#it annoys me to no end when someone says bring back nate

[zero-buds]

Everytime someone says bring back Nate, I shiver with dread.

And for someone who's a really big fan of Nate, I really would hate having to see him come back to Redemption. I saw on a Facebook group I'm in where someone asked how Nate would react to the Jackal Job, and I remember thinking that Nate, the Catholic man, would either not be a supporter or simply not be able to empathize or participate in the con without prejudice.

Look, OG Leverage has a place in my heart for a reason, but I cannot justify bringing back Nate at all. Nate's story could never fit into Redemption for a variety of reasons.

OG Leverage took the experiences Nate had and made a point in every episode why the man does what he does.

OG Leverage was about revenge first and foremost, then doing the right thing after, then building something more.

You know the reason why the stories never mentioned the disabled, the LGBTQ+, or the plain old voiceless of immigrant communities (this one was touched on but not really)?

It's because it wasn't Nate's story to tell. The original message was, if you are in a position where you have been wronged, then you should have the power to make it right. You deserve a second chance. That's why he always dealt with the scammers, the rich white men, the corporate greed, etc. He always tried to give people a second chance from a dumb or honest mistake, or to right someone's wrong.

That's why the Black Book was so important by the end of OG Leverage. It closed Nate's story with the idea that what has been wronged will be righted even if it meant taking a less than legal approach by others who are willing to bring justice to light.

Redemption is not that story. I mean it is, but it isn't. Redemption is the story where those less fortunate, those who are inherently going to lose no matter what they do, get a voice. They deserve a say in how they are treated, and they, as much as the impoverish and the naive, can have the power given back to them.

It's shown with victims like the elderly, the disabled, the people of color, the young who don't quite fit the social norm, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Through Harry Wilson, Redemption also shows us that those with power, need to take responsibility for their actions.  It is not enough to fight those in power, but that people like Harry - who do have power, are vitally needed to change the system.

Redemption does not need to see Nate to accomplish this story, but the fact remains that the message Nate started is still here, if not more refined and nuanced than ever before.

Nate should not come back to Redemption because his story was told in OG, and now, a new story can begin where the crew can be expanded and fight for what's right as well as give every victim of an injustice, an opportunity to tell their story as well.

[pennyluna]

Misunderstandings Part 4

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader 18+

Wordcount: 2172

Genre: Working together au. - Cold Player Au - Future something au.

Warning: This story contains strong language and Spicy/sexual scenes. Be aware before reading.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I freeze. My body starts moving trying to figure out my next move, should I change? nah is too late. Should I justㅡ  Maybe I should just open the door. I make my way to the door and exhale when I notice is just the delivery guy with my food. After closing the door I made my way to the kitchen but to steps in its direction i hear another knock sending a chill down my spine. 

I place the food on the kitchen counter and walk to the door somehow this time I am more relaxed, looking out of the peephole I see Yoongi and suddenly the possible consequences of someone in my building seeing him outside my door at this time of night rushes through my head so my body rushes to open the door grab his hand and bring him inside the house shutting the door behind him in a spam of seconds.

"Missed me much?" he says with a fascinated smirk on his face.

"Huh?" I said confused. Finally looking down to where he was looking I take my hand back fast. Turns out my hand was still on the spot on his shirt where I grabbed him to pull him inside the house and I was still holding him against the wall.  

"What are you doing here Yoongi? How do you even know my address?" I say starting to come back to my senses. He continues to look at me seemingly amused and grabs my hand again interlacing our fingers. I am getting annoyed at his lack of response so I pull my hand away and walk towards my kitchen.  I open a bottle of red wine and pour two glasses silently handing one of them towards Yoongi. 

"I will call your driver and we can get you back to your hotel before anyone notices." I state.

"You want me to leave?" he stares at me then proceeds to rest sip on his wine "Oh.. Is Nate coming over?" he laughs mockingly.

"Stop it. I don't want to continue playing this game with you." I am evidently annoyed. I don't understand him first he ignores me and now he is jealous and showing up at my house. What the hell!!!!!!!!

He scoffs and places his glass on the kitchen island then walking towards where I am standing. He is walking slowly or maybe that is just my silly brain looking at him in slow-motion. He places his hands on my hips "You are cute when you are mad, you know that?"  

My confused expression is gone once his lips reach mine, his hands roaming around my hips pulling me into him.

 "I care. You are mine and the idea of another man touching you is scarier than anything else in my life right now". I don't know if he means that but his tone seems sincere and I cant do nothing but give up into his touch. I start kissing him and push him out of the kitchen and into my couch, we start taking our clothes off in a rush, I needed to touch him I needed him inside of me even if this was the last time we would do this. He seemed to be in the same rush as me and the lust in his eyes was fueling my need, we plop into the couch, making out and touching each others bodies. The room filled with our heavy breathing and moans. I get on top of him and rub his member to my entrance before sliding it in and riding him, his hands are on my boobs and then on my neck pulling me down to kiss him.  Everything is so intense and feels just so good. He tries to move me around and we end up rolling off the couch to my fluffy rug on the floor, not stopping but to laugh a little about the incident before continuing our activities. Having him on top of me with my legs wrapped around him and while he is fucking me and looking at me like I belong to him is making my legs shake and I cant no longer control my building orgasm and  end up exploding around his member in a symphony of moans, him following right after me.

He rolls over and lays next to me,  kissing my shoulder and then pulling the blanket off the couch and covering our bodies with it. I start myself falling asleep and I hear a  whispers "You are mine. I am yours". his words like a promise and the last thing I hear before falling asleep.

.................. The morning after ..................

I rub my eyes waking up, the only signs that what seems like a sleepy dream actually happened is my naked body covered by a blanket in the middle of my living room floor  Looking towards my windows I can see the cloudy rainy day is reflecting my feelings once I notice Yoongi is no longer next to me. I love rainy days but the idea of him leaving without saying goodbye after we spent the night together just rubs me the wrong way but I understand, he probably left very early to avoid being seen. 

I get up wrapping the blanket around my body, move the empty wine glasses to the kitchen and head to my room it takes me a couple of seconds to notice the noise coming from my bathroom and the light coming through the slightly open door. I walk towards it slowly and realize that the noise I was hearing was coming from my shower, when I push the door open a bit only to see Yoongi standing under the steamy shower. I rub my eyes again silently thanking God when I open my eyes again and Yoongi is still there.

"Good morning... Join me?" his words sounded like a question but I know it was more an order.

he stands staring at me with his hand pushing his hair back from his face, this man is a vision, his gorgeous forehead in sight, his body, his slightly erected member, all of him on plane view and surrounded by the steam made it a bit harder for me to be convinced this wasn't a dream.  I drop the blanket from my body and his member jerks up a bit, his eyes scanning my body as I walk into the shower. His hands welcome me under the warm water and his mouth follows planting a soft kiss to my lips before tracing other small kisses around my collar bone, then my boobs and then around my belly button kneeling in front of me and moving my leg over his shoulder. Our eyes connect for a second and I am starting to believe he really is here but when His tongue connects with my clit and he starts working around it with that powerful mouth of his, I am one hundred percent certain he is. I hold onto his wet hair while a powerful orgasm starts to build inside of me and it comes to a satisfying releasing a second after he introduces his fingers inside of me. I don't have time to recover from it because I am now slammed against the wet tiles with his hard member being pushed inside of me with one powerful move, his hand pulling my hair and head backwards so he can kiss my exposed neck while he continues to go in and out of my core. The intensity of all his moves seem to be getting to both of us, because soon we are both panting and I'm begging him to let me come as he is going into me faster and deeper until we both get to an incredible orgasm, His soft grunts in my ear adding to my pleasure and sending shivers through my body.

After washing ourselves and resting in the bedroom for a bit, I watched him put his pants on while I put on a large t-shirt and some shorts, I knew he was going lo leave soon so in my mind I was trying to get used to the idea and bringing back my serious and sometimes bitchy side of my personality out again.

"Do you like brunch?"  he asks casually. His words pulling me out of my thoughts and the idea that he might be wanting to start some chitchat to cover the silence while he waits for his car bother me a bit.

"Yes. Doesn't everyone?" I don't wait for him to answer before I ask another question "Is your driver on the way? I need to check that no one is around before you leave. Tell him to go at the back entrance of the building, that will probably be more discreet." I continue talking about options for him to safely leave my apartment with minor risk of being seen but after a while of talking and not having an answer from him,  I stop to look at him only to find him staring at me, shirtless and phone in hand. He opens his mouth to say something but he stops. "What?" I ask again.

"Are you kicking me out?"

"No. But you should get back to your hotel before people figure out you are not there. This is the responsible thing to do." I say in my formal tone that now has a hint of annoyance in my voice after a couple of seconds of silence. 

He looks at me, silently scanning my face and then suddenly something changes in his eyes. I open my mouth ready to speak again but he put his hand up to stop me from doing so. He drops his phone on the bed and then speaks. 

"Were are not doing this." I look at him confused. "We have one day off work. I asked about brunch because I want us to eat something together. I want to spend the day with you. I want to feed you so you get some strength in you before we spend the rest of the day fucking and talking about anything and everything." he steps closer to me and holds my chin up. "I don't know what this is exactly and I cant promise you anything but I know is more than just sex to me.  So, if you want me to leave say it. Otherwise, I need you to drop the attitude and allow us to enjoy today."

His voice is firm but filled with honesty and his eyes continue to scan me, I can see he is waiting for an answer so I nod in agreement activating a smirk in his face as  he pulls me in for a deep kiss.

After our conversation we spent the rest of the day doing just that. We ate brunch sitting at the kitchen island. Watched a movie and argued about the stupid logic of the girl that hears a noise coming from her dark basement and then goes to check it. Yoongi said he could take whatever it was that was hiding in there while i laughed at him showing me how he would throw punches, then I said I would run so fast that there would be a hole in the wall shaped like me. We had sex in different parts of my apartment, the kitchen, on my bed and on the floor of my bedroom, against the little table where I set my keys and again in the shower talking and taking naps in between each session. We almost never checked our phones because Yoongi had talked to his manager about wanting to not be disturb because he was going to be resting in his room but now his alarm started ringing, waking us up from our nap in the couch after the latest sex session.  He stops his alarm and then starts giving me soft kisses on the neck. 

"I have to go." he says softly against my mouth. I moan a little when we kiss. We get up from the couch and he pulls a t-shirt over my head before putting his clothes on. His phone rings again and we know this time is his driver, we had agreed he would go out alone, since it would be less suspicious. Stopping in front of my door we silently hug and he kisses my forehead before heading outside.

I lock my door and look around my living room noticing every sign of his now missing presence here, the empty box of the pizza we had for dinner, the empty beer cans, a random movie playing on the tv, my blanket on the floor in front of the couch, the small pillows that usually sit on the couch are on the floor and I wrap my hand around my body trying to avoid the sadness and the uncertainty of what could happen tomorrow when we are back at work. I head to my bedroom, closing the door behind me and curling myself up in my bed, smelling his sent in my pillows, then falling asleep. 

.................................................................................

A.N: I hope you guys like part 4. Please feel free to leave any feedback. I would be really thankful if you could leave a like/repost this :)

[hitman-two]

Nate Fick Smutty HCs

▸ Does anyone pay particularly close attention to Lt. Nate’s fingers? No? Just me. The way his fingers expertly curl around the rifle he’s holding…Those long fingers can also curl expertly somewhere else – if you catch my drift. He’d be incredibly skillful in that area. Know just how to tease you and teeter you towards the edge but never giving that final push.

▸ His hands had been trained and built to be an extended weapon of his body via his rifle, full of violence. But his hands are nothing but gentle on you, as he takes his time exploring your body. It’s the number one thing he likes to do… Explore you. Tease you.

▸ For someone who’s not had that many girlfriends, he sure seems to know what he’s doing. Because he observes everything.

▸ He’s very much on the vanilla side of things, so don’t expect too much from him. But where he lacks in sexual adventure, he more than makes up for during foreplay.

▸ He favours his fingers over his lips to tease you all over your body.

▸ But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t put his lips to good use. Fingers between your legs, lips sucking away on your chest, teeth softly grazing along that perky, pink bud. He could just about come undone listening to your breathy grunts and moans.

▸ Making him come undone is harder than you’d imagine. The boy has incredible self-restraint. And you can certainly blame the Marine Corps for that. Not just the training but the bullshit he had to go through during his deployment. But that’s a whole other thing.

▸ He’s a fighter in the streets, a lover in the sheets. Meaning, when he comes home to you, he does his best not to bring out any force in him. He wants to be gentle with you. It may be annoying for you, but it’s what keeps him sane enough while he learns to leave the war behind.

▸ He handles you with a lot of foreplay, making you see stars or simply denying you that, either going for a second round or finishing you off with him inside you. But it’s always long, slow thrusts until he’s nearing his finish – which is when those thrusts turn a little desperate and he loses a little self-control.

▸ You love it when he loses control because you get to hear his little whimpers and grunts right against your ear.

▸ Sometimes he rides his orgasm by kissing you deeply, other times he has his face buried in your neck while your fingers are gripping his hair (having grown it long enough out of army regulation).

▸ I wouldn’t say hair-pulling is his kink, but he thoroughly enjoys it when your fingers are wrapped in his hair and gripping tightly. It’s what’s tipped him over the edge a couple of times (though he’s never admitted this to you).

▸ He’d gladly do you in the shower. Perhaps not the most safest places, he’s well aware of this but he gets off on hearing you beg for him, moaning his name which echoes a little loudly in the bathroom. He also knows that he’s not as adventurous with intimacy as others can be, so this is his way of offering you that.

▸ He’s too caught up in always pleasuring you that he forgets he’s someone who deserves the same treatment back (typical Nate, am I right? Always thinking and putting others before himself). So when you offer him a blowjob, he politely declines (which you respect. He has PTSD and you don’t want to set him off) but sometimes… you push a little…and he relents.

▸ And by gods the way he moans softly beneath his breath, as though he’s afraid he’s gonna get caught.

▸ You’re making it your life mission to make him increase those moans to a louder volume. It’ll take time but that’s your ultimate goal.

▸ Nate never really stole a combat jack moment while overseas. He was always too busy for them. But he’s still in that mindset of Combat Jacks… so he quietly gets himself off in the shower. Only for you to step in and take over with your hand, getting him off for him. It’s those little gasps in your ear that you adore the most. (Excuse me while I attempt to one-shot this idea).

▸ Wherever you are in the house, you always end up in the bedroom. Nate will never take you there and then in the moment. He’s too cautious and trying to maintain an air of civilian chivalry within himself. Clothes get discarded along the way but more than likely, he’ll have you pinned against the wall, legs around his hips, you teasing him by grinding against him before he carries you to the bedroom. Heated, breathy kisses lead to heated, breathy gasps of his love-making.

▸ Okay but Nate trying to work on something around the house, and you’re teasing him. Wearing one of his USMC Shirts tied up in a small knot on the side to give a sneak peek of a cute pair of sexy lingerie beneath…and Nate staring with those green eyes of his. Hunger and lust. He immediately stops what he’s doing and does his purposeful LT stride. The kind he carries authority with. The kind that reminds you that he’s a Lieutenant in charge of a platoon of men. Before you could think more about him, he has you pinned against the wall and kissing you hotly, taking your breath away. He hears that little moan, feels you respond as you press your body against his, wrapping your arms around his neck…and that’s when his hands ghost up your thighs to feel the lacy material of your underwear. Large hands hook up around your upper thighs and left you up onto his hips…. ▸ He's a family man so he has no quarrels finishing inside you if that's what you want.

▸ So imagine those thrusts, pumping in and out of you... hearing those grunts of pleasure as he releases...soft little grunts...Thrusts slowing down until he's emptied but still keeps himself inside you. You keep your legs tightly wrapped around him. He's breathless but he still whispers "I love you" by your ear.

[attourney-at-lycan]

OKAY i finished love love paradise. now. THOUGHTS.

not enough garroth. i want more garroth. i need more garroth.

you can tell the huge difference pdh has had on mystreet if you watch s1 and llp back to back. they reference it a lot so you’d probably be clueless for some of the mentions, though they do vaguely explain some of their references. 

at the beginning the voice lines were a bit weird, there was always such a weird awkward pause between the lines that was extremely obvious but it does get better after the first couple episodes

the whole dante, jenna and nicole thing bothered me. IT WASN’T. problematic per say. i dont think it was b a d but it could’ve been done much better? i do like how nicole and jenna didn’t act as if nothing happened and didn’t try getting back w/ him or give him a second chance at love. i like how dante knows he cannot repair the damage he’s done. his plot lines can be mature which sometimes takes me in for a loop. however when zane said “dante is trying, he’s just being dumb” it made me.. yknow the kombucha girl cringe meme? yeah that one. i feel like........ it was taken a bit too lightly imo? IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT. i just wish it was taking more seriously.

also the travlyn thing towards the end kinda.. gave me whiplash. LIKE I KNOW it was sorta foreshadowed w/ travis going “i can’t take it” in his convo w/ dante but.. IT WAS SO WEIRD? because initially it was written as a funny joke but then it wasn’t and travis was actually feeling hurt. it’s just i don’t think it was done well enough so it came off as a sudden change in tone thats jarring

oh my god am i being too harsh- i feel like i was being too harsh bc this was not written by a genius so idk why im critiquing it so harshly im so sorry. but i’m still going bc i can :]

BUT ANOTHER THING. the whole aphmau being scared of swimming was hhh? on one hand i feel like it was taken wayy too seriously but at the same time i feel like it wasn’t taken seriously enough at times. by that i mean, aphmau seems to be the type to trust her friends a lot regardless, and she encourages her friends to tell her things no matter how embarrassing they may be, but when it comes to her, she stubbornly refuses to tell anyone but zane. but then when everyone knows, no one takes her fear seriously w/ pushing her into the water or going “lmao you’re overreacting”. maybe it’s me because i also cannot swim and it’s sooo fucking scary being in chest level water. tbh im honestly overreacting bc i would also laugh if someone was in my position ngl

WHERE WAS LAURANCE. WHERE THE. FUCK. WAS MY FAVORITE QUEER?

gene was great i love gene he’s so fun. it was honestly so weird him appearing like that. also what did they do to ivy. i wish ivy kept her haughty behavior but i do get her maturing or wtver but i just wish there was still that spunk now to me she feels like a bland.. character who’s just changed to good.

ONE MORE THING. i forgot what i ti was. GOD I SAID THIS ALREADY BUT SYLVANNA REALLY PISSED ME OFF THIS SEASON. i was fine w/ her not knowing that her daughter had a boyfriend but still going against her wishes despite knowing she has one afterwards simply because you don’t like him hrggghr. i know that mom’s can be annoying like that yeah but jesus fuck it does not help.

honestly aaron was just.. The Boyfriend, yet again. i did like how it was obvious that aaron was becoming more comfortable w/ the people around him and being more outgoing. it was cute. however. most of the things coming out of his mouth was aphmau. EVEN WHEN IT WAS DANTE’S PROBLEM HE COULD NOT HOLD BACK FROM BRINGING UP APHMAU IM SO TIRED. 

anyway i give this season...... honestly 8/10? i know i complained a lot abt this seasons but it was genuinely fun to watch. i liked the other little side characters like the token gay couple (guy and nate + teony and The Girl who’s name they mentioned but i forgot), the dad and his son, also the bartender- 

ONCE AGAIN i would love to mention this mini review is totally based off my personal taste yaddah yaddah, this is a very subjective and biased post so :thumbsup:

[woah-were-halfway-there]

Carson aunt I need to know this!! Was it Bonnie? Omg I need this!!

Please I fear this one isn’t going to win the poll but I’ll just tell you anyways lmaooo cause I have this whole entire scene written somewhere in my docs. But it’s not Bonnie. How Carson is related to the Marner’s is through her mom, this aunt is on her dads side. It’s her dads oldest sister who is very wealthy and kind of snobbish. She and Carson have always been very close but like Carson has always felt a pressure that she needs to impress this aunt and was always held to a very high standard by her. Anyways, at the end of summer in 2017, Carson is a bridesmaid in one of her cousins wedding and so almost everyone on her dads side of the family is there and it’s the first time Auston meets most of them aside from the cousin getting married, Carson’s dad, Nate and Mya. So he’s hanging out with Carson’s family having a nice time admiring his beautiful girlfriend all dressed up standing up at the altar and then just after the ceremony is when this aunt comes up to him, Carson’s dad, Nate and Mya and like they introduce Auston to her and she gives him the cold shoulder like right off the bat. And once she walks away Nate and Mya tell him to ignore her and how she’s always that way and explain how it’s like a known thing in the family that Carson is her favourite out of the nieces and nephews but how she’s extremely judgmental of Carson’s life and has tried to influence it. And so Auston’s like “yikes” but brushes is off. The rest of the day goes on and the aunt makes snarky comments about hockey players, is rude and dismissive and it’s annoying but Auston still doesn’t complain and then later during the reception Carson and Auston step out into a hallway just to talk and catch up because they hadn’t really gotten to talk that day and Carson wanted a moment with just him and they’re around a corner talking and he doesn’t even mention how the aunt has been rude he’s just happy to get her to himself for a minute then they hear someone enter the hallway and the person starts calling Carson’s name. It’s the aunt so Carson sighs and tells Auston to wait there for a sec and steps out from around the corner to basically divert her aunt but then the aunt starts going on saying “I don’t like that boyfriend of yours, Carson. He’s not going to be able to provide for you in life and is nothing compared to what Chris could’ve gave you. Have you talked to Chris? He was always so lovely” and Carson is taken right back and explains how she loves Auston and is very happy with him but that’s not enough and the aunt keeps mentioning Chris and so Carson starts getting annoyed and politely says “auntie, my ex was abusive. I’m not going back to that. I’m the happiest I’ve been in a really long time and Auston is a huge part of that. He’s kind and makes me feel safe. But, as much as I’d love for you to like him too, your opinion isn’t going to change how I feel about him.” And the aunt doesn’t like that response and says “stubborn as always. It’s unfortunate and disappointing that you’re so much like your mother” and she says it as an insult because it’s also a known thing that this aunt did not like Carson’s mom. And that makes Carson snap. She tells her aunt off saying how she’s spent her whole life trying to meet her aunt’s standards but she’s done doing that and how if her aunt truly cared about her, she’d want her to be happy then ends the conversation saying “we’re done here” then steps back and reaches behind the corner to grab Auston’s hand and bring him to her, revealing he was there and heard the entire conversation and then because Carson’s mad she brings Auston close and kisses him then keeps their hands linked as she leads him back to the reception, glaring at her aunt as they walk by. And so they go on with their night and Auston can tell the argument with her aunt is bugging Carson but he knows she’ll talk to him more about it when they’re back in their hotel room. The aunt doesn’t try talking to Carson again because they’re very tense with each other but she does go up to her dad and says

“talk some sense into your daughter, she’s going to ruin her life being with that hockey player.” And Carson’s dad just shakes his head and asks “are you not capable of letting people be happy? First you tried being like this with me and Victoria (Carson’s mom) and now you’re trying it with Carson and Auston. Just stop. Or at least know that if you don’t and can’t be happy for her, you’ll need to accept that Carson isn’t going to want you in her life anymore.”

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [five] // wanda maximoff

summary: spending the afternoon with the Maximoff twins proved to be interesting... and prom night finally arrives!

warning/s: none.

author's note: here’s the final part to this mini series! i’m so glad you all enjoyed it and i appreciate every note i get, thank you 😊♥️ i’ve still got other wanda stuff in the works that will be posted soon, so stay tuned!

part one | part two | part three | part four | lil bonus bit for after p5 |masterlist | wattpad

After a few tries and encouragement from Pietro, I managed to win the black cat plush toy for Wanda. It was strange, her brother wanting me to make a move on her, but I guess it reassured me a bit to know he thought I was actually good enough for her.

The two of us headed to the diner next door to find Y/BF/N and the other Maximoff twin, myself hiding the plush toy behind my back.

"Finally, you two took forever!" Y/BF/N exclaimed when he saw us approaching their table.

"Y/N here is one stubborn girl with that machine," Pietro explained with a smile as we took our seats. His eyes fell to the drink in front of him. "Oh, you ordered!"

"Just the drinks," Y/BF/N said, before looking to me as I slid in beside him in the booth. "I got you a Cherry Coke. Your favourite."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"So, what d'you win?" he asked, quirking a brow.

Feeling the heat rising up my neck, I looked to Wanda who was sat opposite Y/BF/N. She was leaning on her hand as she stared at me with a kind smile on her lips.

"You said you wanted the black cat," I said nervously, before holding it out to her. "Here."

Taken aback, she raised her eyebrows but accepted the gift. "Aww, Y/N... you didn't have to!"

I shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

She grinned, studying the toy before looking up at me with sparkling hazel eyes. "I love it. Thank you."

Nodding, I glanced at Pietro who was grinning with pride before me. I could feel Y/BF/N staring at me and when I looked his way, he was smirking and wiggling his eyebrows knowingly. Rolling my eyes, I focused my attention on the menu to distract myself.

"So... what shall we order?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

After relaying our order to the waitress, Pietro was the first to speak up.

"Okay, I have to ask," he began, leaning forward slightly as he looked between Y/BF/N and I. "Are you guys dating?"

I almost choked on my drink as I looked over my glass to see him grinning cheekily. He knew full well that Y/BF/N and I were only friends, so what was he playing at?

"Definitely not," Y/BF/N answered with a chuckle. Y/N here is practically my sister."

"Exactly," I added, giving Pietro a look that basically said I'm going to murder you. "He's been my best friend since we were kids."

"So there's never been feelings there?" Pietro continued to question curiously, leaning back in his seat.

Wanda slapped his arm gently. "Leave them alone, Piet."

"Never," Y/BF/N answered for us both. "Like I said, she's my annoying little sister."

I quirked a brow and looked to him. "Little? I think I'd be the older sister in this fake sibling relationship,"

"But I'm a month older than you," he stated like that was explanation enough.

"But you act like a child," I retorted. "I'd be the older one."

He rolled his eyes, though a smile was playing on his lips. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

I rolled my eyes, too, before looking back to the twins. Wanda was smiling as she sipped her drink and Pietro had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he looked to me. What the hell was he thinking?

"So you're not interested in Y/BF/N," he thought aloud. "And you definitely weren't interested in me..."

"You made a move on Y/N?" Wanda asked suddenly, looking to her brother with knitted brows.

I breathed out through my nose, eyes falling to the table with embarrassment.

"Yeah, but she made it clear she didn't like me," Pietro said with a shrug, before looking to me again. "So who do you like then? Or is their a girlfriend we don't know about?"

Looking up, I saw three sets of eyes on me and I suddenly felt nervous. Y/BF/N and Pietro were watching with amusement dancing in their eyes as Wanda chewed her lip curiously, awaiting an answer.

"You know there's nobody, Pietro," I said through a forced smile as I looked to him.

His cheeky smile was still present as he said. "Really? I thought you mentioned someone back then. Whilst we were playing in the arcade."

Oh, boy, was he going to die.

"You misunderstood," I played along, before kicking him in the shin to shut him the hell up.

Of course, it was just my luck that the leg in front of me was actually Wanda's. She squeaked an 'ow' as she bent down to rub her leg.

"What was that?" she asked with confusion.

Pietro must have pitied me, having put me on the spot enough in the past two minutes, as he looked to his sister with an apologetic smile. "My bad, Wands. My foot just twitched."

I breathed out with relief as Pietro looked to me, trying not to laugh. He was lucky we were with company otherwise I would have killed him there and then.

—

I wasn't expecting to be hanging out with the Maximoff twins on a Saturday afternoon, but by the time dinner came to an end, I realised how much I enjoyed the day. And I think I could say the same for Y/BF/N, too.

The rest of our meal was pretty uneventful after Pietro's initial teasing, to my relief, and Pietro eventually quit it with the overt hints towards his sister. The last thing I wanted was for Wanda to feel uncomfortable, so I was glad he eventually cut it out.

At the end of the meal, Pietro and Y/BF/N offered to split the bill between them – something about chivalry not being dead, I don't know, all I knew was Wanda and I were getting a free meal so why complain? – and headed to the till to pay, leaving Wanda and I alone.

She was hugging her new black cat plushie on her lap adorably, making me smile.

"Aren't black cats supposed to be bad luck or something?" I asked, earning her attention.

She put her arm on the back of her seat, leaning her head on her hand as she gave me her full attention. "I didn't peg you for the suspicious type," she taunted.

I smiled. "I never said I believed it. Just what I've heard."

She chuckled, licking her lips. "Fair point... I don't believe it either. I just love black cats. They're so cute and get way too much stick for merely existing."

It was my turn to laugh. She had such a unique way of thinking that I couldn't help but be attracted to. Something as simple as the way she was smiling at me right now warmed my heart.

"How is your hand by the way?" she suddenly asked, eyes looking down to it.

I squeezed it into a fist and released. The purple bruising along my knuckles had turned yellow-green which meant it was getting better, but it did still hurt a little. Nonetheless, I didn't want to make Wanda feel bad, so I gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay," I said, making her look up at me with concerned eyes. "I mean, it hurts a little, but it's getting better."

She pursed her lips, nodding. "Nate really did deserve what you did. Bet it felt good."

I raised my eyebrows with surprise, certainly not expecting that. "I guess it did a little, but..."

"It's okay, I'm not biased," she promised with a slight smile. "We broke up, remember?"

I relaxed before mirroring her expression. "Then yeah, it felt pretty great. Karma for hitting me with that stupid football."

She chuckled, leaning back into her seat and clutching her cat. "Karma, indeed." There was a pause, before she grew excited. "So prom is coming up. How are we feeling?"

I groaned playfully. "We're feeling exhausted already. I'm not a huge prom fan."

She gasped. "Seriously? Y/N, come on, it's our last one! How aren't you excited?"

I pulled a face. "The concept of dancing in a hall with people I barely speak to isn't exactly appealing."

She straightened up, hugging her cat closely. "So what, you're not gonna go?"

"I'm not sure yet... Y/BF/N has plans to ask someone and really wants me to go, too," I admitted. "But I've not decided. I might just leave him to it."

She tilted her head to the side curiously, eyes studying me intensely. "What if somebody asked you to go with them? Then would you go?"

I tried not to laugh as I leaned my head in the palm of my hand on the table. "Nobody is going to ask me, Wanda. Nobody even knows who I am."

She scoffed playfully. "Now that's just not true. You're beautiful, Y/N. Funny. Kind. Intelligent. Someone is bound to ask."

I rolled my eyes, hoping to distract from the heat rising to my cheeks. I knew she was just saying all of that stuff to be nice, but God was I awful at accepting compliments.

She must have noticed as she leaned forward on her own palm, eyes glowing with entertainment. "Okay, what if you asked somebody?"

Appreciating the subject change, I leaned back in my seat. "I wouldn't even know who to ask."

She thought about it for a moment, before saying, "Pietro was being annoying earlier with all of that questioning, but he's right. Is there nobody you're even remotely interested in at school?"

I quirked a brow, wondering if she was serious. The way she was watching me patiently, a small smile tugging at her lips, made me believe she was. And I found that I couldn't bring it in myself to completely lie to her. So, I didn't.

"There's one person," I admitted reluctantly, swallowing hard. This piqued her interest as she sat up straight, an excited look on her face. I continued, "But I could never ask her."

She gave me an are you serious? look. "And why not?"

I tensed my jaw, smile fading at the thought. "She wouldn't say yes."

Wanda's expression softened. "I doubt that."

Feeling a little uncomfortable, I shuffled in my seat. "She wouldn't. And it's fine anyway! I mean, I wouldn't even know what to say. It's pointless."

"Try," was all she said. And in response to my confused face, she added, "Try asking me. Practice what you would say if I was this girl."

I shook my head. "Wanda, that's not–"

"Just try!" she insisted, sitting back in her seat and smiling encouragingly. "No harm, no foul, right?"

Maybe a little, I thought, but straightened up anyway.

"Okay, er..." I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling nervous as her eyes followed my every move. Looking up, I felt intimidated by her gaze, even though she had the softest smile and kindest eyes directed my way. "Wanda, would you like to go to prom with me?"

Without hesitation, she nodded. "I'd be honoured to, Y/N."

It was fake, this whole thing was 'practice'. But God, I wanted it to be real so bad. She held my gaze, confident and startling and wonderful all at once, and I had no idea what to do. My palms were getting sweaty and my heart was racing the longer she stared. My gaze fell to her lips at the wrong time, as she licked them and I wanted to lean in, wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her hard and tell her how I felt. I wanted to ask her to prom and dance with her in the school gym. I wanted to hold her hand and pull her close, staring into her eyes without fear of going too far.

I wanted her.

"Okay, we're all done here," Pietro's voice broke our staring contest. He clapped his hands together, stopping by the table. "You both ready to go?"

Wanda nodded, already sliding out from the booth. "I'm ready. Y/N?"

I looked up and forgot how to breathe when she smiled down at me.

"Y-yeah," I got out, wiping my palms on my jeans before sliding out the booth. "All ready. Let's go."

—

Prom came upon us in no time and I'd made the decision to attend. My sister ended up convincing me with Y/BF/N, the two of them rambling about how it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a rite of passage before graduating high school. As much as I hated the thought of attending, I knew they were right, so I agreed to go.

Y/S/N came over to help me get ready, as she was the one who picked my dress. I wanted to wear a cute pantsuit, not really one for dresses, but after her complaints – "you're really milking that whole 'I'm a lesbian' look aren't you?" – I agreed on a dress that she chose.

She helped me do my hair and makeup before taking loads of embarrassing photos of me at the door. I went to prom with Y/BF/N and his date – some girl he liked in his Maths class – which wasn't too bad, but I didn't want to third wheel too much, so I gave them space when we actually arrived.

The school had done a good job at converting the gym into something unrecognisable, I must admit. Plus there was food, which was always a good distraction.

Some acquaintances from some of my classes said their hellos to me and engaged in some quick conversations before moving on. Admittedly, it wasn't too bad catching up with people I'd shared class with over the past several years. Y/BF/N even had a few dances with me, both him and his date, which was sweet, but honestly, I still felt out of place.

Two hours in, I was already fed up of the experience, opting to stand on the sidelines by a cocktail table with a sad glass of punch. I definitely didn't expect to see Wanda approaching me with an impressed smile on her lips. I hadn't actually seen her since arriving, the place full of students and myself barely recognising anyone as it was, let alone in a full gymnasium.

"You came," she said when she stopped my table, eyes looking me up and down. "You look amazing, Y/N."

She was one to talk. I tried not to drool over how beautiful she looked. I assumed she'd be one to wear a dress, but I guess I assumed wrong as she was pulling off a burgundy suit and white blouse. Her hair was curled and left out, paired with a smokey eye makeup look that only complimented her eyes perfectly.

"Says you?" I replied with a smile. "You look gorgeous, Wanda."

She smiled bashfully. "Thank you... so what made you change your mind in coming?"

I laughed uncomfortably, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Partially forced by my family, partially felt like I had to."

She laughed alongside me. "Well, I feel like you made the right choice."

"Not too sure about that," I joked, before straightening up. "So, who was lucky enough to bring Wanda Maximoff as their date to the prom?"

She rolled her eyes at my compliment, smile on her lips still. "Nobody. I came alone. Well, alone but with my brother."

I was surprised at that, but tried to hide it with a nod. "Alone works, too."

"Says the girl who also came alone," she teased.

I couldn't help but smile with amusement. "Yeah. Says she."

Setting her purse on the table, she began to open it. "I was looking for you earlier. But I couldn't find you."

I watched as she fumbled around in her purse. "Yeah? And what did you need?"

After a moment of searching, she finally pulled out two slips of paper that looked like tickets. Holding them up with a small smile, she said, "I've got two tickets to the Paramore concert happening in the summer."

My jaw dropped with disbelief. "You're kidding."

She shook her head, holding them towards me. I accepted them, looking to see if she was pulling my leg. She wasn't.

"These are really good seats," I pointed out, before looking up at her. "You scored big time."

She laughed as I held the tickets out to her. Accepting them back, she said, "I did. And I bought them for a reason."

I raised an eyebrow as she watched me.

"We've got to get matching tee shirts somehow, right?" she joked lightheartedly before looking to me with certainty. Green eyes sparkled with hopefulness as she said, "Come with me."

My mouth went dry. She was asking me to go with her, holy shit.

I opened my mouth, about to speak, but she cut me off.

"Don't say maybe," she said, chewing on her lower lip nervously. "Say yes."

The music and the dancing students and the lights all faded into nothing as Wanda waited for a response, stepping closer to me, way too close to be platonic. I was overwhelmed, definitely not expecting this. Never in a million years did I think Wanda Maximoff, the most popular girl in our grade, would be asking me to see Paramore with her. I didn't even think she knew I existed! 

Her eyes darted between mine patiently, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel her breath tickling my lips as she waited and I looked down to hers, suppressing the urge to lean in.

"Yes," I finally spoke, voice barely a whisper as I swallowed hard. "I'll go with you." 

She nodded, but that wasn't enough as she licked her own lips. I looked back to her eyes, only to see her looking down at mine.

"Can I kiss you?" she muttered softly, making me freeze in place.

Her eyes looked back to mine, dark and patient. I managed to nod weakly, and she wasted no more time when pressing her lips to mine a in a slow, gentle, warm kiss. Her hand wrapped around my waist, tugging my body close to hers, as the other rested behind my neck, giving me goosebumps and turning my insides to jelly.

I closed my eyes, melting into her embrace, one hand planted firmly on her waist as the other rested on her chest. She tasted like peppermint and her floral perfume was infiltrating my senses, making my head dizzy in the best way possible.

When she pulled away, I opened my eyes and was immediately submerged in pools of green. Still so close to her, I kept ahold of her waist as she did the same with me, eyes flickering down to my lips once more.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," I admitted breathlessly.

She looked to me again. "Why didn't you?"

Her lips were swollen slightly, red lipstick ruined. I could only imagine the mess on my own lips, but I didn't care.

I smiled nervously. "You were with Nate."

She tried not to laugh. "How stupid of me." Eyes falling to my lips again, she added, "I should have broken up with him sooner if it meant I could do this."

I smiled widely, heart fluttering in my chest at her words. Leaning forward, I took her bottom lip in mine, giving her a final kiss that was long overdue before pulling away.

"In case you couldn't tell, you were the girl I wanted to ask to prom," I said, stepping back slightly, but taking her hands in mine.

She bit her lip to contain her smile. "I figured... and for the record, I would have said yes."

My cheeks began to heat up, but I smiled nonetheless. "Well, in that case... Wanda, would you like to go to prom with me?"

She grinned. "I would be honoured, Y/N."

I mirrored her expression. She held out her free hand.

"Do you wanna dance?" she asked gently.

I accepted her hand, squeezing it gently. "I'd love to."

Before either of us could make a move to do so, we heard Pietro's voice shouting in the distance.

"Fina-fucking-lly!"

We turned to the left to see him racing towards us in his blue suit, a knowing smile on his lips.

"You took forever," he said with disbelief to his sister. "I thought I'd have to keep flirting with Y/N in front of you for you to get the hint and make a fucking move."

Wanda rolled her eyes, but I smiled as her cheeks dusted pink.

"And you!" he said, looking to me. "You're so oblivious it hurts."

"Wanda didn't know I existed before this year," I told him, half joking and half serious. "I had every right to be."

Wanda squeezed my hand, earning my attention. She shook her head. "That's not true. I always noticed you."

I gave her a knowing look. "Seriously?"

With an endearing smile, she nodded. "Seriously."

I sighed, looking away and definitely not expecting that. "Well, okay then."

She laughed, pulling me close and wrapping an arm around my waist comfortably. "I believe you owe me a dance. C'mon.

Pietro opened his mouth to speak, but Wanda merely pushed past him, guiding me to the dance floor.

"Not now, Piet," she said, before looking to me with sparkling eyes. "I want to dance with my girlfriend."

I was sure it was impossible for me to smile anymore.

"Girlfriend," I noted aloud, nodding. "I like the sound of that."

She grinned before standing opposite me, holding out her hand. And as I accepted it, I felt a warmth spread all over me that was only possible because of one girl and one girl only.

Wanda Maximoff.

[summerlovingbaby]

Bad News Blair

Blair was in love with Nate Archibald, but he lost love for her for a long time ago and only stayed with her because he felt obligated to. He only stayed with her because he had no reason not to, and even if he had a reason to break up with her it probably wouldn’t be worth it. Breaking up with her would bring hellfire upon him by Blair Waldorf herself and all of her minions.

That’s why Blair was so shocked when Nate broke up with her. She thought they had a strong relationship, in fact Nate was the one that cheated on her, so he had no reason to break up with her. But he did. This made Blair angry beyond in reasonable measure, but she didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t tell anyone because she was embarrassed, she was embarrassed because she forgave him, she let him stay, and he still left her.

Nate did have a reason to break up with her. He met someone , he met someone and fell in love. He hung out with her a lot, and as soon as he ended it with Blair he started it with Y/N, he tried his best to keep it a secret, but due to the Gossip Girl that didn’t last for too long. When Gossip Girl outed their relationship, Blair was livid, she was forced to out their breakup.

“ Y/N please.” Nate begged her. They were at the dog park one morning.

“ No... I was against it before GG informed the East Side, I bet Blair and her minions have it out for my blood now.” Y/N replied.

“I promise you, nothing is going to happen... its only a party...I just want you to meet my friends... please.’ he begged once more.

“ Not... gonna... happen... Archibald.” She responded.

“Please.’ Y/N still shook her head in response.” What if I promise you that I will watch all the star wars movies.” Y/N’s eyes lit up, in response.” And I will go with you to the exotic pet fair next week.” Her eyes got wide and a dopey smile appeared on her face. 

“ Yes...yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.” Y/N jumped in excitement, and kissed him on the cheek.

Nate desperately wanted to to introduce Y/N to his friends, but she said no every time. She avoided his friends, because his friends knew Blair. Y/N heard stories of Blair Waldorf, how she would destroy those she didn’t like or found quite annoying, and Y/N wasn’t in the mood to be destroyed.  

Nate wanted his friends to meet Y/N because he hoped that they would love her just as much as she did. He loved the way she smiled, the way she pushed her hair out of her face. The was she said please and thankyou to servers, the way she cooked and baked when she was stressed or upset. He loved the way she cared, about the little things, she helped at animal shelters and soup kitchens when she had spare time. He loved that she liked riding horses and wanted to be a vet. Most people wanted to be a surgeon or a lawyer or a fashion designer . But she wanted to be a vet.

Two days later, at exactly 6pm, Nate and Y/N arrived to the party. Much to Blair’s chagrin. Everyone was shocked to see Y/N in the flesh, this was a direct challenge to Blair, and no one challenges Blair.

“ Hello Y/N, you must be Nate’s new girlfriend.” Blair said extending a hand to Y/N. Y/N was reluctant to shake her hand, Blair saw his hesitation.” Don’t worry, I don’t bite” She said plastering a fake smile on. “ Here.” she said handing Y/N and Nate a champagne flute. ”In the spirit of goodwill. Don’t worry, its just sprite. I read that you don’t drink.” Blair said wearing a wide smile.

“ Thank you.” Was all Y/N could say, she was shocked and confused.

“Thank you Blair.” Nate said with suspicion in his eyes.

Blair practically skipped away and restarted her conversation with Penelope.

“ What was that Blair, I thought that you wanted to “ destroy her so much that she will never step foot on the Upper East Side again.”“ Penelope said, her voice laced with confusion.

“ Don’t worry, I have it handled.” Blair said with a cocky smirk.

“ Blair Waldorf, what did you do?” Penelope questioned.

“ I put something in her drink , that will make her upchuck everything that she’s at for the last two days.” She said through cheeky giggles.

Y/N was sipping on her soda while Nate was introducing her to Serena and Dan.

“ So you must be Y/N.” Serena said extending a had. Y/N shook her hand and nodded. “ He’s told us so much about you.” She said with a genuine smile.

“ Only good, things I hope.” Y/N responded through gritted teeth. She was starting to feel like throwing up in her mouth, but she put on a fake smile and gritted her teeth.

“ Great things, he told us you kept snakes. I’ve always wanted one, how many do have?” Dan asked.

“ Just a few.” She responded.

The pair of them asked her question after question, which she would have found sweet if it wasn’t for the way that she was feeling. She felt sick again. She felt like she would Linda Blair all over everyone’s expensive shoes any moment. She felt her heart beat speed up, again. Oh how she hated that feeling. 

“ Can you excuse me for a moment.” Y/N said after Serena asked her asked her a question about horses. Serena nodded in response and concern. 

Y/N was practically running out of the building, her hand covering her mouth and gagging badly.  By the time Nate called after her, she was already outside, her face deep in the trash can.

“ Y/N.. Y/N are you ok” Nate yelled as he ran after her, he caught a glimpse of Blair and Penelope laughing.

When Nate found Y/N outside she was a mess, she was dry heaving and occasionally throwing up in the trash can. Her eyes were bright red, and tears were streaming down her face, She was shaking, really badly, so Nate rushed over to her.

“Y/N, are you okay.” Nate asked rubbing her back. He got no vocal response, just her frantically shaking her head no.” Words, Y/N. I need words, I need you to tell me what you need.” Nate said trying to remain calm.

“ I need you to take me to a hospital.” She said. Then she threw up, and collapsed into his arms. That’s all Y/N could remember before the world went black.

PART 2 COMING 02/16/2021

[lovely-necromancy]

A Cure for Insomnia Ch 19

Your bags were jumping and sliding around in the back of Madeline's rusty pickup truck. She had been kind enough to offer you a ride up to the lodge when she stopped by the shop earlier.

Madeline had seen the sour look Nate kept sending you and how you were intentionally not looking over towards the soon to be graying young man. Not one to beat around the bush she asked what was up, mam bear mode peeking through.

Nate was just being a dick to you and saying you had to stay with the Cowells longer than what had originally been agreed to. Big Jo seemed fine about letting you go back home now, even with your resolve set to continue hanging out with Toby. But Nate was trying to put a tight leash on you since you “wouldn't listen to reason” - so he said.

Even with security at the cottage updated Nate still thought it best to keep you with them if you were planning to still interact with Toby. More than likely he was trying to make that harder for you to do since staying with them would definitely make it easier for him to keep track of you.

The thought alone set shivers down your spine. Like a constrictor slithering up your back to rest around your neck and do what it does best.

It had been really hard to breathe these last few days.

But all Madeline needed to hear was “Nate” and “being a dick” before she said she'd take you herself. Thereby ending the conversation and silent argument in the shop, as she spun on her heel stating when she'd pick you up later.

Nate hadn't been too happy about the exchange but he could suck your dick. He's been annoying you with all this Toby bullshit and doesn't get to tell you what he thinks right now.

The drive up is silent, but that comfortable kind of silence between two old friends who don't ever really have a need to talk to hang out. It's nice because it gives you tons of time to think about just what you're about to do.

Going over several scripts all at once in your head.

You want to talk to Toby. You still haven't read that file but it just doesn't sit right with you that it was ever even given to you in the first place. Toby being completely unaware of the total breech of privacy makes your stomach flip just like your bags in the back right now. It's not like you ever asked for the detailed life file but at the same time it feels wrong not to let Toby know tht something like that even exists for him. His past being dug back up all without his knowledge or consent. And now here you were about to lay it right down in front of him.

Was this the right move? You're the one bringing it to his attention, if it's something that will mess him up it'll be your fault that he's upset. Jo and Nate may have gotten the information but you still count yourself as being a complacent party to all of this.

Your stomach feels like it's on a drop tower as it sinks further into a pit of guilt.

You feel like the scum of the Earth right now. Hopefully he isn't too upset.

Seeing your downcast eyes, you were a lot more expressive than you ever really realized, Madeline pipes up, “You gon' be ok there sport?”

A small smile bit at your lips. There's a reason Madeline Cobb was known in Kepler as Mama. She took care of those she saw as her own and that was damn near half the town at this point. Hell you'd heard a rumor she raised most this town. The lodge had been her orphanage  before all the kids grew up and turned it into a resort once new arrivals stopped coming. That's probably the reason it's always been so warm and welcoming, it was a home first.

“Yea...just nervous.”

She lets out a small chuckle at you.

“Don' be, 'm sure that Toby boy will say 'yes'. And if he don' well you just come find me. I'll set him right.”

Ok now you were just confused.

“Huh?”

“Don' worry about it, he likes you jus' like you like 'im. It'll work out for you two.” she reaches over and ruffles your hair before jumping out of the pickup. You hadn't realized you were already at your destination.

And it was too late to correct Mama, she'd already made it inside the lodge, about why you were so nervous. The warmth in your face makes you even more grateful for your mask. Barclay was getting bit by the end of the night, the man really needed to get a boyfriend and stop trying to manifest one for you.

The door to the lodge opens again, you hardly paid it any mind. So lost in your own musing you didn't even notice the man walking towards you. Your goat plush had fallen beneath your seat and you were attempting to grab it but it was too far out of your reach.

“You good there?” Toby's amused voice calls, startling you.

Popping your head out of the opened car door. Heart racing faster at the sight of your friend standing there with a small smirk on his bandaged face. You weren't ready for this.

His eye looks better, well like a normal black eye and not a swollen lump that threatened to over take his socket. Now his eye looked like it could still function out of the slight opening. Fuck this was hard enough when you'd pictured only one eye looking at you but now you had to calculate for both!?

Is it weird that this is what worries you? Are you derailing from the actual situation? Distracting yourself so the conversation is easier on you. So you don't have to think about the possibility that Toby won't want to be friends after this. That he'll end up hating you for something you hadn't done.

God you really want to cry.

“Hey, space cadet.” Toby's made his way over to your side and puts a gentle hand on you knee, “You ok? Did something happen?”

He's really sweet, you're going to miss him.

No, stop. You need to get a grip and stop thinking like this. Toby will understand and you guys can continue being friends, a bit awkwardly but still friends. You'd get to hang out and maybe wander through the Monongahela together.

“I...I dropped my goat.”

He cocks his head to the side, brows slowly smoothing out and he gives a gentle squeeze to your legs as he reaches under you, hand searching for your lost plush.

The warmth that was once collecting in your cheeks shoots down past the void sitting in your stomach. Just another thing to add to your list you suppose. After a week of nearly no privacy or comfort you are thoroughly pent up. You don't necessarily want Toby, just need someone or something to help relieve the fire between your thighs. He just happens to be in proxcimity of that fire, poking the flame that hasn't been snuffed during your stay with the Cowells, making it dance and writhe reminding you of the need.

But you can't focus on that yet, you'd give yourself a hand when you finally got back home. Right now you needed to focus on Toby. And having that uncomfortable conversation.

“Here he is.” placing the goat in your lap he looks into your eyes, a slight glint in his.

He's in a really good mood tonight. You have to ignor the whispers in your head, telling you you're about to ruin this for him.

Luckily a tic to the right shoos those thoughts away for you.

“YN?” his hand is back on your knee, it's such a small gesture maybe even completely subconscious but it helps ground you.

You haven't read that file but you can't see Toby ever doing something awful enough to warrant Nate's barrage of paranoia and fear. Even if he did....he couldn't still be bad right? You're such a good judge of character and you called Brian on his masking there's no way you'd miss Toby lying to your face.

“I...” he's looking into your eyes searching as you take a steadying breath, “I just really need a slushie right now.” your eyes drop to the goat in your hands.

You fucking coward.

It's silent for a moment as you chastise yourself for not just coming out and telling Toby you wanted to talk. Toby's hand falls easily from your knee and to his side.

“A'right then, you good to drive?” you really missed your chance here, “'cuz Brian's got Connor tonight.”

Wait what?

You look at Toby who simply raises the right side of his mouth in a lopsided grin. A subtle raise of his right brow tells you he understood what you'd asked for. When was the last time anyone was ever able to read you so well?

“Yes!” you push the goat into Toby's chest and practically dive into the back seat for your bags. “I can drive. Franklin?”

“Don't work tomorrow, so sure.”

His good mood seems to pick back up a bit. He's chuckling as you rush to gather everything and head over to your car, barely shutting Mama's door as you do. Toby gives it a good bump with his hip to make sure it shut properly. He unlocks your car for you and slides into the passenger's seat while you arrange your shit in the trunk.

You catch sight of the skull still in your trunk and figure you'll just leave it as is for now. Since it seems that literally every time you close this trunk you forget it exists. Bye weirdly placed deer skull maybe one day you'll have a wall mount worthy of your beauty.

Before closing the trunk you do rab the file. Maybe having it up front with you will help you actually tell Toby about it.

When you open the driver's side Toby's hand is already outstretched and waiting for your phone, this isn't his first rodeo after all. You can't help but smile as you hand it right over to him. He notices, because of course he does, and beams back at you. Sending more warmth throughout your body. After collecting your emotions the guilt comes back around.

You need to stop being horny on main. And in front of Toby no less. It's weird, like you're riled up for him and not because you're attention starved and haven't known solitude for over a week.

By the time you're driving off the lot Toby had picked you 'Let's drive to nowhere' playlist. A perfect choice for tonight, seeing as these are all either songs to dissociate to or have mental break downs with. And with you obnoxious emotions either is up for grabs. Aside from the music the car was silent as you drove out of town.

You were so wrapped up in what to say to Toby, how to say it, when – that you ended up not saying anything at all. Toby on the other hand couldn't wait for you any longer and broke the silence himself.

A habit he seems to have, must not like silences.

“Normally you don't shut up,” the words were harsh but his tone wasn't for once.

He watches as the scenery changes from quaint country road to interstate. “Did something happen?”

An awkward anxious smile makes its way on to your face. You've never been good at schooling your features and smiling was unfortunately your default in the even of confrontation. It was probably just your brain's way of protecting you from emotional trauma.

“Sorta.”

To his credit Toby waits for three full songs before prying for more information.

“Another attack?” he's on edge.

To be fair you are too.

“No, like hell Jo and Nate wo-would let me leave if that were it.” your head jerks twice to the right. You miss Toby's wince.

Nate barely let you leave the shop today, you had to get outside assistance aka Mama.

“Ok, so what happened then?” as you bit your lip trying to find your words Toby is running through his own list of possibilities. “Dis Ma- Tim do something to you?”

Huh?

Why would Tim have anything to do with this? Are they still fighting? But Brian has Connor tonight...that doesn't seem likely but you've really only hung out with Toby thus far. You don't know enough about their group dynamic.

You also didn't miss the beginning syllable Toby said. Was he trying to say 'Matt', 'Mark', 'Manny'? There were so many names that Tim's alter could have but at the least you've more or less been told there is an alter to begin with.

But why would Toby be concerned about Tim's alter? Was he the one that punched Toby? Were they actually the two fighting and not Tim and Toby? This is confusing just being on the outside, you have no idea how the trio copes with this situation.

“Oh no, Tim and Not Tim have been nice to me.” if you're coming clean about the file might as well come clean about knowing Tim has an alter. This way Toby could pass along the message to Tim and Not Tim.

“Back up, not liter-mrrow – literally. 'Not Tim'? You've met Mas-Ma-Masky?!”

Masky? That's a strange name, but who were you to judge the name someone gave themself. Maybe he's a He/Him enby.

“Not like formally or anything, but I'm pretty sure he was the one that helped me and Ronnie out the other week.” you switch lanes to drive off of the interstate, hoping to find a secluded road to have this conversation on.

God knows it's going to take all of your concentration.

Toby was seething in his seat and you know the tension is only going to get worse going forward.

You can hear him muttering to himself, 'of course' or 'he didn't remember', over and over. Finding a good place to park the car you take it and turn to Toby, who's still lost in his own head.

“Tobias.” you call trying to jostle him and it works a little too well in a sense. As he blurts out, “Don't! Masky's dangerous stay away from him!”

He immediately freeze like he hadn't meant to say that. And while it wasn't a tic it was probably an impulse brought on by his anxious frame of mind. He's popping his knuckles again too.

You don't know why you said it, looking at Toby's wide blown pupils – riddled with fear and nerves, you should've kept you mouth shut.

“Dangerous like you?”

Or at least phrased that a bit more eloquently.

Toby's eyes grow dark and his good eye cuts low nearly matching it's swollen twin. A shiver runs down your spine even though you know the malice is not for you.

“What.” he hisses out.

It's not a question, it's an order. He wants to know what you know and maybe even who told you. Maybe he thinks Masky told you something, since that was the topic of the previous conversation.

Dark eyes watch you like a hawk as you pull the file from the map holder in your door. His chest is nearly heaving with every breath at this point, can he hyperventilate? That's a dumb question he most certainly can. And he's either on his way to that or a panic attack. You hope you don't send him into a panic attack, Connor's not here to help. Connor know pressure though, Toby's had him preform it on you during your spells. Would it work the same if you laid on top of Toby? You're getting too distracted right now.

Not trusting yourself to not just back down now, you hold the folder out to Toby to take.

He's just staring at it like it'll attack him at any moment, and honestly it might...just not physically. He glances up at you. There's a funny flash of deja vu likening back to the first time you met. Cold indifferent and confused eyes looking at you as though you were some strange alien they'd never seen before. This time however there's a spark of something else in them. Something dark that festers beneath the surface. Was that hatred, betrayal, or was that the wall he was building back up. The wall that would sever this friendship.

Stop projecting. He hasn't even taken the file, he can't possibly know what's going on right now.

“What's that?” see.

“Nate got super protective after the attack, I guess the other day you just like rubbed him the wrong way. So, he had someone look into you. That file is everything they found...pretty sure it's your whole life, I swear I haven't read anything. Not even a peek. But Jo and Nate tried to tell me the-”

He snatched the file from you before you'd even said you hadn't looked. He opened it and a second later it was closed and he took a shaky breath before looking at you.

It was your turn to look like a deer in headlights tonight, you knew that breath was one of barely concealed rage. This was it, this was where everything ended, all because Nate had “a bad feeling” about Toby.

But you trusted Toby, he wouldn't hurt you. He was your friend.

“So” he lets out a harsh sigh, “you didn't...you haven't read anything?”

You hastily shake your head, “What did they tell you.” he looks off to the side and his mouth is all screwed up, and not in it's normal mangled sense.

“That I shouldn't see you anymore, you did something bad, awful, terrifying; Nate's list goes on but I sort of...fo the fingers in the ear 'lalala' thing” you say sheepishly, “anytime he tries to tell me something. Jo stops when I ask him to. He's not too worried about you...I think.”

Or he's working behind the scene to keep you and Toby separated for the long run but that's speculation and not the point of this conversation so you don't mention it.

Toby's flipping through the file skimming it, no doubt looking for his checkered past, he finds what he's looking for and nods once continuing on like he was reading a grocery list. Which he may as well have been, a grocery list of all his transgressions. With the way his fingers gripped the edges of the folder you could tell he was putting on a front about the contents.

They did bother him.

“Why didn't you look, why didn't you listen YN?” was he seriously angry at you for that?

“It was an invasion of your privacy. Whatever's in there I wanted you to have the ability to tell me on your own terms – if you ever even wanted to. Not because you were forced into it because I found out from some third party that doesn't even know you.”

“Then why the fuck did you -wrong- practically jump into a car with me and then hand me a file on my shitty life!?!” He slammed the file down into his lap with a lot of force, more than he should have used for sure. “They think I'm a menace and they're right you shouldn't have...you need to...” he trails off looking like he's trying to disintegrate the file in front of him with latent laser eye abilities.

His arms are shaking.

No – he's trembling. The way he's biting his lip tips you off. He's trying to hold himself together, trying to stop himself from breaking. This can't be the same person Nate's so worried about.

“You're biting your lip, that's not good for you.”

“Fuck off.” it's half hearted at best, no real weight behind the words. And he does let his abused lip go.

“It's a breech of trust if I didn't tell you this...I wanted to give you the file because you should know it's been read by two people, to my knowledge.” you place a hand on his forearm, “Toby, I don't know what you've done in the past but...you know you aren't that person now, right?”

He's out of the car in an instant, slamming the door behind him. You follow, as dumb as you understand it is, getting out of your car in the middle of no where with a very unstable person.

“Get back in the car. I mrrow I can't...I need a minute.” his shaking is so much worse now that he's standing, It's even put a tremble in his voice.

“You're stupid if you think I'm leaving you alone in the middle of no where.” you stand your ground, he may need space but this is not the place to have it. You're only a few miles from town, you can get him back to the lodge where he doesn't have to see or be near you.

Hell you won't say a word on the way back.

“Like you're not stupid for ignoring the warnings that I'm dangerous! I've killed people! Did you know that?! Did you even think that's what was so bad!?” he's giving you the same glare he had on when he talked about the fight with Tim.

“I could literally kill you right now, you've driven us out to who knows where but still remained in walking distance back to town. You live on the outskirts of it and it'd be so easy for me to make you disappear and everyone would believe your stalkers got to you.” his chest heaves at a vicious rate.

Despite the venom and truth of his words, you can't find it in you to be scared of him. If anything his rant proves Toby must not have been mentally well during his crimes, he's acting like a cornered alley cat not a serial killer. There's a vice grip on you heart at the thought.

“Ok...are you?”

It's like a switch has been flipped in him and he calms instantly.

“What?” he knows what you're asking.

“Are you going to kill me?” you asked like you'd been asking what time it was.

He stares at you looking you up and down, “No...I wouldn't.” his neck jerks triggering your own tic.

“Then I'm safe.” you slowly approach him, much like you would a feral alley cat. “I trust you Tobias.” you reach out to tough his arm again.

It hadn't worked in the car but Toby does seem to calm down faster when he's being touched. Like the sensation brings him back to reality and locks him there.

“Y-you shouldn'n'n't.”

He doesn't pull away this time as you place your hands gently on his forearms. His eyes raise to meet yours.

“...I've killed.”

He sounds so helpless.

The only thing you find shocking about this is that he actually did it. You know people are capable of all sorts of vile things. But the way Toby's voice breaks, the tremors that run through his body. You can't see any similarity with the horror show you once imagined, a Toby covered head to toe in blood and a vicious grin.

The fact that Toby killed doesn't really phase you much more than the ever present 'how' that rings out. He must have had a reason. Jo wasn't too worried so maybe it was circumstantial. Not to mention Toby's among the general public. Could it have just been an accident? A misunderstanding?

“I don't – no I'm not going to say 'I don't care', because this is something that really effects you but I...I guess what I'm trying to get at is..it doesn't bother me. I know it should but, Tobias I just can't picture you as a murderer.” that blood stained Toby flashes before you singing 'liar', “I got to know you before finding out any of this. So, I know there must've been a reason behind it. And that's...and you don't have to tell me anything.”

Nothing more is said, after all you've said everything you could think of to deescalate the situation. And Toby is frozen as he stares at you. You'd have thought he was dissociating had it not been for the way his eyes still held that tiny reflection of light. He was still present, just unsure how to proceed.

Honestly you were stumped too, you had no idea how to begin this conversation let alone end it.

“My – there was...” you rub his arm in a small circular motion. You don't need to hear anything more, it already feels like too much information that he'd lost the agency for.

But your gentle shushing did nothing because he continued, “Clairse says I had a psychotic break and...just went after the biggest stressor at the time.” he pauses with a deep breath and closes his eyes in the process. “She says it wasn't really my fault, I was under...a lot of – I wasn't there, where I should've been mentally. My dad was abusive...anyone in my situation would've broken at some point.”

His words are hollow and robotic. A mantra he's learned to say although he doesn't believe it.

You'd normally give someone the choice but this time you just slip you arms over his shoulders and pull him into a hug. There's no resistance from him either, if anything he leans into the embrace and grips onto your back. His trembling doesn't stop but it's softened by the pressure.

“You don't have to tell me anything Tobes. I don't want you to...not if it's this painful.”

“I want – want to tell you about Lyra.” his voice cracks in tandem with his neck as he says her name.

And he does tell you, against all your protests to take his time. He tells you everything laid out his whole life right in front of you. From being home schooled early on – isolated within his own home for years, to his older sister and her untimely accident that he's still clearly wracked with guilt about, and then the spiral that ended in patricide and a fire that ate his entire neighborhood.

By the end of his recounting he'd stopped trembling and letting out the occasional sniffle – and now the two of you were leaning on the hood of your car. Looking at the stars that just started coming out for the night, you occasionally whispered affirmations to Toby as he tells more stories from his childhood. The good ones this time.

His spirits aren't as high as they were when you'd started your evening but they're much better than they were two hours ago.

You chuckle as he finishes telling you about the time he and Lyra managed to sneak out of the house for a concert only to realize they had no way of getting back into the house when they returned. Their mom just opened the door letting them inside with a small crease in her brow but the smile that played at her lips told them everything they'd needed to know. They weren't in trouble, she'd sent them off to bed and in the morning asked how the show was. From the way Toby talked about his mom you can tell he really loves her. The feeling must've been mutual, if she sent them off to bed instead of dishing out a punishment all because Toby had smiled for the first time in weeks that night.

“Ah, favorite child Toby strikes again.” you joke.

This time Toby didn't say anything, you had been throwing small jokes in to help keep the mood light, but he just looked at you with his head tilted. A grim expression barely crossed his features before being replaced with a lopsided smile and warm but sad eyes.

“Y'kn – Kyra used to say that all the time.”

“Must be true then.”

He looks at his hands with the softest expression you've ever seen. It's an expression normally given to Connor, just sadder this time.

You nudge him getting his attention back to the present.

“You still want that slushie?”

He takes a moment to look around you and finally rests his gaze on the stars. “Not Franlin, not tonight.” he says focusing back on to you.

“Think we're two exits from Riverton if that helps. They have Wawas.”

“Wawas?” he chuckles.

You nod, “Yea they have smoothies and milkshakes.”

“Ooh la la.”

You both snort and head back into the car. It's surreal to be buckling back in, joking around with Toby when just hours prior you thought you'd be ending your friendship the moment you opened your mouth.

You can't help but ask, “Are we cool?”

“Yea...we're good. 's not like you fucking asked for the information.” he leans his head against the window and crosses his arms into himself.

“I'm still sorry about it though.”

“Know you are. But it's over now.” the finality of that statement takes the weight off of your shoulders. For the first time in days you can breathe again.

“Thanks for telling me everything...you didn't have to. But I appreciate you sharing it with me.”

His nails dig into his arms, or they would have if they weren't chopped down to the bit.

“I mrrow I-I didn't tell you everything...”

Nope this was over and done with, no more sad and scared Toby. You couldn't handle anymore, guilt had found a friend in discomfrot and the two had set out to eat you alive with every tremor that tore through Toby's body.

“What are you like a child murderer or something?” Giving a laugh to soften the joke.

….

You missed the way Toby tenses and sucks in a breath. His heart is beating wildly in his chest, so hard he's certain you hear it. Is that where you draw the line? Child murder. Of course you had to have some boundaries he couldn't just expect you to be cool with everything he's done. You were sure to figure it out sooner or later no thanks to your boss. But Toby couldn't loose you now. Not when you've been an anchor he hasn't had in such a long time. He feels almost human again when he's with you.

He's been quiet too long, at least he thinks he has. He needs to say something, joke around back and dismiss the notion. You can't know not now – maybe not ever.

“I'm trans!” he hadn't meant to blurt that out.

He stared at you with wide eyes. Why had he said that, that hadn't even crossed his mind. Just as he was about to laugh it off you reached over and lightly punched him in the arm. That small gesture sent a tickle down Toby's spine. It was such an innocent touch, but he was touched starved and knew it.

“I am too goof. Thanks for telling me but why the wait?”

Fuck now he had to think of something. Talking to you always made him so brain dead.

“Mrrow...mrr-you saw me as a man first...I wanted to keep it that way.” maybe he didn't have to make something up, just tell you the half truth.

Brian had questioned him when they got ready for the picnic why he hadn't worn his trans tie dye shirt and he's said he misplaced it. A bold lie to tell someone like Brian, especially since it'd been a gift from his mom. She had sent it in a care package last June. He'd never loose something his mom gave him, at least not so quickly. If he'd been being honest with himself at the time, he was worried about your reaction. Of course he knew you were trans too so not like you'd be one to be a transphobe, but he didn't want you to stop seeing him as a man and only see him as trans.

“Toby, you are a man. Nothing short of you telling me otherwise will change that for me.”

Toby isn't sure when you grabbed his hand but he's aware of your hold when you start to rub along his knuckles. He watches your thumb circle jis joints and pressing a bit into the divots as he takes another deep breath.

He gives his best smile, a lopsided uncomfortable looking thing, “I don't think I like when you call me Toby.”

[angst-fairygodmother]

Feelings an’ Shit Ep1: Fall (Misfits; Nathan Young x Reader)

A/N: I’m not going to follow the whole continuity of the show, and most things are going to be in between/canon divergent but there’s a handful of episodes I want to do stuff with, including the first, since it only makes sense. Word Count: 2185 Rating: T - canon-typical violence, canon-typical swearing

You watched as the curly-haired kid bounced around, taunting the other one and couldn’t resist a snort of amusement. He turned back to you, flashing you a dramatic wink and waggling his eyebrows. You rolled your eyes, nodding back to Hat Guy who was still foaming at the mouth for a fight. Curly continued to antagonize, playing it up for the attention, and eventually Hat Guy had enough and went after him. After that, things became a bit of a blur of shouts and the probation worker pulling them apart. You made eye-contact briefly with the girl who’d been on her cell phone and you both rolled your eyes, laughing. 

If only you’d known then that this moment was the last normal one you’d have. 

~

“So what about you?” the curly-haired kid, Nate or whatever it was, asked, turning his paintbrush on you. “What’d you do gorgeous?”

You liked the sound of his lilt. But he needed to learn to shut up if you were ever going to get along with him, and you wanted to, if only because you were all stuck here. 

You shrugged. “I think the official labels were disturbing the peace and intimidation. And maybe something about rioting which seems unfair. It was just a little bar brawl, and it definitely wasn’t my fault. Although I did glass that guy. So maybe it was.” 

You tried to keep your voice nonchalant, painting away at the bench across from the quiet one, without looking up to see how the others reacted. If you were being honest, the crime you got stuck with wasn’t even the worst thing you had done, just the one that got attention. But these people, with their minor infractions and their ‘I shouldn’t be here’ attitudes (or maybe it was just the one guy) didn’t need to know that. 

“What about you Weird Kid,” Curly continued, apparently choosing not to comment on your offense as he had the others. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like a panty sniffer.”

You grimaced, offering him a sympathetic roll of your eyes. “Ignore him, he’s a moron.” you mouthed across the bench. The boy offered you a faint smile in return. 

Curly continued his antics, trying to provoke your new friend who finally snapped, “I tried to burn someone’s house down.”

Your eyebrows shot up, impressed, as Curly whined uncomfortably, instantly backing off. You didn’t have time to comment on his own excuse for getting picked up, eating pick-n-mix, before the probation worker came back, annoyed with you all for Hat Guy’s paint spill. 

Then a massive hailstone crashed into a car, and you were too scared to worry about much else. Several more fell as you all stared up at the unnatural stormcloud moving overhead, and you all took off running for the relative shelter of the building, panicked and doing your best to shield your faces and heads from the shrapnel. Some instinct made you lag behind, bringing up the rear to make sure that everyone stayed together, no one got left behind. 

You were just coming up on the rest of the group, the probation worker unhelpfully taking the time to lecture them about their language, when there was a flash of light and you felt yourself get thrown backwards. 

You came back to your senses a moment later, sprawled on the concrete, entire body aching like the worst hangover you’d ever had, times ten. Smaller but still massive hail smashed on the ground around you as you and the others slowly sat up or climbed to your feet. 

The probation worker seemed to be having some sort of fit as you all discussed what had just happened and whether everyone was alright. 

“We just almost got killed by freak lightning and hail. Fuck what anybody says, I’m outta here,” you snapped, dusting yourself off with some attempt at dignity. 

“She’s right,” the probation worker groaned, making you turn to gape at him. “Maybe we should call it a day.”

~

The next day passed in a blur: finding Hat Guy dead, the probation worker going berserk and nearly killing you all, super powers? It was all too much. By the time you were all out digging holes under the overpass, you found the activity strangely calming. 

You tried not to think too hard about that fact, since apparently Kelly could hear you. You debated offering a (metaphorical) hand of friendship to Alisha, maybe suggest some self-defense classes to help counter her fucked up powers, but seeing the way she snapped at Curtis you decided against it, for now. Then you were startled out of your thoughts by Nathan draping an arm around your shoulders. 

“So it looks like just the two of us that haven’t figured out our powers yet,” he observed, leaning on you.

You side-stepped out of his grasp, causing him to stumble, nearly ending up in Tony’s grave with him, and hid your smirk behind your hand.

“What’s your point?” you asked, tired and irritated and not wanting to put up with his shit.

“Maybe we should spend some extra time together, figure it out.” He waggled his eyebrows, a behavior you were starting to notice was a habit of his. 

‘This arrogant sod,’ you thought. ‘He’s really got the nerve to be standing there, not doing any work, hitting on me, while we are burying bodies. Who the hell does he think he is?’ 

You were furious, the more you thought about it. 

Suddenly, a wave roiled up from the river, crashing over Nathan, knocking him to the ground in a sopping puddle.

“What the hell?” Alisha shrieked, jumping back from the splash zone.

“Y/N. I think you did that,” Kelly pointed out.

You stared, wide-eyed. “No way.” 

“Ya were gettin’ pissed at Nathan, I heard it. Then he gets dunked on.”

“No. That’s...that would be...not fair.”

“You think having some sort of water control power isn’t fair?” Alisha looked like she was going to start something and you backed away, trying not to cry or vomit from the fear. “It’s a million times better than my shit power.”

“No. You don’t understand…” you felt like your throat was closing up. “It would be...sick. A sick joke. The universe can’t have that kinda humor.” You looked wildly around at them, five pairs of eyes fixed on you, trying to breathe and not think.

“Let’s just finish burying the bodies,” you said shakily, “forget this ever happened, and get out of here, yeah?”

~

The next morning you dragged yourself up out of bed, forcing yourself to dress in some ratty jeans and a tank top, braiding your hair with trembling fingers as you got ready for day three of community service. Even if there wasn’t going to be a probation worker there, even if you just went and then left, you had to make everything look as normal as possible.

“So, if anyone asks,” you heard Nathan say softly as you, Alisha, and Kelly all passed the guys on their way out of the locker room and your way in to change. “It was just a completely normal day.”

“Actually…” you caught their attention, holding them back a moment. “The new probation worker’s in there right now, digging around the office. They’re going to ask us questions, and we need to have our stories straight.”

“What story?” he protested, a little too loudly, earning a glare from Kelly and Curtis. “We saw nothing, we did nothing.”

“They’re not going to buy it. We were the last people to see either of them, and now they’re missing with no sign of where they went.”

“So what do you suggest, if you’re the mastermind with all the answers?”

You glared at him, then licked your lips nervously. “Look, I’m not going to volunteer it outright, but if we have to, I’ll tell them it was me.”

“Wot?!” Kelly asked, staring at you like you had just sprouted a new head.

“It’ll suck but better one of us goes down than all of us. I’m the one it’s most believable from.”

“No! No way!” You were surprised that Alisha was fighting you on it, expecting her to be the first to throw you under a bus in order to get away from it herself.  “You’ll go to prison!”

“Or we all will. I’m just being practical. If we’re lucky, they think we don’t know shit and we all walk away. But if they start asking questions, real questions,” you set your jaw, steeling yourself for the story you were going to spin. “Tony and I got in a fight over the shit he said while we were takin’ shelter from the storm. I got pissed, and I hit him until he stopped moving. Made you help me move the body. Then Hat Guy, what’s his name, was gonna snitch so I killed him too.”

“I don’t like this,” Curtis cut in. Nathan nodded slowly in agreement, eyebrows furrowed and far more serious than you had seen him so far. 

“What happens to you if we do this?” Alisha asked.

“They slap me in cuffs,” you wiggled your eyebrows suggestively, trying and failing to cut the tension. “Drag me down to the station, ask me a bunch more shit. Then I go away for a long time for murder, or they don’t believe me and I’m back on Monday.”

“Even if they don’t believe her,” Simon offered hesitantly. “They’ll be less likely to look at the rest of us. She has no reason to cover for us. We’re practically strangers.”

“Exactly.” You snapped your fingers, pointing at Simon. “See, he gets it.”

“Why would ya take the fall for us?” Kelly asked. 

You considered her question for a while, not really sure of the answer yourself. Then you sighed and shrugged, shoving your hands in the pockets of your jeans.

“I’m real good at screwin’ up, and lucky I’m not already jailed for it. Least now I can use that fact for a good cause.”

~

Nathan watched as the girl walked over to her locker in the back, casual as can be as if she hadn’t just offered to go down for a double murder. He tried not to show on his face how impressed, or turned on, he was. 

He considered staying, trying to catch a glimpse of her and see if her body was as dangerous and sexy as her mind seemed to be. 

“Yer disgusting,” Kelly scoffed, glaring at him until he left behind the other guys.

~

The six of you stood in a line, uncomfortable and awkward as you faced your new probation worker. She introduced herself as Sally, and said she’d been sent to take over your supervision.

“Gary and my colleague, Tony, have both been reported missing,” she continued, staring at each of you in turn, as if a little eye contact could drive her point home. “Their families are really worried about them.”

You rolled your eyes, not believing for a second that either of those two assholes had anyone out there looking for them. You tried, slightly, to hide your boredom. 

“Did any of you see anything unusual? Anything at all?”

Everyone glanced at each other uncomfortably out of the corners of eyes, shifting weight from foot to foot. 

‘They’ve got nothing,’ you found yourself thinking with relief. ‘Everyone keeps their mouth shut and it might actually work.’

Suddenly Nathan raised a finger in the air, looking nervous and uncomfortable, one might even call it scared, and you swore under your breath. Were you really so wrong to trust them, him? Was he about to snitch? Of course an idiot like him couldn’t stick to a cover story. Your mind raced, debating if you should start running and try for a lead on the cops. 

“A few days ago, I go into the toilets, Tony and Gary are in there - they’re butt naked. Tony’s got Gary by his hair - like this. He’s doing him - doggie-style,” you gaped as Nathan carried on. 

“Or...we could go with that,” you muttered watching Nathan’s antics and rubbing your forehead to stave off the growing headache (a headache you suspected was going to be semi-permanent and named Nathan Young). 

“I ask you - in a world of prejudice and intolerance - who are we, who are we to condemn them?”

Sally scoffed, rolling her eyes and storming off to the office. 

“Who wants a smoke?” Kelly asked, nodding her head toward the stairs, and you all followed, headed for the roof. 

~

“What the fuck was that down there?” you shouted at Nathan, gesturing angrily.

“It was me, improvisin, actin. I think I did a pretty good job, don’t ye?” he grinned smugly at you.

“I think you’re an idiot, and almost ruined the whole thing. Now even if I do try to take the fall, at the very least, your goose is cooked too.”

“So don’t try. I think we got away with it.”

“D’you actually believe that?” Curtis asked, staring dumbfounded at Nathan. “Or are you just really dumb?”

[hollowscreekrp]

group para: the search party

When: Sometime around January 28th Sinopse: A glimpse into the search party activity, while Jason, Sebastian, Axel, Zeke, Andy, Suzie, Erik and Seth tried to rescue their loved ones during the plot drop event of January 2022. Written by: B, Sandy, Mina, Anne and Max. Wordcount: 5.3k

Sebastian really hated to be the one with experience to know how to do this. He had hated it when it happened before when he was deployed but even more now when people he loved and cared about was involved. He took a deep breath as he walked around the room with a murderous look in his face, "I know everyone wants to just barge in and free them, me included, but in my experience that would only put them more at risk. Our safest bet it's a coordinated attack," he said as he looked at everyone there. If someone had told him he'd be teaming with the supernaturals he was supposed to be hunting, he would've laughed. Now he just knew he had the most powerful team he could've dreamed off. Wolves, sorcerers, an experienced hunter half, a vampire. Even two dragons and an angel. Nothing could go wrong if they did this right.

Andy had no problem at all trusting Sebastian, it was true he was a hunter, but the younger man had a lot more experience than Andy himself, he had come once he heard Sebastian's boyfriend was taken, Andy didn't want a supernatural war in the middle of a busy town, but...he feared it was a little too late for this. "Ya better tell that to wolves," Andy said, looking over shoulder, watching the man had mistaken by Sam's boyfriend, "he about to take off and run..." the hunter paused, leaning closer to the other, "Ya doing a great job," he reassured, him, knowing this was probably a lot of pressure for the younger man.

Jason was very close to just leave and bring Chris back on his own but deep down he knew the hunter was right as much as he hated it. He even snarled at the older man he assumed was Sebastian's friend by their closeness when he pointed that they were prone to act out on instinct. He hated a little how he couldn't say much in wolf form but growl and snarl his opinion. Not that he had much to say anyway. He kept on pacing back and forth. Sometimes getting closer to Axel to offer some comfort even tho he knew there wouldn't be any until Nate was back in his arms.

As soon as they found the place, Axel wanted to walk in, kick as many doors as needed to, until he found Nate, he was inpatient, they were so close! he looked at Jason as he heard the growl, "Yeah, I don't fucking agree either! how long as it been? and now we gotta act like fucking soldiers? fuck that, I wanna come in and find my husband, let the fuckers come at us, I don't mind killing a few," his eyes flashed, if he find the people behind this... God help them, he new he was being loud and annoying and he didn't care. He wanted to find Nate, that's all that matter to him in that moment.

Sebastian had enough. He walked towards Axel and looked at him right in the eyes, "You wanna do that without knowing if they have someone watching over them? Go ahead. The only thing you're gonna get is getting Nate killed because we have no idea how they're keeping them hostage. They could have a bomb. A fucking knife through their necks ready to slice if someone barges in. You wanna take your chances? Go on but if something happens to Chris because of that stupid temperament, I'm gonna have your fucking head," he said not caring if half of the people there were wolves and could end him in a heartbeat.

As the other moved closer, Axel didn't move, maybe he was in fact losing his temper was never like he fully learn to keep it check, especially when this was about Nate, he let Sebastian closer, a low growl escaping at the other's words, "You asshole," Axel spat back, moving closer, his finger pointed at the other as she eyes continued to glow, "I'd never do anything to hurt Nate, don't you even fucking suggest that! don't you even dare!" he warned, another growl, this time louder, "I'm fucking tired if sitting here! Waiting an hoping, if we know were they are we need to start moving now!" he pretty much yelling at this point, "Don't threaten, I'm not fucking scared of you, I care for Chris too, its not just you!" "ENOUGH!" Zeke yelled out to the both of them, "Stop it! both of you!" he placed himself in the middle of both man, "This is not going to help! Axel, try to calm down! you can't storm in like that, you're gonna get yourself and the others killed! I know you're worried but--He knows what he is doing," he turned to Sebastian, "What is your plan? what should we do," he turned back to the wolf, "I will make you sleep again and then you're not going anywhere, so behave!"

Sebastian was about to spit some truths on how Axel's attitude was exactly what could get them all hurt or even killed when Zeke got in the middle and stopped them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "you're right. Fighting each other won't help," he took a step back again, "look Axel, I know exactly how you feel. Trust me. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure it's the safest bet to bring everyone home safe," he said softening his tone. "OK if we can get the blue prints of this place I can check the weaker points where we can break in. I'll find a hidden position to take down as many as possible clearing the path for the rest of you to get it. We just need someone who can sense them to figure out which part of the mansion they're in and a way to communicate where they can't hear us. I guess radios are not a go since they probably have enhanced hearing and I can't imagine the wolves wearing an eye," he tried to joke a bit to calm the tension.

Axel sighed, he knew both the men were right, he just wasn't good on the waiting part especially on something like this, if this was up to him, he'd just go and screw it, but they were right, if this mean he was risking Nate and his friends, then he had to try and breath, put his pride aside and work together. "Sorry," he said in a almost whisper as he run a hand trough his hair, "I know. Just... fuck, the waiting Is killing me, I was wanna... have him him back safe," he sighed again moving away to the back of the room standing near Jason and Dan. Zeke nodded as he heard the other, "I think I can help with that, a blue print of the place sounds like a good idea, and there's nothing magic can't fix," he winked , then adding, "Unless, you know, other magic is blocking it..." he pulled a face, shaking his head, "Sense them? I think wolves are good with tracking they can probably pick up a scent right?" he nodded, "How about... mental radio?" he suggested, "Sort of like the angels have... a private signal in each other's minds?"

This was exactly the kind of situation Seth should not be getting involved in. The rules were clear; he was instructed not to interfere in any human conflict. Humans should learn how to fix their own lives. The main loophole here was that this was not a human confrontation. That, and Chris being involved, were the main reason for the Grigori to be there. As everyone else talked and argue, Seth, refrained from speaking. His hand tightly held Erik's until he heard Sebastian's question, "I can sense them," those were the first words he spoke since they got to Suzie's club. Without hesitation, the angel let go of his lover's hand and walked towards Zeke, "if you can connect the blueprints to the actual place with your magic, I can tell you exactly where they are and how many others are in there," his words spoken with confidence. Nothing was holding Seth from doing everything he could to help this group of people even if he was only acquainted with most of them. This was what angels were supposed to do; help others without a second thought.

This was very odd for Erik. In his golden days, he and Eoin would probably be already with a sword on each hand, maniac grins on their faces as they kicked the door down and cut several strangers in half. Plotting wasn't his forte, so instead he stood by in the back of the room, holding Seth in his arms, hand in hand. His eyes were glued to Jason's big wolf form, his goals there were only two: keep Seth out of trouble and not let Jason do something he'd regret later. The dragon was glad he didn't have to work on either yet, but the day was still young. Seth's voice surprised him and he let him go when the angel stepped forward, a proud smile on his face. "That could work" he chimed in, eyes locking with Zeke "We can stay back as a basis to report. Let you all know where to go" He clicked his tongue "Do we know which kind of people we're dealing with yet? Species-wise?"

Sebastian nodded when Axel apologized and explained why he was desperate to just barge in and safe his fiance, " I know. I want the same thing. I promise we'll have them back safe and sound," he knew better than to make any promises but this time he couldn't help it. He looked at Zeke with an arched brow at the idea, "no, I think the wolves would need to get near to track them and we still don't know who we're facing or how many of them are there," he sighed frustrated until Seth spoke up. He smiled and nodded at the other's words, "that would be very helpful, Seth, thanks," he really didn't know how far an angel powers would go but this sounded effective. He turned to Zeke again, "mental radio sounds perfect. That way we could hear them too if they go in as wolves," he nodded toward Axel and the wolf gang, "once we have the blueprints and Seth's instructions we can move to the best positions. I'll take some from afar and with his help let you know where you can get in to get to them as fast as possible."

she stood behind the bar, watching them squabble like children about the correct way to go about things ; as if there would be one. suzie had only agreed to help to support her friend. that energy erik had given her had really given her a new lease on life - even if temporary. the dragoness didn't have any sets of skills other than being a natural with fire ; something that could be useful if used correctly. "if they flee," which, she was sure they would. "i don't mind setting up a perimeter a few metres away. setting the woods alight would drive them back towards the house for you to finish off," though, she'd probably need someone to put out that same fire. maybe that sorcerer; suzie hated the magic users being in her club but, said nothing, as it wasn't the most important thing right now.

Zeke nodded as Seth approached, so far the angel had been silent but it seemed he had a good idea and his powers were for sure going to come in use. "Not only can I do that, i can give you a 3D blue print of the house," he Said, "Just need a frew minutes," Zeke removed his jacket, rolling up his sleeves, "Do we want to start now?" He asked looking at the others. "Okay, so we have that set," he nodded, looking at Suzie, "I mean that doesn't sound like a bad idea but we need to be careful not to set the whole Woods on fire." Axel nodded at Bas, though he wasn't sure he would be in his Wolf form, he hand to hug Nate with his arms. That was first he was going to do, "Yes Brun the fuckers. But the whole fucking place once we get them out."

Erik bit back a grin at Chow's idea, seemed like that spark really went a long way huh. "I can help" he offered "It's a delicate job, but I'm sure we can manage a wall of flames without any forest fires." He smirked "Only calculated casualties."

It was clear when the mood settled. It seemed everyone was finally listening to what they needed to hear to calm down. There was a tiny smile on Seth's lips when Erik said they could sty back and guide them, "Yes, we can tell them where to go and what to expect, and I can also provide information on their species, but I must warn you, I might not get them all right," there was no need for them to know how the Grigori's powers weren't strong anymore. One look at Erik was enough for Seth to let him know what his words meant. His eyes moves from the dragoness to his lover when he heard him speak, "Do you have to be there to do that?" The angel knew that Erik would be of more help down in the field than staying with him, "I am sure Zeke and I can stay here safe. Once you are with them, I will appear us there in case someone needs healing aid." Zeke's idea of a 3D blueprint was fantastic, it would certainly give Seth the chance to be more accurate, "I am ready whenever you all are. Do you think you could add pins to where I sense someone?"

Erik reached for Seth's waist when their eyes met. He didn't want the angel to be using the last of his grace on something like this - on anything really - but he knew better than to try and convince him not to. So instead, he just gave him a comforting squeeze, because whatever happens, the dragon would be there. There was a groan at the idea of leaving, though. He huffed, annoyed, then rolled his eyes. "Fine" he said simply, then leaned to murmur against Seth's ear "I'll be the one looking over you from up there this time."

Zeke frowned a bit at the interaction, knowing that was probably something more going on with Seth, from the way Erik was acting, were his powers not as strong as before? "that's alright, honey," he Said smiling at Seth, "you do what you can, that's why were all here, to do what we can," he Said to his friend offering some comfort, though he was being honest here, of course. "I kinda wanted to Kick some butt, I didn't take ligthly on people talking my right arm," he muttered, he was talking about Nate, it was the first time Zeke had to actually close the club for a while, he'd drown without the vampire's help, not to mention he was of course, worried over his friend, he cared for man"but its needed so I'll stay here," he looked at Erik, "We'll be fine, sweetheart don't worry," Zeke assured the dragon with a smile. Zeke nodded, feeling as if he had channel all the Magic he needed, he lift his hands, gesturing around with them as a blue like fog began to come out of his fingertips, the model of the masion slowly taking form in front of them, "Yes, can even use colors for diferent species."

it was interesting, watching erik hold onto that little angel like everything depended on it. if suzie hadn't been convinced that the great dragon had changed - this was the final confirmation. the dragoness glanced over at the sorcerer who'd addressed her idea; zeke, or something. "woods grow back. people don't," she was perhaps too eager to show off her new and improved powers. speaking of powers...."i don't mean to be...we have an angel on side. surely grace is more powerful than anything we can put together?" suzie suggested, not understanding the other more private situation going on. "you know...poof in and out?"

Erik wasn't paying much attention to what people were saying, instead he was trying or line the perimeter in his head, figuring out how long he'd have to stay away. His mind was brought back when Chow spoke of grace, eyes burning menacingly right away as they met hers. "Grace is a very limited resource" he said, squaring his jaw, shoulders tight. It wasn't up for negotiation "Much better used to save someone from bleeding out instead of as transportation. Don't you think?"

she immediately put her hands up in defence, shrugging her shoulders ; she didn't have as much experience with heavenly bodies as erik did, seeing as he was sleeping with one. suzie came across a fowl tempered one in Rome, that was it. the dragoness felt there was something else behind erik's reaction to but...she wasn't privy to such information. "just a suggestion," suzie said quickly, immediately putting the situation to bed. she didn't fancy going toe to toe in her club, especially when the two of them had been getting along so well lately.

It was not the right time for displays of affection, but Erik's words brought a smile to Seth's lips. It was reassuring and the Angel was not immune to needing that. The only way the Grigori addressed Zeke's words was with a polite nod, focusing on the blue fog forming the image of the mansion where their loved ones were held. It was very rare for Seth to hate anything, but after Suzie spoke, the angel hated the position he was in. With his grace intact, he could have done exactly as the dragoness said, but now, it felt like an impossible feat for him. His hand quickly moved to Erik's arm when the dragon snapped, "I am not supposed to interfere directly to mortal matters," the lie falling smoothly from his lips when he addressed Suzie's comment, "healing others do fall into a loophole I can get away with."

Zeke looked over at the woman, fighting the urge the roll his eyes, "Animals and the rest of the creatures that live in the woods don't grow back either, not to mention someone can get caught and hurt, innocents who have no clue on what going on, there are humans out there too, we need to be careful, let's---put a hold on the wild fires for now," he wasn't trying to be rude, or difficult or anything it was simply how he felt, there had been already too many innocents involved he didn't need more of those. He looked at them as it went on, the little argument, kinda make Zeke wonder a few things, Grace? was this the problem here? he decided not to ask, it was not the time or the moment, yet he couldn't avoid the worried looked to his friends. "Come on children, lets not start arguing, we're all doing our best," Zeke told them as the mansion gained form in front of them, "There we go," Zeke said once he was done with the spell, "The best replica you will find!"

Bas had the feeling he probably should be worried about all the mess this could turn to but in that moment he really didn’t care about anything else than getting everyone back safe. Especially Chris. He didn’t even want to think about anyone’s status so he focused on what he knew. He looked at Suzie with an arched brow cause he didn’t think she would want to get involved like this to help. She had done enough already letting them all use her club as base for this operation but her offering to set a fire perimeter so no one could run away was beyond of what he expected. He looked at her and gave her a nod mouthing a simple ‘Thank you’ before focusing on the rest. Sebastian was about to stop the bickering between the dragons and what Seth could or couldn’t do but Zeke was faster than him and before they could start another argument, the blueprint was in front of them. He moved closer to look at the whole think, observing the doors and windows with an analytical expression, “I have an idea where they have more security but I think Seth will know better,” he gave a small nod so the angel could tell them what he could feel. Once they knew he’ll figure the best position for him to neutralize as many objectives as possible so everyone else could get in faster.

Erik felt it the moment Seth interfered, the hand on his arm instantly cooling off some of the fire running in his veins. He nodded to the angel and then towards the dragoness, as if to silently say they were okay. Not that he was sorry though, because he wasn't. He wondered however if she realized why Erik was so protective, if she realized Seth owned his heart. His mind was brought back when Zeke called him a child, and the dragon chuckled. He easily outlived all of them for at least a couple hundred of years. The dragon stepped closer towards Jason's wolf form as the magical beings worked, sitting on the floor beside him, careful not to touch him because he remembered something about Jayjay being against it when he had his fur out. "Do you think, if we add up the age of everyone in this room apart from me, I still win?" He joked, conversationally, then noticed Jason couldn't reply "Blink once for yes" he murmured before sighing "Have you eaten today?" Erik asked, sure the alpha would be too worried to take care of himself "Did you sleep?" Jason was trying his best to keep it together. He was worried, angry, hungry, and tired but his mind seemed to go in overdrive with just one goal in mind and he was not gonna rest or do anything until he was sure Chris was back safe and sound. He moved to a side of the room with Axel after Zeke called them out but he was still very tense. So much that he almost snarled at Erik when he came closer but relaxed when his friend sat beside him. He huffed at the silly age question. The downside of not being able to talk making him grumpier. He rolled his eyes in a very human move when Erik told him to blink once for yes but he did shake his head at both questions. There was no time to lose eating or sleeping. Not when they were so close. He growled and bumped his muzzle against Erik’s arm as if telling him he was fine.

"You know, for a wolf, you're very expressive" Erik joked with a roll of eyes of his own. The answer didn't surprise him in the least and he sighed. The bump spoke volumes and Erik shook his head with a shrug "Yeah yeah, right. You take care of people, people don't take care of you, whatever. Just be warned, if once this is over you're not taking care of you, I will, and we both know you're gonna hate having me as a nurse" he bumped the wolf with his shoulder, a small playful smile on his face.

Jason wanted to laugh at that cause he wasn’t sure what Erik had imagined h would be like as a wolf. Especially cause he had always been very expressive. He tilted his head towards Aiden when his friend said people didn’t take care of him. Jason had it clear he was not gonna be able to go against both Aiden and Erik so once this was over and he was sure Chris and everyone else was safe, he was gonna eat and take the longest nap ever. When he noticed everyone getting around Zeke and the blueprints, he stood up and walked towards them ready to listen what everyone had to say and how the plan was gonna work.

Axel looked at the other men as all of this went on, if he was he in a better mood he had in fact laughed, thought now, he couldn't even think of laughing, the wolf was exhausted, all he wanted was for this to be over. All he wanted was to have Nate there, and he was trying very hard to keep patient, so they could all decided how to do this, Axel had given his opinion on the matter, if it was up to him, he'd be going kicking doors and everyone in his way to get to Nate. That's all he could think of, get to his fiance. He moved closer as the others did too, looking over his shoulder at Jason, Aiden and Erik as he stopped by Zeke, "So? what now?" Zeke fought the urge to roll his eyes at the wolf, why were they such hot heads? "Now, we have a perfect model of the mansion, we know every entrance ,every room," he pointed out the model, "All we need is to figure out is who's where and what they are, then I guess we can start forming a plan?" he asked looking over at Sebastian.

It did not take long for everyone to gather around Zeke with the floating 3D map right in the middle of the room. The looks of eagerness and desperation to act already clear on everyone's faces, and that was the cue for Seth to step closer and walk around the blueprint, his energy focused on sensing every living being inside the mansion. A soft smell of flowers filled the place. Bright blue eyes scanned the smokey building for a few moments before speaking, "They are here," Seth's finger pointed to one of the rooms in the middle of the mansions. There were windows on that side of the structure, which only confirmed there must be a spell to keep everyone inside. A worried look flashed for a second in the Grigori's eyes as they looked for Erik's. They were injured, but everyone was alive. It would not be wise to mention that if they wanted everyone to stick to the plan. It did not take long to pinpoint all the aggressors scattered around the facility. There were two dozen points sprayed in different places, six of them guarding the room where their friends were captive. "Zeke? Can we please color these points red?" words followed by Seth touching different points, "Those are vampires. If you may, please change the colors of these to green," the following few points the angel touched were closer to the exits, "Those are fae and merpeople. I am struggling to differ them, but their energy is very similar. There are no humans involved," his words reassuring, primarily to himself since the last thing he wanted was any human to be caught in the conflict.

Zeke stood next to his friend, letting him focus on the task ahead, Seth probably needed a lot of energy to be able to sense what the captors were, he did noticed the worried look, its one of those things you learn as an empath, to read people, though that part of him had been shut for a while now. He was glad for it, right now it would be torture to be around all his friends with all the strong emotions they was going trough. He nodded his head, a snap of his fingers and the red pins appeared where Seth had asked him to place them, and repeating the process with the other colors, "Good, there are no humans its good," Zeke offered Seth a smile, "at least we know they aren't getting caught in this, and our friends are strong they have that on their side to defend themselves if need be," Zeke said his eyes going from Axel to Sebastien, knowing they were worried about their loved ones being hurt, at least Chris and Nate would heal fast, so Zeke hope. Poor Chris, he was such a sweet guy! "No humans only 2 halves," Axel muttered, refering to, of course, both Nate and Micah. "Okay, now that we know where they are, and who's keeping them, can se just fucking get the plan going?," He shot Bas a look, "'cause its taking every bit of me not to just Run out the fucking door and go get Nate and my friends," he huffed, closing his eyes for a second a Run a rand trough his hair as he tried to calm down.

Sebastian’s attention was fully focused on Zeke and Seth as they pointed the people inside the mansion. His mind was already running wild with different tactics they could use to make the rescue fast and effective. HE walked around the map when Seth finished but not before reaching to path his shoulder, “Thanks Seth, this is perfect,” he smiled a bit and then smiled at Zeke but he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Axel’s lack of patience, “Alright…” he stood next to Zeke and pointed at the back, “I can take everyone on this side from the hill. It’s like a mile right? From the house to the hill?” he asked mentally calculating the distance, “There’s a lot of windows there and they won’t see it coming. I can easily take down the six watching over them and then these two on the entrances,” he pointed, “That would open the path for you to get to everyone faster,” he looked at Axel and the rest of the wolves, “they won’t be expecting us to come from behind so that’s our surprise factor and while they try to get there, “Suzie and Erik can set the perimeter so no one leave when they see they’re outnumbered. We’re gonna need someone to take an attack from the front tho…” he sighed waiting to see who volunteered. He was sure everyone wanted to just go to the room and free everyone. He wanted the same but he knew he’d be more helpful somewhere else and he hoped everyone else knew that too.

Axel began to pace around the others as he heard Bas' plan, it felt like, moving made his brain focus harder, and he just knew it was going to take every little bit of self control in him to not run pass everyone and get to Nate, for once in his life he didn't want to fight, he was angry at the ones that took his fiance, yes. But his main concern was Nate. If he was okay, if he was hurt, he couldn't stop himself form asking these questions, so if the plan was not so carefully layed out, he'd just run in and get Nate, maybe later he could give those vampire assholes a piece of his mind, but for now. He wanted to bring his fiance to safety and that was it. Andy was staying in the corner of the room as he heard all of that going on, he moved closer, planing his hand on Sebastian's shoulder, " Ya ain't gotta everythin' alone," it seemed like the man was taking most of it and didn't seem fair to Andy, "and if no one's willin' to do it. I'll be ya man in front," he squeezed the other's shoulder before rememoving his hand. Andy looked at Sam at other side of the room, hoping this was one of the times, the witch could understand why he was riscking himself like this. Andy still didn't want a supernatural fight, not with humans around, and he couldn't help to wonder what this was going to mean for the future of the city. It was not like anyone could run... And this was a big problem.

[pixie88]

Laila's Birthday

Chapter 15 - Always the Bridesmaid.

A/N: Sorry AGAIN I haven’t uploaded anything new in the last week. I have been away and writing loads. But today I think I wrote the last chapter for ATB maybe... I’m not sure yet. I don’t know how long I want to make this series. Thanks for being patience with me! I hope you like it.

If you would like to be ADDED or REMOVED just let me know! I hate to annoy people with tags.

Read previous chapters HERE!

Song: Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life

Warnings: Fluff & NSFW

Word Count: 2806 Sorry it’s a long one.

Pairings: Laila x Harry

Enjoy!

Daniel had worked his magic on them both "We'll see you tonight D" Nikki calls back as they leave. "Are the kids coming tonight?"

"I was going to bring them, but Stu's Mum said she would have them. So, I'm letting loose tonight" They both laugh "My dad has said Harry and I can stay the night. No need to worry about staggering home"

"Just the worry of keeping the noise down when you go to bed" Nikki winks at her "Oh god!" she rolls her eyes at her.

They say their goodbyes as the part ways to head home.

~*~*~*~

Laila decides on a blue floral wrap dress, she looks herself over in the mirror. Harry comes up behind her and rest his head on her shoulder as his arms wrap around her "Well, birthday girl, don't you look stunning!" she blushes "Why thank you!" she winks at his reflection.

"You ready to go?" He kisses her neck "Yeah, we better go now.... I have a feeling we won't leave otherwise," he chuckles "You're right, let's go!" they leave her flat and head to her parents house.

As soon as they arrive at her parents garden everyone wishes her a Happy birthday. Laila pulls Harry over to her Grandad "Grandad, this is Harry, Harry, this is my grandad Ezra" Harry smile and holds out his hand to Ezra, who takes it "Nice to meet you Ezra" Ezra smile "Nice to meet the guy who has made my granddaughter smile again!"

Harry looks over to her with a smile "No threats grandad?" Laila jokes "Poppet, does it look like I can take this fella?" they laugh. Nikki wanders over with a glass of Prosecco and a beer for the pair "Laila, you go have fun with ya friends" Ezra tells her. They go over to the group Rem hands the group a shot each "Rem!!" Laila whines, but Rem's laughs "Stop being a little girl" they all knock back the Sambuca shot, all hissing with disgust at the taste.

"Argh! That's awful!" Laila hisses, they do a few more shots before grabbing some food "Laila, will you come inside for a minute" Liz calls her over, Terry follows them. She leads them into the living room "Mum, what is it?" Terry moves to stand with his wife and they hand Laila an envelope "What's this?" Liz is over excited "Your birthday present from us"

"Oh, thanks. I'll open it later," she smiles at them "No, Laila could you open it now?" Terry pleads with her, she huffs opening the envelope as soon as she can't believe her eyes.

She's speechless, Terry and Liz are beaming.

Laila walks out into the garden still shocked over her parents gift "Lai?" Nate smiles at her "Are you OK?" he asks "Erm...I think so...Mum and Dad just gave me, my birthday present"

"Ah! The 31st birthday present," she looks over to him "You got it too?" he laughs "Lai, we all did!"

"I wasn't expecting it! Maybe at 18 but 31? Nate it's a lot of money! I feel bad for taking it!" she whispers "I'm glad they kept it until we are in our 30's. I would have wasted it at 18! Lai, don't! They have done this, so we can put down roots...You could buy your own salon... in or out of London. Don't feel bad" she starts to tear up "It's just so generous! I wasn't expecting it" he pulls his sister in for a hug "You doughnut!"

Harry spots Nate hugging Laila, he knows something is up with her. He makes his excuses and wanders over "Laila?" she hears him call over her shoulder, Nate loosens his arms from around his sister, he smiles as he leaves her with Harry. She turns, he notices she has been crying "Laila, what's wrong?" he cups her face and catches her tears with his thumb, his eyes burn into hers "Hey, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to! Right?" she laughs.

"But what has upset you?" He asks concerned "Can we go and speak somewhere quiet?" He nods. She leads him inside and up to her old bedroom, he chuckles "I remember the last time we were in here," she smirks "Are you going to tell me why you've been crying?" She sits on the bed, he takes his place next to her "It's stupid really. My parents, they gave me this as a birthday gift," she hands him the envelope "You can open it! I got a bit overwhelmed by it," he opens the envelope and looks down at it "Wow! That's a lot of money"

"They have been putting in since we were babies! But they have waited until we were in our 30's to give it us. Mum said we would appreciate it more! I just feel bad," he hands it back to her "No need to be! They did this for you because they love you" He pulls her to his chest and kisses the top of her head. He suddenly lays back onto the bed, pulling her with him, she looks up at him "Nate said I should get my own salon in or out of London" she laughs, "You'd leave London?"

"Maybe if I found the perfect place, but it's just an idea," she smiles at him "Hopefully not too soon?" she can tell he doesn't like the idea "I don't even know what to do yet," he cups he face "Whatever you decide whether it's in or out of the M25 I'm going to be right there with you" he brushes the stray strand of hair out of her face "Duuuuh! I need someone to lift those heavy boxes!" she teases him.

He laughs before flipping her onto her back, pinning her arms down "Just a removal man, ay?" she grins biting her lip "Maybe..." she winks up at him "So does this make you, my sugar mumma," she rolls her eyes "Depends what your limits are?" She cocks her brow at him "For you, I don't have any!"

His face moves closer to hers, this man has her weak with just one look, his scent, his touch. His lips hover just itches away from her, "We better get downstairs before people come looking for you," he whispers, his eyes never leave hers.

She composed herself, "You're right let's go!" he gets up and they head down. He's close behind "There you are!" Rem pulls them over for more shots "We are playing never have I ever" an unimpressed Alec informs them "Harry, why don't you get your brothers and sister over"

Laila calls them over Chris and Will sit it out "As Laila and Harry when off to play hide and seek they're next! Harry, you first!" Rem cheers, Harry thought hard for a few seconds "Never have I ever had sex in a car!" Rem, Nate, Max, Jade, Katrina, Priya, Izzy, Arthur,  Brad, Alec, Alene, Stu, Nikki and Laila all do a shot. He looks towards his girlfriend with a raised brow "My past is my past, but maybe it can be your future" she winks at him, he blushes. Rem pretends to gag!

"I guess it's my turn now! Never have I ever had sex against a tree," she laughs knowing already who will have to drink. She was right Nikki, Stu and Alene drink "Wait, that wasn't a 3 some, right?" Rem asks "What!! NO!" Alene hisses "It's me next?" Izzy questions.

Rem nods.

"Never have I ever gone down on a guy!" Rem, Nikki, Jade, Katrina, Priya, Alec and Laila, who looks up at Harry as she takes her shot he winks. Which didn't go unnoticed by Izzy "You guys are making me want to vom!" She jokes "How do you think I feel all of my brother's wives drank! Yes, I saw you Priya, Jade and Katrina" Max goes next to change the subject "Never have I ever slept with any other people than my wife" a few of the group huff. Laila, Harry, Alene, Izzy, Nate, Jade, Priya, Arthur, Brad, Rem and Alec drink.

This made Laila want to raise the question of how many women had he slept with? The game goes on by the end all are more than tipsy. Laila head over to get a glass of Prosecco, all the open bottles are empty. Terry comes over with a open one "Thanks dad!"

"You having fun sweetie?" She nods "Just these glasses aren't big enough!"

Josie chuckles over her shoulder "Just drink from the bottle, it's your birthday!" Laila contemplates it before grabbing the bottle and taking a swig as she sits "She might be a Carelli, but she's an Anderson at heart!" Ezra laughs, "Laila!! That's not very lady like!" Pat hisses at her "Wait! No, it's not!" Josie hands her an extra long straw "There that's better!" Josie baits Pat, who shook her head in disgust.

"What did your boyfriend get you poppet?" Ezra asks her as she starts to lean against him on the bench "Aww Grandad, he got me this," she raised her necklace from her neck, he takes a look "Aww Poppet that's like the one my mum had," she smiles at him, "It is!" Liz coos "That's why your dad was going through all our photo's a few weeks back" Terry winks "All I'm saying is that boy really put some thought in what to get you. Now are we doing the candles on this cake"

Liz rushes off to light the candles, everyone starts to sing happy birthday to her, she gets a bit teary. She blows out her candles, the music starts back up Time of my life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes is playing Liz drags Terry to dance with her. Laila looks over to Harry, he shook his head as if to say no. She gets up and makes her way over to him giving him, her best pouty face, "Please? It is my birthday," he huffs but with a smile "Come on then! But I'll warn you my dance moves are aw..." she pulls him over to a free space.

They start dancing, he spins her "You said you couldn't dance!" he chuckles "I don't have any rhythm!" she grins,"Your rhythm is perfectly fine!" she winks as she whispers. He pulls her in close, so her body is pressed against his as they move, his lips come to her ear "That's a bit different...and it's a bit public to use those kinda moves" she blushes at his words.

He looks around at the others dancing "How big is this back garden?" he whispers, "Big enough..Why?" he grins, "Follow me!!" he takes her hand and walks towards the trees at the back, the further they walk the more the lights from the house fade. "Harry, where are you taking me?" she giggles, he turns to her smiling, he starts to run, pulling her with him, they get deeper into the trees.

"Harry?" suddenly he pins her body against one the trees, his lips roughly capture hers. His kiss is desperate, she barely catches her breath as his hands move over her curves. His lips move to her neck, nipping as they move, his hands slip to the back of her thighs lifting her. She drapes her arms over his shoulders, she pulls his lips back to hers. Her hands slip between them unbuckling his belt, he smirks against her lips "Are we OK out here?" he asks.

"I don't really know, but to be honest...I don't care" moving her underwear to the side as the pads of his fingers brush over her apex, he grins against her lips "Like I'll ever not be ready for you!" she whispers. He unzips his jeans, pushing them down just enough, he thrust into her, she moans aloud his lips crash to hers to drown out her cries.

Her nails dig into his shoulders, a growl escapes his lips. He clutches a fistful of her hair, pulling her head back "Still long enough to pull on!"  He smirks against her ear. His grip quickly loosens "Oh..hmm...Harry!!"

He groans against her skin, she clenches around him meaning she's close his pace speeds up. It's not long until she reaches her high "Harry! Yes!" she moans a little too loudly. She feels him smirk against her neck "There's no way they didn't hear that gorgeous!" She giggles "I don't care! It's my birthday!" He's close, moving faster, it's not long until he falls over the edge he grunts as his body jerks.

Both panting, trying to catch their breath, he rests his forehead against hers "Is that what you brought me out here for?" she's smirking at him "Maybe" he winks. Letting her down, he tucks his shirt back into his jeans "Harry, I can ask you anything right?" he looks over to her curious and nods.

"Max's never have I ever, how many have you slept with? You don't have to answer if you don't want to...it's just you know my number but I don't know yours" he chuckles and pulls her to his chest, "I don't mind! Our relationship is built on honesty right?" she nods "So including you? My magic and lucky number is...5" she looks up at him "5? That's it?" he chuckles "You know most girlfriends would be happy with a low number"

"I am but you had a 3 some?" he shook his head at her "Yeah, I had 1 girlfriend before the 3 some then that happened with 2 girls which happened because I was heartbroken. Gemma then you my lucky number 5!" he kisses the top of her head "You thought I was a man slut didn't you?" She laughs, "No..I just mean...well, look at you! Why haven't you been with more women?" he blushes "Because my love, you may think your boyfriend is the sexiest man alive but I'm not built for one night stands. I will only sleep with a girl if I see a future with her! That 3 some was a huge mistake one I can't take back but I have moved on from"

"So you see a future with me?!" she teases him "I do! But I have a question for you!" he smirks "What's your number?" she laughs, "That's a joke, right? But I'm game, including you?....Let me think," she begins to count on her fingers "....hmm...32..33...34...!" his fingers dig into her ribs tickling her "Ahhh! OK, it's 3!" she giggles "It's 3! You're my third time lucky" he stops, wrapping her in his arms "Come on, we better get back before people come looking for us" they take a slow walk back to the house.

A few more drinks later most have started heading home, it's late, Laila cuddles up to Harry "Shall we head up?" he asks stroking her arm, she nods "Laila, before you do...erm I have a lunch date, Wednesday are you free to come with me?" Alene asks "Erm..I'm working, but I can take my lunch break around the time you meet? Somewhere near the salon?" Alene nods "Maybe Harry could come? So, I'm not the third wheel?"

"I would love to gorgeous, but I'm back to back all day" Laila sighs "Maybe Rem?" she asks, "No!! Erm, don't want to do a meet the family on the first date," she awkwardly smiles at her "Oh, OK, I get it! So, just message me a time and place and I'll meet you. Right now I'm ready to crawl into bed!" she yawns "Come on, lets get you upstairs" Harry gets up and pulls her up with him, they say their good nights and head to bed.

They have no intention on sleep just yet.

~*~*~*~

Wednesday Laila finally reaches the restaurant she and Alene agreed to meet at on her lunch break. Laila walks in and the waitress take her to the table, Alene spots her, her date has her back toward Laila, but from what she could see from her clothes she was an older woman.

They reach the table, she soon recognizes the older lady, it may have been over 10 years since she last saw her, but she could never forget the face of the woman who disowned her son over his sexuality.

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 16.

@lem-20 @aussieez @secretaryunpaid @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @casualpostqueen @irisofpurple @tea-me-kah​  @gloriousalmondvoiddreamer​

[darlinvandijk]

Baby Lotion

Concept: “ruel fresh outta the shower no shirt wet hair 🥺 smellin like baby lotion 🥺”. That’s all, just really in love with the idea of being loved by him and seeing the most intimate and vulnerable side of him. I hope this not only makes you soft, but happy. I hope you enjoy :)

I lay down across his bed, watching the rain slowly trail down the widows of his room, a small smile on my face as I listen to the playlist he has on softly flow throughout the room. I finally truly feel at peace for the first time in a long time, my heart no longer yearning for a better life, because everything I’ve ever needed and wanted has finally been bestowed upon me. I have a beautiful boyfriend, friends who truly care about me, a blooming career in my hands, and real self love filling my heart to the brim. All of the lights in the room are turned off, except for his strip lights, that he has set on a deep purple, almost representing the state of peace and fulfillment I feel within me.

I roll over and face the doorway of his bathroom, watching as he makes his way out after his shower, my eyes trained on the droplets of water coming off of his hair. They slowly trail down his bare chest, making their way down his abdomen, before soaking into the waistband of his sweatpants. He gives me a small smile as he makes his way towards me, a towel in hand as he dries off his hair to the best of his abilities, the light smell of his lotion filling the air as he sits next to me. He passes me the towel as I sit on my knees behind him, softly drying his hair for him, knowing without me his bed would be absolutely soaked with water. I mean let’s be honest here, he’s a boy, what more could we expect from them.

“Hi sweetheart” he mutters, his voice breaking through the peaceful atmosphere we had, his hand grabbing mine as he presses a kiss to my wrist, letting go so I can toss the towel into his laundry basket. He turns towards me and pushes me on to my back, hovering above me with a boyish smile on his face, my heart filled with love as I look at my beautiful soft boy. I raise my hands and let my fingers comb through his still partially damp hair, falling more in love as his eyes close, and a blissful expression takes over his features. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He groans out, my nails scraping against his scalp as he sags against me, giving up on holding himself up.

“Hmm maybe a few times bubba” I tease, knowing he tells me at least twenty times a day, having never felt unappreciated or unloved when I’m with him. He lifts his head at my response, mouth dropping as he feigns shock, a laugh bursting through my lips at his dramatic expression. He laughs upon hearing my laugh, his eyes crinkling around the corners, and his cheeks heating up with a pink hue that’s almost impossible to detect with the lighting. I press my hand to the side of his face, feeling content as his warm skin presses against mine, my mind hazy with love and utter infatuation.

“Well what am I doing with my life then, I should be telling you every second how much I love you” he whispers, his eyes staring straight into mine, a love struck expression on his face as I smile at him. I feel entranced as I gaze over his face, the soft love filled expression reminding me of a puppy, but he’s kinda tall so maybe like Clifford as a puppy. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you” he mumbles, leaning forward to press his lips against mine, his body moving till we’re face to face. I trace his bottom lip with my thumb when he pulls away, laughing when he lightly bites down on it.

“You’re only saying that because no one else will put up with your annoying self” I joke, feeling his body shake as he laughs. He shuffles to wrap his arms around my waist, rolling on to his back while pulling me with him, resting against his pillows while I rest against his chest. He slides one hand under the hoodie of his that I’m wearing, drawing shapes and patterns on to the bare skin, the other hand simply resting on my underwear clad backside. “I love you too Ruel, always have and always will. You’re stuck with me forever darling” I grin, smacking his chest when he groans in mock disappointment. He laughs at my fake anger, lightly patting my ass with his hand before giving me a curious look, asking a question that completely leaves me speechless.

“If I were to ask you to marry me right now.. would you say yes?” He softly questions, a hint of underlying vulnerability filling his voice, my body going still at his genuine but serious inquiry. I don’t even have to think about what my answer will be, having known what it would be the second he walked into my life, but more so need to pause to comprehend that he’s actually asking me this. “You don’t have to say yes, I just wanted to know where we both stand right now. I know I love you and that you’re it for me, it’s okay if you’re still figuring out what you want the future to hold for you” he reassures me, the intimacy of the question and position we’re in, causing chills and goosebumps to spread across my body.

“No I’m not unsure on our future, I want you in every aspect possible. I was just shocked by the suddenness, that’s all” I mumble, using my thumb to get rid of the small frown lines between his eyebrows. I press a kiss to his chest, laying my head there as I look at his purple lights, wondering what the future could hold for people like us, two people who would do anything for one another. He’d bring me the moon if I asked him for it, as I would for him. “I would say yes.” I confidently reply, knowing deep within my heart that I could never feel the way I feel for him about someone else, because when god created our souls, he made us at the same time. Two souls that were lucky enough to find each other in life, to find each other and explore the world, all while seeing it through rose colored lenses when together.

“Hm okay” he mumbles, lost in thought as he stares at the ceiling, something clouding his thoughts as he contemplates over what he should do. I close my eyes as I rest against him, letting the music flow in to my ears, the feeling of his heart racing under me slightly distracting me from the song. “I’ve never loved someone as much as I love you. I’d do anything for you. You know that right?” He asks, lifting my head so I can look him in the eyes, his hand entangled in my hair. I curiously watch him, wondering where all of these feelings are coming from, since he’s usually not caught up like this.

“I know, I’d do anything for you too Ruel. Trust me, you make it clear everyday how much I mean to you” I gently tell him, turning my head to press a kiss to his palm, trying to ease his concern. He looks content with my answer as he leans over and grabs something out of his nightstand, my body shifting with his as I stay rested on top of him.

“This isn’t much, but I thought of you the day I saw it” he mumbles, adjusting us to sit up, my legs straddling his hips as he leans against the headboard. He grabs my hand and slips something cold to the touch on my ring finger, my heart stoping as the diamonds littering the band glitter in the light, shining almost as bright as the tears that fill my eyes. I stare up at him with wide teary eyes, my bottom lip wobbling as I try to contain my emotions, his eyes still trained on the ring perched upon my finger. “This isn’t an engagement ring, because I want to truly be able to be with you every step of the way through the planning process when that time comes, which I can’t do with my work schedule right now” he mumbles, a frown on his face as he thinks about all the time he’ll be away soon, knowing I won’t be able to be with him at all the tour stops and press conferences, wanting nothing more than to be with me and only me.

I stay silent as he tries to situate his thoughts, not wanting to interrupt him when he’s trying his hardest to be intimate and vulnerable with me. I shakily lift my hand, moving my hand in the light as I become mesmerized by the beautiful ring, my other hand coming up to wipe the small trail of tears leaving my eyes. He grabs my hand in his, shaking slightly with nerves as he presses a kiss to my ring finger, smiling as the cool metal touches his lips.

“Think of it as the training for your engagement ring, getting you ready for when I can finally switch it out in the next year or so” He smiles at me, watching the way my eyes fill with love for him, wondering how I could have ever lived at one point without him by my side. “It’s more than a promise ring in my opinion, since you’re only wearing it until I can get the time off to make it the real deal” he chuckles, running his thumb over the gems, smiling at the way it fits perfectly on my finger since he had it custom made to fit the way I love.

“So this is the prequel to the engagement huh? Nates going to love this” I giggle, pushing some of the hair that’s fallen on to his forehead back, letting my hand rest in his hair as I grin at him. He rolls his eye at my comment, already knowing Nate was going to give him shit for taking this big jump, having already dealt with the needy monster when Ruels away from me on tour, probably unable to comprehend how he’ll be away from me now. “I love you” I whisper affectionately, pressing a kiss to his forehead before resting mine against his, looking into his eyes as he silently watches me.

“I love you more, even when you laugh at the lectures I’m going to get from him” he groans out towards the end, resting his face in the crook of his neck as he squeezes me tight against him. I laugh at the feeling of his hair tickling my neck, the damp hair sticking to my neck as I try to pull away from him, his arms tightening around me in response. “Nope, you can’t get away from me now baby. You’re stuck with me, literally” he laughs, his heart content with the future he can already picture, seeing many nights like this where we’re just in love with being in love. In love with having someone made just for you, that wants you in your purest form.

I laugh at his cheesy joke, finally pulling his face out of my neck as I press a kiss to his lips, his molding perfectly to mine as he returns the soft gesture. His tongue swipes at my bottom lip for entrance, lightly biting it as I refuse, pulling away with a tiny smile as I stare at him with eyes shining that could almost rival the shining of the stars outside now that the clouds had cleared away. His mind wanders to the thought that god must’ve made the stars in the sky with my eyes as inspiration, having never seen anything as beautiful in his life, shining and twinkling in ways only he will ever see, but of course all cute moments must come to an end.

“I’m only agreeing to spend my life with you because you smell like baby lotion, just remember that”

[haileyyanneupton]

❄ small - one chicago au ❄

Hailey Upton and Adam Ruzek have been friends for as long as they can remember. When Hailey changes schools to be with Adam in her junior year, she’s introduced to a new group of people who feel strangely like home.

pairings: jay halstead x hailey upton adam ruzek x kim burgess kevin atwater x vanessa rojas kelly severide x stella kidd

warnings (chapter specific): implication of domestic abuse, alcoholism, swearing

masterlist | series masterlist

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❄ three ❄

As Hailey came out of her room and downstairs to the kitchen, she spied her mother standing by the stovetop as the teenager rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with a yawn. Her mother smiled over at her as she flipped a piece of bacon, kissing her daughter’s forehead as she tiredly made her way over.

“Well good morning my Hailey Bailey,” Anne smiled as Hailey buried her head into the crook of neck. “You sleep alright?”

Hailey nodded lightly, her voice raspy as she opened her mouth to speak. “Yeah. I was awoken to the smell of food though, so I’m glad to see that there was in fact something cooking down here and I’m not having a stroke.”

“I’m makin’ some bacon — if you wanna put some bread in the toaster too, that’d be a help.”

“You’re liking your rhymes today, aren’t you?” Hailey chuckled lightly as she yawned once again, pulling the loaf of bread from the pantry as she shoved a few pieces into the toaster without much care.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caused both Hailey and her mother to look up as her father came downstairs. He too wore a smile as he came over to Hailey and his wife, kissing them both on the top of their heads just like Anne had done only moments earlier.

“Morning sweetie,” Hailey’s father squeezed Hailey’s shoulder in passing as he reached around her to turn on the coffee pot.

“Morning dad.”

“I was planning on going into the shop today,” he started, turning to Hailey as he pulled a mug from the top shelf. “Do you wanna come with me, Hailey?”

Hailey hummed in thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Can I think about it?”

“'Course you can.”

It was moments like these that Hailey held onto, storing them at the forefront of her mind for when she needed them. As easy as it was to convince herself that things at home were all bad, all the time — that just wasn’t true. Sometimes there were good moments where she and her parents spent hours laughing with smiles so big that her cheeks hurt. Hailey held onto the memories of sitting behind the counter at her father’s store while she and her brothers would joke around, beaming when their father would bring them soft serve ice-cream that would leave her hands sticky and her nose dotted with white. Her father had been a violent drunk long before Hailey had first made her appearance in the world and would probably be a violent drunk for a long time coming — that didn’t mean that the good moments couldn't quite easily cloud the bad moments for both Hailey and her mother.

As they all sat down at the table, three plates set out in their usual places in front of them, Hailey speared some of the food onto the end of her fork before placing it in her mouth. A cup of orange juice sat beside her plate as she bought it to her lips and took a sip, scrunching her nose up at her mother who was staring at her daughter with admiration.

“Nate called,” Anne began, directing her words at Hailey who perked up at the sound of her brother’s name. “He wanted to know if I thought you were liking your new school. I told him given the fact that a boy who wasn’t Adam dropped you off at home last night, I’d say you were settling in pretty nicely.”

“A boy, hey?” Hailey’s father smirked over at the teenager who rolled her eyes. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s not my boyfriend,” Hailey drawled. “He’s one of Adam’s friends and by extension, my friend. He happens to be in my literature class and the teacher paired us together for our poetry assignment. But yes, I’m liking it a whole lot better at this school — I have friends there for the first time in so long.”

Hailey’s mother smiled at her as her father stood up, mumbling something about fetching something from the kitchen as she and her mother continued eating their breakfast. It wasn’t often that they would eat together at the table — which was why Hailey was so shocked when she woke up to the smell of food. It seemed that things were going to go well today by the way the day had started off, but when her father returned with a bottle of rum — the blonde-haired teenager had to physically bite down on her tongue to stop herself from screaming at him.

“Unbelievable,” Hailey muttered under her breath venomously, slamming her knife and fork down onto her plate as she watched her father pour his rum into his coffee. “I’m going to Adam’s.”

Anne frowned deeply, standing up at the same time that Hailey did before reaching out for her daughter’s arm in an attempt to stop her from leaving.

“Hailey, please —”

“Don’t, mom. I’ll see you later — or not. Whatever.”

Anne audibly sighed as she sat back down in her seat, watching as Hailey walked right out the front door and across the street, disappearing out of sight.

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At the Ruzek's house, Hailey found herself in the kitchen as she raided the fridge for something to eat. After leaving three quarters of her breakfast on her plate back at her own house, her stomach was rumbling loudly while she searched high and low for something that would rid her of her hunger. She groaned loudly when there was nothing that she could throw into the microwave to eat, her forehead meeting the refrigerator door over and over again with a distinct clunk.

“Hailey,” Bob chuckled from behind her as he came into the kitchen, his collar unbuttoned and rings around his eyes — he had just come home from yet another night shift. “What’re you up to?”

“Shit — sorry.” Hailey smiled sheepishly over at the man. “Did I wake you?”

Bob shook his head lightly. “No, no, you didn’t wake me. I have some things to do before I go and crash. Now — what’re you looking for?”

“Food. Anything that resembles food. I had a decent breakfast going for me until someone decided to cover it with the stench of rum mixed in with coffee.”

Bob sighed, offering up a knowing look. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. I just — ugh.”

Bob came up beside Hailey as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her in a comforting manner as he sighed sadly.

“Tell you what — if you wanna take my car and grab something to eat, you’re welcome to.”

Hailey shrugged, seeming slightly opposed as she rested her head upon the fridge once again. “It’s okay — I’ll wait until Adam wakes up so we can both go and get something.”

“Alrighty. Just know that the offer stands regardless of if you can drag his ass out of bed before midday.”

Hailey let out a halfhearted laugh. “Thank you, Bob.”

And with that, Hailey headed up the stairs and towards her best friend's room, pushing his door open and heading right over to the bed. She pulled the covers back slightly before sliding underneath them, her head on the pillow beside Adam’s as she poked him repeatedly.

“Adam. Wake up,” Hailey started, her finger colliding with his forehead. “Adam. Adam. Adam. Adam!”

A groan came from the boy as he opened up his eyes, glaring at the blonde as she continued poking him, completely unbothered by the sour look she was receiving.

“You’re the world’s most annoying person, you know that?”

Hailey only chuckled as she refused to move from her position, letting out a frustrated huff which clued Adam into the fact that something had happened. He couldn’t quite work out exactly what — she wasn’t upset, just seemingly pissed off — leaving Adam to lay there watching as she shoved her head beneath a pillow to muffle the scream she proceeded to let out.

“Your morning’s going that good is it?”

Hailey grabbed the pillow which was across her face and bought it down to her chest as she huffed once more. “Just one time, I wish we could be a normal family, you know? One time. The closest we ever get to being a normal family is Saturday mornings before he starts drinking, and yet within five fucking minutes of waking up and coming downstairs he’s pouring rum into his coffee right in front of us. In about forty-five minutes he’ll be throwing around insults, and an hour after that he’ll be throwing around a lot more than that. I don’t want to have to be there for that Adam. I can’t. I had such a good week this week, and now the weekend is here and he’s starting earlier and earlier with every week that goes by.”

Adam looked over at Hailey only to catch her forcing back the tears gathering in her eyes, the boy pulling his best friend close to him as she laid on his arm defeatedly. His heart ached for the girl who he thought of as a sister — she didn’t deserve this. Nobody did.

“I’m glad I have you, Adam. I really don’t know what I would do if I didn’t.” Hailey found herself speaking only the truth as her stomach rumbled yet again. “Ugh — I’m so hungry.”

Adam closed his eyes once again, realising where the girl was going with her words as he groaned. “Haileyyyy."

“Adammmm,” she mocked in a similar tone. “Wake upppppp.”

“Why don’t you just take my car?”

“That’s no fun! It’s better when you’re driving because then I get full control over the music!”

“But I wanna sleep,” Adam whined loudly, causing Hailey to laugh from beside him. “It’s like — seven in the morning, dude!”

“Actually — it’s eleven thirty which is why I’m here waking you up in the first place. If it were seven in the morning I would have gone to the guest bedroom and gone to sleep because I do not want to be awake at seven on a Saturday unless it’s because I’m going to fucking Disneyland.”

Hailey sighed when she didn’t receive a response from her best friend, the boy either having fallen asleep again with Hailey laying on his arm or deciding to simply ignore her completely, leaving her to pull her phone from her pocket and scroll through her social media timeline. It was only when she saw a photo that Jay had posted that the man popped back into her head; she realised she needed to get his number so she could thank him for the day before.

“Adam,” Hailey poked the boy once again, earning a single open eye from him. “What’s Jay’s number?”

“Yeah, right — because I can totally remember his number off the top of my head.” Even though his words were muffled through the pillow, Hailey still heard the sarcasm in Adam’s tone. “It’s in my phone somewhere. Why?”

“I just want to tell him thank you for driving me home.”

Hailey didn’t wait for a response as she reached across Adam to get to his phone, unlocking it with ease as she quickly found Jay’s contact and sent it to herself. Before she knew it, she was typing out a message to the freckled boy from her own phone, her fingers seemingly knowing what to say better than her brain did.

Just that small interaction with her new friend had brightened her mood back to what it had been before she had to witness the beginning of her father’s downward spiral. Soon enough she was laying beside her best friend and poking him all over again, although this time, Adam finally woke up and sat upright, much to the girl’s delight. Both Hailey and Adam were still dressed in their makeshift pyjamas as they drove to a McDonalds a few miles away, picking up a few breakfast items from the drive through before parking in the parking lot to eat them.

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Waking up the next morning in the guest bedroom at the Ruzek’s house, Hailey found herself blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. Although she called it the guest bedroom, the reality was that over the years it had fully turned into her own bedroom for when she stayed the night (or the week). She had clothes hanging in the closet, shoes under the bed — hell, there was even a sign on the door that Adam’s mother had bought for her years ago saying ‘Hailey’s room - stay out!’ Hailey hadn’t ever bothered to take it off, mainly because it seemed like a lot of effort for something she didn’t particularly care much about, but it was little things like that which made all the difference. There were never any questions asked when Hailey would turn up unexpectedly, nobody ever made a big deal when they heard her come inside and creep up to the ‘guest' bedroom at 3 in the morning. When they woke up in the morning only to find Hailey pacing around in the kitchen — or in Bob’s case, to find her hitting her head against the fridge in frustration — they did nothing but give her a kiss on the head and ask what she wanted for breakfast. Hailey was just as much Pamela and Bob’s daughter as Adam was their son — they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hailey threw the covers off of herself before stretching her arms up, her joints clicking into place before she reached over for her phone. It was almost nine in the morning, meaning she had about an hour before she had to leave to meet Jay at the park. After taking a quick shower, brushing her teeth and getting dressed, Hailey grabbed a bagel from the pantry before texting Adam to let him know where she was as she headed out the front door. She didn’t have to wait for long before Jay showed up in his truck, the boy moving over to the passenger’s side as Hailey jumped into the driver’s seat with a smile, swallowing the last of her bagel.

“Good morning,” Hailey greeted politely as she placed her hands on the steering wheel, rubbing it slightly — it had been a while since she had driven. “How’s your weekend been?”

“Eh,” Jay shrugged. “My dad’s been on my nerves — but when is he not? Oh well — It’s better now that we’re getting pancakes and coffee.”

Hailey grinned toothily. “Pancakes and coffee make everything better.”

“They really do.”

Driving Jay’s truck was surprisingly easy for Hailey, who for the record, wasn’t the tallest person around. Even he had thought she looked adorable hopping out of the vehicle when they arrived at the diner, the pair of them walking side by side as they found a table and pulled up a menu. While Hailey named off the things she had tried and gave her very detailed opinion on each and every one, Jay caught himself staring at the girl in complete admiration. There was something about her that lured him in and put him into a trance — he hadn’t ever been like this with anybody else in his entire life, and somehow it intrigued him yet also terrified him all at the same time. She was like some kind of goddess, roaming the streets and commanding the room with her nonchalance that she was completely oblivious to.

Jay and Hailey each ordered a plate of pancakes and a coffee each, the wait time not being long at all as their orders were delivered right in front of them. He watched — studied almost — every move that Hailey made, from how she picked up her knives and forks to how much creamer and sugar she put into her cup.

“You’re left handed,” Jay observed, his voice quiet as though he was making a note of it for himself. “Either that, or you never learned how to use a knife and fork properly.”

Hailey chuckled lightly, looking down at the utensils she was gripping. “Yes, I’m left handed. Are you already trying to eye off my pancakes, Halstead? I expect this from Adam who runs under the idea that when it comes to food, what’s mine is his — I thought you were more of a gentleman.”

“I am a gentleman, thank you very much! More of a gentlemen than Adam is at least. I wasn’t eyeing off your pancakes — I’m. . . learning.”

Hailey gave the boy a look to show she was not convinced in the slightest, provoking Jay to give a similar look of disbelief as he leaned back in his chair and threw his hands up incredulously.

“I am!”

“Uh huh. What learning would you be doing by looking at my pancakes slash hands, you weirdo?”

“We do have an assignment that involves us learning about each other, you know,” Jay defended, chuckling between his words. “I feel like the balance is uneven at the moment. You know heaps about me, yet I know barely anything about you.”

“Hate to break it to you, Halstead — that just means I’m doing my job.”

Jay huffed playfully with a roll of his eyes. “Hailey!”

“Okay, okay!” The blonde haired girl laughed heartily before settling down at last. “What do you want to know?”

“Who is Hailey Upton? Like — who is she really? What does she like to do? Does she have siblings? What secrets does she hold? Tell me random facts about yourself."

The two teenagers stared at each other for a heartbeat or two before Hailey cleared her throat, preparing to speak.

“My middle name is Anne. My birthday is May 23rd. Uhh — I have two brothers — both older — one’s in college in LA and one works as a mechanic up in Madison. I guess I like to read. I’m about as interesting as a blank piece of paper, Jay — I don’t really have much more to offer to you.”

Jay chuckled lightly at her choice of analogy. “Well I think you’re very interesting. Far more interesting than you let on.”

Hailey only smiled in response as she pushed a piece of hair out of her face gently, tucking it behind her ear as she took a bite of her pancakes, smiling to herself in content. She was completely unaware to the gaze of the boy sitting across from her, his eyes trained upon her in complete admiration at how one person could look so — perfect — doing the most regular things. Between sips of coffee and more bites of the syrup covered goodness sitting on his plate, he sat, he watched and he listened. Her voice was like a siren — soft and sweet — Jay could listen to it all day. And he did. But it was all in the name of completing their assignment . . . right?

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taglist: @ruzek-halstead​ @lissethsrojas​ @sammywiths​ @butterflies44​ @upsteadheart​ @shawnscheeks​ @puckluck28​ @karihighman​ @thetwit​ @azu1ang3188​ @juu-series​ @justanotheronechicagofan​ @stinaax​ @stayupton​ @fullwattpadmusictree​ @anna-justice​

a/n: are these too long??? i have issues working out when chapters are too long/short lmao tell me if they are dragging on a bit too much please!

[nekojitachan]

Okay, so, the urge to write this hit me (maybe in part because of the new fic). Though I’ve been thinking of it off and on since I wrote it... two or three years ago? I finally got back to it. Raven!Andrew soulmate fic with Raven!Neil (Nathaniel). First part can be found here (I managed to find it).

Uhm, warnings for the Nest (vaguely) and for threats of non-con (that are not carried out). Mention of Nathan, too.

******

Andrew felt a manic, medicated smile spread across his face when Aaron chose not to sit next to him in the Intro to Biology class they’d both signed up for; he was tempted to throw a pen at his twin’s head before he slumped down in his seat and barely paid any attention to what was a blow-off class for him. As soon as the bell rang, he was out the door and waited in the hallway for Aaron to come out. When his brother cautiously stepped outside, he grabbed onto Aaron’s left arm and dragged him aside.

“What, no brotherly love today?” Andrew asked with a bright (false) grin. “Do I stink? I swear I showered after morning practice.” The other students gave them a wide berth, especially when they caught sight of Andrew’s black and red track jacket that all the Ravens had to wear outside of the Nest.

Aaron cursed beneath his breath as he shook his head, then switched to German. “Look, it’s for the best, okay? Just leave me alone.”

“Why?” Andrew’s eyes narrowed as he thought about Riko. “Did someone say something to you?”

Aaron ran his right hand through his hair, which was shaggier than Andrew’s (than his ‘nice’, Raven-styled haircut). “Do any of the other students talk to you? Sit next to you?” When Andrew scoffed at that, Aaron scowled. “It’s not because you’re an asshole, but because everyone here leaves the Ravens alone, it’s like you’re part of some special clique and they don’t like anyone messing with the status quo even if they’re a Raven’s brother. So just… call me or something, maybe we’ll get together on the weekends someplace away from campus, but I can’t chance losing this scholarship. I’m sorry.” Aaron gave him a casual wave as he walked away.

Andrew stood there for a minute as bitterness filled him at how easily Aaron cast him aside, focused on himself as always. It didn’t matter that Andrew had crossed the country for him, had risked his own life to get rid of Tilda for him, had joined the Ravens… well, partially for him.

The asshole hadn’t even managed to get hold of any alcohol for him yet.

He was late to his next class, an American History one, but the professor didn’t bat an eye at his arrival even though she’d chewed out another student last week for doing the same thing. Andrew barely paid attention to what was being said again, confident that he’d pass everything like he always did.

Once the class was over, it was time to head back to the Nest, what joy. He ran into Ben on his way to the stadium and basically ignored his ‘partner’ the entire time. Ben was long used to it by then, and appeared happy when they came across other Ravens, ones who would actually talk to the sophomore.

They spent time before afternoon practice working on their class assignments, which never took long for Andrew to complete. He spent the rest of the break reading through the ridiculously long email Nicky had sent him (why did his cousin bother now that he was back in Germany) and glancing through the stats on the Northeastern Huskies, the team the Ravens were to play that Friday. The Huskies weren’t in the overall top three for the NCAA Division I, but they were for the Ravens’ region so it was considered an important game.

Well, by everyone but Andrew.

Practice was the usual ordeal, was Riko acting as if he was the boss of everyone as he barked out drills and plays, as he expected to be thrown the ball as if he was the only striker out on court. It was Tetsuji watching everything with his emotionless, beady eyes as if he was a starving vulture, quick to lash out with his cane at the slightest mistake. It was Nathaniel acting as if Andrew didn’t exist at all.

Andrew was so tempted to say to hell with them all and head off campus to find the nearest liquor store, but he wouldn’t risk Nathaniel showing up the next day beaten again, or Aaron losing his scholarship.

(He didn’t care about Riko or Tetsuji fucking with him, was more than strong enough to handle whatever they threw at him, but refused to let others be punished in his place.)

Instead, he remained in the goal and blocked almost all of Riko’s shots on it just to annoy the asshole.

(He thought he saw Nathaniel smile once when Riko stalked off in anger, but the expression was gone a moment later.)

The rest of the week was spent with Tetsuji and Riko pushing the Ravens to be perfect (or damn near it) by Friday’s game, to memorize the Huskies’ stats and previous games. Considering that it was only the second game of the season, Andrew took to glaring at the soul mark hidden beneath his left armband; he didn’t believe in regret, not exactly… but he had some rather negative thoughts over Riko and Kevin bringing Nathaniel with them when then came to recruit Andrew.

The campus was festooned with black and red (remove the latter and it would fit Andrew’s mood perfectly), with students wearing Ravens jerseys. Most wore Riko’s and Kevin’s, but Andrew rolled his eyes when he saw Aaron sport his; the moron gave him a brief wave and a nod in acknowledgement, then went to sit with a group of what appeared to be new friends.

How nice for him.

Andrew felt his lips twitch then tug back into a mirthless grin when the loose sleeves of the black and red jersey that Aaron was wearing revealed that the black mark on Aaron’s left forearm was still a shapeless blob, that his twin hadn’t found his soulmate yet. Ah, so only Andrew had been inflicted with that particular curse as of yet, though Aaron was like Nicky and actually looked forward to finding his ‘other half’.

The fool.

Soon enough it was time to return to the Nest, to suffer through yet another recap of the Huskies’ players and probable game strategy (which he’d long ago memorized) before a quick lunch and then ordered to get ready for the game. Andrew noticed that Nathaniel wasn’t with the team for once, and managed to hold on to his curiosity until he noticed a man who appeared similar to the young backliner (his soulmate) stride along the outer ring; he was dressed in an expensive suit which was tailored to fit a muscular build, his dark red hair stylishly cut short (and lacking any type of curl), his eyes the same arresting pale blue as Nathaniel’s. Yet they were utterly lacking of emotion when they glanced out at court… and seemed to linger in Andrew’s direction for a few seconds.

Andrew nudged Ben’s left foot. “Who was that?”

Ben appeared stunned that he’d been asked a question. “Eh? Who?” He glanced in the direction Andrew nodded and frowned. “Oh, that’s Nate’s dad, he shows up now and then, usually on a big game day. Comes before the game starts and always leaves right after.” His frown deepened as he gazed at his racquet. “I don’t think they get along well, Nate’s always withdrawn after his visits and….”

Andrew did some frowning of his own. “And?”

Ben jumped a little at his question and pitched his voice lower. “I wouldn’t say anything, but you’re his soulmate. You’ve seen his scars.” Andrew’s jaw clenched at that statement. “Sometimes after his dad visits, he has a new one.” Ben pointedly looked away after that.

It took a minute or two for Andrew to get the urge to go after the man and bash his head in with his racquet under control (the fact that the abusive bastard had been followed by obvious bodyguards helped just the tiniest bit).

(It also raised the question of who the hell was Nathaniel’s father, what was he doing at Castle Evermore, and why Tetsuji allowed him to abuse one of his most talented players?)

Andrew was distracted from thoughts of violence by Tetsuji ordering the Ravens to warm up and participate in drills as Evermore slowly filled up with eager fans. That wasn’t entirely true as he did feel inclined to smash his racquet into one preening Riko Moriyama, busy mugging for the cameras and fans, and yet again wondered just how incompetent the doctor was who put him on his ‘lovely’ meds.

Maybe Aaron could get a nice lawsuit out of him eventually ‘snapping’ when the inanity of it all finally drove him to bash everyone’s heads in.

A boy with a heavy stick, a ton of issues and forever increasing anger management problems could dream, couldn’t he?

He was actually grateful for the damn game starting, just because it meant that soon it would be over. Andrew was slated to guard the goal in the second half, and so got to sit bored on the bench while a bunch of idiots ran around on the court.

At least, until a Huskie sub striker (#17, Donaldson, junior) seemed to grow annoyed at Moreau blocking him from the Ravens’ goal and swung his racquet into the backliner’s side, right below where the protective padding ended. Part of Andrew nodded in approval of the nasty and effective blow while another was annoyed that he wasn’t the one to land it.

Oh, and that it delayed the game’s end while Moreau was checked and carried off the court.

It was clear that the Huskies hoped to take advantage of the Ravens losing their number one backliner to an injury, but the team was composed of some of the best Exy players in the division. Hebig and Federov managed to do a decent job of defense in Moreau’s place, so Andrew didn’t have to work too hard once he was out in the goal; he only let a couple shots through, with the final score being 12-7.

The stadium erupted into cacophony when the final buzzer rang out, with the Ravens smug over their victory and the Huskies disgruntled. Andrew didn’t give a damn, he merely wanted to shower then sleep, done with Exy for the time being.

Riko and Kevin were expected to do their preening for the camera bullshit, but Andrew noticed how an excited Federov went up to Riko before the asshole left and talked to him, a huge leer spreading across his face when Riko nodded.

Something about that expression made Andrew’s skin crawl (it wasn’t the sweat drying on it or his drenched uniform); it sunk in when he was in the shower scrubbing clean.

Federov’s expression resembled Drake’s when he’d come into Andrew’s room at night.

By the time he rinsed the soap away, dried off and put on clothes, Federov was nowhere to be found. Andrew didn’t see any of the male Ravens missing (other than Riko, Kevin and Moreau), so that left the women and… and Nathaniel.

Shit, Nathaniel, whom Federov would stare at from time to time. Whom Federov would try to talk to, but Moreau always interrupted him and pulled his partner away. Andrew thought it was just Moreau being a dick, but now….

He broke into a run towards Nathaniel’s room, and was grateful for once that there weren’t any locks on the doors in the Nest as he threw the door open.

Federov had a struggling Nathaniel pinned to the bed, hand raised to hit him (hit him again, judging from Nathaniel’s bruised face and bleeding lip). The bastard looked up in time for Andrew to punch him on the cheek, which knocked him aside, and yelped in pain as he was hauled off the bed and thrown to the floor, where his ribs were stomped on twice. Hard.

“Stah- ah! Stahhp,” the bastard screeched as Andrew kicked him once more for good measure, only to find himself pulled off balance by Nathaniel.

“Stop it,” Nathaniel said, his voice weak and a bit slurred from the split lip. “You’ll get in trouble.”

“Like I give a shit.” Yet Andrew found himself unable to look away from his battered soulmate, from the hopelessness in Nathaniel’s eyes and the blood on his face; while he was distracted, Federov scurried out of the room like a four-legged crab and slammed the door shut behind him. Andrew clicked his tongue at the thought of having to track down the bastard to slit his throat before he returned his attention back to Nathaniel. “Why’d you stop me?”

“Because Riko would be mad,” Nathaniel said as he slumped back on the bed. “It’ll just make things worse.”

“Worse than someone raping you?” Nathaniel flinched at that but didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes and huddled into a small ball, his black sweatshirt torn to reveal some of the awful scars on the upper right part of his chest, including one which looked like an iron burn on his shoulder.

Andrew felt something turbulent scour through his chest at the sight, felt it rail against the drug in his blood, and spun around on his left heel then stalked into the small bathroom attached to the room where he wet a couple washcloths with cold water and grabbed a towel. When he returned to the bedroom, Nathaniel watched him with a wary gaze as he approached the bed.

“For your face,” he said as he held out the washcloths. “You might want to do something about the swelling.”

Nathaniel was still for a few seconds before he uncoiled enough to accept them. “Jean will-“ He winced when he must have realized that his partner was stuck for the night in the medical department.

“Will what?” Andrew prodded as he smiled, jealousy and anger straining at the chemical chains the damn drug forced upon his impulses. “What’s he gonna do, hmm?”

“Yeah.” Nathaniel wrapped his arms around himself and appeared younger than seventeen years old. “There’s… there’s icepacks in the minifridge.”

Andrew glanced around and found the fridge on the other side of the room, by what he assumed was Moreau’s desk; when he opened it, he found it stocked with a couple bottles of water and several icepacks. Huh, seemed they were prepared for a few booboos, how interesting.

He went back to the bathroom and grabbed a couple hand towels to wrap the icepacks in, and returned to the room to find Nathaniel gingerly wiping the blood from his face. Once it was cleaned up, he handed over the icepacks and got up to grab the large sweatshirt (Moreau’s) which was draped over the back of the nearby chair and threw it on Nathaniel’s bed. “I’m spending the night here.”

Nathaniel’s eyes (well, the right one, the left was swelling shut) widened at that. “I’m fine! You can-“

“I’m not leaving in case the asshole decides to come back,” Andrew stated as he dropped down on Moreau’s bed. “You willing to be smacked around some more?”

That earned him a virulent glare. “You’re the asshole. And how do I know you’re not gonna… gonna take his place, huh?” For all of Nathaniel’s harsh words and nasty looks, his slender fingers plucked at the sweatshirt he’d draped over himself as if it was a safety blanket.

Someone didn’t have a lot of faith in him, did they? Andrew didn’t blame his soulmate, not with everything he learned about the Nest with each passing day. “Because I’m not like anyone you’ve met before,” he said as he kicked off his sneakers and stretched on top of the duvet.

Nathaniel scoffed loud enough that his throat had to ache. “They all say things like that,” he mumbled as he pulled on the sweatshirt, his gaze downcast. “That they’re special, that they’ll treat you nice, that it’ll be wonderful.” He rocked back and forth once the shirt was on, his eyes unfocused as if he was remembering something and the words sounding rote as if they were someone else’s. “It’s nothing but lies.”

Andrew remembered Nathaniel’s father, the man with the emotionless eyes, and wondered if Nathaniel’s parents were soulmates as well. He wondered if they were one of the pairs who served as cautionary tales, as reminders that not all soulmates had happy endings.

He wondered if that’s what Nathaniel had been talking about when he accused Andrew of being just like ‘him’ when Andrew had let his frustration slip, back in the breakroom.

(Why Nathaniel was so comfortable with a man who wasn’t his soulmate.)

Andrew once again struggled with his drug-addled emotions, with the urge to break things, to stomp out of the small, black-walled room and the Nest and Edgar Allan, to carve off the damn soul mark from his arm and… and the thought of leaving Nathaniel defenseless stopped him cold. Instead, he clicked his tongue and rolled over onto his side until he faced the wall. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

Nathaniel muttered something in Japanese, but got up a few minutes later to go into the bathroom, and several minutes after that shuffled back onto his bed and turned off the light. Andrew lay on the bed and finally relaxed when he heard his soulmate’s breathing slow about half an hour later.

He didn’t get much sleep that night, not when he waited for Riko or Federov to break into the room to take Nathaniel from him.

Nathaniel gave him an incredulous look in the morning when all he did was climb off Moreau’s bed, go into the bathroom to take a piss and then leave, desperate for coffee and his medication (not necessarily in that order). He stopped by his room first to take a pill and was on his way to one of the break rooms for caffeine when he had the dubious joy of running into a smiling Riko.

Warning bells went off immediately in his sleep-deprived head, because if Riko appeared happy about something? It rarely was good for anyone but Riko.

“Good morning,” Riko all but purred as he blocked Andrew moving down the hall.

“Not until I have my coffee,” Andrew muttered as he stared toward the break room, determined to walk past the asshole.

“Ah, not quite yet.” Unfortunately, Riko was nimble of foot and one hell of a determined asshole. “I want to talk to you about last night.” When all Andrew did was grunt in response, Riko’s left eye twitched and his smile slipped slightly. “You may be pleased to know that Jean has been declared fit to play in this Friday’s game, after a couple days of light practice. That’s good because Lev will need a few days to recover from your… disagreement last night.”

Andrew focused his attention on the manipulative asshole. “From me ‘disagreeing’ with him raping Nathaniel?”

Riko’s nose scrunched as if he’d heard something disagreeable. “You’re new to the team so you don’t understand how certain things work. And that’s how if someone does very well during a game? They get something nice as a reward.”

Rage flooded through Andrew, made his hands twitch to wrap around Riko’s throat at that ‘reward’ bit despite the latest pill; he only resisted as he thought about Aaron. “Nathaniel isn’t a ‘reward’,” he forced past teeth clenched tight.

The look bestowed upon him was one of immense pity. “There’s so much you don’t know, rookie, including how wrong you are about that.” When Andrew’s hands clenched into fists, Riko wisely took a step back. “But that’s not to say that he can’t be your reward, right? After all, he’s your soulmate,” Riko taunted.

“I don’t-“ About to spit on Riko’s offer, something in Andrew made him stop. “What do you mean?” Was this a way to keep Nathaniel safe? Out of Federov’s reach?

Riko’s smile took on a predatory edge. “I’ll admit, I was skeptical when Kevin claimed you were this amazing goalkeeper, but I’ve seen your ability.” Now the smile was wiped away by something resembling annoyance. “When you bother, that is. So here is what I’m proposing. You shut down the goal while you’re out on court during the game? Nathaniel is yours.”

Andrew was quiet as he thought about that, as he thought about his soulmate being safe. “I can’t always guarantee a complete shutdown, not against some teams.” When Riko opened his mouth to argue, he held up his hand. “Up to three goals, and only during the top three teams,” he bargained. It meant he’d have to push himself, would have to work for it (dammit)… but if it meant that Nathaniel would be safe….

He was such an idiot, wasn’t he? No matter how smart he thought he was, how he’d learned his lesson the hard way, here he was willing to bleed out for a pretty face and wide blue eyes.

(For someone who might be as fucked up as him.)

(For his other half.)

“Two goals,” Riko countered, “and Nathaniel is all yours, no one else is to touch him.” Then he laughed, the sound more cruel than amused. “Well, by a Raven at least.”

“He’s mine,” Andrew bit out as he stepped into Riko’s personal space.

There was a flash of fear in the asshole’s eyes before he flashed his usual wide grin and stepped back. “There’s pre-existing claims on our dear Nate, best get used to it.” Riko gave a mocking laugh as he walked away. “You’re so out of your league, Doe.”

Andrew brushed aside the reference to his previous life as he stared figurative daggers into the asshole’s back (oh for them to be real). Once Riko was out of sight, he headed to the break room for a much-deserved mug (or three) of coffee.

It was when he was on his second refill when he realized that he desperately needed answers, and that they most likely would only come from one of his least liked Ravens – Moreau.

*******

So now I’m trying to figure out - is the Perfect Court 1-10 or 1-9???? Obviously when I wrote this, I thought it was 1-9, but I’ve seen so much artwork since then that shows Andrew as ‘10′ so....

Probably back to the new fic unless another prompt/old fic snatches my attention. Though I’m sure I’ll get back to this at some point because ANDREW AND JEAN.