#ive never gone to a bar and then gone to a second location

[raccoonfagdyke]

I just wish people liked being around me

[rian-lindley]

Rian had never loved when her husband left for a job. Whenever he was gone her head and heart were filled with worry and longing. While she has still yet to master not pouting upon his departure, Rian had managed to find various ways to fill her time and busy her mind until Guy came home. With him telling her it would be at least a few more days, she decided some pampering was in order.

The next morning she drove into Boston. Stopped and ate breakfast at her favorite diner, sure to take a picture of her bacon and texting it to Guy. Her next stop was to get her nails done, falling into a food coma during her pedicure. She spent the next several hours at the spa, getting treatments and massages until her skin was glowing and her limbs felt like spaghetti. She ate lunch on the go, grabbing a salad and bringing it to the dry bar to eat while she got her hair blown out.

The rest of Rian’s afternoon was spent roaming the city streets, shopping and sightseeing, but mostly shopping. Having lost track of time, her only indicator of how late it had gotten was that by the time she walked out of the last store, it was dark outside. Being a New York City native, navigating Boston had become primarily her husband’s job, since he did most of, if not all, the driving. With the added veil of night, Rian went from directionally challenged to completely inept.

After wandering around for ages, she found what she thought to be the parking garage she had parked in. She skipped the elevator, remembering it being busted when she had arrived, and took the two flights of stairs up to the third floor. Rian thought she heard a second set of footsteps but the parking lot wasn’t that full. Surely it was just the echo of her own sounding off the concrete. She rounded the corner, expecting to see her car a few feet ahead of her but instead, she came face to face with the pavement.

Blood immediately exploded from her nose and pain radiated through her face. For a split second, she thought she had tripped until she felt the kick in her ribs. A yelp of pain escaped her at this impact. Rian tried to push herself up to her hands and knees to crawl away but another blow came to her stomach before she could even steady herself. This time, the wind was knocked out of her and she rolled to her back. She was looking up at the face of her attacker. Bold, to remain unmasked, she thought to herself. Until his fist collided with her already bloodied face. Then all she saw was blackness.

—-

Rian woke up hours later in a hospital bed. Her entire body felt like one big bruise. She brought her hand, which was now the home to an IV, to her face and felt the gauze that was covering it. She sighed and it made her wince in pain. A nurse popped her head in the door and smiled softly. “You’re awake!” Her voice was cheerful and if it wouldn’t have hurt, Rian probably would have glared at her. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Unfortunately.” Rian replied, her voice was hoarse and it hurt to even speak so she didn’t say anything more.

“The officers have been waiting to speak to you, do you mind if they come in?”

Rian nodded her head and soon the nurse’s cheerful demeanor would have been welcomed. The two Boston PD officers who walked in wore solemn expressions.

“Mrs. Lindley, sorry to have to meet you under these conditions. We have a few questions for you. By the time you were found, your attacker was long gone. Do you remember what they looked like? Anything odd about the scene? What were you doing in that parking lot? Do you have any known enemies?”

“Getting in my car, obviously?” Rian said, confused.

“Ma’am, we located your vehicle about three blocks over.” The other officer chimed in and looked at her suspiciously, as if she were lying. This time Rian glared through the pain.

“Jesus Christ, don’t tell my husband that. Okay, I thought I was getting in my car. He was tall, somewhere around six feet. Maybe a little taller. White guy, thirties maybe? Standard build, maybe a little more on the toned side. I wasn’t really checking him out. Strong. Obviously. His hair was dark but short, almost shaved and he had some stubble. I didn’t catch his eye color. Sorry. He was following me, I don’t know how long, I just remember hearing footsteps on the stairs with me.”

The suspicious cop nodded, his expression was impressed now and Rian took note.

“I listen to a lot of True Crime podcasts.” She explained. “This is my first time being one, though. As for enemies…not really?”

“All of your shopping bags and purse were left at the scene. Phone, wallet, your jewelry. We think you were specifically targeted so if you think of anything, let us know. We left our card with the nurse. We’re waiting on some footage from the parking garage security camera and we might have some follow up questions after that. Rest up and have a good night, ma’am.”

The officers gave a curt nod before exiting the room. As Rian watched them leave, it dawned on her that her phone was likely in evidence for now. Thankful again for her morbid obsession, she had her husband’s cell phone number memorized. Reaching for the hospital phone, she dialed the number and hoped he would answer the unknown caller.

“Hello?” A sigh of relief escaped her at the sound of her husband's voice, albeit confused. “Rian?” He asked simply at the sound of her breathing, his tone now concerned.

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t be mad…”

[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober 2021 - October 1 - Bound

Fandom: Nightwing, Batman - All Media Types

AO3

Warnings: Kidnapping, Panic Attacks, Isolation, mentions of IV/needles

---

It’s been hours since Dick’s woken up… here.

“Here” is hard to describe, yet incredibly easy. He can say for sure that at least within the 180 degrees ahead of him, it’s all white. White walls that, if arranged in a mirrored-image behind him, might make a hexagon. The ceiling above him is bright and unforgiving, LED lights dotting the space above him like freckles on Barbara’s cheeks and shoulders. He can’t see any sign of a door ahead of him, and the gray-speckled white tiles that make the floor aren’t particularly enjoyable to look at.

Yeah, describing what he can see about the room is the easy part. The hard part is that behind him? It’s all guess-work. For all he knew, there could be nothing behind him, or a cliff, or… or something ridiculous. There could be a whole manner of things behind him, but it’s impossible for him to get a look because his head is strapped to the cushioned chair he’s forced to sit on.

He hates this. It’s been hours. The chair, while cushioned, isn’t even that comfortable. The way his arms lay on the armrests and his feet come together near the end of the chair suggests a dentist’s chair and a therapist’s sofa had an evil love-child who was into bondage, considering how many straps were buckled in to keep him trapped down.

He’s going to lose his mind. Did he really just make a bondage joke about a chair?!

Anyway, he’s stuck here, his arms pinned down by the wrists, elbows, and under his armpits. Two heavy straps run over each shoulder and cross in the middle of his chest to connect back to the chair near his hips. And speaking of hips, there’s another strap around them too like an old Volkswagen seat belt. More straps around his thighs, knees, and ankles keep his legs locked together and down. That’s not even mentioning the binds that lock around his neck or the one around his forehead that’s fitted to the headrest that seems designed to not let him even attempt to rotate his chin to the side.

It’s horrible, and awful, and cruel, and unusual, and he’s not even that sure why he’s here. All he can tell is that he has a massive headache, his Nightwing mask is on but his suit is gone—replaced by some sort of nightgown that definitely doesn’t seem friendly, and whenever he tenses his arm he can feel a tug in his wrist.

Must be an IV of some sort? It’s strange though, from what he can see he can’t see any medical equipment hanging around him. But it has to be an IV. With his night job, he’s become familiar with the way his lips go dry and how his fingers tremble when the damn needle gets put in his arm.

But… if it is an IV, it must need changing by now, surely. It’s been hours, and those things don’t last that long.

Hours. Sitting here with the feeling of a needle in his arm, not sure where he is or what he’s doing here, nothing to look at besides those Barbara Gordon freckles on the ceiling and those gray speckles on the tile.

He tugs on the restraints for what must be the thousandth time, and growls when nothing happens, as unsurprising it is. All his attempts to slip out of or break the restraints have left him with nothing but bruising and irritated skin. However, he feels so restless and bored out of his mind that tugging on the belts seems to be the only productive thing his brain can think of to do.

He tugs again, and nothing happens. He sighs. Relaxes back. And… tries to think of how he got into this mess.

It’s just as successful as breaking the straps.

-o-o-o-o-

“Okay, I’ll bite,” he calls out to nothing. His eyes hurt, he’s exhausted, he needs to pee and that’s something he doesn’t want to deal with. “What do you want from me, eh?”

Silence. His hands bunch in angry fists and he pulls against the straps hard enough for him to feel the edge bite into his skin.

“Batman’s identity?” He tries, because it’s always about Batman’s Identity (TM). When there isn’t any answer, he continues. “Police secrets?” Nothing. “Superman’s identity?”

Nothing. He growls and glares at the empty walls ahead of him.

-o-o-o-o-

He’s using the pain in his wrists, focusing on the warmth running down the cuts the straps have finally created, instead of the pressure in his bladder.

It only lasts so long.

Great, so now he’s bored out of his mind, stuck, and the room smells horrible. Or, the room smells horrible until whatever unseen vent takes away the reek and the chair dries, leaving him being the only one who’s smelling.

He hates this. He hates this. He hates this.

He jerks against every restraint and snarls in impatience and restlessness. He can feel the cuts tear more, but he’s close to not caring, he longs to move.

If his snarling eventually fades into howls, then he’s almost positive no one is around to hear it other than himself.

-o-o-o-o-

Bruce’s cape settles around his feet as he lands, launching droplets of questionable sewage water up to his knees. Damian lands beside him, the whites of his domino mask narrowed in fierce determination.

It’s been nothing but a series of long hours since the Riddler kidnapped Dick with the clues to his whereabouts left carved into the pavement with abandoned Wing-Dings. During Bruce’s search, a few things became apparent: Dick was trapped, alone, and Bruce had until Dick died from malnourishment once the crude IV he was apparently attached to ran out. Riddler is already behind bars, has been for several hours, but interrogation wont get him to give up his games, and Bruce may be a vigilante and “above the law”, but he wont stoop so low as to torture.

At least, not until things get desperate and Damian’s not around to see. Dick would never forgive Bruce, and will probably never talk to him even in any kind of afterlife.

But it hasn’t come to that, Tim solved the riddle through emails delivered from wherever he’s located with his Young Justice friends. They’re always changing spots, and even if Tim were to come home and solve the riddles in person, it would probably be too late.

It isn’t too late, he reminds himself as Damian takes off down the sewers. They know Dick’s exact coordinates. Bruce almost kicked himself when Tim revealed them, because of course lead to Gotham’s abandoned sewage system.

The way to Dick’s location is a tough one, one riddled (as Dick would say) with traps. But they’re nothing compared to a worried father and a determined brother. They find the door nudged neatly behind a section of brick, and when Bruce opens it he’s almost blinded by the night vision in his lenses adjusting to the sudden attacks of bright lights.

Bruce sees before he hears. His eyes were always one of his favorite senses, which is probably why Damian—a boy who’s had to hear to save his life many times—ran to the chair in the middle of the hexagon-shaped room before him. White walls, white tile, white LED’s to sit in a white ceiling. The back of a padded chair in the center of the room faces him, revealing nothing of what it contains.

And then Bruce hears the screaming. Weak, clawing screaming that sounds like what sandpaper would feel on dry skin. He knows this scream, the tones to it, and within moments he’s running to the front side of the chair with Damian.

Dick’s there… writhing. Blood stains skin and cloth around almost every strap holding him down from struggling that must have been continuing for hours. As Damian tears an IV—the tube feeding him nutrients disappears within the chair; there must be some sort of mechanism keeping it working within its structure—Dick’s struggles like he doesn’t notice the change. His eyes are squeezed shut, tears drip down his cheeks, and his screams are so so hard to listen to. Does he even know they’re here?

“Dick,” Bruce says, knowing there’s no one to hear him with Riddler behind bars and his goons scattered. Dick doesn’t respond, just continues to yowl like a wounded stray cat. Already, Bruce can see the symptoms of prolonged use of an IV and of exhaustion. Has Dick slept at all since being kidnapped?

Damian begins work on one of the straps around Dick’s jerking wrists. Bruce follows suit, quickly, desperately wanting to get his eldest out of here, but he’s forced to abandon his task when the loosened strap on Damian’s side allows Dick to tug his wrist free and move to hit the boy. Bruce catches his hand before the hit can be met.

“LET ME GO!” Dick screeches.

“Dick, we’re helping you,” Bruce shouts back wearily, but Dick doesn’t listen as he begins to babble all kinds of demands similar to let me go. Bruce gives Damian a look. “He’s exhausted and most likely delusional. Our best course of action would be for me to hold him down, and you undo the rest of the straps. Maybe we can get to him without having to risk drugging him once he’s no longer restrained.”

Damian looks all parts of his age as he takes a second to give a shockingly vulnerable stare Dick’s way. The vulnerability only lasts a moment before Damian’s nodding. “Got it.”

The next several minutes are filled with events that will reveal themselves in bruises with the coming days, even through the kevlar. It’s tough work keeping a Dick Grayson down, especially when it’s a Dick Grayson who absolutely refuses to be kept down in the first place. However, eventually they release the last strap around Dick’s other wrist and soon enough, both Bruce and Damian are jumping back and Dick launches himself out of the chair, stumbling to the floor and then falling to his ass when his knees give out. Dick looks pitiful, trapped between wanting to curl up and cry or stand up and run, yet curling up seems to win out as Dick must have no energy to lift himself back up.

“Dick,” Bruce calls again when Dick’s hoarse breathing calms, and this time, hope flutters into his belly when Dick’s shoulder’s tense in response.

“… B…?” comes a horribly weak response, but a response nonetheless. Bruce rushes around the damned chair to where his eldest still sits, curled up and shaking. He reaches out unconsciously, kneeling down to scoop Dick up in an embrace, but stops when Dick violently flinches away.

“Don’t touch me,” he whimpers, “just- I don’t- I couldn’t move-” he breaks into sobs.

Bruce is almost considering returning to Arkham and breaking a few bones. Instead, he lowers his voice and speaks as calmly as he can.

“I understand. But we have to get you back home. Just your arm around my shoulder, and I’ll support you while you walk. Can you do that?”

It’s proof of just how shaken Dick is when it takes a few moments to get a hesitant nod.

Bruce does his best to ignore Dick’s flinching and twitching while, with permission, Bruce helps Dick up and wraps his arm exactly where Bruce said he would. Damian stands a few paces off, looking torn. Bruce tells him to run ahead and bring the bat-mobile closer to the sewer opening while Dick blinks owlishly and gulps like a fish�� doing his best to keep down what must be a pending panic attack. Damian thankfully leaves without much argument, and Bruce is left to help his eldest, hyperactive, always moving, always smiling, always stimming in some way or another son out the blasted room and towards freedom with as much control given over to Dick as possible.

“I scared Dami,” Dick whispers through clenched teeth, halfway through the sewage tunnels.

Bruce hums and resists tightening his grip on Dick’s arm. “It’s not your fault. He will not hold it against you.”

“I scared you.”

“… I was scared for you. But right now the only thing that matters is getting you home. Then everything can return to normal”

Dick nods his head, his voice choking in what must be another sob. “Okay,” he whispers, “okay.”

And Bruce silently vows to punch Riddler a little harder the next time he sees him.

But right now, the only thing he cares about is that Dick’s alive, and Bruce is bringing him home.

[shannygoatgruff]

Only Fan(s) - A Thriller

Genre: Thriller

Pairing: Modern Ivar/OC

Warning: Language, sex, stalking, obsession, kidnapping, sexual assault

Rating: MA+18

Summary: Sometimes OnlyFans subscribers want a little more than internet pictures. Sometimes they want to be your ONLY fan…

Header by: @flowers-in-your-hayr

Thanks to @xbellaxcarolinax for being my beta.

Disclaimer: This story will deal with some topics that might be a little uncomfortable for some people. As always, I’ll try to tackle the hard stuff as tactfully as possible.

a/n: I know it’s been a minute. I’m always thinking about these stories because I want to finish them, just can’t seem to focus on writing at the moment.  Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Part iv - Date with Destiny

Finding Ivar Lothbrok should have been easy. Between the two of them, he was the stable one. He was the one with the iron-clad schedule that consisted of drinking, smoking, and partying. Torren’s schedule was a bit more... fluid. She tended to go wherever the wind, or whatever car she acquired, would take her. Naturally, Ivar had the occasional meet-and-greet, red carpet, and/or Comic-con engagement that he had to attend, still, he was pretty easy to keep tabs on. All one had to do was look at (stalk) his social media accounts, and his whereabouts were posted for everyone to see.

Knowing where he’d be and finding out where he lived were a different story. Torren had done her due diligence when it came to locating the town in which Little Kattegat was located. It only took about two days and a few Google image searches of the background of a few of the photos and she had it narrowed down to a general area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

From what she could tell, the closest town to where he lived was pretty small, and there were only a few large estates hidden in the woods. How hard could it be to find? She was willing to drive to every single house and knock on the door to find him if she had to. But it would just be easier if there was loud music and a bunch of cars in the driveway. That way she could tag along inside with the rest of the guests to get to her man. 

Her shirt landed in the pile of dirty clothes in the center of the bed, as she reached around to unhook her bra. “I really need to tell Baby Boo to stop putting all of his business out in these streets,” her brows furrowed as she shook her head, “What if some crazy, psycho bitch started stalking him, or some shit? Then I’d have to kill a bitch.” Torren’s head whipped around and she narrowed her eyes at his picture, still stuck on her wall, “Is that what you want? Huh? You want me to cut a bitch to prove to you how much I love you? I will, Bae! You know I would do anything for you. I’m your Ride or Die...” 

And being his Ride or Die meant that she needed to keep better tabs on him if she was going to protect him from someone crazier than her, God forbid.  She was only able to do so much on this prepaid phone, and going to the library to get online was becoming a pain in the ass. 

She’d considered stealing a laptop or iPad from the library but was still on the fence about the idea. Of course, the alternative meant going to stupid ass libraries and threatening little kids to get off the fucking computers, and that completely sucked ass. 

She always felt rushed when she logged onto her Bae’s Only Fans page from the public library. Without fail one of those little bastard kids would get the library Nazis to kick her off the computer, or bar her from the library altogether for watching porn. 

Ivar’s page wasn’t porn! It was art. It was sexy. It was love...his love for her. Stupid bitches. 

She had encountered far worse things than getting kicked out of the library, but some of these small towns usually only had one or two within their county limits. If she got banned, how was she supposed to check up on Ivar? In the time it took to log in until she got kicked out, she'd be lucky if she could check 2 of his accounts. What if he had some important information on another platform that she hadn’t checked yet? What was she supposed to do then?

Her relationship with Ivar was hanging in the balance, and she'd be damned if some snot-nosed kid or fucking uptight librarian would fuck that up. She needed a computer. But, on the flip side, when she finally got her man back, she wouldn't need one anymore. She could ask him directly what their plans were.

There was a lot to consider and that took time; time that she didn't have right now.

The thick layer of Nair shaving cream she had applied to her already hairless crotch, was just starting to tingle, signaling she had about 5 minutes left before the sweat-inducing, burning sensation would kick in alerting her to wash the cream off. Until then, she had time to consider an outfit for the night.

She knew Ivar well enough to know that he would want her to be sexy for him, but not so much to distract him from work. She could have gone for something slutty, like those skanky bitches he partied with. She could have gone for more demur, but then she would remind him too much of his bitch ex-wife and completely turn him off. The last thing she wanted on their first night back together was for him to be thinking about that bitch. She could have gone for a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but Torren never did simple. 

No, Ivar would want her to be herself. That's what he loved about her. That's what attracted him to her in the first place. She would be sexy without being skanky; she would be demure without being a prude.

Fuck! It was already 7:33 p.m. How in the hell did she miss the beginning of his Live? Now she was running late.

She was supposed to be dressed and ready by the time his Live came on that way she could be out the door as soon as he finished. If she was going to make it to be on his Only Fans live stream tonight, she needed to get to his house before he got too distracted. Now, she’d have to watch his Live, while her cooch burst into flames before she had a chance to take a shower and finish picking out her outfit.

If there was one thing Torren was, it was punctual. It was bad enough that she was about 40 minutes outside of his town, but it could take her up to 2 or more hours to find his house. She only hoped that he didn’t plan on starting any real freaky shit on his Only Fans page until around midnight, cause it looked like she wouldn’t be getting there before then, anyway.  

With the smile still plastered on her face, Torren turned on the hot water for a shower, forgetting that the water didn’t get hot. She didn't mind, much, especially since the cold water gave her a break from the heat in her room. 

Phone in hand, she watched him, as she planted herself on the dirty bathtub floor, cross-legged, and started to get herself ready. Starting with her toes, she shaved each one, just below the knuckle, followed by her fingers, arms, pits, and each leg, from groin to ankle, three times. When the burning from her nether regions was so intense that she couldn’t tell her tears from the shower water dripping on her face, she quickly washed off the cream. 

All she could do was hope that she hadn’t broken the skin this time. The last time she had let that damn Nair stay on, just past burning, the skin broke and she bled. She was not having a bloody hoo-ha tonight. 

With that taken care of, she gently used the razor to remove any other pubes closer to the inside that needed to be removed. Then shaved her backside. When she had more time, she was going to get the internal hairs bleached, but she needed to find out what Ivar preferred. 

Shaving ate up so much of her time that she only had a few seconds to rub some body-wash that she had stolen from a drug store over her body and hoped it got rid of the smell of the summer heat. Her hair? Fuck it...she’d wash it another day, for now, this cold water would have to be enough. She’d spritz some perfume and hair spray in it and it would smell fine. 

Torren finished her shower, and walked out of the bathroom dripping wet, only using a towel to wrap around her hair. She was glad it was so hot in her room that her hair would air-dry quickly. She finger-combed her damp tresses to complete that ‘just got out of bed, but it's styled’ appearance. She knew how much he loved when her hair looked like that. It would remind him of freshly fucked hair. 

She spent extra time applying her makeup, even using an extra dark, thick application of eyeliner. She usually went for more subtle warm colors. They matched her tan skin tone better. But, tonight, she had bold, dark makeup, complete with varying shades of purple and blue eye shadows, and dark purple lipstick.

Torren was glad that she decided to match Ivar’s clothes this evening. The swim trunks and smoking jacket he wore would compliment her beautifully. She wanted everyone to know that they dressed alike, the way real couples do. If he was going for less is more, so would she.

She settled on black leather chaps that tied up on the sides, and tight blue boy shorts that left the bottom half of her ass cheeks exposed. The blue shorts brought out the blue swirls in his trunks; she knew he'd appreciate that touch. Her top was a blue bandanna that she wore as a halter with a short black leather jacket with tassels on the sleeves. 

They screamed “couple” in her eyes.

Completely satisfied with how she looked, Torren locked the door to her motel room and started down the hall. She deliberately stopped by the window and peered through the partially opened blinds of the people staying next door to her. She knocked on the window to get the attention of the young couple inside. Judging from their appearance, they were too strung out to know who she was, or that it was her music that they constantly banged on the wall about. She didn’t care. She still flipped them off before making her way to the stairs. 

Reaching her hand through the busted window of the blue Ford Taurus to unlock the door from the inside. Torren slid into the driver's seat and leaned over to find the two cords that she had pulled out from under the steering column when she stole the car. Flicking the cords together, she listened as the engine reluctantly turned over.

She put the car in reverse, looked in the rear-view mirror at her makeup, then pulled out of the spot. As she turned onto the road leading to the highway, she listened to the knocks, bumps, and hisses that her car made. There wasn't time to do much about it now; not when she was on her way to get her man. But, she made a mental note to do something about it later in the week. The only thing she could do was turn the music up louder to drown out the car noise.

Truthfully, she should have stolen a better car than the piece of shit Taurus that she found in the parking lot of the Quickie Mart while driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma. There were plenty of better cars there to choose from but no one would have wanted to take this one. It was so sad looking that she took pity on it. She had been doing the owner of this crap car a favor, by taking it off of their hands. 

The car was truly fucked. The oil light stayed on, and it drank gas like her mother drank liquor. The car had protested every inch of the ride across the three states that she traveled through in one day. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before that piece of shit breathed its last breath.

She needed to get gas again, but fuck that car. She had already refueled four times since she stole it. Gas wasn't cheap and she wasn't putting another dime in that gas guzzler. Speaking of money, she made a mental note to steal another credit card. It would only be a matter of time before the owner of the one that was tucked snugly between her left breast and strapless bra, would eventually realize that it had been lifted from the table in the diner, and canceled.

Laptop, butt bleaching, car, credit card, and more eyeliner from Walgreen's…her To-Do list was growing. She really needed to take some time off and take care of the necessities. Not tonight, though. She had other things to do. She couldn't do anything else, right now, but get to her man. Besides, once Lothbrok was by her side, he would help her remember all the things she needed to do.

As she came off of the highway exit smoke started billowing out from the engine. It backed up through the exhaust system, and came through the vents, inside the cabin. It was ironic – the air-conditioning vents in the car didn't work, but they seemed to work well enough to clog the inside of the car up with thick white smoke. She drove a few more miles before the smoke was so thick that she could no longer see. As she pulled the car over to the graveled shoulder of the road, the car knocked and shook, before it finally cut off.

Just her fucking luck.

She reached under the dash to flick the cords against each other again, trying to force the ignition to catch again, but it wouldn't. The engine had nothing left to give her. "Fuck Murphy and fuck his fucking law," she said calmly as she pulled the hood release.

She opened the car door, taking care to place both black, platform boots on the ground before lifting her backside from the seat. Placing her sunglasses on her eyes, she walked with one foot in front of the other to the front of the Taurus and placed her hand on the hood. It was hot, but not so hot that she couldn't feel under the front of the lever.

As she lifted the heavy metal hood and placed the rod in the slot to hold it in place, Torren let the smoke from the engine engulf her. It was quite a head rush breathing in the thick engine smoke through her nose, and exhaling it from her mouth. She patiently waited for the smoke to thin out before she bent, at the waist, over the engine. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she knew that someone would see her looking over the engine and stop to help her.

Now, if only someone would actually come down this dark stretch of road, she could be back on her way to Ivar.

It didn't take long before a pair of headlights rounded the bend of the road, just off to her right. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she accentuated the leather, chaps against her hips, and lifted her ass higher in the air, to catch the driver's attention. She couldn't help but smirk when she heard the tires of a large vehicle turn onto the graveled pavement in front of where she broke down. She didn't turn to face the car or the driver. She didn't care who they were or what they looked like. She had an appointment to keep and this pit stop was fucking up her timetable.

"You need some help?" A deep voice asked as its owner approached her.

Torren took a moment to peer around the hood, noticing that there were no other cars around. "Broke down," she answered, continuing to bear her weight from one hip to the other. She placed her hands on the metal frame of the car, arched her back, and looked at the man over her shoulder. "You know something about cars?"

"Yeah," he replied, moving around to her side, looking at her, and not the smoky engine.

She gave him half a smile, as she noticed him notice her. "You a mechanic or something?" She asked standing up. She rubbed her hands together to remove some of the visible engine soot while considering the guy in front of her. He was about 6 feet tall with a moderate build. He was dressed in blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and Timberland boots. He didn't look like he was more than 25 years old. Judging from the way he was looking at her and from the ring on his left hand, he wasn't too worried about her car, or his wife, for that matter.

"Nah, not a mechanic, but I work on my own car... in my spare time." He smiled when she did. She was gorgeous, in that slutty kind of way. She wouldn't be dressed like that and leaning over the hood of a car if she wasn't looking to have some fun. "Lemme take a look at it."

Did he work on his car? Hopefully, that meant that his ran better than hers did.

Torren moved over to the side and let him take the position under the hood. "I'll be right back," he explained before walking over to the bed of his F150.

Grabbing a flashlight from the trunk, he took a second to admire the view of her, from behind. If he could get her car moving again, she would hopefully follow him to this cheap motel he knew that was just up the highway.

He leaned in close, taking a whiff of her hair, "You overheated…want to check the coolant level."

She had heard him say something else but she had stopped listening; she was too busy watching the street. "You want me to try to start it?" she asked, removing her sunglasses before making her way to the driver's door. She wasn't sure if he answered or not. She had no intention of driving the Taurus again, even if he could get it started. She just needed to get something out of the car.

She slid into the seat and reached down on the floor. She found the hard metal object on the floor of the passenger's side and gripped it tightly. As she walked back around to the front of the car, she heard him talking, presumably about the car, or maybe he was asking her out. Who the fuck knows? She was on a tight schedule and all of his chatting was holding her up. She stood by the side of the hood, looking at the angle he was leaning over the hood. Quickly, she lifted her arm, and with one powerful blow, she struck him in the head with the crowbar that she used to procure her now-defunct car.

Torren stood over his body, looking at him intensely. God, it felt good. The rush of knowing that one minute this dude was towering over her, and the next he was on the ground. She had dropped his ass. She was the one with the power.

 "Thanks," she said, digging her hand in his pocket to retrieve his cash, credit card, and the keys to his truck. She wiped the blood on the crowbar on his shirt before walking to her new mode of transportation.

Torren sat in the truck's driver's seat and turned on the engine. She had managed to cross two things off of her To-Do list without even planning to.

Thank God the truck had air conditioning. All this heat and humidity was bound to make her hair frizzy. She cranked the AC up as high as it would go and sat still for a moment enjoying the cool air. After a minute, she adjusted the seat and tilted the rearview mirror to look at herself. She was starting to sweat and her eyeliner was starting to run just a bit at the corners of her eyes. She dabbed at the black liner to even out the lines, and then pushed the mirror back to where she could see. Giving the area another once-over, she made sure that no one else had seen her interaction with that guy on the ground, before pulling out from the gravel and onto the paved street.

"Ugh!" Torren yelled. Chester Bradley, the printed name on the credit card, had shitty taste in music. She pushed the stereo button on the steering wheel to do a scan of the radio. Anything was better than country music. Once she found some trap music on the XM radio, she turned up the volume and pulled back onto the highway.

Part iii/

Tags: @ideagarden-blog1  @youbloodymadgenius @xbellaxcarolinax @a-mess-of-fandoms @didiintheblog @conaionaru @peachyboneless @flowers-in-your-hayr @heavenly1927 @zuxiezendler @waiting4inspiration @saldelys @revolution-starter​

[bakubitch-minusultra]

Not Alone: Chapter Nine

-> an apocalyptic series with bnha characters but without quirks because im the writer and i can do whatever the fuck i want :P bruh its 3:45 in the morning and i have a softball game in six hours but fuck sleep right? This is the l o n g e s t chapter ive written and it took hours i was writing it while listening to true crime podcasts lol new characters unlocked

-> Word Count: 6.9k haha n i c e

-> Warnings: pervy doods, blood, sexual assault, violence, guns

-> Taglist: @5sosfckss @laudthingcat [if u wanna be added lmk <3]

The sunlight coming in the window blinded Y/n as she woke up disoriented. She shivered from the cold breeze that came from down the hall. She noticed she was lying on Kirishima still and smiled, thinking about the night before. But stopped when she noticed that his shirt was soaked in cold sweat.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, “No. No.” She pushed him and his body compressed against her push, but he didn’t stir.

“Y/n what is it?” Mina came running in the room.

Kirishima sputtered and snorted. He rolled over knocking Y/n off and onto the floor. She started to laugh, “He’s alive. I thought… He’s cold. Oh my god he’s alive. His fever broke. He’s going to live.” Y/n jumped up and grabbed the next vial of medication.

Mina rushed to his side and felt his face, “Oh fuck, I was scared. I thought for sure he was gone.” Mina hugged her when she came back. Mina smelt like Hades and Y/n smirked. They had traded sleeping partners for the night.

Y/n hugged her back, but noticed the difference in their bodies. Mina was melded into Y/n, squeezing her where as Y/n was rigid.

They gave him his next shot and pulled the bandages off his leg. The red lines had receded but the wound still looked red and angry. She knew they weren’t out of the danger zone, but she felt good knowing that they were one step closer.

He slept the entire day and Mina and Y/n hung out. They took turns keeping watch and playing with Hades. Y/n could see Hades’s affinity towards Mina getting stronger. She knew that even she felt different. She was getting closer to Mina and Kirishima.

“Y/n what’s for dinner?”

Y/n shrugged down at Mina from the window of the barn, “I can go kill a bird.”

Mina nodded, “Alright. I’ll start the fire.”

They sealed up the house completely and decided to cook in the bunker. It was gross and sweaty with a fire down there, but it made perfect sense. No smell escaped out into the wind.

She climbed down with her bow and quiver and headed across the grass. She slipped into the forest, but instead of finding a tree to climb she froze. She smelled them before she could see or hear them. She slid against the tree and waited to figure out where the smell was coming from.

“It was rude of you to leave without the escort we offered.”

Y/n turned to the voice but something smacked her in the forehead and everything went black.

Xxxx

“Wake up.” Pain overwhelmed her as she opened one of her eyes. She saw bars in front of her face. “Please wake up.”

In the muted firelight she could see a girl poking her with a stick. It made a small cut on her arm, but that wasn’t where the pain was coming from. She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again. It was dark, the firelight licked across the dark metal bars of her cage. She turned to the girl.

“Where are we?”

“The others have us.” The girl said. Y/n’s stomach fell into her bowels. Her heartbeat and breath quickened. She pushed the door to the cage with her foot. Her boots were gone.

“Where are we specifically?”

The girl frowned at Y/n, “What?”

“Our location.”

The girl shrugged. She was skinny and filthy. She made Y/n think about Mina, which made her panic. She wondered if they knew where Mina and Kirishima were. She saw her bow and quiver leaning against the tree near her.

“There she is.”

Y/n looked up at the filthy scumbag who had chased her into town. He was grinning again. He seemed very proud of himself. “You’re a pretty girl. What’s your name? I bet it’s something pretty like Jessica or Stephanie or Grace.” Y/n licked her lips and put a finger to the source of her pain. He winced as she touched the red sticky spot. “Sorry ‘bout that. I had to surprise you. Bet it hurts doesn’t it.” He kneeled on the ground in front of her cage. “Wanna tell me about how you got outta town?”

Y/n gulped.

He rattled the cage suddenly and started laughing at her horrified expression. “Jesus you aren’t mute are you? I like it when you girls scream.” He pointed to the girl next to Y/n. “I guess we can make her scream for you.”

The girl shied away from the bars and curled into a small ball. Y/n wanted him dead. Right now.

He pointed at Y/n again, “You’re going to fetch us a good price. I know it.”

Fear rocked Y/n. She didn’t have a plan. That was one of her rules. Her plans where capture was a possibility had never included a cage. She always thought the girls were grabbed and dragged to trucks.

He walked back to the fire and howled into the night air. She watched as he unzipped his pants and peed on the fire.

“Jesus Christ that’s disgusting you fucker.” The hot steam rose from the fire, polluting the air around it. A large group of men started to bitch and complain. Y/n looked at the girl who had a disgusted look on her face.

“I don’t know about you but I don’t want that inside me.” Y/n gasped at her language. The girl grinned at her, “Names Jirou.”

“I’m Y/n.” Y/n looked around for Mina and Kirishima but she didn’t see them anywhere. “How old are you, Jirou?” She asked softly.

Jirou spat on the ground outside of her bars, “Sixteen.” She was malnourished. She would be made to work the farms. She wouldn’t be a breeder.

Y/n wouldn’t let either of them end up that way. She saw a small silver thing on the ground and looked at Jirou.

“Poke that stick this way again.”

She slipped her skinny arm through the bars and passed it to Y/n. Y/n looked back at the men. They were getting drunk and the fire was starting to dim. She flicked at the silver thing and dragged it back to her with several small movements. It was an old rusty nail with a silver tip. She reached her fingers through the bars and grabbed it.

“How old are you?” Jirou asked, watching the men.

“Nineteen.”

“You look older.”

Y/n wanted to frown at her, but the nail in her hands felt too amazing to bother. She passed Jirou the nail, “Pick your lock.”

She eyed it smiling, “Wow you’re good.” She reached her hands through the bars. Jirou made funny faces and then Y/n heard the clunk of the lock. She picked the lock faster than Y/n did. Y/n had only ever picked a couple.

She nodded, “Mom says we have to do whatever it takes to not be a breeder. I will die before I go there.” Her words reminded Y/n of the girl in the back of the truck who screamed. She felt sick. She was even more determined to save Jirou. The rusty nail clanked in the lock. “Want me to do it?”

Y/n gave her a look, “They’ll notice your tiny arm slipping through to my cage.” She fumbled with it again. “Dipshit is coming back.” She pulled her arm in and sat on the nail.

He grinned at Y/n, “I think I wanna taste the merchandise before I give it away.” He pulled a key out of his pants and licked his lips. He got down on the ground in front of her cage and stuck the key in. “You’re gonna like this.”

Y/n felt like throwing up.

He opened the door and reached in lightning fast. His huge hand grabbed her thin wrist and clamped down. He dragged her from the cage. She kicked at him but he was too strong. He pinned her to the ground on her stomach and pulled her hair, whispering into her ear, “Scream and I slit your throat.” He let go of her hair with force and shoved her face into the pine needles and dirt. Y/n coughed and choked. Her eyes flickered at Jirou.

“Don’t do this in front of her,” Y/n begged.

He shoved her face in the pine needles again, “She needs educating. Where you two are going, you’ll both be needing to know how to make a man happy. Think of me as your teacher.”

Y/n felt him grind himself against her and threw up. She couldn’t stop herself. She didn;t have anything in her stomach but bile filled her mouth. She spat it to the side of her face, scared that he would rub her face in it.

He pulled her pants down and she felt his hands on her underwear. She wanted to scream and fight but her hands were pinned. If she screamed, he’d kill her. She made the snap decision that death would be better than this and opened her mouth to scream, only to feel him put all his weight on her.

“Shhh Y/n. Don’t scream. We need to go now. Before they find him.”

Tears sprung from her eyes as she looked back and saw his open eyes still staring at her. The rusty nail stuck out only a little bit from his head, next to his eye. Blood trickled down his face.

Jirou heaved him off of Y/n quietly. The fire was only twenty feet from them and she could see that the group of men had dwindled. They must have gone to sleep. Y/n pushed herself up and grabbed her pants. She saw her knife in his boot and took it, holding it tightly. She wanted to stab him so bad.

Jirou grabbed her hand and pointed to the woods.

They walk hunched over. Y/n grabbed her boy and quiver and followed Jirou into the forest. They ran fast, even though they were barefoot. She recognized the forest after a few moments. Even in the dark she knew where they were.

“Oh shit.”

Y/n stopped after hearing Jirou speak. She was preparing for the worst but instead it was the best. She saw yellow eyes glowing in the dark. She quickly dropped to her knees, ignoring the branches that cut her skin. His paws were around her neck within seconds. His warm breath was in her hair. She started to cry and Hades held her like a mother would a child, and she elt soothed.

“He’s yours?”

Y/n nodded through the tears, “Hades.”

“He’s a big dog.”

Y/n smiled, “He’s a wolf. A tundra wolf.”

“Well we better get moving before they find us.”

Y/n stood and ran toward the farmhouse. She knew it was through the woods and not far. They could hide there until the men were gone. Her brain couldn’t seem to make her own survival important. She needed to know if Kirishima and Mina were safe. Jirou ran as fast as Y/n did. Her footsteps were a whisper in the grass beside Y/n. Y/n burted through the door. The house was dark and silent.

“Mina? Kirishima?” The living room was empty. The blankets were gone. She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t know where Mina and Kirishima would have gone. She ran down the basement steps into the bunker. Nothing was there. She ran back up the stairs, “We need to go hide. They’re gone. They might be looking for me.”

“Who?”

“My friends.” The words felt funny in her mouth.

Y/n grabbed Jirou’s sweaty fingers in the dark and pulled her back out to the barn. They slipped inside the dark of the barn. She dropped to her knees in the hay and felt for the hatch. It had hay glued on top of it. It was impossible to find even in the bright of day. She only found it because it was open when she arrived.

“Hurry climb down here.”

Hades jumped down into the whole like he had before many times. Jirou felt for Y/n in the dark and then the hatch. Y/n climbed down after her and pulled the huge hatch back over the hole.

Y/n felt around in the silence for a stool. She sat and suddenly the pain in her feet was overwhelming. She knew they had been cut.

“Did your feet get cut?”

Jirou was closer than Y/n thought, she whispered right in Y/n’s face, “No. My mom made us walk and run in the woods barefoot all the time. They always take the shoes.”

“Smart.”

“Yeah mom was a warden at a maximum security prison before. She says she knows all the worst things people can do and she knows why they do it.”

Y/n shivered at the thought.

They don’t hear voices or any noises. Eventually Y/n fell asleep on the wooden floor against the warm fur of Hades. Jirou slept against her. Y/n’s feet pounded too hard for her to get a good nights sleep.

Xxxx

“It’s been five days Y/n. He walks to the same spot and makes weird noises. I have a hunting hound. He does the same thing when he wants me to follow him. We need to get following him in the woods.” Jirou had not stopped talking for five days. Mom this and Mom that. Y/n didn’t know what to do to make her quiet. She didn’t take Y/n’s silence as a hint. “Yup that wolf is trying to tell us the way to go to find them. Are your feet better?”

Y/n looked at the cuts on the bottom and nodded, “They have scabs.” She rubbed salve into the bottoms of her feet and pull her socks over the scabs. She pulled on the boots she had stored in the farmhouse bunker ages ago.

Jirou threw a huge bone for Hades. He ran to get it and chewed it in the field, “Not so sharp is he? My hound brings it back.”

Y/n looked at the bone and grimaced, “Is that a human bone?”

Jirou shrugged, “Does it matter?”

Hades picked up the long thin bone and walked toward the same spot in the field like he had for the past five days and whined.

“Okay let’s follow him then.” Y/n slung on her backpack and looked back at the farmhouse. She had left a note in the bunker under the barn. Mina knew it was her favorite hiding place. Y/n’s heart hurt and she decided to not look behind her. She didn;t run through the field. Hades trotted along like a real dog. He didn’t wait at the meeting tree.

Nothing was the same.

She opened the cabin door and suddenly her life felt lost. She knew she would regret opening that stupid door and helping Mina. But she never imagined her regret would be being separated from them.

Her heart hurt when she thought about the kisses she shared with Kirishima. Her stomach hurt when she thought about Mina being taken.

Hades picked up the pace as they entered the woods.She reached out and brushed her fingers along the meeting tree. Instead of going the way home to the cabin he cut a hard left and they climbed a different hill.

“So then when I was twelve she says she wants to try to go to the city. So we get all dressed up and I mean bathed and spiffy. We walk all the way to the city but they don’t just let us in. We have to go through a bunch of tests and other nonsense. The city was brand new. It looked like nothing I’ve ever seen. Anyway they come to us in the bright white clothes and make me take all my brand new clean clothes off. They burned them. Mom was mad then. My aunt failed the diabetes test they gave us and so if we wanted to go into the city we would have to leave her behind. No diabetes in the city. Mom said they could shove that up their asses. So we left the city. My other aunt got grabbed there. Mom thinks it was because she tested healthy they told the bad ones to take her to the breeder farms. They drove up in their trucks and held guns on us. They dragged her into the truck. She screamed and reached for us. Mom never moved. She just watched. I never saw my aunt again.” Her story was the story of thousands of women.

“I’ve seen them taken too. They always leave the kids behind.”

Jirou put a finger to her lips, “Shh you hear that?”

Y/n listened. All she heard was her own heartbeat and it dawned on her that as Jirou chatted on, she listened to the forest the way Y/n does. Y/n doesn’t hear them. No birds, no squirrels. She stopped walking. She pulled an arrow instantly and held the bow ready.

A branch broke to the side of them. She swung the bow with the arrow trembling in her hands. A huge black bear groaned and walked past them to the ridge below them. Hades growled and crouched. He looked at Y/n but she shook her head.

They didn’t turn their backs on it. They walked up the hill backwards until the bear was far enough away. Hades’s dark hackles stayed up until he started sniffing the ground again. He wandered in a circle for a bit.

“So then I was saying to Mom… hey look I think he has a smell. Not totally useless is he?”

Y/n glared at her.

Jirou put her hands up, “What? He’s no hound but I think he’s got the scent.”

They followed him through the thick woods until he suddenly stopped waking. They hiked for hours and that was the most animated she had seen him. He growled in his low town and crawled along the forest floor on his belly. They follow him low to the ground. Y/n was scanning the forest but she saw nothing.

“There.” Jirou pointed to a man wearing camouflage high up in a tree. He held a sniper rifle. There was no way they wouldn’t get around him. She pulled her bow out but Jirou stopped her hand and pointed to a man in another tree just behind him.

“We wait for dark,” Jirou whispered.

Y/n looked at Jirou and frowned, “Where’s your home?”

Her brown eyes look haunted. “It’s back closer to the town by the big river. Mom was taken when they were looking for some girl. They searched all the houses and found my aunt and mom hiding. They didn’t find me. I snuck out the back and over the pointy log wall. The others snatched me outside the gates. The hunters were long gone though, so they were gonna wait for them to come back.”

“It was me,” the words slipped from Y/n’s mouth. Jirou crouched in some larger bush and sat, waiting for nightfall. Y/n spoke after a while. She felt awkward in Jirou’s silence. She was never silent. “I can help you find your mom.”

“She never got taken.”

“Where’d she go?”

“Knowing mom she went to hell. She was a mean and spiteful woman. Full of piss is what my aunt said.”

It hit Y/n like a club to the face, “She died?”

Jirou glanced at her, “I told you what she always said. You do whatever it takes to not go there. They woulda put her in the fields anyway. Her insides were injured having me. She couldn’t have more kids.”

Y/n wanted to cry. Jirou had a mother. She had someone. Y/n felt like it was her fault somehow.

“I’m really sorry Jirou. Do you have anywhere you can go? Do you have other people?”

Jirou shook her head, “Nope. It was me, mom and my aunt.”

Y/n decided she wouldn’t ever leave her. No matter what she wouldn’t leave her.

The day faded to night slowly. Spring was further along and the days were longer. The cool air was still fresh and crisp but the sun was getting warmer.

Hades slept again Y/n and Jirou whittled a small piece of wood. She passed the finished product to Y/n. She didn’t know what it was.

“It’s a rook.”

Y/n raised an eyebrow.

“For chess,” she said it like Y/n was an idiot.

“The game?”

Jirou nodded and smiled, “I’m making the pieces for a board. I guess I have to start over. Mine were in our village.”

Y/n looked confused, “You have a village?”

Jirou shook her head, “Nope. Had. The others came last month and burned it to the ground.”

“Life’s hard, Jirou. I’m convinced the god that everyone talked about before, hates us.”

Jirou’s eyes hardened and she pulled her dark blue hair back from her face, “Don’t ever say that. No matter what we have to believe that he’s going to help us. The evil is us.”

Hades jumped but it was too late. As she heard the branch snap behind her she saw a blak hood go over Jirou’s face. Y/n jumped but the guns were on her.

“What’ve got here?” The man standing before Y/n was grinning. He held a rifle to her face.

Hades was ready to attack but Y/n put her hand out, “No Hades. No.” He looked at her face confused. She could see it in her eyes. She shook her head and then looked at the man. “We’ll walk with you but you can’t put that over my head. If he can’t see my eyes he’s going to lose it and kill at least one of you.”

He nodded, “You walk with the wolf. I’ll kill him if I have to.” He removed the hood from Jirou who looked at Hades. Y/n gave her a sharp look. She knew the desperation on Jirou’s face was trying to over take, Y/n felt the same way. But they couldn’t win the fight. They could die like her mom.

One of the other guys with a gun smirked at Y/n. He was young and bold looking. He spoke to Y/n and she could hear the smile on his face, “I’d ask if you were spies for the other but you’re girls. What girls would help them out? So that leaves me with only one assumption,” He grinned and nudged Y/n, “You’re lookin for a date.”

Y/n doesn’t speak.

Jirou snorted, “You wish. No we’re looking for our friends. The other had us but we got away.” Y/n shot her a dirty look and Jirou scowled. “Don’t give me that look Y/n. Mom says we need to remember some ways of the world before an manners is one of the things we all seem to forget about.”

The man with the gun grinned, “Her mom sounds like the kind of girl we are always looking for. Warm my bed, bake my bread and say please and thank you like a lady should.”

Jirou shoved him, “My mom never warmed no man’s bed. She wasn't no lady. She was a survivor.” The man shoved Jirou back and Y/n caught her.

“Easy kid.”

The leader got in Y/n’s face with his gun. Y/n looked into his dark red eyes angrily, “Her mom just died creating a diversion for her to escape the hunters.” He made a face that surprised Y/n, remorseful.

“I’m sorry Jirou, is it? Never speak ill of the dead, unless they’re the monsters who started all of this.” He held his hands out.”

Jirou sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm, “It’s nothing. She died the way she wanted.” Y/n knew the pain Jirou felt and the strength she hid behind. The leader's eyes told her that he did too.

Hades nudged against her. He was nervous and whined. She looked as they entered a huge camp. The fires were lit making the woods smoky and smelled of food. Her mouth watered as her stomach grumbled. She didn’t the last time she actually ate.

“New recruits?” A man asked, looking Y/n up and down and nodded his head. Hades lunged at him. Y/n seriously thought the wolf could read minds, and that man’s mind was not pure. He jumped back, “Holy shit is that a wolf?”

Y/n laughed, she couldn’t help herself. Hades was hovering over him snarling. The men who had escorted them laughed at the fallen men and Y/n called him, “Hades.”

He snarled once more and ran to Y/n’s side. He stood tall and proud with his chest out. He snarled at everyone.

“You have my friends here don’t you?”

The man with the smile frowned, “Who?”

“A girl and a guy. They’re really good friends.”

His eyes narrowed, “No one’s come recently. Except you.”

“Don’t lie to me. He’s tall with red hair and red eyes. He has an injury on his leg. She’s younger and about my size. She has pink hair and black eyes. They’re really close.”

He shook his head, “Look we don’t have anyone here. We don’t take prisoners.”

Y/n looked at the guns surrounding them and raised her eyebrows.

He laughed, “You were spying on us and have a huge wolf as a pet.”

Y/n didn’t laugh. She wanted Kirishima and Mina,”

Jirou gave Y/n a look, “Why would he bring us here if they’re not here?”

Y/n shrugged, “The smell of food.”

The guy with the gun in her face pointed at Hades, “Keep him under control and we can drop the weapons.”

Y/n patted Hades on the head and scratched his ears. He shook his head once. He was still agitated,

The camp was like nothing Y/n had ever seen. It reminded her of the band of merry men Robin Hood joined in the forest.

She heard a noise she had never heard before. She turned her head when she saw where it came from. A small boy with white blond hair ran past her. He had his arms stretched out. He latched onto Hades, making her jump to his rescue but Hades looked at her and lowered her body for the child.

“Andy no, Not the wolf. Oh my god I’m so sorry.” A dark haired woman walked up to Y/n. She looked older, maybe thirty. She was dressed in a long gathered skirt and a blouse. She was pretty in a simple way. She looked at Jirou and smiled motherly. “We need to get you cleaned up and get some food in that belly. You look like you must be starved.” She looked at the man next to Y/n, “Watch him for me while I get her taken care of?”

The man nodded and kneeled next to the boy who was shrieking and hugging her wolf. Hades panted, contented.

“His name’s Hades. Be careful, okay Andy.” The man put a hand out for Hades to sniff.

Jirou gave her a pleading look as she was getting dragged off. Y/n wanted to reach for her but she didn’t. The woman with the black hair had dark doe eyes that instantly made Y/n feel comfortable.

Y/n looked around and noticed that there were fires everywhere. Small tents lined the forest and lean-tos were staggered amongst them. She had never seen anything like it. Clothes hung from lines in the trees. The canopy provided the perfect shelter. She felt like she had entered a sacred site. Everyone was busting about, as if on a mission.

“This is like the Shire.”

“You’ve read The Hobbit?”

Her neck almost snapped as she looked back him,”Yeah, have you?”

He nodded and patted Hades once more.

“Wolfie wolfie wolfie.” The white haired angel cries into Hades’s dark fur. He looked down with the hug and struggled to escape.

“He’s done.”

The man pulled the boy off, making him make an ungodly noise, “Nooo Bakugo. I wanna hug the wolfie. I wanna wolfie. Miiiine.”

Y/n gasped, “Bakugo?” The eyes and the smile. He looked almost exactly how they described him. “Mina and Kirishima’s friend Bakugo?”

His face dropped, “Mina and Kirishima? My friends?” Y/n nodded. His face grew savage. He let go of the boy and gripped her arm harshly. He shouted in her face, “Where are they?”

Y/n pointed, “I thought they were here.”

Hades didn’t like the struggle going on. He lept in between them and knocked Bakugo to the ground. He had him by the scruff of his shirt and was making a noise she had never heard before.

“Hades.”

He ignored Y/n. She sat on the ground and made a whistle sound and Hades tugged once more on his shirt before backing away. He turned and sauntered towards her. He was overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed. He curls onto her lap and as she stroked his ears while he trembled.

Bakugo stood up and walked toward Y/n. Hades growled and snarled in her lap. She looked up at Bakugo.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.”

His dark eyes played in the dim light of dusk, “They’re alive?”

“Last time I saw them.”

His jaw tenses up.

Y/n turned to see a rugged man walk up to where they were, “Bakugo I need to go over some things with you.”

The white haired boy saw the man and started his tirade all over again. He was stomping his feet and pointing at Hades who trembled. She wrapped her arms around him and glared at the young boy. She hated children.

“Stop that you little brat. You’ll get us all killed,” Y/n hissed at him. The noise would no doubt draw the others or worse.

Bakugo laughed at her but his expression was lost.

Jirou walked over to Y/n in a clean dress with patches. Her hair was slicked back and wet. She was holding a platter of sorts covered in meat and something white.

“Y/n thith ith cheeth. You have to have thum.” Her mouth was near bursting as she spoke. Y/n grimaced watching her stuff her mouth. She sat beside Hades and Y/n. He raised his face instantly and started eating from Jirou’s plate.

Hades was making his weird wolf noise that he made when he was happy. It almost sounded like a cat purring but lower and deeper inside of him.

The platter was empty and Y/n had had nothing. She couldn’t stop looking up at Bakugo, who was talking to another man. He glanced at Y/n every now and then. She could tell that he wanted to talk to her.

“The people I’m looking for, Mina and Kirishima, Bakugo is their friend.” She pointed to him subtly.

Jirou raised an eyebrow, “You think that’s why Hades brought us here?”

Y/n shrugged, “Maybe. I think he smelled the food.”

Jirou grinned with food in her teeth, “Thank god for Hades and his belly.”

“I’m worried about where they are though. If they’re not here, where could they have gone?”

“The farms,” Jirou said nonchalantly, even though Y/n knew that Jirou feared the idea of it whether he had met them or not.

Y/n’s skin prickled thinking about them in the farms. Mina was old enough to be put to ‘work’ and Kirishima was strong. He would be made to work hard labor.

Y/n looked up and saw people eyeballing them. They pretended to be working near them, but they watched Hades as he ate. It made Y/n smile. If only they know how much of a pussycat he was.

She felt fingers bite into her skin, “Wolfie mine!” He shouted in her face. The little brat was back. She hated him. His greedy little fingers were wiping an orange paste on her shirt. She leaned away from him.

“Don’t look so horrified. He’s just a kid.” Bakugo picked the little monster up and carried him back to the doe eyed lady. Y/n felt sorry for her. She thought that her life must be horrid. Y/n looked at the orange stain mixed with debris smeared across her sleeve

She glanced up at Bakugo, “Is there somewhere I can wash up?”

He nodded at the dark haired lady, “Mary can take you.”

Mary smiled, “Followed me.” She passes the evil beast with the white hair to a man next to her. Y/n looked at Jirou who nodded.

“Just don’t get roped into the dress and them brushing your hair. It’s a bad experience. Hades is fine here with me.”

Y/n walked away from Hades, she knew that he would see the fear in her eyes and follow. She didn’t want him anywhere near the little monster

“You’ve never seen a child before have you?” Mary asked sweetly as they walked past a grouping of tents and lean-tos. She led her down a steep narrow dirt path.

“Not in over ten years. Just the ones left behind when the mom’s get taken. I don’t hang around long enough to get to the know them though.”

“That’s horrible. You leave little kids alone?”

Y/n didn’t care if she judged her. She was alive, “I was a kid too Mary. I barely took care of myself and Hades.”

Mary crossed her arms, “He gets tired once it’s after six. He really is a sweet boy. Once you get to know him, you’ll love him.”

She tried not to be rude but spoke her mind, “He will get you killed with noises like that. The infected love noisy things that lead to food.”

Mary looked back aghast, “We never leave camp. None of the children do.”

“So you have an agreement with the infected and the others that they stay out of your camp so the kids can be as noisy as they want?” Her sarcasm was filled with more sarcasm.

Mary laughed, “You really don’t have any social skills do you

She shrugged, “I’ve made it this long out there, alone.”

Mary looked shocked, “How long have you been alone.”

Y/n sighed, “Since the beginning.”

The walls surrounding the water were high and rocky. Nothing could get to the massive lagoon of crystal clear dark green water. The only visible path was the one she was standing on. She pulled her boots and socks off. Her scabs stung on the dirt and rocks. She pulled down her pants and ripped off her shirt. She ran down the remainder of the path. She ran onto the huge flat rocks that made a platform and dived in. The cold ripped through her instantly but she had never felt this clean. She remembered her baths as a small kid. They were filled with bubbles and hard plastic mermaids. This was much better. The freshness of the water made her feel alive in a good way. She lied on her back and floated.

She looked over at Mary as she jumped off the rock. Y/n blushed as she entered the water with a big splash. Mary had been completely naked. Y/n had never seen another naked lady before.

Suddenly a noise ripped through the air. She turned as several people jumped into the water. The waves and splashes were taking over the lagoon.

“Oh my god it’s freezing.” Y/n saw a small blonde girl who was a little older than she was next to her. Her teeth chattered and suddenly Y/n realized that her teeth were chattering too.

In a split second a hand pushed Y/n underwater. She sputtered and coughed as she forced her head above the water.

“Hey are you okay,” a guy asked, Y/n assumed it was the one who had pushed her under. Everyone was staring at her and she ran.

She ran faster to get away from their voices. She felt like a freak. She made her way to the nearest fire. She was alone, until she felt the warm breath at her hip. His cold nose felt warm against her bare skin. Y/n went to go grab her dirty clothes but Mary was there, holding a pile.

“Here,” she said. She was dripping wet too. They stood looking at each other in the firelight. Mary was so beautiful in her soaked dress with the water dripping from her.

“Thanks,” Y/n took the pile and pulled on the shirt and pants over her soaked underwear. She pulled her bra off once the shirt was on and covered her.

Mary took it in her hand, “What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

Mary leaned in and kissed Y/n on the cheek softly, “Y/n it’s okay. You’re safe here. No infection and no others and no military. We take care of each other.” She took Y/n’s soaking bra and pile of dirty clothes and left. Y/n stood by the fire and realized she had kissed her. She had liked that Mary kissed her. It was a nice feeling. Not nice the way Kirishima’s was. Hers was sweet and soft. It made her happy.

She looked down at Hades, who had turned his face in the light of the fire and whined. She patted his head and looked to where Mary walked. She dropped Y/n’s clothes into a basket and pointed to a bright orange glow in the woods across the camp. “Come to the fire. We sing and play guitar.”

Y/n pulled on her dry clothes and wrapped her arms around herself. Hades and Y/n followed Mary through the woods to where a large bonfire is burning. She could hear the music faintly in the crackle of the flames and embers. It was folk music, but better. She hadn’t heard music since before. She felt like an outsider but the people at the fire smiled at her. Someone shoved over on the log in front of her to make space. Hades watched her sit in a crowd. He didn’t know how to respond to it and whined a little.

Heat waves rose from the huge fire making it hard to see across where the musicians sre. The logs were built higher than the people sitting. She could make out a man with a small guitar. He was old and had a beard. A man started singing with the small guitars. His voice was incredible. It was raspy and sweet. Y/n was in a trance. She sat and closed her eyes. The music brought back something soft and sweet that she never knew she was missing. The sweet voice sent shivers down her spine and her throat was thick with unfelt emotions. They sat in a huge circle, warmed by the fire and the raw human emotions inside of the song. It was about love and sacrifice.

This was the greatest moment of her life. She had experienced nothing like this, even before. Time passed, she didn’t know how much. Songs were sung. Whiskey was passed and drank and swayed her body like everyone else. Her guard was not only lowered but completely destroyed.

In the light Y/n could see Mary. She sang and laughed and drank. Her eyes sparkled in the orange glow.

Slowly people trickled away from the fire. Hades had crept up and was lying at her feet. The pile of logs and lumber on the fire had burned down to ash and in the embers she had seen something she never expected. Bakugo was the singer with the haunting voice that had lit her up. He felt the music, she could see that. His eyes were closed and his fingers gently stroked the guitar. He finished the song and Y/n couldn’t help but see him differently.

He walked over to where she was sitting and sat down beside her.

“You’re a good singer.”

“We need to talk.”

Sitting beside him made her insides crawl.. He didn’t look sweet and soft like Mary did. He looked annoyed and angry with her. She felt intimidated by him. He didn’t seem like the goof Mina described. He was intense.

“I know you.”

His long legs seemed huge compared to hers. His were thick and strong looking. His face was handsome like Kirishima’s, but more commanding. She wanted to listen to him for some reason. She felt like he could keep her safe, like he did with everyone else there.

“So where are they?”

She shook her head and tried not to watch his mouth. “I don’t know. They were at my farmhouse last time I saw them?”

“How did thg look?

Y/n gulped, “Great. Kirishima was hurt a bit but I got him medicine. They were fine when I left though.”

“Where did you meet them?

“First my cabin,” She stated the story at the beginning and tried to not stare at his lips as he processed what she had to say. She wanted him to sing to her more.

--

im so tired holy fuck

[queenmylovely]

Wedding Party I

Summary: Ben hardy x fem!reader. Lucy and Rami’s wedding is coming up and you and Ben are both part of the wedding party, with one catch. 

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: cussing, fluff, some roasting of reader 

A/N: This is the third and final part of my 500 follower celebration!! Though you might be able to guess that this will have more than one part, so stay tuned! Thank you so much again to everyone who follows me, including the people that have since I hit 500, cause it’s been a minute, whoops. I’m hoping to post updates to this weekly until it’s done. (Side note, obviously not shaming reader and neither are any of her friends, including Lucy, she just doesn’t want any drama.) Any feedback is super appreciated but especially replies, messages, and asks are super helpful for my writing ‘cause I get to hear what you think!

Part II, Part III, Part IV, Mini i, Mini ii, Masterlist

(hot hot hot gif by @mrbenhardys​)

💖💖💖

Over the past couple years, you had found yourself attending no fewer than three weddings a year, and last year broke the record with six. It was always a bit of a to do but you enjoyed it nonetheless, happy to see your friends happy and to go to a party. You hadn’t always been so happy to go; originally you were a little cynical and bitter about being single while all of your school and university friends got married. But then, at the second wedding you had been to, you hooked up with the best man and your opinion had been changed. It was easy to be happy for the happy couple when you were having hot sex with friends of friends with no chance for strings or feelings.

As such, you had grown a bit of a reputation among your friends that had borne witness to this behavior. A few teased you about it, a couple were silent, and a few more cheered you on, but none tried to stop you. This was mainly because none of them had seen how it would negatively impact them. And it wasn’t like it was terrible, but on more than one occasion you and some other guest had been walked in on, sometimes only a heated making out, but sometimes in the act. You had apologized and even tried to make it till after the reception, but it was hard sometimes with all the free booze and romantic songs and pretty lights making you hornier than ever.

Maybe there had been some awkward happenings when it was a destination wedding and the wedding party had events the next day. While you were happy with the one and done, some of the men you had hooked up with would be miffed when you kicked them out after the deed and didn’t seem so interested the next morning. After a couple uncomfortable brunches where everyone could feel the tension in the air (and not the good kind), you had decided to stick with the guys that were just a bit douchey and wouldn’t be so pained at a one night stand. Not that they didn’t sometimes get butthurt when you dropped ‘em too.

But to you, that was the beauty of the thing: hot sex for one night and one night only. You and whoever else you were with would exist in a made-up wedding world for the ceremony, reception, a couple hours of fucking, and then it would all be over and you could go back to your real world without any consequences. Okay, so only a couple consequences.

You thought that you would be able to keep this up indefinitely; you had a ton of friends in relationships who would have plenty of eligible bachelors at their weddings. That is, until your best friend, Lucy, got engaged to Rami. When she had invited you over for brunch just the two of you and had told you the news, you were enthralled for her. Rami was an amazing guy and you had never seen Lucy as happy as when she was with him. And then you were enthralled for yourself when you thought about all Rami’s actor friends that would undoubtedly be there. You had already met a couple, Joe and Gwilym, and if they were any sign of what level of men would be there, you couldn’t wait.

Your daydreams all came crashing down around you when Lucy abruptly said, “You’re not allowed to fuck anyone at my wedding.”

The two of you had just separated from your happy hug so she put her hands on your shoulders to make sure you looked at her and were paying attention.

“I-I-- What?” you stumbled out, brought from your reverie that was running through a list of A-list celebrity names that might be at the wedding. You tried to look innocent but the fiery look in Lucy’s eyes stopped you. So instead you whined, “Why?”

Lucy just rolled her eyes, though fondly, and replied, “Sit down.”

The two of you sat down at the wonderful brunch she (probably with help from Rami who was quite the home cook) had made and plated a couple items, poured mimosas, and you took your first bite before she continued.

“Obviously, Rami and I are very private people. We don’t like our relationship broadcasted to the public, and Rami feels that way about most of his life in general. So we’ve decided to have a really small wedding. We want it to be intimate and to share our love with each person that attends. We don’t feel like we have to prove anything or live up to any crazy standard and invite hundreds of people, half of whom we’ve never even spoken to,” Lucy explained, and throughout her little speech you felt yourself get a little emotional because you could tell how truly and deeply she and Rami loved each other. Lucy’s voice cracked a little and you reached your hand over to hers to give it a gentle squeeze.

Lucy took a sip of her drink and then said with a more pointed tone, “So because we are close friends or family with every single person that will be there, we don’t want anybody… fraternizing with anybody else and causing… awkward circumstances for us or any of the guests.”

“‘We,’ Lucy? Rami told you he didn’t want me fucking anyone?” you asked sarcastically.

“Well, when I say we I mean me, mainly. But Rami does want a drama-free wedding, as do I,” Lucy conceded. As she finished her sentence, Rami walked in having returned from what looked like the gym.

“What about me? Hi Y/N, hi sweet,” Rami said, dropping a kiss to your cheek briefly and then giving Lucy a more substantial one on the lips.

“Oh we were just talking about the wedding, you know,” Lucy said and Rami grinned.

“Did you ask her?” he inquired.

“Ask me what?”

“Well you know that Emma and I have had a pact to have each other as our maids of honour since we were like two and three,” she started and you nodded, knowing the story because she and her sister had relayed it many times over the years you had known them. “But will you do me the honour of being one of my bridesmaids?” A big smile took over your face and you jumped up to hug her, practically yelling “yes!” into her ear. Then you brought Rami into the hug as well, all of you laughing and smiling.

When that was done, you all sat back down, Rami pulling up a chair and grabbing a plate. Then you turned to him and said, “So Rami, Luce was just about to tell me about all of your friends that are going to be there.”

You were just teasing, but as you saw Lucy’s miffed face, you couldn’t help yourself. “You know, I really liked meeting Joe and Gwilym, it’d be nice to see them again. And can’t forget about that Ben who you all talk so much about. ‘Haven’t met him yet, but I’m sure the wedding will fix that.”

So that Lucy couldn’t see, you winked at Rami to make sure he knew you were joking, mostly.

Before you could say another word, Lucy burst out, “No, do not fuck anyone. Okay? Do. Not. Fuck. Anyone. Especially Ben.”

Your ears perked up at that, “Ben? Why especially Ben?”

“Uhhhhhhh,” Lucy hesitated for a second, a look of panic taking over her face.

“Because you guys will be walking together and you’ll spend the most time together,” Rami saved her.

“Yeah, it would mess up the whole party’s dynamic. Just don’t okay?” Lucy asked with a pleading look in her eyes to make you feel guilty.

“Okay, geez, I won’t. You guys act like I’m some floozy who can’t keep it in her pants,” you half-pouted for a second, but then they both gave you a look. “Whatever, I won’t, I won’t!”

_

Unbeknownst to you, the reason they were so hell-bent on keeping your attention off Ben specifically was not because he was the groomsman to your bridesmaid (although that would’ve been reason enough). It was actually because Ben had the exact same reputation amongst his friends as you did yours.

After he had gotten out of a more serious relationship a couple years ago, he hadn’t settled down again. With plenty of friends getting married, his was the same fruitful situation as yours, and he used it to his benefit. The wedding scene was a lot more reliable than just hitting up any old bar or pub.

Ben had also gotten the no fucking speech, but from Rami when he asked him to be a groomsman. He had agreed to the rule with a begrudging nod. Ben was easier to convince since he was mutual friends with a lot of Lucy and Rami’s friends and would know most everyone at the wedding.

While you and Lucy had been best friends for years, you weren’t an actress and didn’t already know most of her actor friends. Because of Lucy’s filming schedules and locations, you relied on a lot of facetime to keep up with each other. You had only met Joe because you had tagged along on a Venice trip with Lucy and Rami. Gwilym you had got to know a bit more because whenever Lucy and Rami were in town for more than a week they liked to have dinner parties or game nights and both of you were frequently in attendance. Ben’s filming schedule or other priorities had always prevented him from joining in, at least for times you had gone.

Of course you had seen pictures of Ben on everyone’s instagram, and maybe had done some stalking of your own. Not to mention you watched Bohemian Rhapsody, obviously, and had caught a couple of other things he had been in just by happenstance. He seemed like a pretty good actor and a pretty great guy from what you could tell. Plus, you trusted the judgement of your friends about his character.

_____

Lucy and Rami weren’t ones to do the more extravagant things that some engaged couples did. Instead of a big engagement party, they decided to have a dinner party with just their families and the wedding party.

The party started at 6:30pm, so you got there… at 6:50pm. You hadn’t meant to be late but you couldn’t decide between two dresses, worrying that the one you wanted to wear would be too dressy. You ended up going for it anyway, it was black with an opaque sweetheart neckline and a mesh and lace section that made it sleeveless and so it wasn’t actually strapless. It wasn’t bodycon but it hugged your curves nicely and had gold shimmery thread as part of the lace that caught the light. You had also done your makeup and hair quickly but thought that the overall effect was nice.

As you arrived at their door, you tried the handle, hoping it was open so you could slip in quietly, but no dice. So you knocked twice and stepped back to wait. No answer came so you knocked again louder and waited again. Just as you were about to raise your hand again, the door swung open and you saw Joe there.

He smiled when he recognized you; the two of you had become quick friends during those couple days in Venice.

But before he could say anything, you glanced past him and asked, “Dinner hasn’t started, right? I’m not that late?”

Joe laughed and shook his head, “No, everyone’s still getting drinks and stuff. You’re only like five minutes behind the last person to arrive. Nice to see you by the way.”

You laughed sheepishly and leaned in for the hug he offered, “Nice to see you too, Joe. How’s everything?”

The two of you headed further into the apartment as he told you, “Pretty good. I'm actually starting filming just outside London so I’ll be over here basically until right after the wedding. No trips back and forth for me.”

“That’s great! And that means you’ll be ‘round for game nights. I’ll have to warn you that Gwilym and I make a great team.”

Joe scoffed at that, “Gwil and I are a great team, thank you very much.”

“Funny, he hasn’t mentioned anything to me about your skills,” you shot back with a smirk.

“Guess we’ll just have to ask him.”

“Guess we will.”

Gwilym ended up being the first person the two of you saw as you entered the living room. He saw you walk in and headed over quickly with a big smile on his face.

“Ah Y/N, glad you made it!” he said, leaning down for a peck on the cheek and a quick hug.

“Yep, and only 20 fashionable minutes late,” you replied and the three of you laughed.

“Alright, alright, introductions are over. We have something to settle with you Gwil,” Joe said seriously.

“Oh?” Gwil asked, a little confused.

“That’s right. Joe and I wanted to know which one of us is the best game night partner,” you asked, pointing an accusatory finger as Joe squinted his eyes at him.

Gwil broke out in laughter, which only seemed slightly nervous. “Well you see… It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Y/N you’re better at trivia but Joe you’re really good at charades.”

Joe and you looked at each other and then back to Gwil.

“Seems like a bit of a cop-out to me,” Joe pointed out.

“Yeah, why don’t you just give us a real--”

“Y/N! There you are!” you heard Lucy calling out to you and you turned to see your best friend excusing herself from some of her family members. She half ran over to you and pulled you in for a tight hug.

“Hey you look nice,” you told her when you pulled back and could see her outfit. She was in a flowy cream colored dress with ruffles and gold ribbon sewn in.

“Thank you,” she replied. Then a cheeky smile took over her face and she told you, “You look a bit like a young widow attending her 80-year-old husband’s funeral after killing him in his sleep. All you’re missing is the black veil.”

“Shut up!”

“Don’t listen to her, Y/N, you look lovely,” Rami told you as he walked up.

As he kissed your cheek and you leaned in for a hug you told him while looking at Lucy, “Thank you, Rami, you truly are such a good friend.”

“I’m just telling it like it is,” Lucy shrugged to everyone’s amusement.

Everyone got to chatting and catching up, but when you were in the middle of a conversation with Gwil, Lucy pulled you away.

“Where did he get to?” Lucy wondered, looking around the room. “Who--?”

“Ah there he is,” Lucy told herself more than you and started pulling you over to the other side of the room.

You had no idea where she was leading you to until you noticed a man with blonde hair facing the other direction and talking to a couple you didn’t know. Realizing it must be Ben, your stomach dropped but whether it was out of anticipation, excitement, or anxiousness you couldn’t tell. Ben had been hyped up so much both by your friends and by the idea of him you had in your mind. Now it was even worse after that speech Lucy had given you a couple weeks ago. Even though she hadn’t meant to, she was putting all of your attention on Ben with the thought of sex in mind. Now you were just trying to stave it off so you didn’t make a fool of yourself upon meeting him.

Taking a deep breath in as Lucy tapped on his shoulder, you tried to ready yourself for anything that might happen. Ben looked quickly and saw that it was Lucy and politely excused himself from the conversation.

Even just hearing him say that made your eyes widen slightly; he had such a deep, rich voice that in any other case your mouth would practically be watering at the thought of what it would sound like in bed. Now, you had that thought but had to drop it quickly from your mind because it would lead places that weren’t allowed.

Ben finally turned around, smiling at Lucy and then his expression turned to interest when he saw you.

“Ben, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Y/N. Y/N, this is Ben,” Lucy said and the two of you shook hands, smiling and exchanging pleasantries. “Okay so you both already know that you’ll be walking together so… get to know each other! Become, acquainted, better yet become friends!”

Both of you laughed lightly at Lucy’s words and then waved her off when someone started calling for her.

“So you’re the infamous Ben,” you said jokingly, looking him up and down as if you were studying him and not as if he was just incredibly good to look at.

“Infamous? Do I have that bad of a reputation?” Ben said back good-naturedly, though he was a little worried you had heard about his penchant for sleeping with people at weddings, especially with Rami confronting him about it.

“Well, maybe not bad, more I’ve just heard about you so much without meeting you that if it weren’t for your movies I wouldn’t have thought you really existed,” you amended with a smile.

“Oh my movies, huh? You’ve seen more than one?” Ben asked cheekily and your cheeks flushed for a moment.

“Well I’ve obviously seen borhap, as you would call it, and I saw X-Men before all that to keep up with the series, and my family’s very into action movies, so I caught 6 Underground with them,” you explained.

“Seems like you’re pretty familiar with my filmography,” he pointed out with a smile.

“If that’s what you wanna think…”

“I think that you’ve been here for about ten minutes and no one’s gotten you a drink. Can I fix that?” Ben asked, gesturing to your empty hands.

“Lead the way,” you replied, and he guided you over to where a little bar was set up. On the way, you had to remind yourself again of the rules and that though a handsome man was making you a drink, that was all that was happening.

“Alright, they’ve got the works so what would you like?” Ben said with an easy smile.

“Oh, um, I like Moscow mules,” you told him.

“Good choice, good choice,” Ben replied as he looked around at the different bottles. “A Moscow mule…”

“Do you know how to make a Moscow mule?” you asked because he had missed the ginger beer bottle about three times.

“What? Of course I… don’t,” he admitted sheepishly.

“It’s okay, I can just make it,” you suggested but Ben shook his head.

“No, I said I was going to get you a drink, and I’ll make it. If you could just tell me how?” he said with a small smile.

You laughed and nodded, “Okay, so just squeeze a lime wedge into the glass and go ahead and drop it in. Then a couple ice cubes, that’s good. And now two oz. of vodka, actually why don’t you do one and a half, I don’t need two right now. Now you just fill the rest with ginger beer and give it a stir!”

Ben stirred the drink and then garnished it with another lime wedge, “Ta-da, my first ever Moscow mule and all for you!”

Taking it from him, you waited until he grabbed his own drink again and then held yours up for a cheers. After taking a sip you said, “Mmm, very good, just like a real bartender. Do you want to try?”

“Sure,” he replied with a smile and you carefully exchanged drinks so he didn’t have to hold both while he did. Your hands brushed against each other a couple times and you had to keep your breath from catching at how warm his hands were and the way he looked at you when it happened. “Oh wow, yeah that’s very good. Maybe I’ll have to have these from now on.”

“And hey, if the acting thing ever stops working out, you could always fall back on being a bartender,” you joked, unable to stop your laughter.

Ben shook his head but laughed too, saying, “That’s cold, that’s cold.”

Then he took another gulp of your drink and you reached forward to get it from him, “Hey, that’s mine, make your own if you’re so good at it.”

“Just a repayment for you being so mean. There, have it back,” he said with a smirk, handing it back to you and grabbing his own drink from your hand.

“Hmph,” you held your drink close to you to keep him from getting it again and Ben laughed at your actions, about to say something else when Rami was heard over the chatter saying that dinner was ready.

_

For dinner you were sat in between Lucy and Joe with Ben across from you and Gwilym and Rami next to him. Talk and laughter interrupted the actual eating of the meal, but it was hard to mind because everyone was having so much fun. Lucy and Rami’s families were on the other side of them, so everyone got to hear funny stories about their childhood as well.

After dinner, you and Emma had volunteered to get the dessert ready after some others had helped put away the dishes. You took it as an opportunity to catch up a little.

“So, you and that Ben seem to be hitting it off,” Emma said in a teasing tone as she started grabbing little plates from a cupboard.

“Please, you’re not doing recon for Lucy are you?” you asked with a roll of your eyes and taking the cleaned forks from the dish rack.

Emma looked at you confusedly, “What do you mean?”

“She didn’t tell you what she told me?” you asked and she shook her head. You sighed, taking the cover off the homemade sheet cake as you told her, “She told me that I wasn’t allowed to fuck anyone. And especially Ben because we’re walking together.”

Emma broke out in laughter at the words you said and the dejected way in which you said them, accidentally dropping the cake server onto the counter with a clatter, “Oh my gosh, honestly I can’t blame her, you do kinda wreak havoc on weddings.”

“That’s not fair! There’s only been like two outright verbal fights because of me,” you defended, taking the cake server yourself and starting to cut squares of cake.

“Hey, don’t take your anger out on the cake,” she pointed to your first haphazard piece of cake. “Anyway, how many passive aggressive altercations have there been because of you?”

“I dunno,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders but Emma’s look made you add, “Fine, a lot.”

“Exactly, now Ben’s hot I’ll give you that,  but I think you can survive these next weeks without jumping his bones. It’s not like you’ll be seeing him all the time,” Emma told you.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be an adult, whatever. Lucy and Rami already covered this, you know,” you said with a bit of annoyance.

“Okay I’ll shut up. Let’s get this cake out there before there’s a riot,” she joked and you smiled, following her back into the living room with the pan of cake as she took the forks and plates.

_

Emma’s speech (you swore next it’ll be their mom telling you not to fuck Ben) did give you new resolve not to get too friendly with Ben, thinking it was better to interact with him in groups from now on.

That plan went well for most of the rest of the night as Joe, Gwilym, and Emma proved effective buffers. But then Gwilym had to leave because he had call time in the morning and Joe went with because he was staying with him. Then Emma went off to compare notes with Sami, Rami’s brother, about their respective maid of honor and best man responsibilities. You looked around and realized that because it was getting later and the families had gone home and Lucy and Rami were off doing who knows what in the kitchen, you were completely alone with Ben.

Not only that, but you were sitting right next to him on the couch and your knees were definitely touching. You tapped your fingers on your cup as you listened to Ben. He was telling you about shooting in Italy, which you had asked about because after going to Venice, you wanted to see more, but it was hard to pay attention. Your focus was being brought to his hands that he used to gesture as he talked. To his hair that he would absent-mindedly run his fingers through whenever a strand fell down onto his forehead. To his lips, oh fuck his full lips, that he licked whenever he smiled or laughed.

You could feel yourself leaning closer to him and if you weren’t wrong, his words were slowing down and he was getting closer to you too.

“So, yeah, I loved Florence, but um, Siena was something-- something special. It’s, it’s really-- really gorgeous,” Ben finished.

You looked up at him but found that he was looking at your lips and had tugged his own between his teeth. With the second drink in your system and the way you could feel Ben’s body heat radiating towards you and pulling you in, you were a second away from saying fuck it iand just kissing him.

“Are you done with your drink? Do you need another or?” Lucy’s voice asking you brought both of you out of whatever state you were in and you moved apart from each other, not so subtly.

You looked to Lucy and didn’t miss the pointed look she was giving you. “No, I should probably actually head out. I’ve got something in the morning, thanks though.”

Ben stood up when you did and you said goodbye with a strictly friendly hug. Then you said goodbye to Lucy, telling her quietly that she didn’t have to say anything. You found Rami with Emma and Sami and said goodbye to all of them.

As you were headed to the front door to let yourself out, Ben walked up behind you.

“Hold on a second,” he said and you turned around to him with a pleasant smile. “I, um, wanted to give you my number in case there’s ever anything that we need to discuss or whatever since we’re, you know, walking together.”

Ben was a little awkward getting that out, so you handed your phone to him with a bright, “Sure!” to reassure him.

He typed in his phone number and you were ready to walk away with a quick goodbye but Ben got a look in his eye. For a second you thought he was going to kiss you and your breath caught, and then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek. Although not the kiss you were expecting, it still had an effect on you. It was different to the ones you had gotten from say Gwilym or Rami. Though it was probably just as quick, it felt a lot longer and just that simple act made your whole body feel warm.

“Looking forward to seeing you soon,” Ben said softly, hardly waiting for your quiet, “you too” before walking back to the living room.

You reached your hand up to the spot on your cheek he had kissed and walked out the door. That warm feeling didn’t go away all night.

💖💖💖

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[jawritter]

You and Me...

Chapter 6

***SERIES WARNINGS**** Rape, non-con, male!rape, injury, violence, description of injury caused by rape, nightmares, self-harm, panic attacks, implied female non-con, language, ass hole Jensen, hurt!Jensen, dark fic, smut. If there is anything else I will add it as I go.

***Chapter Warnings*** VERY BIG TRIGGER WARNING!! This chapter contains descriptions of injuries and heavy implications of Male Rape! Please know I don’t take this sort of thing lightly, and I was gentle as possible in the descriptions and implications as I could be, but still getting the story across as well!! Hints of mental disturbance, language probably, kidnapping, Angst, overall this one is pretty heavy.

Word Count: 2790

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader, Jared x Reader, OFC Justin X Reader, OFC Steve x Reader

A/N: Anyway, all mistakes are mine, please don’t copy my work, Feedback is golden. If you want to be added to the series tag list, or my tag list just let me know! I hope you enjoy this one. After this chapter things tend to start to pick up a little.

Summary: It’s funny how one choice you made can change your whole life. One mistake can alter your course, and set you on a path that forever will haunt you. Two people find themselves getting through one of the hardest trials of Jensen’s life, on just one small promise. You and Me. We’ll get through it together…

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***MASTERLIST***

***YOU AND ME MASTERLIST***

It had been three days since Jensen had been to the studio. 

Steve had tried calling him but got no answer. Steve was starting to get worried, therefore he was making sure everyone in the office was on edge because that was just Steve. 

"Maybe he changed his mind," you mumble, looking through the recordings that had already been done, and checking to make sure all the copyrights for the songs he wanted to do were sent off, and ready just in case he did decide to show back up.

"He can't change his mind! He's under contract to finish this album here in this studio," Steve gritted out, going through Jensen's paperwork looking for another contact to try. 

"Damn Steve, you put that shit on lock didn't you?" Justin said, spinning his chair in circles like an overgrown kid, not really concerned as to whether or not Jensen showed back up. He didn’t seem to like Jensen all that much anyway.

Steve turned to give him his best bitchface. "This album could put our studio on the map,"  he said coldly. “We need this guy to finish this album.”

Then something dawns on you, something you had totally forgotten about. You had Misha's number. 

You were going to send him a donation to his charity, and while he was here he gave it to you so that he could text you the address to send the money in to. 

"I have Misha's number, try him, maybe he knows a way to contact him," you glancing over your shoulder, and Steve looks at you like he wants to kill you for waiting until now to let that little piece of information out. 

Pulling out your phone and text him the phone number, and as soon as his phone buzzed with the number he was calling it, walking into the office, and leaving you and Justin to sit in silence on the other side of the door, listening to see if you could hear something. All the two of you seemed to make out was a muffled conversation that honestly sounded like it was very one-sided, with Misha doing the majority of the talking.

After about 15 minutes Steve walked back into the main recording room pale, and a little nauseated, flopping down in the chair next to you. 

"What I'm about to tell you guys doesn't leave this room," Steve said, looking between Justin and yourself. Your heart jumped speed. You didn't like the way he said that. 

"Three days ago Jensen was forcibly taken from Jared's bar when he was helping a bartender close up. They just found him today. He's at St. David's South Austin Medical Center," Steve looked down at the ground, and then back up at you two like he was unsure whether or not to tell you both the rest of the story. 

"Is he okay?" you asked. 

You weren’t exactly sure why your heart fell to your feet. Your hand ideally ran across the hand he touched just a few days ago taking his coffee from you.

"Was it some crazy super fan?" Justin asked, looking at Steve like he was bullshitting the two of you. 

Steve turned a little greener. 

"No, it wasn't a fan apparently,” Steve took a deep breath in order to settle himself.  

“Jensen and Jennifer hooked up a little over a week ago. Apparently, things didn’t go exactly the way she’d hoped, so when she got home she told her brother that Jensen had raped her. He and a few of his buddies took Jensen, and for three days kept him locked in a hotel... Returning the favor," Steve stopped talking, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes tight. Taking a deep breath to stave off the urge to throw up, or scream because he felt like doing both.

You fought to keep your breakfast down. The room seemed to be spinning. Your heart broke for him. Why you didn't know. What the hell? Why do you care so much? He was nothing but a complete and total ass to you! He hated you! Still, you couldn’t shake the gut-wrenching feeling deep down inside of you no matter how hard you tried to.

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

Later that night you paced around your apartment with Steve's words ringing in your head. You couldn't imagine what Jensen had gone through over the past three days. It made you sick to your stomach every time you thought about it. 

Grabbing your purse you decide, probably against your better judgment, to head to the hospital. You had to see him. You didn't understand why, you had to see that he was okay. 

So now you found yourself walking through the halls of the hospital looking for a nurse to ask which room they were keeping Jensen in. Holding your studio ID tight in your hand, hoping it was enough for them to let you into his room. This late at night you would think there would be more nurses roaming the halls, but things were still and quiet, not much movement at all.

You were just about to give up. You had just about walked the whole hospital, and no one seemed to know where he was. Making your way back to the second-floor elevators you pressed the button impatiently, wondering if maybe they moved him to a different hospital, or if he just asked people to not come to visit him right now, so they were keeping his location a secret or something. 

It was stupid to come here in the first place. Jensen hated your guts. He wouldn't want to see you, so why the hell were you even here? That’s what your brain was screaming at you, and you had just about resided to the fact that it was right, and you were being an idiot by coming here.

Annoyed that the elevator was taking so long to open you were about to turn to take the stairs when you heard the familiar ding of the doors opening. Looking up you come face to... well... mid-chest... with Jared. 

"Y/N!" Jared said, wrapping you in a bone-crushing hug. He looked exhausted. The amount of puffiness and redness around his eyes told you he had been crying. "What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see you standing there. 

"Misha told us what happened. I came to see Jensen, but I can't find his room. No one seems to know where he is, or at least they don't want to tell me," you tell him, embarrassed that you even came you stared down at your feet.

Jared draped a long arm around your shoulders turning you around and headed toward the end of the hallway with you, stopping in front of room 241 he turned to face you. 

"Y/N, I want to tell you what you're going to see in there. It's not pretty." 

You took a deep breath. Why the hell were you all in your feels right now?

"What did they do to him, Jared?" you asked, almost afraid of the answer. Jared swallowed hard, looking like he was about to start crying again. 

"They jumped him in my bar while he was waiting on the new guy I hired to close up. They tied him up, knocked him out, and dragged him out of the bar. The rest we are guessing. He hasn't said a word since the ambulance driver picked him up on the side of the road where they dumped him when they were done with him. According to the doctors, it looks like he was tied down to something, then was repeatedly violated. That’s all we know, and he’s not telling." 

You held the vomit back that threatened in the back of your throat. Both you and Jared shivered involuntarily.

"When I first saw him he was covered in blood, and what looked like vomit. They had to sedate him to clean it all off of him and do the examination. Every time someone touches him he freaks out. They couldn't even get him as clean as they wanted because he was fighting so hard. From what I understand they cut the twist ties off of his wrist in the ambulance. They said he was just dumped completely naked, and still tied. Some dick truck driver saw him, and called the ambulance, but didn’t have the decency to stop and help him. Just kept on driving.”

Jared watched as you tried to compose yourself, the flood of emotions that were hitting you as he told you how he was found was more than you thought it would be for you. 

"You sure you wanna go in there?" he asked you when you finally could breathe properly.”I get it if you don’t.”  

"Yeah. I need to see him." 

Jared never questioned, he just shook his head and opened the door. 

At first, you didn't even see him lying in the bed. It just looked like a heap of covers in the middle of the bed. Moving around the bed you finally found the top of his head. 

He was laying on his side with his back to the door, the covers pulled all the way up almost over his head. 

"Jay...  Y/N's here to see you," Jared said, walking around the bed first. 

The heap of cover never moved. Jared looked at you apologetically. 

You slowly made your way around the bed, afraid of what you were going to see. He looked so fragile lying there in that bed with monitor, wires and different IV's coming out from under the cover. There wasn't a lot of bruise on his face. Especially around his mouth. It was bruised all the way around his lips to almost his left ear. His lips were swollen and cracked.  You shuddered at the thought of what might have caused that. 

The rest of him was well covered, but for a scratched up hand sticking out from under the cover by his face. 

It was his eyes that got to you the most. 

He never made eye contact with you or Jared. He just stared at the wall between the two of you blankly. No light there at all. No movement. A very evident “the light's are on, but no one is home” look. 

You couldn't stop the cascade tears that were falling down your face. They had broken something deep inside him, and you didn’t have to be a doctor to see it. 

"Physically the injuries aren't permanent. It's the mental damage the doctors are worried about," Jared said, sitting on the small sofa next to his friend's bed, watching him closely. 

Jensen just continued to look at the wall as if the two of you weren’t even in the room, and no one was talking about him less than three feet away from his bed. 

There was a picture of him and his kids by the bed, no doubt brought there by Jared. He was smiling in the photo. He looked so happy. So contradictory to the broken man laying there in front of you. The longer you stood there you felt like your heart shattered into a million pieces. 

Everything in you wanted to pick him up and just hold him until he was okay again, even though you knew that him being “okay” again wouldn’t ever be that easy.

"Did he really do what they say he did to Jennifer?" you turned and asked Jared, feeling like you were going to be sick again looking at the dirt and dried blood under his fingernails. 

You tried to keep your mind from wondering whether the blood was his, or his attackers. You weren’t very successful.

"I don't know, and I'm not trying to justify anything he may have done, but do you think he would have deserved this? I was there when he asked her to dinner with him. She was definitely more than willing to show up at his house wearing next to nothing." 

He was right of course. No one deserved what Jensen had been through. 

You sat down in the chair next to his bed. Jensen was still staring at the wall like he didn't even know the two of you were in there. Reflexively you reached for his hand, wanting to comfort him in some way, but he jerked it under the cover before you even got close, never making a sound. 

Even though he didn’t make a sound, he slowly looked up at you. Jared moved closer, not sure what he was going to do, but hoping that seeing you would pull him out of whatever mental cage he had enclosed himself in. 

He did nothing. He stared at you for maybe a whole minute. A single tear slipping down his face then looked back at the wall. The blank look never once leaving his eyes. 

Nurses came in checking the monitors while you and Jared sat next to Jensen talking, trying to avoid the subject of Jensen's injuries in front of him. Neither of you wanted to upset him. Jensen never moved, still just staring at the wall. 

Finally, looking up at the clock you saw that it was close to 1 in the morning. Rubbing your face in frustration because even though you knew it was late you didn't want to leave him. He had dozed on and off while the two of you sat there talking, but he seemed to be awake right then. The amount of drugs they were giving him to manage his pain level probably didn't help his current state either. Still, you couldn't imagine the physical pain he was in. You didn't even want to think about what was going on in his head. Still, it was late, and you needed to let Jared get some rest. 

"It's getting late, I need to let you rest. I'll come by tomorrow after work if that's okay," you tell Jared, reaching down to grabbing your purse. When you leaned down to grab your purse you had put your hand on the bed to brace yourself.  It was something you did without thinking. Just a natural movement.

So lightly you almost didn't notice it you feel a calloused hand lay softly on top of yours. Looking up you see Jensen had reached over and grabbed your hand. Both yourself and Jared held your breath. For the first time, Jensen slowly made full eye contact with you, and not like he was looking through you with the same blank look on his face. 

It was eerie and unnatural. Even though he was physically there, and probably knew vaguely where he was, he seemed to mentally be millions of miles away.

You went to take your hand away just to see what he would do, testing the waters kind of. When you did he tightened his grip on your hand, holding it in place. 

"Jay," Jared said, trying to get his friend to look at him. 

Jensen never spoke, but he did look at him with tears falling from his deep green eyes. It almost looked like he was on the edge of panic, but wasn’t quite mentally there enough to fall over that edge. 

"Are you in pain?" Jared asked. 

Jensen did nothing. 

"Do you not want Y/N to leave?" he asked Jensen again. 

Jensen did nothing, just stared back and forth between Jared and yourself. 

Closing his eyes he slipped back into his drug-induced sleep with a death grip still on your hand.

For just a moment you considered staying, you did stay for another hour, Jensen never moved again, just slept. Honestly, it's what his body needed. To rest. So you gently slipped your hand out of his, gave Jared a hug, and your number, telling him to call you if he needed anything, and made your way to the door, letting both men get some rest. 

When you finally got back to your car you sat there completely broken-hearted for the man lying in that hospital bed.

You hadn't realized it till right now. Seeing him so broken had brought it right in the front of your attention. 

You didn't hate him like you thought. 

You felt something else entirely. 

This changes things.

For you anyway. Jensen had a long road ahead of him. Last you knew he hated you. Starting your car you wiped away the tears that were still falling from your own eyes. Praying to whoever was listening that you didn't get your heartbroken and that he could recover from this.

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[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer IV: Breaking the Chains

I stood leaning against Zihang, looking down at Pompeii. Tears running down my face. Sorrow weighed on me. Even though I hadn’t known him, and he didn’t know me, he’d fought hard and I never would have escaped without his help. And what was I going to tell Caesar?!

My sobs started up again and Zihang nuzzled my hair. “We have to go.”

“No, I don’t want to leave him here!”

“Gunships will be arriving from Cassell any minute how to burn this place and the servitors roaming it to the ground. We have to go.” Su Enxi spoke in a sad and quiet voice.

I walked away from Zihang and removed the pistols from Pompeii’s robe. It was the least I could do for Caesar. As I did so, a small photograph fluttered to the ground. 

The picture was taken from a distance, but the shot was beautiful. On the shores of the gulf of Genoa, Caesar and Nono stared into each other’s eyes under a garland of flowers. Caesar in his pristine white suit and Nono in her sheer white dress.

Pompeii had not been invited to the wedding. I remembered. The hurt actually ran that deep. But Pompeii had to have attended anyway. I looked down at him. He really did love Caesar. And now...

A tug on my arm. “Come on.” Zihang coaxed me gently and this time I followed him.

Su Enxi jogged ahead of us. “This way. Hurry!”

We exited down a long flight of emergency stairs and down a long hallway that opened up to a delivery entrance. A large truck was waiting.

“What took you so long! They’re almost here!” Lancelot’s golden haired head stuck out of the cab of the truck. “Let’s move!”

Enxi helped me climb in as I was holding Ru’Yi and Zihang leaped in after me. The four of us, squeezed into the truck and Lancelot drove away as the first dark shadows of the helicopter gunships swooped in from the sky.

There was a hiss followed by a loud bomb and the light of the explosions turned the skies red. I turned my face into Zihang’s shoulder, letting the tears soak his jacket.

“Do we have something in here for her to eat?”

“Just a few granola bars sorry, it was all I could grab on such short notice.”

Zihang reached into the glove box and handed them to me. He never stopped holding me, stroking my hair as we rattled over the crumbling access and maintenance road that would take us to the airport.

Enxi’s phone suddenly rang and she picked up. “Speaking. Yes, we just left. We’re on our way out of Italy soon.”

My mouth was full of granola bar but I tried to speak. “Mmf, they know about Memfei!”  “Shh... don’t talk with your mouth full or you’ll choke.”

Enxi continued to speak and her voice continued to grow lower. Her expression grew grim. “Got it. Lancey, pull over right now!”

“Don’t call me, Lancey!” He snapped as he pulled  the truck over to a shadowy shoulder covered with trees.

Once we stopped, Enxi turned and spoke directly to me with a sigh. “I’m going to explain as best I can. You may not understand all of it, but just listen, okay?”

I nodded, the gravity of the situation not lost on me.

“The Secret Party is on their way to the village where Erii and Lu Mingfei are still hiding. Mai Sakatoku and Von Frings are heading with Caesar to Japan. But I need you to go and retrieve that girly Gen brother and take him to Mingfei. It’s urgent. They’re planning on using the wood block sound to drive Mingfei and Erii to the brink of madness and kill them.”

“But... the Gattusos are dead... shouldn’t everyone be listening to Caesar?” I asked.

“Caesar declared his independence from the Secret Party just now. He’s gone full rogue.” Enxi sighed. “Anyone who opposes him is going to be met with deadly force. The school board has labeled him a traitor.”

Enxi lifted one hand to her forehead. “He’s an absolute maniac right now, but frankly, that is what the Japan Branch needs to survive. At any rate, Nono will probably survive. But that won’t help us just yet.”

“If Caesar’s not the head of the School Board then who is giving the orders?”

Enxi’s lip curled up in disgust. “A representative from the Beowulf family.”

“Beowulf?” Zihang’s head lifted in recognition.

“I’ll keep it short.” Enxi said, fidgeting with her hair. “Before the Industrial Revolution, dragon slaying was an extremely dangerous thing. The Secret Party could only rely on its own blood, alchemy, and dragon slaying swords handed down from ancestors. It was a glorious, if tragic time. The members of the Secret Party wandered around in black robes and candlesticks like a bunch of cultish monks.” She pulled out a cigarette, stuck it in her mouth and went to light it, but Chu Zihang, snatched it out.

“Mind the baby.”

“Oh... right. Damn, I guess I’m a really nanny now, huh?” She said with a bitter smile before continuing.

“Anyway, Beowulf was one of the more prominent names in that era. You’ve studied the poem, so I don’t have to explain it to you. The poem ends with the king being killed by the dragon’s poison after laying eyes on its treasure. But we know the real ending.”

“They’re actually the cruelest dragon slayers. They feed a drop of dragon blood to every child that’s born.” She glanced down at Ru’Yi.

“Only one in every 100,000 are able to withstand the dragon’s poisonous blood. And every member of the Beowulf Family can! But not only that, they’ve become addicted to it. Hungry, like Servitors. Every Beowulf family member seeks dragonblood like it’s a drug. And they’ll stop and nothing until they have it.”

Enxi’s voice lowered further as if speaking the words would some how summon these people. “That’s why the Secret Party calls them Dragonblood Thirsty.”

“They showed up right after Anjou was hospitalized.  They’ve been working behind the scenes to hunt you down. They’ve watched as you’ve escaped their grasp again and again! They’re convinced that Mingfei is a Dragon King. They’re not going to listen to reason, and they’re not going to show mercy to anyone who stands in their way. Once Erii and Mingfei are under the spell of the Woodblock and become draconized, the Beowulfs will throw everything at them and feast on their blood after the battle.”

She turned out the window. “God, I want to smoke.”

She steeled herself, “So... my dear, that’s where you come in. Mingfei has to attain his full abilities before the Beowulfs arrive. There’s only one Hybrid who can withstand the woodblock sound after Herzog’s tampering and that’s that girly Gen brother.”

“Chime?” My eyes widened.

“That’s right. We have his location from the little monster girl. I need you to go there and get him to come to her village.” She scrolled through her phone and showed me the message on it with an attached image. The image was of a building tucked away behind tall trees. Its ornate tiled roof swept up at the corners where lions stood guard, mouths open.

“You have the ability to teleport there. You’re our only hope.” She pressed the phone into my hands. 

I turned and looked at Zihang. “He knows you. You can do it easily.” He said.

“What about you? What are you going to do?”

Zihang turned and looked at Lancelot who was staring out the window, not saying anything.

“I’m going to stay with Lancelot. We’ll make our way back to Chicago and try to revert EVA to her former self.”

My heart dropped. Separated again. But I took deep breath and straightened my back. I handed Ru’Yi over to him. “Okay. Leave me here on the side of the road.”

Enxi’s eyes widened as I unbuckled myself.

“Meixiu.” Zihang gripped my arm and rested his forehead against mine. For a moment, we stayed that way, saying a silent prayer in our hearts.

“Ordinary life... with you.” I whispered.

I forced myself away, I didn’t look back at Ru’Yi. Enxi got out. I got out after her. Her eyes were wide and after we got a short distance away she stopped me. “Hey. I...”

“What is it?” I asked with a touch of impatience. Wasn’t she just hurrying me out right now?

Her gaze lowered to the ground. “I have to say. I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked confused. “You saved us back there...”

“You’ll find out.” She rubbed the back of her neck and turned and walked away. She climbed into the truck. I listened to the gravel crunch under the tires. It motored off into the distance.

I raised my eyes to the sky and then I closed them, focusing on the image. Immediately I felt the cool shade of the trees. I took a deep breath and could smell the moisture in the air. 

I had the coordinates. I took a step forward and immediately was plunged into the dark and the cold and the nothingness of the void between spaces, spanning thousands of miles in a few seconds.

When I reemerged, the building was before my eyes. A young boy looked up at me, eyes wide. 

“Uh... Uh... K... Konnichiwa!” I chuckled, waving.

The boy ran off, screeching and then I realized I was covered in blood. “Oh my god. I didn’t even...” I looked up and several men thundered down the steps, leveling rifles at me.  I raised my hands in the air. “Tomodachi! Tomodachi! Ruri Kazama no Tomodachi!” I said, regretting the fact that I never bothered to really learn Japanese.

They seemed to get the message through and grabbed me, escorting me inside the building. I hopped on one foot to remove my shoes and tried to smile at them. The place looked run down and old on the outside, but everything inside was brand new. The tatami mats had that sweet straw odor, the red paint on the pillars carved with dragons burned bright. The walls were painted with murals of traditional Japanese art. Potted plants were in every small window.

They still held their guns to me. They were all young men and women. Their eyes were shifting around as they spoke to each other, reflecting fear and confusion, not anger.  They must not get a lot of guests here, after all Chime used the same digital Nibelungen to hide from EVAs prying eyes. I tried to smile pointing to myself. “Hao ren... I mean... Ii... uh how do you say person in Japanese...”

“You can speak English.” One of them, with russet brown hair lowered his guns.

“Ah! Thank you... thank goodness.”

A young woman came out of a back a hall. She said something in Japanese and they all reacted in cries of astonishment, shouting questions.

I just smiled. “Believe me, we’re friends.”

The young woman beckoned to me. “This way. Oh!” She looked down at my dirty stockinged feet and then hurried over to get slippers for me. They were a bit ill-fitting and flapped about as I walked.

She took me by the hand and led me down a hallway until we came to a door. She knocked twice and then opened the door.

Sitting on a small pillow in a simple shirt and slacks, his red eyes smiling from his pale face, Chime Gen looked like the least threatening person on the planet. He leaped to his feet when he saw my tattered white clothing, the blood and my haggard expression.

He sprang into action, pushing me towards the pillow and making me sit while sending rapid fire orders to the young woman. “Are you hurt? What happened?”

He’d grown out his hair, long and white. His rapid movement sent strands of it forward to veil his face, his concerned eyes.

“Chime. You’re the only person who can help us. The Secret party has found Erii and Mingfei and they’re coming over to use the woodblock against them.”

“What?!” He hissed. Immediately, the soft concerned look turned into a hard burning hatred. His face creased, the folds sent dark shadows that shattered his face like a mirror. “Who?! Herzog?!”

My heart leaped in my throat. “No.” I swallowed. “Herzog is dead. But there was another man, Bondarev, who worked with him. Herzog thought he killed him and assumed his identity as Tachibana... but he was still alive and working within the Secret Party.”

The story was confusing, even to me, but Chime’s sharp eyes took in he information. His gaze turned distant. Thoughtful.

“Turns out that he was an agent of the Gattusos. He returned to Japan again. This time under the name Shinnosuke to pursue Mingfei and I. He killed Crow.”

“Okay...” His brief fury had gone as soon as it had arrived. His expression was grim, yet calm. It astounded me that he had no further questions, grasping the situation in a single go.

The girl returned with a tray of tea and rice and vegetables. She saw us close together, saw Chime as he stroked my face reassuringly. She looked between us in stunned silence unsure what to do until Chime nodded for her to place the food and tea on the table.

“There’s no time Chime, they’ll reach Tibet soon!” I said after she had left.

He cut me off, raising his hand. “We have... defenses.” He smiled. “Even if they have an idea of where we are. The village is still remote enough that it will take time for them to get there.”

“But we shouldn’t wait. We need you to help Mingfei and Erii break the influence of the woodblock sound, like you did!”

Chime was listening, but he was still bringing me the tea. “Here.”

“Chime... there’s no time for tea!”

“I know you’re scared. You should be. We both know the consequences if Erii loses control and Mingfei... who knows?” He looked at me gravely. “But this... release... you’re seeking. That’s not something I can force. I can provide the circumstances to help. But it will be up to them to succeed.”

“What... why?”

Chime sat, one knee against his chest. “Herzog used an alchemical procedure, along with a special surgery, to divide the aspects of one’s personality. The good aspects were concentrated in one person. The bad aspects in another. Because he was looking for weapons, he concentrated all the power in the bad side.”

I tried to imagine my sweet Mingfei, my frightened Mingfei, my silly Mingfei as a bad person and couldn’t. What Chime was telling me rang true. Sure Mingfei had some annoying personality traits but he wasn’t bad. All the badness in him was concentrated in another personality.

The one with all the power.

"Mingfei... was... with Herzog?”

He nodded once. “He doesn’t remember and no one bothers to tell him.”

My mind flashed back to the boat, where Mingfei was desperate to see his ‘father’. He said his ‘father’ had called him from a mysterious phone in a bookstore. But perhaps it was someone connected to Herzog? I shuddered to think what might have happened had I not intercepted him.

“There’s something else.” Chime continued. “If we are successful in reuniting his mind and freeing him from Herzog’s woodblock, you won’t know him any more. You might think you know him, but he will be the person you should have met... not the person you know.” Chime’s stare sounded deep into my heart, like he was looking into my very soul.

I lowered the teacup. “Then... you are not the Chime... I remember?”

“No... I’m not.” He gave me a small smile, a subtle maliciousness glittered in his eyes, a quiet cunning.

“You’ll... help me right?” I asked, my heart beating faster.

“For Erii... of course. She loves Mingfei.” He paused and took a small breath. “Unfortunately... Mingfei is not real.”

My shoulders dropped and my eyes widened. “But...”

Chime gave a deep sigh. “Do you still want me to help?”

I rested my forehead in my hands, filled with despair. Enxi’s apology. Was it for this?!

“Who sent you here asking for this?” He asked.

“Her name is Enxi Su.”

“Oh...the owner Takamagahara... or... I should say... former owner.” 

“I thought she was Mingfei’s friend...” I said, my voice hoarse with emotion.

“Well... Maybe she is. But not friends with the Mingfei you know.” Chime reached for his own cup of tea.

My face grew suddenly hot. “I don’t want to lose Mingfei... I don’t want to lose him.”

Chime moved to sit next to me, wiping my face with a cloth. “You’ve lost a lot of people. We all have. This is not an easy decision. But whatever you make... I’ll support you.”

I struggled to regain control. “They’re going to turn him into a dragon lord and kill him. I can’t let them do that.”

Chime nodded once. “I suppose then... he will agree?”

“Yeah... there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for Erii.” The pain of loss assailed me to the point of physical pain. I reached up and gripped my chest, gritting my teeth. “This sucks.”

Chime let out a breathy laugh. “Mingfei has someone who cares about him. As for myself... Let’s just say things were already so complicated... my recombined personality was just one more wave in a stormy sea.” He sipped his tea. “After we do leave here, I have to ask you never to return. I want to keep this place a secret.”

“What is this place?” I asked looking around. Musical instruments leaned against the wall. There was a small laptop, headphones, microphones and bookcases filled with notebooks.

“It’s a Kabuki school. I teach the orphans from the Japan Branch. The unstable ones.” He lowered his cup to the table. “My brother enacted many reforms to re-integrate Devil Clan members back to the Hydra Clans. But so many died in the war that bad blood still remains, and many young Devil clan members have no one to go home to.”

“So this place is a haven them. And also a school. Because no matter what my brother says, unstable hybrids are simply not offered the same educational opportunities as stable ones.”

I nodded. “That’s really kind of you. Okay. I’ll keep it secret.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe someday... Maybe someday Cassell will change and they’ll be able to study there too.”

“Hmph. Maybe... but still, unstable hybrids have issues stable ones can’t possibly understand... unless they’ve been there.”

His eyes shifted outside the door. His expression tender. He then turned to me. “Once you’re finished eating, we can go. Though, it doesn’t look like it will take you that long.”

My chopsticks were already tapping the bottom of the rice bowl.

[hold-our-destiny]

if you can't breathe- chapter 7

its finally here!!! a bit longer than the other chapters! I worked really hard on this one! comments are always appreciated!

read it here on ao3

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

Peter was fading in and out. At times he could feel the ghost of pain across his skin, that's when he wished to fade out, and when he did, he wished to be present again. it's been so long he's become slightly numb- at least that's what he thinks, he knows that he damaged his wrist at some point, but he can feel the pain there now, it was slightly relieved. His thoughts are mostly blurry now, if they're even there at all. He hasn't moved in, what was it? 5 days? There’s no way to tell, no light, no windows. Peter knows it's been a while. His lips are dry, lungs wheezing slightly, when he can feel pain it's almost always in his stomach.

Peter fades in again, his eyes focus slightly and he recognises the faint outline of the cell door. God how much he wished someone would walk through there at this moment. Anyone.

His brain flicks back to the last memory he had before his master left him there. He was bending down in front of him, saying- something. Peter tried to concentrate.

“I know what it's like. To wait. I waited for weeks for my friends, they ever came. And neither will yours”

The way he said it was almost soft, as if he hadn't just spent weeks terrifying the boy.

Peter blinks as he remembers, he knows it's not true, it can't be, but at this point he’s starting to doubt himself. What has it been? Three and a half months last time he heard, probably longer now, Tony wasn't looking for him, he couldn't be, the video would've been enough to assure him peter was dead.

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

“I haven't seen him out if his room in a week, steve”

“I know, im trying to get him to at least have a shower but he hasn't left his bed”

“He can't keep going on like this, it's been weeks”

Tony could hear the conversation from his bedroom, his position in the bed had not moved in days. He couldn't bear it. His mind was permanently rushing with thoughts of ‘what if we found him in time, what if we found him the first day? What if they never got to him? He would still be here, living, breathing, he isn't, all because of you’

Rationally, Tony knows he shouldn't be thinking like this, that they did all that they could. But it just wasn't enough was it? They didn't get there in time, and Tony had to reassure his kid as he slowly gaped for air that would never come. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and after a full day of the thoughts circling his head, he drifted off.

Outside though, steve and nat were still talking, trying to figure out how to help the grieving father, knowing that they’ve already tried everything.

“The only thing we can do now is wait and be there for him, hope that he sorts everything out soon,” Steve said solemnly, bowing his head and walking to the kitchen, him and nat both wished they could do something, anything to help.

Steve essentially dragged tony to the kitchen the next day to get him to eat something. He didn't take no for an answer. Tony was sat on one of the kitchen bar stools, hair mussed up and clothes crooked in every way. Around the kitchen were also nat and sam, making their own breakfasts and making casual conversation (Tony couldn't see how they could talk as if they didn't watch a child die a few weeks ago).

“You know Tony, you can't keep beating yourself up about this,” Tony blinked and noticed now steve was leaning over the counter towards him and speaking in hushed tones.

“I-” tony tried to intervene

“it's not your fault, you have to accept it, that kid’s gone, we all know” steve had a sad look on his face, tony was absolutely raging. ‘that kid’?

“Peter.” he essentially spat. Steve looked surprised that he actually spoke, let alone the fact that he was angry.

“I- what?” the captain spluttered

“His name. Was peter.”

“Oh”

“And don't you dare say that it wasn't my fault, it was all of our faults, we couldn't find him in time.”

“Tony-”

“No, steve” he hissed out his name, “don't say it, it's our fault, and yes, I am aware that he is- that he isn't here anymore- im very aware of the fact, so you can keep your damn mouth shut”

Nat decided to speak up now.

“Tony , we know you’re grieving” tony growled, yet she continued “your kid- peter. He's gone, there’s nothing we can do about it now but its been months, you’ve got to move on-”

“I cant!” tonys hands found themselves yanking at his hair, making it more messed up than it already was, “don't you think ive tried? Hes always here, i cant go down to my lab without seeing his things, hes room is opposite mine for fuck’s sake. And I can't even sleep! All i see when i close my eyes is his face, as he gasps, searching for reassurances as he fucking dies! And what did we do? We watched it happen! That's what we did!” Tony's face was now covered in tears streaming down his face, not intending to stop.

Tony took one more look at the three people in front of him, before turning on his heel and leaving, heading straight to his room, throwing himself on the bed and passing out.

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

“Boss, you have one new message”

“ugh, ignore it fri”

“Sir-”

“I said. Ignore it.”

“Okay boss.”

Tony was sat in his room, staring mindlessly out the window for the last, hour now? He didn't keep count. With every second sat there, he wished one more time to just forget everything.

Two minutes later, friday spoke up again.

“Boss, you have been sent one video”

Tony groaned.

“Who’s it from fri?”

“You don't have them saved in your phone sir, the video contains two people, one identified as peter parker, the video is dated from a week ago I believe-”

Tony jumped up at once, not wasting a second before running into the hallway and heading straight into the lounge where the others were, they all looked surprised at his presence.

“He sent another one” he directed the statement to steve.

“What?”

“That- that- that guy sent another video,”

“Tony calm down, what guy? The guy that took peter?” Tony didn't bother wasting a breath, already hyperventilating at the realisation, peter, his kid could be alive, very much hurt but breathing. He was reeling. He still had doubts circling in his mind, it could be an old video with a different date, or it could be his body, oh god-

“Fri, play it on the screen”

The tv screen turned over to a black screen before flicking to a frozen picture of peter- god peter- tied to a chair, that bastard of a man stood behind him. Tony stood in shock, tears building in his eyes as he processed what was in front of him. The video started playing and the man started speaking, circling peter in the chair as he did so.

“Ah, hello again mr stark, so sorry we haven't been in much contact recently, today is- the thirteenth- so about a week before ill bother sending it to you.” Peter looked up slightly, eyes glazed over, gliding over everything, never locking onto anything, “such an unlucky number isn't it? Thirteen? I never found out why, something to do with the devil. Anyway,” he clapped, making peter flinch and tony curse under his breath, the others all stood in silence, stone faced and in shock, “so stark, this child right here is finally perfect, granted it took a bit of- conditioning, we got there in the end, didn't we pet?” the guy put a hand on Peter's shoulder and his eyes grew wide, finally processing everything.

He nodded, staring straight ahead, almost in a trance.

“Yes we did, though his vocal chords did get a bit damaged, this little one cant talk properly, partly because of the shocks and also because of- well you can guess. Anyway, im finished with him now, you can come get him,``Tony opened his mouth in disbelief, the man suddenly looking bored, peter’s face not changing, “yes, I know, you can really have him back, he’s useless to me anyway, no fun anymore. So here’s what's going to happen, ill send you this video along with the location in about- a week, and when you make it here, the child will probably be dead or dying from his injuries, who am I to say?” he chuckled.

“Oh and one more thing,” peter flinched, “before I leave, ill be sure to make my last mark on him, give you something to remember him by, you know?”

Peter looked straight into the camera for a moment in shock, before it cut out. Tony called the suit to him, the rest of the team already suiting up.

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

The base was almost empty, FRIDAY’s scan only picking up one heat signature. Tony decided to go alone, the rest of the team waiting on the jet if he needed backup. The team were all in their gear, except from bruce, who was on standby with medical.

“Tony, are you sure about this, we’ll all be fine going in with you?” steve grabbed his arm as he was about to fly to the base.

“I'm sure, steve, trust me on this, i'll call you if i need you.”

Without another word, Tony took off in the suit, helmet flipping down and friday marking out where the heat signature was.

Granted, it took a bit of searching, but eventually tony found the room, standing just outside the door he froze for a moment. What if peeta wasn't there? What if it was someone else?

No, it had to be peter. Without another word, Tony opened the door.

It was dark in the room, Tony's suit glowed in the darkness as it shone a light around the room. Tony’s eyes landed on a body in the corner, suit retracting as he stepped forward, He raised his hand to his mouth in shock as he got a closer look at the kid.

Peter didn't seem to be badly hurt, his right arm was bent at an odd angle, making tony grimace. His left ankle seemed slightly swollen, dried blood coated nearly all of the kids bottom half. He was deathly thin, he looked more like a skeleton then anything. Tony reached forward to rest his hand on the boy’s curls but gasped when his head fell limply forward.

Tony tapped the comm, activating it.

“I-i've got him, bringing him back to the jet now, get bruce ready,”

He then deactivated it before he could hear a response from steve. He stood up and scooped peter up in his arms,careful not to hurt him any further. He let his suit guide him out of the facility and back to the jet, he only looked up when he reached the others, laying peter down in the stretcher ready for Bruce to help him. He didn't take his eyes off his kid once.

You're okay now kid

tags:

@dreamingformuses

@baloobird

@keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars

@just-the-daydreamer

@verdonafrost

@tmifangirl21

(msg me if you wanna be tagged!!)

[geeky-writes]

Pieces of Echoes Chapter 27 Preview

Behind? Catch up on AO3/ FFN 😊

********

Steve gulped as he leaned over the equipment, searching for anything he might use to send out a signal. Assuming that the team would be using the standard emergency Avengers’ frequencies, Steve only had to find a way of sending an S.O.S. and they should be able to triangulate it to the exact location of the bunker.

Thankfully, the equipment wasn’t any more complicated than the equipment at the old SHIELD headquarters and Steve was able to send out the signal without too much further delay, broadcasting in Morse Code that Peter was in imminent danger and to hurry the hell up.

As soon as he received the acknowledgement from Natasha, Steve began scanning the equipment again, searching for any clues that might lead him to Tony. The three monitors in the room were all displaying Peter’s cell from three different angles, but as Steve started pressing the various buttons one of the monitors suddenly changed, zooming in on what appeared to be his own cell, now occupied by the soldier he’d knocked out.

“Okay, so…” Steve said under his breath as he pressed the button again, inhaling sharply as the display changed to yet another cell, this one occupied by Tony. Steve’s heart clenched painfully as he zoomed in on his husband who he thought he’d never see again, noting that he appeared to be knocked out and was also hooked up to an IV drip but seemed otherwise okay with no visible injuries. And from what Steve could tell, he was only a few paces down from the surveillance room he was in.

“I’m not gonna just sit here and wait,” Steve muttered, wiping sweat off his brow and lamenting the fact that he didn’t have his shield with him. For all he knew it was still sitting in their bedroom back at Avengers’ Tower, although it was more likely that Stane and the rest of his goons had taken it and locked it up somewhere.

Just then another piercing scream tore through the bunker somewhere above Steve, raising all the hair on the back of his neck.

“Not real, it’s not real! My name is Peter Stark-Rogers!” Peter cried, so terrified that Steve had to clap his hands over his ears in a feeble attempt to block it out. Tears stung Steve’s eyes as he choked, his jaw clenched so tightly he was surprised he still had all of his teeth.

I can’t stay here any longer, he thought as he got to his feet, searching through the dead soldier’s body for more weapons and finding a knife and another gun along with three replacement mags. He stuffed the mags into the back pocket of his pants and stowed one of the guns into his waistband, grabbing the knife and the other gun as he searched the computer panel for a way to unlock Tony’s cell. He could likely break in, but it would be far less noisy and therefore draw less unwanted attention if he were able to just slip inside.

It took a couple of minutes, but Steve was finally able to find the controls to unlock the cell door, racing out of the surveillance room as soon as the little light changed from red to green.

“Tony! Oh God, Tony, wake up!” he whispered as he hurried to his husband’s side, disconnecting the IV drip. He removed the needle from Tony’s arm, tearing a strip of fabric from his t-shirt to use as a bandage.

“Tony, you gotta wake up!” Steve repeated, carefully brushing Tony’s unkempt hair off his forehead and giving his shoulders a light shake. He cupped Tony’s face in one hand as he unlocked his metal restraints with the other, keeping a watchful eye on the exit in case anymore of the soldiers happened to walk by. “Oh God, sweetheart, I can’t believe you’re right here in front of me, I thought I’d lost you!”

Steve jumped when Tony let out a groan, his face screwing into an expression of tormented confusion and anger as his eyes fluttered open, narrowing in suspicion as they attempted to focus on Steve.

“Where the hell am I?” Tony suddenly asked, his arms wobbling as he attempted to push himself up into a sitting position. Steve instinctively reached to help him but Tony jerked away, shaking his head.

“No!” he yelped. “Who the hell are you? Where am I? Where’s my son?”

Tony’s words hit Steve like a gunshot. “Tony, it’s me, Steve!” he said gently. He reached for him, tears welling in his eyes when Tony batted his hand away.

“Don’t you recognise me?”

“No, no, no, no, no,” Tony said, his chest heaving as he gulped in air. “What the hell is this? What the hell’s going on? Where’s Pete?” He pointed a trembling finger at Steve’s chest, his brow furrowing in absolute agony as he gaped at him. “You! You were dead! What the hell are you doing here, you're supposed to be dead!”

“No,” whispered Steve, shaking his head as he reached again for Tony’s hand. Tony flinched when he touched him, but he thankfully didn’t try to pull away. “I promise I’m not dead, mo grá. I’m right here.”

Again Tony shook his head, his beautiful face ashen and terrified. “But—but—I saw you! I saw you—and then you were gone, and—or maybe I just didn’t see you anymore and I just believed it because—but I never could actually remember how you were killed, only that you were, and Pete and I were both miserable, and—” He looked down at his hand, inspecting his wedding ring in the dim light emanating from the hallway. “Is this—is this real? It’s not gold, it’s—it’s—”

“Yes, it’s real,” Steve answered as he carefully gathered him close, inspecting his own hand and finding his titanium wedding ring there, just where Tony had placed it. “And I thought I’d lost you too, and I didn't—I couldn’t take it, sweetheart, I couldn’t!”

“Holy shit,” whispered Tony. He raised his hand to cup Steve’s cheek, tentatively brushing his thumb across the rough whiskers along Steve’s jawline. “Babe, you’re—you’re real? You’re really here with me right this second?”

“I am, sweetheart,” Steve murmured. “I’m real, I promise.”

“Oh my God,” gasped Tony, crumpling against Steve’s chest, his hands fisting in his shirt as Steve held him as tightly as he dared. “You’re alive. You’re actually alive. Holy shit, Steve, I thought I’d lost you! I thought I’d lost you, and if it weren’t for Pete I don’t think I would’ve—”

“Shh, mo grá,” Steve said into Tony’s hair. “I think it’s this drug that was messing with our minds.”

“Well if that's what I see in my dreams then I’m never sleeping again,” Tony said, shuddering hard. “What the hell’s going on here? Where’s Pete?”

“He’s… here, Tony, somewhere in this place,” Steve answered. “Stane, he brought all three of us here. Wherever here is.”

Tony’s head snapped up at Steve’s words, his eyes narrowing in the direction of the barred door of his cell. “You mean Obie’s got Pete?”

But before Steve could answer another scream sounded from above, even longer and more agonising than the last.

“Not real! It’s not real!”

“Oh my God, Steve!” Tony shrieked. “That’s—that’s Pete! What the hell are they doing to him?”

“I know it’s Peter, sweetheart, but—”

“But nothing! Steve, we gotta help him!” Tony barked as he shoved Steve away from him. He attempted to get to his feet, stumbling against Steve when he couldn’t get his legs to work properly.

“What the—?”

“Tony, you’re still weak from that drug,” Steve said, as gently as he was able. Peter’s scream had just about fried the last of his remaining nerves, and his patience was almost nonexistent. “The team is on their way, okay, so we just gotta try and be patient. If you and I—”

“Patient?” Tony cut in, glaring bullets at Steve. “You want me to be patient when those fuckers are up there torturing our son?”

“Tony, if you and I go in there now we won’t last longer than a few seconds, and then there’s no telling what they’d do to Peter,” Steve said, every word piercing his heart like a knife. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart, but we need to wait for the team. I've already contacted them and they’re on their way, so we just need to wait.”

Tony’s eyes were filled with such misery that Steve could hardly stand to look at him. “How in the hell am I supposed to just wait, Steve?” he demanded. “How?”

“The team is coming, sweetheart,” Steve whispered past the lump in his throat. “And I promise as soon as they get here we’ll find Peter and—”

“And then I’m gonna kill Obie,” Tony stated, so ice-cold that a shiver raced down Steve’s spine. “I’m gonna kill that asshole for what he’s done to our boy.”

********

The full chapter will post on Monday, August 5th 😊

And be on the lookout for the first in my baby Peter one-shots, posting in a couple of hours! 😊

[avid-windex-consumer]

Hurricane

Yaz had often been in the eye of the storm growing up. Safer than those in the storm itself, but watching and the winds howled and fought against the rapids.

She'd been in the eye of the storm with Izzy Flint, who'd teased her relentlessly, but not enough to be considered bullying. She'd watched as her shallow friendships were consumed by the storm, raging and snapping.

She'd seen her family argue, words spat out to eachother, scathing and often venomous, tensed to puncture and hurt. Though arguments were frequent, she was considered the "good child" of her family, in comparison to Sonya, who was considered far too involved with boys, and makeup and parties.

So she'd watch, as each storm passed, and they did, they all passed eventually. Watching on the outskirts, just close enough to feel the winds and the splatter of salty water, to hear the howling and the raging.

But this, this was not a storm.

This was a hurricane.

-x-

2 Hours Earlier

"Come on then, fam! Let's get a shift on."

Yaz smiled to herself, heering the cheerful voice coming from the hallway. She turned to greet her friend, and was met with a brilliant smile.

Ryan and Graham were already ready, she noted, setting down her breakfast.

"Where are we going then?" Graham asked.

"Audryvel IV. It's a planet known for it's interesting people, cuisine, art, really, just about anything you could think of." The Doctor smiled, starting to press down button and clutch at the levers.

"Reason for that is, it's really just a blend of all the cultures from the three galaxies located around there, since they're very close."

The Tardis jolted, making her way through space and time, parting through stars. It really was beautiful, Yaz thought. The Tardis in itself was an amazing design, with it's pillars and glowing lights.

The sound of the Tardis breaks were heard, and the Doctor started to the door, pushing it open to reveal a hill with tan-colored grass overlooking the city.

The city in itself, which Yaz distantly heard the Doctor introducing as "Yvmir," was a jaw-dropping sight. The sky was a dusty red, parted in certain spots to show black and stars. Two suns lit the city, which almost seemed like a carnival in Yaz's mind. Yaz tilted her head, noting that it was sundown. She smiled to herself, looking to the doctor who was waiting for them to be ready to go.

"You guys ready?" Yaz asked the boys. They nodded, still looked entranced. The Doctor had a subtle smirk playing at her lips.

The four made their way down the hill to the market, and the humans of the group gaped at the sight before them. The Doctor looked to them, and handed out three pouches, each one filled with coins.

"I don't want to take from-" Yaz started but the Doctor interceded before she got any further, waving her hand in front if her face.

"S'fine Yaz! I rarely come here anyway, and I don't need that much money on me. I want you to take it."

The Doctor seemed dead set on her taking it, so Yaz begrudgingly obliged, taking the pouch wearily, a small smile on her lips.

"Thank you." She said, looking up to meet the Doctor's eyes.

"Don't thank me! I'm happy to do this. Come on, I can show you where the best little trinkets are."

The Doctor started forward, and the three followed suit.

-x-

Eventually, they came upon a small stand, near the back of the town, filled with pretty little sculptures, jewlery, and other random totems. The person manning the station had blue skin and a sleepy, almost unaware disposition.

The alien's eyes were glazed with a foggy look, and though at first Yaz thought it was his species, the Doctor looked overly concerned for that.

"Doctor? What's wrong with him?" Yaz questioned.

The Doctor leaned forward, opening his eyes wide then shining light into them with her sonic screwdriver. The action didn't even garner a response from the blue alien.

She put her hands on his ear in an odd fashion, nose scrunched whils concentrating. Nobody disturbed her until she took her hands off the ear.

Yaz could've sworn she saw her eyes flash for a second; with what she didn't know. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't positive.

"What happened to him, Doc?" Ryan asked wearily.

"He's been drugged. Let me see..." She opened his mouth wide, looking into his thought which she could see had turned an unnatural green color, bright, almost neon in tone.

Her eyes widened, and then flashed again. And Yaz knew what she'd seen in those eyes a second ago, without a doubt. It was anger.

Not just anger, rage, though highly controlled and tampered down. Yaz had never seen that look on the Doctor before, though in all honestly, they didn't know too much about their bubbly friend, and the Doctor seemed to prefer it that way.

"Kal 32. That's the name of the drug, it's deadly for Bemirins. He was drugged with the intent to kill, we have to get him to the hospital!"

The Doctor whirled around, putting the Alien on her back and starting forward, rushing through the square. The three followed, used to running by now. Eventually they made it to a tall building with red glass windows, and rushed inside.

"Emergency! We have an emergency!" The Doctor called as nurses came rushing out, immediately setting him down on a bed. Yaz noticed all three were covered in blood on there medical aprons.

At the quizzical look both the Doctor and Yaz were giving them, the fourth doctor, who was the only one not covered in blood, answered as the other three immediately took the Bemirin to the operating room.

"They've been in surgery," the doctor explained, "He's the fifteenth Bemirin to come here in this state today. They've all been-"

"Drugged with Kal 32." The Doctor finished for him, and he nodded in return.

"But that's illegal, it's not even shipped to this galaxy." The Doctor muttered, obviously angered.

The other doctor nodded mutely. "It's been an issue these last few months. We've been told that a lot of our recent patients who are in for treatment becuase if drug abuse have been smoking Kyr 21-"

"Which can be converted to Kal 32." The Doctor finished for him. "But isn't Kyr 21 illegal too?"

"Yes, but it gets people the rush they need very quickly and with the right people not awfully difficult to smuggle in."

The Doctor nodded, turning to the other three. "I'm going to get you situated in a resutrant. I have a small job to do, yeah?"

The three nodded reluctantly, saying there goodbyes and thanks to the other doctor.

The Doctor led the group towards a small resutrant, quaint and small but bright with decorative lights and smelling of incredibly good food.

She wrote out a few orders that would be more sorted towards human tastes, and then turned to leave, but not before giving them a few rules.

"You shouldn't leave the resutrant unless you need to for safety reasons, and if you do you should get back to the Tardis. I won't be long gone, just need to run a few errands."

"Couldn't we come?" Ryan asked.

She waved the question away. "Nah, it'd be boring. Have fun!" She speedily exited, no chance for disagreement.

-x-

The Doctor was right about one thing, the food was spectacular.

Rich flavors filled her mouths, things she'd never tasted before. The other two seemed to be in agreement.

The meal was quiet, each person savoring their food, until Yaz broke it.

"Do you guys reckon the Doctor was lying to us about running errands?"

Ryan and Graham shared a look.

"I though I was the only one who saw it." Graham spoke, setting down his fork.

Ryan shook his head in agreement. "Something was definitely not right about her. You think it's something to do with the drugging thing?

"I wouldn't be surprised." Yaz commented.

Graham was about to speak again when a figure with a black robe walked over. The three gave eachother uneasy glances.

"You...are companions of the Doctor?" The voice was garbled underneath the mask the figure was wearing.

"So what if we are?" Graham answered.

The figure stared at them, though they were unable to meet the robed person's eyes thoguh the mask.

"CV 31 works well on humans."

The three narrowed their eyes, each one on high alert.

"Was that a threat?" Yaz asked, staring up at the taller being.

The figure ignored her, continuing on a different speel. "It takes exactly fifteen minutes to take effect. That's why it's so vital. It goes off at an exact time."

The group stood up. "Are you gonna keep harassing us mate? Or are we going to have a fight?" Ryan spoke up.

Again, the robed figure ignored him. "At exactly fifteen minutes, it knocks the humans out completely."

Yaz's breath caught in her throat, finally understanding what the robed man was saying. She would've gotten up, if her body wasn't overcome by sleep at that very moment, the other two following suit.

-x-

Yaz awoke in a cage, bars allowing her air. Her head was splitting, and her mind was foggy. Her knees were tucked uncomfortably into her chest and she wasn't able to turn because of the low high of the cage. In short, she was rendered practically immobile.

"Ryan? Graham?" She called out, and was met with silence, the very thing she'd been dreading.

"Come on you guys, answer me!" She panicked.

A groan-Ryan's groan-echoed through the room. She relaxed in relief.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah, m'here."

Where is here? She thought.

"Ryan, can you see Graham?"

Silence. Yaz desperately hoped he hadn't fallen back asleep.

"Yeah, he's out cold though."

"Well, at least he's here." She attempted optimism, though even to her own ears she sounded hollow.

Footsteps rang through the room, and on instinct Yaz tensed up.

"You three, companions to the Doctor. Humans. Human scum, really." It was a different voice, though this time decidedly male. Yaz could make out Reddish skin and long black hair, sharp features, with cold grey eyes.

Yaz was about to say something in retort, but she decided it was safer to stay quiet.

"Mm...you Humans never do fail to confuse me." The main mused.

"And why's that?" Yaz questioned.

"Traveling with the Doctor, knowing what she is." The man chuckled.

"And what is that?" Yaz challenged.

"She didn't tell you, did she? Well, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Tell us what?" Yaz was beginning to get angry.

"Your Doctor, as much as she may pretend, isn't as whimsical as you might think."

"Stop dancing around the question and answer me!" Yaz snapped at him.

He met her eyes. "The Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, Destroyer of Worlds, Doctor of War. All titles that your friend has garnered over the years."

What? What? No. The Doctor is bubbly and adventurous and kind, not a soldier. Not a destroyer. Doctor, what did you do? Is what he's saying the truth? And if it is, why is it the truth?

Yaz was having trouble attaching the names to the Doctor she knew, but then she looked back on that subtle flash of anger-no, not anger, rage, and she started to doubt all she knew about her weird alien friend.

And what did she know? She didn't know the Doctor's species, her histories, her family. Hell, she didn't even know her name, though she suspected that was something very few people were privy to.

"Do you want to know why she left? It wasn't to run errands. In the thirty minute period while the chefs prepared your meals, she took down a base of my men."

"What?!" Yaz squawked. "Why would she do that?"

"We poisoned the Bemirins. Filthy scum, worse then humans. They migrate to our planet in flocks. You know what Audryvel used to be? A power empire. Full of Audrian culture and customers and people. Now look at the place. The mess it's become due to outsiders. And you know who first brought there culture over here? Bemirins."

Yaz opened her mouth, but no words seemed to come out.

"Still not a reason to be killing them." Graham spoke.

When had he woken up?

"Yeah, that's not cool mate." Ryan agreed.

"And you know who helped the Bemirins migrate after they had their war?"

Yaz had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Your Doctor. So to get back at her, I'm going to kill all of you."

Yaz's blood ran cold.

The Doctor will get you out of this. The Doctor will get you out if this.

She repeated that phrase over and over, like a mantra.

But could she really trust the Doctor?

She heard the man's footsteps come closer to her, and she spotted the silvery gleam of a blade.

This is where I die.

Just as she felt the blade touch her neck, she heard the door slam open and all too familiar footsteps pounded in.

"Step away from her." Yaz glanced up to see her friend, and her eyes widened.

She'd been in the storm the entire time here, boxed up and waiting to die. But what she saw in front of her wasn't a storm.

It was a hurricane.

-x-

Present

The Doctor's whole expression was wild, dangerous and dark. She was a flood, the howling of the winds seemed to part for her, no, not part. They were sucked up into her, and ever step she took towards them collected more waters.

Her eyes. Oh god, her eyes. They were full of promises of danger, a wildfire, an inescapable current.

Yaz had never seen anything like it. And she was terrified.

It was so unnatural on the Doctor. The Doctor who was normally so kind and unthreatening.

And Yaz wondered how she could have been so blind to this. How this hurricane was hidden so perfectly under facades of calm and happiness and lightness.

What was perhaps most unsettling was the way it seemed so right at the same time, as if that expression fit her even moreso then her calm and happy one. It melded to her face, as if that was to truth of the Doctor.

And Yaz knew, deep down, that in a lot of ways it was.

"Did you not hear what I said?" The Doctor's voice had dropped dangerously low. "I said step away from her."

"Or what?" The man did withdraw the knife, seemingly interested in the Doctor herself.

"I know about you, Killian Redkalv. I know that you've committed many crimes, hurt many people, killed many people."

"The same could be said for you." Killian smirked at his remark.

The hurricane inside the Doctor's eyes whirled, and the room tempature dropped. Yaz was sweating.

The Doctor ignored him. "In fact, I think it's time to make a bargain. I could send you to prison, and erase all records of your worse crimes, or...I could have you executed."

Killian froze, gritting his teeth. "I'm closer than you are to her. I could slit her throat, and nothing you could do would stop me."

The Doctor gave him a cold look. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"Oh?" Killian said. "Then what could you do?"

Again, she ignored the question. "I'll answer that if you give me an answer here. Would you rather die, or go to jail. There are no other options."

"Hypothetically? I think I'd rather die" He raised an eyebrow. "Though it's not like I'll be caught. See, the room is filling with Galyzine, You know that that means, I take it?"

"It's a toxin meant to kill beings with two hearts." The Doctor said offhandedly, seemingly not worried by this new information.

Yaz wondered if it was new information at all.

"Why'd you do it then, anyway?" The Doctor asked.

"Do what?"

"Murder Liryc Horylvnde? Wasn't she a good friend?"

Killian grit his teeth. "She stuck her nose where she shouldn't have. There was no other choice, it was her or me."

"You know," the Doctor started, "they found a ring on her dresser. She was planning on giving you a bond proposal. You might have been lovers."

Killian looked away, and just for a second Yaz could swear she saw a flash of grief. "As I said, there was no other way."

"Hmm, I think that's selfish, but hey, what do I know. Actually, here's something I know. 3...2...1...ah!"

Killian collapsed to the ground groaning, eventually his breathing evened out and he was out cold.

Yaz wanted to make sure he wasn't dead, but in all honesty, she was terrified of the Doctor right now.

"Right, let's get you all out and about. Can't imagine that being very comfy."

After they were all free, Ryan spoke up.

"What did you do to him?"

"Ah, well, I switched the Galyzine for Agnefeine. It kills of Audrians-"

"What?! You killed him?!" Yaz yelped.

The Doctor shook her head.

"Nope. Let me finish. But it's a health drug for Bemirins."

"But he's Audrian." Graham said, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Nah, he's half-Audrian half-Bemirin. I'm sure a lot of his crimes against Bemirins were because of his self-hatred. When you're a cross between the two it knocks you out. We're going to take him to the prison center and let the authorities deal with him, yeah? Let's get a shift on."

The other three warily followed her, and a sense of uneasiness and distrust was formed in them.

-x-

After dropping off Killian at the jail, the group silently made their way to the Tardis.

"Well, that was interesting? Yeah. Never thought any of that would happen coming here. And we didn't get to buy any trinkets or sample the desserts on the other side of town, that's where the best desserts are-"

The Doctor was trying to break the tension by going back to her cheery, happy-go-lucky self, but if anything it just increased the tension.

"No." Ryan said, cutting her off. "You don't get to do that. Not after this."

The Doctor's fake smile dropped, and Yaz was amazed at both how quick the switch was and how good of an actor she was.

Mostly though, Yaz was trying to scan her memories for any indication of the truth. How could she have been so easily fooled?

"I'll explain everything inside." The Doctor said, looking conflicted and saddened.

Yaz had never seen the Doctor said. She'd seen her wistful when talking about how she carries her family with her, but never sad. It seems a lot of things were new.

The Tardis doors opened, and they made their was to the "living room" as Graham liked to call it.

The three sat down opposite to the Doctor, who had an ancient look in her eye, a far cry from the look of childish wonder that had previously seemed to follow her wherever she went.

"First of all, I want to apologize. I didn't mean to scare you, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And for lying to you about where I was going earlier."

The three nodded, taking the information in but remaining silent.

"See, the thing is, doing the right thing means making the hard choices. And a long time ago I had to make a very hard choice."

The Doctor looked haunted, Yaz noted.

"There was a war," she began, "and I was a soldier."

So she was a soldier after all.

"You see, it was the two most advanced races in the universe. The Time Lords and the Daleks. It was a losing battle, people were dying in masses on both sides, no sign of it stopping soon. Eventually, if the war continued, it was clear that it would spill out into the universe."

Yaz's eyes were wide. That sounds awful.

"So I made a decision. I took a bomb, and I blew up my planet. To save the universe."

What.

Wait.

What?

That explained a lot of things, Yaz thought. How desperate the Doctor was to save every single soul. After being put in an impossible position all those years ago.

"Then some timey whiney stuff that would take a few days to explain happened and the planet was brought back, but time locked, out of my reach."

I can't imagine that. Being given back your people but never being able to return.

"And then a friend died. And I spent seven billion years in a trap they made for me, dying over and over again and resisting the trap in order to save her secrets. We were too powerful together, you see. I took her out of the time stream, one heart beat before she died.

And then one of us had to erase our memory of the other. I was the one who got erased. But when regeneration hit...it all lodged back into place. One day she'll be ready to die...but until then she's running on her last heart beat."

"Doctor..." Yaz was already tearing up. That was just...horrible. There was no other word to explain it...just horrible.

"When you try to save as many people as me, you realize that sometimes not everyone can be saved. Not all people who are fighting against you can be saved, and some times they can become your wife."

Yaz paused her thoughts.

Wait, wife?

"Hah. Yeah, she's dead though. Time travels funny, really, I saw her die before I even knew who she was."

This is just messed up. How is she still going on?

Yaz almost felt I'll listening to it.

"And when you're fighting against someone, sometimes the only way for innocent people to survive is death. It's awful, and I always try to avoid it, but death is...inevitable."

The Doctor looked distant saying those words. The grief was clear in her eyes.

"I'm not a good person-" The Doctor started, but Yaz cut her off.

"Yes you are!"

The Doctor smiled sadly. "No, I'm not. But I help people, I fix things, yeah? So as long as I'm doing that, I think I can live with myself."

A heavy silence overtook them.

"One more thing. I'll be blunt. A lot of my companions have met some...tragic ends that's not a lie. Do you want to continue traveling with me? Either way, I'm fine."

The Doctor looked anything but, but Yaz wasn't about to comment.

"I'm staying." Ryan started.

"Me too." Graham agreed.

"We're a fam, right? And fams don't abandon eachother."

The Doctor gave a smile, and it seemed far more genuine then any smile they'd seen before.

"Thank you. Thank you all so much."

[angrylizardjacket]

when i said it i thought it was true [3] {Ben Hardy}

A/N: 2973 words. Fake Dating AU.

[part 1] [part 2]

Roger Taylor has barely spoken two words to you since the start of filming, and it’s caused you so much anxiety. Were you disappointing? Did you not look or act accurate enough? Sometimes you catch him watching you when you’re with Ben, the two of you in costume, and he just looks... pensive. 

Brian’s nice enough, soft spoken and always kind when he speaks to you, actually mentions that seeing you and Ben together makes him a bit nostalgic, and you’re not quite sure what to make of it. 

The day you see the real Amanda, the woman you’re playing, you feel like you’re about to pass out. It’s as if you’ve got a direct look into your future, she could be your mother, though her hair’s just a little lighter than yours, hence the wigs they keep putting you in. She’s incredibly beautiful for her age, but that’s not the most striking thing about her. She cries the first time she sees Rami in costume, and she doesn’t speak to Roger. 

The moment she meets you, she has to take almost a full minute, hand covering her mouth as she looks you over. It’s like a test, and all you can do is stand there awkwardly in full costume, watching as she tears up a little.

“What do you think?” Brian asks with a proud smile, and she lets out an incredulous laugh. “It’s a little uncanny, isn’t it?” Nodding, she approaches you, smiling brightly and greeting you warmly. 

“Feels like I’ve gone back in time.” She’s surprisingly soft spoken, and she tugs at your collar, straightening it, before she rests her hands on your shoulders. “I’m flattered they’ve got you playing me, dear.” She tells you, and you think you might cry.

She only stays on set for about a week, the week you’re filming on the Garden Lodge set. The two of you are talking before filming starts for the day, you’re trying to glean any information you can that would help bring depth to your character, and Ben joins you. It’s the first time she’s seen him in full costume, and when he presses a kiss to your temple in greeting, her voice dies in her throat. Ben looks confused, concerned as she has to excuse herself.

It keeps happening, something about seeing the two of you in costume, together and sweet, it’s something she can’t stomach. She can talk to Ben normally, even when in costume, but the moment you arrive, and he smiles at you like he does, she feels her heart in her throat.

“I loved Roger, perhaps to my detriment.” She admits, taking a long sip of wine. She’d invited you out to dinner with her before she has to fly back to her family. “And I know what they’re saying in the movie, but he never really loved me.”

When you go to Ben with this information, he’s quiet, before he admits that Roger told him that when they were younger, their relationship was far from the sanitised version that was being presented in the film. 

They’d been together for years, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she loved him, and he took her for granted, always assumed she’d be there when he got back from trips and tours, he’d even proposed to her, and yet he’d do any pretty young girl while he was away because he knew he could get away with it. He’d cheated on her, and lied to her, and strung her along because it was easier than letting go. 

Roger Taylor can’t bring himself to speak to you; you’re the spitting image of his biggest fault. Perhaps the way they’ve got it in the movie is his attempt at an apology, not that she’d accept. 

Something about your relationship with Ben changes after that. It doesn’t feel like a performance, the way it used to, it feels more grounded. Neither of you are sure how to deal with the new information, but when the cast go out for dinner together, he’s got a hand on your knee under the table, and when you’re hanging out in his trailer between scenes, you let yourself fall asleep against him where you’re watching Netflix. The two of you go out with some of the others for the night, and he kisses you as you’re leaving the club together, his hands holding your face so softly, the kiss so surprisingly tender that you don’t even hear the click of the paparazzi’s camera from where they’re hiding around the corner of the building, and when you see the kiss on instagram the next day, you don’t think you care.

“Have you seen my nice, black blouse?” You called, elbow deep in a pile of clean washing on a Saturday morning.

“Which one?” Ben calls back from the shower, and you frown at the clothes before you; you really had meant to fold them sooner.

“The nice nice one, the one I wear for callbacks, you know the one I’m talking about.” And you move to rifle through the closet again, glaring at each piece of clothing as you flip past it.

“You sure it’s here?” The shower shuts off while you’re eyeing off a perfectly fine cream shirt that could serve as a decent replacement if you came to it. “Are you sure it’s not at your place?” He asks, stepping out of his adjoining bathroom wearing only a towel.

“No, I’m pretty sure I came back here after my last callback.” You mused, and you could hear him getting changed behind you as you tried to recall the last time you’d found yourself in the shirt in question.

“This would be easier if you just lived here.” He muses, letting the statement hang in the air. After a beat, you turn to look at him, brow creased as you considered his words. “If you want to, you can.” He offered, standing there in just a pair of jeans, his hair still damp. It might be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

“Are you serious?” Voice quietly hopeful, your expression brightens as he nods, grinning. Blouse forgotten, you cross the room in a few paces, throwing your arms around him. “Really really?”

“‘course I am.” He doesn’t tell you he loves you, but it’s there in the tone, in the way he kisses you, and it’s there when he spends the next twenty minutes helping you look for your shirt, though when you admit you don’t need it for a few days, he suggests breaking in the bed to fill the time.

“It’s the same bed.” You laugh as he flops back on it, coaxing you over.

“Yeah, but it’s ours.”

The wrap party for Bohemian Rhapsody is... a lot. It’s a bit overwhelming; you’re by Ben’s side and everyone wants to talk to him, congratulate him, and they want to talk to you, tell you how beautiful you look. Everyone is everywhere at all times, and the only constant is Ben. 

His arm is around your waist when the two of you are standing by the bar, he’s chatting to someone who’s name you’ve forgotten, though you’re pretty sure he’s the second assistant director or something, and you’re trying to communicate to the bartender what you want over the music, leaning over the bar. The moment the bartender finally nods in recognition and scurries off to get your drink, Ben turns, sees your eyes shining bright in the light of bar, and he forgets what he’s saying, just for a moment. The guy he’s talking to leaves, pulled away by someone in the crowd, and you turn, smiling brightly, confusion creasing your brow when you see Ben watching you.

“What?” The bar is in a terrible location, far too close to the band they’ve got set up, but Ben can read your lips well enough in the bar’s fluorescent lights. He shrugs, doesn’t even attempt to answer as the band, not ten feet away, blast their way through a guitar solo. They’re mostly playing classic rock, a few Queen songs here and there of course, and they’re not bad, they’re just loud. 

With your drink in one hand, you take his without thinking, weaving through the crowd, his fingers linked with yours. When you find the door to the courtyard, which is significantly quieter, you feel like you can breathe again. The air outside is cool, and you drop Ben’s hand now that you’re not likely to lose him in the crowd, and the two of you find seats to the side by a tall table. 

“You don’t have to stay with me all night.” You tell him, resting your head on your arms, watching as he lights up a cigarette. It was a filthy habit, but damn if it didn’t make him look a hot. Hotter. 

“I know that, dude,” he pauses, taking a draft and looking, watching all the people talking and laughing and bopping along to the music, “I like your company.” He says it easily but it still has you grinning, and when he catches sight, he grins in return.

He doesn’t leave your side. Not for the rest of the night. 

Photographs are being take all night, and when you look back on them, you see you and Ben sitting side by side, his arm around you as you lean into him, laughing, and he grins at something off camera. You see the cast together for a group shot, all smiling brightly, most a little tipsy, and you’re holding Ben’s hand, your linked fingers just visible in a gap between Allen and Lucy. You see the two of you in the background of a shot of Rami looking absolutely ecstatic; you’re fixing Ben’s hair, and he’s giving you such a soft, endeared look that you hadn’t noticed at the time. If you crop it enough to make it your phone background, you don’t feel the need to call attention to it; for reasons you can’t quite articulate, it makes your heart warm.

It’s strange, and the thing that terrifies you is that it doesn’t feel like acting. It’s that grey area you keep finding yourself in, where it feels so familiar, and it’s like swimming upstream to remember that it’s all fake. 

The two of you don’t even share a kiss, not even when you’re both tipsy, not even when you lean in to murmur something in his ear, and his answer brings his lips inches from yours. You want to kiss him, to forget that it’s all fake, but he sees you hesitate, and presses a gentle kiss to your cheek. Lips twisting in to a sad smile, you look out at the crowd of coworkers around you, dancing where the band had been replaced with a DJ, and you take another sip of your drink.

You’ve passed tipsy and dived straight into being drunk by the time you’re ready to head home, or well, back to your hotel room, but that required a taxi. Ben’s not much better off, and when you tug him into the back seat with you, he doesn’t argue. He’s the one who tells the driver the hotel they’ve got you all set up in, and you just lean against him, eyes fluttering closed, contentment filling you as he wraps his arm around you. 

“I don’t have any makeup wipes!” You gasp into the silence of the hotel elevator. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to head to his room, your arm tucked into his to keep you from swaying in place in the elevator. It might also be that Ben refused to let you be by yourself after you almost face planted getting out of the taxi.

“I’ve got some in case of emergencies.” He assured, fidgeting with his key card before the elevator comes to a stop.

“See, this is why I love you.” The words come so easily that neither of even catch at first as you make your way down the hall. Ben slows once your words have sunk in, and you both realise what you’d said. “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry.” Voice quiet, there’s a sudden sinking sensation in your chest that dampens the whole night for you, but he doesn’t say anything, just opens the door and starts rummaging through his suitcase for the wipes once he’s inside. Once he tosses them to you, he follows it quickly with an oversized shirt to sleep in. 

There’s a solid five minute argument about who would sleep on the sofa, both of you trying to give the other one the bed. It takes you yanking a pillow from the bed, laying on the sofa and refusing to move for Ben to concede defeat. The sofa, however, is the single most uncomfortable piece of furniture you’ve ever had the misfortune of trying to sleep on. Sucking up your pride, you clutch the pillow to your chest as you make your way to the edge of the bed. He’s turned away from you, engrossed in his phone.

“Ben?” You ask, and he looks over his shoulder at you, eyebrows raised in question. “The sofa is really uncomfy.” You pouted. With a grin, he shifted, making room for you.

“Holy shit.” Ben looks like he’s just seen a ghost. The two of you are in a nice restaurant in the city, it’s not five stars or anything like that, actually it happened to be your favourite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant with surprisingly good food and excellent service, and you were treating yourselves to a night out before Ben had to step outside to take a call. You didn’t begrudge him, that’s just how life was for the two of you. “Holy shit.” He repeated, and you looked up from your meal with raised eyebrows. 

“What’s up?” You ask, and to see the smile spreading slowly over his face has your heart warming. When he meets your eyes, he’s beaming.

“I think I’m going to be in X-Men.” He said quietly, and your fork fell from your hand, clattering against your plate.

“Holy shit.” You echoed, and he laughed a little, taking your hand when you offered it to him, squeezing gently. 

The stars seem to shine a little brighter as Ben beams up at them, your hand in his as the two of you walk home. Sure, there’s paperwork, nondisclosure agreements, rehearsals, and a few months until filming actually begins, but Ben’s landed a role in a high-budget action movie, and you’ve never been prouder. 

He spends the next few weeks in countless meetings, almost constantly in and out of phone calls with his manager and various producers, and when he’s not filming with Eastenders, he was usually training. He’s barely home, though neither of you are home a lot, you’re busy with your own projects, but when you see each other, he’s elated. You haven’t seen him this excited or motivated about a project before. 

Sometimes you miss him. Of course you miss him, you love him after all, he’s your boyfriend and your housemate, and you tell him all of this over dinner and he looks like he wants to say something, like he wants to freeze this moment in time forever, to bottle it up if he could.  You’re so proud, and you love him so much, and it’s the most beautiful thing in the world to watch those two parts of you coming together over a microwave dinner.

In the weeks leading up to filming, things change, and you feel like you never see him anymore. It’s not like before, then you were just busy, now he’s all over the country, in meetings and fittings and workshops. He calls, but your bed is so empty and sometimes you just want to come home to him and he’s not there, and he won’t be home until the end of the week. Things are still good and bright when you see each other - he’s always eager to make up for lost time - and you never once doubt how much he cares about you, but you feel... out of sync. 

The two of you had fallen asleep not facing each other, but you wake with his arm draped across you, and it feels so familiar, so right, that it stings when you actually come to and realise where you are. 

It’s been years since you’d woken up next to him, and you’d forgotten how pretty he is in his sleep. Part of you thinks that’s a good thing, that if you start to remember now you might keep dwelling. Another part of you urges you to go back to sleep; pretend or not, you should savour this moment you’ve missed so dearly. That’s the part that wins.

You expect when you wake again, for him to already be up and moving, as far away from you as possible, but instead you hear a sleep-rough greeting in your ear, and feel his chest firm against your back, his arm still around you where you’ve tucked yourself against him.

It’s not pretend, it feels like history repeating itself, and so you let yourself forget it’s fake for the moment, lean into him just a little and give a sleepy greeting back. Your heart already aches knowing how lonely you’ll feel once either of you move.

“I forgot how nice you smell.” He murmured, and that’s when you feel your heart already beginning to break. Instead of letting yourself crumble, your link your fingers with his hand where it’s slung over your waist.

“I forgot how warm you are; you’re like a furnace.” And you hear him laugh at that as he leans into you too, and let yourself bask in the moment.

the rat pack: @hotspacedeacon @strangeandwonderfulconcepts @itssaje @d-r-e-a-m-catchme ​ @callumidiot @rockandrollandshit @bohorap @pietrorunsforme @sweetfierceimagines @itsjackothy @mhftrs @sherlockiantheatrenerd @softbenhardy @multifandomgirlrandomstuff @virtualsheepeat @smile-nine @i-padfootblack-things @deaconsroger @spookyfrances @holyurlbatman @your-idiotic-excellency

(crossed out means it wouldn’t tag; i’ll try again for the next part, lemme know if you wanna be tagged xx)

[undinefin]

Promises - BNHA/MHA

hello ew tumblr's new colours lmao what. anyways!! sorry ive been so busy ;; hopefully the chapter makes up for that a bit www to the like. 4 people who read this lmao Genre: fantasy Ships: kirishima x bakugou Word Count: 6662 Author: @undinefin

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Eijirou had seen towns before. When he had finally perfected his human form, he’d gone into a few near his nest before his family had to relocate. The towns there were simple. Eijirou liked that about humans. Their little daily schedules, the way they would pack bond with objects or other species, and how they put value on things like clothes or paper.

All the towns he’d seen up until this point were quiet ones, where the most action or drama would be a party, or a bar fight. Occasionally the town would hold a festival and items would either drop or raise in price. But none of them were big, he could probably cross the town in a few strides as a dragon.

But Charnom was not one of those towns.

Above the buildings were streamers and flags of different colours. The central location where Katsuki had taken him was bustling with people. Eijirou was constantly being jolted from side to side. The boy had told him to look out for something called “pickpockets” and if he did see one, he could punch them.

Eijirou could pick up all sorts of conversations. Some were discussing a ball that was supposedly next week, others were haggling for goods at stalls, a few were simply joking around with friends, though a few conversations seemed to hold some tension. The dragon had never been this overwhelmed before. He’d felt this sense of wonder from humans before, and the warm feeling of appreciation and amazement was filling him once more.

“Close your mouth, you look like an idiot,” Katsuki ordered.

Eijirou smiled instead, letting his sharp teeth show. It was the one thing he was unable to fully change. He assumed it had to do with survival and his body ensuring he could still eat properly. Sometimes he’d have little success with shaping them into small rectangles, but within a day or so they’d grow back to the sharp state.

Katsuki led them through the busy market. Eijirou wasn’t able to properly process all of the stalls around him. He could point out some food or clothing stalls. A few seemed to sell weapons, or rather strange-looking drinks.

“Oh, Katsuki-chan! It’s been a very long time,” an old woman said weakly. The pair approached a small stall that seemed to sell food.

“I’ve brought some fruit.” He placed his pack onto the counter and took out the pots. “Oi, you too.” Katsuki gestured to Eijirou, who took a moment to pay attention to the boy’s orders instead of the thousand other things happening.

The old woman smiled softly. “It’s always nice getting fruit from you Katsuki-chan. You don’t charge a lot for your services, even though finding these fruits is so hard.”

Katsuki seemed almost concerned. “Is the business going okay?” he asked.

“Well, my daughter is supposed to take over, but she’s been so busy taking care of her son. I know my son-in-law won’t want to sit here running a fruit stall, but I don’t want to pressure the family either,” the old woman explained.

“Is there anything we can do?” Eijirou asked. He struggled to untie the pot lid.

The woman’s face brightened. “Oh, if you could! I wouldn’t want to trouble such nice young men. If you could, look after my grandson for a bit, then I’d be able to go out and sell my produce to a regular buyer.”

Katsuki opened his mouth, about to reject the offer, but he turned to see Eijirou’s pleading eyes. “Fine, when do you need us?”

The smile on her face made her weathering skin wrinkle more. “Oh, just after lunch!”

Eijirou nodded pleasantly as Katsuki dragged him back into the crowded street. They blocked themselves off into a side street. The smell of garbage and rotting food was extremely pungent there. Eijirou covered his nose in order to block out the disgusting stench.

“What the fuck man? I don’t wanna babysit some kid!” Katsuki pushed Eijirou’s shoulder back.

The dragon pouted. “Well I do! I almost never get to see human children.”

“That’s what this is about? You want to see a kid?” Katsuki shouted, his voice getting throaty from exasperation. The wrinkle between his brows became bigger, signifying his annoyance. The boy took a step back, realizing he was taking up the dragon’s space and forcing him against a wall.

Eijirou nodded shamelessly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Please?” he begged.

Katsuki sighed, “Whatever, we already agreed. But you’re doing all the work, okay? If the kid shits himself I’m not cleaning it up.”

“But I don’t know how!”

“Well neither do I!”

This sent Eijirou into a bit of a frenzy, worrying and fretting over taking care of human children. He knew the problems of taking care of dragon babies, the most concerning issue being losing sight of a small reptile.

Dragons, like most creatures, were free to nature as their bathroom. However, humans, somewhere along the line, found the concept rather disgusting and insisted that there be rooms dedicated to personal hygiene. This was another interesting thing about humans, though definitely one that Eijirou found quite troublesome. A bit needless if anything.

“How do you go to the bathroom, Bakugou?”

Katsuki whipped his head around, glaring. “What the fuck man? Why do I have to tell you?”

“Well, I didn’t see a bathroom in your house so I was just wondering,” Eijirou replied. He didn’t match the embarrassment that Katsuki seemed to have.

“There’s a river a few hundred meters out I use if it’s shit, but other than that I’m just like some animal,” he begrudgingly explained. The red on his face spread to his ears. “We’re not talking about this anymore.”

The two reached the town centre, which was a large circle that held no large building or structures, save for a wooden board and a large tower. The area had a brick path that lead around it, but there was also a fair amount of greenery. All of it was planted though.

“How are those flowers even surviving here...?” Eijirou wondered aloud.

“Why? Are they not supposed to?”

“These are Campanulas, they shouldn’t grow in Amagata’s climate at all. They’re obviously imported, and someone’s regulating the temperature around them. Or maybe it’s those weird...pesty-sides? Is that what they’re called? Maybe it’s fart-ill-eezer?”

“Fertilizer? Pesticides?” Katsuki guessed.

“Yeah that! Or magic I guess. But using magic for flowers seems like a lot more work than needed.”

Katsuki stared at the pretty blue flowers. “You’d be surprised.”

Eijirou watched in pure confusion as Katsuki approached the large wooden board. He could read some of the slips of paper with relative ease. They seemed to be requests, asking for favours in return for nik.

Bored, Eijirou let his eyes wander around the rest of the opening. Unlike the busy street they had been on, the town centre was lined with little cafés, and shops that sold odd, likely unnecessary, but still fascinating trinkets.

Eijirou found himself drawn to the large tower. It was made of dark brick that seemed to be fading in the sunlight. The structure looked far too thin to house people, but the exterior wasn’t particularly interesting either. He concluded it wasn’t a form of art, but still couldn’t make heads or tails of the weird circle at the very top.

“Hey Bakugou, what’s the tower for?”

The boy looked up towards where Eijirou was pointing. “That’s a clock tower,” he said simply.

“What does it do?”

“Can you shut up and give me a few seconds, then I can explain? If you’re not going to earn money then keep quiet,” he ordered.

Eijirou nodded, though not scared or worried about Katsuki’s tone. He amused himself with the birds that were flying from one building to the next, and the few who were waiting patiently at the cafés for a speck of food. He watched a few children running around the centre, playing some game he couldn’t understand.

Finally, Katsuki turned to him. “So, you see the numbers inside the circle?” he said out of the blue. Eijirou was surprised by the sudden conversation, but quickly nodded. “And the big sticks?” Eijirou nodded again. “Well you read those, and it tells the time of day.”

“It...it’s like a sundial?” Eijirou asked. He was confused enough by the odd device at Katsuki’s house, but the clock tower seemed even more vague. Time was another concept that Eijirou didn’t share with humans. It wasn’t something so organized for dragons. Perhaps because they lived so much longer, they didn’t need such strict schedules.

“No, it doesn’t tell you the month or day. It’s just used as a general thing,” Katsuki explained.

Eijirou did notice that the circle with numbers on it – the clock perhaps – was flat, unlike the sundial Katsuki owned, which dipped inside, creating a spherical shape. “Can you read it?”

“Yeah, it’s not hard. But it’s still sort of new to Piece. From what I’ve heard, they’re gonna stop using sundials. Speaking of time, we have to go pick up that old woman’s kid soon,” he mentioned.

The dragon would have stayed and tried to figure out how the clock worked but the excitement of meeting a human child outweighed the clock tower. The two made their way back into the crowded marketplace. Again, his senses were overwhelmed from the commotion.

Between the different food stalls, potion shops, and lamp tents, Eijirou could have sworn he saw a booth that sold trappings made from dragon scales, blood, and teeth. He didn’t focus on the stall for very long. Most humans would pay thousands for items such as those. Causing a commotion would only lead to suspicion, but he still couldn't help but quicken his pace.

“Katsuki-chan, over here!” the old woman waved from beside her stall, which had a sign telling patrons that it would be temporarily closed. Beside her was a very small child, which fascinated Eijirou more than anything. Human children were often extremely cute, with their miniscule hands and impossibly high voice.

As the pair approached the old woman, the boy sneaked behind her legs, using her as a barrier. “Oh, he’s just shy! Thank you so much for doing this, it’s such a huge favour!”

Katsuki grunted. He crossed his arms and refused to pay attention to the child. Eijirou on the other hand was excitedly waving towards the kid.

“It’s no problem ma’am. We’ll take care of him for a few hours!” Eijirou promised.

The old woman stepped aside, forcing the kid out in the open. He still clung to her legs, but his small, red face was facing the pair at least. “This is Kota, my grandson. He’s twenty-months old. He knows a few words, mostly ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ but—”

“Mommy!” Kota cried out. Tears formed at his eyes, and he clutched onto his grandmother with greater strength.

“Well, Kota can walk just fine. Take him somewhere where it’s distracting, but not busy. It’ll be great trouble if you lose him,” she laughed.

Eijirou felt his heart melt as the child begrudgingly let go of his grandmother’s leg. The dragon held out his hand, hoping Kota would take it.

“Now Kota-chan, this here is Katsuki-chan.” She pointed to Katsuki, who still refused to properly greet the child. “And this is...?”

Eijirou was caught off guard. Should he use the name he gave Katsuki? Or would someone, somehow catch onto it? No, Eijirou couldn’t take any chances. Not with his family and dragonkind being at risk just because of some stupid fight, which is what landed him in this position in the first place (not that this position was necessarily awful, it was just dangerous).

“I’m Kirishima. Nice to meet ya Kota-kun!”

The old woman pushed her grandson towards the pair. “Yes, this is Kirishima-chan. Be a good boy, okay Kota-chan?” With a kiss on the cheek, the grandmother made her way through the busy marketplace. Kota tried to follow her with his eyes, but quickly lost her in the crowd.

“Baa...Baa-cha...” he mumbled. His small voice, paired with teary eyes made Eijirou’s heart squeeze. Dragon children weren’t this cute.

Eijirou managed to slip Kota’s small hand into his, and Katsuki led them down a side street to stay away from the busy crowd.

“So, you’re twenty months old, huh Kota-kun?” Eijirou asked. His voice unconsciously pitched when talking to the child. Kota nodded slowly, bringing his thumb to his mouth to suck on. “How...how old is twenty months?” Eijirou asked, realizing he didn’t actually know what the value meant.

“God you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Hey! No swearing around the children!”

Katsuki sighed. “I don’t care damnit. The kid isn’t going to pick up any words from just two hours of being together.”

“Can I start calling you Katsuki-chan then?” Eijirou laughed.

“Absolutely fucking not! Also, twenty months is almost two years old, so he’s still basically a baby,” he answered Eijirou’s previous question.

“I...I don’t know a lot about humans but something tells me that’s incorrect.”

“Kids are all the same to me,” Katsuki defended himself. “Whatever. Where are we going with the brat?”

Eijirou looked towards Kota again, who was getting saliva everywhere from sucking on his thumb. His eyes were pinned to the floor. “Do you wanna go anywhere Kota-kun? Or do you want me and Katsuki-chan to choose?”

“Hey! Fuck you!”

“No swearing!”

Kota’s bottom lip trembled. “Baa-cha,” he said quickly.

Eijirou frowned. “I’m sorry Kota-kun, we can’t go to Baa-chan right now.” The child hung his head, whimpering and mumbling ‘Baa-cha’ over and over. “How about the town centre? Maybe we can eat something there? Or look at the birds!”

“Birdie?” His face brightened at the response. The widening eyes and curious expression slowly turning into excitement was enough for Eijirou to turn, and beg Katsuki to lead the way to the town centre.

“Look, you’re the one keeping him entertained, I’m just here babysitting two idiots,” he called from ahead. Eijirou paid the insult no mind, instead focusing on Kota, who was now excitedly jumping up and down.

***

Eijirou was impressed by how well Katsuki knew Charnom. He navigated the backstreets well, easily leading the three to the town centre. Again, Eijirou rested his eyes on the clock tower, but Kota tugging on his arm quickly distracted him. He seemed to be eagerly heading towards a flock of birds gathered at a café.

“Let him run around, it’s not as busy here. Just keep an eye on him and yell at him every so often,” Katsuki said.

Eijirou nodded, telling Kota to not wander far. The boy ran towards the birds, excitedly chasing them as they either hopped or flew out of his grasp.

“You know, the kid reminds me of you. I wonder if he’ll be anything like you when he grows up,” Eijirou commented. “Like, the spikiness of his hair is sorta’ similar, and his eyes are scarily angled that it kinda’ looks like he’s a bit mad all the time.”

“I do not look like some idiotic kid!”

The dragon laughed, showing off his pointy teeth. “Aww, is Katsuki-chan angry? Need a nap?” he teased.

“Shut your stupid face, or I’ll shut it up for you,” Katsuki growled.

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“By punching your damn jaw so hard you won’t be able to laugh anymore.” Katsuki cracked his knuckles, letting out an intimidating grin. His pupils seemed to reflect a fire that wasn’t present, but Eijirou could easily picture it.

Somehow, the dragon was disappointed by the response.

At some point, between when Kota had fallen onto the floor because some bird kicked dirt into his face, and when the woman at the café had given the boy crumbs to feed the birds, a man selling balloons walked by.

Eijirou had only seen balloons about two times in his life. They were a truly mysterious creation. He found it odd how humans found happiness and excitement in some thin sheets of paper being lifted by air. When he first saw them, he initially believed the user would control the balloon by manipulating the air. It turned out that a small flame would be conjured within the paper sphere, which would lift the entire contraption. Attaching a rope to it would give humans control over the balloon, preventing it from floating away.

Balloons could come in different colours, and different shapes too. Eijirou, who was a being that relied purely on magic, marveled at the amalgamation of science and magic. His intellect might play a part in his fascination—because Eijirou could never wrap his head around such subjects like arithmetic or science—but the limitless human imagination was still amazing.

Kota ran up to the two. “Please?” he pleaded, pointing at the balloon vendor.

Eijirou turned to Katsuki, who was in charge of the wallet. “Please?” he imitated the child.  The boy caved, handing a single nik to Eijirou. The dragon took Kota’s petite hand, leading him up to the vendor. As they approached the man, the toddler grew increasingly nervous.

After some fumbling, and broken conversation, Kota walked away with a forest green balloon. The pair ran back to Katsuki, who looked unimpressed by the decision.

“Here, pass me the string,” Katsuki demanded. Kota looked hesitant, hiding his small figure behind Eijirou’s legs. Eijirou slowly pulled the child from behind him, placing Kota’s hand into Katsuki’s. The boy kneeled while tying the string around Kota’s wrist. “There, now it won’t float away.”

Kota ran around again, this time his green balloon trailing behind him. Eijirou worried a bird would pick up the piece of paper, and fly off, leaving only a fire in a small wicker basket. To distract himself, Eijirou focused again on the clock tower.

“How does it work? Magic?” he asked, noticing how the rods of the clock were now in a different position.

Katsuki shrugged, “Hell if I know. If it isn’t on magic, then it probably started with it. Most things do that.”

“So, you guys just develop from magic to science?” Eijirou echoed.

“I think so. I dunno much about either of ‘em though,” Katsuki said, finishing the conversation. “Hey, didn’t we come here to get more books in the first place? Why don’t we go over there now? Even if the kid doesn’t wanna come he doesn’t have much a choice,” he grinned.

“Bakugou!”

“I thought I was Katsuki-chan to you,” he gibed. “Oi kid, we’re going to a new place now.”

Kota was startled by Katsuki’s yell. He scurried over to Eijirou, and this time took the initiative to hold Eijirou’s hand himself. Again, they followed Katsuki’s lead to the bookstore. The building was further from the busy market place, and west of the town center. There were only four or five other people on the street where they walked, none of them conversing.

Walking into the bookstore, the unusual smell of parchment and leather filled Eijirou’s nose. The room was filled with books of different lengths. There seemed to be signs on the shelfs, marking different genres, and even languages.

It was a different sense of wonder than the market. Here, Eijirou knew that the heart and mind of all humans were collected within these pages, all concentrated in this very store. People poured their thoughts, their studies, their emotions onto the pages and spun them so the words would turn into an idea, perhaps a different idea, in another person’s head.

There was a certain kind of magic that humans held with these books; one that Eijirou hoped to understand, even just an inkling of what they contained.

Kota pointed to a book that was stood on a table at the front of the store. It was clearly on display for people to look at. “Aw-Might!”

“Who?” Eijirou asked.

“Aw-Might! Strong!” he shouted. Kota ran towards the book, and flipped through it. When the contents proved to have no images, he sadly put the book down.

Eijirou faced Katsuki. “Who’s ‘Aw-Might?’”

The shopkeeper spoke up, “Oh! Are you Bakugou-kun’s friend? I heard that you don’t get out much. But even if you live under a rock, you should surely know of the Champion.” Eijirou shook his head in confusion. “Are you a foreigner?”

“Uh...yeah,” he responded. “Not from Piece.”

The old man beamed. “I’d be glad to tell you about the Champion! You know, he’s the Pride of Piece, the Unassailable Soul, the Champion–All Might! He’s a part of the Royal Guard, but he’s so strong that he’s basically a unit on his own. I don’t think there’s a day in Piece history, where he’s lost or surrendered.”

“Woah...so he’s a super strong, manly, man?” Eijirou asked.

“Strong! Aw-Might!” Kota nodded. He held his hands out in front of him, fists balled, and began running around the room. The child spewed nonsense, copying phrases and words that were on the cover of the All Might Book.

“He is!” the shopkeeper laughed. Eijirou picked up the book, and noticed the image on the front. The Champion seemed to be a big, burly man with the largest smile Eijirou could conceive of a human. His hair seemed to be a signature of sorts. The way the blond locks formed a V-shape atop his head was unusual. On his shoulder was a massive sword, as big as the man himself. It was rusted, and cuts on the blade itself told stories in themselves of the battles the Champion had fought.

“If you’ve ever heard of the Chimera Crisis, it was the Champion who fought off the beasts from the west coast. He participated in gladiator fights when he was younger, winning them three years in a row. It’s how he became so well known. Oh! He also took out the entire Darkwing Organization on his own,” the shopkeeper rambled on.

He listed many other achievements, including a preventing an assassination on the Royal Family, and resolving the conflict between the naiads and the selkies, who were flooding the towns and displacing many habitats.

“You know,” the shopkeeper chuckled. “Bakugou-kun used to come in here and read all sorts of stories of All Might when he was a child. He was obsessed with the Champion, weren’t you Bakugou-kun?”

The boy flushed, sputtering, though not denying the statement. “I was not obsessed!”

“He was passionate,” the old man said gently.

“All kids are passionate about All Might! He’s the strongest knight in Piece!”

Eijirou laughed, mimicking whatever action Kota had done before with his arms outstretched and fists balled. “Did you pretend you could go around like this? And carry a huge sword? Huh, Katsuki-chan?” he teased.

“Don’t call me that! All Might is the idol of every kid in this country, it’s only natural that I was also a fan!”

“Oh? Are you going by Katsuki now?” the shopkeeper asked, straying from the topic.

Katsuki let out a growl, grabbing Eijirou by the flaps of his vest. His voice was hoarse from shouting, his eyes filling with white. “I don’t! Shitty Hair if you don’t fucking stop—”

“Kaccha?”

The boy saw red.

Katsuki turned to see Kota looking up at him, but his small face rounded more, and his eyes looked much bigger. His red cheeks from excitement looked instead like he was crying. The small figure was shaking in Katsuki’s eyes, and suddenly it wasn’t Kota standing in the bookstore anymore.

“Kaccha?” the toddler repeated.

Katsuki strode up to the child, his blood boiling. A part of him knew what he saw wasn’t true, but that alone wasn’t enough to stop his fist from raising above his head. Katsuki cocked his head to the side, his neck straining from the position. He stared at Kota, who was no longer Kota to him. Adrenaline ran through his blood, urging him to bring down his hand.

Kota swallowed, his eyes no longer glowing. “...scary,” he mumbled. The boy ran to Eijirou, who could only stare at the scene.

Katsuki turned to Eijirou, seeing the unnatural white in his face. Slowly realizing exactly what his actions had implied, he rushed towards the two, preparing an apology in his head. He was sweating, the palms of his hands wet from fear and anxiety.

“I didn’t—”

“No! Not Kaccha!” Kota screamed. The sound ripped through Katsuki’s ears. He lunged, preparing his hand to grab a throat.

At contact, Katsuki was holding onto small red scales. A small hiss, and a bit of smoke was released from his hand. Looking up, he met Eijirou’s eyes which wore an emotion Katsuki had never seen in them before. His eyes shone, maybe because of his draconic nature, but to Katsuki, it felt as though the dragon was going to cry.

Snapping his hand back, Katsuki stormed out of the shop. He didn’t look back, but did wait at the door for the other two. There was no movement for a long time. Katsuki simply stood, looking onto the empty street and forcing himself to push out his violent and grey memories. No, right now he had to focus on living. He wouldn’t see that damn useless guy anymore.

Katsuki slapped his cheeks. It was still a habit to call that guy useless, but Katsuki knew better than that now. That’s what he promised.

The door beside him opened slowly, and Kota walked out shyly. His hands were gripping onto his shirt, and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Bakugou-san!” he shouted.

“Good job!” Eijirou’s voice called from inside. The dragon lead the child out, so all three were on the street. Katsuki could hear the shopkeeper call out a farewell through the wall.

Katsuki took a deep breath. “Me too kid. Sorry for being bad.” He bowed his head slightly. Bad was an understatement.

Eijirou nodded. “We won’t call you that anymore. Sorry.”

Kota couldn’t hold it anymore. He began to whimper, and transitioned into a full-blown meltdown. Big tears fell down his cheeks, and his small mouth let out a perpetual, high-pitched cry. Eijirou tried to hush him, but Kota only panicked from the proximity, flailing his arms. Eijirou took the message and backed up.

The boy raised his hands and began rubbing the tears away from his eyes. Katsuki watched as the balloon’s rope slowly slid off his wrist with each rub. When Kota finally pulled his hand away, the balloon took off into the sky.

This only prompted more crying. The child grasped for the string, which was already out of reach for him. Katsuki jumped to grab the string, but it slipped from his fingers which were still sweaty from before. He cursed, backing up and hoping to gain more leverage.

Before Katsuki could jump again, a pair of wings crossed his field of vision. When he blinked, Eijirou was on the ground with the balloon in his hand. His vest was tossed to the side, leaving a man shirtless in the street with a balloon in hand, and a smile of sharp teeth.

He put a finger to his lips. “Kota-kun, don’t tell anyone you saw that okay?” Eijirou bent down, and gave the balloon back to Kota.

“Pretty...” the child whispered. Katsuki watched the child stare intently into Eijirou’s eyes, which radiated onto his cheeks. The beautiful gold had returned to the dragon's eyes, but slowly faded.

“You promise you won’t tell anyone?” Eijirou asked again.

Kota nodded, still fascinated with whatever creature stood before him. “Promise!”

***

The last purchase the pair made was a candlestick and saucer for the walk home. They didn’t share much conversation on the way back to the glade. Eijirou kept on asking if he could bring out his wings and fly back, since walking was really tiring, but Katsuki had already given him a heavy scolding from his stupid, past actions.

The Wyrm Forest felt much denser at night, as if the canopies closed in without the sun. It was eerily quiet, only the sounds of cicadas filling the air.

“Are you sure we won’t be attacked?” Eijirou asked for the nth time. “I swear this forest gets creepier at night.”

Katsuki groaned. “I already told you Shitty Hair, wyrms don’t attack unless they feel threatened! And considering how big they are, that isn’t very often! Unless you go around poking a stick at them or some crap, they won’t attack you. They’re your cousins y’know. They’re smart.”

Still jittery, Eijirou gave a hesitant nod. “How do you make this journey so often? It’s so long,” the dragon whined.

“Ya get used to it. Why? Not strong enough to do it? Need me to carry your lazy ass?” Katsuki jeered. He bent over, as if inviting the dragon for a piggy-back-ride.

“Really?” Eijirou played along. He grabbed Katsuki’s shoulders and almost jumped up onto his back, but the boy ran ahead, laughing.

Katsuki was the one holding the candle, but Eijirou needed neither light nor warmth. His glowing eyes provided enough light for him to see, and as a fire dragon, he could certainly regulate his body temperature. Katsuki found it almost frustrating how magical Eijirou really was. Every component of him worked off of, and in turn, exuded mana.

“You wanted to know why my wing got torn, yeah?” Eijirou broke the momentary silence.

Katsuki nodded rather shamelessly. His childlike curiousity took over from the main point he was trying to make.

“The truth is that, well, I got too close to a group of travelling humans. They were hunting some egg or something. I was fascinated by their carriages, and the way they had enchanted their swords. I wanted to see humans do what they do best: make things happen.” Eijirou’s eyes flashed a brighter orange. “But they must’ve had some ranger or someone else hiding where I couldn’t see, or even hear!

“Before I knew it, I was being fired at. I couldn’t properly protect myself without jeopardizing all dragons as a whole. I tried to fly away, but as I began to flap my wings, they must’ve shot some explosive projectile or maybe some magic but whatever it was, it tore my wing.”

The two broke through the forest wall, entering Katsuki’s glade. He watched as the form beside him fell onto all fours, the skin and hair stretching and slipping off. It was sickening to watch Eijirou's eyes roll back into his head, and his nails growing abnormally long. He struggled to get off his vest and pants while scales enveloped his entire body, which was now four times the size of Katsuki. The dragon took a step forward. His body mass was finally big enough to shake the ground. His sharp teeth simply grew in size, and a second row sprouted up behind the first. Finally, with a shake of his head Eijirou returned to his full form and his eyes slid back, fiery orange.

“That was horrifying what the fuck. Doesn’t it hurt?”

Eijirou nodded. “A bit. It hurts more to go the other way though. Anyways, after my wing was shot, I set some nearby trees on fire and ran until I reached the North Mountains. Stayed up there for a few days but that damn Cherufe was so infuriating I left. That’s when I got to the forest, and I met you soon after.”

“Huh, you’d think dragons could heal faster,” Katsuki mentioned.

“Man, I wish!” Eijirou exclaimed. “It’s because we’re so reliant on magic, and so huge that it takes a long time to heal stuff. We can take lots of blows, but it usually requires a year to recover from a full fight. Well, then again, a year isn’t worth much to a dragon.”

“Why do you still like humans if they’re trying to kill you all the time?”

“You’re not trying to kill me,” Eijirou said. Katsuki glared. “Okay, okay. To be honest, I don’t even know. But everything you li’l guys do is so fascinating. You’ve built castles and churches larger than even some of the biggest dragons! By yourselves too! And the paintings, or songs, or the way you live your lives is so odd, but always so interesting.”

“So, you’re just a fuckin’ nerd,” Katsuki concluded.

Eijirou snorted, “Sure.”

Katsuki stopped at the door to his hut. He looked the dragon in the eye, and hardened his expression. “I’m definitely gonna do it. I’ll create a kingdom where I’m the king, and there’s gonna be dragons everywhere. You and I will be sitting on a massive pile of gold.”

Eijirou’s amber eyes shone, and the dragon gave a massive, toothy grin. He nodded, nudging Katsuki with his snout. With the silent exchange, Katsuki watched the dragon walked away to hide himself in the woods to sleep.

Katsuki dreamed of flying in the sky. He couldn’t tell if it was from his own abilities, or another force, but beside him was Eijirou. Instead of a dragon, it was his human form with wings sprouting from his back. The sky was a clear blue. The boy knew it was a dream. Eijirou wouldn’t fly so freely when he could be spotted, but Katsuki wanted to stay in the moment a little longer.

But the Eijirou in his dreams was too one-dimensional. Sure, the dragon’s laugh was pleasant to the ears – almost addicting – but it was the only thing that dream-Eijirou could do. There was no banter, and no matter how hard he tried, Katsuki couldn’t say a word. Possibly the worst element was the distance between them. Katsuki couldn’t move closer to the dragon at all.

Slowly, the form began to fall, like he’d seen earlier. His skin dripped off, like candle wax and fell to the earth. Underneath the layer of skin was unnervingly slimy scales. Even with the sounds of his bones cracking, and eyes rolling back and forth, the dragon was still laughing. The sound became distorted, low and then high frequencies replacing the once beautiful laughter.

Eijirou fully turned to Katsuki, revealing the blood on the side of his face, hemorrhaging from a chunk taken off his head. Bits of bone were visible, and the blood slowly turned to scales on his face, locking the dragon’s despairing expression in place.

He woke up in a sweat. Katsuki took a moment to regulate his breathing, hoping his heart would slow down with it.

“Bakugou.”

The boy screamed, nearly jumping out of his bed. He turned to see Eijirou in his human form, with the same expression on his face that Katsuki had seen in the dream, minus the blood.

Eijirou looked ready to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better guest here. A better man. I’m so sorry,” he whispered it, speaking quickly.

Katsuki stood up. “What do you mean? The hell’s going on? Were you attacked?”

Eijirou pursed his lips, which were trembling. “Not yet. I was too careless in town, I know they’re coming I can feel it, I can hear it. They’ll come here eventually.”

“No—”

“I have to leave. I can’t put my family in danger anymore.” His eyes were a bland maroon. “I’m sorry,” he said it again. Katsuki could see light out his window. The sun hadn’t lifted into the sky. No, it was torches, and with torches came humans.

“I know it’s selfish to leave you here in danger. I’m so sorry, I’ll try to throw them off somehow but—”

“You’re damn right it’s selfish,” Katsuki growled. His hands were getting sweaty again, but this time with anger. “You’re just gonna go? As if nothing ever happened? I can’t believe that you’re just abandoning me! If you were so worried about this why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” He felt his heart beat faster with every demand.

“I didn’t want to worry you! You’re too headstrong, you’d try to fight that entire town if I told you. I’m leaving,” the dragon declared.

“So, what!? I told you, I said it myself I would fight every damn person on this continent if it meant that you could fly freely.” Katsuki grasped Eijirou’s arm, feeling the unnatural heat emanating from it.

Eijirou smiled sadly. “I know you would. And I know you can definitely do it, but not now. Now isn’t the time.”

Katsuki almost screamed. “Then when is the time!? Huh?”

Eijirou began backing out of the hut. “I’m sorry,” he said again. The boy followed him, grabbing his sword in case he did need to fight.

The dragon broke out into a run, letting his wings form, but they were stuffed into his vest. Katsuki ran after him, putting every ounce of energy he could into chasing down the Eijirou. “Wait!” he cried. “You’re definitely coming back, right?”

Eijirou stopped and turned. He seemed to wipe a tear from his eye. “I will. I promise I’ll come back.”

“When?” Katsuki begged.

“Soon.”

“How soon is that!?” his voice broke. He cracked on the last word, some foreign feeling filling his throat. Katsuki wanted to blow something up, he wanted to destroy whatever awful thing was tearing at his heart right now.

The dragon’s eyes reflected light that wasn’t his. The people were drawing closer to the glade. Even though they couldn’t hear him from across the field, Eijirou still lowered his voice. “I don’t really know. It could be months, it could be years.”

Katsuki seemed to whimper at the response. “So...you’re really going? Just like that? If you could stay, we could lie, or fight them off. Don’t just leave you asshole,” he matched Eijirou’s volume.

Eijirou nodded. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a smoothed claw. “This is... actually really weird and mildly disgusting if you think about it but...I didn’t want to leave everything behind, and I selfishly wanted you to remember me, even just a bit.” Eijirou held the orange claw in his hand, which gleamed under the moonlight.

“I made this quickly. It’s one of my claws but it’s smaller for obvious reasons.” He placed it in Katsuki’s hand.

“Magic?” the boy guessed. Eijirou nodded. “Yeah it’s sort of disgusting,” Katsuki agreed. “Like, really disgusting. I could’ve gone without the fucking details.”

Eijirou laughed. He pulled out another claw that was similar to the one Katsuki was given. Holding his empty hand above both of the claws, he casted a small light upon them. “It’s a weak sort of tracking. This is the best I can do to keep you and I safe,” he explained. “It’ll grow warmer the closer we are to each other. I’ll definitely find you again.”

Katsuki bit his lip, trying to compose himself. “Okay.” He nodded. “Okay, you better find me again, you lazy asshole.”

Eijirou leaned in, touching his forehead to Katsuki’s. Neither of them could say a word. Katsuki couldn’t bring himself to give a proper farewell. The boy wanted to grab Eijirou and force him to stay. Maybe he could tie him down, or barter with the nymphs to protect him. Though, Katsuki knew that none of those were the best option for the dragon. Eijirou would have to leave.

He felt the heat leave his forehead. Katsuki watched the dragon give him one last, toothy smile before flying off into the night. Katsuki could only follow his figure until he reached the clouds, where only a wisp of Eijirou was left.

The claw in his hand was cold.

Turning to face the torches, Katsuki could make out a horde of people. They carried pitchforks, weapons, and hatred. They were angry. They were envious. The boy couldn’t help but scream, let the sound know exactly what he intended to do.

He made his promise, and he was going to keep it. Katsuki was going to build his throne of gold, sit upon it, and create a kingdom. Once he did, his dragon would surely return to him.

ahhHH the plot continues to move~ in case you haven't noticed it, these two are about 4 years in the past from the others in their timeline. after this chapter, everyone will be in the same time. hope that isn't too confusing!!  thanks for reading ;;; if u have any comments or wanna let me know u liked it!! the like button!!!! i sound like a bad youtuber okay thank u!!!

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[the-lady-bryan]

Weird Waitressing Dream - April 7, 2019

So last night I had a weird ass dream that felt so damn real I was disoriented for about 10 mins after I woke up and honest to got believed I'd made a big mistake quitting my job.... Only to realize that there's no such thing as an italian/waffle house fusion restaurant and I haven't been able to work due to medical shit since 2014. So.... anyway, here we go.

The best way to describe the start of the dream is I guess dream logic? A sort of montage but not montage I guess. This period encompassed around seven or eight years of dream time where I worked as a waitress in a, as stated above, italian/waffle house fusion restaurant. (I'd like to note that in the dream, I never saw what my life was like outside of work. I only know that I had a family and needed this job to help support them. And that my son was in high school. I may or may not have had other children. I don't know.) You know how every waffle house-type restauarant has "everyone's fave waitress"? I was it. I busted my ass, got great tips, the customers loved me and I was actually perfectly happy with my job even if the hours were long and most of my co-workers were assholes....

Speaking of co-workers... The only ones I ever saw were Angie, a teenager who worked after school that I'd trained so she was awesome. And The Bitch. She had a name but I never learned what it was in my dream because she always forgot her nametag and everyone except one other person called her "The Bitch". So, I'll assign her one now. Let's call her Brittany. I knew a lot of bitches in school named Brittany. And the last member of this cast of workers was Jamie. He was a lazy asshole who I think was a cross between maintenance guy and cook but I never saw him cooking or, well, doing anything really. He always sat at the end of the bar and drank Coronas all day, every day. (I only know they were Coronas because right before bed I'd looked up to see if a local bar, called Coronas, was still open of if it had closed down since I ain't seen people at it in a while. It closed down. Anyway, back to the dream.) The cast is rounded out by assorted customers coming and going, a few of them are regulars.

Okay so like, dream logic time lapse thing happens and then I walk in for a shift one morning. I'm pulling a double and relieving the general manager who is just finishing a double. I never see her, but anyway, I clock in and already Brittany is riding my ass and I ain't been there but less than five minutes. Angie isn't there yet because she's still at school. Brittany doesn't do shit but run her mouth all morning and afternoon till Angie gets there. Jamie's in his spot sucking down beers and I'm pretty much running the place alone but like a well oiled machine. I've got a system, and it's letting me cook, clean, and serve without any problems. I'm keeping the customers happy, racking in fantastic tips, all the while The Bitch just keeps on bitching and once in a while does a table that doesn't look like they'll be ordering anything too complicated.

Angie gets there and suddenly she's singing a different tune. Butter won't melt in her mouth. I know somethin is up because Britt the Bitch HATES Angie nearly as much as she hates me (I still don't know why she hates me but whatever. I just keep on a working). I work Angie into my system and the pair of us are doing great. Then Jamie decides he's done being the cook but he'll still do maintenance and what do you know he's decided fuck us using the grill - he's gotta fix it right this fucking second! - So the grill gets broken but I'm like "don't worry, I gotchu burger people!" and BAM! I whip out a George Foreman and slam it down on some clear counter space in the cooking area where I can keep an eye on it. And me and Angie just keep on bangin out orders.

My double ends and then weird dream time passing shit and I'm back at work. General Manager had pulled another long shift and has gone home. Jamie's in his spot, the Bitch starts her bitching, and I get to work as usual. But there's something.... different. Angie is there. And we're working like normal but she's not supposed to be there. She's supposed to be at school. So between orders I'm like "bitch you need to leave and get to school. your education's important and you don't wanna end up here forever." and she's like "eh." I eventually get her to leave and go to school. Late but she still goes. Angie's a great gal and whatever dream world she exsts in, she's gonna go far as long as she sticks to that life plan she's made for herself to get into chemical research.

Anyway so Angie leaves and I'm alone with the two laziest motherfuckers on dream-Earth.

Shift eventually ends and I leave.

TIME SKIP DREAM SHIT AND..... I'm walking in the door at work. Got my apron on. There's a promotion up for grabs and it's pretty obvious who's gonna get it. Me. I just have to get through one more shift before the owner of the place makes the announcement. This is pretty much just a formality at this point. Plus I was scheduled anyway so whatever.

The entire fucking day Brittany will NOT shut the fuck up about this guy "Justin" and how she's gonna totally hire him to be the new pizza chef. She's so bad with this that customers are like "Z, your awesome spaghetti sausage omelette is the best but even that isn't worth this shit. Here's my money, here's a tip for having to put up with this bitch, but I'm out." and she's literally driving away business to the point that after Angie's gotten out of school and clocked in the place is fucking dead. So, I decided fuck it, I'mma start cleaning shit to make it easier for shift change and cleaning your restaurant is just some really good positive shit man. I've got myself a big glass of iced sweet tea and I'm boppin along. And then, I take a break cause we're still dead. The moment my ass hits a stool at the counter, Brittany starts going on about "Great, now that SOMEONE is finally willing to sit down and shut up, we can get this meeting started" and I'm like "wtf? what meeting? Did Antonia call a staff meeting today? When's she get here?" and this bitch is all smug like "Ive been here for fifteen years so what I say goes and when I get the manager job" and I stopped listening after that and was like "Look, if you wanna hire this Justin guy then do it and shut the fuck up about it because you sound like an obsessive ex girlfriend the way you keep fucking talking about him." and Jamie's like "you can't talk to her like that!" and Angie's like ".......uh....... just pretend i'm not even here...." and Brittany, smug as shit is like "you've always had a problem with me since your first day! you'd better shape up or-" and finally i'm just so fucking done with this bitch. I very calmly say, "You're right." which shocks her enough and distracts both her and jamie enough for me to get up, untie my apron, take one large gulp of my huge ass iced sweet tea and then throw the liquid in this bitch's face while very calmly saying "Fuck this. I quit." I then threw the actual glass, it bounces off of jamie's head and hits the bitch in the face before falling and finally breaking, and then i take off the apron, drape it over my arm, and still weirdly calmly walk out the door.

once outside, i round the corner of the building and i call my boss, the GM, Antonia... who is also the owner. and i'm apologizing all over for waking her up because i know she had to pull another super long and hard shift and i know she's tired but i wanted her to know from me instead of hearing it from someone else that i had just quit and walked out and that i just can't work with "The bitch and that lazy fucking whale" anymore.

Now, Antonia was shocked to hear me swear because apparently despite real world not-dream me swearing like a goddamn sailor all the time, dream me NEVER talked like that. only in the most extreme of situations and then it usually had been like, Ned Flanders level of swearing. But I'm so done. i've lost my chill. i have none left. there are no more fucks for me to give. they've all been used up and i can't buy anymore because they stopped manufacturing the fucks for my model number. the point is, to Antonia, me swearing is "oh shit is this the purge?" level of panicing she should be doing right now.

after a few minutes of me losing my fucking cool on the phone she's like "i have another call and need to put you on hold." so she does, then not even a full sixty seconds later she's back and she's like "go home, calm down, and i'll talk to you tomorrow." and i'm like "why? i don't work here anymore. so fuck it." and she's like "no. go home Z, and calm your tits. i WILL speak with you tomorrow."

the last thing i heard before waking up was The Bitch screaming from the front of the building about having to actually fucking do her job for once and that Jamie was a useless piece of shit and Angie was a lying whore and I was a drug addict and shit.

after i woke up i sat in a chair for ten fucking minutes worried about having fucked up my family because i quit my job in a fit of rage instead of landing that promotion and that we'd have to sell the house and now i can't afford my meds and...

then it hit me. the building in my dream where i worked corresponds to a real life waffle house location down the street from my neighborhood, and they definitely are not an italian/waffle house fusion restaurant.

[okayhotshots]

the more things change; jake x amy

ao3 link | tell me what you think

***

Jake Peralta isn’t big on change. He’s had the same car, same mattress, same attitude for longer than he can remember. But when his feelings for Amy Santiago come into play, Jake will either have to learn to deal with change or run from it.

A sequence of snapshots into Jake’s mind as his feelings for Amy change over time.

***

i. the “date” turned stakeout

He’s probably the furthest thing from romantic that a person can get. It’s not that he lacks the ability or the desire to be romantic, he’s just never had a reason. He prefers the light and breezy path of life he’s chosen to take. No broken hearts. No pining. No romance. He doesn’t need any of that. It would only distract him from work, and honestly, work is what matters most to him.

But, as he learned very quickly when he became a cop, things can change in the blink of an eye. And he had no idea when he took Amy Santiago out for their disaster date, that things would change.

Maybe it wouldn’t have if they hadn’t been sent to the stakeout location. He would have spent the night embarrassing her and rubbing his victory in her face. She would have been beyond annoyed and probably never would have spoken to him again. He’s glad things worked out this way.

He doesn’t realize what’s happening at first. The flirting and the teasing? It seemed so normal. They had never been quite this alone before, and Jake was seeing sides of Amy he’d never seen before, and somehow, seeing her in a new light all together.

But something changes. He doesn’t know the exact moment. It’s fleeting, but every so often, he’ll get a fluttering in his chest and swooping in his stomach when Amy does something he would normally consider annoying, and a warmth spreads through him when she smiles and when she laughs. It’s even worse when he’s the one to make her do either of those things. But it’s those changes that make it impossible for him to tell Holt to send the night team. He plays it off with Amy the next day, but it’s honestly the best date he’s ever had, spun from a bet or not.

When he finally gets home from the stakeout, he collapses on his bed, fully prepared to pass out to the sounds of Netflix in the background, but he can’t stop thinking about her. He closes his eyes but all he can see his Amy laughing on that rooftop as she attempted to catch a nut with nothing but her mouth.

It’s never been like this for him. It’s all sex jokes and one-night stands. He doesn’t catch feelings for people. He saw what it did to his mom when his dad left, and he never wanted to feel the way she felt. But god damn it. Amy has taken over every single one of his thoughts, and there’s nothing he can do to shake it.

The scariest part is, he’s not sure he wants to.

ii. the missed opportunity

He spends too long being afraid.

He keeps trying to tell himself that he’s somehow misunderstood his friendship with Amy for something more. Stranger things have happened. There was that week in middle school when he thought he might be into Gina. Thankfully, that week was so weird for both of them, neither one of them ever bring it up.

But he knows this is different. No one has ever consumed him like Amy. No one else has ever worked their way into every single thought he has, settled into his heart the way she has. But he’s scared. Jake Peralta, the guy who rushes into crime scenes without a second thought, is scared of letting himself feel something for someone.

It’s not just that he’s afraid he might get hurt. (Even though that’s a large part of it). He’s also worried about what it could do to their friendship, to the great dynamic they have going on at work. He likes having Amy in his life. Especially since they’ve grown closer since the stakeout. They even hang out when they aren’t at work. He doesn’t want to lose her entirely. So he keeps his mouth shut and his feelings secret.

That’s when Teddy comes along. It comes completely out of left field. Amy doesn’t usually date, and if she does, she’s very secretive about it. And by the time he realizes Teddy is making a move, and even worse, that Amy’s into it, it’s too late.

He beats himself up for it. Jake doesn’t miss windows of opportunity, especially not because he’s scared of the consequences that might unfold if he climbs through. That’s why when Amy and Teddy join them at the bar one night, he buys everyone a round before taking his beer and disappearing into a corner alone.

He could talk to someone about it, but what would be the point? Amy is dating someone else. She’s probably happy, and he’s just going to have to live with it. Besides, Charles and Gina can’t keep secrets and Rosa doesn’t do feelings. And the one person he would really be comfortable talking it out with is Amy but that’s off the table for more reasons than one.

Terry is the one that gets him out of his slump. They drink more than they should that night, and as Terry practically drags him back to his apartment, Jake finds himself spilling more than he ever planned on spilling.

“Terry, she’s just so great,” he says, vision blurry and words slurring more and more by the second. “I know I give her hell, but she’s great.”

He isn’t sure what Terry says in response. But he’s sure it has to do with the fact that he keeps repeating himself. He wonders, for a moment, if he should just call her. Only to be thankful the next morning that Terry took his phone.

He doesn’t remember getting home. He wakes up on his couch, a sloppy note from Terry on his coffee table. Something about Amy, and the location of his phone.

His head is pounding as he pushes himself into a sitting position, and he runs his fingers through his hair. He knows he drank too much. And it didn’t even work. He was drinking in hopes that it would make him forget Amy for awhile, but all it did was make his head hurt. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to gain some composure before he gets up. But emories from last night start flooding in.

He remembers standing outside the bar, arm and arm with Terry singing a song he thinks might be from RENT. He remembers drunkenly walking into a Taco Bell and getting a 12-pack of tacos. And finally he remembers Terry dragging him into the elevator and into his apartment. And he kind of wishes he could forget what he remembers next.

Terry had just finished lowering him onto the couch, when Jake looked up at him, pointing a finger in his direction. “Terry, can I tell you something I haven’t told anyone?”

He thinks that the sarge might have been closer to sober than he was at that point, because he nodded. “Sure, Peralta. Lay it on me.”

“I love her,” Jake said, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. “I’m in love with Amy Santiago.”

He feels like his heart has dropped into his stomach, and the warm feeling he gets when he’s with Amy is far from him now. Instead, a rush of cold, icy, fear washes over him.

He just had too much to drink, right? Sure, he likes Amy, but he’s not in love with her. He decides that it’s the alcohol he has to blame, pushing the memory to the back of his mind, content to forget that it ever happened. As far as the sarge knows, he doesn’t even remember it.

iii. romantic-stylez

Jake is a master at playing pretend. Or maybe he’s just so busy with work, he doesn’t have time to think about Amy and Teddy, and the fact that he told Terry that he’s in love with her.

Either way, things get a little easier. He’s able to focus around Amy again. They work well together, they tease, and bicker, and sometimes they still hang out. But it’s harder now. Amy likes to talk about Teddy, and he has no valid reason to ask her to stop. If he did, it would only make things harder for her. It would ruin everything, so he grins and bears it.

He’s learned to stop being shocked when things change. That’s just how the world works, and he has, to a point, come to accept that. But he tries not to let it throw him too far off track. He hyper-focuses on work, doing his best to move on.

It would be his luck, that he stumbles on a case being investigated by the FBI. If this had been a couple months ago, Jake would have been through the roof. He would have gone undercover without a second thought, ready to be the cop he always wanted to be. But things have changed, they always do.

He still agrees to do the op. He’d be an idiot not to. But that means danger, that means possible death, and no contact with the Nine-Nine for the operations entire length.

He wrestles with his brain for hours. At first, he thinks he’s just being dramatic. Nothing is going to happen to him, he doesn’t have to say anything to Amy about the way he feels. But he’s quick to remember that things don’t always go as planned, and he’s stumbling out of the precinct to catch Amy before he can stop himself.

Amy looks shocked and mostly confused as he tells her how he feels. He doesn’t say he loves her. He’s still not sure he really does. But he does tell he wishes they could be together. Not quite as eloquently, but it gets the point across. He runs away before he can get a response.

He spends the next six months wondering what effect his words would have on her. He wonders if she’s still with Teddy, if she feels the same way. And he misses her. More than he would care to admit.

In the end, it doesn’t matter. Amy stays with Teddy, and Jake feels like a fool for thinking Amy could ever feel that way about him.

iv. the distraction

Either Terry doesn’t remember Jake confessing his love for Amy, or he thinks it’s a lost cause. He’s the one that actually convinces him to try and move on, and Jake, stupidly, takes the advice.

Sophia is great. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and they have a lot in common. He genuinely enjoys spending time with her, despite the fact their jobs conflict a lot. He likes her, and he wants them to work.

Jake quickly learns that just because you want something to work doesn’t mean it will. He’s been playing pretend so long, he’s starting to believe it’s real. So when he pretends that he’s over Amy, he’s convinced himself that he is. Even though he’d rather hang out with Amy than go on a date with Sophia. He never admits that out loud, of course, it’s rare he even thinks it.

Part of him knows it’s not fair to string Sophia along. And he knows he’s being selfish keeping her around as a distraction, but he can’t let go. Maybe it’s because he wants to believe he can get over Amy. Or maybe it’s because he thinks that this is how to get over Amy. Either way, he’s almost desperate to get her to stay.

Things are weird after the dinner with Amy and Teddy. Sophia tries to let him down gently, but he won’t have it. Playing pretend has made him believe he might be in love with Sophia and he won’t miss another window of opportunity. So, as usual, Jake embarrasses himself.

It doesn’t hit him just what a negative effect this whole thing has had on Sophia until she’s standing in front of him with tears in her eyes, recalling that awkward dinner and the look on his face when he found out Amy used to have feelings for him.

“I saw the way you looked at her.”

He tried to so hard to play it off. But he knew he failed when a few of her tears actually slipped down her cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sophia let out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Jake, you looked at her the way you’re supposed to look at me.”

And it’s then, perhaps for the first time, he realizes just how deep in this he is.

v. six months in

He can’t thank Rosa enough for setting this up for them. Jake has never been the romantic type. He always wanted to be, but he never had a reason. But with Rosa’s help, and a little bit of prompting, it all comes together pretty easily, and the look on Amy’s face makes it all worth it.

They spend the night searching through bookshelves, and he listens to Amy tell him about her favorite stories. And the warmth in his chest has only grown into a fire that consumes him every time he’s in Amy’s presence and he’s okay with that.

She fallS asleep in the early hours of the morning, their backs pressed against a shelf, her head resting on his shoulder, a light snore escaping her lips.

He watches for a few minutes as she sleeps, unable to deny any longer that he’s head-over-heels in love with her. He remembers months ago when Amy was still with Teddy, how she mentioned how how bad break-ups were and how she hoped she never had to go through one again. At the time, he had used it to gauge how well their relationship was going, but now he understands.

In that moment, he doesn’t know if she’s the one, but he knows he’d be devastated if this didn’t work out, or end on a positive note. Amy is sunlight and happiness, and makes him feel things he never thought he would feel. He doesn’t want to break up, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure they don’t.

vi. april twenty-eighth

He’s learned not to be shocked when things change, in fact, Amy’s kind of taught him to embrace it. New mattress, new apartments, new places, new stories. That’s why when everything changes one random day in April, he isn’t afraid.

Jake is scrolling through his phone, trying to find something on his timeline other than Gina’s endless tweets. His phone vibrates signaling another test from Rosa, but he’s quickly distracted.

Amy gasps from her spot in the bed beside of him, and he looks over with a raised eyebrow. She’s doing a crossword, what could be so shocking? When she notices that he’s looking, she shifts the paper a little so Jake can get a better look.

“There’s a typo in the crossword!”

His expression softens as she goes back to concentrating, and his heart has dropped to his stomach in the best way. A slight smile pulls on the edge of his lips, and he feels at peace. And it dawns on him, he never wants this end. Relaxing after work, Amy nerding out over her crossword puzzles, just being with her. He wants to do this for the rest of his life. And not with anyone but Amy Santiago.

The random day in April quickly becomes something more. It becomes the day he stops running. It becomes the day he stops being afraid. It becomes the day that he makes the best decision he’s ever made. It becomes the day he decides he wants to marry the love of his life.

[ughthatimagineblog]

mama

jim hopper x reader

requested:   Could I request a Jim Hopper x reader where they're making a meal for themselves and Jane but while she's not home so maybe a lot of cutesy (or some hotness) haha   Can I request a Jim Hopper x reader where the reader is from Hawkins and she comes back after having previously moved away. One day reader’s walking the town just getting used to it again and she gets mildly harassed (nothing sexual) just a dude who won’t leave her alone, and Jim’s driving by and he stops (b/c he’s chief obvs). He deals with the situation and reader recognizes him and remembers when she had a crush on him in high school and realizes she still very much loves him. FLUFF basically

word count: 2063

warnings: cuteness, my own twist, spoilers (duh, watch all nine episodes before you read, kiddos!)

a/n: okay so this was a double request! i decided to take out two requests in one go and I’m pretty cool with how this turned out. side note to everyone else who is waiting; ive been sick! with the flu! so its been taking longer since I need rest and I have to catch up on work. yall understand. anyways, hope you like it!

November, Hawkins, Indiana, 1984

The bench was cold underneath your jeans as you scribbled in your notebook, trying to find all the details of what exactly had changed in your hometown since you’ve been gone.  You left after high school to attend college in New York and since being back, things haven’t changed. That was a lie. A lot had changed. But nothing people could explicitly see with a passing eye.  Small details. Stop signs were changed. They were a brighter red now. Store names had improved logos, some shops had moved locations, there were new employees, new people and the high school got new bleachers, also changing their location.  You sighed and noticed the bar across the street. Checking your watch, it was noon and you decided you could go for something to eat. Getting up, you walked to the other side of the street, stopping before you could head in making sure you had your wallet and money inside.  That’s when you heard honking. “Hey, beautiful!” 

A voice shouted after you. You turned around to see a car that had just parked outside the bar and a man, about twenty five, probably, climbing out of it. You rolled your eyes, though subtly. You weren’t big on confrontation with strangers.  “Yes?” You questioned, trying to sound annoyed. The man feigned hurt and put his hands up with a mock frown on his face after shutting his car door. “Hey, hey, hey, why the attitude? No need for that, I’m just trying to get to know you. How come I’ve never seen you before?” He asked, a toothpick you noticed, hanging out of his smirk-ridden mouth. You nearly glared.  “I just moved back into town. I went to high school here and the reason you don’t know who I am is because, well, how old are you? Twenty six?” You asked, putting your wallet back into your back, your face scrunched up, eyes squinting and lips pressed into a line.  “Twenty eight, baby.” He smiled and pressed an arm next to your head on the concrete outside the bar wall. You did roll your eyes obviously this time. “Right, well, the reason you’ve never seen me is because I was turning ten when you were coming out of your, probably now severely disappointed mother's vagina, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m here to get some food and leave so please, leave me alone.” You ranted and his smirk dropped, but not before his hand did.  His other arm came up and entrapped you, pressed against the wall. You frantically looked around. The streets had barely any foot traffic.  “I said, there’s no need for attitude.” The man said, threatening your personal space. Who were you kidding? He threatened your personal space when he parked ten feet in front of you.

 “Get away from me.” You tried. “Yeah?” He taunted. “Now, why would I do that?” He asked with an ugly grin on his face.

 You barely heard the door chime and a hand landed on the man’s shoulder. “Because the Sheriff’s here, now you heard her. Back away and go on with your day unless you want a VIP trip to the station.” A second man’s deep voice sounded behind him. The man backed away, looking at. . . Jim Hopper with a look that screamed, ‘her loss’, before climbing back into his car and driving away.  You sighed in relief. “Jim? Is that really you?” You inspected the man’s face more and you nodded. It was.  He took off his hat and smiled at the ground. “Yes it is, Y/N.”

You felt your heart flutter and you moved your hair behind your ear. “Feels like high school running into you.” You said meekly and felt like hitting yourself for making such an awkward comment. He nearly blushed but he settled for a chuckle. “Yeah, it sort of does, doesn’t it?” He paused. “Speaking of which, why are you back in town?” He asked.  “Missed home.” You shrugged and he nodded, looking around. “Do you have a place to stay? I can drive you home. Sorry about Joe he’s kind of the local perv now.” He apologized and you laughed. “Well, now I know who to look out for.” You smiled. “And about the place to stay. . .’

Two knocks, then one, then three. The secret code.

You smiled, wiped off your hands on your apron and opened the door. It was Hopper. You smiled and let him in.  “Now, what in the world smells so good?” He asked, stepping into the cabin, wrapping his arms around you. “Just something for dinner for you and Jane. Or Elle. I’m not quite sure what she’s comfortable with now.” You added while Hopper was kissing his way down your neck and frankly, you were only paying attention with half a brain.  It had been six months since you moved in. Six months since last November and you were well aware of the whole Upside Down situation. It comforted you knowing the whole group was looking out for you, seeing as you were the newest.

 But the hardest part of it all was moving in with Hopper and Eleven. Or Jane. You loved her. She was beautiful and smart and had amazing powers with unbelievable potential. But you were unsure on where you stood with her. You were aware of all that had happened to her real mom and you prayed that she would even accept you in a similar light.  “That is so sweet of you. And good timing. There’s a surprise tonight.” You raised your eyebrows, smirked and pressed a chaste kiss to your boyfriend’s lips before turning away and clasping your hands together. “Okay, now, I am making food so you either can help or you can get out of the kitchen.” You walked back to the kitchen where ingredients were spread across the counter that was the cleanest Hopper had ever seen it.  He gave you a look and you couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

“Okay. . . What are you making?” He smiled, mulling over what you had out. “Three cheese chicken pasta dish. It was originally beef but I was very skeptical on how that would come out. Now I have all the ingredients all I really need you to do is make the pasta in a boiling saucepan of water and I’ll cook the chicken and we can prepare the sauce and I’ll handle the rest. Actually,” You turned and rested your back on the edge of the sink. “While you prepare the pasta, I’ll make the table nice.” You tapped your finger to your lip and stared almost mindlessly at the kitchen table.  “Can I ask why you’re doing all this?” He asked, though careful not to sound rude. “I just want to make a good impression on Jane. She’s your daughter now. In a way, she always has been. And I know how much that means to you- to both of you. And I wanted to do one thing special for her.” You explained and he smiled. “Besides, I realized I haven’t done anything for you since you let me move in.” You gave him a sad smile before he waved you off and wrapped you in his arms.  “Ah, that’s nonsense. You know I’ve loved you since Junior year. It really only felt like a little bit of a chore.” He teased and you smacked his chest. “Hey!” You giggled. “Only kidding, dear.” He smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to yours.    Knock knock, knock, knock knock knock. The sound burst through the barely quiet room and Hopper stopped in his tracks from pulling out the pasta. You both looked at each other.  “It’s Eleven, Mike and Dustin here to drop her off.” You heard a voice from outside and you checked the time. It was eight.  You walked over to the door and opened it, smiling at the two boys and young girl. Elle’s face brightened at the sight of you and ran in to hug you. You hugged her back and turned your attention on the boys. “Thank you so much for making sure she got here safe.” You waved as they left and shouted, “No problem, Ms. Y/L/N!”

 Elle made her way to the kitchen and saw the table set up and the dish set in the middle. “What’s this?” She asked and you smiled at her.  “Dinner.”

 Everyone had eaten and you were watching Jane finish with Hopper’s hand resting on your knee. “Was it good?” You asked Elle and she nodded. “Good. I made it for you. I hoped you would.” You smiled and Hopper had barely even noticed Eleven’s reply. “Jane.” He said, turning his attention to his daughter. “Remember what we talked about?” He asked and it took her a second, but a light bulb went off in her head and her face brightened ten times over.  “Good.” Hopper said as he rose from the table and disappeared into his room. “He’ll be back.” She explained.

You fidgeted nervously, not knowing what this was about but you did know you had alone time with Jane and wanted to get something off of your chest. “Jane?” You asked and her attention turned towards you. “Yes?” She asked. “I want you to know, I did this to make sure you like me. I know that seems weird. But I really love your dad, Hopper. I really do. And well, in turn, I love you too. I want you to know I’m not trying to be your mom, your mama, I could never replace her. Ever. And I want you to know I’m not trying to. But I do hope I can help you learn and grow in any way I can. I really hope you understand.” You ranted and it felt like a weight had been lifted. You really wanted to get all of that off your shoulders and when you looked up from fidgeting hands, you saw her smiling at you, tears brimming. You smiled too and couldn’t help but get up and hug her, in which she returned the gesture. “I love you too.” She whispered and you nearly sobbed. The sound of footsteps entering the room again made you separate and you looked up to Hopper, who was making his way back to sit down. He looked between you two, saw your crying faces and smiled. “I think it’s time for dessert. Y/N, can you get it for us?” He asked and you nodded quickly. “Of course.” You got up and turned around, making your way to the fridge, where it was cooling. You had made a plate of Eggos, bananas, and Nutella, knowing Elle would love the combination of flavors.   When you shut the refrigerator door you nearly screamed. Hopper was kneeling on one knee and Eleven was standing at his side, one arm on his shoulder.”Y/N?” He began and you felt your eyes well up again. Setting aside the dessert, you covered your mouth. “In these many months, you have been such an amazing person to have in our lives and it’s a wonder you haven’t run away.” He laughed and pulled out a box. “And really, I never thought I’d do this again. Then again, I never thought I’d have a daughter again.” Hopped turned to Elle and you swore you saw a tear. “But, it happened. And now I want her to have a proper mother. Jane and I have talked it over, and she would be more than happy for you to fill that role. I care so much about you. Always have. And in the past six months, it’s made me realize how big of an idiot I was to let you go years ago. I love you, and I don’t plan on making that mistake again.” He ranted. Pulling open the box, a ring with two intertwined diamonds were inside. “Will you marry me?” He asked and you nodded, running to hug him. “Yes.” You cried, muffled into his shoulder and you felt Jane’s arms wrap around you. It was barely quiet for a moment when you heard her whisper. “Mama.”

hope you enjoyed!   @starscobe  @dark-as-love