#they cant throw a punch or kick to save their lives so their best bet during a fight is dogding/distracting-

[random-lil-illing]

thinking about my field agent player au... i can't decide whether to give them a white fedora to match carmen or their iconic white ballcap... or both. help.

i just need them in the field please it would be so fucking funny

[randomoneshotsblog]

𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱

𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭

Summary: Y/N is sent for the fight with Simmons but things didn't go as she expected.

Warnings: none (RE6 Leon)

Words: 1972

Author's note: This is going to have a part2 just you wait guys 💞🤧 also you can send requests😌 sorry if there are any typos

Y/N POV

I'm on my way to the battle against Simmons, yeah he himself. Derek C. Simmons, National Security Adviser. It happened all over again, Raccoon City. The EUA called me on behalf of Leon who called for backup. But they sent just me.

Leon didn't know that I was going, but he thought that they were going to send a few soldiers, so did I. The only one that knows that I'm going is Chris Redfield, my best friend.

Leon is my boyfriend of 6 months. We met each other on the tragedy of Raccoon City. Until today I cant believe that a good thing came out of there. Leon and i were trained together, when we got out of the city. After that, we are inseparable.

I'm in the chopper for 10 minutes and we haven't arrived yet. I have my back against the chopper's wall and my hands holding the pendant that Leon gave me in our first date.

I tried to convince him for me to go with him, but he said that it was too dangerous, he begged. So I stayed.

"We're almost there." The pilot said breaking my thoughts.

I get up and take a look at the window, I glimpse a thing flying.

"What is that?" I think.

Immediately I realise what it is. A missel coming towards the chopper.

"WATCH OUT!" I scream but there was no time, the missel had already exploded the chopper down.

LEON POV

Helena and I just got off the water close to the rails where apparently we defeated Simmons. Finally, I hope it all ends and goes back to normal. I wanna go back home, to Y/N. I miss her, so much.

When we arrive at the top of the stairs, we found a few soldiers evacuating the city. It's the best thing to do in the moment.

"Leon, Leon, come in. Sherry Birkin and Jake Muller were abducted and taken to an undersea oil field about 80 miles from you." Hunnigan speaks on the earpiece. I look at Helena.

"Abducted? What do you mean?" I ask, with a tone of worry.

" I've got a Chris Redfield on the line."

"Chris Redfield?" I think.

"Leon, are you there?" I put my finger above the earpiece to hear better.

"Yeah, I'm here. Look Chris, an agent Sherry Birkin and Jake Muller were abducted. I know that you're mission is close to an undersea oil field, I need you to rescue them. He's Wesker's son." I warn him, knowing he has a dark past with him.

"Wesker?" He asks with a tone of hesitation on his voice.

"Chris, he's the key to stop the C-virus." A silence falls on us. This is our only chance. Helena looks at me shaking her head. I sigh.

"Alright, got it. On my way." His answer relieves me. We don't have to worry with them anymore, I trust Chris and I know he will save them.

"Great. Thank you." I'm about to hang over when he calls me.

"Leon, wait..." I hear his breath and that is driving me anxious and a not so good feeling takes over me.

"Y/N is dead." My world stops, I just listen my heart beating, faster than normal.

"The government sent her in a chopper, I got the news just now that it was knocked down, no survives." In this moment I froze. The love of my life, was gone. Not her, please don't.

"Leon, come in. Look man, I'm shocked too she was my best friend, dammit. I got go, stay safe." With that he hanged over. I still don't believe his words. She cant be dead, no. I dont accept it.

Helena comes close noticing my situation, she tries to put her hand on my shoulder but I walk away, scared.

"Leon, calm down. Breath." I fall in tears.

"My God." I whisper.

Not her.

Y/N POV

The famous bad luck. I managed to get out of the chopper in time with my hook but I ended up falling and I now I have a metal stuck to my thigh.

"Wonderful." I think feeling the pain. I have to get this out, it's just going to bother me if I let.

I enter an alley and sit on the ground. I'm lucky I brought first aid kit. This wound it's not looking good.

I take the metal, closing my eyes. Better take it fast, that passes fast. I give it a pull not taking it fully, I let out a scream of pain. Ouch, it hurts. I give it another pull, taking out fully. I let out another scream. I clean the wound and make a band aid, tied to my thigh.

"It's gonna be a scar." I think trying to get up leaning on the wall. I have to continue the mission, even if I'm limping.

The only clue I have it's that I have to go to a tower. I got a shortcut, arriving there in 15 minutes.

When I get there, everything is so quiet and destroyed, really. I think a fight happened here, with Simmons maybe. My leg is still hurting but I'm not limping anymore.

"That's good and weird at the same time." I think making a face and going towards the elevator.

Even at times like this, I'm dumb. If Leon was here, he would kiss me and say that I'm not dumb even in the slightest. I miss him, it's been two weeks since he was at home, I didn't have news from him ever since. I hope I meet him.

While thinking I enter the elevator and lean my body on the wall. " Badly got here and everything's already shit." I say frustrated and let out a laugh.

I see through the elevator's glass door, the whole city on fire, Raccoon city all over again. This never ends.

Breaking through mu thoughts, I hear a noise, not good I suppose. The elevator stopped. I dont know why but I have a feeling that it will fall. I feel someone or something kneading the top of the elevator, with that I get out of it and jump to a lower surface. I jump and roll, feeling the pressure on my thigh. When I look back, the elevator falls and above it, it's who I bet it is. Simmons in his mutant form.

"Shit!" I run to the other edge away from him, and take my machine gun. He jumps to the surface and I start shooting at him, but he doesn't stop moving.

"Son of a bitch." I whisper. A few shots hit him but he still managed to come towards me.

I feel the surface almost falling, I take my hook and shoot to a surface above me.

I take my rifle and start shooting, but I hear shooting noises behind me. I look behind me and I see Leon and Helena on a surface far away from me. I get back to Simmons that returned to his human form, for a short time.

I run to him, still feeling my thigh hurting and pin him to the ground. I throw punches at him until I notice that he's going to transform again.

I get away and noticed that he's going towards Leon and Helena, that are climbing an elevator rope. I take my rifle and start shooting at him again.

"Not him!" I say shooting my last bullet that didn't solve nothing. Damn, out of ammo.

"Fuck!" I lost all focus when I'm going to get more ammo from my pocket, not knowing Simmons was planning his next attack.

He pushes me, I lost balance making my head hit the ground, next he hits my thigh. I scream in pain. I try to crawl back but my legs and arms give in. I start to whimper and squirm. Everything's hurting. My eyes are so blurry, I cant see very well, so I close them.

It's over. Everything. I see all my life pass through my eyes, each moment, each memory.

"Y/N!!" I hear far away not knowing who exactly said it.

Suddenly I feel someone beside me and warm hands on my shoulders.

Leon.

"Babe, please, stay with me." Leon says worried and relieved at the same time. I feel him laying me on his thigh.

"Wake up, you can do it. I cant lose you." He says, his voice broken, that makes my heart ache.

"Ah, Love, a weakness. Only destroys."

Simmons says getting close.

"Not from my point of view." Leon shoots back. I feel a twinge on my thigh.

"Ahh!" I force my eyes closed. I raise my hand to search for Leon's face.

"Le...on" I mumble. He takes my hand and puts on his chest, where his heart is. I can feel his heart beating so fast. I try to open my eyes but it's still blurry. I can see Simmons getting closer from us. I turn my head to Leon, I catch a glimpse of his blue eyes, asking me if I'm okay.

Leon protects me when Simmons does his attack. I hug him for dear life, still feeling the pain on my leg.

When the attack is over, we pull apart and look at each other, I notice his red eyes. He sighs and I give a weak smile.

He gets up and helps me get up too, I'm still limping. Simmons coming in our direction.

"Stay close. The leg doesn't look good." He says aiming at Simmons with his wing shooter and mentioning to my thigh.

I reload my rifle, Leon and I shoot at him at the same time.

"Helena, a little help here." I say in the earpiece, letting out a laugh. Leon, besides me, does the same.

Simmons gets knocked down, we get closer to him until he gets up and throws Leon to the edge making him fall.

"Leon! You bastard!" I say to Simmons.

"Do you want to live? Then begg! Begg for your life." He exclaims while kicking Leon's hand when he tries to get up.

"I'll pass." Leon says and I get my Magnum aiming to Simmon's head.

"Bye, bye, asshole." I shoot at him making him fall from the surface and Leon gets up.

I limp to Leon. "Are you okay?" Leon is standing looking. I'm getting worried. "Leon..." I'm interrupted by him sealing our lips.

He pulls me closer, closing the gap between our bodies. I close my eyes, enjoying the moment. His lips are so soft and his breath smells like mint. This man is perfect. His hands are on my waist and mine are passing to his neck to his hair. I tug at it making him growl. I open my mouth giving entrance to Leon's tongue. We are in a deep kiss full of love. He goes down starting to leave kisses on my neck, I gasp. Next, he pulls me to a hug like he never had the chance.

" I love you, I love you." He says, leaving me confused.

"Why is he like this?" I ask myself, but it's a fact that he was with red eyes.

I get away and look at his blue ocean eyes, still red. I raise my hand to his face, he closes his eyes, enjoying the moment.

"I love you too." I say, tearing down. I kiss his cheek, gently.

"I hate to break the moment but a chopper is on its way to get us back, I think it's better if you guys come here." I nod, laughing.

Leon look at my hands, taking them.

"Let's?" I nod.

We got to the chopper safely. Leon helped me walk, he even wanted to carry me but I said it wasn't needy.

I still have to talk to him.

[butgilinsky]

rivals pt 6 // sweet pea

warning; cursing, lots of violence, weapons, mania

summary; serpents and ghoulies fight over the near death of y/n

(pt 6 of _ )

pt 1. pt.2 pt. 3 pt. 4 pt. 5 pt. 6

sweet pea x ghoulies!reader

soooooooooooooo sorry for the suuuper long delay, but life is hard and college sucks and thats that on that

“just try to contain yourself-”

“Malachi, shut the fuck up. I'll be fine.” y/n barked as the two pulled up to the location in the same car. 

“no! listen for once in your life!” Malachi barked back, trying to warn his sister. “I can’t have you hurt again, okay? listen, I know you went through a lot. I know you have a lot going on. but you cant get yourself killed this time, okay? I can’t have you letting your mania take control.” he looked at y/n who was slightly smirking. 

“baby, it’s already set in.” he sighed softly, but left it. he knew that no matter what he told his sister, he couldn't stop her. he also know he couldn't stop himself. when the fighting started, all bet were off. 

this wasn't over bikes, or jingle jangle, or turf. this was over the ghoulie princess almost facing death. this was about avenging the next in line to the throne of the ghoulies. this was about family. about survival. an eye for an eye. 

as the two stepped out, y/n felt her last piece of emotion love her body, a true mania feeling setting in. she locked eyes with every serpent, trying to filter out the ones she didn’t recognize from the accident. she tried to find the boy she believed was the head of the snake, but locked eyes with sweet pea before she could find him. 

he mouthed a quick “I love you” knowing he wouldn’t get the chance to say it to her before things popped off. she felt her stance soften until a serpent punched a ghoulie in the jaw, signaling the beginning of the war. 

serpents tried their best to stay away from y/n. they saw the look in her eyes. a look many of them had seen before. a look many had been told to stray far away from. they saw the way she swung the bat in her hand, and though none of them could see it, they had a feeling in their gut about the sleek metal the girl had saved in the back of her shorts. her jacket covered the black metal, but the only thing holding it in place was her black shorts. 

she sent the heel of her knee high boots into a boy that was already on the ground, laughing as she mumbled a quick “weak” and walked past him. she was looking for one serpent.

when her eyes landed on the boy, she smirked widely. his eyes widened at the sight of her, knowing he couldn’t escape from her. 

he reached behind him, pulling a switchblade out of his pocket, she laughed to herself at the tiny piece of metal, and walked towards him. as she took more steps, a serpent jumped in front of her, punching her in the cheek, to which she quickly clapped back with a swing of her bat. she felt her head throb at the impact, knowing the blow to her head hurt more than it would if she hadn’t suffered a crash weeks before this. 

one of the nails that stuck out of the wood pierced the boy’s arm. she pulled back and swung it again, hitting close to the same spot. she raised her foot and kicked his chest back, making him fall to the ground. she sent the bat into his stomach, piercing it quickly as she pulled back and knelt down. 

“if you’re going to stick up for your buddy, stick up for them against someone you’ll beat.” she put her boot on the boy’s forehead and pushed slightly on it, hearing him scream out in pain. 

she looked up to see the other boy had run off, making her laugh. pussy. 

she turned to find him but was face with fp standing toe to toe with Malachi. 

“what do we have here?” y/n asked as she walked up to the kings. 

“listen y/n, I didn't call for them to do that to you. I won't have any of my serpents go behind me back and throw us under the bus. just try not to kill the boys.” she put a hand on his chest, leaning up to his ear with wide smirk. 

“no promises, king cobra.” she whispered before pressing her lips softs against his cheek. 

she pulled back and winked at the snake, before turning and walking away with a slight sway to her hips. 

her brother laughed softly as he split from fp and knocked some serpent heads. 

Malachi found the boy before y/n did. he knew it was him because it was the only serpent sweet pea had touched all night. 

when Malachi walked up to the two, he pushed sweet pea slightly and grabbed the boy’s shirt who already had blood gushing out of his nose. 

“you think you can cut me open, and barely got away with that. you got a gun pointed at your head, the only reason your ass is even alive is because this big lug over here saved your sorry ass.” pointed to sweet pea who huffed, hearing the detail from so many nights ago. “you come to ghoulie turf, you run my sister off the road, and you think you’ll breathe a single breath after that? funny.” he whispered the last word into the boy’s ear, making his tough demeanor disappear as he shivered. 

“you're going to point to every snake that was in that car, and while they deal with me, you’ll deal with y/n.” Malachi’s face twisted up in a smirk when he sw the boy’s eyes widen. 

“who was with you?” it was a simple question, but the boy couldn't seem to speak. he raised a shaky finger and pointed out three other serpents. “let’s go pay the princess a visit.” Malachi whispered as him and sweet pea took one of the boy’s arms. 

y/n smirked as she saw her two boys throw the boy down in front of her. 

she didnt pay any attention to Malachi’s smirks or sweet pea’s silent pleas, hoping she would let the boy live. 

Malachi left to kick some serpent ass while sweet pea was faced with a ghoulie.

the first thing y/n did was raise the boy’s shirt to find the faint scar on his stomach from where she stabbed him so many nights ago. she ran a small blade across his stomach, not hard enough to cut him. he shivered at the contact, too weak to move. 

she pressed her boot to his chest, just like the last time. she bent down and put her weight on the foot on top of him. she reached behind her and pulled the gun out from her waistband, holding it to his forehead like the other night. 

she held it to his forehead, laughing at the fear on his face. 

“it’s funny, that you think you can fuck with me. you thought I was dead. you left me there to die. you thought I was a goner, and thats why you did it. you wanted me dead. you tried to kill my brother, and failed. you tried to kill me, and failed. you’re a failure.” his breathing was heavy as he watched the girl smirk cynically. 

“I hope you had fun.” she whispered as she slammed the blade into his stomach just like the other night, now twisting it. she heard him cry out in pain and let a little laugh out before someone pulled her off, again. 

she looked at pea, and her face twisted in anger. 

“you always ruin my fun.” she spoke softly, watching the boy’s eyes stare at her in disbelief. 

“you’ll never forgive yourself.” he spoke slowly, knowing that when she came back to sanity, she would hate herself for what she did. 

“I'll never forgive him.” she corrected the boy, wearing a plain expression. 

“I don’t want you to do this to yourself y/n.” he spoke softly, stepping closer to her. 

“don’t tell me what you think is good for me.” she turned around and saw the boy staring at the knife in his stomach.

she put the toe of her shoe on the top of the knife and put pressure on it, sending it further into his stomach. 

“y/n!” sweet pea grabbed her elbow and spun her around. 

she turned around and smirked to herself, reaching up to the boy and pulling him down to her height as she pressed her lips to his forcefully. 

he grabbed her hips and pressed her against a car nearby. the two kept their lips connected as sweet pea pulled her up by her thighs, before wrapping them around his waist. 

her hands yanked at the hair on the back of his neck, earring a small groan for the tall snake. 

he pulled back at the sound of a loud scream. 

she looked at the lipstick that was smeared across his face and laughed. 

“you look insane.” he spoke softly with the tiniest hint of a smile. 

“I am insane lover boy.” she winked at him before jumping back to her feet. she picked up the bat she dropped next to the boy that now looked unconscious as she spit on him and locked eyes with jughead. 

“ghoulie’s are evil.” he spoke, earning a sinister laugh before the girl sent her fist flying into his jaw. 

“serpents are snakes. inside and out. she said simply before he spit to the side of them, looking at her in disbelief. 

“did you turn off your humanity or something?” he asked simply, not believing the girl had turned into this. 

“something like that.” she said softly before putting the bat on her shoulder and walking away from him. 

she looked around until she saw Malachi and sweet pea standing toe to toe. she was about o turn away before sweet pea sent his fist flying into Malachi’s cheek. Malachi went to swing back, creating a brawl between the two. 

“mal!” she screamed but earned no response. she dropped the bat, not a single weapon in her possession. she ran to the two boys and tried to separate the two of them. 

“Malachi” her voice broke him out of his trance, which allowed sweet pea to punch him once more. 

y/n grabbed each side of sweet pea’s jacket and yanked him away from her brother, shoving him as hard she she could. he stumbled backwards, looking at y/n with pure anger in his eyes. his fists were clenched and she could still see the faint red lipstick smeared across the boys lips. 

“my brother?” she screamed at the boy, baffled that he would hit Malachi.

“y/n get out of my way.” he growled at her, looking past her to see Malachi. 

“no pea! you’re unbelievable-”

“y/n let him hit me.” Malachi’s voice was different. not serious or asking, more mocking? 

“I'll fucking hit you again and again you piece of shit!” sweet pea tried to run at. him but y/n put her hands on sweet pea’s chest. her nails slightly scratched his collarbones when trying to stop him. 

“what the hell pea?” her voice was softer than it had been all night. 

“he thinks I put you in the hospital-”

“because that fucker said you did!” Malachi cut him off, making y/n shake her head in disbelief as she spun aroudn to face Malachi. 

“mal I told you he wasn’t there-”

“then why would that snake say he did?” he yelled down at his sister who clenched her jaw. 

“so you're believing a snake over me?” she spoke slowly, making Malachi’s anger disappear as he widened his eyes. 

“no y/n/n/ that’s not-”

“sure mal.” she spoke softly as she shook her head and backed up into sweet pea’s chest. 

she let her head fall back onto his chest as she shut her eyes, feeling some of her emotion seep back into her veins. 

“I want to leave.” she spoke softly and sweet pea gave her hip a soft squeeze. 

“okay let’s go-” she cut her brother off, knowing he didnt get what she meant. 

“not with you.” she spoke directly, opening her eyes that were now glued to her brother. 

his face drained of color and emotion as he stared at his sister, never seeing her want to be away from him. he looked to sweet pea who smirked to him, making Malachi clench his jaw as he nodded once. 

“go.” he spit before turning and picking up the bat his sister had dropped. 

she turned around, pressing a hand to sweet pea’s chest before she shut her eyes. 

“I don’t feel good.” she spoke softly, making him lift her thighs up like he had done previously. 

her legs wrapped around his torso as she laid her head in the crook of his neck. he carried the girl over to his bike, sitting her on the bike before he slid in front of her. she wrapped her arms around sweet pea’s waist and opened her eyes one last time to see Malachi clench his jaw before sending the bat into someone’s car window. 

taglist:

@river-serpents @topstory21, @xdontxcare, @hey-garrett-shut-up, @maggie-duvall, @centerhabit, @thewondersofmysexuality, @marinarasauce62, @dark-night-sky-99, @aframeofbones, @savingprivatecass, @disastrxlogy, @in-my-dreams-2000, @darksideoftheilluminati, @juggiecoopb, @swagmonstertoes, @deviouscharitos, @skeletalwolfcat, @finnickxoxo, @mdgrdians, @gracestickler1

[ravenvsfox]

Part two of my trc/tfc crossover extravaganza as requested by about 16 humans, this is going to be a trio, so wait for chapter 3 buddds

There’s a knock on the door two seconds before Ronan slits through the doorway shoulder first. Adam feels like the contents of a cardboard box, sliced and opened.

“I fucking hate this,” Ronan says, his whole presence bunched at the entrance, coiled. “Why do I feel like they have more secrets than we do?”

Adam shuffles his feet so he’s contained to one cushion, and Ronan sits down instantly, close enough that his waves eat Adam’s ripples.

“You wanted this.”

“I wanted to play exy.”

“You wanted all of us with you,” Adam adds. “You wanted to not be the most difficult person on a team. You wanted college to be easy and the games to be hard.”

Ronan looks at him closely, then kicks backward onto the couch, head on the far armrest, legs pushing at Adam’s so that they have to occupy some of the same space.

“I don’t need another gang of thugs to tell me what I have to be.”

“Kavinsky’s crew was—“

“I’m not talking about him,” Ronan says viciously. Adam eyes him, then looks at their legs, at Ronan’s hand, lax near his thigh.

“I think,” Adam says slowly, “that it’s too soon to tell.”

Ronan’s eyes are slitted blue when Adam looks down, peering past his own knees to meet his gaze.

“Yeah okay, diplomat. Tell me what you really think.”

Adam rolls his head back, flexing his hands to hear them crack, thinking of the way Neil and Andrew paired off and put their heads together, dark and light, speaking with gestures first, silences second, words last.

“I think that we’re trying to put two plugs together, and we don’t have any sockets.”

“Pretty,” Ronan snarks. Adam ignores him.

“They don’t trust us.”

“I don’t trust them,” Ronan replies easily, and takes Adam’s hand so he’ll stop cracking and wringing.

“I don’t think any of us would qualify for the foxes if we were—“

“Trustworthy?”

“Easy to understand,” Adam continues. “I’ve watched the tapes, Ronan. They’re still fractured at the best of times.”

“We’re stronger,” Ronan says quietly, playing with Adam’s fingers.

“We’re good together,” Adam agrees, and Ronan pulls him down on top of him. Adam falls, and enjoys the falling quite a lot, the way Ronan’s mouth changes when he’s close. “We haven’t always been.”

“That’s Gansey’s fault. He doesn’t know how to introduce people.”

“Meanwhile you made a great case for yourself,” Adam says sarcastically, grinning when Ronan does. “So personable.”

“Hey,” Ronan says, cupping Adam’s face with both hands and squeezing. “You wanna go see what we can do on this shit campus?”

“I want to get ahead on my readings, actually. My grades have to be better than my status, because PSU has zero prestige.” 

Ronan rolls him into the back of the couch and kisses him fast, rubs a thumb over the sting on Adam’s lips. “No, you want to break into the court.”

“We have the keys.”

“You want to legally enter the court,” Ronan amends, pinching Adam’s side so that his ribcage cants up.

“Yeah,” Adam says after a moment. He thinks about the burnished wood of the court and the killing heft of a racquet. He pictures Ronan and Gansey next to him, crowing victory, the sweat and rush and pitch of the finite game, the deadline he can see and count on. Exy decks him and he hits back.

“Good,” Ronan says. “I want to put a dent in their fucking foxhole.”

_____

The lights are on when they get to the court at midnight, and Ronan lets the door fall closed hard behind them. There’s no movement, just miles of clean hallway and the hollow, lived-in feeling of a place that should be full.

They exchange looks, and walk steadily towards the heart of the building. They gear up quickly in the chill of the changing rooms, laughing at each other in their fiery oranges. Ronan musses the bandana from Adam’s hair. 

They poke their way towards the court, and when they’re close enough, the screech and hammer of activity haunts the hallway.

“My bet’s on Day. He looks like he doesn’t sleep,” Ronan says, kicking the door open and catching it before it can swing back.

“That’s a pretty ironic insult, coming from you,” Adam says pointedly, and Ronan grumbles something about involuntary insomnia, but they’re already spilling out into the central court.

He regrets making it this far. He feels so blatantly redundant, a meal that’s mistakenly been delivered to a table of people who’ve already eaten.

It is Day, but it’s also Minyard and Josten, running drills as seriously as they seem to do everything, full gear, full focus. Adam can taste the sweat in the air from outside the plexiglass that swallows the action.

“Fuck,” Ronan says.

“So much for that,” Adam says, drooping and trying to pin himself back up.

Ronan, of course, strides forward and opens the door anyway. Kevin perks up first, holding out a hand to halt the action that Andrew ignores and Neil stares at.

“Did you come to practice?”

“Well we didn’t come to bask in your mediocrity, did we?” Ronan says, and Adam sighs. He has the unsettled feeling that Ronan sincerely enjoys this room full of abrasive personalities. Poison doesn’t pose a threat to more poison. Adam worries for Ronan’s thin armour though, the weak points that grow every day.

“That would imply that you even know what proper exy looks like, which I doubt,” Neil calls.

Adam grabs for Ronan, but he slips from his hands. He looks miles taller than Neil by the time he reaches him, but somehow narrowly less threatening. Andrew bristles and hefts his racquet up, and Adam sees black.

“Can we play?” Adam asks quickly, sifting panic out of his voice. “We want to get ahead.”

“We’re already ahead,” Ronan spits, looking down into Neil’s steady eyes. His scars preserve his intimidation like plastic wrap, but Ronan is one big scar: painful to look at, more painful to have. 

“Good,” Kevin says. “Ronan and Neil can play against me. Adam, get in their goal, Andrew in mine.”

Ronan and Neil squint at each other. Adam bristles at being ordered around; Kevin’s authority grates in a way that Gansey’s only sometimes does. It’s strange, watching everyone line themselves up and sink into their roles like they were already wading into water and just found that they couldn’t reach the bottom with their toes anymore.

Ronan and Neil fall into twin positions. Adam stares at Andrew’s apathetic racquet twirling and thinks Okay. Yes. He can read the mislead in Andrew’s stance, the power in his arms. He can understand Andrew’s faulty concentration, the broken pipe connecting him to Neil.

“Try not to prove Neil right,” Kevin yells, and Andrew hammers the ball all the way downcourt. The rush is instant for Adam, ropes and ropes of adrenaline in front of him, and it all moves so fast that Palmetto and Henrietta and Cabeswater are blurred landmarks outside of his car window.

Neil’s tricky, slippery fast, never trusting Ronan with the ball, goading him back and forth. Kevin has ambidextrous power all the way up his arms and legs, he’s a tank that also did all of his calculations. Andrew is immovable, and unmistakably natural.

Ronan is gorgeous when he plays -- sleek as a BMW, cruel as a hockey player, and he always has more to prove than anyone on court. He steals the ball from his own teammate and makes it look like an act of mercy. He’s the lightning strike and the thunder and the rain all at once.

Adam’s track record is impeccable, but he knows that Andrew is better. Adam pitches a ball at Neil’s legs and Andrew twitches for long enough that Ronan can scoop the ball and slide it home in the corner of Andrew’s goal.

It’s the only goal he sinks. Neil manages one half an hour later, but the opposite side of the court with its two players feels like a concrete wall they’re bouncing practice balls off of.

The way Andrew plays is monstrous, and Adam fights humiliation as he always does, saving face with all of his thin, patchy energy, and his vein-deep desire to win.

Kevin gets four shots past him, all told, making Adam’s failure rate double Andrew’s.

Adam throws his racquet down, regrets it, and feels shame join exhaustion on his face. He senses Andrew watching him from across the court, and the feeling scuttles under his skin. Ronan jogs up to him with some unfathomable remaining energy stores, and waits for him to take off his helmet. He doesn’t try to help him or touch him or comfort him.

“We held our own,” he says eventually. “They beat the best team in the world last spring, and we held our fucking own.”

Adam nods, too overwhelmed to respond.

“What happened to you being ahead?” Neil wanders up to ask, and Ronan breathes out, turns around, and punches him clean across the face.

He stands over him after, looking vengeful and strong, and says, “You lost too.”

Blood pumps, their breathing huffs and trips, runners thud closer, and then Andrew delivers a right hook so brutal that anyone else might have been knocked out. Ronan sprawls, but rolls into a crouch almost immediately, looking thunderstruck. It reminds Adam of his brawls with Declan, the bloody mouth with the devastation behind it.

It’s horrifying, seeing it surface so quickly, blood welling up even after you’ve cleaned the wound.

“Hey,” Adam says viciously, putting himself between Andrew and Ronan.

“Hey,” Andrew replies, looking past him to Ronan. “Do not touch him again.”

“Same to you,” Adam says, trying to get maneuver so that Andrew has to meet his eye.

“I’m shocked that you can speak,” Ronan says, staggering upright, purposefully not checking for damage in his face or hand.

“I’m shocked that you can stand,” Andrew tells him. “Now tell me if you heard me.”

“I heard you. You’re blindly defending your boyfriend when he’s trying to start shit.”

“Is that not what you’re doing?” Andrew asks evenly. When Ronan hesitates he continues, “you lied. Neil called your bluff, you lost your temper. Do you feel like more of a winner now?”

“I don’t lie,” Ronan grits, and Andrew cocks his head at him. He looks mildly surprised by the concept.

“Let’s just change out and go home,” Adam murmurs, temples throbbing. “This isn’t productive.”

“The practice was decent,” Kevin announces. “But the summer made you slow.”

“Insult to injury,” Adam says under his breath, and Andrew looks piercingly in his direction again. Adam doesn’t look away. He’s heard the rumours, read the articles, but he’s not unsettled by them. He’s familiar with the way fear can look so convincingly like anger — there’s no reason it can’t look like apathy too.

“You’re not ready to be a team,” Neil says.

“That’s some bullshit, coming from you,” Ronan says, thick through the blood muddying his lips.

“We take care of foxes, not any asshole who steps on the court. Ae you ready to make an effort? Let any of that glittering narcissism go? Because until you do, I keep critiquing you, and you keep losing that paper-thin temper of yours.”

“We’re serious about this,” Adam says. “We wouldn’t have come here as a unit if we weren’t used to teamwork and sacrifice.”

“You’re a long way from home,” Andrew says. “Teams break.”

“I’m not,” Adam says, instinctive and bitter. “And we won’t.”

Andrew’s eyes are darkly intense, and they stick all over Adam’s face, his ear, his sweaty hair.

“You’re coming to Columbia this weekend, both of you.” His gaze slides to Ronan. Adam feels sickly, like he wants to peel his eyes off of him.

“There’s a club,” Neil explains, watching Andrew closely, his face a flip-book of reactions to the tiniest gestures.

“Was that an invitation?”

Andrew considers. “It’s not optional.”

“Fuck you,” Ronan says. 

Adam says, “We’ll go,” without getting all the way through his furious mental gymnastics routine. He’s curious enough about the foxes that he’s willing to disguise himself as one. Another city, another costume, another scholarship, another sacrifice.

Andrew doesn’t react, just walks away with Neil a pace in front of him. It’s like they’re both listening to the same strange set of headphones, and no one else knows what’s feeding into that connection all day.

Ronan tugs Adam by his single, neat leather wristband, tucked secretly underneath his gloves, and Adam considers that they might have the same thing.

Part One  Part Three