#like yeah she is willing to put a gun to jays head but she is Jaír as quickly willing to have a drink with her where she could (and did)

[jrwiyuri]

“Lizzie isn’t kissable she would kill you” I’m starting to think you people just see her as aggressive and nothing else

[duskyashe]

CAMP NANO DAY 1

Calling All The Monsters part 4 chapter 1

[First] [Previous] [Next] [AO3]

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Jason was more than ready to get this over with. Unlike the others, he'd known he wasn't fully human for years, pretty much ever since he'd come back from the dead. Looking back on it, he'd even known the others were slowly changing, too, he just hadn't had the words. He hadn't known there even were words for the feeling of slowly finding his footing among others that were just as inhuman as himself. Well, other than relief.

As soon as Dick confirmed when and where the kid was willing to host tutoring sessions for all of them ("He said he wanted to work with each of us individually, first, but that he was willing to work with groups of up to three at a time if B was more comfortable with that," Dick said with a thoughtful frown, cowl held loosely in one hand. "Personally, I think the first meeting should definitely be two of us, but the rest should be played by ear, but it's your call, B,") Jason was nearly vibrating out of his own skin in anticipation. Answers to all his questions about himself, from his first fully conscious thought after his dip in the Pits to a reaction he'd had to something just last Tuesday, were just out of his reach and he could feel his frustration and impatience building in the back of his throat. Grimacing, he swallowed the urge to vocalize his feelings before taking a deep breath. It was only an hour more before Condor and Starling would be meeting up with their new tutor, he could hold out that much longer. He could.

"You alright there, Jay?" Steph asked as she entered the cave. Her long blonde hair was braided tightly against the crown of her head in preparation for getting in costume.

He shakily let out the breath he'd taken and nodded in her direction. "Just anxious," he said, meticulously going over his guns yet again. He was mostly suited up, himself, just needing to mask up and slip his gloves on. He'd initially had his gloves on, but cleaning his guns was easier and more grounding barehanded, so off they'd come.

She gave him a searching look. "You really believe Phantom, don't you?" Steph asked after a moment.

Jason paused his movements and let out a sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, I do," he replied, setting his cleaning rag to the side and finally looking directly at her instead of just from the corner of his eye. "Look, I'm pretty sure it was fairly obvious to B, Dick, and Alfie, and maybe Tim saw it, too, but I didn't come back from death the same as I was before. And I don't mean "the trauma of my death changed me"," he said with finger quotes, rolling his eyes at the same time. "I mean I literally didn't come back fully human. At the latest, I've known I wasn't fully human since shortly after everything that happened with Tim, but it's far more realistic to say I've known, at least on some level, ever since I first came out of the Pit." Jason sighed and ran a hand through the tuft of white hair that liked to fall into his eyes. "Looking back, almost every single fight between me and another member of the family, except Damian, started because I either misunderstood something someone said or took insult where none was meant, because I reacted based on instinct and emotion first instead of logic, and while I've gotten better at thinking crap through before I respond, interactions between all of us for the past year and a half have been noticeably less tense and have resulted in a lot less bloodshed. That's not all on me, and neither is it all on the Demon Spawn finally starting to get a clue."

"Alright," Steph said, the gears in her head almost visibly turning. "Putting aside you knowing years ahead of us that it was possible to start out human and end up not, what do you mean by almost every fight between you and a different family member except Damian? Are you saying the fights between you two were that different than all the others?"

He blinked at the blonde in incredulity for a moment. "Steph… Damian's from a warrior culture," he said slowly, praying he didn't need to spell it out for her. She just blinked blankly back at him and he let out a soft curse under his breath. No luck. "Out of the entire family, only four of us have been trained by the League of Assassins, and B didn't exactly keep up with the cultural practices after his stay with them. Cass may have picked up on a lot of those practices from her sperm donor and whatever other trainers he allowed her to train under, but she didn't have all of them and didn't really understand what she had picked up or how to actually apply it. I was the only one who, in Damian's eyes at the time, was cultured and spoke a familiar language. He saw me as someone who was reliable, and a part of me saw him in a similar light due to my own experiences with the League right after my resurrection. Fights with the Demon Spawn were more like training spars while fights with pretty much everyone else were basically honor duels." How has this not come up before now? Are the others just as clueless about this crap? Jason wanted to shake some common sense into some of his siblings, maybe scream a little in frustration. If the only ones who knew anything accurate about his and Damian's relationship were literally just the two of them, he was going to be so disappointed in his family…

Steph looked like she was going to say something more on the subject when Bruce and Babs entered the cave, Babs heading to the Batcomputer while Bruce walked over to the two of them.

"I had a feeling you two would still be down here. Steph, go get changed, I'll help you with your hair pins before you head out, okay?" Bruce asked. Steph gave a sloppy salute and skipped off to the changing rooms, though Jason could tell she wasn't going to let their conversation drop that easily. Bruce took a moment to watch Steph go, and Jason got back to cleaning his guns as he waited for his father Bruce to say his piece. "Are you alright, Jaylad? You usually aren't this anxious before an op, especially an information gathering one like this."

Jason finished rubbing down the last part that needed attention before quickly reassembling his guns. "At the beginning, back when the Demon Spawn first came to live with us, did any of his interactions with the family stand out as different to you?" Jason asked instead. He switched to checking his hidden ammo pouches, making sure everything was topped off. He wasn't expecting a fight tonight, but he needed something to keep his hands occupied.

A hand, scarred and familiar, caught his attention as it came to rest on his own. "I've always known yours and Damian's relationship was special to both of you. You both got each other in ways the others are still trying to understand. And yes, I'm aware a large part of that is due to your time with the League, I'm not as blind to your dealings with your siblings as you all seem to think I am," Bruce said with a chuckle. He brought his other hand up to gently raise Jason's head, making eye contact soon after. "I'm grateful you were able to give Damian a small slice of his first home when I couldn't, Jason. While I wish neither of you had ever been in the situations that lead to you both being with the League, I'm grateful those experiences were able to bring you two closer together as brothers."

He stared at Bruce in shock for a moment before clearing his throat and looking away. "Damn it, B, warn a man before you bring out the emotion talk," he said, stalwartly pretending his eyes weren't misty.

Jason saw Bruce smile out the corner of his eye as his father patted his shoulder with the hand that had been on his cheek. "My bad, sorry about that. Finish getting ready then meet by the Batcomputer for a quick briefing," he said before walking away.

As Jason finished checking his ammo pouches and slid his gloves back on, he couldn't help but smile to himself at the faint, almost tangible, warmth in his chest. Things had really changed in the past year and a half, and for the better, at that.

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Danny was both excited and nervous for what this evening would entail. He'd been obsessively going over everything he'd ever been taught about the various non-human beings that called Earth and its various pocket dimensions home in preparation for this night. He didn't know who he was meeting with first, nor did he know how many of Batman's clan he was meeting with, so he and his Fright had probably gone a bit overboard with potential lesson plans. He just wanted to give the Bats a good first lesson about their various species and the instincts and abilities that are a part of them.

He was waiting at the rooftop shrine where he met with Raven, once more sitting cross-legged about a foot above the roof. It had been almost two weeks since he and Raven had set up these lessons, and he was eager to get started. The current plan was that for the initial lessons, if everything worked out during this first one, Danny would be meeting each publicly known member of the Batclan at that exact shrine for basically what boiled down to essentially bookwork before eventually moving on to hands-on training with their current and future abilities at a different, more secure location. He had to admit, it was a pretty good system for having been developed at the drop of the hat between two beings who didn't even know each other yet.

A sudden burst of flame on the corner of the roof drew Danny's attention to Condor's arrival. Y'know, Danny thought with eyes wide with awe as the hooded form of Condor stalked out of the fire with a predatory grace, little tendrils of fire chasing after him, if we'd known Condor literally appeared in a burst of flames at times, lich would have been the last thing we thought of. It's so freaking obvious he's a phoenix that in hindsight I feel like an idiot.

The faint rustle of feathers against fabric had him turning around just in time to see Starling drop down from on top of the shrine and land in a stooped crouch, feather headdress flowing in the breeze as her head tilted ever so sightly to the side, the hood of her own costume shading her face enough to make the florescent red lenses of her full face mask stand out starkly.

"We aren't late, are we?" A soft, almost lyrical voice asked from behind Danny, brimming with power and potential but holding nothing but eagerness and nervousness. Condor's voice was most definitely masculine, but it was almost impossible to tell if it were tenor, baritone, or bass as it seemed to be all of them at once. It was captivating and bone chilling all at once.

Danny looked over his shoulder, more sure in his assumptions of the species of these two vigilantes than ever before. "Not at all, you're right on time. Shall we begin?"

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HEY EVERYONE!!! So sorry for the wait, I meant to get this chapter finished and published back in May, but, well... That obviously didn't happen (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ also, you may have noticed something different about this part (⁠��͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠) yes, that's right, part 4 of this series has been broken into chapters!!! This will mainly come into play on AO3, as part 4 will be a multi chapter fic over there (as well as actually have a title (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）) but I thought it was important to acknowledge it here, too!

[solarrene]

Home Again

Jason Todd X Plus Size reader

Jay doesn't know how to move those hips but he will move those thunder thighs and guns! I stand by it and you all should too. 🤨 Sickening, tooth rotting fluff, it's a damn feast. Everybody is just enjoying their time here in this chapter, honestly, and hope you guys will too!! ^^

!!! if you will, i recommend playing por uno cabeza by carlos gardel or easy virtue tango once the music plays on that part ((:

Chapter Ten

"To hell with it rather than drown in regret of not taking the risk of having to let yourself give in to your heart."

The Painter is Painting

Time was an enemy to him, like it always has been ever so often. It couldn't go on any faster. However early it was still, he felt as if he was on edge, dread filling him in so slowly but surely.

The sun was yet to set as he and Roy were almost done with their job, which meant he had nothing left to do after that, hence why dread was filling him more.  

"Have any plans for tonight?" Asked Roy while they were leaving the place they were just in.

Jason could only breathe out so bothersomely as he mounted his bike, "Yeah, and it ain't your business." Replied him, and put on his helmet before driving away. Roy did not believe that one bit.

"I'll drag your ass if I have to!" He heard Roy shouted behind him and Jason only scoffed.

While he drove to his place, on the road he sees a few people in their lavish cars dressed up greatly as well, no doubt they were headed to the one place he dreads so much of right now. He just tightly gripped his handles more and sped up the way.

He feels like a child, irritated at himself that he was stepping on the stairs too heavy as he felt that his whole body was too heavy as well. Never once that he felt so restless like he had been in those days since his problem, it was beginning to wear him out and he needed get out of it. But how could one even does so? That he was yet to know.

"With how you are right now over this just beginning, I know much that you want more."

Jason knows that, he didn't deny it then and he isn't denying it now. Though the only defiance left in him was would he let himself? Would he let her?

"Who could be able to stop what our heart longs for?"

He had no answer to that....because apparently as he figures....there isn't.

"No one, huh?" uttered he as he stood under the water more longer than he should.

.

.

.

So now as the sky had turn dark, after a bit of time that he spent in his bed, trying to sleep, tossing and turning around, thinking and thinking—he found himself staring at the clothes that Alfred had prepared for him. His stoic stare breaking into a scoff as he smirked and shook his head, almost annoyed at himself for choosing such a thing to do.

"I'm gonna regret this," said him, taking one last look at the attire before putting it on.

There he sees himself in the mirror, certainty in what he has decided. That whatever awaits him tonight, he shall find out of how he could get out of his traps.

"And here I was preparing myself to drag your ass." Roy's voice echoed in the apartment as he stepped in Jason's room, leaning besides the door with his arms crossed his chest and had a smug look.

Jason didn't pay him attention, unsurprised that he was already there. He went ahead of him out of his room, not before taking a one last glance of him in the mirror, a smirk tipping off his mouth again; unbelieving that he was willing to go in his father's affairs, let alone that was done for him....for her.

Surprisingly to him, that is, he was calm as they went on their way to the manor. Feeling that he's got a hold of himself.

But such certain feelings could only last for a while.

.

.

.

The party had already started an hour ago just as they arrived, the place lively with a lot of guests and the loud music. As he walked in the room, striding in with such ease, his eyes roamed for a moment until it landed on her—his feet almost stopped, almost. His walk turned slow as he took her in.

And there she was in his eyes, in all her glory. In she was in a red dress, tailored well to her body, and by well; meant too greatly. The tightness of the silk accented her curves, her round stomach and wide hips hugged tightly by the fabric, lines of it shown. The short corset that made her breasts more endowed—distracting, that is. The wide slit on the side that gave view to the thickness of her thigh, leaving no room for imagination.

Hell.

A sound was caught in his throat as her eyes found his, nothing could have prepared him for that. Though his breath hitched and he faltered, his gaze didn't, seeing the same look on her face, the same that he had; surprised. Until she broke it off, and glad he was.

"I need a drink," muttered him immediately as he got himself back, feeling that his heart was now beating out of its pace, he then went his way to the banquet.

"That's her?" How the hell he forgot that Roy was beside him?

Jason blinked, realizing that he was probably seen by what just passed. He said no reply, but kept walking, and got himself a drink, a strong one rather.

"She's been waiting for you." He recognized the voice of his brother—Dick stood beside him as he took a glass of champagne, though before Jason could comprehend that, Dick was already walking away. Jason's eyes followed him and he saw her again.

His eyes stayed on her longer this time and he wish he didn't. For what he saw made something turn in him; Y/N held his brother's hand and kissed his cheek. And now that he saw that, he remembered what he saw just earlier when he came in, she was smiling and laughing with Dick, their arms tacked together.

Jason sharply looked away and downed his drink in one go, the bitterness of the whiskey exceeded the little sweetness of it and left a burning feeling all over him.

What the fuck is wrong with me.

"Damn." Roy says, seriously as he was staring at Jason. He really had never seen his friend affected in a way that he was now.

Jason side glanced him, "Not a word," a threat, really. He looked at his empty glass, gripping it tightly, the strong taste of whiskey was still there. The flaring taste of it was not well to be mixed with his chest feeling heavier.

.....No way in hell...

Too early for me to be feeling like this....

Anticipation. Dread. Jealousy. It was all brewing in him. All the certainty he had earlier was immediately replaced to nothingness.

Jason fetched another glass again. Then he sees Bruce heading towards him, and just in time his drink was when his father arrived.

Great.

Just what I need.

"If you don't mind, I'll be having fun." Roy said, bidding goodbye when Bruce came, Jason could only roll his eyes.

Bruce stood beside him, Jason took a small shot of his drink before saying, "You must be damn glad I showed up."

Bruce's lips twitched a little, he was damn glad alright. "Well, aren't I always am when you do?" says him, dodging and catching the question at the same time.

Jason just eyed him before finishing his drink. As much as irritation was clearly in him, part of him was glad that he wasn't being asked of why he did come, because truthfully, now that he's seen her, he really wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe because he just wanted to see her.

So much for getting out of it.

"I know what I promised you but I don't think I can keep it anymore," Bruce said, even though it was a dejecting statement, there wasn't any of it in his voice. He doesn't want to.

I never expected any less.

Jason huffed, shaking his head, "Doesn't surprise me," he breathily says. As his eyes was forward, the familiar red figure came into his view, onto the dance floor was Y/N and now with Roy....That didn't surprise him either. 

Bruce followed his gaze, a small smile showing itself, "Jason...you can be happy," they stare at the two dancing, who had smiles on their faces. "I want that for you."

Who doesn't?

"Don't we all want that?"

Her glow was blinding, entranced he was by watching her sway, the noise fading behind. He went to figure out how to get himself out of his trap and yet there he was; caught, unmoving....trapped. Her very self was the trap.

Bruce looks at him, Jason had a deafening gaze that spoke a lot of words that he heard and understood. He smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Take your time, but don't keep her waiting for too long."

"She's been waiting for you."

Shit.

That intimidated him too much. Nevertheless, when Bruce went away, Jason breathed out a chuckle as he was starting to see amusement in his dilemma, the constant frustration in him was beginning to wear down, slowly but it was something.

His eyes remained on her, the laugh of hers echoed loudly and her surprised face made it all the better. The bitter taste was fading as a smile was slowly showing.

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

Surprisingly, Y/N managed to keep herself focused as she and Dick continued to talk, despite that there was the growing anticipation in her as Jason was now there, though she was sure if she continued to grip the flute more, it'll break.

"Grayson," a new voice was heard, breaking off her thoughts. Y/N recognizes the man that was with Jason earlier.

"Harper," Dick replied as he and Roy grip their hands together. This Harper guy looked at her, and she could swear that he almost had the same expression the family have been showing. With a smug smile, "Y/N __, you must be the beautiful woman that I heard who's been staying here. Name's Roy Harper." Sensing no discomfort as he held out his hand to her when she did as well, he took her knuckle to his lips.

Y/N let out a surprised sound, almost laughing, "My, and they say chivalry is dead," says her, taking her hand back, Dick just rolled his eyes. "And I suppose you're a friend of theirs? As it seems you all know how to sweep a person off their feet." She grinned and his smile got bigger.

"And no wonder why our boy Jason has lost himself already." Y/N let out a shocked face and Dick snickered

"Right about that," Dick replied and Y/N elbowed his side, glaring at him.

Roy held out his hand again to her, "Shall we dance?"

Y/N chuckled, taking his hand and he led themselves to the dance floor. "You didn't deny what I said," says Roy as they start to dance.

She furrowed her eyebrows before raising them, "If I said otherwise then, would you have believe so?"

He chuckled, nodding, "I wouldn't, given that I saw it first hand at how he is because of you."

Y/N suddenly gripped his hand tighter at his words, abashment never failing to get to her when it came to him, "There's our answer then."

Roy's lip quirked, feeling her falter. "And what about you?"

She glared at him for a second, annoyed that he was asking even though he seemed to knew of it already, but she still answered, "I can assure you that I feel for him much." Mentally, she smiled to herself at how she was being so agreeable with her feelings of him, time has only been moving like normal and yet how swift her glass was being filled willfully. She thinks that the odds were in her favor, luckily so.

"Isn't he a lucky man?"

Y/N smiled.

"I don't know about that....but I think I am lucky too."

Both of their words were true, at least so they thought.

"So tell me, what made you turn your eyes to him?" Asked Roy. If he wasn't gonna get it out from his friend, then maybe he could get it from the other end of his ordeal.

Y/N scoffed, "The apple seems to never fall far from the tree, no?"

Roy laughed, throwing his head back lightly. "Let me guess, you've find out how nosy they can be?"

Rolling her eyes, though she chuckled, "Yes, unfortunately, I did." Rather she not make herself remember it. Sighing a little, thinking of what to say, "...I don't know...I suppose...he just caught my eye at the beginning...then the next moment, I find myself always staring at him with my best interest, it got to the point where we....trifled...and here I am." Unaware of how gentle her voice became and that she had a distant but happy look, her eyes roaming as they swayed and him looking at her.

Roy's smug expression turned into a soft adoring one, one that he didn't usually make, one that got her heart always clenching. Nonetheless, he huffed, smiling, "Looks like you two are really in some serious shit, huh?" More than that, he thinks.

She laughed, nodding, "It appears we are," the smile couldn't be wiped off from her face.

"The smile you have is sickening, it's too much." He teased with eyebrows raised comically and she glared at him, though she kept laughing.

"Shut it, as if you're not enjoying it all."

"Believe me I am,"

She just rolled her eyes at him.

"But I think I speak for everyone here that you are the most sublime creature here tonight." Said him so seriously, it made her laugh in a disbelief way.

"My god, how many people have fallen for that one?"

"Unfortunately, none yet. Should I count you in?" She laughed loudly that it echoed and made some people look their way and she immediately collected herself with a surprised face, a hand flying to her mouth. 

A few minutes more of their dancing and laughing, the music ended and there they were walking back away from the dance floor. "Well, thank you for your time, Y/N, it's been fun." Says Roy, before reaching out to her hand and kissed it again, letting himself have too much enjoyment.

Y/N grinned, "You've had too much fun, actually," laughed her with raised eyebrows, much amused as he was.

"Can't blame me," he shrugged. Though he was just enjoying the fact that he was sure that his friend was watching them the whole time, nothing was more fun than that. "Give Jason hell." Roy smirked and winked as he started to go. She just laughed, shaking her head. Of course, he just had to remind her of the man. And just like that, the calmness in her that managed to show for a short time while she let herself forget that he was there, was gone. There was no question that it felt as if she dived deep in the water rather than swam back up to the surface.

Y/N sighed, starting to feel tired. Her eyes roamed, occupying herself until she caught a familiar figure at the end of the room besides the wide windows. On the brown with gold lines is a Roman pillar; was Jason's flowers.

She pursed her lips, smiling as she started to walk to it, taking a drink as a waiter passed by. Observing it once she was in front of it. The red and white roses, with bright yellow marigolds and dark red dahlias, it was still the same as before, though the end of the petals were drying.

Her mind flying back to the past days....fingers ghosted her lips, with closed eyes, she sees him.

And he sees her as well, his eyes on her flowers. Him being at the other end of the window. The pink peonies stood out from the white ones and the dark red dahlias. Another glass of whiskey in his hand, his fourth one to be exact, though the bitterness became nothing to him anymore, maybe the sweetness of it was weighing more this time, maybe it was because of the scent of the flowers that it makes him think of her.

Maybe that.

Y/N opened her eyes, finishing her drink. Sighing as she shakes her head, a little bit hopeless now, well that is until she found the eyes of the man that's been making her so, staring right through her.

Well, look at that.

Time has stopped as they walk to each other while their gazes continued, their lips slowly curving, with every step they take, their hearts went heavier.

She gripped her glass more as she takes in his appearance, red patterned vest, her lips twitched as she thought they could match with their attires. And all black then....all that she could think of is...beautiful.

Now in front of each other, "Hi." Breathless, as they said it the same time, smiles wide.

How pretty.

She had never seen him smile like that before, without any tease behind it but just so freely while looking at her.

Flustered again she was in his eyes, he had seen that look on her a few times, it still feels as new as even it was familiar, he could get used to it, though never.

"I thought you were gonna leave me hanging." Said her, they put their glasses away as a waiter passed by them.

How could I?

"You were waiting,"

How could I have not?

"I have. I am."

That they both knew.

The music that started playing was different from the rest, nevertheless, guests was still filling in the floor already. It must have been the alcohol, or he just chose to pin it as that for what he was about to do. He held out his hand to her, she looks at him with a questioning look but a little grin was forming, "Tango?" she asked, unsure.

"First time for everything," he urged, shrugging. He really could hit himself right now but the brightness in her eyes made him think otherwise.

Y/N let out a breath, nodding once before she held his hand. Biting the inside of her cheek as they head to the dance floor. "You scared?" Jason asked, he feels all of it from her, he couldn't blame her. "I am," replied her, seriously. "I am too." He admits, sliding his hand further to hers and tightened his grip once they took their place.

His other hand went from her waist, making her take a breath, to her upper back. "You're shaking," Says him, feeling her arms and fingers tremble. Y/N didn't say anything but chuckled breathlessly, the moment could possibly have her fainting so, how tight her dress was literally and how it kept feeling so as they were close, didn't help either.

"I'm here." Voice firm, assuring her. As much as he was scared as well, he didn't want her to be.

She nods, "You are." Still surreal it was to her as they took their first steps....for the both of them, really. 

"You lead me, I lead you." Jason said, though he was waiting for an answer even when they were now dancing, she only nodded.

Both of their right feet met each other when it shouldn't have, faltering, they laughed, "This is new to me," he mused. Though they made a mistake, their focus never left on themselves. "It's new to me too," she replied. A little bit of her fright leaving, untensing, "Let's figure it out together then."

Jason huffed, smirking, "Together." Glad that he was feeling her turn calm. And so together they did figure it out, with a few stumbles and blunders, shy laughs and smiles. It was just them. They almost could feel their jaws hurting from all their grin and laughing.

After they seemed to overcame their little hardships, they got the hang of it. The music still lively as ever, time still unmoving. They were in their own rhythm. "Never thought I'd be doing something like this," Jason voiced. He never did.

"Like what?"

He was here after all, and the moment was far too great, surreal, to let it pass by without any resolve. "Dance with a beautiful woman like those I read in the novels." Says him truthfully. Things were starting to become clear to him, after drinking enough of alcohol to make him swirl, he had never felt this sober.

Y/N was surprised to say the least, she didn't expect that from him, but it was something....something for her to bite into, almost an invitation. "Why, Mister Todd, you flatter me so." And really, she could say the same. She had never felt this so....desirable.

Jason's lips curved, it seemed that their usual dance had began. "I only say the truth, miss." Divine was her through his eyes; if he was struck the first moment he saw her tonight while still far away, he was nothing more than it, now that he stood so close to her. His hands that tried its best not to tremble all the while it traveled to her body, he didn't know whether to be grateful by the type of music that they danced to, as it gave access to how they were gonna be with each other. His one hand that slid from her stomach to her waist and now to her thigh—hoisting it up to his thigh, how she felt even more softer than she looked. He could feel his throat dry. Maybe he was actually grateful.

"Well, dare I say you are ravishing tonight."

"Only tonight?" He challenged, tilting his head to her.

She scoffed, laughing, yet she didn't back down from his challenge. "Must you know, good sir, I have always seen you...lovely." Finally saying one of her truths to him. Though it's as if another had gone away from the weight she'd been carrying, it only made her heart more heavier as she now realized...confessed to him.

Now that was a word he never thought of ,yet again to collorate to him, let alone to come from someone he had been enamored with. "Then I shall say you have been leaving me wordless." That would be the word....almost everytime she'd appear in front of him, in his mind, he could have nothing to say.

"Have I now?" Challenged her this time.

"Yes."

"Tell me so."

"I'm someone who always have to say something, can't keep his mouth shut...but when it comes to you....nothing, nothing..." He stated, ending the two words softly, catching her surprised look but now turning gentle—even though that reaction from her was new to him, it still felt familiar, the only difference to it was....maybe because of why she did so; a truth from him. And honestly....he loved, liked it, so he figured maybe he could put his time of readings to good use. "....With nothing but only your words, your delicate gaze, your fiery wit, your mere touches, you have left me aching." Unveiled him, voice almost hoarse that could only be the cause of alcohol, ragged breaths and his heart thumping so loud.

And there it was, the thinning restraints they have of themselves, just snapping—gone. It looked like that they've decided to leave their regrets tonight.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out, only a smile, caught off guard again. But once they faced each other again, "I think your readings have paid off well, do you think not?"

To say that it was worth it, was an understatement "Dare I agree....and what of you?"

"Mr. Todd, what you ask of me, I hope you have the heart to hear it."

For what he was asking was something to not turn away from so easily. A path that continues so unsure.

"Who could be able to stop what our heart longs for?"

Not missing a beat, "You have it."

His gaze so serious made her breath hitched for how many times, she didn't know anymore, "You have been plaguing me since I saw how soft your smile can be when you smiled at me across the dining table. Your voice haunts me like ghosts. You have been leaving me nothing but weak." Vowed Y/N, her voice clear but it was shaky. Their movements were slowing down, though the music was still playing—Jason slid his arm to her waist, pulling her even closer, the other still clasped to hers and now they stood still amidst the others that were still dancing.

Wordless he was again, he just looked at her, they just gazed at each other. She waited for anything but she heard nothing, all she saw was the same longing she had but she was still waiting, so she spoke, "I'm afraid this is all what we have right now as our dance ends tonight." Said her, softly pulling away from his grasp.

Without a thought, Jason held her back before she can fully got away from his hold, he almost smirked when he heard a little gasp from her as her body snapped to his. He clasped their hands together again, quite amusing to him how her fingers were freezing but all of her was heated, that he feels as he snaked his arm around her waist. Both their chest was heaving up and down, their breaths and scents from each other mixing together; the strong scent of whiskey and musk from him, the bright citrus tang of champagne and flowery fragrance from her. It was more than enough for them to be light headed by all of it.

Lost they were in each other's eyes, searching for something....anything, but it was all there, they've always been and they were always seen. So he took a leap, he closed his eyes while leaning to her, she did the same and their foreheads met. From all of its pounding against each other, their hearts could almost beat as one.

No vexation left in him anymore....only fear of what's to come.

Indeed it was a first time for everything.

The final note had played and a few claps was made. They fluttered their eyes open, their breathing now calmed down. Their expressions ever so serious yet gentle, it makes their lips curve slowly.

With trembling hands still, she held both of his hands and brought it to her lips, kissing it so gently but firmly that it left a mark—Jason was left drier than he already was. Uttering a short and deep breath, she turned her eyes up to him, "...I'll be waiting."

As she finally was free from his vicinity, it took all her strength for her legs to not give up and just collapse down.

Oh god, what now?

Whatever that she hoped was exceeded far greater, and of course, unprepared from it. Overwhelming. Walking through amidst the crowd, she was getting dizzy, her breath getting ragged again—she needed to get away. With the try to maintain her composure, a hand on her forehead and on her stomach as she made her way out from the room.

Now I've really fucking done it.

.

.

.

Such scene that unraveled in front of them. Their eyes couldn't be more in awe, smiles couldn't be more fonder.

What bliss.

"Well," Alfred began, a little bit breathless, watching the two made him so, the few of them to be exact. "That was certainly enticing." Said him, though he didn't expect something like it, he never expected less as well—he had that unwavering hope in him after all. "Very clever of you to suggest that tango music, Master Richard." He continued, acknowledging what the said man did; snapping his fingers as the idea came to his mind and immediately walked to the musician to ask of the music once he saw them finally together, that is.

And Dick felt so proud of that one. "I know," he laughed. Happy that all their little mischief were paying off.

"Did you know that he could dance that?" Bruce asked with a strained expression.

Of course he had to be that. Alfred shakes his head, lightly chuckling, "We're all a little surprised as well, Master Bruce." Alfred tells and they agreed.

It was surely something to watch Jason struggle to move, to see him lost composure, shy, faltering but more than that, smiling and laughing so freely. And even more, actually getting the hang of the music and how nicely he danced with her.

The second Y/N was out of the room, Jason moved as well, though it looked like he knew nowhere to go. Alfred smiled, and walked to him. "Must you know, she hasn't eaten yet and I'm sure after all of that, she's hungry," he said.

Jason stopped, his eyes on the ground, taking a second. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't be where he is now, and surely, he'd be lost again right now. He puffed out a breath, smiling a little, "....Thanks, Al," and he patted Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred sighed with a smile that never left his face as he watched the boy walked away 

.

.

.

"'I'll be waiting.' What does that even mean?" Y/N speaks to herself, she rolled her eyes and sighed, feeling more restless. They both know exactly what it meant, they do. She supposed that it was because of the high she was feeling earlier that just got her questioning herself so.

She laid her hands on her waist, breathing out as she was now at the door of the library. The room was dark but lighted upon by the fireplace, candles, and small lights—the curtains of the window wide opened. It makes her recall of that night where they were together. She scoffed, leaning her head on the side of the doorway, how the memory was so clear that she can still see it in front of her very eyes.

Y/N walks in and headed to the book shelves, hoping to find what she was looking for, and with no hassle to it, she found it. She smiled, looking at the book she held, and then off she go again.

There she was in the garden, sitting on the bench made of stone, eyes to the sky. The cold air and quiet, darkness of the night was a great contrast back to where the party was, it eases her nerves, though the never ending of anticipation she feels was still there.

......Where do I even begin?

She closes her eyes, reeling in the cold wind, thinking of everything.

They've done it, spoke of their truths. It seemed easier more than they thought....only because that they were together in it. She opened her eyes back to the sky full of stars, breathing out, ".....You'd be so happy to know of this," she spoke to her mother. Any other time she would've been raving to her mother about her situation; she would have gushed like a child of how magical their dance was. Like a friend to another, she would have squealed of how he looked at her, how he touched her, how weak it made her so, how it made her so happy again. But that was it. "You'd be so happy."

Bruce's efforts didn't go to waste after all, she smirked, shaking her head.

Though her little breather was interrupted.

"Yo-" A loud shriek came out from her when she heard someone behind her, recognizing the voice, it was Jason. With unsteady feet, she stood up and faced him, "What is wrong with you?" She hissed, glaring at him, even more so at the way he was chuckling, then her eyes flickered to his hands where he was holding a few things.

Jason honestly didn't want to scare her, knowing how she was but he figured that there was no way she couldn't be surprised or frightened with any way he could announce himself, so he thought to let it happen this time—relishing it, by the way. He pursed his lips, biting down hard to not smile but a rumble was making out of his chest, seeing her truly irritated this time. "Sorry," said him, he really meant it but still he didn't stop his grin then. "I brought cake and wine." He followed, showing the things he held.

Y/N squinted her eyes at him, if her heart wasn't already racing from her fright, it could have did so solely because of what he was offering—though it contributed more to making her falter again. "You're not forgiven." She says, sitting back down again and he sat down beside her, placing the plate of cake with two forks, two wine glasses and the bottle of wine beside them.

Before he could say something, her stomach rumbled and he threw his head back, laughing. Y/N slapped his shoulder, grumbling a few words, hitting her that she hadn't even eaten anything yet. "This is your fault, you've made me too antsy to even eat," she blurted out. She bit her tongue, realizing that she should have kept that to herself.

Jason smirked as he took the wine and opened it easily, "Then I guess, it's only right of you to eat this with me," he filled their glasses and held out a fork to her after. She looked at him skeptically before sighing and took the fork, giving up.

There they were again, eating together under the bright of the night. Hearts couldn't be fuller.

When Y/N went away earlier, Jason only had one thing in his mind then; he was not gonna let her go again, not when he had hold her, not when they were finally so close to a beginning.

So there he was....choosing to let her....to let himself. Finally...finally, the weight that was weighing him down restless had began to fade.

Jason looked at Y/N, her looking up at the sky with the fork in her mouth, it made him smile—then his eyes found the book in her lap. He raised his eyebrows, "Nice book you got there," he chuckled, she rolled her eyes, expecting that she was gonna get called out by it. It was Pride and Prejudice, the book that he was reading that night in the library, rereading, that is.

Y/N had the intention of reading it and yet again, her plan was changed. And she couldn't complain again.....a part of her was expecting that their time they had tonight wasn't just the dance anyway. Having an idea, she put her fork down and drank from her glass. Then she held the book and looked at him, "Close your eyes." Asked her, he looks at her questioningly but he laid down his glass and followed what she said, a small smile still ghosting his lips. Y/N couldn't stop the smile that was quivering to show as he did so, flustered that he followed so easily.

She opened the book, finding the page of the passage she wanted to read. There she found it, almost starting to read it, she was suddenly interrupted by the touch on her hand—her breath hitched as she eyes his hand locking into hers. She looks at him with wide eyes but his was still closed, smiling still, then she looks at their hands again and they were now clasped—she didn't even realize her fingers was moving then.

With the breathing she tried to steady, she tried to focus on her reading. "......As for Elizabeth, her thoughts were at Pemberley this evening more than the last; and the evening...." she began. The banging in her chest was feral, she traced his hand as to soothe her raging self.

Though that made the other rage more. He wanted to hold her hand again, so he did, and damn it all....there were no questions in him when he did.

Jason didn't know how it to be possible, at the time he heard her voice, taking it in, all the while he feels everything around him; the cold wind, the distant sound of the music, his thumping heart, the warmth of her hand, her tracing his hand. He felt it all. Such bliss in their moment, how new it was to him and how he longed for it more, how he know he wouldn't be able to get enough of it now that he's felt it, how there was so much fear in it and yet, he was so sure to agree with it all. Maybe he didn't know where to start next but despite there was fear, he was never the one to back down from going to the uncharted waters.

"And how far it would be for the happiness of both that she should employ the power, which her fancy told her she still possessed, of bringing on the renewal of his addresses...." Y/N finished, she sighed as she closed the book.

Jason opened his eyes and turned to her, she was looking down, though he sees her smile. Maybe he wasn't cruel as he thought he was as he could revel at the sight. Then to both their demise, he let go of her hand as he took off his coat and placed it around her—the wind turning colder.

Y/N bit the inside of her cheek as she looks at him, this made him raise his one brow at him. She laughs, shaking her head, "Nothing....you're just pretty," saying it with no remorse or tease, thinking of how great his clothes looked on him; his black polo that showed his sculpted build and the vest that did even more wonder.

Jason huffed, dismissing her remark, though he couldn't deny that he liked it. Then he breathes, "You're even more."

He really could never be used to that expression.

"You're still not forgiven." Said her, scoffing.

His lips curved, thinking and then he remembered of something. "You say that you are at my command....so then  I shall say that I am nothing but at your mercy."

Y/N laughed in disbelief but she was so much in awe, their never ending trifling always laced with sincerity. "My....I think those classics may have done us too well, wouldn't you agree?"

"Might as well take advantage of it," he shrugged and she laughed loudly, it made him grin.

He gazed at her laughing freely, feeling the courage that was already in him before continue to rise, a new found vigor as he held up his hand to her face softly when she calmed down. He laid his hand on her cheek, making her look at him, her lips parting slighlty, how red they were was too tempting. She admired his eyes, how lovely the blue was gleaming against the faint light. They both leaned in with closed eyes, foreheads against each other again, then he kissed hers.

"Am I forgiven?" Asked him, their faces still close to each other.

She glared at him, "How sneaky....you're forgiven."

It was him this time that laughed loudly.

He got his answer after all.....her.

Whatever awaited them next could wait as for now they let their selves bask in the bliss of their night. As for now they downed their wine.

A flavor that they sure always to look for.

💌🖋️:

I clutched this so hard, last night

Happy Holidays!! 🎀✨🎄 I suppose this can count as an early Christmas present as this is the last chapter for this month. I'll be taking a break from writing this work, but rest assured that I'll be back and will finish the story. Though it'll only be a short break since I plan to upload the next updates in the late of January or early of February.

as always, criticisms are welcome and other comments are much appreciated ^^ take care and enjoy the holidays!! these dumb shits will return 😁 thank you for reading!! ^^ 💗

[one-chicago-fanfiction]

Jay Halstead: Concussion

Wordcount: 3.5k

Summary: When Jay suffers a concussion on the job, the people he loves most (his brother and two partners) rally to take care of him while he suffers a little. Adam/Jay/Hailey.

Warnings: unknown character threatened at gunpoint, brief description of violence, after effects of concussion sustained during an attack.

The story starts on the concrete, Jay sitting up slowly, only aware of the ache at the back of his skull and the blood whirring through his ears. The way his hand shakes when he brings it to the back of his head. No blood. He’s not even sure if there should be blood, if that would make sense. He’s on the sidewalk, propped up on one elbow, squinting against the too bright morning as voices create a din around him. He can’t make out the words, can’t place the events that led to this, can’t remember who he should be looking for right now, which of his people are here with him, or if he was all alone to begin with.

And then there’s Adam. He’s blurry at first, blurry until Jay blinks him into solidity, into steadiness, and he kneels down at Jay’s side, an urgency to him that Jay just can’t catch up with. He looks at Jay, calls out to someone else, looks back again. There’s a cold wind out here today, and Jay shivers with it.

“Jay,” Adam’s voice is distorted, under water, a pressure in Jay’s head that he tries to shake away slowly. Adam’s voice slips into focus, and suddenly things make some kind of sense. Adam’s hand on Jay’s shoulder. “Jay, babe. Are you okay? Hey, look at me. Jay?”

“Yeah,” says Jay. “I’m fine. I’m good.”

“Sit tight, okay?” Adam says. “We’re gonna get you checked out.”

“Why?” Jay asks, suddenly aware of eyes on him, strangers looking from across the street. A heat rises in his cheeks. He’s not sure if it’s frustration or embarrassment.

“We lost you there for a second,” says Adam.

“Where?” Jay asks, then shakes his head. “No, I mean—what?”

“Pretty sure that asshat knocked you out,” Adam clarifies, except it doesn’t really clarify anything. “Just a second, but still. It happened.”

“That why everyone’s staring at me?” Jay asks. Adam lowers himself down then, until the two of them are sitting on the ground together. He takes one of Jay’s hands in his own.

“Nah,” says Adam. “They’re looking at both of us now. They’re just jealous.” Jay smiles then, tries to laugh, but the sound trails off into something more like a groan, until he’s leaning away from Adam, pulling in a shaky breath, trying not to choke on it. “Jay. Talk to me. What’s going—“

“I think I’m gonna throw up.”

-

The story didn’t really start there.

Adam saw it all, saw the standoff from his vantage point behind Jay’s truck, watched as Jay tried his best to mediate the situation. They were pursuing this guy on suspicion of carrying drugs for a bigger player. He was their way in, the key to the door that would lead to the person in charge of it all. This guy was just a kid, really, twenty one years old and so panicked in the face of police that he grabbed a civilian on the street, put a gun to her head, made Jay lay down his own gun before he’d let her go.

Adam was a good shot, but he could feel the way his arm shook, wondered if somewhere else on this street, from her own vantage point, Hailey was trembling as well. They’d gotten drunk once, the three of them, back at their apartment after a bad shift, and Hailey had told Adam while Jay was in the bathroom, that she knew she’d lose one of them on the job someday. Just knew it, felt it in her bones, said she looked at them sometimes, on days like that, and just knew. Adam thought about that now, and tried to remember that in the hierarchy of who he was, cop came before boyfriend right now. He pushed Hailey’s fear from his mind, shifted Jay into the category of colleague to protect, and not a partner he might lose. The nausea hit him nonetheless, and Adam pulled in the most steadying breath he could take, and willed his arm not to shake.

Trembling or not, Adam wouldn’t let this guy get away intact if he hurt that civilian, if he hurt Jay.

The kid let the woman go and she ran, ran straight to Voight as Jay stood there with his hands up, telling the guy that was good, that this was the first step, that the next step was dropping his weapon so they could talk, figure things out. And he did, lowered the gun, let Jay take one small step towards him before it happened. The kid burst into action, both hands on Jay’s chest, shoving him hard before taking off down the street.

“Shit,” Adam breathed, even before Jay went down, even before the smack of his head hitting the concrete. Kevin and Hailey took off after the kid, Kevin shouting for him to stop, booming voice, Adam’s head swimming with panic and the echo of Kevin’s ‘Chicago P.D. Stop!’

And Jay didn’t get back up. Not at first, anyway, eyes shut, body gone limp right there in the street. Adam fought against the desperate sound that tried to tear out of his throat. He felt Voight looking at him, but didn’t stop, didn’t turn to meet his gaze. By the time he reached Jay’s side, he could scarcely remember holstering his gun, running out from behind the truck. But he had.

“Shit,” he breathed again, and barely a second later, Jay’s eyes were open again, and he was sitting up slowly, reaching up to touch the back of his head. Adam sagged with relief when Jay’s fingers came away dry—no blood. Adam grabbed his radio, called in for an ambo without even thinking. Officer down, possible head injury, temporary loss of consciousness. And then he was Jay’s boyfriend again, was taking his hand, trying to comfort him, to get him to sit the fuck still instead of blindly insisting he was fine, was sitting right there on the ground with him like he’d been discharged from duty. Voight said nothing. Wouldn’t matter if he did. The one look Adam shared with his sergeant conveyed this, he was sure. Voight gave him a single nod, and radioed Hailey and Kev for an update.

The ambulance took longer than it should have, or longer than Adam felt it should have. Jay was fine, not dying, not badly injured, but he was only partly there with Adam, was drifting away somewhere else even as they spoke, like he was more in his own head than in the world, and moments after Jay threw up on the concrete, Adam heard the sirens in the distance.

—

When it came to his brother, Will was well aware of the duality in him. Any other patient, his bedside manner was impeccable. He judged occasionally, sure, but he’d never been perfect, and he wasn’t going to start pretending now. But one thing he never felt for his other patients was annoyance, that clean white spark in chest that had him shaking his head, clenching his jaw, fighting against the words clawing desperate in his throat. When it came to his brother—who Will wasn’t technically supposed to be treating, given the family relation, but he found that if he strode to his brother as if nothing could stop him, no one would try. Jay’s injuries made made him frustrated, annoyed that Jay would end up in these situations. Whether he was mad at Jay’s profession, or at the world, or at the people who did these things to him, he wasn’t really sure.

Either way, half the time he ended up taking it out on Jay himself. He tried very hard not to.

“It’s probably a concussion,” said Will, finished examining the back of Jay’s head, his pupil responses. He pushed his torch into the breast pocket of his white coat, and shifted his gaze from Jay, to Adam and back again. “I’d like to get you booked in for some scans, just to confirm, but it’s likely that’s what we’re dealing with here.”

“Scans?” Asked Adam, from his spot at the doorway, arms folded over his chest. Jay was pale in the hospital bed, still trying not to throw up. He gave the smallest groan at the back of his throat, and Will pushed the plastic bowl to him just in case. Jay took it, held it under his chin without a word.

“Just a formality, really,” said Will. His heart was pounding under his scrubs, but he knew he looked calm, looked fine. He looked better than Jay anyway, that much was certain. “We just want to be sure there’s nothing else going on here. If the scans come back normal, we’ll know it’s a concussion. After that, I can talk you both through what happens next. Hailey as well, if she’s coming?”

“She is,” said Jay, his voice a rasp. He sounded so certain for a moment, but then his eyes went to Adam for reassurance, and there was something so childlike about it, like a doorway right back into their past. Will caught these glimpses of Jay sometimes, when he could picture exactly what he’d looked like at five years old, shooting Will that same uncertain, almost desperate look.

“Yes,” said Adam. “She’s coming, Jay. Of course. She’s just wrapping things up at the district. One of the issues of having half the unit in a polycule together. Always someone who’s gotta stay behind.”

“Sure,” said Will, as if he knew anything about polycules, other than the fact that Jay loved both his partners and they both clearly adored Jay. It worked for them. Workplace relationships, though—Will knew something about that. A stab of something then, like pressing his fingers against an old wound and finding it still tender. His mind went to Connor, and he promptly pulled himself back into the room, back to his probably concussed, determined-not-to-vomit brother. “I’m gonna get you booked in. Orderlies will come get you beforehand, and you’re probably looking at a half hour wait, okay?”

“Mm,” said Jay, gripping the plastic cup, fingers shaking.

“Jay,” said Will, shifting all his weight onto one leg now, reaching out to touch his brother’s shoulder. “If you need to throw up, throw up. It’s actually healthier not to fight it.”

“Uh-huh,” Jay said, and Adam looked away when he threw up into the cup. “I hate this.”

“I know you do,” said Will. “But you’ll be okay. We’ll talk about recovery after the scans come back, but it’s a fairly simple process. It’s gonna be more work for Adam and Hailey than it will be for you.”

“Just how we like it,” said Adam, and Will smiled then. He liked Jay’s partners, knew he didn’t have to worry quite so much with the two of them around. He would anyway, because that was just hardwired into him, but the logical part of him would know it wasn’t necessary, and sometimes that was enough.

—

While Adam cooked dinner, Hailey read the pamphlet for the third time that evening. She was leaning against the counter, Adam moving around her and back again without complaint, pulling together ingredients, checking the timings, getting the plates ready. It was a simple meal, pretty much just rice and vegetables all cooked up together, but his secret homemade sauce was the specialty here, and the only reason he let Hailey stay in the kitchen while he made it was because he knew she wasn’t paying attention. She knew what the secret was anyway, had figured it out years ago now, but she’d never tell him that.

“I think I got it,” she said, looking up from the pamphlet at last. It was a plain thing, thin paper and tiny writing, the words “recovering from concussion” on the front of it.

“Hailey,” said Adam, taste testing from a spoon, tongue darting out over his lips. “Mm. You know, that leaflet’s not going anywhere. Not like it’s gonna dissolve the second you put it down. We can read it again. Later.”

“I know,” said Hailey.

“Besides,” said Adam, dropping the spoon into the sink. “It’s concussion. He just needs to take it easy for like a week and that’s it. You and me, we just gotta make sure he doesn’t sneak out and do a whole shift in the night or something, you know? Gotta keep him right between us in the big bed, huh?”

His words pulled a breath of laughter from her, and his arm was around her shoulders in a second. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, pulled in a long breath, let his lips linger there even as he spoke.

“Scared you, huh?” He asked.

“Pretty sure that’s my job description now,” she said. She was joking, but there was a part of her all the same that knew she’d never really be free of this kind of worry. First of all, if things had gone a little differently, the guy could have shot Jay. Right in front of them. Secondly, he could have cracked his head open, could have had a brain injury, could have ended up a lot worse than concussed on the couch and staring into space while the movie played on in the background, the blinds closed, lights off because they hurt him too much. He wasn’t really focussing on anything, concentration blown. She’d watched him like that for a moment, then decided she needed to read the leaflet again. It was the only way to ease the tension in her chest, to make it easier to breathe. She just needed control over the situation, and this—this futile repetition—was the only way she could get it.

“Scared me too,” said Adam. “But he’s fine. He’s—“

“He’s not deaf,” said Jay, wandering into the kitchen now, a half smile tilting his lips. “He can hear you both fretting in here.” He reached for a slice of pepper on the chopping board. Adam put his hand out to stop him.

“Don’t you dare,” he said. “And actually, wait a second—both of you, get out, please. This is too many eyes on the Ruzek family secret, okay?” Jay met Hailey’s eyes, and where she grinned at him, Jay looked a little distant, like he hadn’t heard what Adam had said. He looked pale, tired, a little spaced out. Hailey slipped out from under Adam’s arm, put her hand on Jay’s back to guide him back out of the room.

“Come on, Jay,” she said. “Let’s grab a seat, okay?”

“Mm,” said Jay, and he walked with her, but Hailey could tell he hadn’t really heard her, wasn’t really paying attention. It wasn’t until they were sat down together on the couch that she felt he was really there with her. He met her eye for a moment and he was present, sharp. “I’m tired, Hailey.”

“You can sleep,” Hailey assured him. “Will said that, remember? Sleep when you need to. It’s totally safe.”

“Yeah,” Jay breathed.

“I’ll be right here, okay?” She said, already reaching out to touch his hair, to brush her fingers gently through it. His hair was out of place already, messy but soft. He manoeuvred himself then, until his head was in her lap, wordless acceptance of her presence as he curled his legs up, let out a long breath as she shifted, got comfortable like this, got used to it. She kept her hand on the side of his head, gentle, careful to stay away from the place where he’d struck the concrete, still tender and raised, stroked his hair with her thumb like this and listened less to the movie, and more to Adam humming to himself as he cooked for them, to Jay’s breaths turning steady, even, long.

Fifteen minutes later, Adam walked into the living room with a plate in each hand, his eyes landing first on Hailey, and then on Jay fast asleep with his head in her lap.

“Oh wow,” he said. “He’s out cold, huh?”

“Yeah,” she said, trying to remember everything was fine, that being scared of losing either one of her partners was natural, but she had to forget about it for now. That,and the sound of Jay’s head meeting the concrete. She didn’t realise there were tears in her eyes until Adam was setting the plates down, moving to sit on the other side of her, arm around her shoulder once more, letting her lean into him.

“Hey,” he soothed. “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”

“It’s stupid,” she said, voice quiet, determined not to wake Jay. “I know that. I know it’s just a concussion. I just…Voight would have let me go earlier. To the hospital.”

“Okay…” said Adam.

“I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I didn’t stay at the district because Voight made me. I stayed because, because I knew he had you, and he had Will, and I just couldn’t deal with it today. One of my boys in the hospital. There’s only so much I—“

“Hey, shh,” Adam said, lips against her temple now. And it felt stupid, to get so worked up like this over Jay’s concussion, when she’d sat through entire nights in hospital waiting rooms while they pulled bullets from his chest, while they stitched up terrible wounds and told her they’d know more about his chances of survival in the morning. “He’s okay, Hailey. He’s out of it, sure, but that’s normal, okay? Will said that’s normal. He’s gonna be kind of zombie-like for a few days maybe, then he’ll be fine.”

“It’s just—a lot.”

“I know,” he said. “We all feel it.”

“Yeah,” she breathed, and he pulled back for a moment just to look at her.

“Know what else I feel?” He said.

“What?” She asked, and he leaned in to kiss her temple, whispered the word against her skin while she brushed her thumb softly through Jay’s hair as he slept.

“Lucky,” said Adam. “I feel lucky.”

And they were. She knew that—they all were. They had this incredible life together, the soaring joy and trembling fear and everything else in between. They were experiencing life together, and of all the people she could choose to do that with, she wouldn’t swap these two for anything. Even if their jobs brought extra risks with it. They’d all nearly lost each other before, and would again she was sure. She breathed out, leaned into Adam, closed her own eyes now.

“Adam,” she said. “I think I’m a little tired now, too.”

“Okay,” he said. “Then sleep, babe. But you’re both missing out on the famous Ruzek vegetable sauce, and I hope that really haunts you when you wake up.”

She laughed again then, careful to keep herself as still as possible as she did, Jay’s breaths so deep and peaceful. Adam untangled himself from her, brought her the blanket from the other couch and placed it carefully over her shoulders, brought another from the bedroom and draped it over Jay.

She watched him then as he disappeared back into the kitchen, listened as he wrapped the plates, put them in the fridge. Hailey fell asleep before Adam made it back to the living room.

—

The story ends on his first day back at work. He’s frustrated by now, worked up too much energy on his ten days off, like he could have just gotten up this morning and gone for a long run, if only the both of his partners hadn’t been up first, hadn’t switched off the alarm when they rose, hadn’t let him sleep until the very last second. So instead of running, it was the world’s quickest attempt at making coffee the way he liked it, pouring it into a travel cup that hadn’t belonged to him to begin with, but has been his for so long now he can’t actually recall whose it was to start with. Neither Adam nor Hailey have ever asked for it back.

Jay drives them that day, Hailey beside him, Adam dozing off in the back. He likes this, feels in control again, feels healthier, more present.

“Listen,” he says. “I know you don’t need me to say this, but, uh, thanks. For everything. For taking care of me this past week and, just, you know. Being there. Being you.”

“Oh,” says Hailey. “You owe me big. So big, Jay Halstead, you have no idea what I’m gonna ask of you someday.”

He laughs then, sees Adam’s eyes flick open and fall shut again in the rearview mirror.

“I’m sure,” he says. “And you know what? I can’t wait.”

“I love you,” says Hailey, right as they pull into the district. “Just promise me one thing.”

“Anything,” says Jay, putting the truck into park, looking Hailey in the eye.

“Don’t almost die today,” she says. Jay feels the half smile, crooked and barely reaching his eyes.

“I love you too,” he tells her. “But you know I can’t promise that.”

“I know,” she says, her smile small, sad. Jay checks over his shoulder, finds Adam still fast asleep in the backseat.

“Think he needs a wake up call?” Jay asks, hand poised over the horn, tension easing as Hailey smiles at the mischievous look he settles on her.

“Yeah,” she says. “Yeah, I think he does.”

[ragingbookdragon]

Don't Bleed Me Then Push Me Away

Kyle Rayner x Batbrother One-Shot

Word Count: 2K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

Author's Note: Based off this ask about Batbro being a Lantern! Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

He burst through the door leading out to the roof, one arm wrapped around the man’s back, the other slamming the door shut. Huffing, he set him against one of the overhead vents before hurrying back to the door, yanking something from his belt. He shoved it against the door frame, just at face height and clicked a button, watching a red-light flicker on.

Sprinting back over, he knelt in front of the man who was moaning lowly, pawing at his side; he grabbed the hand. “Kyle, babe, don’t.”

“It hurts,” he moaned, dropping his head; he tugged the jacket away from his side, eyes widening at the crimson blooming larger and larger. “Oh God, I’m gonna bleed out.” He looked up, meeting his eyes. “(Y/N), I’m bleeding out.”

(Y/N) shook his head. “You’re gonna be okay.” Pressing a finger to his ear, he shoved the other against Kyle’s side. “Black Ops to Batman, come in.”

I read you, Black Ops. What’s your status?

“Not good. Green Lantern’s down and I’m not looking too hot either.” A blast sounded from below, on one of the floors beneath them. “We’ve got incoming enemies from the lower floors.” (Y/N) craned his neck, peeking over the side of the building before ducking again. “Tanks are in the courtyard.”

I’m sending the Batplane to your position.

“Negative Batman, anti-aircraft missiles were spotted earlier.” He breathed heavily, mind working in overdrive as he tried to think of a plan, but nothing was coming to him. Kyle’s blood was warm underneath his fingers and with how wounded the Lantern was, not even his ring could heal his injury.

—ack Ops. Black Ops. (Y/N)!

He shook himself from his stupor. “I’m here.”

I’m sending the Batplane.

“You can’t!” he yelled. “It’ll get shot down!”

I’m willing to take that chance if I get you and Kyle out.

“Dad I—” another blast sounded, this time from the rooftop door and he spun, listening to the screams of the men who’d taken a C4 charge straight to the face. (Y/N) yanked out his side arm, dropping the few who managed to survive and come out. He pulled the trigger one more time but all it did was click. Empty. He started hyperventilating, unable to decide if Kyle needed his attention more or if he should worry about getting them to safety.

But where could he take them? They were on the rooftop surrounded by tanks and soldiers. There was nowhere to run. They were at the end of the line.

(Y/N) looked back at Kyle. Sweat dripped down his face, his black hair clinging to his forehead; he looked clammy and ready to pass out. He glanced down at their hands pressed together, Kyle’s atop (Y/N)’s, and his eyes widened. The power ring.

He grabbed Kyle’s hand. “Kyle, gimme your ring.”

“What?” the Lantern moaned weakly. “My ring?”

(Y/N) nodded, slipping it off; he put his hand to his mouth, yanking the strap with his teeth before biting the tip of the middle finger, tugging it off. He slipped the ring on his finger and waited. He swallowed thickly, muttering, “Come on. Come on. Come on.”

“(Y/N),” Kyle whispered, and he looked at his lover. “It’s not working.”

“It has to,” he retorted, tears stinging the corner of his eyes. “I don’t wanna die here.” He leaned forward, one hand coming up to clasp the side of Kyle’s neck, his thumb brushing his cheek as he pressed his forehead to the man’s. “I don’t want us to die here.”

Kyle swallowed, a ghost of a grin on his lips. “I love you, (Y/N).”

He shook his head. “No. Don’t say that now.”

“I don’t know if we’ll get another chance,” he countered, nosing the soldier. “If we die here, then I want you to know that I love you.”

(Y/N)’s jaw tightened. “We’re not dying. Not now. Not today.” A wave of power surged through him, crashing against his soul like a tidal wave. “I refuse to give in. I won’t.” he shut his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Kyle’s skin against his own. “I’ll get us to the other side.”

A flash of green light burst across the sky, followed by an other worldly voice. (Y/N) Wayne of Earth. You have the ability to protect the ones you care for without fear. Welcome to The Green Lantern Corps.

He opened his eyes, the suit of green flooding his vision; a breathless laugh passed his lips and he gazed at Kyle. “I told you.”

Kyle snorted pitifully. “Yeah, yeah.”

(Y/N) grinned. “How do I work this thing?”

“Anything you can think of. If you can will it, it’ll come to life.”

He stood, looking down at the soldiers in the distance. “Any qualms against killing?”

Kyle shook his head. “Rules have been rewritten. Lethal force against enemies of the Green Lanterns has been authorized.” He gasped, leaning down to the ground and (Y/N) held out his arms.

“You need medical attention.”

“I’ll be fine,” he wheezed, shaking his head. “Go.”

(Y/N) knelt. “I’m not taking any chances.” He looked around. “I know who to call.”

“Who?”

He leaned forward, pulling Kyle into his arms. “Try not to move.” (Y/N) stood to his feet, eyes directed to the sky as he shouted, “Supergirl!”

A rush of wind gusted over them, almost knocking him off his feet and he looked over, seeing her red cape billowing above them. “(Y/N)?” she questioned. “You’re a Green Lantern?”

“For the moment,” he answered, holding Kyle up. “I need you to get Kyle to the Batcave back in Gotham City. Now.”

She glanced at the wounded man. “Oh my God, what happened?”

“Mission gone bad,” (Y/N) said. “Kara, please. Hurry.”

Kara nodded, lowering down to take Kyle from (Y/N); he grasped at (Y/N)’s shoulders. “I’m not leaving you.”

He shook his head. “You need to get to a hospital, or you’ll die.” He smiled. “I can take care of this.” (Y/N) met Kara’s gaze. “Go.”

She took off, ignoring how Kyle screamed at her to take him back.

(Y/N) flew to the ledge, standing atop it, and a gun went off; he raised a hand, imagining an aegis and sparks flew when the bullet ricochet off the bright green shield. He felt a renewed sense of strength and took a single step off the ledge, raising his hands high above his head; and the soldiers along the ground all gaped in terror as thousands of glowing arrows appeared in the sky, all the sudden coming down in a fury of green hellfire.

***

Kyle came to with wide eyes, sitting straight up on the med bay bed, though it proved to be a terrible decision as pain swelled through his side and ebbed outwards every which way. He gripped his abdomen, hissing with displeasure.

“Hey, take it easy,” someone commanded, pressing a hand to his shoulder and he cocked his head up, Jason coming into focus beside him.

“(Y/N),” he blurted out. “Where’s (Y/N)?”

Jason shook his head. “He hasn’t come back yet.” Kyle’s face dropped and Jason was quick to reassure, “But he didn’t send the code-word, so we know he isn’t dead yet.”

“What?”

“We’ve got a code-word we’re only allowed to use if we know for certain we’re not going to make it.” Jason leveled Kyle with a firm stare. “(Y/N)’s still out there somewhere.”

Kyle shoved his arm off. “Then I need to be up helping.”

“With what? He’s got your ring.” Jason put his hand back on the other’s shoulder and this time pushed him back on the bed. “You just lay right here and recover. We’ll do everything.”

“I can’t just lie here, Jay,” he retorted, though he made no move to get up. “I need to help you.”

“(Y/N) would want you to rest,” Jason shot back, and Kyle scowled.

“Screw you for using him against me.”

He snickered. “I’m just saying what you know you should be doing.” Jason reached over, pressing a button, and Kyle felt the world slow down, his vision growing dark as sleep washed over him. “There you go. Let the morphine lull you back to sleep.”

“Gonna…kick your…ass,” Kyle slurred before his head dropped down, eyes slipping shut as his consciousness faded, Jason’s amused hum echoing in his ears.

***

Kyle liked to be touched. He found physical measures of affection just as important as verbal ones. And (Y/N) liked to touch. A hand on a thigh, a kiss on a temple, a finger looped through a belt-loop, a toe brushing an ankle, digits carding through hair; he was content to simply be in contact. His favorite way was to touch was when he and Kyle were laying in bed, the latter’s back pressed to (Y/N)’s chest, one of the soldier’s arms wrapped around the Lantern’s waist, the other arm under Kyle’s head, folded back so he could brush through his lover’s hair.

It was uniquely intimate and sweet at the same time, and (Y/N) would simply lie there, breathing in the scent of Kyle’s minty shampoo, brushing the dark strands until they felt like silk beneath his fingers. And Kyle would hum contently like a cat, grunting if (Y/N) stopped. On the rare cases that he did, the Lantern would pout like a child and turn over in (Y/N)’s arms, burying his face in the soldier’s throat, nose brushing his lover’s Adam’s apple, breath warm against his skin. (Y/N) would chuckle, the vibrations rumbling through Kyle as the soldier’s arms twisted, cocooning the Lantern to his chest, legs tangling like ribbon.

It’s the feeling that Kyle had at the very moment, and he blinked blearily, inhaling deeply as he forced his mind to rise above the sleep clouding his brain. The comforting scent of cedarwood and gun metal wafted up his nose, a hint of tobacco hidden within. Warmth spread across his body, hot air puffing against his temple, as he finally felt the pressure over the left side of his body.

He opened his eyes, seeing a familiar set of dog tags and he tried to jerk up when someone’s hand rested on his chest, a comforting deep voice murmuring, “Easy, babe.”

Tears stung Kyle’s eyes and he fumbled for the hand over his heart, clenching the fingers through his own as he whispered, “Fuck you.”

“Hmm,” (Y/N) chuckled lowly. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“You sent me away,” he hissed, barely restraining the tears. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Not yet.” He retorted, kissing Kyle’s temple. “Go back to sleep.”

“No. I’m mad.”

“Mmm, no, you’re actually relived I’m back alive and spooning you on a crappy med bay bed.”

“Don’t try to change my mind,” Kyle shot back, trying to wiggle, but (Y/N) had him in a tight grip. “I want to yell at you.”

(Y/N) sighed and pulled away, gazing at the Lantern; Kyle opened his mouth to start berating him and he merely leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lover’s lips. Kyle’s eyes went wide as he made a noise of complaint, but it quickly faded as heat flooded his system.

They pulled away and (Y/N) patted his cheek. “You can yell at me in the morning. Go to sleep.”

Kyle glared at him, though he let his head fall to (Y/N)’s shoulder. “I’m going to kick you in the crotch.”

“Yep.”

“And yell at you for leaving me.”

“Uh huh.”

“Mock me at your own peril, Wayne. I’ll fight you.”

“Ooo, I’m so scared of the green space ranger with fancy boots.”

“You are a major douche.”

(Y/N) nuzzled his head. “I know. You love me though.”

Kyle swallowed the lump in his throat, and he turned, burying his face in (Y/N)’s throat as he whispered, “Don’t ever send me away from you like that ever again.”

He smiled, carding his hand through the Lantern’s hair. “Never again.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.” (Y/N) kissed Kyle’s head. “Go to sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

[thebookreader12345]

Crossing Lines

Pairing: Jay Halstead x reader

Summary: Y/N is kidnapped, and when Jay tries to do everything he can to get her back, he discovers that he may be going too far

Requested: Yes, by @dreamingmanip

Warnings: slight swearing, mentions of a beating, blood, and kidnapping

Word Count: 1,824 Words

I stirred in bed as the sun hit my face and rolled over to bury my face in my boyfriend’s side, only to realize that his side of the bed was empty. I glanced over at the clock, and upon seeing how early it was, I groaned and dropped my head back down onto my pillow. That’s when Jay appeared at the entrance to the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe.

“Hey,” I mutter. “What are you doing up this early?”

“Hailey and I have a boatload of paperwork to catch up on, so we figured we’d finish it before shift starts,” Jay answered. “Go back to bed. You don’t need to be up for another hour or two.”

“Okay,” I murmur sleepily and snuggle deeper into the blanket that was covering my whole body. “See you later.” Jay then appeared at my side and leaned down to place a kiss on my cheek. I smiled softly at the gesture, loving how sweet and amazing my boyfriend was.

“See you at work,” Jay said before leaving the room. About an hour and a half later, it was time for me to get up, and even though I didn’t want to leave the bed, I had to go to work. It didn’t take me long to get ready, but then again, it never did, and once I was all set, I threw on a jacket, grabbed my car keys, and left the apartment. Because I had a bit of time left before I had to get to work, I decided to go and get some coffee. It wasn’t unusual for me to go out and get coffee in the morning. The coffee back at the district wasn’t that good, and sometimes, I had a taste for something different. Therefore, I went to the cafe a few blocks from my apartment. At first, everything was normal. I walked inside the coffee shop, ordered my drink, waited for said drink, and walked out. However, this is where things went wrong. As I passed by an alleyway to get to my car, a man reached out and grabbed me, pulling me towards his body. On instinct, I fought back and tried to reach for my gun, only to realize that I left it in the front compartment of my car. No matter how much I struggled in the arms of my captor, he overpowered me. I tried to throw a punch, but I missed, and in return, the man attacked back, landing a punch to my mouth that produced blood. And once I had a bag thrown over my head, and my hands were tied tightly behind my back, there wasn’t much that I could do. All I could think about when I was tossed into the trunk of a car was Jay, and I just hoped that him and unit would find me before something bad happened.

Jay’s POV

My stomach sunk even deeper as Y/N didn’t answer her phone for the 5th time. She was supposed to be at work half an hour ago but never showed up, and now I was worried. I sighed and put my phone in my back pocket before walking back into the bullpen where everyone was sitting doing work.

“Any word from L/N yet?” Voight questioned. Everyone in the bullpen glanced up at Voight’s question and looked towards me for an answer.

I shook my head. “She still isn’t answering my calls, and she hasn’t responded to any of my texts. Voight, I’m getting worried. Really worried.”

“All right, everyone stop what you’re doing,” Voight ordered. “Right now, Y/N is our number one priority. I want the case we’re working on passed over to the Gang Unit, and I want everyone focused on finding Y/N. Got it?” Everyone in the bullpen nodded. “Okay, Jay, tell us everything you know.”

“I saw Y/N this morning before I came into work. I told her to go back to bed, and that I’d see her here. Then I left the apartment, and I haven’t seen her since,” I explain.

“Can we check her car’s GPS?” Kevin questioned.

Adam shook his head. “Y/N’s GPS was damaged in that car accident last week, and she hasn’t had it fixed yet. What if we split up and go to places she could be?”

“That’s not a bad plan. You guys figure that out, and I’m going to talk to Trudy to see if we can get some more bodies on the street,” Voight declared and headed down the stairs.

“Kev, Adam, and I could check her apartment,” Kim suggested.

“Okay,” I breathe out and take my keys out of my pocket. I took the house key off of the chain and handed it to them before turning to Hailey.

“You and I can check out the coffee shop she likes a few blocks from her apartment. Maybe a barista saw her this morning and can give us more info,” I say. 

Hailey nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Lets do it.” Hailey and I climbed into my truck and left the district, heading towards the cafe Y/N visited often. Upon pulling into a parking spot, my eyes caught something on the other side of the street.

“Look,” I tell Hailey and nod to what I was staring at. “That’s Y/N’s car.”

“Lets go inside,” Hailey proposed and hopped out of the passenger seat of my truck. Inside of the building, we showed the barista our badges and asked her if she could answer a few questions about this morning, to which she agreed. I pulled out my phone and selected a picture of Y/N, showing it to the barista.

“Have you seen her today?” I ask.

The barista thought for a moment, but then nodded. “Yeah. She came in earlier today. Her order was a black coffee with two shots of milk and three sugars.” I smiled softly at the mention of my girlfriend’s coffee order. She always got the same thing.

“Was she with anyone?” Hailey quizzed.

“Uh, no. She came in, got her coffee, and then left,” the woman answered.

“Great. Thank you,” I exclaim and lead Hailey out of the coffee shop. “Well, that was a dead end.”

“Uh, Jay,” Hailey spoke and tapped on my shoulder. I turned around to face my partner, and when I saw that she was looking at something, I followed her gaze. That’s when I spotted a coffee cup lying on the floor, it’s lid inches away, with the light colored coffee spilled around it. I didn’t need to see the name of the cup to know that it belonged to my girlfriend. I stepped closer to where the coffee was spilled and scanned the surrounding area, hoping to pick up some other clues, and thankfully, I did, but they weren’t the kind I was hoping for. In the alley where the abandoned cup was laying, there were a few blood splatters on the concrete, and feet away from that was a jacket. And I recognized the jacket instantly because it was my own. But most importantly, it was the jacket that Y/N loved to where from time to time. Hailey appeared at my side, and based on her expression, I’m assuming she had come to the same conclusion as me. My girlfriend had been kidnapped. “I’m going to call the rest of the team,” Hailey mumbled and pulled out her phone.

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

The investigation was going well, but we were at a dead end. We found a security camera that was pointed at the alleyway where the abduction took place, and while it pained me seeing my girlfriend get beaten and shoved into the trunk of the car, we had the guy that took her. The problem was, he wasn’t talking.

“Why don’t we lie to him and offer him a deal?” I suggest.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jay,” Hailey stated.

“Okay, then lets put him in the cage,” I offer. “Give me a minute alone with the guy. I can make him talk.” No one said anything, and that was making me angry. Really angry. “Guys, he kidnapped Y/N! He beat her, and then shoved her into a trunk. So why is no one agreeing with me here?”

“Because you’re taking things a bit too far,” Voight commented.

I scoffed. “I’m taking things too far? That’s rich coming from you.”

“I’ve done some bad things, Jay. Things that I regret,” Voight admitted. “You don’t want to follow in my footsteps. And right now, what you’re suggesting... Jay, you’re crossing lines that you do not want to cross.”

I sighed and slumped down into my desk chair, defeated. “Then what the hell do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Voight confessed. “But we’re going to figure it out.”

Y/N’s POV

I winced in pain for the one hundredth time as I moved my jaw. There was most likely a bruise there, and a pretty decent sized one at that. I had been sitting in this house for who knows how long, a day at the most, just waiting, hoping, that the team would come and find me. And it looked like my wish was granted, because minutes later, someone bust the front door down, and I heard Jay calling out my name.

“I’m in here!” I shout as much as I was able, seeing as my jaw throbbed whenever it was jostled, which happened a lot when I talked. In seconds, I was being untied from the chair I was sitting in, and I was being engulfed in a hug by my boyfriend. He squeezed me softly, placing a kiss on the top of my head as I buried my face into his chest to inhale his familiar smell.

“Are you okay?” Jay asked and examined my figure, scowling when he saw the mark on my chin.

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “Just a few bruises. Nothing I can’t handle. What the hell happened?”

“We can talk about that later. Right now, I’m going to take you to Med, get you checked out, and then we are going to go home and get some much needed rest,” Jay explained. “You don’t know how worried I was about you. The lengths I was willing to go to get you back...”

“Hey,” I say and cup his cheeks with my hands. “You are the most morally just cop I know. So whatever you had to do, I’m sure it was justified. Now, if that whole rest thing is still on the table, I would like to take it.”

Jay smiled softly. “The offer is definitely still on the table. Come on. I’ll drive you to Med, and then we can pick up your car and head back to my place. Pizza and beers are on me.”

“I have the best boyfriend ever,” I note. “Now, lets get going. The longer we stand here, the hungrier I get.”

________________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @dreamingmanip @campingmonkey @winterberryfox @nevertoofarfromivar @anotherfan07 @giagma @mrspeacem1nusone @i-like-sparkly-things

[redhoodssweetheart]

Still Star-Crossed Part One

Sequel to Star-Crossed Lovers, please read Sad Ending Version Two for this to make sense) 

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Requested: No

Word Count: 1.5K

Warnings: Swearing, angst, more to be added later

Description:  Jason’s been gone for nearly two years.  Y/N has taken up the Red Hood mantle, but things are about to become complicated.

A/N: *Insert devil emoji grinning here* 

Two years.

That’s how long it had been since Jason had passed.  Two years and Y/N was now wearing the Red Hood mask.  It had only felt right to take up where he had left off.  She couldn’t sit idly by while people suffered as she had all those years ago.  Red Hood had helped her, loved her, and while she may never find love again she still wanted to help.

Dick was beside her, the two of them sitting with their feet dangling over the side of the building.  They were eating something from the diner they had just rescued from some muggers.  “It’s too quiet tonight,” he said and she instantly smacked him.

“Dude now we’re going to be swamped with work,” she frowned at him.  “That’s what people who work as like cops or EMTs say and then all hell breaks loose.”  As if on queue an explosion happened.  “I hate you.”

They dumped their food into the garbage bin below and Y/N put her helmet back on before they raced to their bikes to see what the damage was.  “Oracle,” she heard Dick say over the comms.  “There was an explosion near the Dodson’s diner, can you tell us what happened?”

There was a moment of silence and then they heard Barbara’s voice, “It looks like Gotham City Bank is being robbed.  Joker’s goons.”

“I really hate you, Nightwing,” Y/N said as she sped up to make it through a yellow light.  “You just had to say everything was quiet.”

“That explosion would have happened whether I had said what I said or not,” Dick fired back.

The two of them arrived on the scene and were greeted with the face of Joker who was laughing hysterically.  “Well look at what we have here,” he said as he swung a crowbar back and forth.  “It looks like the Bats have come to play tonight boys!”

“Don’t you ever just want to shoot this motherfucker in the head?”  She asked Dick as they were surrounded by Joker and his men.

She heard him sigh, “All the time.”

“We’re taking him to Arkham though, aren’t we?”

“Yep.”

She pulled out her guns and said, “I’ll take the goons on the left and you take the ones on the right.”  He merely nodded and leapt into action while she shot tranq darts into the ones that were running toward her.  If they got too close she switched to hand to hand and cracked them on the skull with the butt of her gun.

The entire time they were fighting one another Joker was watching and laughing.  The sick bastard was enjoying this way too much and Y/N gritted her teeth as she took out yet another one of Joker’s men.  When they were all on the ground she pointed her gun at Joker but he merely smiled that creepy smile and said, “I’d love to stay and play, but I’ve got a date that I just can’t miss.”  He pulled something out of his pocket and before she could shoot him he tossed whatever it was onto the ground, smoke flaring up around him.  

Y/N and Dick staggered back, coughing and fanning in front of their faces, the Joker’s laugh still echoing in their ears.  “Should we chase after him?”

Dick went to answer her, but Bruce’s voice over the comms made them pause.  “Red Hood, Nightwing, return to the cave,” that tone made both of them stand straighter. “Now.”

The two of them shared a look knowing what that voice meant. Something had happened. They sped back to the cave and when they entered there was a commotion. Barbara was wheeling toward them, a pensive look on her face as she said, “Y/N, please don’t freak out.”

“Why the hell is she wearing the Hood?!” A familiar voice snapped. She jerked her head toward an angry Jason. “Am I a girl on this earth?”  She removed her hood and the mask, letting him see her face for the first time.  Her mouth hung open slightly.

“Jason,” Bruce’s hand landed on his shoulder. “This is Y/N, she’s the new Red Hood.”

She stepped forward, a hand outstretched to touch him but he jerked back. “Jay, it’s me. It’s Y/N.”  She looked helplessly at Bruce.  How the hell was he here?  How did he not seem to know who she was? 

Jason looked at Bruce, “She doesn’t deserve the honor of wearing that Hood.”

Anger coursed through her veins. This wasn’t her Jason. “You don’t know what I deserve,” she hissed.  Turning she stalked back toward her bike, “You know where I’ll be.”

“Y/N,” Dick said helplessly but let her go. Before turning back to Bruce, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Barry accidentally traveled to another earth and picked up the Jason from there.  We’re trying to figure out how to send him back.”  That was the last thing she heard before she got on her bike and sped away.  Another Jason.  Not hers.  Of course, not hers.  Life wasn’t that kind to her.

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, “I still want to know why the fuck she has the mantle.”

Dick clenched his fists, “You know what Jason, I don’t think you deserve to know what she’s been through in order to gain our trust and that mantle.”  Dick left, leaving Barbara, Bruce, and Jason in the cave. 

“Come on I’ll show you to your room,” Bruce said at last steering Jason up to the main portion of the house. 

Y/N stumbled through the door of her apartment feeling like she couldn’t breathe.  She sucked in lungfuls of air and collapsed to the floor and before letting out a scream.  Tears welled up in her eyes and she slammed her hand on the floor repeatedly.  “Why?! Why?! Why?!”

All she wanted to do was curl up on the floor and cry, she wanted to turn on her heartbreak playlist and just sob to the depressing tunes.  She wanted to slam her fist through a wall.  How was the universe this cruel to her?  How could it take one of the best things away from her and then give it back but only a new version?  Something that would never fully be hers.

She felt around in her pocket for her phone and dialed the number she knew by heart, “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“Clark,” she sobbed.  “It’s Jason…. he’s back.”

She heard him shift, “How?”

“Barry,” she still couldn’t believe it.  “Bruce said that he went to another earth and brought the Jason from there to here.”  She let out another sob, “He’s not my Jason.”

Clark felt so helpless at that moment, “Y/N, I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what to say.  I don’t know how to make it better.”  He knew how hard she had taken Jason’s death.  “Do you want to come back to Metropolis for a few days?  Get out of Gotham while he’s there?”

She considered his offer for a moment, “I don’t know.  I’m needed here.  Joker got away and he said something about meeting someone.  The others may need me, but I’ll come if things get too overwhelming or they don’t fix this soon.”

Clark knew she was going to be stubborn about this.  “All right, but the offer still stands.  Lois and I would be more than willing to let you stay here.”  

She thanked him and hung up the phone, pushing herself off the floor and heading for the shower.  She needed time.  Time to think and process what had happened that night.

Jason stepped into the room that Bruce had shown him to.  He looked around and noted that it wasn’t that much different from the one on his earth.  Everything here seemed the same except for the fact that he wasn’t here and some woman was wearing the Red Hood mask.  He had felt angry when he saw her in it.  He didn’t even know her so what made her think that she could wear it?

Then he had seen her face and it was as if he had seen a ghost.

Walking over to the desk he noticed several pictures in pretty frames sitting on top of the surface.  He picked one of them up and saw that it was him and her.  They were lying in bed, she was burying her face into his neck and he was smiling.  Then the next one had him and her in an unfamiliar living room, she was kissing his cheek.

“The other you loved her,” a voice said behind him.  He turned and saw Cassandra standing there.  “He died trying to keep her safe.  She’s been through a lot and she doesn’t need someone with his face telling her that she doesn’t deserve what she has.  Because she’s paid her dues and then some.”

“We all have our sob stories, Cass,” he said with a frown.

“Yeah we do, but at least you didn’t have the love of your life die in your arms,” then she turned and walked away.  

Jason looked back at the photos of them and there was a pang in his chest.  It seemed the two of them had mirrored one another in ways he didn’t realize.  

Because she had died in his arms on his earth as well.

He hung his head and cursed himself.

[justmypartner]

Make it Work: Chapter 6

Summary: When offered a permanent position with the FBI, Hailey agrees to take it under one condition: Jay comes too. As their personal lives and work lives begin to change, the two partners find it increasingly difficult to navigate their complex relationship and manage their feelings for one another.

Writer’s Note: How’s everyone feeling after last night’s finale?? I’ve been feeling so many things, and this chapter did not help lol but it was super fun to write and I hope you can forgive me for the angst! As always, thank you so much for reading!

Tagging: @angelsjedi , @brookerz122493 , @cpdfan2014 , @the–carousel , @maya-asturias , @itsdesiree86​ , @tvshowsaremyhappyplace 

Read on AO3 or below

Several days had passed since the veteran’s convention case. Jay woke up out of breath, drenched in sweat with his heart racing several nights in a row following the case. His normal techniques weren’t working, so he met virtually with his therapist back in Chicago a few afternoons after work. He put in the work and before he knew it, he was back to sleeping through the night, nightmare free. He had kept his distance from Hailey during it all, not wanting her to know he was dealing with residual effects from the case. At first, she pushed against his distance, but she eventually granted him the space he needed. After three full nights of sleep, he was finally feeling himself again. He got up earlier than usual, stopping by his and Hailey’s new favorite coffee shop before heading into the office. She was already at her desk by the time he arrived, so he made his way over and dropped the cup on her desk with a light smile.

“Thank you,” she said, a twitch in her voice as if she were surprised by the gesture. “Finally feeling social again?” She asked as he dropped his coffee on his desk and pulled his chair out.

“I am. I just want to say thank you for giving me the space I needed… and for not asking why,” he told her. She smiled at him, looking down at the cup before bringing her eyes back up to his.

“Of course. Glad you got everything sorted out,” she returned with a warm smile.

That moment was the last time that day either of them felt anything resembling joy because they spent the next 13 hours working the hardest case they had taken on since they arrived in New York. About an hour or so after they had gotten into work, Drake received a call from an undercover agent who had been in deep with one of the major drug distributors in the city. The agent had gotten in close with the daughter of the crime lord, learning she had valuable information about his operations that she was willing to share if they could help her get away from him. Drake sent Walker and Daisy to pick her up, leaving Hailey and Jay to question her. They learned the dark reasons behind why she was so eager to get away and flip on him. Seven years ago, when she was just 14 years old, her dad began pimping her out to his associates, forcing her into a life of prostitution and drugs for the sake of his business. She felt trapped by the power her father had over her and the entire city, and it was only when she developed a close bond with the undercover agent that she felt like she had a real chance to break free from the abuse.

As they listened to the girl’s story, Jay could see Hailey slipping deeper and deeper into a dark place. Cases like this always prodded at her, touching that raw part of her that easily made her lose focus. He stuck close throughout the day but remained quiet knowing the last thing she’d want to do was talk about it. It was the silent support they were always able to give each other that he knew she needed. They gathered all of the information they could from the girl, setting up teams to take down the man’s stash houses and bring him in before he could get a chance to try and figure out who flipped.

Through the young girl’s intel, they were able to seize all of his product and shut down all of his operations, but he was on the run, desperately trying to get out of the city. Unfortunately for him, Hailey was desperate too. She insisted she and Jay worked out of the car, keeping in contact with every available law enforcement resource in the city to track him down. They were out and ready so that the second somebody had a lead on his whereabouts, they could be the ones to take him down. The sun was beginning to set when they got a call about security footage picking his town car up on the George Washington Bridge. Analysts were able to quickly find out that the target kept a jet in a hanger in Jersey, and the second the information was relayed back to Jay and Hailey, they were darting through traffic to cross the Hudson and catch him before he could get in the air.

It was one of those dramatic scenarios that felt straight out of a movie. The plane was rolling down the runway and Jay had his foot pressed to the gas, challenging the pilot head-on. The space between the car and the plane was closing in, and Jay’s heart rate picked up as he held steady in his speed, certain the pilot wasn’t stupid enough to keep the challenge going long enough to see how it would end. Sure enough, the plane began to slow, and he pulled around the side of the motionless plane, right up to the door with the angle and space needed if the two of them had to take cover.

“FBI come out with your hands up,” Hailey called out, positioning herself in the space of the open door, resting her elbows on the top of the car and door. Jay recognized a harshness in her voice that she seemed to only reserve for guys like him. The ruthless ones with no regard for children, more specifically their own children.

The door opened and the pilot came out with his hands raised high, their target and his guards followed close behind with guns and hands raised in the air. Hailey came out from her cover, way quicker than Jay would have liked, but he backed her, following with his gun raised out in front of him as she made her way to the three offenders. Jay took the guards as Hailey approached the target. From the corner of his eye, Jay noticed her gun still pointed at the man as he cuffed the guards. She brought it close to his chest, standing off with him as they eyed each other.

“Give me a reason,” Jay heard her say through gritted teeth.

“Hailey,” he called out to her, sending a disapproving look. Her gaze remained on the man, and she went around him kicking the back of his legs and sending him to his knees. Jay watched as she pressed her muzzle to the middle of the man’s back. He took a deep breath, staying quiet but watching her intently. He knew she never would kill him right there in cold blood, but he also knew she was hovering a fine line. One he had put himself on numerous times before in situations that would have ended much differently if she hadn’t pulled him away from it.

“Hail,” he called out once more, this time much quieter as if it were just the two of them standing there on the tarmac. With this, her eyes drifted over to Jay and met his look of concern. She brought her gun to her holster and firmly brought the man’s hands around his back. Jay let out a sigh of relief as he called for additional units to transport the men.

“You’re not worth it anyway,” he heard her say close to the man’s ear as she tightened the cuffs around his wrists.

When they got back to the bullpen to complete their paperwork for the day, Hailey worked quietly, deliberately avoiding Jay’s concerned gaze by burying her head into the files. She finished before him and headed out without a word to anyone. Jay knew the case had stirred up something in her, but he wasn’t sure how to address it or even if he should.

He finished his paperwork and headed home, spending the entire walk debating whether or not to show up at her door. A few blocks away he stopped in his tracks when he eyed a liquor store on the corner. It’s what she would do, he thought when he found himself entering the store and buying a bottle of tequila. It was a habit of theirs to force their company on the other when a case hit a little too close to home. They’d done it countless times before, but for some reason, on that night, Jay had a sinking feeling in his chest. He felt almost nervous, but he pushed through it as he pressed the buzzer to her apartment.

“Yeah?” Her quiet voice echoed through the speaker.

“It’s me… bearing tequila,” he said, leading to a loud buzz as the door to the lobby unlocked. He made it to her door, leaving three rhythmic knocks on the wood before taking a small step back. When she opened the door, he took in the sight of her probably less discretely than he would have liked. She wore an oversized shirt and a pair of running shorts that barely peeked out from the bottom hem of her shirt. The shirt was a light blue color that complimented her eyes so well, and it was so big the sleeves covered her hands. It made her look smaller than usual, and he couldn’t help but think about how adorable she was. He diverted his eyes quickly to the bottle in his hands to break the lingering stare.

“Figured you could use this after today… and some company,” he said timorously. She flashed him a fake smile before stepping aside and letting him in.

He stepped in, taking off his jacket and resting it on the back of the barstool in her kitchen before grabbing a pair of glasses and making his way to her couch. They sipped on their first glass in a comfortable silence, a low hum of music radiated from her stereo in the corner, and Jay could feel himself loosening up with every drop of alcohol that entered his system. By the third glass, they were both well loosened up, talking about anything and everything but the case for almost an hour.

“Are you okay after today?” Jay finally asked, the liquor giving him enough courage to try and push through that wall Hailey had put up much earlier that day.

“I don’t know,” she breathed out with a shake of her head. “I just don’t know how a parent could do that to their child,” she said, staring blankly in front of her before letting out an amused snicker. “Not that I have room to talk really, my father wasn’t exactly parent of the year.”

Jay looked over at her, thinking about her father for a moment. He knew only the few things she had revealed about him, but he had a clear picture of what type of man he was. This made him realize why the case got to her so much. The cases involving fathers and abused kids always did, and for good reason. It also made him think about his own father. Neither of them had any luck in the dad department, something they both became well aware of through the years.

“You already know, but my father and I had anything but a healthy relationship. I mean, he was nothing like that guy today or even yours, but he made me realize what kind of dad I don’t want to be,” he said before taking a swig from his glass. She looked over at him with a concentrated frown, like she was thinking deeply about something. Her eyes had a slight glaze. Jay convinced himself it was from the booze, but it could have also been because of the touchy subject they had just entered into. Her bright blue orbs held steady with his like she was looking right into his soul.

“Do you think you’ll want kids someday?” She finally muttered, holding steady in her gaze.

“Yeah… someday. You?” He said simply, a flutter building up in his stomach at the way she was looking at him.

“I used to be against it. I’ve always loved kids, but when I was younger I told myself I would never be like my father… or my mother even, and I figured the only way to avoid it was to just skip parenthood altogether. But, as I got older and started working cases that involved kids, I realized it was possible to be a decent parent even after going through what I went through. Sort of like you said I can use what I was given as a guideline of what not to be. I can give a kid everything I never had while also knowing exactly how to protect them from everything I did,” she said quietly. It was such an idyllic thing to say, and she put into words how he had felt about parenthood his whole life. Suddenly, he was imagining a world where they could each give that to a kid together. A kid that was the perfect blend of the two of them.

“You’d make a great mom,” he whispered, the words slipping right out of his mouth. Any other time, the statement would have created a weirdness between them. The entire conversation strayed from that of a normal conversation between partners, but for them, in that moment, it felt normal. She didn’t smile, she didn’t look nervous, she didn’t even try to protest, she just peered over at him from her side of the couch with a deep look, almost like his face was covered in a code she was trying to solve.  

“You’d make a great father,” she finally muttered after a few seconds of silence, maintaining the gaze between them. They were both still, trapped in a mesmeric gaze as the low hum of the music from her stereo filled the silence that fell upon them. Before he could say anything back, she stood and positioned herself back on the couch only inches away from him. Jay’s knee was tucked in, as his other leg hung over the couch and his chest rose and fell quickly at her new proximity to him. They were facing one another, close enough he could feel her breath against his face, and her knee came to rest on his, sending his heart racing even more in his chest. She brought a hand up and delicately began to trace her fingers on his skin from his brow, down the side of his face, and finally finding rest at his jaw.

“You’re a good man, Jay,” she whispered, and he closed his eyes as his breath shuddered with her touch. The alcohol in his system combined with the intoxication of her touch made him lose all inhibition. The part of him that always pushed down his feelings for her was gone, and all he wanted in that moment was to tell her how he felt. Show her that she was so much more to him than just his partner.

“Hailey,” he began, his breath coming out in irregular puffs as her hand remained on his face.

For a moment, he could have sworn he noticed her eyes drift from his eyes to his lips. But the tequila had created a fuzz in his brain that prevented him from trusting himself. He closed his eyes once again, ready to lay everything out and take a leap that could change their relationship forever, but suddenly he became hyper-aware of the alcohol coursing through both of their systems. This isn’t the way I want this to go down, he thought to himself. He opened his eyes, letting out a deep sigh before grabbing her hand from his face and holding it in his.

“We’ve had a lot to drink, I should go,” he said, standing as she wrapped her hand around his, grasping it tightly as he increased the space between them. It was like she was trying to pull him back to her, but more importantly, pull him back to that moment he was trying so hard to flee from.  

“I’ve gotta go,” he said, almost with dread. She nodded lightly, her eyes falling to the floor as his hand slowly pulled away from hers. She had a look of disappointment on her face, and he knew that even though he didn’t say a word she knew exactly what he was about to say before the sliver of inhibition he still had left pulled him back to reality.

He pulled his jacket on and made his way to her door. He paused and looked back at her, her stare still transfixed on the floor.

“Goodnight, Hailey,” he told her. Causing her eyes to raise from the floor and meet his from across the room.

“Goodnight, Jay,” she said sadly with a knowing look.

As he walked home that night, he dwelled on what almost was. He was seconds away from laying all of his cards on the table, from finally knowing what her lips felt like against his, but he was ultimately relieved that there was a part of him that was still sober enough to recognize that they deserved a moment so much better than a drunken kiss or confession. When the time came, he wanted their moment to be something that happened with a sound state of mind, not something that only happened because of a bottle of tequila. With that relief also came a looming sense of dread. If they both woke up the next morning with a clear memory of the almost moment, he knew there was bound to be a shift in their relationship. One that came with awkward interactions and avoiding one another. Part of him went to bed that night hoping there was enough alcohol in both of their systems to just forget about it entirely.

[onechicago-upsteadrhekker]

I’d go black and blue (to make you feel my love) - Upstead one-shot

I’m an hour late for posting on Valentine’s Day but better late than never right??

I wrote this for the @upsteadofficial Love Song Prompt Challenge! It’s probably a little different from a typical V-Day fic but what can I say? I apparently love angst and hurting my own feelings.

Also a HUGE shout out to @mashleighh! Thanks for listening to my ramblings, checking my stuff and always making things better❤️❤️

I hope you all enjoy it!

Read on AO3

Worrying her lower lip between her teeth, Hailey watched Jay slip down the hallway dodging the various cops coming in and out of the run-down house before he turned the corner and disappeared from her view.

Blinking, she tried to push down the urge to follow him. She had a job to do and she’d told Jay she would cover for him, but the text Jay had just showed her mere seconds before settled uneasily in her gut.

Jim. I need your help. Please come over.

“Hailey!”

She gave a start, turning to Kevin who had clearly been calling her a few times, a puzzled look on his face as he tried to get her attention. Realizing she was still standing in the middle of the busy hallway, she moved off to the side with Kevin to let forensics pass.

“You okay?” Kevin asked, his eyes following a couple of patrol officers passing them before turning his gaze back on Hailey, “I called your name like five times. Where’s Jay? Sarge wants to know if you found anything from the security footage.”

Whatever Kevin had just said didn’t register; her eyes still trained down the hallway Jay disappeared through. Sliding her gaze back to her coworker, Hailey gave his chest a distracted pat already moving towards the front of the house, “I need to go. Will you cover for me?”

But before she could leave, Kevin gently grabbed her arm, “Hold on. What’s going on, Hailey?”

She turned back to him, sucking in a breath as she debated over how much she should tell him.

“It’s nothing serious,” Furrowing her brow, she shook her head, “Not yet anyways, but I need to go make sure Jay doesn’t do anything reckless.” She saw Kevin opening his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, “Kevin. Please. Just do this for me, okay? I know what I’m doing.”

Hailey flashed a small, reassuring smile at his concerned expression before she took off in the same direction Jay had a few minutes ago hoping that for once, the sick feeling in her gut was wrong.

*

Her headlights lit up Jay’s truck as she quickly pulled over to park behind it, turning off the engine to sit in the dark for a couple of seconds as she decided what she should do.

It was obvious he wasn’t in the truck and the nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right wouldn’t leave her alone. After a brief debate in her head over whether she should go undercover or not, the over-cautious part of her won out, quietly opening her car door and tucking her gun into the back of her waistband.

Hailey definitely didn’t want Angela Nelson to find out who Jay was and her by association, but she wasn’t about to enter a situation blind without him and not have a firearm.

She crept up the worn stairs and cautiously peeked into the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jay doing nothing but repairing a broken appliance.

If that was the case, she could then creep back down the steps, shake her head in annoyance for overreacting and never tell him that she’d followed him, but as soon as she saw the front door slightly cracked from where it had been kicked in, her heart sunk, knowing that she was right to worry.

Swallowing hard, she ordered herself to get it together so she could get Jay out of whatever mess his big heart got him into. She was a cop; she knew better than to jump to conclusions without evidence.

But then the part of her that quietly dreamed dangerous dreams and lingered on forbidden hopes also knew all the scenarios running through her mind were very real possibilities

The house was deathly quiet, and it made the hair stand up on the back of her neck as she carefully swung the door in and edged into the living room as quietly as possible, her hand never straying far from where she’d hidden her gun.

Hailey was barely a few feet inside when she heard the distinctive click of a safety being flipped off followed by cool metal touching her temple, “Make a move and you die.”

Before she could react, she was pistol-whipped in the back of the head. Her last conscious thought to dump her star and pray that Jay was still alive.

*

When Jay came to, the first thing he noticed was that his hands were tied behind his back, the second was that he was in some sort of basement and the third was that he wasn’t alone.

His head was pounding, and his vision was blurry, but he would know that blonde hair anywhere.

At first, he thought his mind was playing cruel tricks on him. He hoped his mind was playing cruel tricks on him because why would she be here?

God, she shouldn’t be anywhere near here. Not like this, not laying on the cold, hard floor, unmoving.

He blinked a few times, her facial features partially hidden by blood-matted, blonde hair coming into focus.

His heart stopped and his breath shuttered in his chest. His worst nightmare just came alive right in front of him because it was Hailey. Passed out and tied up a few feet away, out of his reach.

A million questions ran through his head of how, why and who but the most prevailing one was if Hailey was still alive.

Desperate, Jay tugged on his restraints, ignoring the pain it caused his shoulders and wrists. Squeezing his eyelids shut as he strained away from the pole he was tied up to and towards Hailey’s still form.

He had to get to her.

Tears that had nothing to do with the physical agony he was in sprang to his eyes as he realized there was no way he was getting out of the binds he was in. The steel chains were trussed behind his back and around the pole in such a way that he didn’t have much slack if any at all.

Just out of reach. A cruel twist of fate, mocking him. Reminding him that she was always just out of his reach. That she was there with him but not in the way he truly wanted.

Except now, in this moment, it wasn’t metaphorical. And god if that didn’t anger him even more than his cowardness in telling Hailey how he really felt about her.

Because there was nothing he could do. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and he needed to put pressure on her sluggishly bleeding head wound but the damn chains wouldn’t budge. He trained his eyes on her upper body, watching intently.

Was she even breathing? God, he couldn’t tell.

*

“Hailey!”

She was floating in that state between restlessness and unaware, not sure where her dreams stopped and reality started.

“Hailey!”

Jay’s voice wasn’t uncommon in her dreams, but he wasn’t saying her name in the husky manner that she’d come to assign to her night visions.

“God, Hailey! Please do something--say something. Anything! Please…”

Why was he being so loud? And why was her bed so hard?

“Please, just let me know you’re alive.”

It was the sound of his voice breaking that brought her back to the present.

The text message. Angela Nelson. Following Jay.

Jay. His voice. He was alive, thank god.

A sharp pain shot through head when she tried to open her eyes and that’s when she remembered getting knocked out. She moaned, trying to take stock of her injuries over the pounding that slowly surfaced to accompany the harsh stabbing. Her hands were bound in front of her and her ribs hurt from an injury she doesn’t remember receiving.

“Hailey! Oh, thank god!” She heard Jay croak out followed by a murmured, “She’s alive. She’s alive,” Clearly talking to himself.

And that’s when she realized he must have thought she was dead.

Oh, Jay.

He must be tied up far enough away from her to not be able to check for a pulse. Knowing that if he were able to move, he would be right there next to her.

She redoubled her efforts to open her eyes so she could at least see him and reassure him that she was okay. Maybe figure out where they were and ask if they could manage an escape or if they should sit tight, knowing that Jay had probably already run all the possibilities through his mind.

Groaning, she forced her eyes to open and she found herself thankful for dim lighting, “Jay?” She managed to rasp, trying to figure out exactly where he was in relation to her.

“Yeah, I’m right here Hailey.” He paused, and she could almost hear the way his jaw clenched in frustration at not being able to move, “Can you come over here? I just need—I need you over here. Next to me.”

If they weren’t in such a dire situation, Hailey might have downright swooned at hearing those words fall from his lips after she’d recovered from the shock. As it were, her heart was beating a little too fast in her chest and that feeling in her stomach might just be borderline butterflies.

Clearing her throat, she answered, “Just give me a sec.”

She slowly stretched each of her limbs as much as she could with her hands tied in front of her, carefully checking what hurt and what didn’t before she even attempted to sit up. Once she was satisfied that she wasn’t majorly injured, Hailey turned so that she was lying flat on her back which instantly caused her head to spin and her stomach to churn.

Letting out a low groan, she closed her eyes and willed herself not to be sick as the world slowly stopped spinning.

“You good?” Jay’s worried voice cut through the dizziness.

She sucked in a deep breath and decided it was best not to lie about her condition, “Yeah. Just feeling a little sick. I’m like ninety-five percent sure I have a concussion.”

Before he could respond, Hailey forced herself to sit up, using her abdominal muscles since her hands were tied in front of her. If he said anything to her after that, she didn’t hear it, white noise flooding her eardrums as she desperately tried not to pass out.

The comforting words of “Breathe, Hailey. Just breathe,” reached her as she started to become accustomed with sitting upright, finally feeling confident she could open her eyes without seeing stars.

She was facing Jay, and the first thing she noticed was the blood coating his hairline and running down his neck. His lip was a little bloodied and his eye was slightly swollen, and it made her stomach clench in a way that had nothing to do with her head injury.

Gingerly, she scooted herself over to his side, grateful he was only a few yards away and angered as she realized that the way he was tied up meant he didn’t even have an inch of slack.

When she finally maneuvered herself so she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning her head on his shoulder. She told herself it was because she was still dizzy, and while she knew that was part of it, she knew she craved the comfort of being physically connected more.

And if Jay resting his head on top of hers was any indication, then he needed that physical touch just as much as she had. Silently reassuring themselves and each other that they were here. Together. Alive.

After a few minutes, Jay broke the silence, “What are you doing here Hailey?”

She couldn’t help the humorless uptick of her lips at the irony of the situation, “Well, I had a bad feeling, so I pinged your phone and followed you in hopes of getting you out of trouble.”

Glancing up at him, she gestured half-heartedly to the basement they were in, “You can see how well that turned out.”

When he didn’t say anything, Hailey lifted her head so she could get a better look at him. Careful eyes roamed over his slightly slumped form, checking him more thoroughly for injuries.

Now that she was closer to him, she could clearly see the beginnings of a black eye and an obviously split lip. The blood from his hairline mingled with blood that seeped from a wound on the back of his head, running sluggishly down the slope of neck and into the collar of his shirt.

She was relieved to not see any blood lower down on his shirt or pants, so she concluded that the most damage had been made to his face. His head injury did concern her slightly but he seemed pretty lucid so she figured it couldn’t be that bad.

Hailey knew it could be a hell of a lot worse, and that thought was what prompted her to raise her bound hands and gently touch his face in the pretense of checking his wounds but really, she was just reassuring herself that he was okay.

A lump formed in her throat when she thought about what she could have woken up to.

Shaking the thought away, she dropped her hands, sighing, “What happened, Jay?”

She felt more than saw his frustration. At himself, at the situation--she wasn’t entirely sure, but she had a pretty good feeling that it might be both.

“I got to Angela’s house and when I knocked, there wasn’t an answer, so I kicked in the door. The next thing I knew I was being hit in the back of the head with a pipe or something and then I woke up here.”

He tilted his head back, resting it on the beam he was tied up to. His eyes fluttered closed and she could see his throat working, “God, Hailey,” He turned to her and she was slightly surprised to see tears swimming in his eyes, “When I saw you lying over there, not moving. I-I thought my heart had been ripped right out of my chest. You scared me so bad. I didn’t know why you were here—I didn’t even know if you were alive.”

The way he was looking at her felt dangerous and she couldn’t help but think that they had been here before. Not even four months ago, standing in the breakroom when the threat of being torn apart was looming over their heads. When she was afraid to really look at him; afraid of what she’d find in his eyes if she did.

But today, right in that moment, when they were tied up and unsure of what the future held, she looked. She looked him right in the eyes and she clearly saw what he’d been telling her every time she’d caught him looking at her from across Molly’s and in every knowing glance they shared in the bullpen.

In the way he always checked with her silently before busting down a door, telling her without words that he had her back. In the way he told her he trusted her only using in his eyes.

And now. He looked at her like she was the very breath he needed to breathe. Like the world could crumble and he wouldn’t even blink.

He was looking at her like he was just realizing what love was; his eyes telling her that he loved her.

He was opening his mouth to say something. She wasn’t sure what—it might have even been those three little words, but before he had a chance to get it out, there was a commotion from the floor above, breaking their gaze.

They were suddenly brought back to steel chains and dirty basements, reminding them of the danger they were in. If they didn’t figure out a plan, their great love story could be over even before it had the chance to begin.

“Do you know why we’re here?” Hailey asked a little shakily, drawing back when she realized how close she was to Jay’s face.

Blinking, he did the same and she could almost see the spell fully breaking as he slipped back into level-headed detective.

“From what I gather, Angela helped some friend of hers steal some drugs. The people who she stole them from didn’t take it too kindly; she called me and now we are here,” He said it in the weary manner of one who had been there and done that way too many times.

And sadly, they had, but this time it was different because they were the ones caught in the crossfire.

Hailey sighed, wincing slightly from her bruised ribs, “Where’s Angela?”

Jay shrugged, “She was here when I woke up. She’d been shot in the side, passed out. The two guys who have us carried her out of here; said something about dropping her off at a hospital because they didn’t want any unnecessary blood on their hands. And besides, it was pretty clear she wouldn’t be able to give them any information. Not in the condition she was in.”

Sighing himself, he turned his head towards her, “I don’t what they ended up doing with her, and frankly I don’t care at the moment. I’m more worried about getting us out of here.”

That wasn’t like him to just disregard someone he’d been trying to help—or anyone for that matter—for his own gain, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he really meant he was more worried about getting her out of here.

He was always putting others before himself. Her especially now that she thought about it, and she knew it was just another way of him telling her he loved her.

As soon as they got out of this mess, they needed to have a talk.

“Alright,” She nodded, “So what’s the plan?”

Jay’s heart swelled. Those words, the sure look on her face, the absolute trust she held in her eyes. She was looking to him for guidance, entrusting him to get them out of this without even one ounce of hesitation.

The love he felt for her only seemed to grow with each passing second and he was tired of hiding it. He’d intended on telling her, showing her exactly how he felt, but then he was reminded of the situation he’d dragged her into and the need to protect her outweighed anything else.

And it was because he loved her so much that he needed her to be safe. If anything happened to her—

He knew there was no coming back from that.

Once they got out of here, he was going to tell her everything he’d been harboring in his heart for what felt like ages. He was going to lay it all on the table; that she was it for him and even though he was terrified at the thought of losing her, he was going to work his ass off to make this work. To show her that they could do this.

He knew he had made mistakes in the past, especially regarding his love life and he knew that being together and working together had its fair share of challenges, but he wasn’t about to let her go. Not when he finally found the girl he knew he was meant to be with.

The sound of a heavy steel door clanging shut snapped him out of his thoughts and if he subconsciously tried to inch in front of Hailey despite his restraints, she didn’t call him out on it.

“They don’t know we’re cops, and you know nothing,” Hailey heard Jay rapidly whisper to her before turning back in time to see their two captors appear at the bottom of the steps.

The taller of the two made a beeline straight towards them and Hailey could feel Jay tensing up, using his broad shoulders in an attempt to shield her. It didn’t do much good because the next thing Hailey knew, she was being jerked up, a gun pressed to her temple.

“You are going to tell me right now where those drugs are,” The man’s words were harsh, his breath was heavy on her ear and she could smell the vodka on him.

Jay looked panicked but in control as his jaw clenched in barely restrained fury. She couldn’t help but notice how hot he looked, and she immediately kicked herself for even thinking it under these circumstances.

“She doesn’t know anything,” He practically growled, “Let her go.”

Vodka man brandished his gun menacingly towards Jay before returning it to the side of her head, “She was at that house! There was a gun in her waistband! She knows something!”

Hailey kept quiet, trying to weigh the risks of attempting to knock him out but she decided against doing anything while the other guy was lurking in the shadows. With Jay tied up and unable to move, she knew she wouldn’t be able to take both of them down, especially while tied up herself.

The words that fell out of Jay’s mouth next made her heart beat wildly, and not in a good way, “I’ll tell you all I know, okay? Just take me and leave her alone!”

But that was a lie. He didn’t know anything, and she knew once these guys figured that out, there was no telling what they would do to him. He flashed her a look, pleading with her to be silent, to let him do this for her.

She didn’t want to, but she knew that the best chance of their survival was to do what Jay was asking. So, she stayed silent, glaring when Vodka Guy threw her down and unchained Jay from the pole, leaving his arms bound before hauling him up.

Hailey watched as Jay was shoved towards the steps, his eyes never leaving hers until he was out of her sight.

*

A series of muffled cries suddenly broke the relative silence she’d been sitting in for the past hour and it took all of her might to not scream out his name as she desperately fought with the chains wrapped around her wrists and feet. There were tears brimming in her eyes and she could feel her heart shattering.

They were low, guttural shouts filled with pain and she could only imagine what they were doing to him to make him sound like that. Jay was the toughest person she knew, had endured things beyond her comprehension and hearing him like that scared her.

And knowing that he was in pain for her and that there was nothing she could do about it made her physically sick.

But more than that, she was livid at the people doing this to him. How dare they touch a hair on his head? How dare they do this to him? That this was to be his payment for doing something so kind, so good in a world filled with hate.

Jay was a good man—a great cop—with a golden-heart that wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way of what he thought was right and that was what she loved most about him.

She loved him. And she wasn’t afraid to admit any more.

If this whole experience had taught her anything it would be to not hold back. Life is short, and she knew that. She’d been in similar spots before and had these same profound revelations about how precious life was, but today felt different.

Because the truth was, he had her heart, completely and irrevocably. He had it before she even had the chance to say no and the way she loved him made her question whether she’d ever truly loved anyone before.

She’d been scared before. Falling in love with another partner; just falling in love in general. It was risky and scary and honestly downright terrifying. But what she felt for Jay, she was starting to realize was worth the risk.

Life wasn’t without risks, and experience taught her that a lot of the time she ended getting hurt when she took them, but right here, right now, listening to Jay literally telling her and showing her how much he loved her in every scream, she knew the potential of what they could have wasn’t pointless or without reason.

It was the whole damn universe.

And if someone asked her right here and right now, she would give up her spot in Intelligence, her career, her life, everything—all without a moment’s hesitation, and she would do it all for Jay.

Being thrust into this situation with him has removed any old inhibitions and the lines that were being carefully walked had been completely eradicated.

The whisperings of her heart that had once told her she should give it a try, that he felt the same were now roaring inside of her with words of “I told you so.”

And it was ripping her heart apart.

After all, they say actions speak louder than words and right now, Jay was screaming.

*

It was silent now, and it had been for a little over an hour. Hailey was starting to think she’d rather hear Jay be in pain than sitting in the quiet, wondering if he was unconscious, bleeding out, or worse, already dead.

The only thing that had kept her from going totally down the rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios was attempting to get out of the chains she was in. She was grateful that she hadn’t been tied to the pole as Jay had been, giving her the mobility to scoot around the floor in hopes of finding something that could help her out of her restraints.

She was done waiting for the team. She needed to get them out of there as quickly as possible even if she didn’t know exactly how she was going to go about it yet.

A few minutes into her search, she’d found a file and she’d been diligently sawing back and forth at the weakest part of the rusty chains for last hour or so. It seemed to be working, and she felt like she was finally getting to a point where she could just break them by applying some outside pressure.

The sound of a door banging shut caused her head to snap up and she quickly hid the file in her back pocket. What she saw then she knew would be haunting her dreams for years to come.

The nicer of their two captors had Jay’s arm slung around his shoulder, practically dragging him down the steps before he deposited him in a heap beside her.

“What did you do to him?” Hailey couldn’t help but gasp out, already moving to shield Jay protectively.

He didn’t say anything, and she could see the remorse in his eyes as he headed back up the stairs and out the only door to the basement. As soon as he was gone, Hailey turned to Jay, fighting back the tears at seeing him in this condition.

There was significantly more blood in his hair, his lips were split in multiple places and she was pretty sure he had two black eyes, but that wasn’t what looked the worst. His shirt was torn, and she could see significant burn marks from a taser dotting his chest along with what looked like shallow cuts from a knife.

“Jay,” She whispered brokenly, hoping to get some kind of reaction from him, “Jay, babe.” It fell from her lips effortlessly and she didn’t even think twice about what she had said as she moved to use her body weight to break her chains.

As soon as she could use her arms and legs, she knelt beside him to cradle his face and used the pads of her thumbs to stroke his cheekbones, “Hey Jay. Look at me, baby. Look at me.” Not waiting for a response, she quickly started going over his body to check for other injuries all the while murmuring his name over and over again.

This time she gasped out a sob, all the air leaving her chest as she rucked up his shirt and found the distinctive welts from being whipped covering his torso and back.

“Oh my God, Jay,” She cried softly, wanting to provide him with some kind of relief but afraid to do anything, not wanting to cause him any more pain, “What did they do to you?”

She was surprised when he moaned, not expecting a response as he let out a raspy “I’m fine”.

Hailey couldn’t help but let out a watery chuckle, her hands going back to carefully frame his face as she caught a glimpse of those vibrant green eyes she loved so much, “Only you would say that in the condition you’re in.”

“Kev called undercover. The team’s close,” Even talking seemed to cause him pain, but he powered through knowing she needed to know this, “Found the drugs. They’ll be here soon.”

It was spoken brokenly, but she got the message, and she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. There was no way she would be able to get him out of here by herself with him so injured.

Why did he have to be so adamant about her not knowing anything? He didn’t know anything either, but he’d somehow kept their captors from really harming her.

“Hailey,” Jay practically wheezed, catching her attention as he opened his eyes to find hers, “I can’t sit like this. It-it hurts too much.”

She barely managed to stop from crying again, biting her lip as she willed herself to stay strong for his sake. For him to admit he was in pain she knew he must be in a lot of it.

“Oh God, Jay,” Hailey swallowed back another wave of tears as she helped him move in a more comfortable position. She ended up half cradling him, his head resting on the swell of her breast and a protective arm around his shoulders to keep his back up off the ground.

She ran a gentle hand through his still miraculously styled hair, rocking him slightly and in all honesty, at the moment, she felt more like a woman sick with worry over the man she loved than a badass cop looking out for her partner.

Hailey’s not sure if she’s ever cried this much in her entire life or worried so deeply.

“What were you thinking Jay? Why would you offer yourself up like that?” She whispered to fill the silence, a couple of tears escaping on their own accord.

His gaze found hers. Strong, steady and certain in spite of all the pain, “I wasn’t about to let them hurt you. Not on my watch.”

Jay shifted in her arms, wincing slightly, “It’s my job to protect you, Hailey. And that doesn’t mean I don’t know you can protect yourself because you can—you’re a freaking badass, but it’s more than that,” Pausing, he reached up to tenderly brush away her tears with the pad of his thumb before whispering, “it’s because I love you and I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt if I can prevent it.”

Before she even had a chance to respond, the tell-tale sound of the metal door shutting prompted Jay to move faster than she thought possible with his injuries. She scrambled up after him, but she could tell he wanted to keep her behind him in an attempt to protect her.

If it was anyone other than Jay, Hailey would balk at the notion, but she knew that’s just who he was and how he operated. It was how he protected the people he loved. She knew it wasn’t some caveman idea that she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself. So, she stayed behind him, letting him do what he does just as he let her be the badass she was any other day.

Except for this moment when she was terrified, worried about Jay who by all accounts shouldn’t be standing.

“Where’s our father!?” The drunk one exclaimed angrily, stomping into the basement, “You said your people were getting our drugs and now my father’s not answering my calls!”

He was focused on Jay and Hailey’s eyes were drawn to the pipe she’d found when she found the file, cursing at herself for not bringing it with her to Jay’s side. It was only a few feet away; if she could just get there before their captor noticed, she’d be able to knock him out.

His reactions were slow because of the alcohol in his system so that’s what she was banking on, but she also knew it made him more dangerous and unpredictable.

The gun pointed in Jay’s face made her nervous and she was hoping to get out of here without either of them getting shot but if someone had to take a bullet, it was going to be her for going for the pipe.

It happened so fast. There were two loud pops and suddenly Jay was on the floor in front of her.

She could vaguely make out Adam calling her name as he dashed across the room, knocking Vodka guy’s gun out of his hand but all Hailey was focused on was Jay, on the ground, bleeding. She dropped to her knees, hands immediately going to the gunshot wound in his shoulder and yelled at Adam to call an ambulance.

Kim was suddenly in front of her, kneeling at Jay’s other side and Hailey looked up, her hands still keeping pressure as tears welled in her eyes. Meeting her friend’s gaze, she whispered out brokenly, “He just took that bullet for me.”

*

“What the hell, Will?” Hailey exclaimed in disgust, pissed off about the entire situation.

The red-headed doctor looked about as exasperated as she felt and part of her felt bad about the harried look in his eyes, but she was getting anxious and he wasn’t cooperating with her, so she didn’t feel too bad.

“Hailey, it’s against hospital rules,” Will stressed for what felt like the one-hundredth time. He shook his head; and he thought Jay was stubborn.

If possible, the frustrated look on Hailey’s face grew as she crossed her arms, somehow looking very formidable sitting cross-legged in the middle of a hospital bed wearing nothing but a hospital gown.

“Rules are overrated,” She stated through a clenched jaw.

Will’s eyebrows rose, “Uh. Not gonna lie. It’s a little alarming to hear that coming from a detective.”

She just glared harder and Will was starting to realize he had nothing on a pissed Hailey Upton.

He wasn’t sure if they were engaged in a battle of wills or what, but he was afraid of what she might do if he broke their gaze and looked away. He was honestly a little afraid to blink.

He’d gotten to know Hailey pretty well because of her partnership with Jay, but he wasn’t quite sure he realized just how fierce she could be until this moment.

How fierce she could be when it came to his brother.

Will had always noticed the concern and the protectiveness she’d had when it came to Jay’s injuries on the job. He’d thought the nature of their jobs was the reason for this but over time he’d started to wonder if it was because there was something more there.

Today, he stopped wondering. It was clear there was something there and when Hailey turned her head to conceal the tears welling up in her eyes, he wondered what exactly went down between her and his brother in that basement.

She turned back to him, the determination and love clear in those glassy blue eyes he knew his brother had fallen for, “Will, I have to be with him.”

Still, he hesitated, “Hailey…”

And just like that, the angry pissed off look was back on her face despite the tears in her eyes, “I’ll have you know that I can make your life a living hell, Will Halstead.”

The threat was clear in the way her jaw was clenched but he could see her resolve starting to waver and he just didn’t have the heart to argue with her anymore, hospital rules be damned.

His head dropped in a resigned nod, “Alright. You win,” The relief that wafted off of her was palpable and he couldn’t help but give her a small smile even as he tried to look stern, “But, you have to take it easy because you’re a patient too. Also, if I get fired, I’m blaming it on you.”

*

If there was thing Hailey Upton was capable of, it would be getting her way when she wanted it.

Maybe it was all that time spent manipulating suspects in giving her the information she needed or maybe it stemmed from wheedling sweets and trinkets and whatever the hell else she wanted out of her older brothers when she was a kid, but usually, when it came right down to it, she was always able to convince people to hand her the requests she’d made on a silver platter.

And that’s how she found herself sitting on her own hospital bed that had been rolled into Jay’s ICU room for the foreseeable future.

As soon as the nurses that had transported her from her room were out of sight, Hailey very carefully got out of her bed, maneuvering around the IV going into her hand and gently slid in beside Jay. He was asleep but she knew from Will that he had already been awake, asking for her first thing as he came out from under anesthesia.

She was extra cautious to not upset the various lines running from his body and to machines monitoring his vitals as she settled in bedside his warm body, gently resting her head on his uninjured shoulder.

Hailey didn’t know how long she’d been laying there when she felt Jay shift, his voice slightly horse, “You know, I might start enjoying hospital stays if they mean I wake up next to you.”

Lifting her head, she blinked back tears for what felt like the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours. He was staring at her like she was his whole world, and he was just realizing what life was.

She wanted to kiss him. Was planning on it, but first she had to know, “Jay, why on earth would you take that bullet for me?”

Hailey was pretty sure she knew the answer. She was pretty sure it’s the same answer she would give him if she’d just taken a bullet meant for him, but she needed to hear it and not when he was laying on a dirty basement floor, writhing in pain.

She wasn’t sure laying on a hospital bed in a hospital right after he’d been shot was any better but it’s what they had, and he seemed pretty coherent for someone who had just had major surgery.

“Because I love you,” He said it so simply, so matter of fact and she marveled at the way it was so easy between them now.

And all it took was being kidnapped together.

Something happened between them while chained together in that basement. Something they had both been fighting for a while now and maybe it seemed sudden or rushed but Hailey knew in her heart of hearts that she and Jay were meant to be together.

Love wasn’t something you forced. It was something you had to wait for, maybe even had to get hurt along the way to really understand, but she now knew it was worth the wait.

“I love you too,” She almost whimpered before kissing him.

It wasn’t lusty, but it had an almost frantic urgency about it as they both silently acknowledged they could have very easily not had this moment.

He kissed her like he thought he’d never see her again and he told her yet again with his actions that he would follow her to the ends of the universe and to the very last of their tomorrows.

She knew they still had a lot to talk about. The things he especially went through in that basement, but she knew that could wait because they were alive and that was enough.

Because there was no doubt in either of their minds now.

They were right where they belonged.

Leave a comment! I’d love to know what y’all thought!!

[descendantofthesparrow]

Held Back - Harry Hook x Ben’s sibling! Reader - Part 1

Note; before we start, “reader” is non-binary but since I've always imagined Auradon is pretty… old-fashioned and close-minded, they really don’t realize they are NB but know they don’t like being referred to as a “girl” or a “female”. Also, I know “realistically” Adam and Belle wouldn’t neglect their 2nd kid for the first n shit but it’s called a plot point and they are like that for a reason.

Tried to not use “readers” pronouns at all until we get to the good shit where they are like “oh, that’s what that is?”

Also, this will be a 2-part story, the 1st takes place in D2, while the 2nd will take place after D2 and into D3 :3

OH, slight smut in this fic….yeah…it doesn’t get detailed-detailed, but it gets…heated…yeah…if you don’t like even reading this that hint at sex then I’ll put warnings at the beginning and end of those scenes :3 otherwise this is a pretty “safe” fic

Enjoy~

=

Being the daughter, and the 2nd child, to Beast and Belle, wasn’t…what everyone assumed it was. Everyone expected that since you were their 2nd kid, one that wasn't in line for the throne, that you could do anything, get away with anything. That you could just shrug and say ‘oops’ and all would be forgiven. But it wasn’t. It was constant rules and upkeep, never able to run free and scrape your knee when you fell off the tree you had climbed, never able to just scream as you ran along the shoreline, soaking the seawater into your clothes.

Always sit up straight, never cross your legs, never run, never frown, never sneer, don’t talk back, don’t yell, just sit there and -

Be perfect

For the early years of your life, you had loved Ben. Ben your 5-minute older twin brother, Ben who always cared about you, Ben who hid the vase you had broken when you were chasing him through the castle halls when told not to.

Ben; who had refused to let you be pushed aside.

But resentment grew when your parents would always favor him, always praise him; for the bare minimum.

If he got a B in his project? Amazing! Take him out for ice cream.

You? Getting a B+? scolding’s and being told to do better next time, with your dessert taken away for the week.

While you held this resentment for him, you couldn’t hate him, not really, not when he would sneak you his leftover ice cream that was your favorite flavor, one that he hated but your parents didn’t know, not when he would run into your room on stormy nights to make sure you were okay.

Not when he obviously loved you so much.

But you wanted more, you needed more…just something to fill the gap that your parents were leaving. A gap that for some reason they couldn’t see was growing bigger every time they turned their backs on you and turned to Ben.

You were a loner too…most of your “friends” were actually Bens friends, Audrey being one of the few that usually hung out with you outside of Ben and Chad, she was petty as hell sometimes and pretty passive-aggressive to those she didn’t like but she had never seen you as “Bens sister” or “the second child of King beast and Queen Belle”

She just saw you as (y/n), her friend.

When the VKs came, it was almost a relief, finally, the attention was off of you. With Bens coronation and even your parents paying more attention to the new kids instead of picking apart what was wrong with your English essay.

You had tried talking to them, but all four of them were pretty off Standish, and in their own group almost all the time, but after they had chosen good, you and Evie had started talking and had grown a small friendship, one that was nothing compared to what she had with Ben and Mal but you didn't feel as lonely anymore.

Mal had…. acknowledged your existence…yeah, the two of you didn’t really interact much. And you were fine with that.

Especially after Ben told you she tried to memory spell him (you had almost stormed into her dorm guns blazing). Then soon after that, Ben and the other vks were going back to the isle, and you were utterly bored and needed to do something other than sit in your room and disappoint your parents by doing nothing so why don’t go to the isle and disappoint your parents for a good reason!

So now, you stood at the stairway below the core four’s hideout, happy you had taken your denim jacket with you as the isle chill set in.

“so?” Evie asked Ben as he solemnly climbed back down the stairs, his eyes at the ground “where’s Mal?” Ben shook his head, pushing past Evie and Jay and walking down the ally.

“she's not coming back” he muttered before disappearing. You kept your eyes on him in worry, ignoring the other three’s worry over Mal who was safe and sound in her little hideout while your brother, who knew how to hold a sword but sucked at hand to hand, disappeared into the alleys of the isle. 

You moved to go after him but stopped as a much taller, leaner shadow took Bens place in a blink and walked toward you. “hey!” you yelled, the vks stopping in their Mal rant and turning to you “Ben’s gone”

Evie's face melted from worry for Mal to worry for Ben as she stepped next to you and called for Ben as the tall shadow got closer “Ben…Ben!”

It seemed they thought the new shadow was Ben as Evie sighed in relief and looked away, setting her hand on your shoulder “Ben don’t scare us like that!”

“Don’ scare yeh~?” the tall shadow stepped into the light, the teens bright blue eyes sending shocks down your spine as you looked into them “That’s my specialty ~” he purred, his eyes flashing between you and Jay. Evie breathed out his name in annoyance.

Harry…what a nice name...

“what did you do with Ben!” Jay stepped in front of you, not liking the way Harry was eyeing you up. Harry seemed to no understand what Jay was asking before he gasped, turning slightly to point down the ally.

“oh~! We nicked ‘im~!” he nodded as if he was explaining something to a toddler “and if yeh want ta’ see ‘im again~ have Mal come to the chip shop tonight~” his eyes darkened as he gestured to the group with his hook “Alone…Uma wants” his tone lightened again, his eyes looking back at you with curiosity “a little visit~”

He looked at jay again and pursed his lips, looking up and down “aw Jay~” he tilted his head and gave a teasing grin “seems like ye’ lost yer touch~” Jay growled and tried to tackle Harry, but was stopped by Evie. Harry held his hands up and giggled, turning to you and bowing slightly “your highness~” he purred, winking at you and blowing a kiss as he walked away.

The vks mostly ignored his last few actions and Jay hopped up the side of the stairs to get to Mal, while you watched Harry disappear into the ally, your heart going miles a minute.

“wow” you muttered, shaking your head to get rid of the fluffy feeling in your head “get a grip (y/n), he just kidnapped your brother!”

You quickly followed Evie and Carlos as the gate door of the stairway lifted and ascended to the hideout.

-

Leaving you on your own in the hideout was probably the worst choice the vks had made that entire night, as you had nothing to entertain yourself with so you just left and traveled around.

You had somehow walked from the hideout to the docks, and if you remembered correctly, this was the pirate's territory. So, you spun back around to get your ass back to the hideout but stopped as two sets of lust-filled eyes stared back.

But unlike Ben, you smirked as you crouched into a fighting stance, you had taken almost every self-defense class you could. For more than one reason but mainly because even in Auradon there were still nasty people.

The bigger one of the two men rushed at you, but ultimately flopped to the floor as you pivoted on your right foot and swung your left leg around, hitting him directly in the temple and knocking him out.

You grinned at the other man and waved your fingers at him “come get me~” you jeered, laughing to yourself as he yelled and rushed at you.

But before he could take a step closer, a silver hook whacked over his head and knocked the second man out. You pouted and glared at the new person, not caring if it was the teen that had kidnapped your brother an hour ago “hey!”

“hey~!” he mocked back, a teasing smile on his face. He stepped over the two men and curled his hook under your chin, his eyes drifting over your face “now what's a little princess-” you twitched at the nickname “-like yeh traveling alone on the isle~ it's dangerous yeh know?”

You forced down the heat that wanted to cover your face and shrugged, mentally smirking as Harry rose his brow “well…they left me alone in the hideout and I got bored…can't blame me for wanting some excitement eh?”

He squinted at you for a minute, as if he was trying to figure you out…then he finally spoke “yer different than’ I thought yeh would be” he muttered softly, the cool metal of his hook drifting away from your chin and back at his side.

You crossed your arms and cocked your hip, giving the pirate a smirk “what did you think I was going to be like?”

“prissy, stuck up, wouldn’t touch the isle even with a hundred’ foot pole” he shrugged, licking his lips as you rolled your eyes and brew a lock of hair out of your face.

“well as you’ve just experienced, that’s not true” Harry laughed through his nose, looking up towards the barrier and running his free hand through his hair.

“aye…” his shockingly blue eyes drifted back down to meet yours. “so why even come ta the isle? Fer beasty boy? Malsy?”

You looked down at your shoes…you really had no reason to come along did you? Ben and the others could have easily handled getting back Mal without you…so why?

…

“because if my parents are going to disappointed in me it might as well be for a real reason” you muttered, letting your arms drop to your side.

You felt Harry's eyes on you as you stared hard at the ground, willing yourself not to cry. “that sucks” you looked at Harry through your lashes, seeing him staring at you with sad eyes “I thought…I thought all Bora-don parents loved their kids” he laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head.

“well…they are still human…and just because they are hailed as good people, don’t mean they are good parents” you sighed, crossing your arms again and looking away from Harry's eyes.

“wait…Bora-don?” you laughed, turning back to Harry with a grin. He seemed to be relieved of the subject change and a sharp grin grew on his face.

“aye, it's boring, so, Bora-don~” he giggled, rocking on his heels a bit. A few moments passed then he held his hand out to you.

You stared at it, then him for a few moments. “come on, let's give yer dumbass parents a real reason ta be disappointed in yeh” you smiled and took his hand, laughing quietly to yourself as Harry tugged you away from the docks and toward wherever he was taking you.

-

Your legs were in Harry's lap as the two of you cackled into the dead of night, hands stained with paint and rotten food. Harry had taken you for a night of chaos, destroying vendors with paint, pranking the twin sons of Gaston’s with balloons filled with rotting eggs, and just wreaking havoc in the streets of the isle.

Harry's arm went behind your back as you fell to the side slightly, his bicep pushing against your arm. “thank you Harry” you hummed as you finally calmed down, giving him a closed-lipped smile. “this…this really meant a lot to me” he stared at your lips for a moment before a soft, unsure, smile grew on his lips.

“it was no biggie princess,” your lip twitched at the title “I was kinda already planning ta do all those things anyway…thought it was pretty fun ta do it with someone instead of by myself” you laughed a bit, leaning back on your hands and closing your eyes.

“I get that”  it was silent for a few moments, just you and Harry on top of the abandoned building.

“yeh reacted when I called yeh princess” you twitched again “yeh did it again…is something up with the word?”

You sighed, then opened your eyes, staring into Harry for a moment then looking away “I…I don’t like being referred to like that…it’s not the title its…what it refers to… it's hard to explain”

Harry tilted his head, his hand going on your knee to gently push you to continue “is it the royalty thing?”

“no” you dismissed quickly “its…the princess thing…its…well…ugh” you took your legs off Harry's lap and switched to sitting on your knees, looking at Harry with serious eyes “I've never told anybody this and you have to swear you won't tell anybody else after I tell you” Harry blinked wildly for a moment then looked at you confused.

“lass” you twitched again, making Harry pause for a moment “darling, unless it’s something that will help bring down the barrier or take over the world, I won't tell a soul” you snickered for a moment before you took a deep breath, preparing to tell a person you had just meet that day, one that had kidnapped your brother no less, your greatest secret.

It didn’t help that you felt more comfortable with him in five minutes than you had with your parents for the last 16 years. “I…don’t like it when I'm referred to with girl-like titles or…pronouns” you winced, hands going to block anything that might come your way.

“oh, yeh don’t like she-her pronouns where they are used in a way to refer ta yeh?” Harry clarified, you looked at him slightly odd, expecting some sort of relation or comment, but…it was as if you had just told him you didn’t like a vegetable instead of you not being comfortable with your gender pronouns?

“uh…yeah basically?” you rubbed the back of your head, the other hand picking at the loose threads on your pants.

“yeah, it's not that uncommon ‘ere, I think Desiree is non-binary and one of the other crew members is gender-fluid…not that it's not a big deal but…why have yeh never told anybody else about that? Not even yer brother?” your wide-eyes looked away, hands clenching into your shirt “Darling?”

“um…Auradon isn’t really…accepting of most things…I didn’t even know that…non-binary and gender-fluid were a thing…what do they mean?” you looked back at Harry who seemed to be very surprised “what?”

“nothin’ I'm just surprised tha’ the place of happily ever after’s is kinda…shit?” he laughed, rubbing the back of his head “okay lemme remember what Desiree told me um…Okay non-binary is when you don’t…identify as the gender yeh were at birth so say…okay take Desiree as an example, they’ve been told they’ve been a girl since they were born but they’ve always felt like that didn’t fit, but being a boy didn’t feel right either. so that’s what non-binary is. It's that yeh are neither male nor female yeh are…well you, and most of the time, as far as I know, they use they-them pronouns instead of she or he. but I think some of them use she and they, or he and they…just depends on who uses the pronouns n stuff.”

That…that sounded right…you had never liked female pronouns on you, and ages ago, when you tested male pronouns to yourself, that never felt right either…could you be non-binary? “um, what about gender-fluid?” Harry took a deep breath and looked up.

“Okay, I’m not as knowledgeable on that since the one who actually told me about it didn’t tell me everything…anyway, its under the same...umbrella i think its called as non-binary but genderfluid is when you are both genders, not at the same time…I think, but one day yeh can be female, the other a male, sometimes neither, but that’s what gender-fluid is. They don’t have a fixed gender”

While that sounded interesting…it didn’t feel right to you, you never felt like a girl, and you never felt like a boy… “I think I’m non-binary” you breathed, feeling like a weight was lifting off your entire body. You grinned as Harry smiled.

“awesome, welcome to the club darling” you let yourself fall forward into Harry’s chest, who stiffened slightly and slowly wrapped his arms around you.

“thank you” you muttered quietly, rubbing your cheek into his collarbone. His entire body was still as you cuddled into him, before he relaxed and laid his cheek on your head.

“yer welcome darling” he whispered back, one of his hands going up to cup the back of your head, thumb gently rubbing back and forth.

You jumped as a sudden loud noise crashed below you, and you further ducked into Harry, yelping slightly as he tipped back and the two of you ended up in an odd pile on the rooftop.

Harry tightened his arms around you, his entire body tense again as he listened for any threats. He let out a soft sigh as the high-pitched yowl of a cat rang from where the loud noise came and the animal scuttled off. “yer fine” he whispered, letting his head hit the roof as you sat up and looked around “jus’ a cat”

-smut starts here so if you don’t want to read anything that either includes it or hints at it just scroll till you get to another warning, but this does has some plot points in it soo scroll at ur own risk-

You nodded slightly, twisting around to look at the bleak buildings of the isle. you felt something beneath your legs and you glanced down, feeling heat creep into your face as you realized you were straddling Harry's thigh, it seemed he didn’t fully realize you were doing it as well, his leg rubbing against…well your…area.

You squeaked as he pushed his leg up further and tipped forward, your hands reaching out and slamming next to Harry's head to catch yourself.

His eyes flashed open, red building on his cheeks as your faces were suddenly only two inches apart. “um” you looked to the side, biting your lip “s-sorry” Harry glanced down, the blush spreading to his ears as he realized what the pressure against his leg was. He laid his leg flat and let out a short laugh.

“uh…” you locked eyes again, and a strong shiver was sent down your spine as you looked into his sparkling ocean blue eyes.

You could feel an ache between your legs begin to grow as you lifted yourself back up and hovered over Harry's hips. Harry slowly sat up, stopping inches away from your face, his eyes drifting to your lips for a moment then looking back up at you. “I-“ you whispered, biting your lip as a devious idea came to mind “I have…an idea”

“oh,” Harry whispered back, leaning a bit closer, his hands sliding forward on the ground and resting on your thighs. “Wha’?”

“you know what would really disappoint my parents?” you grinned, your hands reaching up from your sides and gripping onto Harry's jacket, pulling him toward you a bit.

He grinned back, looking down at your lips again “wha’ would tha’ be?”

You leaned in, lips only an inch from his “sleeping with someone they would hate” you could almost feel the wide grin that spread on his lips.

“sounds an excellent idea~” he purred, hands flashing up to your shoulders as yours curled around his neck and pulled him into a hard kiss, teeth clashing and faces warm.

Harry's leg arched up against your butt and forced you forward again, your lips parted with a gasp as Harry leaned back with you. he wrapped his arms around your torso, pressing your chest into his and leaning down to nip at your neck “Harry” you breathed, pressing your lips together as Harry's hands drifted down to your butt and pushed it against his hips, an odd hardness pressing against the ache between your legs. You let out a low whispering moan as he ground against you, his lips smirking against your neck as you started to meet his hips in tandem.

“that’s it darling” he purred, trailing up your neck and sucking on your jaw “jus’ like tha’” you whimpered, ducking your head down and burning into Harry's neck as Harry's hips started to go harder and faster against you. You let out small gasps as your hips twitched and ground back down into Harry's, who let out small groans against your shoulder.

“hang on hang on” Harry grabbed your hips, stopping you and sitting up. One of his hands reached up to the back of your neck and pulled you back, lips crashing into yours in a bruising kiss. His hips started again, the heat between your legs almost becoming unbearable as you trust against them to get rid of the ache.

Harry nipped at your lip, smirking as you opened at his request and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He sucked at your lip, dragging your tongue into his mouth. You sighed at the feeling, tightening your grip on his jacket as you let him just play with your tongue.

He pulled back, smirking at the trail of saliva that still connected your lips. “shall I take yeh to my apartment yer highness~ yeh should be taken in a place of privacy, not a damned rooftop.” Your hazy mind yelled at you to go with him and you nodded, yelping slightly as Harry grabbed your thighs and stood with ease, your legs locking around his waist. “I’ll take good care of yeh darling~”

-

You let out a breathless gasp as your back hit his bed, the larger teen pouncing on top of you, not waiting for you to stop bouncing, and pressed another bruising kiss to your lips.

You heard him unzip his jacket and throw it across his room, the chain across the back making a loud sound as it hit the wall. He pulled away from you for a moment to rip off his sword sheath and shirt. You felt your face burn as his pecks and abs came into sight, slowly reaching out to trail your fingers against his scars as he pulled his shirt over his head.

You felt him shiver as you brushed your knuckle over his perked nipple and gripped onto his bicep, biting your lip at the look in his eyes as he smirked down at you.

“before we start” he rasped in a low tone, making you press your thighs together to relieve the ache that pulsed “do you really want ta do this?”

“yes” you answered immediately, smiling at his question, good to know that even after you had gone this far, he still asked for consent. He smiled back and leaned down, pressing his forehead to yours, noses touching.

“Jus’ tell me ta stop, and I will” you nodded and pulled his lips down into yours, immediately opening your mouth and clashing your tongue with his.

Within seconds your jacket was taken off and Harry pushed your top up above your breasts, unclipping your bra from the back and pushing that over your breasts as well.

You pushed at his chest, Harry immediately pulling away and raising his brow, laughing slightly as you sat up and discarded your top and bra. You pulled him back into the kiss, groaning into his as his hips dipped and pressed into yours again.

He pulled away for a split moment, making you whine in objection and tug on his hair. He leaned down and whispered into your ear, lips brushing against your skin.

“I'll make sure yeh won't be able ta walk properly tomorrow~”

-

Harry started up at the ceiling, his fingers gently trailing up and down your back. Almost every inch of him ached, from the reddening hickeys on his neck, torso, and hips, the scratches on his arms, back, and torso, to the bitemark on his neck.

He looked out his window, noting it was pitch black outside. He sighed and turned his head into you, curling his other arm around you and tugging you tighter into his side, breathing in the scent of your (fav shampoo).

He didn’t know why, but from the moment he had first seen you, your curious eyes peeking from behind Jay's shoulder, he had felt something flutter within him. He wasn’t able to stop thinking about you from then on, even as he taunted Ben in the lost revenge’s brig, unable to get those hypnotic (e/c) eyes out of his head.

He couldn’t ignore the genuine happiness when he saw you again, taking down those goons with ease and confidence. He couldn’t ignore the feeling in his chest when you laughed, the intense fluttering when you smiled at him.

The way heat rushed to his cheeks when you hugged him.

The passion he felt as he looked down at your writing body as he was deep inside you.

-Alright! Yall who don’t like reading smut/stuff that hints at it are good! You may continue reading!-

He shouldn’t feel this way, not for the child of the king that had sent his father to the isle, and dooming hundreds of kids to a floating prison just for being the children of villains. He shouldn’t feel this way about the sibling of the king they had kidnapped and were holding for ransom.

He had only heard of this type of feelings from stories of the heroes of Bora-don, how they had somehow fallen in love within seconds of meeting the other. He had never understood it, calling it stupid that someone would fall in love with someone they just met.

He understood it now, the ache in his chest when he thought of you being hurt when the villains took over the world after Uma got the wand and freed them all. He only had one word to assign it to.

Love.

His grip on your waist tightened, and he buried his face in your hair. He didn’t know if he would ever see you again after today, so he would treasure the moments he had with you now.

You groaned slightly in your sleep, your hand that wasn’t trapped under his pillow reaching up and curling around his neck, pulling yourself further into his neck, your nose pushing into the dip between his shoulder and neck.

He pressed a kiss to your head and closed his eyes, huffing slightly as he realized he felt completely content by your side.

-

You grumbled as beams of light pushed through your closed eyes, you pushed off Harry's chest and glared at the window, reaching to close the curtain that half covered it, huffing as you realized you couldn’t reach it from your spot buried in Harry's side.

You stilled as Harry's arm reached past you and closed the curtain, leaving the room in calmly lit darkness. He put his hand on your head and pushed it back onto his chest, thumb gently caressing the back of your head. “morning” you rasped, tilting your head to rest your chin on Harry's pecs and smiling at the slowly awakening pirate.

“morning darling” he rasped back, his sleepy ocean blue eyes staring back at you. He slowly sat up, shifting you to sit in his lap as he shook his head to force himself to wake up. “wha’ time is it” he grumbled, raising his brow as you reached behind him for your pants, that were hanging off his bed frame, and pulled out your phone.

“8:30” you set your phone on the nightstand and flopped back into Harry's chest, tightly wrapping your arms around him. “what time is the…thing?”

“12” he hummed, pressing his cheek to your head and holding onto you “so…”

“three and a half hours” you did the math for him, pouting as he pulled you back slightly and looked into your eyes.

“Uma wanted me at the ship at nine darling…” you sighed, looking at your lap as you realized your time with the handsome pirate was almost up.

He pressed a kiss to your head and pulled his blankets around you, covering your nakedness and getting out of the bed, aware of your eyes on his butt as he walked over to his dresser.

“Please tell me it wasn’t just me” he paused as he slid his underwear over his hips and looked over at his shoulder at you, eyes widening as he saw a droplet of water appear from behind your hair and fall onto the blanket “please tell me it wasn’t just me that felt something”

He was silent for a few moments, biting his lip as his heart raced with the realization that you felt the same way he did.

He stared at you for a few moments before turning back to his dresser and opening the small box on top and pulling out a necklace.

He turned and walked towards you, giving you a soft smile as he sat in front of you and gently lifted the tread around your neck, trailing his fingers down it and holding the small charm in his fingertips.

You glanced down at it and gasped, the charm was a small metal hook with a small red gem in the middle of the bulb. “this is something I’ve had fer awhile” Harry whispered, looking back up at you and bonking his forehead into yours “Gil made it for meh a long time ago, but it…it didn’t feel right on me…but I kept it cause it felt like it had a purpose…I guess that purpose was ta be on yeh” you sniffed as your vison blurred “what I’m saying is…yes, it wasn’t jus’ you, I felt something too”

He tilted your chin up with his finger, softly smiling at you and leaning in slightly “a feeling I’ve only heard in yer Bora-don tales” you gasped slightly at that, heart going a thousand miles a minute as you realized he had felt the same way you did since you had first seen him last night in the ally “it sounds stupid” he chuckled, looking off for a moment “I never believe those tales of love at first sight or that type of shit but…” he looked back into your eyes, hand trailing from your chin to the back of your neck “I was proved wrong”

He pulled you into a sweet, soft kiss, your eyes closing as he slowly moved his lips against yours, his other hand coming up and taking your hand that wasn’t holding the blanket.

Your mind went hazy as the world around you melted away at the taste of Harry's bruised lips, giving you the softest kiss you had ever gotten from anyone.

He pulled back for a moment, pressing another soft kiss to your lips before sitting back and opening his eyes, smiling as you kept yours closed and swayed slightly “(y/n)” he whispered, realizing he had to go very soon if he wanted to make sure you got back to the core four safely, and make it to the ship on time “ye have ta go now”

You slowly opened your eyes and pouted, tilting forward and hugging Harry tightly “I know, but It's too dangerous for yeh here love, get dressed, and I’ll walk ye back to the hideout” you shook your head against his chest but obeyed after he clicked his tongue and picked one of your legs up and let it drop on the floor.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead and stood, grabbing his clothes that had been tossed around in the night and quickly getting dressed, grumbling about his belts that had somehow disappeared.

“under the bed” you snorted, laughing as Harry paused and dropped to his knees and looked under the bed, muttering some curses to himself as he pulled out the two black-brown belts and attached them to his hips.

You sighed as you ran your fingers over the purple hickeys all over your neck and torso, whistling slightly at the dark bite mark on your ribs. You mentally thanked your past self as you pulled your turtle neck over your head and smoothed it down. “yeh ready darling?” you nodded over to your shoes and picked them up, walking over to Harry's bed to put them on.

You finished lacing them up and jumped slightly as Harry's hand appeared in your vision. You looked up slightly, biting your lip as he was fully geared up, a tricorn hat on his head, and a blue headwrap hiding his fluffy back hair. He had lined his eyes thick making the blue pop. You took his head and stood, the two of you walking out of his apartment and towards the hideout.

-

You stopped just a little less than a block away from the hideout, Harry taking off his hat and holding it in front of your faces as he pressed a soft kiss to your lips “I’ll see yeh later yer highness” he whispered with a smile, he took a step back and bowed low, flipping his hat on his head as he stood.

You shared a sad smile and Harry walked away. You watched him for a moment before you called after him, he turned with a raised brow “stay safe…please” you smiled as he nodded.

“as yeh wish” he turned away and walked toward the wharf, leaving you to return to the hideout alone, the cold metal of the hook charm against your chest reminding you that you might never see him again after today.

-

You never did see him again that day, being forced to stay with the car as the others went to get Ben.

It had been a week since cotillion, and you stared at yourself in the mirror, dark bags under your eyes as the clock read 2 am.

It had been hard…hearing yourself being referred to as “she” or “her” or “the sister of king ben” when you had finally found out who you were.

After you had gotten back you had scoured the internet to look up the terms Harry had told you. Non-binary…’Non-binary people not only do not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth; they do not identify with the male or female gender at all’

You were non-binary, and it was so hard to hear yourself be misgendered after years of feeling uncomfortable being referred to as a ‘girl’ then finally figuring yourself after meeting Harry. you thought of telling the core four, but you were scared that they would ask about how you found out, and then you would have to spill the beans about Harry.

You didn’t know what it meant to be non-binary but…this was your journey right? As long as you felt it was right…it had to be the right path…right? You glanced at the scissors on the counter, then back at yourself in the mirror, frowning at your long hair that your mother had demanded that you never cut dramatically, in fear that you would be seen as a boy.

…well fuck that.

You grabbed your scissors in one hand, your hair in the other, and pulled it to the side. You closed your eyes as you held the scissors over your hair.

*snip!*

You hardly looked as you chopped off your long hair, the locks falling on your feet and bathroom floor as you did.

You took a deep breath as you set down the scissors again and quickly looked at yourself, breath-stopping as you did.

“oh” you breathed, leaning forward towards the mirror and reaching up to touch your choppy short hair “...there you are” the cut was ugly and rough but…it felt right…you smiled, running your hands through your hair.

A thought came to mind, and you ran into your room to grab a baggy button-up shirt you had stolen from Ben months ago and quickly threw it over your tank top and buttoned it up.

You took a deep breath and stepped in front of your mirror, your eyes burning as you felt like you were seeing yourself for the first time “there you are” you whispered again, reaching up and grabbing the hook charm as you closed your eyes.

Your name was (y/n), and you were non-binary.

And if that disappointed your parents? Or anyone else in Auradon? Fuck em.

If you were proud of yourself that was all that mattered.

-end of part 1-

2nd parts gonna be after d2 and into D3 with (y/n) telling Ben and the C4 about them being NB and doing things to help themselves feel more like themselves…yep :D hopefully, I did this fic right and represented those who are non-binary correctly, I used the knowledge I had and did some research to make sure I didn’t type any stupid shit.

Oh also enjoy this little sketch dump I did while writing this, it's not (y/n) exactly, but just how I envisioned the “character” if it wasn’t a blank slate “character” lol, and yes they do got a pirate look going on…that’s the point XD they take inspo for their fashion from Harry/pirates.

permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange​

@lunanight2012 @daughter-of-the-stars11

@musicarose @random-thoughts-003

@remembered-license @jatp-rules-my-life 

@rintheemolion @thecaptainsgingersnap

@verboetoperee @imtryingthisout

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 2

I promise I’m not this fast at writing, I’ve just had the first few chapters laying around for a while lmao. Reblogs are appreciated!!

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje 

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Chapter 2: u guys r moding my night :(

There was chaos in the Wayne Manor. This was nothing unusual, of course, and today it even seemed to be surprisingly tame. But it was chaos nonetheless.

Timothy Drake-Wayne careened down the spiral staircase, catching himself with a well-timed front flip handspring, and skidded to a halt in the kitchen. Alfred briefly paused to look up from where he was preparing dough for a batch of homemade pasta, then offered the boy a smile and a greeting.

“Good evening, Master Drake. Dinner won’t be ready for another half-hour, I’m afraid.” Tim had opened his mouth to reply when a growl echoed from the nearby ballroom.

Jason Todd-Wayne sprinted into the kitchen brandishing a nerf gun. “There you are, replacement. You won’t get away with beating me this time.” He pulled back the reloader of the play-gun, making a threatening click ring through the kitchen.

“I’m afraid you are both late to the party,” Alfred calmly announced as he mixed ingredients together. “Miss Cain has been here for the past five minutes.”

Cass Cain-Wayne indeed poked her head out from where she had been perched beneath the bar. She gave her brothers a shit-eating grin and wiggled her fingers as way of a cheeky greeting.

Tim gave a groan as he and Jason begrudgingly handed some money over to their sister. “She cheats.” Cass stuck her tongue out at that. “Besides, racing you here was just an excuse to get my mind off waiting for midnight.”

“And because Alfred is the only one polite enough to actually listen to you rave about that stupid game,” Jason scoffed, sitting down at the bar to watch Alfred work.

“--thought I heard voices in the kitchen, oh there you are, little wing!” Dick Grayson-Wayne’s cheery voice came from the foyer, increasing in pitch as he spotted Jason and swept him up into a tight hug.

Barbara Gordon wheeled herself in not too long after, chuckling at the squirming Jason and delighted older brother.

Meanwhile Tim, who had taken offense to Jason’s insinuation, was reassuring Alfred that if he wanted the boys to leave him be he only ever had to ask. “It’s just that I’m so excited for the launch tonight, and you know B is too busy to hear about it.”

Jason had finally muscled his way out of Dick’s embrace as the latter’s attention focused on his youngest brother. “What launch are you talking about?” Dick asked, giving Cass a side hug.

“Oh, tonight is the release of this new VRMMORPG game called Mindscape!” Tim practically bounced as Dick came over to give him his hug too.

Dick gave Barbara a confused glance. “I know some of those words,” he nodded slowly. “So what’s got you so excited? Video games come out all the time.”

Tim rolled his eyes as he sat down beside Jason on the barstools. “Well yeah, but this game has groundbreaking virtual reality tech. Supposedly, the textures took five years and a team of almost 1000 artists.”

Jason put Tim into a headlock and said casually, “I’m surprised you haven’t heard replacement talking about this yet. He kinda won’t shut up about it.”

Cass nodded her head in solemn agreement while Tim struggled to get out of Jason’s grasp.

“Such are the woes of moving out.” Dick shrugged. “Sounds crash though, got room for one more?”

Tim finally shoved Jason off. “I actually bought enough passes that we can all play if you want,” he gave each of his siblings the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

Barbara snorted even as Dick pumped his fist in the air beside her. She wheeled herself up to the bar to pinch Jason, who was poised to jab his fingers into Tim’s sides. Jason yelped and glared at her as she said, “Sorry Timmy, I’d rather let someone else be the guinea pig for this new kind of tech. Besides, Dad will worry if I let myself get sucked into pouring too many hours into this.”

“Papa Gordon is a force to be reckoned with,” Dick attested earnestly. “Jay?” he prompted.

“Absolutely not,” Jason answered immediately. Tim was quick to protest. “But why? We could spend more time together! It’ll be good team-building.” Jason’s face soured at that.

Dick leaned in and stage-whispered, “Do I have to tell B to force you into family bonding? You know he’ll make you do it.”

Cass covered her silently laughing mouth with one hand as Jason threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, don’t get Bruce involved. I’ll play your stupid game,” he finally relented. Tim grinned at his win, then cast a hopeful look at Cass.

She pulled a face and signed No thank you. Better things to do than watch VR pornos.

Tim’s face blushed profusely as he opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Jason’s cackling. Even Alfred cracked a smile while he rolled the dough onto the ravioli press.

Once Jason quieted down, Tim crossed his arms and said, “Suit yourself. Looks like it’ll be no-girls-allowed anyway.”

“Guess we’d better tell Cassie that, Timbo,” Dick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, which Tim elected to ignore.

“Speaking of suits,” Alfred said while seamlessly spreading filling in the ravioli and placing another sheet on top of the press, “aren’t you boys going to miss the premiere if it is indeed at midnight?”

Tim looked imploringly at the two girls. “You wouldn’t be willing to trade shifts for your favorite brother, would you?”

* * *

Wally West strolled out of the zeta tube and into the Justice League’s satellite, known to himself and the other heroes as The Watchtower. He was dressed in a casual NASA t-shirt and jeans, slurping a smoothie, and playing a game on his phone.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made him look up. He was greeted with the sight of his old team, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Rocket, Zatanna, and Artemis, waiting impatiently. They were dressed in full hero attire-- he didn’t even realize Artemis still had her costume-- and looked to him expectantly.

“Hey guys, what’s poppin’?” Wally grinned and gave his friends a lazy chin jerk.

“‘What’s poppin’?’ Babe, are you serious? You told us to meet here ASAP for an emergency. So you can tell us what exactly is ‘poppin’.” Ah yes, his Spitfire. Artemis Crock still wasn’t afraid to give him a piece of her mind. But this time it looked like everyone else was on her side too, as they nodded in agreement with her emphatic air quotes.

“Oh, uh yeah, Mindscape is coming out tonight!” He set his smoothie down on the table. “I got us all passes and I’m super stoked for the launch. It’s got this super cool new VR tech that’s basically being released for the first time ever. I got the equipment through my internship, so we’re all set! You guys are totally coming right?” He made finger guns at his increasingly exasperated friends.

Artemis facepalmed. Kaldur’ahm raised his eyebrows in that I’m disappointed in you but I’m not going to say it way of his and said, “Wally, with you and Artemis retired from the life, understand that we took this to be a literal emergency and rushed to your aid. Do not abuse our good intentions.”

“Seriously West, I have a lot on my plate right now!” Rochelle Ervin was also, apparently, a little upset with him. “You could’ve said it was about a dumb game.”

The speedster tried to do damage control with some lighthearted humor. “Hey guys, stay whelmed. I get it, I probably should have given a few more deets about this very-much-not-dumb game, but do you know how many candy bars I had to eat to win these passes?”

“This is why you’ve been spending so much on junk food?” Oh, he was in big trouble with Artemis now. “You probably didn’t have to eat all of them, babe.”

M’gann M’orzz, Connor Kent, and Zatanna Zatara looked similarly annoyed. Well, the girls did. Connor just looked like his usual brand of annoyed, which was honestly a small victory.

“So...” Wally felt a little sheepish now, “who wants in?”

The rest of the group exchanged a look. Artemis was the first to speak up. “Well, you’ve already invested too much of our money in this to turn back now.” She walked up to him and poked a finger at his chest. “But you owe me so many dinners for this.”

He grinned triumphantly. “Deal!”

Rochelle spoke up next. “Me and my plate don’t need any more helpings, thank you very much. I’ll see y’all at the next team reunion!” She flew out through the zeta tube.

Kaldur clapped him on the shoulder. “If you need any assistance, I will be there. But for now I am running Atlantis in Aquaman’s stead while he is off-world, and I must return to my duties.” He then bid the rest of the team farewell and stepped through the zeta tube.

“Haha, he said ‘duties.’” Wally said once he’d left, then winced as Artemis smacked his arm lightly. Lightly for her. Rubbing his arm, he looked imploringly at his other friends.

M’gann and Conner looked deep in a telepathic conversation, which was just awkwardly intense eye contact for onlookers. Zatanna crossed her arms and sighed, “Fine, why not. I didn’t have plans for the weekend anyway. Lead the way to your chocolate factory, Charlie.”

Connor, having caught the tail end of the conversation, looked confused at the reference. He shrugged and said, “I’m in, could be fun.”

M’gann gave her friends an apologetic smile. “Sorry guys, my uncle needs help back on Mars. There’s tensions between the white and green martians again, and he really needs me there to get it under control.”

She gave Connor a peck on the cheek and left to board the nearby Bioship.

“And then there were four,” Wally said with a smile. “Now let’s go make you guys some avatars!”

* * *

Bart Allen could hardly contain his excitement. Scratch that, he couldn’t contain his excitement! “Bouncing off the walls” may be an exaggeration for most people, but he was not most people. Being the grandson of The Flash certainly had its perks, and being able to literally bounce off the walls was one of them.

The cause of his excitement, his friends Timothy Drake-Wayne and Wally West, had just called to ask if Bart wanted extra passes to the premiere of the biggest video game of the decade. And uh, yeah duh he wanted them! He already had one he’d bought for himself, but bringing four extra friends? So totally crash.

He opened up his phone and pulled up the group chat titled Badass Babes.

CrashBandicoot: hey bitchez n babez (u kno who u r), u ready 4 the best videogame of the yr to drop?!

BlueMenace: ese, do you HAVE to type like that?

WonderBabe: yea it’s super annoying

CrashBandicoot: gtta go fast babez

CrashBandicoot: now answer the question

GreenMenace: oh i heard about that! mindscape, right? isn’t it some vr game

CrashBandicoot: yes! nd i got extra tix, so come ovr to cave

GirlBoss: No can do, got research tomorrow!

MaleWife: you always have research bae. sorry little speedster, gotta drive the lady to work

CrashBandicoot: u guys r moding my night :(

BlueMenace: totally not a word but I’ve got you cariño, be there in an hour

WonderBabe: ah what the heck, I’ve got nothing better to do

GreenMenace: always down to whoop ur ass in video games

CrashBandicoot: u wish

CrashBandicoot: roy?

Ginger1 is typing...

WonderBabe: it’ll be fun! more ~mingling~ with kids our age

Ginger2: Hold on, give him some time

Ginger1 is typing...

BlueMenace: Roy, I can pick you up on my way in if you want

Ginger1 has stopped typing.

Ginger2: Um, he says he’ll meet you guys there

Ginger2: He may have destroyed his phone with his “non-typing” hand

GreenMenace: pog

WonderBabe: see u guys soon!

Bart pumped his fist, then ran at top speed to his boyfriend Jaime’s house, where it looked like he was doing homework. Seriously, on a Friday night? Bart had absolutely no qualms about whisking him into his arms and making for the nearest zeta tube.

“Woah Bart, I said I needed an hour!” Jaime protested.

Bart rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but you definitely don’t have anything due tonight, and we have to make your character online before the launch!”

Jaime just looked resigned as they sped into the zeta tube. He knew what he had signed up for.

[jaysevhls]

The Life I Had (pt.2) | Jay Halstead

Summary: Based on season 5, episodes 7 and 10. Jay is struggling with this undercover mission, while Y/N is trying to help him after Erin left him. Both of them are starting to realise their feelings for each other.

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader.

Author's note: Requests are open!

PART 1 | PART 3

It was time to go to work, when you got a message from Hailey that she'll pick you up, because you got a case. Since yesterday you were now at Adam's apartment, because when you moved to Jay, you decided to sell your apartment. You needed cash and it wasn't a necessary to have another one. You thought that it'll last longer than that, but well... Jay had different plans.

"I'll be back late, you can take my keys." Adam said when you walked into the kitchen.

"And why is that?"

"I'm working at something, don't worry." he hugged you, took his gun and badge and then left.

Hailey showed up few minutes later.

"What do we got?" you asked.

"Jay was undercover yesterday and he found a shooted girl. He's on the scene."

"Well, that's none of my business, but I'm pretty sure we've finished this case and there's no need to him be undercover."

"Yeah, I guess. Voight is already there, I don't know what we should expect." she said.

"I swear to god, if he got involved in something because of this girl, I'll end her." you said and closed the door behind you.

You followed Hailey to her car. After few minutes you were on the scene.

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked as you, Hailey and Voight showed up.

"Well, what are YOU doing here Jay? I'm pretty sure we've closed this case." Voight asked him, but you knew what the answer will be. Of course Jay was feeling something to this girl.

"I'm working. Camila Vega, she's my CI." he asked and looked at you.

"Since when? Did you put her in papers? you didn't want to listen this conversation. Walking by the few police officers, you decided to check the body and find some personal items like phone or wallet.

But there was nothing. Only cash.

"Y/N? Can we talk?" Jay appeared behind you as you were talking with other officer.

"What do you want? If I left something at your place I'll take it tonight, but I'm pretty sure I've got everything."

"Stop, no, I just... I really miss talking to you. I want to apologize Y/N." he looked at you and you felt tears willing up in your eyes. Why was this so difficult? You weren't together, you didn't break up... He was just a friend. And partner.

"I don't think it's a great place to have conversation like this. I can meet you tonight if you want."

"Okay, be at my place at 9pm." he tried to step forward and hug you, but you moved to the back. You didn't feel right, not now.

Even if you were still mad at him, you smiled when he walked away. It was painful being that far away from him, he meant so much to you, and it couldn't end up like this, but at the same time he needed to know that what he did was just wrong.

Time passed by and you decided to leave Adam's apartment and go visit Jay. This day wasn't that bad at all. Back at district you were talking a little bit more with him that usual, so that made you really happy.

You decided to take a walk to his apartment. It was close to Ruzek's apartment and there was no need to drive, besides, you thought that this night you both will end up drunk.

After few minutes you were chasing the hall. You checked your phone last time to saw if he sent something to you about cancelling your plans. You knocked on his door, but there was just silence. He didn't text you, you were just standing there knocking at his door.

"Hey, can you be more quiet? If he's not answering, maybe he just doesn't want to talk" some neighbor said.

"Sorry, I'll just go now." you answered. You stood there for second before storming out from building. When you felt the wind on your cheeks, you bursted into tears. He lied. He freaking lied, leaving you there alone.

You couldn't catch a breath, everything was so blurry. You didn't want to show up like this in Adam's place, so instead of going there, you went back to the district. It was late, the whole intelligence went homes, so no one would notice you there.

You sat on the couch in break room with tea in your hands. From nowhere Voight appeared confused, just standing and staring at you.

"Please just don't say anything, I can't handle more today." you said.

"What happened kiddo? I thought you went home with Adam." he walked closer.

"Yeah I did, but I forgot to do something here so I got back."

"Don't lie to me Y/N. You gave me your files, there's no reason for you to be here." he said. "So, you better gotta tell me what happened or I'm calling Adam."

"Halstead and I can't get along in past few weeks, we were supposed to meet today, but he just didn't show up and I can't go back to Adam place looking like this. I'll stay here for the night I guess."

"No way Y/N. Come on, you're going back to Adam, you're going to tell him what happened. I can't let you think that this is okay. Talk about everything what is bothering you kid."

"You're right I guess. But I'll go alone, I need to call someone before I got home."

"Okay, but I'm giving you 15 minutes, then I'll call Trudy to drive you on her own."

"Sure thing."

The next day, you arrived alone to the district. Team got a lead to a guy who were dealing with drugs and he supposed to meet that killed girl. After founding out that she was undercover as CIA agent just made this case the important things and it needed to be solved as soon as possible.

You smiled at Trudy when you got there and went straight upstairs.

"Club Echo? And Alex? I know him, I met him trough Camila." you heard Jay's voice as you appeared in bullpen."I can go under with Y/N." he continued.

"Take Hailey, I've got a work to do." you snapped at him and went to your desk. Voight looked at you and answered:

"Y/N, you're going. I need Hailey here." he said.

"But Serg-" of course he made this because of the last night and what you've told him.

"Go before you'll say too much." you stood up, grabbed your jacket and went after Jay.

The whole time there was a silence in the car. You said that you don't want to talk as you got in his truck and he just nodded.

After a while you were in Echo, searching for Alex.

"Hey man, thanks for meeting." Jay said.

"Ryan, hey! Who's that pretty lady huh?" Alex asked looking at you.

"Not your league. I'm his sister." you pointed with your head at Jay.

"So, I heard that you have something good for me."

"What are you talking about?" Alex laughed at Jay.

"Man, we y'all know that you're dealing. Camila told me."

"Yeah I do. What also did she said after that 20 minutes in the back of the club and whole night at her place huh?" you looked at Jay confused. He stood you up for her. He freaking lied to you because of her. He chose her over you.

"Alright, you want to know more than you should. Can we make a deal?" Jay asked.

"Sure, I'll call you when it'll be done." they said goodbyes and you went outside.

You couldn't believe that Jay really did that to you. After all these years.

"I can't believe..." you whispered.

"What Y/N?"

"You're sleeping with her. This entire time being "undercover" you were screwing up with her." you said.

"Y/N, it's not like that..."

"It's not like what? Like what Jay? You fucking lied to me. I was the one who waited for you for almost an hour in front of their apartment, because you were too busy fucking her! Was that worth it? Over all these things we had?

"I wanted to see you but it came out of nowhere and I needed to meet her and talk." he answered and walked closer.

"No, all you needed was to fuck her. That's what you wanted to do. All this time. And don't play being broken and alone Jay. I was the one who were with you all this time! I stayed the night with you, I moved in with you, because you needed help! I watched you almost die, cry every night, I was there, not her! And you're still treating me like this."

"Don't make it like this Y/N... Don't play innocent girl, you're saying that I'm making wrong choices but maybe look at yourself and ask if it's right to sleep around with Adam!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Life isn't perfect Y/N."

"Yeah, funny story that you were the one who broke me first." you said and walked away.

Part 3?

[anna-justice]

Lost or Found - 24

Summary: As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam and Kevin start their junior year in the wake of a tragic summer, the past year of their lives comes back to haunt them. If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is for you! *UPSTEAD/BURZEK High School AU

...

24 - Evermore  ...

“Your dad should have killed you when he had the chance…”

Hailey whimpered, her eyes clenched shut and beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

“So you want to play hero one more time?” 

She flinched in her sleep, her heart beating out of her chest, so fast that she thought it was going to explode. 

“That works for me.” 

Hailey shot up, screaming. The last thing she saw was the barrel of a gun. She clawed at her chest, trying to get a good breath. “Hailey?” Someone yelled, and then right after, her Aunt appeared in front of her. “Hailey, it’s okay.” Trudy reached out to grab her hand, but Hailey pulled it back, looking at her with scared eyes. 

It had been a month since she had heard those words muttered aloud, but they plagued her dreams frequently. 

The two weeks following that day, all five of them took turns rotating through the police station. Everyday there were new questions, more people to explain things to, more statements to clarify, it was never ending. Then, it just stopped. There was nothing else they could do, they had to wait for trial. And in the meantime, Erin was placed in a psychiatric hold facility, and her lawyers were defending her actions as a symptom as psychosis.

It bothered them all, that technically she was free, all because they could blame her attempted murder on a psychotic break. Especially when Kelly Severide was looking at time. A few days after, two detectives showed up at Hailey’s house, wanting a full recount of the last five months, and that included the night that she was attacked. When Severide was questioned, he had no alibi and he confessed to strangling Hailey. His excuse was that he was threatened the same way that the rest of them were, only in person. He claimed that he knew Erin was alive the whole time, but she threatened to kill his mom and sister if he didn’t cooperate. 

Unfortunately, the only way to corroborate the story for a jury is to prove Erin mentally competent, meaning she was capable of carrying out her threats. To all involved, even Kelly, it was clear that she knew what she was doing, she was a mastermind, but to everyone on the outside, they were just a bunch of teenagers wrapped up in a murder. 

The girl that everyone thought was Erin still hadn’t been identified, they had to dig up the casket for the second time. The only way they were able to ID it the first time was by the previous fracture and bracelet, but there are a lot of people in the Chicago area that have broken their left wrist. 

So, with no new information and the date for the trial to begin still months away, they all lived life normally. Well, as normal as it could be after everything they went through. And normal for Hailey meant waking up every night screaming. 

Trudy looked at her husband, who was standing in the doorway. They shared a look, a very familiar one. They repeated the same steps every night, like some cruel rehearsed dance. Trudy waited patiently for Hailey to calm down, just seated on the floor next to her. “Hailey, sweetie, you’re safe.” She repeated. 

Every night it was the same, Hailey would snap out of whatever daze she was in and apologize profusely. “I’m sorry, I got scared…” She started.

“Shhh,” Trudy said, placing a hand on her leg, “It’s okay.” 

Hailey nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m good, you all can go back to sleep.” She said, glancing at her uncle. 

Trudy just nodded, she learned many nights ago not to fight her on it, “Alright. Goodnight Hailey, we love you.” She said, squeezing her shoulder. 

“Love you too.” Hailey said, watching them retreat back to their room. They left the door open like they always did, Hailey sighed rolling over and grabbing her phone. She sent a quick text to her boyfriend. 

Hailey:      :(

It was a system that they started a few weeks ago. The first few nights Jay would stay up with her on the phone, or she would call him after Trudy and Randy finally left, but the lack of sleep began to play a part in their relationship. So, they decided that every time Hailey had a nightmare (or Jay, he wasn’t clean of them) they would text the other a frowny face, so that in the morning they would know what the other had gone through the night before without having to talk about it. It has proved to be useful.

Hailey laid down again, willing herself to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. Sleep was too vulnerable, so she laid there awake, just waiting for the sun to rise on (hopefully) a better day. 

…

“What do you mean you haven’t picked out a costume?” Kim asked, as Jay slammed his door shut. Like every morning, they were all crowded around his truck, waiting until the last minute to head to class. The gossip still hadn’t died down, they were still the topic of every conversation, so they avoided it as much as they could. 

Hailey shrugged. “I thought we weren’t dressing up.” She said, looking up at her boyfriend, who nodded in agreement. Halloween was tomorrow, and of course Kim had plans for all of them.

“No, I said we weren’t dressing up as the characters from scooby doo…” Kim said, giving Adam a pointed look. 

Adam held up his hands in surrender, “Like I said, I’m sorry, it’s too soon.” He said, stifling a laugh. 

Kevin rolled his eyes, “Yeah, you all know I’d have to be scooby. And I’m not dressing up like a dog.” He snapped. 

“But Kev,” Adam said, faking a frown. “I thought you were my dawg.” Kevin glared at him, faking a punch as Adam jumped back. 

“Anyway,” Kim started, looking back at Hailey and Jay, and ignoring the antics behind her. “I promised Stella we would all be at her party tomorrow night, you guys will be the only people without a costume.” 

Hailey sighed, “Kim, we will get costumes, I promise.” Kim opened her mouth, but the warning bell cut her off. Hailey smiled, grabbing Jay’s hand. “We’ll see you guys later.” She said, before pulling him away. 

“Please tell me you have costume ideas,” Jay said quietly. 

“Nope.” They rounded the corner, Jay leaning down and stealing a kiss before they entered their classroom. Criminal justice was a little harder to sit through than it was before, but somehow Jay had managed to get his grade up. 

They took their normal seats in the back of the class, waiting for the teacher to begin. “I have an idea,” Jay said, leaning on his hand. 

“Okay?” Hailey said cautiously. 

“I’ll be a firefighter, and you be a Dalmatian.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Hailey scoffed, “No.” 

“Okay. You be the firefighter and I’ll be the Dalmatian.” He said, smirking.

Hailey shook her head, “Try again.” Jay fake pouted, retreating back to his half of the shared desk. 

Finally, their teacher decided to start class, cutting their conversation off for the time being. After about 30 minutes of notes, he passed out an assignment, leaving them to work on their own. Jay turned to face her, smiling. “I’ve got another idea.” He said, Hailey gave him a pointed look. “Squints and the lifeguard from the sandlot.” 

“Why? So every time someone asks us who we are you get to lay on the ground and make me kiss you?” She questioned. 

“Exactly.” He deadpanned. 

“Jay-”

“Okay, okay.” He said, laughing. He loved it when she got all riled up. “Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, cause you’re so short-”

“Jay!” She said, smacking his bicep. 

He laughed harder, “Okay, in all seriousness...we can be Jack and Rose from the titanic…” He watched Hailey’s face slowly morph into slight agreeance, “And Kev could be the iceberg.” 

“I’m done with you.” Hailey said shortly, stifling her own laugh. 

Jay laughed at his own joke, watching his girlfriend pretend to be aggravated with him. “You love me, you know it.” 

“Unfortunately…” Hailey said under her breath. She took a deep breath, “What about Danny and Sandy from Grease?” 

Jay smirked, “You in leather pants? Perfect.” 

“You’re hopeless.” 

…

The next day, Hailey sat in Kim’s bedroom getting ready. They had about an hour before the boys were supposed to come pick them up. Kim and Adam were going as Romeo and Juliet, while Hailey and Jay had finally settled on Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Kevin had grouped up with some of the boys from his team, they were going as zombie football players, very original…

“Kim, you’re going to have to do this.” Hailey said, laughing in defeat. 

Kim smiled, taking over for her. She was waiting for her to ask for help, she’d been struggling to french braid her hair for almost twenty minutes. “I got it.” They sat there for a while in silence, Kim carefully laying pieces of blonde hair over the others, she glanced at Hailey in the mirror, noticing the blank look on her face. “How are you doing?”

Hailey’s head snapped up to meet her eyes, she caught her off guard. “Uh,” She shrugged, “I’m okay, I guess…” 

Kim scoffed, shaking her head. “I’ve said that word so many times recently that I’m not even sure it’s a word anymore.” 

“Yeah…” Hailey said, letting her thoughts wander. “I get that.” And she did, it was like she used the word as a shield. It was her response to everything, and she wasn’t okay, not that it was really a secret. None of them were okay, but saying it made it feel like they were. And deception was something worth clinging onto. 

“You know, we never talked about-” 

“We don’t need to.” Hailey said, cutting her off. 

Kim eyed her cautiously, “Okay.” She wanted to talk, but she didn’t feel like she had any right to push Hailey to. Not after what happened. “Done.” She said, a few minutes later, taking a step back to admire her work.

“Thanks,” Hailey said with a genuine smile, picking up the jar of flower clips they had bought that morning. “You think I should just put these everywhere?” 

Kim nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” She reached down, clicking shuffle on a playlist, a random Taylor Swift song playing. They were both done talking. 

An hour later, the two of them were sitting in Kim’s kitchen talking to her mom when Jay and Adam arrived. Adam just let himself in the front door, Jay choked on a laugh as he waltzed in like he owned the place. 

The boys appeared in the kitchen, “Honey, I’m home.” He said, passing Kim and hugging her mom. Kim rolled her eyes as they all laughed, Jay’s hand finding Hailey’s back like it always did. He was so happy, even though life was still crazy, he was ridiculously happy. Watching Hailey smile and Adam joke around like he used to (before they used it as a distraction) was so nice, and familiar and just so damn good. 

Hailey peered up at him, grinning as he pecked her lips. “Alright, let’s get a picture so you all can get out of here.” Claire said, ushering them together. Jay stood next to Adam, both of them holding their girlfriends securely against their waists. They all smiled brightly, relaxing after the click. 

They quickly bid their goodbyes, making their way out to Jay’s truck. Hailey slid easily into the passenger seat, despite her nude heels (that she was already regretting), while Adam and Kim got in the back. They pulled out of the driveway, and somehow Adam ended up with aux cord. Somewhere in between an old Maroon 5 song and the Weekend, Jay’s hand found hers on the center console. 

Hailey looked down at it and smiled. It was a simple thing that they did every single time they rode together, but it really symbolized how much things had changed. Hailey thought back to the day that he kept his eyes trained on the road, back when she cut him off when he tried to apologize. It was only two months ago, but they were different, everything was different, everything was better. 

 Jay followed her gaze to their conjoined hands, mimicking her smile. She didn’t have to say anything, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Part of him wishes he could go back and stay with her then, he felt like they had wasted so much time, but the other part of him knew that they were better for it. Neither of them were ready for what they have now, then. And what they have was worth the wait. 

Finally they reached their destination, Jay having the park pretty far away due to how many people were already there. They got out, Jay rounding the truck to help Hailey down, even though she hadn’t needed it in a long time. The four of them headed towards the decent sized house, they could hear the music thumping from outside. Hailey slipped her hand in Jay’s, gripping his forearm. 

Jay noticed the look of discomfort on her face, leaning down. “Hey, you okay?” He asked, eying her. 

Hailey nodded, holding on a little tighter. “Yeah, just don’t want to get lost in the crowd.” Jay nodded, believing her lie. She couldn’t really explain it, but she had a terrible feeling in her stomach and the thought of being lost in a sea of people made her want to throw up. Even though it was over, Hailey still found herself looking over her shoulder and watching out for her. And even though all of that meant she was nowhere near being in a party mood, she wasn’t going to bring everyone else down, they all needed a fun night. 

They made their way through the crowded makeshift dance floor, and found Kevin in a living area near the back of the house where he was sitting with Stella, Conner, Matt and Sylvie. “Hey guys,” He called, jumping up and clapping Adam’s back. 

Stella stood, hugging Kim tightly, “I’m glad you guys could make it.” 

Kim squeezed her, “Me too.”

Stella backed away, touching Hailey’s arm affectionately and giving her a kind smile that she returned. “I know it’s kind of crazy,” Stella laughed, “If you need something or just a break, the keys to the upstairs doors are hidden right under the doors, just inside the rooms.” She glanced at the obvious couples, winking. “I trust you guys.” 

They all nodded, Kim blushing, a chorus of “great” and “thanks” sounding. The group dispersed, the five of them huddling up. “Obviously Hailey and I are gonna stick together, if we get lost, meet back here at midnight and we’ll head out?” Jay suggested.

“Sounds good,” Kev said, nodding.

Adam agreed too. “That works for me.” 

That works for me…

Hailey flinched at those words, instinctively squeezing her eyes shut. Her breath caught in her throat. The image of a pulled gun flashing through her brain. She grimaced, trying to push the thoughts away. “Hailes…” She took another deep breath, doing everything in her power to keep her fear at bay. “Hailes.” Someone said, harsher, snapping her out of her daze. 

“Yeah?” She asked quickly. 

Kim eyed her cautiously, “I asked if you wanted a water…”

“Oh,” Hailey shook her head, “No, I’m good, thanks though.” She watched as Kim and Adam slowly disappeared into the crowd, her eyebrowed cinched together. 

Jay stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the rest of the room, “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, concern clear in his bright green eyes. 

Hailey nodded vigorously, “I’m good, I promise.” She said, his face didn’t change. He didn’t believe her. Hailey reached up, pulling him to her level and attaching their lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened it, pulling him even closer. Jay did his best not to get lost in the kiss, but with her it was so hard. She pulled away slowly, peering up at him. “Jay, I’m okay.” Kim was right, it didn’t sound like a word anymore. 

Jay sighed, admitting defeat. “Okay.” He laced their hands together, leaning down and kissing her slowly before guiding her to the dance floor. They stood near the edge, Jay’s hand sitting on her hips as they swayed in sync to the fast music. They danced for a while before some of Jay’s teammates interrupted them. 

Hailey stood securely at his side as they spoke, absently listening to the trashy rap music that was playing loudly throughout the room. “Fuck, shit, bitch…” The sound of a gun being cocked rang through the speakers and Hailey screamed. Suddenly the eyes of everyone around her staring at her. She was frozen in place, forcing the terrible memories away, but she couldn’t. 

“Hailey.” Jay said, but her feet had a mind of their own and she was running towards the staircase, her lungs burning, she couldn’t get in a good breath. “Hailey!” Jay called after her, not even bothering to say goodbye to his team before taking off. 

Hailey booked it up the stairs, dropping to the ground in front of the first door she saw, grasping aimlessly for the key. She slumped against the door, tears streaming down her face as she fought to breathe. Jay booked it towards her, crouching down and finding the key easily. He unlocked the door, then swept his hysterical girlfriend off the floor, carrying her into the room and setting her on the bed. She was still heaving in front of him, and Jay placed two hands on either side of her face. “Hailey, Hailey look at me.” He said, but her eyes stayed trained on his chest. “Baby, you’re safe, look at me, please.” She clenched her eyes shut, more tears falling down her face. When she opened them again, they met his and she launched herself into his arms. 

Jay held her to him, rocking them gently as she cried into his neck. “I-I thought-” She stuttered, sobs wracking her body. 

“I know, I know.” He said, trying to calm her. 

“I thought it was over…” She said, and Jay felt his heart clench in his chest. 

He ran his hand through her braided hair, no doubt destroying it. “It is, it’s all over, you’re safe. We’re safe.” For some reason that made her cry harder, maybe because she hadn’t for the past month, she had been bottling up her feelings to protect herself and everyone else. Because even though she was, she hadn’t felt safe in a long time. 

Hailey pulled away after a long time, utterly exhausted. Jay couldn’t take the look of defeat on her safe, she looked so tired, so broken, that it scared him. How could he not have known how much pain she was in? 

She couldn’t bear to look at him, so she kept her gaze fixed on her lap. He placed his hand on her thigh, and Hailey laid one on top of it. She sniffled, using her free hand to wipe the never ending tears from her eyes. “I’m okay.”

…

The following Monday, Hailey sat in the passenger seat of Jay’s truck. After the events of Saturday night, Jay had no choice but to loop in Trudy and Randall, he had to after he had failed to do so before. They spent the rest of the weekend convincing Hailey to see someone, to talk about everything they had been through. 

It was probably the trauma left over from her parents, but the stigma that therapy made you weak was ingrained in Hailey’s mind, and convincing her to make an appointment was no easy task. 

That’s how they ended up sitting in the parking lot of a private practice right after school, Hailey’s leg bouncing nervously up and down. Jay lifted their intertwined hands off the center console, kissing the back of hers. “I’m going to be here waiting, all I ask is that you go in there and try.” He said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. 

Hailey smiled softly, nodding. She leaned across the console and kissed him slowly, hoping that she was able to portray just how much love she had for him and trust she had in him through it. Jay pulled away, taking her in. “I love you, Hailey Upton.” 

“I love you, Jay Halstead.” She said. 

“Now, go kick some ass.” He said and she laughed, opening the truck door. She shut it, giving him one last look before walking inside the doors. 

She sat down in one of the waiting room chairs after signing in, a few minutes later an older man with big glasses popped his head out of the back. “Hailey?” 

She stood, “Yes sir.”

The man smiled, “Come with me.” He led her back to an office, gesturing for her to sit on the couch while he sat in the chair across from her. “I’m Dr. Charles, but you can call me Daniel or Dan, or really whatever makes you comfortable.” He explained. 

Hailey nodded, shifting nervously. “So, how does this work?” She asked.

“However you want it to, we can talk or not talk about anything you want.” He said, leaning back in his chair. 

“Okay,” Hailey glanced at the ground, “The-There’s a lot…” 

“That’s okay.” 

Hailey grimaced, finally looking at him. “Where do I start?” She asked.

Dr. Charles smiled. “How about the beginning?”

Hailey sighed, taking a few deep breaths, ready to start confronting all the demons that she had been fighting for so long. 

“Tell me everything.”

...

A/N: This is long but please, please, please read it!!

First, this is the end of this story, but it is not THE end! There will be a sequel and if you want to see a sneak peak, you can find it HERE. I am so so excited to continue exploring this version of these characters, and don’t worry, the next installment will be just as exciting as this one! 

Second, thank you so so so so much to everyone who has shown love to and supported this story. It really means the world to me, you have no idea. This has been such an amazing experience and I have learned so much from writing this, so thank you so much for reading. You guys are truly incredible, and writing has helped me through a tough time in my life. I’m going to say thank you a million time, but thank you, thank you, thank you <3

This story evolved so much lol: in the beginning I had no plan, and then it changed like five times, and we ended up here, so here’s a few things that didn’t make it in.

Nadia was supposed to die in chapter 19, but I decided against it…

I debated Kevin and Stella getting together, don’t hate me for this ahaha

I almost made Kim lose her hearing, but I wasn’t sure I could do the storyline justice with everything else going on

I debated killing Adam (I’M SORRY, i’m sorry…)

And finally (cause you don’t need to know all of my secrets) I ALMOST broke up Upstead at the end

Anyway, there’s some behind the scenes action if you’re interested. 

Back to the point: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ME AND THIS STORY, I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, and i cannot wait to embark on this next journey together!!

So much love,

Anna

@lissethsrojas @puckluck28 @fuckyeahkillianemma @chilly7188 @thebigapocalypsewolf @karihighman @ruzek-halstead @anotheronechicagobog @snowwhite013 @tracysupton @angelsjedi @carissalizz​

[moonknightly]

and you keep me holding on : santiago “pope” garcia x reader (three)

Word Count: 5.5k+

Excerpt: “Had he told her? When she was leaving his office that night, had Santi told her how much he loved her?”

Warnings: Kidnapping, violence, mentions of blood, cursing, guns, uhhh that should be it?

[SERIES MASTERLIST]

OCTOBER 19TH - DAY THREE

Two days pass with absolutely nothing. Santi’s boss has given him strict orders to stay as far away from work as possible, and he actually decides to listen for a change. He knows he would be useless to his co-workers in his current state.

Cameron refuses to let him anywhere near the precinct either, saying it’ll only add to his stress. He knows she’s right, but part of him still wishes he could be there, just so he can sit right by the phone and be the first to know if she’d been found, but he doubts that Cameron would budge on the matter. He still begged her to call him if she heard anything at all though, and she’d promised she would.

It’s not a promise Santiago is taking lightly.

He’s hardly left Jay’s couch since arriving back in New York from Princeton. He only gets up when it’s absolutely necessary, and even then, it’s only for a minute or two at a time. He hasn’t combed his hair, has only brushed his teeth once. His drive and motivation are just completely lacking without her.

He’s been wearing the same set of sweats from the moment he was able to change out of his blood soaked clothes. He has no idea what Jay’s done with them, but he hopes they were put in the trash and not sitting at the bottom of the washing machine. He never wants to see those damn pants ever again, or the shirt for that matter. He’d been contemplating setting both articles of clothing on fire, but he was positive that Jay wouldn’t appreciate the smoke and ash filling his apartment, setting the fire alarm off and disturbing his neighbors.

But fuck, had he wanted to watch them burn.

The news of her disappearance spread rapidly, and Pope still doesn’t know if he’s thankful for the attention or if the coverage only continued to add to his rage and unease. He figures that he’s allowed to feel both.

Cameron had spoken at a press conference in the early morning following their trip to Princeton, and there had been an article printed on the front page of several newspapers. They’d used a fairly recent photo of her, one that was taken while she was dressed out in her scrubs. Santi was actually in it as well, though they’d cropped him out of course.

It had been one of his favorite pictures of the two of them together, but now it just makes his stomach sick every single time it flashes across the TV screen.

Her parents had been notified just prior to the press conference. Santi hadn’t been the one to make the phone call, and while he felt some sort of guilt over it, he was also glad he hadn’t had to face them yet — he’s not ready for her mother’s tears or her father’s icecold glare and sharp words. He knows they’re going to blame him for not protecting her properly, for not doing what was supposed to be his one job when it came to her, just as he was blaming himself.

He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to face them.

He doesn’t even know how to face his own parents. 

His mother calls him at least once an hour, and each time he lets it go to voicemail. He has 41 missed calls and almost twice as many unopened texts, but he never fails to check who they’re from, jumping to his feet and snatching his phone from wherever it lay each time a new one came through, just in case it’s an unknown number that might be her or even Nathan.

But it only continues to be his mom and sometimes the boys, though they’re trying their best to give him the space they know he needs.

He doesn’t think he needs space.

Santi starts to have second thoughts about staying away from work. The later the day drags on, the more and more anxious he feels. 

The more and more useless. 

He needs to do something other than just sitting there, watching TV and waiting for the phone to ring once again.

He’s better than this, worth more than this. If he could only work on his own or with the boys even, he was sure they’d be ten steps closer to finding her. He knows it and he can’t stand playing by the damn rules but his emotions are still running too high and he doesn’t even know where to begin.

All Santi knows is that he can’t fucking sit there and do nothing anymore.

He throws the blanket off of his legs and stands from the couch, immediately going to the bag he’d brought from the apartment, pulling out a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt. It’s obvious that his shirt hadn’t been properly folded, but he has his bullet proof vest to throw on over the wrinkled garment, not that he really cares and not that it really matters.

He’s out the door within ten minutes.

Parker is the first to see Santi enter the precinct. She’s sitting at one of the tables in the corner, idly talking with Cameron about a case from several years ago and she can’t help the sigh and the not-so-subtle shake of her head that follows upon seeing him walk towards them.

“I thought you told Garcia that he couldn’t be here.”

“I did.”

She doesn’t have to turn around to know that Santi’s approaching, and she still doesn’t turn around even when she senses him come to a stop directly behind her, just a few feet away.

“But you and I both know how well he tends to follow directions.”

“Yeah,” Parker scoffs, shaking her head once again and folding her arms across her chest.

Cameron finally turns in her chair, facing Santi after several long seconds. She feels a twinge in her chest as she takes in his dejected expression and tired eyes. He looks rough, and so so worried but that’s all to be expected. She swallows the lump in her throat and wills her own nerves to settle, giving her full attention to Santi.

“What are you doing here Pope?”

“Do you know how fuckin’ awful daytime television is?”

“What, Judge Judy not doing it for you?” Parker jokes, a smirk plastered across her face as she leans further back into her chair.

Santi cracks a small smile, his first one in days, though it’s nowhere near genuine. It’s so extremely forced, his cheeks ache with the effort even. He shuffles his feet gently, glancing at his shoes briefly before he looks back up to Cameron.

“I just can’t sit on Jay’s couch anymore. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Cameron nods her head in understanding. She can’t count how many times she’s sat at home, her mind captivated by a case that she wanted nothing more than to work on for every second of the day. She tries to relate her own experience to what Santi must be feeling, but she still can’t imagine what he must be going through, as the case involves his wife and not just a random victim. She would be so far gone had she been in his shoes.

“You know,” she starts, trying to think of the best possible way to word her sentence. “You’re her husband first, before anything else you’re her partner Santiago. You really don’t need to be her detective too.” She refrains from reminding him that technically, he’s not even officially on the case. “We can handle this, Pope. You’re allowed to take the time to grieve.”

“I don’t want to grieve,” he mumbles under his breath, almost inaudibly. He sounds so completely unlike himself. Cameron begins to speak again, but he interrupts her with a shake of his head. “Not yet.”

Cameron knows it’s not the time to talk about statistics and probability. She knows Santi doesn’t need to be reminded of her chances and Cameron’s not even really paying attention to the numbers herself because this is her they’re talking about. It’s far too close to home.

They’ve definitely recovered missing persons who had been gone for much, much longer.

So she only nods her head slowly, giving Santi a soft, gentle smile. “How would you feel about doing some paperwork for me then? There’s still some notes on my desk that need to be entered in.”

She knows it would be better to give him some sort of work — something to distract his mind so he’s not just sitting there, only further losing himself to worry and panic. Santi seems to feel the same way because he nods without question, not complaining or groaning in protest like he used to whenever she’d ask him to do her paperwork.

“I can do that.”

Santi walks off without another word, sitting himself behind Cameron’s desk, trying to drown himself in busy work. He just needs to turn his brain off, put it on something else for a while. 

And it works, kind of. At least, he thinks it does, but Cameron can’t help but frown at the haunted look that lingers in Santi’s eyes, still so noticeable even from across the room. Parker sighs quietly, looking between her lieutenant and Pope.

“You sure this is a good idea?”

She doesn’t know what to tell her, because no, she’s not sure. She’s not sure at fucking all.

Part of her think that he needs to take a step back and stay away, but a larger part of her doesn’t think having him cooped up in an apartment with only his thoughts to keep him company is a good idea either.

At least this way, he isn’t alone and they can keep an eye on him. Make sure that he wasn’t doing anything irrational, make sure he’s taking care of himself, drinking water and eating.

And so, she’s honest.

“I don’t know.”

Parker only nods, her stance on the situation exactly the same. It’s a hard position to be in, no doubt, having to decide whether you’re going to act as a friend or a person of authority.

Nothing else is said between the pair, and the day drags on slowly, though no one is complaining. Slow is a nice change, especially given the added stress they’re all under. Jay returns to the precinct from interviewing some of Nathan’s old co-workers sometime in the early afternoon, instantly noticing Santi sitting at Cameron’s desk, though after one look towards his Lieutenant, he decides not to say anything.

It was just before three o’clock when Santi is broken from an almost trance-like state. He’s been so focused on typing up report after report he’s hardly noticed the world around him in the time that’s passed. He isn’t even entirely sure what pulled his attention away until he feels his Apple watch buzz against his wrist.

He rolls his eyes, only slightly annoyed at the interruption. A sigh leaves his lips as he raises his watch to see who’d decided to text him — it was probably just his mother or maybe Frankie, trying to get in touch with him again, asking how-

Santi feels his blood run cold the moment the display of his watch comes up, because the name that flashes across the screen definitely isn’t his mother’s.

The name that flashed across the screen reads “Mi Vida”, or “My Life” from Spanish to English.

It’s her. Or, it’s at least her Apple watch. Her cell phone is still at the apartment, but Santi had completely forgotten about her watch.

He quickly shakes the shock away, blinking several times as her name fades away and the actual message comes onto the screen. It’s a picture, one Santi couldn’t see very well because of the small screen and he lets out a loud curse, not caring about the stares he receives in return, hastily digging his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and pulling up the text thread in a matter of seconds.

Santi’s stomach drops. His face turns pale and he feels the need to vomit yet again, though his stomach still doesn’t have much of anything to offer.

Jay hears Santi’s outburst and promptly makes his way over to the desk. Santi hears him ask what's wrong, but he can’t form the words, can’t make himself say anything. He doesn’t want to, doesn’t know how to. His entire focus is on his phone, on the picture in his hands. Because she’s in it, but it isn’t a happy picture — not one that he would normally sit back and admire with a soft smile and even softer eyes.

She’s in it, but she’s tied up, legs and arms bound with a gag in place. There’s an obvious cut in her eyebrow, no doubt from the broken shards of glass of their once bathroom mirror. It looks as if her hands are tied to a bed frame or a pole of some kind — Santi can’t tell, doesn’t care enough about that aspect of the photo, no.

No, he’s much more focused on her face, on the terror that is so evident and haunting he’s sure that he’ll see the same image every time he closes his eyes for the rest of his life. She looks so scared, so terrified, and Santi feels his heart shatter even further, and his own fear grips him tight and refuses to let go, doesn’t allow him to move even a muscle.

He still holds completely still even after Jay yanks the phone from his grasp, still stares into thin air at where the phone had been. Jay looks at him, concern etched all over his face until he looks at the screen, suddenly understanding the horror that’s taken over his friend.

“Cameron!” Jay calls out, the panic evident in his voice, his feet not daring to move. He feels stuck in place.

Santi still doesn’t move, he can’t move, doesn’t want to move because he feels as if he might faint but Cameron is the exact opposite, rushing over with Parker right behind.

Jay holds the phone out to her with shaky hands, but reels back when he feels it vibrate again.

Another message comes through from her watch. She, or rather Nathan, started sharing their current location — somewhere in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Santi hears the buzz, and promptly snatches the phone from Jay, looking at it for a moment before Cameron does the same to him.

She stands silent for several seconds. Part of her feels like it’s a trap, a set up to lure them off-course. It’s just too easy, it’s never that easy. There’s something entirely off about it, and the nerves in her stomach pick back up at a rapid speed.

But she can’t just ignore it because her instinct is off. It was too large of a lead to be ignored.

“Jay, call down to Allentown. Have them set up roadblocks on all routes out. Parker, start calling the surrounding towns and have them do the same. No one approaches Nathan until we’re there.”

They both fall into action immediately, doing as they’re asked, but Santi continues to sit quietly in his chair, eyes void of any and all emotion.

Cameron leans over him, pulling the chair back so he rolls a few feet away from the desk.

“Come on, Santiago,” she says gently, clasping her hand on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging squeeze.

Santi stands without a word, taking his vest off the back of the chair, putting it on slowly, slower than Cameron has ever seen him. She watches him closely, her heart sinking as she does so, as she thinks about so many different outcomes and possibilities.

If they don’t find her, she doesn’t know what will happen to Santi. What Pope will do, who he’ll become in the midst of his grief.  

She isn’t ready to lose both Garcia’s

The drive to Allentown is even more agonizing than the drive to Princeton. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours. The wait and uncertainty of it all is killing everyone, and the butterflies in the pits of their stomachs are buzzing around in a crazy sort of frenzy, though they’re by no means good or even tolerable butterflies. They so desperately want this lead to bring something promising, but the doubt still looms over their minds, causing nothing but anxiety and unwelcome thoughts.

Santi is leaning against the cool window of the squad car. Cameron’s driving, her knuckles white as she tightly grips the steering wheel. Every few seconds, she’ll glance over at him, just to check on him, though she doesn’t expect any change. He hasn’t moved since they left the city, hasn’t said a word and still she feels the need to just keep checking. Keep monitoring.

Santi watches the trees pass by in a blur. The last time he’d been to Pennsylvania, he’d been with her, when she wanted to take a weekend trip down to State College to show him around PSU, where she’d gone to school to earn her nursing degree. She’d taken him all around campus, even introducing him to her favorite professor. They went to eat at her favorite restaurants, she drove him past the house she had spent her senior year in. They had even caught the game that weekend against the University of Michigan.

It’d been such a fun weekend, but even the memory of it couldn’t bring a smile to Santi’s face. None of their memories together seem to trigger anything in that moment and he’s been flipping through them all, searching for one that doesn’t make him want to cry. 

He thinks about all of the different trips they’d taken together, he thinks about their lazy Sunday mornings spent between the sheets, the stolen kisses and the sweet nothings whispered into each other’s ears — words spoken with so much conviction and love and trust. He thinks of the late night Netflix binges and the endless amount of family dinners her mother invited them to. Even the memory of their wedding makes Santi want to break down and sob, but he figures that to be the fact that their two year wedding anniversary is quickly approaching and he doesn’t know whether or not he would be spending it alone.

He thinks back to the first day they’d met, when the DEA had been working with the NYPD on a bust and he’d gone to interview a victim at the hospital. All it took was one look at her and he knew that he was a goner. Her confidence and her beauty had completely knocked the breath from his lungs, and he remembers feeling absolutely floored when he’d witnessed her interact with a patient for the first time.

He’d asked her on their first date three months later, after taking every chance he could find to visit the hospital. He expected her to be hesitant but she had accepted almost immediately, taking him by surprise but making him oh so happy at the same time. When he had asked her why, months after the fact, she had simply answered by saying “because I knew I was going to marry you the first moment I saw you.”

Santi had known the same, if he was being completely honest, and so he proposed after only nine months, and they married fourteen after that. He’d never pictured himself proposing to someone after such little time, really he never imagined getting married at all, but it had just felt right with her. 

Everything with her just feels so absolutely right. He doesn’t want to think about what the last four years of his life would have been like if he didn’t know her.

And of course he can’t imagine going forward without her, either. Can’t imagine waking up for the rest of his life without her by his side, can’t imagine not being able to hear her laugh ever again, or being able to tell her he loves her.

Had he told her? When she was leaving his office that night, had Santi told her how much he loved her? Had he given her a kiss goodbye? Or had he been too preoccupied with the mountain of work that had been covering his desk?

He can’t remember.

He’s almost sure that he had, but he can’t help but second guess himself because he knows how easily distracted he can become.

There’s a new wave of guilt that comes washing over him, and he can’t help but feel so conflicted. He had tried to do something nice by letting her go home when she had been trying so hard to stay and wait for him. He knew she had been exhausted, but if he had just been a little selfish, if he had just let her stay with him then she might still be here. They would’ve entered their apartment together and there was absolutely no way in hell Santi would’ve let Nathan walk out with her.

He starts thinking about all of the times he had sent her home alone before, and how many opportunities that meant Nathan would have had to take her.

He quickly shoves the thought away after feeling his head begin to spin. Santi swallows the lump in his throat and gently shuts his eyes, trying to make himself think about anything else.

He doesn’t open them again until they arrive in Allentown thirty minutes later.

They flip their lights on just after they cross city limits, but keep their sirens turned off, a few Allentown PD cars merging behind them as they pass the roadblock. Cameron is following closely behind Parker, who leads the way in the other squad car. Jay had taken Santi’s phone before they left the precinct, and Santi had protested of course, but they all knew what would have happened had Santi kept it. He wouldn’t have looked away from it, not that Jay had been any better himself, but no one thought it was smart to let Santi suffer through the car ride with it in his hand, staring at a map and praying that the location didn’t go out.

Her watch has been sitting in the same location for the last forty five minutes — just outside of a book shop in the center of town. Jay has a bad feeling about the entire situation; a feeling he can only describe as somewhere between doubt and apprehension. He knows that if it had been her and only her, she would’ve gone straight to the Police Department or the hospital. She would have called for help, would have texted Santi, something. He knows there’s something wrong, something off.

“Pull off into this parking lot here,” Jay instructs when they’re only two blocks away.

Parker does as she’s told before coming to an abrupt stop, throwing the car into park and hastily climbing out.

Santi is already out of the other car by then, he’d thrown his door open before they were even completely stopped, but Cameron had done the same.

The squad wordlessly gathers into a small circle, all securing their vests and pulling their guns from their holsters, though they keep the safety on as standard protocol. The Allentown officers follow suit, and wait for instruction from Cameron.

She glances at each of her squad members, her eyes lingering on Santi for the longest. They’re all looking at her, all except for him.

He’s instead staring at the ground, jaw clenched and mouth set in a thin, straight line. His eyes are darker than their normal chocolate shade, and Cameron doesn’t like what she sees when she looks into them. There’s a certain sort of determination swimming in his irises — hollow and cold, calculated and oh so sure all at the same time. 

She can tell with just one look that he’s plotting something.

That he’s thinking about what he’s willing to do in order to get her back, what he’s willing to give up. She can tell that he’s made up his mind, that he’ll do and risk anything to save her, and that even then, having her back might not be good enough.

“Pope,” she murmurs gently, almost flinching when his eyes met hers with a glare she knows isn’t truly directed at her. “You don’t have to do this. You can stay here, in the car.”

Santiago scoffs gently, shaking his head and biting the inside of his cheek. “And why would I do that?”

“Because I know what you’re thinking. I know what you’re planning. And Pope, if you do it, you’re going to lose a piece of yourself that you can never get back-”

“I can lose everything!” he snaps, voice raised, the anger and the pain oh so evident in both his tone and the expression written across his face. It makes some of the Allentown officers take a step back, but the squad doesn’t even flinch. 

“I can lose fuckin’ everything but I can’t lose her.”

Cameron is silent, but she still holds his eye contact, still stands her ground. Santi is the first to look away, lip quivering slightly though he quickly sucks in a shaky breath to play it off, pushing his emotions down, down, down.

“God, not her.”

The anger quickly fades and is swiftly replaced by sadness and grief, the sudden change jarring for everyone. Cameron feels a pang in her chest as she watches him attempt to hold himself together — Santi has never been good at hiding his anger, but this is different from every other time he’s let his temper show around the squad. 

It’s different and it makes her nod her head and gently clasp him on his shoulder.

“We’ll find her, and then I promise you, Nathan will get what he deserves.”

Santi sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently as he nods himself, still refusing to actually look towards Cameron. Part of him feels ashamed for the thoughts running through his head, but a larger part of him, the part he’s given into more than once in his time with the military and in law enforcement, didn’t care.

A larger part of him wants nothing more than to watch Nathan suffer.

Cameron waits a few more seconds before giving the squad the order to move, the Allentown officers following closely behind. Jay decides to put himself in front of Santi, and they all quickly make their way towards the book shop, guns drawn and aimed at the ground.

Santi’s the only one with the safety already switched off.

Cameron is several steps ahead, and rounds the corner before anyone else.

She instantly feels the dejection settle in the pit of her stomach, but she’d been expecting it.

She isn’t there, and neither is Nathan. The only person on the street is a teenage boy, looking down and fumbling with something in his hand that looked a lot like-

She stopped in her tracks, a scoff falling from her lips. Jay comes up behind her just a second later, followed directly by Santi.

“Jay, you’re positive we’re in the right spot?”

Jay glances towards the phone that is still in his hand, nodding his head as he double checks, triple checks. “Yeah, I’m sure. The signal is coming from right over there.”

Cameron nods towards the young boy, her shoulders sagging with the words that followed.

“We’ve been played.”

All of the hope anyone had been holding onto quickly fades. The atmosphere surrounding the squad turns heavy instantly, but Santi only feels a fire ignite deep in his chest, twisting his veins, taking over his every thought.

Santi pushes past Jay and Cameron, not bothering to listen as they both call his name, asking him to just hold on for a second and to just let them handle it.

The boy doesn’t look up until Santi snatches the watch away from him, gripping it tightly in his fist before using his other hand to grab the front of the kid’s shirt, effortlessly hoisting him off of the bench.

“Hey, what the hell man-”

“Where did you get this?” Santi questions, voice sharp, caustic, venom dripping from his tongue.

The boy’s eyes widen, and he holds his hands up in surrender once seeing the fury on Santi’s face, shaking his head frantically as he fumbles with his words. “I don’t-”

Santi’s fist tightens around the fabric of his shirt, and he knows what he’s doing is wrong, he shouldn’t be manhandling a young teenage boy but he’s positively seething and all he can see is red and why the fuck did this kid have her fucking watch?

“I’m going to ask you one more time. Where did you get the watch?”

“Pope!” Cameron yells from just behind him, though he didn’t turn the face her, his eyes staying focused on the boy. “Santiago, that’s enough.”

He can’t stop, can’t make himself even if he had wanted to. Not until he gets an answer.

All of the control he has left is completely gone, vanished the moment he realized she isn’t here.

She isn’t there she isn’t here she isn’t-

“Where!?” Santi yells into the boy’s face, completely ignoring Cameron’s command.

“Some guy gave it to me! He said all I had to do was sit here for a little while and that it was mine to keep and-”

“What did he look like?”

“He had brown hair and I...I don’t know man, just let me go!”

“Was there a girl with him?”

The boy looks confused now, eyebrows furrowing and lips turning into a deep frown. “What-”

Santi shakes the boy violently, only once, just enough to scare him. “A girl, was there a girl-”

“No! No, I didn’t see any girl!”

Santi feels his heart sink even deeper into his chest. He only stares for a few seconds longer, the full weight of what he’s just done to a young kid finally settling in just as his sorrow started to outweigh the anger once more. Pope looks down at his feet as he quietly mumbles something that sounded like an apology before letting go of the boy’s shirt, turning on his heel and briskly walking away, but not before Cameron stops him.

“Santiago, what the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” he mumbles, shrugging her off, desperately wanting to put some distance between him and everyone else, continuing to walk away, shoving his wife’s watch into his pocket as he does so.

Cameron calls out to him again, but just like every other time over the course of the past few days, he doesn’t listen.

As he makes his way back to the car, quickly walking past the squad and the other officers, Santi feels the anger flood into his body once again. He feels it settle between his ribs and make a home where so much love had once lived, where so much hope had been only moments before.

The constant back and forth is giving him whiplash.

Cameron still continues to follow him, still continues to call out his name but she really doesn’t think that he’ll stop, and she’s just about to give up when Santi whirls around with his gun still in his hand, though it isn’t aimed towards her. It isn’t aimed at anything, really.

The look in Santi’s eyes is even colder than before, if that’s even at all possible. Cameron feels fear prick at her skin, her hair standing on edge and her blood turning to ice. All she can do is take in his every movement and wait for a moment where she’s forced to intervene. Santi lifts his arms up, and for just a split second she thinks that he’s going to place the muzzle of the gun to his temple but he only lets the barrel rest against his skin, eyes falling shut.

Cameron still doesn’t like the fact that his finger is hovering near the trigger.

She cautiously approaches, making sure not to walk too fast, not wanting to scare him and cause him to panic. She reaches her own hand up and gently puts it overtop of Santi’s before slowly pulling the gun from his grasp.

His eyes snap open, and there’s absolutely no denying it. Not with eyes so dark and harsh and so devoid of emotion. Eyes that are almost dead.

Santiago is out for revenge. Out for blood.

He’s over this game of cat and mouse, he’s over chasing Nathan.

He’s over being toyed with.

Cameron is done watching her friend lose his mind.

And so, not caring about the anger from the entire squad that her decision will bring, she makes the only call she can think of. One she should have made at the very beginning.

One that will hopefully keep her from losing anyone else.

“I’m turning her case over. We’re done.”

[xaphrin]

Raven was honestly a little jealous of how soundly Roy could sleep on nights like this. It was pouring rain outside their small safehouse, and the roar of traffic in the street could barely be heard over the constant thumping of the raging party below them. Somewhere down the hall, a woman was faking the biggest orgasm of her life. 

Raven cursed under her breath, still not sure why she agreed to this mission in Gotham. She missed the quiet early morning, happy to bask in the luxury of soundproof walls. But here… here was a disaster. 

She pulled the pillow over her head and groaned into the mattress, feeling Roy turn next to her as he let out a soft snore. 

Dead to the world. 

Jerk. 

With a soft curse, she shoved at his chest and forced him to wake up. He shot up in bed, eyes wide as he looked around the darkness of the room for his supposed attacker. Even shrouded in shadows, Raven had to admit that he looked handsome, his deep red hair falling into his vibrantly green eyes. He groaned and fell back against the covers, rolling over to look at the sliver of her eyes peeking out from underneath the pillow. 

“Can’t sleep?”

Raven pulled the pillow tighter over her head, blocking out the noise. 

Roy sighed and picked up his sweatpants from the floor before shrugging into a hooded sweatshirt. Raven took a half-second to admire the tightness in his abdomen before glancing away. “Come on. I’ll make you a snack.” He paused. “And maybe a drink. I think Jay left us some scotch somewhere.”

Raven followed after him, her steps silent on the low-pile carpet. She watched as he pulled eggs and bacon out of the fridge, setting them on the counter before placing a pan on the stovetop. She sat at the small cafe table by the window, looking out into the brightly colored streets, still filled with sound and light and sin. Her thoughts began to wander, and she propped her head up on a fist, exhaustion twisting in the space behind her eyes. 

“You didn’t have to come on this mission, you know.” Roy’s voice was soft over the crackle of the bacon and eggs, and he turned to look at her. “You could have stayed back at the tower.”

She turned back to him, giving him a deadpan look. “And then who would have watched your ass?” Her lips tugged up into a teasing smile and she shrugged. “Besides, it’s good to get out of the tower every so often. Go on missions with dubious outcomes.” 

Roy snorted and moved the eggs around the pan. “Yeah, slumming it in a rundown safehouse feels pretty dubious.” He turned away from the pan and poured her two fingers of scotch, dropping an ice cube in it. “I always hated recon. Feels boring.” 

Raven shrugged and took a drink of the scotch, enjoying the delightful burn in her throat. “Yeah. But it’s better than rushing in, guns blazing.” Her eyes flicked to his. “And safer too.”

He shrugged and plated up eggs and bacon for the both of them, joining her at the small table by the window. “Boring.” 

Raven tucked into her food, finishing it off quicker than she expected. Maybe she was hungry. She couldn’t really remember the last time she ate anything more than a cup of tea and a Cliff bar. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until their food was gone, and Raven felt oddly warm and satiated. The woman screaming down the hall had stopped, and the traffic had started to die down, leaving just the rain and the sound of techno from the floor below. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. 

“Better?” Roy’s voice was soft, almost gentle, and she opened her eyes to look at him. He was staring intently at her, as if chastising her for something she did. “Maybe you should take better care of yourself on these missions? Like eat real food?”  

She pursed her lips and gathered their dishes, depositing them into the sink to be washed later. “That’s rich coming from you.” 

He took the jab in stride and stood up, following her back to the small bedroom. “Two years sober, Rae. You gotta give me some credit.” His fingers pulled at a loose lock of hair tumbling down from her messy bun. “Besides, I find my vices where I can.” 

There was an invitation in his voice, a low promise of something more if she wanted it. That note was getting more and more persistent with every passing day. They may have shared a bed while they stayed at this safehouse, but nothing ever happened in it. Except sometimes in the morning, she woke up to Roy’s arm slung around her waist and his lips pressed against her shoulder, and for a few blissful moments Raven pretended they were something more than teammates. Something more than friends.  

She took a deep breath and shivered, pausing in the doorway. Roy bumped into her, and she felt his hands snake around her waist to steady them both. A second passed, then two. 

“Rae?”

Raven glanced down at his fingers, tightening in the black fabric of her tank top, and she found she wanted them to slide lower. Under the waistband of her shorts. Under the cotton of her underwear. She wanted to feel his touch explore her, find every part of her that only she touched. She wanted him, and that frightened her. 

Raven stepped forward and broke his touch, her heart skipping a beat. Slowly, carefully, she turned around and met his confused expression. Her breath caught in her lungs, and she found her fingers tangling in the hem of her tank top. Steeling her nerves, Raven pulled the tank top from her body and let it drop onto the floor. She stood topless in front of him, knowing the thin light from the room hid her scars and imperfections, and she prayed she looked at least a little pretty. 

Roy’s eyes widened, but he said nothing else. 

She took a slow breath and glanced down at her tank top, wondering if she should scramble and put it back on. Maybe they could both pretend this was a mistake, or at least never talk about it again. Raven shifted. “You say it’s good for sleep. Sex, I mean.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I got what you were talking about.” He stepped forward, and for a moment it felt like he somehow grew taller. “But you never seemed interested before… and if you’re not ready, then I’m not going to sleep with you.” He leaned down and picked up her tank top, handing it to her. “I want excited, unabashed consent from you, Raven. I want you to want me so bad it hurts.” Roy leaned over her and rested his forehead against her own. “Until then, I’m willing to wait.” 

Raven blinked up at him, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Let’s go back to bed, Rae.”

She pulled her tank top back on and crawled under the covers with him, feeling his arm drape across her waist. She felt his lips press against her shoulder, and heard him whisper into her ear. 

“But I have to say, I never imagined your breasts to be that perfect.” 

Raven flushed. 

[fanfalc-616]

Okay I have a new AU!! It’s called...

The Rights Of A Nindroid

This is chapter one!

Thanks to @occasionalincorrectquotes ,@321bluegalaxy , @ablackswansweet , and @akwardalienbean for giving me ideas (:<

When Zane wakes up that morning, the Bounty is quiet- likely because he gets up about an hour before the others usually do.

After checking the refrigerator, he decides to pick up some groceries for the team, despite it being Cole’s turn- the black ninja typically comes back with a surplus of junk food and relatively little amounts of healthy ingredients, no matter what Zane puts on the actual shopping list.

Messaging the others in order to inform them that he’ll be back shortly after their normal breakfast time, he heads out to the store, enjoying the quietness of the early morning.

He only makes it a few blocks away before a cop car pulls up beside him. Frowning, he pauses. Is there some kind of criminal roaming around here? Perhaps he could help apprehend them.

Two cops get out of the car, and Zane decides to voice the idea. “Is there a problem, officers?” He prompts. “Do you need assistance with it?”

The first cop- a brunet only just shorter than Zane- starts to speak. “I’m sorry about this, but we’re going to need-“

The second cop- a short blond- glares at the first as he interupts. “Actually, yeah, we could use your help. You’re the white ninja, right? Zane? It would be great if we could have your help with a government… “ He pauses a moment. “...project.”

The pause is somewhat concerning, but likely not a real issue. “I would be happy to assist.” He smiles. “If you tell we the location, I could have my teammates join us and also-“

“It would be better if it was just you.” The brunet interrupts.

The other cop nods. “It’s a low profile thing.” He agrees. “And no offense to your teammates, but they usually grab a lot of attention.”

With a small chuckle, Zane nods. “That they do. If it is low profile, would it be better for me to ride with you? Or should I get a vehicle of my own?”

The brunet starts heading back to the car. “It would be better if you rode with us.” He decides.

So Zane gets in the back of the car, letting the two cops take charge of directions. Unsure of what level of volume would be appropriate, he elects to remain silent to avoid a possibly uncomfortable situation.

Soon enough, they reach an odd-looking facility that appears to belong to the government- and strangely enough, a quick GPS check shows that the site is non-existent, implying that it is a top-secret base of some sort.

Getting out of the car, Zane lets himself be led into the facility, warily eyeing the large number of security guards swarming the area.

“May I have more information on what this ‘project’ is?” He prompts, hand coming down to brush against one of his shurikens.

“We can talk more inside.” The taller cop tells him as they go up the doors. In order to get inside, he uses three complex key patterns, a vocal recognition pattern sensor, and a form of facial recognition scanner.

“That is quite elaborate.” Zane notes. “I take it this project is important.”

But he doesn’t say anything more on the matter when he’s taken back, nor when they insist on confiscating his weapons. The shurikens don’t matter all that much anyway, he is well versed in multiple martial arts.

As he’s led through the halls, he could almost swear that he can hear distant muffled screaming. But no one else seems to be affected, so he brushes it off as some distorted echo. After all, this is a government facility. It would be highly unlikely for something illegal enough to cause that much pain to be happening in a place like this.

Once taken into a medium-sized room- a room that has a mirror that is likely actually of one way glass- he is instructed to sit at a table, directly across from a government official.

“Hello, Zane.” The woman smiles. “I’m going to ask you a few questions. It’s going to be important for you to answer truthfully.”

Zane nods his confirmation, accompanying it with a verbal one. “I will answer them to the best of my ability.” After a moment of thought, he decides that it would be best to wait on asking his own queries until after they have asked theirs.

“Thank you. What was your creator’s full name?”

“Doctor Julien.” Zane answers the question without pause.

The woman shakes her head. “His full, legal name.” She corrects, glancing over at the mirror. The minor action confirms that it is, in fact, one way glass.

With a blink of surprise, Zane answers the question. He’s asked several more, all about his father and any possible relatives he may have. The second piece is negatory; his father was an only child and far too old for any immediate family members to be alive.

After six minutes and nine seconds, the woman smiles again. “Thank you, Zane. Someone will be back with you shortly.”

With that, she gets up and heads out, leaving Zane behind.

Puzzled by the questions and events, Zane attempts to send a message to his boyfriends in order to inform them that he will be later than he had expected- but strangely enough, it doesn’t go through. Frowning, he tries a second time, but he once again fails.

That’s mildly concerning, but likely has a logical explanation. Perhaps no one here can send messages as a way to increase the difficulty of hacking. Given the secrecy he has already seen, that would be reasonable.

So he waits patiently at the table, occasionally sneaking stealthy glances at the one way glass. Something about this situation seems suspicious, but there’s likely no real cause to it. Perhaps he has adopted part of Jay’s paranoid nature.

A smile finds him at the humorous thought, but before he has the chance to think on it further, the door to the room opens, and a new official walks in.

“Zane, it’s… nice to meet you. I’m going to need you to fill out some papers.” The man tells him in a rather rude tone.

Zane chooses not to comment on his unpleasant mannerisms. “I would be happy to.” He gives a friendly smile, hoping that staying composed and being affable may help with what is bothering the official.

He begins to fill out the papers he was given, but as he goes on, the questions seem to grow more and more invasive, until he finds himself pausing.

Zane looks up from the paper, setting his pencil down. “My apologies, but I am not comfortable answering these questions. The way my systems work is rather a personal matter.”

“Yes, well, I need you to answer them anyway.” The man’s smile is tight and forced, not expressing happiness in the slightest.

“I’m not comfortable with that.” Zane repeats, a note of annoyance creeping into his voice. He stares the official down, making sure he knows that he will not be backing down on this matter.

“I didn’t ask if you were comfortable.” The man’s eyes express sharp malice as his false smile drops. “I told you to fill out the papers.”

“And I told you no.” Zane stands up abruptly, still holding cold eye contact. “I’ll be leaving now.”

A spark of anger lights in the man’s eyes. “No, you won’t.” He stands up as well, annoyance and hatred on his face. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I don’t believe that’s your call to make.” Zane doesn’t blink and doesn’t back down- but he does refrain from allowing the temperature to drop from his powers.

“It is, actually.” The official insists. Does he genuinely believe that?

This is not a debate that he’s willing to be having, so it is time to end the discussion. “Is that so?”

“Sit down, nindroid.” He says the final word as though it’s an insult rather than a descriptor. “This isn’t up to your programming.”

“My progr- just what, exactly, are you trying to imply?” Zane knows he should simply walk out the door, but at the moment, he is completely floored by the implications of his words.

Is he truly under the impression that-

His attention is grabbed by the door being opened, and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees a large group of security guards entering, all wielding laser guns not unlike the ones Cyrus Borg had designed.

Zane quick backs away, narrowing his eyes. So they plan to hold him hostage? “I must warn you that even unarmed, I am still a trained ninja. I recommend that you stand down.”

The guns are aimed at him, all centered on non-vital parts of his body- though any shots that hit would likely give them enough time to restrain him.

Then he must not get hit. And for that, he should make the first move.

Zane takes a step forward, attempting to blast a shield of ice to block off any possible shots. But much to his dismay, he discovers that his elemental powers are not working, and a quick scan confirms that the entire building is lined with vengestone in the walls.

This is… quite the situation.

A few shots are fired at him, and he quickly ducks, flipping backwards to avoid getting injured. Unfortunately, he discovers only a moment too late that they were expecting that, and a shot was fired to where he had dodged, leading to a laser blast grazing his right calf, making him stumble.

They must have analyzed his fighting style before he arrived in order to predict his movements!

This brief lapse in balance is all it takes for them to completely surround him. With narrowed eyes, he begins to start making the moves of spinjitzu, but his damaged leg causes him to fall. His failure to combat them with the tactic gives them the opportunity to handcuff him, as well as manhandle him onto his knees.

Zane glares up at the official. “I do not know what you have planned, but I must warn you that such an illegal action will have consequences, even for an official such as yourself. I-“

The man shakes his head. “Take it away.” He orders.

Zane finds himself being dragged along, unable to effectively resist the guards. Eventually, he’s taken to a new room with a set of rectangular locker-like cubbies.

With wide eyes, a sudden realization strikes him as he looks at the lockers, and he resumes his struggling.

These lockers are just large enough to fit a person inside. Or more accurately for this circumstance, a nindroid.

“I want my phone call.” He demands as he’s forcibly dragged closer.

One of the guards scoffs. “You don’t get one.” He sounds almost insulted by the idea.

Zane manages to resist some, buying himself some time to continue speaking. “Legally you are required to-“

A different guard incredulously asks, “Do you- do you actually think you have the rights of a human?”

Zane pauses a few moments, confused by the words. “Yes? I thought that-“

He’s unable to continue due to the way he’s roughly manhandled into the cubby, and as he's about to argue, the door is slammed in his face.

Despite the way he struggles against it, the exit is firmly blocked off, leaving him quite effectively contained.

After a few minutes of struggling, he concludes that he will have to wait until they reopen it to make his escape.

With a sigh, he leans back against the wall, shifting uncomfortably in the small space. There is less than an inch of space surrounding him on all sides, leading to a rather cramped arrangement.

“What just happened?” He murmurs softly to himself, listening as the booted footsteps of the guards fade away. These events had occurred so suddenly that his processor is stuck playing catch up.

Closing his eyes, he decides to go into sleep-mode for a while, though he keeps his senses dialed high enough that any nearby noise will wake him.

He can make his escape when they return.