#sorry she's creepy folks she means well i swear

[curamorte]

someone needs to break it to lou that it's not, in fact, romantic to tell someone the way you'd open them up and clean them inside out and bury them and love them forever.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 300: Days of Our Todorokis

Previously on BnHA: Hawks was all “hey Jeanist, wanna go on a road trip with me to my mom’s house?” Jeanist was all “you know it,” and so they hopped into Jeanist’s jercedes and took off. Hawks took a nap and had a flashback to his Dickensian childhood living in a abject poverty with his jerk mom and jerk dad, thinking heroes were make-believe until one day Endeavor arrested his dad and Baby Hawks was all “OH SHIT.” And then he saved a bunch of people, and the HPSC was all “what do we have here,” and blah blah blah, you know the rest. Back in the present, Hawks was all “well my life is currently in shambles, but on the plus side there’s no one bossing me around anymore so that’s pretty cool,” and then decided he was going to talk to Endeavor. Fandom was all “I can’t believe Hawks would side with his childhood hero over the man who burned his wings off and posted a video calling him a violent murderer who took after his abusive dad,” so that was fun and stuff. I can’t wait to see what piping fresh takes this new chapter will bring.

Today on BnHA: Our old friend Carbonation Carl tries to loot a Starbucks and gets his ass kicked by a senior citizen. Society is all “YEAH, WE’RE REALLY STARTING TO GET SICK OF THIS SHIT.” Old Man Samurai is all “this room won’t stop me because I can’t read it” and abruptly decides to retire, which, fun fact, is literally THE LEAST HELPFUL THING ANYONE HAS EVER DONE. Anyway so then a bunch of other punkasses follow suit, and while I won’t say that I’m actually starting to root for Stain to kill some peeps, just for the record I’m not not saying that either. Back in the hospital, Endeavor cries some tears because his life sucks, and then is confronted by his entire family, LED BY QUEEN REI, FIRST OF HER NAME, BACK IN BUSINESS AND LARGE AND IN CHARGE. Rei is all “fuck feeling sorry for yourself, we have a rogue Murder Son on the loose” and I swear to god I have never felt so alive.

so here we go! and just for the record, even though the last two chapters have been phenomenal, I don’t necessarily have any sky-high expectations for chapter 300, mostly because chapters 100 and 200 consisted of Mei Boobs, and Toadette and her horrific quirk lmao. so go ahead Horikoshi, what are you gonna pull out of your hat for this one

oh, back to this stuff again. sob

I guess there was only so much time we could spend having hospital antics and exploring Hawks’s past before we got back to dealing with the whole “the world has gone to absolute shit” issue huh, lol

omg

what’s with these bizarrely cute Noumus. why do I want to pet them

so the narrative text is going on about how people have been super paranoid about the Noumu ever since the USJ incident a year ago. so yeah, I guess the fact that there are now a bunch of them confirmed to be running around is really freaking people out even on top of everything else

wtf is happening here

what did this poor lil glass ever do to anyone. r.i.p.

OH MY FUCKING GOD

SODA SAM IS BACK ON THE LAM

tsk tsk tsk. my man has graduated from snatching purses to raiding cafes. going after that big money. this man has no business sense whatsoever lmao

OH BUT WATCH IT NOW!!

OH SNAP THE PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING BACK. WHATCHA GONNA DO NOW SAM

THIS MAN IS 172 YEARS OLD AND HE’S NOT HERE TO PLAY GAMES!!

WTF IS HE LIGHTING THIS THING ON FIRE OR SOME SHIT. GETTEM GRANDPA YEAHHHH HE’S CHARGING AT EM YEAHHHHHH

lmao so that was fun. and now we’re cutting to Wash!! omg. look at him

he’s so dedicated. too bad you don’t have a car like Best Jeanist. probably takes a while when you’re just running everywhere

you see?? you were too slow!!

NOOOO, GRANDPA. he defeated Pepsi Pete, but lost his life in the process. this is too tragic

anyway so the good news is that the cafe has been saved! but the bad news is, there really isn’t much of a cafe left. huh. I guess that’s one of the reasons why people are supposed to get a license to use their quirks like this

oh snap and now everyone is coming outside, and they’re none too happy to see poor old Wash over here

seriously Wash, get a bicycle or something. also the way this guy is gesturing so dramatically with his hand in this sort of “YOU SEE!! YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!” manner is sending me

OH MY GOD

HE SPEAKS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS. IT MEANS JEANS PUNS ARE YESTERDAY’S NEWS, FOLKS!! MAKE WAY FOR THE LAUNDRY PUNS. CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH THIS ALL... UNFOLD

“the heroes had dwindled away” okay real talk you guys, it is literally only a matter of time before they press-gang the children into picking up their slack. I still don’t know how to feel about that, but it is happening one way or the other regardless. Child Soldiers 2 Electric Boogaloo. wonder if we’ll see a rise in vigilante action as well

OHO WHAT’S THIS? THIS IS A CHAPTER OF GRANDPAS HUH

-- no fucking way

WOW. WOW. WOWWWWWW

wow. so he didn’t do a fucking thing while the rest of the top ten were being turned into red mist in the previous arc, and now that it’s all over and they need his help more than ever, he decides... THAT IT’S TIME TO RETIRE. holy shit. “fuck you” doesn’t even begin to cover it my guy. you stand there and soak up those boos you coward

ohhhhhhh shiiiiit you guys. oh shit

the “I am not here” breaks my fucking heart for real though y’all. oh man. everything he worked for is gone just like that

(ETA: okay so a couple of the takes I’ve seen on this make it seem like All Might is somehow the bad guy here?? “this is what happens when society puts a bunch of glorified cops on a pedestal”, “finally the cracks in hero society are showing”, etc. etc. so, just a friendly reminder that this isn’t happening because of too much trust and a lack of critical thinking; this is happening because the villains killed all the heroes and broke a bunch of murderers out of jail. it’s happening because an organized league of terrorists succeeded in terrorizing, and so society is now understandably awash in fear and panic. like, it’s just wild to me that AFO is RIGHT FUCKING THERE, and yet week after week fandom still has their “IT’S ALL THE HEROES’ FAULT” signs still up on their lawns. BUT WHATEVER, MOVING ON.)

also though, so exactly how much time is passing here now? I wanted to go straight back to the hospital and see what happens with Deku and the Todorokis. please don’t tell me we’re jumping ahead sob. my aaaaangst

OH SHIT

STAIN. LISTEN UP BUDDY. I KNOW WE’VE HAD OUR DIFFERENCES, AND I STILL DESPISE YOU FOR CRIPPLING TENSEI AND TRYING TO KILL MY BEST BOY TENYA. BUT AS IT HAPPENS, THERE ARE ONE OR TWO OTHER HEROES OUT THERE NOW WHO I WOULDN’T MIND YOU PAYING A VISIT I’M JUST SAYING

LOL BUT IT ACTUALLY ISN’T THIS MAN, FFFFFF

sob. yeah I was talking about Old Man Samurai actually but YEAH. HEY THERE ENJI

also is this entire hospital actually run by characters from Super Mario Bros though. first Yoshi and now this guy, come the fuck on that is not a coincidence

lmao they stuck him in another one of these cavernous creepy hospital rooms

wtf is it with Horikoshi and these giant fucking rooms lately. Kacchan’s in chapter 298, then Tomie’s colossal house furnished with like one table and a TV, and now this. and the weirdest thing about it though is that “huge space with nothing to fill it up” is like the exact opposite of what you’ll usually find in Japanese homes lol

so now Enji is just sitting there thinking things like “my head is fuzzy” and “I’m alive” lmao okay. not quite all there yet, huh. I’ll give you a minute

I’m so fucking curious as to who his first visitor is going to be omg. either way it’s going to be interesting af, and either way fandom is probably going to feel some way about it but OH WELL

okay now his thoughts are getting more coherent! and he’s remembering Touya, and feeling regret for freezing up and forcing Shouto to deal with everything instead

!!! OH HERE GOES BRACE YOURSELVES Y’ALL IT’S ABOUT TO GET SPICY

NO TOUYA PLEASE DON’T CRY HONEY NO PLEASE

ohhhhhhh man

okay, I mean I didn’t expect you to, but so instead then you’re just going to do... what? lie there and wallow in regret and self-pity for the rest of your life? son you know that’s not how we deal with our problems here in Shounen

though also, I totally do get it though. honestly, thinking on it, I probably would have been disappointed with any other response. but so this is where the rest of his family (including his adopted son) come into play now though, because like it or not they’re all in this thing together. and so friends, I am once again asking you WHO IS GOING TO BE THE ONE TO VISIT ENJI FIRST

AHHHHHHH

KRANCH!!!! OMG AND THE OTHERS ARE SO TINY NEXT TO HIM THAT I ALMOST DIDN’T SEE THEM AT FIRST. IT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE TWENTY MILES AWAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS REGULATION HOCKEY RINK OF A ROOM

holy shit I’m so excited lkjlklhlglkasdsjldfk

SDKFJLSKHLKJL

the way she has him by his collar lmaoooo. “lol nah you’re not going anywhere pal.” damn straight, siblings have to be ride or die in situations like this. banding together for survival. strength in numbers

OH MY STARS I’M JUST WARNING YOU NOW THAT I’M ABOUT TO DISSECT EVERY LAST REMAINING PANEL OF THIS CHAPTER PROBABLY YOU GUYS. WE COULD BE HERE A WHILE

love how Fuyu has absolutely no idea how to segue into THE SINGLE MOST AWKWARD CONVERSATION SHE’S EVER HAD, so she just GOES FOR IT in pure small talk mode like they’re meeting up for brunch somewhere

I KNOW IT’S A SMALL THING, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT THE FIRST THING ENJI ASKS IS WHETHER THEY’RE OKAY

lastly while I can’t wait for more of this delicious Natsu angst, I also just have to say that Enji has as much reason to cry right now as anyone on the planet. you can’t deny that being confronted by your not-dead-but-you-thought-he-was-dead son who’s all “SURPRISE DAD I GREW UP TO BE A MASS MURDERER AND I HATE YOU AND EVERYTHING IS ALL YOUR FAULT AND NOW I’M GONNA MAIM YOUR OTHER KID” with a side order of “EVERYONE HATES YOU AND SOCIETY IS CRUMBLING AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE GOOD EVER AGAIN” is enough to bum pretty much anyone out. there’s a Pagliacci the Clown joke here somewhere. BUT DOCTOR, I AM THE NUMBER ONE HERO

oh man lol he is seriously falling apart

damn. like you guys, I’m sorry, go ahead and cancel me, but I do feel compassion for the man. it’s therapeutic for me to see an abuser actually feel remorse and be truly sorry and want to change and want to make it up to his family. and it’s also compelling as fuck to read a narrative about a family that’s trying to grapple with that, because let me tell you straight up, as someone who’s done a version of that song and dance -- it is exhausting. it is a piping hot mess. it’s a gigantic mishmosh of extremely volatile emotions that all somehow all contradict one another. love, hurt, hope, anger, betrayal, resentment, attachment, longing. it’s something you can both be desperate for and also want nothing at all to do with. and attempting to portray all of that and write about it is a monumental task, and one which Horikoshi has done so, so delicately thus far, and damn but I appreciate it. anyway, so I’m here and I’m ready for my latest helping of Todoroki Fam Feels you guys

GASP

oh man. OHMANOHMANOHMAN. CAN IT REALLY BE. IS THIS THE REDEMPTION ARC OF CHAPTERS 100 AND 200???

LMAO SHE’S ALL “WE ALL FEEL BAD YOU JACKASS STOP CRYING ABOUT IT”

LAY INTO HIM REI!! SORRY ENJI YOUR PITY PARTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED IN FAVOR OF A “SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT” PARTY COURTESY OF QUEEN ELSA OVER HERE. THE PEOPLE TOOK A VOTE AND WE WANT LESS WHINING AND MORE ACTION

oh my god look at this lady folks

NOTE THE HAIR BLOWING IN THE NONEXISTENT WIND. NOW WE KNOW WHERE SHOUTO GOT THIS POWER FROM

(ETA: btw guys, seeing Rei handle this crisis like an absolute champ despite everything she’s been through is everything, though. I’m reminded of Hawks’s line last week about people sometimes unexpectedly finding liberation when they’re backed into a corner. like things may be shit but goddammit her kiddos need her.)

THE CHAPTER IS ALREADY ENDING SOB, IT’S ONLY A 17-PAGER THIS WEEK, BUT GODDAMN WHAT A WAY TO CLOSE

oh my god. oh my god oh my god. AND FUCK YOU HORIKOSHI FOR CUTTING IT OFF THERE sob. it’s like each week the wait for the next chapter becomes more painful. the Todofam is about to get real, and on top of that Hawks is gonna crash the party at some point down the line, and on top of that we’re still waiting for Kacchan to have his own heartfelt discussion about What The Fuck Are We Supposed To Do Next with his best friend who’s currently in a coma. all I want to do with my life is read about these three things, and all I can do is simply wait as they are portioned out in agonizing, addicting little installments every week

anyway! tune in next time as we answer the question of whether or not fandom will finally run its train of logic all the way through to its natural conclusion and somehow manage to cancel Noted Abuse Apologist Todoroki Fucking Rei. don’t act like it can’t happen. you all know nothing is sacred lol. anyways but I’m ready for anything lol, bring it

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

WPP - Kenny (We’re The Millers)

This has been sitting in my drafts for months and I was struggling to finish it, but, a bright light ascended from the heavens, in the form of an angel, and that angel’s name is @gladerscake

Big thanks to them for helping me out and finishing this imagine. Go follow them and give all the love and support you can muster!

~~~~~~~~~~

Being in the witness protection program was...interesting.

It definitely was not what you were expecting, but then again, you didn’t know helping out a person you cared about would get you involved in a murder, yet here you are.

You had to leave everything behind, not that you had that much of a life to begin with, but it was comfortable. Now, everything was different. New home in a new state, even a new last name. Thankfully, you got to keep your first name, you were grateful for that at least.

You were surprised to find the most annoying thing was the neighbourhood that the program placed you in. It’s like it was made for Mormons or something, your neighbours were too nice, at least the house to the right of yours. You didn’t really know who lived in the house to the left, working from home had the benefit of never going outside and the only reason you knew who lived to your right was cause those neighbours were the type of people to introduce themselves.

Yuck.

But still, you couldn’t help but be a little curious.

You did know, however, that they had only recently moved in since the one morning truck woke up before your alarm rang that morning. You were grouchy the rest of the day, thus you’ve been slightly petty towards your “new” neighbours since then. You definitely needed to work on your attitude...one day.

After being inside your house for more than a week, you decided you wanted some vitamin D, which you rarely ever did so you must’ve been seriously deprived.

You walked out of the door leading to the backyard with a book in hand, frowning when you saw how overgrown the grass was from your laziness. You told yourself you’d do it later, and by later you meant you would mow your yard when you started to hate yourself enough to the point where you felt too guilty leaving it alone.

You huffed as you sat in one of your lawn chairs that you bought when you moved in, lying to yourself that you were going to spend more time outside when you knew you wouldn’t. A first for everything, you supposed.

A few chapters in, you heard a door open and shut in your neighbour’s backyard, but you thought nothing of it, almost too entranced in your book.

You smiled to yourself when you started to hear 1990s R&B playing softly, not your cup of tea but you enjoyed it occasionally. Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls had just started playing when you heard the neighbour’s back door slammed. “Dude, turn that shit off! You’ve been playing that song constantly and I’m actually getting sick of it. God.” You heard an angsty female voice.

Oh no...you lived next a family.

“Hey!”

You flinched, noticing a blonde girl was talking you. “Uh, hey?” You slowly closed your book, reluctantly walking over to the fence separating the backyards when the girl motioned you over.

“Haven’t seen you around before, just move in?” She asked, smirking slightly, looking you up and down.

You mocked her smirk, not liking the almost condescending look she was giving you. “No, been here for awhile. That’s how I know you’ve only just moved in a few weeks ago.”

The girl’s smirk only grew. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N. Yours?”

“Casey, and that loser is Kenny.” She pointed to the table behind her, seeing a blonde boy sitting somewhat dejectedly in one of the chairs fiddling with a small CD player. “Hey, TLC, get over here!” The boy looked to Casey with a panicked expression, visibly looking like he wasn’t sure if the girl meant it or not. She rolled her eyes, “Come on, dude!”

The boy nodded, frantically walking away to join Casey at the fence. “Hey.” He stuttered, blushing when he noticed your eyes on him.

Casey rolled her eyes yet again. “Yeah, this is Kenny.”

Kenny waved quite adorably, giving you a tight lipped smile. “Did you just move in?”

“No, I-”

“We’ve already had this talk, she’s been here longer than we have.” Casey interrupted, making your blood boil a little bit, her attitude almost worse than yours.

Kenny frowned slightly, but covered it up with a smile. “Oh.”

“Yep. We’ve already become besties.” You said sarcastically, grinning widely, making Kenny genuinely smile a little.

“Kids!” A middle aged man with a stupid haircut, to you anyway, walked over with hesitant look on his face. “Who’s this?”

“Y/N, your neighbour that’s lived here longer than you have. Saved you the trouble of telling him yourself, Casey.” You sneered.

“Oh. Well, I’m David and we’re the Millers! My wife, Sarah, is at the market right now, but I’m sure she’d be glad to meet you sometime.” He smiled widely, making you uncomfortable.

“Uh, dad, chill out. You’re gonna scare away the only girl I find suitable to be friends with in this shit neighbourhood.” Casey whispered harshly.

You didn’t really want to be friends with Casey, you never really got along with girls. Clearly, reading outside was a bad choice...

“Ha ha, if you sass me one more time today, you will be grounded young lady.” David forced another smile.

“Uh, Dad...”

“Shut up, Kenny.”

You quickly realized where the Kenny kid was in the family food chain. It was a shame, the dude was pretty easy on the eyes and seemed nice from what you’ve seen. “Look, I’m just gonna go. Nice meeting you fine folks...” You waved awkwardly, turning around and practically speed walking inside your house.

Well, that was fun...never going outside ever again.

The overall encounter put you in a sour mood, so when the doorbell rang you prayed to god that it wasn’t the yearly check in with law enforcement cause you’d probably get yourself in trouble with that attitude of yours.

You were mildly shocked to see that awkward Kenny guy outside your door, his eyes trained on his feet before you opened the door. “Kenny Miller, right?”

“Uh...yeah, Miller. Uh, I just want to apologize for my, uh, family’s behavior. They don’t have the best of manners, but they’re good people, I swear!” He ranted at such a quick pace that it almost flew right over your head. “So, yeah, sorry.”

You chuckled at his nervousness. “You don’t have to be sorry, especially on the behalf of your family. They don’t seem like the type to appreciate it anyway.”

His eyes widened, holding up his hands and shaking his head. “No, no, no, it’s not like that! They, uh, appreciate me.” You kept your mouth shut, giving him a sympathetic look with a soft smile. He sighed. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

“To me, it is. I’ve been in that situation before, so it’s not that hard to notice.”

“Oh...well, they can be nice sometimes I guess.”

“I hope so. Well, it was nice to meet you, Kenny.” You stuck your hand out, smiling when he hesitated but shook your outstretched hand gently.

A week later, you and Kenny actually became friends despite the two of you being almost complete opposites. He was able to poke through your cynical exterior, which was extremely rare for someone to do. He made you laugh, smile, and actually enjoy life when you were with him. You didn’t like it at first, but his adorkable personality won you over.

Kenny was more than overjoyed, he finally had a friend, not one out of pity anyway. The first time you two had hung out, he came “home” with a huge grin on his face. Of course, Casey had to tease him about it all the time.

“I still don’t understand how she can be friends with that loser and not me!” Casey ranted. “It doesn’t make sense!”

“Casey, stop calling Kenny a loser, please.” Sarah sighed, tapping away on her keyboard.

As soon as Sarah said that, Kenny walked through the door with another grin on his face. “Hey, Ma!”

“You don’t have to call me that here, hon.” Sarah voiced, shutting her laptop and walking out of the kitchen, but she smiled to herself.

“Pop your cherry yet?” Casey smirked evilly.

Kenny immediately blushed. “I told you, we’re just friends...”

She rolled her eyes. “You obviously want to be more than just friends with her. You should just ask her out and get it over with.”

“But...Melissa...”

Casey huffed loudly. “Dude, I already told you, she’s probably moved on by now. She was a total babe, she can and probably has done way better than you.”

“Hey...” Kenny frowned, to which Casey just shrugged, her eyes training back to her phone. He sighed as he sat down across from his “sister.” “I do like her...but I don’t know how to bring it up. I’m awful at talking to girls about...that kind of stuff.”

Casey snorted. “Yeah, no kidding.” But she dropped her amused smirk when she saw Kenny glaring. “Sorry, sorry.” She sassed. “I mean, it did work out with the ginger to be fair, but we have to stay in this shithole until further notice. But I really do think you should shoot your shot with what’s her name.”

Kenny rolled his eyes. “Y/N.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just-”

“That girl is bad news.” David suddenly voiced, walking into the kitchen.

“What do you mean by that?” Casey asked.

“Uh, hello? Pay attention to your surroundings instead of that stupid phone of yours to see that we are in witness protection. We can’t trust any of these creepy neighbours.”

“Uh, I think you’re a tad bit paranoid, father dearest.”

“Y/N’s really cool though!” Kenny expressed.

David rolled his eyes. “But we don’t really know her, we don’t know if she’s a snitch or something.”

Casey laughed. “Wow, you really are paranoid, dude.”

“Ha ha, very funny, just go to your room and listen to your Metallicas and AC/DCs.”

Casey’s face contorted into a disgusted scowl. “I don’t listen to that garbage.”

“Shut up.” David simply replied, making Casey stand up and storm out of the room and up the stairs. “Look, Ken, I get you like this girl, but you need to be careful. Don’t say things you shouldn’t and all that. You have a tendency to not know when to shut your mouth. So, don’t do that, kay?”

Kenny nodded curtly, avoiding David’s eyes as he felt his face heat up in slight anger. He knew he had some...issues with keeping his mouth shut about things that should be kept a secret, but he grew up, right? He’s not as naïve as he was before they went to Mexico, but his “family” still treated him like he was five. Plus, he knew you weren’t the type to be a snitch.

While Kenny was dealing with feeling underappreciated, you were having your own set of issues to handle. Today was the day for a check up with law enforcement to make sure you were on your best behavior. You always were, but it still made you anxious to no end. And you prayed that Kenny wouldn’t rush in to your house like he got into the habit of doing when you were interrogated.

Of course, that didn’t happen. 

“For fuck’s sake...” You muttered under your breath when you saw Kenny’s shocked and scared face when he saw you sitting with a couple local police officers.

On your end, it just looked like he was scared of police officers. But Kenny’s mind immediately went haywire, thinking that you called them over to investigate them even though the police were already informed of “the Millers” situation. 

“Kenny, now’s not a good time.” You sighed.

“No, no, it’s okay.” The police officer in front of you said. “We’re done here anyway.” He walked out of your house with his partner, leaving you and Kenny in an awkward silence.

“What was that all about?” Kenny asked, not being able to control the bitter tone in his voice. “Did you think we’re that bad or something?”

“Kenny, I-”

“We’ve been doing really well here!” Kenny interrupted. “No problems with anybody, been on our best behavior.”

“Kenny.”

“I don’t wanna go to jail. I can’t go to jail. We’ve only been here for a couple months.”

“Kenny, stop!” You finally yelled, losing your temper. “They were here to check up on me, for fuck’s sake.”

Kenny’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but still had a slight expression of panic. “Here for you? B-But-”

“I’m in witness protection, you dweeb, same as you.”

“Oh...Wait, how did you know I’m in witness protection?”

“Your family,” You finger quoted, “looks nothing like you. All of you don’t look anything alike. How paranoid and secretive that David is, it wasn’t too hard to put things together. You rambling off like an absolute moron a minute ago just reaffirmed my theory.”

Kenny frowned. “Dang, I thought I had worked on that.”

You smiled slightly. “It’s alright, Ken. I’m no snitch, and I’m not very judgmental about someone’s past. What did you even do though? You’re definitely not the type to break the law.” You chuckled.

“Oh, well, we kinda smuggled some drugs across the Mexican border.” He stuttered.

“Holy shit, dude! That’s sick! What was it? Was it coke?” You grinned, eager to learn.

Kenny blinked at your excitement, but obliged to all your questions, sitting down next to you. “No, it was marijuana.”

Your face slightly dropped in excitement. “Oh. I really think weed should be legal. It’s stupid, it’s not even a hard drug.”

“Well, we’re lucky we even made it out alive. But what did you go through to get yourself here?”

Now, you definitely didn’t judge past crimes of others, if they’ve atoned for it and changed that is, but you had no idea if Kenny would judge you. You actually found yourself not wanting him to look at you in a different light, and you’ve never felt that way before. 

Kenny seemed perfectly sweet, almost too sweet to judge anyone, but on the other hand...the stuff that had landed you in the program was definitely heavier than some weed smuggling. 

Maybe it would be too much for him. Maybe it would be best to just make something up, something less horrible, something he wouldn’t be too shocked by.  As tempting as that route felt, the idea of lying to him weirdly didn’t sit well with you, though. 

Kenny was quick to notice the lengthy pause that followed his question, as well as the way your shoulders tensed and your eyes averted to the parquet floor. Oh no. Had he pried into something too personal? Was he an idiot for asking?

“Oh, um...you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!” Kenny hurried to assure you, slight panic beginning to etch his bluish-green eyes, his fists clenching and unclenching involuntarily. “I was just curious, is all! I’m sorry if it’s too persona-“ 

“It’s okay!” To his surprise, you pulled on a tight-lipped smile, giving him a look as nonchalant as you could manage at the moment. “Really, you don’t have to apologize for asking. Plus, you already told me about your thing, so...” You trailed off, softly, wondering how to proceed. 

As much as you resented the thought of Kenny seeing you differently, you decided even that unpleasant outcome would still be better than lying to him. You’d rather not. You liked Kenny. Despite not having spent a tremendous amount of time together, you could tell he was a genuinely good person, and you definitely enjoyed his company. Not to mention, it would be a blatant lie if you said you weren’t at all attracted to him. 

Casey may have spent most of their interactions calling him a “loser” in some form or another, but you couldn’t be farther away from agreeing with her. A part of you was positively annoyed with the way she treated him. Then again, taste is subjective. It wasn’t Casey’s fault if she didn’t have a good sense of it. 

With a deep intake of air, you nervously flipped a loose strand of hair over your shoulder, still avoiding direct eye-contact with Kenny. “I, uh...It’s a rough one, really. And kind of a long story. I wouldn’t wanna dump something like that on you, if you’d rather not hear it” 

He tentatively pursed his plump lips, but nonetheless nodded for you to keep going. “I’m sure I can handle it! Whatever it is, I’m not gonna judge you, Y/N. I promise!” 

Promise, huh? Guess you were going to have to see about that. 

Trying to ignore the rapidly increasing pace of your heart and slight tremble in your fingers, you began your story. 

You didn’t want to go into too much detail, for the fear of oversharing, but you did tell him as much as you felt you could. About how you used to have a friend...a pretty close friend, who you cared about a great deal, who had always been kind and generous, alas, a bit of a troublemaker.

About how she had fallen in with the wrong crowd, something you admittedly failed to see coming. How that crowd turned out to be a notoriously vicious gang that had it out for some other poor girl, who had apparently slept with one of the gang leaders’ boyfriend without realizing it. 

How that gang, your friend included, lured her onto a rooftop to “fuck with her” and “teach her a lesson.” Only that night, they went too far and ended up pushing her off. The girl died instantly, and due to the heaping pile of evidence, it wasn’t a particularly long investigation. Almost everyone involved were arrested shortly after, and you, having been brought in as one of the witnesses, had a choice whether you wanted to testify against your friend or not. 

At first you weren’t sure if you wanted to do that and make matters worse for her. However, after some much-needed reflection and consideration, you decided it would be the right thing to do. Someone had died, and your friend played a part in it. You couldn’t turn a blind eye to something that big simply because you two were close. 

Your friend was put away, along with several other gang members. Still, quite a few of them were still out there, and they definitely seemed like the type to hold serious grudges. You were no longer safe at your former home, and now...well, there you where. 

Kenny listened intently all the while, not once daring to interrupt, not even to ask a question. By the way your breathing had hitched and your lips had stuttered at certain parts, he could tell how hard that must’ve been for you to go through in the first place, and how unsettling it was for you to revisit those moments in order to share your story with him. 

You didn’t notice, but as you were nearing the end, Kenny had inched to sit closer to you, his large hand carefully landing on your shoulder with a soft but warm-hearted squeeze. He had briefly hesitated in making that move, but the need to offer you comfort and reassurance overpowered his nervousness. His only hope was that you wouldn’t flinch at his touch, and so he felt a huge wave of relief wash over him when you did no such thing. 

“So...that’s about it. Sorry, I know it’s a fucking bummer story, compared to your weed smuggling adventure.” You attempted a chuckle, only it came out as more of a sad scoff. 

Your heart was still pounding and you were still reluctant to look up at him. Although, as you finally noticed Kenny’s warm hand gently squeezing your shoulder, you felt a soothing brush of comfort spread through your limbs, and you couldn’t deny how nice it felt. 

“Whoa...that’s...I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Kenny frowned, unsure of what the right thing to say could be. 

“It’s okay, really. I’ve had some time to process it and move on. Well...not completely, but I’d say I’m doing much better now.” 

Kenny went silent for a minute, clearly still digesting the information, and the worries you had about him looking at you differently came back in full force. You opened your mouth to ask him about it, but he beat you by a millisecond, speaking first. “Why...why were you so nervous about telling me?” 

So he had noticed. Figures. The art of the poker face wasn’t something you’d ever truly mastered. It sometimes annoyed you how easy your anxious state was to spot, but there wasn’t much you could do about that. 

“I don’t know, I...I guess I didn’t want you to see me as a snitch or judge me-“

“Judge you?” Kenny interrupted, sounding confused about the mere insinuation. “For what, not sticking up for your friend when she had got herself involved in a murder?” 

“I mean, she was still my friend, so...” 

“So what? That doesn’t change the fact that she got in the middle of something so horrible, that could’ve been avoided, if she had paid more attention to who she hung around.” 

You couldn’t say you had expected that. It was almost weird hearing Kenny talk that way, but you were definitely relieved to hear where he so firmly stood in regards to the whole “judging you” idea. 

You bit your bottom lip in agitation as a thought you had been wrestling with for a while creeped its way into your mind again. “Sometimes I feel like maybe I could’ve done something...could’ve checked up on her more or somehow stopped her from hanging out with them...maybe I could’ve kept her from having anything to do with it.” Your voice grew quieter, sounding barely above a whisper as guilt flashed through your eyes, your muscles tensing, uneasily, at the thought. Kenny was immediately closer, his arm wrapping around you, as if trying to shelter you from your own thoughts. 

“Come on, don’t do that to yourself, Y/N. You can’t control the actions of others, not even your friends. Least of all your friends, probably.” 

You allowed a small smile to touch the corner of your lips as you instinctively leaned into Kenny, his closeness calming you, his soft reassurances shushing the self-deprecating thoughts he could sense looming over you. 

“Yeah, you’re right, I guess. I just try not to think about it often, it really sucks diving into that stuff.” 

“Of course it sucks. I just hope you know that none of it was even a little bit your fault. From what I can tell after spending some time with you...you’re a really good person, Y/N.” 

You looked up at him, noting the way your faces were only a few inches apart by that point. The close proximity brought a rosy tinge to your cheeks. “You think so?” 

“I do! Why wouldn’t I? You’re smart, you’re funny when you want to be, you’re great to be around, and heck, you’re one of the very few people I know who doesn’t make me feel like I’m constantly doing something wrong.” 

Hearing that made you simultaneously happy and sad. With the way Kenny’s “family” treated him almost around the clock, it was no wonder he felt that way. You wished he didn’t have to. You believed someone as wonderful as him deserved so much better. If only he had at least one person close to him who would tell him how much better he was than most guys out there, how anyone should be lucky to call him a friend... or maybe more than just a friend. 

In that moment, you found yourself thinking what it would be like if you were that person. You imagined it would feel the same way it always did when you were around Kenny, only better. In all honesty, you couldn’t find a single reason not to try. What harm was there in trying? Oh, that’s right...something could go badly wrong, and then whatever friendship you had with him would be in shambles.

That’s what the pessimistic side of you thought about it. But the other side, the more hopeful and affectionate side, had other ideas. 

Even though you and Kenny were brought into the witness protection program by very different circumstances, you were still in it together. You didn’t have to hide your true identities or your past, at least not from each other. That had to count for something, right? 

While you were taking a second to collect your thoughts, Kenny was facing some inner turmoil of his own. With the newfound closeness of the two of you, his cheeks were positively crimson, his pulse quickening, heart thumping against his rib cage. Any doubts he’d had about whether or not he wanted to ask you out had vanished - he absolutely wanted to do that. But how? When? Would now be a good time? He wasn’t sure. Yet, he was very aware of the fact that if he were to lean in just a little bit closer, he could just kiss you right then and there... 

Kenny briefly remembered David’s “count to three” method, but for some reason it didn’t feel right to use. Not with you, not like that. All he wanted was to just go with the feeling, and that feeling was beckoning him to your lips. 

Oh, screw it. If you were to push him away, so be it. He would probably die a little inside and never attempt to do anything like that ever again, but at least he would know your immediate answer. 

“Kenny...?” 

Your soft questioning voice reached his ears as his gaze trailed over your delicate face, taking in every feature, and with a soft but resolute breath, he leaned in. 

Your eyes went wide when Kenny’s lips landed on yours. You froze for a second, not knowing what to do. Luckily, your instantly skipping heart gave you the hint you needed to flutter your eyes closed and melt into it. 

He kissed you so gently, so carefully, but not like he was afraid of scaring you away. More like he wanted you feel completely safe and give you every chance to stop it the second you wanted to. 

You didn’t. 

Instead, you wrapped an arm around his neck, your fingertips brushing the ends of his short sandy hair, your lips moving seamlessly and warmly against his own.

Kenny couldn’t believe you were actually kissing him back, but damn, he was thrilled that you were. He felt the affection in him surge as the softness of your lips put his mind in a haze. His hand timidly slid down to your waist, bringing you closer to him, and you willingly went, deepening the kiss as you did. 

After a few blissful moments you finally broke away from his lips, your noses nearly brushing each other as you looked up at him through glimmering eyes. “I was almost convinced I would have to do that myself...” 

Kenny breathed a soft chuckle, not taking his gaze off of yours. “To be honest, so was I...” 

You grinned at his burning cheeks, releasing a light chuckle of your own before reconnecting your lips for another kiss, swallowing the muted grunt that rumbled from Kenny’s throat. 

Things were going to get better now. For both of you, you were sure of it. Kenny was finally going to have someone who would show him what it’s like to be truly wanted and appreciated, and you were going to have someone who wouldn’t dream of hurting you and who you knew would always do his best to understand you, give you everything he could give. 

Maybe this whole witness protection program thing wouldn’t be such a tedious affair, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks again for helping me @gladerscake​ , you’re the sweetest ❤

[thedistantdusk]

Arcadia, Chapter 1

My submission for the 2021 Hinny birthday challenge for the HG discord! Thanks to Liza for organizing, to @accio-broom for the Brit-pick, to @secretkeeper13 for the beta, and to anyone else who helped (I'm probably forgetting a few folks, apologies).

The challenge theme this year was content based on TV! This is an (extremely loose) X-Files AU, but you absolutely don’t need to be familiar with X-Files to understand this :D

TW (spoilers): swearing, references to (severe) mental health concerns, (eventual) consensual relations

___________________________________________________________

D A Y  + O N E

The woman probably finds herself charming as she stands in their driveway, her hands clasped in frozen excitement.

But Ginny just finds her creepy.

Really fucking creepy.

Harry drops hired car into first gear as they pull in. This woman— the head of the village council, Ginny reckons, the one she spoke to on the phone— wears perfectly-pleated Chino pants with a lavender jumper draped across her shoulders.

Her attire is standard for a posh village… especially a new-build village, one with a covenant and loads of stupid rules. It’s the woman’s eerie, opened-mouthed grin that shoots a chill up Ginny’s spine.

Her stark white teeth glint in the sun, but her smile doesn’t move an inch… and the longer Ginny stares, the more unsettled she grows. The only thing larger than her grin is the mane of yellow hair that surrounds her face like an ersatz halo.

Harry clears his throat as he turns off the car; Ginny realizes this is the first sound either of them has made since leaving London.

Awkward.

She reaches for her door handle, but the random woman gets to it first.

“You must be Jenny and Henry!” she shrieks, yanking on Ginny’s shoulders before she’s even unbuckled. “Oh, sorry! Love, do let me get the strap!”

Ginny’s on her feet and pressed to the stranger’s perfumed bosom before she has a chance to tell her she can manage just fine herself, thanks.

“Lovely to meet you in person!” the woman cries, nearly shaking with enthusiasm. It’s not until Ginny’s returned a weak squeeze that the vice-like grip around her middle weakens.

Rubbing her aching shoulder, she sneaks a glimpse at Harry; while she fought for air, he apparently climbed out of the car, only to stare at the two of them like a deer in the headlights. Now his elbow’s at an awkward angle, his hand behind his back, which could only mean one thing: he’s reaching for the wand in his back pocket.

Shit.

Ginny shakes her head and hopes her eyes convey what her lips can’t: She’s just a standard Muggle weirdo. Relax.

“I’m Jane. Jane Connors. In the flesh!” The woman (whose voice Ginny now finds painfully familiar) throws her hands in the air and twirls on the spot. “I take it you’re Jenny and Henry Petri!”

Harry interrupts with a booming chuckle before Ginny says a word; in three quick steps, he’s wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “That’s Pee-tri, actually. Like the dish,” Harry— Henry— adds with a wink. “And speaking of dish…” His eyes travel over Ginny, his voice going all deep and silky.

She bites back a shudder, hating the way her stomach drops as his fingers graze her arm. All that keeps her grounded is knowing the truth: Harry’s good at his job, nothing more. The only reason he’s suddenly become a skilled actor is that his career demands it.

Hers does too, she reminds herself firmly. And if she has any intention of successfully completing her first solo mission, she needs to get her shit together. Now.

Ginny blinks up at Harry, appropriately sobered; his eyes glimmer with mirth. As suspected, he’s only doing his job. Touch is just part of the assignment description. He has no way of knowing what it does to her— because really, truly, it shouldn’t.

And maybe if she keeps telling herself that, it’ll eventually come true.

Harry winks at Jane, tugging Ginny against his side. “My new wife and I had a long journey from the city! We were hoping to get some alone-time before tucking in, I’m sure you understand.”

Jane looks puzzled. “You— but it’s 5:43!” An uncomfortable giggle burbles from her lips. “You must be moved in by 6. Surely you’ve read the covenant rules?”

“Erm… may have missed that one,” Ginny lies. “There’s quite a few, see. We’re used to—”

But Jane shoves her fingers into her mouth, cutting her off with an ear-piercing whistle. Just as quickly, another chill races up Ginny’s spine. People up and down the street emerge from their semi-detached homes and race towards them, their faces in downcast unison.

They’ve all been watching. Waiting for the signal. Ready.

Ginny’s not sure how long ago the Department of Mysteries delivered the moving van and left it on the street, but the horde of random people aren’t fussed with the details, either. Within five seconds of Jane’s whistle, the strangers throw open the back door and begin an unloading process that reeks of military precision.

“Here’s the house key!” trills Jane, pulling it from her pocket. “Oh, and Petris!” She turns to Harry and Ginny, wagging her finger. “I’ll also need a copy of your car key, ASAP. We’re firm believers in the buddy system here in Arcadia.” She returns her attention to the stone-faced neighbors, who are now scurrying to the door. “This way, friends— right this way!”

“I— that’s really unnecessary,” Ginny says, bewildered, as people rush inside their new house, boxes in arms. “We’re perfectly able to—”

“Nonsense!” cries a man with grey sideburns as he takes a box from the back. “We’re neighborly here. You’d better get used to it.”

“Yes!” chimes another voice. A chubby man wearing a Polo and a golden necklace emerges from behind the lorry, hurrying up the walk. “We’re like a family here. We all— oh no!” He lets out a startled cry as a box labeled FINE CHINA topples from his arms and lands on the pavement with a thump.

He rushes towards it, face falling, but Ginny’s main concern is the box’s silent descent; she runs over, making a mental note to have a word with the designer of these props. Would something noisy and fragile have killed them? For fuck’s sake...

“Sorry,” the man says with a pained wince. “I’m just so clumsy. I-I promise, I’ll—”

“It’s fine,” Ginny soothes, dropping to her knees. “Don’t worry, really. We aren’t too big on dishes.”

Maybe if she keeps him talking, he won’t realize it’s bloody empty. Seriously, this is amateur shit. Luckily, he’s too distracted to notice.

The man offers a sheepish smile. “I’m Mike. Mike Snodgrass. You may have seen Mike and Jess in the resident guide, but erm…” He trails off, sadness in his voice.

Ginny cocks her head to feign confusion, but of course she’s familiar with Jess Snodgrass, 25, reported missing last November. Her photo’s been on Ginny’s desk for almost as long. Even now, Jess appears in Ginny’s mind with such startling clarity that she can almost see her beside Mike... all 5 feet of her, with curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and a lopsided grin.

Jess Snodgrass… Arcadia’s third missing person. The first to disrupt the couples-only disappearance pattern.

Mike shrugs. “But erm… it’s just me now,” he repeats. “I’m a primary teacher at Saint Julian’s, just up the road.” He nods to his left. “So if you’ve got any homework or school questions, give me a ring!” He pastes on a smile that doesn’t match his eyes; it’s an expression with which Ginny’s well-acquainted.

“I’ll have to remember that, Mike Snodgrass,” Ginny says, shaking his hand.

She immediately regrets it.

Seeing Mike Snodgrass on paper is one thing, but touch makes him human. His hand feels big and warm, his smile earnest and sweet; he reminds her so strongly of Neville that her stomach aches. Ginny breathes through her nose and focuses on the way his necklace — a medallion of Saint Julian, appropriately enough — sparkles in the sun.

“Like I said, I’m all alone,” Mike repeats, offering his hand to help her up. “If you ever need anything, Jenny, don’t hesitate to ask!”

Ginny taps her chin. “Actually, I do have a question! I reckon it’s just a rumor, though. You don’t have to confirm or deny.” She winks at him and leans in as a woman in a fleece jumper rushes past.

Mike’s smile widens, his face brightening… and ah fuck, that one hurts, because she’s about to break his heart.

“Mike…” Ginny murmurs, studying his expression. The more she says his name, the less he reminds her of Neville; she wants to keep it that way. “With everyone being so bloody hospitable here, how come there are so many disappearances?”

Mike stops bobbing. His smile vanishes as quickly as the former occupants of Jenny and Henry’s new home. When Ginny looks back into his eyes, her gut plummets with a sensation of wretched familiarity.

Because she expected sadness on his face… the same type she saw when he mentioned Jess’ name. Sadness she can deal with; sadness is painful, but she sees it all the time.

She sees something worse, though.

Fear.

And not day-to-day fear. This isn’t like hating needles or avoiding clown movies. Mike’s face is filled with the sort of wide-eyed, gripping, primal terror that seizes your insides in a vice. This is how you’d feel if your entire family were held captive in a dungeon, and a single word to the wrong person would spell their deaths.

Or how you’d feel if your ex-boyfriend were the corrupt government’s most desired fugitive… and you still fancied him very much, indeed.

“I… n-no idea,” Mike finally stutters, blinking. Then he sucks in a deep breath through his nose, his expression brightening again.

“So what do you and Henry do for work?” he asks in a booming voice, his grin now unnaturally wide. “We’ve got a carpool to the city if you’re interested. Reducing our carbon footprint is of utmost importance here in Arcadia!” He finishes by spreading his hands in each direction before placing them on his hips, that shit-eating grin still plastered across his face.

In another life, Ginny might’ve laughed. There certainly would have been a lot to cackle over, if she had the luxury of easy laughter. After all, she may as well be living in an am-dram nativity performance, complete with an overeager Joseph beckoning her to the stables after her harrowing desert journey.

Now, though, his reply only fills her with sad, professional detachment. Because fucking hell, how much did this poor man rehearse to get that line right?

She takes pity on him and snaps the bait. “My husband and I work from home,” she says, matching his volume. Someone’s clearly listening; it’s the least she can do. “You won’t see us out much.” Ginny brings the box to her hip. “And seriously, don’t worry about replacing the dishes, either. We mostly do takeaway.”

“No, let me bring you new ones,” Mike insists, his eyes pleading. “Tomorrow? Would that be—”

“What is this?” a voice demands from the back of the truck. Ginny peers around Mike’s shoulder. The man with the gray sideburns stares inside the lorry with a look of disgust.

“A trampoline!” Harry says, stepping aside as another neighbor races past. “We’re thrilled to put it in the garden, aren’t we, Jenny Cakes?”

Jenny Cakes. Is he fucking serious? Two can play at this game, prat.

“Indeed we are, Hen,” she croons, leaning into his side. “Jen and Hen.” She heaves a dreamy sigh and stares into his eyes. “We even rhyme!”

“Rhyming or not, this isn’t allowed,” the man barks, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’d have to apply for a special exemption with Mr Gogolak, but in the meantime…” He checks his watch. “5:53. Seven minutes. It’ll have to go in the garage tonight. I’m Oliver, by the way— Oliver Skinner.”

Harry gives him a theatrical scowl. “I’d say nice to meet you, but those who are enemies of trampolines are generally enemies of mine.”

Ginny bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, but Oliver remains unamused. He raises his pointer finger as if to say something, but Harry gets there first.

“Onnnnly kidding!” Harry winks and claps his shoulder. “Hope we can be fast friends, Oliver.”

Oliver just glares back. “Count on it.”

_______________________________________________________

Ginny’s taking this whole thing very seriously. Not that Harry blames her.

Her voice echoes against the walls of the empty home as she paces around the sitting room, her camera flipped outward to record.

Despite his five-year Auror career, Harry has no real concept of what Unspeakables do. Which, he supposes, is by design. He knows they… know things. Secret things. Things you’d be happier not knowing. He also knows that Kingsley isn’t fond of them. Or perhaps it’s Attica Monkstanley, Ginny’s boss, who King dislikes in particular. Attica’s famous for her refusal to disclose anything — ever. This ranges from potential terrorist plots to her favorite type of sandwich. Thus, Attica isn’t particularly popular. After a career built on helping absolutely no one outside her department, the request for Auror backup on an undisclosed, top-secret endeavor went over about as well as a hippogriff stampede in a posh tea room.

Harry sighs at the blank walls of their would-be living room. King’s in charge now. Big in charge. He or Robards were the obvious choices to accompany Ginny — sorry, Unspeakable GW — on this mission, but when you’re Big In Charge, you call the shots. The shot King called was to pass the assignment to Robards, who in turn passed it to Harry; Robards decided he didn’t need to (direct quote) “take off a week from pre-existing assignments for some fake marriage, new-build village bullshit in the arse-end of Muggle nowhere.”

Admittedly, Harry’s in a bit of a lull at the moment. He’d been assigned to track and recover Yaxley, but that trail went cold on the border of Romania. Harry’s certain he’s just beyond their reach, maybe hiding in a cave, but seeing as how Harry’s not Big In Charge, his opinion doesn’t exactly matter.

Which is precisely how he’s found himself in this bland house in the village of Arcadia, pretending to be married to his ex-girlfriend… who, incidentally, he’s still hopelessly infatuated with, even five years after he ended things.

Because Harry Potter is nothing if not pathetic.

There’d been no realistic way to decline the assignment, though. Not that he’d tried. Seriously, imagine explaining that to your boss: “Mm yeah, sorry King, I can’t do my job because I still wank to the memory of Unspeakable GW riding my—”

Ginny’s narration jerks him from his thoughts. “It’s 6:15 PM on our first day of the assignment,” she dictates into her phone. “Auror Potter and I are secured in the home, posing as Muggle couple Jenny and Henry Petri.”

“Pee-tri!” Harry corrects, throwing his voice across the room.

He hopes he’s loud enough for the camera to detect, but he isn’t exactly brave enough to find out. Harry picks up their empty curry boxes and scampers into the kitchen without so much as a backward glimpse. He may have been forced into this assignment, but he’ll be damned if he can't have a bit of fun.

Her narration stops as he dips out of sight; if Harry were the gambling sort, he’d bet all the gold in Gringotts that she shot him a two-fingered salute away from the camera.

For some fucked up reason, the thought stirs something warm and exciting that lies dormant in his stomach. What’s worse is this feeling almost makes him smile.

No.

Harry draws a breath as he enters the kitchen.

As Kingsley’s told him several times, this arrangement is strictly business— regardless of his past with her. And in retrospect, yeah, the whole setup is an easy way for King to A) refuse responsibility himself, and B) put Monkstanley in a tough spot if it goes pear-shaped.

Harry pops open the rubbish bin. This is just the sort of liability King’s always looking to avoid, really, but— wait. He blinks down into the bin to make sure he’s not just seeing things, but nope… for some reason, the interior is divided into three sections, each in a different color.

Huh! Harry mulls this over before picking the blue bin at random and tossing the containers in. Maybe he’d know what each color meant if he bothered to read the covenant rules. Fortunately, he had much more exciting plans that particular evening involving Ron, loads of butterbeer, and a Canons/Falcons match from hell.

Whatever. Surely Arcadia would make an effort to clearly explain their recycling system if they really cared about the planet.

He returns to the living room just as Ginny’s providing a more in-depth introduction. “Right. I’m Unspeakable GW, badge number”— her voice becomes garbled gibberish, an extra level of concealment, before slipping back to normal speech— “and we’re here to investigate the series of unexplained Muggle disappearances in the village of Arcadia. As this may involve a potential escapee from the Thought Chamber, the Department thought it best for me to investigate. The Thought Chamber’s been my area of expertise for four years…”

Harry sinks into the sofa as she continues; he’s unsure if he should be sad or impressed that this is teaching him more about her job than she ever shared. Not that she did this for long while they were actually together, mind. Nonetheless, his chest flutters again with that stupid bittersweet pride as Ginny scans the room with the phone camera. All of this pageantry is necessary for her job, he knows. Careful documentation. Detailed recordings.

But for fuck’s sake, look at how much she’s done! She’s the youngest Junior Unspeakable in history, soon to become Senior, if this mission works out. She’s composed, she’s eloquent, she’s graceful. Another smile threatens to break through before Harry suppresses it; he just hopes that there’s someone in her life to remind her of how special she is.

She’s really dressed for the part, too. Harry’s certain that none of this is actually in her wardrobe. Seeing her out of jeans and a jumper is off-putting, but she’s done it so damn well. She once told him that most of her clothing choices were based on how easily she could wear them flying.

He swallows the sadness creeping up his throat. He doesn’t even know if she still flies, but she doesn’t in this outfit, that’s for damn sure. Her trainers are impeccably white, with a floral button-up blouse done up to her neck. She’s a bit like a young, beautiful Aunt Petunia; Harry reckons this is more or less the goal, but when she turns around to describe the stairwell, his eyes drop to her arse.

Shit.

He glances away as quickly, but he got a good look. Her casual trousers are rolled at the ankles, but they’ve done nothing to make her look… plain. Harry shuffles on the sofa, desperate for anything else to think about. Somehow, Aunt Petunia’s face still puckers in his mind’s eye, but now he can’t escape the mental image of her bent over the oven of 4 Privet Drive, only this time sporting a round, perfect—

“Potter’s here for backup,” Ginny says, returning to the sitting room. “I’m on primary investigation.”

Thank God; he sighs at the welcome distraction before remembering that bantering with her has always been an effective palate cleanser. So he does that, instead.

“Well, you know what they say,” Harry calls, leaning back against the cushions. “There’s nothing less interesting than the suburbs. Which is why I could never do your job, Jen.” He ends with a wink, resting his hands behind his head.

Ginny arches a brow, holding the camera in front of her. “And please take note, Attica, that the next time this happens, I’ll be the one to choose the names.”

She means it casually… he knows she means it casually. But something in her words pricks him. Irritates him. Wedges beneath his skin.

“Quite an assumption I’ll ever spend this much time with you again,” Harry mutters under his breath.

Shit.

He freezes. He didn’t mean to say that out loud, at least not so… bitterly. Once upon a time, he possessed the social graces to think before replying like that— but days of interpersonal nuance are long gone. They belonged to a carefree teenager with few thoughts aside from the next time he’d run his fingers through the thick, red hair that currently swayed in a long ponytail.

By the time he looks back up at her, Ginny’s face is filled with disappointment. And she’s closed her phone.

“I’ll have to redo that last bit of filming,” she says with a sniff. “But for what it’s worth?” She raises her chin. “You didn’t mind spending time with me in the distant, distant past, Auror Potter.”

Ha!

That was a tremendous understatement.

He’d been in love with her. Stupidly. Disgustingly. The first six months after the war were a blur of sex and mourning. They’d been so punch drunk and delirious that they probably used each other’s bodies more than either of them knew. He really thought they’d have a future, though… that they’d end up getting married and buying a house. Except theirs would have been different than this one. Filled with far more character and history and warmth. Their home would have smelled like baking bread and sounded like kids giggling and felt like a soft blanket on a cold night.

But none of that had anything to do with the way he snapped. So why bring it up, really?

“Sorry,” Harry whispers, tucking his hands beneath his bum. “That… I didn’t mean. I’m sorry. I just meant that we don’t see each other much, and…” He lets out a slow breath. Best to stop talking before he digs himself deeper.

“I forgive you,” Ginny says quietly. A full second passes before she offers him a smirk. “As long as I can still call you Pookie Pie in front of the neighbors.”

Harry blinks at the carpet with a sad smile. “Deal.”

[prose-for-hire]

The Cabin

Pairing: Faith x reader

Request: Maybe ❝ is that your idea of a costume? ❞ and “I can’t get a signal on my phone, the car is dead, and I’m fairly certain we are out of matches.” with Faith x reader. Faith is attracted to readers costume but pulls the whole little kid pulling crushes pigtails with their words type thing. Thanks a million and no worries if you aren't inspired or you are writing and get to it and realize you have too many requests or something.

Requested by: anon

Warning: Swearing. Threat/violence. Serial killer. 

A/N: Reader’s family owns a cabin (in the woods). Reader is wearing a Halloween costume. You’re dressed as a vampire. I felt I had to assign something so I’m sorry if you don’t like it – you can imagine you’re something else it’s not essential to the plot.

You and Faith liked each other. It was widely known by pretty much every resident of Sunnydale, demons and humans alike. The only people that weren’t aware that one had feelings for the other were you and Faith. You definitely knew you liked here but you weren’t aware she felt the same. But you had been dropping hints and trying to vie for her attention when you could, without success.

This was your last resort. You were spending the Halloween weekend away at a cabin in the woods. You had convinced Faith to drive you both down there. You told her that the others would meet you there, but you may have forgotten to invite anyone else. You had been sick of waiting for a moment to create itself organically and decided to take destiny into your own hands.

She pulled up in and didn’t get out, just honked her horn at you and waited. She was excited to see you, but she didn’t show it. She didn’t want to be rejected – she knew she was punching every time she tried to create a moment with you. You eventually came out of your front door, hauling a large bag for the weekend. As soon as she saw you, it knocked the breath from her body. Your costume. You were a vampire this Halloween. For a slayer, she was ridiculously attracted to the way you looked as a stereotypical vampire.

“Is that your idea of a costume?” you asked as you stopped next to her rolled down window on the driver’s side. You looked her up and down and frowned. She hadn’t dressed up. She was in her usual clothes. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at you as if she wasn’t obsessed with you in your outfit.

“We’re going to your folk’s cabin, how am I meant to know there was a fuckin’ dress code”

“It’s Halloween! Of course there’s gonna be fancy dress!” you gave her a look as if to say it was a very obvious requirement. She shrugged, clearly not dashing back home to get her little Bopeep costume.

“Get in, y/n/n” She said “D’ya know the way?” she called as you opened the boot and placed your weekend bag inside.

“It’s kinda off the beaten track, but that’s part of it’s beauty. I have a map” You offered as you shut it and walked around to the passenger side with a smile. She didn’t reply, just started up the car and kept her eyes on the road ahead.

Faith had trouble expressing her attraction and seeing you in your costume was making it harder. Her eyes had widened, only a fraction, and she had raked her eyes along your body as subtly as she could without you noticing. 

She set off, driving like a bat out of hell down the highways as you instructed he the right way to go. She chatted a lot and you happily chipped in. She was fun to be around and you desperately wished you could tell her how you felt, but she kind of teased you when you started talking of anything serious. 

There was a lull in conversation and you looked to the back seat, noticing a baseball bat rolling about on the backseat. You squinted at the item and then back at her but shrugged. Best not to ask, it might be a Slayer thing. 

After getting lost twice, and having almost an argument every five minutes, you finally rolled up the drive.

“Hell’s cove. Are you kiddin’?” she asked after reading the name on the cabin that someone in your family had decided on generations ago. The sign was kind of old and faded.

“It’s named after the beach down the road. We live on Hell’s mouth, it’s not much different” You assured her, but the shiver that ran up your spine and rang through to your brain. It vibrated with concern as if it were the bell you would try to hit using a hammer on a carnival game.

 In the cabin you both started to settle in. You took a deep breath, trying to think how to word what you needed to say. You decided to just get it over with.

“Oh, uh, the others kinda cancelled...” you mutter, turning away to check in the cupboards. She raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. She was actually really pleased that she had you alone.

“Whatever” She shrugged.

“I guess we’ll have to make our own fun” You smiled and she rolled her eyes, but couldn’t quite conceal her smile. 

It was later in the evening and you had put some music on. There was a wood fire going and you were bustling about in your outfit with Faith watching you from her seat. You reached to close a cupboard but paused just before you contacted with the wood.

Had it been the crackling of the fire? The music? Movement from inside the shopping bag? No. Your gut told you no. Something was wrong. That noise was coming from inside the house.

“D-do you hear that?” You mutter, shivering slightly despite the warmth of the fire.

“What?” She asked as you go and turn the music right down.

“That... noise”

“Aw, y/n, you never told me you were scared of the things that go bump in the-”  She was stopped mid-sentence. She heard it this time. The strange rattling that appeared to be close and yet so far away. You and Faith stared at each other and didn’t say anything. It started to sound closer and closer and then it just stopped.

An eerie silence, all you could hear was yours and Faith’s breathing. You wanted to grab for her hand. But you didn’t want her to think you couldn’t be tough. 

You slowly managed to regulate your breathing, after staying still and waiting. Just as you relaxed, a new noise echoed through the cabin.

Knock knock knock.

You jumped. Faith was about to get up but you ran to the door, insistent on not giving into your fear. You swung the door open but nobody was outside. In fact, nothing outside was moving. It was creepily still. The lights weren’t on and there was no movement. You slowly closed the door, the creaking echoing back to you from the tree line.

You turned away starting to walk towards her, wishing you could run into her arms-

Knock knock knock.

It rang through the cabin, you jumped and paused before walking over there. You were staring to feel sick. Scared. This time, Faith came with you. You swung the door open and you were presented with the never ending darkness of the night.

You were so spooked you hadn’t even noticed the door. But Faith had, she tapped your shoulder and pointed.

“Were they there before?” She asked, already knowing the answer. This was all she needed, some demon coming in and ruining her chances with you. You looked to what she was gesturing at. Deep scratch marks had been left in the front door. They were nail marks. They had dragged across the front door after you had arrived. 

A shadow goes across the window and you jump. You caught it from your peripheral vision. You moved to her side and she frowned, as you whispered what you had seen. She looked towards the window but not able to see anything. She didn’t leave your side, she allowed you to huddle close to her without comment. You stayed that way for a while until a loud noise made you jump from you place by her side.

The lights had started to flicker before suddenly leaving you both in a flood of darkness. You were trapped in the shadows.

“No no no!” You shouted in frustration and she had to clasp a hand against your mouth to stop you screaming louder. She moved her hand and walked to look out of the window, checking that it was clear. She turned to you, concern evident.

“We’re outta here” She muttered and you nodded. You wanted to leave too. She grabbed your hand and lead you straight out of the door and back the way you had entered. 

You both dashed straight to the car and got in. She fumbled with the keys as you turned and manually locked the car doors. Faith turned the key in the ignition but the car wouldn’t start. She tried again, but with no luck. 

She hit the steering wheel twice in frustration and when that didn’t work she muttered, “Shit. It’s dead”

“I can’t get a signal on my phone, the car is dead, and I’m fairly certain we are out of matches…” You muttered, banging your head in frustration against the dashboard, “…And I’m 90% sure there’s a serial killer on the loose”

“Okay, what decade are you living in? I’ve gotta torch in here” she muttered, moving you out of the way, her hand lingering slightly on your shoulder, before she started looking in the glove compartment, “See?” She flashed the torch in your eyes to prove it worked as you complained and shoved her hand away from you. She smiled and turned to open the door and leave the car.

“You can’t go out there! What if he- what if there’s someone waiting to-?”

“Aw, didn’t know you cared so much. But hey, I got the Slayer thing goin’ for me so I’m gonna check it out – you should stay”

“I’m not staying in here on my own dressed like this!” you gestured at your costume which wasn’t suitable for the weather or if you were honest, suitable to be seen in public in. It was a little too well-fitted and you really wished you hadn’t dressed up thinking about Faith’s approval.

“Just lock the door, I’ll be back for ya” she winked before turning to walk away.

“I don’t know that! You could be in on it, waiting to hold me down for the creepy shadow guy!” You hissed, opening the door and slipping out.

“Why would I do that?” She squinted, assuming it had been quite obvious that she had a soft spot for you. I mean, she had driven you here hadn’t she? Her well-timed jibes the way she hinted her affection. It was flirting 101, but apparently you hadn’t been taught that teasing and comments designed to brush someone off were now considered flirting.

“Well you don’t seem to like me very much. I mean, I had hoped you were covering for some-” you stopped yourself. You had hoped her attitude was a kinda cover-up for her real feelings. But now you just felt stupid. And cold.

“I came to Creepsville for you, on Halloween. D’you think I’d do that for anyone?” She laughed as you slammed the car door shut and moved to stand by her side rather than safely get back into the car, “What’re you doin’? Stay there”

“I’m not leaving you to go out there! I’m... back up!”

“Back up? We’re never getting’ out of here alive” she quipped, shaking her head. But the small smile suggested that she appreciated you wanting to stick by her side.

“I have fake fangs in my pocket, if anyone gets too close I’ll snap at them” you said very seriously but Faith could help fully laughing at you. You really did make her smile, it brightened her day. Even in a situation like this.

You both walked the perimeter. You had a jacket, but it was pretty thin material and you were cursing yourself for it every step you walked around the perimeter of the cabin. You knew it was cold up here and yet you had sacrificed yourself for the Halloween costume. She rolled her eyes and offered her leather jacket to you, “Take it”

“Thanks” you say softly, a contrast from your spooky costume, “Do you, uh, do you actually like me?” you finally had the courage to ask. It only took a life or death situation to make you finally do it. It could be your last chance, after all.

“What?”

“You said that you wouldn’t come here for… anyone” you pressed.

“I said that, huh?”

“Yep. So, does this mean that-” You finally decided to ask. To see how she felt. But she cut you off.

“We don’t have time for this, y/n/n” She cut you off quickly, unsure of how to express herself. How to explain exactly what you meant to her. But you wouldn’t let her off the hook this time.

“There’s never a good time! I like you! I want to kiss you and hold your hand and all of that!” It finally exploded, pouring from your mouth, “You drive me places, you let me share your jacket and you tried to protect me before – don’t tell me you’re too cool to feel the same way… please?” your voice tailed off slightly.

She closed the space between you. Unable to put into words how you made her feel. She kissed you, in a way you would never have expected. It was slow, almost gentle. She kissed so softly, featherlight at first. She cherished every part of you, her hands now on either side of your face as the kiss deepened, both showing your want. Her non-verbal confirmation of everything. You were the one. You kissed her as if it was the last thing you would ever do. Your desire to have more of her. To have her in every way she would let you. Your lips gliding over hers, parting for her so easily. You had dreamt of this for so long and the feeling was better than you could have imagined. Somehow, you were now pressed against the thick trunk of a tree, her body pressed against yours. She kissed more urgently, the chill of the air whipping around you as you both leant into the fiery embrace.

Just as midnight tolled on a clock that neither of you could hear as the nearest town was so far away, evil walked towards you. This would be where the eerie music would have started playing, if you had really been inside a horror movie. Where the music would start to reach a crescendo, allowing the

A twig snapped and you sprung apart. A figure stood there, his head cocked to the side. A mask, he was wearing a mask. He was holding a knife and he was running his pointing finger along the tip of the knife with the other hand. He was toying with you, not realising who he was dealing with.

Faith scoffed, the kiss from you filling her with more self-assurance than she knew what to do with. She had just got the one person she never thought she would. She felt invincible. She ran straight for the killer, who started to wildly stab at her. But Faith had more practice than him. She was a brilliant fighter and managed to disarm him almost immediately. He didn’t go down easily though.

You left her and her eyes widened. You had gone to grab the baseball bat that you had eyed on the back seat on your journey over here. But she thought you had left her. She nodded, telling herself she should have expected you would leave. Everyone did.

Faith had been distracted watching you walk away. He took his chance and tackled her and they went rolling down the bank together, narrowly missing the trees and landing near a body of water. you just caught them tumbling as you ran back, the bat in your hand. You skidded down the hill, hurrying after them when you returned. She was punching him repeatedly, hitting anywhere she could now. The fight had been on a long time and this human was surprisingly agile. Almost superhuman.

You swung the bat behind you, steadying your breathing. You tried to visualise the shot you needed to take. You moved back, quickly smashing the splintered bat against the back of his head. The bat returning to you slicked with blood.

You gasped, staring at the bat as he sunk to his knees and eventually lay on the ground of the woods that had been littered with pines. The sticky liquid now running down the bank and into the once clear water below.

She ran over to you, taking the bat and insisting you saved her life. That you had to do it or you both would have died. You went cold, staring at the masked figure. You nodded along with her words, getting used to the idea that you had just killed someone. She stepped over the body to embrace you, holding you to her as she could tell you were still in shock. As you sunk into her arms, lulled into the soft embrace of security, the hair on the back of your neck started to raise. 

Something was wrong.

A large, garbled breath rattled. A horrifying gasp as the figure moved from the floor and reached to grab at your ankle. He wrapped his hand around you, gripping tight. You start to open your mouth in shock, struggling against him. Faith sprung into action immediately, she kicked him and then stamped down on the mask hard several times. Making sure that this time he wouldn’t get up again.

Much like a Scooby-doo villain the man behind the mask looked a little pathetic compared to his persona. He had messed with the wrong pair and you had both shown him before he was sent to his watery grave.

You both turned to leave, covered in dirt and lightly caked in what you presumed was blood. Faith wrapped an arm around your waist as you both started to climb back up the bank in the early dawn light. Both vowing never to return to the cabin again.

[jesussavedevenme]

I wish for the ficlet of Garreth vs overdramatic and overprotective Bracken and Seth. It’s totally okay if you can’t/don’t want to, but I found your post about it from Sep. 2019 and really loved it. You’re one of my favorite authors, but please don’t feel any pressure to fulfill this wish! I’m so sorry if I’m bothering or stressing you out!

**For an incredibly kind and polite anon with an amazing prompt!!!

Also real quick warning: Garreth's actions in this are very manipulative and borderline creepy so if that is going to bother you then, please don't make yourself read it**

The Festival of Unity. Also known as the cesspool of rumors and fake smiles

and the bane of Bracken's existence. Honestly he would rather face Ronodin or even Gorgrog instead of attending this gathering. The Festival of Unity took place every twenty years and lasted about three days. As its name suggested the festival was centered around unity. It was a time where all the creatures of light as well as every ally of the fairy realm joined together. The first two days were full of meetings and negotiations such as the discussion of the treaty with the Naga, the newest problems with the river trolls, and even a change in rules pertaining to the Centuars. Something that many of them were not happy about. The last day of the festival was spent finishing up negotiations and preparing for the huge ball that would take place to signify there successful unification. Bracken supposed he could see the logic and even the need for such a festival but that didn't mean he had to like it. This year though it wasn't just the snide remarks and stuck up dignitaries that made it awful, no this year Bracken had other worries. Because this year, Kendra was with him.

Kendra and Bracken had gotten married mere months ago and Bracken had tried everything he could to get her out of this festival. Several of the attempts had been quite comical if he was being honest. However, as she was the now princess, she was expected to attend and participate in the proceedings. Especially since this was the first festival she would be attending as princess. In fact the only other time that she had been before a big group as their princess had been right after they had gotten married. Kendra had been stressing about this festival for weeks, wanting to be absolutely perfect and, in Bracken's opinion, she had been. She handled all negotiations with grace and wisdom. She handled every snide remark and underhanded insult with a smile on her face and a calm but firm voice. She made it clear that she would not be walked on while also preventing an interspecial incident. Bracken felt nothing but pride as he watched her stun the different dignitaries and nobles with her never-ending grace and charm.

The reason for Bracken's stress was not that he thought Kendra wouldn't do well, quite the contrary, he was worried about his ability to protect her. There was a multitude of different species and thousands of creatures in attendance. Bracken couldn't ensure her safety in a crowd of that size especially since he couldn't be by her side all the time. There were times that he, as the prince and the leader of the Astrids, was called to a meeting to discuss tactics and such. Logically, he knew that Kendra was constantly surrounded by Astrid guards and that anyone would be a fool to attack the Princess of the Fairy Realm during the Festival of Unity. However, these things did nothing to settle his unease. The unease was worsened by the fact that he felt he was at a disadvantage.

The Festival of Unity was one of the few gatherings of its kind that were not held in the Fairy Realm. This was because of the few creatures that were not technically considered creatures of light or even those who didn't come often. Holding the festival outside the Fairy Realm symbolized the fact that they were all equal and no one was at an advantage. It made sense in theory but it made his job of protection even harder. The only comfort Bracken had was that he wasn't the only one looking out for Kendra.

Seth had been asked to attend as an ally of the Fairy Realm and a representative of the human Knights of the Dawn. It was the first time in history that a shadow charmer, technically a creature of darkness, had ever been in attendance. Seth was also one of the few people Bracken trusted to keep Kendra safe, even if she was pretty good at doing it herself. Bracken knew that if he wasn't with her Seth was and on the few occasions that neither of them were with her, she was with his mother or sisters. Bracken had planned it that way so it left little to no opportunity for someone to harm her. When Bracken had told Kendra his plan she had rolled her eyes but thankfully didn't protest too much.

Of course Seth wasn't the only one making an unprecedented appearance. For the first time since anyone could remember the Fair Folk had joined the festival. The Fair Folk were still sticking firmly to their neutrality however, they had decided that after the disastrous dragon uprising a few years prior , that it was best to be up to date about the goings on in the world. It was their attendance that added to Bracken's hatred of the festival. Bracken had no problem with the Fair Folk as a whole but, the representative they sent seriously got on his nerves. If Bracken had been the one to choose he would have chosen Eve. The girl was a natural leader and knew more about these things than this buffoon but, Lord Dalgorel had decided that she could not represent because she no longer believed in neutrality. Ironically the representative he had chosen was Eve's brother, Garreth.

Garreth had seemed nice enough in the beginning but as you looked deeper you found a pompous, overconfident man who showed great dislike for Bracken and a even greater liking to Kendra. It had obvious since the first time they ran into one another that Garreth knew Kendra. Bracken had heard the story of course but had never been able to place the face. He was sure that there had probably been a time in the past that he had seen him but seeing and remembering were two very different things. From the moment he laid eyes on her, Garreth had made it a point to seek Kendra out, generally when he wasn't around. Bracken had the utter most faith and trust in Kendra and therefore, that is not where his troubles laid. The problem was Garreth's persistence, it was beginning to get annoying and Bracken could tell that he wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

Seth had agreed with him on the fact that he had about enough of it. Kendra herself was determined to handle the situation as she had handled everything else during this festival. Firmly but gracefully. Unfortunately, Bracken and Seth had no such patience. Both of them were fiercely protective of Kendra and so the behavior bothered them. As the festival reached its end, Bracken had grown tired of the passive approach that obviously wasn't working. When he pointed this out to Kendra, she had chewed at her lip nervously and changed the subject. He knew that she worried about messing up or making the Fairy Realm look bad, but Bracken was not about to let her be a doormat to someone who obviously didn't hold women to the esteem that they should be held to. It enraged him to think that someone viewed Kendra as nothing more than an object instead of the beautiful, brave, and just all around amazing person that she was. Bracken knew that if Garreth pushed hard enough he would find out exactly why more than half of the magical world held a healthy dose of fear towards her. However, Bracken refused to let it get to that point.

Perhaps Kendra was right, and the prince of the Fair Folk would grow tired and quit, it was nearing the end of the festival after all. Though, unfortunately, Bracken's gut told him that it would not be the case.

†††††

Bracken listened keenly to the sounds of laughter coming from his sisters room as the women, sans his mother, got ready for the ball. He had opted to do all the preparations by himself and now sat waiting in the main room of their rather elaborate tent. The tent was of course enchanted making it roughly the size of their living quarters in the palace. The decorations were also much the same but on a smaller scale. A door opened towards his left revealing Seth in a Fairy Realm style, pitch black suit, a stark contrast to his own silvery one, and neatly done hair.

“I swear if one more person touches my head, I’m going to snap.” Seth announced, ducking away from one of the palace hairdressers that had joined them at the festival, though he still wasn't entirely sure why. Bracken honestly could blame him. He remembered those dreaded days before he decided to do it himself. The harsh tugging, the scrutinizing looks. Bracken gave a nod of dismissal to the hairdresser who huffed and stomped out of the room.

Bracken smirked and reached up in order to flick the younger boys ear. Seth sent him a deadly glare that would have sent anyone else running but Bracken simply raised his eyebrow. However, he could see the reason people would fear it. Seth was well known as a powerful shadow charmer and the aura he often gave off when annoyed or angry was unsettling to say the least. The effect was enhanced by his height. The young shadow charmer had hit a major growth spurt not long after the Dragon War. Seth towered over most people and seemed to almost grow larger when he was angry. Seth didn’t technically tower over Bracken but he was still taller then him by a fair amount. The effect of his glare was quickly lost when Seth began to tug at the collar of the suffocating jacket and messed with the overly fancy tunic that was underneath. Bracken felt like doing the same but he held off, the setting causing him to fall into the princely habits that had been ingrained into him since childhood. Seth's suit was much less extravagant than his own which held certain details that marked him as royalty from the fairy realm. Seth's suit coat was of course black but it was lined with silver embroidery along the cuffs and edges marking him as a close ally to the fairy realm. Of course that wasn't the only thing that marked him. Draped across Seth's arm was a grey cloak. The cloak wasn't long, just reaching Seth's knees but its served its purpose. The ends of it were meant to be gathered together at his left shoulder and clasped with a crest that belonged to the the Knights of the Dawn. On the crest was a picture of two swords making a peak, almost like a mountain, with the sun rising up from behind them. Surprisingly Seth didn't have a problem with the cloak, in fact it was the one article of clothing he didn't complain about, a fact that Bracken felt the need to bring up.

"So you hate wearing a the fancy clothes of royalty, not that I blame you, but the annoying cloak you're ok with?"

"You call it annoying I call it useful. A cloak like this does more than just keep away the chill," Seth replied and Bracken caught the hidden meaning behind his words. Weapons were technically forbidden at the festival but Bracken knew Seth well enough to know he had at least three knives, one in a holster on his hip which was hidden by his cloak and one tucked away in each of his knee high leather boots, currently on his person. It was something the Knights had pounded into his head and honestly, in their line of work, it was definitely a needed detail. "Plus," Seth continued with a lopsided grin, " It makes me look cooler." Bracken laughed at the response and from there the two easily fell into their normal back and forth banter. About thirty minutes later the girls emerged just as Bracken, for perhaps the tenth time, ran off the persistent hairdresser attempting to sneak up and tame Seth's unruly brown hair.

His four sisters emerged first wearing almost identical dresses. The tops had thin straps and were a shimmering silver color. The dresses were all fitted until the mid waist. The distinguishing trait between these dresses was the color of their flowing skirts, each of the colors matched the personalities of the princess that wore them. Mizelle was a light pastel purple matching her strong personality and the way that she radiated power and royalty without being overwhelmingly so. Next came Odette who was wear a soft pastel blue that matched her calm and gentle aura as well her patient nature. After Odette came Iredessa. Iredessa's dress was brighter than the rest of her sister but could still be called a lighter pastel yellow. The color perfectly corresponded to her bright, bubbly, and almost sunny, personality. Finally came his youngest sister Celeste, wearing a very muted pastel pink. Bracken thought that this fit his youngest sister well seeing as she tended to be very quiet and shy. She tended to keep to herself and when she was in a large group of people, she tended to stick to the people she felt the safest with. That was generally him, Odette, occasionally Mizelle, and surprisingly Kendra. Kendra and Celeste had a but of a rocky start. Bracken had always had a close relationship with her , despite her young age, before he was captured, something he was pleased to see hadn't changed when he returned. It was because of this that Celeste had originally disliked Kendra. Because in her mind, it was someone else trying to steal her brother. Plus her inherent shyness didn't help matters. Thankfully though it hadn't lasted long and Celeste had come to like and trust Kendra almost as much as himself. Not much was thought about Celeste's tendency to cling to her older siblings, mostly because of her age ,but also because people feared facing the wrath of the four oldest children of the Fairy Queen. Celeste still very young by unicorn standards . She had only been a few weeks old when their father was captured and because of the way unicorns aged, she had only just fully developed her first horn when he was captured. At the moment Celeste had yet to lose her second horn, though Bracken was sure it was just around the corner, something that somewhat saddened him. Finally ,as his sister moved away from the doorway, he spotted Kendra and his jaw dropped with how beautiful she looked.

She was wearing a long dress that held the same silver bodice as his siblings except hers had off the shoulder sleeves that puffed out in small ruffles instead of thin straps. The neckline of the dress was lined with light blue flowers made of lace while the rest of the bodice had beautiful leaves and stems embroidered along the sides in golden thread. Once again, like his sisters, her dress was fitted until her waist where it then flowed towards the floor. However, her dress flowed more outwards instead of flowing straight toward the floor. it wasn't so much to be overwhelmingly big but just enough to look nice. The waist line was dotted with a few more of the lacy blue flowers that were on the neckline with a couple dipping below onto the beginnings of the skirt. The skirt was a thing in of its own. The skirt itself was the sane pale pink as Celeste's if not a but lighter but over top if that pink was a deep blue shear covering, giving the illusion that the dress was changing colors as she moved. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a half up hairstyle with the sides in a subtle French braid that lead to an intricate, loopy braid. The rest of her hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back in soft curls. The few escaped pieces of hair perfectly framed her face accentuating the shape drawing attention the her bright green eyes. All and all, Kendra looked gorgeous.

All the outfits were brought together by the circlet crowns that they wore. Mizelle's was a simple silver crown that made indricate loops and patterns of it twisted around her head. The only jewel on her crown was a singular diamond that acted as the center piece of the circlet. Odettes crown was bolder than Mizelle's but not by much. Her circlet dipped down almost between her eyes and had a pure white pearl in the center of the points The points circled around her head in a relatively straight line but they were bedazzled with diamonds that sparked in the light. On either side of the pearl started a thin silver wire that arched up across her forehead and twisted around the rest of the crown forming loops and curls. As per usual, Irredessa's was the boldest and most noticeable. Unlike Odette's, her crown arched upward toward her hairline and into a soft point.From there the crown rose and fell in small waves as it circled her head. What drew attention was the large round diamonds that covered the entirety of the crown. Celeste's circlet was a combination of all three. it dipped low onto her forehead and the middle and had the same pearl and arching silver wires like Odette, she had the same indicate loops as Mizelle, and she had small diamonds that covered everything but the wires curling around the circlet.

To no ones surprise, Bracken's favorite circlet sat on Kendra's head. Unlike the rest of them her criclet was gold, showing her royal status while also separating her from the Fairy Queen's children because she had entered the family by marriage. Her circle was very simple with A bright emerald as a center piece that sat right in the middle of her forehead. There were thin gold wires that formed loops framing the emerald itself and branching off to form lose loops around part of her head. occasionally the loops would be interrupted by small light blue gems that were a bit darked and more silver tented than Odette's dress. The colored jewels of the symbolized the combination or the joining of Kendra and him and maybe that was why he loved it so much. Of course the girl who wore it impacted that as well. Bracken was pulled away from admiring his wife when Seth spoke,

" Does anyone remember where we keep the wrench because, I think Kendra broke Bracken again," Kendra and his sisters laughed causing a silver blush to creep across his cheeks and ears. Looking at the crowns the girls wore made him consciously aware of his own which was very simple and plain, just the way he wanted it. It was made with thin silver wire that came to a sharp point at the center of his forehead. There were two other wires that crossed and formed two large loops at the front of his head before coming together to form a straight line around the rest of his head. Despite its simplicity, Bracken still found it to be uncomfortable and he envied Seth because he didn't have to wear one.

Now that everyone had entered the main room, they began to make their way out the door and to the reception hall where the ball would take place. His mother had gone ahead much earlier as the main leaders were expected to arrive before the rest of the guests. His mother had always liked to be the first one to arrive at any given place as it gave her time to analyze her surroundings. Plus it tended to make the other leaders and nobles somewhat uncomfortable and nervous at the thought that the Fairy Queen had been waiting for an unknown amount of time. Bracken knew his mother found their squirming to be amusing, seeing as their was really nothing to squirm over. He was pretty sure that was as much of her reason for arriving early, if not more so, than analyzing the scene. And she wonders where he gets his mischievousness.

Bracken and Kendra had fallen behind of his sisters as they walked, hand in hand, towards the reception hall. The sky was a mural of pinks, oranges, purples and more as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The walk was fairly quite seeing as it was still early and most people were still getting ready. Bracken gently swung his and Kendra's hands as they walked and he couldn't help but turn his head to admire the way the sunset cast a golden glow on her skin in addition to the brilliant light that radiated from her. She had gotten a lot better at controlling the brightness of the light but it could never be contained completely. Bracken didn't realize how slow they had been walking until he could no longer see his sisters in the front of him. He could hear their laughter and light conversation but even that was getting faint. He had also lost sight of Seth but he was sure the shadow charmer hadn't strayed to far. He was most likely living up to his name and walking amount the shadows.

Bracken was enjoying the slow quiet moment that they were enjoying. It was perhaps the only quiet moment they had enjoyed since arriving at the festival, so it was very welcome. Unfortunately the calm didn't last long as they were stopped by an astrid, probably about twenty feet from the entrance of the reception hall. Bracken narrowed his eyes, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach that let him know that he probably wasn't going to be pleased with what he was about to hear.

†††††

Kendra had been incredibly worried about the Festival of Unity ever since she found out she would be attending, despite Bracken's valiant efforts. Like most things she makes herself sick over, it ended up being nowhere as bad as she thought it was going to be. Sure she would much rather prefer being curled up next to Bracken on their living room couch while watching a movie but this was a good experience. She was able to build credibility among the various nobles, leaders, and magical creatures that had been in attendance. It allowed her to show them that she deserved to be where she is and that she had what it took to handle the responsibilities that came along with her position. So all in all it hadn't been that bad of an experience. Of course having Garreth there complicated things a bit. Especially since he was as persistent as the hairdresser that had tagged along with them. However as annoyed ,and borderline angry, as Bracken was about the whole Garreth situation, Kendra honestly didn't care. Sure it was annoying and at times she wanted to deck him in his perfect jaw but she also knew that it wouldn't help anything. She felt assured in her safety here at the festival and knew that Garreth wouldn't likely try anything here. Especially with Bracken and Seth so close by. Besides it wasn't as if she was helpless, A fact that most people often forgot. Though that lapse in memory had given her an advantage many times over the course of her life.

She had been enjoying the walk to the reception hall with Bracken when the Astrid showed up. The ball was something that Kendra actually looked forward to, despite the nerves she felt. It wasn't so much the party she was excited about but more the fact that the spotlight was off of her. It was easy to fade into the background during a gathering of this size. logically she knew that there would still be people that approached and interacted with them but it would most likely just be typical conversation. She also took comfort in the fact that she would not be doing this alone. Not that she ever had been but this time she would be surrounded by people who were willingly to take the brunt of the conversation. Seth had enough outgoing nature for the both of them and She knew that Bracken's sister Iredessa was likely to talk everybody's ear off.

Kendra loved Bracken's sisters as if they were her own, and they kind of were in a way. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to get to know and experience each of their personalities. Much like her and Seth, they were all vastly different. Mizelle was a born leader, much like Bracken, but she tended to analyze and observe a little more than he did. She was also more graceful in the way she handled certain situations. Kendra loved her husband dearly but he had a tendency to speak before he thought, especially when he was angry. Odette was always calm and collected. Her mere presence calmed Kendra, especially in times of great stress. She was a very gentle soul and also very wise. In a lot of ways, she reminded Kendra of the Fairy Queen. Odette was also a very skilled healer as Kendra had ,unfortunately, witnessed many times. Iredessa was bright, bubbly and loud. she brightened every room she walked into and was always the first person to start a conversation. However, when placed outside of her element she became very timid and quite as she observed. And finally there was Celeste. The two of them had gotten off to a but of a rough start because Celeste had thought that Kendra was with Bracken because of the title or the power. Eventually the two of them had ironed out all of the misunderstandings and actually become quite close. It filled Kendra with joy and pride to know that Celeste felt as comfortable with her and she did with Bracken. Celeste was by far the most timid of the siblings and was uncomfortable in any kind of social setting, not that Kendra could blame her. Kendra originally had been taken aback at how young Celeste was compared to her siblings. And even to some extent how young Odette and Iredessa were. For some.reason Kendra had been under the impression that all of them were similar to Bracken in age even though she knew that they were younger. Being in the midst of a groups such as this ,adding in Bracken, Seth and the Fairy Queen, gave her a deep sense of security that she had carried throughout the entire festival and continued to carry as they made their way to the reception hall.

Unfortunately, that sense of security was shattered when she noticed the Astrid waiting impatiently at the entrance of the hall. She felt Bracken tense up beside her. He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and walking confidently towards the Astrid, easily falling into his role as leader. The Astrids were here in order to provide added protection to the royal family. They had stayed out of sight, as silent protectors, for most of the trip. Only emerging when she was left alone or they were needed for some sort of task or meeting. So to see one in plain sight, obviously waiting for them- well it was unnerving to say the least. Her stomach churned with anxiety and she bit her lip as she tried to focus on what Bracken was saying and not her own racing thoughts.

"Why was this meeting called? The Festival of Unity is all but over," Bracken said.making Kendra realize that she had missed the beginning of the conversation.

"I am unsure, Your Highness. I was simply asked to deliver the message," The Astrid, Kendra is pretty sure his name is Haldirn, looked nervous. Kendra guessed she understood why. Most of the Astrids were still nervous around the royal family. They had not forgotten their past failures and they did not wish to disappoint them again. Apparently Haldirn felt like this missing information was a failure of his. Kendra could see how tense his shoulders were and the way he avoided Bracken's eyes. He was ready to be scolded and berated but, Bracken was as kind as he was brave. Because of this, though he didn't sound particularly happy, he replied with,

"Its not your fault, you are doing your best with the information you have been given," Bracken shot a look at Kendra, guilt and confliction flashing in his silvery blue eyes. Kendra knew that look all to well and while she hated it, she knew it couldn't be helped. Kendra was about to reassure him when she felt a presence behind her.

"What's going on?" Asked the deep voice of Seth, causing her to relax her shoulders. Seth moved to stand by Bracken, crossing his arms as he stared at the Astrid. Seth was shorter than the Astrid but was no less intimidating. Haldirn, startled by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Charmer, attempted to stutter out an answer.

"Apparently, there has been a last minute meeting called that requires the both of us," Seth raised an eyebrow.

"But isn't the Festival over?"

"It's supposed to be. This kind.of thing isn't completely unheard of hut it certainly is rare," Bracken replied, sounding slightly grumpy. Kendra searched his face, knowing him well enough to be able to see through his infamous poker face. Kendra could see the worry and the skepticism in his gaze. Kendra would be lying if she said that she didn't agree with him. This whole situation seemed off leaving a pit in her stomach. However, it was impossible to know exactly what was going on without investigating. Kendra could also see the war raging in his mind as he weighed his options. Kendra knew that he would not only over think it but, he would also feel guilty with either decision he made. So with that thought in mind she decided to make the decision for him. She squared her shoulders and tried her best to walk confidently up to his side. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, gaining his attention, and pushing all her feelings aside she said,

"Go," The answer was simple but she said it firmly leaving no room for argument. Nevertheless she could see the response building in his mind and she cut him off as he opened his mouth, knowing what was coming next, " Go. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her on the subject. She didn't want him to leave, quite the contrary but she also knew it was unavoidable. Besides, she had taught and one two wars, she could handle a ball and it wasn't as if she would be alone. She could tell that he still wanted to argue but luckily he simply turned back to the Astrid.

"Fine, take me to the meeting," The relief coming from the Astrid was almost tangible and turned to lead them away. Bracken quickly reached for her hand and linked their pinky fingers. It was a silent form of communication they had established long ago. A quick and quite way to say I love as well as a promise that everything would be alright. The exchange last less then a second and then Bracken was pulling away and following behind Haldirn. Seth had scowl on his face and a look of suspicion in his eyes. Kendra expected him to protest or demand more information but surprisingly, he follow Bracken without a word. He sent her a look over his shoulder and nodded his head in a way as to tell her to call him if she needed him. Kendra couldn't help but roll her eyes at how overprotective the two of them were.

She stood there until she could no longer see them and then turned back towards the entrance of the gathering hall. She resolved to try and find Bracken's sisters amongst the crowds but she had barely made it past the entrance before she was ambushed. Garreth had seemingly come out of nowhere, suddenly emerging in front of her. He sent her a dazzling smile which she returned with a half hearted, fake smile. She was getting tired of pretending this didn't bother and any other time she probably would have snapped. Tonight, however she just reminded herself that the Festival was almost over. A few more hours and she would have to deal with him anymore. For a second she was secretly grateful that Seth and Bracken weren't there, as she was pretty sure one or both of them really would have snapped.

" Good evening Kendra. Might I just say that you look amazing. " Kendra gave him a tight smile and fought the urge to squirm at how uncomfortable his gaze made her feel.

"Thank you," She replied stiffly attempting to turn and move away from him, hoping to get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no trouble walking along side her. She could tell he wanted her to return the compliment but, there was no way she was giving him that kind of encouragement. She avoided eye contact, focusing instead on searching the crowd for the Fairy Queen and or one of Bracken's sisters. She hoped that by ignoring him, he would lose interest and leave. Garreth, however, was not deterred by her actions. Instead, Garreth grabbed her arm, none to gently, as she attempted to turn away. He led her off somewhere to the side away from the bustle of the ball. He shattered excitedly the whole way but Kendra couldn't make out the words over her raving thoughts. She wasn't sure what was going on and she wasn't sure how she would be able to gracefully exit the situation. Kendra knew logically, that she was very capable of putting an end to this situation and getting out of it without a scratch. She had done it plenty of times before. People often forgot that , despite her power being centered around light, she was just as dangerous as Seth. She had years of experience and training in her abilities, courtesy of Bracken. And she wasn't bad with a bow either. She had come a long way from relying on a storm of arrows to protect her. In fact her arrows rarely missed their mark. However, right now she didn't have a bow and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use it. Violence was forrbidden as it would undermine the entire purpose of the Festival of Unity. As well as cause people to question the loyalty of the Fairy Realm. It was definitely not the impression she wanted to leave. Use of her abilities would end and apply much the same way.

Still racing to come with a diplomatic solution, Kendra failed to notice that they had fully exited the ballroom until she was face to face with a large silver door. She could still hear the muffled sounds of the party traveling down the hallway that led to the door. Briefly she wondered if Bracken's sisters noticed her absence, but she quickly.brushed off the thought knowing that there was probably too much going on. She was practically forced into the room which, based on the desk, bookshelf, and scattered documents, seemed to be some kind of study. Garreth had placed himself casually in front of the door and Kendra knew that she would have to figure out a way to trick him into switching their positions. A plan had already began to form in her mind as she said,

" So, have you heard from Eve lately?" Miraculously she was able to keep the shake out of her voice. It was a casual question, one that was technically considered small talk. However, she knew that it would rile him up. Eve had rejected neutrality and joined the Knights of the Dawn with Seth, against the wishes of her family. In normal circumstances, aggravating and goading the enemy was not a good idea but at the moment she really didn't care. She just needed him to move. Not much, just enough so she could casually make her way to the door. This was also a topic that should keep him talking. Meaning it was less likely to realize what she was doing. Garreth played his part well a slight scowl on his face as he replied,

" I have not heard from my sister, since she left home, " There was a short pause before when he talked about her leaving home. Indicating that he had changed his wording at the last minute. He wondered if it had anything to do with Seth.

"Well, from what I gather she is making a very good Knight. I haven't seen her in action, but I know Seth has been rather impressed," The mention of her brother brought another scowl to his face. It was pretty common knowledge, to anyone that knew of the situation, that Lord Dalgorel blamed Seth for quote unquote "corrupting his daughter". She expected him to go off on a rant about the topic, as Lord Dalgorel had many times before, However, this is where her plan began to go wrong.

" I don't really care to know the details of Eve's relationships. I would however like to know about yours," He smiled as he said it but something in his eyes made her squirm.

" Well, Bracken and I got married a few weeks ago. It was the best day of my life and I couldn't be happier," The statement was cheesy, true but cheesy. She could hear Seth complaining in her mind but at least it was something.

" Well, a few weeks is hardly anything to judge next years of your life by. Who knows in a month or so, all of that could change," Kendra flinched as he stepped closer, practically backing her into a corner and halting the slow progress she was making towards the door. She reached her hands behind her fingering the button on her bracelet that would bring Bracken bursting into the room to her rescue. Her fingers hovered over the button but didn’t push it, not yet anyway. She felt bad for bringing Bracken into a problem that she could fix by herself. Besides she couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for this situation. She knew that Bracken and Seth would fiercely refute that statement but, that didn’t stop her from thinking it.

At this point it didn't look as if her plan would work the way she intended. Technically she could do a number of things unfortunately all of those ended in violence. She doubted that, anyone other than her family, would count this as just reason to start a fight. And besides, Garreth would probably be able to explain all of it away. He was close enough now that she could feel his breath on her face. Not liking were this was going and feeling utterly helpless. She reached for her bracelet and smashed to button that would send out a distress signal to Bracken and Seth who had a similar object in the shape of a black ring. Garreth was speaking again but she couldn't here it over the roar of the blood in her ears. She reached inside her gut and felt for the magic she knew pooled there. She gathered it willing it to grow until she felt she would burst with it. She held it the best she could, reading it for use should she need it. She was trying to keep her actions under wraps but she could tell by the way Garreth was squinting his eyes that her aura had brightened as the power built. She readied herself to release it but just before she could give the command, the door slammed open revealing and angry Unicorn and an even angrier Shadow Charmer.

†††††

Walking through the abandoned paths where the Festival took place was unnerving. Bracken's senses were on high alert as he scanned the long shadows cast by the flickering lanterns lining the walkways. The pounding of their footsteps against the.cobblestone sounded deafening in the silence. Out of the corner of his eyes Bracken saw Seth. His shoulders were squared, but not tense, his face the picture of calm. The only thing that gave away his nervousness was the way his right arm, covered by his dark cloak, continued to drift and brush against his hip. If Bracken didn't know what was hidden there, he would have overlooked it but the significance of the gesture was not lost on him. Seth was no longer a young boy who randomly swung around a sword, rushing into battle and hoping for the best. While he still held much of the same reckless spontaneity, he now attacked with deadly precision. Years of training had given him close to unmatchable skills. One flick of his wrist would send his chosen projectile thudding home with devastating results. Of course his knowledge and skill with weapons weren't the only thing that made Seth Sorensen dangerous. His mother had once told him that out of all the Shadow Charmers she had come across over her long life, he was by far the most powerful. Bracken wholeheartedly believed that, having seen it first hand many times in the past. Not for the first time, Bracken was thankful that Seth was on their side.

They walked for about another five minutes before Haldirn stopped in an empty courtyard. There was no one else there, not that they could see anyway. The air was silent apart from their breathing and the rustle of the trees in the wind. Occasionally you would also hear the call of an owl but that was it. If anyone was here then they were doing a very good job of hiding. A suspicion that he had been trying to suppress made itself know in his mind. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Bracken asked,

"Who was it that informed you of the last minute meeting?" The question felt sour in his.mouth and the implications, should his suspicions be right, caused his stomach to churn.

" It was prince Garreth of the Fair Folk your Highness " Haldirn replied, not quite grasping the significance of that statement. Bracken and Seth glanced at each other wide eyed and they were already moving when Seth's ring began to beep. Bracken could feel the alert in his own mind alerting him of the danger. He quickly called out a command for Haldirn to start as search as he broke out in a run, beginning to make his way to the ballroom. He could hear the pound if his and Seth's feet against the cobblestone path. It sound deafening compared to the silence left by the people attending the ball. Bracken slowed slightly as he reached the ballroom, not looking to cause a scene, but still kept up a hurried pace. He felt more that saw the concerned glace of his mother as she saw his panic. Bracken, however, didn't have time to think much about it. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and finding the pull of Kendra's engagement ring, which had been fashioned out of his first horn. It didn't take long for it to lead him through a long hallway and to an ornate door.

Bracken threw open the door and stormed into the room. He didn't take long to survey the situation, he simply noted Garreth's position and reacted. His hands found the collar of his fancy silk tunic and he yanked him back with enough force that Garreth stumbled into the wall and slid down to the floor, looking up at them in fear. Bracken felt the room drop in temperature in response to Seth's anger. And by the way the color drained from Garreth's face, he could feel it too. They stood in silence, both of them struggling not to lunge and attack the prince of the Fair Folk. Technically violence had already occurred when Bracken threw him against the wall but he had been just gentle enough so as not to leave a mark. But only just. Garreth stood up clearing his face of the fear and attempting to regain his previous confidence. Bracken had to admit that he had a decent poker face. though the tremble in his hands gave him away. Bracken tried to avoid looking at Kendra, knowing that seeing her upset would only fuel his fury. Though this approach didn't last long as the waves of panic and distress he felt through their connection, made from both the bracelet and her engagement ring, shattered his resolve. He turned towards her, trusting Seth to keep an eye of the ambassador of the Fair Folk.

Bracken searched her face, he could see any obvious injuries but he could see the way her green eyes began to sparkle with tears that she would refuse to let fall. That was enough to make his blood boil and he found himself standing taller as a blush crept up the back of his neck and along the tips of his ears.

"Take a walk with me ambassador," Bracken said attempting to keep the heat out of his voice even if his words still came out sharp. His tone made it clear that this was not a request. He turned and walked around the gathering hall and toward one of the gardens that surrounded it. He heard that ambassador follow him but refused to turn and look at him as it would only cause him to do something rash.. He hadn't missed the scowl Garreth had sent Kendra as they left ,as he obviously blamed her for the results of the situation ,and it made him want to punch him in his smug looking face. Nevertheless, he schooled his features into his perfect poker face and led Garreth farther into the gardens. There were a few people milling around the extravagant gardens but most of them seemed to steer clear of them, most likely sensing the Fairy Prince's anger. Bracken walked to the back of the garden, where he was met with a hedge wall. This spot was quiet, dark, and gave more than enough privacy. He turned to look at the Prince of the Fair Folk, who looked far less cocky than he did a few minutes ago. He let the tense silence hang in the air a moment longer, enjoying the way it made Garreth squirm before he said,

"Allow me to remind you that harming a member of the royal family, physically or otherwise, is a very serious offense," his hand fell to his left hip searching for a sword that wasn't there and wishing that he had thought to bring a cloak like Seth had. " It would be a shame if the neutrality of the Fair Folk ended at the Festival of Unity. "

"Is that a threat your Highness?" Garreth questioned, a sudden burst of confidence entering his voice.

"Only if you choose to make it one," Bracken said off handedly. He turned his back to the other man and pretended to study one of the flowers that was nearby. The action allowed Bracken some time to regain control over himself and the anger that threatened to boil over.

" Now now, it's not good to make hasty decisions you will regret later," And Garreth had the gall to look back towards the direction in which they had come as he said it. Implying that the statement was directed toward Kendra . Bracken felt something inside him snap as the heat of the anger boiling his blood finally became too much. However, Garreth either didn't sense the shift or didn't care, because he continued before Bracken could say anything. " Of course, you always were known to be a bit quick tempered. You often allow your emotions to cloud you judgement. "

" I have been very diplomatic, very patient, but for some reason you seem to want to try that patience. You want to find my limit. Do you want to know what it will take for me to break? What will cause me to loose my temper?" Bracken asked stalking closer, his words close to a growl. Garreth held his gaze as all of his cocky confidence faded into fear. Bracken slowly pointed toward Kendra, " One tear. That's all it will take. If one tear falls from her eyes tonight I will show you exactly why they call me quick tempered. " And with that he turned and walked back through the garden and into the ballroom.

 Bracken smirked as he entered the ballroom and saw Seth eyeing him from where he stood next to Kendra. The young Shadow Charmer must have taken Kendra there after he left with Garreth. Bracken approached the siblings, placed his arm around Kendra and then , looking at Seth, nodded his head toward the gardens. Seth's gaze darkened further and the air around them seemed to drop in temperature once again . The younger man also seemed to grow a little taller and darkness pooled in his chocolate brown eyes, beginning to consume the whites of his eyes. Without a word Seth made his way to the gardens, people parting , giving him a wide berth, as they glanced upon him with fear. Bracken pulled Kendra closer and leaned down to pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He couldn't help but smirk as a clock struck midnight, letting out a chime an signaling the end to the Festival, even if people would remain until the next morning. The Festival was officially over as were any vows of complete peacefulness. All bets were off now. If Garreth thought he was bad, then he was in for a real surprise when Seth got his hands on him.

And there we go!!!!! This was super fun to write (Though probably not.my best work) !!!! I hope it lived up to expectations. I tried really hard but I haven't written in this style for a while so let me know whether or not you like or if you want me to use it more often.

I also want to say a quick thank you to all of you who were patient with me. My personal life is very hectic especially right now so thank you so much for your patience. I love getting to post these and I have a lot of fun doing it but a lot of times life gets in the way of my plans to update.

As always let me know what you think and if their is anything you want to see next!!!!

[violetwolfraven]

A sudden revelation came to me : the big twin besties!!! Davey Sarah Mike Ike would be chaos if they’re together but that is okay bcs we love them. That is all thank you💕

They would!! I’m gonna do them in modern AU, so I hope that’s okay, Rai!!

This is going to be pure chaos. Nothing else. Literally no part of this is serious. It’s just pure dumbassery among friends.

Also Les definitely does dance competitions. He goes to the same studio as Race. He competes in a mini division and he does tap and hip hop and his group wins. Fight me.

Tw: swearing.

...

“Davey, pop the popcorn faster!” Sarah hollered from the living room.

“Sarah, shut the fuck up!” Davey hollered back. He loved his sister, but she annoyed the hell out of him.

Well, Les did, too. He guessed it was a sibling thing in general, but there was something about knowing someone since before birth that gave you a special ability to get on their nerves.

Plus, it wasn’t like he could make the microwave work any faster.

“What are we watching tonight?” he called while he waited.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sarah shouted indignantly.

At the same time, Mike yelled, “We’re binge-watchin’ Liv and Maddie!”

“Oh, of course! That’s so fuckin’ obvious!” Davey shook his head, wishing he could stop himself from smiling as he muttered to himself, “We’re such huge fucking dorks.”

They were, of course, watching Liv and Maddie because they were two sets of twins left alone in a house for the night, and that tv show was about a pair of twins. The Jacobs parents were taking Les to a dance competition and the Guzman parents were going to a wedding.

Honestly, Davey was pretty sure they’d left them all together because out of the four of them, Sarah was the only good cook, Mike was the only good driver, Ike was the one who knew how to operate a can opener, and Davey was the one with common sense. Together, they formed a fully-functional teenager.

Also, they all already had partners, so the parents trusted them to be left alone all night together, unlike when Sarah and Ike asked if they could have Jojo, Hotshot, Katherine, and Jack over, too.

Davey heard the TV start up and silently willed the microwave to work faster.

“Ya can’t start without Davey, Sar—“

“Ike, I don’t know how to break this to ya, but I don’t give a shit.”

Honestly, Davey had expected that, “Thanks for tryin’, Ike!”

“No problem, Dave!”

The popcorn finally finished popping, and Davey grabbed the huge bag of M&Ms on the way out of the kitchen with it before going to join his sister and friends in watching Liv and Maddie’s shenanigans.

Ah yes. The ultimate twin night. Admittedly, the feral energy of all four of them was better than it would’ve been if it was just him and Sarah.

And Ike was smirking at his phone, which of course meant Davey had to tease him.

“Textin’ Hotshot, huh?” he asked, poking him in the shoulder.

Ike batted his hand away, “Shut up.”

Mike laughed, “Ooh, that means there’s somethin’ to hide.”

Sarah slung an arm around his shoulders, “Are you gonna fight? Cause I honestly can’t decide who’d win.”

“Nope,” Davey said automatically, “Can’t do that. We can’t have any death matches destroying the living room or our folks will never let us do this again.”

“I guess the blood would ruin your carpet.”

“Well, Mikey, it’s not like I don’t know how to get blood out of things.”

“Why—oh. Okay.”

Sarah laughed maniacally at the look on his face. It wasn’t that he looked grossed out or anything, just kind of surprised to be thinking about it.

Davey was pretty familiar with having to grab spare pads from the hall closet if the bathroom ran out and tagging along on milkshake runs during Sarah’s time of month, but he guessed a boy without sisters wouldn’t have to think about that kind of thing.

“So, how are things with Hotshot?” he asked, changing the subject.

Ike shrugged, “Good. How’s Jack?”

“He’s over here like, all the time,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes, “Or Davey’s over there. It’s cute in a gross way.”

“Fight me, Sarah. You’re the same way with Katherine.”

“Bitch—“

“Stuff with Jojo is good, by the way,” Mike chimed in, “God, I love him.”

“We get it, you’re cute, now shut up.”

Sarah swatted him, “That’s not very nice, Isaac.”

“Yeah, those are bold words from someone who’s baby pictures I have access to,” Mike agreed.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me, bitch.”

“Again, we can’t have a death match without destroying stuff,” Davey reminded them, “So can we just kick back and watch our show?”

Ike butted his head against Davey’s shoulder like a cat affectionately, “We should skip forward a couple seasons so we can watch Liv and Holden break up and cry.”

“No,” Sarah said immediately, “My eyeliner looks really good today.”

“You’re at a sleepover,” Davey pointed out, “Why did you even do your eyeliner?”

“David, I swear to God.”

“You swear to God what?”

“Don’t listen to him,” Mike said, reaching over to hug her, “You look fuckin’ amazing and you and Kathy usually make the rest of us look like slobs.”

“Aw, thanks Michael.”

“Don’t call me Michael.”

They actually managed to watch about half the episode without talking, before Ike shattered the silence.

“Okay, but do we think Joey’s gay?”

“I think Willow’s obsession with him is creepy and it’s super questionable how the writers played it off for laughs,” Mike admitted, “I think Joey does like girls, though. He has chemistry with a few different girls for like one episode each.”

“But he definitely has a thing for Josh in the later seasons,” Sarah pointed out.

“Oh, yeah. Good point. Maybe he’s bi or pan.”

Davey had never thought he’d have a conversation like this, but he had to admit they had a point.

“Maddie and Willow would’ve made a cute couple,” he said, “Maddie can’t drive. That alone is proof she’s not straight. And Liv had chemistry with Holden, but she would’ve been cute with Andie, too.”

“Oh, preach, bro,” Ike agreed, “And I think one of my first crushes when I was in middle school was actually on Parker from Liv and Maddie, so...”

“Parker’s bi and ace,” Mike said immediately, “I’m callin’ it. I don’t even need any evidence; just by vibes. He’s just this bi-ace mad scientist.”

“But seriously,” Sarah insisted, “Joey had a thing for Josh and I think it was requited.”

Davey rolled his eyes, “Duh. Was that ever up for debate after that one episode where the only thing that made Josh feel better about his breakup with Maddie was Joey?”

“So in short, none of the Rooney siblings are straight,” Mike concluded.

“Yup.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yes.”

Davey smirked, “Kinda like how none of the siblings in this room are straight.”

“Aw,” Mike grinned, “Are you sayin’ you sees Ike and I as siblings?”

“More like we’re all in a cult and we call each other siblings, Brother Mike.”

“Oh yes of course, Brother Davey.”

“You’re both ridiculous.”

“Are you actin’ like you have custody of the brain cell, Sister Sarah?”

“No, of course not, Brother Ike. Brother Davey has it. He just never uses it.”

“I use the brain cell frequently, thank you very much,” Davey said indignantly, “Just not in conversations with people who don’t even have one.”

“Oh, burn!” Ike shouted, and Davey accepted a high five.

It looked like Sarah didn’t have anything to say to that. Probably because she didn’t have the brain cell.

Whatever. If the Rooney siblings could survive with only one brain cell, which the youngest sibling always had, Davey was pretty sure the four of them could, too.

...

This probably makes no sense if you’ve never seen Liv and Maddie. I’m sorry.

[ellewritessometimes]

It’s a Gift

Summary:  Cas and Dean have become very close. Dean develops a crush and is afraid to say anything. He continues to fall harder as the days go on. As the Valentine's Day party approaches, Dean wonders if he'll share the secret he's been harboring.

Ships: Dean/Cas, Crobby

Word Count:  3,552

TW: Mentions of violence and Homophobia, Swearing

Notes:  This is a work from an abandoned Valentine's Day group writing project. I decided to post it still because I worked hard on it and I wanted the original intended recipient to get their fic as planned. I want to thank Luc for allowing me to reach out to them and @kermit-drinking-tea-dot-jpg for betaing this fic.

Link to read on AO3

The smell of greasy tater tots and dry nuggets wafted through the cafeteria as I walked in and took my seat at the table. The rest of the team sat down as well.

"Does anyone have a date for Valentine's party tomorrow?" Garth asked.

"I'm sure Sam will be my date," Gabe smirked. The guy was kinda obsessed with my brother.

Garth rolled his eyes and continued to take a bite of his chicken patty. I turned the page of my notebook, trying to decode my notes from last week. 

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath.

"What?" Gabe asked with a mouth full of french fries.

"I can't read my notes, and the test is next period," I said in frustration. I had scrawled them down distractedly during the class.

"Would you like to borrow mine?" Cas asked. 

Of course, I would like to borrow Cas's notes. He was a great student, always crazy organized.

Cas slid a spiral-bound notebook with perfect notes written in blue gel pen. The lettering looked like a font. I could never be like this. I could never sit still for that long. Oh, to be like Cas; Quarterback, Captain of the Football team, debate mentor, NHS, he really had it all. I was just a linebacker struggling to remember physics. God, Dad, is gonna kill me.

"Thanks, man," There was relief in my voice. Maybe I'd pass. A.P. Physics is not the move when you're a dumbass.

Cas smiled and picked up his book, On the Road. I've never seen him eat during school. He's always reading, helping us with homework, or keeping Gabe and Garth out of trouble. 

The bell rang, so I handed Cas his notebook back. He winked, and I felt my heart pound. I'm sure he was just saying ‘you're welcome’.

* * *

Mr. Crowley handed out the test, and I inhaled deeply. I can't do this. I can't do this. 

Cas looked toward me and mouthed, "Are you ok?" 

I shook my head. The little shit winked again and raised his hand.

"Mr. Crowley, I think Dean is going to be ill," Cas fibbed, "I should take him to the nurse just to be sure."

"We wouldn't want that. Take him to the nurse," Mr. Crowley gave him the ok.

Cas and I walked out of the classroom and into the hallway. Cas gestured to me to follow him. He led me into an empty classroom and shut the door.

 He set his notebook and pencil down on a desk and bluntly said, "Sit."

I did as I was told. I watched him write a kinematic equation on a fresh sheet.

"What do you know?" Cas asked.

"Nothing."

"I don't believe that."

"I'm a dumbass," I shrugged.

He tilted his head, and I noticed a change in his eyes. 

"You don't believe you deserved to be helped," He stated and quickly changed the subject in an attempt to take what he said back. "Let's start easy."

I leaned my head over to see the problem he wrote. A hair fell on my face, and Cas pushed it away. I jumped. Cas jumped as well, startled by my reaction. His disposition changed.

"I'm sorry, I…" His voice trailed off.

"It's fine, Cas." I made an attempt to reassure him.

We moved along with the problem like it never happened. But it did happen. I would feel the touch on my forehead the rest of the day. The way his hand felt, soft and warm against my rough skin. 

We must have done at least 20 problems until I finally felt comfortable doing it independently. The bell rang, and I thanked Cas. He really didn't need to do that. I wasn't shocked that he did though, he always tried to help the guys somehow. The dude's a friggin angel.

* * *

I was distracted all of the football practice.  I was preoccupied thinking about Cas.

"Winchester, get your head in the game!" Coach Bobby yelled out.

I had known Bobby my whole life. He'd been more like a dad than my own blood. He was always there when Dad was deployed, on a hunting trip, or just drunk, unable to take care of Sam and me. Dad was never the most stable person. 

I nodded to Bobby and tried to focus. I'd been meaning to talk to the school counselor about getting me to see a therapist or something to get diagnosed. Bobby and I suspected I had ADHD but we wouldn't know for sure. Unfortunately, I knew that Dad didn't believe in therapy. And anyway, the doctor can't fix it if I'm distracted by Cas. God, the dude can move. His passes are perfect, he makes almost every goal, and his touchdowns are so impressive. God, I sound like I have a crush.

Practice finished, and we all headed to the locker room. Bobby gave a speech.

"We've got an away game tomorrow, folks. I expect the best behavior from you all, or you will not go to the sports Valentine's Day party. I mean it." Bobby continued, "I know that this year has been hard with the Superbowl being delayed due to extenuating circumstances, but I still need you idjits to be good."

"Yes, coach," We deadpanned in unison like cult members. We started exiting the locker room.

"Dean, I would like you to stay," Coach said sternly.

Oh shit. 

Bobby led me to his office and motioned for me to sit in a chair.

"What's up with you, son?" Bobby questioned, "You've got that look, is it a girl? You're not back with Jo, are you? Lisa? Or is it a guy or an enby? You know that I don't care…"

"No, it's no one," I'm such a liar. I've had a crush on Cas since he moved here in fourth grade, and Bobby can see right through my bullshit.

"Bull," Bobby raised his eyebrows.

I shrugged. I couldn't even imagine what dad would say. Actually, I could. It would be to get out of his house and never come back.

"So that's it, you just wanted to be nosey? Besides, it's no one, and dad would never let me." I sighed.

"Don't worry about your old man. I'd take care of it. Mr. King and I always have a place for you and Sam anyway." Bobby was dating Mr. Crowley, no one but Sam and I knew.

I thanked him and left to go pick up Sam from the middle school. Boy, he had grown up so fast. I remembered when he was born. And when mom died.

* * *

I pulled up at the school, music blaring. Sam rushed to my car and opened the door.

"Can you drive me to Jess's house?" Sam asked.

"No, tonight's family dinner night." Dad's A.A. sponsor told him that it was a good idea to start trying to be more of a part of our lives. That started with dinner, I guess.

* * *

Dinner with Dad was painful. Sam and Dad bickered back and forth about every single little thing. Sam wanted to go to college, Dad wanted him to keep up with the family business, then Sam said that hunting and the military don't count as a legacy. I hate it here.

"Sam, give it a rest." I dropped my fork into Cambell's chicken noodle with stars.

"You're not siding with him, are you?" Sam's face was defensive.

"I'm the adult here." Dad slurred.

"A half of one at best," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that, boy?" Dad's face had that look I didn't like.

"Nothing, sir," I was trying not to get killed.

Creak. Dad slid his chair back and walked over to me. As he hovered over my head, my heart dropped to my stomach. He held his hand out and swung. 

I could feel the tingling on my face as he said, "Say something else, and it's gonna be somewhere else."

Sam got up from the table and ran to his room. I hated when Sam saw this. I knew it would hurt him more, but I still spoke anyway. It's hard. I knew Dad loved us. He just didn't know how to express it.

I walked away from the table as Dad drank more beer.

"Sam, you know that…" I couldn't think of an excuse, so I said, "Open the door, please."

Sam opened the door. His eyes were red, stress hives had formed on his arm. I wanted to hold him and tell him I would get us out here. I tried to protect him. I wanted him to always be safe. I just wish he knew Dad before Mom died. 

"Why?" Sam asked, "Why do you just sit there and take it."

So he won't come after you, I wanted to say. Instead, I just shrugged as he closed the door in frustration.

* * *

I woke up early to go on a run to clear my head. As I ran, I saw a familiar face. It was Cas, walking a fluffy golden retriever. There was a redheaded girl next to him. I didn't know her, but she was pretty. I stopped jogging and stared for a moment.

"Hey!" I waved.

"Oh hey, Dean!" Cas's face brightened. He turned to the girl, "Anna, this is Dean Winchester."

Anna threw up a hand shyly. I smiled in response. 

"Catch you later, I guess," I said as I walked away.

It was nice to see Cas, and he looked happy to see me. His sister was nice as well. I thought of the interaction as I strolled to the abandoned house on the end of the street. Sam always asked why I liked that place so much, but I don't know why. I just like creepy things. The house feels almost supernatural. 

* * *

"Hey!" Someone hit me in the back. Jo.

"Hay is for horses," Jo grinned. "Got a date for the party?"

I shook my head. I was planning on asking Lisa but Jo was a fun party person. This could pose an issue, but I decided to ignore it.

"Well, you do now, silly goose," Jo said snarkily. 

I always took Jo to parties. She was indeed the life of them. We'd go, she'd flirt, I'd scope out the crowd, we'd both be disappointed, then drunkenly make out in the Impala. Maybe grab a milkshake. It was tradition, but I had never taken Lisa before. Jo and I were more like flirty friends; I really had something with Lisa.

"Same as always?" I asked.

"Yup, come get me at five, and I'll bring the refreshments." She was referring to the whiskey she would steal from her mom's bar.

Jo walked away, and I turned to see Lisa standing at her locker. She was grabbing a math textbook and a copy of Gatsby.

"Hey Lis," I started.

"What do you want, Dean," She seemed annoyed.

"Are you ok?"

"I thought you've been ignoring me," Her voice had little emotion.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't realize how distant I was," Now was not the best time. I decided to say nothing about the party.

"Also, I'm not going to the party. My mom is making me watch my sister." Lisa was disappointed.

"Aw man," Score. This would work out.

We departed from the hallway, and I went to class.

* * *

School could not end fast enough. I couldn't wait for the game.

"Winchester, come see me," Mr. Crowley ordered me to his desk.

I hesitantly got up. He seemed pleased. I could not think of what this could possibly be about.

"Dean, your make-up test is perfect," His voice was enthusiastic. "I'm very proud."

Wow. I could not believe this. I thought for sure that I had flunked. As I breezed by, Cas gave me a thumbs up. I would have to thank him later.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by like cake. 

The team gathered in the locker room before entering the busses. Coach Bobby gave us one last speech.

"Alright, boys, remember what I said yesterday. Be polite and respectful but kick butt," The team cheered as soon as he said it.

We filled into the bus like sardines. This would be unpleasant on the ride home. I made sure I sat next to Cas to talk about science.

"Hey man, thank you so much," I patted his shoulder. 

"Of course," He didn't even look up from his book.

"What's it about" I pointed to On the Road.

"Oh, it's not your kind of book. You wouldn't like it," Cas muttered assertively. 

"I'm sure I would"

"When I finish, I'll let you borrow it," Cas clearly was uncomfortable.

"Ok," I decided not to press.

We sat in awkward silence. It was painful. I tried not to stare while he read his book, but he's all I wanted to pay attention to. I noticed the way his eyes glowed, the way his lip curled when he read something funny, the way he brushed his fringe away from his face.

"Dean...Dean...Dean," I finally noticed that Cas was talking to me.

"Huh?" Shit.

"You're staring," 

"You're a pretty picture," I tried to laugh it off, and I guess it worked because he smiled.

He titled his head in surprise at the comment, but he didn't say anything about it, just turned to his book again. I stared more this time, making it very obvious. He looked up again and grinned. This time, I scooted closer. Now, we were only inches apart. Without looking up, he put his head on my shoulder and continued reading. His hair was soft against my cheek. His arm fit perfectly next to mine. I felt so warm and fuzzy. I never had this feeling before.

* * *

"Hut, hut, 67," Bobby was yelling out commands, "Let's go, boys!"

The bright lights lit up the dark field. It was the fourth quarter, and things were looking good. Tried to keep my head in the game as I made a pass to Cas. Cas fumbled the ball, and another player tackled him.

"What are you doing, Novak?" Bobby yelled. Fumbles were out of character for Cas.

I noticed that the opponent was on top of Cas. This was more malicious than just a tackle. 

"Hey!" Gabe tried to break them up but got lost in the mix. 

Finally, a ref noticed and threw up a flag, "Fifteen-yard penalty!"

Cas stumbled up, his lip was bleeding, and a bruise formed around his eye. We cleared the field to regroup. Cas would most-likely be evaluated, and that player, Azazel, would be suspended. Bobby took Cas to the medical station and, after, walked to the refs and the other coach. You could see them conversing. Bobby's face was solemn.

"So, after talking to the other coach and the refs, we've decided to end this game. The behavior was unacceptable, and we want to prevent any other incidents from happening." Bob said, disappointingly. 

"Ugh, I want to kill this kid!" Gabe yelled. His face was red hot.

"Exactly," Cas spoke up from the bench. No one even noticed that he walked over. "This is what we want to prevent." 

Gabe crossed his arms. He's quite the drama queen.

Bobby told us to gather our stuff and meet him outside to get on the bus. Most of the team was able to grab their belongings quickly. I was about to leave the locker room when I heard someone grunt. They sounded frustrated. 

"Dean! Are you still in here?" Cas called out.

"Um...yeah? Why?"

Cas walked out from behind a row of lockers, shirtless. I tried to contain myself, but the sweat against his skin, the ruffled wet hair, the smile, he looked hot. I must say.

He looked defeated, "I can't find my bag."

I nodded, and Cas continued, "Can you tell Coach Singer that I'll be late? I need to find my bag."

I ran to Bobby, "Cas can't find his bag. I'm gonna stay and help him. I'll call for you to pick me up later."

"Sounds good, kiddo," Bobby gave me two thumbs up.

I ran back to Cas just to find him with his head between his knees on a bench. I didn't know what to do, so I just placed my hand on his back and left it there. 

The room smelled of old sweat and mud. The smell was so overwhelming, I don't know how I didn't notice it earlier. There are lots of things I haven't seen, I start to think about what I've actually paid attention to.

"Cas?" I question. "Are you ok?"

He shook his head. He didn't even move from his position, so I got up to look around. The lockers didn't have locks, so I opened all of them. Nothing. I checked under benches, in stalls; I even looked by the toilets.

"Man, I can't find it," I sighed.

Seconds after I said those words, the lights went out, and I heard the twist of a key.

"Damnit!" I'd never heard Cas curse before, "What are we gonna do?"

"Cas, I don't know," I said as I tried to think. 

I opened my phone to see that it was dead. I couldn't use the flashlight, and if Cas didn't have his bag, he didn't have his phone with him. Thankfully, I had a charger in my pocket, but it would take at least an hour for my Motorola to charge. Damn, that phone takes forever.

"We're gonna miss the party, and it's all my fault," Cas started sobbing.

"No, don't cry," I don't do well with tears. I sat back down on the bench.

"Dean…" Cas scooted away from me.

"What?" I moved closer so I could hear him through the sobs.

Cas turned and kissed me. His soft lips against mine felt like heaven on a platter. He ran his hands through my hair as he swung his legs over onto my lap. I lay down on my back as he leaned into me. I began kissing back but still letting him lead. This is what I wanted. I've been yearning for this. He moves from my lips to my neck, and I run my hands across his muscles.

"Dean?"

"Cas?"

"God, I love it when you say my name," He says as he undresses me faster.

* * *

After we finish, I check my phone to see if it is charged. The time says 7:15. It's only been an hour since the game ended, so we're not too late.

"So what do we do now?" Cas was lying on the bench, looking at the ceiling.

"Call Bobby to pick us up, I guess?" I ran out of solutions, "I think someone stole it."

"You're probably right, but how do we get out of here?" Cas questioned.

I did not think about that. We were in a locked locker room after school hours with no way of getting out or seeing.

It took me a moment, but I came up with a solution. There's a window high up in the back, so I slid another bench towards it so I could reach it. I flicked the lock on the window, and it budged. It was a small window, but I could climb up and slide my torso through without issue. 

"Cas!" I yelled as I slid downwards out of the window, back into the locker room.

"What?"

"I found a solution."

* * *

Bobby arrived quickly to pick up a poor freezing shirtless Cas and me.

"No bag?" Bobby questioned.

We shrugged and told him we couldn't find it. Bobby said that we were never playing this school again. Cas and I were content with that. I looked over to Cas and smiled. He smiled back and giggled. I held out my hand, and he took it. I felt the warm sensation through my body again as he touched me.

"What's up with you guys?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing," I smiled but quickly pulled my hand away from Cas. I wasn't ready to tell Bobby yet.

* * *

We arrived at Valentine's party, and Jo was the first to greet me.

"Did you forget about me?" Jo wrinkled her nose in annoyance.

"Sorry, I was looking for Cas's bag." I'm not lying.

"Well, I found another date." Jo turned to a girl, Lisa.

"Hey Dean," Lisa waved and pointed to a redhead, "Meet Charlie!"

"Hi! I'm Jo's girlfriend!" Charlie stuck out her hand enthusiastically. 

I laughed—what a wild night. I strolled over to the drink table and grabbed some punch. Cas found me through the crowd. He was shy now.

"Dean? Are we going to talk about this?" Cas insisted.

"Sure."

"I like you."

"I get that." I wondered what the problem was.

"And?" Cas seemed unsure.

I moved closer to Cas and hugged him. 

Cas told me that Gabe had grabbed his bag from the locker room because he knew that Cas was hurt. Gabe was goofy but kind at heart. Cas was thankful that he did, and no one stole it.

That reminded me that I had something to give Cas. I opened my bag and handed Cas a mixtape with some Zeppelin favorites.

"Dean, I can't take this," Cas was in awe.

"It's a gift; you keep those." I smiled and took his hand to dance.

[thewanderer-000]

Riding Hood

WIP

Tagged by @mrspaigeomega

(Note: this is my own story of a modern red riding hood. I've never written anything that wasn't fan fiction, so here's what I wrote so far. This may be a short series. I don't know yet, I'm making this up as I go along.

Another note: it's got some gory parts)

The sun casting shadows through the enchanted forest in early morning, RRH Night Rangers(Red Riding Hoods Rangers) coming off of watch. Ranger Stephen Blythe walked away from one of many ranger towers, trails curved throughout the magnificent trees. Ranger Blythe hears the trampling steps of Ranger Hathaway as he raced to jump on Blythe. And like that Blythe moved to see Hathaway crash land on the trail with an audible thud.

"Ow! Hey you're supposed to wait for me" Hathaway whimpered as he came to a stance, "And I told you I'm leaving as soon as Halen and Reese show up, not 30 minutes after. Plus, I told you Halen doesn't date co-workers. Didn't I tell you, I told you, she don't" Blythe mocked as they walked the trail.

Hathaway then stood looking at Blythe annoyed, as soon as Blythe turned to mock Hathaway more, they just stood there till they both burst out laughing. They both began moving, it was early and they were tired.

"But maybe she'll change her mind" Blythe huffed unsure whether that would happen. Though it seemed like she was figuring something out, he'd known her enough to get it. She was like one of his sisters. Continuing to hike through the trails, before Blythe could really say anything an echo sang out. It sounded like it came from the small waterfall, before Blythe could motion Hathaway to keep moving the dunce went straight to the waterfall.

"Ugh, it's like trying to wrangle a puppy" Blythe exasperated as he followed his "green" partner. The singing was mesmerizing as they got closer, a total of 20 minutes and there Hathaway stood dumbfounded, and peeping.

"Hathaway, let's get going you dunce, I don't have time for this, plus it's hella creepy" Blythe never used hella before, so Hathaway looked back at Blythe even more dumbfounded. Blythe huffed and grabbed Hathaway's arm and he stepped on a stick and that made the singing stop. Hathaway ran into Blythe knocking him down, repeating shit over and over as he ran away. Tired and annoyed Blythe started to get up slowly hoping they didn't startle the woman.

"Well, Ranger Stephen Blythe, why don't you get out of the bushes and enjoy the sun with me" Blythe was surprised that the woman knew that it was him, he silently cursed under his breath at Hathaway, who was long gone, probably made it to town by now. Blythe did as was asked of him, he dusted himself off and went to the mystery woman.

"I'd like to apologize for my-" Blythe started but was taken back by the womans exposed skin, she smiled as she looked down at herself and back up at the reddened Ranger.

"Oh no, no need to apologize, I was hoping that you would come, I'm just glad that other man left us" she said with an impish smile, as her long dark hung over her shoulder covering her chest and the water blurred her from the waist down.

"What- who are you exactly, Miss?" Blythe stood there, then started stepped closer trying to piece together where he knew this mysterious woman. His hazel blue eyes focusing on her face, then noticed her stuff off to the side hanging on a conveniently chopped branch. She giggled knowing damn well he had no clue.

"We've never met, I've seen you around town and heard you in this forest talking, grumbling or other" she said looking him up and down with happy curious eyes. Making him feel slightly old with that grumbling comment, but she looked about his age. Blythe stood sternly trying to recall but was coming up short where in town he'd seen her, except for what he had said and done in the forest. But he had seen her, here, though it couldn't be possible. Enchanted forest people talked to it, held occult events or came to the waterfall for a swim, up to the lake for recreation, and found secluded spaces for intimate activities. This place did play tricks at times, and now maybe one of those times Stephen thought.

"Bellamy, Bellamy Reed" she said before dunking in the water and swam close to shore, she stood and walked out not shy about the fact she was bare. Stephen kept his eyes on everywhere but her, she smiled at him, and laughed. And stepped closer to him, and cleared her throat.

"You can look now, Stephen" he still didn't look down. "Just because you're close doesn't mean you are covered" Bellamy rolled her eyes and trudged over and dawned her dark cloak. He looked at her as soon as he heard the fabric sweeping the ground as she walked.

"Better? Ok, I'm positive you know why I'm here, I know, believe me. It's conflicting, I thought it was insane too, but I can't explain" Bellamy said hopeful but looked nervous, Stephen didn't like this part about the forest but he couldn't deny that he felt something. Even before his last marriage this was something that kept popping up, and more so after a couple of weeks ago. He knew trying to recreate his dream would bring more up and it did, dream woman stood before him like in his dream. Too much like the dream.

"I don't know what this forest has intended for us but are you sure you want to go through with it, go through with the deed? Like I know that I tried to recreate it but it's really, real, now" Bellamy sighed, and looked at Stephen with eyes that glowed a brilliant sapphire. Invisible sigils on the trees light up as the same sapphire.

"Have faith" Bellamy said, and with that Stephen Blythe knew Bellamy knew more than she let on. A riding hood and a witch, not exactly rare but it had people talking. Let them talk, he wasn't going to pass up someone like Bellamy Reed.

_______________________________

"Daniella!? Daniella Blythe?! Where are you?- Ahh, Geez!" Howell shrieked clutching his chest, I stood chartling at him as he looked at the ground mortified. This time I didn't mean to scare him, but he's my bestfriend, he understands. I step lightly, plus the enchanted forest keeps me safe, I was conceived in this forest. It's home.

"I'm sorry, Howell" I apologize between laughing and getting slapped on my arm, which only made me laugh more. Then he grabs my hand and sighs calmly.

"I thought you slipped away, I thought you-" he took a deep breath, I knew what he thought, but I don't think I'd get caught. Says every person who gets caught on tv, I'll probably get caught at some point. But I chuckle and pat my friends back.

"Hot chocolate? And I'll make us some dinner?" I offer but he looks torn, he's got a date. He doesn't have to say it, I know he does. He wouldn't hang so early if he didn't have somewhere to be at night. I sigh, a tired sigh, he's ditching me again. He's trying to say something but doesn't want to upset me, Howell is making this face that's driving me up a dang tree.

"Howell, just say it" I say with a huff. He smiles and is jittery with excitement.

"Ok, so as you can guess, I got a date. And they have a friend fresh out of a relationship, and I saidyou'dgoonadoubledatejusttotestthewaters" he thought saying everything fast would be enough to get me to say yes, he was dead wrong. I swear I was seeing red.

"Ugh, I would have preferred you going on a date, a double date. You dragged me into a date, come on, man!" I whined but he was staring at me with his puppy eyes, I gave sighing groan. Which means I'm going. Howell cheered, then immediately called his date as he dragged me to my grandmother's cottage to beautify ourselves for tonight.

And of course it was a double date at the fall carnival, Rangers, magic folk and Beings of all sorts and humans. So being a Rangers daughter I sported my signature red riding hood, you don't pay admission to get into any event but if the shit goes down you run towards the danger. So my phone is on my person, I'm also sporting a nice leather bag containing emergency/magic supplies and a med kit. So if my date is bad I'm ready for duty with the RRH Rangers.

_______________________

Which 45 minutes in my date and I were handling a drunk in the food court, I call nurses station as my date is trying to help a drunk party boy from falling on his own face, again. Greta zooms around the corner in her custom cart with her helpful nurses. She's head nurse and serveys the area like a hawk, before she leaves she kisses the top of my head and gives me some lollipops.

"That's cool, so I'm guessing you're her favorite" I smile coyly at my date before I enjoy my free candy, he doesn't seem bad but who knows. I was tired and ready to go home, and considering that I came with Howell, I was left stranded practically.

"This date was interesting, but it's getting late-" he stands upright in shock. I can't help but giggle at him, plus if I'm walking through the forest I'll need to leave now.

"I'm not implying that the date was bad, I just have to walk home and it's a bit of walk" right as I finish that sentence Ranger Hathaway Jr. pulls up in his jeep. I exasperate with a sigh.

"Ugh, what are you doing here?" I complain as he jumps out his jeep and bounds over to me with a big smile, he opens his arms for a hug, I smile at him and give a friendly hug.

"I talked to Howell, said you were both here on dates. And knowing you, I know you are walking so I thought I'd escort you, little sister" I laughed at him, "little sister?". 'Bitch, I'm 2 years older than you, we ain't doing this', I'm amused but just hoping that we can go.

"Ranger Hathaway Jr. this is William Lewis. William Lewis this is Timothy Hathaway Jr.." Timothy looked him up and down, I sigh, roll my eyes. And smile at William, and mouth "excuse him, bad manners", he laughs.

"I know 'em, new guy. Let's get going, Dani. See you tomorrow, new guy" Timothy says annoyed and gets on his jeep in a bit of a huff.

"I'll see you around, William" I call out I go with Timothy, giving a wave and smile.

Timothy peels out so fast that I don't hear William say goodbye, I don't know what Timothy's problem is but he sure has a big up his ass. I look out the window ignoring Timothy, he drives calmly through the forest about half an hour later we were close to the cottage. He pulls off to the side near the destination, he leans over and brings my face to his and kisses me. We sit there kissing after a while I pull away, this was an old habit that I had a problem kicking. We kiss and then end up in the backseat, we argue. And then he follows me to the cottage where he basically spends the night, then we get in a fight in the morning.

But tonight is different, something is outside watching, someone's here. The wind through the trees howls then a wolf howls, I don't think, I just get out of the jeep. Timothy follows but I go straight to the source, it's right there in the back. I run and see a large werewolf tangled up in my clothes line, I look back and see Timothy trying to call me to him. I turn to see two coming out of the trees, I approach and crouch down beside the werewolf caught in my sheets and clothes line.

"You're ok, I'm going to help you, ok?" I say to the large, large being whimpering, I cut through the fabric and string. Being as gentle and firm as needed. I uncover the sheets around his head and cut the string around his neck, I am met with large breathy wolf breaths.

"Hi" I say to the large werewolf just before I get get licked. The least he could do was buy me a drink first, I almost pet him but refrain from doing so. Timothy is standing behind me placing his pocket knife in his pocket, looking a little disappointed that he left it in his jeep.

"Look it's getting late, maybe we can talk or something tomorrow, or later" Timothy nods scratching his head. I don't wait for his reply, personally I just want him gone.

I am unsure what to do so I run inside, and grab a large serving bowl to offer some water to my new guests. Luckily the large werewolf I cut from my tangled clothes line was there in the front yard. Tail wagging fast and eager, I quickly crank the bucket up from well, I offer him some water, I hear the other two come around the corner. And I go back in and grab two more bowls and fill the bowls, my guests drink, I was so preoccupied I didn't notice Timothy had left. And frankly I was fine with it, I was done with him, I wanted to be done with that cycle.

I felt how heavy my eyes were when I blinked, I looked at my guest who were probably as tired as I was. I blinked fast once one of my guests were human, I looked at her unsure how to react. Then I looked at the large werewolf in front of me expecting him to go human.

"He can't turn back till morning, I'm Jennifer Jennings, this is Andrew Brown, our little brother" the younger woman said pointing at the smaller werewolf behind her.

"And the big boy that was tangled in the clothes line is Chuck Spadina" the young woman giggled at the last name as the large werewolf nipped at her. I stifled a giggle. The young woman fastened my sheet wrapped around her as she stood kinda giggling and embarrassed about her lack of clothes.

"This large boys name is David Jennings. We were roaming and running around the area. Then Andrew and David were wrestling and running till David got tangled in your linens. They ran far so he's been sitting here for an hour or so, waiting for Andy to return with some help. If David could talk he'd be very sorry, and pay for the damages or fix any of the damage. By morning he could" the werewolf stood with an awe, I could feel that he would be good on his word and I took their word for it.

"I'd be glad to see him tomorrow, I should let you all go about your night, I hope you have a good night" then like that I hear the woman chirp with excitement and in a blink three werewolves ran off into the forest. Anything that was a mess could be cleaned tomorrow on a nice and easy Sunday.

_______________________________

Wolves snarled and tugged on a cloth, a mysterious breeze blew, whirling leaves and love letters over a village. I sat in my hiding spot hoping, praying that if the marauders came back the wolves would deal with them. They slain my love, my family, and my whole village. I cursed at myself for days as I bury everyone, the wolves stayed by me whimpering. They felt my breaking heart, I wanted my family, my village back. My rage wanted me to burn the ruined huts, but I didn't have it in me as I wept and carried everyone to their graves.

That was the past, my hopes and dreams lie in the earth becoming one with mother earth. My future sat beside me chewing on a rib, the moon lightly illuminated the whole outside, I decided to go look at it. My friend followed me as I clutch the knife on my side ready for any strangers lurking. I was comforted by the gentle glow, I gaze up at the moon. It had the color of blood. A witches moon, I think that's what my grandparents called it, I looked down at the beautiful golden eyes observing me closely. Like he knew what I was thinking, he walked in front of me, then faced me and sat. I didn't waste no time, I slashed my hand and let him bite, soon I was swarmed by more. It felt so final, I wanted to shed my past, shed my pain. Be reborn, I felt words from my heart being spoken aloud.

"I give myself to your nature

I give myself to your kind

Accept me as your own

Accept me as part of your pack

My soul is bound to you

I am giving my being to you"

I say before I pass out from the pain, I hoped that they accepted me or at least my sacrifice. My heart beating wildly, I opened my eyes up to bright blue morning sky, panting heavily. My heart raced as the weight that hurt felt lighter.

I hear a light pounding, it continues and continues. I soon realize it's morning as I squint at my clock, I slept pretty heavy, my head felt groggy and I felt my balance was off as I got up feeling dizziness. The knocking wasn't going to quit as I did my best to stand, I fell back when I turned to try and make it out to answer the door. Then the door swung open as I stood holding on to my bed, Timothy calling out to me as another set of boots followed his.

"Daniella! Dani, are you ok?" and the first place he looked was bathroom as a tall giant immediately came right to me. He looked worn out a bit but probably better than me at this very moment.

"Are you Daniella? Can you get up? Feel any pressure anywhere? Any dizziness, headaches?" I nodded at how handsome he looked close up, but I also just woke up so I needed a while. Before I could think, the man picked me up and placed me back in bed, adjusting my pillows to sit me up comfortably. I could feel a blush burning across my skin, he was so strong. And fascinatingly tall, but I was five foot six so enough people are taller than I.

My heart raced as I did my best to focus, his inquiry was interesting. It's like he knew what was going on, did he have the same dream too.

[iwillbeinmynest]

The Monte Carlo Job - Steve x Reader(f)   Chapter 2

Authors Notes: Here comes Part 2 Y'all! I hope you are enjoying this series. I know it came out of nowhere but I was feeling sad and wanted to just post something so I started a new series, even though I haven’t finished my last one... Anywayyysss, Have some more Steve!

Word Count: 1.8k

Notes/Warnings: Your typical action/MI type trope. There is glitz and glam as well as running for your life and fighting to stay alive. Bad guys and allies, guns and galas. Mentions of death, one sleazy and creepy guy who makes one too many passes, use of guns, fighting, drinking, being framed for murder and clearing your name. It’s a wild ride folks!

Masterlist   Series Masterlist

Chapter 2

Y/N and Steve walked hand in hand back to the main floor of the museum where the actual Gala was being held.

The grand room was littered with tall tables and waiters with trays of glasses. There was a quartet in the back corner playing classical music and a small stage to the right with a lone microphone on it.

Bucky waved at them through the crowd and caught Steve’s eye.

“There you two are.” Nat smiled when they reached the table. “What were you up to, huh?”

Y/N shook her head. “Not what you think, we actually looked at the art.”

“Of course you were,” Bucky said. “Cause Stevie, here, wouldn’t dare do anything scandalous.”

“I would.” Steve defended himself. “I just happen to know the guy in charge of security and I know that all of the cameras are running.”

They chuckled.

“So,” Y/N looked around the room. “Who’s the target?”

Steve raised his brows as he scanned the floor. “Not sure yet. I recognize a few faces so I’ll have to make my rounds but I’ll let you know when I need a trophy on my arm to close a deal.”

Y/N smacked his arm and Nat and Bucky laughed.

“Please,” Y/N laughed, “If anything, you’re the trophy in this relationship.”

“She’s right.” Nat gracefully snatched two glasses of champagne from a passing tray. Bucky did the same. “You should hear the dirty things the women at our spin class say when you pick us up every thursday.”

“Excuse me?” Steve’s eyes widened.

Y/N laughed. “Oh come on, sweetheart. Girls will be girls, right?”

Nat held up her glass for a toast, “Here’s to another fantastic evening together. May we land a new client or have a blast tryin’.”

“Cheers!” They all raised their glasses.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Y/N and Nat usually stuck together and tonight was no different. They were standing a few tables over speaking with what Steve could only presume were other wives and girlfriends.

Steve and Bucky had been making their rounds, speaking with previous clients and making new acquaintances. These men were the richest of the rich, and that’s coming from Steve who lives beyond comfortably. The men tried to talk to Steve and Bucky about the military and people they knew that served.

It took Steve all he had not to roll his eyes, clearly these men had never seen war and the fact that they talked as though they had was infuriating.

“So, I say to the man,” A gentleman in an ascot smiled and waved his cigar around. “Either you pay me or I’ll send Howard!”

The other men around them laughed, Bucky and Steve smiled politely but shared a look.

“Well said, John.” Steve set a hand to the man’s back. “Excuse us.”

Both he and Bucky nodded and walked away from the table.

“I swear, Steve,” Bucky clenched his jaw and tried to take a subtle deep breath. “I don’t know why you make me come to these things.”

“I know,” Steve shook his head as they headed for Y/N and Nat. “But if I have to suffer, I’m not doing it alone.”

“I thought that’s why Y/N is here?”

“And make her listen to that crap, no way. I bring her so I can see her dolled up like that.” He nodded at his wife.

“We got lucky didn’t we?” Bucky watched Nat run her ring finger around the brim of her whiskey glass. She looked over and gave him a wink.

“That’s an understatement.” Steve smiled when Y/N followed Nat’s gaze and smiled at Steve.

Y/N and Nat excused themselves from the group of women and walked arm in arm to their husbands.

“You boys havin’ fun, yet?” Nat asked as she let go of Y/N and leaned into Bucky’s chest.

“Not at all.” He kissed the top of her head.

“How about you?” Steve asked Y/N.

She shrugged her shoulders, “Those women don’t know anything about what their husbands or boyfriends do. They’re just having a bragging party.”

“I wasn’t talking about prospective clients, babe, but I appreciate that your mind is on the company.”

Y/N smiled. “Well, you’re really gonna wish we’d landed one when you see the receipt for this dress.”

Steve closed his eyes and chuckled.

“Your girl has expensive taste.” Bucky teased his best friend.

“Nat picked it out.” Y/N clarified.

Both Steve and Bucky nodded.

“Now, see,” Steve grinned. “That makes more sense.”

Steve leaned down and kissed the side of Y/N’s head. “You ready to call it a night?”

“Yeah,” She smiled up at him. “I am.”

“Okay, then.” Steve held out his elbow and she wrapped her hand around it. “Shall we?”

As the two couples were making their way towards the exit, a man stepped out in front of them.

“Are you Mr. Rogers of Stealth Security?” The man asked. His Russian accent slowed his words but he spoke english well.

Steve held out a hand and the man took it in a firm shake. “I am. Have we met?”

“I’m afraid not.” The man straightened his spine and leaned his head back slightly. “My name is Petrov Lebedev and your reputation precedes you.” he grinned.

Steve raised his brows and lowered his arm, taking Y/N’s hand in his and squeezing it as an apology for staying longer. “Does it?”

“Yes. I have heard that you offer exceptional service in the matter of private security.”

A woman appeared at Petrov’s back. Y/N smiled at her but, the woman simply looked Y/N up and down then at Petrov.

Y/N was shocked at her blatant rudeness but kept quiet.

Beside her was another man, who could only be described as seedy. He was shorter than Steve but just as fit. His beard was stubbly and seemed to have a few scars in it where the hair no longer grew. He also eyed Y/N but in a way that made her squirm.

Steve didn’t miss that. He shifted his weight to land mostly in front of Y/N. “And who escorts you tonight?” Steve asked with very little patience, but he covered it with politeness to Petrov.

Petrov looked over and then back to Steve. “This is Sacha, my right hand and partner. And this,” He put an arm around the woman’s waist, tugging her forward. “Is Katryana.”

Steve nodded but didn’t address them. He turned to Bucky. “This is my partner, Bucky, and his wife, Natasha. And this,” he eyed Sacha hard, “Is my wife.”

Y/N straightened and tipped her head up. “Nice to meet you.” She made sure to only say that to Petrov, who hadn’t offended her, yet.

Petrov smiled then turned his attention to Steve. “I have an event coming up in three weeks in Monte Carlo and I am looking for a full team to escort myself, Sacha and Katryana around. I’m looking for everything from bodyguards to security during transportation and whatnot for the two days that we are there.”

Steve inhaled to speak but Petrov cut him off. “Money is no object and I assure you I can pay whatever you ask. Please, I want the best of the best and I have been promised that that is you.”

Steve recognized the touch of flattery but didn’t care for it.

“Well, how about I take your card and I will have my secretary check our schedule and see what we can come up with?” Steve offered. No way was he about to accept on the spot.

“Of course, of course,” Petrov smiled. “I do have one additional request though, which I understand might make a difference on the bill.”

Steve smiled and waited.

“I would like to see you there, personally. You can even bring your wife and make a trip of it, yes?”

Steve took a deep breath to unclinch his jaw and grinned. “We will consider it, schedule pending, of course.”

“Yes, of course.” Petrov pulled a card from the inside pocket of his coat. “I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise,” Steve took it and slid it into his pocket without a glance. “Have a good evening.”

Steve took Y/N’s hand and escorted her to the foyer where all four of them collected their coats.

“I don’t like him, Steven.” Y/N said with a sigh. It was rare that she spoke out against a client but there was something about Sacha that she absolutely did not like.

“I know, I’m sorry.” He stood behind her as a shield, separating her from the ballroom, “We can discuss it on Monday. Forget about him for now.” He took her hand and kissed her palm.

Bucky huffed. “If Sacha had looked at Nat that way, I’d have laid him out right there.”

Steve snapped to Bucky and glared at him, “You think I didn’t want to?”

Bucky swallowed and took a breath. He held the door open for Nat and then Y/N and Steve. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know you would, I just-”

Nat put her hand on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. “Let it go, baby.” She cooed and kissed him quickly.

Steve walked away to pay the valet. Y/N walked half way and waited for him.

“I’m sorry.” Y/N said sincerely when the valet ran off to bring the car around.

Steve looked at her curiously, his frustration fading slightly, “For what?”

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “All of that. Sacha, Petrov, Bucky. And you know he didn’t mean it like that, right? He was just as heated as you.”

“I really doubt that.” Steve grumbled.

“Steve,” She said his name with a tone that urged for his attention. He looked down at her. “I’m fine. Totally over it. He didn’t touch me, everything is fine.”

“He didn’t have to touch you, did you see-”

Bucky passed with Nat to retrieve their car and Steve inhaled sharply.

Just then the valet returned and handed the keys to Steve.

Y/N took his hands. “He loves you, and me. He just talks too much.” She offered a small smile.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He fiddled with the keys to his Tesla.

“Don’t be mad at Bucky for something you would have done if the situation was reversed.” Y/N added.

Steve nodded then pulled Y/N into a tight hug, kissing the crown of her head. “I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?” She looked up at him.

He leaned down, close enough to kiss her. “Fix everything.” He smiled against her mouth and kissed her softly.

Bucky and Nat approached calmly.

Y/N hugged Nat and Steve and Bucky clasped arms in a firm shake. Steve nodded to Bucky and Bucky nodded back.

“Have a good night.” Y/N said to Nat with a kiss to the cheek.

“We will, you too.” She smiled. Both of them were relieved to see the balance restored between their husbands.

Steve waved to Bucky as they walked off then turned to open the door for Y/N. She stopped close against him before she sat down into the car. “Thanks for protecting me.” She patted his chest.

He took her hand and held it over his heart, “Always.”

* * * * * * *

Forever Tags:

@cassiopeiassky

​ @sgtbxckybxrnes

​@itsanerdlife

​ @beccaanne814

​ @tanelle83

​ @artemis521

​@elaacreditava

​ @feelmyroarrrr

​@palaiasaurus64

​ @the-stuttering-kiwi

​@destiel-artemis

​ @sexyvixen7

​@girl-next-door-writes

​ @coolest-avenger

​@xoxabs88xox

​ @youclickedthislink

​@also-fangirlinsweden

​ @widowvinter

​@daughterofthenight117

​ @drayshadow

​@archy3001

​ @miraclesoflove

​Monte Carlo Tags:

[jarofrebuke-transcripts]

Jar of Rebuke Episode 1 Unofficial Transcript

Season 1 Episode 1: Pilot

INTRO

The following audio recording is classified documentation for Case [audio distortion] with the Enclosure. Unauthorized access to this information will lead to immediate intervention. Progress further if proper clearance has been given.

JARED

Dr. Daman has suggested that I start an audio journal of some kind, something outside of my therapy sessions to help me track my progress or whatever. Considering I don't have much of anything that's mine anymore, she suggested that this might actually be a good way to reclaim some of my individuality. Maybe talking about what I do know of myself might help me remember more. So I guess I'll start with what I know. My name is Dr. Jared Hel. I'm a field researcher for the Enclosure. I specialize in studying the particularly dangerous creatures around here. For some reason, no matter their effect on others, nothing is permanent on me. Gods, the amount of times I've died this last year is probably more than I should ever care to admit. I guess it's a blessing in disguise though, it's job security, for one thing. A scientist who can't die no matter how dangerous the entity he's studying? I think I'm set. Sure, I may bounce back from death with a few more scars but they're relatively healed up and I'm rarely ever in much pain when I wake up. Though, to be fair, if the Enclosure just left these creatures alone I’m sure this wouldn't even be an issue in the first place, but no... they just gotta meddle.

I started working at the enclosure, what, two years ago? Though I've really only been on the field for less than a year. Apparently, I worked at a different research site for some other organization before that but I don't really remember anything from before two years ago. I supposedly transferred here to research a particularly dangerous subject, the one that... um... well the one that killed my team. And me, I guess. The most frustrating thing is the lack of remembering- I don't remember any of their names, their faces, nothing. I had to relearn absolutely everything and no matter what I relearn I never remember. It's so infuriating knowing that there's a whole childhood and more that I have yet to recollect anything from. I feel so left out of reminiscent conversations, you know? Well of course you know, I'm practically talking to myself here. All I know of myself before the incident is what was on my work file- top of my class graduate from IU, but I don't remember a damn thing about my time there. Apparently there's a lot of fields around there, though I guess that's not too different from the towns around here. Born and raised in those corn fields, according to my records. No documented family to speak of. But from what other folks in the lab have shared about their families- maybe I’m not missing out on too much.

When asked about getting in touch with the folks from the other facility that I worked at they didn't seem to think that it would be too helpful. Hell, how would they even know who to put me in touch with? Wasn't like they would have documented my friends or anything. So again, nothing. Story of my damn life. And of course there's Todd. Oh I’m sorry, Dr Todd Carmen. He's currently head of operations at the enclosure. He's, uh, I'll say he's a character. Not as unique as he thinks he is but certainly not boring, but just because something isn't boring doesn't mean that it's entertaining. He has a fashion sense that I would have never personally considered wearing, but um that shade of orange with his pale complexion? Simply bold choices in my opinion. But I'm sure he'll get himself sorted out someday. Besides all that though I guess it's not too bad. Job security with benefits- apparently a lot of jobs don't offer health insurance. Though with our line of work it's kind of necessary, to keep us alive.

Uh, what else do I know? The Enclosure is an organization based out in the middle of absolute nowhere that researches the various anomalies, but really only bothers with the particularly dangerous ones. Like, really dangerous ones. I mean bigfoot, mothman, that sort of stuff they really just leave to their own devices for the most part. Sure they hurt and even I guess sometimes kill people, but not a lot of people, and enough people already know about those things to not really hide them away now. Wichton is like two hours from any other town. It's guised as a farming town. Uh well no, it is a farming town but the enclosure has taken it as its guise. Most of the facilities are underground, deep underground. They paid off all the townsfolk back when they were building to not ask questions. And considering they built it during a massive economic depression, no one asked questions, the townsfolk took the money. But there's still some circulating rumors about us to this day, of course. As long as we keep the particularly dangerous creepy crawlies underground with us they've got no reason to worry too much. Sure, sometimes things sneak out and make weird noises in the fields at night but country folk are superstitious folk, and if nothing else it's what these people have known all their lives. Suspicious lights, weird noises and mutated deer don't even faze these people. The Enclosure picks its battles when it decides what to tackle, that's for damn sure. Not like they're an international brand or anything, they only have the resources to stick to these neck of the woods, and with all the anomalies in these parts, not really surprised that they settled here. Been here for nearly 100 years and have very little idea why it's such a supernaturally charged area. Some say it might be the fact that folks are so superstitious that it basically invites the energy here. But others think there's a reason, but it ain't my department to figure that out. The hardest part of the job is getting things into the facility. But sometimes the hot shots up top decide to just have us study those things from afar since taking them out of their established locations seems impossible. So many ladies in gray and white dresses all over the place, we can't exactly make a support group for them here or anything! Not when they're out busy haunting dunes or lakes or crying by the side of the road or whatever. Not really hurting anyone all that much, so they've mostly just been left alone. We keep tabs, but we also don't always interfere. Oh and being the sacrificial lamb is a bit annoying, but I bounce back quickly enough. Death has gotten less disorienting over time, but no less annoying.

What did I do today? Well... I had a shorter day, shift-wise, so I went in at like 6 a.m, then got out around one-ish. I was supposed to leave closer to noon but I ended up having to stop at Dr. Rahal’s office for a bit for my headaches. They've been getting worse and we don't really know why. At least they come and go in waves, so I get some peace at times. It's always nice to see Dr. Rahal though, he's been the nicest to me since I started at this place, from what I can remember at least. He's one of the Enclosure physicians who I've been seeing. From anything to work related injuries that aren't too severe to these headaches. I swear I've never met a guy in my life who can smile so genuinely and be so sincerely happy over just about anything. It'd honestly be annoying if it weren't so sincere and if he also weren't so genuinely nice. He's really trying to help with these headaches but medicine doesn't really ever help and the medical scans showed nothing that would indicate any issue. I mean, not that they let me see the medical scans. I guess I wouldn't understand them anyways, even if they did let me.

Dr. Rahal thinks that it's likely stress so that takes us back to therapy with Dr. Daman. Had a session after work, which was when she suggested that I really start this up. She's suggested it before but I kind of dismissed the idea until today. She made a very good point- what's the harm in doing it? I mean, it can't make the headaches worse and even if it doesn't help me remember anything, maybe getting things off my chest could help in some way. Therapy was uneventful, not like much happens in a week, just the usual work stuff mostly. Though I have started going out after work a bit more often, even if it's just to a local shop or to grab a bite to eat. Dr. Daman suggested a few months back that I socialize a bit more, and it's been kind of nice. Weird, but nice. I've mostly stuck to myself outside of work, honestly. Well, besides those community events that you're basically ostracized if you don't attend or you get bombarded with those calls of “where were you last night? We were so worried about you, are you okay?”, even if you don't remember giving them your number. I like to go to a restaurant in town called the Royal Cow, they make the best in-house ice cream. They built it to look like one of those red farm houses which matches most of the buildings in town, but their mint chocolate chip ice cream is basically the best ice cream I've ever had. They also make really, really good sugar cream pie. Get it when it's still fresh, it's a little warm, melts in the mouth. I mean it basically cures any hankering for a sweet tooth. So that's what I ordered- a fresh slice of sugar cream pie. But that was my dessert. They do also have some pretty good not-sweet foods. Their lunch menu is alright but their breakfast food is really where it's at. And they do that breakfast all day thing, so I got their breakfast platter which is really, really good food.

On my way home, I bumped into Darius. He's the son of some local farmers in town. His dads have an apple orchard, on top of everything else. The Enclosure actually keeps tabs on their farm, because no matter what his dad John plants, apples always grow. I mean no matter what John plants. He could plant pumpkin seeds in the fall but no apple trees are gonna spring up and I'll be damned if those aren't the best apples. I mean sometimes crab apples grow instead, he can't really control what kind of apples grow, but John has found a way to make crab apples into really good apple pies and ciders and stuff. I've heard they make good jams and jellies, but he perfected a crab apple pie. He said it's “just a lot of love” but I think there's something with those apple trees. But again, not my department to figure it out. Darius and I made small talk. The weather, mostly. So mostly just complaining about how it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so humid or if we just had a nice breeze, but the shade does help. He always makes excuses to talk to me. I'm not complaining, but that does seem to be a thing around town is everyone makes excuses to talk to everybody. Like the one time that Holly stopped me in the middle of the road to chat when we were passing each other. It's a community norm, I guess, but Darius always wants to talk again. I'm not complaining, he's a really nice conversational partner we can chat about just about anything with certain obvious restrictions. He knows I work at the Enclosure, but folks in town seem to think it's some hoity-toity but shady government job. I don't really think we're tied to the government, per se, but whatever lie they've told the towns is just what I stick with. Whether or not they believe that is entirely another story. He knows I'm a scientist, but he thinks i'm more of an environmental natural scientist instead of a supernatural scientist. I guess whether or not he believes that is an entirely other story too, but we don't really talk about work much. On my end I don't bring it up and while he does talk about working on the family farm from time to time, especially because they expect for him to take over, he tries to find other things to talk about. He's gone back to school recently. They recently in town set up a sort of trade school, I guess, where if anyone's considered a master in town they can teach classes to teach other people in whatever skills they have to share. Seems Darius is taking a bit of a Home Ec class, I guess, sewing and cooking and things like that. He said that he's great with his hands in the field but he really wants to round out his hand skills. He then awkwardly chuckled after that but I don't understand why. I mean it's completely respectable to want to be able to stitch up your own clothes or actually have a nice dinner besides the reheated leftovers left on your doorstep or to know what to do when your microwave catches fire. Honestly, I don't really know what all they teach in those classes. I'd never even heard of something like a Home Ec class until Darius told me about it. I wonder if I ever took one. If i wasn't so busy with work I would actually look into taking classes. I like to learn and Darius even said that he'd be more than happy to help me with anything if I needed it which is nice. But I'm a really fast learner. I actually get bored a lot because of it. I don't see why anyone would need five months or years of training or educating. No, I can see why. I also just know that I am the anomaly. When I forgot everything and had to relearn how to read I was at a 10th grade reading level. By what, just a few weeks? And then I was at college level again in a matter of a month. But even though I was relearning stuff quick I never remembered anything. I never remembered books I've read before the incident, I never remembered learning how to read the first time, I just was quickly relearning how to read. I don't even know if you would consider remembering how to read. I mean I'm never remembering anything. I don't even remember the creature that I was working with in the incident. And no one will tell me anything, because they said they want me to remember organically, or something like that. They said they feared something like a trauma, whiplash? I really don't understand it and it just pisses me off more than anything. But Dr. Daman won't budge. No one will let me look over any files of the incident or files on the other lab techs who died. They slapped this key around my neck and said, “here, to keep your brain in check. Oh, you literally remember nothing? Well tough luck, see this therapist and see what happens!” Ugh. They said if it weren't for my weird powers then the incident would have killed me too. They said they don't know why I have this ability to rebound from death like it nearly never happened but they sure are willing to use my ability for work.

Right, the key. Uh, when I woke up the first thing the doctors did was have me wear it around my neck. It’s on some sort of sturdy red cord. I've never taken the thing off in years. You would think that it may have faded a bit or that the cord would have worn, but no. Cord is still sturdy and the key is just as shiny as the day they gave it to me, which isn't that shiny, it was a bit tarnished already, but hasn't gotten any more tarnished. It's supposed to keep my brain in check after the effects of, well, the incident. Dr. Daman says that if I take it off, I risk unlearning absolutely everything that I've learned in the last two years. I don't know why the key is supposed to be the thing that does this, but this is the only time that death has ever made me lose everything, so I figured what's the harm in wearing it. Not like it hurts to wear or anything.

Darius has asked me about it before though. Not when we first met or anything but after multiple times of running into each other he finally asked. I get asked about it a lot but I just say that it's a familial trinket and they tend to just leave it be. But darius had asked after we'd shared a few drinks at a local bar and even though I have a bit of a high tolerance for alcohol and never stay drunk long, he seemed to ask at just the right moment for me to open up a bit more, I guess. I said it's a comfort item, which I guess isn't exactly the whole truth, I actually honestly hate this thing. A constant reminder of all the things that I've forgotten. But I guess there's slight comfort and knowing that because of this key everything that I've relearned will stick. They say it's important to understand all that you don't know, but I know all too well that I've got at least 20 years of things that I don't remember. But hey, with this key I guess i can rebuild that. I must have seemed uncomfortable about this question where he was satisfied with that answer because Darius let it go after that, but I catch him staring at it sometimes. He's asked what I know about skeleton keys, and all things considered I didn't know much, at least didn't remember. He told me that his dads both told him about the powers that keys hold, not just to lock things but even more importantly to unlock them. That a skeleton key could lock or unlock any door to a given building, no matter what other keys people had, commonly used by cleaners and inn owners and stuff like that. He really seems fixated on the idea and I guess the symbolism is a bit striking with my current situation considering... whatever. The less he knows the better. It would be nice to talk to someone outside of the enclosure about more personal stuff from time to time but I can't go around spilling secrets.

Right, my day. Uh, lunch, talked with Darius, uh... after about 15 minutes of “all right I should get going”-s and taking a few steps apart, starting to have talked about other topics and repeating the process, I finally started home. On my way home I drove past some corn fields and various other pastures. The Enclosure gave me a house near the edge of town because after a year of rigorous relearning I didn't want to live in their communal housing anymore. It's not too far from Darius's family orchard and farm which is nice. Nicest farm in the area, in my opinion. There's no real rivalry between the farmers, at least nothing too intense. But something about those trees in the distance out of my window is really relaxing. All the cattle I passed on my way home had moved to face the same direction near the fences and stared into the distance mindlessly grazing. That and the clouds rolling in were very strong indicators that there was going to be a heck of a storm tonight. I didn't listen to the weather announcement this morning but the sky's only gotten darker now so i'm ready to sleep like the dead tonight. But when I was pulling into my driveway I saw something rustling in the bushes by my front door. I thought maybe it was a squirrel or a rabbit or something but then two tiny hands parted the leaves and I saw one of those black-eyed children just sitting there staring at me. I normally only see them at night. I guess it was waiting for me to come home to loiter on my doorsteps or something, I don't know. When I got out of the car I was surprised when it actually climbed out of the bush and just rigidly stared at me with those lifeless black eyes. I got my stuff out of my car and made my way to the door, but it was kind of standing in the way. I just slid on by it with a muttered apology and slipped inside before I could start whispering requests for entrance. Never making that mistake again. No matter how much I want to let them in my house got all sorts of messed up last time and I got a heck of a scolding at work when they found out. I don't shoo them away, but I don't let them in anymore. It was really weird, they normally only come knocking or waiting by the sides of the road at night, I had never seen one in the middle of the afternoon. Once I got settled in I pulled out a book, a crossword book I was gifted at the last community bonfire. I blow through these things really fast but I really like them, so Christine gave me like five of them, all different, claimed that she found the most difficult ones that she could find, which is really sweet. She even wrote little notes on the inside cover of each of them so I've ended up actually keeping them when i'm done so I can reread her notes when I need a little pick-me-up. Whether a crossword book or a little box of treats she always writes uplifting notes and anecdotes inside any gifts she gives anyone, all signed with the most beautiful cursive- “with love, Christine Torres”. She really mothers everyone in town, at least that's what I've noticed. This one is a real toughy, which I like. That's mostly what I've been up to since I got home. I decided that I'd take a break from doing, well, this. Dr. Daman was adamant about me giving it a shot so here we are. Me, myself and I. Oh sorry, hold on, work email. (Whispered: who am i even apologizing to?) Well now, wait a minute. A new lab partner? Dr. Gia Castillo. Why the hell did they give me a new lab partner? I guess I'm meeting her in the morning. I hate it when Todd pulls this, but I’ve got no say in the matter. The usual. But I hate sudden change.

I'm tired, I'm reheating some food Mrs. Weddington gave me and going to bed. I can hear the thunder starting to get louder and that kid outside tapping on my door so I guess I should try and get some sleep. Guess I'll talk to you later? This is actually kind of nice, saying whatever I want without worries. (little laugh) I'm already dreading tomorrow. Well this is Dr. Jared Hel, signing off, I guess.

[tapping sounds, and sounds of thunder, as we fade into the outro]

OUTRO

Jar of Rebuke is written and produced by Casper Oliver, who is also the voice of Dr Jared Hel. The intro is read by Vanessa Rosengrant, and credits are read by Ashley Craft, who has also created the podcast official graphics. Music was created by Luke Menniss, spelled m-e-n-n-i-s-s, who you can find and support on Bandcamp, Spotify and Twitch. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and anywhere else you get your podcast fix for more Jar of Rebuke and also to get updates on upcoming official merch for our show. Support projects by this crew on Patreon to further other queer-lead projects and get neat perks. All donations are appreciated and will grant further clearance to special Jar of Rebuke content. You can also make one-time donations on Ko-fi.

[ussjellyfish]

fic: hold to the now, the here pt 14 | philinda | AoS | mature

So this is the end, and I've been writing this for over two years, which is the longest I've ever written anything (though there was a huge break) I finished it, and it's an amazing feeling.

Many many thanks to @meanderings0ul, because without your nudge I wouldn't have met the podcast folks and they're so supportive and it's just...everything. I'm so happy in fandom again.

Summary: Daisy visits Coulson to help look after baby agent Iris while May’s in Europe with FitzSimmons.

Notes: set about one year after the wedding. (because one year laters, should be happy, show, and have hugging)

"Hi Daisy, thanks, here." Coulson deposits a slightly sticky toddler in her arms the moment she has her coat off. "Iris, say hi to Daisy."

The tiny little being in her arms stares for a long quiet moment. "Oh you look just like mommy now, with the face."

"Mama," Iris repeats and Daisy looks to Coulson.

"Everything okay?" 

He sounded kind of frazzled on the phone as he'd tried to give her directions from the nowhere airport Bobbi had dropped her off at to the nowhere town he and May were living in. GPS found it no problem because there wasn't anything to find but pine trees.

"Mama's okay," Coulson says, kissing Iris' head and meeting Daisy's eyes for a moment. "She'll be back later, I have to get some work done, can you amuse her for a while?"

"Yeah, I'll try."

"Thanks." Coulson touches the baby again then he disappears into his office and it's just Daisy and the kiddo. 

"No," Iris says, staring at the floor. "No."

"No means down or no means not down?" 

Kid could really squirm when she wanted to. 

"No!"

Daisy sets her down and that seemed to be what she wanted. Iris crawls over to a bookshelf and starts pulling all the books off one at a time, looking at them for a moment before making a little mountain. She seems happy enough so Daisy sits on the floor next to her, watching. 

Books with bright covers stack on top of each other. Daisy picks them up, looking at the dinosaurs and planes, then one is shoved into her hands. 

"This one?"

Iris doesn't nod. She stares, and it's disconcerting getting a May death glare from someone who only weighs twenty-five pounds. Can she say yes? Is yes harder than no?"

"No."

"No, I don't like this one or no- please read this to me?"

Iris squinches her chubby face then crawls into Daisy's lap. She makes an expectant noise and hits the book. 

"Okay, I got it."

The book seems to be about a pigeon who is a private eye, except it's full of puns that are actually really funny, but Iris turns the pages as soon as she gets bored of them, which is fast, so Daisy's not really sure what's going on. The pictures are nice. She can't really read it because the kid doesn't have the patience so she comments a few things. 

"Bird."

Iris looks back, waiting. 

"It's a bird, kid. I don't know what kind. Red."

"Bye."

"Bye is like bird."

"No."

"No?"

"Oh no." Iris turns the book to the beginning and waits. When Daisy doesn't start reading, she makes a noise. Iris makes a noise again, more insistent and hits the book. 

"Sorry kid," Daisy starts, "where were we? Right, the pigeon is sitting in his office, wearing a tie like daddy's because of course a detective would wear a tie."

Iris makes a delighted noise and hits one of the illustrations, a brightly coloured bird. She looks back at Daisy, almost hitting her in the nose with her dark little head. 

"Yeah? That's good?"

And then they're at the beginning again. Daisy's not sure how many times they read the book, but she's made up her own plot by the fifth time and decided there should be a sequel later. 

Bored of that, Iris shoves off Daisy's lap and skips the pile of books to start pulling down toys. No toddler needs this many toy airplanes, and yet, kid has quite a collection, also a really nice toy version of a Zephyr and two SHIELD badges that look a little chewed on. 

"Is she supposed to have your badges?" Daisy yells up towards the office. No response. Figures. Walking over she tries to listen for what Coulson's doing, but maybe he has headphones on. When she looks back, Iris is gone and Daisy's heart jumps into her throat.

Fuck. Where could she?

Daisy jogs into the kitchen and Baby Agent is sitting in front of the fridge, legs crossed, looking expectant. 

"Hey, sorry, I didn't know you were so fast."

Iris hits the fridge with her hand and makes the 'read my book' noise. Kind of like an excited puppy. 

"You need something?" What time is it? Should she feed her? Does she need a snack? What do kids eat? Daisy has to scoop her up to open the fridge and they stare into it together. It's healthy, of course, because it's Coulson and May's fridge, but she can't just hand the kid a carrot. 

Can she?

Iris pulls a bag of salad and an onion out of the drawer before Daisy can stop her. She takes a big bite of the onion and looks immediately offended.

"Okay, you want to bite something?"

"Abyye." Iris says, like Daisy speaks baby. 

"Apple?"

"Up-ah."

"Apple?" Daisy asks again, grabbing one from the counter. "This?" Holding it up gets two hands in the air, reaching for the fruit. "Okay, here."

She hands over the apple before it occurs to her that she can't just hand a kid a whole unwashed unpeeled apple...and it's too late because the kid has the apple in her mouth and she takes a huge bite, but Iris has tiny teeth and it's a little mouthful of apple skin she spits out before taking another bite. 

"Good?"

Iris smiles over the apple and keeps biting. She chews and spits out a lot of it, but at least she's entertained. Daisy grabs the kid and her apple and heads to the stairs. Lugging Iris up the steps with her, she pauses outside the door to the office. She shouldn't listen, but it sounds like Coulson's on the phone.  They should leave him to it, maybe it's May, or FitzSimmons, wasn't she going out there to help them with something? 

"Ap-uh," Iris repeats, holding up the partially gnawed apple. 

"Apple," Daisy echoes. "You'll get it."

Holding her apple up to Daisy, Iris grins. "Uh."

"Apple."

"Um," Iris says, holding up with more intention. "Um!"

"Yum?" Daisy tries, pretending to take a bite. 

"Um." Iris agrees, delighted. She mashes the apple into Daisy's face. "Um." 

"Thank you, no thank you."

"No, um." That seems to mean, yes, eat my sticky, slobbery, mangled apple.

So she does. What else can she do. Daisy takes a bite of the least sticky part and Iris laughs. 

"Glad you're happy. Come on, let's see what else we can do."

All the airplanes are sticky and on the floor after they've done that for five minutes. Pieces of apple cling to Daisy's hair, there's water and a squished cracker inside her bra somehow but Iris thinks it's the most hilarious thing if Daisy builds a tower and then quakes it down so they start stacking the blocks again.

Tower six has died for Iris' amusement when Coulson finally comes down the stairs. 

"No," Iris yells at him. "No, no."

"Yes, yes, daddy," Coulson teases her, scooping her up so she squeals. "What are you two doing?"

"Pulling everything down from everywhere."

"That happens."

"We shredded an apple."

"We have a good vacuum."

"But we found a good game, watch." Daisy indicates the blocks, then quakes down tower number seven. 

Iris laughs and squirms and immediately wants down so she can build tower eight for sacrifice. 

"How's it going?" Daisy asks while they watch Iris stack.

"Oh you know, May's stuck doing field work with FitzSimmons somewhere in Finland and Mack swears none of them are actually on this mission he just really needs trustworthy people. 

"Sounds great."

"Sure." Coulson takes a breath, then sits on the sofa, dropping his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, do you need anything?"

"Me?"

"Yeh, you came all this way and I don't have coffee or anything."

"I can make coffee."

"Right, you could do that."

"Sit, watch Agent Danger here and call me when she's ready for me to destroy her tower."

"You're sure?"

"I'll make coffee, I need it, you look like you need coffee injected." 

"If only that worked." Coulson shuts his eyes, leaning back. 

"How long are you stuck doing the single dad thing?"

"A few more days, she's trying to get back."

"She must miss Baby Agent terribly."

Coulson nods, smiling at Iris. "She does, they haven't been apart this long Iris' whole life, but FitzSimmons really needed her."

"Well, of course. She does everything." 

Daisy makes coffee, listening to Iris and Coulson's strange conversation. His side has words and sentences, Iris' side seems to consist of "No" and little screeches. She sets black coffee on the table next to the sofa and Coulson grins.

Coulson and Iris yell "Oh no," in union as Baby Agent knocks down the tower. This is what he does all day? Build and destroy, read the same book fifty-nine times?

"So she gets back when, Tuesday?" 

"Maybe Wednesday."

"Wow." Daisy sits next to him with her own coffee, shaking her head. "That's a lot."

"Free for the weekend? Iris and I would love to have you." 

"Yeah," Daisy agrees. She has plenty of leave saved up and she doesn't get to do domestic very often. Kiddo's pretty sweet too and it seems like Coulson needs the help. "Seems like you need some help with towers."

Iris crawls to Daisy and pulls herself up on her knees, bouncing a little as she babbles. 

"I think that means she wants you to stay."

"Okay. You've got me. Can't say no to baby May face."

"Doesn't she look just like her?"

"Yeah, it's almost creepy."

It's a whirlwind of time with Coulson and Iris. There's constantly something they need to be doing, where is she, is the kiddo okay, what is she into? Does she need a diaper, where are her extra clothes, going to the grocery store is a full on mission and Daisy's not sure how much help she is, but he definitely needs back up. Even if she's just moral support. 

And it's nice to see him laughing while they try to get shampoo out of Iris' hair and how far the kid can throw noodles (definitely some Mamma May in there). So she and Coulson trade off making coffee and picking up take out and reading and it feels like she's been there forever by the time it's finally Wednesday. 

Coulson rocks and sings (Daisy did not know he sang) but Iris is out for a nap and Coulson's trying to get work done and Daisy sits and plays with her phone because it feels like she hasn't done that in hours.

Maybe hasn't, Iris is a lot. 

She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she did, sitting on the sofa in the warm sunlight. Coulson touches her arm, shaking her gently.

"Hey, sorry, could you go get May from the airport? She's going to be back and I don't want to wake up Iris or have her wake up while I'm gone and be all difficult for you."

"Good call."

"She's back?"

"About an hour. You have time to get coffee, it's a tiny airport." 

"Where's the coffee?"

"Down to the main road, turn left twice. It's a drive through with a moose."

"A moose?" Daisy shakes her head. "You do live in the middle of nowhere."

"It has perks."

"Never waiting in traffic?"

"No one notices the quinjets."

"See, I knew it was something." Daisy drags herself up as Coulson hands her keys to the really nice BMW SUV thing they got because carseats don't fit in Lola. "This one I'm allowed to drive?"

"It's May's."

"Great."

"You'll be fine, just don't spill coffee in her car." 

Daisy shakes her head and leaves him to finish lesson planning or whatever it is he's working on. The coffee shop with the moose is exactly where Coulson said it was, and she grabs a cup before driving to the nowhere airport by the lake. There's only one flight coming in that hour. It's a little connector flight from Chicago with only a handful of people on it. 

Coulson would probably get a May a tea or something so Daisy grabs a green tea from the little kiosk in the airport and holds it with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for May to come off the plane. 

May's third from last off the flight, her bag over her shoulder. She looks across the handful of people, then smiles at Daisy. 

"I was wondering if he'd send you."

"Got you tea. Baby Agent was napping so you get me."

May hugs her, warm and strong, and then takes her tea. "It's nice to see you."

"How was Scotland?"

"Wet, and rainy, in Finland it snowed." Her smile fades a little and she touches her forehead. "It was good to see Fitz and Simmons. They're happy."

"Annoyingly so?"

"A little." 

Daisy takes the keys out of her coat pocket and hands them over. "Coulson let me drive your car."

May smiles and shakes her head. "You can drive."

Taking the keys back, Daisy tries to hide her surprise. "Okay..."

"I have a headache."

"You don't have to have a reason, you just always drive and I--"

May smiles at her. "You're a good driver." 

"You've let me drive literally once because you were pregnant and something-" she pauses, trying to remember, "-was it paint? Something set your stomach off."

"Wet paint."

"Were they painting the plane?" Daisy teases, leading May out of the airport towards the parking lot. 

"N, sometimes I get headaches."

"Like a normal person?" Daisy touches the door handle and it opens. May sets her bag in the back seat and climbs into the passenger seat. 

"I don't get to be a normal person?"

"You pulled a piece of pipe out of your leg and fought aliens, flew a plane when you couldn't stand up and were in labor for what, like half a day before you admitted it hurt?"

May laughs, leaning back in the seat. "Don't see why any of that means I can't have a headache." 

"I don't mind driving, it's just, weird."

"I'll let you drive more in the future."

"So I don't think it's weird and you're knocked up whenever it happens?"

"Is that really the only time I've let you drive?" 

"Yes, that's really the only time you've let me drive. I mean, Coulson let me drive Lola when he didn't have a hang so I'm used to it." 

May reaches over and pats her shoulder. "We're both just stuck in our ways, getting old and stubborn."

"You're both stubborn, but your're not old."

"Thanks." May takes a sip of her tea and shuts her eyes. 

"Do you have painkillers in the glove box or anything?"

"It's fine."

"You have a headache, normal people take things when they have a headache because they don't like suffering."

"Home is twenty minutes away." May holds her tea against her forehead, then sets it in the cupholder. 

"We can stop."

"You sound like Phil."

"I guess you need him to look after you."

"You do fine, Daisy." 

She can't win this argument, so distract May, tell her nice things. "So Iris made me read the same book a billion and seven times."

"Sounds like her."

"And then she destroyed an apple."

"Eating with teeth is hard."

"I guess so."

"And we made towers."

"Good." May sighs, keeping her eyes closed. "Thank you for coming, I bet Phil appreciated having you."

"Sure, Coulson sounded like he needed back up."

"He did, I dropped a lot in his lap to help FitzSimmons."

Daisy reaches over, squeezing her hand. May's hand is warm and damp against Daisy's fingers, and she squeezes back as if she were hugging her tight. "It was nice for me to help."

"I'm glad."

"Baby Agent's adorable, it's peaceful here. We took her for walks and watched the stars come out. When she's bigger, she can play in the woods and all you'll have to worry about is moose."

"There aren't actually moose here."

"What about the coffee shop?"

May opens her eyes again and smiles. "That one doesn't move." 

Chuckling, Daisy takes a breath and just enjoys this moment. She missed May too. Being with her is comfortable and familiar, and Daisy missed her over the last week. Being with Coulson and Baby Agent was great, but May was missing and now that she's back it just feels like coming home. 

"So any news from FitzSimmons you're allowed to say?"

"The published some new papers, remodelling a cottage."

"No playmates for Iris yet?"

"Not yet." May looks forward for a while, staring at the road, then turns to Daisy. "But soon though."

"Soon? Jemma's pregnant?"

"No, no." May stares straight ahead, but she smiles, Daisy can hear it in her voice. "I am."

"Wait, what?"

"Eyes on the road." 

"Yeah, I got it, not going to smash your car, but what?"

"We had another embryo frozen, from when we got pregnant with Iris.  We were near the clinic on the mission for Simmons, and I wanted to surprise Phil." 

Surprise? "I suppose that's the fun part of having medical help. You can surprise the dad when you end up pregnant." The world tastes like an alien concept, as weird as Kree or Asgard. "Shit, congrats, I mean."

"Thanks Daisy." May turns, leaning against the door so she can look at Daisy better. . 

"You okay, really?"

"I'm thrilled." 

Yeah, that's what thrilled looks like, kind of pale and really tired, except May is happy. She radiates it. "That's wonderful. Second kid, huh? Everyone's going to lose it."

"You think so?"

"I can just picture Jemma and Fitz, Mack and Elena settling some bet."

"Which side did you bet on?" .

"Should have bet yours." Fuck. two tiny little field agents destroying everything? They should unretire just to get some peace. Yet they're both so fucking happy, and they're good parents. Iris is great, and she's so smart, and this one. 

They sit in silence for a while, and if possible, May's even more pale when Daisy looks at her. "You okay? 

"I forgot how brutal the hormone shots are." May shuts her eyes again and Daisy remembers how much time they spent trying to keep her from throwing up when she was pregnant with Iris. She knew what this was going to be like and she did it anyway. 

"You're a really good mom." 

May opens her eyes, surprised. "Why do you say that?"

"Iris is the cutest little person and sure, she screams and throws things sometimes, but she's so content and trusting. I remember seeing kids who had bad parents in my foster homes and they were so broken already, even the little ones. I'm not used to happy toddlers."

"Daisy-"

"And you know how much it sucks to be pregnant and having a baby hurts-"

"-It's not that bad."

"And you can say that!" Daisy pulls into the driveway and stops, shaking her head as she turns off the engine. "You're a great mom."

May pauses, looks at her and doesn't say anything for a long time. She smiles, her eyes impossibly soft. "Thanks Daisy."

Daisy gets out of the car, grabbing May's bag as she comes around. May moves a little slower, holding the car for a moment, so the headache must be bad. 

Daisy touches her shoulder, then hugs her again. "Iris is lucky, the new baby agent is really lucky too." 

"We're lucky we have you." May's hands hold her tight and it's like that mom energy's rubbing off. She's loved, and it's so easy that Daisy just stands there in awe for a moment. She didn't have a family before SHIELD, and now she's loved. 

They walk in together, still holding hands because that's cool, that's something they do. Coulson's on the floor, playing with Iris, who looks up when the door opens with the biggest smile. 

"Mama!" 

"Come here, Li." Iris crawls over and May grabs her before she's gone a few feet. They spin around, May laughing as Iris pats her face, babbling happily about Mama, over and over. Coulson watches them with the softest expression she's ever seen and that's what love looks like, not that silly romance novel kind, but the exhausted, will do anything for you, this is everything kind of love. It's just his face, and Daisy touches his arm, then hugs him. 

"Pretty cute, huh?"

"Iris looks so much like Melinda, luckily."

"You're in there too, dad."

"I know, but the two of them, they're everything."

Daisy raises her eyebrows because fuck he's going to freak and she should like, give them space, but she'd also love to see what he's going to say. He's totally going to cry. 

"Did you have a good time with Daisy and daddy?"

"Aysee," Iris repeats, waving her arm towards Daisy. "Aysee."

"That's pretty close," May says, kissing Iris's head. "What a smart girl."

"She was great, they both were."

"I was telling Daisy in the car how much it meant to us that she came to help." 

"She let me drive and everything." 

"Oh?" Coulson tilts his head, and takes a moment to welcome May back, hugging her and Iris, then kissing her forehead. "You okay?"

"I can let Daisy drive without something being wrong."

"Uh-huh," Coulson teases, as unconvinced as Daisy was. "Jet lag?"

"Headdache."

"I'll make tea."

"I've got it," Daisy says. "You have to welcome her back and stuff."

May kisses Iris' cheek once more and sets her down when the toddler starts to squirm. "She means do the kissing while she's in the kitchen."

"Oh, I see, I can do that." Coulson leans in, kissing her deeply and yeah, it's a good time to make some tea. 

Iris babbles to herself in the living room, hitting her blocks together and making some kind of running commentary while her parents are totally making out. 

Daisy puts the kettle on and waits, watching the comforting blue light. There's a green ginger that's probably good. Coulson will need coffee. She's grinding beans and setting up the pot when Iris crawls into the kitchen, dragging a toy kangaroo. She holds it up, then flings her arms up to be picked up. 

"Hey kiddo."

"Aysee!"

"That's me I guess. Mom and dad okay?"

"Mama," Iris repeats, delighted. 

"Yeah, Mama's home."

"Iris is in here," Daisy calls, just in case they're worried. "We're just making coffee."

"Don't turn her to the dark side, Daisy," May calls from the living room and then she laughs, really laughs and Daisy's both curious and grateful that she's not in the living room, watching whatever's happening. 

They seem to be done by the time she's back, and they're just sitting on the couch, hands wrapped around each others, May's head on his shoulder. 

"Mama," Iris says again, reaching her arms out and Daisy hands her over. 

"I missed you."

"She missed you too."

"I swear she's bigger." 

"Not much taller, must get that from you."

May laughs and shakes her head. "Don't listen to daddy, he's silly."

Iris pats Coulson's face with her fingers, and just beams to be between both of them. It's cute, like painfully cute and Daisy brings drinks and sits on the floor next to them and just watches. 

"Aysee," Iris pleads, reaching for her. 

"Daisy, come up. We're not going down to the floor."

Daisy sits next to May and Iris crawls over her legs, peering at her coffee before deciding to crawl back to Coulson. 

"I think I've actually finished  Ulysses-- " Coulson starts to say, still toying with May's hair. 

"I'm pregnant."

"What?"

The house is completely quiet, even Iris stares, chewing on her toy kangaroo. 

"Really?"

"Simmons and I were near the clinic in Sweden and I thought--"

Coulson laughs, rubs his chin, and then kisses May hard enough that Daisy pulls Iris out of the way before she can interrupt them. 

"Surprise."

"I love surprises."

"I know."

"Not as much as I love you." He rests his hand on her belly and there's the tears. His eyes shine and dammit, Daisy's the last person who should be crying but it's just really nice. 

Kind of wonderful. 

"Good."

"Good?"

"Life without surprises would be dull, life without me would be-"

"Absolutely unbearable," Coulson interrupts, then kisses her. "Baby Agent the second. You're amazing."

May touches his cheek and smiles. "I know, you can show me later."

"You're going to be a big sister," Daisy tells Iris, who shakes her head because she's still much better at no than yes. "That's a big responsibility."

"She has a great role model," May says.

Fuck, that's not fair. Daisy was close to crying, but she wasn't, and she's not Iris' big sister, except, maybe she is, and maybe that's okay and maybe they all love her just as much as she loves them. 

It's all pretty fucking amazing. 

"We love you," Coulson whispers, patting her shoulder. Iris gets way too into the patting and it's basically swatting but she's little.  "We'll love you more if you can take some time off next summer, about eight months from now." 

May laughs and nods. "You'd be a big help."

"Yeah, yeah as long as you need."

May hugs her with one arm, and she curls in because May's warm and she's home. They all are. 

[thecozywhaleshark]

King of Hearts (pt. 1)

A/n: ok big oof big oof big oof I’ve just started this series and get ready folks it’s gonna be a real long one and a real steamy one and i’m excited to continue it

Word Count: 3962

Warnings: Escort Jin. A little smut (fingering). Swearing. It will only get worse from here. This is the tame part.

Summary: You are a famous writer who can’t exactly show up to an event alone... so you hire an escort... his name is Jin 

Staring anxiously at the phone before you, you tapped your fingers on your desk and tried to decide.

This was not the greatest idea you’d ever had. But it couldn’t be that bad, right? You’re not that pathetic … right? This is a thing people do… right?  And nobody would ever know… right?

You sigh and bury your face in your hands.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid book party. Stupid publisher’s meeting. Stupid erotica writer with no stupid date.

Of course, you could always show up alone, but that would spark questions.

A wonderful writer like you with no date? What a shame. So pretty too. How are you getting your inspiration? Are you between boyfriends? Do you have many one night stands?

Questions you didn’t want to deal with. How do you tell your sponsors and publishers and everyone who worked on making your books boom that you haven’t been on a date in over three years? Haven’t had sex in just as long? That your sex life was so dry even the desert probably pitied you?

You stared at the website open in front of you and moved your hand over your cell phone. It’s just one night. And for totally innocent reasons. You typed in the number, put it on speaker, and waited.

The phone clicked and a friendly woman’s voice purred through the speaker:

“Heart Escort Services, this is Cindy, how may I help you today?”

You swallowed. Of course her voice sounded like sex. Just like her trade.

Quiet, you don’t know anything about her. Don’t judge. You’re the one calling the line.

“Hello? Is anyone there? I swear to god Jeremy if this is you I’m going to report you to security because you can’t keep calling to listen to my voice and jerk off you mother-”

“Um, hello.” You stammer, and the lady on the other end goes quiet for a moment.

“Oh! I’m so sorry about that. Thank you for calling Heart Escort Services, how can I help you?”

You fiddle with the string of your hoodie and bite your lip. “Do you have male escorts?”

“We sure do! Do you have any specifics?”

You laugh nervously. “Someone handsome?”

She laughs lightly. “Honey, all our men are handsome. We are a highly sought after escort service. Not just anyone can be an escort.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” You can feel yourself blushing furiously even though you knew it was just a phone call. You bury your face in your hands.

Lord God please, smite me from above.

Honestly, you didn’t care who your date was. You could always tell your publisher at the next event that it ended up being a short term fling.

“Um, do you have anyone available on March 23? I just need someone to um… escort… me to an event? It’s from 7-10pm.”

You cringe. Did I really just say ‘escort me to an event’ to an escort service? Smooth.

Cindy hums on the other end of the phone and you hear flipping – probably some sort of planner for the escort’s events.

“Alright, we have three men available on the day you requested at the time. Would you like me to give you their names and descriptions?”

You don’t want to choose. You just want a date. “Um… no… I’m not too picky.”

Cindy chortles. “That’s a first. No really, honey I’m going to need more than that. You’re paying for the service right? Then it’s okay to be picky.”

Oh, well when she puts it like that…

“Uh, what or sorry, which? Of the three is the most sociable? It’s a really social night and I need them to be able to hold their own in a room full of strangers if that’s okay? And um, younger? I’m only 24…”

You hear more clicking and humming from Cindy as she decides. “Okay, hun. I have a 26-year-old Korean man named Jin. He’s honestly one of the more talkative escorts that we have. I’m sure he would do great at your event. Just so you know, if you want him the entire night it will cost extra..”

“No!” you almost shout, then quickly backpedal. “I mean, no. No, sorry I don’t want him for the entire night. Just 7-10.”

“Alright, 7-10 it is then. Where should he meet you?”

You thought for a second. You were going to need to walk in with him. The event was at the Cedar Valley Hotel ballroom on 2nd.

“Can he meet me at Christine’s Coffeehouse and Café on 2nd Street?” It was down the street from the hotel, at the end of the block. They could walk up and in together.

You heard some more typing and pencil scribbling before Cindy spoke again. “Jin will meet you at Christine’s Coffeehouse and Café on 2nd on March 23 at 6:45 pm. He will be wearing a black suit and a red tie. Please remember that we only take cash, and you will pay him for his time.” You nod and quickly scramble over your desk for a sticky note and pen.

Jin. Black suit. Red tie. Christine’s. 6:45pm.

Cindy tells you his charge and you write it under the time with a note to make a trip to the bank, surprised at how high it is.

Of course he is dummy. He’s an escort. This place is high rank.

High, but not unreasonable you reasoned. You had the cash. He must be really good at what he does. But so were you.

“Thanks, Cindy. Anything else I should know?”

She laughs again on the other end of the line. “You should really have considered taking him for the night. You, missy, are missing out.”

You find yourself blushing furiously again and hang up. Pushing your hands through your hair and letting out a long breath.

You’re really doing this. You just hired an escort. You laughed to yourself and got out of your chair. If only your mother could see you now. Wouldn’t she be so proud?

You walk over to your closet and begin to flip through it. Black suit. Red tie. Black suit. Red Tie. What did you have that matched that?

 ~ three weeks later ~

 You stepped out of your taxi and fidgeted with your dress, pulling the hem down. You hadn’t realized how much it had shrunk when you decided to risk throwing it into the washer instead of taking it to the dry cleaners, and now your originally knee-length black pencil dress came down only to mid-thigh. You checked yourself out in the reflective glass of the café.

Simply cut black pencil dress – classy with just a little bit of décolletage and leg on display.

3 1/2-inch heels – as high as you can go without falling while you walk.

Simple crystal earrings.

Loose low bun with just the right amount of face-framing.

Black and silver beaded clutch.

You walked into the café and headed to the bathroom.

Makeup on point. Just touch of the red lipstick – red to match his tie – and you’re good.

You step out of the bathroom, putting your lipstick in your purse and sit down at one of the tables by the window, glancing at the time.

6:37 pm. You’re early.

You sip a glass of water nervously, trying hard not to bite your fingernails.

Please be here. Please don’t be late. Please be at least cute.

You swirled the condensation left from your glass on the table with the tip of your finger and looked at your phone again.

6:39pm.

God, those three minutes seemed like an eternity.

At 6:45pm on the dot, the door of the café dings open and a tall, handsome man strides in. He has purpose in every step, and you can’t stop yourself from staring as he glances around the room, sees you, and turns on his heel coming your way, dropping into the seat opposite of you.

Damn. He’s hot. Like really hot. Stupid handsome hot in a suit and tie. Nobody looks that good in a suit. And shoulders. SHOULDERS. How the fuck –

“Are you y/n?” he asks casually, crossing his legs and looking at you with one eyebrow quirked.

“How-how did you know?” you stutter, nervously tucking your hair behind your ear.

He leans forward and gives you a grin. “We’re the two best-dressed people in this establishment.”

You look around you and laugh. You definitely were. Two people in formalwear in a place that suggests jeans and sweaters.

“I guess the formal dress would give it away.” You smile at him and he grins back, putting you more at ease.

Stupid handsome guy has a nice smile. Of course he does. Shut up, y/n.

“I’m Jin.” He holds out his hand. 

You shake it, trying to give him a warm smile and not look creepy or freaked out. “Y/n, but I see you already know that.” 

“I hear we’re going to an event? What kind of event?”

You fold your hands in front of you to stop them from fidgeting. “I will tell you, but you can’t laugh.”

He leans forward even more, resting his face in his palm. “Ooo, this sounds interesting.”

“I’m serious.” You try to pull a serious face and he sits up and folds his hands in front of him too.

“Serious.”

You nod. “Okay. So this event, it’s a publisher’s dinner. Fancy thing. I’m an author, and it’s important. Help’s me keep in contact with my sponsors and donors and team who made my publishing’s possible.”

“What kind of books do you write?” he looks genuinely interested. You hesitate and decide to tell him a half-truth.

“Uh- romance. Romance novels. Real cheesy stuff.”

He nods and you can see him trying to hide his smile. You give him a side-eye. “Shut up.”

He works his jaw and takes a deep breath. Trying to hold his laughter. “I’m not laughing.”

“Yeah, but you want to. I can see it.”

He smiles then, a big one this time. “Hey wait you’re the one who just referred to her own works as, and I quote, ‘real cheesy stuff.’” He makes air quotes with his fingers and you laugh.

“That’s because it is!”

“If you think it’s cheesy, why do you write it?”

You look back down at the table with a smile and swirl the water on your table in a squiggly line. “Because people like cheese, it sells well.”

He laughs. “I bet.”

“So anyway, I can’t exactly show up to this meeting alone. Everyone thinks that I get my ideas from experience… when I do not.” You blush and look down again.

“Because you use your brain.” Says Jin and you look up, surprised at his answer.

This is the first person to know what I mean without teasing me about my lack of a sex life...

“Exactly! Nobody wants to understand that I’m using my own brain and imagination and information that I researched and read instead of personal experience.” You roll your eyes and give him a big smile and he chuckles.

“Because people are idiots and want to think they know everything,” he replies and you nod in confirmation.

He gives you an easy smile. “So a publisher’s party for a cheesy romance novelist who just wants them to stay out of her personal life. Sounds fun.” He stands and offers you his arm. “Shall we?”

You softly place your hand in the crook of his arm. “Well now, don’t I feel fancy.”

He laughs and puts his hand over yours. “If we are playing a fake couple, we better start acting like one, dearest.”

You find yourself turning red again. Damn it easily blushing face stop it. “Of course… honey.”

He grins at you. “That’s the spirit!”  

Together you walk down the street and into the hotel lobby. The desk clerk gestures you on towards the ballroom and you easily are able to find it. Taking a deep breath you place your hand on the door and look at Jin.

“You ready?” He asks, and you nod.

“Let’s do this.”

“You forgot my pet name, pumpkin.”

You roll your eyes and open the door, giving him a sugary sweet smile over your shoulder. “Sorry, babe. Now come along dear, I simply must introduce you to my publisher.”

He grins and wraps his arm around your waist, and you can only pray you can pull this off.

~

You had been at the party for over an hour now, and Jin had been great. Really great. He introduced himself as your boyfriend, and he had been making it really fun as you played pretend. Currently, you were talking to a group of your publishers and sponsors, and Jin was winning them all over with his quick smile, easy charm, bad dad jokes, and of course, his good looks. The conversation had drifted from small talk to your books quickly, and you hated it. You hated when the attention turned back on you, and you hoped nothing too revealing would be said that outed your real writing to Jin.

“And the entirety of chapter 57?! Whoo! I tried some of that out with my husband, and I have no idea how Emilia did it! We only did one of the things mentioned you know, and I’ve never been more exhausted in my life!” chimes in Julia, your publisher, fanning herself with her hand.

“Emilia?” whispers Jin, leaning down to get to your ear. “The main character in one of my books, baby,” you whisper back and Jin nods, straightening up.

“Ah yes, Emilia.” He says louder. “I love her.” You bite back your grin as your publisher coos over him.

“Of course you do, who wouldn’t?! You’re such a supportive boyfriend for reading all your books!”

So far, so good. We’re safe.

“Y/n, you do write some of the best erotica I’ve ever read in my life. Where do you learn it all?” asks Marilyn, one of your sponsors, patting your arm gently.

Shit. I jinxed it. So much for hoping nobody brings it up.

Jin chokes on his drink and tries to hide it with a cough, grabbing your arm gently. “Sorry, ladies, gentlemen,” he nods at your publishing team. “I think I’m having a coughing fit. Y/n, sweetie, would you mind stepping out to get some air with me?”

You rub his back in mock sympathy. “Sure, darling. Are you okay?”  

“I just think I need some air, peanut.”

You can’t help your smirk as you show him to the balcony. As soon as you get through the glass doors and they close behind you, Jin doubles over laughing. “You write erotica?! You??”

You cross your arms over your chest. “Hey! That’s mean.”

He leans against the balcony rail and tries to steady himself. “Wait wait wait… sorry, but the lady who writes best-selling erotica… hired an escort?! Oh, my god.”

You sigh and lean against the railing. “Are you done?”

He gasps for air and wipes tears out of the corner of his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. I’m good.” He straightens his tux and takes a deep breath. “I’m a professional.”

You roll your eyes. “You sure act like one.”

He smiles at you, but it’s not mean. “You’re easy to be around. This is a fun job. Normally I have to work with a lot more stiff old people.” He makes a face and you laugh.

You both stand in the cold air in silence for a few moments and he takes off his jacket, placing it around your shoulders.

You try to ignore the shiver that does down your spine when his fingers brush your bare arms and look down at it and pick up part of it with your fingers, trying to act like it’s no big deal.

“What is this? Special treatment? I didn’t know I got the deluxe deal! Oh me oh my!”

He scoffs. “I may be an escort, but I’m a gentleman.”

You nod. “Very gentlemanly.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’m so glad you noticed.”

You smile. “Are you sure you won’t be cold?”

He gives you a soft smile. “What? Oh, I’m fine. I’m very warm actually. Steamy. Especially now that I know a little of Julia’s sex life.”

You laugh. “I wish conversations got better than that, but unfortunately, when you write about sex, that’s all anyone ever wants to talk about.”

He nods. “I understand that. When you’re an escort, that’s all everyone wants to talk about too.”

“Wait.. isn’t it your job to talk sex?” you giggle and he nudges you with his elbow. “Usually there’s not that much talking” he winks and you laugh.

“Okay dude, TMI.”

“TMI?! You’re the one who writes erotica! Descriptively!” he cries and you laugh again as he shakes his head.

You are both silent for a few moments before he speaks again. “Okay, but, really, what happens in Chapter 57?”

You feel your lips quirk up in a smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

He looks at you incredulously. “You’re going to leave me hanging?”

“Yes, you just laughed at the fact that I write erotica!”

“I was surprised!” He defends, placing his hand over his heart. “You told me you wrote cheesy romance. I feel betrayed.”

You laugh and shove him with your shoulder. “It is a cheesy romance novel…. That just happens to have a lot of smut.”

“I told you about my sex life!” he accuses and crosses his arms, pouting. “I want to know about Chapter 57.”

God, he’s cute when he pouts.

You shrug off his jacket and hand it back to him as you walk away, smirking over your shoulder.

“Then you can buy it online or at a bookstore. It’s called Wildcard. I’ve heard it’s quite popular.” You open the door and gesture him to move. “Now come on, I think you’ve recovered from your choking hazard and I have more people I have to talk to.”

He puts his jacket back on and follows you back out into the decorated ballroom, mumbling about being left on a cliffhanger and what the frick was Chapter 57 and how you’re so mean to him, really princess, you can’t give your favorite escort a brief rundown?

You ignore him and link your arm through his again as you wade back into the room, getting called over almost immediately by your editor, who wants you to meet some more people.

~

At the end of the night, you take him to a secluded hallway in the hotel and pull the money out of your purse, watching him count it as you rub your arm nervously.

“Hey,” you say, and he looks up, raising an eyebrow. “I just, wanted to say, thanks… for saving my ass in there… you really did me a solid by being my date tonight.” You laugh and look away, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“Well… you did hire me…” he trails off, tucking the cash into his coat pocket.

You blush. “I know, but still… thanks. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would.”

You flick your eyes to his briefly and he looks around the hall before striding forward and cupping the back of your neck, kissing you.

You gasp in surprise and he easily slips his tongue in. You find yourself clutching at the lapels of his coat as he deepens the kiss, his other hand sliding up the side of your thigh, under your dress.

You pull back and look at him wide-eyed as he slides his hand up towards your panties. “Jin?”

He smirks and continues to slide his hand slowly up. “You overpaid. I thought you didn’t want me all night?”

You feel your cheeks redden, but your gaze can’t leave his face. “I-I just tipped you.”

He licked his lips and pressed them back to yours before kissing his way down your jaw. “I think you wanted a little…taste, baby” he whispered huskily as he nips at your neck.

I should turn away. I should push him off. It was just a tip… but OH what did he just do to my neck?? god, do it again..

You moan softly as he works his way down your neck and cups you through your panties. Your heart pounds against your chest as you choose to ignore your logical mind and do something you’ve never done before…

Oh, what the hell.

…just let it happen.

You spread your legs a little further for him and moan in his ear as he begins to rub you through your panties.

“So wet for me? Already? And here I thought you just hired me as pretty eye candy,” he grins against your neck as you grab his hair, tugging his mouth back to yours, desperate for something, anything.

He slides his fingers under the side of your panties and you bite his lip when he teases his fingers up and down your folds, sliding against your slick.

“Ooo, you’re a feisty one, I see,” he smirks and nips your mouth right back, sliding his fingers slowly against you.

You had never been this turned on in your life, despite having past boyfriends who had tried and a few hookups… but none of them had ever felt this good. Had made you feel this good.

“Jin,” you moan, bucking your hips into his hand. “More.”

“As you wish ma ’lady” he nips harshly at your neck and you yelp, but he quickly lavishes over it with his tongue, soothing as his finger drags your slick to your clitoris and he begins to circle it slowly.

The back of your head hits the hallway wall, exposing more of your neck to Jin’s lips as you have to bite your own hand to stifle your moans when he slips a finger inside you.

He moans against your neck and pulls away from it with a pop, resting his forehead against your own.

“God, y/n, you’re so tight,” he whispers, pumping his finger in and out of you and then adding a second.

You buck your hips against his hand and he beings to curl his fingers up, grazing your sweet spot so deliciously as he begins to make out with you again to soften your moans.

He works you like this for a little while and you start keening, panting his name into his mouth while your hands clutch at his hair and shoulders to keep your balance standing up.

It’s all so much, too much, for someone who hasn’t been touched like this in years, and you find yourself burying your face into his chest when he presses his thumb to your clit with just the right amount of pressure and you come hard over his fingers, moaning his name.

He works you through your orgasm and as you come down you blush red again, realizing that you just let an escort, that you paid for, get you off in a back hotel hallway.

You hide in his shirt a few moments longer, trying to breathe until he gently pushes you off his chest and slides his fingers out from your underwear. You pull back, your hands still on his shoulders and he smirks seductively as he brings his fingers to his mouth and sucks, making you blush harder.

He then shoves that hand in his pocket and backs away from you, giving you a two-fingered salute with his other hand.

“See you around, y/n. That was fun.”

He winks and turns, strolling out of the hotel doors, leaving you open-mouthed, panting, and wondering why that had been the best orgasm you’d ever had.

~~

Part 2 

[lady-snavely]

Sands of Time: Part Three

Blossomed Feelings

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsuro x Fem!OC

Warnings: mentions of death, swearing, mutual pining, all the fluff

A/N: as always, reblogs are super appreciated!

Like every other day when they came in, she was on her break. Today, she was perched in a window in the children's area with her legs drawn up loosely. There was a book in her hand, presumably the same one from a couple of days ago. Hidden safely beneath the tent of her knees was a steaming mug.

Jade's ears perked, her attention momentarily divided when she heard Bokuto, obnoxious as ever, greet her coworkers across the building. She was sure he included an exaggerated wave as well. Her advanced hearing, one of the few bonuses of being Fae, even allowed her to hear Daichi silence Bokuto with a low warning.

"There's a big enough table over there that's free." He was telling the group. She knew exactly which table he was referring to as she'd made sure it was clear before she went on break twenty minutes ago.

With a sigh, she closed her book and stood gingerly so as not to disturb her drink. The study group was her queue that her break was over soon. Still, finishing the chapter sounded real nice.

Nonetheless Jade found herself smiling as she glided through the aisles that were as familiar to her now as her own apartment. Her thoughts were with the oddball company of heroes and heroines from her book. Even preoccupied she nodded politely at the group of boys taking their places at the table.

"Fancy seeing you here again."

"Good afternoon to you too, Kuroo," she replied without stopping. "You all know where to find me if you need help with anything."

Yaku snickered and jabbed his elbow into Kuroo's ribs. "She didn't even bother to look at you."

"Her break's about over," Akaashi defended. "Iwaizumi messaged me a few moments ago, he and Oikawa won't be joining us tonight."

"Good, they can keep that stomach bug away from us then," Daichi grumbled.

"Please, they're probably having their own fun." Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Akaashi murmured. He turned to Bokuto and gave him a warning glare. "Make sure you actually work on your Maths today. You nearly failed your last test."

For well over an hour Kuroo was able to focus on his studying despite his loudmouth of a friend sitting across from him. Bokuto came along more for the social aspect than anything else. Not that any of them really cared the way Akaashi did, study group was the only chance they had during the week to get together anyway.

With a small groan Kuroo stood. He needed a break to stretch his legs. He wandered the shelves aimlessly, stopping on occasion to read a synopsis or two before continuing on. He really didn't have much free time at the moment, what with midterms starting to ramp up. Still, Kuroo made a mental note of books to read once the workload began to die down.

"-depends on what you're interested in, honestly." He overheard Jade saying. "Let's start off with something simple to help narrow it down. Are you looking for a stand alone story or a series?"

Kuroo, for reasons unknown even to himself, hid two aisles over and listened in on the exchange. Since starting at the nearby university last year he'd learned quickly that Jade was good at her job. Great even. Any time he'd needed help with research or simply pointed in the right direction, she'd been prompt with answers. Sometimes she even went above the call to suggest further material that always seemed to have more information than he'd ever need.

Still it amazed him that in a matter of a few questions Jade was excitedly showing the younger guest a section that would entertain her. "I'm a little older than the intended audience but this series here in incredible. But if you're interested in something a little more magickal - and I don't mean witches and wizards - then I suggest this series just here."

With a faint smile Kuroo turned from the duo to head back to his studying. "Fuck," he hissed when he ran into and nearly knocked over Yaku. "Creepy little shit. What are you doing?"

Yaku glared up at his taller friend with a wicked grin. "If I'm creepy what do you call what you were just doing?" He countered. A quick peek around Kuroo gave Yaku the answer he needed. "Admiring the view?"

Kuroo looked over his shoulder and saw the girl from before already devouring the suggested book. Jade was nowhere to be seen. "She's a bit young for me, don't you think?"

Yaku rolled his eyes. Sometimes he really wondered if Kuroo was, in fact, a total moron. Kuroo's infatuation with the Human girl had become more and more evident over the last year. There were some not so obvious clues, like how he just happened to run into her when he was wandering around, or how he had started zoning out in classes. Then there was the blindingly obvious: watching her like creep from the other aisle while she helped other guests, for example. "Come back to the table," he finally sighed. "I need help with the Biology assignment."

"My time to shine," Kuroo smirked.

"Don't go getting an ego."

"I would never."

Both girls were seemingly non the wiser to what had transpired only two aisles away.

Daichi, Akaashi and Yaku continued to study dutifully while Bokuto successfully managed to distract Kuroo. Jade had only one other guest after the younger girl had left with two new books in hand.

Even with that one person closing time seemed to come a little too soon for Jade. They always did on days the study group came in. She enjoyed listening to their friendly banter and teasing, they were good company and often pulled her into their conversations on slower nights.

Tonight was no different than any other night the group came in. It was closing time and they were still there, sitting at the same table they'd procured from the moment they walked in hours before. However, studying had been thrown out the window some time ago she recalled as she made her way over. Currently they were chatting, all but Bokuto and Yaku, who had fallen asleep.

Propping a hand on the back of Akaashi's chair she sighed, forcing disappointment into her words. "Time for me to lock up guys."

"Is it that time already?" Daichi glanced at his phone before sighing himself and rubbing at his eyes. "Sorry to be a bother again, Jade."

"I tell you every time: you aren't a bother, Daichi," Jade shrugged. "Libraries have always been around for a reason. Apparently a good location for a power nap is one of them." She roused Yaku gently, giving him a warm smile when he blinked up at her. "Closing time sleepy head."

"We'll get out of your hair as soon as we wake Bokuto," Akaashi assured her.

"Take your time, I've got some cleaning to finish up anyway."

Jade turned away but not before catching the mischievous grin on Kuroo's face. Just as she expected, the indistinguishable thud of a dropped stack of books met her ears. "Wake up!"

"Bro!" Bokuto whined. Jade's nose wrinkled at the shout. No matter how much she heard it she would never get used to that term.

"Time to go, Bokuto," Kuroo said without a hint of apology in his voice.

Kuroo waited by the checkout counter for Jade to come out of the back office. Over the past year it had become a sort of habit for him to wait for her while she clocked out and locked the building up for the night. In more than one hundred attempts she had yet to agree to, at the very least, allowing him to walk her to the bus stop. Maybe tonight would be different? There was only one way to know for sure.

"Ready to go, Kuroo?"

"Only if you are!" He replied. A triumphant smile adorned his face when a soft chuckle met his ears. Kuroo clasped his hands, fingers knit together tightly before asking, "Would you like some company on your way home tonight?"

It came as no surprise to Kuroo that she didn't reply right away. She emerged from the back office with the satisfied smile that came from finally being off the clock. "Thank you, but I'll be okay on my own tonight."

Kuroo cocked his head to the side for a moment before nodding. "One of these days you'll say yes."

"You're so sure of yourself, Kuroo." She snickered and ducked her head to hunt for her keys in her bag. "I appreciate the offer as always."

They left the building in comfortable silence. Jade tugged at the building doors, testing the locks before heaving a content sigh. "I saw you looking at some books early," she mentioned casually when they reached the sidewalk. "I can put them on hold for you. If you want, that is."

"Not with midterms in a couple weeks." Kuroo shook his head but smiled down at Jade. "That's very kind of you though."

Jade smirked. "I try my best."

Kuroo fought the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulders. He didn't know it, but she caught the twitch in his fingers. "Get home safe, okay Jade?"

"Don't worry, you'll see me all safe and in one piece on Friday, Kuroo." Jade's smile, highlighted by nearby street lights, brought an unwelcomed heat crawling up his neck.

"Right, well, good night, Jade." He retreated into the shadows quickly before she could see the blush spreading up across his cheeks.

"May sleep find you easily tonight, Kuroo." Jade dipped her head slightly before she herself hurried off in the direction of her bus stop.

Kuroo stared after her until she was out of sight before he sighed and began his journey home. When he stepped into his dorm room he wasn't surprised to see Kenma poking feverishly at the buttons of his video game. They had intrigued him from the moment he'd laid eyes on them.

Kenma's elf ears were poking through his hair, the only sign that he was no longer holding his Humanoid form. Kuroo received a murmured greeting from his long time friend as he removed his shoes.

"You missed out," he told Kenma.

"Unlikely."

Kuroo chuckled at that as he made his way into their shared room to change. As he did, he shifted with a sigh of satisfaction. It was only in their shared dorm room or when they were home visiting their folks that he and Kenma could safely shift back to their Fae forms.

"The Solstice Festival is coming up," Kuroo reminded his friend.

"Oh." Came the reply. Kenma's attention was barely pulled from his video game. Kuroo said no more on the subject, knowing full well that when the time came Kenma would leave the Human entertainment behind and return home for the Festival.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jade's heart was racing and not only because she was running. Had it been a trick of the light or had he been blushing just before she left? She supposed either were possible, even with the street lights the lighting wasn't favorable, and she was nearly a foot shorter than him so the angle was weird too. She tried not to dwell on it too much.

She didn't want to get too close to him this time around. She brushed off his advances, his attempts at getting closer, as best as she could but her job didn't allow for blatant ignoring of guests, so it was difficult. But she didn't want her heart broken. Not again.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she stood beneath the light of the bus stop. She dried them before they could fall; before they could be seen. In all her years on Earth, why was it a Human that had to come along and capture her heart?

When the bus arrived it only had a handful of occupants. Given the time of night this was to be expected and allowed Jade her pick of the crop as far as where to sit for her journey home. She hugged her knees tight to her chest when she sat, her temple leaning against the cool glass of the window at her side. Normally she would read, but she knew if she opened her book the pages would remain unturned, for try as she might, her mind raced with memories of the past. Of the wild laugh that sent the butterflies in her stomach soaring. That almost there smile that had found her time and time again over the centuries.

As much as she wanted to, Jade suppressed the desire to shift back into her Fae form as soon as her door was locked behind her. Showers were much easier without the wings getting in the way. So it wasn't until she stepped from her bathroom half an hour later that she released the invisible thread of thought that kept her Humanoid form in place.

M.List | Next

[achtung-attitude]

CHAPTER 35: Dear Mama

Gangak Yeoh’s jaw drops. “Do you… do you mean it?”

T’onga nods. The girl with no heart sits across from him in his suburban living room, a home he bought with profits gained by trafficking drugs into the metropolitan areas in Tokyo and S-City,  the entire operation run from this sleepy coastal town of Morioh-cho.

There is a human being growing inside of her. The mission from All-Kill had been to infiltrate Gangak’s gang by any means necessary, but it was Brother Dust that hinted at the most effective means of doing so. The preacher man said nothing explicitly, merely hinted at what All-Kill, he claimed, had not the heart to tell himself. She put the rest together easily enough. She had been good, and she had been careful. But not nearly careful enough.

She had considered keeping it secret, perhaps even terminating it. If not for Sanjo, and his ever-watchful eye, she probably would have. The old bastard never gave her the opportunity. Now she is 13 weeks in, and her belly swells. It is time to inform the father. 

Gangak’s shock melts into delight beyond reckoning, his face glowing in a white-toothed smile the breadth of his whole face. “Do you mean it? A-are you sure, I mean? What I mean is... ! Oh my God… Oh my God, I’m gonna be a Dad!”

T’onga smiles sheepishly, playing her role. But in the cold part of her mind, her thoughts are in disarray. One question emerges at the core of her confusion: Why is he so happy?

She had studied animals and recognized the primordial urge to produce offspring, in order for one’s genes to survive into a new generation. But such a thing was the furthest thing from Gangak’s mind. She knew him to be a creature of the moment, living only for the fulfillment of each day. A man of big dreams and tall ambitions.

Before she has a chance to puzzle it over anymore, he sweeps her into his arms and waltzes around the living room, laughing and crying at the same time. He was a creature of the moment, and his emotions were like ocean currents, so big that few couldn’t help but be swept along with them. When she too began to laugh with him, it was not entirely an act, though she did not understand herself.

                                                           ---

“You can not be serious,” Sanjo groans.

“I am! Isn’t this great?! Gangak replies. T’onga makes tea in the kitchen and listens closely to everything the men are saying in the living room. It has already been a day since she told him, but the joy hasn’t left him.

“No, Gangak. It ain’t great.” Sanjo says, shaking his head.

“I know, right, it’s…! Wait, what?”

“It’s not great, Gangak. It’s the opposite of great, in fact!! You think we have time to play house while we’re trying to set up this business? We aren’t even close to secure enough to start playing around like that…”

“Why do you always have to bust my balls like this? Don’t forget this business was my idea! I know how to run my business, Sanjo! Why can’t I start a family too?”

“I run the business, fool! You're great with ‘ideas’, but I’m the one that makes ‘em happen! Don’t you forget that! I swear to God, it’s always like this with you! We got one good deal going and a bit of profit, I tell you to keep quiet about it, and what do you do? Buy a whole damn house in town, that’s what!”

“It’s a nice house, and I am keeping quiet. I’m not playing around anything!” Gangak protests. “If we wanna do business around here, it’s less suspicious if I’m a resident. Small town folk always suspect city folk are drug dealers. They never suspect their neighbors!  And also, even if they did, what’s wrong with wanting to start a family with someone you love?”

“Ughh, there it is again…” Sanjo groans again, exasperated. “You really always just have to dive in, don’t you, kid? This chick’s been hanging around, for what, six months? You put a kid within three, and now you’re talking love? Just my luck I go into business with a man that takes up with some creepy broad that came outta nowhere--”

If Sanjo meant to say anything further, he didn’t get the chance. From the other room, T’onga heard Gangak rise abruptly from his seat and kick over the low table between them. There is another sound, but only she picks up on. The displacement of the air created by something appearing where none was present before.

“That is the LAST TIME you speak badly of the mother of my child! You hear me?!” Gangak thunders. His Stand hovers next to him, a humanoid form wreathed in white smoke. Its name was SLEEPYHEAD.

The old man couldn’t see the Stand, or hear it, or smell it, or sense it in anyway. If he could, perhaps then it would make sense that he should be subordinate to Gangak. Even if he couldn’t, if Gangak simply used the Stand’s ability against him, fear would cause him to fall in. But Gangak never harmed him in any way. This moment was the closest she had observed to a true confrontation. 

It was obvious to T’onga that the old man was the more capable of the pair, even despite his age. And yet Gangak was the boss, and Sanjo the lieutenant. She approaches the room, all smiles and innocence bearing the tea tray, in time to hear him apologize. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” he says, relenting, his tone softened, “You won’t hear it outta me again.”

He couldn’t see the Stand, but he surely knew about it. He knew Gangak too well and intimately for him not to know. And yet he was not at all afraid of him. Sanjo was otherwise easy to understand. He desired power, because it allowed him to feel safe. But with his wit and acumen, he surely could have found a more secure situation, with a more malleable partner. Instead he stuck by Gangak, who caused him no end of frustration.

If she asked the reason why, T’onga knew what the answer would have been, but even so, she would not understand it. It was a simple word, but the effect it had on others, on Gangak, was dramatic. She would whisper it to him, playing her role, every so often, and he would change. His cheeks would flush, and he would smile, and look away. For him, it was an entirely natural reaction to hearing the words “I love you,” but the girl without a heart could not begin to know why.

[askdawnandvern]

Dawn: I mean, I considered it when I was a teen coming into puberty. I had never really felt anything for other ewes before, but...I mean...would it sound weird to say my hatred for my father was making me uncertain if I could make a relationship with a ram work?

Malcolm: It's not the first time I've heard that line of logic before.

Dawn: I guess I was kind of afraid I'd see my father in every ram. But even with that concern, the thought of other ewe's just...never did it for me.

Joel: But thinking about is different than...actual experimentation.

Dawn: Well...I may or may not have kissed another ewe once.

Joel: Oooh...spicy. Now this is what the folks want to hear.

Dawn: It didn't go anywhere, we both came to the conclusion rather quickly that it wasn't for us. It just...felt weird...like kissing a relative. But like...a relative you really don't want to even get close to.

Joel: Like a creepy Uncle?

Dawn: Exactly.

Joel: What was her name?

Dawn: I honestly don't even remember. We weren't exactly friends...I don't even remember why we agreed to try it. But I remember the distinct discomfort and disgust I felt when my lips met hers...it just...I mean it didn't feel right. I-I'm sorry Xavier...I hope that's not offensive.

Malcolm: It's fine Dawn. *Chuckles* I feel the same way about kissing females.

Dawn: What about you Joel?

Joel: Oh, I gave another guy a hoofjob once.

Vernon: *Spits out cub soda* Wait, what?

Dawn: O-Oh my...I-It wasn't someone in the group wa-?

Vernon: Nope.

Gus: Hell no!

Broomie: Not a chance.

Gus: Seriously, when did this happen?

Joel: It was another Llama in my gym class, Franklin Vecunia. He was the only other llama in school, so we used to talk about...y'know, llama stuff.

Vernon: And that lead to...?

Joel: We were hanging out in my room one day after school, and the topic came up, and one thing lead to another and well...I mean, we gave it a try.

Gus: So what, you were just casually like “Hey, were both llamas, what's a hoofjob between species bros?”

Joel: Hey it was one time, and it left us both so uncomfortable that we sorta fell off talking after the fact. Although I think he did go on to eventually come out of the closet to his parents, and according to his furbook he's in a loving relationship with another macho. They seem happy.

Gus: But you...?

Joel: No, I'm not. I like females. Nearly all species, but females exclusively. Sorry fellas...

Vernon: How come you never told us?

Joel: Eh...it never came up. Or at least, it never felt appropriate to mention in conversation.

Gus: *Shakes head* You are the weirdest llama I know, I swear.

Joel: You say that like we aren't all weird.

Vernon: Well...I'd be surprised if anyone has somethin' that can top that.

Val: I had sex with my girlfriend Ellie once.

Ellie: VAL! What the hell!?

Vernon: Nevermind...

Val: *Laughs* What's wrong?

Ellie: You don't just go...blurting something like that out!

Gus: You sure you've been Val's friend since Kidhood? Because I'd assume you wouldn't be surprised if you had been.

Val: It's nothing to be ashamed of, Lots of mammals give 'experimenting' a try.

Kodi: I'm gonna need some details on that, preferably some lengthy and explicit ones at that.

Val: *Shakes her head* Knock it off you horndog. *chuckles*

Ellie: *Blushing intensely* Oh my gods...

Joel: So what happened? Inquiring minds want to know...*Smirks*

Val: *Shrugs* Well, I mean Ellie was always around our place. I'm not a complete blabbermouth or I'd go into detail on the why, but eventually, Ellie ended up moving in with us when she was fifteen. We were pretty close already at that point, almost like sisters, but actually living together pretty much cemented that feeling.

Gus: Okay...because that doesn't make it creepier...

Ellie: Oh gods...Val....please stop...

Val: One night when my Dad was working late we started talking about sex and feelings and stuff and well...it's like Joel said, one thing led to another and before we knew it well...we were rutting.

Ellie: *Blushing intensifies*

Val: We gave a little bit of everything a try....just to be one-hundred percent sure. And in the end, we decided it wasn't for us. Although Ellie went straight as an arrow whereas while I’m not into girls, I’m fine with sharing a guy with one in bedroom. Luckily for me and Ellie, neither of us were super weird about it afterward.

Ellie: Yeah...although it does certainly feel super weird now....talking about it...to friends...and strangers...L-Lots and lots of strangers...

Val: Oh c'mon Ellie. It's not like they were watching us do it.

Kodi: I wish I was.

Val: *Chuckles* *Playfully elbows Kody* Down boy...

Vernon: Well...er....any of you fellas got a tale to weave?

Wade: Nope.

Trenton: No sir.

Ulric: Er...well there was...no...wait...no, I'm pretty sure alien abduction experiences don't count.

Zach: Sorry, never really had any sorta...inklin' to try it.

Yuri: Never. Absolutely not.

Malcolm: Well you know my stance on it. *Chuckles* If what I'm doing is experimenting, I've been researching the subject for close to two decades.