#i figured we might not use gifs for this thread but feel free to use them if you want and I'll switch to using em as well! <3

[shadowbriar]

James Potter - Traitor

Pairing : James Potter x (she/her) Reader Word Count : 1.9k Warning : Cliffhanger (sort of). Not proofread as always. Synopsis : As gracious and angelic Lily Evans is, she couldn’t help but to see her as some villain who might steal him away. Notes : Inspired by this request and Olivia Rodrigo - Traitor. Pretty sort as I don't know if anon would like a happy or sad ending? If you like this story and would like to support me, please visit my kofi page and perhaps get me a coffee?☕ James Potter's Masterlist click here. Taglist : @jsjcue @ell0ra-br3kk3r @sofiacblair @coffeehurricanes @ineedmentalhelp123

She should’ve known better. She should’ve known that when he pulled that stunt at the Great Hall, proclaiming his feelings and just how desperate he’s been to get her attention, that it was only a projection of the words he wanted to confess to another. She should’ve known that when he looked at her with those eyes that were filled with love, it would never compare to the affection he hoards for another. She should’ve known that with every promise, every sweet nonsense he whispered to her ears, they were truly addressed for another.

The signs were laid bare for her to see. From the way he stopped holding her hands in the hallway to making up excuses and cancelling their dates. His kisses have turned into quick pecks before they’re gone altogether. The jokes he used to share have stopped coming. Dissipating into thin air with no warning.

Supposedly it was her fault. She should’ve said something, calling him out from the lack of effort he’s been showing but she knew she was pulling on a thin thread. Their relationship has always been based on a frail foundation. She knew that deep down there was no other woman that could topple his first love, so she kept quiet. Crying herself to sleep and praying to whoever might listen out there to help salvage their relationship. Anything to keep him just a little bit longer.

“Love, you left your hair tie in my room,” James says once he takes a seat, busying himself with the stack of pancakes in front of him.

She takes the unassuming item and examines it. This hair tie wasn’t hers. She doesn’t have bright orange hair ties, “This isn’t mine, James.”

“Oh,” He responded, taking the item and placing it in his pocket nonchalantly “Must be Lily’s then.”

“Lily?”

“Yeah, we had an impromptu study session last night after our rounds. She helped me with my potion essays.”

“But we promised to do that essay together,” She says, forcing a smile as she tries her best to conceal her disappointment and heartbreak “I waited for you to have some free time so we can work on it together.”

“Yes well, like I said, it was an impromptu session. We finished our rounds earlier than expected so we figured we could use the free time to do the assignment.” He explained, still oblivious to the harm done to her heart “Shouldn’t you be proud I’ve finally managed to finish an assignment earlier than due? This is a huge improvement for me, don’t you think?”

Her head nods, another pretend smile decorating her face. James looks happy and proud of his achievement. It was true. When else would you find James Potter diligently working his schoolwork? He’s always been one of those students who waits for the adrenaline rush of working everything at the last minute. He’s brilliant, perhaps too brilliant to ever spare an hour in revising his notes and making flashcards for the upcoming exams, so this certainly is a huge improvement to celebrate for. If only it wasn’t because of Lily.

“You’ve been spending more time with Lily, lately.” She points out. Her hands were shaking, knowing that the pool she’s stepping in might be deeper than it seems and she might not know how to swim to the shore but she needed to start somewhere. She needs to save their relationship somehow.

James’ brows furrow, a slight sign of disagreement, “Not really. Our rounds just happened to be scheduled together a lot this month.”

“Well, you also cancelled our study date last week for her.”

“Yeah, that’s because she needed my help with Divination.”

A rude laughter escapes her, “You’re the worst from our House in Divination, James. She doesn’t need your help.”

“Where are you going with this?” He finally snaps, turning to face her with evident annoyance in his eyes “I thought you would be happy with me finally trying to fix my grades.”

“I am. I just didn’t realise that needed to be done by increasing the amount of time you share with your ex-crush.”

“Oh, so you’re jealous?”

She was quiet now. Sure it was jealousy that plagued her mind the first time he began drifting away but these days, these days she’s only been insecure and worried for their sinking ship. Anxiety over the chance of her being replaced by someone who has always had his heart has been haunting her nights. As gracious and angelic Lily Evans is, she couldn’t help but to see her as some villain who might steal him away.

“You’re being paranoid, again.” James scoffs, turning completely blind and deaf to her silent agony “There’s nothing going on between me and Lily. I’m trying to fix my grades for me. She just happens to be a great teacher and companion to help me study.”

She's still quiet, weighing if she should believe his words.

"Please, I don't want to fight," James sighs, dropping the fork on his hand and taking hers to show his sincerity "She's just a friend, I promise."

There was truly nothing left for her to say that wouldn’t act as petrol to their burning bridge. James wasn’t listening. For a while now he hasn’t truly cared about a word she’s said and it was painful to finally understand this. That he might never have been as sincere as she thought him to be. Or perhaps he did, once, yet that feeling has died a long time ago with no chance of revival. His feelings for her have withered, faded into nothingness.

And it��s only a matter of time before the flame in her heart dies too.

—-

It was a nasty fall.

She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this much worry and cried so much from something Madam Promfrey claims as ‘nothing but a light nudge on the head’, but she was there when the bludger hit his head. She was there when James began losing balance of his broom and falling to the hard ground. She was there when the team crowd around their passed out captain.

Her eyes were getting heavy now. The watch on her wrist has shown that she has skipped dinner a few hours ago. Some of the lights on the hospital wing have been turned off, making the hall darker as night falls deeper. If it wasn’t for the boys coming to visit James half an hour ago, she would be left starving and secretly creeped out by the eerie feeling of the infirmary.

“You should get some rest, Love, you’ve been waiting here for hours.” Remus advises, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze.

“He should be up anytime soon, now,” She reasoned as she looked up to see the tall boy “I want to be there when he wakes up.”

“Trust me, Dove, knowing Prongs, he might just sleep in till tomorrow,” Sirius added “Besides, you won’t miss a thing. He’ll still be the same obnoxious Potter tomorrow morning.”

A small curl of smile tugs on her lips.

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.” Peter offers this time.

“You don’t have to, Wormy. I’m fine—”

“Dove, please,” Sirius begs “You look awful. And I mean this in the most endearing way but you could really use a bath.”

“Thank you, Pads,” She rolls her eyes, finally standing from her seat and glaring at the raven haired boy “Your honesty is always something I could count on, even in the darkest time.”

Sirius grins, nodding, “I am a man of honour.”

“Let me know if anything happens? If he wakes up?”

“We will,” Remus reassures “Goodnight, Love.”

With a last bid of hug and ignoring the still awful churning feeling in her gut, she links arm with Peter and walks out of the hospital wing. It’s been hours since she’s waited for her boyfriend to wake up from his sleep and the fatigue plaguing her body has only been recognised as she takes further steps away from the infirmary. Perhaps the worry has amplified the soreness of her muscles. It’s never an easy life dating the Captain of Gryffindor team.

She hates to admit it, but she might really need that bath Sirius was talking about.

And just when they were about to exit the tower, her brain reminded her of her left satchel, “Shoot, I forgot something.” She groans, letting out a frustrated sigh “Give me ten minutes?”

“Is it that important?” Peter asks “We can just bring it to you later.”

“I’ll be quick, I promise. I have to finish my paper for the first period tomorrow, I need to get my satchel.”

Peter only nods at her as she begins running back to the ward. Truth be told, she’s finished the paper as she waited for James earlier. Leaving her satchel was completely by accident and she could’ve just continued walking back to her dormitory and ask the boys to bring it to her later, but why would she pass up a chance to see her boyfriend one last time?

“So did she come?”

A smile blooms on her face as she hears James’ voice echoes faintly. He’s up.

“Of course she did, she waited for you for hours.” Sirius answers “She’s your girlfriend, Prongs, she never left.”

“Oh,” James answered, the disappointment dripping from his tone slows down her steps “I was asking about Lily, actually.”

There was a pause. She could see Sirius and Remus exchanging a glance from behind their backs. If it wasn’t for the curtain blocking James’ view, he would’ve seen her coming.

“So did she come?” James asks again.

“No, Prongs. Why would she come?” Remus asks, his tone slightly rising in annoyance.

“I don’t know,” James answers “I thought we were getting closer. I just figured she’d want to check on me.”

“Well, she didn’t,” Sirius says this time, the same level of irritation evident in his tone “Why are you even thinking of her? You have a brilliant girlfriend who cares for you. Who literally spent hours sitting on that awful chair, worried about your bonked head, and the first thing you asked about when you woke up was Lily?”

“It was just a question, Pads. No need to get all worked up on me.”

“Well, your question is rubbish, Prongs.”

“Why are you—”

“Hey guys,” She says, finally showing herself from behind the curtain “Sorry, I left my satchel. Oh, hello James, you finally woke up.”

She could see the surprise on James’ eyes that he quickly blinked away with a sweet smile, “Hello, Darling.”

“I’m glad you’re up. Are you feeling okay?”

“Still dizzy, but I’ll live.” He says warmly “Will you stay with me tonight?”

“Uh, no, I need to finish my papers.” She says instead, fighting the loud ringing in her ears from the heartache “Besides, you need all the rest you could get. I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“But you wouldn’t—”

“I really need to go. Peter is waiting for me,” She cuts in “Good night, James.”

She glances at Remus and Sirius for a brief moment. Staring at them for too long would make all the dam she’s trying to uphold break lose and the last thing she’d want to do tonight would be to cry in front of James. No, she would not give him that satisfaction. It is one thing to deny and avoid all of her questions and another to actually dismiss her presence. Perhaps it's time for her to accept that the heart James wears on his sleeve was never hers to begin with.

As she walks out of the infirmary for the second time tonight, she could hear Sirius’ curse faintly, “You’ve lost her for good now, Prongs.”

[residenthughes]

please, go easy

pairing: leon kennedy x gender neutral reader

word count: 1.8k

tags/warning: fluff and angst, leon just needs a big ole hug :(

summary: leon's not been the same since spain. you're intent on finding out why.

notes: this came out of nowhere? was simply on tiktok and came across a post discussing all the events leon's been through and this is the result. don't have much to say except for capcom needs to give us AT LEAST a ten minute cutscene of leon being stupidly happy. it's what we all deserve.

i also posted this on ao3. if you wanted to check it out there, as well as my other fics, please feel free to do so.

the title was inspired by mac demarco's song 'go easy' that came on shuffle whilst writing this :)

enjoy! :)

It’s been a few days since Leon’s returned from his latest mission in Spain and customary to his awaited return, he’s glued himself to you. Any chance he gets - he’s skin to skin with you - head in your lap whilst you silently work away, delicate hands on your waist as you brush your teeth or prepare dinner, limbs tangled in yours as you slumber. Relentless in his aim to be consumed by you, the average joe would grow rather sick of the incessant touches that never seem to leave you. But, you’re not the average joe; you miss Leon’s touch just as much as he does yours and with the harrowing atrocities that plague his mind, you’re sure his touches translate to desperate grips of security in his mind.

You try not to worry. After all, it’s usually a matter of days before Leon has a pep in his step that washes your worries away. But it’s been a week now and nothing’s changed. It’s like he’s returned home every day, ruminating himself to ruins. You’re there for him, without a doubt, making sure to never pry but always serve a remainder to the refuge he might seek. There are some things that we just need to experience alone. You’re all too aware of that. If it was up to you, you’d eat all the monsters in his head for breakfast and kiss away the scars they leave. Alias, you do not hold such power, even if Leon looks at you like you create the constellations in the sky.

It’s a little bit past 10 now. A dull ache thumps in your feet from a long day of work and your attention span suffers too. Mindlessly staring at the TV screen before you, your fingers thread obliviously through the soft strands of Leon’s hair while he lays still in your lap. You think back to how not even an hour ago, the man approached you; figure looming over you as his stature entirely blocked your view. With how sunken in and purple-rimmed his beautiful eyes were, you could easily picture how menacing they were when his life was on the line. But, no. In the case of meeting one’s fate with a bullet to the head, Leon opts for an extension of his hand, hair brush in his grasp.

His hair could use a good brush. He could do with a good brush. So, you let him - legs lazily draped over his shoulders as he relaxes into you, fingertip treading ever so lightly against your skin as you begin to work.

“Think you missed a spot,” he chimes in when your movements come to a final halt. “My hair needs more work than that.”

In one swift motion, you circle your legs around his chest and bring them towards his throat with force. It happens so quickly but Leon still manages to get a hand in to prevent the tighter grip that would have been against his throat. “Don’t push it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” You hear the smile in his voice and there’s a lightness in your chest you haven’t felt in a while. It’s good to hear how humoured Leon’s responses are. Makes you feel like you’re one step closer.

The phone rings and you’re back pedalling again. You know it’s the sound of Leon’s work phone. It wouldn’t be ringing this late if it wasn’t, right?

Except he doesn’t move, only nudges his head back. “You gonna get that?”

Oh.

It’s yours. How silly of you.

Perhaps, in the chaos of over-concerning yourself with Leon’s state of mind, you’ve managed to absorb yourself into the ugly anxiety it carries. The ring of your phone indicating so. You exhale at the top of your lungs and with the blink of your eyes, you make up your mind.

“Nah,” you smile without the burdens on your shoulder, fingers carding through dusty blond strands. “It’s probably not important.”

It’s almost as if Leon can hear the airness of your voice; the changed way you’re carrying yourself, to which he hums and closes his eyes as the brush bristles graze tenderly against his scalp.

At some point, you knock the back of the hairbrush softly against his scalp and unravel yourself from his grip. Having nodded into a shallow slumber, Leon’s head gives a quick shake before his arm reaches behind him, taking the object and standing to his feet. You expect him to return the hairbrush back to your shared room as he regularly does, but with a careless toss, the hairbrush clatters against the coffee table and he’s collapsing into your lap.

Your hands are thrown up, to express your surprise and slight frustration. “All my hardwork.”

With his curled up body facing the TV, the best face-to-face contact Leon can give you with his head in your lap is a side eye. You snicker at the sight. “It was gonna get messed up anyways.”

“Yeah, later,” you stress with the tug of his hair. Your longtime boyfriend can only laugh as you drag your firm hold. “Not when I’ve just finished brushing it.”

“Oh, boo hoo,” he mocks and you’re pulling at his hair again. At this point, you’re the one messing with his hair and it’s evident to Leon too, who simply laughs at your annoyance. “Thank you, though. It’s been a while since you’ve done this.”

Five weeks ago, you think. That was the last time Leon nestled himself into you, mumbling underneath his breath about how his latest mission required for his hair to be cut short enough that he couldn’t fully enjoy the drawn out brushes of the comb. You laughed, reassuring him that when he ambled through your doorway after a successful mission, his head of hair would be long enough to receive its five star treatment.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

With your chin burrowed into the palm of your hand, you watch the credits roll for the rerun episode you completely missed deep in your thoughts. You settle for another episode’s worth of television before heading to bed. Expecting the light snore of Leon’s slumber, you don’t move around too much but when your eyes cast down to admire your sleeping beauty, he lies awake. Eyes scarlet and forehead puckered. If not for how private the moment seemed, you would have ran your fingers over his forehead creases with the joke, “Don’t think too hard, handsome.”

As you decided earlier, if Leon was open to discussing what had been bothering him, you would be all ears. However, you were not going to overextend yourself to an area you didn’t belong. It wouldn’t be fair to you nor Leon. So, without much to worry, you rest your hand against Leon’s warm shoulder and begin to watch whatever 90s show was playing before you.

It isn’t long - give or take -  ten minutes into the show, during the ad break where Leon finally breaks his silence.

“Do you,” he croaks, body unmoving except for the desperate fingernails that grapple at the material of your trousers. You hold your breath. “Do you think I’ve changed?”

The question is so innocent in nature, but it carries a storm as treacherous as a hornet’s nest. If things were different, if Leon hadn’t boarded that plane to rural Spain, maybe you wouldn’t have to think as hard about your answer. A moment’s glance at his face would lead you to your answer, still quite casual but definitely making sure to let it be known that Leon’s change was evident. Given everything he’s been through and what’s to come, you’re surprised he hasn’t completely shapeshifted into a brand new person. You don’t talk about it much, but that night in Raccoon City changed a lot of things for him and you’re unsure whether it's something he wants to hear. Even now, after pondering the fact on days he was away, you’re still in doubt. The silence is loud and you can’t see his face. It’s truly up to you and you alone to come to your own conclusion.

“In some ways, yes,” you test the syllables that leave your lips, unsure if they bring peace of mind to Leon who quietly listens.

The moment is so delicate, like a basket of eggs. One wrong word, the wrong tone; even an exhale could shatter the dozen, leaving Leon’s vulnerability damaged forever. You want to say everything that’ll keep him here. Long enough, at least, to know where his refuge lies.

“I’d say for as long as we’ve been together, there are some differences in you. And, in me too,”

“But, I think what’s good to keep in mind is that it’s ok to not change and to not feel any shame in that regard.”

Your hands that found a home in the dusty blond locks of his hair move towards his jawline, the bone highlighted by the singular tear that cascades down the ivory of his skin. A quick brush of the thumb and you’re talking again, knowing the additional attention would have him gone with the wind. “No matter what the circumstances, or how many years have gone by, the way I see things is that it’s ok to still care, to still be soft or to even be scared. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of those characteristics if they make you who you are or shape your experiences.”

You say no more, content with the sentiment your words carry. With the entirety of your heart, you hope in the maze of your words, Leon’s found the treasure he’s looking for; the treasure that soothes his wounds and ease his burdens. He’s been through so much, you think to yourself. So, the least you can do is remind him of the man he is, jaded by the terrors of the world but still so full of love, of care and kindness.

There’s a sniffle and it breaks your heart. In the warmth of your lap, your long-time boyfriend moves subtly, staring up at you with dazzling eyes of blue that pool with his heartache. The sight imposes a hefty anguish burn in your chest, but it does not compare to the relief you see settle into Leon’s features. Everything is so easy now; everything goes.

You give a small comforting smile, thumb grazing against the light stubble across Leon’s cheek.

“You should come with a warning sign, you know,” he jokes, all smiles and laughter as he wipes away the remainder of his tears. “Making a man cry over here.”

You press a soft kiss against Leon’s forehead and he instantly leans into your touch. He’s just the sweetest thing, deserves nothing but the utmost of love and affection. “Boo hoo.”

He gives a pointed look and as you pepper the surface of his skin with indulgent kisses, you and him both know it’s easy going from here.

[peacerisendove]

Dove Reads Big Ethel Energy #2-11 (62-71)

Alright, I said I was going to read through this season and I did get to episode #3 before I completely dropped off for a while.

So I'm back and once more into the breach we go. Time for Dove's Big Ol' Review/Comment Electric Boogaloo cause this is going to be big.

Episodes 2

Not much to say there honestly. It might just be me personally, but I feel the writing is clunky or zipping by too fast in setting up problems for Ethel, such as the chapters about the all-female Olympiad and regarding women in Riverdale for the biography being removed from the book. It sucks of course, but also the way these problems are set up feel like it's a problem simply to be a problem rather than naturally occurring. Perhaps I'm being overly aware of how BEE goes about setting up issues regarding gender and sexism, but it feels rushed and doesn't jive with me.

Episode 3

My same complaint as before is that the issues and how they're present feel shoe horned. Also applied to Ethel and Moose's dynamic just doesn't feel cute or clever.

I do however love their idea for Coach Treadwell to use Moose being in her position as a reason for her to get a pay raise. That is a good idea.

Episode 4

Ethel needs to pick a lane on whether she want the distance from Seth or not. Like I get it being sudden and weird, so it's weird for her to figure out the boundary, but I believe she is also the one who brought up needing Seth to keep his distance.(Though I would need to check back near the end of season 1)

Also he just helped you up. That's it. That's him being nice and isn't something that should be read into.

Ok see? This is cute and natural sounding writing that I love.

What I don't like is what feels like the set up for a love triangle/Ethel potentially developing feelings for Seth. I really get a sense of developing guilt in her talking to Seth while she's dating Moose. Though this may also just potentially point toward the writer making Moose a jealous boyfriend like I've mentioned in the past, and perhaps drawing from his angry personality in the comics.

Hm. Dilton is a teacher? I guess we'll get more out of that later.

Episode 5

MOOSE BOOY WHY ARE YOU LYING ABOUT THE NEW TEACHER BEING DILTON?!?! I hope Ethel told him about what happened with Veronica and the cyber bullying.

I also do not like what they've done to my precious nerd Dilton :c . Honestly no one is like themselves. They merely have the facade of them.

Hmmm...questions about long distance. Who do we know that is away?

Seth.

(I know. I know. I'm pulling at nonexistent threads, but my brain immediately thought of Seth. Then her life in New York of course.)

Episode 6

Ok, I know I'm nitpicky, but why did they not put Nancy in a different outfit than her regular one for the poster?

The veneer of perfection in Ethel's life and her having these moments to gush just don't endear me to Ethel as a character.

Episode 7

I smell jealousy and more misunderstandings on the horizon. Honestly, all problems in this comic can't be based on misunderstandings.

Episode 8

Considering we spent a good portion of the first season revolving around Ethel's woes and the reader is meant to feel sorry of her/empathizing with her and her problems and now we are seeing Ethel have access to a very luxurious apartment, that her life is relatively problem free, except for social problems, once again makes her a very unrelatable character. There's a dissonance I feel here as a reader. She feels less like a rounded character and feels more like dream fulfillment.

Now if it was Veronica helping her out then it would make more sense for me. At least it would feel like the comic is playing within the rules of the universe and using established characters. And it would have been nice and fun!

So basically they just have a nice time together in New York and Ethel sorta/implicitly wants to convince him about New York/wants him to like it there, which I get if you're worried about the future of your relationship when you and your partner live in two different places.

Also minor complaint: I know it's webcomic and that this is a job with time constraints, but if you're going to do the sprawling city scapes and the message is to sell the character to the setting then I think it should look nicer/sell the scenery to the reader too.

Episode 9

Now in contrast to the last episode which focused on the scenery this episode focuses on culture and it does so well to sell you on it. Talking about the rush of getting a seat on the subway, that Ethel would tackle someone for a set is fun and entertaining! It draws you in!

Also showing Moose unable to fully adapt to it all and that he was tired due to the fast paced nature of the city was nice too.

Seeing Ethel's growth and that she is comfortable to say I love you to Moose is nice as well. This is what I like seeing from characters.

Episode 10

This episode focuses on Seth and Trula. Seth talks about how his last relationship was five years ago. Truly talks about being aromantic.

And maybe I wasn't wrong about what I said about connecting the dots earlier. Seth seems to have feelings for Ethel perhaps? That's what I think this is hinting at at least.

This response from Ethel is unnecessarily aggressive. I don't think they've really talked about it in detail, so I don't know why the response is aggressive. Like you can't be mad if you haven't talked about it. Now if I'm just forgetting and they have had this conversation repeatedly then I understand why she would be annoyed with Moose's comment.

When it comes to Moose and Ethel together Ethel is the lead I feel like and there is a lack of balance between them. Or perhaps it's that despite the fact they are portrayed as happy together they don't actually compliment each other as a couple.

Perhaps it's just me, but I don't see their relationship lasting in this comic.

Episode 11

I've connected the dots. I told you! I'm not the only one!

Me: -DISBELIEF-

This is not going to end well. Moose's jealousy is definitely going to be part of the death knell of their relationship. Remember what I've said. Mark my words.

Ethel also talks about feeling guilty regarding talking to Seth since he isn't Moose's favorite person, and I feel like while part of the guilt is due to Moose's on insecurity affecting her, I also think that a sense of guilt may be due to her potentially having underlying feelings toward Seth.

And that's if for my commentary on the episodes so far!

[xtinyaurora]

Mafia!Ateez Reaction: Their Y/N is a spy from another gang; part 2

————————————————————————

➼ requested?: yes, but I lost the request

➼ genre: mafia au

➼ pairing: mafia!ateez x neutral!reader

➼ Word-count: 2,1k+

➼ Warnings: nsfw content, strong language, cursing, hints of spanking, abuse, violence, degrading, humiliating, punching, punishments, pet names, death threads / mentions of death, dark themes,...

➼ Note: This is not based on their real behavior or meant to represent real life. This is simply a fan fiction and is only for the purposes of fun, it’s a hobby. Read at your own risk!

➼ A/N note: I don’t know how to feel about this but here you go. Oh and: there’s a tiny bit of fluff and angst included, enjoy!

➼ First part

————————————————————————

Park Seonghwa

Exactly one month has passed since Seonghwa caught you and brought you back. One month since you lost your family and friends. Seonghwa made sure that there were no survivors. Since the day he bought you back, you were locked in the basement, Seonghwa always making sure to give you your daily punishment. You slowly started to belive that he lost all his love for you and wanted you to die as slow and painful as possible. You tried everything to explain why you did what you did, even begging one of his men for help, but it was no use. When night time came around, Seonghwa entered the basement, same expression as usual. When he approached your chained figure, he pulled out a knife. You started to panic, hectically shaking your head. „Pshhh” He placed his left index finger on his lips. Tears started to split out of your eyes. This was it, he is going to kill you. When he went behind your back and grabbed your throat, you closed your eyes, not ready to die. He slowly traced the knife over your neck. The only thing that could be heard were your sobs but then Seonghwas chuckle broke the silence, your eyes opening again. „Dumb pet, did you really think I would kill you? I think I made you learn your lesson, no? Stop crying now, I don’t want your eyes to be puffy when we go out for dinner. Oh and Y/N, better appreciate my tolerance and start learning all the rules I’ve set for you once I bought you back up. Remember, it’s all up to me on how your live looks like. Now let’s go get ready, the car is already waiting.”

Kim Hongjoong

Your body felt sore, head spinning. You tried to reach out for your phone but your hands were tied on the bed. You closed your eyes. When you looked around, there was no sign of your lover. You thought about a way to free yourself but you knew it would be no use. You signed out loudly. You barely remembered the previous night, only knowing that you got beaten. Right at that moment, Hongjoong walked into your shared bedroom, with only a towel covering his lower body. „Good morning.” You didn’t respond, only staring at him. Hongjoong probably didn’t like your silence, that’s why he made his way towards you, angry mode on. „Was all the beating yesterday not enough, do you want me to beat you again?” You shook your head. „I’m sorry. Good morning.” A smile creeped on his face. „Good girl / boy.” He then please a soft kiss on your forehead, starting to talk again. „We will have a talk after the Meeting. Rest for a bit, I know I went a bit too hard on you yesterday but you deserved it. Sorry, doll. One of the maids will come and bring you some food. Be good until I return.”

Jeong Yunho

„Mr. Jeong Yunho, do you promise to be a lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death does you apart?” Yunho smiled. „I do.” Then it was your turn. „And do you Mr. / Mrs. Y/L/N Y/N, promise to be a lawfully wedded wife / husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death does you apart?” You breathed out loudly, nodding your head. „I do.” You felt how Yunhos nervousness wanised away. „You may kiss each other now.” Was the last thing the priest said. Yunho did what he was told, immediately reaching out for you and placing a soft kiss on your lips. After your wedding, both of you made your way straight to his private jet, going on your planned vocation. „Are you exited?” You didn’t hear what he said, lost on your thoughts. „Y/N, I am talking to you.” „Hm?” He shook his head. „This is supposed to be one of the best days in your life but you don’t seem happy. What is wrong?” „I'm fine Yunho, I was just dreaming around.” Silence. „Is it because I killed your family and that they couldn’t come today?“ You slowly turned your head in his direction. „No Yunho, it was me who wanted their death. I wanted to prove my love for you and I am happy now, so don’t worry, baby. It’s just a bit overwhelming, you know, the marriage and stuff.” Your husband smiled at you again, brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. „Good. I love you too baby and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Kang Yeosang

He took you down there and gave you a good long punishment. No, he didn’t use any tools, he punched you with his bare hands. Your face and body were bleeding, ass red and marked with his hand print. You cried. Not the fact that you got beaten hurts you more, but the fact that Yeosang himself did it. Never ever in your live did you think that he would pull something like this on you but then you realized, that he wanted to show you how he feels for what you’ve done to him. He wanted to make you feel the same way he feels. You will get over the pain of a punishment like this but you might never get over the pain that your heart is holding, I mean, how could he trust you ever again? There is a chance tho but you have to work hard for that and who knows how long it will take. No matter what it takes, you are ready to do it. At the end of the day, you two love each other, right? „You will never ever pull something like this again, is this clear?” You silently nodded your head. „Good, now get on all fours and follow me around, no matter where I go to. Don’t even think I care about humiliating you, dirty pet. Now let’s go, you don’t wanna disappoint me again, right?”

Choi San

After you two reached his mansion, he pulled you out by your hair and took you straight to his office. All you did was to cry. After watching you for a bit, he approached your kneeling figure and pointing his gun at you. „Was it worth it? To play with my feelings like that. Tell me! What did I do wrong, huh?! I’ve done nothing but love and protect you! You ungrateful whore!” Both of you were crying heavily, Sans head was red out of all the yelling. „Kill me, San. Please, kill me. I deserve it, now hurry.” Sans face went from angry-sad to desperat-sad. He started to cry even harder. „You know that I can’t. Trust me, I do want to kill you for what you’ve done, but fuck, I love you! I hate to love you but I do and I know that there was something between us! I had to be...” He sunk to he knees, both of you looked each other deep in the eyes. „Tell me you love me, Y/N. Tell me that what we had was real, that you do have feelings for me, too. Say that we will always stay together and that we will have a family in the future. Come on, say it!” You couldn’t even breath normally from all the crying but you wanted to tell him that he was right, you needed to. „I love you, San. You’re right, everything I felt for you was real. I do want to live with you until we take our last breath. I want to have a family with you and I just want us both to be more than happy together. I am sorry for all I’ve done, but I had a reason, San. I-“ You were interrupted by your fiancé. He gave you a tight hug, scared of letting you go. „Psh, stop. I will find out why you did but for now I just want to stay with you like this and forget about everything, okay? Just please, please don’t hurt me anymore, Y/N.”

Song Mingi

You knew that when your gang comes and tries to take you back, they will fail and that’s exactly what happened that day. Mingi was way too powerful and way too obsessed over you but you were happy how everything turned out. „You’re not ready yet?” Mingi walked into your shared room, making his way behind you. „Give me two minutes.” He smilingly nodded his head. „Okay. I will wait downstairs.” You nodded your head. He planned this date for a bit now, his behavior being a bit strange. Once you were done, you went down where Mingi was waiting for you. After finishing your dinner at the restaurant, Mingi took your hand in his. „Y/N, today is a really special day for me, well, for us. I want nothing more than to have a future with you, to call you my wife / husband. Baby, I wanna make it official to the whole world now. Therefore I got you this.” He then pulled out a tiny black box. Your heart started to race. When he opened the box, you faced a beautiful diamond ring. Tears started to form in your eyes, one of your hands covering your mouth in shook. So that’s why Mingi was so exited about this dinner. „I-I don’t know what to say.” A chuckle left his mouth. „Well, you have to tell me if you want to become my wife / husband. Not that you have a choice, but I want you to say it out loud, baby.” „Yes, Mingi, I do!” He started smiling as bright as the sun, immediately taking the ring out and putting the ring on your right ring finger. „I love you. Thank you so much for making me the happiest men alive, Y/N.”

Jung Wooyoung

After a few months, Wooyoung was convinced that he trained you into the perfect pet. Honestly, it was hell. He let you starve, he punched you, humiliated you and has done so much more just for you to beg him to kill you. At some point you stopped and thanked him instead. That was it, this was when Wooyoung stopped. „Y/N! Hurry up, we need to leave soon!” Both of you were getting ready for a mission. You needed to leave the country, that’s why you were currently packing your suitcase. You hated the fact that you had no privacy. Wooyoung positioned guards EVERYWHERE around the house. So as you packed your underwear you asked the guard to turn around but he refused. „Come on, I feel uncomfortable with strangers seeing my underwear.” The guard didn’t move nor looked away. You rolled your eyes. „Please?” „I'm sorry Mrs. / Mr. Y/L/N but I am obliged to watch your every step. Mr. Jung would kill me if I let anything happen, no one know what you’re up to. You might carry a dangerous object with you and if Mr. Jung finds out, he will not only kill me but you too. I ask for understanding. For now, you might hurry up a bit, you know how the boss gets when someone’s taking too long for his liking.”

Choi Jongho

You indeed told him everything to the tiniest detail. Jongho believed you but he showed you the cold shoulder. You did understood tho, it just made you sad. As your were taking a shower, strong arms wrapped around your body. You turned your head around, looking directly into Jonghos beautiful brown eyes. He smiled at you. „You were taking too long, I had to come in.” You let out a little chuckle, turning your body around. You both just stared at each other’s eyes. „What’s wrong?” Jongho frowned. „What do you mean, Y/N?” Now you were the one smiling. „Your eyes. They hold some discomfort in them.” Jonghos grip loosened a bit. He didn’t say anything, only staring into your eyes. „Your eyes hold some discomfort too, Y/N.” You then broke the eye contact, looking at his bare chest. „Well, I have a good reason. I mean, not long ago I broke the heart of the most precious and most beautiful men on earth.” Jongho lifted your head up, letting his thumb carry your face softly. „Yea, maybe, but at the same time I killed the family of the most perfect human being of the entire world. To add on, I didn’t took enough research and ended up confronting you with things that you didn’t even do and the worst out of all things; almost killed you, Y/N, so please stop feeling bad because of me. I don’t want those beautiful eyes to hold sadness in them, okay?” Another smiled creeped on your face. „Only if you do the same for me Mr. Choi.” Then, both of you stated to burst out into laugher.

[blindingdutchy]

lamentation | ONE

{peter parker x fem!reader AU}

based on All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

SERIES MASTERLIST

word count: 2,725

warnings: thoughts of suicide! unsuccessful attempt! depression, grief, angst

18+!!! minors stay away! TRIGGER WARNING.

Nothing made sense anymore. The world was upside down, all messed up, and you were hanging by a thread. How could it have been a year since the incident? How could you be okay with being older than her now?

Grief is something that nobody expects to be easy, but you never expected it to be quite so hard. Every day people promised that tomorrow would be better, but it never was. It never got better. It never got easier. You were fairly sure it never would, because if it still hurt this bad after thirteen months, twenty-two days, and six hours, how could one more hour, day, month, or year bring any sort of respite?

It couldn't. It wouldn't. Sometimes you wondered if this was your punishment. Maybe you felt this way because you deserved to, because you had earned a life time of suffering when you let her die. Sure, big sisters are supposed to look out for little sisters, but at the cost of their life? That couldn't go unpunished.

Every day was the same since she died. Wake up, wish you hadn't, feel everything and nothing all at once, and go to sleep. It was a strange and horrible existence; people weren't meant to feel so many big things at the same time. The guilt, the shame, the anguish, the longing... it consumed every part of you like a black hole until you were left with nothing. Until you felt nothing, thought nothing, you were nothing.

They were all the same until today. It was your birthday, your eighteenth birthday to be exact, and for once that ever present black hole in your chest was gone. Instead of waking up to the constant weight of all those heavy emotions on your shoulders, you woke up with the familiar numb emptiness you felt at the end of every day.

There weren't words to describe how much that terrified you. Every single day since your sister died, you'd wished endlessly for those painful feelings to go away. You'd begged for relief, for peace, and you'd taken solace in the hollow of the evenings. Waking up already vacant and listless did not bring the comfort you dreamed of.

You were officially older than her. You'd finally reached that first milestone she'd never reach, and the thought of it punched a hole in your chest so large you wondered if there was anything left of you at all. It wasn't fair--how could you celebrate the big ticket birthday she'd yearned for so anxiously? You couldn't.

You didn't deserve to celebrate. You didn't deserve to achieve all those goals she never had the chance to. You didn't deserve to live through all the years, experiences, moments that she never would. You didn't deserve to live.

It was all your fault, after all. It was your fault that she was there that day, it was your fault she lingered behind, and it was your fault she died. If you'd just gone shopping like she'd asked instead of insisting on going to the park, she'd still be here. If you hadn't frozen like an idiot, she'd still be here.

With a mind swimming with all the reasons everything would be better if you just weren't around anymore, you snuck out of your bedroom window. It was finally dark outside; you'd managed to make it through the day for your parents. But, with the day over, you couldn't hold on any longer.

The letter you'd written for your parents to find was tucked under your pillow, and with one final glance around the bedroom you used to share with your sister, you made peace with your life. This was for the best. Everyone would be so much better off if it had been you instead of her, and now you were going to make things right. It wouldn't bring her back, but at least you wouldn't be there as a reminder of what should have been.

As ready as you were, you didn't really have a plan. There were a million possibilities as far as how you could execute your desires, but none of them seemed right. It had to be fast, though, and something that didn't require much work. If it took effort, conscious thought and execution, you wouldn't follow through. You'd learned that the last time.

That was how you ended up on the roof of one of the more swanky apartment complexes. It was a tall building, taller than those surrounding it, and a fall from that height would surely do the trick. Strangely, the moment your feet dangled over the ledge with your bottom firmly planted in place, your mind went blank.

All those thoughts of the stress and pain you caused went silent, and you finally could breathe. With a deep exhale, your body relaxed for the first time since the incident; you didn't feel any of the bad things anymore. There was no pain, no grief, no sadness, nor were there any of those empty or numb feelings. You just felt peace.

The peace was short lived as you looked down to the street far below, though. This was it, this was the end, and suddenly your mind was racing with all the what if's. What if it could get better? What if it didn't work? What if this made everything worse? What if this was a mistake?

What if, what if, what if, "Whatever, just shut up." you gasped, clutching your head in your hands to keep it from spinning. "Get it together, (Y/N), this is the right thing to do."

Pulling out the letter you'd written to your sister, you opened it and cried for the first time in months. You'd long ago stopped crying; despite how many horrible things you'd been feeling, the tears just never came. But reading the words you'd written to her, thinking of her as you came to terms with your decision to join her, it was as if a metaphorical flood gate opened.

Thirteen months, twenty-two days, and seven hours. You couldn't wait any longer. You couldn't do it, do anything, anymore; you just needed to rest. The clock was running out, and your time was up.

"You can do this." you whispered, "For once in your life, do something right."

With shaky hands and weak knees, you scrambled up onto your feet and stood atop the ledge. You weren't that tall, but somehow the new perspective made the drop look so much longer and your stomach heaved with fright. Sobbing, you stumbled back to your knees and threw up the little bit of cake you'd forced yourself to eat earlier that evening.

You wiped the sick from your mouth and stood up again, this time with panting gasps for air and knees that shook so violently you feared you might fall before you were ready to. Maybe that would have been for the best, though, because the longer you looked down the more doubts you had. No one would ever know it was an accident if that were the case.

A sudden noise behind you startled you, and your heart seized in your chest as your knees gave out and you tipped dangerously over the edge. You didn't fall, though, because a sticky substance latched around your arm and dragged you back over until you were laying on the roof. For a moment you just laid there, staring up at the empty sky where the stars were all drowned out by the city lights, and you tried hard to figure out what had just happened.

"Are you okay? Oh--oh my god, are you hurt? What were you thinking? Shit, oh shit, Karen, what do I do?" A masked head leaned over your face, blocking the starless sky from your view, and all the feelings came flooding back like a tsunami. "Um, can you hear me?"

One feeling stood out against the current, and your body tensed as you were overcome with seething, white hot rage. An anger like you'd never felt before; you were furious. How dare he stop you? How dare he ruin everything?

It was Spiderman, the friendly neighborhood hero who'd been gallivanting around Queens for some time now, and that made you even angrier. Spiderman was one of them, one of the ridiculous superheroes who'd killed your sister without a single care in the world. He was one of them, and he'd just stopped you from finally fixing everything they had ruined.

You stood so fast you nearly threw up again, but you swallowed the bile down and hissed, "You should have let me fall. I wanted to fall."

Spiderman pulled you back with a firm grip on the web that was still wrapped around your arm, stopping you in your tracks as you stomped back toward the ledge. "Hey, stop! I'm not going to let you do this." he shouted, but his voice was more nervous than commanding.

"Get out of here, Spiderman. You're not saving the day by stopping me, okay?" you snapped fiercely. No matter how hard you pulled against the webbing holding you back, you couldn't break free. It didn't budge when you pulled at it, clawed at it, or even pried it. "What the hell is this shit?"

He pulled you in further, and you stumbled over your feet as you tried to keep your distance. "I'm not going to let you do this. You don't need to do this." he repeated, this time more firmly.

For a moment you were silent, studying the masked hero as he stared back at you with a hidden face. "You don't even know me. Why do you care?" you tried again, but your voice was softer, more fragile. The numbness was creeping back in again and you knew that you wouldn't be able to follow through anymore, even if he let you go.

"I do know you, (Y/N), and you don't need to do this. We can--I can help you. Let me help you."

Your eyebrows furrowed as you narrowed your eyes suspiciously. How the hell did he know your name? Did you know him? Even though your mind was running wild with unanswered questions, you seethed, "You can't help me. Unless you can go back in time and kill me instead of my sister, you can't fucking help me."

The eyes of his mask widened at your shout, and he stammered, "I--no, I can't do that, but I can help you. I can be your friend, you... you can talk to me. I know what it's like to lose someone, (Y/N)."

You scoffed, "Do you know what it's like to watch a family member die right in front of you? Do you know what it's like to see someone get killed, and it's all your fault? You can't help me!"

"I do, actually." he stated.

Your entire body slumped at the revelation, the anger leaving you as the numbness finally took over completely. It was silent for a few long moments as you cried noiselessly, the only sounds being those of your still frantic breathing and the bustling traffic far below. "If you know, then you know why I have to do it." you whimpered.

Spiderman dropped the web keeping you in place as you collapsed onto your butt, your legs too weak to support you anymore from exhaustion. "I know why you think you have to, but I also know why you're wrong. This isn't the answer." he responded, tentatively taking a few steps closer to you.

You didn't respond, looking up at him as you wiped your cheeks and nose weakly, and he took the chance to continue, "I'm going to make you a deal. I'm going to take my mask off and show you who I am. If you still want to do it after, fine, but at least you'll know who will be blaming themselves afterwards."

True to his word, his fingers creeped under the edge of his mask as he stared you down intensely. Your breath faltered as you watched, completely still as you realized he was serious. Spiderman was going to reveal his identity to you, and you knew that once he did it was game over. As much as you felt the world would be better off without you, you couldn't bare the thought of leaving someone behind to feel the way that you did.

So, stubbornly, you squeezed your eyes shut tightly and refused to look. "I'll wait here all night if I have to. Besides, I could just say my name, you know. I'm pretty sure you know me too."

"Don't." you pleaded.

"Open your eyes, (Y/N). You want this, right? Knowing who I am shouldn't change anything, then." he urged, his tone soft despite his harsh words. "It's Peter. Peter Parker. I've sat behind you in at least two classes since freshman year, and I've lent you pencils before. You always give them back, and you always let Flash copy your homework even though he's a total dick to you. You--"

Your eyes snapped open as you cut him off, "Stop! Just because you know things about me doesn't mean you know me."

It really was Peter Parker, and the numbness faded a little to make room for anxiety and guilt. You knew Peter had lost too much in his life; his parents and his uncle, too. Could you add your name to that list? Could you jump when you knew he'd blame himself for the rest of his life?

You couldn't. You wouldn't. Peter's brown eyes were filled with worry and sadness as he studied you, his mask clutched tightly in his fist. When you remained silent, he sat down and spoke quietly, "I know enough to know the world would suck without you. I could be your friend, you know, you don't have to do this alone."

"I don't need friends." you huffed.

Peter frowned briefly, before rubbing his nose and hiding it again. "I did just tell you my biggest secret, (Y/N), so I think we kind of have to be friends now." he finally rebutted, a faint twinge of humor in his voice, "You might not want friends, but you do need one. I'll be your friend."

You stared back at Peter blankly, uncaring as he shifted uncomfortably in your silence. Why did he want to be your friend? He already got what he wanted. You weren't going to go through with your plan, and he wouldn't have to live with guilt like you did every day. So, why was he still here?

Part of you wanted to believe he really cared, because he seemed to pay a lot of attention to you to notice the little things you did, but you knew better. He didn't really care about you. He only cared that you knew his secret and now you had leverage over him. You could out him if you wanted to, and that meant he had to keep tabs on you.

"I don't need friends." you repeated stiffly, "Don't worry, Parker. Your secret is safe with me."

His eyes widened as he stammered, "That's not--"

"Save it, Peter. Can you please just get this shit off of me so I can go home? I want to go to bed." you cut him off with a deep sigh, gesturing to the web that was still hanging from your arm.

He looked like he wanted to argue, to further plead his case, but after a few moments he visibly wilted and gave in. "It'll dissolve in two hours. I'll... I'll see you at school, (Y/N)."

It was a statement, but it sounded more like a question. You knew he was still hesitant to let you out of his sight, fearful that you'd go back on your word and follow through, and this was his way of confirming you wouldn't do just that. Achingly stretching up off the ground, you muttered, "Yeah. Bye, Peter."

Peter tugged his mask back over his head, but didn't make any move to leave until you were opening the door that lead back into the building. As you stepped through the threshold he gave a forlorn wave, before jumping over the ledge and swinging away. The door shut behind you as the weight of the world settled on your shoulders once again. You'd failed, like always.

[ofgentleresolve]

HOW I RUN MY BLOG.

SPEED: slow! slow af literally please expect to be waiting at least a month for replies if not even longer....i also almost exclusively use the queue to stagger my replies/inbox memes/everything i'm ever tagged in. it really helps with keeping me from spending too much time on this hellsite :'D LOL not anymore 😂😂😂 i try to do some replies every few days, i usually like to post 1-3 things at once before taking a few days off. i also can be VERY SLOW when it comes to answering dms and discord messages; however, i have been trying to be quicker on that end....pls have patience with me overall i promise i will get back to you sooner or later!!

REPLIES: again, very slow but i rarely drop things. long time followers know that sooner or later i get back to them...and if i don't they know since i would have otherwise posted their reply in the queue ;'D

STARTERS: pls feel free to write me all of them- again it might take me some time to get to all of them, but i promise, i haven't forgotten about ANY of them :'D i will note though that I don’t answer replies chronologically but rather i will pick one character and then do ALL of their threads there at once :'D

also i will note...i do like have SOME minimal plotting before we plot writing together and then maybe?? it can be kick-started by either memes or unprompted starters...really it depends on who my partner is; i like to be flexible in this case!!

INBOX: it gets cleared out at the same time as the replies! so basically pls consider them as being at the same pace as replies. :'D feel free to send them in as and as many as you want...but also pls know i have a right to decide whether i answer what you've sent in or not....but basically as  for the most part, i treat inbox memes the way i do replies- i will get back to you sooner or later!

SELECTIVITY: very selective. i'm not gonna lie, i am very selective with who i follow as writing these days, while i adore doing it, it also takes up a lot of my energy. i don’t want to waste my energy on dynamics and threads i know i’m not going to be excited about. if i follow you, it means i've looked over your blog, your content, your muses, and everything and i've decided that we have a chance at getting along :D but then again following ppl...it's a bet.

will note though as well- your attitude on dash makes or breaks whether i want to follow you. if you treat your followers with respect and genuine interest and care, i am more than happy to wait for you. however it's clear you look at your partners as a means for an end like entertainment purposes....i will soft block.

shipping wise, i don't halfass my shipping; basically i like romantic shipping as much as the next person BUT...i won't sacrifice my character's development and arc for a ship. ever. basically i only do romantic ships if there is serious ic AND ooc chemistry.

WISHLIST: honestly...i'm pretty content, but i would love for all of my muses to have more plotted relationships, platonic or romantic 🥺 well, patrick/myungdae and mana, romantically wise, i'm very content with, but my other muses!! maybe i just want more interactions with plotting backing up in general.

okay that’s what i want- more partners where we have plotted material btw us <3

HONEST NOTE: i know can sound like a hard ass but i promise i'm not. i just tend to be very picky with who i follow, but once you're in, i like to think i'm pretty easygoing- you can ask my long time partners as well if you need clarification <3

Also, communicate with me if i'm doing something that is making you uncomfortable- i am not a mindreader and i will not try to be. communciation is key here.

TAGGED BY:  stole it bc i figured it would be good for ppl to know this kind of stuff! TAGGING: steal it and tag me if you want~

[yyuangss-main]

i. will rules

— Dearest Daddy is a collaboration with many other writers about Haikyuu boys. At the bottom of the chapter, I will link the material list to Dearest Daddy and you can find other stories to read. Thank you!

TW: Character death

You gather with friends all the time and think about the future. You’ll guess who will get married first, who will be the one to have children, the one to stay single and travel the world. Have you ever gathered and thought about who might be the first to leave this world? Because you don’t want to think of what you know will be a reality. At one point, everyone will pass away.

“Thank you Takahashi. Any expenses on Wakumi, I will pay you.” Sakusa said. The collar from his suit pinched the skin on his neck. Emiko Takahashi, the babysitter, has stayed with Wakumi since Yoichi and Tadema arrived at the hospital. “For now, you can go rest. Wakumi’ll be under my care.”

“Ah, no worries Sakusa.” Takahashi said, “Yoichi and Tadame were your friends. Not mine. I will gladly take care of Wakumi until a family relative fixes up adoption papers.” Sakusa exhaled.

After the funeral, everyone went to (L/N)’s home for a repast. She sat in her living room, bags under her eyes shown noticeably. (L/N) seemed to not listen to what everyone said. What could she be hearing? The sound of Yoichi and Tadema’s flatline? Her piercing scream that awakened Sakusa from his slumber?

“My condolences (L/N).” Takahashi gripped her hand. “If you need anything, you’re allowed to call me.”

“Thank you Takahashi.” Her lips moved, the dry tears on her cheeks stretching. “Did Wakumi fall asleep upstairs? If she did, you can spend the night here.” Sakusa subtly rolls his eyes.

‘Just say you want someone by your side.’ Sakusa maneuvered through familiar faces, unknown friends, and family members to get to the kitchen. He feels more secure, still hating large crowds. Leaning on the countertop, the male checked his notifications. A bunch of missed calls in a thread from an unknown number was at the top.

Sakusa’s head cocked to the side. Whoever was the caller left a voicemail too. He clicked on his phone, heading to the back door in the kitchen. His foot was wedged between the door, keeping it from closing on him, the sound of a male voice entering his ear.

“Hello Mr. Sakusa. My name is Hansuke Fujioka. I’m leaving a voicemail hoping you can call me as soon as you can. An urgent matter needs to be spoken about. Thank you and have a nice day.”

Sakusa went to his missed calls and clicked the top notification. It began dialing.

“Hello?” Said the same voice.

“Hello, this is Sakusa Kiyoomi. You called me about an urgent matter?”

“First, I’d like to give you my condolences on your loss. Secondly, yes. I am Hansuke Fujioka, the Suzuki’s family attorney.” Sakusa leaned in closer to the phone, pulling down his mask to his chin. “My reason for calling is because I’d like to discuss their will with you. The information is much to process over the phone.”

“Understood. Would you like to make a meeting?” Sakusa mentally remembered his free days. “I’m available to meet up this upcoming Thursday. Maybe around ten in the morning?”

“Works well for me. Come to Fujioka Attorneys.”

“Thank you.” Sakusa said, hearing a ‘You’re welcome’ and Mr. Fujioka hung up. Sakusa entered the house through the way he came out. He quickly typed out a reminder in his calendar for Thursday. He heard the clicking of heels and a ringtone. Sakusa’s eyes darted up to see (L/N)’s figure exiting through the back door. He wondered what that could be about but he dismissed it as uninteresting.

“It’s good to meet you.” Fujioka shook Sakusa’s hand. “Please, take a seat.” The male sat on the left chair. Fujioka quickly aligned documents spread on his desk. He stacked them together and cleared his throat. Sakusa sneakily checked the time from his Black Jackals coat.

“We’ll start? I assume?” Sakusa sat up straight. Mr. Fujioka spared him a glance and held up a finger.

“Just a moment, Mr. Sakusa. I’ll be right back.” The attorney ushered out the room, leaving Sakusa alone. He craned his neck to see through the small crack the door had left. Sakusa’s foot anxiously bounced on the floor. What could it be? What could they have left?

“No worries! You arrived at a good time!” Sakusa heard the voice of Mr. Fujioka say, “Come right in and take a seat! We’ll start immediately.” The door opened, revealing her. Her fake smile she would throw on for photo shoots and movies. Her face he wished he could stop seeing everywhere.

(L/N) (Y/N).

“Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Fujioka!” You said, unaware of Sakusa’s presence. “We can—” You stopped mid sentence, making eye contact with Sakusa. He glared, clearly giving a look of annoyance from under the mask. You returned it, replacing it instantly with an even faker smile.

“Ms. (L/N), I’m not sure if you know Mr. Sakusa. The two of you were mentioned in the Suzuki’s will.” Mr. Fujioka went around his desk, scooting up in his chair. You slowly sat down in the other open seat beside the volleyball player. Fujioka grabbed the file nearest to his computer, “And with that being said, happen to be in the same sentence.” In cue, both you and Sakusa gave each other a confused look.

“What do you mean by that?” Sakusa asked. Fujioka opened the file, picking at the corner of a sheet and pulling it from the pack.

“Oddly enough, the Suzuki’s requested in their will that if they died,” Fujioka said, “You two would have custody of Wakumi.”

“What?” You and Sakusa both said at the same time. And here you were, planning on asking Fujioka where a family member could get custody on Wakumi. “That must be a mistake!” He glanced up from the sheet, eyebrows raised and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. There’s no mistake.” Fujioka said, “I have a copy of the transcript. You can read it.” Sakusa extended his hand, getting a small packet from Fujioka. He brought it back, seeing the words that were typed up. Sakusa flipped through the pages. It was only three stapled all together.

“Is that even possible?” You ask. “And wouldn’t it be better if a family member got custody?” Mr. Fujioka placed the sheet at the top, only holding the top right corner. You could feel the scowl from Sakusa burning holes on your temple. Maybe even hurling insults internally or planning on doing it once the meeting was over.

“Yes. It’s rare but possible to happen.” Fujioka stated, “What’s not possible is the law giving Wakumi over to a family member. Yoichi and Tadema’s will is signed by a judge. I’m to execute these requests. Along with that, all money left in the Suzuki’s accounts are to be saved for Wakumi until she is eighteen or unless the two requested guardians need to use it.” Sakusa hummed, flipping the small packet in your direction. “She also inherited their house.”

You read the first page, Yoichi asking for the money to be under Wakumi’s name. In the second, Tadema asked her husband if they were still going with what they agreed. Finally, near the end, Fujioka confirmed he’d written down ‘(L/N) (Y/N)’ and ‘Sakusa Kiyoomi’ to be Wakumi’s legal guardians. Your breath hitched, feeling conflicted. You felt your eyes begin to swell, placing the stapled papers back on the table.

“Mr. Fujioka, can we change this?” You said. Fujioka clicked his pen repeatedly.

“Look, from an outside perspective, would you really want to defy your friend’s last wishes?” Fujioka asked. “There’s a reason why you were picked. They trust you with Wakumi. I can’t deny this request nor can you. Make this process easier.”

“I just— I just can’t fit a child into my schedule.” You exclaimed. “I love her but my life is busy as it is. A child would only add more stress.”

“Give it time Ms. (L/N). When leaving, you’re allowed to discuss your next moves. Of course, a process for adopting Wakumi’ll happen. We will meet again to finalize more things. I’ll give you both a call.” He gave a nod. Sakusa agreed, his chest rising as he stood up.

“Thank you for your time.” Sakusa said, shaking his hand. “And for informing us. Ms. (L/N) and I are going to talk this out.” Fujioka seemed pleased, seeing the two of you out. Your heels clicked on the wooden flooring as you stormed out.

You fetched for your keys in your purse, muttering curse words under your breathe. Using your shoulder to push the door open, Sakusa trailed behind you with a growing headache.

“(L/N).” Your head whipped around, baring an angry look.

“Yes?” You harshly said, making Sakusa’s eye twitch. “Hurry up Sakusa, I don’t have all day!”

“Fujioka said we need to discuss.” You grunted, turning away and coming closer to your car. Sakusa’s eyebrows raised, a look reading ‘Are you serious right now?’ behind the mask formed.

“Just follow me to my place.” Your voice cracked, fumbling your keys to get inside of the car. “I’d rather talk there than burst out crying in a parking lot.”

❝A tragic accident brings two enemies together under one roof as sole guardians of their late best friend’s baby daughter. Will they survive together and find happiness through the bundle of joy in their lives? Or will their hatred for each other win over the worst?❞

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DEAREST DADDY MATERIAL LIST

PLAYING HOUSE MATERIAL LIST

prologue

[embrassemoi]

Surrounded by The Moon and Stars • 08

Pairings: Sirius Black x [F]Reader, Remus Lupin x [F]Reader Content: Language, possible errors Author’s notes: Had a hard time with this one. 

Masterlist: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 8: Master Plan

❉───────•~❉•᯽•❉~•───────❉

Surgeons always have a plan, that’s what Y/N picked up from her mother over the years. They knew what scalpel they needed, where to cut or clamp down. But even with their carefully crafted plans, there are unexpected things bound to arise that we don’t originally consider.

“Stop moving.”

Because that was not a part of her plan. So she began to formulate a new one:

a) Surely if she were to scream now, it would alert professor McGonagall. She would come rushing to help and free her.

b) But if she stepped on the person's shoe while screaming, it would distract them just long enough for her to have a head start. The pain would be so sudden that they would drop their arms and she could run. If she focused hard enough too, she could channel magic around her. Besides, if all else fails, McGonagall would still be there.

Option b) sounded like a great plan.

Now that her attacker's hand was drawn back, Y/N opened her mouth until she promptly shut it again. In the dark, she vaguely makes out a tall figure coming into view, a familiar mop of fawn-like hair appearing from behind her.

It was Remus.

With his presence, her body instantly relaxes. Her shoulders slump as tension and fear slowly dissolve. Remus tosses her a glance, shooting a gentle smile before his face darkens as he nods. He brings a finger to his lips, warning them to not interrupt.

To her delight, Y/N feels the person’s grip loosen even more, however, their arms were still caged and secured snuggly. Her heart slowed, becoming calmer as her brain moved from the idea of self-defence to confusion.

McGonagall finally enters the main corridor. From where they stood, her back faced them as she peered around the darkness, gripping the base of her candelabra. It glowed brightly, lighting up the surrounding area.

This was the only time Y/N had seen her professor after official school hours. Her outfit was mismatched; a soft pyjama set, with her school robes and heels on. She swore she had a sleeping mask hanging around her neck. Had pure adrenaline not been coursing through her veins, she would have snorted.

Remus uses this to his advantage as he shuffles his way towards McGonagall. He brushes off the non-existent dust from his suit before he reaches into his pocket, placing a shiny pin on the breast pocket. He then coughs, gaining her attention.

Startled, McGonagall wheeled her head, “Mr. Lupin! What are you doing here?”

He puts his hands in the pocket of his suit cooly. “Good evening professor. I’m doing my rounds. I actually just came from Slughorn's party a while ago.” He says, gesturing to his unusual patrol outfit.

McGonagall remains silent, choosing to take in his appearance. Y/N can almost see the confusion written on her face. She peers sternly over her glasses to look at Remus. If he was nervous, he hid it well because his expression managed to stay unchanged and there was no trace of a lie. Her eyes scan him one last time before speaking, “You’re not supposed to be on rounds tonight.”

“I switched places last minute with another prefect. They weren’t feeling well.” Remus quickly adds on, “— you might know them? Calwald; sixth year Slytherin.”

“Ah, yes… I heard footsteps coming from here. Did you see anyone?”

Remus looks like he’s thinking quickly. “Yeah, just a first year Slytherin. I escorted them to their common room.”

Professor McGonagall’s unnerving gaze even made Y/N shudder. She tuts, her head drops in a small nod. She stands tall, “Very well then, goodnight Remus.”  

“Goodnight, Professor.”

The soft clicks of her heels started up again. McGonagall heads in the opposite direction of the Slytherin common room while Remus pretends to walk away before pressing himself against a wall, camouflaging with the shadows in case their teacher were to look back. The echoing became quieter until only a soft, almost inaudible clicking came from the distance. The glow from her candles was gone and darkness surrounded them again.

Y/N was made acutely aware of the other person’s hold around her waist once it slackens, pulling away from her. The heavy fabric is dragged off her body before she turns over to her attacker.

“Sirius?”

She jerks away as far as she could, angrily. Her fingers twitched momentarily.

“You almost ruined it,” he spits out cold and aggressively. His bluish-grey eyes stormed, ripples of angry waves rolling from them. From the proximity, she swore she could feel the venom dripping from him as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. "And you bit me!"

She should have bitten harder.

She hisses back, “Shut it! How was I supposed to know that you were sneaking around?”

“Pads!” James growls, yanking at Sirius’ shoulder, “Fucking leave her alone. You’ve done enough today.”

“You gits!” Remus scolds, making his way back to the secret passage. He remained calm, directing his next sentences to the boys. “It was a mistake, okay? Calm the fuck down or you two will get us caught.”

Sirius huffs out, childishly. “Whatever you say Moomy.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“What’s going on?” Y/N askes.

At this, Sirius calms down a bit before he looks at Y/N again, a strange expression settles on his face. James on the other hand is ecstatic, “Right! We’re setting up the last part of the plan right now. The itching spray!”

Oh!"

“Yeah. Wormy is already inside the Slytherin common room making sure the spiders and Dungbombs we put in there are working.”

“Did you say he’s inside their common room?”

At this, his smile grows, “Got their password by waiting outside their door and Polyjuice potion. Our dear Moony brewed it.” Remus’ face is smug, his chest puffed out.

“Holy shit! I didn’t know you took it this seriously. Couldn't you be expelled for this?!”

"Godric, maybe Remus needs to give you his prefect title."

“I’ll gladly give it to you — fuckin’ hate being one.” Remus jokes, “Nah, we’ll be fine as long as we don’t get caught.”

“We’ve got our goody-two-shoes over here. Everyone loves him, won’t suspect a thing.” James says. Her eyes are back on Remus, sweeping from his face then down to his shiny prefect badge.

“I’m their scapegoat.”

Sirius sighs impatiently before cutting in, “Alright, I’m sure you can go now. McGonagall is long gone.”

Everyone shoots him a look.

“Oi! No! Please join us!” James whines, “You’re already here and trust me it’ll be so fun!”

“He’s right, join us,” Remus says, “Besides, you suggested it and it’ll be safer and easier to cover our tracks.”

It sounded exciting and she did need a pick-me-up considering her wavering emotions lately. Although Sirius’ jaw clenched. He was scowling at her.

“I’d love to join you,” she says, looking Sirius in the eyes.

A silent whooping came from James who balled his fist, throwing them into the air in celebration. They huddled together just as Remus led them out of the passage and through the dark.

James, who shared qualities of a golden retriever, walked by her side, a pep in his step. "You get to see the action first-hand, excited?"

“Of course!”

James rambles on before his eyes gloss over. He’s unusually quiet. Simultaneously, he grabs her hand and stops abruptly, dragging her to the back of the group. He lends in to whisper, his eyes flicking momentarily to Sirius, “Why were you with him?”

“Who?” She whispers back.

“Regulus Black.”

“Oh, we were at the Slug Cl —” She cuts herself off as she realizes, her eyes widened before staring at him, “You were following me!?”

“No! No!” He says, bringing his hands up defensively, waving them around. "You were walking in the same direction as him! To the Slytherin common room! It wasn't on purpose!"

“I — how did you — I didn’t even see you!” She thought back to the crinkling noise, “Wait, we heard you!”

He sighs a bit as he pulls out a large fluid-like, shimmery, silvery cloak. Upclose, silver threads were woven onto it, patterns swirling into regal shapes. He handed her the cloak to feel. It was silky smooth and glittered prettily in the light. It looked similar to the reflection of stars in a lake at night.

“You’re not telling me this is a…” she gaped.

The boy was grinning from ear to ear as if it were sewn on his face permanently. In a way, it looked rather demonic. He looked as if his face were going to split into two. “You betcha! An invisibility cloak.”

Her mind finally caught up to her once again before thinking back to what James asked. “Why’d you want to know about Regulus?”

“Huh! E-erm… no reason.”

She punches him softly in the arm. “You lying bastard! You can’t be nosey and not tell me? He’s not… bad? Is he? I quite like him.”

“No he’s not… just —” James cuts himself off, fearing he might have said too much. He did not expect the conversation to turn in this direction. He quickly averts her attention to another topic. “The Slug Club?” He says loud enough so the entire group can hear, “How was it?”

She would make sure to push him on the topic later.

Meanwhile, Remus and Y/N groaned.

“Awful.”

“Dreadful.”

“Nosey git.”

“Happily annoying.”

“He must be an actual slug. He’s slimy and boring.”

“Merlin! It can’t be that bad!”

“Oh trust us,” Remus addresses, “It’s worse. The entire time he went on and on about stupid shit. Like what was it he said?” He looks at Y/N.

“Ugh, what?”

“When he went on about that kid— what was his name… Seán?”

“Ah! Wait,” she straightened up and mocked their professor. She fake coughs for dramatic effect. “Your aunt created the Capmisted potion! Ah yes, brilliant, brilliant! I wish I taught her when she was at Hogwarts. Say, you’re still close, right? Why don’t we invite her to come to one of these parties one day?”

Her painful attempt at a British accent made them laugh.

“What a fucking sleazy bloke,” Remus chokes out.

They continued to make their way down to the Slytherin common room. All four jumped at the sound of footsteps before Y/N felt the invisibility cloak being tossed over her body, along with the rest of the boys too. They waited until it passed before finally stopping at the dungeons.

The entrance to the common room was by a stretch of stone. The area was dimly lit, the ceiling was low and had an eerie look and feel to it. Plus the cold only made Y/N rub her hands up and down her arms, goosebumps left in their trail. A dripping sound encompassed them like a makeshift metronome.

It made her feel uneasy.

Peter, who was crouched and small, hid in the shadows and would’ve gone unseen had he not popped out and scared all of them.

“For fucks sake Wormtail! We thought you were a Slytherin earlier.”

Peter was gleeful. He donned a large smirk and his face was slightly red. The Polyjuice was almost completely worn off, however, Peter had a full head of black, thick hair. “I checked everything, the traps should be set to release at eight o’clock.”

“An hour long?”

“Needs time to travel around the room.”

“Positive?”

“Positive.”

“Now comes the fun part,” James nudges her.

“Oh, hi Y/N,” Peter says slightly confused.

“Hey, Pete, here to watch if you don’t mind.”

Peter takes a moment to look at the rest of the group, “More the merrier!”

“Alright, you geezas! Let's get this party started!” James announces. He digs through the side bag he was carrying, pulling out four pairs of dragonhide gloves and tosses them to the boys. “Sorry, haven’t got any for ya. Would’ve brought an extra if I knew you were comin’.”

“It's alright.”

“Okay,” Remus says before crouching down, a large bag on his side. “I’ll start attaching everything, you know what to do and be careful. Remember, do not touch your eyes.”

He looks up at her, “Y/N if you could, it would be helpful to be on the watch out.”

“Gladly.”

Remus unscrewed bottle after bottle, attaching nozzles on them while James helped him. Peter slid out a ladder that was concealed by magic in a slim nook. As he scaled it, Sirius held on tightly to it before he cast a charm to prevent it from sliding around.

Up high, concealed by darkness and magic, revealed hundreds of identical bottles before Remus sprang up, switching places with Peter as he attached the rest of the bottles onto a huge system.

It looked similar to a new-maj mechanical system. The components consisted of small wires, a timer, tape and string connected to them all, along with a small lever that was attached to the underside of a brick. With the aid of magic, they were all securely set into place and ready to be activated.

“What is that?” She turned to Peter.

“Moonys got the bottles up there programmed to spray every time certain people leave the common room. See, look,” he points to the almost non-existent glow on the wires.

She marvelled at their creation. It was large and must’ve spent hours trying to conduct it. Sirius and James were helping Remus by passing him the bottles and securing them to the top of the roof.

If only Lily was here to see this. She would have an aneurysm.

At one point, Peter had been passing the bottles up to Remus while Sirius and James fiddled around with extra dungbombs they had, scattering them around.

“Jeez, Moons, my arms feel like they’re on fire.”

Peter did look worn out before he panted out. His forehead was starting to glean from sweat.

“Why don’t I do it for now?” She says to him before looking up to Remus.

“Only if you want to.”

The two switched places and Peter handed her his gloves. She slipped them on before enchanting them to fit snugly around her hands. Bending down, she picked up a few bottles. They were unexpectedly very heavy. She understood why Peter had to take a break. Although Remus seemed to be fine. Compared to his slim look, Remus had an unusual amount of strength that surprised her.

They worked in phases. Every ten or so minutes, Peter and Y/N would switch positions. They all worked in silence. From time to time, Peter and her would crack a joke, causing Remus to overhear and chuckle himself.

Everyone was having a good time. Even Sirius perked up, being less hostile to the entire group and even her. She thought she was dreaming for a split second.

The group worked quickly and managed to attach all of the bottles along with Dungbombs with only a few interruptions from incoming students. Luckily, they had the cloak to cover themselves and their things.

By the time they were finished, it was past one in the morning. They all huddled together underneath the cloak. Unfortunately, it was only medium-sized and unable to fully cover everyone from sight. Sirius and Y/N, who were on the edge on opposite sides, their arms and legs would poke out. More than once, it became very uncomfortable and hard to squish everyone inside as they flattened themselves against a wall anytime they heard even the slightest of movements. They kept impossibly silent, aside from James who’d been elated; constantly making small jokes or making sound effects with his mouth. Remus had to flick him a few times to keep quiet.

As soon as they reached the Gryffindor tower, they removed the cloak.

“Gastropod!” Cheered Peter to the fat lady. She swung open for the five of them. The warmth of the fireplace crackled as they threw themselves on the sofas. They all tried to catch their breaths and still their pounding heartbeats.

Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins as she took a moment to take in what just happened.

James was grinning from ear to ear, Peter seemed cheerful, Sirius became somewhat tolerable, while Remus, as always, seemed tired.

Remus, covering his mouth in a half yawn muttered out, “It was fun having you here but I’m knackered. I’ll see you lot at breakfast. Night.”

“Me too,” Peter said. Sirius got up to followed them as they made their way up to the boy’s dorms.

James stayed with Y/N for a bit afterwards. Both were giddy and they even ate a few snacks she still had in her pockets.

“Wasn’t that fun!” he said, “Godric, you need to join more often.”

“I’ll think about it,” Y/N says playfully.

“I’m going to train you — gonna make you into a mini-me. My apprentice.”

“I think the world has enough of your arrogance.”

He laughed unbothered by the remark, “This is only the beginning. Just you wait.”

[sierraraeck]

Love Somebody

Spencer x GN!Reader

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Summary: After your big fight, both you and Spencer are filled with guilt. Is there any way to salvage your relationship? Part four.

Category: Angst and fluff.

Warnings: Cussing. References to past fights, and a very brief mention of drug use.

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: Inspired by the song “Love Somebody” by Maroon 5. If you wanna give that a quick listen, go for it, if not, that’s chill too. Also, I tried to make this gender neutral, but if I did not, please let me know what I need to correct.

Start by talking to Spencer.

You’d been mulling over those five words for days now and it was driving you absolutely insane. The whole reason you wanted to talk to a therapist in the first place was so you could find some peace and be able to focus better at work. Instead, you were even more distracted than you had been before, thinking about all of the different ways that the conversation could go.

Start by talking to Spencer. Oh yeah, sure, I’ll just talk to him. You know, like ‘hey, Spence, remember when you said you never wanted to see me again? Well I’m here now because I wanted to see you and work things out.’ Like what? That was never going to work.

Hey Spencer. I know it’s been a over a month since we talked and we basically broke up and the last thing I said to you was about your drug addiction, but-

Your mind faltered at the thought. It was painful to go back there and remember how cruel you’d been to each other, and then another thought popped into your mind. Is he back on drugs? Oh god, could he be passed out somewhere?

You shot straight out of your chair before thinking through what you were doing. What would you even do if you showed up and he was just fine? Plus, it’d been a month, you were sure his team could handle whatever was going on with him. Then you started wondering how he’d been handling everything. You certainly hoped better than you had. Than you were. Maybe his team would know. You weren’t super close with them, but close enough you could ask them, right? No, definitely not. Actually, now that you were thinking about it, you hadn’t seen any of them for a really long time. Not even accidental run-ins with them coming or going from work or in the break room. You started to wonder what they were up to. What he was up to.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Spencer felt awful. The moment he slammed the door to his own apartment after your big fight he broke down into a heap of tears. So much had happened over the past 13 months, and the full weight of it all was just now coming down on him. He lost Maeve. He found you. He lost you. He lost himself.

Spencer never thought he would say things like that. He never thought that he could be so cruel as to tell the person he loved that he would have rather died for his ex-girlfriend than be with them. Granted, he never thought you would say what you said either, but perhaps he deserved it. He’d treated you poorly leading up to that, and he’s a profiler, it shouldn’t have come as a shock. But it did. Because he was blind. All the pain and trauma and desperate attempts to stitch his life back together using your needle and thread blinded him. He couldn’t see how much you were doing for him and how much you were struggling to keep your relationship together, and he couldn’t force himself to see how much he was struggling to hang on to any semblance of the past. Any semblance of a normal, trauma-free life. He couldn’t see it. He refused to see it. And it cost him.

He took the rest of the week off and then the weekend to himself, fighting a constant battle between feeling pathetic for not being able to go into work like you probably had, and feeling like he made the right choice considering he could barely force himself to eat. He blamed you, he blamed himself, he blamed the whole damn universe for constantly fucking him over. He used Maeve and his social awkwardness and his past as excuses for his behavior, and immediately hated himself for it. He hated himself even more for fantasizing about doing exactly what you’d told him to. He knew who to call, he knew he probably still had a tourniquet around his apartment somewhere, and he knew how much it would hurt you to know that the last thing you said to him came true.

Then I guess you’re real happy you know where to get the drugs that can help you finally do that.

He hated you. No, that wasn’t it. He hated that he drove you to hate him. Did you hate him? He figured you had to after everything he put you through. And for what? So he could feel better after what he’d lost? So he could ignore the grief and the sorrow and bury it in your selfless compassion? So he could, as you said, rip apart your life?

No, that couldn’t be the end. He couldn’t have yanked you from your life for nothing. He had to make it up to you. But he didn’t even know where to start. You probably didn’t even want to see him, let alone give him the air space to explain himself. He deserved as much.

But you didn’t. You didn’t deserve that, he kept repeating to himself. He was going to make it up to you somehow. You were the most important thing in his life, one of the only people who supported him through everything, and he cared about you, more than anything. And he loved you. He would not have the last thing he said to you be ‘fuck you.’ But first, he had to make it through his first day back to work.

No one questioned him. No one said anything about his absence, and he was both grateful and irritated. Grateful that he didn’t have to explain himself, but irritated that it seemed like no one cared. Maybe he’d gotten too used to that, no one seeming to care. Maybe that’s why whenever you asked him how he was doing, and pushed him for more than a simple ‘fine,’ he felt like you were interrogating him. He wasn’t used to having to communicate like that, especially about his feelings, which he’d never been able to communicate well. Not like he’d ever practiced that. Not like dad stuck around long enough to have him practice that. Not like his mother ever noticed or remembered long enough to make him practice that. Not like any of the people he considered family ever pushed him far enough to practice that. The most frustrating part was that even Spencer didn’t know which way he preferred to go about it, talking or not talking. Neither, he supposed.

But, communication is key, something you seemed to understand to a nauseating degree, and a concept his big brain couldn’t seem to wrap around.

He didn’t see you at all that first day. Or that first week. Or that first month. He started wondering if you’d requested a transfer to a different field office, or maybe asked for your old job back. He wouldn’t know either way. He could ask you, but that would require actually talking to you, something he’d been trying to force himself to do for what felt like forever.

The first time anyone actually questioned his behavior was when the team got back from a case and were headed out for drinks. He declined the offer, making up some excuse about a head start on paperwork. The team exchanged some glances before packing into the elevator, leaving him alone with his thoughts, an occasion that was becoming way too frequent for Spencer’s liking.

He’d just started reading through his third file when the sound of the glass doors swinging open caught his attention.

A very colorful Penelope marched over to him in what he thought would be uncomfortably high heels. She grabbed the rolly chair from the desk next to him, rolled it over to his desk, and plopped down right in front of him.

“What is going on with you, my Boy Wonder?” she asked in a soft, yet demanding voice.

Spencer shrugged, “What do you mean?”

Penelope gave him a pointed look. “I thought you and Y/N really liked coming out with us?”

“Not tonight.” Spencer kept his answers short, not wanting to lie to one of his best friends, but also not wanting to get into it.

Penelope reached out for Spencer’s hands which he hadn’t realized were trembling until then. She kept them tightly pressed between her own and looked him straight in the eyes. “I know I’m not a profiler, but it doesn’t take one to know when a friend is hurting. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. I just want you to know that I’m always here and ready to listen.”

Spencer swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling the water brimming at the surface. He nodded at her, and she gave his hands one good squeeze before releasing them. She waited for a few moments longer, hoping that he’d decide to say something but he didn’t.

It wasn’t until she’d almost reached the doors to leave when he called her name. “Penelope?”

She turned around and took a couple steps back toward him. “Yes?”

Then, in one quick motion, he stood up and enveloped her in a hug. Tears were already flowing down his face as Penelope held him as tight as she could, wanting him to know that she was going to support him no matter what. “Shh,” she tried to comfort him, moving her hands in soft strokes up and down his back, “It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not,” Spencer’s voice cracked, “I messed it all up.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Penelope cooed. “Would you tell me about it?”

He told her everything. How you’d gotten the job at the FBI, how you constantly fought, how his mother started getting worse, how you found out about Maeve, and how you’d left each other that last time. He was a blubbering mess spouting about how much he still cared about you and how he’d certainly screwed it up, and Penelope tried to keep her composure, even as she felt all of his pain so deeply. “Nothing is irreparable, Spencer. If you really love Y/N that much, I think you should try to make it work.”

“But I’m not sure if they still love me.”

“I’m willing to bet they do.”

“How can you say that? You didn’t see them the last time we fought. I think I might have really destroyed us.”

“Because I’ve seen the way they look at you. If after everything you’ve been through together, you still feel this strongly for them, I bet they feel just as strongly for you. You know what, I bet Y/N is having all the same thoughts you’re having right now. If you really want to be with them, you should talk to them,” Penelope encouraged.

“What would I even say?”

“Exactly what you said to me.” Spencer gave her a questioning look. “About how much you love and miss them. And how much you want to make it work.”

She gave him a soft smile and he sighed. “You think that will work?”

“I think that it’s the best thing you can do.”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

You were sitting in your car outside of Spencer’s apartment trying to talk yourself up. You could do this. You could knock on his door and talk to him like an adult. You could tell him how much you wanted things to work out. This is what you wanted, and even if it went horribly, you knew that it would put your mind more at ease knowing where he stood.

You walked confidently up to his door, but right as you were about to knock, you panicked. God, maybe it was better to just leave things as they were and see if he came to your first. Yes, that was a good plan, you could just wait and see what Spencer wanted.

You hadn’t driven all the way over to his apartment just to chicken out at the door, though. You knew that for better or worse you needed answers, so in a bout of confidence, you knocked on his door. Then you waited. And waited. And waited. After about five minutes, you knocked again, calling his name, but there was no answer.

You let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like a sign from the universe or whatever that this just wasn’t meant to happen. Or maybe Spencer was inside waiting for you to leave, and that would be answer enough. Either way, you only had one place to go from there, and it was back to your apartment. You wished you would have been able to talk to him, but you didn’t want to do it over the phone and you definitely weren’t going to do it at work, so you felt like the opportunity had been missed.

At least, that was your theory as you climbed the stairs to your apartment, nearly getting run over on your way up.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Spencer exclaimed. Spencer?

“Spencer, what are you doing here?” you asked, taking the final steps up to the landing now that Spencer had moved aside to give you the room.

“Oh, um, I was here because, um, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I-I wanted to apologize. For everything. For the way I handled our last argument, a-all of our arguments, but especially that one. I realized that I had been trying to use you to cover up the grief I was feeling, and I know how wrong of me that was. It wasn’t fair to you, any of it. I know that you know how bad I am at expressing my feelings, and how I’m even worse at talking about them. I’m trying to get better. You don’t owe me anything, and I understand if you don’t want to, but I want to try again. I know it will take a while for you to trust me again, but, Y/N, you make me want to be better. I want to be better for you. You make me feel whole, a-and I know that it’s not fair of me to put that on you either! But it’s true. I love you, and if you’ll have me, I want to try again.”

You stared at him as you tried to process everything he was saying, his demeanor getting more nervous by the second. Then, at the irony of it all, you started laughing. Which was definitely the wrong approach to the situation, but before Spencer could get really uncomfortable, you explained, “I just came from your place to tell you the exact same thing.”

His eyes got wide, and a shy smile crept its way onto Spencer's face. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. I hate fighting with you, and miss being around you. I’ve been driving myself crazy these past few weeks going over and over what I said to you, and I know I can’t take it back, but I want you to know that I regret it, so, so much, Spencer. It wasn’t right of me to expect so much out of you after everything you’d been through. Everything you’re going through. I want to make this work.”

“Me too,” Spencer said with a sheepish smile. “I know that I’ve been trying to make this into our old dynamic, and you were right when you said that we don’t really know each other for who we are now. So I want to start all the way over, if that’s alright with you. I want to get to know Y/N Y/L/N, the successful FBI lawyer, not Y/N Y/L/N the person I used to know from high school.” You nodded your head, a curve to your lips. “Well, then if you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce myself.”

You pressed your lips together, unsuccessfully holding back the small laugh as Spencer walked a few paces from you, just to turn around and walk back toward you. He extended his hand and you reached out to shake it. “Hello. I’m Spencer Reid.”

“Y/N Y/L/N. It’s good to meet you, sir.” You bit your bottom lip, knowing exactly how he’d respond.

“Actually, it’s Doctor.”

You feigned surprise. “Wow, doctor, huh? What do you do, Doctor Spencer Reid? Are you a surgeon of some kind?”

He gave a small laugh, trying to compose himself. “No, actually, I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.”

“That’s impressive. You know, I actually work for the FBI as well.”

“Really?” he asked, eyes going wide.

“Yes. I’m a lawyer, but just recently started working for them. I worked for a successful firm just before this.”

“Wow, that sounds very interesting,” he enthusiastically said, eyes shining. “Now, I’m usually not this bold, but I saw you from over there,” he gestured to the spot behind him he’d just come from, “and I must say that you are very attractive. I would love to take you out for dinner and get to know you better sometime…” he trailed off.

“Sounds amazing Doctor,” you agreed.

As he started idly moving around you to get to the stairs, he said, “Well, it’s been really great meeting you Y/N Y/L/N, the FBI lawyer, and I’m excited to get to know you better.”

“As am I, Doctor Spencer Reid of the BAU,” you grinned. God, you two were so cheesy.

“I hope that I will get a call from you soon,” he mirrored your grin, but his voice was a bit less confident than it was before.

“You might not have to hope for too much longer.”

Spencer tugged his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes wide and sparkling. He looked like your Spencer, the Spencer you’d fallen in love with.

He practically skipped down the steps, pausing only momentarily to glance back up at you. He shook his head in disbelief and smiled to himself as he travelled the rest of the way down, and you looked after him with fondness in your eyes. You’d have to say, this was so much better than all the other times you had to watch Spencer walk away. This time, you were overwhelmed with hope for what this new beginning would mean for your relationship.

A/N 2: This was the fourth and final part of this mini-series! I hope you all enjoyed it, and thanks again to the anons that encouraged me to turn this into the series that I wanted it to be! Much love!

[hopelikethemoon]

Morning Fun (Javier x Reader) {MTMF} [smut]

Title: Morning Fun Rating: Explicit Length: 1500 Warnings: Smut (consensual somnophilia)  Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Fall 1995. I’ve been waiting to use this gif of Phoebe for weeks lmao.  Summary: Reader is woken up in the best way possible. 

@grapemama​ @seawhisperer​ @huliabitch​ @beccaplaying​ @rogrsnbarnes​@thewallpapergoesorido @twomoonstwosuns​ @gooddaykate​ @livasaurasrex @ham4arrow​@plexflexico @readsalot73 @hdlynn​ @lokiaddicted​ @randomness501 @fioccodineveautunnale  @roxypeanut​ @snivellusim​ @lukesrighthand​ @historynerd04 @mrsparknuts​@synystersilenceinblacknwhite​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @exrebelshocktrooper​@awesomefandomsunited @ah-callie​ @swhiskeys​ @lady-tano​ @u-wakatoshii @space-floozy​ @cable-kenobi​ @cool-ultra-nerd @himbopoes​ @findhimfives​ @pedrosdoll​ @frietiemeloen​@arrowswithwifi​ @random066 @uncomicalhumour​ @heather-lynn​ @domino-oh-damn​ @cyarikaaa​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​  @yabby-girl​ @xqueenofthecraziesx​ @punkass-potato @coredrive​ @pascalesque​@theduchessofkirkcaldy @queenquazar​ @sabinemorans​ @buckstaposition​ @holkaskrosnou​@yespolkadotkitty​ @fleetwoodmactshirt​ @seeking-a-great–perhaps @kochamcie​ @jaime1110​ @katlikeme​

The pair of lips brushing over the back of your neck made a quiet sigh of contentment slip past your lips. The touch wasn’t quite enough to stir you from your dreams, but it was enough to turn your dreams into something new. 

A shiver ran down your spine as you as fingers ghosted over your bare back. Your hips shifted as the figure in your dream pinned you against your kitchen table. 

One hand slid along your waist, before a pleasant weight settled atop you, pressing you into the mattress. 

Hot breath danced over your ear, causing another quiet moan to escape you. The figure in your dream transformed into Javier — you recognized his hands as they drew your arms out in front of you, keeping them pressed against the top of your kitchen table. 

“Javi.” You whispered, grinding your ass back against the stiff length of his cock. 

The hand at your waist slid beneath you, coming up to grasp your breast, palming it gently as the other hand grabbed at your hip, holding you steady as he rocked against you. 

His cock slid between your sensitive folds, teasing you just as mercilessly as the figure in your dream. You were still sensitive from last night — but you craved it. You needed him. You always did. 

Javier’s lips ran over the column of your throat, lingering at your ear, “You’re so fucking wet, baby.” He kissed your cheek as you turned your face, sinking into the pillow beneath you. Every nerve in your body felt like they were buzzing. 

You inhaled sharply as the head of his cock pressed against your center, your back arching as you tried to slide back onto him. Even in your dream, he teased you. 

His fingers curled gracefully around your throat, his thumb brushing along your jawline. “Are you dreaming about me, baby? Are you thinking about last night?”

A sleepy murmur slipped past your lips, but the sound got lost as you moaned as Javier’s cock sank into you, almost all the way to the root.

Your lashes fluttered, lips parting as you were pulled from your dreams into an even better reality. “Oh fuck.” You panted out, biting down on your bottom lip. 

“Is this what you wanted, baby?” He questioned, remaining perfectly still within you. “Say the word and I stop.”

“Don’t stop.” You urged, your fingers curling around your pillow as you rolled your hips backwards, taking that last inch of him into you. 

Javier’s hand slid from your breast, still wedges between you and the mattress, and trailer it downwards to your lower stomach. He drew you up, his fingers fanned out as he held you there as he snapped his hips into you. 

“Fuck!” You gasped out, the angle of his thrusts had him hitting every sweet spot within you. The warmth of sleep quickly shifted into a burning need for him as you moved with him. 

You reached behind you, curling your fingers around the back of his head as you drew him down so you could kiss him. It was messy and crooked, but exactly what you needed. “I love you.” You whispered against his mouth.

“Love you too, baby.” Javier grunted out as he pressed a kiss to the crook of your neck, lingering there. “You looked so fucking good laying there.” He told you, his voice rough with effort. “Couldn’t fucking help myself.” 

“Last night wasn’t enough?” You taunted, clenching tight around his cock as he slid into you again. 

“Woke up hard as a fucking rock,” Javier told you, catching your earlobe between his teeth and tugging lightly at it. “And you looked too good laying there, baby.” He drew out nearly completely, before shallowly thrusting into you. “That pussy was too good to ignore.”

You moaned as he tightened his grip on your throat, not enough to leave a mark, but just enough to make your entire body shudder. 

“Come for me again, baby.” Javier kissed a spot behind your ear.

“Again?” You breathed out, grinding back against him as the length of him pressed into you. “Was that why I was dreaming of that fucking mouth of yours, Javi?”

He smirked against the flat of your shoulder, “It was hot.” He ran his thumb over your bottom lip and you wrapped your lips around it, swirling your tongue as you sucked. “Is that okay, baby?” He questioned — always so painfully aware of what you wanted. 

You scraped your teeth over his thumb, “How many times have I told you… you have my full permission to wake me up, just like this.” You reached behind you, threading your fingers through his hair. 

Javier nodded, kissing your shoulder before he braced a hand beside your head. He used it for leverage to start truly slamming into you. The angle let him fill you to the brim and the way he was pressed against you made you feel overwhelmed in the best of ways. 

Fireworks went off in your veins as your release crashed over you, your cunt pulsing around his cock as he slammed into you again and again. 

His breath was hot against your shoulder as he grunted out your name, his body tensing above you as he buried the length of his cock within you. Your body clenched around him, milking every second of pleasure from him as his release spilled out. 

You let out a plaintive groan as he slid out of you too soon, so he could collapse onto the bed beside you and not crush you into the mattress. 

“I wasn’t done with you,” You murmured, reaching out for his hand. Javier flashed you a lazy grin as he slid his fingers in between yours before he interlaced them. 

“Less about you and more about my lower back, baby.” He assured you, giving your hand three little squeezes. You weren’t surprised, you could see the way his jaw was taut, an obvious give for when something was bothering him. 

You rubbed your thumb over the back of his hand, “Well, we can't have that.” You grinned as you scooted closer to him, nestling yourself into the crook of his arm. “Did you get that out of your system?” 

Javier snorted, “Don’t think that’s possible.” He assured you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “But it did the trick.” 

You released your hold on his hand and draped your arm over him. You traced the line from his collarbone down to his navel, trailing your fingers up and down his chest. “I was having a very interesting dream.”

“Yeah?” Javier arched a brow, running his tongue over his bottom lip. “You plan on sharing.”

“Maybe,” You shrugged grinning at him. “We were back in Colombia… but I think it was before Josie was born…” You pressed a kiss to his chest. “And you were fucking me over the kitchen table.”

Javier ran his hand down your arm as he grinned at you, “Interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.” 

You slapped his chest lightly, “Shut up.”

He leaned in to catch your lips in a gentle kiss, letting it linger before he pulled back, brushing his nose against yours. “Make me.”

“You’re the worst,” You rolled your eyes, stealing another kiss before you pulled away. “But I’ve got work today and we’re thirty minutes out before there’s a hungry baby crying.” You scrunched up your nose. 

Javier raked his fingers through his hair, rubbing at the back of his neck as he settled back against the bed. “Probably gonna take her to the seaquariam today.”

“I wish I could come.” You frowned a little. “I might be able to sneak away at lunch. We can grab a bite to eat at the cafe there?”

He nodded, reluctantly letting you go as you sat up. “Sounds like a plan, baby.”

“If I had known this would become a full-time job…” You pursued your lips, shaking your head slowly. “I feel like I miss out on so much shit.”

Javier sat up, curling his arms around your waist and pulling you back against his chest. He rested his chin on your shoulder, “One of us has to work.” He kissed your neck. “And we both know you were raring to get back in the field.”

“With you.” You pointed out. “I miss that.”

You regretted it the second it came out of your mouth. Things were still so weird when it came to Colombia. He had so much guilt and weird emotions about your time there and you had your own baggage. 

Sometimes you wondered how much of what you were currently doing was over-correcting for the past. You were working your ass off and he spent every free minute with Josie as her primary caregiver during the day. 

He rubbed at the back of his neck, sighing heavily. “Yeah. I miss it too.” 

You leaned back against him, resting your head against his shoulder, rubbing your hands over his arms where they were curled around you. 

Eventually it would have to be discussed. 

But this morning wasn’t the time to dredge you bad memories. 

“Next time, I’m gonna be the one waking you up.” You told him, giving his cheek a pat and a kiss before you escaped his hold and moved to get out of bed. “Grab her if she gets up, I’m gonna jump in the shower.”

Javier raked his gaze over your naked body with a smirk, “What, no offer to join you?”

“Someone’s got to get Josie when she wakes up,” You told him with a grin, before vanishing into the bathroom for your shower.

Like clockwork — Josie started crying the second you stepped into the shower, but you knew he had it handled. 

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

The Senator and The Chiss

Until We Meet Again: Part 1/?

Thrawn x Senator!Reader, Female Pronouns

Summary: You are a newly appointed Senator of you home planet, trying your best to make it through Ascension week in one piece. Things take a turn for the interesting when you meet a Lieutenant of the Imperial Navy unlike any you have seen before.

Loosely based on an anon request.

A/N: I’m not exactly sure where this is going. I plan this to be a series of one shots revolving around this Senator!Reader. If your interested in reading more about her and Thrawn, feel free to send any request my way! And remember REBLOG AND COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THIS!!!

Word Count: 2.6K

Ascension week was proving to be more exhausting than you had anticipated.

You understood what was expected of you and had mentally prepared to be on your feet for every day of the celebrations. But after only three days, the names and faces were starting to blur together until nothing mattered except going home and finally getting some sleep.

You clung to the sides of the ballroom, enjoying the moment’s peace while you could. You had long forgotten where exactly you were or even the host’s name. A twist of guilt resided in your stomach because of it. With any luck you could remain anonymous for another hour or so, as to not appear rude when you left early. The dress and hairpiece you were wearing, however, were making things difficult.

The wardrobe was ceremonial in nature, meant to mark you as a leader of your people. The dress was perfectly tailored to your figure with vibrant greens interwoven with golden and silver thread sewn together in a striking pattern. An elaborate crown was braided into your hair making it appear as if golden vines resided there blooming with silver flowers. It was a striking sight, meant to represented the life of your homeworld and the pride of your people.

Governor Lir had declared you a vision when you had arrived, assuring you were a testimate to Danu and would be the talk of Courscant.

You had thanked him, but knew his words rung partially false. Even when your aids had finished the final touches, you could feel yourself being buried under the weight of the dress. The metal vines poked and pulled at your scalp. You had almost tripped upon first entering the ballroom. If it weren’t for having Governor Lir’s arm, you would have fallen. It was obvious to any with a pair of eyes, and especially yourself; the dress was wearing you rather than you wearing it.

Perhaps you just needed practice. You had only been Senator of Danu for a handful of months and had just settled into your office on Courscant a few weeks ago. It would take time to adjust. But as you looked over the sea of people in the ballroom, all veteran politicians, military men, and various other powerful figures, it was becoming clear time wasn’t on your side.

You took a sip of your wine. Maybe you could convince Governor Lir you needed to rest. Surely he had introduced you to enough people for the evening.

You spotted him across the room, engaged with a handful of other Outer Rim governors.

It would have to wait. You didn’t want to be accidently sucked into another trade routes discussion, if you could help it.

You continued to walk until you came across a set of heavy curtains. They appeared hastily put up. Peaking out of one of the corners you could just make out the bright colors of some kind of mural. Most likely the host didn’t have time to finish it before the start of Ascension week. Regardless, it was exactly the reprieve you needed. Taking a quick glance to make sure you wouldn’t be seen, you ducked under and out of sight.

You turned to face the wall, not wanting to risk backing into wet paint. But, as your eyes adjusted to the dim light, it was clear such precaution was not necessary.

The mural was old, much older than any of the other paintings and portraits placed around the ballroom. The color was starting to fade, but their vibrancy would not die an easy death.

The entire wall was covered in what could only be an ancient star map. Circles and lines weaved along, connecting worlds and stars and planets together in a delicate dance. Each planet stood bodly on their own while still emphasising the importance of the lines connecting them to the rest.

You took a small step back, craning your neck to try and catch every brush stroke. It was then you noticed fresh paint along the corners. At first you assumed it was restoration, but as you examined closer, the darker, subtler color scheme told you otherwise.

A small sting of pain came to your heart. They were painting over it.

The rustle of fabric interrupted your thoughts. You turned toward the sound, an apology ready on your lips when they froze there in wonder.

A new party had entered your sanctuary, but he was unlike anyone you had ever seen.

He was alien, a rarity you had found at events such as these during your short time on Coruscant, but he didn't belong to any species you could name. His humanoid appearance and blue skin should have pointed clearly toward a Pantoran. But his face lacked the usual golden facial tattoos. More importantly his eyes weren’t the usual black or gold; they were a glowing red.

He stood tall exuding an air of confidence which left you transfixed. At first you thought he might be a general or even a prince. But, his uniform and plaque marked him as a Lieutenant of the Imperial Navy.

It felt wrong, somehow.

You blinked, suddenly realizing how long you had been staring. The only comfort you could find was that he had been staring back.

“I’m sorry,” you said, automatically. “Was this your hiding place?”

You held back a wince at your own words. Why would someone like him need to hide?

To your relief, he did not seem to take offence as his lip curled into a mildly amused expression. “No,” he said, in accented Basic. “I was merely hoping for a chance to admire the artwork. Though, it appears I have stumbled upon your hiding place.”

Your eyes darted down in embarrassment. “It was not my intention for it to be so. I just needed a moment to breathe and well…” You looked back toward the painting, and the same regretful pain tugged at your heart once more.

“I will leave you to it, then,” the alien said. He turned to leave, and a sudden panic took you.

“There’s no need,” you said, quickly. “Please, there is more than enough room for two and you may not have another opportunity.”

He paused a moment. His expression was unreadable as his red eyes gazed directly into yours.

You found yourself holding your breath, not even daring to blink.

Then, slowly, he nodded and took a place by your side.

You stood in silence, each allowing the other to observe the mural in peace.

It was actually rather pleasant. You hadn’t realized how long it had been since you had a comfortable silence with someone.

“What do you know of this painting,” he asked.

His tone was surprisingly soft. If he hadn’t addressed you directly, you would have assumed he was asking himself.

“Not much I’m afraid,” you answered. “Judging by how faded it is and the subject matter, I would guess it was commissioned well before The Clone War.”

“That was my conclusion as well. You have a fondness for that era, I take it.”

You gave a small frown. “What makes you say that?”

“You were facing the mural instead of the entrance,” he said, not bothering to take his gaze from the wall. “For one reason or another, this piece overshadowed your desire to remain hidden.”

Your stomach twisted uncomfortably at the truth of his statement as your cheeks grew warm. “I suppose you’re right. In truth, I have a fondness for any era of peace in our galaxy’s history. The Republic was so for nearly a millennium…” You stopped then, a familiar lump forming in your throat. “Until it wasn’t.”

“And what of the Empire?”

You shrugged, swallowing the lump as best you could. “Too soon to tell.”

He said nothing for a moment. His eyes still remained on the mural, but you knew he had taken your words into serious consideration. To what end, you could only guess.

“What other thoughts do you have on the painting?” he asked.

“How do you mean?”

“What do you see? What do you believe drew you to it in the first place?”

He settled his eyes on your now, with just the same focused attention as he had the wall.

“You me aside from its use as an ideal hiding place,” you asked.

His lip twisted upward slightly. “Yes, aside from that.”

You nodded, and allowed yourself a moment to ponder the question. Your eyes wandered again to the mural, to the shapes and colors and the looming ridged strokes along the edges.

“I think it has more to do with the contrast of what is to come,” you said, thoughtfully. “A riot of color rebelling against the darkness.”

You turned your eye to his. They seemed to burn in the dim light. For a moment, you thought you might burn yourself. You looked away, suddenly feeling very small and childish in your explanation.

“But, I am no expert.”

“Perhaps not,” he conceded. “But your answer is telling, nonetheless.”

Your back stiffened, and you raised your chin a little higher. “Do you presume to know me Lieutenant?”

“No,” he said, calmly. “I would not presume to know anything without more data.”

“But you have come to some conclusions.”

“Theories.”

“Which are?”

You were standing even straighter now. You would not allow yourself to be intimidated, especially by a man you barely knew.

He paused then. Something in his expression faltered, as if taken by surprise.

A small swell of pride came to your chest. You had a suspicion surprise was a foreign emotion to the alien.

It only lasted a moment and the impenetrable mask reclaimed its place on his features.

“As I said, I cannot make any certain claims,” he said, carefully. “I can only speculate. But I believe I am correct in saying, you are much bolder than you allow yourself to be.”

You blinked in wonder, not knowing entirely what to say. Slowly, you regained control of your vocabulary. “I will take it under consideration.”

He gave small nod in acknowledgement.

Another silence fell between you. It was not as comfortable as the last one. A new tension was in the air. What it was, you couldn’t name. All you knew was your ears were growing deadly hot.

“For such an intimate evaluation of my character, it feels odd I don’t know your name,” you said, in a light tone.

“Then, allow me to provide a remedy.” He straightened to attention. “I am Lieutenant Thrawn, first weapon’s officer of the Blood Crow, Imperial Navy. And, you?”

You matched him, straightening your posture and holding your head high as if to present yourself to a King. “I am Senator Y/N of Danu,” you said, with a curtsey. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lieutenant Thrawn.”

“The pleasure is mine, Senator.”

The amused line had made its way back onto his lips.

It was a small change, but you instantly fell at ease making your next question easier to bear.

“Forgive me if I sound ignorant,” you said. “And please know I mean no disrespect. But, I do not believe I’ve seen a member of your species before. May I ask where you come from?”

“There is nothing to forgive,” Thrawn assured. “I’m afraid you would not have heard of my home planet as it is not on any of your star maps. I can, however, tell you that I am Chiss.”

You felt your eyes widen. “Chiss?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve heard of the Chiss?”

“Only stories, folk tales really.” You were gawking now, you knew you were, but it couldn’t be helped. “I wasn’t entirely convinced you were real.”

“Indeed,” he said. “And how did a senator come to hear such stories?”

“Danu is part of the Outer Rim, boarding Wild Space,” you explained, mentally shaking yourself out of your shock. “My family has employed a number of traders who have explored the Unknown Region looking for hyperspace lanes or even just new trading partners. They all come back with stories.”

“Which you were inclined to listen too.”

You shrugged. “A good story is a good story, it doesn’t matter where it came from or how true it is. Although, it appears some of them may be.”

“Perhaps,” he said, thoughtfully. “I would be interested to hear these stories. A small handful have been relayed to be by my translator, Ensign Vanto. I am curious what similarities and differences may arise after comparing them to another source.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of your mouth. “And I would be fascinated to hear the stories straight from the Gualaar’s mouth,” you said. “But before we begin, I have one more question to ask of you.”

“Which is?”

“What do you think of the mural?”

Thrawn paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

“You were able to deduce some of my character from the exercise,” you said. “It’s only fair I be given the same opportunity.”

Thrawn again, said nothing. Finally he nodded. “You’re quite right.”

He was quite a long moment.

You could see the wheels of his mind turning behind his eyes. You would have given anything to know exactly what he was thinking. But as was becoming a habit, you could only guess.

Another moment passed before he blinked smoothly back to reality.

“I believe you and I see much the same thing,” he said. “But our conclusions differ as to their ultimate meaning.”

You felt your lips purse at his rather cryptic answer. You were about to ask him what exactly he meant when the curtains behind you parted.

“Lieutenant Thrawn,” an older man snapped. “I’ve been looking… Oh, my apologies.”

He faltered slightly upon seeing you, but soon gained his footing as he stood to attention.

“No need to apologize, Colonel,” Thrawn said. “Allow me to introduce Senator Y/N of Danu. Senator, this is Colonel Yularen of the ISB.”

The Colonel gave a small bow in greeting. “An honor, Senator.”

“The honor is mine,” you replied. “In truth, I should be apologizing to you. It seems I’ve distracted the Lieutenant from his duties.”

“Only for a moment,” the Colonel said, in a good natured, but firm tone which oddly reminded you of your grandfather. “But, I’m afraid I will have to steal him away from you.”

“Of course,” you said, even if you felt a small prick of pain at the loss.

He looked to Thrawn. “Lieutenant.”

“One moment, Colonel,” Thrawn said, as he turned his attention to you. “I would like to continue our discussion at a later date. Is there a time and place convenient for you?”

“I will be attending gatherings every evening this week,” you said, trying to repress the sudden surge of excitement bubbling beneath the surface. “However, I will be in my office tomorrow afternoon, if you can spare the time.”

“I am certain I can. Until tomorrow Senator.”

“Until tomorrow.”

He gave a small bow and turned to follow Colonel Yularen back into the light of the ballroom.

You stood there a moment reeling from the experience. So many questions buzzed in your mind each fighting for your attention until they became a jumbled mess. He thought you were bold?

You shook the thought away, but it didn’t stop your cheeks from growing warm once again.

Perhaps it was too soon to tell, but you had a strange feeling you would be seeing much more of Lieutenant Thrawn than just your upcoming meeting. You weren’t sure what to make of the sensation that now beat fast in your heart. All you could do was wait and see what the galaxy had in store.

Taking a small breath, you step forward towards the light. Your dress felt lighter now. The crown upon your head did not pull and prod. Your steps were smooth and easy.

However this played out, it was certain to be interesting.

[jeezlouiisee]

Invisible  Part 3

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your patience you have no idea how much it means to me. This chapter doesn’t have any JJ or Pope, just the girls! I hope you enjoy!

For any new comers this pairing is JJ X READER X POPE. which is basically a love triangle right now. Don’t be afraid to ask to be added to the tag list. Thanks so much! 

This is not my gif, if it is yours please let me know so I can give you credit.

Summary:  You were always quiet and shy, until you lost your mother who always encouraged you to put yourself out there. So you do and you’ve caught the eyes of two Pogues

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Cursing, panic attack

You didn’t understand. You truly couldn’t understand.

 “W-Why didn’t you tell me? You just assumed? Assumed that I didn’t like JJ? You don’t know how I felt! How I feel now. You told him no because mom died? Don’t you think that might be the reason why I needed someone?”  You were angry, extremely angry.

 “Y/N...” Your sister sighed, taking a step towards you which caused you to take a step back. 

 “Don’t. How could you keep something like this from me? Why didn’t he tell me.. I don’t...” You started to breathe heavily,  putting a hand on your chest.

 “I can’t talk to you about this right now.” You quickly turned around and went to your room, closing and locking the door. You sat on your bed and stared at your phone. You needed to talk to someone, someone who wasn’t your sister. Yet you couldn’t get yourself to call JJ or Pope. So you settled for someone else. You put the phone to your ear and listened to it ring, over and over.

 “Hello?” 

“Sarah? Can we talk? I’m kind of freaking out.” Your voice was definitely shaking. 

 “What do you mean? Freaking out about what?” She sounded a bit worried.

 “It’s a really long story but can we go somewhere to talk? Like the beach or something.” Your voice sounded a bit desperate when you asked her. 

 “Oh yeah okay sure. Give me a few.” Once you two finished the call you definitely started pacing, mumbling to yourself at what to do. When you got the text telling you Sarah was here you walked out of your room, pausing when you saw your sister. 

“Y/N talk to me.” Shelby had two bowls of ice cream out, she always tried using ice cream to cheer you up.

 “About what? The fact that you kept this huge secret from me for years? I can’t talk about it right now. Can you give me some time?” Your sister sighed, running her fingers through her hair. 

 “Okay fine. I’ll give you time. But if you’re going out I want you home by midnight got it?” She said sternly. You nodded and looked down at your phone. It was 10:15 you had an hour and  45 minutes to vent to Sarah. 

 “I’ll be back by midnight I promise.” That’s all you said before walking out and going to Sarah’s car, getting in. 

 “What’s going on Y/N?” Sarah asked, looking very confused and even a bit concerned. 

“Turns out JJ wasn’t obsessed with my sister.” You mumbled, looking down at your hands. 

 “I don’t understand.” She shook her head, frowning a bit. 

 “Look can we talk about this when we get to the beach? It’s a long story, kind of and I want to be further away from my house when I tell you.” You said, laying your head back against the headrest. Sarah simply nodded, chewing her lip a bit as she turned the car into drive and drove to the beach. During the ride she tried to get at least a little bit of what was going on but you weren’t budging. Once you got to the beach you both got out of the car and you hugged your arms closer to your chest.  You both hadn’t even gotten to the shore when you blurted out. 

“Me. It was me. He liked me. Apparently he was always talking to her about me but she kept telling him I wasn’t interested.” You let out a sigh, looking down. Sarah stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. 

 “JJ.. likes you? Has a crush on you? Are you sure? I mean, I didn’t even know that he knew you existed.” 

Ouch. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She said quickly, her face looking guilty.

 “No it’s fine really, I didn’t even know he knew I existed either. It’s just.. he’s JJ Maybank ya know? I don’t know what he sees in me but the fact that he kept pursuing me even after my sister repeatedly told him I wasn’t interested.. I just don’t know what to do.” You sighed, starting to walk again. You decide to take your sandals off so you could feel the sand under your feet. 

 “Were you? Interested I mean.” She asked, doing the same with her sandals too. 

“I have no idea, Sarah! I mean.. I didn’t really think about JJ like that until we kissed, but if I had known back then.. I would’ve thought about it.” You sighed, using her free hand to rub your face. 

 “So tell him how you feel. Or how you think you feel.” She said, shrugging a bit. 

“I don’t really know how I feel. Besides I told Pope I would go on a date with him and I’m not the type of person to cancel. Plus I don’t want cause drama between them. I’m just so confused.” You sighed, pausing to plop down onto a rock that was near you two. 

“Maybe you need a list.” She suggested, sitting down next to you. 

 “A list?” You raised an eyebrow at that. 

 “Yeah a pros and cons list to decide who you like more. Or who is more compatible.” Sarah smiled a bit, thinking it was a good suggestion. 

 “I know who I’m more compatible with Sarah.” You sighed, chewing your lip. 

“Okay let me rephrase that, just because you and Pope like some of the same things and you’re both nerdy doesn’t mean he’s good for you. With John B, I can be myself. He brings out the best parts of me. You need someone who does that for you.” You nodded slowly, looking out at the water in though. 

 “How would I come up with this list though?” You put your head in your hands. 

“Kie and I can help! Sleepover at her place I’ll text her.” She pulled out her phone. “Wait are you sure about this?” You suddenly lifted your head up to reach over to grab her phone but she moved to fast out of the way. 

 “Yes! We don’t want fighting among Pogues, even if it’s slightly entertaining.” Sarah then shoved her phone back into her pocket with a grin. 

 “She’s in, let’s go!” She grabbed your arm and was already pulling you to her car. 

 “Sarah I need to ask my sister! She said she wanted me home by midnight not a sleepover. Plus I need clothes.” You tried to get out as you were pulled to Sarah’s car. 

 “Then text her, call her, whatever,” She shrugged as she got to the drivers side of her car and got in. You sighed and got in, folding your arms. 

“Maybe if you come in and talk to her it’ll convince her? Maybe? Since we’re in a fight considering she kept this from me.” You suggested, shrugging a bit. 

“I guess I could try that. It wouldn’t hurt.” Sarah nodded, driving back to your house. You fiddled with your bracelet on your arm, the one your mom had gotten you for your 13th birthday. It was braided with blue and green thread and had a charm attached to the end string. After what seemed like an eternity of you overthinking this entire situation you finally got back to your house. You checked the time on your phone. 11:35. 

 “Okay. Let’s do this.” You sighed and got out of the car, walking to your door with Sarah in toe. 

 “We got this. It’ll be great.” She grinned widely at you as you grabbed your key from behind your  phone in your phone case and using it to unlock the door. You slowly opened the door and peaked your head inside. 

 “Shelby?” You called out hesitantly. 

 “Y/n?” Shelby ran out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around herself. She suddenly paused when she saw Sarah standing behind you. 

 “Oh hi, Sarah right?” She asked, glancing to you as she cuddled the towel closer to her body. 

 “Hi yeah. I’m really sorry to intrude in short notice but I really think a sleepover would be good for Y/N and Kiara is hosting. Plus she has that date with Pope tomorrow so we’re just trying to prep her for it.” Sarah said with a smile. Shit. You hadn’t told Shelby about the date. Her eyes suddenly went wide as her head snapped to look at you. 

 “You have a date with Pope?” She questioned, her voice a bit tight. 

 “Yes. I said yes before I found out about everything.. so I want this sleepover. I want it to help me figure stuff out. Let me branch out.” You repeated what your mom always used to say to you. You noticed it definitely caused Shelbys face to drop a bit. She ran a hand through her wet hair with a sigh. 

 “Okay fine. But please text me when you get to her house and text me in the morning when you wake up okay? I have an early shift at the Wreck so I’ll be there if you need me. Got it?” She said sternly, trying to be an authority figure but you knew she feeling extremely guilty. She walked over to you and brought you into a tight hug with one arm while the other kept her towel around her. She rested her chin on your shoulder as she whispered in your ear. 

 “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you I promise.” She said before pulling away. You nodded at her, chewing your lip a bit as you started walking to your room. Your sister walked to her room as she mumbled goodbye to you and Sarah. Sarah walked into your room behind you, looking around. 

 “Your room is nice.” She smiled, sitting on your bed. You mumbled a thanks before grabbing one of your tote bags and putting some clothes for the sleepover into it. 

 “Don’t bring anything for your date. Kiara or I will find something great for you to wear.” She grinned as she watched you pack for the sleepover. 

 “Okay sure. I’m still kind of freaking out.” You breathed, putting the bag over your shoulder. 

 “Why are you freaking out? Because of the date? Or the whole Pope and JJ both liking you thing?” Sarah asked as she stood, running her fingers through her hair. 

 “Both. I mean, I liked Pope so much but he didn’t even notice me so I decided to ignore those feelings and now they’re just there? But I have no idea if they’re platonic or not, then there’s JJ I mean look at him he’s JJ. I never in a million years would think he would like me. Sure in middle school we talked a bit here and there before the Pogues became the Pouges.” You rambled quickly, shaking your head. 

“Let’s just go so we can make the stupid list.” You grumbled as you walked out of your house with Sarah following you. 

 “Do you know who you might like more?” She asked, opening her car door before getting in. You shrugged before getting in the car too. 

 “I have no clue. I think I need to get to know them more. Probably.. well I know Pope but romantically you know?” You shrugged, looking straight ahead as Sarah started heading to Kiaras house. 

 “Well JJ isn’t really the romantic type, at least with the girls he’s been with but since he’s liked you for a while who knows.” You didn’t know why but that stung a bit. You knew he was definitely experienced but thinking about all the girls he’s been with definitely made you anxious. 

 “How many girls has he been with?” You squeaked out, your cheeks heating up from asking her that. 

 “Well before I met him I definitely knew about it his reputation but once I hung around him a lot I definitely saw that his reputation was true. So I’m not trying to freak you out but I want to say at least 30 girls? But in the span of 3 years so if he was with exactly 30 then it probably would’ve been 10 girls a year. Although I think it was more than thirty.” Sarah was definitely rambling, not trying to hurt your feelings but it definitely stung. 

 “What if I’m just a notch on his belt then? What if he doesn’t actually like me and he’s just showing me attention because he wants to sleep with me.” You frowned. It was like everything clicked. He was only interested in you so he could sleep with you. 

 “No no no.” Sarah said suddenly just as you two got to Kiaras house. She quickly put the car in park and then turned it off, facing you. 

 “You said that your sister said he liked you since you were both were 12 right? There is no way he just wanted to sleep with you when he was 12. He didn’t even start sleeping around since he was 14, at least that’s what John B said. So he’s liked you since before he started doing stuff with other girls. He probably starting sleeping around to get over you.” She said as Kiara walked out her front door. Sarah got out but you continued to stay in the car. You were freaking out, your chest was tightening up. What if he really only wanted to sleep with you? You watched as Sarah and Kie started talking but you couldn’t move. He could’ve liked you at first but then once your sister kept telling him to back off his feelings went away. He probably just saw you at the party looking all pretty and just wanted to have a good time, he’s probably doing all this because he probably knows you’re a virgin and wants to be able to brag about it. Your eyes shut closed as you gripped your bag tightly, gasping for air as tears slid down your cheeks. You started to breath even heavier the more the thoughts ran through your head. You flinched when you suddenly heard the passenger door open. 

 “Y/N?” Kiara crouched down so she was more level with you. 

 “What’s going on? Are you okay?” She asked, concerned. All you could do was shake your head, still gasping for air as you clung even tighter to your bag.

 “Hey come on talk to us.” Sarah said as she crouched next to Kie. “I think she’s having a panic attack.” She said, reaching over to pull you into a hug. At first you flinched but when the girls started to hug you tightly it caused you calm down slowly. Your breathing was getting normal. 

 “I-I’m... I’m sorry. The whole JJ thing...” You mumbled, pulling away from them. 

“I’m fine really.” They stood up to give you room to get out of the car, which you did. You still felt some remnants from your mini panic attack but you didn’t want to tell them about it just yet. “

Are you sure?” Sarah asked, frowning a bit at you. 

 “I didn’t mean to freak you out, seriously. You asked and I was just trying to be honest with you but I highly doubt that he’s using you for sex. Trust me.” Sarah looked extremely guilty, pulling you into a hug again. 

 “No trust us. I see the way JJ looks at you. He’s interested in you and not just a sexual way.” Kie said as she hugged you both. You were glad you had decided to go to that boneyard party. 

 “Okay I’m definitely feeling better. Let’s make this list and have a good time, okay?” You grinned as you pulled away. The girls grinned at you as you all walked up to Kiaras room after you closed the passenger door. You all said hi to her parents who were in the kitchen. Her house was amazing, Kie was a kook but you still weren’t expecting it. You all quickly run up to her room, once the door is open you look around her room with a huge smile. The house may not have screamed Kie but her room definitely did. 

 “Wow Kie, your room is amazing.” You said as you sat down on her desk chair. 

“Thanks Y/N it’s not that big of a deal.” She shrugged as she sat down. You nodded a little, definitely knowing it was but decided not to say anything else. 

“So where do we start?” You asked, fiddling with your fingers. 

 “Okay so pros and cons.” Sarah said eagerly with a huge grin on her face. Oh fuck. Why did you agree to this? 

taglist: @baby-pogue​ @teenwaywardasgardian​ @microwaved-timmies​ @http-cherries​ @ephemeral-queen​ @queenofthebees003​ @tonyedwardstarkk​ @harrysbbby​ @jellyfishbeansontoast​ @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch​ @jeyramarie​ @sspidermanss​ @pm-my-hubbies​ @yeehaw87​ @k-k0129​ @spiderman-2013​ @jjsjuiceboxx​

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) 莫弈 SSR [心悬一线] [Tears of Themis] Mo Yi SSR [Heart hanging by a Thread] Card Story Translations (Part 2)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mo Yi’s Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *You can hear the absolute fear in his voice when he yells “Careful!!” *Mo Yi: shookf. jpg 

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Video Call

Location: Forest 

Time ticked on, but Mo Yi hadn't come back at all.

The birds that had been singing had already tapered off, and the woods felt so cold and unwelcoming that it was depressing.

Ji Tang, who hadn't talked in a long while, finally grew impatient from all the waiting.

Ji Tang: How long have we been waiting here?

MC: Probably not all that long…

Ji Tang: That's not possible. How about you take a look at the time?

MC: Maybe over an hour…?

Ji Tang: It's already been that long!?

Ji Tang: If you guys had agreed to support me on the way back to the Camp earlier, we might have already gotten there by now!

MC: Please calm down, Miss Ji. We don't know the extent of your injuries, so it'll be risky if you move so rashly like that.

MC: Even if you do manage to walk, the soil is wet, and it'll be pretty difficult for all three of us to trudge through it together.

MC: It's time-consuming and also energy-consuming. So…

I hadn't yet finished speaking when she cut in again.

Ji Tang: So, you think I'm a burden; someone who'd slow you down!?

Ji Tang: Haha! Does that Doctor think the same too?

MC: No, Miss Ji. That is not what we think of you.

Ji Tang: The both of you intend to leave me behind!

Ji Tang: Did you guys come to the realization that you'd only be wasting your breath by saving someone like me, after finding out that I had no valuable possessions on me!?

The more she talked, the more suspicious she got. I interrupted her, a little annoyed.

MC: If so, then why didn't we take the opportunity to blackmail you before we pulled you up here, to safety?

MC: And why, then, would I even be staying here to accompany you?

Ji Tang: You might not think of it this way, but who knows! Maybe the Good Doctor does!

Ji Tang: Maybe he didn't want to take you along either, so he took this opportunity to shake himself free of you! Don't think that that Doctor's all so noble himself!

Despite knowing that whatever Ji Tang had just said was the result of her letting her emotions get the better of herself, I was still ticked off by it.

MC: Miss Ji, you can choose not to believe me.

MC: But don't you dare paint Dr. Mo in such a bad light! He's not that sort of person!

I never once took her scathing words towards me to heart. But hearing her speak of Mo Yi in this manner sounded like unbearable grating on the ear.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Mo's Mental Health Research Centre

MC: Dr. Mo, whenever you encounter unreasonable Patients who misunderstand you, do you…

Recently, another Doctor had been injured by a Patient that had refused to listen to reason.

The Doctor-patient contradiction had once again made it into the Hot Search, causing disputes from both parties involved.

Mo Yi: Are you trying to ask me if I feel angry or hurt?

MC: You can forget I ever asked about it if you don't want to talk about it!

I saw the smile he had on his face up till earlier cool a few degrees, instantly regretting ever having asked him this question for a moment in passing.

Mo Yi: I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel the least bit unsettled by it.

Mo Yi: No one can stand being misunderstood and still face the other party with a smile on their face.

Mo Yi: But I am a Doctor, so I have my own professional ethics.

Mo Yi: No matter what the Patient thinks of it, as a Doctor, we still have to think about their Medical Condition.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Ji Tang: Since you trust him so much, then how about you wait here for him alone!?

Her shrill cry cut my memory short as she reached out for one of the many outstretching tree roots, using it to attempt standing. But she didn't manage to take a couple of steps before she fell heavily back down with a thud.

Ji Tang: AHH! My leg...it hurts!!

She lied on the forest ground, both hands grasping at her leg as she let out a heart-wrenching scream.

The wound that had already been torn open once re-opened, oozing blood.

MC: Still want to leave?

Ji Tang: No... Not anymore…

Ji Tang: My wound hurts so badly...why is it bleeding non-stop like that? ...I'm so dizzy…

The attitude she took on after having her wound clot over and thus forgetting the pain really gave me a headache. I sighed as I got up to leave.

Ji Tang: Are...Are you leaving!? Don't go!

MC: You don't believe me and neither do you keep to your own promises, so what good will I be here?

Ji Tang: Don't go! I was wrong! I shouldn't have suspected you! I was wrong about you, so don't leave!!

MC: Don't move anymore. I don't have any alcohol or bandages in my bag.

MC: I'll go look for medical supplies nearby. You stay here and wait for me.

I ignored her cries and left in silence.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

According to my previous discussions with Mo Yi, there was a higher possibility of there being supplies near the bridge.

I took out a small knife and marked the trees along the way as I searched, heading straight for the bridge that connected the two Mountains.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

On the other side, the Communicator's line finally went through.

Mo Yi: Yes, the injured is unable to move and requires to be carried away on a stretcher.

Mo Yi: I cannot stay in Camp to wait for your arrival. I have a companion to return to.

Mo Yi: ……

Mo Yi: I know. Can you see my Communicator's current location?

Mo Yi: ……

Mo Yi: Alright. Then please send a Rescue Team to my current location now. I will leave marks to notate the rest of the route. Please follow the marks and make your way over.

After ending the call, he dashed back towards the direction of the Mountain Slope…

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Forest

I never saw the bridge no matter how far I walked, and neither did I hear the sound of water. I was starting to suspect that I had gone off in the wrong direction.

MC: ……

MC: Why aren't I there yet…?

I unfolded the map and calculated the distance again based on the scale.

MC: Logically speaking, I should have already reached my destination, based on my calculations…

MC: I can't be lost now, can I…?

Lifting my head, I looked at the lush woods ahead of me at a loss when Mo Yi's figure suddenly flashed across my mind.

MC: If it were him, what would he do?

MC: No, he'll never let himself end up in such a position.

MC: No, I can't get upset now. He said before that you must remain calm even in times of hopelessness.

Taking a deep breath, I tried my hardest to cheer myself back up 

MC: I followed the compass and headed in the direction it pointed me to all the way, so I should be correct… I should go further up ahead and check.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Forest

I didn't know how long I had been walking, but the woods were gradually getting brighter and brighter. I could see a bridge from a distance away.

I ran towards it in excitement.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

A wide, rushing river had cut off the path between the two Mountains. A slender Suspension Bridge hung over it.

The bridge was long. So long, that the other end was hidden among the dense trees. I couldn't see the end of the road that led to the opposite side. Upon closer inspection, I could see something in the middle of the bridge.

MC: A Supply Box!

I breathed a sigh of relief as joy flooded me from having finally found the supplies. After significantly calming down from my monumental bout of excitement, I keenly observed the bridge in front of me.

The Suspension Bridge looked a little old, it's wood planks already starting to turn black.

I tried to make the thickest rope away with my hands, but it didn't budge at all.

MC: It looks old, but it's still holding up rather strong.

MC: Hm? This is…

There were two sturdy wooden stakes at the end of the bridge. I brushed aside the plants that covered the sign and saw what had been carved on them.

MC: This is...the Organizer's logo!

MC: This means that this bridge should have been specially reinforced for this Treasure Hunt…

MC: Not to mention that the Staff placed supplies on the bridge itself, which means it should be safe enough.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

When Mo Yi returned back to where he had left them, he only saw Ji Tang, sitting alone under the tree.

Mo Yi: !!!

Mo Yi: Where did she go?

Ji Tang: Oh, Dr. Mo! She...she…!

She hung her head in anguish, rubbing her non-existent tears away with her hands.

Ji Tang: Dr. Mo, my wound...it re-opened again...

He glanced down at her wound, but ignored her, instead, looking around intently, searching.

After a while, he determined the direction of the woods he was to be heading in and dashed off into its depths.

Ji Tang: Eh? Dr. Mo! Don't leave me alone!

Her cries failed to stop him, and his silhouette disappeared into the woods within seconds.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: Forest 

After ensuring that the Suspension Bridge was secure enough, I carefully stepped onto it.

It was stable at the start as I proceeded a step at a time, holding tightly onto the rope that held it upwards. However, the closer I got to the middle, the more it shook and the more I felt as if I was floating in the air.

The rushing sound of water under the bridge filled my ears along with the creaking of the wooden boards as it rubbed against the rope. 

MC: ……

MC: Don't be scared...don't be scared...

I gripped the rope tightly in my hands, but I could find my own center of gravity.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the Mountains. The bridge seemed to sway even more and leaned closer to the river itself.

I couldn't help but to cast a look down at my feet where the river swirled. It looked like it'd suck me in and swallow me whole.

MC: Oh no... what do I do... I'm usually not scared of heights... 

Unwillingly, I did something that I'd never expected; I looked down the bridge again.

It was only then, that I realized that the height at which the bridge was suspended in the sky was much higher than I had initially calculated.

MC: No, no way...

I shook my head, mentally telling myself repeatedly that I won't fall... but I still couldn't shake off that instinctive fear I had of falling.

The feeling of dizziness hit me, and it felt like all my energy had been sapped from my being, rendering me unable to take another step.

MC: Mo Yi...

???: (Y/n)! Hold onto the rope and don't move!

A familiar, yet unfamiliar voice rang out, filling my ears. I turned my head and saw Mo Yi's figure by the bridge.

Mo Yi: Don't make any rash movements, I'll go over at once!

I was greeted by his familiar, but flustered face.

MC: Mo Yi…? Is it really you…?

MC: Am I that scared...that I'm seeing illusions now?

I was a little dazed as I stood there, rooted to my spot, unable to tell the difference between illusion and reality.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Mo Yi checked the Suspension Bridge before walking cautiously upon it, reaching me within moments.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

His hair was a little disheveled, with a couple of strands stuck to his forehead from the sweat.

Gone, was the usual cool and calm he had in his eyes. Instead, what reflected within was something of a rare surprise.

Mo Yi: Can you still stand?

MC: Mo Yi...it really is you!

Hearing my shaky voice, a smile lit up within those anxious golden eyes.

Mo Yi: Yes, it's me; I'm here.

It was almost as if all the waiting though the long winter had ended, and I welcomed the first ray of sunshine on the New Year. My fear gradually dissipated, and the strength slowly returned back to my body, bit by bit.

MC: I'm… I'm good.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

I took a deep breath, slowly loosening my death-grip on the rope and stood up once more.

A faint fragrance hit my nose. A unique scent that belonged to Mo Yi alone.

He was standing behind me, a hand on my waist.

Mo Yi: Watch your feet. These wooden planks look pretty old.

I could hear the sound of a heart thumping by my ear, but I couldn't tell if it was mine or why it was speeding all so intently.

MC: I...

The fragrance that lingered around him seemed stronger than usual, amplified by his warm body.

Suddenly, a crack sounded. It sounded like a wooden plank breaking, snapping me right out of my thoughts.

MC: !!!

Mo Yi: Careful!

I didn't have time to react, only feeling that the ground beneath me had disappeared, losing my balance and falling forwards.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

But I didn't fall. Mo Yi's warm and sturdy arms had wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me tightly against him.

MC: Ngh…

A sharp pain seared through me. My calf had been torn open by the broken bridge.

I hurriedly gathered my strength and stood back up, but Mo Yi's hands remained on my waist. He didn't let go.

Mo Yi: Are you alright?

Realizing that there was a slight tremor in his voice, I quickly forced out a smile to comfort him.

MC: I'm fine! I'm fine! I just never thought that the plank would break. That really scared me!

I didn't tell him about the injury since I remembered that we were both still atop the Suspension Bridge and that our surroundings weren't exactly safe. But Mo Yi, who was beside me, didn't respond, and the air stagnated for a while. 

I could feel the hand he had on my waist trembling slightly through my clothes.  

MC: I'm already fine now, Dr. Mo… Don't worry about it.

Mo Yi: ……

Mo Yi: I regret…

MC: What are you talking about?

Mo Yi: Nothing…

He slowly retracted his hand from my waist, almost as if he had suddenly realised that it was still there.

Mo Yi: Sorry, I panicked.

Mo Yi: I'll bring you back.

MC: But we still haven't gotten the Supply Box…

Mo Yi: I'll bring you back first, then I'll come back down to fetch it alone.

Mo Yi: It looks like this bridge isn't all that safe. It'll be better if I'm the only one walking atop it rather than us both.

Seeing his insistence on the matter, it wouldn't be good if I'd pressed on. I was the one who had been way too scared to walk the Suspension Bridge earlier, after all.

MC: (It'll only seem like I don't know my own limits if I insist on fetching that Supply Box on my own now.)

MC: Since this bridge isn't safe, then you shouldn't be going onto it either. Let's look for one somewhere else.

Mo Yi: Alright. Let's go back first.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Mo Yi held tightly onto my hand all the way back in case another accident happened.

The swaying Suspension Bridge suddenly didn't seem all so scary anymore, for some reason.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

I felt more secure than I'd ever had in my entire life the moment I stepped foot back onto solid ground.

MC: We're finally back on solid ground! If you hadn't rushed here when you did, I think I might have been stuck there, unmoving, for the entire day.

Mo Yi: Wait here for me for a while, I'll go get the Supply Box.

MC: Huh? But didn't we just agree that…

Mo Yi: Are you injured?

Although it had been posed as a question, the tone he used was one of confidence.

MC: And I've been found out again, haven't I…

Mo Yi: Would you have not told me about it if I didn't realize?

His tone was slightly cold, making me hang my head slightly in shame like a kid that just got scolded.

MC: Sorry…

Mo Yi: I'm not blaming you.

Mo Yi: Don't worry. The Organizer has specially reinforced this bridge so there should be no problems.

Mo Yi: Plus, your wound can't be left untreated like that.

Not waiting for me to voice my protest, he headed straight for the Suspension Bridge once more.

───⋅𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊…⋆⋅☆

[dorotheajanegilmore]

Devil’s Daughter [Dean Winchester]

Catch up: 1

CHAPTER TWO

I came too in a warehouse, tied to hard metal chair with wet ropes that were burning my skin.

"Well look who finally decided to join us." Came a male British voice. The man stepped out of the darkness, walking towards me with a bottle of water. He was wearing a black suit and had a smirk tugging at his lips, looking at me with a cruel smile.

"What do you want from me?" I breathed out, my flesh sizzling under the rope.

"My name's Crowley and I need your help devil spawn. I want your father's ass back in a cage and you and your little powers are the only thing that can help me."

"Excuse me?" I lifted my head, looking up at him in bewilderment. "My father? Cage? Powers?"

"Yes?" Crowley narrowed his eyes at me and looked me up and down. "There's something wrong with you..."

"Gee, thanks."

Crowley bit back a smirk and shook his head. "No. You're more...human, than I expected. Do you know who you are?"

I shook my head and he sighed. I shrugged and told him, "It's like my head's been wiped. I had a flash back earlier but it was just of my friend calling my name."

Crowley stepped closer to em, it was a slow menacing step that had adrenaline cursing through my veins. He reached into his deep pockets and pulled out a knife. He flipped it in his fingers so the blade was pointing towards me.

"Whatcha got there friend?" I mumbled, starring at the metal blade that he was about to pierce me with.

Crowley chuckled and lifted the rope from my arm. He sliced the ropes and let them hit the floor before holding out a hand to me.

I skeptically took it and he pulled me from my seat. He threaded my arm through his and helped me walk out of the warehouse.

The sun had disappeared and was now replaced with a starry night sky, a beautiful dot to dot of sparkles.

We turned a corner and there in front of us was a shiny black car. It was a vintage beauty, gleaming under the moonlight. As we got closer the two front doors opened and two tall men stepped out.

I recognised the first guy from earlier and sent him an uneasy smile. He looked relieved to see me, he gave me an uncertain smile. "Hey Dean." I nodded and he nodded back, not saying anything.

"Elle, we're gonna go somewhere and I'm going to explain everything to you. I may be evil but I'm certainly fair." Crowley told me in a raspy voice as he placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me to the car, Dean opened the back door and I got in.

I slid across the smooth leather until I met the other door. I strapped in and tried not to cry, feeling my emotions rushing the surface. I truly had no idea who I was, where I was going or what I was about to face.

We were thirty minutes into the drive when the guy in the passenger side spoke up. "So, Elle is it?"

"I think so." I answered truthfully. He gave me a sympathetic smile and nodded.

"Well, I'm Sam. I'm Dean's brother. He told me about those guys and I'm so sorry."

The memory of Clay and Davey entered my mind and I looked at Crowley with wide eyes. "Were those your guys?" I snapped, feeling fear creep up once again.

Crowley gave me a sad smile and raised his hands. "I needed to get you somehow. But hey, as far as I was concerned you were this mega evil devil child that would kill me."

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. "So what did you just hire these guys to ambush and drug me or were the beatings your plan too?"

"Just a simple drug and drag, they had to fight you. You were a feisty one." Crowley sighed and pulled out his phone. He brought up the name clay and pressed call.

"Hello imbecile how are ya? Yeah it's Crowley. Listen, so the girl you kidnapped for me...yeah, brown eyes...that's the one...all right, calm down...yeah she is...say that again and I'll rip your throat out! Disgusting!"

A shiver ran up my spine and I felt disgust at whatever that horrible man was saying about me. It's a good thing I'm not some powerful being, I'd tear his head off.

"Yes, well turns out she's not the girl. Mhm...no no, I won't punish you, not for this. Simple mistake really." Crowley continued and rolled his eyes at me, he raised a hand opening and closing his fingers to his palm, mocking him as Clay yapped in his ear.

"Righto. Well I was just calling to let you know that she's not happy with your treatment, and neither am I. You see you took the torture a bit too far and now I have to deal with a skittish vessel and that's not gonna do me any favours. I'd watch your back if I were you."

Crowley hung up the phone and gave me a big smile. "Don't worry, darling. As soon as we get your powers back he's all yours."

"I thought you said you had the wrong girl?" Dean cut in from the front seat, clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"Well I had to say that didn't I. Nobody can know about this. As soon as word gets out that Lucifer has another child, especially a more powerful one, hunters from all over will start to track'er down."

I shook my head and tried to block out all of his nonsense. As soon as we get to wherever they're taking me and I figure out who I am, I'm outta here.

———

I followed them into a run down building that looked derelict. Sam referred to it as "the bunker" and told me how they were legacies of The Men Of Letters, a phrase that meant nothing to me. But I nodded politely and followed him inside.

Something about Sam put me at ease, made me feel safe. Dean had an uneasy vibe about it, sure he might have saved my life with turning his shirt into a tourniquet but right now, he seems like he hates me.

Walking through the front doors I noticed two people stand up and approach us. I hide myself behind Sam's large frame and he held a hand out for me to grab. Worried that Clay and Davey had returned I grabbed his hand and squeezed tight, praying that they wouldn't hurt me.

"You can stop praying, we won't hurt you." One of the Guys said, sounding much different than Clay or Davey. I peaked around Sam and saw a guy in a camel coloured trench coat and a younger guy in a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

“How did. I didn't.. what?"

The man shrugged not knowing what to tell me.

I shook my head, I must be going crazy. I cleared my throat and followed Sam, Dean and Crowley into the parlour. They offered me a seat on the couch and I took it, feeling exhausted and the burning on my thigh increase.

I hissed as my thigh hit the leather and Sam looked at Dean in concern. Dean disappeared around the corner and reappeared seconds later with a medical kit.

Dean sat beside me and gestured to my leg with his large hands. "Can I?" He asked and I nodded. He brought my leg up to rest in his lap and began untying the blood soaked flannel.

The two men stood behind the couch opposite us as Crowley sat down, scrolling through his phone without a care in the world.

The flannel came off and I looked away, not wanting to see the hole in my leg. I heard a gasp and turned to see Dean looking bewildered at my leg.

"What?" I asked before looking down. My pale thigh had a thick layer of blood but there was nothing fresh.

Dean took a cloth and began to dab at the wound, looking at me for a reaction. But it didn't hurt. He did it harder and all of the blood was wiped up, ravelling a scar-free thigh.

"Was there definitely a wound?" The friendly guy in a trench coat asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I plugged it with my shirt."

"I felt it burning a few seconds ago." I told him and he nodded.

Feeling self conscious I lifted my leg from Dean's lap and twisted so I had both legs on the floor and was able to rest my elbows on my knees. I hide my face in my hands and tried not to cry.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and then heard Dean awkwardly clear his throat. "Hey, Elle. It's okay. We're gonna help you ok, well figure this out."

I let out a tired laugh and shook my head in my hands. "I have no idea who I am, where I am or what you people are gonna do to me. I'm willingly sitting on a strangers couch with wounds that healed in a matter of hours. With a guy who can read my thoughts, a guy that was beaten with me but is apparently fine now, his brother and the guy who sent those freaks after me."

"Hey, we can help you." Dean confirmed. I sighed and pulled myself up to look at him, I raised a brow and he took a deep breath. "I promise. And I don't break promises."

"No offence but that doesn't mean much to me."

"I wouldn't expect it to." Dean nodded with a chuckled. "But give me a chance."

Tags:

@lilulo-12

[distrackles]

Resistance: Part 1

Dean Winchester x OFC

MASTERLIST

Despise /verb/: feel contempt or a deep repugnance for.

- B o -

This was so normal for us, me and Riley sitting at a bar at the end of a "hard" day. She'll continuously drink while I sit and have a few beers, neither of us ever get a buzz anymore. Bartenders almost without out fail will hit on her, and she'll most likely bring them back to the room we're staying at while I sit in the car, or even at the bar if her fling takes place in the vehicle itself. I never get mad and she always offers me a free pass the next morning to do the same to her one day, but I don't use it.

"Are you sure you're cool with this?" She asks me, as the guy she's been hitting on grabs his coat.

I nod. "Riley, honestly I don't care, it's your car anyway, try and text me if he turns out to be into anything weird. " She rolls her eyes, and downs her last drink.

"You want me to let you know just so you can get some of that, I know you're into some weird shit." Laughing, she stands up, as my middle finger shoots up. I mean anyone can enjoy a little weird, but I'm not gonna be fuel to her flame. She heads out with the guy and I pretend to busy myself reading the label on the full bottle of  beer in front of me. I usually do this until the bartender asks me if I'm alright, and then when I nod he gives me another bottle. This time I'm doing it because the guy on a stool away from me is glancing not so discretely at me every few seconds, and I don't feel like talking to anyone tonight.

"If you're gonna pretend to read that at least move your eyes a little." The guy says and my eyes flick up before I turn my head to look at him, familiar. "It would make it a little more believable."

" Maybe you wouldn't have noticed if you weren't staring so hard. " I bite back and he smiles. My hand is wet from condensation on the bottle, it's lost its chill as I drink from it. Thinking this man is gonna stop talking to me and just move on to annoy someone else was the first mistake I made. The second was when I actually acknowledged the fact that he had now moved to the stool where Riley was sitting.

"Is she your sister?" He asks, I roll my eyes. "I'm Dean, by the way." Dean Winchester, I think, of course he is. My silence gives him a moment to take another drink from his glass before he licks his lips.

"Hm, I expected Dean Winchester to be a little," I look him over for emphasis. "More intimidating." And then I smile slightly. His smirk made it obvious he wasn't the least bit offended by that, taking it more as a game.

"Should I know you?" Are his next words and I shake my head because it isn't likely, me and Riley keep to ourselves. Then again, he's a Winchester.

"Bo Shoemaker." And then I mentally curse myself because when the hell do I ever give my real last name. It's like that one rule totally left my mind. Dean's face seems to recognize it and he's just processing it, almost as if he'd be embarrassed if he said anything wrong.

"Shoemaker, as in-"

"Yeah, exactly." I cut in because I don't wanna hear his name out loud.

"So that girl, Riley Duncan I'm guessing?" I nod at that. "Bobby always says me and my brother-"

"That we're just like you and Sam, yeah I know and it's ridiculous." Once again he's cut off. "Look I should go, we gotta head out early tomorrow and it's my turn to drive." Liar.

Before Dean can say anything else I stand up, leave money, and walk out before conversation can go any further. I have no clue where I'm gonna go but honestly anything is better than having to discuss personal life. The spot our car was in is now empty, looking around at the last three cars left in the lot shows just how late it is. I scuff my boots against the pavement as I take short walks across the small area I'm given. My hands are shoved into my jacket pockets, and my breath fogs up the air in front of me. It's fucking freezing out here and I'm the coward that walked out just so I didn't have to face the truth. Dean wasn't innocent, but his curiosity was and all I had to do was say I didn't want to talk about it, of course he would have understood. I sit down on the curb of the sidewalk in front of the building, knowing Riley, I would be here a while.

His keys jingle as he approaches my side , and his booted feet crunch against some leaves when he steps off the curb to sit on it.

"I don't really want to talk about it. " I mumble, picking at the thread in my jeans. Dean doesn't say anything for a while, he only extends his legs in front of him.

"Yeah I get it, you need a ride anywhere?" He asks, looking at me.

"How long have they been gone?" I question, considering that it felt like ages since Riley had left me. Dean simply just shows me his wrist and the watch tells me it's been about an hour of me sitting out here.

"Yeah, the motel down the road." I answer his question and stand up at the same time as him. I can tell which car is gonna be his but I still wait for him to make the first move towards it before getting in the passenger side. We take the short drive to the motel, I thank him for the ride and get out as soon as I can.

"Hey, " I look back at him as he stands in the open doorway of his car. "What're you two in town for anyway."

"Not gonna let you steal our hunt Winchester." I smirk towards him and keep walking to our room. Giving the door a few knocks just to be safe, and hearing only the TV playing some ridiculously fake action film gives me the clear to go inside. Riley is on her bed, staring blankly at the screen. When she sees me the TV gets turned off, and her eyes close, she had been waiting for me to come back before she could comfortably fall asleep. The blankets are extremely thin, and my old shirt and shorts don't do much justice for any extra warmth. My eyes close, but I never fall asleep, as always.

.

The next morning we were up early, much to Riley's protest, in our smartest clothes, as we speak to some of the victim's family and friends. The guy's sister and roommate didn't have much information for us when I looked at the notes I took. I look up for just a second to acknowledge the waitress before looking back at my papers, the lady sets the plates down, it's mostly Riley's food anyway.

"Come on, take a break." She says with her mouth already full of pancake.

"We're missing so much yet I feel like it's right in front of our face." Dropping my pen, I replace it with my coffee mug and drink the rest of it.

" We'll figure it out." She assures and when I finally give her a real look her eyes are pointed in a direction outside. I turn my gaze to match hers and see her focus is on the Winchesters. I knew this would happen, I just had hoped I was wrong. What else would practically the most well known hunters be doing in a small town like this.

"Damn it, they're gonna take our hunt. " I groan.

"They can try, we were here first and I bet you got more of a lead anyway. " I go to argue because I know of Sam's records, and he's good at what he does when it comes to research, but Riley's chugging a cup of coffee and walking out the door before I can speak. Leaving a bit of money on the table and rushing to pack all my things up, I follow after her.

"Listen, what we had was great last night but that doesn't mean you can follow me." Is Riley's opening line towards Sam when I get out there, Dean laughs and Sam half smiles shaking his head. They're probably coming from where we just were based on the suits they're in. I finally reach her side and fix the strap of my bag on my shoulder. The boys look at me for a second before looking back at Riley who isn't done talking yet.

"This hunt is ours so don't even think about meddling in on us. "

"Hey, what's wrong with a little help?" Dean says with that smirk I already despise.

"We don't need help." I snap back at him. But then I get confused when Riley doesn't back me up.

"Bo, we could use some help, you said yourself that you didn't have enough, they might have what we're missing" She speaks quietly to me and I'm pissed because she's absolutely right and I still don't want their help.

"We're heading back to where we're staying, you guys can come with us and we'll see if we can piece anything together." Sam offers, the quiet conversation Riley was having with my ear probably wasn't too secret being we're only a few feet away.

"Yeah that's good, Sam come with me." And with that me and Dean are left standing there as Sam and Riley get in her car and drive off to the place. Dean goes to the passenger side of his car and opens the door for me, my eyebrows rise and he just shrugs. I get in the car with a huff and he shuts the door before getting in the drivers side and starting her up. The car ride is similar to last nights with no talking until we get to the motel they've been staying at.

The rest of the day and the late hours of the night are spent with me and Sam "geeking out" together, as Riley called it. Her and Dean just sat back and looked up anything we asked for. After all of us had gone through our fifth round of coffee Riley had called it a night and went to our room and an hour after that Sam headed to bed. I packed up my things roughly just to transport them to our room so I could continue working.

"Goodnight." Dean says when I try to leave without saying anything to him. I hardly glance over my shoulder and give a slight nod and a mumble before slipping out of the room and into ours.

-

"Bo, I don't see why it's so important to you that we do this on our own." Riley complains as I am trying to convince her to leave before we can meet up with the boys. Call me selfish, but I am feeling pretty confident that we have all the information we need after last night with Sam. Instead of answering her, I just start throwing her clothes that somehow managed to explode out of her bag within a night. I hear her groan and then go into the bathroom to get her other things. I slip out of the motel room to go load up the car with our duffel bags. Just as I shut the back car door, I look up to see Dean looking right back at me. What the hell? Why was he always around.

"What?" I ask, the question comes out a little more snarky than I intended. At first I had thought that I would get off easy when he just simply shook his head.

"Well, I definitely was comparing you more to Sam this whole time, but you and me seem to have some things in common too." He says with a sort of surprised tone. I roll my eyes, because the last thing I want is to be compared to Dean Winchester.

" I prefer to work alone too, just me and Sam." He finishes. I nod and decide to end this conversation as soon as I can.

"You should understand that it isn't personal then?" He nods at my comment this time. "Anyways, let's face it, we'll most likely cross paths again won't we? Hopefully it'll be a while" Dean laughs at that and heads back into his room. Riley comes out shortly after and we get in her car and head off to undergo the action of this hunt.

[the-elemental-sides]

Urban fantasy AU: The Sides are four spirits trapped in an amulet. When Thomas finds it and puts it on, he gains the powers of the four elements…or that’s what should have happened, but mistakes were made. Now the Sides have to coach him in their respective elements while Thomas deals with both his new powers and his ability to see into the magical realm. Not only is magic real, but there’s some pretty intimidating stuff out there, and only Thomas and the Sides have the power to stop it.

A/N: That took a little while, but the next chapter is here! It’s the longest one, too, so I hope you enjoy the following shenanigans.

Taglist: @shinylyni, @hissesssss, @vexation-virgil, @madd-catter, @rptheturk, @ed-tries-to-be-cool, @nienna14, @ryuity, @asofterfan, @robanilla, @k9cat, @ab-artist, @absoluteamethyst, @a-box-o-jills, @captain-loki-xavier, @lynisnotamused

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

***

Of all the spirits, Thomas knew Virgil the least.

While Roman spent most of his time bickering with Virgil and Logan, Virgil was rarely fussed enough to argue back. He seemed intent on blending in with the shadows on the floor, and when he did speak up, he seemed cynical and almost mean compared to the others. Patton was the only one to sing his praises.

So trying to figure out a way to approach the lesson made him pretty nervous. Thomas sat on his couch, alone; he’d chased all the others out to give them space. He hesitated, then took a breath. “Vir—“

“Don’t bother, I’m out.”

“Ah!” Thomas jumped when he saw Virgil standing over him like a gloomy Grim Reaper. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

“Clearly not.”

“Okay. Well, it’s good to see you, Virgil. I sure am ready to learn these water powers.”

“All right, all right.” Virgil sat on his coffee table without looking inclined to move.

“You’ve used your powers before, right?”

“I mean, yeah, I had them for like eight months. Sometimes I boiled water for coffee and stuff.”

“Um, okay.” Putting on his best ‘Picani’ voice: “How did using your powers make you feel?”

“Anxious.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Let me just get this straight: I hate working hard,” said Virgil. “So hey, if you really want me to supervise, I’ll supervise. But I think you can do it on your own.”

“Fine,” said Thomas, relenting.

Thomas filled a pot with water and sat, staring at it. He wiggled his fingers over the surface like a witch casting an enchantment.

“Are you trying to boil it?” asked Virgil.

“Yeah.”

“No, don’t do that just because I mentioned it,” he scoffed. “Find something easier to start out with.”

“You’re not making this easy, Verge,” Thomas said, laying down his hands.

“Sorry I’m not as a good a teacher as Roman.”

“None of you guys have been super clear about this, actually...no, you know what? Let’s chill. Let’s regroup.  We have time to figure this out.”

Thomas took a deep breath, adjusted his position, and focused on the water again, trying to fill his head with water-y vocab words. Bubbles. Spring. Droplets. Steam. Was that condensation forming on his fingers…? He might be onto something. A drop plunked off his finger. There!

“Impressive,” Virgil said, scrutinizing him. “You totally failed to move the water in the pot, but you made some out of thin air.”

“Oh.”

The morning continued like this, with Thomas practicing water magic while Virgil occasionally took off his headphones to make snarky comments. Privately, Thomas wondered why he was still hanging around, but he thought it was because the other spirits weren’t out and about. Virgil seemed kind of glad for the peace and quiet.

“All right, watch this,” Thomas said at last. “Water!”

Sploosh! The water in the pot jumped up briefly to touch Thomas’ fingers.

“Earth!” He made a fist and then rolled a newly-formed pebble into the water. “Fire! Foosh!”  He lit his other hand on fire and flicked some flames off to the side. “Air!” With the same hand, he stirred up a little tornado that whirred a few feet away before dissolving.

“Yep, those are the elements.”

“Wait, I’m not done. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony, but everything changed when the Fire Nation atta-“

“I get it,” Virgil said. “Congratulations.”

“Is that it?” Thomas asked. “Did I do it?”

“No, actually. Not if that’s all you can do. Can you control anything more than that?”

Thomas stared down into his pot of water. “I think that’s all I’ve got.”

“Well, hey, keep practicing. I’m out.”

“Hold up,” Thomas said, and Virgil paused, giving him a wary look. “I need to know something else. I think the others are hiding something from me.”

“Of course they are,” Virgil said with a half-shrug. “You didn’t think four spirits would come free of baggage, did you?”

“Was that rhetorical, or….?”

“Forget it. Hey, they might not have trusted me, but I was pretty good at reading their emotions. Patton felt guilty because he felt like he could have prevented this whole mess. Logan was way too stressed because the whole procedure was resting on him. And Roman sort of resented us because all his life’s plans were tossed away to get in on this.”

“And what about you…?”

Virgil just kept looking at him. Finally, he said, “Table that question. But if you want some answers, you’re ready for the next step in your training.”

“Sounds ominous,” Thomas said, a little nervously. “Does that mean we’re done here?”

“I should go talk this over with the others.”

“Okay. Hey, before you go. I thought of something cool.”

“Yeah?”

“I keep thinking of you guys as ‘the spirits,’ or sometimes just ‘those guys,’ but I think I’ve thought of a better name,” said Thomas. “You’re the ‘sides!’ Because you all make up a side of my new powers.”

“....I don’t know why, but that’s really appropriate,” Virgil said after a pause.

“I know, right? I’m glad I came up with it.”

“Huh.”

***

The next morning, Thomas went grocery shopping. According to Logan, this was necessary. It also happened to be necessary because Thomas was a pizza fiend who did not have enough healthy things in his fridge.

Thomas pretended to lock his car while the spirits (sides) briefed him.

“This quest will open your eyes to a whole new side of the universe, Thomas,” Roman said. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m hyped,” Thomas told his keys. “What’s the game plan?”

“Well, you have to be in spirit mode for it to work.”

“Spirit mode.” Thomas frowned. “Don’t three of you have to be in regular human mode for that to work?”

“Yup!”

“But—everybody else will see you that way! I can’t have three Thomases running around.”

“Never fear, Thomas, we’ve prepared for this,” Logan said. “As you might recall, we’re only borrowing your form. We have the capability to look however we wish.”

“And I choose to look—“ and Roman turned around, and suddenly he resembled someone else entirely—“like this!”

“Joan?!”

“Yes!”

“I was going to be Joan,” Logan muttered.

“That’s incredible,” Thomas said. “You’ve got their voice and everything.”

“Indeed!”

“Is this fitting?” Patton asked, popping into Thomas’ face.

“Woah! Terrence. Yup, that’ll do.” Thomas’ hand suddenly fell through his car door, but he was too excited to care. “Okay, we need one more.”

Virgil started to speak up, but Logan interrupted. “Me, of course. I will be your friend Talyn. I believe their short and nonthreatening stature will prevent unwanted confrontation.”

Thomas raised his arms to see that he had become translucent. “It worked. Nobody can see me now, so it’s up to you guys. Let’s go shopping!”

***

Thomas walked side-by-side with Virgil, the only one still stuck in spirit mode. The other spirits bounded ahead. Well, Logan was serious as ever. But even he had more of a spring in his step.

Or, ‘their’ step? The spirits’ impressions of his friends were almost too good.

“What am I supposed to see?” Thomas asked Virgil softly, even though nobody but the other spirits could hear or see them.

“Keep an eye out...especially on the other customers.” Virgil’s eyes were darting around warily. “It might take you a little bit to adjust. In the meantime—“

“Hey! Patton! That is not your dog!”

“—keep them under control,” Virgil finished under his breath as Thomas rushed forward to prevent Patton from taking a pomeranian out of someone’s shopping cart.

“Look at how cute she is!! Why don’t you have a dog, Thomas?”

“Because there’s no space for one, Patton. Do not kidnap this dog. Put her down.”

“Thomas, is this your shopping list? Really?” Logan said from somewhere off to his left. “You need more fiber in your diet. Where are the vitamins located?”

“Logan, stay here—he’s gone.”

“What nerds,” Roman said confidently. “They look like they’re yelling at nobody! I, however, possess the acting skills to not act as if I’m talking to an invisible companion—oh my gosh, is that Moana on Blu-Ray? Why is that in the clearance section? I’m out!”

“Roman, please...no…” Thomas hit his forehead. He looked up just in time to see that Patton was following the lady with the pomeranian as if being drawn by an invisible thread. “Okay, nope. Patton, you’ve lost your human privileges. Virgil, I’m trusting you.”

“Aww!” Patton complained, but he turned back into a translucent Thomas. Virgil sputtered a bit, but he took Patton’s place immediately. Thomas flickered opaque for only a second.

“Give me a little warning next time,” Virgil growled in Terrence’s voice. Then he felt his face. “Huh. Wow. I haven’t actually been human yet.”

Thomas breathed a little easier. “Okay. Guys, it’s really important that three of you stay human at all times so that nobody sees me appear out of nowhere. And you were the ones who told me it’d be dangerous if all four of you were human at one time, so uh, try not to do that either. Let’s find Logan.”

Logan was in the breakfast aisle filling his shopping cart with healthy bran cereals. (Hidden under a pile of granola clusters was a single box of sugary kids’ cereal with space facts printed on the back, and it was advertising a chance to win free tickets to the Air and Space Museum.)

“Nope. No. That stuff is gross and it’s too expensive.”

“We’ll compromise, then. What are your thoughts on prune juice?”

Thomas took a deep breath. “Virgil, please help Logan put the cereal back. You guys are the rational ones, and I’m trusting you, okay? Patton, let’s collect Roman.”

The two spirits raced across the store. Thomas had to persuade Patton not to get too distracted with the toys and board games. They finally found Roman browsing a stack of CDs in the music aisle.

“Roman,” Thomas sighed, “why.”

“Sorry, Thompadre! The pop songs beckoned. So this is what the kids are listening to nowadays...Kidz Bop 37. A tragedy. A travesty!”

“Ooh! Can we get that?” Patton asked.

“Focus, please, guys.”

“Uh oh,” Roman said suddenly. He pointed at Thomas’ chest. Thomas was opaque again.

“What are they doing??” he cried. “They’re supposed to stay in human mode! All right, come on. No more getting distracted!”

Virgil and Logan were no longer near the cereal, where Thomas was sure he’d at least implied they should stay, so they made another mad dash across the store: Thomas, who, while opaque, was unable to touch anything and could only hope that he didn’t fall straight through anything placed in his path; Patton, who was freely able to run through solid objects and scout ahead; and Roman, who’d stopped being Joan and switched to Valerie at some point.

“They’re in the freezer aisle!” he heard Patton call, so Thomas followed his voice. They eventually came across Virgil, who leaned on a shopping cart while Logan (in spirit form) had merged with a shelf of ice cream. He appeared to be checking the ingredients on the backs of the cartons.

Virgil shrugged when he saw them. “He wanted to find frozen vegetables. And I couldn’t say no to ice cream and sad microwave dinners.”

“You’re supposed to be the sensible one, Encyclopedia Clown!” Roman shouted at Logan, forgetting that the other people in the aisle could hear him apparently yelling at nothing.

“Shh! I had to check whether these contained potassium.”

“You couldn’t take them out like a normal person?!”

“This is more efficient! Oh, sorry, Thomas. Did I cause problems?”

“Thankfully, not yet,” said Thomas. “Uhhh...Patton, can you turn human again?”

Patton walked smartly into an unoccupied aisle and came out as Talyn. “Focus up, kids, we have to keep the tally even...the tallykat3!”

“That was pretty bad,” said Thomas.

Everything was finally back under control, so Thomas found himself relaxing. He rubbed his eyes. He thought being invisible for an extended period of time might be affecting his vision, because suddenly everything looked blurry, the colors too saturated.

“Ugh, I’m ready to go home already,” he said aloud. “Except I’m still not sure why I should be here. What was it you guys wanted...me...to see…?”

His voice trailed off when he realized the spirits were all fixated on something behind him. He whirled around to see a massive dark shape, radiating malevolence, that hung silently in the air.

“...that.”

***

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