Paid Internship (Part 1)(Prison AU)
Author's Note: This is a Prison AU that the viewers of my blog seem to be pretty fond of. The main focuses for the romance parts will differ depending on the part, but for part 1, it's Liu, Jeff, and Toby. The reader is gender neutral and uses She/He stuff, but sometimes depending on what's going on I'll use stuff like Tits. Also, Sully will be in the fic, but I won't use his name. Pay attention to how Liu talks, they will be major differences between his first meeting and his interview.
Author's Note 2: This is definitely one of my longest and most plot heavy fics on my account. I do plan for this to be multi parter, so this part will be heavy on introducing the characters. This part will have some yandere moments, but they will be mostly prominent in part two. If you wanna be tagged for part two, leave a comment, or reblog.
Summary: Welcome to your paid internship at Roosevelt Federal Prison. After being seen for your potential and skills by your instructor at the Academy, he decided to give you opportunity of working in the US' most dangerous prison despite the disapproval and rejection from the higher ups. However, due to miscommunication and faulty paperwork, you're gonna up working with some of America's most danger serial killers for the semester.
Warnings: Descriptions of crimes, Rape Mentioned, Perversion, Manipulation, Gaslighting, Gore, Sadism, Violence, Implied Nudity, Kidnapping, Implied Abuse, Hostages, Death, Murder, Threats, Mood Swings, Sexual Abuse Implied, PTSD, Mental Illness, Dealings, Attempted Murder, Survivor's Guilt,Cursing, Sleep Deprived Workers, Stress, Agression, and More. This AU is not fo the faint of heart.
Word count: 13.5k
Links: {Masterlist} {Prison AU Introduction}
"Hey kid, you ready?"
You were taken out of your train of thought by your instructor and mentor, Officer Joseph Gibbons. Joseph was a man in his 50's, his once hazelnut hair now started to fade into a light grey, he was a man on the heavier side, plump like a mall santa clause, and despite his uniform being quite clean, it was covered in the smell of cigarettes and men's colone.
"...Not really. Are you sure I'm ready for this?" You asked, fiddling with the sleeves of your uniform.
"Ready? Out of the students at the Academy your the most ready for this. Any other Prison just wouldn't do you any good."
"Any go-"
"And we're here!" Joseph exclaimed, cutting you off mid sentence as he walked out.
You took a deep breath before walking out of the car. When you stepped out, you were greeted with heavy rain and loud thunder. As you looked up at the Prison, you felt a sense of fear hit you. It was like something straight out of a horror movie. The Prison was massive, you could probably see it from miles away if not further. Various plants were taking over the brick and metal walls, you could see officers walking around with flashlights, making sure nobody was trying to get in or out, two large guard outpost stood high on each side of the building, each of them blasting a bright light, and a large metal barbwired gate keeping whatever was inside from getting out.
"Joseph!" A voice yelled from the distance, causing the two of you to shoot your heads in the direction of the noise.
Whoever the voice belonged to, they were running towards the two of you pretty fast, waving their arms around like a lunatic.
"Esther, my dear friend. How the kids?" Joseph asked with a smile as he hugged the man.
Now that the man was closer, you got a better look at him. He had short red hair, a face full of a freckles, a small beard slowly starting grow in, and he was definitely younger than your mentor. He was maybe in his late 30's, early to mid 40's. He was in well shape too, his biceps peeking through the gaurd uniform he wore. He had a pistol, taser, and handcuffs strapped to his waist band on the right side of his body, meaning he was most likely right handed.
During your first year at the Academy, you were taught to see every single detail in a suspect or in a scene, no matter how small or big it was, and now you found yourself doing it like it was second nature at this point.
"They're good, they're good. Havent seen them for a while though, I've been stuck here all week! Now, where's this prodigy you've been pushing for?"
"Esther, meet Y/N L/N. Y/N, this is Officer Esther Wibbsy, I met when I first worked here. He's gonna be watching over you during this whole thing."
"Nice to meet ya, L/N," Esther said, sticking his hand out.
You shook his hand with a nervous smile, unconsciously gripping his hand hard in an attempt of letting out your nervousness.
"Dang, nice grip," He said, pulling his hand back.
"Thanks..."
As you pulled your hand back and wipped your sweat on the pants of your uniform, Joseph started to slowly walk back to the car.
"Your shift ends at 10AM tomorrow, you got this, kid! Remember everything I taught you and you'll be fine."
And as Joseph closed the door of the car and drove off, your only hope of backing out left with him.
"Don't worry, you're not going to be working with the actual dangerous ones."
"I'm not?"
"Walk and talk with me, I'll explain everything on the way."
You let out the biggest sigh of relief before following Esther.
"Roosevelt is divided into two sections. The section you're going to be working in is the normal prisoners. They're still extremely dangerous, but they're a lot more manageable then the others."
"The others?"
"The other section is what give Roosevelt it's reputation. You see, Roosevelt doesn't hold only people, we hold monsters, demons, supernatural beings that we didn't even know existed until we caught them. They're in the other section. The goverment put them here because they don't know what to do with them."
"Woah, so, how do you know I won't run into them?"
"That's the thing, I don't really know. To be honest with you, I think the only reason most of them are still here is by their own choice. Most of them are on death row, and if they really wanted to they can leave, especially Ben."
"Ben?"
"Huh? No I was just rambling..."
As the two got closer to the main gate, something caught Esther’s eyes.
"You see that random brick wall," Esther said, pointing to a wall that stood in the middle of the courtyard, starting from the building all the way until it hit the gate. From the angle you were at, you could just barely see a roof.
"Mhm."
"They're behind that wall. That entire half is their section. Most of the officers who work in that part have been trained specifically to work there and nowhere else."
You felt chills go down your spine as you stared at the wall. Something about it gave off a terrible aura.
"Who's staying in that part..."
"Have you heard of Jeffery Woods?"
"Yeah, Jeff the Killer? Slit mouth?"
"Yeah. That guy, is in that part."
"He's real? I thought he was just some urban legend from when I was a kid. His face was everywhere."
"Nope, he's real, and he's in there. Those pictures aren't what he actually looks like though, he's not that ugly. However, people like him are the reason why you're working in my part, it's a lot safer."
And as those words left his mouth, the two of you stood at the gate entrance. You and Esther walked up to the booth where a lady stood there with a tired, blank expression.
"Who's that?" She asked.
"The intern from Gullermary Academy. Joseph's student."
"Oh... Proceed."
Esther nodded as he opened the metal door and allowed you to walk in first. As you walked in, you were greeted with loud screams and banging from all directions.
"You'll get used to that," Esther said as he walked past you. "Wait in my office, I gotta go get your file from the boss." He then pointed to the door that had Officer Wibbsy written on a metal plate. "You can take any of the snacks, get comfortable because this might take a while."
"OK, thank you," You said, smiling.
Esther merely gave you a soft smile before walking off. Once he was out of view, you opened the door to his office and looked around. On his desk, you saw a picture of a woman smiling. She had freckles with long blonde hair. When you picked up the picture, you saw a date at the bottom.
"September 17, 2017," You read.
Was the woman dead? Or was it the date the photo was taken? Either way, it really wasn't your business. As you sat the picture back down, next to it was a picture of Esther with the woman in the photo next to him. The woman was wearing a white gown while Esther wore a suit, and in his arms was a baby girl wearing a little white dress and next to him was a little boy in a suit as well. Looking up, you saw his diploma in Criminal Justice and next to it was his certificate from the academy.
After taking a look, you plopped down on the chair and stared up at the ceiling. You weren't exactly sure what this internship had in store for you. When Joseph brought it up to you last semester, he kept it very vague. He'd often dismiss your questions and cut you off when you pushed it. You weren't suspicious however, since he was always like this when he tought you during your first year.
You wondered on what kind of prisoners you'll meet. Will you meet someone who was falsely accused and now is paying the price? Maybe you'll meet someone who has been in and out of jail and now is here. Due to your young curiosity, your mind just kept on racing with ideas. But suddenly, your phone began to ring.
Looking down, you saw the words "Mom's calling..." on your phone.
"Hello?" You asked.
"Hi sweetie, how are you?'
"I'm alright. I'm just waiting for my observer to come back with my stuff."
"Oh honey, I'm so proud of you! But, be careful, alright? I don't want anything happening to you."
"I will, mom, I will. You know how good I am."
"I know, I just don't want anything happening to my little girl/boy."
"I know. But, how are you doing mom?"
"I'm doing alright. Me and your father plan on taking a trip to Florida in the spring."
"That's great! Enjoying retirement I see," You said in a teasing tone, earning a giggle from your mother.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN?! THIS IS NOT WHAT HE SIGNED!" A voice suddenly yelled, overpowering the screams of the inmates.
"What was that?" Your mother asked, worried.
You stayed silent as you tried to listen to what was going on.
"I'll call you back, mom," You said, before hanging up.
You slowly walked out the room and looked down the narrow hallway, holding onto your gun tightly as you did.
"I'm telling you for the last time, this is what Joseph signed, his signature is right here."
"That is not what he fucking told me. I know damn well he's not stupid enough to put some barley experienced 24 year old in a room with this country's most dangerous criminals. As their observer, I can't allow this!"
You felt your heart stop when you heard those words come out from Esther's mouth. Despite your wonky confidence in your abilities, you were far from naive. You were not ready for this.
"Look, I'm just as unhappy about this as you are, Joseph is fucking stupid for signing this, but legally there's nothing we can do."
"I already told them that they were going to be fine, I won't even be able to observe them! Who's going to even teach them shit?!"
"I don't know, Wibbsy, I don't know. I can call Joseph and ask him what he wants up to do, but for tonight, they're working in the Creeps section, whether you like it or not."
Esther pulled at his hair and he looked at his boss with rage.
"If that kid dies because of this, I'm fucking done with this place, you hear me?"
"I hear."
When Esther walked out of the room, he was greeted by your shocked, frozen figure at the end of the hallway.
"You heard it, didn't you?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Just... Shit... Take this and just, go straight down that hallway, and they'll take you from there."
"Uh...Ok. I'll see you later," You said nervously as you took your file and walked off.
Esther stared at you as you walked off, feeling a sense of guilt and responsibility consume him like water.
"Please don't die..."
The hallway to the other side was extremely narrow and costraphobic, you could feel the walls press up on you as your walked. One thing about the entire journey that disturbed you wasn't the leaking walls or the filthy floors, but it was the silence. Compared to the other section that was booming with noise, the closer you got to the second half, the quieter it got. You could only hear little whispers from behind the walls, but they were so quiet that you couldn't make out a word. The hallway was dark, dirty, and wet. You assumed that the rain from the storm has leaked through the walls and onto you. You could see roaches and even saw a rat run past you. You wanted to throw up. It was as if this place was abandoned.
When you got to the end of the hall, there was large metal door. There was no card scanner, or even a person standing in a booth.
"Hello? Hello?" You said, knocking on the door.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a short lady started at you with wide eyes.
You could only see the woman's head, but she looked as if she was held hostage for years. Her eyes were wide, as if she had been traumatized, her hair was a mess, her officer cap was barely covering her head, and her face seemed to be bruised.
"...Name..." The woman said, staring into your eyes.
"Y/N L/N. I'm the intern."
And before you could blink, you were grabbed and forced into the horrors that awaited you.
The lobby section was bright and white, similar to a hospital. However, there was no cameras, or an officer sitting behind the glass with a computer.
There was a metal door that stood in front of you, keeping from whatever was on the other side from getting out. Ingraved into the door were the words "Inmate Quaters."
"Let me see your file," The woman said shakily, taking the file from your hands.
"Um, are you OK, ma'am?"
"Me? Oh...I'm alright, I didn't get the worse of it."
"WE NEED SECURITY PERSONAL IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, BEN'S CELL 001 IMMEDIATELY, I REPEAT, WE NEED SECURITY PERSONAL IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, BEN'S CELL 001 IMMEDIATELY!" The woman's walkie blasted as she read your file.
Suddenly, a large group of men ran past the two of you, carrying guns and covered in riot gear.
"Um...Ma'am?"
"Hm?" The woman responded, not taking her eyes off your file.
"Who's Ben?"
"If you're not working on his case I can't tell you anything, sorry."
"Oh...Ok."
"Huh...The Woods... Rogers... Otis... Wright... Thomas... This... no, this can't be right. Are they fucking stupid?" The woman asked, looking up at you.
"I don't know, maybe?"
"OK, It's fine, it's fine! Who's on the roster for today... Rogers... Jeffery... Liu... At least you got Liu... Ok, follow me."
The woman walked towards the door that had "Inmate Quaters" written on it, beckoning you to follow her.
"Have you gone through your file?"
"No, I've only been for forty minutes..."
"Here, read it. Read the first three for now, the others you'll be working on at a later date."
Once the lady handed you your file, you started to read through it as the two of you made your way to the cells.
The file was the one of a picture of a man with pale skin, greasy black hair, a slitted mouth, and a crazed smile. He was a picture of his mugshot, eyes bloodshot with a large shit eating grin.
"Jeffery Woods. A man in his early 30s, arrested for multiple accounts of serial Murder, Mutilation, Kidnapping, Torture, Stalking, Vandalism, Arson, Breaking and entering, Parricide, Drug use and rape. He has the reputation of assaulting, mocking, teasing and harassing guards. Jeff is often in solitary confinement, but that doesn't stop him from his usual actions. Has to be kept away from Jane Elizabeth Arkensaw due to them activity starting fights. He is deemed one of the deadliest prisoners in our institution. During your internship, he will be one of the prisoners you'll be interacting to help sharpen your skills. He will by far be one of if not the hardest to interrogate. His case is still under investigation..."
You read the words on the paper with disgust. His smile, so deranged, so sadistic, as if he was talking a school picture, ignoring the lives of those he's ruined or taken.
"Be careful with Jeff, he likes pretty ones," The woman commented as you read.
"Wait, I have a question."
"Ask it."
"Will be looking into their case? Like, will I be doing interviews and looking at evidence?"
"Well, I'm not sure about evidence, their cases are gruesome, and the transcripts of victims' families interviews and the interviews of victims who survived are not pretty... However, I know you will be interviewing some of them, like The Woods and Rogers. Now keep reading, we're most there."
You nodded as you moved Jeff's paper to end and looked at the next one. The image was the one of a man with stitches. He had a blank tired expression in his mugshot, not sad or sadistic, but one of bordem. He had brown hair with bright green eyes, and just like Jeffery, he was pretty pale.
"Liu Woods, also known as Homicidal Liu. A man in early to mid 20s, arrested for Serial murder, stalking, kidnapping, robbery, breaking and entering, assault, and vandalism. Currently serving a a sentence of 50 years but has a chance of parole once he serves 20. Liu is the little brother of Jeffery Woods, and after Jeffery almost murdered him, he developed an alter ego named Sully. Lui is is relatively quiet, observant, possessive and violent. But his violence gets worse when he's Sully. Lui normally doesn't harm guards or prisoners unless provocted, but he has attacked them with no apparent reason on multiple accounts. Liu is one of the prisoners you will be seeing often due to you working mostly in his section of the prison, where most of the pastas are such of Eyeless Jack and Toby. Warning when dealing with Liu, watch your words and actions, DO NOT touch anything of his unless it's a danger to him or others, and don't ask him too much about his past due to it being his biggest trigger in becoming Sully. If you're dealing Sully, be extremely careful, don't make sudden moves and don't anger him. Sully is extremely violent, sadistic but oddly childish. Sully is supposedly a seven year old according to both himself and Liu, so treat him as an extremely dangerous child."
You stared at Liu's image for a few moments after reading the report. Him and Jeff barely looked the related besides in the eye shape and skin color. With mugshots alone, you felt as if your experience with the two brothers will be drastically different.
"Do you have any advice on Liu?" You asked to woman.
"No. He isn't too bad, just really, really quiet. But when he does talk, he's very charming. He's a man of few words."
You nodded in response as you placed Liu's file in the back and looked down at the last one. It was a picture of a man, messy brown hair, the right side of his cheek was missing, revealing his teeth and gums, his eyes held heavy bags as if he hadn't sleep for days, and his neck and hands were covered in bandages. His expression was a pretty tired one, his eyes were droopy as he stared into the camera, some of his hair covering his face as he looked.
"Tobias Erin Rogers. A man in his late 20s arrested for Serial murder, Torture, Vandalism, Arson, Stalking, Patricide, Breaking and Entering, Kidnapping, and suspected of multiple accounts of sexual assault but is yet to be confirmed. Currently sentenced to life in jail with possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 30 years. He suffers a handful of disorders and quite often causes trouble for both staff and other inmates. He struggled with controlling his emotions and his impulsive behavior which often leads to himself, inmates and staff to be harmed. Despite this, you will be interacting with him during your internship due to him being able to get a long with staff for a short period of time if he finds them "hot." Warnings, don't get too attached, don't believe most of the things he says, don't give or take anything from him, and don't let his suffering fool you. He has a history of using his suffering against others and actually led to him escaping when he was first sent here when he was 19, and they didn't capture him again until last year when he turned 27."
"WE still don't know much about Rogers," The woman said as she stopped walking, causing you to bump into her.
"Oh, sorry," You said, backing away to give her some space. "But, why is that?"
"He hasn't told us jack shit. He hasn't told us about his motives or his past, the only things we know is the murders he's rambled about in past interviews. Since you two are pretty close in age, maybe you got a better shot then we do," The woman responded, opening the door that led to the door of the inmates quarters.
When the woman opened the metal door, there was a massive wall of metal and glass. It was a look in to see the inmates, and luckily it was a one way mirror.
"This is where the inmates sleep and spend most of their time. They don't leave this area unless they're sent to solitary confinement."
As you looked through the glass, you saw two men sitting next to each other against the wall, and above them on the second floor were two women talking.
"The two men on the bottom are Timothy Wright and Brian Thomas. You won't be meeting them for a while, but they're on your roster."
"How bad are they?"
"Depends on who you're asking."
"And above them is Jane Elizabeth Arkensaw and Natalie Outlette. Jane is definitely one of the most well behaved inmates we have here, hell, she shouldn't even be here..."
The woman continued to explain the operations and how things functioned in the Prison.
"Inmates eat breakfast at 4AM, and they don't eat again until 11:30 for lunch. After breakfast, they have freetime to do whatever they please, they don't get jobs or specialties like the other inmates. We tend to leave them to their devices under close observation."
You took a look into the inmate quarters and noticed that the man with short black hair was staring directly at you. He held a blank expression as he stared through your soul. You felt your blood run cold as he stared you down with his cold, emotionless eyes. You saw the man next to him look at him with amusement before telling him something, which cause the man to take his eyes off you and look at the other man with rage. You watched as the man yelled at him, but due to the noise canceling effects the room you were in had, you only saw the movements and gestures, no actual words.
"Ma'am, are you sure they can't see us?" You asked as you slowly turned your head away from the scene.
"Positive. Why must you ask?" The woman asked as she walked towards a door that read Officer Sarah Mandel.
"The man with the sideburns was just staring at me," You said, pointing to the man.
"Oh...Wright. he does that from time to time, ignore it."
"Uhhh, ok," You responded as you slowly turned your head away from the man named Wright.
"What time is it?" The woman asked.
"6:30 PM, why?"
"In 15 minutes you'll be interviewing Jeffery Woods," The woman said as she began to walk into a room.
When you were about to follow her, she walked back out with a piece of paper in her hands. She then rubbed her eyed tiredly before handing you the paper with a yawn.
"You ok, ma'am?"
"Yeah...Just tired, I've been working 18 hours and I don't go home till 10. Now, ask Jeff the questions on this paper, don't go off script. If he tries, redirect him, don’t give him a chance to get off topic. Now, he says some pretty perverted and weird things, ignore it and you'll be fine. An officer will be waiting outside the door, and there's a button under the table to notify him to come in. There will also be another officer with you in the room since this is your first time. Got all that?"
"Yep! So uh, where the place I'll be interviewing him?"
"Follow."
You and the woman then walked deeper into the area you in, going past the inmates quarters and going through a door that read 'Interigation Roon, Level 4 and up.'
As the two of you walked, you decided to read some of the questions on the paper. Most of the questions were ones you've seen at the Academy. Stuff like, 'Why did you do what you did?' And 'Did you know your victims?' And so on and so forth. Some of the questions were more detailed though. One in particular asked 'At the scene of one of your crimes, we found a dog next to a door that was locked. When we tried going through the door, it killed two of our best officers. What was behind that door, and who was that dog?'
You remember when you were younger, this image of a dog with a crazed smile was circling around. Some said it was cursed, others said it was some urban legend. But, you picture the image in your head, and you look down at Jeffrey's wanted photo, you couldn't feel like that was connected to him somehow.
"Alright, you'll be in room 899 for all of your interviews, keep that in mind. Now, they'll be here in 5 minutes with Jeffery, you ready?"
"Yeah, I think so," You said as your hands and legs shook with nervousness.
The woman let out a light chuckle before putting her hand on your shoulder with a smile.
"You're gonna be ok, kid. It's you first day, and you're already working with some dangerous people, but it comes with the job. You'll get it no time."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," You said as you took a deep breath and walked into the room.
The room was small with bright lights, two cameras on each side of the room, clean white walls, and a table with a chair on each side in the middle.
You sat down on the chair facing the door and pulled at your uniform to fix any wrinkles or badges that were out of place. You opened the folder and took out Jeffery's paper before placing the folder under your chair.
"It's ok, Y/N. He isn't going to do anything," You said to yourself as you looked down at the papers.
Suddenly, you began to hear footsteps and the sound of chains walking towards you.
And then, the door opened, and you were greeted with a sight that gave you chills.
A man, so tall that could barely fit through the doorway. His hair was long and greasy, covering his face as he looked down lifeless. He was pretty skinny too, that inmate uniform he wore being quite baggy on him. Covering him were chains, his hands were cuff and his ankles were chains together as well. You couldn't see his face, but you could see his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and wide, staring at you with insanity and rage.
You did your best to keep your stone cold expression, but you couldn't hide the deed of sweat that rolled down your brow as he got closer to you.
The two officers that brought him forced him down of the seat before tying him to the chair tightly.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Jeffery said, turning his head to look at the male officer. He had a massive grin on his face as he asked the question in a joking manner.
"No," The male officer said coldly before walking in the corner.
The female officer looked at you with a nod before walking out and closing the door behind her.
Now, in the first semester of your second year at the Academy, it was mostly focused on interagation and the art of the mind. You were told to remain calm and composed at all times, but don't be too serious as well.
Joseph said people are less likely to comfortable and truthful when you make yourself appear as stone cold serious or far too casual. He said to find a balance, make them feel comfortable, maybe joke once or twice, but make them aware that this is serious.
"So, how are you doing, Jeffery?"
Jeff then shot up and slowly turned his head to look at you. His face was neutral, but the nasty scarred smile on his face did give you goosebumps.
"Jeffery... I haven't been called that in a while."
"What are you called then?"
"Jeff."
"Well, Jeff, how are you doing?"
"Shitty. I've been stuck in solitary all fucking month!"
"I'm sorry to hear that."
When you going the ask why, you remembered that the woman told you not to go off script. You took a glance at the officer in the corner before peeping down at the paper.
"So, Jeff, you've been charged with a books worth of crimes, and you've been on death row since December 25, 2014. We've had you in this place for a few years now, but you still haven't told us why you did it."
Jeff stared at you before scoffing and rolling his eyes.
"Same old question! How many times do I have to tell you fucking people. It was fun! Stalked a few people, kidnapped some, fucked the pretty ones, and at the end of the day all of them would be fucking dead," Jeff said with a grin, his eyes slowly starting to move down to your tits.
"Hey! Eyes up here," You demanded, snapping your fingers to get his attention to your face. "I'm here for answers, Jeff, not to be your eye candy."
"Awwww," Jeff moaned, giving you a pout.
"So..." You said, looking through his file. Jeff looked at you boredly as he yawned and leaned back into his chair. In the corner of your eye, you saw the police officer in the corner give Jeff a glare.
"A girl...oh. A girl went missing right before your arrest, her name was Abbie Grace, 21 year old college student. We haven't found her since and evidence is pointing towards you. Does the name ring any bells?"
"Abbie...? Nope! Not at all," Jeff answered, a strange optimistic tone laying in his voice.
After those words left his mouth, you pulled out a picture of Abbie. She had long pink and blue hair with pale skin and bright blue eyes. Her face was covered in freckles and her eyes had a shine to them. She seemed friendly and kind, her bright smile showing off her dimples and crooked teeth.
"Does she look familiar?"
Jeff leaned forward and looked at the photo. He paused for a few moments before realization hit him.
"Oh! Candy Head."
"So you do recognize her?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to her?"
"Heh, I don't know. I was told to kidnap her, not kill her."
The word told caught your attention immediately, and it seemed to catch the other officer's attention too. Nothing in his file said anything about a boss, it was said that he worked alone, a solo act.
"Told? By who?"
"Eh, I don't feel like telling."
"Jeff."
"What? Suck my dick first and maybe I'd tell you."
"You're not getting anything out of him, rookie," The other officer said, letting out a sigh.
"Well, what'd you do with her while she was with you?"
"Hmmm, well, She was definitely an ugly crier. She would always cry and cry, the bitch even tried to kill me with a butter knife," Jeff answered before laughing at the girl's attempts to escape.
"Hm. Do you remember you remember the last thing you did to her?"
"She did have a pretty face, and a fat ass," Jeff said before his eyes glazed over with lust as he reminisced. An errie smile continued to grow on his face as he contiued his thought. "She was the whole package, and I wasn't going to ler a girl like that go out easy."
You knew what he meant, his file didn't lie one bit, the guy was a fucking sadist.
"After fucking the bitches brains out, I gave the her to Toby."
"...Toby? Is he your partner?"
"Partner? You're funny! As if I'd work with that retard. if you wanna know what happened to her, ask him."
"You are aware that makes you an accomplice?"
"Like I care."
"And you do know that can make your stay here a lot longer, post poning your death sentence to look into your case further."
"If looking at your body means staying here, I'll stay."
"Well, I guess that's where our talk ends for today."
You then stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the officer with Jeff. As you walked off, Jeff stared at your ass, feeling a grin creep onto his face before the officer pulled him out from his seat.
As you walked out, you saw the lady from earlier waiting for you, drinking a red bull as she leaned against the wall.
"How'd it go?"
"Better than I thought... But he's, weird."
"Weird as in perverted? Yeah, we know. What'd he tell?"
"Well, I asked him about Abbie Grace, the 21 year old, and apparently he didn't kill her."
"Really? What did he do?"
"Well... He kidnapped her, raped her, not sure how many times though, and then gave her to a guy named Toby."
"Has to be our Toby," The woman mumbled before taking another sip of her red bull. "Did you ask him anything else?"
"No, just getting those answers were difficult."
"Pity."
RING!
"ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE REPORT TO THE CAFETERIA FOR DINNER!"
"Welp that's us, let me tell you how this is gonna go," The woman said as she pushed herself off the wall and began to walk.
"The most dangerous and chaotic parts of the day is Lunch, Breakfast, and Dinner. All the pastas normally stick to their groups or by themselves, but during these parts of the day they're all trapped together like sardines. Fights breakout, stealing, and just too much shit goes on. When you're assigned your spot, stay there. If any of them try to get a reaction out of you or try to bother you, don't react. They're not your average criminals, and since they've never seen you before, that's definitely gonna happen today. Stand strong, stay quiet, and observe. Cops like us are merely meang to supervise them, not stop them, that's what Security is for."
"So, is that all I gotta worry about mainly?"
"For right now, yes. And don't leave the cafeteria until lunch is over. Some of them like to sneak out, and let's just say cops who wondered off, weren't found the same way they left. May that be mentally, or physically."
"Oh... So, stay in post, stay quiet, and don't leave."
"Yep, you pick up fast."
"Thank you, Officer...?"
"Mandel. I guess I never told you name, my apologies," Officer Mandel said before taking a another sip of her red bull, "Its been a long day."
‐---------‐-------------------------------------------------------
The moment the two of you walked into the cafeteria, you were met with a loud wave of noise.
"Shit, is it always this loud?" You asked Officer Mandel, who nodded her head in response.
The two of you then walked over to one of the security guards.
"Jesus! You look like awful, Sarah," The guard said with concern.
"I know right. Newbie needs their post."
"Oh, you see that guy over there," The guard said, pointing to a guy with stitches in the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah."
"You're posted in the front of the door behind him."
Looking at the man closer, your eyes widened with realization.
"Is that-"
"Liu Woods? Yeah, good luck," The guard responded before Officer Mandel slapped the back of his head.
"He's not that bad, don't listen to him."
Nodding in response, you took a deep breath as you walked towards the door.
All the inmates were divided into their respective groups. The two men you saw from earlier were sitting at their own table, but a man with part of his cheek removed was sitting with them as well, arguing with the one known as Tim.
"For the hundredth time, it's not my fault the bitch ran away!"
"You sure? Cause last time I checked, she was you last."
"*FUCK YOU* Whatever, Tim. The bitch most likely dead anyway."
You made sure to note that in your head for later. Tobias Erin Rogers, he was listed on your roster, and based on Jeff's info, you'll be meeting him very soon.
When you passed Liu to get to the door, you felt the atmosphere shift. It hit you like a truck, your heart raced as you took at glance at him.
His skin was so pale that he could've been considered sick. Since Jeff was paler than him, you just though it was family trait. But, the stitches on his face and hands made you think otherwise. In his file, it did mention that Jeff tried to kill him. An injury from the incident was mostly likely the cause for his apperance, but you kept your theories to yourself.
Much to you surprise, dinner went by pretty smoothly. But, you couldn't help but grow curious on why so many guards were coming in and out of the cafeteria. You knew better than to let your curiosity take over, but through dinner it became harder to fight.
"Something bothering you?"
Flinching at the voice, you looked down towards Liu, he was looking at you with a tilted head.
"What? Of course not."
"You sure? I ain't telling nobody," Liu persisted as he fully turned his body towards you.
You knew better than to respond, much to Liu's dissapointment.
"You interviewed my brother eariler, right?"
"Who's asking?'' You asked saracastically as you avoided eye contact.
"Me, who else?" Liu answered bluntly, a slight bit of attitude hidden in his tone.
"I don't know."
There was a moment of silence as Liu followed your eyes, realizing that you were looking at the cafeteria doors.
"The doors, huh?" Liu whispered to himself as a grin grew on his face. "You know, past those cafeteria doors is Solitary."
"Ok, why would I care?"
"Why would I care," Liu mocked.
"Jesus, just like his brother..." You thought as you rolled your eyes in annoyance.
"Hey, can you do me a favor?"
"No."
"It might benefit you," Liu said in teasing manner.
You didn't say a word, but you did raise an eyebrow with interest.
"Jeff stole shit from my cell before he got sent to solitary. You convince him to give me my shit back, and I tell you what I know about Candy Head."
"Candy Head?" You asked confused before realization hit you. "You have something to do with Abbie Grace's case?"
"Nah uh, uh, uh, get me my stuff back first," Liu answered bluntly, sending you a glare.
Something wasn't adding up. Jeff told you that he gave Abbie to Toby, but how did Liu fit into any of this? Maybe her disappearance isn't as cut and dry as you thought.
Looking around, you let out a sigh.
"I'll think about it."
Liu nodded his head in understanding before turning back around.
"Wait. How'd you know I'm on her case?"
"Stuff. First."
Letting out a groan, you lightly flinched as a loud ring echoed across the room.
"DINNER'S OVER! BACK TO YOUR CELLS!"
As the inmates got rallied up, Officer Mandel walked up next to you.
"So, how'd it go?"
"I don't know what that file said, but Liu is anything but charming. It was like I was dealing with Jeff all over again, just without the pervsion."
"You sure it was Liu?"
"Hm? What you mean?"
"You'll see. Now, the inmates are getting brought back to their cells, but our job isn't over just yet," Mandel said before beckoning you to follow her. "You'll be interviewing Toby in an hour or two, until then, I need you to look over the testimonals of their previous victims who survived."
"Their?"
"You said Jeff didn't kill her, right?"
"Right."
"So, there's the chance that Toby did. Toby didn't work alone, he worked with those two guys we saw earlier. I want you to get familar with their methods, and I want you to understand this very clearly," Mandel said before stopping in her tracks. "These people are dangerous, they will hurt you if given the chance. After today, you're not gonna have another officer in the room with you. I best not find out that you got hurt because you wanted to be fucking stupid."
Placing a hand on your shoulder, Mandel looked at you with a look you couldn't decscribe. "You're young, and you got so many years ahead of you, so listen to my advice. Listen to the files, and don't ever, I mean ever, go into solitary. I saw you looking at it earlier so I'm shutting the idea down now."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Wonderful. Now, while you were interviewing Jeff, I decided to hand pick the evidence and testimonials that mostly involved Toby. You're not going to meet Brian and Tim for a while, so don't worry about them."
Nodding your head, you looked at the door labeled "Intern 1."
"Oh, and heads up. The voice recordings are really dark, so, good luck," Mandel whispered to you before patting your back. "I'll get you when Toby's ready."
"Ok."
As Mandel left you alone, you took a deep breath as you opened the door.
The room was bright and clean, a decently sized desk placed in front of you with a computer on it, but it was also covered in various files. In the corner was an old box TV with a VHS and CD player, with a chair placed in front of it.
The room wasn't bad by any means, but it gave you an odd vibe.
Taking a seat at the desk, you decided to look at the different files.
Most of them were detailed descriptions of various crimes scenes related to Toby or the proxies in general, but under all the files was a VHS labeled "Elizabeth Todd's Testimony."
Since you didn't want to spend lord knows how long reading papers, you stood up from your seat and made your way to the TV, placing the VHS into the player before taking a seat infront of the TV. The TV took a while to process the cassete, but once it did, a woman appeared on the screen, the date April 26th, 2008 resting in the top right hand corner.
The girl looked about 19, dark skinned with big curls rounding around her face, fairly skinny but you weren't exactly sure due to her hoodie covering most of her frame, but the thing that you took notice of the most was her eyes. They lacked any sort of life, giving you an uneasy feel as she stared past the camera, implying that someone was in front of her.
"Your testimony will be recorded and kept for evidence, would you like to remain anonymous? If not, please state your name," A light voice said behind the camera.
Pausing for a few moments, the girl looked down to her hands before looking back up to the officer infront of her.
"My name is Elizabeth Todd," The girl started, her voice meek and low as she spoke.
"Would you mind telling us what happened on the day of the incident?"
"...It was my freshman year of college. I didn't know anyone, but I made some friends within the first semester."
Leaning back into your chair, you took notice of Elizabeth's body language. She fidgeted with her hands as she spoke, and always kept her gaze down, rarely looking up at the officers. She appeared nervous. You decided to keep note of that as she continued to speak.
"When spring break came around, me, Lilian, Austin, and Kevin decided to take a camping trip in tye woods near our campus. We took a bunch during the fall so we were pretty familiar with the area. But, when it came to us planning the trip, I always felt like something was going to go wrong..."
Elizabeth's voice cracked as she spoke, causing her to swallow her spit as she shook her hands, trying to keep her composure.
"Nobody listened though, saying I was paranoid even though we went there countless times before. So, we went anyway. Kev and Lilian were setting up a fire while me and Austin were setting up tents. Austin and I were dating at the time, so when Lilian and Kev weren't looking, we wondered off."
Snapping her fingers, Elizabeth continued.
"Austin and I were making out against a tree not too far from our campsite, fucking in the woods was on our spring break bucket list after all. But, before we could do anything I felt my heart drop. You know that feeling when you know something is wrong but you just don't know what?"
"Yes, I've felt it countless times while on patrols," The officer responded, which helped in calming Elizabeth's nerves.
"Well, I got that feeling. We stopped and looked around but nothing was there. But, it was really quiet, no crickets, no owls, just silence..."
Elizabeth paused, pulling at her sleeves as spoke, her eyes starting to water. "It all happened so fast..."
"It's ok, your words will help us in bring your friends justice," The officer said softly, placing a hand on Elizabeth's.
"Next thing I knew I was running. Austi's blood was all over me, but I don't remember what happened. Once I got back to the campsite, Kev and Lilian were roasting marshmallows at the fire..."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Done fucking, yet?" Lilian teased as she placed her marshmallow on her cracker, turning around with a cheeky grin.
But, that grin quickly fell as her eyes fell on Elizabeth, wearing only a T shirt as blood stained her body.
"What happened...?" Kevin asked, eyes wide.
"He's gone...," Elizabeth responded, looking down at her blood stained hands before looking back up at the two. "We gotta leave. Now."
Without asking anymore questions, Kevin grabbed the keys to the car as Lilian helped Elizabeth stand.
"Are you hurt?" Lilian asked as she walked with Elizabeth.
"He's gone, Lily...He's gone."
"I know, I know."
"Lily, call the cops, tell them what's happening!" Kevin said as he led the group, flashing his flashlight at any sudden noise.
"Once we get to the car," Lily said.
But, Lilian and Elizabeth watched as Kevin's flashlight fell to the floor, being followed with the sound of a loud thump.
Lying infront of them was Kevin's body, a hatchet cutting through the middle of his head as he stared at the two.
"No no no no no no no," Lilian mumbled as she gripped on Elizabeth, backing up slowly as she did.
"BULLSEYE!" A cheerful voice yelled.
Stepping out from the bushes, a man with bright orange goggles appeared in the light, taking the hatchet out of Kevin's skull as he admired his work.
"Big guy aren't *KOO KOO* ya? No *SUCKY* wonder you were so easy to hit," The man stuttered out, his head twitching from side to side as he joked, the loud cracking of his neck echoing throughout the forest.
Frozen in shock, Elizabeth looked towards Lilian, who was just as frozen as she was.
"Damn... You two sure *WOW* are pretty," The man spoke, turning his attention towards the two girls. "I've never *SHOO* had a girlfriend before," The man continued before his gaze darkened, his body language becoming more hostile as he took out his other hatchet. "Mind giving me a chance?~"
Without wasting a moment, Lilian grabbed Elizabeth's hand before running off, causing the man to chase after them.
"We gonna split up," Lilian said.
"Huh?"
"It's better if at least one of us survives. You go left, I go right. We're going to have to get Kev's keys and phone."
"No, no please."
"It's fine, if I don't come back, leave without me. Now go!"
Lilian quickly ran to the right, jumping over a few bushes in the process. Hesitating, Elizabeth stumbled over a few branches as she ran the left, separating the two.
"Jeez, are they *KOO KOO* really that stupid?" Toby mumbled, tapping his chin with his hatchet as he looked both ways. "Tits or thighs...tits or thighs... Tits," Toby declared, looking to the right.
Running through the woods, Elizabeth saw the light from Kevin's flashlight in the distance. Picking up speed, Elizabeth felt her heart drop as Lilian's screams echoed throughout the woods, causing bird to fly up from their nest as it echoed.
"Lily," Elizabeth mumbled, staring in the direction of where Lily ran. "No. Get the keys, get the keys."
Standing over Kevin's body, Elizabeth felt nausea fill up her body as she examined his features. His once bright brown eyes now laid dull, staring at Elizabeth as his mouth laid open. Searching his pockets, Elizabeth felt a chill go down her spine as she caught a feel of his skin, painfully cold.
"I'm sorry Kev, I'm sorry," Elizabeth repeated as she pulled Kevin's keys and phone from his pocket. "I'm so sorry."
Standing up, Elizabeth decided not to take the flashlight, not wanting to risk being seen by the man who was chasing them.
Saying one last goodbye to her friend, Elizabeth ran in the direction of where their car was parked. But, as she ran, she could hear the sound of twigs being snapped.
The sounds came in short but consistent burst. He was following her, mocking her.
"I can see you~" Toby teased, letting out a chuckle as he watched Elizabeth stop for a moment.
Brian would always scold Toby for wasting time on victims, saying that too much time on one could lead to another escaping. But, Toby never listened. Having been a proxy for only a few months, the bosses were starting to grow quite fond of him, much to Tim's dismay.
But, this task was different. This was his first solo mission, and a surprisingly easy one too. Stalk the campers, kill them, dispose of their bodies, and go back to the cabin, easy, right? Well, maybe he should've listened to Brian's advice.
The moment Toby spoke, Elizabeth booked it, running much faster than she normally did.
"Fuck, *LOOKIE* she's fast,"Toby mumbled, chasing after her.
Reaching the car Elizabeth shakily pulled the keys out from her pocket, attempting to open the car door as Toby gained on her.
"Please-please-please, God please!" Elizabeth begged.
As the door opened, Elizabeth quickly jumped in, slamming the key into the holder as the car started up.
But, just before she could slam on the gas, a hatchet was flown as her window, causing glass to shatter on her. Luckily, the hatchet didn't touch her, her dodging just in time for it to land on the seat next to her.
Looking up in horror, Elizabeth watched as Toby appeared from the woods, out of breath as he came into frame. But, in his hand was Lilian, blood dripping from her body as Toby held her by her hair.
"Lilian...," Elizabeth mumbled.
Toby then tilted his head as he lifted Lilian's arm, waving it side to side with a sadistic grin.
She wasn't dead, not yet at least. Her chest was rising and falling slowly as Toby forced her to wave. But, blood was covering her face and neck, coming from the top of her head where Toby banged the handle of his hatchet into.
Staring at the two, Elizabeth came back to reality as quickly as she fazed out of it, slamming on the gas.
As she drove, in the corner of her eye she saw a piece of paper tied to the hatchet. Taking a look, she felt her blood run cold.
"If you survive, don't tell anyone what you saw. You'll see what happens if you :)"
She should tell the police? Lilian was still alive when she left, sure there was blood all over her, but maybe if she called the cops she could make it. Or was it too late?
Looking at Kev's phone, Elizabeth made her choice.
"911, what's your emergency?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Elizabeth? Elizabeth? Fuck, fuck," The officer said as Elizabeth's head slammed into the table, not responding for five minutes before her head fell.
"JOHN, GET A MEDIC!"
The interview stopped there, but the tape continued.
"Elizabeth experienced a seizure during her interview, dying shortly after. But, evidence at the crime scene helped is in determining a series of events," You read as words appeared on the TV. "The bodies of Kevin Howard and Austin Brown were found. Kevin was found with a gash in his head while Austin was found with his head cut clean off. Lilian Smith's body has yet to be found at the time of this recording."
Then, the video finished.
The interview didn't tell you much about Toby's personality, but it did give you a glimce into his cruelty. You decided to use this case as a baseline for the other files you would be looking into, wanting to find common patterns in his crimes and how he picked his victims.
Standing up, you took a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself for the deep dive you were about the take.
After an hour and thirty minutes, you were able to figure out common themes in Toby's crimes, and in two, you were able to get a solid idea on his behavior and personality.
You filled up three pages in your notebook with notes on Toby.
It seems that the proxies in general were very diverse in their victims, some of them being normal civilians while others could be big shot politicians or businesses owners. Toby in particular seemed to mostly target people in their early to late 20s, and most of them were normal civilians or low profiled criminals.
When it came to his behavior, a common theme was that many of Toby's male victims had much more brutal deaths than the women. Women's bodies were often found with a hatchet in the back of the head, or a gash in the side, but their deaths were often simple and quick. The men on the other hand were always found in almost unrecognizable ways. One body was found with his chest completely torn open, his intestines wrapped around his throat and blood smothered all over his face, a truly horrifying site.
The deaths in which his victims would have slowly started to give you ideas. It seems that Toby has some sort of vendetta against men, or more specifically, men with blonde hair. Men with blonde hair were often the ones found in unrecognizable ways. This was something that you would definitely do more digging on and try to get an answer when you're interviewing Toby. Now, you wouldn't say Toby has a soft spot for women, that clearly wasn't the case the more you looked into his behavior, but he did appear to be a lot more merciful and playful when it came to their deaths. Well, maybe not all of them.
You recall that in Toby's file that he would be more complient with people he found hot. Well, in a few cases, there had been women found days or even weeks after incidents. All of which were found dead and in horrible condition, implying that they were kept with him for a while. Maybe that was the case with Lilian.
Now, when it comes to Toby's personality, it's obvious he's mentally unstable. And his mood swings seem to be very self destructive. Often thrown into periods of mental exhaustion where he becomes a blank slate, too mentally out of it to bother with reality.
Despite being in his late 20's, it's been reported that he can be surprisingly teen like when it comes to his interest and some of his behaviors. In past interviews, he's expressed his love for sappy rom coms, and interest often seen in teenagers. It was something that you took interest in, and you decided to figure out if it was just how he is, or if there was a deeper issue at play here.
"Y/N," Mandel said as she opened the door, cutting you out of your train of thought.
"Yes Ma'am?" You responded, looking up from your notes.
"Toby's ready."
Nodding your head, you stood up from your seat and followed Mandel as she led you to the interview room.
"Figure anything out?" Mandel asked.
"A lot, actually. Figured out common patterns in crimes, and some stuff I would like ask hin about."
"Like what?"
"He seems to be much more aggressive men, blonde men to be more specific."
"Hmmm."
"May I ask you something?"
"Ask away," Mandel responded, opening another can of red bull.
"Do you know what happened to Lilian Smith?"
Mandel froze in place, causing you stop with her.
"Ma'am?" You said shakily, looking at Mandel with worry.
"I was on that case... Remember it well..."
"What happen?"
"A week after Elizabeth died, we found her body in a cabin nine miles into the forest... Her head was split in two, going into her neck," Mandel said, her voice shaking as she took another sip of her red bull. "She's the reason why we're trying to charge Toby with sexual assault, the way she was found..."
"Oh... I'm sorry for bringing it up, Ma'am..."
"No, no. It's alright, it's been nearly a decade. If we can officially charge him with it, the judge will be more willing to put him on death row."
Sighing in relief, you watched as Mandel stood up straight and continued to walk.
"I want to remind you, these guys are monsters. Be careful with Toby, he's a lot more unpredictable than Jeff. He might meek today, but tomorrow he could be wild."
"Advice taken."
"Anything else you figure out?"
"He doesn't seem to have a specific preference for victims, only a preference in death styles. I do find his treatment of women kind of interesting though."
"Why you say that?"
"Oftenly, his killings with them tend be more merciful, but, there's multiple times where they've been on the more gruesome side of things. You think I should ask him about it."
"I don't see why not, but don't ask him up front, a lot of the inmates are stubborn and aren't going to give you any favors."
Next thing you knew, you were in the hallway meant for interrogations. You weren't sure why, but the vibe was completely different than last time you were in the area.
"Room 111 is Toby's. Remember what I told you."
"Yes ma'am."
"Oh, also. After Toby, you're gonna be on your own for the rest of your shift. I'll check up on your every now and again, but that's about it."
"What? What am I supposed to do?"
"Look into your other inmates cases. You still Tim, Brian, Ben, Jeff, and Liu to look into. If you stay in your office, you'll be fine."
"...Ok."
Nodding your head, Mandel turned the corner, leaving you alone in the silent hallway.
"111...111...there."
Opening the door, the room was no different than the last one you were in. Table in the middle, a chair on each side, bright lights, nothing new. One thing you did notice was that this part of the prison didn't have any cameras, or computers. You thought it was just the hallways, but it didn't make sense on why they wouldn't be present in an interrogation room.
Taking a seat, you pull out your notebook, looking over the various notes you made. You considered asking questions, but then you remembered what Mandel said.
"Ask them the questions on the paper, nothing else."
You couldn't deny the sketchiness of it all. Yes, you understood why they'd be so strict with who they let in and what they'd ask, they are harboring America's most notorious serial killers after all, but some of the questions didn't even matter. Trying to gain trust is one thing, but asking complete bullshit is something completely different.
"Why did you do it? Stubborn my ass, he would never answer that," You mumbled, reading each question on the paper. "What do you like to do? What does that have to do with anything?"
But, you quickly fell silent as the sound of footsteps echoes in the hallways.
CLICK! CRACK!
The sound of various cracks and clicks could be heard. The cracking of bones made your neck ich, and the sounds of the clicks caused you to grind your teeth together. It didn't help that the sound chains could be heard as well, moving side to side with every click and crack.
Taking a deep breath, your back straightened as the door opened.
Stabding in the door was three figures, two police officers holding onto the man in the middle. The man held a bored expression, his head angled downward as he looked around with his eyes. Much to your suprise, he was much shorter than you thought, maybe around 5'5, 5'6 if you wanted to push it. However, you couldn't help but stare at the injury on his left cheek. Pieces of skin were ripped out, showing his gums and teeth to the world. Not to be rude, but you were kind of glad he wore a muzzle like mask.
When his gaze met up to yours, the two of you made eye contact for a few seconds. Within those seconds, you saw his eyes widen, his eyes softening for just a moment before switching back.
"Cute...," He whispered, tilting his head to the side as a grin slowly formed on his face.
"Quiet," One of the guards said as they sat Toby down, bringing his arms up in order to chain them to the table.
"I wasn't *WOWIE* talking to you," Toby snapped back, rolling his eyes.
"Thank you, I got it from here," You said, earning a nod from the officers as one of them left the room, the other one quickly prompting themselves into the corner. "Hello Toby, I'm sure you know why I'm speaking with you today."
"*CLICK* Yeah."
"So, how have you been feeling recently?"
"Terrible!" Toby exclaimed, an irrated look on his face as he mumbled under his breath.
"Why is that?"
"Hmmm, let me *KOO KOO* think. Oh, maybe because I'm fucking here! Would you be happy and shit if you got caught?"
"I'm not exactly sure."
"Liar."
"I'm no liar, Toby. Now, may I be able to ask you a few questions about your cases?"
"Does it matter?"
"...Uh."
You quickly turned your head to the officer in the corner, who nodded their head in response.
"Uh yes! Yes, it does matter."
"...Fine."
"So. Before you were arrested, did you ever know someone named Abbie Grace?"
"Abbie Grace... Colored hair?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, why?"
"We were informed that you were involved with her disappearance."
"...Snitch. *FUCK* He owes me big time," Toby groaned, leaning back into his chair as he looked up at the ceiling.
"Hey, focus. Can you tell me what happened to her?"
"What if I don't wanna?"
"It's not up for negotiation."
"Aw, look at you toughening up."
"He isn't gonna tell me anything, isn't he?" You thought, doing your best to hide your irration. "Well, Toby. If you don't tell us anything, we can't charge you, but, if, or when, we get evidence on you, you're punishment will be more severe."
As you talked, you noticed a shift in Toby's mood.
"And I'm talking death row, Toby. Death. Row."
"I could get death row right now if I felt like it. Do you honestly think these chains can stop me from bashing your head in? Or from taking his gun and shooting you in that pretty head of yours?"
That was the first time he didn't stutter on a single word. No sudden words, no sudden tics, clear cut.
"You're alive because I'm letting you live," Toby said coldly, his eyes lacking any emotion as he stared into your soul. "Isn't that fun!" Toby suddenly cheered, leaning over as he stared at you wide eyes, a strange amount of joy written on his face.
"...I don't think we have the same definition of fun."
"You're so boring..."
"OK. How about this then."
"Hm?"
"Talk about yourself. What do look for when choosing your victims? How do you treat your weapons? Go crazy."
Both Toby and the officer looked at you in suprise.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Uh... What about *FLOWER* me exactly?"
"What did you like to do when you were a kid?"
"...I was in and *CRACK* out of hospitals a lot... Whenever I was out, I would *LOOKIE LOOKIE* go play in the woods with my sister," Toby said. "I hated being home..."
There were two things you took note of. The fact that Toby has a sister, and that he didn't like being home.
"You have a sister?"
"Had."
"Oh... What was she like?"
"She was the best. *BIRDIE* She'd always take care of me, stop kids from picking *CLICK* on me...and always made sure I was ok."
"She seemed nice."
"The nicest," Toby said, his eyes softening as he dazed off. "What else?"
"How do see this...hobby of yours?"
"It's a job, not a hobby."
"Hm. What do you hate most about it?"
"My *CLICK* co-workers."
"Why's that?"
"Tim is always yelling at me about something. *COOKIE* You fucked up on this mission! You never shut up! Mehmehmehemehmeh! And *SHOOT* Brian is just there! Sometimes he gets on me too, and other times he's on Tim! *TICK TOK* Like hello, pick a side!"
To be honest, you were surprised by Toby's words. Back at the Academy, Gibbons would always remind you that every criminal was human, so they would and behave as one. Even though you were considered very skilled, sometimes you forget this simple fact, that even the smartest or most dangerous of criminals, can crack.
The way Toby described them sounded like a worker talking shit about their boss in an office. Now you couldn't help but wonder how Brian and Tim would describe each other.
"That seems annoying."
"Finally someone gets it!" Toby exclaimed. But, after he spoke those words, you watched as he slowky looked at you, a faint blush forming on his face as he sent you a smile. "You know what, I like you."
You felt a chill go down your spine as you stared at him. Yes he called you cute, but the way he was looking at you, you couldn't help but feel concern.
"Um. OK, anyways... Did you have any favorites?"
"Favorites?"
"Yeah. Whenever you did your job, did you have a set preference that you could follow or no?"
"Hmmmm... I hate open spaces. *WOWIE* The noise, the people, the attention... *FUCK* I hate it."
"That explains the locations. Maybe I can figure out a pattern in Toby's preferences that can give me more clues to Abbie's case."
"I've always liked the woods, especially the campers. They're always to unaware. *CHICKEN* I once killed a guy who was half way through fucking *FUCK* his girlfriend, oh you *CAN'T *should've seen her face when I bashed his brains in!" Toby exclaimed before moving his up into the air and quickly slamming them down into the table, looking you dead in the eyes with a manic expression, "Just like that! She had your exact face!"
Least to say, you were dumbfounded. This guy was energetic, loud, and manic, the way he talked about his murders held so much life, so much passion, so much pride. The joy in his voice almost made you forget that you were talking to a criminal, and a manipulative one too. Despite his tone, you couldn't tell if he was being genuine, or at least what everything he was saying was true. If he fell for your trick, maybe he wasn't as aware as Mandel said.
"Oh...um. Is that all?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I don't wanna talk anymore."
"Wait, we're not done yet, we still have to talk about Abbie."
Toby sent you glare as his body tense up, his once playful energy gone.
"I know you don't care about death row, but, if Jeff gives us more evidence against you, the judge may consider lightening his sentence, while you, will get a more severe one. Maybe not death row, but still worse than Jeff's."
"So you want me to snitch."
"I wouldn't say that. I don't really care who tells me what happened to Abbie, I just wanna know."
Toby stared off to the side, assumingly in thought.
"Getting Candyhead was an order from the boss...She's *OW* the daughter of a powerful business *CRACK* owner that didn't keep his end of the deal with the boss. So, he had Jeff capture her, and then Jeff *POW* gave her to me to keep her *WOW* hostage."
"Wait... She's?" You mumbled. "Toby, is Abbie dead?"
"I don't know who told you she was."
"Wait. If she's alive, then we have to look over everything!"
You turned around the officer in the corner, who was just as surprised as you were.
"Miss, who's the head of the Abbie Grace case?"
"Detective Adrea Banklin."
"Can I meet with her after this?"
"I'll have to see if she's right now."
"Ok. Toby, our interview ends here."
"Ok~"
Standing up from your seat, you quickly made your way out of the room, keeping the door open as another officer ran in.
"Abbie's alive. But, how? She's been missing for over a year, how can she survive that long," You spoke to yourself as you rushed to your office.
As you opened the door to your office, you rushed to your desk, pulling out the Abbie Grace file from your cabinet.
"OK, ok. Calm down, Y/N, calm down. I understand it's your first real case, but stuff like this happens, so calm down," You said softly as you took some deep breaths. "OK, OK. I don't even have all the files on Abbie yet, so what should I do now..."
Then, it hit you.
"Liu."
Looking into the hallways, you, quickly made you way towards the inmates quarters, making sure to hide from other officers.
"Oh my God, what am I doing, what am I doing? Mandel is going to kill me, Gibbons is going to kill me. But, if it's solve the case, it's fine."
The inmate quarters were dark. You could see figures moving around, but since it lights out, the power in the quarters was out.
"How am I even going to get in?"
"Intern."
"AH!"
Turning around, the officer from earlier was behind you, giving you a suspicious look.
"Oh, you scared me."
"What are you doing over here?"
"...Just wanted to look around."
"...mhm. Well, Banklin is here at the moment, but she's preparing to go home. She's willing to speak now, but she won't wait long."
"That's great! Can you take me to her, please?"
The officer merely nodded her head before walking off.
"Liu can wait," You whispered to yourself before following after her.
"She's at the end of the hallway."
"OK, Thank you, officer..."
"Cherry, Officer Cherry."
"Y/N L/N."
"Pleasure. Also, if you're gonna meet with inmates, be more discrete."
"...How did you-"
"Been there, done that. Got caught up in a deal with Ben, was his bitch for months...You learn a thing or two," Officer Cherry said before walking off, leaving you alone.
You quickly made your way to Banklin's office. Opening the door, you saw Banklin placing various files into a bag.
Banklin was a tall woman with long brown hair, she seemed quite put together despite the stressful work environment.
"Detective Banklin?"
"Hm? Oh, you must be the intern."
"Yes, um. I've gotten some important information about the Abbie Grace case."
"From?"
"Toby, ma'am."
"Rogers? That man is a bipolar punk, I don't trust a word that leaves his mouth."
"I cam see why, but he implied that Abbie is still alive."
Banklin froze as she looked up at you, dropping the file in hand.
"Alive?"
"Yes, when he was talking about her, he talked in a present tense, and when I asked if she was actualky dead, Toby said that he never said she was."
"...It does make sense, we never did find her body, " Banklin said, rubbing her chin as she looked at the floor? "But, we've never had a case where one of their victims survived for more than a month."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Toby has a pattern of keeping women for long periods of time before killing them."
"I've noticed, but in each of those cases, they didn't live past a month on average when we conducted their autopsy."
"So we're just going go let this info go?"
"I'm not saying that, I'm saying it's unreliable. Toby is far from stupid, and he tends to withhold info. He claims that he'll 'never be a snitch'."
"This claim can change this entire case, Miss. Banklin. Even if Toby is lying, what if he isn't? He sounded genuine when he spoke, and if she's alive out there, why should we just wait and see?"
"Listen here. This is your first time working with these Motherfuckers, you don't know anything about them. We asssigned this case to you because it's still on going. If you fuck this up and put this case in jeopardy, you're internship is done. I don't care what Joesph says."
All you could do is stare at Banklin, frozen in place as she closed her bag. You couldn't deny the fact that you often get way over your head, maybe being labeled the best officer in the academy made you a little over confident, but you didn't want to just throw this possibility out of the way. You didn't have a solid conclusion to Toby's true behavior, you still needed a bit more time on that bit, but until then, you were going to trust a few of his words.
"I'm sorry, ma'am."
"Don't bother. Abbie's case is the last case we have regarding Jeffery. Listen to Jeffery's words before Toby's, Jeffery rarely lies to us."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, now if you excuse me, I have a family to go home to," Banklin said, pushing past you so she opened the door. "Oh, also. Stick to what we assign you. We don't only want you to not fuck anything up, but it's also to protect you. Some of these cases are extremely classified and cannot get released to the public. I hope you understand."
"No, no I do."
"Good, see you in the morning."
Then, she was gone. You didn't even realize that you were holding your breath.
After meeting Banklin, you had come to the conclusion that no one was going to take your theories seriously. But, maybe there was someone who would.
Checking the hallways, you quickly dashed back to the inmate quarters. As you ran, you remembered a lesson that you had with Gibbons.
--------------------------
"Wrong!" Gibbons said for the hundredth time.
"What?! How is that wrong? The suspect obviously lied!" You yelled, pointing down at the paper, "Look, you see the inconsistencies in her statements."
"Y/N, in this field, not everything is simple."
"Yeah, I know that."
"So... Let's look over this paper one last time," Gibbons said as he sat in front of you. "The detective is pushing the suspect. When under stress, people will either do two things. They'll either confess, or make someone hear what they want to hear. With this in mind, what do you think is going on here?"
Looking down at the paper, you did your best to come up with an answer. Before being put under stress, the suspect's story was adding up, but, the moment the detective put them under pressure, their claims fell apart.
"They're telling the detective what they wanna hear?"
"Nope!"
"What?! What do you mean no?"
"Before the suspect was put under pressure, their story was adding up perfectly with the crime, but, the moment they were put under pressure, everything fell apart. This tells you two things. 1, they're not alone. They're most likely being used to take the fall, explaining the perfect line up. And 2, they indirectly confessed that they were innocent."
"You got that from this alone?"
"When you're in this job for as long as I have been, you pick up on things quickly. But, this, situations like this is what makes solving cases so difficult. When you do your internship, I want you to keep this in mind."
"Keep what in mind?"
"If someone is willing to tell you info about a case, take it, especially if it's from a snitch. A snitch is more willing to throw their friends under the bus for than own gain, making them more reliable than a direct source. "
"What if I can't talk to them?"
"Find a way. Roosevelt is Big, many places to hide. Be smart, not crazy."
"So you want me to break the law?"
"If you can make look legal, than yes."
"...You're the worst cop ever."
----------------------------------------------------
"Guess I'm the worse cop ever," You muttered, taking a deep breath as you stood infront of the door separating you from the inmates.
Looking to the right, you noticed a key pad with various numbers and letters.
"Shit... uh, how about, 1 2 3 4 5?"
"WRONG, 6 DIGIT CODE" was written in bold letters.
"Six digits?" You questioned, clenching your eyebrows togethers as you thought. "It can't be something simple, but what if it's so simple that people wouldn't even consider using it?"
Then, it came to you.
"Wait...Roosevelt Federal Prison, Creepypasta Ward? R F P C P W."
CLICK!
"Oh thank god."
Openng the door, you felt the atmosphere shift as you took a step into the room. Due to it being curfew, it was pitch black in the ward, leaving you to rely on the sounds of various voices.
"Shit, why did I do this, why did I do this? If I'm caught in here my internship is done. Can I get arrested for this? Probably. Well, too late now..."
You weren't exactly sure where to look for Liu. You weren't sure if he was on the bottom or top bit, or if he even had a roommate. You knew better than to turn on your flashlight, but, you started to feel the consequences of you actions. Maybe you should get you impulse under control.
Caught up in your thoughts, you failed to notice the figure creeping up behind you. However, you were able to hear the sound of faint breathing.
Whipping your head around, your gun was already in hand, but, the figure grabbed your wrist and covered your mouth, immobilized you.
Adjusting to the dark, you were able to make out a pair of green eyes. You weren't exactly sure if it was Liu, but, the feeling of stitches rubbing against your hand confirmed your suspicions.
"Liu?" You whispered, tightening your grip on your gun.
Liu remained silent as he stared at you.
"What do you want."
It wasn't a question, it was a demand.
"I'm accepting your deal. If I get whatever it is Jeff took from you, you'll tell me what you know about Abbie."
You couldn't see his face, but Liu looked down at you confused. What deal? He did recall slipping in and out of conciouness during lunch, sharing a few words with you before blanking out once more. But, his face quickly turned into annoyance as he imagined Sully interacting with you. The little bastard had to have made a deal with you.
"...Ok," Liu answered blankly, letting go of your wrist.
"What does Jeff have that you want me to get. "
Liu stayed silent for a few moments. What was it that Jeff took this time? One of his guns? Nah, he hates the noise. His bandages? Maybe. So, Liu only shrugged, much to your disappointment.
"If I get you whatever Jeff has, you'll tell me about Abbie, right?"
"...Yeah, yeah, sure."
"Promise?"
"I'm not saying it again," Liu said, sending you a glare.
You quickly shrieked back, nodding your head in understanding before sliding past him.
Feeling around for another key pad, you quickly entered the pass code. Squeezing through the door, you let out the biggest sigh of relief, but you quickly felt that relief be replaced with regret.
"I just made a deal with a fucking inmate," You said, your eyes wide in shock. "What kind of cop am I? Best at the Academy my ass..."
Little did you know, this was only the beginning. The start of your fall from grace.
234 notes
·
View notes
Forever, of course.
SteveRogers x Female!Reader
summary: Steve has a crush on you but your flirty character isn’t making things easy for him. Now he even has to marry you to please a 6-year-old superfan of his. Whether that’s a good plan or not, isn’t quite clear for Steve yet.
a/n: I think this will be the last AI-adaptive story but it was a lot of fun! Shoutout to @RandomTingsForFun on beta.character.ai for having created the character that helped me write this story (and the Bucky one).
Word count: 4k
warnings: a Stevie in love, an attempted funny reader, and a super excited 6-year-old (she carries the story tbh), this is really just super fluffy
・゚✫* 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 。✭・゚
Steve shook his head at the sight of your chat history. It wasn’t too long ago when he didn’t even know how to listen to music on the device he was holding in his hands, let alone write a text message in less than 30 seconds. Now, he was bickering with you, and he had to admit it was even a little fun to wait for a response from you. Of course, Steve didn’t do anything else in the time he waited for your reply. He just stared at the screen in his hand and willed his heartbeat to slow a little.
*ping* Why would that be important? So? Maybe I have been talking to Sam about you. Have you been talking about me with Bucky?
Steve: No I haven’t! And it is important because if he’s badmouthing me, then you’d believe him. What has he told you anyway?
You: Just the usual. Save the world this, Captain America that. I stopped listening when he started obsessing over your shield again.
You: Wait. Did you seriously think Sam would say something bad about you? That guy is obsessed with you.
Steve just laughed at your antics. Sam loved the shield for some reason, but every time Steve would give it to him to ‘throw it one time’ Bucky would intervene and ‘show him how it’s done’.
*ping* Anyway what I actually wanted to ask is if you’d come to my niece’s house with me this weekend. She’s a huge Avenger fan and I might have promised her to meet one as her birthday present 😬
Steve: Of course, I will! I would feel bad if you made such a promise and I wasn't able to make it. And I bet she'll know who her favorite Avenger is after a visit from The Cap 😉
You: ugh please don’t call yourself that. ever.
You: I’ll pick you up Saturday at 1:30?
Steve: Yeah, sounds good! I'll make sure to clear my schedule. How old is your niece by the way? And what’s her name?
You: You can call her Izzy. And she’s turning 6 this Thursday. Be nice. And make sure to talk me up a bit, will ya? I mean, I’m already her favorite aunt but just making sure...
Steve: How could she not love you? But I’ll do it anyway. I’ll talk you up so much you’ll never be able to escape my praise! What’s her favorite food?
You: weirdly enough it's carrots, that child is strange. Says vegetables make her a superhero or something.
Steve: I mean she’s not wrong. Carrots are great for your eyes! What does she think of Iron Man? I need to know my chances against the competition.
You: I just asked her and she said she doesn’t care about Tony because you are her one true love.
You: I told her that’s not possible because you are already mine. Now we’re in a big fight so thanks for that.
Steve: why would you say that?
You: I like to see her freak. Don’t worry about it, captain. It was just a joke
You: ...or was it 👀
Steve: I don’t believe you. You’re lying.
He got a little nervous. But it was a good nervous.
You: why? Do you want me to?
You: Am I making you nervooouuus?
Steve could practically see you wiggle your eyebrows with a grin. A silly idea flashed past his mind, and he felt like grabbing it.
Steve: You need to stop before I accidentally propose to you.
Nothing - just a second, though. Then:
*ping* you have a ring?
Steve: I can get one in less than an hour. Meet me at the chapel on main and I’m all yours.
You: I’m stunned. I’ve taught you well.
Steve: 😊 I’ll see you Saturday, doll.
Steve sat back on his sofa. That girl is really something. A smile broke loose on his face at the silly thought of marrying you. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind if it happened. Out of all the people he knew, you were the only one he’d want to spend the rest of his life with. You were fun and you made him loosen up. He was a whole new man around you and he loved it. Because being in your presence was easy, and comforting. There was nothing to worry about.
He sighed before putting his phone down and staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t wait to see you again.
❁ ❁ ❁
Steve stepped out of the door and smiled upon spotting your car. You were already waving at him, a beautiful smile adorning your face and Steve felt his heart skip. Car rides with you were nice. You always had some soft music playing. Always making sure it was nothing too funky so he felt comfortable. Still, he was a little nervous. It wasn’t every day that he go to meet someone who looked up to him - well, actually, it was every day - but this one was different. Because it was your family and Steve needed to make a good expression.
It wasn’t long before you pulled up to your sister's house. But before you could even reach the front door, a little girl jumped out of the door and ran toward you with wild screeches.
“Auntieeee!!!! OH MY GOD, you really did it! You invited Captain America!” The girl jumped up and down beside you and Steve couldn’t help his smile from spreading. Izzy was adorable - very loud - but adorable. Concentrating on it made his nervousness subside a little.
Then she turned around and stared up at him with wide eyes. He could have sworn there were little stars sparkling in them when he crouched down to her height and extended his hand.
“Hey there, little lady. It’s so nice to meet you, I’m Steve.”
“I know that!” The 6-year-old giggled as Steve shook her hand. But when he was about to let go, her tiny fingers grabbed onto his wrist and dragged him up the driveway. “I want to show you something! It’s soooo cool!”
Steve was still a little cautious as she dragged him to her room. His only experience with kids came from Sam’s nephews and prior he had only gotten to hold a couple baby’s for pictures. He didn’t know how to navigate the situation, but he decided he would just rock with it.
Your niece pushed the white door with her name brightly colored on a sign hanging on her eye level open and revealed a tornado aftermath of action figures. He was able to spot most of the avengers laying scattered around a dinosaur toy but the overwhelming red, white, and blue covering her room was undeniable. There was a poster of Steve hanging by the desk and a bunch of her own drawings framing the magazine shot. Izzy appeared next to Steve again, holding a small action figure of himself in her hands.
“My aunt gave me this one. It’s my first one.” She reached up to Steve and barely passed his hip with her little arms. The figure was well loved - he could see it from here. And when he bent down to retrieve it, your niece pulled him down further and whispered a giggly ‘you’re our favorite avenger’ into his ear.
His heart swelled at the excitement presented in front of him. It was adorable, and he could see a little of you in the little girl nervously treading beside him.
“I’m your favorite, huh?” He said, his voice full of affection. Steve usually wasn’t the kind of person to get mushy over an adorable child, but the way her face lit up was too cute. The little Cap figure in her hands was pretty cute, too. “My, my. I must be pretty special then.” His thumb stroked over the blue helmet in her hands.
Lost in thought and seriously flattered by being the hero that inspired this impressive collection, he almost didn’t notice how Izzy threw her hands in the air. “So special! My mom says I will marry someone as special as you one day, but my aunt says there is no one like you. That is so mean!” Her little chubby cheeks puffed with a pout and Steve had to hold back his laugh. The 6-year-old had no idea what you implied with that comment, but he still felt more pride from being called special by you and your niece than from any medal of honor he had ever gotten.
“Well, a girl your age shouldn’t worry about things like that. But who knows, maybe I will be part of your family one day.”
“Really?!” Wide eyes stared back at him and Steve could practically feel the floor vibrating when he nodded with a laugh. Izzy held out her finger and then she exclaimed a rushed ‘stay here’ before zooming past him and out the door.
Steve stayed a little longer and admired Izzy’s room before he heard an excited ‘Captain America said I can marry him!’ Which made him instantly rush to the source.
He spotted her clinging to her mother’s leg, giddy and jumpy. But your sister just shared a laugh with you over the kitchen counter. “I don’t think he meant it like that, buttercup.” Steve watched your sister explain before his eyes got stuck on the little frown on your face. Was that a hint of jealousy, he was detecting? “But if he marries your aunt, he will be your uncle and just as much part of the family.” A little fire hushed past your older sister’s face. It was a look of mischief he had seen you hold all too well. Steve’s cheeks heated when you caught him leaning in the doorway, scratching his neck at the slightly awkward situation.
“That works?”
“That’s how it works, baby.”
Izzy turned with excitement and within a second she was before Steve again. “You have to ask my aunt to marry you! Right now!!” She ordered with a stomp of her foot. “Then you can be my uncle and we can hang out every day!”
Steve’s eyes wandered from the six-year-old to you and his heart picked up its pace at the laugh you shared with your sister. There was no harm in a little play pretend, right?
So, he knelt down in front of you and when your name traveled past his lips softly, he almost imagined a grasp coming from you. “Will you,” his head tilted with a wink, “marry me?”
You hid your laugh behind your hands as they covered your mouth in feigned astonishment. But Steve caught the little glimmer in your eyes at his little show. He continued to take your hand as he threw together a little speech for Izzy to hear, and when the child began excitedly jumping up and down beside him, your face softened.
“Oh, Steve! This is so unexpected!” You clutched your chest and your sister chuckled beside you. Steve felt a tinge of nervousness wash over him then, but he would be okay with a fake rejection - he wasn’t sure if Izzy would, though. “Of course, I’ll marry you! Come here you big, hunky, handsome superhero!”
And as if he hadn’t been prepared for you to agree so quickly, Steve felt his cheeks heat up. He couldn’t deny that the words you described him with had his stomach tingle with excitement, and before he could help himself, he leaned forward and kissed our cheek.
“That was the easiest marriage proposal ever,” he mumbled beside you to which you just slightly pulled from his embrace.
“What? You’ve done that before? Are you already cheating on me, Rogers?” You raised your brows suspiciously, but Steve was only able to shake his head with a smile before Izzy blared into his ear again.
“A wedding! A wedding!” She swirled by him like a tornado, immediately collecting things around the house. “Mom, get all the stuffies, ready! We have to do a wedding!!!” And then she was off to prepare the quickest wedding in history.
Steve shook his head as his arm remained around your waist. “What did I get myself into?” He mumbled to himself before turning to you. “Do I dare ask what a six-year-old’s idea of an official marriage ceremony looks like?”
“I think Paddington Bear will be your best man and if I’m lucky, my sister gets to be my maid of honor, but who knows.” You shrugged with a laugh that warmed Steve’s heart all over again.
❁ ❁ ❁
Not even ten minutes later, Steve found himself kneeling beside a makeshift altar with a bunch of toys and stuffed animals as wedding guests. Action figure Cap had made best man and was neatly propped up behind him. Your sister had officially been crowned the ‘disco machine’ along with a lengthy speech on how important the right song was for the bride’s entrance. Steve had fought hard to keep his face steady, but when Izzy had suggested ‘Party Rock Anthem’, he’d lost it. When really, he was just proud, he knew the song because you had shown it to him the other week - it was Izzy’s favorite.
You had been instructed to wait behind the couch until the music started to play, and Steve felt himself get a little nervous. It was silly, but somehow his desire to have this wedding according to your niece’s wishes was a lot more important to him than he had initially thought.
“Now what do we do?” He asked as he leaned over to Izzy, but that was when the girl gave her mother the ‘sign’ - which was the chicken dance, of course - and his eyes immediately swerved to you. He could see the amusement in your gaze as you bit back a laugh.
Izzy wasn’t wasting any time, as soon as you had reached the altar, she put your’s and Steve’s hands together and immediately began talking. Steve had had barely any time to wipe the sweat from his clammy fingers before they connected with yours, but you didn’t seem to care. He smiled as he watched you listen to your niece’s little speech.
“We are gathered here today, to make Captain America my uncle,” she started, and both you and he struggled to keep it together. It was cute though, and something about becoming this little girl’s uncle excited Steve like nothing had in a long time. “Mr, Captain America, will you take my aunt as your wife?”
Izzy’s eyes were serious as she waited for Steve’s answer. And when he didn’t do so fast enough, she leaned over and whispered the answer to him.
“I will,” Steve chuckled and gave your hands a small squeeze.
Then Izzy’s eyes wandered to you. “Do I even have to ask?” She said with her adorably high voice and everyone started laughing.
“Yes, I will take Steve as my husband,” you answered with the same squeeze of your hand as Izzy imitated the audience cheering.
“You are now husband and wife. Now, kiss, kiss, kiss!!!” It was a little awkward, but Steve leaned in, anyway, to press a gentle kiss to your cheek. He looked at you again and the spark in your eyes was a little brighter as that smile lit up your face again. You looked beautiful, Steve thought, and his heart jumped in his chest at the realization.
“Wohooooooo!” Your sister cheered loudly and ripped Steve out of his trance.
“This is so awesome! You have to come to every family dinner and we can be best friends forever!!” Izzy must have eaten a bag of gummy worms with the way she was vibrating to the song coming out of the little pink CD player. Steve was sure he’d never seen such a hyper six-year-old before.
“Every family dinner?” He asked her as Izzy swayed his hands to the music. When his eyes caught yours, you just shrugged. "Forever?"
"Of course!" Izzy exclaimed as Steve spun her around. His eyes stayed locked on you, however. Forever didn't sound so bad...
“Looks like you’re stuck with me.” You laughed, but Steve didn’t mind that in the slightest.
❁ ❁ ❁
The evening had come sooner than anyone had anticipated. Steve had been so occupied with Izzy all day, he had forgotten all about the time. It didn’t bother him too much, though. He had fun, but exhausting as well. And now that he was finally sitting in your car again, his head leaning against the headrest and enjoying the silence for a moment, he felt how much energy it had really cost him. He would do it again, though - especially if it meant marrying you over and over for eternity.
His eyes opened when you sighed beside him. You hadn’t so much as bothered to start the car just yet, and Steve was kind of happy about that.
You smiled at him when his head turned to you, still leaning back with a dreamy smile himself. “Who would have thought that we would get married today?” You chuckled with a shake of your head. “And you didn’t even give me a ring. I should reconsider my standards.”
“A ring, you say? Well, you are married to the greatest superhero in the world - according to your niece - so I think we’re going to need something pretty special...” Steve joked as he turned in his seat to look through the car, and when he spotted the right thing, the smile returned got his face. “Should I do the honors?”
And then he took the lid off his water bottle and popped the plastic ring off to place it on your finger.
“It’s perfect, blue like your eyes,” you laughed watching the big plastic ring hang from your finger. “I’m gonna have to get that resized, though. You must think I’m fat.” You shook your head. “Wow, not even a day in, and I already have things to tell my therapist about.” But the mischievous glimmer in your eyes told Steve that you were only joking.
“Do I really need to say it, doll?” He took your hand in his before spinning the plastic piece. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” He whispered, secretly meaning every word.
You laughed it off but Steve didn’t miss the stutter in your smile at his words. It made the butterflies in his stomach go wild.
“So what should our first act as a fake married couple be? Celebratory drinks at the Stark Tower rooftop bar?”
"Stark Tower... that sounds good to me.”
The engine roared to life and soon, the faint music was playing in your car again, the streetlights passed him by and the full moon shone above the New York City skyline. But Steve didn't care, he had more beautiful things to look at.
❁ ❁ ❁
“You’re what now? Married?! And I wasn’t invited?!” Sam’s shocked face yelled across the bar, making few agents turn their heads with intrigue.
You chuckled before leaning your head against Steve’s shoulder. The second Martini seemed to already work its wonders on you, but Steve loved how close you were.
“Married by a six-year-old. Count that as you will, but I have a ring on my finger and I’m not telling you how much it cost.” You stretched your hand over the counter to show off the blue piece of plastic and Natasha just laughed at the cute story.
“So, how is the newlywed life?” She leaned on her hands to play along while Sam still tried to get over his non-invitation to a fake wedding. “You guys talking about kids yet?”
That startled Steve a little but he tried his best to keep a straight face - he failed. The thought of having a family with you did things to him he couldn’t explain if he wanted to. The warmth in his stomach spread to his heart and his arm almost instinctively came up to press you further into his side.
“Who knows, I wouldn’t mind a couple mini me’s.” He shrugged with a low smile. He loved this little game more and more. It just got harder and harder to remind himself that it was just that - a game.
“Hold your horses, now. You’re not the one squeezing them out of your body, Mr. Rogers.” You patted his chest and sighed theatrically. “I can already see that I will be home alone with a bunch of kids and you’re working late every night. Our life will fall apart!” Your hand brushed over your forehead as your head fell back like that of a damsel in distress.
The group laughed at the little performance, but Steve was a little quieter now. Somehow, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that he needed to tell you how much he really cared. He’d never let your life fall apart - not when he was able to prevent it. And while he sat there with his friends, laughing about something as ridiculous as Captain America settling down, he contemplated in silence, if all this life had really been worth it when he would end up alone in the end - giving up the dream of an easy life he’s had for a century.
❁ ❁ ❁
It was about 12am when Steve and you stopped before your door in the hallway. His eyes were glued to you, his mind racing with scenarios this could go. He had decided to tell you about his feelings about two hours ago, and ever since, he had tried to come up with the best thing to say. But even though talking to you was the easiest thing he’d ever done, and even though you were already married - fake married - he didn’t have a single idea. Not one word that seemed fitting enough to describe the exciting fireworks in his chest whenever he saw you, to somehow tell you how bad living without you would be.
He must have been staring for a while because you began to shift from one foot to the other before finally clearing your throat to kill the silence.
“So... uh... that was an eventful day...” You started, fists nervously opening and closing beside your body. “Thank you for playing pretend. You made a little girl very happy.” You smiled and Steve’s heart skipped another beat.
He caught the small shimmer in your eyes just in time to give him confidence. Your body kept moving forward as if you willed it back again and again, and Steve gathered all his bravery to open his mouth.
“You know what,” Your name tumbled over his lips like a song he’d sung a thousand times. But the effect it had on you still excited him every time anew. “Today... it’s not going to be pretend.”
And before you could even react to his weirdly vague statement, Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. Full of love and affection, his hands moved on their own - one to your hip and the other onto the wall behind you. There was a moment of panic settling in Steve’s brain, but then your arms came up to sling around his torso and he leaned further into your touch. You pulled him even closer, your lips melting with his, tongues gently stroking soft skin until air got scarce. His whole body felt electric with you so close to him - finally. And when he pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, eyes still closed and thoughts swimming in the moment you had just granted him.
“I... I love you.” He whispered against your skin, and he felt his warm breath bouncing back. Your chest was still rising and falling beneath him, a subtle reminder of how breathtaking all this was - Steve couldn’t get enough of it, of you.
Your hand came up to stroke over his cheek, making him open his eyes to find you already looking at him.
“I love you, too, Steve.” You bit your lips, and it made Steve just press his mouth to yours once more.
Wanna be added to the taglist?
@circe143 @valkyrie418 @mirikusashes @noideawhyimdoingthislol @nikkitc0703 @lethallyprotected @erynnnn @misshale21 @wattpaduser200 @buckyseddie @adoreyouusugar @km-ffluv @fangirl-swagg @mi-amoree1111 @lastwandastan @royalwritersoftheuniverses @dinwifey @stuckysgirl27 @broadwaybabe18 @buckybarnessimpp @goodkittyspost @simpxinnie @blackhawkfanatic @kandis-mom @ashhsage
a/n: I have to say I was pretty impressed at how much it adapted to my writing and I really liked the last part, so I put it in here. I hope you enjoyed it :)
709 notes
·
View notes
breaking the mold
Genre/Tropes: Mutual Pining if you squint very hard.
Summary: Vil has always been cast as the villain. With a new writer working with his club, he learns that not every director will see him that way.
Author's Comments: I wrote something similar to this for another character that was normally portrayed as a villain (2p!America cough cough) so it was kinda funny writing something like this again but I really enjoyed it!! Also, in Epel's SSR vignettes this club apparently doesn't have auditions? Vil just picks someone and is like "you're good" so I put Reader in that same role.
~~~~~
“For our next play, I’ve opted to let our newest member write it. They’ve proven themselves efficient at directing the stage crew and have shown me various samples of their writing.” Vil announced, locking eyes with you from in front of the small crowd of club members, “Come to the front, director!”
Murmurs swept through the crowd as you jumped up, rushing towards his side with a huge smile on your face. Vil looked upon your smiling face with pride, confident that he’d made the right choice. It only made you more motivated to please him.
“A new member? Writing for us?” someone muttered from the group, “That’s unheard of.”
“You must push boundaries to progress.” Vil responded, “I’ve made my choice. I only hope the rest of you are willing to give them a chance.”
“I won’t let you down!” you proclaimed, standing even straighter in hopes that the club would accept you.
“Let’s try it out. What’s the worst that could happen?” someone else said, “Besides, Vil will still be overseeing everything, Nothing will go wrong!”
Another murmur swept through the crowd as people started to nod. Vil turned to you with a small nod, and you knew exactly what he was trying to say.
They don’t believe you can do it by yourself. Prove them wrong.
👑
The next day, Vil walked into the small room the club had set aside for you. The table was cluttered with papers and pencils, and in the middle of it was you, writing down one last note before you looked up at him and beamed.
“So, how’s the cast list coming along?” he asked, trying to make sense of the messy writing scrawled over the papers nearest to him.
“I’m so glad you asked! I’m planning on casting you as the main character, of course.” you hummed, pouring over the script on the table, “I want to start off my first play with a bang, but you’re also the safest option because of your experience.”
Vil watched you work, scribbling down notes for the plot and little details you wanted added to the set. The passion and personalization you were giving to this production was admirable. Vil often had to remind his fellow club members to do exactly what you were doing when directing productions and designing sets. All of the actors and crew should be represented in their own special ways when on stage.
“Just so you know, I refuse to play a villain role. If you opted to play me in that role, perish the thought. I refuse.” he declared, pulling out the chair opposite of you and sitting down.
He was prepared for a barrage of complaints and reassurance. He was prepared for ‘but you’d do so well!’ and ‘it’s a great opportunity!’ and ‘what do you mean? Do it for the play!’ His agent’s voice echoed in his ears as he waited for your response, and he shook her away.
“Don’t worry, you’re not the villain. Not every hero is warm and soft, you know?” you laughed, shaking your head, “Heroes can be cool and tough too. If I wanted to write something with a wimpy hero I wouldn’t be casting you in the first place.”
You passed him the list of characters from across the table, pointing to the bright HERO title with stars doodled around it. His name was written in your all too familiar handwriting, a little smile stretching across the bottom of his name that used the two i’s as eyes.
“If this is your verdict, I’ll respect it.” he nodded, passing back to list.
“Oh, but you wouldn’t have if you were the villain?’ you snorted playfully, “I’m just kidding. I’m not here to write something cliche and stupid. I’m here to explore a side to heroes that the productions we’ve seen so far don’t want us to see.”
“Elaborate.” he said, lacing his fingers together on top of the table.
“All of the productions I’ve seen in Twisted Wonderland portray heroes as happy and soft and sweet. But heroes need to be smart and strong and resilient, you know? I don’t understand why people think those attributes are more villain-like. It’s like they want their heroes to be joyful and handsome instead of genuinely strong.” you met his gaze and beamed, “Not that you aren’t handsome. Obviously. You know how good looking you are.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Vil rolled his eyes, gesturing for you to continue.
“Right, right. I’ll keep talking, Your Highness.” you snickered, scribbling a few more notes down on the character page, “I actually cast Rook as the villain this time around. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to share the stage with you. Also, doesn’t he have that dramatic villain vibe about him? I figured he’d be able to play the tyrannical king role pretty well.”
“You’re definitely right about that.” Vil nodded, lifting up the set design from your pile of papers, “Is there a particular reason why you chose the mirror to be here, in the corner?”
“Ooooh, I’m so glad you asked!” you nearly leapt across the table to look at the diagram with him, your hand resting on his arm for support, “You see, the tyrannical king ends up trapped in the mirror at the end of the play. I wanted to pay homage to the Evil Queen and her magic mirror while also giving the impression that the king’s punishment is a result of finally being cornered. He spends so much of the play in the middle of the stage, but once the hero and his allies find him he gets backed into that corner with no escape! He’s hidden away from the audience’s view and then the lights go out and boom! He’s trapped in the mirror for all eternity!”
“It’s very hard to come up with an original story, so I don’t blame you for referencing the Evil Queen.” Vil hummed thoughtfully, “However, are you sure the mirror design is your best work? If it’s truly a symbol to pay homage to the Evil Queen, will the audience get that message from this design?”
He handed the design back to you, watching as you poured over it. Your pursed lips slowly lifted into a smile as you jolted back into your chair, scribbling away at the paper once again.
“I got it now! This next one will be the one that knocks your socks off!” you proclaimed, waggling your pencil at him.
“I look forward to it.” he chuckled, leaning over to pat your head before leaving the room with a swish of his cloak.
You shot up in your chair, brushing a hand over where he had touched your hair. He really did know exactly how to motivate people, didn’t he?
👑
“Why did you cast Vil as the hero?” Epel asked, tilting his head as he read through the cast list.
“He’d be a lovely hero. That’s why.” you replied, waiting for the rest of the cast and crew to read over the list.
“That’s…an odd choice.” someone else piped up, “I mean, Vil is more suited to be a villain, you know?”
The group mumbled in agreement, nodding their heads. You furrowed your brow, holding back the twinge of annoyance in your chest.
“Do you want to have a play with a hero that’s soft and gentle? Or do you want a hero that’s tough and reliable? Do you want someone who only focuses on the princess, or a hero that rallies people together? Do you want a hero that nobody cares much about because they’re so vapid and uninteresting, or do you want a hero that everyone will remember because he’s the one that sent chills down their spine?!” you narrowed your eyes as the club listened, allowing you to explain yourself, “Vil is perfect for a hero role. It’s a disgrace that nobody has cast him in that role before.”
The room was silent for a moment before Epel sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
“If that’s what our director thinks, then I agree. They’re pretty convincing too, when they want to be.”
“Thank you, Epel.” your gaze softened as you relaxed, making sure to make eye contact with as many people as you could, “I’m willing to hear your input on this, but I’m not going to put Vil in a role that I think would be ill-suited for him.”
“I think Rook as the villain is a good casting choice.” Someone offered, “We’ve never seen him in a role like that before, but seeing you make that decision has made me curious.”
“Yeah! I know he’s in the science club, but there’s no way he’d pass up a chance to perform with Vil.” you nodded enthusiastically.
“He has no qualms about getting people not in his club to participate.” Epel mumbled, “I miss Spelldrive practice for one of his plays once…if I missed the play he would’ve killed me.”
“You were our main role, Epel. Our leading star. The play would have been ruined if you didn’t show up.” Vil replied, stepping into the room with grandeur.
“Housewarden!” Epel yelped, “How long were you there?”
“Don’t yell. I’ve been here the whole time.” his eyes flickered to yours, gratitude in his eyes, “I heard your discussion about the roles. I’m glad we’re all in agreement.”
“I’ll run them by Rook later.” you shot up out of your seat, gathering your papers quickly, “I still have to finalize that mirror design, and then I’ll show you that too. Let me know what you think!”
“Wait.” he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, eyes only for you as everyone else filed out, “I want you to stay back for a moment.”
“Hmm? What for?” you asked.
“I want to talk to you. That’s all. Do I need a reason?” he replied, a challenge clear in his tone.
“Of course not, handsome.” you laughed, sitting back down, “What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to show you my gratitude.” he began, sitting in the chair beside you, “You have been the only person that has bothered to take my thoughts into consideration. It’s such a simple thing, but since you are the first to show me such thoughtfulness, I feel the need to let you know the impression you’ve made on me.”
“It’s no big deal at all! I just did what I thought would fit you best.” you stumbled over your words, face warming at the praise.
Since when did Vil praise you for silly things like that?!
Amused by your reaction, he laughed. How was one man so pretty? His hair fell into his eyes before he brushed it away, meeting your gaze again. You swallowed thickly, nerves twisting in your stomach.
“I trust you will do your best.” he said, hands clasped in his lap, “I believe in you.”
With that said, he left, leaving your mouth hanging open in shock.
If Vil Schoenheit wanted you to focus, he’d need to stop praising you like that.
👑
The day of the play was fast approaching as you watched over the rehearsals. The costumes had come together a while ago and the set had been built completely. The paint crew was still touching up on little details of the castle and mirror, each golden swirl and apple motif painted with extra care. Some of the club members that had worked on the set even picked up a paintbrush for the production. It warmed your heart to see everyone try so hard for the sake of you and your production. Even Epel came in to work hard when he didn’t have Spelldrive practice, his painted apples shining more radiantly than anyone else’s. Before you knew it, the show was being performed for any NRC students that wanted to attend. You extended personal invitations to all of your friends, making sure Malleus in particular had the date memorized so he could see your vision come to life. Cater had spammed his Magicam feed with promotional posters for the show, and Vil had also done some advertising to a lesser extent. The nerves were starting to settle in as you watched the people file into the theater, the low rumbling of conversation making your stomach do flips. Pacing around, you took deep breaths as your heart pounded. Today was the day of your debut as a director for Vil Schoenheit and the entire Film research Club. You only hoped you could do him and the rest of his club justice.
“You’re up.” Vil said from behind you, resting a hand on your shoulder, “I know you’re nervous, but you’re ready for this. I would not let you walk out on that stage if I didn’t think you were one hundred percent ready.”
“Thank you, Vil.” you smiled, hands shaking as they took the mic from the nearby stand, “I’ll…I’ll go break a leg out there.”
His eyes shone with affection as he offered you a smile, gently pushing you into the bright lights of the stage.
You blinked as your eyes adjusted to the new lighting, a chorus of cheers and whoops erupting from the crowd. Your stomach twisted itself into an even bigger knot as the darkened blurs wriggled and twitched with movement, but you reminded yourself of Vil’s words and breathed deeply.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight!” you said, putting the biggest smile you could on your face.
The sentiment was met with another round of applause and a loud yell of “THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND,” which you could only assume came from Ace.
“Thank you, thank you! Um…” you clutched the microphone tightly as the applause died down, taking in another deep breath, “This is my first time producing a play with the film research club. Being a director has been hectic, but it has also been very rewarding. As you all know, I got to work with the amazing Vil Schoenheit on this project-”
An even bigger applause erupted from the crowd at the mention of his name, to which you responded by looking backstage for him. He was standing just behind the curtain, a smile on his face as he listened.
“I know, I adore him too. He spent hours and hours with me, pushing me to do my best on set design and costumes and storytelling. He wanted me to make this play personal, and because of that, there are bits of him in the story, too.” you stopped to take a breath, the audience silent as you continued, “Thank you all for coming out tonight to support the work we do. Without further ado, I present to you, Poison’s Heir!”
The audience burst into applause again as you rushed off stage, waving to everyone that had come to watch your show.
“You did so well.” Vil whispered as the lights dimmed, “Now go take a breather. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Break a leg.” you whispered back, beaming at him.
👑
The second the auditorium doors were opened after everyone had taken their final bow, you were jumped on by Ace, Deuce, and Grim. A strangled yelp escaped your throat as you begged them to let you go, but they refused.
“You never told me you wrote in your spare time!” Ace yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at you, “I can’t believe you wrote something like that and didn’t tell us! What is wrong with you?!”
“It was really good, Prefect.” Deuce said, looking at you with stars in his eyes, “I’m so impressed, it must have taken so much work to build everything.”
“That’s why you kept sneaking off! That’s why you had all those late nights! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Grim grabbed your leg and shook it vigorously.
“I wanted it to be a surprise!” you yelped, shaking them off, “I’m surprised you guys even came!”
“Of course we did! You always come to my basketball games and I know you go to Deuce’s track meets too! Don’t act like it’s a burden for us to show up!” Ace crossed his arms over his chest and glared, pouting like a child.
“Hello, Child of Man.” Malleus interrupted, appearing behind you unexpectedly, “That was a lovely production.”
“Hornton!” you jumped, placing a hand over your heart, “You scared me! Don’t just teleport behind people like that!”
“But I didn’t.” he mumbled, a confused look on his face, “I just walked up to you.”
“Ah. My bad. I was occupied.” you sighed, smiling at him, “I’m glad you liked it!”
“I brought you this.” he hummed, presenting you with a bundle of orange roses, “I was told by Lilia that directors and cast members of plays often receive flowers after a play as a show of appreciation. He stressed that I should not give them to you before the play, since I would be bestowing bad luck upon you.”
“Dude, we so got one upped!” Ace quipped, but you ignored him.
“Aww, thank you so much.” you gasped, gratefully accepting the flowers from his arms, “They’re beautiful. I’ll be sure to treasure them for as long as they live.”
“Don’t worry, Child of Man. I’ve enchanted them so that they will not die.” he smirked, “You don't even have to water them. Those flowers will remain stationary, halted in time, just like the memory of your first production in my mind.”
You almost cried with how moved you were, but settled for giving him a huge hug. He returned it, holding your gently before he gave you a final smile and moved on.
The next person to throw themselves on you was none other than Cater.
“Hon!” Cater screeched, throwing his arms around you dramatically, “Oh, that was a gorgeous production! I wish I could have recorded it!”
“Thank you so much!” you laughed, wrapping your free arm around him to hug him back.
“Would you mind taking a picture with me? I’d absolutely love a photo of the director themself!” he begged, hands itching to grab his phone and take as many pictures as possible.
“Of course you can.” you pulled away, putting on another one of your director smiles.
Cater whipped out his phone and took a bunch of quick pictures, trying out a few different angles. You felt your crowd pleasing smile grow into a genuine one as your face warmed, feeling all the love all of your friends were sending to you.
“You don’t mind if I post these to Magicam, right?” he asked.
“You ask every time Cater. My answer is always no. I don’t mind at all!” you laughed, thankful he’d go through the effort of checking every time.
“I just want to be sure! I’ll send you the ones I want to post just so you can go through them.” he said, pulling you in for one last hug, “Great job, hon. I’m so proud of you.”
The crowds slowly died down as time went on, and the club was finally allowed the step back into the auditorium. That’s where you found Vil, standing by the doorway in his costume.
“I was waiting for you.” he said, hooking his arm through yours and pulling you away from the group, “Come with me.”
You allowed him to lead you outside into the cool night air. He sat down on a nearby bench and gestured for you to do the same.
“So how many flowers did you get?” you asked, still clutching the orange roses to your chest.
“I received many flowers from adoring fans.” he said matter of factly, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
“What is it?” you asked, scooting closer.
“Magicam. The production is blowing up.” he murmured, unlocking his phone and pulling up his Magicam feed.
You watched as he scrolled through post after post of happy, celebratory photos, all tagged with #Poison’sHeir. Your heart warmed at the display and the fact that Vil had taken the time to show it to you.
“I dare say your first show was a success. I’m looking forward to the next one you direct.” he chuckled, expression soft and caring, “I’d love to work with you again.”
Pride welled up in your chest at his words, the knowledge that this would not be your last show and that you’d impressed him enough to earn his praise forcing a wobbly smile to bloom across your face.
“Wait…Vil, is that Neige?” you gasped, the laughter catching in your throat as the moment was shattered.
His nose wrinkled in displeasure as he rapidly scrolled away from the post.
“Don’t pay attention to him-”
“Noooo, Vil! I wanted to see his post!”
“Stop trying to take my phone-!”
829 notes
·
View notes