#she's definitely got a chokehold on my brain right now...

[emswritingsstuff]

Home at Last (Daryl Dixon x Fem! Reader)

another request from @caseylicious !! i love your daryl ideas so much!! hope you enjoy!! 🫶🫶

Summary: After being left on the roof with Merle, you're separated from Daryl.

WC: 2.7k

--

“Merle was a danger to himself and everyone else, your husband did the right thing.” Andrea looked over at Lori, she just looked up at Rick and nodded, still looking unsure about the whole situation. “What about (Y/N)? I mean she definitely doesn’t deserve to be left with him.” Dale inquired. Glenn shook his head and held it in his hands, just dreading the conversation they were going to have with Daryl. “It's not our fault she wanted to stay; she wasn’t listening to us. What more could we have done,” Rick said matter of factly. Head nods and sighs were a sign of mutual agreement with Rick. They all knew you, but they also knew Daryl. 

It was clear to everyone that you and the Dixons were a package deal. Daryl and you were together for a while before everything had started. Making Merle practically your brother at that point, meaning you weren’t just going to sit around and let a random cop handcuff him. You did agree Merle was out of line but keeping him tied down the roof was not the move. Determined to make them let him go, you stayed with him. Without a second thought too. But that plan failed, as they did actually leave you. Ironically, without a second thought. But they all knew once the news got to Daryl, Hell would certainly break loose within the camp. 

The morning sun casted over the camp, everyone doing the daily routine with their chores. Shane had just brought in the water when screams were heard, the children screamed. Everyone ran to action seeing a walker had made its way onto the camp, eating a deer with a bunch of arrows in it. After disabling the walker, rustling was heard in the bushes, all of them breathing in sighs of relief when it was revealed to be Daryl. But the sighs of relief turned into stressful breathing when they realized what they were about to have to explain to him. 

Daryl was ranting on about the loss of venison, shooting the brain, and whatever else as he marched his way back into the camp. Everyone was keeping their distance from him, not wanting to get too close in case he exploded. Daryl had started yelling for you and Merle, completely unaware of what he was about to find out. 

“Daryl, I need to talk to you about them,” Shane spoke. Daryl looked at Shane with a questionable look, not so sure about what Shane was about to tell him. “Something happened on the run-” 

“They dead?” Daryl looked more tense now, ready to take his anger out on whoever got you both killed. The more Shane and Rick spoke, the more angry Daryl grew. FInding out they had stupidly left you both there threw him off the tiny edge he was standing on. 

“Lemme process this, ya handcuffed my brother to a roof? And left him and my girl there?” The anger was obvious, he was pacing around Rick. Nothing could be said in that moment to make him feel better. 

“If it makes anything better, I chained the door shut so geeks couldn’t get them,” point proven right there. Right as Daryl went to throw a punch, Shane put him in a headlock, pinning him to the ground. “Chokeholds illegal,” he mumbled as he caught his breath still in the group. Rick crouched down to Daryl’s level and told him how it is. That it just had to happen in order for the group to be saved, but he wasn’t buying it. 

Just like how they knew how much he meant to you, they knew how much you meant to him. You were the rational part of him, the part of him that kept him level headed, the part of him they all missed right now. But it was their fault you were gone, at least to him. He had started to break down, just enough to where it was noticeable. 

Rick had made the plan to go out with Daryl and Glenn to retrieve you and Merle, but also the guns. T-Dog soon made the choice to tag along as well. Though, Daryl knew everyone just wanted the guns and could give less of shit about the people he cared about. A nervous gut feeling hit Daryl, he didn’t want to show it, but he was scared shitless. If neither of you were there, he didn’t know what he would do. 

Daryl was getting antsy with Rick and T-Dog taking their sweet ass time getting into the truck. He was pacing again, nervous habit, just needed to see you were okay. Merle could defend himself, he knew that. You could as well, he taught you to, but he couldn’t let go of you no matter what. His leg was bouncing like crazy, the eventual drive feeling like it was taking forever. T-Dog looked at Daryl, just watching him. The tension was high, and he wanted to try and ease the air. 

“So, you and (Y/N), how’d that happen,” Daryl shot him a glare. T-Dog looked away, regretting what he had said instantly. Bringing his rag to his face, Daryl wiped it off and proceeded to speak. “None of yer business, just needa know you messed up leavin’ her there,” Daryl's eyes darted down at his hands not even wanting to engage in anymore conversations. 

Once finally getting to the department store, Daryl hauled his ass through it. Getting to the roof faster than everybody else. Getting the door open, the bright light threw him off. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he was devastated. It was empty.

Blood was all over the floor, Merle’s hand was on the ground and both of you were nowhere to be seen. The only thing of yours left behind being a necklace, intentionally placed where it would be seen. It was a sign that you were alive, but also a sign you were gone. Like you wanted to leave something of you for him. He lost you, he fucking lost you. 

Ever since that day on the rooftop, he swore to himself that he would look for you. No matter what, he looked. Tracking anything he could, any sign of you, just anything. The group had tried to convince him you were gone, to make him stop risking himself out there. Which never worked, he didn’t believe for a second you were dead. When on the road after the farm, he still looked. Going into the woods constantly, claiming to hunt, but in reality just putting up a front so he wouldn’t get chewed out for still looking for you. 

Daryl didn’t want to admit it. He really didn’t want to admit it, but he was starting to lose faith in ever finding you again. As the days went on, the tracks were growing cold. The faith he had rapidly dying with it. “She’ll turn up, she’s like you,” looking beside him, Glenn had snuck up on him. He didn’t blame Glenn for the rooftop, Hell, he couldn’t blame anyone for it. Daryl just shook his head and put it down. Glenn spoke up again, just trying to make him feel better. 

“She’s stubborn, should’ve seen her that day. Thought she was going to kill Rick herself for Merle.” Glenn giggled to himself, Daryl just huffing. Not an angry huff though, it was something more lighthearted. The idea of you defending Merle was amusing. “Her ass was probably more pissed at Merle than anythin’” Daryl had gotten used to thinking back on memories with you. Merle and you had never gotten along, ironically it's what he liked about you. Never scared to put him in his place. In return, Merle gave Daryl his approval about you, which was really unneeded in Daryl’s opinion. 

Unfortunately for him, once the group got to the prison so much was happening that he didn’t have time to look. He felt horrible about it, surely feeling like the biggest piece of shit to walk the earth. Everything that had happened became a blur, trying to keep the prison up, the multiple losses, the birth of Judith, just so much going on he could barely keep track. The thing that brought him back to reality was the ambush on Woodbury, and the reunion with his brother. 

But still no you, still nothing. He had to hold back the tears the minute he found out Merle hadn’t seen you in ages. Apparently you had run off when you Merle got with the Governor. When the brothers branched off from the main group, Daryl was silent. Part of him was mad at Merle for letting you go, but the other part was dealing with the fact you were gone. Probably for good. 

Walking through the woods, Merle was talking his ass off. Just saying shit and Daryl couldn’t care to listen to any of it. “Lighten’ up brother! The Dixons are back!” He roughly pat Daryl on the back. Daryl was quick to grumble and shrug off Merle's sorry attempt at making a joke. “Now, what's wrong Darlina? Gotten soft?” Daryl stopped and let Merle keep on walking. It took a minute for Merle to realize he stopped, which made him stop too and look back at his brother. 

“Why’d ya let her go.” Daryl's words were harsh but quiet. Just enough to wipe the smirk off Merle’s face. Stepping up to Daryl, Merle was trying to intimidate him. But Daryl wasn’t going to budge, he was never going to let himself do that. Not with Merle. “I didn’t let her go, the bitch got scared. Didn’t trust the Governor, chose to fend for herself. Like the dumbass she is,” Merle was quickly cut off with a swift punch in his face. Getting knocked on his ass by Daryl. 

He crouched down to Merle’s level and got in his face. “Speak about ‘er like tha’ again, I’ll kill ya next time.” Daryl jerked forward to imitate a punch which caused Merle to flinch. Scoffing, Daryl moved forward through the woods. Just those few interactions made him realize staying with Merle was a mistake, he needed to get back to the family that cared about him and that he cared about. 

It had felt like ages since they had seen anything other than the woods, when it was actually a few hours. When Daryl had spotted a small shed, he was grateful. Maybe there was something in there that could be useful. Daryl whistled to get Merle’s attention and make him see what he saw. Inching closer and closer to the shed door, crossbow at the ready but no finger on the trigger. If something was in there he could act quickly, but he didn’t want to be irrational. 

Throwing open the door, there was nothing there. Putting down the bow, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked some more. There were signs of life but nothing that alarmed him. Water bottles were scattered around, some still filled. Jackpot. Snatching them up Daryl put them with their other belongings. If the person living there showed up, he’d give them back no problem. But finders keepers for now. 

The brothers decided mutually that they were going to camp for the night in that spot, just creating a small campfire outside the shed before turning in. The night dragged on, heavy tension filled air filled the brothers atmosphere. Merle had walked off to look for “food”, leaving Daryl by himself. Just him and his thoughts. He had found himself sitting around the fire just staring at it. The memories came flooding back to him, he just missed you so much. He hates himself for not continuing to look for you. He’ll never forgive himself for giving up, but more could he really do. 

As if the universe was giving him a sign, he heard twigs snap in the distance. His head snapped in the direction of the sound, instantly on edge about the whole ordeal. Standing up slowly he equipped his crossbow but before he could raise it up, an arm wrapped around his neck bringing him down. This wasn’t a walker, this was a person. And a pretty strong one at that. 

Making quick work of getting out of the chokehold he separated himself and the attacker in question. A bandanna was wrapped around their face to cover it, they were wearing a heavy jacket with a hood up. Daryl could barely make out who this person even was, which made it all the more weird when the attacker said his name. Quietly of course, but he heard it. Trying to figure out what was happening he was lost in his thoughts. He never even saw the attacker charge at him again. 

Standing his ground he fought them off as best as he could, just trying to figure out how this person knew who he was. Pushing down harshly, the attacker fell on their back almost knocked out. Daryl took this as his moment to get rid of the disguise the attacker had on, and almost broke when he took the bandanna off. 

It was you, it was really you. He could barely believe it himself. 

Daryl stepped backwards and fell to his knees. Hurting you was something he never once wanted to do, and he just did that. He was defending himself, sure, and you attacked him. Guilt started to weigh on him, causing him to go crazy a bit. The whole situation didn’t feel real, which was a shared feeling. You weren’t in your right state of mind, he knew that. But Daryl was focused on the tears and the emotions he was feeling that he didn’t notice you get up and pounce on him again, successfully pinning him to the ground.

He was trying to explain himself, trying so hard to make you see reality. It surprised him how strong you had gotten after all this time, fighting so hard against your strength. “You’re not real. If you were, you would’ve found me sooner,” you said holding a knife up to his throat. Having him in such a bad position. Daryl acted quick and knocked the knife out of your hands and flipped you over so that he was now holding you down. His strong arm was across your chest and his legs held down yours. 

Tears streamed down his face as you thrashed against him, begging to be let go. Daryl could barely speak, hating to see you like this and him being the reason for it. “I tried, I looked everyday, I never wanted to give up. Please, it’s me.” Daryl’s head fell with his hair covering his face. A few more hits flew from you, definitely going to leave marks, but did not care. He needed you back. 

Surprisingly for him, the thrashing stopped. Just to make sure it wasn’t a fake out, he didn’t look up. But once he did look, he saw your face was softened. Moving his arm off your chest, he freed you a bit. Still weary on if you were in a better space or not. Your arm snaked up from your side where it was held down, taking the necklace Daryl had on in your hands.

“It's my necklace. It is you. You looked for me..” Your voice was breaking and soft, like the regret had set in. He had always kept the necklace tucked under his shirt so it wouldn’t get caught on anything and risk losing it, must've slipped out during the fight. Wiping his face, Daryl looked in your eyes, “Course I looked, never wanted to lose ya.” He eased up and stood up off of you, helping you up in the process. The minute you were up and stable, his strong arms were around you, this time in a loving embrace. 

Tears were falling like they never had before, the both of you just living in the moment in each other's arms. “They left me,” you silently whispered, voice breaking even more., Daryl just shushed you softly and put his hand in your hair. “I know, but now I got ya. Never leavin’ ya again.”

--

btw if anyone has s1-s2 daryl request pls, send them i love him

[killakalx]

killa ur one of my absolute fav jason writers so i felt the urge to share w u what has been rotting my brain recently. all i can think abt is ak/rh!jason meeting robin!reader for the first time. at first he’s angry, enraged, really, seeing flashes of red and green prancing across rooftops like you don’t have a care in the world. he has half a mind to beat some sense into you, knock that ‘i’m invincible in this suit’ mentality right out of your pretty little head. until he sees you up close, because that kevlar vest can’t hide the swell of your chest, and of course he notices the way your cape flares out to accommodate for the curve of your ass. just imagining the way he’d get obsessed, always cornering you in dark alleys just to rile you up and make you feel guilty that somebody like him has your panties all sticky and your thighs clenching, only to leave you high and dry ‘til the next time he ‘coincidentally’ runs into you during your solo patrols. kicking my feet js putting this into words he’s actually taken over all my thoughts i can’t function 😵‍💫

omg wait ilysm nonnie ☹️❤️ im glad my writing for jason is what you like!!!

ok i’m gonna edit ur take just a lil bit bc if you want me to be so honest rn, the idea of reader as a robin implies to me that reader’s still kinda young. ik that isn’t the fact but i just associate robin with being tiny and thrilled to get your life destroyed by an old man in a bat costume. now if we go about it like reader’s being mentored by b-man and has been for a long time, so it’s obvious to jason that she’s got that lil invincible flair? i’m all for it. cuz i feel like jason has beef with anyone who subjects themself to the same things he did when he was under batman’s wing.

now i’m not gonna say jason’s a stalker but yk. he’s definitely keeping track of you. judging your every move and making sure to be as hypercritical as possible, just to distract him from how badly he wants to ruin you himself. two things immediately came to my mind when i read this and it was brat taming and corruption, but jason as a brat tamer is always in the back of my mind somewhere 🫣 he’s almost looking forward to the moment he gets you to pounce on him with some sneaky shit, waiting for you to pull something just so he can show you how easily he’ll have you right under his thumb. and every time he corners you it’s a little game- he’s wondering if you’re feeling feisty and wanting to give him a hard time or if you’re gonna be all calm and collected and try to outsmart him. he almost finds it pitiful, really, if not entertaining.

then suddenly you’re looking forward to the moment he’s got you really cornered, head to head with him and he’s giving you that death stare even from under the blank helmet. “i know you like this stupid little game,” he’d taunt after getting you in a chokehold all the way up against his chest and pelvis. “aww, he didn’t teach you how to get outta this one yet?” when he definitely has, and you can’t quite figure out what exactly you’re supposed to do when you’re caught off guard by the little tingle between your legs. not to mention how the tight grip around your neck has you gasping… god you’re ashamed of yourself, and he can tell with the look of frustration under that cute cowl. you can’t tell that he’s enjoying this too, and he makes sure of that. just know that he’s eager to hear your half-assed protests and how you “shouldn’t be doing this with him” while he’s… 🤭 mmmm ak!jason todd w a corruption kink save me pls

[drabbles-mc]

Hey I see you’ve been on a Rick Flag kick. Can’t blame you! He’s a tall, sexy man! Which Rick do you like most? Suicide Squad 1 or 2? I loved the first Rick. I love that confident, dominant side of him!

Omg thank you for this. I'm truly in the depths of my Kinnsanity right now. Joel's characters have me in a chokehold like you wouldn't believe 😂

Of the two films I liked the second one more overall. I loved the team dynamics and I love that Rick was very much just like. Exhausted but he still cared. Task Force X are like his unruly children that exhaust him but he keeps showing up for them anyway. 😂

However I will say that seeing him get a bit of a romance arc in the first film???? Rewired my whole brain lmao. The fact that he knew Enchantress was lying to them because she tried to make him believe that someone would be there to comfort him after he woke up from a nightmare??? I get 🥺😭 just thinking about it. Plus, I agree, something about the aggro side of him really is just soooo chef's kiss.

I know that both films sort of exist in their own vaccuums, and there weren't really any storylines that carried over from one to the next, but I still think about him and June and whatever happened with them. I don't have answers about it I just like to think about it lmao.

But yea, at the end of the day I'm very much a team dynamics & found family type of gal and I feel like we definitely got more of that from the second film. I love Rick and all his criminal children 😂

Thank you so much for the ask! 🥰

[gayspock]

ok yj

literally everyone peacing the fuck out like i cant doooo this shittttttt, coach ben like "um... byeeee" (walks away) and misty having a panic attack bc she lowkey killed someone 2 secs ago, and then the others starting to do rituals in the corner whilst shaunas giving birth......... AND THEN the flashforwards with shauna being . kind of a terrible person... 😭 like i cant even blame her sometimes shauna you have protect #1 here come on woman

LIKE WHAT SHE SAID TO CALLIE CHRIST ALIVE and callie just sorta looking at her like um. as she realises yeah moms kinda cazzzyyyyyyyN BUT LITERALLY . IF I WAS SHAUNA I'D BE MORE THAN FUCKING CRAZY . EVERYTHING SHE WENT THROUGH. FUCKING HELL.

ok im still watching and im about to vom about coach ben just literally playing music in his head and having fantasies about playing party games with his boyfriend hes literally so dead whilst shauna fucking gives birth

UM.......

I THINK IM GOING TO HAVE A MELT DOWN WATCHING THIS

OH GOD THE NOISES OHJHHH MY GODDDD AHHHHHHHRHGHGHGHGHGHGHHG NNONOOOOO IM WATCHING IT ALL GUSH AND MUSH OUT FUCKINGGGG HELLLLLLLLLLLL JESUS CHRISTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

im also so crazy for lottie as well right now god shes so..........

can i also say. van is fucking living the life im so crazy for her little piece of the world i know what tai is saying its all a fantasy but her fucking shop i feel like my eyes are watering can you even imagine bro.......

okay wait sorry i got distracted

but fucking hell okay what i was gonna say about lottie idk okay fucking hell i hope they never confirm whether there is anything supernatural or NOT supernatural in this show i know thats a contentious topic with this right now with ppl saying either or but literally i dont think it MATTERSSS .... its about faith.......... isnt it...

oh god- OH GOD THE SECODS AFTER WHEN EVERYONE WAS LIKE "i knew you could do it" i had a gutwrenching meltdown like fuck the parallels between that and jackie when she was passing over. the everyone surrounding her with happy faces. i thought there was going to be a fucking HORRIFIC MOMENT where that baby was so dead but also now god what the fuck bc that baby is SO HERE so now uhm. where is it. yeah.

maybe they dont eat the baby but even if it dies or if they leave it in the wilderness my god thats so fucked up but ALSO ALSO ugh my #1 WORST. FEAR. ARE The ocuntless conspiracy theorists saying that it's, like, lisa or something because i hate that on so many levels .... i dont want the baby to be anyone weve seen in the future rn bc i just. uhhhhg. i hate stupid twists like that im sorry.

anyway god back to that thing i was saying... of faith... like fuck man the ambiguity the not knowing if its real, if its not real... of whether there IS something out there. thats what makes it so powerful and what has such fucking grip on these girls because ultimately its their faith and what they put into it thats really got the chokehold ... it doesnt matterrrr if theres something supernatural or not .... imo .... and i dont think thts wishy washy - i know it COULD be, if the writing doesnt bring it back but....

like ugh idk i hatebeing a snotty guy but its so annoying when ppl are all about THE ANSWERRSS THE DEFINITE ANSWERSSSS sorry i have to listen to my coworker try to talk about this show and im like just kinda wracking my brain like who cares what the absolutes are can we enjoy the journey of these girls and their characters puh leaseeeee sniff sniff

im also so fucking crazy for jeff. i am SORRY.

"HI VAN?" (HANGS UP) YA COULDNT MAKE IT UP!

also oh god im watching shauna with this baby and my heart is breaking watchin her try to fucking handle it i cant imagineeeee and again the juxtaposition of that and her in the fucking future with callie in the police station jesus fucking CHRIST man "YOUR KID DOESNT LIKE YOU TOO MUCH DOES SHE" HELLOOOOOO

"YOU REALLY DID A NUMBER ON HER" oh my godddd

something something mothers always being these nurturing figures in fiction of being the faceless somethings in the background. osmething something shauna being fucking insane by comparison get me OUT OF HOW I ENDED UP HERE something something trapped in the wilderness being a mother cant get out something something trapped in the marriage cant get out . hey shauna are you okay

i never even wanted to be a mom i neverrrrrrrr wanted this I DID NOT START OUT A BAD PERSONNNNNNNNNNNN. SHAUNA GIRLIE leave my kid out of it leave my kid out of it COME ON MAN

kevyn with a y is a grade Y yucky loser

callie is kind of eating here btw. "that groomer cop. hes nasty." THEY KNOW THEY WERE FUCKING FREAKS

also oh my god shaunas little meltdowns cut to lottie f- hi fucking hello. HI FUCKING HELLO. LOTTIE. LOTTIE GIRL.

IS EVERYONE FUCKING NORMAL RIGHT NOW

HE NEEDS TO FEED ...

YO COACH BEN YOU NEED TO START RUNNING MAN WE NEED TO GIVE YOU A HEADSTART

CUT TO JEFF IN THE FUCKING CAR. VOM.

also my god lottie being the centre of it all like i did have my . sigh i dont know i wish lottie was MORE present in the first season in a sense like i wish there was more of her . but her being the centre and the one theyre both all "against" but also like they all have such a deep connection with her and

NATALIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THE FISH

NATALIE THE FISH DIDNT FUCKING DO SHIT

COME ON NATALIE MAN

BROOOOOOOOOO

EXACTLY NATALIE HELL

natalie being so survivor and the one whos a hunter but being the one who cant fucking kill a fish and is always the oje barely surviving i love natalie

"ITS YOU AND ME KID AGAINST THE WHOLE WORLD" SHAUNA ARE YOU FUCKING ALRIGHT IN ANY CAPACITY .

oh my god that made me so- so- so-

wait

th baby isnt

oh

okay

um

...

dot dot dot

umm

okay i thik im going to puke im going to cry ........

NO . NO THATS SICK WHAT I WAS SAYING WITH THE PARALLELS BEFORE AND JACKIE AND THEN HER VISIO OF THEM ALL EATING AND TH... THIS IS FUCKING HORRIBLE SO MUCH MORE HORRIBLE EVERYTHING

IHATE MY LIFE

[cnohpytxyz]

HHL 4

prologue | HHL1 | HHL2 | HHL3

synopsis: C deals with her heat while her bond is near by, Ben struggles to feel safe in his new home, Terry misses C.

word count: 5598

genre: werewolves, my own take on A/B/O, female OCs, domestic bullshit

warnings: s*xual themes, pretty graphic bl**d/c*m descriptions, pessimistic thoughts (not extreme), mentions of gay s*x in a poor light, weird ass simping from multiple characters

notes: while editing this ff I was trying to think of a way to pass the bechdel test. imagine my surprise (/s) when I reread and find I passed it in the first chapter .-. guess it's not as hard as some people think it is.

~/*\~

This is torture. C thought as she was tossed into the nth scenario of the week. 

Someone—probably Beah—thought it would be funny to set her bond up in an apartment near her heat room. He couldn't have been far. C supposed he was in the octagon, maybe a thousand or so yards away. If she had a window, she might have been able to see into his new home.

Thank God she couldn't.

Ben had moved in about a week after their initial meet and, for the past five days, he'd been dreaming up various ways to fuck his brains out...

…and hers, much to her dismay.

After the first day, C was grateful when the sun went down, assuming he’d be going to sleep. And he did. He definitely slept, but apparently his unconscious mind was just as thirsty because the following few hours were a miserable mix of lust and absurdity who in their right mind considered Cats: the Musical fap material that couldn’t quite get her to cum. 

It had been years since she’d had sex—not that it bothered her most days—but that night she found herself clawing at the thick metal door, begging to be released from her prison. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, now that she was a little more clear headed) the room was soundproofed, so no one heard her desperation. 

She had never cried from an orgasm before, but, holy hell, C found herself downright sobbing when Beomgyu finally released into his hand at 4AM that first night, her own orgasm flowing in sync. Some time during the following days, she had tried to close the bond only to fail time after time. She didn’t know if it was because of his proximity or because of her own weakness, but there was no stopping the images from flooding her mind. Those nights were miserable. 

Tonight didn’t seem like it would be much better, but, luckily for her, Terry and Kai had taken Beomgyu to explore the compound for the day. The few hours she got alone helped her calm down a bit. She tentatively tried to close the bond.

No dice.

C felt desperate tears prick her lash line as she realized there'd be at least three more days of various sexual scenarios she couldn’t control if she got turned on by Sonic and Mario one more time she might lose her damn mind. 

Usually her knotting dildo (specially made to take care of Lupina heats) would do the job just fine. It wasn’t enough to satisfy the mating urge, but it kept her skin from burning. 

Now though… 

Sigh…

Now it was useless. Granted, she hadn’t been satisfied during a heat in a long ass time and Beomgyu’s fantasies certainly delivered, but, damn, the time and images it took to get there was the absolute worst. It felt like she was back in Russia and strapped to that table again… deprived of touch with satisfaction just out of reach. 

She shook her head. It was useless to focus on those things now, and it wasn’t like it was completely awful. 

Just a little awful. A smidgen of… awful.

A moan cut through her thoughts and C belatedly realized she was on the verge of another orgasm. Even when she tried to focus on other topics, Beomgyu had her body in a chokehold. But if his fantasies were any suggestion, she wasn’t the only one.

No pun intended, she vaguely thought, as the image of her hand around his throat consumed her thoughts. She could almost feel his pulse under her palm when she leaned down to whisper in his ear, “You like that, pup? ” C groaned, gritty with lust and a good helping of cringe (she’d find time to gag at those words later), suddenly very thankful for her upcoming “business trip”. 

She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to look him in the eye without either combusting or punching him in the face and, ironically, the gunpowder excursion would give her time to cool off. 

Seconds later C felt a familiar tensing shoot through her spine, signaling her release. And then…

And then?

…

There was supposed to be more. 

There was usually more. 

C directed her attention inwards again, brows furrowed in concern, only to be met with darkness. Was he that tired? More silence followed and she groaned in relief. 

She closed her eyes and took a breath before sitting up on the now ridiculously wet mattress. Her mattress protector had mostly abandoned its post and now laid on the floor, only a single corner desperately clinging on. She had done away with any sheets on the second day, a decision she was now unsure of seeing how much blood and cum came out of her. Then again, a thin sheet wouldn't have made much of a difference. Not to mention the dried red clumps already made her skin crawl, a whole sheet of crunch might make her pass out.

A finger slid up her thigh on impulse, catching a trail of cum and blood before it joined the rest of the abominable puddle, and her face twisted in a grimace. C fought the urge to fling her whole self into the trash can, reasoning that it wouldn’t be any cleaner.

Disgusting. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before a yawn prompted her to stand. For the past five days Beomgyu had tormented her to the point of exhaustion and she’d only gotten some sleep while he was out that morning. She supposed more fantasies would follow later, but for now she felt normal—dehydrated as hell and more tired than she’d ever been since the change, but normal nonetheless. C glanced back at the bed, debating the pros and cons of sleeping in a puddle of her own fluids again.

Turning away with a sigh, she let her disgust win. A shower was certainly in order, but she should probably take care of the mess first. After kicking the blankets to a corner—a cleaner would take care of them once she left—she grabbed her water bottle with one hand, flipping the mattress over with the other. 

C sighed at the hassle of replacing the bloody, cum-soaked monstrosity, but there was no helping it. Usually two mattress protectors would do, the blood being her only concern during previous heats, but in the wake of her thrashing, they were utterly useless. Flipping the bed would do for now and maybe later she could find a way to attach a protector to the mattress.

Snaps maybe? Whatever. She could pour over the specifics later. Right now, there was a hot shower calling her name. 

~/*\~

When Ben opened his eyes in the morning he had expected to be hard already. His morning wood had gotten significantly worse during the time he’d spent at the HHL—something he blamed on that stupid Alpha—and his midnight fantasies were relentless. But today, it seemed he was off the hook. 

For the first time in a while he just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. There was definitely something wrong with him. He’d always been on the hornier side of things, but every day? 

It was starting to wear on him and a lingering disgust tickled the back of his mind every time he came down from his high. But that only served to make him angrier. Why should he be the one to feel disgusted? They made him like this. Why was he the only one who felt how wrong it was? 

And that damned Lupus. She just had to save him like a knight in shining fucking armor. And then she had the audacity to smile at him like that. He would sue. 

If that was even an option. He doubted it, but surely he should get some remuneration for how often thoughts of her consumed his mind and his dick. It was straight up unfair of her to monopolize his head like that, especially since he’d only seen her twice. 

Ben groaned and tossed his left arm over his face. He was such a fucking simp. A simp for a girl who didn’t even seem interested. 

…

Ok, maybe that was a lie, he thought while her last expression flew through his mind. For a moment she looked like Sasha. He couldn’t help but overlap their images, but in the next instant C looked at him like she’d wronged him some how. He almost felt guilty. 

But then he caught himself. 

Why should he feel guilty for his thoughts? It’s not like she could read his mind. And even if she could, that didn’t mean he was in the wrong. 

…

Damnit, so fucking guilty and for what?

Ben groaned again and decided to let it go. She wasn't even around for him to vent his frustration on, so any more thoughts would just be letting her win. And he refused to let her win. The bitch would be so smug if she knew what he was thinking.

He could see it now—the cocky smirk, the raised eyebrow, if he was lucky, maybe some tongue…

Fuck . The now moderately turned on human sniffed delicately. He really needed to get a grip on his thoughts. All this thinking was draining and he had shit to do. 

Not that it was important shit, but it was shit that would keep his hand away from his dick and his mind off that damned Alpha.

Kai and Taehyun (Terry now, Ben corrected himself) would be dropping by soon to help him shower and get away from the musty apartment-esque residence. Yesterday had been great. He missed his friends immensely, their unknown fates often being his biggest source of comfort while he was pressed under some “patron” in the early morning hours. 

Now that he knew half of them had better fates than him, he was both relieved and slightly jealous. Why did they get years of safety, when all he got was unresolvable trauma?

Ben clicked his tongue. There it was, that ridiculous sense of guilt creeping in again. 

It wasn’t like he wanted them to go through what he did, but it felt so unfair. If only he hadn’t hidden when C searched the street back then. If only he had grabbed her attention at the start, then he wouldn’t have all these complicated emotions. He wouldn’t be so broken. He wouldn’t feel so ashamed to be in his friends' presence. He wouldn’t feel so disgusted with himself.  

Even if he had reacted just slightly slower maybe… maybe he could have ended up like Kai rather than like Ben. 

But he was Ben. 

…

Now he was Ben...

And there was nothing he could do to change the past. Fuck it.  

Maybe he couldn’t change the past, but surely he could change the future… right?

Hang on. Ben’s eyes widened in shock. That was almost a positive thought. A strange sense of pride rushed through him and he couldn’t help but smile. It must be the air here. He took a deep sniff only to be attacked by a sneeze, the sharp motion jerking his body and making him squeak in pain. 

Ben laid on the bed for a few minutes, furrowed brows and stilted breaths taking over his mind. Whoever said emotional pain was worse than physical, should be shot, Ha! He snorted at the double meaning only to follow it up with a sharp gasp of pain. He bit his lip and fought the urge to laugh or snort or breathe or slam his fist into his own face to see if that was less painful.

What time was it? A glance at the clock told him it had only been a few minutes since he woke up. Great. Depressing thoughts at the speed of light. Just what he needed. More time to overthink. The human mind was truly incredible.

Whatever, Kai and Tae–Terry would be showing up soon. Maybe he should try and get up. The nurse told him it would take a few weeks to a few months to recover—and not to move without help—but he was tired of waiting on people to come to him. He could at least sit up. 

Moving his good arm into position, he attempted to push himself upright. Attempted being the key word. It wasn’t entirely the fault of his wounds, he was just too weak to support himself and the pain took out the rest of his strength. The Quickshot Alliance didn’t let him do much while he was there, letting him wither away as they pleased. It wasn’t like he needed physical strength to get pounded in the ass anyway. 

Now that he was here though, he supposed they would let him work out, or at least walk around freely. The management here didn’t seem inclined to use his body for their own gain. No, they seemed more likely to let C take what she wanted. It’s not like anyone else in the New World had the power to stop her. 

Maybe a few powers overseas could do it, but in the Americas, the HHL reigned supreme. 

Ben wondered how they came into power so quickly. He distinctly remembered his first encounter with them being only weeks after the outbreak aired on tv. He was no expert, but that seemed like a remarkably fast time to set up a whole society and secure it enough that they could go scouting for people without worrying about raiders/werewolves. 

He could definitely be wrong… but… did they have something to do with the apocalypse? Did they cause it? Did they send the world spiraling just so they could play hero? Was he even safe here?

Here.

Damn.

He was really here. Like actually, physically here. He pushed aside his fears and let a tear trickle down his cheek. He could finally confirm his friends’ lives, but his thoughts wouldn’t let him rest. The alliance wouldn’t come for him, would they? Would the HHL give him up if Nocturne threatened them? 

He scoffed at the intrusive thought. Nocturne wouldn’t even try to threaten the HHL. He was too much of a coward and Ben wasn’t worth that much anyway. Then again, he was their “prized bitch”. Maybe they wouldn’t outright threaten, but they might infiltrate the HHL to steal him back. 

Ben shook his head, trying to clear his head. Alright, all he needed to do was get buff fast. Yeah. He nodded with an absurd amount of conviction. That was a solid plan. 

…

Or it would have been a solid plan, if he hadn’t been fucking shot, he reminded himself. Maybe he should convince Kai or C to bite him. He doubted they would be convinced, but if he used his body, he might get an edge on C.

He stopped himself. That was a very dangerous line of thinking. Fantasies were fine, but the actual act might make him throw up. But if it keeps me safe. He tried to brush the little devil off his shoulder, but the damned thing chose his good one and shrugging didn't do much to dislodge the bastard. 

He sighed, eyes screwing shut to block his thoughts from taking over. It was gonna take awhile to get rid of that thing. He refused to accept it was his own mind. He wouldn’t betray himself like that.  

“Knock knock.” The door slammed open before Ben could respond, nearly startling him into a ball. A reflex that didn’t go unnoticed by the men that walked through. 

Kai pounced on the bed laughing at the older man’s clear overreaction, “Did we scare you, 형?” Ben felt himself slip into another headspace as he laughed back, the floating feeling offering a mix of comfort and anxiety. Whatever response he managed to force out didn’t raise any flags with Kai, but Terry was different. 

Terry was suspicious. Ben could tell by the intent stare, but why was he suspicious? Or should the question start with what? His pondering threatened to pull him down from his high and for a brief moment he struggled against it. 

Until he realized there was no reason to fight. He was safe. The boys might have startled him, but they weren’t going to hurt him at all. His conversation with Kai got more stilted as he eased himself down, but the naïve Lupus still didn’t notice anything. Terry, on the other hand, was only growing more concerned. 

At least Ben hoped it was concern. The look he was getting could have been a death glare for all he knew. Out of his two old friends, Terry had changed the most. He was missing a leg and the scar tearing from the corner of his mouth to his upper cheek gave him a predatory vibe. If Ben didn’t know any better, he’d have thought that Terry was the Lupus. 

“Hey Kai, could you go grab the wheelchair?” Ben almost sagged in relief when Terry looked away. “I’ll get Ben into the shower.” 

The tall as fuck Lupus pouted, but didn’t hesitate to obey, and Ben was struck with the anxiety of being left alone with Terry. A truly terrifying thought. 

It wasn’t just the younger’s scars that intimidated him. It was also everything else. The height—Terry was probably taller than him now—and the absolutely ripped physique were just cherries on top. Seriously though, Ben didn’t doubt that Terry could lift him with one arm.

A thought that was proven true mere seconds later when said human slipped an arm under his torso and brought him to the edge of the bed in one smooth motion. His anxious thoughts were put to rest at the gentleness of the much larger man’s actions. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” The anxiety came rushing back. Ben looked at Terry, the younger man now squatting in front of him. He struggled to school his expression, refusing to let himself slip back into his other headspace. It was a lot harder to control his face when he was so present with it. 

“Talk about what?” He said it with a laugh, but the reply was too late and the laugh was too hollow for it to seem natural.  

Terry watched him with the same eyes as earlier, this time he could tell it was concern. Ben chewed his lip and looked away, the familiar guilt slipping back down his throat to pool in his stomach. 

A sigh brought his attention back and his gaze followed Terry as he stood up. “You don’t have to tell me what you went through, but you should tell someone. If you need a counselor, just let me know. I’ll arrange one for you.” 

“You have counselors here?” Ben’s mouth gaped in disbelief. It was almost unreal how much the HHL could offer their residents. And to think that just anyone could walk up and ask for refuge. It made him wonder why people didn’t flock here by the hundreds. 

Terry smiled and Ben was hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. “We have just about everything here. Beah and C made this place into a haven.” He sat next to Ben, staring ahead as he continued. “There’s a few missing perks here and there, but they’ve really tried to gather everything one could possibly need.” 

He seemed very proud of his home. Ben didn’t have to wonder why. 

And there it is. The taste of vinegar sat heavy on his tongue, and he couldn’t hold back a quick jab. “If it’s so perfect, why aren’t there more people here?” 

Terry glanced at him from the corner of his eye, but Ben refused to look his way. “We went under a lock down of sorts about a month ago.” He hurried to complete his thought before the elder male could interrupt. “We usually lock down around the time of the Lunar New Year, since the Lupi get pretty restless around now, but it’s looking like it’ll be a longer lock down.” The scarred man sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The HHL has a lot of resources and therefore a lot of enemies. It hasn’t really mattered before, but now there’s rumors of a larger anti-HHL alliance gathering, so Beah is deciding to keep the gates closed for now.” 

Ben nodded in understanding, but then a thought hit him. “Wait, then how did I get in? Was it just because I’m injured? Will you be throwing me back out once I’m better?” He couldn’t keep his thoughts from spiraling, but Terry’s laughter cut through the fog like a knife through butter. 

“We’re not going to throw you out again.” He made it sound ridiculous. What was the point of a lock down then, if they were just going to let in whoever anyway? “We don’t let in just whoever, dumbass.” The words were followed by a huff and Terry leaned back on the bed. “C brought you back and C can do whatever the hell she likes around here.” Ben sensed a hint of something darker from his friend. 

“What’s your relationship with C?” He swore he didn’t mean to come off as a pissed off boyfriend, but it just happened. It was that damned Alpha’s fault—always up in his head like she owned the place. It was straight up unfair. Why couldn’t he have the same power over her? 

…

Did he have the same power over her? Should he… ask?

No, that would be stupid. Even if he asked, he doubted she’d tell him honestly.  

“I’m sort of the honorary Beta.” Terry’s reply cut through his thoughts at just the right time. But honorary?" C is the Alpha, which is both a title and a… I guess you could call it a personality trait. But since I'm not Lupi, Beta's only an honorary title. She’s been trying to turn me for around a year now, but there’s too many drawbacks to it."

Wow. Where to start? 

“I’m back!” A loud thud followed the equally loud voice and Ben’s door swung open with a slam, revealing his youngest friend pushing a standard wheelchair. Whatever thought process he was working through got cut short by Kai’s second dramatic entrance of the day—he imagined there would be at least two more.

“Alright.” Terry slapped his knees and stood up, the acquired action almost enough to make Ben laugh. He didn't though. There were too many questions floating about his head. 

"Why does C need a Beta? Why are you Beta? Why don't you want to be Lupi? Why isn't Kai Beta? Why did she choose you?"  He didn't mean for that last one to come out, but it ended up slipping. Was that jealousy?

Kai and Terry stared down at him from their intimidating heights, seemingly confused, and Ben wondered which question did it. 

It was probably the last one. Did they sense his jealousy? He debated throwing a "nevermind" at the tail end, but too many seconds had passed for it to seem natural. 

Then again did "nevermind" ever seem natural when it followed a string of questions?

"Let's get you showered first." Terry ended up being the one to speak. "I'll be joining you in the greenhouse for a bit today. There's plenty of time to talk then." 

Ben debated demanding immediate answers, but decided against it. He needed that shower and it was doubtful there'd be an end to his questions. 

And so he nodded and let the other human princess carry him to the shower stool.

~/*\~

As soon as they entered the apartment, Terry knew something was up. The flinching, the glazed eyes, the slightly off breathing, all of it pointed to some serious mental issues. Terry had his finger on PTSD, but he was no psychiatrist. 

Ben hadn't talked much about the past five years, but, with the way he reacted to his given name and the various other signs of trauma, it couldn't have been a good time.

Terry wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not, but he offered his ear anyway. It was honestly a surprise when he'd found out Ben was C 's bond, but that wasn’t the only reason he’d be taking care of the older male. His malnourished friend brought back both the best and the worst kind of nostalgia, and he wasn’t about to let the last time they saw each other become his last memory. 

It wasn't going to be easy though. With the Alpha locked up in her heat room during the Lunar New Year, the HHL Lupi were quickly spiraling out of his control and required near 24/7 supervision. Kai was able to help on occasion, but he was nearly just as useless as Terry. 

The pure rage he had to weather when he told them the Lunar New Year ceremony would be postponed had him shaking in his boot. Not to mention he had no one to celebrate his birthday with. That one probably sucked the most.

Though he told Ben that there were more drawbacks than positives to becoming Lupi, he was nearing the end of his rope. C had to find a Beta quickly, but there wasn't anyone she could trust enough with the role besides himself and so, they found themselves caught in a vicious cycle.

Terry didn't realize how bad things had gotten until he found himself lacking an Alpha, but now that he thought back on it, C hadn't left the compound for more than a day in recent months—starting around the time of the Lupi boom. Before then, she spent more than 2/3rds of the year away from the HHL. 

It was only when she spent an entire month without any distant excursions that Terry thought something was up, but she waved away his concerns, saying it was just the natural progression of things. He had taken it to mean that the HHL no longer needed her to track down new talents—that they had enough professionals in the mix. But that wasn't the case at all. 

There were too many Lupi now. 

Going away for more than a day or two would leave them volatile and prone to attacking the humans. Luckily the Lupi could still sense her presence on the compound or Terry wouldn’t know what he would have done. It made sense why she was getting so pushy about turning him. He almost felt guilty for rejecting her so often. 

Almost. It still wasn't worth it and he wasn't going to be guilted into becoming Lupi. C didn't—wouldn't—want him to change just because he felt bad for her. If she did, she would have told him how much she was struggling. 

Speaking of which, he wasn't too happy she left him in the dark. He understood her motivations, but at the same time the secret left a bad taste in his mouth. They usually told each other everything, but what else was she hiding from him?

Was this how she felt every time he turned her down? Like he was building a wall or drawing a line in the sand. He could almost hear her say it. I'm not like you. It didn't usually bother him this much. 

He wasn't like her. That was the point. But he was her rock, wasn't he? Maybe not, now that he thought about it.

Damn, what a time for depressing thoughts—naked with his buddies in the shower.

Terry bit the tip of his tongue, trying to focus on getting Ben clean without hurting him. It really, really wasn't the time to think about C. 

And definitely not the time to release her from her heat room to ask for a hug. Not unless he wanted to get bitten, and he was still certain about staying human. 

He still really wanted that hug though. What day was it? He vaguely remembered throwing a tantrum almost two weeks ago and then getting dragged out of his bedroom by Kai a few days later. If she went in on the day he isolated himself, then he had three more days till he could get that hug. 

A gasp from Ben drew him out of his thoughts, and Terry realized he had the older boy's arm at a weird angle. "Sorry." Gently lowering it, he placed the soap back on the shelf and pulled the shower head down to rinse his seated friend off.

"Whachu thinkin' about?" Ben looked up at the younger boy in pure curiosity—a look Terry was very familiar with. The accent, however, was definitely something he had to get used to. He didn't remember such a drastic change when he reunited with Kai, but it seemed Ben picked up a significantly Californian tone. It was pretty similar to C’s American accent now that he thought about it, though her Russian origins occasionally slipped through the cracks.

"He's probably thinking about C and how he wants to huug and kiiis-" Kai was gagged with a soapy loofa to the mouth as Ben looked on, eyes widened in disbelief. 

"What was that about?" Morbid curiosity flickered dangerously in the eldest boy's eyes and Terry knew he'd be in for it if he didn't share. 

But he didn't want to share. How was he supposed to explain their relationship to her bond? It felt vaguely wrong, like they were cheating on him. They weren't, but trying to explain his Lupi behavior to a human when he wasn't Lupi…

Maybe he should take C up on her offer. Then again, if he was like this now, he'd be especially clingy once he was turned. She wasn't even his bond. 

Yeah, no. He'd add that to the list of "reasons to stay human". No need to wedge himself in between such a happy couple. He snorted in his thoughts, but declined to share his musings with the other two boys. Unfortunately, Ben’s curiosity wouldn’t let him rest. With a sigh, he decided to keep it simple, “C is my… person…? I guess that makes the most sense.” Describing her in one word felt almost sacrilegious, but calling her his everything might get a bit too weird especially following Kai’s mildly sexual comment. 

Ben’s eyes narrowed and sparked with something Terry found unfamiliar, but whatever it was, it nearly made his heart skip a beat. He never knew a wounded, malnourished human could be so intimidating, especially with his own nearly Lupus physique. He decided to expound before Ben tried to jump him. “She pulled me out of a pretty deep hole. I owe her a lot.” Kai began gurgling water and Terry sent a mildly annoyed look in his direction. “But I do not want to kiss her. That’s like kissing my sister.” 

To his relief the dark look in the eldest’s eyes faded and one of understanding took its place. He made a mental note to avoid touching C while her bond was around. It didn't feel like things would go well for him if Ben found them interacting as they usually did. 

"But why do you care so much?" Kai asked, finally recovering from the earlier attack. "C is fairly intimate with all the Lupi anyway. That's just how we are." 

“I thought Tae- Terry was human?” Ben’s questioning didn’t seem like it would let up any time soon, so Terry sat on the edge of the tub with a sigh. 

“When I first got here, I had some issues–” Kai’s snort was ignored with an eyeroll, “and C was the only one who would put up with me. A year or so went by and suddenly I was too human to be Lupi, but too Lupi to be human.” Terry shrugged. “At this point, I might as well make the switch, but it's just not worth it.” His eyes dulled, gaze falling out of focus, “If I change now, it feels like I'll lose what humanity I have left." Kai tensed and bit his lower lip, but the action was missed by Terry. 

The three boys fell into a contemplative silence as they toweled off and got dressed and Terry was left with his all too consuming thoughts. 

He didn't know if he had any humanity left. He couldn't even recall all the lives he took during the first few years of the apocalypse and, even though C never blamed him or mentioned it, he still felt like it would take centuries more to pay back his blood debt. Yet another point in C 's favor. Why was he still holding on to something so obviously useless? Why was this the hill he chose to die on? 

“You coming?” Kai’s voice drifted over and Terry looked up to meet his friends’ inquisitive stares. While he was lost in his mind, Kai had arranged Ben into the wheelchair, probably with all the elegance known to his kind. 

Terry sucked his front teeth for a second.

Damn, where’d that come from? Jealousy was never his thing before. Or maybe his emotions were just hard to regulate without C around? Should he just–? “Yeah I’m coming.” He looked down just to make sure he was dressed and dry. Luck was on his side today. 

He shook his head and followed his friends out the door. Being so dependent on one person was how he got into this mess. It’s getting mighty tempting though. As Terry followed his friends out the door towards, he briefly imagined the consequences of his actions and for the first time in five years, he didn’t dread it.

previous part next part

[wishing-well-writing]

!GEN PURE VANILLA COOKIE HCs!

Written by: 🍡, 🦷

Fandom: Cookie Run Series

Character(s): Pure Vanilla,

Warnings: Mentions of body horror

before we even start, this idiot trips on their stupid fucking cloak a lot

has very sharp teeth, like CRAZY sharp shark teeth

this applies to custard cookie too but since he’s still a growing lad it’s only little baby fangs

Also Custard is probably like, some distant distant DISTANT nephew or something to Vanilla?

Either that or everyone in the Vanilla Kingdom had sharp ass teeth

This probably includes Strawberry Crepe

after being pacifist for so long he wants blood (he’s always wanted blood, how do you think he got that sentient staff? :))

the entire gang (minus hollyberry because she’s himbo aligned) are all afraid of him, dark enchantress (former childhood and school friend) is still scared

he definitely killed someone for that staff

the whole “God is dead and I killed them (for this staff)” type beat

Said staff probably acts as a walking cane/seeing eye-cane for them

Vanilla’s vision is probably pretty ass or like fully blind lmao (same hat)

The staff can probably talk no I will not elaborate :)

how he went blind? the story always changes

it’s either “i traded my eyesight for my healing” or “i’ve always had ass eyesight”

no one knows which story is true

Mr man can “see” in the dark via either staff weirdness or like really REALLY good spacial awareness

Pov you’re White Lily during academy days and your roommate is making breakfast without turning the lights on

“Pure Vanilla, it’s almost five in the morning, what are you doing? And why are the lights off????”

“ “

“Wait the lights are off?”

“Y-”

“Yes?

And the rest is history lmao

Vanilla’s eyes probably glow or like cat shine or something

He’s the team cryptid in addition to being the team leader

Also he has some REALLY quiet steps

As in, “you won’t hear them coming even if you’re expecting them” quiet steps

Also this man PROBABLY has extra eyes or a mouth or something somewhere on his body I can feel it

moving away from general body horror and such i imagine he suffers from chronic headaches like the lot of us do

his most prevalent headache is dark enchantress, who he’d like to put in a chokehold and demand answers from

“You’re still my buddy pal but I’m going to kill you If You Don’t Explain Right Now.”

sometimes he has prophetic dreams that just scramble his brains like eggs

he probably knew something would happen to white lily

but definitely Not That

or maybe he did know but was in denial

and now he just wants answers and blood.

In short: he is the he/they short king apyr of the ancients gang

[hyperfixatingmenever]

Mystery of Love | Part 3/7 | 3K | Mature

Title: Mystery of Love

Fandom: Narcos 

Pairing: Javier Pena / Reader

Rating: Mature 

Word Count: 3K

Warning: A touch of smut but mostly just implied. No real warnings this chapter is just going to hurt like a bitch lol

A/N: I'm so sorry I didn't update last month! School was so crazy and I just found this chapter so hard to write! So please forgive me, and I hope to get back to my original updating schedule! I love you all! Pls have this moodboard as an apology! Lol 

Everything in italics is a flashback. I'm too lazy to figure out how old Olivia is, so for this fic let's pretend she's old enough to talk, but young enough that she doesn't talk much, very monosyllabic lol. Also IMO ‘call me by your name’ is very problematic and overall terrible… but the chokehold this song has on me lol

Finally pls check out Nat’s amazing Fic Rec List (she added ‘Its Not Easy’ ❤) and message me if you want to be tagged in future updates!!!

Mystery of Love By Sufjan Stevens

Masterlist | Chapter 2 - Chapter 4 | Ao3

The morning came sooner than your foggy brain was ready for. The sun seeped through your curtains and eyelids, waking you up to a painful throbbed in your head. Slowly you realize the once lovely warm sun had now made your face hot and sticky. Eventually, rolling out of bed, you close the curtains completely and make your way to the kitchen, with your hand shielding your sensitive eyes. Arriving in the kitchen, you head to the fridge and grab a water bottle. You first take the cold water bottle and place it against your throbbing forehead, eventually opening and downing half of it with some painkillers. Leaning against the counter, you slowly survey your kitchen and living room; small things littered the table, counter and floor. After last night you were done with Javier and everything that reminded you of him, he had moved on, and it was time for you to do the same.

Slowly your brain eventually stopped throbbing, and you made your way back to your room and started to search the bottom of your closet. “Got it!” Tossing things aside, you pull out an old ratty gym bag with embroidery-stitched across the side, ‘Laredo Eagles.’ Seeing this crumpled-up duffle, you start to think about the first time you saw it.

Javi was stuck on some stakeout and wouldn’t be home for hours, but something about this one felt different. You know Javi’s job tended to be dangerous, but you had this unnerving feeling in your stomach that something wasn't right.

It started shortly after Javi called to tell you about the stakeout and told you to just go to bed and not wait up, but once he hung up, you knew there wasn't any chance you were falling asleep tonight. You tried to keep yourself busy, but at this point, you had cleaned your entire apartment twice and were running out of things to do. Eventually, you had a drink on the couch in hopes of calming your nerves. Your thoughts began to wander, ‘I hope he's okay? I hope he doesn't run in by himself? Gawd, I hope Steve’s got his back. What would I do if he didn't come home?’. While your mind wandered wildly, the sun had long since set, and the ice in your drink had melted. All without you realizing how much time had passed. The jingle of keys and the door opening and closing had no effect on you, but the heavy duffle bag being dropped on the floor was finally what woke you from your thoughts.

“Javi?”

“Jesucristo!” Jumped wasn't the right word, but Javi was definitely startled by the disembodied voice in the dark.

Walking over to a lamp, he turned it on, and both of you wince at the sudden bright light. You couldn't see his face, just his dark silhouette as he stood in front.

“What are you still doing up? I told you to go to bed.”

Standing up, you walk over to him. As you say, “I was worried about you.” you reach out to cup his cheek, but he flinches away. For a single second, you feel hurt that he pulled away from you, but as his face moves into the light, you see the start of a black eye, a busted lip and a cut on his forehead.

You give a small gasp. “What happened, Javi?” Stepping forward, you brush his dark curls away from the dried blood on his forehead and look him in the eyes. This time Javi makes no effort to try and move away from you; in fact, he steps forward and puts his face on your shoulder. After a few silent moments, Javi finally mumbles, “It's 4am. Why aren't you asleep?”

“Why am I still awake? Because I was worried about you stupid!”

This makes Javi chuckle slightly.

“What was your plan? Just come to bed and hope I don't notice the black eye in the morning?

Javi gave a weak shrug, with his face still rested on your shoulder.

“I was going to clean it first... then go to bed.”

Though his eyes were closed, you knew he could tell you were shaking your head disapprovingly and rolling your eyes.

“With what? I've got nothing that could help here, other than some pain killers?”

“I grabbed some stuff from the embassy. It’s in my duffle.”

After a deep breath, you very lightly push him off of you and head to the kitchen. Pulling out a kitchen chair, you tell Javi, “Grab your duffle and sit down.” With no argument from him, he heads back to the door, grabs the bag, places it on the kitchen table and sits down. Opening the bag, it smells powerfully like his cologne, but underneath, it still has a vague smell of a sweaty locker room. Looking around, you find the medical supplies loosely tossed in the bag and slowly set everything up on the table.

As you open an alcoholic swap, Javi starts to protest, “You don't have t-” but you quickly ‘hush’ him and give him a light kiss on the corner of his lips, making sure to avoid the busted part.

Eventually, you had everything cleaned and bandaged. As you looked over his face, you suddenly realized, “Oh and ice for your eye!”

Quickly you turn around towards the fridge, but suddenly you feel a grip around your wrist, and you're pulled the other way. Javi was now standing, and you were pressed against his chest. His lips were suddenly on yours and kissing you passionately. You let yourself initially melt into him before your brain suddenly pushes him away.

“Javi! I don't want to hurt you!”

Sitting back down on the chair, he pulls you onto him. Straddling him now, he starts to kiss up your neck, his scruff tickling you as he goes, his hands grab onto your ass, and with a deep growl, he replies, “You could never hurt me.”

Standing up, you try and shake off his phantom touch that travelled across your body.

Walking over to your dresser, you open the drawer that Javier swore he didn't need but was still full of his clothes. Carefully keeping each shirt and pair of pants folded, you gently place each in the duffle. After more than a dozen pieces of clothing, the process became automatic, leaving you to feel nearly numb to the soft shirt that used to give you so much comfort.

Javi walked into your apartment early one Saturday morning and flopped onto your couch, groaning loud enough for you to hear him from the kitchen. Peaking your head out, you see his hands rubbing his eyes in frustration as his head leaned back against the couch.

"What's wrong?"

Without opening his eyes or missing a beat, he starts yelling about something that happened in a meeting this morning. He spoke so quickly, and with such passion, he seamlessly switched between English and Spanish. You didn't know nearly as much Spanish as Javi, but you could tell his vocabulary was getting more colourful with each word.

Coffee mugs in both hands, you head to the living room, where Javi was still yelling. Carefully you place the coffee down, sit beside him and stretch your legs across his lap. And as seamlessly as his speech, his hands land on your legs and start to softly caress. It takes a minute for his brain to catch up with his hands, slowly his word slow, and lose passion. He finally opens his eyes and sees you in one of his shirts… without pants. Shifting your body slightly, you innocently move to show that pants aren't the only thing you're not wearing.

Javi’s eyes raked over you. “How is it that you look so much better in my clothes than I do?”

Giving him a quick smirk, you shrug your shoulders nonchalantly. As Javi starts to lean forward to kiss you and probably ravish your body, you hear the toaster pop, and you quickly stand up and head back to the kitchen. Watching you leave, Javi groans and dramatically slumps back against the couch.

Peeking into the living room, you see Javi’s eyes once again closed, and you think it's time to have some fun. Silently you pull his shirt off your body and toss it on his face. You turn away from him and saunter towards the bedroom, making sure Javi can see every single part of your body. Without turning around, you call out to him, “I think breakfast can wait.” Before you can even make it to the bedroom, you hear Javi jump off the couch and run after you, making you giggle in the process.

Slowly you pick up the last shirt in the drawer and bring it to your nose, smelling him one last time, before placing it with the rest.

Making your way to the bathroom, you see the counter split into two very casually domestic his vs hers sides, both cluttered with toothpastes, deodorants, perfume and cologne. Looking at it, you remember brushing your teeth together, Javi wrapping his arms around you when you applied makeup in the morning, you teasing Javi as he 'trimmed' his poor excuse for a beard. But as you finished clearing his side off, you turned towards the shower, and you can't help but be hit with another memory.

Breathlessly you feel yourself come back into your body. The freezing tiles pressed against your skin, are your only anchor to this world. You can hear Javi talking to you, but his voice feels miles away.

“Are you back, Hermosa? - That good, huh?”

You limply bat your hand at his chest, which only makes Javi’s deep laugh bounce and reverberates off the walls. As his laughter started to subside, you tried to stand up straight, but your limbs wobbled and betrayed you. Javi quickly reached out and grabbed you, pulling you into his body. “Come here.” Gently, Javi washed your hair and body as you leaned against him, still not trusting your wobbly limbs.

Slowly you feel yourself get closer and closer to normal. Lifting your head, you look up at Javi. His eyes fall on you as he continues to shampoo your hair, and he smirks.

“There she is. Chica bonita.”

Even though the shower was hot, you could still feel some heat rise to your cheeks, quickly you buried your face back into his chest to hide your reaction to the silly pet name.

“What we did would make anyone blush, but where you draw the line is ‘Chica Bonita? Interesting." You can feel him shaking his head in disbelief with a hint of laughter.

Feeling safe pressed against his chest, no matter the teasing, you breathed in the sudden floral scent surrounding you. Looking up once again, you see Javi washing his hair with your shampoo. Looking down at you, he cocks his eyebrow. “What? I couldn't reach mine without risking you falling over.”

A smile creeps onto your face as he continues to wash his hair and support your body with his. You nuzzle your face into his chest, trying to hide your growing smile. The idea that he would leave your apartment smelling like you ignited something almost primal in you. With a new sense of desire, you push off against Javi and passionately kiss him without even thinking. Thankfully your once jello-filled legs don't betray you, and you only pull away once you're breathless.

Javi practically begged for more once your lips left his, but mirroring his previously cocky attitude, you lazily stroked him a few times as you whispered in his ear “later.” Trying not to laugh, you promptly get out of the shower and leave Javi alone in what you can only assume to be mild distress.

Similar to the water, the memory and subsequent feelings washed over you, but now, instead, you only felt cold. Placing his few shower products in the bag, you leave and make your way to the living room. Your eyes lazily scan your living room, looking for anything of Javier's. You grab his iconic yellow-tinted glasses from the bookshelf and any other odds and ends that held any memory connected to Javier. Feeling satisfied with the living room, you turn around, only to find a tiny little orange octopus named Ollie.

"All I'm saying is Ollie the octopus. Isn't that original." Javi states as he shrugs and sarcastically rolls his eyes.

"She's just a baby, Javi!" Chuckling, as you bounce Olivia on your hip and tease her with 'kisses' from Ollie. The louder she squeals and squirms, the more you attack her with Ollie kisses.

"Well, It doesn't matter! I think that Ollie is a cute name! - Right, Olivia?" You remark over-enthusiastically.

Although she could talk, she only happily nodded her head, showing her agreement to her choice of name.

Javi shrugged his shoulders in defeat before starting to turn towards the kitchen. Though before he could, Olivia's arms were outstretched, doing her grabby hands at him.

Although Javi swore up and down he hated kids, and kids hated him, Olivia was the one outlier. Maybe it was the frequency he was over at the Murphys home, or maybe Olivia just had a soft spot for grumpy DEA agents, but whatever it was, Javi always tried to hide how much he loved her.

As if there was more than just you watching, Javi begrudgingly walked over and took Olivia (and Ollie) from your arms. Instantly she cuddled in, rested her head in the crook of his neck and started to quietly hum.

You had recently noticed her habit of humming into people’s necks as if she was a kitten purring in happiness. However, even with your best efforts (including your purchase of Ollie), you had not been bestowed the honour of her happy hum. The only people who held that honour were Connie, Steve… and Javi.

You loved that little girl, but you couldn't help but get a little jealous that Javi ‘I hate kids’ Pena and her had such a connection.

Trying to hide the hints of jealousy, you casually ask, “Do you know when the Murphys are getting home from their date?”

Turning from his mundane task, gently bouncing Olivia in his arms, he gazes almost through you, revealing why you're really answering, but then slyly asks, “Why, Jealous?”

Rolling your eyes at his very evident taunt, you try to show it had no effect on you, but eventually, you give in. “I'm just saying! I'M the one who bought her Ollie! Why doesn't she love me?”

Javi walks back to you and gives you a kiss on your forehead. Thinking Olivia had brought out a soft, comforting side of Javi today, you look up at him to only be met with a smirk you've seen countless times before.

“What can I say? I'm popular with the ladies.”

Shaken out of your memory, you hear your landline ringing. Your attention quickly moves from the soft octopus in your hand to the landline hanging on the wall. Although you were unsure who would be calling you this early in the morning, you answered tentatively.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank God! You got home safe! I was so worried about you!"

"Amy?"

“Who else would be calling you this early on a Saturday morning?”

Silently you think and agree with her statement, giving small nods.

“Well, I'm happy you got home safe. I was kicking myself, worrying if something happened to you because I didn't leave with you. - Remind me not to take club recommendations from people at work.”

You could practically hear Amy's eye roll from the other side of the phone.

Though it was early it was nice to finally have a friend to talk to and get out of your own head. You didn't know how to keep Amy on the phone, so you blurted out the first question that came to mind. “Who recommended the club?”

“Oh, one of the other office girls. What's her name?” You could hear Amy snapping her fingers, trying to remember the mystery woman's name. “She's always got those long bright red nails?”

You run through all the desks in your brain trying to remember red nails clicking on a keyboard, and after a few beats, you land on a desk. “Janice?”

“Janice! Yep, that's it! She heard us talking about going out, and she recommended Atmósfera, saying she and her boyfriend always go there.”

“Well, I guess we'll know for next time.” You chuckled lightly.

“Next time?” Her question was filled with more excitement and anticipation than actual curiosity.

“Yes, next time.”

Amy gave out a loud squeal that was so loud you had to pull the receiver away from your ear in hopes of keeping any of your hearing. When Amy first invited you out, you didn't think you were ready. Ready for partying, friends, to move on, but today’s a new day, and you're ready!

Finishing what you can only assume to be dancing, Amy returned to the phone and asked if you wanted to go for breakfast and spend Saturday together. Most Saturdays before, you would have spent it with Javi, but you weren't going to let this new friendship go so easily. After some further discussion, the two of you decide that she will pick you up in an hour. Realizing you had continued to talk in your designated hour to get ready, you both eventually hang up, and you quickly head to your room to get dressed.

Standing at your front door, with the duffle bag over your shoulder, ready for breakfast, you look at your now cleansed apartment and feel lighter, no longer suffocating in the man you once loved.

It had been weeks since you had walked down the hall towards Javier's apartment. As you walked it started to feel like the hallway was never-ending, but eventually, you arrived at his door and knocked. Instinctively you can tell the footstep coming toward you are his. As the steps got closer, you carelessly dropped his bag with his keys on top, turned your back towards his door and made your way to Amy, who should be waiting outside. As you walked away, you heard his door open, yesterday you would have turned back to catch even a glimpse of Javier, but today, that didn't matter. He didn't matter. Not anymore.

Tags: @louderrthanthunderr @mishasminion360 @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @almaeunice @athalien @kirsteng42 @bxxbxy @hallway5​

[nakachuchu]

Bunny | Armin Arlert

SYNOPSIS: Modern AU - He has a crush on his friend's crush.

READER: female

WORDS: 1556

WRITTEN: 03/08/2021

"Hey, Armin," you greeted as you leaned down, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"H-Hi, Y/N," he replied, eyes glancing to the textbook pressed against your chest and your pretty smile.

"Can I sit next to you again? You're a lifesaver when it comes to taking notes."

"Oh, yeah, definitely," he said as he scooted to the side, allowing you to sit next to him in the lecture hall.

You often sat next to Armin because he had good handwriting and his notes were easy to understand.

You often blanked out, thus missing part of what the professor said. He once asked what you were thinking about, and you winked at him before making a zipper gesture on your mouth.

It was always a struggle when you asked to sit next to him. He had to fight himself to pay attention to the professor and ignore the little devil on his shoulder who kept telling him dirty thoughts about you.

If you didn't sit next to him, he wouldn't have to worry about how good his notes were because you wouldn't need them.

It wasn't like you didn't take notes. You simply got distracted sometimes. You would be taking notes, and the next time Armin decided to glance at you, the end of your pen would be in your mouth, tongue swiping at it mindlessly.

Armin was in constant trouble whenever you were around. You were pretty on your own, but the way your teeth nibbled on the cap and how soft your tongue looked made his brain short circuit.

It was the second year you had the same class with Armin, and he didn't know if he wanted to be thankful or not.

The first encounter he had with you was on moving day. He dropped his pink pen that had a bunny as the clicker. It was given to him by his mother who had been sobbing when he left for college.

You picked up the pen and called out to him. He was absolutely embarrassed and dizzy that someone saw the pen, let alone a pretty girl picking it up for him.

You laughed at how red he was and stepped forward to put the pen back into his front pocket, patting his chest before waving goodbye and walking away.

"Armin," you called out, "class is over, bunny."

God, the nickname you gave him always made his body hot. It was a simple, shameless nickname. It was obviously from the pen he dropped, but he couldn't help but fantasize that something deeper was in the works.

"R-Right. Thanks, Y/N."

You smiled. "Of course. Text me your notes later?"

He nodded.

"Great. I'll see you around. Make sure to eat lunch."

He nodded. "You too."

Once you left the room, he sighed and banged his head onto the desk. Even your kindness in reminding him to eat made him like you even more.

He eventually packed up his stuff, walking to the same table outside the lecture hall that his friends claimed since the first day of school.

"How'd it go?" Eren asked.

He knew about Armin's crush on you, but the question was easily hid as "How was the lecture?"

"It was good," Armin replied, which translated to "I made a fool out of myself again."

"Did you see Y/N? What was she wearing today?" Jean asked.

"Uh—You know, the same," Armin said with a wince.

Jean sighed wistfully. "She's so damn beautiful."

"She'd never go for you," said Eren with a glance at Armin.

"Huh? You wanna fucking fight? We'll go at it right now!"

"HUH? Did you say something, twerp?" Eren retorted, standing up from the table to slam his foot onto the bench.

"HUH? You're shorter than me, you fucking midget," retorted Jean as he got into the same position as Eren.

The two boys began to fight as Armin awkwardly laughed and sat down. He was royally fucked. What was he supposed to do when Jean seemed so smitten with you?

"I'm gonna do it," said Jean as he let Eren out of the chokehold.

Eren gasped for air, then punched Jean on the shoulder. "Do...what?"

"Ask Y/N out," he said as he walked off.

Armin followed the direction he was walking in, then saw you crossing the lawn with one of your friends. His shoulders slumped as he realized he wouldn't ever be able to date you.

Eren and Mikasa glanced at each other before glancing at Armin who was watching the exchange between you and Jean.

You whispered something to your friend as Jean began to talk. You stood there with a smile on your face and occasionally nodded at whatever he was saying.

"I—Um—I'm gonna go back to my dorm. I have studying to do," murmured Armin as he grabbed his bag and walked away.

You laughed at something Jean said before nodding and waving goodbye to him. He walked back and sighed heavily as he sat on the bench.

"What happened?" Connie asked.

"She likes someone else, but hey, she called me cute. That accounts for something, right?"

"Do you think—"

Mikasa nodded at what Eren was implying.

Jean looked between them. "What?"

"You see—"

"Hey, if that dumb ass can ask you out, you can ask Armin out," your friend encouraged.

"Me? I don't have the guts for that," you said.

"No, but you got the tits and that disgusting kindness going for you."

You rolled your eyes. "None of that is true. Besides, I don't know where he is."

"Call him."

"I'm not going to ask him out through tech. It's not sincere," you muttered.

"So you need to do it in person? I got you."

"W-Wait, where are you going? Come back!" you shouted as your friend ran out of your room.

You sighed, a dreadful feeling settling in your stomach. You chewed your lip nervously as you turned to your notes to study, trying to ignore your fantasies of dating Armin.

You put your earbuds in, turning up the volume so that you wouldn't have to think. You drummed your pencil on your desk while reading the notes you took, even though you knew the information wasn't staying in your brain.

You let out a shriek when someone yanked your earbuds out. You spun around in your chair, ready to smack someone until you noticed Armin standing by your door nervously.

Your friend stood in front of you and smiled. "Good luck," they whispered before walking out and closing the door.

"Armin," you breathed out.

He raised his hand slightly before folding them together in front of him again. "Hi. Um—Your friend said you needed to talk to me?"

You nodded, tucking your hair behind your ear. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you come out here. My friend is impulsive."

"It's okay," he reassured. "But isn't it bad if someone notices us alone in your room? What if Jean hears?"

You tilted your head to the side. "What about him?"

"Well, aren't you—aren't you two dating?"

You blinked before laughing. "We're not dating. I don't like him. I like you."

"Oh, I see. You don't like—You like me?" he repeated.

You smiled. "Yeah, I do. I really, really like you."

"Oh. Oh, this is—Oh, I never thought—" His face went red and his mind was playing fantasies of you again. "I—Uh—I didn't think you'd ever like me. I've liked you for a while now and I mean, you're so pretty, and I'm me."

"I like you, bunny," you reassured. "I like that you're you."

"I've never—I've never had a girlfriend."

"That's okay. It doesn't matter. Do you want to be my boyfriend?" you asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. His shoulders slumped after a moment. "But I would be a bad friend if I did that. Jean's liked you for a while and I can't betray him like that."

You smiled softly. "I understand. That's—"

The door burst open, hitting Armin in the back and sending him flying forward. You got up from your chair and wrapped your arms around him so that he wouldn't fall.

Armin was dizzy. His face was shoved into your breasts and all he could smell was you. Your arms were wrapped around him for safety and his hands were dangerously close to your ass.

You looked up to see Armin's friends crowding your door. They were all breathing heavily.

"Say yes!" exclaimed Jean. "Why didn't you tell me you liked her? I just thought she was hot!"

Armin said something, but it was muffled by your breasts. You wiggled around at how ticklish it felt, before helping him move away.

He blinked at you before slowly looking up at you. His face was incredibly hot and he couldn't think straight.

"Armin?" you called out.

Oh, your voice was so pretty.

"Armin, are you okay?" you asked.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Um—I—Yes?"

"Yes?" you repeated.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he said. "Is that okay?"

You smiled. "It's more than okay," you said.

"Thank God," muttered Eren as he turned around with a hand latched onto Jean's collar. "Team, roll out!"

Mikasa followed him silently, dragging Sasha and Connie with her.

"What should the first thing we do as a couple be, bunny?" you asked.

"Um... Food?"

You smiled. "Sounds good."

[stardust-walker]

High Hopes

word count: 4014

Chapters: 1 2 3

Chapter 4

The weirdest thing is that a few months ago, Dove wouldn’t think that listening to kids running and playing would sound as sweet as it did.

A small chuckle escaped her as she sat on the steps leading into Dale’s RV. The horrified look on Glenn’s face as he stopped mid-greeting was just as amusing.

“Well. Good morning to you too, sunshine,” Dove squinted as she stood up and moved to stand next to him.

“When did they start tearing it apart,” Glenn frowned as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

Dove shrugged her shoulders, “’Bout a half an hour ago, I suppose.” She ran a hand through her dark hair as she turned her head slightly. Rick was finally awake again. Dove raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she greeted the newcomer. “Mornin’, Rick!”

“Go on! Tear it apart, you vultures.” Glenn scowled and shook his head. Dove couldn’t keep herself from letting out a snort of laughter.

“Generators need every drop of fuel they can get,” Dale stated matter-of-factly as he walked past them.

“He has a fair point. I’d rather have a shower than a fancy car,” Dove mumbled quietly.

“I thought I’d get to drive it another few days,” Glenn sighed.

Dove turned her head slightly as Rick responded, “Maybe we’ll get to steal another one someday.”

This new way of living sure was a hell of a thing when you had a sheriff encouraging grand theft auto.

Dove placed a comforting hand on Glenn’s shoulder, “Maybe an even nicer one! One that’s not going to send an alarm running for miles next time too.” Glenn just let out an annoyed sigh.

Glenn seemed to be resigned to the fact that his car was being torn apart by Jim. Dove patted his shoulder again as she watched him step forward to converse with the other man. Knowing him, he was still probably trying to talk about what a cool car it was to anyone who would listen.

A revving engine caught the attention of a few members of the camp as Shane pulled up. He announced, “Make sure to boil the water before use.”

Carol made her way over to Dove. “Too bad about Glenn’s car, huh?”

The response caught in Dove’s throat as a shrill scream erupted from the woods close by, followed by another voice screaming “Mom!!”

A panicked look was exchanged between the sisters for a moment and then they were both off. Carol screamed for Sophia and the relief was obvious on Dove’s face as the little girl broke through the trees with Carl hot on her heels.

Tiny arms wrapped themselves around her waist as Dove knelt quickly to survey her niece for any marks. “Are you alright, Soph? Nothing bit you?” Sophia shook her head quickly, only able to muster up a panicked whimper. Carol finally broke through the trees behind her and let out a relieved cry as Sophia released her aunt with a cry of, “Mommy!!”

Dove glanced around quickly before she pointed back towards camp. “Take them back now! I’m just gonna make sure everything’s alright!” Carol nodded her head and scooped Sophia up.

Lori, however, eyed her warily for a moment before the brunette disappeared into the tree line again.

As she broke through the trees she held back a hysterical laugh. They were just stood around the damn thing, beating it with sticks. So much for being evolved past a caveman brain.

Amy let out a disgusted groan as the walkers head was finally chopped off.

Dale muttered, “That’s the first one we’ve had out here.”

Jim replied, “They must be running out of food in the city.”

Dove looked over at Amy and Andrea. Both of the sisters were just looking on like a couple of deer in the headlights and she couldn’t blame them. She felt a little nauseous herself.

Branches snapped in the woods and all conversation stopped. Andrea put a protective arm around Amy and Dove took a slow step forward towards the men. Curiosity was a bitch of a thing, but she wanted to see what exactly was going to happen.

Her heart leapt into her throat and plummeted back to her stomach as Daryl Dixon came into view. Her eyes locked with Jim’s in a moment of panic before she quickly looked down at her feet. Honestly, she would rather have a walker run out of the woods right now than have to face the inevitable.

Daryl looked pissed already. Definitely a good sign for them. “That was my deer. Look at it! All gnawed on by this filthy, disease ridden, motherless, proxy bastard!”

Dale shook his head in disgust, “Now come on, son. That’s not helping anyone.”

Daryl’s temper flared up again as he stepped quickly over the walker, headed right for Dale. Dove took a quick step closer to Rick as she eyed the officer, trying to communicate that this was not a good sign. “What do you know about it, old man? Why don’t you take that stupid hat and go back to ‘on golden pond’?”

A surprised laugh, which was able to be quickly covered up as a cough escaped Dove’s lips. Glenn elbowed her slightly in the side and narrowed his eyes once he had her attention. The woman merely shrugged as she turned her attention back to the dead animal. Her stomach did begin to rumble at the thought of venison, or anything other than squirrels for that matter. A sigh left her lips as Shane stated, “I wouldn’t risk that.”

Daryl’s focus drifted to her, almost asking for another opinion. Dove shrugged her shoulders before she slipped her hands into her back pockets, “As good as it sounds, it’s too risky. We got kids to think about and what if they eat tainted meat? Get sick?”

Daryl sighed and shook his head, “Damn shame. I got a few squirrels though. ‘Bout a dozen or so. That’ll have to do.” The calmness in the air broke as the walker head at her feet started snapping its jaw again. Dove let out a startled shriek and stumbled back into Glenn as Daryl shot an arrow into it’s brain. “Gotta be the brain. Don’t ya’ know nothin?”

The focus of the group shifted again as Daryl stalked off towards camp. Dale looked startled, “I don’t see this going well.”

Shane removed the hat from his head as the group started to walk, Dove started to take longer strides to keep up with the two officers. She heard Shane mention Daryl’s name and spoke up.

“I think you guys really need to think about doing this,” Dove spoke, concern in her voice. “I think you oughta try and break it to him as gently as possible. People like him tend to react violently, plus he seems pretty hyped up from losing that deer.”

The two men kept moving, but Rick glanced over his shoulder at her. “What’d you do before this?”

“I was a therapist. Getting ready to work on my PhD. Why?”

She didn’t miss the look the two men exchanged and fell back a step. Glenn flinched as he heard Daryl yell for Merle. “This is gonna be a shit show,” Glenn sighed.

Dove shook her head as Shane stopped Daryl in his tracks. “Poor guy. I got money on Dixon, though. He’s a scrapper.” She whispered so only Glenn could hear. Glenn let out a nervous chuckle as the two of them came to a stop next to the Jeep.

“There was a problem in Atlanta.” Seriously, Dove thought, he’s going to drag it out like this? What a mess.

“He dead?” Dove gripped Glenn’s wrist a little tighter than she meant to as she took a step closer to him.

“We’re not sure.”

“He either is or he ain’t!” Dove couldn’t really blame him for being so angry. She could only imagine how mad she would be if it were Carol on that roof. She would probably be trying to kick the ass of anyone she could find.

“No easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it,” Rick stated as he finally took a step forward. What a time to play good cop, bad cop.

Rick introduced himself, only to be met with, “Rick Grimes, you got somethin’ you wanna tell me?”

“Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal,” Rick finished. Damn, she had to admire how he got right to the point about it. “He’s still there.”

Daryl started pacing like a caged animal. “Hold on. Let me process this. You’re saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?” Daryl shouted. Dove could feel her pulse quickening as a million and one ways that she was trained to de-escalate someone this angry ran through her head. None of them seemed to make any sense right now under the heat from the burning Atlanta sun.

The next few seconds were a blur. Daryl yelled, Dove let out a startled yelp as the squirrels flew towards her, she stepped back closer to Glenn, and just like that, Daryl was on the ground. T-Dog stepped forward, shouting something about a knife. Dove took a few slow steps forward, eyes wide as saucers as she watched Shane bring him down in a chokehold after a few swings of a knife.

“Chokeholds illegal,” Daryl managed to choke out.

Shane sounded too comfortable with it for Dove’s liking. “Yeah, well, file a complaint.” Dove argued with herself internally as she watched Daryl keep struggling to be let go.

Rick knelt in front of the other two men, clearly trying to calm the situation down. “I’d like to have a calm discussion on this topic.”

Dove scowled as she squatted down between the two officers. “Not to tell you how to do your job, but it’s awful hard to have a calm discussion with a man whose air supply is being cut off,” she finished through gritted teeth.

 Rick glanced at her and nodded before he turned back to Daryl, “You think we can manage that?”

The two officers nodded at each other and Dove stood up quickly as Daryl finally got released. She watched for a moment, still in shock about what just happened, when she saw Daryl still trying to catch his breath as he pointed at Shane. Dove turned quickly and placed a hand on Shane’s arm. “Just back up, man. Rick’s got it. You don’t need to be bad cop right now,” she pushed him back gently before she walked past the other two men, joining Lori by the steps to the RV.

“You good,” the other woman asked, her eyes not leaving the scene in front of her.

“Yeah just adrenaline rush. I’m fine,” Dove nodded as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. She turned her head slightly and met Carol’s worried gaze through the window of the RV. Dove held her hand up and nodded her head.

“It’s not Rick’s fault,” T-Dog interjected and suddenly the focus was on him. “I had the key. I dropped it.”

Daryl snapped again, “You couldn’t pick it up?”

“Well, I dropped it in a drain.” Dove couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this. This just sounded worse and worse the more they tried to explain it to him. At least no one was dead yet.

Her heart sank as she folded her arms in front of her chest, her focus shifted with everyone else’s as the men moved slowly around camp. She knew that Daryl and his brother were close but, shit. She didn’t expect to see him cry for even a second. One of her hands flew up to cover her mouth as she looked down at her feet.

She wasn’t surprised when Daryl shouted. “Hell with all y’all. Just tell me where he is so’s I can go get em.”

What truly shocked her was Lori. The older woman spoke up from her spot by the door at this. “He’ll show you. Won’t you?” She almost insisted with just her words as she locked eyes with her husband.

Dove was torn between following Lori back into the RV or following after Rick as the conflict came to a close. She, instead, chose to check on Carol and Sophia. Her steps were quiet as she walked up the steps to the RV. Dove slid into the seat at the table opposite of her family and reached a hand out to stroke Sophia’s arm. “Hey, bug. You were real brave out there today,” Dove spoke softly as Sophia lifted her head from her mother’s arms.

Sophia sniffled and rubbed her eyes before she looked between the two sisters. “I was really scared,” the young girl whispered.

Dove smiled a little and nodded her head. “I was too, bug. But you did the right thing by runnin like that. Hell, I don’t think either of us knew you could run that fast!” Carol chuckled softly at this as she stroked the young girl’s hair.

“She’s right, Sophia. You kept yourself safe. That was the right thing to do.” Carol kissed the top of her daughter’s forehead before she whispered for her to do something that sounded a lot like ‘go check on Carl’.

Dove drummed her fingers on the table as her thoughts raced through her head. Carol’s voice finally pulled her out of her own head. “You want to go with them, don’t you.” Carol stated in a hushed voice.

Dove’s eyes shot up. Her hazel eyes widened a little bit as she felt color rush to her cheeks. “I…I was thinking about it.”

Carol clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I don’t want my sister out there dyin’ for someone like Merle Dixon.” Her voice didn’t raise above a whisper, though she didn’t sound pleased at all.

Dove rolled her eyes at this. “That’s not what I was thinking of!”

“Then what were you…”

Dove cut her older sister off as she reached out and took her hand, “What if that was me up there, huh? Or you? Would you want me to just leave you up there like that to die?” Dove hissed. “It’s the right thing to do, Carol. Merle or not, it’s the right thing to do.”

Carol’s eyes widened slightly as she took in her sister’s words and nodded her head slowly. “If that’s what you want to do, I can’t stop you. But I just want you to be careful. I don’t want to be explaining to Sophia why her aunt isn’t around anymore.”

A small smirk graced Dove’s face as she squeezed Carol’s hand gently. “Oh please. I’m always careful.”

It was Carol’s turn to roll her eyes as Dove rose from her seat, kissed her older sister on the top of her head, and descended the stairs out of the RV.

Dove looked around camp before spotting Daryl by the fire. She took a long deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth before trudging forward. “Hey, you alright?” Dumb question.

“What kinda stupid question is that,” Daryl snapped at her.

Dove raised both her hands in front of her, a tired expression on her face. “Right. Guess I deserved that, it was pretty fucking stupid huh.”

Daryl just stared at her for a moment. He had the type of eyes that made her uneasy sometimes; eyes that could stare right into your soul if you’d let them. “What do you want?”

Dove let out a heavy sigh as she watched Carol approach her laundry station out of the corner of her eye. She stood up a little straighter and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I wanna go with you and Rick. Try to bring back Merle. I figure the more people, the better. Plus, y’all might need someone to balance out all the testosterone in that car.”

Daryl stared at her again for a few seconds before scoffing at her. “Don’t need no one else out there, especially not you. Can you even shoot a gun?”

Dove grinded her teeth together as she nodded her head slowly. “Well, excuse me. I may not know how to shoot a gun but I am just as capable as Andrea and Jacqui and they go out into the city all the time! Give me a blunt object and I can take out any walker just as good as a gun, I bet.” Her hands were shaking as she unfolded her arms and shoved her hands in her pockets.

“Alright.” Daryl turned his attention from her.

Dove’s jaw almost dropped in shock as she stood still. “Excuse me?”

Daryl turned back to face her, eyes narrowed slightly. “You heard me, girl. You’re grown, you wanna go? Can’t stop ya. Just don’t expect to get your ass saved.”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t,” a serene smile was on Dove’s face now.

Shane would definitely have to learn to hold his tongue if they were going to bring Merle back as he called Merle a “douchebag”.

Daryl pointed at the man, “Hey, you better watch what you say!”

Shane nodded his head all sincerely before uttering, “No no. Douchebag’s what I meant.”

Dove rolled her eyes and brought the palms of her hands up to rub her eyes, “Dear god what did I do to deserve this.”

Lori spoke up from her seat by what would be that night’s fire. “So what? You and Daryl, that’s your big plan?”

Carol eyed Dove for a moment before the group’s attention shifted to Glenn. “Oh come on!”

Rick spoke, “You know the way. You’ve been there before. In and out, no problem! You said so yourself.” He was right. Glenn wasn’t shy about telling everyone in the group how well he knew the city and he had dug his own grace.

“That’s just great. Now you’re gonna risk three men?” Shane scoffed.

T-Dog spoke up next, “Four.”

Daryl scoffed, “My day just gets better and better, don’t it?”

Dove rolled her eyes, “Might as well get this out of the way now and make it five.”

Dale glanced between them all and nodded his head. “That’s five.”

Shane shook his head and began to pace a little bit. “You’re putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. C’mon. You saw that walker! It was here. It was in camp,” Shane lectured. “They come back, we need every able body we’ve got. We need em to protect camp.”

Rick nodded his head, “Sounds to me like what you need is more guns.”

Dove’s head was spinning. Sophia shuffled her feet as Dove walked over to them. She knelt in front of the girl, taking her hands in her as the others talked about the guns. “Now you listen to me, alright? I’m gonna be just fine! I promise. I always am. But I need you to promise me something too okay?”

Sophia nodded her head and listened intently. “I need you to look out for your mama until I get back, okay? Just make sure everything’s alright. Hold down the fort for me. Promise?” She released Sophia’s hands and held a pinky out to her.

Sophia locked her pinky with her aunt’s before she wrapped her arms around her neck in a hug. “Be safe.”

Dove kissed her niece on the forehead before standing up and brushing off her knees. “Be safe, Carol.” Dove hugged her sister tightly before she turned to see what was going on.

Dove lifted herself into the back of the van, her eyes were beginning to glaze over from boredom as she waited before she almost leapt out of her skin at the sound of a horn honking. From the driver’s seat, Glenn let out a startled shout as Daryl stepped on the horn again. “C’mon let’s go!”

Dove rubbed her temples and muttered to herself before placing a hand on the crowbar that she’d managed to sweet talk out of Jim. She would definitely have to make sure that she made it back now.

The young woman blew a kiss to her family as the door to the back of the van was slammed shut and they pulled away.

~

It was oddly silent on the way to the city. Dove positioned herself so she could see out the front windshield. “This is the first time I’ve left camp in the past two months.” She whispered to Glenn and Rick.

Rick turned his head, a sympathetic look on his face. “You might not want to look until we get there, then. Might be a bit of a shock. Trust me on that one.”

Dove took in the man’s words for a moment before she turned and faced the back of the van again.

Daryl finally spoke up for the first time since they started on the road. “He best be alright.”

T-Dog sighed. “The only thing that’s getting through that door is us. He’s fine.”

The van finally lurched to a stop and Glenn called back, “We walk from here.”

Dove groaned as she pulled herself to her feet and hopped out of the back of the van. “Oh shit, I’m getting old.” She mumbled to T-Dog as he hopped down next to her.

T-Dog shook his head at her. “You’re getting old? Just wait ‘til you hit 30.”

Dove laughed quietly as she took off down the train tracks after the rest of the group.

Rick paused as they stepped through a space in the gate that led from the tracks to the road. “Merle first or guns?”

Daryl snapped. “Merle! We ain’t even havin this conversation.”

Dove shook her head and motioned towards Daryl with her free hand, the other still tightly gripping the crowbar. “I’m with him on this. I mean a human life or ammo?”

Rick stared at both of them, clearly trying to keep his cool “We are having this conversation. You know the geography, it’s your call.” He turned to Glenn as the group began to walk.

“Merle’s closest. The guns would mean doubling back.” Glenn stated and Dove wasn’t sure if he was lying or not, but she was grateful for that nonetheless.

Her hazel eyes seemed to take in everything that had happened to Atlanta as they walked through the city. The city she had worked in and know so well was practically gone in a matter of weeks. It made her chest feel tight to see everything, but she knew she couldn’t stop moving.

She stepped lightly into the department store behind T-Dog and in front of Glenn as she went. She stopped, crowbar raised as a walker made it’s way through the aisles of the store. Daryl didn’t waste any time shooting the thing through the head.

Glenn moved forward and directed them to a staircase. It was a lot farther up than it looked, or maybe she was out of shape, but the steps were seeming to take their toll on her as they worked their way towards the roof.

The men reached the last landing as Dove rounded the corner just a few steps behind them. She took the last few steps slowly as she watched Daryl kick the door open after the chain was finally cut.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She observed as she ran up the last few steps out onto the roof with the others. Merles Dixon was not a quiet man and he surely would’ve reacted to a door being kicked the fuck open.

Daryl’s screams for his brother turned into screams of panic. Dove’s heart dropped as she stepped out onto the roof behind Glenn and she saw it. A hand flew up to cover her mouth as she fought back the urge to vomit. Merle’s hand laid there on the ground next to a bloody hacksaw but Merle Dixon the man was gone.

-

@crossbowking​

[kn1feinthec0ffee]

in too deep (part 3)- jules

jules x reader

warnings: language, anxiety, creepiness, some violence, homophobia, overall just weird vibes (if you’ve seen the movie you know what i’m talking about)

TW: MENTIONS OF NON-CON (please don’t read if you’re triggered by this!! this was the bit of the story i had to change for the story to make sense since i swapped mickey’s gender. it doesn’t actually happen, but if the threat triggers you, do NOT READ!!!)

notes: i’m gonna try and keep this one shorter bc writing long chapters stresses me out

also! i’m writing this based on a pdf of the original script for the movie, so some dialogue may be different, or it may be my own creation because believe it or not, there are times that i do in fact possess creativity!!

you woke up with a jolt, dreams of the strangest variety plaguing your subconscious. you reached up to touch your pounding head- well, at least you would’ve if it wasn’t restrained. 

  “what the hell?” you tugged on the handcuffs, quickly realizing your legs were tied down, too, rendering you completely immobile. upon discovering this, you began to panic, breaking out in a cold sweat as you called out for your security blanket. “jules! jules!” 

  “she’s not gonna hear you. she’s down in the basement with sweetiepie.” gloria said calmly as she entered the room. 

not impressed with her answer, you questioned her. “what are you gonna do to her?” 

  “my, my. you asked about her safety before even questioning yours! the bond the two of you share must be stronger than i thought.” she mused, looking down at your panicked expression. “your belle is safe and sound, don’t worry. but if you want to see her again, you’re going to have to cooperate.”

  “cooperate? what the fuck are you gonna do to me?” you wrenched at your restraints, your heart rate beginning to pick up sufficiently. you depended on jules more than any other person in your life, and without her, you began to quickly unravel. 

  “just sit tight, all will be revealed soon enough.” gloria stated with an eerie smile. you hated how calm she was, it made you feel like she knew something you didn’t. “would you like to see some photos of my son?”

was she serious? look at some photos of her son? all you wanted was their car! how did you end up in this mess? the sudden aggravation caused you to lose your composure. 

  “no, i don’t wanna see any pictures of your fucking son! i wanna get my girlfriend and that fucking kid and get the fuck out of here!” you screamed. “i wanna get the fuck away from you and your crazy ass husband! i wa-” your sudden outburst was cut off by a firm slap, giving you little time to react before gloria had you in a chokehold.

  “you keep your damn mouth shut! you won’t refer to anyone in this family like that under my roof!” you spat in her face, taking in a wheezing breath as she let go of you to wipe her face. her sudden anger morphed into what you assumed was her signature brand of unnerving calmness. 

  “you wanted to know what i’m going to do to you? i’ll tell you.” she smiled creepily. “you see, george and i have wanted our own children for the longest time, but that’s just not what the good lord had planned for us. so think of yourself as a vessel for us. an oven for our bun, if you will.”

your jaw dropped, the color in your face draining as your eyes widened in shock. “fuck! what the fuck? that’s so fucking fucked up! you’re not gonna fucking touch me, you bitch!” you couldn’t catch your breath, your chest heaving with every intake of air. 

gloria got up to leave, her long skirt spinning with a flourish as she made her way to the bedroom door. “d-don’t f-fucking leave,” you wheezed as she exited the room, slamming the door behind her.

  “jules!” you shouted. “jules, please fucking help me,” you whimpered, shutting your eyes in defeat.

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

time ticked by slowly, your arms and shoulders starting to ache as they were held in the same position. you tried to reposition them to get some relief, but none came. 

suddenly, you heard the door click open, your eyes flitting up hopefully. gloria entered with a grin on her painted lips, making her way towards you. 

while you were in the room by yourself, you had used the time wisely to come up with what would hopefully be a successful escape plan. you looked up at her with your best puppy dog eyes. “gloria, can we talk?” 

  “absolutely. what’s on your mind?” it was creepy how quickly she seemed to get over your defiance from earlier, but you pushed the thought from your mind. 

  “well, honestly, your proposal.” you began. “i know how i acted the other day was totally uncalled for, and i’ve reconsidered.”

  “well, you didn’t really have much of a choice, sweetheart, but i’m glad you feel that way.” she stroked a hand over your stomach, making you feel physically sick. “is there anything else?”

  “yeah, there is. can we start now? i wanna start these happy nine months as soon as i can.” you faked a smile, the words coming out of your mouth churning your insides. 

  “well yes, i guess that could be arranged,” she moved to get up and you panicked, your plan quickly setting out of motion. 

  “wait!” you exclaimed. “can you uncuff me? i don’t think it would really be enjoyable if i was tied down like i am now.”

she looked skeptical, but sat down next to you anyways. “give me one good reason you wouldn’t be trying to escape as soon as i untied you.”

  “well, i’ve had a change of heart.” no i haven’t. “i’ve considered it, and i think you’re right.” no you’re not. “i think this experience would be really beneficial to me,” no it wouldn’t. “especially if i wasn’t chained to the bed the whole time.” definitely not.

  “it seems that you’ve really put some thought into this, i’m very proud of you.” gloria crooned. she sat on the side of the mattress, working on uncuffing your hands from the bedposts. as soon as both your hands were free, you took a tight grip of her hair and used your body weight to launch her off of you and onto the floor. she cried out, clutching her head as you worked at the ropes around your ankles. 

  “you psycho fucking bitch!” you cursed at her. “i’m getting my girlfriend and that fucking kid and we’re getting the fuck out of here!” once your legs were finally free, you took off, running down the stairs as the damsel called out for her husband. 

you raced towards the door, prying at the handle, when a gunshot goes off right next to your head. you jumped in fear, raising your hands in defense to see george at the top of the staircase, wielding your pistol. 

  “exactly what in the hell do you think you’re doing? get your ass up here!” he shouted, waving the weapon threateningly. when you stood frozen in your tracks, he spoke again. “i’m a crack shot, kid. i missed you on purpose that time. now get on up here.” 

you grudgingly headed up the stairs, keeping your wide eyes facing straight ahead. you heard gloria sobbing in the other room, sounding as distraught as ever, and you knew you were in for it. “who the hell raised you like that? you of all people making a woman cry like that.”

  “i’d blow your brains out if i thought you had any,” george sighed. “well, i’ll tell you one thing; you’re a bit too spry for my liking.” 

suddenly, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet ripped through the meat of your thigh. you screamed in agony, clutching the wound as you cried out. “fuck! what the fuck? you just fucking shot me!”

he acted like it was nothing, simply tossing a towel at you to stop the bleeding. “quit your whinin’, ya sally. we’ll get you bandaged up.”

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

  “don’t make me put another bullet in ‘ya. just behave, goddammit!” george growled as he dragged you down the basement stairs. through your hazy vision, you were able to make out jules handcuffed to a pole not too far away from the girl. he drops you to the floor, yanking your hands behind your back and cuffing them next to jules’. 

  “y/n!” jules called out, a happy yet worried smile making its way onto her lips. her gaze landed on your leg, her eyes widening when she saw the bloody wrappings. “oh my god! you motherfucker, what did you do to her?”

  “what are you blind? i shot her.” george stated matter-of-factly. “now you two keep quiet down here. keep an eye on ‘em, sweetiepie.” he looked over to the girl before heading upstairs.

  “fuck, i’m so happy you’re alive, baby! i heard those gunshots go off and i was so scared i was gonna lose you! are you okay?” jules blurted out, trying to turn towards you. 

  “it hurts so fucking bad, but i’m okay.” you panted, breathing labored. you wriggled your arms, pulling on the cuffs frustratingly. 

  “can you pick it?” jules asks hopefully. your heavy eyes darted around the basement, searching for something in arm’s reach small enough to fit in the keyhole. 

  “i don’t have anything to pick it with.” you huffed, leaning your head back against the pole as tears of frustration brimmed your eyes. “shit!”

you peeled your eyes open to look around the room once more, eyes landing on sweetiepie as she stared back at you in fascination. you had had enough of this little girl; she was the reason you were in this whole mess. if she just would’ve fucking cooperated, the three of you could be outta here and on the route to florida. “oh, i’m so glad you’re here, i didn’t get the chance to say fuck you!”

jules nudged you with her elbow, as if to discourage you from swearing at the child. “leave her alone, she feels bad. she didn’t know what she was doing.”

  “how the hell do you know? she talked?” you asked in confusion at her statement. 

  “i don’t know, i just do.” jules shrugged. sweetiepie had resumed playing with her toys once more, the little princess dolly riding away on the heroic stallion’s back. you sighed at the seemingly hopeless situation, letting your eyes fall shut. 

this was gonna be a long night. 

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

okay so an itty bitty change of plans: if this ended where it was originally supposed to, it would be really long and kinda unsatisfying (to me at least), so i’m splitting this into two chapters. 

which means that instead of a 5-part series, this will be 6 parts! it just makes more sense to me that way. 

anyway, i hope you guys enjoy!! i really had fun writing this part!

tags: @emmyrosee​ @flowers-in-your-hayr​​ @willyourecognisemee​ @bill-skarsgard-owns-my-ass​

[elven-oracle]

under the rose: part 5|th

moodboard courtesy of @mcuspidey 

SUMMARY: Would you do anything for the person you love?

Would you do anything for the person you lust?

PAIRING: Agent!Tom Holland x Agent!Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.2K

sub rosa: adjective and adverb. formal. happening or done in secret. directly translated from latin: “under the rose.”

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This will be the final chapter of Under the Rose! I’m so thrilled to have finished this story and that so many people enjoyed it. Thank you for your continuous support. If you want to find me, I’ll be writing my ongoing series “The Siren!”

Part 5: Bullet Straight Through My Brain

Everything was different when you returned to the evil lair. A certain special night would change your outlook on this mission for its remainder, but that wasn’t the only dissonance that rattled the metal walls. There was a certain way that the gang was looking at you that had you on edge. You ignored it for the time being, but each glare buried itself in your skin like a bullet. 

While watching that afternoon’s football game, you sat sideways in your chair with your feet sitting in Tom’s lap, his arms loosely lounging atop your shins. Every so often he would run his rough hands over the smooth skin of your legs, and at one point he even removed your shoes to massage your feet. It was comforting, especially in the midst of men who seemed as if they wanted to harm you at any given second. 

Boss was in his office, and he hadn’t shown any sign of coming out to join the others. When the cold stares got too much, you decided to busy yourself and hopefully get the tiniest amount of intel. For the past three weeks, you had been flirting with each of the men without any qualms, but as you approached the door to knock, you felt yourself turn back to Tom, wishing that you could apologize before being let in. His beautiful, deep brown eyes looked sad but knowing. He couldn’t blame you, the agency had told you to do whatever it took.

He was frowning when you entered into his space. You hadn’t seen the room before. There were no security cameras to hack into, and you hadn’t coughed up the bravery to try and enter before today. It was funny how fear of the other men had brought you face to face with the man that worried you the most. 

“Can I help you, Miss Rose?”

You smiled, devilishly, tossing your faux hair behind you and sitting down on a chair across from his desk. He was typing furiously on his desktop computer, and you would give anything to lean over and take a look at what it was. 

That would come later. For now, you needed to wear him out.

“I think you can, Mr. Bossman,” you still hated the way that the New Jersey accent sounded. You brought your voice to a higher pitch when you spoke with it, and if you were somebody else, you would have been annoyed with it.

He stopped typing, “How so, dear?” his chin was spotted with scruff, and he removed the sunglasses that shaded his eyes, revealing a set of baby blues that you had only just realized that this was your first time seeing. 

Standing, you circled around the right side of the desk, sitting on it in front of him, “It was just...getting a little boring. Sports have never really been my thing.” 

You leaned over, resting your elbow on your leg and your chin in your hand. Your low-cut shirt was revealing everything that you did and didn’t want the man to see. You were disgusted with yourself, but this had been the plan from the start. Men like Boss revealed the most when they were being seduced. Tom’s sad eyes were at the forefront of your mind, but you couldn’t stop now. This had been the plan from the start. 

Boss smiled, pleased with the situation, and rolled his chair closer to his desk to where you were sitting, “I see.”

You had had plenty of meaningless kisses in your lifetime, especially when you were in high school. You had gone on numerous dates solely for the promise of a free meal. Boss’s lips on yours was the least meaningful interaction that you had ever encounter. His intention was full of sexual drive, while yours was just another part of the job. It was not Y/N who was cheating, it was Rose, and you needed to keep that distinction for your own sanity. 

His hands were on your body, and you were separating yourself from the situation, viewing yourself as an outside source looking in. This wasn’t you, it was someone else. Eyes squeezed shut, too much fear to open them. You had gone from an exhilarating sexual experience to one that you knew you would want to forget as soon as it was over. 

As he kissed your neck, as unwanted chills spilled down your spine, you took the opportunity to peak at the computer screen that thankfully hadn’t fallen asleep. You winced when you felt his teeth, knowing that his mark would be visible, but you squinted as he continued, attempting to see a name, a location, anything. 

He was on your collarbone now, and you were memorizing an address that was labeled “Secondary Pickup Location.” 

“What are you…” Boss had stopped, noticing your inactivity, but when your attention snapped back to him, it was too late. You had been caught focusing on the wrong thing. His eyes turned dark, the blue in them suddenly no longer charming, but terrifying. You were panicking now, ashamed of your stupidity. You could have waited. You could have done the deed and let him sleep. This was it. Mission blown. Cover destroyed.

Only your cover, though. Tom was still out there, unaware, and you weren’t going to let that change. He was smart, if Boss killed you in his office, he wouldn’t give himself up. He would wait until the day was done, and then report you killed in action. He may care about you, but you would do the same if you were him.

And you trusted him. You had to trust him. 

It was almost mystical, the way everything had changed. You had never seen yourself trusting Tom Holland. It took being put in this life-or-death scenario to come to the conclusion that trust was essential to this mission. If none of this had happened, you might have already gotten yourselves killed a lot sooner.

Your mind wandered because it hadn’t accepted your fate.

“A nark. You’re a fucking nark,” he lunged for you, but you rolled out of his grip and took a swing to his jaw, making contact, feeling both the skin on his face and the skin on your knuckle break. You had a ring on, but that only did so much. 

“Oh yeah. Definitely a fucking undercover cop. I should have known,” this time he was faster than you expected a man of his size to be, and he caught a clump of your wig in his fist. He had gone to yank your actual hair, but instead, this ripped both the wig and the pins keeping it in place off of your head, your natural hair color falling out of place and across your eyes. 

“Bitch. You really thought you could fool us, huh?” he kicked his heel into your nose, the crack echoing in your head, blood spilling down the front of your mouth. Ouch. 

“I had you fooled, bastard,” you tried to shake the dizziness away to stand, but this time he kicked your chest, knocking the wind out of you, and throwing you back another foot. 

He gripped your real hair, pulling his face to you, “Is he in on it. Don’t you fucking lie to me, either, I’ll know if you’re lying.” 

No, he really wouldn’t.

“He’s not! He’s not. He was a customer, he talked about his application for this job at the restaurant while we flirted. It was where we got the plan.” 

“Who?”

“NYPD. I work for the SVU.” 

Lies lies lies. He was eating up your lies like candy, thank goodness.

“Well then. Let’s see if he agrees.” 

Picked up by your hair, again, the door was kicked open, a surprise flurry of heads jerking to the direction of the sound. 

“Johnny, mate, it seems your little plaything has a problem.”

Tom’s eyes remained neutral, he looked to you, then to Boss, “She wasn’t coming onto you was she, sir? I promise she can be a bit of a flirt, but-”

“She’s a nark, Johnny.”

He feigned surprise, “What?”

“SVU cop. Sound familiar?”

“SV...what?”

“Special Victims Unit, trying to take us down. I thought you might be her partner but…” he tossed you down, forcing you to your hands and knees. You felt the impact of his foot on your stomach, but you had started to try and see all of the pain from the outside like you had when his hands had been begging for you. This was someone else’s pain, Rose’s pain, not your own. 

“It looks like your the one who’s as dumb as a doornail. She had you hook, line, and sinker, Johnny Bruno. How’s that make you feel?”

“Pissed off, Boss.” 

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Show this bitch who’s the doornail,” Tom stood and walked over to you, lifting you to your feet by your shirt, clutching your chin, inches away from having you in a chokehold, “We’ll be right back, boss.” 

He threw you into Boss’s office for good measure, but when the door shut, you felt yourself running into his arms and melting into tears. You had been trained for situations like this, but now face to face with your worst nightmare, it was hard to recollect your training.

“Y/N, stop crying. Hey, Y/N, it’s okay,” there were strokes on your back, but they weren’t doing anything to stop the heaving sobs, the fear, your inevitable fate.

“Tom. I’m done. Stay in this. Take care of your next partner. Okay?”

“Y/N, we can get you out of this, I’m sure the agency has already sent backup-”

“This isn’t the police, Tom. They won’t compromise the mission to save my life. Don’t you remember everything we were briefed on?” 

He cursed. 

“Punch me, in the face. I can’t go back looking the same.” 

“I’m not going to-”

“Yes, you are. Fucking punch me in the face, Tom.” 

Impact, white, a sea of stars, and when you went to open your eyes, only one would open. He had caused it to swell shut, and while it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling, it was precisely what needed to happen, but it would menial compared to what was next. 

“Tom, look at me,” you had stopped crying now, your training was starting to reinstate itself, and you did everything possible to clear your head. You took his face in your hands, wiping a short tear off his cheek, “it has to be you.”  

“What?”

“You have to do it. It will keep your cover.”

“No!” he pulled you off him, looking insulted by your statement, “Y/N, we don’t kill our own.” 

“Tom!” you wanted to yell, but his safety was too much at risk, so you stuck to a harsh whisper, “Please. Don’t let them take the most valuable thing I have from me. I don’t want it to be them. Insist on it being you. Please.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can.”

With another hug and a kiss on the forehead, he cursed again, then shoved you back out for the rest of the boys to see, each of them looking pleased with his work. You took a few aching steps towards them, before buckling, letting your knees drop to the floor. There was no spot on you that didn’t hurt, but fortunately, that wouldn’t last too long.

“Execution style, nice choice, Narky,” Hardy approached you, then spat in your face, you wiped your eyes, disgusted, and spat right back at him, which only gained you a kick in the head.

Boss had his gun to your head as soon as you sat back up on your knees, “Ready for lights out?” 

Silence. You waited. He had to. Goddamnit, he had to.

“Boss, let me.” 

Finally.

“Bruno? Not going to lie, not what I expected. You ever kill someone before?”

He didn’t say anything as he pulled the gun from Boss’s hand, giving him a dark look, then refocusing it on you.

“I love you, Johnny.” 

“Don’t say another word to me.” 

“My lies were only for your own good.”

“I’m not a fan of games, Nark.” 

He was speaking to you, in code. Your final conversation.

“I know you aren’t,” you spoke softly.

The gun was pressed into your temple now, Tom standing tall above you. Time was slowing, and all you saw was everything flashing ahead of you. The glass breaking in your childhood home. Then, going to the hospital for a detox you hadn’t known you needed, a result of the meth lingering in that same childhood home. There you were, arresting the Magic Man, signing your contract with the agency, being assigned to work with Tom Holland, something you had dreaded at the time. You saw your reflection in the mirror after trying on that red wig, Tom’s complaints about letting his hair fall naturally, the daily drives to the warehouse.

Your one and only night together, the fact that he wanted to see you again. 

Did he want to, or were you just another woman for his repertoire? You would never know the answer no matter how much you craved it. The question that had been plaguing you since you started this mission. You had countlessly proved yourself to lay your life on the line for him. At this point, you would practically do anything for him. Now, you were even willing to die for him. 

Was Tom Holland a good man?

Yes, I would die for you baby, but would you do the same?

.

UNDER THE ROSE

by SpideyPeach

.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

M A S T E R L I S T

T A G L I S T

@plushparker @spideyboipete @starkstower @darlintom @bilkyrie @spideymood @saturn-aka-six @starlightfound @pvnk-bivch @gamoraisbi @xxtomxo @ophcelia @the-queen-procrastinator @trustfundparker @miraclesoflove @maybemona @aesthetic-png @galacticalstarcat @fame-works-quicker @honeymoonparker @loserhollandask @quillaluna @cheesecakebagels @misspepper07 @thelostverse @legendsofwholock @morbiddanvers @fangirl-trash-things @particularspider @applenter @the-lost-fairy-tale @mrskitchenboy @mintyoohoochapstick @newtimewriter @ohheyitsem  @nixphomaniac @juuuless @emilymarie0422 @dreamyyholland @gioandreolli @kendrama-of-the-woodland-realm @littlebookbengal @pineapplwz @i-read-too-much-fanfiction @starksparker @stuckonspidey @lostinspidey @laureharrier @hollandroos @wazzupmrstark @tominhoodies @spider-babes @inthe-gardenofevil @softspideyboy @mcuparkers @hillsnholland @hawkinsholland @poetrypeter @screamholland @natalia-rushman @sillyscissorsnerdsoul @officialbig-mo @spidxrparkxr @athenastaar @iloveyou3000morgan @cravingmusic

[lonelypond]

Can’t Get Started, Ch. 5

NicoMaki, RinPana, Love Live, 1.7K, 5/6

Chapter 5

Summary: The morning after the night before...

Nico’s phone went off. She grumbled and reached for the...nightstand? No, Nico opened her eyes, couch, phone on floor...right, Maki...Maki, barely wrapped in a robe, gorgeous hair twisted up in a towel, mostly asleep and giving off levels of sexy cute like Nico would kill to be able to pull off on or off screen, had stepped out of Nico’s bath and into Nico’s dreams forever. So Nico, recognizing exhaustion when she saw it, had tucked her...girlfriend into her bed alone with just a quick temptation of a kiss, claiming she was too awake now to go back to sleep. Maki had had too crazy an evening to object so Nico took a blanket to the couch and settled in. It was more comfortable than some of her sleeping arrangements on location in the early days of her career.

More angry buzzing. Oh right, phone...Nico grabbed it, saw Nozomi’s pic, and swiped, “What?”

“Let me in.” Nozomi sounded too amused.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m in the lobby of the Peninsula and you need to give me the private elevator code.”

“How the fuck…” Nico sat up.

“You’re all over the Chicago Red Star’s social media. You’ve made a whole bunch of new fans.”

“Why are you even in Chicago?”

“I’m crashing a wedding.”

“No.” Nico liked short answers.

“Look, if you’re letting random strangers sleep in your hotel room, I have to meet the girl you’re trying to impress.”

“Nico is not trying to impress anyone.”

Nozomi snorted, “Liar.”

“Why aren’t you in…”” Nico couldn’t remember where Nozomi and Eli were currently orbiting the art scene of.

“Detroit, Nico. It’s practically right next door.”

“You’re into cars now?”

“No. Taking pics of black women entrepreneurs for a serious magazine spread. And Eli’s consulting with some local art and dance studios. She loves it there.”

“Tell her Nico says hey. And to keep you at home.” Nico closed the call.

An immediate text.

N: THE CODE, NICO-CHI, OR ELSE (ง ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)ง

Nozomi would find a way up and be banging on the door sooner than Nico would be able to think of a plan to divert her. So Nico typed in a string of numbers.

And opened the door to Nozomi sweeping in and hugging her, “You looked so happy in all those pics, Nico-chi. I just had to see why. Usually candids show the grumpy gremlin I’ve known for years.”

Nico broke Nozomi’s hold and stomped through the foyer. Nico had ordered an array of breakfast pastries after Maki’s arrival. And there was a coffee maker. As Nozomi was likely to continue to ignore Nico’s invitation to leave, Nico was going to need coffee. Maybe she could send Nozomi to the Orrington before Maki woke up. Nico glanced at the clock, a little after nine, hangover victims should be wandering through anytime now. And the bride. Nico grinned, RIn had looked like she was having the time of her life last night. Nico had certainly gotten Maki’s best friend on her side, so her sudden ascension to the spot of the Chicago Red Star’s most famous fan was worth it.

Nozomi, unwrapping her practical army green parka to reveal a gray wrap blanket skirt and a bright purple cowl neck sweater, settled into the table, “Why yes, Nico, I will take a coffee.”

"Hmmmppffff…" Nico sputtered, loading a pod.

“Nico?” Nico froze, that wasn't Nozomi’s voice, that was sleepy cute confused Maki bumping into the doorframe, her robe falling a little open. No pajamas. Suspicion confirmed. Nico heard clicking, saw Nozomi’s hand moving, and leapt to grab the phone. Delete. Empty trash. Then, as soon as possible, take out the non digital trash that masqueraded as her best friend.

“If you ever ever do that again, I will kill you. Literally.” Nico hissed, her tone frozen lake cold as she stashed Nozomi’s phone before smiling at Maki. “Good morning, Maki!”

“You’re not green anymore.” Maki giggled.

Nozomi spun to stare at Nico, her turquoise eyes mischievous, “Oh, this is too cute, Nico-chi. It was worth the early flight.”

Maki jumped slightly, refocusing on the person sitting at the table who wasn’t Nico. “Hello?”

“This” Nico had her arm around Nozomi’s shoulder, ready for a chokehold, “is the person Nico mentioned last night, the unavoidable pestilence that Nico can't shake, Nozomi Tojo." Nico took a big breath, not minding if she sounded smug, "Nozomi, this is Nishikino Maki, Nico’s girlfriend.”

Maki blushed, glancing away, fingers discovering a knot in the rock star worthy bedhead. Nico wanted video.

Nozomi stood, shaking off Nico, extending a hand, “Very pleased to SEE you.”

Nico kicked, Nozomi yelped, Maki looked confused.

Nico stepped smoothly between Nozomi and Maki, shoving Nozomi’s hand aside, “Nico is making coffee. Want some? There’s a bakery's worth of breakfast too. And since your clothes were wrecked, one of the early rising Red Stars messengered some gear over.”

Maki blinked, yawning, then frowned as she woke up enough brain cells to process Nico’s statement. “I’m a Seattle Reign fan.”

“Nico will make a note.”

Maki smiled, nodded, and leaned over to kiss Nico on the cheek.

Nico glanced back over her shoulder, Nozomi was making coffee, eavesdropping, and ogling with equal skill, “But, put on a t-shirt for Nico, okay? And maybe sweats. Until we get you to your wedding gear.”

“Wedding.” Maki straightened, her jaw setting, amethyst eyes hardening, “I have to talk to Rin. Where is she?”

“Whoa.” Nico put out a hand, “what’s the rush?”

“I um…” Maki looked angry, but while her hand gestures indicated agitation, no coherent sentences were being produced. “After how Hanayo…”

It was going to be a bathrobe only breakfast Nico realized so as she sat Maki down in a chair, she mostly blocked Nozomi’s view. Fortunately, Maki was now disgruntled enough to be fully awake and had retied her sash, actually closing the robe.

“Ooohh, I should have crashed the bachelorette party.” Nozomi brought the coffee over, carefully avoiding any glances toward Maki’s cleavage as Nico was still glaring death threats, “What happened?”

“Blue Zoo.” Nico stated simply. Maki picked up a donut. She definitely needed calories if she was going to have to remember last night.

Nozomi whistled, “You’ve found a very interesting crowd, Nico-chi.”

“Nico didn’t go.”

“Smart.” Nozomi nodded, suddenly sober, “that would have really dented your rep.”

“Nico knows.”

Maki felt like yelling that someone should have warned her, but Nico might have kinda did and Rin had certainly been worried almost exactly the right amount and Kotori...Maki put her head in her hands, cue memory induced hangover throb, “What do I tell Rin?”

Nico and Nozomi exchanged a glance, then Nico spoke, gently, “If you want Nico’s advice, talk to Hanayo, not Rin.”

Maki’s head fell to the table, and after a yelp of pain, there was a reluctant ‘yeah.’

“Maki Maki Maki” Rin bounced into the room, with enough energy to power a hyperdrive, her short hair out of the shower wet, “Nico is the best. You should get married too. We had so much fun. I can’t wait for your bachelorette party,”

Maki tensed and Nico wondered how close they were to an outburst, but Maki just lifted her head, eyes sad, and ran a hand through her hair, “No. No parties. Ever.”

Rin froze, her face sliding into disappointed worry, “What did Kayo-chin do?”

Maki’s eyes met Nico’s, desperate. Nico reached out for Maki’s hand, and Maki squeezed so hard Nico couldn’t hold back the wince. Then a huge inhale and Maki slid the baked goods toward Rin, “She got drunk and very silly.”

Rin frowned, sitting and biting into a donut, “Handsy, right?”

Maki nodded, not sure what else to say.

Rin sighed, but then she reached over and ruffled Maki’s hair, “But she loves me, Maki, she really does. She just gets stupid sometimes.” Donut gone in two bites, “I’m sorry you had to see it.”

“We got arrested.” Maki stated so solemnly Nico wanted to send a sympathy card.

Rin’s eyes went wide, then she started pounding the table and laughing, “Oh my god, that’s the best. I want to see the mug shots.”

Maki shot up from the table, furious, “I can’t believe you.”

“But Maki, that’s so funny. Kayo-chin in JAIL.”

Maki growled, “Good bye, Rin, I’m going back to LA.”

Rin kept laughing, “That’s okay, I’ve got Nico now, she’s not a criminal.”

Maki remembered she had half a donut in her hand, crumpled it, and dumped it in Rin’s wet hair on her way out the door. “You and Hanayo deserve each other.”

Rin, looking as pleased as a person could, leaned back in her chair as she brushed most of the crumbs out of her hair, “Guess I’ll have to tell Kayo-chin she needs to apologize so Maki doesn’t glare through the whole ceremony.”

After a pause, Nozomi glanced at a bemused Nico before deciding to contribute to the chaos. “You’re crazy. I like you.”

Two thumbs up from Rin. “Come to the wedding. You’ll love me. We got the best cake maker in the whole Great Lakes region.”

Maki shouted from somewhere, “YOU CAN’T INVITE ALL OF CHICAGO TO YOUR WEDDING.”

Rin jumped to the door, “YES I CAN.”

“GO HOME!”

“YOU’RE MY RIDE.”

“BITE ME.”

As Nico and Nozomi watched in a state of awe, Rin came table-ward, grabbed a scone, broke off a piece, sat back down, tossed the carb in the air, caught it in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before declaring. “Maki’d be lost without me.”

Nico grabbed the rest of the scone out of RIn’s hand, “Nico believes it. But now you can rely on Nico.”

“Good.” Rin nodded, serious, “Me and Kayo-chin’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Nico saluted. Nozomi shook her head. Maki could be heard shouting “We are the Reign, the Mighty Mighty Reign.”

“Maki’s gonna start a fight.” Rin zipped out of the room.

After a long pause, a raised eyebrow, and maybe an aura addition of slightly impressed, Nozomi went back to chat mode, “So, what’s new in your life…” Nozomi sipped her coffee, obviously waiting for Nico to fill in details.

Nico grinned and bit into breakfast.

A/N: This gets us back in the zone. So I hope you enjoy.

Also, you're getting another chapter...sue me ; )

[iminyourhandskara]

The Power Beyond Me - Psiturn One Shot.

WORD COUNT: 2902.

It is set after my first Psiturn os, but can be read on its own, just know that Imra is the new leader of the LOSH and she recruited Psi and now they’re dating.

Psi stomped her way into the main room of the Legion ship.

“It’s fine, we got him anyway.” “I don’t understand, my powers have never failed before.” “Psi, don’t worry! I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“What happened?” Brainy entered the room, confused by the loud chatting of the two women in front of him. “I should’ve hit Evillo with my powers, I had him right in front of me, but..I couldn’t do anything. Brainy, can you run one of your calculations on me?” “No, Brainy, there’s no need to do anything. She’s fine.” Imra interjected, hiding her worry under a careless tone: it was true, her powers had never failed before. “I assume this is one of those, mmh, couple disagreements. I’m going to exit this conversation.”

“Okay, do you want to train?” “What for? Just to see my powers flop again?” “Babe..” Imra sat down next to her girlfriend. “It can happen. Please, don’t frown, I don’t want to see you so unhappy.” “I was just thinking..” “About what?” “How it’d be to have a life without any superpower…How I’d feel being human again.” “It’s not any different from being a metahuman or an alien.” “If I lost my powers, I wouldn’t have a place here anymore; I wouldn’t be in the Legion anymore..I would lose you, too.” “Hey, hey, no; you’re not gonna lose me, ever. Okay?” The brunette caressed her cheeks, as she was still looking down at her hands, trying to console her. Psi and Imra kissed, their hearts always beating loud like it was the first time: “thank you.” She breathed out, “for what?” Imra smiled back at her. “For staying.” “Always.” They rested their foreheads on one another, “Listen, if you want, I can call my sister to check you and your mind, would that make you feel better?” “Yes, thank you so much.”

Prya Ardeen looked a lot like her younger sibiling, except for her blonde wavy hair. Unlike her sister, she had the power of telepathy and shielding minds: she was four years older than Imra and they were extremely close, especially after she fought so hard against everything and everyone to have her back. “But.. for the rest of the day, I think you should rest. Let’s go home.” “I’ll rest only if you’re there to cuddle me.” Imra looked into Psi’s pleading eyes, she knew well that she barely took days off since she had become the leader of the Legion of Superheroes. “Okay, I’ll guess they’ll survive one day without their leader.” “Oh, of course.” They laughed and joined hands, ready to cuddle their day away.

As promised, they snuggled the entire night and the next morning, Prya joined them on the ship: “Hello girls, how can I help you?” Before Imra even opened her mouth, Psi explained what had happened again: “Okay, have you tried using them again?” “Your sister suggested I should’ve rested for a while, so no.” “Okay, let’s go to the training room, I have an idea.”

The three women stood separately, Psi on one side of the room, Imra and Prya on the other: “Try to hit my sister, I’ll be shielding her, but if your powers hit the shield I will feel it, so you can know if your powers are fine again or not.” Prya ordered. “I- I don’t think it’s a good idea.” “Psi, you won’t hurt me.” “Prya, I know how strong you are, but just the thought of attacking her…” “She is my little sister, Psi. I know exactly how you feel, I’ve felt it for my entire life: I would never put Imra in a dangerous position if I didn’t know she was safe.” Psi’s worries were far from gone, quite the opposite, but she nodded anyway. “Okay. Let’s do it.” Imra stood in the middle, Prya slowly built a psychic shield around her sister and gave the other woman in the room the green light for the attack. Psi felt her powers working again and Prya felt it as well: “That’s enough, you’re okay.” Psi was so relieved to know that she didn’t suddenly lose her abilities, “thank you so much.” “I’m glad I could help. You know, when you’re sad, my sister gets sad as well and..that’s not a really pleasant feeling for a big sister.” “You’re the best.” The brunette hugged her, feeling a new wave of relief as well.

 Later that day, the couple laid in bed, Psi had a notebook in her hands and looked like she was scribbling or sketching something: “what are you doing?” “Nothing.” “Mmh, sure.” “I’m drawing.” “I didn’t know you could draw.” Imra sat closer to her, trying to take a little peek at her work. “Because I don’t do it often. I haven’t done it in a couple of years, actually.” “Because you don’t have the time? Or you don’t like it as much anymore?” “No, because I only draw when..when I feel happy. And the happy moments in my life were really rare and brief, so in that sense you can say I didn’t have the time to do it.” “You’re happy because you have your powers?” “No,  I’m happy because I have you, Matilda.” Her blue eyes pierced into her green eyes, she had never been so honest and open to someone before Imra, but how could she deceive those beautiful green eyes?

“I love you.” Imra blurted it out of nowhere, but she couldn’t keep it in anymore: one of the first things they taught each other, was to do everything without any regret and she was completely sure she wasn’t ever going to regret these words to her. “I- I love you, too. So much.” Psi took her in her arms, drinking in her smell, taking that moment and trying to keep all the feelings she was feeling clear in her mind, so she would never forget how it feels to be in love, and be loved in return.

But then, they got called by the Legion who needed their help: one of their latest enemies escaped prison and they had to catch her again. Emerald Empress’ powers came from the Eye of Ekron, which Psi had hidden after the Legion managed to have her arrested, that meant she didn’t have any powers now, but it was sure that she would’ve come for the ex-villain soon. When the group of superheroes reunited, they planned a very simple scheme: if the Empress had just human abilities now, it would’ve been easy to capture her. Imra decided to go after her with Ultra Boy and Ferro Lad, trying to keep Psi away from danger: they looked for her everywhere but couldn’t find her, until they went into the building where she used to work years earlier. “Well, finally, you’re here.” She said with a very calm tone, sitting down on a spinning chair. “There’s no need to hit me or knock me out unconscious, I just needed to take a walk. I didn’t like that prison much. And..without the Eye, I’m getting weaker minute after minute.”

Ultra Boy and Ferro Lad approached the woman, but she pulled out a laser gun and pointed it against her head. “I have nothing left that keeps me alive anymore. I should probably get this over with.” “No!” Imra yelled, “Please, don’t do it.” “Why? Why shouldn’t I? I’m going to die soon anyway. What’s the world without one more bad girl? It’s better.” “I’m not letting you do this.” She stepped forward, “You can get better.” “I won’t, trust me.” Emerald Empress sounded tired, panting at every pause, slightly trembling. The gun was still near her temple. “Just one question: why do you want to capture me again? You know I don’t have powers without the Eye of Ekron.” “We swore to protect the people from any harm, and that means both them from you and you, from them. Everyone would be safer this way.”

Her eyes got a sudden clearance, like she just realized something she had never thought about before. “Then I should probably let you arrest me.” Imra took out the handcuffs, but in a split second, the Empress made them fall down with a punch and got Imra in a chokehold, the gun was now pointed at her temple. “Uh-uh, boys. Don’t move, or your pretty little friend gets her brain splashed out. I might not have powers, but a gun like this is useful for anyone. Iron gets melted by heat, right, Ferro Lad? Ultra Boy, whatever you’re planning to do, just don’t, I’m just one click away from what I need.” “What do you need?” “The Eye of Ekron, obviously. I think your other friend knows where it is.” “Don’t you dare- don’t call her.” Imra stuttered, the thought of Psi being involved in this made her blood freeze. “Even if he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to- there’s no signal of any sort around this block. But..I’m sure she’ll figure out something to find you, sweetheart.”

 Psi kept pacing around the room, she could sense that something wasn’t right and she knew she had to do something, but couldn’t let the others know: she sneaked out, not exactly sure on what to do, but she had to find her lover. First of all, she asked the agents that guarded her cell some information about where the Empress used to live, work, or just hang out; when they spelled out the address of her work place, she recognized that area and remembered that it had been abandoned years earlier. Psi connected the dots and figured out that there was no way for the earpieces her teammates wore to function in that block: they were definitely there.

The dread grew at every step she took, unsure of what she would’ve found once she got there, Psi had never been so scared. Gayle had never been so scared. “Oh, your princess charming is here.” Emerald Empress spitted as Psi took her first step into the room, and immediately stopped in her tracks seeing a gun at her girlfriend’s head, “Don’t worry, it will all be over soon: you just give me the Eye, and I’ll give you your girlfriend back.” “Psi, d-don’t do it, she’ll hurt everyone.” “Shut up, the decision is up to her: I’m sure she’d prefer having you alive, rather than anyone else.”

Psi was so frightened and confused, was she willing to ignore everything Imra and the Legion taught her just to save her? She stood there in silence, her hands shaking like never before, her eyes were icy, she couldn’t stop thinking about how much she wanted to hurt the Empress, she wanted to kill her for hurting the love of her life. It was like a spark got ignited inside of her guts, a fire was raging throughout her entire body, Psi knew that in a few instants her powers were going to strike, but she had never felt this much anger going through her veins and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to control it: she was afraid she was going to hurt Imra, again.

Psi gazed at the Empress once again, Imra was shaking too: she felt the blast leaving her body along with a loud scream, there was no going back now. Imra was bracing herself to get hit like that one time almost a year earlier, when she realized that the psychic powers of her girlfriend didn’t even touch her, somehow: the same thing couldn’t be said for Emerald Empress, who immediately dropped to her knees and let her gun fall down, before raising her hands to hold her head; the three unaffected Legionnaires reacted quickly, handcuffing the Empress while she was still shaken up by whatever vision Psi’s powers had brought up. She ran to Imra to embrace her, “Are you okay? I was so worried, I-” she moved her brunette hair out of her face, hoping that she didn’t have to face her biggest fear once again. “I’m okay, Psi. You didn’t hurt me.” “I didn’t? How is that possible? You were right in front of the Empress, how did it not hit you?” “I don’t know, but it’s a good thing, right?” “Yeah, it is.” Psi held Imra even tighter than before and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go.” Ferro Lad had to interrupt their sweet moment, but there was a prisoner to take into custody. “You go home, I have to do something first.” “Psi?” “Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” “Okay.” Imra kissed her knuckles and followed the other boys, back to the headquarters.

 Psi walked to what seemed to be an abandoned theme park, and got into one of the last standing buildings: there was a box in there, containing the Eye of Ekron. She took out of her pocket that same laser gun that was pointed at her girlfriend’s temple, just minutes before that, and shot the box repeatedly, until everything inside had turned into dust. At the same time, Emerald Empress crumbled like sand and disappeared out of thin air: all the Legionnaires figured out what happened.

Prya rushed to Imra after finding out what her sister had been through: “I’m so happy you’re okay, you’re not even scratched, are you?” “No, no, I’m perfectly fine..thanks to Psi, even if I still don’t know how.” “What do you mean?” “The Empress was holding me hostage, I was literally in front of her: Psi’s powers got to her but not to me. Isn’t that strange?” “Maybe, but at least you’re safe. Where is she know?” “Considering that Emerald Empress just turned to dust, I’m pretty sure she went to destroy the Eye of Ekron that was keeping her alive.” “I would’ve done the same.. she must be really angry at that woman for threatening your life.” Imra smiled, grateful to have these two wonderful women in her life, who would do anything to protect her: her sister and her girlfriend. “You destroyed the Eye?” “Why, are you mad about it?” “No, no, I just wanted to know why, since she was going to die anyway, very soon.” “Well, let’s just say that..seeing you in that position, so scared and vulnerable, it took its toll on me: I just needed some sort of scapegoat, some way to take all my anger out on one thing.” Psi looked down at Imra, she almost looked like she wanted approval for what she’d done, afraid that she would be upset for it. “Thank you for protecting me.” “I will always protect you, Imra. Always.”

“Psi, can you come here for a second?” Prya called, as Brainy was standing right next to her. “Yes, what’s wrong?” “Nothing, I just explained what happened to Brainy, in regards of your powers not affecting my sister and he is pretty sure of this theory..” “I’m 98,7% certain that you’ve been able to channel all your negative emotions into one person in particular, so the other people surrounding the Empress weren’t blasted by your powers. I don’t know if you know, but your psychic abilities are fueled by your deepest feelings, the ones that seem easier to bury, like rage and sadness.” “That explains the failure of the other day..” “What?” “My powers didn’t work on Evillo because I felt happy, for once. I was at peace with my life. But does that mean that I can’t ever be happy, if I want to have my powers?” “No, no, that’s not it: you can still have your powers, you can channel them like you did today, use the affection and the love you have for Imra, and I hope also for the rest of the world, to protect them.” “Oh.” Prya interjected, “So, now that you know more about the source of your powers, you can use this information to use them even better.” “Thank you again, for helping me figure all of this out.” “No problem.” Prya patted her back.

 It was night time, and Psi and Imra were having a sleepy conversation, with their eyes almost closing: “I was scared as much as you were, today. I was terrified.” “I know, I could see it in your eyes.” “Were you afraid that I was going to hit you again?”

Imra opened her eyes, now fully staring at Psi in front of her, “Yes, but not because I don’t trust you, but because before today, even you know that, you’ve never sent your blast to one person in particular.” “I get it..” she sighed and moved one strand of hair away from her face, “Can I ask you something? You can also not reply at all.” “Tell me.” “Months ago, you told me that when I hit you during the Fort Rozz mission, you saw your sister dying; now that Prya is here, what would be your biggest fear?” There was no doubt in Imra’s mind, “Losing you.” Psi was completely flabbergasted, “Are..are you serious?” “100%. I’ve never loved someone as much as I love you, Gayle.” “If today wasn’t a big enough proof of it, I would do anything for you, Matilda.”

She got closer to her, she kissed her nose and then her lips, with tenderness, knowing that no matter how difficult it got, their relationship was special and it was going to last for a long, long time.

[kiingdcmscome]

Promises - Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any canon characters in this fanfiction, I do claim ownership of the original characters featured and mentioned in this work. This is an au / alternate timeline fanfiction for the TNT drama Animal Kingdom and will feature characters and events from that show. ( This is a rewrite of promises part one, which i posted a few months ago. I went back and reread it, and absolutely hated it, so here we go, hopefully this is better ).  (gifs and photos are not mine unless stated otherwise. this gif belongs to the lovely @demctozdemir​ and can be found here ).

Summary: Marley Dossier is lost. Her mother has just been arrested, her dead beat father won't pick up the phone, and her grandmother wants nothing to do with her. Unsure of what else to do, she tracks down her childhood friend, J Cody. Little does she know, she's going right back into the world her mother fought so hard to keep her from, and the world that destroyed her family before it even started. | This fanfiction takes place six months after the death of nineteen year old J Cody's mother Julia. J and his best friend Marley have been reunited, though their reunion might bring more heartache than either can handle.

Content Warning: Mentions of Absentee parents, drug abuse, jail/prison, homelessness. | My main character Marley is in a wheelchair, please keep that in mind. 

Word Count: 1.5k

       The hot California sun beat down on me and my muscles throbbed in protest. He better fucking live here. The house was nice, which made me think I had the wrong place. Those suspicions were confirmed as I approached the front door. An older woman, probably in her sixties, came out the front door before I even had a chance to knock. Dressed in those obnoxious printed yoga pants with short blonde hair and oversized sunglasses she reminded me of one of those "cool" grandma's you saw on tv.

       "Can I help you?" She looked me over. Starting at my slightly worn sneakers to my braided hair. She barely stopped to take in the wheelchair, which honestly surprised me.

       "I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong place." Turning away, I didn't get far before a familiar voice brought my attention back.

       "Marley?" I turned to see him, a smile erupted over my face. It was so good to see him, especially since I hadn't seen a familiar (nevermind friendly) face in over a week.

       "Hey J..." He didn't look half as happy to see me as I was to see him.

       "What are you doing here?" His question confirmed it. He didn't want me here, and I couldn't help the confusion and hurt that worked its way into my chest.

       "Well, you stopped visiting, so I thought I'd come out here, see if you were still alive." I didn't want to tell him the real reason, not yet.

       "Uh, Smurf...This is Marley, she and I grew up together." He introduced me to the older woman, who'd taken a step closer to me. She reached out her hand, and I offered mine. She didn't shake it, instead, she just gave it a gentle squeeze and gave me a smile.

       "He's being modest. Our moms actually used to do smack together."

       "Marley, this is my grandmother. Smurf." Shit, I just insulted this woman's dead daughter. Instead of appearing insulted, she just nodded, her smile growing slightly before letting go of my hand.

       "You kids hungry? I'll go and make you two something to eat." Before either of us could answer, she disappeared into the house.

       "So did you really come all this way just to check on me?" He questioned once she was gone. I contemplated lying to him but realized there wasn't any use, he'd have seen right through it.

       "It's a long story, so I hope you've got time."

       "Credit card fraud? How did that even happen?" I'd just got done telling him all the gory details of my mom getting arrested and charged with credit card fraud. We were sitting in the backyard, his feet dangling in the pool. "And this all happened two months ago? Why didn't you call me?"

       "I tried. Your number was disconnected or something." I leaned back in my chair, looking him over for a moment. "She was dating this guy Jimmy, you know, the manager at the restaurant. He's a real piece of shit. He was running some fraud scheme and she got caught up in it." I wasn't defending my mom. She'd been stupid, but if Jimmy hadn't dragged her into his shit she'd have never been arrested. "Her lawyer's advising she take a plea deal."

       "And how much time is she looking at?" His question had an answer I didn't want to think about.

       "Five years. Minimum." I sighed, leaning forward. "I can't believe this shit. The relapse, now this."

       "Relapse?"

       "Oh. I didn't tell you about that." I took a deep breath, staring down at my hands. "Yeah, about five months back, less than a month after your mom died...I got a call from the hospital. She relapsed. Clean eight years and then that shit."

       "Why didn't you call me?"

       "Cause your mom just ODed and died. You had enough stuff to deal with." I finally glanced up at him. "Besides, we weren't really talking."

       "Where are you staying?" He asked, changing the subject, which I was grateful for.

       "I was staying with Claudia. But she kicked me out after realizing I wasn't going to be able to pay rent." Claudia, my grandmother (if one can even call her that) hadn't wanted me there in the first place. "Rita let me stay at her place, but her grandkids needed the room cause her daughter got evicted. I tried contacting Charlie-" My dead beat dad. "But he didn't even bother picking up the phone. So, this past week I've been at that shelter over on Granger."

       "Shelter?" He stared at me for a moment. I could almost see the gears in his brain working to solve my problems, something he'd done since we were kids. "What about your uncle Eddie?"

       "Eddie's in New Mexico or something. I haven't heard from him in weeks. But don't worry, I'll figure it out." I take his hand in mine, glancing down at his knuckles. Bruised, which wasn't anything new. "You can't fix all my problems J, and I not here because I need you to. I'm here because I've missed you, and I needed a familiar face."

       He didn't get a chance to answer before Smurf popped her head out the sliding glass door beside us. "You kids come inside, I've got lunch on the table."

       The house was nice. Way nicer than anywhere I've ever lived. Nicer than anywhere J's ever lived too. For as long as I could remember, J's lived in the shitty apartment above the one me and my mom lived in.

       "Thanks for the food, Mrs. Cody." I leaned back in my chair, popping the last potato chip on my plate into my mouth. I couldn't help but stare at the place. The kitchen and living room itself was almost as big as my apartment.

       "Call me Smurf." She sat down at the table beside me, and I gave her a smile. "And you're welcome." I glanced over at J, who seemed to be watching us closely. I furrowed my brow, and he just shook his head.

       "So, how long have you two know each other."

       "Almost twelve years." It was so weird to say out loud. "Me and my mom lived in the apartment below him and Julia."

       "And how long have you two been dating?"

       "We're not." J and I spoke in unison. He looked to each other, a small smile forming on both of our faces.

       "We're friends. Best friends." Thankfully, someone opened the sliding door, breaking the awkwardness.

       "You fucking asshole." I glanced behind me. Holy shit. The person I should have been thanking for breaking the awkward silence was...hot...And covered in bright orange and blue paint splatters. Dark hair, tattoos, facial hair. I probably should have checked to make sure I wasn't drooling.

       "Oh Craig, did your brother shoot you with the paintball gun again?" I didn't have to know Smurf well to detect the mock concern in her voice.

       The door opened again, and another guy, blonde, definitely shorter than the other one, and also covered in paint came inside. "Don't even think about crying to Smurf. You shot me first."

       "Twice. You literally emptied yours into my back." He turned around, revealing large red welts on his back.

       "Don't start shit you can't finish." At that comment, the taller one, Craig, grabbed the blonde around the neck, putting him into a chokehold.

       "Boys, enough. Can't you see we have a guest." They stopped, both looking down at me. The blonde just stared a moment, but the brunette managed to muster a small smile.

       "Who's this?" He asked, staring at me long enough that I could feel my face heating. Jesus, stop acting like you've never seen an attractive guy before.

       "I'm Marley, J's friend." I offered a small smile to both him and the blonde, but neither of them smiled back. Instead, the blonde when to the fridge, and the brunette continued to stare at me.

       "Jesus Craig, you look like you've never seen anyone in a wheelchair before," J commented. He's done in it the past, especially when we were in high school. Anyone who looked my way wrong heard it.

       The blonde snickered, and the brunette turned away from me, also heading towards the fridge. "What're you making for dinner?" He grabbed a beer, tossing the cap into the sink.

       "We're having salmon. Marley, are you staying for dinner?"

       "Actually I have to get back." I looked at J, "Do you think you could give me a ride? I'm pretty sure my arms are going to be spaghetti tomorrow from the way over here."

       "Do you still live in J's old building?" Smurf asked.

       "Actually no." I wondered exactly how much more I wanted to say in front of a bunch of strangers. "I'm actually in-between places right now. There's this...Home, I'm staying at that has a curfew."

       "Like a shelter?" She questioned, and before I could answer, "Why don't you stay here until your new place is ready?"

       "That's probably not a good idea," J answered before I could.

       "Of course it is. You don't want your friend staying in a shelter, do you?"

       "I don't want to be a bother."

       "Of course not. You're staying, end of discussion. I'll get the couch set up for you. Do you have anything you need to go get?"

       "No. All of my stuff is with one of my mom's friends." She got up, leaving the kitchen.

       "What just happened?" I asked, watching after her.

       "Smurf." J didn't seem happy, "Smurf happened."

[13-year-old-assassin]

Holding My Soul Out The Window

“It’s either her or the gun. You’re choice.”

Five continued to grip the gun in his now trembling hands, expression absolutely fuming. How dare Luther? How dare her? He has no idea what Five has been through, what it does to you being alone for that long. Delores was the only thing, the only person there. She was there when he hadn’t eaten for two days and passed out of exhaustion, waking up to bug bites all over his body because the parasites thought he was dead. She had been there when he had eaten that bad twinkie and puked for hours. She had been there, always, when literally no one else was.

And now she was being held in a threatening, not gentle grip by his brother outside of the window. Five’s hands shook on his grip of the gun. It became unsteady in his trembling fingers, matching his unsteady emotions.

But- the apocalypse. That was the only thought that made him not immediately drop the gun. He needed the weapon, he needed to stop the destruction of the world at all costs. It was what he had been working towards for all this time. It had become his obsession, his purpose, his goddamn life.

His thoughts were in turmoil, something that he despised experiencing. But then, then he did it. The sick bastard actually did it.

Luther fucking dropped Delores.

Five, forgetting his entire thought process altogether, dropped the gun immediately. His hands glowed blue, the normal tugging sensation and pinch of nausea settling in his stomach as he jumped towards the window.

But in his panic, in his awful panic, he was only able to jump halfway towards the window. He stumbled for a moment as he landed unsteadily, his moment of mistake settling in his mind, confirming what was going to happen.

His eyes widened and he rushed to the window anyway. It was as if everything turned to slow motion. The wind from outside rushed past his hair as he stuck his head out. Every car was incredibly loud in his ears, inevitably thumping in his brain. And Delores, his Delores, falling towards the hard pavement, was staring up at him. Her beautiful skin was shining in the sun, blocked by a small shadow as Five reached out his hands to grab her, his fingers just brushing the top of her head.

Five screamed, legitimately screamed as Delores fell. As she fell to- to her death. To her painful, gut-wrenching death. Five’s widened eyes stayed trained on his wife, on his absolutely beautiful wife as she got closer to the ground.

And then she hit the walkway, her pale skin shattering into a million pieces on the pavement. And this sound, this awful sound clawed from Five’s throat, choking every ounce of happiness he had felt, every good memory be had experienced in the past 45 years and disintegrating it. The fire rose up to his eyes, blurring his vision and making it go red.

Five heard a faint “oh shit” from behind him as he slowly and menacingly turned to Luther. His fists were clenched, although no blue was coming from them, only an invisible fire. His chest heaved with every erratic breath pumping from his lungs, only growing more frantic as more and more fury pounded into his heart.

Luther noticeably flinched back, taking a small step toward the door and he laid eyes upon the absolute pure fire raging in Five’s eyes.

“Look, Five, I swear that I didn't think she would actually fall-” he was cut off when Five jumped, the feeling of a hand clenching around his throat, cutting off his breath. Five miraculously was pushing him against the wall, holding the stronger man’s body against the dry barrier.

“What the fuck did you think would happen when you dropped her?” Five asked with no real question in his voice. Luther stammered, not knowing how to answer. Five let out a frustrated growl and pushed Luther stronger against the wall. “ANSWER ME!” Five demanded, begging for an excuse, any excuse at this point to explain this horror.

Luther began to run out of breath, his dirty fingernails clawing at the small hands enclosed around his throat. “F-Five, I d-didn’t mean to hurt Delores-”

“Don’t you dare say her name! You had no right!” Five fumed, his face still furious, but the words coming out shaky and drowned in pain. “You- you monster! You had absolutely-” the words were paused when he weakly punched Luther in the chest, “no-” another punch, “right!” He finished with one last punch that instead hit the wall beside Luther, creating a hole through it and bloodying Five’s fist.

“What is going on here?” Allison’s voice shouted as the door was blown open, the rest of the siblings following behind her fast pace.

“We heard a noise, and-” Klaus paused when his eyes landed on the scene before him. “Oh.”

“He killed her!” Five said, his voice cracking on the last word, the new people in the room only being gasoline pouring onto the flames decorating his eyes, turning it to a bonfire.

“What?” Vanya asked, worried and confused. After she got no answer, she asked again, “Five, who did he kill?” From the look of Luther’s state, a sudden urgency surged through her voice.

“Her!” Five shouted helplessly, tears now streaming down his face, struggling to get the word out, begging for them to understand. “He killed Delores!” All the other Hargreeves immediately understood. Well, understood Five’s reaction, but not necessarily the situation or what had happened moments before they had stormed in.

“Five put him down,” Diego said gently with a sigh, walking over to the infuriated boy. He didn’t move, his teeth still clenched. She wasn’t extremely worried about Luther, knowing he was too strong for the choke hold to really do much damage. Maybe frazzle the incompetent bastard, but it wouldn’t hurt him.

“Five.” Vanya stepped forward and said the words in a more serious, yet calm tone, no malice at all. She gently pulled his arms away from Luther. He finally let go with one last push of Luther into the wall, and immediately collapsed into Vanya’s arms, dignity be damned.

“Oh Five, it’s- it’s going to be okay,” she said grasping onto the sobbing boy, her face morphing into one of sadness. She was, of course, surprised, because this was Five. No emotions, no feelings, and definitely no crying Five. Regardless, she held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her alive just because it was Five. She ignored the previous statements from her brother about being a grown man, and she simply allowed herself to see him as a thirteen-year-old boy again.

“She was all I had Vanya, she was all! She- we- we were going- she was always-” he cut his own words off with a choked sob, melting into his sister’s arms. His legs buckled and he fell the floor on his knees, Vanya keeping up her comforting iron grip and falling with him. She looked up to Allison, a rare fierceness and responsibility covering her face.

‘Go,’ she mouthed to Luther, who was standing there in the corner, breathing normally at that point, the chokehold not doing any serious damage obviously. He made a gruff sound, beginning to form words of protest, before Allison grabbed his arm and, like a boss, literally shoved him out into the hallway of the room. His large bulk form stumbled out, and Allison gave one last smile to her sister and a concerned glance to her brother before she closed the door to shout at Luther.

“Sh, sh, it’s okay Five,” Vanya soothed, stroking his hair lovingly. Five’s sobs eventually turned into quiet sniffles, his face still buried into her now drenched shoulder. After a few moments he reluctantly parted his face from her, and with the wave of emotions over, he realized the scene he had just caused.

“Shit, m’ sorry,” he mumbled sluggishly. Diego and Klaus ended up trotting over, both squatting down beside their brother.

“It’s okay short stack, absolutely nothing to be sorry for! This was in no way your fault,” he said softly, the sheen of concern and love returning as he stared at his brother. But Five only noticed the pity, and so he kept his eyes trained on the floor to avoid the shame.

“Can- can I touch you?” Diego asked cautiously, and with the affirmation of Five’s head nod, he grasped on to the boy’s shoulder and heaved him off the floor. Five stumbled, being caught by Diego however, and was soon led to his bed. He collapsed, goddamn collapsed

into the sheets, head hitting the pillow. His exhaustion soon took over.

“But, the apocalypse-” Five mumbled, trying to fight the extremely persuasive lull of sleep.

“Sh, it’s okay Five. We’ll try to make some progress while you’re asleep. You’ll be able to work much better on a freshly rested mind anyway.” The words slipped from Vanya’s mouth in a motherly tone that she didn't really use with anyone, except for Five apparently. It was amazing to her, the side that he brought out of her.

Five shifted under the blankets, mumbling out a very, very soft ‘thank you’ before completely passing out.

Klaus brushed the bangs from his face, Vanya kissed his forehead (thank god he was unconscious or there would have been hell to pay,) and Diego turned out the lights as they walked out of the room quietly.

“Any time,” Vanya said before closing the door.

And here, kids, is a great example of how I can’t end a story to save my fucking life

[some-dark-side-writing]

Secrets Secrets

Antisepticeye x reader

Request: Hey! Can I request an Anti x Reader, where the reader is an assassin and overall really badass. When Anti thought she was a delicate little flower?

"AAAHHHH! HELP ME!!" Anti rushed in through the door as he found you struggling to breathe, being almost crushed against the scary looking zombie that snuggled into your hair as he held you against him, your grossly over exaggerated arms and tongue out, eyes crossed motion making Robbie laugh. "Silly... Y/n." He gargled out as Anti smirked. "Y/N! I'll save you from the terrifying cuddle monster!" Anti glitched forward, zigzagging so this time you and Robbie weren't sure what he'd do, he always liked to keep these rescues a surprise.

Suddenly the smell of iron and burnt flesh came from behind you and as you turned to see one of robbies forearms fall off you were suddenly facing your boyfriend's sweaty back as he held you over his shoulder. "Saved ya!" Anti cried as he placed you on your feet again, you kissed his cheek as Robbie picked up his arm. "My hero."

"No! Cuddle monster scary and powerful! Roar!" Robbie attempted, laughing as his only attached arm swiped out in a shy clawing motion.

"What can I say babe? I'm the best. I'll always be here to save ya."

"Anti..." you tried, peeking over his shoulder and trying to hide your laugh

"Not Jackieboy, and with how corrupt MY enemies are!.."

"Anti?" You sang, only looking out the corner of your eye now to not indicate anything

"You're lucky you have such a badass boyfriend babe or else you'd have been dead meat a long ti-aGH!"

As Anti was busy gloating over himself Robbie had crept forward and his detached arm held in his attached one held Anti in a chokehold, startling him enough he could easily drag Anti into his chest as Robbie held his arm/s around him. "Cuddle monster wins."

You laughed as Anti turned red faced, trying to get out without frying the zomboi but he was stronger than he seemed or even really realised. "Anti not a scary monster at ALL." Robbie beamed down at him as Anti swiped at his arm, especially when you gave Robbie his own kiss to the cheek and called him 'your hero' too.

You and the septics played these games a lot. Anti especially as your S/o he spent the most time with you and you made sure to drag Anti with you to visit his kin every week even if he said or pretended he hated it, you couldn't always be sure. Anti liked to roughhouse it with his brother's though and he'd occasionally play fight with you too, although they normally ended with him pinning you against the wall, floor occasionally you had the bliss of your bed or even the sofa but you normally let him win so he wasn't a sourpuss all day. It was easy too. It seemed all you needed to do was act so innocent and let him try to scare you and soon he'd be treating you so good. You'd tried to initiate some roughhousing with him too but he'd always put it off. "I don't know babe. Knowing my luck I'd end up frying your brain and then you'd be seeing the most handsome man in the world as the creature from the black lagoon! And we both know I don't care for swimming." Or he'd even start after endless teasing but he'd bite too hard and you wouldn't see him for days after.

He even teased you with how fragile he thought you were, snatching anything out of your hands, even tv remotes "Wouldn't want you to break your wrists." Or when you said you were going to bed if he wasn't hyperactive or going out he'd insist on carrying you up there. All this just made him extra nervous when you left him on random nights.

Of course the possibility of you cheating popped into mind, it always did, but you were just too nice for him to really see that. It more freaked him out, scared him, when he felt your warmth leave him at any time of night, especially if the buzzing of your phone caused you to leave, was someone threatening you?

He'd of course tried to stop you the first time he'd noticed, angry when you were unrelenting but when you refused to speak to him for an entire week the time he'd managed to pin you to the bed and he saw how nervously you checked you phone he began to try and let you go. The next mornings if he dared ask you'd make up some excuse as you why you were gone from midnight onwards. "My friend broke up again, they were having a crisis. Hospital update on my cousin, one he'd never met, of course he hadn't really met much of your family on purpose, and of course the usual "Work called, I had to go."

Today he'd been noticing you had been on your phone all day and you went to bed early, that usually meant you were going to leave, although you hadn't mentioned that all day which meant you must be hiding something. Instead of risking your cute attempt at wrath of you leaving again this time when he entered your bedroom as you pretended to sleep, oh how he knew you slept little, he made sure to break the door handle just enough it wasn't noticeable it was brute force, again so you would continue to speak to him, but you'd have no choice to either ask him to open it or stay inside tonight and Anti smiled at the thought, curling up behind you, his arm possessively over your waist as you felt his breath moving the back of your hair as you two laid silent for hours.

Even though Anti was still awake, only pretending to be sleeping, he almost missed the feel of you slipping out of his arms. You were definitely very sly and he pulled you closer once you'd almost escaped his clutch, moaning 'subconsciously' but he knew he had to let you go once you tried again or you'd know he wasn't truly sleeping. He soon felt you ease out of his grip and used his hearing to detect you shuffling under the bed, pulling something out and walking to the door. He tried to hide his smile as you found it unable to open, twisting it out of frustration and when it made a noise the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt you watching him, possibly seeing if you'd woken him.

He was ready for your warm body to come back to him but as he listened a little longer he heard the bag shuffling against your clothes again... and then thuds, from outside... Anti shot up to discover to his horror you were no longer in the room and the door wasn't kicked down, but the window was open.

This was too much, you could have gotten yourself killed, Anti thought as he glitched into some clothes and then to the power lines, following you around town at a distance. He even watched you stop somewhere and get dressed out of your pyjamas into something black and running shoes.

One of the streetlights exploded as Anti saw you open a black car door that pulled up beside you. Were you so foolish to get into a strangers car at night? Or did you know them? He backed off a little once the light exploded, watching you look up at the light with intense concentration, scanning out the rest of them before heading into the car suspiciously, he'd never seen you with such a serious look on your face before.

He easily kept up with the car, it was just annoying eh couldn't glitch into it's radio or something because if you were already suspicious he feared you'd probably notice and throw it out or not even get to wherever the hell you were going.

You eventually got to some closed office building when you left the car still with your duffle bag, you were all alone now. He watched as you picked the lock to the door, something he didn't even know you could do, and walk into the building, following you to the eighth floor as you pulled a gun out of your duffle bag and set it up and that was the last straw. No mortal would have had the time to stop Anti throwing himself on top of you, your wrists and thighs itching where he pinned you harshly down onto the floor and his eyes flared green in anger, but yours, even though they didn't change, shone back with just as much.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-" You both whisper shouted at the same time, Anti using strength he'd never used on you to keep you pinned down, legs flat and spread far apart just like your arms so you couldn't even get in a crotch shot. You tried to headbutt him since it was the only part of your body you could move but Antis forehead held your own down to the ground after your attempt, growling low but very fiercely. He was not happy.

"What are you doing here Anti?" You growled but it wasn't nearly as menacing as his, more menacing than he'd ever expected from his sweet little angel though.

"What the- what the hell are YOU doing?" He spat, not getting off you any time soon, he didn't even care if his grip bruised you at this moment, you weren't moving till he got answers. "I didn't even know you owned a gun let alone knew how to set something like this up!"

"Let me go!" You ordered sternly before your watch beeped and he watched your eyes widen. "Five minutes. Let me GO!"

Anti got off you, more out of wanting to see what you'd do next than anything but you just glared at him before running to put your gun into position next to the cracked open window.

He'd had enough as he grabbed your waist, but not like he softly did when you were drifting off after a long day together, no, he hauled you off the ground and tried to find the door as you kicked your legs out and threw your fists down in his arm enraged, but he wouldn't move.

"Anti, this is a bad guy. I HAVE TO DO THIS! It's my job!"

He paused, grumpily letting you go and watching you put your finger ready in the trigger as he heard a car coming down the street, the only one this time of night. He stepped closer and watched it through the window coming right into your line of fire.

"I'm an assassin."

Bang.

You pulled the trigger and the car swerved the driver dead and you hastily packed up your gun, backing Anti away from the window and out of the moonlight into darkness. He looked at you, with no clear facial expression and it was begging to freak you out. You pulled the bag over your shoulder before punching him on his. "Well? Say something!" You asked, nervous he'd leave you over this. Instead he just laughed, clearly shocked and swooped his arm around your shoulder pulling your close into him. "And people say I'm the violent crazy one in this relationship." He chuckled, his scruff tickling your cheek as he always did, clearly he was not so affected at having seen you killed a man. You huffed. "I'm not crazy, it just pays well." You hit his chest lazily but smiled and relaxed into his hold now he understood. "Oh. So that's your job." You laughed and let him walk you outside, he kissed your cheek and even offered to carry your bag for you. "Like I said." You looped your arms around him and pulled him into a deep kiss, one he snarled freaky in to. "They're bad guys." His hands intertwined into your hair, pulling you closer. "And it... pays well." His lips didn't give you much space to breathe let alone talk but he pulled back for just a moment to tell you. "Don't keep secrets from me anymore." Before pushing you against the alleyway wall he'd been leading you to and his teeth pulled on your lower lip.