#sab wylan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jahayla-parker · 1 year

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Anon req

I am going to watch shadow and bone when I get home and I feel in love with Wylan in the trailer and I'm a sucker for overprotective shit or protective vibes.

Demo : Wylan Van Eck x Reader

Description: 7.1k wc, 3 times Wylan overprotects Reader and one time Reader overprotects him. Fluff, overprotective. Gender neutral/ they pronouns as is my rule for all Wylan fics.

Warnings: SAB/SOC type warnings

Note: y/w/t = your weapon type (aka your choice of weapon). Thank you @ell0ra-br3kk3r for helping me double-check that Wylan is canon in this and not too confident but also not too soft!

“Hey Wy” y/n greeted. They yawned quietly and neared Wylan’s work station. He’d been in his lab for the last few hours and y/n was missing him. So they figured they’d come down and join him.

Wylan looked up from the test tube in his hand and smiled widely at y/n. He noticed the way they seemed tired, their eyes somewhat heavy. He tilted his head to the side as he scanned their body for any other signs of fatigue or distress.

“How are things going?” Y/n questioned, kissing his cheek before walking to one of his other tables to look around.

Wylan blushed, hanging his head and smiled to himself, “mmm, they’re good. I actually finished the new concoction that Kaz was say-“.

Wylan cut himself off as his eyes widened. In the few seconds he looked away from them, y/n had seemingly found his fusion bomb powder. It was designed to only require a small degree of heat to activate its melting properties. Yet it could burn at a very high temperature once it was activated.

“Don't mess with that!” Wylan shouted, rushing over to them and taking the sample from y/n’s hand. He sighed when y/n frowned and looked away, a shimmer of guilt in their eyes. “Hey,” he whispered timidly as he set the sample further back on the table. “It’s only because I worry you'll hurt yourself!” Wylan explained, grabbing a nearby towel to wipe both of their hands with.

“From the outside of the container?” Y/n pondered, their eyes trailing over to the see-through jar that was once in their hand.

Wylan could sense the apprehension and fear in y/n’s eyes as they stared at the sample. “Love” Wylan hummed softly, dabbing their hands free of any potential residue. “You’re safe, I wouldn’t let you down be here if there were any risk to you by your mere presence” he promised with flushed cheeks, squeezing their hand as he dried it.

“Let me?” Y/n teased, raising an eyebrow at their boyfriend.

This made him chuckle nervously, bouncing his leg anxiously as he cleaned his own hands. “In this type of instance yes, let”.

“This type of instance?” Y/n questioned.

“When it comes to your safety” Wylan explained, smiling bashfully, his head hung slightly as he tried to hide his flushed cheeks.

“I love you Wylan, but I have a feeling you’re overreacting” y/n giggled.

Wylan scoffed loudly, squinting his eyes at y/n despite his still red cheeks, “I assure you I am not. These aren’t toys”.

Y/n nodded, “I know, my beautiful demo man”.

This prompted Wylan to blush and look down at his now nervously shuffling feet.

“But, I think if it’s in a jar, on the table, it must be relatively stable Hmm?” Y/n argued.

“You’re correct, but I don’t want to risk any residue getting on you, especially from ones as dangerous as that one you grabbed” he defended, holding his head high despite his shy gaze.

Y/n looked at the table of various chemical mixtures their boyfriend had been working on. “It’s one of the more dangerous ones?” They asked, peering back at him.

“Yes, my dear. You, of course, managed to grab the only one from that table I feared you touching” Wylan smirked with a teasing shimmer in his eyes and his deep blush spreading.

“I can touch the others?” Y/n questioned, eyes hopeful.

“I don’t see why you would want to but, theoretically, yes. They are inactive until combined” Wylan admitted hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck.

Yn hummed, “and the one I grabbed..?”

“It’s already mixed and ready for usage. It reacts to body heat. It’s not ready yet as I need it to be more reactive. But, as it is one’s hands are far too warm to hold it” Wylan explained.

He grinned timidly, his eyes shifting throughout the room as he grabbed y/n’s hands. “No one should hold it without gloves on house. Especially not you and your impossibly warm hands” Wylan smiled lopsidedly.

Y/n bit their lip, “I have warm hands?”

“Very and I love it, but it means you are absolutely not to be touching that” Wylan stated, shifting to block them from the container even further as a signal of how sincere he was. Despite trying to come off confident and self-assured, he timidly fiddled with his fingers as his hands hung by his waist. But he meant what he said nonetheless.

Y/n limped through the door, the excruciating pain in their abdomen slowing them down. They’d been returning from running an errand for Kaz prior to a heist and was caught unarmed. It was supposed to be a simple task, and to be fair it was.

It wasn’t the task itself that presented a problem. Instead, when y/n had completed the errand for Kaz, they ran into some of the dime lions crew. Y/n knew how to fight, but was majorly outnumbered. Not to mention they didn’t have any weapons on them, being unable to hide one of theirs.

That combined with the fact one couldn’t be seen with one on them during the meeting with the merchants’ council meant they hadn’t brought one with them.

“I am in pain." Y/n greeted, somewhat playfully in hopes of lighting up the tense situation they knew was about to happen.

“Do vou mean emotional pain or - Oh Saints!” Wylan panicked, his eyes huge as he ran over.

Whatever he’d been working on was now abandoned. His arms immediately braced their shoulders as Wylan looked over the patch of blood. There was a large spread of blood seeping from y/n’s left abdomen.

“That is a lot of blood!" Wylan pointed out, his breath hitched.

Y/n nodded slightly, bracing themselves against the metal railing on the short set of stairs between the doorway and his office.

“Oh Saints, what happened to you?!" Wylan questioned his partner, dragging y/n towards one of his laboratory tables. His eyes quickly scanned the contents of the table to ensure there weren’t any unsafe substances on it. Once he deemed it safe, Wylan abruptly swiped his arm over the table. All the glass test tubes, measuring tools, etc. were brushed away; many shattering on the floor.

Y/N’s eyes widened, “Wy, it looks worse than it is”. They weren’t sure if that was entirely true. They hadn’t looked at the wound fully yet, and it didn’t feel great. But Wylan didn’t need to hear that.

“You're covered in blood! Is it yours?" He questioned anxiously, moving y/n over slowly and helping them onto the now-empty table space.

Y/n smiled faintly and bit their lip. Wylan sighed and restlessly ran his hand through his curls. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d tried to warn them against leaving the slat or crows club without some weapon on them. He’d also requested Kaz not send them on errands in which they’d be unable to carry a weapon.

Despite his frustration, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on y/n’s cheek. “Sit still, I'm gonna fix you right up, okay?" Wylan requested, his eyes glancing down at their wound before back to y/n’s face. Once Wylan earned a nod, he ungracefully sprinted to another section of his lab.

Wylan rushed back, arms full of first aid supplies. He set them next to y/n and impatiently scrambled through them until he grabbed the cleaning solution. “This will sting, love” he warned softly, squeezing y/n’s hand. Y/n nodded and held onto his hand tightly as Wylan poured some of the alcohol based solution over their wound.

Y/n audibly hissed, their grip on Wylan’s hand tightening as the liquid stung y/n’s skin.

“Do you want to share what happened?” Wylan asked, his voice calm despite his erratic breathing and frantic eyes.

“I was stabbed” y/n groaned, biting their lip as Wylan dabbed carefully at the edges of the wound.

He had to clear the blood from the edges so he could see where to stitch. The cleaning solution had helped remove some of the excess blood, but there was still a decent amount blocking his view. “Just a few more wipes” He promised, squeezing y/n’s hand again as he tenderly pressed the wet cloth to the last patch of smeared blood.

Once he could see enough to stretch and vantage the wound, he started up at y/n with a frustrated look. “Let me try again. Do you want to share how you got stabbed?” Wylan questioned, picking up a needle from his kit.

He paused and let his eyes flicker back to yn’s. “And don’t say with a blade” he warned, a timid smirk on his lips over knowing what y/n’s sarcastic tension breaking response would be.

Y/n sighed with dramatized defeat, “I was out numbered.”

Y/n saw Wylan’s lips had tugged downwards as he listened, his eyes still focused on moving the needle through y/n’s separated skin. Y/n knew what he was wondering. Why was y/n alone? Did y/n have their weapon with them? If so, why wasn’t it enough? And what could have been done differently?

It was always the same sweet set of questions he’d have whenever Y/n was even slightly scratched during an errand for Kaz. Wylan was, to say the least, overprotective when it came to y/n. But he meant well.

“I didn’t have my y/w/t. It wouldn’t be concealed and I had to meet with the merchants council, they don’t exactly allow y/w/t into those meetings “ y/n confessed with a shrug.

Wylan’s eyes snapped to y/n’s face upon their completion of the horrible action. He knew before it even crossed y/n’s face that the movement had to have caused a tremendous amount of pain. He frowned and squeezed their hand in a nervous attempt at comforting them as they breathed through the pain.

One Y/n nodded for Wylan to continue his stitching, they resumed their story . “It was supposed to be a simple meeting. Nothing even actually illegal this time” y/n laughed at the sentiment. When y/n saw Wylan fight to resist a smirk, they smiled. “It should’ve been fine. There was no reason for it not to be. But, some Dime Lions thought it would be a good day to start a fight” y/n summarized.

Wylan grimaced and shook his head, fingers rigidly still as he worked on the last stitch. “Bastards” he mumbled, followed by a loud sigh.

“Wylan!” Yn lovingly scolded with a chuckle.

Wylan’s eyes shifted aimlessly around the room as his rosy cheeks darkened and he bit his lip before giving y/n a bashful look. When he saw y/n wasn’t truly appalled or upset with him for swearing, he visibly calmed.

Taking a deep breath, he shrugged, “they are”.

Wylan tied off the final knot and set his needle down. Letting out a sigh, he clumsily reached over for some bandages to place over the now-stitched wound. “Did they-” He began wondering.

“Learn their lesson?” Y/n interrupted, “yes, yes they did”.

Wylan smirked and looked up at his partner, “oh?”

Y/n grinned and nodded, “I might not have had my y/w/t, but I still had my hands and feet. I gotta confess, they’re gonna need patched up too”.

Wylan huffed “well I’m not doing it, they’re lucky they are able to be patched up still.”

Y/n nodded, “if it were only one man, it would’ve been fine. But, while I was fighting the one guy, another came to his defense, and, well”. They paused as they signaled to their bandaged wound.

Wylan flared his nostrils as he sighed, “I still wish Kaz wouldn’t have sent you alone.”

“I can handle myself Wylan, current case not included” they argued, their tone showing their embarrassment.

Wylan frowned, hating how his remark made them think he doubted them. “I’m not saying you can’t” he promised, his eyes wide and pleading with them to understand. Wylan stroked their cheek tenderly.. “Y/n/n, I know you’re strong and I love that about you. But, you’re also far more caring than most in the Barrel and people know that” he explained.

It was silent for a moment while Wylan walked away from them and over to one of his stations. When he returned, he had a small capped-off tube in his hand. It wasn’t clear what the tube contained, but Wylan examined it again before handing it to y/n.

“Use this next time you’re out numbered or out gunned. I don't want to have to bandage you up again" he requested as he passed them the tube, his hands shaking slightly as he blushed. He had wanted to give y/n the tube before, so he wasn’t certain why he was so nervous about doing so now. Other than that he was requesting them to rely on something he’d created to keep them safe.

Y/n accepted it and lightly rolled it between their fingers in examination. The ingredient in the tube seemed to be a powdery substance. Yet, there was no residue on the outside of the container. It was evident by the dried water stains that Wylan had thoroughly cleaned the outside of it.

If he were honest with himself, Wylan was proud of the creation y/n now held in their hands. It was specifically designed to be easy to use against one’s enemies. But, he didn’t want to risk it falling into the wrong hands or otherwise somehow being used against y/n or his friends.

The substance was designed to bond with one’s sweat. In theory -and later as it turned out, in application as well-, the chemical would be released into the air and be drawn to the typical metabolites and minerals found in human sweat.

Once the substance was bonded with the chemical properties of said sweat, it would result in an acidic burning sensation anywhere sweat was present on the body. It was already impressive for their time, but Wylan needed to know it wouldn’t be able to be sued against them, and namely that y/n and the other crows would be safe from it.

In order to do so, Wylan had spent months developing the base of the powdery substance. He needed to ensure that the powder would only bond to the sweat of others and not those he cared deeply for. It wasn’t impossible given that the pheromones and minute chemical physiological properties in sweat vary from person to person. So while the overlying components were the same, there were some differences that would allow Wylan to tailor the material to be more precise in its target.

While Ketterdam wasn’t exactly warm and frequently the producer of perspiration in its inhabitants, an active fight would produce enough sweat to ignite the material. One didn’t need to sweat profusely for the material to bond. A simple bead of perspiration was enough. Yet, if one waited to dispense it until their target was putting up a decent fight and therefore sweating more, the effect would be better and more widespread.

It took some time to gather materials and data to build chemical profiles for each crows’ perspiration. Wylan was just very pleased that no one seemed to notice that he’d offered to do the laundry for everyone slightly more often than normal. Or at least didn’t notice enough to call him out. To be fair, Wylan suspected Kaz noticed and just opted to let him do it.

Wylan had first tested the results on himself and much to his pleasure, found it to work as intended. From there he told Kaz of his creation and Kaz allowed Wylan to try a small amount on his skin. When both were successful in not producing a burn, Wylan was given permission to use the substance during heists if needed. He knew it was still risky as he hadn’t tried it on each crow yet. Nor did he really want to. But he also didn’t want to be mistaken in thinking they were immune. Therefore, when he used it the first time on a heist, he’d brought another substance with him; one that would counteract the burning should something go wrong.

It didn’t. When he utilized it in the next several heists following its creation, only the intended target was affected. It took multiple rounds of dispensing it successfully when the others were around before Wylan was comfortable saying it was safe for his friends.

He was proud of the work that went into it. But mostly he was proud of how he’d made it safe for those he cared about to use in self defense. Namely, he was excited for y/n to have it on them at all times. It didn’t require a ton of material to work, meaning Y/n could keep it on their person easily and still conceal it.

Y/n smiled as they examined the tube. “How does it work?” They asked, looking up at Wylan.

They didn’t mind using it as he requested, but they needed to know the best way to do so.

Wylan smiled back, his cheeks pink from the way y/n smiled at him. He knew y/n understood a lot about his work by now. They always had an interest in and a pre-university level knowledge in chemistry. Between that and the time they spent keeping Wylan company in his office/lab, Wylan knew he didn’t need to simplify his work for them to understand.

As such, he took his time explaining what the substance did and how to use it. He also made sure to detail how he knew it was safe for them to use and when to disperse it to get the greatest effect.

When he finished, Wylan took a deep breath and added, “You can conceal it easily at all times, and you have my word it’s safe for you to-“

“Wylan” y/n hummed, hopping down from the table despite his protests. “I trust you. Even if I hadn’t understood everything you just said, I’d trust you. I did by the way, understand what you said” they giggled and grabbed his hand. “But my point is, I know you and if there were even the slightest chance it could harm me, saints if it even might be able to make me sneeze, or something small, you wouldn’t let me have it”.

Wylans cheeks flushed profusely and he cautiously wrapped his arms around y/n, “Promise to always carry it?”

Y/n grinned and placed a tender kiss on his chapped lips, “I promise, my handsome demo man”.

Wylan bit his lip as his cheeks somehow reddened even further. He soon was burying his face in y/n’s shoulder bashfully to hide the glow.

“Truly Wy, I’m very impressed. Not surprised, because it’s you. But proud nonetheless, this is impressive” y/n complimented.

Wylan was very pleased his face was smushed in the crook of y/n’s neck as he thought his cheeks might truly match the vial of bromine on his table.

Wylan heard footsteps enter but his eyes remained focused on the concoction before him. “Stay over there,” he ordered. He winced at his order and guiltily added a soft, “please”.

“You don’t have your goggles on” y/n remarked, staring scrutinizingly at their boyfriend. He had them hanging around his neck, but not protecting his eyes. If he needed y/n to stay back as he worked on the project before him, the least he could do is put on his goggles.

Wylan paused and let his eyes flicker up to his partner, a smile gracing his lips. “Right, of course” he chuckled, looking around for his extra gloves. He didn’t want to touch his goggles with his current set of gloves as they might’ve had some residue on them.

Y/n seemed to notice and began to walk to him.

Despite Wylan’s eyes snapping back towards them and him sending a knowing look their way, y/n continued on. When they reached Wylan’s workstation, they smiled innocently and lifted the goggles until they covered his eyes protectively. “Much better” y/n hummed, blowing a kiss.

Wylan chuckled bashfully, his face red all the up to his ears as his shoulders raised as if to cover said red ears, “Thank you, love”.

As he timidly shoo’d y/n back to the other side of the room, he resumed mixing in the next item. Once the concoction showed to be stable, he removed his gloves and then lowered his goggles. “What brings you here this early?” Wylan teased lightly seeing as how it was unusual for y/n to be up before 8 bells on a day off.

“I had an important question” y/n stated, grabbing a paper bag from beside their feet on the floor.

Wylan squinted his eyes and he signaled for them to come closer. “What seems to be the problem?” He asked softly, extending his hand towards the paper sack.

“Do you know how to get bloodstains out?” Y/n asked, glaring harshly at the stain on their favorite pair of jeans.

Wylan’s eyes shot open wide, his right hand gripping the table and his left snatching the bag from y/n. “W-what?! Why? How? Who? Where? When?" Wylan freaked, pulling a pair of jeans out of the bag. It took him all but two seconds to recognize then as y/n’s favorite pair.

“Dime Lions are still mad at Kaz for stealing their job, or whatever” y/n groaned playfully. They yawned carelessly as they added “seems I’m an easier target than Brekker himself”. Y/n tried to brush it off, but it was clear Wylan wasn’t having it.

“Don't you understand that this isn't okay!?” Wylan remarked loudly, not shying away from his own voice this time.

“Wy, I’m okay, I just don’t want these jeans to be ruined” y/n shrugged, pointing to the stained area.

Wylan took in the sincerity of their facial expressions and laughed softly, “you’re worried about jeans when you were shot in the leg?”

Y/n nodded affirmatively, “ Yes, so?”

Wylan sighed and began to pace, his eyes flickering between Y/n and the bloody jeans in his hand. “You said you would stay safe! Getting shot isn't staying safe!" He declared as he noticed the size and shape of the entry and exit holes on the jeans.

“Sorry, next time I’ll ask them not to shoot me” y/n responded sarcastically.

“Y/n” Wylan sighed, “you know what I mean”.

Y/n stayed silent and watched Wylan closely. They knew Wylan was overprotective of them, but there was only so much they could do to prevent these things. Especially when the Dime Lions were targeting y/n due to a false belief they had.

“What’s going on? Is Kaz sending you on-” Wylan began questioning. He stopped when y/n sighed loudly and looked away from his face.

“Y/n…” he whispered, gently asking for them to explain.

Y/n took a deep breath and let their eyes wander back to Wylan’s face. “Well…” they began quietly. Y/n wasn’t sure how to tell him what had been happening without Wylan being pissed at Kaz. And that was not a fight y/n wanted to see.

Wylan squeezed y/n’s hand softly upon seeing their hesitation and nodded quietly.

“When Kaz sent me to the merchant council meeting the other day for the form he needed, we didn’t know that the Dime Lions were also offered the same job” y/n started slowly.

Wylan hummed, “so that’s why they attacked that night. They knew they were in competition with the Crows, or Kaz”.

Y/n nodded in conformation before reluctantly continuing the explanation. “Kaz evidently found out that night after investigating their attack. He didn’t tell me until yesterday though. But, I guess the merchants’ council was only authorized to approve one person to complete the transaction. When I obtained the approval form, that became me. In order for it to change hands, I either have to sign it over to someone, such as a gang member from the Dime Lions, which obviously isn’t going to happen” they elaborated with a roll of their eyes.

“Or?” Wylan questioned.

Y/n gave him a knowing glance and winced slightly as realization hit his face and shifted into fear and anger.

“Or the authorized person has to die for it to change hands?” He asked, hoping he was mistaken. However, unfortunately for him, y/n nodded and let out a soft mumbled “yes”.

Wylan let go of their hand and began pacing again; the angry energy burning inside him needing an escape.

“You weren’t aware of any of this?” Wylan wondered. He wasn’t judging or doubting them, but he wanted to make sure he knew where his anger should be directed. Especially if he was to storm into Dirtyhands’ office demanding a fix. Wylan took a deep breath as he watched y/n shake their head.

“Kaz knew you were being targeted and why?” He asked, his fists tight at his side as he worked to control his emotions.

Y/n bit their lip and whispered a quiet yes.

“I’m going to…” Wylan groaned, “he’s gonna answer for that”.

Y/n sighed as Wylan began angrily stalking towards the door. It was clear their boyfriend was going to at least verbally attack Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, Bastard of the Barrel. Normally they knew Wylan could hold his own, but Dirtyhands earned his nickname and y/n didn’t want to even guess what the outcome of their fight would look like. Y/n knew Kaz could maintain his anger over Wylan charging into his office to yell at him. But they didn’t want to risk it.

“Wylan,-“ y/n pleaded, following him as he started to exit.

“No, this is not acceptable” Wylan argued firmly, not glancing back at y/n as he stomped up the stairs.

—Same Event but Time Skip—

The Crow’s Club was eerily still as Wylan’s voice echoed faintly down the hall and into the main gambling hall. Wylan was usually know to be soft spoken. When it came to anything other than y/n’s life, safety, or happiness that is. So it shocked many of the Dregs to hear the person they believed to be the softer of the Crows shouting at their leader.

It was somewhat difficult to hear exactly what was being said by y/n’s boyfriend. The multiple floors and rooms/walls between Kaz’s office and the gambling den had muffled Wylan’s voice. So while everyone could tell it was tense and who was speaking, the exact words were unknown to most.

But y/n knew why Wylan had gone to Kaz’s office. So they had some semblance of an idea as to what was being discussed. All they could hope was that Kaz was in control of his emotions and ego right now. Based on the fact that you couldn’t hear a second muffled voice responding to Wylan’s, it seemed like that was the case.

Y/n knew her fellow Crows were watching them as they stared at the staircase throughout the shouting. But they didn’t bother acknowledging the group. It wasn’t anything against them. Rather, y/n knew the Crows would already be aware of the general purpose behind Wylan’s behavior.

After all, it was impossible to keep injuries from each other. Especially when y/n had been the unfortunate recipient of multiple injuries in a fairly short time. Not to mention the fact that they came from the hands of the gang of the Crows’ leader’s greatest rival.

Y/n also didn’t feel like answering any questions their friends might ask about the situation. They undoubtedly knew all they truly needed to know. And right now, y/n felt it was much more important to have their focus set on envisioning what was happening up the creaky stairs and behind the dark walls between where Kaz and Wylan were in contrast to the rest of the crows. Y/n was seated on the edge of the barstool closest to the stairwell, ready to throw themselves off of it and up the stairs at the soonest sound of possible danger.

Fortunately, it didn’t come. Instead, Wylan eventually made his way back down the stairs to collect y/n. He then helped wash the blood out of their jeans before they gave it to Inej to stitch a patch over the holes. Compared to the start of the evening, the end of the night was very calm. Whatever had happened in Kaz’s office seemed to appease Wylan’s concerns.

“Y/n, how could you keep this from me?" Wylan asked. He was mad. Well, mad would be an understatement. He couldn’t figure out why his partner didn’t tell him that the Dime Lions were still after them.

It had been days without trouble from their rival crew. Wylan suspected that meant Kaz handled matters as he ordered him to. However, Wylan found y/n hiding out in the storage room of the club when he went to grab an extra jar for some new materials he’d purchased from a street vendor that morning.

When he asked y/n why they were hiding back there, y/n confessed that the matter wasn’t over. Yet, they didn’t explain the reason why they hadn’t told Wylan. And that was driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was protect y/n. But he couldn’t do that if they didn’t tell him when they were in danger.

Unbeknownst to Wylan, Kaz wouldn’t let y/n take part in any of the next steps of the assignment. Kaz needed the form he had y/n get from the council to process the exchange of goods. He stated the item they’d legally be exchanging was going to be used as leverage/blackmail for their upcoming heist. The person being leveraged would only truly be persuaded by a legally obtained item, hence the unusual legally-completed portion of their heist.

Wylan was aware that the Dime Lions had been offered the job of leveraging the mark and was therefore wanting the form to be in their name so they could move forward. However, he wasn’t aware that y/n was still a target. He’d told Kaz to do whatever it took to remove the threat having over y/n’s head. Which Kaz did, hence why Kaz had required y/n to sign over the approval form to Kaz instead.

But, no one had accounted for the Dime Lions’ newest recruit reading into the sudden change in approved crew members as a potential weakness. The Dime Lions clearly knew y/n was going to be either on-guard and/or guarded by at least one other Crow from now on until the exchange was completed. However, when Kaz completely swapped y/n’s name for his, it served as a signal for the Dime Lions. Everyone knew that if Kaz wanted his name on the form, it would’ve been done that way from the start. So that made the gang question what the cause behind the change was.

The gangs newest recruit, Mapviler, suspected that y/n’s name had not truly been removed. While the whole crew knew there had to have been some intent behind putting y/n’s name on the form to start with, only Mapviler understood that Kaz wasn’t idiotic enough to violate the order and risk losing the leverage of having a legally obtained incentive. He believed that Kaz falsified the documents showing the name change in order to keep the Dime Lions from attacking them still.

Mapviler wasn’t entirely wrong. Kaz didnt want to risk losing their leverage. He was also right about Kaz’s motivation of keeping y/n safe. However, the name change truly did take place. It was done to keep y/n safe, but instead brought more risk when Mapviler misinterpreted the meaning behind it.

As such, Wylan’s orders to Kaz, and Kaz’s subsequent actions, only increased the threat. For now, Mapviler, who was not only the newest member of the Dime Lions, but also the most street smart member of the gang, was even more determined to find y/n. Meanwhile, the Crows suspected the threat was over and had begun to let their guard down. When Kaz caught wind of the misinterpretation and increased threat he alerted y/n.

However, y/n hadn’t told Wylan as they resorted to just hiding out instead. They figured if they hid out until Kaz finished the last steps of the exchange it would keep Wylan from being in danger through association.

Y/n attempted to summarize all of those details for Wylan. They weren’t sure how well they did, as Wylan stood there staring silently at them for what felt like an eternity. In reality it was only a few moments, but it was an intense stare. When Wylan composed himself, he closed his eyes tightly as he stood before y/n.

“It’s my fault,” Wylan stated, his voice saturated with guilt.

Y/n rapidly shook their head, “No, you were just trying to-“.

Wylan’s eyes opened and he sighed, “Doesn’t matter, it’s my fault.”

“But listen,” he begged, squeezing y/n’s hand, “don’t ever keep matters relating to your safety from me, please”.

“Okay, if you promise the same” y/n bartered.

Wylan hummed and nodded, “deal”.

“The deal is the deal” y/n smirked, shaking the hand Wylan had holding theirs.

Wylan let out a small chuckle and shook his head, “we’ll figure this out. They'll have to go through me before they get to you."

“No” y/n stated firmly, pulling their hand back.

“No?” Wylan repeated, confusion taking over his face.

“I don’t want them going through you,” y/n rejected.

“I kinda like you” they added with a sly smirk.

He chuckled more freely this time and blushed.

“Therefore, if we’re going to handle this together, I need you to stay close to me. Please” y/n requested.

Wylan agreed and suggested that he lead them to his lab to hide out in. At least until they formed a better plan.

Y/n silently agreed and followed him down the hallway.

They’d barely settled into Wylan’s laboratory when there was a loud crashing sound from just around the corner. This prompted Wylan to stand up stiffly, on guard now as he stood between y/n and the sound. Only for y/n to gently push him to the side so he wasn’t in increased danger compared to them.

Not that it mattered as within a few seconds, the whole room erupted into chaos. The room was filled with smoke and y/n couldn’t see through it enough to know what to do. All they could see was Wylan before them, sliding his goggles back up to his eyes.

“Stay here” Wylan whispered as he coughed through the smoke. And then he was gone.

Y/n wanted to scream at him for disappearing from their sight. Instead, they forced themselves to blink through the smoke as it settled. Once everyone could see, the Dime Lions brawlers charged towards y/n.

Yet another fight broke out, y/n once again out numbered. As they took surveillance of the scene, they saw Wylan fighting two men while the other two were headed their way.

“There they are!” One of the men shouted, pointing at y/n.

Wylan’s eyes showed his internal panic as he wrestled with the men while trying to simultaneously watch over y/n.

Meanwhile y/n had managed to grab their y/w/t from its holder and used it to take down two of the men. Y/n was feeling pretty good about their progress until one of them men fighting Wylan suddenly had him kneeling on the floor, a gun pressed to his temple.

“Get your hands off him!” Y/n called out, rising their y/w/t in an offensively driven position pointed it at the man holding Wylan.

Wylan gave y/n a silent look and mouthed “run”. Even from just the look he gave, it was clear he was trying to ask y/n to flee while they could. They both knew the other man had moved from Wylan to come for y/n. But y/n didn’t care, they weren’t leaving. Especially not with Wylan held at gunpoint. Not even though it were more likely for them to try and harm y/n than Wylan.

In fact, Wylan’s attempt to get them to leave only pissed y/n off more. They were furious that he was still trying too hard to protect them when he was the one in danger. So they ignored his mouthed request and turned their sharp gaze to the man approaching them.

Y/n attempted to use their y/w/t against the brawler but the man managed to grab it from them and tossed it across the room. As a result, y/n resorted to using their hand-to-hand combat skills to fight him off. It took numerous strikes to the man’s jaw, nose, and cheeks to get him to back up from them long enough for y/n to arrange a better attack.

As the man came back towards them, y/n leapt up into the air a few inches until they could reach the collar of the man’s shirt. Using the firm grip on the back of his collar, y/n pulled the man into a crouched position. At the same time, y/n brought their right knee backwards as far as possible. As the man began to fight the twisted angle y/‘ had him at, y/n swung their knee forward. Their knee crashed into the man’s pelvis, sending the man towards the floor.

Y/n tightened one hand around the man’s neck to restrict his breathing. As they went limit, y/n’s other hand pulled harder on the collar and flung the man over their shoulder, breathing heavily from the exertion.

They spared the man one look, taking note of the fact he was now unconscious in a pile of broken wood from the splintered table nearby. When y/n turned their gaze back to Wylan, they noticed the man who had been forcing Wylan to kneel was now charging at them. Confused, they glanced and saw the man had seemingly punched Wylan in the gut before shoving him aside to get to y/n.

Y/n clenched their jaw, glaring at the man headed their way. From the corner of their eyes, they could see Wylan struggling to stand up; having had the wind knocked out of him. This only fueled y/n’s anger and over protective mode.

Y/n lost it as Wylan coughed as he pushed himself up. Y/n attacked the man, their fists and knees striking any and every point of the brawler they could reach. They’d taken a few hits as well, but weren’t fazed. Y/w/t was still inaccessible, but there was far more than enough anger fueling y/n to keep them fighting this fourth man. After one of y/n’s kicks knocked the man’s knees out from under him, they saw the way the man looked back at Wylan.

Wylan had managed to get back his feet and was now trying to head to y/n’s defense. The Dime Lion noticed this as well and suddenly turned on Wylan to keep him away.

Seeing the clear threat to Wylan, y/n dashed between them men. The harsh look y/n shot the man should’ve been warning enough. Yet, y/n loudly declared “Touch him, and you're dead." The man only seemed more driven to remove Wylan from the situation now. Fortunately, Y/n knew the labrtory like the back of her hand.

They kept their eyes focused on the target but knew without looking which area of the lab had Wylan’s most dangerous chemicals. Therefore, without looking away or making any signal as to what their next move would be, y/n sprinted past the man towards the table that would have containers marked with three or more exclamation points.

Y/n slid their sleeves down quickly, using the fabric to cover their hands. From there, they spun around and tossed them at their target. While y/n knew these were Wylan’s more dangerous substances, they didn’t know what would happen when the powdered and liquids mixed. They also knew there was a significant chance y/n themselves would be injured in the process. But as far as Y/n was concerned, it was worth it to keep the man away from Wylan.

Y/n smirked wickedly as the man dropped to the floor before reaching Wylan. He writhed in pain, a bubbling pattern spreading on his skin as he moaned loudly. Y/n ignored his cries and looked around for Wylan. He wasn’t in the spot y/n had last seen him.

Just as y/n spun around to look behind them, they came face to face with their boyfriend.

Wylan had a very stern and panicked look on his face as he grabbed y/n by the back of the neck, pulling them closer. “Don’t ever do that again” he said breathily, his eyes darting all over y/n’s face. Once he was sure y/n’s face wasn’t harmed by his harsh chemicals, he stepped back slightly to scan the rest of their body.

“You protect what you love” Yn argued, pulling Wylan in for a tight hug.

He instantly hugged them back, burying his neck in their shoulder as he steadied his breathing.

“I was so worried about you Wy” y/n confessed, tugging the soft material of his shirt to bring him even closer. They breathed in his familiar scent and closed their eyes as his curls tickled their neck. They couldn’t believe they almost lost this.

“I’m okay” Wylan promised despite the fact he likely would be bruised in the morning. That is if he didn’t also suffer a fractured rib. But it was nothing Nina couldn’t help heal.

“You weren’t supposed to get hurt” y/n scoffed. Their right hand moved up to brush against the small scratch Wylan had gotten above his left brow. They presumed it was during the scuffle with the four men who’d broke in prior to him being held at gunpoint. Regardless of what point during the fight it had occurred, y/n knew it wasn’t there earlier today.

“It’s a scratch” wylan argued in an attempt to soothe y/n’s nerves. He could see the look of guilt in their eyes and he wished he could do something to erase it. But, he knew the feeling all too well himself and knew nothing he said would change it. So, he opted for tenderly playing with their hair instead.

“It could’ve been worse,” y/n argued defiantly. “Saints, I thought it was!” They added, holding Wylan as tightly to their chest as they could. They felt bad as they worried he might not be able to breathe, or that it might reactivate the pain from the gut punch he received earlier. However, when he responded by sinking into their embrace even further, they pushed those fears aside.

As y/n let out a long sigh, Wylan frowned against their collarbone. “Y/n”, he whispered delicately, his hands still tangled in their hair.

“Don't ever leave my sight again." Y/n scolded firmly, leaning back to see his face as they said it.

Wylan gave then a sympathetic smile and nodded.

Y/n sighed again, this time contentedly. They crooked their head until they were in the same position as Wylan. Their nose brushed his neck as they snuggled him. With a tight hug, y/n added a clarifying condition to their earlier order, “ever”.