, eyes and mouth both wide. he’d never seen you like this before. his head soon fell into his hands, which rested on his knees. once the first tear fell, it was soon followed by dozens more. it made him even weaker knowing you were probably crying too. he didn’t know whether to come to you or not but he decided to stay put for a little longer. after a few minutes, he saw your feet across the carpet and lifted his head, apologising profusely as he did so. you sat beside him, and looked at him, which he reciprocated almost immediately. he grabbed your hands instinctively but not before wiping a tear from your right cheek.

“do you care?” you asked.

“of course i care. i care about you, about us, i care a lot.” he pleaded, tears starting to burn at his cheeks.

“okay” you said, licking a tear from lips and nestling into his side.

he wrapped his arm around you and sniffled some more before asking if there was any way he could make it up to you.

jungmo:

reason for the silent treatment: you failed an exam and you think it’s because he kept distracting you while revising

he couldn’t help himself, he just HAD to follow you around like a lost puppy. he tried his best to apologise, knowing it was the easiest thing to do even if he wasn’t guilty, but it just made you ignore him even more, not even giving him the advantage of reading your face. honestly, his incessant following was cute, but he could never know that.

“y/n please” he begged from behind you as you made your way to the bathroom. “don’t make me come in there too” he tried to make light of the situation.

you turned and stood against the closed bathroom door, now looking at him from across the hallway. you raised your eyebrow and he started to talk once again.

“i didn’t realise what i was doing, i just wanted to spend time with you, i will never do it again, if i do you can shout at me, i’m kidding please don’t do that ,i would cry, i know you wouldn’t ever-“ you stopped him with a kiss. you hated how he had you WHIPPED for him, but you wouldn’t really have it any other way.

“i won’t you idiot, although i may accidentally purposely back my chair into you, gently of course” you joked “now can i please go in here… alone?”

woobin:

reason for the silent treatment: he used your toothbrush

“you changed yours to the exact same colour as mine, it was going to happen on day anyway” he announced, rolling his eyes while walking to the cupboard to get himself a different toothbrush. “where are they?” he shouted to you.

you chose not to respond and that’s when he knew he was currently experiencing the dreaded silent treatment. normally he’d be quite thankful for some peace and quiet but the circumstances weren’t great so...

“oh brilliant, how mature of you” he slammed the door to the cupboard shut, still being careful not to damage it though. “you know it’s not going to get you anywhere” he once again rolled his eyes. “i’m going to my room, see you at dinner, sweetheart”. and that’s exactly when you saw him next. he was so stubborn sometimes, you had to give in else you’d never talk to him again.

“here” you tossed him a new toothbrush while he was close to the sink.

“this is still the same colour th-“

“ITS ROMANTIC WOOBIN” you shouted.

“from one extreme to another, clearly” he laughed, throwing you the toothbrush back. “now how about we be romantic in that restaurant down the street?”

wonjin:

reason for the silent treatment: he ate without you

“i swear i won’t do it again” he pleaded in his final words before giving up and slumping his way to his room, leaving you cooking your meal for one.

you wouldn’t normally be this mad about him eating without you, you didn’t even live together, it was just that today you’d planned to have dinner together but you were an hour late due to traffic. surely he could have waited an extra 60 minutes, right?

wonjin threw himself on the bed, sulking for 5 seconds then convincing himself he was in the right all along and acting like nothing was wrong. he pulled out his phone and started playing a game, one that he knew he would spend hours on if he started playing it. half way through the first round, something clicked in his brain. why was he sitting here neglecting you when he owes an apology? he composed himself and made his way back out to the kitchen, ready to start his begging for forgiveness.

“okay so sometimes... sometimes you can be unreasonable” great start, you thought, rolling your eyes “but on this occasion, i think your reaction is justified. take as long as you want, i’ll be standing right here” he said, mimicking a “rooting in place” action by twisting his feet on the laminate flooring.

minhee:

reason for the silent treatment: he accidentally recycled a piece of your homework

“how was i supposed to know you needed this stupid map?” he questioned. but you didn’t respond. instead you just went to his room and sulked, in silence. he followed and stood in the doorway, firing questions at you for the next 5 minutes before huffing and leaving you to sulk alone. he knew he was the mature one here, but he still felt guilty for what he did so 10 minutes later he came back to you and tried again, this time calmer and more willing to listen.

“i can help you do it again” he insisted “but i’m not that great at drawing maps” he admitted. you turned away from him. he probably thought you were just continuing the silent treatment but really, you were trying your hardest not to laugh.

“you know i just printed that out right? i didn’t draw that” you whispered, giving in.

“are you saying i just endured the silent treatment for a map that took seconds to print out? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” he shouted jokingly, sitting at his computer and bringing up an identical map. “here, print.” he grabbed it off the printer and realised yet another issue “you also used MY printer ink. i should have give myself the silent treatment for wasting ink like that.”

hyeongjun:

reason for the silent treatment: he killed you first in among us

hyeongjun thought it was a joke at first, it was just a game after all it's not that serious.

“you can still do your ghost tasks” he mimicked.

you did NOT find this funny. he made you look like a fool in front of your friends, surely your boyfriend isn’t supposed to kill you first, you thought. you pressed the home button on your phone, automatically leaving the game, and turned your phone back to portrait. you scrolled through your home screens for a while, looking like you were doing something important in hopes it would make hyeongjun jealous but he was too engrossed in the game. it wasn’t until you threw your phone on the bed and got up that he realised you’d left.

“you left the game? why? oh you’re gonna get snacks? can you get me those chocolate jazzle things you bought for us please?” he asked, still engrossed in the game.

you rolled your eyes and let out a very loud “ugh” which he didn’t even bat an eyelid at. you returned with the chocolates in your hand which got his attention, but instead of handing them to him, you ate them and looked like you were enjoying them.

“i’m SO sorry i killed you y/n” he rolled his eyes as you did earlier, but you pretended to not hear him, just as he did.

this went on until he, as the imposter, lost the game, and you couldn’t help but laugh in his face.

taeyoung:

reason for the silent treatment: he laughed at you for getting scared during a horror movie

you hit his chest and got up in a huff. how dare he laugh at you when you were genuinely scared?! the sound of his laugh was always nice, always except now, it just annoyed you. you went to the fridge to grab some of his snacks, the first time you did this without politely asking for permission. he never minded that you wanted food, he wished you’d just get them yourself, you didn’t have to ask, what was his was yours, so you took advantage of that but it really didn’t feel right.

“hey the movie hasn’t finished yet!” he shouted, turning over and seeing you scan his fridge. “there’s nothing in there, i’m the only snack in this place” he said, flipping back over. “oh and you, of course”. you narrowed your eyes and bobbed your head sarcastically behind him, as if you were mimicking what he said. you sat back down again empty handed, this time sitting on the single chair that was far from him.

“oh what’s wrong? you think you’re strong enough to sit alone? you don’t need me anymore?” he laughed once again. you just concentrated on the screen, your heart beating faster than ever before, hoping no scares were coming up.

“okay okay i’ll stop. now please come over here and cuddle me because i think he’s gonna do something again and i don’t want you to be scared on your own.”

you contemplated his preposition for a little, the tv making your decision for you when the music started getting louder and you felt the need for someone’s arms around you.

seongmin:

reason for the silent treatment: he spent the whole of your day off napping

“what’s for dinner?” he asked sleepily. his eyes opened to your figure, stood over him, your arms were folded and lips were sealed shut in a sort of angry pout. “what?” he questioned.

you yanked you duvet from him and threw it on the floor now giving you the perfect opportunity to grab your teddy that he’d slept with and leave. but that boy was gripping on to your teddy for dear life it seemed, he wasn’t letting go. “what are you doing? i can’t explain if you won’t tell me what’s wrong. and i’m not giving up lolly llama until you tell me”.

“just give me the llama seongmin” you broke your silence.

“is it because i slept all day?” when the words left his mouth, you stopped fighting for the teddy, you stopped leaning over him, you stopped trying to hide what had been getting to you all day. “because if it is i’m sorry, i woke up today with a really bad headache and i didn’t want to worry you.” he pointed to the tablets and headache strips on the side.

“is it-” you paused to look at him “is it better now?” you asked, knowing the best treatment for a headache was sleep.

“a lot better” he smiled in your direction “i am prepared to pull an all nighter with my favourite person now”

gifs aren’t mine

[whitecatindisguise]

Taking It Too Far

So I've watched Fan Friction episode and immediately I was struck by how wrong they approached the subject. Hiro was right to be upset, but the producers didn't give him the right reason. This story is an attempt to right the wrongs. That, and there are also other changes to the basic episode plot because 1) I didn't remember everything and didn't really have time nor mood to rewatch it, 2) I thought some things would be better if changed a bit.

Anyway, I hope you like it and enjoy yourselves.

AO3 link here

... and there, inside the lab, was Captain Cutie’s beautiful girlfriend, Karmi. The two locked eyes and-

“Hey, Fred. What are you doing?” Hiro popped out from behind the man and looked at the other’s screen. He squinted his eyes, skimming through the words. “Is that-?”

“A fanfiction about us? Sure is!” Fred cut in enthusiastically, grinning wildly. “And I gotta tell you, man, it’s amazing! The plot, the characters, the action, the characters!”

Hiro rose one eyebrow, clearly not siding with the other’s enthusiasm. His gaze wandered back to the screen and he stopped dead.

“Why am I called Captain Cutie? And why Karmi is my girlfriend? Who wrote this?!” He asked angrily. Him and Karmi? Never in a lifetime!

“I don’t know, but they post as KHeartsQT.” Fred waved his hand dismissively, his focus solely on the story.

Hiro hummed and moved the cursor to the author’s name and clicked on it, recoiling the moment a pop-up window showed a profile picture.

There, on Fred’s computer screen, his greatest nemesis was staring back at him.

***

“I can’t believe it!” Hiro burst into the main lab, stomping past Honey Lemon and almost bumping into confused Wasabi, who barely managed to jump away. Without a word of apologise, the young teen approached his working space and shoved his backpack onto the desk, sitting down heavily on the chair.

“What’s up with him?” Go Go popped a balloon as she stated at the clearly upset boy.

“Nothing. He just doesn’t like Karmi’s fan fiction.” Fred shrugged as he strolled inside and flopped onto his armchair. “Can’t really relate. It’s amazing! And did you see how she named me? Flame Jumper! Not as cool as Fredzilla, obviously, but points for awesomeness.”

“Oh, I read it.” Honey Lemon chimmed in. “It’s really well-written. Although, I don’t know why my name is Tall Girl. I’m not that tall, aren’t I?”

A series of weeeeell’s and ummmm’s echoed in the lab and the ginger-haired woman dropped her head down in response.

“She called me Chop Chop.” Wasabi added. “I can see where it’s coming from, but it makes me sound like some character from the kid’s show, and not a proper superhero.”

“Speed Queen.” Go Go spoke from her side of the lab, tinkering with some kind of miniature scooter. “Sounds cool.”

“All of you have normal nicknames. But she called me Captain Cutie. And made herself my- ugh- girlfriend.” Hiro cringed as he spoke. “Who even gave her a right to write about us? I don’t remember giving my permission, do you?”

“Calm down, Hiro. It’s just a story.”  Honey Lemon put a hand on his shoulder but he shook it off.

“Well, maybe I don’t appreciate being put in a story that’s clearly fake and totally unrealistic?!” He snatched his backpack and stomped towards the door. “I’m going to work in my lab. Away from that nonsense.”

With these words, he stormed out, his angry footsteps and muttering audible until he turned the corridor.

“Wow. Talk about negative energy.” Wasabi commented, as they stared at the door.

***

In the coming days, Hiro’s mood only got worse. Everyone on the campus seemed to enjoy Karmi’s story, some even starting to ship Karmiutie, as they began to call the imagined pairing between Karmi and Captain Cutie. Hiro couldn’t even take a step without someone saying something about the story or the ship, or, which happened more often than he would like it, mentioning both.

Karmi seemed to love the attention. Other students called to her on the corridor, expressing their enjoyment of her story and some even daring to ask whether she and Captain Cutie really were a couple. Hiro didn’t stay to hear the girl’s response, stomping away angrily, to the confusion of the students.

With everything going on, he was unfocused and started failing classes he usually had no trouble with. Professor Granville seemed to be both upset and concerned about this change. He couldn’t tell her what bothered him, however, so he made an excuse about not feeling well lately. He wasn’t sure she believed him.

To make things worse, his upset state started to affect his superhero work as well. He kept making mistakes leading to the whole team getting into trouble and only barely managing to catch criminals they encountered. This only led to his mood worsening.

The young teen was walking down the hallway, trying to tune out the conversations revolving around the newest chapter of the fan fiction, when he suddenly collided with someone and they both landed in the floor, stunned by the hit.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” He heard an annoyingly familiar voice and he looked up to see Karmi picking herself up from the floor, snatching her phone from where it slid off during the crash.

“I was. Which you would notice if you wasn’t gaping at your phone, producing those abominations of yours all the time.” Hiro seethed, picking himself up from the floor.

“Excuse you!” Karmi huffed in response. “What’s your problem?!”

“Oh, I don’t know?” Hiro replied, anger seeping into his voice. “Maybe that you write about real people and forcing them into fake relationships to release your crazy fantasies? Or maybe that you give stupid names which don’t fit the characters at all?”

“For your information, everybody loves my story. I even have some faithful fans that comment on every chapter, like Fredelicious24.” Karmi replied defensively. “And since nobody knows what their real names are, I’m allowed to use whatever I want.”

“I’m sure Captain Cutie is thrilled to be called that.” Hiro rebounded, rolling his eyes at the nickname.

“Maybe he is!” the girl shouted back. “What do you know, anyway?”

“Ugh, forget it!” The dark-haired teen shoved his arms apart and stomped away, trying to ignore the whispering from the students who watched the encounter.

It was around lunch time, when his friends found him, sitting alone in the cafeteria, poking his food with an upset expression.

“Hiro, what’s wrong? We heard about your argument with Karmi.” Honey Lemon started, as they all took their seats.

“Yeah, so? Are you also going to tell me what a jerk I am? I heard it at least twenty times by now.” He huffed, impaling one of the fries onto the fork and biting on it angrily.

“We just want to help.” Wasabi replied, eyeing as the teen gathered several more fries and stuffed them all into his mouth, munching aggressively.

“But we can’t, until you tell us what’s going on.” Go Go added.

Just then, several students passed by, the pieces of their conversation about Karmi’s story and the Karmiutie ship reaching their eyes. Hiro grunted and picked up his tray, pushing the chair away.

“I’m going to eat in my lab.” He said and walked away.

“That is highly insanitary!” Wasabi called after him.

Honey Lemon looked thoughtful, as she stared at the retreating back of the young teen, and gazed at the group of students, who had now taken over one of the tables nearby.

“Of course! Why didn’t I notice that before?” He exclaimed triumphantly. The others looked at her questioningly. “Come on, we have to talk to him!” she gathered her stuff and rushed off, others staring in the direction she went.

“So... Do we follow or...?” Wasabi asked. Right then, Fred’s phone buzzed and he gasped.

“The creepy knife-lady escaped from prison!” He exclaimed. They shared a look.

“Guess we’ll talk to Hiro after that.” Go Go commented, as they left the cafeteria.

***

To say the action went well would be a major understatement. Not only did Momakase escape, but she also cut through Go Go’s disks, left Honey Lemon and Fred stuck in the goo, Baymax lost one of his leg thrusters and rocket fist, and Wasabi’s blades needed a serious repair.

Hiro was trying to help, but the conversation with Karmi was still fresh in his mind and he couldn’t properly focus on the fight. It was pathetic, even he had to agree.

He angrily took of his helmet and shoved it towards the wall. It hit the divider with a metallic clang and fell to the floor, leaving a small dent in where it met with the structure.

“Your body language indicated extreme anger.” Baymax spoke from behind. Hiro huffed.

“Oh yeah? How did you figure that one out?” He asked, sitting on his chair with arms crossed.

“You are making a face expression known as frown.” Baymax said. “Your body is tense and you are-“

“I was being sarcastic, Baymax.” Hiro interrupted. Baymax blinked.

“I am not programmed to recognise sarcasm.” The robot replied and Hiro groaned.

“Hiro? You there?” Honey Lemon called out and the whole gang entered his garage, suits off.

“Just peachy.” The young teen answered, starting to take off Baymax’s armour.

“Don’t worry, dude. We’ll get the crazy knife-lady next time.” Fred patted his friend’s shoulder comfortingly. Hiro glared at him and the man slowly backed away.

“We’re worried about you, Hiro.” Honey Lemon spoke again, her eyes matching her words. “Is it about Karmi’s story?”

“What? Noooo.” Hiro waved his hand nonchalantly. Everyone stared at him, unimpressed.

“It’s totally about the story.” Go Go said.

“Definitely.” Wasabi agreed.

Hiro sighed and turned away, hugging his arm.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He mumbled.

“Your body language indicates discomfort.” Baymax spoke.

“Hiro... You are clearly upset about it.” Honey Lemon said. “And I think I know why.”

“Y-you do?” Hiro asked, but backed down really quick. “I-I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, Honey Lemon, why would he be upset with it! The story is epic!” Fred joined in, unaware of Hiro’s frown deepening as the male kept on talking. “The plot is amazing, there are so many cliffhangers and, of course, the cherry on top being Karmiutie, of which, by the way, I am the president of the fanclub and-“

He was interrupted by the slam of the door and he blinked, only now noticing they were left alone in the garage, Hiro nowhere to be seen.

“Way to go, dumbass.” Go Go commented as she popped a balloon.

“What did I do?” Fred blinked. There was a collective slap as everyone else facepalmed.

Honey Lemon put on a determined face and followed the way the teen went. The others followed, saying their greetings to Aunt Cass on their way past, making a beeline towards the back and up to the living area. Hiro was, unsurprisingly, sitting by his desk, tapping furiously at his laptop.

“Hiro?” The ginger-haired woman softly spoke up. The said teen huffed in response.

“I though I made it clear I don’t want to talk about it.” He said angrily.

“She’s not letting this one go, so you might as well stop being stubborn.” Go Go crossed her arms and leaned over the doorframe, clearly making sure his only escape route is blocked.

“Hiro, please.” Honey Lemon kneeled down to find herself at his eye level. “We just want to help.”

“There is nothing any of us can do to help.” The teenager mumbled, looking away. “Besides, it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. And you have every right to be upset.” The woman replied softly.

Hiro pointedly looked back at his laptop, attempting to ignore them. The redhead didn’t back out, however.

“We were all so caught up in how good Karmi’s story is that we failed to notice how upsetting it is for you. After all, it’s your hero persona she chose to pair herself with.” Honey Lemon spoke up. The tapping of the keyboard stopped, but the teen didn’t turn around yet. “And, knowing the characters are real, people started to assume the relationship is real, too. And that’s wrong. What Karmi is doing is wrong. You can’t just- what’s the word they use for saying two characters are in a romantic relationship...?”

“Ship.” Helpfully suggested Fred.

“Yes, thanks, Freddie.” Honey Lemon smiled thankfully and turned back to Hiro. “You can’t just ship two real people. It’s wrong. It shouldn’t be acceptable.”

“And yet I seem to be the only one who has problem with that.” The teen mumbled, his back still to his friends.

“I think it’s because the story is about our superhero personas.” Fred interjected and everyone, even Hiro, looked at him in confusion. “I mean, superheroes themselves feel like fictional characters. And, even though everyone knows we are real, it’s still hard to distinguish that if we’re also the characters in a work of fiction, which, by definition, means it’s not real. It creates somewhat a paradox and people just don’t completely realise the fiction part actually refers only to the story itself and not the characters.”

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the millionaire, who blinked and starred back.

“What?” He asked.

“We just didn’t expect you to say something so... thoughtful.” Wasabi finally said, the others nodding in agreement.

“Hey, I can act smart too, you know?” Fred argued and then promptly took out an unwrapped candy from his pocket, have it a testing lick, shrugged and put it in his mouth. Everyone shuddered.

“Aaaand the usual Fred is back.” Go Go commented while Wasabi tried to not puke.

“Even if what he said is true, it’s not like I can just go and tell her to stop.” Hiro picked up the conversation to take their minds of Fred and the candy. “What should I even say? Hey, Karmi, you know this story you write? You should stop because I don’t like you shipping yourself with this guy, whose name is definitely not Captain Cutie. Cool? Cool.”

Fred snorted but Go Go quickly elbowed him in the ribs to stop. Hiro groaned and hid his head between his arms. Honey Lemon approached the teen and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe not as Hiro you, but if you explained it as your superhero you?” She suggested, smiling encouragingly.

“I am not going to change into my armour just so I can talk to Karmi.” He replied sternly and sighed. “I just- gonna have to live with it... somehow...”

“If you have a problem with something or someone, you should speak up, genius.” Go Go said.

“Talking is the key to the healthy communication.” Baymax agreed.

“Ugh, fine.” Hiro said. “I’ll talk to her. If I see her on a patrol or something.”

“Hiro-“ Honey Lemon started to say but the robot cut her in.

“I’ve found a disturbing information in the local news. Playing it now.”

The screen on his chest turned on and a reporter appeared, speaking about some message being sent to their station this afternoon. The view changed, and they saw Momakase, grinning at the camera.

“Welcome, Big Hero 6.” She said, looking far too happy about something. “I advise you to come to the Akuma Island. And make haste, unless you want something bad happen to someone’s girlfriend.”

She smirked and stepped aside to show a chair. And on this chair, tied up and sputtering curses, was-

“Karmi!” Everyone, sans Hiro gasped.

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Hiro shouted.

***

“Okay, we go in, take Momakase down, free Karmi and get out of here.” Hiro said as Baymax flew them towards the remote island. “Baymax, as soon as you are in range, scan the place for both Karmi and Momakase.”

The robot didn’t reply, but the teenager knew he acknowledged the order and will get to it whenever it’s possible.

“Oh, this gives the perfect opportunity for you to talk to Karmi about you-know-what.” Fred piped up from where he was held by the scruff of his costume in Baymax’s right hand.

“I’d rather focus on the current problem first.” Hiro mumbled back.

“I’m just saying.” The millionaire shrugged, but, luckily, dropped the subject.

Several minutes later, they were creeping the abandoned hallways of old Krei Enterprises facility, Baymax leading them in the direction he sensed Karmi from. Momakase, surprisingly, didn’t turn up on the scan.

“Karmi is inside.” Baymax said, stopping in front of the metal door.

Hiro nodded and looked to Wasabi and Honey Lemon, pointing his head towards the door. The woman tapped the keys on her purse and produced a green-coloured ball. She plastered it to the frame and pulled on one side, the goo expanding to create something like a line. Each one of them, except for Wasabi, caught the goo-line and held strong, while the said man cut through metal around where the goo was stuck. When the cut was finished, they pulled the piece out, managing to not hit it on anything, hence making their entrance silent.

Baymax put the cut-out metal aside and they climbed through the opening one by one. In the middle of the room, under a single spotlight, stood a chair. And on this chair, quite unsurprisingly, Hiro had to say, was Karmi, tied and gagged.

As soon as the teen noticed the heroes, she started to squirm and let out muffled noises, trying desperately to communicate with them. Hiro secretly turned on his voice-modulating device, motioning for the rest of the team to do the same, before approaching the captured girl. It was in situations like this, he was glad he once decided to equip their armours with both face-covering visors and voice modulators. It lowered the chance of being recognised if they had to be around people who knew them personally.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you out in no time.” He reassured Karmi and reached for her gag. As soon as it was off, Karmi gasped and screamed.

“It’s a trap!”

At this precise moment, purple-coloured bars rose from the floor and circled around the heroes and Karmi. They all whirled around, shocked by their sudden appearance.

“Like stealing a candy from a kid.” A familiar voice said from the shadows, and Momakase strolled into viee, a smirk on her lips.

“You think you can keep us in here?” Hiro asked and nodded at Wasabi.

Before going in, they decided they were not going to use their names around Karmi, since figuring out new nicknames would take too long, and Hiro was not going to use their fanfiction names, for obvious reasons. So they agreed on silent communication instead, which, so far, worked perfectly well.

Wasabi approached the bars and slashed at them with a cocky grin, but just as fast he jumped back with a pained yelp, when the bars zapped him.

“What in the world?!” He squeaked, rubbing at his arm.

“Did you really think I would use regular cage, knowing of your abilities?” Momakase laughed, strolling slowly along the bars. “You’re not getting out of this one.”

“Oh really?” Honey Lemon challenged and quickly produced a pink-coloured chem-ball from her purse. She let it drop to the floor and quickly side-stepped, as it bounced off the bars and hit the chair, acid eating through the wood.

“I told you it’s not a regular cage.” Momakase smirked and looked extremely pleased with herself. “This one was created by our mutual acquaintance specifically to hold you lot in place.”

“Mutual- what are you talking about?!” Hiro asked angrily.

“I believe he goes by the name Obake.” The woman replied and watched the heroes faces morph into horror as they recognised the name. “Well, anyway, it was nice to chat and all that, but I have to go. As for you...” She produced a small device from her pocket and pushed the button, the lights in the room suddenly turning red and the alarm ringing. “Have fun getting out of here before this whole place blows up.” She waved her hand at them and ran away, leaving them to their doom.

“Ohmigosh-! This place is going to blow up! We’re stuck in a impenetrable cage in a building that’s going to blow up any second now and-“ Wasabi spoke in a high voice, his eyes wide and breath hitching.

“Calm down.” Hiro said. “We’re getting out of here in no time.”

“How?!” Wasabi squeaked. “You saw what happened. My blades don’t work, and neither does the acid!”

“We just need more strength, that’s all.” The teen replied calmly and turned to Baymax. “Initiate Overdrive Mode.” He ordered.

At those words the robot started to change. Pieces of armour hid, others extended. A moment later, a completely unrecognisable Baymax, sans his colours, stood in front of the group.

“That’s... I wrote about it!” Karmi breathed out, astonished. “You read my story?!”

“Can we talk about it after we escape?” Hiro suggested, and Go Go noticed how he shuddered slightly at Karmi’s exclamation. “The sword, please.”

Baymax reached his had to his back and produced a heavy-looking blade. He took a swing and sliced right though the bars, Hiro grinning at the performance.

“Good job. Turn it off before it drains all of your power.” He said and Baymax swiftly came back to his original look. “Now everyone hop on and hold on tight. We don’t know how much time we have and I’d rather not risk running back the way we came from.”

One rocket fist later, they shot out of the roof. And not a moment too soon, as the facility blew up just as they managed to get to the safe distance. Baymax flew them back to the city and they all jumped off to the ground.

“Um... Thank you... For saving me.” Karmi mumbled, blushing as she took a glance at Hiro. The teen was painfully reminded she had a crush on his superhero persona.

“That’s what we do.” He replied, looking away. Honey Lemon came closer and gently nudged his shoulder, an encouraging smile on her lips. He sighed and turned towards Karmi. “Actually, there is something I want to tell you. It’s... it’s about your story.”

“My- YOU READ IT?!” The girl squealed, her eyes almost turning star-shaped.

“Of course, it’s amazing and-“ Fred was painfully elbowed in the stomach by Go Go before he could say anything more.

“I... How do I..?” Hiro scratched the back of his neck as he searched for words. “I read some of it, and you’re really talented but- I don’t really feel comfortable with it, you know?”

“I don’t understand...” Karmi cocked her head to the side in confusion. “Why?”

“It’s because of how you portray us. Portray me.” The teen elaborated. “I’m not- we’re not a pair, Karmi. I know it is a work of fiction and it’s not real, but writing that you are my girlfriend, having all those people read it... It’s not right.”

“Oh...” The girl looked down, suddenly not able to meet his eye. “I didn’t mean to-“

“I know.” He reassured. “I know you really want this to be true, but this is not the way. How would you feel if someone wrote a story about you and put you in a romantic relationship in said story? No matter if you like this person or not, it’s wrong to ship real life people.”

“I- I’m sorry.” Karmi said, still looking away. “I guess I was so caught up with my own fantasy, I didn’t stop to think how would you feel about it.”

“It’s alright.” Honey Lemon spoke up, smiling kindly. “You didn’t know.”

“But I should have thought about it. And I didn’t.” Karmi admitted. “I.. I will delete it once I get home. I’m sorry I upset you.”

“Thank you.” Hiro smiled thankfully at the girl. “And I meant it, you’re an amazing writer. Maybe you could still write about us, just no shipping this time.” He winked and Karmi blushed.

“You... still want me to write about you? Even after...?” She asked, puzzled by the suggestion.

“Between the two of us...” Hiro leaned closer and whispered to the girl’s ear. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else with our story.”

Karmi blushed fiercely, mumbled something that sounded like “thankyouihavetogonowbye” and ran away, her cheeks red. The heroes looked at her retreating figure.

“You didn’t mention the name.” Go Go pointed out as they started on their way back to Fred’s manor to leave their armours there.

“I can live with Captain Cutie.” Hiro shrugged with a smile.

---

That's it. I hope you liked it. Reblog if you did. I live for reblogs.

[lemonjoonah]

In Need of Orders (M)

Pairings: Seokjin x Reader Word Count: 15K Rating: M Genre: Kingsman AU, action, drama, romance, smut, comedy, rivals to lovers  Warnings: violence, swearing, public foreplay, slight dom/sub dynamics which interchange (Seokjin is a bratty switch), discussion of safeword, light bondage, masturbation, voyeurism, oral sex (fem receiving), unprotected sex, small amount of cum eating, sexism in the workplace, referenced death of minor character, Seokjin and reader are bad at feelings.

Summary: After a disastrous mission, which lead to the destruction of your prized invention and the compromise of his cover, Seokjin is confined to your base, and placed under your command. Now that he’s stuck with little to do, he uses his time to investigate a past you simply want to forget.

A/N: AU based off the Kingsman Series, originally written by Mark Miller. There’s a mix of tech origins, the com-glasses, and poison-pen, were from the movie and the rest of the inventions are my own creation. Members will occasionally be referred to by their titles but I try and use their actual name as much as possible, here’s a list of members/characters and their corresponding titles: Reader - Merlin | Seokjin - Galahad |  Yoongi - Percival | Hoseok - Lancelot | Namjoon - (current) Arthur |

....

“No, no, no. NO! Seokjin, what did you do to my beautiful baby?!” You circle around what was once your wondrous invention. Your masterpiece of a vehicle that had taken years to get just right. When Yoongi dropped in a couple hours ago and told you to expect an unpleasant delivery you never could have imagined this. Unpleasant doesn’t begin to cover the damage done, this is an act of desecration. 

“Merlin, titles please! Without manners we are nothing,” Seokjin chides you, paraphrasing the principal motto as if it will save him from your wrath. You’ve reached your limit with him; there's no benefit you can see in maintaining pleasantries. 

“You will get my manners when you deserve them,” you growl back. “Now why did you sink my prized creation?”

“The cloaking device was faulty.” He shrugs off the loss like it’s nothing, no harm to him and therefore no foul.

“I find that hard to believe.” You’ve run this car through every test, checked every parameter, you would never have let it leave this workshop if it posed a danger to exposing agents.

“It was! I was conducting surveillance on a target when they became aware of my presence. They retaliated, so I needed a quick escape. I was on the overpass near the river, I knew there was a small oxygen tank in the glove compartment for emergencies-”

“So driving it off a bridge seemed like the best option?” You never thought you’d regret seeing the day you installed that safety feature, one that you intended for use in case of a gas or chemical assault, but here it is. “Tell me,” You look from your precious machine back to the monster who destroyed it, “What exactly were you doing when you noticed the glitch?”

“Just driving, maybe going around eighty. Does it really matter?” He sighs. “They saw me coming so I had to take cover or they would have shot me.” 

“Oh no, it works perfectly fine.” Your voice starts to echo through the workshop as your fury bubbles over. “When the user reads the manual and understands that cloaking only works when in a stationary position. I am a scientist not an actual fucking magician Seokjin! Of course you can’t travel when cloaked. If you had at least skimmed the booklet I gave you, you would have understood that!”

The technology you created doesn’t make the car invisible, instead it projects the images behind it to make it appear that way. It can only account for and cover small changes in movement, not whole vehicles travelling. Only an idiot would think that it could compensate for such drastic shifts to the backdrop. And for some reason that moron dares to continue arguing with you.  

“Booklet? That thing was a thousand pages long! You actually expected me to read that?” He counters his voice rising to combat yours.

“Oh, I’m sorry would you like me to make an audio-book for you next time? Or better yet I could make a grade school reader complete with pictures. Maybe that’ll hold your attention!”

There’s a sudden shift in his expression, with a thick smile forming on his face. “I suppose I wouldn't say no to a recording if it was read by you.” His words ooze with flirtatious mire, intent on sucking you in. 

Seokjin’s smirks and one liners have gotten him out of trouble many times with other agents. It’s not hard to see why, the man could be considered the most attractive of all your acquaintances,  but you refuse to let this drop simply because he’s batting his eyes in your direction. You grit your teeth and continue to chew him out. “Lancelot and Percival read it, I don’t see why I can’t hold you to the same standard.” 

“Fine, fine I’ll look it over.” He huffs in surrender, but even in defeat he still carries a playfulness in his tone. “When do you think you can get it back up and running again?”

“If you think I’m going to take time out of my schedule to fix this, only for you to go destroy it again, you have some nerve.” You can barely even register the destruction let alone process how much time it’ll take to repair everything. With the dents in the body work, the flooded engine, and the electrics most certainly fried, you're looking at weeks of work just to make it drivable again. But bringing it back to its full potential? That will require months of tinkering.

“What could you possibly have to do that’s more important than this.” Seokjin is clearly trying to hold back a snicker, but when a small snort escapes him, all remaining control of your temper vanishes.

“Seokjin, so help me god if you don’t leave my line of sight in three seconds, I’ll do those men a favour and shoot you myself.”

He chuckles at your threat, “You’re not-”  

“One.” You reach for your holster and take hold of your gun.

“Serious.” The laughter in his face starts to fade. 

“Two.” You disengage the safety and take aim.

“You won’t actually shoot me.”

“Th-” 

“At ease Merlin.” Yoongi interjects, entering the room with his face buried in a file. His indifference is a true sign of how well he knows you. You were only going to relieve Seokjin of a few strands of hair, but maybe it’s better this way. The sound of gunfire would surely result in a slight loss of hearing, and Seokjin already has trouble listening. You sigh, lowering your pistol. 

“I can only guess you’ve both been discussing the...” Yoongi comments looking down at the remains of the car. “Accident.” 

“More like negligence,” You mutter, flicking a bit of mud off what was once a perfect paint job.

“Listen, I tried Percival,” Seokjin appeals to Yoongi. “We’ve been looking for this guy for months. I had him in my grasp,  I couldn’t risk losing him.”

“I know Galahad,” Yoongi rubs his brow as his gaze returns to the document in front of him “but there’s concern that you’ve been compromised, after reading your report there are worries that you might be identified and expose the operation. You’re on lock down for the remainder of the mission.”

“No! I’m so close to bringing him in. Just let me assist,” Seokjin pleads. You would probably feel bad for him if he hadn’t just gone and destroyed your life's work.

“The rest of the order doesn’t seem to agree. In fact they’ve called your work on this case,” Yoongi flips to another page of the file, “Reckless, irresponsible, and fails to even remotely represent their request for a covert operation...” He turns the file around to push it in Seokjin’s face. “And they’ve written those last two words in all caps, see?” 

You chuckle quietly, covering it with a cough but Yoongi doesn’t look convinced. His gaze shifts to you as he hands down the rest of the directive. “Due to these recent events, Galahad is to remain here for the duration of the operation. Under your orders.”

“Wait, what?! Why are they punishing me too?”

“It’s not meant to be a punishment Merlin.”

“The fuck it isn’t. Why can’t Lancelot look after him? It was his idea to allow him on the mission.” You admire Hoseok greatly, but in your opinion it was a bad decision to add Seokjin to the roster for this operation. 

“If Lancelot or I are seen with him then our cover will be blown too.” Yoongi reasons, “You’re the only one who operates completely behind the scenes.”

“But why do I have to be put under command of another agent?” Seokjin interjects.

“Because, you are clearly in need of orders until you can get your rash instincts under control. Just be grateful it’s not a complete dismissal.” Yoongi starts to step away with the matter settled.

There goes your peace and quiet. Unless... you call out to Yoongi with one last shred of hope. “Permission to put him under a gag order for every possible topic of conversation?”

“Denied, but nice try Merlin.” Yoongi smirks as he enters the elevator which will bring him back above ground.

Yep, you’re truly going to be living your own personal hell in such tight quarters. A small work den and communications relay located beneath a PC bang in the heart of Seoul. The base was never intended to host more than one for a long term stay. It’s purpose is for agents to stock up, gather their orders sent from headquarters, and then leave. The only person who actually stays on site is you. “Well then, the bedroom’s mine but you can take the sofa. Don’t touch what’s mine without my consent and we shouldn’t have a problem. Is that clear?” You lay down the rules quickly not wanting to prolong any further conversation with your new resident.

“Yes Ma’am.” Seokjin answers looking truly defeated for once.    

“If you’ll excuse me I have work to do.”You brush past him towards your computer, needing to assess what components you’ll need to order first for repairs.

“Wait, what am I supposed to do?” 

“You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can figure something out.” You respond keeping your eyes focused on the screen.

“Could you show me how to fix it?” His unusually quiet request manages to break your concentration.

“Fix what, the car?” You glance back at him with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out his angle. “Why would I do that?”

“Well for starters I probably can’t fuck it up any more than it is.” He laughs but your lack of reaction kills his joke rather quickly. “It would cut down your workload. Give me a better appreciation for what you do. You would get to order me around. And who knows, you might even enjoy my company.”

He’s right, you could use the extra pair of hands, and he might learn something. “Fine, you can start by reading this.” You fling the tome of a manual at his chest, causing him to grunt from the impact. “Report to me when you're done.”  

...

“How can you even call that a couch? I’ve seen footrests bigger than that disappointment.” Seokjin comments as he enters the workshop. You slide out from under your car to find his hands tending to the muscles at the back of his neck, and heavy bags resting under his eyes. It's the first time you’ve seen him exist at a fraction less than perfection in his appearance, a gratifying perk in this unfavourable situation.  

“It’s all that would fit.” You grab a towel laying on the floor next to you cleaning the dark grease of the car off your skin. Usually you wouldn’t bother wiping it off just yet, but having Seokjin in your presence has made you oddly self-conscious. “You might have noticed space is limited here.”

“Then who’s idiotic idea was is to make a base in this shoe box of a hole?” He grills you, probably intending to roast the architect of such a small site. 

“Mine actually. After the data breach a year and a half ago we needed something more secure. There’s so much information streaming to and from this location that it makes it difficult for anyone to find our dealings. It’s the perfect spot.”

“Perfect if you’re a mouse.” Seokjin takes a seat in your straight-backed desk chair. Groaning as his fingers continue to knead, moving down to his wide shoulders.

“Are you implying I’m some kind of rodent?” You glare up at him, ready to defend yourself against the slight.

“You should take it as a complement, mice are cute.” He gives you one of his famed smiles, the type where you can’t tell if he’s sincere or mocking.

“Why are you down here Seokjin?” You ask preparing to wheel back down beneath the undercarriage of your car. “I can’t imagine you’ve finished reading the manual already.”

“I did actually. This is me reporting for duty.” He throws the book down on to the floor next to you, marked and dog-eared. “Not a whole lot else I can do while on lock down.” 

“Is someone upset that Lancelot and Percival get to have all the fun? Maybe it’ll teach you to obey orders better, rather than getting stuck here with me.”

“I can follow them just fine... when they don’t conflict with the completion of my mission.”

“Not getting spotted was part of your mission Seokjin.” Your response is dry as you state the obvious.

“Yes, but so is recovering the data from that breach, before he can unload it on someone else.”

“You don’t know that he has it. That’s why you had to observe him.”

“Listen to me, Hwang’s a fence, one whose been trying his best to stay off our grid, of course he has it. Once we find him we can track everything back to his source.” Seokjin’s confidence is admirable. You can’t deny that you would like to catch the one responsible for unleashing one hell of a computer virus that caused you and many others weeks of havoc and restless nights. The worst part is you don’t even know what they were able to get a hold of, the sooner Yoongi and Hoseok can track this man down the better.

“You still should have exerted more caution, you're not the only one on this team Seokjin, people can get hurt if you're too brash.” You’re surprised to find Seokjin nodding with his head hung low. Since when does he ever agree with you on something?  “Now that you’re done with the manual, I do have work to assign that I doubt even you can mess up. Every single electrical circuit and wire needs to be removed, it’s unlikely that any have survived the flooding so it would be safer just to take them all out. I’m going to see if I can save the engine.”

Seokjin gives you a cheeky two finger salute before he sets to work behind the dash.

Thirty minutes later he’s already back at it with questions. “Do you have any speakers set up for music?”

“No, we could have used the car radio if you hadn’t submerged it, but here we are.” You usually work in silence anyway, but getting to deliver another stab of guilt is better than admitting your regular tendencies. 

“Ah no problem, I can fix that.” At first you wonder if he intends to repair the radio, but when he proceeds to hum loudly, you realize that’s not the case. Instead he treats you to a selection of unrecognizable songs which you don’t bother to ask the title of.

You let it go for as long as you can, but thirty minutes later when you move from under the car to beneath the hood needing to drain the cylinders next, you finally raise the white flag in pursuit of silence. “Seokjin, please just stop okay?”

His chuckle taunts you, “That’s what you get for pulling a gun on me yesterday.”

“If you’re not careful I’ll do it again.” Your tone turns salty once you realize that is was his intent to torture your ears.

“Can’t believe you lasted that long, I thought for sure you were going to crack after five minutes of my melodies.”

“That’s what that was? I thought you jammed your thumb and were screaming out in pain the whole time.”

“Ha ha,” He retorts. You're almost upset when he goes quiet with nothing substantial to follow up your jab, but then he opens his mouth again. “How can you work when it’s so quiet?”

“Helps me focus when there’s no distractions.” You answer hoping that he’ll take the hint and remain silent.

“But doesn’t it get lonely?”

You slow your pace as you loosen the bolts on the gasket cover, choosing your words carefully as you make an attempt to side step that minefield of a query. “I work better when I’m by myself.”

“That wasn’t my question.” Seokjin catches on to your evasion proceeding to look around the hood of the car trying to meet your eyes.

“We all make sacrifices Seokjin. This is mine.”

“If you spoke to Arthur-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” You try to cut him off quickly not wanting to get him involved in your circumstances, but he continues.

“I’m sure he would listen.”

“Drop the subject Seokjin, that’s an order.” You take a deep breath trying not to lose more of your composure again. “I chose to work in this place for several reasons. I don’t need to explain every one of them to you.”

Seokjin is surprisingly quiet for the rest of the day. It’s doubtful that you scared him off with your temper, he’s too confident for that. It’s more likely that he’s frustrated with you’re bickering. You hang back a bit more only giving direction when absolutely necessary. If you have to live with him you might as well attempt to make it bearable for the both of you.

That night you treat him to ramen from the business upstairs, they don’t usually do take-out but they make an exception for you. He sits across from you in a desk chair slurping his noodles while his eyes bore into you. “What, do I have something on my face?” You ask, starting to feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

Seokjin takes another slurp of his dish before he explains himself. “No, I’m just trying to figure you out.” 

“Please don’t.” You plead, not wanting to broach the same subject from earlier.

“You’re passionate about your work. You’re good at what you do. Your superiors trust you.” You groan with exasperation, nevertheless he persists. “You're lonely here. The order could put you anywhere and you would most likely excel, and yet you bury yourself here, in this hovel.”

“It’s not a hovel...” You mutter, but you’ve run out of energy to argue and your appetite has now vanished. Rising from your seat you bid him good night. “I’m going to bed. Clean up this mess when you're done, and try not to throw your neck out cramming yourself onto my couch again.” 

“Yes Ma’am.” He gives a muffled reply with noodles hanging from his mouth, and another fake salute.

You shake your head as you close your bedroom door behind you.

...

 “You know,” Seokjin bursts into your room early the next morning, startling you awake. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen test scores as high as these. Are you sure you’re not a magician Merlin, because these results seem too good to be true. ” 

You bolt upright in terror, “What are you looking at?”

“The start of your journey with the Kingsman.” He wanders around to sit at the foot of your bed as you drag the covers up to your chest. “I figured if there was an answer I would find it here, but I’ve never seen such an impressive resume. The last Arthur had you pegged from the beginning as the successor to your predecessor, he even recorded that his candidate didn’t stand a chance against you. You should be proud of this...” He leans to you reading the expressions on your face. “But you’re not. You’re scared. Why is that?”

“Stay out of my files Kim Seokjin.”

“Is that an order?” He asks his face still only a couple inches from yours when it pulls into smirk, looking pleased that he’s caught you off guard.

“Yes.”

“If I recall,” He closes the document in his hands, but his analysis continues, “You were moved here just shortly after Namjoon took over the position of Arthur. You were living the life before, testing and training new recruits, doling out orders and information. But then you fell into this pit. What did you do to piss him off?” 

    “Nothing, ju-just stop asking, okay? I don’t need your help, so stop trying to save me!” Your voice cracks as it reaches the point of yelling but he doesn’t back away. “Staying here alone, that was my choice. So don’t you dare try to take my one salvation away from me.” 

“I’m not trying to take it away. I just want to understand it.” He answers his tone controlled and calm while holding your gaze firmly in his. When you look away he finally gets up leaving you with your files on your dresser. 

...

A week passes and Seokjin continues to try and figure out why you chose to work in your closed off environment. Throwing out random and bizarre questions on what you might have done to Namjoon to get yourself stationed here.

“Did you expose his guilty pleasure for stuffed animals?” He asks as he helps you unbolt and remove seats, making room for the new chairs and bench which just arrived. 

“Does he have a guilty pleasure for such a thing?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.” Seokjin states with a snicker.

“No.” 

“Did you lose his glasses?’’ Seokjin inquires next as he pulls the seat from the driver side all on his own. You can’t help but notice the muscles straining through the back of his shirt as he lifts the heavy chair from its place. When he turns back around for the next you berate your pitiful self-control. Yes he’s attractive, but he’s also the current thorn in your side. God must be a sadist for creating this enticing man, with such a sharp tongue and a plaguing desire to mock you. 

“He does that just fine himself, he doesn’t need me to do it for him.” In fact, you have two pairs on backup for Namjoon at all times, just in case such a need should arise. 

“Did you sneak into his house and switch the sugar to salt in his tea set?”

“That’s just cruel,” You chuckle at the idea, making a mental note to check your own sugar before your next cup of coffee. “But no I didn’t.” 

“Well that’s it then, I’m out of ideas for today.” He heaves the passenger chair next to the other with an exhausted breath. A bead of sweat drips down his brow as he collapses on the new back bench waiting to be installed. 

“Really? I’m surprised. You haven’t asked the obvious question.” You lay the statement as bait hoping he’ll take hold so you can reel him in. To your delight, he does. 

“Oh and what’s that?” His eyes light up, with the chance that you might actually tell him something informative.

“Did I destroy his favourite vehicle? I mean, that’s why you’re stuck here isn’t it?” Seokjin glares at you in frustration, his gloom making you giggle. “But the answer to that too is no, I didn’t. I’m not a scoundrel.”

“Is that what I am to you now,” He presents a gleeful smile with a raised brow. “A scoundrel?”

“Why do you look so proud about that?” Your question is full of judgement, but his delight is not swayed.

“Because, scoundrels are sexy.” He tilts his head and bites his lip with a nod as if to make a point.

You let out an obnoxious laugh. “Maybe to some. I fail to see the appeal.”

“Then what do you consider sexy?”

“Someone who’s attentive, and dutiful. You know, an adult.” You attempt to describe the very traits he appears to lack to make your point. Though Seokjin’s looks might draw you in, you are in need of something more.

He rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Where’s the fun in that?”

“It’s not always about the fun, I just like someone who I can depend on.” 

Seokjin’s about to respond, his mouth open with a solemn stare in his eyes when the elevator chimes. It’s doors open for you to find a haggard Hoseok with two black empty bags. You greet him with surprise, having completely lost track of time, he had mentioned that he would be stopping by to pick up supplies. 

You hurry away to unlock and ready the stock. While Seokjin rushes in, barely even letting Hoseok off the lift, launching into an interrogation about the mission and any progress they’ve made. There’s only a few short words exchanged before the man left in your charge storms away slamming the door behind him as he exits the workshop to your common room.

“Lancelot?” You call out to Hoseok with hesitation, noticing that he’s still standing in place where Seokjin left him. Stepping in you help to take and load one of his duffles with surveillance equipment he requested. After Seokjin’s barrage he looks like he might rupture if you’re not careful.  

“Please no formalities,” He sighs in exhaustion, while he too starts to pack up what he needs. “I would prefer not to be an agent right now, even if it’s just for five minutes.”

“That bad?” You wince for Hoseok’s sake, he’s usually so optimistic, it’s worrisome to see him so beaten down.  

“We know Hwang’s back in Seoul, but any time we get a whiff of a more detailed location he vanishes. Yoongi and I have brought in more agents. We’re stationed in the south end of the city now, trying to keep an ear to the ground.” He zips up his case and then turns the conversation to you. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine I guess, but Seokjin’s been looking into my assignment here. He keeps trying to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong.” Hoseok is one of only a few who know why you chose such an assignment, and you would like to keep it that way.

“Maybe you should give it a smack then. Or better yet put him on a leash.” Hoseok finally breaks into a smile as he pats you on the back. 

“He’s not a dog Hoseok.”

“Really?” Hoseok raises his eyebrows as if it’s news to him. “Cause he looks at you with those puppy eyes all the time. I’m surprised you don’t see it.” 

 “I don’t need someone who doesn’t listen to me Hoseok.”

“Okay yes, that accident with the car was a major misstep on his part...”

“And the constant prodding into my past?” You groan, you were hoping Hoseok would have your back immediately. Why does he have to take the role of impartial referee when you need his bias the most?

“He probably thinks you’ve been wronged, and that you deserve better. Is it not natural to what's best for those we care about?”

You tilt your head starting to question your fellow agent’s sanity. “I doubt that’s the case Hoseok, he just likes to be nosey.”

“Fine, have it your way, live in denial. I’m sure he’ll be out of your hair soon anyway. But if I were you I would try and explain the situation. He might not be living here but you’ll still have to work closely with him in the future.” 

“You’re saying I should tell him?” You challenge his suggestion, he must be overworked since he’s definitely not thinking clearly. 

“I know it won’t be easy, but if he knows what’s really bothering you, he might try to be more tolerable.” He lugs the cases off the table crossing the straps over his chest.

“Either that or he’ll use it as ammo to really gun me down.” You curl your lip at the thought pacing behind Hoseok as he moves towards the elevator to head back above ground. 

Before the door closes between you he holds it open to give you the support you wanted along with a sigh. “I really don’t think that’ll be the case. But if he does... I’ll be your witness when you tell Arthur you shot him in self-defence.”

“Deal.” 

...

You find Seokjin on the couch with a pile of files and a coffee on the small table, his brow furrowed and his mouth pulled tight as he scans through each one at a rapid pace. 

“I take it you weren’t happy with his update?” You call out as you enter the room advancing towards him.

“No, I wasn’t. They had to pull in lower level field agents because I can’t be out there to help them. We probably would have caught Hwang by now if I was still working on the case.”

“Seokjin, I have every camera in the city looking for him, there’s not much else we can do from here. And your not going out there to track-”

“I know I’m not Merlin. I just want this to be over so I can get my shot at redemption.”

You nod looking down at the files in front of him.“What are those?” 

He lets out a panicked laugh as he tries to scrounge them together. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Seokjin.” You draw out his name with intent to reprimand, leading him to respond with a nervous grin. He shifts his hands away giving you a better view of what he’s up to. 

“Since you said I couldn’t look through your files I thought I would take a general overview of those you’ve trained or worked with.”

You shake your head, tired of this never ending battle between the two of you. “You’re not going to stop are you?”

“Nope.” He takes a sip from his mug as he looks back down to the information he’s gathered. You scan through the names and pull out the file that haunts you to this day. Dropping it in front of Seokjin before taking a seat in the armchair across from him. He reads the name off the tab. “James Paxton the third, he sounds like a pompous prick.”

“Oh I can confirm he was, and definitely one of the most hard-headed recruits I’ve ever tested, but we shouldn’t speak ill of the dead,” You mutter as Seokjin opens his file to find the word deceased stamped in bold red letters. He stares up at you with his mouth agape, you can see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out how this fits into your narrative. 

“Why didn’t I hear about this?”

“It wasn’t really broadcasted through the regular channels, if you weren’t at the main headquarters you didn’t know about it. It happened just over a year ago.”

“I would have been in Lhasa...” Seokjin mutters.

You nod, not surprised that information flew under his radar. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but the last Arthur, he saw me as a bar for people to cross. He thought if recruits could take orders from a ‘bossy woman’ they could take orders from anyone. James Paxton didn’t pass that test, and he paid for it with his life.”

Thankfully for once, Seokjin doesn’t have a comment, instead he sits there, waiting for you to continue.

“Paxton thought me pushy, and overbearing, told me so to my face, several times in fact. I should have had him kicked out, but I was determined to prove him wrong. There was a mission to recover the stolen data a couple months after the breach. There was a lead, before we learned of Hwang.  We thought we had the location of where the data had been transferred to. I was supposed to go on the mission, but at the last minute Arthur told me to direct the team from off site.” 

Your hands start to shake as the story continues. A mixture of both anger and fear coursing through you. You shift to hide them beneath you, gripping your legs to keep your fingers steady, but they fail to escape Seokjin’s notice.

His eyes are downcast in shame. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to Merlin. I’m-”

“You wanted to hear this Seokjin. I told you to leave it alone, I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.” You take a deep breath trying to rein in your anger, “Either you let me finish or never question me about my situation again.” He shuts his mouth instantly letting you continue. “It didn’t take me long to realize the lead was a trap once they got on site. I ordered a retreat, everyone else followed except for Paxton”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Seokjin interjects sitting on the edge of his seat. 

“That doesn't mean I can’t be upset by it! Instead of trying to curb the discrimination the previous Arthur used it, and I didn’t even understand what he was doing until I lost someone. I found out that he enforced the idea among the recruits, that I was an overly authoritative woman, one who fails to take proper risks. Forget the fact that I am highly qualified, that I have more experience and knowledge of many of the situations than the other leaders, my lack of dick disqualified me from being taken seriously.” Seokjin falls silent again. He must realize that he too has failed to take you seriously in the past, then again, he’s that way with everyone else too. 

“When Namjoon became the new Arthur shortly after, I was able to address my grievances. He was ashamed of his predecessor and wanted to do right by me, so I requested this place as a base. I wanted somewhere I could work on my own for the most part and not have to worry about people thinking me conceited or bossy. I needed a break from giving out orders.”

You finally finish to find Seokjin with a narrowed brow and clenched jaw. His tone matching the anger in his stance, “You’ve been here a year-”

“I know.”

“You’re telling me you’ve been punishing yourself for a year?” He’s question is poised with what looks to be genuine frustration, “Over two assholes who couldn’t understand how valuable you are?”

“It’s not a punishment, it’s a safety net.” You explain.

“It’s a cell!” He gestures around him. “You’re basically living in solitary.” You shift awkwardly not knowing what to say, and definitely not expecting this reaction. “Come on, we’re going out.” He orders, getting up from his seat and pulling you out of yours. “There’s a bar I know close by. I’m taking you out for a drink.”

“You think it wise for you to leave?” You question him, not knowing how else to diffuse the situation, not when your focus is drawn to his grip which wraps your shoulders. 

“It’s only a couple blocks away. If we see anything suspicious I promise we’ll head straight back. It’s your call, but I think you could use a night out.” He pushes you in the direction of your bedroom. “Go change into something that doesn’t have oil stains all over it.” 

You should probably put your foot down, there’s no saying what could happen. But seeing Seokjin act like this... maybe Hoseok was right, he actually cares. The problem is now that you can see this side of him you don’t want to lose hold of it just yet. “Fine, but if anything at all is amiss-”

“We’ll hightail it out of there, and barricade ourselves in here for the long haul.” He rattles off the promises. “Now go get ready.” 

...

Seokjin maintains the persona of a caring companion as he drags you to his favourite bar in the city. “It’s quiet and the owner, Choi, is an old friend of Percival’s, he knows not to ask too many questions. There’s almost always at least one or two of us from the order or field agents hanging out there.”

He holds the door open for you to enter and you're greeted to the sight of a worn down ale house. A robust and stained wooden bar takes the focal point of the room, and there’s not a single other patron in sight. You can’t help but regret being forced to change out of your usual attire. You didn’t want to look out of place, but with no one here to take notice, your black dress it’s an unnecessary and uncomfortable gambit. Seokjin on the other hand looks very pleased to be back in his usual attire, a  three piece suit that’s been confined to the closet while he’s with you in the workshop.   

“Like I said, it’s quiet.” He chuckles while he helps you take off your coat.

From out back steps the barman to greet you. He’s an unexpected yet welcome gem of a sight among the rubble, a handsome face with a wide smile which he presents to you. You might have to stop by here again just to take in this view, maybe study some of the tattoos he has scattered across his arms. 

“Choi not in tonight?” Seokjin asks after seeing your reaction to the man behind the counter. He must not be the usual staff, it’s a shame really, but it’s funny to see Seokjin look so displeased. Realizing that for once he might not be the most attractive person in the room.

“Oh you know him?” Your host inquires with surprise, “No he wasn’t feeling too good, probably will end up spending the night by a toilet from the looks of him. I offered to take over tonight so he could get some rest.”

“That was nice of you.” You extend the man a warm smile.

“I like to think so.” He responds while beaming back at you. Seokjin hastily gives both your orders, allowing the bartender to leave you with a lingering stare as he walks back to grab your drinks. Maybe your efforts with the dress weren’t such a waste.

Seokjin glares at the man, mumbling a few choice words from which you manage to pull the word, ‘Flirt’. 

“He was just being nice.”

“My god you can’t read people when it comes to the way they look at you. You’ve clearly caught his attention...” Seokjin drops unexpectedly.

“I can read people just fine.” You bite back in confidence. 

“Really?” He challenges you, leaning forward with a whisper, “Then I suggest you look a bit closer.”

   The bartender hammers Seokjin’s drink down in front of him while he slides yours along gently, giving you a chance to inspect a stunning work of art on his hand, a flock of birds flying in formation following the trail between his thumb and index. He catches your stare and while you might be embarrassed at your lingering eyes he teases the skin of his lip between his teeth. “I’ll let you get back to your date.” He gives you one last flash of a grin as he backs away into what must be a stock room.

“It’s not a... date.” You start to explain but it’s reduced to a sigh once the man leaves your sight.

Seokjin presses a napkin to your mouth prompting you to look back at him in utter confusion. “Sorry, thought I spotted some drool,” He dabs the corner of your lips. “Just there.”

You steal the napkin from his hand and toss it on the bar. “Thank you for your concern.” You take a long draft of your drink refusing to look at your fellow agent. 

“Someone must be thirsty.” He snickers, not bothering to keep his laughter hidden.

“What can I say, the refreshments at the base have been far from gratifying.” Your quip might be implied but it hits its mark with flawless execution.

“Hey!” The volume of Seokjin’s voice rises to a new level to aid in his defence. “I’ll have you know I’ve been called an acquired taste.” 

“You’ll have to forgive my pallet for not meeting your standards then. I’m in need of something that goes down a bit easier.”

You take your victory in the form of Seokjin’s reddening ears and sputter from his lips. “After that confession, I’m almost sorry to be standing between you and that tall drink. Almost.” He reiterates with a wink.

“It’s probably for the best.” You sigh, finally dropping the banter. “He might be interested now, but I bet that would change pretty quickly if he got to know me.” 

“I doubt that.” He whispers right before he takes a sip. You can’t be entirely sure that he intended you to hear his comment.

“Oh really? You’ve spent the past week in very close proximity with me. How would you describe me?”

“There’s definitely a mix of frustration, with a side agitation, and a need for provocation. ” You let out a heavy groan while he continues. “Now some might find those to be unlikable traits, but I’ve come to find them very endearing.”  

You snort into your drink. “That’s the best joke you’ve told yet.”

Seokjin nods carrying the weight of a small smile on his lips. “What about me? I’d be curious to hear how you read my personality.”

“Are you sure about that?’

He nods, “Hit me with your best shot... if you can.”

He might think you unable to read people, but you can’t wait to prove him wrong. Your words spill faster than you intend, creating an improvisational soliloquy into his psyche.“You deflect with humor constantly, which in turn prevents anyone from getting close because they can tell what you truly feel about them. Can’t take an order without asking a question. You’re determined to a fault, but you also use that drive when you’re concerned that something’s wrong. Not letting anything rest until you’ve fixed what can be fixed.”

He holds your gaze, sitting there in silent disbelief before he comes to and lashes out, “Completely incorrect, it’s a wonder you became an agent.” He shakes his head with a scoff before finishing his drink in one sip.

“Nice deflection,” you counter. “I rest my case.”

He narrows his eyes and gives no response other than to call for another round. 

...

After finishing the second you’re about to suggest your return to the base, but the frown on Seokjin’s face as he looks into the bottom of his glass stops you. It should be an unwritten rule that men who look as good as him aren’t allowed to pout. How are you supposed to remain in charge when he can disarm you in seconds with a simple jut of his lip? It’s the one tool in his arsenal he has yet to use, you can only hope he doesn’t realize how effective it is on you.

You’re quick to order the next batch, and half way through the third he poses a question that he must have been holding on to. “You said in your analysis that people have trouble reading me because of my humour, how do I act when I really like someone?”

“How would I know?” You raise your brow along with your drink. 

“Then how do you think I should act? You know, so it’s not misconstrued as humour.”

“Level with the person, have a serious conversation for a fraction of a second.” It feels odd to be giving him your input on such a matter. Why would he ask this of you? And why do you mentally recoil when you start to think of him using that advice on someone else?

“If that's the case, I should probably tell you...” He leans in towards you, his face just inches away. Your heart stops as his hand reaches out to cover yours. He pauses there for a moment watching your expression, “I need to,” The gaps in his speech are big enough for your mind to flee from reality, creating a scenario where he admits... “I need to go use the facilities.” A half-hearted chuckle pours of him along with the words which break you from your daydream. 

“Then go,” You snap, your tone surprising even to you. It’s not like you wanted to have a serious moment with him, right? But the pain in your chest says otherwise.

“Are you... I was just kidding around,” he stammers.

What did you expect him to say, that he thinks of you as more than just an agent, even more than a friend? Did you want him to close the gap and kiss you? Oh god, you did. You like him. You like Kim Seokjin, and right then and there you wanted him to confess the same to you.

“Yeah I got it,” you mutter back, trying to cover your internal shock. “That’s all you ever do.”

 Seokjin gets up from his seat and heads to the washroom. Leaving you at the bar to contemplate his words. 

You feel like you’ve fallen into every trap you told yourself not to. But that can’t be right, it’s not like you fell for his fake smiles or flirtation. You must be drunk, that’s the only explanation. How else could you ever think that he might actually hold even a shred of feelings for you. He feels sorry for you, that’s all, that’s why you're here with him now. And once he’s treated your wounds, once he no longer feels guilty, he can go back to flirting with you and everyone else to get whatever he wants. 

The bell over the door chimes as a large group of people enter. You immediately look away, embarrassed by your current distress, turning your head to focus instead on the photos of the owner and his patrons pinned to the walls. Dabbing the corner of your eyes with the tip of your finger. 

Despite the number of newcomers the bar still remains oddly quiet. From a group of six you would expect the volume of conversation to be a bit more boisterous. With your instincts and suspicions now aroused, you keep an eye on them in the mirror over the bar.  Darting your eyes back to their reflection every few seconds, never wanting to linger too long. You’re about to throw away your apprehension, blaming it on your current level of anxiety on Seokjin, when something inexplicable happens. 

As the man seated in the middle leans towards one of his companions for a chat, his hand rises to rub his long nose, and in what you can only describe as a rendering problem, it passes through. You try to remain calm grabbing your glasses from your purse, turning yourself slightly you manage to edge his face in the very corner of your frames. With the tap of your finger to the rim of the specs you launch an application you created but never had the need to use personally.

When you had first designed your car, Yoongi had complained that even with the locater he had difficulty finding the vehicle when he left it cloaked. It was a reasonable request that prompted you to create a function that scans for visual distortions and creates a digital replication of what lies beneath the camouflage. And now as you activate that function you find what Seokjin and the others hadn’t been able to track down for months, the face of Hwang. 

He must be wearing what you can only guess is a variation on your technology, but instead of making his face invisible it projects different facial features over some of his own. It takes all of your restraint not to let out the swear taking up residence on the tip of your tongue. Why are they here of all places? Do they know that Seokjin is here? They look as if they’re waiting for someone. A potential mark, a seller, or maybe a buyer? 

Regardless of motive if your colleague steps out of the bathroom he’ll walk right into their view. You pull your glasses off leaving them on the bar, and call out to the keep. “Would you mind watching my stuff for me?” You gesture to your coat and specs putting on a fake smile. “Don’t want to lose my seat.”

“Don’t worry.” He confirms with a soft tone along with a grin. “I’ll keep them safe.”

Gliding off the stool, avoiding the stares of the target and his men, you slip into the hall and behind the men’s room door. Thankfully Seokjin’s already at the sink by this point. You find him hunched over hands pressing down on the counter as he lets out a long sigh.   

As he combs back his hair with damp fingers he looks up. Meeting your eyes in the mirror with embarrassment and disbelief, he lets out a small self pitting laugh. “Listen if you’re here to tell me off I get it, I didn’t mean-”

“Put your glasses on. You have them right?” You join him at the sink while his pity turns to confusion.

“What-”

“Just do it.”

He fumbles to retrieve them from his jacket pocket before sliding them on. You move in as close as you can, bracing yourself on his arms so you can speak into the receiver embedded. Seokjin looks taken aback but remains still as you encroach on his space. “Call Merlin, auto-connect override authorization 2769.” That creates a connection between the two glasses without you having to be there to answer it, allowing Seokjin to see the issue at hand.

“Fuck.” He whispers right next to your ear as you remain close, getting ready to call in for backup.

“My thoughts exactly.” You mutter, unable to decide if this is a stroke of good luck or bad.  “Add secondary line, call Lancelot.”

Seokjin leans his head down so the speaker falls next to your own ear. It’s not the best connection with the audio from the bar, but at least you can hear Hoseok. “Merlin, Galahad. What- am I seeing this right?”

“Yes, Hwang’s at our location, Choi’s bar. We’re not sure of his purpose here, but he’s brought a few friends.”

“I can see that, but why are you both there?”

“Not the time. We’re in the restroom but not in an adequate state to take on so many and secure the target. How long will it take you to get here?” You try to gloss over your lack of sobriety, but Hoseok doesn’t fall for the guise of your paraphrasing.

“Not in an adequate state huh? That’s an expression for drunk I haven’t heard before. Sending a message to Percival, I can have him and the team on site in 10 minutes. Can you maintain your current position?”

“Yeah small problem with that...” Seokjin comments.

“I heard it too, maintain cover at all cost. We can’t scare them away.” Hoseok’s voice flutters, sounding almost nervous.

“Heard what?” You can barely make out Hoseok’s words, let alone the taproom.

“Someone’s coming to check the bathrooms. They’re looking for any people of interest.”

“We could try slipping out the back door,” You offer.

Only for Hoseok to throw a wrench in your suggestion. “If it’s a business dealing they might have people posted there.”

“We need a distraction then?” You ask and Seokjin returns with a nod. Just hiding in a stall won’t do either, they’ll likely wait for the occupants to come out. You have to make them uncomfortable enough to leave without looking too close. You’ll probably regret what you're about to do later, but right now your options are limited. 

You reach out and grip Seokjin’s shirt, drawing him into you so he has you pressed against the counter. He catches on quickly, putting his hands on your waist he lifts you up and onto the marble surface. “Make it look good Seokjin. Shouldn’t be hard for you to put on a show, you’ve had so much practice with me already.” His act of concern, and portrayal of affection have shown you he should do just fine when it comes to a performance of lust. 

“It wasn’t my intent to toy with you.” He growls back before snatching your mouth with his, forceful enough to ensure swollen lips and smudged lipstick. One of his hands rises to your hair pulling the elastic out of place. Allowing his fingers to weave between the strands, he delivers a slight tug to your roots while you drag your teeth across his bottom lip.

You push his suit jacket off his wide shoulders, throwing it down on the counter next to you, before forcefully opening the top of his shirt, accidentally ripping the button off his collar in the process. He pauses his assault on your mouth for a moment, investigating the damage you imposed. 

“It wasn’t my intent to destroy your shirt, but here we are,” You explain unfastening the next two buttons with a bit more care. Your fingers dip under the crisp white cotton of his shirt, raking visible lines down his chest.  “Take responsibility for your actions for once. Tell people your true intentions or you will hurt them.” 

“You want me to know my intentions? Fine.” He unzips your dress a few inches to bare your collar and shoulders before his lips target your neck. You close your eyes letting your head roll back. “I want this.” Seokjin grabs your upper thigh compelling a gasp to escape you. “I want you.” He confesses the same time the door creaks open. 

There’s not much movement from Hwang’s lackey. Your new audience doesn’t come in far, instead he freezes in place when he spots the both of you. Seokjin addresses him in a gruff manner without turning his face away from you . “It’s not a free show buddy, take your piss and leave.” The man clears his throat, turns round and closes the door in his wake, leaving you once alone with Seokjin. Though revelling in his soft bites to your neck, gaining back your composer is a more pressing matter. “I think he’s gone.”

“We can’t be too sure,” Seokjin counters your observation as he continues to nip at the column of your throat. “He might come back.” 

“Shit, I just lost visual of the bar.” Hoseok interrupts much to your embarrassment. You somehow forgot he was on the com-line during your effort to teach your fellow agent a lesson. “We’re running blind, maintain cover for now.”

“See?” The breath of Seokjin’s laughter is felt on your skin as he wins the debate.

“You really want to keep going with this?” You’re surprised, just a few minutes ago the man was making you the butt of his joke. Why the change? 

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m just sorry we couldn’t be somewhere more intimate, or private.”

“You and me both,” Hoseok deadpans.

“Lancelot, I suggest you find something else to watch while we maintain cover as directed,” Seokjin instructs. You find his mouth back on yours before he gets a response on the com. 

He’s right though the circumstances are less than ideal for a romp. The damp counter beneath you, the flickering fluorescent lights, and the out of order stall in the corner are all enough to make you cringe. No part of this is glamorous except for the man standing in front of you, which makes him all the more appealing. “We could just lock the door you know.” You offer a logical substitute plan. “I’m sure after what they’ve seen they would understand and we could stop this charade.”

“But where’s the fun in that? I’m sorry but I am too dedicated to this cover. I want to see it through.”

“Percival’s team will be dropping in two minutes.” Hoseok cuts in. 

“Yes sir,” Seokjin mumbles against your lips while he responds to Hoseok, not dwelling on the interruption. “We should probably make the act more realistic, you know gasps, moans, they might be listening.”

You highly doubt that, but if he wants to play, fine. You’ll show him what he’s missing when he casts you aside. “You first.” You respond, tugging him between your legs, causing the hem of your dress to ride back. His cock erect beneath his pants and pressing against your clothed core. He lets out a groan of relief. “So unlike you to be already standing at attention.” You tease him.

“What can I say, you bring out the best in me,” he gasps in response.

Seokjin takes your legs in his hands driving your dress even further up your thighs as he proceeds to grind against you. He tilts his head with a smile while you react. “Too far?” He whispers. 

You shake your head. If only he knew what he would find if he pulled your underwear aside. Your cunt, committing the ultimate treason against your better sensibility, is ready and willing. If he’s not careful he might get a darkened spot on his suit pants.

As one hand slides further up the inside of your thigh, the other takes your chin directing you to meet his eyes. His fingers tease the edge of your underwear making their presence known and as he waits for permission to go further. You nod back at him. His fingers slip behind the strip of fabric, separating your sopping slit from the damp material. “Looks like you’re well prepared too Merlin.”

“I guess so,” You tease, “Do remind me to give a big tip to the bartender for that.”

“I have a hard time believing that none of this belongs to me.” Seokjin murmurs back to you, but just as his knuckles graze your slick folds and clit, Yoongi announces his team’s arrival. “Another time I guess,” Seokjin whispers with a final kiss to your cheek. He helps you off the counter and pulls down your dress to a more respectable length while he takes one last stroke of your thigh.

“I take it’s safe to restore visual now?” Hoseok asks with a hint of laughter. You’re never going to hear the end of this. “Percival’s about to enter, I do suggest locking the door this time though. In case anyone does make a run for it, we’ll catch them outback. I don’t want you two engaging in this capture if you don’t have too.”  You roll your eyes over Hoseok’s word choice. “Galahad, give Merlin the glasses. I want her input on the scene.”

Seokjin hands off his glasses to you and proceeds to lock you both in.

“Where are they stationed?” You inquire trying to get a full view of the task now at hand.

“The majority including Percival are entering through in the front, and a couple men out back, there was no one there so they must not be expecting a scene. Were there any civilians on site?”

“Just the barman.”

“Okay hang tight.” Hoseok orders.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t be helping?” You ask, wanting to distract yourself from the tension between you and Seokjin.

“Nah, Percival’s got this. Besides I saw your reflection and you’re looking a little flushed Merlin, you doing okay?”

“Shut up Lancelot,” you grumble back in a muffled tone. 

“Was it the alcohol or was it Galahad?”  Luckily Seokjin was too far away to hear Hoseok's last question letting you ignore the comment as the team makes their entrance. Yoongi’s glasses give you the full view of what he sees. Hwang, much to your surprise, actually looks interested in the presence of the new arrivals. They’re obviously waiting for someone to show, but it’s clear that they have no idea who to look for.

“Don’t jump on the arrest so fast.” You direct, looking to gain any positive out of this awkward mission. The reward very much outweighing the risk. “You might be able to get some information first. Come off as a buyer, they might be trying to move the information or the tech.”

“You heard her Percival, get as much as you can before we make the catch.” Hoseok confirms your plan back to the rest of the team.

You watch barely drawing breath as he takes a seat across from the target. Hwang opens up the conversation first, “I didn’t think you would bring so many men just for a demonstration.”

“I prefer not to take any chances.” Yoongi’s response is blase, as he beckons the barman over to give his order.  

Hwang looks uncomfortable, for someone with a product to sell he’s lacking the usual confidence that you would expect to see. “Well this should provide for your needs then. You ask me to come to the thick of their territory and as you can see I’m still here.”

“You are, but how do we know they aren’t waiting to make a strike? Have you ever seen one?” Yoongi pushes, he must be taking great enjoyment out of finally being able to pull one over on the man who’s kept them searching for so long.

“I have, once, but I’ve been able to keep myself hiding for months with this.” He taps something a bud placed in his ear. It must be what’s projecting the image overlay on his face disguising his true features. “Camera’s can’t pick up my face underneath, it’s better than any mask you can buy, as requested.”

“Where did you get the tech?” 

“You-” The man pauses, his brow furrows before his expression shifts to a blank slate. He makes a subtle reach for his jacket pocket, but Yoongi is quicker on the draw. Lunging across the table he grabs the back of Hwang’s neck and smashes his head down on the table.

It’s hard to see the rest of the fighting with only Yoongi’s perspective. You catch flashes of the scene as the target’s men retaliate. There’s a flurry of pint glasses to distract as firearms are drawn. Broken shards scatter the establishment as the bartender flees away from danger towards the back exit with a phone to his ear. 

The altercation ends rather quickly, with those who are still conscious held at gunpoint by Yoongi’s men. It’s a relief to see the target secured, and the tech recovered, but you are left with disgust after having your own work be used against your team. 

Hoseok gives you the all clear to leave, but you're not sure you're ready to face the others just yet. “Could you give me a minute?” You request from Seokjin as he goes to open the door. He gives you a nod along with your hair tie, while you hand back his glasses. 

“Yeah, I’ll just go... fetch our coats.”

“Could you find my glasses too while you’re out there Galahad?” 

He freezes for a fraction of a second before giving you a hesitant response, “Yeah... yeah sure thing.”

What, no funny retort? No rebuttal? You thought calling him by his title would cause him to taunt you a little, but nothing comes of it. “If you can’t find them, the barkeep might have them.” That’s probably why the signal went dark, he must have moved them for safe keeping.

“Great. Just who I wanted to see.” He responds with a forced smile and gritted teeth. 

“If it’s that much of a problem I’ll go get them back myself.”

Seokjin leaves you with a grunt, “No, no, I’ll go see the cowardly Casanova.”

 The second he opens the restroom door you can hear Yoongi shout a request. “Galahad can I leave the team out back in your care? I need to move out and take this thief to Arthur for questioning.” 

Hwang had apparently regained consciousness, and starts arguing in his defence. “I didn’t steal that data! I just set them up with someone to make their tech. They were supposed to come here, they asked for a demonstration here and then stood us up!”   

Yoongi chooses to ignore him while he continues to give orders to Seokjin. “Make sure they drug the civilian, and then toss him behind the bar. Shouldn’t need to do much more than that, it already looks like standard bar brawl damage.” 

“That I can do,” Seokjin responds with satisfaction as he steps out letting the door close between the two of you. It’s amazing how much one flirtatious bartender appears to have got under his skin. 

You take a few minutes to straighten yourself in the mirror. Tying up your hair and closing the zipper on your dress when you spot several smudges of lipstick across your skin. You reach blindly for the paper towel, only to knock your purse to the floor in the process. A couple items roll away. Your pen, to your frustration, makes it all the way into the out of order stall. As tempted you are to leave it, you know it wouldn’t be wise to have something so lethal on the floor of a public bathroom.

With a groaning you crouch down, peering through the couple of inches between the stall door and the floor. Finding the missing item next to a pair of well worn leather shoes. You throw yourself back in shock grabbing your pistol from your overturned clutch, taking aim at the door bearing the sign. With a swift kick you force the stall open, and there passed out on the toilet is the man from the pictures behind the bar, the owner that Seokjin was asking after.    

“Shit.” You lower your gun as you run out of the bathroom calling out for back up. The bar is deserted though, Yoongi’s team has already left, forcing you to head down the long hall to the back door alone. You slow your steps as you reach the end of the corridor, starting to pick up bits of conversation between Seokjin and the imposter. You keep yourself plastered to the wall trying to assess the situation with a narrow view through the window next to the door.

The once friendly bartender points a gun at Seokjin. The other agents, those that were supposed to be keeping an eye on the ‘civilian’ are out of commission, all laying on the ground around him. 

“Call her out here, now.” The barman still holds onto his smile as he makes his demand, but now it only gives you chills as you try to puzzle out the motive behind it.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Seokjin keeps his hands at eye level, he’s trying to play the role of innocent bystander but that’ll only get him shot if he’s not careful. 

“The woman with you, that was Merlin, was it not? She designed this tech didn’t she?” He lifts your glasses for Seokjin to see. “And created the original cloaking program. I never should have outsourced it, she saw right through their guise. Since their product was faulty, I’ve been given a new directive.”

“Merlin? You mean like the magician in the old tales? Trust me that woman is nothing of the sort.” Seokjin is actually now chuckling despite having a gun held to him.

“Very well, if you won’t comply. We’ll just have to go retrieve her together.” He gestures Seokjin to the door with his gun. “After you.”

You shift yourself into position behind the door, when Seokjin opens it you remain concealed on the other side. Your fellow agent steps through, moving backwards to keep his eyes on the assailant, allowing him to spot you once he’s inside. You raise a finger to your lips holding your gun to your chest. You can’t let him give off any indication that he’s seen you. 

When Seokjin’s a few feet down the hall the aggressor proceeds to follow, and once his arm crosses the threshold you ram your full weight against the door. There’s a howl of pain as you trap his forearm in the door frame. The gun drops from his hand and hits the floor. Seokjin moves first taking the weapon and then the arm of the man who pointed it at him. You release the door and Seokjin drags the enemy in, throwing him against the wall. There’s a sickening crack as his head meets the concrete behind him.  

Though his body is now lip and eyes in a daze he still chuffs when he spots you, “So nice of you to join us Merlin, we were just talking about you.”

Seokjin pulls back a fist  letting land on the man's face with the full force of a brutal punch, finally sending the culprit into a comatose state.

“You okay?” You ask, noting his unusually rigid composure.

Seokjin nods, straightening his jacket as he lets the imposter fall to the floor. “Looks like I was right, you did catch his attention.” He boasts, with levity returning to his voice. “How did you know to come find me?”

“Found Choi, right where he said he’d be too...” You watch as Seokjin crouches down to retrieve your glasses from the man. “Who is he?”

“I don’t know, but I doubt he works alone.” Seokjin comments while staring at the tattoo that had caught your eye earlier, a flock in the shape of a V. 

...

Yoong makes a return trip, picking up the new captive as well as aiding the unconscious agents. The detainees will be moved to headquarters where they’ll be held for questioning before they’re turned over to the authorities along with a list of transgressions and admissible evidence.

After returning from the bar your base is busier than ever, with everyone following standard procedure and filing reports. There’s hardly room to move, let alone have a private moment with Seokjin to discuss what transpired. A full night and day go by with you only being able to lock eyes with him across the room. As much as you want to talk to him, your duty comes first, ensuring that everyone receives their new orders after the unusual turn of events.

You retreat to your room after a long day of report processing. There are still a few statements left to grab but those can be done tomorrow. The first recordings of the interrogation have come in and you're desperate to hear what Hwang has to say about the tech you found him with. To your delight it’s that exact question which Namjoon poses first.

Hwang rattles off the information, needing little prompting, they must have already cut a deal. “I was contacted  by an anonymous client over a year ago, they asked if I might know of someone who could utilize a cloaking program they had picked up, and apply it to something else. They wanted a mask, a way to hide in plain sight. I offered up a tech company who does some backwater dealings in armaments and weapons, and became the middleman between the two parties until the project was finished.”

“And you have no idea who hired you?” Namjoon asks. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Their wallet was big enough their identity wasn’t a concern, my main contact only referred to himself as V. He called me to the bar last night to provide a final demonstration to prove it worked before his agency made the purchase.”

Seokjin was right, Hwang was just a fence. Which would confirm the other man part of the group who orchestrated the data breach. 

You switch between the video files, hoping to find the other more enlightening. In the very centre of the shot sits the man dubbed as V. He answers none of the questions directed to him. Minutes pass while he remains silent looking directly into the camera with a  jeering grin and narrowed eyes. It’s off putting to say the least, no offer or deal can sway him to spill his knowledge. He looks content almost as if this is exactly where he wants to be. While the interrogators become increasingly frustrated, his smile only grows wider. 

You close out of the recording unable to take the silent stares any more. There’s nothing in his file they’ve attached other than physical attributes.  As you search the empty pages for a scrap of knowledge, a call request comes in from Arthur. You throw on your glasses answering in haste hoping he’ll have something new to share.

“Sorry to bother you so late. It’s been quite a day.” His voice is full of cracks and weariness.

“It’s no problem. I can only imagine after seeing the footage. Any new information on who this man works for? 

“No, nothing.”

“Oh,” Your voice echoes in confusion, “Was there something else you needed? Did you get my report?”

“Yes I did, thorough as usual. But it’s not your report I wanted to discuss.” Namjoon pauses again. ”I received an unusual request from Galahad at the end of his. I wanted to talk it over with you before I gave my answer.”

“Go ahead.” You cringe fearing what he might have said in his statement. 

“I freed him from lock down, and offered a new assignment, but he requested permission to stay and assist you with the vehicle repairs until they were completed. I would permit his extension, but I don’t believe that the answer to this decision rests fully with me, so I’m leaving it to you.”

“Don’t you need him back in the field? We don’t know who this man V is, or who he’s working for.” 

“And it’s doubtful that we’ll learn anything more anytime soon unless he starts answering our questions. There’s little direction in where we can take the investigation right now. I don’t have anything that requires urgent attention, that’s why the choice is yours to make. If you need help or want assistance he’s offering it to you.” 

“Thank you sir,” You’re grateful that he has left you with the final decision on the matter. “Would you mind if I spoke to him first before I decide?”  

“Not at all.”

...

You creep out into the common area, Hoseok is splayed out on the couch while Yoongi’s curled up on the armchair, but Seokjin is nowhere to be found. Did he leave the base taking advantage of his newly acquired freedom?

You doubt you’ll be able to sleep, not with the questions you have running through your head. Looking to keep your mind busy you descend the stairs and enter the passcode to your workshop, only to find the lights already on and Seokjin’s long legs sticking out from under the car. There’s a swear and a clang of a metal tool hitting the cement floor. You hold back a laugh as you approach, choosing instead to surprise him by pulling on the roller bed to tug him out from beneath the car.  

The initial shock on his face quickly changes to a smug grin. “I guess I’ve been caught.”

“Trying to sabotage my work again?”

“No, if you can believe it I’m actually trying to be an aid rather than a hindrance.”

“I’ll alert the media.” You fire back before diving into the more serious topic at hand. “I just got off the line with Arthur. He said you’ve been cleared to return to duty...”

Seokjin’s face falls slightly as he sits up on the rolling platform, “Oh-”

“But you also requested an extension here.”

“I did.” He looks up at you with sincerity, one that’s rarely seen on his face. No deflection to humour. This is just him. 

“I need to know why.” You keep your expression even, not wanting your feelings to influence him in any way.

“I want to help fix the car.”

“I need more of an explanation than that Seokjin. A few days ago you couldn’t wait to get out of here. ” This is it, there’s no room to spare feelings. He’ll tell you he feels guilty, or that he feels sorry for you, leaving you to send him on his way and that will be the end of this trial. 

“I don’t want things to go back to the way they were before. I like working with you, being here with you. You're not afraid to let me know when I’ve crossed the line.”

“So what, you just want to use me to keep you in check? I’m not here to fix you Seokjin.” You start to back away ready to send word to Namjoon that he’s free to assign him elsewhere when Seokjin grabs your hand, he rises from his spot on the floor in a rush to stand between you and the door. 

“That’s not what I meant. You make me want to be better.”

You pull yourself from his grip backing into the side of the car, “And after you’ve used me to better yourself, what then? You’ll just move on to your next project?” 

“No, fuck... I don’t know how else I can say it other than I like you Merlin. You aren’t the plan, you’re the objective.” He pauses for a moment, watching as his words sink in to you. “If you’re not interested in what I want to offer... I get it, but stop being so blind when it comes to yourself!” 

You fall still as you hear his confession, but you’re not ready to believe or condemn his words just yet. “If that’s the case why did you mock me at the bar?” Your voice wavers as you question him. “Why didn’t you say something?” 

“I was going to, but I didn’t think you would appreciate a drunken confession. You wanted a serious conversation, here it is. I want to stay here with you. Even if you’re not interested in a relationship, I respect that, but I still think we could both benefit from working together.”

He’s right, you might have believed him right then, but later, once the effects of the alcohol had worn off you would’ve thought it another game of his. You shift against the car embarrassed by your misreading of his motives, but pleased to see that they fall in line with your own.

“I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t interested...” You mumble your own confession carefully as he shifts in closer to his mouth catching a grin when he hears your words. “But staying would put you in a problematic position when you’re required to follow my orders. If we’re to continue down this path there wouldn’t be an equal power dynamic.”

“Good.” he mutters along with a chuckle. “Is that your only objection?”

“Yes, but-”

“Arthur released me from under your command. Any order you give will be discretionary.” 

“Discretionary orders?” You scoff. “You can barely follow mandatory orders.”

“Yes but it solves your problem, doesn't it? This way you can be sure that I will only follow an order if I want to.” He leans in placing his hands on either side of you on the hood of the car. “So Merlin, do you want me to stay?”

“Yes...”

“Do you want to continue what we started yesterday?” 

You nod biting your lip at the thought of it.

“Then I await your orders.” He stands still not moving an inch while you remain caged between his arms and caught in his eyes.

“Let’s be clear on something first,” You state, trying not to focus on how close his lips are or how soft they’ll feel when they touch your skin.“I don’t want you to think you are in any way saving me.”

“I am well aware of that now. I finally realise I need you to save me.”

“From what?” You can’t help but laugh at his conclusion.

“My impulsive actions.” He lifts you onto the car just like he lifted you onto the bathroom counter. “My runaway mouth.” He closes the distance for a swift kiss. “And my very unprofessional desires.” His fingers flirt with the bottom of your shirt taking up residence underneath the garment against the skin of your waist. 

“Yet you combat every effort when someone tries to restrain those tendencies,” You scold with a smile.

“You told me yourself I don’t go down easily... If you want to put me in my place you’re going to be more commanding.”

“And you would like that?” You ask in disbelief.  

“Why don’t you find out...” 

“Seokjin I-I don’t know if I-” You start to panic, stammering at the thought of going too far and becoming what others have thought of you before, “I don’t want you to hate...”

“If I need to stop I’ll tell you to brake. But right now I really want you to take the wheel, and put your foot down. No detours, just floor it.” He tightens his hold on you leaning in next to your ear with a growl. “Don’t get shy on me now. Give me your orders.” 

The cheek in his tone at last sets off the need for retaliation in you, evoking a desire to finally see him begging you for more. He’s never backed away from you, leaving you with no reason to believe he’ll do so now. If this is what he wants you’ll be happy to try and make him submit. “You can start with losing this.” You tug on his grease stained shirt. “And these too.” Dragging your finger over the waist of his jeans. 

He strips looking eager to play along. Leaving him in a pair of black boxers clinging to his swelling girth. “Like what you see?”

“You’ll do.” You snicker back at him. You take the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss, as he moves to hold your lower back. He finds his way between your thighs once again but this time there’s nothing to stop you both from going further. 

“Do you want to take those off?” You brush your hands on the elastic of his underwear.

“Yes.” His answer is short and sweet, with nothing to misinterpret. You could get used to this side of him.

“Then you’ll have to do something for me first.” You shift your pants down kicking them to the floor. Taking one last kiss of Seokjin’s lips before pressing his shoulders down to make his mouth level with your hips. The grin he gives is something to revel in, finally seeing it as a sign of desire rather than a farce.

He pulls your underwear to the side. The first lick is short and sweet causing you to flinch from the flick of his tongue. The second he takes care in following the line of your slit but he doesn’t pull away at the end, instead he latches on to your clit taking deep drags which pull you under in an instant. 

Your hand reaches out to grip his hair needing something to hold on to and hold him back with if necessary, but once your fingers tug at Seokjin’s locks he moans into your flesh. His hands pull you closer to the edge of the car allowing him to bury himself even deeper.    

He slowly gains a rhythm with his tongue and lips, but every time you come close, when your breathing becomes shallow he starts to pull back. He’s teasing you, clearly goading you to become more strict with your desires. 

“No more games Seokjin. If you can’t get me there in the next minute, I promise you’ll regret it.”

He pulls away for a moment to draw breath while giving you a taunt. “I’d like to see that.” 

He’s about to return to his task when you push him back, no longer giving him the chance at redemption. You point to a straight back chair facing away from you , “Sit down, with your head forward.” 

He does as you ask with a smile still stuck to the corner of his mouth. You slide off the car and move behind him towards your work desk, stripping off your shirt, and undergarments as you stray from his line of sight. Grabbing something from the inventory closet before you return to him, still hiding from his gaze .

He tries to look back at you but you put a stop to that. “Did I say you could look around?”

“No ma’am.” He chuckles back.

“Since you like games so much I thought of one to play. Give me your hand, and tell me what I put in it without looking.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with-” You cut off his complaint quickly by placing the metal object in his hand reaching out behind him. “Handcuffs?” Seokjin questions with surprise. “I stand corrected, this seems like a fun game.” 

“Put them on,” you order. He complies instantly, letting you check the tightness once he’s done. “Safey’s there if you need it. Just tell me to brake.”

“Oh no, I’m quite comfortable thank you.” He grins proudly as if this is what he was hoping for all along.

As you move in front of him finally gracing him with your nude form he stares back at you dumbfounded. You reach out to the corner of his mouth, which sits agape, wiping at the edge of his lips with your thumb. “Sorry I thought I spotted some drool.” Seokjin smiles at your mimicry and jab, but he has no words to follow with.

You kneel down in front of him, your hands trailing up to reach for his boxers. “May I?”

“Please do.”

You tug them down releasing his erection from the confines of the fabric. You're careful not to touch him, not wishing to give any satisfaction or stimulation. Once they’re pulled down to his ankles you move to the uninstalled backseat of the car sitting right across from him. Seokjin furrows his brow in confusion. 

“Something wrong?” You prompt hoping to have him admit that he wants you to return to him.

“No, just admiring the view.” 

“Really?” You persist in teasing him a little more, “Because it looks like you need something.”

“Only to know the next step in this game of yours.”

“You get to watch while I play.” You lay back on the car bench resting your feet on the soft leather. Your hand moving down between your legs picking up where Seokjin left off, with a slow rub to your crest.

“That seems unfair.” He flexes his arms, testing the cuffs as he watches you. 

“That’s what happens when you don’t read the instructions, I get to make the rules.” He lets out a groan as you close your eyes ready to concentrate on your own pleasure. You know you’re wet enough already but for good measure and Seokjin’s torturous show you prep your fingers in your mouth before slipping the tip of your index finger inside yourself. 

There’s a small whine from Seokjin, you look over to him, your eyes take a moment to focus on his face, his teeth digging into his now swollen bottom lip. “Let me help you, please.”

“That’s not how punishments work Seokjin. You had your chance, and you disobeyed.”

Giving him a side profile allows your thigh to hide the sight of your fingers dipping in. The sounds though, those are his to enjoy. You continue to satisfy yourself for a while longer enjoying the little jots of pleasure you can give yourself and Seokjin’s moan every time you twitch. It’s hard not to pay attention and give in to returning to him. With his cock pulsing against his leg with a drop of precum growing at the tip. His lip must be sore with how hard he’s biting down. 

Unable to ignore his whimpers any longer you get up from the leather bench. You present your fingers to his mouth damp from your ministrations. You don’t even get the chance to ask before he takes them into his mouth and licks them clean. When you pull them from his lips, he beams back at you. “Was that attentive enough for you?” 

“Very...” You commend him, straddling his legs facing him as you lower yourself. Your hand grips his cock while the other rests on his shoulder balancing yourself as you guide him inside. 

He gasps out a swear along with your real name as you sink down fully onto his lap. You lean into him letting your chest push against his as you rise and fall on his shaft. Pressing and grinding yourself against his seated form has him throbbing inside of you. He’s quickly become a breathy mess beneath you, a sheen of sweat covers his forehead, with even more dripping down his pecs. 

Your pace increases in speed as you edge closer to your climax. The warmth begins to spread to your extremities as you continue to thrust down. When the wave finally washes over you can barely move. “Fuck-” You whisper along with a plea. “Don’t you dare come yet.” You collapse against him riding it out, clenching while Jin groans.

“Take the cuffs off.” His moaning request is impossible to deny. As fun as it was to see him at your mercy you long to have his hands back on you. 

You reach for the restraints behind his back, with a quick press of a hidden release he’s free.  Wasting no time he grabs you, helping your legs to wrap around his waist. Positioning you securely against him, he rises to move two steps required in order to ram you back down onto the car bench. 

He pulls one leg up and over his shoulder while he holds the other level with his hip. Despite your sensitivity, he’s relentless in his thrusts, pushing you directly from the wave you just finished and on to the next. 

He’s so close to his end, his muscles tense, his face stern with a clenched jaw, it takes a moment for you to realize he’s waiting for your permission. He’s holding back until you give him the okay. “You can come Seokjin.” Upon hearing this his thrusts suddenly hit harder forcing you to cry out. “Fuck, please come.”

He shudders with the last impact. Releasing your legs, he lowers himself onto you while his cock still pulses inside. His head rests on the seat beside yours, the hot air from his heavy pants flows down your neck as you lay there trying to catch your own breath.

“I think we might have ruined the new car seat.” You chuckle at him, your laughter restricted by the pressure of his body on your chest. “I should probably order another.”

“And miss out on Hoseok’s expression when he realized what the stains are from?” He nudges closer, kissing the spot behind your ear with his swollen lips. “Not a chance.”

You start to drift beneath him content with the warmth and weight of his form. He gives you a few minutes rest caressing the side of your face with the tip of his finger before he poses an important question. “You’re still okay with me staying here then?”

You turn your head to meet his eyes with a smirk. “Yes, but you still have to earn your keep if you want a stay.” You gesture to the state that he’s left the workshop in, “In addition to cleaning up your mess.” 

Seokjin briefly glances to the tools strewn along the ground and then back at you with a smirk. He then shifts his whole body down, dipping his head back between your legs. “Yes ma’am.”  His tongue takes a long stroke, cupping your cum filled cunt. “Hope you don’t mind if I start here.”

[zuffer-weird-girl]

This might be OOc? Yes definitely. This might had got like trash and utterly garbage since I was the one writing it? A LOT! BUT WHO CARES?!

Something was... wrong.

You couldn't exactly tell that what your boyfriend was doing bothered you on the slightest... but he was a mysophobic. He despised touch just as much as heroes in general.

You thought that he might had gotten sick, since he only acted like a portion of this when he had his beautiful ass drunk or he had caught a pretty bad flu. But nope. He was normal like always. No signs of fever or other symptoms.

Then you checked his actions towards others, to see if it had changed even for a bit. But surprises! It hadn't. But when you asked Chrono about it, he looked at you with a eyebrow lifted up in question before answering that Overhaul didn't had changed one single bit at least around the yakusa.

You only had one last hope. Pops. And the man laughed in your face.

The only thing the elder did asides that, was pull you onto a hug, thanking you for only god knows why the reason as he told you how you were such a rare jew.

You were even more confused after that conversation.

All of this fuss was about only one thing...

"(Y/n)." You hummed from where you was, following the sound of your boyfriend's voice to his office when he called you into the room.

"Anything wrong? Kai?" You asked innocently before he stopped typing on his computer to look at you properly, shaking his head with a no before he mentioned with his palm for you to get closer.

You walked and he signaled for you to be by his side, and when you got he just hugged your waist out of no where and brought you to sit on his lap, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck and chest.

You yelped while he only ignored you, hugging you closer than before.

That. That was why you were so worried sick about him.

"K-Kai? Y-You-"

"Is cold." Was his muffled response while you only deadpanned.

It only took him to order someone to warm up the air or to at least grab his jacket... he didn't even bothered to give you a fair excuse.

This has been happening a lot lately and you were getting worried. Chisaki was never once to like touch, prefering to have his own space and that was okay since he showed now at then some affections.

But now? Overhaul sometimes acted even like a child demanding affection at any possible reasons.

You decided to ask him once if he didn't got hitted by a quirk, his response was a very disgusted look, a shake of his head and a 'who the hell you take me for?'.

PDA was still a struggle. But he was holding your hand. That was the first red flag that you had noticed.

On meetings he would have you by his side as his arm circled your waist as he talked nonchantly... but god forbided if someone bumped into him or poked you without permission.

One time even you were in a rush and didn't gave Kai much... attention on that day due to personal problems that you had to deal with. You had gotten home and Rappa was screaming for you to help him and even dared to hide behind you as a very infuriated Chisaki came by... his hard and murderous gaze changing back to hsi normal one the moment he saw you.

"Ah. Angel you're back." He said nonchantly while you looked at Rappa from behind you that was shaking more than a leaf... since WHEN Rappa had fear of Overhaul?

"Yeah...? What happened with-" he picked your hand on his and started to push you along with him.

"Nothing to worry about. Is just Rappa being a thug as usual."

Later on that day you found out that Kai was in one of his worst moods... and only because you didn't had even gave him a kiss.

Those things were getting so abnormal sometimes that whenever Chisaki was about to get pissed off, Chrono immediatly barged into your room and dragged you to where Kai was... and the man quickly got calm again.

Pops declared you as 'Chisaki's medication' after he took the knowledge of what was happening.

You were so confused and just about to question Chisaki again... if it wasn't your curiosity speaking louder when you were passing by a hallway and heard the voices of the said man and Pops on a chat.

"The precepts do indeed apreciate your partner Chisaki." Pops spoked while you heard Kai's humming nonchantly. "... My boy, mind me asking something?"

"It depends."

"You only answer if you want, but I have to kill my curiosity. What is been going on with you and the sudden need to be so close and hold (Y/n) at any possible moment that you get?"

You heard nothing for a bit of seconds before Chisaki scoffed.

"I have no idea what is that suppose to mean."

"Chisaki. I am getting old, not dumb. You were always bothered with germs and dirty, and lord forbided taht someone touched or touches you without permission.... now you're almost glued with-"

"Is... complicated." Kai interrupted with a very uncomfortable tone of voice, only peeking even more of your interest.

"Well. I have all day."

"... (Y/n) is clean. A pure soul on thsi society Pops. First it started as only mere touches that I thought it was rather irritating... but after some time... I started to crave for it."

You furrowed your eyebrows as you got your ear touching with the door.

"Is just so... different. Her touch is just so soothing and gentle. I can't help it."

"Well. It does seem that you are in love." Pops chuckled while you heard Chisaki's growls "I think is something more there as well. Years of denying others touch and got past your 20 without any might caused some damage sometimes."

"I did my exams. I am not sick." He hissed while the old man laughed.

"That's not what I meant Chisaki." The man chuckled for a bit longer before returning his talking "Maybe is payment. After all, everthing you gone through before I took you as my own child... I think the universe decided to bless you a little."

"... maybe. Even if I'm not worth of it... I do enjoy (Y/n)'s company."

"Oh shut up young man. Admit for once that 'love' word for once!"

You stiffled a giggled before quickly getting out of there, hearing and guessing that they had gotten up and were getting close by the door.

Kai had told you about his biological parents, what he had to go through before Pops took him in... the reason why he wanted to repay the man so badly. You couldn't help to curse out his parents, his dad the most to blame... but the man was already dead... so what was the use of hating him?

You smiled to yourself, the words you just heard and remembering what Pops told to you once.

"My dear. Chisaki has a hard skull and is difficult enough to make him change his mind... but you were capable of breaking down his walls. Only for that, you are very special to him already, even if he doesn't know or admit it."

You giggled a bit before yelping at the voice of your lover from behind you.

"Can I know what exactly you're giggling about?"

You turned a bit and smiled at his monotonous gaze, looking down at you with a uncared look.

"Nothing. Just remember a joke."

"Spare me from those atrocities if you wouldn't mind." He sighed in annoyance before cupping your cheek on his gloved hand "I finished my work for today."

"So I have my devil all to myself?" You asked innocently while grabbing both sides of his face on your hands, rubbing a bit your thumbs on his cheek softly as he closed his eyes and sighed in bliss through his nose.

"I expect that you at least washed your hands."

"As always." You giggled while Chisaki hummed in aproval, subconsciously melting by your touches.

... you could get used to it with Chisaki being like that.

[docholligay]

The Long Black Road

I FINISHED SOMETHING EVERYONE CONGRATULATE ME. This was @yamadara87 prompt, “MA after Haruka dies” takes place in the MaS AU. 

The shop was quiet for a Wednesday afternoon. It could have been owing to the cold as much as anything, and the fact that with so many holidays having recently been laid to rest, women were not nearly so fussy about having the latest style. It was always a slow period of the year, one where Takuya and MA generally set about to improving parts of the shop, thinking about the coming year, and running the books. 

But Takuya was alone in the small but exclusive shop today, and had been for the last few weeks. He’d just finished with a client determined to keep her hair black despite her age, washing up in the back corner, when he heard the door open, the high bells chiming across the pristine shop. He knew damn well he didn’t have an appointment lined up, and their shop was the sort of place that only did a walk-in if your cash and your pedigree matched up. 

He’d even sent their receptionist home for the day. 

“Welcome!” He beamed brightly as he walked out the back, setting aside the actual thoughts in his head for something much more encouraging. 

“It’s just me.” M.A. stopped at the front desk and looked over her appointment book, whipping through the pages until she came to the clean emptiness of the current week. “When Masami comes in tomorrow, let her know I’m taking appointments. Make sure she calls Ms. Sato, I’m sure she’s having a heart attack right about now.” 

“I--” Takuya leaned against the wall near the back of the shop, “Wasn’t expecting to see you. For awhile.” 

MA looked up at him and grinned, tossing the curly hair back from her face. On anyone else it might have looked careless, but it was in these moments that Takuya was reminded that MA was a Kaioh by bloodline and inclination, and had her mother’s way of making something look intentional and stylish. 

“Get used to having the place to yourself, huh?” 

“No,” he shook his head, straightening up off the wall, “I missed having you. But, M.A….” 

“Pop died this morning, to answer your question,” she punctuated the thought by dropping the pen into the cup, “so I’m back.” 

Takuya nearly sighed, but then thought better of it. Since they’d met in school, he’d always been taken with MA’s blend of brashness and breeding, the way she could play at either without skipping a beat, her intense refusal to allow anything to push her off the balance beam of her own life. She was stubborn and strong and all the things Takuya wanted for himself, and had cultivated a bit of, in his adult life. 

But things are never simple, Takuya had learned as life went on, and strength can be an anchor, and an anchor can do many things at once, while never changing shape. MA was not weak, because she never let herself be weak. She never gave herself permission to be weak. 

He doubted he could give her that permission either, but at the very least, he could try. 

“You don’t have to be here.” 

MA scoffed and shook her head. “What else is there to do?” 

She looked at him when he said it, a mild look of amusement on her face. She wanted him to have an answer. MA would have loved for Takuya to know what a human being was supposed to do, after a mother dies. He would have loved to have an answer, as well, and, tugging at his sleeve, realize he should have known the question would come long before it did. 

MA didn’t give him a chance to come up with anything before she parried each blow. 

“Funeral home got her body,” she closed the schedule book, “Pop planned most of her own funeral,” she took mail from the desk and shoved an envelope in the correct slot, “wrote the eulogy,” another envelope, in the garbage this time,” So, what is there to do? Other than sit around and cry about something we’ve known is coming for months. Kimi has that down, I don’t think the family needs me for that.”

Takuya came over and sat at the desk, looking up at her. 

“What about your kids?” 

She stopped for a moment, mail still in hand, and looked past the desk and out the front window. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, and eventually she closed it, shaking her head, returning to her mail. 

“MA--” 

“What, Takuya?” She tossed down the rest of the mail. “What do you want from the entire conversation? You want me to cry? Would that make you feel like I was doing all of this correctly?” she crossed her arms. “There is nothing on earth left that I can do for her. My Papa is dead, and there’s no bringing her back, and all the ridiculous throwing myself into open sobbing is going to change that. It would just be to make everyone else feel better. It won’t make me feel better, because she would still be dead, and I would be annoyed and crying.” 

“What I want, Marine, is for you not to do this--thing, that you do,--”

“I don’t know why you bother even trying to say my name. You pronounce it like a donkey.” She sat down at the desk and opened the computer file. 

“--where you pretend everything is fine, and that nothing can possibly rattle you, and then all of a sudden, you’re gone. You just suddenly decide to deal with things, and God fucking forbid you let anyone help you.” 

She just looked at him, an unimpressed stare on her face. 

“Remember when you and your boyfriend broke up? And it was nothing, until I looked up, and you were in some cheap-ass onsen, drunk, for five days. That was a month later!” 

M.A.’s face turned from unimpressed to thoughtful, though still there was no betrayal of sadness. 

“You’re, and I don’t say this to piss you off, a little bit like your mom sometimes.” 

M.A. let out a loud groan and threw herself back in the chair. “God, I am, aren’t I?” She sighed. “It’s some Greek tragedy of mine.” 

Takuya shrugged. “I like your mom. But, she definitely is, emotionally avoidant.” 

M.A. rested her hands on her chin and stared down at the appointment book. She and Taskuya sat there for a moment, saying nothing, at all, until M.A.’s voice came softly from the desk. 

“I was such a bitch to Pop when I was a teenager.” 

All of life is a play, and there ware times in our lives when we must recognize the act and stage on which we stand. There is a time for the quick back and forth of Wilde, and a time for the ponderousness of Chekov, and above all, a time for a Shakespearan soliloquy. 

And so Takuya did not respond. 

“She was such a good mom,” M.A. folded her hands into her lap, looking more like Michiru than ever before, though he would not have dared say it, “She packed my lunch every day, with these little notes about how she loved me, or was proud of me. Sometimes just a little drawing. I started throwing them away, when I was 13. All my Pop had ever wanted,” she took a deep breath, “ was to be a mom, and I just kept throwing it back in her face.”

“She tried to take me to the movies, shopping, and just--” she gave a difficult huff, “I wanted nothing to do with her. She just wanted me too badly. Isn’t that horrible? My Pop loved me so much that I resented her for it. I thought she was pathetic.

“I really am like my Mom, sometimes, Takuya. You don’t know the half of it. I’ve heard stories of my Mom, when she was a teenager, even up into her 20s, how she was vain and petty, and self-centered. Mom always turns a little pink when anyone mentions it. And then I did the same thing, but to Pop. To someone who only wanted to love me for everything I was. Didn’t matter when I screamed at Mom, didn’t matter when I snuck out. Didn’t even matter when I stole her medication and sold it. And I hated her for it.” she gave a chuckle, “I’m such a bitch.” 

M.A looked up at the ceiling, hands still folded, unable to even glance over at Takuya. 

“I was so cruel, those next few years. I told her she was embarrassing. I told her to leave me alone. Once, when I was 15, I told her she wasn’t even my mom. I wasn’t related to her at all. She started to cry, right there in front of me. You know what I did, Takuya?” she looked over at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Fucking nothing. I stood there, and watched my Pop cry, when she had thrown her entire life into raising me. What kind of fucking...monster…” 

Sometimes, a soliloquy becomes a spiral, and so Takuya stepped in. 

“I knew your Pop for, well, as long as I’ve known you. You two were really close, M.A. So you were a bitch for three years as a kid. I knew Haruka, and I saw her with you, and I never would have known any of that. She forgave you. And you changed. So.” 

M.A laughed and wiped away her tears. “Well, at a certain point, my aunt Mina had enough of my shit and threatened to beat my ass if I couldn’t treat Pop with some kind of borderline kindness.” she cleared her throat. “She told me everything that ever happened to Pop. I never knew all of it. She never told me, and, you know, her mom died when I was really little. And--and, Pop had a pretty big surgery around that time, and I remember cutting class and taking Kimi--” 

“Kimi cut class!? Kimiko. Your sister.” 

M.A. nodded. “The first and last time. Pop hadn’t wanted us to see her until she was a little better. But since when was I listening to Pop? Kimi was so worried.We got there and Pop was so...I felt bad for her.” 

Takuya smiled and leaned over the desk. “And the Snow Queen melted, and became a real girl.” 

“Eat a dick, Takuya.”

“With pleasure.”

She shook her head. “I never apologized to her. I never told her how much I regretted being a complete asshole.” 

He touched her shoulder, and she looked up at him. “Did you stop being an asshole?”

“Yeah.” 

“I think the best apology is changed behavior.” He sat on the desk. “Your Pop loved you. And she knew you loved her. After all that, what else is there?” 

M.A. thought for a moment, looking off into the empty shop that smelled perpetually of the fine shampoos and conditioners they used on the clients, over to where her scissors lay covered in their case where she had left them weeks ago. There was nothing to be done, she was right in that respect. And when there is nothing to be done, at times, we can only be left with the reality of how we feel. 

“I miss her.” 

It was so plain that it surprised the both of them. Artless and plain, without any kind of bravado, laid out there on the counter. Takuya walked across the shop into his station, opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of HIbiki. 

“She was a hell of a person,” He put two plastic glasses in front of them, pouring, “I’m better for having known her.” 

“I’ll drink to that.” 

M.A. did not stop feeling guilty that day, or for a long time, for life does not work that way, and rarely affords us an instant release from that which binds us. But on that day, in a closed shop in a fancy district, she drank good whiskey from a poor cup, and cried, and took the first step toward the sun.

[dumbkiri]

Fate Changes

Parts: [ Here, 2, 3, 4, 5 ]

Summary: [Name] along with the rest of the Batfamily is stuck in Gotham fighting bad guys. She gets pulled along when the Arkham Knight and his military guys barge into her home uninvited. 

Pairing: Jason Todd x Female! Reader

Genre: Slight Angst

Word Count: 3.3k// 8 pages 

Warnings: Attempted suicide, guns, curse words, death

“Fly me to the moon…” 

It was that song again. That dreaded song. 

“Let me play among the stars…”

Oh, how she hated the song. It reminded her too much of him. 

“Let me see that Spring is like on…”

She remembers being in his arms. The smiles on their faces bringing happiness to one another.

“A-Jupiter and Mars…” 

She felt his lips on her forehead and heard a chuckle leave them. 

“In other words, hold my hand,”

They were dancing along the beat of the song. His hands leading her and his blue eyes lingering on her form. 

“In other words, baby, kiss me…”

Then he brought his hands up to her face. He let his fingers trace along her skin. 

“Fill my heart with song and let me sing for ever more…"

Slowly, he came closer to her face. She could feel his breath against her face.

“You are all I long for...”

 It smelled of chocolate and mint.

“All I worship and adore…”

She held her hands close to her chest, anticipating his next move. 

“In other words, please be true…”

 “How long?” He asked her. She gave him a puzzled look, “How long for what?” 

“In other words, I love-”

Her hands trembled and the song completely stopped. The record no longer moving. “How long did it take for you to replace me?” His question stung and she didn't know what he was saying. He waited for her to answer and she could tell he was getting impatient. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How was she supposed to answer him. 

He backed away from her and the room around them grew cold. His body was hiding something behind him. She could see the pool of blood around his feet. She closed her eyes wanting to wake up from this nightmare. When she opened them up again, he was no longer in casual clothing. He was wearing his costume. The costume he wore proudly. The costume he died in.

“How long did it take for you to find me!” He yelled at her. His voice made her flinch and she kept her hands close to her chest. Her lips trembled, “I never replaced you.” Then she heard beeping. It was like a countdown. “I waited for you to save me from The Joker. But you did nothing!”

He walked into the shadows and revealed what was behind him. It was himself, tied up to a chair. His breathing was labored and his costume had dried blood on it. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her and Joker appeared with his sickly grin. 

“Fill my heart with song…”

The record was playing again and her heart raced. 

“Let me sing for ever more…”

The green haired male walked with a hop in his step. 

“You are all I long for, all I worship and adore…”

Her right leg took a step forward. 

“In other words, please be true…”

Joker raised his right arm high in the air. 

“In other words…”

She had to stop him from killing the person she held dearly. 

“In other words…”

She ran in front of Joker, his gun pointing at her chest. Where her heart resided. 

“I love you…” 

Joker pulled the trigger and on instinct, her eyes shut tightly. She heard a thud behind her, the sound of a body dropping to the floor. Quickly, she looked down at her chest and saw that the bullet didn’t go through her. She turned her body around and saw Jason laying on his back with his eyes shut like hers earlier. Tears fell down her cheeks and she choked up. 

“It felt like years with him,” Jason’s voice echoed around in the dark room. The only light source was focused on his dead body. She fell to her knees, too weak to bring herself closer to him. “But I still waited for you.”

She nodded her head, “I know. But Bruce held me back, he said that my emotions would cloud my judgement. So that’s why Tim-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, [Name]!” Jason yelled, “I want to know why you replaced me so easily. I thought you loved me?” 

Her hands balled up into fists and she hit her thighs with them, “I still love you!” Her declaration rang in the room and her sobs followed after. 

……

[Name]’s body shot up from her bed and her hair stuck to her forehead. Her revealed skin covered in a light coat of sweat. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. Once every week, that song would play in her dreams and slowly turn it into a nightmare. A nightmare that reminded her of how her boyfriend died and by who. She heard her alarm go off, now she knows why she heard a beeping in her nightmare. 

She threw her blanket off her body, welcoming the cold air. She then reached for her phone turning the alarm off with a sigh. She rubbed her tired eyes and got off her bed to start her morning routine. After taking a well needed shower, she got dressed and walked into her living room where Tim Drake sat on her couch typing away on her laptop. “Good morning, Tim,” She lazily greeted the teen and began making themselves coffee. 

Tim nodded his head, “It's still night.” He paused his typing and stared at the female in the kitchen. She wore a regular white shirt and a pair of shorts. Her legs were lightly covered in scars which she received from patrols. Her feet covered with red socks. He resumed his typing when [Name] glanced up from her cup of coffee. She knew something was on his mind.

“Alright, Drake.” She swished the coffee in her cup, “spill it.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I heard you talking in your sleep,” His eyes looked for a reaction. She stopped messing with her drink and set the cup down on the counter. She didn’t know she was capable of talking in her sleep. “You mentioned a Jason a couple of times. Who is he?” 

[Name] gulped and wondered if she should tell him. Bruce had told her to keep Jason a secret, but sooner or later, Tim was going to find out. “An old boyfriend,” She concluded and took another daring sip from her coffee. Tim squinted his eyes, “He seems important to be an old boyfriend.” 

“Sometimes, old lovers become a part of you that you can’t forget. Sometimes, there are regrets.” [Name] walked over to him and gave him a cup of coffee. Then she sat next to him and placed her feet on the stand in front of her. 

“You regret loving him?” Tim asked shifting in his spot to make room for her. He was glad that she made him a cup, she was finally getting used to his company. 

[Name] denied him, “God, no. Jason was very sweet. Annoying, yes. But he knew how to love even if our relationship was young love. Alfred would always say that-”

“Alfred knew him?” Tim cut her off with his question and [Name] knew she screwed up by letting the young Robin know that Alfred knew Jason. How can she fix this stupid problem. “Yeah, Alfred knew Jason very well," She said remembering. 

"Ah, Master Todd, how is the book?" Alfred questioned looking over the black haired male's shoulder. 

Jason smiled and waved the book in the air, "Shakespeare never gets old. He has his ways of defining love." He pondered about his feelings with [Name], the new Batgirl. 

Alfred nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Well, yes. Shakespeare has no problem making a couple star-crossed. It's a tragedy unlike most others." 

Jason was going to respond to Alfred until [Name] declared from on top of the stairs, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" She had a playful side which Jason was grateful for. Bruce was moodier than usual and she seemed to lighten up even his darkest days. She wore her costume, but didn’t have her mask on. Was it already patrol time?  Alfred backed away from the couch Jason was casually reading on and greeted [Name], “Miss [L.Name], is it time to patrol the city already?” 

[Name] happily replied, “Of course and guess what? Batman is allowing me to patrol a section by myself!” She ran down the stairs and jumped over the last few. Her cape flew up before resting on her back. “I guess I proved myself to him during training. Who would have known I was capable of putting Jason in a lock.” 

Jason scoffed, “I let you win that match. It won’t happen again, babe.” [Name] blushed profusely at the name he called her and swiftly chucked a pillow at his face to which he nearly dodged. She put her mask on and let her hands rest on her hips, “Well, Jaybird, have fun cleaning the Batmobile.”

“[Name],” Tim called out waving his hand in front of her face, “hey, [Name].” She was brought back to the present and chuckled. It was embarrassing that she left herself vulnerable. Bruce would always reprimand her for daydreaming. “Are you okay?” Tim asked setting her laptop on the table in front of them. He rested his hand on her shoulder and concern was etched onto his face. 

“I’m okay, Tim,” She reassured him and looked at her laptop, “I see that you’re sending coded messages to Barbara, huh? Anything cool happen yet?” He removed his hand off her shoulder and typed away on the laptop. Batman had removed him from the scene and had him focus on the cure for the impostors. 

"She hasn't messaged me in an hour. I'm getting kind of worried," Tim stated truthfully, his eyes trained on the computer. [Name] quirked an eyebrow. Barbara was always quick with her responses. "Batman probably has her doing some important things right now and you need to find a cure, remember? Tonight is going to be a long night." 

Suddenly, an alarm buzzed through her house. It was a trigger alarm meaning that someone had entered her house without permission. Tim stood up from the couch ready to fight the intruders while [Name] didn't have time to change into her costume. "Shit," she cursed and grabbed her laptop shoving it into Tim's chest, "take this and go."  

Tim shook his head, "You're not even dressed and I'm not leaving you alone to fight them by yourself. There's probably-" 

"I'm not arguing with you right now," [Name] glared at him and pushed him toward the window. She gave him one last look, one that was filled with determination, "Find the cure." The front door was blasted off its hinges giving Tim the opportunity to climb out of the window with a heavy heart. He didn't want to leave [Name] behind, but she was right. He needed to find the cure. 

[Name] closed the window after him and ran up the stairs to enter her bedroom. She ran down the hallway and quietly shut the door behind her. She heard orders being yelled down stairs and she had to hurry. Quickly, she walked over to her closet and moved the clothes on hangers to the side. Behind them was a secret door. She placed her hand in the center and the scanner beeps before the door hissed signaling that she opened it. 

Lo and behold, her Batgirl suit waited for her to be put on. Without wasting any more time, she slipped into the costume and fixed her hair. Then she placed her mask on. At this point, it didn't matter if she put it on. They knew where she lived, they know who she is. But for the sake of feeling safe, she put it on. The secret door closed and she walked into the closet sliding the wooden doors closed. 

She heard a pair of footsteps walk into her room and heard the creaking underneath the person's feet. She had the advantage of knowing where they were. The man slowly walked over to the closet and he opened it with one hand on the door and the other on his gun. [Name] jumped on him before he could yell and hurry to subdue him. The man closed his eyes and fell to the floor gradually with [Name] holding him up. She laid him on the floor and sighed, "I need to find a new place now." 

She peeked out of her bedroom and looked down the hallway. So far, she saw no one. [Name] walked out of her bedroom and down the hallway listening out for any other thugs. She saw something out of the corner of her eyes, to her right and when she faced that way, a big man lifted his foot and planted the bottom of his shoe onto her chest. He kicked her with so much force that her back broke the wooden railing behind her and she fell backwards. She fell for at least five seconds before her back fell onto the floor with broken pieces of wood making the fall hurt more. 

"Found Batgirl! She's down here!" The big man yelled to his fellow comrades. He wore black and red and the uniform gave it all away. He was a part of the militia that the Arkham Knight brought into Gotham. She coughed and coughed, wanting to breathe the air that was knocked out of her lungs. She rolled onto her side and used her right arm to push her off the floor. She heard more than ten men run at her with their guns pointing down at her. 

"Move and we will shoot you!" One man yelled and [Name] froze in her spot. She hadn't fought in weeks and now here she was. Sitting on the floor with guns trained on her from all sides. Maybe she should have let Tim stay by her side. Or maybe she wanted to get caught. 

The big man jumped down from where he kicked her and landed right in front of her. "The boss said to bring her in alive, but he didn't say we couldn't break anything." [Name] looked up from her fetal position and glared at the man. If he dared to lay a finger on her, she wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass. He raised his foot and went to slam it on her left leg, but she quickly moved it to the side. He nearly missed her and he scowled. 

She was ruining his fun. But he was ruining her night. "You come into my house and you expect me to suddenly surrender," She jumped to her feet, "you should have brought more men." [Name] jumped on the guy and put him into a choke hold with her legs then she used the jump as an advantage to bring him down. The force of her toppling and slamming him against the floor made another guy watching pull the trigger on her. 

A bullet lodged itself into her shoulder barely missing her heart and the big man yelled at the noob, "You idiot, don't kill her!" [Name] would have laughed because the big man was on the floor with his head stuck between her thighs. She had the power to snap his neck. "Move and I'll kill your lieutenant," She groaned out and felt blood leave her bullet wound. The men didn't move and [Name] hurriedly knocked the big man out and went onto another guy.

She took his gun away from him and slammed the butt of it onto his face rendering him immobile as his head snapped to the left. His body dropped onto the floor and she dodged an oncoming hit from behind her. Still holding the gun, she swung the weapon like a baseball bat and it broke on impact. The guy groaned out and in a daze, stumbled backwards. Before she could land a couple hits, someone had shot her in the leg. 

[Name] cried out and threw a batarang at the happy trigger guy. It successfully knocked him out and she evaded a guy whose intentions were to tackle her onto the floor. When she landed on her right leg, it sent a wave of pain throughout her body. And it wasn't like her shoulder wasn't in pain either. She turned around and threw a punch at the guy behind her, but her fist was caught in one swoop. 

Her eyes widened at who was standing in front of her. It was the one and only Arkham Knight. He chuckled, but it sounded darker due to the voice modifier he wore to mask his voice. "You have grown so much," He commented and let go of her hand. [Name] limped away from him, but kept her eyes trained on his form. How did he know her? She racked her brain for some answers, yet she couldn't find anything. 

The Arkham Knight took a step forward each time she took one backwards. He was taunting her. Her back hit the book shelf behind her and she looked to her left. Romeo and Juliet in big gold letters caught her attention and she took the book out. The Arkham Knight stopped in his tracks and looked at her. Her hands shook while holding the book, she hasn't held the book in what felt like forever and in her mind it weighed a lot in her hands. 

"O Romeo, Romeo," She rasped out and opened the book, "wherefore art thou Romeo?" [Name] slid down to the floor and examined the pages her boyfriend left on. His bookmark was a photo of the two of them on Christmas. She gulped and let her bloody fingers hold the photo. The bullet wounds didn't ache as much and she knew she was slipping away. She let a few tears escape and she wiped them away. Jason wouldn't want her to succumb to an enemy, but she didn't want to live. 

Maybe the Arkham Knight was giving her a chance to finally be with Jason. She looked up from the photo and to the man in a very advanced suit. He was staring down at her with his men standing behind him, their guns aimed at the floor. She put the photo back in the book and closed it. Then she set it next to her without giving it a glance. [Name] coughed into her hands and blood specked her [s.color] hands. 

"I suppose that you're here to give me away to Scarecrow. Make me have a taste of his fear toxin and let Batman watch as another one of his sidekicks die in front of him, huh?" She questioned and let her right hand reach behind her. [Name] had guns hidden around in her house and death was better than being one of Scarecrow's baits. The Arkham Knight didn't respond instead his eyes were set on the book. 

[Name] felt the cold weapon and almost flinched from the temperature. "You a fan of Shakespeare or something?" She asked to keep him distracted. Again, he didn't respond. This was her chance to pull the trigger on herself. "O happy dagger," [Name] revealed the gun and cocked it, pointing the barrel at her head with her eyes closed. She was accepting death. "This is thy sheath." 

She pulled the trigger without hesitation and the ringing in her ear was loud. [Name] opened her eyes and saw the white symbol in front of her. She looked up at his blue mask and no words were exchanged for what felt like minutes. She didn't understand why she wasn't dead. She looked to her right and saw that the Arkham Knight had placed his hand over the gun. His suit allowed him to deflect bullets. He ruined her plans of reuniting with her love. 

"I fear too early, for my mind misgives," The Arkham Knight started, removing the gun away from her weak grip. "Some consequences, yet hanging in the stars-" 

"Why?" [Name] asked with tears blurring her vision. "Why couldn't you let me die!" 

"Shall bitterly begin," The Arkham Knight finished knocking out the girl successfully with a syringe in her neck. 

[tsarisfanfiction]

Tremor IV

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen (may wibble upwards into AO3′s Mature later) Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst Characters: John Tracy, EOS, Lady Penelope, Gordon Tracy

Part 4 of my contribution to Hear from @gumnut-logic‘s SensorySunday challenge. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Last chapter got more of a reception than I expected.  Maybe I should torture Scott more often.  What do you think?

How hard was it to find a single, oversized, ugly ship?  John glared at the string of data he’d obtained from the GDF – less than legally, and without their knowledge, but desperate times called for desperate measures – and resisted the urge to pull his hair out.

Three days.  That was how long he’d been tearing apart every scrap of data he could get his hands on, determined to find the Hood’s ghastly ship – and more importantly, his big brother.  That was also how long it had been since he’d last slept, a fact EOS was bringing up more and more.  She’d threatened to tell Virgil and Grandma that he wasn’t looking after himself; he’d threatened to delete her and lock Thunderbird Five down so no-one could get in.

It was harsh, cruel, even, and the AI had promptly retreated, refusing to talk to him until he apologised.  John was the one in the wrong and he knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologise, not yet.  If he did, she’d take that as permission to invite Virgil up and force him to take a break.

He didn’t dare take a break. The last time he’d stopped monitoring communications, Scott had been kidnapped.  Part of him blamed EOS for that, too.  How had neither of them noticed anything at all?  It had been quick, but not that quick.

In the corner, a display repeated the feed from Thunderbird One over and over again, on an eternal loop. The woman clung to Scott, the man approached from behind, and a too-brief tussle had his big brother unconscious in seconds.  They vanished behind the rock, and all was still for several minutes before the huge, ugly offense to engineering rose into the air and flew out of shot.

And then it was gone.

How did that monster of a thing hide itself so completely?  The GDF were useless; he’d informed Colonel Casey of the abduction, but while the woman herself was utterly horrified and determined to do anything within her power to assist them, she was finding herself blocked at every turn by someone else.  What little data she’d managed to provide had been stripped of anything remotely useful, and John had given up on that avenue of approach.

It felt uncomfortably like Dad all over again.  No body, searches turning up useless, the same man responsible.  The only comfort he had was that this time there was no evidence to suggest Scott was dead.

What the Hood wanted with him was another matter entirely, and John scowled furiously at his useless, useless data.  It was all very well and good having the most powerful computers in the world, the state of the art Thunderbird Five advanced well beyond any other space station or communication hub made by man, but why, when it came to family, was it never enough?

First Dad, then Scott. Who next?  Keep going down the line – him – or skip the isolation of space and target Virgil?  Gordon? Alan?

International Rescue was grounded.  That, at least, Colonel Casey had managed to do something about.  All emergency calls were being diverted to Global One.  Until they found Scott, there was a family-wide agreement.  Family first.

“Hello, John.”

He startled, unprepared for the call.  If he’d been in gravity, he’d have tripped and fallen over his own feet for sure. As it was he merely jumped out of his skin before reluctantly rolling to face his friend.

“Anything?” he asked, too tired, too wound up to do anything except jump straight to the heart of the matter.

Lady Penelope looked concerned, but shook her head.

“I’m afraid not,” she apologised.  “None of my contacts have seen or heard anything, and Parker’s underground connections are turning up similarly empty.  It’s as though they’ve vanished into thin air.”  Blue eyes focused on him and narrowed.  “John, when did you last sleep?”

He laughed, a sickly, hollow shadow of bitter mirth.

“I’ll sleep when Scott’s home safe and sound,” he told her.  “Let me know if you hear anything.”

“John-”  He swiped her away, ending the call.  If it wasn’t information on Scott or the Hood, he didn’t need it.  Not right now.

Besides, three days was nothing.  It had been seven before Scott damn near rammed in his airlock after the Zero-X to shove food down his throat and tie him to his bed with promises to monitor everything until he’d rested.

Scott wouldn’t do that this time, as much as John would love to see his big brother forcing his way through the airlock safe and sound.  He’d give him one great big hug and never, ever, let him go.  But life didn’t work like that.  Scott wouldn’t miraculously be here, in space.  No, he was somewhere on that green and blue marble below him, and John would find him.

Like you found Dad? a little voice in the back of his head mocked.  He ignored it.

Thunderbird Two was at the mine again, Virgil determined to search the place inch by inch in case he’d been left there after all.

“We never saw them board the ship,” he’d argued, and John hadn’t stopped him, knowing that Virgil needed to be doing something, anything, that could be helpful.  He’d been the one to leave Scott alone without backup, and no-one was more aware of that fact than Virgil himself.

“New rule,” Gordon had said. “No-one gets left behind.”  He’d all but thrown Alan on the green Thunderbird to keep Virgil company, their youngest brother unnervingly quiet.  The aquanaut himself had thrown himself into a world of contacts John had never realised he had.  It turned out that it took more than a hydrofoil crash to cut ties with WASP, ties Gordon was now yanking on with everything he had with the same fervour Kayo was hunting down Kyrano and his old contacts, and even Grandma had some surprises up her sleeve.

So far, none of them had turned anything up at all.  Not a single hair had been found, and as each day passed, the pressure mounted higher and higher.  The Hood hadn’t even got in contact to gloat, and that worried John.  No contact, no ransom, no demands at all.

What was the criminal after?

He turned his attention to the useless string of GDF data again.  Maybe if he ran it through a different system, used a different angle… maybe something would come up.  Something, anything.

The fact that in the past eight years they’d never managed to find anything on the ship preyed on his mind.  If eight years had turned up nothing, why would three days make any difference? Nothing had changed.  Scott hadn’t managed to keep a single tracker with him, they had nothing new to go on.

 They didn’t even know if Scott was still alive.  Forty two percent of kidnappings resulted in the victim’s death.  It was a statistic he wished he didn’t know.

“John.”

A security camera faced him, lights white.  They’d been red last time he’d seen them, EOS furious at his threats.

“Not right now, EOS,” he snapped.  He didn’t have time for apologies, no time for rest, explanations or anything that wasn’t finding Scott.

“I believe I have a probable location for the Hood’s ship,” she told him, undeterred.

It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“You what?  Where?”

The string of data in front of him disappeared to be replaced with a satellite feed of an ice sheet.

“I ran through all the satellite imagery recorded across the globe since the incident,” she informed him. “Using those, I tracked the ship to the southern tip of Africa, where it submerged.  Enhancement of the images showed a large mass of the correct dimensions travelling through the water until it reached the southern extent of the Arctic Circle and travelled beneath the ice shelf.  No satellite has since picked up anything that could be the Hood’s ship.”

John gaped at her.

“It’s also a submarine?” he realised, voice strangled in his throat.  No wonder they’d never found it.  “The Hood’s been hiding underwater?”

“That would appear to be the case,” EOS informed him.  “Would you like me to ask Gordon to investigate?”

John didn’t answer, pulling up the aquanaut’s comm himself.

“John?”  Gordon didn’t look like he’d had any more sleep than John himself.

“Gordon, the bastard’s underwater,” John bit out, language be damned.  Gordon had heard worse.  “Arctic Circle, sending last known co-ordinates now.  How many contacts can you get scoping out the area?”

“Enough,” his longer brother said, amber eyes sharp.  “How did you find it?”

“I didn’t,” John admitted, glancing up at the camera.  “EOS did.” Gordon nodded, accepting it instantly.

“Tell the others we’ve got a lead,” he said, something in his voice John had rarely heard from him – an expectation that he would be obeyed.  Gordon had been one of the youngest WASP officers in history.  “I’ve got calls to make.”

It was Gordon that swiped him away, ending the call, and John stared at the icon for a moment, letting himself breathe.  They’d done it.  Eight years, and they’d managed to track the Hood.

Something had changed.  They had EOS now.  Hacking every single satellite that orbited Earth and delving through all of their memory banks was a feat not even John could manage by himself, but EOS had done it, and in only three days.

He had to make calls of his own, reassure the rest of his family, get Kayo on the right track, but first there was something else.

“EOS?”

“Yes, John?”

“I’m sorry.  Thank you.”

Lights flashed green.

“I forgive you.  And you are welcome.”

Part V

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Chapter 43

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3

Chapter 37 / Chapter 38 / Chapter 39 / Chapter 40 / Chapter 41 / Chapter 42

Read on Ao3

If her leg hadn’t have been killing her, she would have probably been standing and pacing the arc of the circular lounge. Her leg was aching though and Lucy wasn’t sure she was capable of holding herself up. 

 Not when Eos had said she was on to something. 

 Not when that something was a signal from deep space. 

 Not when deep space was where they thought Jeff was. 

 “Here.” Val murmured as she sat down next to her, “Drink.”

 Part of her wished the water was alcohol. Part of her knew that it was one too many chick flicks that made her wish for the cliche. 

 Her mind was spinning with possibilities though, even if she didn’t dare to think his name for fear of temping some sort of fate. 

 “I’m not sure I can stomach it,” She whispered, glancing over to Gordon as he returned from possibly the quickest shower she had ever seen. 

 “Anything?” He asked, russett eyes not leaving the scrolling jumble of data highlighting the room. 

 “Not yet,” John murmured from his seat, hand gripping tight on to Ridley’s, their argument about the AI apparently forgotten for the moment. 

 Taking a breath, Lucy looked back to the hologram, suddenly wondering how on earth she was to thank an AI for helping them as Eos was. Not that she had actually done anything yet, but Lucy could see that she was trying, and she knew that had to count for something. 

 Maybe she really was changed, even if it had only been a matter of days. People were capable of change, she only had to look at herself to know that was true. Computer programs updated and refreshed constantly. Could the same not be true of an AI?

 “Scott said you’d found something!” Alan exclaimed as he came screeching to a halt at the edge of the lounge, “What? What is it?”

 She held her arm out to him, hoping he would accept the request and take a seat under her arm. 

 “We don’t know yet.” John told him with a sigh, “Eos detected a signal from the same source as before, she’s trying to decode it now.”

 Scott was still frowning as he took a seat on John’s empty side, “She couldn’t decode the last one, how can she decode this one if it’s from the same place?”

 “It’s less d-degraded.” Hiram informed them, “R-readings from Thunderbird Five s-suggest that the rem-menants from a solar flare may have b-been enough to disrupt the first signal. It m-may also be why th-this signal is so p-poor.”

 “If we waited a month we’d probably get a near perfect signal through.” John added.

 Lucy couldn’t help but scoff, “I’m not waiting a damn month.”

 Scott nodded in agreement, “How long will we have to wait?”

 Virgil was quiet as he cleared his throat, “We shouldn’t get our hopes up.”

 Alan tensed under her arm, straightening towards his older brother with a sudden glare. 

 “What else can it be?” He snapped, “There’s nothing else possibly in deep space!”

 Squeezing his shoulder, she shook her head, “We don’t know that Allie,” She swallowed, not liking to think of the possibility, “Nobody has ever been out there. Maybe the Calypso is on its way back, but we have no idea what they might have found out there. For all we know it could be a fault in their comms.”

 “It can’t be!” Alan exclaimed, “It has to be something!”

 Scott was watching his youngest brother, leant forward with his elbows on his knees and hands braced behind his neck, clearly also afraid of what they might not find.

 “It could be anything,” Val murmured from beside Lucy, “For all we know it could be Gaat.”

 Lucy froze at the comment, eyes widening in realisation and thought. 

 “Mom?” Virgil prompted, “What is it?”

 She shook her head, “Your Aunt has a point. Gaat did always have a flare for dramatics, especially when…” She trailed off, knowing that the boys knew everything now but telling them still not coming naturally. 

 “When you dated?” Scott grimaced, “No offence Mom, but he has tried to kill you since then.”

 Gordon snorted as he leant back in his seat, “Every bad guy has a theme though Scott, geeze did you never watch the movies?”

 Val squeezed her shoulder, offering a tight, sympathetic smile as she shook her head. Lucy leant into her, resting her head against Val’s shoulder as she sighed. Her mind was spinning, full of so many questions of what and how and why. It probably didn’t help that anything even slightly strenuous still took energy from her like water from a leaky bucket. 

 She knew that not even Sally - sat directly across from her- would scold her for pushing too hard though, not when it was a question of--

 I don’t know if anyone may receive this. 

 The shift of the hologram drew all of their attention, dragging Lucy back upright as she read the words. 

 But I’m still out here. The ship launched. I’m in deep space.

 Lucy swallowed, her hand finding Val’s and gripping tight. 

 Tracy Island, I could do with a lift home if you get this.

 “I believe that this is the entire message,” Eos elaborated, “I have cross referenced it with what I could of the previous message and they seem to match.” 

 Silence met her, nobody quite able to talk. Nobody sure of what there was to say. 

 “Thank you.” Lucy whispered, swallowing and looking to the second hologram alongside the first, “Eos, thank you.”

 “He’s alive.” Sally croaked, “My boy’s alive.” 

 Virgil was quick to move to her, wrapping his arm securely around her shoulders and holding onto her tight. As Lucy smiled across to the older woman, she found her own cheeks wet, too many emotions to properly process flooding her at once. 

 “So,” Alan started, hesitant and soft, “what do we do? We’ve gotta do something, right?”

 “And we will Alan,” Scott replied for her, even his voice thick with emotion,  “We’ll figure something out.”

 Pulling the youngest into her side, Lucy took a long breath, “Orbital alignments aren’t going to be right for years yet, plus we have no way of getting out there.”

 She could feel the weight of her words as they settled on the room, everyone's shoulders falling slightly at the thought. They knew he was there, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. 

 “Eos, dear,” Sally murmured, “Do you think it might be at all possible to send a message back?”

 The circle of lights lit up a soft shade of blue, her voice softer as she replied, “Oh yes, it would be quite easy. I believe that the ship Calypso is in close enough proximity to the true origin of the sign to be used as an amplifier.”

 Hiram looked up suddenly, eyes wide as he looked from the hologram to Sally, to Lucy and then back again. 

 “Mrs Tracy, we can use the Calypso.”

 She frowned at him, tilting her head as Sally straightened, beating her to the question, “What?”

 The engineer pushed his glasses up his nose before reaching out to the hologram and bringing up a new image. Lucy remembered it from months ago, weeks before her accident had even happened, the assumed coordinates of exactly where the Zero-X had gone. 

 “This is where we b-believe the Zero-X is. And this,” A pause as a badge was added to the image, “is where we know the Calypso is.”

 Alan pulled away from her, “That’s not where the Calypso is meant to be.”

 The shift of the great ships flight path was subtle, but Alan was space mad, hooked on anything that related to man’s exploration of the great unknown. She should have known that, out of her whole family, he would pick up on the differences. 

 “We might have borrowed it, changed the flight plan,” She shrugged, “Just slightly.”

 Gordon was grinning, “Ooo Mom playing espionage, I like it.”

 “The Calypso is where I traced the signal back to,” Eos informed them, “I would imagine without it we would not have received the message.”

 Hiram waved the AI off with his hand and a shake of his head, “What I am t-trying to say is, if we turn the Calypso back, once we get close enough to Mr Tracy’s location, a landing pod could be used to pick him up before the ship returns to Earth.”

 “How long would it take?” Scott asked, eyes darting from the hologram to Hiram, “To pick him up?”

 His shoulders sunk as he glanced back to Lucy, “The calculations are still in p-progress, most likely m-months.”

 She shook her head at him, “It’s the best we’ve got. I’ll have to ask permission from the Calypso’s owners though.”

 “I’ll arrange a meeting next week,” Scott nodded eagerly, “When we go over for you to start physio.”

 It was hard not to scoff at the thought, physio hardly seemed important in the grand scheme of things. Jeff was out there, he was alive and they had a way of contacting him. 

 He’d murder her if he found out she wasn’t looking after herself. 

 “You’re still going to physio.” Val told her in no uncertain terms, “When he gets back I’m not getting blamed for you not looking after yourself.”

 When, She swallowed at the thought, When he gets back. 

 “Meanwhile,” Scott started as he stood, “I think you and Grandma have a message to send, perhaps from your office?”

 Lucy looked to her mother-in-law, “What do you say Sal?”

 She smiled as she stood, gesturing for Lucy to go first, “I say four years is plenty long enough, let’s not waste another minute.”

[clan-sayeed-fic]

Let me earn your trust (Kamilah Sayeed & MC)

Previous chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Book: Bloodbound (property of Pixelberry Studios) Pairing: Kamilah Sayeed & MC: Amy (I do not own those characters, they're the property of Pixelberry Studios as well) Warnings: strong language, some fluff Rating: Mature Author's note:  I'm not a native English speaker, I'm sorry for any mistakes (feel free to correct me).

~ 2000 words

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Chapter 8

Amy run all the way from the bus to Raines Company. She was ready to run over the whole building, straight to the catacombs. What she didn't prepare herself for, was security.

At the moment, she got inside, she was stopped by the man wearing a black suit, with an earpiece. She didn't remember him. Probably the reason for this was that when they had arrived with Adrian, no one dared to ask.

"I can't let you go any further before confirming your identity Ms." he stood in her way.

"Amy Campbell," she said nervously, not wanting to wait any longer. "Adrian knows that I'm coming."

The security man went to his computer and started typing Amy's identity. His brows furrowed.

"Can I ask for your real name?" he asked suspiciously.

"I have already told you," Amy bit her lower lip, losing confidence.

"Amy Cambell exists for about 4 years from now, and I'm sure that you're not 4 years old," he said, slowly reaching for his phone.

Shit, Amy swallowed hard. How good is their system in here that they knew about this? She was sure that Lily wasn't bad in her job, and she made sure to replace all of Amy's previous personal data with the new one.

Amy smiled sweetly to him, and when he was focused on picking a number, she ran past him as fast as she could.

"Block the elevators, call everyone in the building!" Amy heard screams behind her back, but she was already far ahead, adrenaline coursing in her veins.

She got to the stairs and started climbing, prying that no one would stop her.

Finally, she was on the floor where Adrian had his office. She didn't expect that anyone would stop her here. And again, she was wrong.

"Excuse me," she heard and then, saw a middle-aged woman with blonde, short hair, and scowl on her face. "You can't go in there."

"I have a meeting scheduled with Adrian," Amy said without turning and walked through the doors to the office, and after that, to Adrian's elevator.

"Wait, I'm calling the security," the woman said, high-pitched.

"They already know that I'm here," Amy said with a smile as the elevator moved.

***

Amy stepped out of the elevator, breathing heavily after running through the whole building. First, what she saw, when she entered the catacombs, were Kamilah's and Adrian's faces. Then, she noticed a girl standing with her back to Amy. Characteristic purple-hair stood out in the faint light.

Amy put the backpack on the ground, and her legs began to tremble. Tears started to flow down her cheeks without her permission.

"Lil?" her voice shaky.

The newly turned vampire looked in her way. Her whole appearance was radiating with unknown power.

At incredible speed, Lily was standing in front of Amy. They hugged each other tightly. Amy closed her eyes, still crying but grateful for having her best friend beside her.

"Carefully," Kamilah cautioned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry," Lily let go of Amy's body when she realized how devastated the girl was. "Shh, Ames, it's alright."

Amy was weeping ashamed. She didn't want anyone to see her like that. Especially not clearly confused with the situation vampires. But she gave up, she couldn't keep her emotions in check anymore. Her legs were shaking, making her got down on her knees.

"I thought that I lost you for good," she finally spoke, her eyes red from crying.

"Are you kidding me?" Lily kneeled down beside her. "You will have to do more than that to get rid of me," she laughed at her own joke, but when she saw that Amy was still shaking, she said, "come on, Amy, we don't cry, remember?"

"I know," Amy wiped her face, trying to hold her emotions back. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why should I be," Lily asked, disoriented.

"Because of me you are," she stopped, not knowing how much did they tell her friend.

"A fucking vampire?" Lily smiled widely. "That's awesome!"

Amy couldn't help but laugh with her. That was her best friend. Like nothing had ever happened, her attitude stayed the same.

"You're such an idiot," Amy said teasingly.

"Jerk," Lily repaid with a smile. "Why are you so sweaty?"

Amy reminded herself about what happened earlier and looked in Adrian's eyes.

"I might have caused some trouble before getting here," Adrian raised his eyebrows, not entirely understanding what she had in mind.

He wanted to ask, but then, another person walked in the catacombs.

"Adrian, I tried to stop her, I swear," Nicole, his assistant, said and froze when she saw Amy and Lily on the ground. "What is going on here?"

Nicole stared at Lily deeply. She could easily recognize the newly turned vampire since she had seen a lot of them in catacombs. When she entirely understood what had happened, something cracked inside of her.

"Did you turn her?" she said with blame in her voice.

"Nicole," Adrian scratched his neck, nervously, "thank you for caring, but Amy was welcome to come here."

He didn't answer her question. Mostly because there was no need to, she stated the fact.

"You seriously turned some random person?!" she was shaking with anger.

Amy and Lily stood up from the floor, confused.

"Nicole," Kamilah decided to put an end to this nonsense, "Why don't you go back to your office and give us some time, private."

Her voice was calm, but Nicole knew to well that if she doesn't cooperate, Kamilah won't go easy on her anymore. With that thought, she disappeared in the elevator again, sending one last threatening look towards Amy.

"I told you to stop giving her hope," Kamilah turned to Adrian. "She can become a trouble one day."

"I had never given her hope," he tried to defend himself, unsuccessfully.

Meantime, Lily changed her clothes to the clean ones that Amy brought from their flat. She was grateful for not having to wear a shirt covered in blood anymore.

Amy was impressed by how good Lily handled this new situation. What's more, she didn't feel threatened by her being the vampire after all. For a second, Amy wondered why Lily wasn't hungry, but when she saw an empty blood bag near the wall, her doubts were dispelled.

"What will happen now," Lily asked, she couldn't hide the excitement in her voice, eager for adventure.

"You will go with Adrian to his apartment and live there for a few weeks during which you will learn how to control yourself," Kamilah answered emotionless. "We need to deal with the Council and get the approval for you to join Adrian's Clan."

Both of the vampires shared a meaningful gaze.

"What?" Lily was surprised, "I'm gonna live with a billionaire, and he is going to teach me how to become a badass?!"

"Technically, I'm not a billionaire yet," Adrian smiled to her. "And Kamilah would be the one to teach you most of the time since she has more experience than me on this topic."

"Woah," Lily remembered their first talk, but that didn't decrease her enthusiasm. "So I'm gonna be even bigger badass, cool!"

Amy smiled at her, wondering how she could be so confident around these overwhelming vampires. Amy's smile faded when Kamilah turned to her with the next words.

"And you are going to live at my penthouse," she kept the same tone of her voice. "We have some work to do, don't we?"

Amy quietly nodded. Ready for what's to come.

***

Kamilah showed Amy the guest room in her penthouse, which from now on, belonged to her. The room was nothing compared to Kamilah's spacious bedroom, but still, it was bigger than Amy's at her place. Besides, Amy was not a greedy type of person. She would get what she was given.

The walls were light beige, and the items of furniture the opposite, darker. There was a bed in the corner and the table by the window. The window was placed in the way that if someone opens the door, the sun didn't reach them. Also, the room was filled with high wardrobe, and commode. Light carpet on the dark floor matching the color of the walls.

"This is the only room where you can have opened curtains during the day," Kamilah said, standing outside of the room while Amy stood in its center.

"Got it," Amy looked around herself, "Can I redecorate it?"

"Why would you do such a thing?" Kamilah was surprised at this question, she felt insignificantly offended.

"Because, that's the biggest fun when you're getting a new room," Amy remembered when she had to move out and into different rooms back in the days. "I don't wanna change too much, only make it a little bit mine," Amy assured, with a soft smile.

Kamilah felt calmer. What's more, she was glad that Amy wanted to make herself feel at home.

"Yes, by all means, you can," Kamilah made her way to the living room, followed by Amy.

Should I feel already this freely around her, Amy asked herself in thoughts. It was a whole new situation for her. She should feel intimidated by it and distanced herself. But, what she really felt was the anticipation of what the future held for her.

"I want you to feel here comfortable," Kamilah said, sitting on the armchair tired after the long night and day, she stared deeply into Amy's eyes. "But, I have my rules."

"Okay, I will go to bed before 10 p.m." Amy laughed at her own joke, but Kamilah stayed firm.

The woman tilted her head slightly, a spark in her beautiful, dark eyes.

"You're adorable," Kamilah said with a hardly visible smirk, making Amy blush. "I was about to say..." she traced her fingers on the material of the chair, the movement hypnotizing Amy, "that you are not allowed to enter my bedroom and office." Kamilah stopped playing with the chair, lifting her gaze and waiting for Amy to do the same before continuing her thoughts. "Especially, the office, I value my work. And I do work a lot."

"Okay," Amy understood, "I won't bother you when you are working."

"Good," girl, Kamilah added in her thoughts, catching herself how often she wanted to call Amy this way.

Amy picked up her bag and was about to go to her room when Kamilah's voice made her turn around.

"I can send someone to your apartment for the rest of your things," she said after noticing how small was the bag in Amy's hand.

Amy wondered why she would do that, and then it hit her. Kamilah had so many things in here. Luxury things. It must have been weird to see someone like Amy, having only the content of the one bag.

"There is no need to do that," she ensured. "By the way, I left nothing there, so that's everything I have."

Kamilah raised her eyebrows in a huge surprise. She could not understand how Amy lived so far with this small amount of her own stuff.

"Then I will send someone to buy you new things and clothes," it was so easy for her to say something like that.

"I don't..." Amy sighed, "Kamilah, don't get me wrong," when she said her name, something cracked inside of the woman. "I like it the way it is. I'm used to owning so little things," Amy was about to share her rule this time. "I figured out that the more you have, the more it will hurt to lose it one day." She forced a smile, adding, "besides, I moved a lot recently, so it's easier this way."

Amy turned around and disappeared inside her room.

Kamilah was left with her thoughts.

She couldn't understand why, but she started to care about this human. And caring was certainly not Kamilah's thing for a very long time. This basically new feeling made her feel concerned.

Kamilah had a similar rule to Amy's.

She found out that the fewer people she cared about, the less painful her existence was.

Next chapter: 9 ---------------------- 

tag list: @onyxgaytrash, @lightning-fury, @scarlet-letter-a0114

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

~SPOILER ALERT~

I'm grateful for yesterday's chapter of Bloodbound, and especially Kamilah's scene. I mean, I was skeptical about how they would write Kamilah's "I love you" cause, let's admit it, Kamilah is complicated as hell. And it would seem off for her character to just tell this without context. That's why I'm happy that they wrote such a beautiful dialogue between her and MC before it happened.  

[dazaily]

karasuno first years using pick-up lines on their s/o

soo.. i’ve been wanting to write a karasuno head canon for ages, and i gonna write a hc which turned into a short fic that i’ll probably never finish... so this is the replacement. enjoy!!

description: so the the karasuno boiz were playing truth and dare in their changing room. and tanaka and nishinoya had dared your bf to use a pick-up line on you. 

warnings: implied nsfw. gender neutral reader. fluffy but sprinkled with swears. i was stressed writing this. long af. not proofread. 

. ⋆ 　 *  . 　· 　  ✫  　  ⋆

hinata shoyo

i’m sorry but, did u rlly expect our lil cinnamoroll to know what’s a pick up line?

he babie 🥺❤️

n e ways, it was finally his turn on their little game of truth and dare and nishinoya had dared him to use a pick up line on you.

“a pickup line??? what’s that? will it improve my volleyball skills??”

like i said a bABIE!!

nishinoya and tanaka needs to stop tainting my bbys mind.

“udk whats a pickup line??? how did u even end up with y/n.”

nishinoya is in shock.

and then the plan commenced.

their lil game of truth and dare ended up as a lil plan on getting u hinata to use a pick up line on you.

that night, u were walking home w hinata after club activities ended.

with noya, tanaka and kageyama trailing you, but we pretend they don’t exist.

“soo,, y/n”

“sup? y u acting all weird for? ur usually rambling abt volleyball by now.. u okay?”

“hoW DO THEY KNOW?? WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOW?? THEY TOLD ME TO SOUND NATURAL BUT THEY ALR KNOWS!! uGh my senpais are watching me, i gotta do them proUD!”

hinatas mind ran at 1,000km/h, it was insane. especially for someone who doesn’t usually use their brain.

“um, uM, Y/N! CAN U HELP ME HOLD SOMETHING?!?”

confusion.

that was the only thing u felt at the moment.

i mean u were alr infront of ur house, what’s the point of holding smt when u were leaving??

“whut”

conveniently, during ur moment of confusion, the only word u could form was “what”.

“m-m-mm-mY HAND!!”

hinata screeched at ur face

...

silence. whilst noya and tanaka facepalms in the bg

it took a moment, but ur brain finally computes what ur bf just said

“pFFFFFTT,”

ur first instinct was to release the phatest snort/wheeze. shane dawson is jealous. 

“y/nnnnnn~~ stop laughinggggggg”

hinata was now suffering from crippling embarrassment, as u wouldn't stop laughing no matter how much he pleaded.

omg imagine him all blushy and shiz akdkkoaw-- ok lets not get off topic

“ok,, okay, first of all, u could've just held my hand without asking? we’re dating? you don't need my permission to do smth we do everyday?? and, more importantly, who taught u that line u just used???”

u said half wheezing, half talking, struggling to convey wtv ur trying to say to ur bf.

lucky for u, he was strangely able to understand what u were saying, and he replies with a lengthy explanation of the entire situation. 

“ooo, so that's why noya, tanaka and kageyama have been following us,,”

“hOWD U KNOW??? NOYA-SAN OUR HIDING SPOT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED!!!”

as u left to go in ur house, he stops u by holding ur hand and gives u a peck on ur forehead. 

as he separates from u, he had the biggest smile plastered on his face, brightening the entire neighbourhood.

“goodnight y/n! i love you!”

kageyama tobio

erm, lbr this man would have 0 ideas in the field of flirting.

knowing this, our lovely 2nd year duo, decide its time for them to step in and help their junior in his dating life

despite it flowing extremely smoothly w/out their intervention

n e ways, so they forced the 1st years to play truth and dare w them.

when it finally came to tobio’s turn, the unfortunate child unknowingly picks dare which causes nishinoya to spring up.

“i have the perfect dare for you.”

commencing plan...

so nishinoya dares kageyama to say a pickup line to you, but since kageyamas a big baby in disguise, he dk any pickup lines.

bet he didn't even know any pickup lines, but that's not the point. 

so, being the mastermind he is, nishinoya told kageyama a perverted pickup line.

being the clueless innocent baby he is, kageyama decides to recite the pickup line he received from noya to u outside ur class.

“hey y/n,”

“hmm?”

“do you like dragons?”

“eh? why the sudden question? i guess so?”

“cuz i can see me dragon my balls on ur face.”

processing...

.

what the fuck.

it was like god hit the pause button on earth, like literally everyone just paused for a literal second, turning their head towards kageyama, trying to figure out who tf was the brave soul who said that. 

while still in shock, kageyama just stood there confused, as he was suddenly placed in the centre of attention for no reason. o there's a reason honey, a very good one.

“why's everyone looking at me,”

with that one sentence, the world went back to normal as if someone had hit the play button all of the sudden, leaving u to deal with the weirdly awkward situation u found urself in. 

“ummm... tobio.. do u have any idea what u just said.”

“uhh yeah, a pickup line.” 

at that moment, when he said that, it hit u.

“what did they do.”

“huh, what are u talking about??”

*insert confused kags*

“nishinoya and tanaka told u to do something right?”

“r u a psychic???”

despite being amazed at ur ‘psychic powers’, he immediately explains the situation, causing u to face palm so much ur face may be concave.

there are times where u appreciate ur dumbass bf being a ignorant qt, but times like this makes u wish he was a tad bit smarter.. 

debating ur options, u decided to explain the meaning of the pickup line he just used on u in public.

once hearing and understanding the meaning of the pickup line he used on u, his face lit up like a matchstick, shining bright red, stuttering madly, struggling to get even a word out.

“oh, um, well, im sorry for saying smtg so indecent to u in public, um ill make it up to u somehow,”

understanding him was a struggle due to the severe stuttering he was suffering from, but u managed somehow.

“nahhh, its cool, i should go lecture nishinoya for corrupting my precious baby though~~”

“b-b-b-bABY!?!?”

“hehe, yes ur my baby <3″

tsukishima kei

ugh this salty ass mfcker

honestly can't imagine him being forced into using a pickup line on his s/o

cuz, despite hw much we try to deny it, he is one smart mfcker,,,

but i think he would be curious how his s/o will react, so he would do it on his own will anyways.

umm, so this is how the situation went down.

it was another boring day, and the 2nd year duo was having none of that and decided too ensue a game of truth and dare with the 1st years.

this was how the c h a o s started.

he was trying to leave the game discreetly before he had to sell his soul to the devil. 

unfortunately for him, lady luck was not on his side, as he was chosen to do the next dare. 

“but wait a fucking minute, when the fuck did this become a game of dare or dare, when tf did freedom of choice decide to fuck off like that?”

plot convenience

so he was forced into a dare. 

the moment of dread came when tanaka stood up shouting he had a brilliant idea. and it all went downhill from there.

so tanaka dared tsukki to use a pickup line on his s/o. and his first reaction was no. 

“o come on, u never do anything romantic, i bet u haven't even held hands, sometimes i wonder how y/n’s still with u.”

“says the person who has never dated.”

tanaka shut ups. 

so somehow, he managed to get himself out of the situation. 

later that night, he couldn't stop thinking about pickup lines. he almost spent the whole night thinking about ur reaction. cuz volleyball is just a club, am i right..

he decided to use a pickup line on u tmrw, just to see ur reaction, not like he wants to use one, lmao that's lame, haha. a fucking tsundere.

the next day, during lunch, he left yams with the 1st year duo to go find u.

when he saw u, he immediately calls u. 

“hey, where's yams, u didn't tell me u wanted to eat with me today,”

“nah, i just had something to tell u.”

at this moment, tsukishimas heart was beating faster than ushijimas spikes.

“you know if u think about it we never stop tasting our tongues.”

“hmm, now that u said it ye--”

“how bout i taste urs for a change.”

since it was so unexpected, u had no idea how to react. 

as u returned to reality, u notice a slight pink on his cheeks.

u were gonna come back with a snarky comment, since it was rare he was so vulnerable(?) 

but ur plans were ruined when he glanced at u making eye contact, to check ur reaction. 

ur face bursts into the brightest red, hes ever seen. 

seeing ur extremely delayed reaction, he lets out a laugh, but immediately recollects himself. 

“it was a dare from tanaka.”

you were still bright red, but u felt the blush on ur face reducing after hearing the reasoning behind the line. 

“oh, haha, i was wondering what's up”

u said slightly dejectedly. 

he felt like he was just punched in the gut by guilt. 

“i was also curious about ur reaction, and i am satisfied to say the least.”

he leans down to ur height to whisper in ur ear, before initiating the kiss. 

ur blush returns almost immediately as u returned the kiss.

since yall were in school, he separed from the kiss after a few seconds. this is a place for knowledge, y'all nasties.

“welp, bye loser,”

after the kiss, he immediately return to yamaguchi, leaving u alone with ur thoughts. trying to escape from embarrassment.

he may be equal to the condiment on ur kitchen cupboard, but he still tries to make u happy, so appreaciate him and his efforts <3

yamaguchi tadashi

a babie uwuwuwu

pickup line what's that? hehe omf he's so cute

so how this about to go down. 

so truth and dare bla bla bla... ive written this exact thing 3 times please excuse my behaviour.

since he was bored, yamaguchi forced tsukki to join in on the fun together, a decision he would regret. 

soon it became yamaguchi’s turn, and everyone turned quiet due to the lack of dares they had or yamaguchi.

that was until the one and only nishinoya stood up. 

“hEY, u have a s/o right, how about u use a cheesy pickup line on her!!” *eyebrow raise*

while processing what nishinoya just said, yamaguchi’s face morphed into one of dread and fear, as he turns his head to tsukishima for help.

“u dragged us into this mess, i aint helping u.”

and there goes his only help, well it was his fault in the first place dragging him and his best friend into this mess. tsukishima u tsundere.

yamaguchi was on the verge of tears, thinking of excuses and ways he could get out of the god forbidden situation he brought upon himself. 

but the only thing he could think of was the worst case scenario, which was u breaking up with him.

looking at his senpais, he slowly faces the fact that there's no escape and accepts his fate. 

if this is the cause of the end of ur relationship together, it just means the gods don't want y'all together.

“idk any pickup lines....” 

this was his last attempt of escaping as he bids ur relationship farewell, already aware it was not gonna work. 

“thiS IS WHERE I COME IN, don't worry yamaguchi i am the encyclopaedia of pickup lines.”

ofc his senpais would know the cheesiest lines on the surface of this earth. despite insisting the earth is flat.

and so the dreadful event began. 

after school ended, otw to his club, he met up with u. with his senpais trailing behind stalking y'all, to see ur reaction.

“ugh out of all the pickup lines, they had to make me use the most overused one... im gonna cry,,, y/n i hope u don't leave me after this.”

well here goes nothing...

“hey y/n,,” extreme stutters that im too lazy to type out.

“hmm?”

“k-k-kiss me if im wrong,,, b-but dinosaurs still exist right?”

before he could even cringe at himself, u gave him a peck on his lips while smirking afterwards. 

yamaguchi proceeds to poof into redness after processing what had just happen, as u laugh maniacally in the background.

“u could've just asked for one, and tsukishima already told me everything so u don't need to explain,"

yamaguchi did not have the brain power to comprehend the situation at hand, as he was still affected from the kiss from earlier.

“i can't believe u think i would breakup with u because of something so trivial.. im kinda upset..”

finally coming back to reality, yamaguchi finally realises the situation he's in. 

“o-oh, i didn't mean to make it seem like i didn't believe in our relationship, its just that w--”

he gets cut off by u kissing him again.

when u separate, u began to laugh again. 

“hAHAHHA, ikik, i was just joking around, don't worry ill love u no matter what, now off u go to ur club ill see u tmrw.”

not knowing what to do or how to react, yamaguchi felt the need to do smtg before u left. 

“i love u, ill call u later tonight!”

[thedeaditeslayer]

Exclusive interview: Bruce Campbell is having a renaissance.

Here’s a highly recommended interview which discusses what Bruce Campbell has in store for fans in the future.

Bruce Campbell is experiencing a creative renaissance, of sorts. In a recent chat with the actor, he discussed a return to his horror roots, cutting a comedy album with Ted Raimi and so much more.

Bruce Campbell hasn’t been idle during his time in self-isolation. The actor has been experiencing a creative renaissance of sorts. So, we figured now would be a perfect time to reach out and get some of our burning questions answered.

With so much uncertainty in the entertainment industry at present, rumors are running rampant. We gave Campbell a chance to clear the air so to speak and address some of the myriad of questions that fans have regarding Mortal Kombat 11, the latest Evil Dead incarnation, Ripley’s and whether or not he will work with Sam Raimi in front of the camera again.

The actor also surprised us with some monumental news. He will be returning to his horror roots with the sequel to My Name Is Bruce as well as several other projects that he has on his docket including a comedy album with one of his closest friends.

Get comfy, grab your favorite beverage and let’s catch up with Bruce Campbell.

Mortal Kombat 11, Ripley’s and the State of the Industry

1428 Elm: Thanks for speaking with us, Bruce. It’s always a pleasure. We have so many things to discuss. Recently, a site came out and said that you were definitely going to be Ash in Mortal Kombat 11. It seemed like a done deal the way it was reported. Can you comment on that?

Bruce Campbell: I probably shouldn’t emphasize yes or no because I don’t know. I have not been told. If it is not through my agent or proper channels than it usually means its wishful thinking.

1428 Elm: Apparently, an email from Warner Brothers Interactive was sent to a well-known entertainment site and Ash as well as Army of Darkness was mentioned in it with the trademark from MGM.

BC: The reason why it may not happen, just so you and the readers can know this, a lot of time for legal purposes, that character cannot appear in other things because of the license. If you can’t make a deal, that character is not going to show up. So, we may have been talked to about it.

But I do know with MGM that handles the Army of Darkness licensing that they’re hasn’t been a discussion with them about it. They’re pretty touchy. We have to be careful of ownership.

I honestly don’t know. I think I would have heard something. It’s not like my agent books me without consulting with me.

Even if Mortal Kombat came to me and said they want to put me in it, you still have to make a deal. If my agent says, “Bruce Campbell wants a hundred billion dollars,” and then they say no, the deal is dead.

The answer is we don’t know. No point in beating around about that.

1428 Elm: You might not be able to discuss this but what’s going on with Ripley’s Believe It or Not!? Will there be a Season 2?

BC: We’re one and done. It’s not your father’s Travel Channel anymore. If I wanted to host a ghost hunting show, I’d be on the air right now.

Ripley’s was made for the older school Travel Channel like Drive-Ins and Dive Bars where you go to wacky places around the country. There is a big push for paranormal, mystery and science-fiction, Discovery type stuff. I think we just “out aged” ourselves.

1428 Elm: It would have been nice if the Science Channel would have picked it up.

BC: It’s all good. I remain philosophical about all shows that come and go. There are so many factors involved. You change executives and things change, companies get bought and sold and things change, ratings aren’t what you expected…

After this virus, we’re going to see what shape the motion picture industry is in. It’s going to be a wounded beast. Projects are going to go away.

You’re going to have fewer tentpole movies too. I am hopeful we’ll have a return to low budget filmmaking.

That’s what I hope comes out of it. Each studio will start a low budget division and spend the money wisely.

Number One on the Charts with a Bullet

BC (Cont.): In the meantime, what is nice, I’m finishing up a couple of projects. I’m hoping by the end of the year to put a book of essays out and a comedy album with Ted Raimi.

1428 Elm: A comedy album?

BC: Yeah, we finished it. I’m in post-production on it. I’m putting all the sound effects in now.

1428 Elm: That sounds great!

BC: Who knows? We’ve never done one before so we’re going to find out.

1428 Elm: So, you guys are harkening back to the 1960’s when comedians like Bob Newhart had hit albums?

BC: It’s our version of that. I used to listen to the top comedy albums during the 60’s and 70’s. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to any of the masters like Mel Brooks and the 2,000-Year-Old Man with Carl Reiner. We gave it a shot. I love audio and I like radio plays.

Bruce Campbell vs the Classic Monsters

1428 Elm: So, tell us what is going on with your political satire, House Divided. Are you still working on pitching that once everything gets back to business as usual?

BC: It will be on the sales block. It’s a harder sell. There’s no blood. It’s not a horror movie, it’s a political satire. Associating Bruce Campbell with political satire isn’t the first thing investors whip out their checkbooks for.

To combat that, I just finished writing a sequel to My Name Is Bruce. The idea is we want to take Bruce and have him go through each of the classic film monsters. The sequel is Bruce vs Frankenstein.

We’re done. I finished my draft and sent it to Mike Richardson, my partner at Dark Horse Comics. We’re actively looking for money on that one. It is the Expendables of Horror. I fully intend to load the cast with so many familiar horror faces. It should be a lot of fun.

It would be a cavalcade of genre stars, old, young, on TV now. We really want to cover the bases. A lot of people will be getting killed. Guest star kills. Basically, Bruce bumbles his way into being a hero.

1428 Elm: Will you have to go through Universal to get permission to use the classic monsters?

BC: Some stuff is public domain. I’m not a lawyer but we would figure out a way to do this.

I think the bolts on Frankenstein’s neck are trademarked, as well as certain looks. But you can make a Frankenstein. That story is under public domain.

It’s also a parody of a Frankenstein movie and that gives a lot of leeway legally as well. I don’t think you can say, “Wolfman,” but I think you can say Bruce vs the Werewolf. This is my version of the Bob Hope road movies.

Ted has two parts; I have two parts for Robert Englund and I have a couple of parts for Kane Hodder. If they’re a name, I am going to put them in it.

After we come out of the zombie apocalypse that we’re in and everyone gets back to work, that is what I will be actively pitching. There’s plenty going on. So, I have been self-isolating in a constructive way.

It’s an Evil Dead World

1428 Elm: We’re curious about the 1970’s period piece that you were working on when we talked to you last year. What happened with that?

BC: It’s currently on my action board. I will eventually get to it. I am going to finish my book of essays first and then I am going to get to that one.

The story is set in 1979. The idea behind it is what would have happened if us raising money for Evil Dead went horribly, horribly wrong. It becomes a horror movie in and of itself.

1428 Elm: How did this idea come to fruition?

BC: I was going through projects in my computer. People who have a lot of downtime do spring cleaning. Clean out your woodshed, toolshed when you have extra time. In this case, I went to the head of my projects folder.

This one popped up and it was just an outline that I had written 15 years ago. I thought, wait a minute, this is pretty well thought out.

In the 70’s, filmmaking was real, you didn’t have a lot of options. You had to get cameras from a certain place, you had to have insurance. There were a lot of steps that you had to take that made the process really difficult.

I remember making calls for money from payphones in blizzards and s*** like that. You had to leave messages, you’re getting busy signals, you’re not texting anyone. There are no computers, there’s no email, its old school. You sent things in the mail.

Today, filmmaking is not difficult. I can go to a store and buy a 4K camera. I can make a movie with $5,000 worth of equipment. Probably less.

1428 Elm: Well, you can do it on your phone too. Sam Raimi is on Quibi now with 50 States of Fright, which is entertainment tailored to your device. If his series continues once everything settles, do you think there’s a chance you might appear on the show?

BC: Never say never, that’s all verbally at this point. They have to succeed; they have to survive. Any new format, any new platform, I’m game and if Sam’s involved all the more reason.

1428 Elm: Have you ever thought of doing anything like Quibi?

BC: Not yet. I’m used to writing 90-page screenplays with a three-act format. I can adapt anything too.

I was thinking the other day, I have a few screenplays that might be tough sells but maybe I might convert them to a fricking novel and put them out as books. There’s lots to do. I’ve got plenty going on.

1428 Elm: Has the current situation affected the new Evil Dead? We remember that you talked about possibly going into production at the end of this year. Is that pushed back like everything else?

BC: No, not really. It was so early in the stages that we can keep going. I just read the first official draft today. So, then we’ll give notes and additional writing will take place.

Then you have to budget the thing so you know how much money you need to raise and then you have to get the money. Nothing will stop any of that.

You can make calls for money, you can send the script to people, you can do budgets. The only thing that will be affected will be the actual start date. Which we didn’t know anyway. We may end up not being delayed at all.

Many thanks to Bruce Campbell for chatting with us.

[master-sass-blast]

Out With the Old, In With the New, Part One: The Worst Monsters are Men...

MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW (april 5th)!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEE!!!!!

Summary: A few days into a mission, your husband goes missing. Along Wade, Nathan, and Neena. When the X-Men refuse to help you, you decide to take things into your own hands --and wind up making an unexpected ally along the way.

Rating: T for gun violence, regular violence, ableism, and abduction. And also swear words.

Pairing(s): Piotr Rasputin x Reader, Nathan Summers x Wade Wilson, Frank Castle x Karen Page, and Alexandra Rasputin x Nikolai Rasputin.

Set after "It's Truly Magical" but before "Children of the Gods, Part One."

Taglist: @marvel-is-perfection, @chromecutie, @super-darkcloudstudent, @girl-obsessed-with-things

It happens without warning.

Your husband goes on a mission. And then he doesn’t come back.

Your stomach churns anxiously as you wait for your cellphone to chime –for any sign of life from Piotr, really. Baby, where are you? Please come home to me.

*** 

Talking to the official person in charge of the duty roster does no good.

Chiefly because that person is Scott Summers.

“Look, Y/N, I know you’re concerned—”

“It’s been three days, Scott! Piotr was supposed to be back by now.”

“He requested a mission extension,” Scott says –lies, because Scott Summers is a horrifically bad liar, no matter how hard he tries to hide it.

(Not even those damn sunglasses he wears all the time helps conceal it.)

“If we don’t hear from him by tomorrow, we’ll start the retrieval protocol.”

You raise an eyebrow at Scott. “Piotr requested an extension.”

“Ye—”

“Without telling me he was requesting an extension.”

“He may have not wanted to worry you—”

“He texts me good night and good morning every day he’s gone, Scott. He hasn’t done that for three days. So, do you really want to keep going down this route, or do you want to tell me the truth?”

“Are you accusing me of—”

“Show me the extension request, Scott. I know those have to be filed in the mission logs.”

Scott goes pale, swallows hard, but ultimately holds his ground. “If we don’t hear from him in another twenty-four hours, we’ll start the retrieval protocol.”

You roll your eyes at his back as he quickly retreats away from you, then stalk out of the training room. “Fuck you. I’ll handle this myself. Idiot.”

***

 You call Wade first. Nathan doesn’t always keep his phone charged if he gets into a work hole, meaning that Wade’s the best bet to get ahold of your ‘somehow knows everything’ dad.

Except you can’t get ahold of Wade. Or Nate. Or Neena, when you decide to try her. Countless texts, phone calls, emails, and face-time requests –which, under normal circumstances, would be downright sociopathic to pull without making sure the recipient is available first, but these are desperate times—go unanswered.

Towards the end of the day, in what can only be described as a burst of mass anxiety and paranoia, you call your uncle.

He picks up on the first ring. “Hey, punk. How’s it going?”

“Oh, thank fuck.” You collapse into the nearest chair, relief surging through you. “They didn’t get you, too.”

“What?” Your uncle’s voice goes from warm and friendly to all business –and a little panicked—in a split second. “Who didn’t get me? What’s going on? Punk, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but –Piotr’s missing. And Dad. And Wade. And Neena. Piotr went on a mission, but stopped checking in on me three days ago, and then when I tried to call the rest of my family, I couldn’t reach anyone. I’ve been trying all day, and then I thought that maybe someone’s targeting my family, so I decided to call you.”

“Shit,” your uncle mutters. “You’re sure Nathan and Wade are in town, right? And Neena? They don’t have any hits to fill or silent missions they’re running?”

“Wade and I were talking on Snapchat last night,” you answer, panic rising in your chest. “And I saw Nathan during call. And Neena always lets me know if she’ll be out of touch for a job or something.”

Your uncle exhales heavily into the speaker. “Fuck. Yeah, that doesn’t bode well. Did you talk to Charles?”

“He’s out of town for a conference. I had to deal with Scott, and he just shot me down.”

“Asshole.”

“Pretty much.”

“Talk to Scott one more time. I know it probably won’t help,” he adds when you start protesting, “but it’ll give me time to put my ear to the ground, see what I can find. After you try Scott, go over his head. I’ll help you however I can.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course, punk. Now, get moving. Time’s of the essence here.”

“Right.” You make a quick goodbye, then run out of yours and Piotr’s home and fly towards the mansion.

***

 By the time you reach Scott’s room, Russell, Ellie, and Yukio are already there, arguing with him.

“We aren’t responsible for Wade—”

“He’s my legal guardian, asshole,” Russell insists indignantly. “Isn’t there a bunch of legal shit you guys have to do if he dies or goes missing?”

“We—”

“And you are responsible for Colossus,” Ellie adds, arms crossed over his chest. “He’s my mentor and an X-Man. And he’s missing, too.”

“How did you—”

“He texts her to see how she’s doing,” Yukio pipes up, looking nowhere near as pissed as Ellie and Russell given her pink hair and soft, fluffy sweater, but frustration still reads plain in her voice. “And he stopped three days ago.”

“Which is the same time he stopped texting me,” you speak up, joining the fray. “Are you actually going to take this seriously now? Because if that’s not enough, Nathan and Neena are missing, too.”

A brief flicker of frustration crosses Scott’s face, but he masks it quickly. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve tried to reach them all day!”

“Maybe they’re just busy. Could you be overthinking it? Did you remember to take your medication today?”

“Are you shitting me?” Ellie snaps, eyes widening with outrage.

“Easy,” you murmur, putting an arm around her small shoulders before staring Scott down. “So, just so we’re clear, it is your intention to not pursue any of this further even though you have multiple complaints from different residents?”

Scott’s face twitches, but his resolve remains strong. “We have a protocol.”

“Yeah, just like that protocol of logging mission extension requests that you can’t show me right now.” You flash him a fake smile. “Thanks for nothing, asshole.”

The three teens follow after you as you storm off.

“What do we do now?” Russell asks.

“Are Cable and Domino really missing as well?” Yukio adds.

“Should we call the Professor?” Ellie suggests.

“The Professor probably wouldn’t be able to do anything, since Scott’s still the man in charge,” you say as you hurry down the main flight of stairs.

“He could make Cyclops toe the line,” Ellie points out.

“It’s still Scott. He’d do the bare minimum just to shut us up, then go back to jerking off –or whatever it he does for fun. And, yes, Neena and Nathan are missing, too. As far as I can tell, at least. As far as what we do now, we go over Scott’s head. I mean, I—” you turn around and look at the three teens staring at you “—go over Scott’s head. Not ‘we.’ You three should stay out of trouble.”

“But Wade’s my guardian!” Russell argues.

“And Piotr’s my mentor.”

“And Scott’s a pain in the ass,” Yukio adds.

“While all those things are true,” you agree, “that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t bring you three into this. Things could get dangerous. You’re all trainees. You’re not cleared for this kind of stuff.”

Ellie glances at Russell and her girlfriend, then crosses her arms over her chest and takes a step towards you. “Well, the way I see it, you can either bring the three of us in and have some idea of what we’re doing, or you can keep us out of it and we’ll just go over your head. Which means we could accidentally get caught in the middle of whatever you wind up doing and get hurt.”

You narrow your eyes at your husband’s mentee. “You are such a Slytherin, and I’m so proud of you, but also how dare you.” You sigh heavily. “Fine. You guys can come with. But if I get in trouble, I’m taking you all down with me.”

***

 Fun fact: attached to every suit worn by X-Men and trainees are little GPS trackers that, in addition to letting you know where the wearer of the suit is, also keeps tabs on their vitals.

“Why didn’t you just try this to begin with?” Ellie asks as you pull up the interface that tracks the suits.

“Because it makes a pinging noise to alert the wearer that their location is being monitored,” you explain. “If they’re on a stealth mission, it could alert an enemy agent. I didn’t want to do that in case Piotr had needed to go silent for some reason.”

“Do you think he could’ve?” Russell asks.

“Considering that, as his spouse, I would’ve been notified by the mission board –not to mention he would’ve at least let Ellie or I know himself—and the fact that Wade, Nathan, and Neena are missing, to, I don’t think so.” As much of a pain in the ass as Scott is, if Piotr had actually gone silent, he wouldn’t have just not told you.

“I thought the mission board and Professor Xavier were the only ones with access to the trackers,” Yukio interjects.

“I have spousal permissions for Piotr’s suit.” You pull up the page that lets you enter a password so you can access the tracker, then turn around and face the teens. “I’ve got to enter the password. No peeking.” You wait until they all cover their eyes, then type in the password and hit enter.

“It’s ‘myshka,’” Ellie says without uncovering her eyes.

You whirl around to stare at her. “Hey!”

“You hit seven keys, one of which was the enter button.”

“You really should talk to Colossus about better password security,” Yukio says with an earnest nod.

You sigh (they’re not wrong), then focus on the computer screen.

The good news: your husband’s tracker is still on and still registering his vitals –which look healthy, as far as you can tell.

The bad news: it’s out in the middle of nowhere in Upstate New York. No nearby roads, no registered address, just a couple of GPS coordinates.

“Where the hell is that?” Russell asks as he peers at the laptop screen over your shoulder.

“A couple hours from here,” you say as you write down the coordinates and the nearest identifiable landmarks. “I’m gonna go check it out. You guys stay here—”

“We’re helping whether you like it or not,” Ellie interrupts, expression comically stern given her round face and rounder eyes.

“Yes, you are, but I can’t carry all of you with me,” you say. “Besides, I need you three here to collect information.”

Russell’s brow furrows. “What information?”

You send a quick text to your uncle to let him know you’re leaving the phone with Russell, Ellie, and Yukio, then hand it to Ellie. “I called my uncle when I realized Wade, Nathan, and Neena were missing, too. He’s looking into all of it for me. If he calls with any information, I’ll need you guys to take it down and possibly do some –computer only—research on it.”

“Won’t you need the burner phone, just in case you get captured?” Yukio asks.

You shake your head. “Can’t risk his number getting in the wrong hands. I’ll have my phone on me, and I’ll wear my suit so you can keep track of me. If I’m gone longer than six hours, or if my suit goes offline, call my uncle immediately. Not the Professor, not Scott, but my uncle. Okay?”

The three teens give you equally scared looks, but all nod anyway.

You hug each of them before flying upstairs to get changed and pack a small bag with some supplies. Hang on, honey. I’m coming.

***

 The coordinates turn out to be home to the middle of a massive, matte black warehouse with virtually no windows in the middle of a dense forest. There’s only one road leading in or out, which is cut off from the warehouse itself by towering concrete walls topped with razor wire, a hulking gate with multiple guards, and several armed men patrolling the perimeter as well.

Definitely not suspicious at all. Definitely does not read as “hidden government or evildoers base” whatsoever.

Scott Summers, you are so full of shit, you think to yourself as you peer down at the warehouse through a pair of electronic binoculars (a Christmas gift from Alexandra). Requested an extension, my ass. You frown as you watch a large, but otherwise non-descript van get waved through the gate. Piotr, baby, what did you do to wind up in here?

Your mind flashes to images of Piotr, bound against his well, likely being experimented on by various nefarious, white lab coat and nerd glasses wearing scientists. Your teeth grit together, and you steady yourself with a deep breath. Just hang in there, sweetheart. I’m gonna get you out.

You crawl forward a little further, hoping to get a better look at the lot surrounding the warehouse—

And you wind up bumping into a large, muscular woman, wearing all black –like you—with black hair cut into an angled bob, dark eyes, and—

Angel Dust.

Your eyes widen when the description connects with the stories Wade’s told you, and you quickly shove her away from you with a blast of air. “You fucking traitor! Helping lock up your own kind for a fucking bullshit paycheck! I’m gonna beat your ass—”

“What the fuck –stop it!” She whips a rock the size of a small child at you, narrowly missing your head. “What the fuck are you talking about? Who the fuck are you?”

“You’re working with them!” You jerk your head towards the warehouse.

“The fuck I am!” She finally notes your suit, and her mouth twists into a grimace. “Oh. You’re X-Men.”

“Damn right. Now, give me one good reason not to bounce you down this hill like a beach ball!”

Angel Dust smirks. “You’re a little rougher around the edges than most of them…” The smirk fades just as quickly as it appeared, and the color seems to drain from her face. “Fuck, you’re Wilson’s sister, aren’t you?”

“Ding-ding-ding, bitch!” you hiss. “And if you aren’t here to work for those cockwipes, then what the fuck are you doing on this hill?”

“I could ask you the fucking same—”

“Look, unlike my brother, I don’t have to get close to you to hit you. So, unless you want to go through that line of trees, I suggest you start talking.”

She rolls her eyes, but relents. “I’m here to rescue my daughter.”

“Daughter?” Your face scrunches up in confusion. “Wade didn’t say anything about you having a daughter.”

“Yeah, well, he wouldn’t fucking know!”

“I suppose that’s fair –considering you helped torture him and almost killed him, then helped kidnap his girlfriend!”

“Fuck’s sake –the fuck do you want from me?”

“Proving you have a daughter and that you aren’t lying might be a good start.”

She glowers at you, then begrudgingly takes a wallet out of her pocket and pulls out a few pictures. “Here. Proof enough?”

The pictures show Angel Dust holding a young girl –first as a baby, then a couple shots of them at a park when the girl looks about to be three, one of them eating ice cream together when the kid looks about five, and a school photo headshot dated from this year, in which the girl looks to be around seven.

Granted, she could be lying, but the pictures look real enough. Besides, if she really was working with the warehouse people, she probably wouldn’t have tried to convince you otherwise in the first place.

“What’s her name?” you ask, stiffly hanging back the pictures.

“Madeline. Maddie, for short. Why are you here?”

“They have my husband.”

“He an X-Man, too?”

“Yeah. Colossus. The big metal guy that you punched in the dick.”

She smirks. “Oh, yeah. Good brawler. Kinda sweet. He refused to ogle me when one of my tits fell out of my shirt.”

“Yeah,” you say with a small smile. “That’d be him.”

Tense silence falls around the two of you as you regard each other warily.

“Far be it from me to suggest we team up,” you start.

Angel Dust cuts you off with a sardonic snort. “What makes you think I need –want—your help?”

“You won’t make it through there alone. They’ve basically got an army guarding that place. You’re strong, but you’re not bulletproof. Or, worse, you’ll wind up captured. Besides, I have backup.”

She raises an incredulous eyebrow. “What, the X-Men? Pass.”

“No,” you say with a roll of your eyes. “The schedule master didn’t want to get off his ass, so I’m working without them for this.”

“Sounds like you don’t have backup, then.”

You bite down on the urge to sneer at her. “I have more resources than the X-Men.” Asshole.

“Such as?”

“Such as the kind that don’t mind using real guns.” When Angel Dust’s eyebrows spike towards her hairline, you continue. “Look, I get my husband and my other people out, you get your daughter out, everyone goes home happy and hopefully we never have to speak to each other again. Deal?”

“Fine,” she says after a minute. “So, if we’re not breaking in right now, what’s next?”

“I’ve got some people looking into this place. They should have some proper information by now. We head back to my place, learn what we can, then make plans to bust into here later tonight.”

Angel Dust considers for a moment, then concedes with a nod. “Fine. Wait… how’d you get out here?”

You shrug. “Flew.”

She scoffs, rolls her eyes. “Of course. We’ll take my car back.”

 ***

 You text Yukio once you’re safely in Angel Dust’s car—

“Do you have a name?”

“Fuck kind of question is that?”

“I only know you as Angel Dust,” you say with a roll of your eyes. “So, unless you want me to refer to you as ‘Angel Dust’ all the time, having a name to use would be handy.”

She sighs heavily. Rolls her eyes. “Christina.”

You blink. You’re not sure what you’d been expecting, honestly. “Cool. I’m Y/N.”

“Great. Glad we’re fucking best friends now,” Christina grumbles under her breath as she starts her car and pulls away from the thicket of bushes she’d parked her car behind.

You text Yukio, letting her know that you’re on your way back, that you’ve picked up some help, and that if you aren’t back in three hours to call your uncle. You pocket your phone once Yukio replies, then steal a quick glance at Christina.

All in all, you don’t know much about her. You heard about her and her whole involvement with Ajax –Francis, whatever—from Wade, and you’ve heard a little bit from Piotr about her other criminal escapades –car-jacking, fighting rings, blackmailing—but beyond that, Angel Dust –Christina—is a complete mystery to you.

“How’d your daughter wind up in there?” you ask, breaking the thick silence that had settled around the two of you.

Her jaw clenches tighter, and her hands grip the steering wheel hard enough that –for a moment—you’re worried that she might break it. “My ex.”

“You had a kid with Francis?”

Her hands grip the wheel tighter. “No. I was married before I met Ajax. Long time before. Had Maddie. Got divorced. Met Ajax a little while later.”

“Riveting,” you snark, which gets a murderous glare shot your way. “So, what, your ex-husband decided to do a ‘take your daughter to work day’ and it ended poorly?”

“He doesn’t like mutants. Part of why we divorced.”

Pain strikes your chest as you put the pieces together. “Wait a second. He… he sent his own child to a testing facility?”

“Like I said,” Christina growls as she presses down harder on the gas pedal, “there’s a reason he’s my ex.”

 ***

 Ellie goes from hunched over your laptop to standing bolt upright, fists clenched and energy swirling around her the second Christina follows you through the door—

And, yeah, okay, you definitely should’ve given more warning about the “help” that you were bringing back.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Ellie snaps.

Christina just smirks. “Good to see you again, short stack.”

“Ellie, please don’t obliterate my house,” you say quickly, stepping between Ellie and Christina before Ellie does something rash –albeit probably deserved. “She’s helping us.”

“Why is she—” Ellie jerks her chin towards Christina “—helping us? She’s a criminal!”

“She has someone that was captured, too,” you explain, doing your best to stay calm. “The more innocent lives we can save in all of this, the better.”

“Fucking Christ,” Christina grumbles under her breath. “It’s like the fucking boyscouts.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the Icebox?” Ellie snaps, still glaring down Christina –albeit without the energy charge-up, which you’re grateful for.

“I wasn’t deemed ‘dangerous enough’ for ‘removal from society.’”

“You kidnapped an innocent woman and nearly killed Colossus!”

She shrugs, blasé. “Paycheck’s a paycheck.”

“You fucking bitch—”

“Okay!” You shove Ellie back, and give her the sternest look you can muster at the moment –which, in reality, probably looks more desperate than anything else. “I know you’re mad, but we have a job to do. Can you…” You sigh when Ellie raises an eyebrow at you in challenge, and your expression is definitely desperate now. “Please, Ellie-bell. We need to get Piotr and Wade and Nate and Neena and anyone else they might have locked up out of there. Please.”

Ellie sighs heavily, but relents with a nod. “Fine. But if she—” she points at Christina, who smirks “—does anything out of line, I’m blasting her through a wall.”

“I’d comment, but I know you’re more than capable,” Christina mutters as she sizes up Yukio and Russell. “Also, if this was the back up you’re talking about—”

“It’s part of it, but they’re strictly the research team,” you interject quickly. “We’re bringing someone else along for the actual rescue mission.”

“Who?” Russell asks.

You shoot him a warning, incredibly desperate look to ‘please, for the love of Cthulhu, shut it’ because you haven’t actually figured that part out yet—

And then Yukio comes to your rescue. “Your uncle called while you were gone. He said he wanted you to call him as soon as you were back.”

“He also gave us a lot of information about the warehouse,” Russell adds, having caught on to your ‘please help me bullshit my through this.’ “Covered by ten different teams of armed men that work on five different shifts—”

You glance over your shoulder at Christina. “You mind looking through what we already have while I make the call?”

She sighs, rolls her eyes, but ultimately sits down at the dining room table. “Fine.”

You take your phone from Yukio, then step into the living room so you can talk to your uncle while also keeping an eye on Christina.

He answers on the first ring. “Who am I talking to this time?”

“It’s me. I’m safe.”

“Punk.” Your uncle lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay, I told Ellie everything I could fine, but listen to me. You cannot try to crack this place open, okay? The person running this operation is far too dangerous to mess with. I’m sending some people in to help, and I’ll fly in as soon as I can; just let the professionals handle this, okay?”

You grimace. “I can’t do that.”

“Okay, look, I know you’re worried about Piotr—”

“There’s a kid involved,” you say quietly, watching Christina intently. “A little girl. She was dumped at the holding center. I… I can’t wait. Not with a child’s safety on the line.”

Your uncle swears, then sighs. “…Okay. Just… take some heavier ammunition with you. Please. I’ll get there as fast as I can to help back you up.”

“Alright. I can do that.” You make a quick good-bye, then head back into the dining room. “Alright, what are we looking at?”

“Nothing good,” Christina says heavily. “You were right about not being able to break into this place. We’ll need an army to do just that.”

“…I might just be able to get us one.”

 ***

 The new offices of Nelson, Murdock, and Page come with countless new amenities –one of which being that it’s not located inside a deli.

There’s also a dedicated “back entrance” for clients that don’t want to be –or shouldn’t be—seen by the public.

Which, as fortune would have it, is where you find Frank Castle.

He’s wearing all black, carrying a bouquet of violets, and looks extremely startled when you all but shout his name. “What the fuck?”

“I need your help,” you say by way of greeting as you jog over to him. “Kidnappers, mutant experimentation, guys with lots of guns… yeah.”

“What the—” Christina yanks you aside with more strength than strictly necessarily, eyes so big they look like they’re about to pop out of her sockets. “How do you know the fucking Punisher?”

“Will you let go?” You wrench your arm out of her grasp. “I’m getting us an army. Chill the fuck out!”

“Do I get to know what’s going on here?” Frank interjects, looking equal parts confused, startled, and annoyed.

“There’s a warehouse two and a half hours from here,” you explain. “Heavily guarded. Piotr was kidnapped and taken there, as was her daughter.” You nod to Christina. “Wade, Nathan, and Neena are missing, too, and I’m willing to bet they’re there as well –along with who knows how many other people. The X-Men aren’t getting off their ass for this one, and the two of us—” you gesture between you and Christina “—aren’t enough to break in and get everyone out. We need help.” You take a breath, then shoot Frank a desperate look and add, “Please.”

He exhales heavily, then nods before gesturing at the door with the flowers. “Yeah. Just give me a minute.”

***

 Karen, fortunately, gives her blessing for you to borrow her boyfriend for a potential suicide mission without too much fuss. Frank steps back into the alley a few minutes later, grabs a few duffels from his “murder van,” then directs you to where he keeps the rest of his weapons stash before you drive him and Christina back to your home.

From there, two things happen right away.

One: Frank is immediately able to make more sense of the information your uncle had sent, which makes developing a plan so much easier.

Two: Russell, Ellie, and Yukio all refuse to stay behind while you, Frank, and Christina head to the warehouse.

“For the last time,” you grit out, on the verge of ripping out your hair. “I cannot take you three with me. You’re all trainees! You’re not cleared for something like this. Besides, if Piotr doesn’t kill me, Scott definitely will!”

“You could take Scott in a fight,” Yukio says with an earnest nod.

“That’s not the point!”

“The point is we want to help.” Russell crosses his arms over his chest. “Wade’s my friend and guardian, Colossus is one of our teachers, and Cable and Domino are part of the X-Force. They’re our friends. Why shouldn’t we help?”

“I really don’t know how to explain to you that you’re a minor.”

“Yukio and I aren’t,” Ellie pipes up, voice deadly calm. “We’re both adults. We can do whatever we want with this. And I have a license and access to a car.”

“Ellie—”

“Look, either we’re in on the plan and how to handle all of this, or we drive up on our own and insert ourselves into the situation.” She raises an eyebrow at you when you start sputtering. “What? What are you going to do? Duct tape us to the walls so we can’t leave?”

You narrow your eyes at her. “I’m seriously tempted to. There is such a thing as ‘being in over you head,’ and –make no mistake—this is one of those situations.”

Ellie’s jaw tenses. “We’re not staying behind.”

“For what it’s worth,” Frank interjects from where he’s been sitting at your dining room table, pouring over all the data your uncle was able to collect, “if they can help us, we could definitely use their help. We’re pretty damn outnumbered.”

“See!” Russell chimes in. “You need us!”

“That’s not the point!” you snap, nerves finally fraying enough to let your stress show through.

“It’s exactly the point!” Ellie argues. “You need extra help, we want to help!”

“That’s not the point Y/N is trying to make,” Yukio says when you grip your hair in frustration. “It may be the point of the mission, but it’s not what she’s focused on.”

You exhale heavily as silence finally falls, then lean wearily against the dining room table. “It’s not that we don’t need your help. We do. But… you’re just kids.”

“Yukio and I are eighteen,” Ellie points out.

“You are an infant and you will accept it!” you fire back. “This… this isn’t fighting Magneto or a few punk frat boys who just realized they have superpowers. These are trained assassins with guns and who knows what else and… you guys still deserve to be young. You deserve more time before you have to face that.”

The space goes suffocatingly silent as your words hang in the air, bitter and desperate.

Because, really, you all already know what’s going to happen.

“We’re ready,” Yukio says, quiet but confident. She squares her shoulders and gives you a smile. “This is what we’ve trained to do.”

“You already know what my stance is,” Ellie says when you look over to her.

Russell seems a little more pensive when you check with him, but he doesn’t waver, either. He swallows hard, then nods. “I want to help Wade. He’s my guardian… my friend.”

You sigh, heavy and with finality, then plop down into the nearest chair. “Alright. Let’s make a plan.”

***

 The plan is simple enough.

Your uncle had managed to dig up a plethora of information –including the policy for dealing with “captured individuals.” Anyone caught snooping around the warehouse was taken, searched for weapons, then taken to a room that was labelled “primary containment area.”

You’re willing to bet that Piotr and everyone will be there as well.

So, you and Christina will pose as a couple of amateur activists, attempting to get some film of what seemed to be a “secret military base” that was undoubtedly propagating violence, war culture, etcetera. You two will get yourselves captured, get inside the base, ditch whoever brought you in, find your missing people, then get out.

And, just for good measure, while the two of you were inside, Frank, Russell, Ellie, and Yukio will create a distraction outside, thus increasing your odds of success.

Frank also had one of his friends –who was some type of tech wizard, apparently—hack into the base and put the cameras on a loop, so that the two of you wouldn’t be caught out right away.

Is it the most sophisticated plan? No.

Is it the most likely to succeed, considering the circumstances? Also no.

Is it the best you all could do, considering the time and personnel constraints? Yes.

“If we die,” Christina growls –she’d been none too fond of the plan, but hadn’t had a better counteroffer—as the two of you cut through the woods, “I’m killing you before these dipshits get a chance.”

“Good fucking luck with that,” you grumble back, pulling a camera –which had a busted release mechanism for the SD card and was therefore useless—out of your bag. “Ready?”

“Let’s just get this over with.”

The two of you skulk around the perimeter, pretending to take film of the place –which, granted, you are, but it’s not like you’re planning on using any of it—and talking in stage whispers about angles, lighting, and framing. When that doesn’t work, you move in closer to the entry –where the guards are stationed—and start taking photos with the flash on.

It gets their attention pretty quick.

“Hey! Stop!”

The two of you feign making a run for it as the armed guards rush towards you, then switch to fake pleas and promise to “give up the footage” in exchange for being let go when you’re caught.

“Look, this is just for a school project,” Christina babbles –and, you have to give her credit, she’s a good actress.

Though, that could just be the guns the guards are carrying providing a proper incentive.

“We’ll give you the camera,” you add, faking desperation. “Just, like, please let us go.”

“Take them inside,” one of the older looking guards says. “Search them, then take them to the main containment center.”

You and Christina pretend to resist and struggle, but ultimately let the men march you past the wall and towards the compound.

***

 The search goes well enough. The two of you had made a point to not carry any weapons –or any IDs, just in case. Your phones –fakes—are tossed, as is the camera, but other than that the guards don’t find anything particularly interesting.

Being taken to the main containment area, however, doesn’t go as well.

Mostly because your people aren’t there.

“Shit,” Christina swears when you’re marched into what’s essentially a windowless, metal box.

“Search the base?” you ask.

“We have to.”

You slam the guards against the nearest wall with a gust of wind, knocking them out.

The two of you quickly handcuff the guards with their hands behind their backs, careful to interlock the sets of cuffs to make it harder for them to move or escape once they come to.

You strip off one of their tac vest and quickly adjust it to your body, while Christina pulls out their phones and walkie talkies and crushes them. “I’m guessing neither of them are carrying a map?”

“Wouldn’t that be our lucky day.”

You pull out an ear piece that you’d hidden in your bra, then turn it on and tuck it in your ear. “Ellie, can you hear me?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“Slight problem. Containment area’s empty. Is there a lab or something labelled on the blueprints my uncle sent us?”

“…Yeah. Left from the entrance to the containment room, take a right at the second doorway, then all the way down the hall to the back. Do you need us to go now?”

You eye the hallway outside the containment room, then grimace when you see several guards patrolling the space. “Yeah. We’re pretty boxed in otherwise.”

“Alright. Give us five minutes.”

The two of you wait –then, sure enough, the building shudders as a loud explosion echoes outside.

You flash Christina a somewhat manic grin. “Shall we?”

“You’re just as crazy as Wilson.”

“You’re not the first person to say that.”

 ***

 The lab is straight out of some cheesy action-flick style evil lair. There’s a massive –practically floor to ceiling—screen that looks like someone lifted it from a movie theatre that’s framed by a wall to wall bank of computer keys, buttons, smaller inset display screens, dials, and sliders. The center of the room boasts a particularly sinister tilted metal table with arm and ankle restraints on the sides, an operation room light at the top, and various trays of syringes, surgical equipment, and other tools. Towards the back, there’s several rows of tables with various beakers, test tubes, and other items straight out of chemistry textbook.

And, on the wall opposite the door, there are a series of cylindrical, glass holding containers –which are currently housing your husband, Nate, Wade, Neena, and a young, dark haired girl that must be Madeline.

Madeline and Piotr don’t look too much worse for wear. A little bruised and a little tired, perhaps, but otherwise unharmed.

Neena’s face is fixed in a tight grimace. You don’t see any visible signs of harm on her, but that doesn’t mean that she’s okay.

Wade looks sick. He has a repression collar on, just like everyone else in the holding tanks, so there’s no doubt that his cancer is giving him hell.

Nathan looks tense. He’s sat on the floor of his tank, leaned back against the glass, gaze fixed in a pensive thousand mile stare. There’s no visible signs of the virus having spread, but you know he can’t be feeling too comfortable, either.

Madeline visibly perks up when you and Christina enter the lab, then jumps to the feet and presses her tiny body against the glass of her tank. “Mommy!”

“Mom—oh fuck.” Wade glares at Christina. “What is she doing here? And since when did you have a kid with Francis?”

Christina, predictably, ignores Wade. She sprints over to her daughter’s containment tube, pressing her hands flat against the glass. “Hey, sweetie. Are you okay?”

Madeline’s face crumples, and she starts crying. “I want to go home, Mommy. I want to go home—”

“Don’t!” Neena exclaimed when Christina moved to rip off the door on her daughter’s containment cell. “The guy running the tests said there was a different lock on her door.” She pointed to the keypad on the side of Madeline’s containment tube. “He said that if the cell was tampered with, it’d release a toxin gas.”

Christina shot a desperate look at you over her shoulder. “Can you diffuse the gas?”

“I don’t want to risk it,” you said. “Look, Ellie can probably figure out to get it open safely, and if she can’t, we’ve got other people who definitely can. Bottom line, she’s not staying in there for long.”

Piotr shoot you a sharp look. “Why is NTW here?”

You flounder, before shrugging sheepishly. “I got out-voted?”

“It’s going to be okay, sweet girl.” Christina knelt in front of her daughter’s tube, smiling reassuringly. “We’re going to get you out, okay?”

“Can you get the doors off the other cells?” you ask upon checking to make sure that the same locking mechanisms aren’t on the other containment tubes. “If we get everyone else out, I can get the repression collars off, and then we can shut this thing down and focus on getting Maddie out.”

Christina shoots you a look –most likely annoyed by being taken away from her daughter—but rises and walks down the row of cells, ripping the doors off as she goes and chucking them out of the way.

You help Wade out of his cell and get him situated on a chair—

And then Piotr sweeps you into his arms and presses his lips against yours.

He smells a little ripe, his breath isn’t much better, he has a few days’ worth of stubble on his face, and his hair is a mess.

He’s perfect.

“Are you okay?” you murmur, cupping his face when the kiss ends.

“I am now.” He kisses your forehead. “How did you find me?”

“Went over Scott’s head, used the tracker on your suit, and asked my uncle for help.” You lay your head against his chest, and close your eyes for a moment as you listen to the steady thud of his heartbeat.

He’s safe. He’s alive.

***

 Getting the collars off is a cinch. They’re basic model collars with keypads. You’ve taken shit like this apart in your sleep.

The building rumbles ominously while you work on defusing the collars, and the sounds of gunfire and death are rapidly approaching the lab.

Piotr eyes the door warily. “What all is going on?”

“Uh… kinda asked Frank for some help.”

Your husband’s eyes damn near bug out of his head. “Frank Castle?”

“Ooh, Frankie’s here!” Wade chirps, perking up now that his collar’s off and his healing factor is kicking back in. “Did he bring any grenades?”

“Why did you ask Frank Castle for help?” Piotr interjects, sounding aghast.

“What else was I going to do?” you exclaim. “Scott literally wouldn’t get off his ass to check in on things. It was either do it alone, or get what help I could!”

Piotr looks like he’s about to drop it –then his eyes widen with horror. “You… you left trainees with him.”

Fucking shit on an ass cracker— “Look, I will be very happy to discuss this with you later, but for now can we just focus on—”

A door at the far end of the lab sweeps open –not the one you and Christina came in through—and a man wearing a lab coat walks in.

A man that, though it takes you a moment, you recognize.

Mostly because you slammed his head into a table and threatened to rip off his balls if he ever hurt your husband again.

Rage floods your system. “You!”

Dwight Bard –stupid fucking nickname “Rogue”—jerks when he sees all of you, then pales when recognition hits his system. “Oh shit—”

You don’t give him a chance to finish his sentence, much less escape or do anything else. You hit him in the back with a blast of wind, bouncing him across the floor of the lab and smacking him against the metal table. You dash over, secure one of his arms in one of the restraints before he can get up, then grab the first thing you find on the tool tray –which happens to be a scalpel—and aim it at him. “I fucking warned you, you son of a bitch. I’m gonna gut you like a fucking catfish—”

“Myshka!” Piotr plucks you up and sets you away from the table before physically putting himself between you and Dwight. “Stop!”

You take one look at your husband’s horrified expression and shrink in on yourself, ashamed. “I’m not—” You try to gesture with your hand, forgetting that you have the scalpel, and nearly nick Piotr with it. You flounder as you try to find a place to set the utensil, then ultimately hand it over to Piotr so he can set back on the instrument tray. “He’s—”

“No killing,” Piotr says, voice soft but firm. “Ever. Under any circumstances.”

Your mouth opens and closes as you try to find the words to explain your headspace.

That Dwight isn’t worth saving because he’s perverted and hasn’t stopped the track he’s on despite having the chance to change and more than enough incentive –can anyone say ‘staying out of prison,’ much—to do so. That killing people recklessly and without thought is bad, but that defending those who can’t defend themselves is another category. That you weren’t even intending to really do anything, but he helped hurt the people you love, that he’s hurt your husband –the most important person in your life—over and over and over again, and you can’t live in a world knowing that person is out there and could hurt him again.

Ultimately, you shrug helplessly and say, “He hurt you.”

An emotion settles on Piotr’s face that you can’t identify. (Grief? Anguish? Fear? A combination of all three, or maybe none of them at all?) He stares at you for a moment, expression inscrutable, then gently takes you into his arms and kisses the top of your head. “I do not want you killing for me.”

You nestle against his chest –then break away when Dwight starts trying to get the restraint off his wrist. “Oh, no, no, no. Just because I’m not force-feeding you your balls doesn’t mean you get a free pass.” You finish restraining his arms and legs, then flip the overhead light on so he has to keep his eyes closed for good measure. “You can just stay right there until we’re ready to drag you out of here and back to jail.”

The door that you and Christina originally entered through opens, and Ellie, Russell, Yukio, and Frank walk through.

You nod at Madeline’s containment cell. “There’s a special lock on this one. Can you get it open?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Ellie says, checking over the locking mechanism before walking over to the bank of computers.

“Building’s clear,” Frank says, momentarily eyeing Dwight before turning his attention to Madeline and Christina. “What’s going on there?”

“Special lock,” you explain, paraphrasing what Neena told you. “Improperly opening the chamber releases a neurotoxin gas.”

Frank’s lip curls into a menacing sneer as he stalks towards Dwight. “You think that’s fun? Putting a little girl’s life in the balance?”

“It wasn’t me!” Dwight panics, trying –and failing—to edge himself away from Frank. “I’m just –look, I’m just a scientist, I had no idea—”

“You’ve got a kid a tube!” Frank shouts. “It doesn’t get more fucking obvious!”

“Okay, okay, just –look. The building’s not clear yet.”

“The hell it isn’t—”

“They had teams on standby, down the road, in case the place was stormed.”

The lights flicker, then turn off before flipping back on—

And then an explosion goes off outside, making the building shake and the windows rattle in their settings.

Frank tenses, then swears under his breath when more explosions sound outside. “Shit.”

“Sounds like we’ve got company,” Wade comments as he stretches lazily (the movement is accompanied by a grimace, though, which is how you know he’s still not feeling good). “Got a gun I can borrow?”

“Best move right now is to handle the team outside,” Nathan agrees as Frank hands them both spare pistols. “You three stay back here.” He nods to the teens. “Get the kid out. The rest of us will hold the base.”

Madeline bursts into tears when Christina takes a reluctant step away from her daughter’s containment cell. “Mommy, I want you to stay! I’m scared!”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Christina reassures her quickly. “It’s okay—”

“Stay with her,” you decide. “We don’t have enough weapons for you to use, which means your strength won’t be an advantage out there.”

Christina mouths a grateful “thank you” at you, then sits at the base of her daughter’s cell. “It’s going to be okay, Maddie. Mommy’s right here.”

“What about Neena?” Russell asks as the rest of you prepare to head out. “She doesn’t have a gun.”

“I’ve got a good feeling about finding one,” Neena quips, flashing Russell a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

You want to take her aside, ask her if she’s okay –the explosions are still ongoing, meaning that right now, you’ve got more important things to do.

Frank reloads his rifle, then strides towards the main lab door. “Let’s go.”

 ***

 The lot of you make swift progress through the base. Frank and Nate lead you all with military-like precision –go figure—and before you know it, you’re at the main entrance.

The explosions are still going, rocking and rattling the building with each shockwave. The lights flicker ominously overhead each time; a few fall out and shatter against the floor.

Piotr shields you with his body when one lands near the two of you. “What now?”

“You know how many people are out there?” Frank asks Nathan.

Your dad shakes his head. “The number of psychic signatures keeps changing. Maybe… twenty-five? Thirty? They keep bouncing around the lot.”

“We’ve handled worse,” Neena decides as she loads her shotgun (which, true to form, she’d stumbled across while you’d all navigated the base).

“Wait, wait –Natey, hold on a second.” Wade grabs his boyfriend’s arm, holding Nathan back from moving (even though Nate stopped the first time Wade asked him to wait). “Do you not hear what I’m not hearing?”

“The fuck does that mean?” Frank grumbles under his breath.

Nathan cocks his head to the side though, gaze darting back and forth while he listens. “Gunfire. Voices.”

“Exactly!”

Frank’s expression sharpens as he catches the same lack of gunfire and people talking. “They could be trying to draw us out. We’ve got a chokepoint here.”

“Yeah, but why would they be bombing the parking lot they’re standing in?” Neena fires back.

“Should one of us go out?” Wade asks, looking between Frank, Nate, and Neena. “Scope things out?”

“If there are people waiting out there, we’ll get shot to pieces!” Neena exclaims.

“Okay, I can heal!” Wade fires back. “So, if you hear swearing and sounds of carnage—”

“No, no, we are not using you as a fucking guinea pig,” Nathan growls.

“Well, what would you recommend—”

“I’ll go,” Piotr interjects.

“What?” You blink rapidly as he kisses your forehead, then reach for him when he stands and steps away so he can armor up. “No! No—”

“It’s okay.” Your dad puts an arm around your shoulder, equal parts comforting and restraining. “He’ll be okay.”

Piotr ducks around the corner and strides towards the entrance –stooping over so he doesn’t bang his head on the ceiling. The sound of his heavy footsteps clank against the floor, barely audible over the explosions outside.

You listen to your husband’s step retreat away from you, scarcely daring to breathe. Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…

There’s a moment where the explosions stop, and the ensuing silence stretches out, unending and horrible—

“No one is out here.”

You let out a breath, nearly collapsing with relief when you hear Piotr’s voice—

And then what he said hits you.

Frank stalks out, rifle at the ready in case shit goes sideways. He’s quiet for a moment, then shouts out an “all clear.”

You shadow the others out, mindful that you don’t have a gun or near as much combat experience. You sidle up next to your husband, one hand clutching at the material of his X-Men suit.

The explosions, at least, were real. The lot looked scorched, pitted with craters and dotted with debris and chunks of concrete.

That’s where the legitimacy of Dwight’s claims seem to end, though. There’s no sign of any opposition, armed, dangerous, or otherwise.

“Was he wrong?” you ask as Frank, Wade, Nate, and Neena carefully scope out the lot. “Maybe… maybe there’s no back up.”

“There is car coming,” Piotr announces, quickly tucking you behind his back.

The others hop to, taking up different positions around the lot to set up the best spread of gunfire possible.

You peek around your husband’s side as much as you dare, trying to get a read on the situation.

A lone SUV rolls up to the gate of the compound. It doesn’t seem armored, much less like it could hold the amount of guys your dad was initially sensing in the lot…

The SUV parks just inside the gate, and then the driver’s door opens and Mikhail Rasputin steps out. He grins laconically at Piotr, and lifts a hand in greeting. “Poves'te desyat', mladshiy brat!”

Piotr gapes as his mother exits the front passenger side of the SUV, whilst Mikhail ambles around to the back of the car to open the trunk. “Matushka?”

She’s decked out in black tactical gear and combat boots, and looks ready to kill.

(Granted, Alexandra always looks ready to kill, but the expression is more literal than figurative this time around.)

She graces her son with a brief, greeting smile, but quickly steps into scanning the surrounding environment for potential threats. Alex eyes the craters in the lot with a critical eye, one brow arching as she takes it all in. “Big fight?”

“Not really,” Wade says with a shrug. “Lots of explosions, but when we got out here there was no one around.”

You frown, stepping out from behind Piotr. “What are you two doing here?”

“Sent by uncle,” Mikhail says, nodding at you with a smile that’s entirely too relaxed for the scope of the situation. “To help.”

“Well, I think we’ve got it under control,” Wade says, gesturing at the parking lot.

“For now,” Alex tacks on as she eyes the building. “Man running this place is highly dangerous. Sooner we leave, the better. Is this everyone?”

“There are others inside,” Piotr says, eyes widening with realization. “Ellie, and Yukio, and Russell, and—”

The ground shakes again, and then there’s an explosion that sends chunks of concrete wall flying from the back side of the compound.

You stare at the plume of fire and smoke that billows into the sky, heart sinking. Shit.

***

 The lab, once you arrive, is in complete and utter chaos. Tables are strewn everywhere, glass equipment lies shattered on the floor, and a gaping hole gashes through one of the internal walls.

At the far end of the lab is Dwight –who, somehow, has managed to free himself and is grinning as he hovers above the ground. He extends his hand towards the opposite side of the room, flinging several heavy work tables that are deflected by Christina and Ellie.

“He’s a mutant!” Ellie shouts, pointing an accusing finger at Dwight before dodging more flying debris. “He has to be! He undid his restraints without even touching them!”

“Sorry for the deception,” Dwight says, grinning nastily—

And then his body ripples, changing size and form until he’s several inches taller and nowhere near as gangly. His face morphs hideously, hair going from tight auburn curls to slicked back black tresses. His eyes change from hazel to gray, his jawline sharpens, and by the end of it he looks less like some sort of computer tech pervert and more like a rugged assassin.

“Someone fucking promise me we’re not about to go down another ‘it was Mystique the whole time’ writing hole,” Wade groans as he skids to a stop, then ducks to avoid shards of flying glass. “Because I can’t handle another plot headache like that.”

“Name’s Nathaniel. Nathaniel Essex.” Nathaniel tosses Dwight’s glasses aside, smirking laconically. “So, no, no Mystique storyline here. Though, that might’ve been better for the rest of you.”

“How you figure, Captain Chameleon?” Wade fires back. “Don’t know if you forgot how to count, but there are…” Wade starts counting, then gets fed up with the process and settles for cocking his gun and aiming it at Nathaniel. “You’re fucking outnumbered, shit for brains! Best surrender now, and maybe I won’t fuck your ass with the business end of this gun!”

“You do, you’re buying me a new one, Wilson!” Frank snaps.

“Do you accept stolen?”

“The way I see it, my odds are just fine.” Nathaniel smirks, and several pieces of broken tables and twisted metal start floating around him. “Don’t worry. I’ll try to keep from hurting you too bad.” He hurls the objects across the lab—

Only for them to freeze halfway across.

Nathaniel’s face goes slack with shock. “What the—”

Alexandra steps out from behind Piotr, eyes glowing gold as she stares down Nathaniel. “Care to try again, tupitsa?”

Nathaniel grits his teeth and tries to fling more carnage across the lab, but to no avail. “Go fuck yourself, bitch.”

Alex raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. “Have it your way.”

And then the items floating in the air zip across the lab. Those that don’t bounce of the telekinetic shield Nathaniel erects around himself embed themselves in the opposing wall.

“We need to get Maddie out of here!” you shout. “Ellie, can’t you disarm the pod?”

“I couldn’t find anything that disables the gas system!”

You’re starting to think that the supposed “toxic gas” attached to Maddie’s containment tube was a lie as well –but, best not to take chances.

“We’ll figure it out once we take down Essex,” you shout before darting towards where Alex and Nathaniel are scuffling with each other.

Nathaniel lets out a pained grunt when Alex throws him against one of the walls hard enough to crack the concrete, then yanks his sleeves back and starts pressing buttons on a wrist-mounted console. He taps at the display screen between dodging various attacks—

And then security drones fly out from hatches in the ceiling and start raining down Gatling gunfire on all of you.

“Get down!” Frank bellows as he dives behind one of the upended, heavy, metal lab tables.

Neena, Mikhail, and Nate join him, opening fire at the various drones.

You dive tackle Yukio, practically throwing her and yourself underneath one of the computer desks. You tuck her underneath you, doing your best to shield her from flying glass shards and stray chunks of metal.

Wade grabs Russell and Ellie, yanking them into a nearby alcove and shoving them behind him so he can take shots at the drones. “Since when did this go from a redux of my first movie to a redux of Terminator? We don’t have that kind of budget!”

Madeline shrieks when some of the rounds fired by the drones bounce off her containment cell. She drops to the floor of the tube, curling into a ball and sobbing hysterically. “Mommy!”

“Maddie!” Christina wholesale throws an operation table at one of the drones, cleaving it in half, before sprinting across the lab to reach her daughter’s cell. “Maddie!”

The whole building shakes like it’s about to come down. You hold tighter onto Yukio, getting what glimpses you can of the battle from under your table.

Alex and Nathaniel are caught up in a fraught telekinetic tango. They’re both reaching out towards each other –Nathaniel with both hands, red-faced and straining, and Alex with one hand, expression grim but determined—and their stand off seems to be what’s ripping the lab apart.

What happens when there are two unstoppable forces and two immovable objects, and each person has one?

Mikhail pops out of nowhere, landing next to Nathaniel. He lets out a burst of maniacal laughter, hits Nathaniel upside the head with the butt of his rifle, then disappears again.

Nathaniel stumbles, dazed –and it’s enough. He shrieks as he whizzes past you, bouncing off the ground before slamming into the computer station near the main entrance to the lab.

The remaining windows in the lab shatter, along with the lights. Glass rains down on the floor in tiny shards. Smoke and dust billow from one of the destroyed computer terminals, mixing with the glass into a lethal fog.

Your husband grabs Christina before quickly shielding her, Frank, Neena, and Nathan from the worst of the falling glass.

At the lab’s entrance, Wade and a newly reappeared Mikhail shield Russell and Ellie with their bodies.

For a moment, everything goes quiet, save for Essex’s labored groaning, Maddie’s terrified sobbing, and the tinkling sound of the glass making contact with the floor.

And then, not unlike a phoenix, Alex emerges from a cloud of smoke, head held high and eyes glowing menacingly. “Still want to do this, podonok?”

Nathaniel bares his teeth in a snarl before pushing up the sleeve on his jacket, revealing a time travel device like Nathan’s. “Fuck you.” He slaps a button on the device, then winks out of view in a flash of green light.

Alex snorts disdainfully. “Coward.”

Everything goes silent again. Relief slowly starts to sink in, now that the worst of it is over.

And then there’s an ominous whirring noise, and Madeline’s tube starts sinking into the lab floor.

She panics, shrieking and pounding on the glass. “Mommy!”

Christina bolts towards her daughter, equally as terror-stricken. “Maddie!”

The tube sinks fully into the ground, locking into place with a sickening click.

Christina freezes for a moment, staring at the place where her daughter used to be. Then, she lets out an anguished shriek and makes to rip the containment tube out of the ground.

“Don’t!” you shout, batting her away from the tube with a blast of air. “The neurotoxin!”

“I have to save her!”

“She’s already gone,” Nathan says, voice ragged. “He had a teleportation device attached to her cell. It would’ve activated seconds after he left.”

“Fuck you!”

Alex steps between Christina and the cell, keeping her from yanking it back up. “Easy, easy. We will still find your daughter.”

Christina snarls, then punches Alex straight in the face.

She doesn’t so much as flinch. Instead, she raises an eyebrow at the aggrieved woman, then lifts her own fist. “My turn? Or are we done?”

Christina gapes up at Alex for a moment, shocked, then resumes her efforts to try and get to the tube. “Maddie –I have to save her—”

“She is not there,” Alex insists, grunting as she bodily lifts Christina away from the cell. “Our best bet is to find Nathaniel.”

“He could be anywhere!”

“He used a short-range teleporter,” Nathan pipes up. “He’ll be close by. The sooner we start tracking him, the better.”

“Well, that would be our cue,” Alex says, firmly ushering Christina towards the door. “Let’s head back to house. We can plan from there.”

“What about this place?” Yukio asks as she follows after Alex.

“We burn it.”

“We –we can’t do that,” Piotr protests, staring at his mother’s back. “Criminals need to be held responsible for—”

“And, what, we just leave evidence of our involvement? Of your connections to criminal underworld?” Alex snaps, whirling to face her son. “Nyet! We destroy this place and keep ourselves in the clear.”

“And what about the people connected to this place. Without evidence, they will never be held accountable!”

“Justice has many forms, medvezhonok. They’ll get theirs.”

“Come on.” You tug on your husband’s hand when he frowns after his mother. “We need to go, either way. The cops aren’t gonna be able to help us with this, not the way we really need help.”

Piotr’s grimace deepens –but, he ultimately falls into step next to you.

[egotuberwriting]

Kidnapped

Darkiplier + Daughter!Reader (Obviously familial) 

So I just found this while going through my Docs. It was supposed to be posted last year, but I wasn’t happy with a big chunk of it so I put it aside and totally forgot about it. Whoops. 

Well, here it is now! And it’s based off of @justwritingscibbles​ bullet fic about being Dark’s Daughter! Hope you guys enjoy!

    It was one thing to have a protective father, and it was another to have an overprotective father who just so happened to be a demon of sorts. 

    You loved your father, you really, truly did. You just wished he would ease off on the protective level a bit. Having to tell him every little detail on where you were going if you were going out and dealing with having either Dark himself or some of his essence in your shadow just so he could keep an eye on you, or even ordering The Host to go with you, was beyond annoying. You knew he only did this because he cares for you and just doesn’t want anything bad to happen, but you just wish that he could trust the world enough to leave you alone.

    One day while idly staring at the ceiling to your room while laying down, you decide to do something daring; sneak out to go to the mall without telling your father. Sure you’ve attempted this multiple times before and failed every attempt, not getting too far before he realized what you did and drags you back home to give you a good scolding, but you were sure that you would be able to successfully sneak away and get to your destination without him dragging you home!

    Coincidentally, your friends planned to go to the movies tomorrow and you wanted to join them, and as it turns out, tomorrow was also the day Dark had to attend an important meeting that would probably last all day. This was perfect; not only was your father going to be gone all day, but you had a reason to sneak out! You just hoped he wouldn’t use his powers to check on you while you were gone…

    The next day quickly arrived and you were ecstatic. Dark, sensing your excitement, asked you what you were excited about out of curiosity and you explain to him that you and an online friend were gonna stream some really old public domain films and mock them. He knew how you loved to watch things with your online friends so he believed you, thankfully.

    “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone, Y/N?” Dark asked, straightening out his suit.

    “Of course I will be, father! Besides, I’m gonna be on my computer all day today, so I won’t really be leaving my room that often until you come home.”

    Dark chuckled and pat your head. “Just remember to take care of yourself. I’ll be home by dinner.”

    “I will! And you try to not hurt the other Ipliers during the meeting!” You giggled and he rolled his eyes. “See you later, father!”

    “Goodbye, Y/N.” He smiled and promptly walked out the front door.

    You watched from the window as he left to the Iplier HQ and, once he was out of view, immediately ran into your room to change your clothes. It was time for things to be set into motion! You text your friends to ask what time the movie started, what time you should arrive and where should you meet them. As you awaited their reply, you made sure you had what you knew you’d need: a jacket, house keys, wallet, phone and pepper spray. You were only going to the movies so you didn’t need much.

    Once the reply from your friends came to you, you frowned as you saw that the movie was in four hours. This meant you’d have to wait for at least three hours before leaving that way you guys wouldn’t be wandering around aimlessly for too long. After the agonizingly slow three hours of waiting, you put on your jacket and quickly made way for the exit. After locking the door, you began to run to where your friends told you to meet up. You were sure that you attracted some looks from strangers due to running, but you didn’t care. You were going on a movie day with your friends without Dark’s essence, or himself, in your shadow and without Host! And this time, since Dark was gonna be gone all day, there was no chance of getting into trouble!

    You had to admit, it was so odd being out in the open without any hint of your father nearby, yet it was refreshing all the same. You knew that you still had to be careful because of dangerous people that roamed the street, but you figured that since you were Dark’s daughter and that you hung out with the other egos (or tried to, anyway), you were prepared to defend yourself should someone try to do something to you. 

    As you got closer to your destination, you heard someone call your name. You stopped in your tracks and looked around. It wasn’t a voice you recognize and it sounded like it was right next to you, even though there was no one there. Shrugging, you take a few more steps before hearing your name being called again. This time, however, you stopped in front of an alleyway where a hooded figure rested against the wall. You looked at them, and judging from how the hood moved, they looked at you back.

    “A-Are you the one calling me…?” You hesitantly asked them. 

    “Yeah, I am. Tell me; what’s Darkiplier’s prized possession doing out in public without him?”

    “Prized possession..? Wait, how do you know about my father?!”

    “How do I know him? Heh, who doesn’t know him? He’s one of the most feared beings around, although I think he’s grown soft thanks to you. Come on, kid, you should know that.” They pushed themselves off the wall and faced you, the shadow from the buildings hiding any noticeable features about them.

    Your hands began to shake and your heart was pounding. Something about this person unsettled you and you felt the strong urge to run away right then and there, but your legs were practically locked in place from fear.

    They took a step towards you. “Tell me; what do you think will happen if one of Dark’s enemies finds you and senses that he’s not around, hm?” 

    “I… I don’t know…” You gulped. 

    In truth, you did know. Oh boy, did you know. The first time Dark caught you sneaking out he made sure to tell you what could happen if he’s not around to ensure your safety. He even drilled the possibilities into your head by using his powers to show you, even if he regretted scaring you by doing this. 

    “Well then, missy.” Smiling, the figure disappeared and quickly appeared behind you, grappling you with a tight grip and holding a knife to your neck. “Let me show you~”

    You screamed at the top of your lungs to try and get someone's attention, but it was all for naught as he glitched away with you still in his grip. 

    Anti finally had a way to make Dark do what he wants. 

---

    The Host’s head snapped up as he felt a strong disturbance flow through the air. He sensed that something bad had just happened. Something so bad that even he hesitated to quietly narrate it. Everyone in the meeting room looked at him, knowing that him snapping his head up like he did was a very rare occurrence and it usually meant something bad had just happened somewhere that would affect one or more of them. 

    “Host, what’s wrong with you?” Wilford questioned.

    The Host opened his mouth to speak, but found that he was too scared to talk. Upon closer inspection, his lip was trembling. 

    “Out with it, Host! We don’t have all day!” Dark growled.

    “T-The Host… is scared.” He muttered. “A-And requests that everyone else leaves so he can talk to Dark in private... “

    Everyone glanced at each other and then at Dark, who nodded as permission for them to leave. Slowly they got up and exited the room, leaving the narrator and demon alone. 

    “What is the meaning of this?”

    The Host gulped, trying to pick his words carefully. “...Y/N is in trouble. The Septic ego Antisepticeye has kidnapped her and plans to use her as blackmail so you do what he wants.”

    Immediately, Dark’s aura flickered as his shell almost shattered completely. The entire room lost its color and ringing could be heard throughout the entire building.

    He was enraged.

    How dare Anti put his hands on his beloved daughter and plan to use her as blackmail. 

    How dare Anti think he could do this and get away with it. 

    No, he was going to pay dearly for this. 

    “How? How did he get her!?” He growled, causing the Host to gulp.

    “She left the house approximately three hours after you left to come to this meeting so she could attend a hang out day with some friends of hers without any trace of you with her.”

    If Dark wasn’t twitchy already, he certainly was now. He warned you about what could happen if you went somewhere without him around in some way, he fucking warned you, and yet you didn’t heed his warnings. In a fit of rage he punched a hole into the table and stormed out of the room, exploding into cloud of shadows and began to make his way to the Septic’s house. 

    He would scold you later, but right now he had to focus on making Anti pay.

---

    “Wakey wakey, devil’s daughter~” Anti giggled, his hand under your chin and lifting it so you were facing him. 

    You had fainted after being glitched away with him, allowing him to easily tie you up in a chair in his basement. Opening your eyes and meeting his gaze caused you to close them again, praying that this was all a big nightmare and that soon your father would wake you up for breakfast. You prayed and prayed but to no avail, as you still felt the man’s hand under your chin and felt the chain restraining you from moving.

    “Awww, is the little girl scared?” He continued to giggle. “I’m surprised. Being Darkiplier’s daughter, I thought you would be an emotionless bastard like him.”

    Not giving him the satisfaction of responding, you instead try to bite his hand, which results in him pulling away and slapping you on the cheek. You yelped and tried to hold back any tears that might have started to form. You had to stay strong until Dark arrived.

    “You better watch it. Remember who the powerless hostage is here.”

    “What do you want from me?” 

    There was a sadistic glimmer in his eye,“What do I want? Hehehe… Well, I want to see Dark suffer. And what better way to do that than to hurt the only thing he cares about?” 

    Anti grabbed his knife and placed it on your cheek. Feeling the cold metal on your skin petrified you. You had to resist the urge to turn your head to look away so you wouldn’t get cut. Anti smirked at seeing your terrified expression. He kept the knife there for a few more moments, even pressing it against your skin slightly, before taking it away. He was going to have fun with this, oh yes.

    “W-Why do you want to hurt my father?!” You managed to ask.

    “Why? Isn’t it obvious? There’s room for only one powerful ego in this world, and that’s ME.” He hissed. “But don’t worry. Once I get rid of him, or at least make sure he does my bidding, I’ll make sure that you’ll be fine. Just don’t try to escape, or else...”

    You gulped at his last sentence. Something happening to Dark because of you was the last thing you wanted. You struggled. Despite Anti’s warning, you still had to make an attempt to escape.

    He giggles. “Are you really trying to escape while I’m still here? You’re not very bright are you? Then again, you’re Dark’s daughter. I should have expected as much.”

    This creature was getting on your nerves. Now you understood why your father despised him so much.

    “Ohhh… Just you wait! Once my father gets here, you’re in for a world of trouble!” You declared, doing your best to sound intimidating like Dark.

    Glitchy laughter filled the room. It was obvious that Anti wasn’t taking you seriously.

    “Oh trust me…” He glitched behind you to whisper into your ear. “I won’t be the one in a world of pain when he gets here~” 

    He promptly gagged you and once again disappeared into thin air. 

    Panic immediately began to set in now that you were alone. Was Anti really going to hurt your father? Did Dark or Host even sense that something happened to you? Was Anti going to kill you as a way of hurting Dark?!

    All these thoughts running through your head cause you to start struggling even more than before. You had to get out. You had to escape. You needed to get out of there before you put your father in danger. Even if he was a powerful creature, you didn’t want to risk losing him.

    You don’t know how much time had passed, but you ended up tiring yourself out. Instead of struggling to escape, you cried in fear. If only you had listened to your father. If only you had stayed at home where it was safe. Why the hell did you think that going somewhere without your father was a good idea?! There was a reason he was being overprotective dammit! 

    As you sat there in silence, you hear something. You feel something. Lifting your head, you begin to look around. It was dim in the room so you couldn’t really see anything, but you sensed that something was nearing you. It wasn’t Anti; he had a different feeling to him. Then you notice something; the shadows were seemingly moving and you heard a very loud, high pitch ringing. That only meant one thing. 

    “...Father?” You thought to yourself.

    On cue Dark manifested from the shadows and, without hesitation, took off your gag and started to undo your bounds. 

    “There’s a reason I’m overprotective, Y/N. This is that reason.” He growled. 

    You gulped. What were you supposed to say that wouldn’t anger him? ‘Thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ came to mind, but that could wait until you were both home. 

    You both were still in danger, after all.

    Once the bounds came off, you went to wrap your arms around him but stopped mid-motion. Your eyes widened at the sight behind him.

    Anti had glitched behind Dark and was about to stab him.

    Reading your actions, your father immediately turned around and punched the glitch in the stomach to knock the wind out of him. It worked, but caused him to glitch away and reappear next to you. Anti grabbed you and placed his knife to your throat, planning to threaten you in order to get Dark to back down from any further attack. He wasn’t able to get a single word out before Dark used the shadows to pull his arm away from you, then used more shadows to pull him away from you entirely. 

    You used this opportunity to flee behind your father. Despite the painful negative energy flowing throughout the room thanks to his aura, you didn’t want to leave his side.

    Dark, however, had different plans. You may not have wanted to leave his side, but he wanted you out of the building so he could deal with Anti in private. He brushed his hand against your arm and glanced back at you.

    “Wait for me outside.”

    Hesitantly nodding, you do as ordered. You don’t get too far before you hear the sound of intense fighting commence. Covering your ears, you run out of the building. You normally weren’t phased by fights, verbal or physical, but since this one involved Dark and his greatest enemy you didn’t want to risk hearing any painful grunts coming from him.

    The sun was set by the time Dark finally emerged from the house. You look up at him and see that his normally perfect suit was ruined and that he had a few cuts across his face and chest.

    “F-Father…”

    “Don’t worry about me. Are you okay?”

    “Yes, I’m okay…” You mumble, unable to look him in the eyes.

    “Good. Come, let’s go home.”

    Opening a portal, he grabbed your hand and led you through it. His grip on your hand was tight, and it was hard to tell if it was from anger or fear.

    After he closed the portal, he let you go and put his hands behind his back. “Y/N, after you get a snack and go to the bathroom, meet me in my study. I need to have a word with you.” 

    His voice sounded calm, but you knew that underneath that calm demeanor was a hidden rage he was trying to hide from you. Yes, he was angry at Anti for kidnapping you, but he was also angry at you for lying to him and leaving the house without telling him.

    You nodded and quickly walked away. You ate your favorite snack, drank some water, and went to the bathroom. You even changed into more comfortable clothes.

    Now here you were. Outside of Dark’s study and too terrified to enter. His anger was certainly something to be feared. You’ve only ever seen a fraction of it since he always does his best to hide how angry he can truly be, but you were certain that you were going to face a lot more than you were used to.

    Taking a deep breath, you proceed to enter his office and walked to the center of it. Dark was staring out a window, now in a new suit,  and remained motionless even when you came to a halt. 

    Neither of you said anything, creating a thick layer of tension. Both of you were looking for the right words to say. You didn’t want to anger him anymore than he already was, and Dark didn’t want to scare you anymore than he knows he will. 

    The silence between you two continued. The only sounds in the room came from a clock on the wall and the ringing his aura created.

    Finally, Dark spoke up.

    “Why did you lie to me, Y/N?” He asked, not moving from his spot.

    You gulp. “I… Because… I wanted to go to the movies with my friends.”

    “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

    “Because…” You hesitated to say it. “I… I wanted to feel what it was like without either you or Host watching me.”

    Dark remained quiet for a moment. “...Why do you think I do what I do, Y/N?” He turns to face you. “Why do you think I make sure to know everything when you leave the house?”

    You remain quiet, not wanting to say an answer that will anger him.

    “It’s because of bastards like Anti. He’s not the only one who would be willing to kidnap you to try and use you as blackmail against me. He’s not the only one who would be willing to kidnap you for even far more heinous acts!” Dark moved in front of you. “And if it wasn’t for the Host, I wouldn’t have known about your situation until much later. And yes, I did sense that something had happened, but I assumed it wasn’t as bad as it really was. I will admit that was my fault and I won’t be making that mistake again.” He twitched, trying to contain his cracking shell. “And yet despite all my warnings, you still disobey and lie to me. Why?”

    You open your mouth to speak, but no words come out.

    “...Answer my question, Y/N. WHY?!” 

    Tears started to form at the corners of your eyes as you looked away from his gaze. “B-Because… I wanted to go out with my friends alone… a-and thought that everything you said was exaggerating.” 

    “Do not look away from me, Y/N.” He growled.

    You looked back at him, hesitantly. His eyes looked venomous and you feared your upcoming punishment. You already had a horrible headache thanks to the ringing in your head and his negative aura, but your father was feared for a reason. Sure, he had never hurt you, and he especially always tried to keep his aura and shell in control, but you fucked up badly this time. Honestly, even if you feared your upcoming punishment, you knew you deserved it.

    You disobeyed and lied. It’s only right that he punished you.

    “I give you anything you could ever want. I take you EVERYWHERE you want to go. The least you can do is be honest with me and never disobey me. Especially when it comes to leaving the house while that glitch bitch is still alive.”

    He turned around and walked over to his desk, putting both hands down on it. You can tell from the multiple forms of him screaming off to the side that he was only getting angrier. He was trying to contain it, but was having great difficulty. You’ve never seen him at his worst, but this was new and pretty bad.

    He started taking quick, deep breaths. His other forms creeping out from his shell got worse and the air in the study got heavier, making it difficult to breathe comfortably. Your head started pounding as the ringing became deafening and the negative aura felt like another heavy blanket on top of you. Suddenly, he yelled and punched a hole into his desk. The suddenness of it caused you to flinch and take a step back. It’d be a lie to say you weren’t scared by that alone.

    Dark stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity before the ringing started to subdue to a more tolerable level and his shell seemed stable again. During this time, you didn’t dare say anything. You still didn’t want to risk angering him more. 

    Finally, he turned to speak to you over his shoulder.

    “...Go to your room, Y/N. Leave all your electronics outside your room. You’re grounded from using them for a month.” He grumbled, just loud enough so you could hear.

    “Yes, father…” You said in a hushed tone.

    Leaving his study, you take a deep breath and start walking to your room, processing everything your father said. It was a lot to take in, but you learned your lesson, that’s for damn sure. Never again would you lie to Dark, and never again would you try to leave without him knowing.