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#or well he won’t risk his brothers lives even if he’s reckless
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Wrecker placing his hand on Hunter’s shoulder for comfort 🥰
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sunny44 · 5 months
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Stubborn
Paring: Carlos Sainz x Leclerc!reader
Warnings: mentions of surgery, appendix removed, sickness and maybe other things
Summary: Carlos insists on going to the race even after just having surgery.
This story is the second part of Secret Love, but if you haven't read the first part you'll understand this chapter here without any problem. But I would recommend you read it.
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Today was race day and we were getting ready to leave the hospital. Since the surgery went well, they discharged Carlos.
“Honey, I’ve finished packing your things. Can we go to the hotel and…” At that moment, he emerged from the bathroom wearing the Ferrari shirt. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“We’re heading to the Paddock,” he said. I looked at him in disbelief.
“Of course not, are you crazy? You just had surgery and you already want to go back there?”
“Honey, I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You have stitches in your stomach and you already want to go there? You’re not even going to race.”
“Babe.”
“No, listen, if you want to go, fine.” I angrily threw the rest of his things into the backpack. “But I’m not going with you.”
“Y/n.”
“No, I went through hell yesterday fearing something might happen to you, only for you to tell me you want to go there to watch the race.” I zipped up the backpack. “I hate this, you and Charles are just the same.”
“What does your brother have to do with this?”
“That you both have this reckless tendency to put your lives at risk for stupid things.” I tried to control myself from crying. “I won’t have another one in my life who makes me go through this.”
Before he could say anything, his father entered the room, and I stormed out, heading back to the hotel.
It’s things like this that makes me angry. I already have two brothers who are always putting themselves in danger and often doing unnecessary things. I never used to be so afraid of these things until Jules’ death. It was a dark moment in our lives, and knowing that he died in a way that my two brothers and now my boyfriend could also die leaves me extremely worried and on the verge of having a panic attack.
So the fact that he wants to go to the paddock to watch the race after surgery makes me furious.
When I got to the hotel, I went straight to take a shower, dried my hair, and put on pajamas since I would be here the rest of the day. I ordered room service and turned on the TV to watch the race, and immediately saw Carlos entering the paddock. He was walking slowly because of the surgery, and I just shook my head and settled back into bed.
Midway through the race, I was packing my bags since I would be catching a flight to Monaco early tomorrow morning when the door suddenly opened scaring me and Carlos walked into the room.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door.
“Hey.” I finished packing my suitcase and placed it on the floor.
“Leaving?”
“We have a flight to Monaco tomorrow morning, so…”
“Are you staying at my place or…”
“I’m staying at my mom’s.”
“I thought you were staying with me.”
“That was before this morning.”
“Y/n…”
“I’m not trying to control you or tell you what to do, but you were extremely irresponsible with your health today by going to the race, which could harm your recovery.”
“I know.”
“And yet you went.”
“But I’m here, I came back because I knew you were right and…” He stopped because he winced in pain.
“Lie down.” I took his hand and helped him onto the bed, lifting his shirt. “Did you changed this today?”
“Not yet.” I sighed and got the things I had bought earlier in the morning, starting to clean the wound. “Ouch.”
“Sorry,” I said, finishing cleaning and applying a new dressing. “Here are your medications, they might make you a bit drowsy, so you’ll probably fall asleep.”
“I’m really sorry,” he said again. “Charles didn’t explain the reason, but he told me this upsets you.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Do you want to tell me why?” He opened his arms, and I lay down on his chest.
“It’s because Jules died doing what you and my brothers do.” He hugged me tighter. “And I remember vividly the pain I felt when they buried him, leaving only memories and grief.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way and that I contribute to what scares you.”
“I don’t mind your job; I like seeing you do what you love and achieving your dreams. But I can’t help feeling scared every time you, Charles, or Arthur get into those cars.” I sighed and started tracing circles with my fingers on his chest. “It’s just that I don’t know if I could handle it if something happened to any of you. It’s not about the surgery; I just want to prevent anything from happening to you guys over something as trivial as going to watch the race in person after having your appendix removed.”
“I’m sorry for not realizing that and for ignoring your advice to rest.”
“It’s okay, I should have been honest about what was scaring me.”
“Are we okay?” he asked.
“We are.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “But from now on, if you do something like this again, you’ll have to work a lot harder for my forgiveness. I’m just being nice now because you’re recovering.”
“Okay, that’s fair enough for me.” We switched positions, and he lay on my chest. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
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Bonus scene!
Carlossainz instagram stories
“Thank you all for the love messages you’ve been sending to me, it has certainly helped me a lot. I'm still recovering but with the help of all my team and my wonderful girlfriend I'm getting better every day." Tagged: Y/nleclerc
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just-jordie-things · 1 year
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[part sixteen] to build a home - gojo satoru
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word count: 8.8k warnings: !!manga spoilers!! swearing, jjk-verse style fighting series summary: when (y/n) (y/l/n) catches wind that the notorious sorcerer killer, toji fushiguro, has children, she makes it her personal mission to find them. the catch being she couldn't tell a soul about them- the risk of the zen'in clan learning about them was too great. keeping the secret isn't the hard part, it's lying to her friends, shoko ieiri, geto suguru, and of course gojo satoru, that she struggles with. especially when satoru has suddenly become so keen on keeping an eye on her lately.
series masterlist
[part sixteen] : "The True End"
___
Today was cloudy.  
(y/n) didn’t like to believe in silly superstitions, especially weather related ones, but she couldn’t deny that the gray skies and chilly breeze unsettled her.
“So they’re my family?”
She didn’t look down at Megumi, didn’t slow her pace, or show any sign of even hearing him at all.  Every question he and his sister had asked in the last ten minutes of their walk had made it to her ears and nestled inside of her paranoid mind, but (y/n) had barely spoken in that time.
In fact, since she’d picked them up and told them exactly where they were going today, she’d barely spoken since.  She tried to tell herself that it wasn’t because of fear, that she was simply trying to find the right truths to tell the children.  But the leather belt under her shirt that was starting to rub her skin raw felt heavy today, even though it only held a single knife, and she was used to carrying two swords.
“Not really.  They’re Dad’s family” Tsumiki corrected her younger brother.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have the blade on her, after all she’d told Satoru that she wouldn’t do anything reckless.  But she wasn’t about to show up at the Zen’in Clan’s compound empty handed and without a means to defend herself.  That would be the reckless thing, right? 
“And they want me to go live with them because of my dogs?”
“It’s ‘cause you’re a sorcerer” Tsumiki corrected again.
Megumi’s brows furrowed in annoyance at his sister, before he looked up at (y/n) again, hoping she would ease his confusion.  He was growing impatient with her silence.
“Well, can’t we just tell them I don’t wanna live with a bunch of strangers?” He asks with a huff.
Finally, (y/n) tilts her head down, bestowing him with her attention.  Admittedly, she only gives in because they’d finally reached the meeting place in town that she’d been taking them to, but she realizes she’s been ignoring him for too long, and it wasn’t fair.
The three of them stopped right there on the sidewalk, standing just outside of a shop that didn’t seem too busy, so they wouldn’t be in the way.  (y/n) crouches before them so she would be at eye level before explaining the plan, again. “I know this is a lot to take in,” She begins.  “And I’m happy to answer all of your questions, if I can, that is.  But I need you both to listen very carefully, okay?” 
Megumi and Tsumiki give rapid nods of their heads.
“Your father is from the Zen’in Clan, do you remember me talking to you about them, Megumi?” 
The boy nods again. “So you remember that they’re a very wealthy family, with a lot of control in the jujutsu society?” 
Another nod.
“They think that you’re theirs,” (y/n) says carefully.  “They’re old fashioned, and think they deserve to keep you all to themselves.  They would pull you out of school, away from Tsumiki, and teach you and raise you themselves.  They know that you’re strong, and that you’ll grow up to be one of the finest sorcerers that this world has ever seen.  But Megumi…” 
She trails off, unsure of how to communicate to him that they weren’t safe.  If this plan failed and the Zen’ins claimed him, she didn’t want him to be afraid.
“I don’t want to go with them” Megumi says before (y/n) could finish, and she gives him a small smile.
“Then you won’t,” She says decidedly, standing up and placing a hand on both of their heads.  “All that matters is what you want, okay?”
“I want to stay with Tsumiki,” Megumi decides, and (y/n) retracts her hands as he shuffles closer to his sister, who beams brightly.  “And you” He adds in a smaller voice.
“Alright,” (y/n) hums with an affirmative nod.  “We’re going to make that happen.  I have a friend who’s agreed to help too” 
“Another sorcerer?” Tsumiki asks.
“He is,” (y/n) says, glancing around the area.  “He should be here soon, actually.  I’d like you both to meet him before we-” 
“Oi!” 
Startled by the holler, (y/n) jumps as she whips her head in the opposite direction, although she shouldn’t be surprised as Satoru comes rushing towards them with a bag in his hands that is undoubtedly sweets.  Speaking of the devil…
Her brows furrow.
If this idiot made a pitstop for snacks before meeting us here…
Megumi’s expression is just as sour as he watches the stranger approach them with a pair of sunglasses and a wide grin on his face.  If this was (y/n’s) friend, and he assumed it was, he already wasn’t a fan.
(y/n) made a motion to the Fushiguro kids, silently telling them to stay put, before she walked towards Satoru with her hands on her hips, ready to scold him.
“You did not go get snacks,” She said in a low voice, just to be sure Megumi and Tsumiki wouldn’t overhear.  “You’re late, you know” 
“I’m not that late,” Satoru waved his hand dismissively.  “Besides, I figured the mood would be a downer,” He peeks over her shoulder at the two children that were watching them like hawks.  
The one, the girl, had wide eyes and a curious look about her face as she glanced between him and (y/n), as though she were mentally trying to fill in the gaps of their relation to one another.  It wasn’t necessarily an eerie look, in fact she wore a sweet smile, but the investigative eyes did have his skin crawl with that feeling of being watched.  The other, the boy, was a whole other story.  His eyes were pointed in a clear glare, unmoving, unblinking, focused solely on Satoru.  There’s a shadow of a much older man on the young child’s features, something dark and mysterious- too mysterious for a kid that (y/n) had told him was only eight years old.  And yet, despite the heavy evil eye, he almost seems unbothered, unimpressed, already irritated. 
This was the brat that had inherited Ten Shadows?
“And I was right.  Sheesh,” Satoru quickly brought his attention back to her.  “What’s wrong with the little one? You feeding him too many vegetables?” 
(y/n) narrowed her eyes as she frowned.
“Well, good thing I brought dessert!” He’s beaming again as he lifts the paper bag in his hand.  “Every kid can be bought with dessert” 
“That’s not…ugh,” (y/n) huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.  “We’re literally trying to stop a kid from being bought today, Satoru,” She mutters.  “And could you just… could you tone it down? You’re gonna freak ‘em out” 
“Relax, sweetheart, I’m great with kids” Satoru said with a smile that told her he’d never been around kids in his life.
“Oh god” She mumbled to herself.
“Watch this” He winked at her before sidestepping and heading towards the Fushiguro kids- who had watched their whole interaction, and were very curious as to who this stranger was.
“I don’t think (y/n) likes him,” Megumi whispered to his sister.  “I don’t like him either” 
“You haven’t even met him,” Tsumiki whispered back quickly before the approaching man could overhear.  “Just try to be nice” She hisses with a small kick to his foot.
Satoru kneels before them both, a grin twisting so far up his lips it took up most of his face.  He glances between them quickly before speaking.
“Hi! I’m Gojo Satoru!” He greets, too loudly, but he doesn’t seem to be embarrassed about it.
(y/n) stands behind him, giving both kids a kind look that said just be friendly.  Megumi’s disinterested face turns into a slight pout, and Tsumiki’s smile is forced and awkward.  Good enough, (y/n) thinks.
“So your Dad… I ki-” 
Before Satoru could finish, (y/n’s) foot is colliding with his ankle, and he’s hissing in pain and making a face up at her like he had no idea what he’d done wrong.
“He knew your Dad, too,” (y/n) speaks for him, stepping in front of him as a silent way to tell him he was done introducing himself.  “Anyways, we should get going now.  You can talk more on the way, if you want” 
“You can ask me anything!” Satoru tells them happily.  “I’m the strongest sorcerer in the world!” 
“Really?” Tsumiki asks with round eyes, and Satoru nods proudly.
Megumi rolls his eyes and scampers over to (y/n’s) other side, so he wouldn’t have to walk next to the weirdo with the white hair.  He didn’t understand why they needed his help, because he seemed too annoying to actually provide them a service, but he kept his thoughts to himself.  (y/n) wouldn’t have brought him along if he wasn’t important somehow, and he didn’t want to make (y/n) feel bad.  And also, the sun wasn’t even out, what were the sunglasses for? To look cool? It wasn’t working.
However, Megumi is an eight year old that doesn’t know how to hold a poker face, so (y/n) was well aware of the boy’s irritation with Satoru.  When he made a point to walk next to her and away from where Satoru and Tsumiki were engaged in a conversation about anime, she gave him a fond smile.
He blinks back at her, before furrowing his brows, not knowing why she was making that face.
“He’ll grow on you” She whispers to him, before giving him a discreet wink.
Megumi frowns, dropping his head to face forward as they walk.  He doesn’t know how that could be true, especially when he’d just watched her interact with him and she seemed as equally frustrated as he was.
“I hope not” He mutters, and (y/n) laughs.
The rest of their trip is mostly light hearted.  Tsumiki has an endless amount of questions, and Megumi warms up in the slightest when Gojo hands out the donuts he’d brought- although he still doesn’t leave (y/n’s) side.
In fact, when they finally reach the Zen’ins’ compound, he becomes glued to her.  As soon as they cross the threshold and stand at the grand double-door gated entrance to their home, Megumi slides closer to (y/n) until he’s almost hugging her leg, although he keeps his hands firmly placed in the pocket of his sweatshirt.
“This’ll be easy peasy,” Satoru scoffs, and waves a dismissive hand.  Both kids peek over at him unsurely, not sure what to believe about their fate.  “I’ll go in and talk to ‘em.  You guys can wait out here” 
“I think I should go in, too,” (y/n) says softly, taking a step closer to him so that the kids didn’t have to hear her grave tone.  “They’re going to have questions for me” 
She didn’t feel the need to mention that if things went south and this was some sort of ambush, a cowardly ploy on behalf of the Zen’ins to make her pay for her alleged crimes against them, that she very much was prepared to challenge them.  The sheath resting at the dip of her spine wasn’t concealing a blade without reason.  It may not have been her beloved swords, but it was something that she wasn’t afraid to use.  Promises to play nice and not act recklessly be damned.
“And if they’re decent then I’ll come get you,” Satoru drops his happy-go-lucky facade as he talks under his breath.  “But for now I think you should stay with them,” 
He nods his head down, and (y/n) glances down to see that like a shadow, Megumi had followed her every movement, and was still trapped at her side.  Today, he seemed more like a kid than any other.  Megumi always had a knack for walking and talking like he was older than he was.  Now that the life he’d grown so accustomed to was at stake, he seemed to retreat into himself.  (y/n) gives him a warm smile, before turning her attention back to Satoru.  She looks unsure, undecided on what the right thing to do was.
“It’ll be fine,” He tells her with a nod of his head.
She barely nods back at him, chewing on the inside of her cheek to try and calm her nerves.  If she appeared as nervous as she felt, then she would only make the kids uneasy, and they were already worried sick.  Then again, so was she.
“I’ll try and be quick, alright?” Satoru tells her with as much certainty as he could manage.
“Alright,” She whispers back, and grabs onto his hand before she speaks again.  She’s standing close enough that the sunglasses don’t hide his eyes as well, and she can see his seriousness behind them. “Thank you, Satoru” 
His hand squeezes hers, his hold lingering a few moments longer than it should have, before he lets her go, and heads towards the house.
(y/n) bites too hard on her cheek, the awfully familiar metallic taste of blood pooling at her tongue.  She winces as she watches Satoru enter the house, the doors shutting behind him.
Tsumiki and Megumi don’t say a word, but when their eyes meet they don’t have to speak to know they’ve both witnessed the same interaction that was much different than the one they’d seen before.
The blood in her mouth feels like poison as she looks down at them, and can see how hard they’re both trying to be brave.  They’re holding back their tears, and their faces hold a hard expression.  Still, if she watches for long enough, she can see the way the corner of Megumi’s mouth quivers with emotion.
All three of them stood frozen for a few minutes, their breaths baited, and any kind of words to be spoken between them were stuck in their throat, or lost.  No one knew the right thing to say or do.  There was no right thing to say or do.  All they could do was wait.
The touch of small, cold fingers against (y/n’s) hand makes her shoot her eyes downwards, just as Megumi slips his hand against her palm.  He gives her a small smile, and she hopes her eyes won’t start watering as she smiles back.
That’s when she feels a similar sensation on her other side, where she finds Tsumiki also holding her hand, squeezing it gently.
(y/n) holds both of their hands securely, communicating everything she couldn’t say in words to them at that moment.  This is why Satoru had her stay behind, now she understood.  They needed her, and this very well could be their last moments spent together. ___
It feels like hours when the doors finally open again, even though it’s barely been forty five minutes.
(y/n) feels every muscle in her body tense and go rigid as she waits for a figure to appear, her eyes unblinking as she tracks any kind of movement that could come from the inside of the house.
Her heart leaps into her throat, pounding so hard and choking her with her own breath, she thinks she might vomit, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the door.
Before she could try to be optimistic, she assumed the worst.  That their plan failed.  That despite his god-like stature within the jujutsu society, Gojo Satoru wasn’t enough to convince the Zen’ins to drop their pursuit of Fushiguro Megumi.  Perhaps they were offended that he’d even approached them.  Perhaps it was still a silly pissing contest of respect they were after, and it was never even about the kid or his manifestation of Ten Shadows.
Her hand slid around her hip before landing on the ridge under her shirt where her weapon sat, waiting.  She didn’t make a move to unsheath it, but she kept her fingers firmly pressed against it, in the case that her last resort has now become Plan A, and she’d have to make a snap decision to brandish it.
Just as she’s ready to draw up a plan of attack, Satoru steps into view, and her breath finally escapes her in a shaky sigh.  She doesn’t know yet if she should feel relieved, or if the weight on her shoulders would only grow heavier.
Behind Satoru follows another figure, one who (y/n) had only seen once before, but didn’t need a re-introduction to remember who he was.  That mustache was unmistakable.
She looks down to the Fushiguro kids, grabbing their hands again and squeezing them gently.
“I don’t want to go” Megumi whispers out, fast, like he’s afraid of even admitting it.  His eyes are wide and filling with tears faster by the second, and his small hand grips hers so tightly that he’s trembling.
He knows he’s not strong enough to keep her put, and he knows that she’s about to leave him. “You’re not going anywhere,” (y/n) whispers back, “I won’t let that happen,” 
Her words are certain, too certain for not knowing what would come next, but she grants them one last lie to appease their troubled minds.  
“Stay right here” 
She gives them both a look to make sure they could see she was gravely serious.  Then she lets them go, and moves with a quick step towards Satoru and the head of the Zen’in Clan.
Megumi takes a step as though to follow right behind her, but Tsumiki grabs his hand to stop him.  When he looks at her, she shakes her head in a small motion, and moves her hand to grab onto his.
It wasn’t like Megumi to hold hands so much, but he squeezed his sister’s palm as he followed her silent command and stayed by her side.
His free hand raises to his chest, resting over the bump under his tee shirt.  Small fingers wrap around the pendant of the cursed tool (y/n) had given him, clutching onto it just tightly enough that it wouldn’t burst.  If he focused enough, he could almost feel it buzzing softly in his palm, warm vibrations bursting through the rock and into his skin.  Was this cursed energy?
As she walks, (y/n) can feel every movement of her concealed harness against her skin.  Every step she took it would ride up her waist, and then slide back down to her hip.  It was a small movement, but the leather on her skin seemed to irritate her more the closer she grew.  Irritation quickly grew into rage, and a desire of bloodlust once Zen’in Naobito was in closer view.  That stupid mustache had her aching to draw her weapon. 
But she’d made a promise that she wouldn’t draw first blood, and she’d grown tired of the liar she’d become in the past few months.
“So you’re the (y/l/n) (y/n) that I’ve had to hear so much about…” 
Naobito’s voice piqued with interest, but his dull eyes held nothing but disdain as he looked at her. (y/n) remained silent, her eyes fleeting to Satoru for a brief moment before falling on the head of the Zen’in Clan again.  She tried to keep her expression neutral, but she knew that like him, she couldn’t keep her emotions out of her eyes.
“You sure like to stir up a lot of trouble, don’t you? And over nothing but a kid… it’s almost pitiful, Miss (y/l/n)” Naobito continues.  He arches a brow at her, as though giving her permission to speak.  
Or perhaps he was instigating, hoping to make her slip up so that his retaliation was unquestionably justified.  (y/n) makes a mental note of this, and keeps her hands firmly at her sides so there could be no confusion in her stance.  She was here respectfully, and had no malicious intention.
She can’t help the way her lip curls into a snarl, but she keeps her voice steady.  Almost eerily so.
“I found the kids that Sorcerer Killer Fushiguro Toji abandoned,” She states, reminding him of the title one of their own had notoriously earned.  
This seems to make Naobito tick, as his eyes narrow in the slightest.  Beside him, Satoru smirks.  She takes this as a sign that she hadn’t crossed a boundary that she couldn’t still come back from.
“Kids, by the way,” She repeated herself.  “He had two.  Not just one” 
Naobito hums in response.  He turns to give Satoru a look, as though unamused by her behavior.  Satoru’s smirk widens into a small grin as he looks down at him. “I told you, geezer, tch,” Satoru shrugs a shoulder as he tucks his hands into his pockets.  Being the strongest, there was no boundary he couldn’t cross, so he disrespected Naobito with casual ease.  He was practically invincible.  “You’re the one that wanted to talk to her” 
(y/n) watched their brief interaction with careful eyes, wishing she’d been in on the loop of what happened inside.  It was starting to drive her mad, not knowing, but she kept up her relaxed, uncaring exterior.
“Yes, well, I suppose I had my curiosities…” Naobito muttered as he turned back to (y/n).  He chuckles with amusement before he speaks again.  “But, did you really think you could come to my home with a blade that small and overpower me?” 
How did he..? (y/n’s) eyes widen, and she tries to read his body language to figure out if he was planning to strike.  His mustache twitches as he smirks, and she realizes he was just trying to show off a little power.
Typical.
“You’re lucky she didn’t bring more, old man,” Satoru scoffs, his hand clapping onto the older man’s shoulder as he bends his knees to enter his personal space, in order to grin right in his face.  “You’re welcome, by the way,” He says.
It’s the first time Naobito’s exterior cracks, his eyes widening as the Six Eyes user stays far too close for his liking, but when it comes to Gojo Satoru, he’s stripped of all power.  He’s defenseless, vulnerable.  (y/n) revels in the sight of such an egotistical man, so proud of what little power he had, being put in his place and shown what real power looked like.  And Satoru had no problem showing off a little.  It didn’t take much to remind a man like Zen’in Naobito who had the upper hand.
“Because I almost let her kill you,” Satoru speaks through his grin, but his voice is low and threatening.  He lingers there for a moment longer before leaning back and letting out a bark of a laugh.  “But no worries!” He cheers, his phony happy charade back on.  “I figured you weren’t worth all the trouble.  And it turns out ya aren’t, are ya, Zen’in?” 
(y/n’s) eyes blink wide at the first hint of how their conversation had gone.  Was Satoru successful? Heat coursed through her body as her heart began pumping faster with impatience.  Was it resolved? Were the Fushiguro kids safe?
Naobito scoffs, crossing his arms and turning his head away from Satoru.  This action had (y/n’s) optimism skyrocketing, and her hope overcame her.
“So you’ll leave us alone?” (y/n) asks, her eyes practically on fire as she stares down the head of the clan.  “You’ll leave them alone?” 
Naobito scowls back at her without a word.
“He sure will,” Satoru grins, walking away from the man and towards her now.
Her expression was frozen with surprise, but her heart was doing somersaults of joy in her chest.
“All these old geezers can just be bought,” Satoru smirks, before turning towards Naobito again.  “Ain’t that right, old man?” 
Naobito makes a noise of irritation before waving a dismissive hand, and completely turning around.  (y/n) almost laughs.  Some power he had, and now here he was, reduced to acting like a child that didn’t get his way.
“You got what you want, Gojo,” He spits out Satoru’s family name with more poison than anyone else would dare.  “Now get off my property before I change my mind” 
(y/n) blinks, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the Zen’in in shock, but Satoru’s slinging an arm around her shoulder and nearly making her trip over her feet as he pulls her back to where Megumi and Tsumiki are waiting.
“So- so they’re-” She stutters, her wide eyes staring up at him, awaiting his explanation on everything that transpired.
“We can talk about all the specifics later,” Satoru says with a small smile.  “It’s all settled.  The kids will be left alone” 
Slowly, as if the words needed to process one by one in her mind, a smile began to creep across her lips.
“Really?” (y/n) gasped.
Satoru looked down at her, and despite the negotiation he’d worked out in his favor just minutes ago, he finally felt relief wash over him as he looked at her.
She was so happy, her smile was all teeth, her eyes were gleaming with joy, and he doesn’t even care about what this means for them or their future as sorcerers because she looks like that and she’s looking at him.
“Really” He murmurs back in quiet affirmation.
She just about launches herself into his arms, but just as she’s about to throw caution to the wind, two small figures are running towards her, closing the distance between them quickly.  Too impatient to wait, they begin to holler.
“Well!?” Megumi’s eyes are wide as he pulls his sister along with him.
“Does he have to go!?” Tsumiki yells over him.
(y/n) glances back to Satoru, about to apologize for being interrupted, but he drops his arm from around her shoulder and nods his head towards the pair of brats who are still yelling their questions and concerns.  She gives him a small smile, before turning away and running towards them both.
This makes both Megumi and Tsumiki stop in their tracks, their eyes blowing wide as they freeze up like deer in headlights.  They don’t have a chance to brace themselves before (y/n’s) sliding onto the ground, the grass inevitably staining the pants of her uniform as she does so, but she doesn’t care.
Her arms are thrown around both of them, and they’re quick to return the gesture, hugging her, and each other, in an embrace that was tighter than they’ve ever experienced before.  
(y/n) doesn’t give them the news they’d been waiting for, but she doesn’t have to.  Not with words, anyways.
She’s laughing, boisterously so, her whole body vibrating with her joy.  And soon, without reason beyond her own happiness seeping into them, Megumi and Tsumiki are laughing too.
Small hands clutch tightly at her arms and on the back of her shirt as all three of them giggle together, and maybe a few tears fall from their eyes as they do, but no one cares.
Everything was okay.
They were all safe.
When they part from one another, they remain seated on the ground for a few minutes longer.  (y/n) doesn’t mind her own tears of joy falling down her cheeks as she reaches out to wipe their tears away.
Satoru watches as both kids smile wider at her than he’s ever seen in his life.  He didn’t even think the boy was capable of smiling, but here he was, smiling and crying over this girl.  He stands back a ways, enough to give them their moment of celebration, but he can see clearly that they’re equally relieved to not be taken from one another.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” (y/n) coos as she continues to wipe away their tears.  “It’s alright, everything’s alright, no one is going anywhere” 
She’s stammering out her words a bit, and Satoru almost chuckles at how her delight overcomes her.  It looks good on her, her happiness.
“You’re crying” Tsumiki says, mirroring (y/n’s) action and bringing her small hands to her face, hastily clearing away the wetness.
“It wouldn’t be the first time you shitheads made me cry,” (y/n) teases, but the mirth in her eyes tells them that she doesn’t regret a thing.  Megumi and Tsumiki laugh, easily humored by her foul language.  “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here, yeah?” 
They nod back at her excitedly, and when she gets up, they stand at either side of her so they can both hold her hand.
(y/n) looks back at Satoru, her eyes still misty but her smile rivaling the sun’s brightness.  He smiles back at her as he walks over to join them again.
“This means we get to go home, right?” Megumi asks hopefully.
Satoru sucks in a sharp breath before his lips curl into a small smirk.  All three looked at him, puzzled at what the hesitation was.
“Well, about that…” ___
(y/n) stares up at the building that Satoru had brought them to, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open.  She’d been frozen like that for a minute now, while Satoru grins madly, and the Fushiguro kids wait for further explanation about where they are right now.
“When the fuck did you-” 
“Woah! Language!” Satoru scolds her.  “And you know me.  I pull strings” 
“What is this?” Megumi asked, waiting for (y/n’s) response, but she was still gaping at the building.
“Come on,” Satoru nods for the group to follow him inside.  “I’ll show you!” 
The lobby is nice without being so fancy it was overwhelming and awkward.  It’s clean with sharp black tiling, and a few pieces of furniture for lounging against the wall.  The clerk at the desk welcomed Satoru by name, and (y/n’s) shocked expression followed the whole interaction.
The Fushiguro kids followed close by her side as they gathered in an elevator. Satoru pushed the number four, and the doors slid shut.  He takes a moment to give (y/n) a shit eating grin.  She only furrowed her brows and tilted her head at him, at a loss for words.
Did he really..? 
With a soft ding The elevator doors slid back open, and Satoru beckoned them to follow as he led them down a hallway, pausing shortly.
“Here we are,” He dug through his pocket, before displaying a key to them.  His grin only worsened as he unlocked the door and gestured for everyone to enter.
Megumi and Tsumiki looked up at (y/n), as though awaiting her permission.  She chuckled and nodded her head for them to go on in.  That was all the more they needed before they were racing inside, gasping and aweing at the perfectly clean and new apartment.  In seconds they were out of sight, exploring the new space.
“After you” Satoru said to (y/n), who was still stuck in the doorway.  She looked over to him, her lips parted and her eyes round as it was confirmed before her.
“When did you..?” The rest of her question fails her, and she shakes her head at him in an attempt to communicate her total state of confusion.
They’d stayed up through most of the night together, planning for their meeting with the Zen’ins.  There couldn’t have possibly been time for Satoru to go through the trouble of renting an apartment.  On such short notice? With the hassle of paperwork and a down payment and everything? The process would normally take days, maybe even weeks, but somehow, overnight, he’d managed to secure an empty apartment that was closer to Jujutsu Tech than the Fushiguro house? (y/n) wouldn’t believe it if she wasn’t standing in front of it right now.
“Don’t you want to go inside?” Satoru asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.
She couldn’t even find it in herself to answer before she was nodding her head at him, and stepping inside.
Her eyes trace every inch of the living room, the first room you walk into when you enter.  The first thing she notices is that it’s a large apartment, and the second thing is that the living room is filled with all new furniture.  A wrap-around couch, a recliner, a woven rug with a coffee table on top of it to smooth out it’s roll.  It all looked brand new and expensive.  No doubt Satoru’s touch.
Her eyes blink rapidly as she takes it all in, before turning back to Satoru who was waiting at the closed door, enjoying himself while watching her react to it all.
“I- I don’t even know what to say-” 
“It’s awesome!” A delighted squeal rings out, followed by racing footsteps, and out of a hallway comes Tsumiki, who runs straight through the living room and into the kitchen.
“Is this our new house!?” Megumi comes running after her, and (y/n) realizes quickly that they’re playing tag.
“It is!” Satoru chirps, only furthering the noisy children’s antics as they sprint back down the hallway they’d just come from.
“Careful!” (y/n) hollers after them, almost as a second thought, as she was preoccupied by processing all of this.
Once the kids were distracted by their game again, she went right back to Satoru, staring at him incredulously, still not believing he’d done all of this.  Before she can spew out all of her questions, he begins answering them.
“It has four bedrooms,” He says, as if that was going to be her first line of questioning.  “It’s way closer to campus.  It's in a safer neighborhood and still in their school district.  We can worry about moving their things tomorrow” He continued.  “Rent is paid for the next…” He pretends to think about it, running a hand through his hair.  “Ten? Twelve years? I can’t remember exactly” 
(y/n) blinks owlishly, and Satoru almost doesn’t notice the way she’s staring at him as he continues on with his introduction of the place.
“Got it set up with the landlord last night after you fell asleep on the floor,” He chuckles at the image from the night before.  “And I was actually late today because I wanted to pick up the keys” 
He stops when his eyes fall back to hers, unsure of what to make of her expression.  She wore little to no emotion, besides her wide eyes and parted lips.  When he stopped speaking, she found her voice.
“Why did you do all of this?” 
It comes out in a whisper, but he’s close enough to her that he hears just fine.
“Why? Well we’re graduating soon, you’ll need somewhere to stay with them, and it cannot be in that terrible neighborhood.  No wonder you were gone all the time that place was-” 
This time he cuts himself off as she steps closer to him, almost toe to toe.  She’s so close that she has to tilt her head back to look up at him properly, and for once Satoru freezes up.
“I didn’t get to say it earlier but I guess you’re even more deserving now,” She says with a bashful smile.  “But… thank you” 
He nods back at her, the motion shaky as his eyes don’t leave hers.  Even hidden behind his sunglasses they’re blown wide from how close she is.
“Yeah- yeah of course,” He replies.  “One condition though?” 
She hums curiously in response, her eyes flickering over his features.
“No more secrets, alright?” He asks, and she laughs quietly, nodding her head in agreement.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Gojo Satoru” She says, reaching her hand out to shake on it.
Satoru scoffs, grabbing her hand and pulling her into him, wrapping his arms around her waist with ease.  She’d fight him off playfully normally, but today she throws her arms around his neck and hugs him back just as enthusiastically.
Just when she thinks she should step away, she holds on a little tighter.  Maybe it’s the smell of warm sugar and pine infecting her senses, or maybe it was the peculiar feeling of her heart skipping a beat, but she held onto him just a little longer than she should have.  She thinks she’s needed this for a while, a long while, even.
He doesn’t seem to mind anyways, as he ducks his head down to the crook of her neck and doesn’t loosen his hold on her in the slightest.
“I didn’t deserve this,” She mumbles against the collar of his shirt, closing her eyes as she tries to hold on to the last few seconds of this moment.  “You should be upset with me, but… you fixed all of it, for me” 
Reluctantly, Satoru pulls away, giving her a signature smile before chuckling.
“Well, ‘course I did, sweetheart” He says through his laugh.
(y/n) doesn’t say anything, but as she looks at him, she hopes he tells her more.  Or at least tell her why he’d do all of this, because he hadn’t owed her a thing, and here he was practically giving her the world.  Her eyes flicker between his, trying to find some sort of explanation, even hidden behind his shades.
“Satoru…” 
She doesn’t get the chance to finish her thought, as two pairs of feet are running towards her again.
Despite the racket they’d been making all this time, she’d almost tuned it out, she realized as she turned to see Megumi and Tsumiki giggling as they made grabby hands at her.
“(y/n)! Come on! We picked out our rooms!” Tsumiki says, grabbing her wrist and forcefully yanking her away from Satoru.
A strangled laugh escapes her as she stumbles over her feet to follow behind her, but she still manages to cast a glance back towards Satoru, who was amused by the sight and waved her off to go spend time with them. ___
After a few hours of detailed guided tours and playing, Megumi and Tsumiki had finally settled down in the new bed that was in the room Megumi claimed for himself.  Tsumiki had a new bed in her new room too, but the siblings had decided to have a sleepover, so they were gathered up under fresh covers together while (y/n) bid them goodnight.
“Can we stay here forever?” Tsumiki asked softly, pulling her fluffy purple blanket to her chin.
Perched on the side of the bed as she tucked them in, (y/n) smiled and nodded.
“As long as you wish,” She hums.  “You can paint your rooms whatever color you want, and we’ll get your things tomorrow” She tells them.
“And you’re staying here too?” Megumi asks, pulling his own blanket up to his nose to hide his warm face.  (y/n) laughed and nodded again.
“I sure am, so you’re gonna have to be on your best behavior all the time,” She teases, poking his nose before pulling his blanket away from his face.  “I’m your legal guardian now, which means I can punish you” She sing-songs playfully as she tickles him, much to his dismay.  “But tonight I need to go back to my school.  I’ll put up a curtain of protection like I always do, and soon I’ll be staying here every night” 
“And Gojo will be staying too?” Tsumiki asks.
(y/n) makes a funny face as she chuckles at that, her lips pulled into an awkward half-smile while her brows furrowed.
“Uh- I don’t know about that,” She chuckles.  “What makes you think that?” 
“There’s an extra room” 
“The other room” 
Megumi and Tsumiki speak over each other, and (y/n) blinks in surprise, since both of them assumed the same.
“I don’t think so,” She chuckles, shaking her head.  “It’s just an extra room” She tries to dismiss it, but neither of them look convinced.
“You guys were standing really close earlier” Megumi mutters, and before (y/n) could be shocked by his observation, Tsumiki is voicing her own opinion.
“He’s very handsome! And he stares at you a lot!” 
(y/n’s) jaw is on the floor as she looks between the two children that were far too observant for their age.  Since when were they so nosey? 
Well, she could recall a few times now that they’d accused her of having a boyfriend, but this was on another level!
“You’re seeing things that aren’t there,” She says, trying to laugh it off, but her face is hot suddenly and she can’t think of a better excuse to give them.  “Time for bed” 
“So you’re not going to get married and be our parents?” Megumi asks before letting out a big yawn.
“Time for bed” (y/n) repeats, firmly tucking the blanket around his shoulders.
Tsumiki is giggling and Megumi is pouting when she finally leaves them be, flicking off their lights and shutting the door behind her.  Once it’s clicked shut, she leans against it and lets out a deep sigh.
“They’ve got active imaginations” 
Yelping in surprise, her first instinct is to smack Satoru on his arm, and he’s lucky it wasn’t his face.  He seems unbothered by this reaction.  In fact, he laughs.
“When are you going to stop sneaking up on me?” She hisses, not wanting to draw the Fushiguro kids’ attention to the hallway.
Satoru follows her as she hastily makes her way to the living room.  It’s late enough now that the sun no longer brightens the room, leaving it dimly lit by the light in the hallway.
“You know, if you did ask me to move in, I’d say yes” Satoru’s the first to speak, and (y/n) is spun around by her heel as soon as he does.
His tone is genuine, but he’s still grinning like he’s trying to tease her, so she’s not sure what to make of the comment.  Of course, he technically owned the place, so it wouldn’t feel right to argue that he couldn't stay, but then there was the matter of what the kids would think and-
Oh, that cheeky bastard.
“Eavesdropping again?” (y/n) crosses her arms as she tilts her head at him, and Satoru only purses his lips, not even bothering to defend himself.  “And here I thought you learned your lesson”
“Me?” He laughs loudly, enough that she makes a face before throwing her arm in a gesture to the hallway.
“It’s late, could you keep it down?” She scolds him again.
“You’re a strict mom, sheesh,” Satoru mutters, and she rolls her eyes at him, but she can’t hide the small smile of pride that creeps up on her lips.  “So, you like it all, then?” 
Her smile softens as she nods her head back at him.
“It’s wonderful,” She tells him honestly.  “I think they’re going to be very happy here” 
“Good, good…”
He almost looks awkward, standing before her in the dark room.  He’s fiddling with his sunglasses in his hands, the wisps of his hair tickling his eyelashes, and he’s nervous to look at her for too long, but he does anyway.
“And you?” He asks.  
The question hangs in the air between them for a moment, as (y/n) assumes it’s obvious that she’s elated with how everything turned out, with how he seemed to snap his fingers and fix it all overnight.  He must know that she owes him a debt which she’ll never be able to repay, right? He must know exactly how she feels, because she hasn’t done a thing to conceal it.
But he’s waiting for an answer, she can see it in the way he stops playing with the frames of his sunglasses, how his eyes are focused on her and he doesn’t say a thing until she responds.
Something about the way he seems to nervously await her response makes her soften for him.  For the first time in a long time it’s as though her whole body completely relaxes, like she’s able to turn on autopilot again, and let her guard down properly.  Her heart beats a little irregularly which is strange but the way it makes her cheeks buzz with the tingling warmth of a blush feels good.  
With quick, quiet steps on the tips of her toes she crosses the room to where he’s standing.  She’s close enough to him now that the lighting behind him catches on her eyes, seemingly making them glimmer with her fondness.
She stays on the tips of her toes as she leans into him, filling his senses with the sweet smell of her shampoo and something else that he couldn’t name, but was completely unique to her.  Just as he’s getting lost in the scent, her lips are planted on his cheek, soft, and much too fleeting.
There’s a shy smile and a flush of color on her face when she drops back to the pads of her feet.
“Honestly, I think this is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time,” She admits quietly, and Satoru has to put effort into focusing on her while she speaks, because his head is in the clouds and he thinks he might float off into them.  “I mean… with everything that’s happened these last few months I just… leaving it all behind as long as they were safe didn’t seem so bad.  I’d lost enough friends and I…” Her fingers catch on one another as she nervously fiddles.  “It doesn’t matter now.  But, I hope you know how much this all means to me.  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay you back” 
His face is still stunned from the feeling of her lips on his cheek, but he manages the smallest of smiles at her honesty.
“I don’t need you to pay me back,” He says with a shake of his head.  “I just…” 
He loses his train of thought as he stares at her, which was an effect she’d always had on him, although tonight it seemed far more potent.  Perhaps it was the low orange lighting, softening her pretty features.  Or it was how she’d so blatantly kissed him and didn’t think it was out of character to do so.  These were probably both true, but he could probably admit now that the shortness of his breath and the swell of his heart were caused by a distinct, paralyzing feeling that he’d always held for her, and only seemed to grow stronger.
In a small movement of curiosity, her head tilts to the side, awaiting the rest of his thought.  Admittedly, his staring was starting to make her feel self conscious, but she doesn’t shy away.  Instead she keeps her patience and wonders what it is that’s stuck on his tongue.
Satoru’s eyes flicker between hers in a moment of indecisiveness.  He knew what he wanted to tell her, because it had been on his mind for months now, maybe even years, and now here she was, standing there, looking like that, and giving him her full attention.
Gojo Satoru chokes.
“I just want you to be happy” 
He finally speaks, and (y/n) noticeably brightens before him.  Her wide smile makes the corners of her eyes crinkle, and a breathless laugh escapes her lungs.
They linger for a quiet moment, and despite the silence, they’re perfectly comfortable. ___
After locking up and drawing a curtain, Satoru takes her hand and warps them both back to Jujutsu Tech.  Together, they sit down with Shoko and explain everything.  She’s understandably upset for not being told sooner, but more than anything was happy to know that (y/n) was safe now, and the hiding and lying was over.  The three sit on the floor of the common room, Satoru and (y/n) answering all of Shoko’s questions while the girls share a cigarette, and even though it was so late that it was almost morning, none of them grew tired the later their night stretches.
They were too wrapped up in their moment they finally deserved.  With friendly but teasing banter, jokes, laughter, reminiscing, and of course a smoke or two.  It was just like it used to be, domestic, relaxed.  They hadn’t realized this feeling had gradually disappeared from their lives until this moment, hadn’t known they’d been longing for it to return like this.
When Shoko declares she has to go to bed for at least an hour of sleep before a shift at the morgue, (y/n) stands to hug her goodnight, and they stay wrapped in each other’s embrace for some time.
“If you ever lie to me again, I’ll kill you” Shoko mumbles, before pressing her face into the crook between (y/n’s) neck and shoulder.
In return, (y/n) squeezes her even tighter.
With Shoko’s retreat to bed, (y/n) claims that she too needed to get some sleep, and Satoru makes a half-assed joke about how she clearly needs it.  The pair walk together back to their dorms, growing more comfortable in their silence the more they find themselves in it.  Their steps are slow, and only seem to drag slower the closer they get, but neither of them comment on it.
Instead, when they finally do reach (y/n’s) dorm, just as the sun starts to peek over the horizon and sneak through the windows of the corridor, they still linger in front of her door.
Even after the hours of talking, of going over everything and catching up with one another, there still seemed to be so much unsaid.  Still, with the opportunity presented to her, (y/n) remained silent, her hands latched together behind her back as she hoped that Satoru would say it first.
“Try to catch up on some sleep,” He is the first to speak, but it does nothing to ease the growing weight of an indescribable tension in her chest.  “We can go tomorrow afternoon to move whatever Tsumiki and Megumi want into the apartment” 
“You don’t have to help with that,” She tells him with a shrug.  “It won’t be much, and I don’t mind.  Not like it’s your responsibility” 
He laughs, his smile stretching across his face as he does.
“You don’t get it at all, do you?” 
The question is cryptic, but (y/n) bites back a smile as she reads right through the lines.  She tilts her chin up challengingly as her hidden smile begins to tug at the corners of her lips.  It was rare that she felt like she was one step ahead of him, and she just had to enjoy this opportunity for as long as she could. 
“What don’t I get?” She asks, feigning confusion as she stares up at him.
Satoru’s eyes flicker between hers a few times, trying to get a proper read on her, but it’s hard when she’s smiling at him like that, with her undivided attention.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow,” He says, and for a moment, her playful little smile falters, replaced with surprise at the sudden request.  “Once we’re done with all the moving stuff” 
She blinks at him, a ghost of a smile still on her lips.
“I mean, I was probably going to make dinner for-” 
“We’ll get them McDonalds” Satoru shrugs.
(y/n) raises a brow at his quick response, and her heart leaps in her chest at his sudden change in attitude.  Was he asking her out? She wasn’t sure if he really was or if he was just being a flirt and this was just like all the other times they’d spent time together one on one.
“Well…” She licks her lips before speaking slowly.  “Why wouldn’t we just get McDonalds with them?” 
She crosses her arms loosely, an attempt to keep her hands occupied so she doesn’t start nervously fidgeting, but it’s also a defense mechanism.
“I’m not taking you to McDonalds,” Satoru shakes his head, his expression unwavering in its seriousness.  “I’m taking you somewhere better than that” 
“Better?” (y/n) muses curiously.
“Yeah,” He shrugs one of his shoulders.  “Somewhere nice” He says decidedly.
“Nice?” 
The corner of her lip betrays her as it begins to curl into a smile, and he notices how she tries to fight it.  His confidence skyrockets as he grins, and nods his head back at her.
“Yep,” He answers, popping his lips dramatically.  “So it’s a date” 
(y/n’s) relaxed facade crumbles in an instant, her eyes rounding and her jaw dropping before she could pull herself together and keep up with the smooth act.
“A date?” 
“Are you going to keep copying me?” Satoru chuckles, but he drops the subject too quickly for her liking.  “It’ll be fun.  We both deserve to have some fun, right?” He asks her, and she can only manage to awkwardly nod her head from side to side in agreement.  “Great.  I’ll see you tomorrow then” 
“Okay” Is all the more (y/n’s) able to come up with, and Satoru smiles to himself, proud of his own work.
“Goodnight sweetheart” He gives a small wave as he spins on his heel to head to his own dorm.
“Goodnight” She calls to him.
Although the sun’s rays are peeking through her curtains, when (y/n’s) head hits her pillow, she drifts right off into a peaceful sleep.  It’s the best night of sleep she’s had in a long while.  Her dreams are filled with peaceful, colorful images.  She wakes feeling well rested, and ready for whatever her coming days will have in store for her.  
Soon she would graduate, along with her two best friends, and the world would be all theirs to navigate and experience.  She wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to raise Tsumiki and Megumi full time, but she was eager to learn.  Similarly, she wasn’t sure where this odd, warm feeling with Satoru would take her, but she was equally curious to explore it.
Despite all the heartache that this year had brought her, she felt content with where she was now.  Her view on what was to come is optimistic.  Her heart is full.  And the people she loved were safe. 
___
fin.
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xoxo ~ jordie
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bimoonphases · 12 days
Text
@wolfstarmicrofic September 14 - prompt 14: House-Elf [word count 719]
They were in the Sirius and Remus’s living room, right after Flooing back after a meeting with the Order. James was pacing back and forth and Sirius was nodding gravely even if James wasn’t saying anything. Remus raised an eyebrow at Lily, sitting across from him, and she rolled her eyes.
“James, please stop, you’re giving me a headache,” she said.
“But you heard them, Lils,” James stopped in front of the fireplace. “We’re just to what? Sit around while other people risk their lives for our world?”
“We just joined the Order, and it’s been only four months since we graduated from Hogwarts,” Remus sighed. “It makes sense they wouldn’t want to throw us right in the middle of the war immediately.”
“Oh, so we’re to let ‘the adults’ do the job again? Because that’s worked so well so far,” Sirius scoffed.
“Exactly,” James nodded. “Everyone thinks we’d just be reckless and get ourselves killed but we’d be an asset. Come on, modesty aside, we’re the most brilliant minds of our generation. We could win this if we all work together!”
“Speaking of together, why is it only the four of us here?” Sirius asked. “Where are the others?”
“Mary had a shift at St Mungo’s,” Remus said. “Marlene and Dorcas said there was no war that could stop them from celebrating their anniversary and Peter had to check on his mother who’s been ill.”
“Let it be known I don’t approve the way you three convinced him to join the Order,” Lily frowned. “Peter looks terrified all the time lately, he barely said goodbye before going today.”
“Peter always looks terrified, you get used to it,” Sirius rolled his eyes.
“We didn’t force him to do anything,” James finally sat by Lily’s side, looking outraged. “We just talked about it and he accepted.”
“You know he would jump into the Black Lake if you happened to ask him, James,” Lily took her fiancé’s hand in hers. “You’re charming like that.”
Remus looked away from James beaming and immediately leaning over to kiss Lily to thread his hand in Sirius’s.
“Relax,” he said. “The war won’t end by the time Dumbledore decides we’re ready to help, unfortunately. Besides, I’m sure there are other things we could do.”
“Like what?” Sirius grumbled.
Before Remus could think about it, a loud crack echoed in the room and a house-elf appeared right in the middle of the carpet. James, Lily and him almost jumped on their seats, but Sirius only raised a bored eyebrow as the creature turned around frantically, his hands clasped in front of him until he stopped, staring at Sirius.
“Master Sirius! Master Sirius, Kreacher finally found you!”
“What is it, Kreacher?” Sirius snapped. “Did Mother finally die?”
“Mistress is very well,” the house-elf looked outraged for a second then his expression shifted. “Please, Master Sirius, Kreacher needs your help.”
“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” Sirius got up. “Get out of my house.”
Remus could see the house-elf almost immediately obey the order, then his hands clasped even harder on whatever he was holding.
“Please, Master Sirius,” he repeated, evidently fighting the instinct to obey Sirius. “It’s Master Regulus.”
“What about my idiot brother, Kreacher?”
“Please, Master Sirius, Master Regulus is in danger. Master Regulus is dying.”
Remus saw Sirius stiffen. Despite all the bad blood between them, he knew the only regret in Sirius’s life was never getting to save his brother from their parents.
“What do you mean dying?”
“Master Regulus went on a secret mission, but he’s dying, and he ordered Kreacher to leave with this and destroy it,” the house-elf opened his hands to reveal a heavy locket. “But Kreacher can’t leave Master Regulus dying, so he came here.”
There was a moment of silence, Sirius getting paler and paler, James and Lily looking alternatively at him then at the locket. Remus got up and took Sirius’s hand.
“I don’t care he’s on the wrong side,” Sirius whispered. “I can’t leave him dying, not again.”
“I know,” Remus nodded. “I’m coming with you.”
“We’re coming too,” Lily and James chorused, getting up.
Sirius nodded and looked at Kreacher.
“Take us to Regulus. That’s an order.”
“Yes, Master Sirius, thank you Master Sirius,” the house-elf answered.
With another loud crack the living room was empty.
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Neteyam X Reader: Reckless behavior
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Warning: talk of death (nothing to bad),fluff
Summary: Neteyams desire to rush into danger got him hurt and made him realise how much he matters to you
You should have known. Even after knowing him for years you still managed to fall for his tricks. You felt like an utter fool. He’d told you he wouldn’t do it but you should have known better, after all Neteyam had never been one to stray away from an adventure.
You’d met when you were both no taller than a tree stump. The people were a great big family and you certainly acted like it. You’d often see children running around the tribe, laughing and playing with each other. The adults always kept a careful eye on the younglings, even if the kids weren’t biologically theirs. You’d been one of those children years ago. You could remember it like it was yesterday. 
You remembered running through the trees, Neteyam hot on your trail ever since the two of you had managed to learn how to take your first steps. It was traditional for the kids of the people to coexist with each other quite closely since it built a deep bond, which was highly valued by the tribe. Due to this you and Netayam became attached to each other fairly quickly. Your bond with the boy became even stronger when you lost your parents to the Sky people. If the two of you had been inseparable before the deaths after them it was almost impossible to see you two apart. The Sully family had accepted you with open arms and you’d forever be grateful for their kindness.
Despite all those years Neteyam had somehow managed to trick you. 
Jake and Netiry had gone out to do surveillance in an area that supposedly had been taken over by the Sky people. Before they went they’d given you all very clear orders to stay on the ground and far away from their destination. But of course their two sons chose to ignore their orders completely. The second their parents had made it out of view they were racing over to their own Ikrans to take flight. You rushed to where they had mounted the animals, wasting no time to stand in front of Netayams Ikran, your hands wrapping around its nose as you let out a small hiss. Netayam started at you from his position
“What are you doing?”
“I could ask you the same.”
“Oh come on, don’t be a buzzkill. I know you're dying to go check it out.”
“Why would I put myself in harm's way for no reason? Plus your parents said not to go.”
“They always say that. They don’t trust us.”
You turned to the younger boy as he spoke
“Maybe there's a reason for that Lo’ak.”
You snapped your head back to look at Neteyam.
“Maybe it's because it's dangerous and there is a high risk of ending up hurt.”
The eldest son let out an annoyed sigh causing you to frown lightly. You knew how much he loved adventure and as much as you hated having to be the boring one someone had to make sure he lived to see another day. What made it worse was seeing how much it annoyed him. You hated feeling like you caring for his well being was something that irritated him. Actually, you hated feeling like you irritated him. After all, your feelings for him weren't exactly small. Sure you saw him like a friend but there was something else mixed in there. Something you weren't sure you’d ever be able to admit. 
Neteyam could tell from your expression that he’d hurt your feelings. His eyes softened as he looked at you. He knew you meant well no matter how much of a fun killer you were being. Neteyam got down from his Ikran, his hand soothing the animal's skin until it came into contact with your own. He pulled your hands away from the animals releasing your grip on its nose. You didn’t fight him, allowing you to move farther away from the animal.
“If you're worried we won’t go.”
“But you-”
“Shhh Lo’ak.”
The younger boy bit his tongue as his brother hissed at him, the look on Lo’aks face made you want to laugh.
“I don’t want you to worry. We’ll go somewhere else okay?”
You gave Neteyam a smile. He was acting rather rational for once. It was usually a lot harder to change his mind. You should have seen it coming but the desire to trust him was so strong that it blinded you to the mischievous glimmer in his eyes.
“Thank you.”
“How about we go to the ponds today?”
“Yeah that’d be nice.”
You turned around, Neteyams hand on your back guiding you to move forward. Everything was fine and then somehow, at the fastest speed you've ever seen him move, Neteyam had raced back to his Ikran and jumped off the ledge. You ran over just as he shot up into the sky and made his way over to his brother.
“I’m going to kill you Neteyam!”
“You’ll have to catch me first!”
You watched the two boys begin to fly away. Realizing the only way to keep them out of trouble was to follow them, you called your Ikran and jumped over the edge. You flew through the sky faster than you ever had before, your eyes constantly searching for the two boys. You started to think you’d gone the wrong way when you heard gunfire. Your eyes fell on a clearing in the middle of the forest. The ground was covered in pieces of the Sky peoples ships and weapons. You scanned the area from above before finding what you were looking for. The moment your eyes found Netayams Ikran your heart calmed down a bit but it didn’t last long. 
You watched as Neteyam went to grab one of the weapons on the ground just as one of the Sky people fired in his direction. He was too far to hear the scream of warning you’d let out but it was enough to make your Ikran begin to fly his way. You hopped off the animal before it had even made it completely onto the ground. You stood over Neteyams body, your eyes looking for the shooter anywhere near you. Once you were sure there weren’t any you kneeled down next to your friend. Neteyam looked up at you and coughed. You could feel the anger bubbling up inside you but that would have to wait for later. For now, you had to focus on getting out of here before anyone noticed. You pulled Neteyam onto your Ikran and jumped on. Just as you were about to call Neteyams animal you heard a voice you recognized. 
“What are you-”
Jake had seen you. The man stopped his question once he saw his son draped behind you.
“You can chew us out later. I need to get him back home.”
Jake stared at you, he wasn’t used to people talking back to him but given the circumstances he’d accept it.
“Go, I'll cover you.”
You nodded at him before taking off.
Once you’d arrived you rushed to drag Neteyam up. He swatted at your hands, saying he could do it himself. You shut him up with a hiss as you supported him by holding his waist.
“You utter skxawng.”
Neteyam let out a grimace as you placed pressure into the wound on his back. Kiri came out from the tent being followed by Tuk.
“What happened?”
“He’s hurt.”
“I’m fine, it's not a big deal.”
“Tell your grandmother to bring the herbs.”
You watched as Tuk and Kiri raced over to one of the tents opposite your direction. While the girls went to get the medicine you made your way over to your tent, guiding Neteyam to lay down.
“I can do it-”
“Shut up and let me help!”
Neteyams eyes widened at your behavior. He’d never seen you get angry before. Well, he’d seen you angry but it was always easily fixed with some dumb joke or a funny face. That wasn’t the case this time though. He could tell that you were pissed and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why.
“I know your upset-”
“I thought I told you to shut it.”
“Yeah but-”
You looked at Neteyam and that was enough to keep him quiet. He had to make it up to you but now wasn’t the right time. The girls arrived with the plants you’d asked for and you started to work on patching Neteyam up. Every time he winced you put more pressure. It was with the intention of cleaning him up but you couldn’t deny it felt a bit like payback. You want to put yourself in danger? Deal with the consequences. Neteyam could practically see the words forming in your head as you placed the last leaf on his wounds. You dismissed the girls once their help was no longer required. When you got up to leave Jake and Netiry entered the tent.
“Sit.” You did as you were told, finding a place as far from Neteyam as you could which didn’t go unnoticed by his parents. You listened to Jake speak, your mind numb to the words. The tears you’d been holding for a while were threatening to spill out the longer you stayed still. You wished Jake would get on with it already so you could leave. Neteyam watched you as his father spoke, the emotionless expression on your face concerning him.
“And you.”
You raised your head to look at Jake as he referred to you for the first time since he started to speak.
“She had nothing to do with it, dad. She tried to stop me. I should have listened.”
Neteyam looked into your eyes as he uttered the last part. His dad could tell he was being sincere so instead of giving you a row about your behavior he got up and made his way to you. You raised your head so you could look into his eyes. Jake placed a hand on your shoulder before he kneeled down and spoke.
“Thank you for watching over him. If you hadn’t been there it could have been… a lot worse.”
You watched as Jake gulped before speaking. Despite everything he had been scared to lose his son. You felt the same way. Not that you’d ever tell him that. Neteyams parents went away, leaving you alone with the boy. You hurried to get up and leave but before you could Neteyam had gotten to you. He wrapped his arms around your waist from behind fully stopping you from being able to walk away. You tried not to think about how warm he felt. You were supposed to be giving him the cold shoulder but the proximity was making it very hard.
“I’m sorry.”
You kept looking forward, not daring to show any emotions other than rage. 
“Hey” 
Neteyam moved your hair so it was behind your ear allowing him to rest his head on your shoulder.
“I’m sorry I acted like a skxawng. I should have listened to you.”
Neteyam brushed his nose against your neck. It was something you’d do whenever he’d hug you but he didn’t know what it meant. Your body shuddered at the action, the tears you’d been putting down finally breaking through. No noise left your lips as you cried but Netayam could feel your breathing against his chest as you sobbed.
“Hey…it’s okay I'm right here.”
He turned you around so that your face was buried into him, his hands holding you as close as he could. It hurt knowing he was the one causing you pain. He was sure he’d remember your reaction whenever he thought of doing anything reckless.
“I can’t lose you too.”
Oh Neteyam you idiot. He hadn’t even considered how his actions would affect you. You’d lost your family to the Sky people and for a split second you thought you’d lost him too. Neteyam cursed himself for being so inconsiderate.
“You won’t. It’s alright I'm here. We're okay.”
The blue boy wove his hands into your hair as he tried to soothe you. Your crying stopped after a while. He wondered if that meant you’d forgiven him but then you gave him the strongest shove you could manage.
“You are an idiot Neteyam! I told you not to go but you always have to be the warrior. What's going to happen when I'm not there to save your sorry ass?”
The tears started to well up again as you spoke.
“You can’t do that to me you can't just-your not invincible, you know?”
“I know that.”
“You don’t act like you do! Every time there's danger you're the first to jump at it. You could have died today.”
Neteyam stayed quiet, there was nothing he could say to make this better.
“I could have buried you today.”
Your voice was so low it was a miracle he’d heard you. The words felt worse than any of his wounds. For a moment you’d thought you lost him and that hurt more than anything. Neteyam made his way to you and kneeled down, his hands wrapping around your legs as he rested his face onto your stomach.
“I'm so sorry. I won't do it anymore, I swear. I'm sorry I scared you,flower.”
You closed your eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of Neteyams arms around you. He was alive. He was here and alive. If there was a good time to do it, it was now. You sank down to your knees, allowing you to rest your forehead against Netayams.
“I see you.”
Neteyams ears perked up at your words, his eyes opening to look at you.
“You don’t have to say anything I just wanted you to know since…well since i’ve loved you for ages.”
You lowered your eyes to the ground. Neteyam noticed how nervous you were so he grabbed your chin, guiding you to look up. He placed his head on your shoulder repeating the motion you’d begun doing everytime the two of you hugged. Your very own way of saying ‘I love you’ without uttering the words out loud.
“You know what it means?”
“I figured it out a while after you started doing it.”
A blush creeped onto your cheeks.
“Gosh I feel ridiculous.”
“Don’t, I think it's cute. Our own way of saying we love each other.”
“Does this mean you feel the same?”
“Does this answer your question?”
Neteyam leaned down and placed a kiss on your lips. Your hands weaved into his hair as you deepened the kiss and Neteyam could swear Euwa had made you for him herself. He swore to himself he’d stop with his reckless behavior. He had everything he needed right here and he couldn’t wait for the great adventures the two of you would have together.
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hyrules-warrior · 1 year
Text
When the truth comes out about Joel’s lie and what he did at the hospital everyone always focuses their stories on what Ellie goes through.
But what about Joel?
Ellie yells at him, says she hates him and then doesn’t speak or go near him again.
Joel gives her space despite how much it hurts and is hopeful maybe at some point soon she might want to look at him at least.
But she doesn’t.
Hours, days, weeks and suddenly Joel doesn’t know how long it’s since he had more then a tiny glimpse of Ellie in the distance.
 Time stops for Joel again. 
It had stopped after Sarah for 20 years before starting again all because of a journey across the US with a girl he came to love so much. Too much maybe.
It should scare him, how fast he goes back to old habits when she is gone from his life, how easy it is to fade away, lock everything down again, retreat behind a hard wall of survival where nothing matters anymore. But that part of him that would be concerned is locked far far away now so the thought doesn’t even cross his mind.
There are no pills or easy liquor to help him sleep like in Boston so he spends his sleepless nights at first aimlessly walking Jackson, unable to sit alone in an empty dark home. Then he starts volunteering for the night patrols since he is awake anyway.
He keeps busy, insanely so. If he is busy he doesn’t think about Ellie. If he is busy he isn’t in a house to quiet and empty with only him in it. So he builds things in town, fixes things for anyone that asks and goes on as many patrol shifts, hunting trips and wall watches as he can get, sneaking more (much to Tommy’s ire when he finds out later) by being the guy who always says yes to anyone needing to get off a shift for any reason.
He gets a bit reckless. First to jump into danger to help someone. First to distract and bait infected. First to jump into a fight. He won’t put his patrol partners or anyone else at risk but that main drive to live is gone again and he is so tired..... so if anything happens to him out there? It’s not a big deal anymore. It’s not like anyone but Tommy might care now and he is well set with a wife and kid of his own anyway. He’d be fine.
Tommy sees the change and it scares him to no end. Joel is like he was right after losing Sarah all over again but older, more world weary. The anger is gone this time, replaced with a quiet resignation that terrifies him. Like a man waiting on death row. Ellie is angry and rightfully so. Tommy really can’t interfere in this, it’s not his place, and the new baby takes up so much of his time these days, but he watches as his brother fades more and more and he isn’t sure how long it will be before Joel might decide not to flinch. 
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I'm not a Jocelyn fan either. She's toxic and vile, but I find her more compelling in a lot of ways than say, Lily Ortiz – especially when the writers want the readers to see Lily as this pure as the driven snow angel who can do no wrong. Jocelyn is horrible, but she did put her life at personal risk to save others at Homecoming paid a steep price for it. She was also hit hard by Cody's death, so there's some humanity there too, even if it's just a drop.
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There’s a lot to this ask so I’m going to tackle the littler bits first, starting with the ILITW cast and their weaknesses.
The It Lives characters are all incredibly flawed in their own ways. Their stans don’t think they’re innocent: they acknowledge and embrace those flaws because those are what make the characters so human.
Ava’s biggest flaws are that she’s kind of reckless, and that she’s sarcastic toward people who are easily angered which endangers her.
Andy’s biggest flaw is that he gets angered very quickly, though he has good reasons for it, he still does fly off the handle at times. Anger leads to rash and not very well thought out decisions, which can very easily get you hurt or killed, especially in a horror series.
Stacy’s biggest flaw (which we do see going away as the book goes on) is her fixation with appearance and status.
Lucas’s biggest flaws are unwillingness to ask for help and biting off more than he can chew, which are also behaviors that are dangerous enough in real life, but potentially deadly in horror series.
I can’t really say what Dan’s biggest flaws are because we get so little interaction with him in the series, and all of Noah’s flaws can be attributed to the trauma he’s faced throughout his life, as even before Jane died, his parents had a lot of issues with their marriage, which was something he was aware of and tried to shield his sister from.
If Noah dies and takes Jane’s place, the ILITW crew is shown and stated to be completely unaware of it, the MC being the only person who knows of Noah’s true fate. Given this, the same could probably be said if the MC dies and takes Jane’s place. It’s not that the ILITW crew used the MC: they simply aren’t aware of the true nature of their death.
And given all the chaos and trauma that took place in the book, it’s perfectly understandable why the ILITW crew would want to move on in their lives without revisiting the ordeal more than they need to. I’d probably do the same. However, they’re more than willing to help out in ILB, and they still meet for pizza every year so they never fall out of touch and never forget what happened and those they lost.
It also makes sense why the MC can’t and won’t let go of their supernatural experience. Jane, their best friend, died right before their very eyes, was stuck as a shadow monster for a decade, and then Jane’s brother Noah (who arguably becomes MC’s closest friend as a result of their shared loss) dies and takes her place. The MC probably feels some survivor’s guilt and feels as if they’re to blame for what happened, and wants to make it right by “fixing” things if they can, which is why they’re devoted to becoming a monster hunter/tracker.
None of these characters are perfect. Absolutely none of them. But what person is? To have a flawless, completely innocent character who has done absolutely no wrong is completely unrealistic.
Moving onto Lily, who I’ll admit isn’t my favorite of the bunch.
It is true that the ILITW crew is dealing with some heavy shit. Abuse, blackmail, estrangement, familial neglect, PTSD, struggles with identity, struggles with ostracism. That is very true.
However.
Lily’s big life-or-death issue isn’t merely that her crush doesn’t like her back, that’s kind of an oversimplification. She’s mercilessly bullied because she’s fat (and maybe there’s a bit of homophobia thrown in there too, I’m not actually 100% sure) and she’s preyed upon by her crush and her crush’s friend who think manipulating Lily and humiliating her on homecoming night is funny.
Lily is not a physically strong character. She can’t fight, she runs away, and is generally no help in a fight. But not every character can realistically be an action hero and badass. She also suffers from low self-esteem from the bullying (which she mentions occurred throughout her childhood as well) and has little to no confidence.
To be frank, to say she thrives off of playing the victim comes across as victim-blaming.
Lily does shove Ava and yell at her for almost killing Jocelyn in the fight, and I’m not trying to excuse that because that’s pretty harsh, but I’d probably chalk her reaction up more to adrenaline and fear than trying to pin all the blame onto her. Lily did foreshadow early on in the book that the monster could enthrall Ava using her powers and was probably aware that the monster had some form of control over her during the fight.
Additionally, she doesn’t seem to give Jocelyn a free pass either: she was visibly scared and upset during the fight where Jocelyn had the upper hand and after all is said and done, the principal is the one who tells her (and Stacy) to help Jocelyn to the nurse’s office.
Lily doesn’t blame Ava and doesn’t hold any rancor over the fight after everything has settled down. Her reaction is pretty much on par with everyone else’s emotions in the ILITW crew after the fight: fear, helplessness, and guilt. I mean, she almost watched someone get strangled to death in front of her.
She does acknowledge the possibility that Britney changed and began treating her better because of Redfield, but doesn’t want it to be true. She acknowledges it and probably deep down knows it’s true, but still wants to give Britney a chance because they used to be close in childhood. She even states at one point that Britney used to defend her from bullying when they were young. Lily wants to give Britney a chance to change because she remembers all those fond memories as kids, but also, her confidence is so depleted from the years of bullying that she just wants someone, anyone to show some semblance of care for her, even if it isn’t completely genuine.
Hell. I’ve been bullied throughout my whole life, and I’ve dated people who treated me like absolute shit just because they paid attention to me. Lily is absolutely the type to do the same. I empathize.
Should Lily survive the events of ILITW, she goes on to create a successful indie video game with a sequel in the works. That didn’t surprise me because she mentions having gone to a coding camp, and she also had a 4.5 GPA in high school. She’s used her wildly smart brain and incredible drive to find her own success and further her own life, just like everyone else from the ILITW crew.
Which is why your statement about everyone else bettering their lives “while she gorges on pizza” comes across as incredibly and unapologetically fatphobic.
Lily is not my personal favorite. She’s actually my least favorite of the ILITW crew. But every character brings something to the group. Lily is timid, meek, and suffers from a lack of confidence. She’s not a fighter and she’s frequently terrified throughout the book.
But she still helps the group. She helps research, she helps obtain the hospital records when the group visits Dan, she risks life and limb to go into the woods and perform the binding ritual, and she does it again to save Andy. She faces her fears time after time after time.
So in a way, though Lily is fearful and afraid throughout the book, she’s actually the bravest character of them all.
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finelinevogue · 3 years
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Obsessed with your imagines you so when they have 3 kids and they’re all older! What about one where Harry has to have a sex talk with his kids OR y/n and Harry come home to find their kids throwing a party? I think both could be super funny
this has me excited cause i love the idea of them throwing a party when y/n and harry are at date night!! (does contain smut)
oli - 21, felix - 19, belle - 16
“We’re so fucking screwed.”
“Belle, for the millionth time, chill the fuck out.”
But how the fuck was anyone supposed to be chill when there was a full-on house party, close to being a rave, occurring in their house? A house that was their mum’s life work. A house party that their parents new nothing about. A night where absolutely anything and everything could go wrong.
The three siblings stood at the bottom of the stairs, in front of the door, looking around at the scenes occurring between each room. There were girls whispering to each other on the sofas, there was a group of guys playing beer pong in the kitchen and there was a large group of people hanging around by the pool and some even taking a dip. What had meant to be a low-key party had managed to turn into the whole neighbourhood plus the next town over. It was completely overboard.
“Who’s idea was this again?” Belle asked, clearly not understanding the full reasoning behind a full fledged party in their house.
“All of ours.” Oli responded, when in reality it was really just his, and a bit of Felix, idea.
“Nope. I’m not getting grounded because you two dickheads wanted to be rebels.” Belle put her hands up as if to stop this whole situation. She did not want to be a part of this and yet had somehow got screwed up with it all.
“So what are you going to do?” Felix asked.
“Anywhere where this doesn’t have my name stamped all over it.” Belle gestured around her, all of them groaning when they heard something smash from a nearby room. They were actually going to be locked up forever after this.
“Belle, mum and dad are out for the night. Dad said he booked a hotel for them to stay over at, so they won’t even be back until tomorrow morning.” Oli explained, trying to calm down his very nervous sister.
“Yeah, plus if you’re so insistent on leaving why did you get so dressed up?” Felix did have a point. Belle had gone through the effort tonight to be looking as best she could. She was sporting a little black dress with black fishnet tights and her trusty Doc Martens. It was a very colourful outfit, as she would explain. Belle had even gone to the effort of adding glue-on gems to her makeup. Whereas her brothers were just wearing sweaters and trousers and trainers. Typical teenage boys.
“I’ll bet that’s why.” Oli nodded behind Belle and smirked as he watched his little sister turn around.
Megan Dover. Belle’s high school crush and cleverest person in the year. Felix and Oli caught Belle blush when their little sister looked at Megan, waving to her cutely. Belle was a lot more introverted than Megan, but Belle didn’t mind. She admired that Megan was so outspoken and kind and smart, but too bad they didn’t truly know of Belle’s existence. At least, not really.
“Alright fine, i’ll stay, but just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Belle rolled her eyes and then walked off in the direction of the kitchen - if she was ever going to speak to Megan she’d need at least 4 shots in her system.
“Be safe little B.” Oli waved her off and then the two brothers looked at each other knowingly. “Is Heather here?”
“Not yet no, think she’s coming with the girls in a bit.” Felix checked his phone as his brother questioned him. “What about Bea?”
“She’s upstairs.”
“Why? I thought we weren’t allowing anyone upstairs?”
“Dude she’s my girlfriend, I think she gets a pass.” Oli patted his brothers back and then saunters up the stairs two at a time to go and find his girlfriend and reintroduce her to the party.
Another smash of something glass sounding came from the kitchen, along with a turn of screams and mumbles of oops.
“Fuck, we are so screwed.” Felix muttered under his breath as he made his way to the kitchen to clean up whatever was now broken.
••••
Meanwhile, you and Harry were basking in each other’s presence at a fancy new restaurant downtown called Caste Inn.
Harry decided it was time for you to have a treat and so was taking you out for dinner and then retreating to a fancy hotel, where he would not let you rest for the whole night. He was already being really handsy this evening, but you kept swatting his prying hands away because you were in public.
“Babe, c’mon i’m dying here!” He whined as you swatted his hand away from the skirt of your dress for the fifth time since mains. You were lucky you were in a crescent shaped booth so it was hard for anyone to see what was going on underneath the table, but you still felt so exposed.
“Quit it Harry.” You sniped, returning your attention back to the desserts menu. The restaurant was that kind of place where the portions are sparrow sized and yet cost you as much as it would to donate a kidney, so there was no surprise that you were still hungry and had room for dessert.
“Just wanna love on my wife.” He pouted next to you, keeping his arm slunk around the back of the booth to continue to caress your far shoulder delicately.
“We’re in the middle of a restaurant, you’re crazy.” You snickered, trying your hardest to focus on the desserts; Tiramisu, Chocolate Orange Gateau, Pecan Pie, Creme Brulé and an endless list of more mouthwatering yumminess.
“Fucking crazy for you, yes.” He kissed your cheek once, twice and then bit it too on the third, making you moan slightly at the exposure of it all. “You used to let me do this kind of thing all the time, what happened hey?”
“I got old.” You laughed, but really you felt saddened by the thought of it. You were approaching your forties and you felt as though time wasn’t on your side anymore. Life was all flying by so fast and it was becoming so hard to stop it for a moment to see how beautiful it all is. Harry could tell you were faking your happiness in that moment and he hated that you felt this way. He loved you. He would worship the ground you walk upon. Nothing would ever be too much of an ask for him if it meant keeping your happy. Yes, you were getting older, but it didn’t mean that was a bad thing. At least you were getting older together and becoming maturer together.
“Talk to me, love.” He gently asked, knowing there was something on your mind that was bothering you.
“I just… I just feel like i’m getting older—”
“You are love, yes.” He interrupted you, which earned him a slap to the thigh. He didn’t let your hand go though, leaving it to rest on his tight thigh.
“And then suddenly that’s going to be it. No more Y/N.”
“Don’t say things like that to me, please love.” Harry shook his head, squeezing your hand a little tighter.
“And I feel like i’ll have regretted not doing so many things. Like I won’t have lived my life.”
“Things like?”
“Things like riding a motorcycle with you. Things like staying up all night with a bottle of wine and a good bit of Elvis. Reckless things, like skinny dipping or crashing a high school party. Things like, having my husband finger fuck me in a public restaurant. I remember when everything seemed so free and chaotic and I loved it. Now I feel stuck.”
“Stuck how, love?” Harry leaned in closer to you, his eyes full of love and determination because if that’s what you wanted he could give you all those things - especially the orgasm.
“I’m a mum, H. You’re a dad. We’re parents,m. Good ones at that. Aren’t we supposed to be grown up and responsible now? We don’t get to take risks anymore, because we have a family right? God, I sound so pathetic.” You sighed and put the menu down, not thinking about which pudding you wanted to fill yourself up with anymore.
“Babe. If you want to ride a motorcycle and go skinny dipping then let’s fucking do it. Why are you so afraid to hold back? Because we have kids, because darling believe me when I tell you - however much it disturbs me - our kids are out doing just as many reckless and crazy things as we used to do. Maybe we should fuck the prestigious system and show our children, all parents - including us - that adulthood, parenthood, doesn’t define the choices you make. We do.”
You couldn’t stop looking at your husband, drinking in every last drop of his beauty. His words filled your heart with rose petals and chocolates, warming you up delightfully. God, you were so lucky to have him. He helped you through the most toughest of times and continued to stick with you, not because a ring says he has to, but because he loves you. Undeniably and irrevocably loves you.
That was all it took for you to comply.
Quickly, you moved one of your legs under the table cloth so it draped over Harry’s thighs and made an opening between your legs. The cloth hid everything well, along with the dirty napkins that sat upon your laps.
“Wh- what are you doing love?” Harry asked confused, after not hearing a word back from you for his earlier speech.
“Harry I love you, I do, but will you just shut up and fuck my pussy with your fingers already.” You whispered wetly against his ear with your lips. He groaned at the words and tightened his grip around your leg, widening the gap he had to work with.
His hand slid underneath your dress slowly, squeezing the flesh of your thighs in tease, until he got to where your panties were. Or at least where they should be.
“Shit, you’re not wearing any pants?” Harry asked quizzically, pushing his fingers against your glistening pussy and feeling just how ready you were for him.
“Oh fuck!” You muffled out before Harry quickly slapped your slit because you were making too much noise, which only then made you squeal a bit more. He slapped your cunt hard enough the second time for you to get the memo that you needed to be quiet - but fuck was that a challenge. As much as you can be quiet, you just don’t like to be. You like knowing that your moans and whines turn Harry in even more, just as much as you love hearing his.
“Fucking hell, soaked already.” His fingers toyed with the folds of your cunt, feeling how puffy they were between his ringed fingers. “Gotta be quiet for me okay?” Just as he started pushing his delicious fingers inside of you, the waiter turned up at the table with a cheery face and not a bouncing clue what was happening between the two of you.
“Desserts?” He asked politely with his charming smile, but you didn’t see it for too long before having to close your eyes shut at the sudden movement of Harrys fingers. He wasn’t stopping on the waiters behalf, in fact he was more forcefully going for it. He moved his fingers in circles inside of you, thumbing over your clit in the way he knew you desired most. He was insatiable.
Reckless.
“No, just the bill please. Need to take my wife home to take care of some things.” Harry spoke for you both, not understanding why he was being so open with the amount of information he was giving away. But fucking hell you didn’t care because his fingers were providing you pleasures beyond reason.
“Yes Sir. I’ll only be two minutes.” He smiled again before he was gone, taking the menus with him.
“Here that baby?” Harry whispered into your ear, moving his fingers more freely now there was less of an audience, “you’ve got two minutes to cum.”
“Wha—”
Questioning his authority would have to wait, for Harry got to work very quickly and perfectly. His fingers slicked in and out of you so erotically and if it wasn’t for the live music and loud chatter of the room, the sounds of his fingers driving in and out of you would be heard by everyone. His fingers curled to all the right places, touching the most sensitive parts of your walls and hell did it feel blissful.
“I’d say you’ve got about a minute left baby, and I think you can cum for me before then. Can’t you? Or am I not good enough for that kind of release anymore?” Harry taunted you and pressed wet kisses to your ear. You were too lost in euphoric paradise to notice, or even care, whether anyone could see or was watching you both. You were too focused on your husband. Your Harry.
“N-no. I can cum. You’re so good - shit - so g-good.” You stammered out, breathless from the air stolen from your lungs because of this erotic moment. This was so bad behaved of you both that you were starting to get a high off of it.
“Cum for me then baby. Do it. I’ve got you.” He kissed your lips to capture the moan that trailed off your tongue as you reached your high. You felt so high and yet so safe. Harry steadied you as your legs shook and kissed you senseless, to quieten your whines. He admired that you had been so willing for this and he would be lying if he said he didn’t have a raging hard-on right now.
“I love you,” you raced out quickly, “I love you.”
“I love you, Y/N.” He kissed your lips again and withdrew his fingers from your dripping cunt. You picked up a napkin but he quite quickly took it away from you, throwing it to the other side of the table.
“What are you doing?” You whisper shouted, needing to clean yourself up.
“More like what are you doing?”
“Cleaning my mess.” You said frustratedly.
“Leave that to me.” He spoke whilst holding intense eye contact with you, bringing his fingers that were coated in your arousal to his lips and sucking them dry. Every last drop worked its way into his mouth and he salivated at the taste - the smell.
“Harry—”
“The bill Sir.” The waiter interrupted you without knowing. Harry took out his wallet and used his card on the card machine, before signing his name on the cheque as if to affirm that he has paid.
“Thank you.” Harry spoke kindly, completely different to how he was with you all but two minutes ago.
“Thank you Sir, Ma’am. Have a lovely rest of your evening.” And he wad gone again with his smile.
Harry turned to you with the largest grin on his face, “Oh we will.”
••••
“Oli stop eating the leftover lasagne it’s for mums lunch!”
Belle was rushing around trying to chill everything down. The party was so out of control that even Oli and Felix were wasted. Megan was blowing hot and cold with her too, so she had no idea where she stood with them.
People were everywhere. Too many people that it was becoming claustrophobic. Felix was currently playing beer pong with a group of his friends, Heather attached at his hip, whilst Oli was sitting on the kitchen countertop eating cold lasagne. The boy was like chuffing Garfield. Belle was doing her best to keep calm, but as the night progressed it started to become worse and worse as it got harder to control.
As Belle turned to leave the kitchen, her brother clearly not listening to her, she bumped into someone. Kyle. Fucking Kyle. The guy who had obsessed over her to the point where Harry was seriously considering getting a restraining order on him to protect his daughter. He was a straight A creep and Belle hadn’t even realised he’d been invited to this party. Then again, over half of these people had most definitely not been invited.
“Oh hey Isabelle.” He stressed her whole name, knowing how much she hated it. Well, she didn’t hate her name she just hated him saying her name.
“Go away Kyle.”
“But I just got here.”
“And now you can just leave. Party’s ending anyways.” Belle stood her ground, but her hands were shaking from being even remotely close to this guy. He was disgusting to the point where if you were stuck between having to choose between being with him or eating mouldy cheese, you’d eat the cheese on a fucking silver platter.
“Looks quite alive to me.”
“Well i’m shutting it down and you’re going to leave. Now.”
“You need to liven up Belle.” Kyle chuckled through his nose, making him look scary as he towered over Belle, “let me help you.” He leaned forwards to grab her arm but she was quick to push him away.
“No! Leave me alone!” Belle shouted, trying to dodge around him but he was quicker. He grabbed her arm tight and pulled her back to him, chest touching chest. “Get off me Kyle.” Belle squirmed in his hold, which only made Kyle happier - the creep.
“C’mon Bella, live a little.”
“My name’s not Bella and I told you to get the fuck off of me.” Belle pulled back with all her might, whilst kicking him square in the balls - probably hard enough so he’ll never be able to have children - and then drove her knee up to crack his nose - successfully. Damn, that felt good. Heavily badass, actually.
“You fucking psycho!” Kyle held his nose and his balls in pain, straightening himself up as if to launch himself with fury at Belle. Luckily for her the outburst between the pair had caught attention of people - including Oli and Felix.
Oli was quick to step in front of Kyle, Felix just behind him. “You dare lay a fucking finger on my sister and I swear to you you’ll regret it.” Oli threatened, fists curled tight at his sides.
Heather came to hug Belle, comforting as she cried through the after shock of the situation. She’d been so brave and handled herself so well though. “You okay?” She kindly asked.
“Y-yeah.” No.
Everyone was now watching. The music had been muted to the point where you could tell it was playing but you couldn’t tell which song it was. Friends of Oli and Felix were standing close by in case things got messy, which normally only happened between the two brothers and not this way. Doors could be heard opening and shutting as people came in and out from places to watch the debacle occur between the hosts of the party and the unwelcome visitor. Oli and Felix knew they had to be careful though, because one wrong video and it could badly effect their dad’s career. Belle shook in Heathers arms and wished this nightmare of an evening to be over.
“Oh the whore’s not worth it anyways.” Kyle laughed, rolling his eyes as he pointed towards Belle.
“The fuck did you just call my daughter?”
Oh fucking shit balls.
“Dad?” Belle asked warily, seeing his dad stood in the doorway of the front door, her mum standing close behind him with her hand tightly clutched to his. As much as Belle was terrified that her parents had busted them, she also felt safe in their presence.
“Oh and here comes perfect-dad-of-the-year Harry Styles to the rescue.” Kyle teased which made Felix move forward in protest of his words.
“Fix.” Harry sternly called his name, making his son stop and look towards his dad who was shaking his head with a soft smile. Harry walked over towards Belle first, you still clutched tightly to him. “You alright?” He asked sincerely, not looking cross or disappointed at all. Belle nodded quickly and kept her head pressed to Heather’s chest. Harry turned to see his boys, raising his eyebrows to wordlessly ask them the same question to which they nodded too.
Harry dropped your hand, leaving you to stand with your sons, and left your forehead with a kiss before making his way to Kyle. “You okay boys?” You asked again, even though you knew Harry just asked.
“Yeah. Are you mum?” Oli asked, coming to wrap his arm around his mums neck to comfort her. He was so kind and thoughtful, just like his dad.
“Listen up, Kyle.” Harry started, keeping a good distance between him and the boy, “If you ever come near my family again i’m ordering a restraining order. That’s not a threat, it’s a promise. If you break that order you’ll be going to jail. Big league jail too. Again not a threat, a promise. So you’re going to leave my house, this property in its’ entirety and go home to sit in your room and think about whether you would prefer to be in a prison cell instead. Do you understand?”
Okay, you’d be lying if you said his authority didn’t turn you on.
“Y-yeah.” Kyle mumbled pathetically.
“I said do you understand?” Harry repeated again, clearly not satisfied with the answer given.
“Yes Mr Styles.” Kyle said more surely, before scramming from the house, from the party and from the neighbourhood.
“Now everyone out of my house before I call the police.” Everyone knew how that was not an empty threat and dashed out of his house. Some looked at him in awe, because this was probably their once and only chance of being in the presence of the Harry Styles. He sighed as he walked to the kitchen, leaning against the kitchen counter to think.
“Should we—” Belle started to talk but you cut her off.
“No, hunny. Let me go talk to your dad. You lot,” referring to your children and girlfriends who’d kindly stayed behind in support, “can go fetch some bin liners and start cleaning this all up.” You pointed around to the mess that was your house, before walking off to the kitchen.
You looked around at the mess. A broken vase. Litter everywhere. Half-drunken drinks left on the table. Bottle openers you definitely didn’t own before tonight. Trousers? You couldn’t help but giggle at the surrounding sight.
“What’s got you laughing?” Harry asked, still in his fancy shoes and fancy coat, you still in your fancy heels and your fancy coat. Yet, you were both standing in what looks like a garbage dump site. Harry moved his hand away from his face and looked at you with a blank expression.
“You were right!” You laughed.
“Your reaction as if that’s a bloody miracle, love, which kind of an ego crush, but continue.” He rolled his eyes and you rolled yours in response. You clicked your way over to him and wrapped your arms around his waist, he kept his wrapped around his own obviously still closing himself off.
“Our kids are being reckless and crazy.” You recalled dinners earlier conversation, smiling up at him in admiration.
“I didn’t actually mean it, it was just a quick way to make you feel better.” He groaned in frustration.
“Well gee thanks babe!” You laughed at the whole irony of this situation. “Harry, babe, look at me,” you had to used your hand to turn his cheek to face you, stroking his cheek to calm him, “adulthood - parenthood - doesn’t define the choices we have to make. We do. And our children, apart from that last little bit, seemed like they had the most freeing and most brilliant night yet! Let them be reckless H. Let them make mistakes. Just because this happened doesn’t make us bad parents, and it doesn’t make us bad parents if we decide no punishment—”
“Ha like that’s going to happen!” Harry cut you off and you glared at him to just shut up.
“Just shut up, you oaf. Let the kids live while they’re young.”
“You did not just reference one of my songs.” Harry looked to the ceiling as he smiled widely, before shortly laughing at how cheesy that was. “Oh my god Y/N!”
“What? Was is that bad?”
“Yes, babe. Yeah it really was.” He looked back down at you to see you smiling and he couldn’t help but cup your cheeks and kiss you silly. His perfect lips fit yours and you tasted him until you couldn’t breathe. “I love you.”
“I love you. Now go help clean up.” You ordered him, making him look at you confused.
“What the hell have I done to deserve this?”
“You booked the hotel for next weekend instead of this weekend you div. Now go.” You smacked his backside and he strolled back over to you and pushed you into the counter. You gasped at the sudden motion.
“Do that again and let’s see what happens.” He whispered dangerously against your lips.
“Go clean up and then see what’s waiting in our bedroom.” You bit your lip and tugged Harry’s hand to under your dress, giving him only a slight feel of how wet you were before letting his hand go and walking away.
“Kids, hand me a bloody bin bag. Now!”
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dany-is-my-queen · 3 years
Text
Born To Be Yours | Part Xl
Sansa Stark x Fem! Baratheon! Reader (Daenerys Targaryen x Fem! Baratheon! Reader eventually) 
Season 1-8
Word Count: 1,375
Note: Hey guys!! It’s been a year since I started this series and I was really excited to continue, I really was. But months flew by and my life began to take a different course, now, I can’t make promises that I’ll be uploading soon again, though I will try if I have time to spare and my imagination cooperates :) Hope you enjoy this chapter! And thank you all for your patience, it’ll be rewarded!
Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7 Pt.8 Pt.9 Pt.10
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Months have flew by way too fast. And now you were feeling more confident around the northern lady and your family. You’d keep her from any harm they would try to inflict on her no matter the consequences, yet you were cautions cause Joffrey was still so damn annoying. Though since Margaery arrived to the capital she has been keeping him rather distracted.
“Because the truth is always either terrible or boring.”
“Am I boring?” You approached Sansa from behind, daintily kissing her cheek.
“Not at all.” She answered with a broad simper.
“You shouldn’t be too obvious in plain sight.” Shae subtly advised.
“You are right. We should be more careful.” You peered up to see if the guards were staring your way, when you confirmed they were not you stole a kiss on her silky lips. She giggled.
“Have a lovely day. I’ll meet you later. My grandfather requested my presence.” It was true... Tywin wanted to speak privately with you, and you sort of imagined why.
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
“My ladies.” You winked playfully at Sansa before walking away.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Shae asked Sansa well knowing the answer to her own question.
“She is perfect.” She let out a love sigh.
“You trust her?”
“The princess has always treated me with respect. I always dreamed with a handsome knight or a sweet prince, then I met her and she is far more better than any of that.” Sansa confessed.
“She seems to be a good girl.” Lord Baelish approached the two women.
“Lovely day for it. May I speak with lady Sansa alone for a moment?” Shae stood up and walked back to Ros.
“I saw your mother not long ago. She’s very eager to see you. And your sister.” He commented.
“Arya’s alive?”
“Oh yes. Indeed she is. But... I’ve noticed you’ve grown quite attached to princess Y/N.” He chose carefully his words.
“I have. She is and extraordinary friend.” Sansa added. “I’m very lucky to be her friend.”
“You are. I’m waiting for word on an assignment that will take me far away from the capital. When I set sail, I might be able to bring you with me. But you’d need to be ready to leave on a moment’s notice.” Sansa widen her eyes. She didn’t really want to leave now... did she? After all she knew she’ll never be truly free here.
“I... I’m not sure if that’s a wise idea, Lord Baelish.” She conflicted admitted.
“And why’s that? Other than the risks it involves of course.”
“Well, as I said before, King’s Landing is my home now. It has good things despite the corruption.” Only Y/N, she thought.
“All right then. The offer stands, my lady. Keep it in mind.” He turned around to leave Sansa wondering if she’d abandon you to return home or staying here by your side.
“You are glowing, granddaughter of mine.”
Tywin was jotting down something with a quill. “Is there a boy already?” It sounded more like a statement rather than a question. You tried not blush as Sansa’s picture coming to your mind.
“Mmm... no. There is not a... boy.” You concluded kinda nervous.
“If there is not then you should be looking for a suitable swain. I reckon you have many admirers waiting to receive your attention.” He said with a serious tone. Does he really mind? Of course he does. He wants to get a hold of another loyalty for House Lannister. “Many lords would give their whole lands to marry you. And we might need that.”
“But that’s not what I need.” You responded nonchalantly. It was true. All you truly needed and longed for was the love of someone who valued you. And you already found that in a northern lass. You knew he disapprove entirely your “reckless” choices, same as your mother. You’d fight back and won’t allow them to throw you into some random man’s arms.
You stepped inside Joffrey’s dining table. You always enjoyed to hang with the Tyrell siblings, but now that she’s engaged to your brother... you wonder how she’s been managing to handle him. After all, she’s one of the cleverest persons you know.
“Margaery does a great deal of work with the poor back in Hightgarden. I’ve heard Y/N do charity for the poor here as well.” Loras commented. You nodded. The soon to be queen smiled softly your way.
“The lowest among us are no different from the highest if you give them a chance and approach them with an open heart.” You mirrored her act.
“An open heart is what you’ll get in Flee Bottom if you’re not careful, my dear. Not long ago, we were attached by a mob there. We had a full complement of guards that didn’t stop them. The king barely escaped his life.” You hid your smirk.
“My mother’s always had a penchant for drama. Facts become less and less important to her as she grows older. Our lives were never truly in danger.” You rolled your eyes at his lies.
“Oh but they were. You didn’t even care about sending the guards to get lady Sansa back to the Keep. A king is supposed to ensure the safety of all the ones that are in need. You seem to keep failing on that, big brother.” You sensed his furious glare upon you.
“Who cares about her anyway.” You clenched your jaw tightly. Loras and Margaery keep their eyes on their dinner.
There was an awkward pause as the main course was brought to the table. The rest of the evening was all about the same. Joffrey flaunting about his “bravery” and Cersei flattering him all along. Margaery showing off a wide smile at his non sense.
~~~~~~
You strolled to your room exhausted after training with the bow and horse-riding with little Tommen. Before that you decided to pay a visit to Sansa’s chambers. You knocked the door twice and she beamed with delight.
“I hope it isn’t too late to stop by.”
“No, I was about to get under the sheets. Perhaps you can join me?” She suggested with a gaily grin. You chuckled. Seeing Sansa being so... awfully bold was so nice and pure. Being around you made her forget about the fact she’s a prisoner. It didn’t matter as much when you were together.
“I’d love that.” You entered the room, holding her by the waist and leading both of you to the bed.
“How was your day then?” You smoothly asked. She tossed to be face to face with you.
“Actually, it was wonderful! Ser Loras escorted me to the gardens with Lady Margaery and Lady Olenna. They were very kind to me. We had lunch together and chatted for a while.”
“That sounds lovely, my lady. I’ve always consider Lady Olenna as the grandmother I never had. She knows me since I was a baby. Now that they are here I’ve been reminiscing about the good old days when we wouldn’t stop joshing Loras about me beating him on a single duel. We were so young back then... I’ll always hold dear those moments. He may be moody and brash at times, still, he is complete gentleman. Water’s sometimes thicker than blood. That’s for sure.” The Tyrells were your second family, they welcomed you with open arms and never once judge you. Unlike your own blood, with exceptions of course.
“Back in Winterfell I was so focused on learning how to properly be a lady and all that, that I missed many things... I should’ve been closer to Robb, Arya, even Jon. I was mean.” Sansa’s voice cracked.
“Don’t lose faith, Sansa. I know it’s too much to ask for but life takes unexpected turns.” You brushed one of her ginger locks with your right hand.
“I found a new home.” She whispered lightly. “Not Kings Landing. Not this castle. You.” She unhurriedly closed her crystal eyes. Your heart was at her mercy, that was a fact. You caressed gently her cheek and sealed the night with the most tender kiss anyone could dream of.
“You are my home too, my love.” You breathed against her lips.
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nejibaby · 3 years
Text
Burn
Pairing: Portgas D. Ace x Reader
Summary: For Ace you’d do anything; even set yourself on fire if it meant he’d be safe, happy, and most importantly, alive.
The Sun - Part 2
Word Count: 2.4k
A/N: I’ve finished this and it has finished me. That’s all I wanted to say. 🤐 Jk... English isn’t my first language and I haven’t proofread this so I’m sorry if there’s grammatical errors and typographical errors. Also, I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this 🥺✌🏼
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There’s something about Ace that makes you so attracted to him. You couldn’t really pinpoint what it is. You aren’t sure if it’s his boyish smile, cocky smirk, lovely freckles, lean figure, easygoing and carefree attitude, the generous compliments he gives, or all of the above.
The dynamic between the two of you is almost like how a moth is attracted to a flame. But then again, Ace isn’t merely a flame. He’s more likely the sun — bright, warm, and all-consuming.
However, you can only ever get so close to the sun before you actually burn.
It was only in hindsight that you realize you should’ve kept your distance with Ace.
Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten through all the trouble of fighting against the bandits that started a brawl with the Spade Pirates at your hometown. Maybe you shouldn’t have fallen for Ace’s compliments on your skills on using knives as weapons. Maybe you shouldn’t have accommodated his curiosity on how to wield it. Maybe you shouldn’t have held his hand as you tried to show him the proper way of handling the knife. Because quite frankly, that one touch had sparked something in you. And it was that touch that started this whole mess — the mess of falling truly, madly, deeply in love with Portgas D. Ace.
But Ace only sees you as a crewmate of the Spade Pirates and later on as a subordinate when he became the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Unfortunately, you know that’s all you’ll ever be.
You can tell that Ace has no interest in falling in love — at least not yet; not until he achieves his goal. And you hate to admit it, but even after all the years you spend following him, you still have no idea what his true goal is. You aren’t even sure if you’ll ever find it out. Because unlike you, Ace knows how to keep a safe distance from people.
There’s only one time that Ace allowed himself to blur the lines of friendship, and it was when you were both too drunk after celebrating a successful mission together. Somehow in the middle of your conversation, in a drunken haze, he leaned into you and kissed you on the lips. And as expected of you, you kissed him back with equal fervor.
That night, you have learned that fire is quite a fitting power for Ace. If his lips were fire, then your blood was gasoline. His kiss ignited everything in you until you’re fully consumed by him.
The next day came by way too quickly, but… he had no memory of what had transpired, and you wished it was the same with you. It would’ve been easier to live in blissful ignorance, but instead of that, you’re left to treat the burns that Ace unknowingly left in his wake — not physically, of course, he would never hurt you that way, but it doesn’t exactly hurt any less.
No matter how hurt you’ve been that night, you didn’t really stay away from Ace. You’re just so stubborn and unrelenting that you continue to tredge the line that Ace has so clearly drawn.
And it’s because of that attitude that you have taken it upon yourself to find Ace and stop him searching for Teach. Marco couldn’t stop him, maybe even Deuce wouldn’t, but you might be able to, because you aren’t afraid to burn, at least not any more than you already have. And this makes all the difference between you and Ace’s friends, although he has yet to realize that.
You find Ace in Mock Town. He’s walking the street with his back to you.
There’s no doubt that you’re extremely worried about him but with how long you traveled just to get to him, you have started to feel angry because of his reckless actions.
So instead of calling out his name to get his attention, you grab one of the daggers strapped to your legs and throw it at him. With Ace’s logia-type power, it only goes through him. Ace doesn’t even stop walking.
Since his back is facing you, you couldn’t tell what type of look he has on his face, although you’re willing to bet your life that he has an arrogant smirk on his face. You’re tempted to throw another dagger at him and use your haki, but that would be too much; your intent is to get his attention, not to hurt him, no matter how annoying he can be.
The dagger lands a few feet away from Ace and he walks up to grab it. He tenses a bit after he crouches down and picks it up. You know he recognizes the unique handle of the weapon. Before you know it, he turns his body around to find you, sporting that awfully breathtaking smile that makes you go crazy.
For a moment your anger dissipates while your heart stutters across your chest. You wonder, “Why does the sun still bother rising when Ace obviously shines so much brighter?”
But your thoughts are cut off when all of a sudden you’re tackled into a hug by Ace. Your mind automatically goes blank.
You have no problem with skinship and Ace doesn’t mind too, but a hug certainly isn’t how the both of you greet each other.
The hug is short lived as Ace pulls away before you can even wrap your arms around him. He then proceeds to throw his arm over your shoulder. He starts walking with you across the town, the grin on his face never leaving. “Ya know, I just saw my brother a while back in Alabasta!” He happily tells you.
You’re happy for Ace, you really are, but you have to admit that you’re a tad bit disappointed. You’re disappointed that his excitement isn’t because of you; it’s more like leftover enthusiasm he had after seeing his little brother. But you chase those thoughts away immediately, knowing full well it’s unreasonable for you to expect something like that from Ace.
He continues telling you about his brother and his crew with that proud expression reserved for talks about Luffy. With the way he’s animatedly speaking, you couldn’t help the smile form on your lips. It’s at this moment that you realize that you’d do absolutely anything and everything for Ace to be happy and remain happy.
You’re listening intently as he recounts every single thing that happened during their encounter. By the time he’s done, he turns to you and asks, “Oh, by the way, what’cha doing here?”
You shrug. “I came to get you,” you casually say.
He retracts his arm that’s draped on your shoulder. He drops his smile as well. “No.”
“Stop making a fuss, Commander. Pops wants you back on the ship.”
“I said no. I’m going to find Blackbeard and teach him a lesson.”
You grit your teeth at annoyance while Ace stares you down. Noticing the people listening in on your conversation, you stride to Ace, use your haki to grab his wrist, and then lead him to an abandoned alleyway. The touch immediately quickens your pulse rate, but you don’t let it waver you.
You let go of his wrist once you reach the alleyway. When you turn to face him, you can instantly tell that he’s taken aback by your actions. It’s not often you act like this when things don’t go your way after all.
“Commander, come back to the crew,” you say once again.
“No!” He stubbornly says. You can tell he’s getting angry by the flames that started appearing on his shoulders. “Teach broke the iron rule in the ship! Thatch won’t be able to rest peacefully and Pops—”
“I know, Commander!” You raise your voice. “I know this!”
“Great! Now let me be,” he says as he turns his back to leave.
“Goddammit Ace! Why are you doing this again?!” You exclaimed, clenching your fists in the process. Ace stops in his tracks upon hearing you. He’s surprised that you’ve addressed him by his name. “Why are you so dead-set on carrying the burden alone? Can’t you see how reckless you’re being? You’re diving headfirst into something dangerous!”
“Do you think I’m weak?” He asks, still with his back to you.
“No.”
“Then trust me on this.”
You scoff. “Not everything is a matter of strength.”
Ace pivots his body so he’s facing you and then he leans against the wall. He crosses his arms and gives you a look to continue your speech.
“Has it ever crossed your mind that we want to avenge Thatch as well? I know you two were close since you’re both Commanders, but we were close too!”
“I’m Teach’s Commander, that’s why I have to—”
You don’t listen to him speak, opting to continue what you’re saying. “Thatch was like an older brother to me. But I lost him. I don’t want to lose you too,” you whisper almost inaudibly. “Because I love you…”
Ace freezes at your declaration, but he’s quick to recover and says, “You know I love you too.”
You sigh and look at him in the eyes. Tears are forming in your eyes, making Ace look blurry. “But not in the same way, right?”
Ace goes silent. But his eyes could communicate with you in ways you’d never understand. His eyes never lie, and from them you can clearly see the guilt of not being able to reciprocate your feelings.
Oh, how things change so quickly. Back then, you’d be ecstatic whenever his eyes would land on you. Back then, you’d do anything to keep his eyes on you a little longer. But now, you just wish he stopped looking at you with those eyes.
“I’d die for you,” he says after a while, as if it’s the answer you’re searching for.
This would’ve been such a romantic thing to say for others, but it doesn’t hold the same weight if Ace says this. You know he would risk his life for anyone on the crew, not just you.
“But that’s the thing. I don’t want you to die for me, I want you to live, even if it’s not for me or with me,” you exasperatedly tell him.
Ace’s eyes widen, almost as if you’ve reached something deep inside him with what you’ve just said.
“I knew it from the beginning that you don’t love me the same way, so it’s fine. But that doesn’t matter.”
You try changing the topic in order to shift your focus, “Listen, Commander,  I’m not telling you to sit still and forget about Teach. You said so yourself, you’re his Commander, but you’re my Commander too, along with the rest of the Second Division. And right now, we need you. Hell, even Pops needs you.
“I know Pops won’t let Teach get away with this either, but he knows this isn’t the right time yet. Let’s gather intel first, before doing anything.”
Ace remains silent, obviously thinking about what you’ve just said.
“Does that sound good, Commander?” You ask quietly.
He nods his head slowly.
You hum. “Alright. Now that that’s settled, let’s head on to your Striker.”
The walk back to the port is unusually silent. Ace has one of his hands in his pocket while the other on his hat. You, on the other hand, are staring straight ahead, recounting the conversation that has just happened.
Truthfully, the conversation didn’t go as you planned. You’re certain that convincing Ace would be so much harder. In fact, you’ve readied yourself to pick a fight with him if he didn’t want to go back to the crew.
You’ve prevented the fight from happening at the expense of your stupid confession. And you aren’t sure if it’s for the better or for the worse.
A part of you knows it’s for the better, because this way Ace would be safe. But the pain coursing all throughout your body and the tears that you’re trying so hard to hold back makes you doubt it a little bit.
By the time you both reach the port, you head on straight to your boat and grab the supplies you have already separated for Ace. You throw the sack at him and he catches it with ease.
“You have Marco’s vivre card, right?” You ask.
He nods.
“Good. Just follow that. With the Striker, I’m sure you’ll reach the crew in a week or two.”
“You aren’t coming with me?”
You shake your head. “No. I actually have another mission to do,” you lie. You raise your right hand to point to the town. “Actually I’m heading there right now,” you say as you slowly walk backwards away from Ace. “So, see you in a month, I guess?”
You turn around to head back to the town, but Ace grabs a hold of your hand. “Wait!”
Ace isn’t using his powers, but why does his touch burn?
You look back at him, but your eyes refuse to meet his, so instead, you stare at the knife safely strapped on his hips. It’s the knife you originally owned but you have given it to him as a sign of your loyalty when he became your captain.
He removes his hold on you.
“What?” You ask.
“I can help you with it and we’ll—”
“No, don’t,” you sharply say.
Ace flinches at your tone.
You internally scold yourself for your hostility. Ace doesn’t deserve this. It isn’t his fault he doesn’t like you the same way. You sigh, “I’m sorry. I’ll just… see you off first before I go do this mission.”
You don’t leave any option for him so he has no choice but to comply. You can only watch in silence as Ace prepares to leave.
The truth is that you don’t have any mission aside from bringing Ace back to the crew. But you know Ace, you know that he’s not going to be able to stop thinking about Blackbeard and his deed. He won’t ever be able to rest properly and peacefully if no one’s going to continue this search. So for once, you’re shouldering this task for him.
It’s a dangerous mission, you’re aware. Espionage isn’t exactly what you’re best at. But for Ace you’d do this. For him, you’d set yourself on fire if it meant keeping him safe. For Ace you’d even die as long as he lived.
Once he has safely boarded on his raft, you both bid each other goodbyes. Even if you’re determined to get back to him, somehow it feels like this goodbye is going to be the last. And yet, you watch him go along with the sun.
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orange-plum · 3 years
Text
So I was commissioned by @andrastesassets to write about the scene in “Satan and Me” where Satan gives his wings away for Natalie, but from his POV. This was kinda a big turning point as a wake-up call in the series for him, as you’re probably aware if you’ve read past that point and seen him be more open with his feelings and such. Anyway, it was a fun little thing to explore (yes, this is canon thoughts of his). I never expected to be commissioned to explore deeper into a canon of my stories that hasn’t been put into words before with the images alone of the updates, but I’m def open to that in the future!
Without further ado, here you go.
The looming presence behind him paled in comparison to the disorienting lurch his stomach gave as he kneeled on the unwelcoming cement floor. Keeping his gaze down, concentrating on the little tremors of his arms holding him upright, Satan struggled to properly see through the fog of stress clouding his mind. Clouding his judgement.
Fuck, this wasn’t the right thing to do, was it? Was he being too hasty? Should he spring up and sprint out the door before he followed through with something he couldn’t come back from? This was definitely one of his more impulsive and reckless decisions he’d ever committed to. Nothing could truly be worth this kind of –
Satan’s hand twitched, starting to rise as nerves got the best of him, when a blur of orange and maroon hovered on the edge of his peripheral. For a brief moment, he found himself vaguely wondering what the smudge of color was in the expanse of drab brown walls and muted trim. 
Reality came crashing against him like an unforgiving tide for what seemed like the tenth time this morning. Sweat gathered at the base of his neck and he swallowed.
Satan returned his palm flat against the cement, locking his joints and muscles into place so that he would not stand up. His stomach did another discombobulated lurch.
Right. This was for Natalie. Natalie, who had no right looking so gray, Father, she was like a corpse.
She is a corpse! His mind howled the confirmation at him, leaving his breaths shallow in his welling panic.
Yes, that was true. It had been true for hours now, yet, somehow, the complete depth of what that really entailed eluded him in his denial. How could she be dead when she had talked to him only moments ago? Human’s lives had always felt fleeting, but had any ever felt quite this temporary before? 
Less than a year they had been together . . . How had she burrowed this deeply under his skin? When? Satan tried to conjure a memory to pinpoint the exact moment Natalie had become a constant in his life as he bore his back to Death and Pestilence. In the end, it was fruitless. Between his ears remained endless static.
The tension in the air was suffocating. His arms trembled, but he kept his jaw clenched.
He would give them no further satisfaction when taking the last bit of value he still possessed of his former self. They would not see him fall apart at their feet. That could come later, when left in the privacy of this cold, dreary room, where he could lick his wounds and recover in peace.
He was still Lucifer, the Morning Star and omen of destruction to all who opposed him, wings or not.
But, fuck . . . Father, he would prefer to keep his wings.
Somehow, boneless and lightheaded from the trauma of the morning, Satan noticed, with a small sense of intrigue, that his back actually felt heavier now that it was empty. How was that possible? 
The long gashes where the trunks had been swiftly carved open spewed boiling trails of lava down his skin, soaking into the hem of his robe and pooling Great Lakes onto the floor. Energy had left in his limbs the moment the numbing kiss of Death’s blade breached his muscles.
On wobbling legs, Satan rose in his shock and joined Natalie at her side. He carefully reached toward her, gliding the tips of his fingers against her ashen cheek, almost afraid to touch, because she looked exactly the same. What the hell? She looked no different than when she had been splayed out like a weathered ragdoll amongst her bedsheets at sunrise, goddamnit. 
Before he could garner enough strength to turn on his company and spew venom and vitriol from his lips, Satan froze. Warmth wafted over his fingers under her nose as he lowered his hand. Closer inspection revealed the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The nauseating cramping in his stomach abated so suddenly, he almost keeled over right then and there.
“Give it a few minutes,” Death commented over his shoulder, as if reading his mind. There was no longer a smile in his voice, his face a neutral mask as Satan glanced at him with gritted teeth, the sight of his former pride being folded up and collected like loose laundry too much to bear. “It takes a little while for a soul to acclimate into their body after death. I assure you, her color and liveliness will rekindle when she wakes up.”
Through the haze, Satan vaguely realized he must’ve been making some type of suspicious face when Death suddenly snorted and shook his head, his eyes gleaming. “For all we’ve been acquainted, Lucifer, you should know I’m not one to break my word. Give my regards to little Natalie when she rejoins the land of the living, won’t you. As always, it’s been a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you and your brother again when the time comes for your big day.”
With the room empty, peppered only with the soft sounds of Natalie’s breaths and the distant echoes of Death’s laughter down the desolate hallway, the elephant in the room was no longer avoidable. Satan slumped against a wall, transfixed by the rise and fall of the chest beside him. Even more so as the rosiness began to fill Natalie’s cheeks the longer she breathed life into her form.
His previous adrenaline had left him a hollow puppet, now that there was no longer the turbulent cocktail of anxiety and doubt weighing on his shoulders. Satan allowed himself to drift to the floor, lying beside the only person he had ever met who had compelled him to do something so utterly foolish. Jesus, her daredevil stunts to ground him at his lowest points seemed to have rubbed off on him, and likely not for the better.
Satan’s wounds throbbed at the edges, a constant reminder of the magnitude of what he had just done.
Don’t think about it, his mind lethargically reminded. What’s done is done, so don’t start regretting it now.
“Prophecy child, huh . . . ” Satan muttered, his arm leveraged under his head like a makeshift pillow. The light cascading through the windows almost seemed to light up Natalie’s hair in its luminescence. Amongst the carnage splattered around them from his sacrifice, she was ethereal and without blemish.
He had found out about the Child of Prophecy by chance, becoming enraged at the notion of being kept in the dark so late in the game. Natalie’s existence had changed from an everyday annoyance to one of unbearable burden.
She had the power to sway him? To sway his empire and everything he worked for? A being like that, who would steal his autonomy or cast him spellbound, was too dangerous to fraternize with. There was just too much on the line to risk throwing away for some goofy, loud-mouthed human without an ounce of self-preservation.
And so Satan had done the only logical thing he could think of at the time: He ran away, leaving her with that pitiful, crumpled face as he rejected her in that inconsequential Oregon town. The less time he spent with her, the better off he’d be.
Only . . . That had not played out as he’d hoped. Watching Natalie disappear over the side of a bridge had been like a bolt of electricity coursing through his body. That she would see him as the monster that he was, a grotesque monstrosity that even Michael had recoiled from, and attempt to help him, regardless? Well . . . Perhaps there was more to Natalie McAllister than he had originally considered. He’d cradled her close and winced while he repaid her kindness by accidentally boiling her alive.
Oregon was a wake-up call.
Natalie had piqued his curiosity, her smiling reassurance that she didn’t befriend monsters jumpstarting the heart in his chest that he had presumed stopped functioning centuries ago. Not only that, but he had no way of knowing he would soon find out that running toward the very man attacking her and her cowardly little friend, despite the blatant terror in her eyes, was only the tip of the iceberg.
“Oh,” Satan muttered, something foreign flooding into his chest, emotion catching in his throat as he stared at Natalie’s slumbering form.
Silencing Hell for him at the cost of her soul . . . 
Calling him her guardian angel. Crying, not for fear of Hell, but for fear of being separated from his company . . . 
As much as he wanted to deny it, the fondness in Natalie’s eyes as she smiled at him was undoubtedly genuine. She really did seem to look at him like he hung the stars above her head.
“I love you, Lucifer. I’m glad I got to meet someone like you.”
Satan trembled, unable to properly sort through the sensations overflowing from his chest as Natalie’s eyelashes began to flutter. Champagne bubbles tickled his stomach, and though not required to breathe to live, he felt so remarkably breathless at once.
So that’s what this is, Satan distantly thought, watching pale eyelashes finally parting to reveal a cognizant gaze, blinking against the trickle of sunlight warming her cheeks. When meeting Natalie’s eyes, he couldn’t keep the smile of relief from his face.
Satan understood that he had never experienced this before, but he somehow knew what to latch onto in his jumbled mind with unquestionable conviction.
I love her.
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inkandpen22 · 3 years
Text
Permanent Chaos (5/?)
Pairing: MGK x Female!Reader
Word Count: 2.4k
Warnings: none
Part Summary: Colson and Y/N talk over coffee and Colson shows her a hint of what it’s like to be a part of his world. 
Masterlist
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The Starbucks in the courtyard has since emptied out with everyone having to return to work after their breaks. Colson and I are two of the only remaining people inside. My hands are wrapped around cup, it’s nice and warm. I had to remove the lid to cool down the substance. We’ve been going back and forth, sharing facts about ourselves. 
"Have you always wanted to be an actress?” 
Studying the dark brown drink in my cup I recall memories from before I moved here.“No, in all honesty. I never saw myself as an actress.” 
He doesn’t try to hide his surprise. His stunned reaction makes me giggle. 
"If you don’t mind me asking, why do you do it then?” 
I sway my head from side to side. “It sorta just worked out. I was out shopping with my mom one day when I was in high school. Nicole approached us. She was in town on business and encouraged me to at least visit Los Angeles so we could set up a meeting. The next thing I knew I was in auditions and I got my part on The Seasons of Life a few months later.” 
“Wow,” his brows remain raised as he glances down at his drink. “If you weren’t acting what would you be doing?”
Sitting up straight, I remember what I once thought was my dream life. “First I would go to college and…” I wave my hand, dismissing the thought. 
Colson presses for me to say it. “you’d what? Come on!” He chuckles, grinning brightly. 
Rolling my eyes, I tell him. “I’d go to art school.” I bite my lip timidly. “Yeah... that would be nice.” I pick at the cardboard wrap on the cup. 
There’s a comfortable silence between us until I change the subject. “Enough about me! What about you? If you weren’t a singer, where would be right now?” 
He looks over in the distance, almost envisioning where his life would be. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he shrugs but is pleased, “I’ve always loved music. Being in music allows me to do what I love.” 
I nod, almost impervious of him and his contentment. 
“However,” he adds pointing at me. “If it were up to my parents, I would have some office job probably.” 
"Eh, those jobs are so bland. I vote you stick to concerts," I giggle. 
He laughs and it’s contagious. 
My gaze lands on his arm as he reaches for his coffee. His entire arm is covered in ink. I was taught by my parents to despise tattoos. My mom would say, “why would anyone ever be willing to damage their body like that?” Finn jumped on that bandwagon. Whatever Mom says is considered fact to him. For the longest time, I agreed with them. That is until I met Colson. He was made to have tattoos. 
 I’ve seen many people in this city with tattoos but his aren’t just markings for the body, they’re art. 
“Which one are you interested in?” He questions, watching me as I admire them. 
“All of them,” I mumble, examining each one individually in awe. 
Back where I’m from tattoos are frowned upon quite frankly. When you grow up in a place no different than Pleasantville, that’s what you get. Especially, in South Carolina. 
“Do you have any?” He asks with amusement in his voice. 
I shake my head rapidly, “never in a million years!” Comprehending how he could take my response as an insult I’m quick to explain. “I mean, I would never be allowed.” 
His brows scrunch together. "Never been allowed? You’re an adult. Who’s stopping you?” 
I can’t help but snicker a little. If only it was as simple as he makes it sound. “My parents, brother, Nicole, Steph..." 
Colson narrows his eyes at me as he leans forward in his chair. “You’re your own person. You should be able to make your own decisions.” His argument is lacking and quite frankly too optimistic. 
“It’s complicated…” My eyes fall onto my fingers picking at the cardboard rim of my coffee cup. 
“If you say so… except all of them are keeping you from expressing yourself.” 
I roll my eyes as my lips form a smirk. It’s unbelievable, he makes everything sound so black and white. “You’ll never understand,” I conclude. 
“I understand more than you think.” 
Lifting my eyes up, he stares at me with a sincere expression. 
“Prove it,” I challenge him. 
Based on the change of his features, I have given him exactly what he wants.
"If you say so, Princess," he chuckles, rising from his chair. I stare at him in confusion and he offers me his hand. "You coming?" 
I smirk, slipping my hand into his. He grins and bites down on his lower lip. I'm going to regret this. 
_______________________________________________
Driving around with a guy I’m only acquainted to is completely unlike me. Everyone who knows me would be beyond freaked out at the current scene. It's kind of riveting. 
“We’ve been driving for almost an hour," I snicker. 
“It’ll be worth it, trust me!” 
“Where exactly are we going?” 
“The mystery is half the fun!” Colson enjoys the antics. 
I reach forward and change the radio station. Yungblud's "Parents" plays and I leave it. "Love this song," I mumble to myself. 
Colson glances over me, evidently surprised. "You know Dom's music?" 
"What? Just because you view me as a 'goody-two-shoes' doesn't mean I live under a rock." I giggle and hold my finger for him to wait a second. He chuckles. I begin to rap the lyrics from memory. "Yeah, the teacher fucked the preacher. But then he had to leave her. Had to wash away the sins of a male cheerleader. Hi, nice to meet ya, got nothing to believe in. So let me know when my breathing stops!" 
Colson turns up the volume to blasting and we then shout the chores together. I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to drive with the windows down, blasting music, and acting my age. I’ve forgotten what’s it like to just be a young girl, not working all the time. 
Once the song fades out, he turns down the volume. 
"So, she can rap too!" Colson looks at me, rather impressed. 
I dismiss his compliment with a wave of my hand. "Only if I've listened to a song a dozen times." 
"Not gonna lie, that was hot," he chuckles. 
Warmth rushes to my cheeks and I struggle not to smile. My head rests against the window as I watch the ocean become a blur as we drive down the PCH. 
_______________________________________
Colson drives down the road until there’s a dead end. To my surprise and then confusion, he parks the car. 
“We’re here!" He announces before jumping out of the car. 
There’s nothing here. Bushes, sad-looking trees, and dirt. I watch as he walks over to a clearing between some bushes. 
He peers over his shoulder. “You coming?” 
I take a deep breath and swing open the door. Following him to wherever we are, I spot a sign. 
                                   No Trespassing! 
“Hey Colson, that sign said no trespassing. We should go back.” 
He doesn’t even slow down as he walks down a weak path. “I’ve seen it, they never do anything.” 
With every passing moment, this road trip becomes more and more out of my comfort zone. Nicole and my entire team for that matter have guided me to prefer the indoors these past few years. I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day outside in nature or not following a schedule. 
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel when the brush ends and the path opens up to a clearing. The sound of waves hitting the cliff before us echoes throughout the area. 
I cautiously step closer to the edge and look down to the bottom. “Wow!” I say to myself breathlessly. 
Colson peers down to the shoreline beside me. He then suddenly removes his jacket and moves on to his shirt. 
My jaw drops and I quickly direct my attention to the coastline far from him. I bring my hand to the side of my face shyly, blocking my sight of him undressing. “What the hell are you doing?” 
He chuckles behind me. I’m glad he can find so much amusement in my discomfort. “Cliff diving!” He says a matter of factly. 
“What! No you couldn’t! It’s illegal in these parts! You could get killed!” 
“Or, I’ll jump, have loads of fun and do it again!” He debates. 
I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. “Fine, you live out your death wish. I won’t be participating!” Whipping around and avoiding even sharing a short glance with him, I stomp toward the direction we came. 
He drops his shirt on top of his jacket in the grass and jogs to catch up to me. He squeezes my shoulder, using the other hand to plea with me. I whip my head around to face him. That's when I notice his tattoo-covered chest. 
“Oh let’s do it, Princess!" He encourages. "It’ll be thrilling! An adventure! Reckless! Something different!” 
Did he just call me Princess? No one has ever called me that and he has twice now. 
Colson takes my hand into both of his and I’m thrown off by the action.  “Be spontaneous with me,” he requests softly. 
Currently, I’m debating with myself. The youthful part of me is screaming ‘hell yes! Let’s do this!’ The businesswoman part of me is wiser than to take such a risk. I check over at the edge again. My willingness to do such a rebellious action is new to me. There’s no one here to see us. Paparazzi isn’t around to take pictures. Perhaps the cause of my newfound bravery is because of him. 
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, let’s do it.” 
As if he already knew I would eventually accept, his grin only grows. 
“Well then, I suggest you strip unless you prefer to sit around like a wet dog for the hour ride back.” He winks at me, biting his lower lip. 
In a normal case, I would be insulted by such a forward request but considering where we stand I find it humorous. After thoroughly checking the area for any cameras or strangers, I slip my dress over my head then kick off my wedges. An odd feeling stirs in my stomach and my heart is pounding. My comfort zone is shot to hell. 
Tossing my hair up in a ponytail, Colson scans my appearance. 
“Excuse me Mr. Baker, it’s not nice to stare,” I tease, yanking at my finished ponytail to tighten it. 
Unfazed, he snaps out of it and faces the shore. His hair wisps around in the breeze, falling over his face. The perfect strands are just as light as his eyes. His jawline could cut a diamond. His skin, as smooth as porcelain but covered in various tattoos. 
“Excuse me Miss Voss, it’s not nice to stare,” he repeats my words back to me. 
I snap out of my daze. “Wasn’t staring,” I argue, now turning towards the coast. 
“Nothing to be ashamed of, I know I'm hot.” His lips curve into a loose smirk. 
My time with him is often one big eye roll. I slowly approach the edge of the cliff, peering over. 
“Nervous?” He checks, looking down at the water for himself. 
“Nope." I lie. 
“Scared?” 
“No.” 
“Have you jumped from a cliff before?” 
I exhale deeply. “No.” 
He shifts his body to face me and I flicker my eyes to the side to meet his gaze. 
“And you’re not afraid?” He checks. 
“Not at all,” I admit without hesitation. 
He snickers, whether it be because he’s impressed or he doesn’t believe me. “How come?” 
I shrug, a brief hum for an answer escaping me. “The unknown doesn’t scare me, only challenges me… and I love a challenge,” I wink with a sly grin. 
His warm hand interlocks with mine and I nearly yank mine away yet because of the non-threatening look in his eyes, I stay. In fact, a part of me likes the feeling of his large hand in mine. It makes me feel safer than I have in quite some time. 
“On three” he exhales, staring off into the distance. 
I nod. 
“One," he counts. “Two...”
I exhale. I can't believe I'm doing this! 
"Three!" Colson shouts. 
I jump. Out of instinct, I squeeze Colson’s hand tighter. My voice travels in a scream as the two of us fall towards the crystal blue surface. He was right, this is such a rush! We torpedo into the water and the cold temperatures engulf me. Colson and I lose touch at some point then I kick to the surface. Wiping the excess water from my face, Colson pops up from under the water in front of me. Somehow even when wet and disheveled his hair still appears effortlessly pristine. 
“Wasn't that a rush!” His arm snakes around my waist. 
A part of me is begging for me to protest but I suppress that part of me. Instead, I rest my arms over his shoulders. He takes the opportunity to guide my legs around his waist. Shading my eyes from the sun with my hand I measure the height of where we jumped. 
Still struggling to catch my breath, I can’t help but smile widely. “It was a one-time opportunity!” 
“That’s up to you to decide!” he argues wittily. 
I lower my hand and his blue eyes see right through me. My eyes flicker down to his lips and impulsively, I slam my lips to his. I'm not sure what comes over me, but I needed to kiss him. Colson wastes no time, bringing a hand behind my head, deepening the kiss. We break apart only to catch our breath. 
“I believe you’ll prove to be a bad influence,” I say lightheartedly but between the lines with the utmost seriousness. 
“That depends on how you look at it,” he argues, his breathing inconstant.
Hungrily, he brings his lips back to mine and I melt into it. Colson is everything that’s bad for me. He’s an indulgence that’s disguising itself as a need. He’s toxic and I’m ignoring the warnings. The warmth of his palm radiates onto my face as he cups it. 
Against my lips, he grins. “You were spontaneous! Always be spontaneous!” His words, nearly sounding like a beg, settle in me. 
His crystal blues eyes stare into mine and I can’t help but be addicted. I'm falling for a fairytale.
________________________________________
Masterlist
Tags:  @canyoubuymetoast​ @bri-3530 @asil1652 @andstilltryingtofindmyself @nadia2021 @olafsidehoe @mgkobsessed @fairywriting101 @ferrell-cat @naylanae-0308 @tonystarkswife10 @alexsa56 @brocksbabyyy @stormrider505 @magnificenthumancopangel @sarcasticfangirlus @lilramencup95beech @missyviolet123 @skeleton-gxrl @glitterybearllamaflap @margaritaville20 @amoresixx @thysagclub​ @hockeybabe87​
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nerdzzone · 3 years
Text
The Aftermath
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Summary: Dealing with the fall out of their first night together isn’t easy for Whitney Taylor or Chris Evans, but given the complicated results of their frivolous activities, it isn’t something they can avoid forever.
Chris Evans x OFC
Part One: Luckless Romance
Note: I was originally going to leave Luckless Romance as a one shot, but I had some requests for a part two. I had it all planned out in my head anyway so I figured I’d write it up to explain more of where our two lovely character’s heads were at!
Please let me know your thoughts! Or if there’s any other parts of their story that you’d like to hear about!
_____
When Chris woke up, the first thing he noticed was the throbbing in his head.
The second thing he noticed was the warm body curled into his side.
His initial reaction to that sensation was confusion, but as the events of the night before quickly came back to him, he was filled with an unignorable sense of dread.
He'd fucked up.
He'd spent a year burying his feelings for her to protect their friendship and all it took was a few drinks and flirtatious remarks for him to risk it all. He cared for her, there was no doubt about that, but he knew she didn't feel the same way. Clearly, she was at least attracted to him, but he'd hazard a guess that her loneliness was the driving factor in why she'd chosen to indulge in the activities they'd partaken in a few hours earlier. She’d had no luck in the dating scene, so she'd settled for him and now, when she woke up, she'd break his heart.
She didn't want him.
She didn't want the life that he could offer.
She'd made it clear that she found the world of Hollywood exhausting when she'd talked about her discontent with living in L.A. and that was a world he couldn't escape from. Plus, his fans had given her a hard enough time when she was just a close friend. If she was to become something more, they would tear her apart. He didn't want that for her and he knew that she didn't want that kind of hassle in her life either.
But he couldn't stand to hear her say it. He never did well with rejection and rejection from this woman - who he knew was absolutely perfect for him - was more than he could handle.
So, after carefully extracting himself from her grasp without waking her, he left.
He felt sleezy and awful not even saying goodbye, but he needed to quiet the noise in his brain before he could face her and he figured she would probably appreciate his absence. He knew firsthand how awkward it was to let down a one night stand the morning after so, really, he was sparing her just as much as he was protecting himself.
The heat outside was stifling already and made Chris realize just how desperate he was for something to quench his thirst. They'd drunk more than he normally did and he was feeling the effects. Perhaps that was why his mind was so fuzzy and unable to process what had happened, but he figured it was a safe bet that he could pin that on his anxiety.
And there were only two people who had much luck soothing him when his mind started racing: his mother and his brother.
He knew his mother would be disappointed in him if he told her what happened. He'd poured his heart out to her several times about the confliction he felt with his feelings for Whitney, he dreaded to think what she would say about him finally doing something about those feelings in such a reckless way and he was definitely too hungover to deal with her reaction to how he'd handled things that morning.
So, that left Scott.
Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the time and cringed. It wasn't even six thirty yet and with it being a Sunday there was a good chance that Scott was in a worse post-inebriated state than he was, but he took a chance and hit 'call'.
It took a few rings, but eventually Scott answered, his voice still groggy from sleep.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Scott," Chris greeted him as he crossed the street. He needed to flag down a cab to get home, but figured the quiet park across from Whitney's apartment was a better place for this conversation. No extra ears listening in. "I fucked up."
"Chris, it's not even seven o'clock in the morning. How badly could you have fucked anything up this early?"
He sounded tired and Chris felt bad, but he needed someone to talk to.
"I slept with Whitney."
There was a moment of silence before Scott let out a cheer.
"Finally!" He practically squealed, but then he paused as he took in what Chris had said. "Wait, how did you fuck up? Did you not use your best moves?"
"What? No, nothing like that," Chris' brow furrowed in annoyance. "I fucked up by sleeping with her at all. She's one of my best friends, Scott, and now that's ruined. It’ll never be the same, if she even wants anything to do with me now."
"Did she not seem happy about it? What did she say when you left?"
"Nothing," Chris admitted. "I left this morning before she woke up."
There was a moment of silence as Scott processed his brother's words.
"Okay, I'm starting to see where you fucked up. You shouldn't have done that."
"No, I fucked up by sleeping with her!"
Chris' tone was snappy and uncalled for, but his headache was getting worse by the minute and he was feeling exasperated enough without Scott's judgment.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Scott sighed. "If you want my honest opinion, I think you're overreacting. You two have always had a 'will they won't they' vibe about you. She's clearly just as interested in you as you are in her."
"Why 'clearly'?" Chris questioned. "She's never acted like she sees me as more than a friend."
"Uh, yes, she has. She blushes and giggles like a schoolgirl every time you compliment her, she practically drools at the sight of you and listens with hearts in her eyes whenever you talk. She's got it just as bad as you do."
"Don't do that," Chris groaned. "Don't put ideas in my head that aren't true."
"It is true. I wouldn't lie to you about that," Scott insisted. "I think this is just your anxiety talking. Go back to her place before she wakes up, hear what she has to say and go from there. She might surprise you."
"I'll think about it," Chris lied, knowing already that he couldn't face going back. "Thanks for answering. I'll let you get back to bed."
"Don't mention it," Scott assured him. "I know you're stressed now, but I'm happy for you. It's about time the two of you came to your senses."
Chris smiled despite his disbelief in what Scott had said. He laughed it off and said his goodbyes before walking towards the nearest road to catch a cab.
He saw Whitney's message a few hours later, but he ignored it. He needed to get his head straight and steel himself for however she chose to let him down before he would be ready to talk to her.
It took days for him to get to the point of acceptance, but she never messaged him again. So, working on the assumption that she was relieved by his silence or didn't care enough to demand any explanations, he got on a plane and headed back to Massachusetts with plans to spend the next few months drowning his sorrows and pushing her from his mind.
-
Three Weeks Later
My period was late.
For the last ten years of my life, my period had arrived with impressive reliability and now, a few weeks after having unprotected sex, my period was late.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. There was no doubt in my mind that I was pregnant.
"It's not that easy to get pregnant," Hannah insisted as we sat in my living room, counting down the minutes until the pregnancy test would be ready. "A lot of people who actually want to get pregnant have to try for months before it happens. It seems super unlikely that you'd get pregnant from a random one night stand."
"Yeah, but it does happen to plenty of women," I pointed out. "And knowing my luck, I would get knocked up by a man who then flees the state without another word."
Hannah winced as I paced in front of her.
"Still haven't heard anything, then?"
"Nope, nothing," I sighed. "I haven't reached out again, but he made himself pretty clear by leaving before I woke up and then ignoring my text."
"I just don't get it. He was so obviously into you. I would have bet money that you two would live happily ever after."
"You did bet money," I reminded her. "I'm still waiting for that thousand dollars you promised me."
"You didn't accept!" She smiled. "I owe you nothing!"
While I didn't really expect her to pay me, I was going to argue the point, but the timer we'd set for the test went off and snapped our focus back to the task at hand.
"Oh god," I groaned. "You read it. I can't deal with this."
Hannah nodded and carefully picked up the little stick before looking up at me with a grin.
"It's negative!"
I felt a wave of relief, but it was quickly replaced with doubt. I felt like I was pregnant. My period was late for the first time in years, I'd had sex without a condom and I was nauseous and my boobs hurt. It seemed too good to be true that it was all some kind of coincidence.
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yeah!" Hannah smiled. "There's two lines!"
Her words hit me like a truck as my stomach dropped.
"Hannah, two lines means positive."
"No, it doesn't," she insisted, reaching for the box. The fall of the smile on her face told me all I needed to know before she even spoke again. "Shit. Sorry, babe. You're pregnant."
I let out a groan as I flopped onto the couch next to her.
"This is a nightmare."
"Shall I get my shotgun?"
I raised an eyebrow at my friend.
"What?"
"For a shotgun wedding?"
I laughed at that suggestion, but shook my head.
"No, I don't want him to be forced into anything."
"Well, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "It doesn't really seem real yet."
"Are you going to tell him?"
I looked down at my still flat stomach and nodded my head.
"Yeah, I'll have to. I know it's still new, but I want to keep it so he'll have to know," I sighed. "If he even answers my calls."
"He will," she assured me. "Or we'll fly out to Boston and you can tell him after I kick his ass."
The image that statement conjured in my mind pulled another laugh from my lips as I felt an overwhelming wave of appreciation for my friend. I knew that no matter what, she was in my corner and that was a comforting thought even in the midst of all the uncertainty that was swirling around me.
"Thanks, Hannah," I smiled. "I really appreciate all your support."
"Of course," she reached out to squeeze my shoulder. "Are you going to call him now?"
"No, I think I'll do it later," I informed her. "I want to wrap my head around it a little bit first."
"That's probably sensible," she agreed as a grin slid onto her face. "Wow, you're gonna have a baby, Whit. I know it's scary, but that's really cool."
"Cool isn't the word that I'd use. Try absolutely terrifying."
My earlier smile was still on my face despite my bleak words as I thought about what she'd said. It was somewhat good news. Definitely worrying, especially given my situation with Chris, but I'd always wanted to have kids so it would have been a lie for me to say that I wasn't at least a little bit intrigued by the idea.
-
When Hannah left my house, about an hour after we read the test, I planned on taking some time to fully comprehend the news before I shared it with Chris. However, almost as soon as I closed the door behind my friend, I remembered the time difference. Chris was three hours ahead of me which meant that even though it was only five o'clock for me, it was already eight o'clock where he was.
I felt the anxiety bubbling in my stomach as soon as I came to that realization because I knew that if I wanted to call him that day, I had to do it right away and if I didn’t call him soon, I was worried I’d lose the nerve.
I took a deep breath and went straight for my phone, dialing his number before I could change my mind, but I was crushed when he didn't answer. I waited a few minutes and then tried again, but still, there was no answer and I let out a growl of frustration as I frantically typed out a text.
Hey. Call me as soon as you can. It's important.
I paced around my apartment, the reality of the situation starting to creep in now that he, once again, seemed to be rejecting me. 
I didn't want to tell him news like this over the phone, but I'd seen the paparazzi pictures of him arriving at the airport in Boston so I knew that I had no other choice. However, if he wasn't even going to answer my calls, I'd have to get the news to him another way. My mind immediately started racing with all the possible ways I might have to break the news to him as the panic of potentially having to do this alone started to rise.
But luckily, all those concerns were irrelevant when my phone lit up with Chris' name on the screen.
"Hey," I answered quickly before he had the chance to change his mind and hang up. "Thanks for calling."
There was a moment of silence before he replied.
"Sure," he kept his tone cool and steady, but there was an underlying tension. "What's up?"
The sound of his voice brought tears to my eyes. This was it. This was the make or break moment and I felt my palms start to sweat as it hit me just how devastated I'd be if it didn't go well.
"I, uh, I don’t really want to tell you this over the phone, but I guess I don’t really have much choice," I started. "I got some news today that you have a right to know."
It seemed obvious to me what I would be hinting at considering our current situation and the silence that followed my words led me to believe that he had a pretty good idea what I was going to say. When he stayed quiet, wordlessly waiting for me to continue, I took a deep breath and dove in.
“I’m pregnant.”
I hadn't thought much about how I was going to tell him, but I figured there was probably a better way than blurting it out that bluntly. I cringed slightly at my harsh delivery as his silence was almost immediately broken and he started spluttering and stuttering, stumbling over his words until he managed to blurt out one clear sentence.
"Is it mine?"
A burst of anger flashed through me at such a suggestion.
"Yes! Oh my God, Chris, of course it's yours!" I insisted. "How many people do you think I've slept with in the last month?"
Maybe he thinks you're a slut, the voice in my head taunted me. Maybe that's why he left without a word.
That thought was enough to get the tears flowing and, when Chris didn’t answer my question, I let out a sob. I covered my mouth to hopefully stifle the sound, but I knew he heard it loud and clear.
"Shit, Whitney," he sighed. "That was a dumb thing to say. You just caught me off guard."
"Well, how do you think I feel?" I hissed. "I'm scared, Chris. What are we going to do?"
This time there was no hesitation before he answered.
"I'll get the first flight out tomorrow morning," he informed me. "We can talk about it then."
"Okay," I sniffled. "I'm sorry."
"No need to be sorry," he assured me. "It's just as much my fault as it is yours."
My emotions were overwhelming me by that point and I stayed quiet, knowing I'd fall apart if I opened my mouth to speak, but Chris didn't let the silence last too long this time.
"Are you, uh, are you gonna keep it?" He asked, sounding heartbreakingly similar to a small child asking his parents if he could keep the stray dog he'd brought home. "It's your call, but I'm behind you one hundred percent."
"I am going to keep it," I told him quietly. "But you only have to be as involved as you want to be."
"I want to be very involved," Chris answered quickly before letting out a sharp laugh. "Fuck, I'm gonna be a dad."
The sound of more laughter floated through the phone after that realization, but I couldn't tell if it was giddy or hysterical.
"You are," I agreed, feeling some relief from his reaction despite how complicated I knew things would be. "But we can talk about it all when you're here. If you really don't mind coming back."
"Not at all, this is important." He assured me. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll text you with the details as soon as I know."
"Okay, thank you."
He insisted that I didn't need to thank him before we quickly wrapped up the conversation.
There was a lot to say and a lot to discuss, but it wasn’t something to be talked about it over the phone. We needed to discuss it in person once we'd both had time to understand exactly what it meant.
And we needed to figure out what the hell we were going to do about us.
-
I thought having almost twenty-four hours to compose my thoughts would make things easier, but as I waited for Chris to get to my apartment I still had a lot of questions and concerns
But I had decided one thing for certain: we were better off as friends.
When we were friends, he didn't ignore my calls. When we were friends, he didn't run out of my apartment without saying goodbye. When we were friends, he hadn't broken my heart because I never gave him the chance. I was frustrated by his behaviour since the night we spent together and it made me angry. When I thought about it too hard, it made my blood boil and I wanted to tear a strip off of him for making me feel so used. When we were friends, I'd never felt more than a hint of annoyance towards him.
So, the only solution as far as I could see, was for us to stay just friends.
That would prevent any more heightened emotions and if we didn't do it that way, I would end up resentful and bitter. I didn't have much experience with children, but even I knew that those feelings would create a very toxic relationship for raising a child.
Which is why, as soon as he stepped into my apartment, I was on the defensive.
"I think we both know that we're better off as friends," I blurted out before the door was even shut behind him. "What happened was a mistake and now we just have to find a way to work together as friends."
Chris looked surprised, which I found surprising, but he recovered quickly and nodded his head. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't bittersweet. I didn't have the energy to argue with him, but part of me was definitely hoping that he'd put up a bit more of a fight.
"Yeah, I think you're right," he agreed after a moment of thought before changing the subject. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," I shrugged. "A bit nauseous and very emotional, but nothing I can't handle so far."
"Good, that's good," Chris smiled. "Have you been to a doctor yet?"
"No, not yet. I have an appointment tomorrow."
"Can I-" Chris paused to clear his throat, looking nervous. "Can I come?"
I felt my heart flutter at the thought of him caring enough to want to come to a doctor's appointment, but I shut those feelings down as fast as they popped up. He cared for the baby, not for me.
"Sure," I nodded. "But it won't be very interesting. I think it's mostly just checking all my basic information so they can keep track and probably some blood tests and vitamin recommendations."
"Doesn't matter," Chris insisted. "I want to be there for it all. We're in this together."
Those words brought more tears to my eyes, but I blinked them back and looked away. In a move that I wasn’t expecting, Chris noticed immediately and took the few steps needed to put him right in front of me.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
His hands settled on my arms and the way he rubbed them would have been soothing if it didn't break my heart. How could this supportive, comforting man in front of me right now be the same man who slept with me and then never called me?
"I'm just overwhelmed," I choked out. "We really fucked up, Chris. How could we be so stupid?"
"I don't know," Chris sighed. "It was a dumb mistake, but we can make the most of it. We can do this."
"I know, I know," I took a deep, shaky breath to try and pull myself together. "It's just a lot to take in and I don't think it's really hit me yet."
"It is a lot," he agreed. "Here, let's go sit down."
I let him lead me over to the couch and then flopped down on it. He sat next to me, but we stayed quiet, neither of us really knowing what to say. After a few moments of tense silence, Chris finally spoke.
"I know this might be asking a lot," he started, the hesitation in his voice making me nervous. "But would you consider moving to Massachusetts?"
It wasn't an unexpected request. I knew Chris was happier there and considered it his home and I had told him how tired I was getting of living in Los Angeles. It was probably the better place for raising a child as well. I'd heard plenty of stories about Chris' childhood and it was pretty idyllic - full of experiences that children growing up in a big city like L.A. didn't often get.
However, it meant that I would have to leave my entire support system behind. All my friends and my family would be here and I would be completely alone except for Chris - who I wasn't even in a relationship with - and a child - who was hardly going to be able to provide much emotional support.
It seemed like the best option for everyone involved except for me and I wasn't sure that was a sacrifice that I was selfless enough to make.
I realized how long his words had been hanging in the air between us as I got lost in my thoughts and my head fell into my hands with a groan.
"I don't think I'm cut out for this," I whined, tears filling my eyes again as I felt a strange mix of emotions There was plenty of regret and with that came guilt because this poor child deserved a mother that didn't dread it's existence. "I'm not mom material, Chris. I don't have the instincts."
"It's all still fresh," he reminded me. "The instinct isn't instant. But I didn't mean to upset you, if you don't want to move to Massachusetts then we'll figure it out."
"No, no, it makes the most sense," I sniffled, lifting my head to look back up at Chris. "It's just scary. I don't want to leave my family and friends and I'll have to move soon if I'm going to so I can find a doctor, it's a lot to think about right now."
"It is, but I can ask Carly about a doctor. My family will support you one hundred percent."
I forced a weak smile, but I felt more nerves bubbling in my stomach.
"Have you told them?" I asked. "Does your mom hate me? I hope she doesn't think I'm trying to take advantage of you."
"No way!" Chris insisted with a chuckle. "She gave me a very stern lecture about being responsible, but I've talked about you enough for her to know you're not some crazed fan looking for a payout."
"That's good." I breathed out a sigh of relief. I knew he was incredibly close with his mother and I didn't want her to think badly of me. "I haven't told anyone yet, except Hannah."
"Downey's gonna kill me, isn't he?"
He shot me a sheepish look as he spoke, but I shook my head.
"Nah, I think he'll be thrilled. He loves babies and he's been teasing me about us getting together since the night we met," I informed him, watching his face for a reaction to that statement. There wasn't any. "He'll probably have a bet to cash in on as soon as I tell him the news."
"Well, that's reassuring," Chris smiled. "I think we'll have enough people who'll be mad at us..."
He was clearly referring to his fans and I cringed.
"What are you going to do about that?"
He shrugged.
"What do you want me to do?"
I took a moment to think before I answered him.
"I don't want you to publicly deny that the baby is yours," I warned him, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to bear hearing that even if I knew that he really had no doubts. "But I don't care if you don't make a big announcement. We can just let people draw their own conclusions."
"Making a statement might be better. It would stop the rumours from getting out of hand. There'd be an uproar, but it would eventually die down," he pointed out. "I'll talk to my team and let you know, but you should probably make all your social media private whatever we decide."
I didn't use social media much and I definitely never posted pictures of Chris, but even so I'd felt the wrath of his fans more than once after we were spotted out together so I knew how they could be.
I nodded in response to his instructions and another silence settled between us.
My mind was racing with questions that I wanted to ask. I wanted to know why he'd left, why he hadn't called, why he'd even slept with me if he really didn't see me that way. Part of me even wanted to cry and plead with him to give me a chance, to let me show him that I was good enough to be more than a friend, but I knew I couldn't handle the rejection. Whatever his explanation would be, it wouldn't change the situation and with everything else we had to deal with, I didn't have the strength for more heartbreak too.
-
When Chris left almost an hour later, we had a firm plan in place.
I would try to get out of my lease - or Chris would pay whatever fee I was charged for breaking my contract - and I would move to Massachusetts by the end of the summer to stay with him. I'd argued that point at first, but his reasoning made sense. He would be in and out once they started filming the last two Avengers movies so I would have the place to myself a lot, but when he was home he'd be able to help with the baby. After the first year, when the newborn phase was done, I would get my own place and we'd work out an official custody agreement.
He promised to come to as many doctor's appointments as he could and offered to pay for absolutely everything that I needed. I assured him that wouldn't be necessary, but I appreciated that he was already committed. Many men probably would have run for the hills in our situation or, at the very least, demanded a paternity test before they made any promises, but Chris was enthusiastic and supportive and I couldn't ask for anything more.
Well, I wanted to ask for something more. I wanted us to be together - I wanted us to be making plans to be a family, not to be co-parents - but I knew that wasn't what he wanted and I was determined to accept that. I needed to focus on counting my blessings and being grateful for what I did get out of our relationship instead of focusing on what was missing and unobtainable.
Even if it broke my heart and hurt me more than the loss of any other romantic relationship I'd ever had, I was going to make the most of it for the sake of our child. It didn't ask to be born into such a messy situation and it's safety and security were quickly becoming the most important things in my life despite the fact that it was hardly more than a bundle of cells at that point.
And as that thought hit me, I realized that maybe I wasn't as lacking when it came to maternal instincts as I had thought.
-
@maggotzombie @moonlacebeam @mizzzpink @zaylaugh @flowery-mess @flowerjewels @njrronaldo7 @hockeychick10 @partypoison00 @theladybiers @sidepieces @firoozehmoon @patzammit @sparkledfirecracker
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kyber-queen · 4 years
Text
burning (fives x gn!jedi!reader)
Summary: A retelling of the Umbara arc where reader is assigned to the 501st to assist in the Umbara invasion. Established relationship with Fives, Krell is an ass to reader and Fives is Not Having It, couples that defend one another stay together, lil bit of fluff lil bit of angst lil bit of action we got it ALL
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 4k
Warnings: Canon-typical violence, medical stuff, mentions of death/injury, Krell is just an ASSHOLE to the reader, a lil kiss perhaps 
Author’s Note: This idea has been stuck in my head for AGES, and now I finally have it on paper!! This was really fun to write, as always ANY comments/feedback/questions would be HIGHLY appreciated !! ALSO: ner kar’ta means my heart in Mando’a !!
***
A rumble of murmurs rolled through the battalion of troopers at the sight of the interim general of the 501st. Pong Krell, Fives had identified from behind you. You watched warily as the besalisk exited the dropship, his hulking form broad and dark against the soft glow of the natural vegetation. You fell silent as he spoke with General Skywalker. The newcomer unnerved you. Skywalker seemed hesitant to leave his troops behind—you didn’t blame him. The council had insisted you accompany the 501st to assist with the march on Umbara’s capitol, and even with your short time stationed directly in the unit you had seen firsthand Skywalker’s devotion to his troopers. The prospect of leaving them under the command of the rather imposing figure before him must be daunting.
You snapped to attention as Skywalker introduced you and the Captain, your eyes meeting Krell’s for a moment as he appraised you. His gaze turned your stomach. 
He was a Jedi master, you reminded yourself. He had the respect and trust of the council, and as Skywalker turned to leave, you reluctantly acknowledged that he had the General’s trust as well. You shifted a quick glance behind you, seeking out Fives. He stood at attention, his shoulders squared. You’d talk to him later, you figured.
“Commander, will I be graced with the honor of your full attention, or do you have more pressing matters at hand?”
Condescension dripped from Krell’s tone. Your cheeks heated, and you quickly turned to face the new General.
“My apologies, sir,”.
Krell harrumphed, continuing on with his speech.
You watched the troopers’ faces fall as he ordered them to stand at attention when speaking to him. Krell seemed to be a fierce disciplinarian—you doubted there would be much tolerance for open discussion with the besalisk in charge. Still, he ran a highly successful battalion. His leadership style differed greatly from Skywalker’s, but he had the success rates to back up his different strategies. It’ll only be one mission, you figured. How bad could it be?
Krell finished his speech with a sharp nod of his head, ordering the troopers to move out. You lingered in the rear, giving Krell a respectful nod as he wrapped up his discussion with the Captain. Now was as good a time as any to make a more personal introduction.
“General Krell, the council sent me here to—”
“I know why you’re here, Commander. As far as my understanding goes, you are to act as a tactical assistant. I will let you know if I need any such assistance. Dismissed,”.
You frowned, turning away and taking a few jogging paces to catch up with the men. Was it just you, or did the new general seem rather indifferent? You brushed away your thoughts as the terrain rose up to meet the steady pace of your feet.
“Fives,” you called, his helmet whipping around at the sound of your voice. He motioned for his brothers to slow down, allowing you to catch up. You quickened your pace, closing the gap between the two of you. 
“So, what do you think of the interim General?” He asked, looking back to his brothers for just a moment as if in reassurance.
“Strict, and almost dismissive” you noted, “but I’m sure his intentions are good,”.
Fives nodded, slipping off his helmet and tucking it under his arm as you walked.
“Me ‘n Jesse were just talking—Krell has the highest casualty rate in the GAR,”.
Your mouth formed into a small ‘o’ as you acknowledged the concerned look on Fives’s face.
His voice lowered, so only you could hear.
“It’s over 50%, ner kar’ta. He’s reckless, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. I—”
You silenced him with a gentle touch to his upper arm, in between the gap in his armor. His eyes drifted to your hand against his skin, and then back to your face. His expression softened.
“I know it’s going to be difficult—honestly, I don’t entirely trust him either—but Skywalker and the council do. We aren’t going to be able to pull this invasion off if everybody isn’t on the same page,”.
Fives nodded hesitantly. You gave him a soft smile in response. The two of you trudged on.
***
After hours of crossing inhospitable terrain, fending off native creatures, and surviving an enemy ambush, your patience with Krell was wearing thin. In the past few hours, he had shown a total disregard for the lives of the men under his command as well as your own rank in the battalion. When you seconded Rex’s call for a scouting party, the General all but laughed in your face. Your opinion meant next to nothing to him. Without the extra reconnaissance, hundreds of men died today. Unnecessarily. You burned. Rex and Fives echoed your frustrations, both men airing their grievances with the interim General.
Rex spoke first, raisng the question of Krell’s inconsiderate and dangerous tactics. He was right, you thought. Krell had crossed a line with his reckless strategies.
The General was less than receptive to Rex’s input, jabbing his large finger into the man’s chest as punctuation to his harsh words. You opened your mouth to remind the General that, according to the Jedi council, you were still his tactical advisor and that you had also adamantly disagreed with his strategies before he dismissed your opinion. Before you could speak, Fives strode up to the General, speaking in fierce defense of his captain.
“General Krell, in case you haven’t noticed, Captain Rex just saved this platoon. Surely you won’t fail to recognize that,”.
Krell’s lips twisted into a sneer, and he ignited his lightsaber menacingly. Your hand instinctively flew to your own saber on your belt clip as you stepped forward in defense of Fives, the weapon igniting in your hand.
“ARC-5555, stand down,” Krell ordered. His gaze flitted over to you, noting the saber in your hand and the thinly concealed fury in your eyes with a smirk. “And Commander, put that out before someone loses an eye,”.
“Sir, yes, sir,” Fives murmured, exchanging a glance with you as you hesitantly switched off your saber.
Krell dismissed the platoon with a smug grin.
You grabbed Fives’ vambrace, dragging him behind a large swatch of vegetation. He removed his helmet, taking a seat on the ground next to you. He sighed deeply. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent—he looked tired. 
You wanted to yell. You wanted to complain. You knew neither of you needed that right now. 
You reached up to cup Fives’s face in your hand, stroking his cheekbone with your thumb gently.
“When we get back, I’ll issue a report to the council on Krell’s neglectful treatment,” you murmured, offering what comfort you could.
Fives shook his head.
“It’s no use—what’s the council going to do? Give him a slap on the wrist? It’s not just Krell, ner kar’ta. To the majority of officers here, we’re expendable. One man dies, but there’s three more finishing up their training on Kamino and ready to take his place. I wish they’d realize—”. Fives trailed off with a sigh, and his soft brown eyes met yours.
You gave him a sad little smile.
“I love you,” you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Fives’ hand moved up to rest lightly against your cheek, his other hand holding the small of your back softly as he returned your kiss with a small grin.
A twig snapped.
You leapt away from each other as if you had both been burned.
You looked around, searching the darkness for a hidden figure. Heavy footsteps sounded to your right.
Before you could turn to follow the noise, blaster fire echoed to your left. Fives slipped his helmet over his head, yanking you back behind the vegetation. Your saber ignited, and the sky lit up with crossfire.
***
After receiving new information from Kenobi, the battered 501st made its weary way to the Umbaran airbase. Under Krell’s command the casualty rate had increased tenfold for this mission alone—the battalion medics were stretched thin. You did what you could to ease the pain of the wounded. Spotting a ridge, Krell motioned for you and the Captain to follow him.
“We’ll advance along the central gorge, and engage their forces in a full-forward assault,” Krell ordered.
You exchanged a look with Rex, who re-examined the terrain with his scope.
“The gorge is narrow, sir. We’ll only be able to move our platoons in single squads,” Rex explained.
We’ll be sitting ducks entering single-file down that gorge, you thought.
“Perhaps a closer recon will tell us if there’s a more secure route,” Rex suggested.
“I agree with the Captain,” you stated. “With the numbers we’ve lost earlier today, we can’t afford to risk the lives of the men we have left with a full-forward assault,” you supplemented.
Krell frowned.
“Obi-Wan and the other battalions are holding off the enemy right now, while they wait for us to take out this base. We don’t have time to look for a more secure route,”. 
Krell turned away with finality.
Rex shook his head, turning back toward his men.
This isn’t right, you thought. You jogged to catch up with the General.
“General Krell,” you called.
“What is it, Commander?” he grumbled.
“I’d like to talk to you about possibly reconsidering the full-forward strategy. A short reconnaissance mission could provide vital information in taking this base, and it could possibly save the lives of many of our men,”. Your hands twitched anxiously.
“Our men, hmm? A charming sentiment, Commander,”.
Your brows furrowed. When you next spoke, there was a new intensity to your voice.
“Forgive me for being forward, General, but it isn’t a sentiment. Each trooper we lose is a life that we were responsible for protecting. It is in everyone’s best interest to go forward with the reconnaissance. As your tactical advisor, I strongly suggest you consult with Captain Rex to put together a small recon team,”.
Krell chuckled to himself.
“Everyone’s best interest. Amusing. We’ll proceed with the full-forward assault as planned,”.
You fumed.
“Sir, as your tactical advisor, I insist that you initiate the formation of a reconnaissance team. I do not understand why you fail to realize the gravity of this situation,”.
There was a spark to Krell’s eyes, now. You had angered him. He paused. You held your breath.
“Forgive me for being forward, Commander, but I do not place much weight on the opinion of someone whoring themself out for a clone. I’m sure you understand how this situation appears to me,”.
You sucked in a sharp breath. It had been him in the darkness. You were certain of it. Your chest burned.
“I-I apologize, General,”.
Krell nodded dismissively. You turned away, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. He knew. You’d get expelled from the order, Fives would get reconditioned if he was lucky, and you had no clue what to do about it. You stepped away.
“Oh, and Commander?”
You turned back to face the General, hastily wiping at your face. You wouldn’t cry in front of him. You couldn’t.
“Yes, sir?”
“If you want to remain in your current station, you would do well not to disobey my orders again,”.
Krell was blackmailing you.
You nodded.
“Yes, sir,”.
You stumbled down the hill as fast as you could, spotting Fives amongst a gathering of troopers. He noticed a tear streaking your face, and pulled you away from the crowd. As soon as the two of you were alone, you spoke.
“He knows, Fives. Krell knows about us. He saw us, when we were away from the rest of the platoon, after he threatened you. Maker, I—” Another tear slipped down your cheek as you fought to catch your breath.
“Slow down, ner kar’ta, are you sure? How do you know?”
Fives’ eyes, soft and calm, met your teary ones. You scrubbed at your face hurriedly.
“I went to talk to him after he proposed the full-forward assault without a recon,” you spoke, your voice wavering less this time. “He wasn’t receptive to my explanation, so I asked him why. He said he ‘didn’t place weight on the opinion of someone whoring themself out for a clone,’”.
Fives’ eyes went wide.
“He said that to you?”
You nodded.  “He knows,”.
Fives gripped your shoulders tightly.
“Stay here. I’m going to—” Fives started towards the hill, looking up to where Krell stood with an expression of pure rage on his face. A palm to his chest stopped him in his tracks.
“Don’t. I think he’s blackmailing me—I don’t think he’ll tell, as long as I don’t question his orders,” you explained.
Fives cocked his eyebrow at you.
“You really believe that?”
“I have to. What choice do I have?”
Fives shook his head, checking to make sure you were truly alone before pulling you into a tight embrace. You sighed into his shoulder.
“He won’t get away with this, ner kar’ta. I promise you,”.
***
Your hands shook. You had taken the airbase, the supply ship had been destroyed, and it still wasn’t enough for Krell. You remembered when Fives landed the Umbaran fighter just an hour ago, how relieved you had been when he made it back alive. That relief was gone, now. Krell had ordered him to be court-marshalled for disobeying orders. Rex had assured you he would assume responsibility, that he would talk to Krell, and that Fives would be okay. He came back minutes later with a weary face and news that threatened to rend your heart from its chest. He had received an order of execution for Fives and Jesse. You had to talk to Krell—beg on your hands and knees if you had to—you had to get that order reversed, nevermind Krell’s warning not to question his orders. You had to try.
You stood outside the command center, attempting to steady your countenance. One trembling finger pressed the button to open the door.
“General, we need to talk,”.
“What troubles you, Commander?” Krell didn’t even bother to turn around.
“I demand that you overturn the order of execution for ARC-5555 and CT-5597,” you stated firmly.
Krell chuckled.
“We both know you’re in no position to make such demands, Commander,” Krell sighed to himself. “I had hoped you would heed my earlier warning. I should have known it would fall on deaf ears,”.
“General, you are sending two innocent men to their deaths,”.
Krell glanced around, noticing the surrounding clones closely watching your exchange.
“Troopers, leave us,”.
The men filed out of the room quickly, leaving you alone with the General.
“You should be thanking me, Commander,” Krell mused. “Last time I checked, wasn’t attachment cause to be expelled from the Jedi order? Exterminating this clone solves both of our problems,”.
You shook your head.
“They won’t do it. They won’t execute them,”.
Krell hummed, considering your statement.
“Maybe so—but these men will be put to death, even if I have to carry it out myself,”. A twisted smile split Krell’s face as he spoke.
You ignited your saber, your tone fierce and unyielding.
“I won’t let you,”.
Krell tilted his head, both his sabers lighting up in his hands.
“Make your decision carefully, Commander. You’ll be expelled from the Order. You’ll lose everything,”.
Without Fives, you had nothing left to lose.
You swung.
Krell outmatched you with both speed and power. Each of your attacks was met by his blade. You growled. He parried your strike, landing a blow to your cheek with his fist. Your vision swam.
You were on the defensive now. You blocked two consecutive strikes from Krell’s sabers, grunting as he forced your blade closer and closer to your face. You scrambled for footing.
“It’s disappointing, really,” Krell hummed, his voice alarmingly casual. “Wasted potential,”.
Krell swung his unoccupied fist into the side of your head, the force of the blow carrying you across the room. Your saber clattered to the floor. You reached for your hilt, but just as your fingertips curled around the metal, an invisible hand grabbed you by the throat. Your body lifted from the cold durasteel floor, your toes barely brushing its surface. The pressure around your neck tightened. You clutched at your throat, darkness creeping around the edges of your vision. His eyes locked on yours, golden and eerie.
“You’re…Sith,” you choked out.
Krell chuckled.
“Not quite, my dear Commander,”.
Krell’s sneer was the last thing you saw before your vision went dark. You dropped to the floor.
Krell sighed, waving open the command center door. He motioned for the troopers to re-enter before gesturing at your unconscious body with another uninterested wave of his hand.
“Take them to the brig,”.
***
Fives walked to his execution with his head held high. He joked with Jesse, hoping to ease his brother’s mind as they marched towards their uncertain fate. He tried to be strong. All he could think about was you.
Two soldiers had carried you into the brig, placing you gently into your cell just as Fives was led out of the room. He caught a glimpse of your face before he left—you were bruised and unconscious. What had you done? What had Krell done? The markings on your face could not have been left by a Jedi.
As his closest brothers marched in with their blasters, his heart ached. He couldn't meet his end this way. Not while you and his brothers were still in danger. He needed to do something, and he needed to do it quickly. To save his brothers. To save you.
Dogma asked if he’d like to be blindfolded.
Reality sunk in. It was now or never.
They aimed. Fives spoke.
“Wait! This is wrong. And we all know it. The general is making a mistake, and he needs to be called on it. No clone should have to go out this way—we are loyal soldiers, we follow orders, but we are not a bunch of unthinking droids. We are men. We must be trusted to make the right decisions, especially when the orders we are given are wrong,”.
Fives sucked in a breath, hoping his words were enough.
“Fire!”
Not a single shot met its target. Fives breathed a sigh of relief.
As he and Jesse walked back to the brig, the question of his fate as well as yours still plagued him. He was sure you had ignored Krell’s warning not to question his orders—that must have been why you were so bruised and battered. Fives’s real question was why Krell had left you in such a brutalized state. No Jedi would have been so physically cruel. Fives’s blood boiled.
He re-entered his cell, curling up against the left wall. He could see your unconscious form in the cell next to him. He made careful note of every visible bruise and scrape on your body. Your neck was beginning to shade a deep purple color, and you sported a black eye. Each little mark fueled the fire of Fives’s anger tenfold. Krell needed to pay. To think that the man had even touched you, let alone battered you in such away, was enough to burn at Fives’s chest. He needed revenge. He spent the next few hours carefully monitoring your breathing, wishing he could reach out to touch you through the ray shield, wishing he could offer you the same comfort you always gave to him.
When Rex reappeared hours later, explaining that the era of Krell’s leadership had reached its end, Fives jumped at the chance to bring him in. With each new sliver of information Rex shared with him, Fives felt his anger at the besalisk grow. The so-called Jedi had targeted the two people he had cared about most—you and his brothers. As he checked his weapon and strapped on his armor, his expression set into a steely glare. Krell wouldn’t live to destroy any more lives—Fives would make sure of it.
***
The trees rustled with blaster fire and movement. Krell was everywhere. Fives heard the screams of his brothers over the comm—he took each one to heart. He would be ready.
“Steady your weapons—he’s headed our way,” Rex called.
Fives locked in his scope.
The general emerged in a blur of brightly lit plasma. Fives fired. Each shot was easily deflected by the Jedi, his twirling sabers redirecting the bolts effortlessly. Fives growled.
The general switched off his sabers, as if taking on the platoon with his lightsabers was far too easy. His back was to Fives—Krell grabbed a nearby trooper from his cover, flinging the man into the air. Fives saw his chance.
“What are you doing?” Rex hissed. Fives paid him no mind.
He fired five rapid shots at the general’s back. Only one managed to glance off the besalisk’s thick skin. Fives charged forward, swinging his blaster into Krell’s head with all his might. On his next swing, Krell knocked the blaster from his hand with a mere wave of his arm.
So that was how he wanted to play.
Fives readied his fists, throwing and landing three consecutive punches. The besalisk doubled over on the third, caught off guard by the strength of the blow. Fives grinned from under the helmet.
“A taste of your own medicine, yeah?”
Krell rose to his full height, allowing the remark to roll off his back. He lifted Fives off the ground with an invisible hand, before tossing him unceremoniously into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Feeble clones.
Fives hauled himself up from the ground slowly, his head pounding from the collision. Krell was nowhere to be seen. Fives scanned his surroundings—none of his brothers were visible, either. Had he been knocked unconscious? He listened for blaster fire, but none could be heard. He felt around the darkened forest floor, his hand closing around the shaft of his rifle.
A voice echoed to his left.
Fives ran towards the noise. He could barely make out the sight before him through the thick Umbaran fog. His brothers had gathered in a semi-circle around the still form of the former General. He ran faster, stopping when he reached Krell’s body and sucking in a deep breath.
“I stunned him, sir,” Tup explained.
“Nice work, Tup,” Rex praised.
Fives nudged the general with the nose of his rifle. His finger itched at the trigger. Rex pulled at his arm.
“Ease up, Fives. We got him,”.
Fives exhaled slowly, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Yeah, we got him alright,”.
***
You woke up in medbay, your head aching and throat throbbing. You were thirsty. You tried to speak, but your voice came out in a warble. You flexed your hand, realizing it was encased in something warm. You squeezed.
Fives jolted upright. Both his hands encased yours, and his eyes widened.
“You’re awake—are you alright? Do you need anything?”
You smiled, realizing he had fallen asleep holding your hand. Your smile quickly faded when you remembered what had happened that brought you here. Your heart seized.
“K-Krell—” You managed, the words scraping at your throat.
Fives smiled softly.
“Me ‘n the boys took care of him—he’s gone. You’re okay. We’re okay,”.
You nodded as he brought your palm to his lips, kissing it gently before resting it back in your lap. He fell silent.
Your eyes glanced over his weary expression. The lines on his face had grown into canyons in two short days. You hummed, words catching in your raw throat.
“Are you alright?” you croaked.
Fives shook his head, glancing up at the ceiling before looking back down at you.
“I almost lost you, ner kar’ta. Lost a lot of good men, too. Too many men,”.
You nodded, your chest aching at the emotion in his voice. You held out your arms. He collapsed into you, mindful of your new bruises.
The guilt of so much loss was eating at him. It broke your heart. You held him tight against your chest as he murmured an apology into your skin. 
244 notes · View notes
agent-cupcake · 4 years
Note
yuri with yandere prompt number eight? i feel like thats the most accurate for him
This ask is old but I’m never gonna quit these yandere prompts. Try and stop me. (aka, here’s 5k of unhealthy pining and Yuri “I want to confess my love but I don’t feel like I deserve you” Leclerc)
//
A sharp, frightened gasp was what pulled you awake. Terror gripped your thoughts as a memory overrode all rational thought —the scent of tread packed filth and chalky, tangy, sharp stone filling your nose with each shallow, bloody, gasping breath. Cold, cutting gravel scraping against your cheek, your scalp, the sharp pebbles embedded into your skin with the force with which you had hit the ground. You couldn’t move, couldn’t fight your collapsed chest into expanding for air to fill your lungs. Escape, you had to escape, that was the only real, solid understanding in your dazed brain as you struggled against the blankets.
But then you blinked a few times, your eyes rolling as you focused them, and realized that was nothing more than a dream. You were safe. Sore, uncomfortable, in an unfamiliar bed and wearing unfamiliar clothes, but safe. And confused, still entangled in the cotton fog of unconsciousness.
You had been… Where had you been? Your head was foggy, your thoughts blurry, almost enough to convince you that you were dreaming. If only you weren’t so uncomfortable. Something was wrong, more than just being sick. There had been… Blood? Pain?
Agony. A blunt, overwhelming ache that had slammed against the entire right side of your body when you hit the ground. A whine had escaped your mouth alongside a glob of bloody saliva. The pain was all-consuming. You could remember that in the same second the pain registered so did the panic of knowing that you were going to be sick right there on the street. Nausea had seized your stomach and you had been helpless to its violent, urgent, undulating undertow. Rocks cut into your palms as you wrenched yourself up to avoid choking as you sputtered and heaved and coughed out the acidic bile. When you blinked, your sight clearing from a dozen fragmented frames into a single dizzy, tear-blurred picture, all you saw was blood. Blood in the watery puddle on the ground, scarlet staining your side, oozing up between your fingers as you pressed a panicked hand against the slash across your ribs as if that would force the blood back where it belonged.  
But there was no blood now. No wounds to validate that terrible living nightmare.
Everything came flooding back into your mind as your thoughts cleared up. You remembered accepting Lev’s offer to ignore Yuri’s orders and perform a secretive strike on an opposing gang. You remembered going along with the plan and taking the dangerous role of getting everyone into the Vanargand base despite the risk. You remembered nearly died in the escape.
You remembered thinking that you were dead. In that moment of laying on the street in a puddle of your own blood, you had clung to the pathetic thought that you didn’t want to die. Even though you already had, you didn’t want to betray Yuri in this way, too. He didn’t want you involved in any of this, he did everything he could to keep you out of it. He promised your brother, he made a vow. But even that tragic, horrible thought had become cloudy as cold disseminated ice throughout your body, piercing all the way into the marrow of your bones and numbing your limbs, pulling you closer into the creeping void. That was the last of what you could remember.
Now, the only remaining evidence of your brush with death was the bruised shades of puce plum and rotten currant covering the entire right side of your body. Someone had used white magic to heal the direst of your wounds. Presumably, the same someone who had saved you. You were pretty sure you knew exactly who that someone was, too.
Your hero.
Yuri Leclerc with his violet eyes and smiling mouth and sweeping, dramatic cape who came to you after your brother’s death and told you of the promise he’d made as his boss and friend. Yuri Leclerc, the nearly mythical Underground Lord, the unaging Savage Mockingbird. Your hero, your knight in armor of shadow and subterfuge. He promised that he would protect you. And he had saved you. Again.
With a soft groan, you turned from laying on your back to your mostly uninjured left side. The bed was comfortable enough, better than your own. The room was smaller than yours, however, easily lit up by just a single lamp. By all standards, it was far from lavish, but you were covered in a thick comforter with two pillows plumped beneath your head. The four-poster frame was made of an attractively dark solid wood that matched the bedside table, writing desk, and chair. It looked an awful lot like the impersonal room of an inn, although there were clear signs that someone lived in here. Books and paper and feather pens were stacked on the desk, a glass rainbow of bottles lined up on the shelf above, a colorful swath of clothes on the rack.
Most telling was the way that the room, the bedding, and the clothes you wore all smelled like Yuri. An intoxicating embrace of spring rose and lilac, plush amber musk, and heady sweet vanilla. Achingly familiar, desirable, wonderful. Now it just made you sick. While the previous day’s actions could make a case for your intellectual deficiencies, it didn’t take a genius to figure out where you were. You groaned softly, closing your eyes.
Yuri was going to be mad. You had justified following Lev before by telling yourself that if the job went off without a hitch, Yuri would be so impressed with your skills that he would have no choice but to recognize you as a member of his gang and stop coddling you. Now you realized that it was and always had been an act of petty rebellion. Yuri would never respect your reckless disregard for his orders and your own life, not even if it had gone well.
Which it hadn’t. You had no idea what had gone wrong, you had performed your task without any problems, getting the small group of men into the compound without alerting any guards. Your brother had done well in teaching you to sneak around. But then there was complete and utter chaos and they all came running back as the compound was eaten up by flames, your so-called friends leaving you stranded on the top of the wall with a group of Vanargand men. So you jumped.
Even your vague recall of that particular agony made you wince, your stomach churning unhappily.
The sound of someone outside the door made your heart jump, your eyes instinctually closing to feign sleep. Maybe if you seemed like you were sleeping you could spare yourself a lecture. Or worse, his disappointment. The doorknob turned, the wood creaking, the metal hinges making the faintest squeak as they were pushed. You held your breath.
But nobody came in, stopping in response to the approaching sound of another, heavier set of footsteps. “Glad to see you back in one piece,” Yuri greeted whoever it was. With the door cracked the way it was, you could hear him quite clearly. His voice was friendly, matching the smile he must have been wearing, but it was sharp, too. You knew that tone, recognized the danger it hid. “I figured it would be you who led this little rebellion.”
“Rebellion?” Lev asked. “I acted for all of us. The Vanargand boys won’t be an issue anymore.”
Yuri laughed. Although the sound was oddly genuine, nobody could miss the fact that he was making fun of Lev. “You really believe that?” he asked, his voice lilting with disbelief.
Lev grunted, you could imagine his scowl. He scowled a lot. “If you knew what we did to them, you wouldn’t laugh.”
“All you did was kick the hornet’s nest,” Yuri said, unimpressed, “while ignoring my orders to standby.”
“I came here to tell you that I think things should change around here, I think-”
“I don’t actually care what you think,” Yuri said, cutting him off calmly. His tone was deadly smooth, dripping with the unique threat of his friendly malice. “I expect you to be out of here by the time the sun rises. That gives you, what, four hours? Plenty of time.”
“What?” Lev asked, his bravado faltering.
“Leave my city,” Yuri told him. “And pray that I never see you again.”
“You can’t kick me out,” Lev said. “Not after all I’ve done for you, for the gang.”
“No?” Yuri asked. “You directly disobeyed my orders and put my men at risk for the sake of your own ego. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to lose any and all trust I ever had in you.”
“The Vanargand Street Gang have been a pain in the ass for too long,” Lev told him, his tone growing combative. “I decided to do something about it.”
“I had them under control,” Yuri said. “without stooping to such boorish and dangerous methods.”
Lev responded with a mocking bark of a laugh. “Nah, this is about the girl, isn’t it? You should know that she all but begged me to take her along. If you wanna talk about trust, maybe consider why your precious little pet would disobey you.”
You froze, a cold, nervous sweat beading up at the nape of your neck, anxious nausea once again closing in your throat. Either unfortunately or fortunately, Yuri breezed right past that comment as if it didn’t affect him in the slightest. “This has nothing to do with her,” Yuri said without missing a beat. “If you don’t think I’m a fit leader, challenge my authority directly. But I’m warning you. Think carefully about what you do next. Right now, I’m relieved enough that nobody was seriously hurt by your incompetence that I’m willing to let you go with nothing more than a warning.” His voice lowered dangerously, forcing you to strain slightly to make it out. There was no playful teasing injected into these words, no way to interpret them as anything other than naked intimidation. “Don’t mistake my benevolence for weakness, you won’t live to regret it.”
A long moment of tense silence passed between the two men. You could imagine Lev’s storming rage, Yuri’s cool demeanor. You didn’t dare move, afraid that either would hear and unsure which was worse. The moment was broken only by another set of thumping, rhythmic footsteps cresting up the stairs. There was only one man who could possibly make that much noise.
“I heard shouting. I’m not missing the party, am I?” Balthus asked. While there was nothing directly antagonistic about the man’s voice, there was no mistaking the threat he posed. There was a reason he was Yuri’s right-hand man.
“No,” Yuri said. “Lev and I are simply having a… Disagreement.”
“Oh yeah?” Balthus asked. “Anything I should weigh in on?”
“That depends,” Yuri said. “What do you say, Lev?”
“Damn you, Leclerc.”
“Haven’t you heard?” Yuri asked, a hint of a smile in his voice. “I’m already damned.”
There was another moment of silence, almost long enough to make you wonder if the trio had somehow disappeared, before Lev swore under his breath and retreated past Yuri and Balthus, his feet pounding a cadenced thump, thump, thump as he stalked down the stairs.
“Balthus,” Yuri said when Lev’s footsteps were completely lost. “Would you mind making sure our friend makes it out of the city without doing anything reckless?”
“Think he might?” Balthus asked.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Yuri responded, his voice was more honest than with Lev. He sounded tired. “I sure as hell didn’t think he would make a move like this just yet.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Balthus paused. “What, uh, should I do if he tries anything?”
“Take him to the Vanargand. I’m sure they’ll be hunting him down regardless.”
Balthus whistled. “That’s pretty cold, boss.”
“It’s far better than he deserves,” Yuri said, his voice dark. “If she died, I…”
“No need to explain. I get it, pal,” Balthus said, saving Yuri from having to continue. As badly as you didn’t want to know what Yuri was going to say, you very desperately did, too. “I’ll make sure he stays in line. You look like you could use some rest. Or a drink.”
Yuri laughed, the sound a bit lighter than before. “You might be right about that.”
“Of course I am,” Balthus said. “You don’t live as long as I have without catching wise to these things. I’ll be off, then.”
“Good luck,” Yuri said, “and don’t do anything stupid. There’s only so much I can handle in one night.”
“Hah!” Balthus called, trampling right back down the hallway. “That big brain of yours will burst into flames if you keep on worrying about everything, pal. Better call it quits before you ruin that cute face with wrinkles.” Yuri laughed.
Realizing that Balthus leaving would mean Yuri would finally enter the room, you threw the blankets off of yourself and sat up. It hurt like hell, it felt like every single inch of your body was bruised, right down to the bone, but it was doable after the sickening dizziness passed.
You didn’t particularly want to get up, but you didn’t want to stick around and have the conversion you knew Yuri would start, either.
The way Yuri worried made your chest clench. You didn’t dare name it discomfort, but the feeling was awfully close. It was Yuri’s growing intensity that you noticed first. The way he’d get when other men got too close to you, the pointed questions he’d ask about your interactions with other people. How he worried when you had to travel or interact with people he didn’t trust, insisting that you tell him every single detail about what you were doing. Worse, the times when he seemed to know things he shouldn’t, things you didn’t tell him.
It was because of the promise he had made to your brother, he said, to keep you safe. Yuri valued the men under his command, and your brother had been a close comrade of his. And you bought it at first because your brother had always been protective, but Yuri’s behavior was different. He wasn’t your brother, but neither did you get the impression you were friends. Friends weren’t suffocatingly overprotective. Not friends, but not anything more, either. He never flirted with you as he did with everybody else, as he had before. Not even in a playful, teasing way. The tighter hold he kept on you, the more and more he maintained a distance.
Lev called you Yuri’s precious pet, and that struck too close to home. You hated it. You weren’t a child —you weren’t even a teenager anymore— and yet Yuri acted like you were made of glass. Like you couldn’t be trusted to look after yourself, like you were… Like you were a pet.
That’s why you had agreed to Lev’s job in the first. You wanted to change the dynamic the two of you had. You figured that if he saw that you weren’t as weak as he feared, that you were just as capable as the men in his gang, that he’d stop being so intensely and oppressively protective. But if he was willing to give Lev up to the torture the Vanargand gang would inflict on him for the sin of endangering you, you didn’t think it had been at all effective. Actually, it made sense that your near-death and horrible failure would have the opposite effect.
Steading yourself, you searched the room for your shoes. Someone, and you didn’t dare to think of who, had changed you into what you were pretty sure were Yuri’s clothes. While it made sense considering your own were probably nothing more than blood soaked rags, you weren’t incredibly comfortable with wearing his things. The smell alone was nearly overwhelming, but the level of intimacy it implied was something you didn’t dare consider. Even worse that you should wake up in his bed. His bed that was obviously big enough for two people, a bed that he had probably had company in because he was attractive and desirable and… And you couldn’t find your shoes.
“What are you doing?” Yuri asked. The door shut behind him, the metal latch clicking.
It occurred to you that while you’d been having a micro-meltdown, Yuri had probably been standing there watching.
“Leaving,” you responded, trying to maintain a neutral expression despite the way your voice cracked. That brave attempt fell apart with the way you burst into a coughing fit a moment later, hacking up sharp bursts of air against your scratched up throat, each breath sending aching pulses of pain against your bruised side.
“Don’t strain yourself,” Yuri scolded, rushing to the bedside table to pour you some water. So considerate, always. Guilt rose up within you. After he saved you, how could you be so rude and ungrateful? You knew he cared. He was your hero.
You averted your streaming eyes and took a few slow, careful sips from the cup as Yuri took a seat on the desk chair, sitting the wrong way with his arms draped over the chair’s back.
“Drink this, too,” he said, handing you a vial. You uncapped it to take a sniff it, wincing at the astringent scent.
“What is it?” you asked.
“It’ll help with the pain,” he said. You nodded, grateful for the idea of that, and pinched your nose to down the vial. It was exactly as disgusting as it smelled. At the very least, it wiped the smell of Yuri from your head for a spell. “You should lay back down,” he recommended. “Magic can only do so much to heal your wounds. Not to mention that you’ve had a hell of a shock. Honestly, after what happened, I’m surprised you managed to get upright. You’re full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?”
The implication, the reminder of what you’d done in such a banal tone, made you wince. Guilt or shame or embarrassment, you didn’t know. “I’m fine,” you said, staring at the floor rather than meet his eyes.
“It’s cute that you can say that with a straight face,” Yuri said. “Seriously, you look terrible.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled sarcastically, an instinctually petulant reaction to the way he treated you, “But I really am capable of taking care of myself.”
He didn’t even grace that with a serious answer, rolling his eyes. “Obviously.”
“I can’t stay here,” you said.
“You can,” Yuri told you, “and you will. You’ve lost a lot of blood and I don’t need a dead body on my doorstep. It’s bad for business.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Yuri said. You met his eyes, frowning as you tried to figure out what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He sighed, likely reading the further arguments you were going to make in the way you looked at him. “I’ve had a long night dealing with your mess. Stop being a fool and do what I say.” “Or what?” you muttered, looking away again as you fought against the guilt. He didn’t own you, you weren’t even one of his men. He couldn’t order you around.
“Or I’ll make you,” Yuri said bluntly. “I doubt that’ll pleasant for either of us.”
That answer sent a shiver down your spine, whatever complaints you had been trying to maintain drying up on your tongue because you kind of believed him. His cold, cruel tone of voice when dealing with Lev was still all too clear in your mind. Besides, he was right. He was usually right. That didn’t help the terrible sensation of being treated like a child, like an invalid.
Avoiding his eyes, you set aside your cup and did what he said, tucking your feet back under the covers, leaning down against the pillows. It was a lot easier on your aching side, better for the splitting headache gathered up behind your right temple.
“Did you save me?” you asked after a moment, staring at the quilted pattern.
“Yeah,” Yuri responded, his voice unreadable.
“And you healed me?”
“What do you think?”
It had been a dumb question. You couldn’t imagine Yuri letting anyone else see that much of your bare skin to heal those wounds. All the same. “You don’t have to be rude, I was just clarifying,” you told him with a frown.
“Right, right, sorry. I just about forgot myself,” Yuri said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “What I meant was that I was the one who rushed to your rescue and healed your wounds, fair maiden. Is that better?”
You frowned, refusing to be amused by his antics. Despite the joking tone Yuri took, those words set you on edge. He hardly ever teased you like that anymore, now it just felt off. “Who changed my clothes?”
“Is that what you’re worried about?” Yuri asked. Was there amusement in his tone? At your embarrassment? You could feel that your cheeks were hot and hoped desperately that he couldn’t tell. “Well,” he shrugged apologetically, “it’s not like I had much of a choice and I couldn’t put you to bed in dirty clothes…” Yuri looked up to meet your horrified eyes, smiling. “Kidding. I do have some honor. I asked the landlady to help me out. Your virtue is intact.”
Virtue. You swallowed hard on that word, drinking the last of the water. Your thoughts were beginning to fuzz, becoming less clear. It made it harder to refocus after being caught off guard by his teasing. The pain wasn’t as crisp, more of a background ache rather than an insistent thud. That was distracting, too. You knew that, for some reason, he wanted to fluster you. But you couldn’t let him distract you, nor could you let your embarrassment deter you. So, clenching your fists, you looked up and met his eyes.
“Thank you for saving me,” you said carefully. “I’m… I’m sorry for inconveniencing you.”
Yuri didn’t answer right away, staring you down in his unnervingly piercing way. The intensity of his eyes was uncomfortable, but it was undercut with the swirling storm of concern amidst the individual strands of purple pigment, the void-like pool of pupil. “I’m glad you’re alive,” he said carefully. And that was honest, genuine. He looked so tired. He sounded tired.
“I owe you. Twice, for saving me and healing me,” you said, forcing the words out in as business-like of a tone as you could manage. They were slurred, slightly. Had he given you a sedative? Or was this just normal exhaustion finally taking you out? “So tell me how you would like to be repaid, and I’ll see that it’s done.”
Yuri’s head fell to the side in confusion, like the question threw him off guard. Good. “Excuse me, what?”
“That’s how it is in your world,” you replied. “Our world. Right?”
“Our world?” Yuri asked, his expression retreating into a mask.
“The real world. Altruism doesn’t exist. When someone does something for you, there’s always a price. If I want to be taken seriously, I can’t keep being naïve about that.”
“That’s pretty cynical of you.” Was it just you or did he sound sad about that fact?
“You taught me well.”
“Not well enough,” he said, frowning as his eyes lingered on the bruises. He sighed. “So, I take it that that’s why you went? You want to be taken seriously?”
“Yes,” you said slowly, surprised that he’d be able to cut to the heart of it so quickly. Then again, it shouldn’t have been that surprising. Yuri was all too good at that.
“Word to the wise,” Yuri told you. “Never act unless success is guaranteed. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to have results to show for it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” you said.
“And another thing,” Yuri added. “Never give out open ended favors. Not even to people you trust. You might not like it when they call to collect.”
“But I know you wouldn’t want anything bad from me,” you said, frowning and unsure if he was implying what you thought he was. He couldn’t be, not Yuri. Not to you.
“Is that a fact?” he asked. “I could be helping you simply to get one of those incredibly enticing open favors. Now I’ve got two of them, I wonder what I could ask for…”
“I’m being serious,” you said.
“You think I’m not?” Yuri smiled at you like he knew all the secrets in the world, like you’d never catch him without the trickster’s mask or even guess at what he had hidden beneath. But then your reply was eaten by a mostly stifled yawn that tugged hard at your sore jaw and all pretense fell away to the concerned expression you knew so well from him. “Alright, enough of that. You look like you’re about to pass out. Get some sleep. I’ll watch over you, yeah?” he offered, flipping the chair around so he could sit directly at the bedside.
You couldn’t argue with that, yawning again. It hit you all at once, it seemed. You were passing out, the need for sleep becoming more and more pressing with each breath. “Next time,” you told him, your words slurring like a drunk as you settled further down into the bed. Your body felt so heavy, the colors of the room smoothing out like butter, the smell that clung to the bedding and the clothes filling you with warmth. “Next time for sure, I’ll show you. Then I won’t owe you-” you yawned, again. This time you just gave up. He definitely had given you a sedative. Unfortunately, you were too far gone to be mad. Sleeping would be nice anyway. You were so tired.
“There won’t be a next time,” Yuri told you. There was something absolute in his tone, a hard edge that wasn’t to be questioned.
“Why?” you asked, trying to clench your fists to remain lucid for a moment longer. This question was important, important enough for you to fight against your heavy and scattered thoughts. “Why do you care... so much?”
“I don’t know,” Yuri said, his voice threadbare and exposed. He really looked so tired, so beautiful. He had more masks than anyone, but right then you didn’t think that it was a mask.
He didn’t know either.
Where did that leave you?
Floating, it seemed. Lavender and milk and shadow blurred in your vision, the colors of Yuri. Your eyes fluttered shut, filled with a kaleidoscope of him. The pain was gone, you couldn’t even find the passion to argue or to be mad or afraid or upset. It was enough to be safe, to be with him, to be warm.
Tomorrow, then. Tomorrow you would get answers.
“You remind me of something I lost a long time ago,” Yuri said after a moment. It would have been too much to open your eyes or respond, so you just listened, marveling at the way his voice created the words, the way it caressed them. Had you really never noticed how delicious his voice was? You could lose yourself in it, you thought. “Something even I can’t steal for myself,” Yuri continued, “something more precious than a Heroes Relic. As long as I can preserve that, I can live with the consequences.”
You didn’t fight when he grabbed your hand from where it had fallen on the comforter, pulling it up into both of his. Yuri’s hands were rough, his fingers narrow and long and nice. They were scarred and bloodstained. They held yours gently, tenderly.
“Heh, maybe I’m a coward to tell you now. I doubt you’ll remember this by tomorrow.”
“I’ll remember,” you mumbled mindlessly, your eyes remaining closed. How could you forget this warmth? The beauty of the colors in your head, the feeling of his touch.
Yuri pressed his cheek against your hand. The skin was soft, warm. “Maybe you will. You certainly deserve my honesty. But after tonight... Maybe it’s too late to anyway. I tried so hard to protect you, even from myself.” He laughed, a humorless puff of air against your knuckles. “Especially from myself. Sometimes I can’t help but think that it’s inevitable that everything and everyone who becomes close to me will be stained by the association. I didn’t want to see that shine in your eyes become dull. This cruel, cynical world destroys everything of value, but not you.” He paused, thinking. You drifted, the words rolling over you without sticking, without meaning. His voice was so lovely. “But you’re wrong, you know,” Yuri continued after a while, pulling you back. “Things done out of love don’t have a price. You don’t owe me anything, you never have.”
Yuri’s lips brushed over your knuckles, a kiss over each ridge, before one of his hands untangled itself. You leaned into the feeling of his calloused fingertips on your warm cheek, pushing your hair out of the way as they caressed your face. Even in your vague stupor, the touch was enough to make your eyes open. Half-lidded, your sight hazy. Yuri glowed in the candlelight.
A smile tugged at the corner of his pink lips, a melancholic expression. So sad. Did he always look so sad? So beautiful? It made your heart ache, a hollow, faraway feeling.
“Hey,” he said, meeting your eyes. You attempted a smile in return, a dozing, drunken, delirious smile. “If I told you tomorrow that I loved you, would you take me as I am?” You hummed. A yes, maybe, no. He was still stroking your face, holding your hand. You couldn’t recall the last time you’d been touched like this. Not since you were a child, you didn’t think. So nice, so soft. “That’s the problem, I don’t know. And I… I don’t act unless victory is assured. If I make a move and lose you for good…” He squeezed your hand, his eyes closing. “I don’t want to lose you. Not to the whims of the cruel world and not by corrupting you with my black heart.” Your eyes closed again, his words becoming lost in your fascination with his voice. Yuri’s fingers left your cheek, returning to wrap around your hand. “Even if can never have you,” he said, a soft resolution in his voice, “it’ll be okay as long as you’re safe. And I know that you’ll be safe as long as you stay with me.”
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levis-little-nuggie · 3 years
Text
What the Ever-loving FUCK Happened in Chapter 16??!?!!
A synopsis/transcript of the events that transpired between the end of Lesson 15 and 16.
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15-17: Time Loop 1
Barb shows us to his room and goes over the mission, telling us how to return back to the “present” after finding out about the door
15-20: no title
Open to Mammon’s room, all the brothers are in there bc they’re trying to get Lucifer and MC together, like a horror/scary thing to set the mood; the purpose to get Lucifer and MC alone together to open up; MC’s portal opens up and plops them in Mammon’s room with all the brothers; Lucifer and MC are in Levi’s room to play the game. We leave Mammon's room and immediately have to hide
16-1: Time Loop 2
Lucifer and MC are coming out of Levi's room and we're forced to hide in Lilith’s hidden room.
16-6: Time Loop 3
MC finds themselves standing face-to-face with Belphie, the attic door is open, and he starts hugging MC.
16-10: no title
Belphie kills us, then we’re speaking to a voice (Lilith's soul had been trapped, “I knew I picked the right person, I’ve been waiting for so long, you see. I’ve been waiting for you to come find me...after my death I remembered who I was, ever since becoming a soul, I’ve been watching over them, and in that time, I’ve forgotten how to get to the Celestial Realm.”) 
16-12: The Reunion
Brothers are standing over MC’s corpse and Belphie is out of the attic. There's a flashback of Barb telling us to find out how/who opened the attic door and not to be seen by anyone; however the brothers see us and the body Mammon is holding disappears; MC talks about Lilith having lived happily as a human.
16-15: no title
“I tell everyone the story as I heard it from Lucifer;” Diavolo comes in and informs MC they’re Lilith’s descendent. All the brothers start hugging MC and Diavolo asks: “Do you want to hug MC too, Belphegor?”
16-17: The Truth Revealed
Belphie tells us it’s his fault he couldn’t protect Lilith but Lucifer says it was his fault. The screen goes black and we're left with the assumption Lucifer lays out everything we already know based on what he revealed earlier in lesson 11 and in MC's flashbacks of Lucifer swearing loyalty to Diavolo.
16-19: no title
Barb is making and serving tea to the brothers, everyone’s in a good mood.
Lesson 17 starts with everyone acting awkward now with Belphie out of the attic and MC is now tasked with mending his relationships with all the brothers.
But wait, aren't we missing something?
You're right. We are.
16-A: Stuck Waiting
Levi: *sigh*
Asmo: Ugh, Levi, how many times have you sighed now?
Levi: I dunno, maybe 10 or so?
Satan: No it’s been 30 times at least
Asmo: Yes but what about you, Satan? How many cups of tea have you had, hmm? You know, if that stomach of yours gets all bloated from tea, i’m going to find you much less appealing
Satan: I couldn’t care less whether you find me appealing or not, Asmo. Also, instead of criticizing me, how about you say something to mammon here
Mammon: *mumble* … man this sucks so much … *grumble*
Asmo: Mammon, do you think maybe you could stop pacing around the room grumbling to yourself?
Levi: yeah, it’s super annoying
Mammon: Shaddup! How can I sit still at a time like this, huh? I mean MC went to the PAST!... Alone! Lke, MC may seem like someone who’s really got it together and stuff, but there’s a real boneheaded streak there that pops up at the weirdest times! Boneheaded, weak, and super reckless. Oh, and too damn gutsy! You never know when Marcie’s gonna take some sorta crazy risk! And like, that makes me wanna be there just in case. Like I GOTTA be there, or who knows what’ll happen?
Levi: Mmhm, sure, MC is SOOO special to you… What, are we supposed to be impressed or something?
Asmo: ooh I know exactly what you mean! It’s like you can’t help but what to lie down together on a bed or a sofa and do all sorts of naughty things- 
Satan: You’d better not do that Asmo
Asmo: excuse me? Could that be jealousy I hear, Satan? Relax. I won’t deny that MC is cute, but still, I think you’re pretty cute too Satan, so no need to worry
Levi: Yeah, MC really IS totally cute, don’t you think? And sort of … hard not to like… *grumbles*
Asmo: wait a minute… Levi, am I hearing what I think i’m hearing
Satan: You’ve only ever been interested in yout anime characters. Levi, has something changed?
Mammon: Whoa, is it just me or does that totally sound like a sign that Armageddon’s about to hit?
Levi: hey come on! Stop looking at me like that! Um...um...Asmo! You should go to the past and check to see how things are going!
Asmo: excuse me/ I know you’re just trying to change the subject, but don’t be ridiculous! I mean, you know that’s impossible. The doors into the past are inside Barbatos’s room, you realize?
Levi: Sure, but can’t you use your powers to charm Barbatos or something?
Asmo: ugh… no thank you! I mean, we’re really talking about Barbatos. If my powers did work on him, who knows what he might do to me once he ends up charmed? He might kill me, and i’m too young for that.
Mammon: pff, what’re ya, chicken?
Asmo: okay them why don’t you go seduce him, Mammon?
Mammon: Me? Um...really? … … Oh no no no no! No way that’s happening!
Asmo: but you really considered it for a second there, didn’t you? You considered seducing Barbatos!
Mammon: N-no, I didn’t! I mean, if it were MC, that’d be another story…!
Levi: You don’t need to remind us that you’ve got it bad for MC, Mammon. Keep it to yourself.
Satan: Well, powers of seduction don’t work on MVC to begin with, so you couldn’t do it even if you wanted to. Come to think of it...why are we all so hung up on MC anyways? It’s hard to believe that a simple human could have this kind of effect on us.
Asmo: hmm…I guess MC is just special, you know?
Mammon: ...yeah right. Special, that’s it!
Asmo: Still, let’s be honest. When it comes down to it, out of all of us, I’m the only one Marcie has eyes for!
Mammon: ...huh? What’re you talkin’ about?
Asmo: well it’s only natural, right? I mean, show me a human who doesn’t find me absolutely irresistible
Levi: ...well i’ll have you know that MC said that i was a true friend
Mammon: You’re all dumb as stumps! Have you all forgotten? I was MC’s first, after all, so clearly I’M the one deservin’ of all the love!
Satan: *blushing profusely*...
Asmo; mammon, don’t be intentionally misleading! You ‘ve got satan here thinking that you actually WERE MC’s first. Satan, what Mammon really means is that he was the first one to make a pact, okay?
Satan:...pff, like i care
Levi: if you don’t care, then why do you look so relieved? We can all see it on your face, Satan
Mammon: oh MC…! MC! Come back to us dammit! And soon!
Levi: Wait a minute! Where’d Beel go?
Asmo: Beel? Um, he was right there a second ago. 
Satan: Maybe he went to find Belphie?
16-C: no title
Beel: ...Belphie? Are you in there?
Lucifer: Shh, quiet
Beel: …! Lucifer!
Lucifer: he seems to be asleep
Beel: …
Lucifer: Beel, there’s something I need to talk to you about
Beel: What?
Lucifer: When belphie disappeared, you were the one who it hurt the most
Beel:…
Lucifer: I shouldnt’ have lied and told you he was up in the human world. It was wrong of me. Also, i knew how hard it was for you, but i couldn’t bring myself to talk to you about it… i’m sorry
Beel: Forget it. It’s fine. Belphie’s back now, so it’s fine.
Lucifer: Beel…
B: but to make up for it, Lucifer… from now on, i want you to trust the rest of us more. Look to us for help and support when you need it. Not just me. I mean all of us - including Belphie
Lucifer: But what if that still isn’t enough, even with all of us working together? What then?
Beel: that’s easy. At times like that...you can call on MC to help, of course. Isn’t that right?
L: Yeah. That’s right. 
Beel: I sure hope MC comes back soon. 
Lucifer: Yeah. And by the time that happens, Belphie will probably have woken up, too.
That's right. There exists a dimension where they don't get their MC back. The MC from that dimension has replaced the MC that Belphie killed.
Diavolo and Barb sent MC back in time to figure out who or how the attic door opened. MC had been acting under the notion that they needed the power equivalent of having pacts with all 7 brothers to open the door yet, even in the time loop it's still not clear. One moment we're hiding in Lilith's secret room and the next, we're standing in front of Belphie and the door is open.
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